ABC/Image Group LAYou wouldnt typically think of an abandoned prison as the ideal spot to shoot a romantic music video.

But for Devin Dawson, the Tennessee State Prison fit the greyscale treatment he had in mind for his breakthrough hit, All on Me.

I'm all about contrasts, the California native tells ABC Radio. I have an aesthetic that I'm obsessed with black and white and monochrome. And I wanted to do something interesting with the video that maybe you weren't thinking of. I'm always going to do something that isn't what you expected, hopefully.

The lead single from the Dark Horse album has also turned out to be Devins first top-five country hit.

You know the song is like, when the world gets you down, I'll be there for you, he explains. So [its] kinda this apocalyptic setting of the end of the world and this guy and this girl.

There's three characters: me, a girl, and the prison, he continues. The prison is a character in and of itself. And director Justin Clough did an amazing job kind of mirroring that with this upbeat love song. And they just work really well together I think.



If you havent seen the All on Me video, you can check it out on YouTube.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The firm has reason to believe that the representative [Brisker] forged the signature of another insurance agent, and misrepresented the other agent as his employer, in connection with submitting his own disability claim form to an insurance company, FINRA said on its website.

On top of fraud allegations, two 2016 liens have been listed against Brisker for a total of $457,434 in taxes owed, Portsmouth Daily Times reported. Another pending tax lien for $108,823 from 2011 was also listed as pending.

Brisker is the owner of the Hot Springs Car Wash, and Office Rental Space, as well as the Fred W. Brisker Insurance Agency.

Prior to his license suspension, the broker was the subject of controversy when rumors of his involvement in criminal activities such as human trafficking and prostitution spread throughout the local community, the publication stated. The Daily Times investigated the rumors and stated that it had found no evidence of Brisker ever having been arrested

Portsmouth Daily Times said that it is unclear if Briskers license suspension would ultimately lead to criminal charges. Local law enforcement and the Southern Ohio office of the Federal Bureau of Investigations have all declined to confirm or deny any investigation into Briskers supposed criminal activities.

Related stories:
Authorities have announced pleas in a ring that they said made millions renting out fraudulently obtained Pennsylvania license plates.

Fifty-one-year-old Rafael Levi of Brooklyn, New York, entered open guilty pleas Friday to three dozen counts in Dauphin County.

Authorities said the people who rented the Pennsylvania plates  which were packaged with fraudulent insurance paperwork  used the anonymity to evade traffic tickets, parking fines and highway tolls.

The attorney generals office said eight other people also entered pleas, and Levi, the ringleader, also pleaded guilty on behalf of nine businesses.

Levi was charged in April 2017 with hundreds of counts. Defense attorney Geoffrey McInroy said Monday his client had accepted responsibility, as evidenced by not only the pleas but his plan to pay restitution that would probably top $1 million.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Pennsylvania
New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny is planning to retire this summer after 16 years with the New Hampshire Insurance Department. With his current term ending on June 11, he told Insurance Journal his advice for his successor is based on a strategy he has seen work well during his time in office.

Do what makes sense and regulate in a way that you would want to be regulated if you were on the other side, he said.

His retirement comes after more than a decade of navigating both challenges and opportunities within the New Hampshire Insurance Department, all while keeping pace with a changing insurance industry. He cited assisting with guiding the state through the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009 and the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as two of his biggest accomplishments while in office.

[Protecting consumers] really starts with being able to appropriately regulate the industry, Sevigny said. You have to be really careful as a regulator that youre not overly heavy-handed, but at the same time, you cant let things go that could do a consumer harm.

Be a good leader, be a good listener and do what makes sense.

Accomplishments dont typically come without challenges though, and for Sevigny, one ongoing challenge he sees in New Hampshire is achieving market stability in the health insurance market, particularly the individual market.

Thankfully in New Hampshire, by working closely with the carriers and by being very, very close to the situation, we were able to continue to have a market for all of our consumers that wanted health insurance, he said. That didnt happen all over the countrynot that we werent challenged. We were.

He added that New Hampshires close association in working with various carriers and being flexible when they file their rates served the consumer well, however, by continuing to provide a market in which consumers could participate.

Despite any past or present challenges, Sevigny said that much of his accomplishments in office boil down to his ongoing efforts to be a good financial regulator and protect consumers.

If I did nothing else, if I could be a really good financial regulator  in other words, make sure that the carriers that are doing business are solvent and remain solvent  then Ive done a good job at protecting consumers, he said.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu praised Sevigny for a job well done in a statement announcing the Commissioners pending retirement.

We will have big shoes to fill with Rogers absence, Sununu said in prepared remarks.

Although Sevigny said it may be both a difficulty and an opportunity for a successor to continue the initiatives that the New Hampshire Insurance Department has begun, he advised that being a good leader at the state level starts with being a good listener.

I really believe that you make much better decisions when you have healthy debate from all that are contributing to the debate, he said. Be a good leader, be a good listener and do what makes sense.

Prior to his 16 years working as a regulator in the state of New Hampshire, Sevigny spent 30 years in the military both in active duty and reserve time, retiring at the rank of Colonel, and more than 30 years working for Travelers Insurance and Citigroup. He is a National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) past president and member of the NAICs Executive (EX) Committee. Sevigny is also president of the National Insurance Producer Registry (NIPR) and chair of the Producer Licensing (EX) Task Force.

After a long career, he said the stars aligned for him to retire.

I had to decide whether I was going to ask the Governor to reappoint me or whether I was going to be looking to do something different, and the decision I made was that its time for the next chapter, Sevigny said.

Check back for additional details on New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevignys interview with Insurance Journal.
I say again, turn! the air traffic controller called over the radio, his voice rising, as the flight from Bangladesh swerved low over the runway at Kathmandus small airport.

Seconds later, the plane crashed into a field beside the runway, erupting in flames and leaving 50 of the 71 people on board dead.

That moment Monday appeared to result from minutes of confused chatter between the control tower and the pilot of the US-Bangla passenger plane, as they discussed which direction the pilot should use to land safely at the airports single runway.

A separate radio conversation between the tower and at least one Nepali pilot reflected the sense of miscommunication.

They appear to be extremely disoriented, a man said in Nepali, watching as Flight BS211 made its approach, though it was not clear if the voice belonged to a pilot or the tower. Looks like they are really confused, said another man.

In the recording, posted by air traffic monitoring website liveatc.net, the pilot and the tower shifted back and forth about whether the pilot should approach the runway from the north or the south.

Just before landing, the pilot asked, Are we cleared to land?

Moments later, the controller came back on the air, his voice clearly anxious, and told the pilot, I say again, turn! Seconds after that, the controller ordered firetrucks onto the runway.

The plane, which was heading from Bangladeshs capital, Dhaka, to Kathmandu, was carrying 67 passengers and four crew members.

Kathmandu officials and the airline laid the blame for the accident on each other.

The airports general manager told reporters Monday that the pilot did not follow the control towers instructions and approached the runway from the wrong direction.

The airplane was not properly aligned with the runway. The tower repeatedly asked if the pilot was OK and the reply was Yes,' said the general manager, Raj Kumar Chetri.

But Imran Asif, CEO of US-Bangla Airlines, told reporters in Dhaka that we cannot claim this definitely at the moment, but we are suspecting that the Kathmandu air traffic control tower might have misled our pilots to land on the wrong runway.

After hearing the recording between the tower and the pilots, we assumed that there was no negligence by our pilots, he said.

He said the pilot, who initially survived the accident but succumbed to his injuries Tuesday, was a former air force officer. Capt. Abid Sultan had flown the Bombardier Q400 series aircraft for more than 1,700 hours and was also a flying instructor with the airline.

Prior to the crash, the plane circled Tribhuvan International Airport twice as it waited for clearance to land, Mohammed Selim, the airlines manager in Kathmandu, told Dhaka-based Somoy TV.

Police spokesman Manoj Neupane said Tuesday that 49 people were confirmed to have been killed and 22 injured. The injured were being treated in various hospitals in Kathmandu, Nepals capital.

Autopsies on the dead were being performed at the Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital morgue, where some 200 relatives waited to hear about their loved ones.

Dr. M.A. Ansari of the hospitals forensic department said positively identifying all the dead could take as long as a week because many of the bodies were badly burned. By late Tuesday morning, four bodies had been identified.

Anita Bajacharya waited at the hospital with her parents and other relatives for details on her 23-year-old sister, a medical student who had just finished school in Bangladesh and was returning home on the flight. The sister, Asma Shakya, had called her mother from the airport, excited about returning home. Now her family sat outside a hospital waiting for her body to be identified.

Relatives of the passengers from Bangladesh arrived in Kathmandu late Tuesday afternoon and were escorted to the hospital by airline officials.

Nepals government has ordered an investigation into the crash. However, Mohammed Kamrul Islam, a spokesman for US-Bangla Airlines, said the governments of both Nepal and Bangladesh need to launch a fair investigation and find the reason behind the accident.

According to the airline, the plane was carrying 32 passengers from Bangladesh, 33 from Nepal and one each from China and the Maldives. It did not provide the nationalities of the four crew members.

US-Bangla operates Boeing 737-800 and smaller Bombardier Dash 8 planes, including the Q400, the model that crashed.

The airline is based in Bangladeshs capital, Dhaka, and flies domestically and internationally. The parent company, part of US-Bangla Group, is also involved in real estate, education and agriculture.

Kathmandus airport has been the site of several deadly crashes. In September 2012, a Sita Air turboprop plane carrying trekkers to Mount Everest hit a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 19 people on board.

Associated Press journalists Niranjan Shrestha and Upendra Mansingh in Kathmandu and Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics USA Aviation
Wiley Insurance Agency in West Plains, Mo., has hired Melissa Burton as customer service representative/agent.

Burton will write policies and enter information into the agencys management system for new and existing clientele. She has earned her Missouri Property /Casualty license and will also sell property and casualty insurance.

Prior to joining Wiley Insurance Agency, Burton worked as a store manager at a cellular telephone company. She has more than 17 years of retail industry experience.

Wiley Insurance Agency is a member of Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), a cohesive family of over 100 independent insurance agencies in Missouri and Illinois.

Wiley Insurance Agency is a full-service agency founded in 2014 that specializes in personal, commercial, farm, and life insurance. The company is owned by lifelong West Plains resident Traci Wiley, who has 25 years of insurance industry experience in the community.

Source: Wiley Insurance Agency

Topics Missouri
A $1.5 billion settlement was reached in a class-action lawsuit covering tens of thousands of farmers, grain-handling facilities and ethanol plants that sued Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta over its introduction of a genetically engineered corn seed. The settlement, reached March 12, must be approved by a federal judge in Kansas.

Lawsuits in state and federal courts challenged Syngentas decision to introduce its modified Viptera and Duracade corn seed strains to the U.S. market for the 2011 growing season before having approval for import by China in 2014. The plaintiffs said Syngentas decision cut off access to the large Chinese corn market and caused price drops for several years.

The settlement will create a fund to pay claims by farmers and others who contracted to price corn or corn byproducts after Sept. 15, 2013. If approved, money could be distributed to class members in the first half of 2019.

The settlement does not include the exporters Cargill and ADM that are also suing Syngenta.

Four lawyers who led the litigation for corn producers said in a joint statement that the settlement is believed to be the largest agricultural litigation settlement in U.S. history.

Americas corn farmers and related businesses were hurt economically and this settlement will provide fair compensation for their damages, the attorneys said. It is an equitable result for all involved.

The preliminary settlement did not constitute an admission by either side concerning merits of the parties allegations and defenses, Syngenta spokesman Paul Minehart said in a statement.

The agribusiness giant contended that corn prices dropped because of market forces, not Chinas rejection of Viptera. Most of the farmers suing Syngenta didnt grow Viptera or Duracade, but China rejected millions of tons of their grain because elevators and shippers mix grain from several suppliers, making it impossible to find corn free of the trait.

Syngenta invested more than $100 million and 15 years in developing Viptera, which has a trait called MIR162 that protects against pests such as earworms, cutworms, armyworms and corn borers. Duracade, a newer variety, added protection against corn rootworm.

The company continued to defend the traits Monday, saying Viptera and Duracade provided a way to combat several pests and noting that the strains were fully approved by all U.S. regulatory authorities at the time of their launch.

In June of 2017, a federal grand jury in Kansas awarded nearly $218 million to about 7,300 growers who sued Syngenta over the corn modifications. Plaintiffs experts in that trial estimated the economic damage was about $5 billion. Another trial was in progress in state court in Minnesota in September when a preliminary settlement was reached.

Related:

Topics Lawsuits USA Agribusiness China Kansas
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune.

When Marni Axelrad and her family moved to Houstons Meyerland neighborhood in 2015, they planned to stay there for years to come. They loved the community, and their kids were going to great schools.

Then the floods came.

The 2015 Memorial Day flood brought 6 inches of water into their newly purchased home. They fixed the damage and moved back in. Then Hurricane Harvey flooded the house with more than 2 feet of water last summer.

Despite two floods in three years, the familys not moving. Instead, they recently paid a contractor nearly $300,000 to lift their 3,350-square-foot house six feet off the ground so they wont have to worry about the next big storm.

At the end of the day, we love our neighborhood, Axelrad said. Everything is great except the flooding. Here, we know our neighbors, we love our schools, its close to work. We didnt want to leave.

A growing number of Houston homeowners who have suffered repeated flooding  the city has seen major floods for three straight years  have decided to elevate their homes. And most, like Alexrad and her husband, largely have to pay for the elevation themselves. With a mix of their own money, insurance funds, a small grant and an SBA loan, the family of five is chipping away at the $280,000 elevation bill. Theyve stopped saving money and contributing to their retirement fund to help pay off the new debt.

And like many of their neighbors, they applied for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant to elevate their home after the 2015 flood but found themselves behind more than 200 others on the waiting list.

As of December, only 42 families had received those FEMA grants, and just nine had elevated their homes or begun construction. Those looking to elevate their homes after Harvey have two options: get on FEMAs list and risk flooding again as they wait or find a way to fund the project themselves.

We knew that there would be more grants, but we werent willing to put our kids through another flood again while we waited for one, Axelrad said.

Elevation and construction company Arkitektura, which elevated Axelrads home, estimates the cost of elevating the typical house at about $75 per square foot  or more than $112,000 for a 1,500-square-foot house. And because families still need to fix flood damage inside their homes, the final bill can be even higher.

The cost is insane, Axelrad said. Once youre already spending that kind of money, I think a lot of people would rather just knock the home down and build a new one.

Axelrad is a pediatric psychologist, and her husband David Schwartz is a pediatric neuropsychologist. Axelrad said its good that theyre both PhDs because it takes one to figure this process out.

Letters Force Tough Decisions

Since Harvey, signs have cropped up left and right throughout Meyerland, signaling that a home is about to be lifted.

For some, elevating is a requirement.

Homes like Axelrads that sit in the 100-year floodplain but were built before current regulations took effect are grandfathered and dont need to be elevated unless homeowners opt to rebuild completely. In that case, getting up to code means elevating 18 inches above the base flood elevation  the level to which water is expected to rise during a flood.

In Harris County, homeowners who received letters from the city stating that the cost of repairing their home would equal or exceed 50 percent of its pre-Harvey market value are also required to meet current floodplain regulations by elevating  or risk being ineligible for flood insurance and future FEMA assistance.

Jamila Johnson, Houstons floodplain manager, said the city sent out 1,944 substantial damage letters to homeowners as of early February and plans to send out more.

Homeowners who receive these letters can appeal the designation.

After Harvey, Houston Public Works proposed regulations that would double the required elevation for homes in the 100-year floodplain to three feet above the base flood elevation. The Houston City Council has scheduled the proposal for a March 21 vote.

Johnson said the proposed regulations are based on a changing understanding of rainfall patterns in the area.

Were seeing bigger rains more often, Johnson said. A 500-year event will probably be considered a 100-year event in the future, so the city is moving to regulate them the same way. Weve seen that these regulations help  even in an event as disastrous as Harvey. But they dont work on homes that arent compliant.

These new regulations are an attempt both to mitigate future damage and to relieve some of the pressure that flood-damaged homes put on FEMA and the National Flood Insurance Fund. FEMA loss avoidance studies have found that elevating homes is an effective long-term solution.

One study in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, focused on how homes elevated after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 had fared during Hurricane Isaac seven years later. FEMA determined that the 23 homes studied  all of which were elevated using federal, state and local funds  would have been flooded above the finished floor during Isaac and sustained about $2.2 million in damage.

The homes cost more than that to elevate  $2.4 million, primarily paid through FEMAs Hazard Mitigation Grant Program  but the report concluded that over time, the benefits would outweigh the costs as more floods happened. The report also found that the elevated homes had higher market values, which helped the local tax base.

In Wharton, a Family Prepares to Leave

An hour from Meyerland in Wharton, Randa Langerud watched as her home of 20 years was demolished by the city a few weeks after Harvey  the first of 10 in her neighborhood to come down.

But they arent rebuilding. Theyre leaving.

It took less than four hours to demolish 20 years of our lives, Langerud said. That was as hard as going through the flood itself.

After Harvey sent 5 feet of floodwater into their home, Langerud and her husband began looking at their options. Leaving the house at the same elevation would have sent their insurance skyrocketing to more than $4,000 a year.

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, insurance for a home thats at base flood elevation costs roughly $1,410 per year nationwide, while insurance for a home thats 3 feet above base flood elevation averages $427 per year.

If Langerud and her husband wanted to rebuild, the county would require them to raise their home by 8 feet to elevate it above the flood zone  which would cost $30,000 before they even began to renovate the interior.

In the end, they felt their only option was to move elsewhere.

Its not a rich county, we dont have deep pockets or attention, Langerud said. Its really going to devastate the town because so many of us dont have the option to raise or rebuild.

Aside from grants and loans, homeowners with flood insurance can use up to $30,000 toward elevation costs through Increased Cost of Compliance coverage if theyve received the substantial damage designation.

Even if homeowners receive FEMA assistance, they face a longer timeline for getting their home elevated, said Arkitektura founder Phillip Contreras, who works on private and FEMA-funded elevation projects.

A homeowner paying out of pocket can start the process right away, but with FEMA, there are different guidelines and regulations, Contreras said. [FEMAs] only objective is that you dont flood again. Theyre using the bare minimum  the cheapest materials up to code.

For those who can find a way to pay for it, one big incentive of elevating is preserving their homes value. Erin Anders, whose historic home in the Meyerland area was designed in 1959 by award-winning architect Arthur Steinberg, said preserving the house was a top priority. Before Hurricane Harvey, her family decided to pay Arkitektura $250,000 to raise the house five feet.

Wed be a lot better off [financially] right now if we didnt raise the house, but if we hadnt wed have a house that wasnt worth anything, she said.

Houston-based real estate broker Brandi Downey agreed, saying shes seen flooded homes sell for just the value of the land theyre sitting on.

Homes that are being elevated now have the possibility of selling, Downey said. Especially in the newer areas, homes will sell for about what they sold for before the hurricane. Had they not been elevated, they wouldve had to sell for lot value.

But after the added cost of elevating a house, it might be years before many homeowners are able to break even when selling their home.

Langerud and her husband are living in a FEMA trailer on their property as they decide where to go next  and how to pay for it all. They received the maximum amount of $33,000 through FEMAs Individual Assistance Program and are applying for an FHA loan.

We literally lost everything, Langerud said. I know [the aid] isnt supposed to replace it all, but we dont know whats going to happen.

At 52 years old, Langerud says she feels like shes starting over.

We did everything right, Langerud said. We went from no mortgage at our age to having to take one out. This may never happen again, but this has forever changed our lives.

This story was produced in partnership with the Ravitch Fiscal Reporting Program at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2018/03/14/harvey-elevate-homes-flood-houston-money-costs/.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans  and engages with them  about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

Topics Catastrophe Texas Legislation Flood Hurricane Homeowners
Authorities have investigated at least 106 threats of violence in or near schools in Louisiana since the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Florida high school, state police and the FBI said. The news came as the University of New Orleans was reopening its campus following the arrest of a suspect in one such threat.

Nicholas Heard, 20, was arrested without incident at his home, said New Orleans police spokesman Beau Tidwell.

Police on March 12 said Heard told fellow students he would shoot several people on campus.

The university told employees not to report to work Monday and students in on-campus housing were told to remain in their rooms. Once the arrest was made, authorities made preparations to re-open the campus late Monday afternoon and re-start campus dining services.

Heard was being held at the New Orleans jail and bond had not been set as of Monday night. Online jail records did not indicate whether he has an attorney.

A joint news release from the FBI and Louisiana State Police said that in the other cases, the ages of those arrested ranged from 11 to 28. Most were juveniles.

As shown by the number of arrests already effected by Louisiana law enforcement agencies, school threats are being taken seriously, and a zero tolerance policy is in place, the statement said.

After the threat was lifted at UNO, its president, John Nicklow, said campus and city police, U.S. Marshals, and police from other nearby campuses had assisted the school. I am also grateful to our students for their patience, cooperation and even words of encouragement that some offered during this ordeal, Nicklow wrote.

Also Monday, authorities said a 14-year-old was arrested in connection with an unrelated threat at a New Orleans public school. Officials said the unidentified teen was arrested Saturday, adding it came a day after threats of a shooting at Dolores T. Aaron School came to light. The unidentified teen is accused of terrorizing and disruption of the operation of a school. Police said officers were in constant communication with officials at that pre-K through 8th grade charter school to ensure student safety.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Law Enforcement
An insurance company is suing a North Carolina woman, saying it has paid nearly $390,000 for a chronic disease, only to learn she has been traveling freely.

The Charlotte Observer reported Cynthia McCullough told her insurance company a rare and chronic nervous system disorder that causes severe pain left her unable bathe and dress and in need of constant home care.

New York Life sued in U.S. District Court in Charlotte on Friday, saying it found church Facebook photos of her going down a slide and playing Skee-Ball.

The lawsuit says McCullough was freely moving about, lifting objects into her SUV without problem, when the company conducted surveillance in late 2016 and early 2017.

Payments started in 2010 were halted last July.

McCullough did not return a message seeking comment.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Fraud New York North Carolina
A state agency is telling 3,000 college scholarship recipients in South Carolina that their personal information was posted online for 10 months.

The Commission on Higher Education sent a letter to students who earned Palmetto Fellows scholarships, saying their names, addresses and Social Security numbers were posted in May 2017 when the agency switched programs.

The letter says a student found the information during a web search. It is only supposed to be available to colleges.

The commission says fewer than five people tried to access the page. The agency apologized in the letter sent Sunday.

The breach pales in comparison to a 2012 hacking of the state Revenue Department, where the data of more than 6 million South Carolina taxpayers and businesses was stolen.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics South Carolina
Two women firefighters are suing Washingtons South Kitsap Fire and Rescue, alleging sexual harassment by a battalion chief who retired in January 2017 after he was notified of a proposal to fire him.

The Kitsap Sun reports an internal investigation found former Battalion Chief Michael Wernet made inappropriate and degrading remarks and actions toward the women.

The suit naming the fire district was filed in September in Kitsap County Superior Court. No trial date has been scheduled and the lawyer for the women says attorneys are currently exchanging documents.

The suit alleges the fire district, through Wernet, engaged in a hostile work environment. The women are asking for damages and attorney fees.

Fire district attorneys say that it took prompt corrective action reasonably designed to end any alleged harassment.

Wernet told the newspaper he was not aware of a lawsuit.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Washington
What Is Theranos?

Theranos Inc., a consumer healthcare technology startup, was once valued at $10 billion, and its leadership claimed it would revolutionize the blood-testing industry.

However, the technological breakthrough that CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former company president Ramesh Balwani touted was never demonstrated, and the assertions of Holmes and Balwani amounted to outright deceit. Holmes and Balwani were ultimately charged by the SEC for massive fraud. The two executives agreed to settle subject to court approval.

On June 15, 2018, Holmes and Balwani were charged with wire fraud according to a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office, North District of California. Holmes stepped down as the CEO of the company on the same day.

Theranos Inc., a consumer healthcare technology startup, was once valued at $10 billion, and its leadership claimed it would revolutionize the blood-testing industry.

Based largely on the company's claims, Theranos reportedly raised roughly $724 million of capital from venture capitalists and private investors.

The technological breakthrough that CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former company president Ramesh Balwani touted was never demonstrated, and the assertions of Holmes and Balwani amounted to outright deceit.

The SEC charged Theranos, its founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and its former President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with fraud.

Holmes lost control of the company, returned millions of shares, and was barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.

Theranos started shutting down its clinical labs and wellness centers in late 2016, finally ceasing operations in September of 2018.

By June 2016, Elizabeth Holmes' net worth reportedly dropped from $4.5 billion to nothing.

Understanding Theranos

Theranos was a privately held healthcare technology company founded by then 19-year-old Elizabeth Holmes in 2003.

Using a "nanotainer" (a small device designed to draw, retain, and analyze a droplet of blood from a patients fingertip) and its proprietary "Edison" testing technology, Theranos claimed the device could run a multitude of tests on a patients physiology within minutes and at a fraction of the cost of current technology.

After more than ten years of fundraising and reaching a peak valuation of roughly $10 billion, the tide started to turn in 2015 thanks to skepticism from the press.

A New Yorker profile termed Holmes' explanations of Theranos' technology "comically vague," citing as one example Holmes's statement that "a chemistry is performed so that a chemical reaction occurs and generates a signal from the chemical interaction with the sample, which is translated into a result, which is then reviewed by certified laboratory personnel."

The Wall Street Journal then followed with a highly critical report on Theranos. Based on interviews with ex-employees, the newspaper alleged rampant management incompetence and claimed that Theranos had grossly exaggerated the capabilities of its proprietary technology.

One former senior employee stated that only a small fraction of all the tests were conducted on the "Edison machines," and the majority of tests were handled on competitors equipment despite Theranoss claims to the contrary. If true, this would have been a violation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules.

The FDA then released two reports from its ongoing investigation into Theranos. They were less than favorable and claimed that Theranos had "uncleared medical device(s)," poor records, was mishandling complaints, and had failed to conduct audits and produce supplier qualifications. In regard to an unspecified medical device, an investigator noted: "the design was not validated under actual or simulated use conditions." Further, Theranos failed to ensure the device conforms to defined user needs and intended uses.

At the beginning of 2016, a letter released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stated that a California-based lab used by Theranos posed "immediate jeopardy to patient health and safety." CMS gave the company 10 days to correct the deficiencies or face daily fines and/or loss of CMS approval for Medicare payments.

After a couple of years of settled lawsuits, dissolved relationships with big partners such as Walgreens, and broken deals with the likes of Safeway, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) formally charged Theranos, Holmes, and former company president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with "massive fraud."

The complaint alleged that the company raised more than $700 million by deceiving investors for years about the company's performance.

Both Theranos and Holmes agreed to settle the fraud charges pending court approval. Holmes lost control of the company, returned millions of shares, and was barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.

Several works are based on Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes including John Carrreyrou's 2018 novel titled Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, ABC's 2019 podcast called The Dropout, and Alex Gibney's 2019 documentary named The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley.

A Timeline of Theranos's Rise and Fall

2003: Nineteen-year-old Stanford chemical and electrical engineering drop-out Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos with the aim of revolutionizing blood testing.

2004: Theranos raised $6.9 million in early funding gaining a $30 million valuation.

2007: The company's valuation hit $197 million after it raised another $43.2 million in early-round funding.

2010: After further rounds of funding, Theranos was valued at $1 billion.

2013: After a decade working "in the dark," Holmes introduced Theranos to the world via press appearances and unveiled a website.

2014: With over $400 million in funding, Theranos was valued at nearly $9 billion. Holmes effectively became a multi-billionaire thanks to her 50% stake.

December 2014: Despite her company's hefty valuation, Holmes remained tight-lipped on how exactly Theranoss technology worked. It turned out that the technology had never been submitted for peer review in medical journals.

July 8, 2015: Capital BlueCross, a Pennsylvania insurer with 725,000 customers, chose Theranos as its preferred lab work provider. Theranos was valued at $10 billion.

October 15, 2015: The Wall Street Journal ran a scathing article criticizing Theranos.

Holmes appeared on "Mad Money" and other media outlets to do damage control. She was shocked by the Wall Street Journal article and claimed that Theranos supplied over 1,000 pages of documentation to refute the allegations. The Wall Street Journal stood by its reporting.

October 16, 2015: A follow-up article in the Wall Street Journal stated that Theranos was forced to suspend the use of its unapproved nanotainer for all but one type of blood test.

October 27, 2015: The FDA released two partially-redacted Form 483 reports from an ongoing investigation into Theranos.

October 28, 2015: Fortune reported that Theranos had sought to raise an additional $200 million in Series C-3 funding just days before the initial Wall Street Journal article was published.

November 10, 2015: A $350 million deal with Safeway fizzled out after Theranos failed to meet key deadlines for rollouts and Safeway executives questioned the validity of the test results.

December 27, 2015: The Wall Street Journal ran another article alleging management ineptitude at Theranos and test rigging to produce better results for its Edison machines.

January 27, 2016: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases its damming report on Theranos' California-based lab.

January 28, 2016: Following the CMS report, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. (WBA) decided to temporarily close the Theranos Wellness Center in its Palo Alto store and suspend its use of Theranos's Newark, Calif. lab.

May 1, 2017: Theranos settled a lawsuit with Partner Fund Management, one of its largest investors, after the hedge fund accused the company of securities fraud. Theranos had previously settled proceedings with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Arizona Attorney General.

March 14, 2018: The SEC charged Theranos, its founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and its former President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with massive fraud.

$10 billion Theranos's valuation at its height in 2015.

June 15, 2018: A federal grand jury indicted both Holmes and Balwani on nine counts of wire fraud and two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

The press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office stated that in order to promote Theranos, both Holmes and Balwani "engaged in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud investors and a separate scheme to defraud doctors and patients."

Holmes had stepped down as Theranos CEO earlier in the day although she continues to be the chair of the company's board.

Theranos FAQs

Was Theranos Publicly Traded?

No. Theranos was a privately held corporation until it was shut down and liquidated in September of 2018.

Is Theranos Still Open?

Theranos started shutting down its clinical labs and wellness centers in late 2016, finally ceasing operations in September of 2018.

What Did Theranos Do Wrong?

Theranos claimed to have developed blood tests that required only small amounts of blood and devices that could quickly perform the tests. Based largely on those claims, Theranos reportedly raised roughly $724 million of capital from venture capitalists and private investors.

How Much Did Walgreens Invest in Theranos?

Walgreens reportedly invested $140 million in its partnership with Theranos.

Is Elizabeth Holmes Still Wealthy?

According to Forbes, by June 2016, Elizabeth Holmes' net worth dropped from $4.5 billion to "nothing."
Geoff Percival

Cider and lager maker C&C has said operating profits for its recently completed financial year are set to be down by around 9.5% to 86m and that it continues to see challenging trading conditions, particularly in its home market.

The Dublin-headquartered maker of twin cider brands Bulmers and Magners, and Tennents lager said, in a trading update, that second half earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) fell by around 10% in the second half of the year, following on from an 8.3% decrease in the first half.

C&C is set to publish its results for the 12 months to the end of February in May. Regarding the Irish market it said trading remains highly competitive, with Bulmers sales volumes down 6%, although the brand grew its share of the off-trade. That said, C&C expects its Irish performance to improve next year.

In the UK  where the outlook remains challenging for consumer spending  C&C said the market which it serves is proving resilient. The group last year acquired a 47% stake in pub group Admiral Taverns and extended its distribution deal with brewing giant AB InBev to improve its route-to-market.

However, a currency translation of 3m and one-off impacts relating to that AB InBev deal negatively impacted on last years profitability.

C&Cs shares managed to inch up yesterday, however, as the company said trading and cash generation for the year had broadly been in line with expectations.

With a free cash flow yield of 7.1% and a dividend yield of 5.3%, we believe the shares are undervalued, said Davy.
The Central Bank has uncovered examples of where credit unions are offering loans without checking if members can repay them.

It says a "concerning number" of the institutions need to improve how they are run and operate to a higher standard.
Update 2.30pm: Gardai have ruled out foul play in the death of an elderly woman who was found at a house on the outskirts of Cork city.

It follows the completion of a post-mortem examination on the woman's remains conducted at Cork University Hospital this morning.

Earlier: Gardai investigating sudden death of Cork woman, 88, in unusual circumstances

Update 9.05am: Gardai have launched an investigation following the discovery of the body of an elderly woman in her home on the outskirts of Cork city last night.

A house in Ardrostig, off the Bishopstown to Waterfall road, has been sealed off pending the arrival of the assistant state pathologist Dr Margot Bolster this morning.

She will conduct a preliminary examination of the womans body at the scene before the remains are removed to Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem examination will be conducted.

Gardai say the results of that examination will determine the course of their investigation.

The alarm was raised around 9pm last night when a relative called to the house and discovered the woman, 88, lying inside.

Emergency services were called but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

While there were no signs of forced entry at the house, located at the end of a narrow lane, a patio door was open and the woman is understood to have had visible foot injuries.

Detectives have been conducting door to door enquiries in the area this morning and have established that the woman was last seen alive on Sunday night.

Gardai in Bishopstown are investigating.
Key leaders in the peace process have been celebrating 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

Leo Varadkar gave a keynote address at an event at the Library of Congress in Washington DC.

As key figures in the peace process gathered on Capitol Hill there was a sense of much done, more to do.

Former US President Bill Clinton remembered the joy that came with a deal:

"The day the Good Friday Agreement was reached and signed was one of the happiest days of my presidency," he said.

The political impasse in Northern Ireland loomed large over the event, with former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams conceding it is unlikely to end soon:

"The powersharing government in the all Ireland political architecture may not be restored in the medium term," Adams said.

Leo Varadkar described the lack of an executive as corrosive, and said there needs to be a return to talks:

"The period after Easter should see a redoubled effort on the part of both governments and all of the parties in Northern Ireland to seek agreement on the restorations of the institutions," the Taoiseach said.

The Taoiseach's visit to the US takes a turn today to focus on commerce, with a number of events planned.
Elaine Loughlin in Washington

Mary-Lou McDonald has denied she has been snubbed by the White House after not being invited to the annual St Patrick's Day events.

It has been reported that the reason the Sinn Fein President and DUP leader Arlene Foster have not been extended an invitation is because there is currently no Assembly up an running in Northern Ireland.

Speaking in Washington, Ms McDonald said: "I don't feel that I was snubbed. It was a matter for the White House who they invite as their guests."

However, she said that Gerry Adams, who has received an invite should attend.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. There are many celebrations marking that occasion and I think it is entirely appropriate actually that Gerry Adams as one of the main architects of that agreement would be at the White House. So no he should not snub the White House. He shouldn't be snubbing anybody.

"This is a moment to take stock of what we have achieved. It's a big moment for us to defend the Good Friday Agreement because I'm sure you've heard as I have heard some of the siren voices particularly in the British Tory party that say the Good Friday Agreement has served its purpose let's forget about it and move on - that's really dangerous rhetoric. That's very regressive politics," she said.

Ms McDonald's comments come after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar revealed that Enda Kenny's offer for Donald Trump to visit Ireland stand.

Speaking in Washington earlier today, Mr Varadkar said:

"I think it is absolutely appropriate, it's just normal hospitality, that when somebody invites you to their front room in their house that you reciprocate with an invitation."

Additional reporting by Digital Desk
The ongoing political impasse in the North is corroding and damaging the region, the Taoiseach has warned.

Leo Varadkar said the looming Brexit made the need to restore powersharing even more urgent.

Mr Varadkar told the Brookings Institution, an influential think tank in Washington DC: "It's our duty to work closely with the British Government and parties in the North to find an agreed basis for the restoration of the institutions - and, given the wider circumstances - the task could not be more urgent."

He said: "Continuing differences between the political parties representing the two communities in Northern Ireland mean that there has been no power-sharing Executive in Belfast for some time.

"Its absence is corrosive and damaging. It means that there is no effective political engagement on issues of relevance to the lives of the people of Northern Ireland, economically and socially,"

The Taoiseach's speech came ahead of his participation in an event at Capitol Hill on Tuesday night to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday peace accord, which largely ended the North's violent conflict. The broker of the 1998 deal, Senator George Mitchell, was also an invited guest of honour at the commemoration.

"As with any peace, reaching agreement is far from the end of the journey - the path to reconciliation and stable politics can be a long and winding one and sometimes can be a bumpy ride," Mr Varadkar told an invited audience at the institution.

He said the ongoing deadlock between the DUP and Sinn Fein was undermining the 1998 Agreement.

"Just as important, it means that the direct voice of the people of Northern Ireland is not heard in the negotiations on the terms under which the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, even though these will be of great consequence to people in Northern Ireland and the border counties in particular," he added.

"The majority of people in Northern Ireland voted to stay in the European Union, even now the majority want to stay in the European Union's Single Market and Customs Union. For me I think that makes Brexit a real threat to the Good Friday Agreement."

On Brexit, Mr Varadkar told his audience that the only thing standing in the way of a "deep and comprehensive future relationship" between the UK and the EU was the former's "red lines".

He said: "While we deeply regret the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the EU, as we see it, there can be no upside. Nonetheless we must respect that decision."

"After decades of moving closer to its European partners, the UK has taken a decision to move farther away from us and that's why we must defend our national interests."

Mr Varadkar again stressed the need to maintain an invisible border on the island of Ireland post-Brexit.

"The economic benefits of this invisible border have been hugely significant - in terms of North/South trade and the all-island economy - and also and perhaps most importantly to the normalising of wider social and political relations across the island," he said.

"We are determined to ensure that these hard-won advances are not reversed.

"More widely, Brexit poses serious challenges for Ireland - and, given the strength of our ties to, and engagement with the UK, we will suffer more negative economic impacts than any other EU Member State.

"Our relationship with the UK is unique in terms of our shared history, geography and culture, and, while it represents an ever decreasing share, the UK remains our single most important economic partner.

"Ireland wants there to be a deep and comprehensive future relationship between the EU and the UK - one that maximises economic engagement and trade, one that ensures ongoing and continuing cooperation in areas such as combating terrorism and international crime, and also common foreign and security policies.

"The extent and possibility of this new deep and comprehensive relationship is limited only by the UK's own red lines."

Mr Varadkar was on the third day of his St Patrick's Day tour of the US. On Thursday he will hold bilateral talks with President Donald Trump at the White House.

Amid concerns the president's protectionist policies may spark a transatlantic trade war, Mr Varadkar said such an outcome would create no winners.

"Alongside our EU partners, we oppose any steps that raise barriers to trade, whether through the imposition of tariffs or otherwise," he said.

Mr Varadkar also told the century-old think-tank that Ireland was committed to efforts to eliminate poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.

"I believe that the major challenges that we face today, whether in Ireland, the United States, or across the world, will best be dealt with by acting together, and not in isolation," he added.

"Confident despite the doubts of today; certain that our united strength is the solution to global instability."

- PA
Update 10pm: Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has paid tribute to the lost crew of R116 today on the first anniversary of the tragedy, writes Elaine Loughlin.

Speaking ahead of the anniversary, Mr Varadkar said: "It is the one-year anniversary, and they have been on my mind. I have been reading some of the coverage of the anniversary when I have had time over the past couple of days.

"I am a former Minister for Transport, so I know the Coastguard well, and indeed I met Captain Dara Fitzpatrick during my role as Minister. I am conscious at this stage that there are families who are still grieving and of course there are families who do not have the remains of their loved ones, and my thoughts are very much with them at this sad time," Mr Varadkar said in Washington.

Earlier:Family and friends of those killed in the Rescue 116 crash will attend a vigil on the Mayo coast later tonight.

Tomorrow marks one year since the helicopter went down near Blackrock Island with the loss of all four crew members.

The bodies of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick and Captain Mark Duffy were recovered afterwards.

Their colleagues, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith, remain lost at sea.

Niamh Fitzpatrick, sister of Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, tweeted: For all the calls, messages, prayers & hugs, a heartfelt thank you.

We have an unbelievably tough time ahead, but the never-ending kindness & that powerful wave of support does help.

Through these absolute worst times in life I have seen the absolute best of humanity. Thank you.

For all the calls, messages, prayers & hugs, a heartfelt thank you. We have an unbelievably tough time ahead, but the never-ending kindness & that powerful wave of support does help. Through these absolute worst times in life I have seen the absolute best of humanity. Thank you.  Niamh Fitzpatrick (@NFitzPsychology) March 13, 2018

Local photo-journalist Fergus Sweeney says its had a huge impact on the Blacksod community.

If we think about the four crew members who were lost and the huge positive effects they brought to peoples lives by doing their jobs, rescuing people, taking them out of danger, I think the energy from the crew and that positivity has been transferred to the community, said Mr Sweeney.
In an industry dominated by men in leadership and creative roles, female-led design is finally making itself heard, writes Carolyn Moore.

Why have there been no great women artists? Emblazoned on a Breton top, this was the question posed by Dior designer Maria Grazia Chiuri this season; a 2018 follow up to the We should all be feminists T-shirts that marked her debut at Dior the previous year.

There have of course been great women artists  the slogan was referencing art historian Linda Nochlins 1971 essay of the same name  and in the history of fashion there have been great women designers too.

But just as Nochlin outlined the ways in which the art world conspired to hold women back, too often women designers have seen their roles in the history of fashion minimised, their progress impeded, and their point of view superseded by a male perspective. Coming from the first female head designer at the 70-year-old house of Dior, the T-shirt can only be viewed as an acknowledgement of such.

Boasting a celebrity fan base ranging from Laura Whitmore to Sabina Higgins, its safe to say designer Fiona Heaney knows what women want. Trousers, 175, and top, 190, by Fee G at Webb, Bantry

Historically, its often been women designers, from Chanel to Phoebe Philo, who have revolutionised the way women dress; yet the fashion industry is largely run by men. But while women remain a minority in creative and business leadership roles at the top luxury houses, Chiuris appointment at Dior was one of a flurry of new and significant female accessions that reflects a growing trend toward female fronted fashion brands.

From luxury powerhouses like Victoria Beckham to cult brands like Ganni, fashion designed by women, for women is gobbling up market share  and its a power shift that makes perfect sense.

After all, who better to know what women want than other women, who often cite their own busy lives when referencing the versatility of collections that address genuine needs in the lives and wardrobes of their customers.

Ralph Lauren may once have said, I dont design clothes. I design dreams, but what good are dreams to a woman who doesnt want to spend  as a recent study showed  six months of her working life deciding what to wear?

Founded by Derry girl Orlagh McClosky and Henrietta Rix, Rixo has quickly become the go-to brand for effortlessly cool dresses. Camellia dress, 330, Brown Thomas.

The trend is reflected here at home too, but as the exhibition, Irelands Fashion Radicals, demonstrates, Ireland has a long history of great female designers  women like Sybil Connolly and Neilli Mulcahy, who carved out an indigenous industry and put Ireland on the fashion map.

Today they are followed by an equally formidable group of women putting the specific needs of Irish women first, often with brands they established to fill gaps in the market highlighted by their own personal experiences.

As Carolyn Donnelly explains of her line for Dunnes Stores:

The Edit has always been about designing clothes I want to wear. Its pared back to the key pieces, and I feel thats what women want  clothes that fit well, are modern and wearable everyday, but with my design point of difference.

To that ends, she says, I try everything on. Every sample is made in my size so I know how a fabric feels; is the sleeve tight; is the neck too wide; can I take big strides in a skirt?

Every sample for Carolyn Donnellys The Edit collection is made in her size so she can experience how it fits, moves and feels. Red leather coat, 269, Dunnes Stores.

Her Dunnes Stores stablemate Joanne Hynes is equally informed by the mirrored needs of herself and her customers.

The Joanne Hynes woman is always at the fore of each collection, she explains.

Launching March 27, her spring collection, she says, completely reflects my frame of mind as a woman and as an individual right now. Its basically about just going for it and embracing yourself as you are.

Likewise, designer Heidi Higgins personal style informs her collections, and strikes a chord with her customers.

I personally love dresses, she says of her signature style. I find it much easier to put on a dress in the morning rather than trying to match tops and trousers.

Timeless style, quality tailoring, and considered details keep Heidi Higgins customer base of busy, working women coming back for more. Adelynn dress, 399, heidihiggins.com.

Though she established her brand just a year out of college, growing a business and starting a family has given her a greater insight into her customers needs.

Last year she launched The City Look, a trans-seasonal range which, she says, came from working women asking me for simple dresses they could wear all day long; that will look as good going to an event after a day in the office as they do first thing in the morning.

I also wanted these pieces to be available to customers no matter what time of year it was, she adds. Often ladies want a black dress, and I might not have that offering in a summer collection, which is more trend-driven.

Tran-seasonality is a buzzword among Irish designers  Irish women wont invest in quality pieces for summer weather that might never transpire, and the likes of Lucy Nagle and Theo & George cater specifically to this need.

A background in interiors fed Lucy Nagles passion for textiles, and her active, healthy lifestyle informed her brand ideals of comfort and wellbeing. Sweater, 245, lucynagle.com

Designer Katie ORiordan saw a gap in the market for classic, hardworking wardrobe builders, and Theo & George was born. Breton stripe top, 59, theoandgeorge.com.

Elsewhere, the global expansion of Fiona Heaneys Fee G proves the ethos of female-led design is eminently exportable.

It stands to reason.

If you want to know what women want, just ask them.

Like the designer herself, the Joanne Hynes woman is constantly evolving and never boring. Champion knit dress, 120, online and at select Dunnes Stores from March 27.

Executed in exceptional fabrics, Niamh ONeills brand of refined, contemporary elegance has evolved in response to her customers needs. Monaco dress, 495, niamhoneill.com.

Championing accessible luxury and flattering cuts that she fits on real women, Caroline Kilkennys brand is built on easy to wear, sophisticated style. Jumpsuit, 297, Arnotts.

Designed to provide her with an easy daily uniform, Pippa OConnors Poco by Pippa jeans have struck a chord with Irish women. Tummy Tuck jeans, 110, pocobypippa.com
The offspring of two famous writers will discuss their family lives at UCC next week, writes Colette Sheridan.

Edna OBriens son, Carlo Gebler and Molly Keanes daughter, Sally Phipps, will take part in a conversation with Dr Eibhear Walshe at UCC on the theme of literary offspring.

While Phippss biography of her novelist and playwright mother, Molly Keane: A Life, was published last year to critical acclaim, Phipps, now aged 78, was reluctant to take up the pen.

Although her mother told her that she would be a good writer and the novelist, Jennifer Johnston, spotted her talent, Phipps felt that writing would be like joining the family firm.

I sort of avoided it a great deal, she explains.

After I married, two Cork-based poets, Sean Dunne and Thomas McCarthy, encouraged me. Sean used to send me books to review for the literary pages of the Cork Examiner and told me to get on with it. If he were still alive, hed have been very annoyed that it took me so long to write a book.

(Phipps also co-wrote Molly Keanes Ireland with her mother).

Growing up in the Waterford area and now based in Cloyne, Phipps says being the child of a writer was both rewarding and difficult. I suppose its like growing up with any artist. My mother was a very paradoxical person, enormously kind  and quite sharp.

The life of a writer didnt seem glamorous to Phipps. On the contrary, she observes that artists are very sensitive and liable to depression as well as having a wonderful gift for life. My mother had that. She was brilliant at overcoming depression but I think it was in her as it is in so many writers.

Sally Phipps.

Phipps was just six years of age when her farmer father died. Her sister, Virginia, was only a year old.

It was a terrible blow. My mother had always been writing to make a living. Like so many Anglo-Irish people, my parents lived very generously, rather beyond their means.

So when my father died, writing became even more important. And certainly, finances were difficult, there were ups and downs. When my mother had a book or a play out, she was immensely generous and lent money to people who needed it. Then it would run out and she had to start again.

These days, Phipps says there is nothing she wants to do but write. She is currently tinkering with a novel.

Asked what delayed her, Phipps says: Im very bad at keeping lots of balls in the air at once. Then my husband was ill at one point, and later died. But long before that, I think I didnt have a lot of energy - or you could call it laziness. I always felt I would write but Im very bad about time.

Molly Keane.

Keane wanted Phipps to write her biography although the author of Good Behaviour (Keanes late-in-life big success), feared that her daughter wouldnt be nasty enough.

In writing her mothers biography, Phipps was influenced by other writers. Alexander Waugh wrote a wonderful book about his literary family (his father, the journalist Auberon Waugh and his grandfather, novelist Evelyn Waugh).

Alexander didnt try to hide how awful they were but he treated them with love and respect.

GEBLER AND OBRIEN

Carlo Gebler and his writer father, Ernest Gebler were estranged for many years.

In his memoir, Father And I, Carlo Gebler paints a picture of an emotionally abusive father who was strict and joyless, while his mother, Edna OBrien, was the source of treats and a more relaxed parenting style. (OBrien celebrated the news that her debut novel, The Country Girls was accepted for publication by collecting the young Gebler from school and buying him a double 99 ice-cream  verboten in the family home.)

Carlo Gebler.

The couple divorced in 1968, having been apart for years, sharing the parenting in London.

Gebler  always a scribbler was neither encouraged nor discouraged from being a writer by his parents. Both parents influenced his writing.

They both shared a sense that the most important virtue in literature is clarity and truthfulness. The text had to be accessible.

Gebler says his parents liked high-end writers such as Chekov, Tolstoy, Pushkin and Fitzgerald.

When Ernest Gebler moved to Dublin in the 1970s, Carlo and his younger brother, Sasha, saw their father less and less, because he didnt want to see us. We would occasionally take the bus out to Dalkey to see him. But he felt very sure that our purposes were malign. He thought we had our eye on his house and that we were trying to steal from him.

DIARIES AND NOTES

Geblers 2014 biography of his father, The Projectionist: The Story of Ernest Gebler, is based on diaries and notes which Gebler inherited on his fathers death in 1998.

When I read his papers, hundreds and hundreds of them, a lot of them were new to me. In his autobiography, my father was going to change the story of his life to fit what he wanted people to believe.

He wanted to pay back everybody whom he felt had done him a disservice. My book is a biography but its also an exploration. When I read his unfinished autobiography, which he wrote when he had Alzheimers, it was completely bonkers and was chronologically skewed.

Gebler says having both parents as writers was a strange situation. Youre an alien. You long for a normal family. Children are wonderful but they are such little conformists.

Gebler has five children but doesnt think the writing tradition will be continued by them. They realise theres no more money in it. The cake has gone  to JK Rowling. My youngest son is at art college in Belfast doing photography. He may enter the creative arts but the others have chosen a different path.

Given the experiences of previous generations, perhaps they really are doing the right thing.

Writing Parents will feature Carlo Gebler and Sally Phipps in conversation with Dr Eibhear Walshe next Tuesday, March 20 at 6.30pm in the Creative Zone, Boole Library, UCC.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

My dads a writer Kingsley Amis, highly regarded for his comic novels, was the father of the very famous Martin Amis, twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Amis, a love-him or loathe-him writer, is known for his controversial remarks.

Joseph Heller, who coined the term Catch-22 with his novel, upset his daughter, Erica Heller, who wrote a memoir about her father. On reading the manuscript of her fathers second novel, Something Happened, she wrote that she felt hurt by a character she assumed was based on her. Her father replied by saying: What makes you think youre interesting enough to write about?

Arthur Miller, who astutely dramatised the neuroses of the American middle-class, was the father of novelist and screenplay writer, Rebecca Miller, who is married to Daniel Day-Lewis.
The third grand coalition in Merkels long chancellorship is a marriage of convenience: loveless, largely unloved, and devoid of any overarching vision, writes Helmut K Anheier.

More than five months after Germanys federal election last September, a new grand coalition government  comprising Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union, the CDUs Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), and the Social Democratic Party (SPD)  has finally been formed. However, there is little reason to celebrate.

Germany has endured nearly six months under a caretaker government (the longest in the federal republics history), a failed coalition agreement, weeks of arduous negotiations, painful internal party rumblings, and much politicking.

Moreover, a recent national poll dealt yet another blow to the centre-left SPD, indicating that if elections were held today, the party would be outperformed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Add to that Europes ongoing right-wing backlash (exemplified, most recently, by Italys election) and the threat of a trade war with the United States, and Germanys new grand coalition reeks of desperation.

Not surprisingly, reactions to its formation were subdued, with the public and political insiders alike mostly just relieved to have the long ordeal behind them.

Germanys new grand coalition  the third in Merkels long chancellorship  is a marriage of convenience: Loveless, largely unloved, and devoid of any overarching vision.

It is a good outcome for Germanys short-term stability, especially with regard to Europe. However, it is an

uncertain outcome in the longer term, given the coalitions considerable political baggage, and it is a bad outcome for democracy, especially at a time when populist forces are a growing threat.

One might argue that it is good for democracy that Merkels coalition has shrunk. Because the government parties control barely more than half of the Bundestag, they no longer overwhelm the opposition, rendering it irrelevant. The problem is that the largest official opposition party is now the populist AfD.

Moreover, the share of the Bundestag held by opposition parties that are only semi-loyal to liberal democracy  the AfD and its left-wing counterpart Die Linke (the Left)  now approaches one quarter.

Not since the Weimar Republic has a far-right party been the largest opposition force, or have anti-liberal forces controlled such a large share of the Bundestag.

This illiberal result is a direct consequence of the SPDs participation in Merkels government.

Had the SPD remained in opposition, as it vowed to do after its poor election result, it could have spent the next four years renewing its platform and membership, while acting as a strong challenger to Merkel and the right- and left-wing populists.

A Merkel-led CDU/CSU minority government would have meant open debate on all major policy issues and legislative proposals, enlivening the Bundestag and showing the public that political parties matter, and that a grand coalition isnt essential to progress.

Instead, Germany got a government that will implement a predetermined set of policies, contained in a 170-page agreement hammered out behind closed doors  one that promises more of the same.

Its members will engage in all of the same professionally choreographed and well-rehearsed debates, the

ritualistic display of legislative process that devalues parliament because the outcome is pre-determined.

For Europe, this means that no significant shift in Germanys approach  for better or for worse  should be

expected. French president Emmanuel Macron will not see a German hand reaching out to work with him on European Union reform, though he might be able to grasp a finger or two.

To be sure, the new grand coalitions policy approach will be different in some respects from the last.

In her determination to form a government, Merkel yielded to the SPD on important issues, including EU policy and labour market matters. As a result, the overall legislative program outlined in the coalition agreement is more social democratic than that of any previous grand coalition.

However ultimately, Germany can expect more of the same for the time being. This will keep the government stable in the near term.

However, it is a feast for populists  and a missed opportunity for democracy.

In fact, whatever stability the CDU/CSU and the SPD think that they have secured, there are plenty of reasons for concern in the medium term. The CDU is increasingly impatient with Merkel and her policy approach.

And, though it is the largest party, it has relatively fewer government posts than the SPD, with no CDU cabinet

minister hailing from eastern Germany, an AfD stronghold.

Unlike the CDU, whose members will soon feel short-changed, the SPD has rediscovered the virtues of internal democracy, which revealed a significant disconnect between the partys leadership and its base.

Whatever success the SPD has had playing the coalition game, the partys participation in yet another Merkel-led government stands to cost it growing numbers of lower- and middle-income voters.

Both the CDU and the SPD face a shrinking electoral base and a falling supply of leadership cadres. As a result, both parties and their coalition will become increasingly unstable over time, a trend that would be accelerated by their poor performance in the 2019 European Parliament election, not to mention in Germanys upcoming state and local elections.

Meanwhile, in the absence of a crisis that demands political attention, all of the problems and risks that Germanys previous coalition governments have failed to address will continue to be ignored. At a time when German leadership is so badly needed in Europe, the country is set to continue to play a passive role.

Until recently, the SPD seemed to prefer a loss to a half-victory, much as a person might decide that it is better to be alone than in a mediocre relationship.

However, now the SPD seems to think that being in power, by joining the ruling coalition, is automatically better than being in opposition, no matter the cost. And the cost could be very high indeed. Loveless marriages can last a long time, but they rarely end well.

Helmut K Anheier is president and professor of sociology at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2018
However, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) has confirmed that rules will not be applied to social media coverage during the campaign, including on sites such as Facebook.

Launching guidelines for upcoming referenda, the BAI restated that any television or radio presenter with specific views during a campaign should be kept off-air. This is in line with previous guidelines.

Updated rules for broadcasters will come into play between six and eight weeks prior to a referendum.

BAI chief executive Michael OKeeffe said the role of presenters is to inform the public.

The guidelines published today include a strong emphasis on how fairness, objectivity, and impartiality can be achieved, and how this is broader than a consideration of airtime for campaign groups

The BAI is keen to emphasise that this does not include a requirement for artificial balance, he said.

In the past when covering referenda campaigns, some shows have ensured there was 50/50 airtime given to each side or guest.

This often reduced debates to clock-watching exercises, it has been claimed. The guidelines say this is not necessary.

However, BAI also advised that presenters should not be on air if they have a certain view during a campaign. Equally, presenters cannot endorse any one position.

Political advertisements during referenda campaigns will also be banned and a traditional moratorium will apply from 2pm the day before polling closes.

BAI Chief Executive Michael O'Keeffe

The BAI said there had been few breaches of guidelines upheld during previous campaigns and that the last was during the Lisbon Treaty vote in 2009.

However, it also confirmed there would be no supervision of online debate or of social media networks.

While EU legislation is being debated on the matter, Mr OKeeffe said he did not think there would be any requirements on Facebook or similar networks anytime soon.

Such a scenario means it is possible for campaigners to broadcast online without any objectivity and even ignore the moratorium.

Separately, the BAI also confirmed that guests should not be banned from shows just because they are involved in a campaign.

This follows a decision previously by a TV3 cooking show to pull Minister for Children Katherine Zappone because of her position on abortion.
At Cheshire Ireland, which has 20 centres spread across 10 counties providing support services for people with physical and neurological conditions, a plan agreed with the HSE to achieve long-term financial sustainability has not been implemented.

The auditor said this failure could result in Cheshire Ireland not being a going concern. The plan was entered into after Cheshire Ireland approached the HSE in 2013 to discuss its deteriorating financial position.

The audit noted significant difficulties and a lack of co-operation on the part of Cheshire Ireland when trying to carry out its work, at odds with its normal experience.

An audit of St John of God (SJOG) prompted the HSE to warn it needed to address fundamental issues of trust in light of the charitys payment of secret salary top-ups and lump sums to 14 senior managers in 2013, amounting to 2.4m, to circumvent public pay policy.

SJOG received 511m from the taxpayer between 2012 and 2015. The charity told the HSE in 2013, 2014, and 2015 that it was compliant with public pay policy.

Three senior managers left SJOGs employment in 2015 and 2017 and there was no clawback of the compensation paid to them.

The audit warns that the:

quid-pro-quo required from organisations receiving taxpayer funding is an organisational culture of transparency, accountability, compliance with all public policies, full candour and full co-operation the organisational culture in SJOG did not meet these standards.

The order declined to comment yesterday.

The HSE said it was engaged with SJOG to address a number of issues aimed at ensuring the future provision of services to children and adults with intellectual disability, and children, adolescents and adults with mental health support needs.

The HSE audits also found:

Overtime payments to nurses in Kilkenny mental health services increased more than 1,000% between 2013 and 2015, from 4,979.74 to 586,584;

A report on South Lee Mental Health Services in Cork found it was paying more than double the staff rate to an agency consultant who was also employed elsewhere by the HSE. The report said the consultant is currently employed by the HSE directly elsewhere on a part-time basis while also in receipt of a HSE retirement pension, in addition to operating as an agency consultant in South Lee MHS;

An audit of recoupment of payroll overpayments by the HSE, described one overpayment of 191,225 as an inevitable bad debt, for which sanction for write-off should be obtained. A previous report found the employee had been given 561 years to repay the debt;

Cheshire Ireland received about 25m from the HSE each year from 2012-2014. Coollattin Properties Limited, a company holding a land bank in Shillelagh Co Wicklow and associated shooting and hunting rights, was bequeathed to Cheshire Ireland in 1992.

In 2006, it was found the company had been struck off the Companies Registration Office register of companies in February 1999.

The audit report said that, in 2006 and 2007, substantial funds were expended in the reinstatement of the company, and in obtaining title to the companys lands.

However, Cheshire Ireland was unable to provide Internal Audit with the specific amount.

Between 2009 and 2014, Cheshire Ireland paid 183,484 in respect of Coollattin Limiteds legal fees, audit and accountancy fees, and tax compliance fees but could not provide supporting documentation.

Included in the figure of 183,484 were six transactions totalling 15,835 for which the payee and the purpose of the expenditure were unknown, the report said.
The hospital spent more than 30,000 on pest control as insects were found in a neonatal respiratory room, a blood room, and a wound-care unit.

Rodent activity was detected in a sink in a chemotherapy suite, as well as in a tearoom in its oncology unit.

Silverfish, a type of scaly insect that can feast on dead hair and skin, were a persistent problem in the maternity hospital at CUH, where pest-control technicians were called at least nine times to deal with the critters.

The insects, which can grow up to an inch in length and live for three years, were found in a parenting room, bedrooms, a bathroom, corridor, and changing room in the maternity unit.

Service reports compiled by two pest-control companies contracted by the hospital reveal details of recurring invasions by a variety of species throughout the facility.

The reports were released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Last December, rodent activity was reported in a sink on a cancer-treatment ward. Two extra baits were laid in response to the discovery, according to the service report.

Three days earlier, mice were reported in a staff tearoom in the oncology department, while a residual insecticide was used during the same visit to tackle an infestation of ants in a bedroom on ward 18.

Ants appear to have invaded cork University Hospital last summer

In August, pest controllers were called a number of times to deal with invasions of silverfish.

In the maternity unit, they recommended that a shower drain in one of the rooms be cleaned out and contents removed to prevent harbourage for pests.

In the physio department, they carried out a spray treatment against silverfish in a female changing room, and noted that a bag of sea sand/shells had been removed as part of the treatment.

The insects were also spotted in a parenting room of the maternity unit last September, prompting technicians to treat wall-floor junctions with an insecticidal spray.

Ants appear to have invaded the hospital last summer. In June, they were spotted in a blood room, a neonatal respiratory room, and on the Ladybird Ward, which accommodates patients under 18 months of age.

The following month, ants were found in a staff toilet in the old nurses home, in a disabled toilet on a corridor near the dental hospital, and in the main hospital library.

Drain flies were an issue in a toilet located on the radiotherapy ward, where pest-control technicians advised that the back of the toilet needed to be removed in order to identify the source of the problem ASAP.

A public relations company contracted by CUH did not avail of an opportunity to comment in relation to the pest-control reports.
Dean Gilsenan, of 2 Kilmahuddrick Green, Clondalkin, Dublin 22; his father, William Gilsenan, of the same address; Sean McManus of 32 Burrowfield Road, Baldoyle, Dublin 13; and Molly Sloyan, of 4B Buenosaires, Benidorm, Alicante, Spain, each faced two charges under Section 3 and Section 15 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Yesterday at Skibbereen District Court, books of evidence were served on all four, with Judge Mary Dorgan also informed of new charges in the case.

Det Garda Colin OMahony said two new charges, under Section 3 and Section 15A of the Misuse of Drugs Act, had been applied in the case of Mr McManus, with a new Section 15A charge also levelled against Dean Gilsenan, William Gilsenan and Molly Sloyan.

The court heard each made no reply to the charges when put to them.

All four were sent forward for trial at the next session of Cork Circuit Criminal Court starting April 24.

It follows the initial operation conducted by officers from the West Cork and Cork City Drug Units and the Garda Regional Support Unit at Seascape, Dromleigh near Bantry on November 26 last.

Bleached cocaine worth 70,000 was found on the property and gardai have alleged it was the scene of a cocaine extraction operation with an international dimension.

William Gilsenan had already been released on bail on terms and conditions set by the High Court on December 19.

His sister-in-law, Martina Proctor, who put forward an independent surety regarding his initial bail submission, assured the court the same 15,000 surety was in place with regard to the latest granting of bail by Judge Dorgan, extending the existing conditions handed down by the High Court which includes daily signing on at Clondalkin Garda Station and the observation of a curfew.

Patrick Horan, solicitor for Dean Gilsenan, said his client had been in custody since November 26 and was making a fresh bail application.

However, Judge Dorgan refused the application, referring to the seriousness of the charges and the gardais claim that he could be a flight risk.

He was remanded in custody, as was Mr McManus. His barrister, Hannah Cahill, said she was not making a formal application for bail but her client reserved the right to do so in the circuit court.

Ms Cahill said Ms Sloyan had previously been granted bail by the High Court but had not taken it up.

Judge Dorgan extended the terms of that High Court Bail order and Ms Sloyan was remanded in custody on the same terms.

Legal aid for all four people was extended to allow for both senior and junior counsel for each at the forthcoming trial.
Following a three-year operation by the Spanish national police, four leaders of the criminal organisation were arrested yesterday, in the wake of the arrest of 151 migrants caught in possession of fake passports.

Initial reports suggested those arrested were going to Britain or Ireland  but following checks by Garda authorities it was established that only one or two were intending to come here and the vast bulk were heading to Britain.
The national rail service confirmed that the plans are being examined as part of a number of options amid ongoing concerns over the continuing Brexit stand-off.

As a fresh row broke out in Brussels between EU chiefs and pro-Brexit British MEPs and as a cross-border registry plan was mooted, an Iarnrod Eireann spokesman said that if a hard border occurs there may need to be checks.

The spokesman said that, in recent months, Iarnrod Eireann had been drawing up worst-case scenario plans if an EU-Britain border deal fails to be reached.

He said officials have been working with the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, which has experience of passport checks between European nations, Irish customs authorities, the passport office, and colleagues in the North about the impact of a hard Brexit.

While Iarnrod Eireann is working on the basis that a soft border agreement will eventually be found, the spokesman said one of the potential hard Brexit scenarios being examined is an onboard model if it comes to it of passport and border checks.

Between Britain and France there is the Channel Tunnel where there are terminals at either end and people get off the trains [for checks] and back on, but were also considering an on-board model if it comes to it.

The comment mirrors public remarks by Iarnrod Eireann commercial director Gerry Culligan, who told a recent British Irish Chamber of Commerce Brexit conference a hard border scenario could see passport checks at the beginning or end of a cross-border train journey, or officials due to use iPhone tablets later this year to give passengers onboard information also using the technology to check passports while on board.

News of the rail contingency plan comes after British prime minister Theresa May distanced herself from suggestions Irish citizens visiting the North may have to pre-register being arrival if no Brexit deal is agreed.

Meanwhile, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and British MEPs clashed in Brussels. At the European Parliament, Mr Juncker said Britain will regret leaving the EU, rejected cherry-picking, and said the EU is united when it comes to Ireland.

He was labelled a bully by Ukip MEP Nigel Farage, who said he believes Ms May will leave without any deal if necessary.

Mr Juncker was also heckled by other pro-Brexit MEPs who shouted it [the Norths border] is a British issue.
The figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association show that University Hospital Limerick was yet again the worst affected by severe overcrowding, with 58 patients waiting.

Cork University Hospital had 56 patients waiting for a bed, the second highest number followed by St Lukes Hospital, Kilkenny, which had 40.

The overall number of admitted patients waiting for a hospital bed is up 28% on the 506 waiting on the same day last year.

According to the HSEs TrolleyGAR that only records patients on trolleys in EDs, there were 463 waiting for a hospital bed, a 15% increase in waiters on the same day last year.

There were 221 patients waiting over nine hours and 59 waiting over 24 hours.

According to the HSE, the Mercy University Hospital in Cork had the highest number of patients on trolleys, with 32.

Mercy University Hospital Cork

St Vincents University Hospital in Dublin had 29 patients on trolleys in its ED, the second highest number, followed by Galway University Hospital which had 28.

The HSEs director of emergency management, Damien McCallion, said they were still dealing with backlogs caused by Storm Emma.

Before the storm, patients attending EDs were 8% (15,000) up on last year and that was putting hospitals under significant pressure.

Last week, following the snow period, hospitals were reporting even further increases in hospital attendances.

While he expected pressure to ease on EDs this week, hospitals would remain under pressure in the weeks ahead because of St Patricks weekend and Easter.

INMO Trolley/Ward Watch 13/03/18

649 Patients

472 on ED trolleys

177 on wards #trolleywatch https://t.co/NmpGN2LjpA pic.twitter.com/MGxdEYTEx3  Irish Nurses & Midwives Organisation (@INMO_IRL) March 13, 2018

The chair of the National Association of General Practitioners, Dr Andy Jordan, said a 38% reduction in funding for medical card patients was contributing to hospital overcrowding.

Dr Jordan, who was speaking on RTE radio, said some patients did not have a GP to attend and were forced to go to a hospital.

He said Ireland had one of the lowest number of GPs per capita in the 35 member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

When the GP has shut up his premises and no longer exists in a village, well then the patient doesnt have too many options, said Dr Jordan.

In terms of primary care and general practice, we have just made a total mess of it.

Alan Kelly

The Labour Partys health spokesman, Alan Kelly, said the high trolley figures raises obvious questions about the lack of forward planning to deal with the inevitable increase in demand for hospital services following Storm Emma.

Sinn Feins Jonathan OBrien said there appeard to be no urgency from the Government to address the trolley crisis.

This is in spite of the fact that nearly every single day there are enough patients to completely fill a level 4 hospital, he said.

For example, there are 649 patients on trolleys in hospitals throughout the State today. Thats enough people on trolleys to fill the Mater Hospital.
Around 28,000 people were refused entry between 2008 and 2016, according to Nascs (Irish Immigrant Support Centre) Immigration Detention and Border Control in Ireland report which was launched in Cork yesterday.

The report identifies failings by Irish authorities in refusing proper access to lawyers, asylum procedures, interpreters, or medical treatment.

The human rights group has called on the Government to bring immigration detention procedures into line with Irelands international obligations and, in particular, to ensure that people neither suspected nor convicted of a criminal offence are not kept in prison.

According to Nasc, little has changed since 2005 when human rights lawyer Mark Kelly conducted extensive research on the area and produced a damning report on Irish detention procedures.

Nasc CEO Fiona Finn said: Overall, we found that not much had changed in the context of immigration-related detention since 2005.

However, while the number of people detained for immigration-related reasons is relatively low in Ireland  and is, in fact, decreasing  the numbers refused leave to land and subsequently detained is on the rise.

This is particularly worrying given the global humanitarian crisis and the record number of displaced people around the globe.

That view was echoed by Mr Kelly who joined Deirdre Malone, executive director of the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT), and Karin Wieland, whose former au pair, Paloma Aparezida Silva-Carvalho, was detained after being refused entry at Dublin Airport.

Karen Wieland's speech really bringing home the reality of the impact of #immigrationdetention "The Paloma we brought home [from #immigrantdetention] was very different to the Paloma who had entered the country." Unable to speak, traumatised by her experience in prison. pic.twitter.com/HgSdJgP6KU  Nasc, the Migrant & Refugee Rights Centre (@NascIreland) March 13, 2018

She was then sent to the Dochas womens prison in Mountjoy Jail. A new dedicated detention facility is to open this summer at Dublin Airport.

In a foreword to the report, Mr Kelly also highlighted positive aspects of Irish immigration policy.

In certain other respects, Ireland has a record on immigration-related detention of which it can be reasonably proud, he said.

Some European states have made closed, carceral centres the cornerstone of their [anti-] immigration policies, in at least one instance going so far as to make detention the only entry point to their asylum system.

That has never been the case in Ireland, where deprivation of liberty for immigration-related reasons has been the exception, rather than the rule.

Indeed, one of the positive findings of this report, as compared to my 2005 research, is that the annual number of persons held in Irish prisons for immigration-related reasons has halved and that they are generally kept for only a few days, compared to the much more extended stays that I had found.

Ms Malone said: Ireland signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture [OPCAT] in 2007, but over a decade later have yet to ratify it.

"OPCAT introduces a comprehensive system of national and international monitoring of places of detention with a view to preventing all forms of ill-treatment.

Given the States commitment to build a specific immigration detention facility in Dublin Airport, and given the findings in this report, it is ever more urgent that Ireland immediately ratify the OPCAT, to assist the State in preventing ill-treatment in places of detention.
Party sources say there are differing opinions internally on whether Sinn Fein should take a position, including how any divisive debate could impact on leader Mary Lou McDonald.

The Government will put the 12-week proposal to the Dail for a vote if the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which gives equal protection to the right to life of the unborn and the right to life of the mother, is repealed in the proposed May referendum.
Dozens of students occupied the university dining hall yesterday morning and were still inside last night as they escalated protests that began last week.

The main issue concerns TCDs decision to introduce a 450 fee for repeating exams from 2019, which could affect around 1,700 out of 12,000 undergraduates.

The protests have seen tourists prevented from visiting the world-famous Book of Kells.

The organisers said the decision to press ahead ignores an 82% rejection by students of repeat exam fees being introduced.

That proposal was for a charge of 200 per exam, with an upper limit of 1,000, but the 450 flat fee is instead being introduced as an alternative.

A number of other additional charges to different student categories are also on the list of issues that the protesters want addressed.

The occupation is to show the college that we will no longer stand for the commercialisation of students and to protest any increase to accommodation fees, postgraduate or international fees, a Take Back Trinity statement said.

TCD vice-provost Chris Morash said the fees for supplemental exams are being introduced to replace what was considered an unfair system.

Currently, students who fail an exam on one or more modules must repeat and pay for all modules, even those that they have passed, which typically costs around 250 students a year 6,000 each.

This generates over 1m a year for TCD, but Prof Morash said around 200,000 less would be paid by students under the flat fee payable for one or more repeat exams.

He added that students availing of some access programmes would be exempt from the 450 fee and a fund is being set up to help anyone in financial hardship because of the decision.

We still think that what is proposed is fair, it spreads the cost more broadly, said Prof Morash. It means a larger group of students pays something, but they each pay less.

He told the Irish Examiner that he spoke with the protest leaders for two hours yesterday afternoon and he hopes that progress can be made through negotiations.

Its certainly worth talking about if theres a viable proposal, Id be interested in seeing any suggestions, he said.

But with TCD running a 4.9m deficit, Prof Morash said, most or all of the lost revenue from scrapping repeat-year fees would have to be found from somewhere.
Leo Varadkar has also said that Ireland can act as a bridge between the US and the EU to prevent a trade war.

He said tariffs on goods such as aluminium, blue jeans, whiskey and steel isnt a policy that anyone is going to gain from and will be stressing this when he meets President Donald Trump later this week.

Speaking after he arrived in Washington as part of his St Patricks Day trip to the US, Mr Varadkar said he would raise the fact that the US ambassador position in Dublin has been vacant for more than a year.

However, Edward F Crawford, a 79-year-old billionaire with roots in Co Cork, has been tipped to be named the next ambassador and it has been rumoured that President Trump may even make the announcement during the St Patricks Day events.

Mr Varadkar said: We have an acting ambassador in Dublin who is doing a very good job.

We would like to see an appointment and Im sure that will be something that will be discussed on Thursday in the Oval Office.

Asked whether the US should send a special envoy to Northern Ireland given the deadlock between Sinn Fein and the DUP in getting the Assembly back up and running, Mr Varadkar said: The priority for us would be having a US ambassador appointed.

On the issue of trade, Mr Varadkar warned that there is a danger America and Europe may drift apart due to growing divisions.

I would hope that both sides would pull back from a trade war.

Mr Varadkar is due to meet President Trump in the White House tomorrow where he is expected to bring up the threat of a trade war between the EU and US.

Mr Trump announced a 25% import tariff on steel and 10% on aluminium which has prompted fears of a trade war.

The EU has threatened retaliatory tariffs on US goods, including bourbon and jeans.

Speaking at the Brookings Institute, Mr Varadkar said: For years, this relationship helped provide a bridge between the EU and the United States.

"I fear that there is a danger that the EU and the United States may drift apart due to growing divisions on trade, tax, climate change and many other areas.

Such a development would not be in the interests of the people on either side of the Atlantic.

"Ireland can and is willing to act as a bridge between the US and the EU to interpret one to the other and to help ensure that positive and constructive relations are maintained and developed, he said.

The Taoiseach will today take part in a roundtable discussion with the US Chamber of Commerce and will attend the Ireland Funds dinner tonight.
In the US, Leo Varadkar said the deadlock means there is no effective political engagement on issues of relevance to the lives of the people of Northern Ireland, economically and socially.

He said a redoubled effort is needed after Easter and it may be again up to the Irish and British governments to put forward proposals to break the deadlock.

I believe the period after Easter should see a redoubled effort on the part of both governments and all of the parties in Northern Ireland to seek agreement on the restoration of the institutions, said Mr Varadkar.

It is my view that this will require very close co-operation and leadership from the British and Irish governments. It may be that again the governments will have to table our own proposals to help the parties break the deadlock.

It comes as Sinn Feins Gerry Adams also warned that the institutions in the North may not be restored in the medium term.

Senator George Mitchell and Gerry Adams at a Good Friday Agreement 20th anniversary event at the Library of Congress in Washington DC/ Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Both men spoke at an event in Washington last night to mark 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, where former Northern Ireland special envoy George Mitchell was also a speaker.

Mr Adams said Sinn Fein has made it clear to the Irish and British governments that there can be no going back to direct rule and the best option is for a return of the political institutions.

The North has been without a devolved government for more than a year, with numerous rounds of talks between Sinn Fein and the DUP leading to stalemate and collapse.

Mr Adams said: It might well be that the power-sharing institutions and all-Ireland political architecture may not be restored in the medium term.

"Until then, and in the interim, the Intergovernmental Conference, which is part of the Good Friday Agreement, needs to be established by the Irish and British governments.

Mr Adams, who was joined by Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle ONeill, said an accommodation had been reached with the DUP last month which was rejected at the last minute.

I believe that the DUP leader and their negotiating team acted in good faith but unfortunately their party didnt follow their example. The DUP leadership chose at the last minute to walk away.

Speaking earlier in the day at the Brookings Institute in Washington, Mr Varadkar said the lack of a power-sharing government in the North is undermining the operation of other institutions under the Good Friday Agreement.

He described the Good Friday Agreement as a deal which ended decades of deadly conflict in Northern Ireland, secured a lasting peace for our people, and transformed political relationships that had been stunted for generations.

He added: As with any peace, reaching agreement is far from the end of the journey  the path to reconciliation and stable politics can be a long and sometimes bumpy one.

Continuing differences between the political parties representing the two communities in Northern Ireland mean that there has been no power-sharing executive in Belfast for some time.

Its absence is corrosive and damaging. It means that there is no effective political engagement on issues of relevance to the lives of the people of Northern Ireland, economically and socially.
Veterinary assistant Aine Stack, aged 23, of Bedford, Listowel, Co Kerry, had pleaded not guilty at the Circuit Criminal Court in Tralee to an initial charge of dangerous causing the death of John Lenahan, aged 67, from Colorado, on August 30, 2013, at Clogherbrien, a crossroads near Tralee.

Mr Lenahan died in hospital on September 10, 2013.

The deceased had been a front-seat passenger in the hired black Nissan Qashqai car driven by his son, Robert.

The large vehicle held three generations of the Lenahan family. They had arrived at Kerry Airport that morning and were on their way to a seafood restaurant near Fenit.

Robert Lenahan told the trial he and his father had shared an interest in photography and had been discussing the sunset ahead of them on the R558 road towards Fenit when the accident involving the white Vauxhall car driven by Ms Stack occurred.

Ms Stack been at the beach with her brothers and their friend and had emerged from a lesser road onto the path of the American tourists, the jury were told.

Forensics crash investigator Garda James formed the opinion that the Vauxhall driven by Ms Stack had failed to stop on its way from the lesser road from the Cockleshell Strand in the Kerries and had gone into the side of the larger Nissan Qashqai, driving it across the road onto a wall.

Garda OBrien said the road from the Kerries had a good view of the R558 in both directions.

The trial took a dramatic turn on Friday, the second day of the trial, when the charge was amended by the prosecution to that of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm.

Evidence from a surgeon that was read into court told how the late John Lenahan was admitted to intensive care and his condition had improved. Unfortunately, he died on September 10 due to sudden cardio-collapse.

It emerged that, in November 2014, State pathologist Margot Bolster had made a written submission furnished to the gardai that it could not be said to the criminal standard of proof this collision caused the death of Mr Lenahan.

The first time the defence saw the letter submitted by Dr Bolster in November 2014 was on the second day of the trial. The charge was therefore amended.

There were no aggravating factors, the vehicle was in good condition, there was no alcohol involved and Ms Stack had never come to the attention of gardai.

Yesterday, Judge Thomas E ODonnell told the jury as he sent them out that they could consider a guilty verdict of the lesser charge of careless driving or they could bring in a not guilty verdict.

After just over an hour deliberating, the jury returned their verdict of guilty of dangerous driving causing serious bodily harm.

Sentencing was brought forward to facilitate Robert Lenahan, who was returning to the US today.

There were emotional scenes after Robert Lenahan read his short victim impact statement.

The events of August 2013 had a traumatic impact on his family, losing a husband, a father, and a grandfather in such an unnecessary way was hard to fathom, said Robert Lenahan.

My family has done well trying to continue with their lives, but his has been difficult, he said.

He said his wife Amy still panicked in a car, and both she and his mother still suffered physically and would for the rest of their lives.

However, as a family, we believe Ms Stacks intentions that day were not to kill my dad, he said.

He added that her life should not be ruined and she should not serve time in prison.

We believe, as a family, in forgiveness, my dad would as well, he said.

Afterwards, Robert Lenahan approached Ms Stack to speak with her and comfort her.

Judge Thomas E ODonnell has adjourned passing sentence to tomorrow. He thanked the jury of five men and seven women and excused them from jury service for five years.

John OSullivan, defending, has asked that Ms Stack not be jailed. This was a single error of a momentary nature, he put to Garda Lisa Kearney, and the garda agreed that this was the case.
Asia Australia to Stress International Law in South China Sea Dispute

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. / Reuters

SYDNEY  Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will on Tuesday hail the role of international law in settling regional conflicts, comments apparently aimed at bolstering Australian efforts to build a coalition against Chinese assertiveness.

Bishop, in a speech ahead of a special meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Sydney, will not name China but will argue that international law will stabilize a region strained by rival claims in the South China Sea.

The rules-based order is designed to regulate behavior and rivalries of and between states, and ensure countries compete fairly and in a way that does not threaten others or destabilize their region or the world, Bishop will say in Sydney, according to a leaked draft of the speech seen by the Australian Financial Review.

It places limitations on the extent to which countries use their economic or military power to impose unfair agreements on less powerful nations.

China claims most of the South China Sea, an important trade route that is believed to contain large quantities of oil and natural gas, and has been building artificial islands on reefs, some with ports and airstrips.

Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, all of which are members of ASEAN, and Taiwan also have claims in the sea.

Australia, a staunch US ally with no claim to the South China Sea, has long maintained its neutrality on the dispute to protect economic relationship with China.

But with Australias relations with China souring in recent months, Bishops comments underscore a new Australian tactic.

Australia is trying to get ASEAN on side with the notion that China is a rule-breaker that everyone would be better served by abiding by, said Nick Bisley, professor of international relations at Melbournes La Trobe University.

If it can get ASEAN to use that language, it will strengthen Australias position considerably.

ASEAN and China in August begun talks to develop a code of conduct for the South China Sea, though a deal is unlikely before 2019, Singapores Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said in February.

The issue of the South China Sea is set to dominate the unofficial agenda of a special three-day meeting of ASEAN countries and Australia beginning on Friday.

Officially, the summit will focus on fostering closer economic ties among the 10 members ASEAN and Australia, and countering the threat of Islamist militants returning to the region from the Middle East.

Myanmar leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to travel to Sydney where she will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is under pressure to publicly condemn the deaths and expulsion of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmars Rakhine State over recent months.
Asia Trumps Pick for New CIA Chief Dogged by Secret Prisons

Gina Haspel, a veteran CIA clandestine officer picked by US President Donald Trump to head the Central Intelligence Agency, is shown in this handout photograph released on March 13, 2018. CIA / HANDOUT via Reuters

WASHINGTON  Gina Haspel, the veteran CIA undercover officer President Donald Trump picked on Tuesday to head the agency, is supported by many in the US intelligence community but has faced criticism for overseeing a secret CIA prison in Thailand where detainees were tortured.

Intelligence officers who served with her, and congressional officials said that in 2002, during Republican President George W. Bushs administration, she was responsible for the secret prison code-named Cats Eye. Two suspected members of the al Qaeda militant group were subjected to waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques at the facility.

Three years later, still during Bushs presidency, she carried out an order to destroy videotapes of the waterboarding, which simulates drowning and is considered a form of torture, according to those people.

Haspel is generally held in high regard at the CIA, working as deputy director under Mike Pompeo, whom Trump nominated to be the next secretary of state on Tuesday after firing Rex Tillerson from the post.

If confirmed by the Senate, Haspel would become the first woman to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. But she could face close scrutiny in her confirmation hearings over her involvement in black site facilities, so called because their existence is unacknowledged by the US government.

Her nomination faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, which Trumps fellow Republicans control 51-49. She could be opposed by all the Democrats, and some Republicans may also oppose her, including Senator Rand Paul, who has called a news conference on Wednesday to discuss the nomination.

The torture of detainees in US custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history, said Republican Senator John McCain, who was himself tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIAs interrogation program during the confirmation process.

In 2009, days after taking office, Democratic President Barack Obama banned enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, and ordered the closure of the secret detention sites.

Trump defended the torture of detainees during the 2016 presidential race, saying it works. He has not taken any action to reverse Obamas policy, but Haspels nomination will fan concerns.

Reopen Wounds

This is going to reopen wounds from a decade and more ago, and also invite more oversight of both our analyses and our activities, especially if Gina is confirmed, said one US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, some US intelligence officials said reports of her alleged involvement in interrogations involving torture were false. But they did not immediately provide details.

They did not dispute her involvement in drafting orders to destroy videotapes of harsh interrogation techniques, which was reported in the book Hard Measures, by Jose Rodriguez, her boss in the agency at the time, and former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow.

A CIA spokesman had no immediate comment.

Democrats voiced opposition, including their top person on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mark Warner, who said senators had a lot of questions about Haspel and they deserved to have those questions answered, in an open hearing setting.

Committee Chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, promised to support her nomination and said he was proud of her work.

If confirmed, Haspel would face immediate tests on policy, said three current intelligence officials. One is whether she and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis can prepare Trump adequately for his planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A second, they said, is if she can help persuade Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin is an increasingly aggressive adversary, and that failing to confront him would weaken US relations with its closest allies and with the CIAs most valuable partners.

She may face the same tough choice that Tillerson and others have faced: Stick to your convictions or knuckle under to keep your job, a fourth official said.

Iran is a third test, those officials said. The US intelligence assessment is that the 2015 deal to curb Irans nuclear weapons program is on balance a good one, and that Trumps criticism of it threatens efforts to constrain Irans nuclear ambitions and ties with the other nations that negotiated the pact, China, France, Germany, Britain and Russia.

Some current and former CIA officials said they saw some benefit to naming an insider to head the agency.

There is no question that a director leaving after a year is very turbulent for the agency, said former CIA Director Michael Hayden. That said, leaving Gina and making her the actual director will have a very positive calming influence.

Trump told reporters he had worked closely with Haspel and considered her an outstanding person.

Haspel has served in a number of undercover overseas posts, including as chief of the CIAs station in London and its base in New York. Then-CIA Director John Brennan in 2013 named her deputy director of National Clandestine Service, but she was denied a permanent promotion in the face of congressional opposition.

Daniel Hoffman, a former three-time station chief for the CIA, praised Haspel and said her nomination sent a powerful message inside the agency because she came up from the lower ranks.

Shes somebody who tries to bring disparate elements together, the kind of collaboration that is important in intelligence work, said Hoffman. Shes got the highest level of intellectual integrity and honesty.
Burma Govt Seeks International Cooperation to Combat Terrorism

Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe discusses the Presidents proposal to sign a MoU on the ASEAN-Australia Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism on March 12. / Ministry of Information

NAYPYITAW  The Union Parliament on Monday approved the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that aims to strengthen the ASEAN-Australia Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism.

Five lawmakers discussed in favor of President U Htin Kyaws proposal to sign the MoU, which called for increased collaboration between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia against shared challenges of terrorism and violent extremism.

Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe said the signing of the MoU will allow for the exchange of information on terrorists and help Myanmar acquire technical support from Australia in tracking the activities of terrorist organizations and their background history.

Myanmar will therefore be able to take a more active role in counter-terrorism activates not only in the region but also on the international front, said Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe.

I recommend the signing of the MOU because it is in line with the new governments policy, said U Zarni Min, a lawmaker from Kachin States Shwegu Township.

Daw Htoot May of Rakhine Constituency (11) said, Foreign extremist organizations are funding and supporting the perpetuation of violence in Rakhine State. There is a need for Myanmar to cooperate with the international community to address this as well as the potential threat of terrorism in the future.

The declaration aims to formulate a framework for cooperation to prevent, disrupt and combat international terrorism through the exchange and flow of information and intelligence, as well as capacity building.

Meanwhile, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi will pay an official to visit Australia in days at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. She will also attend the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to be held in Sydney on March 17-18.

A business summit and counter-terrorism conference will also be held on the sidelines of the special summit. Minister for the Office of the Union Government and National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun will lead Myanmars delegation to the counter-terrorism conference.

Myanmar enacted laws and rules on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) in 2014 and 2015 and is a signatory to 13 United Nations conventions on terrorism, according to state-run newspapers.
Burma Group to Launch T-Shirt Campaign Against Sexual Violence

The Stop Sexual Violence campaign group holds a press conference in Yangon on Tuesday. / Zue Zue / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Activists are calling for harsher penalties for sex offenders amid a significant increase in the number of reported rapes of women and children across the country.

Stop Sexual Violence, a group of activists lobbying for severe punishment as a deterrent against rape, held a press conference in Yangon on Tuesday to introduce a T-shirt campaign to raise public awareness about sexual violence.

The campaign, the groups second since 2016, calls for increasing penalties for sex offenders, imposing punishments besides prison, and denying sex offenders pardon or amnesty.

We want lengthy prison sentences imposed on sex offenders, child rapists and those who rape and murder, for example, 70 or 80 years in prison without amnesty, Ko Zeyar Tun, a member of the campaign group, told The Irrawaddy.

The group also plans to present its demands to Parliament, he said.

Ko Zeyar Tun cited dozens of cases in which sex offenders were released from prison after serving less than 10 years thanks to amnesties and good behavior credits despite receiving sentences of 20 years to life.

The campaign has been joined by the artist Smile.

I have joined this group as an artist and as a mother, she said. We expect to see some changes if we push together.

She and other celebrities, lawyers, lawmakers and politicians will attend the launch of the campaign, to be held Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Kandawgyi Hmaw Sin Kyun.

We oppose any form of sexual violence. Anyone can join us to show their opposition to it. We hope that this event will make the government take some action to stop sexual violence, said Ko Aung Chantha, another member of the campaign group.

The Home Affairs Ministry recorded 305 more rape cases in 2017 than the year before, 226 of them against children under 16 years old. Most child rape cases were reported in Yangon, Irrawaddy, Mandalay, Bago and Sagaing regions.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
News Hundreds Displaced by Latest Fighting Between Rival Armed Groups in Shan State

People displaced by recent fighting between the TNLA and RCSS take shelter at the Manhong Monastery in Mansan Village, Namtu Township, Shan State. / Mai Lon Aye

YANGON  More than 800 residents of Namtu, Kyaukme and Namhsan townships in northern Shan State have been displaced by recent fighting between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

Nang Sen Nom, a Shan State lawmaker representing Namtu Township, said more than 330 residents from several villages in her constituency had fled the latest fighting, which started Saturday, and were taking shelter at monasteries in the area.

More than 100 are taking shelter at the Manhong Monastery in Mansan Village and another 200 are at the Poppa Yon Monastery, she said.

On Monday, nearly 500 residents of Na Sai and Pan Law villages fled to another village after RCSS and TNLA soldiers clashed nearby.

Seventy more villagers from the Na Sai village tract were forced to leave their homes on Tuesday as the clashes continued, Nang Sen Nom said.

Fighting was taking place near the village of Bein Tun, in Namtu Township, and along the border between Kyaukme and Namhsan townships, TNLA information officer Mai Ai Kyaw told the Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

There were skirmishes on March 13, but I dont know the details, Mai Ai Kyaw said.

RCSS Lieutenant Colonel Sai Oo declined to comment on the fighting.

Mai Ai Kyaw said the TNLA and RCSS had previously agreed to hold talks but were yet to set a date.

We sent them [the RCSS] a letter to hold talks some time last week, but they havent replied yet, said Mai Ai Kyaw.

Nang Sen Nom said the displaced people were in need of food, clothes and shelter.

The RCSS is one of the original eight signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. The TNLA has not signed the agreement and is considered an insurgent group by the Myanmar army.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
News Karen Villagers Protest Hatgyi Dam, Other Projects on Salween River

Karen people gather to oppose the construction of dams on the Salween River, including the Hatgyi Dam, in Hpapun, Karen State, on March 14.

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  More than 1,700 people living near the site of the planned Hatgyi Dam on the Salween River in Karen States Hpapun district gathered to show their objections to the project and mark International Day of Action for Rivers on Wednesday.

Saw Tha Poe, spokesman for Karen River Watch, one of the campaign groups opposing dam construction on the river, said the group opposes dam construction on Myanmars biggest rivers, the Salween and the Irrawaddy, as well as on other rivers in the state.

In a statement released on Wednesday, KRW called for a moratorium on all large infrastructure, energy, and extractive projects in Karen areas until genuine peace is established through political dialogue, leading to the implementation of a participatory federal system throughout [Myanmar].

Although the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, signed a bilateral ceasefire in 2012 and the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement in 2015, clashes between Tatmadaw troops and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU, have been reported as recently as March 4 in Mutraw (Hpapun) district, northern Karen State.

Following the latest round of clashes, the Tatmadaw deployed more than 600 soldiers across the ceasefire line in Hpapun, forcing 1,500 people from 14 villages to flee their homes, according to KRW.

In 2015 and 2016, it said, the Tatmadaws troop deployments in Karen State have steadily increased, leading to intensified armed conflict. There were over 40 clashes involving, on one side, the various forces of the Tatmadaw, including its paramilitary Border Guard Force, and, on the other, the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, its splinter group the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, and the KNLA.

Saw Tha Poe added that the refugees displaced after the conflicts broke out near the proposed Hatgyi Dam site in 2016 have not been able to return to their homes. The conflict erupted after the National League for Democracy-led government declared its support in September 2016 for the damming of the Salween River. The fighting has forced some 5,000 Karen from their villages and many refugees remain in IDP camps in Myaing Gyi Ngu.

Despite continual protests by environmentalists and locals against the damming of the Salween, construction on the Hatgyi Dam project has proceeded, said Saw Tha Poe, with a new road having nearly reached the dam. Construction on the dam is scheduled to be complete in 2020-21.

KRW said 30,000 people from around 50 villages in upstream Hatgyi areas would be forced to move if the project continues.

KRW said that proceeding with these hydropower projects would not only dispossess already marginalized ethnic communities who have survived the worlds longest civil war, but also result in permanent militarization of these fragile regions.

Ultimately, KRW said, the energy projects along the Salween River, on which 14 large dams are planned or currently under construction, will export electricity, but import social problems and environmental destruction to river systems that support the lives of millions of people in Karen, Karenni, Mon, and Shan states.

On Wednesday morning in Shan States Hsipaw Township, the villagers of Talong urged a halt to the Upper Ye Ywar hydropower plant on the Namtu River, according to Action for Shan State Rivers.

In Karenni state, some 300 locals and members of the Burma Rivers Network (BRN) came together to show their opposition to the dams being built within the conflict zones at Ba He Hta village in Hpa Sawng Township in Karenni (Kayah) State, according to Mi Ah Chai, the organizations spokeswoman.

She told The Irrawaddy that the BRN welcomed some of the recommendations made by the International Financial Cooperation (IFC) at a stakeholder discussion in Yangon in February. In particular it agreed with the IFCs recommendation against building mainstream dams on the major rivers, including the Salween and Irrawaddy, due to concerns over environmental impacts.

However, it disagreed with the IFCs recommendation to build dams on tributaries instead, including the Nam Teng and Pawn tributaries of the Salween, which lie in conflict-affected areas of Shan and Karenni states, she said.

We, BRN, welcome the report of the World Bank and the IFC, but strongly oppose their recommendations to build dams on tributaries, because the tributaries are also important in preserving the ecological health of the river basin and in sustaining the livelihoods of countless ethnic communities, said Mi Ah Chai.

This is not development for us, as the prolonged war and suffering there are due to the dam projects, which are in conflict zones, she added.

BRN also urged the government to review existing hydropower projects to determine whether they are actually benefiting the local communities, and to stop any new planned projects until there is genuine peace and a federal system in place.

When we discuss peace, people talk about the NCA, but we have not achieved peaceful livelihoods in many places yet, Mi Ah Chai said.

At KRWs request, the article was altered to reflect the groups actual estimates of how many people and villages would be affected if the Hatgyi Dam project continues.
News Philippine Leader Demands Review of Dropped Cases vs Alleged Drug Kingpins

Alleged drug lord Kerwin Espinosa is escorted by members of the Philippine National Police during a joint committee session at Senate headquarters in Pasay City, metro Manila, Philippines, Nov. 23, 2016. / Reuters

MANILA  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a review of a decision by state prosecutors to dismiss complaints against several suspected drugs kingpins, amid outrage among the public and some of his allies about them walking free.

A Department of Justice panel, citing weak evidence, cleared 22 suspects in a decision they made in December but was made public only on Monday in a document leaked to media. A self-confessed drug dealer was among those cleared.

Duterte has publicly named and shamed several provincial politicians and businessmen as drug lords controlling the narcotics trade in the Southeast Asian nation. Some have been killed in what police said were shootouts.

I will invoke my power of supervision and control and will review [the] dismissal, Dutertes spokesman, Harry Roque, quoted the president as saying during a joint command conference with police and military officials on Tuesday evening.

Police insisted on Wednesday they had strong cases against the suspects.

Among those cleared were businessman Peter Go Lim and Kerwin Espinosa, who was arrested by Abu Dhabi police in October 2016.

Espinosas father, Rolando, a mayor in central Leyte province, was killed in what police said was a gunfight in his prison cell three months after he surrendered in August 2016 to answer drugs charges.

Kerwin Espinosa is a self-confessed drug dealer who revealed his suppliers at a Senate hearing in 2016.

Duterte has warned he would put Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre in jail if both Lim and Espinosa go free, Roque said.

Aguirre said in a radio interview the panels decision was not final and still subject to an appeal and an automatic review by his office.

However, he said a new panel of prosecutors would be created to review and strengthen the case against the suspects.

More than 4,000 people have been killed under Dutertes 19-month anti-narcotics campaign in what police call legitimate operations against drug personalities they say violently resisted arrest.

Police have blamed mysterious vigilantes for about 2,300 drug-related homicides.

Dutertes critics have said many of those killed were small-time drug dealers and users from poor communities, while the so-called big fish, or main suppliers, remained at large.
News Physicist Stephen Hawking, Who Conquered the Stars, Dies at 76

Stephen Hawking attends a launch event for a new award for science communication, called the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, in London on Dec. 16, 2015. / Reuters

Stephen Hawking, who sought to explain some of the most complicated questions of life while himself working under the shadow of a likely premature death, has died at 76.

The UKs Press Association reported his death, citing a spokesman for the family.

Hawkings formidable mind probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time.

His work ranged from the origins of the universe itself, through the tantalizing prospect of time travel to the mysteries of spaces all-consuming black holes.

But the power of his intellect contrasted cruelly with the weakness of his body, ravaged by the wasting motor neuron disease he contracted at the age of 21.

Hawking was confined for most of his life to a wheelchair. As his condition worsened, he had to resort to speaking through a voice synthesizer and communicating by moving his eyebrows.

The disease spurred him to work harder but also contributed to the collapse of his two marriages, he wrote in a 2013 memoir My Brief History.

In the book he related how he was first diagnosed: I felt it was very unfair  why should this happen to me, he wrote.

At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life.

Hawking shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of A Brief History of Time, one of the most complex books ever to achieve mass appeal, which stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for no fewer than 237 weeks.

He said he wrote the book to convey his own excitement over recent discoveries about the universe.

My original aim was to write a book that would sell on airport bookstalls, he told reporters at the time. In order to make sure it was understandable I tried the book out on my nurses. I think they understood most of it.
News Workshop Promotes Gender Equality in a Federal System

Ethnic Kachin attend a meeting with Pope Francis and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw on Nov. 28. / Reuters

YANGON  Civil society representatives discussed how to improve gender equality and empower women, girls and sexual minorities in a federal system during a two-day workshop in Yangon that wrapped up on Wednesday.

The Gender and Federalism workshop was organized by the Forum of Federations (FoF), a global network on federalism and devolved governance, and drew some 70 representatives from local non-government groups working on gender equality, governance and peace.

FoF gender officer Ma Phyo Nay Chi said the forum aimed to promote the idea that gender issues be taken into account in the formation of a federal system.

Gender equality is important under all systems. Gender issues needs to be taken into consideration along with the creation of federalism, she said.

A pilot workshop on gender and federalism was held in Yangon in September, followed by the first official workshop in Mandalay in January.

Ma Phyo Nay Chi said the FoF also planned to conduct similar workshops in other states and regions.

Establishing a federal state was one of the ruling National League for Democracy partys 2015 election promises. In its election manifesto, it pledged to work for a genuine federal union built on the principles of equal rights.

In building a federal union, we need to consider addressing gender inequalities and ensure womens rights within the system, Ma Phyo Nay Chi said.

She said a decentralized system would allow for greater recognition of different cultures but cautioned that in such a system some of those cultures might encourage inequality between genders.

Professor Sandeep Shastri from India, one of the speakers at the workshop, stressed that empowering women and ending gender discrimination within a federal framework required the uniform application of policy across the country at all levels of government.

Ma Aye Mya Hnin Phyu, from the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process, said it was also important to increase womens participation in the peace process while at the same time building up the capacity of those women taking part.

There are similarities between federalism and gender equality  both prioritize equity and justice. But we need to be patient with both processes, she told The Irrawaddy.
Specials March 1988: A Month of Revolt

The Irrawaddy

The bloody events of March 1988 set the stage for the uprising in August of that year and, ultimately, for Myanmars political course over the next three decades. Here is a detailed timeline of how that pivotal month unfolded.

March 12, 1988  Students from the Rangoon Institute of Technology and youths from west Gyogone Ward, Insein Township, had a brawl at the Sandaw Win Teashop. The Insein Police Force opened a case against the youths from west Gyogone Ward.

March 13  While police held two youths  Zaw Zaw, also known as Nyi Nyi Lwin, and Khin Maung Myint  in detention, other youths from west Gyogone Ward started a brawl with students from the Rangoon Institute of Technology.

Ko Phone Maw, a fifth-year student at the Rangoon Institute of Technology studying chemical engineering, was killed by riot police on the school campus. Five others were injured. One of the five, Ko Soe Naing, died of gunshot wounds 23 days later. The other four were kept shackled at a hospital.

The Rangoon Institute of Technology Students Union was formed with 70 members to oppose the Burma Socialist Program Party.

(In 2012, democracy advocates including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi designated March 13 as Myanmar Human Rights Day.)

March 14  Students of the Rangoon Institute of Technology painted a star on the ground where Ko Phone Maw was shot and killed. They staged a protest march to demand student rights.

March 15  Following further protests, the military raided the Rangoon Institute of Technology and arrested hundreds of students. They closed the countrys universities and said students were free to go back to their home towns.

March 16  Students from Rangoon University took to the streets in response to the militarys raid on the Rangoon Institute of Technology. Soldiers and riot police used force to disperse the students at Tada Phyu (which means White Bridge in Burmese) on Pyay Road. Dozens of students were killed and injured and hundreds of them were detained. This event later came to be known as the Red Bridge incident by activists, as the area had been turned red with the blood of students.

March 17  Following the governments brutal crackdown, the State Council formed an investigation commission led by U Ba Maw, a member of the Council of Peoples Justice, and invited those wishing to give their account of events to come forward.

(The commissions report would claim that the riots were triggered when civilian youths beat students from the Rangoon Institute of Technology, that appropriate actions were taken against those who exacerbated the brawl and instigated the riots, and that the majority of students at the Rangoon Institute of Technology were peaceful by nature.)

Members of the public joined the students in their protests against the government in downtown Yangon.

March 18  Soldiers and riot police cracked down on demonstrators in downtown Yangon and sent those they detained to Insein Prison. Forty-one of them died inside a prisoner transport vehicle on their way to the prison.

March 19  It was found that they died after inhaling tear gas and because of poor ventilation inside the transport vehicle. The minister for home affairs and religious affairs, U Min Khaung, a former army major general, subsequently resigned.

March 21  Twenty-three of 27 detained female students were released.

March 30  1,233 of 1,723 detainees were released.
Wednesday, March 14th, 2018 (9:49 am) - Score 5,483

Yesterday saw the government announce that 13 areas across the United Kingdom had secured a share of 95m from the 190m Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN) challenge fund (here), which will help to build new Gigabit capable broadband networks. Today weve put together a summary of each project.

Generally the following schemes reflect a variety of different approaches, such as Gigabit connection vouchers for businesses (i.e. up to 3,000 to help get the service installed), aggregated demand schemes and opening access to existing public sector infrastructure for use by fibre ISPs.

On top of that a number of councils are also using the anchor tenancy approach to build or extend new / existing fibre optic (FTTP) networks in order to connect public sector sites, as well as to potentially foster future expansion for the needs of local homes and businesses (rural and urban).

Sadly many of the local authorities involved have yet to announce their plans via a public press release and so its taken us awhile this morning to dig through the various council meeting documents in order to uncover all of details. A few of the areas have been particularly poor when it comes to explaining their plans (e.g. London, Cardiff) but we managed to get a good overview of the others.

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon 2.4m

The funding will be used to establish a Gigabit fibre ring in the Borough (mostly focused upon connecting public sector sites as an anchor tenant for the network) and a Gigabit voucher scheme to support local businesses. The local authority will aim to cover existing Business Centres at Banbridge and CIDO, Bluestone and Mayfair, plus the proposed Digi-Hub provision for the Borough and the proposed new Leisure Centre and new Southern Regional College Campus. Connection of the three main civic buildings will then complete the Gigabit Ring.

The total number of Gigabit connections has been estimated at 881 business and 1,845 domestic premises, which isnt especially big but then the improved local infrastructure might also help to facilitate the introduction of wider broadband deployments at a later date.

Belfast 11.5m

Belfast City Council originally submitted an Expression of Interest to the programme seeking a 30 million full fibre investment for four potential project areas (listed below). In the end they only secured 11.5m and so the funding split below is only reflective of their original bid:

* Belfast City Council Anchor Tenancy procurement which would provide Dark Fibre Upgrades for all Belfast City Councils networked sites with the potential to future-proof and provide resilient connectivity to our key sites for the next 50 years. (6 million)

* Northern Ireland Regional Gigabit Voucher Scheme  A Gigabit Voucher Scheme could resolve those areas across Belfast which currently suffer from poor broadband connectivity (20 million)

* Reuse of Streets Ahead Public Realm scheme ducting.

* Other  Belfast Independent Internet Exchange  A neutral place where network operators and digital providers can meet and exchange data traffic, to improve the customer internet experience cost effectively (4 million)

Blackpool 3.0m

Weve struggled to find much of any information about Blackpools bid, although the council does own its own network assets in four BT exchanges, as well as an extensive wireless infrastructure on Blackpool Tower, a private fibre optic network in several areas of the town and a large free public WiFi service.

The councils Digital Strategy has been seeking to exploit and develop these assets to meet their connectivity needs but will also use the assets when possible to support regeneration activities such as along the promenade and in the enterprise zones. For example, they are hoping to develop use of the Tramway Fibre link to create a smarter promenade supporting smarter tram stops, car parking, CCTV, public WiFi.

Similarly theyve been hoping to build the business case to extend the tramway fibre to the Enterprise Zone to create high speed, low cost connectivity for future businesses.

Cambridgeshire 4.0m

The Cambridgeshire project aims to expand its gigabit capable fibre footprint to ensure the county has the digital connectivity needed to support future growth and prosperity. The plan thus involves the following approaches, which must be delivered by March 2021.

* Creating a 40Km stretch of fibre ducting from St Ives to Linton  linking fibre in new and existing routes and making it available to commercial operators to bring Gigabit networks to nearby homes and businesses.

* Providing fibre upgrades to around 30 public buildings, including schools, libraries, fire stations and GP surgeries, across nine locations in Cambridgeshire, to benefit surrounding homes and businesses.

* Supporting businesses, leading business parks and clusters of SMEs to access the new gigabit fibre network (e.g. vouchers).

Cardiff 6.0m

This is another area that has said practically nothing in public about their bid, although we do know that a project had been proposed to utilise the existing Hibernia Express transatlantic submarine cable (i.e. building an effective spur off it in the Bristol Channel to make landfall at Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan).

The new multi-terabit fibre spine would then be spread out across the city region through 300 kilometres of ducting, although the original costing for this was around 37m and the allocated 6m doesnt even come close to that. As such we suspect that they have a different plan for the new funding.

Coventry, Solihulll & Warwick 5.7m

Cityfibre already owns a large metro fibre optic network in Coventry (140km+) and lest we forget that this area was also one of the initial six Gigabit pilots announced for the LFFN programme last year. Cityfibre is understood to have been working with the council on their bid, although details remain sparse.

The project requirements for their bid are to connect public sector buildings to the full fibre network (i.e. FTTP) with Gigabit-capable connections. The idea is that by taking full fibre out to public buildings, the successful contractor will then connect homes and businesses along the fibre route and in the vicinity of the newly-connected public buildings.

Highlands 4.5m

The objective of this bid is to provide a local access full fibre network to provide Gigabit capable open access to public sector sites in Inverness, Fort William, Wick and Thurso. Local businesses will also have the opportunity to benefit directly from the challenge fund, as a proportion will provide around 150 vouchers to the value of 3000, aimed at encouraging businesses to adopt higher speed connectivity.

London 8.5m

Sadly its been hard to find any solid details on Londons bid, which is disappointing considering that this is the UKs capital city and covers many boroughs with their own authorities. We do however know that the bid involves an eye to fostering re-use of public sector infrastructure assets and adoption of the new Gigabit voucher scheme (grants for up to 3,000) for local businesses.

We also note that Southwark has been seeking LFFN investment in London to help bring more fibre optic infrastructure into the Rotherhithe and Surrey Docks wards.

Manchester 23.8m

We can find no details of the bid itself, although the Digital Strategy for Greater Manchester has talked about developing a plan for engagement with large fibre providers and linking work on highways.

Mid Sussex 2.2m

This represents a second round of investment in the local West Sussex Gigabit Project, which has already secured some funding from the earlier pilot scheme. The procurement is intended to provide new end-to-end Gigabit dark fibre networks in Worthing, Shoreham, Chichester, Bognor Regis, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Burgess Hill and Crawley through a 20 -year lease agreement with a single supplier (sounds ideal for Cityfibre).

The project is testing and demonstrating two approaches to funding full fibre roll out. The first approach here is known as Anchor Tenancy; using long-term public sector demand to underpin commercial investment in full fibre, with public sector sites being the first to benefit.

The second approach is that of another Gigabit voucher scheme using the LFFN (Wave 2) funding, which will be available to businesses over a wider area than those listed above.

Portsmouth 3.9m

Portsmouth only says theyre seeking to become the first Gigabit Commercial Port on the south coast by enabling gigabit speed, world class connectivity and dramatically accelerating its digital capabilities. The initial focus will be on connecting public sector sites to the network.

North Yorkshire (NYNet) 15.1m

The new investment is expected to be used to connect around 400 public sector sites with Gigabit capable broadband across 16 towns, which should provide the basis for the wider expansion of fibre optic connectivity. The planned towns are Harrogate and Knaresborough, Skipton, Northallerton, Ripon, Richmond, Leyburn, Scarborough, Malton and Norton, Whitby, Easingwold, Thirsk, Selby, Tadcaster, Pickering, Stokesley/Great Ayton and Settle.

The next step after finalising the agreement with DCMS is for the council to undertake a procurement process and the deployment is then likely to start in 2019.

Wolverhampton 4.9m

This bid appears to focus on improving Gigabit capable broadband connectivity in the city centre (full coverage of around 211 public sites) via the public sector anchor tenancy approach, which also includes engagement with the UK Governments Barrier Removal Taskforce in relation to adopting a local approach to highways, planning, wayleaves that optimises the local environment to improve digital infrastructure be approved.

Should the bid be successful this would require the Council to commit to a 20-year contract to supply dark fibre to Council and other public sector buildings. Gigabit vouchers for local businesses are also part of the bid.
Progress NativeChat claims to speed the training and deployment of chatbots.

A key feature of Progress NativeChat is its use of what Progress calls CognitiveFlow technology, an approach that allows chatbots to be trained with goals, examples and data from existing backend systems, much as new human customer service agents are trained.

"Chatbots are most powerful when they are intelligent and context-aware, directly pulling data and insights from systems of record," said Progress chief technology officer Dmitri Tcherevik.

"NativeChat makes it easy to create chatbots on top of existing systems that interact with users in a natural way and improve contextual understanding, accuracy and forecasting in conversations."

The idea of chatbots is to provide customers and other people with a quick, automated way to get answers to natural language questions without having to wait for an overloaded human agent.

Done right, it can increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs; done wrong, it causes customer resentment and makes the organisation look foolish. A very recent example was the failure of Telstra's Codi chatbot to handle requests.

According to Progress, NativeChat simplifies chatbot development because it can learn from interactions.

The software can be integrated into self-service Web portals and mobile apps, and the chatbots can also communicate via Facebook Messenger and other live chat systems.

Out-of-the-box integrations are provided for the Progress Kinvey serverless cloud application platform, the Progress Sitefinity Web content management platform, and the NativeScript native mobile application development technology.

Integration with enterprise systems is, as usual, through REST APIs.

Other capabilities include the ability to handle transactional and FAQ-style interactions, and support for 72 human languages.

NativeChat is already in use at Dr Shterev Hospital in Bulgaria, where it is claimed to have reduced the workload of contact centre staff by automating many enquiries about routine matters such as appointments and schedules.

Progress NativeChat  the first product to come out of Progress Labs, the company's internal innovation incubator  is available immediately.
To "accelerate interconnection opportunities", data centre experts Equinix reports meeting customer demand with "continuous investment in Melbourne and Sydney data centre expansions".

In response to "increasing customer momentum", Equinix says it is "expanding its Australian footprint by adding additional capacity in its International Business Exchange data centres in Melbourne (ME1) and Sydney (SY4)".

The company said the expansion in Melbourne "will add 374 new cabinets, creating a total capacity of 1500 cabinets, and is expected to be completed in Q3 of this year".

In addition, "the completion of the Sydney data centre (SY4) expansion doubled the capacity of the data centre to a total of 3000 cabinets. SY4 also allows Equinix customers to take advantage of global connections via subsea cables, including the Southern Cross Cable Head, PIPE Pacific Cable network and the Hawaiki cable".

The announcement follows Equinix's news from December 2017 that it will acquire Metronodes data centre operating business in Australia, which expanded the Equinix national footprint by adding 10 data centres.

We're told this will bring the company's total IBX data centre footprint in Australia to "15 data centres, further extending its global ecosystem coverage and enabling customers to deploy their infrastructure, applications and services closer to the edge".

In addition, this extension of the Equinix data centre footprint in Australia "increases networking capabilities for current customers while providing additional options for other service providers and enterprises needing to satisfy the interconnection demands of the growing digital economy".

The Global Interconnection Index, published by Equinix, "predicted Interconnection Bandwidth will grow fourfold across the Asia-Pacific region by 2020, while Sydney alone is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 44% during the same period".

We're told "this explains why Sydney was one of 20 metropolitan areas that accounted for almost 60% of global retail and wholesale colocation revenues during the third quarter of 2017", according to data from the Synergy Research Group.

Some "key facts" provided by Equinix are as follows:

The final expansion of the Melbourne data centre, known as ME1, adds 375 new cabinets to the facility. Upon completion, which is scheduled for Q3 2018, ME1 will have a total capacity of 1500 cabinets.





The A$13.3 million investment in ME1 follows rising demand from customers to enter the Port Melbourne data centre, located 2.5 kilometres from Melbournes Central Business District. There are more than 30 network service providers available in Equinix ME1 from a diverse ecosystem of customers including cloud service providers and enterprises belonging to a range of industries including healthcare and financial services.





The second phase of Equinix Sydney data centre, SY4, is also complete. With an investment of approximately A$52.3 million the expanded capacity will meet the rising demand for additional capacity and interconnection services. The expansion doubled the data centres capacity from 1500 cabinets to 3000, and a total usable floor space of more than 12,000 square metres.





Equinix SY4, strategically located four kilometres from Sydneys CBD in Alexandria, enables cloud services providers and users to establish affordable, private, high-performance connections within Platform EquinixTM and accelerate growth. SY4 continues to expand in response to increasing cloud consumption, with local customers expressing demand to connect to hybrid and multi-cloud environments.





Customers connected to SY4 also gain access to the ecosystem of Equinix customers, rapid dark fibre connectivity between all Equinix sites in Sydney, and connection with Equinix customers globally via subsea cables, including the Southern Cross Cable Head, PIPE Pacific Cable network and the Hawaiki cable.





Australia is an important strategic market for Equinix. The companys recent A$1.035 billion acquisition of Metronode, expected to close in the first half of 2018, will result in 10 additional data centre locations including Perth, Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane in addition to Sydney and Melbourne. The acquisition will make Equinix the market leader in Australia and strengthen its leadership position in the region, with the Synergy Research Group stating that "the combined market share of Equinix and Metronode in Australia as of Q3 2017, was 18%, which surpassed all other individual market players in terms of colocation revenues".





Today the total global footprint of Equinix covers 190 IBX data centres across 48 markets, providing data centre and interconnection services for more than 9800 of the worlds leading businesses. Among them, 30 IBX data centres are located in the Asia-Pacific region.

Glen Duncan, senior research manager at IDC, said:

"Australia is the third-largest (after Japan and China) Infrastructure-as-a-Service market in the Asia-Pacific region. Ageing enterprise data centres, digital transformation, the internet-of-things and appetite for cloud are all driving rapid expansion in the local third-party data centre market.

"Recent IDC survey research indicates that connectivity and cloud capabilities are important considerations when enterprises and service providers decide upon colocation and the choice of third-party data centre provider. Third-party data centre providers are quickly expanding their service offerings and geographic footprint to meet customer demand.

"The recent acquisition of Metronode plus further development of its existing facilities expands Equinixs footprint and strengthens its position in the Australian data centre market.

Jeremy Deutsch, managing director of Equinix Australia, said:

"These expansions in our Melbourne and Sydney locations signify key milestones in our commitment to continue development of our national footprint in Australia.

"Building on our recent acquisition of Metronode, our expansion highlights our relentless commitment to increasing our capabilities and meeting the growth and expectations of our customers to scale over time.

"Both our Sydney and Melbourne campus locations are key digital hubbing points providing customers with direct and private access to a multitude of clouds, service providers, business partners, and end customers affirming our market leading position.
Google has banned the advertising of cryptocurrencies and related content from June onwards, the search giant says in an updated financial products policy.

Ads for binary options and synonymous products will also not be allowed.

The move comes in the wake of a ban on similar ads by Facebook in January.

On Tuesday, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, issued a warning about cryptocurrencies, advising people to "take a step back and understand the peril that comes along with the promise" which cryptocurrencies offered.

In, Google said it would be restricting the advertising of contracts for difference, rolling spot foreign exchange, and financial spread betting.

Anyone who wanted to place ads for these products would have to be certified by the company before plugging their products through AdWords.

In order to be certified, companies will need to:

be licensed by the relevant financial services authority in the country or countries they are targeting;

ensure their ads and landing pages comply with all AdWords policies; and

comply with relevant legal requirements, including those related to complex speculative financial products.

Certification can be requested after the application form is published this month.

Lagarde said: "The same reason crypto-assets  or what some people call cryptocurrencies  are so appealing is also what makes them dangerous.

"These digital offerings are typically built in a decentralised way and without the need for a central bank. This gives crypto-asset transactions an element of anonymity, much like cash transactions.

"The result is a potentially major new vehicle for money laundering and the financing of terrorism."
Global data communications and provider Transaction Network Services has launched an enhanced solution which it says makes global 4G roaming coverage for mobile point-of-sale terminals more accessible.

The company says its Global Wireless Access solution can now support 4G roaming in more than 60 countries around the world.

According to TNS, the Internet of Things solution for POS terminals provides comprehensive international coverage and is currently used by retailers and deployers of large POS terminal estates in more than 35 countries across Europe, the Asia Pacific region and the Americas.

John Tait, managing director of TNS FinTech Solutions business across the Asia Pacific region, said: We are delighted to be making 4G roaming coverage readily available for POS terminals. The ongoing shutdown of 2G and 3G networks is being compounded by a reduction in 3G network capacity as spectrum is reallocated to 4G. This introduces significant uncertainty for terminal owners who are presented with the growing possibility that their mobile terminals might not be able to connect and accept vital customer payments.



According to Tait, wireless terminal providers, owners and users need to deploy 4G terminals now as they can no longer guarantee 3G coverage where it has previously been available.

TNS GWA solution supports the latest terminals and can help merchants benefit from 4G speeds which make point-of-sale transactions faster, provide better customer service and enhanced efficiency. With GWA they can also dedicate more time to their core selling activities.

Tait claims TNS now supports more than 500,000 POS and ATM SIMs globally, with its GWA solution specifically designed for the needs of the payments industry to simplify the deployment and management of wireless POS terminals.

He says in-country domestic roaming minimises coverage black spots, while direct connectivity to the TNS network allows merchants to access hundreds of acquirers and processors.

We have created GWA to alleviate the pain points which merchants face. An advanced SIM management and diagnostics portal allows SIMs to be provisioned quickly and easily, and users can view and make changes in real time. The combination of strongest signal connectivity and data roaming provides maximum availability for POS terminals and the optional Roam+ application gives fully flexible network carrier selection based on the quality of the data connection to the TNS network.

Tait said GWA supports pre-activated SIMs and allows bulk provisioning of SIMs, which contributes significantly to simplifying SIM management and lowering total cost of ownership.
DigitalX is the new corporate adviser on blockchain and AI cyber security for MailGuard, which is billed as "the worlds largest private software-as-a-service email security company".

DigitalX will advise MailGuard in the development of a blockchain cyber security ecosystem called GlobalGuard.

Claimed as a "world first", we're told that "GlobalGuard will combine artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to identify emerging email-borne cyber threats".

DigitalX chief executive Leigh Travers said: GlobalGuard will unite end-users, technology partners, cybercrime experts and vendors throughout the world on a living neural network, to identify and stop threats immediately. It is the next generation of cyber security and threat detection".

Melbourne-based MailGuard reminds us that it is "a cloud email and cyber security company that services clients in 27 countries", and has "partnerships with high-profile software providers, including Microsoft".

MailGuard chief executive Craig McDonald said: "GlobalGuard will leverage the past 17 years of MailGuard threat data and IP, in combination with an artificially intelligent neural network, trained to detect cyber security threats."

We are told that the AI algorithm used by GlobalGuard has been developed by MailGuard, in collaboration with Deakin University in Melbourne.

McDonald said: The worlds largest companies and governments cannot win the war on cyber crime by acting alone. GlobalGuard will be the mechanism for real-time collaboration on the Blockchain to correct the imbalance of online cyber criminals".

There's also the stat provided that "global spending on cyber security products and services is predicted to exceed US$1 trillion by 2021", which is taken from a report by Cybersecurity Ventures.

Travers added: Blockchain technology and AI is the new frontier in the fight against cyber crime. DigitalX is pleased to be involved with this project as GlobalGuard will connect a network of collaborators to identify and thwart cyber threats instantaneously."

We're also advised that "the collaboration between MailGuard and DigitalX will be a significant step towards commercialising the GlobalGuard technology".

Travers concluded: DigitalX continues to strengthen our reputation for ICO advisory services and is now working with the worlds most promising blockchain companies to help them deliver their vision".

GlobalGuard will launch later in 2018, and is billed as "a global ecosystem of cybercrime fighters using the power of next generation AI and blockchain technology to defend businesses from criminal intent".

"It unites end users, technology partners, cyber crime experts and vendors, on a living neural network, to identify and stop emerging threats immediately. GlobalGuard protects businesses worldwide from high value cyber security damage and criminal threats including email malware, phishing and social engineering attacks." More information is here.
logo_ddn_tag_Site JN with Tagline logo-sns_tag_Site

Our apologies, unfortunately our website is currently unavailable in most European countries due to GDPR rules.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Rain this morning. Scattered thunderstorms for the afternoon. High 78F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Reddit Email 394 Shares

Middle East Monitor |  

Turkey and the US will oversee the withdrawal of forces allied to the YPG (Peoples Protection Units) from the northern Syrian city of Manbij, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced today, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Speaking to reporters during a flight to Moscow, Cavusoglu said Turkey and the US would decide on a detailed plan for the region in the coming week, vowing that Turkish forces would go ahead with a military operation if those talks fail.

The foreign minister added that Ankara would monitor the return of weapons given to the YPG by Washington, an issue that has strained ties between the NATO allies.

Turkey is currently undertaking an air and ground offensive in Syria as part of Operation Olive Branch against the YPG, Kurdish militias that have been affiliated to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a designated terror organisation that has launched continual attacks against Turkey. The YPG make up a large proportion of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the US has backed in the fight against Daesh.

Read: US denies reducing operations from Turkey airbase

The latest comments come amid reports that Turkish forces have surrounded the Kurdish stronghold of Afrin, after entering the outskirts of the town last week. In a statement, the military said that areas of critical importance had been captured, following a statement yesterday by government spokesperson Bekir Bozdag, confirming that Turkish armed forces had gained control of more than half the area.

As of yesterday, Turkey authorities stated that a total of 3,393 militants have been neutralized since the start of Operation Olive Branch in January.

Last week, Cavusoglu announced that the Turkish operation in Afrin will be completed by May, when the country is scheduled to hold parliamentary elections, after which the military may look to move into Iraq to continue the offensive against forces linked to the PKK.

Relations between the US and Turkey have been strained as a result of the operation, with Ankara accusing Washington of leaving pockets of Daesh militants in Syria intact to justify continued cooperation with Kurdish forces in the country.

In an effort to reduce tensions, Turkey and the US announced the establishment of working groups to tackle some of the most contentious issues, including the YPG presence in the SDF. The first meeting of the respective groups concluded last Friday, with diplomatic sources describing it as positive.

Creative Commons License This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Via Middle East Monitor



Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

Vox: How Syrias Kurds are trying to create a democracy
Reddit Email 757 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

All you need to know about Mike Pompeo, the four-term congressman from Kansas who is actually from California, is that most of his life he has been in business with the Koch brothers. His appointment as Secretary of State puts a seal on Trumps withdrawal from the Paris climate accords.

More dangerously, Trump was straightforward that he put Pompeo in to replace Rex Tillerson in order to destroy the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action treaty between the United Nations Security Council and Iran.

Pompeo, despite his obvious brilliance, appears to be driven by profound currents of anger, resentment and vindictiveness, and to be unable to feel remorse for purveying falsehoods. His shameful performance at the circus he ran attempting to blame Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the 2011 Benghazi attack and its aftermath demonstrated a willingness to play fast and loose with the facts and an inquisitorial, McCarthyite mindset.

His lack of a moral compass makes his connection to the Kochs especially dangerous.

Charles and David Koch, the notorious billionaires gnawing like termites at the foundations of American democracy, are all about petroleum. They fund phony climate denialism with a Potemkin village of foundations and expert frauds, to make sure oil keeps its value for as long as possible (even at the cost of visiting catastrophes on our children and grandchildren, since burning oil is causing catastrophic global heating).

The Koch brothers have worked by exploiting the shameful corruption of US campaign finance, where candidates are forced to raise large sums of money to pay for radio and television ads over the public airwaves. It turns out that even small campaign donations can have a huge effect on public policy. Hence, their use of the American Legislative Exchange Council, where the exchange refers to state and national lawmakers exchange of their conscience for corporate campaign funds. The Koch-backed ALEC has singlehandedly worsened environmental protections and harmed workers in most states in the nation.

The mystery here is the difference between Koch-backed politicians and Exxon-Mobil-linked ones on the Iran deal.

Rex Tillerson was also from the world of Big Oil, but was, as Trump said with annoyance, all right with the JCPOA.

Pompeo is a huge Iranophobe (and also a fierce bigot against Muslim Americans).

The Kochs fund Libertarian groups (who fondly imagine that the rule of unelected giant corporations would be kinder than that of elected governments), which in turn have tended to be anti-war. The Trumps and their interest groups opposed the Iraq War of 2003-2011.

So if Pompeo is tight with the Kochs, why is he so truculent with regard to Iran?

Let me just speculate here. One aim of the Iraq War, revealed by Rupert Murdoch, was to reduce vastly the cost of petroleum. For small oil services companies like Dick Cheneys Halliburton, the advantages of gaining access to Iraqi bids (which would become possible once regime change had caused Congressional sanctions on Saddam Hussein to lapse) outweighed the likelihood of lower prices.

But for Big Oil, with many long-term bids and perhaps ownership of fields, having Iraqi oil come online would be undesirable, since their assets would be worth less if Iraq flooded the market. Hence the Kochs had an economic reason to oppose that war, and the consequent lifting of sanctions on Iraqi petroleum.

The Iran Deal of 2015 also has the effect of reducing oil prices, since it allows Iran to export more oil and increases supply at a time of stagnant growth in demand. Moreover, there is no prospect of American companies getting any of the Iranian profits.

Finding a way to put Iran back under sanctions would firm up oil prices and make billions of dollars for the Kochs. Hence the desire to roll back the Iran deal.

Even if this explanation is incorrect or insufficient, what seems clear is that Pompeo is very bad news for stability in the Middle East, because of his obsession with finding a way to hurt Iran.

-

Bonus video:

The Real News: Newly Tapped Sec of State Mike Pompeo Comes with Deep Ties to the Koch Brothers
Reddit Email 91 Shares

By Aviva Chomsky | ( Tomdispatch.com) |  

The immigration debate seems to have gone crazy.

President Obamas widely popular Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, which offered some 750,000 young immigrants brought to the United States as children a temporary reprieve from deportation, is ending except it isnt except it is President Trump claims to support it but ordered its halt, while both Republicans and Democrats insist that they want to preserve it and blame each other for its impending demise. (Meanwhile, the Supreme Court recently stepped in to allow DACA recipients to renew their status at least for now.)

On a single day in mid-February, the Senate rejected no less than four immigration bills. These ranged from a narrow proposal to punish sanctuary cities that placed limits on local police collaboration with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to major overhauls of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act that established the current system of immigration quotas (with preferences for family reunification).

And add in one more thing: virtually everyone in the political sphere is now tailoring his or her pronouncements and votes to political opportunism rather than the real issues at hand.

Politicians and commentators who once denounced illegal immigration, insisting that people do it the right way, are now advocating stripping legal status from many who possess it and drastically cutting even legalized immigration. These days, the hearts of conservative Republicans, otherwise promoting programs for plutocrats, are bleeding for low-wage workers whose livelihoods, they claim (quite incorrectly), are being undermined by competition from immigrants. Meanwhile, Chicago Democrat Luis Gutierrez  a rare, reliably pro-immigrant voice in Congress  recently swore that, when it came to Trumps much-touted wall on the Mexican border, he was ready to take a bucket, take bricks, and start building it myself We will dirty our hands in order for the Dreamers to have a clean future in America.

While in Gutierrezs neck of the woods, favoring Dreamers may seem politically expedient, giving in to Trumps wall would result in far more than just dirty hands, buckets, and bricks, and the congressman knows that quite well. The significant fortifications already in place on the U.S.-Mexican border have already contributed to the deaths of thousands of migrants, to the increasing militarization of the region, to a dramatic rise of paramilitary drug- and human-smuggling gangs, and to a rise in violent lawlessness on both sides of the border. Add to that a 2,000-mile concrete wall or some combination of walls, fences, bolstered border patrols, and the latest in technology and youre not just talking about some benign waste of money in return for hanging on to the DACA kids.

In the swirl of all this, the demands of immigrant rights organizations for a clean Dream Act that would genuinely protect DACA recipients without giving in to Trumps many anti-immigration demands have come to seem increasingly unrealistic. No matter that they hold the only morally coherent position in town  and a broadly popular one nationally as well  DACAs congressional backers seem to have already conceded defeat.

Good Guys and Bad Guys

It wont surprise you, Im sure, to learn that Donald Trump portrays the world in a strikingly black-and-white way when it comes to immigration (and so much else). He emphasizes the violent criminal nature of immigrants and the undocumented, repeatedly highlighting and falsely generalizing from relatively rare cases in which one of them committed a violent crime like the San Francisco killing of Kate Steinle. His sweeping references to foreign bad guys and shithole countries suggest that he applies the same set of judgments to the international arena.

Under Trumps auspices, the agency in charge of applying the law to immigrants, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has taken the concept of criminality to new heights in order to justify expanded priorities for deportation. Now, an actual criminal conviction is no longer necessary. An individual with pending criminal charges or simply a known gang member has also become an ICE priority. In other words, a fear-inspiring accusation or even rumor is all thats needed to deem an immigrant a criminal.

And such attitudes are making their way ever deeper into this society. Ive seen it at Salem State University, the college where I teach. In a recent memo explaining why he opposes giving the school sanctuary-campus status, the chief of campus police insisted that his force must remain authorized to report students to ICE when there are cases of bad actors street gang participation drug trafficking even absent a warrant or other judicial order. In other words, due process be damned, the police, any police, can determine guilt as they wish.

And this tendency toward such a Trumpian Manichaean worldview, now being used to justify the growth of what can only be called an incipient police state, is so strong that its even infiltrated the thinking of some of the presidents immigration opponents.Take chain migration, an obscure concept previously used mainly by sociologists and historians to describe nineteenth and twentieth century global migration patterns. The president has, of course, made it his epithet du jour.

Because the president spoke of chain migration in such a derogatory way, anti-Trump liberals immediately assumed that the phrase was inherently insulting. MSNBC correspondent Joy Reid typically charged that the president is saying that the only bill he will approve of must end what they call chain migration which is actually a term we in the media should just not use! Because quite frankly its not a real thing, its a made up term [and] so offensive! Its shocking to me that were just adopting it wholesale because [White House adviser] Stephen Miller wants to call it that [The term should be] family migration.

Similarly, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand claimed that when someone uses the phrase chain migration it is intentional in trying to demonize families, literally trying to demonize families, and make it a racist slur. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi agreed: Look what theyre doing with family unification, making up a fake name, chain. Chain, they like the word chain. That sends tremors through people.

But chain migration is not the same as family reunification. Chain migration is a term used by academics to explain how people tended to migrate from their home communities using pre-existing networks. Examples would include the great migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North and West, the migrations of rural Appalachians to Midwestern industrial cities, waves of European migration to the United States at the turn of the last century, as well as contemporary migration from Latin America and Asia.

A single individual or a small group, possibly recruited through a state-sponsored system or by an employer, or simply knowing of employment opportunities in a particular area, sometimes making use of a new rail line or steamship or air route, would venture forth, opening up new horizons. Once in a new region or land, such immigrants directly or indirectly recruited friends, acquaintances, and family members. Soon enough, there were growing links  hence that chain  between the original rural or urban communities where such people lived and distant cities. Financial remittances began to flow back; return migration (or simply visits to the old homeland) took place; letters about the new world arrived; and sometimes new technologies solidified ongoing ties, impelling yet more streams of migrants. Thats the chain in chain migration and, despite the president and his supporters, theres nothing offensive about it.

Family reunification, on the other hand, was a specific part of this countrys 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which imposed quotas globally. These were then distributed through a priority system that privileged the close relatives of immigrants who had already become permanent residents or U.S. citizens. Family reunification opened paths for those who had family members in the United States (though in countries where the urge to migrate was high, the waiting list could be decades long). In the process, however, it made legal migration virtually impossible for those without such ties. There was no line for them to wait in. Like DACA and Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the two programs that President Trump is now working so assiduously to dismantle, family reunification has been beneficial to those in a position to take advantage of it, even if it excluded far more people than it helped.

Buy Alfred W. McCoy, In the Shadows of the American Century

Why does this matter? As a start, at a moment when political posturing and fake news are becoming the norm, its important that the immigrant rights movement remain accurate and on solid ground in its arguments. (Indeed, the anti-immigrant right has been quick to gloat over Democrats condemning a term they had been perfectly happy to use in the past.) In addition, its crucial not to be swept away by Trumps Manichaean view of the world when it comes to immigration. Legally, family reunification was never an open-arms policy. It was always a key component in a system of quotas meant to limit, control, and police migration, often in stringent ways. It was part of a system built to exclude at least as much as include. There may be good reasons to defend the family reunification provisions of the 1965 Act, just as there are good reasons to defend DACA  but that does not mean that a deeply problematic status quo should be glorified.

Racism and the Immigrant Threat

Those very quotas and family-reunification policies served to illegalize most Mexican migration to the United States. That, in turn, created the basis not just for militarizing the police and the border, but for what anthropologist Leo Chavez has called the Latino threat narrative: the notion that the United States somehow faces an existential threat from Mexican and other Latino immigrants.

So President Trump has drawn on a long legacy here, even if in a particularly invidious fashion. The narrative evolved over time in ways that sought to downplay its explicitly racial nature. Popular commentators railed against illegal immigrants, while lauding those who do it the right way. The threat narrative, for instance, lurked at the very heart of the immigration policies of the Obama administration. President Obama regularly hailed exceptional Latino and other immigrants, even as the criminalization, mass incarceration, and deportation of so many were, if anything, being ramped up. Criminalization provided a color-blind cover as the president separated undocumented immigrants into two distinct groups: felons and families. In those years, so many commentators postured on the side of those they defined as the deserving exceptions, while adding further fuel to the threat narrative.

President Trump has held onto a version of this ostensibly color-blind and exceptionalist narrative, while loudly proclaiming himself the least racist person anyone might ever run into and praising DACA recipients as good, educated, and accomplished young people. But the racist nature of his anti-immigrant extremism and his invocations of the threat have gone well beyond Obamas programs. In his attack on legal immigration, chain migration, and legal statuses like DACA and TPS, race has again reared its head explicitly.

Unless they were to come from countries like Norway or have some special merit, Trump seems to believe that immigrants should essentially all be illegalized, prohibited, or expelled. Some of his earliest policy moves like his attacks on refugees and his travel ban were aimed precisely at those who would otherwise fall into a legal category, those who had followed the rules, waited in line, registered with the government, or paid taxes, including refugees, DACA kids, and TPS recipients  all of them people already in the system and approved for entry or residence.

As ICE spokespeople remind us when asked to comment on particularly egregious examples of the arbitrary detention and deportation of long-term residents, President Trump has rescinded the Obama-era priority enforcement program that emphasized the apprehension and deportation of people with criminal records and recent border-crossers. Now, no category of removable aliens [is] exempt from enforcement. While President Trump has continued to verbally support the Dreamers, his main goal in doing so has clearly been to use them as a bargaining chip in obtaining his dramatically restrictionist priorities from a reluctant Congress.

The U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (USCIS) made the new restrictionist turn official in late February when it revised its mission statement to delete this singular line: USCIS secures Americas promise as a nation of immigrants. No longer. Instead, we are now told, the agency administers the nations lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.

Challenging the Restrictionist Agenda

Many immigrant rights organizations have fought hard against the criminalization narrative that distinguishes the Dreamers from other categories of immigrants. Mainstream and Democrat-affiliated organizations have, however, generally pulled the other way, emphasizing the innocence of those young people who were brought here through no fault of their own.

Dreamers, TPS recipients, refugees, and even those granted priority under the family reunification policy have all operated as exceptions to what has long been a far broader restrictionist immigration agenda. Trump has now taken that agenda in remarkably extreme directions. So fighting to protect such exceptional categories makes sense, given the millions who have benefited from them, but no one should imagine that Americas policies have ever been generous or open.

Regarding refugees, for example, the State Department website still suggests that the United States is proud of its history of welcoming immigrants and refugees The U.S. refugee resettlement program reflects the United States highest values and aspirations to compassion, generosity, and leadership. Even before Trump entered the Oval Office, this wasnt actually true: the refugee resettlement program has always been both small and highly politicized. For example, out of approximately seven million Syrian refugees who fled the complex set of conflicts in their country since 2011  conflicts that would not have unfolded as they did without the American invasion of Iraq  the United States has accepted only 21,000. Now, however, the fight to preserve even such numbers looks like a losing rearguard battle.

Given that a truly just reform of the countrys immigration system is inconceivable at the moment, it makes sense that those concerned with immigrant rights concentrate on areas where egregious need or popular sympathy have made stopgap measures realistic. The problem is that, over the years, this approach has tended to separate out particular groups of immigrants from the larger narrative and so failed to challenge the underlying racial and criminalizing animus toward all those immigrants consigned to the depthsof the economic system and systematically denied the right of belonging.

In a sense, President Trump is correct: there really isnt a way to draw a hard and fast line between legal and illegal immigration or between the felons and the families. Many immigrants live in mixed-status households, including those whose presence has been authorized in different ways or not authorized at all. And most of those felons, often convicted of recently criminalized, immigration-related or other minor violations, have families, too.

Trump and his followers, of course, want just about all immigrants to be criminalized and excluded or deported because, in one way or another, they consider them dangers to the rest of us. While political realism demands that battles be fought for the rights of particular groups of immigrants, its no less important to challenge the looming narrative of immigrant criminalization and to refuse to assume that the larger war has already been lost. In the end, isnt it time to challenge the notion that people in general, and immigrants in particular, can be easily divided into deserving good guys and undeserving bad guys?

Aviva Chomsky is professor of history and coordinator of Latin American studies at Salem State University in Massachusetts and a TomDispatch regular. Her most recent book is Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal.

Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Alfred McCoys In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power, as well as John Dowers The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II, John Feffers dystopian novel Splinterlands, Nick Turses Next Time Theyll Come to Count the Dead, and Tom Engelhardts Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World.

Copyright 2018 Aviva Chomsky

Via Tomdispatch.com
Reddit Email 102 Shares

TeleSur |  

In addition to his achievement in science, Hawking was a longstanding activist for numerous social causes.

British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76, the U.K. Press Association reported on Tuesday, citing a spokesman for the family.

We are deeply saddened, that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. We will miss him forever, Hawkings children said in a statement.

Hawking was a world-renowned cosmologist, author and director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge.

He received countless accolades over the years, ranking number 25 in the BBCs poll of the 100 Greatest Britons, in 2002.

In addition to his achievement in science, Hawking was a longstanding activist. He was an advocate for numerous social causes including opposing wars in Vietnam and Iraq, campaigning for nuclear disarmament and universal health care, as well as calling for action on climate change.

It would not be much of a universe if it wasnt home to the people you love.

 Stephen Hawking

He was also critical of capitalism, stating: If machines produce everything we need, the outcome will depend on how things are distributed. Everyone can enjoy a life of luxurious leisure if the machine-produced wealth is shared, or most people can end up miserably poor if the machine-owners successfully lobby against wealth redistribution. So far, the trend seems to be toward the second option, with technology driving ever-increasing inequality.

Several tributes were posted by individuals in the science sphere, politicians and others on social media reacting to the famed scientists passing.

His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018. pic.twitter.com/nAanMySqkt  Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 14, 2018

The physicist was known for pioneering works with black holes and relativity. Hawking author was of several popular science titles including A Brief History of Time.

Hawking is survived by his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim.

The beloved scientist was beset with early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which resulted in degenerative paralysis.

Via TeleSur



Bonus video added by Informed Comment:

Stephen Hawking dies at age 76 | Al Jazeera English
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sabina Gold & Silver Corp (SBB.T), (Sabina or the Company) is pleased to announce it has received its Type B Water License from the Nunavut Water Board (NWB) for the Companys 100% owned Back River Gold Project (Back River or the Project) in Nunavut, Canada.

Following receipt of the Project Certificate for Back River in December 2017, marking the end of the environmental assessment phase for the Goose mine, Sabina submitted various licenses and work authorization applications to advance development of the Project.

Two particularly important licenses are the Type A and Type B water licenses, for which applications were submitted in October and November 2017. The Type B Water License that has been issued by the NWB is a key authorization to complete work planned for the Project in 2018. The Type B Water License permits Sabina to complete pre-construction infrastructure works, including preparing the marine laydown area to receive necessary fuel, equipment, and supplies to the Back River Project, as well pre-development earthworks to establish all weather roads between the deposits, camp sites, tailings storage facility and the mill site.

The issuance of the Type B license is critical to the work planned at site this year and we are pleased to have received it in a timely fashion, said Bruce McLeod, President & CEO. As reported, camp is open and we have commenced up for what we hope will be a successful drilling campaign as well as a fruitful season in preparing site for construction. We look forward to reporting on activities throughout the year.

The Type A Water License review is in process and is expected by the end of 2018.

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Sabina Gold & Silver Corp. is well-financed with approximately C$94.5 million, (after closing an equity financing on January 19, 2018) in cash and equivalents, and is an emerging precious metals company with district scale, advanced, high grade gold assets in one of the worlds newest, politically stable mining jurisdictions: Nunavut, Canada.

Sabina released a Feasibility Study on its 100% owned Back River Gold Project which presents a project that has been designed on a fit-for purpose basis, with the potential to produce ~200,000 ounces a year for ~11 years with a rapid payback of 2.9 years (see Technical Report for the Initial Project Feasibility Study on the Back River Gold Property, Nunavut, Canada dated October 28, 2015) (the Study). At a US$1,150 gold price and a 0.80 (US$:C$) exchange rate, the Study delivers a potential after tax internal rate of return of approximately 24.2% with an initial CAPEX of $415 million.

In addition to Back River, Sabina also owns a significant silver royalty on Glencores Hackett River Project. The silver royalty on Hackett Rivers silver production is comprised of 22.5% of the first 190 million ounces produced and 12.5% of all silver produced thereafter.

For further information please contact:

Nicole Hoeller, Vice-President, Communications: 1 888 648-4218 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws (the forward-looking statements), including our belief as to the extent, results and timing of infrastructure improvement activities, exploration results and permitting and licensing outcomes. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the effects of general economic conditions, commodity prices, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government and regulatory authorities and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking statements. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with exploration and project development; the need for additional financing; the calculation of mineral resources and reserves; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters; government regulation; obtaining and renewing necessary licenses and permits; environmental liability and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain of our officers or directors; the absence of dividends; currency fluctuations; labour disputes; competition; dilution; the volatility of the our common share price and volume; future sales of shares by existing shareholders; and other risks and uncertainties, including those relating to the Back River Project and general risks associated with the mineral exploration and development industry described in our Annual Information Form, financial statements and MD&A for the fiscal period ended December 31, 2017 filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators and available at www.sedar.com. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. 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. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. This news release has been authorized by the undersigned on behalf of Sabina Gold & Silver Corp.

Bruce McLeod, President & CEO

Suite 1800  Two Bentall Centre

555 Burrard Street

Vancouver, BC V7X 1M7

Tel 604 998-4175 Fax 604 998-1051

http://www.sabinagoldsilver.com
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Belmont Resources Inc. (TSX.V: BEA; FSE: L3L1; DTC Eligible  CUSIP 080499403); (Belmont, or the Company).

Belmont Resources Inc has initiated the next stage of exploration and assessment on its Kibby Basin lithium property in Nevada, USA. James Place, P.Geo., CEO/President, along with Belmont's consulting experts are interpreting data and mapping from Quantec Geosciences Spartan Magnetotelluric (MT) Survey Report (see Belmont news release dated March 1, 2018) and have established approximate locations for drill holes.

The results of the MT survey are a critical source of information that allows Belmont to select the most prospective locations for further drilling; where potential brine contacts are closest to the playa surface. Details, including the shape and thickness of the anomalous conductive zone can be found in Quantecs report which has been posted on SEDAR and is also on Belmonts website: www.BelmontResources.com

Belmonts consulting geologist, Robert (Bob) Cuffney from Reno, Nevada will finalize and map drill-hole locations and process the application for permits with the authorities in Nevada in anticipation of drilling beginning in the second quarter of 2018.

The Company will also begin evaluating contractors to carry out drilling and sampling of soils and aquifer water from the Kibby Basin property.

About Belmont Resources Inc.

Belmont is an emerging resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Canada and Nevada, U.S.A.

For further information see our Website at: www.BelmontResources.com

- Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Nevadalithium/

- Twitter https://twitter.com/Belmont_Res

On March 30, 2016; the Company acquired sixteen placer (16) mining claims, representing 1036 hectares (2,560 acres) in Esmeralda County, Nevada, U.S.A. The Kibby Basin property is located 65 km north of Clayton Valley, Nevada-U.S.A. The Company believes the property to be highly prospective to host lithium. Subsequent ground geophysics & gravity surveys, surface sampling and a two hole- 2046 ft. diamond drill program have confirmed the presence of lithium on Kibby.

On July 11, 2016; the Company reported it has arranged the staking of 213 x 20 acre additional placer mineral claims totaling approx. 1724 hectares (4,260 acres) , adjoining the Kibby 16, increasing the total Kibby Basin land position (the Property) to 2,760 hectares (6,820 acres).

In 50/50 ownership with International Montoro Resources Inc., Belmont has acquired and is exploring joint venture opportunities for its two significant uranium properties (Crackingstone  982 ha & Orbit Lake  11,109 ha) in the Uranium City District in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

James H. Place

James H. Place

CEO/President

Belmont Resources Inc.

#600  625 Howe Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 2T6

Ph: (604) 683-6648 Fax: (604) 683-1350

E-Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This Press Release may contain forward-looking statements that may involve a number of risks and uncertainties, based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control. Forward looking statements in this news release include statements about the possible raising of capital and exploration of our properties. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Companies forward-looking statements and expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, that we may not be able to obtain regulatory approval; that we may not be able to raise funds required, that conditions to closing may not be fulfilled and we may not be able to organize and carry out an exploration program in 2016; and other risks associated with being a mineral exploration and development company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as required by applicable laws, the Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results differed from those projected in the forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp. (TSX-V:LIT) (FSE:OAY2) (WKN:A0RK7E) (OTC:PNXLF) (Argentina Lithium or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has started the first drill program at its 100%-controlled Incahuasi Lithium Brine Project in Catamarca Province, Argentina. The program was originally scheduled to begin in early February but was delayed due to prolonged heavy rains.

We are excited to have our drill program at Incahuasi underway, said Nikolaos Cacos, President and C.E.O. The program should proceed expeditiously and we are looking forward to the first ever drill results from this salar.

The Incahuasi salar is situated within the Lithium Triangle of Argentina and Chile, and has characteristics prospective for lithium-rich brines. Initial sampling of near-surface brines returned up to 409mg/L lithium, and geophysical surveying indicates the potential for lithium-rich brines at depth. (See News Release dated November 6th 2017, filed on SEDAR).

This initial program program includes 4 diamond drill holes to depths of approximately 400 metres. The holes are designed to test two highly conductive domains identified by a Vertical Electrical geophysical survey (VES), and interpreted as brine bodies, along 12 kilometres parallel to the long axis of the salar (see Figure 1: https://argentinalithium.com/assets/docs/JAN-30-Drilling.pdf ).

The Incahuasi Lithium Project

The Salar de Incahuasi is located in the northwest of Catamarca Province at approximately 3260 metres above sea level, in the southern half of the Lithium Triangle. Access to the Incahuasi salar is by gravel road, approximately 34 kilometres southwest from the town of Antofagasta de la Sierra. The salar is approximately 17 kilometres long north to south, and 2.5 kilometres wide, and divided into a north and south section. The geological environment at Incahuasi is similar to other salars in the Puna region where lithium and potash are found. The northern portion is flatter, partially covered with surface water, with crusts of halite and ulexite. The central part of the salar has a slightly lower altitude, causing surficial waters to converge in this area. The southern portion of the salar is covered by terrigenous sediments including sand, clays, halite and sodium-sulphates.

The project currently consists of 13,711 hectares in seven properties covering 90% of the existing salar surface. These properties are wholly-owned by the Argentine subsidiary of the Company, with no royalties. Applications have been made for approximately 10,000 hectares of additional property, which will complete the coverage of the salar to the south and extend the Companys holdings to cover the entire basin to the north.

Qualified Person

The work program at the Incahuasi Project has been undertaken under the supervision of David Terry, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Director of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. The contents of this news release have been reviewed and approved by Dr. Terry.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Nikolaos Cacos

_____________________________________

Nikolaos Cacos, President, CEO and Director

For further information please contact:

Corporate Communications

Tel: 1-604-687-1828

Toll-Free: 1-800-901-0058

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's public disclosure documents for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties.
VANCOUVER, March 14, 2018 /CNW/ - On August 16, 2017, an arbitration tribunal convened under the Canada-Venezuela Bilateral Investment Treaty found that the Republic of Venezuela had unlawfully expropriated the gold mining assets of Rusoro Mining Ltd. ("Rusoro"), a Canadian mining corporation. The arbitral tribunal ordered Venezuela to compensate Rusoro in the amount of US$967.77 million, plus interest. With interest, the total amount due today is in excess of US$1.3 billion. Venezuela has refused to pay any portion of the award.

As a result, Rusoro commenced litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to convert the award to a U.S. judgment that can be executed against Venezuela's assets. Venezuela contested this proceeding, claiming that the arbitral tribunal exceeded its authority in making the award. On March 1, 2018, the DC court ruled in Rusoro's favour, rejecting all of Venezuela's defenses and holding that the award was valid and enforceable in the United States. The DC court entered judgment for the full amount of the award, plus interest.

While Rusoro would prefer a consensual resolution of its dispute with Venezuela, it will take all measures available to it to enforce the award and, if necessary, to seize Venezuelan assets in order to satisfy its claims. U.S. law entitles Rusoro to broad discovery concerning Venezuelan state assets around the world, and it will move to take that discovery now that the DC court has entered judgment. A treaty, known as the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, allows Rusoro to enforce its award in over 140 countries; in addition to the United States, Rusoro has obtained a judgment in Canada and has commenced enforcement proceedings in England. Based on the information obtained through judicial discovery, Rusoro will pursue enforcement against Venezuela in any other country where it maintains assets until the award has been satisfied in full.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Andre Agapov"

Andre Agapov, President & CEO

Forward-looking statements:

This document contains statements about expected or anticipated future events and financial results that are forward-looking in nature and as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market and business conditions, the regulatory process and actions, technical issues, new legislation, competitive and general economic factors and conditions, the uncertainties resulting from potential delays or changes in plans, the occurrence of unexpected events, and the Company's capability to execute and implement its future plans. Actual results may differ materially from those projected by management. For such statements, we claim the safe harbour for forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Legislation Reform Act of 1995.

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.
VANCOUVER, March 14, 2018 /CNW/ - International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (TSX: ITH, NYSE-American: THM) ("ITH" or the "Company") announced today that it has completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") pursuant to which it has issued 24,000,000 common shares (14.8% of the 162.4 million shares currently issued and outstanding) at a price of US $0.50 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of US $12 million.

The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for the continuation of optimization studies in efforts to further improve and de-risk the Livengood Gold Project, required environmental baseline studies, and for general working capital purposes.

Under the Offering, an institutional shareholder that is new to the Company, Electrum Strategic Opportunities Fund II, L.P. ("Electrum"), an investment fund managed by The Electrum Group LLC., acquired 19,894,528 shares. The balance of the shares were taken by an existing institutional shareholder of the Company, Paulson & Co. Inc. ("Paulson"), which acquired 4,105,472 shares. Following completion of the Offering, Paulson will own 32.0% of the issued and outstanding shares, while Electrum will hold 10.7%.

The Company also announced today that it appointed Stuart Harshaw to the Company's board of directors effective April 1, 2018, and intends to nominate Company CEO Karl Hanneman to stand for election to the board of directors at the forthcoming annual general meeting. Mr. Harshaw is a seasoned mining executive with a successful international career at Vale and Inco. He earned a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Queen's University and an MBA from Laurentian University.

Marcelo Kim, the Chair of the Board, said "We are delighted to welcome Electrum as a new shareholder of ITH and Mr. Harshaw to the Board. This financing uniquely positions ITH with sufficient financial resources for the next 4 to 5 years as we continue to advance the Livengood Gold Project towards one day becoming one of North America's biggest gold mines."

Igor Levental, Electrum's President, said "ITH is an excellent fit for Electrum. Its multi-million ounce Livengood Gold Project located in Alaska, the second largest gold-producing state in the US, is exactly the type of project we seek to invest in. Furthermore, what makes ITH particularly special among developers in the precious metals space is its management team with an exceptional track record of advancing and permitting mines in Alaska, a strong board with an incredible depth of experience in taking assets up the value chain in a disciplined fashion and top tier long-term value-oriented investors involved with the Company. We are looking forward to joining the ITH family."

On March 12, 2018 the Board approved a 2018 budget of $5.1 million. The work program incorporated in this budget will build upon the metallurgical studies undertaken in 2017 to continue to define and refine the project flowsheet. Using the improved mineralization and alteration models now available for the Livengood gold deposit arising from the work completed in 2017, 4000 kg of metallurgical composites have been selected based on location within the deposit and shipped to SGS Vancouver. Portions of these samples will be processed in 2018 to determine whether different recovery or cost parameters should be applied to different portions of the orebody. The engineering firm of BBA Inc. will be retained to continue to guide the metallurgical program. Work is also planned to advance the environmental baseline efforts needed to support future permitting.

Karl Hanneman, Chief Executive Officer, said "I am pleased to continue the technical work that can potentially improve and certainly will serve to de-risk the Livengood Gold Project. ITH has unique and positive fundamentals, given our land status and proximity to Fairbanks, size of the gold resource and the leverage opportunity for gold investors."

The Board has also approved recommendations by management to further reduce corporate overhead costs beginning in 2018, including a reduction in CEO salary by 50% reflecting an approximate 50% reduction in the effort needed to perform the CEO duties, a reduction in board member cash compensation and expense, and staff reductions as appropriate when critical work is completed. Depending upon the level of technical work or permitting efforts underway in future years, these cost savings should bring total project G&A costs into the range of $2.5 million/year, providing the opportunity for a multi-year runway from the proceeds of the Offering.

As set forth in the Company's April 2017 NI-43-101 Technical Report, the Livengood Gold Project has a measured and indicated gold resource of 11.5 million ounces with an all-in-cost of $1,247/oz. The large resource size and current market valuation, together with the favorable and stable Alaska jurisdiction, makes the Livengood Gold Project one of the most attractive highly leveraged gold projects in the world. Going forward, the potential for reduced project G&A costs could provide the time necessary for the gold market to reward patient investors.

The shares of common stock sold in the Offering were offered and sold in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The shares may not be offered or sold by the purchasers in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. controls a 100% interest of the Livengood Gold Project, located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

On behalf of

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

(signed) Karl L Hanneman

Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements with respect to the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering by the Company, the ability of the Company to carry out and complete optimization studies with respect to the Livengood Gold Project, the ability of the Company to advance the Livengood Gold Project, the potential development of any mine at Livengood, business and financing plans and business trends are forward-looking statements. Although the Company 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, proposed, planned, potential and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company 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, , the use of proceeds from the Offering, the potential inability of the Company to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and its United States public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sec.gov, and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical report filed with respect to the Livengood Gold Project.

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States or Canada.
TORONTO, March 14, 2018 /CNW/ - First Cobalt Corp. (TSX-V: FCC, ASX: FCC, OTCQB: FTSSF) ("First Cobalt") and US Cobalt Inc. (TSX-V: USCO, OTCQB: USCFF) ("US Cobalt") are pleased to announce they have entered into a definitive agreement (the "Arrangement Agreement") whereby First Cobalt will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of US Cobalt pursuant to a plan of arrangement (the "Transaction"), further enhancing First Cobalt's position as a pure-play North American cobalt company.

Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, all of the US Cobalt issued and outstanding common shares will be exchanged on the basis of 1.5 First Cobalt common shares for each US Cobalt common share issued and outstanding (the "Exchange Ratio"). The Exchange Ratio represents a 61.8% premium to US Cobalt's closing price and a 58.5% premium based on both companies' 5-day volume-weighted average trading prices, both as at March 13, 2018. As part of the Transaction, it is expected that (a) all US Cobalt stock options outstanding will be replaced with First Cobalt stock options and be exercisable for First Cobalt shares based on the Exchange Ratio for the remainder of their original term, and (b) all US Cobalt warrants outstanding will participate in the Transaction on a comparable basis to holders of US Cobalt common shares based on the in-the-money portion of those securities. This implies a total equity value of approximately $149.9 million on a fully-diluted in-the-money basis.

Upon completion of the Transaction, existing First Cobalt and US Cobalt shareholders will own approximately 62.5% and 37.5% of the combined company respectively, on a fully-diluted in-the-money basis, assuming all US Cobalt options and warrants are exercised prior to completion of the Transaction.

Transaction Highlights

Clean Cobalt: Strategically positions First Cobalt as a leading non-DRC cobalt company with North American projects located in close proximity to infrastructure as well as electric vehicle and technology hubs such as Michigan and California

located in close proximity to infrastructure as well as electric vehicle and technology hubs such as and Vertically Integrated: Pure-play North American cobalt company with three significant North American assets

Ontario : 50 historic mines across 100 km2 in the Canadian Cobalt Camp Idaho : Iron Creek Cobalt Project in the U.S. with a historic mineral resource estimate (non-compliant with NI 43-101) of 1.3M tons grading 0.59% cobalt Refinery: The only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials

Revaluation Opportunity: Combined entity will have an enhanced capital markets profile with a global institutional shareholder base, a strong balance sheet and a proven management team

Trent Mell, First Cobalt President and CEO commented,

"We foresee a shortage of cobalt over the next five years yet there are few companies doing significant work to identify new sources of supply. This transaction creates a larger platform to discover and develop cobalt projects for the growing electric vehicle market by combining high quality North American assets in two of the best cobalt jurisdictions outside the DRC. US Cobalt's Idaho project complements our Canadian Cobalt Camp properties, offering upside potential for shareholders of both companies. We view the First Cobalt Refinery as a strategic asset as it is the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials. We look forward to working with the US Cobalt technical team as they complete drilling in support of a maiden mineral resource estimate expected later in 2018."

US Cobalt CEO Wayne Tisdale commented,

"The transaction offers our shareholders an opportunity to benefit from a larger North American cobalt company with a portfolio of high quality assets and a strong balance sheet. US Cobalt shareholders will have meaningful ownership in a vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company with a proven and experienced management team that shares our commitment to creating long-term sustainable value. We are very proud of what the US Cobalt team has accomplished in a very short period of time. We look forward to advancing our original vision that demand for ethically-sourced cobalt is just beginning."

Benefits to First Cobalt Shareholders

Acquisition of a high quality asset in the Idaho Cobalt Belt with excellent near-term resource potential

Strengthens and de-risks portfolio of assets with the addition of an advanced exploration project with a historic non-compliant resource estimate

Opportunity to leverage the First Cobalt refinery through exposure to projects in two jurisdictions

Aligns with First Cobalt's strategy of growing its presence in North America

Benefits to US Cobalt Shareholders

Immediate and significant premium of approximately 61.8% based on the prior day closing price, and 58.5% based on the 5-day VWAPs of both companies

US Cobalt shareholders will maintain a meaningful position in First Cobalt, allowing for upside participation as First Cobalt progresses with exploration and development projects

US Cobalt shareholders will benefit from the increased size and liquidity of the combined company

Combined company has significant revaluation potential as a vertically integrated pure-play cobalt company with assets outside the DRC

US Cobalt exploration team joins a First Cobalt senior management team with significant experience in exploration, development and operations across various jurisdictions with a history of creating shareholder value

Transaction Summary

The Transaction will be completed pursuant to a plan of arrangement. The Transaction will require approval by two thirds of the votes cast at a special meeting of US Cobalt shareholders expected to be held in May 2018 with the Transaction expected to close by the end of May 2018. The directors and senior officers of US Cobalt, representing approximately 6.7% of the outstanding US Cobalt common shares, have entered into voting support agreements, pursuant to which they will vote their common shares held in favour of the Transaction.

In addition to securityholder and court approvals, the Transaction is subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including acceptance by the TSX-V, and the satisfaction of certain other closing conditions customary for a transaction of this nature. The Arrangement Agreement includes customary deal protections, including non-solicitation covenants, including a $5.5 million termination fee payable by either party under certain customary circumstances.

First Cobalt has agreed to appoint a US Cobalt nominee to its Board of Directors effective at the closing of the Transaction.

Full details of the Transaction will be included in the meeting materials which are expected to be mailed to the shareholders of US Cobalt in April 2018.

Board of Directors' Recommendations

The Arrangement Agreement has been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of First Cobalt and US Cobalt. The Board of Directors of US Cobalt recommends that its shareholders vote in favour of the Transaction.

The Board of Directors of US Cobalt has received opinions from each of Fort Capital Partners and Eight Capital Corp. that, based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations, and qualifications stated in each such opinion, the consideration to be received by US Cobalt shareholders (other than First Cobalt) pursuant to the Transaction is fair, from a financial point of view, to such US Cobalt shareholders.

Advisors and Counsel

Canaccord Genuity Corp. acted as financial advisor to First Cobalt. Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP acted as legal counsel to First Cobalt. Fort Capital Partners acted as financial advisor to US Cobalt and has provided a fairness opinion to the US Cobalt Board of Directors. Eight Capital Corp. has provided a second fairness opinion to the US Cobalt Board of Directors. Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP acted as legal counsel to US Cobalt.

About First Cobalt

First Cobalt assets include almost half of the historic mining properties in the Cobalt Camp in Ontario, Canada. First Cobalt controls 50 historic mines over 10,000 hectares as well as a mill and the only permitted cobalt refinery in North America capable of producing battery materials. First Cobalt began drilling in the Cobalt Camp in 2017 and seeks to build shareholder value through new discovery and growth opportunities.

About US Cobalt

US Cobalt is an exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of deposits of production grade metal which are critical components to power storage solutions including lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and consumer electronics. US Cobalt's key assets are located in Idaho and Utah.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results, performance and opportunities to differ materially from those implied by such forward-looking statements. In particular, forward-looking information included in this news release includes, without limitation, (i) assumptions and expectations with regard to the Transaction and its completion and the anticipated benefits and advantages of the Transaction, (ii) the future prospects of the combined company, including the resource potential of the Iron Creek Cobalt Project, (iii) the opportunity to leverage the First Cobalt refinery, and (iv) the revaluation potential of the combined company. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements are set forth in the management discussion and analysis and other disclosures of risk factors for each of First Cobalt and US Cobalt, filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although First Cobalt and US Cobalt believe that the information and assumptions used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, First Cobalt and US Cobalt disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Historic Estimates

US Cobalt considers the cobalt and copper tonnage and grade estimates above as historical estimates. The historical estimates do not use categories that conform to current CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves as outlined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and have not been redefined to conform to current CIM Definition Standards. They were prepared in the 1980s prior to the adoption and implementation of NI 43-101. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources and US Cobalt is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources. More work, including, but not limited to, drilling, will be required to conform the estimates to current CIM Definition Standards. Investors are cautioned that the historical estimates do not mean or imply that economic deposits exist on the Iron Creek property. US Cobalt has not undertaken any independent investigation of the historical estimates nor has it independently analyzed the results of the previous exploration work in order to verify the accuracy of the information. US Cobalt believes that the historical estimates are relevant to continuing exploration on the Iron Creek property.
President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he was pulling the Philippines out of the treaty underpinning the International Criminal Court, which is examining his deadly drug war.

The outspoken leader, who is accused of stoking the killing of drug suspects with inflammatory statements, has fiercely pushed back since the Philippines became the first southeast Asian nation put under preliminary examination by the courts prosecutors.

The ICC announced last month it was launching a study of the killings, which Philippine police put at 4,000 but rights groups say is actually triple that number.

Officially quitting the court requires a years notice and experts say pulling out does not preclude an investigation of the deaths, which have drawn international concern.

It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines, Duterte said in a statement, adding the ICC examination was unduly and maliciously created.

I therefore declare and forthwith give notice that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately, he added.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the worlds only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

The Philippines, under previous President Benigno Aquino, ratified in 2011 the Rome Statute which underpins the ICC, giving the tribunal authority to investigate crimes on its soil.

Rights advocates and attorneys said quitting the court would not eliminate the possibility of a case before it.

The Philippines intention to walk away from the International Criminal Court is unfortunate, but it doesnt shut the door on the prosecutors scrutiny of the governments horrendous track record of grave abuses, said Param-Preet Singh of Human Rights Watch.

Philippines Duterte Tries to Run from Justice, says HRW

Todays statement by President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw the Philippines from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was no surprise. Soon after taking office in June 2016, Duterte unleashed his war on drugs, which has left more than 12,000 people dead. No one responsible for these unlawful killings has yet been held to account.

The scale of the killings in the context of the governments war on drugs prompted ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to announce last month that she would examine the deaths, many of which are linked to extrajudicial killings in the course of police anti-drug operations. The prosecutors analysis of drug war crimes could result in a formal ICC investigation if there is proof the violations amount to crimes against humanity, and in the absence of justice in national courts.

Duterte has long showed disdain for the rule of law. Last August, Duterte vowed to pardon and promote  rather than punish  any police officer who carried out an unlawful killing. His announcement to pull out of the ICC, which is designed to prosecute those most responsible for grave crimes, is a barefaced attempt to shield him and high-ranking officials from possible ICC prosecution.

But not so fast. A withdrawal from the ICC requires a formal notification to the United Nations secretary-general, which only becomes official one year later. Even then, the court can still prosecute any international crimes committed while the Philippines was still an ICC member.

Dutertes statement highlights the urgent need for a UN-led investigation into the drug war killings. At the current session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Icelands foreign minister reminded the council of its responsibility to to try and ensure the Philippines meets its human rights obligations. A UN inquiry would add to the international pressure on the Duterte government to stop the killings and to cooperate with efforts to bring those responsible to justice, including before the ICC

 Unprecedented, outrageous attacks 

Celeste Mallari, a professor at the Philippines College of Law, said the court can investigate any acts that have been done from the time the Philippines became a member of the ICC until one year after we gave our notice of withdrawal.

However, should the Philippines fully withdraw from the court it would not be the first to do so, as Burundi became the first ever nation to leave in October 2017.

In a wave of unprecedented defections, other African nations  Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Gambia  have also made moves to quit or expressed interest to withdraw as they accused the court of being biased against Africans.

Russia in 2016 dealt the ICC another blow by withdrawing its signature from the Rome Statute.

Duterte, who is buoyed by high popularity ratings in the Philippines, has fiercely defended the drug war as a battle to bring safety to the nations 100 million people.

On Wednesday he repeated that defence, citing baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on his person as well my administration.

The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operations lacked the intent to kill, he added.

But even as early as October 13, 2016, when Duterte had only been in office less than four months, the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement that she was deeply concerned over reports of extra-judicial killings of over 3,000 alleged drug users and pushers.

Adding pressure on Manila, in February, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva raised the countrys human rights record, with Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson calling on the Philippines to accept the visit of a UN Special Rapporteur.

Philippine officials had initially said in February that the country was ready to cooperate but asked for fairness.

Dutertes spokesman Harry Roque also said they would refuse a visit by one such rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who had previously been pressing to investigate the killings.

But Roque has also said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the case because the tribunal was intended as a court of last resort and the Philippine courts were fully functioning.
33 Shares Share

We live in an era of demonization. Political adversaries are not opponents; they are villains. Commentary that contrasts with our views is labeledfake news. Presumption of innocence? R.I.P. Civil discourse has become a quaint memory. Why would one debate respectfully when todays tactic is to talk over and demean your adversary?

On the morning that I prepared this post, I read an article reporting that one of Ohios largest insurance companies, Anthem, is denying payment for non-emergency care provided at emergency rooms (ERs). In my view, this article was slanted, unfairly tilting away from the insurance company, an easy target to attack. I think that a typical reader would conclude that the company was greedily trying to claw money away from sick customers. An anecdote was offered describing a denial of payment for emergency care for abdominal pain that did seem improper, although there were no medical facts provided.

I felt that the journalist did not adequately present the insurance companys motive and point of view.

Of course, I expect true emergency care to be covered. And, I do not expect ordinary folks to reliably distinguish between a medical nuisance and an emergency. Patients are not doctors. But, there should be some standard in place. There should be a version of a reasonable persons belief that an emergency is present.

Consider the following points.

Insurance companies are businesses and must be run responsibly, just like your business and my medical practice. You may believe you are entitled to every imaginable medical benefit, but someone has to pay for it.

Many emergency room visits are clearly for non-emergent reasons. This wastes health care dollars, leads to medical overutilization and clogs up emergency departments.

Insurance companies should object to paying for expensive ER care that could have been rendered elsewhere.

A patient who presents to an ER with complaints such as a cough, a headache or stomach distress will likely undergo significantly more testing than would typically occur in a primary care physicians office without an improved outcome.

Do we expect an insurance company to pay for an ER visit for a splinter?

Do we expect an insurance company to pay for an ER visit to evaluate a childs cold?

If a patient is offered an appointment with his physician at an inconvenient time, and he opts instead to proceed to the ER, should the insurance company be expected to pony up?

What would our position on this issue be if we were insurance company administrators?

I read (but cannot verify) that $40 billion is spent each year in this country on unnecessary ER care. Do you think there might be a better use for these funds?

Its easy to vilify corporate America. The pharmaceutical and insurance industries have large targets on their backs. But, just because we can hit the target easily, doesnt mean that our aim is true.

Michael Kirsch is a gastroenterologist who blogs at MD Whistleblower.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Philip Ireland has opened Kilkennys first state-of-the-art and custom-built tyre centre at Cillin Hill, just yards away from the NCT centre and some of the countys busiest industrial estates and business hubs.

Its just over 6 months since the Danesfort-born businessman opened his first tyre centre in Callan. Now, Philip has also opened up at Cillin Hill and has grown his staff to 7. And with business continuing to boom, Philip hopes to add further jobs at the 2,850 square foot new centre on the edge of Kilkenny city.

Its a gamble but one that Philip is sure will pay off. The new hub includes a reception area and customer waiting area with free tea and coffee. Customers are invited to wait there or ramble through the many outlets located just across the road at the Cillin Hill Centre as Philip and his staff work their magic.

We chose this location on purpose. Its slap bang next door to the NCT centre so we can do all the necessary pre-test checks, including tyres, bulbs, headlamp focusing, wipers, laser tracking and more.

Weve invested in a state-of-the-art, 3D laser tracking system. Theres nothing like anywhere else in in Kilkenny. Its absolutely the very best of the best. Weve also put in a top-of-the-range lift which is capable of handling ambulances, vans etc. Weve invested in the top spec on everything and will be offering an unrivalled, one stop shop for motorists, Philip said.

Since he first started out in business in November 2011, Philip and his team have built up an unrivalled, 5 Star reputation for their 24 hour call out service. Theyve supplied, fitted and repaired tyres not just for cars, vans and trucks but are the tried and trusted team to offer expert, speedy and affordable service to the agricultural and earth-moving industries as well.

We couldnt and wouldnt be making this investment at Cillin Hill but for the support of our loyal customer base. We joke about providing a 24 hour service to everyone, whether they need us for a buggy or a dump truck. But we do just that. We love what we do and it shows in the work we do for people. Im very fortunate to have a great team working with me, a staff which includes family and some of the best professionals around.

Callan is still very busy. Weve a new man in there, hes a great asset and the community there are fantastic to support. Were very thankful to everyone there and in the surrounding hinterland for supporting the business there. We can offer them and others even more at Cillin Hill. It all builds on the 24 hour cover we offer and allows us to broaden our customer base, Philip added.

The investment at Cillin Hill is designed to help those who want a pre-NCT check and to be a handy hub for those working at Purcellsinch and along the Ring Road, chief among these the staffs at VHI, Glanbia, Taxback, Transfer Mate, State Street and so many more.

People are busy and they want a speedy service they can trust. They can wait here and relax in the waiting area or pop across the road to Cillin Hill, do their bits in the butcher shop, the discount centre and animal feed store, in FBD, Farm and Industrial, Connollys Redmills or at TJ Reids gym or just have a ramble about. Its a busy spot and were intent on making it a whole lot busier as we open our doors.

Philip Ireland stocks all leading brands, among these Bridgestone, Pirelli, GoodYear, Firestone, BKT Agrimax and more and hes part of several green initiatives, including the Repak End of Life Tyres programme.
There were 40 patients on trolleys and wards at St Luke's General Hospital yesterday (Tuesday), according to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO).

The figures represent a return to the levels of overcrowding seen during January and early February, at the height of the Flu season.

A statement from the Ireland East Hospital Group said that St Luke's General Hospital Carlow/Kilkenny is continuing to experience 'a high number of patients attending ED with a variety of complex healthcare needs'.

"Everything possible is being done to reduce delays for patients waiting on bed spaces and ensuring that patients no longer requiring hospital care are discharged in a timely and appropriate manner," it said.

Nationally, the HSE has said that all hospitals have had an extremely challenging time since early last week due in no small way to the adverse weather conditions. Many hospitals are reporting significant congestion.

Meanwhile, local TD Kathleen Funchion has said the situation is totally unacceptable.

"While the national figure has decreased slightly today, the number of patients on trolleys in St Luke's Hospital, Kilkenny has increased to 40," she said yesterday evening.

Over the past three months the number of people on trolleys has steadily increased and shows no signs of decreasing. We cannot allow this to become normalised. One patient waiting on a trolley for treatment is one too many.

Anybody in the Government who feels this is not an emergency issue reaching breaking point does not grasp the reality of the crisis in our emergency services. St Lukes Hospital is operating in crisis mode most of the time, as is the entire Health system.

This crisis can be addressed with the political will to fully implement all of the recommendations in the Slaintecare report."

Deputy Funchion said she welcomed the news that Minister for Health Simon Harris is to forgo any travel arrangements he had for St Patricks Day to address the trolley crisis.

The next step now is for Minister Harris to implement the recommendations of our Private Members Business motion that was unanimously passed in January to tackle and stabilise the trolley crisis," she said.

"Our motion sought to ensure the Emergency Department Taskforce works on a permanent basis monitoring the situation nationwide and reports on problems to be proactively tackled to increasing investment for transitional care beds, adequate step-down facilities, home care packages, and home help hours to ensure that all patients who can be moved home or to a more appropriate care setting are."
Councillors have called on the local authority to redouble their efforts in securing the Castlecomer Riverside Pedestrian Bridge.

Last November the Castlecomer pedestrian bridge hit a stumbling block due to the project costing an estimated 369,000 and a shortfall in funding.

An application was put in under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme for 200,000 to provide a pedestrian and cyclist bridge over the River Deen linking Castlecomer Discovery Park with the town.

The application received a grant of 100,000. Addressing members at this months Castlecomer Municipal District meeting, Senior Executive Officer in the Community Section of Kilkenny County Council, Michael Delahunty, said: Since then weve been looking at the design with Transport Infrastructure Ireland to see will they come up with additional funding. Discussions are ongoing.

Mr Delahunty previously said: The offer of the grant is not causing difficulty - it is the shortfall in funding which is the challenge.

"We currently do not have the balance of the funds. We are currently trying to see how the proposed bridge could be funded, including an examination of the design options so as to reduce costs. We are also looking at other sources of funding.

At this months meeting, Labour Councillor Maurice Shortall asked if all our eggs were being put in the TII basket.

He said it was fabulous to see the foundations going in for the new Avalon Hotel and Castlecomer was on the cusp of a wave and the key to it all is the connectivity in relation to the bridge coming together.

He added that the bridge was necessary for safety, community and connectivity and a lot of the future of Castlecomer depends on it.

He called on the local authority to redouble their efforts and speaking after the meeting added: With 2 million already earmarked for an overlay from the Laois Bounds to the Big Bridge, Castlecomer via Coolbawn South in addition to traffic calming measures at the Discovery Park/St Marys Church/The Lodge surely its a no brainer for the funders TII to incorporate the Riverside Pedestrian Bridge into the project.

Fianna Fails Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick said there needs to be a pedestrian bridge for the safety of people and the community is determined to see this bridge in Castlecomer.
More than 5,000 children from across the South East recently participated in Bricks 4 Kidz LEGO primary school workshops and following on from the huge success, the Irish company are now seeking to appoint enterprising Kilkenny applicants as Lego Leader Franchisees in the county.

Teaching children the principles of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) through Lego play, Bricks 4 Kids deliver workshops in a fun and challenging way to enhance problem solving and critical thinking skills using Lego Bricks, Technic and Robotics. The programmes have been designed by engineers and architects to stimulate childrens curiosity and creativity along with inspiring young people to explore the world of STEM in a playful and accessible environment.

Since being introduced into Ireland by Master Franchisee and South East based Karl Fitzpatrick, Bricks 4 Kidz franchisees have been rolled out across Wexford, North Dublin, South Dublin, Louth, Galway and even as far as Donegal. The growing demand for Bricks 4 Kidz services in Kilkenny now sees the company looking to appoint a Lego Leader franchisee for Kilkenny.

The Bricks 4 Kidz Lego Leaders will have the opportunity to live well, work well and play well as they facilitate holiday camps, in-school workshops, themed birthday parties for children and even programmes for adults.

Passionate about finding the right candidates for prospective Kilkenny franchisees, the team behind Bricks 4 Kidz will guide suitable applications through the process and offer supports such as assisting them to access funding through the Start-Up Refunds for Entrepreneurs (SURE) initiative. The little known about initiative enables those transitioning from employment into entrepreneurship to access a refund on the PAYE income tax which they have paid over the last six years.

With a growing interest to deliver alternative approaches to learning outside of textbooks, Bricks 4 Kidz encourages thinking in 3D through a hands on-minds on approach to education. Expressions of interest from prospective Kilkenny Lego Leaders are being taken until March 16th. See bricks4kidz.ie or contact pclark@bricks4kidz.com
Local councillors have approved the Part 8 application for a 22km-long Greenway in south Kilkenny, connecting Ferrybank to New Ross along a disused railway line.

While final agreement has yet to be reached with a number of landowners along the route, a council director of services says a solution is close to being found to the satisfaction of all parties. Approval for the project follows two public consultation processes.

The proposed Greenway had been dubbed the Waterford to New Ross Greenway as a working title, however, council director of services Sean McKeown informed members that Kikenny Greenway would have the added benefit of the strength of the Kilkenny brand. In addition, the majority of the route is in Kilkenny. The proposed new name found favour with local councillors.

Mr McKeown also told a recent meeting of the Piltown Municipal District that the council would ideally like to be ready early next year to go to contract stage.

A national pot of Greenway funding is expected to be announced shortly, and Kilkenny is hoping to secure its share of that. Mr McKeown has said this will be a competitive fund, and so only those projects with planning and which were shovel ready would be poised to benefit.

Based on similar projects elsewhere, the kind of cost for the Greenway would be in the region of 7- 10 million.

The reason there were two Part 8 processes to be progressed stems from an issue a different original proposal for the Greenway to go off-route for a 660m stretch at Aylwardstown. One local farmer in this area is particularly affected by the route in this area. Consideration had to be given as to how safe it would be to divert the Greenway onto a local road, where people would have to share traffic with tractors and lorries.

The updated plan now is to run the Greenway along the disused railway line in its entirety. In order to be designated a Greenway it must be used exclusively by non-motorised traffic.

The second Part 8 consultation ended this month, and a number of issues were raised, mostly around accommodation works for local landowners and residents.

Mr McKeown said he had had a number of meetings with the farming family most affected by the proposal, as well as IFA delegates. He said there was a solution there that might work, but they were not the only family impacted. The intention is to address much of these issues at Detailed Design stage.

Having approved the proposal, the next stage is now the preparation of a Detail Design and then commissioning the works.

CIE have indicated they are willing to enter into a contract with Kilkenny County Council, with a potential lease of about 20 years. The council would be responsible for the public liability for the whole route.
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider subscribing to our ePaper and/or free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
Stuff reports:

Despite having been the law for almost a quarter of a century, thousands of cyclists are thumbing their nose at wearing a helmet.

Figures provided under the Official Information Act show 29,399 fines have been issued to cyclists for failing to wear their helmet over the past four years.

But the annual number of fines had plummeted steadily over those years, from 11,310 to 4413.

On Saturday, a group of riders will be riding through Wellington in a day of protest against blanket helmet laws.
A guest post by Joe Ascroft:

The Prime Ministers tax working group is tasked to make a series of proposals to the Government prior to the 2020 election.

We are now beginning to see what those changes may look like. Sir Michael Cullen, the groups Chair, is already making the case for a variety of new taxes, including a wealth tax. A capital gains tax, taxes to combat obesity, land taxes, environmental taxes, and others will also be considered.

Every proposal needs to be examined according to an important, and often forgotten, fact: New Zealand is a poor country.

Adjusted for spending power, our income per head is similar to the struggling economies of Spain and Italy. Meanwhile, our Australian neighbours earn similarly to Germany, the economic powerhouse of Europe.

Languishing as a backwater economy hurts us. It means we have lower wages, families find it more difficult to meet their financial needs, and the government is less able to provide decent social services. Our struggle to keep up with funding of drugs which are available in Australia is but one example.

So, when the working group considers new taxes, it should primarily consider whether they will either make us more prosperous, or slow our economic growth.

So, what happens if we tax assets, such as with a wealth tax or capital gains tax?

It would essentially be a tax on savings and investment. And when your potential investments face high taxes, it is more appealing to simply fritter away your wages, than invest earnings in, say, the stock market.

This is damaging, because investment is the most important factor in determining sustainable economic growth and wage increases, whether that investment is in new or existing businesses. Greater investment makes workers more productive, and improved productivity levels lift incomes over time.

Further, imposing additional taxes on investment would effectively double-tax families. Any money put aside for investment has already been taxed when it was earned as income, so a tax on the investment taxes the same pool of money over and over again.

And starting a business, or growing your existing business, is far less attractive when those investments are squeezed even more by the IRD. Thats especially true when consumption remains relatively untaxed: why risk money for a measly return, when you could instead just go out for dinner for a reliable pleasure hit?

Supporters of capital gains and wealth taxes often say its important that the rich pay their fair share, but direct income earned from investments is already taxed, and we already have a capital gains tax on property speculators in the form of the bright-line test.

In fact, everyone will pay from economy-stunting investment taxes. Incomes will be lower, families will continue to struggle to make ends meet, and we will continue to languish compared to Australia.

If the Tax Working Group places new constraints on investment and growth, it will damn future generations to a poorer quality of life. We must be more ambitious.
Stuff reports:

New Zealand has condemned a nerve agent attack in Britain and is urging an international investigation after the United Kingdom pointed the finger at Russia. British diplomats took the extraordinary step on Tuesday of briefing New Zealand media on the Salisbury spy attack after its prime minister Theresa May issued an ultimatum to Moscow over the poisoning. The briefing looks to be part of a world wide effort by Britain to stir up condemnation of Moscow over the attack against a back drop of what May labelled a a well-established pattern of Russian state aggression. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the New Zealand Government had grave concerns. How this military grade nerve agent was transported from Russia and released abroad is the key issue here, and warrants urgent international investigation, Peters said.

Winston has been saying there is no proof of Russian interfere in the US elections, despite a mountain of proof. It is patently obvious that the Russian state must have authorised the nerve agent attack on their former spies. Who else has both capability and motive?

Russian aggression cited by the British government includes the illegal annexation of Crimea, violating European air space and a sustained campaign of cyber espionage and disruption including meddling in elections and jacking the Danish ministry of defence and the Bundestag, among others. Britains deputy high commissioner in Wellington, Helen Smith, echoed those comments on Tuesday and said the reason for briefing New Zealand media was because the Salisbury poisoning was not just a domestic incident. This is part of a pattern of Russian aggression internationally and needs an international response and were keen to get our message out and work with partners overseas in terms of understanding potential Russian culpability for this act.

Yet our foreign minister wont hear a word of criticism against Russia and is forcing the NZ Government to pursue a free trade deal with them, despite the vehement opposition of almost every other Western country around.

The briefing to New Zealand media comes after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was forced to defend Peters over his pro-Russia stance in relation to a free trade deal, and his recent statements suggesting there was no evidence the Russian government was involved in either the missile strike on flight MH17, or meddling in the US election.

She may be the PM but she knows the moment she contradicts Winston she is out of a job.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

More

Reddit

Pinterest



Print

Tumblr








Campus photo of Seoul Foreign School Courtesy of SFS
New York, March 14: The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday warned that social media giant Facebook's platform is contributing to the spread of hate speech and ethnic violence in a crisis-hit Myanmar. UN human rights experts investigating a possible genocide in Rakhine state warned that Facebook's platform is being used by ultra-nationalist Buddhists to incite violence and hatred against the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities.

A security crackdown in the country last summer led to around 650,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing into neighboring Bangladesh. Since then there have been multiple reports of state-led violence against the refugees, and the UN has been leading a fact-finding mission in the country.

This remark by the United Nations is a black mark against social media, at a time when the technology industry's reputation as an accelerator of false news, is already garnering support. The government of Sri Lanka also sought to block access to Facebook and two other of its social services, WhatsApp and Instagram, in an attempt to stem mob violence against its local Muslim minority - citing inflammatory social media posts, according to TechCrunch.

"These platforms are banned because they were spreading hate speeches and amplifying them," a government spokesman told the New York Times.

Further, speaking to reporters, UN investigator Yanghee Lee, described Facebook as a huge part of public, civil and private life in Myanmar, noting it is used by the government to disseminate information to the public. "Everything is done through Facebook in Myanmar. It was used to convey public messages but we know that the ultra-nationalist Buddhists have their own Facebooks and are really inciting a lot of violence and a lot of hatred against the Rohingya or other ethnic minorities," TechCrunch quoted Lee as saying. "I'm afraid that Facebook has now turned into a beast, and not what it originally intended," she added.
Mar 14, 2018, 1:18pm ET

Subaru teases all-new Forester ahead of New York debut

The New York International Auto Show will also host the redesigned Toyota Rav4 and several other new crossovers.

Subaru has confirmed plans to reveal the all-new Forester at the New York International Auto Show.

A single teaser image does not reveal much beyond a new elliptical taillight that extends onto the liftgate, blending styling elements from the company's latest cars and the larger Ascent SUV.

The new Forester will be underpinned by the flexible Subaru Global Platform, shared with the fifth-generation Impreza. In the lower-slung models, the architecture is more rigid and brings an increase in legroom for front- and rear-seat occupants.

The current fourth-generation Forester has been in production since 2012. It is one of the company's best-selling models, but sales stagnated in 2017 and dropped by 12 percent in the first two months of 2018 despite strong growth in the broader segment.

More details could slip ahead of Subaru's March 28 media event.
Excitement is through the roof for the announcement of the Electric Picnic 2018 line up on Thursday.

As usual, speculation is mounting about who might headline the main stages of the festival.

We have take an educated guess at the acts that could well be rolling up to Stradbally from August 31  September 2.

POLL: What is the best part of Electric Picnic?

1. Arctic Monkeys

via GIPHY

This seems to be one of the most popular guesses from people in general on social media. Alex Turner and co have announced North American tourdates, and they are headlining Primavera Sound in late May. They are likely to announce some big UK festival shows too, surely a quick trip across the Irish Sea could be on the cards?

2. The Killers

via GIPHY

The Killers released their fifth studio album, Wonderful Wonderful, in September 2017 and they have already been nailed down to headline Latitude which is organised by Festival Republic who manage EP. The Killers have a gig in the RDS in Dublin in June and could surely stop by Laois to finish out the summer? SURELY.

3. Snow Patrol

via GIPHY

Imagine 50,000 people belting out Chasing Cars in Stradbally! In January 2018, the band's social media announced the upcoming release of their seventh studio album, entitled Wildness, which will be released on 25 May 2018 meaning a tour or gigs like Electric Picnic could be on the cards!

4. Eminem

via GIPHY

This could be a long shot but in December, Eminem released a promotional single Untouchable. Despite an online leak of the album two days prior, Revival was released as planned on December 15. On January 5, 2018, the second single "River" was released, which featured Ed Sheeran. Could EP orgnisers pull off Eminem and Ed Sheeran on stage in Stradbally?

5. Dua Lipa

via GIPHY

Having started out singing on YouTube, Dua Lipa has shot to fame in the last year with New Rules and IDGAF. She is one of the top acts at Reading festival this year so could she make her way to Strdabally on her travels?

6. Kendrick Lamar

via GIPHY

American rapper and songwriter, Kendrick Lamar, has been confirmed as the first headliner of Helsinkis Flow Festival. The Finnish festival, which promises to be one of the biggest European musical events of the summer, takes place between August 10-12 2018. The 12 time Grammy award winner is headlining Reading festival, it could be a long shot but the connection is there with the Festival Republic organisers so why not?

Who do you think will headline Electric Picnic 2018? Let us know!

WATCH: Young Laois singer considering The X Factor after Ireland's Got Talent appearance.
Met Eireann's weather forecasting partner in Britain says the jury is still out on whether snow will strike over St Patrick's weekend.

In its latest forecasts the Met Office says snow is on the cards but the amount and location will depended on whether a weather front over Europe pushes north west and collides with the cold front that will bring bitterly cold weather to Ireland.

A possible outcome could see cold weather over an extensive part of Ireland.

It has issued a Status Yellow warning for snow on Sunday. (watch forecast at bottom of story).

Met Eireann meanwhile is predicting snow flurries and freezing weather for the weekend.

Met Eireann says it will be cold and breezy on St Patricks Day, with a significant wind chill due to fresh and gusty easterly winds. Afternoon temperatures will be just 1 to 3 degrees in eastern half of the country and around 4 to 7 degrees further west.

Most places will be dry, but a few showers are likely, with the odd wintry flurry. Cold and frosty overnight, with clear spells and some sleet and snow showers.

The wintry showers will mainly affect eastern parts of Leinster, with just the odd flurry elsewhere. But amounts should be small. Lowest temperatures -1 to -4 degrees Celsius, with some widespread sharp frost and icy surfaces.
An appeal has been lodged with An Bord Pleanala against a council decision to grant permission for a new filling station at the Midway Food Court.

The council gave the goahead to Petrogas Group Ltd, trading as Applegreen, to construct a new filling station consisting of a retail unit adjoining the existing food court.

Included is a new glazed lobby to facilitate access to and from the food court and internal connections.

However, during the planning stage a submission was made to the council by Paul Dunne, of Dunnes Services Station, Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise, who said he had major validity concerns about his business considering the town is already oversupplied with filling stations.

He cited the local area plan, which states that an undue concentration of filling stations shall not be permitted, as in the past oversupply has led to closures.

Referring to Government plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030, Mr Dunne said this will lead to an increase in electric cars on our roads, leading to service stations selling fuel to decline dramatically, resulting in unsightly derelict filling stations.

A further submission was made by K.G. Stanley, Cedar Lodge, Meelick, Portlaoise, who said

the Meelick Road already has severe traffic problems because of the opening of the new schools and this development will lead to increased local traffic.

He also said this is the third application for a filling station on this site, with the previous two being refused.

It beggars belief that Portlaoise needs another filling station as the town is served by 10 stations already, he said.

There were also submissions from John Killeen, Killeen Engineering, Cork Road, Portlaoise, and Michael Holland, Architecture Engineering, Galway, who both asked to be kept informed of the councils planning decision.

Despite these objections, the council granted permission for the new development.

An appeal has now been lodged with An Bord Pleanala by Atlantic Enterprises and Paul Dunne.
The current proposals by the HSE to close the A&E Department in the Midland Regional Hospital in Portlaoise is "utter madness" according to one Laois TD.

Deputy Sean Fleming has called on Health Minister Simon Harris to scrap the report which proposes the downgrade of the hospital services.

"This proposal was submitted to the Minister for Health, towards the end of last year, who has since said his Department is carrying out further consultation in relation to this report. This is also madness.

"In view of the record members of 700 people waiting in A&E Departments around the Country, that the Minister is even tolerating the consideration of such a report is utter madness.

"I am calling on the Minister for Health Simon Harris TD, to immediately state this report has been scrapped, rejected and will not receive any further consideration. While the Minister is still considering this matter he is continually allowing the undermining of the hospital services in Portlaoise.

"What is needed now is an immediate plan to improve the services in the hospital in Portlaoise to provide additional staff and resources to build up the much needed health services in the hospital," he said.

LATEST - Weather prediction on possibility of snow for St Patrick's Day.

Watch: Laois man warns of gambling addiction signs during Cheltenham 2018 on TV talk show.
A Newbridge man has welcomed the news that blind or visually impaired people will get to use the brand new tactile ballot template in the upcoming referendum, meaning they can now cast their votes in secret for the first time.

Martin Kelly, a long-time advocate on access issues for people with sight loss, warmly welcomes the move, calling it Great progress for people in Kildare."

"I have spent a good part of my life campaigning for the rights of people, like myself with impaired vision, to have greater autonomy and access so the tactile voting template is a great move in the right direction," he said.

Martin, who has Macular Dystrophy added; I am all for whatever makes life easier for people with sight loss and now they can go to the polling booths, just like everybody else and vote, safe in the knowledge that their vote is private.

Up to now, people with sight loss had to rely on others to help them exercise their franchise, which compromised their privacy.

A landmark High Court case taken by Dublin man , Robbie Sinnott, who is vision impaired, cleared the way for a tactile mechanism to be used.

Chris White CEO of the NCBI, Ireland's national sight loss agency says This is an historic year for people who are blind or vision impaired. Up to now their vote was not secret, they had to discuss their choice with somebody else and they could not even be sure that their preferred vote went into the ballot box .

"This situation was never acceptable to the NCBI and we are delighted that our recommendations have been taken on board by the Department. We are urging people with sight loss to contact the NCBI in advance of the upcoming referendum and try out the tactile templates to ensure they are comfortable and at ease using them. Our regional offices will be equipped with the templates and there will be ample time for people to have the opportunity to try them.

The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has produced a tactile ballot paper template, taking on board design recommendations from the National Council for the Blind of Ireland.

The template is a clear plastic device which is placed over the ballot paper and features raised lettering, large print and braille.

It also has cut out sections to assist people to find where to mark their vote. The templates will be available at every polling station around the country.

Templates will be available at NCBI offices nationwide for people who would like to try them out in advance of the referendum. Contact NCBI for further information on 01 8307033 or www.ncbi.ie

SEE ALSO: Nancy Walker retires as St Paul's Garrison Church, the Curragh, organist
Two Kildare men appeared on series three of popular RTE First Dates Ireland last night.

Primary school teacher Tom Og Redmond (27) from Newbridge and former RTE Head 2 Toe presenter Pat OMahony from Kildare Town were both hoping to strike it lucky on the show.

Tom was matched with 32-year-old pre-school worker Dean from Dublin. The pair seemed to hit it off during their date.

But the spark wasnt there for Tom in the end.

Youre a really really nice guy, I had a really good time on the date but I think well be better off as friends, Tom said.

Meanwhile, Pat O'Mahony admitted that he has never been in love.

Himself and his date, Gemma from Sandymount, who appeared on the show before, bonded over The Smiths on their date.

No need to stop us if you think that youve seen this one before



For Gemmas return to the First Dates restaurant, weve paired her up with This Charming Man, Pat OMahony. #FirstDatesIRL pic.twitter.com/IyOWHB8Sx6 March 11, 2018

The two music lovers agreed there were no feelings there but planned to go to a gig together as friends.

I think were good gig material, I dont think we fancied each other, said Pat.

SEE ALSO: Irish hearts broke watching Kildare Harry Potter fan Heywood on First Dates

SEE ALSO: It's showtime for Cheltenham 2018 - ROBERT CATTERSON'S TIPS FOR THE WEEK
LifeStyle

The best Lifestyle shows are right here, from Australia and around the world. Catch up with the experts on home design and interiors, food and cooking, the property market, and get fresh ideas with the savviest of renovators. Whether you need inspiration for cooking up a storm, to refresh a tired room, or tips to sell your property, Foxtel Lifestyle will always something new for you to watch. Enjoy your favourite experts like Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker, or Shaynna Blaze and Jamie Oliver live or On Demand.
Apr 30, 2021, 7 AM

By Molly Goad

As the world mourns the loss of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking today, the Isle of Man Post Office offers condolences and remembers his achievements.

Hawking died at his home in Cambridge, England the morning of March 14, the University of Cambridge confirms. He was 76 years old.

In the wake of his passing, Isle of Man Post Office recalls the privilege of recording the physicists accomplishments on postage stamps in July 2016. The Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking  100 Years of General Relativity stamps and products highlight the work of Einstein and Hawking, featuring some of the most significant equations from the past century. (To learn more about the set of six stamps, including the theories they depict, see Isle of Man stamps honor Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.)

The Isle of Man Post Office reports Hawking had displayed the stamps in his living room.

Much of my lifes work has been to encourage young people in the study of cosmology and astrophysics and to help inspire them to better understand our universe and beyond, Hawking said when seeing the final set. I hope that this unique set of stamps goes some way towards achieving this.

Hawking endorsed the set at the June 2016 Starmus science festival in the Canary Islands.

Connect with Linns Stamp News:

Sign up for our newsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

The Isle of Man Post Office collaborated with Glazier Design, The Stephen Hawking Foundation, Greenlight (the authorized representative of the Albert Einstein estate) and actor Eddie Redmayne to bring these stamps to fruition. For more information, head to the IOMPO website.
Math nerds everywhere are digging into a slice of pecan pie today to celebrate their most iconic irrational number: pi. After all, March 14, or 3/14, is the perfect time to honor the essential mathematical constant, whose first digits are 3.14.

Pi, or , is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. Because it is irrational, it can't be written as a fraction. Instead, it is an infinitely long, nonrepeating number.

But how was this irrational number discovered, and after thousands of years of being studied, does this number still have any secrets? From the number's ancient origins to its murky future, here are some of the most surprising facts about pi. [The 9 Most Massive Numbers in Existence]

Memorizing pi

(Image credit: DeymosHR/Shutterstock)

The record for the most digits of pi memorized belongs to Rajveer Meena of Vellore, India, who recited 70,000 decimal places of pi on March 21, 2015, according to Guinness World Records. Previously, Chao Lu, of China, who recited pi from memory to 67,890 places in 2005, held the record, according to Guinness World Records.

The unofficial record holder is Akira Haraguchi, who videotaped a performance of his recitation of 100,000 decimal places of pi in 2005, and more recently topped 117,000 decimal places, the Guardian reported.

Number enthusiasts have memorized many digits of pi. Many people use memory aids, such as mnemonic techniques known as piphilology, to help them remember. Often, they use poems written in Pilish (in which the number of letters in each word corresponds to a digit of pi), such as this excerpt:

How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.

Now I fall, a tired suburbian in liquid under the trees,

Drifting alongside forests simmering red in the twilight over Europe.

There's a pi "language"

(Image credit: PathDoc/Shutterstock)

Literary nerds invented a dialect known as Pilish, in which the numbers of letters in successive words match the digits of pi. For example, Mike Keith wrote the book "Not A Wake" (Vinculum Press, 2010) entirely in Pilish:

Now I fall, a tired suburbian in liquid under the trees, Drifting alongside forests simmering red in the twilight over Europe.

("Now" has three letters, "I" has one letter, "fall" has four letters, and so on.)

Exponential increase

(Image credit: Nageh/Wikimedia Commons)

Because pi is an infinite number, humans will, by definition, never determine every single digit of pi. However, the number of decimal places calculated has grown exponentially since pi's first use. The Babylonians thought the fraction 3 1/8 was good enough in 2000 B.C., while the ancient Chinese and the writers of the Old Testament (Kings 7:23) seemed perfectly happy to use the integer 3. But by 1665, Sir Isaac Newton had calculated pi to 16 decimal places. By 1719, French mathematician Thomas Fantet de Lagny had calculated 127 decimal places, according to "A History of Pi" (St. Martin's Press, 1976). [The Most Massive Numbers in Existence]

The advent of computers radically improved humans' knowledge of pi. Between 1949 and 1967, the number of known decimal places of pi skyrocketed from 2,037 on the ENIAC computer to 500,000 on the CDC 6600 in Paris, according to "A History of Pi" (St. Martin's Press, 1976). And late last year, Peter Trueb, a scientist at the Swiss company Dectris Ltd., used a multithreaded computer program to calculate 22,459,157,718,361 digits of pi over the course of 105 days, according to the group.

Hand-calculating pi

(Image credit: Fouad A. Saad/Shutterstock)

Those who are hoping to calculate pi using an old-fashioned technique can accomplish the task using a ruler, a can and a piece of string, or a protractor and a pencil. The downside of the can method is that it requires a can that is actually round, and the accuracy is limited by how well a person can loop string around its circumference. Similarly, drawing a circle with a protractor and then measuring its diameter or radius with a ruler involves a fair amount of dexterity and precision.

A more precise option is to use geometry. Break up a circle into multiple segments (such as eight or 10 pizza slices). Then, calculate the length of a straight line that would turn the slice into an isosceles triangle, which has two sides of equal length. Adding up all the sides yields a rough approximation for pi. The more slices you create, the more accurate the approximation of pi will be.

Discovery of pi

(Image credit: Paul James Cowie/Wikimedia Commons)

The ancient Babylonians knew of pi's existence nearly 4,000 years ago. A Babylonian tablet from between 1900 B.C. and 1680 B.C. calculates pi as 3.125, and the Rhind Mathematical Papyrus of 1650 B.C., a famous Egyptian mathematical document, lists a value of 3.1605. The King James Bible (I Kings 7:23) gives an approximation of pi in cubits, an archaic unit of length corresponding to the length of the forearm from the elbow to the middle finger tip (estimated at about 18 inches, or 46 centimeters), according to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. The Greek mathematician Archimedes (287-212 B.C.) approximated pi using the Pythagorean theorem, a geometric relationship between the length of a triangle's sides and the area of the polygons inside and outside of circles.

Pi rebranded

(Image credit: Jakob Emanuel Handmann/Wikimedia Commons)

Prior to the association of the symbol pi with the circle constant, mathematicians had to say a mouthful to even describe the number. One phrase found in the old math books was the Latin phrase "quantitas in quam cum multiflicetur diameter, proveniet circumferencia," which roughly translates to "the quantity which, when the diameter is multiplied by it, yields the circumference," according to History Today.

The irrational number rocketed to fame when Swiss polymath Leonhard Euler used it in 1737 in his disquisitions on trigonometry. But it didn't get its pithier, Greek-symbol name from Euler. The first mention of pi as such occurred in a book by a lesser-known mathematician, William Jones, who used it in 1706 in his book "Synopsis Palmariorum Matheseos." Jones likely used the symbol for pi to denote the periphery of a circle, according to the book "A History of Pi," (St. Martin's Press, 1976).

Is pi normal?

Pi is definitely weird, but is it normal? Though mathematicians have plumbed many of the mysteries of this irrational number, there are still some unanswered questions.

Mathematicians still don't know whether pi belongs in the club of so-called normal numbers  or numbers that have the same frequency of all the digits  meaning that 0 through 9 each occur 10 percent of the time, according to Trueb's website pi2e.ch. In a paper published Nov. 30, 2016, in the preprint journal arXiv, Trueb calculated that, at least based on the first 2.24 trillion digits, the frequency of the numbers 0 through 9 suggest pi is normal. Of course, given that pi has an infinite number of digits, the only way to show this for sure is to create an airtight math proof. So far, proofs for this most famous of irrational numbers has eluded scientists, though they have come up with some bounds on the properties and distribution of its digits.

Pi sounds divine

While scientists don't know whether pi is normal, they have a better understanding of its other traits. Eighteen-century mathematician Johann Heinrich Lambert proved pi's irrationality by expressing the tangent of x using a continued fraction.

Later, mathematicians showed that pi was also transcendental. In math terminology, transcendental means the number can't be the solution to any polynomial that has rational number coefficients. In other words, there's no finite, root-finding formula that can be used to calculate pi using rational numbers.

Downgrading pi

While many mathletes are enamored with pi, there is a resistance movement growing. Some argue that pi is a derived quantity, and that the value tau (equal to twice pi) is a more intuitive irrational number.

Tau directly relates the circumference to the radius, which is a more mathematically consequential value, Michael Hartl, author of the "Tau Manifesto," previously told Live Science. Tau also works better in trigonometric calculations, so that tau/4 radians corresponds to an angle that sweeps a quarter of a circle, for instance.

Editor's note: Tanya Lewis contributed to this article.

Originally published on Live Science.

Let the Pi parties begin!

(Image credit: Michael Wall)

There wasnt always a Pi Day (filled with delectably filled pies, of course). In 1988, physicist Larry Shaw launched the pi-partying day at the San Francisco-based Exploratorium science museum. Every year, on March 14 (3/14) staff and visitors walk a circular parade (and yes the diameter of the circle is like Pi times its circumference), each holding one of the infinite numbers of Pi. But Pi Day didnt become a national event until 2009, when the House of Representatives passed Resolution 224. The goal? An increased interest in math and science. Let the celebrations begin!
The snazzy uniforms of the Austrian army were not enough to help soldiers recognize that they were battling their fellow Austrians, that one time in 1788.

Throughout humanity's long and often-bloody history, there have been battles in which one side gained ground and promptly lost it again. And victories have often been marred by the sobering reality of heavy casualties on both the winning and the losing sides.

Many military clashes seem like a waste in retrospect, but are there any battles that stand out for their sheer futility?

There are, sadly, many contenders. Some were poorly planned and executed, such as the botched Dieppe Raid of Aug. 19, 1942, in which undersupported Allied forces lost more than 3,000 soldiers while attempting to take a French port under German control during World War II.

Other battles flared over astoundingly trivial slights, such as the so-called "Pastry War" of 1838. This altercation between France, Mexico and the U.S. erupted when a Frenchman demanded restitution for his lost property in Mexico  a pastry shop that Mexican forces had destroyed and looted the previous year, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

However, a strong candidate for the most pointless battle of all time was a European skirmish that purportedly took place from Sept. 21 to Sept. 22 in 1788. In this altercation, there was no winner and no loser, as the victor and the defeated were one and the same  the Austrian army. [10 Epic Battles that Changed History]

It's a confusing scenario that was equally perplexing to the Austrians, who, at the time, were engaged in the Austro-Turkish War, waged from 1787 to 1791 against the Ottoman Turks, author Eric Durschmeid, a former war correspondent for the BBC, wrote in his book "The Hinge Factor: How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History" (Arcade Publishing, 2016).

Austrian soldiers launched a deadly response to what was perceived as a Turkish attack, and the battle was joined near the town of Karansebes (also spelled Caransebes) in what is now Romania (then Transylvania). But when the smoke cleared, the Austrian army discovered that they had been battling themselves all along, though accounts vary about the scale of the carnage, according to Durschmeid.

A drunken start

The "attack" unfurled on the night of Sept. 21 while the Austrians, under the leadership of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, were on a night march to engage with the Turkish army, historian Charles Kirke, a lecturer in military anthropology at Cranfield University in the U.K., wrote in the book "Fratricide in Battle: (Un)Friendly Fire" (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014).

When the army stopped close to Karansebes to rest, tired and thirsty cavalry officers bought liquor for themselves and started drinking. Soon after, a fight broke out between cavalry and infantrymen; shots were fired, and drunken, joking cries that the army was under attack by the Turks sparked panic that quickly spread among the ranks, Kirke reported.

"While it was obviously a prank in the eyes of the soldiers close by, the columns of soldiers behind heard shouts and firing in the darkness ahead, and assumed the worst," he wrote.

Skirmishes erupted as thousands of soldiers panicked and threw themselves into the fray, firing in the dark at anything that moved. When the sun rose over the bloody scene  perhaps as many as 10,000 Austrian soldiers were killed or wounded  it became clear that there were no Turkish soldiers in sight. But when the Turkish army did turn up two days later, they easily outmaneuvered the demoralized the Austrians, and captured the undefended Karansebes, according to Kirke.

Spotty records

However, historical records about the incident are spotty, calling into question whether the battle occurred as popular lore suggests and hinting that the embarrassing story of the Austrian army's blunder may have become exaggerated over time, historian Matthew Mayer explained in his doctoral thesis about the 1788 campaign, written while Mayer was a graduate student at McGill University in Canada.

According to Mayer, Joseph II sent a letter to his brother Leopold on Sept. 26 of that year, describing the sudden outbreak of rifle fire on the night of Sept. 21 and the alarm and confusion that followed.

"The column in which I found myself was completely dispersed," Joseph wrote. "Cannons, wagons and all the tents were turned over, it was horrible; [my] soldiers shooting at each other! Eventually calm was restored, and we were lucky that the Turks were not on our trail otherwise the whole army would have been destroyed."

Joseph further expanded on the debacle in a dispatch that he sent to the chancellor of Austria, Wenzel Anton von Kaunitz, according to Durschmied.

"This disaster which our army suffered due to the cowardice of some units is incalculable for the moment. The panic was everywhere, among the army, among the people of Karansebes, and all the way back to Temesvar [a city in western Romania], a good ten leagues from there," he wrote.

But there is no mention of heavy casualties  in Joseph's letters or in other historical records  and Joseph's letter to his brother includes only a brief description of damage to army stores, which included the loss of "all the pots and tents" and "three pieces of artillery."

It's possible that the more sensationalized version of the battle that appears in Kirke's book drew from the biography "Joseph II" (Twayne Publishers, 1968), in which historian Paul Bernard mentions the loss of 10,000 men but omits attribution for the number, Mayer pointed out.

"Since Bernard fails to give his source, Joseph's description must be seen as the more accurate of the two," Mayer concluded.

Original article on Live Science.
A pregnant woman visiting Egypt certainly has a unique story to tell about her labor: The woman appears to have given birth in the Red Sea, according to news reports.

The woman was reportedly a tourist in Dahab, Egypt, according to the Daily Mail. A series of photos captured the birth, showing the mother emerging from the sea and two men carrying the baby to shore, with the baby's umbilical cord still attached.

One of the men is reportedly the father, who can be seen holding a bucket containing the placenta. The other man in the photos is reportedly a doctor specializing in water births. The images were shared on Facebook by Hadia Hosny El Said, but have since been taken down.

It's unclear if this Red Sea birth was planned. The condition of the mother and baby is also unknown, although they appear healthy in the photos. [7 Baby Myths Debunked]

Still, experts say that despite appearances, this could be a very risky situation for a newborn, and people shouldn't come away with the idea that an ocean birth is safe.

"I worry that this is a completely dangerous environment for the baby," said Dr. Saima Aftab, medical director of the Fetal Care Center at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, who was not involved in this case. "Even in the presence of a medical professional," an ocean birth could be harmful, Aftab said.

Are water births safe?

As water births have grown in popularity, experts have debated their safety.

For a water birth, a woman is immersed in water during labor and/or delivery, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Current evidence suggests that undergoing the early stages of labor in water may offer some benefits, such as shorter labor, ACOG says. So, the option of laboring in water may be offered to healthy women who are at least 37 weeks pregnant.

However, there isn't enough data on the risks and benefits of actually delivering the baby in the water for ACOG to recommend this method.

"Experts don't feel we're at a point yet where we can say it's safe," Aftab said. If a woman requests to give birth in water, she should be informed that the risks of this practice haven't been studied sufficiently, ACOG says.

One concern is that the baby may breathe in water and drown, ACOG says. There's also a risk for infection if the birthing tub has not been properly cleaned or if the water used for the birth is contaminated. (Last year, it was reported that two babies in Arizona got Legionnaires' disease after they were delivered via water birth.)

What about an ocean birth?

A birth in the ocean could have several additional complications, Aftab told Live Science. Given that the ocean is a vast and unpredictable environment, there is a risk that the mother could drown in her vulnerable state.

In addition, the high concentration of salt in ocean water could pose risks for a baby. Even if a baby takes in only a few gulps of seawater, it could damage the child given its small size, Aftab said. And because the temperature of ocean water cannot be controlled, a baby could become hypothermic, leading to poor outcomes, Aftab said.

And like other water births, an ocean birth could result in infection. "Babies are just so vulnerable" to infections and other hazards, Aftab said.

While an ocean birth may be off the table, Aftab said that medical professionals can work with mothers to "come up with a birth plan that keeps needs and wishes for labor front and center," while also keeping the health and safety of the baby in mind, Aftab said. "There may be room for a happy medium," she said.

The best chances of having a safe water birth would be under medical supervision in a health care facility, Aftab said. There, caregivers can closely monitor mother and baby, and the temperature and sterility of the water can be controlled, Aftab said.

Editor's note: This story was updated on March 14 at 5:45 pm ET. The Facebook photos referenced in the article were not taken by El Said, and have since been removed from Facebook.

Original article on Live Science.
Though the famed physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking could speak only through a device in his cheek muscle, he had plenty of intriguing, and sometimes scary, things to say during his lifetime  cut short by ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Hawking died peacefully today (March 14) at his home in Cambridge, England. As his family, colleagues and the many who were and are inspired by him mourn his death and celebrate his life, we look back at his most memorable and intriguing words, including his most prescient predictions for the future of humanity. [Stephen Hawking, Famed Physicist Who Defied ALS Odds, Dies at 76]

During a video presentation Nov. 5, 2017, at the Tencent Web Summit in Beijing, the famed cosmologist warned that the ever-rising human population, and its mounting energy needs, could render Earth uninhabitable by the year 2600, according to the British newspaper The Sun.

"Shouldn't we be content to be cosmic sloths, enjoying the universe from the comfort of Earth? The answer is, no," Hawking said June 20, 2017, during a talk at Starmus, an arts and science festival in Norway whose advisory board he sat on. "The Earth is under threat from so many areas that it is difficult for me to be positive."

"One day, we might receive a signal from a planet like this," Hawking said, referring to the potentially habitable alien planet Gliese 832c. "But we should be wary of answering back. Meeting an advanced civilization could be like Native Americans encountering Columbus. That didn't turn out so well," he added in 2016 during the documentary "Stephen Hawking's Favorite Places," which streamed on the CuriosityStream video service.

"The human failing I would most like to correct is aggression," Hawking said, according to The Independent. "It may have had survival advantage in caveman days, to get more food, territory or partner with whom to reproduce, but now it threatens to destroy us all."  February 2015, during a tour of London's Science Museum.

"We are close to the tipping point, where global warming becomes irreversible. Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees [Celsius], and raining sulfuric acid," he told BBC News, referring to the president's decision in June 2017 to pull the U.S. out of the Paris climate deal.

"Although the chance of a disaster to planet Earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, and becomes a near certainty in the next thousand or 10 thousand years," Hawking told the audience during a public Q&A session after the BBC Reith lecture in England in 2016.

On April 16, 2013, during a lecture entitled "The Origin of the Universe," Hawking mentioned the idea that people continue to seek divine solutions to counter physicist's theories, quipping, "What was God doing before the divine creation? Was he preparing hell for people who asked such questions?

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," Hawking told the BBC in December 2014.

"If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn't turn out very well for the Native Americans," Hawking said in 2010 during an episode of the Discovery Channel's "Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking," a show hosted by the Discovery Channel, reported The Times, a U.K.-based newspaper.

"The whole history of science has been the gradual realization that events do not happen in an arbitrary manner, but that they reflect a certain underlying order, which may or may not be divinely inspired," Hawking wrote in his popular physics best-seller "A Brief History of Time."

"It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly. People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining," Hawking said in 2005 during an interview with The Guardian's Emma Brockes.

During a Reddit AMA in 2015, Hawking was asked: "What mystery do you find most intriguing, and why?" His answer? "Women. My PA reminds me that although I have a PhD in physics, women should remain a mystery."

As for his mortality, Hawking was remarkably blunt.

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail," Hawking said in The Guardian interview. "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Original article on Live Science.
Introduction

(Image credit: Tom Dymond/REX/Shutterstock)

Stephen Hawking passed away today (March 14), after a long career in physics. Some of the late cosmologist's most impressive work addressed black holes  those insatiable blobs of infinitely dense matter from which almost nothing can escape. These fascinating cosmic vacuum cleaners seem to defy so many notions of what the universe should look like, and Hawking's work was critical in refining our understanding of these bizarre celestial objects. From the realization that black holes aren't truly black, to the "hair" that may emanate from them, here are several of Hawking's strangest ideas about black holes. [8 Shocking Things We Learned from Stephen Hawking's Book]

Black Holes have hair

(Image credit: NASA/CXC/SAO)

In his later years, Hawking continued to develop his theory of black holes. Scientists originally thought that black holes were "bald," meaning there were no complicated details at their edges and they were all identical except for their mass, angular momentum and spin. But in 2016, Hawking and Harvard University physicist Andrew Strominger suggested that black holes sport a luxurious crop of "hair"   in the form of long strands of zero-energy particles that emanate from their event horizon. The idea, then, is that some of the information that is gobbled up by a black hole may actually be stored in these hairs.

Black holes may fizzle and explode

(Image credit: NASA, ESA, and D. Coe, J. Anderson, and R. van der Marel (STScI))

Originally, researchers believed absolutely nothing could escape a black hole, meaning everything that passes its event horizon would be ripped apart, devoured and never seen gain, while the black hole would grow ever larger. But in the 1970s, Hawking developed the concept of Hawking radiation, which would mean that instead of expanding over time, black holes might eventually dissolve. The idea relies upon two weird phenomena: quantum fluctuation, a bizarre ability of subatomic particles to (very rarely) pop spontaneously into existence, and quantum tunneling, which allows particles to essentially burrow through impenetrable barriers. Sometimes, for instance, matter and antimatter particles will suddenly emerge from nothing and then annihilate each other, and if that happens at the boundary of the black hole, it's possible for a particle to pop into existence on the outside edge of the black hole and zoom out into space, so its antimatter partner doesn't have a chance to annihilate it, and instead gets sucked into the black holes center. Over time, this would mean the black hole is leaking and would eventually decrease in size. In order to escape, however, particles would need to be extremely big  on the order of the black hole in size, which would mean only very low energy light could leak out of the most massive black holes. So far, no one has directly measured Hawking radiation but most physicists are convinced it exists, Live Science previously reported.

The universe began in a singularity

(Image credit: NASA)

One of Hawking's earliest contributions to physics was the doctoral thesis that he wrote for the University of Cambridge in 1966, in which he posited that the universe began as an infinitely small and infinitely dense speck of matter curled in on itself  the first modern way of conceptualizing the Big Bang. While that primordial speck is a singularity, and black holes are also a singularity, it turns out that the primordial matter at the origin of the universe isn't a black hole, because matter can escape it. Instead, another possible, though problematic, way to conceptualize it is as a "white hole"   a time-reversed version of a black hole, according to John Baez, a mathematician at the University of California at Riverside. While the Big Bang may not have originated in a white hole, we'll have to wait till the end of the universe to find out, Baez says.

Mini black holes could power the universe

(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

The biggest black holes in the universe are thought to be supermassive black holes, which lie at the heart of galaxies and are billions of times more massive than our sun, while black holes about 10 times the mass of the sun dot the universe as well. But scientists have also proposed some smaller cousins, which would be the size of a Earth-based mountain. Because they are so small (and Hawking radiation allows particles to escape only when they have wavelengths about the size of the black hole), these mini-black holes could spew out higher-energy particles, which could then be used as a power source, Hawking proposed.

"A mountain-sized black hole would give off X-rays and gamma-rays at a rate of about 10 million megawatts, enough to power the world's electricity supply," Hawking said in a Feb. 2, 2016 lecture. "It wouldn't be easy, however, to harness a mini black hole. You couldn't keep it in a power station, because it would drop through the floor and end up at the center of the Earth."

Black holes have no boundary

(Image credit: NASA E/PO, Sonoma State University, Aurore Simonnet)

In 2014, Hawking even questioned one of the fundamental concepts of black holes  the event horizon beyond which nothing could escape. In a paper on the preprint website arXiv.org, Hawking proposed that the event horizon wasn't a fixed boundary, but instead shifted wildly based on what the subatomic particles inside a black hole were up to. The notion of the fluctuating black hole boundary was developed in order to address what's known as the Firewall paradox. It comes from the fact that an astronaut drifting into a black hole would notice nothing unusual as he crossed the event horizon, because he would be in free-fall and would experience no force. However, Hawking radiation predicts there should be a "ring of hell" that lies just inside the event horizon, which would incinerate the astronaut before he has a chance to be smooshed by the black hole. The lack of a fixed event horizon was an attempt to reconcile those two concepts, though physicists at the time said Hawking's explanation didn't do that.

Originally published on Live Science.
Physicist Stephen Hawking revolutionized the way scientists think about how our universe began and how it behaves.

Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking died peacefully today (March 14) at age 76 at his home in Cambridge, England.

Hawking will be remembered by many as a cultural force  the brilliant thinker who wrote "A Brief History of Time" and played himself on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "The Simpsons" and "The Big Bang Theory." He published more than 10 popular books (including a series of children's books, co-written with his daughter, Lucy) and was the subject of more than 15 documentary films and biopics. He once threw a party for time travelers (which nobody attended). He did it all while living with the incurable degenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which put him in a wheelchair for much of his life.

But beyond his inspirational biography and pop-culture bona fides, Hawking will also be remembered as perhaps the most important physicist of the second half of the 20th century. Hawking's work on black holes, quantum mechanics and the origins of the universe advanced the theories of previous thinkers like Albert Einstein and Werner Heisenberg, providing the most comprehensive explanation for the behavior of the cosmos to date.

"My goal is simple," Hawking was quoted as saying in a 1989 biography. "It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all." [Stephen Hawking's Most Intriguing Quotes on Humanity, Aliens and Women]

Here, we recall some of Hawking's biggest theories about life, the universe and everything.

Before the Big Bang

Hawking began sharing his vision of the universe in 1966 while studying physics at the University of Cambridge, when he turned in a doctoral thesis on the origin of the universe.

At the time, scientists understood the universe to be expanding, though they did not know why. Hawking proposed the first description of what we now know as the Big Bang: somewhere, at the earliest edges of time, the universe began as a single point of infinitely small, massively dense space-time  a "singularity," as Hawking described it. From this single point, our entire expanding universe burst forth, bringing with it all the laws of time and physics we understand today, Hawking said.

"There is a singularity in our past, which constitutes, in some sense, a beginning to the universe," Hawking eventually wrote in the preface of his first book, "The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time" (1973).

Over the years following his graduation from the University of Cambridge, Hawking attempted to describe that universal starting point mathematically. By applying a complex model inspired by Einstein's theory of general relativity, Hawking and his colleague Roger Penrose created the first of several singularity theorems, which described the cosmological conditions required for a singularity in space-time to exist.

Escaping a black hole

Hawking had a fascination with the places where physics seemingly broke down. This included, famously, his study of black holes  stars that have collapsed into themselves, creating a vortex so gravitationally intense that not even light can escape them.

While working at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, Hawking began studying black holes through the lens of thermodynamics. In 1973, he published (along with several colleagues) a paper detailing the four laws of black hole mechanics, describing the warped physics of the mysterious celestial bodies through a series of complex equations.

Hawking continued studying black holes and, soon after, had the eureka moment for which he is best known.

At the time, it was thought that nothing could escape the strong gravitational pull of black holes. In 1974, Hawking showed that, under certain conditions, black holes actually could create and emit subatomic particles, eventually dissolving and finally exploding in an intense burst of energy. In other words: Black holes were not completely black after all.

This stream of energy radiated by black holes was later named Hawking radiation, after he described it in a 1974 paper titled "Black Hole Explosions?"

A theory of everything

The discovery of Hawking radiation changed the way researchers understand the universe. By attempting to knit together the laws of gravity, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics and relativity, the study of black hole radiation also pointed to the existence of a so-called "theory of everything"  a single, unified theory of physics that described the behavior of the universe.

"Black hole radiation raises serious puzzles we are still working very hard to understand," Sean Carroll, a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology, told New Scientist. "It's fair to say that Hawking radiation is the single biggest clue we have to the ultimate reconciliation of quantum mechanics and gravity, arguably the greatest challenge facing theoretical physics today."

Hawking continued publishing papers for the following four and a half decades, but became most famous in his later career as a science communicator. He has drawn attention lately for his concerns about humanity's future in regards to artificial intelligence, his vocal opposition of wars and his insistence that leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump take the threats of climate change more seriously. A few weeks ago, he told celebrity physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson his theory about what happened before the Big Bang.

Still, Hawking's most lasting quotes may be about the importance of communication itself.

"Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking," Hawking said. "It doesn't have to be like this. Our greatest hopes could become reality in the future. With the technology at our disposal, the possibilities are unbounded. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking."

Originally published on Live Science.
Brilliant mind

(Image credit: NASA/Paul Alers)

The iconic physicist and arguably one of the world's greatest minds, Stephen Hawking, died peacefully at his home in Cambridge, England, on March 14, 2018. As tributes pour out from colleagues, other cosmologists and enthusiasts the world over, Live Science looks back at Hawking's life. Though he used a wheelchair and could speak only through an electronic device in his cheek muscle (due to the debilitating motor neuron disease called ALS), Hawking probably did more in his lifetime for science and exploration than most others.

(Shown here, Hawking delivers a speech entitled "Why we should go into space" during a lecture for a series honoring NASA's 50th Anniversary, April 21, 2008, at George Washington University.)

A mathematician

(Image credit: Terry Smith/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty)

The University of Cambridge physicist and author, Hawking, inside a lecture hall with mathematical equations in the background. In 1962, Hawking jointed the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. In 1979, following in the footsteps of Isaac Newton, Hawking became the university's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

Celebrating his life

(Image credit: Jean-Regis Rouston/Roger Viollet/Getty)

Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942, which was 300 years to the day after the death of the astronomer Galileo Galilei. It wasn't until age 21 that he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Two years before this diagnosis, Hawking married Jane Wilde. They had three children before separating.

When in Paris

(Image credit: Gilles Bassignac/Gamma-Rapho/Getty)

Shown here on March 3, 1989, in Paris, France, Hawking would have been 47 years old at the time.

Speak to Me

(Image credit: PA Images/Getty)

On Oct. 3, 1993, Hawking met with Kate Caryer of the Vale School in North London at the "Speak to Me" exhibition, which he opened at the Science Museum.

Another marriage

(Image credit: Tim Ockenden/PA Images/Getty)

In 1995, Hawking married Elaine Mason, shown here after their marriage ceremony at the Cambridge registry office. The couple divorced in 2006.

Royal Society award

(Image credit: Sean Dempsey/PA Images/Getty)

The Duke of Edinburgh presents Hawking with the Royal Society for the Art Albert Medal during a ceremony at St James's Palace. His daughter, Lucy Hawking, looks on as her father is presented with the award for "making physics more accessible, understandable and exciting, and opening the subject to a wider audience through his books and television programs."

Kudos to Hawking

(Image credit: Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty)

Hawking is seen on a TV monitor as he opens the XXV Prince of Asturias Awards Anniversary event in Oviedo, Spain, on April 12, 2005. Hawking won the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord in 1989.

South Korean writers

(Image credit: Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty)

Hawking visits the stand of his German publisher Rowohlt at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Oct. 19, 2005. That year, the fair focused on authors from the Korean peninsula, with 60 writers showing up from South Korea. (No North Korean writers attended.)

Temple of Heaven

(Image credit: China Photos/Getty)

Assistants carry Hawking during his visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, on June 18, 2006. The scientist was visiting Beijing for the 2006 International Conference on String Theory. The temple, which became a UNESCO Heritage site in 1998, "symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven  the human world and God's world  which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship," according to UNESCO.

Inspiring young minds

(Image credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty)

Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem on Dec. 10, 2006. According to Getty images, "Hawking filled the hall to capacity with young Israeli scientists."
Stephen Hawking died today (March 14), leaving behind a massive legacy of work as an astrophysicist, science communicator, activist, and figure of pop culture admiration. And on the day of his death, a question he raised and worked on until the last years of his life remains unanswered: Can information really be lost to the universe?

Hawking's most famous paper, "Black Hole Explosions?," published 44 years ago in 1974, took a hatchet to the whole notion of black holes as physicists had previous understood them. And it was Hawking's first whack at that basic question.

"Classically, a black hole should be 'perfectly cold' in the sense that it absorbs everything but emits nothing. This is how they were understood in the early 1970s," Robert McNees, a physicist at Loyola University in Chicago, wrote in an email. [Stephen Hawking's Most Intriguing Quotes on Humanity, Aliens and Women]

A black hole like that would radiate no energy, and no matter could escape from it. It would just exist, cold, silent, and eternal. Hawking's paper made the black holes alive  and possibly mortal.

"When Stephen considered quantum mechanical effects in the mid-70s, he discovered that black holes should, in principle, radiate as if they were thermal objects with a temperature," McNees told Live Science. "If they radiate energy then their mass will decrease. And he found that as this happens, as they shrink, their temperature goes up and they radiate even faster."

Eventually, perhaps, the black hole would disappear entirely, or shrink to a little nubbin. Without fully reconciling relativity and quantum mechanics in a robust theory of "quantum gravity" (what physicists call a "theory of everything"), the final stage of that black hole evaporation remains a mystery.

"The problem is that, according to his calculations, the radiation is perfectly thermal. It doesn't retain any information about the state of the material that formed the black hole, and this would violate a fundamental rule in quantum mechanics," McNees wrote.

Quantum physics requires that the whole future and past of every particle should be, in principle, possible to figure out and link through a series of chained, causal, probabilistic events. But if a black hole release an undifferentiated soup of particles with their information  their histories  unrecoverably erased, then that requirement is fundamentally broken. [Stephen Hawking's Most Far-Out Ideas About Black Holes]

"[Physicists call this] the 'black hole information paradox,' and attempts to resolve it have driven much of the work in quantum gravity since it was first articulated," McNees wrote.

Hawking was already an accomplished physicist by 1974. And many brief biographies imply that, following the publication of his 1988 popular science book "A Brief History of Time," his most important scientific work was behind him. But Hawking continued to produce significant and controversial scientific papers until as recently as this decade, wrangling with the paradox he introduced decades earlier.

The most dramatic late-career paper Hawking wrote suggested the black holes as they've classically been understood don't exist at all.

In "Information Preservation and Weather Forecasting for Black Holes," published in 2014, he suggested that the "event horizon" around black holes, the point beyond which even light could not escape, doesn't really exist. Instead, he wrote, there's simply an "apparent" horizon of trapped light which could fade away and allow the light to escape.

"The absence of event horizons mean that there are no black holes  in the sense of regimes from which light cant escape to infinity," Hawking wrote.

He also suggested some fundamental conceptual problems with a number of features physicists had attributed to black holes, like "firewalls" around their boundaries that destroy observers who try to enter.

That wasn't Hawking's final word on science. As recently as 2016, Hawking published a paper with the University of Cambridge physicist Malcolm Perry and Harvard University physicist Andrew Strominger called "Soft Hair on Black Holes."

The research team argued that black holes are surrounded by "soft" or zero-energy particles, which they call hair. That hair, they wrote, stores the lost information of particles emitted by black holes on "holographic plates" beyond the black holes' boundary regions. So the information, while displaced, is never truly lost.

"A complete description of the holographic plate and resolution of the information paradox remains an open challenge, which we have presented new and concrete tools to address," they wrote.

Even near the end of his life, Hawking remained very much a working scientist, presenting ideas that advanced his field, and ideas his colleagues rejected.

"It's my impression that the 2014 paper is not widely accepted. The 2016 paper, on the other hand, which is work with Perry and Strominger, is a direction that people are still actively working on," McNees wrote.

"The black hole information paradox has been one of the defining questions for people working on quantum gravity. And, as it remains unanswered, I think it remains the most interesting question that [Hawking] raised."

Originally published on Live Science.
Hundreds of students at schools across San Francisco walked out of class at 10 a.m. Wednesday, joining untold thousands of their peers nationwide in what was the largest coordinated school-day protest in recent memory.

The National School Walkout comes a month after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed by a former student.

Students from both Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and The Academy, which share a campus in the Twin Peaks neighborhood, poured out of their schools and into the courtyard, joined by school staff and Mayor Mark Farrell.

Our labor movement, our civil rights movement, so many movements have started with our youth and its so inspiring to be here today with the students of San Francisco, he said. Enough is enough and this is where were going to see the difference  these youth leaders.

The students gave speeches, sang the song Prayer for the Children and then recited the names of the Parkland victims as their solemn classmates stood in silence.

Were very tired of having our fellow students across the nation die, and seeing nothing being done about it, said Ben McLaren, 17, a senior at the School of the Arts. This time were trying to keep the momentum going.

After a 30-minute walkout at the school, some students returned to class, while others headed to City Hall, where students from several city schools were expected to gather to protest gun violence.

Hundreds of teens huddled under umbrellas and hoodies in the rain in the Civic Center, where they called on legislators to increase school safety and push for stronger gun control.

In front of City Hall, students from 21 city schools gathered on the steps while carrying handmade signs.

More for you In the East Bay, thousands of students walk out to denounce...

Books, not bullets, read one. Give teachers raises not gun, said another.

The Parkland shooting could have just as easily been my school, said Claire Garcia, a senior at Lowell High School. School is a place of learning; its not a place to be afraid.

Student organizer Katie Dragone, a senior, said she wants the walkout to push politicians to act.

Im here today trying to help a movement that is trying to save childrens lives and prioritize our health and well being over someones right to own a semi-automatic assault weapon, which should not be in civilian hands to start with, she said.

A couple hundred students headed down Market Street to the Ferry Building, and continued along The Embarcadero and eventually toward Ghirardelli Square for more speeches and another moment of silence.

The Bay Area walkouts followed those in New York, Houston, Denver, Parkland, Fla., and other cities across the country, where thousands of students poured out of schools Wednesday as the clock struck 10 a.m. in each time zone.

In Parkland, the teenage survivors of the mass shooting walked out to the sound of helicopters overhead, bringing back vivid memories of Feb. 14, said David Hogg, one of the student organizers advocating for government action to end school gun violence.

Nothing about this is going to be easy, he said in a live-streamed video posted on Twitter. We have to continue to fight for our lives. Each and every one of these individuals is a person that could have died that day. I could have died that day.

In Washington, D.C., a throng of students marched to the White House and sat on the ground with their backs to the presidents home before continuing on to the Capitol building, where they called for increased gun control.

In some cases, public officials joined students as they held moments of silence for the Parkland victims. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo chanted, Protect our kids, as he stood with New York City students.

An hour later, in the Central time zone, students in Chicago, Memphis and Houston left their classrooms, followed an hour later by peers in Denver and Salt Lake City.

In California, students in elementary, middle and high schools participated in the walkout. At Presidio Middle School in San Francisco, students sat or lay down in the hallways for 17 minutes of silence, one minute for each of the Parkland victims.

At Berkeley High School, students formed a peace sign on the football field. And at

Local school district reactions to the walkout varied, with some officials changing the days schedule to include a mid-morning break at 10 a.m., while administrators elsewhere said students who miss class for any reason will be given unexcused tardies or absences.

In the days before the walkout, some education officials in Texas and other states threatened to suspend students who participated in the protest.

The American Civil Liberties Union advised districts that legally they cant punish students more harshly for a protest than they would for any other unexcused absence.
The veterans care center in Yountville where a former Army soldier shot and killed three health care workers has suspended operations indefinitely, administrators said Wednesday.

The nonprofit Pathway Home, which has treated hundreds of veterans of post-9/11 wars for debilitating emotional trauma, was serving a half-dozen men at the time of last weeks shootings. They have been directed to mental and health services from federal and Napa County providers, and Pathways seven surviving employees have been given severance packages, said Larry Kamer, a spokesman for the center.

Pathways governing board hopes the center can continue, but its unclear in what form, Kamer said. The building that houses the treatment center, on the campus of the state-run Veterans Home of California-Yountville, has been closed since the shootings.

The question is: Can we operate at another facility, or does the organization turn into a support organization? Kamer said. What we know is that the need for this kind of program doesnt go away. Its only intensified as people have become aware of the complexities of the issues that veterans face.

A former patient, Albert Wong, 36, burst into a going-away party for an employee at the Pathway Home on Friday morning, took two staffers and a federal government psychologist hostage and shot them before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities.

Wong, a decorated Army veteran of the war in Afghanistan, had been treated at the center for post-traumatic stress disorder but had recently been asked to leave. He allowed several staffers to flee after entering the building, but ordered the three eventual victims to stay.

Investigators have not identified a motive for the killings. The victims were Christine Loeber, the Pathway Homes executive director; Dr. Jennifer Golick, a therapist with the program; and Dr. Jennifer Gonzales, a psychologist with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The Pathway Home opened in 2008 amid a surge of American soldiers returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The home was known for its effective and sometimes unconventional therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, mild traumatic brain injury and other post-deployment mental health problems.

Although the Pathway building remained surrounded by police tape Wednesday, most of the other facilities on the Veterans Home of California-Yountville were up and running. The campus is one of the nations largest veteran communities, with about 850 residents.
Displaced homeowners seeking shelter from Hurricane Harvey, along with recovery in Texas oilfields, pushed growth in hotel revenue in some areas of the state up by double digits last year, according to a San Antonio firm.

Texas hotel bookings generated nearly $10.9 billion in revenue in 2017, up 9 percent from the $10 billion tallied up during the previous year, according to a report published by hotel consulting firm Source Strategies Inc. shows.

Increased demand for hotel rooms fueled by residents in areas affected by the Harvey storm system including Houston and Corpus Christi accounted for about 25 percent of the gains the industry saw statewide last year, said Paul Vaughn, senior vice president of Source Strategies.

But ongoing improvement in the states oil and gas sector wouldve propelled hotel receipts skyward without Harvey, Vaughn said.

Hotels in Midland and Odessa saw their receipts surge by 60 percent from about $131 million in 2016 to $209.5 million last year, according to Source Strategies quarterly Hotel Brand Report.

The Houston-Baytown-Sugarland area saw hotel receipts climb 16 percent to $2.5 billion from $2.2 billion in 2016, in part because of Harvey. Overall, Texas 100 oil and gas counties saw a 30 percent gain in hotel revenue.

Weve got oil sitting above $60 a barrel, Vaughn said. Thats good for Texas.

Regions without a major oil-and-gas presence didnt see quite as much growth last year. San Antonio hotels receipts rose to almost $1.3 billion last year, a 5 percent increase over $1.2 billion in 2016.

Hotel offerings in the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area continued to bite into San Antonios share of the statewide market last year, Vaughn said, with $1.4 billion worth of bookings. Thats up nearly 8 percent from the $1.3 billion hotels in the Austin area brought in during 2016.

The 2018 Men's Final Four tournament starting March 30 is expected to provide a jolt to San Antonio area hotels, Vaughn said. The firm is also keeping an eye on whether the citys Tricentennial celebration will translate to higher hotel receipts, Vaughn said.
On his fourth day on the job, rookie San Francisco cop Chris Samayoa was still getting out of his patrol car when he fatally shot an unarmed carjacking suspect.

A little more than three months after that fateful fourth day on the beat, Police Chief Bill Scott fired the officer for killing 42-year-old Keita ONeil, sparking outrage from the citys police union and its president, Martin Halloran.

Chris was fired for doing what he was trained to do by the SFPD Academy, and for what happened on his fourth day on the job under extremely stressful and difficult circumstances, Halloran wrote in a statement. This was a needless action as any taken by someone wearing the uniform of our chief.

On Dec. 1, ONeil allegedly assaulted a state lottery worker on Potrero Hill and stole her minivan before leading police on a winding chase that led through the Alice Griffith public housing complex in the Bayview neighborhood.

After the brief pursuit with police, ONeil abandoned the stolen vehicle and started running toward the patrol car occupied by Samayoa and his training officer.

Samayoas body camera footage shows the officer drawing his pistol from the passenger seat while the cruiser is still moving. The video then shows him opening the side door and firing a single shot through the window as ONeil, who was unarmed, runs by in the opposite direction.

ONeil was transported to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Samayoa turned on his body-worn camera after shooting ONeil, an apparent violation of Police Department policy. The Axon body-worn cameras have a feature that preserves the previous 30 seconds before they are activated  similar to a television DVR  though without audio.

Despite this violation of department policy, Halloran called Samayoa a textbook example of what a police officer should be. He added, Chris is an exemplary human being.

The Police Department confirmed that Samayoa was fired but declined comment, noting that it was a personnel matter. The decision was first reported by Mission Local.

Born and raised in San Franciscos Mission District, Samayoa studied psychology at the University of Arizona. He was studying for his masters degree in psychology and counseling at the University of San Francisco when he took a leave of absence to be part of the 257th Basic Academy Class of recruits.

At a town hall meeting held nearly a week after the fatal shooting, community members expressed outrage over the shooting of ONeil. Bayview residents shared their concerns about the shooting with Chief Bill Scott, Bayview Station Capt. Steven Ford and Capt. Valerie Matthews, head of the departments field operations.

Yall not only killed (ONeil), yall killed his mom, said Demetrius Williams, ONeils friend. Shes dying of cancer, fighting for her life, and now shes burying a son.

The shooting remains under investigation by the departments internal affairs division, the homicide bureau and the San Francisco district attorneys office.
While thousands of students walked out of school Wednesday in California and across the country to demand stricter gun laws, San Leandro Highs protest was preempted by a graffiti threat to shoot up the school.

The threat sent the high school into a three-hour lockdown, and officials have canceled classes scheduled for Thursday.

Administrators for the San Leandro Unified School District notified police at about 9:30 a.m. of graffiti that said the school would be the site of a shooting on Thursday, said San Leandro Police Lt. Isaac Benabou.

The school immediately went into its lockdown protocol, district Superintendent Mike McLaughlin said, and the grounds were searched. Nothing suspicious was found, but police and the district agreed to call off classes Thursday as a precaution.

Dillon Washington, a 16-year-old sophomore, said in a text message that he and his fellow students were pretty scared as they remained in their classroom for several hours. He said police, FBI and SWAT were at the school and many students had heard that guns were found on campus.

ALSO Thousands of students protest gun violence in nationwide walkout

However, police confirmed that the only alarming thing found on the campus was the graffiti threat.

There were no guns found, Benabou said. As you know, students are in classrooms, they talk amongst each other, messages go out, messages are lost in translation, social media plays a part, but I can tell you no guns were found.

San Leandro police sent out an alert confirming the lockdown at 11:10 a.m, almost two hours after the threat was reported.

A photo making its way around social media showed the threat was written in marker pen on what appeared to be the wall of a toilet stall. The message read: Im shooting the school tommorow [sic] at 1 Im sick of this s* Better not come F* this place.

In recent weeks, several schools across the Bay Area have gone into lockdown after similar messages were found on school property or sent through social media.

The response to Wednesdays threat and the decision to cancel classes the next day underscored the comments of many students who left school Wednesday to protest gun violence and bring attention to how unsafe they feel at school.

When the San Leandro students were released at 1 p.m., many marched off the campus and resumed the call for stricter gun laws.
Each year the U.S. steadily becomes a more multinational country and no other county in Texas encapsulates that trend better than Harris County, where more than a quarter of its residents are foreign born.

As immigration policy remains in a state of flux, recent Census data shows how local communities were shaped by immigration policies set more than five decades ago.

According to a 2013 Census report, immigrant enclaves form as a result of social ties created by similarities in culture and language. In the simplest terms, an enclave is simply a community whose residents are culturally or ethnically distinct.

The theory is that those social ties create optimal conditions during difficult adjustment periods, according to the report.

The most recent Census foreign-born population estimates released in late 2017 suggest many of county's largest immigrant groups follow this pattern.

Dot-density maps created by the Houston Chronicle show that of the top 10 foreign-born groups in Harris County, most live clustered in the area's western and southwestern communities.

They form diverse multinational communities that reflect regions from all over the globe.

Take areas near Mission Bend and Missouri City, for instance  each has communities with dense representation from countries in Western Africa, Vietnam and El Salvador.

These patterns, unique in Texas, were shaped by decades of immigration policies. Before changes to immigration policy in the 1960s, immigrants in the 20th century came predominantly from Europe.

That changed following enactment of the 1965 Immigration Act.

It ended a system of national quotas that favored immigration from Europe, according to the 2013 Census report. New groups from Asian and Latin America then flocked to Houston between the late 1970s and 1980s following the federal reform.

However, it was during that period that the Houston region faced an oil bust and economic downturn. During that downturn, many apartment complex owners in Houston saw occupancy numbers plummet as the energy industry struggled.

Those apartment owners, with vacancies to fill, turned to fleeing immigrants in need of cheap housing. Those immigrants took root in several, dense large apartment complexes in west and southwest Houston, like Gulfton, creating ethnically diverse, communities.

Getty Images

Today, new immigration policies are looming and, for now, it's unclear how they will shape future immigration patterns. This includes a federal appeals court's decision on Tuesday to uphold a divisive law backed by the Trump administration.

The law threatens elected officials with jail time and allows police officers to ask people during routine stops whether they're in the U.S. illegally.

Nearly 34 million lawful immigrants live in the United States.

Only five counties in the country have more than 1 million immigrants living within their borders. That puts Harris County, which ranks third, in a unique position among other U.S. counties, according to the U.S. Census.

Harris County has more than 1.1 million foreign-born residents  more than a quarter of its population and a third of its labor force.

Many immigrants live and work in the country after receiving lawful permanent residence, while others receive temporary visas available to students and workers.

Another one million immigrants have temporary permission to live and work in the U.S. through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status programs.

Proposals through the years have sought to shift the nations immigration system away from its current emphasis on family reunification and employment-based migration, and toward a points-based system that prioritizes admission based on education and employment qualifications.

These proposals have received renewed attention under the Trump administration  and they could possibly lead to the emergence of new migration patterns in coming years.

Dot-density maps created by the Houston Chronicle using Census tracts and foreign-born data estimates from the bureau provide a deeper look into the diverse communities that go beyond simply black, white and brown.

Each dot on the map represents one foreign-born resident, showing where immigrants have decided to live throughout the county.

John D. Harden writes about demographics and neighborhoods for the Hosuton Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send him tips at john.harden@chron.com .
The Death of Stalin is a unique and hilarious British comedy from Armando Iannucci, best known as the creator of HBOs Veep and the British TV series The Thick of It. The movie is absolutely worth seeing, but it wont appeal to everybody, so you should know what to expect.

Its the story of the Central Committee of the Communist party in a period spanning from a few days before Josef Stalins death to the day of his funeral. It conflates events that took weeks and months, but otherwise it stays close to the facts in depicting the power struggle between Lavrentiy Beria, the ruthless head of the secret police, and Nikita Khrushchev.

This hardly seems the subject for comedy, but in practice, that very thing presents an ideal comic opportunity, both because of the sheer perversity of these brutal figures and the bizarreness of looking at them in a comedy context. Iannucci does something remarkable here, in that he lends the whole atmosphere a quality of the ridiculous, while keeping it just within bounds of the absurd. Thus, we appreciate the stakes and take seriously that the characters are at risk and that people are getting murdered.

The movie is funny throughout, sometimes funny from moment to moment, and so full of amusing asides that you might not catch all the humor in a single screening. At the same time, The Death of Stalin is a weird sort of hilarious, in that you easily might not laugh for minutes at a time. Instead of one big pie in the face, doled out at intervals, the movie presents an unending series of comic jabs, offered with a blank face and no pushing.

One of the running jokes, for example, is that every time someone hears of Stalins death, they force themselves to burst into tears, even though its clear that everyone hated the guy. Watching that isnt exactly side-splitting, but its definitely and consistently amusing.

Apparently, all the actors were directed to sound like themselves, and thats a smart touch. No one tries to sound or act Russian, and no effort is made to keep the accents uniform. Steve Buscemi as Khrushchev sounds like a nervous guy from Brooklyn. As Malenkov, who assumes power after Stalins death, Jeffrey Tambor sounds American, while Michael Palin (as Molotov), Jason Isaacs (as Field Marshal Zhukov) and Simon Russell Beale (as Beria) are their usual British selves. Just that one linguistic choice removes everything exotic from the characters and reduces them to comedic scale.

Immediately after the death of Stalin, Beria started releasing political prisoners, both as a way to distance himself from Stalins atrocities and to court favor with the public. Meanwhile, Khrushchev, who saw himself as the true reformer, felt himself getting pushed to the margins, and so he fought back. It happens that way in The Death of Stalin, too, but in the movie, its funnier.

Beale plays Beria as a vile creature, full of spite and malice. Hes a standout, and so is Buscemi, who spends most of the movie either fretting or panicking, but hes scheming, too  and Buscemi suggests that, when it counts, theres an iron core inside this guy. Palin plays Molotov as a figure almost out of Monty Python, who spouts nonsense and can change opinions from one sentence to the next. And Tambor is particularly funny as the unsteady Malenkov, who is so unsure of himself that he is constantly revising his orders.

At one point Tambor as Malenkov says No problem, and then insists that he actually meant, No! Problem! What makes this particularly funny is the way that Tambor, after saying something so implausible, subtly darts his eyes around the room to see if anyone believes him.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle

The Death of Stalin

Starring Steve Buscemi and Simon Russell Beale. Directed by Armando Iannucci. (R. 106 minutes.)

Movie newsletter

Get the latest movie reviews, Mick LaSalles views, critics picks and more film news each week in the San Francisco Chronicles revamped movie newsletter! Sign up here for Popcorn Picks and other Chronicle and SFGATE newsletters like the Taploid, Chronicle Commuter, and breaking news alerts.
Almost 15 years have passsed since the last Tomb Raider movie, and thats more than enough time for Hollywood types to figure out what was wrong with the original franchise (everything) and to start building a new one. By casting Alicia Vikander, the series takes a first step in the right direction. Instead of going for the robot-superhero vibe cultivated by Angelina Jolie, Vikander seems human, vulnerable and refreshingly normal.

The new movie also cuts down on a lot of the computer-generated action that made half the scenes in the original movies look like something blown-up from a computer screen. Thats an improvement, too. But story problems tank the new Tomb Raider  small, essential things like lack of motivation, lack of reasons for people to do the things they do and lack of any reason for the audience to keep watching.

At the start of the film, Lara Croft is a wannabe kickboxer in London, making a living doing deliveries on bicycle. Shes in debt to the gym where she works out, but wait  we find out that, actually, shes rich. If she would only sign the inheritance papers, she would be worth something like a billion dollars. But she is reluctant to do so, because she wants to believe that her father (Dominic West), who disappeared seven years ago, is still alive.

So right away, the movie contains something nonsensical. Whats the harm of signing the papers? If he shows up, she can always give him back the money. A few scenes later, she finally does break down and go to her lawyers office to sign the papers ... but then, no, she again stops herself. This time she refuses because she thinks she knows where her father is, and she needs to travel across the world to find or perhaps rescue him.

Again, thats even more nonsensical. Travel takes money, and rescues from exotic locations take even more. Were she a billionaire, she could hire an army to assist her. Instead shes on her own, a young woman with a disconcerting habit of falling off of things  hills, bridges, rocks, cave walls  and catching herself with one hand, so that she keeps hanging precariously over 200-foot drops. This kind of thing rarely happens in life, but it happens to her, on average, every five minutes. Bad luck, I guess.

Laras father was in search of the tomb of an ancient queen, but  and this a huge problem with the story  he didnt exactly want to find it. He wanted to prevent other people from finding it because he was sure that removing the queen from her grave would result in a million deaths. As motivations go, that is actually rather limp. And when Lara shows up on the scene, she compounds the problem. She doesnt want to find the tomb, either. She just wants to find her father.

Along the way, she runs into a rather sinister character (Walton Goggins) leading a prospecting team in search of the tomb. But hes just working for a company. He hates his job. He just wants to go home. So he doesnt really want to find the tomb, either, except to get it over with.

Do you see the dramatic problem here? Everybody in the movie is looking for a tomb, but nobody cares anything about the tomb. Now the way it works in movies is that if the people on screen care passionately about something, we in the audience can maybe start caring a little, too. But if they barely care about what theyre doing, how can we expect, for example, to get worked up when three indifferent people finally get to a tomb and walk in?

The answer is we cant, so Tomb Raider has no hold on us, besides a single loose one: It is very easy to like Vikander, and so we end up caring about Crofts physical safety. The filmmakers seem to know that, which is why they keep dangling her from a ledge every five minutes. But thats no cure for story problems, just a temporary distraction, and even that trick has diminishing returns as the movie drags on.

Mick LaSalle is The San Francisco Chronicles movie critic. Email: mlasalle@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MickLaSalle

Tomb Raider

Action. Starring Alicia Vikander and Dominic West. Directed by Dominic West. (PG-13. 118 minutes.)

Movie newsletter

Get the latest movie reviews, Mick LaSalles views, critics picks and more film news each week in the San Francisco Chronicles revamped movie newsletter! Sign up here for Popcorn Picks and other Chronicle and SFGATE newsletters like the Taploid, Chronicle Commuter, and breaking news alerts.
West Harris County residents will vote in a May 22 runoff to elect a justice of the peace in Precinct 5, Place 2 from the top two vote-getters in the March 6 Republican Primary.

Jeff Williams, who's served as judge since January 2011, received 13,482 votes, but Mike Wolfe, an assistant director of government affairs for the Harris County district clerk, received 16,981 votes. J.R. Harris received 6,414 votes in the primary.

Harris is an assistant county attorney for the Harris County Attorney's Office. Wolfe also serves on the Harris County Department of Education's board of trustees.

Wolfe emailed, "I am extraordinarily happy at the results in the first round of voting in the race for Justice of the Peace for Precinct 5, Place 2. I ran a positive straight forward campaign and we strongly finished the first leg of this race right about where I anticipated we would."

Williams said on Facebook: "I am in a runoff for re-election as Justice of the Peace. I am thankful for all those who have helped and supported me in reaching this stage. It has been a hard fought battle withstanding negative 'fake news,' but I am still standing and will continue fighting for the citizens of Pct 5 to have a fair, experienced and competent Judge who wants to see justice done in the many legal petitions and counter petitions that come before me. My heart goes out to the many fine and accomplished judges and candidates whose careers and service have been untimely cut short through the politics of this last primary. I plead for the voters to do their own research and not rely solely on slates of candidates sent through the mail. An uninformed vote is worse than no vote."

Harris emailed, "We ran a clean campaign and I'm proud of the positive response we received from the community on Election Day. I saw people excited to hear our message about using modern technology to make our Justice Court run more efficiently. I had hoped to bring tangible changes to the court that jurors, litigants, and law enforcement would notice and appreciate. Although we didn't win this election, I'm dedicated to making Harris County government work for the people it serves with efficiency and thoughtfulness. I feel a renewed sense of energy and purpose and can't wait to share it with my family and friends.

"I'd like to thank my wife, Renee, whose enthusiasm, love, and support has no bounds. We also offer a sincere and heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted, supported, and volunteered their time."

One of the busiest Justice of the Peace Courts in Harris County, the Precinct 5, Place 2 office was displaced from the Harris County Annex at 16715 Clay Road by Hurricane Harvey. Since October, court has been in session at temporary quarters at 6127 Texas 6 N, a former pizza restaurant. The county annex building is targeted to be ready by early April, according to Rich Elwood, manager of construction, Harris County Engineering Department.

Wolfe thanked for their support friends and fellow elected officials. "I could not have garnered over 46 percent of the vote in a three-man race without their support," he added.

"My message of going back to the basics of the job and focusing on the cases of that court is what carried the day for my campaign," Wolfe said.

During the upcoming campaign, Williams said, "Some things I will do little bit differently that I think will make a difference."

Wolfe said, "I will run a campaign about the future focused on the basics of the need for law and order in Precinct 5."

"As JP, I will not be looking to double or triple my taxpayer funded salary by also doing marriages as a side business," said Wolfe. "I will strongly advocate for the Texas Legislature to require judges who perform weddings to do them for free as a service to the people of Texas."

Williams said, "I feel I have an obligation to honor all legal marriage licenses that come to me."
On Aug. 12, 32-year-old Heather Heyer was tragically killed and at least 19 others were wounded when a driver plowed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters during the weekend of the infamous "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, the close-knit college town where I went to school and where I live now.

I saw this happen right in front of me. To me, it was clearly deliberate. I captured that horrible moment on my phone's camera, shared the video with police and posted it on social media. Not long after that, I was verbally attacked by InfoWars's Alex Jones and other conspiracy theorists, who wanted to portray me as a "deep state" operative motivated by a desire to undermine President Donald Trump and his administration. As a result, my family and I have been attacked and threatened.

That's why I'm suing for defamation.

My footage was covered on cable news and ran all over the internet. During interviews I spoke clearly about the hatred and violence on display that day. After that, websites such as InfoWars and the Gateway Pundit started pushing conspiracy theories.

From InfoWars: "They had known CIA and State Department officials in Charlottesville, first tweeting, first being on MSNBC, CNN, NBC. The mayor is involved. Everybody is a cut-out."

Also from InfoWars: "One guy is paid 320 thousand a year on the payroll of Soros. He doesn't just get money from Soros, he personally is paid 320 a year, and then he is there - CIA, State Department - and he is on the news."

And from Gateway Pundit: "The random Charlottesville observer who was interviewed by MSNBC and liberal outlets turns out to be a deep state shill with links to George Soros. It looks like the State Department was involved in Charlottesville rioting and is trying to cover it up. But after Deep State got caught they are trying to erase this guy from their records."

As I state in my suit, these statements are all aimed at me, meant to defame me and, in each case, contain disgusting fabrications.

After the conspiracy theories about me spread online, my family and I were subject to harassment, threats, hate mail and hacking attempts. Someone mailed an envelope containing a suspicious white powder residue and a four-page diatribe describing how I would burn in hell. I've been accosted on the street in Charlottesville and the harassment continues to this day.

If you search Google for my name and "deep state," you get a raft of accusations that I'm an operative with an agenda - with a few even claiming I helped organize genocide. My professional and personal lives have been irreparably harmed by these blatant falsehoods and targeted character assassination. Business colleagues willing to discuss the allegations with me have described their shock on reading the conspiracies - it is anyone's guess how many others have read similar smears and avoided contact altogether. I'm a musician, and fellow musicians whom I know, and looked up to growing up, have fallen prey to lies about me, joining those tarnishing my name online. I find myself constantly looking over my shoulder and have had to beef up my personal security after consulting with law enforcement professionals.

I'm far from their only victim. From Charlottesville to Sandy Hook to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the playbook is easy to follow: After national tragedies, faceless Internet trolls push baseless, dangerous accusations that are magnified by outlets such as InfoWars in an attempt to turn villains into victims and vice versa.

In this era of social media saturation, ordinary citizens like me increasingly capture breaking news and, out of a feeling of civic duty, share it online. At the end of the day, I'm just a concerned member of a community that saw itself become a white supremacist flashpoint, and I'm certainly not part of any secret government effort to undermine Trump.

I decided to sue InfoWars, the individual behind Gateway Pundit and others because of the stunning effect their absurd dispatches have had on me and my family. But also because of the danger they pose to our country. These outlets have hundreds of thousands, if not millions of followers and, in the case of InfoWars and Gateway Pundit, have been granted White House press credentials. When they go after ordinary citizens like me, there are real consequences.

I decided to sue because no one should have to suffer this type of deliberate vilification - falsehoods spread about who they are and what they stand for - or be subject to harassment from professional conspiracy-mongers just because they witnessed a tragedy and accurately reported what they saw.

Fact-based journalism is essential to a healthy democracy, because it provides citizens with objective information on issues of public concern. InfoWars and Gateway Pundit do the opposite - poisoning our civic discourse by distorting the truth and blurring the line between news and propaganda.

I became a target because I captured images of an attack on peaceful anti-racist protesters exercising their right to freely express themselves. Because these sites couldn't argue with the video, they opted to obscure the truth by trying to discredit me.

We're all harmed when these outlets recklessly disregard plain facts, defame the innocent and use the power of social media to amplify a bogus narrative. With the help of Georgetown Law's Civil Rights Clinic, I brought this suit because Americans cannot stand idly by while these people terrorize individuals and undermine the pillars of our society. One lawsuit won't stop them, but I do hope that the legal process can expose them for what they are: snake oil salesmen who know full well that the conspiracy theories they peddle are full of lies.

---

Gilmore works in rural workforce development to bring IT jobs to underserved communities in rural Virginia and is a senior director for Clean Virginia. He was chief of staff to 2017 gubernatorial campaign of former Rep. Tom Perriello, D-Va. He served in the U.S. Foreign Service and is currently on leave from the Department of State.
WASHINGTON - In a major setback for Republicans, the House rejected "right-to-try" legislation Tuesday evening that would have allowed seriously ill patients to bypass the Food and Drug Administration to get access to experimental treatments.

The vote came after a spirited debate in which GOP lawmakers portrayed the measure, which was strongly backed by President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as a last chance at survival for desperately ill patients. Democrats said the bill would weaken critical FDA protections without addressing the fundamental obstacles to experimental drugs.

Republican backers brought up the measure under a suspension of the rules, which does not allow for amendments and requires approval from two-thirds of those present to pass. The legislation failed on a vote of 259 to 140.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee who vehemently opposed the bill, said in a statement that the vote meant the House had "protected patients and supported the FDA's continued role in approving experimental treatments that may help save a patient's life." He said the legislation should not have been brought to the floor under the abbreviated process, rather than through the regular procedure that includes committee consideration.

The Republicans pushing the legislation, Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and Health Subcommittee Chairman Michael Burgess, R-Texas, expressed disappointment at the outcome. "For months we sought to strike the right balance by allowing patients greater access to these unapproved treatments and therapies while also ensuring proper patient protections," they said in a joint statement. "This bill does just that."

The vote capped an emotionally charged debate that kicked into high gear over the weekend after Walden and Burgess released their bill and said they planned a quick floor vote. The Senate passed a similar measure last summer that was pushed by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

On Monday, more than 75 patient groups, including the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association and the Cystic Fibrosis Association, had sent a letter to House leaders saying the bill "would not increase access to promising therapies" because it didn't deal with the main barriers to experimental drugs - the cost of drugs and company restrictions on making therapies available outside of clinical trials.

And by skirting the FDA, the letter added, the proposed right-to-try pathway would be "less safe" for patients than the agency's existing program, called expanded access, for overseeing the use of unapproved therapies outside of trials.

The groups' opposition came as the conservative Goldwater Institute and other supporters of the bill touted it as a critical lifeline for desperate patients who are ineligible for clinical trials. Thirty-eight states have passed right-to-try laws, and a federal law would block the government from preventing patients from taking advantage of them.

"Right to Try provides a new path for people who are out of options," said a letter circulated by Goldwater and signed by 20 groups, including the Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs, Fire Fighters with Parkinson's disease and Cures Within Reach. Under the House legislation, patients first would have had to exhaust all other treatments, and the experimental drugs would have had to complete preliminary safety testing.

The Institute blamed the legislation's failure on "scare tactics, falsehoods and innuendo."

The intense, emotional debate surrounding the issue masked a fundamental question: Would a federal right-to-try law have much impact on patients?

The FDA's expanded-access program, which receives more than 1,000 requests a year for experimental drugs, already approves 99 percent of the appeals. But drug companies often balk at providing experimental drugs outside of clinical trials, and the federal right-to-try legislation did not compel pharmaceutical firms to provide sought-after therapies.

"This is a right-to-ask bill, not a right-to-try bill," Holly Fernandez Lynch, assistant professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, said of the House measure.

The House bill did include some changes from the Senate legislation that were designed to assuage concerns raised by critics and by FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. In congressional testimony in October, Gottlieb suggested that lawmakers limit the scope of the legislation to avoid undercutting the FDA's drug-review process.

Under the Senate bill, for example, patients are eligible for right to try if they have a "life-threatening disease or condition." Gottlieb suggested that the category be narrowed to the "terminally ill." The House bill, taking a step in that direction, said patients would be eligible if they are likely to die in a "matter of months" or have a disease that would result in "significant irreversible morbidity that is likely to lead to severely premature death."

Republican committee aides said that the House legislation also included more robust informed consent requirements than the Senate bill and would have required that doctors immediately notify the FDA about adverse events, something the Senate legislation does not include. Under both chambers' bills, the FDA could consider adverse events as part of a drug-approval review, but only if such complications are "critical to determining the safety" of the drug.

The House bill broadened liability protections to manufacturers and others who are taking part either in the right-to-try pathway or in the expanded-access program.

Right-to-try advocates say the legislation - by simplifying and shortening the process for obtaining unapproved drugs and by expanding and clarifying the liability protection - would have encouraged more patients, doctors and pharmaceutical firms to participate.

Critics celebrated its demise. "We applaud the House members who voted against the seriously flawed False Hope legislation, which would have created a dangerous, uncharted pathway for accessing experimental medications that have not been shown to be safe or effective," said Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, said in a statement. "The bill would have exposed vulnerable patients to risks of serious harm, including dying earlier and more painfully than they otherwise would have, without appropriate safeguards."
LONDON - Britain ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats believed involved in espionage-related activities, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Wednesday, in the first wave of measures against Moscow for a nerve-gas attack against a former double agent.

May, speaking to Parliament, also outlined a range of other steps, including a halt to high-level meetings with Russian officials and calling off a planned visit to Britain by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

May repeated the conclusion of British investigators that Russia had either deployed or lost control of dangerous nerve agents used in the attack - targeting the former spy and his daughter - and called Russia's defiant response has "demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events."

"Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance," she told lawmakers while announcing the reprisal measures.

She gave no further details on the Russian diplomats ordered expelled, but said they were deemed "undeclared intelligence officers." She called it the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats from Britain since Cold War-era retribution in the 1970s.

May said more countermeasures were being considered. She said Britain sought support from the United States, European Union and NATO, but did not outline any requests she made from allies to join in the reprisals.

Lawmakers in Parliament asked May pointedly what Britain's allies were willing to do - and she mostly evaded the question, except to say that they had offered Britain support.

Earlier, Britain's Foreign Ministry also called for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council to update members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack. Russia, as part of the permanent five nations on the council, holds veto power over any possible U.N. moves to come.

"It is not in our national interest to break off all dialogue between the United Kingdom and the Russian federation. But in the aftermath of this appalling act against our country this relationship cannot be the same," May said in Parliament.

On Monday, May asserted that it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind a poison attack and gave the Russian government a deadline to explain itself and where the rare and powerful "weapons-grade" nerve agent came from.

As expected, May's deadline passed on Wednesday and Russia did not respond - or did not respond with the details or explanations that Britain sought.

Instead, Russian officials and state media assailed the British for whipping up "anti-Russia hysteria." The Kremlin rejected the "unfounded accusations" and shrugged off British demands.

British politicians and commentators said May could employ a range of diplomatic and financial sanctions - from clamping down on Russian oligarchs' property-buying binge in London to tossing out embassy staff.

May could also ask the European Union, or even NATO, to join in a response to what she described as a "reckless" and "indiscriminate" attack, which not only endangered the lives of its two principal victims, the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, but also potentially exposed scores of others to the nerve agent, including a police officer who remains hospitalized.

Skripal was jailed in Russia in 2006 for selling state secrets to British intelligence for 10 years, but he was released in 2010 as part of a high-profile spy swap. He and his daughter remain in critical condition at a Salisbury hospital.

A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said the British leader discussed the attack with President Donald Trump, who said Washington was "with the U.K. all the way" that Russia "must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used."

In his last remarks, just hours after being fired by Trump via Twitter, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned, "much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government."

Tillerson warned, "Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly. Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

May also spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "They agreed that the international community should coordinate closely as the investigation developed and in the wake of Russia's response," said her spokesman.

Russia essentially blew off May's midnight deadline for an explanation of how deadly Novichok nerve gas appeared on the streets of the quiet medieval town of Salisbury, famous for its nearby ruins of Stonehenge.

Various officials and commentators made it clear that Moscow would call her bluff.

After Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told Britain on Tuesday that Moscow had no intention of responding to May's ultimatum, the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dialed up the heat on an evening talk show on one of the leading state-run channels.

"No one can come before their national parliament and say: I give Russia 24 hours," said Zakharova, "What kind of conversation is that in principle?" She then appeared to chastise London for not behaving like a nuclear power, and took a shot at Boris Johnson.

"When a country's Foreign Ministry is led by people who have absolutely nothing to do with foreign policy, who have built their career around populism, they have no idea either about the organization for the prohibition of nuclear weapons or the relevant [chemical weapons convention]."

"To them, it is normal to go out and start intimidating," Zakharova said. "Don't. There is no need."

In a conference call with journalists in Moscow Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that theories surrounding Skripal's poisoning are not the Kremlin's problem. He reiterated that Moscow's official position, that it was not involved and demands proof, has been delivered through diplomatic channels.

Peskov said that Moscow does not accept London's accusations and hopes the West will come to their senses and engage Russia in a joint investigation into the poisoning of Skripal.

Regarding possible British actions against Russia today, Peskov said that "any unlawful actions against any Russian media outlets in the UK will, of course, lead to reciprocal measures backed the principle of reciprocity." So far, no one in Russia has specified which outlets a response would apply to, thought they have suggested that every British outlet could be targeted.

So far, Foreign Minister Lavrov is the most senior Russian official to comment on May's ultimatum. President Vladimir Putin, according to his press service, was traveling to Russia's southern Dagestan Republic.

- - -

Bodner reported from Moscow. Karla Adam in London contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON - Democratic lawmakers slammed the "dysfunction of the administration," which has now "bled into the VA," and demanded to know "who's calling the shots," amid reports that President Donald Trump is looking to oust embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin.

Rep. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, expressed anger over media reports of the pending demise of Shulkin.

"We woke up this morning, and we don't know by the end of today who our VA secretary will be," the congressman said, leaning into the table and speaking loudly. "I don't expect, but would have certainly appreciated, some consultation since we have worked on these issues for decades. We need stability in the VA, in the of VA culture. . .this is our VA."

"You can come here and hold us accountable. It's harder to have that down at Pennsylvania avenue," he said.

Shulkin, the lone Obama administration holdover, has been beating back an insurgency within his department by conservative forces who want to move more health care outside the department.

His tenure has also been bruised by recent investigations into his travel to Europe with his wife.

Trump is reportedly telling aides he might replace Shulkin as part of a broader shake-up of his Cabinet, according to three advisers to the president. Senior White House officials said Shulkin could be forced out within days.

Jon Tester, D-Mont., said the drama around reports that Shulkin's own staff was trying to sabotage him was "hampering reforms for the agency," which serves 9 million former troops including their health care, home loans. and the benefits.

"The president has to decide if he is going to back Shulkin to do his job or if he is going to go with political interests. . ." he said. "We need to go who's calling the shots. We have been at war for too long."

Tester said some of the initiatives to reform VA have been hindered for months and "this is very disturbing to me because we send young men and women off to war and they come back changed. But we have an obligation to take care of you if we have changed."

A physician and former hospital executive who won unanimous confirmation by the Senate last year, Shulkin, 58, has so far been able to hold onto his job. And Trump as recently as this summer told him that he would never Trump's old reality-show catchphrase, "You're fired."

Stories were circulating Tuesday that Trump was considering moving Energy Secretary Rick Perry over to VA. But the former Texas governor, speaking after a Senate hearing, said he had no interest in swapping jobs.

"I am energy secretary from now until the foreseeable future. Happily," Perry said, according to the Associated Press.

Whoever steps into his job is beset by challenges, including an alarming veteran suicide rate of 20 per day; overuse of opiates; a shortage of doctors and nurses and a backlog in disability claims that has shifted in recent years from initial applications to appeals.
Djibouti's government will embrace greater Chinese involvement in the nation's ports and sees no reasons for U.S. concern that its strategic interests may be threatened, Finance Minister Ilyas Dawaleh said.

The Horn of Africa country is embroiled in a dispute with DP World over the running of the Doraleh Container Terminal and has struck a deal to boost cargo trade with a company working with Chinese state-owned enterprises. It would be "ridiculous" to imagine that China could restrict or deny U.S. access to Doraleh as a result of the deal, Dawaleh said.

"Djibouti's development needs all its friends and strategic partners," he said. "At the same time, no one can dictate to us who we should deal with."

Situated on a global shipping choke-point that links the Red Sea and Suez Canal, Djibouti has become increasingly important to regional and world powers. Smaller than the state of Massachusetts, it hosts the largest U.S. military base in Africa and China's first such overseas facility, which was inaugurated in August, also in the Doraleh area.

U.S. Africa Command Gen. Thomas Waldhauser warned last week that a Chinese takeover of Doraleh could have "significant" consequences if there were restrictions on the U.S.'s ability to use the facility.

Djiboutian officials assured the American ambassador there's "no intention to eventually give this over to China," Waldhauser said at a House Armed Services Committee hearing before a visit by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Djibouti March 9. "We'll have to wait and see. The key at that point is who owns the company and how it works."

Societe de Gestion du Terminal a Conteneurs de Doraleh, a state-owned company created to take over the operations of DCT, signed an agreement March 5 with Singapore-based Pacific International Lines to boost cargo traffic, according to a statement by Djibouti's permanent mission to the United Nations. The deal came a fortnight after a presidential decree terminated DP World's management of the port.

The Djiboutian government is seeking guidance from DP World on what the company plans to do with its one-third stake in DCT, Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf said in a March 1 interview that. The United Arab Emirates government denounced the "illegal seizure" and said state-owned DP World has begun arbitration proceedings to protect its rights.

"Other similar strategic players have already expressed their desire to be involved in the expansion of DCT," the Djiboutian mission to the UN said. While the government is currently only dealing with the management transition, if DPW "would like to sell, then Djibouti's government has the exclusive right to buy," Dawaleh said.

PIL has described a memorandum of understanding it signed with China Merchants Port Holdings Co. in August as a "strategic alliance" and "another result" of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt & Road Initiative, a ports and infrastructure project aimed at forging new links between Europe, Asia and Africa.

State-owned China Merchants already has a stake in the DCT through Port de Djibouti, a holding company that owns a two-thirds stake in the container terminal, Dawaleh said.
Three men - including the owner of a company that submitted a bid to build President Donald Trump's border wall - bombed a Minnesota mosque in an attempt to drive Muslims out of the United States, according to a federal complaint.

The three men from rural Illinois were arrested and charged Tuesday after one of them said that they were responsible for bombing the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in a Minneapolis suburb last summer.

Michael McWhorter told federal agents that the trio did not intend to kill anyone, but wanted to "scare" Muslims "out of the country" and to "show them hey, you're not welcome here, get the f--- out," according to the complaint filed Tuesday.

The bombing on Aug. 5, 2017 did not result in injuries or deaths. Still, it amplified fears throughout Muslim communities in Minnesota, where many Somali migrants have settled. A Pew Research Center survey released in July 2017 found that 75 percent of American Muslims felt there was "a lot" of discrimination against Muslims in the U.S.

Muslim leaders criticized Trump for not condemning the bombing, prompting Sebastian Gorka, at the time a White House national security adviser, to defend the president's silence.

"There's a great rule: all initial reports are false," Gorka said in August, citing a number of "alleged hate crimes . . . that turned out to actually have been propagated by the left."

The federal complaint, however, makes clear that wasn't the case with the predawn bombing of the mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota.

McWhorter, 29, told investigators last week that he and the others each had specific roles in the bombing.

McWhorter said Michael Hari, 47, was the bomb-maker and driver, and Joe Morris, 22, was responsible for breaking one of the center's windows, he said.

And McWhorter said he himself threw a homemade PVC pipe bomb into the building. According to the court documents, McWhorter described the explosive as a "huge a-- black powder bomb."

The three men have been charged with arson, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota said in a news release. It's unclear if the men will face additional charges; a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately responded to a call seeking comment.

Attorneys for Hari and Morris, who appeared in federal court in Illinois on Tuesday, were not immediately available, either. No attorney has yet been listed for McWhorter, whose initial court appearance has not been scheduled.

McWhorter also admitted that the mosque bombing was part of a larger spree of illegal activity, according to the federal complaint.

The three men tried to bomb an Illinois abortion clinic three months later, he said, but their device didn't explode. Court records say a secretary at the Women's Health Practice in Champaign, Illinois, came to work one morning in early November to find a smashed window, broken glasses and a PVC pipe bomb inside a surgical room.

The following month, McWhorter said, the trio also robbed an Indiana home they believed belonged to a Hispanic drug dealer. Armed with automatic weapons, McWhorter and the others posed as police officers executing a search warrant but did not find any cash, he told investigators. He said they also robbed three Walmart stores in Illinois.

While the court documents largely revolve around McWhorter's statements, perhaps the most compelling figure in the federal complaint is Hari, the alleged bomb-maker and driver.

According to public records, Hari owns a business called Crisis Resolution Security Services, which last year submitted a design proposal for Trump's wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. A 4 1/2-minute YouTube video presentation posted in April called it "The Great Western IBW (International Border Wall)," which would be made of stone bricks reminiscent of the Great Wall of China.

The wall, a video narrator said, would follow existing highways and would not be built right on the border, to avoid disrupting private property. It would be made with 26-foot concrete walls sitting on a 30-foot packed earth berm. Its top would be a 22-foot-wide pedestrian roadway. It also would have arched bridges guarded by border security officials.

The cost, the video claimed, would be nearly $10.9 billion - cheaper than the Trump administration's estimates.

"The wall will be culturally significant, a powerful architectural statement of the determination of the American people to defend their nation and its Anglo-Saxon heritage, western culture and English language," the narrator said, adding: "The wall exists to protect the economic rights of the U.S. population and to protect our way of life from other people who have different value systems. This proposal defends and values border property rights of U.S. citizens. The wall embodies patriotic value for ages."

"Build that wall," the narrator said as the video ended. "Make America great again."

Hari, a former sheriff's deputy, told the Chicago Tribune in April that he foresaw his proposed wall as a possible tourist destination.

"They can use it for patrolling, but it's more for the public," he said. "People can go up there, walk it or bicycle it. We're probably the only ones who have submitted a proposal making it recreational."

The federal investigation into Hari and the other two men began in December after a confidential source gave authorities several pictures of guns and bomb-making materials that allegedly belonged to Hari.

There was also a picture of a book that included instructions on how to create thermite, a powder mixture that explodes when ignited and is used in incendiary bombs, court records state.

Another source who previously worked for Hari told investigators that Morris and McWhorter had talked about the mosque and abortion center incidents while they were all drinking one night. Morris claimed that Hari was going to pay them $18,000 for their participation in the mosque bombing, court records say.

McWhorter also told investigators that the three of them had planted explosive devices at the property of a man identified as J.O. in an effort to get that person in trouble.

On Feb. 19, 2018, ATF received an anonymous tip about "a possible terrorism threat" involving J.O. who had been buying "wierd [sic] chemicals like nail polish remover and battery acide" [sic], the tipster wrote, according to court records.

The tip, laden with misspellings and a racial slur, further said:

"i thought he was making meth because he has science things like beakers too but he said no it is for a n----- schredder and he has four big black suitcases in his shed and a little greay bag and they are full of stuff like pipes and caps and wires nails and he told me to watch the news this week . . . i am afraid someone will get hurt is someone doesnt do something i also sent something about it to the newspaper so if you just blow it off like you did that school schooter kid in florida the press will know you got a tip so you better check it out . . ."

McWhorter told investigators that Hari was the one who sent the tip.

J.O. and his wife told authorities that they did not know anything about the devices discovered on their property, and they believe Hari had placed them there. Investigators found a pipe bomb attached to a small green propane tank - similar to tanks that Hari owned, court records state.
MOUNT LEBANON, Pa. - A special election for a U.S. House seat was too close to call late Tuesday as Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone were separated by several hundred votes in a race that had become a test of President Donald Trump's political clout.

With several thousand absentee and provisional ballots outstanding, Lamb earned 49.8 percent of votes cast and Saccone earned 49.6 percent, with 100 percent of precincts reporting according to the Associated Press, which said the race was too close to project a winner.

A recount is possible if the candidates are separated by 0.5 percentage points or less.

Shortly before midnight, Saccone told his supporters that "it's not over yet."

At Lamb's party, exhausted backers groaned when told to keep waiting for more ballots to be counted. Rich Fitzgerald, the Democratic Allegheny County executive, offered an upbeat assessment. "We like where we are," Fitzgerald said.

Confident that the absentee ballots would not erase the lead held by Lamb, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee declared victory for him; the National Republican Congressional Committee said it was confident of a Saccone victory "after every legal vote is counted."

Lamb, 33, had waged an energetic campaign in the district that Trump carried by nearly 20 points in 2016 but that opened up after the Republican incumbent was felled by scandal. Republicans cited that scandal, along with the lackluster campaign of their nominee, Rick Saccone, to minimize the closeness of the race. The district itself will disappear this year, thanks to a court decision that struck down a Republican-drawn map.

But led by the White House, Republicans had elevated the race to a high-stakes referendum on the president and the GOP. Trump made two appearances with Saccone, including a Saturday-night rally in the district, and his son Donald Trump Jr. stumped with the Republican on Monday. The president repeatedly linked his brand to Saccone.

"The Economy is raging, at an all time high, and is set to get even better," the president tweeted on Tuesday morning. "Jobs and wages up. Vote for Rick Saccone and keep it going!"

Republican campaign committees and super PACs spent $10.7 million to help Saccone, more than five times as much as their Democratic rivals, according to Federal Election Commission records filed Monday night.

Thanks to the court's scrambling of the congressional map, both Lamb and Saccone may well become candidates in new districts before a winner is declared in the 18th Congressional District. Candidates must collect and file 1,000 signatures for those races by March 20 - the day that some overseas ballots in Tuesday's race will be counted.

The district, a stretch of suburbs and small towns that was drawn to elect a Republican, was not the sort of place that Democrats had been expected to make competitive this year. Lamb's coalition pulled together suburban liberals, wayward Republicans and traditional Democrats who had drifted from the party on cultural issues.

The tight race added to Republican woes on a day that began with the surprise firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and a string of related dismissals. Republicans who hoped to fight the Pennsylvania race on the growing economy, and on the president's new tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, found the White House frequently alienating some of the voters they needed.

As voters made their decisions Tuesday, Trump loomed large in the minds of many.

Amelia Fletcher, a registered independent from Moon Township, cast her first-ever ballot for Saccone because she likes Trump's agenda and believes he will support it.

"I really don't appreciate how he talks, but I like what he's doing now to help us out," the 18-year-old high school senior said of Trump.

In Mount Lebanon, Dave Banyan, 65, said that he had made up his mind on the race "as soon as President Trump was President Trump." He said he did not want Democrats to get one vote closer to controlling the House of Representatives.

"I don't want America to go back to the way it was" under President Barack Obama, said Banyan, a retired transportation worker. "Obamacare killed me. Dreamers - keep dreamin', you know?"

However, several voters who said they were Republicans were casting their ballots for Lamb - and against Trump.

Janet Dellana, 64, said that Lamb had impressed her as a candidate and that "national politics" had already been moving her toward the Democrats.

In the wake of school shootings across the country, Dellana said she had been outraged to see Trump call for arming teachers instead of limiting access to semiautomatic weapons.

"He flip-flops on everything, but in the end, he caters to the extreme right," said the dental hygienist. "I am a registered Republican, but as this party continues to cater to the extreme right, they push me left."

Mindy Barron, a 31-year-old ICU nurse from Greensburg, called Lamb "not a real hard-line Democrat." A Republican, she supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and said her choice to support another Democrat on Tuesday reflected dissatisfaction with Trump.

Lamb suits the district "really well," she said, noting the area's "strong red presence."

In addition to Trump's rally to boost Saccone, the White House sent Vice President Mike Pence and White House advisers Kellyanne Conway and Ivanka Trump to the district. And Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced new funding for mine reclamation at a town just outside the district, with Saccone in attendance.

The Republican spent the final hours of the campaign on Monday evening with Donald Trump Jr., the president's oldest son, rallying at a VFW hall in his home town of Elizabeth and warning fellow party members that "the left" was energized politically for all the wrong reasons.

"I've talked to so many of these [people] on the left, and they have a hatred for our president," Saccone said. "I'll tell you, many of them have a hatred for our country. ... My wife and I saw it again today. They have a hatred for God."

Lamb, voting shortly before 8 a.m. at his home precinct in Mount Lebanon, said he had "no idea" what Saccone meant and rebuffed claims that the election was a referendum on the White House.

"People are voting for either me or Rick Saccone," he said. "I don't think it has a whole lot to do with the president." Asked about the president's new tariffs on steel and aluminum, Lamb emphasized that both he and Saccone had supported them.

Saccone voted Tuesday morning at Mount Vernon Presbyterian Church in McKeesport. Surrounded by reporters and television crews, he exited the polling place while on a video call with his son, an Air Force officer stationed in South Korea, declining to answer many questions.

"Hey, son! Look at this - look at this mob!" Saccone said, turning his phone's camera toward the crowd.

Robert Blose, a 68-year-old independent from Moon Township, cast his ballot for Saccone later in the day. The retired Marine said he did a lot of research on the two candidates and found himself questioning Lamb's abilities and policy views.

"I do think that he's too inexperienced," Blose said.

Blose expressed frustration with what he sees as Democrats picking and choosing which laws to enforce. "I believe in the rule of law," he said.

Another political independent, 78-year-old Eugene Galiotto, supported Trump in 2016 and planned to vote for Saccone. But he said he changed his mind after seeing the bevy of negative political ads directed at Lamb in the race.

"It disgusted me," said Galiotto, a retired travel agency owner from Elizabeth Township. "I felt like I had to come out."

Lamb ran as a protector of Social Security and Medicare who wanted "new leadership" to replace House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. In the closing days, national Republicans argued that he had blurred the lines between the parties, gaining on Saccone only because he did not sound like a Democrat.

"He's pro-gun, he's pro-tariff, he's pro-Trump, essentially," Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel said in a Monday radio interview. "It's going to be a tight, tight race when you have two people running basically for the same party."

Republicans in Pennsylvania have run with a slightly different spin, emphasizing that registered Democrats slightly outnumber registered Republicans in the rural areas south and west of Pittsburgh.

The area covered by the 18th District had been trending Republican for decades. Republican candidates for president carried the district by larger and larger margins starting in 2004, peeling traditional Democrats away from their party on issues such as abortion and gun rights.

In Waynesburg, a fading mining town about 50 miles south of Pittsburgh, one registered Republican was still making his choice as he headed into his polling place.

"What are you supposed to do?" Gary Wilson, 56, asked rhetorically, a few minutes before casting his ballot. "One's a career politician and the other one is looking to make a career out of politics."

Wilson, a supervisor at one of the area's remaining mines, ultimately voted for Saccone, but he offered only a squeamish endorsement of the president.

"He can't keep his big mouth shut, he can't stop tweeting, and he can't stop saying the wrong things at the most inopportune times," he said. "And now we've got this Stormy Daniels nonsense. It's almost like we're waiting for the next dumb thing he's going to do."

But "at least he's doing something," Wilson said after a pause. "It's definitely not politics as usual."

- - -

Viebeck reported from Washington. Scott Farwell and Kellie Gormly contributed from Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON - The leader of the House Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation seemed to back off Tuesday from the most surprising finding in the GOP's report that Russia was not trying to help President Donald Trump as the panel's top Democrat trashed the product as a political gift to the White House.

Rep. K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, told reporters Tuesday that "it's clear [Russian officials] were trying to hurt Hillary [Clinton]" by interfering in the 2016 election, and that "everybody gets to make up their own mind whether they were trying to hurt Hillary, help Trump, it's kind of glass half-full, glass half-empty."

That equivalence stands in sharp contrast to the conclusions of a 150-page, GOP-drafted report Conaway that announced to the news media on Monday that concludes that the intelligence community "didn't meet the standards" of proof necessary to determine that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election with the aim of helping Trump.

When it comes to determining whether Russia interfered to hurt Clinton or help Trump, "you can pitch that either way," Conaway said Tuesday.

His comments came after other panel Republicans, including Reps. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., and Thomas Rooney, R-Fla., gave interviews in which they stressed that there was evidence that Russia had tried to damage Clinton's candidacy.

The report's findings on Russia's intentions in interfering is just one area of the document with which Democrats on the panel took issue Tuesday after being presented with it in the morning.

The panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who called the report "not a serious work," said the document was proof that Republicans were willing only to "go through the motions of an investigation . . . to give the pretense of trying to find the truth."

Schiff added that the report was "little more than another Nunes memo in long form," likening it to the four-page document that the panel's GOP members, led by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., put out this year alleging that the FBI and Department of Justice engaged in "surveillance abuses" to monitor the activities of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Democrats accused Republicans of using the Nunes memo to undermine the Russia investigation - a charge they also applied to Tuesday's GOP report.

Schiff and other Democrats on the committee released a 22-page "status update" Tuesday night, listing the various witnesses, firms and documents that the panel had declined to subpoena or otherwise examine, and the reasons that each would be relevant to the investigation. It also lays out areas of inquiry that the minority members say the GOP abandoned by terminating the probe earlier than they would have liked.

"There were leads and investigative paths on, from my perspective, three different and major significant areas: first, on collusion, second, on money laundering, and third, on obstruction of justice," said Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democratic panel member from Texas. "At this point the majority has chosen to ignore those."

Democratic committee members pledged to forge ahead with the investigation and eventually issue their own report, although they do not have the ability to subpoena witnesses and other information without the panel chairman's buy-in.

They reserved special vitriol for the GOP's decision not to go harder after uncooperative witnesses like former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, whom Conaway had previously considered holding in contempt.

"The majority has decided they would rather shut down the investigation than find out the answers to the questions we had for Stephen K. Bannon," Schiff said. "This majority doesn't want to know the answers and it has set a precedent now that will affect future Congress' ability to get answers from the executive."
BEIJING - President Rodrigo Duterte will withdraw the Philippines from the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, according to a statement released to reporters in Manila on Wednesday.

The move comes about a month after the ICC opened a preliminary examination into thousands of deaths linked to his violent campaign against suspected drug users and dealers.

A preliminary examination is used to determine if there is a "reasonable basis" to proceed with an investigation - in this case into charges of crimes against humanity.

Duterte's statement said the decision to withdraw was due to "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks" by U.N. officials and an attempt by the ICC prosecutor to seek jurisdiction "in violation of due process and presumption of innocence."

"I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as President of the Republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately," it read.

According to the Rome Statute, a state party's withdrawal takes effect one year after the United Nations secretary general receives written notification. The statement argued that the rule does not apply because "there appears to be fraud in entering such agreement."

A number of African countries have also announced their intention to quit the ICC, including South Africa, claiming the court is biased against Africans. The African Union passed a non-binding resolution pushed by Kenya in 2017 urging members to withdraw.

The question of whether the ICC could or would investigate Duterte has been swirling since the early months of his presidency.

Since he was elected in 2016, an estimated 12,000 Filipinos have been killed, either shot dead in police operations with high death tolls and few witnesses, or assassinated by men on motorbikes, often after being named by police.

Four months into the campaign, when the death toll stood at several thousand, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said she was "deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings."

Duterte responded by taunting the court and the killings continued.

A year ago when a Philippine lawyer delivered a complaint to the ICC accusing the president and 11 associates of crimes against humanity, Duterte shrugged off the move.

The Philippines signed the Rome Statute in 2011, which means the court has jurisdiction for crimes within its mandate committed there. However, the court can only act if it is clear that local authorities have failed to investigate and prosecute crimes - and this will be the sticking point.

Duterte's fast-talking spokesman, Harry Roque, has argued that local authorities can and will investigate crimes, so there is no need - or place - for the ICC to get involved.

The Philippines will "bring to bear our national criminal justice system upon those who violate our laws," he told a gathering of ICC signatories last December.

But Duterte's government has not made public any evidence of efforts to prosecute those implicated in drug war deaths. Instead, the president has repeatedly promised to pardon, even promote, police linked to drug war killings.

Roque's "assertion that the Philippine government has been willing and able to investigate those deaths has simply not been true," wrote Param-Preet Singh, associate director of Human Rights Watch's International Justice Program in a statement published Dec. 7, 2017.

"The government's claims of its preparedness to prosecute offenders is grotesquely deceptive."
A strong police presence kept order at three Edwardsville schools Wednesday during a walkout in support of gun control.

Scheduled one month after the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., the walkout was a nationwide event, which took place at 10 a.m.

Edwardsville District 7 Superintendent Lynda Andre said small percentages of students took part in the walkouts at Edwardsville High School, Liberty Middle School and Lincoln Middle School.

Edwardsville police were stationed around those schools to maintain safety and no one not already in school was allowed on the properties.

SIUEs walkout never materialized.

Senior Matt Zahn said notices of the event were circulating on social media prior to 10 a.m. Wednesday but no students gathered on the quad.

The national walkouts began at 10 a.m. and lasted 17 minutes, one minute for each of the victims in the Florida shootings.

Andre described the walkouts at the three Edwardsville schools as very peaceful, very respectful.

She thanked the Edwardsville Police Department, Chief Jay Keeven and Mayor Hal Patton for their support and efforts.

Andre said once the walkout ended, the day proceeded as normal.

Students taking part in the walkout were instructed to walk to a space not visible from any roadway, Andre said.

EHS Principal Dennis Cramsey said keeping students safe  both those participating in the walkout and those remaining in class  was the priority.

One of the things we were able to accomplish  one of our goals  was keeping students safe and minimizing the disruption to the student environment, Cramsey said.

Cramsey estimates between 400 and 500 EHS students took part in the walkout and they conducted themselves appropriately.

Our kids are amazing, he said. They went to a secure area. It was completely student led. They handled the situation really well.

Balloons could be seen rising from behind Edwardsville High School at the time the walkout was scheduled.

Meanwhile, all was quiet on the SIUE campus as the quad was virtually empty at 10 a.m.

SIUE senior James Moss said he understood the meaning of the walkout even though he was not participating.

My class doesnt start until 10, Moss said. I do support what they are doing.

Chloe Gretak, another SIUE senior, had planned to watch the walkout. She sat on a bench in the quad for 10 minutes. When no one arrived, she left.

I think its inspiring, Gretak said. Students should definitely have a voice. They are the ones affected.
BEIRUT - Syrian President Bashar Assad is poised for another crushing military victory over his opponents, defying the United Nations, the Trump administration and the appeals of the international community by pressing ahead with one of the bloodiest offensives of the Syria war.

The death toll is surging as the Syrian army and its Russian and militia allies seek to overrun the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, the largest remaining rebel stronghold in the vicinity of the capital. Warplanes are carrying out round-the-clock bombardment of the densely populated cluster of towns and villages that rose up against Assad in 2011 and have been cut off from the outside world since 2013.

Government forces have recaptured around half of the area, and it now seems only a matter of time before Eastern Ghouta joins the list of locations clawed back from rebel control - by brute force, negotiated cease-fire or a mixture of the two.

As the largest rebel enclave on the outskirts of Damascus, Eastern Ghouta has long been a military priority for the government. Rebel artillery fired from Eastern Ghouta has for years posed the only real threat to the safety of citizens in the Damascus area. Now that loyalist forces have been freed up from other fronts, they appear intent on conquest.

"A cease-fire can't happen if one side is winning and is well down the trajectory to victory," said Faysal Itani of the Atlantic Council in Washington. "It's going to be a tough, tough fight, but they have no reason to give a cease-fire."

Doctors in Eastern Ghouta published photographs Tuesday of children they said had been burned by napalm. Chlorine bombs also have allegedly been dropped, despite warnings from senior U.S. officials that the use of chemical weapons might draw a military response.

The allegations can't be proved because Eastern Ghouta is inaccessible. But "even if we cannot verify them, we cannot ignore them," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Monday. "Syria is bleeding inside and out," he said.

The violence comes despite a U.N. Security Council-mandated cease-fire that was to take effect over two weeks ago but instead seemed only to accelerate the killing. The Eastern Ghouta health authorities estimated Tuesday that more than 1,400 people have been killed since the Feb. 18 assault on the enclave began, with 840 of those deaths occurring since the Security Council adopted a 30-day cease-fire Feb. 24.

Addressing the Security Council on Monday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the United States is prepared to act unilaterally to enforce the cease-fire if Russia does not comply.

Given its large population and distance from international borders and rebel-held territory to which the fighters and residents might easily escape, the only identifiable outcome seems to be outright military victory by the government.

The Assad government's pursuit of a military solution over a negotiated settlement to the fighting "precludes any other option," Sajjad Malik, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Damascus, said in an interview last week. "And it's really dramatic for the people. We're seeing this played out in Ghouta as never before."

A week ago, Malik accompanied the only convoy of aid to be allowed into Eastern Ghouta since November and said he was shocked by what he saw. Most people have spent the past three weeks hiding in basements and crudely built underground shelters, where conditions are rapidly deteriorating.

"There's not enough food. There's not enough medicines. There's skin rashes because they haven't washed in days. These people want either to stop the bombing or get out," said Malik, who spent seven hours in Eastern Ghouta. What he saw, he said, "will stay with me forever."

"The children are filled with trauma - you can see it in their eyes. They're tired. They're hungry," he said.

As loyalist forces retake territory, civilians are being squeezed into an ever-smaller space. About 10,000 to 15,000 people are on the run, and local authorities say displaced people are camped out on the streets and in parks in the town of Douma, the area's largest metropolis, because they have no other place to go.

In the basements and shelters, the question of whether to leave or to stay is a subject of debate. Some residents want safe passage out. Others would prefer a deal such as the one that ended the siege of Aleppo in 2016, with fighters evacuated along with any residents who wanted to depart, leaving the area under regime control.

"Our leaving the city needs assurances from the U.N. that the regime will not put us in detention and torture us. Russia is not enough to give these guarantees because they are a partner of the regime in killing our people," Naamat, who would like to leave, said from the basement she has shared with 320 people from her area for the past three weeks. She spoke on the condition that her full name not be used for reasons of safety.

But such guarantees aren't likely to materialize because there are no negotiations for any kind of deal. Guterres told the Security Council that Russia and the Syrian government had failed to respond to a U.N. effort to mediate with the largest rebel group, Jaish al-Islam, and that a separate effort with a smaller group, Faylaq al-Rahman, had foundered because of a dispute over where negotiations should take place.

On Tuesday, 31 chronically ill patients were evacuated from Eastern Ghouta under the terms of an agreement negotiated last year with the rebels that was never fully implemented. They were people with diseases such as cancer, diabetes and kidney failure who cannot be treated in the primitive medical facilities of Ghouta, and they were joined by around 140 relatives who took the chance to escape. Those critically injured by the bombardments were not part of the deal, even though at least 1,000 are in need of lifesaving care, according to the United Nations.

Humanitarian corridors opened by the government have drawn few people. Some residents told Malik that the rebels were preventing them from leaving.

Residents say the bombardments don't stop for long enough for people to dare leave their basements to reach the crossing points. But even if they dared, residents fear what would happen when they encountered government forces across the front line.

In at least three towns in the area, local residents have staged pro-government demonstrations in recent days, waving the Syrian flag and denouncing the anti-Assad rebellion. "We don't want freedom any more. We want national unity," a small crowd chanted this past Friday in the town of Kfar Batna.

The demonstrations were held in a bid to deter the Syrian government from bombarding the area, said Naamat. "They did that because they want only for the bombing to stop. They are trying to stop the regime and save their lives," she said.

---

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul and Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.
Scientists studying a remote and icy stretch of the North Atlantic have found new evidence that fresh water, likely melted from Greenland or Arctic sea ice, may already be altering a key process that helps drives the global circulation of the oceans.

In chilly waters on either side of Greenland, the ocean circulation "overturns," as surface waters traveling northward become colder and more dense and eventually sink, traveling back southward toward Antarctica at extreme depths. This key sinking process is called convection. But too much fresh water at the surface could interfere with it because with less salt, the water loses density and does not sink as easily.

In the new research, Marilena Oltmanns and two colleagues at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, found that following particularly warm summers in the remote Irminger Sea, convection tended to be more impaired in winter. In some cases, a layer of meltwater stayed atop the ocean into the next year, rather than vanishing into its depths as part of the overturning circulation, which has sometimes been likened to an ocean "conveyor belt."

"Until now, models have predicted something for the future . . . but it was something that seemed very distant," said Oltmanns, the lead scientist behind the research, which was published this week in Nature Climate Change.

"But now we saw with these observations that there is actually freshwater and that it is already affecting convection, and it delays convection quite a lot in some years," she continued.

One caution is that this is an observational study, not a prediction for the future - and Oltmanns said "nobody really knows" how much freshwater is enough to significantly slow or shut down the circulation, which is technically called the "Atlantic meridional overturning circulation," or AMOC. Still, it suggests that key processes that have raised long-standing concern are already happening.

To collect the data, Oltmanns and her team ventured by ship out into the Irminger Sea to the southeast of Greenland. There, they read data from ocean moorings that take measurements of the character of the waters in key regions of ocean convection. The researchers now have a 13-year record to draw upon from this area.

In winter, cold air chills the northward-flowing surface water in this region enough to cause it to become denser and sink. But meltwater interferes with and delays this process because, lacking salinity, it is less dense and so less prone to sink.

In the high meltwater years, the ocean is also just warmer overall, the study found. That also delays the onset of convection because it is harder for the ocean surface layer to lose enough heat to sink, Oltmanns said.

Either way, these processes create a situation in which meltwater may not sink entirely below the surface - instead, it can linger. This then creates the possibility that, lasting through the winter, it could join up with even more meltwater the following summer.

The study found that in one year, 2010, 40 percent of fresh meltwater managed to linger in the Irminger Sea over winter and into the next year.

"It means that if there is less time for convection, there is less time to remove the freshwater from the upper layer," Oltmanns said. "And in spring, the new freshwater comes. And it is possible that there is a threshold, that if there is a lot of freshwater that stays at the surface, and mixes with the new freshwater from the new summer, it suddenly doubles, or increases a lot, and the next winter, it's a lot more difficult to break through."

Again, it's important to underscore that there are no predictions in this study about when these processes would actually reach such a threshold or cause a major switch to a new regime. Climate change simulations have generally found that while global warming should indeed weaken the Atlantic overturning circulation, that should play out gradually - but scientists acknowledge that these simulations are not necessarily complete.

That's why data gathering, as in the current study, also matters a great deal.

"As we explore the crucial impact of freshwater discharge from Greenland and other venues on the ocean circulation, this paper represents an important piece in the puzzle," said Marco Tedesco, a Greenland expert at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, who was not involved in the study.

The research highlights the growing attention being paid to the crucial ocean circulation in question, which is responsible for bringing warm ocean water northward and therefore warming higher latitudes and Europe in particular. It has long been considered a potential weak spot in the climate system because of the possibility that a change here could trigger dramatic changes in a short time.

Scientists have reported the circulation is in a weakened state, and has been since 2008. The reduction in strength has been by about 15 percent, David Smeed, a scientist who studies the strength of the circulation at the U.K.'s National Oceanography Center in Southampton, told The Washington Post this year.

But what's behind changes this region is less clear, with some scientists saying that we're already seeing the role of climate change, others saying that what's going on in the North Atlantic is mainly the reflection of a cyclical phenomenon affecting the oceans and atmosphere - and many suggesting it's a combination.

"These decadal variations are likely superimposed on a longer declining trend related to increasing greenhouse gases," said Tom Delworth, an expert on the North Atlantic with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in an email to The Post this year. "However, in terms of explaining AMOC behavior over the coming decades, the relative role of increasing greenhouse gases may well increase relative to natural variability."

That sounds pretty gradual - but the new study is saying the change doesn't necessarily have to be.

"There might be a threshold that is crossed and it's harder to get back to where we were before," said Oltmanns. "It's possible."
The package that appeared on the front porch of a leafy northeast Austin, Texas, home on March 2 gained little special notice, in part because receiving a package is such a regular and frequent occurrence across the United States that most people wouldn't think twice about retrieving it. In a culture that increasingly shops online, such packages are routine.

This one was not. Its contents exploded with a force strong enough to kill 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House and alarm many of his neighbors. At the time, authorities said the blast was "suspicious" but likely "an isolated incident" that posed no ongoing danger to the community.

On Monday, 10 days later, a pair of packages left at two homes in other parts of Austin also detonated, killing a 17-year-old boy and seriously injuring two women. Police quickly linked the attacks to an unknown, sophisticated bomb-maker who had turned to a rare implement of death, transforming the mundane act of picking up a package off the porch into a terrifying ordeal.

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley warned residents numerous times to report suspicious or unexpected packages.

"DO NOT open it, call 911 immediately," he tweeted.

The bombings called to mind the crimes committed by Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski - also known as the Unabomber - who during a 17-year period targeted more than a dozen victims with explosives sent through the mail. In all, his mail bombs killed three people and injured 23. After a lengthy manhunt, the FBI finally captured Kaczynski in 1996. In the 22 years since, mail and package bombs have largely slipped from the public eye.

Until the Austin bombings.

The warnings Monday seemed especially foreboding in a time when package deliveries, once expected only on special occasions, are now ubiquitous. The rise of Internet shopping - with promises to be able to ship an increasing array of items to your doorstep, from toilet paper to potato chips to computers, sometimes within hours - has threatened to overwhelm postal workers, college campuses and rural towns. (Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon.com, owns The Washington Post.)

Delivery methods have evolved to include not just the U.S. Postal Service but also UPS, FedEx and even independent contractors driving their own vehicles, from white vans to nondescript sedans. Someone dropping off a package in street clothes, driving an unmarked car, is unlikely to draw much attention.

"Decades ago, the majority of packages were shipped through the U.S. Postal Service," said Michael Bouchard, former assistant director of field operations for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. "Now you have all kind of delivery services," and people by nature typically open packages that arrive at their homes.

"There's certainly more packages at my door than I've ever seen before," Bouchard said. "It's just second nature now: 'OK, here's a package, my name's on it.' Even if you don't remember ordering something, if it comes in an Amazon box or whatever box, it looks perfectly fine."

Previous telltale signs of a suspicious package - stereotypical oil stains, protruding wires or extra postage on a box - no longer necessarily apply to modern explosive devices, Bouchard said.

"There's so many different types of explosives and chemical mixtures you can use, and you don't put stamps on things anymore, they're postage labels," Bouchard said, noting that it would be difficult for an average homeowner to tell that what they have is dangerous because packages are "so common and you can just disguise anything in a box you commonly get at your door."

Suddenly, every parcel outside an Austin home became a potential threat this week. By Tuesday morning, authorities in the city had received approximately 150 calls to report suspicious packages, though none turned out to be dangerous, they said.

Police in Austin have divulged little about the three bombs, except to say they arrived at the homes as "box-type deliveries" and included powerful devices that had been constructed with "a certain level of skill and sophistication." In the first and third bombings, the explosions took place outside the homes. In the second incident, the package was moved inside before it detonated and killed a teenager, police said.

Police said they didn't yet know if the victims were the intended targets, or how the homes were selected for attacks.

The challenge for law enforcement, Bouchard said, will be trying to determine a motive when "anybody" could make a bomb given what's available online. (Last fall, Amazon said it would review its algorithms after the website automatically suggested bomb-making components to customers as items "frequently bought together.")

"There's certainly enough information on the Internet," Bouchard said, citing "thousands" of websites and YouTube videos detailing how to put together an explosive - though he warned against searching for them.

"I wouldn't encourage anybody to go there because the government may be monitoring who's looking at bomb-making websites," he said. "If you're just curiously looking, you may get a knock on your door someday."

Exploding package bombs are unusual, and reported suspicious or unattended package incidents are declining despite the vast increase in package shipments, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2016, the federal law enforcement organization recorded 939 incidents related to packages and parcels, a significant decrease from 1,739 the year before.

By comparison, incidents involving backpacks and purses increased 57 percent in 2016. Figures from last year are not yet available, an ATF spokesman said.

Bouchard said he isn't sure why there has been a decrease but said that, from a criminal's perspective, trying to inflict harm using package bombs can be iffy. They can detonate prematurely, or not at all, and they might never make it to their intended target because of screening measures the Postal Service and shipping companies use.

"You risk a lot with the way they're handled," Bouchard said, noting that packages can be delayed or sent to the wrong place.

Representatives for the U.S. Postal Service and UPS said they could not divulge what security measures they have in place to screen and flag suspicious packages. A FedEx spokeswoman declined to answer questions about package security.

UPS spokesman Matthew O'Connor encouraged customers to track their packages online so they know when to expect them at their doorsteps and to always look out for UPS-branded uniforms and delivery trucks.

"Our drivers wear the UPS uniform and announce themselves when making deliveries by knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell," O'Connor said.

Those who send explosives through the mail usually are trying to achieve one of two things, Bouchard said.

"From what I've seen, the majority of package bombs were specifically targeted toward an individual, whether it's the breaking up of a relationship or someone who burned someone in a business deal," Bouchard said. "Or they've got a broader target. They're sending a message."

---

The Washington Post's Mark Berman contributed to this report.
A Texas state representative has drawn Twitter's ire after hundreds of people interpreted a late night tweet as a slight against famed physicist Stephen Hawking.

The tweet was sent by Rep. Briscoe Cain of District 128, which includes Baytown and Crosby, at 12:34 a.m. Wednesday, shortly after news broke that Hawking, 76, had died.

"Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made.

My condolences to his family," Cain tweeted.

The tweet has since collected more than 350 responses from people interpreting the message as an insult to the award-winning scientist and his lifelong quest to find the universe's origin. Hawking also once famously stated, "[T]here is no god. No one created our universe, and no one directs our fate."

READ MORE: Celebrities share tributes, condolences to the late Stephen Hawking on social media

"It must hurt to be reminded that there are people who are remembered fondly by millions when they die, whereas no one will remember you at all," David Klion tweeted in response to Cain.

"What an embarrassment you are. Trolling someone at the time of their death is a sign of weakness no matter how you feel about them. You are a jerk," Roger Hutchison tweeted.

Cain spoke provided the following comment to Chron.com Wednesday afternoon regarding his tweet and the responses its received.

"Losing a loved one is never easy and I am sympathetic for his family's loss. My prayers are with them. Stephen Hawking was brilliant, many even called him one of the greatest public intellectuals of the last century, but the fact remains that God exists," Cain said. "My tweet was to show the gravity of the Gospel and what happens when we pass, namely, that we all will one day meet our Creator face to face. Though Hawking has long been a vocal atheist who advocated against and openly mocked God, I hope nothing but the best for his family and pray that he came to know faith before he passed."

Hawking published numerous books on physics, including "A Brief History of Time" and "The Universe in a Nutshell."

"God not only plays dice with the universe, but sometimes throws them where they can't be seen," Hawking once said, according to his obituary in the New York Times.

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso.
SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp. is investing P80 billion on an integrated steel expansion program spanning three phases in over six years. The first phase will cost about P25 billion to finance the construction of three greenfield plants, said SteelAsia chief executive Benjamin Yao. We see stronger demand due to more infrastructure projects in the public and private sectors. We expand because there is market. There is opportunity for us to have our own steel industry in a short span of time, Yao said in a news briefing in Makati City Tuesday. He said the company would invest in steel products not yet produced in the Philippines. The first plant is a 1.2-million-metric-ton wire and rod mill in Concepcion, Tarlac that will cost P7.5 billion, while the second project is a P7.5-billion wire and rod plant in Compostela, Cebu with a capacity of 800,000 MT annually. A third plantthe P10 billion section mill in Lemery, Batangaswill have the capacity to supply 500,000 MT of sections bars. The three plants are expected to go onstream in three years or by 2020 and generate 3,000 full-time jobs.SteelAsia vice president for corporate development Rafael Hidalgo said most of the downstream products that SteelAsia planned to produce would support the booming construction sector. However, wire rod which is an industrial product, is used to make nuts and bolts, springs, welding rods, screens and mesh wire, to cite a few. These products, we still import from abroad, even the tiniest nail. We need to have the technology to produce these products so we could level up our industrialization, Hidalgo said. The country imports $2 billion worth of wire rods, section bars and billets annually, representing 60 percent of national demand of 7 million MT. Imported section bars reach 700,000 MT while imported wire rods average 600,000 MT a year. SteelAsia said once the three-phase program was completed, its total capacity would reach 7 million MT of finished steel products and 4.3 million MT of billets for steel making, double the current 2.3 million MT. It said that in the medium term, it would stop selling steel scraps abroad and reuse them locally to produce billets for steel making. The Philippines exports about 2 million MT of steel scraps abroad, while SteelAsia needs at least 3 million MT of billets as raw materials for steel making.
Strong community support for Sergeant Bede Haughey and Warkworth police continues to emerge following allegations of unsatisfactory performance.

Sergeant Haughey, the former Officer-in-Charge at Warkworth police, is currently on leave and has been temporarily replaced by Sergeant Scott Sherer.

The allegations suggested there was a negative culture in the Warkworth police and the local force had lost the confidence of the Warkworth community.

Rodney Police Area Commander Mark Fergus said currently there was an employment process underway with regards to the allegations.

He said that as police had the same privacy obligations as any other employer in New Zealand, they were unable to comment any further at this stage.

Meanwhile, Gary Diprose the founding director of Springboard Community Works, which offers a variety of programmes to assist at-risk and vulnerable youth in Mahurangi, says he was gutted that Bede was no longer currently working in the community.

He said Bede had been a champion for Springboard for more than 11 years and this had been critical in ensuring community support.

Because we are working with kids who may be giving the police and the community a hard time, sometimes communities can be opposed to the work we do, he said.

But he said Bedes influence and participation with Springboard had persuaded influential community members of the value of the organisation and its ability to cut crime.

Thats made a big difference to Springboards strength today, he said.

Support for Warkworth Police has also come from the One Warkworth Business Association.

In a letter to police management, the committee for the association said they unanimously wished it to be noted that it did not consider there to be a negative culture in the Warkworth Police nor that the Warkworth business community had lost confidence in the Warkworth police.

The Warkworth community enjoys a high level of police community engagement. This is a significant factor in low levels of crime and high levels of public satisfaction with the police service where criminal activity occurs, the letter said.

Another factor that cannot be over looked is the experience that the senior members of the Warkworth Police team bring to their work.

Strong support for Sgt Haughey and the Warkworth police has also emerged on the Mahurangi Matters

Facebook page in response to an earlier story that appeared when the allegations first surfaced.

Posts supporting the local police outstripped complaints by a factor of 10:1.

Area Commander Mark Fergus backed that assessment.

Police have great teams of officers working from our rural stations right across Rodney, he said.

These officers are all dedicated, and work hard every day to ensure these communities are safe and feel safe.
St Patricks Day revellers in the USA will get the opportunity to toast Longford craft following the first ever collaboration between an Irish craft brewery and American craft breweries.

Highly successful local craft brewers, St Mels Brewing, which is headed up by Eoin Tynan and Liam Hanlon, have teamed up with the Wisconsin Brewing Co and One Barrel Brewing Company to develop a new beer called John Caseys Irish Red.

The new international collaboration beer, which possesses a mild hop bittering, notes of caramel and toffee, and an amber hue, was launched last Thursday, March 8 across the entire state of Wisconsin just in time for St Patricks Day.

Aughnacliffe native John Campbell, who is Vice-President of Imports, Crafts and Specialty Brands with Wisconsin Distributors, told the Leader he is particularly excited about the John Caseys Irish Red collaboration.

Employed with Wisconsin Distributors since 2005, John explained that he met up with Eoin and Liam in Longford when he was home last Christmas and they discussed the possibility of a collaboration with two of the Wisconsin breweries he works with.

Son of Sean and Margo Campbell, who own Campbells Butchers Shop in Aughnacliffe, John continued, In January we had a few conference calls as a group developing the recipe and concept of the brand.

"Kirby from Wisconsin Brewing and Peter from One Barrel Brewing did a live brew day with Liam and Eoin via Skype on February 8 and the beer was launched last week.

Wisconsin Distributors services over 5,000 bars, restaurants and Off-licenses across thirty counties in Wisconsin, covering a population of 3.5 million people with a variety of brands from Europe, Asia and USA.

ALSO READ:

Longford brewers St Mel's developing craft beer
A north Longford man has told of how callous thieves have left him homeless and his house destroyed after ripping a copper cylinder from an internal wall, causing thousands of euros worth of damage in the process.

Alec Small has not been able to return to his home since the incident more than two weeks ago, instead having to sleep in the nearby Greville Arms Hotel while assessors carry out a flood evaluation of the premises.

The north Longford man said he was still coming to terms with the episode after returning home one evening only to find cascades of water running out his front door.

They just took out the copper cylinder and flooded the whole house, he told the Leader over the weekend.

The whole place was destroyed, there was water everywhere.

After enlisting the help of two local men, Alec reported the incident to gardai who immediately launched an investigation.

I went back to the house and I just seen all the water flowing out of it, he added.

Pausing to reveal the continuing fallout from his ordeal had left him in bad humour, Alec said he was keeping his fingers crossed the damage to his home was not irreversible.

Gardai have since charged a man in relation to the incident, along with several other similar episodes in Granard and across the county.

The issue is one which has also loomed large on the local political landscape in recent weeks and dominated a large chunk of last week's Joint Policing Committee (JPC).

Drumlish based Cllr Paraic Brady hit out at what he termed as "the slap on the wrists" offenders of such episodes are given when appearing in front of a judge and called for those convicted to have their social welfare payments reapportioned to allow victims to be fully compensated.

"These fellas are coming before the courts and all they are getting is a slap on the wrists," he said.

"They are getting free legal aid as well and it's not good enough."

Cllr Brady cited one example in his own home town where an elderly man returned home from a minor hospital procedure to find his home "torn asunder" after thieves ripped a copper cylinder from a wall, causing thousands of euros of damage in the process.

His Granard Municipal District colleague Cllr PJ Reilly was just as vocal and was one of those to try and assist Alec in accessing alternative accommodation following the break-in.

He branded the incident as little more than a desperate low act, a circumstance made worse by the fact the damage would more than likely fall at the behest of the taxpaying public as the house concerned belongs to Longford County Council.

It's an OPD (Older Persons Dwelling) house and is very concerning, he said.

The Fianna Fail councillor said the only way to stamp out incidents of its type was if the judiciary handed tougher sentences to known offenders.

I would be pleading with the courts to take a very dim view of this sort of criminality, said Cllr Reilly.

To break into someone's home like that and leave the sort of destruction and damage it has in this case is absolutely shocking.

ALSO READ:

Longford District Court: Man remanded in custody after pleading guilty to stealing copper cylinders and piping from homes across Longford and Leitrim
There was good news for Longford last week as 14 awards were brought home to the county from the first of four regional finals in this years Irish Restaurant Awards.

The awards took place in Knightsbrook Hotel, Trime, last week, where 165 awards were presented to the countrys leading chefs, restaurants and pubs.

Over 550 people attended the Leinster Regional Final on Wednesday evening, March 7 last, where the top establishments in each county were named.

In Longford, the Best Casual Dining award went to the Aubergine Gallery Cafe. The Best Emerging Irish Cuisine award went to Tus Nua Steakhouse & Restaurant.

Meanwhile, Jac-O-Bites Cafe was the recipient of the Best Kids Size Meal, and the popular Spice India Restaurant was the winner of the Best World Cuisine award.

Nine Arches Restaurant in Ballymahon won two separate awards at last weeks event. The first was Best Restaurant Manger, which went to Lorna Halligan, and the second was the Best Newcomer award.

Staying in Ballymahon, the best Wine Experience award went to popular local pub, Skellys Bar, and Best Hotel & Guesthouse Restaurant went to the Courtyard Restaurant at Cooneys Hotel, while Pub of the Year went to Longford towns Edward J Valentines Bar.

Macs Shack in Kenagh won Best Cafe; Dillons Bar & Bistro won Best Customer Service; and The Rustic Inn won Best Gastro Pub.

Finally, VM Restaurant at Viewmount House took home two more awards for their extensive collection.

The Best Chef award went to Robert Groot Koerkamp, and the popular restaurant also brought home the Best Restaurant award.

The awards covered a wide range of venues and the winners from each of Leinsters 11 counties were selected from 15 categories.

Speaking at the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) said: Now in their 10th year, the Irish Restaurant Awards continue to showcase the exquisite and admirable calibre of food available in our restaurants and pubs nationwide.

Online nominations have increased from 9,000 in 2013 to over 80,000 this year and with the increase in interest comes an increase in standards, making the judging process more difficult than ever.

Our small island boasts everything from fine dining to high quality gastropubs, from the exotic taste explosions of world cuisine to the comfort of traditional dishes.

We have an appreciation for what we eat, for the journey of our food from farm to fork, and for the dedication of those working in the food industry to serve up Irelands finest food.

ALSO READ:

Top Longford restaurants revealed in Irish Restaurant Awards
Longford businessman and the son of former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds is celebrating this week after his horse, Mall Dini, landed a huge win at Cheltenham.

Mr Reynolds 14/1 shot scooped the Pertemps Hurdle on the third day of the festival who outbattled the Philip Hobbs trained Arpege DAlene by three quarters of a length.

It was an emotional Reynolds who afterwards attributed the win to his late father.

He got me into racing at a very young age, he said.

He used to bring us to Galway when it was a three day meeting and that was our summer holidays so that was where it started.

Mr Reynolds was similarly wholesome in his praise for relatively unknown Galway based trainer Patrick Kelly.

Its incredible, Ive dreamt about this for so long.

Pat Kelly trains five horses in a tiny village, this is what racing is all about, he added.
Local News, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 14 2018

Zeldin: "This is an important piece of legislation that provides a valuable and necessary service to our nations veterans."

Long Island, NY - March 14, 2018 - Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) announced today that his bipartisan legislation (H.R.1005/S.324) to help severely disabled veterans on Long Island and across the country, by expanding access to Adult Day Health Care for disabled veterans who need extra assistance and special attention in their day to day lives, passed the House of Representatives unanimously and now heads to the Presidents desk for his signature, with which it will become law.

Service members who are 70% or more service connected disabled often require significant assistance from others in order to carry out everyday tasks. Many times, the burden falls on family members of disabled veterans; some veterans may even need to reside in institutionalized facilities to receive the daily assistance of a trained medical professional. Both of these options can create financial and emotional hardships for the veteran and their family. One program that is currently available to help disabled veterans is Adult Day Health Care, which can be provided at State Veterans Homes across the United States. However, the expense of the program is oftentimes directly shouldered by the veteran and their family, which significantly limits the number of veterans who can enroll. Furthermore, the program is only currently offered at three facilities in the United States; one being the Long Island State Veterans Home, which is located in the First Congressional District of New York, in Stony Brook. Congressman Zeldins bill defines the Adult Day Health Care program as a reimbursable treatment option through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which guarantees all severely disabled veterans, those who are 70% or more service connected disabled, are able to access Adult Day Health Care at no cost to them. The bill would also help expand the program, which could be offered at any of the 153 State Veterans Homes (SVH) across the country.

Congressman Zeldin said, This is an important piece of legislation that provides a valuable and necessary service to our nations veterans, and I am pleased to announce this bill now heads to the Presidents desk. By expanding access to Adult Day Health Care programs, we can ensure that all veterans receive the best and most efficient outpatient services that provide each veteran with the assistance and special attention they need, while still allowing them to maintain their independence. This important legislation will expand care for disabled veterans on Long Island and across our country, allowing each veteran to lead a much more fulfilling life, while keeping families together and strong. Expanding Adult Day Health Care for our disabled veterans is a top priority, and I thank my colleagues in the House and Senate, especially Senator Orrin Hatch and House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Phil Roe, for passing this commonsense legislation and look forward to the President signing it into law.

United States Senator Orrin Hatch (R, Utah), Senate sponsor of the Adult Day Health Care Act, said, Our Utah veterans deserve our utmost care and respect. This legislation will give veterans the opportunity to live and spend more time at home with their families while still receiving daily medical care and attention. If signed into law, it would allow state veterans homessuch as those in Ivins, Ogden, Payson, and Salt Lake Cityto enter into agreements with the VA to provide adult day health care. Im thrilled to see this bill pass in the House and move to the Presidents desk for his signature.

House Committee on Veterans Affairs Chairman Phil Roe said, Our country made a promise to care for the men and women who sacrificed for our freedoms. Im proud this legislation would expand access to adult day health care for veterans who qualify for, but are not currently utilizing, nursing home care, and would provide Americas heroes with companionship and care as they age. Im grateful for Rep. Zeldins leadership on this important legislation, and I look forward to President Trump signing this bill into law.

Vietnam Veteran and Long Island State Veterans Home Patient Al Anderson said, I am grateful to Congressman Zeldin for having the foresight to introduce this bill on behalf of all severely service connected veterans who reside in State Veterans Homes across the country. The bottom line is that this legislation will allow me to return home to my family, while still having the ability to receive essential services through the Adult Day Health Care program. I can keep my chronic conditions in check and still enjoy the comforts of my own home.

Spouse and Caregiver of Vietnam Veteran James Saladino Noreen Saladino said, The passage of the State Veterans Home Adult Day Health Care Improvement Act of 2017 will be life changing for me and my husband, Jim. This legislation is one of the best things that has ever happened to us. My husband will be able to receive the care he requires in a safe and comfortable environment at the Long Island State Veterans Home, while I get a rest from being his sole caregiver. I want to thank Congressman Lee Zeldin and other Members of Congress who never ever gave up the fight for our nations veterans and their families.

Director of the Long Island State Veterans Home Fred Sganga said, We are grateful to Congressman Lee Zeldin for his ongoing efforts to care for veterans both locally and nationally. This legislation will enable veterans to receive the essential services they deserve, while still being able to reside in their own homes. This legislation helps to restore a veteran's freedom to remain an active member of their community even after succumbing to the perils of military service. Congressman Zeldin never forgets the sacrifice of brave women and men who donned the uniform to protect the freedoms we all enjoy today.

President of the National Association of State Veterans Home Sharon Murphy said, The National Association of State Veterans Homes is grateful to Congressman Zeldin for his foresight to provide essential services to our most disabled veterans, without the need for institutionalization.This legislation will have tremendous impact for our chronically ill and injured veterans as well as their caregivers.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said Wednesday foreign investments in manufacturing surged 244 percent in 2017 to a record $1.15 billion from $334.25 million in 2016. The figure accounted for 35 percent of the $3.3-billion equity capital placements in 2017, said Lopez. The department released the data following the issue by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas of the annual report on net foreign direct investments, which hit an all-time high of $10.1 billion last year. Data showed that 2017 foreign investment inflows surpassed the target when they expanded 21 percent from $8.3 billion registered in 2016. The 2017 FDI was spread in over 21 industries, but a third of the total equity placements went to the manufacturing industry. Other industries which received the bulk of total inflows were gas, steam and air conditioning supply; real estate; construction; and wholesale and retail trade activities. Lopez said the manufacturing industry delivered on its promise to be a pillar of economic growth in the country.He said that since 2012, the department had intensified its campaign to link the efforts of the government and private sectors to revitalize the manufacturing industry. It is a highly viable investment area and a source of meaningful and well-paying jobs for the people, Lopez said. It identified food manufacturing; production of radio, television, and communication equipment and apparatus; chemical and non-chemical products; fabricated metal products; basic metal and non-metallic mineral products as vibrant manufacturing sectors. Top sources of foreign equity investments last year were Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and Luxembourg. Investor confidence is real. The Philippines continues to be a magnet for investments, and this is due to the countrys improving business environment, sound macroeconomic policy reforms, aggressive infrastructure build-up, much improved peace and order and political stability, favorable demographics, growing middle class and consumer base and of course, our people, who have always been the countrys prime asset in attracting foreign investments, Lopez said.
Local News, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 14 2018

19 AGs File Amicus Brief in Case of Minnesota Business Refusing to Offer Wedding Services to Same-Sex Couples.

New York, NY - March 14, 2018 - New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today joined a coalition of 19 Attorneys General in filing an amicus brief defending the constitutionality of Minnesotas anti-discrimination laws, in a case in which a business refused to offer wedding services to same-sex couples.

The brief was filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in the case of Telescope Media Group v. Lindsey. The case was brought by the owners of a videography service who do not want to offer their wedding-related services to same-sex couples as required under the Minnesota public accommodations law. They are challenging the law, claiming it violates their freedom of speech and free exercise of religion.

Free speech and personal beliefs do not give business owners the right to discriminate, said Attorney General Schneiderman. Our coalition of Attorneys General will continue to fight to protect New Yorkers and all Americans who are entitled to equal protection, no matter who they love.

The Attorneys General filed the brief in support of the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, defending the constitutionality of the Minnesota public accommodations law.

In the brief, the Attorneys General write that states across the country have enacted laws to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in the commercial marketplace, and that these laws ensure equal enjoyment of goods and services and combat the severe personal, economic, and social harms caused by discrimination. The Attorneys General argue that, under a long line of Supreme Court precedent, requiring businesses to comply with such laws does not violate the Constitution.

The Attorneys General further argue that the First Amendment exemption to public accommodations laws sought by the business would dramatically undermine anti-discrimination laws.

The Attorneys General write, Allowing commercial businesses to use the First Amendment as a shield for discriminatory conduct would undermine state civil rights laws and the vital benefits they provide to residents and visitors, leaving behind a society separate and unequal by law. Many Americans would face exclusion from a host of everyday businesses or, at the very least, the ever-present threat that any business owner could refuse to serve them when they walk in the doorsimply because of their sexual orientation, or their race, religion, or gender.
School & Education, Local News, Community, Charity & Cause

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 14 2018

"We recognize and celebrate you for your dedication and commitment to students in the Baldwin School District."

Mineola, NY - March 14, 2018 - Legislator Debra Mule honors Karyn Reid, a member of the Legislator Debra Mule honors Karyn Reid, a member of the Baldwin School Board, at the Nassau County Legislatures 20th Annual Womens History Trailblazer Award Ceremony. Mrs. Reid grew up and lived in Chicago before relocating to Baldwin in 2000. She was an educator for over 15 years as well as being a PTA parent. Karyn joined the Baldwin PTA and immediately started advocating for the students within the district.

Today we recognize and celebrate you for your dedication and commitment to students in the Baldwin School District. Your service as a former teacher and advocate for better quality education is admirable. I'm delighted to recognize you as a trailblazer for women's history month. said legislator Mule.

In 2014, Karyn was elected to the Baldwin School Board and served as the President during her first two years on the board. In 2017, she was re-elected to the school board and continues to be a voice for the children. For the past five years, Karyn has traveled to Albany with a contingency of parents, students and staff to lobby legislators for resources for the Baldwin UFSD.
Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 14 2018

Louis Mancini Jr., 30, is in custody on multiple charges, according to reports.

SCPD arrested Louis Mancini Jr. of West Babylon, 30, after he stole a vehicle and crashed into a police car.

West Babylon, NY - March 14, 2018 - Suffolk County Police arrested a man after he stole a vehicle and crashed into a police car, seriously injuring an officer in Suffolk County Police arrested a man after he stole a vehicle and crashed into a police car, seriously injuring an officer in West Babylon on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

Louis Mancini Jr. stole a 2013 GMC Yukon from Franks Delicatessen, located at 1018 Little East Neck Road, West Babylon, NY, at approximately 11:15 a.m.

Approximately thirty minutes later, Mancini Jr. was traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Straight Path in West Babylon, NY, when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed head on into a police car traveling southbound on Straight Path.

Major Case Unit detectives charged Mancini Jr., 30, of West Babylon, with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 1st Degree, Assault 2nd Degree, and Grand Larceny 3rd Degree.

Mancini Jr. is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on March 14, 2018.
Local News, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: March 14 2018

The measure would create safer environments in public and private workplaces for all employees.

Long Island, NY - March 14, 2018 - According to Senator Ken LaValle, the State Senate approved the most comprehensive response yet to sexual harassment in New Yorks workplaces. The legislation, which Senator LaValle co-sponsored, ( According to Senator Ken LaValle, the State Senate approved the most comprehensive response yet to sexual harassment in New Yorks workplaces. The legislation, which Senator LaValle co-sponsored, ( S7848A ), would prevent individuals from engaging in misconduct that creates a hostile work environment in either the public or private sectors, and encourage victims to come forward.

Senator Ken LaValle said, There should be zero tolerance in any workplace for sexual assault or harassment. The legislation is a comprehensive measure that protects victims, gives them a voice; holds individuals accountable for their unacceptable behavior; and safeguards taxpayer money from being used in individual settlements. I urge the Governor and Assembly to approve this inclusive legislation and make New York a national leader in combating sexual harassment.

The major reforms passed today include: establishing a statutory definition of sexual harassment; prohibiting the anonymity of the accused in court-approved settlements and banning mandatory sexual harassment arbitration clauses; prohibiting confidentiality agreements unless the victim requests confidentiality; expanding protections to independent contractors; creating uniform policies for all branches of state and local government; and protecting hardworking taxpayers from paying for public sector harassment settlements.

Specifically, the legislation would:

Adopt the definition of Sexual Harassment into state law: Although the state Division of Human Rights has a definition it uses administratively, there is currently no definition in statute of what constitutes sexual harassment. That leaves litigants subject to varying interpretations by judges, who may improperly dismiss sexual harassment cases at the outset. One study found that approximately 37 percent of cases are dismissed pretrial. The bill would create a uniform definition of sexual harassment that is based on federal regulations: unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when submission to or rejection of such conduct, explicitly or implicitly, affects an individual's employment, unreasonably interferes with an individual's work performance or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment without regard to actual economic injury to or discharge of the individual.

Prohibit secret settlements unless the victim requests confidentiality: Courts would be prohibited from accepting any sexual harassment settlements that include confidentiality agreements or provisions. This would help ensure that those responsible are held accountable and prevent future harassment.

Prohibit mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment complaints: Mandatory arbitration clauses are often used by employers to force sexual harassment victims into private arbitration proceedings, which precludes their ability to seek legal action.

Protect non-employees in the workplace: Currently, individuals who are not employees but are present in the workplace on a contract basis cannot file complaints against their harassers. The legislation would close this loophole by extending to contract workers the same right to file sexual harassment complaints to the state Division of Human Rights as individuals who are directly employed by the company or entity.

Create a uniform policy for all branches of state and local government: The state Department of Labor would be required to create a strong model management policy defining and prohibiting sexual harassment. Every county, city, town, village, school district, or other public entity would be required to develop a sexual harassment prevention policy that applies to all employees and which includes investigation procedures and a standard complaint form. Each complaint would be confidential and the policy must include the prevention of intimidation, retaliation, or coercion to help protect the complainant. The measure also standardizes the process for state government. The legislature would be required to designate an independent attorney specializing in employment law to investigate complaints based on sexual harassment. A specialized unit within the states Joint Commission on Public Ethics would also be established to receive and investigate complaints. Managers and supervisors would be required to report as soon as they become aware of sexual harassment conduct.

Protect taxpayer funds from being used for individual sexual harassment settlements: When there is a finding or admission of sexual harassment by a state or local employee, this measure holds the harasser financially accountable for the settlement by enabling the public entity to recoup taxpayer money.
Although the youth movement that shook Iran in late December and late January has died down, nothing has been solved. It is evident that the movement merely anticipated a far deeper mood of anger and resentment, which has been building up for decades.

On Sunday, three students from Tehran University were sentenced to a total of nine years of imprisonment for their role in the recent protest movement. Mohsen Haghshenas, Sina Rabii and Leila Hassanzadeh, and were sentenced to one, two and six years in prison for the crime of anti-regime propaganda.

This sparked off a protest outside the gates of Tehrans prestigious Amir Kabir Polytechnic University. Hundreds of students gathered singing revolutionary songs and chanting Free the political prisoners, Free the political students and reading out a statement, which according to some reports had been circulating amongst the students for a few days.

This video shows students of Amirkabir University of Technology while were protesting against heavy prison sentences issued by Islamic Revolution courts for arrested students. Minutes after that #Basij militias of #ran's Islamic regime attacked them. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/o03bh9QwbQ  Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) March 11, 2018

Boldly criticising all factions of the regime, including the liberal wing in government, the students statement read:

While there are many claims that independence and academic freedom exist in the university, and the government pledges to create non-security atmosphere at the university, we now see that every criticism by the university students and staff faces most intense interference and attacks by the security institutions, and students...are dealt with severely and are under the most intense forms of attack...

Today in #Tehran, students of Amirkabir University of Technology protested against heavy prison sentences issued by Islamic Revolution courts for arrested students. Then #ran's Islamic regime used its #Basij militias (carrying yellow flags) to suppress protesters. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/NVkCFzN4HA  Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) March 11, 2018

The protesters demanded the release of all students who had been rounded up during the previous months and the cancelling of the heavy sentences of those who have stood trial. Pro-regime forces immediately mobilised Basiji students (carrying yellow flags) to attack the crowd but they appeared ineffectual and, as can be seen from the videos, students passing by even started cursing at them, chanting Dishonorable!.

#Basij militia who always being helped by #IRGC during their education in top #ran's universities have primary mission of suppressing student protests, an example is suppression of today protest of Amirkabir university students in #Tehran. pic.twitter.com/UNJu5CFwFI  Babak Taghvaee (@BabakTaghvaee) March 11, 2018

In Tehrans University of Social Sciences the students plastered the university area with posters with similar demands as those in Amir Kabir University.

Today the protest at the Tehran universities seems to have continued, although for now it has been confined to indoor areas.

The students protest, however, is just one of a rising trickle of actions that have been taking place since January.

The farmers of east Isfahan have have been protesting for more than three weeks due to the allocation of insufficient water for their crops and general use. Thanks to mismanagement and under-development, Iran is going through a serious water crisis due to the largest lakes and some of the most important rivers of the country drying out. One of these is the famous Zayandeh River, which flows through Isfahan and has been the lifesource of its agriculture. With the drying out of the river, the farmers affected have become increasingly desperate. The people of eastern Isfahan province have been demanding more allocated water for over a month. The video below appears to be from one of the early protests where people are chanting Dont be afraid, we we are all together:

Starting off as small peaceful protests in the small town of Varzaneh, the movement has accelerated in particular after it clashed with security forces on Friday, 9 March. Below is a video of a very radical speech made by one of the farmers, in which he denounces the authorities and amongst other things says that a donkey could administer better than you guys and raises the slogan death to dishonorable authorities:

Following the clashes, the protests moved further into Isfahan city itself, with crowds chanting slogans such as Today is a day of mourning, the lives of the farmers are [in a state of chaos and] hanging in the balance:

Similar to the students, they also raised slogans of freeing of political prisoners chanting Imprisoned farmers must be freed:

They also approached the bazar appealing to the bazaaris to join their just struggle:

        #                                           pic.twitter.com/OldfKipagr     (@workersonline1) March 11, 2018

The conditions of the Isfahan farmers are not isolated to Isfahan. The water crisis and general chronic misery and poverty have pushed the rural population to the edge. The same layers that used to be the social base of the regime have lost patience and are desperately looking for a way out.

In Khuzestan in the South West of the country another struggle has been in the news recently, that of the Melli steel group, where 3500 metalworkers and hundreds of retired workers have been on strike since 18 February after not having received wages for three months. The workers have fought for their rights for several years, but the recent strike seems to be their most radical action yet.

This video from 25 February shows the workers marching through Ahvaz chanting "if our problems are not solved, there will be an uprising in Ahvaz":

Taking to the streets every single day since the beginning of the strike, they issued a statement yesterday calling for a new gathering. The statement outlines the struggle and explains that for 21 days the workers have been on peaceful strike and protest. And except for raising the slogan of an uprising, they have done nothing about this. But, the statement continues:

[F]or more than two years we have [tried to deal] with [our] problems and have been everywhere and approached everyone. But our law abiding and honest approach has unfortunately been abused and led to us being seen as harmless workers whom they see as sloganeering for two hours

Seeing the lack of any response by the bosses or by the authorities, the statement ends by saying:

But the time for vain sloganeering and dragging out of time [is no longer enough]. It is time for action.

What this means is not clear, but it is evident that this is the feeling of a rising layer of workers and poor throughout the country.

The above protests are far from isolated. In the past months there have been countless protests and clashes throughout all provinces and involving all layers of the masses. In Tehran clashes between the authorities and the Gonabadi Dervish religious minority in February led to several arrests and at least three police casualties. The arrest of a teacher trade unionist, Mohammad Habibi , by plain clothes security forces on 3 March has led to protests amongst teachers throughout Iran who have boldly posted their pictures on social media demanding the freeing of Habibi:

Yesterday, hundreds of Zamyad auto workers staged the second day of strike action, demanding unpaid back wages to be paid immediately:

                          # pic.twitter.com/l41WGGSabn    (@PanahGodneshin) March 11, 2018

Hafez tile and ceramic workers in Shiraz and Khorramabad railroad agency workers have also been protesting months of unpaid wages along with the traditionally militant Haft Tapeh sugar cane workers .

In Rasht, a group of clearly lower class women who were victims of one of a dozen or so bank crashes last year were protesting today chanting You have no honour, if you are a man stand by your licence. This is a reference to licences given to regime insiders who have set up a wide network of financial institutions that have been functioning more or less as ponzi schemes. Having attracted the savings of millions of people, a series of these went bankrupt over the past two years. Thousands of people have lost everything, while the perpetrators are walking free. The placards of the protesters reveal the effect that the countless events like this have had on the consciousness of the working masses.

It reads:

In the country [where the justice of] Ali [rules] the thieves are free [while] those robbed are threatened, arrested, imprisoned and taken to court. This is the Justice of Ali.

There are many more protests similar to the ones outlined above taking place every single day. According to officials of the national security council, the period of March-December of 2017 saw around 5000 protests throughout Iran. But this figure which was already an increase on previous years is sure to increase.

The experience of the early January movement was a very important accelerant of this process. Not only did the movement reveal the general and national character of the dissatisfaction, but it also revealed the weakness of the regime. It was clear to all during the movement, that the regime was trying not to crack down too hard so as to avoid drawing in larger layers of the masses. Also, it also subsequently conceded a whole series of demands such as the removal of austerity measures from the new budget and an opening up in the democratic sphere and the tolerance of a certain level of protests.

All of this added to the confidence of the masses who can feel the regime is weak and crisis ridden. Each new protest encourages new layers to come forward with their demands and complaints. Starting from defensive isolated struggles, however, these movements are immediately politicised and focused against the core of the clerical order.

The regime is terrified of this development. In a revealing interview with the domestic daily Hamshahri , Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, had to admit that in spite of all the attempts of foreign and domestic political forces to gain influence over the protest movement in early January, none of them were successful, essentially because the protests had deep seated class roots. Sounding the alarm over the state of society, Rahmani Fazli said:

We can look at two sets of causes [for the dissatisfaction in society] one is immediate and one is more distant. The immediate causes for the protests can be seen in the economic, social and political spheres and one spark is enough to light them afire . But [...] the problem is even deeper.

Not only is the regime facing an immediate rebellion, but also a general decline and loss of legitimacy in the eyes of all layers of society. In particular, it is afraid of the core of the youth and working masses, which are from a generation that did not experience the 1979 Revolution and the demoralising defeats that followed.

One wing of the ruling class is wary of the coming explosive social situation and is looking to reform from above to avoid revolution from below. In particular, they are looking to give minor symbolic democratic reforms to allow the masses to blow off some steam. In the interview, Rahmani Fazli said that the media should move ahead of social change in order to manage [this] change instead of following behind. That is, he is calling for a certain degree of loosening of restrictions on the press so as to use the influence of an independent press to divert the coming movement down democratic paths which would not fundamentally alter the power of the ruling class.

In February, President Rouhani put the same idea more clearly, saying :

The previous regime, which thought that its rule would be lifelong and its monarchy eternal, lost everything because it did not listen to the voices of criticism, advice, reformers, the clergy, elders and intellectuals. The previous regime did not listen to the voice of peoples protests and only listened to one voice, and that was the peoples revolution. For a government that only wants to hear the sound of revolution, it will be too late.

Although it was left very vague, Rouhani has even proposed a referendum to determine the future of the regime. This has been echoed by a wide range of liberal political and cultural personalities. The liberal wing of the ruling class is warning the conservative wing: if we dont reform, there will be a revolution and we will lose everything.

When a regime starts talking about reforms to avoid a revolution, as the French historian, Alex de Toqueville pointed out, it is often already too late. The conservative wing of the regime is aware of this. It is warily watching how each protest is radicalising and embolding other layers. But neither crackdowns nor reforms can restore stability in Iran because the contradictions run much deeper. They reflect the sclerotic and impotent state of Iranian capitalism and its capitalist class, which is tied up in the complex web of its own contradictions. It is is incapable of solving any of the fundamental problems faced by society. In the end, this is what lies behind the present crisis.
Scientists at RMIT University in Australia have developed a new technique that allows them to coat 3D printed titanium objects with a layer of diamonds. The coating results in improved properties for medical implants, such as reduced bacterial attachment, enhanced proliferation of mammalian cells, and increased integration with living bone tissue.

3D printing is hugely promising in helping clinicians to produce patient-specific medical implants rapidly and cheaply. With 3D printing we can design patient specific implants of medical grade, said Aaqil Rifai, a researcher involved in the study. The technology is fast, accurate, reliable and saves time.

One of the most common materials for various implants is titanium, but some patients do not tolerate this material very well. Currently the gold standard for medical implants is titanium but too often titanium implants dont interact with our bodies the way we need them to, said Kate Fox, another researcher involved in the study.

This research team has previously developed a way to 3D print titanium scaffolds, for use as medical implants. However, in this latest study they have developed a new method to coat the implants in a carbon-based material normally associated more with jewelry than with medicine  diamonds. Carbon has an incredible level of biocompatibility, said Rifai. Our body readily accepts and thrives off diamond as a platform for complex material interfacing.

The researchers used a microwave plasma process to incorporate a diamond layer on the 3D-printed titanium scaffolds. The diamonds are synthetic, and cost less than the titanium powder. Since introducing the diamond layer, the researchers have observed a number of improvements in the properties of the materials.

This coating not only promotes better cellular attachment to the underlying diamond-titanium layer, but encouraged the proliferation of mammalian cells, said Fox. The diamond enhances the integration between the living bone and the artificial implant, and reduces bacterial attachment over an extended period of time. Not only could our diamond coating lead to better biocompatibility for 3D-printed implants, but it could also improve their wear and resistance. Its an exceptional biomaterial.

Study in Applied Materials and Interfaces: Polycrystalline Diamond Coating of Additively Manufactured Titanium for Biomedical Applications

Via: RMIT
by Ray Schultz , March 13, 2018

BluVector has added several features to its BluVector Cortex, a product designed to help companies fight malware attacks through their cloud-based email services. The enhanced service offers support for Office 365 and Google Mail.

These services are important for firms shifting to hybrid IT and email environments, states Travis Rosiek, CTO, BluVector.

In addition, the new features include:

Cloud email analysis

New event reporting dashboard

Malware analysis in the cloud

Detection of malicious VBScripts

Built-in threat intelligence

While email continues to be the primary method of communication for organizations, it also continues to be the weakest link in security, Rosiek says. As such, threat actors commonly target their attacks on email and are getting better at deceiving users.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 14, 2018

Google continues to work hard to keep bad ads off the internet. On Wednesday it provided a look at how the company fought bad advertising practices in 2017, sharing details on technology and policies added to protect consumers, advertisers and publishers.

Providing some perspective on the enormity of the challenge, Google removed 100 bad ads per second in 2017, Scott Spencer, Google's director of sustainable ads, wrote in a blog post. We took down more than 3.2 billion ads that violated our advertising policies," he wrote -- up from 1.7 billion in 2016.

Google's ad network operates at a massive scale. The company blocked 79 million ads in its network for attempting to send people to malware-infested sites, and removed 400,000 of these types of sites in the past year. The company also removed 66 million of what it calls trick-to-click ads, as well as 48 million ads that attempted to get users to install unwanted software.

advertisement advertisement

Meanwhile, Google worked to develop better technology to protect advertisers, removing 320,000 publishers from its ad network for violating the company's publisher policies. It also blacklisted nearly 90,000 websites and 700,000 mobile apps.

In 2017, Google removed 2 million pages for policy violations each month. After expanding its policy against dangerous and derogatory content in April to cover additional forms of discrimination and intolerance, Google removed ads from 8,700 pages that violated the expanded policy.

The ad network is open to publishers that do not abuse the platform. Google paid AdSense publishing partners $12.6 billion last year. But to make money from Google ads, publishers must follow the rules that prohibit websites in the ad network from serving ads with content that is misrepresentative.

For example, a publisher is prohibited from serving ads if it pretends to be a legitimate news website based in London when its actually a content scammer in California. We found that a small number of publishers were responsible for the majority of these violations, Spencer wrote. Of the 11,000 websites we reviewed for potentially violating the misrepresentative content policy, we blocked over 650 of those sites and terminated 90 publishers from our network.

Google continues to write and enforce new policies to protect consumers and publishers. Too often, Google identifies violations of its scraping content policy. This type of policy violation occurs when bad actors try to make money as quickly as possible by copying news or content from other sites, Spencer wrote. So last year, Google estimates that it blocked more than 12,000 websites for scraping, duplicating and copying content from other sites, up from 10,000 in 2016.
WashingtonUnited States President Donald Trump has nominated Gina Haspel, a controversial career intelligence officer, to head Central Intelligence Agency. Haspel, the first woman tapped for the post, will succeed CIA chief Mike Pompeo, who was named to succeed US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who was fired Tuesday.Haspel is reported to have overseen a CIA black site in Thailand where Al Qaida suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboardedwidely deemed a form of tortureafter the 9/11 attacks. Both Pompeo and Haspel require Senate confirmation to assume their new posts. A hearing for Pompeo is expected in April. A senior White House official said Trump wanted to reshuffle his team with a view to launching talks with North Korea, following last weeks spectacular announcement that he plans to meet Kim Jong Un by the end of May. While Trump thanked Tillerson for his service, he was sparing in his praise of the 65-year-old former Exxon chief, long rumored to be on the way out. Before leaving on a trip to California, Trump spoke openly of their differencessingling out the Iran nuclear dealas he explained the rationale for the latest departure from his chaotic White House. We got along actually quite well but we disagreed on things, Trump told reporters. When you look at the Iran deal, I thought it was terrible, he thought it was okay. The remark suggests Tillersons sacking spells trouble for the agreement, under which Iran surrendered much of its nuclear infrastructure and opened the rest to international inspection in exchange for sanctions relief. I wish Rex a lot of good things, the president said. I think Rex will be much happier now. Adding to the days drama at the State Department, Steve Goldstein, the undersecretary for public affairs and public diplomacy, was also shown the door after issuing a statement supportive of Tillerson.Goldstein wrote that the secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues, indicating he was caught off guard by Trumps move. Within hours, Goldstein himself was fired. The outgoing secretary of state, who returned overnight from a trip to Africa, did not address reports he only learned of his sacking when Trump tweeted the decision, saying only he had since spoken to the president. In his farewell remarks Tuesday, he said Washington must do more to respond to Russias troubling behaviorone day after slamming Moscow for its alleged involvement in an attempted assassination using a nerve agent in Britain. In announcing the reshuffle, Trump lavished praise on Pompeo, a former US army officer and congressman who led the CIA for nearly 14 months, calling him the right person for the job at this critical juncture. He will continue our program of restoring Americas standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, Trump added. For his part, Philippine Foreign Affairs chief Alan Cayetano welcomed Pompeos nomination. We congratulate Mike Pompeo on his designation as the new Secretary of State. We look forward to working with him and further strengthening the special relationship between the Philippines and the United States, Cayetano said. Cayetano acknowledged that Tillerson was responsible for maintaining good bilateral ties despite strained relations during the first year of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is a good friend of the Philippines who played a crucial role in strengthening our relations with the United States during his term as Secretary of State. We thank Secretary Tillerson for his friendship and the support he has extended to the Philippines and the Filipino people particularly during the period when our relations with the United States were facing challenges, Cayetano added.
by Tanya Gazdik , March 14, 2018

Two JetBlue Airways executives who have served in an interim capacity have been elevated to the top marketing and communications positions.

The company announced it has promoted Elizabeth Windram to be its new vice president, marketing. Windram will lead JetBlues brand strategy, including advertising, content and social media, digital marketing, regional marketing, loyalty and product development, and report to Marty St. George, JetBlues executive vice president, commercial.

Elizabeths passion for the JetBlue brand is matched only by her commitment to our customers, crew members, and communities, St. George said in a release. As we continue to grow our business, well look to Elizabeth to ensure we remain true to our roots while challenging us to keep innovating and getting better every day.

advertisement advertisement

Windram replaces Jamie Perry, who departed the company in September, to become head of North American eCommerce marketing at PepsiCo. She has served as JetBlues director, brand and advertising for the past two years. Previously Windram spent seven years at E&J Gallo Winery where she led brands including Barefoot Wine & Bubbly.

Doug McGraw was appointed to be the companys vice president, corporate communications. He replaces Nancy Elder, who left the company in August to become chief communications officer at Mattel, Inc.

McGraw will oversee the companys communications strategy, including internal communications, media relations, reputation management, social media and financial communications. He will report to Robin Hayes, JetBlues president and CEO. McGraw previously served as JetBlues director, corporate communications for the past three years leading external communications, reputation management, and operational crew member communications. Prior to JetBlue, he was senior vice president and partner in the New York office of FleishmanHillard.
by Sara Guaglione , March 14, 2018

The 190-year-old weekly British magazine The Spectator is launching a site for U.S. audiences, promising "not to be crazily for or crazily against" Trump, "at a time when the 45th president often appears to have made the world go mad."

Spectator USA will cover politics, culture and life in America, as well as share the best articles" on world affairs from the conservative-leaning British Spectator, according to an introductory post on the new site, and will be "pro-America and pro-Americans."

advertisement advertisement

"There is a genuine opportunity for us to reach into America," Freddy Gray, USA editor and deputy editor of The Spectator, told Press Gazette. The idea is its a U.S. site, which will do not just US content but also present the British Spectator to a US audience.

Spectator USA will be run from the magazine's London office, but has brought on board American writers for the site, such as Jacob Heilbrunn, Helen Andrews, Daniel McCarthy, Dominic Green and Kelly Jane Torrance.

The magazine will continue to discover and promote literary talent, the post added.

Spectator USA is also introducing a new blog called "Cockburn"  the ck is silent, the post noted - a cousin to "Steerpike" in Britain that will "indulge in mischief, mayhem and gossip going on in Washington, D.C.

There are no signs of a paywall or print magazine yet for American readers, but the Spectator in the UK has both.
by Sara Guaglione , March 14, 2018

Former A+E Networks CEO Nancy Dubuc has been named Chief Executive of Vice Media, replacing Shane Smith.

Smith, who has held the position of CEO since since founding the company as a punk culture magazine in Montreal in 1994,will shift to a new role as executive chairman, where I can concentrate on the only things that I am good at: content and deals he stated.

As we go forward, Vice needs a best-in-class management team to harness all of this growth and control our own destiny, whether it be staying independent, strategically partnering with someone or going public, Smith added.

While Vice has a strong foundation for the future, the company realized it needs help for the next phase of our growth.

In looking for a professional CEO, we are in need of one who can master; the content world, the digital world, the business world, and who is at the same time an operator extraordinaire. These people are obviously few and far between, he wrote.

advertisement advertisement

A+E Networks is a partner with Vice Media on its cable channel, Viceland. Dubuc has fostered a relationship with Smith since its launch in early 2016. Dubuc is a member of Vices board.

We are a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde, and we are going to take all your money, Smith stated, in his typical candid fashion.

Valued at $5.7 billion and operating in more than 30 countries, Vice Media is one of the largest digital news and lifestyle publishers for millennials. It has landed a total of $1.4 billion in funding from major companies like Disney, 21st Century Fox, TPG, WPP and Raine Group.

But the rising star company has recently been embroiled in allegations of workplace misbehavior, sexual misconduct and fostering a toxic boys club culture. A New York Times piece about Vice Media resulted in the firing of Chief Digital Officer Mike Germano, and a Daily Beast article led to the exit of Vice Media documentary films chief Jason Mojica in November.

Vice has since committed to achieving a 50-50 ratio of male and female employees by 2020.

It is likely no accident that Vice Media chose a woman to be the face of the company and lead its next chapter.

Vice Media also fell short of its 2017 revenue targets by about $100 million, according to The Wall Street Journal,mostly due to disappointing numbers from Viceland.
Despite the proliferation in the number of media options available to the average American consumer, TV -- especially ad-supported television -- remains the dominant source of their media time, according to an analysis released today by Nielsen.

Ad-supported television accounted for an 86% share of total time spent watching television 
As part of its ongoing effort to curb hateful content, Facebook has officially banned Britain First and its party leaders, Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen.

Britain First is a far-right activist group perhaps best known for its anti-Islamic posts.

Political views can and should be expressed without hate, Facebook said in a statement issued on Wednesday. People can express robust and controversial opinions without needing to denigrate others on the basis of who they are.

To date, the tech titan said that content posted on the Britain First Facebook page and the pages of its party leaders have repeatedly broken its Community Standards.

In response, Facebook said it recently gave the administrators of those pages a written final warning -- yet they continued to post offending content.

advertisement advertisement

Despite their best efforts, social platforms like Facebook and Twitter continue to struggle with their roles as censors. It an attempt to clean up its platform, for instance, Twitter was recently accused by conservative groups of political bias.

Twitter was forced to explain itself after efforts to curb fake accounts, Russian bots and hate speech had a significant impact on the follower counts of conservatives and alt-right figures, like Michael Flynn, Jr. and white nationalist Richard Spencer.

For its part, Facebook has readily admitted that policing its platform is tough. Last year, Monika Bickert, head of global policy management at the social giant, said& ;nbs p;balancing user safety and free expression was an imperfect science.

Facebooks content policing problems span the globe. Just this week, the company was accused&am p;nb sp;of spreading hate speech by a group of U.N. human rights experts investigating a possible genocide in Myanmar.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, March 14, 2018

Art and science meet in the mind of former Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum, an entrepreneur who announced the launch of Artbit at South by Southwest. He isn't calling the platform a blockchain, but rather a "distributed-ledger" under construction that will allow both artists and fans to share and monetize artistic talent worldwide.

The goal is to have the technology move into beta by the fall, with a full launch expected in 2019.

Sorum got involved with Pablo Martins, the "genius visionary behind Artbit," a few years ago while working out of Sao Paulo, Brazil doing music and art projects. For the past couple of years he had been working on a different startup project being tested at Harvard, then became interested in this new endeavor based on art. "Everything started to fall into place in the past six months," he said.

The new model for how artists are discovered comes from the internet, with search and social media, he said. Its changed dramatically in the past 20 years, and more so in the last ten, he said. When things started to turn a little south for artists -- meaning monetizing the art -- everyone started to try to find a solution to fix problems that came from not being able to keep up with the times.

advertisement advertisement

Founded by Sorum and Martins, along with Renan Monjon, Saulo Monjon, and Jean-Philippe Innocent, the Artbit platform was created to help unsigned and unrepresented artists such as musicians, street artists and performers, dancers, and magicians get paid. The platform will address the problem by providing exposure and capital to independent artists, while protecting their intellectual property and equipping them with the tools needed to manage the business side of their craft.

The Artbit community will be built on the Hedera Hashgraph platform and eventually act as a virtual agent that can manage the ability for artists to manage a smart contract, for example. Its not blockchain, but its a public distributed ledger where people can connect and trade information, Sorum said. The artists will be able to decide who to affiliate with when promoting their music or performance.

Community members also will have an option to produce live shows and performances through the platform, linking artists performance locations to any virtual stage. Fans worldwide will have the ability to watch the live performances, conducting interactions such as likes and shares. It also will enable artists to generate cryptocurrency.
by Karlene Lukovitz @KLmarketdaily, March 14, 2018



Although some leading beer brands have improved their consumer perceptions and/or advertising awareness in the past year, none have managed to improve consumers intentions to buy them.

Thats a key takeaway from YouGov BrandIndexs latest beer rankings, released annually near St. Patricks Day.

The rankings are based on a full years worth of the companys measurements of the major beer brands, conducted each weekday via thousands of interviews with a representative U.S. population sample (in the case of the beer category, only those 21 and older).

Corona and Samuel Adams essentially tied as the best-perceived brands, with scores of 10 and 9.8, respectively, and Budweiser maintained its #3 ranking versus a year ago. This makes the fifth year in a row that Adams has topped best perceived list. Last year, Corona was in second place.

advertisement advertisement

They are followed, in order, by Budweiser (9.1), Heineken (8.4), Bud Light (8.2), Stella Artois (7.4), Blue Moon (7), Guinness (6.2), Dos Equis (5.7) and Redds Apple Ale (5.6).

Bud Light, quite possibly seeing benefits from its hugely popular dilly dilly advertising, jumped from #6 last year to #3 this year, bumping Stella down one rank, to #6. Blue Moon rose to #7, from #10 last year.

Perception is measured via BrandIndexs buzz score, which asks respondents: "If you've heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?"

In ad awareness, Budweiser (26.5) and Bud Light (22.4)  again likely boosted by dilly dilly  are this years leaders. Both scores  which mean that 26% and 22%, respectively, of drinking-age adults recall seeing an ad for the brands in the past two weeks  represent significant improvements from a year ago, according to YouGov.

The other top 10 ad awareness leaders are Corona (17.5), Samuel Adams (17.4), Heineken (13.7), Stella Artois (13.1), Dos Equis (12.4), Coors (12.1), Coors Light (12) and Redds Apple Ale (11).



However, the scores for Corona, Dos Equis and Redds represented significant declines from a year ago. Non-top 10 brands Yuengling, Shock Top and Dogfish Head also saw declines in their ad awareness scores.



But regardless of their perception and ad awareness performances over the last year, none of the leading brands purchase consideration scores changed by any statistically significant amount, and their rankings are also unchanged.

Corona and Sam Adams again led this ranking, with 16.4% and 15.6% of adults 21 and over, respectively, indicating that they would consider buying these brands the next time they purchase beer.

The others in the top 10 are Bud Light (14.7), Heineken (13.6), Budweiser (12.6), Blue Moon (12.5), Guinness (11.5), Coors Light (10.9), Stella Artois (10.6) and Miller Lite (9.3).

This overall trend of advertising driving more water cooler talk than sales increases may force beer manufacturers to devise more persuasive and motivating marketing strategies  and/or more compelling products  to convince consumers to switch brands, observes YouGov data products CEO Ted Marzilli.
Advertisement

Celio Pouponnot, CNRS researcher at the Institut Curie, together with Franck Bourdeaut, medical researcher at the Institut Curie, and Paul Northcott at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, United States, decided to examine the role this "photoreceptor program" could play in a medulloblastoma.The presence of a protein known as NRL within this "photoreceptor program" initially drew the attention of Celio Pouponnot's team, which for many years has studied a family of proteins similar to NRL that is involved in the formation of cancers. Researchers also identified the role of another protein specific to the retina: CRX. Strikingly, this study shows that both these factors are involved in the medulloblastoma by activating key genes: CCND2, which promotes cell proliferation, and BCL2L1, which inhibits cell death (apoptosis).The research team then used pharmacological agents to target thesein preclinical models by grafting human medulloblastoma cells into mice. This treatment shrunk the tumor and extended the lives of the mice, proving the potential of this therapeutic target. These results, however, cannot be directly transposed to children for whom such pharmacological agents could be toxic.More generally, this study shows the potential benefit of studying signs of aberrant differentiations in cancer processes, highlighting a new area in cancer research.Source: Eurekalert
Advertisement

. Climatic changes can be predicted based on the analysis of the vast data already available. The mechanical and repetitive work in factories earlier done by humans can be done by robots, thus reducing the need for manpower, reducing errors, and improving the speed of production. In the judicial system, artificial intelligence could be used to go through numerous judgements and advise the judiciary on a particular case. Based on previous data, computers could advise the police if a criminal is likely to be a repeat offender or not., which is today characterized with overworked healthcare professionals, frustrated patients and disorganized hospitals. While it is already being used in some areas, artificial intelligence has several potential uses that need to be further developed.. They record the symptoms of patients, the probable diagnosis and the prescribed treatments. This data can be managed and used by artificial intelligence systems to suggest possible treatments for minor ailments, especially in areas without adequate healthcare facilities. A virtual nursing assistant can be fed the data on symptoms and diagnostic test results, and it can be taught to raise an alarm when the patient needs to visit the doctor. This will avoid unnecessary visits and reduce the load on the healthcare system., and reports can be generated in routine cases without the direct involvement of doctors. Specialists can use their time to assess more difficult cases. In cancer treatment, artificial intelligence can be used to understand the risk of recurrence of a cancer , or the chances of a particular complication occurring following a surgery. The robotic arms used to carry out robotic surgery tend to better themselves by learning from previous procedures using artificial intelligence.Artificial intelligence can help individuals with lost functions to lead near-normal lives. For example, a person who loses sight will be able to get information by voice command. Robots can be used to provide medical assistance to the elderly and other home-bound individuals. Efforts are being made to develop robots that can understand human emotions and match the personality of their users.The analysis of large amounts of data could provide information about which patients are likely to benefit from a particular treatment, or in which patients it should not be used. Health trackers can also provide a lot of personal data, which can be used to personalize treatment for better outcomes. Artificial intelligence could also be used in drug discovery to sift to large amounts of data and identify molecules that could be developed into drugs.. They have created sophisticated algorithms that help machines learn, analyze complex data and predict the future. Machines are being taught to focus on specific problems to improve their efficiency in solving them. Large amounts of data are being generated that can be used to improve individual experiences. Today, most adults carry a mobile phone with an internet connection. The phone constantly picks up data from wherever we go - about where we shop, what we shop, whether we are caught in traffic, among others. Online shopping also creates a large amount of data about our preferences. All this data is fed to the computer to analyze. Today's supercomputers are armed with high power and extremely fast processing speeds, which can analyze complex data with ease.For example, if machines are going to do everything, what are humans going to do?. Repetitive and manual tasks, which may sometimes be too dangerous or impossible for people to do (like carrying very heavy weights or walking into a battle area) can be carried out by machines. Analysis of vast data, which is extremely difficult to carry out manually, can be done quite easily with the help of artificial intelligence. Robots can perform duties faster and with lesser errors. As far as human jobs are concerned, there will always be new types of jobs created, especially in the creative field, which robots cannot do. All we need to do is to keep reinventing ourselves.. The entire data that has been collected has to be extremely secure, and available to authorized users only through methods like face recognition. Hacking into the data could be an invasion into the privacy of the individual. The governments, in association with technical experts, should take every precaution to secure the data. Laws and regulations should be made to defer individuals from taking advantage of the data. A culture of responsibility should be promoted among individuals and organizations involved in artificial intelligence. As cyber-attacks become more and more complex, it is necessary for cybersecurity to be a couple of steps ahead to make software and hardware less hackable.. New weapons may be invented that can cause mass destruction, which can be launched with machines or drones and do not even need human presence.This is something that has to be given due thought. The machines should be human friendly-they should support humans, have high moral ground and be transparent in their working.For now, it appears that artificial intelligence is here to stay and make our lives simpler. It is up to us to use it responsibly for the benefit of mankind! As Stephen Hawking put it, "Source: Medindia
Advertisement

The research material comprised the 1986 birth cohort of Northern Finland and it originally included more than 9,000 people. 15-16-year-old members of the cohort were invited to participate in a follow-up study carried out in 2001-2002. The final sample included 6,081 subjects who answered questions on psychotic experiences and alcohol and drug use. The follow-up continued until the subjects had reached the age of 30.The research team has also conducted a study on cannabis use, which has been published in The British Journal of Psychiatry. The study found that teenage cannabis use is associated with an increased risk of psychosis. It also showed that people who had used cannabis and had psychotic experiences early in life experienced more psychosis during the period of study."We found that young people who had used cannabis at least five times had a heightened risk of psychosis during the follow-up, even when accounting for previous psychotic experiences, use of alcohol and drugs and the parents' history of psychosis. Our findings are in line with current views of heavy cannabis use, particularly when begun at an early age, being linked to an increased risk of psychosis. Based on our results, it's very important that we take notice of cannabis-using young people who report symptoms of psychosis. If possible, we should strive to prevent early-stage cannabis use," says Antti Mustonen, Lic. Med.The two studies were part of Jouko Miettunen's research project "Trends and interactions of risk factors in psychotic disorders - Northern Finland birth cohort studies 1966 and 1986", which was funded by the Academy of Finland. The published articles are part of Antti Mustonen's forthcoming doctoral thesis on the link between alcohol and drug use and the risk of psychosis. In addition to researchers from the University of Oulu, the team included researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Queensland.Source: Eurekalert
The Rohingya or Arakanese Indians as they are sometimes known are Muslim minorities living in the Northern Rakhine State of the predominantly Buddhist country of Myanmar. According to the United Nations, the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted people on earth. They are a people without a country and are therefore stateless. They could not even get a job nor go to any public school in the country where they live. In 1982, Myanmar passed the Myanmar Nationality law that excluded the Rohingya as one of the 8 ethnic national indigenous races. This law also restricted the freedom of movement of the Rohingya. They are constantly being harassed by Myanmar and sometimes Bangladesh, two countries that refuse to give them political rights. The persecution of the Rohingya has been going on for a long time, even when Myanmar and India were still colonies of the United Kingdom. But at least, up to about 1962, just before General Ne Win mounted a coup in Burma and established military rule, the Rohingya were represented in the then Burmese parliament with two representatives. The democratic government even started a process of trying to resolve the Rohingya problem. When the military took over, however, the persecution of the Rohingya as we know it today started in earnest. The problem therefore is complex especially because the problem is not attracting enough world attention that would in a way force Myanmar and to a certain degree Bangladesh to address the issue squarely. The word Rohingya is not even allowed to be mentioned in official communications in Myanmar. The Rohingya are considered immigrants and are referred to as Bengalis even if the word Rohingya has been used in official government communications before. The de-facto leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, in one of her very rare press conferences referred to the Rohingya as Bengalis. She of all peoplea Nobel Peace Prize laureate, the darling of the international community admired by all due to her long years of detention by the military. She was somehow likened to the late President Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Now she has lost all that. She is now detested by all those who used to admire her for refusing to lend her voice to the plight of the Rohingya. Many are now calling for her Nobel Peace Prize to be recalled. She cancelled some overseas trips to avoid demonstrations against her which were bound to have taken place. The Freedom of the City award bestowed by Oxford in the United Kingdom was in fact already recalled. So was her Human Rights Award given by the United States Holocaust museum.What could be the reason why this so-called icon of democracy refuses to even speak out or least try to start a genuine and honest process to find some kind of solution to the Rohingya problem? The complexity of the problem could be one reason. Another is the fact that the military is in control of the government and her hands are still tied. Still another reason which is quite important is that there seems to be no support coming from the general Myanmar population with regard to the plight of the Rohingya. Suu Kyi might be the de-facto leader but she still a politician. She might be thinking that she is not politically strong enough to push for the needed reforms. Forcing reforms on the people might lose her a lot of support which probably is what the military wants in order to weaken her position. It could be a combination of all and more that is not known to the public. Whatever it is, her apparent inaction has lost her and her country many friends in the international community and a lot of prestige. Gone are the adulations heaped on her. It is now replaced by scorn. Other than the United Nations relief organization and other non-government organizations that are trying to alleviate the plight of the Rohingya, there are no concerted efforts by governments to provide decent housing, sanitation, and medical services so that the Rohingya will not be living in abject squalor. Right now, they are living under appalling conditions. Out of the estimated 1.25-million Rohingya that were living in the Rakhine state, about 625,000 have fled Myanmar and are now in refugee camps in Bangladesh, a country too poor to provide decent living conditions. With the monsoon and cyclone season just around the corner, the Rohingya will be hit hard if they are not moved to a more suitable location where livable and safe housing can be set up. The implementation of the so called repatriation agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh is too slow and might not even push through any time soon because some satellite photos that have appeared in some media outlets showed Rohingya villages totally obliterated. Even if the Rohingya are allowed to go back to Myanmar, they would have no place to stay. These and many other things may have caused one United Nations based court in Bologna, Italy to label what is happening to the Rohingya as genocide and a crime against humanity which Myanmar strongly denies. Surely, Myanmar, the only country in the Southeast Asian region to produce a Nobel Peace prize winner, a Secretary General of the United Nations in the person of U Thant and a glorious history is fully capable of changing course and at least consider treating the Rohingya as human beings entitled to fundamental human rights.
Right from our childhood, we are told that English is a prerequisite for anyone and everyone who wants to succeed or basically achieve anything in life. And those who don't know the language are unfortunately ridiculed.

The fact that English is one of the most spoken languages in the world just goes on to establish the dominance it has.

via GIPHY

But you know us Indians; we have the ability to transform everything as per our tastes and term it as a 'jugaad'. And there's no debate over the fact that the 'Hinglish' language is one of our most successful jugaads. In fact, it is so successful that it now taking over the world starting with a college in UK.

 Twitter

Portsmouth College is offering its students a course in the hybrid language of 'Hinglish'.

The course was first introduced in 2017 as a part of a pilot project. But thanks to the crazy response that the students gave, they are going to offer a longer duration course starting from September this year.

 Nacue

The curriculum will be designed keeping in mind the growing importance of the language not just in India but across the world in terms of economy, business operations, literature and even films.

 Red Chillies Entertainment

According to The Tribune, 18 students attended the Hinglish sessions on a regular basis earlier and they will now be helping the faculty to develop the course further. It will then become a regular feature from the 2018-19 academic year as part of the Modern Business Language & Culture programme.

You can catch a glimpse of the Hinglish class here:

Honestly, it makes us laugh and feel proud at the same time. After years of us trying to adapt to everything that's western, seeing our native language taking over the world in this way is definitely something we didn't expect. But people's massive interest in learning about India, its culture through a language is definitely heart warming.


Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Giorgos Katrougalos is having a number of important meetings with key politicians and investors in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain during his three-day visit there.



The topic of his meeting in Abu Dhabi with UAE Minister of State and co-Chair of the Greece-UAE Joint Interministerial Committee Mr. Al Jaber were nvestment-related issues. Strong UAE interest was reaffirmed in investments in the sectors of tourism, transport  including ports and airports  energy and construction. The UAE side stressed its interest in closer cooperation in the sector of agriculture and Greek agri-food products. It was agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Interministerial Committee in the last quarter of 2018, in the United Arab Emirates.



With Minister of State, Mr. Al Hashimy, Mr. Katrougalos discussed issues of common interest and was briefed on the progress in the implementation of EXPO 2020, which is being held in the Emirates and is expected to attract top businesses on the global level, including a number of Greek companies.



Mr. Katrougalos and the UAE Economy Minister, Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansoori, signed a statement of intent on cooperation and had a one-on-one meeting in Dubai.



Addressing a Business Forum in which Greek and UAE entrepreneurs participated, Mr. Katrougalos stressed, among other things, that We firmly believe there is great unrealised potential for cooperation in the sectors of cutting-edge technology and innovation, which are decisive to strengthening competitiveness on a global level. There is significant potential for expanding and diversifying our economic cooperation. We are determined to work systematically to achieve this goal. The signing of a statement of intent with Minister Al-Mansoori and the signing in the near future of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries, on SMEs and cooperation on innovation, will encourage our entrepreneurs to work together closely to increase the volume of bilateral transactions and become jointly more competitive in the global market.



Top executives from 14 Greek enterprises participated in the Greek business mission, which was organized by SEV in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.



This afternoon, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs will travel on to Bahrain for meetings with government officials and representatives of the banking sector and investment funds interested in investing in Greece.
We categorically condemn the terrorist attack on the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Rami Hamdalla, and his convoy in the Gaza Strip.



We wish a speedy recovery to the injured and express our solidarity with the friendly Palestinian people.



Greece supports the efforts towards intra-Palestinian reconciliation and the return of the legitimate Palestinian institutions to the Gaza Strip.
BAD AXE  A 60-year-old Port Austin man was sentenced to a year in jail, the judge ordered Monday, stemming from incidents where he touched a young girl on three occasions.

When a young child reports something like this and keeps reporting it, theres a problem, Huron County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Dawn Schumacher told the court.

Emerson Perry Jr. was initially charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct. Perry later pleaded no contest to assault with intent to commit sexual penetration.

The defendant and his defense attorney Jill L. Schmidt appeared in Huron County Circuit Judge Gerald M. Prills courtroom on Monday for sentencing.

Schmidt briefed the court of Perrys long stint with the military and noted he was honorably discharged.

In life, hes been a good member of society, Schmidt said. Other than working, he spends most of his time with his family.

According to court records, the incidents occurred between Sept. 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2016, in the village of Port Austin. When a Huron County Sheriff's deputy interviewed Perry, he initially denied all allegations. As the interview proceeded, Perry admitted to the deputy that he probably tickled the 7-year-old girl, and it went too far, and that it was possible his hand touched her vagina by accident, court records state.

Perry shifted the blame onto the victim, and said she took his hand and placed it on her vagina, according to court documents. He claimed the victim tried three to four time to get him to touch her.

Hes very careful now knowing you dont tickle, touch or play with someone elses kids, Schmidt said, noting there was no penetration involved.

Perry declined to speak when given the opportunity in court.

Schumacher commended the victim for coming forward and for continuously telling adults what was going on.

She was a very, very brave girl, Schumacher said, adding the child told her father, but he didnt believe her. She knew you tell the truth and continue to tell the truth until someone listens.

Even though he (Perry) told her, Dont tell nobody, she continued to tell the truth, she added.

Schumacher requested Prill exceed the sentencing recommendation  300 days in jail  and referred to the incident as a cowardly act for his own sexual gratification.

The minimum sentencing guidelines were five to 34 months.

I do applaud a young individual for coming forward," Prill said. "However, theres no excuse for touching a small child like that.

Prill paused for several moments before fashioning a 365-day sentence in the Huron County Jail with credit for four days served. Perry was placed on a five-year probation period, which includes having no contact with anyone under the age of 17  with the exception of family members. Perry was ordered to register on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry.
Uber is letting go of its Southeast Asia operations to concentrate on its North America, Australia, and South Africa businesses. This was the rumor that roiled newsfeeds recently in various permutations. Representative of them is a March 8 Bloomberg report, later picked up by blogs and news websites, that stated, Grab, the dominant ride-hailing service in Southeast Asia, is close to finalizing a deal to acquire Uber Technologies Inc.s business in the region and may sign a deal this week or next, according to people familiar with the matter. Under the supposed agreement, Uber would sell out to Grab and take a high teens to 20 percent stake in the latter, while other sources say up to 30 percent. A decision on Ubers part to divest its SE Asia operations would be an acknowledgment of Grabs dominance of the market and a prudent attempt to cut losses. It would be a totally understandable business decision on Ubers part. Grab has more than 81-million mobile app downloads and offers services in more than 178 cities across Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. However, a report by Patrick Everett Tadeo carried yesterday on Yahoo! News Philippines belies the rumor. Tadeo wrote: As soon as the rumors of Grabs planned buyout of Uber started to spread in January 2018, Carmudi.com.ph personally asked Uber Philippines government relations and public policy chief Yves Gonzalez if this was true but he merely laughed it off. The rumors, however, still persisted, prompting the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to ask Uber Philippines and Gonzales himself recently if this was true. According to the agency, Uber Philippines relayed Uber headquarters stand that it will not sell its Southeast Asian operations but instead will continue to invest more in the region. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi himself dismissed the rumor on a recent visit to Asia in February 2018. According to Reuter.com, the Uber boss said that while the company expects to lose money in Southeast Asia, it is also planning to invest aggressively in terms of marketing, subsidies, etc. From a competitive standpoint, we think we can improve, Khosrowshahi reportedly said. We will look at anything But right now the plan for Southeast Asia is to go forward, lean forward and to invest.On the local front, LTFRB board member Atty. Aileen Lizada shared that Gonzales relayed the same information to her as well. For Uber riders and drivers, thats good news. Because if Uber pulled up stakes, there would be adverse effects on the current ride-share industry. Foremost that comes to mind is that Grab would have a monopoly over the ride-share business. While there are other services such as Angkas and Micab, their presence can hardly be felt. Grab and Uber are in number one and two position, reminiscent of the Coca Cola-Pepsi war. Without Uber, there would no longer be the option of choice. The lack of competition would mean that the current system of variable fares, that change according to time and demand situations, will practically be under the control of Grab. In my own experience over the past month, Uber fares have consistently been cheaper by P30 to P50, sometimes higher. Their app also matches me faster with a driver. But if I were to see a better price on Grab or if they were to get me a driver faster, I would take a Grab. Nani, an Uber driver, was surprised when I asked him if he had heard the rumor. He hadnt. What will happen to us? If Uber leaves, the livelihood of its drivers will be affected. They could be absorbed by Grab, but there are reasons, Nani said, why some drivers joined Uber, and if Grab will be the only ride-share service around, the only choices drivers would have will be to join or not join Grab. Grab works better in some areas, Uber in others. Having a choice is better for consumers. And given the challenges faced by commuters daily in Metro Manila, we need all the transportation choices we can get.
Harbor Beach students getting real-world experience on fire... Many high school students spend their spare time hanging out with friends, playing video games or...

Birdsall: I, for one, would welcome our new alien overlords On Thursday evening, I drove out to the Dark Sky Preserve at Port Crescent State Park to watch...

Brady Talaski signs with Pittsburgh Vengeance of USPHL Bad Axe High School senior Brady Talaski signed with the Pittsburgh Vengeance of the USPHL Friday...
HURON COUNTY -- The Country Corners 4-H Club recently held its regular monthly meeting.

The meeting was held at the Saints Peter & Paul Parish Center 4-H meeting room. The meeting was called to order by President Zach Schroeder. The pledges were led by Vice President Camry Stringer. The secretary's report was given by Abbie Guza. The treasurer's report was given by Wyatt Schumacher.

It was moved by Leah Stringer and seconded by Blake Pfaff to accept the secretary and treasurer reports.

The birthday celebrated this month was Megan Messing

The billboard contest was discussed. Clovers are needed to create and paint billboards.

The new members are Megan and Emily Messing.

The SLA Animal and Tack Sale is April 7. The JLA prospect feeder steer tagging is April 14 at the fairgrounds.

It was moved by Eli Maurer and seconded by Madyson Schumacher to adjourn the business meeting.

The Clovers made holiday refrigerator magnets and the Cloverbuds made foot print penguins.

The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on April 2. The project leaders are Mary Beth Klee for the Clovers and Linda Schumacher for the Cloverbuds.
HARBOR BEACH -- The Harbor Beach Community Hospital Foundation is hosting a European Tower Pheasant Hunt as its next fundraising event.

The event will start at 7:30 a.m. and breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 14 at the Rooster Ranch on Germania Road near Ubly.

There will be a gun raffle setup, practice clay pigeons, tower hunt, lunch and a walk up pheasant hunt with guides and dogs. The birds are cleaned by the ranch and distributed to the hunters. There will also be a gun raffle sponsored by Randy's Hunting Center and a 50/50.

Vange Wolschleger made and donated a pheasant quilt that will go home to one lucky winner. Tickets can be purchased at the hospital admitting office and winners do not need to be present.

If you and your friends, our your company are interested in hunting, sponsoring or would like to register for this fundraising event, you can download a registration form at www.hbch.org, or contact Jean Ferriby, marketing coordinator at the Harbor Beach Community Hospital, at 989-479-5023.

All proceeds will go toward funding various projects for Harbor Beach Community Hospital.
UPPER THUMB  Students from several Upper Thumb schools walked out of their classrooms Wednesday as part of National Walkout Day  a protest against violence in schools.

One of the biggest turnouts, percentage-wise, was at Caseville Public Schools, which had roughly 80 middle school and high schoolers participate in a solemn 17-minute walkout at 10 a.m. to stand in support of fellow students nationwide calling for school safety.

For those saying that our agenda was to talk about gun control, that is not the case, stated senior Olivia Grates. For those saying that we have no place in doing such an event, that is not the case. For those saying that what we did was wrong, I strongly disagree with you.

Today, we memorialized not only the (Marjory Stoneman) Douglas (High School) students, but many others killed in school shootings, she added. We did not push an agenda or even discuss gun control except to present facts. Students did not have to attend, and many didn't, which is perfectly fine. Please do not pretend to know what we presented, if you weren't there.

Students walked out of their classrooms in support of the March for Our Lives Movement, which followed the murders of 17 students last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

In Cass City, more than 80 students walked out of their classrooms and into the schools gym from 8:05 until 8:22 a.m.  one minute for each life lost in Florida.

Cass City High School officials had set aside that period for anyone who wanted to participate, although the school did not sponsor the event.

High School Principal Chad Daniels discussed the importance of school safety, and took comments from students about what can be done to improve it. Issues that students brought forward included arming teachers, installing metal detectors and having a police presence on campus.

Every single thing you came up with is not perfect, Daniels told students. (Because) if a student isnt doing their part security wise, none of that matters.

He noted the importance of students not letting anyone in the door behind them and not propping doors open on school property.

Fourteen seniors at Bad Axe High School walked out on their own at 10 a.m.

These students expressed various reasons for participating: From mental health awareness to honoring the Florida victims.

I went out for mental health awareness because I feel thats a big problem in the world today, said senior Emma Walsh, who participated in an interview with the Tribune on her lunch hour, since school officials asked that students not be interviewed during class time.

Bad Axe Superintendent Greg Newland joined the students for a discussion on school safety, and Walsh said he was very supportive of the students.

We thought it was right to stand up for what we believe in, Walsh said. "... We have to stand up for ourselves and talk about it before its too late."

Bad Axe High School Principal Kurt Dennis told the Tribune that an authorized moment of silence was observed at 9:59 a.m., just before the students walked out.

The reason for the moment, Dennis said, was to acknowledge theres a problem in this country and we have to do something other than what weve been doing."

Teachers were also encouraged to discuss any concerns that students had following the moment of silence, he added.

Deckerville Public Schools witnessed at least 30 students participate in the walkout.

We had between 30 to 35 kids, one whole classroom and a handful of others, said Deckerville Superintendent Michael Hugan. We didnt organize anything for them, but the students that wanted to participate were not discouraged. Our main thing was keeping them safe. We opened up the cafeteria for them and they sat in there and did the moment of silence for 17 minutes.

Hugan was proud of his students.

It shows a group of young people that are becoming politically involved, he said. Those are the kids that are going to be our leaders someday. They were very respectful and the students that did participate, did it genuinely.

At Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker High School, the turnout was small  less than five students  but nonetheless, students participated.

For the students who wanted to go out, we had them have parental permission because they were outside of school during school hours, said High School Principal Jon Good, adding the students were outside for 10 to 15 minutes.

Good said the district is taking a different route to raise awareness about school safety.

I met with the student council (members) and explained the appropriate way to have your voice heard is through your state legislator, Good said.

Good invited the area's state representative  Republican Edward J. Canfield of Sebewaing  to come to the school and discuss school safety issues on March 26.

I hope students can ask questions and voice their concerns (with Canfield) and understand how things work at the state level, Good said.

At Harbor Beach Community Schools, roughly 10 students took part in the walkout.

Students at North Huron, Ubly, Unionville-Sebewaing Area and Owendale-Gagetown school districts did not participate, according to respective school officials.
Patrick Jones, founder of startup Vocatio, wants millennials and teens to get jobs. In trying to make this a reality, he's also addressing a broader issue that's vexed economists and companies: how to match available positions with the right people.

His company, currently in a testing stage, acts as a middleman, teaming up with colleges to tap a pool of largely liberal-arts students -- who traditionally find it harder to connect their degree with a real-world position. An online test, which prioritizes soft skills like creativity and problem-solving, places them on a talent index, provides specific job titles and access to firms hiring for those roles.

"The big hypothesis we're testing is: If I can give you, as an employer, a quantitative reason why Manuel, Jamal, Tom should be considered for this job role regardless of all the other factors, can we improve the likelihood that those types of candidates get opportunities?" said Jones, 49. "Can our approach assist this population by making them more visible to companies who are otherwise starving for high-potential talent?"

Vocatio, which Jones has been working on for several years, says that of the 275 students who have applied for a job using the service, 150 were hired at companies including information provider LexisNexis, wet-wipes maker Goodwipes, and accountants Ernst & Young.

Hiring the youngest Americans in the labor force would help extend the job market's solid gains, with an unemployment rate at the lowest level since 2000. Despite the robust performance, U.S. factories and service firms complain they can't find the particular mix of skills for open jobs. In a survey of small-business owners for February, about a third reported openings they couldn't fill, close to the highest since 2000.

Of the 6.7 million unemployed people across the country in February, more than a quarter were 16 to 24 years old. That figure doesn't even include those who became discouraged and stopped looking, or haven't searched in the last month.

"If you look at business surveys, they say one of the biggest problems they have is finding qualified workers," said David Berson, chief economist of Nationwide Insurance, who has personal experience with being a job-seeking, liberal-arts graduate after double-majoring in history and economics at Williams College in the 1970s. "Matching up smart kids, but maybe with fewer technical skills, with businesses that need those skills makes a lot of sense."

In January, there were about 1.2 unemployed job seekers for each available job, down from 6.6 just after the last recession ended in mid-2009, according to Labor Department data compiled by Bloomberg. Employers added a greater-than-anticipated 313,000 workers to payrolls in February, according to government figures released Friday, above the 182,000 monthly average for 2017.

Take your pick of reasons why jobs are staying stubbornly open: people unable or unwilling to move for opportunities, a lack of certain skills, a demographic shift, the cost of higher education, health problems, opioid addiction, or an inefficient system of hiring.

Solutions proposed by the U.S. and regional governments include job retraining, wider protections for the unemployed, and increased funding of educational assistance programs such as tutors and after-school programs, among many others.

But these aren't working in theory or practice on their own, according to Robert Brusca, an economist and founder of Fact & Opinion Economics. Brusca grew up in Detroit, a city that was hit hard by the declines in the auto industry and he's seen firsthand the failure of certain policies to bring jobs back.

"You're not going to bring them back with retraining. It is not going to help that community," he said. "It's a complicated problem, and you have to bite away with solutions bit by bit."

Next month, Vocatio is expanding in the city of Los Angeles to target so-called opportunity youth, people ages 16 to 24 who are not in school and unemployed. Jones and his family have some experience with adversity: his father was one of the first four black students at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta after desegregation.

"I can only imagine the challenges. But all he ever communicated to me was hustle," Jones said. "If you talk about access in the frame of, 'This is our economy, we want everyone to participate because everybody needs to carry their weight, nobody should be artificially restricted or should be a burden on the state' -- then hopefully that gets through."

--With assistance from Craig Torres
The 84-year-old man arrived in the emergency room with complaints that weren't uncommon for a patient his age.

He had reported feeling unsteady over the past several months, culminating in repeated falls in recent weeks. In the three days leading up to his hospital visit, his left arm and leg had noticeably weakened.

Still, there were no red flags in the man's medical history. He didn't smoke. He rarely drank. A blood test detected nothing abnormal.

"There was no confusion, facial weakness, visual or speech disturbance," doctors stated in a summary of the man's case published Feb. 27 in the medical journal BMJ Case Reports. "He was otherwise fit and well, independent with physical activities of daily living . . . and lived at home with his wife and two sons."

In other words, doctors thought, there was nothing apparent that would have suggested a clear reason for his symptoms. In a way, they wouldn't be wrong.

It was only after CT and MRI scans that the patient's medical team made an alarming discovery: Where much of the man's right frontal lobe of his brain should have been, there was simply a large blank space.

Finlay Brown, a physician who was working in the emergency department at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, at the time, remembers reviewing the brain-imaging scans with the rest of the staff.

"(We) were all very perplexed by the images we saw!" Brown told The Washington Post in an email.

The scans were so extreme, doctors wondered if the man had forgotten to disclose previous brain surgery or birth defects. He said he had not.

It turned out the man had pneumocephalus, or the presence of air in his cranium, a condition that is found in "nearly 100 percent of cases after brain surgery," Brown said. It can also occur after sinus infections and head or facial injuries - but with pockets of air or gas that are far smaller.

In this case, the patient's pneumatocele - or pressurized air cavity - measured about 3 1/2 inches at its longest, according to the BMJ Case Reports article.

"In my research for writing the case report I wasn't able to find very many documented cases of a similar nature to this one," Brown told The Post.

The pneumatocele's likely cause, an MRI would show, was an osteoma, or benign bone tumor, that had formed in the man's sinus and was eroding through the base of the skull, Brown said.

The tumor's formation and location had allowed for something of a "one-way valve effect" that had gradually contributed to the cranial air cavity, he added.

"From speaking to the specialists, it seems it has been progressing insidiously over months to years," Brown said. "When the patient sniffed/sneezed/coughed he would most likely be pushing small amounts of air into his head."

The air cavity was also reported as a "rare cause" of a small stroke the man had suffered, which had likely led to the left-side weakness and other symptoms that prompted the man's hospital visit, according to the BMJ Case Reports study.

Brown said the patient could have undergone surgeries: One that would decompress the air pocket in his head and another that would eliminate the tumor that had created the "one-way valve" and allowed air to move into the cavity in the first place.

However, the man declined both, because of his age and other health factors. He was given medication to prevent a secondary stroke and sent home with orders to monitor whether his left-side weakness worsened.

His nonsurgical approach is not without risk: It's likely the patient will be at a greater risk for infection, since there remains a passageway for air - and therefore bacteria and viruses - into his brain cavity, Brown said.

"Unfortunately, as there are not many cases published, it is hard to know the exact prognosis," Brown said.

So far, though, the man appears to be doing well, despite the cranial air pocket. During a follow-up appointment 12 weeks after his hospital visit, the patient reportedly no longer felt weakness on his left side and "remained well," according to his case study.

Brown told LiveScience he wanted to publish this case study to stress "the importance of thorough investigation of even the most common of symptoms," as an octogenarian's frequent falls and imbalance could have easily been written off.

"Because every now and then, there will be a rare [or] unknown causation of these that could be overlooked," he told the science news site.
Opposition parties in the Democratic Republic of Congo formed a coalition that will back Moise Katumbi's candidacy for president in elections scheduled for December.

The announcement marks the start of what's expected to be a series of declarations by candidates seeking to replace President Joseph Kabila, who has ruled the central African nation for 17 years and is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. Congo, Africa's biggest copper producer and the world's largest source of cobalt, has never had a peaceful transfer of power since independence almost six decades ago.

"You have chosen me to lead us to the coming elections," Katumbi told a gathering of supporters in Johannesburg, South Africa. "I call for unity among the opposition because we have to work together, hand in hand, to go toward free and transparent elections."

Congo was supposed to hold elections in 2016, at the end of Kabila's second term. Opposition leaders have previously accused Kabila of intentionally delaying the vote in order to retain power and change the constitution to enable him to renew his mandate.

"We won't accept another delay of the elections," Katumbi said. "I'm calling on the international community to push for this election to happen."

The new electoral alliance that will support Katumbi will be known as Together for Change. The 53-year-old former Kabila ally and governor of Congo's copper-and cobalt-rich Katanga province first announced his plans to run for president nearly two years ago. Katumbi has lived in self-imposed exile since May 2016, when he traveled to South Africa for medical treatment. In June that year, he was sentenced in absentia to three years in prison on what he says were politically motivated charges.

Katumbi told reporters his return to Congo is "imminent," without offering a specific date. "I'll be going back to my country to put down my candidature and start campaigning," he said. Several deadlines announced by Katumbi for his homecoming have already passed.

Among campaign pledges Katumbi offered to his supporters were plans to end armed conflict, particularly in the mineral-rich east of the country, attract greater private investment and build more infrastructure including hydropower dams and roads.

Katumbi's return may scare Kabila because "he doesn't have a successor and hasn't decided who should represent him in the presidential elections," Delly Sessanga, the secretary general of Together for Change, told Bloomberg after the rally. Katumbi's "safety isn't guaranteed if he returns today and this has to be resolved," Sessanga said.

The main bloc backing Katumbi's candidacy is the G7, a union of seven parties that broke with Kabila in 2015 over fears the president intended to modify the constitution. Several major groups including the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, the opposition party which performed best in the 2011 election, have yet to pick their candidates or clarify whether they intend to endorse Katumbi's campaign.

"We would have preferred that the entire opposition backs Moise's candidature," Sessanga said. "Unity is preferable, but everyone should be able to express himself how he wants."

--With assistance from William Clowes
I begin this column with heartfelt thanks to my colleague in the opinion pages, former Manila Standard editor-in-chief and former Philippine Ambassador to Hungary and Poland Andy del Rosario. He gave space in his column for my memoirs called The Road Never Ends. I chose that title because it seems to me, now that I am 90 years old, that as a journalist my fight for change in our country has not amounted to anything. We dont seem to be anywhere better. I took over a year to finish my memoirs. Now the book is ready for printing by my good friend, Dante Arevalo Ang, chairman emeritus of theAng has generously offered to publish and market my book after I told him I didnt have the money to do it on my own. I was also hesitant because I knew I was not a celebrity even though I have walked the corridors of power, having covered 10 presidencies. It was a family decision that convinced me I should do it. Dante sent one his staff members to interview me for weeks on end. The writer showed such patience as I had to recall many things. I thank my loving wife and my children Vic, Nina, Eric and Nicky. Target launch date is April or May. * * * History tells us that for a government to survive, the people must trust it and its leaders completely. They must have credibility in their policies and how they implement these. Foremost among these is justice for all. But state prosecutors cleared Kerwin Espinosa who had confessed in a Senate hearing that he was indeed a drug lord. Peter Lim, a  of the President, has also been cleared when Espinosa said he was his supplier of illegal drugs, and others led by one Peter Co. All these put at risk the credibility of the President, of his war on drugs, and of the justice system in the Philippines. Its unlikely that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre was not aware of the action taken by his prosecutors. Now Aguirre claims he has created another panel of prosecutors to review the cases of those drug lords. When there is no justice, the recourse of the people is revolution. This is why President Duterte should take charge of the prosecution of those drug lords. He can still set things right even if Aguirre cannot. He should prove he will not tolerate injustice. In fact, I think he should fire Aguirre. This also has implications on other cases, like that of Senator Leila de Lima. Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, de Limas lawyer, claims that the DoJ applied the basic rules to confessed drug lords and waived all legal doctrines with respect to someone who has been politically prosecuted. We cannot help comparing De Limas case to those of the confessed drug lords. I have no love lost for De Lima. She herself has a track record for persecuting the political enemies of former President BS Aquino III. I believe she had her comeuppance when she was jailed.But why has President Duterte risked the loss of peoples trust? * * * Santa Banana, now the truth about the controversy on the Sanofi Pasteur vaccination program is coming out. It was flawed, according to a US-based expert on dengue research, who said he was astonished and upset over the mass vaccinations by the Department of Health, then led by Secretary Janette Garin. Dr. Scott Halstead, at the Senate hearing, recommended that blood tests be done before the vaccination program is implemented. This is to exclude senogatives or those who have not been infected with dengue before. Halstead told the Senate Sanofi turned him down even after he explained his concern. Sanofi said doing this was not possible. Halstead said he nearly fell off his chair when the French pharmaceutical firm told him the vaccine would only be given to those nine years and older. He said this did not make sense. What was more crucial, he thought, was the patients history of dengue. This points to the responsibility and accountability of BS Aquino who negotiated the P3.5 billion deal. Along with him are Garin and former Budget secretary Florencio Butch Abad. He took from government savings to fund this project. Their worst crime was to put at risk hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren. * * * There is one portion of the nine-page treatise of former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile which I believe is pertinent in impeachment proceedings in a Senate trial. According to Enrile, Charles L. Black Jr. said impeachment is neither a criminal nor a judicial matter. But Black seems to believe that in the Senate trial, the senators, as triers of fact, ought to pay attention to the demeanor, credibility and truthfulness of witnesses presented before them, and weigh the evidence presented for and against the impeached official fairly and impartially without the dangers of partisanship or feelings of distaste. JPE said that an impeachment case is sui generis. The purpose is to remove the impeached public official. This is why the technical rules of evidence do not apply, and the principle of double jeopardy has no bearing. Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno must be warned that even if she is acquitted in a Senate trial, she can still be brought to court for the offenses she committee. In other words, there is no way outexcept resignation.
MIDDLETOWN  The Weitzman Institute at Community Health Center, Inc. is partnering with the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (CIHS) to bring a new, no-cost opportunity for HRSA-funded health centers to participate in a Pain Management Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) learning community, according to a press release.

The learning community will assist health centers across the country that are integrating behavioral health services with evidence-based prescribing guidelines and non-pharmacological approaches for pain management. Participating organizations will engage in interactive ECHO learning sessions, which include a brief lecture from the faculty and case presentations from the participating providers. Sessions will be twice monthly for six months beginning in March.

Primary care providers are faced with the enormous challenge of providing patient centered care for chronic pain patients, said Agi Erickson, project director for Weitzman ECHO, in the release. The Weitzman Institute supports providers and their care teams with tools and strategies to safely and effectively manage pain, build skills and confidence to provide guideline informed care and encourages alternative approaches to pain management.

Prescription painkiller abuse is one of the leading contributors to the devastating opioid epidemic. In 2012, medical providers wrote 259 million painkiller prescriptions, enough to give a bottle of pills to every American adult.

Operation Fuel names new director

BLOOMFIELD  Brenda Watson, of Bloomfield, Conn., has been named Executive Director of Operation Fuel.

Operation Fuels Board of Directors is very pleased to announce that Brenda Watson has accepted the position of Executive Director of Operation Fuel. We look forward to working with Brenda in her new role, said Nancy H. Bulkeley, Operation Fuels board chairperson, in a written statement.

Watson joined Operation Fuel in 2010 as its Director of Community Programs. She holds a B.A. degree from Florida Memorial University and a Masters degree from Trinity College in Hartford.

Operation Fuel is a statewide nonprofit organization that provides emergency energy assistance year-round to lower-income working families and individuals, the elderly, and disabled individuals who are in financial crisis. Individuals who need energy assistance should call 211. For more information on Operation Fuel or to make a donation, go to www.operationfuel.or

Clinton Chamber announces Business EXPO 3.0

CLINTON  The Clinton Chamber of Commerce recently announced the reboot of the Business Expo. Held annually for 25 years, the Clinton Business Expo was a popular event bringing the residents and businesses together to exhibit and explore the many resources and opportunities available right here in town. After a one year hiatus, the EXPO has re-emerged with a new location, format and more features.

This year the Business EXPO will be at the Jared Eliot School, 69 Fairy Dell Road, Clinton, on Saturday, March 24, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. More than 50 local businesses, restaurants and civic organizations will display their offerings and distribute information.

The Main Exhibition space will be in the cafeteria, where there will be 50 booths on one floor. A Food Court will be set up in the far end with food from local restaurants. Non-profit and Civic organizations will have tables set up throughout the hallway to present their mission and provide information. The Gymnasium will house childrens activities and presentations.

New this year will be seminars on various topics. Beginning at 9:30 a.m., a different presentation on a wide range of topics will be held every hour. To date, the lineup includes talks on Health Insurance, Auto Check Engine Lights, and College Savings Plans.

The Business EXPO 3.0 is sponsored by Ameriprise Financial at 205 Old Post Road, Old Saybrook, and MAWC, LLC at 166 Route 81, Killingworth.

Any business or organization who is interested in becoming a part of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce and participating in EXPO 3.0 can call 860-669-3889, email chamber@clintonctchamber.com or visit ClintonCT.com.

Relay for Life team announces meetings

American Cancer Society Relay for Life of HK Pull for Hope and walk on June 23 at HK High School, with a new Fire Truck Pull in conjunction with the Relay For Life event.

In addition to traditional Relay For Life teams, the committee is looking for teams of 12 to sign up and raise $1200 per team to pull a fire truck during the Relay event. Teams will compete to see who can pull the truck the fastest and earn bragging rights and a trophy. Register for a fire truck pull team or walking team at RelayForLife.org/HKCT

Monthly Team Captain and committee meetings will be at St. James Church Parish Hall, 501 Killingworth Road, Higganum, CT from 6:30-8 p.m. on April 25, May 30, and bank night on June 13.

Upcoming fundraisers: Pink Ladies Relay team will hold a fundraiser on April 8 from 1-4 p.m. at Junes Outback, Killingworth, a vendor fundraiser at LuLRoe Clothing, Park Lane; Jewelry & Bling and More by Teri Everett, Luminaria and Relay information table. Up to 505 off all clothing, jewelry, and accessories sales will be donated to the Pink Ladies team. 50/50 raffle, door prizes, thank you gifts and more. No Purchase necessary, donations accepted.

On May 12, St. James Relay team will hold its annual Pulled Pork Dinner from 5-7 p.m. at 501 Killingworth Rd.

Those interested in volunteering or who would like more information can contact Cate Reid from the American Cancer Society at Catherine.reid@cancer.org or Ed Yantosh at rflofhk@gmail.com, or learn more at RelayForLife.org/HKCT.

Hospice volunteers can receive training

MIDDLETOWN  At Middlesex Hospice and Palliative Care, volunteers are an integral part of our interdisciplinary team, reaching out to patients and families as they cope with the challenges of terminal illness.

Volunteers are eligible to begin after completing 12 hours of classes and a 12-hour mentorship on our inpatient hospice unit. Training is held on Saturday, April 7, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., and April 21, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Both sessions are mandatory.

Members are specifically looking for individuals who would like to work in homecare and nursing homes visiting patients. For more information and to begin the application process, contact Jackie Orlowski, Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, at 860-358-6955 or jaclyn.orlowski@midhosp.org at your earliest convenience.
Men in boot camp units that include women are just as likely to be satisfied with their training and esprit de corps as those serving in all-male contingents, says a new Norwegian study.

The researchers said that they found "no evidence that integrating women into squads hurt male recruits' satisfaction with boot camp or their plans to continue in the military."

The Norwegian study, titled "Does Integration Change Gender Attitudes?," comes as the U.S. Army has recently begun training women for the infantry, armor and other combat positions. The move remains controversial even though women, who comprise less than 15 percent of the Army, have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The study, posted as a working paper with the National Bureau of Economic Research, claims to be the first to assign men and women to live and work together and study how attitudes change over time.

The Norwegian male recruits became less sexist, the study concluded, just as previous racial "contact theory" studies have shown that racism decreases with familiarity among those assigned equal status.

"These findings demonstrate that men's gendered attitudes are not fixed, but can change through interaction with women," the study stated.

In contrast, a 2015 U.S. Army study on gender integration found that combat arms soldiers anticipating women joining their units felt certain that the women's inclusion would degrade unit cohesion and readiness.

The Army study found that combat arms soldiers' most urgent concern about having women in their units was the maintenance of physical performance standards, which they thought would inevitably decline. Nearly 60 percent of combat arms soldiers surveyed thought standards would not be maintained.

"Pregnancy was a frequent topic of discussion within focus groups and interviews of leaders," according to the Army study. "Many male Soldiers believe that women use pregnancy as a planned way to avoid deployment and report that pregnant female colleagues are disloyal to their unit, selfish, and not committed to the profession."

The next year, a RAND Corp. report found "strong, deep-seated and intensely felt opposition" from special operations personnel in all services to opening up their career field to women.

The Norway study did not measure the performance of squads during boot camp. There is also less gender inequality in Norway to begin with than in the United States, according to the Switzerland-based World Economic Forum.

"This paper does not answer all the questions," said Gordon Dahl, the lead author of the study and an economics professor at the University of California at San Diego.

But it did assess unit cohesion and morale, finding no evidence that having a woman in the squad affected men's enthusiasm for the military.

"What we're saying is 'How do they operate as a unit?'" Dahl said. "What we're learning, at least in Norway, is that a lot of preconceived notions people had turned out not to be true. With common goals and equal status - that's when barriers break down."

The Norwegian study randomly assigned women to some units at boot camp to live and train on six-person teams with male trainees. Other units remained all male. The study included 781 men and 119 women, who were unaware that they were part of a study.

At the beginning of training, 55 percent of men agreed that mixed teams were as or more effective than same-sex teams and 67 percent said housework should be equally shared.

After eight weeks, men with women in their squads were 14 percentage points more likely to think mixed teams perform as well or better than unisex teams, and 8 percentage points more likely to believe that men and women should share household work equally.

Among all-male teams, 22 percent were less likely to support mixed teams following the training, though 11 percent warmed to the idea of including women; 67 percent showed no change in attitude, the study said.

Dahl said that the study may be more applicable to the wider services than to combat jobs in which physical strength and endurance are the top requirements.

"Our study may not apply to the Marines," Dahl said, "but it certainly applies to radar technicians. Both Norway and the U.S. have less than 15 percent women (in the military). These attitudes are part of the reason why we don't have more women in non-combat roles."

The Army has for years trained women and men together at boot camp. The sexes live in separate barracks, however.

In contrast, the Marine Corps maintains a separate course of basic training for women, who comprise 9 percent of the corps.

In June, Brig. Gen. Austin Renforth, the commander of Marine Recruit Depot Parris Island, said that women must train separately from men at the beginning of training.

"There's a lot of tears, there's a lot of struggling," Renforth told Military.com. "... I don't necessarily want the men to see those women; it can have a reverse effect if you see them too early. You get one chance to make a first impression."
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.
Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia released a joint statement, which served as an apology and explanation for their shoot in Ethiopia.

TAKEN DOWN. Billy and Coleen have removed some of their photos on their social media accounts including the ones, showing blurred out ( a photography technique) Ethiopian kids and a mother and a child in the background.

Its true that a picture paints a thousand words that is why we have got a lot of things to learn about Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcias prenup shoot, and one of them is that most Filipinos are quick to judge, too sensitive, and hilarious. As soon as the photos taken in Ethiopia of the soon to be married couple reached the Internet, Billy and Coleen were bombarded with criticism. Netizens took to social media calling the prenup shoot out for being distasteful, politically incorrect, and racist. Some even said they were offensive as they highlight the couple for their being privileged whites (or half-whites for that matter). On Monday, the couple cleared the issue about using the women and kids in the photos taken by Metro Photos. In a joint statement sent to ABS-CBN, the couple said they were invited by Ethiopian Airlines to do the shoot in Ethiopia as part of a tourism campaign. The photos were not yet the official prenup photos because they have yet another prenup shoot that will take place in the Philippines. Its good to note that they already had a prenup shoot in Thailand and photos were released in January. The couple explained that the photos were taken based on the suggestion of a local guide, who was present throughout the entire duration of the shoot and their leisure time in Ethiopia. He took us around and made suggestions for the shoot, such as including the priests of Lalibela in our photos because they want people to see. We based our layouts off of some of their suggestions, they said. The couple further said that the locals were so kind, warm and welcoming, and they loved meeting tourists. And as for the children showed in the photos, they were in the area and wanted to be part of the shoot, so their photographer decided to add them to the shot.We never forced anyone nor wanted to disrespect any race or culture. People in the Philippines felt disrespected and offended, but being there was a completely different feeling, the couple added. Ending their statement, the couple apologized for those offended by the photos, and admitted that there were lapses on their part. Billy cited that he grew up in a very diverse city (Roosevelt Island), and had experienced bullying and racism in his youth because of my being an Asian.Trust me, we meant no harm, he said. And yet, amid their apology and explanation, netizens still continue riding on the issue, perhaps trying to elicit more comments and gain more followers for their social media posts. A blogger pointed out that we got offended by Billy and Coleens photos in Ethiopia, but we didnt get even a little slighted when Russian photographer Murad Osmann and his influencer wife Nataly Zakharova used the members of local tribe in Palawan as their background for their Follow Me To campaign on Instagram. In the photo, members of the tribe were not smiling, womens bosoms were exposed, and men were half-naked. They were used as props, and yet Filipino netizens were drumbeating proud to be Pinoy! We are a bunch of onion-skinned hypocrite, arent we? But at the end of the day, to each his own, that is why Id rather see passion in those pictures of Billy and Coleen rather than see hate, cultural insensitivity and racism.
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- In the end, getting a pension came down to days, not years.

When Jerred Mitchell, a noncommissioned officer at Ramstein Air Base, began getting sick more than two years ago, he started banking his annual leave.

Had he not done that, the Air Force master sergeant would be facing a medical retirement without a pension, less than three months shy of his 20-year mark.

"If I didn't save my leave for the last 2 1/2 years, I'd be in a different situation," Mitchell said.

On Feb. 22, a board acting on behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force denied his appeal to return to duty, directing that he be medically retired due to a rare disorder that can cause recurring blood clots.

Mitchell stood to lose his pension, an annual lifetime retirement benefit that military personnel qualify for after serving 20 years on active duty. For Mitchell, that comes to $19,459 a year after taxes, he said.

Mitchell's case highlights the vulnerability of service members struggling with health issues in the twilight of their careers.

As service members age and years of service take a heavy toll on their bodies, Pentagon regulations offer no protection or sanctuary from separation on medical grounds, regardless of how near to retirement they might be.

That means a pension rewarding a long, respectable career can vanish if a service member becomes unexpectedly ill or develops a physically debilitating condition before reaching 20 years.

Mitchell fretted for months while the Air Force weighed his future. In September, he filed an appeal to the Secretary of the Air Force asking that he be returned to duty after two Air Force physical evaluation boards ruled last year that he should be medically retired.

He was told he might hear back from the secretary's office within one to four months. It took more than six months.

Mitchell finally learned last month that his appeal was denied. But after a few more anxious days, he found out he'll get past the 20-year mark.

Months of fighting for his pension and waiting for answers paid off; the Air Force's slow pace of administrative action worked to Mitchell's advantage.

The days of leave Mitchell saved, plus extra time granted to him for out-processing and house-hunting by his command put him over the hump.

After taking into account Mitchell's leave and other time he's due, the Air Force Personnel Center approved his medical retirement for Aug. 31, three months past his 20-year mark of May 13, 2018.

A sliver of compassion

Though uncommon, getting discharged between 19 and 20 years on medical grounds does happen.

During the past five years, 69 active-duty airmen and 34 Air Force Reserve/Guard members were medically discharged with 19 years of service, officials said.

Most received a medical retirement, while a few were discharged with severance pay only. In both sets of circumstances, the airmen would not receive a separate military pension.

Military defense attorney David Sheldon of Washington has worked a few similar cases, he said, including a current one representing an airman with 18.5 years of service. The Air Force is trying to separate him for disability at 20 percent, despite the airman having support from his command for retention, Sheldon said.

Sheldon said he expects cases like this to rise, given the Pentagon's new policy announced last month, intended to force out most service members who are unable to deploy within 12 months.

Given the tougher retention standards, Mitchell knew his chances of a favorable decision were slim. But he was hoping for a sliver of compassion from the SAF folks. He had support from his commander to stay in and, realistically, he had too little time of obligated service remaining to deploy.

Mitchell was willing to hang up his uniform this spring. He told the Air Force, "'I just want to stay in till my 20-year mark and then I'll retire.' And they said, 'No.' "

Sanctuary for some

U.S. Code 1176 protects service members nearing 20 years of service -- and retirement eligibility -- from being discharged or denied reenlistment without just cause.

"Generally, what it addresses, once you're over 18 years, local commanders" can't issue an administrative discharge for lower-level misconduct, said Eric Mayer, an attorney in Kansas City who specializes in military law. "You can still do a knuckleheaded thing and get kicked out, it just has to go to a much higher level of approval."

But the federal sanctuary law doesn't extend to medical cases, officials said.

Service members "pending an approved or mandatory retirement are presumed fit for duty and must meet a higher standard to be found unfit for continued service," said Michael Dickerson, Air Force Personnel Center spokesman. "However, so-called sanctuary provisions do not apply for service members with 18-20 years of service if found unfit for continued service due to medical disability."

The nuance in the law isn't widely understood, Mitchell discovered. When he reached out to fellow airmen and veterans for advice, he kept hearing, 'Oh, you're good, you're in sanctuary. Nope, you don't have to worry about nothing.'"

Finally, a diagnosis

Mitchell always intended to stay in the Air Force beyond 20 years.

Now 40, Mitchell's career has stretched past 23 years, including his Reserve and Guard duty. He joined the Army when he was 17 and spent three years as a field artilleryman. He then did brief stints in the Army Reserve, Army National Guard, Air Force National Guard and Air Force Reserves. He enlisted in the Air Force in 2001, working in project and computer systems planning and implementation until 2009, when his career field merged into cable and antenna systems craftsman. Along the way, he deployed four times, including twice to Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mitchell's career was humming along until late 2016, when his left leg began to swell. Soon afterward, tests revealed deep vein thrombosis. The blood clots in his leg moved to his lungs, while the clots in his leg kept worsening, even after Mitchell went on blood thinners.

Doctors were baffled.

By January 2017, Mitchell finally received a diagnosis: antiphospholipid syndrome, a rare autoimmune system disorder that causes an increased risk of blood clots. There's currently no cure.

Around the same time, Mitchell began experiencing back pain. For years, he had minor aches in his back and legs, which intensified after his blood disorder developed. "I can't sit or stand too long," he said. "I can't stand in formation anymore."

The blood clots in Mitchell's lungs automatically triggered a medical board review, he said.

The deployment availability working group at Ramstein was first to review his medical condition, recommending that he be returned to duty, Mitchell said.

But the Air Force Personnel Center determines whether a member should be returned to duty -- sometimes with an assignment limitation code -- or be put through a full medical evaluation board review, according to the Air Force. The AFPC opted for the latter in Mitchell's case.

That triggered an informal physical evaluation board and, later, a formal physical evaluation board review at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

For his lower back pain and blood disorder, the boards assigned him a disability rating of 40 percent and recommended permanent retirement.

Mitchell appealed the ruling to the Secretary of the Air Force in mid-September.

Mitchell's medical records describe his duty and mobility restrictions. He can't run, and he can't lift more than 40 pounds. His health care provider recommended he be allowed to work half days as the mission allows and wear comfortable shoes.

The disorder has taxed Mitchell's body. This past year, he was up to two dozen medications a day to control his symptoms and has gained 60 pounds in two years from the drugs' side effects.

Mitchell also had letters of support from airmen and civilians with whom he's worked including his current commander, Lt. Col. Steven Brummitt.

In his letter to the board, Brummitt said Mitchell was one of his most productive communication planners, someone he leaned on for his expertise, leadership and problem solving.

"Bottom line: MSgt Mitchell is adding value to my organization despite his medical condition," Brummitt wrote. "He is in the perfect 'desk' job to support his physical limitations ..."

'Incompatible with worldwide service'

The physical evaluation board findings zeroed in on Mitchell's autoimmune disorder, stating the condition posed "obvious medical risk" to Mitchell's health and imposed "unreasonable requirements" on the military "to maintain or protect" him.

His back pain, meanwhile, rendered him unable to deploy, meet physical fitness requirements and perform common military tasks, the boards' members ruled.

Dickerson said the Air Force could not comment on a specific case due to privacy concerns. But he said that fitness for continued military duty is based on numerous factors, including but not limited to years of service, rank, career field, the effect of the medical condition on duties, fitness limitations, deployment and assignment requirements, treatment history and prognosis.

Mitchell asked the SAF Personnel Council -- charged with reviewing and acting on military personnel matters requiring secretarial level review -- to return him to duty.

The council denied his request, underscoring Mitchell's blood disorder and "high utilization of medical resources." It noted that Mitchell had 30 medical visits in November and 10 medical visits in December, requiring a range of medical specialties, including hematology, rheumatology, pulmonology, podiatry and cardiology.

"The Board determined that the member's extensive requirements for medical specialty follow-up were incompatible with worldwide service and therefore unfitting,'" the council wrote in its decision letter.

There's no mention of Mitchell's looming retirement date.

Mission comes first

An Air Force doctor who spoke to Stars and Stripes on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak about the physical evaluation board process said the decision to retain or medically discharge an airman is not up to his or her doctor. The doctor presents information about the service member's medical condition, the prognosis and treatment.

"The gentlemanly thing to do would be to let him get to 20," said the doctor, who was familiar with Mitchell's case, but "ultimately, the mission comes first."

From 2013 to 2017, four active-duty members and one Reserve member with 19 years of active service were medically discharged with severance pay as opposed to medically retired, Dickerson said.

Disability severance is a one-time lump sum payment, equal to two months of basic pay for each year of service, according to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

In the same time period, 65 active-duty members and 33 Reserve/Guard members were medically retired with 19 years of service. This represents 1 percent of medically retired cases during that time frame, Dickerson said.

Medical retirement entitles service members to lifetime medical coverage and a monthly payment based on one's disability rating and years of active service. Depending on the disability rating, military medical retirement pay can be offset by the amount of disability compensation a member receives from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In the Marine Corps, four Marines in the past five years were medically discharged after serving between 19 and 20 years, officials said. The Army and Navy did not provide numbers.

A more secure future

Reaching 20 years was huge for Mitchell.

As a medical retiree with less than 20 years, he would not have been eligible to collect VA and Department of Defense disability pay, which are paid from two different buckets of money. He would have taken the higher of the two, which would have been $3,270 a month from the VA for a 100 percent disability rating. The VA disability rating is higher because it accounts for all of Mitchell's ailments, not just those affecting his ability to do his military job.

It is not taxable by the federal government.

With 20 years under his belt, Mitchell will still receive VA disability pay, plus a pension.

It's a difference of about $20,000 a year, after taxes.

The pension is peace of mind, a safety net for his family if his condition continues to deteriorate and he's unable to work, Mitchell said. The VA can always downgrade his disability rating and reduce his VA disability pay, he said.

Mitchell, his wife, Joanna, and his two school-age kids plan to move about an hour outside of Dayton, Ohio, near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

His message to other service members: Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Consider investing in the Pentagon's new blended retirement system, similar to a civilian 401K plan. It allows you to leave the military with an established retirement account even if you do not retire.

"You don't know if you're going to get sick ... and get pushed out," Mitchell said.
Officials have ruled a suicide after the commanding officer of a Marine Forces Reserve unit was discovered dead earlier this month.

The Marine Corps was notified of the death of Lt. Col. Adam L. Collier, commanding officer of 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, on March 11, officials with MarForRes told Military.com. The battalion, which falls under the 4th Marine Division, is based in San Antonio, Texas.

A spokeswoman for MarForRes, 1st. Lt. Stephanie Leguizamon, said police were investigating the circumstances surrounding Collier's death.

Officials with Hermosa Beach Police Department, near Collier's Los Angeles home of record, said the investigation has now been closed, with the Los Angeles coroner's office ruling Collier's death a suicide.

Related content:

A source told Military.com that Collier held a civilian position as an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Los Angeles.

According to information provided to Military.com, Collier, 42, entered the Corps in 1998 and was promoted to his current rank in 2015.

He deployed three times: to Iraq and Kuwait in 2004; to Iraq from 2009 to 2010; and to Afghanistan in 2011.

His awards include the Combat Action Ribbon, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal, according to his records. Prior to commanding 4th Reconnaissance Battalion, he served with 3rd Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, out of Bell, California.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lt. Col. Adam Collier," Leguizamon said in a statement on behalf of Marine Forces Reserve. "The Marine Corps stands ready to support them in every way we can during this difficult time."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
During a visit to troops at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, on Tuesday, President Donald Trump revealed an idea he had recently: a "space force," or separate military service for space.

What the crowd who laughed at the proposal might not realize, though, is that the concept behind Trump's new idea has been hotly debated for years on Capitol Hill and inside the Pentagon.

Trump visited Miramar during his first trip to California as president. During a 30-minute speech in a hangar on the air station, he spoke of recent successes for the United States in the realm of space.

"You're seeing the rockets going up left and right; you haven't seen that for a long time," Trump said, then added a jab at former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. "Very soon we're going to Mars. We wouldn't be going to Mars if my opponent won, that I can tell you."

He described the idea of a military branch for space as something that recently occurred to him.

"You know, I was saying the other day because we're doing a tremendous amount of work in space, maybe we need a new force. We'll call it the space force," Trump said. "And I was not really serious, and then I thought, 'Maybe that's a great idea. Maybe we'll have to do that.' "

It's not clear whether Trump knows that the Air Force and Congress have been locked in conflict over just such an idea for a long time.

An early version of the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act would have required the service to stand up a U.S. Space Corps, an action the Air Force maintained is too costly and demanding of resources.

Meanwhile, though, the service took more modest steps to emphasize the importance of space as a warfighting domain, including in June 2017 creating a senior military role to oversee space missions.

Ultimately, the Space Corps proposal did not make it into the final version of the defense budget bill.

But that doesn't mean key lawmakers have given up on the idea.

Earlier this month, Reps. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., and Mike Rogers, R-Ala., told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the Pentagon might be able to create a Space Corps within three years.

Rogers said the actions of competitors including China and Russia are making such a move increasingly important.

"The situation we are in as a nation, the vulnerabilities we have to China and Russia, I'd like for the American public to know more, [but] I can't because I don't want to go to jail for leaking classified info. But we're in a really bad situation," Rogers said at the time.

Despite Trump's bullishness on space in his speech, he sounded a note of warning on the progress needed to be made in the domain.

"From the very beginning, many of our astronauts have been soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen and Marines," he said. "We're going to lead the way in space. We're way, way behind."

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.
President Donald Trump's proposed idea of a Space Force has lawmakers on Capitol Hill once again asking the U.S. Air Force if a separate space unit in the Pentagon is feasible.

During a House Appropriations Defense subcommittee hearing Wednesday, lawmakers asked the Air Force's top general and top civilian why the idea was shot down before and what the stipulations would be if it is resurrected.

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson instead outlined how the service's space budget propels the Pentagon's mission forward against emerging threats such as Russia and China, who may not be coming into the domain in a peaceful way.

"As the president said yesterday, the new National Defense Strategy for space recognizes that space is a warfighting domain. We appreciate the president and the vice president's leadership on space," Wilson said, alongside Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein.

Related content:

"This [Air Force] budget accelerates our efforts to deter, defend, and protect our ability to operate and win in space. There are a number of different elements of this with respect to the space -- the space portfolio," she said.

There is no question space is a warfighting domain in need of better protection, one which the Air Force has overseen since the mid-1950s, Goldfein said.

"As a joint chief, I see that same responsibility as the lead joint chief for space operations -- is making sure that we have those capabilities that the joint team requires. And so, as the president stated openly, this is a warfighting domain," Goldfein said. "That is where we've been focused. And so I'm really looking forward to the conversation."

On Tuesday, Trump revealed he recently had an idea for a "space force," or separate military service for space.

During a visit to troops at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, Trump said, "Because we're doing a tremendous amount of work in space, maybe we need a new force. We'll call it the space force."

Trump's comments come a few months after the Air Force thought it was done talking about a separate military force for space, one that lawmakers have pushed the service to stand up in hopes of taking adversarial threats in space more seriously.

Rep. Mike Rogers R-Ala, and Rep. William "Mac" Thornberry, R-Tx, in June first created language in the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act which would have required the service to stand up a "U.S. Space Corps."

Soon after, Goldfein, Wilson and even Defense Secretary Jim Mattis attempted to dissolve the idea, citing costliness and organizational challenges.

And while lawmakers ultimately removed language requiring such an overhaul of the Air Force's mission, they still required a study of the idea and also backed changes to the management of the space cadre.

Rogers and other key lawmakers think it is still possible to stand up Space Corps within three to five years, and have still chastised the Air Force for not doing something like it "yesterday."

At a Center for Strategic and International Studies event earlier this month, Rogers and Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., warning that the situation in space is increasingly dire because Russia and China are waiting in the wings to exploit America's vulnerabilities.

"The situation we are in as a nation, the vulnerabilities we have to China and Russia, I'd like for the American public to know more, [but] I can't because I don't want to go to jail for leaking classified info. But we're in a really bad situation," Rogers said at the time.

"When you asked about deadline, timeline, think about yesterday," Cooper said. "You know, even the chairman's answer of three to five years, we fought and won World War II in five years. Remember that our defense budget is really not set by us; it's set by our adversaries. Our bureaucratic changes should not be determined at our convenience, but at what's necessary."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
In 2008, before his second deployment to Iraq, Navy SEAL Sal DeFranco was hit by a car and sustained a traumatic brain injury. The trajectory of his life was dramatically altered. Little did he know how coffee would help his recovery and lead to a different path of serving the community.

Coffee as the Catalyst

DeFrancos recovery period was fraught with challenges; like needing to relearn basic skills, bouts of forgetfulness and all the other hallmarks of traumatic brain injury.

Due to his injuries, DeFranco was unable to serve in any capacity and was discharged from the Navy. As many disabled veterans can attest, the loss of so much at once often leads to depression and is a significant factor in the high rates of suicide among veterans. DeFranco wasnt an exception.

Thankfully, an encounter with a medical doctor, a former SEAL himself, led to a life-altering, and perhaps surprising, remedycoffee.

After I started drinking coffee, things got better. I was happy and energetic again. I started hanging out at cafes, which was good for me to be around people and interact. From there, my passion for the cafe scene and coffee industry grew. Its not a stretch to say coffee saved my life.

Country, Community and Coffee

Ignited by his commitment to continue to serve, DeFranco and his wife created Battle Grounds Coffee. Choosing to go the more controversial route, the DeFrancos stick to whole bean coffee.

DeFranco says there is a method to the madness. The complex flavors and aromas in coffee are created by volatile compounds, which dissipate quickly once its ground. Whole bean stores better and lasts longer - meaning the taste is preserved.

In addition to offering up premium roasts like Hold Fast, White Knuckle Espresso, and Treason (the brands decaf brew) the DeFranco's opened a brick and mortar cafe in Haverhill, MA.

We are a family owned business that cares deeply about our community. Battle Grounds serves as a place for people to discuss ideas, build relationships and create business. In our community, we are the tip of the spear.

DeFranco is all about community and giving back. And this also applies to his advice for military in transition or job-seeking veterans.

DeFrancos Top Tips for Transition

Do as much market research into the industry youre interested. The world is a competitive place and you need to give yourself the edge by arming yourself with knowledge. The more prepared you are, the better you will do. Informational interviews with subject matter experts or seasoned professionals in your desired field will be immensely helpful.

Before you enter into a business with your spouse, clearly define the roles each of you will have. At the end of the day, someone is going to need the authority to make a command decision. A married couple must be able to separate their business relationship from their personal relationship.

Look inward for motivation and continually strive to be the best version of yourself you can be.

Surround yourself with intelligent, creative people. You want a network of reliable people who are there when you need assistance.

For 2018 and beyond, Battle Grounds plan to build more cafes throughout Massachusetts. Commitment to their community remains in the forefront for the DeFranco's. That, and a delicious cup of coffee. DeFranco is proof that you just never know what a good cup of joe can do for you.

Elizabeth Anne Hamilton is an Army Brat, Ret, and very proud of it. She is a published author and book marketing specialist, with successful NY Times Bestseller campaigns and Amazon Bestseller campaigns under her belt. Continue the conversation with her on Twitter @pookiegalore.

-- Sean Mclain Brown can be reached at sean.brown@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @seanmclainbrown.
The Marine Corps has budgeted enough money into its proposed fiscal 2019 budget to buy 35,000 of the U.S. Army's new Modular Handgun System, according to budget documents.

The Army awarded Sig Sauer a contract worth up to $580 million in January 2017 to make the 9mm Modular Handgun System as a replacement for service's Cold War-era 9mm M9 pistol, made by Beretta USA.

The Corps also uses the M9, but Marine officials have remained tight-lipped on whether the service will commit to choosing the MHS as its new service pistol.

The Marine Corps did, however, include the MHS in the Family of Infantry Weapons Systems section of the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Estimates Justification Book.

"The Modular Handgun System will be purchased to replace the legacy M9, M9A1, M45A1, and M007 pistols with a more affordable and efficient pistol for maintenance," the document states. "The MHS also provides modularity and greater shooter ergonomics over the current models, which will allow for more accurate fire for military personnel of different sizes."

Marine Corps Systems Command officials declined to comment on the budget submission.

Military.com also reached out to Sig Sauer for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

The $28.3 million earmarked for the Family of Infantry Weapons Systems "supports the first year of procurement and fielding of M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles (IAR), Modular Handgun Systems (MHS), Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS), M320 Grenade Launchers, and Tow Objective Gunner Protection Kit 2.0 (TOGPK 2.0)," the document states.

The budget document does not provide a total dollar amount for the MHS, but lists the unit cost of 35,000 Sig Sauer MHS pistols at $180 each. Army weapons officials have so far declined to give a unit cost for MHS.

The Army's 10-year, MHS agreement calls for Sig Sauer to supply the Army with full-size XM17 and compact XM18 versions of its 9mm pistol. The striker-fired pistols can be outfitted with suppressors and accommodate standard and extended-capacity magazines. There is also an accessory rail for mounting accessories such as weapon lights.

The Army intends to purchase 195,000 MHS pistols, mostly in the full-size XM17 version.

The Marine Corps may be leaning more toward the smaller XM18 model, according to a "sources sought" solicitation posted on FedBizOpps.gov on Feb. 13.

"The Program Manager Individual Combat and Equipment (PM ICE), Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM), is seeking industry input that identifies potential sources for holster sleeve for the Modular Handgun System (MHS) (P320 Sig Sauer handgun) Compact ([XM18]) version," the solicitation states.

Companies have a deadline of March 30 to submit concept proposals, the solicitation states.

Army weapons officials first announced that the Marine Corps was considering purchasing 35,000 Modular Handgun Systems at the National Defense Industrial Association's 2017 Armaments Systems Forum last May.

Sig Sauer beat out Glock Inc., FN America and Beretta, in the MHS competition, an effort the Army launched in late August 2015.

Sig's victory formally ended the Beretta's 30-year hold on the Army's sidearm market.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
It's not a secret to military families stationed in Asia: produce in commissaries there is really, really expensive, and has only gotten worse in the last few years since the system brought in a new contract designed to save the agency money.

Now, a new report says the same thing. Yes, the new contract is saving taxpayers somewhere around $40 million. But it's also caused prices for items to go way up, sometimes costing more than triple the price of the same items on the economy in Japan and Korea, the report states.

"Specifically, DeCA personnel did not verify produce prices for 35 highvolume core items on the surveys submitted by the contractors," the report states.

For example, if you were buying Bok Choy in Japan last June, it was going to cost you $4.20 per lbs on base, and an average of $.89 per lbs off, according to the report. That's an almost 373 percent price difference. Oh, and its native to that region, so getting it there shouldnt be a costly exercise.

I've been on the OCONUS fruit and veggies prices beat for a long time, so here's a little background: A few years ago the Defense Commissary Agency decided they could save a few bucks -- about $48 million a year -- by not footing the bill to ship fresh fruits and vegetables to stores in Asia. Instead they decided to pass that cost on to the contractor and, therefore, the consumer.

They put in place two contracts -- one to provide those items in Guam, one to provide them in Japan and Korea. The contracts require that a list of "high value, core-items," -- things that Americans except to see in their grocery stores that aren't always readily available overseas, like strawberries and broccoli -- be priced at 30 percent less than what they would cost off base. At the time customers and lawmakers worried that even 30 percent less than the off base price would be exorbitantly high. A lot of folks complained, an IG report was done on the problem in Guam, a lawmaker wrote letters of concern, and a National Defense Authorization Act ordered the IG to keep an eye on the situation.

And what did the latest of those IG inspections find? Not only are prices higher than what they were before, but they are nowhere near the 30 percent savings required. In many cases, the report found, items cost far more on base than they do off.

Auditors found that no one was minding the store, as it were. Commissary officials weren't checking to make sure the prices contractors claimed were found off base were actually there, or that the prices that they were setting matched what they were supposed to be doing.

DeCA's director agreed with the IG's price-related findings, according to the report.

When the contract was first changed, commissary officials noted that they expected some prices to go up and others to go down.

And the IG report does show that, compared to markets outside the gate, some vegetables are substantially cheaper. Celery, cilantro and green leaf lettuce all showed a savings of over 60 percent, while lemons, limes and broccoli also met the at least 30 percent savings threshold.

But that was it from among the 35 "high value" items. Everything else didn't touch the savings requirement or, in the case of 15 of the items, actually cost more.
Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2018 7:45 am

After pleading guilty in October to his role in a drug conspiracy that resulted in a Mexican national being murdered in April 2016 at a Seymour area residence, a Mexican man was handed down a 50-year prison sentence last week in federal court.

At his hearing Thursday in Springfield, Yovanny Aroldo Mendivil-Balderama, 23, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark after pleading guilty in October 2017 to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Greene, Dallas, Christian and Webster counties from April 28, 2015, to April 26, 2016. He also pleaded guilty to using a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, resulting in the murder of Oscar Adan Martinez-Gaxiola on April 25, 2016, in Webster County. The 50-year sentence will be served in federal prison without the possibility of parole, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Missouri.

According to court documents, Mendivil-Balderama and Martinez-Gaxiola obtained large amounts of methamphetamine from either Arizona or Mexico and transported it to Missouri. They supplied methamphetamine to co-defendant Brooke Danielle Beckley, 21, Nixa, for distribution in the Springfield area. Beckley, who pleaded guilty to the same charges, was sentenced Feb. 26 to 40 years in federal prison without parole.

Beckley met Mendivil-Balderama and Martinez-Gaxiola in January 2016, and Beckley and Mendivil-Balderama started a sexual relationship shortly afterwards.

On April 6, 2016, law enforcement officers seized from Beckleys hotel room approximately 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine, a loaded 20-gauge shotgun with a sawed off barrel and stock, four rounds of additional shotgun ammunition, a .22-caliber pistol, a drug ledger and $3,662.

The loss of the 1.9 kilograms of methamphetamine created a $44,000 debt that Beckley owed to both Mendivil-Balderama and Martinez-Gaxiola. According to court documents, text messages between Mendivil-Balderama and Beckley revealed they both wanted to kill Martinez-Gaxiola as a way to reduce, or extend, the debt and to prevent Martinez-Gaxiola from possibly killing Beckley. Mendivil-Balderama suggested in a text to Beckley that he had an idea of how we can do so you do not have to pay me everything. Beckley, in a text on April 21, 2016, asked what he needed her to do. Mendivil-Balderama responded, I just need someone to help me get rid of someone I need gone like now. Subsequent text messages suggested that the person that needed to be gone was Martinez-Gaxiola.

Beckley then recruited co-defendant Anthony Edward Donovan, 21, Springfield, to assist in killing Martinez-Gaxiola, and offered to pay him $6,000. Donovan recruited co-defendant Nathaniel Austin Lee, 20, Seymour, to assist in the murder and allow for the use of Lees property in rural Webster County, in exchange for part of the $6,000. Lee then recruited Joshua Applegate (who was a minor under federal law at the time of the offense, and therefore charged as an adult in state court rather than in the federal indictment).

On April 24, 2016, Beckley, Donovan and Lee practiced for the murder of Martinez-Gaxiola by discharging various firearms at the Lee residence. On April 25, 2016, Mendivil-Balderama traveled with Martinez-Gaxiola to the Lee residence on the pretext that Beckley would pay the drug debt. Beckley, Donovan, Lee and Applegate were waiting at the residence; Donovan and Lee were armed with handguns. Upon arrival, Mendivil-Balderama got out of the vehicle first. When Martinez-Gaxiola exited the vehicle, shots were fired at him and Martinez-Gaxiola fell to the ground. Eventually, Donovan went up to where Martinez-Gaxiola lay and shot him once in the head. Martinez-Gaxiola was armed with a handgun but did not discharge it during his murder.

Lees neighbors reported the shots fired at the residence (it is estimated that the co-conspirators expended 30 to 60 rounds of ammunition during the murder). Webster County deputies responded to the location. Hearing the emergency sirens, the co-conspirators attempted to conceal Martinez-Gaxiola under a piece of tin siding, and then fled the area. When the deputies arrived, they found Martinez-Gaxiola, who was still alive but critically hurt and who died before transportation to the hospital. Law enforcement officers captured all the co-conspirators by the end of the day on April 25, 2016.

Donovan and Lee have pleaded guilty to the same charges and await sentencing. Co-defendant Jourdan Ashley McGinnis, 29, Nixa, pleaded guilty to his role in the drug-trafficking conspiracy. McGinnis was sentenced Dec. 18, 2017, to seven years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

After a plea agreement was reached with the Webster County Prosecuting Attorneys office in December 2017, Applegate pleaded guilty to felony unlawful use of a weapon and was given a suspended imposition of sentence along with five years supervised probation. As part of the agreement, several other felonies filed against Applegate, including first-degree murder as an accessory, were dropped by the prosecution.
Posted Wednesday, March 14, 2018 4:00 am

After calling the RV Express park its home since 2012, the Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce office is on the move.

The chambers board of directors recently approved the office move down Spur Drive to its new home in the shopping center anchored by Orscheln Farm and Home. Chamber coordinator Karisa Wright said leasing paperwork was recently signed with representatives with the Wayne Biggs estate, the property owner, to bring the chamber to the shopping center. Its new address will be 1329 Spur Drive, Suite 130, and Wright said the 1,500-square-foot space will be at least double the size of its current location.

It seemed like a perfect fit, and everything has just flowed so smoothly, she said, adding the chamber is on a five-year lease. Like that its kind of meant to be.

Aside from space for the tourist information center, the office will also include a small interior office, conference room, storage closet and extensive storage area in the back of the building.

Were going to have lots of (material) storage space now for events instead of having a storage unit, Wright said.

Although the chamber office is largely packed up at this point, save for furniture and other office equipment still in use, Wright said shes awaiting carpet cleaning and minor touch-ups at the new home before making the move. She said the chamber should be fully operational at the office by no later than the end of the month.

Wright stressed that the move is nothing against the chambers office home for the past few years, but the opportunity to be in a larger location and one that isnt shared space with an existing business (RV Express) was one the chamber board felt was worth pursuing.

We want to support the business growth in Marshfield, and we feel like to do that, we need our own space, she said.

Discussion about a possible move has been ongoing for a few months, said chamber president Erica Lafferty, and after a suitable location was found, relocation was approved by the board last month.

We are continually striving to better serve our chamber partners and the community at large, Lafferty said. The board felt like a new location with more space would be a good way to continue this mission.

For years, the chamber office has been located in close proximity to Interstate 44, and was a preferred option for a new location largely because of the tourist information center run inside it, Lafferty said.

The board also wanted to have a conference room at the new location that could be used for chamber events, board meetings, and by our chamber partners, she said. We feel very fortunate to have found a location that meets both of those criteria.

Wright agreed with Lafferty that the conference spaces size would allow it to be utilized by others needing a place to hold meetings. Its a good enough sized space that we can hold ribbon cuttings there if we need to, as well, she added.

I think all of us  Karisa and the board  are excited about the move to the new office.... Overall, the move is another step toward being able to provide more to our partners and the business community of Marshfield, Lafferty said.

The chamber phone number (859-3925) and email address (mfldchamber1469@gmail.com) will remain the same. Office hours will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tuesday quickly debunked claims by Qatar Petroleum (QP) that the Qatari state-run company and Abu Dhabi agreed to continue collaboration in operating Al-Bunduq oil field, push-backs which show that the Gulf crisis is not abating.

A source in the UAEs Supreme Petroleum Council pointed out, in a statement carried by state-run news agency WAM, that the two now rivals never reached any such an agreement and that there has never been engagement between the two states.

There is no commercial or trading relationship being established between the UAE and Qatar by the extension of this concession, the source was quoted as saying.

QP earlier Tuesday said it was delighted to announce a new concession agreement with Abu Dhabi to continue development and operation of the oil field shared by both parties.

A Japanese company is the operator of the oil field approved by both Qatar and Abu Dhabi.

Qatar since June has been facing a regional isolation after its neighbors Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain plus Egypt severed their diplomatic ties over accusations that the tiny gas-rich country sponsors terrorism. The four also imposed a sea, air and ground blockade on Doha.

The diplomatic row has however recently shifted to a rather bilateral feud between Qatar and the UAE. The two have traded several accusations.

Despite the blockade, Qatar still supplies the UAE with two billion cubic feet of gas every day, al Jazeera reports.
Doctors at public hospitals in Zimbabwe have embarked on a nationwide strike demanding better wages, benefits, and work conditions, doctors unions said on Tuesday.

The strike is crippling public hospitals as patients are being turned away or left in corridors without assistance in major hospital across the southern African nation.

According to local media, the strike, which started slowly, last week, has gained strength in its second week, with doctors saying they will not go back to work until their demands are met.

The striking doctors accused the government of failing to procure adequate hospital equipment and essential drugs to allow them to provide quality service to patients at district and central hospitals.

Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association gave President Emmerson Mnangagwa led-government a 21-day ultimatum to resolve doctors concerns last month. The government had not, as agreed four years ago, increased on-call allowances for doctors to $10 an hour from the current $1.50, and has failed to fulfil other promises for better compensation and working conditions.

According to Reuters, Junior doctors, who earn a basic monthly salary of $329, were yet to get duty-free vehicles as agreed previously. In neighboring South Africa, junior doctors on internship earned the equivalent of $2,834 last year.
The delegation of the European Union (EU) to Libya on Tuesday, announced a new program worth 50 million to support the North African nations cities most affected by illegal immigration flows.

According to Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, this funding is part of a program to be launched by the institutions Emergency Trust Fund for Africa.

The program is expected to support local governance and improve services for vulnerable populations, including migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities.

The EU has already committed 237 million through the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa to help the war-torn nation.

Last December, the United Nations migration agency said it plans to fly 15,000 more migrants home from detention centers in Libya before year-end in the wake of shocking reports of rampant migrant abuse and squalid and overcrowded conditions at these facilities across the North African country.

Since the 2011 popular uprising that drove President Muammar Gaddafi out of power, Libya has seen an explosion in the transit of migrants to Europe.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Havells India signed an agreement with Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co. Ltd. for manufacturing Magnetic Contactors.

Under the agreement, Hyundai Electric will provide technology know-how and grant a license to manufacture and market Magnetic Contactors under Havells brand. A detailed Press Note released by the Company in this regard is furnished.Source : BSE
Tusk: Georgia Is Frontrunner in Eastern Partnership

By Tea Mariamidze

The President of the European Council, Donald Tusk believes that Georgia is the leading state among the Eastern partnership countries, adding the EU appreciates the steps taken by the Georgian government to eliminate violations of visa-free regime with the European Union.We discussed the EU-Georgia relations, including the Georgian governments pragmatic proposals for advancing negotiations and cooperation with the EU, Tusk stated at the joint press-conference with the Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili, who is paying an official visit to Brussels until March 10.He also added that the EU fully supports Georgias sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.We are concerned about the continuation of the creeping occupation of Georgias two breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Tusk stated, and expressed sadness regarding the recent death of Georgian citizen Archil Tatunashvili and the detention of the two others in breakaway Tskhinvali.According to Giorgi Margvelashvili, it is concerning that the occupation regime does not allow the body to be transferred to Tbilisi so far.He also spoke about Russia's provocative and annexed actions in breakaway regions, adding the last tragedy once again confirms the need for an international security and human rights mechanism in the occupied regions.Margvelashvili highlighted that Georgia supports peaceful resolution of the conflict.Georgian President also informed Donald Tusk about the events planned and implemented by the Georgian authorities regarding the prevention of violations of visa-free travel with the EU.He assured that Georgian side reacts to any violation of the visa-free regime rules by Georgian citizens in close cooperation with relevant EU member states. According to Margvelashvili, Legislative and practical measures are planned for the reduction of asylum seekers from Georgia in foreign countries.Georgian government has taken extremely active steps to eliminate visa-free regime violations and we are ready for more active and close cooperation with our partners to work on this issue, the President added.Within the frames of the visit, Margvelashvili also met with the European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, Carlos Moedas in Brussels.At the meeting, President Margvelashvili emphasized the importance of active cooperation between the Georgian Government and the Commission, especially in the areas of research and innovation.The progress in the EU-Georgia relations and positive outcomes of the Association Agreement, visa free movement and Georgias integration into the Energy Union were also discussed at the meeting.According to Margvelashvili, Georgia will use all the opportunities to comply with EU standards, norms and practices in the areas of energy, transport and communication, agriculture, environment, culture, science and innovation.Moreover, Margvelashvili also met with European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tibor Navracsics.The Georgian party emphasized the countrys aspiration to reach the EU standards in education.Furthermore, Margvelashvili welcomed the establishment of the European school in Tbilisi, which enables the young generations, not only from Georgia, but from the partner countries as well in order to acquire European education in Tbilisi.He also welcomed the creation of the special fund of 6 million Euros for the Georgian students, who are experiencing financial hardships. The fund enables Georgian students to fully realize their potential through the program.Georgia-EU agenda and Georgias future European perspectives were the key issues discussed by the Chair of the European Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee, David McAllister and president of Georgia.Margvelashvili thanked McAllister for the firm support in the European integration process. He has also briefed McAllister on the measures taken by the Government of Georgia to eliminate violations of the visa-free regime with the EU.Georgian President will complete his visit to Brussels on March 10.
It is business as usual at Nirav Modi's high-class store in Singapore's Marina Bay Sands complex despite all the headlines on the fraud-tainted fugitive jeweller back home.

The outlet in the casino-convention-exhibition complex is operating as an international brand of Nirav Modi.

The store has attracted more attention from Indian tourists and persons of Indian origin since the allegation of bank-linked frauds surfaced last month.

"Persons of Indian-origin are walking in and taking photos," said a sales executive of another brand outlet in the complex.

The up-market foreign shoppers are not aware of the ongoing scandal linked to Modi, who is allegedly the key person behind the Rs 12,700 crore scam at the Punjab National Bank. Modi, his associates and related companies are under the regulatory scanner.

"We are here to buy jewellery that is legally available. There is nothing wrong in buying something from our own hard earned money," said a shopper.

Some shoppers believe the Nirav Modi International brand is operating according to local laws here.

Banking frauds happen as part of 'black sheep' operatives. But Nirav Modi-PNB scandal has hit India very hard just as the government is trying to recapitalise financially-strapped PSBs in the country, said a banking source.

The Nirav Modi outlet sells a simple ring for 2,400 Singapore dollars and a basic diamond-studded necklace could cost a shopper 330,000 dollars.

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) shops host the world's leading brands. MBS shops are rated way above the fashionable outlets in the hotel-belt of Orchard Road, Singapore's most premium shopping centre.
International Monetary Funds Managing Director Christine Lagarde has suggested the regulators across the world to employ the blockchain technology to curb the "peril that comes along with the promise" of cryptocurrencies.

"The same innovations that power crypto-assets can also help us regulate them. To put it another way, we can fight fire with fire," Lagarde said in a blog post on Tuesday.

Remarking that technology behind crypto assets is an exciting advancement that could help revolutionise fields beyond finance, she highlighted that they are also a new vehicle for money laundering and the financing of terrorism.

Money laundering and terrorist financing is only one dimension of the threat. Financial stability is another. The rapid growth of crypto-assets, the extreme volatility in their traded prices, and their ill-defined connections to the traditional financial world could easily create new vulnerabilities.

She championed the use of distributed ledger technologythe backbone of blockchain technologyand said it can be used to speed up information-sharing between market participants and regulators.

Those who have a shared interest in maintaining safe online transactions need to be able to communicate seamlessly. The technology that enables instant global transactions could be used to create registries of standard, verified, customer information along with digital signatures, she added.

Lagarde said that the biometrics, artificial intelligence, and cryptography can enhance digital security and identify suspicious transactions in close to real time.

She also called for a greater international cooperation at the regulatory level since crypto assets know no borders. She added that the framework to regulate the cryptocurrencies must be global as well.

Talking about the future of cryptocurrencies, the former French finance minister said that it would not be wise to dismiss them. We must welcome their potential but also recognise their risks, she added.

By working together, and leveraging technology for the public good, we can harness the potential of crypto-assets while ensuring that they never become a haven for illegal activity or a source of financial vulnerability.
RN Bhaskar

Could Indias GDP growth rates continue to be subdued in the coming years? The government denies this. It sounds bullish. Its spokesmen state that the economy has bottomed out, and the only way to go is up.

But not everyone is so sanguine. In fact, as pointed out in these columns just a couple of weeks ago, most economic indicators do suggest some pain ahead. Some economists say that these numbers could be a passing phase.

There are others who, like this author, believe that the GDP numbers may climb by a couple of percentage points. But that could be more because of e-payments, because now merchant discounts also get added to GDP. E-payments alone have the potential of pushing up Indias GDP by a couple of percentage points each year for the next 3-5 years.

Political strength and weakened economy

But there could be a third reason as well.

For almost a couple of decades, some political analysts have held the view that India has an inverse relationship between political strength and GDP growth. When a political party enjoys more than 50% of the seats in the government, it has the muscle to bring forth economic changes. But, given the nature of Indias politics, and the need to pander to the support base of the ruling party, decisions get taken that actually adversely affect economic growth.

This is not true with many other countries. Singapore has a party in power with a majority of seats. But its economic growth has been a global marvel. That could also be because Singapore believes in meritocracy and super efficiency  qualities that are missing in India. Ditto with China. In Russia, a strongman like Putin inherited an economy that was on its knees and gasping for survival. He helped the economy revive.

More power, more appeasement

In sharp contrast, for decades in India, political equations have pushed politicians to promote reservations even without merit being considered. Populism has diluted even educational standards. And greed has allowed politicians to promote limited numbers of medical colleges, even when the country needs more doctors. Donations and capitation fees suddenly become more important than promoting a national health and education agenda.

There is always hope that a strong leader will be able to get such trends reversed. But given Indias political compulsions, and the apparent unwillingness to let the judiciary and law enforcement machinery become stronger, politically expedient measures invariably find favour. That includes selective pursuit of investigation, graft, tokenism and populism.

Consider how violence on the streets has seldom resulted in convictions, even when there is photographic evidence which could easily pin down the miscreants. Consider again how an elected representative was allowed to go scot-free even after slapping a public servant (12 times) and breaking his spectacles. Further, consider how the government allows foodgrain to rot, but will not give it free of cost to the poor.

And consider how the policy makers now show eager willingness to abandon an existing system of verification, and instead advocate a system of authentication. They seem oblivious to the danger of creating an army ghost identities, which can be a security and economic nightmare.

To hell with laws

In fact, what hurts India most is the way politicians have sought  through successive governments  to weaken the judicial and law enforcement arms of government itself. Nothing confirms this as eloquently as the numbers put forth by P Chidambaram (see chart), who was at various times finance and home minister at the Centre. It must be clarified though that even under Chidambarams watch, judicial vacancies were not filled up, nor were the posts of policemen. He too was not willing to let law enforcement become autonomous, as recommended by commission after commission.

Thus, through every scam, the people who get caught are often junior officers and middle level managers. The top brass  often ministers  who instructed the easing of rules for scamsters often go scot-free. And their crimes of trying to subvert law enforcement are seldom investigated. Thus you have a minister who was believed to have encouraged the Telgi scam (involving printing of fake stamp papers). His name also cropped up again for trying to auction off police posts, in an article penned by a former police commissioner. Yet these are the crimes that are not being investigated.

By not filling up such posts, there is always a backlog of cases. Judicial delays invariably benefit the oppressor and not the oppressed. The government (read politicians) then decides which cases to take up for investigation, and which files should be allowed to be left on the shelves to gather dust. That is one reason the government does not like arbitration awards by centres in other countries, because the powerful in India then lose the ability to delay the implementation of the award.

All judicial delays eventually have a price that must be paid for in economic terms. And that, in turn, gets re-elected in poor GDP growth rates.

Power consolidation

And the irony is that when a government becomes strong, it seeks to consolidate its power. That would not have mattered in a meritocracy. But it can be devastating in a system which encourages reservations over merit, privileges over equality before the law.

Hence while a strong leader could be expected to deliver high economic growth rates, the opposite often takes place. Remember, it was at the height of power that Indira Gandhi nationalised banks, abolished privy purses and introduced a crippling industrial licensing system.

Ditto during Rajiv Gandhis time.

On the other hand, even though the Narasimha Rao government was the weakest in terms of political numbers, it delivered a modern India. He broke up telecom rules, and delicensed industry among several other measures that he undertook.

On the basis of the numbers, it is possible to say that strong governments do cripple India. They could have helped India, if the strong government were to fill up judicial and law enforcement posts. It would have galvanised Indias march to greater heights if the law enforcement machinery were to be made autonomous.

But as things stand today, that does look a bit fanciful. Coupled with low investment in education and healthcare, and poor focus on outcomes, India may not do as well as desired. If that is true, it is quite possible that a weaker government  which rules through consensus  would actually help the economy. A weaker government automatically allows the judiciary and the law enforcement machinery to become stronger. But that strength is on account of the the political party becoming relatively weaker. Law enforcement could be a great deal healthier if all its vacancies were filled in quickly, the backlog of cases removed, and the rule of law (including accountability of police officials) were allowed to prevail.

But then, is this wishful thinking?
The irony of the Indian defence sector could not have been more pronounced. Indian scientists and engineers have the capability of producing missiles which can hit targets at a distance of 5000 km but cannot produce a gun that can kill the enemy 50 metres away. The small arms that the armed forces use is of vintage era and is ineffective on a protected enemy.

For nearly three decades, the Army has been using smaller 5.56-millimetre bullets fired from INSAS rifles made by Indian Ordinance factories. In a recent seminar, Major General Ajay Ohri of the Infantry Directorate said that the smaller bullet failed to neutralise terrorists even when they were shot twice or thrice.

While the world is moving towards remote-controlled warfare, the Indian Army is still being used as cannon fodder, thanks to the lethargic approach of bureaucrats and politicians.

On Tuesday, nine men of the armed forces traveling in a mine-protected vehicles were blown up by an improvised explosive device in Naxal- affected Chhattisgarh. This round of killing comes within six months of another deadly assault which killed 25 uniformed personnel in the same area.

The incident once again proved that enemies of the state are better armed and political and bureaucratic hurdles are preventing the use of technology to fight the enemy. Apart from giving lip service, both the state and the central government have done precious little to improve the ground situation. Use of drones or other hi-tech weaponry is still a distant dream for the armed forces. Its a shame that parcels are delivered and photographs of various family functions are taken using drones, but the armed forces are not yet allowed to use it.

Governments, irrespective of the political party, are thick skinned. Even after four years of coming to power, the so-called nationalist government of Narendra Modi has not been able to improve the ground realities of the armed forces.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its 2017 report highlighted the poor status of the ammunition stockpile.

The report said that 74 percent of the 170 types of ammunition failed to meet the Minimum Acceptable Risk Level (MARL) requirement, and only 10 percent met the War Wastage Reserves (WWR) requirements. The report made a glaring statement that of a total of 152 types of ammunition considered critical by the Indian Army to fight a war, 61 types of ammunition are available for just ten days while only 31 types are available for 40 days.

Not only is the armed forces fighting with inferior weapons, even these weapons are not enough to fight for more than 10 days.

Given this pathetic state of affairs, it is no wonder that the Vice Chief of Army Staff (VCOAS) addressing the Parliamentary Panel on Defence said that the 2018-19 Budget had 'dashed the army's hopes for modernisation.

It is not the first time that the finance ministry has let down the defence forces. In the One Rank One Pension (OROP) issue, the Finance Ministry agreed to the demand of veterans after street dharna by them and after pressure from the Defence Ministry.

This battle between the clueless bureaucrats in the Finance Ministry and the armed forces is the prime reason for this sorry state. The FinMin has not even provided money in the Budget for the on-going schemes and projects. It would have been a miracle if the bureaucrats would have provided for adjustments of GST on arms procurement.

The government has made the various announcement of indigenization but nothing has taken off. The Defence minister proudly claims that 37 private sector companies have been given licenses, but beyond this, there is nothing to show. Here too, government controlled and badly managed ordinance factories will get precedence over private players.

It was only after the Doklam stand-off with China did the government feel the need of clearing procurement of small arms on an emergency basis.

The Defence Ministry plans to buy 740,000 assault rifles for the three armed forces at Rs 12,280 crore, 5,719 sniper rifles worth Rs 982 crore and light machine guns worth Rs 1,819 crore under the fast-track procedure.

Yet it could not clear all the hurdles. Fast-tracking procurement only helps clear a few hurdles. There is over a dozen more bureaucratic process in defence procurement that needs to be cleared.

The pace at which the government machinery moves can be seen from the fact that the plan to equip foot soldiers began to post the Kargil War in 1999. Yet nearly 20 years later, it had to be fast-tracked.

In the meanwhile brave young men lose their lives trying to protect the nation with World War II vintage weapons, which are equivalent to bow and arrow in modern warfare.

Defence procurement in India has always been contentious. The Bofors gun procurement, AgustaWestland scam and the recent furore over Rafale jets are testament to it. The need of the hour is a transparent process which has to be matched with allocation and Make in India still remains a pipe dream in defence sector.

But when this government, despite being four years in power, has not been able to integrate the forces and appoint a joint chief, expecting it to completely overhaul the procurement system is wishful thinking.
With finance ministry probing as many as 53 companies for not passing on the benefits of GST to final consumers, initial investigations show that the concentration remains the highest among real estate and FMCG companies.

Out of the total number of companies that we are probing (for a suspected case of profiteering), close to 70 percent of them are FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies, a senior government official told Moneycontrol.

Next in line is the real estate sector. Home buyers have claimed that builders have not passed on the benefits of input tax credit under GST (Goods and Services Tax) to them, the official said.

The government is in its final stages of concluding its investigation in some of the cases and notices to these companies can go as early as the end of the month.

Under the GST-related laws, the government had introduced an anti-profiteering clause to ensure businesses transfer the benefit of tax credit to consumer by making products cheaper. The entity accused of profiteering may also have to shell out an 18 percent interest from the date of collection of higher amount till the date of return of such amount.

Director General Safeguards, the investigative arm of department of revenue under finance ministry had sent first set of notices in December to two companiesa car dealer and a real estate developerunder GSTs anti-profiteering mechanism. According to complainants, these entities did not pass on the benefit of the new indirect tax system given by the government to the final consumer.

Other entities such as Jaipur-based departmental store selling FMCG major Hindustan Unilever products, shopping outlet Lifestyle International and master franchisee of fast food chain McDonalds, Hardcastle Restaurants, are also under the governments scanner.

According to complainants, these companies did not pass on the benefits of rate cut or input tax credit to the final consumer even as they gained significantly due to a shift in new indirect tax regime from July 1 and rate cuts in the subsequent months.

Large number of tax rate changes took place in FMCG space as the government brought down rates of a variety of products from the highest tax slab of 28 percent to lower tax brackets of 18, 12 and 5 percent. In November, the GST Council cut rates of more than 200 daily-use items.

In fact, FMCG major HUL has even offered to pay Rs 119 crore penalty for not passing on the benefit of GST to the consumer. DG Safeguards is currently examining the methodology and the formulae applied to arrive at the penalty figure.

As soon as DG Safeguards concludes its investigation, it will forward the final findings to National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA), which is the top decision making body under GSTs anti-profiteering mechanism, headed by a chairperson BN Sharma and four technical members.

Decision regarding the quantum of penalty taken by NAA will be final.
A bamboo forest is pictured behind Suntory Holdings' Yamazaki Distillery in Shimamoto town, Osaka prefecture, near Kyoto, December 1, 2014. Nestled at the foot of wooded hills near the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, the Yamazaki whisky distillery feels a long way from the northerly glens of Scotch's spiritual home. Despite its unlikely birthplace, last month Yamazaki's Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 trumped more than a thousand challengers to be named the world's best whisky by leading critic Jim Murray in his Whisky Bible 2015. Picture taken December 1, 2014. To match story JAPAN-WHISKY/ REUTERS/Thomas Peter (JAPAN - Tags: BUSINESS) - GM1EAC418IG01

Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said India has the potential to become a "significant" player in international bamboo export.

At a meeting held with the representatives of International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) here, the Minister emphasised the thrust given by the government to develop the bamboo sector to address various issues such as livelihood, climate change mitigation and land degradation, an official statement said.

Projecting India as a nation with vast resources of bamboo, the environment minister said India has the potential to become a significant player in international bamboo export.

The minister also referred to the initiative of the government of promulgating the Indian Forest (Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 to exempt bamboo grown in non-forest areas from definition of tree, thereby dispensing with the requirement of felling or transit permit for its economic use.

Harsh Vardhan also pointed out that capacity-building and training programmes will be organised for artisans for making special items from bamboo.

"A lot of value addition products can be worked out for the upliftment of artisans and farmers, the minister told the INBAR representatives.

"We believe in the concept of whole world as one family," he said while asserting that natural resources such as bamboo belong to the entire world.

He emphasised that India has leading research and training institutes and the country can become the research and training hub for bamboo and rattan in South Asia.

The minister said for value addition, joint initiatives will need to be taken between his ministry and INBAR.

India's participation at the upcoming Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress (BARC 2018) in Beijing from June 25 to 27 was also discussed at the meeting.

DG INBAR Hans Fredrick requested that India must lead and also send a large delegation to attend the Congress.
A vendor waits for customers as he sells rice at a market in Kolkata September 23, 2010. India's food price index rose 15.46 percent in the year to September 11, government data on Thursday showed. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri (INDIA - Tags: AGRICULTURE BUSINESS) - RTXSK2L

India's non-basmati rice exports during April-January jumped 34 percent from a year earlier to 7.02 million tonnes as Bangladesh, Benin and Sri Lanka raised purchases, a government body said.

The country's buffalo meat exports during the period rose 7.2 percent from a year ago to 1.16 million tonnes on good demand from Vietnam, Malaysia and Egypt, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority said in a statement.

India is the world's biggest exporter of buffalo meat and rice.
Online recruitment activities in February 2018 grew 16 percent year-on-year, according to the Monster Employment Index, up from 12 percent in January.

Among job intensive sectors, production and manufacturing (up 59 percent) has been one of the most active industry sectors with 11 percent increase in e-recruitment between January and February. The sector also recorded the highest growth since December 2015.

The growth rate of production and manufacturing matched that of the home appliances (up 59 percent) which continue to lead the year-on-year growth chart, however, for the first time the year-on-year growth momentum in the sector slowed in the past three months.

The year-on-year demand in Banking/Financial Services, Insurance (up 34 percent) or BFSI moderated between January and February. However, online demand in retail (up 13 percent) picked up and the sector saw a 24 percent increase in demand on a month-on-month basis which was the steepest growth among all monitored sectors.

Among other sectors, the year-on-year growth rate in IT-Hardware, Software (up 22 percent) lingered at the same level as January 2018.

With respect to the city-wise data, Kolkata (up 45 percent) recorded the most notable annual growth rate. This was followed by Baroda (up 37 percent) which registered the strongest growth e-recruitment activity on the month among all monitored cities and Ahmedabad (up 33 percent).

E-recruitment activity in Chennai slowed to a rate of 5 percent from 6 percent in January, while Delhi-NCR (up 1 percent) saw the least growth among all monitored cities.

Abhijeet Mukherjee, CEO, Monster.com- APAC & Gulf said that the Budget 2018 focused on the revival of rural economy and job-creation.

This has provided a much-needed impetus to Production and Manufacturing sector, which has seen an upward growth at 59 percent y-o-y for the first time since December 2015, thereby, laying the strong foundation for the growth of Indian economy, he added.

The good news however did not extend to all sectors. The government/public sector undertaking/defence (down 37 percent) recorded the steepest annual decline among all monitored industry sectors even in February.

Launched in May 2010 with data collected since October 2009, the Monster Employment Index is a monthly analysis of online job posting activity in India conducted by Monster India. Based on a real-time review of millions of employer job opportunities culled from a large, representative selection of online career outlets, including Monster India, the Monster Employment Index presents a snapshot of employer online recruitment activity nationwide.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day Krishi Unnati Mela on March 17 that aims to create awareness about the latest farm technologies and receive feeback from farmers.

The agri-science fair or mela, to be held at the Pusa campus, will start on March 16. The Prime Minister will address lakhs of farmers, agri-scientists and other stakeholders the next day.

Modi will also unveil a portal on organic farming and lay the foundation stone of 25 Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs).

The Prime Minister will confer Krishi Karman Award and Pandi Deen Dayal Upadhaya Krishi Vigyan Protsahan Puruskar to progressive farmers and states on the occasion, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told reporters.

Two state chief ministers and six state agri-ministers are expected to attend the event, he said while declining to share the likely cost of organising the annual fair.

The fair will have more than 600 stalls, display of latest agriculture and allied sector technologies, live demonstration of micro-irrigation, waste water utilisation and animal husbandry and fisheries.

There will be theme pavilion on doubling of farmers income, organic farming, cooperatives, farm inputs, among others. Textile, food processing and commerce ministries as well as North East Council will set up stalls.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

From financial year 2018-19, management trainees at private life insurance company SBI Life Insurance will get an opportunity to work across different departments before being given a final posting.

In an interaction with Moneycontrol, Manjula Kalyanasundaram, EVP and Chief of HR and Management Services, SBI Life Insurance said, "We are changing the structure from the next financial year onward when the new management trainees will start coming in, from May. They will spend the next 10 months working across the entire gamut of operations. There will also be classroom training involved in this."

Post this, she added, there will be an aptitude test to decide which role is most suitable for the particular candidate. Once they pass the test, they will be given the appropriate position.

At SBI Life, Kalyanasundaram explained they hire predominantly from the second tier business school across the country. "We maintain a list of schools and visit them every year," she added.

SBI Life has an employee strength of around 13,000 people of which 8,500 constitute sales staff. Kalyanasundaram said employees are also allowed to get a transfer to another department and these happen on an annual basis. "Depending on their skill and capabilities, we give our employees a chance to shift to other verticals as well," she added.

Even from an employer branding perspective, she added the insurance company has seen a positive response from both students and educational institutes. They also leverage social networking and professional networking platforms to build an employer brand image for SBI Life Insurance.

The insurer, which is a joint venture between the country's largest bank State Bank of India and BNP Paribas Cardif is one of the largest life insurer in the market. It was listed in the stock markets in October 2017. According to data from the Life Insurance Council, they collected new premiums of Rs 9203.34 crore for the April 1, 2017 to February 28, 2018 period, showing a 7.3 percent growth over same period last year.

Across several companies in India Inc., management trainees anywhere between 3-8 months will completely be absorbed into the work structure. During the initial phases where the trainees are part of the system, the general levels of attrition are also high. This is because being fresh from their MBA schools, these students have little experience of the work environment and human resource leaders say that they often have unreasonable expectations from companies.

SBI Life is the largest private life insurer according to FY17 new premium collections and also as per the new premiums collected for the first three quarters of this fiscal.
Georgian Parliament Adopts Labor Safety Law

By Khatia Kardava

On March 7, the Parliament of Georgia adopted the draft Law on Labor Safety with the third and final hearing. 88 MPs supported the bill, no one was against.The law applies to the high-risk, hard, harmful or hazardous work and its goal is to define the basic requirements and preventive measures that are related to the work safety and health issues, existing and potential threats, accidents and occupational disease prevention; education, informing and counseling of employees, and their equal participation in labor safety and healthcare issues.The newly-adopted law applies to the following fields:1. Construction and production of building materials;2. Mining-geological works;3. Metallurgical production;4. Power Engineering;5. Oil and Gas Industry;6. Chemical production;7. Metal Processing;8. Glass production;9. Wood processing plant;10. Textile and light industry;11. Transport (Railway, Metropolitan, Sea Port, Air and Land Transport).According to the new draft law, the employer will be obliged to follow the labor safety norms and take care of the safety of employees and other visitors in the enterprise.In addition, the employer will be obliged to periodically check the state of the equipment of the enterprise and take into consideration the physical and chemical factors of the enterprise.The employer will also be obliged to look after of the means of protection, to control their usage and to replace them when worn out.Employer's obligation will be to provide employees with instruction on labor safety, all equipment must be provided with an Operation Instruction, which will be compiled in a language understood.The draft law envisages introduction of new positions in the enterprises - labor safety specialist. In the enterprise, where works less than 100 people, one specialist will be considered, and if there are more than 100 people in the enterprise - specialists' service will be formed.The special supervision service will control the implementation of the law, which will be established by the government with the participation of the Ministry of Health.In case of discovery of violations, it will be authorized to fine or suspend the activity of the enterprise. Fines will range from 100 GEL to 50,000 GEL ($40$20,000). The sanctions are categorized into three types, and will depend on the size of an enterprise. The list of hazardous sectors can be amended later.The law also reads that the monitoring service representatives will not be able to enter the enterprise without the permission of the judge, unless there was an accident or a planned inspection.However, in case of repeated inspection, the supervision service will no longer need the courts permission.According to the Ministry, the law on Labor Safety will respond to international directives, the work of the labor inspection will be more efficient, which will ultimately improve the safety and rights of workers in the workplace.NGOs and trade unions have indicated the absence of effective labor inspection in Georgia and the violation of the rights of employees for several years. The issue became viral after the death of four workers in Tkibuli mine in May. Representatives of the society and NGOs talked about the necessity of tightening of labor conditions, especially in dangerous industries.The Government of Georgia presented the draft law on Labor Safety on June 1, 2017 in Parliament. The draft law was developed by the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs in partnership with International Partners - International Labor Organization and the European Union. It was to be approved in December last year, but the process was delayed.The draft law was approved by MPs during the first hearing; however, on February 5, 2018, when the Parliamentary Health Committee should have had a second hearing, the government did not present the draft and asked for an additional week for internal discussions.The second hearing of the draft was held on February 15, which discussed the amount of fines and monitoring issues of workplaces.The NGOs and labor rights groups indicated defects of the draft. They believe the law has a narrow scope as it only covers 11 fields and not all jobs.This regulation does not apply to employers who are not on the list approved by the government, which makes an unjustified difference between employees, and puts them in unequal conditions, the statement of the NGOs EMC and GYLA reads.The statement also stresses the draft does not envisage the effective work of the Inspection Service, adding it should have right to check the companies or enterprises any time, without obtaining the court order.This draft reduces the chances of immediate and effective response from the Inspection Service, the NGOs claim.
Importers or buyers are set to see a hit on their costs of fund raising as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday disallowed banks to use LoUs or Letters of Undertaking and Letters of Comfort as trade credit for imports.

As a remedial action, after the Nirav-Modi led Punjab National Bank fraud now ballooned to Rs 13,640 crore, the RBI said, On a review of the extant guidelines, it has been decided to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs/ LoCs for Trade Credits for imports with immediate effect.

Even as normal trade credit is unlikely to be hampered, the costs would increase for importers as they will now have to pay more because if they take a loan in India, that will be in rupees and they have to convert the rupees into the foreign currency where they have to make payments and hence the conversion costs would increase because they have to factor in the foreign exchange risks, said a senior banker.

However, the central bank has allowed issue of letters of credit (LC) and bank guarantees for trade credit for imports into India after meeting the compliance and provisions, as per the international practice.

According to bankers, the business risk for importers will increase because they will need higher finance limits from banks, which banks are anyway reluctant to provide financing.

What is LoU and LC?

Essentially, LoUs and LoCs were issued by domestic banks at the behest of the importer. The importer would negotiate the right price for these loans from the foreign branches of other Indian banks and then get these letters issued by a domestic bank. The exporter, or seller, would be paid from the nostro account.

In this case, the bank is virtually guaranteeing the genuineness of the trade and the buyer that if the party does not pay up, the bank will step in with payment.

Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees

In letters of credit (LCs) and bank guarantees, domestic banks issue these in favour of the exporter, or sellers bank. Typically in these transactions, the seller would take the foreign exchange cost and would build that into the price of the product.

So, the LC is issued by a party (in this case the bank) to other banks certifying the financial soundness of the transaction of the supplier but the financier has to ensure the due diligence and only after the bank is sure about the genuineness of the transactions are payments made.

LCs are issued in serially numbered security forms with solid documentation, and there is a clause for the beneficiaries/financier that they should, in their own interest, verify the genuineness of the guarantee with the issuing bank.

Bank Guarantees

In case of a bank guarantee, a promise is made by the bank that if a borrower defaults, the bank will cover the loss.

Further, the LCs and bank guarantees come with riders that banks should not take too much of an unsecured exposure.

There are also strict criteria for bank guarantees, such as any guarantee issued for Rs 50,000 and above should be signed by two officials jointly. A lower cut-off limit is also followed by some bank branches.

The responsibility for ensuring the adequacy and effectiveness of the systems and procedures for preventing perpetration of fraud and malpractice by their officials would, in such cases, rest on the top managements of the banks, the RBIs master circular says. In case exceptions are made for affixing of only one signature on the instruments, banks should devise a system for subjecting such instruments to special scrutiny by the auditors or inspectors at the time of internal inspection of branches, according to RBI norms.

Former Governor Raghuram Rajan told CNBC TV18, "One of my concerns in India is that there is sometimes a very -- cavalier treatment of guarantees whether it is bank given guarantees or government given guarantees. We dont think these are real and it is only when they are called upon by the entity that has relied on them that we understand that it is almost like giving a loan or in fact more than giving a loan because it usually called upon when the loan is in distressed. So, it is actually like providing equity.

"Unless we account for these properly there are huge contingent liabilities on the government balance sheet as well as on the bank balance sheet and it is important that we acknowledge them," he said.

Global practice

Internationally, letters of credit and bank guarantees are used by buyers. To ease the high cost imports, LoUs and LoCs were largely issued by domestic branches of Indian banks for customers to avail trade credit from foreign branches of other Indian banks.

This was for the period of a typical business cycle of 90 days but buyers were able to enjoy credit for a year using the LoU facility. Discount rates are 40-50 basis points above the London Interbank Offered Rate, or Libor. Hence, importers used to secure financing at 2 percent per annum from the overseas market. Importers would produce finished goods with the imports and square off the bank loan by selling the finished product.

The RBI circular now requires companies to directly use letters of credit for up to one year and let the supplier himself provide the credit.

Another banker said, LoUs were also a profitable other income for foreign branches of banks which would now face trouble.

Nirav Modi kills LoU business

The RBI move is a clear fallout of the scam, which came to light last month, perpetrated by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi's group firms that fraudulently received LoUs through PNB's SWIFT network and used them to raise money in overseas Bank branches.

The SWIFT channel was not linked to PNB's core banking solutions which meant the bank was virtually unaware of any such transactions taking place and only two bank officials who connived with Modi and Choksi's associates were privy to the LoUs being issued.

On Tuesday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha said Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai on March 10, 2011 and managed to get 1,212 more such guarantees over the next 74 months.
Indias economy will grow at 7.3 percent in 2018-19 and gather pace in the following year, likely expanding at 7.5 percent, World Bank said in new estimates on Wednesday, painting a bullish forecast about Asias third largest economy.

The economy is expected to grow at 6.7 percent in the current financial year, the multilateral lending agency said in its biannual publication 'India Development Update: India's Growth Story'.

The Indian economy is set to revert to its trend growth rate of 7.5 percent in the coming years as it bottoms out from the impact of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation, it said.

The Indian economy felt the pangs of the currency culling exercise in November, 2016 and the implementation of a new indirect tax system GST from July 1, 2017. As result, manufacturing witnessed slowdown, as companies and traders had emptied inventories to carry over as little old stock as possible into July, which caused an economy-wide slowdown, pulling down overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth to a 13-quarter low of 5.7 percent in the quarter-ended June.

Thereafter, GDP growth raced faster in July-September at 6.3 percent and 7.2 percent in October-December as companies shrugged off the inventory disruptions.

The report also pointed out that attaining a growth of 8 percent or higher on a sustained basis is dependent on the effective implementation of the existing structural reforms, aimed at resolving issues related to credit and investment and making Indias exports competitive.

Indias long-term growth has become more steady, stable, diversified and resilient. In the long-run, for higher growth to be sustainable and inclusive, India needs to use land and water, which are increasingly becoming scarce resources, more productively, make growth more inclusive and strengthen its public sector to meet challenges of a fast growing, globalizing and increasingly middle-class economy, said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India.

The report pointed out that financial markets liquidity may tighten, which may pose certain short-run risks for the economy. Besides, if investment, exports, credit do not gain sufficient momentum, it may not do much to accelerate GDP growth.

Oil prices, however, seem to be less of a risk, unless the outlook changes dramatically due to global factors.

The economy gained from low oil prices since 2014, which, however, grew more than 40 percent since the middle of 2017 and reversed the benefit of lower import bill.

The report also said that 2017-18 remained yet another challenging year for Indian banks, with subdued credit growth and continued stress on asset quality. However, the governments plan of infusing capital into public sector banks could reinvigorate bank credit.

It also noted that large non-performing assets will continue to remain an unfinished agenda.
Google is launching new tools in its navigation app, Google Maps, to add and find Indian addresses better and give the users a smoother navigation experience, reports Economic Times.

To enhance the discovery of addresses, Google has introduced Plus codes for locations, which are six characters along with city codes. These can be generated, shared and searched by any person typing into the search field on the app.

Not just complicated locations and addresses, but the codes can be used for unique situations such as locating temporary events or guiding emergency services to locations in immediate need, the company said in a statement.

It all depends on how people use it, says Suren Ruhela, Director of Google Maps Next Billion Users. Ruhela told ET these codes have the potential of replacing people entering long addresses during online shopping or food ordering, and that Google will explore these partnerships later on.

Currently, Google is in talks with the ministry of urban development to come up with codes for locating toilets on Google Maps.

Another feature that has been introduced is Add an address which lets users address specific locations, much like how businesses add their locations. The company will verify and enable the address to be searchable. Google also added smart address search to find peculiar and detailed Indian addresses.

At Google Maps, our objective has always been about organizing all location-related information, and making it more accessible and relevant for Indian users, Ruhela added, saying that it is especially challenging in India.

Google Maps now also has voice navigation in six Indian languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Telegu, Tamil and Malayalam.
The Indian logistics industry has undergone a sea change and now with the infrastructural status, the sector is all set to bank on several opportunities and take risks.

The Economic Survey stated the Indian logistics industry, at present, is worth nearly $160 billion and is expected to touch $215 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 10.5%.

The improving sector, which provides employment to over 22 million people, has grown at a CAGR of 7.8% during the last five years.

Moreover, India jumped to 35th rank in 2016 from 54th in 2014 on the global ranking of the World Banks Logistics Performance Index 2016. This streak is expected to continue in future as well.

We at NECC foresee an overall growth in the Indian market, especially in the automobile, textile, pharma and steel sector. We feel that there is a big market potential for logistic sector, waiting to be tapped. We understand that logistics and supply chain play a key role in the development and growth of manufacturing and retail, said CMD, NECC Group, Sushil Kumar Jain.

With digitization, the industry will witness new technologies and heightened customer expectations in the future. New technologies such as automation, IoT, data analytics, blockchain, etc., will give way to faster shipments with more transparency and reduced prices.

Some companies have already started working in this direction.

NECC is investing in technological upgradation and developing skilled manpower to meet the client needs and thereby increasing its market share. Our specialised teams are also working on implementing measures to address challenges like, expensive freight carrying cost, high turnaround time for fleet, poor capacity planning, etc., said Jain, adding, we are also upgrading our in-house ERP software and educating our team to meet the new challenges and mechanism.

Through advanced mechanism, the logistics sector will also be able to expand its footprint.

We feel the need for expanding our network in all potential areas, especially in the North East, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Our future plan includes expanding our branch network by 25%. We plan to invest in our fleet strength, sales force to increase market share with the ongoing clients, said Jain.

Jain said NECC is venturing into developing new routes and markets to generate better yield and high margins. The company will also increase warehousing and secondary transportation business, which currently is undergoing massive changes after GST in place and logistics sector getting an industrial status, said Jain.

NECC currently has 250 offices across India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. Its current warehousing space of 1.5 million sq. feet includes owned and leased under management facilities. In 2016-17, the company had posted revenues of Rs 548.69 crore as compared to Rs 539.75 crore in 2015-16, up 1.66 per cent.

Disclaimer: This article is to create awareness among readers about NECC
State-owned steel company Mishra Dhatu Nigam (MIDHANI) will open its initial public offering for subscription on March 21, with a price band of Rs 87-90 per share.

The IPO comprises of an offer for sale of 4,87,08,400 equity shares by the President of India acting through the Ministry of Defence, which consists of a reservation of up to 18,73,400 equity shares for eligible employees.

The company intends to raise Rs 438.4 crore through the issue at higher end of price band. The offer will close on March 23.

As it is an offer for sale, the company will not receive any proceeds from the offer and all proceeds shall go to the government.

So the objects of the offer are to carry out the disinvestment of 4.87 crore equity shares by the selling shareholder constituting 26 percent of companys pre-offer paid up equity share capital; and to achieve the benefits of listing the equity shares on the stock exchanges.

The government's shareholding will be reduced to 74 percent post issue. It is a part of government's yearly divestment programme.

Mishra Dhatu Nigam is one of the leading manufacturers of special steels, superalloys and only manufacturer of titanium alloys in India.

SBI Capital Markets and IDBI Capital Markets & Securities are the book running lead managers to the offer. Equity shares of MIDHANI are proposed to be listed on BSE and NSE.
India has a great potential to develop into a global superpower by 2030 but only if it is able to reconcile the corresponding rise of China.

This is was the consensus between the three panellists of CNN-News18s Rising India curtain raiser debate.

The participants, former diplomats KC Singh and TCA Raghavan along KC Singh with former Indian Army Chief General (retd) VP Malik, all agreed that if India was to rise to become a superpower, it had to sort out its position vis-a-vis its neighbourhood, most particularly with China.

There is no doubt India is a rising power and there is no doubt is going to continue to rise. (But) The intimidating factor is the corresponding rise of China and her wariness about Indias rise, Singh said.

Taking the example of 19th century Europe, Singh said whenever their two neighbouring rising powers trying to displace the existing power structure, it causes a lot of disturbance.

The other problem, he said, was that the institutions of global governance like the United Nations and World Bank were created by the victors of the Second World War and, thus, not really configured to deal with the realities of a rising India and China. As a result, these create both opportunities of friction and cooperation between the two countries.

In this context, we are rising in uncertainty whether we there is a place for India and China together while getting evidence to the contrary, he said.

Talking about Prime Minister Narendra Modis foreign policy, Singh said that the key to successful relations is continuity and process which takes time. Thus, the gains seen today are a product of several years. Modis attempts to build interpersonal relations with other leaders might help but the real question is whether they will help in the long term. Further, taking the example of the Middle East, he said the situation also doesnt remain the same over time.

To Raghavan, the template of interaction between the two rising powers is not a homogenous one. The rise of China and the rise of India will see a lot of friction but cooperation as well, he said. It will not be a black and white situation.

However, for him, the bigger challenge for a rising India is to build up the requisite economic strength to be able to sustain international influence. The challenge and opportunity for India, to that extent, is an internal challenge of how much the country is able to drive up and sustain economic growth which is reflected on the ground, he said.

External trade balance, domestic infrastructure and an indigenous and self-sufficient defence industrial setup were equally required to ensure India develops into a global superpower, he said.

Malik, on the other hand, a conflict between India and China is not inevitable. For him, the issue lies in in unresolved borders between the two countries. Both India and China can co-exist if the boundary situation is resolved, he said.

Apart from this, a seat in the UN Security Council would also go long way in resolving issues between the two countries he said.
Praveg Communications (India) Ltd.

The government will soon make it mandatory for pharmacies to set a separate shelf with generic medicines for customers to easily identify lesser expensive options.

According to a Mint report, the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) agreed to keep a separate rack/shelf reserved solely for the storage of generic medicines in a part of the premises separated from other medicines, which shall be visible to consumers, as stated in the minutes of a DTAB meeting held on 12 February.

The report notes that the government is carrying out its efforts in this direction to break the understanding which arises between the doctors and the chemists. This leads to patients bearing the brunt of higher priced, branded medicines.

The government has been doling out initiatives in its efforts to promote the use of generic drugs. The government launched the Jan Aushadhi Scheme in 2015 to sell generic drugs at an affordable rate at affordable prices in Jan Aushadhi Stores (JAS).

So far, the government is selling 700 products, and is now looking to increase its inventory to a 1000 products.

Officials who spoke to the paper said that a change in the Drugs and Cosmetics Act may be required to allow pharmacists to sell a generic variant of the drugs prescribed by the doctor, a step which the government has considered.

A draft pharmaceutical policy states aimed for the manufacturers to sell their drugs with only the name of the salt (the active ingredient of the drug) stamped on the packaging as opposed to current practice of selling their products with along with the brand packaging.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Indian face the largest expenses out of their pockets for health care. Close to 63 million people fall into poverty annually due to the high cost of their health care expenses.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) had called for doctors to prescribe generic medicines in 2016.
Piramal Housing Finance, the wholly owned subsidiary of Piramal Finance, is looking at a target of Rs 1,000 crore loans by end of March 2018 and almost half of its branches will be located in tier 2 and tier 3 cities by the year 2020.

The company has expanded its presence in the Delhi-NCR market with the launch of three branches in Delhi, Gurugram and Noida. The retail housing finance business will offer home loans, loan against property and smaller ticket construction finance to the developers in Delhi-NCR, it said.

We are excited to launch our housing finance offerings to Delhi-NCR - a critical market for us. Since its launch in September 2017 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region alone, our housing finance business is expected to cross Rs 1000 crore by March 2018 in disbursed loans and sanctioned amounts. With a dedicated team, a roll out strategy in place to target Delhi-NCR market and a sharp focus on customer centricity, we plan to replicate our Mumbai success in NCR and beyond as we look to triple our retail HFC AUM by March 2019, Khushru Jijina, Managing Director, Piramal Finance & Piramal Housing Finance told reporters.

Around 50% of the branches will be in tier 2 and 3 cities by the year 2020, he said.

Piramal Finance already has a presence in Delhi-NCR market. The wholesale business in Delhi-NCR has selectively funded/sanctioned close to Rs 10,000 crore (across debt and equity) with Tier 1 development partners with a strong track record of execution, since initiating coverage of the region on an integrated basis in March 2014.

The company has also extended its offerings to rental yielding assets as well as commercial office development in 2016. Further, Piramal Finance entered hospitality segment in 2017 by investing in marquee hotel assets within NCR. The wholesale platform has directly funded the delivery of 15,000 residential units with an aggregate market value of Rs 17,000 crore.

Leveraging the size, scale and relationships of its lending business, Piramal Finance introduces a retail offering in the market which will complement its existing wholesale business and will enable them to offer the entire spectrum of financial products in real estate. Piramal Housing Finance will further enable development partners in the NCR to target home buyers (both salaried and self-employed) through a range of tailor made products, a company release said.
Here are stocks that are in news today:

Subsidiary ICICI Securities may launch IPO in next 10-15 days: CNBC-TV18 sourcesICICI Securities IPO likely to open on March 21, close on March 23ICICI Bank may raise approximately Rs 4,200 crore by diluting 24 percent in ICICI Securities via IPOIPO may value ICICI Securities at Rs 16,800 crore

Price band for ICICI Securities likely to be between Rs 1,215-1,240 per share

HDFC: The Board will be meeting on March 16, 2018 to consider its dividend issue.

Balrampur Chini: CRISIL has rated its loan facilities. Total bank facilities rated is worth Rs 2,283 crore and have been rated AA/Stable for the long term rating.

L&T Finance Holdings: The company has successfully closed QIP of up to Rs 1,000 crore.

Gitanjali Gems: NSE has fined the company, along with others viz. ABG Shipyard, Amtek Auto, DS Kulkarni Developers, Bharati Defence and Infrastructure, Educomp Solutions, Shree Renuka Sugars, Moser-Baer (I) and Sterling Biotech for failing to file December quarter results.

Phoenix Mills: According to a Mint report, the company is planning to more than double its office portfolio to 3.5 million sq.ft in four years.

NTPC: The firm has commissioned third unit of Kudgi Super Thermal Power Station, according to Hindu Business Line.

MTNL: The firm and BSNL, along with Air India have been the worst performing PSUs in FY17, according to a PTI report

Other stocks and sectors in the news

Strides Shasun receives USFDA approval for Efavirenz Tablet

IndiGo, GoAir cancel over 65 flights; passengers face tough times

Yes Bank now owns over 17% stake in Fortis Healthcare

Future Retail to launch FBB brand in Oman, other states of GCC

Government to sell 10% stake in HAL through Rs 4,230-cr public offer

Blue Star launches 100 new ACs, eyes 12.5% market share in FY19

Shoppers Stop shuts HomeStop store in Vijaywada

Hindustan Zinc board to approve second interim dividend for ongoing fiscal this week

Winsome Diamonds loan default: Hasmukh Shah remanded in CBI custody

IRB Infra bags two road projects from NHAI in Tamil Nadu

Hero Motocorp launches Passion PRO, Passion XPRO
Sandeep Wagle of powermywealth.com told CNBC-TV18, "In Chennai Petroleum Corporation a bounce back should be used to exit around Rs 375 or so. I dont see anything happening. If you are just looking at 3-4 months, I dont see the stock outperforming."

At 15:00 hrs Chennai Petroleum Corporation was quoting at Rs 362.05, down Rs 5.85, or 1.59 percent.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 477.10 and 52-week low Rs 336.35 on 31 October, 2017 and 08 March, 2018, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 24.11 percent below its 52-week high and 7.64 percent above its 52-week low.
Sandeep Wagle of powermywealth.com told CNBC-TV18, "On a bounce back one should exit Tata Motors and that bounce back could be around Rs 390 or so. On the downside Rs 320 to be broken, which doesnt look very likely, it may even go down to Rs 280-290."

At 14:58 hrs Tata Motors was quoting at Rs 352.50, down Rs 1.25, or 0.35 percent.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 487.00 and 52-week low Rs 340.65 on 26 May, 2017 and 12 March, 2018, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 27.62 percent below its 52-week high and 3.48 percent above its 52-week low.
Fortis Healthcare | Aberdeen Standard Investments (Asia) Ltd increased stake in company to 5.02 percent from 4.96 percent earlier via open market purchases.

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Shares of Fortis Healthcare advanced 5.6 percent intraday Wednesday as Yes Bank acquired stake in the company.

Yes Bank has acquired 89,781,906 equity shares, constituting 17.31 percent of the paid-up share capital of Fortis Healthcare, pursuant to invocation of pledge on the said equity shares subsequent to default by promoters group companies in the credit facility provided by the bank, company said in release.

At 09:52 hrs Fortis Healthcare was quoting at Rs 158.75, up Rs 6.25, or 4.10 percent, while Yes Bank was quoting at Rs 310.10, down 0.96 percent on the BSE.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 230.90 and 52-week low Rs 106.65 on 03 May, 2017 and 06 February, 2018, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 31.25 percent below its 52-week high and 48.85 percent above its 52-week low.

Posted by Rakesh Patil
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Torrent Pharma Ltd is looking to raise Rs 1,500 crore through a share sale to institutional investors, an effort to gather funds for its bid for Sanofi's generic drugs business Zenitva, according to a Mint report.

"Torrent has appointed JP Morgan and JM Financial to help it raise Rs 1,500 to support its acquisition efforts. The firm has already had a couple of rounds of meetings with probable investors for the purpose of the fund-raising," a source told Mint.

There has however been no official response from Torrent Pharma, JM Financial and JP Morgan on this subject.

Torrent Pharma and Brazilian drugs firm EMS are bidding for Zenitva, according to a Reuters report last month.

A consortium of Blackstone and Nordic Capital have also moved to the auction's second round, the Reuters report said.

Zenitva is valued at 2.49 billion, the Reuters report added.

If Torrent Pharma is successful in acquiring the French company's generic drugs business, it will be the largest outbound transaction by an Indian drug maker. The will help Torrent Pharma access European markets.
IMA Ponzi scheme case: A multi-crore scheme run by Karnataka-based I-Monetary Advisory (IMA) and its group entities allegedly duped lakhs of people by promising higher returns using Islamic ways of investment. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating the case and has filed at least three FIRs. (File image of the CBI headquarters)

The Haryana government will recommend a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in land acquisition in Rohtak and Sonipat districts during the Congress regime, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said.

He also came down heavily on the Congress during the Zero Hour of the ongoing Budget Session in the state Assembly and said the party leaders had no right to talk about the plight of farmers.

"They themselves had acquired lands of farmers just to benefit some builders... There is no one the Congress did not cheat," he alleged.

"We have decided to recommend a CBI probe into the irregularities committed during the Congress regime in cases of land acquisition in Rohtak and Sonipat districts," he said.

Khatter said the injustice done to the farmers would be revealed in the investigation.

The chief minister said the state government had earlier recommended CBI probe into three cases -- re-allotment of a plot to Associated Journals Limited (AJL) in Panchkula, industrial plot allotment by Haryana Sahri Vikas Pradhikaran in Panchkula, and the Manesar land case.
The Maharashtra government has launched an inquiry into the process of land acquisition for a thermal power plant project near Dhule.

It is believed that the land acquisition is connected to the suicide of Dharma Pail, a farmer, who died after consuming poison at Mantralaya in January.

Patil's family alleged that they were paid a lower price for the land while their neighbours received a higher compensation.

Maharashtra Energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the state government has proposed an ex-gratia of Rs 15 lakh per hectare to the Patil family and other affected farmers in Dhule, according to a Times of India report.

"The process of land acquisition started since 2012 and there are many issues that need to be looked at and which the inquiry will reveal," said Bawankule.

Bawankule added that Patil and his family had accepted the compensation, which made it impossible to revise the compensation unless the civil court is moved, Times of India reports.

Bawankule said the issue of land acquisition was spread across 199 hectares of land, according to the report.
Farmers | The government also announced Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog, a scheme to enhance the productivity of cows.

The number of farmers covered under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flagship crop insurance scheme has declined by nearly 20 percent, according to figures released by the government on Tuesday.

A Mint report stated that only 4.79 crore farmers were covered under the prime ministers crop insurance scheme in FY18 compared to 5.75 crore farmers the year before, the government informed the Lok Sabha.

The crop insurance coverage fell among farmers irrespective of whether they had taken a credit. Among loanee farmers, the coverage fell to 350 lakh in 2017-18 from 4.40 crore the year before, whereas the coverage of non-loanee farmers fell marginally to 1.30 crore from 1.40 crore during this period.

Earlier, studies released by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment in July 2017 stated that the implementation of the Prime Ministers crop insurance scheme is has been suffering due problems such as delays in assessment of crop loss and claim settlement, high actuarial premiums charged by insurance companies.

The gross premium collected by insurance companies in FY18 increased by 9.8 percent to Rs 24,352 crore from Rs 22,180 crore the year before, despite a decline in the land holdings over the past year, the government told the Rajya Sabha on March 9.

The government had set a target of covering 50 percent of gross cropped area under crop insurance scheme by FY19. However, top officials feel that it may be a tough task to reach that target.

It is unlikely that insurance coverage in terms of gross cropped area will improve in 2017-18 over the 30 percent coverage achieved in 2016-17, a top official with an insurance company told the paper on condition of anonymity.

The official added farmers are suffering due to delayed payments as less than 40 percent of the premium due has been received so far from state governments. The Centre is yet to calculate the total claims filed by farmers in the current year ending March (2017-18).

A growth rate of agriculture credit has also slowed over the past few years owing to poor implementation.

The growth rate in agriculture credit fell sharply in the past few years... and due to rising indebtedness and delays in loan repayment by farmers expecting to benefit from loan waivers, it could be that banks are issuing less fresh loans. This could be bringing down the number of loanee accounts and therefore, the (mandatory) crop insurance enrolment numbers, Himanshu, associate professor of economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi told the paper.
rajya sabha PTI1_4_2018_000050B rajya sabha

The government today informed Parliament that a total of Rs 12,476.76 crore has been released as special assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of the state.

Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the central and the Andhra Pradesh governments have been working together to implement the provisions made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APR Act, 2014) which include establishment of several institutions and launch of certain projects, as mentioned in Schedule XIII of the Act.

"Government of India has released a total amount of Rs 12,476.76 crore as special assistance to the state of Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh," he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

NDA constituent TDP has pulled out its two ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Y S Chowdary -- from the central government over failure to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Ahir said the Andhra Pradesh government has also communicated to the central government on the release of development grants, resource gap and Polavaram project among other issues apart.

It has also communicated on implementation of apportionment of assets and liabilities and division of employees in respect of institutions listed in Schedule IX and X and continuity of services in respect of institutions listed in Schedule X of the APR Act.

"The 14th Finance Commission, without making a distinction amongst states, recommended an enhanced devolution of 42 per cent of the central government's tax revenues to states to cover the resource gap.

"In case of Andhra Pradesh, the Commission recommended that the central government would provide revenue deficit grant of Rs 22,113 crore for a period of five years, in addition to the enhanced tax devolution. Funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh on this account for 2015-16 and 2016-17," he said.

Work related to Schedule IX and X and XIII of the AP Reorganization Act is under progress in consultation with both the state governments, Ahir said.

The Schedule IX of the Act listed the state undertakings like the Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Agro Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd besides others.

The Schedule X of the Act lists training centres and institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology, Andhra Pradesh Study Circle for Backward Classes besides others.

The Schedule XIII of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act is related to establishment of higher education institutes.
The Supreme Court today rejected all interim pleas seeking to intervene as parties in the sensitive Babri masjid- Ram temple land dispute case.

A special bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S A Najeeb accepted the contention that only original parties to the dispute be allowed to advance arguments in the case and the intervention applications of unrelated persons seeking impledment as parties be rejected.

The apex court also rejected the plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy seeking to intervene in the ongoing matter.

The court, however, ordered revival of Swamy's disposed of writ petition in which he had sought enforcement of his fundamental right to worship at Ram temple on the disputed site in Ayodhya.

"I had filed a writ petition saying that I have a fundamental right to worship and this is a superior right than property right," Swamy said.

The special bench of the apex court is seized of a total of 14 appeals filed against the high court judgement delivered in four civil suits.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had in 2010 ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) will soon issue a checklist for service providers to determine whether their tariff offerings are predatory or not, the Indian Express reported.

TRAI Chairman, RS Sharma told IE, It will have points such as: Are you a significant market player? Are you offering tariffs below variable cost? If the answers to both these questions are in positive, then theyll have to give the reason behind it, which could be to match their competitors tariff, or doing a promotional measure.

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) had ordered the regulator to issue clear guidelines and benchmarks for the telecom operators to self-examine their consistency with the rules of IUC compliance and to disseminate relevant data in the context of predatory pricing.

Recently, TRAI has faced heavy criticism from telecom players for the Telecom Tariff Order it issued last month, which restricts the top telecom operators (with over 30 percent market share) from offering lower prices below the average variable cost, only to reduce competition or to eliminate competitors.

Many telecom operators unhappy with the order approached the TDSAT which refused to grant a stay on the order of predatory pricing last week. TRAI has been asked to make its submission justifying the order in court on April 17.

Rajan Mathews, Director General of the Cellular Operators Association of India, a body representing the mobile companies of India had commented on the order, All our member operators, with the exception of one, feel deeply victimised and let downAn environment of regulation and policy that is not based on an equal footing will further aggravate the deep financial stress and kill future investments, innovation in an industry that has put India on the global map.
The Congress on Wednesday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had "lost" its simple majority in the Lok Sabha.

Congress said that the BJP now had 271 members, minus the two rebel MPs, Kirti Azad and Shatrughan Sinha.

The party also said people across the country, angered by the BJP's "arrogance and misrule", were "showing it the door", as was amply proved by the by-election results in the states.

However, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat, the BJP has 274 members and the party needs 272 MPs for a simple majority on its own.

Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the outcomes showed that the people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win.

He also said the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but added it would "not happen overnight".

The party's candidates in the state lost their deposits in the recent by-polls to two Lok Sabha seats, the results of which were announced today. The Samajwadi Party defeated the BJP in the two constituencies.

"Congratulations to the winners of today's by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning.

"The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight," he tweeted in Hindi.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the BJP had lost 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018.

"In May 2014, the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In four years, BJP government is down to 271, losing its simple majority in Lok Sabha minus its allies - considering the fact that PM Modi has suspended Kirti Azad and virtually disowned their most truthful, fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP," Surjewala tweeted.

The BJP's "2017-18 report card ... is 0/10 - BJP lost all 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018", he said.

"By-Poll results have given a clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule," he added.

In another tweet, he named the 10 Lok Sabha seats  Amritsar, Srinagar, Malappuram, Gurdaspur, Ajmer, Alwar, Uluberia, Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria.

"By-poll results have given clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule," he said.

Congress spokesperson Jyotiraditya Scindia said the results of the by-polls clearly indicated that across the country, people had spoken out against the "anti-farmer" rule of the Central government.

He said people had also testified against the BJP government's "anti-youth policies", "anti-women rule" and "unemployment that is rampant".

"It is very clear that the people of our great country are showing this BJP government the door,' he told reporters outside Parliament.

Congress general secretary Mohan Prakash said the BJP was facing anti-incumbency sentiments in all states as it was doing exactly the opposite of what it had promised.

"People are now waiting for the 2019 general elections to teach the BJP a lesson," he said.

The Samajwadi Party today won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat and the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats, constituencies vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively.

The Bahujan Samaj Party gave its support to the SP in the two seats while the Congress put up its own candidates, who lost their deposits.

The BJP also lost the Araria Lok Sabha by-election to the RJD.

In the two assembly by-polls in Bihar, the RJD won the Jehanabad Assembly seat while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua Assembly seat.
Lalu Yadav

RJD president Lalu Prasad, currently in jail following conviction in fodder scam cases, today termed the victory of his party in Bihar bypolls as "victory of truth over falsehood".

The RJD retained Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad assembly seats in the by-elections for three seats in Bihar. The BJP retained Bhabhua assembly seat.

"The more you pour the fuel of conspiracy on Lalu, the brighter will his lantern burn. Millions of salutations to the people of Bihar for upholding justice. This is a victory of truth over falsehood," the RJD supremo, whose party has the lantern as its election symbol, tweeted in Hindi.

Prasad's official twitter handle is managed by close confidants. The jailed leader has been expressing himself through the social media platform ever since he went behind the bars in December last year.

The RJD supremo has been accusing the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Nitish Kumar dispensation in Bihar of entering into a conspiracy to get him implicated in cases relating to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasury in various districts.

Prasad also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee, who congratulated him on the "great victory", saying "Thank you, didi. Together we are fighting. We shall fight and we will win".
Sonia Gandhi invites Opposition for dinner

Leaders of 20 opposition parties got together last night at a dinner hosted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to explore the possibility of forging a broader unity among secular parties ahead of the 2019 general elections, an event the Congress said was meant to promote "amity and friendship".

According to sources, leaders of NCP, RJD, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, Trinamool Congress, DMK and Left parties attended the dinner among others.

Prominent leaders in attendance were NCP's Sharad Pawar, SP's Ram Gopal Yadav, BSP's Satish Chandra Mishra and former chief ministers Omar Abdullah, Babulal Marandi, Hemant Soren and Jitan Ram Manjhi, besides JD(U)'s Sharad Yadav and RLD's Ajit Singh.

The RJD was represented by two children of party chief Lalu Prasad -- former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav and Misa Bharti, a Rajya Sabha MP.

The others present included TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay, CPI-M's D Raja and Mohammad Salim, DMK's Kanimozhi, AIUDF's Baddrauddin Ajmal and leaders of Kerala Congress, besides Kupender Reddy of the JD-S.

Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Ahmed Patel, AK Antony and Randeep Surjewala were among the Congress leaders present. "Fabulous dinner tonight, hosted by UPA Chairperson, Sonia Gandhi Ji. An opportunity for leaders from different political parties to meet and bond, informally," Rahul Gandhi tweeted after the dinner.

"Much political talk but much more important - tremendous positive energy, warmth and genuine affection," he wrote, and tagged a group photo of the attendees. According to sources, leaders of Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party, which recently pulled out its ministers in the Modi government but continues to be a constituent of the NDA, the BJD, and the TRS were not invited.

The BJD and the TRS rule Odisha and Telangana respectively. Tejashwi Yadav and Sharad Yadav later told reporters it was the first step towards a comprehensive alliance of the 2019 elections.

Asked if there was a consensus on Rahul Gandhi's leadership of the probable opposition alliance, Tejashwi said,"The time has not yet come to decide on the prime ministerial candidate." While the NDA was "breaking apart", opposition parties were getting together, he said apparently hinting at TDP pulling out of the Modi government.

The dinner was hosted at Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence where the leaders discussed the possibility of opposition parties getting together on one platform to defeat the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, sources said.

Sonia Gandhi had earlier called for opposition unity, saying parties should set aside their minor differences to come together in the larger interest of keeping the BJP out of power.

Congress communications incharge Randeep Surjewala said the dinner was not organised for politics, but for amity and friendship among opposition parties.

He claimed at a time when the government was not allowing Parliament to function, it was obvious that leaders of various parties, who wanted to raise issues in national interest, would get together to discuss the current political situation.

"This dinner was not hosted for politics, but for amity and friendship. The intention is not political, but to hold discussions in family-like setting at a time when the nation is confronted with a number of issues and thousands of crores being taken out of the country," Surjewala later told reporters.

He said opposition leaders got together to discuss issues in the national interest, create bonhomie in the opposition and exchange views.

He also accused the government of running away from debate on key issues such as banking frauds.

Though the Congress termed the dinner as a "non-political event, it was loaded with political significance as it may set the tone for unity among secular parties to take on the BJP-led NDA in the 2019 general elections.

Left and TMC leaders who were present said it was certainly a "political dinner without political talks".

"It was a political dinner. But there were no political talks. It was a show of strength by the non-BJP parties," a Left leader told PTI.
The Google doodle is celebrating Pi day in honour of the never ending sequence of numbers that forms a cornerstone of mathematics.

Pi day is celebrated on March 14, or 3/14, the first three numbers of Pi. Coincidentally, this is also the birthday of the legendary theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. Google states that this year is the 30th year of celebrating Pi day, as it was first recognised by physicist Larry Shaw in 1988.

Pi is the ratio between a circles circumference and its diameter. Close to a trillion places have been calculated of pi and since it is an irrational number, it can go upto infinity.

However, many people take it up as a challenge to count up to several hundred of decimal places of pi.

Also, the education office of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California is hosting its fifth annual the "Pi in the Sky" challenge.

This will involve unique challenges that NASA scientists face, though tuned for children between the fifth and the twelfth grade to try out. This involves the calculation of Martian earthquakes, the helium rain on Jupiter and the rotation rate of asteroids and even the solar eclipse.

The solutions will be posted on March 15, according to NASA. The website also has a record of the problems from previous years.
On the morning of March 14, the world of science was left poorer with the loss of contemporary historys one of the greatest scientists Stephen Hawking. He passed away at the age of 76.

The British scientist was diagnosed with Lou Gehrigs disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (more recognised as ALS) at an early age of 21. The disease meant his nerves that controlled his muscles were shutting down and the doctors gave him two and a half years to live at best. Undeterred, he focused more on his studies and went on to achieve greater scientific achievements.

Touted as one of the best known theoretical physicists of his time, Stephen Hawkings life was an inspiration itself.



I have noticed that even people who claim everything is predetermined and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.

So next time someone complains that you have made a mistake, tell him that may be a good thing. Because without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.

I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these how and why questions. Occasionally, I find an answer.

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. Im not afraid of death, but Im in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.

Life would be tragic if it weren't funny.

It is no good getting furious if you get stuck. What I do is keep thinking about the problem but work on something else. Sometimes it is years before I see the way forward. In the case of information loss and black holes, it was 29 years.

There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win, because it works.

We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.

However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.

One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away.

Here are some of his inspirational quotes from his writings that are sure to live beyond his time in the universe:
Fishermen

Pakistan apprehended 1,373 fishermen during 2015-18, the government on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, VK Singh, Minister of State in the external affairs ministry, said Iran held 252 Indian fishermen during 2015-18, mostly from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Kerala.

Sri Lanka apprehended 744 Indian fishermen and and released 708 fishermen during 2015-16. Bangladesh too apprehended 350 Indian fishermen in 2015 and 2016.

The Indian fishermen were apprehended, primarily, for allegedly fishing in the waters of these countries.

Qatar apprehended 108 Indian fishermen during 2015-18, but all were released.

In 2015 and 2016, the United Kingdom apprehended 42 Indian fishermen, but they were later released.

In response to another question on re-starting the dialogue process between India and Pakistan, Singh said the onus to restart the talks with Pakistan lies on it.

"Any meaningful dialogue can be held only in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility and violence. Onus is on Pakistan to create such a conducive atmosphere," he said.
Seshasayee Paper | The collector of Namakkal District has given permission to the company to recommence its operations at Erode unit. (Image: PTI)

The US administration has announced anti-dumping duties on imports of one kind of paper from Canada, further straining tense trade relations.

At issue is what is called uncoated groundwood paper, used in newsprint. US imports of it from Canada totaled USD 1.27 billion in 2016, the Commerce Department said.

The Americans argue that the Canadian paper has been sold in the country at less than its fair value.

The duties are preliminary pending more investigation and a final decision in August.

For now, US importers of this product will have to pay cash deposits equivalent to 22.16 per cent of the price of what they bring in from Canada.

The decision follows a complaint filed by a US firm, North Pacific Paper Company.

The United States is Canada's biggest trading partner and vice versa but relations have grown tense since Donald Trump came to power in January of last year.

He has forced a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, arguing that it was a bad deal for the US.

Last week Trump gave Canada and Mexico a temporary exemption from new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. But he said the tariffs would in fact be imposed if the NAFTA talks did not yield a deal that satisfied him.

"Enforcement of US trade law is a prime focus of the Trump administration," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

"From January 20, 2017, through March 13, 2018, the Commerce Department has initiated 102 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations - a 96 percent increase from the same period in 2016-2017," he added.

This kind of paper was already hit by preliminary US countervailing duties announced in January.

Canada's government said it was "disappointed" by the new US measure.

"Any duties will have a direct and negative impact on US newspapers, especially those in small cities and towns, and result in job losses in the American printing sector," the foreign minister and minister of natural resources said in a statement.

The US announcement came as Canada's foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, was in Washington to discuss bilateral trade relations.
Would you like to receive breaking news notifications from The Post and Courier?

Sign up to receive news and updates from this site directly to your desktop.

Breaking News Columbia Breaking News Greenville Breaking News Myrtle Beach Breaking News Aiken Breaking News N Augusta Breaking News

Click on the bell icon to manage your notifications at any time.

Success! Please click the 'Allow' button in the 'Show Notifcations' alert in your browser if one is available. Thank you for signing up!

Please enable notifications in your browser and reload the page.
A former Equifax executive has been accused of dumping $1 million in company stock just ahead of revelations that the credit-rating agency had experienced a massive data breach that exposed the personal information of about 148 million people.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Jun Ying, a former chief information officer of a US business unit of Equifax, with insider trading. According to the SEC, Ying, who was next in line to be Equifaxs global CIO, used confidential information entrusted to him by the company to conclude that Equifax had suffered a serious breach.

The SEC said that before Equifax disclosed the breach, Ying exercised all of his vested Equifax stock options and then sold the shares, raking in proceeds of $1 million. By selling before the breach was made public, Ying avoided more than $117,000 in losses.
An Austin-based company is looking to change the homebuying market by making houses more universally accessible.

According to its website, ICON debuted the first permitted 3D printed home at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin on March 12, 2018, built using a prototype of a mobile printer that will have the ability to produce "a single-story, 600 to 800 square foot homes in under 24 hours for less than $4,000."
A Midland man was arrested Friday after he allegedly sexually assaulted a teenager, according to court documents.

Colton Hinojosa, 19, was released Sunday on a $50,000 bond for a second-degree felony charge of sexual assault of a child.

A Midland police detective made contact with a teenager on Thursday in reference to a sexual assault involving Hinojosa, according to his arrest affidavit.

If convicted of the second-degree felony charge, Hinojosa could face up to 20 years imprisonment.
Following three bombs found in postal packages around Austin this month, the U.S. Postal Service is reminding people how to spot suspicious mail or packages.

Several Houston-area law enforcement agencies began sharing a USPS poster detailing these tips soon after police in Austin began investigating a seemingly connected string of bombings that left two people dead and another in critical condition.

Anyone who suspects a letter or package contains a bomb or harmful substance is urged to isolate the package and call 911 immediately.

MOTIVE: Package bomb explosions in Austin could be racially motivated, police say

Letters from nefarious senders often contain typos and restrictive markings on the outside of the envelope, such as the word "personal" scribbled on the front. Recipients should also be wary of letters that have no return address, are sealed with tape or have some sort of substance on the outside of the envelope

Letters with several postage stamps also could be suspicious, meaning it was likely mailed from a foreign country.

BUS CRASH: 1 confirmed dead in Alabama bus crash carrying Houston-area students

Packages also have similar things to look out for, such as misspelled words or excessive postage.

The Postal Service warns of packages that have too much tape on them, are lopsided or uneven, or have wires protruding from the inside. Suspicious packages also could have strange odors or foreign substances.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.
Instagram/@armiehammer

Actor Armie Hammer, who just finished up awards season promoting his movie "Call Me By Your Name," has many Texas ties.

Hammer and his wife Elizabeth Chambers own Bird Bakery in San Antonio. He was the 2013 grand marshal of the Battle of Flowers Parade.
The balancing act plays out every day in restaurants across America: Servers who rely on tips decide where to draw the line when a customer goes too far.

They ignore comments about their bodies, laugh off proposals for dates and deflect behavior that makes them uncomfortable or angry  all in pursuit of the $2 or $20 tip that will help buy groceries or pay the rent.

There was the young server at a burger joint in Georgia, Emmallie Heard, whose customer held her tip money in his hand and said, So you gonna give me your number? She wrote it down, but changed one of the digits.

There was the waitress in Portland, Oregon, Whitney Edmunds, who swallowed her anger when a man patted his lap and beckoned her to sit, saying, Im a great tipper.

And at a steakhouse in Gonzales, Louisiana, Jaime Brittain stammered and walked away when a group of men offered a $30 tip if shed answer a question about her pubic hair. She returned and provided a snappy answer that earned her the tip, but acknowledges having mixed feelings about the episode.

Literally every time it happens, I will have this inner monologue with myself: Is this worth saying something, or is it not? said Ashley Maina-Lowe, a longtime server and bartender in Tucson, Arizona. Most of the time I say, No, its not worth it.

In the restaurant industry, the cultural reckoning over sexual harassment has felled celebrity chefs like Mario Batali and spotlighted pervasive misbehavior by managers and co-workers. But servers and bartenders also face abuse from another front: the millions of Americans who dine out every year and who, because of the custom of tipping, wield outsize influence over one of the largest groups of workers in the country  3 million strong, according to federal data.

Their workplaces are casual environments where alcohol lightens the mood and erodes boundaries. A customer is always right ethos often tilts the equation  creating the kind of power imbalance that has become front and center in a broader conversation about sex and gender in the workplace.

In interviews, more than 60 servers and bartenders  nervous teenagers and seasoned veterans, students and single mothers, a few men but mostly women  shared stories of crude comments, propositions, groping and even stalking from customers. They work in diners, chain restaurants and high-end dining establishments, and they reported hourly take home pay ranging from $8 to more than $40.

A number of efforts have arisen in the past several years to protect servers from harassment. Some restaurants have adopted no-tipping policies, eliminating the leverage of a gratuity. In Oakland, California, a restaurant called Homeroom devised a color-coded system to monitor customer behavior: a yellow flag if a server senses a potential problem, an orange one for inappropriate comments and a red flag for overtly sexual comments or touching, at which point the customer is asked to leave.

Workers advocates are pushing about a dozen states and the District of Columbia to change laws that allow restaurants to pay servers less than the minimum wage, making them more dependent on tips. New York recently cited harassment as one of the reasons it was looking into the way tipped workers are paid.

Working for tips means that each shift comes with questions that do not apply to millions of other workers around the country: How much money will I make, and how much will I tolerate to make it?

When I first started, I used to get so creeped out and weirded out all the time, said Brittany Gilbert, a server in Charleston, West Virginia, who has struggled to afford housing. If you want to make the money, youll learn to laugh.

Uncertain of workplace rights

The music was loud and the lights glowed red at Asia de Cuba, a clubby restaurant in New York with other locations overseas. On the second floor, Dana Angelo buzzed around the cocktail lounge in her uniform, a silky black dress that stopped midthigh with slits reaching higher. Her section was full, promising a good night.

As she paused at a table, a customer who was walking past reached under her skirt and grabbed her crotch, then continued on his way.

She stifled the urge to scream.

I dont want to do anything that makes these people leave and not tip me, she said. Im looking at $200 in tips.

Fighting back tears, she pointed out the offending customer to her manager, expecting the restaurant to take action. Instead, she saw the manager shaking the mans hand.

It was the second layer of hurt, Angelo said. She since has moved to Los Angeles, and that location has closed.

With guidance from her union delegate she was able to inform upper management of the incident, which occurred several years ago; she said the general manager apologized and told her that what happened was unacceptable.

But most servers and bartenders are not organized, and many restaurants do not have human resources departments. Servers also said they were reluctant to report anything but the most egregious behavior from customers; dealing with it simply comes with the job, they felt.

While legal action almost always targets misbehavior by managers or co-workers, courts also have ruled that employers can be liable for not protecting workers from abusive customers.

The employer has an obligation to make a safe workplace, and if you complain, they should do something about it, said Joseph M. Sellers, a lawyer in Washington, D.C., with years of experience in sexual harassment cases.

Managers can protect workers by switching a waitress table or asking an offending customer to leave.

But even for bosses with good intentions, misbehavior is difficult to police. Kaycee Lowe Wallace, who owned the Trolley restaurant in Hugo, Oklahoma, did not know that a regular customer was groping one of her servers until she got a concerned call from the young womans grandmother.

Wallace questioned the waitress, Klaycey Oakes, who told her that the man had grabbed her thigh and even followed her to the bathroom. I was like Why would you have not told me? Wallace recalled. She was like, Well, he leaves me $20 every time.

Oakes, 19, said the man was elderly and she had not wanted to cause a fuss. As it is for so many women, waitressing was her first job. Some 70 percent of servers are women, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and nearly half are younger than 25.

Their lives and experience of work is shaped by that initial experience, said Saru Jayaraman, president of Restaurant Opportunities Centers United, an advocacy group for restaurant workers. Ive had Hollywood actresses, senators, IBM executives, lawyers tell me, I have been sexually harassed later in my career, but I didnt do anything about it because it was never as bad as it was when I was a young woman working in restaurants.

Danny Meyer, whose Union Square Hospitality Group owns numerous restaurants, recalled how trade magazines in the 1980s and 1990s advised women to increase tips by opening blouse buttons and placing a hand on the shoulder of male customers.

Thats a dynamic thats been going on forever, he said in an interview.

Many servers acknowledged that they enjoyed a bit of cheerful flirting. Some welcomed compliments about their appearance; others hated them. Many said they drew the line at touching.

And while servers and customers occasionally dated, and even married, requests for dates, phone numbers and other propositions usually were unwelcome, they said.

Some of the most threatening situations occur when customers pursue employees outside work. Several women told of men who had waited for them in the parking lot or approached them as they took out the trash.

Maina-Lowe, the server and bartender in Tucson, was terrified when a man came in as she was closing up by herself one night. He asked if she was alone and told her that he had been watching her through the window. She ran out the back door and called police.

Im not generally a huge gun advocate, but I went and got one, she said. And every time I went to close the bar, it was in my purse.

Despite her bad experience, Maina-Lowe said working in restaurants still was her best option. At her current job, she can earn $30 an hour in tips on a good night  nearly three times the states minimum wage.

The Freedom to Say, Enough

The National Restaurant Association, the industrys trade group, declined to answer questions about sexual harassment of servers and the role that tips might play in it. It said in a statement: We condemn sexual harassment. Period. It does not matter if the harasser is a customer, a colleague or a manager.

Some labor rights advocates, convinced that tipping contributes to harassment, argue for eliminating the lower minimum wage that most restaurants pay workers who earn tips, which the federal government sets at $2.13 an hour. If you increase their base pay, the thinking goes, servers will be less dependent on tips, freeing them to push back against harassment.

Jayaramans group has lobbied states to change laws and require restaurants to pay the full minimum wage, a practice already adopted by seven states.

But servers themselves are divided on the issue. Many worry that the move would prompt customers to tip less while raising costs that would force restaurants to close.

The tip credit allows employers to keep their labor costs low and allows us to make a great living, said Joshua Chaisson, a server in Portland, Maine, who helped create Restaurant Workers of America, a group that fights to preserve the tipped wage.

Restaurant owners cite thin margins that already barely allow them to make a profit.

If I paid all my servers $7 an hour, I couldnt charge $7 for a hamburger, said Wallace, the restaurant owner in Oklahoma. Her experience shows how tight the finances can be; her restaurant closed in January because she could not afford to fix the heating system.

Some restaurants are trying a radical approach: abandoning tipping altogether.

While a primary motive is reducing the pay gap between servers and kitchen staff, who typically make less, it also makes servers and managers more willing to stand up to abusive customers.

I felt empowered as a manager, and staff feels more empowered, said Kim DiPalo, who was general manager of the Manhattan restaurant Gramercy Tavern, one of Meyers restaurants, when it ended tipping in 2016.

Instead of sending a manager to take over a troublesome table, she was more likely to ask offenders to leave, no longer needing to worry about protecting her employees tips.

But restaurants that are trying no-tipping policies have struggled with opposition from both servers and customers.

Erin Wade, owner of Homeroom, the restaurant with the flag system, said she would like to end tipping, which she considers demeaning. But other owners who had done so persuaded her not to follow them.

Customers like the power, she said they had told her.

Her servers were against it, too. Theres no way we could pay them nearly as much as theyre making with tips, she said.
A month after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead, students and school staff across the nation are planning to march out of class to observe a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting and to protest gun violence in schools.

The nationwide walk-out, #EnoughIsEnough, will last 17 minutes  1 minute for each person killed in Parkland. It is encouraged by EMPOWER, the youth branch of the Womens March.

Illinois College students will gather at 10 a.m. at the flag pole in the upper quad on campus.

Sergio Pena, ICs Student Senate vice president, said the students participating want to find solutions for gun violence.

We want to start a conversation within the community on gun control and how to prevent gun violence in the schools, Pena said. For students, the conversation is very important because these have a big effect on us and our lives.

Jacksonville High School had a similar protest Feb. 28, when students left class to honor the Parkland victims and provide a place for students to express their concerns and thoughts about school safety.

MacMurray College students also will have a walk-out at 10 a.m. today, with students gathering on the lawn at South Clay and East College avenues. The walk-out is organized by students in MacMurrays social work program.

Auryann Bradley, a junior social work major from Knoxville, said MacMurray students participating in the walk-out will hold a moment of silence like those at schools across the nation. Students also will read the names of the 17 Parkland victims, followed by the names of schools that have been a part of a school shooting since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999.

We want schools to be safe again, Bradley said. It doesnt matter, college or K-12, schools need to be safe and we have to find a way to make it happen.

Pena said the conversation for solutions has to start locally.

Local communities vary across the country and have varying viewpoints, Pena said.  We have to learn to understand those viewpoints and the different parts of the issue before we can move forward.

Bradley said the conversation needs to be had everywhere, because a school shooting isnt confined to a certain type of school.

We need to take action before something happens, because it can happen anywhere, Bradley said. Just because we are a smaller school doesnt mean it cant happen here. We dont want people to learn about our school because of a shooting.

There were no known organized walk-outs planned today at area high schools, though administrators acknowledged that some students could choose walk out of class without prior approval.

In Virginia, Principal Aaron Llewellyn said the district hasnt heard about a walk-out happening at their schools, but said the district plans to respect students who wish to participate.

We appreciate their right to honor those who were victims to the shootings, Llewellyn said. Well allow a brief amount of time, right off campus where theyll be safe, before returning to class.

Schools do have the authority to punish students who leave class without administrative approval.

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha.
CARLINVILLE  Two city residents have filed suit against the city of Carlinville, and several other parties the city is working with, after officials formed a joint company to promote the development of a regional water concept.

The lawsuit, which was filed by Wayne Brotz and Camille Brotz, a married couple, alleges that a new private company called the Illinois Alluvial Regional Water Company  a joint partnership of Carlinville, the village of Dorchester and the Jersey County Rural Water Company  was illegally incorporated. According to their lawyer, Jacob Smallhorn of Mattoon law firm Tapella & Eberspacher, Illinois law prescribes the manner in which local governments may start a private company. Smallhorn said he and his clients believe the city has deviated from that framework.

There are certain ways that a government entity can associate or do business with another government entity or private business, and they havent chosen any of those ways that are proscribed by the law, Smallhorn said. Theyve instead tried to use some implied power. Just because (the law) doesnt say you cant do it, that doesnt mean you can. It seems backwards in this circumstance, because the law does clearly states what you can do.

The lawsuit seeks to force Illinois Alluvial to return any money it has received from Carlinville or Dorchester to the municipalities, and asks the court to bar them from being able to coordinate on future business.

Mayor Deanna Demuzio, reached by The Telegraph Friday morning, said she was unable to comment on the matter due to the pending litigation. She referred all questions to the city attorney, Dan OBrien, who said the city had not yet been served with the lawsuit, and that he could not comment until this paperwork was received. OBrien said he expects the city will be able to comment on the matter after the suit has been served.

The lawsuit is the latest issue surrounding the regional water concept, which aims to hook Macoupin County into a more reliable water supply from the Illinois River Valley in Jersey County. A large aquifer exists in Jersey County, running parallel with the Illinois River, that officials hope will prove a bountiful and inexpensive source of water.

One of the regional water concepts biggest backers, the Fosterburg Water District, pulled out of the plan in November. Mark Voumard, director of the Fosterburg district, had previously told The Telegraph that he hoped participating in the plan would give the district independence from Illinois American Water, their water supplier, and allow them to obtain cheaper rates. Voumard, according to an email made public by the citizens group Edgar County Watchdogs, attributed the decision to withdraw to Madison County politics, and possible legal issues the creation of the new company would create.

Its a sad day when politics interfere with the public health at a local level, Voumard said in the email. The reasoning (is) due to the political issues at Madison County level and the lack of legislature authority to allow (the district) continued participation. (The district) had no other option but to completely back away from the table as a voting member and as a co-sponsor of starting the Illinois Alluvial Water Company.

In December, the Illinois Alluvial created controversy after it declared the right to bar citizens from its meetings, which are held in Jerseyville, where the venture co-headquartered with Jersey Rural. Illinois Alluvial specifically barred several Carlinville city council members from attending, informing them that they would be trespassing if they did, over concerns that they had discussed Carlinville business an Illinois Alluvial meeting, possibly violating Illinois Open Meetings Act. The Brotzs, in their lawsuit, raised that such precedent would allow anyone to be barred from the meetings.

Smallhorn said his clients saw a deeper issue of government transparency at stake.

I think thats almost always the underlying issue when you sue the government, he said. That theyre not being transparent about what theyre doing, and youre frustrated by that process, when you cant find out any information, but your tax dollars are going to somewhere where you cant tell how the money is being spent.

Smallhorn added that he thought conducting government business through a private company was an intentional attempt to put public business behind closed doors.

Its pretty clear that it was done in such a way so that they could avoid explaining to the people what they were doing, he said. In my mind, its kind of a bizarre way to set up a business, when you are dealing with government entities. Just think about the implications of that. The government setting up private companies so they dont have to explain what is going on. That seems problematic to me.
New legislation sponsored by Sen. Sam McCann could make Illinois the 38th state to allow vocal court reporting as an alternative to the more common stenography.

Known as voice writing, the National Verbatim Reporter Association reports that 37 states now allow voice reporters to use a device called a stenomask to take down the verbatim dialogue of a court proceeding. Elizabeth Kavelman, president of the Illinois Verbatim Reporters Association, said the input methods may be different, but the end result is not.

We use the same type of court reporting (stenographers) use, Kavelman said. We use a different type of equipment but the end product is a transcript and you cant tell who put it in or how. It comes out exactly the same.

Despite this, the Illinois Certified Shorthand Reporters Act does not allow for voice writers to be certified in the same way as stenographers, who use a stenotype  or a shorthand machine  that allows stenographers to type court records quickly.

Senate Bill 2965, sponsored by McCann, would amend the act to allow for the certification of verbatim reporters.

Voice writers now have to go out of state to find work, which can pose a problem for some, Kavelman said.

She relies on voice writing as her primary method of court reporting after she suffered an injury that prevents her from using a stenotype, she said.

If someone is a steno writer and they injure their hands  thats what happened to me  they cant practice, Kavelman said. We want to be equally allowed to practice. Theres a big shortage of (court) reporters in Illinois and all across the United States.

Voice writing produces very high accuracy rates without the need to know stenography and shorthand while producing speeds of up to 350 words a minute, the NVRA said.

The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the Licensed Activities and Pensions Committee at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Kavelman is asking voice writers to speak up in favor of the bill.

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.
Mediacom has sold about 8 acres of property along Massey Lane south of West Morton Avenue to CTI Towers as a part of a larger package of all of the cable companys towers.

CTI Towers Assets II LLC, a tower leasing company based in Franklin, Massachusetts, bought the Jacksonville lot at 1293 Massey Lane in December for $258,344.

CTI Towers CEO Tony Peduto said the company is working with Mediacom to buy its towers in 22 states.

We are affiliated with Mediacom, Peduto said. We have been purchasing towers from several cable companies as the towers become obsolete for cable services.

Jack Griffin, vice president of corporate finance at Mediacom, said the towers are being sold to CTI to help streamline Mediacom.

This sale will have no impact on cable services, Griffin said.  Historically, our signals came through the towers, but most signals (now) come through fiber connections.

Peduto said the Jacksonville site has a 448-foot tower and a highway right-of-way on about 8 acres.

We evaluate each site, make necessary updates or repairs, Peduto said. We have a team that maintains the grounds. Well rezone and do a tower extension if its needed.

CTI will maintain the tower and the property, Peduto said. If there are any changes or repairs to be made, CTI will cover those costs before leasing tower space for cellular companies and any others that require tower access.

CTI is buying about 90 towers in Illinois and Peduto hopes to have the purchases complete by June, he said.

Were expanding more into the Midwest part of the country, he said.

The company also is buying towers in Missouri, Iowa and other states with Mediacom towers.

Griffin said Mediacom will continue to have access to the towers and property where needed.

We have some towers that are near offices, so well still have land rights for those, Griffin said. Any cable operations will remain and well have usage on the sites.

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1233, or on Twitter @JCNews_samantha.
Morgan County

Sheriff

Arrests, Citations

 Dustin P. Murphy, 27, of 1042 N. Main St. was booked into the Morgan County jail at 1:39 p.m. Tuesday on a warrant accusing him of contempt of court.

Jacksonville Police

Accidents

 Barbara K. Schnepper, 67, of Jacksonville was cited on a charge of following too closely after police say the vehicle she was driving struck the rear of a vehicle being driven by Cynthia A. Bobbitt, 61, of rural Virginia about 7:55 p.m. Monday at South Main Street and Morton Avenue.

Arrests, Citations

 Jordan C, McEvers, 36, of 24 Harmony Drive was arrested about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday on a charge of violating an order of protection.

Burglaries, Thefts

 Someone stole a purse from a home in the 400 block of West College Avenue between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday, according to a report filed at 12:17 a.m. Tuesday.

Compiled by Greg Olson and Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree
After announcing steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum on Thursday, President Trump tweeted the next morning, When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win.

The president could not be more wrong. Trade wars are bad for all countries involved, and the biggest losers will be American families and American workers in industries that depend on trade.

Trade wars happen when one nation raises tariffs on imports, and other nations retaliate with their own tariffs. The 25 percent steel tariff announced by Trump has already drawn threats from Canada, the European Union and other trading partners to target key U.S. exports. The result will be a decline in trade, both imports and exports, higher prices for domestic consumers and businesses, and job losses in key U.S. industries.

The most immediate casualties of a trade war will be American consumers. Higher domestic steel prices will lead to higher consumer prices for cars, appliances and new homes. The aluminum tariff will drive up the cost of beverage cans and other products Americans buy every day.

In other words, the presidents tariffs are a direct tax on the millions of low- and middle-income families he claims to champion.

Steel tariffs will inflict damage on a range of U.S. industries that use steel as a key component in their final products. In fact, for every worker at a steel plant in the United States, there are more than 40 workers employed in steel-consuming industries such as construction, motor vehicles and machinery. Steel tariffs imposed in 2002 by President George W. Bush caused the loss of 200,000 jobs in those industries, according to one study  more workers than were employed in the entire steel industry.

Another casualty in a pending trade war will be American exporters. If the United States can use national security as an excuse for steel and aluminum tariffs, other countries will find it much easier to make the same claim to protect their politically favored industries. Some may strike back directly with their own retaliatory tariffs. The most likely targets will be American exporters of agricultural and manufacturing products, putting more U.S. jobs in jeopardy.

U.S. steel executives were cheering the presidents move at the White House on Thursday, but even their industry will pay a price in the long run. Steel is becoming less and less important in our increasingly high-tech, service oriented economy. Since the 1970s, Americas annual per capita consumption of steel has dropped by almost half, from 1,400 pounds on average to 740 pounds. If Americans are forced to pay artificially higher prices for steel for years to come, it will only accelerate the underlying trend to find less costly substitutes. U.S. steel makers will find themselves fighting over a shrinking domestic market.

And finally a trade war over steel will weaken America as a nation and tarnish our role as a world leader. Most of our top steel suppliers are neighbors and allies  Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico, Turkey, Japan and Germany. China is not even among the top 10. While the U.S. military consumes only 3 percent of our domestic steel production, the higher prices caused by the tariffs will make it more costly for the military to acquire new tanks and ships.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis, in a letter to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, endorsed the administrations concerns over Chinese overproduction, but prudently warned, (Defense Department) continues to be concerned about the negative impact on our key allies regarding the recommended options (i.e. tariffs) in the report. Mattis requested more consultations and more targeted tariffs, but his request was ignored by Trump.

As trade wars go, this may not be on par with the protectionism of the 1930s that aggravated the Great Depression. While Americas nearly $20 trillion economy today may be able to shrug off any long-lasting effects of the coming trade spats, one thing is for sure: there will be far more losers than winners. And the biggest casualty will be U.S. families and workers.

Daniel Griswold is a senior research fellow and co-director of the Program on the American Economy and Globalization at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.
Survey Reads Only 62% of Enterprises in Georgia Know DCFTA

By Tea Mariamidze

The recent survey, conducted in ten regions of Georgia, including Adjara, revealed that only 62% of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the regions have information about the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), signed with the European Union in 2014.DCFTA is a free trade agreement between the EU and Georgia. The DCFTA is a part of the country's EU Association Agreement. It allows Georgia access the European Single Market in selected sectors and grant EU investors in those sectors the same regulatory environment in the associated country as in the EU. The agreement officially entered into force in July 2016.The name of the conducted survey was "Georgia on the European Way: Creating an Effective Model for Implementation of DCFTA and Small and Medium Enterprises Strategy". 559 SMEs were interviewed in total.According to the survey, 38% of small and medium businesses in the regions have not heard about DCFTA, 62% of enterprises have information about the DCFTA, although their knowledge is quite shallow."The level of awareness about DCFTA is not high. Most people say they know about this agreement, but this does not mean that they can say what the DCFTA benefits are. Entrepreneurs have just heard about the contract,"says Natia Daghelishvili, one of the authors of the research.The majority of the companies that have information about DCFTA are located in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti and Samtskhe-Javakheti regions.The survey says the entrepreneurs get information about the DCFTA from media, state agencies, social media and other sources.The vast majority of respondents positively evaluate DCFTA. Nevertheless, the survey found out that most of the surveyed business organizations did not have information on exporting to the EU market.According to the survey, most of the surveyed SMEs sell their products in Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Only 15% of companies export their production to the EU while 58% exports to non-EU countries. In total, only 23% Georgian companies carry out exports.Moreover, the small and medium enterprises were asked what their main stimulus for export to the EU market was. Nearly half of the respondents (46%) reported it was sales growth. 35% said they like the prices in EU while 11% said their main aim was to diversify export.77% of the interviewed companies say they do not export at all. The company's representatives named five main factors, which, according to them, hinder them from carrying out export of their production.1. Lack of partners in EU countries;2. Lack of information about the procedures required for the export to the EU market;3. Low volume of production;4. Lack of resources to produce sufficient volume of goods for export;5. The lack of quality certificates for exporting to the European Union;SMEs must take certificates to be allowed to export products to the EU unified market. 73% of the surveyed companies do not own a certificate at all.According to the Georgian legislation, Small or Medium Enterprise is a company that employs over 100 people and its annual turnover does not exceed 1.500.000 GEL.The survey was carried out in July-August 2017 and in total 559 SMEs were interviewed.
If we overlook the reality that President Donald Trumps talk about the death penalty for drug dealers is unconstitutional and still are comfortable with the fact it also is immoral, then the only thing standing in the way of backing the idea is that it simply wont work.

Speaking this weekend, Trump doubled-down on comments he reportedly made during the past week about drug dealers paying the ultimate price for their crimes. He shared a conversation with the president of Singapore about how that nation deals with drug crimes.

He said, We have a zero tolerance policy. That means if we catch a drug dealer, death penalty, Trump said, calling it a discussion we have to start thinking about, although I dont know if this countrys ready for it.

Even staunch conservatives probably arent ready for it. While most recognize the need for reform in this nations broken justice system, its hard to reconcile that with Republicans platform of valuing human life.

We will assume the reasons behind the idea are pure: to stop the epidemic of drug use in the nation. But Trumps track record on justice issues is slightly bruised. Post-president Trump has expressed that the Justice Department is there to follow his directions. Candidate Trump intimated that he would use the justice system to put his opponent behind bars. Pre-candidate Trump took out full-page ads in the papers in New York calling for five black and Latino teenagers accused of raping a woman in Central Park to be executed  and decades later still insisted the teens were guilty, despite DNA evidence exonerating them in 2002.

Eighth Amendment protections against cruel or excessive punishment create a large constitutional roadblock between bravado and fruition, fortunately. Totalitarian regimes dont have that sticking point.

Take Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, quoted by CNN as praising Trumps comments.

He would like to follow Duterte because they have no problem in the Philippines, he just killed them, Duterte said. Duterte, incidentally, has been nicknamed The Punisher by media outlets and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have criticized the extrajudicial killings of accused criminals by vigilantes. Although not implicated in the killings, Duterte has spoken in support of the actions.

That does not mean the death penalty cannot be meted in the most severe cases against drug traffickers. The Death Penalty Information Center lists four drug-related crimes that can have death penalty provisions, such as when law enforcement officers are killed in the commission of certain drug-related crimes.

The problem has been that the effectiveness of the death penalty itself is questionable. First, its expensive, with the sometimes decades-long trial and appeals process costing on average nearly $1 million.

Even Duterte has acknowledged the get-tough measures have not slowed drug use in the Philippines.

Theres a risk to being unwilling or unable to acknowledge facts. Theres more of a danger in dismissing them to pander to voters.

Solutions are needed. Too many lives have been lost, and too many families destroyed, by the scourge of drugs.

Government-sanctioned killing is not the way to change that.
To the editor:

Immigration in America remains a very contentious and partisan issue. New York Times columnist David Brooks recently described his own personal investigative journey on that issue, searching for a reasonable middle ground solution. He came to the inexorable conclusion that if you respect evidence and common sense you will find the case for restricting immigration is pathetically weak. Of course, restrictionists still believe the country is being swamped by immigrants, legals and illegals alike. That they deny the native-born jobs and undermine our traditional culture. And that somehow or other they compromise our elections.

Space here does not allow for a full exegesis of Brooks views, but local readers might find his remarks about the unfortunate estrangement between immigrants and rural Americans of particular interest.

Much of rural America is Republican and restrictionist.

Brooks cites as prime examples northern New England, the expansive Appalachian region and the upper Midwest. I would add parts of the Great Plains as well. These places are about 95 percent white and in them you will find some of the most blighted towns in America. Little business and job growth. Families sorely stressed. School districts underfunded and limited. Rampant meth and opioid addiction. Steady youth flight.

If you have any doubts about this dreary diagnosis I suggest you read J.D. Vances acclaimed book on modern Appalachia, Hillbilly Elegy, or just drive across the back roads of Kansas.

The emigration experience has always been a wrenching one that, for the most part, attracts ambitious and optimistic people. They tend to avoid stressed and depopulated rural areas, and head for urban areas where there is diversified economic growth and greater opportunity. There they start new businesses at twice the rate of non-immigrants, commit less crime and have fewer out-of-wedlock children. They actually help drive economic growth. These are statistical facts.

Alas, while much of rural America stultifies and declines, cities and suburbs become the primary socioeconomic beneficiaries of immigration. And because they often share many American work values, immigrants assimilate and intermarry faster than many native-born want to believe. All this is easier to do, again, in multi-ethnic and multi-racial urban America.

As American history clearly shows, given enough opportunity and time, newcomers prove the American dream still works.

Richard Nelson

Jacksonville
Sonora, CA  We will know after 5pm this evening which candidates will appear on the June primary ballot.

There is a late development in the race for Tuolumne County Sheriff. After taking out nomination papers earlier this week, former Deputy Rob Lyons has decided not to seek election. That leaves undersheriff Bill Pooley as the only candidate planning to run for the seat currently held by the retiring Jim Mele.

Lyons tells Clarke Broadcasting, After careful consideration, and discussions with friends and family, I have decided I am not going to run for sheriff. Id like to extend my humble appreciation to all those in the community that supported and encouraged me to run. I wish Bill Pooley the best and I am confident he will handle the challenges that lay ahead successfully.

Well pass along more information later today in regards to other races as the deadline nears.
The unemployment rate in Hale County move up to 4.6 percent from its low of 4.1 percent in October, November and December, which was the lowest unemployment rate in the county for over 10 years.

The jobless rate ticked upward in all of the counties in the Heralds coverage area.

Briscoe County dropped from 3.4 percent to 3.7 percent; Castro County moved from 2.9 percent to 3.1 percent; Floyd County also went up, from 5 percent to 5.8 percent; Lamb jumped from 3.9 to 4.5 percent, and Swisher lost over half a percentage point from 3.5 to 4.1 percent.

The total labor force in Hale County is 12,083, with 557 still seeking employment in the county. In December, the total labor force was 12,064, with 500 still seeking employment.

Texas seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.0 percent in January and remains below the U.S. unemployment rate of 4.1 percent. The Texas economy added 240,500 seasonally adjusted nonfarm jobs over the year, including 16,000 jobs added in January. Annual employment growth for Texas was 2.0 percent in January, marking 93 consecutive months of annual growth.

Texas employers kicked off 2018 with the addition of 16,000 jobs in January and 240,500 over the year, said TWC Chairman Andres Alcantar. Thanks to our states world-class employers, diverse industry sectors and highly-talented workforce, Texas continues to be a national leader in job creation and the premier place to do business."

Industries adding jobs in January included Mining and Logging, which added 3,300 jobs; Education and Health Services, which added 2,800 jobs; and Manufacturing added 2,400 positions.

Texas private-sector employers contributed to another successful month of growth by adding 12,400 jobs in January, said TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth R. Hughs. This growth reflects our states strong ability to continuously attract more employers and workers.

The Midland Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) recorded the months lowest unemployment rate among Texas MSAs with a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 2.4 percent, followed by the Amarillo MSA, which had the second lowest with a rate of 2.8 percent. The Austin-Round Rock MSA had the third lowest rate of 3.0 percent for January.

The Texas labor markets 93rd consecutive month of positive annual growth is proof that our Texas workers have much to offer, said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. I encourage those looking for career advancements to visit WorkInTexas.com.

Audio downloads with comments from Commissioner Alvarez on the latest labor market data are available on the TWC website press release page. Employment estimates released by TWC are produced in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Labors Bureau of Labor Statistics. All estimates are subject to revision. To access this and more employment data, visit tracer2.com.

The Texas Labor Market & Career Information Data for February is scheduled to be released on Friday, March 23, 2018 at 9 a.m.
At the top of Hancock Hill out west in Alpine, Texas sits a school desk with a unique lineage.

It was in 1981 that Sul Ross Industrial Tech Education students Jim Kitchen, Bill Wagner and Travis Miller lugged the desk up to the top of the hill.

RELATED: These tours of Houston show off the coolest parts of the Bayou City

According to the Sul Ross website entry on the desk, the trio were looking for a quiet place to study away from others. It didn't hurt that the view was rather pretty, too.

Kitchen left a notebook in the desk and soon others were venturing to the top of the hill to study and leave notes in the notebook.

It's a 20-minute hike to the desk from a parking lot near the school's Bryan Wildenthal Memorial Library.

RELATED: The biggest fish caught off the Texas coast according to Texas Parks and Wildlife

The desk is popular enough these days to have its own TripAdvisor entry too. Alpine's location just east of Texas-mecca Marfa means that it gets plenty of visitors from all walks of life. It's on Texas Monthly's list of top ten things to do Alpine.

Recently syndicated Texas travelogue show, The Texas Bucket List, went to the top of Hancock Hill to visit the desk among rocks and brush.

Alpine's official website has plenty of photos and information on other fine things to do in the area if anyone gets an itch to drive way out west.

Just look for the bike tree and the desk is nearby, according to visitors.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.
SWEETWATER  Now in its 61st year, the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup has thrived while others have faded, despite being anathema to biologists and animal rights advocates.

The snake roundup attracts a reported 30,000 visitors who want to get up close and personal to a deadly pit viper.

Some are appalled, other are fascinated at an event which includes the bloody public slaughter of thousands of Western Diamondbacks for their skins and other parts.

Except for the very gory part, the worlds largest roundup somewhat resembles a Texas county fair with pit vipers instead of livestock, and snake handlers replacing ranch kids.

RELATED: Miss Texas, Margana Woods gets into snake pit, skins rattlesnake because why not

Theres cotton candy and turkey legs, beauty queens and evening dances, cookouts and eating contests, a gun and knife show and plenty of souvenirs.

For three days, the Nolan County Coliseum, normally used for rodeos and horse shows, is dedicated to all things rattlesnake.

We get visitors from Australia, Japan, China, Germany, and all over Europe. And a lot of foreign media comes, said Rob McCann, 47, the Jaycees spokesman for the event.

The big question is, are these snakes fake? Then they ask, Are you sewing their mouths shut? That would be cruel, he added.

McCann said you almost have to be born here to understand the roundup.

Its something uniquely West Texas. I grew up with it as a kid. We got in free if we skinned snakes. I know all these guys who handled snakes, and they taught us how to hunt snakes at an early age, he said.

Go here to read more about the this years rattlesnake roundup.
(Bloomberg) -- Stephen Hawking, the British physicist and black-hole theorist who brought science to a mass audience with the best-selling book A Brief History of Time, has died. He was 76.

Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in England in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a spokesman for his family said in an emailed statement.

We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in the statement. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasnt home to the people you love. We will miss him forever.

Hawking suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, and was confined to an electric wheelchair for much of his adult life. Diagnosed at age 21, he was one of the worlds longest survivors of ALS.

A Cambridge University professor, Hawking redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes emit radiation and later evaporate. He also showed that the universe had a beginning by describing how Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity eventually breaks down when time and space are traced back to the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago.

Stephens remarkable combination of boldness, vision, insight and courage have enabled him to produce ideas that have transformed our understanding of space and time, black holes and the origin of the universe, James Hartle, professor of physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said in 2002.

Best-Seller

A Brief History of Time, first published in 1988, earned its author worldwide acclaim, selling at least 10 million copies in 40 languages and staying on the best-seller list of the U.K.s Sunday Times newspaper for a record 237 weeks.

Often referred to as one of the most unread books of all time for the hard-to-grasp concepts, it included only one equation: E = mc2 or the equivalence of mass and energy, deduced by Einstein from his theory of special relativity. The book outlined the basics of cosmology for the general reader.

Hawkings fame increased as his health worsened. After his degenerative muscle disorder was diagnosed, he defied medical opinion by living five decades longer than expected. He communicated his ideas through an American-accented speech synthesizer after a life-saving tracheotomy in 1985 took away his ability to speak. To the layman, the robot-like voice only seemed to give his words added authority.

To my colleagues, Im just another physicist, but to the wider public, I became possibly the best-known scientist in the world, Hawking wrote in his 2013 memoir My Brief History. This is partly because scientists, apart from Einstein, are not widely known rock stars, and partly because I fit the stereotype of a disabled genius.

Black Holes

Hawking applied quantum theory -- governing the subatomic world -- to black holes, which he claimed discharge radiation that causes them to disappear. This process helps explain the notion that black holes have existed at a micro level since the Big Bang, and the smaller they are, the faster they evaporate.

Black holes are formed when a massive star collapses under the weight of its own gravity. Detected by the movement of surrounding matter, they devour everything in their path and may play a role in the birth of galaxies. Physicists say these invisible cosmic vacuums might allow travel through time and space via wormholes, a favorite of science-fiction writers.

With mathematician Roger Penrose, Hawking used Einsteins theory of relativity to trace the origins of time and space to a single point of zero size and infinite density. Their work gave mathematical expression to the Big Bang theory, proposed by Belgian priest Georges Lemaitre in 1927 and supported two years later by Edwin Hubbles discovery that the universe is expanding.

With Hartle, Hawking later tried to marry relativity with quantum theory by proposing the no-boundary principle, which held that space-time is finite and the laws of physics determined how the universe began in a self-contained system, without the need for a creator or prior cause.

Profound Impact

The Nobel Prize in Physics proved elusive for Hawking, whose theories required observational data to win the praise of the awarding committee in Stockholm. The Nobel Foundation excludes posthumous nominees.

By any reasonable standard, Stephen Hawking is a great scientist. Even if time shows some of his more radical proposals to be incorrect, Hawking will have had a profound impact on the history of science, Henry F. Schaefer III, a chemistry professor at the University of Georgia, said in a 2001 lecture.

Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on Jan. 8, 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Italian physicist Galileo Galilei. Hawkings father, Frank, was a doctor of tropical medicine. His mother, Isobel, was a tax inspector and a secretary. He had two younger sisters and a brother.

At age 8, Hawking moved with his family to St. Albans, where he went to school. He then graduated with first-class honors in natural science at Oxfords University College. While he was a doctoral candidate at Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, also known as motor neuron disease. He was told he had only a few years to live.

Universes Origin

As the illness progressed slower than expected and he found inspiration in his girlfriend, Jane Wilde, Hawking began to work at his studies for the first time. He completed his doctorate on the origins of the universe, became a research fellow at Caius College and married Wilde in 1965.

In 1970, Hawking realized the mathematical approaches he developed with Penrose could be applied to black holes, a term coined by physicist John Wheeler. Hawking worked for the next four years on black holes, discovering they werent totally black, but leaked radiation, now known as Hawking radiation.

For 30 years, Hawking was Cambridges Lucasian professor of mathematics, a chair once held by Isaac Newton. U.S. President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hawking in 2009, the year of his retirement.

His other popular books included The Universe in a Nutshell (2001), On the Shoulders of Giants (2002), A Briefer History of Time (2005) and The Grand Design (2010).

In 2015, Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in The Theory of Everything, a film about the scientists life.

Hawking separated from his wife in 1991 and married his nurse, Elaine Mason, four years later. They divorced in 2007.

By 2017 Hawking was spending more time pondering humanitys future and concluding that we should plan to colonize other planets. We are running out of space, and the only place we can go to are other worlds, he told a gathering of scientists. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth.

To contact the reporter on this story: David Henry in Frankfurt at sgittelson@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Caroline Salas Gage at csalas1@bloomberg.net, James Greiff

2018 Bloomberg L.P.
A San Francisco man with multiple convictions in arson cases is back in jail again after he was accused of setting a homeless man on fire in the South of Market neighborhood, according to court records.

David Munoz Diaz, 28, was captured on video lighting a homeless person on fire, according to a motion to deny bail that prosecutors filed Tuesday.

The victim was sleeping Feb. 19 on Folsom Street near Sixth Street when a passerby woke him up and helped put out the fire on his sleeve, which burned his arm. He declined medical treatment, officials said.

Diaz appeared in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday. Judge Braden Woods ordered him held without bail, in line with the request of Assistant District Attorney Andrew Clark.

Diaz was booked into County Jail on Thursday evening on suspicion of attempted murder and arson.

This person should not be released under any circumstances, said Alex Bastian, a spokesman for the district attorneys office. That is why we moved to detain him without bail.

Diaz was charged with murder in the June 2011 death of Freddy Canul-Arguello after the victims body was found burned in Buena Vista Park. His attorneys had argued that Diaz accidentally killed Canul-Arguello while choking him during a sexual encounter at a hook-up spot, then ignited the fire to signal help.

A San Francisco jury cleared Diaz of the murder charge in 2014. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to time served.

The jury also convicted him of arson, but Judge Donald Sullivan set aside the conviction over prosecutors objections, saying Diaz had no previous criminal record and was unlikely to set another fire.

In January 2015, Diaz was charged with setting a fire at Up Hair salon in the Castro, which was owned by his boyfriend. He was also charged with setting a December 2014 fire that damaged the boyfriends car, and with possessing an incendiary device.

Diaz was found guilty, sentenced to a year of mandatory supervision in September 2016, and required to register as an arsonist.

Two months later, he was accused of attacking a man in San Francisco. Diaz pleaded guilty to false imprisonment in the case, in which he allegedly handcuffed the victim, bit part of his scalp off, cut his tongue and slit his nose, ear and lip. He was sentenced to five years of probation.

Chronicle staff writer Evan Sernoffsky contributed to this report.
A San Antonio TV meteorologist revealed on social media that she has had trouble hearing since childhood and just recently got the help needed to improve her life.

Ive been hard-of-hearing since I was a child and was finally able to purchase a hearing aid this past Friday. Its amazing how much my quality of life has improved in just a few short days, KSATs Sarah Spivey wrote on her Facebook page.
1 Death penalty: Florida prosecutors say they will seek the death penalty against school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz in the fatal shooting of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The office of Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz filed the formal notice Tuesday. Cruz, 19, is scheduled for formal arraignment Wednesday on a 34-count indictment, including 17 first-degree murder charges. Cruzs attorneys have said he would plead guilty if the death penalty was not pursued in the Valentines Day massacre. The action by prosecutors Tuesday does not necessarily mean a plea deal will not be reached. The only other penalty option for Cruz is life in prison with no possibility of parole.

2 Suspicious packages: Austin police say they have received more than 150 calls reporting suspicious packages after three package bombs exploded at homes in less than two weeks in the Texas capital. The police department tweeted the figure Tuesday. Authorities have urged people receiving unexpected packages to call 911 without handling, moving or trying to open them. A package bomb left on a doorstep in Austin killed a man March 2. Two similar packages left at separate homes Monday killed a 17-year-old and wounded two others. Investigators originally suggested that the attacks could constitute a hate crime because the victims were all black or Hispanic, but they now say they are looking at all possible explanations.
Dayton ISD has uniquely been involved in a pilot program that is changing the way health care is delivered to individuals, companies, and now schools.

Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a bill allowing the use of telehealth in public schools. Gov. Greg Abbott signed the measure into law the first week of May. The ink had barely dried when Superintendent Dr. Jessica Johnson was sought out by officials with Neighbors Health and asked to involve DISD in a pilot program for the futuristic help.

The district cooperated and the success for the program in only a few weeks in May was significant enough for Neighbors Health and DISD to commit to a full year partnership last fall and this spring to deliver special health care to the students of Dayton.

"We're connecting students at school with licensed professionals for medical and behavioral health," said Esmeralda Lopez, PhD., LSSP and program director for Neighbors Health, describing the gist of the program.

The district was the perfect fit for Neighbors Health in helping write the book on how this emerging care would be delivered to schools across Texas and the nation.

"We were looking for motivated partners who were willing to collaborate in the process and that's how we ended up with Dayton," Lopez said. The district fit their market analysis to a T.

"We also needed a district that was forward-thinking and DISD was that partner," she said.

The process is fairly simple.

Students began the year enrolling in the program. Enrollment including filling out paperwork with information parents would fill out at their doctor's office.

Once enrolled, if the student has a medical or behavioral issue, they are sent to the clinic where their treatment begins.

Dr. Raj Popat, MD and the clinical director for Neighbors Health explains.

"When a health provider is required, the campus nurse is able through a computer and portal to connect with us offsite," he said. The connection is similar to FaceTime or Skype.

The mobile computer built on top of a cart, the nurse logs onto the website. They enter patient information and symptoms and connects to a provider.

Once the information is received, the provider then clicks to meet with the patient.

The nurse and patient see the doctor and the doctor sees the nurse and patient on the other end.

The parent is sent an email with a link and they can be a third party and watch if they want.

"It's kind of like a GoToMeeting event," Popat said.

The nurse assists with the exam following the directions of the doctor.

The computer is equipped with a stethoscope and an auto-scope and other medical equipment that allows the doctor to see in real time by imaging as if they were in the room with the student.

"There's a device that the nurse can use to put in the child's ear. With the camera, I can see what's in their ear, or throat," he said.

With the stethoscope, the doctor can hear in real time the child's heart and lungs.

From his side of the portal, the doctor can generate a prescription and instructions for the parent so when the visit is done, a student receives a CCR or Continuity of Care Record where they can share that with their provider and a copy is kept on file to know that the child has been seen by a doctor.

"We're not trying to take over the child's health care, we're just helping out to keep them in school," he said.

Dayton was provided all the equipment free of charge and the district provided the human capital in nurses and counselors to learn how to use the portal and equipment.

While the trial model with Dayton ISD is still young, Popat sees value in the program and has also discovered additional findings.

"We're seeing that the need in Dayton has been more on the behavioral side," he said. "We have some medical visits, but it's like a build it and they will come."

Popat believes that the medical side will increase as the benefits are discovered for families who have to sometimes make decisions on whether to leave work for a cough or other minor medical interventions.

The doctor envisions sharing that equipment with local doctors so that they are able to see their own children while they are on campus.

"We built the software and we prefer to have the community doctors involved," he said.

The company was formed in 2016 but didn't really launch operation until 2017.

"We already knew what we were going to do and had materialized our goals in 2015," the doctor said.

"We've been working behind the scenes because we knew the legislation was coming. We knew this was going to be the way health care would be delivered for a lot of people. This will be a part of every medical practice in the future," he said.

Lopez works on the behavioral health side of the practice and said their setup is a little different.

"We basically only need a good computer, microphone, and camera to do our side of things," she said.

She is a licensed school psychologist and has seen first-hand the barriers for good health care for students.

"No child is turned away," she said, "even if they don't have insurance because this is billed through your insurance, there is no cost to the district, we just take the loss if they have no insurance."

Lopez visits with the staff periodically to help train them on particular issues including how to help children respond to the recent shooting in Florida at a public school.

Lopez said they abide by the same standards that are applicable in a doctor's office and are followed by the telehealth care professionals when dealing with the care of the student.

All of the portals are encrypted to protect patient confidentiality according to HIPAA laws.

They don't do any emergency treatment.

Kay Stratmann, RN, is the lead nurse for Dayton ISD and is impressed with the program.

"It's new ground. We really are helping write the book on procedures and how this is going to work in the school system," she said.

Originally, the program was intended for the students, but she anticipated it expanding to the full staff as well.

On the school side, the district is trying to help keep students in class or get them back to class as soon as possible for continuity in their education.

"We're taking baby steps with this. We're comfortable with the balance we're establishing with them so that this enhances what's appropriate for our staff, community and parents," said Travis Young, executive director of student services for Dayton ISD.

In light of the tragedy in Florida, Young and Stratmann said the behavioral health assistance is beneficial to DISD students.

"Any steps we can take with students who may be having health issues can't be anything but positive," he said. "That extra layer of support is always good. Having licensed professionals to help our students can't hurt."

The collaboration will be under consideration again at the end of the school year.
As this year's Clear Creek ISD spelling champ, Friendswood resident Alexander Amalaman will take the stage April 7 in the Houston Public Media Spelling Bee where he will compete before judges, the audience and a television audience.

But don't tell this fourth-grader from Greene Elementary how to deal with pressure. He's got it under control.

"When I'm up there, I don't really think about the judges," Alexander said. "I just think about my words."

After all, he added, "Spelling is my thing. I'm a dictionary."

It sure seems that way. After winning his school spelling bee last year and ranking in the top five in the school district competition for elementary through eighth grade, Alex, 9, became Clear Creek district champ for that level, acing the words "diminish" and "confinement" to secure a spot at the upcoming state-level competition.

The top two spellers from there will head to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May in Washington, D.C.

Alexander isn't sure how he'll fare in April, but he's not counting himself out.

"I'm kind of nervous, but I'm kind of confident at the same time. I feel like I can spell the words because I've won my school's competition twice and now I've won for the district," he said.

Still, preparation is on his mind, especially because for this upcoming competition he isn't provided with a list of potential words. Instead, youngsters are directed to the Merriam Webster dictionary, from where the words are pulled.

"I'm watching spelling semantic workshop videos and I write notes down to trace back root words," he said.

He said his good memory helps, too.

"Sometimes If I can't figure out the spelling by the root word or from what language it's from, then I just have to memorize the word."

Alexander knows his weaknesses.

"I have trouble spelling French and German words cause they're so weird," he said. "German words have consonant clusters that I'm not used to, and French words are pronounced kind of weird; so it's hard for me to spell it the way it's pronounced."

"If it's a word I know, I can trace it back to the root and sometimes that will help me," he said.

Alexander's mother, Natalja Luzan, admitted she's been surprised by his success.

"He always did well in his spelling tests that they give in class, but the words in the spelling bee aren't on the same level. They're more complicated," she said. "He definitely seems to have some talent."

A talent which his mother, who hails from Russia, said is a bit difficult to relate to.

"I quiz him on his words and I try to help him understand the meaning, but because English isn't my mother tongue I can't always hear the words like he does," she said. "He can hear sounds that I can't."

With the next competition fast approaching, Alexander said he's looking for the win.

"I want to go to the national competition; so I know I need to win state," he said.

And if he triumphs?

"I'll freak out because that means I have more studying to do and there will be more people coming to see me compete, but there will also be enjoyment because, well, I won it!"
It's been 22 years since FBI agents crept up to a cabin in secluded Montana woods and pulled out a thin man with graying blond hair, pages from a handwritten journal denouncing technology and a completed bomb ready to be mailed.

Neighbors called him "the hermit on the hill," but history would forever remember his real name: Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski, the Unabomber, whose 17-year rampage of mailed letter bombs killed three, wounded 23 and consumed the nation.

Kaczynski is locked away at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, but the memory of his attacks was dredged up after a string of packages exploded at homes in Austin this week, killing two people and seriously wounding two more. No one has been arrested in the Texas bombings, and investigators haven't identified a suspect, or a motive.

RELATED: Families of 2 Austin package bomb victims knew each other

But a parcel exploding in the face of an unsuspecting recipient was a regular, terrifying occurrence during the 17 years between the Unabomber's first package at the University of Chicago and the moment authorities announced his arrest.

Kaczynski was a child math prodigy who enrolled at Harvard in 1958 at age 16 and dropped out of society 11 years later, The Washington Post wrote after his arrest in 1996.

In between, he had studied math and physics, getting a doctorate in math from the University of Michigan in 1967 after writing his dissertation on a form of complex geometry known as boundary functions.

But he was also nursing an intense hatred of modern technology, which he claimed contributed to the growing alienation of people in society.

The Unabomber's targets were people on the cutting edge of technological advances: a geneticist at the University of California at San Francisco, a professor of engineering and computer science at University of California at Berkeley, computer stores in Sacramento and Salt Lake City, the cargo hold of an airplane.

The targets became the basis for the acronym authorities used to identify him: UNABOM (UNiversity and Airline BOMber).

But the acronym, like almost every other investigative technique the bureau employed for more than a decade, did little to help unmask the Unabomber. The investigation became the most expensive the agency has ever undertaken.

As The Washington Post's Paul Farhi wrote: A long FBI manhunt had produced little more than a few bomb fragments, a sketch of a shadowy character in a hoodie and a clutch of theories about his identity, motives and whereabouts.

The break in the case came after the Unabomber got his manifesto published.

In 1995, he wrote a letter to The Washington Post and the New York Times demanding that they print the 35,000-word manifesto. If they did, the letter said, he would stop sending exploding packages to people and "desist from terrorism." If they refused, he said, the killings would continue.

After meeting with law enforcement officials including Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh, The Post published the document and the Times split the cost. The Post did so in a special section, and said the move was "for public safety reasons," not journalistic ones.

It was a rambling essay that expounded on Kaczynski's motives and what he saw as the ills of modern society.

"[M]odern man," he wrote in the manifesto, "has the sense (largely justified) that change is IMPOSED upon him whereas the 19th century frontiersman had the sense (also largely justified) that he created change by himself.

" . . . Modern man is strapped down by a network of rules and regulations (explicit or implicit) that frustrate many of his impulses and thus interfere with the power process. Most of these regulations cannot be dispensed with, because they are necessary for the functioning of industrial society."

Among the people who read the essay was David Kaczynski, the Unabomber's younger brother. He recognized similarities between the Unabomber's words and letters his older brother had sent to various newspapers. The younger brother hired a lawyer and contacted authorities.

Investigators surveilled the cabin in Montana.

Ted Kaczynski built it in 1970 or 1971, shortly after he dropped off the grid. It had no electricity or plumbing. He relieved himself in a cut-out section of the floor. He chopped wood to heat the home with a potbelly stove and ate deer he caught himself.

After his arrest, he accepted a plea deal and has been in prison ever since, though he has not completely dropped out of the society he once eschewed.

He's published a book in which he says he's not insane. The government and the U.S. Marshals Service has made money auctioning off his land and his belongings, including the gray hooded sweatshirt that was the basis for an eyewitness sketch.

And although he was unable to attend a recent Harvard reunion, he contributed an update to the registry, according to the New York Times.

In it, he lists his occupation as "prisoner" and his home address as "No. 04475-046, US Penitentiary - Max, P.O. Box 8500, Florence, CO 8126-8500."

His old home, the cabin where he was captured, was set to be demolished shortly after he was captured.

It was instead purchased by the Newseum, in Washington, D.C., which put it on display - in a building just a few blocks from the FBI's headquarters.

Ted Kaczynski objected to the display, according to the New York Daily News. He had seen an article about Newseum's exhibit in The Washington Post and decided to mail a letter.
CARLINVILLE  Two residents have filed suit against the city of Carlinville and others over the formation of a joint company to promote development of a regional water concept.

The lawsuit filed by Wayne and Camille Brotz argues that a new private company called Illinois Alluvial Regional Water Co.  a joint partnership of Carlinville, the village of Dorchester and Jersey County Rural Water Co.  was illegally incorporated. According to their lawyer, Jacob Smallhorn of Mattoon, state law prescribes the manner in which local governments may start a private company. Smallhorn said he and his clients believe the city has deviated from that framework.

There are certain ways that a government entity can associate or do business with another government entity or private business, and they havent chosen any of those ways that are proscribed by the law, Smallhorn said. Theyve instead tried to use some implied power. Just because (the law) doesnt say you cant do it, that doesnt mean you can. It seems backwards in this circumstance, because the law does clearly state what you can do.

Smallhorn, however, said his clients saw a deeper issue of government transparency at stake.

I think thats almost always the underlying issue when you sue the government, he said. That theyre not being transparent about what theyre doing, and youre frustrated by that process, when you cant find out any information but your tax dollars are going to somewhere where you cant tell how the money is being spent.

Smallhorn added that he thought conducting government business through a private company was an intentional attempt to put public business behind closed doors.

Its pretty clear that it was done in such a way so that they could avoid explaining to the people what they were doing, he said. In my mind, its kind of a bizarre way to set up a business when you are dealing with government entities. Just think about the implications of that. The government setting up private companies so they dont have to explain what is going on. That seems problematic to me.

The lawsuit seeks to force Illinois Alluvial to return any money it has received from Carlinville or Dorchester to the municipalities, and asks the court to bar them from being able to coordinate on future business.

Mayor Deanna Demuzio said she was unable to comment on the matter because of pending litigation. She referred all questions to the citys attorney, who did not return a call.

The lawsuit is the latest issue surrounding the regional water concept, which aims to hook Macoupin County into a more reliable water supply from the Illinois River Valley in Jersey County. A large aquifer exists in Jersey County, running parallel with the Illinois River, that officials hope will prove a bountiful and inexpensive source of water.

One of the regional water concepts biggest backers, Fosterburg Water District, pulled out of the plan in November. Mark Voumard, director of the Fosterburg district, said he hoped participating in the plan would give the district independence from Illinois American Water, the districts water supplier, and allow it to obtain cheaper rates. Voumard, according to an email made public by the citizens group Edgar County Watchdogs, attributed the decision to withdraw to Madison County politics and possible legal issues the creation of the new company would create.

Illinois Alluvial created controversy in December after it declared the right to bar people from its meetings, which are held in Jerseyville, where the venture is co-headquartered with Jersey Rural. Illinois Alluvial specifically barred several Carlinville City Council members from attending  telling them they would be trespassing if they did  over concerns that they had discussed Carlinville business at an Illinois Alluvial meeting, possibly violating the states Open Meetings Act.

Alex Heeb can be reached at 618-208-6451 or on Twitter @alexheebs.
Democratic senators facing tough reelection fights distanced themselves Tuesday from Hillary Clinton after she said President Donald Trump's voters came from less productive parts of the country and were attracted by a backward-looking message.

"Those are kind of fighting words for me, because I'm partial to Missouri voters," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is running in a state Trump won by 19 points. "I think they were expressing their frustration with the status quo. I may not have agreed with their choice, but I certainly respect them. And I don't think that's the way you should talk about any voter, especially ones in my state."

Clinton made the comments Saturday at a conference in Mumbai in response to a question about how Trump won the 2016 election. She noted that the parts of the country she carried produced more economic activity than the "middle" of the country won by Trump.

"I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward," said Clinton. "And his whole campaign - 'Make America Great Again' - was looking backward. You know, you didn't like black people getting rights, you don't like women, you know, getting jobs, you don't want, you know, to see that Indian American succeeding more than you are. Whatever your problem is, I'm going to solve it."

At another point in the talk, Clinton, whose campaign slogan was "Stronger Together," said that the reasons married white women voted for Trump was due to "ongoing pressure to vote the way that your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should."

Republican strategists have pounced on the comments in an effort to remind voters in key states of Clinton's polarizing role in the cultural divide that helped lift the GOP to victory in 2016.

The Democratic path to regaining Senate control in 2018 depends on incumbents winning reelection this fall in 10 states where Trump beat Clinton. Democrats are also aiming to win open Republican seats in Tennessee and Arizona, two other states that voted for Trump, while also aiming to take out Republicans in several governors' races.

"Joe Donnelly, Claire McCaskill and Jon Tester, all of these red-state Dems campaigned for Hillary and did everything they could to elect her over Trump," said Katie Martin, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. "As she continues to give these paid speeches throughout the world, I mean, the campaign ads write themselves."

At the U.S. Capitol, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who is running in a state Trump won by nearly 9 points, also made clear that he was unhappy with the comments. "I don't really care what she said," he told a reporter for the HuffPost. "I just think that that's not helpful."

The Ohio Republican Party tweeted his quote later in the afternoon, falsely claiming that Clinton had called Ohioans "backward" and adding that Brown "says he doesn't care."

The Republican Governors Association also released statements that falsely claimed Clinton had called Wisconsin "backward," before noting that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dana Wachs had served as a delegate for Clinton at the 2016 Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

Several Democratic strategists dismissed the potential impact of Clinton's comments on the midterm races, noting that the senators now running for reelection in states like Indiana, Montana, Missouri and West Virginia easily overperformed President Obama's own vote count in the 2012 election.

"If Republicans think that Hillary Clinton's comments in India are going to help them win in November, they're more desperate than I thought," mused one senior Democratic Senate strategist. "I think this will have precisely zero effect."

Jesse Ferguson, a former Clinton campaign spokesman who is now working on the Democratic midterm effort, maintained that Clinton would be a net asset for Democrats in the fall.

"Hillary Clinton speaking will always trigger the right wing that hates her but she's also a constant reminder that the majority of the country didn't actually vote for the chaotic disaster we're seeing on our TV every night," he said.

Jim McLaughlin, a Republican pollster who has advised Trump and is working on the Missouri Senate race, said that the Clinton comments could help increase Republican enthusiasm, much like her comment during the campaign that some Trump supporters were "deplorables."

But the effect, he added, would likely be limited. "It was different last time," he said. "She was on the ballot."

Like President Trump, Clinton has lost popularity since the 2016 election in national polls.

In early December, Gallup found 36 percent of Americans viewed her favorably, the same percentage that approved of Trump's presidential performance. The result marked a record low for Clinton in the Gallup poll, which has tracked her favorability since 1993. Just 5 percent of Republicans and 27 percent of independents had a favorable view of her.

Several studies of the 2016 election have found that Trump overperformed Clinton in economically struggling parts of the nation, a likely motivator for voters seeking change in the party control of the White House. Parts of the country that shifted their support from Obama in 2012 to Trump in 2016 were also more likely to be negatively affected by globalization.

In Missouri, a super PAC focused on defeating McCaskill released a digital ad in January that repeatedly transformed Clinton's face into McCaskill's. "Hillary Clinton, Claire McCaskill, two of a kind, two liberal for Missouri," the ad said.

At the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, McCaskill made clear that she was unhappy to be answering questions about Clinton's comments. "Oh, come on," she told the reporter who asked the question. "You're killing me here."

- - -

The Washington Post's Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.
"Raise your hands high if you agree with me that [Palestinian] President [Mahmoud] Abbas should stop paying terrorists to murder Jews. You know how much he pays? He pays about $350 million a year to terrorists and their families. Each year. That's about a little less than 10 percent of the total Palestinian budget. That's an incredible number, he pays Hakim Awad, the terrorist who murdered this beautiful family of Ehud and Ruth Fogel and their three children and a 3-month-old baby girl, he pays Hakim Awad this murderer. Over the lifetime of this killer he will be receiving $2 million. I have a message for President Abbas. Stop paying terrorists! Because what message does this send to Palestinian children? It says murder Jews and get rich!"- Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, March 6, 2018

---

For several weeks, The Fact Checker has examined Israeli claims that the Palestinian Authority pays "$350 million a year to terrorists and their families," as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it in a recent speech in Washington. The Israeli estimate has helped fuel a push in Congress to pass a bill, known as the Taylor Force Act, that would end U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority unless the practice is ended. Force was a U.S. military veteran killed in 2016 in a stabbing attack that also injured 10 others in the city of Jaffa, near Tel Aviv.

The State Department, by law, already deducts from its Palestinian aid budget a figure that represents the amount of money the Palestinian Authority pays to people convicted of terrorism. The exact number is classified in part because of how the data used to estimate the figure was collected and in part because U.S. officials have little confidence in the estimates. But the amount of money withheld by the State Department is significantly smaller than the figures used by Israel, perhaps more than two-thirds smaller.

In fact, the Israeli government does not even have its own official estimate. The government instead relies on research done by Yossi Kuperwasser, a former director-general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry (appointed by Netanyahu) who now works as a scholar at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. We've reviewed the documents used by Kuperwasser, examined others that emerged in a lawsuit against the Palestine Liberation Organization and also studied pages of documentation provided by the PLO.

Upon close examination, one can understand why the secret State Department figure is not as high as the Israeli claim. But an exact figure is elusive.

The Facts

A big problem is definitional. Netanyahu refers to "terrorists and their families." In the Palestinian Authority's budget, one can find $350 million in annual payments to Palestinian prisoners, "martyrs" and injured, but can one with certainty say they are all terrorists?

An Israeli prison pamphlet from 2007 says that 70 percent of Palestinian security prisoners were "sentenced for offenses that involve blood on their hands," meaning they killed Israelis.

But Palestinian officials say clear-cut cases of murder are an even smaller proportion because most of the arrests take place in the West Bank, not Israel, and most Palestinians suspected of killing Israelis are killed on sight. (The Palestinian who stabbed Force was allegedly shot and killed by a police volunteer even though a video indicates he was wounded and no longer posed a danger.) Palestinians say the payments are intended to balance an unfair system imposed by an occupying power. The payments include $10 million a year in allowances to Palestinians to buy food, clothing and other items in the prison shop ("canteen") that pays royalties to the Israeli prison system.

Yet at the same time, Palestinians acknowledge making payments to the families of suicide bombers and people convicted of heinous attacks. Hakim Awad - the then-18-year-old militant mentioned by Netanyahu who murdered five family members in a West Bank settlement - receives about $14,000 a year. But because payments increase with the length of incarceration, Awad would be paid more than $1.9 million if he lived to 80, the male life expectancy in Israel.

The World Bank said in a 2007 report that the martyrs fund did "not seem justified from a welfare or fiscal perspective," that the prisoners fund was "the most generous PA program" and that the combined programs benefited a relatively small number of families. At the time, the payments amounted to 1.3 percent of gross domestic product of the West Bank and Gaza, but they have grown to 2.5 percent of GDP while providing benefits to just 1 to 2 percent of the population.

The Fact Checker also discovered that about 700 Palestinian members of the security forces in Israeli prisons are paid under a separate system - continued salaries, with regular promotions - that is buried in the Palestinian Authority security budget. (If the salary lags behind the prison payment, prisoners receive the balance from the prison fund, the PLO says.) That is at least another $10 million a year in payments to prisoners that eluded researchers such as Kuperwasser.

There is no standard definition for terrorism in the U.S. government, a problem State Department officials encountered when they sought to penalize the PA. Indeed, Palestinians may be jailed by Israel as security threats for acts that some - or many - Americans might consider civil disobedience.

As the cliche goes, one man's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. Menachem Begin was head of a Jewish militant group, the Irgun, that was responsible for the 1946 bombing of Jerusalem's King David Hotel that killed 91 people. The British, who controlled the Palestine mandate at the time, to this day call it a terrorist attack; the Irgun viewed the hotel, the local headquarters of the British army, as a military target. Begin later won the Nobel Peace Prize when he was Israeli prime minister. Just a decade ago, an Israeli plaque marking the "resistance" to British rule sparked a diplomatic row.

From the Palestinian perspective, many of the people held by Israel are "prisoners of war." The payments, in fact, date to the early 1960s, when the PLO was founded as a revolutionary movement to reclaim what is now the state of Israel. Prisoner releases were a key part of many of the early agreements reached between the two sides after the PLO and Israel signed the Oslo accords in 1993.

As of March 2018, Israeli prisons held 6,050 security inmates, virtually all Palestinians, according to the human rights group Hamoked: 3,612 sentenced prisoners, 2,011 awaiting trial and 427 "administrative detainees." Administrative detainees can be held without charge for up to six months for security reasons, which can be renewed indefinitely; they may not even be told of the evidence against them. One detainee, Mazen Natshed, has spent 12 years in administrative detention since 1994.

Palestinians suspected of security violations, even juveniles, are prosecuted by military courts run by Israel in its role as an occupying power. "Israeli civil law provides safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention, but key safeguards do not apply to Palestinian security detainees," the State Department said in its most recent human rights report. "Israeli military law subjects Palestinian security detainees to its jurisdiction, which permits eight days' detention prior to appearing before a military court. There is no requirement that a detainee have access to a lawyer until after interrogation, a process that may last weeks."

Moreover, "Israeli law defines security offenses to include any offense committed under circumstances that might raise a suspicion of harm to Israel's security and which the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] believes may link to terrorist activity," the State Department says.

Palestinians say the system is subject to abuses.

"A usual case is one of a Palestinian found in possession of a knife being charged with attempted murder without any real evidence to indicate that he or she actually used or intended to use the weapon to kill," said Sahar Francis, director of Addammer, an organization that assists Palestinian prisoners. "In the case of children, stone-throwing is the most common act defined as a crime against the security of the State of Israel. Children can be sentenced to months in prison for throwing stones."

Sorting out competing claims is almost impossible. A famous case involves the "Hares boys," five Palestinian teenagers accused in 2013 of throwing stones at a vehicle driven by a resident of an Israeli settlement on the West Bank. She lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a truck, severely injuring her 3-year-old toddler, who later died. Israeli troops in the middle of the night rounded up five teenagers, who signed confessions and were sentenced to 15 years. Palestinians say that the teenagers were tortured and that there are no eyewitnesses, but in Israel, the case led to higher sentences for stone-throwing.

Defense for Children International - Palestine, a nongovernmental institution, says Israeli prison data shows that an average of 200 Palestinian children a month are in custody, with three-quarters of those interviewed saying they endured physical violence. As of Dec. 31, 352 children were in Israeli military detention, according to Military Court Watch, which is cited by the State Department. The group said 94 percent of Palestinian children arrested by the IDF during the year were hand-tied, 78 percent blindfolded, 65 percent subjected to physical abuse, and 81 percent denied access to a lawyer before questioning.

The Palestinians thus say the prison payments are an effort to rebalance a deeply unfair system under occupation, with the military court considered a conveyor belt for convictions. The State Department, in its human rights report, noted that Israeli forces in 2016 killed 91 Palestinians, "some of whom were attempting or allegedly attempting to attack Israelis." But violence by settlers against Palestinians "rarely led to indictments." Since 2000, Israel has also made it more difficult for Palestinians to pursue lawsuits and receive compensation from Israel for injuries or death.

Meanwhile, the PLO says martyr payments go not only to people who were killed or injured by Israeli forces but also to victims of other events, such as a fiery 2012 bus accident that killed seven children and a teacher. Under a new payment system, families of martyrs receive a minimum of $350 a month, with smaller payments for people who are injured.

Yet even if one accepts Palestinian complaints about due process, there is little doubt that the system allows people to be rewarded for what many Americans would call terrorism; Human Rights Watch labeled the suicide bombings as "war crimes." Israeli government officials point to interrogations that they say show the payments are considered an inducement. "The important thing is that I will die and they will kill me, so that my children will receive a [PA] allowance and live happily," one would-be terrorist reportedly said.

Ali Ja'ara worked for the police department for six years and came from a family long involved in Palestinian militias. Documents obtained in a lawsuit against the PLO show that he was promoted and continued to receive a salary after he blew himself up in a 2004 suicide attack that killed 11 people and wounded dozens. Payments continue to the family of the suicide bomber who killed 15 people, including four Americans, at a Sbarro cafe in Jerusalem in 2002, and to the bomb maker, other documents show.

A fascinating 2010 dissertation by Palestinian professor Bassam Banat, done in cooperation with the PLO, counted 200 suicide bombers during the second intifada between Sept. 28, 2000, and Jan. 30, 2009, resulting in 1,676 Israeli deaths. It included interviews with many families, which found a majority (71.5 percent) of the families of Palestinian suicide bombers support "martyrdom operations against the Israeli occupation."

Here are the numbers on the payments, according to data received from the PLO and PA budget documents. (We did not include administrative expenses.)

About 13,000 Palestinian men and women are beneficiaries of the prisoner payments, which totaled about $160 million in 2017, or an average $12,307 per person. (The PA funds also include after-prison aid, such as unemployment assistance and educational scholarships.)

About 33,700 families (19,700 in the Palestinian territories) shared in about $183 million in martyr payments, or $5,430 per family. (Note: Payments for families in the Palestinian diaspora are about double the level for families inside.)

The State Department, in determining the reduction in Palestinian aid, considers whether a detainee was convicted of a terrorist act that killed people.

One can broadly assume that anyone serving a life sentence - currently 526 prisoners, according to Addameer - was convicted of terrorism. Separately, 480 are serving sentences above 20 years. Even if one assumes that all are receiving payments at the 25-year imprisonment rate, that adds up to $36 million. Add the extra $10 million going to former members of the security forces, not in the prison budget, and it's about $50 million.

It's even harder to untangle the martyr payments, given that it covers such a range of possibilities beyond suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism. The families of the 200 suicide bombers share in about $1 million; the families of the Palestinians with life terms, lengthy sentences and in the security forces would receive another $10 million.

One can certainly come up with other metrics and definitions to adjust these figures upward, to above $100 million or higher. But it is hard to use a broad brush and claim all $350 million goes to reward terrorism. Thousands of families receive "martyr" payments related to injuries.

Itai Bar-Dov, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said the government considers all payments to prisoners to be for acts of terrorism. "The PA only pays those who have been convicted in an Israeli court for causing or attempting to cause harm against Israelis," he said. He acknowledged, however, that the martyr payments are more complex. "There are also payments to families of Palestinians who were killed (shuhada)," he said. "In this case, we don't deem everyone to be terrorists, and that of course depends on the circumstances of their death."

The Pinocchio Test

Both the Israel government and the Palestinian Authority have data that could clear up these numbers. But it appears to be in the interest of both sides to keep the picture fuzzy.

Israel prefers to use broad numbers, labeling every Palestinian in custody as a terrorist, to avoid a spotlight on its detention practices. The Palestinians do not want to single out clear-cut cases of terrorism, no matter how horrific, when even their loved ones celebrate such acts as necessary resistance to occupation.

In any case, Nethayahu goes too far to claim that all of the payments are related to terrorism. He would do better to stick to specifics, such as the horrific attack by Hakim Awad, or to reduce the size of the claimed payments to more clearly reflect the reality of how and why they are doled out. That might put pressure on the Palestinians to identify clear-cut cases of terrorism.

Two Pinocchios

(About our rating scale)

Send us facts to check by filling out this form

Keep tabs on Trump's promises with our Trump Promise Tracker

Sign up for The Fact Checker weekly newsletter
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was asleep in his Nairobi hotel room early Saturday morning fighting a stomach bug when White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called to wake him around 2 a.m. to relay a terse message from President Donald Trump: The boss was not happy.

The president was so eager to fire Tillerson that he wanted to do so in a tweet on Friday, but Kelly persuaded Trump to wait until his secretary of state was back in the United States from Africa, two people familiar with the conversation said. It was Tillerson's first trip there since Trump disparaged parts of the continent as "shithole countries."

But Kelly had also warned Tillerson to possibly expect a pejorative tweet from Trump over the weekend, a State Department official said. Tillerson failed to fully understand that the chief of staff was gently signaling to him that he was about to be fired.

And so, just over four hours after Tillerson's government plane touched down at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday morning, the secretary of state learned of his dismissal from a tweet Trump issued just minutes after The Washington Post first reported the news.

"Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!" Trump tweeted, in a message that began with congratulations for CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Trump's pick to become secretary of state. The president also nominated Gina Haspel to lead the CIA, making her the first woman to run the spy agency, if confirmed. Both she and Pompeo are subject to Senate confirmation.

More than three hours after his tweet, Trump finally called Tillerson from Air Force One. For Tillerson, it was a humiliating end to 14-month relationship defined by mutual animosity and frustration. In his departure statement Tuesday afternoon, Tillerson thanked career diplomats for their "honesty and integrity" and the American people for "acts of kindness" - but pointedly did not thank Trump or praise his leadership.

Tillerson's firing was long-anticipated, yet the way it played out stunned official Washington and was classic Trump. The man who made his name by declaring "You're fired!" on reality television is loath to actually fire people in person, outsourcing Tillerson's dismissal to Twitter.

Officials at the White House and the State Department, who have been at loggerheads since the beginning of the administration, offered conflicting accounts of just how the departure occurred. And the chaotic aftermath led to collateral damage - this time in the form of Steve Goldstein, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, who was swiftly fired for contradicting the White House's version of events.

But Tillerson perhaps should not have been surprised by his ouster, which has been so long in the making that recurring rumors of his demise took on a nickname: Rexit.

"Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time," Trump told reporters Tuesday morning. "I actually got along well with Rex, but really it was a different mind-set, a different thinking."

Trump and Tillerson have disagreed over strategy in key areas of foreign policy, such as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the approach to North Korea and the overall tone of U.S. diplomacy. The president was disdainful of his secretary of state for being "too establishment" in his thinking and for disagreeing with him in meetings.

In a sign of the tension, Trump made one of his biggest foreign-policy gambles without so much as consulting his secretary of state. The president decided Thursday to accept North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's invitation for a face-to-face meeting, but Tillerson was traveling in Africa and was frustrated to have been excluded from the internal deliberations, administration officials said.

Tillerson had long expressed interest in a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff with North Korea, but Trump until recently had largely dismissed such talks as a waste of time and opted instead for a campaign of "maximum pressure" that included bellicose rhetoric from the president.

In the fall, Trump publicly undermined Tillerson after the secretary said he was reaching out to Pyongyang to try to open a diplomatic channel. In a pair of tweets, Trump wrote that Tillerson was "wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man . . . Save your energy Rex."

Yet last week, when Trump shifted strategy to meet with Kim, Tillerson was left out of the loop. If that angered Tillerson, it pleased Trump, who boasted to advisers that he enjoyed the process more without Tillerson involved, officials said.

Tillerson initially was regarded by some as too cozy to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he knew from his days as an oil executive, but over time he developed a more hard-line posture toward Moscow than Trump.

On Monday, flying home from Nigeria, Tillerson appeared to break with the White House in his assessment of the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain. He singled out Russia as responsible for the attack, echoing the finger-pointing of the British government - something White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to say earlier that day.

And the deposed Tillerson made a clear statement about Russian aggression in his departure remarks Tuesday. "Much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government," he said.

Trump for months has stewed over what he perceived as Tillerson's arrogance and condescension - a grievance exacerbated by an NBC News report, which Tillerson did not directly deny, that he had referred to Trump as a "moron" following a strategy meeting at the Pentagon.

"They fought all the time," said one Trump adviser, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe the relationship.

By contrast, Trump has enjoyed a far warmer relationship with Pompeo, who got to know the president by personally delivering his intelligence briefings. The two men have chemistry, though critics of Pompeo say he is too supplicating toward Trump.

The president had seriously entertained the idea of firing Tillerson numerous times over the past year - including in November, when the White House readied a plan to replace him with Pompeo. But Trump ultimately held off on removing his top diplomat in part, according to one adviser, because he wanted to defy the news reports saying that he planned to do so. "FAKE NEWS!" Trump tweeted regarding those reports.

The president revived speculation in recent days about firing Tillerson, and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., began telling friends Friday that he expected his father to oust the secretary after the weekend, according to someone familiar with the conversations.

Trump initially was drawn to Tillerson because of his stature as chief executive of ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest companies, and his work as a global dealmaker. He told friends that the broad-shouldered, silver-haired Tillerson could be a diplomat out of central casting.

Yet Trump quickly soured on Tillerson and made no secret of his dislike. He mocked his mannerisms and Texas drawl, saying his secretary of state talked too slowly. In conversations with advisers and friends, the president would often list others he said would do a better job than Tillerson, whom he frequently labeled "weak."

One source of weakness, the president felt, was Tillerson's media profile. Trump told one adviser he was "amazed" at how much negative press Tillerson received. "This guy never gets a good story about him," Trump said, according to this adviser.

Tillerson isolated himself from the thousands of career diplomats working for the State Department; maintained a distant and at times frosty relationship with his press corps for most of his tenure; and struggled to gain stature on the world stage, as many diplomats and foreign leaders correctly concluded that the secretary did not speak for the president.

Inside the White House, Tillerson had few allies. He was routinely undermined by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser who took charge of the Middle East and Mexico diplomatic portfolios. Tillerson resented appearing subservient to the 37-year-old, who had no foreign-policy experience. He sometimes took days to return Kushner's phone calls and griped that he felt the White House was keeping the State Department out of the loop.

Tillerson also clashed frequently with national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who he thought did not always follow protocol, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, whom he viewed as an internal rival, according to administration officials.

State Department officials took notice - and were chagrined - that Pompeo did not cite Tillerson when he appeared on television shows Sunday to explain the North Korea developments.

Tillerson frequently complained to colleagues that Trump was too mercurial and impulsive, and voiced frustration that the president struggled to focus during meandering conversation. But he was determined to stay in his job. Tillerson's stance, according to one official who has discussed these concerns with him, was: "If he wants me gone, he'll fire me."

Tillerson also was put off by Trump's vulgarity. An Eagle Scout and former national president of the Boy Scouts of America, Tillerson told confidants he was appalled by Trump's freewheeling political speech at the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia over the summer.

White House staffers, meanwhile, were particularly unhappy with Margaret Peterlin, Tillerson's chief of staff, who kept tight control of the secretary's schedule and sparred with other administration officials. Peterlin, along with her deputy, resigned Tuesday, a State Department official said.

The gulf between the White House and Foggy Bottom was apparent Tuesday morning, as officials in both buildings offered conflicting accounts of Tillerson's removal.

White House officials said that Kelly's call to Tillerson last week was a clear message that Trump believed it was time for the secretary to leave his post, and suggested he return to Washington as soon as possible.

Tillerson cut his trip short by a day, departing Monday. But Goldstein said Tuesday morning that the secretary had intended to stay on the job for some time to come and was "unaware of the reason" for his firing. He added that Kelly told Tillerson only that "he could expect a tweet" from the president but that the chief of staff did not convey that the decision to fire him was final.

"He found out that he was terminated today," Goldstein said.

Goldstein was soon fired himself - just before he was scheduled to brief reporters about the shake-up at Foggy Bottom - for having publicly contradicted the White House account.

West Wing officials had accused him in recent weeks of privately criticizing White House decisions to reporters. Asked Tuesday about the accusation, Goldstein said: "I spoke for the secretary of state. That was part of my role as the undersecretary."

On Monday night, as news of Tillerson's likely departure began to leak, State Department officials dismissed the chatter as simply not true. But the secretary may have had at least a subconscious inkling that all was not well back in Washington.

"I felt like, look, I just need to get back," Tillerson told reporters aboard his flight home. "I just felt like I need to get back."

- - -

The Washington Post's Robert Costa, Anne Gearan, John Hudson and Greg Jaffe contributed to this report.
As spring approaches, many rural property owners continue to have concerns over having an adequate water supply in their ponds.

Depending on the size of some area ponds, water levels have been reported to be anywhere from 2 feet to 10 feet below normal levels, said Aaron Dufelmeier, director of the University of Illinois Extension Office that serves Calhoun, Cass, Greene, Morgan and Scott counties. I have heard reports that some small and shallow ponds have completely dried up, killing fish and leaving property owners with some management decisions.

Ponds are an important part of the rural landscape and serve multiple purposes, according to Dufelmeier.

Those uses include providing a water source for livestock and a place to fish, as well as other recreational purposes.

Water levels in area ponds are the lowest I can ever remember, Dufelmeier said. Although its obvious that many farm ponds water levels are low, they may be even shallower than you think due to siltation over time.

He said if a pond is more than 10 years old, theres a good chance that its original depth has been reduced because of erosion.

This can lead to a couple of different problems associated with shallow depth, according to Dufelmeier. One of these issues is the quantity of water and another is its quality, if the pond is used for watering livestock.

The quality of water is compromised when the water becomes stagnant, Dufelmeier said. When you dont have fresh water flowing into a pond, you may not have enough oxygen to sustain life in the pond, and depending on the time of year, water temperature and taste are affected.

Another problem associated with shallow ponds is fish survival.

Dufelmeier said many west-central Illinois ponds are stocked with fish, such as bluegill, crappie, bass and catfish.

Given the circumstances of shallow water, some pond owners could have suffered a fish kill in their ponds this winter, he said. Its something they wont know until later this spring because they may have gone unnoticed due to frozen ponds.

Obviously, rain is key to solving these pond problems.

We need substantial rainfall this spring to replenish ground moisture, which will lead to field tile beginning to run, thus increasing the ponds water level, Dufelmeier said.

Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg.
The 19-year-old charged with carrying out the massacre in a Parkland, Florida, high school appeared in court Wednesday, one month after the shooting rampage killed 17 people and injured as many.

The arraignment occurred against the backdrop of widespread student rallies against gun violence nationwide, and it came a day after prosecutors said they would seek a death sentence for Nikolas Cruz, who police say returned to his former school on Feb. 14 and fired round after round at students and faculty alike.

Cruz has made brief court appearances since the massacre, but his arraignment Wednesday came as the case has shifted in recent days, with a grand jury handing down a 34-count indictment last week and prosecutors announcing their decision on the death penalty this week.

The fallout from the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School continued to reverberate across the country, with students at thousands of schools walking out of class Wednesday morning to mark one month since the shooting. Most of the walkouts were scheduled to last for 17 minutes in a symbolic tribute to the 17 people killed at Stoneman Douglas.

The shooting rampage has also prompted several investigations into how officials handled warnings about Cruz beforehand and how they reacted to the shooting itself. Local, state and federal authorities are looking into how the FBI and the Broward County Sheriff's Office responded to repeated warnings about Cruz's potential for carrying out a school shooting; whether multiple sheriff's deputies responding to the shooting remained outside the school, as officers from a nearby city have alleged; and the precise nature of all the interactions Cruz had with authorities.

Cruz was brought into the hearing Wednesday afternoon by a phalanx of officers who stood around him while he stared down at his shackled hands. During the arraignment, some of the people gathered in the courtroom wore shirts and pins honoring the victims of the massacre. After the hearing ended and Cruz was led out, one of the people watching the hearing could be seen crying into a tissue and shaking her head.

The arraignment followed on the heels of Cruz's attorneys - who have acknowledged his guilt - withdrawing a not-guilty plea in court and instead saying their client intends to "stand mute" in response to the charges. Last week, Cruz made a brief court appearance, during which he did not speak and instead stared down at his hands while a judge again denied him bond.

In court on Wednesday, Cruz's attorneys offered again to have him plead guilty in exchange for 34 consecutive life sentences without parole, repeating something they have said since the days after the shooting.

Howard Finkelstein, the Broward County public defender, has told The Washington Post that they did not want to have Cruz plead not guilty because it "just seemed wrong in this case." But they also did not want to submit a guilty plea while the death penalty remained a possibility, he said. Finkelstein has said it would be wrong to execute Cruz when officials missed so many red flags leading up to the shooting, which "should never have happened."

Prosecutors initially declined to say whether they would accept Finkelstein's offer, though Michael J. Satz, the state attorney for Broward County, gave a considerable hint days after the massacre by saying it was "the type of case the death penalty was designed for."

On Tuesday, Satz's office announced its decision to seek a death sentence and cited what it said were several aggravating factors, including that the killings were carried out "in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner." Finkelstein said his team still remains ready to have Cruz plead guilty on all counts in exchange for life sentences.

Cruz has been largely isolated since the shooting, according to jail records made public by the Broward County sheriff's office last week. He has been kept away from other inmates for his own safety, the records said, and most of his interactions with other people have been with visiting attorneys or the jail staff members monitoring him.
Tens of thousands of students across the country walked out of their classrooms Wednesday and onto athletic fields and city streets as part of a massive national protest on gun violence spurred by a Florida high school shooting a month ago that left 17 dead.

The walkouts, which came 10 days before a march on Washington that could draw hundreds of thousands of students to the nation's capital, are unprecedented in recent American history, not seen in size or scope since student protests of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s.

Supporters say the walkouts and demonstrations represent a realization of power and influence by young people raised on social media who have come of age in an era of never-ending wars, highly publicized mass shootings and virulent national politics.

The protests unfolded in major cities across the country - New York, Washington, Chicago, Seattle - and hundreds of smaller towns and communities as well.

In Maryland, students held pictures of the victims. At Columbine High in Colorado, the site 19 years ago of one of the first mass school shootings, students filed solemnly onto a soccer field and sent aloft balloons in memory of the victims there and in Florida. And at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, where 14 students and three staff members were killed Feb. 14, students who were supposed to gather on the football field for 17 minutes and then go back to their classrooms, started walking - and kept walking to a park.

Students involved in the protests have been outspoken about their frustration with adults and political leaders who they believe have made them less safe by not doing more to curb gun violence or address school safety and mental health issues.

Many of the participants said the focus on gun control was not an expression of party preference. What they are demanding from Republicans and Democrats alike is action on an issue they believe has been put aside by lawmakers for too long. In an election year, with every seat in the House and a third of the Senate up for votes, the students are determined to make an impact.

"We want our Congress to know that some of us will be old enough to vote in the midterm elections, and the rest of us are going to be able to vote in 2020 or 2022, and they're going to lose their job if they don't do what we want to keep us safe," said Fatima Younis, a student organizer with Women's March Youth Empower, one of the lead coordinators of Wednesday's walkouts. The group is demanding that lawmakers increase the age for people to purchase weapons, ban military-style weapons and demilitarize police forces.

Most of the student protests were approved by, and often coordinated with, school administrators. But there were reports of some schools where students were not allowed to hold protests or were penalized if they did.

In Washington, politicians and administration officials heard Wednesday's message up close. Hundreds of high school and middle school students from local districts gathered at the White House carrying signs protesting gun violence and those who oppose gun-control measures. Just before 10 a.m. the crowd fell silent and sat down on Pennsylvania Avenue, their backs to the White House, with fists and signs held high. They sat quietly, one minute for each of the Stoneman Douglas victims. As the silence was broken at 10:17, the crowd began chanting, "We want change!"

In the District of Columbia, students pushed through the doors at Stuart- Hobson Middle School, past the stone columns into the streets, singing, "The power of one," hoodies pulled up to ward off the cold. They held aloft homemade signs with slogans such as "My safety. Your safety," as police motorcycles stopped traffic to let them cross busy streets.

"Hey hey, ho ho! Gun violence has got to go!" they chanted as they walked quickly to the Capitol grounds. People stepped out of nearby buildings and clapped and cheered as they walked past.

At the Capitol, many protesting students heard from lawmakers at an impromptu rally.

"I look at the crowd and I see the future, and I see you, and I came here to say thank you," Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said before leading the crowd in a "Si, se puede" chant, the Spanish phrase for "Yes, we can." "Because I know you will accomplish what I and others have failed to do."

At demonstrations across the country, in blue states and red states, the outpouring by students was an expression of grief and solidarity with schools and families that have experienced shooting deaths as well as a fierce warning to politicians to act.

At Columbine High, where shooters killed 12 students and one teacher in 1999, Myriah Murren, 14, told her mother "I love you" as she was dropped off before sunrise Wednesday. The freshman said she planned to walk out of class later in the morning to send a message to students who survived the shooting in Florida that she and her classmates "care for them."

"A lot of people will join in," she said, adding that going to a school that was the site of one of the earliest mass school shootings makes her and her classmates more aware of the issue.

At Minnetonka High School southwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul, students walked out of classes on a cold late-winter morning saying they want politicians to take up their cause, even if they have to show them the way.

"We're tired of sitting around and listening to politicians tell us what they are going to do without ever actually doing anything. And we're also just kind of tired of adults not making it happen - adults saying what they are going to do and then just entirely blowing us off," said Dominic Barry, 16, a sophomore at the school. "We're the next generation for all these issues, and we want people to know that we're not going to sit around and let other people not take action on these issues."

Students at Eastern High in Northeast Washington walked out of school into frigid temperatures. They poured onto the field carrying signs honoring the victims of Parkland, Florida, and surrounded their school's track. While the school choir sang "Lean on Me" over the loudspeakers, students released 17 balloons for each of the 17 Parkland victims. Two students said each of their names aloud, then recognized the District residents who lose their lives to gun violence each year.

Betty Luther, 16, said she knew something needed to change long before Parkland. The District resident has lost family members and friends still in their teens to gun violence. But this is the first time she has protested, the first time she has locked arms with her classmates to show adults that they are demanding an end to the violence that has been so pervasive in her life.

"All I could think about is that it just has to stop," said Luther, who was one of 17 students to hold an orange balloon during the walkout.

The national walkouts faced a small number of counterprotests. Ethan Schmerer and Porter Kindall, students at Nampa High School in Nampa, Idaho, said the walkout promotes gun control, a stance they oppose. While hundreds of Nampa student took part in Wednesday's protest, about 50 joined the counterprotest, the Idaho Press-Tribune reported.

At the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, a city still recovering from a violent white supremacist rally last summer, about 2,000 students gathered on the Lawn, many wiping away tears as the names of the Florida victims were read aloud. The university's chapel bells tolled 17 times as students bowed their heads in silence.

Maddie Salunga and two of her friends at the District's Stuart-Hobson Middle School had been organizing for a month, selling homemade pins after school to raise money for Sandy Hook Promise, which aims to mobilize parents and schools to fight for stricter gun laws and to introduce gun-violence-prevention programs. They made signs and wrote speeches, too.

When they got close enough to see the dome of the Capitol, the whole group dashed toward it, as though playing tag, laughing.

But when they stopped near the steps of the Capitol and passed around a megaphone, the group grew quiet, listening. Some students were angry that adults were unwilling or unable to prevent tragedies. They talked about dead bodies and students hiding under desks and parents whose children never came home.

Many said they were scared.

One girl burst into tears as she told the group she is afraid every day at school. "That is not OK," she sobbed, as other students nodded. "That is not OK."

Samara Winston, 12, couldn't understand why her generation is growing up with so much worry. "Kids just want to be happy. We just want to play."

But here they were, talking about blood and guns.

A man stopped at the edge of the crowd to listen. He told them he had graduated from Stoneman Douglas.

He told them about driving to a funeral last month and passing three others along the way.

"My generation did nothing," Larry Vignola said. "I'm really proud of your generation."

- - -

Nick Anderson in Bethesda, Maryland; Moriah Balingit in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Donna Bryson in Columbine, Colorado; Danielle Douglas-Gabriel in Hartford, Connecticut; Jared Goyette in Minnetonka, Minnesota; Antonio Olivo in Fairfax, Virginia; Lori Rozsa in Parkland, Florida; Hawes Spencer in Charlottesville, Virginia; Perry Stein in Washington, D.C.; and Evan Wyloge in Cave Creek, Arizona, contributed to this report.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus A.Dapkiunas meets the Executive Director of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime

14-03-2018

On March 13, 2018 during visit to Vienna, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Andrei Dapkiunas, met with the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Executive Director of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Director-General of the UN Office at Vienna, Yuri Fedotov.

The parties discussed interaction between Belarus and UNODC in the sphere of countering the world drug problem, touched on the problem of combating human trafficking, including in the context of the implementation of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly resolution Improving the coordination of efforts against trafficking in persons initiated by Belarus. A.Dapkiunas and Y.Fedotov considered the possibilities to intensify the work of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group against Trafficking in Persons.

A.Dapkiunas noted the importance of expansion of practical cooperation between Belarus and UNODC, including in the context of implementation in our country of activities of the global program to prevent and combat trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, as well as within the regional program of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime for Eastern Europe in the field of combating crime and drug trafficking.

The issue of the preparation of the conference Preventing and Combating Terrorism in the Digital Age which is to be held in October 2018 in Minsk was also touched upon. The issues of UODCs participation in the preparation and holding of this event were discussed.

   

print version
Carpe Diem Westwood, a single-campus charter district that has struggled to meet state academic standards since it opened in San Antonio three years ago, will shut down at the end of the school year.

The school announced the closure in a letter to parents on March 2, explaining that Carpe Diems board of directors had voted to end school operations at the conclusion of the school year on June 1. The letter cited low enrollment as the reason for the closure.

RELATED: SAPD: Teen possibly shot by father ID'd

We are incredibly proud of our students and staff for their hard work and educational achievements. We believe personalized learning is a tremendous option for many students, and school choice gives students and families a voice in their education, said the letter, signed by school administrators James Bailey, Rick Ogston and Valerie Robertson. Unfortunately, our enrollment numbers are not high enough to support continued operation beyond this school year.

Carpe Diem had failed to meet state academic standards in its first two years of operation and was in the midst of a turnaround plan at the beginning of the 2017-18 academic year. The school had one more chance to pass Texas accountability ratings before the Texas Education Agency could move to revoke its charter under the three strikes rule.

Carpe Diem was part of the initial cohort of schools recruited by Choose to Succeed, a school choice campaign that sought to attract high-performing charter districts to San Antonio. While the other Choose to Succeed districts  KIPP San Antonio, BASIS, Great Hearts Academies, IDEA Public Schools and Rocketship Education  built campuses across the city, Carpe Diem floundered. Its enrollment hovered between 200 and 250 students at its single campus on the West Side.

RELATED: S.A. meteorologist shares personal struggle

Ogston, who founded Carpe Diems blended learning model in Arizona, had taken over school operations over the summer after he said his model was improperly implemented at the campus. The model relies on a combination of technology, data and personalized instruction, along with social and emotional learning.

He did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

LEEP Dual Language Academies, a new dual-language only charter school opening in San Antonio this fall, will take over Carpe Diems lease at 8038 West Military Drive. LEEP classes will start Aug. 13.
Ambassador of Lithuania summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus

14-03-2018

On March 14, 2018 following the publications in mass media on the incident with radioactive materials that took place in the end of December 2017 during activities on decommissioning of the Ignalina NPP, the Ambassador of Lithuania to Belarus was summoned to the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

The diplomatic note expressing concern of Belarus that it was not promptly notified about the incident at the site of the Ignalina NPP was handed to the Ambassador.

Principles of transparency and responsibility for ensuring nuclear safety should be equally applied to any nuclear activity, including decommissioning of the Ignalina NPP.

MFA of Belarus called upon Lithuania to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident and inform Belarus of its results.

Taking into account direct proximity of Ignalina NPP to its border, Belarus counts on the prompt provision by Lithuanian side of information about all incidents at nuclear facilities or involving nuclear materials that could potentially cause radiation releases.

This information was also provided to the Head of the EU Delegation to Belarus, A.Wiktorin, and forwarded to the European bodies via the Mission of Belarus in Brussels.

   

print version
An amputee with a high-tech prosthetic arm is showing off what everyday problems in the future might look like.

Angel Giuffria, a bionics advocate and actress, attended South by Southwest in Austin on Saturday to demonstrate her lifelike robotic hand in action.

While attending a panel on disability, Giuffria said her hand began to beep, indicating it was out of batteries.

ZONING CHAOS: Why an Australian news site called Houston a 'Blade Runner city'

"I pulled my charger out of my purse to walk over to the wall outlet," Giuffria said. "Another person walked up at the same time that I did to plug in their phone, which is fine.



"I wasn't sure how many outlets were there, so I asked if there was room for me to charge my arm and they said no, and directed me to the back of the room," she said. "They could've thought my arm was a prop."

https://twitter.com/aannggeellll/status/972610483495886848

Giuffria said a lot of people at the music festival believed her arm was a video game fashion statement or a light-up glove, so she didn't take the funny encounter personally and posted about the experience on Twitter.

PHOTOS: NASA captures surreal image of where day meets night on Jupiter

The tongue in cheek tweet quickly picked up in popularity and eventually made its way onto Reddit where it went viral. Guiffria said she wasn't mad at anyone for not unplugging their phone and just wanted to draw attention to the daily life of someone with a prosthetic limb.

"People's phones are incredibly important to them these days and I thought this emphasized that," Giuffria said of the tweet.

Above: See notable figures and celebrities who showed up at SXSW 2018.
In February, 18 people were arrested or indicted on child sex crimes in Bexar County, records show.

The tally is slightly lower than January, which saw 23 people charged with child sex crimes in the county.

RELATED: 23 people arrested, indicted on child sex crime charges in Bexar County in January 2018

Of the 18, seven are facing accusations of indecency with a child, seven are accused of aggravated sexual assault of a child and four are charged with sexual assault of a child.

Two suspects, Jessie Jermaine Pearson and Zaragoza Guadaluple Martinez, are facing two counts of indecency with a child each.

The mugshots for Eduardo Gomez-Diaz, indicted on indecency with a child, and David Armont Rice, indicted on sexual assault of a child, were not available.

Fares Sabawi covers crime in San Antonio and Bexar County for mySA.com. Read more of his stories here. | fsabawi@mysa.com
Officials have identified the 14-year-old boy fatally shot while lying in bed Wednesday morning.

Andres Delgado IV was pronounced dead at a local hospital after police responded to his East Side home around 6 a.m.

Police said the teen's father was a suspect in the case but no arrests have been made.

Police received multiple calls for shots fired in the area of Denver Boulevard and South Mesquite Street. When they arrived they found the teenager suffering from a single gunshot wound to his torso, officials said.

Police Chief William McManus said the shooter apparently fired multiple weapons and officers found shell casings in every room of the home. Officials said police also found handguns, a shotgun and an AR-15. While they said Delgado's father was a suspect authorities haven't definitely said he was responsible for the teen's death.

"The shooting all occurred inside the house with a variety of weapons around the house ... Right now, we don't exactly know what was going through the father's head," McManus said.

RELATED: Hostage's cause of death in Bexar standoff revealed

Sgt. Michelle Ramos, a spokeswoman for the San Antonio Police Department, said Delgado, his father and a 10-year-old girl were inside the home when the shots rang out. Only Delgado was wounded.

The girl and the father, who is 43, were taken to a police station for further questioning.

The father had claimed someone approached and fired from outside the home, though no bullets have been found outside, police said.

"Detectives here are on scene to determine if there's any evidence that suggests somebody shot from outside [the home] to inside," Ramos said earlier in the morning. "We can't say that at this time."

Karen Guerrero, 25, a neighbor, said she heard about 20 gunshots ring out Wednesday morning, but no screeching tires from a car fleeing the scene.

"We woke up to gunshots and came outside to this," she said, referring to the crime scene before her, where she had just watched authorities perform life-saving measures on the boy as he lay on the sidewalk.

Guerrero said there was a prior shooting a few weeks ago at the same location, but no one was hit.

McManus said the incident was not gang related.

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
The mother of a 12-year-old Mississippi child said he killed himself after being bullied by his classmates.

Andrew Leach left a note before hanging himself in his family's outdoor garage last week, the 6th grader's mom, Cheryl Hudson, told WREG.

Leach's father said his son was struggling with his sexual orientation. When Leach told others he thought he may be bisexual, it "amped up" the bullying, his father said.

"Kids were telling him, 'We're gonna put hands on you. You're not going to make it out of this bathroom.' Things of that nature," his father said.

PHOTOS: Conroe students put on 'Walking Dead' style makeup to teach life-saving lesson

According to Leach's mother, a group of the boy's classmates would "go around calling him fat, ugly and worthless."

More Information Mississippi 6th grader commits suicide after being bullied for sexual orientation See More Collapse

Figures from Stopbullying.gov show that 28 percent of U.S. students between grades 6-12 experience bullying. Of those, only 20 to 30 percent notify adults about the harassment.

A GoFundMe page has been opened in order to help pay for Leach's memorial.

See other victims of bullying that made the news in past years.
The president who boasted of treating women like sex objects is being outplayed at his own tabloid-warfare game by a porn star. Maybe theres justice in the world after all.

You might have missed it in the ceaseless fusillade of news, but the White House last week all but confirmed the story that actress and director Stormy Daniels is dying to tell: Shortly before the election she was paid $130,000 in hush money to keep quiet about an intimate relationship she had with Donald Trump in 2006, soon after Melania Trump had given birth to the couples son, Barron.

Daniels filed a lawsuit Tuesday arguing that she should be free to speak about the affair, since a nondisclosure agreement laying out the terms of the payment was never actually signed by Trump. Asked about the payment at a White House briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that Trump denies the allegations and that, in any event, this case has already been won in arbitration. She later added that the arbitration was won in the presidents favor.

Trump was reportedly very unhappy with Sanders performance, but come on, give her a break. How is she supposed to keep all the lies straight as they multiply, overlap and at times contradict?

What she inconveniently seemed to confirm is that Trump is a party to arbitration proceedings regarding a nondisclosure agreement involving Daniels. Obviously, there would be no such agreement unless there were something Trump wanted to hide. And if Daniels silence was worth $130,000, it must have been something Trump really wanted to hide.

The Daniels affair is of more than just prurient interest: It would appear that Trump may have violated federal campaign law by failing to disclose the payment on his reporting forms.

Any attempt by Trump to stick to his blanket denial is now moot in the Daniels case, because in an appendix to her lawsuit she included the entire nondisclosure agreement. The filings offer a glimpse of how Trump is accustomed to operating  and suggest why special counsel Robert Mueller has reportedly taken an interest in Trumps attorney, Michael Cohen.

The agreement  in which Trump and Daniels are identified by pseudonyms, David Dennison and Peggy Peterson  was negotiated at the end of October 2016, days before the election, when Trumps campaign was reeling from the impact of the Access Hollywood tape. The $130,000 payment, which Cohen has said he facilitated with personal funds, was not reported as a campaign donation or expenditure.

Daniels says in her suit that in January of this year, when reports of the hush-money payment surfaced, Cohen used intimidation and coercive tactics to force her to sign a false statement denying any relationship with Trump. In the past week, according to the suit, Cohen has used an improper and procedurally defective arbitration proceeding hidden from public view in an attempt to keep her silent  an apparent reference to the arbitration that Sanders claimed had been won in the presidents favor.

The agreement, as appended to the lawsuit, shows that Cohen formed a company, Essential Consultants LLC, to make the payment to Daniels. It provides for arbitration in the case of disputes, and it requires Daniels to pay David Dennison $1 million per instance if she breaches the contract. It is signed by Daniels, using her legal name, Stephanie Clifford; and by Cohen, for Essential Consultants. The line for David Dennison to sign is indeed left blank.

Take a minute and think about it.

The personal lawyer of the president of the United States, days before the election, paid $130,000 to apparently buy the silence of a porn star. Said porn star credibly describes an affair she had with the president and the ham-fisted attempts by his lawyer to keep her from talking about it. All of this unquestionably speaks volumes about the presidents character and morals.

Republicans who regarded Bill Clintons affair with Monica Lewinsky as the end of civilization as we know it are serenely untroubled. Evangelicals who rail against sin and cloak themselves in piety offer nothing but a worldly, almost Gallic shrug. Daniels has taught us much about their character and morals, too.
Everybody knows the deal: Millennials want to be in the biggest cities, in the center of all the trendiness, all the job growth, and, generally speaking, all the action. Right?

Well, not so fast.

It turns out that millennial home buyers are increasingly moving to small towns, according to the 2018 Home Buyer and Seller Generational report from the National Association of Realtors. About a fifth of those aged 37 and under, 21%, bought homes in a small town compared with 16% in the previous year, according to the report. That's compared with 15% who moved to urban areas, which has been the same for the past two years.

However, the bulk of millennial buyers, 52%, are still heading to the suburbs.

The report is based on responses from a total of 7,866 home buyers who purchased a property from July 2016 to June 2017. Millennials are defined as 37 years old and younger; members of Generation X are 38 to 52; younger baby boomers are 53 to 62; older boomers are 63 to 71; and members of the silent generation are 72 to 92.

Its a common myth that all millennials are living in urban centers," says Jessica Lautz, managing director of survey research at NAR. "The majority of millennials are buying in suburban areas, and theres a large share who are purchasing in small towns. It costs less to purchase a home in those areas, and schools are becoming a priority for millennial parents.

Enrolling their kids in good public schools without having to shell out big bucks for city private schools is important for many millennial buyers, says Jason Dorsey, president of the Center for Generational Kinetics, a millennial and Generation Z research group based in Austin, TX. And, increasingly, their jobs are conducive to small-town living.

"Theyre able to commute to where their work is located, or theyre able to work remotely," he says.

The younger generation made up the most buyers of any generation, at about 36%, according to the report. Nearly two-thirds are first-time buyers, roughly the same percentage of whom are married couples. Nearly half, 47%, have children.

Millennials are getting older and having more stable relationships," Dorsey says. "Planning to have kids is a catalyst for wanting to buy a home.

Members of Generation X scooped up about 26% of homes on the market. They're the most likely to be married and have kids under 18. And with the highest median household incomes of any generation, $104,700, they're buying the most expensive and biggest homes.

Younger baby boomers scooped up 18% of homes, while older boomers nabbed about 14%.The silent generation purchased only 6%.

People buy homes to accommodate their lives," says Chief Economist Danielle Hale of realtor.com. "So life factors like getting married, having kids, having the kids move out of their houses ... are driving a lot of the home-buying and -selling behavior."

Know the competition: Who's buying homes anyway?

So who are these hordes of home buyers swamping the market, submitting offers over asking, and engaging in bidding wars?

Overall, about two-thirds of recent buyers were married, 18% were single women, 8% were unmarried couples, and 7% were bachelors. Thirty-seven percent had children under 18 living at home.

About 34% of recent purchasers were first-time buyers, down just 1 percentage point from last year.

What kinds of homes are people shelling out for?

Choosing the right home is more important than ever to buyers. It had better bethey plan to live in their abodes for a median 15 years. (An additional 18% swore they're never moving.) Millennials are more likely to stay in their homes for only 10 years, while younger boomers expect to stay put for about 20 years.

Buyers overwhelmingly purchased existing (previously lived in) houses. Those places accounted for 85% of sales compared with 15% for newly constructed homes. Millennials, who make less, were less likely than younger boomers to buy new homes.

Those shopping for homes also preferred the detached, single-family kind. These houses made up 83% of all sales. The silent generation was the only group of buyers to buy higher numbers of generally lower-costand lower maintenancecondos and townhomes.

"If they're looking to buy in the suburbs, the inventory of homes is overwhelmingly single-family," says Hale. "People generally prefer to not be able to hear their neighbors next door."

The typical home had three bedrooms and two bathrooms and spanned 1,870 square feet. It was a median 27 years old. Younger buyers tended to buy older homes, which usually cost less.

Who's selling their homes?

So in this topsy-turvy market of soaring prices and rising mortgage rates, why are sellers plunking down a "For Sale" sign in their front yards? Their top reasons: They needed more space; they wanted to be closer to family and friends; or they needed to move for work.

Their homes were on the market for a median of three weeks and fetched 99% of their asking prices. That was a median $47,500 more than they originally paid for their abodes, which they generally lived in for a decade.

Gen Xers were the most likely to put their homes on the market, making up 26% of home sellers. They typically moved up into larger homes, often to accommodate growing families or their parents moving in with them.

Younger boomers made up 23% of home sellers, but they tended to stay in roughly the same-size homes. Those 63 and up tended to downsize.

The majority of sellers didn't move too far from their previous homes. Nearly three-quarters stayed within the state.

The post Forget Big-City Living: More Millennials Are Transforming Small-Town America appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
"Fixer Upper" has inspired armies of Chip and Joanna Gaines fans to embark on renovations galore, so perhaps it's no surprise that those trends have trickled down to dollhouse renovations, too!

It all started when Kwandaa Roberts, an OB-GYN near Philadelphia, bought a dollhouse for her 3-year-old daughter  only to decide that the cramped layout and pink-and-white decor weren't quite up to snuff. So she made a few improvements inspired by her favorite home design show.
By Nancy Dahlberg / ndahlbergbiz@gmail.com

Building a home in a day for under $4,000? It can be done with 3-D printing technology and could be a sustainable solution for Haiti and the rest of the developing world.

New Story, the nonprofit startup that created hundreds of small concrete homes for Haitians after other nonprofits faltered, partnered with ICON, a construction technologies company, to unveil the first permitted, 3D-printed home created specifically for the developing world. The 350-square-foot home was unveiled Monday at South By Southwest in Austin, Texas.

In the past couple of years, New Story has funded and built hundreds of homes in Haiti and El Salvador. But even though its crowdfunding model is efficient and effective, the nonprofit cant keep up with the demand building homes the traditional way. The 3D-printed home unveiled Monday serves as proof-of-concept for sustainable homebuilding that will allow for safer, more affordable homes for more families, faster than ever, said Brett Hagler, the CEO of Silicon Valley-based New Story.

We feel its our responsibility to challenge traditional methods and work toward ending homelessness, said Hagler, who grew up in South Florida and co-founded the nonprofit with a friend, Mike Arrieta, who attended the same Broward high school, Coral Springs Christian Academy.

Other companies are working on 3-D homebuilding technology, but they are primarily targeting high-end consumers. We thought, okay, what if the bottom billion werent the last ones to get this, but the first ones to get this? It made sense for us to try to leapfrog whats happening domestically, because our homes are so simple, Hagler told FastCompany, which broke the story.

The 3-D printer, called the Vulcan, is designed to work in places like Haiti and rural El Salvador where power, potable water and technical assistance can be sparse. It will be built to fit on a truck, so it can be easily transported from site to site. The printer will use a common mortar and the same concrete foundation the YCombinator-funded New Story has been using at its other houses, including in Leveque, Haiti, 40 minutes from Port-au-Prince.

Conventional construction methods have many baked-in drawbacks and problems that weve taken for granted for so long that we forgot how to imagine any alternative, said Jason Ballard, co-founder of ICON. With 3D printing, you not only have a continuous thermal envelope, high thermal mass, and near zero-waste, but you also have speed, a much broader design palette, next-level resiliency, and the possibility of a quantum leap in affordability. This isnt 10 percent better, its 10 times better.

New Storys goal: To print the first community of homes for poor families in El Salvador in the coming 18 months, and then through partnerships, scale up production in the developing world over the next few years.

New Story currently works in Mexico, Haiti, El Salvador and Bolivia and in three years has funded more than 1,400 homes for families in need. More than 850 of those $6,500 concrete homes have been built and families have moved in. The nonprofit says 100 percent of donations goes to build homes while organization overhead and R&D is covered by private donors.

And this little home, now sitting in an Austin backyard, could be the start of something big in social ventures. Hagler hopes New Story's upcoming project will serve as a catalyst for the industry.






There are a lot of teenagers in Nigeria who already are incredibly rich, some of them earned their wealth through their jobs, while some are lucky to have wealthy parents. So, who is the richest teenager in Nigeria? Find out the answer in our post!

Richest people in Nigeria who are in their teenage years

Today, a Nigerian teen can earn millions  but in reality, this is not for everyone. Of course, even if you are not a son or daughter of the billionaire, you definitely have to be privileged with some family connections that will help you to start out on your desired platform. Here, you will find out who is the richest celebrity in Nigeria in her/his teenage years, and learn more about the wealthy teens.

Regina Daniels, photo from ayola.tv

Regina Daniels, the young actress and daughter of Rita Daniels

This young and charming teenager is only 17 years old, but she is already a famous actress, producer, and model. She was born on October 10th, 2000, into the family of the actress Rita Daniels, who is also a Chairwoman of the Delta States Actors Guild of Nigeria. Regina has definitely inherited her hardworking nature and acting talent from her mother. The young star says that she has been dreaming of becoming an actress since she was a little girl. She was definitely lucky, as Nigeria has one of the most developed movie industries in Africa, and there is always a place for child actors.

Regina Daniels started her movie career at the age of seven when she got a role in the movie Marriage of Sorrow, produced by the Pressing Forward Productions studio. Her mother supported her the entire way, and probably shared a lot of acting secrets with her. Regina originally had a fee of only 10,000 Naira for a movie. Currently, her fee is reported to be 500,000 Naira per movie, and all Nollywood producers want to have this beautiful actress in their movies.

The most popular movies of Regina Daniels are The Jericho, The Bat-Man, Stronger than the Gods, Jaja the Great, and many others. She also produced some of her movies, like The Jericho, and Twins Apart. She received a lot of recognition for her acting. For instance, she got a nomination from City People Movie Award as Best Supporting Actress, as well as Most Promising Actress. She also became a winner of several awards for her roles at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.

Even though she is so famous, she has not forgetting about education. For secondary education, she combined studies at Hollywood International School Asaba in Delta State with acting. Now, she is a student of Igbinedion University Okada in Edo State. Aside for acting and studying, Regina also does a lot of charity work, and at 17, she already has her own organization called Regina Daniels Foundation. This shows how much she cares about people who are less successful than her. The organization is mostly aimed at helping physically challenged people.

According to the various websites, the net worth of this teenage actress is estimated at $350,000. Surely, her mother is quite known in the acting world, but she definitely reached her success not only thanks to her but because of her perseverance and outstanding talent. She is now the richest celebrity in Nigeria who is in her teenage years. If she continues working hard, she will build an absolutely amazing career.

READ ALSO: Is Regina Daniels married? - Private life of the actress

Fewa Otedola, son of billionaire Femi Otedola

Femi Otedola is a businessman who works in the oil and gas and is the chairman of Forte Oil Plc. Together with his wife Nana Otedola, he has three daughters  Florence Ifeoluwa popularly known as DJ Cuppy, Christine Olawunmi, and Elizabeth Temi. His only son and youngest child is 16 years old Fewa.

Fewa Otedola is a young man with special needs, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. He is very close to his older sister Temi, who shared a touching story about her brother on last years Worlds Autism Awareness Day. Temi said that she always admired the way her mother helped Fewa with simple daily tasks, and eventually she embraced the role of a caring older sister. According to Temi, Fewa does not need sympathy, he is an independent person, who is also kind, genuine, and caring. She said that she never saw Fewas autistic disorder as a disability, it is a part of things that make him who he is. Fewa Otedola's family does not view his autism as a negative thing and considers him to be a genuine and lovely person.

Fewa Otedola is the richest teenager in Nigeria Even though Femi Otedola has lost a lot of his money recently due to Nigeria's recession, his net worth is still estimated to be $550 million, so Fewa can be considered one of the richest young people in Nigeria.

Fewa Otedola, photo from tori.ng

You have learned about the richest teenagers in Nigeria. These people already have a huge fortune, either earned or inherited from their rich parents.

READ ALSO: Femi Otedola Biography

Source: Legit.ng
Editor's note: Public commentator, Okanga Agila, writes on the recent controversy surrounding the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, after he allegedly made a statement suggesting a possible takeover by the military due to some anti-democratic actions of the current government.

Read below:

Deputy Senate president, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, is an interesting character. He is always excited, haughty and very mouthy. If Nigerians perceive the current Senate more as a punishment chamber than a parliament, its because of leaders like Ekweremadu.

His soul mates in the red chamber have conspiratorially turned the Senate into an undemocratic mental torture chamber for senators, where voices opposed to its leadership are muzzled and dubiously punished. Sadly, Ekweremadu is failing to check his tongue.

Senator Ekweremadu belongs to the clan of senators who are irretrievably tied to the old order of impunity and disorderliness on issues of public governance, famed with the PDP. For them, its not possible to change anything.

He is therefore naturally blind to the illumination provided by the change government of the APC led by President Muhammadu Buhari. Under the expired national government of the PDP, nothing was impossible provided it serviced the egos of its minions. That era has gone, but since Ekweremadu is yet to purge himself of the PDP mendacious inclination, he still functions under such false illusions.

Therefore, a few days ago, Senator Ekweremadu had the effrontery to foul the air by dragging the Nigerian military and specifically, the Nigerian Army into politics. Senator Ahmed Ogembe, representing Kogi Central had a raised a motion alleging that Kogi state governor, Yahaya Bello, sponsored thugs to disrupt his empowerment programme for constituents.

Ekweremadu has since denied calling for a military takeover of the country. Photo credit: Nigerian Senate

READ ALSO: Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu denies calling for military coup in Nigeria

But in a rather asinine twist, while contributing to the debate, Ekweremadu deviated from the core issue by declaring, The problem in Nigeria is that our democracy is receding. Who says army cannot take over? Let us not joke with our democracy.

There was no correlation at all. So, the reference to the army by Ekweremadu was spiteful and intended to stir enmity and air of disloyalty between the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Buhari and the Nigerian military.

And it has exposed the extent Ekweremadu has lost touch with the reality in Nigeria, a country, which signed a creed in 2015 to severe itself from the culture of the past, by its embrace of democracy and building of strong or thriving military and democratic institutions.

Perhaps, steeped in the sentiments of opposition politics, and the desire to blackmail, Ekweremadu is oblivious of the changes around him. He neither knows the new face of the Nigerian military under the leadership of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Gabriel Olonishakin nor the Nigerian Army, under the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai.

To again redirect the attention of the likes of Ekweremadu to the reality they have refused to acknowledge, the Nigerian military have been disciplined and re-professionalized. It has consistently demonstrated to the world in words and actions that there is no alternative to democracy. It cannot be persuaded by such outbursts to discard their toga of professionalism and support to democratic institutions.

The Nigerian Army particularly have elected upon itself to serve as guardians of Nigerias democracy evident in the struggles to protect and preserve Nigerians democracy and the absolute subordination to civil authorities.

The current leadership of the Nigerian military led by General Olonishakin as well as the Nigerian Army under the guidance of General Buratai, much as other service chiefs have proven beyond doubt the military is an integral part of this great nation. It exudes more interest in assisting Nigerias democracy to blossom to full maturity.

It has confined itself to its core professional duties and values of safeguarding the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Nigeria. The Nigerian military has proven to be a responsible and responsive fighting force, patriotically defending the country from both external and internal aggressors, with delight.

And this streams from carefully articulated and implemented re-orientation measures, like professionalism, discipline, integrity, and seamless civil/military relations anchored on international best practices. The Nigerian Army under General Buratai has no reason to harbor thoughts of dabbling into partisan politics.

It is much more remote that the army would even ruminate scuttling democracy as insinuated by Ekweremadu. Buratais mastery in leadership of the army has tackled explosive issues which hitherto served as baits or motivation for soldiers to engage in coups.

For instance, soldiers are no longer under the yoke of stalled promotions. They are now promptly promoted and this itself is a great moral booster for any army anywhere in the world. The current leadership of the army under Genral Buratai has consistently provided incentives to soldiers by appreciating and decorating deserving officers with medals for exceptional performances.

General Buratai worships and rewards merit, and has completely deleted favouratism in the administration of the army, as glaringly reflected several times in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the north-east. To say the least, the commitment of the army leadership to reward officers and men of the Nigerian Army is unflinching and indiscriminate.

READ ALSO: Governor Wike blames security agencies for alleged environmental degradation of Rivers

The inculcation and enforcement of the values of discipline in soldiers have been General Buratais topmost agenda from the outset. What leads the army into coups most times is indiscipline. The anger is fired in instances where some officers and soldiers are favoured on either ethnic or religious affiliations.

The rules and internal control measures apply to all and sundry, as circumstances demand, without sentiments, as evident in routine reshuffling of the executive command positions without recourse to religion or tribe.

So, the army leadership has assiduously worked and conquered these defects and there is no possibility that such soldiers would nurture any coup ambition.

Furthermore, the army leadership has prioritized welfare and introduced various incentives to personnel. General Buratai extends welfare of soldiers to even their families. The famous warlord, Sun Tsu said, Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.

Therefore, when soldiers face the hardest of tasks assigned to them courageously and victoriously; its because they have no psychological trauma on hanging welfare packages. The facelift of military barracks and the improved general living conditions of officers and men are motivations for the army, which have voluntarily made army personnel to remain apolitical and loyal to civil authority in Nigeria.

And above all, General Buratai has ensured transparency and accountability in the leadership of the Nigerian Army. He has blocked loopholes that enabled looting or misappropriation of army resources at the expense of the well-being of personnel. This previously accounted for mutiny on the battlefield in protest of neglect and deprivation. The army now is a contented force.

The era of a few officers and soldiers getting rich quick is gone. The prudent management of lean resources by the Lt. General Buratai led leadership has restored confidence, respect and accorded dignity to army personnel whose first and last focus is concentration on their constitutionally defined professional roles.

PAY ATTENTION: Read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

No Nigerian, moreso, a leader, like Ekweremadu who is aware of these changes would deliberately attempt to rejig the narrative with the flavor of his bizarre idiosyncrasies. Let it be known to Senator Ekweremadu that the army has been re-professionalized and disciplined.

Your own opinion articles are welcome at info@naij.com - drop an email telling us what you want to write about and why. More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest contributors.

Were ready to trade your news for our money: submit news and photo reports from your area using our Citizen Journalism App.

Contact us if you have any feedback, suggestions, complaints or compliments. We are also available on Facebook and Twitter.

Street Gist: Should the Nigerian Senate be scrapped? - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
President Muhammadu Buhari has sacked Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (Rtd) from his position as coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants.

The new development was contained in a statement by Femi Adesina, the special adviser to the president on media and publicity on Tuesday, March 13.

READ ALSO: Few hours after leaving Nigeria, Trump fires Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

The president announced Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo as the new co-ordinator of the programme. He also ordered the National Security Adviser to carry out a full investigation into the financial engagement of the programme since 2015.

Read the statement below:

"President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo as the new Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for former Niger Delta militants. He replaces Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (Rtd).

Prof Dokubo is currently Director of Research and Studies at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs. He holds a PhD in Strategic Studies from the University of Bradford, United Kingdom, and hails from Abonema, Akuku-Toru Local Government of Rivers State.

Meanwhile, the president directs the National Security Adviser (NSA) to carry out a full investigation into the activities of the Amnesty Programme from 2015 to date, especially allegations of financial impropriety and other acts that are allegedly detrimental to the objectives of the Presidential Amnesty Programme."

It will be recalled that a Niger Delta group asked President Buhari to order Boroh to step aside or a mass action will be carried out against the office.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news

The group, Niger Delta Emancipation (NDE) in collaboration with Northern Youth Council (NYC) on Friday, February 16, said Boroh should be given 14 days to step aside as the coordinator of the programme.

In a statement signed by Sani Saidu Jimetta, the president of the NYC and Jude Tamuno, the coordinator of the NDE, the group jointly said that Boroh should be suspended pending investigation on allegations of names replaced in the programme.

Which of President Buhari's ministers should be sacked? on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
- No date has been fixed for the passage of the 2018 budget, according to the Senate

- Spokesman of the upper chamber, Senator Sa'abi Abdullahi said the process is on and at the end, there will be a budget that will serve the purpose of Nigerians

- According to him, the Senate will ensure that it will support the executive in ensuring Nigeria gets out of recession totally

The Senate on Tuesday, March 13, said there was no date yet for the passage of the 2018 budget. Senates spokesperson, Senator Saabi Abdullahi, said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja.

He said: The budget process is on and I cant tell you this is the specific date it is going to end. We are working very hard on it and we want to assure Nigerians that at the end of the day, we will have a budget that will serve the purpose of Nigerians.

On the upper chambers resolution to lift embargo on confirmation of presidential nominees, the lawmaker said: there was an existing impasse between the executive and the legislature with respect to confirmation hearing of appointees of the executive.

READ ALSO: Why we decamped from APC to PDP - 2000 aggrieved Kano defectors

We had a resolution that since the executive is claiming we dont have the powers to make those confirmations we are not going to consider the nominees they are forwarding to us. This happened since last year."

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate, after a Point of Order by Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (APC-Kwara), lifted the embargo.

According to Abdullahi, the Senate made the resolution not that they have any iron to grind with anybody. But because we believe we must defend the sanctity of democracy and ensure the institutions of democracy, for which the Senate is the apex, must be respected and we believe in doing so, it is in the overall interest of the people."

READ ALSO: Benue saga: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders

He further explained that the upper chamber resolved that it would consider the confirmation of members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

We will also consider the nomination of the two deputy governors of Central Bank (CBN) who are also members of the MPC so that the Nigerian economy will receive the necessary technical input to ensure that we sustain the growth of our economy. And to also ensure we support the executive in walking the economy out of recession.

We are definitely going to do the confirmation to enable those confirmed to attend the next MPC meeting," Abdullahi said.

The MPC meeting is scheduled to hold on Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20.

Legit.ng earlier reported that a former governor of Nasarwa state, Abdullahi Adamu, accused lawmakers on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform of sabotaging the effort of the present government.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Adamu said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is not getting much support from the legislature. The former governor also said it is unfortunate that lawmakers of the APC are major among those sabotaging the executive.

Kogi West senatorial district to recall senator Dino Melaye from the Nigerian Senate - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) must now respect the rights of the citizens of the country, says IGP Ibrahim Idris

- Idris argues that respect for human rights is important for peaceful co-existence

- He says his administration is in tune with the fight against corruption in the country

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has reportedly called on all officers and men of the force to begin to respect the rights of the citizens while discharging their duties, warning that any abuse amounts to corruption and injustice.

Vanguard reports that Idris spoke recently at Umuahia, Abia state, during the opening of a three-day workshop organised in collaboration with Centre for Civil Society and Justice (CCSJ).

READ ALSO: 2000 APC members dump party for PDP in Kano

Idris, who was represented by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Zone 9, Umuahia, Hosea Karma, explained that respect for human rights remains fundamental to peaceful coexistence in any society.

The IGP tasked the participants to take advantage of the workshop to improve on their service to society.

The topic is apt; it reminds us of our role in a democratic environment," pointing out that respect for human rights would reduce conflict in the society.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Human rights abuse is corruption and corruption is injustice; it is a crime. Corruption is not only when you extort money but when you refuse to do your work because of personal considerations," the IGP said while reminded the policemen of the governments war against corruption.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) accused the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, and some elements of being behind the calls for President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris.

The AYCF, through its national president, Yerima Shettima, said it was concerned that vested interests wanted Idris sacked for their selfish reasons.

The IGP's uncompromising war on crime and speedy standardisation of the force operations, is bound to create envy and deliberate misunderstanding by the mischievous interest groups in the country, the AYCF said as it wondered why those trying to set President Buhari against the Idris pretend that there is a difference between Makurdi and Benue.

If any police officer misbehaves with you, call any of these numbers - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit Newspaper
- Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi, reacted to the clash between herdsmen and farmers at Enyanwu Igwe Igbeagu community

- The governor ordered the herdsmen in the community to vacate immediately

- He said he can't watch and let killings like that of Benue happen in his state

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has warned that the incessant killings during herdsmen and farmers clashes can ignite war in Nigeria if not handled carefully.

Umahi made this statement at a meeting on Tuesday, March 14, while reacting to an incident on Monday, when suspected herdsmen had attacked some farmers in Enyanwu Igwe Igbeagu community of Izzi local government.

Premium Times reports that leaders of cattle herders in the southeast and south south states, residents of the affected community, as well as all the security chiefs in the state attended the meeting.

READ ALSO: 2000 APC members dump party for PDP in Kano

The governor ordered herdsmen living in the affected community to vacate immediately to avoid further violence and let the government interfere and calm the people down.

Reacting to the killings in the Enyanwu Igwe community, Umahi said: It is unprovoked killings, life is so sacred. You cant kill people as if they are fowls. Izzi people are warriors. I physically held them not to go for retaliation. The herdsmen there in Izzi have to leave the place for now until I can calm everybody down. The way we are going, it can provoke national war and it will not help anybody.

"The lives of every Ebonyian is very dear to me. God forbid, I cant withstand where 76 people were killed like in Benue, I cant withstand it. Some people may be fighting to die but we fight to live, lets use wisdom and handle the matter."

The governor said there was a prevous agreement between the state and herdsmen to ensure peaceful co-existence but the agreement has been ignored by the herders.

He said: We banned under-aged herders, we banned night grazing in the state. We have no grazing routes in Ebonyi which means that nobody has the right to carry cattle by route to Ebonyi State and we agreed on that. We also agreed with the herdsmen that the first offender must be prosecuted. We also said that no farmer should go to farm with gun and no herdsmen should rear cattle with gun or machete, it is stick. We must abide by these rules.

Also speaking at the meeting was the national chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Bello Bodejo. He agreed with the governor that the state has been accommodating to herdsmen and promised that the leaders of the group will meet with herdsmen across Ebonyi state to speak with them.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

He said: Ebonyi state is very peaceful and it is accommodating to our members. It has been so accommodating to our members even more than some Northern states of the federation and we condemn these killing in this state. There are minors and migrants who are causing these problems. There are also criminals moving as cattle herders who are causing these havoc. The chairmen of Myetti Allah of various states in the South-east and South are all here and we are not happy with what happened, we condemn these killings in totality."

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Ebonyi police command on Monday, March 12, in Abakaliki confirmed a herdsmen attack on the Onunwakpu community of Izzi local government area of the state which left four persons dead.

ASP Loveth Odah, the state police public relations officer, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the dead included three natives of the community and a herdsman. She disclosed that the incident had occurred when one of the victims had gone to tie down his cow inside his farm to feed it in the traditional way. She said it was in the process of this that he had encountered herdsmen whose cows were also feeding inside the farm.

Meanwhile, suspected herdsmen reportedly killed 23 persons in fresh attacks on Dundu Village of Miango District in Bassa local government area of Plateau state.

Tthe youth leaders of Miango, Auta Danjuma, claimed that the attacks took place on the night of Monday, March 12. He said most of the 23 people killed were women and children while numerous others sustained injuries.

Nigerian herdsmen vs Nigerian farmers on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
- Authorities of the Embrace International Assembly, Impact centre, have filed a petition to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris

- The church in its statement to the police boss requested that he should order his men to vacate the premises at Obafemi Awolowo Road, Erunwen Junction, Ikorodu, Lagos state from which its members were chased on Monday, February 19

- Newsmen reported that so far efforts to communicate with the police have proven futile

The Impact centre of the Embrace International Assembly, recently petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, demanding him to order security officials to leave its premises at Obafemi Awolowo Road, Erunwen Junction, Ikorodu, Lagos state.

Vanguard reported that in the petition dated Friday, February 23, members of the board of trustees including Lateef Olasupo Olaoye, Adebayo Ado, Segun Oluwadoromi and Tunji Amokade, alleged that on Monday, February 19, a team of policemen stormed the property and that while service was on turned out all the church members, with the claim that they had court orders to seal the property.

READ ALSO: NiMet predicts earlier than normal onset rainfall, cessation

The board said: The order was never shown to anyone despite repeated demands for same by all. The church authorities maintained that the case involved one of the pastors of Four Square Gospel Church and not Embrace International Assembly.

They complained to the force that they have been worshipping under the rain and sun ever since the act by policemen.

The petition read: We challenge the Commissioner of Police, Lagos state, to show to us the said order directing that the property be sealed up.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!

An order of injunction restraining an individual should not be interpreted to mean an order to seal up, especially when the person sought to be sealed up is a party to an earlier suit over the same property.

So far efforts to communicate with authorities of the Four Square Gospel Church and the police have proven futile.

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that police officers on Sunday, February 11, stopped members of Embrace International Assembly, Ikorodu, Lagos, from entering into their church premises.

Legit.ng gathered that the policemen, barricading the main entrance into the church with their van, also stood at strategic positions within and outside the premises to prevent worshipers from going in.

Why pastors don't want some comedians performing in their church  Kenny Blaq - On Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- Policemen and soldiers with the Abuja Environmental Protection Board allegedly assault a female FRSC marshal

- A civilian staff of the environmental agency is taken hostage by the FRSC officials

- Pro-Buhari youth group in Lagos urges presidency to sanction IGP over alleged disobedience

Soldiers and policemen attached to the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) have clashed with officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) after a fight broke out when efforts were made to serve the FRSC office in Wuze Zone 7 a violation notice.

Premium Times reports that the confrontation ensued when policemen and soldiers with the AEBP officials allegedly assaulted a female FRSC marshal during the service of the violation notice.

The newspaper stated that a soldier attached to the AEPB task force was reportedly wounded and a civilian staff of the environmental agency was taken hostage by the FRSC officials during the fight.

READ ALSO: Herdsmen/farmers crisis: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders to relocate to Benue

In turn, soldiers and policemen who were part of the AEPB team reportedly seized a road safety officer.

As at the time of publishing this report, there was a stalemate over the release of the hostages as neither party was willing to free the persons in their respective custodies first.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

While the FRSC demanded that its personnel must be released first, the soldiers insisted that the FRSC should first release the seized civilian AEPB staff, whom they escorted to serve the notice.

The feud has reportedly resulted in serious traffic build up around the area.

Meanwhile, the Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO), Lagos state chapter, on Wednesday, March 14, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sanction the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, for defying his order.

The group made the call in a statement jointly signed by its coordinator and general secretary in the state, AbdulWaheed Odunuga and Adekunle Aderibigbe, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports.

Buhari had in Benue on Monday, March 12, said he was unaware that Idris disregarded his directive to relocate to the state after the killing of 73 people on New Year Day.

The president was reacting to Benue stakeholders allegation that the IGP did not spend a day in the state, contrary to the presidents order to him on Tuesday, January 9 to immediately move to Benue and restore peace.

Police parade over 50 suspected cultists in Lagos on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit
- The former national publicity secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, has again appeared in court in wheelchair

- Metuh is facing seven-count charge of corruption preferred against him by the EFCC

- The EFCC alleged he had before the 2015 election received N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) without executing any contract

The former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, who is facing corruption charges, on Wednesday, March 14, arrived for continuation of his trial before the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, in a wheelchair.

Vanguard reports that Metuh was wheeled into the courtroom to continue his defence to the seven-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) preferred against him and his firm, Destra Investment Limited.

READ ALSO: Breaking: Gunmen attack Jos community, burn properties

Legit.ng gathered that the EFCC alleged that he had before the 2015 presidential election, received N400million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), without executing any contract.

The agency alleged that the fund was electronically wired from an account that ONSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Metuh, via account no. 0040437573, which his firm operated with Diamond Bank Plc.

The anti graft agency told the court that the fund which was released to Metuh and his firm by detained former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, was part of about $2.1billion earmarked for the purchase of arms to fight insurgency in the northeast.

Besides, the prosecution which had earlier closed its case after it called eight witnesses that testified before the court, equally alleged that Metuh was involved in an illicit transaction that involved the exchange of $2million.

Meanwhile, at the resumed proceeding on Wednesday, Metuh through his lawyer, Emeka Etiaba, SAN, applied to be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

Metuhs lawyer told the court that his clients health had badly deteriorated in the past two months, a situation he said would require urgent medical attention from his doctors in London.

He tendered as an exhibit, a letter from one Dr. Adrian T. H. Kasey, a Neurosurgeon at Wellington Hospital in London, which he said emphasised the need for Metuh to be treated urgently.

However, trial Justice Abang requested both the prosecution and defence lawyers to address him on whether the court could grant Metuhs request considering that he previously dismissed two similar applications on May 25, 2016 and on February, 2017.

Justice Abang who noted that Metuh had yet to appeal both rulings, noted that issues Metuh raised in his present application dated February 23, were the same thing he relied on in the two dismissed applications.

It will be recalled that Metuh was on February 9, brought to court in an ambulance, after Justice Abang threatened to revoke his bail and commit him to prison if he failed to appear for his trial.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

The threat followed Metuhs absence in court on two successive dates, though his lawyers tendered reports indicating that he was hospitalized at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu where he was referred to by Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital Nnewi.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that the Supreme Court on Friday, February 9, declared that a former national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Olisa Metuh has a case to answer on money laundering charges involving the sums of N400m and $2m instituted against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Nigerians share their thoughts exactly 1 yr before elections | Street Gist - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The Senate has been urged by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to confirm Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the EFCC

- He said confirming Magu as EFCC chairman would be to the benefit of the country

- The governor noted the anti-graft agency, under the Buhari-led government had achieved a lot in fighting corruption more than previous governments

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has pleaded with the Senate to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Akeredolu, represented by his deputy, Agboola Ajayi, made the plea on Wednesday, March 14, in Akure, while playing host to a team from the commissions zonal headquarters, Benin office, NAN reports.

Legit.ng noted that Akeredolu stated that the Senate should resolve the lingering issue of confirming the appointment of Magu as EFCC chairman for the benefit of the country.

READ ALSO: I go the extra-mile to satisfy my clients - Female graduate-turned shoemaker (photo)

The governor said that Magu has been in acting capacity as chairman of the commission for more than two years. Akeredolu said that EFCC, under the President Muhammadu Buharis All Progressives Congress-led government, had achieved a lot in fighting corruption more than the previous governments in the country.

He said: To fight corruption is more difficult than the fight against Boko Haram in the northern part of the country. With the record of billions recovered by the commission in the country, it means God is with this country.

With the level of massive looting in the country in the past, I believe there is hope for Nigeria to get to the greater height."

While commending the commission for its achievements in the last two years, he urged the team to extend its offices to states. This, he said, would enable the commission to recruit staff with apparatus to aid it to fight corruption at the state and local government levels.

Earlier, the EFCC zonal head, Benin office, Mallafia Yakubu, called for the support of the state government in the fight against corruption. He said that corruption had led to underdevelopment and unemployment.

He said: We want to join hands with the state government to fight corruption as the commission cannot do it alone."

Yakubu also solicited for the support of the state government on the need to sponsor programmes at the grassroots to highlight the damage corruption had caused in the country.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that youths under the aegis of Future Leaders for Change in Ondo state expressed their displeasure over Governor Rotimi Akeredolu's alleged wasteful extravagance of tax payers money and lack of sympathy for the suffering people of the state.

The group called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call the governor to order, Independent reports.

The youths said in a statement signed by its leader, Gideon Akindola, that the governor had been frittering the Paris Club fund on foreign trips and other mundane things while shortchanging the civil servants in the workforce of the state their welfare and benefits.

The EFCC stage a walk against corruption - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
- The leaders of the National Assembly will meet with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa tonight

- The meeting is reportedly in connection with Buhari's decision to withhold assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act

- In a letter to the Senate, the president argued that any such amendment would infringe on INEC's constitutional right to organize, undertake and supervise all elections, among others

President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, tonight, Wednesday, March 14.

According to Independent, sources within the presidency disclosed that the meeting may not be unconnected to the president's decision to withhold assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act.

READ ALSO: DRAC puts women with disabilities on the front burner

Legit.ng notes that President Buhari had written a letter to Senate president Bukola Saraki; notifying him of his decision to withhold assent to the amendment.

The letter read in part: Pursuant to Section 58 (4) of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate, my decision on (3rd March, 2018) to decline presidential assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly. Some of my reasons for withholding assent to the Bill include the following:

The amendment to the sequence of the elections in section 25 of the Principal Act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission to organize, undertake and supervise all elections provided in section 15 (a) of the third schedule of the constitution.

The amendment to Section (138) of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process and the amendments to section 152 (3)-(5) of the Principal Act, may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over Local Government elections."

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that a professor of law, Osita Ogbu, said that President Muhammadu Buharis decision to withhold assent to the electoral act as amended by the National Assembly was in order.

Ogbu, who is the dean of the faculty of law, Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, told newsmen in Enugu, that the prevailing circumstance needed not be misconstrued as a constitutional crisis.

The former chairman of Enugu state branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) said there was no cause for alarm, as the presidency acted within the law. He said if the House felt undone by the action of the president, they would have to muster two-thirds majority of their members to veto such presidential decision.

Election-2019: (Dont) mark your calendar - On Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit
- The riverine communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria say they will back Rotimi Amaechi's decision for a candidate from the area against Nyesom Wike

- The communities boast of very qualified people to replace Governor Wike in 2019

- They argue that zoning the governorship to the riverine communities would continue to foster peace and unity

The riverine communities of the Ijaw in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria have thrown their weight behind the decision of Rotimi Amaechi, the transport minister, to ensure the enthronement of an indigene as governor of Rivers state in 2019.

The communities, which spoke through Perekeme Kpodoh, a former security adviser to the Bayelsa state government, said though every indigene of Rivers state have the right to vie for the governorship seat, the decision of Amaechi to back the riverine communities for 2019 governorship is welcomed and right before God.

In a statement made available to Legit.ng, Kpodoh, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that the decision of the minister to correct the imbalance and ensure rotation of governorship slot should be considered as the right thing to do to bring about peace in the oil rich state.

READ ALSO: Ortom, enemies of progress behind calls for IGP Idris sack - Arewa youths allege

According to the statement, Amaechis decision shows his selflessness as well as portrays him as not selfish or engaging in political battle for personal gain.

Amaechi is not backing the Ikwerre people but the people of the riverine communities. He is a true leader and should be supported, Kpodoh said in the statement adding that the area can boast of credible politicians such as Dakuku Peterside, who currently heads the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Adol, Dr Sokonte and Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs for the governorship position come 2019.

Riverine communities of Ijaw, Kalabarri, Andoni, Bonny, Nkoro, Otobo and Akukutoru should rally round and support Rotimi Amaechi to actualise the dream of rotation and enthronement of governor from the area in 2019. There are tested and trusted candidates better than the incumbent."

Though we are not saying Senator Magnus Abe and others are not qualified, the party leaders in Rivers state and the issue of rotation should be considered.

The Ijaw people should unite and back former governor Amaechi. Ijaw should not betray themselves because of money, the statement said.

The communities accused Governor Nyosome Wike of being a product of deceit and betrayal.

Sen John Mbata brought Nyesom Wike into politics. Soon after he entrenched himself in Amaechi's camp, he fought against the senator to further his political fortunes.

It earned him second term in office as council chairman.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi made it possible against established culture for Nyesom Wike to be a second term chairman of Obio/Akor local government council, made him his chief of staff and thereafter nomination for ministerial position.

To further his political interest, he stroked a conflict between Governor Amaechi and former President Jonathan. The outcome made him a governor, the statement said.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Perekeme Kpodoh recently accused some governors and politicians in the party of working against the second tenure of President Muhammad Buhari.

Kpodoh said this while noting a reluctance to allow the reconciliation committee of the APC led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to resolve crises within the party.

Yes from Buhari: Tobacco & Alcohol to cost more - on Legit.ng TV

Source: Legit.ng
Finland is the worlds happiest country, according to an annual survey issued on Wednesday, March 14,that put Burundi at the bottom of the happiness index and Nigerians at 91st position.

The survey also found Americans were getting less happy even as their country became richer.

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Networks 2018 World Happiness Report ranked 156 countries according to their scores for things such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

READ ALSO: Senator Akpabio blasts Governor Yahaya Bello

Finland rose from fifth place in 2017 to oust Norway from the top spot. The 2018 top-10, as ever dominated by the Nordics, is Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.

The U S. came in at 18th, down from 14th place in 2017. Britain was 19th and the United Arab Emirates 20th.

One chapter of the 170-page report is dedicated to emerging health problems such as obesity, depression and the opioid crisis, particularly in the U. S. where the prevalence of all three has grown faster than in most other countries.

While income per capita has increased markedly in the U. S. over the last half-century, the happiness index has been hit by weakened social support networks, a rise in perception of corruption in government and business and declining confidence in public institutions.

We obviously have a social crisis in the U. S.: more inequality, less trust, less confidence in government, the head of the SDSN, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs of New Yorks Columbia University, told Reuters as the report was launched at the Vaticans Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Its pretty stark right now. The signs are not good for the U.S. It is getting richer and richer but not getting happier," he added.

Asked how the current political situation in the United States could affect future happiness reports, Sachs said: Time will tell, but I would say that in general that when confidence in government is low, when perceptions of corruption are high, inequality is high and health conditions are worsening  that is not conducive to good feelings.

For the first time since it was started in 2012, the report, which uses a variety of polling organisations, official figures and research methods, ranked the happiness of foreign-born immigrants in 117 countries.

Finland took top honours in that category too, giving the country a statistical double-gold status.

The foreign-born were least happy in Syria, which has been mired in civil war for seven years.

The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born, said Prof. John Helliwell of Canadas University of British Columbia.

Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations converge towards those of other residents in their new countries. Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose, he said.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Transparency International released Corruption Perception Index for 2017 with Nigeria dropping 12 places to 148. This is worse than the countrys position of 136 out of `80 countries it was ranked in 2016.

This is coming even as President Muhammadu Buhari s channelling efforts towards fighting corruption in the country.

Nigeria scored 27 per cent and is on 148th spot with Cosmoros and Guinea. Botswana was ranked the least corrupt country in Africa with 61 per cent and occupies 34th position.

The luxury of corruption - on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit
The Wall Street Journal reports today on Best Buys aggressive anti-returns policy. The reason this looks, and is, ugly, is that it appears that the electronics retailer is violating consumer advertising fraud rules. Well get into more detail, but at a high level, Best Buy has hired a snoop service, Retail Equation, which apparently also serves other retailers.

Return fraud is a legitimate problem. Customers can and do try to return stolen items, or ones theyve broken or even merely used. The Journal reports that 11% of items bought at retail are returned, and of that, 11% (no typo) are believed to be fraudulent returns.

However, some online vendors are encouraging customers to view returns as integral to the purchase, and go to great lengths to make returns easy. For instance, many stores that sell shoes will include a UPS return tag. You dont need to call, you can just give the box to the UPS man if he comes regularly to your building or call to have him pick it up. You will be charged something modest for the return, like $6.95. But it is as close to frictionless as it can be made.

The problem with what Best Buy is doing is that it is advertising a not-very-restrictive returns policy, when in fact if you try returning goods too often, even if you are adhering perfectly to Best Buys advertised policy. Even though Best Buy is somewhat restrictive, its rules are supposedly clear: customers can return products in 15 days if they have a receipt.

But there is the stated policy versus the actual policy. From the Journal:

Jake Zakhar recently returned three cellphone cases at a Best Buy store in Mission Viejo, Calif., and a salesperson told him he would be banned from making returns and exchanges for a year. The 41-year-old real-estate agent had bought cases in extra colors as gifts for his sons and assumed he could bring back the unused ones within the 15 days stated in the return policy as long as he had a receipt. The salesperson told him to contact Retail Equation, based in Irvine, Calif., to request his return activity report, a history of his return transactions. The report showed only three itemsthe cellphone casestotaling $87.43. He asked the firm to lift the ban, but it declined. When he appealed to Best Buy and tweeted his report, the company referred him back to Retail Equation. Im being made to feel like I committed a crime, said Mr. Zakhar. When you say habitual returner, Im thinking 27 videogames and 14 TVs.

It is not clear that this policy is even remotely legal in light of Best Buy having a published policy that says nothing about limiting returns and that Best Buy is not claiming that Zakhar engaged in any kind of fraud. In fact, if he wanted to make an issue of it, he could pay on a credit card, return the merchandise, and then dispute the charge if Best Buy tried to refuse his attempt to return undamaged goods. He might need a buddy to film or otherwise provide proof of his effort to return goods.

While other merchants have been tightening their policies (the famously generous LL Bean standard of lifetime satisfaction has now been dialed down to a mere return in a year or less), discriminating by using an unaccountable third party also raises questions of discrimination that ought to raise red flags. It is not hard to imagine that these programs also filter by ZIP code, which is a proxy for general income ranges and also have their ethnic mixes well tracked by companies that specialize in consumer market segmentation. And this is consistent with the fact that the Journal depicts Retail Equation as giving consumers a score. Retail Equation lists some of the that can get you dinged:

Returning an item after a certain period Returning items that tend to get stolen at the retailer Returning a high dollar amount Returning an item just when a store closes

In other words, if you are a perfectly upstanding customer making a return that is kosher (goods in fine shape, valid original receipt), you still get dinged simply because someone who is engaging in fraud could engage in a behavior that has an element in common with what you did (return a costly item, show up near closing time).

And Retail Equation makes clear that having the misfortune to overlap with what they deem to be bad behavior, they deem you to be guilty:

The company said its system is designed to identify 1% of shoppers whose behaviors mimic return fraud or abuse.

This sounds like the statistical version of treating every black person in a hoodie as a thief. Seriously.

Per the Journal, Retail Equations other big name customers include Home Depot, J.C. Penney, Sephora and Victorias Secret, but they use the service mainly to report actual or strongly suspected fraud cases, not just We dont like them even if they are permitted returns. For instance, the story gives a second example, of a customer who was hassled for returning a mere digital scale and router extender, even though he had proper receipts. Best Buy made all sorts of sanctimonious noises about this being about misconduct, and theyd never never be doing this just to fatten their wallets by discouraging or denying returns, but their actions say otherwise.

Many Journal readers piped up in comments to argue that Best Buy was engaging in consumer fraud. For instance:

Patrick Moran There are at least two clear aspects to this heretofore undisclosed and material omission about the stores policy on returns. First, it would appear to be a deceptive trade practice. Second, since the third party service keeps return risk information and presumably provides information about customer As activity related to return risk, it very possibly could constitute a boycott and thus raises antitrust issues. A possible third aspect realates to privacy acts and credit reporting opening up thise state and federal issues as well as the possibility of libel actions in some states. Although the courts have clamped down on class action lawsuits this may be fertile ground for plaintiff lawyers as well. John Doggett What Best Buy is doing violates every consumer protection law I know about. And Ive been a lawyer since 1972. What they are doing is a version of the old Bait and Switch ruse. They lie to you about their return policy to get you to buy things when you are not sure you need them. But then, when you try to return them in accordance with their return policy, they tell you that you will be banned for a year or worse. That is illegal. The problem I have with Best Buys policy is that they create the illusion of transparency when they are anything but transparent. What they need to do is let every customer know that they view them as a potential criminal and are tracking their every return. If they are clear and upfront about their policy, what they are doing would be perfectly legal. But to blatantly lie about their return policy is illegal, IMHO. Ohan Karagozian Some cooky creep in Cucamonga, California casting bones and figuring out if you are a fraudster based on some algorithm he pulled out of his left nostril doesnt override the laws of the State in which the retailers are operating. Every single State requires retailers to post their return policy and many retailers also print their return policy on the receipt they provide a customer at time of purchase. Once the purchase is made, by law, the policy is valid as written/stated. This after-the-fact  ooooops, Ive changed my mind if I like you anymore  tactics by retailers are ILLEGAL. A deal is a deal and if the retailer says that he takes back merchandise and then reneges on the contract then you can file a complaint or you can sue.

Learn to love what Lambert calls code as law. Its not going away any time soon.
Yves here. Trump has a pattern of big talk, then backing down in terms of what he actually does. But there is a large business constituency that is sick of China stealing their intellectual property. The possible moves that Wolf describes below are very wide ranging. While other members of the corporate classes would very much not want dealing with China to get ugly, it is possible that Trump could implement a narrower version of the policy below. Barring visas for Chinese students attending US universities, for instance, takes money from the higher ed complex, which leans heavily Democratic party. And theres even an argument for that, since there is evidence that a lot of schools considerably relax their admission standards to let Chinese nationals in, and even in some cases charge them more than US students.

By Wolf Richter, a San Francisco based executive, entrepreneur, start up specialist, and author, with extensive international work experience. Originally published at Wolf Street

This is the big one. It makes steel and aluminum tariffs look like a game.

If this is true  it was leaked by a source familiar with international trade to the Nikkei Asian Review and isnt based on a White House announcement  then its going to add a lot of fuel to the already heated trade dispute between the US and China, and may ultimately make the steel and aluminum tariffs look like a game.

To punish China for its intellectual property theft, including IP infringements such as counterfeiting, and to retaliate against Chinese investment rules that require technology transfers to Chinese partners in order to set up shop in China, the Trump administration is considering a proposal by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) that would impose:

Tariffs on a large variety of Chinese products, including tech products and consumer goods like clothing.

Restrictions on investment by Chinese companies in the US, the first impact of which we have already seen by Trumps order yesterday blocking all Chinese takeovers of large US tech companies.

And limits on visas for certain Chinese nationals.

The USTR also urged US allies, including Japan, to implement similar measures and synchronize their policies, according to the source familiar with international trade, cited by the Nikkei Asian Review.

Germany, Japan, and other countries have long fumed over the required technology transfers to Chinese partners. At the same time, Chinese companies, often state-owned, have been on a shopping spree in Germany, going after robotics know-how and other industries, which has caused a lot of soul-searching in the business community in Germany. Japan too has long opposed Chinas intellectual property practices, as the Nikkei put it. Now the USTR has asked these countries to do something about it.

The probe by the USTR started in August last year, invoking Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974. The act, because it conflicts with WTO rules against imposing trade restrictions unilaterally, hasnt been used since 1995, when the WTO began sorting out trade disputes.

But in August 2017, the USTR announced that it had formally initiated an investigation of China under Section 301:

The investigation will seek to determine whether acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation are unreasonable or discriminatory and burden or restrict U.S. commerce.

The investigation would look into Chinese laws, policies, and practices which may be harming American intellectual property rights, innovation, or technology development.

Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, gives the U.S. Trade Representative broad authority to respond to a foreign countrys unfair trade practices. If USTR makes an affirmative determination of actionable conduct, it has the authority to take all appropriate and feasible action to obtain the elimination of the act, policy, or practice, subject to the direction of the President, if any. The statute includes authorization to take any actions that are within the Presidents power with respect to trade in goods or services, or any other area of pertinent relations with the foreign country.

Trump had pledged to crack down on the causes of the huge US trade deficit. In terms of the magnitude of the trade deficit, no country comes even close to China (chart shows China and Hong Kong combined due the transshipments via Hong Kong):

The trade deficit in goods alone was $796 billion in 2017, of which the deficit with China accounted for $342 billion. China exported to the US three times as much as it imported from the US.

Though the USTR has tried to get US allies on board, at least the Japanese government rejected the proposal, saying that it would be difficult to implement since Japan lacks a law similar to Section 301, a US trade official told the Nikkei. The official said that Japan had proposed instead a joint suit against China via the WTO. That would make sense to say for Japan; it has only a small trade deficit with China/Hong Kong and in many months a trade surplus.

That the Trump administration invoked Section 301 rattled the Chinese government. In February, it sent its top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, to Washington on a fence-mending mission. This resolved nothing. At the beginning of March, it sent President Xi Jinpings top economic adviser, Liu He, for a bigger five-day fence-mending mission.

It was doomed from the beginning. China had planned to send a delegation of about 40 people along with Liu He, sources told the SCMP, but the US government objected, and in the end the delegation was cut to about 10.

Liu met with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and White House economic adviser Gary Cohn, and afterward announced Chinas intention to reduce its trade surplus with the US. According to the SCMP, Chinese state media portrayed Lius mission positively.

But on March 7, after the mission was over, Trump tweeted: The U.S. is acting swiftly on Intellectual Property theft. We cannot allow this to happen as it has for many years! It seems to have been an apt suggestion that the USTRs proposal was on the way. The proposals drastic remedies and the chance that Trump would support them might have been the real reason why Cohn quit, rather than the now softened steel and aluminum tariffs that seemed to be hitting the wrong targets.

Trumps Executive Order blocked not only the $117-billion hostile takeover of Qualcomm, but any substantially equivalent foreign takeover in the future. Read Trumps Order Stops ALL Foreign Takeovers of Large US Tech Companies
By Lambert Strether of Corrente.

Readers, I am sure that by now you know that I dont trust reporting on our elections very much. I especially dont trust story selection (the narrative), but I dont trust horse-race stories or candidate profiles much, either[1]. Yet I also regard the upcoming midterm elections as consequential: Democrat control of the House would at once make impeachment more likely[2] and provide a check on the Adminstrations power. Moreover, the shape and direction of the slow-moving legitimacy crisis we are experiencing depends crucially on the strength of parties, especially the Democrat Party (since in the triple balance of forces between conservatives, liberals, and an emergent left, the greatest brand confusion exists between the latter two, both of whom are (mostly) housed in the Democrat party apparatus, the DSA and the GP excepted). However, to construct my own, presumably more trustworthy, narrative I need to start with coherent data that the press does not provide, so I can show my work. Hence this ongoing worksheet.

This week I want to look at two questions, the first of which you will remember from an excellent, but sadly link-free series at the World Socialist Web Site (CIA Democrats). For the seats that Inside Elections considers Likely, Tilting, Leaning and Toss-up Democrat  that is, the seats the Democrats must win to have the faintest hope of regaining control of the House  how prevalent are:

1) M ilitary/ I ntelligence/ l aw enforcement/ o ther (MILO[3]) candidates

2) Groups backing candidates, whether liberal or on the left

(Im limiting the data to the seats listed above on the assumption that, all other things being equal, political operatives will contest the seats that are easiest to win most hotly. In future, Ill expand Table I deeper into the Red, to seats that lean Republican.) I should emphasize that Im constructing this worksheet to not to handicap the race, fascinating though that is; rather, Im seeking to understand and document the obfuscated obscure puzzling institutional structure of the Democratic Party (see here and here), using the candidates who run on the Democrat ticket as a lens, in order to better understand the role of the parties in our legitimacy crisis, which (I would argue) first broke into the open with the faithess electors controversy orchestrated by Democrats following election 2016.

So Ive added a new column, Democratic Challengers, to Table I. (The previous version is here.) In this post, Ill explain the methodology and answer the questions, below the table, but before you skip over it, I encourage you to click on a random assortment of challengers (each candidate name is a link, so Im showing my work). Not only will this give you a sense of the enormity of the country, and the differences between regions, you may find yourself encouraged by some of the candidates. I like the retired rancher from Arizona, the yoyo salesman from Florida, and the techie with Aspergers from Nevada. Theres also a forensic accountant or two.

So to methodology. Using the Inside Election candidates list to gather the states, districts, names of the challengers, I went through BallotPedia. Each challenger has a BallotPedia page; from that page, I looked for the candidates bio, ideally on their campaign site  not all candidates, even electeds, have sites, and some sites are broken  and otherwise in news stories, either linked to by BallotPedia or found in a Google search. (Then, I looked for insurgent backers who had endorsed challengers, from the pages of Our Revolution, Justice Democrats, Brand New Congress, Emilys List, and (of course) the DCCC[4]. Indivisible has not yet endorsed any candidates). I then keyed all candidates using the notation in the Legend. So here are the results:

Table 1: Worksheet on House Races, Election 2018 (2018-03-14).

Toss-ups: 10; Tilt D: 7; Lean D: 3; Likely D: 5

LEGEND

Biography: m, i, l, o (MILO) Military, Intelligence, Law Enforcement, Other)

Backers: BN, EL, IN, JD, OR; DCCC; DP; S: Brand New Congress, Emilys List, Indivisible, Justice Democrats, Our Revolution; DCCC; Democrat Party, whether elected, staffer, official, etc.; inspired by Sanders.

Bio keys are m, i, l, and o) for Military, Intelligence, Law Enforcement, and Other (except I didnt find any Others this time[5]). A candidate who worked for the CIA is keyed i. A candidate who worked in Law enforcement and the military is keyed lm. Law Enforcement is concieved broadly, including not only police but district attorneys.

Backer keys are BN, EL, IN, JD, OR, and DCCC, Brand New Congress, Emilys List, Indivisible, Justice Democrats, Our Revolution, and (of course) the DCCC. In addition, there is a DP key, for members of the Democrat Party network, elected and otherwise, and S, for challengers inspired by Sanders.

Before answering the questions, a little data. By munging the Challenger column in a text editor, I find that by my count  Full Disclosure: They never let me help in the shipping room, because Im bad at counting  111 total challengers, who break down as follows:

MILO: 26/111 (23%), of which intelligence (3), law enforcement (7), military and law enforcement (5), military (11).

DP: 39/111 (35%)

DCCC + EL: 15/111 (13.5%)

JD + OR+ BN: 8/111 (7%)

So, to answer our two questions:

1) Yes, MILO candidates are prevalent. One quarter of the candidates fall into this bucket, far in excess of their percentage in the population. If I had to speculate, this is not a consequence  barring obvious edge cases, like Mikie Sherrill or Shelley Chauncey  of nefarious elite plotting, but rather a result of career choices in the professional class that is the Democrats base, along with militarism in that same class (including militarization of the police).

2) Yes, groups backing candidates are prevalent. Liberal backers (DCCC and Emilys List) at 15 outweigh Left backers (Brand New Congress, Justice Democrats, and Our Revolution) at 8. Combined, the 23 endorsements are 20% of the total candidates.

We can glean a few other factoids from our figures:

3) Democrat Party electeds, staffers, and officials are prevalent at 35% of the total candidates (unsurprisingly, in a functioning political party).

4) Looking at patterns within the columns, Liberal backers and Left Backers very rarely compete by investing in the same seats.

5) Based on this data, Sanders has not encouraged many people to run for the House. (In this iteration of Table I, I found a single example; my impression from the previous iteration is that there were more. In any case, Our Revolution is endorsing many, many more candidates at lower levels, and thats probably a wise thing. Running for office is hard!)

* * *

Institutionally, the conclusion I draw  which may, of course, by modified as more candidates enter the race, or as I move further into red territory  is that the left, at the candidate level, isnt going to be splitting, let alone controlling, the Democrat Party in 2018; they simply dont have the candidates. If the left is to do either, it will have to be at the voter level, not the party or candidate level. Horrible as it may seem, from an institutional perspective  as in the Iron Law of Institutions  the liberal Democrat establishment might be right: The way to win the next election  and maintain their institutional positions bien sur  is indeed to win over wealthy suburban Republicans, especially women. The left has the policies to deliver universal concrete material benefits to a suffering American people  #MedicareForAll, primarily, though the Jobs Guarantee is coming up fast on the outside  but policies dont win elections. Candidates do. This says nothing about tactics or strategy; Im also not asking what victory looks like, in 2018 or 2020. I simply describe the terrain today.

* * *

Id also be very grateful for more information on these races, and also for corrections  arithmetical and otherwise!

NOTES

[1] The apparent menage a trois  if, indeed, not open plural marriage  between factions of the intelligence community, opposition researchers, and pliant reporters isnt a confidence-builder either, particularly when anonymous sources are involved.

[2] Unless leader Pelosi, perhaps calculating that its better to leave Trump twist slowly, twist slowly in the wind, betrays her base as she did on November 8, 2006, and takes impeachment off the table.

[3] And everybody has a share.

[4] I used these groups because they showed up in candidate bios or news coverage, unlike MoveOn, DFA, etc. Perhaps I will add those groups, and other groups, at a later date.

[5] I didnt find any White Walkers, either.
IFA President Joe Healy visited farms in the south-east, which were particularly badly impacted by the effects of Storm Emma, last week.

He said farmers are starting to take stock of the damage caused by Storm Emma.

While the storm itself has moved on, farmers are now coming to terms with the impact of the weather at farm level. This storm came at the worst possible time with calving and lambing in full swing Joe Healy said

The IFA President said farmers are facing very severe damage to their farms and farm buildings as well as losses of stock. In addition, the very poor weather will have a negative impact on grass growth and put pressure on already tight fodder supplies.

Joe Healy said farmers are worried in relation to sheep on mountains and hills. He said significant difficulties are also arising on lowland farms where farmers were unable to get ewes and new born lambs out because of the conditions.

The IFA President said many growers in the soft fruit and nursery stock sectors have also been very badly hit by the heavy snowfall, which in cases has caused tunnels and glass houses to collapse, destroying plants.
Eleven budding teenage entrepreneurs have been selected to represent Tipperary at the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals in Croke Park.

The young entrepreneurs will represent their Local Enterprise Office and their county at the Student Enterprise Programme showpiece on the 2nd May.

Every September, entrepreneurial secondary school students across the country begin their business journey as they are encouraged to brainstorm, create and run their own businesses. In September 2017 over 23,000 students from 480 schools nationwide begun their entrepreneurial journey with the help of their teachers and their Local Enterprise Office (LEO).

Colaite Dun Iascaigh Cahir, 1st prize winners in the intermediate section of the Student Enterprise awards in LIT Thurles,- - Sinead Carr Director of Services, Tipperry County Council; students Morgan Lambert, Sean Cunningham, Cian O'Brien and Callum McGrath; with Cllr Roger Kennedy.

This year almost 1,400 students from 24 Tipperary schools took part in the county competition which culminated in the County Final held on Friday 9th March at the LIT Thurles Campus involving 190 students with 67 projects representing 22 schools.

In the Junior Category, the students representing Tipperary at the National Finals will be David Kennedy, Oisin Dillon-ORourke and Jack Egan from the CBS High School, Clonmel with their business JOD Enterprises.

Leah Jones, Loreto Secondary School, Clonmel, who won 2nd prize in the Intermediate section of the Student Enterprise Awards in LIT Thurles, with Sinead Carr and Cllr Roger Kennedy.

In the Intermediate Category, Morgan Lambert, Sean Cunningham, Cian O'Brien, Callum McGrath from Colaiste Dun Iascaigh, Cahir with their business Ushield will be representing the county in Croke Park.

In the Senior Category of the competition, Tipperary will be represented on 2nd May by Dylan Murphy, Billy Howard, Darragh Spillane, Cathal Spillane from St. Joseph's CBS, Nenagh with their project DCBD Helmet Visor.

Sean Prendergast, from Scoil Ruain, Killenaule with his business entry WOOD won the Entrepreneurial Award worth 250. This was the second year of this special award sponsored by Allied Irish Bank.

Special guests at the Tipperary Final included Cllr. Roger Kennedy, Leas-Cathaoirleach, Tipperary County Council, Eoghan Sadlier, Head of Department of Business LIT, Niall Hogan, Manager Allied Irish Bank, Thurles, Adjudicator and Sponsor, Colin Baker, Back from the Future/TV 3, Shannon Forrest, Fethard Horse Country Experience in addition to this years Adjudicators; Eleanor Forrest, Enterprise Ireland, Fiona Browne, LIT, Patsy Coonety, LIT, Toss Hayes, retired CEO, STCEB and Kate Walshe, Tipperary Green Business Network . The Student Enterprise Programme is Co-ordinated by the Local Enterprise Offices in every Local Authority area and the competition is the most successful student enterprise programme of its kind in the country.

Carrick on Suir CBS students Adam Byrne, Ronan Phelan, Ronan O'Connell, Quin O'Donnell and Eamonn Cuddihy were third in the Junior Category with Kippins and Co.

The success of the Student Enterprise Programme is down to the entrepreneurial spirit of the students involved and the Rita Guinan, Head of Enterprise Tipperary was quick to praise this years entrants.

She said - Every year we are astounded by the ideas and the business savvy that these students have acquired at such a young age. They really are a credit to their teachers and school staff who have helped to nurture this talent. The Student Enterprise Programme is growing appeal every year and we hope to see many of these excellent young students coming through the door of their local LEO in the years to come.

Gaelcholaiste Cheitinn Clonmel, 3rd prize winners in the senior section at the Student Enterprise awards in LIT Thurles.

We wish todays winners all the very best as they go on to represent their county at the National Finals in Croke Park in May.
The UK briefed the North Atlantic Council today on the use of a nerve agent in Salisbury on 4 March.

The UK confirmed the use of a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia and briefed Allies that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible. The UK also confirmed that this was an indiscriminate and reckless attack against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk.

Allies expressed deep concern at the first offensive use of a nerve agent on Alliance territory since NATOs foundation. Allies expressed solidarity with the UK, offered their support in the conduct of the ongoing investigation, and called on Russia to address the UKs questions including providing full and complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Allies agreed that the attack was a clear breach of international norms and agreements.

Since its entry into force in 1997, the Chemical Weapons Convention has become one of the pillars of the global non-proliferation regime. The Convention prohibits the development, transfer and use of chemical weapons. States Parties to the Convention take on a duty to uphold and enforce its fundamental tenets. States Parties commit not to develop, produce or otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, nor to transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to anyone. States Parties also undertake not to engage in any military preparations to use chemical weapons, nor to commit to assist, encourage or induce anyone to engage in prohibited activity.

NATO has repeatedly condemned the use of chemical weapons in Syria and called on those responsible to be held to account. NATO regards any use of chemical weapons as a threat to international peace and security.
(Natural News) One of the greatest scams of the 21st century started with former vice president Al Gore, who influentially introduced the concept of global warming to the world. Now, the truth about Gores global warming scam is documented in a new book by Marc Morano, titled, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Climate Change, available at Barnes and Noble.

At the turn of the century, Al Gores assets totaled between $780,000 and $1.9 million. After years of scaring the public with threat of global warming and convincing legislators to invest taxpayer money into climate change initiatives, Gores wealth multiplied. By 2007, Gores net worth was well in excess of $100 million. Gore had successfully used a climate panic to sway the government to invest in the economic sectors he was poised and ready to profit from. Under the Obama administration, taxpayer money flooded Gores investments, with energy stimulus packages awarding Gores tremendous hoodwink on the public.

Al Gore, the worlds first carbon billionaire

MIT scientist Richard Lindzen called Gore out for wanting to become the first carbon billionaire. By 2008, Gore put $300 million into a campaign to promote climate fears while offering carbon reduction solutions that benefited the firms he was invested in. In fact, when the Obama Administration introduced a renewable energy solution for the economy, fourteen of the tech firms Gore was invested in had received and/or benefited from over $2.5 billion in loans, grants, and tax breaks. Indeed, Gore had become the first carbon billionaire.

Congressman Fred Upton from Michigan called out Gore for using his circle of influence within the investment world and in Washington to profit off taxpayer funds. Global warming had done nothing but make Al Gore and his friends rich, while siphoning off billions of dollars from the taxpayers of the U.S. (For more on this topic, visit ClimateScienceNews.com.)

Global warming beneficiaries threaten skeptics while the future looks bright for more carbon billionaires looking to benefit from geoengineering

Where there is a great amount of money to uphold a dogma, there are threats to silence those who challenge that dogma. Thats exactly what has happened over the years when scientists disagree with the theory of global warming. In 2014, the Gawker website urged that climate denialists should face jail time. Headlines such as Arrest Climate-Change Deniers attacked global warming skeptics by calling them Criminally negligent and demanding that Its time to punish the climate-change liars. Fake environmentalist David Suzuki called for government leaders who are skeptical of global warming to be thrown in jail. I really believe that people like the former prime minister of Canada should be thrown in jail for willful blindness, he mouthed off.

The dogmatic war on carbon will lead to more calculated investments. The newest solutions for combating global warming are geoengineering schemes. Scientists, such as David Keith from Harvard University are proposing ways to spray the Earths upper atmosphere with light-reflecting particles to block the suns heat. The firms that will benefit from the blanketing of the Earths skies will deal in sulfur, aluminum, lithium, and barium. Chemtrails are being witnessed in many places as geoengineering becomes public knowledge, exiting the realm of conspiracy theory. Even though the UN is no longer backing infeasible geoengineering projects, investors will be looking for new ways to be the solution to global warming by spraying the worlds skies with chemicals. The corruption of Al Gores global warming crusade will continue on into the future, as nefarious forces attempt to cash in on the fears by spraying the Earths skies.

Follow more news on climate science at Climate.news.

Sources include:

ClimateDepot.com

ClimatescienceNews.com

ClimateScienceNews.com

Wattsupwiththat.com
(Natural News) The idea that robots will replace entry-level workers in places likes supermarkets has been around for quite some time now. As a matter of fact, an online retail giant has already gone ahead and implemented the idea in its own experimental stores called Amazon Go, where customers can walk in, take whatever items they want, and walk out without needing to talk with anyone or hand over any money or credit information to anything, as the payment for whatever products they buy will be charged directly to their Amazon account.

Its a simple idea, but the Chinese want to take it even further. Chinese search engine Baidu has started conducting its own experiments related to the subject of using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and robotics in retail stores. But instead of just displacing low-level workers like cashiers and stockmen, they want to implement new technology that could take away the jobs of supermarket managers as well.

According to a report from the South China Morning Post, Baidus plan revolves around the use of A.I. to tell, with great accuracy, the exact quantity of food products that are needed in order to meet customer demands without creating any excess waste that needs to be disposed by the end of the day. It does this by using historical data from a total of 70 different metrics, which include store food purchases, sales, festivals, and even the weather. The Beijing-based company is currently testing an algorithm that takes all of this and comes up with actionable data that could somehow make store managers entirely obsolete.

Of course, the intention of Baidu is not to cause supermarket managers grief. Rather, the idea is to cut back on expenses even further, not just by removing the managers but also by reducing the amount of wasted products that need to be thrown out because they werent purchased by customers by their proverbial data of expiry. This is especially true of fresh food products, which need to be cleared out quickly. Otherwise, they will just end up in the garbage disposal.

According to Liu Yongfeng, the senior project manager of Baidus deep learning platform and the person in charge of this whole project, they are already looking forward to deploying the technology based on their current model some time later this year. We expect to bring the technology to about 200 stores in central Chinas Wuhan city in 2018 through our partnership with convenience store chain Today, she explained. The more data we can gather, the higher the accuracy we can achieve.

With the current rise of A.I. applications in the retail industry, this move by Baidu should be of no surprise to anyone. And when even China, where the costs of labor are known to be the lowest in the entire world, wants to save money even further by eliminating more jobs held by human workers, you know thats something worth paying attention to.

According to Wen Ying, the branding director of Today Convenience, the move is necessary to solve other problems in the industry. Instead of focusing on customer experience, retailers can turn to this new technology to try and solve an industry-wide challenge. Time is money in the fresh food business. We have to throw away all food not sold within 24 hours, said Wen. For now, the demand prediction is all based on human experience.

However, Wen also notes that the employee turnover rate, especially for supermarket managers, is rather high in the business. More often than now, an experienced store managers leaves without passing on his or her knowledge to their successor, Wen explained. With the technology offered by Baidu, we can make sure our store managers order the right quantity of rice boxes even when they dont have enough experience.

That it will help save supermarkets money is a certainty. But whether or not thats good for humanity in the long run remains a mystery.

Find out more about tomorrows robotic solutions for todays problems in Robotics.news.

Sources include:

SCMP.com

TodayOnline.com
(Natural News) In recent days reports surfaced that action star, former California governor and former champion bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger was plotting with attorneys to file lawsuits against Big Oil, charging the companies with first-degree murder.

Schwarzenegger, who has in recent years taken up the cause of global warming and climate change despite a lack of evidence that human activity is causing either or that fossil fuels are responsible said at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, that he sees it as no different from the smoking issue.

The tobacco industry knew for years and years and years and decades, that smoking would kill people, would harm people and create cancer, and were hiding that fact from the people and denied it, he said.

The oil companies knew from 1959 on, they did their own study that there would be global warming happening because of fossil fuels, and on top of it that it would be risky for peoples lives, that it would kill.

Well.

Mind you, Schwarzenegger is no climate expert or climate scientist, though no doubt he could certainly play one on TV.

However, many real climate scientists not only dont believe the actors hypothesis, they dont accept his premise and theyve seen no data substantiating his claims. Other experts concur.

As reported by The Daily Caller, several major studies that have served as predictors of future global warming have relied on overheated economic models coupled with poor underlying assumptions.

Studies that produce very high estimates of the economic and social costs of projected climate change while ignoring or downplaying the possibility of adaptation and obscuring the inaccuracy of underlying estimates  are distinctly unhelpful, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Oren Cass wrote in a March report. (Related: Climate change science implodes as IPCC climate models found to be totally wrong  temperatures arent rising as predicted  hoax unraveling.)

The researcher said he examined models and assumptions used in major economic studies about global warming, two of which have been used by the U.S. Government Accountability Office to estimate damages by the end of the 21st century (and recommend policies based upon those estimates, no doubt).

What he found was that the studies results were extremely flawed.

Properly understood, temperature studies do not offer useful predictions of the future costs of projected human-caused climate change, Cass wrote in a study published Monday.

He noted further that while flawed these studies have gained rapidly in prominence and now account for the overwhelming share of costs in climate assessments.

If your studies are flawed, then your decisions regarding government economic and environmental policies, each of which come with a cost, will similarly be flawed.

Theres more. A pair of recent essays on climate change/global warming warn that the threat, such as it is, does not warrant the level of panic and anxiety associated with the issue, mostly by those on the Left.

Writing in the Scientific American, a publication that traditionally promotes the man-caused global warming myth, John Horgan cites mega-pundit Steven Pinker, who wrote in The Breakthrough Journal that theres no need to panic over environmental issues. Pinker also notes something that the far-Left environmental movement refuses to acknowledge: That modernization has led to substantial, life-changing progress for humanity.

While it is true that not all the trends are positive, nor that the problems facing us are minor, it is crucial to understand that environmental problems, like other problems, are solvable, given the right knowledge, Pinker wrote.

He added that industrialization has been good for humanity. It has fed billions, doubled lifespans, slashed extreme poverty, and, by replacing muscle with machinery, made it easier to end slavery, emancipate women, and educate children. It has allowed people to read at night, live where they want, stay warm in winter, see the world, and multiply human contact. Any costs in pollution and habitat loss have to be weighed against these gifts.

Horgan also cited Will Boisvert, who wrote in The Conquest of Climate, How bad will climate change be? Not very.

Weather happens. Climates change. Global temperatures go up and they go down. And all this happens on its own, not because humans cause these changes.

I predict a court will someday instruct Mr. Schwarzenegger on this reality.

J.D. Heyes is also editor-in-chief of The National Sentinel.

Sources include:

ScientificAmerican.com

DailyCaller.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
(Natural News) Hollywood mega-star and former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger used to drive a gas-guzzling Hummer and was criticized in 2008 for using a private jet almost daily to commute from his Brentwood home to his office in Sacramento.

But that was then. Today, the former professional bodybuilding champion is a champion of global warming and climate change, and because he is he believes he has the singular right and duty to make your future commutes as expensive as possible.

As reported by Politico Magazine, Schwarzenegger announced at the annual SXSW event in Austin, Texas, that he was in talks with private attorneys over plans to sue big oil companies for  now get this  knowingly killing people all over the world.

This is no different from the smoking issue. The tobacco industry knew for years and years and years and decades, that smoking would kill people, would harm people and create cancer, and were hiding that fact from the people and denied it. Then eventually they were taken to court and had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars because of that, Schwarzenegger said.

The oil companies knew from 1959 on, they did their own study that there would be global warming happening because of fossil fuels, and on top of it that it would be risky for peoples lives, that it would kill, he continued.

Were going to go after them, and were going to be in there like an Alabama tick. Because to me, its absolutely irresponsible to know that your product is killing people and not have a warning label on it, like tobacco, he said. Every gas station on it, every car should have a warning label on it, every product that has fossil fuels should have a warning label on it. (Related: Oil pipeline company sues Greenpeace for racketeering, defamation, inciting violence and instigating eco-terrorism.)

Schwarzenegger appears to be referencing a prediction made by nuclear weapons physicist Edward Teller, who warned about energy patterns of the future in a speech in November 1959 to more than 300 government officials, economists, historians, scientists, and industry executives attending the Energy and Man symposium, which was organized by the American Petroleum Institute and the Columbia Graduate School of Business.

In his speech, he warned of increased carbon dioxide levels due to the burning of fossil fuels, which would lead to higher global temperatures and the melting of polar ice caps.

Has that happened? Yes, to some extent. But are any changes to weather and climate patterns and temperatures due to the burning of fossil fuels?

We dont know that, despite what Schwarzenegger claims and despite what the Alt-Left says.

To date, there has been much speculation that the burning of fossil fuels has led to changes in weather and climate, but no hard data to back it up. So for Californias former governor to claim that the oil industry has known since 1959 that its products are killing people isnt just hyperbole, it borders on the criminally negligent.

But giving a speech at the annual SXSW event and making wild, baseless claims is one thing; proving your allegations in a court of law is something else entirely. And thus far, no one has been able to do so, despite having knowledge of and access to the very same statements made by Teller in 1959.

That said, the state of New York has also filed suit against Big Oil, making similar claims. What if that suit is ultimately successful? What if Schwarzeneggers effort bears fruit this time around?

You can kiss affordable fuels goodbye, for such a ruling would essentially bankrupt the oil giants (and Im not entirely convinced thats not the state of New Yorks goal  extract billions from Big Oil to fund an increasingly large welfare state).

That means higher prices for gas, which will come out of consumers pockets. It means higher prices for diesel, which will be reflected in higher prices for everything that moves by truck or rail. It will mean higher prices for heating in the winter and cooling in the summer.

None of which will affect the multi-millionaire Schwarzenegger or the well-compensated New York attorneys.

J.D. Heyes is editor of The National Sentinel and a senior writer for Natural News and News Target.

Sources include:

Politico.com

NASDAQ.com

ClimateScienceNews.com
United Airlines confirms that a dog died on a flight from Houston to New York-LaGuardia on Monday, after a flight attendant required the pet be placed in an overhead baggage bin.

This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, a United spokesperson said on Tuesday. The carriers statement on the matter continued: Pets should never be placed in the overhead bin.

Maggie Gremminger, who says she was aboard flight 1284, described an emotional scene when the plane landed in New York. She said the dog owner retrieved the pet carrier from the overhead bin and immediately realized her small, black French Bulldog had not survived the flight.

It was just limp, lifeless, Gremminger said of the dogs body. I cant stop seeing that image in my head.

Gremminger says she was seated one row behind the pet owner. She recalled that during boarding, three hours earlier, a flight attendant believed that the Bulldog owners pet carrier posed a safety hazard. It was taking up too much space on the floor underneath the seat in front of the pet owner. So, it had to go in the overhead bin.

Gremminger said the dog owner objected and explained that there was a dog inside the bag.

I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken. pic.twitter.com/mjXYAhxsAq  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

She was very firm, Gremminger said. But there wasnt a scene, she recalled.

Ultimately, the passenger complied with the flight attendant.

Gremminger said she could hear the dog barking a few times during the flight.

Then it stopped, she said.

Chicago-based United said it was completing a full investigation of the events that occurred on flight 1284. However, the airline also accepted responsibility for the dogs death.

We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them, the airline said.

United did not answer NBC Bay Areas questions about the employment status of the flight attendant, except to say that an investigation is underway. The airline also did not respond to questions about whether law enforcement had been involved.

It is unclear whether the results of Uniteds investigation will be made public.

The labor union that represents United flight attendants, The Association of Flight Attendants, called the incident an accident.

This was clearly a terrible accident, the AFA said. There is not a single flight attendant working for any airline who would knowingly direct a passenger to put their pet in an overhead bin.

The episode highlights a quandary for airline customers. On one hand, a passenger might want to stand up to an out-of-line flight attendant; on the other hand, federal law requires passengers to comply with crewmember instructions. Violators can be removed from a flight and, in some cases, charged with a crime.

It is unclear what prompted the flight attendant on United flight 1284 to require that the dog be placed in an overhead bin.

Eighteen animals died in Uniteds care in 2017, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. The airline told the DOT that another 13 animals were injured during transit in 2017. The government data does not indicate how many pets were in the passenger cabin versus the cargo hold.

United carries more animals that any other U.S. airline, but animals die or are injured in its care at a rate more than four times higher than other airlines. According to the DOT data, United reported 2.24 incidents per 10,000 animals; other airlines averaged just .55 incidents per 10,000.

Uniteds website says it is a proud member of the International Pet and Animal Transport Association. IPATA says it was founded in 1979 to provide professional, competent and caring pet transportation.

A request for comment from IPATA was not immediately returned.

Gremminger said the flight attendant who had ordered the pet carrier be placed in the overhead bin on flight 1284 was shocked when she learned of the dogs death.

She was frazzled, Gremminger said. She tried to hug the woman.

Gremminger applauded United for its swift response  both by LaGuardia airport employees and at the corporate level. She said she hopes all airlines will learn from this tragedy and reexamine their training to ensure it does not occur again.
San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim plans to bypass the usual protocols of government in order to get her $2.5 million "clean streets" proposal heard before the full Board of Supervisors next month.

The plan was voted down during a budget committee hearing last week; however, Kim tells the Investigative Unit she has the support of three of her fellow supervisors to take advantage of a rarely used legislative tactic that could force the entire board to vote on the proposal, despite the plan failing to gain enough support during the committee process.

"Every year we have increased our budget for street cleaning services, and every year we are not meeting the demand as it increases.," Kim said. "It's just completely unacceptable that our children have to walk around needles and feces."

NBC Bay Area

Kim proposed spending $2.5 million in surplus city funds to bolster the amount of staff and equipment at the city's Public Works Deparment. Her plan calls for an additional 20 street cleaners, an 8 percent increase to the city's current total of 248 positions. Two additional two street sweeping machines would also be added as part of the plan.

"It's irresponsible of me to support a one-off spending proposal while we're trying to build a holistic, transparent, priority-driven and balanced budget," said Supervisor Malia Cohen, who chairs the Budget and Finance Subcommittee.

NBC Bay Area

Cohen, speaking during last week's committee hearing, voiced opposition to Kim's proposal and insisted that such a spending proposal go through the stanfard budgetary process, the next round of which won't be approved until July. Bypassing that process, she said, should be done only for emergencies. "This particular request does not quite reach that threshold," she said.

"I think the conditions of our streets are a state of emergency," Kim told the Investigative Unit. She points out that the board has used leftover budget funds to pay for urgent services like HIV care, homeless outreach teams, and lawyers for unaccompanied youth.

In a 2-1 vote, Kim's proposal failed to garner enough support to move on from the committee hearing to the full board. Supervisors Catherine Stefani and Malia Cohen voted against the measure while Sandra Lee Fewer voted in favor.

Kim now intends to utilize a rarely used strategy to circumvent the committee''s lack of support. If she gathers support, and signatures, from three or more supervisors, she can invoke Board Rule 3.36, which allows her to bypass the budget committes and bring her proposal directly to the full board. Kim intends to introduce the proposal during the April 3 board meeting, which would allow for a vote on the plan on April 10.

Clean streets have become a rallying cry in Kim's campaign for mayor. Her campaign website includes the banner "Jane Kim Means Clean Streets."

NBC Bay Area

Frankie Gonzalez manages Cafe Roma on Bryant Street and blames the amount of nearby filth on what he describes as about a 15 percent drop in business over the past three years.

"We pride ourselves on getting good ratings and stuff, but its hard to keep it clean when you walk in on the dirty streets and then you track it inside the store," he said. "We have to bleach the floors and stuff like that at night."

Gonzalez spots needles and filth nearly every day around the coffee shop, which rests within Kim's district, which includes SOMA and the Tenderloin.

"I have so many customers that mail order our coffee because they don't want to come to San Francisco any more," said Lisa Dedes, who co-owns the coffee shop with Gonzalez.

"We pay our taxes. They should be cleaning up."

NBC Bay Area

______________________________________
San Leandro High School, which was placed on lockdown Wednesday after graffiti threatening a shooting was found on the Bay Area campus, will be closed Thursday, according to school officials.

The lockdown Wednesday was lifted a few hours later after the campus was deemed clear, but school officials decided to close the campus Thursday out of caution because the threat indicated the violence would occur on Thursday, according to Mike McLaughlin, superintendent for the San Leandro Unified School District.

"My son text[ed] me and then called me and said, 'Mom, someone threatening to shoot up the school. It's on social media. They got us on lockdown. Please come get me,'" parent Samaya Nu said.



After the lockdown was lifted at about 1 p.m., students were dismissed early for the day, McLaughlin said in a letter to parents.

The lockdown came at the same time as thousands students across the nation walked out of class to both remember the 17 people killed during last month's school shooting in Florida and speak out against gun violence.

Just minutes before the San Leandro High School lockdown was issued, students were photographed holding a sign reading "It Could Be Us Next," according to a student at the school.

"We wanted our voices to be heard for the nation wide walk [out] at 10," the student tweeted. "Such irony is sad."

John Muir Middle School also was placed on lockdown Wednesday after a "copycat" incident, McLaughlin said.

"After a sweep of the school, it was determined there was no threat, and students were released at the regular dismissal time," McLaughlin said.

Police said both schools were placed on lockdown as a precaution so that officials could thoroughly inspect the campuses.
Ten officers fired 99 rounds at a 19-year-old who was hiding in the trunk of a Honda Civic, allegedly armed with a gun, fatally striking him about 25 times last week in San Francisco's Mission District, police revealed Monday night at a town hall meeting.

Hundreds of Mission residents packed the auditorium of Cesar Chavez Elementary School for the meeting, including the family of Jesus Adolfo Delgado-Duarte, the victim of the officer-involved shooting that occurred March 6 around 10:35 p.m. near the corner of Capp and 21st streets.

Police released several different videos of the incident, which began when two people reported being robbed at gunpoint by the occupants of a black Honda Civic.

At least one video shows Delgado-Duarte running from the sidewalk and jumping into the trunk of a black Honda just before a patrol car arrives and pulls the Honda over, followed by several other police cars soon after.

A body-worn camera shows officers yelling several commands at the driver, identified as 19-year-old Victor Navarro Flores, to exit the vehicle before he eventually does so and is detained. Officers then yelled several commands at Delgado-Duarte, first in English and then in Spanish, as he lay in the Honda's trunk, which was ajar.

According to police, an officer fired a beanbag round at Delgado-Duarte, but a short time later Delgado-Duarte fired a gun from inside the trunk and that's when officers fired their weapons, killing him.

After the shooting, an 18-year-old woman who was still inside the car was ordered out and detained. She was apparently uninjured.

Officers later recovered a 9 mm handgun from the Honda's trunk, police said.

Police have not yet released the names of the 10 officers who fired their weapons.

In attendance at the meeting were San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott, Major Crimes Unit Capt. Valerie Matthews, Mission District Capt. Gaetano Caltagirone and Paul Henderson, executive director of the Department of Police Accountability.

A visibly upset crowd reacted to the videos, at times shouting "murderers!" in Spanish.

Susana Rojas, a spokeswoman for Delgado-Duarte's family, said, "We don't know what happened that night. ... But that wasn't who they knew. He was good son."

Rojas described Delgado-Duarte as family-oriented man who was saving up to buy his father a car so that his father didn't have to walk because he had recently had a toe amputated from diabetes.

Delgado-Duarte had lived most of life in San Francisco, coming from Mexico with his family when he was young and attending Bryant Elementary School, Aptos Middle School and Life Learning Academy Charter School, according to Rojas.

Jim Dudley, who spent 30 years in the San Francisco Police Department and now teaches criminal justice at San Francisco State, said he believes the use of force was justified.

"Thats what officers are trained to do, is stop the threat," Dudley said. "Not to shoot to kill, but to stop the threat. And at what point do you delay and pause for a reaction to see if you did stop the threat?"

Delgado-Duarte's death is being investigated by several different agencies separately, including the Police Department's homicide detail, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, the Department of Police Accountability, the SFPD Internal Affairs Division.
Students will hold a nationwide walkout Wednesday morning calling for immediate action on gun control--including here in the Chicago area.

The day marks the one month anniversary of the deadly high school shooting in Florida.

Some students met Tuesday night at St. Sabina church to help share their message ahead of the walkout.

"I lost family members and friends to violence," Kirsten Sanders said at the meeting said. "And I just wanted to help change, change at least a little bit."

They want to be armed with books, not guns and they want the same for their teachers, they say.

Theyre part of an organization at St. Sabina church called BRAVE: Bold Resistance Against Violence Everywhere.

Theyve created signs with powerful messages promoting what they say is fairness, equality and strength.

One student,who was a victim of gun violence in Chicago, had just returned from Parkland, Florida where he collaborated with students there whove lost so much.

"They were scared also, too," Vashon Edmondson said. "They had a hard time coping with it."

He said the Parkland students were left wondering if such violence would happen at their school again.

"It was just unexpected in a safe environment at Parkland," he said.
Three Illinois men are accused of bombing a mosque in suburban Minneapolis in an attempt to scare Muslims into leaving the United States, authorities said.

The men allegedly traveled some 500 miles (805 kilometers) from a rural farming community to carry out the Aug. 5 attack, which caused a damaging fire at the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota. No one was hurt.

The men are also suspected in the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic on Nov. 7 in Champaign, about 140 miles south of Chicago, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield.

Investigators are now turning to the suspects' backgrounds to learn more about their possible affiliations and motivations.

One of the men, 47-year-old Michael B. Hari, filed a federal lawsuit last month in central Illinois, naming the U.S. secretaries of agriculture and health and human services as defendants. It accuses their departments of violating his constitutional rights by doing the food-safety certification work that his firm, Equicert, does.

"The people of the United States have rejected the Marxist doctrine that the government shall own the means of production," he wrote, according to the court document. He requested a court order barring federal officials from interfering with his business.

Hari described in an April 2017 Chicago Tribune article how he drafted a $10 billion plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico, citing President Donald Trump's call for such a barrier. Hari drew up the proposal after launching a security company, Crisis Resolution Security Services, the newspaper said.

The other two men charged in the mosque bombing were identified as Joe Morris, 22, and Michael McWhorter, 29. All three are from Clarence, a community of less than 100 people some 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Champaign. A fourth man was charged with a gun offense, but he was not identified as a suspect in the attack on the mosque or the clinic.

A tip in December led authorities to investigate the three men, after a person sent the local sheriff photos of guns and bomb-making material inside Hari's parents' home, where Hari often stayed. In January, a second informant told authorities that the three men had carried out the mosque bombing and the failed clinic bombing, according to a complaint.

McWhorter allegedly told an FBI agent during an interview that the three rented a pickup in Champaign and drove to Minnesota with a plan to bomb the mosque, according to a criminal complaint. He said they wanted to let Muslims know they are not welcome in the United States and to "scare them out of the country," according to notes taken by the FBI.

It was not clear from the complaint why the men targeted that particular mosque in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Morris told one informant that Hari had promised to pay him and McWhorter $18,000 for participating in the mosque bombing, according to the complaint.

The men broke a window to the imam's office and threw a pipe bomb containing black powder into the mosque. The pipe bomb exploded, causing a fire that was extinguished by sprinklers, according to an affidavit.

The attack happened just before morning prayers.

McWhorter also allegedly admitted that the three men tried to bomb the clinic known as Women's Health Practice, again renting a truck to carry out the attack. McWhorter described a PVC pipe bomb and said Morris broke a window and threw it in, where it failed to go off, according to the complaint.

The complaint said nothing about a possible motivation for the clinic attack.

The Islamic Center primarily serves Somalis in the Minneapolis area and houses a mosque and religious school for children. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community outside of east Africa, with an estimated 57,000 people, according to the most recent census estimates.
Thousands of Chicago-area students took part in a nationwide walkout from school on Wednesday, calling for immediate action to prevent gun violence.

Wednesday marked the one-month anniversary of the shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead and several others wounded. [[476824863, C]]

Students at schools across the country and all around the Chicago area left school at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes - one minute for each of the victims killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

In the weeks following the massacre in Florida, students from across Chicago and the suburbs have joined the movement pushing for legislation reforming gun laws at the federal and state level. [[476765543, C]]

Wednesday's walkout was planned to inspire change, giving young people an opportunity to speak out and for students to express their frustration at inaction, organizers said.

The walkout also raised questions for schools about how to handle the protests, with the approach varying depending on the district. Education administrators have said they're striking a delicate balance between encouraging civic engagement and keeping their students safe. [[476657873, C]]

The head of Chicago Public Schools said guidance was given to teachers on the protest, calling it a critical moment for the country. CPS students who chose to participate in the walkout will not face any punishment from the district, administrators said.

The protest came just one day after Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill to license gun dealers in Illinois, calling it "onerous" regulation.
What to Know Prosecutors in the case against suspected Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz have announced they will seek the death penalty.

Cruz was indicted last week by a grand jury for the shootings inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14th,

The former student charged with killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month will face the death penalty, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, is scheduled for formal arraignment Wednesday on a 34-count indictment, including 17 first-degree murder charges. Cruz's attorneys have said he would plead guilty if the death penalty was not pursued in the Valentine's Day massacre.

The office of Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz filed the formal notice of its intentions Tuesday. The action by prosecutors Tuesday does not necessarily mean a plea deal will not be reached.

The only other penalty option for Cruz is life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz, has said there were so many warning signs that Cruz was mentally unstable and potentially violent, and that the death penalty might be going too far. Finkelstein said Cruz would likely plead guilty if prosecutors opt not to seek the death penalty.

"Because that's what this case is about. Not, did he do it? Not, should he go free? Should he live or should he die," Finkelstein told The Associated Press last month.

Finklestein's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned to NBC 6 for updates.
Technology, consulting and IT company Infosys has plans to open a new location in Hartford and hire for 1,000 positions by 2022.

The Connecticut Technology and Innovation hub will focus on healthcare, insurance and manufacturing and offer data security and data-sharing services to its clients.

The project is estimated to cost $20.6 million. The state Department of Economic and Community Development will provide $12 million in grants after certain job creation milestones are reached, according to the governor's office.

Today marks yet another landmark day in Connecticuts economic development efforts, at a time when our investments are bringing new life and vigor to our Capital City, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said in a statement. I am thrilled to welcome Infosys to Connecticut and congratulate them on their decision to establish a Technology and Innovation Hub in Hartford. Connecticuts tremendous assets and talent pipeline continue to attract high caliber companies to the state, and I look forward to the value that Infosys will bring to our business community.

Company officials said they picked the Hartford location to work more closely with New England clients and to seek out local talent.

This investment will further strengthen our ability to serve clients needs throughout the New England region and expand the local workforce to help our clients compete in the rapidly digitizing insurance, healthcare and manufacturing sectors, wrote Infosys President Ravi Kumar in a statement. Hartfords position as the Insurance Capital of the World, paired with Connecticuts world-renowned academic institutions, will place Infosys in close proximity to valued clients and accelerate the recruitment of highly-skilled local talent.

The company also has plans to expand with locations in Raleigh, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island.


David Ribnicky wanted to save some cash on his cable bill and thought he found a less expensive television provider service, but then learned it could cost him hundreds of dollars to cancel if he was not satisfied with his plan.

When the Middletown man and his wife stopped at an AT&T store last month to buy a new cell phone an employee offered a special promotion that swayed the Ribnickys to switch over to DIRECTV.

We got all of these incentives -- there were gift cards, bill credits, Ribnicky said.

Ribnicky said the sales associate informed him it was a two-year contract, but said he could cancel the service if he didnt like it.

We tried it that night and, immediately, my kids didnt like the way it worked. They couldnt use the voice remote that they were used to, Ribnicky said. But we kept telling them, its a new thing and they have to give it a chance.

And the family did.

So, after about two or so weeks, we just about had it, Ribnicky said.

He didnt think the savings were worth the hassle, so Ribnicky said he got on the phone with a customer service representative to cancel his plan and found out he would be charged a $460 early termination fee.

Ribnicky said the representative told him DIRECTV gives customers a 24-hour grace period in which to cancel without penalty.

I said, How am I supposed to evaluate something brand new in 24 hours?, he said.

Ribnicky then spoke to a supervisor who offered to cut the termination fee in half, or Ribnicky could write a letter to AT&T and the dispute would be settled through binding arbitration.

So, I came home and started looking through the documents. Of course, I couldnt find any reference to this 24-hour evaluation period, Ribnicky said.

The Ribnickys wrote a letter to AT&T and then contacted NBC Connecticut Responds.

DIRECTVs early cancellation policy states, If you decide to cancel before you complete your term commitment, you are responsible for paying an Early Termination Fee, which starts at $480 and decreases by $20 per month for each month completed.

We didnt find any mention of a 24-hour timeframe.

A spokesperson for AT&T and DIRECTV told NBC Connecticut, DIRECTV customers have a 24-hour return window. As a show of good faith, we have credited this customers account and apologize for the inconvenience.
Students at schools across Connecticut joined with others across the nation in holding walkouts this morning to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland, Florida.

The 17-minute protest started at 10 a.m. and honored the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month.

Connecticut has been at the center of the national gun violence debate for years.

School gun violence shook the state when a gunman shot and killed 20 first graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown in December 2012.

The state enacted some of the strictest gun laws in the nation after the tragic shooting and officials representing Connecticut in the nations capital have been at the center of the national debate on gun violence in the days, weeks, months, and now years, since that dark day.

Students led the walkout at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy and some wore orange in a show of support against gun violence.

School leaders in Hartford said students could walk out today without fear of disciplinary action.

New Britain High School and the NBHS Satellite Careers Academy joined together for a school walkout today. School officials said it is not affiliated with any political viewpoints but it is a chance for students to be heard and stand with staff and community members to say school violence needs to end and school safety has to be a priority.

Students at Daniel Hand High School in Madison were asked to wear gray and red in support of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, The superintendent said there was special schedule for the day that will trim a few minutes off of each period, creating an hour-long block for students to "walkout" of their classes while remaining in the building.

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy was scheduled to address the student body with a video recorded message specifically written for the Daniel Hand students.

Murphy, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Elizabeth Esty announced plans to walk out of the U.S. Capitol Building on Wednesday to join students in the protest.

The Connecticut Education Association coordinated an early-morning walk-in Wednesday, which included a rally before the start of the school day and participants silently walk into the building together to honor school shooting victims. Manchester High School was one school to participate in the rally.

The protests Wednesday lead up to the March for Our Lives rally for school safety in Washington, DC on March 24.

And another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.
Supporters and opponents of putting tolls on Connecticuts highways are retreating to their corners for what could be a prolonged debate on the issue as the regular session marches toward its conclusion.

The General Assemblys Transportation Committee held a public hearing on a number of proposals but the marquee issues were those establishing tolls and an authority for transportation management.

Republicans appear to be putting on a united message against tolls in whats poised to be a critical election year.

Yes, Senate Republicans are united against tolls, said Sen. Len Suzio, (R  Meriden).

Suzio said he would prefer that lawmakers pursue a GOP plan that spent $65 billion over several decades all through using the states bonding structure, in essence, the states credit card, paid for by taxpayers.

He said using bonding is the most prudent way forward rather than asking Connecticut drivers to pay for road improvements.

Its just another burden on Connecticut taxpayers and unlike the proponents we know that you cant put border tolls in so the idea that a huge amount of money is going to come in from out-of-staters totally false and it will not happen, Suzio said.

Democrats, including Gov. Dannel Malloy, are pushing ahead with a plan that would put tolls at least on Connecticuts interstate highways: I-84, I-91, and I-95.

Rep. Tony Guerrera, (D  Rocky Hill), has been the loudest supporter of tolls for past few years.

Its some type of sustainable revenue that we need, Guerrera said of monetizing out of state drivers.

The Democrats plan is limited on detail on how the tolling system would work. The only elements that have been discussed openly would the use of electronic tolls in lieu of traditional toll takers and booths, and an authority that would manage the tolls program and have the ability to take on debt to finance new projects.

Gov. Malloy also proposed a new surcharge on tire purchases and increasing the states gas tax as ways to pay for infrastructure.

Guerrera says he sees no other way to come up with new money to pay for possibly $100 billion in improvements statewide.

We travel throughout the whole northeast corridor and no one has a problem paying for those tolls but then you come to Connecticut and its just a pass-through and you dont have to pay, Guerrera said. I dont understand that logic.
There were plenty of hugs and kisses Wednesday to welcome home the 132 officers and sailors of the USS Minnesota at the Naval Submarine Base New London after the submarines first successful deployment.

Its the little moments that they miss that youre just like I wish they were here to share with us, Sara Burton, a Navy spouse, told NBC Connecticut.

After being separated since September and relying on technology to keep in touch, Burton was ready for her husband to return home.

His eyes are brown, his boots are black, out of my way, my sailors back, she said, reading her sign, and I made one for my daughters that says out of our way our daddy comes home today.

Just before 2 p.m., the USS Minnesota arrived at its homeport after a six-month deployment with visits to ports in France, Norway and Spain.

After a first kiss and a first hug, a father held his baby girl for the first time.

Im probably going to hit the hay, probably going to get some rest and stay up with this one here, LSI Lewis Williams said.

Williams and his wife Brooke have four sons. Three-week-old Lailani is their first daughter.

Oh its awesome, Im glad for him to be back and to be home and do his part as a father, Brooke said.

This was the second time Sailor Miles Burton reunited with his family after a deployment.

It was tiring at points, but it was really enjoyable, Burton said. It was hard missing all three of them.

While they have sacrificed for six months not having him home, Burtons wife and two daughters are proud of his service to the country.

When Kenzie is having a really hard time with him being gone, Im always like hes out there keeping us and our country safe and shes like, yeah he keeps everyone safe and Im like yes he does, so thats how I explain it to her, Sara said.

It is a big week for the Naval Submarine Base. The new USS Colorado will be commissioned at a ceremony on Saturday.
Jailed Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill made a surprise appearance by phone Tuesday afternoon at the University of Pennsylvania during a criminal justice reform panel.

His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, called Mill on the phone while addressing a packed auditorium. With Mills mother and the Rev. Al Sharpton standing on either side, Tacopina told the musician that millions of people believe in him.

Im just happy to be able to shed light on the [legal] situation weve been going through for years, Mill said. Im the platform for other people to fight for their freedom.

Rapper Meek Mill called into a prison reform event at the University of Pennsylvania to discuss his experiences with the criminal justice system with celebrities and community members.

The #FreeMeekMill movement has indeed become a cause celebre, with Sharpton as one of the leading figures propelling the case into national fame. (NBCUniversal, which owns this station, is also the parent company of MSNBC, where Sharpton hosts "PoliticsNation.")

Sharpton visited Mill in his Chester County prison and spoke at length with the 30-year-old. He called Mills two- to four-year sentence for violating probation on a roughly decade-old gun and drug case a symbol of racial disparities.

Youre not just talking about freeing Meek, Sharpton said into the phone. Youre talking about freeing the whole system.

Before the panel, Mills mother, Kathy Williams, called on Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner to help free her son.

Krasner, a Democrat who took office in January, has made criminal justice reform a top priority. Earlier this month, he announced the appointment of a juvenile justice advocate and lawyer who worked under President Barack Obama.

Krasner also ended cash bail for low-level offenders, saying that many people languish behind bars simply because they cannot afford to pay their way out.

Despite these efforts and other efforts, Mill has remained behind bars. Earlier this week, his attorney filed a motion to release Mill after Krasners office released the names of corrupt Philadelphia police. One of the officers involved in Mills arrest was on that list.

Previously, Mills lawyers have unsuccessfully appealed multiple times, and have also called for the judge to step aside because "there was an FBI investigation" into her conduct. The judge, in turn, threatened to sue Mill.

Correction (March 14, 9:28 a.m. ET): Meek Mills attorney, Joe Tacopina, was misidentified in an earlier version of this story.


Call it the "Chip and Joanna Gaines effect."

A new report about a national rise in the practice of house flipping  buying an outdated property, renovating it and then selling it for a profit  shows that Dallas-Fort Worth ranked third in 2017 for year-to-year growth in flipping rate, meaning the percentage of flipped houses sold compared to all home sales.

The sale of flipped homes rose by 23 percent in DFW last year, behind only the Buffalo, New York, area and New York/Northern New Jersey, according to the ATTOM Data Solutions 2017 Year-End U.S. Home Flipping Report.

The 23 percent jump in the home flipping rate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area  one of the highest increases in the country and well above the increase of just 2 percent nationwide  shows that real estate investors continue to be attracted to the dynamic North Texas market with its booming economy and skyrocketing home prices, said Daren Blomquist, Senior Vice President of ATTOM Data. Home flippers can ride the coattails of those skyrocketing home prices to often sell their flipped homes at a nice premium given that these flipped homes are often rehabbed to be the most attractive home in a given neighborhood.

The ATTOM Data report breaks down house flipping data within 50 North Texas zip codes.

For example, the five local zip codes where flips accounted for the highest percentage of overall sales in 2017 were:

1. 76105  Fort Worth  20.9 percent

2. 76119  Fort Worth  19.5 percent

3. 76106  Fort Worth  19.1 percent

4. 75224  Dallas  17.8 percent

5. 75233  Dallas  15.8 percent

As for overall house flips, the five most popular zip codes in North Texas last year were:

1. 76179  Fort Worth  94

2. 75228  Dallas  89 (tie)

2. 76244  Keller  89 (tie)

4. 75052  Grand Prairie  85

5. 75150  Mesquite  76

The five most profitable zip codes to flip a house in North Texas in 2017 were:

1. 75252  Dallas - $170,543 average gross profit

2. 75230  Dallas - $158,000

3. 75238  Dallas - $144,505

4. 75208  Dallas - $134,117

5. 75069  McKinney - $123,355

The top five local zip codes where flipped houses sold the fastest in 2017 were:

1. 76120  Fort Worth  107 days, on average, from date of original purchase to date of final sale

2. 75134  Lancaster  109 days

3. 76039  Euless  111 days (tie)

3. 76036  Crowley  111 days (tie)

5. 76131  Fort Worth  115 days (tie)

5. 76104  Fort Worth  115 days (tie)

Roger Lopez, of Value Properties Realty in Dallas, has been flipping houses in North Texas for 35 years. In that time, Lopez estimates that he has flipped between 2,500 and 3,000 homes.

I have never had as much competition as I do now. Its crazy, Lopez said with a laugh, acknowledging that the ATTOM Data Solutions report confirms the trend he has seen in recent years.

Lopez noted that it is not uncommon for 20 to 30 offers to come in these days on the houses he makes bids on.

This is driving prices up, so the finished product will cost more. But that's the market we're in now, Lopez said.

At a current job Lopezs crew is working in a well-established North Oak Cliff neighborhood, the longtime real estate broker and house flipper estimates he will sink about $100,000 into a full remodel of a 1950s-style home.

That's a lot of money! So if you are thinking about becoming a house flipper make sure you have a lot of money, Lopez said with a laugh.
According to the ALS Association Texas Chapter, approximately 30,000 Americans have ALS at any time.

ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a disease that affects the nerve cells that control voluntary movement.

Research shows that the average person with ALS is expected to survive 3 to 5 years from being diagnosed with the disease.

Stephen Hawking defied the odds, and lived more than 50 years.

Stephen Hawking has been a symbol of hope for people and family members of people with ALS, said Collin Hadley, a Fort Worth man who has lived with ALS for the past 3-and-a-half years.

Hadley, a husband and father with 2 children, said he is optimistic that a cure will be found for the disease one day.

I have no doubt that one day families wont have to look at a 3 to 5 year life span. They will be able to live happily along, he said.

Researchers at the ALS Therapy Development Institute said just this past year a new medication was approved that can help patients maintain their function for several months longer otherwise.

Theres also about 40 other potential treatments being studied in clinical trials.

Researchers said it is impossible to know how fast or slow an individual case of ALS will go.

Hadley is participating in the Precision Medicine Program where researchers are trying to understand why there are different progression rates. They hope this information will help them eventually develop more specific treatment approaches for the various subtypes of ALS.

Its very exciting. Its very wonderful knowing you have so many individuals dedicated to this debilitating disease, Hadley said.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has cleared the way for Texas Senate Bill 4, which bans so-called "sanctuary cities," to take effect.

The legislation had been held up after a federal judge in San Antonio blocked the law's enforcement in August while legal appeals played out.

SB-4 requires law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials, also allowing local police and sheriff's departments to question the immigration status of anyone they arrest.

"We have heard from families that are changing the way they live. They are no longer going to the park, because they are concerned on the way there or there they could be asked for their proof of citizenship," said State Rep. Victoria Neave, D-Dallas.

Last year, Dallas declared itself a "welcoming community" for immigrants, establishing a new outreach program. On Wednesday, as SB-4 took effect, the city released the following statement:

"We do not anticipate the ruling affecting any procedures or law enforcement operations of the City."

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department declined NBC 5's request for an on-camera interview, citing pending litigation regarding immigration detainers. A spokesman for the sheriff's department did tell NBC 5:

"Our current procedures will not change, because they are in compliance with the terms of SB-4."

Some in Dallas, including former Republican candidate for sheriff, Chad Prda, believe the implementation of SB-4 is a step in the right direction.

"I think it's a door-opening day, to show that we have a firm stance on it and we will hold our law enforcement to the same standards we hold the community," Prda said.

Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the decision on Twitter, calling it proof the law is not discriminatory.
A San Diego-based doctor was arrested alongside seven other suspects accused of running a pill mill operation that allegedly included the doctor writing opioid prescriptions for dead or jailed patients.

The Office of U.S. Attorney Southern District of California Adam L. Braverman announced details of the case Monday involving a group facing federal charges stemming from their alleged roles in a conspiracy to possess  with the intent to distribute  hydrocodone.

Hydrocodone is a narcotic analgesic sold under a variety of brand names including Vicodin, Norco and Lortab. When legally supplied by a doctor, the drug is used to combat moderate pain. However, today, hydrocodone is widely abused and distributed illicitly on the streets for profit.



At the center of this federal case is San Diego resident Dr. Egisto Salerno, 73, who owns and operates a medical office on El Cajon Boulevard.

Bravermans office said the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) also arrested these local residents in connection with the so-called pill mill: Stephen Toney, 57, of San Diego; April Cervantes, 27, of San Diego; David Apple, 25, of Chula Vista; Amber Horne, 28, of El Cajon; Lonnell Ligon, 55, of San Diego; Shalina Latson, 47, of San Diego; LaJuan Smith, 38, of San Diego.

According to a federal complaint, in November 2014, Toney and others recruited people  often homeless people  to pose as patients at Salernos office where they could obtain prescriptions for hydrocodone.

For each patient, Salerno was paid an office visit fee. Despite performing no physical examination on the patients, the documents said Salerno prescribed them hydrocodone.

The patients would then be paid to turn over the opioids to Toney and the defendants, who allegedly co-conspired to further distribute the hydrocodone tablets on the streets.

The complaint said the defendants  or recruiters  would arrange transportation of the patients to Salernos office and then to a pharmacy to pick up the pills. After the patients did their part, they were returned to their homeless shelters or homes.

In addition to writing prescriptions for these patients without a medical need for hydrocodone, Bravermans office said Salerno also sometimes wrote prescriptions in names of patients who were dead or in jail and couldnt have visited his office.

For instance, the doctor claimed he had seen a patient after the patient had died in October 2015. He prescribed hydrocodone in that patients name five times after death, including twice more than a year after the person had died.

Salerno had his medical assistants allegedly falsify chart notes and medical records to justify the prescriptions and advance the pill mill conspiracy.

The U.S. Attorney said the opioid crisis, furthered by cases like this one, is ravaging families in San Diego and Imperial Counties and is part of a national epidemic.

If convicted, Salerno, Toney and the other defendants face a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million and five years of supervised release.
Security was tight when conservative and controversial talk show host Ann Coulter made a Bay Area appearance Tuesday night.

Coulter spoke at the IFES Society Community Center in Mountain View. The sold out event was organized by the Liberty Forum of Silicon Valley, formerly known as the Conservative Forum.

Upon taking the stage in the South Bay city, Coulter said, "It's great to be in San Francisco."

Police had a visible presence at the event, and signs in the area alerted people of the temporary restrictions.

In her talk, Coulter spoke about immigration, President Donald Trump and California.

"California is a beautiful state in the union, it's just sad," she said. "But I have a plan. We regretfully either allow California to secede - I think Trump would agree - and sell it back to Mexico!"

On the subject of immigration, Coulter chose a Silicon Valley connection.

"Mark Zuckerberg doesnt want anyone coming in that can compete with his kid," she said. "He wants someone who can compete with his landscaper."

She added: "Our immigration policy is anyone who lives within walking distance. ... Not only do illegal aliens get to come here, but they get to bring their cousins too. We wouldnt want them to be poor, unskilled or lonely."



Coulter's speech last year was canceled at the University of California, Berkeley after the sponsoring group pulled out. Threats of violence were also made ahead of the planned Berkeley event, which would have featured other conservative pundits.

Authorities said Monday there were no reported threats ahead of Coulter's Mountain View visit.
One of the key questions in the investigation into the fatal shootings at a Yountville veterans home last week is why officers and deputies waited more than seven hours before moving in.

When officers finally did go into the Pathway Home on Friday, they found the three hostages and the gunman dead. They likely had been dead for hours, officials said.

The California Highway Patrol, which is leading the investigation, has provided few details on the standoff and slayings. Napa County deputies were some of the first on the scene when the reports came in of an active shooter, and one deputy exchanged fire with gunman Albert Wong in what witnesses called a flurry of gunfire.

Wong, who had recently been expelled from the home, slipped into a going-away party, let some people go and held Dr. Jennifer Golick, Dr. Jennifer Gonzales and Christine Loeber at gunpoint.

Despite repeated efforts for hours, the deputy's shootout with Wong was the last time anyone, including negotiators, had contact with the gunman.

State Sen. Bill Dodd was at the command center for most of the day, and he believes the three women were killed during or shortly after the initial exchange of gunfire.

"Of course on that day, nobody knew that those fatal shots were rung out so early," Dodd said. "Law enforcement was hoping, and their strategy was they didnt cause something that was catastrophic for the victims."

Dodd said he was told glare on the windows of the Pathway Home made it nearly impossible to see inside. And negotiators repeatedly called Wongs cellphone, only to discover later that hed left it in his car.

Law enforcement sources told NBC Bay Area any strategy for dealing with a gunman holding hostages carries a risk. Rush in, and you may provoke the gunman to kill. Wait hours, and you may risk losing wounded hostages.

The CHP chose to wait, and Dodd said rushing in likely would not have changed the outcome.

"From the talk I heard in and around the camp ... the crime scene was not a pretty sight, let's just put it that way," Dodd said.

More details will emerge once the CHP releases the results of its investigation, Dodd said. The agency has not provided an estimated timeline on completing the investigation.
A judge ruled Monday that a New Hampshire woman who won a Powerball jackpot worth nearly $560 million can keep her identity private, but not her hometown.

Judge Charles Temple noted that the case's resolution rested the state's Right-to-Know law, which governs access to public records for the woman. She was identified as "Jane Doe" in a lawsuit against the New Hampshire Lottery Commission.

"She was jumping up and down," said her lawyer, William Shaheen. "She will be able to live her life normally."

Shaheen said the woman is from Merrimack, 25 miles south of Concord. The winning ticket was sold at the Reeds Ferry Market in that town for the Jan. 6 drawing.

Temple wrote he had "no doubts whatsoever that should Ms. Doe's identity be revealed, she will be subject to an alarming amount of harassment, solicitation, and other unwanted communications." He said she met her burden of showing that her privacy interest outweighs the public's interest in disclosing her name in the nation's eighth-largest jackpot.

However, Temple noted that nothing in his order could be interpreted to prevent the lottery commission or its employees from "processing, maintaining, or accessing Ms. Doe's ticket in the normal course of business."

The woman signed her ticket after the drawing, but later learned from lawyers that she could have shielded her identity by writing the name of a trust. They said she was upset after learning she was giving up her anonymity by signing the ticket  something the lottery commission acknowledged isn't spelled out on the ticket, but is detailed on its website. The woman ended up establishing the Good Karma Family Trust of 2018.

Temple found that the commission's argument that revealing her name to ensure the public she's a "bona fide" lottery participant and "real" winner was not persuasive, because a trustee claiming a prize on someone's behalf is certainly not a "bona fide" participant or a "real" winner.

"While we were expecting a different outcome and believed the state had a strong argument, we respect the court's decision," Charlie McIntyre, commission executive director, said in a statement. "That said, we will consult with the Attorney General's office to determine appropriate next steps regarding the case."

Last week, the commission handed over $264 million  the amount left after taxes were deducted  to the woman's lawyers. They said she would give $150,000 to Girls Inc. and $33,000 apiece to three chapters of End 68 Hours of Hunger in the state. It is the first of what her lawyers said would be donations over the years of between $25 million to $50 million during her lifetime.
What to Know Broward Health spokeswoman Jennifer Smith said Tuesday that Anthony Borges' condition has now been upgraded to fair

Borges is credited with saving the lives of 20 students by attempting to close and lock a classroom door during the Feb. 14 attack

A 15-year-old student is improving after falling critically ill from an intestinal infection weeks after being shot five times at his Florida school shooting.

Broward Health spokeswoman Jennifer Smith said Tuesday that Anthony Borges' condition has now been upgraded to fair. He had been in critical condition.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student is credited with saving the lives of 20 students by attempting to close and lock a classroom door during the Feb. 14 attack where 17 people were killed in Parkland.

The family's attorney says that after surgeries, his intestinal area has been sealed off. Alex Arreaza says the student is breathing on his own after being taken off a ventilator.

Borges' family has filed notice that they will sue Florida authorities to seek money to cover the cost of his recovery.

A 15-year-old student is improving after falling critically ill from an intestinal infection weeks after being shot five times at his Parkland school.

Broward Health spokeswoman Jennifer Smith said Tuesday that Anthony Borges' condition has now been upgraded to fair. He had been in critical condition.

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student is credited with saving the lives of 20 students by attempting to close and lock a classroom door during the Feb. 14 attack where 17 people were killed in Parkland.

The family's attorney says that after surgeries, his intestinal area has been sealed off. Alex Arreaza says the student is breathing on his own after being taken off a ventilator.

Borges' family has filed notice that they will sue Florida authorities to seek money to cover the cost of his recovery.
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill Tuesday to license gun dealers in Illinois, despite pressure from Democrats, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to sign the legislation.

Rauner, a first-term Republican, said in a statement that he vetoed Senate Bill 1657 because it "created onerous, duplicative bureaucracy that does little to improve public safety."

Known as the Gun Dealer Licensing Act, the bill passed the legislature in late February and would have required criminal background checks for all gun shop employees, as well as training to help them identify a buyer who may be purchasing a gun for someone else.

The bill also proposed requiring basic store security measures to help prevent theft and requiring that anyone who sells, leases or transfers firearms in any way be licensed by the state.

Proponents of the bill said it would have helped deter straw purchasing and stem the flow of illegal firearms into Chicago and across the state, while those who do not support the measure - including Rauner - said it is unnecessary as the federal government already licenses gun dealers.

"The core issue is not which guns to legally ban or regulate," Rauner said in a statement, adding, "We have ample proof that such narrowly focused legislative responses make for good political cover, but they do little to stop the illegal flow of guns into Illinois or prevent people from committing thousands of crimes in our state each year with illegal guns."

There was an immediate and emotional reaction to the governors veto. NBC 5s Charlie Wojciechowski has the details.

In his veto message, Rauner called on leaders in the Illinois House and Senate to appoint four members of their respective caucuses to a newly-formed "Legislative Public Safety Group."

Rauner said the group would work with his administration to develop proposals on topics including school safety, mental health, crime prevention, economic revitalization and more.

"We have to work together to develop public safety solutions that truly make a difference," Rauner said.



Rauner first publicly revealed his plan to veto the bill in an interview with downstate radio station WJPF Tuesday morning, having previously evaded questions while maintaining that he had been "crystal clear" in his stance.

"We've been doing a lot of homework, doing a lot of research on this and I have decided I am vetoing that bill," Rauner, who told WJPF he is a gun owner and longtime member of the National Rifle Association, said.

"It's just not right," he continued, adding, "It's unnecessary, burdensome regulation. It's redundant on top of existing federal regulation. It's crushing to our small business owners and creates bureaucracy that really doesn't help keep our community safer."

Rauner's veto came just one day after several leaders in the city of Chicago - including Emanuel, Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson, the Illinois Gun Violence Prevention Coalition, state legislators and advocates - issued a public call for him to support the measure.

Emanuel initially sent a letter signed by all 50 Chicago aldermen to Rauner on March 2, asking him to sign the bill. He later suggested that Rauner - facing a tough reelection battle - may not want to act on the legislation until after the upcoming primary on March 20.

In a blistering statement Tuesday, Emanuel again referenced the election, claiming that with one week left, Rauner "just put his primary election ahead of his primary responsibility to protect the safety of the people of Chicago and Illinois."

"The governor's decision was cruel, it was cold and it was calculated to benefit his own politics at the expense of public safety," Emanuel said.

"This veto is a slap in the face to crime victims, faith leaders and police who have pleaded with Governor Rauner to protect public safety by signing the Gun Dealer Licensing Act. This failure will be his legacy," his statement ended.
The third major nor'easter to hit the Northeast in two weeks lashed a storm-weary New England with heavy snow, whipping winds and blizzard conditions in some areas.

Across Massachusetts, more than 154,000 customers were without power as of 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, mostly in the southeastern part of the state. Thousands more lost power in the other New England states.

A blizzard was confirmed in Boston, as well as parts of Massachusetts' South Shore and Cape Cod. Blizzard warnings were issued for the entire coast of Maine, New Hampshire and most of Massachusetts. The rest of New England was under a winter storm warning.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker continued to urge residents to remain at home during the worst of the storm during a press conference Tuesday. Non-emergency state employees did not have to report to work.

The governor said power outages are the "biggest concern" due to the heaviness of the snow and the strength of the wind gusts.

"It would be very difficult for [utility crews] to get out there and start working those power outages until the snow stops falling and the wind stops blowing," Baker said.

In Carver, power crews were working through the night Tuesday, while the majority of the town was without power.

Non-emergency employees of Massachusetts' executive branch were asked not to come into work Tuesday. Baker announced Tuesday night that their start time Wednesday would be delayed until 11 a.m.

In the Cape Cod town of Falmouth, police urged residents to shelter in place after receiving over 100 reports of downed trees and wires.

The storm is expected to last through most of the day Tuesday and has already begun disrupting road and air travel.

More than 1,500 canceled flights  over 860 of them to and from Boston Logan Airport  were reported within, into or out of the U.S. on Tuesday, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware. Airlines pre-emptively canceled nearly 160 Wednesday flights, with over 80 of those scrapped to and from Logan.

On the ground, Amtrak suspended service between Boston and New York City for the day on Tuesday. Amtrak initially said train service would be suspended until at least 11 a.m. The agency said service will be restored "pending improved conditions."

The MBTA and the commuter rail operated on a reduced schedule Tuesday, but normal service is expected Wednesday. All ferry service was suspended during the storm.

Joe Rotella ducked into a train station as he tried to find his way to a hotel that's hosting a convention where he's speaking. Organizers were scrambling to find ways to video conference in speakers whose planes were delayed or canceled, said Rotella, the chief medical officer with the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

"As a visitor to Boston, I've been looking forward to this for months and this is kind of an adventure for me," the Louisville, Kentucky, man said. "I didn't have to go through the last two nor'easters so this still feels like fun."

At the Yotel hotel in Boston's Seaport neighborhood, guests were busy rescheduling their flights over breakfast or, in the case of 80-year-old Roy Zaloom of Ramsey, New Jersey, preparing for a morning drive back home with his family.

"Let's' hope this is the end of it, the end of the snow. We've had too much of it at one time," said Zaloom, recalling that he got a foot in New Jersey last week.

Officials with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said more than 3,300 crews were out treating and clearing the snow-covered roadways. Speeds on the Mass Pike were reduced to 40 and later 20 mph from the New York border to Boston. Numerous crashes were reported throughout the day, several of them involving jackknifed tractor-trailers.

The National Weather Service defines a blizzard as three or more hours of sustained wind or frequent gusts to 35 mph or greater; and falling or blowing snow that reduces visibility frequently to less than one-quarter of a mile. Wind gusts of nearly 70 mph were reported on Cape Cod in the early stages of the storm.

Boston and eastern Massachusetts, as well as Rhode Island, could get a foot and a half of snow, with less to the west of the city.

Schools across the region announced they would be closed on Tuesday, including in Boston and Providence. Boston and a handful of other schools have already announced closures for Wednesday, with additional announcements expected to come later in the day.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said Tuesday morning that it was still too early to decide whether schools would be open on Wednesday. The school year has already been extended to June 26 due to the number of snow days this year. The mayor is scheduled to hold a press conference at 4 p.m.

"Originally we thought the snow was gonna end early in the afternoon, so it would be good for tomorrow, but who knows yet? We dont know yet until as we get into this day," said Walsh.

An on-street-parking ban is in effect in Boston. For details on the ban and where you can park, click here. Residents will be allowed to use space savers for parking spots until 48 hours after the end of the storm.

Maine also is bracing for a hard hit from Tuesday's storm. The Portland International Jetport has had 75.5 inches of snow, far above the normal for the date of 51.8 inches, with another 12 to 18 inches is on the way, said James Brown, of the National Weather Service.

"We're not out of winter yet, that's for sure," Paul Knight, of Portland, said as snow accumulated on his eyebrows during a stroll. "The groundhog was right. Six more weeks of winter, and probably then some."

In New Hampshire, where as much as 14 inches of snow is forecast, the storm is wreaking havoc with the age-old town meeting tradition. But Secretary of State William Gardner and Attorney General Gordon MacDonald said under state law, town meeting elections must go on.

Last year, nearly 80 communities postponed their annual elections due to snow, creating widespread confusion over who has the authority to change the date, traditionally the second Tuesday of March. While the Legislature is still working to clarify the law, the secretary of state was adamant this year that towns can't make the call. Most appeared to be heeding that warning Tuesday.

Warner town moderator Ray Martin said turnout was steady early as voters hoped to avoid the worst of the snow later. Standing outside Town Hall, selectman candidate Ed Ordway said those who really want to change things won't be stopped by a little snow.

In Rhode Island, the storm closed schools and businesses across the state, knocked out power and made driving treacherous. Gov. Gina Raimondo urged residents to stay off the roads and let the plows and work crews do their jobs.

"I know we're all ready for winter to be over. This is the third storm in a row. I know folks are weary with power outages but hang in there with us," the governor said.

More than a foot of snow is expected in parts of Connecticut, where Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is urging people to "take it slow and remember their winter weather driving skills."
What to Know NJ Sen. Robert Menendez says his campaign gave away nearly $20K in donations it received from Medicare cheat Dr. Salomon Melgen

Melgen was sentenced last month to 17 years in prison after prosecutors said he stole nearly $100 million from Medicare over the years

He and Menendez are longtime friends; Menendez stuck by him through the bribery case against both men that was dropped in January

New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez said his campaign has given away $19,700 in donations it received from convicted Medicare cheat Dr. Salomon Melgen. Melgen was sentenced last month to 17 years in prison after prosecutors said he stole nearly $100 million from Medicare over the years.

Menendez, a Democrat, had stuck by Melgen - a longtime friend  through the bribery case against both men that was dropped in January as well as Melgens separate Medicare fraud trial and conviction.

I wish my friend Sal success in his continuing search for justice, Menendez said to reporters in January.

But after the I-Team asked what the senator planned to do with donations he received from one of the biggest Medicare cheats in recent memory, a campaign spokesman said any of Melgens past donations would be given to charity.

Specifically, $10,000 has been donated to Alzheimer's Association of Greater New Jersey and $9,700 has been donated to the New Jersey chapter of Autism Speaks.

Majority PAC, linked to former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D - Nevada), sent hundreds of thousands of Melgen donations to help Menendez and other New Jersey Democrats in past years. A spokesman for Majority PAC did not answer questions as to whether it plans to keep or give away the convicted felons past donations.

The director of Citizens For Responsibility And Ethics In Washington said all politicians and related committees should not be keeping dirty dollars that were likely stolen from taxpayers.

Candidates should be returning that money or turning it over to charity, said CREWs Executive Director Noah Bookbinder.

The Democratic National Committee and its chair Tom Perez are apparently planning to keep Melgens $30,000 donation. One explanation offered for keeping the money is that Perez was not DNC chairman at the time Melgen was committing his crimes and donating cash.

The New Jersey and Iowa state democratic committees, meanwhile, would not answer questions about donations from from Melgen.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also would not discuss the $30,000 in contributions it took.

The DNC and the DSCC should be giving the money back. This is someone convicted of serious wrongdoing, Bookbinder said.

When contacted about a past $1,000 donation from Melgen, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-New York) said he immediately donated the money to charity. Schumer said no politician or political action committee  Republican or Democrat  should be keeping donations from Melgen even if the donations were dated.

I think that should go for everybody, Schumer said. Everybody. No exceptions.

Melgen was convicted in federal court in Florida of ripping tens of millions from Medicare through his eye clinics from 2008-2013. But prosecutors said Melgens fraud likely started even years earlier.

While Melgen gave mostly to Democrats, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R - Florida) in did not respond to our questions about the Melgen money she had received.

Also in Florida, a spokesman for Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D - Florida) was not answering questions. Sen. Bill Nelson (D - Florida) said through his spokesman that because Melgens donations date back years and involve past closed accounts, he didnt see a need to give away thousands now from a current account.

We look at that as the wrong decision, Bookbinder said. We would categorize it as too willing to, at best, to look the other way on serious wrongdoing.

CREW officials point out there is no legal obligation for a politician to give away a donation from someone who later turns out to be a major criminal  especially if politicians did not know the crimes were being committed at the time the donations were being made.

But CREW said it is an issue of ethics. CREW points to Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D - Minnesota) who gave back Melgens donations back as soon as she learned a criminal investigation was underway in 2015.

Former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Connecticut) said he was concerned to learn about Melgens campaign donations he received that dated to 2007. Dodd said his campaign accounts are long closed but given Melgens recent conviction and sentencing, he is taking the extraordinary step of making personal donations to charity equaling campaign contributions from Melgen. Dodd said even if the donations he received go back a decade, he wants to avoid any appearance issue involving Melgen and the nearly $100 million Medicare fraud.
What to Know United Airlines said an attendant didn't knowingly put a dog in an overhead bin on a flight, even though the passenger told her as much

The dog, Kokito, died at some point during the flight from Houston to New York; his owner discovered the death after landing

Another passenger aboard the flight told NBC News that she heard the dog's owner mention that a dog was in the bag

United Airlines said Wednesday the flight attendant who ordered a passenger to put a dog in a carrier in an overhead compartment on a New York City-bound flight earlier this week "did not hear or understand" the mother's pleas not to put the pup in the bin.

The airline reiterated that it is taking full responsibility for the death of the 10-month-old French bulldog named Kokito, but added that the flight attendant didn't knowingly put the dog in an overhead compartment before the 4-hour, 25-minute flight from Houston to LaGuardia Airport Monday evening.

"We have learned that the customer did tell the flight attendant that there was a dog in the carrier," the airline said. "However, our flight attendant did not hear or understand her, and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin. As we stated, we take full responsibility and are deeply sorry for this tragic accident. We remain in contact with the family to express our condolences and offer support."

It comes a day after the owner's daughter, 11-year-old Sophia Ceballos, told News 4 that her mother repeatedly said there was a dog in the carrier.

"My mom was like, 'It's a dog, it's a dog,'" said Ceballos, speaking for her mother Catalina Robledo, whose native language is not English. "And (the flight attendant) said, 'You have to put it up there."

A post shared by Kokito (@kokito_the_savage) on Jan 13, 2018 at 9:59pm PST

Maggie Gremminger, another passenger sitting nearby, also told NBC News she heard Robledo protesting with the attendant when she was asked to put the dog in an overhead compartment.

"The passenger there in the aisle seat then very specifically spoke to the fact that she didn't want to move (the bag) and that her dog was in the bag," she said.

Gremminger said other passengers seemed to hear Robledo say there was a dog in the carrier, adding that she thinks Robledo only relented and put the dog overhead "to avoid confrontation."

"It was a very triggering moment where it didn't feel right," Gremminger said. "The man to my right who was the other passenger that witnessed this, we actually kind of spoke about it. We looked at each other and said, 'Did they just put the dog up there?'"

Ceballos and Gremminger said they heard Kokito bark a few times during the flight, and that Robledo found the dog dead after the plane landed.

The dog's death has gained national attention in the days that followed, and United Airlines immediately took responsibility. The airline said it refunded the airline fares for Robledo, Ceballos and Robledo's infant as well as the $200 fee for Kokito to fly.

I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken. pic.twitter.com/mjXYAhxsAq  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

The airline added that by April, it will begin issuing bright-colored bag tags to travelers flying with pets.

"This visual tag will further help our flight attendants identify pets in-cabin," the airline said.
What to Know Catelina Robledo and her daughter told News 4 they were told to put their dog Kokito in an overhead compartment on a flight to NYC on Monday

Kokito died during the 4-hour, 25-minute flight; other passengers recalled seeing Robledo crying and rocking with the dead dog after landing

United has taken responsibility for the dog's death and said it is investigating why the flight attendant to put the dog in the overhead bin

When an attendant on a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York City told Catelina Robledo and her daughter to put their dog in an overhead compartment because its carrier was partially blocking an aisle, they knew something was off.

"My mom was like, 'It's a dog, it's a dog,'" said Sophia Ceballos, Robledo's 11-year-old daughter. "And (the flight attendant) said, 'You have to put it up there."

Then, before Robledo -- who was also traveling with a newborn baby on the Monday flight and had paid a $200 fee to bring the French bulldog, Kokito, aboard -- could protest further, the overhead compartment was closed. It ended up being the last time they saw the dog, who Ceballos affectionately called "Little Pig," alive.

Kokito, the dog that died aboard a United Airlines Flight from Houston to New York City on Monday, plays with Catalina Robledos infant.

Ceballos was justifiably worried about putting the pup overhead, and other passengers voiced concern over what they had seen. Witness Maggie Gremminger told NBC News she remembered it as a "triggering moment where it didn't feel right."

"(Another passenger and I) looked at each other and said, 'Did they just put the dog up there?'"

Then, Robledo, Ceballos, Gremminger and others sat nervously over the 4-hour, 25-minute flight. Gremminger said she Googled whether dogs were safe in overhead compartments. Ceballos, 11, said she she heard the puppy she got for her birthday let out a few barks.

"We were really worried," Ceballos said. "He barked in the middle of the flight, and there was a lot of turbulence, so we couldn't get him."

When they landed, Robledo opened the overhead compartment and realized the dog wasn't moving. Kokito had perished in the flight; the cause of death isn't quite clear.

"She was saying, 'Kokito, Kokito wake up!'" Ceballos recalled her mother saying.

Gremminger said she saw Robledo on the floor, rocking and crying. A stranger offered to take the baby and passengers normally hurrying to grab bags and get off the plane were frozen in shock.

"You could see that she was holding her dog and it was not moving," Gremminger said.

She added, "She was just crying and, I'm sure, in disbelief and overwhelmed with guilt and confused....everything felt drained."

Gremminger stayed with the family to help, noting that everyone in the flight crew was "incredibly shocked" that a flight attendant would tell a passenger to put a dog in an overhead compartment.

"It's just so sad, that dog was so sweet," she said.

I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken. pic.twitter.com/mjXYAhxsAq  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

United said in a statement afterward that it was taking responsibility for Kokito's death, calling it a "tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin."

The airline added that it is investigating the flight and talking to the flight attendant. The airline has refunded the tickets for Robledo and her children and refunded the $200 fee they paid to bring Kokito on board.

But Ceballos said they're not after money as she recalled how her dog enjoyed running around and doing flips in the park.

"We don't want the same thing to happen (to other pet owners)," she said. "If flight attendants tell you to put your pet (in an overhead compartment), don't do it."

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More
What to Know Orlando Tercero, the former partner of a nursing student found killed near Binghamton University, has been detained in Nicaragua

Authorities say Tercero used to be romantically involved with the 22-year-old Haley Anderson

They say he left the U.S. by plane before her body was discovered

A man sought for questioning in New York in the killing of a university nursing student has been detained in Nicaragua, authorities in the Central American nation said Tuesday.

Orlando Tercero, 22, was taken into custody in an unspecified place in Nicaragua and was being handed over to judicial authorities, National Police Commissioner Francisco Diaz told Canal 4 television.

Police in New York say Tercero is a person of interest in the killing of Haley Anderson, also 22, of Westbury, on Long Island. The fellow nursing students at Binghamton University, 140 miles northwest of New York City, are said to have had a previous relationship.

Binghamton police found Anderson's body at an off-campus residence when they were called to check on her welfare Friday. Her death was ruled a homicide, but police have not said how or why she was killed.

Authorities say Tercero, a U.S. citizen, flew to Nicaragua before her body was discovered.

He apparently holds dual citizenship. Nicaragua's Canal 4 showed an image of a Nicaraguan passport with his name and photo.

Diaz did not say whether Tercero was being represented by a lawyer in Nicaragua.

The college released a statement Saturday saying there was no threat to public safety and that an investigation into the tragic death is ongoing.

Our entire University community extends our deepest condolences to Haleys family and friends, both here in Binghamton and in her hometown of Westbury, New York, the statement read.
What to Know Twenty-year-old Gregory Lepsky, of Point Pleasant, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to provide material support to ISIS

He was arrested in 2017 when police were called to his family home after he threatened to kill the family dog

His plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of 16 to 19 years and a lifetime of supervision upon his release

A New Jersey man accused of planning to build a pressure cooker bomb and use it in New York City in support of the Islamic State pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday.

Twenty-year-old Gregory Lepsky, of Point Pleasant, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Lepsky answered basic yes or no questions during Tuesday's appearance in federal court in Trenton.

He was arrested in February 2017 when police were called to his family home after he threatened to kill the family dog. Authorities found a pressure cooker in Lepsky's bedroom closet. Subsequent searches of computers and other digital evidence turned up signs that he planned to build and set off the bomb, according to U.S. Attorneys Office of the District of New Jersey. He also sent social media messages saying he would become a martyr if necessary.

His plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of 16 to 19 years. Once he completes that sentence, he will be under supervised release for the rest of his life, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office of the District of New Jersey.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 19.
Student activism is on full display Wednesday as students in the Philadelphia region and beyond walked out of their classrooms to mark the one-month anniversary of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting.

Students  many not old enough to vote  at private and public, small and large area schools left classes around 10 a.m. to protest gun violence in what was expected to be the biggest national demonstration yet that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

[NATL] Students Stage Walkouts Across the US to Protest Gun Violence

Students at Philadelphias iconic Central High School left class and gathered on the lawn for 17 minutes of solidarity, one minute for each victim of the Florida school shooting.

[PHI Photos] From Pa. to NJ to Del., Students Walk Out to Protest Gun Violence

Outside Central High, juniors Makyiah Adams and Cassidy Arrington delivered a powerful spoken word poem:

Powerful spoken word piece by Central High School students. Performed at the #NationalWalkoutDay rally. @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/lv7W61iRPG  Miguel Martinez-Valle (@MiguelMValle) March 14, 2018

"If you're still defending the NRA, then you just haven't thought about it enough. And, if you're still torn between the right to carry and the right to breath, then you just haven't thought about it enough. Maybe this is why they call teenagers irrational, it must seem naively absurd to actually thinking through a problem. And maybe this is why they call teenagers entitled when my right to live is more important than your right to carry. So get off your hands because every student here would be glad to see you on your feet."

Following the walkout at Central and other schools, students planned to join parents, elected officials, educators and community members in a march organized by the Philadelphia Student Union group to the Philadelphia School District headquarters along Broad Street. They then marched to City Hall for a 12:30 p.m. rally.

The Philadelphia School District said it wont discipline students who walked out as long as they returned to the building to resume normal school activities once the walkout is over.

Students at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy on the Main Line walked out of classes Wednesday, joining thousands of others around the country in sending a message to lawmakers about gun control in the U.S.

Students at Cherry Hill West walked out ahead of 10 a.m., carrying signs as they marched around the campus.

At other schools, events acknowledging the movement were held inside school. At Pennsauken High School in New Jersey, about 1,300 students signed up for a walkout of class but not the school building as 17 bells tolled for the 17 victims.

Not all schools are on board with students plans to protest. At Sayreville War Memorial in New Jersey, the administration said that any students who left school will be given a two-day suspension.
United Airlines says it's investigating after mistakenly flying a Kansas family's dog to Japan.

Kara Swindle and her two children flew from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday on a United flight, KCTV reported.

They went to a cargo facility to pick up 10-year-old Irgo, a German shepherd, but were instead given a Great Dane. Swindle, of Wichita, Kansas, learned Irgo had been put on a flight to Japan, where the Great Dane was supposed to go.

Airline officials in Japan put Irgo on a flight back to Kansas City. It isn't clear when the dog will arrive.

"An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations," a spokesman for United said in a statement.

"We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible. We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened," the airline's statement continued.



The news of Irgo's unplanned odyssey comes as United admits another dog died after a flight attendant forced it to travel in an overhead bin on a Houston-to-New York flight.

United called that death a "tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin."


Police say a teacher in California accidentally fired his gun in a classroom, injuring three students.

It happened Tuesday at Seaside High School as Dennis Alexander was teaching a gun safety lesson for his administration of justice class.

Police say Alexander, who also serves as a reserve police officer, was pointing the gun at the ceiling to make sure it was not loaded when the weapon discharged.

Three students were injured by debris, including a 17-year-old whose father told KSBW-TV his son sustained moderate injuries when bullet fragments lodged in his neck.

Alexander was placed on administrative leave from his teaching job and he was also placed on administrative leave at the Sand City Police Department.

Seaside, California is located about two miles northeast of Monterey.

Teachers are not legally allowed to have firearms in California classrooms, even if they have a concealed carry permit.

"I think a lot of questions on parents' minds are, why a teacher would be pointing a loaded firearm at the ceiling in front of students," Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh told KSBW. "Clearly in this incident protocols were not followed."


The mother of a suspected vehicle burglar said she's outraged police are not pursuing charges against the El Cajon homeowner who fatally shot her son.

Early Sunday morning, an El Cajon resident said he shot someone he believed was breaking into his truck. In the midst of a confrontation, the homeowner said he fired off several shots from a .357 revolver style handgun.

El Cajon police said the burglar was shot but escaped in another stolen truck he had driven to the crime scene on Chase Avenue.

Suspect Joseph Mecurio then crashed into a home near Mona Place and died.



"Just because you break into someone's car, doesn't mean you can be killed," said Mecurio's mother, Monika Anderson.



But former District Attorney, now a Criminal Defense Attorney, Paul Pfingst said unbeknownst to the majority of the public, California law says you can actually be killed just for breaking into someone's car.

"In the state of California, you are allowed to defend your property. You've worked for your property," Pfingst said. "A person's car could be critical to their livelihood and you don't have to let someone steal your property. You're allowed to stop them."



Pfingst said that includes using deadly force if the attempted burglary or other crime a person is trying to stop is a felony.



Whether or not the break-in attempt was a felony could be a question El Cajon police are trying to answer in their investigation. Lt. Walt Miller said there is no indication a second suspect was involved in the incident. But, Mercurio brought a stolen vehicle to the scene, and it's unclear whether he intended to leave it there.



If Mercurio were trying to steal homeowner, Michael Po's truck, it would be a felony. But, if he were only trying to break into it, that could be a misdemeanor.

Police said a confrontation ensued between the two men when the homeowner, Po, tried to stop Mercurio from breaking into his truck. If Mercurio threatened Po with any violence, that brings his actions back up to a felony, no matter what his intentions were with Po's truck.

"He's never been violent in his entire life," his mother Monika Anderson said. Anderson said her son is a heroin addict and was probably looking for drugs or money in the truck to steal.

Anderson would not say how or why she suspects that. She said Mercurio has been trying to get sober since his twin brother overdosed in 2011 and has been in and out of eight rehab centers.

"He wanted to get sober so bad," she said.



Anderson said Mercurio was the best son anyone could hope for and leaves behind a 6-year-old daughter.



Pfingst said the bottom line is the law protects property owners and places the risk for criminal activity on the criminals.

"If someone wants to steal your property and it's felony property, you don't have to run away," Pfingst said. "And you don't have to let them walk away with your property. You're allowed to fight and defend your property and you're allowed to use deadly force to do it under the law."

El Cajon police have said it is unlikely charges will be filed against Po.

NBC 7 investigated Mercurio's criminal history, finding no convictions for violent crimes, as his mother said.

Mercurio was charged with a handful of felony and misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia possession charges, along with DUI charges between 2005 and 2014.

The District Attorney's office has not yet received the case. That is the agency that will ultimately decide whether any charges will be filed.
Students at several high school campuses in San Diego County participated in a day of protest Wednesday, calling for safer schools one month to the day after the deadly shooting in Florida.

The more than 3,000 walkouts were organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, which brought hundreds of thousands to Washington, D.C., last year.

[G] Images: San Diego Schools Partake in National Walkout

The group urged students to leave class at 10 a.m. local time for 17 minutes  one minute for each victim in the Parkland High School shooting.

At Westview High School, about 800 students gathered to remember the Parkland victims and held signs saying "I want to read books not eulogies" and "Enough is enough."

The tone was somber as students read the names and mini-biographies of students killed in Florida.

I think students are very upset with whats happening because theres no guarantee who will be next and we cant guarantee it wont ever happen again. Enough is enough and this is getting ridiculous that the adults of this country have not taken action, said Marylynn Tracy, a student representative at Westview High School.

At Westview High School in the Poway Unified School District, students remembered the 17 lives lost in the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. The San Diego-area school was one of many local campuses that took park in the National School Walkout on March 14, 2018.

At one point during the walkout in 4S Ranch, traffic was backed up as police allowed students to cross an intersection. At least one driver didnt mind the inconvenience.

I love the involvement of our students. Theyre the voice of our future. Traffic doesnt matter. Students lives are what matter, said Carolyn Holloway.

About 1,000 students at Del Norte High School walked out chanting "Enough is enough."

Students at Del Norte High School now several blocks away from campus. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/anfObUEyUD  Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) March 14, 2018

The symbolic 17-minute walkout lasted roughly 40-minutes as students took part in what was largely a sanctioned act of civil disobedience.

We all need to stand together. Obviously the government isnt really doing anything right now, so the students are the change right now, said Megan Ochoa, a senior at Del Norte High School.

We have a voice and we have energy and thats the most important thing right now, said Alex Wheeler, a senior at Del Norte High School.

A student at Del Norte used a bullhorn to read the first names of shooting victims in Florida. Students than marched about a half mile off campus. San Diego police officers and Sheriffs deputies monitored the walkout, making sure students stayed on sidewalks.

Right Now. Student walkout at Del Norte High School. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/llIZrN8OLy  Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) March 14, 2018

School administrators also followed along closely, student safety their number one priority. At one point, the Del Norte Principal intervened as a small group of students trekked toward a busy intersection.

We want to support our kids. We want to honor their voice, but we also have the obligation to keep them safe, said Greg Mizel, Principal at Del Norte High School.

At Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos, chairs were set out - one for each of the victims. One student speaker encouraged classmates to take the time to talk with someone new as part of the movement. The school was also giving students time to register to vote if they were 18 or preregister to vote if they were 16 or older.

The Associated Student Body, or student government, organized five minutes of silence from 10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. Wednesday. A few students also delivered emotional speeches, at points crying during them, saying all students just want to feel safe at school.

"Fellow Patrick Henry students, we should no longer have to negotiate for our lives," said Ashlee Watson, 17, during her speech to the crowd. "It is time to make a difference."

In University City, 17 trees at Standley Middle School have been dedicated to the victims of the Florida school shooting.

We are here because we can walk out and we will stand up for what we believe in. Because if we dont then who is going to stop it? Who is going to tell lawmakers you need to do this? asked walkout organizer Zachary Patterson.

Eighth-grade student Aidan Ideker said,I believe we should be able to go to school each day knowing that we are going to come home and our parents are going to see us again.

Students at Standley Middle School in University City participated in the National School Walkout on the heels of a threat of violence at the campus. NBC 7's Audra Stafford reports.

Students at Point Loma High School walked out of classes at 10 a.m. and gathered on the school's football field.

At Santana High School, students gathered in the grassy area in the middle of campus in a show of support for the national movement.

News chopper video shows a crowd of students at Santana High School in Santee taking part in the National School Walkout on March 14, 2018. Seventeen years ago, Santana High School was the target of a school shooting that left two dead and 13 wounded.

At El Camino High School, students set up a memorial for the Parkland Victims on the grass outside a classroom, City News Service reported. Seventeen stakes were driven into the ground, with the photos and names of each victim attached. Below the photos, students put 14 backpacks, each with a personalized touch. There were soccer balls, a basketball and pom poms. A football and an apple were placed by the photo of Parkland football coach and educator Chris Hixon.

At Sunset View Elementary School and Golden Hill K-8, young students formed human peace signs outside during the walkout.

NBC 7's Melissa Adan reports from Point Loma High School, where students took part Wednesday in the National School Walkout.

San Diego Unified School District spokesperson Isabella McNeil said more than 50 local schools had participated in Wednesday's walkout, including at least 20 high schools and a dozen K-8 schools.

At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School  where 17 people were killed by a former student  students filed outside at 10 a.m. local time and gathered to honor the victims of the Feb. 14 massacre. After holding a moment of silence, speakers addressed fellow classmates and faculty members, and warned inactive lawmakers to "keep in mind that many of us will vote this November and many more will flood the polls in 2020."

[NATL] Students Stage Walkouts Across the US to Protest Gun Violence

Students in cities like Chicago, San Diego, New York City, Los Angeles, Miami and across the Bay Area, from the elementary to college level either participated or are expected to take part.

Some schools applauded students for taking a stand or at least tolerated the walkouts, while others threatened discipline.

Across the nation, students participated Wednesday in the National School Walkout, including students at West Hills High School in Santee.
A group of state legislators launched a formal inquiry into a decision by the Maryland State Department of Education to stop using a national teacher license background check service in 2015 and 2016.

The decision was revealed in a February investigation by the News-4 I-Team and was unknown to several major Maryland school districts.

The national NASDTEC database is used voluntarily by all 50 states to exchange notifications about teachers who engage is misconduct. The NASDTEC database helps ensure a teacher whose license is revoked in one state for abuse or sexual misconduct with a student is red flagged if he or she tries to find work in another state.

The I-Team investigation revealed the Maryland State Department of Education stopped using the NASDTEC database between July 2015 and June 2016, citing concerns about data security in the system. Several school districts said they were unaware until notified by the I-Team.

The I-Team review found a teacher slipped through the cracks in Maryland during the lapse. The teacher had admitted sending inappropriate text messages to a student while working in Florida in 2013, but he eluded detection in Maryland and found two public school teaching positions in 2016, including one in Silver Spring during the period in which the state wasnt using NASDTEC.

In a letter to the Maryland State Department of Education, state legislators asked the agency to explain their decision to stop using the database. The letter requested the exact dates of the lapse and asked whether Maryland has checked the licensure backgrounds of teachers hired during the outage.

We were concerned to learn through the media that in 2016, there was a lapse in the states use of the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Curriculum clearinghouse to determine if newly hired educators in Maryland have previously undergone disciplinary action in other states, the letter said.

A lot of my colleagues were concerned to hear about it, said Del. Eric Luedtke (D-Montgomery County). Thats a first line of defense, just like background checks are, to protect the safety of students and staff.

I think its alarming and shocking, said Sen. Susan Lee (D-Bethesda) said. It has a lot of consequences. It puts the kids at risk.

In a formal response to the legislators inquiry, the Maryland State Department of Education said it was necessary to stop using the database because a file transfer system used by NASDTEC was not properly encrypted to protect the information shared by the agencys licensing official.

In its response to the state legislators, the agency said it was an oversight not to notify Maryland school districts about the decision.

The agency confirmed it ran a reviewed and updated its files after restoring its connection with the NASDTEC system. It found one other teacher whose Maryland teaching license should have been revoked during the yearlong lapse. But the agency said the second teacher was not teaching in a Maryland school at the time.

In a hearing shortly after the I-Team report, the chair of the Montgomery County Council Education Committee asked Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent Jack Smith if the district was considering changing its background check system for teachers.

Were waiting to hear from the state of Maryland about what theyre doing, Smith said. We want to hear from them. Simultaneously, we are looking at what we can do around this.

Montgomery County Public Schools has applied to get direct access to the NASDTEC database to check the licensure backgrounds of the teachers it hires. The system, which was once restricted to state departments of education, is now offered to local school districts.

In its response to legislators, the Maryland State Department of Education said, The most reliable means to identify issues that should prevent the hiring of educators with disciplinary action in processing in another state is through an employer reference check and the honest reporting of issues by previous employers. The hiring of local educators is the responsibility of each local school system.

Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, and shot and edited by Jeff Piper.


President Donald Trump's new pick to run the CIA, Gina Haspel, is a career officer who ran a secret prison in Thailand, where suspected terrorists were waterboarded after the September 11th attacks. She would be the first woman to head the agency.

Haspel, who was named the CIA's deputy director in February of last year, briefly was in charge of the prison, or CIA black site, where accused terrorist Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri was waterboarded in 2002, The Associated Press has reported. She also helped to destroy the CIA's waterboarding videos, an order that resulted in a long Justice Department investigation that ended without charges.

From 2003 to 2005, Haspel oversaw the interrogation program in which dozens of suspected terrorists also were deprived of sleep and stuffed into coffins, according to The New Yorker.

Trump has supported waterboarding, the harsh interrogation technique that simulates drowning.

Haspel, who joined the agency in 1985, would need to be confirmed as director by the U.S. Senate. She would replace Mike Pompeo, who would become secretary of state.

Haspel served as chief of station at several CIA outposts abroad, and held top senior leaderships in Washington, D.C., including deputy director of the National Clandestine Service, a section of the CIA. She was deputy director of the CIA's Russia Group and NBC News reported that, according to former colleagues, she has a conventional, hardline view of Russia as a dangerous adversary.

But she was passed over as director of the National Clandestine Service in 2013, after serving as acting director for two months, when California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein in particular raised concerns about her role in the controversial interrogation program.

Her confirmation hearing will likely focus on that chapter in the CIA, after the Bush administration authorized the use of techniques such as waterboarding, which the U.S. government had previously regarded as torture

"It's no secret Ive had concerns in the past with her connection to the CIA torture program and have spent time with her discussing this," Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday. "To the best of my knowledge she has been a good deputy director and I look forward to the opportunity to speak with her again."

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona said that he wanted to hear about the extent of Haspel's involvement in the CIA's interrogation program, her beliefs about torture and her approach to current law.

"In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, our government squandered precious moral authority in a futile effort to produce intelligence by means of torture," he said. "We are still dealing with the consequences of that desperately misguided decision."

Any nominee for CIA director must pledge to uphold the current ban on harsh interrogation techniques, he said.

Haspel said in a statement that after 30 years as an officer with the CIA, she had been honored to serve as its deputy director alongside Pompeo for the last year.

"I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in me, to be nominated to be the next director of the Central Intelligence Agency," she said. "If confirmed, I look forward to providing President Trump the outstanding intelligence support he has grown to expect during his first year in office."

A former CIA director, John Brennan, praised Haspel's competence and integrity and told MSNBC that there was tremendous respect for her within the ranks. He acknowledged that she was involved in a very controversial program, a role that he predicted would receive close scrutiny during her confirmation process, but said that he thought she deserved the chance to take the helm at the CIA.

Asked if he would vouch for her, he said, "I vouch for her capabilities, her experience, her expertise, and I do have confidence that she will carry out the duties of director well. I just hope that in this administration where it seems as though loyalty seems to be the highest priority, that Gina Haspel speaks truth to power and represents the CIA in a apolitical, nonpartisan and honest and objective way."

Some Democrats, the ACLU and other civil rights advocates objected when she was named deputy director last year.

"I am especially concerned by reports that this individual was involved in the unauthorized destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes, which documented the CIA's use of torture against two CIA detainees," Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island wrote in a letter to Pompeo at the time.

Christopher Anders, deputy director of the ACLU's Washington legislative office, said in a statement Tuesday that Haspel was "up to her eyeballs in torture."

"The CIA must declassify and release every aspect of Haspel's torture record before considering the nomination," the statement added.

CORRECTION (March 16, 11:30 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article incorrectly described Gina Haspels role in the interrogations of suspected terrorist Abu Zubaydah. NBC News now reports that she was not present at those interrogations, according to current and former U.S. officials.


Three package bombs left on doorsteps in suburban Austin neighborhoods have killed two people and wounded two others in under two weeks in Texas' capital city, leaving investigators searching for any possible motive.

Three package bombs left on doorsteps in suburban neighborhoods have exploded in less than two weeks, killing two people, wounding two others and leaving investigators vowing to look at any possible explanation for a motive.

Police said the bombings in east Austin  two on Monday and one on March 2  are likely linked. Investigators are looking into whether race was a factor, police said, because all the victims have been minorities. However, they backed off initial suggestions that hate crimes could be a core cause and are not ruling out any possibilities.

Austin Police announced on Tuesday a $50,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest. Texas Governor Greg Abbott had previously announced a $15,000 reward, bringing the total amount to $65,000.



The detonations prompted warnings from police departments across Texas, including Dallas Police, which published a bulletin urging people to be vigilant of unexpected package deliveries.



Austin Police say since the investigaton started, they have responded to 265 calls for suspicious packages at homes but all were deemed safe.

The FBI and other federal officials continue to assist in the investigation. Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said, "We're not saying that we believe terrorism or hate is in play, but we absolutely have to consider that because we don't want to limit what we are investigating, what we are considering and how we are approaching this case."

Tina Sherrow, a retired agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the materials to build such bombs are commonly available at hardware stores or online, and that police have been mum on details because the perpetrators may be watching media coverage.

"I don't look at it as terrorism, but it's terrorism of a community for sure," Sherrow said.

The first of Monday's blasts occurred early in the morning, when a package that had been carried into the kitchen of a home and exploded upon being opened. The blast killed 17-year-old Draylen Mason and wounded a 40-year-old woman, both of them black.

Authorities say a package that exploded inside of an Austin home on Monday, killing a teenager and wounding a woman, is believed to be linked to a deadly package sent to another home in Texas' capital city earlier this month.

Hours later, authorities were called to the scene of another explosion also triggered by the opening of a package. That blast wounded a 75-year-old Hispanic woman, who was taken to a hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries. Investigators announced on Tuesday that she remains in critical condition.



Both of those explosions are thought to be linked to a third blast that killed Anthony Stephan House, a 39-year-old black man, on March 2.

Manley said investigators initially thought the March 2 package bomb was related to a recent police bust of a nearby stash house. But after Monday's dual explosions, Manley said authorities now believe all three are connected.

"This is the third in what we believe to be related incidents over the past 10 days," Manley said Monday.

Authorities have not settled on a motive. Since multiple people live in the homes where the package bombs were delivered, it's unclear who the intended targets were or whether the packages were left at the intended addresses.

Two of the three families targeted by the package bombs knew each other and were connected through local activism in the black community, a civic leader said Tuesday, but it was not clear how they might be tied to the third household.

"We are not ruling anything out at this point," Manley said.

Austin police are warning residents to not open packages that they weren't expecting after two package explosions Monday killed a teenager and injuring two others.

Investigators have not publicly released many details about the packaging of the explosives, citing the ongoing investigation, but Manley described them as "not particularly large." In all three cases, he said, the packages did not appear to have gone through the U.S. Postal Service or private carriers, but were left on doorsteps without knocking or ringing doorbells.

Monday's attacks unfolded as tens of thousands of visitors arrived in the city for the busiest days of the South By Southwest music festival. The deadly incidents didn't appear to be related to the gathering, but authorities urged tourists to be vigilant and warned local residents to call authorities immediately if they receive unexpected parcel deliveries.



In a tweet, organizers of South By Southwest said they were "heartbroken by the explosions" and urged visitors to stay safe.

A $15,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for Austin package bombings. https://t.co/6V5lC2DF39 pic.twitter.com/Y4dplcUsn8  Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) March 12, 2018

Four years ago, a driver plowed through a barricade and into a crowded street of South By Southwest revelers, killing four people and injuring many others. Extra security measures were taken, including additional policing, tougher security checks and brighter street lighting.

Keith Reynolds lives near the site of Monday's second blast and said he heard what sounded like a propane explosion. He rushed outside and saw a cloud of hazy smoke and people running to help.

"There was a horrible screaming. You knew that something terrible was happening," Reynolds said, adding that the victim's body was riddled with holes as emergency responders took her out of the house.

There was nothing obvious linking the three areas where the bombs exploded, other than all were east of Interstate 35, the main highway that divides the city. The east side historically has had a larger minority population than Austin's west side, although that has changed in recent years, as migration and gentrification have changed demographics and raised home prices throughout the city.

Monday's first blast happened in Springdale Hills, a leafy neighborhood of houses mostly from the 1960s and 1970s. That was about 12 miles south of the home where the March 2 package bombing occurred. Monday's second explosion, meanwhile, occurred about 5 miles south of the day's first blast.

"It's just a regular family neighborhood," Reynolds said. "It's just a grandmother, you know what I mean? Like, why?"

From his house at the end of the same street, 77-year-old retiree Gilbert Rendon heard the boom of Monday's second blast and then saw a crush of scared people running his way  barefoot neighbors, some carrying babies with dogs chasing behind.

"They're saying, `Somebody put a bomb! Somebody put a bomb!'" Rendon said.

Manley said anyone receiving a package they don't recognize should call 911. "Under no circumstances should you touch them, move them or handle them in any way," he said.
Students in Vermonts largest city walked out of school Wednesday, joining peers from around the country in a day of activism for gun reform.

Burlington High School students held a moment of silence for victims of the Parkland, Florida shooting massacre and other victims of gun violence.

"Yes, Burlington is very safe and Vermont is a very safe place, but Im pretty sure students in Parkland thought it was a very safe school as well, and that it would never happen to them," said Zanevia Wilcox, a Burlington High School sophomore.

The students who briefly walked out of school then called on elected officials to do more to protect them and other community members from gun violence, through changes like limits on who can possess firearms, and more stringent background checks.

"Ive been passionate about a lot of different issues in my lifetime, but I think right now, were having the most momentum Ive ever seen with any issue," said Burlington senior Allie Brown.

"We are the ones making the change, because we havent seen any adults making it," said Amanda Tran, another Burlington High School senior.

Vermonts Republican governor, Phil Scott, has voiced support for reforms: a stance he admits has been deeply unpopular with many gun rights supporters.

"I have many, many friends and supporters who are disappointed with what I've moved forward with, but I have a deep responsibility to take care of issues I see that affect the state in terms of public safety," Gov. Scott said last week.

The school district wants the walkout participants to make up lost class time, according to a spokesman, but Burlingtons superintendent was impressed by the display.

"I hope people across the nation are hearing the voices of students rising up," Yaw Obeng told necn.

The Burlington students' voices drew praise on the floor of the U.S. Senate Wednesday.

The nations longest-serving senator, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, said in a speech he was very proud of the students, and told his colleagues the kids voices must be heard.

"I ask, 'Does Congress have the courage to do something?'" Sen. Leahy said. "Thats the question theyre asking. And if we cant answer it positively, then we in Congress have failed these students."

Leahy also took part in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday on the Parkland tragedy and ways to curb mass shootings.

There were similar walkouts planned across Vermont that did not happen Wednesday because many schools canceled due to the snow. A handful of student organizers in such communities have said their demonstrations will be rescheduled.
A man arrested in North Carolina in connection with the murder of a 15-year-old girl in 1986 was ordered held without bail by a Massachusetts judge on Wednesday.

Michael Hand, 61, was arrested on a fugitive from justice charge last Friday at his home in Troutman, North Carolina, by state and local police.

He pleaded not guilty to murdering Tracy Gilpin, of Kingston, Massachusetts, at his arraignment in Brockton District Court on Wednesday after waiving rendition in North Carolina earlier this week. It wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Gilpin was reported missing on Oct. 1, 1986, by her family. Her body was found 22 days later in Myles Standish State Forest, and investigators determined she died from a massive skull fracture.

Prosecutors said Wednesday that Hand, a former Kingston resident, made statements to police that put him at the crime scene and admitted to dropping a 73-pound boulder on Gilpin's head. A DNA test will be performed on the rock to determine Hand's connection to the crime.

Gilpin's sister, current Massachusetts State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin, thanked investigators Sunday for all of their hard work on the case over the past 30 years.

"For the past three decades, we have remained hopeful that Tracy's murderer would be identified. The much-welcomed news of an arrest in the case leaves us cautiously optimistic that justice for Tracy is within reach," she wrote.

Hand's arraignment in Massachusetts was initially scheduled for Plymouth District Court but had to be moved to Brockton due to power outage issues.

He is next scheduled to appear in court on April 13.
What to Know Massachusetts students walked out Wednesday to protest gun violence one month after the deadly mass shooting in Florida.

March for Our Lives Boston is handling the Massachusetts event while Empower is organizing the national school walkout.

Both groups encouraged students to leave class at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes  one minute for each victim in the Florida shooting

Students in Massachusetts participated in a nationwide protest against gun violence Wednesday despite many schools being closed due to Tuesday's blizzard.

National organizers say nearly 3,000 walkouts were scheduled in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

While the national walkout was organized by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, March for Our Lives Boston handled the Massachusetts event. Both groups had encouraged students to leave class for 17 minutes  one minute for each victim in the Florida shooting.

An estimated 100 schools across the state were expected to take part in the walkout, including Boston Latin, Somerville High School, and Burncoat High School in Worcester. At least one school, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, said it was postponing its walkout until Thursday since school was closed Wednesday due to the snow.

Carrying signs with messages like "We Cannot Protect Our Guns Before Our Kids," students from across the region met at St. Paul's Church on Tremont Street in Boston at 11 a.m. and then marched to the Massachusetts Statehouse.

They may be too young to vote, but they say they want action now. That's why, instead of shoveling on Wednesday, they showed up in the snow marching to demand more gun control.

Many said the snow couldn't have stopped them from this march in Boston.

"This snow storm won't do anything to a movement," Andover High School student Charlotte Powell said.

"Regardless of weather, regardless of adversity, we come out here," said Somerville High School student Sam Dornstein.

Students from Shrewsbury to Roxbury used their voices to say their ages shouldn't stop lawmakers from listening.

"You don't have to be a certain age to know what's right and what's wrong," said one student.

"I think if our representatives and legislators won't listen to adults, maybe they'll finally listen to youth," Powell said.

The signs in Boston were a sign of what was happening across the country, as students marked the one-month anniversary of the Parkland school shooting by protesting the gun laws they say are not tough enough.

"Especially since in Somerville, two people who went to Somerville High School have been shot and killed in the last year," said Somerville High School student Sylvia Hover.

"I think students should have the right to go to school safely and parents should not have to worry if their children are going to come home alive," said Lexington High School student Eliza Stokes.

Cambridge teacher Isabelle Eccles says she has her own reason for marching.

"Because I don't think giving me a gun is going to make my kid safe," she said.

Their focus once they reached the State House Wednesday was not on giving guns to teachers but on keeping guns out of the hands of those considered dangerous. It's the goal of the so-called Red Flag bill.

The speeches earned cheers of approval from lawmakers, but students say they want action rather than applause.

"We want to feel safe in our streets and we want to feel safe in our schools and we're hoping this finally tells the adults what they need."

They say a lot more is needed for them to feel safe.

"I've grown up with the word 'active shooter' in my mouth, and we're tired of it," Powell said.

Their message isn't ending with Wednesday's march. They say it was just a prelude to the March for Our Lives protest, which is happening on the Boston Common and across the country later in March.

Students in Massachusetts also planned on demonstrating outside the firearms manufacturer Smith and Wesson plant in Springfield, according to MassLive.

"We will knock on the doors of our representatives and speak with them directly, encouraging Massachusetts to continue to lead in gun reform and to learn from other states," read a statement on the March for Our Lives website.

In New Hampshire, students at scores of high schools briefly walked out of their classrooms as part of the nationwide effort to respond to the Parkland shooting. Students from Lebanon High School, Londonderry High School, Nashua South High School and Exeter High School were among that took part in the walkout.

Students in cities like Chicago, San Diego, New York City, Los Angeles and Miami, from the elementary to college level, are taking up the call in a variety of ways. Some planned roadside rallies to honor shooting victims and protest violence. Others were to hold demonstrations in school gyms or on football fields.

Students in the Washington D.C., area were scheduled to march to the White House and U.S. Capitol where they would be joined by Democratic lawmakers in demanding gun control legislation.

Wednesday's gatherings were one of several protests planned for the coming weeks. The March for Our Lives rally for school safety is expected to draw hundreds of thousands to the nation's capital on March 24, its organizers said. And another round of school walkouts is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.


Several U.S. Army soldiers are recovering from injuries suffered in northern New England, after a fast-moving avalanche struck, then carried them through a gully in Vermont.

Sgt. Nathan Rivard of the Vermont National Guard said the snow slide struck a gully in Smugglers Notch, where a mountain warfare school was training on specialized skills including winter survival and rappelling.

The avalanche swept the soldiers a distance greater than three football fields in length, Rivard said, noting that the victims were not buried.

Five of the six injured soldiers needed treatment at the University of Vermont Medical Center, Rivard said.

In 10 minutes, everyone was located and the people that were injured were all conscious and coherent the entire time, Rivard told NBC 10 Boston. They were removed from the mountain within an hour and 40 minutes, which is quite the feat to get them off the mountain that quickly.

Rivard described the injuries as non-life-threatening.

Public safety officials are now urging folks to stay away from steep terrain without heavy tree cover.

Conditions are unstable following this weeks deep snow that covered earlier layers which had thawed then refroze, according to the Vermont Department of Public Safety.

Ive never been over there, backcountry snowboarder Scott Witt said of the area known as Easy Gully, where the avalanche happened. A friend of mines been over there. Its sketchy. With this much snow weve had, its sketchyits dangerous.

But nearby ski resorts are drawing a distinction between rugged out-of-bounds areas and groomed slopes.

"Whats going on in-bounds, conditions are fantastic. Ski patrol is there and theyre well-trained in making sure the terrain is safe for people to travel on, and if ever its unsafe, theyll close it, said Mike Chait of Smugglers Notch Resort.

Rivard said the affected students and instructors had all trained on what to do in case of an avalanche. One survival skill he described amounted to basically swimming through the slide.

Those skills likely prevented worse injuries, Rivard said.

Training in the gully is over for the week, but will continue at the Army Mountain Warfare Schools indoors facility in Jericho through the rest of the week.

Rivard could not say when the soldiers would be released from the hospital, but said the military is very grateful that the injuries did not threaten the lives of the students or instructors.

Rivard also praised local first responders for their hard work and assistance during the emergency.


Finding Norwich's Joy with the crocodiles in Africa

Watching a crocodile glide past, after seeing five boys baptised in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, has been one of the most surreal moments of the last 18 months for Christian missionary, Joy McCann, from Norwich. Jenny Seal reports.
Residents celebrate Broadmead's achievement at cheque presentation party

BROADMEAD Rest Home in Woolton Hill has been shortlisted in the Best Regeneration Project category at the Pinders 2018 Healthcare Design Awards.

The refurbished care home received a 500 prize and an award in recognition of the achievement.

Broadmeads lifestyle co-ordinator Charlie Rawlings said: It is a very homely home and a lot of staff are related.

It is a very different Broadmead to what it used to be and, since the refurbishment, we have a lot of local staff, volunteers and groups coming in.

Since the refurbishment the atmosphere has changed in the home.

The owner of Broadmead, Jabriel Raja, will give the 500 to the NSPCC.

The care home staff added an extra 110 to this donation through a silent auction, where they were tasked with a challenge in exchange for a donation.

Ms Rawlings said: There were 10 members of staff and 10 forfeits.

Two members of staff wandered around Woolton Hill dressed as the 118 runners. I had to come to work in my pyjamas.

Mr Raja was presented with the cheque last Thursday.

The Pinder judges were also in attendance to present the award to the care home.

Residents were entertained with board games, sensory activities and a quintessential tea.

The finals for the Healthcare Design Awards will be held in London on Wednesday, March 14.
This story was updated at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Controversial conservative speaker Ann Coulter visited the Bay Area Tuesday night, speaking at a sold-out event of more than 600 at the IFES Society Community Center in Mountain View.

Trump, immigration, California and her talk at UC Berkeley that never happened were all hot topics of discussion for Coulter.

"California is a beautiful state in the union, it's just sad," she said. "But I have a plan. We regretfully either allow California to secede - I think Trump would agree - and sell it back to Mexico!"

Coulter advocated for Trump building a wall at the border between the United States and Mexico, saying, "We gotta stop this dump of the third world on our country."

Outside the community center, Coulter commented on her former plans to speak in the Bay Area at UC Berkeley in 2017 to news reporters.

ALSO, Mountain View to send two dozen police officers to staff Ann Coulter speech

"I can give my entire speech to Berkeley in about five seconds. Federal laws on the books, we should enforce them,' " She said in an interview recorded by KRON 4. "All of these liberals came out when Berkeley threw their little tantrum and wouldn't let me speak. The gals on the View, Robert Reich, Obama brought it up....Now, that they've all gotten credit for believing in free speech, Huh, I still haven't spoken. I kind of think I need to speak."

(Note: UC Berkeley says it spent more than $600,000 on security when Coulter announced her plans to speak at the university. Coulter then lost the backing of conservative groups who offered to sponsor her appearance, and she canceled her plans.)

The Tuesday night event in Mountain View was hosted by the nonpartisan conservative group Liberty Forum of the Silicon Valley and featured tight security with strong police presence.

KTVU reported that only two protestors appeared outside.
STRATFORD  Students spilled out of Stratford High School by the hundreds, led by their principal and greeted by their superintendent and mayor.

The idea of this walkout, like thousands of them staged around the around country Wednesday at 10 a.m., local time, wasnt to argue politics, most participants said.

It was about remembrance.

It was important that we did something together, said Ryann Wiltsie, 14, a Stratford High freshman and cousin of Vicki Soto, a first-grade teacher killed during the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown in 2012.

Between poetry, and song, members of the Stratford High Student Council  Wiltsie included  approached a microphone perched on the schools stone front steps and read the names of the victims of a Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

One by one, with moments of silence for each of the 17 who died.

Tiffany Okrah, 15, said she doesnt know much about the student whose name she read. But she said that didnt matter.

They were students, Okrah said. I would want the same.

Jeremiah Domschine, a Stratford senior, said the point of the walkout was to show respect for those who died.

And solidarity, said Kristen Navarro, another Stratford student.

Budding activism

Superintendent of Schools Janet Robinson, who was Newtowns schools chief at the time of the Sandy Hook shooting, said Stratfords walkout was designed entirely by kids.

Right off the bat, they said to me, We disagree. Some of us are very Second Amendment, some of us want to do away with weapons, so we arent going there. What we want to do is honor the victims,  Robinson said.

They also want to be safe, she added.

Students took the lead in most of the area walk outs.

At Shelton High, students wearing Douglas Highs maroon and silver colors placed flowers in a vase as victim names were being read. At Harding High in Bridgeport, Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson called the walkout a chance for student voices to be heard, and she applauded them for their activism.

Nathaniel Perez, a Harding junior, was instrumental in planning the event, according to Johnson, who was joined at Hardings walkout by Bridgeport Mayor Joseph Ganim.

Across town at Central High, hundreds spilled out onto school grounds, attracting the attention of neighbors.

We ... applaud their good efforts, said Joe Luciano, a Central neighbor. The students were truly amazing.

And at Milfords Jonathan Law High School, where nearly all 920 students participated in the walkout, some said politics cannot be ignored.

We feel very strongly that this had to be a political statement, said senior Colleen Hugo, a student organizer. Some of the teachers wanted this to be only a remembrance ceremony - which, of course, it was - but as students, we feel that our lives were at risk, and were not happy with the way gun legislation is, in this country.

As a moment of silence for each victim was observed, Hugo sounded a Tibetan singing bowl 17 times.

Making a difference

At a demonstration in Washington, D.C., the gun-control debate was more front and center, as several Connecticut lawmakers addressed a boisterous crowd composed mostly of high school-age youth.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., recounted how his 6-year-old son, Rider, was locked with kindergarten class in a bathroom as part of an active-shooter drill.

That should never happen in the United States of America, Murphy said. No one should have to go through that.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told the students they all deserved a grade of A for their activism, and declared pride in the National Rifle Associations giving him a grade of F.

And U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., who represents the Newtown area, said she wore green in honor of the 20 children who lost their lives at Sandy Hook.

You are making a difference; you are Americas leaders, Esty told the demonstrators.

At Stratford High, Principal Jack Dellapino said about one-quarter of the schools 960 students decided not to participate, and remained behind in the the school auditorium.

The rest braved a morning cold, many without coats, mingling with school board members and members of the Stratford Clergy Association who came in support.

Paul Kurmay, a deacon at Saint Mark Church, said the Stratford walkout brought attention to what he said was a horrible national situation that needs to be addressed.

Its wonderful that kids are leading it, Kurmay said. I think it will make a difference.

Jillian Soto, Vickis younger sister, was also at the Stratford walkout, and said it was a civil way for students to get involved.

Kids shouldnt fear going to school, Soto said.

She also hoped the walkouts would encourage kindness.

Being kind can go a long way, Soto said. I hope people take a moment and think what can I do to change things.

David Farber, a history professor at the University of Kansas who has studied social change movements, said it is too soon to know what effect the protests will have. But he said Wednesday's walkouts were without a doubt the largest protest led by high school students in the history of the U.S.

Young people are that social media generation, and it's easy to mobilize them in a way that it probably hadn't been even 10 years ago, Farber said.

But whether the students can make a difference on Capitol Hill remains to be seen.

Congress has shown little inclination to defy the powerful NRA and tighten gun laws, and President Donald Trump backed away from his initial support for raising the minimum age for buying an assault rifle to 21.

A spokeswoman for Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, newly appointed head of a federal panel on school safety, said DeVos gives a lot credit to the students who are raising their voices and demanding change, and their input will be valuable.
Following are some of the scholarship funds currently accepting applications from students in Greater New Milford this year.

The Greater New Milford Film Festival scholarship: Open to students who are planning to study some area of filmmaking, such as, directing, producing, acting, designing, audiotechnics, videography, etc. Applications available at www.filmnewmilfordct.org, on the commissions Facebook page and at New Milford High School.
NEW MILFORD  Even though she grew up in Sherman, 89-year-old Jean Susann Sheldon vividly remembers the white papier-mache horse that stood outside of Greens Warehouse in neighboring New Milford, where her family would often go to shop.

There are two things I remember as a child (about New Milford), Sheldon said. The fountain by Town Hall and that white horse.

The horse stood out to her because she so badly wanted a horse of her own at the time, Sheldon said. Then, when her daughter got her own horse, the two would visit the warehouse to buy bridles, bits and other supplies.

The Sheldons were just two of dozens of people who shared their memories of the horse, named Chief Waramaug Green, during its 100-year birthday party held at the New Milford Historical Society on Saturday.

The party featured historical photos of the horse, a birthday cake and a watercolor rendering of one of the photos, which was auctioned off in a raffle.

Chief Waramaug Green stood next to the painting all dressed up in a saddle, just as he had when he modeled products for Greens Warehouse until it closed in 1986. He became known during that time as the horse on the porch.

The horse, which was brought to New Milford by rail in 1918, was then donated to the historical society.

He is such an icon, said Anita Regan, who is a member of the historical societys board.

Mayor Pete Bass made an appearance at the party to declare March 10 Chief Waramaug Green Day.

Those who remembered the white horse were asked Saturday to record their stories through a booth set up by Connecticut Crossroads Oral History.

Amie Walston, registrar for the society, said the memories will be available on the companys website and likely compiled for the historical societys gift shop.

So many people come in and see the horse and they have an emotional reaction, Walston said. Hes just so nostalgic. So, why not collect those emotions and that attachment?

Walston added that the horse is well known by the older generations in New Milford and the younger children who visit the historical society on field trips.

Its really a New Milford landmark, she said.
NEW MILFORD  Town Council has approved a $100.9 million budget that holds school funding steady and cuts the town side of the budget by about $120,000.

But residents can nevertheless expect a 3.87 percent tax increase, owing to the loss of about $4.2 million in revenue at both state and local levels.

These arent decisions any of us want to make, said Councilman Paul Szymanski. Its being forced by the state of Connecticut.

The budget now goes before the Board of Finance.

Councilmen Peter Mullen and Walter Bayer opposed the budget proposal, saying the schools should get more money. The school board had proposed a $64.3 million budget, which was 2.34 percent more than the current year.

The biggest change the council made was to reduce the amount of money transferred from the unassigned fund, from $1.5 million as originally proposed to just $493,000. Council members said it is not a good practice to use the fund to offset falling revenue.

But some school board members argued that in effect Town Council took money needed for the schools and put it in the unassigned fund. Tammy McInerney, vice chairwoman of the board, said the town is hurting the schools without giving residents tax relief.

 Its disappointing to say the least, she said on Monday. Its almost cruel. I understand that times are tough for the town because of the state cuts, but decimating the school budget is not the right way to move forward.

She said there is no way to cut $1.4 million in funding from the schools request without it affecting programs, staff and students. About nine positions were already cut in the schools proposal.

Some of the cuts in the town budget include removing about $50,000 for the fire department capital spending, leasing a dump truck instead of purchasing it, reducing tree work and associated costs by about $9,000, reducing the towns contribution to the Candlewood Lake Authority by $7,800, removing a youth agency programmer for $14,500 and cutting contributions to nonprofits by $10,400.

Councilman Michael Nahom said nonprofits should get private donations from residents instead of tax dollars unless there is an existing partnership with the town, like those with Loaves and Fishes and the Childrens Center.

The cuts ordered by council are in addition to the ones Mayor Pete Bass proposed, including removing six town positions. One of those positions, that of parks and recreation deputy director, has since been restored.

Another big change was to add about $150,000 to the budget for an economic development director so the town could get a qualified person to hold the job. Szymanski said the town has underfunded the position in the past, offering $70,000 to $80,000.

We cant save our way out of this problem, said councilwoman Lisa Hida. We have to work both sides of the equation and I believe this is the place for that investment.
A group of New Milford businesses and entrepreneurial residents have been nominated for the second annual Connecticut Entrepreneur Awards.

The award program was established last year by a group of local entrepreneurs seeking to recognize and celebrate the success of those working hard to grow the states startup ecosystem.
Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) is a subacute form of blindness that develops in early adulthood. Found to occur in males at least 4-5 times more commonly, it is painless and bilateral, with an insidious, but progressive course.

Clinical Features

LHON typically begins with blurring of the central visual field, first in one eye. The other eye is not usually affected until two or three months later, though one in four patients may have bilateral blurring from the beginning. Severe visual loss is typical, with a central scotoma or visual field defect, which grows. Eventually the optic disc atrophies.

Other manifestations include postural tremor, symptoms relating to the peripheral nerves, myopathy of nonspecific origin and movement disorders, as well as a demyelination-like illness that may resemble multiple sclerosis.

Inheritance

The disorder is caused by mutations in mtDNA and is therefore due to maternal inheritance. The onset in early adult life means that the affected mother may not be symptomatic at the time of the birth of a child. A suggestive family history (of blindness in young adulthood in maternal relatives) may or may not be present, because in 40% of cases only one person is affected in the family. One explanation is that a male with LHON due to a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutation will have unaffected children, while in the case of a female with the condition, her offspring will receive the mutation. Prenatal prognostication of the extent, age of onset, or severity of the condition is difficult, because of the disparity between the amount of mtDNA in amniotic or chorionic cells and other adult tissues, and also because no mutation can predict the course of the disease.

Diagnosis and Management

The diagnosis is based on the typical clinical history, with the finding of a central or centrocecal scotoma on visual field examination. Fundoscopy shows (in 80% of cases) a hyperemic optic disc and peripapillary edema, tortuous retinal vessels and telangiectasia of the retina. These are often pre-symptomatic occurrences.

An electroretinogram and visual evoked potential testing shows no evidence of retinal disease, but optic nerve dysfunction. It may be confirmed by molecular genetic testing to detect any of three mtDNA mutations, namely, in MT-ND1, MT-ND4 or MT-ND6. The mutation affects mitochondrial respiration, but in a more subtle way than other related disorders.

Management is supportive, with visual aids in the early stages coupled with rehabilitation to prepare for the eventual loss of vision and helping the affected individual to make use of available social services.

Screening for other related manifestations should be done, including an ECG to detect pre-excitation syndromes, which requires treatment if it becomes symptomatic. Other neurologic features must be looked for and treated appropriately to minimize their functional impact on the daily living of the patient. Raised intraocular pressure is common and must be anticipated and prevented. Alcohol and smoking exposure will worsen and speed up mitochondrial dysfunction and should be avoided, as well as other toxic exposures and drugs that depress mitochondrial function.

New Research

Investigational treatments include:

Idebenone with vitamin B12 and vitamin C supplementation, which may help with visual recovery especially with significantly different extents of visual loss between the two eyes and ongoing visual loss in the better eye.

EPI-743 is a vitamin E derivative, which is being studied in LHON for its antioxidant effect.

Targeted gene therapy is being considered for the m.11778G>A mutation using a viral vector to replace the mutated gene.

Estrogen therapy may increase the activity of superoxide dismutase, a potent antioxidant enzyme, and reduce levels of reactive oxygen species, facilitating better mitochondrial respiration.

Mitochondrial replacement during in vitro fertilization may help prevent mtDNA from being transmitted from the mother to the child in known cases at risk.

Further Reading
A new study has found certain genes that predispose a person to develop insomnia or sleep problems. This was one of the largest genome wide studies undertaken on insomnia. The study led by psychiatrist Murray Stein from the University of California San Diego was published in the latest issue of the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

Image Credit: Amenic181 / Shutterstock

Insomnia affects around 30 percent of Americans in the short term and 10 percent Americans have chronic insomnia. Sleep problems lasting for at least a month is termed chronic insomnia. Stress, abnormal working schedules, lack of activity etc. are associated with sleep problems.

The study authors write that one in five Americans have sleep problems that can range from mild to severe. An adult requires 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night to remain healthy. Sleep problems are particularly worse among US military veterans who are twice as likely to suffer from sleep disorders. It is because of this higher propensity of veterans to suffer from insomnia that the study included data from the Army Study To Assess Risk and Resilience in Service members (STARRS) including data for mental health risk among the US military personnel. DNA samples were obtained from the over 33000 participants. Stein and his team then conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to look at the connection between insomnia and genetic traits. They then compared the obtained genomic data with genetic data from 500000 individuals from the US Biobank.

Results showed that there some specific mutations occurring over the chromosome 7 (called q11.22) among those of European descent that led them to be more susceptible to insomnia. There were certain mutations on chromosome 9 (RFX3) as well that were associated with sleep problems. The chromosome 7 mutation is near a gene called AUTS2. This gene is responsible for alcohol intake regulation and also development of the brain and signals for falling asleep. Stein says that the genes they found to be affected are those that are linked to sleep and circadian rhythms. Their changes are significant.

Stein explains that those of European descent are also more likely to have certain genetic traits that make them more at risk of depression and sleep disorders. The genetic correlation between insomnia disorder and other psychiatric disorders, such as major depression, and physical disorders such as type 2 diabetes suggests a shared genetic diathesis for these commonly co-occurring phenotypes, he said. More studies are necessary to understand the exact molecular mechanisms he said.

There has been a similar study last year where DNA from 110,000 participants showed distinct seven gene variations that are associated with insomnia. These genes were also associated with depression, anxiety and loss of sense of well being. Another study looking at the genomes of 1.3 million individuals is on the cards to associate specific genes with insomnia and sleep problems along with other psychiatric problems. Researchers say that at present there are 956 genes that have been implicated in causing insomnia and psychiatric problems although all of them are not yet validated.
Three people injected with an unauthorized herpes vaccine by a Southern Illinois University researcher have filed suit against his company, demanding compensation for alleged adverse side effects from the experiments.

SIU professor William Halford, who died in June, had injected Americans with his experimental herpes vaccine in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2016 and in Illinois hotel rooms in 2013 without safety oversight that is routinely performed by the Food and Drug Administration or an institutional review board.

Two of the participants who filed the lawsuit, Elizabeth Erkelens and Edd Biel, received the vaccine in the Caribbean trial, according to the lawsuit. The third participant, Terry Graham, was injected in two Illinois hotel rooms, it states.

The lawsuit, which was filed Friday in an Illinois circuit court, demands compensation from Halford's company, Rational Vaccines, alleging his research violated U.S. and international laws aimed at protecting the rights of participants in experiments.

Alan Milstein, a New Jersey lawyer representing the three participants, said his clients believe they should receive compensation not only for their medical costs, but also "pain and suffering" and loss of "dignity." Milstein said he is still exploring legal options against the university, which shared in the vaccine's patent, set up a business account to collect donations for Halford's research and promoted his work.

"My clients are anxious to ensure such unethical experimentation on human subjects are not repeated," said Milstein, who specializes in such cases.

A spokesman for Rational Vaccines did not respond to a request for comment. Earlier, the company had said that it plans to continue testing the vaccine and hopes to eventually secure approval from the FDA, although it's unclear how it could without oversight from the federal government.

Halford co-founded Rational Vaccines with Hollywood filmmaker Agustin Fernandez III in 2015. The company has since received millions of dollars in private investment from billionaire Peter Thiel, who contributed to President Donald Trump's campaign. Thiel has declined to comment on his investment.

Rational Vaccines has said it considers the 2016 trial a success  though it is unclear what data it used to support that claim.

The lawsuit comes as the university is still investigating what it now describes as Halford's misconduct.

SIU, a state university with a medical school in Springfield, Ill., initially said it bore no responsibility for the experiments because Halford conducted the research independently. After Kaiser Health News raised questions about Halford's practices, the Department of Health and Human Services asked the university to determine whether his activities violated the institution's pledge to HHS to follow human-subject safety protocols for all research.

SIU has since acknowledged that Halford's conduct violated university rules and U.S. laws but said that Halford hid his misconduct from the university. The investigation probing his research and the help he might have received by other SIU employees is ongoing.

The dean of SIU's medical school, Jerry Kruse, has refused multiple requests by Kaiser Health News for an interview, but in a statement he said he and other university officials knew nothing about improper research methods. Sen.Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is known for pushing for accountability on such matters, demanded a response from HHS and the university about their handling of the controversy. HHS' Office for Human Research Protections, which is supposed to monitor such violations, may not investigate the matter, HHS told Grassley.

"OHRP expects that SIU's forthcoming report will provide sufficient information  to determine whether the office has jurisdiction," Matthew Bassett, the HHS assistant secretary for legislation, wrote Grassley in a letter obtained by KHN.

KHN's coverage of prescription drug development, costs and pricing is supported by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
Although oily skin can clog pores and lead to increased acne breakouts, dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology say oily skin also has many benefits. Oil helps preserve the skin, and people with oily skin tend to have thicker skin and fewer wrinkles. The key, say dermatologists, is to strike a balance between having too much oil and maintaining your skin's natural moisture.

"There are many reasons for oily skin, including stress, humidity, genetics and fluctuating hormones," said board-certified dermatologist Deirdre Hooper, MD, FAAD, who maintains a private practice in New Orleans. "These factors can make oily skin difficult to manage; however, there are several things you can do at home to reduce the oil."

To help control oily skin, Dr. Hooper recommends the following tips:

DO wash your face every morning and evening, and after exercise. While washing, resist the temptation to scrub your skin -; even to remove makeup. Scrubbing irritates your skin, which can make it look worse. DO choose skin care products that are labeled "oil-free" and "noncomedogenic." Products that have these labels -; including cleansers, moisturizers and makeup -; won't clog your pores or cause acne. DO use a gentle, foaming face wash. Many people with oily skin believe that they need to use a strong face wash in order to dry out their skin. However, using a face wash that is too harsh can irritate your skin and trigger increased oil production. Instead, look for a mild, gentle face wash. DON'T use oil-based or alcohol-based cleansers. These can irritate your skin. DO apply moisturizer daily. Although you have oily skin, it is still important to apply moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated. To save time and protect your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays, look for a moisturizer that also contains a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. DO wear sunscreen outdoors. Sunscreen helps prevent sun damage that could lead to wrinkles, age spots and even skin cancer. To prevent acne breakouts, look for sunscreens that contain zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, and do not use sunscreens that contain fragrance or oils. DO choose oil-free, water-based makeup. DON'T sleep in your makeup. Always remove all makeup before going to sleep. DO use blotting papers throughout the day. Gently press the paper against your face and leave it on for a few seconds to absorb the oil. Don't rub the paper on your face, as this will spread the oil to other areas. DON'T touch your face throughout the day. Although it's tempting to touch your face, doing so can spread dirt, oil and bacteria from your hands to your face. Only touch your face when you're cleansing, moisturizing or applying sunscreen or makeup, and make sure your hands are clean first.

"Every person's skin is different, and there is no 'one-size-fits-all' approach to skin care," said Dr. Hooper. "If you are concerned about the amount of oil your skin is producing, or if you're struggling with blackheads or acne, make an appointment to see a board-certified dermatologist."

These tips are demonstrated in "How to Control Oily Skin," a video posted to the AAD website and YouTube channel. This video is part of the AAD's "Video of the Month" series, which offers tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair and nails. A new video in the series posts to the AAD website and YouTube channel each month.
African Americans with a common genetic variation are at increased risk for developing Alzheimer's disease, while European Americans with the same variation are not, according to a study led by researchers at Rush University Medical Center. They published the study results in the February 22 online issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

The genetic variation, known as Thr92AlaD2 polymorphism, affects a gene involved in the activation of thyroid hormone and occurs commonly; almost half the population are carriers of this polymorphism. The study found that African Americans with this polymorphism are 30 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease dementia than the African American without the genetic polymorphism. Whereas in European Americans, this gene wasn't associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's. This is a remarkable juxtaposition.

"This correlation only shows up in African-Americans. We have some ideas but aren't sure why," said Elizabeth McAninch MD, study author and assistant professor of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Rush.

Discovery is twist in research that began with thyroid gland

The discovery was the latest twist in an investigation that began years ago in Rush's endocrinology division under the leadership of Dr. Antonio Bianco, a thyroid expert and the director of the present studies. Endocrinologists provide care for hormone imbalances that cause health problems.

The Thr92AlaD2 polymorphism affects an enzyme that activates thyroid hormones. The enzyme is most important when considering patients with a condition known as hypothyroidism, which occurs when there is insufficient thyroid hormone being produced by the thyroid gland. In most cases, this condition can be controlled with the standard treatment for hypothyroidism, a drug called levothyroxine. However, about 15 percent of patients treated with levothyroxine consistently say it doesn't help them feel better.

Wondering what was behind those reports, McAninch and colleagues at Rush previously obtained and analyzed brain tissue from the University of Miami Brain Bank from deceased Caucasian male organ donors who at their time of death were young and healthy, without known thyroid problems, to see if they could find any clues. To their surprise, the brains of the healthy donors who had the polymorphism displayed biomarkers that are known to play a role in neurodegenerative brain disease.

"This was a shock to us and deserved more investigation," McAninch recalled.

Researchers then drew on data from long-term studies of Alzheimer's

The endocrinologists then enlisted the help of Rush researchers who specialize in the issues of the aging brain, and the expanded team set to work with data from three long-term group studies done at Rush from 1993 to 2012 -; the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), the Religious Orders Study (ROS), and the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP).

The CHAP cohort includes 3656 participants, 2321 of whom are African American, who received cognitive testing in three-year cycles for more than 18 years. In ROS and MAP, 1,707 European American participants without known dementia were enrolled and had annual evaluations.

Again, McAninch and colleagues also continued to collaborate with the University of Miami Brain Bank to obtain and study brain tissue from young, healthy African American brain donors.

Through utilizing the CHAP data, which has both African American and European American participants, this unique racially-stratified outcome revealed itself. "That's when we saw this huge discrepancy in risk for Alzheimer's disease dementia," McAninch said.

Questions remain to be answered in future studies

Minorities tend to be understudied in medical research in general, and specifically there needs to be more, larger studies of African Americans to evaluate the risk of Alzheimer's, McAninch observed. "A strength of this study is credited to the amazing resource we have in these three cohort studies here at Rush, where we were able to look at the differences between African-Americans and European-Americans," she says.

The Rush-led team is already planning the next inquiry, McAninch says, "to try to understand why African-Americans have this risk, while the European-Americans do not."
A statewide tax on the wealthy has significantly boosted mental health programs in California's largest county, helping to reduce homelessness, incarceration and hospitalization, according to a report released Tuesday.

Revenue from the tax, the result of a statewide initiative passed in 2004, also expanded access to therapy and case management to almost 130,000 people up to age 25 in Los Angeles County, according to the report by the Rand Corp. Many were poor and from minority communities, the researchers said.

"Our results are encouraging about the impact these programs are having," said Scott Ashwood, one of the authors and an associate policy researcher at Rand. "Overall we are seeing that these services are reaching a vulnerable population that needs them."

The positive findings came just a few weeks after a critical state audit accused California counties of hoarding the mental health money  and the state of failing to ensure that the money was being spent. The February audit said that the California Department of Health Care Services allowed local mental health departments to accumulate $231 million in unspent funds by the end of the 2015-16 fiscal year  which should have been returned to the state because it was not spent in the allowed time frame.

Proposition 63, now known as the Mental Health Services Act, imposed a 1 percent tax on people who earn more than $1 million annually to pay for expanded mental health care in California. The measure raises about $2 billion each year for such services, such as preventing mental illness from progressing, reducing stigma and improving treatment. Altogether, counties have received $16.53 billion.

Los Angeles County receives the biggest share of the money.

The money is "critically important" for the community mental health system and for people who need treatment but haven't been served well in traditional ways, said Toby Ewing, executive director of the state's Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission. "We can only imagine the challenges we would face if those funds weren't available."

Ewing said the recent state audit highlighted problems that need to be addressed. "But at the same time, the vast majority of dollars that have been made available to counties are actually delivering care and services in our communities and these dollars are being spent in creative and inventive ways," he said.

The funds go beyond the more basic services that counties traditionally provide, helping to pay for workers to reach out to homeless people and triage patients with mental health issues in hospitals, he said.

The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health commissioned the Rand report, which was based on data from 2012 to 2016. Researchers also interviewed participants in mental health programs.

The report covered two main programs  one for prevention and early intervention of mental illness in young people and another aimed at improving outcomes for people with serious mental illness.

Those who participate in the second program are in and out of jails and hospitals, and really need intensive services, according to Debbie Innes-Gomberg, the department's deputy director. She said she was pleased Rand found that the services are making a difference. "It is a very good investment," she said, adding that the county plans to add more participants this year.

In the future, the county wants to focus even more on prevention for at-risk children by promoting strong familial relationships and stable housing, Innes-Gomberg said. And L.A. County plans to invest more in mental health services in schools. "If on a school campus there is an issue and somebody needs to be evaluated right away, we're going to be able to develop the capacity to do that across the county," she said.

She acknowledged that the state audit on unspent funds was fair  and "an opportunity for improvement for counties and the state."

The audit and the Rand study addressed different questions and are not necessarily contradictory, according to mental health advocates. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, who wrote the Mental Health Services Act as a state legislator, said he was "thrilled" about the results from Rand but agreed that "in many counties, the money needs to get out faster because the needs are growing."

"If we invest in early intervention and prevention, if we invest in whatever it takes for the people who are the most chronic and seriously ill, their lives will be much better and so will our communities," he said.

One participant told researchers, "I would be dead or a criminal" without the services he was receiving, while another said they helped her accomplish her goal of going one month without being hospitalized for mental health care.

Researchers recommended that Los Angeles County improve its data collection and conduct a cost-benefit analysis of the services.

"There are reasons to be concerned about how maybe the money is being spent or not being spent," said Rand's Ashwood. "But studies like ours are showing there are positive things happening from these programs."

KHNs coverage in California is supported in part by Blue Shield of California Foundation.
New collaboration will help physicians be better stewards of healthcare spending and understand the human costs of treatment

Seeing prices and calorie counts on a restaurant menu allows consumers to make better choices when eating out. In the same way, physicians make better choices when presented with the financial cost and potential risks of medications, labs and radiology tests when inside the electronic medical record (EMR) making treatment decisions.

Georgia Hospital Health Services (GHHS), the shared services subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) is partnering with IllumiCare, a pioneer in point-of-care healthcare information technology, to offer Georgia hospitals its Smart Ribbon solution so clinicians can make better choices. The Smart Ribbon is a non-intrusive ribbon of information that appears within or momentarily hovers over a hospitals EMR to display real-time cost, risk and other data. This empowers clinicians to practice more clinically efficient medicine, while also being better stewards of resources.

Inside the hospital, the Smart Ribbon shows not just how much radiology tests cost, but also the cumulative amount of medical radiation exposure to that patient and the associated cancer risk. When ordering a lab test, physicians see not only the cost, but also the amount of phlebotomy blood loss and the associated anemia risk. For medication ordering, they have powerful insight into the associated risk of c. difficile (if on antibiotics) or a fall (if on sedatives or opioids), and other adverse events, in addition to seeing the wholesale cost to supply the amount of medication in each scheduled order. The Smart Ribbon displays different information based on context and user, so when used in an outpatient setting, providers are given the necessary information for that type of user.

We are uniquely aware of the challenges of hospitals within our state and nationally in selecting the most ideal and informed course of treatment for their patients. As healthcare leaders, we understand the importance of using innovative and cost-effective technology to improve care. Our partnership with IllumiCare is our latest initiative to arm hospitals with influential tools to increase transparency and awareness for physicians, said GHA Senior Vice President of Business Operations, Bill Wylie.

The EMR-agnostic Smart Ribbon uses existing data feeds to gather clinical data and piggybacks on existing authentication and permission infrastructure. It was designed for physicians by a physician so it does not disrupt clinical workflow, appearing only in the upper portion of the screen, and if a provider does not interact with it, it automatically minimizes.

In 2016, IllumiCare partnered with the Texas Hospital Association (THA), and Texas hospitals produced incredible results. Initial pilot hospitals provided safer care for patients while they saved $112 to $202 in direct costs per inpatient admission. As a result, there are now 52 Texas hospitals participating in the initiative, with many others in the adoption process. The goal is to bring the same value to Georgia hospitals and their patients.

It is paramount that hospital care be value-driven and fiscally efficient, said GT LaBorde, CEO of IllumiCare. GHA is helping to set a new standard of efficiency for hospital systems not only in Georgia, but across the country, to ensure all decisions made add value to the care of patients. In a short period of use, these hospitals will see measurable, hard dollar reductions in the cost of medications, labs, and radiological procedures.

With signups underway, GHA and IllumiCare have created an early-adopter incentive for the first five participating Georgia hospitals or healthcare systems.
Patients with multimorbidity--two or more long-term medical conditions--have complex health care needs, often requiring higher levels of care than other patients.

According to a new study, however, patients with multimorbidity in affluent areas receive longer doctor visits, greater perceived empathy, and more patient-centered care than comparable patients in socioeconomically deprived areas. Researchers in Scotland analyzed 659 routine visits to general practitioners in deprived and affluent areas, as well as patient ratings of general practitioner empathy. In affluent areas, multimorbid patients received longer consultations than other patients (13 minutes versus 9 minutes) while in deprived areas, consultation length was about the same for both groups (10 minutes). Similarly, patients with multimorbidity in affluent areas found GPs to be more empathetic and, according to video analysis, more attentive to their disease and illness experience. There were no such differences between similar groups in deprived areas. If primary care is to succeed in narrowing health inequalities, the authors state, action is needed to ensure that patients with multimorbidity in lower socioeconomic areas receive the same level of care and attention as patients in affluent areas.

Source: http://www. annfammed. org/
Thought Leaders Michael S. Ruma Maternal-Fetal Medicine Specialist Perinatal Associates of New Mexico

An interview with Michael S. Ruma, MD, MPH, discussing the fetal fibronectin test and how it could help identify women at risk of preterm labor.

Please can you give an overview of the causes of preterm labor.

Preterm birth is the most significant issue facing pregnant women and the clinicians caring for them. With each preterm delivery, a significant cost is incurred by the infant, the mother and her family and the health system.

Credit: Kaya Shelest/Shutterstock.com

Preterm birth for the clinician caring for the pregnant woman is always an issue on the forefront of his or her mind because ultimately an early delivery leads to significant potential harm to the infant due to outcomes related to prematurity.

Preterm delivery stands as the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality globally, with short term complications such as respiratory distress and intraventricular hemorrhage, and long-term complications such as chronic lung disease and neurodevelopmental disorders.

In the United States, nearly 10% of infants are born too early (less than 37 weeks of pregnancy). The majority of these preterm births (70%) are spontaneous related to preterm labor (45%) and preterm premature rupture of membranes (25%) and the remaining (30%) are medically-indicated for reasons related to the health of the mother or her unborn child.

Its a difficult conversation to have with patients and it's something that clinicians don't enjoy dealing with, so anything that reduces the risks of preterm birth is a step forward.

The outcomes are significantly better for babies born at 32 weeks, compared to say, 24 or 28 weeks. They have significantly lower death and medical complication rates. However, they still spend a prolonged amount of time in the hospital following birth, in most cases three to five weeks, delaying the initiation of normal family life after the childs birth.

What are the symptoms of preterm labor? Do all women develop symptoms?

Preterm labor typically presents with uterine contractions which are regular in rhythm and often last for hours. Many signs and symptoms of preterm labor are non-specific and include intermittent contractions, cramping (similar to menstrual cramps), low back pain, pelvic pressure in the vagina or pelvis, vaginal discharge and vaginal bleeding. Most women who undergo preterm labor develop symptoms, but they are non-specific so many cases go undiagnosed.

The true definition of preterm labor from a clinical standpoint is painful contractions with cervical change, however identifying this phenomenon in pregnant women remains a challenge in obstetrics as most patients who present with these symptoms at preterm gestational ages ultimately will go on to deliver at term.

Some women can differentiate that these symptoms are not rhythmic, not alarming, not consistent, but to the majority of pregnant women, it is a concerning symptom to have pressure, and pain, and pulling and tugging. The development of contractions that can sometimes last an hour or two in a day is often the reason women visit their obstetric provider for evaluation.

Preterm labor is suspected when patients present with complaints of contraction activity and often they truly believe they are in labor. Clinicians are then faced with having to differentiate between a patient who is at high risk to deliver preterm and those patients who are unlikely to deliver. The problem arises because 50-80% of women with symptoms of preterm labor go on to deliver at full term, making it harder to identify those who are truly in labor based on symptoms alone.

What is fetal fibronectin (fFN) and how is it associated with preterm labor?

The uterus is the cavity in which the pregnancy develops. When a fertilized egg implants into the uterus, multiple cell layers develop. The first is the decidual cell layer, found on the uterine interface, which faces the chorion (the first cell layer of the developing placenta), and then next to that is the amnion, or gestational sac. So, the decidual-chorionic interface is basically the moms connection to the baby.

Fetal fibronectin (fFN) is an extracellular matrix glycoprotein which is found between the decidual-chorionic interface. If this interface deteriorates due to underlying factors such as infection or inflammation, placental abruption or uterine contraction activity, fFN is released through the cervix via cervicovaginal secretions. It has been shown through a large number of different studies to be a strong and significant biomarker for identifying women at high-risk of spontaneous preterm birth.

fFN can be detected in these secretions using a unique swab and laboratory analyzer and when identified acts as a biomarker for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). Initial research in the late 1990s, identified that fFN is present early in pregnancy until the beginning weeks of the second trimester, but then is absent until labor presents at the end of the third trimester.

Detection of fFN between these times is abnormal and associated with a significant increase in the rate of sPTB in these patients. fFN not only is able to predict delivery less then 37 weeks, but also within a 1-2 week time period which is useful for clinicians faced with decision-making on the plan of care for patients presenting with symptoms of preterm labor.

What impact does preterm labor have on the health of the mother and baby?

Preterm labor presents a variety of unique issues and challenges for both the mother and her baby. Often, preterm labor symptoms lead to a hospital evaluation with the possibility for admission or maternal transport to a facility able to care for preterm infants were an early delivery to occur.

If preterm labor seems imminent, the mother undergoes a variety of medical treatments to prepare the unborn infant for a preterm delivery. If a preterm delivery occurs, the infant faces a significant hospital stay typically until they demonstrate multiple milestones including feeding and maintaining their body temperature. For example, if an infant is born at 32 weeks, a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay for that infant may last 4-6 weeks.

Please outline your recent research into this area.

As a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, I maintain a keen interest in the prevention of preterm birth. Specifically surrounding preterm labor prediction, I have participated as a principal investigator for one of several enrollment sites across the country in a recent industry-sponsored study on the predictive ability of quantitative fetal fibronectin in asymptomatic patients.

I routinely speak on the benefits of standardization and the use of protocols for the evaluation and management of patients with preterm labor. I also recently published a review article in the American Journal of Managed Care this past year on fetal fibronectin and its role in testing of patients who present with symptoms of preterm labor.

How many women have access to fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing?

fFN testing has been available to clinicians for over 20 years. Despite this, uptake rates are low. Two recent articles have highlighted surprising findings with regards to the utilization of fFN testing in the United States.

Despite fFNs ability to predict sPTB and assist clinicians in differentiating high and low risk cohorts of patients for preterm birth prevention strategies, a recent article by Blackwell et al., which was recently published in ClinicoEconomics and Outcomes Research, and another by Barner et al., recently published in the American Journal of Managed Care, found that fFN utilization is extremely low in scenarios where it should be used routinely.

The Blackwell study looked at multiple reports from several states, where the Barner study looked simply at Texas patients covered by Medicaid. Medicaid is the US governments medical insurance for low-income patients, and it covers a large proportion of pregnancies in the United States.

Both researchers found similar utilization rates of fFN in the setting of patients presenting with symptoms of preterm labor at 12% and 14%, respectively.

Blackwell documented that of the 76% of patients discharged home after an evaluation for symptoms of preterm labor, over 20% went on to deliver within 3 days. In this group of women previously evaluated for preterm labor who ultimately did deliver preterm, only 4% were evaluated with fFN testing. Unfortunately, the studies did not delineate the reasons behind clinicians decisions to use or not use fFN testing in patients who present with symptoms of preterm labor.

Notably, Barner demonstrated that patients screened with fFN testing remained pregnant longer than patients not undergoing fFN testing. This result is particularly interesting as it supports prior research by Ness et al., published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2007, which also illustrated that patients undergoing a standardized evaluation for preterm labor symptoms not only had a longer interval from evaluation to delivery, but also a reduction in sPTB.

One may surmise some reasoning for the low uptake rates may be attributable to the lack of support of fFN testing by professional agencies such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Organizations such as these wait for large, randomized, controlled trials, which are often difficult, extremely expensive to conduct, before they put a stamp of approval on any kind of recommendation.

Most clinicians look to their professional organization for guidance, and when they receive mixed messages from research and societal bodies, they lack direction on the use of different tools to help assess their pregnant patients.

Other reasons include the autonomy of providers, the absence of oversight and enforcement from medical licensing boards and hospital medical staff affairs or a simple lack of knowledge about the research supporting fFN use in practice. Regardless of the cause, it is clear from these recent publications that utilization of fFN testing is low and that implementation of its use may yield a significant benefit to patients.

What options does fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing provide to women who show symptoms of preterm labor?

When fFN testing is performed on patients with symptoms of preterm labor, the test results return as either negative or positive. The majority of patients will have a negative fFN result and these patients based on the fFN tests high negative predictive value may be safely discharged home and reassured that they are at low risk for sPTB in the coming weeks.

Patients with a positive test may be identified as being high risk for sPTB and should receive antenatal corticosteroids for the benefit of the preterm fetus reducing the risks of respiratory distress, intraventricular hemorrhage and necrotizing entercolitis if preterm delivery occurs. These patients also should be administered magnesium sulfate if under 32 weeks to assist in the prevention of cerebral palsy, a well-known substantially detrimental neonatal and pediatric outcome.

Are there any limitations to the current method of fetal fibronectin (fFN) testing? Are there any alternative test?

Currently fFN testing is done using a qualitative test i.e. a test that is negative if < 50ng/mL or positive if  50ng/mL. Quantitative fFN testing, which has been available in Europe for years, is currently under research in the United States. Tests with negative and positive results using a single threshold are inherently prone to increased false-positive and false-negative results.

Using a variety of cut-offs, quantitative fFN testing holds the potential to more accurately predict sPTB in the future. As quantitative fFN testing becomes available in the United States, its use may lead to significant improvement in the prediction of sPTB and more importantly may help clinicians decrease the rates of sPTB which affect so many pregnant women and their preterm infants.

There are alternatives to fFN testing. One mainstay evaluation tool for patients with symptomatic preterm labor is transvaginal cervical length evaluation. This method has similar predictability rates to fetal fibronectin. However, all tools have limitations, and many hospitals lack access to trained professionals who are able to provide 24 hour access to complete the transvaginal ultrasound to assess the cervical length. Also, there are a number of studies looking at cervical length and its variability, which may be as high as 20% depending on whether or not the measurement is done correctly.

Fetal fibronectin also has limitations, for example, sensitivity is reduced if a patient has gross vaginal bleeding. In addition, if a patient has had intercourse or a digital cervical exam, this may manipulate the cervix and release some fibronectin, leading to a false positive.

Nevertheless, it is important to always objectively evaluate patients with subjective symptoms and ideally that would include both a fibronectin and a cervical length by ultrasound. But if a facility does not have trained individuals with the proper ability to assess a transvaginal ultrasound, fetal fibronectin should be used given its reliability and high negative predictive value.

What does the future hold for research into preterm labor?

We need to look at why pregnant woman are not being tested appropriately with preterm labor prediction tests, be it fibronectin or cervical length. When a patient comes to the emergency room in the United States with chest pain, it is standard of care that those individuals get two tests; an EKG and a test for a cardiac enzyme called troponin, which determine whether the patient is at high or low risk for having a heart attack. This needs to be the case for preterm labor, as we make guesses far too often, and that may lead to undesired outcomes.

We need to develop and implement standardized protocols using fetal fibronectin testing so that we can appropriately identify those patients at high risk of sPTB, and administer medications which are protective for their preterm infant.

Reproducibility in research is critically important. A 2007 study showed that if we use standard protocols incorporating fetal fibronectin, as well as cervical length screening and appropriately triage people in the high or low risk categories, women can be triaged appropriately and are more likely to stay pregnant for longer periods of time. No one understands why this is, but potentially if we directed a standard treatment to only individuals at high risk for sPTB, we could save lives. I think our research really needs to focus on that area to help mothers in preterm labor and their unborn infants.

Where can readers find more information?

About Michael S. Ruma, MD, MPH

Dr. Michael Ruma is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He joined Perinatal Associates of New Mexico in 2008 after completing a fellowship in MaternalFetal Medicine at the University of North Carolina.

He is a boardcertified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine. He specializes in the care of medical, surgical and obstetric complications during pregnancy. Dr. Ruma has received numerous awards for excellence in teaching and research.

He also has presented at many national and international conferences on a variety of topics and is the author of peer-reviewed manuscripts on maternal red blood cell sensitization, the effects of periodontal disease on pregnancy, efficiency in obstetric ultrasound performance and recently the use of fetal fibronectin in patients with symptoms of preterm labor.

Helping women overcome the issues facing them during their high-risk pregnancies is his greatest achievement.
Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies announced today that Biosense Webster, Inc., a worldwide leader in the diagnosis and treatment of heart arrhythmias, has completed patient enrollment in its U.S. Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) study of the THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF Catheter. The prospective, multicenter, non-randomized study of 367 patients is evaluating the device for the treatment of persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular heartbeat that lasts beyond seven days.

The THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF Catheter, the most widely used ablation catheter on the market, was launched in 2016 in the United States to treat symptomatic, drug-refractory, paroxysmal AF, an intermittent AF that resolves within a week. The device combines contact force technology and a porous tip to optimize efficiency by providing uniform cooling at half the flow rate of earlier generation irrigated catheters, which eases the fluid management process.

This is an important study that may lead to a new option for persistent AF patients in the United States who are unable to control their abnormal heart rhythm with drugs or tolerate the side effects these drugs can sometimes produce, said Moussa Mansour, MD, Director, Atrial Fibrillation Program, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston. Weve already seen very good results with the device in patients with paroxysmal AF and are now assessing whether it is beneficial to a wider patient population.

AF is the most common heart rhythm disorder and a leading cause of stroke among people 65 years and older. An estimated 3 million people in the U.S. and 20 million worldwide are affected. Left untreated, AF can lead to stroke, chronic fatigue, congestive heart failure and additional heart rhythm problems.

Catheter ablation is increasingly being offered to patients with atrial fibrillation based on the growing evidence supporting the procedure, said Andrea Natale, MD, Executive Medical Director, Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. Davids Medical Center. This study will add to our knowledge and potentially lead to greater adoption of RF ablation as a viable treatment option for patients with persistent AF.

Biosense Webster, Inc. is a pioneer in catheter ablation technology, said Shlomi Nachman, Company Group Chair of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Cardiovascular & Specialty Solutions. Investing in clinical evidence to support indication expansion demonstrates our ongoing commitment to advancing treatment options for patients with AF.
Honda 2Wheelers India has launched its brand new 160cc sporty motorcycle. X-Blade in India for Rs 78.500 (ex-showroom). The bike was recently showcased at the Auto Expo 2018. In terms of looks, the new X-Blade comes with LED headlight - a segment first feature and sporty dual outlet port silencer. Its design is further accentuated by link type gear shifter, split grab rails, alloy wheels with front disc brake, hugger fender and muscular graphics.

The bike is powered by 162.71 cc HET engine that produces 13.93 bhp at 8500 rpm and peak torque of 13.9 Nm at 6000 rpm. The engine is mated to a link type gear shifter for smoother shifts. The bike also gets all-new digital instrumentation with a Service Due Indicator and gear position indicator. The long 1347mm wheelbase and the wider 130 section tubeless rear tyre enhance stability in bad roads and ensure comfort during longer rides.

Elaborating on the new X-Blade, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., said, The aggressive and futuristic new X-Blade has been designed for millennials and Gen-Z. As promised, we have started the dispatches of X-Blade in March 2018. Armed with more style, Hondas tried and tested HET 160cc engine, and superior technology, X-Blade creates a new benchmark with several segment first features in its class and that too at an attractive price of Rs. 78,500 (Ex-showroom, Delhi).

Bookings for the X-Blade can be made all Honda dealers across the country at Rs. 5,000. The bike is available in 5 sporty colors  Matte Marvel Blue Metallic / Matte Frozen Silver Metallic / Pearl Spartan Red / Pearl Igneous Black and Matte Marshal Green Metallic.

Also Watch: DC Hammer First Look at Auto Expo 2018 | Cars18
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Wednesday said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would probe the alleged scam of duping investors to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore with Ponzi marketing schemes through the GainBitcoin website.

In this connection, a lookout notice has been issued for GainBitcoin founder Amit Bhardwaj, who has fled the country, Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil said.

A case was also filed at a police station in Nanded on January 24, 2018 in connection with the scam, he said.

Patil was replying to a discussion on the issue raised through a Calling Attention notice by Rahul Kul (of the Rashtriya Samaj Paksha) and others.

"The matter of duping of several investorswith Ponzi schemes through Gainbitcoin website would be probed by the ED," the minister said.

He said Bhardwaj and his associates allegedly duped investors to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore in Mumbai, Pune, Nanded, Kolhapur and other places in the state.

"The main accused, Bhardwaj, has fled the country and a lookout notice has been issued for him," he said.

Another accused, Amolkumar Thombale, has been arrested while two other accused - Balaji Panchal, Raju Motewar - are absconding, he said.

The police has sealed the bank accounts of the accused and also seized Rs six crore, Patil added.

BJP MLA Ashish Shelar told reporters outside the Assembly that some companies allegedly lured people from Nanded and other areas to invest in Bitcoins, while promising higher returns.

"The owners of these companies are now on the run and investors feel cheated," he said.

"There should be a thorough inquiry by the Enforcement Directorate in the matter," Shelar said.

Kul said Bhardwaj had formed the company and invited investments in Bitcoins.

"As per my estimates, he has gone abroad and Rs 2,000 crore of thousands of investors are stuck," he alleged.

The company's directors also allegedly transferred the investors' money into their own accounts, which is illegal, Kul said.

Kul represents the Daund Assembly constituency in Pune district and his party is a part of the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.
Patna: BJP surges ahead of RJD in Araria Lok Sabha seat after first round of counting on Wednesday, while JD(U) is leading by 23 votes in Jehanabad.

Both Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad Assembly seat were held by RJD. Now, NDA is leading in all the three seats. BJP's Pradip Singh is leading by 2,300 votes in Araria Lok Sabha seat, while its candidate Rani Rinki Pandey is leading with 2,225 votes in Bhabua. JD(U)'s Abhiram Sharmais leading by 23 votes in Jehanabad.

Amid tight security counting of votes for Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad and Bhabhua assembly seats began on Wednesday morning.

As RJD was leading initially in Araria, BJP candidate from the seat, Pradip Singh, said, "I don't believe in early trends. Let's wait for a couple of hours; I will win."

Re-polling was completed at 27 booths in Bhabua constituency on Tuesday, which was necessitated due to malfunctioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) during polls on March 11.

The polling percentage in all the three constituencies was five to seven per cent lower than the last elections as voters did not come out aggressively. 57% voting was recorded in Araria, followed by 54% in Bhabua and 50% in Jehanabad.

As counting begins in Bihar, police personnel deployed outside a counting centre in Araria

Numerically, these by polls might be of less significance but this is being termed as litmus test for Bihars chief minister Nitish Kumar as the people would be voting for the first time after the CM pulled out of RJD-Congress alliance and formed a new government with the support of BJP-led NDA.

This is also a test for NDA's unity and strength as just before the polls Jitan Ram Manjhi, former CM and leader of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), left NDA and joined mahagathbandhan with RJD and Congress.

Bypolls for Araria Lok Sabha seat was necessitated after the demise of the sitting RJD MP Mohammad Taslimuddin. His son Sarfaraz Alam, JD(U) MLA from Jokihat assembly segment of the Lok Sabha Constituency, defected after announcement of bypolls and fought on RJD ticket. The BJP fielded Pradip Singh, who was runner up in 2014 elections.

However, equations changed this time as JD (U) supported its ally BJP whose candidate Vijay Mandal had mustered more than two lakh votes in 2014 elections. Going by 2014 arithmetic, combined votes of BJP and JD(U) was much more than the winning margin of RJD's Mohammad Taslimuddin.

Jehanabad assembly seat was held by the RJD. After the death of its MLA Mundrika Singh Yadav, the party chose his son Sujay Yadav as candidate. On the other hand, JD(U) fielded veteran local leader Abhiram Sharma.

In Bhabua, Rinky Pandey contested on BJP's ticket as the bypoll was necessitated after the demise of her husband Anand Bhushan Pandey. The RJD conceded the seat for its ally Congress, which fielded Shambhu Patel.
New Delhi: A 24-year-old woman working with an NGO alleged that a drunk man kept "staring at her" and also "winked at her" while she was travelling in a DTC bus, the police said on Wednesday.

They said the woman, who works with an NGO in RK Puram, approached them with a complaint.

She alleged that while she was travelling on a DTC bus (number 711) from Janakpuri to Satya Niketan on Wednesday, a man made "vulgar gestures" at her, they added.

The police said they stopped the bus before the man could get down. He was detained and found to be drunk. A medical examination was also conducted on him, they said.

He was identified as Charan Singh, a constable with BSF. He was in civil dress at the time of arrest, police said.

The woman alleged that she was made to wait at the police station for over two hours before her complaint was registered. However, Milind Dumbere, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest), said they have not received a complaint from her about the delay.

Police said that a case has been registered and further investigation is underway.
New Delhi: Some expensive private hospitals in India are cutting corners in the most critical area, the Intensive Care Units.

This was revealed an investigation by CNN-News18 which visited several premier private hospitals in Indore and Bengaluru.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family welfare (and globally accepted norms), a doctor in an ICU must be an intensivist; meaning a specialist with a post graduate degree that is recognized by Medical Council of India and has relevant training for Intensive care.

However, CNN-News18 found that some hospitals in both Indore and Bengaluru were getting away violating these norms.

For uninitiated, an ICU must have a full-time director in-charge who must be a senior accredited specialist in intensive care medicine, must have a post graduate degree in anaesthesiology and intensive care or surgery, with five to seven years of intensive care formal education and experience.

Charak Hospital, in the heart of Indore, has a permanent doctor on duty in ICU who graduated with a degree in homeopathy with no formal training to practice critical care. Dr Dipender Soni told CNN-News18 about his eight years of experience as an ICU Specialist. Further, he said that all the specialists that Charak Hospital boasts do not ever visit the ICU. The homeopathy doctor said, I take all the calls during an emergency, the senior doctors are consulted only on the phone afterwards, he said.

Meanwhile, Eureka Hospital, located in one of Indores costliest residential localities, Saket Nagar, has an ICU specialist is not trained in intensive care. Dr Amit Tiwari told CNN-News18 that he also works at Bhandari hospital and is in Eureka as a relieving doctor. Trained in Ayurveda, he has been working as an ICU doctor for over 5 years.

I take care of everything in this ICU- open heart surgery, cardiac arrests, trauma, head injuries, hypertension, and diabetes, among others. Since I am the chief here, I decide what is to be done with a critical patient. If I feel like, I would put in the central line, if I deem right, I intubate the patient, he said.

Mayur Hospital in Indore has no ICU specialists despite advertising itself as a multi-speciality hospital. The doctor handling the ICU is Dr Tousif Sheik, a Unani doctor. He said he treats critical patients- cases of cardiac arrests, respiratory arrests, trauma and road traffic accidents. Further, he named other well-known private hospitals where he worked in the ICU. I have been working in ICUs for over 3 years now. Previously, Ive worked in Bhandari Hospital ICU, Synergy Hospital and Lifecare Hospital, Sheik said.

The situation is not limited to Indore. In Bengaluru, the man in charge of the ICU in Pooja Hospital is a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS). Dr Sooraj is also the OPD in-charge. He told CNNiNews18 that he is the ICU specialist in two other private hospitals in the city as well  Anupama hospital and NU Hospital  both multi-specialty hospitals.

He further revealed that most private hospitals in Bengaluru have his colleagues and friends in the ICU who are all B.A.M.S qualified. Except for a Fortis, Manipal and Apollo, all other private hospitals, from top to bottom in Bengaluru have Ayush doctors in ICUs, Dr Sooraj said.

CNN-News18 also visited Sri Laxmi Multi-speciality Hospital and Ashraya Hospital. While the former has two Ayurvedic doctors on ICU duty, the latter didnt even have a doctor in ICU. The ICU in Ashraya hospital is handled by a nurse in-charge because the doctor chose to stay at home. The doctor lives nearby. I am in-charge here. I handle everything here except cardiac and renal cases, the nurse said.
Betul: A police constable deployed on board exam duty in Betul district of Madhya Pradesh was caught on camera helping students cheat in the Class 10 social science exam while the invigilator looked on as a mute spectator.

A video purportedly shot by some of the parents in the school has gone viral. It shows the SAF constable later identified as Krishna Singh handing slips to the students from the window. In the clip, the constable keeps coming back to the exam hall with torn pages from a textbook as the invigilator looks on.

Parents said that the cop continued to hand slips to aid cheating for one hour as the school authorities took no objection. According to sources, the constable left for Gwalior, his hometown, after the video went viral. The incident took place at Excellence School in Bhaisdehi block.

District education officer JS Parsare said that the centre in charge has been served a notice and a report has been sought on the incident. It was absolutely unbecoming for police personnel to indulge in such an act, he said.

A total of 17 students were nabbed by flying squads for cheating during the social science exam from Betul on Tuesday. The exams had started on March 5 and would conclude on March 31.

The Bhind-Morena area had earned the dubious distinction of being the cheating hub in the last few years but due to stringent measures taken by the MP Board of Secondary Education, the anomalies have ebbed in the district.
New Delhi: The office bearers of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) have told the Delhi High Court that they have not violated its order on holding protests in the varsity as they did not block access to the administrative block.

They also submitted before the high court that its August last year direction to not hold protests within 100 metres of the admin block should not be viewed technically as the spirit of the direction was to prevent obstruction of any access to the building.

The submissions were made before Justice V K Rao who is hearing a plea moved by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) seeking contempt action against the JNUSU office bearers for holding protests within 100 metres of the administrative block.

The varsity in its petition, moved through central government standing counsel Monika Arora and advocate Kushal Sharma, has contended that the office bearers have violated the high court's August 9, 2017 direction.

The varsity in its plea has also claimed that the protesting students had obstructed access to the administrative block of JNU.

The arguments in the matter remained inconclusive and are expected to continue on Thursday.

The JNUSU office bearers also told the court that other student bodies and associations as well as a teachers group have also held protests within 100 metres of the administrative block, but no action has been taken against them.

Therefore, the 100-metre restriction should not be viewed technically, their lawyer told the court.

The JNUSU office bearers had earlier told the court that the main reason behind the protests in the varsity was not holding of academic council meetings.

The court had on February 16, in an interim order, directed the JNU students not to obstruct the vice chancellor and other staff from entering the administrative block to carry out their work.

The interim order was passed on JNU's plea that the protests near the administrative block was hampering its day-to-day functioning, including the disbursal salaries in connection with the Seventh Pay Commission.

The students had on February 15 allegedly blockaded the administration block demanding a meeting with the vice chancellor on the issue of compulsory attendance and stopped the two rectors from leaving the building.

The court had in its August 2017 order also said that the university was at liberty to request police assistance to maintain law and order in the campus.

It had, however, made it clear that the order "should not preclude" the students from peacefully protesting at the Sabarmati lawn in the campus away from the administrative block.

The August 2017 order had come during the hearing of the JNU administration's petition against the blocking of its administrative block by agitating students.

The varsity had moved the high court when the students were protesting against the JNU's admission policy based on a University Grants Commission notification slashing the seats for MPhil and PhD courses.
Washington: A lawyer for US President Donald Trump ignored a suggested on Tuesday noon deadline on an adult-film star's offer to return $130,000 in hush money so that she can speak freely about an alleged affair with Trump, her attorney said.

In a letter to Michael Cohen on Monday, actress Stephanie Clifford, who uses the stage name Stormy Daniels, offered to send $130,000 to an account designated by Trump so she could be released from a non-disclosure agreement she signed in October 2016.

Once a new agreement is signed, the letter said, Clifford would also be able to use and publish any text messages, photos and videos relating to Trump that she might possess.

Cohen, a private lawyer for Trump, has said he paid Clifford $130,000 of his own money during the 2016 presidential campaign. Cohen did not explain why he made the payment or say whether Trump was aware of it.

Clifford's attorney, Michael Avenatti, said Cohen had not responded to the offer by Clifford's proposed deadline of noon on Tuesday.

"The President and Mr. Cohen have purposely ignored our settlement offer, thus doubling down on their efforts to muzzle Ms. Clifford and prevent her from telling the American people what happened," Avenatti tweeted. "Time to buckle up."

Clifford could face a $1 million penalty if she breaks the nondisclosure agreement. She taped an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" program last week that has yet to be aired.

The White House referred the matter to Trump's personal attorney for comment. Neither Cohen, nor his lawyer, Lawrence Rosen, responded to a request for comment.

Avenatti filed a lawsuit last week in Los Angeles, claiming Trump never signed the nondisclosure agreement that his lawyer made with her, rendering it null and void, and making public the agreement and related documents.

On Friday, the lawyer filed a document to remove the judge assigned to the case. Avenatti told Reuters it is not appropriate for Judge Elizabeth Feffer, now in Los Angeles Superior Court, to preside over a case in which the president is a defendant, because she is pursuing a federal judgeship.

Mary Hearn, a spokeswoman for the court, said Feffer would not be able to comment because of judicial ethics involving pending cases.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told a briefing last week that Trump had won an arbitration proceeding against Clifford.
New Delhi: As the results of the Gorakhpur by-elections poured in, the Samajwadi Party has taken the lead after the first few rounds. For Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who vacated this seat last year after taking over the reins in Lucknow, the battle for Gorakhpur is more than just a litmus test of his government. For Yogi, this is a legacy battle.

In 1935, Mahant DIgvijaynath was appointed as the head of the Gorakhnath Math in Gorakhpur, a post that Adityanath now holds. While Digvijaynath died in 1969, three years before Adityanath was even born, the UP CM seems to have modelled himself after the former Mahant. Like Adityanath, Digvijaynath was a rebel. Even as the Mahant, he remained a part of active politics.

Digvijaynath, earlier a Congressman, joined the VD Savarkar-led Hindu Mahasabha. Like Adityanath, he came to be known for his vitriolic statements against Muslims, even demanding that they be stripped off the right to vote till they proved their loyalty to India.

It was during his time that the Gorakhnath Math, once venerated by Hindus and Muslims alike, assumed a decidedly Hindu nationalist character. However, it was his involvement with the Ram Mandir agitation of 1949 that made him shoot into prominence.

Digvijaynath played a leading role in the temple movement. It is said that he was behind the placement of Ram and Sita idols inside the Babri Masjid, though Hindu hardliners had claimed the idols had appeared inside the mosque. After the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, he was jailed for nine months. Upon his release from prison, he attempted to revive the Hindu Mahasabha. In 1967, he was elected as the MP from Gorakhpur, a seat which would eventually send Adityanath to the Lok Sabha five times before his elevation to the CM post.

His disciple and successor Avaidyanath, who was Adityanaths spiritual guru, maintained the political character of the Gorakhnath Math. When the Ram Temple struggle was revived in the 1980s, Avaidyanath became a prominent leader of the movement. In 1984, much before BJP leader LK Advani embarked on his infamous Ram Rath Yatra, Avaidyanath launched a Yatra of his own from Bihars Sitamarhi to Ayodhya. Avaidyanath entered politics like his guru had done before him and his disciple would do after him. He became the MLA from Maniram seven times and MP from Gorakhpur four times.

Gorakhpur elected Avaidyanath to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1970, a year after his Gurus death, and then again in 1989, 1991 and 1996. It was in 1998 that Yogi Adityanath, on a BJP ticket, became the MP from Gorakhpur at the young age of 26. With Yogi moving to Lucknow, the hold of the Gorakhpur Math over political power in the eastern UP town seems to have loosened.
Jodhpur: Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday picked injuries in her hand during her visit to Rajasthan's Jodhpur and had to cancel some of her programmes as a result.

Hillary arrived on Tuesday on a two-day sojourn and was scheduled to visit the Mehrangarh Fort in the evening, officials said.

She was staying at the Umaid Bhawan Palace and a team of doctors from a private hospital nearby was sent there to examine her.

The doctors said the Democratic Party candidate in the 2016 US presidential polls had a sprain in her hand and was given required treatment. They advised her rest.

The Mehrangarh Fort authorities said her programme to visit there was cancelled due to the injuries and she might visit there on Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday, she is also scheduled to visit the carpet-making units of Salawas village in Jodhpur, where she will interact with weavers and witness the making of carpets, district administration officials said.

She will later go to the Mihir Garh, a world-renowned boutique hotel in Roeht in Pali district on Jodhpur-Pali highway, they said.

According to her schedule, She will be staying for a night there and leave for Delhi on Thursday morning, the officials said.
New Delhi: Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, who was arrested for allegedly pelting stones six months ago, has been granted bail by a special court in Delhi.

Additional Sessions Judge Tarun Sherawat granted him bail on two sureties of Rs 50,000 each on Monday.

Yousuf was summoned to a police station in Pulwama on September 4 last year and handed over to the NIA a day after. He was later flown to Delhi by the NIA.

The NIA had stated he was involved in "subversive activities" and was in "regular touch with anti-national elements". And that his work as a photojournalist was a front to "cover up his actual subversive activities".

The NIA had argued that Yousuf was found in spots where stone-pelting happened. The defence had argued he was present at the spots as he was a "bonafide journalist" and was doing his job.

In the charge-sheet, NIA had questioned that he never covered any development activity like inauguration of hospital, school building, road, bridge, statement of political party in power or any other social/developmental activity by state government or Government of India, but only stone pelting and violent incidents.

Family members of Kamran said they knew all along that he is innocent.
Pune: Hindutva activist Milind Ekbote, accused of instigating violence in Koregaon-Bihima near Pune, was arrested by Pune Rural police on Wednesday. The action was taken after the Supreme Court dismissed a bail application for anticipatory bail filed by Ekbote.

Ekbote, the chief of Samast Hindu Aghadi, a right wing organization is one of the prime accused in the violence that took place on January 1 at Koregaon-Bhima near Pune. Large number of Dalits gathered to mark the 200th year of the Battle of Koregaon-Bhima when they were attacked by a group of people carrying saffron flags. One person died whereas several others were injured in the violence.

Dalit leaders, including Prakash Ambedkar, alleged that Ekbote along with Sambjahi Bhide, the founder president of right wing organization Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan, instigated the violence. Several organisations also called for a statewide bandh on January 3 to protest the incident.

Two FIRs were registered against Ekbote alleging his role in the violence. Ekbote approached a special court in Pune and later the Bombay High Court for anticipatory bail, but failed. He then filed an anticipatory bail application in the Supreme Court, where he was given interim anticipatory bail until today, March 14.

After his bail application was dismissed by the Supreme Court on Wednesday, a team of Pune Rural Police arrested Milind Ekbote from his residence in Shivajinagar, Pune.

Speaking in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced withdrawal of all cases, except serious ones, in connection with the violence at Koregaon-Bhima. Fadnavis also said that the loss of property worth Rs13 crore during the violence will be compensated by the state government.

According to the chief minister, a committee will be set up to take a decision on the serious cases filed in the matter and submit its report within three months.
Kolkata: West Bengals education minister Partha Chaterjee on Wednesday stirred a controversy by supporting the Kolkata school that had allegedly forced a bunch of Class IX students to sign confessional statements that they indulged in lesbian acts within the schools premises.

The minister, claiming that lesbianism is against our culture, said the school was free to take any action it deemed fit. We believe we should maintain our culture. If the school found it was indecent, it is free to take action against those students, he said.

He further said that he had learnt that the students were lesbians through media reports and has asked his department to investigate this issue. We have sought a report form the school, he said.

The ministers remarks came despite the Kamala Girls School rubbishing the allegations that 10 girls were summoned to the office of the headmistress on March 8 and were made to sign such statements in the schools bid to discipline students who were up to mischief. Parents of the girls reportedly stormed into the headmistresss chamber on Monday and confronted her for the act.

Speaking to News18 on Wednesday, the acting headmistress Sikha Sarkar said, No such incident happened in our school. There were some disciplinary issues and some miscommunication with parents and it was resolved in a meeting with the students and their parents.

I have strong objection to the word lesbian used by a section of the media. While running a school we face several issues related to students future and discipline. Its our duty to guide them towards right direction. I dont know from where the issue of lesbianism came into the picture, she added.

Asked about the so-called confession letter she said: We have not asked anyone to write such a letter. I would like to request you, not to sensationalize the matter. I think it was blown out of proportion.

The acting headmistress, however, admitted that the girls were made to write a statement saying they indulged in mischief, but refused to explain what that word meant.

Parents, however, alleged that the school authorities were using the incident to shift focus from the alleged molestation of a student by a non-teaching staff of the school on February 9. The accused staff, Malay Barua, was later arrested.

Talking to News18, father of one of the students who was allegedly forced to write the so-called confessional letter said: There were three eyewitnesses to the molestation and all four girls involved in the previous incident were among the 10 girls who were forced to sign the statement on March 8. The incident was even videographed by school authorities.

He asserted that nothing has been sorted out between the school authorities and the parents as claimed by the acting headmistress.

President of West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), Dr. Kalyanmoy Ganguly, refused to comment on the matter on grounds that he was busy with the Board exams.

Dr. Saumitra Mohan, Commissioner of School Education, also denied knowledge about the incident.
Srinagar: The mother of Kashmiri photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, who was arrested for allegedly pelting stones six months ago, heaved a sigh of relief after he was granted bail by a special court in Delhi.

The court on Tuesday ruled that there was no evidence to suggest that Yousuf was involvement in subversive acts, granting him bail against two sureties amounting to Rs 50,000.

Some 35 Kashmiri journalists based in Delhi came together to organise his bail surety as he could not.

Rubina Begum, Kamran's mother, told CNN-News18 that she is relieved that her son is finally out of jail. She said she could not speak to him or her brother since morning because they were busy with some paperwork to get him released.

''I am eagerly waiting for Kamran to return so that I can kiss and hug him,'' she said.

''We had always maintained he is innocent. I am grateful to God, court, his counsel and media for helping in his release,'' she added over the phone from her Pulwama residence.

Asked if Yusuf will continue to pursue his job, she said, Nothing is decided yet. Whatever he wants to be and do in life, I will support him. But now I want him to be before my eyes.

''If you ask my personal opinion, I would not want him to be a photojournalist. But he is grown up boy and I cannot force him,'' she added.

Begum, who is separated from her husband, lives with Yousuf in a small house in Tahab village. She said the house was built by her father.

''My brother met all the expenses in Kamran's case. The lawyers who are fighting his case are very kind. They did not charge for their services,'' she said.

She recounted that the last six months were painful and a period of great struggle for her family. But now that he is set free, we hope all the troubles are over.

I thank God that my son is free now, she said. In fact the village was jubilant and many relatives and neighbours turned up to share the news of his release.''

Friends of Yusuf from Pulwama also said they believed he was innocent from the start.

Yusuf and 11 others were chargesheeted and booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in September 6 by the National Investigation agency, two days after Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested him in his native Pulwama district, accusing him stone pelting and subversive activity.
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that a total of Rs 12,476.76 crore has been released as special assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of the state. Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the central and the Andhra Pradesh governments have been working together to implement the provisions made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APR Act, 2014) which include establishment of several institutions and launch of certain projects, as mentioned in Schedule XIII of the Act.

"Government of India has released a total amount of Rs 12,476.76 crore as special assistance to the state of Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh," he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha. NDA constituent TDP has pulled out its two ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary -- from the central government over failure to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Ahir said the Andhra Pradesh government has also communicated to the central government on the release of development grants, resource gap and Polavaram project among other issues apart. It has also communicated on the implementation of apportionment of assets and liabilities and division of employees in respect of institutions listed in Schedule IX and X and continuity of services in respect of institutions listed in Schedule X of the APR Act.

"The 14th Finance Commission, without making a distinction amongst states, recommended an enhanced devolution of 42 percent of the central government's tax revenues to states to cover the resource gap. In case of Andhra Pradesh, the Commission recommended that the central government would provide revenue deficit grant of Rs 22,113 crore for a period of five years, in addition to the enhanced tax devolution. Funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh on this account for 2015-16 and 2016-17," he said.

Work related to Schedule IX and X and XIII of the AP Reorganization Act is under progress in consultation with both the state governments, Ahir said. The Schedule IX of the Act listed the state undertakings like the Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Agro-Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd besides others.

The Schedule X of the Act lists training centres and institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology, Andhra Pradesh Study Circle for Backward Classes besides others. The Schedule XIII of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act is related to the establishment of higher education institutes.
Kokrajhar/Guwahati: A statue of Bhartiya Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee was found vandalised in Kokrajhar town of Assam on Wednesday, police said.

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal strongly condemned the incident and said the government would not tolerate such acts.

The face of Mookerjee's statue at Rabindra Nagar area of the town was found damaged on Wednesday morning. The locals immediately informed the police.

Korajhar Deputy Commissioner Niranjan Baruah, who rushed to the spot along with Superintendent of Police Rajen Singh, told newsmen that the statue was damaged apparently with a hammer and stones by miscreants in the early hours.

"Such acts of vandalism will not be tolerated," he said.

The Kokrajhar SP said stern action would be taken against the miscreants.

In a statement in Guwahati, the chief minister directed the Kokrajhar deputy commissioner and superintendent of police to take stern action and book the miscreants under relevant provisions of law.

He also directed the administration to step up the vigil and take all measures to prevent such vandalism.

Executive members of the Bodoland Territorial Council-- Doneswar Goyari and Rajib Kumar Brahma also condemned the incident.

President of United People's Party Liberal, U G Brahma demanded stern action against the miscreants.

A bust of Mukerjee was vandalised on March 7 in Kolkata by seven persons, including a woman, allegedly belonging to a left-wing group.

The accused were arrested from the spot. They had told a TV channel that they defaced and vandalised the Jan Sangh founder's bust to protest against the pulling down of communist icon Lenin's statues in Tripura.
New Delhi: Counting of votes for the crucial by-elections in UPs Gorakhpur is underway and it has fallen on the dead to count votes in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths home turf. The Gorakhpur district administration has assigned counting duty to government employees who have passed away.

In fact, this isnt the first time the dead have been assigned election duty. On polling day, on Sunday morning, the district administration had assigned polling duty to two dead engineers. On Wednesday, as votes were being counted, the district administration repeated its mistake.

The State Employees United Council has even written a letter to the District Election Officer, complaining about the incident. Rakesh Kumar and Anil Kumar, two junior engineers in the Uttar Pradesh Public Works Department (UPPWD), died last year. Despite their death, their names featured on the list of officials who were assigned duty on polling day and counting of votes on Monday and Wednesday respectively.

The UP bypolls were marked by a low voter turnout. Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency witnessed a polling percentage of 47.45 percent while Phulpur saw a turnout of only 37.39 percent at the close of the voting on Sunday, the Election Commission said.

Out of the 19.49 lakh voters in Gorakhpur, only around 9.34 lakh voters exercised their right on Sunday. In Phulpur, rural Assembly segments of Phaphamau (43%), Soraon (45%) and Phulpur (46.32%) saw a higher turnout than the urban segments of Allahabad West (31%) and Allahabad North (21.65%).

For the first time, there is nobody from the Gorakhpur Peeth, of which CM Yogi Adityanath is the head, is contesting the election. The BJP has fielded Upendra Dutt Shukla, Samajwadi Party has fielded Praveen Nishad and Congress has fielded Surhita Karim from Gorakhpur. In Phulpur, BJPs Kaushalendra Patel is up against SPs Nagendra Patel and Congress candidate Manish Mishra.
Allahabad/Phulpur: In Dhokari village, an hour from Allahabad city, Saroj Kumar Gautam is sitting with a group of fellow Bahujan Samaj Party workers on a tarpaulin sheet in the shade of a tree. Suddenly, a fleet of Royal Enfield motorcycles with Samajwadi Party workers rolls up. As Rakesh Yadav, the SP booth in charge disembarks, Gautam takes a dig, "Lo ji, aa gaye Samajwadi gunde!" (Look, the Samajwadi goons are here).

Ordinarily, a comment such as this would have caused a confrontation, maybe even fisticuffs. Instead, Yadav laughs and the two men embrace, after exchanging greetings of 'Jai Bhim' and 'Jai Samajwad'.

Not long ago, Gautam, a Dalit, and Yadav, from the Yadav community, were bitter political rivals. But their parties are now trying to build a new social coalition with Dalits and Other Backward Castes (OBCs). A week before the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, BSP chief Mayawati asked her workers to campaign for the "strongest non-BJP candidate". Since then, Gautam and his men on the ground have been canvassing the hinterland, asking for votes for the Samajwadi Party.

During Phulpur Lok Sabha bypoll held on Sunday, Dhani Ram, a Dalit voter from a village near Phulpur voted for SP candidate Nagendra Patel. "I voted for BJP in 2014 and then again in 2017. I was very unhappy with them, so I had decided to vote for someone else. Even if Behenji's message had not come, I would have voted for SP. Even so, it was very strange to see SP and BSP workers coming to my house together."

While the BJP has claimed this "opportunistic" alliance of the SP and BSP floundered, ground workers of both regional parties have a different story to tell. "There is no bitterness. We were called by the zonal coordinator of the BSP and told to campaign for the strongest non-BJP candidate. Immediately, we went to the local SP workers and started drawing up the ground strategy together. This happened once in 1993, but for most of our young workers, this is entirety new," said Saroj Kumar Gautam, BSP booth in charge at Dhokari.

One SP worker chimes in, "Bhagwaan humare netaon ko aisi hi sadbuddhi de (may God continue to grant such wisdom to our leaders). After 2014 and 2017, we had been waiting for something like this."

The two parties have had a bitter, even violent history. This includes the infamous Guest House case of 1995, when Mayawati was assaulted by a mob. To this day, she blames SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav for the attack. For BSP workers, it helps that the party reigns have now passed on to Akhilesh Yadav, who fondly refers to Mayawati as 'Bua' (aunt).

But will their supporters shift so easily to SP? Chetan Kumar, 23, a Dalit, said, "Some of the older Dalits in our village still supported Behenji, but a lot of us younger ones had shifted to BJP. Narendra Modi had said that he would ensure two crore jobs would be created, but it was a false promise. I will graduate in a year and I have nowhere to go after that. The older generation is worried about their pensions, which BJP has stopped. Everyone is worried that electricity tariffs in the villages will continue to rise. Modi says he will give us free LPG cylinders. We don't want subsidies, we want jobs. So if SP is our best bet, I will happily go with them. That's why I voted SP on Sunday."

The counting of votes will begin on Monday morning for an election that was marked by a low voter turnout  37.39% in Phulpur. While both BJP and SP have fielded candidates who are Kurmis, a dominant OBC community in Eastern UP, it is the Dalits who might emerge as kingmakers. There are around 5.5 lakh Scheduled Caste voters in the Phulpur constituency, who have traditionally voted for the BSP. If the BSP manages to convince its voters to shift entirely to the SP, the newly formed alliance may have a winning formula on its hands.

BJP sources said that they are wary of the Dalit vote going to the SP and said that they are expecting at least 50% of the SC vote to shift. However, this does not guarantee a win for the alliance. Don-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmed was contesting this election as an independent. There are 2.5 lakh Muslim voters in the Phulpur constituency. While Ahmed's influence in the rural belt is limited, he holds considerable sway among Muslims in the Allahabad West area. If Ateeq Ahmed is able to turn even half this figure towards himself, the going may get tough for the alliance. That, combined with BJP's clout amoung non-Yadav OBCs, may help the saffron party drum up winning numbers.

BSP sources are confident that if Ahmed is damaging the alliance among Muslims, Congress candidate Manish Mishra, a Brahmin, will damage the BJP's chances among Upper Caste voters.

Back in Dhokari, as Rakesh Yadav leaves to "get the vote out" and help voters to the polling booths, he responds to Gautam's 'Jai Bhim' with another 'Jai Samajwad'. When asked if the two slogans are a contradiction, Gautam says, "Dono ek hi to hain! (Both are one and the same).
New Delhi: Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan, who ran into rough weather with his appearance in a surrogate advertisement of an Indian pan masala brand, has stated that he was "cheated" by the company which kept him in the dark about the "hazardous" nature of the product.

"In a written reply to the Delhi State Tobacco Control Cell, the actor stated that he got cheated by the company as the latter did not disclose the hazardous nature of the product and other terms and conditions of the contract of advertisement," Additional Director (Health) S K Arora told PTI.

The Delhi government had recently issued a show-cause notice to Brosnan and asked the pan masala group why appropriate punitive action be not initiated against its directors and office-bearers.

"In his reply to the legal notice, Brosnan also said that his agreement with the company was over and he was ready to extend all kinds of support and cooperation to our department against such campaigns.

"He has given an undertaking in writing that he would never assist any company with regard to promotion of such products or other such harmful products in future," Arora said. The official appealed to all celebrities and mass media agencies to not indulge in surrogate advertisements of tobacco in the name of pan masala, tea, ilaichi or other goods as these are prohibited under section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.

"Celebrities must realise their responsibility towards society, especially the youngsters who treat them like God and follow them blindly. Such advertisements influence the minds of youngsters adversely," he said.

The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act, 2003 bans all kinds of direct and indirect advertisements of tobacco products.
Brazilian brand Melissa, famed for its "fashionable shoes", opened doors to its first ever flagship store at the DLF Promenade Mall here with Bollywood fashionista Vaani Kapoor adding glamour to the event.

The international brand with presence in over 96 countries including key fashion cities such as New York, London, and Hong Kong has finally opened its doors in India.

The new 1,454 square foot retail space is the Brazilian eco-friendly label's first exclusive business outlet in India.

"The new Melissa flagship store gives us the opportunity to tap into the Indian retail space with a new and innovative fashion product. We are a one of a kind brand, dealing in eco-friendly 100 percent recyclable shoes, made of specially-developed Melflex plastic," said Ruchi Sally, Managing Director, ENVIABLY ME INDIA Pvt. Ltd, the exclusive franchisee of Melissa in India.

Looking ahead, Melissa would soon launch additional stores in New Delhi and Mumbai later this year, she said, adding that store locations are an important aspect for Melissa and the brand would be very selective in choosing the right locations for opening new stores.

"I think people are already excited about it because India is no more a country where people are not well travelled. Most of the people are already travelled. We might be new to the India market but for the fans of Melissa who are there in India, it's not new," Ruchi told IANS.

International design brand Vivienne Westwood, one of the champions of fashion sustainability, has been collaborating with the brand since 2008. The brand also collaborates with Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier and many more.

The store will stock styles from Melissa's core women's collection, a range of baby girls as well as its collaborations with designers.
After revealing a full introductory picture of the cast and teasing Potterheads with the movie stills on Pottermore the makers of Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald have now released the first teaser-trailer of the much-awaited sequel.

Directed by Potter veteran David Yates, Fantastic Beasts 2 sees Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) take on powerful dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp). Katherine Waterston also returns from Fantastic Beasts, as Tina Goldstein, the rehabilitated auror who also joins the fight against Grindelwald. The teaser has every bait for the Potterheads- the rendition of Hedwig's theme, Hogwarts' corridors and eerie glimpse of the Deathly Hallows.

The official synopsis of the film reads, "At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings. In an effort to thwart Grindelwalds plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world."

After a tremendous response from the Potterheads all around the world, the sequel is expected to delve deeper into the magical world with the story that formed the character and strength of Dumbledore as we knew him in Harry Potter franchise. Going back in time never seemed this interesting!

Crimes of Grindelwald, the sequel of 2016's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is scheduled to release on November 16.
Lucknow: It was a short 5-minute drive from Vikramaditya Marg to Mall Avenue in downtown Lucknow. But that short journey by SP President Akhilesh Yadav to BSP chief Mayawati's residence buried the ghost of the infamous VVIP case, which broke the first SP-BSP alliance stitched together by Kanshi Ram and Mulayam Singh Yadav in 1993.

It is another matter that 25 years ago, Akhilesh Yadav was in school when Samajwadi Party MLAs surrounded a VVIP guest house in central Lucknow, where Mayawati and Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs were holed up after BSP withdrew its support from the MSY-led coalition government.

A BJP MLA Brahm Dutt Dwivedi from Farrukhabad came to Mayawati's rescue and around midnight the BSP leader became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister for the first time with BJP's support.

That was the beginning of a fierce rivalry which lasted more than two decades, but in politics, 25 years is a long time. A very long time indeed.

On Wednesday, after handing a shock defeat to the ruling BJP by defeating its candidates in two Lok Sabha seats that were earlier held by the party, Akhilesh Yadav thanked Mayawati for supporting his candidate and not fielding one of her own.

I want to thank all the people, especially Mayawati Ji, NCP, Nishad Party, Peace Party, RLD and other organisations who supported us in our fight against communal forces," he said, adding "People are angry everywhere and they have replied to BJPs hollow promises like loan waiver, employment and GST.

The Samajwadi Party clinched the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday, which fell vacant after CM Yogi Adityanath and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya moved to the Legislative Council. While BSP backed the SP with the sole aim of defeating the ruling party, Wednesdays result proved to be a major embarrassment for BJP, particularly CM Yogi Adityanath, whose home turf Gorakhpur has traditionally been a BJP bastion.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday evening, SP president and former CM Akhilesh Yadav thanked the people of both the constituencies and especially BSP chief Mayawati for her support.

The CM has called us names like saanp aur chachundar, they even said that our party follows the ideology of Aurangzeb. They can stoop to any level just to secure a win.

"The Dalits, farmers and common man voted for us in lakhs on both the seats. Poltical messages always come out of elections in Uttar Pradesh and when one of it is the constituency of the chief minister who was undefeated for years, and the other is of the deputy chief minister, then it becomes all the more important. If the people of these areas have so much anger, think what will happen in elections across the country," the former UP chief minister said.

Election Commission officials said SPs Nagendra Singh Patel defeated BJP's Kashlendra Singh Patel in Phulpur by over 59,000 votes. Pravin Nishad of the Samajwadi Party won by over 21,961 votes in Gorakhpur, which Adityanath had won in five consecutive elections. Nishad defeated BJP candidate Upendra Dutt Shukla.

Accepting the verdict and conceding defeat, Adityanath later said, We failed to understand the significance of the SP-BSP deal and one of the reasons behind that failure was our over confidence.

This deal between BSP and SP was forged to put hurdles in the way of the country's development. We will soon come up with our strategy to defeat it, added Adityanath.

Gorakhpur has long been considered a BJP stronghold with Adityanath representing the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Before him, his mentor Yogi Avaidyanath was the MP from the seat.

Phulpur, once represented by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha election when Keshav Prasad Maurya won the seat.
New Delhi: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted congratulatory messages to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav for their showing in the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

The SP has taken a big lead in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats and the RJD has won from Bhabua and is looking to set to retain Araria assembly seat as well. In a series of tweets, Mamata Banerjee said Wednesdays results were the beginning of the end for the BJP.

Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and Akhilesh Yadav for UP Bypolls. The beginning of the end has started, the West Bengal Chief Minister said.

In her second tweet, Banerjee tweeted to RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, saying, Congratulations to Lalu Prasad Ji for winning Araria and Jehanabad. This is a great victory.

The two-time Bihar chief minister responded to Banerjee with a tweet of his own, saying, Thank you Didi...Together We are fighting, we shall fight and we will win.

This comes at a time when the clamour for a non-BJP, non-Congress Third Front is growing in political circles. Amid a flurry of activity in the opposition camp to appropriate leadership of the non-BJP front ahead of the next general elections, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has called a meeting of opposition parties in Delhi on 27 and 28 of March. Party leader and trusted Pawar aide, Praful Patel, travelled to Kolkata to invite Mamata Banerjee for the meeting. The West Bengal chief minister has confirmed her participation in the event.

Apart from Pawar, other regional leaders to float the idea of anti-BJP front include Telangana Chief Minister K Chadrashekhar Rao.

On March 3, KCR said, There is a serious need to bring change in national politics. Seventy years have passed since Independence and out of those 70 years, 64 years were ruled by either BJP or Congress. Even after 70 years, people are suffering and they dont even have water to drink.

It can be a third front or anything. What is required at the time is change and it will emerge at the appropriate time. Change has to happen. It is unification of the people of India and not just some political parties. And this will surely be minus BJP and Congress, no doubt about that, the CM said.
Patna: Despite a fiercely-contested battle, the Bihar by-elections results failed to indicate any decisive swing as both the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and BJP-led NDA retained their respective seats. All winning candidates were relatives of the sitting representatives whose sudden demise necessitated the by-polls.

However, the Mahagathbandan can still claim a moral victory as Nitish Kumars return to the NDA fold seems to have failed to get winning votes.

Sarfaraz Alam of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won with a margin of over 63,000 votes in the Araria Lok Sabha seat as he beat Pradip Singh of BJP. His father Taslimuddins winning margin was over 1.4 lakh in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections when the Modi wave was at its peak.

However, the BJP, RJD and JD(U) had fought the 2014 General Elections separately.

For most of the early rounds of counting, Sarfaraz was trailing but after the eighth round he picked up and continued to maintain a lead. However, BJP candidate Pradip Singh gave him a tough fight, which shows the return of Nitish Kumars JD(U) in NDA fold did result in transfer of some votes, but not as expected. The JDU candidate came a close third to BJP in the last general election and the combined vote of JD(U) and BJP was much more than what the RJD had polled.

On the other hand, Araria was a prestige seat for RJD leader Tejaswhi Yadav as he had a mighty task of retaining the seat, especially when his father Lalu Prasad Yadav is serving a jail sentence. Wednesdays results show that the Muslim-Yadav combination strongly backed the RJD candidate here. Muslims and Yadavs constitute more than 40% and 10% of the electorate in the constituency.

Tejashwi had also roped in Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi, who backed out of the NDA right before the polling.

After the 2014 general election debacle, Lalu and Nitish had joined hands for the 2015 Assembly elections and registered a thumping victory against the BJP. Though after less than two years of forming the Bihar government together, Nitish parted ways and joined hands with his old friend BJP. However, this reunion has failed to translate to electoral victory in the two Assembly segments.

The RJD, on the other hand, has retained Jehanabad Assembly constituency as its candidate Kumar Krishna Mohan alias Suday Yadav defeated Abhiram Sharma of Janata Dal (United) by 35,343 votes. Sudays father Mundrika Singh Yadav represented the seat before his demise.

RJDs winning margin here is more than the last elections and Manjhi is learnt to have played crucial role here.

BJPs Rani Rinki Pandey sailed through from Bhabhua Assembly constituency defeating Congress candidate Shambhu Patel by 14,866 votes. She secured 64,413 votes against 49,647 of the Congress, again less than the total votes polled by JD(U) and BJP in the 2015 Assembly elections.
Allahabad/Phulpur: In Dhokari village, an hour from Allahabad city, Saroj Kumar Gautam is sitting with a group of fellow Bahujan Samaj Party workers on a tarpaulin sheet in the shade of a tree. Suddenly, a fleet of Royal Enfield motorcycles with Samajwadi Party workers rolls up. As Rakesh Yadav, the SP booth in charge disembarks, Gautam takes a dig, "Lo ji, aa gaye Samajwadi gunde!" (Look, the Samajwadi goons are here).

Ordinarily, a comment such as this would have caused a confrontation, maybe even fisticuffs. Instead, Yadav laughs and the two men embrace, after exchanging greetings of 'Jai Bhim' and 'Jai Samajwad'.

Not long ago, Gautam, a Dalit, and Yadav, from the Yadav community, were bitter political rivals. But their parties are now trying to build a new social coalition with Dalits and Other Backward Castes (OBCs).

A week before the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls, BSP chief Mayawati asked her workers to campaign for the "strongest non-BJP

candidate". Since then, Gautam and his men on the ground have been canvassing the hinterland, asking for votes for the Samajwadi Party.

During Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections held on Sunday, Dhani Ram, a Dalit voter from a village near Phulpur, voted for SP candidate Nagendra Patel. "I voted for BJP in 2014 and then again in 2017. I was very unhappy with them, so I had decided to vote for someone else. Even if Behenji's message had not come, I would have voted for SP. Even so, it was very strange to see SP and BSP workers coming to my house together."

While the BJP has claimed this "opportunistic" alliance of the SP and BSP floundered, ground workers of both regional parties have a different story to tell. "There is no bitterness. We were called by the Zonal coordinator of the BSP and told to campaign for the strongest non-BJP candidate. Immediately, we went to the local SP workers and started drawing up the ground strategy together. This happened once in 1993, but for most of our young workers, this is entirety new," said Saroj Kumar Gautam, BSP booth in charge at Dhokari.

One SP worker chimes in, "Bhagwaan humare netaon ko aisi hi sadbuddhi de (may God continue to grant such wisdom to our leaders). After 2014 and 2017, we had been waiting for something like this."

The two parties have had a bitter, even violent history. This includes the infamous Guest House case of 1995, when Mayawati was assaulted by a mob. To this day, she blames SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and his brother Shivpal Singh Yadav for the attack. For BSP workers, it helps that the party reins have now passed on to Akhilesh Yadav, who fondly refers to Mayawati as 'Bua' (aunt).

Chetan Kumar, 23, a Dalit, said, "Some of the older Dalits in our village still supported Behenji, but a lot of us younger ones had shifted to BJP. Narendra Modi had said that he would ensure 2 crore jobs would be created, but it was a false promise. I will graduate in a year and I have nowhere to go after that. The older generation is worried about their pensions, which BJP has stopped. Everyone is worried that electricity tariffs in the villages will continue to rise. Modi says he will give us free LPG cylinders. We don't want subsidies, we want jobs. So if SP is our best bet, I will happily go with them. That's why I voted SP on Sunday."

The counting of votes began on Monday morning for the election and after 10 rounds of voting, the SPs lead was unassailable. The Phulpur bypoll was marked by a low voter turnout  37.39% in Phulpur. While both BJP and SP have fielded candidates who are Kurmis, a dominant OBC community in Eastern UP, it is the Dalits who might emerge as kingmakers. There are around 5.5 lakh Scheduled Caste voters in the Phulpur constituency, who have traditionally voted for the BSP. The SP candidates lead in the election suggests that the BSP may have managed to convince its voters to shift entirely to the SP.

BJP sources said that they were wary of the Dalit vote going to the SP and said that they are expecting at least 50% of the SC vote to shift. Moreover, the SPs strong showing came despite independent candidate don-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmed pulling some votes away from the SP. There are 2.5 lakh Muslim voters in the Phulpur constituency. While Ahmed's influence in the rural belt is limited, he holds considerable sway among Muslims in the Allahabad West area.

Back in Dhokari, as Rakesh Yadav leaves to "get the vote out" and help voters to the polling booths, he responds to Gautam's 'Jai Bhim' with another 'Jai Samajwad'. When asked if the two slogans are a contradiction, Gautam says, "Dono ek hi to hain! (Both are one and the same).
New Delhi: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that the BJP had suffered reverses in bypolls in two parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh because of Naresh Agrawal's induction into the saffron party.

I don't consider that the SP-BSP tie up has worked I believe that Lord Ram was angry with you (BJP) the day you (BJP) rolled out the red carpet for the SP leader, who has criticised Lord Ram, he said.

In the prestigious Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla was trailing behind Praveen Nishad of the SP.

In Phulpur, SP candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel had raced ahead of his nearest BJP rival.

The election to the two constituencies were held on March 11. A day later, Agrawal quit the SP to join the BJP after he lost out to actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan in the race for re-nomination to the upper house.

The bypolls were necessitated after Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively, following their election to the state legislative council.
Hyderabad: The Telangana Congress is considering mass resignations of all MLA's and MLC's as a mark of protest against the "dictatorial" attitude of the ruling TRS government.

Two Congress MLA's were expelled and 16 other MLA & MLC were suspended for entire budget session following their protests in the well of the House during the Governor's address. Legislative Council chairman Swamy Gouds eye was also injured in the protest.

Condemning the decision of the Speaker, TPCC chief Uttam Kumar Reddy questioned, "The Speaker did not act on disqualification petitions of MLAs who unconstitutionally defected to ruling TRS for almost four years. But he took less than 24 hours to take a decision against Congress legislators."

Accusing Swamy Goud of faking injury, Telangana Congress leaders are sitting on 48 hour hunger strike in protest. "The entire drama was scripted by KCR who wanted to prevent the main opposition from participating in discussions on TRS Government's last budget. Why there is no video footage of headphone actually hitting Swamy Goud, Reddy asked.

"KCR Government has failed to fulfill any of its promises including 12% reservation for Muslims and STs, double bed room houses for poor, 3 acres of land for Dalits and did not solve problems being faced by farmers, jobless youth, students and other sections. The Chief Minister is afraid that the Congress legislators would expose his government's failures during the session", Uttam added.
New Delhi: After the disintegration of the Janata Dal in early 1991, the socialists in Uttar Pradesh were at sea.

Few months later, General Elections saw the return of the Congress government at the Centre, led by PV Narasimha Rao. In Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh won a comfortable majority to lead the first majority BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

A section in erstwhile Janata Dal which broke away to form Samajwadi Janata Party (SJP) led by Chandra Shekhar wanted to have truck with the Congress to take on the challenge posed by the BJP. But Mulayam Singh Yadav had other plans.

The Lok Sabha elections to Etawah had been countermanded in the face of violence and reports of massive rigging. By-elections were slated for the November of 1991. The BJP and SJP were in direct contest for a seat seen to be Mulayams pocket borough.

Interestingly, BSP founder Kanshi Ram, then trying to find his feet in the national politics, also filed nomination papers.

It was on polling day that we realised what had happened when our polling agents were seen mobilising votes for the BSP. Hamare baste pe hathi ko vote pad rahe the, recalled a close aide of Mulayam many years later. It later came to light that Mulayam had clandestinely transferred his party votes to BSP that elections.

Kanshi Ram, after many failed attempts, had won his first direct election to enter the Lok Sabha. Mulayam Singh Yadav in the process had successfully experimented with the OBC-Dalit-Muslim combination.

A year later, in October 1992, Mulayam formed his own party. In 1993, the Samajwadi Party and BSP came together to defeat BJP at the peak of the Ram Temple movement to form a coalition government.

Mile Mulayam Kanshi Ram, hawa mein ud gaye Jai Shri Ram was the common refrain among euphoric alliance supporters as the BSP tasted victory to win power in a decade since its formation in early 80s.

The SP-BSP government, however, could not complete its full term, with Kashi Ram withdrawing support after the infamous VIP guesthouse case in Lucknow to hoist Mayawati as the chief minister with BJP support.

The second time Kanshi Ram ever got into a pre-poll alliance was in 1996 with the Congress. A senior Congress leader, who won the assembly polls the same year, recalled how the committed BSP supporters would seek just basic help and support to ensure complete and total vote transfer to the Congress. The vice-versa, however, did not happen.

It was a lesson in electoral politics for the BSP. Which is why, for many years thereafter, the party never sought a pre-poll alliance with anyone  in UP and outside.

But in the last two decades, a lot of water has flowed down the Yamuna, skirting past Etawah.

The BSP, after reaching its pinnacle in 2007, has drawn a naught in the last Lok Sabha elections. The question is  will behenji Mayawati finally make tactical adjustments and seek pre-poll allies to stem the downslide?

Since she quit Rajya Sabha in a huff last year, Mayawati has kept a low profile. In the last one month, however, she has indicated her intent to do business with other parties and probe the plausibility of pre-poll alliances.

In Karnataka, Mayawati has agreed to play junior partner to the JD(S). In UP, she has lent support to SP candidates in Phulpur and Gorakhpur. But does that mean BSP is ready for a larger national coalition against the BJP at the centre? Because no two elections are the same and in electoral politics, two plus two is not always four.

Mayawati once famously called the BJP and Congress nagnath and saapnath. In the current political scenario, the BSP chief knows which is which and more detrimental to her party.

In politics, there are no free lunches. At the right time, probably closer to the elections, Mayawati like her mentor Kanshi Ram will take the larger call on alliance to suit the larger prospects of her party.
Mar 14, 2018 16:40 (IST)

THE VOTERS OF GORAKHPUR | After nearly three decades of unstoppable success in Gorakhpur Lok Sabha Assembly elections, if BJP actually goes on to lose the seat, as the early trend suggests, the biggest reason will be the one-sided voting by the Nishads and Mallahs who are the majority voters in the seat. Out of nearly 19.5 lakh voters in Gorakhpur, the biggest caste chunk is those of the Nishads and Mallahs, whose population is around 4.5 lakh, or nearly 23 per cent of the voters. The next biggest chunk of voters are 3.5 lakh Muslims that make for nearly 18 per cent voters. Dalits - of who there are nearly 3.5 lakh - together make up the third biggest chunk.
New Delhi: Senior Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav on Wednesday refused to comment on the possibility of an alliance with the BSP for the next Lok Sabha elections in 2019, saying "just wait and watch".

Talking to reporters outside Parliament, Yadav said that the victory of the SP in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bye-elections was a referendum against the Yogi government.

"Me and my party are grateful to the BSP and its workers who worked hard to ensure the victory of the SP candidate in these by-polls. As far as 2019 general elections is concerned, just wait and watch. And hope for the best," Yadav said.

Most of the SP MPs in the House were today seen wearing the party's traditional red cap. Speaking in the well of the Lok Sabha, SP MP Dharmender Yadav attacked the Gorakhpur DM for allegedly delaying the announcement of the initial trends of counting.

The SP today wrested both the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats from BJP, which had won them in 2014 general election. BSP, the SP's arch-rival, had extended support to the Akhilesh Yadav-led party in these bypolls.

The victory on these two seats assumes significance as Gorakhpur was won by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, while Phulpur was won by Keshav Prasad Maurya, who is currently the deputy chief minister of the state, in the 2014 elections. Both Yogi and Maurya resigned from their respective Lok Sabha seats after they were appointed as leader and deputy leader of the BJP government in the state last year.
New Delhi: After nearly three decades of unstoppable success in Gorakhpur Lok Sabha Assembly elections, if BJP actually goes on to lose the seat, as the early trend suggests, the biggest reason will be the one-sided voting by the Nishads and Mallahs who are the majority voters in the seat.

Out of nearly 19.5 lakh voters in Gorakhpur, the biggest caste chunk is those of the Nishads and Mallahs, whose population is around 4.5 lakh, or nearly 23 per cent of the voters. The next biggest chunk of voters are 3.5 lakh Muslims that make for nearly 18 per cent voters. Dalits - of who there are nearly 3.5 lakh - together make up the third biggest chunk.

The SP, having fielded a candidate from the Nishad party, constituted a better caste coalition. Praveen Nishad, the SP candidate, is the son of NISHAD party chief Sanjay Nishad, whom the party was projecting as an emerging youth leader. Praveen Nishad didn't shy away from playing the Hindu card, by paying a much publicised visit to the Gorakhnath Mutt a few days before voting.

Bringing together Muslims through a regional Muslim-centric party - Peace party, and a backward centric -- Janwadi Party, SP ensured a solid charge on the BJP fortress. And to top it all, BSP's tacit support through its huge popularity among Dalits, made the SP's caste equation almost unbeatable.

BJP, on the other hand, had fielded Upendra Shukla, a one-time BJP rebel candidate who trounced BJP's official nominee in an assembly segment in Gorakhpur.

In the last Lok Sabha polls in Gorakhpur, BJP had bagged 51.8 % vote share while SP and BSP's combined share was 38.6 per cent. The emerging trends show a significant shift in the vote percentage away from the BJP.

BJP has held the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat for the last 27 years. In these nearly three decades, Adityanath has represented the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat for the last two decades, becoming MP for the first time at the age of 26, after taking over from his guru and the then head of Gorakhnath Mutt - Mahant Avaidyanath.

One reason for BJP's unstoppable success in Gorakhpur has been the tremendous influence of Gorakhnath Mutt. But with the backward castes firmly rallying behind their candidate fielded by the SP, the BJP doesn't seem to have been left with much to bank on.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath blamed overconfidence for failing to realise the importance of the pre-poll understanding between Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party after BJPs stunning defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha Bypolls.

"When the candidates were declared, the SP, BSP and Congress were not together...they had not joined hands then. But suddenly in the middle of the election, the SP and the BSP forged an electoral understanding," he said.

Addressing the press from his residence, Adityanath said that the result was unexpected and the party would review the shortcomings. We accept the verdict of the people. I congratulate the winning candidates, he said.

But he also used the opportunity to take a potshot at the SP-BSP alliance and called it a selfish deal that would only create hurdles for the nations development. Refusing to accept the result as mandate against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Adityanath asserted that the bypolls were contested on local issues.

"When the general elections are held, there will be national issues. Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, there has been a sense of confidence which is prevailing in the country...but all these will be reviewed."

The loss in the by-election is a major embarrassment for Adityanath as the Gorakhpur seat was considered to be a BJP stronghold. He had been a five-time parliamentarian from the constituency, and before him, the town had sent his mentor Yogi Advaitnath to the Lok Sabha three times.

On Wednesday, however, it was a wake-up call for the Uttar Pradesh CM as well as the BJP as its two candidates were handed big defeats. In Gorakhpur, Praveen Nishad of SP defeated BJPs Upendra Dutt Shukla by over 29,000 votes while in Phulpur, SPs Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel defeated BJPs Kaushlendra Singh Patel by 59,460 votes.

The bypolls were necessitated after UP CM Adityanath and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats respectively following their election to the state legislative council.
Bengaluru: Leaders of the ruling Congress and the main opposition BJP in Karnataka were glued to their television sets on Wednesday to check the results of the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh.

Till a few months ago, the bypolls were considered to be insignificant, but that impression gave way to curiosity and it slowly grew into anxiety over the last few months.

The reason for this growing interest was one man  Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath - who has emerged as one of BJP's star campaigners in Karnataka.

So when the BJP lost both Gorakhpur and Phulpur to a resurgent SP and BSP combine, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah broke into a big smile.

Taking a jibe at Adityanath, he advised him to focus more on his state and stop lecturing Karnataka on development. BJP has suffered humiliating loss in the Lok Sabha seats held by the CM & DyCM of UP. Congratulations to SP & BSP for this historic victory. Unity among the non-BJP parties has played a key role, he tweeted.

Perhaps, Yogi Adityanath should spend less time lecturing Karnataka on development he added.

Adityanath in his campaign speeches in Karnataka has attacked the Congress on development and law and order, but he has met with a lot of resistance from the Karnataka Congress in the past few months.

Siddaramaiah called him a communal leader, whose sole intention is to polarise Karnataka voters on Hindu-Muslim lines.

An unfazed Yogi, however, has already visited Karnataka more than four times in the last three months forcing the Congress to close their ranks.

According to state Congress leaders, a win for the BJP would have emboldened both Yogi and state BJP. But the humiliating defeat in seats vacated by Yogi and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya has dampened the spirits of saffron party and energized the Congress.

The Congress has to win Karnataka once again to be relevant in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and it knows that every setback for the BJP would be a gain for it. The state Congress is using UP bypoll defeat to poke fun at the BJP and also enthuse its own cadres.

It is hoping that Yogi may not do extensive campaigning in the state after Wednesday's defeat.

AICC spokesman Brijesh Kalappa said that even if Yogi campaigns, it will have no impact. "Yogi has lost his own seat. Who cares for him in Karnataka? He is a nobody. He can't help the BJP here," he said. The state BJP leadership, on the other hand, has remained silent and is pointing the fingers at its high command in New Delhi.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Science Minister Harsh Vardhan have condoled the demise of renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who passed away earlier on Wednesday.

Known for his ground-breaking work with black holes and relativity, Professor Hawking was the author of several popular science books including "A Brief History of Time". He died at the age of 76 at his home in Cambridge, UK.

In his message, the President said that Hawking's work made the world a less mysterious place. "Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations," Kovind said in a tweet.

Modi also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Hawking and said: "Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. "His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawking's pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace."

Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawkings pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 14, 2018

Also read: Apple Worldwide Developers Conference to Start on June 4

Science and Technology Vardhan said: "Saddened by the passing away of #StephenHawking, the greatest scientist of the time, known for his work with black hole and relativity. It is a great loss to the world scientific community."

Born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963 at the age of 21.

Doctors expected him to live for only two more years. But Hawking had a form of the disease that progressed more slowly than usual. He survived for more than half a century and long enough for his disability to define him.

Watch: Google Assistant Powered Home Automation | First Look at MWC 2018
New York: A U.S. citizen was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Tuesday for supporting the militant group Al Qaeda and helping to prepare a 2009 car bomb attack on a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, less than the life sentence sought by prosecutors.

Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, 32, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn federal court. Al Farekh's lawyer, David Ruhnke, said at the court hearing that Al Farekh would be appealing his conviction.

Before Cogan imposed the sentence, Ruhnke read a letter written by Al Farekh, who did not speak himself. Al Farekh did not directly address the crimes of which he was found guilty, but asked the judge to consider that young men could be misled into violence. Al Farekh said in the letter that he was now opposed to violence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Tucker urged the judge not to believe the letter, saying Al Farekh remained "unshakably committed to violent jihad" and was "willing to say anything."

Cogan said the letter was "not an enthusiastic acceptance of responsibility."

"I just can't draw anything from that," he said.

Still, the judge said he was giving Al Farekh some hope of life after prison because he did not believe him to be "totally devoid of humanity," citing the support of his family.

Cogan said that, with 15 percent off his sentence for good behaviour and three years time served, Al Farekh could get out when he is 67.

Al Farekh was found guilty by a jury in September of the charges of conspiring to murder Americans, using a weapon of mass destruction and supporting a foreign terrorist organisation.

U.S. prosecutors in 2015 accused Al Farekh, who was born in Texas, of conspiring to support al Qaeda by travelling with two fellow students from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, to Pakistan with the intention of fighting U.S. forces.

Al Farekh had helped prepare an explosive device used in a Jan. 19, 2009 attack on a U.S. Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said an accomplice detonated one device, injuring multiple people including a pregnant woman, while Al Farekhs fingerprints were found on packing tape for the second device, which another accomplice carried but failed to detonate.

One of the other university students with whom Al Farekh travelled in 2007, Ferid Imam, has also been indicted, though his whereabouts are unknown.
Washington: Top American daily 'The Wall Street Journal' has slammed Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, for her remarks in India wherein she blamed the "backward parts of the US" for her loss.

Speaking at the recently-concluded 'India Today Conclave' in Mumbai, Clinton suggested that those people who supported Trump did so because they didn't like black people getting rights, women getting jobs or Indian-Americans succeeding more than them.

"You know, you didn't like black people getting rights. You don't like women, you know, getting jobs. You don't want to see that Indian-American succeeding more than you are. Whatever your problem is, I'm going to solve it," Clinton said during the India Today Conclave 2018.

"If you look at the map of the US, there's all that red in the middle where Trump won. I win the coasts, I win Illinois, I win Minnesota, places like that," Clinton said.

"What the map doesn't show you is that I won the places that represent two-thirds of America's gross domestic product. So I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward. And his whole campaign, 'Make America Great Again', was looking backwards," she alleged.

'The Wall Street Journal' in its editorial board on Wednesday criticised Clinton for her "contempt" for so many Americans.

"Democrats may think Mr. Trump is unfit to be president, but maybe they should take responsibility for nominating a candidate who had such contempt for so many Americans," The Wall Street Journal said.

"This a reprise of her famous "deplorables" crack from the campaign trail, but she didn't stop there. She also complained about "married white women" who supported Mr. Trump because they were too weak to stand up to "a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way that your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should"," said the editorial board of 'The Wall Street Journal'.

The daily said that Clinton was supposed to be the feminist champion for the aspirations of all American women. "Yet it turns out she really believes that any woman who voted against her must have been a mental or emotional prisoner of some man, trapped in a kind of political purdah," the daily said.

Indian-American Sikh leader Gurinder Singh Khalsa was also critical of Clinton's remarks.

"We do not agree with that statement (of Secretary Clinton). Reason being this administration is very diverse and very good for Indian-Americans," said Khalsa, a close friend of Vice-President Mike Pence.

Trump has appointed Indian-Americans to top positions in his administration, he said. In Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the UN, Trump appointed the first ever Indian-American in a presidential cabinet. He has appointed Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah in the White House, Seema Verma as head of Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and Ajit Pai as head of the Federal Communications Commission.

"President Trump listened to the voices of those in rural areas and major parts of the country who were being disconnected by special interest," Khalsa said.

"The policies of Trump, in particular tax cuts, have benefited Indian-Americans in this sector. Majority of Indian Americans are small business owners, who are benefitting from the tax reforms," he said.
Stephen Hawking and his bride Elaine Mason pose for photographs post their wedding at St. Barnabus Church on September 16, 1995. The two went to Scotland for their honeymoon. (Image: Reuters)
New Suicide Squad Ayer Cut images include fresh look at the Joker (and his henchman)

Jared Leto's Joker is trigger happy in new scene
Lahore blast: Seven killed and many injured in explosion in Raiwind ( Representational Image)

Lahore : At least seven people were killed and over a dozen others injured in a blast on the outskirts of Lahore in Pakistan on Wednesday.

According to DIG (Operations) Haider Ashraf, the explosion occurred near a police camp in Raiwind. "The police appear to be the target," he said, reports Express News. The casualties include policemen.

The nature of the blast was not immediately clear. Police say they were investigating. However, rescuers say it was a cylinder blast.

The injured were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Raiwind, where some of them were listed in a critical condition, triggering fears that the death toll might go up.
HARTFORD  Bringing jobs and investment, global IT giant Infosys will open a technology and information hub in Hartford, Governor Dannel P. Malloy announced Wednesday.

This announcement means 1,000 good-paying jobs will be established in the state of Connecticut before 2020, Malloy said in a press conference with Infosys President Ravi Kumar and Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin at the Capitol.

Infosys chose Hartford for its $20.6 million project because of the many education institutions in the state, as well as the presence of other industries like insurance, aerospace manufacturing and defense contracting, Kumar said.

The Infosys expansion could impact the whole state if it meant a stabilization of jobs and local tax revenue in the capital city, which is negotiating a state package to keep it from filing for bankruptcy. Many experts say a Hartford bankruptcy would affect economic development throughout the state.

Infosys, an IT consulting firm based in India, has been the subject of controversy in the United States. The company has often sent foreign workers, typically with H-1B visas, to work at employers such as Connecticut insurers that previously employed local people. And, with the blessing of its corporate clients saving money, Infosys has performed work in India that had been done in the United States.

But last May, Infosys vowed to hire 10,000 American workers and opened its first innovation center in Indianapolis. Other Infosys hubs will open in Raleigh, North Carolina and Providence, Rhode Island.

Connecticut officials lobbied hard for a Hartford hub, recruiting top executives from Connecticut companies to the effort.

They told us that Connecticut wasnt on their radar because they heard so much negative stuff about Connecticut, said Catherine Smith, the state economic and community development commissioner.

After visiting a few times, she said, They said Wow, this is a very welcoming community.

Smith and Malloy said the 1,000 Infosys jobs are additional, not replacing work now at Connecticut companies. It will also train workers for its clients, and will work in Hartford for clients outside the state.

If it delivers on the promised jobs and investment, Infosys will be eligible for up to $12 million in state grants under the First Five Plus program, which Malloy started in 2011 to deliver aid packages to large employers expanding or moving into the state.
According to a recent survey from the National Small Business Association, 50 percent of small businesses in the U.S. spend more than 40 hours a year managing their federal taxes. Add in the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in January, and small-business owners may need to rethink their usual approach when it comes to tax preparation.

Related: 75 Items You May Be Able to Deduct from Your Taxes

Though this tax season might seem especially daunting, you don't need to face it alone. In fact, 85 percent of small businesses hire outside help from a tax practitioner or accountant to handle their taxes, says the NSBA Small Business Taxation Survey. There are some quality consultants available and online tools you can leverage to navigate the latest tax laws, providing you with valuable time to focus on other financial and customer growth opportunities that come from running a company.

Below are my tips, as well as insights from LinkedIn ProFinder financial experts we spoke with in February in a series of phone interviews, for small businesses looking to take a smart approach to taxes on a long-term basis.

Financial advisors should be your No. 2.

When it comes to hiring the help you need to be successful with your taxes, you should consider bringing someone aboard to help beyond just the standard tax season months. Having an accountant involved on a month-to-month basis to review financials and talk strategy, especially with the recent tax legislation posing new opportunities and complexities, can mean the difference between a stressful tax season, and an easy lift.

Related: When It Comes to Taxes, Here Is How to Handle Inventory

Betty Chen, outsourced controller/CFO at Pegasus Tax + Accounting, said it perfectly: "Many business owners don't realize that accountants should be their No. 2 in a business, period. Because they record the transactions of your business, they are key to the past, present and future of the company's financial standing, which will come in handy during tax season."

Tax season is a busy time for most financial advisors, and with the new tax law, 2018 is already shaping up to be especially busy. On LinkedIn ProFinder, our platform connecting small-business owners and freelancers, we found accounting-related RFPs more than doubled in January 2018 compared to January 2017. So, don't wait until the last minute to bring in help!

Find the expert who knows the ins and outs.

With this in mind, it's clear that when you bring on a financial advisor you need to make sure you do your homework. Take a look at some of her past clients and recommendations -- who she has worked with in the past can shed light not only on the quality of work she delivers, but if she knows your specific industry's regulations.

Related: 1099 Rules That Can Make or Break You This Year

If you are considering bringing on a CPA or accountant, you might want to take your detective work a step further and check him out online and make sure he really does have the licenses he is claiming. "Our profession is very heavily regulated," says Steve Rabin, a certified public accountant (CPA) from San Francisco. "For additional peace of mind, business owners can visit the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and check that any person or firm offering accounting services is currently licensed by the state board in the state where that accountant is based."

Well-versed in tax compliance and tax law, CPAs can help explain extremely important distinctions between category filings like an LLC, S-corp and C-corp while an accountant, even just as a consultant, can help keep your finances in order year-round.

Tax technology can be a time saver.

Thankfully it's the 21st century, which means you have access to a number of apps, tools and websites that can simplify tax preparation.

In fact, Mariya Luqmani, president and CEO of Mlcpas Inc. and a CPA from New York, who specializes in international taxation of individuals and businesses, has gone completely paperless in her consulting practice and says even the minutes saved when avoiding a fax machine or photocopier make a difference for her clients when it comes to preparing taxes.

Related: 5 Ways Small Business Owners Can Spend Their Tax Savings

Use tools like Skype or BlueJeans to set up face-to-face virtual meetings with your financial advisor to save you on commute time. When it comes to breaking down your expenses, think about software solutions from QuickBooks, Xero or TaxJar to do the heavy lifting and to help you understand how much you can deduct based on the amount you've spent. If you're looking for quick tax information on the go or need to calculate taxable income for different filing statuses consider IRS2Go or Bloomberg BNA's Quick Tax Reference App.

Adopting technology could not only guarantee you a more accurate filing, it could actually save you money.

A little tax planning can go a long way when it comes time to file. Given how much you already have on your plate running a business, think about getting assistance from a financial pro year-round who can be trusted to translate the new laws, as well as take advantage of technology that is here to help, whether it be specific tools or simply narrowing in on resources available. Making smart, strategic financial decisions for your company this tax season gives you the freedom to focus on growing your business and making sure your customers are happy. A win-win for everyone.

Related:

These 3 Strategies Will Make Your Tax Preparation So Much Easier This Tax Season

The Important Tax Reform Deadline That Entrepreneurs Should Know About Now

This Financial Hack Could Save You Thousands of Dollars in Taxes



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


A Russian exile who was close friends with the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky has been found dead in his London home. Nikolai Glushkov, 68, was discovered by his family and friends late on Monday night. The cause of death is not yet clear.

In the 1990s Glushkov was a director of the state airline Aeroflot and Berezovskys LogoVAZ car company. In 1999, as Berezovsky fell out with Vladimir Putin and fled to the UK, Glushkov was charged with money laundering and fraud. He spent five years in jail and was freed in 2004. Fearing further arrest, he fled to the UK and was granted political asylum.
Cosco Shipping Ports and China Merchants Port Holdings have gone on a buying cargo terminals in the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic rim. In January 2018, Cosco finalized the takeover of the terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgiums second-biggest port, marking the Chinese firms first bridgehead in northwestern Europe.

Belt and Road project funding slowed slightly in 2017 to about $14.3 billion from $20 billion in 2016.

Chinese state firms now control about one-tenth of all European port capacity.

The port deals are one of the clearest manifestations of Beijings ambitious plans to physically link China to Europe by sea, road, rail, and pipeline. The ports are half of the Belt and Road Initiative, snaking from the South China Sea across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and into the soft underbelly of Europe.

In 2016, China invested over $20 billion into seaports on foreign terrain.

China Merchants Port Holdings bought a 90% share of the Brazilian port operator TCP Participacoes for nearly a billion dollars. Jiangsu province paid $300 million to build a free trade zone around Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi.

China is also building high-speed rail line between Hungary and Serbia.

Central Asia

The Khorgos/Horgos is on the border of Khazakstan and China.

China has built a new Horgos city: a core downtown, sprawling high-rise housing developments, a high-tech zone thats banking on becoming a center for robotics, a logistics zone, and various other industrial areas.

On the Kazakh side is the absolutely colossal Khorgos East Gate Special Economic Zone, which contains the Khorgos Gateway dry port and the new city of Nurkent. This, too, is a central government driven project, with ordersand fundingcoming straight in from Astana.

Connecting the Chinese and Kazakh sides is something called the International Center for Boundary Cooperation. It is a massive, 3.43-square-kilometer bi-national duty-free bazaar that has its own immigration, tax, and fiscal codes.

Chinas central and western areas are being built up

Billions of dollars have been invested in building out Chinas central and western cities and interconnecting them with a completely new grid of transportation infrastructure. China has added 60,000 kilometers of new highways, over 25,000 kilometers of new high-speed rail lines, and over 100 new airports.

The interior cities, such as Chengdu, Chongqing, Xian, Changsha, Wuhan and Guiyang, are now some of the best performing cities in China today
NEW HAVEN >> Emergency medicine physician Dr. Karen Jubanyik has spent enough times in the emergency room to know how to treat a calamity before it worsens.

Its perhaps why Jubanyik feels so strongly about banning leaf blowers in the city, especially gas-powered tools that can emit more pollutants than high-performance vehicles. She pitched her efforts to ban leaf blowers in the city during Wednesdays Environmental Advisory Council meeting at City Hall.

Jubanyik, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, said two-stroke leaf blowers, those which require mixing fuel and oil, are by far the most toxic for the environment.

I think its still the right thing, Jubanyik said about a potential ban. One-third of the fuel does not combust and is emitted into the air.

Jubanyik highlighted a 2011 test by car review site Edmunds that found an Echo 2 two-stroke leaf blower created 23 times more carbon monoxide alone than a 6,200-pound 2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor. An engineer for the site said the hydrocarbon emissions from 30 minutes of use for a two-stroke leaf blower was about the same as driving the Ford pickup from Texas to Alaska  or 3,900 miles.

Other concerns include noise pollution, the potential for leaf blowers to impact local ecosystems and the danger of people inhaling pollens, mold, pesticides and other chemicals from air thats been blown by the equipment. Jubanyik said using leaf blowers crates noise that degrades the quality of life, and can be a nuisance for people working from home.

Most people in attendance Wednesday agreed with Jubanyik, including council chairwoman Laura Cahn.

We just dont need them. We need to get rid of them, Cahn said.

However passionate Jubanyik may feel about a city-wide ban, such a measure is highly unlikely. Jubanyik conceded that even advocating for a state law would be difficult, which could trigger lobbyists for landscapers or other groups opposing such a ban. Council Vice-Chairman Kevin McCarthy pointed out the citys authority is limited.

I very much doubt that theres legal authority for New Haven to ban leaf blowers, McCarthy said.

The council recommended looking at language from a leaf blower ban adopted in Maplewood, New Jersey. Their town council in April passed an ordinance banning commercial landscapers from using gas-powered blowers during summer months, according to NJ.com. Greenwich attempted to adopt a leaf blower ban by way of a noise ordinance, but the local legislative body rejected it in 2012.

Jubanyik said residents can hire green landscapers to help cut back on potential leaf blower emissions and just rake instead.

Cahn suggested creating an abutting list of residents who oppose leaf blower use, while another approach to highlight the leaf blowers is to adopt a resolution for a voluntary ban for residents.

Granted, it doesnt make a law, but it makes a statement, Cahn said.

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901.
MIDDLETOWN  tHE Connecticut Parrot Societys (CPS) 11th annual Featherfest returns to Middletown on Saturday, March 24.

Featherfest is CPS annual bird fair at the Elks Club that includes educational speakers, bird-related vendors, and live birds (not for sale). The event is open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is $5 per person, and free to children under 12 and CPS members.

This years educational speakers include the following:

10:30 a.m. - MaryBeth Kaeser, Horizon Wings, a non-profit birds of prey rehab center, discussing Bird Brains. Did you know that crows are capable of recognizing and remembering individual faces and can teach their children which individuals to avoid? Far from being hard-wired as previously thought, recent research proves that birds actually possess sophisticated cognitive abilities. Indeed, responding to changing conditions by changing the way they act, is often crucial to their survival. Join us as we compare and contrast the fascinating qualities of avian intelligence among four different species of birds: an American Crow, a Peregrine Falcon, an Owl, and a Blue and Gold Macaw.

1:30 p.m. - Susan Chamberlin, columnist for Fancy Publications (including Bird Talk) more than 30 years, speaker and owner of 14 Karat Parrot, presents Planning for Your Birds Future. Change is inevitable, but with some forethought we can meet the needs of our parrots, over time. Join us as Susan shares her ideas on how to manage occurrences such as changes in lifestyle, finances, and places of residence, to name just a few, while ensuring that our parrots are well cared for along the way.

Other highlights of the event include door prizs, teacup auction with prizes, vendors, and free pet care information at an Ask the Vets table.

The Connecticut Parrot Society was formed in September, 2006. It is a non-profit, 501c3 organization, based in Middletown, CT, with more than 130 current members. CPS mission is to educate the public and its members about responsible keeping of companion parrots. As part of that mission, CPS provides information to its members and to the public concerning legislation and conservation issues impacting companion parrots and those in the wild.

Through this mission, the Connecticut Parrot Society (CPS) helps residents of Connecticut with the placement of companion birds and has adopted out more than 300 birds in its adoption program. It is also involved in extensive outreach and education programs for schools and groups, and affiliated with numerous national avian organizations.

CPS meets the first Thursday of each month (except July and August) at 7 pm at the Wadsworth Glen Health Care and Rehabilitation Center, 30 Boston Road, Middletown, CT. The public is welcome to attend a meeting as a guest. Meetings include fun and social time for members and their birds and an educational guest speaker.

For more information about CPS or Featherfest, go to www.connecticutparrotsociety.org.
A 10-month-old puppy died on a flight out of Houston's IAH Monday evening after a United Airlines flight attendant told the dog's owner to put it in the overhead compartment.

Shortly after boarding United Fight 1284 to New York's LaGuardia, the passenger was told to place the 10-month-old Frenchie and its carrier in the overhead compartment, June Lara, a passenger who sat behind the owner on the flight, told Chron.com Tuesday afternoon.

"However, the flight attendants of flight UA1284 felt that the innocent animal was better off crammed inside the overhead container without air and water," Lara wrote on Facebook. "They INSISTED that the puppy be locked up for three hours without any kind of airflow. They assured the safety of the family's pet so wearily, the mother agreed."

WATCH: PetSmart groomer fired after video showing her violently handling a dog goes viral

By the time the plane landed roughly three hours later and the overhead compartment was opened, the dog was dead, Lara said.

According to United's pet policy, animals must be in a carrier and "fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times."

The airline said in a statement that it is investigating the animal's death.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin," United said in the statement. "We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso.
SHELTON  Manuel Manny Moutinho, a Stratford multimillionaire whose business deals sometimes result in controversy, is hoping to build a shopping center on Todd Road.

Paperwork filed by Joseph Pereira Engineering on behalf of Moutinho seeks to construct a single-story building encompassing 10,170 square feet for four to six commercial tenants.

But before he can start building, Moutinho needs approval from the Planning and Zoning Commission to change the zone from its current office park designation to a planned development district.

His application is expected to be accepted by the Planning and Zoning commission during their next meeting. Once accepted, the commission will schedule a public hearing on the proposal.

The now vacant 6 Todd Road site is about 1.22 acres. The surrounding area consists mostly of offices, restaurants and commercial businesses.

City officials said it was once part of a car dealership and later a fitness gym, which was demolished following a fire.

Moutinho purchased the property in 1991 for $849,000, according to records in the assessors office. It is valued at $176,900 and assessed at $123,830.

In the application, Moutinho and Pereira proposed to remove all the existing concrete and pavement.

Neither Pereira or Moutinho immediately returned calls for comment.

Over the years Moutinho and his various businesses including Mark IV Construction have been embroiled in numerous state court disputes.

His low bid on a sewer project, which later saw increases, irked then Trumbull First Selectman Timothy Herbst. That led to both sides suing each other and then settling out of court.

More recently was the dispute over a $400,000 gravel road leading to Mountihos waterfront mansion on Stratfords Seaview Avenue. Residents voiced concern that Bridgeport, under the administration of former Mayor Bill Finch, paid for the driveway as part of the Sikorsky Memorial Airport improvement project.

And in 2013 a Connecticut Post profile of Moutinho disclosed some two dozen real estate transactions with Gus Curcio and another 31 lawsuits pitting Moutinho against Curcio and the latters associates.

Curcio has been identified as an associate of the Genovese crime family by the FBI and federal prosecutors.
STRATFORD  For the eighth consecutive year, the mayors office will sponsor a soda bread contest to accompany the raising of the flag of Ireland on Friday morning, March 16.

The shamrock-festooned event begins at 9 a.m. in front of Town Hall, at which time the name of the Irish Mayor of the Day will be revealed and the Irish flag will be hoisted.

After that, beginning at about 10 a.m. in Town Council chambers, Stratford Mayor Laura OHoydick will officiate at the annual, much anticipated, soda bread contest. The contest is a tradition begun in 2010 by former mayor John Harkins, who said that he might be in attendance.

Theres no prize, other than bragging rights.

The St. Patricks Day Irish Soda Bread Contest is a free activity that is open to all Stratford residents. The rules are as follows:

Contestants are asked to bring their entries to Room 213 at Town Hall (second floor) at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, March 16 at Town Hall;

A name tag and telephone number should be placed with each entry;

Entries must be made from an original recipe and not store bought;

Entries containing nuts or related ingredients should be clearly indicated on name tag;

The decision of the judges will be final; and

Immediate family members of the judges may not submit an entry.
NEW HAVEN  The National School Walkout student protest today was a response to the Parkland, Fla., massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were killed with an AR-15 style gun one month ago, but Connecticut students also have felt the effects of gun violence in schools.

Grace Ozyck, a senior at Wilbur Cross High School and a co-organizer of that schools walkout event, said the 2012 massacre of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown is the first school shooting she recalls. The student victims were barely younger than Ozyck and her classmates at the time, she said.

Students at Cross read poems and statistics and played songs Wednesday about gun violence. They were joined by legislators and their representatives.

More than 1,800 Americans have been killed in mass shootings since the Sandy Hook massacre, but Ozyck said there is a lot of gun violence that is overlooked because it results in only one fatality.

Weve become so numb, she said. We need to be and will be the generation that stops gun violence.

Senior Valencia Harris said the national discussion about guns in schools made her think about how schools regulate clothing.

Its a problem when the dress code is more regulated than gun control, she said. As teenagers in New Haven, some of us are more prepared with clothing for funerals than for job interviews.

Seventeen students spoke at Wilbur Cross, including Ozyck and Harris, one for each of the people killed in Parkland on Feb. 14.

Yaakov Gottlieb, a senior, said students cant feel safe at school, given the prevalence of school shootings. Students, he said, must ensure the government takes action.

Will they change laws, making it safe, or sit on their throne of money from the NRA? he said.

State Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, spoke to students at Cross, noting the commitment shown by young people.

After what happened at Sandy Hook in Newtown, we passed in Connecticut the strongest gun laws ever seen, he said. We were hopeful at the time it would lead to national legislation.

Looney said killings in America are more lethal than elsewhere because of the automatic weapons at the disposal of would-be shooters.

I think we have finally seen the level of energy and commitment needed from students. I think we have reason for great hope, but we cannot give up, he said. We cannot be intimidated by one well-organized lobby.

Joseph Rodriguez, deputy state director for U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and a mayoral appointee to the Board of Education pending aldermanic approval, said his staff was spread across the state speaking to students at their walkout events. Every major social movement, he told the students, began with or included young people.

Frank Brady, dream director at Wilbur Cross, said the mood walking back into the building was calm and reflective.

I think today was a really positive moment, he said.

Makayla Dawkins, a junior at Hillhouse High School and a student member of the Board of Education, said her school discussed the meaning of marching and the nonviolent tactics of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

Hillhouse held a brief assembly that consisted of students sharing poems, musical selections, and various guest speakers. Some of us shared summaries of what the shooting was and why students were affected, she said in an email.

At West Haven High School, as several hundred of their classmates formed a semi-circle around them, 17 pairs of students stepped forward, one pair after another, and read the name of a fallen Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student or teacher who they had chosen to memorialize.

Roa Osman, 16, and Kassandra Marron, 17, who were among the organizers, said they participated over safety concerns.

I just believe that schools should be a lot safer, said Marron. We come to school to learn ... not in fear that were going to be killed.

Osman said that guns  and assault rifles, in particular  shouldnt be that readily available ... At the end of the day, guns shouldnt be that accessible, she said.

There also was an effort by students at West Havens Bailey Middle School to organize a similar walkout, but the administration created a compromise plan to stop instruction for a few minutes, air a five-minute video tribute to those who died in Florida and hold an open dialogue in class about what happened there, according to parents.

School officials across the state spent weeks collaborating with students on ways to make their local walkouts school-sanctioned activities with an educational benefit.

Tyler Felson and Brendan OCallahan, seniors at Guilford High School, said they worked with the administration to make their walkout event happen, and they were pleased with the results.

It was about 700 kids, maybe two-thirds of the school, Felson said. Everyone had signs and was really excited. We were all together and we were all chanting and someone brought a megaphone.

OCallahan said the school planned to have students leave through their assigned fire drill exits, but the adrenaline and energy drew everyone to walk toward the megaphone.

We might not have followed their plan to a T, but it takes courage for these kids, Felson said. I was really concerned that people would be afraid to show their passionate because teenagers can be so blase about everything, but that was definitely not the sense.

Felson and OCallahan are fundraising online for buses to take students on the shoreline to Washington, D.C. for the March 24 March For Our Lives. As of Wednesday afternoon, they were within $700 of their $2,000 fundraising goal.

The school was particularly impacted by the gun death of classmate Ethan Song, 15, earlier this year.

We were all numb to this issue before Ethan, said Guilford High School freshman Lauren Walczyk.

Im proud of our students for finding a respectful way to express their opinions  in particular, not forcing anyone to participate  and proud of our staff and teachers for ensuring the safety of everyone involved, said Guilford Superintendent of Schools Paul Freeman.

Many of the planned school protests  including Wilbur Cross and schools in West Haven, Guilford and Seymour  included police officers and security officials in making those plans.

At Milfords Jonathan Law High School, where nearly all 920 students participated in the walkout, some said politics can not be ignored.

We feel very strongly that this had to be a political statement, said senior Colleen Hugo, a student organizer. Some of the teachers wanted this to be only a remembrance ceremony - which, of course, it was - but as students we feel that our lived were at risk and were not happy with the way gun legislation is in this country.

As a moment of silence for each victim was observed, Hugo sounded a Tibetan singing bowl 17 times.

At Shelton High, students wearing Douglas Highs maroon and silver colors, placed flowers in a vase as victim names were being read. At Harding High in Bridgeport, Schools Superintendent Aresta Johnson called it a chance for student voices to be heard and applauded them for their civic engagement and activism.

Taylor Truskauskas, a student at Lewis Mills High School in Burlington, did not agree with the mission of the walkout. She said she would rather see armed guards as a more regular presence than gun control.

I felt as though it was putting students safety at risk by having it so well publicized. Everybody knew exactly what time and where students would be gathering outside the school, she said.

She said she believes deterrence would be more effective than legislation targeting firearms.

I think if potential school shooters knew the school was not a gun-free zone, it would proactively deter them, she said.

Although she did not participate in the protest, she said she felt her choice was respected by the administration and other students.

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education and the Connecticut Association for Public School Superintendents advised school superintendents and school board presidents that students may be disciplined for walking out, dependent upon local policy.

Several colleges and universities  including the University of Connecticut  released statements that applicants would not be punished for any disciplinary action associated with peaceful protest. Maribel La Luz, spokeswoman for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system, said in an email the protests will not have any impact on admissions whatsoever.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., read aloud the names of Connecticut victims of gun violence in Congress and joined Blumenthal and other members of Congress in walking out of the U.S. Capitol Building.

[T]his epidemic doesnt take a day off, Murphy said in a statement. While the mass shootings get the national attention, every day, 80 to 90 people in this country die from a gunshot wound. This catastrophic rate of violence happens because of the governments inaction, and so today cannot just be a moment of remembrance  it needs to be a moment of action.

Maya Murarka, a Wilbur Cross High School junior who spoke at the walkout about how quickly legislation moves to make roads safer as opposed to preventing gun violence, said the protest there felt more like an assembly.

It feels like its not as much of a protest as it should be, she said.
Angry islanders in Koh Samui, Thailand, are demanding police track down a blond tourist who dropped her underwear and began rubbing against a mythical rock shaped like a penis.

The UK's Metro - which posted photos from the incident - reported the woman was photographed Monday thrusting her hips against the 12-foot-tall phallic boulder known as Grandfather Rock, which locals believe contains the spirit of an old man.

The brazen display infuriated residents of the island.

The Metro quoted a food seller named Sutida Wongyai, who said: "The rock is very special and represents our island. It is an insult to do this to it."

They want police to find her and force her to apologize, according to the Metro. Police confirmed they had received a complaint about a naked woman and said they were investigating.

Grandfather Rock, also known has Hin Ta rock, stands next to Hin Yai rock, a smaller rock formation that is said to resemble female genitalia.

MORE: Tourists accused of 'singing and dancing pornographically' banished from Cambodia

According to legend, the landmarks are named after an elderly couple who sailed to the island to propose marriage for their son, only to have a storm capsize their boat.

The shame of losing their dowry when the ship swamped was too much for them to bear, so they jumped into the sea and were reborn as the male and female rocks.

The odd-shaped formations are a mixed blessing for Koh Samui. On the one hand the island draws tourists worldwide, which is great for business; on the other hand, tourists regularly ignore signs to keep off and climb the rocks, angering the locals.
North Augusta, SC (29841)

Today

Areas of patchy fog early. Cloudy with occasional showers this afternoon. High 79F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Rain showers early with scattered thunderstorms arriving overnight. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
John Metts, the principal of Millbrook Elementary, shows members of the grassroots steering committee that is working on the Aiken County Public School District's upcoming $90 million bond referendum the school's original classrooms, which open to outdoor corridors and are difficult to secure.
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.


Viewed of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
Managing Editor

Having lived and worked in Indy on and off since 1977, and currently living in Carmel, I've seen the city change a great deal. I love covering the arts in all its forms, and the places where the arts and broader cultural issues intersect.
LOS ANGELES  As chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles for the last three years, Helen Molesworth has been a fierce advocate for artists who did not fit neatly into the white-male-blue-chip art world. She curated an important 35-year retrospective of the career of the American painter Kerry James Marshall, and another by the Brazilian sculptor Anna Maria Maiolino.

On Tuesday, when a statement from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) announced that it had parted ways with the respected curator over what it called creative differences the reaction was fierce, with local artists and curators on social media sharing their stunned or shocked or speechless reactions.

Catherine Opie, an artist who is on the board of the museum, publicly weighed in, telling Christopher Knight, the art critic for the Los Angeles Times, that Ms. Molesworth had been dismissed by MOCAs director, Philippe Vergne.

I think you have made a terrible mistake, she said she told Mr. Vergne. As for the board letter noting that Ms. Molesworth was stepping down, Ms. Opie did not equivocate: He fired her, she told Mr. Knight.
WASHINGTON  President Trumps swift decision this week to block a Singapore-based company from gaining control of Qualcomm grew out of a White House push to wall off American industry from foreign competition, primarily China, under the guise of protecting national security.

The Trump administration, in ways that are largely unprecedented in modern history, has begun wielding national security as a club, using it to strike other nations with protectionist measures like tariffs, visa restrictions and curbs on foreign investment. That approach is expected to escalate in the coming weeks, as the White House prepares to hit China with tariffs on billions of dollars of Chinese products as punishment for the alleged theft of American intellectual property.

The fight over Qualcomm played into the administrations agenda, with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a government panel known as Cfius, seizing the opportunity to protect an American company whose semiconductors power the smartphones and tablets of today and could guide the autonomous vehicles of tomorrow. Top administration officials who sit on Cfius, including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, argued that ceding control of Qualcomm to the Singapore-based company, Broadcom, would cripple Americas technological prowess and give China an advantage, according to people familiar with the administrations thinking.

On Friday, Mr. Mnuchin took the unusual step of commenting on the normally secretive Cfius process, saying in an interview with CNBC that the Broadcom bid presented a unique situation and that he and the committee are fully prepared to use our powers to protect national security.
A Kind Legacy

From BuzzFeed: We all talk about the need for more empathy, but very few of us actually show it. Thats what makes Maya Wileys unexpected compassion toward a clearly troubled Trump aide, Sam Nunberg, all the more remarkable. Wiley, a professor at the New School and a lawyer, appeared alongside Nunberg during his bizarre blitz of television interviews, when he declared he would defy the special counsel Robert Mueller. Wiley advised him to rethink his plan. In this piece, she explains the range of emotions  and the memories of her father  that shaped her reaction.  Carolyn Ryan, assistant masthead editor

_____
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday accused the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of violating the rights of the disabled when the agency spent tens of millions to renovate a subway station without installing elevators, even after being told repeatedly that making the station accessible was mandatory and technically doable.

The dispute centers on the Middletown Road station in the Pelham Bay neighborhood of the Bronx, which underwent a $27 million renovation that was completed in 2014 and included new stairs, tile and paint. The M.T.A. carried out the changes without insuring that the station was rendered readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs, to the maximum extent feasible, according to a statement by Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Mr. Berman said that there was no justification for public entities to ignore the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The subway system is a vital part of New York Citys transportation system, and when a subway station undergoes a complete renovation, M.T.A. and NYCTA must comply with its obligations to make such stations accessible, he added.

Federal prosecutors made their accusations in a filing added to a lawsuit against the M.T.A. filed by a local group in the Bronx.
Mr. Cuomo had dodged questions about the trial for weeks, saying he was deferring to the judicial process. In the first hours after the verdict, he hunkered down in the State Capitol as reporters circled the halls outside his office. The governor eventually issued a prepared statement about the personally painful verdict.

The governor said he would seek additional safeguards in place to secure the public trust, but what exactly that meant was unclear.

The trial itself was a near-daily drip, drip, drip of revelations of Albanys inner workings under Mr. Cuomos watch, including Mr. Percocos use of state offices while on the campaign; government officials widespread use of private emails to avoid public-record laws; and efforts to mask campaign contributions, legally, by routing them through multiple limited liability companies.

And Mr. Percoco was shown to be no ordinary aide. He was the governors political enforcer and virtual shadow. When Mr. Percoco called, officials said, it was as if the governor himself was on the other line.

The trials revelations have quickly shifted from the courtroom to the political realm.

Standing in front of a phalanx of reporters in the Capitol, State Senator John DeFrancisco, a Republican from the Syracuse area who is running for governor, said Mr. Cuomo was either intentionally or inexplicably blind to misdeeds occurring in his inner circle.

To suggest that he knew nothing about Percoco doing these things while in his office, making 800 phone calls, is just beyond credulity, he said, noting how Mr. Percoco had used state resources while serving as Mr. Cuomos campaign manager, when he was not on the state payroll.

Even before the verdict was delivered, Edward F. Cox, chairman of the state Republican Party, had asked a state ethics panel to investigate Mr. Cuomo, saying the governor has violated New York Public Officers Law. He also requested an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R. Vance Jr.
The safety boards investigators interviewed the chief pilot of Liberty Helicopters, the large sightseeing and charter company based in New Jersey that owns and operates the Airbus AS350 B2 that crashed. They also talked to several witnesses and rescuers, but have not yet spoken with Mr. Vance, who they said was injured in the crash.

The group was on an excursion that left from Kearny, N.J., booked by FlyNYON, a company that advertises doors-off helicopter rides to thrill-seekers and photographers. Despite the deployment of floats intended to keep the craft from sinking, the helicopter quickly rolled over after it landed in the river, trapping the passengers upside down in 40-degree water. The victims were Trevor Cadigan and Brian McDaniel, both 26, high school friends from Dallas; Carla Vallejos Blanco, 29, of Corrientes, Argentina; and Daniel Thompson, 34, and Tristan Hill, 29, who a law enforcement official said were both employees of the helicopter company that operated the flight.

After the crash, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, a Democrat, called on the Federal Aviation Administration to suspend the license of Liberty Helicopters.

The F.A.A., which certifies aircraft and their operators, said in a statement on Tuesday that it was monitoring the safety boards investigation and would take appropriate action based on what we learn. It said it was preparing to communicate with operators of aerial photography flights and their customers about the use of harnesses, but it did not specify if it would ban them or require more preflight instruction about how to unhook them in an emergency.

We are giving urgent attention to the use of harnesses specifically for aerial photography flights, the statement read.
They first heard about Ms. Ortega when her sister Celia Ortega approached Ms. Krim, visibly pregnant, during Lucias ballet class at the Jewish Community Center. She said Ms. Ortega was an experienced nanny.

That turned out to be untrue, Mr. Krim said. But Ms. Ortega provided the Krims with a phony reference, a woman who vouched for Ms. Ortega in an emailed letter, giving glowing answers to a long list of questions from the Krims. The answers we got back were all a lie, Mr. Krim said. Every single one.

Mr. Krim, who has two family members with schizophrenia, said he never saw any signs Ms. Ortega had a mental illness. Absolutely not, never, he said.

But Mr. Krim said he knew Ms. Ortega was under financial strain. She had rented a new apartment and had moved her teenage son from the Dominican Republic to New York City, placing him in an expensive private school.

He and his wife offered her extra hours cleaning their apartment. They paid for her to take at least two trips to the Dominican Republic to deal with family emergencies, treating the cost as a bonus of sorts. They employed her son for odd jobs, like walking the dog, and sometimes employed her sister Daisy. They even recommended her to some friends who needed a nanny for a month while they were out of town.

We knew there was financial pressure and we wanted to find her more ways to make money, he said. There was always this theme that I was pushing hard on: Lets make sure shes happy, that she wants to keep working for us.

Mr. Krim said that Ms. Ortega was generally a reliable employee and that he did not want to lose her because it would disrupt his childrens lives. She did her job well, he said on cross-examination.
TRENTON  Gov. Philip D. Murphy unveiled his first budget proposal on Tuesday, a $34.7 billion spending plan that reads like a wish-list-come-true for his liberal base and reflects the progressive agenda he campaigned on, and that also seeks to bring relief to frustrated riders of New Jerseys sputtering commuter rail.

The budget proposed by Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, would use tax increases and new taxes to generate $1.5 billion in revenue to help pay for his ambitious plan, which included restoring the earned-income tax credit, significantly increasing funding for schools, expanding preschool and making community colleges tuition free. He also wants New Jersey to join the growing ranks of states that have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.

For everyone who cares about common-sense gun safety laws, a 100-percent clean energy future, womens health care, the rights of our L.G.B.T.Q. brothers and sisters, or immigration policies that are sensible, that allow diverse and safe cities to flourish, the pull of New Jersey will become inescapable, Mr. Murphy said.

But Mr. Murphys ability to pay for much of his spending plan, which represents a 4.2 percent increase over the current budget, will hinge on his proposal to raise taxes on those making over $1 million, a notion that has met stiff resistance in the Legislature, even though both chambers are controlled by Democrats.
WASHINGTON  Chinas extraordinary growth over the past few decades has spawned two major lines of analysis. One school of thought holds that China is a rising economic power poised to conquer the world. The other argues that Chinas economy has become so distorted that it is bound to collapse or, at least, as a former United States Treasury secretary suggested, regress to the mean.

Both views are mistaken.

For one thing, China has never been a normal economy. It experienced an average of nearly 10 percent growth rates for almost four decades, a record; it is the first developing nation to become a great power. So why couldnt it keep defying expectations?

What some take to be the Chinese economys weaknesses have, in fact, been strengths. Unbalanced growth isnt evidence of a looming risk so much as a sign of successful industrialization. Surging debt levels are a marker of financial deepening rather than profligate spending. Corruption has spurred, not stalled, growth.

At least so far. The central question isnt whether China might continue to confound norms so much as what, precisely, is required for it to do so. And that, as ever, hinges on whether the Chinese government can strike the right balance between state intervention and market forces.
President Trump has displayed enthusiasm for brutality over the past year. He has told the police to treat suspects roughly, praised President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines for murdering people suspected of drug ties and called for the execution of drug dealers.

But one of his most unsettling beliefs is still his acceptance of the value of torture. In my opinion, it works, he told Sean Hannity of Fox News early last year.

Previously, anyone alarmed by Mr. Trumps cavalier embrace of government-sanctioned cruelty was reassured by his vow to accept the advice of his defense secretary, Jim Mattis, who opposes torture and promised at his Senate confirmation hearing that he would uphold American and international laws against it.

Now we have reason to be uneasy yet again.

When it comes to torture, no American officials have been more practiced in those heinous dark arts than the officers and employees of the Central Intelligence Agency who applied it to terrorism suspects after 9/11. Few American officials were so directly involved in that frenzy of abuse, which began under President George W. Bush and was ended by President Barack Obama, as Gina Haspel.
We will flex our muscles at the ballot box, too. Many high school seniors will cast their first ballots this November, and in 2020, a majority of todays high school students will most likely be able to vote in their first presidential election. And we will not forget the elected officials who turned their backs on their duty to protect children.

Let us remind politicians like Donald Trump, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell who accept donations from the National Rifle Association and oppose efforts to restrict gun purchases that we are the future leaders and voters of this country. Let us remind corporations like FedEx that provide discounts to N.R.A. members that we are their future customers.

The Stoneman Douglas students who began speaking out after the killings last month have better articulated the need for common-sense gun control laws and school safety than our elders ever have. But those students cannot do it alone. We as a generation must band together behind them, just as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and others stood behind George Washington and fought to create this great country.

We applaud many of the elected officials who have said they will work to reduce gun violence in their states. We hope Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, our home state, will work with us and other advocates to do the same. We also support companies like Dicks Sporting Goods, Avis Budget Group, Hertz, Delta, United and Walmart, which have stood behind the principles of the March for Our Lives movement and either cut ties with the N.R.A. or changed their policies on firearms sales.

On March 24, hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers nationwide will participate in March for Our Lives. We are among the 19 students helping organize New Jerseys march, which will take place in Newark, a city with far too much gun violence. We implore students, their parents, teachers, school administrators, religious leaders, corporate executives and elected officials across the country to join any march, no matter where they are, and fight to make our schools safe.
Adults are supposed to take care of children  not only keep them safe, but make them feel safe. Schools are essentially an extension of the home, in that sense, providing sanctuaries of learning, of nurturing and care. But after years of attacks by people with weapons of war, students cannot feel safe and are demanding that adults end years of complaisance and act. They are not asking for their schools to become armed garrisons. Rather, they want those weapons to be brought under control. And unlike too many adults, the young people leading Wednesdays walkout at schools around the country  inspired by angry, motivated students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people were killed by a former student with an assault weapon  have had the courage to take on the industry responsible for blocking every reasonable measure to limit access to guns, including those that make it all too easy to commit mass murder.

As Stoneman Douglas junior Florence Yared said in front of the Florida State Capitol late last month, You adults have failed us by not creating a safer place for your children to go to school. So we, the next generation, will not fail our own kids. We will make this change happen. If not today, then tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, next year. Take it from us. You created a mess for us, but we will make this world safer for our children.

With Wednesdays demonstration, and their March for Our Lives movement on March 24 in Washington, young voices are being heard. How will the nations adults respond? Hopefully, by amplifying their demand: Never again.

No kid should be afraid to go to school, no kid should be afraid to walk outside, and no kid should have to worry about being shot. Now thats why Im marching.

 Alfonso Calderon, Junior

The children you pissed off will not forget this in the voting booth. Dont doubt the power of the younger generation, because we are a force to be reckoned with.

Aly Sheehy, Senior

Maybe the adults have gotten used to saying it is what it is, but if us students have learned anything, its that if you dont study, you will fail. And in this case if you actively do nothing, people continually end up dead, so its time to start doing something. We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks. Not because were going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because...we are going to be the last mass shooting.

 Emma Gonzalez, Senior

High schools shouldnt be hashtags every other day

Jaclyn Corin, Junior

More prayer, Jesus, god, and compassion wont bring back the victims that sadly lost their lives. It wont bring back the sense of security that my fellow peers and I lost. The only way to get that back is through gun control starting now.

Jose Iglesias, Senior
Three men charged Tuesday with illegally possessing a machine gun are suspected of bombing a mosque in Minnesota and attempting to bomb an abortion clinic in Illinois last year, federal officials said.

While the complaint does not charge the men with crimes related to the bombing episodes, the authorities said that they had gathered evidence indicating that the men were responsible for them. The investigation is continuing, they said.

One of the men, Michael McWhorter, admitted to the police that he participated in the bombing in Bloomington, Minn., on Aug. 5 and the attempted bombing in Illinois on Nov. 7, a federal affidavit said. Mr. McWhorter said that he and the two other men involved did not intend to kill anyone, but had chosen to bomb the mosque to scare Muslims out of the country and to signal that they were not welcome here, according to the affidavit.

The men  Mr. McWhorter, 29, Michael B. Hari, 47, and Joe Morris, 22  believed that Muslims push their beliefs on everyone else, the affidavit said. It was unclear whether the men had lawyers.
Her nomination is certain to reignite the wrenching debate over their use and the resulting psychological damage for terrorism suspects. Though lawmakers, human rights activists and others eventually condemned the interrogation methods as torture, the program had defenders. Among them was Mr. Trump, who vowed during his campaign to bring back waterboarding and once said that torture works, though he later backed off that declaration.

Ms. Haspel, 61, would become the first woman to run C.I.A. if she is confirmed by the Senate.

She is an outstanding person who also I have gotten to know very well, Mr. Trump said on Tuesday in brief comments to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.

During her Senate confirmation, Ms. Haspel will be forced to answer unsettling questions about waterboarding and her interactions with detainees. She will probably have to answer whether she would agree to reinstate waterboarding as the president has suggested and whether she believes that torture is an effective way to extract information from terrorism suspects.

I dont envy her trying to get through confirmation, said Robert Eatinger, the former top lawyer in the C.I.A.s Counterterrorism Center. Its going to be the first chance for senators to have someone intimately involved in the program in front of them to answer questions. I think theyll take full advantage of that opportunity.

Senators who were deeply critical of the interrogation program could stand in Ms. Haspels way. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California and the former chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, oversaw its investigation into the program. The resulting 2014 report found that the program was deeply flawed and those involved portrayed it as more effective than it was, misleading policymakers. The extent of Ms. Haspels role in the program is not known; only the reports executive summary was released, and it obscured the identities of agency operatives.
WASHINGTON  The Republican leading the House Intelligence Committees investigation into Russian election interference softened his characterization of a key investigative finding on Tuesday, just a day after Republicans announced that they had completed a draft of their report.

Representative K. Michael Conaway of Texas, who is leading the inquiry, had told reporters on Monday that the committees Republicans had extensively reviewed a 2017 assessment by American intelligence agencies and found only one area of disagreement: that the Russians had favored Donald J. Trumps candidacy.

We disagree with the narrative that they were trying to help Trump, Mr. Conaway said.

Speaking again with reporters on Tuesday, after American intelligence officials, Democrats and some Republicans on the committee appeared to dispute that conclusion, Mr. Conaway said it was a matter of interpretation whether the Russians were trying to hurt Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trumps opponent, or explicitly help his candidacy.

Everybody gets to make up their own mind whether they were trying to hurt Hillary or help Trump, he said. Its kind of a glass half full, glass half empty.
Republican leaders rushed the bill to the floor using a procedure normally reserved for uncontroversial legislation. But the bill ignited passions among supporters and critics.

The Senate passed a similar bill last year, and Mr. Trump supported the legislation.

The House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, said the bill was not dead. We will try again, pass legislation and bring hope to those whose only desire is the right to try to live, he said.

The bill could be brought up again under rules that allow passage with a simple majority.

Going into the debate on Tuesday, supporters of the bill expressed confidence that it would win approval.

Our bill will give some relief to terminally ill patients who have no further options left to extend their lives, said Representative Andy Biggs, a freshman Republican from Arizona, where a state right-to-try measure won 78 percent of the vote in a 2014 referendum. All Americans have the right and freedom to try to save their lives.

But many doctors and advocates for patients oppose the legislation.

Supporters of this legislation talk as if effective treatments are being withheld from patients, said Dr. Robert M. Califf, who was the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Barack Obama. The vast majority of experimental therapies are toxic or ineffective. The only way we find out is through controlled studies where we measure the effects.
Congress passed a similar measure in 2007 after the shooting at Virginia Tech, hoping to improve the reporting of criminal records and mental health information to the gun purchasing database. It did not head off Sutherland Springs, where a gunman legally bought his firearm despite having been convicted of domestic abuse.

Yet at least two, and possibly, three Republican senators are blocking the proposal from quick consideration. And Democrats  whose leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, is a co-sponsor of the measure  do not want to allow it to move forward for a vote unless it is paired with more far-reaching legislation, like an expansion of background checks and a ban on assault weapons.

He comes to the floor every day and says, lets do the small Fix NICS bill and then well see about other proposals, Mr. Schumer said Tuesday, referring to Mr. Cornyn. He knows, as well as I do, that Fix NICS is not even close to a response to the epidemic of gun violence in the country.

On the other side of the Capitol, the House is expected to vote Wednesday on a measure, introduced in response to the Parkland shooting, to beef up safety at the nations schools.

That bill has nothing to do with guns; it would authorize $50 million annually for safety improvements, including training teachers and students in how to prevent violence and developing anonymous reporting systems for threats. A companion measure in the Senate would also give schools money for physical improvements, such as installing metal detectors or bulletproof windows.

Im extremely interested in seeing Senator Cornyns Fix NICS bill pass, and a significant school safety bill pass, Mr. McConnell said Tuesday. The best way to get that done is still under discussion, but Im anxious to pass both of them and pass both of them soon.

A former Texas attorney general and justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Mr. Cornyn, 66, grew up around guns. He keeps his license to carry a concealed weapon in his wallet  My wife and I both got it together, he said  and recalls learning to shoot as a teenager, with a .22-caliber rifle at target practice.
There were softer appeals, as well. I ask you to keep building bridges of love, of kindness to other people, said Jose Castillo, the pastor of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the Catholic church where the rally was held.

Mr. Trumps welcome committee of a few hundred people, many dressed in the flag, gathered for what was part pep rally and part celebration of what they viewed as the fulfillment of a campaign promise: the construction of a wall to keep undocumented Mexican immigrants away. To a scratchy rendition of Lee Greenwoods God Bless the U.S.A., mixed with clips of Mr. Trumps acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention, supporters cast themselves as deplorables and enthusiastic gun owners, and hoped for a glimpse of the presidents motorcade.

He said secure the borders, build the wall, everything, said Julie Horn, explaining her support. Her husband, Scott, a retired construction worker, echoed her views. I think hes done great, he said. As Trump supporters in California, they said they were living in the state only to be close to their grandchildren.

You dont put a Trump sticker on your car, Ms. Horn said. Your car will get smashed.

Not all of the faces at the rally were white. Kathy Robinson, who is African-American and from Burbank, and who works as a wedding photographer and Uber driver, voted in 2016 for Hillary Clinton. But after the election, she said she regretted that, and had come to view undocumented immigrants as a menace who take jobs away from American citizens. Trump is not racist, she said. Hes just against illegal immigrants. He loves black people.

Later in the day, Mr. Trump addressed a hangar full of enthusiastic military service members at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar before attending a fund-raiser expected to raise $5 million at the home of Edward Glazer, a chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mr. Trump has stayed away from California until now, realizing that the state is beyond his reach in 2020 if he runs for re-election, as he says he will. But he noted that he owns property in the state. The taxes are way, way out of whack, Mr. Trump said, and people are going to start to move pretty soon.
Among those challenging the Texas law were several of the states largest cities and counties  including Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, as well as El Paso County  and a number of advocacy groups. Reacting to Tuesdays ruling, many of them expressed disappointment but also resolve.

Immigration is a federal responsibility, and forcing local law enforcement to take on immigration enforcement is bad for community safety, as we heard numerous times in testimony from police chiefs and sheriffs, State Senator Jose Rodriguez, whose district includes El Paso County, said in a statement. I am looking forward to an appeal regarding the constitutionality of this misguided, anti-immigrant law.

In his own statement, Mayor Ron Nirenberg of San Antonio said his city would continue to honor the law, including individual civil rights.

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer for several of the plaintiffs, said they were considering whether to appeal and would probably make a decision this week. The first step in an appeal would most likely be to request a review by the full Fifth Circuit court.

Mr. Gelernt, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project, said his organization would also be monitoring how the law was carried out. He said that certain activities, like immigration arrests, were the exclusive responsibility of the federal government, and that the A.C.L.U. could file challenges in specific cases if Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanded that local officials take such actions  or if evidence of racial discrimination came to light.

He added that local officials had been given little guidance as to what requests they were and were not allowed to refuse, and that with huge penalties on the line  violations of S.B. 4 can be punished with jail time or fines ranging from $1,000 to $25,500  some officials might cooperate with illegal requests out of fear. (The Fifth Circuit judges noted that officials uncertain about the legality of a request from ICE could contact Mr. Paxtons office for guidance, and Mr. Gelernt said the A.C.L.U. would monitor whether the office actually provided such guidance.)
CARACAS, Venezuela  The Venezuelan government on Tuesday arrested a former interior minister who had become a prominent government critic, claiming that he had plotted violent attacks in the country.

The arrest of the former minister, Miguel Rodriguez Torres, is the latest of a political opponent as President Nicolas Maduro has sought to consolidate power in Venezuela. Mr. Maduro is running for another six-year term in an election in May, but many of his most popular rivals have been jailed or barred from running.

The authorities announced the arrest of Mr. Rodriguez Torres on state television after he was detained at a hotel in Caracas, the capital, late Tuesday. Mr. Rodriguez Torres, a television announcer said, had planned armed acts and a conspiracy against the Constitution. The statement also accused him of having had ties to United States intelligence agencies.

The government said Mr. Rodriguez Torres had worked with unnamed accomplices, raising the prospect that more people could be arrested.
SEOUL, South Korea  A former president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, was questioned by prosecutors on Wednesday on charges of bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion, a year after another ex-leader was arrested on corruption charges.

Mr. Lee, who was president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013, faced a bank of television cameras as he entered the Seoul Central District prosecutors office, where he had been summoned for questioning as a criminal suspect.

Prosecutors have questioned or arrested several of Mr. Lees former aides, as well as relatives and businessmen, as part of the investigation. The questioning of Mr. Lee was part of their effort to collect enough evidence to indict him.

I feel dejected as I stand here, said Mr. Lee, 76, offering an apology for causing concern among South Koreans. I hope that I will be the last former president to stand here.
BEIRUT, Lebanon  More than a hundred people left a rebel-held enclave in Syria on Tuesday after rebel forces reached a medical evacuation agreement with the Syrian governments ally, Russia. The deal, brokered by the United Nations, came weeks after government forces began a ferocious assault to retake the insurgent stronghold.

One hundred and seventy people  31 of them sick or wounded, along with their families  were evacuated from eastern Ghouta to Damascus, Syrias capital, through a checkpoint near Douma.

They were but a small fraction of the estimated 1,000 people in need of emergency medical treatment but unable to get it within the besieged enclave, according to the Syrian American Medical Society.

We honestly feel reborn now that we have left Ghouta safely, one resident told Syrian state television. which showed footage of the evacuation, facilitated by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
Cass Sunstein, the Harvard law professor known for bringing behavioral science to bear on public policy (not to mention for writing a best-seller about Star Wars), has won Norways Holberg Prize, which is awarded annually to a scholar who has made outstanding contributions to research in the arts, humanities, the social sciences, law or theology.

In its citation, the committee praised Mr. Sunstein, who has published 48 books and hundreds of scholarly articles, for work that has reshaped our understanding of the relationship between the modern regulatory state and constitutional law. He is also, it noted, by far the most cited legal scholar in the United States and probably the world. The prize comes with a financial award of 6 million Norwegian kroner (about $765,000).

Mr. Sunstein, 63, who served in the Obama administration as the head of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, has had direct influence in the world of politics and policy. He scored a best-seller in 2009 with Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, written with Richard H. Thaler, which has been consulted by policymakers around the world. In Impeachment: A Citizens Guide, released in October, Mr. Sunstein examined the history and legal issues surrounding what he calls the ultimate civic authority.

As for intergalactic concerns, he covered that topic in The World According to Star Wars (2016), which used the film franchise as a lens onto questions of religion, politics, family, morality and more (while also, some critics complained, making a foolish effort to rank the various installments).
Equal parts trade fair, arts festival and synergistic marketing opportunity, New Yorks Asia Week, March 15-24, involves auctions at Bonhams, Christies, Doyle and Sothebys; scores of appointment-only private dealers opening their doors to the public; and tied-in museum shows as far afield as Newark, Princeton, N.J., and Stony Brook, N.Y.

The Metropolitan Museum alone has seven related shows (one of which Jason Farago of The New York Times recently reviewed). The weeks overall vibe is more collectible than critical, but thats not a disparagement  the city is briefly full of rare and unusual objects you might never get to see again. The extremely partial list that follows contains two of the most important exhibitions and a handful of interesting gallery shows to pique your interest  but do yourself a favor and pick up a map.

JAPAN SOCIETY
The two collaborators met at a prewar-apartment-turned-rehearsal space in Washington Heights, where Mr. Iyer, whose roots are as a jazz musician, played a piano that doubled as a shelf for a photo of cats and a small sculpture of Wagners Brunnhilde.

Mr. Iyers scores tend to leave the notation sketchy, and because of improvisation his part never comes across exactly as it appears on the page. So a lot of the rehearsal was spent talking, with Ms. Koh asking him questions about the music and pushing for descriptions of how he thought specific passages should sound.

By the end of the session, it was clear that Mr. Iyer wanted to write more material for the last movement. You start to feel the shape of it, he said, and it didnt feel complete. My inclination is to giver her a little bit more to play solo.

The question, he added, was how many of the stops to pull out, given that Ms. Koh so willingly rises to the challenge of difficult music. Later, she said that she tells composers to aim high, then scale back if something doesnt work.

But when asked for examples of when shes had to do that, she laughed. I guess thats never actually happened, she said. Weve always made it work.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. If youre interested in hearing from The Times regularly about great TV, sign up for our Watching newsletter and get recommendations straight to your inbox.

By Myself

President Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, a move that had long been rumored to be imminent. Tillerson held the position for just over 14 months, a relatively short term for a secretary of state.

Trump boasted to reporters that he had made the call to oust Tillerson by myself. Jimmy Fallon found that amusing.
THE BABADOOK (2014) 8 p.m. on TMC or on Netflix. If you knew the Babadook only from social media, you might think he was a benign and proudly gay creature; you might not realize he lords over a terrifying movie that helped usher in the golden age of horror. The Babadook jumps out of a picture book and torments a mother and son already reeling from a death. The pair must confront their troubled bond as well as the monster. I came home from the screening, went to bed and woke up in the throes of the kind of nightmare that was the reason I had shunned those books in the first place, A. O. Scott wrote in his review in The New York Times.

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR 10 p.m. on ABC. Tom Kirkmans White House has hit another rocky patch, and so has Designated Survivor, which hit a series low in ratings two weeks ago. In this episode, President Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) tries to right the ship after a devastating tragedy, but runs into a P.R. crisis when a video of him visiting a prison is leaked to the news media.

Whats Streaming
That day  Oct. 7  may prove to be a turning point in American history. It was, by some unearthly coincidence, also Vladimir Putins 64th birthday.

Russian Roulette is best when describing how the countrys intelligence agencies were slow to recognize Russias effort and the frustration among Clintons supporters of the failure of the administration, the F.B.I. and the media to trumpet it for what it was. (Some reporters did, in fact, including Corn and Isikoff, but much more became clear only after Trumps victory.)

It was President Obama, however, who set the administrations tone: He did not want to be seen as trying to tip the scales of the election by suggesting a foreign leader was intervening in support of one side. We were wearing self-imposed handcuffs, one agonized aide tells the authors.

A disclosure is required here: The book describes an article that a colleague, Eric Lichtblau, and I wrote for The New York Times. In it we reported on the F.B.I.s inability to substantiate what appeared to be ties between the Trump Organization and a private Russian bank, Alfa, even as its agents were following an array of other leads. Some of them were detailed in the dossier of Christopher Steele, the former British agent hired to conduct opposition research.

While evidence of many accusations remains unclear, the authors argue that the article and headline wrongly focused on the absence of proof rather than the main point, which was that there was an investigation into possible links between the Russian government and the Republican presidential candidate.

There are, in the end, no heroes in Russian Roulette. The bureaus director, James B. Comey, deserves significant scrutiny (and he has his own book coming). During the investigation into her private email server, Clinton and her staff were so suspicious of the bureau that when agents first came to the Brooklyn headquarters to inform them of the Russian hacking, the campaign manager, Robby Mook, refused to meet them, fearing they were there to ask about Clintons emails.

The suspicions boiled over when Comey made an 11th-hour statement that the bureau was reviewing new emails found in a separate investigation, into Anthony Weiner, the disgraced husband of Clintons close aide Huma Abedin. By doing so, Comey hurled a thunderbolt into the election only days before the vote  something aides quoted anonymously claim he wanted to avoid.
 Its going to be the first chance for senators to have someone intimately involved in the program in front of them to answer questions, a former C.I.A. lawyer said. I think theyll take full advantage of that opportunity.

A mind that roamed the cosmos

 Stephen Hawking, the Cambridge University physicist who pondered the origin of the universe from a wheelchair, died today at his home in England. He was 76.

Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world, said a physics professor at the City University of New York.

In 1963, Dr. Hawking learned that he had Lou Gehrigs disease and was given a few years to live, but he went on to become a world expert in gravity and the properties of black holes. Here are some of his best quotes.

 His 1988 book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes sold more than 10 million copies and, according to the Times review, made the Big Bang almost understandable.
 Rex Tillerson is said to have learned of his dismissal by being shown President Trumps tweet naming Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, as U.S. secretary of state.

Mr. Pompeo and Gina Haspel, his designated successor at the helm of the C.I.A., are policy hawks. (Ms. Haspel had a leading role in the torture of detainees.) Their appointments await Senate confirmation.

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump ventured to California, the blue bastion of liberal resistance, with a combative message on immigration.

A by-election in Pennsylvania has become an unexpectedly narrow test of whether Democrats can make inroads with voters who supported Mr. Trump in 2016.
At a time when deals between American and Chinese companies are on the rocks, an early example that united a major Wall Street deal maker with the Chinese government has come to an end.

China Investment Corporation, Chinas sovereign wealth fund, has sold its stake in Blackstone Group, the American private equity giant, the latter said in a recent filing. The fund, known as C.I.C., did not disclose a reason for the sale, and neither side disclosed how big it was.

The sale ends an 11-year investment that seemed to presage a new era of economic relations between the two countries. It helped Stephen Schwarzman, Blackstones co-founder, become a major player in business and diplomatic circles between the two countries.

That era seems very much over.

American officials have taken a harder stance against Chinese money as Chinese buyers have looked to strike deals in sensitive areas like semiconductors and self-driving cars. President Trumps criticism of Chinas trade policies and his new tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum have worsened relations between Washington and Beijing. The souring atmosphere could put Mr. Schwarzman, who serves as an informal economic adviser to Mr. Trump, in a difficult position.
It allegedly performed tests on non-Theranos equipment without telling representatives of a pharmacy company that was poised to invest money in the company.

Based on Holmes presentation, Pharmacy A executives understood that the blood from their demonstration samples would be tested on Theranos miniLabs. Holmes never told the executives that Theranos was actually testing some of their blood on modified third party analyzers.

Theranos allegedly distributed fake reports by pharmaceutical companies.

Investors believed that pharmaceutical companies had written their own endorsements of Theranos technology, when the pharmaceutical companies had not.

Theranos allegedly made misleading statements about its work with the United States Department of Defense.

While Theranos technology was used in a D.O.D. burn study, it was never deployed by the D.O.D. in the battlefield, in Afghanistan, or on medevac helicopters. From 2011 to 2014, Holmes had discussions with multiple divisions of the D.O.D. However, Theranos generated only approximately $300,000 from three D.O.D. contracts.

Ms. Holmes allegedly told an investor Theranos expected to expand quickly in the stores of a pharmacy chain, but the likelihood of such an expansion was small.

Holmes was aware that Theranos retail roll out with Pharmacy A was stalled due to, among other issues, some concerns Pharmacy A executives had with regard to Theranos performance.

The Food and Drug Administration communicated to Theranos that its approval would be needed, but Ms. Holmes allegedly told investors afterward that F.D.A. approval was merely voluntary.

Holmes statements that Theranos did not need F.D.A. approval or clearance were important to investors because approval or clearance would have been an obstacle in the companys path to realizing full commercialization.

Ms. Holmes allegedly gave investors fake financial results.

Holmes also provided historical financial information to one potential investor. In August 2015, Holmes met with a potential investor, during which she provided Theranos financial results for fiscal year 2014. These financials showed 2014 net revenues of $108 million, and 2015 and 2016 net revenue projections of $240 million and $750 million, respectively. But Theranos actual financial performance bore no resemblance to the financial information Holmes shared with investors. Theranos recorded little more than $100,000 in revenue in 2014 and was nowhere near generating $100 million in revenue by the end of 2014

 Peter Eavis

Spotting a fraud

There is an old adage that if it sounds too good to be true, it isnt. The case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes describes a litany of falsehoods about a claimed revolutionary method to conduct blood tests that turned out to be pure fiction.

Ms. Holmes and the company settled the case, although the former president, Ramesh Sunny Balwani, is fighting the charges. She will pay a $500,000 penalty, return her shares in Theranos, and agreed to a ban on serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years.

What makes this case interesting is that Theranos was one of the original unicorns, a private company with a value of more than $1 billion. We usually see the S.E.C. pursue charges against public companies and their executives, while private firms operate largely free from scrutiny  at least until they prepare for an I.P.O.

The antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws, however, apply to any transaction in a security in which there is a misstatement of material fact. Thus, when Theranos raised millions of dollars by selling shares to hedge funds and venture capitalists, the false claims about the viability of its blood-testing labs ended up being a scheme to defraud.
We see really big opportunities to invest against, Dave Gilboa, one of Warby Parkers co-founders, said in an interview in the companys two-floor headquarters in downtown Manhattan.

Founded by students at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, it now has more than 1,400 employees and 65 retail stores in the United States and Canada.

Its focus on design, customer service and a cultivated quirkiness have become a blueprint of sorts for other consumer brands. Harrys, the maker of grooming products, shares a co-founder with the eyewear company and was once known as the Warby Parker of shaving. Casper, the mattress seller, was once known as the Warby Parker of sleep.

Warby Parker was also an early proponent of shifting beyond selling only online to opening brick-and-mortar stores. Figuring out how to balance e-commerce and physical retailing has become perhaps one of the biggest priorities for retailers around the world. Amazon has bought Whole Foods. Walmart, which has made online sales a priority, has acquired Jet and has devoted enormous resources to digital sales.

Neil Blumenthal, another of Warby Parkers co-founders, said the company hoped to focus on pleasing customers rather than sticking to a single way of selling glasses.
NOTICE:

TO BE CLEAR:

WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. OUR DATABASE CANNOT BE USED TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT CONSUMER CREDIT, EMPLOYMENT, INSURANCE, TENANT SCREENING, OR ANY OTHER PURPOSES THAT WOULD REQUIRE FCRA COMPLIANCE.

MUGSHOTS.COM IS A NEWS ORGANIZATION. WE POST AND WRITE THOUSANDS OF NEWS STORIES A YEAR,MOST WANTED STORIES, EDITORIALS (UNDER CATEGORIES - BLOG) AND STORIES OF EXONERATIONS. OUR CONTENT REVOLVES AROUND CRIME, ARRESTS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT. WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PUBLISH UNPOPULAR SPEECH. OPEN RECORD LAWS WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC; BY INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF ARRESTS AND TO HOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ARRESTEES. MOST OF, IF NOT ALL MUGSHOT LAWS WERE CRAFTED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM FEES FOR REMOVAL OF ONLINE MUGSHOTS AND TO FURTHER PROTECT THE PRESS FROM THOSE VERY SAME "MUGSHOT LAWS".WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR REMOVAL OF ARREST INFORMATION AND/OR BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHS. MORE...
A former top Equifax executive was charged on Wednesday with insider trading for selling nearly $1 million in company stock after he learned about a major data breach in 2017 but before it was publicly announced.

Jun Ying, the former chief information officer of Equifaxs core United States consumer reporting division, exercised all of his vested stock options and sold nearly $1 million in shares a little more than a week before Equifax announced that hackers had broken into its systems, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The breach compromised sensitive information, including Social Security numbers, of more than 140 million Americans. Mr. Ying avoided $117,000 in losses because of the timing of his sale, the S.E.C. said in a civil complaint.

The United States attorneys office in Atlanta announced parallel criminal charges against Mr. Ying on Wednesday.
Mr. Kudlow has long espoused a traditional conservative embrace of free trade, but it remains to be seen how vocally he will push back on the growing ascendance of West Wing advisers who are trade skeptics and have urged Mr. Trump to adopt protectionist measures to protect American industry.

Stock markets, which have been rattled by the White House tariffs, did not react positively to news of Mr. Kudlows appointment on Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was down more than 200 points for most of the afternoon, once news media outlets began reporting Mr. Kudlow was the pick.

Mr. Kudlow is a radio and television commentator and an economics consultant. He was a zealous convert to the supply-side economic policies that swept the Republican Party in the late 1970s. He is a protege of the supply-side economist Arthur Laffer, with whom Mr. Kudlow worked on Ronald Reagans 1980 presidential campaign. Mr. Kudlow went on to serve in Mr. Reagans Office of Management and Budget.

Like many past National Economic Council directors, he is not an academically trained economist  he studied for a masters degree at Princeton University but did not earn one  but he served as chief economist for Bear Stearns and made a name advising prominent conservative politicians. In the early 1990s, Mr. Kudlow took a leave from the firm to enter treatment for drug and alcohol addiction; his colleagues said he abused cocaine.

Mr. Kudlow has spoken frequently about his addiction and ensuing sobriety in the ensuing years.

He said Thursday that staying clean and sober for nearly 23 years is the center of my life and my No. 1 job.

Asked whether he thought the substance abuse could prove problematic for him as a White House staff nominee, he said, Well see how that plays out.

Mr. Kudlow was an early and enthusiastic supporter of Mr. Trumps run for the presidency, advising the neophyte candidate on economic issues and pushing him to go big on cutting taxes. The men agreed on their desire for growth-goosing tax cuts but disagreed on trade, on which Mr. Trump ran as a populist and Mr. Kudlow preached free-market principles.
The hills, where elephants recently roamed, are now bare. Even the roots have been pulled out, leaving nothing to hold the parched soil together as rainwater washes downhill, potentially taking tents and people with it and quickly inundating low-lying settlements. The United Nations says 100,000 refugees are at acute risk from landslides and floods.

The early rains  known in Bengali as kalboishakhi, which translates loosely as the storms of an evil summer  are a precursor to the full-on monsoons. They strike when the soil is still dry and especially susceptible to mudslides. The only warning of their approach is usually hot winds that send the dry earth of summer swirling through the air.

You have whirlwinds of dust, said Iffat Nawaz, a spokeswoman for BRAC, an international relief agency that is based in Bangladesh. Suddenly it gets dark in middle of the day and it pours. We usually welcome that. Its cooling. This year in the middle of the refugee crisis, its not something to look forward to.
Theyre also increasingly popular places to live. There are now more than 43.4 million houses in these boundary areas, up from 30.8 million in 1990. The growth has just been staggering, said Volker C. Radeloff, a professor of forest ecology at the University of Wisconsin and lead author of the study.

Call it a case of misaligned incentives. Homeowners and local governments have plenty of reasons to push deeper into the wilderness: these are beautiful places to live, and communities reap the tax revenue from new development. And if a fire does break out, its usually the state and federal governments that pick up the tab.

This is not a story about how people are stupid, most people understand the fire risk quite well, said Dr. Radeloff. But as long as the costs of firefighting are borne by the federal government or the state, it makes a lot of sense to live in these areas.

As more people move in, that increases the odds that fires will start in the first place, from a carelessly tossed cigarette or a downed power line. (Most wildfires in the United States are caused by people, not lightning strikes.) Then, when wildfires do spread, having so many houses at the forests edge makes fighting those fires even harder.

Theres another problem: In recent years, many experts have argued in favor of letting smaller wildfires burn through forests periodically in order to prevent a buildup of vegetation that helps fuel the biggest and most destructive blazes. But doing so becomes nearly impossible when there are so many houses in the vicinity of those forests.

The study calls for rethinking everything from fire-prevention strategies to zoning rules to help limit wildfire risk. Youd think policymakers would be eager to listen after last years record-breaking wildfire season, which cost federal taxpayers some $2 billion in firefighting costs alone.

But theres little indication that big changes are on the horizon. In Bloomberg Businessweek, Christopher Flavelle wrote an eye-opening article about how California is rushing to rebuild destroyed homes exactly where they were. One telling detail: State officials have proposed shielding people in fire-prone areas from increased insurance premiums  potentially at the expense of homeowners elsewhere in California  in an effort to encourage them to remain in areas certain to burn again.
Many thousands more recipes to think about cooking this week are at NYT Cooking, not that you always need a recipe to cook. (On Wednesdays, in fact, we often do without recipes altogether. Try, for example, a dinner of chicken thighs slowly pan-roasted in a lot of olive oil, with a few cloves of garlic and a bunch of rosemary to scent them. Serve on a salad of sturdy greens tossed with croutons and drizzled with some of the cooking oil along with a squeeze or two of lemon. Red-pepper flakes? Sure.)

You know the drill here. Save the recipes that intrigue to your recipe box. (You can do that no matter where on the web you find a recipe, by the way. Ive got a good collection of off-site receipts going! Heres how to do that yourself.) Then send yourself a shopping list for those recipes you want to make. And cook them! You can rate the recipe when youre done eating, and you can leave a note on it as well, if youve made an ingredient substitution or deployed a shortcut you want to remember.

As always, please reach out if something goes wrong, either with the cooking or with NYT Cooking itself. Were at cookingcare@nytimes.com. We will get back to you.

Now, just outside of the kitchen, its worth checking out Meghan McCarrons story in Eater, about how The Myth of Authenticity Is Killing Tex-Mex.

Nothing to do with stevia or carbohydrates, but I find it interesting that Christopher Hawthorne, the architecture critic of The Los Angeles Times, is leaving his post to become the citys design czar, working for the mayor, Eric Garcetti.

You have to read this amazing Jamie Fisher piece in the London Review of Books, about Thomas Mullaneys book The Chinese Typewriter: A History. (Seriously. Youll thank me for this one.)

And finally, in case you missed it last weekend, here is a rock star making his debut on American television: James Bay on S.N.L., Pink Lemonade. I have the same shirt! See you on Friday.
Streamline Your Style

Sartorially inclined Kondo-philes will want to thank the New York designer Misha Nonoo for taking some of the guesswork out of streamlining their closets. Ms. Nonoos seasonless collection, the Easy 8, includes eight versatile and super-chic pieces that can be mixed and matched to create 22 looks. Favorites include the blazer, which can also be worn as a dress, and the button mini.

Misha Nonoo oversize poly-blend blazer, $450; A-line miniskirt with horn buttons, $250; wide-leg pants, $250; and cotton-blend shirt, $185; at mishanonoo.com.
This is Silicon Valley hubris in force, said Lakshman Ramamurthy, a former official with the Food and Drug Administration and currently the global regulatory lead at Foundation Medicine.

At its height, Theranos was viewed as the tech worlds answer to the nations antiquated and high-cost health care system  heralded as another example of how Silicon Valley would disrupt major industries. Through its proprietary nanotainer devices, the company claimed to be able to perform myriad lab tests from just a few drops of blood, avoiding the pain and inconvenience of a conventional blood test. In a vote of confidence, Walgreens signed onto a partnership in 2013 placing Theranos wellness centers inside some of its drugstores.

Prominent venture capitalists soon signed on, including Timothy Draper, Ms. Holmess former neighbor, and Don Lucas, an early investor in Oracle. Ms. Holmes also assembled a star-studded board of directors, including the former secretaries of state George P. Shultz and Henry A. Kissinger as well as two former United States senators. Gen. Jim Mattis, the current secretary of defense, also served on the board: He told Fortune magazine in 2014 that he joined the board after retiring from the military because he was impressed by the strength of Theranoss leadership.

In October 2015, Ms. Holmes, in her signature turtleneck, appeared on the cover of Inc. magazine, next to the headline The Next Steve Jobs.

That month marked a turning point: A series of articles in The Wall Street Journal cast doubt on whether the technology worked, leading to a spate of investigations. The well-known lawyer David Boies not only defended Theranos, but also joined the board at the height of the companys turmoil.

The company faces a separate federal criminal inquiry, in which no charges have been filed yet.

In 2016, federal regulators barred Ms. Holmes from owning and operating a medical laboratory for two years, sanctions that Theranos said it would appeal. Later that year, Theranos announced it was closing its lab and laying off about 340 employees, or more than 40 percent of its work force.

Walgreens also sued Theranos over a breach of contract, although the companies later settled for an undisclosed amount.
There is plenty of drama in Ivor Pricketts images from the ravaged streets of Mosul, Iraq, or in Meridith Kohuts continuing chronicle of Venezuelas slide into chaos, illness and hunger. The details tell the grim story, but in an era when websites, social media feeds and text messages spread millions of images daily, we face the danger not of compassion fatigue, but of turning the page  or turning away  out of sheer visual exhaustion.

Picture editors know they are vying for time and attention. But they also know that in the best cases, there will be singular images and remarkable stories that stand out, that make it hard to turn away or to shut down. They make you feel, whether it is Tomas Munitas moody images of the unending wait for change in Cuba; Daniel Berehulaks documenting of the merciless, vigilante-style war on drugs in the Philippines; or Newsha Tavakolians portraits of her fellow Iranians as they go about daily life against the backdrop of geopolitical drama.

To feel is to engage not only your eyes, but also your mind and heart. It is to experience outrage, demand action or even just understand the common humanity we share with someone whose life is cut short, upended or ignored. It is to say: We see you, we hear you.
You have two rather different sets of concerns here. One is for your building and your family: Your tenants condition poses a risk of serious harm to both. The other is for your tenant: You have good evidence that he shouldnt be left alone, for the sake of his health and his well-being. If his interests and yours pulled in opposite directions, you might face a hard choice. But they dont. The first set of concerns gives you moral standing to intervene. Unless his relative accepts responsibility for him, the fact that she disagrees is, morally speaking, neither here nor there. Given that you do have standing, you should then aim to do what is best for him and, as it happens, for you. It would be both prudent and caring to explore getting him into a place where he can be properly looked after.

A college friend invited me to stay with him when I returned to my hometown after a long absence. He lives alone in a house he inherited. The bed linens were clean, and the bathroom was clean, but there were dust, cobwebs and clutter all over the house, and the whole place needed a good cleaning, painting and replacement of flooring. He said he was trying to downsize, but the living room was filled with sheets, books, pans. I really had no recourse but to stay there, as he was my transport to the airport several hours away, and I did. In retrospect, I worry about him and his mental state. What can I do?

Name Withheld

How long has he been in the house? If hes in the process of discarding the detritus of his parents lives, it may just be that this is going slowly, especially if hes an only child. He invited you in, you say, and your bedroom and bathroom were fine. Still, Ill grant that what you describe would seem consistent with conditions like depression or even compulsive hoarding. Aside from his cluttered and untidy home, did he seem to be socially isolated or impeded in major life activities?

Assuming that he does have a serious problem, it doesnt sound as if you have a close-enough relationship with this man to intervene effectively from a distance. Do you know of friends or relatives who are in a position to do more? If you think youre the only person who has noticed and is in a position to do anything, you might help your friend simply by letting him know that the condition of his house has made you wonder whether he has a problem. He might resent the observation, but the chance that you could spur him to seek the help he needs would be worth risking your not-very-close relationship.
A sizable portion of your autobiography, Raw: My Journey Into the Wu-Tang, is about dealing drugs on Staten Island. I dont want to glorify that. Now I understand what happened and why. And Im kind of pissed off. I watched American Made with Tom Cruise. A lot of my friends have not come home. Some people got 150 years.

Do you mean in terms of how drugs were reportedly brought in to the U.S. from Central America by the C.I.A.? Yes. Like it was all a setup. But at the same time, it was a gold mine. It was a means of feeding my family.

You were arrested in the early 90s on a drug charge and spent some time behind bars. How hard was it for you to adapt when you got out? They put you in a halfway house, and then you go out in the streets again. Meanwhile, technology done sped up, your girl done left you, your mother-in-law died, your father might have died, you might not have no family left and youve got to find your way. And the only thing that you knew before you went to jail is probably the crime that you committed, so you wind up doing the same [expletive].

What was it like to be paroled right around the same time Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) was released in 1993? That promotion had us going up and down the East Coast in a van  nine people in a van. You had your bag, you probably had two sets of clothes  go to the shower with one, take the other one off, then let the other one dry, put the clean one on. Then were off to the next race.
Their interactions with the Mainers at Fryeburg are sometimes uncomfortable and sometimes comical, as efforts at cross-cultural communications tend to be. Its sometimes hard to judge how successfully the Chinese students have been integrated into the daily life of the school. They tend to stick together, and to be regarded with a curiosity that sometimes verges on suspicion. A sign in a common area of one building declares it an English-only zone, which could be interpreted both as an encouragement to develop social and language skills and as an alienating, hostile gesture.

But good will and hard work are the prevailing values of Maineland. The portmanteau title maps out a patch of common ground defined by the understanding that education is a path to worldly success. It can be more than that, of course, and the movie hints at complications that are all the more intriguing for remaining largely unstated. One of the dogmas of American schooling is the importance of critical thinking, a slogan dutifully cited by Chinese applicants to Fryeburg in their interviews.
In the early hours of the Brownsville case, detectives were looking for the gun under Mr. Briggss body, having determined that there was no gun near the other family members. But they were cautious at first about moving Mr. Briggss body, and police officials declined to answer questions later about where detectives ultimately found the gun.

Theres reasons we cant say, Deputy Chief Michael Kemper, the commanding officer of Brooklyn North detectives, told a reporter.

The shell casings appeared to come from .40-caliber bullets, the police said.

Relatives and friends of the family, gathering to grieve at another home in Brooklyn, declined to speak about what happened, and much was still unclear about what led up to the shootings  and even when precisely they happened.

Some neighbors said the family argued, particularly Mr. Briggs and his stepfather, Mr. Drain, but they said nothing ever raised an alarm. Some neighbors also said Mr. Briggs was known to be troubled. He particularly liked to play the first-person shooter video game Call of Duty on his PlayStation, one person said.

Still, other neighbors said the family was friendly and welcoming.

This is a shocking thing to me, said James Walker, who lived on the opposite end of the floor from the family. They were friendly people  nothing bad about them.

The elder Mr. Drain, who went by Big Daddy, held cookouts across from the complex on the outskirts of Nehemiah Park. He used to sit by an old blue van of his, grilling and holding forth with neighbors.



He would be there all summer long feeding everbodys kids, said Kathy Lindo, who lives down the hall from the family.
After the scheme was discovered, prosecutors said, the Manganos conspired with Mr. Venditto and Mr. Singh to lie to investigators.

Mr. Manganos lawyer wasted no time attacking the credibility of the prosecutions star witness. He started his opening argument by saying he had no words to describe Mr. Singh, a man incapable of telling the truth.

Ironically, the heart and soul of the governments case has neither a heart or soul, said the lawyer, Kevin Keating.

Mr. Keating said Mr. Mangano and Mr. Singh became close friends in 1993, well before Mr. Mangano had the power to help Mr. Singh. Their families gave each other gifts and frequently traveled together, he said, adding the favors had nothing to do with any government action.

The defendants also argued that Mr. Singh did not need any help getting the bank loans because he was beloved by the Town of Oyster Bay, a relationship perhaps furthered by Mr. Singhs bribes to the town attorney, Frederick Mei, who has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with prosecutors.

The mention of New York Citys mayor came late in the day. Mr. Agnifilo was arguing that it defied logic that his client, Mr. Venditto, was involved in the scheme to guarantee the bank loans because, he said, if Mr. Venditto was involved, then there would be no need for the hiring of the law firm Harris Beach to help with the deal.
What is this bump on my leg? Its been here for six years, but I think its growing bigger. I know the doctor said a few years ago it was some kind of fatty tumor and they are hardly ever malignant, but hardly ever is not never, and its not like he has a certificate with Board Certified, Fatty Tumors, Duke University on his wall. I wonder if these fatty tumors get so big they cut off the blood flow to the muscles in your leg. Then youd get gangrene.

***

Why do I have this stupid landline on my bedside table when my cell is right next to it and nobody calls me on my landline anyway? Why do I even still have a landline? Its so uncool. Not as uncool as still using AOL, but pretty close. I should get rid of this landline. But if I did that and I lost my cell, how would people contact me? Sure, they could email me, but say New York City has a blackout. Thats one good thing about landlines, you have power in a blackout. And if I give up my landline, I have to change my contact information with every company Ive ever done business with, which would take hours, maybe days.

***

I wish I could find something on Kindle as good as Asymmetry. It was like having an affair with Philip Roth without having to shave your legs.

***

I could always Google fatty tumor. No, bad idea.

***

Maybe some self-love. Lets flip through the greatest hits playbook and see if I can get inspired. Jim, when we were in our 20s, and spent that fantastic weekend in Newport? No, thats inappropriate, he just died. Ivan, that day in San Miguel when we didnt leave the hotel till 8 at night? What a sensual guy, he had skin like silk, maybe because hed put on so much weight. And that zipper scar on his chest from open-heart surgery. Every serious boyfriend Ive had, dating back to high school, has gained 70 pounds and had heart surgery. Theres a bad pattern here. I have been choosing guys who would take terrible care of themselves since I was 16. I should just give up on men.
Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, Americas most celebrated baby doctor since Benjamin Spock and the pediatrician who revolutionized our understanding of how children develop psychologically, died on Tuesday at his home in Barnstable, Mass., on Cape Cod. He was 99.

His daughter Christina Brazelton confirmed the death.

Before Dr. Brazelton began practicing medicine in the early 1950s, the conventional wisdom about babies and child rearing was unsparingly authoritarian. It was believed that infants could not feel pain. Parents were instructed to set strict schedules, demand obedience and refrain from kissing or cuddling. Babies were to be fed every four hours, by the clock, preferably from a bottle. When children were hospitalized, parents were allowed few if any visiting hours.

Dr. Brazelton, echoing Dr. Spock, whose book The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care became a best seller in 1946, rejected such beliefs and practices as being senseless, if not barbaric.

He put the baby at the center of the universe, Dr. Barry Lester, a pediatrician and director of the Center for the Study of Children at Risk at Brown University, said in an interview for this obituary in 2009. We take for granted all the changes he helped bring about. He more than anyone is responsible for the return to natural childbirth, breast feeding and the ability of parents to stay with a hospitalized child.
<SOT from The Theory of Everything: What if reversed the process to see what happened at the beginning of time itself. Wind back the clock, wind back the clock until you get a universe born from a black hole explosion.> James Marsh: Briefly, I was sent the screenplay that Anthony McCarten had written, and I was on the impression was a biography of Stephen Hawking, which I wasnt particularly interested in doing so, I thought I was probably the wrong person to do this, but I dutifully read or began to read it.. <SOT from The Theory of Everything: It will have to do. You dont know whats coming, it will affect everything.> James Marsh: and found out it was something completely different which is a portrait of a relationship, and there was an equality of point of view of both man and woman so, even though Stephen is a public figure and Jane Hawking, obviously much less so in the story and the script there was equality between the two characters in terms of time and space with them that felt intriguing <SOT from The Theory of Everything: But I love him and he loves me, and were going to fight this illness together. James Marsh: I met with Stephen before we made the film and he gave us his sort of tacit approval. Its about his personal life, so he wasnt sort of wild about the idea but he didnt object to it. <SOT from The Theory of Everything: Its called motor neuron disease, life expectancy is two years.> James Marsh: He came to set when were filming the sort of extravagant May Ball sequence. He came to that and he arrived it was like a spaceship landing. His face was lit by this bright screen which he uses to communicate with and theres four or five people around him. He came at just the right moment when the fireworks were going off <SOT from The Theory of Everything: fireworks> James Marsh: And then he saw the film, and as a result of that screening he offered the use of his voice. The voice you hear in the film is in fact his voice and that changed the film in a very mysterious way. <SOT from The Theory of Everything: Voice of Hawking: There should be no boundary for the human endeavor, however bad life may seem, while there is life there is hope. The other aspect of the film thats worth mentioning is it feels like it may be a gloomy film about a man in a wheelchair, the wheelchairs really a given really, and Stephens had a life. END-
When the Democratic candidate Conor Lamb began his race in a special election in Pennsylvanias 18th congressional district, he faced headwinds of the type that caused horizontal snow in the noreaster last week.

For starters, Donald Trump had won the district by 20 points in 2016. The district has been held by Republicans for most of the last 50 years. Conservative super PACS were willing to spend millions  it ended up being around $10 million  to buy TV time to savage Mr. Lamb.

The incumbent, Tim Murphy, a conservative anti-abortion Republican, had a lock on re-election until The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported last year that he had urged his mistress to have an abortion. Republican House leaders decided that Mr. Murphy had to go. He resigned in October.

The man Republicans chose as their candidate was Rick Saccone, a Jurassic-era conservative who boasted that he was Trump before Trump was Trump.
They noted that Lamb, 33, a handsome (and clean-shaven) military veteran, was straight from central casting and had no extensive political record to contradict stances so moderate and squishy that he could be mistaken, well, for a Republican. They said that Democrats would be hard-pressed to find many more Lambs with which to slaughter the G.O.P. in November.

When your message is simply I am for new leadership and cleaning up Washington, and you look like you just walked out of an Orvis catalog, you are going to connect with voters on both sides of the aisle, wrote Salena Zito in The Washington Examiner late last week.

Lamb never slams Trump, she observed. He is not part of the resistance. He further blunted Republicans favorite weapon against Democratic candidates for the House  theyre just would-be pawns of the dreaded Nancy Pelosi!  by running an ad that made clear that he would not support her as his partys leader in that chamber.

The point that Zito was correctly making was that many of the Democrats who will vie to unseat Republican incumbents in House races in November wont be able to follow Lambs playbook. To get through their partys primaries, theyll have to stake out more progressive ground than he did, and adopt a more combative, fiery tone. That could undercut their chances of replicating his success.

Indeed, Democrats euphoria over how he fared on Tuesday will give way to sharp internal tensions and sustained quarreling over which sorts of candidates  soft-spoken or bold, centrist or liberal, eclectic or pure  the party would be wisest, from a pragmatic standpoint, to promote. Many Democratic voters want someone less mild and muddled than Lamb.

But if the Pennsylvania results put Democrats in an awkward position, they leave Republicans in an even worse place. What exactly is their best strategy for the midterms?

Not all of their candidates will be leagues better than Saccone, who is no Roy Moore and is himself a military veteran. Sending President Trump into districts that supposedly smile on him isnt looking like such a hot proposition. The mantra of tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts is obviously no panacea.

And with each passing week  each passing day  the Trump administrations turbulence intensifies and the scandals and scandal-ettes pile up. Yes, its a long way from now until November, and much about the national mood and the playing field can change. But in that yawning stretch of time, Trump can also render himself and his enablers even less attractive. I have faith.
Mr. Nunes and his committee majority have demonstrated little regard for such niceties, and we fully expect them to weigh in on the side of the president, and against accountability. Should Mr. Mueller move to compel the president to testify by obtaining a grand jury subpoena, for example, look for them to back arguments circulated by Mr. Trumps lawyers that the special counsel has not met the threshold for such a step. The fact that Mr. Mueller has accumulated compelling evidence of obstruction is unlikely to give the committee majority pause.

We also expect more overt attacks on Mr. Mueller himself, of the kind Representative Nunes has already launched against Obama-era officials for unmasking and the F.B.I. for the warrant against Mr. Page. Mr. Trump and his allies have already floated a long list of spurious assaults on Mr. Mueller and members of his team, smearing them with allegations of conflicts of interest, bias and abuse of their investigative powers. Now that the House Intelligence Committee majority has done its dirty work on the substance of the Mueller investigation, can picking up these themes to attack the special counsel himself be far behind?

We must in addition look for Representative Nunes and his ilk to back the president should he seek to install a crony in one of the positions within the Justice Department that oversees the Mueller investigation. Why should the president fire the special counsel outright, with the attendant fuss? Mr. Trump instead can try to throttle him by replacing Attorney General Jeff Sessions or his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, with a compliant soul who can slowly choke off Mr. Mueller by cutting his budget, trimming his staff or curtailing the scope of his review. In a week in which there has already been a major cabinet reshuffle, with the firings of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and one of his top aides, Steve Goldstein, the possibility of such a move looms larger  and the likelihood of full-throated backing from Mr. Nunes and company, greater.

The damage the House majority can do here goes beyond mere cheerleading. When Mr. Nunes released his first memo, there were ominous rumblings that it was intended to target Mr. Rosenstein for his alleged role in FISA warrant abuses. When the memo fell flat, the rumors faded away. We would hardly be surprised to see a renewed effort against him  and his boss. Since Mr. Rosenstein oversees Mr. Mueller only because Mr. Sessions has a conflict (he worked on the Trump campaign), the replacement of either would serve Mr. Trump and Mr. Nuness malign purposes.

We predict that these and other forms of mischief will continue to flow from a committee majority run amok. Any oversight function that body might have provided as to Trump-Russia matters has been co-opted by the president, with the House Republicans even adopting his lie-ridden methodologies. A dangerous new era of alternative reality is advancing, and House Republicans are signaling that, like their president, they intend to ignore, bend or assail truth to fight the Mueller investigation (and presumably that of the Senate Intelligence Committee as well, should it reach inconvenient conclusions).

The special counsel must gird himself for this battle, and all of us must be ready to defend him. If Tuesdays apparent victory by the upstart Conor Lamb in a deeply red congressional district in Pennsylvania is any indication, voters may ultimately relieve Mr. Nunes and company of their seats, or at least their power. In the meantime, Americans who are concerned about the integrity of our democracy must speak out against these intolerable efforts to undercut a vital investigation.
How, when it has so readily relied on Egypt to take torture further than its own operatives would or could, can any American administration ever seriously hold our government accountable for its torture against us, the Egyptian people? The answer: It cant, and it doesnt. And successive Egyptian governments count on that. It is less likely to do so if Ms. Haspel, whose career is so tainted by torture, is at the helm. Furthermore, though previous United States administrations provided at least lip service to condemning torture in Egypt, President Trump has said that he believes torture absolutely works, and on the campaign trail in 2015, he said that he would approve waterboarding in a heartbeat.

Image Gina Haspel. Credit... C.I.A.

Despite Mr. Trumps boast, the choice of Ms. Haspel for promotion is no victory for women. My feminism does not demand that a woman have an equal opportunity to torture, alongside men. Torture is no less wrong because a woman, not a man, carries it out. I do not celebrate the appointment of women to high positions in regimes where cruelty is a favored tool of governance by a patriarchy; if they accept, they are nothing short of foot soldiers of that patriarchy and the violence it has instituted.

My feminism, instead, works to dismantle patriarchy and its violence  whether it is sanctioned by the state, as torture is, or practiced at home, in the form of intimate partner or domestic violence.

I do not subscribe to a feminism that demands perfection or super heroic nobility of women. But I do insist that putting women at the service of patriarchy is no victory for us. These are discussions that will come up again and again as women demand inclusion in institutions that have not been friends to women, such as the military, religious institutions, corporations  and the C.I.A.

Mr. Trump is certainly no friend to women. This president has been accused by at least 19 women of sexual misconduct. However many women he chooses to promote in his patriarchic government, he is no feminist. Feminism, as I see it, is not about counting women in key jobs.

Its about what the president stands for and what those women work to enact and achieve. That is why I refuse to celebrate this move to promote Gina Haspel, a woman with too much experience in cruelty and deception. She and others who tortured for the C.I.A. must be held accountable, not rewarded.
This article is part of the Opinion Today newsletter. You can sign up here to receive the newsletter each weekday.

Conor Lamb, a Democrat, appears to have pulled off a shocking upset in a Pennsylvania congressional election last night.

The race is still too close to call. But Lamb has a 641-vote lead over the Republican, Rick Saccone, and the remaining uncounted ballots are absentee ballots, which tend to lean Democratic.

It will be a remarkable win if Lamb holds on. Donald Trump in 2016 and Mitt Romney in 2012 both won this district, in the Pittsburgh area, by almost 20 percentage points. Last nights result is a sign that, while Trump may be holding onto his base, most voters are unhappy with his presidency. Republicans are looking at a very difficult midterm election.
On the surface, the AfDs proposals remain within the mainstream, betraying its nationalist and xenophobic stance only in nuances  for example, by the frequent evocation of notions like German soil or dominant foreign cultures. Again, its the more radical statements outside the Parliament that set the tone. At a rally in February, Andre Poggenburg, head of the AfD in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, called Germans of Turkish decent cameleers and said they should get back to where they belong, far, far beyond the Bosporus in Turkey. Albrecht Glaser, an AfD representative at the Bundestag, said at a rally that Islam was a construction that does not know religious freedom and does not respect it  and who treats fundamental rights like this should be deprived of these rights.

As one of its first acts in Parliament, the AfD nominated Mr. Glaser to be a vice president of the Bundestag (typically, each party is allowed to name at least one vice president). Given his attack on Muslims religious rights, the other parties blocked Mr. Glasers election, while their own nominees were all approved. The AfD then won headlines when it complained it was being treated unfairly by the sore losers in the establishment. All in all, a tie.

The AfDs triple strategy of normality, provocation and self-victimization puts the other caucuses on the spot. But there has been some learning by their opponents as well. A broad consensus has emerged among the established parties that it is best to treat the AfD as normally as possible as long as its possible. We must not generally deny them certain positions in the Bundestag, Thomas Oppermann, the head of the Social Democratic caucus, wrote recently, and indeed the AfD heads three parliamentary committees.

Three strategies can be identified in response to the AfDs provocations. First, the emotional response: Cem Ozdemir, the leader of the Green Party, recently gave a passionate speech on the floor, calling the party racist. The video went viral. Second, pointing out the AfDs inconsistencies wherever it makes mistakes. Third, tackling false allegations with facts: A young representative from the Christian Democrats, Philipp Amthor, responded to the AfDs proposal to ban full veiling in public with an elaborate account of the rulings both by the German Constitutional Court and by the European Court of Human Rights that would stand against a ban. That video was widely shared, too.

All of these have pros and cons. The emotional response unites your own supporters but evokes an equal reaction on the other side. Pointing out inconsistencies and making a factual argument may work better, but that tends to reach a smaller, wonkier audience. For most hard-core AfD supporters, all three responses fall flat. The AfD has built a strong social-media presence that doesnt let anything through without adding its own spin.

Four months into the experiment of countering parliamentary populism, it is too early to draw definite conclusions. The AfDs presence in the Bundestag seems to consolidate, but not increase, its support. In the general election, its share of the vote was 12.6 percent; in February, most polls saw the AfD at 13 percent to 15 percent. But the other side, too, has profited from the partys presence. It has directed media attention to the Parliament, to which the public usually pays just passing attention. It has invigorated the debates on the floor. It has made a very young backbenchers speech widely seen.

Much of this is specific to German politics and doesnt necessarily offer a model for Italy, Austria, the Netherlands and other countries facing a populist incursion in their own Parliaments. But it does show that populist parties can have a positive and invigorating effect on mainstream politics  arguably the first step toward a new turn to the center.
It seemed like a simple suggestion. Kristin Rose-Mohring, the equal opportunities officer for the German Family Ministry, proposed in a recent newsletter that the word fatherland in her countrys national anthem be replaced with the gender-neutral homeland  and in that same vein, that a line about people striving brotherly together might be rephrased as courageously.

She suggested these edits in the spirit of International Womens Day. The changes being, you know, more inclusive.

Unfortunately, der Dreck hit the fan. If you dont like the national anthem from the politically correct perspective of all this gender nonsense, crabbed the far-right party, the Alternative for Germany, then dont sing it!

The anthem, Das Deutschlandlied, literally The Germany Song, has had quite a career. It was adopted in 1922 but was embraced by the Nazis, especially that bit about the country uber alles (which doesnt quite mean what people think it means, but never mind). Since the 1950s, however, only the third verse is sung, and most of its sentiments  unity and justice and freedom  seem in keeping with the 21st-century version of that country as a modern, liberal democracy. As do the sentiments of replacing fatherland with homeland.
To the Editor:

Re The Ex-Jihadi in Plain Sight, by Rania Abouzeid (Sunday Review, March 11): Im all for forgiving and forgetting when it comes to foot soldiers, but Saleh, the subject of this profile, was an aide to the highest Nusra Front commander, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, and a member of his internal security apparatus.

The Nusra Front, a jihadist organization in Syria, imprisoned me in the basement of its headquarters in Aleppo in the fall of 2012. I listened as Nusra fighters tortured members of the Syrian Parliament. In the boiler room at the end of the corridor, they hanged their fellow citizens by their wrists and shocked them, as they screamed, with cattle prods.

I have no idea how many people they killed in this facility. I know that 13 Syrian families, the relatives of my prison comrades, continue to search for news of their lost sons and husbands.

If Syria is ever to come back from this nightmare of a civil war, Europe must not continue to function as a retirement destination for Syrian war criminals. Journalists must stop writing about the war criminals as if they are characters whose struggles with the past are to be pondered, then sighed over, then held up as examples of moral complexity.
The S.S.W. in February caused a major disruption to the atmospheric jet stream of the Northern Hemisphere  the strong westerly winds that encircle the Arctic  by driving the jet stream to teeter and temporarily slow. Without westerly winds to transport weather from west to east, cold air streamed in over Europe and parts of North America from the northeast. As a result, Europe was freezing while the Arctic was extremely warm.

We dont know yet whether the S.S.W. pattern drove warming in the Arctic this year and whether climate change influenced this weather pattern. But we do know from paleoclimate reconstructions that Arctic warming rates in the industrial era are happening faster than at any time in the past 12,000 years and that the Arctics sea ice decline is now greater than at any time in at least the past 1,450 years. Recent warming and ice loss are inevitably linked to climate change caused by human activity. But more research is needed to understand events this winter because the conditions were so unusual.

Both the S.S.W. and the Arctic warming were forecast with outstanding accuracy in timing and magnitude about two weeks in advance, which allowed parts of Europe hit by the unusually frigid weather plenty of time to prepare. American scientists are now developing new computer models to improve forecasts so that they go beyond two weeks by taking into account ocean temperature, circulation and sea ice cover.

Preparing for future shifts in weather extremes also requires a better understanding of how the climate is changing. This will require long-term government investment in surface-based and satellite observations, and in the continued development of new computer models for improved predictions. Even as funding for climate change research has become highly politicized and is under threat, record numbers of talented students are applying at our universities to do graduate work in climate science. Given enough support, they could improve our future by helping us prepare for it.

The extreme Arctic warming this winter is a foreshadowing of things to come. On our current greenhouse emissions trajectories, the Arctic Ocean is expected to be ice-free in late summer by about midcentury or possibly as early as 2030, depending on natural variability. The impact will extend beyond the Arctic, adding to warming and sea level rise throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
To the Editor:

Re Tillerson Ousted as Trump Silences Dissent in Cabinet (front page, March 14): It has been nearly a year and a half since Donald Trump became president, and only now is he assembling a cabinet he wants? That shows once again his abysmal and unprecedented unpreparedness for the office.

After Stephen Bannon was fired, and then seemingly apolitical John Kelly made chief of staff, it appeared that Mr. Trump wanted to govern more from the center. But now, with the apparent declining influence of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, the departures of Rex Tillerson and Gary Cohn, and the nomination of Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state, it seems that while Mr. Bannon left in disgrace, his ideology has taken hold in Mr. Trumps mind and government.

JAMES ADLER, CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

To the Editor:

As a former superintendent of schools and executive director of a professional association, I know how difficult it is to fire someone face to face. So I understand why President Trump decided to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter instead of meeting with him.

Understanding, however, does not equate to justification. Nobody deserves to find out via a tweet that he has lost his job just because his boss does not have the courage to deliver the news in person.
For the first year of the Trump administration the story was one of containment and constraint. President Trump was constrained ideologically by Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, pursuing a conventional Republican agenda on health care and taxes and letting his populist promises hang fire. But more important he was constrained institutionally, in roughly the ways that Republican politicians had promised that he would be  surrounded by a conventional Republican cabinet and (after a while) a conventional White House that essentially governed for him, letting him play the authoritarian on Twitter while the business of the presidency was conducted elsewhere.

The problem with this arrangement is that unlike other out-of-the-loop presidents  Richard Nixon at his nadir, Woodrow Wilson after his stroke, Ronald Reagan with a bullet in him  Trump was not actually incapacitated or about to be impeached. He was just, well, Donald Trump: a septuagenarian cable-TV addict ill-suited for the responsibilities of his office but still fully capable of attempting to exercise its powers. Which meant that the containment game had to last, not weeks or months, but three more long years to work.

And it may not last that long. From his exciting new steel tariffs to his promised summit meeting with Kim Jong-un, Trump has been acting lately like a man less inclined to listen to his handlers  and now those handlers have begun to disappear. The firing of Rex Tillerson, on the heels of Gary Cohns departure about a week ago, evokes the wildly chaotic atmosphere that characterized Trumps first few months in office. But as my colleague Maggie Haberman tweeted, this time it seems less like something happening to Trump and more like chaos orchestrated from the Oval Office: The narrative of Trump unglued is not totally wrong but misses the reason why  he was terrified of the job the first six months, and now feels like he has a command of it. So now he is basically saying, Ive got this, I can make the changes I want.

In other words, Trump knows that hes been constrained and tamed  for all I know he might have read my columns, or at least the headlines, saying so  and doesnt want to play the incapacitated Twitter president anymore. He wants to actually use the office, and not just occupy it  and since he is the president, nobody can stop him from trying.
Seen against the backdrop of the presidents protectionist statements and policies, this decision is unnerving. He recently used another national security law to announce tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, arguing that he was seeking to force China to reduce excess production of those metals. In reality those tariffs will not hurt China much, landing a heavier blow on American allies like the European Union, Brazil and South Korea and possibly starting a wider trade war as other countries retaliate against the United States.

That is why some experts fear that by blocking the Broadcom-Qualcomm deal, Mr. Trump could further rattle the global economy and international norms. Other countries might now feel emboldened to block as a security threat inbound foreign investment that they consider significant, justifiably or not. France and other countries have a history of protecting companies they consider national champions, but the United States has been reluctant to do so. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is made up of representatives from across the executive branch, looks at acquisitions that could represent a national security problem, but its reviews typically end up scuttling only a few deals annually, though the number has increased in recent years.

Because the committee does most of its work in secret, it is hard to know if it is making the right calls. But in this case, the ultimate outcome was correct because the potential takeover raised serious antitrust concerns.

There are good reasons to worry about the growing concentration of power  and lack of competition  in the semiconductor business, which supplies chips used in everything from phones and computers to cars and fighter jets. If the Broadcom-Qualcomm merger had gone through, just three companies  Samsung, Intel and Broadcom  would have controlled more than 36 percent of the global market for chips, according to Gartner. And the concentration would have been far greater in certain fields, like telecommunications.
It doesnt absolve him of responsibility in democracy.

Mr. Hagerman can hide from Trumpism only because he is wealthy and white. Lack of engagement might make him feel healthier, but it doesnt absolve him of responsibility in democracy. I cant think of one historical example that ended well when citizens of privilege chose to ignore politics.

 Tess, San Jose, Calif.

This man is totally unique and an inspiration to many.

Not many people can disconnect from their phones for even just ten minutes. We have become sheep, being led around by marketers and pundits. This man is totally unique and an inspiration to many who would like to be able to do what he is doing: being his own person.

 Dee, Los Angeles

There are times that I wish I could do the same.

Honestly, there are times that I wish I could do the same. But I cant. Being a grandfather, I am sick worried that my children and my grandson will be badly hurt from the decisions that are made in the White House. I am old enough and realistic enough to know that my views, expressed here and elsewhere, most probably wont change anyones mind about anything. But, I see that as a way to feel that I am not alone, but connected to the rest of humanity.

 Eddie B., Toronto

Good for him.

If this guy is successful with his plan and ultimately donates the restored land to his local community as his own Walden Pond project, I daresay his contribution will be much more meaningful and long-lasting than if he spent his days stressed out and yelling at a TV screen. Good for him.

That said, if we all did that, this country would be in more serious trouble than it already is. But its nice to know that there are people out there doing other things besides being held hostage by the current horrors of the daily news cycle. A reminder that life goes on, I guess, sometimes in spite of us.

 WesternMass, The Berkshires

In the same situation, I dont think his neighbors would do the same.

Im a native of Athens County, where Mr. Hagerman resides. On Nov. 8, 2016, I knocked on doors in the Glouster area. I mightve even knocked on his, who knows. Many of his neighbors voted for Donald Trump, while others didnt bother voting at all. Some of them didnt have rides to the church that served as their polling location (though we did offer to drive them).

I dont fault them for not participating in a system that did not appear to acknowledge their existence. But I think about Mr. Hagerman, and the resources available to him. And how he chooses to squander them on personal comfort. In the same situation, I dont think his neighbors would do the same.

 Emily, Columbus, Ohio
Stephen Hawking, the English cosmologist and black hole maven, liked to say he was born 300 years to the day after Galileo died, and he died on Wednesday, 139 years after Albert Einstein was born.

That was a fitting bookend.

In the popular press, he was often referred to as the greatest physicist since Einstein. That, he always said, was media hype, driven by the publics thirst for heroes.

As someone who might have contributed in some small way over the years to this impression, I have to say I agree. History will pass judgment on that dubious and problematic distinction.

But Dr. Hawkings life was Einsteinian and he was a hero, not just for what he taught about the universe, but for what he taught us about how to live.
A brief history of Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking spent his scientific life exploring some of the deepest questions a human caught in the Einsteinian opera of space and time could ask.

Although Einstein himself never really accepted it, his general theory of relativity predicted that if enough mass or energy were concentrated at one point, space would sag like mattress and eventually close itself off, creating a black hole from which nothing, not even light, could ever escape.

It would be Dr. Hawkings fate to explore these imagined monsters and ask what their presence portends for the universe, and for those of us who live inside it.
When Virgil Abloh, the creative director of Off-White (and longtime collaborator with Kanye West), decided to introduce his first perfume, he had only one request: He wanted it to smell like nothing.

Well, almost nothing. Mr. Abloh envisioned a fragrance so delicate that it would exist only in the background, a scent so hushed and unassuming that it was barely detectable to the human nose. He delivered this invisible vision to Ben Gorham, who runs the fragrance house Byredo, and together they produced a scent called Elevator Music.

Mr. Abloh is not the first person to dream up a perfume so minimal as to be nearly odorless. In 2006, the German perfumer Geza Schoen introduced the minimalist fragrance Escentric Molecule 01 as a cheeky rebuke to the excesses of the fragrance world. This anti-perfume contained only synthetic materials, including an overdose of the woody, barely-there aromachemical Iso E Super. With Molecule 01, Mr. Schoen made consumers an irresistible promise: This stuff is like magical, invisible ink  it will amplify, rather than overwhelm, your natural pheromones.

Fans of the scent began to boast that while they could not smell it on themselves, everyone around them was drawn in like a moth. Almost overnight, the perfume designed to troll the industry became an industry monster. To this day, it is one of the top-selling niche fragrances of all time.
In the late 1950s, when Alberss husband, Josef, was heading the Department of Design at Yale University, he introduced his wife to a student whod been turned on to textiles after seeing a picture of Peruvian mummy bundles. Now in her 80s, Sheila Hicks has woven, twined and wrapped her way around the world with fiber-based bas-reliefs and installations that snake through tall grasses (on view through the end of the month on Manhattans High Line), pile up in brilliantly colored heaps (as at last years Venice Biennale) or cascade from high places (as in a piece planned for a 22-foot tower on Capri). Her retrospective, which opened last month at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, also showcases the small, jewel-like weavings she calls minimes, incorporating shells, rubber bands, toothpicks and hair  eccentric, lyrical poetry of the everyday.

Hicks is sometimes linked with other 60s and 70s post-Minimalist sculptors, including Francoise Grossen and Jackie Winsor, female artists who turned to fiber (often rope) both for its formal properties and its associations beyond the art world, its household and industrial applications. Other artists of that era put textiles at the center of an explicitly feminist program, using conventionally dainty handicrafts  knitting, crocheting, embroidery  to express ambivalence about childbearing, or rage at womens domestic oppression. For Womanhouse, a fabled group installation organized by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro in an abandoned Hollywood mansion in 1972, the artist Faith Wilding created a room-size net of crochet work that recalled spider webs, Gothic horror films and human tissue, including uterine lining.

These artists werent necessarily thinking of posterity. Textiles are notoriously difficult to conserve. Some fiber artists, taking their cues from the newly insurgent genre of performance art, intended their works to be temporary. Grossen, known for her sculptures and installations of braided rope that hang from the ceiling or twist along the floor, saw many of her largest works dismantled as the spaces they were created for (building lobbies, corporate offices) were altered or changed hands. The Polish-born artist Magdalena Abakanowicz, who for nearly three decades beginning in the 1960s created haunting abstract sculptures in burlap and sisal, began working in bronze (a more traditionally heroic medium, valued for its durability) in the late 1980s. In fact, in the hierarchy of artistic materials, textiles (with the exception of tapestries) have often occupied a lowly rank. Toward the end of her life, even Anni Albers gave away her loom and her stock of threads, turning her attention to printmaking. She said she realized that as a textile designer or weaver she would never be admitted to the magic circle of art, Sheila Hicks recalls.

YET A GENERATION later, fiber art looks fresh again. Two years ago, for example, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas purchased one of octogenarian artist, author and activist Faith Ringgolds story quilts for $461,000  a record (times 30) for the artist. The quilts, which the painter began making in 1980  inspired by Tibetan thangkas, her seamstress and designer mother and her great-great-great-grandmother, who quilted as a slave  combine painted canvas, fabric piecework and handwritten text to reclaim unexplored corners of African-American life and history. And for emerging artists, fiber offers renewed possibilities of eloquence and emotivity. Sophia Narrett, a recent Rhode Island School of Design graduate whose solo exhibition of embroideries opens at Brooklyns BRIC Arts/Media center in May, wrote in an email, When an object is developed by human hands for hundreds of hours, it leaves a quality in the surface that can be sensed. Her wall hangings, stitched with cotton thread in a lush, painterly style, detail surreal encounters  naked figures cavorting in basements and woodlands; immolated princesses. Their hand-worked surfaces make them seem intimate and vulnerable, in keeping with her arts themes. This physical commitment is a part of how I communicate my sincerity, Narrett explained. Embroidery and its implicit history help specify the tone of my stories, one characterized by obsession, desire and both the freedoms and restraints of femininity.
SAN FRANCISCO  Google is joining Facebook in banning advertising for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

Google, the largest provider of digital advertising on the internet, announced on Tuesday that it plans to change its advertising policy for certain financial services, including cryptocurrencies, starting in June. The new restriction would apply both to space on Googles platforms, like YouTube, and to third-party websites where Google sells advertising space.

Facebook announced in January that it would ban all ads for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in order to stop misleading and deceptive promotions. Together, Google and Facebook account for the majority of advertising on the internet in terms of revenue.

The short announcement on Googles advertising policies page did not specify why Google planned to turn away that advertising. The company said the ban also applied to content related to cryptocurrencies including but not limited to initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets and cryptocurrency trading advice.
This year, for example, is the centennial of the end of the Great War. The end of the first World War is very present in a lot of work in the U.K. at the moment, Mr. Linehan said. It was the beginning of universal suffrage and the end of the Empire. So some works in the festival, like Xenos, a new solo piece by the choreographer Akram Khan about a shellshocked colonial soldier  an Indian man fighting on behalf of the British Empire  reflect on this. The anniversary is also represented in Five Telegrams, which is partly inspired by soldiers telegrams from 1918.

The lineup of youth orchestras from Canada, Scotland and the United States, and other parts of the music program, nod to Scotlands Year of Young People, an initiative of the Scottish government. Light on the Shore, a celebration of Scottish music that will run throughout most of the festival, will showcase more of Ms. Merediths music along with electronica, hip-hop, folk and rock by Django Django, Mogwai, King Creosote and others.

The French company Theatre des Bouffes du Nord will present a slate of productions including The Beggars Opera, directed by Robert Carsen; The Prisoner, an exploration of justice and imprisonment created by the director Peter Brook (who is 92) and his regular collaborator Marie-Helene Estienne; and the British director Katie Mitchells La Maladie de la Mort, an adaptation of Marguerite Durass 1982 novella about an unconventional sexual relationship. They kind of reflect what the Bouffes has done over the years, bringing casts from all over the world to present these fables of humanity, Mr. Linehan said.

The beloved Scottish playwright David Greig (The Events, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) will be represented by Midsummer, a romantic comedy he wrote with Gordon McIntyre, that wowed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (the festival that pops up alongside the International every summer) almost a decade ago. Midsummer is arriving in an expanded version, courtesy of the National Theater of Scotland. The Galway-based Druid Theaters Waiting for Godot, Anna Deavere Smiths Notes From the Field and the magical American performer Geoff Sobelles Home are also in the theater lineup.
When locals in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, want to go shopping, they head to the lively city center, a compact pedestrian friendly area with modern buildings and stately structures from mostly the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Although there are international retail chains such as Zara and H&M , the neighborhoods gems are the independently owned establishments. Visitors can discover these shops selling goods from the United Kingdom and Irish brands as they stroll along the wide lanes and often charming side streets.

Lauren May

The owner of this more than two decade-old tiny jewelry store, Sean Harden, named it after his niece and sources his pieces  which are made mostly of semiprecious materials  from United Kingdom designers. He favors an aesthetic thats simple yet chic such as a trio of sterling silver bangles and a rose gold plated ring with a swirl pattern. And for men, there are cuff links, rings, bracelets and necklaces, too. Prices from 10 pounds (about $14) .

10 Queens Arcade; laurenmayonline.com
The Caribbean island of St. Barts , a commune of France, is making a strong recovery following the damage that it sustained from last summers Hurricane Irma, according to several hotel owners, restaurant managers and flight charter companies (Hurricane Maria did minimal damage to the island ).

St. Barts has a population of around 10,000 people and is roughly 13 square miles in size; its main industry is tourism, according to Nils Dufau, the president of the St. Barts Tourism Committee and a vice president with the local government.

Although the islands airport, Saint Barthelemy Airport, which serves only small commercial and charter aircraft, closed for just a few hours following Irma in September, the hotels didnt fare as well: many of the 28 properties, the majority of which are less than 50 rooms, were damaged and forced to close, and so were more than half of the islands 800 villas. The stores and restaurants in Gustavia, St. Barts main town and capital, were also temporarily shut, and its streets were strewn with rocks and debris from seawater that flooded the downtown.

Today, the island is cleaned up and ready to welcome visitors.

St. Barts main attractions include its 17 white sand beaches, surfing, snorkeling, diving and boating, and Mr. Dafau said that visitors to the island can enjoy all of these diversions as they did before Irma.
Tom Duggan, the man behind the counter at Lemon Gem Kitchen Goods in St. Louis, Mo., was so talkative that I couldnt help but stay and chat. He was filling in for his daughter, the shops owner, Beth Styles. I asked him what he liked about St. Louis and he said he once had a job that entailed a lot of travel, and that he always liked coming home. Its a great place to raise a family, the schools in the county are good, and the real estate is reasonable, he said. Its a big small town.

This isnt mere aw-shucks sentiment  as someone who grew up in Illinois, I can attest to the fundamental, if understated, truth of what Mr. Duggan said. St. Louis has all you could want in a city  museums, green spaces, good music and exciting new restaurants  plus that distinct Midwestern sense that if you stop random people on the street, theres a very good chance they grew up nearby and are excited to share the name of their favorite bar with you. It also happened to be a good fit for my modest budget, making it an ideal place to spend four days this past month.

My Airbnb in the Central West End neighborhood ($65 per night for a private room in a residents house), about 4 miles west of downtown, centrally located and close to the Metro, made for a good home base. I also spent a night in downtown proper at the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis, where I landed a AAA rate of $125 per night. It was easy to get out to Central West End from downtown, about a 15 minute ride, on my $7.50 Metro day-pass. I also used the Transit app, which works in over 100 cities, to make my riding as efficient as I could.
Jury selection for the trial took more than a week, and concluded on Monday. Eighteen jurors  12 women and six men  sat in the courtroom on Wednesday. Six of them are alternates who will not take part in deliberations unless they are needed to replace excused jurors, but none of the 18 will be told which of them are alternates until the trial concludes.

With warnings beforehand to the victims and their families in the courtroom, prosecutors played graphic videos from police body cameras, capturing Mr. Mateens gunfire and the screams of the wounded.

Adam Gruler, an off-duty police officer who was working as a guard at Pulse the night of the shooting, was choked with emotion on the witness stand as he recalled victims trying to flee the carnage. Nelson Rodriguez, a nightclub patron who lost two friends in the rampage, had to compose himself several times before he could finish his account of a frantic escape.

Prosecutors said Ms. Salman had participated in Mr. Mateens preparations for the attack, including making financial arrangements intended to provide for her and her son after his death. They cited location data from cars and cellphones showing that the couple drove to City Place, a shopping mall in West Palm Beach, and to Disney Springs in Orlando.

The defendant and Omar Mateen were casing targets in the middle of the night with their child, Mr. Mandolfo said.

Ms. Moreno countered that those were just family trips for Ms. Salman.

Crucial to the outcome of the trial will be what jurors make of statements that Ms. Salman gave to the F.B.I. on the day of the attack. While the shooting was still underway, law enforcement officers went to the familys apartment in Fort Pierce, Fla., at about 4:30 a.m. and found her asleep there. She was taken to a local F.B.I. headquarters and remained with agents, speaking without an attorney, until midnight.

During that time, Ms. Salman gave statements that agents said were inconsistent. She also signed written statements appearing to acknowledge that she was aware of what Mr. Mateen had planned, and saying that she was sorry.
The department follows a prescribed process by which an employee may be terminated, said the spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores. That process includes recommendations from career employees, and no termination decision is final until the conclusion of that process. We have no personnel announcements at this time.

Mr. McCabe declined to comment. His friends and allies have said that he denies any wrongdoing in his dealings with journalists or the inspector general. He stepped down in January and took a leave of absence under pressure over the looming inspector generals report.

Mr. McCabe is a career agent, not a political appointee, so Mr. Trump has no direct say in his fate. The decision nonetheless comes at a moment of turnover in Mr. Trumps national security team. On Tuesday, the president fired the secretary of state, Rex W. Tillerson, and named the C.I.A. director, Mike Pompeo, to replace him. He tapped a veteran clandestine officer, Gina Haspel, to lead the C.I.A.

Firing Mr. McCabe, even on the recommendation of the disciplinary office, would be controversial. Among Mr. McCabes allies, the decision would raise the specter that Mr. Sessions was influenced by Mr. Trumps frequent derisive comments. No deputy director in the history of the F.B.I. has been fired.

But Mr. Sessions would be able to point to a critical inspector generals report and say he followed Justice Department protocol. The details of why the inspector general viewed Mr. McCabe as not forthcoming are not clear. Though F.B.I. disciplinary records show that drunken driving, domestic violence and assaults have been punished by suspension, when agents are found to have shown a lack of candor under oath, they are commonly fired.

The inspector general, Michael Horowitz, announced last year that he would investigate several contentious decisions made at the F.B.I. and Justice Department during the 2016 presidential campaign. In November, Mr. Horowitz indicated that he planned to issue a single report this spring encompassing his entire review, on matters including the F.B.I.s investigation of Hillary Clintons use of a private email server.

There are no indications that Mr. Horowitz is prepared to release a broad report this week. It is not clear why he opted to handle Mr. McCabe separately and refer him for discipline before the release of the full report. A spokesman for Mr. Horowitz has declined to comment.
WASHINGTON  With hundreds of high school students massed at the Capitol to demand gun control, the House instead approved modest legislation on Wednesday to beef up school security without changes to the nations gun laws, hoping to answer demands for action a month after the massacre in Parkland, Fla.

Across Capitol Hill, a top F.B.I. official conceded in Senate testimony that his agency had made mistakes in failing to follow up on tips about the gunman.

We clearly should have done more, David L. Bowdich, the acting deputy director of the F.B.I., told the Senate Judiciary Committee. He said the bureau was doubling the number of supervisors assigned to review tips from the public.

The House vote and the Senate hearing came as students across the country walked out of their classes to demand tougher gun laws after the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Hundreds rallied in front of the White House and at the Capitol, cheered on by congressional Democratic leaders.
Conor Lamb, a Democrat and former Marine, scored a razor-thin but extraordinary upset in a special House election in southwestern Pennsylvania after a few thousand absentee ballots cemented a Democratic victory in the heart of President Trumps Rust Belt base.

The Republican candidate, Rick Saccone, may still contest the outcome. But Mr. Lambs 627-vote lead Wednesday afternoon appeared insurmountable, given that the four counties in Pennsylvanias 18th district have about 500 provisional, military and other absentee ballots left to count, election officials said.

That slim margin  out of almost 230,000 ballots cast in a district that Mr. Trump carried by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016  nonetheless upended the political landscape ahead of Novembers midterm elections. It also emboldened Democrats to run maverick campaigns even in deep-red areas where Republicans remain bedeviled by Mr. Trumps unpopularity.

Republican officials in Washington said they were likely to demand a recount through litigation, and the National Republican Congressional Committee put out a call for voters to report any irregularities in the balloting. Matt Gorman, a spokesman for the committee, said the party was not conceding anything.
The special election in southwest Pennsylvania garnered national attention for what it could portend for the midterm elections in November. Democratic enthusiasm in the heart of Trump country may have signaled a brewing blue wave in November. But on Wednesday morning, the winner of the Houses 18th district in Pennsylvania was not officially decided.

Heres a look at whats next for the candidates and the district that President Trump won by nearly 20 percentage points in 2016.

This week it is a special election

As of Wednesday morning, one small Republican-leaning county was still counting more than 1,000 absentee ballots. Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate, had already claimed victory over Republican Rick Saccone. And House Republicans were talking about a recount and a legal challenge.

Under Pennsylvanias state election law, this type of race does not require an automatic recount, but voters could request one through two different processes over the next week.
At a refueling stop in Cape Verde on his way home from an exhausting visit across Africa, Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson walked through howling winds late Monday night toward the airports V.I.P. terminal, where he pulled up a chair and started telling jokes to the reporters who had traveled with him.

He was fired by executive tweet just hours later.

By the time Mr. Tillerson again spoke to reporters, on Tuesday afternoon in Washington, the man who had strode confidently and relaxed throughout the weeklong diplomatic trip was replaced by a humbled and emotional one who nearly choked up as he announced that he would be handing off his powers at the stroke of midnight.

Some senior administration officials said Mr. Tillerson  who in nearly 14 months at the State Department had departed from President Trumps policies on the Paris climate accord, the Iran nuclear deal and diplomacy with North Korea  should have seen it coming.
ST. LOUIS  Britains tough response in holding Russia responsible for a poisoning attack on its soil increased the pressure on President Trump to join with a NATO ally in taking action, even as he has been reluctant to retaliate for Moscows intervention in the 2016 election in the United States.

Mr. Trump, who was visiting Missouri on Wednesday, has not personally addressed the attack since London assigned blame to Russia and left it instead to aides to express public solidarity with Prime Minister Theresa May after she expelled 23 Russian diplomats, canceled high-level contacts and vowed to impose more sanctions.

This latest action by Russia fits into a pattern of behavior in which Russia disregards the international rules-based order, undermines the sovereignty and security of countries worldwide, and attempts to subvert and discredit Western democratic institutions and processes, the White House said in a written statement. The United States is working together with our allies and partners to ensure that this kind of abhorrent attack does not happen again.

But for whatever reason, Mr. Trump avoided saying so personally in public, much as he has generally avoided condemning Russia for its election meddling. He has allowed top advisers to denounce Moscow for its interference in American democracy, but when it comes to his own Twitter posts or comments, he has largely stuck to equivocal language, seemingly reluctant to accept the consensus conclusion of his intelligence agencies and intent on voicing no outrage or criticism of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, for whom he has expressed admiration.
ST. LOUIS  Amid all the turmoil and uncertainty, with his White House seemingly fraying, his legislative agenda stalled and his electoral base in danger, President Trump these days finds one area of comfort: talking about his tax cuts. He finds it so reassuring, in fact, that he is increasingly talking about doing it all over again.

Mr. Trump came here to red-state Middle America on Wednesday to promote the economic benefits of the $1.5 trillion in tax breaks he signed in December, surrounding himself with workers and business owners who celebrated the prospect of more money in their pockets. As he basked in the praise, the president promised that he was not done.

Were now going for a Phase 2, he told a selected group of supporters at a Boeing factory in St. Louis. He did not describe what would be in such a Phase 2 but said he would team up with Representative Kevin Brady, Republican of Texas and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Its going to be something very special. Kevin Bradys working on it with me.

Mr. Brady said earlier in the day that he hoped to pass another tax-cutting bill by the end of the year. Were really encouraged, he said on Fox Business Network. Main Street optimism is at record levels. Our economy is really gaining momentum and booming in a big way. But look, we think even more can be done. We want to make sure that were encouraging innovation in America. We want to help families save for the long term.
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.
As thousands of students walked out of their schools on Wednesday to pressure Congress to approve gun control legislation, three other students were healing from wounds inflicted when a teachers firearm accidentally discharged in a California classroom.

The teacher, Dennis Alexander, who is also a city councilman in Seaside, Calif., was showing the students a gun on Tuesday during his advanced public safety class at Seaside High School when the gun accidentally went off, Marci McFadden, a spokeswoman for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, said in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Mr. Alexander was pointing his gun at the ceiling when it fired, she said, causing pieces of the ceiling to fall to the floor. Ms. McFadden said that California law and district policy prohibit teachers from bringing guns on campus.

Cmdr. Nick Borges of the Seaside Police Department said in an email on Wednesday that nobody suffered serious injuries, however, a piece of bullet shrapnel ricocheted and hit one 17-year-old on the neck, and two other students were also hit by debris.
The Pathway Home program in Yountville, Calif., is shutting down indefinitely less than a week after three employees were taken hostage by a gunman and killed.

The program, part of the Veterans Home of California, provided post-Sept. 11 veterans with academic and vocational support as they prepared to re-enter the civilian world after deployment.

Veterans who have been in the programs care will be supported by mental health and other services in cooperation with the federal Veterans Administration and local Napa County and nonprofit providers, the Pathway Homes board of directors said on Wednesday in a statement.

The three women who were found dead served as the core clinical team for Pathway Home: Christine Loeber, 48, its executive director; Dr. Jen Golick, 42, a staff psychologist; and Dr. Jennifer Gonzales, 29, a psychologist with the San Francisco Department of Veterans Affairs.
DAKAR, Senegal  A wave of unrest in the West African nation of Guinea has left at least 11 people dead as protesters have poured into the streets nearly every day over several weeks to demand raises for teachers and the results of long-awaited municipal elections.

Thousands have turned out for demonstrations in Conakry, Guineas capital, and other major cities, and security forces have responded with tear gas and tanks. Violence has broken out at several rallies, and several journalists and news media outlets have been attacked.

The 11 victims include a police officer, Amnesty International said. Some people died of gunshot wounds, according to local news media reports, and the police officer was killed after being hit in the head with a rock.

Despite being a major exporter of iron ore, Guinea remains among the poorest nations in the world. It was one of a handful of West African countries hit in 2014 by the Ebola virus, which killed more than 2,500 people there. The economy has been crippled by poor governing and corruption.
NAIROBI, Kenya  With their meeting last week, Kenyas political archrivals have been hailed for calming ethnic tensions in East Africas most vibrant democracy and ending a monthslong stalemate that had brought the regions biggest economy to a near halt.

But Benna Buluma, 48, just feels that she has been left further behind.

Her son Victor Okoth was killed by the police the day after Kenyas presidential election in August  a vote whose contested result pushed the country to the brink of a democratic crisis and set off protests and violence that human rights groups said led to roughly 70 deaths at the hands of the police.

This new marriage between the two men is not in good faith, said Ms. Buluma, speaking of the rapprochement between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his longtime rival Raila Odinga, who met on Friday for the first time in more than half a year.
NEW DELHI  When Kamran Yousuf, a young Kashmiri photojournalist, stepped out of an Indian jail, he was gaunt and visibly weaker.

Mr. Yousuf, who was released on bail Tuesday night after being imprisoned for six months, has found himself at the center of a dispute that has captivated Kashmir.

The Indian authorities who arrested Mr. Yousuf questioned his journalistic credentials. They accused him of throwing stones at Indian forces in the bitterly disputed border territory, as part of a group working with a terrorist organization from Pakistan  charges Mr. Yousufs friends and family say were concocted to punish him for documenting antigovernment protests.
KATHMANDU, Nepal  Nepals chief justice was fired on Wednesday after the countrys judicial council secretariat, a constitutional body, found that he had faked his date of birth to remain in office, an accusation he denied.

The chief justice, Gopal Parajuli, emerged as a divisive figure in Nepal, a small Himalayan nation, when journalists published his academic records, which included multiple dates of birth. Then last month, Mr. Parajuli directed the countrys press council, an independent regulatory body set up by the government, to censor stories published about him.

According to the judicial secretariat, Mr. Parajulis date of birth is Aug. 5, 1952. Tikaram Bhattarai, a lawyer in Kathmandu, the capital, said that Mr. Parajuli was masking his real date of birth because he was older than 65, the age when a chief justice is required to retire in Nepal.

In a brief telephone interview, however, Mr. Parajuli, who assumed his position just eight months ago, insisted that his birthday was April 28, 1953, meaning he was still 64 and could remain in office.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  New Zealands foreign ministry censured its second-ranking envoy to the United States on Wednesday after she tweeted that the Democratic Party in America should get its act together or we will all die.

Caroline Beresford, New Zealands deputy high commissioner to the United States, and second in charge to the ambassador, Tim Groser, has since made her Twitter account private, with the news website Newsroom reporting that her tweets had been deleted.

Responding to an opinion piece from the politics website The Hill, titled A Sanders-Warren ticket could win big in 2020, Ms. Beresford responded on Twitter, No it couldnt.

Please get your  and here she used an expletive  together or we will all die, she wrote. That was apparently in response to the suggestion that two senators, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, could form a presidential ticket for the 2020 election to defeat President Trump.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  Centuries before the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman and Britains Captain James Cook arrived in what became New Zealand, there was Kupe, a 10th-century navigator from Tahiti.

The first Polynesian to reach the then-uninhabited island, Kupe and his wife, Kuramarotini, are said by Maori to have given New Zealand its Maori moniker, Aotearoa, or land of the long white cloud.

A long time later  this past February  a group of sailors recreated Kupes journey, steering the double-hulled canoes known as waka hourua in New Zealands indigenous Maori language. The waka, whose crews included a group of teenagers from Maori language schools, were billed as the main attraction in the opening night of the New Zealand Festival, a three-week arts and culture event that began last month and runs through March 18.
MANILA  Denouncing what he called efforts to paint him as a heartless violator of human rights, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that the Philippines was withdrawing from the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.

The Hague-based court said last month that it was opening a preliminary inquiry into allegations that Philippine officials committed mass murder and crimes against humanity in the course of Mr. Dutertes crackdown on narcotics. Thousands of people have died at the hands of police officers or unknown gunmen since Mr. Duterte took office in 2016 promising to kill drug dealers and addicts.

In a written statement released on Wednesday, Mr. Duterte accused the court of violating due process and the presumption of innocence.

The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes, he said. Neither is it a crime of aggression or a crime against humanity. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operation lacked the intent to kill. He said the killings by police officers, which the police say now number more than 4,000, were carried out in self-defense.
The Myanmar government has not sent any investigators to the squalid Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, which now constitute the worlds largest mega-settlement of displaced people. With monsoon rains coming, aid groups worry that large sections of these settlements could wash away.

Myanmar officials have rejected outright fact-finding reports that were submitted on Monday to the United Nations Human Rights Council that documented severe violations of the rights of ethnic minorities in Myanmar, including the Rohingya.

Speaking to the council, Yanghee Lee, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said the militarys campaign against the Rohingya bore the hallmarks of genocide and urged international legal action against the individuals who gave the orders and carried out violations against individuals and entire ethnic and religious groups.

On Monday, Amnesty International accused the Myanmar government of destroying the remains of Rohingya villages in a campaign dedicated to erasing evidence of crimes against humanity. Using satellite imagery, Amnesty documented how new security bases were being built on land that had once housed Rohingya communities. Separately, rights groups have documented more than 300 Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine that were razed by fire since last August.

The Myanmar government says that any recent bulldozing has been for benign purposes.

We are clearing the land to make it suitable for rebuilding for the refugees, Mr. Aung Tun Thet said on Wednesday at a news conference in Naypyidaw, the Myanmar capital.

Both the Bangladesh and Myanmar governments have talked up voluntary repatriations as a solution to one of the worlds most urgent refugee crises. So far, only 8,032 of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya now crowded into the Bangladesh camps have said they are willing to be repatriated, according to a list drawn up by the Bangladeshi authorities last month.

On Wednesday, U Myint Thu, Myanmars permanent secretary for foreign affairs, said that Bangladeshs repatriation list was missing essential information needed to verify that those people had indeed fled from Myanmar. Consequently, only 374 of the 8,032 applicants had been verified and approved by his government, he said.
MELBOURNE, Australia  A judge allowed reporters into an Australian courtroom on Wednesday to hear witness testimony during a pretrial hearing for Cardinal George Pell, the Vaticans third-highest-ranking priest, in a high-profile sexual abuse case that has largely unfolded behind closed doors.

Cardinal Pell has been accused of historical sexual offenses, meaning they took place decades ago, but the details of the criminal complaint have not been made public. For the past 10 days the court has been closed to the public as those accusing Cardinal Pell were questioned via video conference.

In general, Australian law tends to be more favorable to defendants, and proceedings more secretive, than in the United States. Such cases are often subject to the countrys contempt standards, and other legal restrictions, which prohibit journalists from reporting on details of criminal allegations.

The hearing, which is expected to run for at least another week, will determine if Cardinal Pell, the most senior member of the Catholic Church to face such accusations, will stand trial.
Britains expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats over what officials called Russias role in the March 4 poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil echoes the espionage feuds between Washington and Moscow.

For both Britain and the United States, such expulsions have their roots in the spying between Russia and the West that has endured since the end of the Cold War.

Here is a summary of the best-known expulsions in recent years between the United States and Russia:

July 2017: Retaliation for a Postelection Move

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia ordered the United States diplomatic mission to reduce its staff by 755 employees in response to American sanctions, including the expulsion of 35 Russian officials, imposed in the final weeks of President Barack Obamas administration. Mr. Putin had delayed such a move, hoping for an improved relationship under President Trump, but, judging by everything, if it changes, it will not be soon.

December 2016: Departing Jab by Obama White House

The United States expelled 35 Russian officials, the largest number of diplomats forced to leave since 2001, in retaliation for what American spy agencies said was Russian interference in the presidential election.
Wind back the clock. Wind back the clock. Until you get a universe born from a black hole exploding. We learn to listen. Stephen Hawking, one of the greatest physicists of our time, didnt let a rare motor neuron illness that bound him to a wheelchair stop him from roaming everywhere else. Despite being told, age 22, that he had only a few years left to live, he went on to live for decades more, his mind traveling through the cosmos, making breakthroughs in scientific theories on black holes and relativity, capturing the imagination of millions around the world. And he didnt stop there. Dont feel bad, Lisa. Sometimes the smartest of us can be the most childish. Even you? No. Not me. He also broke through onto our screens and radios. You guys were never even on Futurama. I was on three times. With cameos on TV shows  You made an arithmetic mistake on Page 2.  in advertisements and in songs, becoming a pop culture icon  If you are looking for trouble, you found it. Yeah, just try me, you ... ow!  displaying a wicked sense of humor as he went. Its a little hard to read your tone of voice. When you say that, are you being sarcastic? Yes. I thought so. His familiar synthesized voice graced Pink Floyd songs and TV commercials. Mankinds greatest achievements have come about by talking. Seconds after the Big Bang, called inflation, in which the ... [scream]! He ran over rival physicists, and had other celebrities pandering to him in comedy sketches. Time to find my new voice. Surely it has to be me? Listen to my voice. Its got a tinge of physics. He offered sound advice to the next generation. What do you think is the cosmological effect of Zayn leaving [pop music band] One Direction? Finally, a question about something important. My advice to any heartbroken young girl is to pay loads of attention to the study of theoretical physics. And in 2014, his extraordinary life was immortalized in a film entitled The Theory of Everything. All the way back, to see what happened at the beginning of time itself. While Hawking may have left planet Earth, his many fans can be sure that his legacy remains. I could have gone on and on. Space, here I come.
BRUSSELS  The operatic ouster of Rex Tillerson leaves a State Department angry and adrift, and a world even more confused about the management and direction of American foreign policy, hoping but not expecting that the change leads to greater coherence in Washington.

The angst is being felt especially acutely among European leaders. With the back-to-back resignation of Gary Cohn, Mr. Trumps top economic adviser, and the firing of Mr. Tillerson they fear the period of benign neglect they have experienced so far from Mr. Trump is over.

Mr. Tillerson was roundly criticized by a much-demoralized diplomatic corps, accused of gutting budgets and staffing levels in a reflection of what many see as a long, downward trajectory of the State Departments influence.

But for allies, in particular, he was also seen as one of the grown-ups and a relative voice of reason, even comfort, in comparison with his bosss brash impulsiveness.
LONDON  Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats on Wednesday over the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil, raising tensions between the two countries to a level not seen since the heights of the Cold War. She vowed to crack down on Russian spies, corrupt elites and ill-gotten wealth in Britain.

Her statement to Parliament came after Moscow rejected a British deadline for Russia to explain itself over this months attack on the former spy, Sergei V. Skripal, and his daughter.

The two countries have engaged in a worsening clash in recent days, with Britain widening an investigation into the incident and courting friends and allies to increase pressure on Russia, while Moscow has threatened to retaliate over any punitive action.

The strident remarks from the British prime minister were a marked departure from the norm for a leader who has faced a litany of domestic and international issues. Mrs. Mays government is consumed with Britains withdrawal from the European Union, a complex negotiation that it appears to be struggling with. And its closest international ally, the United States, is led by a president who has appeared reluctant to openly criticize Russia.
TEHRAN  A troupe of young dancing girls throwing rose petals may have ended the career of Tehrans mayor, who suddenly resigned on Wednesday.

The mayor, Mohammad Ali Najafi, attended a celebration last week amounting to an Islamic version of Mothers Day. There he encountered six girls dancing in traditional costumes and throwing the rose petals in honor of a female saint.

There is a ban on dancing in public, however, for women in the Islamic republic  and girls older than 9 are regarded as women by clerics, who resist any change in social norms.

Mr. Najafi, a 66-year-old graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who came to lead the capital promising change, did not leave the auditorium when the girls took the stage. A video of the event shows him immersed in paperwork as they twirl around and are handed baskets of rose petals by a grown-up.
An Offaly student has started a Go Fund Me account to raise funds for a work placement which provides services for vulnerable people in Uganda.

Twenty-year-old Victoria Dowling is Tullamore native and is currently a second year Politics and International Relations student in University of Limerick from.

She is doing her work placement this May for 10 weeks through VMM International with the Rwenzori Centre for Research and Advocacy in Uganda. RCRA is a non-profit organisation that helps provide many services for the most vulnerable people.

On her Go Fund Me Page, Victoria says, "I am very passionate about working with this organisation and having the chance to help people who need it. Because I have only five weeks to fundraise about 3000, I would be extremely grateful for any help that I can get from you to complete my trip. Please help to share this and spread the word. Thank you so much."

You can help Victoria achieve her target by donating through her Go Fund Page which you can get to by clicking here

Click here to view the VMM international website which gives you more information on volunteering. You can also see the official website for the RCRA by clicking here to find out more about what they do.
Not possible to order release, deport Rohingyas detained in Jammu without following law: SC

27 Rohingya families staying illegally in Jammu have SIM cards

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

An RTI application filed has revealed that 27 Rohingya Muslims living as illegal immigrants in Jammu own SIM cards. Activist Rohit Choudhary had filed a Right to Information Application seeking information on the number of Rohingya Muslims living in Jammu and Kashmir.

The data revealed that 27 Rohingya families and a total of 1988 Rohingyas are living in Jammu Tehsil and all of them have mobile numbers.

Choudhary said, "This means these people have fake documents or they are being supported by local people who are providing them mobile SIM cards. Government is aware of the families owning these SIM cards and can easily find out against whose name these are registered, but they are not treating the matter seriously."

OneIndia News
'Act against those foisting false cases': Opposition leaders write to President after Stan Swamy's death

Bhima-Koregaon violence: Accused Milind Ekbote arrested in Pune

India

oi-Madhuri

The Supreme Court on Wednesday accepted the anticipatory bail application of Milind Ekbote, one of the Hindutva leaders accused of inciting violence in Bhima Koregaon near Pune on New Year's Day. He was later arrested from his house at Shivajinagar in Pune.

The police had filed 58 cases against 162 people during a statewide shutdown in January following clashes in Bhima-Koregaon.

On January 1, the violence at Bhima-Koregaon left one dead and several injured, including 10 policemen. Violence erupted after some people, reportedly with saffron flags, pelted stones at cars heading towards Bhima Koregaon for the commemoration of New Year's Day.

Dalit leaders and workers at the village alleged that Hindutva activists Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide had instigated the violence.

On January 2, Dalit groups protested in Mumbai. The unrest led to the death of a youth.

In February, the Supreme Court reprimanded the Maharashtra Police for not doing enough to arrest Ekbote, who had earlier been granted anticipatory bail by the court till February 20.

OneIndia News
'We are all Indians, Delhi belongs to all': LG office rejects Kejriwals decision to reserve hospitals

Delhi LG supports sealing, says it will continue

India

oi-Shreya

On March 14, at a joint Press Conference of Minister Hardeep Puri and LG on Sealing, Anil Baijal supported the ongoing Sealing by drive at Delhi. He said this drive is against people who have committed illegalities and it will continue.

The AAP said, "It is strange that Mr Baijal is also chairman of DDA and is supposed to find a solution to the sealing drive. AAP again reiterates its demand to Central Govt for bringing Ordinance/ Bill to immediately stop sealing."

The AAP's spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj had previously also attacked the Delhi BJP on the issue and said that the BJP is being insensitive and indifferent to the suffering of the traders and hence they are not passing a bill or bringing in an ordinance to stop the sealing drive.

Delhi Chief Minister on March 13 had also called for a meeting with the Delhi BJP and Congress to discuss the issue. While Delhi Congress Chief Ajay Maken attended the meet, Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari decided to not attend the meeting.

Maken said that the Delhi Government promised to talk to the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring-Committee, and will also raise the issue in the Parliament.

OneIndia News
Full text of the speech that cost Haseeb Drabu his job

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Senior PDP leader and Finance Minister, Haseeb A Drabu was sacked by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti for making comments which violated the political ideology of the party.

He made the comments while speaking at an event organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Delhi on March 9. Here is the full transcript of the speech made by Drabu which cost him his job as the finance minister of J&K.

Full text of Drabu's speech:

First, thank you very much to the PHD chamber of commerce for giving us the opportunity of the platform to speak about J&K across not just nationally but also globally, ambassadors of various countries here. It's a rare occasion, we rarely get invited to such events, because we are known only for a few things and they are not pleasant ones.

PHD Chamber of Commerce has been active in the state and I must compliment the local chapter because you have both in Kashmir and in Jammu people I know very closely. You could not have got a better guy than Mushtaq Chaaya sahab, who is very pragmatic, no frills, no fancy, basic stuff, puts his money where his mouth is, that's the kind of people you require. In Jammu you have someone like Vikrant, who is a dear friend. Extremely conscientious, perhaps one of the most honourable businessman in J&K. What more can one say about the PHD Chamber of Commerce. And of course none of your leadership requires any introductions.

When I got the invitation for the conference, I was looking at the minute wise schedule and I was given five minutes to talk about the way ahead and vision. And I was wondering what I should say in five minutes. I said I should say what the PHD chamber has been saying for all its almost 100 years; what are we looking at, just three words is what I can say - progress, harmony and development.

I think that is perhaps the most eloquent way and very simple way of trying to say what is that we want. We don't want anything beyond this. I think having said that we are looking at what everybody else is looking at, the real question is how? I do not want to do an aggressive sales pitch that was done by the president of the travel association.

I will not do an emotional pitch that was done by my kid brother Imran (Sports Minister Imran Ansari), who is a qualified community leader, he is a scholar in his own right. He tends to appear non-serious but he is a very very scholarly person. And of course, I will also not tell you about Altaf (Bukhari - Education Minister) , he is a part of you, he is not a part of us, really. Not that I am a part of politics. I am myself in some many ways an intruder into this. I don't know if this is by design or it is by coincidence, the three ministers here are not professional politicians. You might find that interesting.

Altaf Bukhari is a businessman. Perhaps J&K's largest business house. Moulvi sahab as I said, we call him Moulvi sahab because he heads a community, the Shia community, a religious leader and is a scholar of great eminence. Let this not deceive you into what you are going to get in J&K. This is not a sample.

Also, a little unfortunate I feel. Honestly I wish, something we need to do about. This is a bit unfortunate. That the chief Minister could not make it. She would connect in different ways then we would connect. She has a sense of the ground and perhaps she could also give you a sense of how she sees things happening.

Unfortunately, I spoke to her last night ... she started traveling but it got a little late so. I certainly would be very keen to look at the research bureau report that has been presented here. I have not had a look at it yet, I'd surely look at it.

As a follow up to this conference here, I would suggest that I will organise a workshop on this in Jammu, as soon as possible. Not only for those who have written this report but also for all those who are interested in doing something in the state. So we will certainly take a look at all that is happening here.

As I said I don't want to honestly do a sales pitch, asking you to invest, because you know where to go, when to go. To my mind, Kashmir is a pre-sold destination. The only word that has to go out is that it is peaceful. That's all. The day the optics of that resides, we will have the problem that we will not have enough infrastructure to host you.

So we don't need to sell Kashmir. It is pre-sold. But what is it that we can do? And I think I want to say something very different from what's been said here, because this is a rare gathering of people from different spectrum, not just investors.

I can see that there are a lot of people from the India Inc. I can see some bureaucracy here. Of course I can see some foreign policy makers here. So what are the three things that I would do in the way ahead. I'll share my thoughts with you. Perhaps, have some questions, see if we can elaborate on this.

The first thing that we need to do is introspection. I think we, people living in J&K, and nationally, need to introspect of what is happening and why is it happening and how can we solve this. Somewhere down the line, I think not just now, but it's been almost 30 years, that we have lost confidence in ourselves. I'm talking of the people of J&K. Somewhere, we have lost confidence of creativity.

If you go back in time, innovators, creative people, the valley was full of these people, the state was full of them. Somewhere down the line, I don't want to get into political histories, but there has been a shake up, which gets manifested in different ways. For some, it reflects in trust deficit, for some, it reflects in confidence failure. We need to talk to ourselves, before we talk to others. And this must happen, nationally as well.

Our aspirations, individually are not very different from aspirations any of you have. It's only when it comes to a societal aspiration, that there are differences. In a disconnect between what we aspire for ourselves as individuals and what we aspire for our society and community.

Pick up a lad from Pulwama, where I come from and pick up a lad from Pathankot, there's no difference. The aspirations are the same. Aspirations of a good life.

And it doesn't take very much to ensure that every boy or girl in the state gets what every other boy in the country does. Why has it become so difficult for us, to manage this? And somehow I hold not just ourselves and the country but everyone around responsible for this. Because somewhere, I don't know why and how, or perhaps I do but this is not the occasion to get into that, we have been isolated.

This brings me to my second point. Having introspected, what do we do? The second part of it is interaction between people. This is a great opportunity for that. This is the kind of forum that we need more often. We don't even realise how significant this is....

Not just in terms of you-come-and-invest. I don't expect any of you to to invest but what this does for us, it gives us a certain confidence that there are people who are willing to listen to us, who are concerned about us, who will interact with us and we will find a way forward.

It is not a G to G issue. The issue that pervades us in the valley and in the state is not about government to government, it's about civil society. It's about institutions like the PHD chamber of commerce. How much time are we spending on this issue. It's also a global issue. Again, not globally in terms of a government, I think we have struggled for the last seventy years, to try and bring sustainable, durable peace because its been left to the governments. I think its time that civil society and people take the lead, and institutions like the PHD chamber of commerce take the lead and start the process so that it becomes - a C to C. Customer to customer as in people to people. That is what is required.

I am reminded of what the chief minister said and that is a few months back, she doesn't speak very much, she's a doer. An interlocutor had been appointed by the government of India, and she was doing an Express Adda, where somebody asked her that how do you react to the gentleman being appointed as interlocutor? She said, well its good, but for me every tourist or everyone who visits J&K is a much more powerful interlocutor.

And that really is the message that we want to convey to you. Peace is not about investment. It is not about anything else. If you interact as we have done today, it sets off a series of events. In the process relationships get built. A consequence of all that will happen is an investment in perhaps any sector. You need to help us in breaking away from the isolationist paradox that we are bottled in.

Honestly speaking, I am sharing this with you, we have made a story of ourselves and overtime this story has become fiction. We need to address that issue. We live in a world where somehow somewhere, a friend and a colleague of mine said this once that we started believing or we do believe that the world is a part of Kashmir. The world is not a part of Kashmir, Kashmir is a part of the world. Lets understand that.

I think that's a critical thing whereby the whole process of engagement must start. We can't live in fiction for very long. And its in that, that we need support and help in coming out of this. Along with that, experiences, expertise then we will get into issues. We grow apples, surely we grow them we've been growing them hundreds of years. Can we get some knowledge of the best practices in? Yes we can. Will that have an impact? yes it will. But its not just the fact of a high density technology coming in, along with that comes in a certain people's contact, a certain relationships.

As Altaf sahab was just saying, we signed a very big investment agreement with Dubai works, just now. We are hoping to sign something with Daewoo soon. If these are as they tend to be seen, as technical money inflows that are just about worth the money, that is investment?, that is not going to change anything. Yes it will make people richer, but lets go beyond that.

I started working in politics with a gentleman called Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, whom we all regard as our mentor. And wherever I went with him, he would tell people, you know - "wo sab theek hai wo aap karenge jo karna hai par family ke saath Kashmir aaiye." Seeing is believing, he would tell them. He would connect in that manner and you could see ... once you get there... Some of the people who spoke here earlier, you'll find the response that is heartwarming. Good people. I am not saying because I am from there. I've lived half my life outside of J&K. But honestly, we are having an exaggerated sense of self importance. But go to genuine people, caught in a bit of time warp. Our avenues are very limited; a job is only a government job. Some people have to go outside and that exposure has to come in. That I need job outside the government.

Today, government is the employer and the last resort in J&K. We have 4.5 lakh government employees for a population of 1.2 (Crore). I was just yesterday, looking at database management, I have 3000 people doing database management, correcting statistics, for J&K. For a comparative figure, UP has only 1200 people. Now that is a mindset issue. A business does not have to be profitable only on the basis of subsidy. That's a mindset that has to be, we have to showcase that. An enterprise is not profitable only because of tax concessions, no.

We may lead our happy lives, yes we do. our history may be taught to us, yes it is. We do have lives, unhappy as they might be. We run businesses, profitable. Mushtaq Chaaya, great example of it. He has a business model which works in that situation. Altaf sahab again. Small small enterprises. It's not that we don't; we do.

J&K bank, I ran it for six years. At that point the most profitable institution in the country. So we have done our bit, but I think somewhere the world bypassed us or we let them bypass us and we got into a bit of a quandary. That quandary needs to be resolved in a way for us to be able to catch up with the rest of the world.

And once you do that, that you interact, the third and final part of what I think is important to understand is inclusion. We need to be included, not just on your investment agendas. Do that of course, and I am very confident that people will do it because that's how investors function. They will go where their money can be made and there isn't a better state in India than J&K.

But we need to be included in terms of the concerns. It can't be just a political issue. What you're seeing and this is the final point I want to leave with you, a thought with you. Don't see J&K as a conflict state and as a political issue, its a society, which has social issues right now. We are trying to find our own space. And we are going through a process, which many other countries are going through. Its not like we are the only ones. Its not a political issue as far as I can see. I think we have been barking up the wrong tree talking about for the last 50, 70 years talking about the politics of it, the political situation, how it has never been improved. I think we also seriously need to correct in terms of how it's a society in search for itself.

And here are people, hundreds of countries going through hundreds of small small issues, trying to resolve them. Your knowledge sharing is far more important for us to come out of our pains. And somewhere lets not get lost in the forest of symbols. Its very often said, I think (it) was said today also, that situation is not as bad and media is often to be blamed, I've been a part of media as well. I used to run a newspaper nationally, I was running Business Standard for many many years.. you've got lost in a forest of symbols. We need to break that. I wouldn't in particular, blame the media because the media mirrors what the civil society wants. So all this game that is being played on television channels night after night is a reflection of what the society wants to hear. If you don't want to hear it, they will not say it. I think that's the key message. and I will appeal to you sensibilities, as individuals not as investors, try and look at us and you will find some very interesting opportunities where you will not just make money, you will have a lot of fun and you will enjoy yourself.

Thank you very much for inviting me.

OneIndia News
No bail for Mohammad Haris Nalapad: HC says evidence could be tampered with

India

oi-Madhuri

The Karnataka High Court has rejected the bail plea of Mohammad Haris Nalpad, son of Congress MLA, N S Haris. The court observed that the matter was under investigation and hence the bail could not be granted.

The court also observed that there is a chance that the evidence could be tampered with and hence at this stage bail could not be granted.

Mohammad had moved the High Court after the lower court rejected his bail plea. He is accused of assaulting Vidvat Loganathan at Farzi Cafe in UB city on February 17. Nalpad and his friends allegedly attacked Vidvat, son of a businessman in the city, for not "sitting properly". He was taken to Mallya Hospital with grievous injuries.

The HC had heard arguments at length. It had also examined the video evidence in the case. Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar had reserved orders on the matter.

OneIndia News
Kalinga Literary Festival, British Council Come Together For 5 Films for Freedom' In Bhubaneswar

Religious institutions in Bhubaneswar to reopen for devotees from this date

Bhubaneswar, the only Indian city among World's top global smart city ranking

India

oi-Madhuri

After topping the list of Indian Smart Cities in 2016, Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar, the only Indian city has now found its place in the list of world's Top 20 Smart City List-2017.

Singapore has been placed at the top of the list in all the four categories. It noted that the country's 'Smart Nation' initiative and its position as a city-state makes it unique in its ability to execute its smart city vision.

According to the 'Global Smart City Performance Index 2017, 'Bhubaneswar has been ranked 13 so far as 'safety' is concerned and has been ranked 20 in terms of 'Mobility', 'Health' and 'Productivity'.

Cities like Singapore, San Francisco, London, New York, Barcelona, Berlin, Chicago, Portland, Tokyo, Melbourne, San Diego, Seoul, Nice, Dubai, Mexico City, Wuxi, Rio de Janeiro, Yinchuan and Hangzhou were also listed under the survey for a "Global Smart City Performance Index 2017.

The study was conducted from July to September last year.

It may be recalled that Bhubaneswar had earlier won National Planning Excellence and Achievement Awards-2017 awarded by the American Planning Association (APA). This apart, the city had bagged the second runners-up spot at the World Smart City Awards-2016 in Barcelona.

OneIndia News
Rajiv assassination case: SC dismisses plea of convict AG Perarivalan to recall 1999 order

India

oi-Madhuri

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea of convict AG Perarivalan to recall its judgment convicting him in 1998 in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

AG Perarivalan, who has spent 26 years in jail, was convicted of supplying two nine-volt batteries for the belt-bomb that killed Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 and sentenced to life in jail. In his application, Perarivalan has said that he is languishing in jail for the past 26 years.

In its May 1999 order, the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts-- Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini in the assassination case.

However, in April 2000, the Tamil Nadu governor commuted the death sentence of Nalini on the basis of the state government's recommendation and an appeal by former Congress president and Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi.

Later on February 18, 2014, the top court had commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with that of two other prisoners - Santhan and Murugan - on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.

In 2017, Perarivalan had asked for a reprieve saying that the CBI dropped the part in his confession where he said he had "absolutely no idea" what the batteries were for.

The CBI told SC that the conspiracy behind the bomb that killed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi could not be investigated as "Sri Lankan authorities were not cooperating".

Perarivalan was 19 when he was arrested weeks after the assassination. He spent 14 years in solitary confinement after being sentenced to death. That was changed to life term by the Supreme Court in 2014.

A multi-agency probe was set up in 1998 on the recommendation of the Jain Commission which investigated the conspiracy.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991, at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber of the separatist Lankan Tamil outfit LTTE, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally.

Dhanu greeted him at a rally in Sriperumbudur town with a bomb strapped to her chest. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.

OneIndia News (with PTI inputs)
Rajya Sabha nomination for scribes, media barons: Is independence of journalism under threat?

India

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

New Delhi, March 14: There is a thin line that separates a journalist from becoming her/his 'subject'. Unfortunately, that line is blurring day by day as more and more journalists seem to share a "cosy relationship" with politicians and their parties. While there is nothing wrong for a journalist to have political aspirations as stated by noted television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai in his latest blog, problem arises when her/his ambition is fulfilled by a political party whom she/he has openly supported over the years.

The latest instances of Loksatta editor Kumar Ketkar and businessman, media owner and member of Parliament (MP) Rajeev Chandrasekhar being nominated for the Rajya Sabha by the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) respectively have once again triggered a debate over the independence of Indian media in the times of fake news and paid editorials. The Rajya Sabha elections for 58 seats are scheduled on March 23.

In the past too many journalists and media barons have walked down the aisle of Parliament, thanks to political parties for gifting them with the plump post of an MP in the Upper House for their "loyalty". A political party can choose and send anyone-- be it a sportsperson, a doctor or an actor--to the Rajya Sabha. Most often Rajya Sabha seats are offered to popular personalities from various fields for their contributions to society. A journalist and a media baron too help a society to grow and evolve.

However, it is their primary responsibility to remain "politically neutral" which clearly comes under the attack when they bite the bait offered by political parties. Over the years, it has been seen that political parties across the board offer Rajya Sabha seats to those journalists, editors and media barons who are "infamous" for constantly espousing their causes through their writings and talks.

Again, a journalist can have a political ideology, but to get a "prize" for it from a political party is a disturbing trend in a democracy where there is a clear line that demarcates the fourth pillar from joining hands with the ruling class.

There are also journalists like Ashutosh, the former editor of IBN7, who left journalism to join politics. Ashutosh's case is different from Ketkar and Chandrasekhar as he has joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and contested elections too. That way anyone in India is free to join politics.

In fact, two top journalists of India have openly expressed their reservations over scribes and media barons accepting Rajya Sabha seats as an "award" for promoting a particular party and its causes. Sardesai in his blog wrote, "It is my unshaken belief that a professional independent journalist must remain just that: an observer and chronicler with strong views but not a player or participant in the tricky game of politics: if you want to join politics, please do so, but quit journalism first."

Veteran journalist Sevanti Ninan emphasised on "journalistic independence" when it comes to nominations of editors and media house owners to the Rajya Sabha. "Every time a journalist or a media owner is nominated to the Rajya Sabha, it evokes a passing bout of hand-wringing over journalistic independence," she wrote in a column published by Scroll.in.

Sardesai, in his blog, revealed that once he too was offered a Rajya Sabha seat by a regional political party, but he declined the offer politely. At a time when the media is facing credibility crisis because of the immense control corporate houses and political parties hold over editors and journalists, a simple but effective answer, "thank you, but no thank you", like Sardesai said while rejecting the plump post will go a long in saving journalism and its freedom.

Will well-known faces of media like Ketkar and Chandrasekhar come to the rescue of journalism by saying "no" to political parties? Or political ambition has already overshadowed the cause of journalism and its ethics?

OneIndia News
Shiv Sena blames Naresh Agarwal for BJPs debacle in UP, Bihar bypolls

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

The Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday blamed the BJP and said its policies, including things like the induction into the party of former SP man Naresh Agarwal, as the cause of its debacle in the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by-elections.

The BJP is on the way to losing bye-elections in two Lok Sabha constituencies in Uttar Pradesh and missed out on a chance to snatch one constituency from the RJD in Bihar. The BJP and JDU also failed to secure two Assembly seats in Bihar and only retained a seat that the BJP had won on its own in 2015.

"I don't believe the alliance of the SP-BSP is what's working (in keeping the SP-BSP candidates ahead). What I believe is that the day you (the BJP) unrolled the red carpet for a man who criticised Lord Ram the most, that day Lord Ram too turned against you," Raut told Times of India.

Raut referred to the fact that Agarwal - who was inducted into the BJP two days ago - had last year, when he was SP MP, compared various Hindu gods, including Ram, to various kinds of alcohol.

In the prestigious Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla was trailing behind Praveen Nishad of the SP.

In Phulpur, SP candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel had raced ahead of his nearest BJP rival. The election to the two constituencies were held on March 11.

A day later, Agrawal quit the SP to join the BJP after he lost out to actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan in the race for re-nomination to the upper house.

The bypolls were necessitated after Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively, following their election to the state legislative council.

OneIndia News
UP Elections 2022: AAP seeks to make foothold in UP with Ram Rajya call

Schools, colleges in Uttar Pradesh to remain shut on Friday, Saturday in view of heavy rains

Top seer Mahant Narendra Giri found dead at Muth; UP CM, state BJP chief to pay homage in Prayagraj today

UP Bypoll Results: Congress candidates lose deposits in Gorakhpur, Phulpur

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Congress candidates contesting in Uttar Pradesh bypolls lost their deposits but their party president Rahul Gandhi seemed happy with the Wednesday results.

Congress' Phulpur candidate Manish Mishra and Gorakhpur candidate Dr Sureetha could not save their deposits.

While in Phulpur, Congress candidate Manish Mishra secured just 2.6% of the total votes polled, Dr Surheeta Kareem who represented the party in Gorakhpur could earn just 2% votes. The candidates could not even save their deposits despite high octane campaign spree headed by party president Raj Babbar.

In Gorakhpur, the Congress candidate secured only 17000 votes and garnered a vote share of only 2%. In 2014, the party had got 45719 votes polled and had managed 4.3% vote share.

The Congress party joined the victory celebrations of SP-BSP combine flagging BJP's defeat while refusing to comment on the reasons for its defeat on the two seats.

The Samajwadi Party registered stunning victories in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabhabypolls, which were held by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. In both seats, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party supported the SP candidates.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 23:42 [IST]
UP bypolls: Ruckus after media barred from entering counting centre in Gorakhpur

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

A huge controversy broke out after officials at Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh blacked out the counting of votes and also banned media persons. The opposition has cried foul and said that this decision was taken after the BJp began trailing in the constituency.

Samajwadi party candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad was leading over BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla when the media was blocked, it was alleged.

It was also alleged that the District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela walked into the counting centre and prevented the media from giving live updates. He also banned reporters from entering the counting area and it has been alleged that this had never happened before.

The issue was taken up in the assembly as well. The assembly had to be adjourned owing to disruptions. There was some chaos in Parliament too over this issue with slogans such as 'shame' being raised.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 13:21 [IST]
Wont allow lesbianism in schools: West Bengal education minister

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday said that lesbianism would not be tolerated in schools in the State as it was against Bengali culture and society.

His statement comes days after a Kolkata girls' school faced criticism over its decision to force out a confession from its students of "being lesbians".

Chatterjee said that under no circumstances "lesbianism can be inculcated" in the schools. "I have asked my department to seek a report from the school. It is the duty of the school authorities to take appropriate action if [the girls] are found guilty," he said.

The cabinet minister was quoted as saying by The Quint, "If it's a personal matter, it should be taken up outside of school. You can't inculcate your personal ideas in the school. It can influence others. It is a problem at the school level. Young teenagers should not explore sexuality among themselves. That is not the culture of Bengal."

On March 8, Kamala Girls School in south Kolkata had pulled up ten Class IX girl students and accused them of "being lesbians."

However, the parents alleged that the school had forcefully obtained the written confession from the students.

OneIndia News
Iran backs Kashmir cause while telling Pakistan to join Chabahar project

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Iran has invited Pakistan and China to participate in the development of the Chabahar port and also extended support to the right to self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

Speaking at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Foreign minister, Javad Zarif who is on a three-day visit to Islamabad asked Pakistan to play a role in developing the port.

"We offered to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We have also offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chabahar," he said.

Following the meeting, Pakistan's Foreign Office in a statement said both sides had "reiterated support for the peaceful struggle of the peoples of Palestine and Kashmir for their right to self-determination".

During his meeting with Zarif, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi thanked the Iranian leadership for its "steadfast support" to the struggle of the Kashmiris.

The development comes in the backdrop of India and Iran inking an agreement to lease operation control of a part of the port to New Delhi for 18 months. India would commence operations with borrowed Iranian equipment by May. The port is crucial for India as it plans on creating a trade and transport corridor to Afghanistan while bypassing Pakistan.

Zarif said, "our relations with India, just like Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia, are not against Pakistan as we understand Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia are not against Iran."

Zarif also raised the issue of cooperation between Chabahar and Gwadar ports during his meetings with foreign minister Asif and National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua. During his meeting with Janjua on Tuesday, Zarif talked about "tapping into the potential of Gwadar and Chabahar ports" to boost economic cooperation, according to a statement from Iran's foreign ministry.

OneIndia News
A secret trip to an ISIS medical camp in Syria changed the course for this Bengaluru doctor

Syrian civil war: More than 900 children died in 2017, UN calls it deadliest

International

oi-Oneindia Staff

By Oneindia Staff

Geneva, March 14: Mourning the death of hundreds of children in the ongoing Syrian civil war, the United Nations (UN) stated that 2017 was the "deadliest year" for the minors. "More than 900 children were killed last year in Syria, making 2017 the deadliest year for children in the country's ongoing conflict", a senior UN official told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Tuesday.

The official warned that the grim statistics may only be the tip of the iceberg. The civil war in Syria started on March 15, 2011. UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis Panos Moumtzis and UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore addressed a high-level panel discussion looking at rights violations against children caught in the fighting, which is entering its eighth year.

"In 2017, documentation of violations of children's rights during the conflict--by all sides--was the highest since the beginning of the conflict. Simply put, 2017 was the deadliest year of the Syrian war for children," Moumtzis told the Council.

The Syria Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism verified that in 2017 alone, at least 910 children were killed and 361 were injured. The large majority of child casualties took place in Idlib, Aleppo and Deir-Ez-Zor, and other locations.

"There is a child and a grieving family behind every single one of these numbers. Verification of additional cases continues and these numbers only provide the tip of the iceberg of the actual case and scale of violence suffered by children in Syria."

The UN estimates that overall, 400,000 people have been killed in Syria, and more than a million injured. The fighting has also pushed more than five million Syrians across the border to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, as well as to Europe and beyond.

Moumtzis informed that children make up over 40 per cent of the 13.1 million people inside Syria who require life-saving humanitarian assistance. And of the more than five million across the country who are in acute need, 663,000 are under the age of five--a figure he described as "shocking."

OneIndia News
Les lunettes de marque ne sont pas ce qui manque dans les commerces. Il y en a de toutes les sortes dont les lunettes de []
Vous etes confrontes a une infestation par la puce, la punaise de lit ? Voici plusieurs actions qui sont a mettre en uvre pour faire []
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Sputnik



Meeting with heads of Russian print media and news agencies

(Image by en.kremlin.ru) Details DMCA



Relations between Britain and Russia have become so toxic now that anyone working with Russian news media is liable to be condemned as a stooge or traitor.

Senior Labour party member John McDonnell, the shadow finance minister, has conceded this week that fellow opposition politicians "may be banned from appearing on Russian news media" following the furore over allegations that Moscow carried out an assassination attempt in Britain last week.

Other reports have called on Britain's state media regulator, Ofcom, to cancel the broadcast license for Russian government-owned news outlet RT. That move is being touted as "appropriate retaliation" for Moscow's alleged involvement in the apparent poison attack on Sergei Skripal and his adult daughter.

The pair have been hospitalized following an incident in their adopted home town of Salisbury on March 4, in which it appears they were exposed to a lethal nerve agent. Disgraced Russian agent Sergei Skripal had been living in the southern England town for the past eight years following his exile to Britain in 2010 as part of a spy exchange.

After much fevered speculation in British media, the Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May followed up this week by telling lawmakers in the House of Commons that "it was highly likely Russia was responsible."

The main incriminating factor cited is that the poisonous substance has been supposedly identified by British authorities as "novichok" -- a Soviet-made nerve agent, similar to VX and other weaponized organophosphate compounds.

Moscow has categorically denied any involvement in the apparent murder bid on the Skripals. Russia's Foreign Ministry has derided May's parliamentary address as "a circus show."

Let's back up a moment. May's claims of "highly likely" are eerily reminiscent of American and British "high confidence" about weapons of mass destruction allegedly in Iraq and Syria; or American and British "high confidence" about alleged Russian meddling in elections. It seems to be always a case of assertion-without-evidence which is either eventually disproven, as with WMDs in Iraq, or reliant on endless repetition by dutiful news media.

As for the British prime minister's supposed "smoking syringe" implicating Moscow because of an alleged Soviet military-grade nerve agent "novichok", that depends on the word of British military intelligence. How do we know novichok was actually used? It could have been any number of highly-toxic related organophosphate chemicals.

Even if novichok was deployed to injure the Skripals that is far from proof of any Russian connection. We can be sure Britain and other Western states have also developed their own stocks of novichok. How easy it would be to use the chemical as an apparent fingerprint framing the Kremlin, in the same way that the CIA and NSA can leave digital fingerprints framing enemies for seeming cyber-attacks.

The official British position implicating Russia over the Salisbury poisoning is tenuous, to say the least. But what is astounding is how the British are toxifying relations with Russia based on no objective evidence.

When Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn stood up in parliament this week to reply to Theresa May's speech, he was roundly vilified by Tory lawmakers and sections of the British media because he did not "condemn" Russia over the Salisbury incident.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

China has become the world's fifth-largest arms exporter, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

China replaces Britain in the top five arms-dealing countries between 2008 and 2012, a group dominated by the United States and Russia, which accounted for 30 percent and 26 percent of weapons exports, SIPRI said Monday March 13.

Germany and France ranked third and fourth on the arms exporter list.

"China is establishing itself as a significant arms supplier to a growing number of important recipient states," Paul Holtom, director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Program, said in a statement.

Commenting on the SIPRI report, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said China was a responsible arms exporter which strictly adhered to international law.

"On arms exports, China sticks to three principles. First, that it is conducive to the recipient country's justifiable self-defense needs. Second, it does not damage regional and global peace, security and stability. Third, it does not interfere in other countries' internal affairs," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Chinese attack helicopters, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and air defenses were on public show for the first time at the Zhuhai air show in southern China in November 2017.

The SIPRI report showed China delivered major arms to 48 countries in the past five years, with Pakistan topping the list, followed by Bangladesh and Algeria.





"Pakistan - which accounted for 55 percent of Chinese arms exports - is likely to remain the largest recipient of Chinese arms in the coming years due to large outstanding and planned orders for combat aircraft, submarines and frigates," SIPRI said.

Myanmar received 8 percent of China's weapons exports. Bangladesh received 7 percent of the arms while Algeria, Venezuela and Morocco have bought Chinese-made frigates, aircraft or armored vehicles in the past several years.

After decades of steep increases in military spending and cash injections into domestic contractors, experts say some Chinese-made equipment is now comparable to Russian or Western counterparts.

Chinese military drones in UAE

Defense analysts believe that the Chinese drone, the Wing Loong II, is now being used by the United Arab Emirates military while the UAE remains barred from buying weaponized drones from the United States, the Associated Press reports.

That purchase, as well as Abu Dhabi hosting the drone exhibition and conference last month in the Emirati capital, shows the power these weapons now hold across the Middle East, the AP said.

Top UAE officials, including Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, were on hand for the drone conference, held last month.

Al-Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi, which hosts some of the 5,000 American troops in the UAE, is also home to some of the US military's unmanned aircraft that flew missions over Iraq and Syria.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Exclusive to OpEdNews:

Life Arts 3/14/2018 at 11:42 AM EDT H4'ed 3/14/18

Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Paul Craig Roberts Website

As I wrote earlier, "the entire Western world is insane." More evidence has been jumping out at me all day. For example:

President Trump has nominated a person, Gina Haspel, to be CIA Director who is deeply implicated in CIA torture and destruction of the evidence.

The Republicans want to confirm her as "an excellent choice." One assumes the feminists also favor confirmation as she is female. That she is a woman, a torturer, and destroyed incriminating evidence qualifies her to be CIA Director. Compare her treatment to General Michael Flynn's. Trump abandoned Flynn as National Security Advisor on a nothing charge and puts in charge of the CIA a person who the ACLU calls the "central figure in one of the most illegal and shameful chapters in modern American history" and a "war criminal."

Washington continues to murder citizens in Trump's "shithole countries" around the clock and is apparently preparing to do the same thing to Russians and Iranians, and where is Amnesty International? Margaret Huang has Amnesty International on a campaign to hold Trump responsible for not supporting women's rights.

With the Trump regime headed to war and more war, where is the Democratic opposition? Hillary Clinton is in India explaining that Democrats "do not do well with white men, and we don't do well with married, white women." Hillary is expressing the Identity Politics line that the problem is white people. If the problem is white people, that includes not only the "Trump deplorables," but also the populations of Australia, Canada, UK, Europe, and Russia. If whiteness is the problem, how is it that Americans are "exceptional and indispensable"? How can leadership of the West emerge from a political party allied with Identity Politics?

With the Trump regime opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, turning over to mining corporations US National Monuments, and condoning extermination of endangered wildlife, where is the Sierra Club? If you look at the current issue of Sierra (March/April), the Sierra Club is fighting against the lack of racial and sexual preference diversity in outdoor recreation with "Out in the Woods-Nature Doesn't Care If You're LGBTQ+." Venture Out Project is a nonprofit organization that rescues "lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and nonbinary and differently gendered people" from self-pity by taking them "on wilderness adventures" in a safe outdoor environment where they don't have to be afraid of heterosexual males. Of course, nature most certainly does care if you are LGBTQ+. Nature is set up for procreation, not for same-sex sexual pleasure. Who has ever heard of a lesbian lion pride or a LGBTQ+ wolf pack?

Is this silliness or insanity? I think it is insanity. Perversion is normalized and heterosexual males are demonized and delegitimized. The self-confidence and motivation of the warrior class is destroyed while Washington issues threats to superior military powers.

I am waiting for the day when an army of feminists and LGBTQ+ defeat the Russian military.
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

"Ordinary into Extraordinary," a group exhibition opens at Blue 7 Gallery on Sunday March 18th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm.



Flyer by Lucius Peterson

(Image by Lucius Peterson) Details DMCA



Owned by Randy Ball, the longtime gallery has evolved into a nurturing collective, hosting shows about ten times a year. "Randy and I were just brain storming," said Lucius Peterson, gallery director. "We were intrigued by how artists are inspired by seemingly everyday items - old shoes, a box." Both Randy Ball (owner) and Lucius Peterson (director) are also artists and will be exhibiting work in the group show as well. In fact, the two collaborated in the production of the "Rose" photo. Peterson explained, "It is two photographs woven together to produce a single image. I did the photography and Randy did the weaving."

Rose, (woven photo) by Randy Ball and Lucius Peterson

Peterson went on to say both Ball and himself were fond of Lisa Wald's cow paintings that would be part of the group show. The artist will be exhibiting works that were inspired by a recent visit to animal sanctuary. "The way Lisa paints her animals provides the viewer with a connection to the subject as if you know the cow," added Peterson.

"Randy & Lucius are great people to work with," said artist Lisa Wald, who has been part of the collective since it began. "They are supportive of artists & foster a collaborative environment." Although she paints many different types of subjects, she will be exhibiting her animal inspired works for this exhibition. She continued, "Showing at Blue 7 Gallery has been a fantastic way to share my art with the public in a nurturing environment. It's also very exciting to see my pieces on a gallery wall. I'm always impressed by the other artists' work & their points of view." http://www.lisawald.net



Lisa Wald, Good Morning, 16' x 20' Oil on Canvas Panel

(Image by Lisa Wald) Details DMCA



Lisa Wald,Good Morning, 16" x 20" Oil on Canvas Panel

Special guest artist Ray Ford will be included in the group exhibition as well. A talented wood sculptor, Ford takes pride in the fact that each of his works of art is completely original. He is a dedicated artist still at 90 years old. He continues to create work almost every day and exhibits in local galleries. His work has been shown at Ivan Gallery, the Santa Monica Art Studios, Fab-Gallery and more.

Like most artists, he has worked in all types of mediums. Wood carving was his first love and he has stayed true to it all these years, continuing to produce incredible one-of-a-kind artworks. He has done quite a bit of drawing and painting as well. His work is figurative in style. He explained, when modern art became all the rage, he was not a fan of abstract art. But"he added "I learned to appreciate it."



The wood sculptured of Ray Ford

(Image by Ray Ford) Details DMCA



To find out more about Ray Ford, visit his website at http://hrayford.com/

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing Russian Federal Assembly, March 1, 2018

Something significant occurred on March 1 that hasn't received the rightful attention it deserves in the US.

Maybe it's because it was a speech given by Russian President Vladimir Putin in his annual address to the Russian Federal Assembly [1] .

In that speech Putin changed the equation, changed the balance of power in the world where he revealed new Russian weapon systems that essentially neutralize any US ideas of "Full Spectrum Dominance" and any idea of an American nuclear first strike on Russia or any of its allies.

Peace in the world may not be at hand but I believe with his speech Putin significantly reduced the threat of nuclear war, that an ominous cloud has been lifted.

What he did was resurrect MAD, mutually assured destruction-though not is so many words-the old acknowledgement by the US and the Soviet Union during the cold war that initiating a nuclear war would bring an immediate retaliatory nuclear strike dispelling any notion of initiating a nuclear first strike.

Though Putin's speech was presented to the Russian Federal Assembly it was partially directed at the Pentagon, in particular over its recent "Nuclear Posture Review" especially the part of using tactical nuclear weapons considered a definite possibility.

To the Pentagon MAD no longer existed. The US would be embarking on a $trillion dollar modernization of its nuclear arsenal as well as continuing to develop its ABM system which in theory at least could intercept any Russian nuclear missile.

Well Putin put a torch to that idea. He said, "Nobody listened to us. Listen to us now". He revealed many of Russia's new weapons systems [2] , hypersonic nuclear powered cruise missiles with unlimited range, their advanced capabilities making them virtually impossible to detect, flying at speeds of Mach 10, launched to fly over the north or south poles, a nuclear powered drone submarine capable of descending to depths greater than manned subs, a laser capable of destroying military satellites. Weapons systems making the US Navy's 13 carrier task forces susceptible to being destroyed from great distances outside the theater of operation.

As Putin stated, "They exist and work really well". He sees these weapons as guaranteeing peace. We "have no plans to attack anybody". That he "hopes common sense will prevail".

Common sense hah!? When talking about "official" Washington does common sense exist?

Of course when official Washington did say anything about Putin's speech along with its corporate MSM megaphone and all its pundits they derided it, questioned whether the weapons even existed or their capabilities exaggerated. Hmm, Putin is not known to exaggerate. He means what he says. Well par for the course.

Yet how long will it take official Washington, its complicit corporate MSM, the deep state, neo-cons et al to reach the conclusion its attempt at "Full spectrum Dominance" has been thwarted by Russia. Who knows?

Then looking at the reality there's our US war based economy. Defense contractors have operations in all 50 states with Congressional allies in all of them. They have them by the throat. These sycophants aren't going to advocate defense contractors leave their jurisdictions shutting down their operations and jobs in their constituencies.

Then there's the CIA keeping the world unstable, private corporate mercenary contractors-Blackwater, Xi, whatever they're called now-roaming the world creating havoc along with special ops operations, NGO's like the National Endowment for Democracy, nothing more than a CIA front operation working to destabilize foreign governments, help initiate coups and overthrow legitimately elected governments-as happened in Ukraine in 2014, now happening in Venezuela, earlier in Iran, Chile, Nicaragua, Guatemala.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

Just what we don't need: more gun-toting, taser-wielding cops in government-run schools that bear an uncomfortable resemblance to prisons.

Microcosms of the police state, America's public schools already contain almost every aspect of the militarized, intolerant, senseless, overcriminalized, legalistic, surveillance-riddled, totalitarian landscape that plagues those of us on the "outside."

Now the Trump Administration wants to double down on these totalitarian echo chambers.

The Justice Department, headed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, has announced that it will provide funding for schools that want to hire more resource officers. The White House has also hinted that it may repeal "Rethink School Discipline" policies, heralding a return to zero tolerance policies that treat children like suspects and criminals, especially within the public schools.

As for President Trump, he wants to "harden" the schools.

What exactly does hardening the schools entail?

More strident zero tolerance policies, greater numbers of school cops, and all the trappings of a prison complex(unsurmountable fences, entrapment areas, no windows or trees, etc.).

Just when you thought this administration couldn't get any more tone-deaf about civil liberties, they prove once again that they have absolutely no regard for the Constitution (especially the Fourth Amendment), no concept of limited government, and no concern for the growing need to protect "we the people" against an overreaching, overbearing police state.

America's schools today are already about as authoritarian as they come.

Young people in America are now first in line to be searched, surveilled, spied on, threatened, tied up, locked down, treated like criminals for non-criminal behavior, tasered and in some cases shot.

Roped into the government's profit-driven campaign to keep the nation "safe" from drugs, weapons and terrorism, many schools have transformed themselves into quasi-prisons, complete with surveillance cameras, metal detectors, police patrols, zero tolerance policies, lock downs, drug sniffing dogs, strip searches and active shooter drills.

It used to be that if you talked back to a teacher, or played a prank on a classmate, or just failed to do your homework, you might find yourself in detention or doing an extra writing assignment after school.

That is no longer the case.

Nowadays, students are not only punished for minor transgressions such as playing cops and robbers on the playground, bringing LEGOs to school, or having a food fight, but the punishments have become far more severe, shifting from detention and visits to the principal's office into misdemeanor tickets, juvenile court, handcuffs, tasers and even prison terms.

These outrageous incidents are exactly what you'll see more of if the Trump Administration gets its way.

Increasing the number of cops in the schools only adds to the problem.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

See original here

Former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou personally knew CIA director nominee Gina Haspel when he worked at the CIA. But their careers have taken very different paths over the past decade. Haspel, who was directly involved in torture at a secret CIA prison in Thailand, has been promoted to head the agency. Kiriakou, who blew the whistle on the torture program, ended up being jailed for 23 months. For more, we speak with John Kiriakou, who spent 14 years at the CIA as an analyst and case officer.

This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.

AMY GOODMAN: As we continue to talk about the latest shake-up in the Trump administration, let's bring into this conversation former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who personally knew CIA director nominee Gina Haspel when he worked at the CIA. But their careers have taken very different paths over the past decade. Haspel, who was directly involved in torture at a secret CIA prison in Thailand, has been promoted to now head the agency. Kiriakou, who blew the whistle on the torture program, ended up being jailed for almost two years.

John Kiriakou, welcome back to Democracy Now! Can you respond to President Trump's decision to fire Rex Tillerson and replace Tillerson with Pompeo as secretary of state? Pompeo, head of the CIA, would be then replaced by the deputy director of the CIA, Gina Haspel.

JOHN KIRIAKOU: Well, so many of us believed a year ago that Rex Tillerson was going to be the adult in the room at the White House. That turned out to be the case, in a way, but he was so disrespected by this president and those around him that he was probably doomed from the beginning.

On Mike Pompeo, I've said from the beginning, you can disagree with him politically and ideologically, but he doesn't have the kind of baggage that Gina Haspel has. I wouldn't have chosen Mike Pompeo to be the secretary of state, but, I guess, in the greater scheme of things, we could have done worse.

Gina Haspel, however, is a problem, a big problem. I've been talking about Gina Haspel for more than a year. She was a dreadful choice to be the deputy director. She's a worse choice to be the director. I think it's wonderful that there's a possibility of a woman heading the CIA, but there are 50 different women who are qualified to lead the CIA. It shouldn't be Gina Haspel.

AMY GOODMAN: So talk about why you and others called her "Bloody Gina."

JOHN KIRIAKOU: We did call her Bloody Gina. Gina was always very quick and very willing to use force. You know, there was a group of officers in the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, when I was -- when I was serving there, who -- I hate to even make the accusation out loud, but I'm going to say it: who enjoyed using force. Yeah, everybody knew that torture didn't work. That's not even the issue. Lots of different things work. Was it moral, and was it ethical, and was it legal? I think the answers to those questions are very clearly no. But Gina and people like Gina did it, I think, because they enjoyed doing it. They tortured just for the sake of torture, not for the sake of gathering information.

AMY GOODMAN: And can you talk more specifically about Gina Haspel heading up this secret CIA black site in Thailand and -- for those who aren't familiar with even what a black site is -- and the fact that she not only headed it up, but was directly involved with the torture?

JOHN KIRIAKOU: First, let me preface any comments that I make by saying that the CIA's Publications Review Board is specifically prohibiting me from talking about Gina Haspel's re'sume, especially her overseas duty. With that said, the media has reported extensively on what Gina Haspel has done over the course of her career, so I'll leave it at that.

With that said, a black site is a site that's more or less off the books, meaning it doesn't officially exist. It exists, but nobody is supposed to know that it exists. And in many cases, that includes the congressional oversight committees.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Reader Supported News

I want to tell you about a very exciting trip that I took last weekend to Texas and Arizona. That follows the trip we took several weeks ago to Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan. Of these six states, Trump won five. And, in Illinois, where Trump lost, progressives are taking on the old and moribund Democratic machine.

The very good news is: the political revolution is on the move, not only in progressive states but in conservative areas as well. You have heard me say it a million times. This country will not change if the Democratic Party continues to ignore half the states in this country, including some of the poorest.

We're not going to transform the politics of the United States by just doing fundraisers with wealthy people in New York and California or starting Super PACs funded by special interests. We have got to take the fight for economic, social, racial and environmental justice to every county in every state in this country.

And the good news is that is exactly what is beginning to happen.*This year, there are more candidates than ever on the ballot -- in progressive and conservative areas -- who support Medicare for all, free tuition at public colleges and universities, a $15 minimum wage, gun safety legislation and our entire progressive agenda.*

In many instances, these candidates are fighting against a political establishment that tells them they cannot win running on a progressive agenda, and they are fighting against a financial elite who will spend anything to stop them. *We should work as hard as we can to elect those candidates, and I intend to -- just as I did this past weekend. But I cannot do it alone. So I have to ask:*

That's what the political revolution is about and that's what, with your support, we're doing. And, trust me, it's not me alone. Hundreds of volunteers helped on this trip and I spoke alongside of great progressives like Jim Hightower of Texas and Nina Turner, the national president of Our Revolution.

Do you want to hear about success? In Texas earlier last week, progressive candidates have either won or advanced to runoffs in 19 out of 27 races that were contested, and voter turnout shot way up statewide.

On our visit to Texas we had thousands of people come out in San Antonio and Lubbock. Yes. In Lubbock, one of the most conservative areas in Texas, where Trump won 2-1, we had a standing room only crowd of 1,300. This is a place where the Democratic Party is incredibly weak and where the local newspaper claimed no progressive rally like ours had taken place in a "long time, if ever."

In Lubbock, 46 percent of the population is Latino or African American and the overwhelming majority of the community is poor or working class. Yet like in many other rural parts of the country, the Democratic Party has conceded the area and right-wing Republicans keep winning. That's pathetic, and we're in the process of changing that.

And what was our message in Trump country? It was that the political pundits are wrong when they say there are "blue states" like Vermont, "red states" like Texas, and "purple states" like Arizona, and that we need to be "realistic" in our goals because there are big differences between them all.

*Well, I don't believe that for a second and neither should you. I believe that in every state in this country, working people are struggling. There must be - and there will be -- a progressive government that fights for all of us, not just the 1 percent.*

Because no matter where you live, the vast majority of people don't believe in a Republican agenda that provides huge tax breaks to billionaires while cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

No matter where you live, the vast majority of the people understand that in the wealthiest country in the history of the world people should not be forced to work two or three jobs to pay the bills because we have a national minimum wage of $7.25 an hour -- a starvation wage. They also understand that women should not be earning 80 percent or less of what men make for doing the same work.

No matter where you live, we all get sick, we all have accidents and we all need health care. And we now see a growing majority in this country who understand that health care is a right, not a privilege. We also see more and more people who want a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

It's been James Comey. It's been Them Russians. It's been Barack Obama. It's been misogyny. It's been WikiLeaks. It's been social media. Hillary Clinton has tons of reasons why she lost the 2016 presidential election. And, oddly, none of those reasons are herself or her campaign.

This week, the excuse is that millions of whipped women just did as they were told. Clinton dropped that one on a conference in Mumbai: "We do not do well with white men and we don't do well with married, white women .... part of that is an identification with the Republican Party, and a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way that your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should."

Hillary Clinton loves strong women. Well, sort of. She loves women who are strong enough to vote for Hillary Clinton, but not quite strong enough to speak publicly about their encounters -- willing or unwilling, as equals or as mere White House interns bedazzled by presidential attention -- with her husband.

It's not the first time Clinton and her coterie have thrown feminism under the bus. At a 2016 campaign rally in New Hampshire, former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright announced "a special place in hell" for women who dared make up their own minds instead of just buckling down and supporting Clinton.

One begins to suspect that for Hillary Clinton, everything is all about Hillary Clinton, all the time. That Hillary Clinton's guiding principle is whatever's best for Hillary Clinton right now. That Hillary Clinton is never to blame, nor to be held responsible, for anything negative.

If her record of fobbing every problem off on others while publicly stroking her own ego didn't stretch back decades, and if I hadn't seem them together, I might have to conclude that she and Donald Trump are the same person wearing different wigs.

Clinton didn't lose the presidential election because white women don't have minds of their own. She lost the presidential election because they do.

And because she ran a train wreck of a campaign.

And because she erroneously assumed that organized labor would get out the vote for her in the Rust Belt, an area she mostly ignored and Trump didn't, where she lost by about 80,000 votes out of more than 135 million cast.

Hillary Clinton lost the election because of Hillary Clinton.

Trump is awful, but America dodged a bullet by not electing her.
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Paul Craig Roberts Website

Stephen Lendman agrees that the murderous criminals in Washington are driving humanity to extinction.

Because of the control over explanations that people in the Western world receive, most are unaware of the mounting danger.

In the past few days extreme and serious threats have been issued against Russia and Syria by Washington and London. It seems that finally the Russians have had enough. The Russian Foreign Ministry informed the crazed UK prime Minister May that "one does not give 24 hours notice to a nuclear power."

The Russian Foreign Ministry went on to state that the so-called "Skripal poisoning" is "a colossal international provocation" and "another crooked attempt by the UK authorities to discredit Russia."

Powerful Russia put impotent Britain on notice: "Any threat to take 'punitive' measures against Russia will meet with a response. The British side should be aware of that."

As for Washington's threat to strike Syrian army forces, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said if such a strike occurs, "the consequences will be very serious."

It could be the case that Washington, concerned about its deteriorating military capability vis-a-vis Russia, has decided to attack before the new Russian weapons are fully deployed, and that the purpose of the threats based on orchestrated false charges are to prepare the Western peoples for war.

During the 25 years I spent in Washington, there was still some intelligence and some integrity in the US government. Today neither intelligence nor integrity exists in Washington. You can with confidence expect the worst.

See also this.
Dairy Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their diaries after publishing them.



To see if the diary was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Quicklink Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them.



To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Progressive Content Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

At Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi's first court date in February, her attorney Gaby Lasky reported that prosecution read the indictment, but Ahed Tamimi had not entered a plea. The military judge ordered that the trial be held behind closed doors, in contrast to what Ahed, her family and her lawyer wanted. At that time, the next hearing was scheduled for March 11, but there has been little news about whether it happened or, likely, was postponed.

Human Rights Watch states that Tamimi's pre-trial detention "is both a violation of international law and unnecessary. Her case raises concerns that Israel's military justice system, which detains hundreds of Palestinian children every year, is incapable of respecting children's rights."

'

RT @Imtiyazmakrani4: Mission of #Bolivia to the United Nations Freedom for the activist girl, Ahed Tamimi, and all the Palestinian childre at  Jesus Army (@Jesusarmy) March 13, 2018

RT @MustafAbuZir_E: The death of #Dutch activist Margaret Tieders, who has spent nearly 90 years in defense of our just cause. Her last sol at March 13, 2018

RT @MichaelLevin11: Spokesperson for Jewish Voice for Peace: I am here speaking as a person of the Jewish faith ... it is not a Jewish valu at  #NoJusticeNoPeace (@PalsJustice) March 13, 2018

RT @_PalestinePics: #Koreans showing their support #AhedTamimi  https://t.co/oI0SMBpvHT at https://t.co/oI0SMBpvHT  melina mercury (@mmm_idektbh) March 13, 2018
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

While I have little sufferance for the NRA, I find some truth in its claim that "Guns don't kill, people do." The Chinese discovered gun powder centuries ago, and there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. The furor over the latest school shooting in Florida brings out the same maniacal and misplaced cries for an external solution that can only be found in the mirror. Do we blame the gun if used for a suicide? Could we be facing a societal suicide?

If I had my way, no one, not even the police, would have a gun. They are designed for one thing only, to kill. They have no other purpose. However, there are more than 300,000,000 guns in the United States, with more being manufactured every day. They cannot be made to disappear. They cannot, realistically, be bought back by the government, and any effective background check on buyers would mark an absolute end to what is left of our privacy. Such policies would do nothing more than create a very lucrative black market for guns. Have we learned nothing from prohibition and the war on drugs?

In the first place, the uproar over gun control is a sideshow, but with an ominous purpose. It's a distraction, one of many, that serves to keep us from facing the real threat to our existence, which is nuclear war. An oligarchy or deep state that has taken control of our government seems bent on global domination as a "New World Order." Now, lest we dismiss this as just another wild conspiracy theory, consider the words of David Rockefeller in his 2002 memoirs:

"Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interest of the United States, characterizing my family and me as 'internationalists' and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure -- one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."

Having no national allegiance, this cabal has chosen the United States as the agent to create this "New World Order." Since to do so would require wars and killing, what nation other than the United States is best qualified to carry out this diabolical scheme?

Aside from having the necessary force of arms to bring the world into compliance, we seem, as a populace, to have a predisposition for wars and killing. To date according to CNN, from the beginning of this century there have been 20 mass shootings claiming a total of 349 innocent lives. Violence pervades our films and video games. Speaking at a campaign rally in Iowa, presidential candidate Trump boasted that:

"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters."

We support a government that advocates both capital punishment and war. The intention of

our penal system is not to reform but to punish. As for war, a study by Global Research finds that of the 242 years of our history, the Unites States has been at war during 221 of them. This leaves just 21 years of our existence in which there has been no war. It should be noted that roughly a third of the war years involved the shameful slaughter of Native Americans, which some historians have deemed genocide.

The United States has more than 800 military bases throughout the world. The question to be asked is, Why? The answer must be the creation of the "New World Order." Standing in the way are the nations of Russia, China, Korea and Iran, three of which are nuclear. Having declared them enemies of the United States, what does this portend? The doomsday clock just advanced: it's now just two and a half minutes to midnight, according to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists which warns that the end of humanity may be near.

What we fail to understand is that the only solution to the problem of gun control lies not with the guns people own but with their use. I fear that so long as we continue to stomach mass murders at home and illegal wars abroad, we become complicit in their execution. So long as we refuse to acknowledge the profanation of our society by the duplicity of our supposed democratically elected officials, and so long as we continue to accept without question the specious "official line" as dictated to a controlled MSM, we share the guilt.

If I might be so bold as to advise President Trump, I might make the following suggestions:

1. Instead of calling for deregulation, strive to curb a run-amok capitalism whose greed has produced a record setting gap between the 1% and the rest of us. The thought that such a system will regulate itself is pure fantasy.

2. Narrow this atrocious income gap by raising the minimum wage to a level compensatory with what a single wage earner would need to support a family of four, and restore the union movement to its proper posture, allowing the worker to share more equitably in the increased productivity of advancing technology. Only then could we expect the return to a social structure that allows for the proper upbringing of our children and a renewed faith in an honest government.

3. Adjust the estate tax (apart from a Canadian economist's solution which called for a 100% estate tax). Adjust it upwards in order to somewhat level a tipped playing field in terms of equal opportunity for all Americans.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Would you like to know how many people have read this article? Or how reputable the author is? Simply sign up for a Advocate premium membership and you'll automatically see this data on every article. Plus a lot more, too.

From Palestine Chronicle

If scandal-plagued Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, exits his country's political scene today, who is likely to replace him? And what does this mean as far as Israel's Occupation of Palestine is concerned?

Netanyahu, who is currently being charged with multiple cases of corruption, misuse of government funds and public office, has, for years, epitomized the image of Israel internationally.

In Israel, Netanyahu has masterfully kept his rightwing Likud Party at the center of power. Even if as part of larger coalitions -- as is often the case in the formation of most of Israeli governments -- the Likud, under Netanyahu, has shaped Israeli politics and foreign policy for many years.

As Israel's Jewish population continues to move to the right, the country's political ideology has been repeatedly redefined in the last two decades.

Now, a negligible eight percent of Israeli Jews see themselves as leftwing, while a whopping 37 percent consider themselves rightwing. Although 55 percent see themselves as Center, the term itself does not represent what political centers traditionally do in other countries.

For example, it is quite acceptable to be a member of Israel's center and support the idea of forced expulsion of Palestinian Arab natives living in Israel. 48 percent of all Israeli Jews, in fact, do.

But what does all of this mean for the Palestinian people, for the Israeli Occupation and for a just solution to the ongoing suffering in Palestine?

Here are some characters that are seen as possible heirs to Netanyahu's political throne.

This should certainly not indicate that Netanyahu's political future is over. But due to the number and seriousness of the scandals surrounding him, Netanyahu's skills may no longer serve him.

Mindful of that possibility, some Israeli politicians, even in Netanyahu's own party, are ready to take the helm when the opportunity arises:

Minister of Education and leader of Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home), Naftali Bennett is a rightwing, ultra-nationalist. He is vehemently opposed to any talks with the Palestinians and has long advocated the full annexation of all illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

In an interview with Israel's Army Radio on March 8, Bennett made it clear that he would run for the post of Prime Minister when Netanyahu "exits the political stage."

In recent remarks made at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference, Bennett, a champion of the settlers' movement, insisted that neither settlement blocs nor large sections of the Occupied West Bank will ever be relinquished.

He was quoted in the Washington Post as saying that any criticism from the West regarding the annexation of occupied land is likely to be fleeting. "After two months (of annexation) it fades away, and 20 years later and 40 years later it's still ours. Forever."

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Fai Exchange  One of the Best 1031 like Kind Exchange Companies in Massachusetts

https://www.fai1031.com/

The section 1031 is slowly becoming the talk of the town among realtors and property investors. What is 1031? The swap of one asset or business to another is called 1031 exchange or 1031 like-kind exchange. While most swaps are taxable, the 1031 exchange is aimed at deferring capital gain taxes.1031 like-kind exchange allows you to change the form of your investment without the IRS recognizing your capital gain. This, in turn, allows your investment to grow to defer capital gain taxes. There is no limit on how many times you can do the 1031 exchange.1031 like-kind exchange is a friend to real estate professionals and business property, investors.The mechanism of 1031 like-kind exchangeWhen an investor sells the property (relinquished property) and a Qualified Intermediary (QI) holds the funds gained from the sale. The QI is then directed by the investor to purchase a new property of equal or higher value than that of a relinquished property. By this method, the investor is saved from paying the capital gain taxes that he otherwise would have had to pay over the sale of the relinquished property. Without 1031 like-kind exchange, the investor will always have to pay capital gain taxes every time he moves from one property to another. Additionally, saving up on capital gain taxes puts an investor on a better road to become wealthier.Here are some things you should know about 1031 like-kind exchange:1. You cannot use the 1031 exchange for personal residences. 1031 like-kind exchange is a provision for investment and business properties only.2. You need to buy a replacement property that is equal or higher in value than that of a relinquished property.3. You will need a Qualified Intermediary to carry out the 1031 like-kind exchange.4. You are required to identify a new property after the closing of your relinquished property.5. You are also required to close in on one or more identified properties within 180 calendar days of the closing of your relinquished property.If you are looking for a 1031 exchange company in Massachusetts, look up to Fai Exchange.Fai Exchange caters realtors and business property investors who are seeking relief from capital gain taxes. Fai Exchanges skilled and talented staffs will always be there to explain you every aspect of 1031 like-kind exchange. Our services also include preparation of documents with all appropriate forms required for a smooth 1031 like-kind exchange to happen.Connect with us for a discussion by visiting our websiteand fill up the contact form for us to get back to you.William L. McNamaraP.O. Box 487Dedham, MA 02026888-669-3332
Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market Analysis, Market Size, Market Growth, Competitive Strategies, and Opportunity Assessment and Worldwide Demand, 2023, Focusing On Top Key Vendors like Medtronic

https://www.healthcareintelligencemarkets.com/request_sample.php?id=5761

https://www.healthcareintelligencemarkets.com/enquiry_before_buying.php?id=5761

This report, titled Global Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market offers an important analytical guidance on the trends and developments in this industry. The report also provides a professional and in-depth analysis on the global Market while formulating industry insights into its current state of affairs. The report offers details on the pricing structure and channels of distribution of equipment suppliers in the global industry.Top Key Vendors in Market: Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, Pancreum, Tandem Diabetes Care, JDRFThe global Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market is explained in detail in this report, starting with a basic overview, which includes definitions and various specifics related to the raw materials used in manufacturing the market products. This section also includes a considered distinction of major and minor factors that influence this market. The summary includes a depiction of the value chain structure of the global industry and a status update for the different major regional segments of this industry. Further the report scrutinizes the several policies that regulate processes in this global market, specifically, the ones that are currently active, along with an analysis of the top news stories about the global industry.Get Sample Copy of this Report:The report also provides a detailed and in-depth examination of the global Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market in terms of market size for the worldwide channels, along with region-specific channels in the global region. The market size of each region is explained with respect to the sales values and sales revenue in terms of applications and market players, growth rates in volume and value, and the sales price in terms of types, applications, and companies. The report also provides a critical assessment of the global industry with regard to additional costs such as labor costs and the overall manufacturing costs and process analysis.The report describes the competitive landscape of the global Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market by describing all of its key players. Each major company is assessed through their company profile, the volume of sales, product specifications, gross margin, product pictures wherever applicable, sales price, and sales revenue.Know More about This Premium Report @On the basis of geographical regions, the Global Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market is segmented broadly into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific. The global market is still in its exploratory stage in most of the regions but it holds the promising potential to flourish steadily in coming years. The major companies investing in this market are situated in Canada, U.K., and the US, India, China and some more countries of Asia Pacific region. Consequently, Asia Pacific, North America, and Western Europe are estimated to hold more than half of the market shares, collectively in coming years.Another key note to be declared here is the integration of market desirability index in the report particularizing growth, enactment, and opportunities in the Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market. The report is determined by the enclosure of the competitive landscape among major players involved in the production of the market components. The subdivision contains a far-reaching company summarizing and dashboard presentation of major players.In the last sections of the report, the manufacturers responsible for increasing the sales in the Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market have been presented. These manufacturers have been analyzed in terms of their manufacturing base, basic information, and competitors. In addition, the technology and product type introduced by each of these manufacturers also form a key part of this section of the report.Table of Content:Global Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1 Artificial Pancreas Device Systems Market OverviewChapter 2 Global Economic ImpactChapter 3 Competition by ManufacturerChapter 4 Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2018-2023)Chapter 5 Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2018-2023)Chapter 6 Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by TypeChapter 7 Analysis by ApplicationChapter 8 Manufacturing Cost AnalysisChapter 9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream BuyersChapter 10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/TradersChapter 11 Market Effect Factors AnalysisChapter 12 Market Forecast (2018-2023)Chapter 13 AppendixHealthCare Intelligence Markets supply market intelligence reports in the domain of personalized drugs & diagnostics after going through a rigorous research process. The healthcare and pharma industry is constantly evolving as trends are getting replaced at a rapid pace.Shreyas TannaHealthcare Intelligence Markets601, Winterberry Purple, Koregaon Park, Pune, 411001sales@healthcareintelligencemarkets.com+91 7400242424
Inorganic Zinc Rich Primer Market Size, Share, Growth, Opportunities and Forecast 2018 To 2022

http://www.acutemarketreports.com/report/inorganic-zinc-rich-primer-industry

http://www.acutemarketreports.com/request-free-sample/115295

http://www.acutemarketreports.com/report/inorganic-zinc-rich-primer-industry

http://www.acutemarketreports.com

Inorganic Zinc Rich Primer Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2022 is a professional and comprehensive 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).In this report, the global Inorganic Zinc Rich Primer market is valued at USD XX million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2018 to 2022.Browse full Report with Toc:The report firstly introduced the Inorganic Zinc Rich Primer 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 major players profiled in this report include:HempelChugoku Marine PaintsNippon PaintPPG IndustriesSherwin-WilliamsAkzoNobelBASFThe end users/applications and product categories analysis:On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue (Million USD), product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into-Alcohol Soluble Inorganic Zinc Rich CoatingsWater Borne Inorganic Zinc Rich CoatingsOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Inorganic Zinc Rich Primer for each application, including-PlantMachineryOthersDownload Free Sample Request:Browse full Report with Toc:About UsAcute Market Reports is the most sufficient collection of market intelligence services online. It is your only source that can fulfill all your market research requirements. We provide online reports from over 100 best publishers and upgrade our collection regularly to offer you direct online access to the worlds most comprehensive and recent database with expert perceptions on worldwide industries, products, establishments and trends. Our database consists of 200,000+ market research reports with detailed & minute market research.Contact usName: Chris PaulDesignation: Global Sales ManagerAddress: 105 N 1st ST #429, SAN JOSE, CA 95103, United StatesEmail:- sales@acutemarketreports.comToll Free (US/CANADA): +1-855-455-8662Website: -
Organic Wine Market Driven by Rising Number of Organic Vineyards

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=34391

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=34391<ype=S

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Organic wine is a type of wine that is produced without the use of artificial chemicals such as fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides. Organic grapes are cultivated in vineyards on the principles of organic farming. The aging process is employed to lend the wine, obtained from the grapes, a fine taste. It is the most preferred alcoholic beverage among the consumers. Organic wine can be used as a medicine due to presence of resveratrol that prevents aging and helps to fight with the diseases. Additionally, it helps for better metabolism, body warmth, and enhances better immunity.Request to view Sample Report:In most parts of the world, sulfite is employed in some amounts for stabilizing and improving the shelf-life of wine. Organic wine can be classified into three categories such as 100% organic wine, organic wines (95% of its ingredients from certified organic sources, which may have an additional 100 ppm of sulfur dioxide added to them) and wines made from organic grapes (70% of its grapes are from organic sources). Based on the product type, the organic wine market can be segregated into red wine, white wine, rose wine, sparkling wine, dessert wine and fortified wine. In terms of distribution channel, the organic wine market can be segregated into online distribution and offline distribution. Organic wines are purchased primarily in hypermarkets and supermarkets. Such products of organic wine are certified by different certification bodies all over the globe to be organic such as USDA, EU organic Certification, and California Certified organic farmers certification.The global organic wine industry is witnessing significant expansion for the last ten years. Rising number of organic vineyards is a key driver of the market. Increasing demand for organic wine has also led to an increase in the production of organic grapes across the globe. Wine has been always a preferred choice for celebration or parties. Currently, awareness about the presence of hazardous chemicals in food and beverages and health consciousness is rising among consumers. Thus the organic sector is witnessing an increase in investments from private investors as well as the government in the last few years.Some of the restraints of the market are high price of organic products and the low shelf-life when compared to conventional wine. Retailer indifference has played a key role in the poor acceptance of organic wines. These wines are often found in organic sections set off from the rest of the wine. Furthermore, differing standards and regulations regarding organic wine is likely to hinder the expansion of the global organic wine market.Buy this Report at:Europe accounts for around 70% of global organic wine production. Italy, France, Sweden, U.K. and Spain are the leading manufacturers of organic wine. Organic wines made in Italy have better quality as compared to the wines produced in other countries. In North America, the U.S. as well as Canada witnessed a significant rise in the consumption of organic wines. Additionally, revenue generated by the export of organic wines from Italy is anticipated to rise remarkably due to rise in exports to countries such as U.S. and other European countries during the forecast period. In Asia Pacific, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, China, and India have shown good progress in organic wine consumption. Developing nations in the region are likely to present better growth potential in organic wine sector.There are more than 2,000 organic wine producers globally. The major global players include Kendall-Jackson Winery, The Wine Group, E&J Gallo Pernod-Ricard, Bronco Wine, King Estate Winery, Chateau Maris Winery, Castel, Treasury Wine E states, Hall wines, Lapostolle winery, Diageo, DE Loach Vineyards, Grgich Hills Estate, China Great Wall Wine, Emiliana Organic Vineyards, Armit wines ltd, The Organic Wine Company, and Distell Group.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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
In an interesting turn of events, comedian Vincent Muasya better known by his stage name Chipukeezy will not be joining Radio Maisha.

The former Kiss FM presenter had been tipped to fill Jalangos shoes at the Standard Media Group station. The comedians new assignment had even been confirmed by both parties just last week on March 5.

Chipukeezy was set to team up with the veteran Alex Mwakideu for the morning show  Maisha Asubuhi.

He took to social media to break the exciting news, saying; Yeeeeees New assignment Alex Mwakideo na chipukeezy kila asubuhi kwenye MAISHA ASUBUHI itakua NDiAMBO SANA alex_mwakideu Niko njiani bro nikitoka hapa kwa Trump Tupatane Hewani this Wednesday..Wahenga wakale walisema chamkufuu Huu has na hakila huu ni kigeugeu #Backonair#Mungupekee#Onmyway.

But one week later, the comedian has revealed that he wont be part of the new look Radio Maisha.

While making the announcement last night, Chipukeezy cited unforeseen circumstances.

Hey guys. Due to unforeseen circumstances I will not be joining RADIO MAISHA Breakfast show as earlier advertised and anticipated ..I However want to take this opportunity to say thank you to STANDARD MEDIA GROUP and the RADIO Maisha Team for this wonderful opportunity, wrote Chipukeezy.

We, however, understand that he may have been forced to turn down Radio Maisha because of his upcoming TV project- The Chipukeezy Show.

While details are still scanty, the show is expected to air on Ebru TV. We presume this must be why Chipukeezy turned down Radio Maisha as it presents a conflict of interest between the two media houses.

According to Eric Omondi, they have waited two years to have the show on television.

He made the announcement on the gram, posting: Ive waited 2 years for this day?? Kenyan TV will never be the same again? The Chipukeezy show is here!!!

Chipukeezy also advertised the show on social media last night without giving details.
Lemonade Market Driven by Rise in Awareness Regarding Health & Wellness among Consumers

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=34358

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=34358<ype=S

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Lemonade are sweetened beverages with the flavor of lemon or concentrated lemon juices. Such beverages are produced in different flavors like raspberry, ginger, and strawberry, among others. Manufacturer over the years are focused upon developing innovative products, in terms of a new ingredients or new technology.Request to view Sample Report:Lemonade is considered to have several health benefits such as rich in Vitamin C. Demand for lemonade has increased considerably due to the rise in awareness regarding health and wellness among consumers. Natural lemonade can deliver nutritional benefits without compromising on taste. Government bodies around the world are also taking strong measures targeting the carbonated drinks segment. Inclination towards proper health and welfare are resulting to the rise in demand of the lemonade in recent years. More than 85% of high schools in the U.S. have vending machines supplying carbonated drinks to students leading to growing concern regarding the easy availability of these drinks in schools and colleges.Companies in the soft drinks market are facing huge competition due to a decline in the sale of carbonated drinks. In order to have a competitive edge in the market and to have strong presence, most of these companies are introducing new branding strategies, innovative marketing, and advertising. Investment in lemonade manufacturing by new and old players is predicted to increase volume sales considerably in coming years.The lemonade market is facing challenges from freshly made lemon juices and drinks. Additionally, rising price factor due to high processing cost and time required for manufacturing is also restraining the global lemonade market. Companies are looking for packaging innovations to provide consumers the convenience of on-the-go usage. Demand for organic and frozen lemonade is rapidly rising among the consumers. Investment in lemonade is expected to provide high returns for beverage manufacturing companies. These are huge opportunities in terms of innovation, which are expected to drive the lemonade market.Buy this Report at:The global lemonade market has been segmented based on product type, variety, packaging, size, technology, and region. In terms of product type, the global lemonade market has been classified into alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and powder mix. In terms of variety, the market has been categorized into cloudy lemonade, pink lemonade, clear lemonade, and others. Based on packaging material, the lemonade market has been classified into glass bottle, pet bottle, retort packaging, and can. In terms of size, the market is categorized into small, medium, and large. Based on technology, the lemonade market has been bifurcated into carbonated and non-carbonated. In terms of distribution channel, the market has been segmented into online distribution channel and offline distribution channel. Offline distribution channel has been further segmented into supermarkets and hypermarkets, departmental stores, convenience stores and others.In term of region the global lemonade market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and South America. North America captured the largest market share due to the rising consciousness towards health among the consumers. Majority of people are moving away from sodas and other fizzy drinks due to the bad side effects associated with such drinks. In Europe and North America, market players are developing new products to cater to the demands of consumers. Competition is expected to intensify in North America during the coming years due to new innovations done by beverage manufacturers.Key players operating in the global lemonade market are Britvic, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Dr Pepper Snapple, Parle agro, Nestle, Mikes Hard Lemonade, Arizona Beverages, The Kraft Heinz Company, Hydro One Beverages, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bud light lime, Bacardi Silver Lemonade, Huberts Lemonade and Heineken.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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Survey: Magnetic Starter Market Size 2018-2025 ABB, Schneider Electric, WEG Industries, Siemens, HP

Magnetic Starter Market

http://bit.ly/2Ij7iKx

http://qyresearchstore.com/global-magnetic-starter-market-manufacturers-2018-review-size-and-forecast-2023/

http://qyresearchstore.com/

Magnetic Starter Market Research 2018A market study "Global Magnetic Starter Market" examines the performance of the Magnetic Starter market 2018. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Magnetic Starter market state and the competitive landscape Globally. This report analyzes the potential of Magnetic Starter market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Magnetic Starter Market 2018 report includes Magnetic Starter market Revenue, market Share, Magnetic Starter industry volume, market Trends, Magnetic Starter Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Magnetic Starter Price during the Forecast period from 2018 to 2025.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Magnetic Starter Market 2018 :1. ABB2. GE3. Schneider Electric.4. Mitsubishi Electric Corporation5. Siemens6. HP7. Riken Electric Co., Ltd.8. Westinghouse Electric Corporation9. Eaton10. Emerson Industrial Automation11. WEG Industries12. Viking GroupMagnetic Starter Market : By Type Single-phase Magnetic Starter 3 Phase Magnetic Starter OtherMagnetic Starter Market : By Application Mechanical Industry Mining Industry Agricultural Equipments Power Industry Automotive Industry OtherFirstly, the report covers the top Magnetic Starter manufacturing industry players from regions like Global, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Magnetic Starter report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Magnetic Starter industry, Magnetic Starter industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Magnetic Starter Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Magnetic Starter 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 Magnetic Starter market revenue worldwide.Finally, Magnetic Starter 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
Variable Displacement Pumps Market - Current Synopsis and Forecast 2017 - 2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=839

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=839

https://www.tmrresearch.com/variable-displacement-pumps-market

Global Variable Displacement Pumps Market: SnapshotVariable displacement pumps is one of the two popular types of hydraulic pumps that make positive displacement; the other being fixed displacement pumps. Variable displacement pumps used in hydraulic systems employ closed center systems. These are gaining prominence over the fixed type since they can be made to vary the flow rate and the outlet pressure, which enables the user to vary the displacement, even if constant speed motors are used. As a result, they are increasingly preferred for a variety of industrial hydraulic applications having variable energy needs. This makes variable displacement pumps useful in making the efficient use of energy available in industries and in bringing down the requirement to the lowest levels. This facility managers and engineers can meet the soaring demand for energy for other processes. A key benefit of using variable displacement pumps is that they make hydraulic pumps structurally more efficient.Traditionally, in fixed displacement pumps, there are several instances during operations when the mechanical energy is being converted to heat energy, thereby causing significant losses. In variable displacement pumps when the actuators are not working, the oil present in the circuits also remain stationary, thus producing energy only when required. Even when actuators must be operated at reasonably low speeds as needed in some portions of the operating cycle, variable displacement pumps prove helpful. Since they can be used to power a variety of tools and customized for numerous applications in industries such as automotive, mining, and construction, they are more expensive to install and need more supervision than fixed displacement pump. Some of the most popular types of variable displacement pumps are rotary vane pumps and bent-axis axial piston pumps.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Variable Displacement Pumps Market: SynopsisTo control the amount of flow in fixed displacement pumps, the speed of the pump has to be altered, which is not energy-efficient and requires manual control. These two factors make fixed displacement pumps undesirable for industrial applications, wherein variable displacement pumps are preferred instead, as they allow flow management via valves that control speed of hydraulic actuators. As the requirement for energy conservation escalates across the world, engineers at various industries such as construction, mining, and automotive now are constantly looking to reduce energy consumption at the production sites. Concurrently, the demand in the global variable displacement pumps market is estimates to expand at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025.This report on global market for variable displacement pumps is a thorough analysis of all the prominent factors that are expected to influence the demand over the course of next few years. It also highlights some of the trends and opportunities available for the players to strategically plan and gain advantage over their competitors. In the section on company profiles, several key players have been analyzed for their product portfolio, market share, and recent developments. The global variable displacement pumps market can be segmented on the basis of type into piston and vane, on the basis of application into hydraulic and IC engine, and end-use industry into construction, automotive, oil and gas, mining, agriculture, material handling, and plastic. Geographically, the report studies the opportunities available in the regions of North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World.Request TOC of the Report @Global Variable Displacement Market: Drivers and RestraintsProsperity of the construction industry is the primary driver for the incremented demand for variable displacement pumps, which are used to gain better control over large machine activities. Over the course of next few years, construction industry is anticipated to continue surging due to the rising population and rapid urbanization, and consequently positively influencing the variable displacement market. Similar positive impact is expected from the automotive industry too, which is at an all-time peak, with extended demand from several emerging economies such as India, China, and Brazil, and Japan.By type, piston pump earns maximum uptake owing to their advanced technical properties such as wide volume functionality and pressure efficiency range. By application, hydraulic machine have the maximum demand, and is expected to remain most profitable segment through-out the forecast period, serving the end-use industries, which is dominated by the construction sector, and followed by automotive and oil and gas.Global Variable Displacement Market: Regional OutlookCurrently, vastly populated Asia Pacific is the most profitable region for the players, with rapid economic growth of several countries, improving lifestyle of the urban population, and increased investment in the end-use industries such as construction, automotive, and agriculture. Developed countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and France have moderate construction going on, although the industries of automotive and oil and gas will ensure healthy demand coming from North America and Europe during the forecast period. In addition to it, the liberalization of foreign trade and investments and the change in industrial policies is resulting into rapid industrialization in China for the past three decades. As China and India reside vast population base, this factor is contributing to the increasing demand for variable displacement pumps in the Asia-Pacific region.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Companies mentioned in this research reportSome of the prominent players identified by the report in the global variable displacement pumps market are: Bosch Rexroth AG (Germany), Eaton Corporation (U.S.), Parker Hannifin Corp. (U.S.), Danfoss A/S (Denmark), Hawe Hydraulics (Germany), The Oilgear Company (U.S.), Yuken Kogyo Co., Ltd (Japan), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Japan), Atos Spa (Italy), and Casappa Spa (Italy).About TMR ResearchTMR 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
Halwa Market Expected to Expand at a Steady CAGR through 2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=34370

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=34370<ype=S

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Halwa Market: IntroductionHalwa refers to any type of dense, sweet confections served across the Europe, Asia Pacific and MEA region. It is a type of dessert having very thick pudding which is made from a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, and lentils. Halwa is generally prepared from various raw materials such as wheat, suji, raw, moong daal, besan, carrot, Apple etc. It is not very easy to prepare halwa as it needs lots of time, hard labor work, and patience to cook delicious and rich flavored halwa. Apart from this, it needs proper raw material specifications, their proportions, and sequence of adding and processing steps of the raw materials while preparing it. Moreover, normally the halwa is rich in fat and sugar but generally not satisfactory in other nutrients. However, some halwa like the poppy seed is highly rich in nutrients and also provide immunity against various diseases such as a cough, cold and others, especially in the winter season. Nowadays, halwa is sold in ready to eat and ready to prepare halwa mix packs which have developed a lot over the years and provide a taste similar to North Indian halwa. In India, there are various types of desserts such as carrot halwa, moong daal halwa, Bombay halwa, Bottle Gourd halwa etc. In North India, the most famous halwa includes suji, aata and moong daal halwa which is opaque, yellowish brown in color, soft and smooth in texture while in South India, it is a jelly-like translucent product with luster.Request to view Sample Report:Halwa Market: DynamicsOne of the significant factors towards the growth of halwa market is the production of sugar-free halwa mixed with artificial sweeteners as the number of diabetic patients are continuously increasing in India. Nowadays, people are more health conscious, so the consumption of sugar-free halwa is more among the adults. Another factor towards the growth of halwa market is that it is sold in ready to eat and ready to cook halwa mix packs. This is beneficial for the people who don't know how to prepare halwa or they don't have enough time to cook due to their busy lifestyle. Moreover, as the number of occasional events and parties are increasing, people generally add halwa in the sweet dish as it comes rich in taste and is also not much expensive. This can be the major factor which fuels the growth of halwa market.Halwa Market: SegmentationThe halwa market can be segmented on the basis of product type, material type, packaging type, and distribution channel. On the basis of product type, the halwa market can be segmented into anjeer halwa, moong daal halwa, carrot halwa, dry fruit halwa, and others. On the basis of material type, the halwa market can be segmented into ghee, sugar, milk, cereals, fruits & vegetables, cereals, and others. On the basis of packaging type, the halwa market can be segmented into the pouch, plastic box, cardboard box etc. On the basis of a distribution channel, the halwa market can be segmented into direct sales and indirect sales. The indirect sales market can be further sub-segmented into the specialty stores, wholesalers, hypermarket, supermarket, convenience stores, online retailers and others. On the basis of region, the halwa market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world.Buy this Report at:Halwa Market: Regional OutlookOn the basis of the regional outlook, halwa market is segmented into five different regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific. The major factor driving the halwa market in Asia Pacific region is the large population base and innovation in terms of taste. Europe and the Middle East & Africa dominate the halwa market by factors such as growing consumer preference and increased disposable income of the consumers in the region. North America and Latin America are expected to have the considerable growth in the near future.Halwa Market: Key Player:Some of the major players operating in halwa market include Suhana, Punjab Milk Foods Inc., MTR Foods Pvt Ltd., Nutrifresh foods Ltd, Kwality Wall's, Triguni Food Pvt. Ltd., Haldiram's Food International Limited, Ajit Sweets, Anoushka Gourmet, and kitchens of India.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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
GNSS Chip Market by Device, Vertical, Application and Geography With Size, Trends, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2023

https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/gnss-chip-market/report-sample

https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/gnss-chip-market

https://www.psmarketresearch.com/send-enquiry?enquiry-url=gnss-chip-market

www.psmarketresearch.com

GNSS chip market is forecasted to reach $5,538.5 million by 2023. Geographically, the GNSS chip market is expected to witness the fastest growth in Asia-Pacific. Rise in demand of electronic, wearable and connecting devices, growing need for precise and real-time data along with the growing popularity of IoT are some of the major factors to have a significant positive impact on the industry.Request for a free sample of this research report:On the basis of device, the market is categorized into smartphones, tablets, PNDs, IVS and others, where others include phablets, digital camera and wearable devices. Smartphones accounted for 75% of the GNSS chip market, with $2.5 billion in 2016. It is further projected to reach $4.1 billion by 2023, witnessing 7.2% CAGR during the forecast period.The various users of GNSS chips are automotive, consumer electronics, transport, marine, agriculture, military & defense, and construction industry. Technological evolutions in connected vehicles and automated driving domains are expected to be the major growth driver of GNSS-enabled applications and services in the automotive vertical over the next few years.Explore report at:Information obtained by GNSS chips empowers a range of automotive services from precise navigation to location-based information services, including the localization of speed cameras or available parking slots, dynamic weather updates and traffic alerts.On the basis of application, GNSS chip market is categorized into LBS, surveying, telematics, navigation, mapping, timing & synchronisation and others, where others include gaming and weather forecasting. Telematics applications are expected to lead the market in terms of growth during the forecast period. The major factors bolstering the demand of GNSS chips in telematics include surging demand for integrated wireless communication systems within the vehicle, introduction of autonomous vehicles and transformation of non-connected cars into connected cars.Make enquiry before buying the report:Some of the key companies among the international vendors includes Qualcomm Incorporated, Broadcom Limited, Intel Corporation, Furuno Electric Co., Ltd., Skyworks Solutions, Inc., Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd., Navika Electronics, NXP Semiconductors, MediaTek Inc. and U-blox.About P&S Market ResearchP&S Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide market research reports, industry reports, business intelligence and research based consulting services across a range of industries.With the help of our professional corporate relations with various companies, our market research offers the most accurate market forecasting. Our analysts and consultants interact with leading companies of the concerned domain to substantiate every single data presented in our publication. Our research assists our client in identifying new and different windows of opportunity and frame informed and customized strategies for expansion in different regions.Contact:P&S Market Research347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:
Multiplex Assays Market - Current Trend Analysis & Forecast 2017-2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=875

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=875

https://www.tmrresearch.com/multiplex-assays-market

Multiplex Assays Market: SnapshotThe global market for multiplex assays has been displaying an upward movement in its valuation over the last few years. The significant surge in the need for efficient analytical platforms in R&D to reduce the operational cost is boosting the demand for multiple assays across the world. Apart from this, the rising uptake of companion diagnostics to increase the efficacy of therapies and the growing awareness about the benefits of multiplexing over conventional assays have also surfaced as key growth drivers of this global market.Going forward, the upswing in the confirmation of biomarkers protein and molecular diagnostics and the need for more automated systems for high output, which require data regarding magnetic beads, are likely to boost this market substantially in the years to come. However, the standardization of quality control and immunoassay design and the high cost associated with multiplex assay equipment may hinder the markets growth in the near future. The lack of skilled healthcare professionals and the need for large capital investments are also expected to make the matter worse for this market over the next few years. Multiplex assay consumables, instruments, software, and accessories are some of the prominent products available in this market.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Multiplex Assays Market: OverviewAssays are used to measure chemical constituent of a sample, and multiplex assays are the advanced version, which can do multiple (dozens or more) assays in a single cycle. As the healthcare sector touches new peaks, the demand for multiplex assays is expected to escalate too in the near future. Consequently, the global multiplex assays market is projected for a robust growth rate during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025.This report on global multiplex assays is a thorough overview of the current scenario, and based on an analysis of various factors that are expected to influence the demand in the near future, it gives figurative estimations of the future state of the market. In order to provide some niche opportunities to the clients, the report also highlights a few regional and global trends of the market. One of the key aspect of the report is the chapter on company profiles, wherein a number of prominent players have been overviewed for their products, technology, geographical presence, market share, and recent developments.Request TOC of the Report @The global multiplex assays market can be segmented on the basis of type, product and services, technology, application, end-user, and region. By product, the market can be divided into instruments, consumables, accessories, software, and services. On the basis of type, the market can be segmented into nucleic acid-based multiplex assays and protein-based multiplex assays. Technological segments of the market can be multiplex polymerase chain reaction, multiplex arrays, and other technologies including SIMOA technology, gold nano-particle technology, hydrogel-particle technology, and antibody arrays. End-users of global multiplex assays can be divided into academic and research institutes, hospitals, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and others including blood banks, forensic labs, healthcare laboratories, and nursing homes.Global Multiplex Assays Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe need for effective analytical platforms in research, in order to reduce overall operational costs, is the primary driver for this market. Other factors such as growing adoption of companion diagnostics, which helps in increasing the efficacy of therapies, and advantages of multiplexing over traditional assays are other factors positive influencing the market. In molecular and protein diagnostics, validation of biomarkers is increasing, which will further add to the demand during the forecast period. Conversely, high cost of multiplex assay instruments is the most prominent restraint over the growth rate.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @Currently, the product segment of consumables accounts for the maximum demand, while protein based assays is the type segment of the market that is projected for the best growth rate. Factors such as increased demand for research purpose and need for effective analytical platforms is driving this segment. By technology, the segment of multiplex arrays has the most demand. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are the most profitable end-user segment for the market.Global Multiplex Assays Market: Regional OutlookCurrently, North America serves the maximum demand for multiplex assays among all regions, dominated by the country-wide market of the U.S. Europe is second most important region, driven by the availability of government funds for research and development of multiplex assays. Asia Pacific is estimated by the report to expand at most prominent growth rate due to the adoption of the new technology and increased investments towards healthcare.Companies mentioned in the research reportThermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Luminex Corporation, Illumina, Inc., QIAGEN N.V., and Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. are some of the key players in the global multiplex assays market. These players concentrate on new products and acquisition of promising new ventures in order to maintain their prominent position over the market.About TMR ResearchTMR 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
Metal Replacement Market - Competitive Hierarchy Of Industry by 2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=878

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=878

https://www.tmrresearch.com/metal-replacement-market

Metal Replacement Market: SnapshotThe rising demand for lightweight materials, to be utilized in automobiles and various manufacturing components of aircrafts, has been creating prominent growth opportunities for the global market for metal replacement. The increasing uptake of metal replacement processes in a number of industries, such as the automotive, defense and aerospace, healthcare, construction, and the consumer goods is also fueling the markets growth significantly.With metal replacing materials being widely utilized in the production of various body parts of automobiles and several under-the-hood constituents, the automotive industry has emerged as the leading consumer of these materials across the world. Over the coming years, the significant increase in the automobile production, together with the rise in the repair and maintenance activities, is likely to propel the demand for these materials in the automotive industry considerably, justifying its prominent position among end users.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Engineering plastics and composites are the main types of metal replacement materials available, worldwide. Polycarbonates, polyamides, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), thermoplastic polyesters, fluoropolymers, and polyacetals are the prime engineering plastics and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) and glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) are the main composites traded in this market. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene has surfaced as the most valued engineering plastic across the world and is closely followed by polycarbonates and polyamides. Among composites, the demand for GFRP is higher than CFRP and the trend is anticipated to remain so over the next few years.Global Metal Replacement Market: OverviewDevelopment and manufacturing of new products require more resources and are more complex than ever. As a result, the limelight is slowly shifting towards metal replacement. It is being widely acknowledged for reducing weight, production, and cost times. Metal replacement materials are used across industries such as aerospace and defense, automotive, healthcare, and construction. The materials used are engineering plastics and composites such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics and glass fiber reinforced plastics. The global metal replacement market has witnessed a momentous rise of late and is expected to continue following a healthy growth track in the forthcoming years.Request TOC of the Report @This research report provides a comprehensive overview of the various important parameters of the global metal replacement market. It presents a comprehensive description of the factors the growth of the market. It offers essential insights into the statistics pertaining to the market at both regional and global levels. It extensively covers market attractiveness analysis and Porters five force analysis. The data derived from these tools is used for calculating the competitive landscape of the market. Competitive profiling of the prominent players in the market along with their market shares, business strategies, revenue generation, latest development, and contact information form a crucial part of the report.Global Metal Replacement Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe growth of the global metal replacement market is primarily fuelled by end-user sectors such as aerospace and defense and construction. In recent times, infrastructural development has gained significant traction, particularly in developing countries. This has led to the initiation of several residential and commercial construction projects. As a result, there is an upswing in the demand for metal replacing materials in the construction sector to replace steel rods for concrete reinforcement as well as to produce sewage systems. Moreover, the growing use of engineering plastics as an alternative to traditional materials in end-user industries is providing a fillip to the market.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @On the flip side, the high cost of metal replacing materials is limiting their widespread adoption. Furthermore, the volatile prices of crude oil are negatively impacting the manufacturing of engineering plastics, as crude oil serves as a raw material. This, in turn, is hampering the growth of the material. However, emerging countries are likely to present immense growth opportunities for the market.Global Metal Replacement Market: Geographical SegmentationOn the basis of geography, the key segments studied in the report are North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific will account for a substantial share in the market throughout the forecast period, with China being a major contributor. The growing investments by automobile giants, increasing manufacturing capacities, and the flourishing growth of the construction industry are contributing to the growth of the region. The increasing focus towards the development of lightweight and fuel-efficient vehicles is also spurring the demand for metal replacement materials in the region.Europe and North America are estimated to rise at a sluggish growth rate during the same period. These regions have not recovered entirely from the economic downturn, which in turn is adversely affecting the demand for metal replacing materials in key end-user industries.Global Metal Replacement Market: Competitive LandscapeSome of the prominent players in the global metal replacement market are SGL Group, Solvay SA, Celanese Corporation, Owens Corning Corporation, and BASF SE. Enterprises are focusing on research and development activities to introduce new products and stay relevant in the market. The established distribution network and wide market reach are providing a competitive edge to the key players in the market. They also have large technical capabilities that facilitate existing product upgradation for new applications.About TMR ResearchTMR 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
Mining Flotation Chemicals Market to Incur High Value Growth at 4.7% CAGR During 2014 - 2020

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-184

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-184

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights (FMI) recently announced the release of its report titled, Mining Flotation Chemicals Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2014-2020. According to the report, the global mining flotation chemicals market was valued at over US$ 8.0 Bn in 2014. Market values is expected to increase 1.3X by the end of 2020, with a projected CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period (2015-2020).Chemicals used for processing ores into minerals are called mining flotation chemicals, which are broadly classified into collectors, frothers, dispersants, activators, depressants and flocculants. Growth in manufacturing and construction industry, coupled with technological advancements in mineral processing and rising demand for purest forms of minerals reshaped the dynamics of global mining flotation chemicals market.Market Drivers and RestraintsLimiting mineral deposits and deteriorating quality of ores has been one of the key factors catalysing the demand for mining flotation chemicals across the globe. Ageing mineral deposits has resulted into decreased grade of mineral ores, as a result mining flotation chemicals are required to extract optimum volume and quality of minerals.A sample of this report is available upon request @Demand for minerals has also strengthened as a result of large scale urbanization and increasing construction activities. Minerals are used as raw materials in production of various products such as steel, wires, frames, etc., and mining floatation chemicals play an important role in production of these minerals. Thus, anticipated growth in construction activities and rapid urbanization worldwide are expected to create substantial opportunity for mining flotation chemical producers.The global mining flotation chemicals market is projected to reflect positive growth over the forecast period. However, certain issues need to be addressed, which are adversely affecting profitability margin of involved players. Logistics and transportation costs of mining flotation chemicals is one such concern producers of mining flotation chemicals have encountered for a long period. Transpiration and logistics contributes to approximately 20% cost of the final product. Import duties on reagents used in production of mining flotation chemicals have also surged up in countries where mining flotation chemicals are concentrated. Such reagents are important in mining flotation chemical production, as they add to quality of extracted ores.New policies and changing regulatory landscape also influences the business. Various countries across the globe have legislations, which ensure minimal environmental impact due to production activities, as a result of which companies are opting for environment-friendly practices and are minimising usage of chemicals in mineral processing. Such legislations are especially stringent in North America and Europe. Key consuming countries of mining flotation chemicals in Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa are yet to formulate such legislations.Market SegmentsIn this report, the global mining flotation chemicals market has been broadly segmented on the basis of ore type, chemical type and geography. Each segment is further analysed at sub-segment level, wherein, by ore type - market statistics for sulphide and non-sulphide ore has been included, by chemical type - market statistics for collectors, frothers, dispersants, activators, depressants, flocculants and other ore types has been provided. On the basis of geography, the market data has been presented for North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Middle East & Africa and Asia Pacific Excluding Japan.Demand for mining flotation chemical was 50% higher for processing sulphide ores when compared to non-sulphide ores. In 2014, slightly less than 70% of total mining flotation chemical consumption was for sulphide ores and an increase of 1% is anticipated over by 2020. Around 95% of all sulphide ore containing precious metals and non-ferrous are processed using mining flotation chemicals.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @In terms of type of chemicals, collectors represented widely consumed mining flotation chemicals accounting for 27% of the global mining flotation chemical value in 2014. Collectors are followed by frothers, dispersants and activators. Among all collectors available for mineral processing, Xanthates was reported to be most preferred type of collectors for mineral processing.Competition LandscapeSome of the leading chemical companies analysed and profiled in this report are Cytec Industries Inc, Kemira Oyj, Huntsman corporation, Clariant, and BASF apart from other players such as Air Products & Chemicals Inc., Chevron Philips Chemical Company LLC, Cheminova A/S, Nasaco International LLC and Beijing Hengju Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.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:Abhishek BudholiyaFuture Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Happy Customers Speaks For Excellent Online Gifting Business

https://www.indiagift.in/occasions-delivery-online/birthday

Rahul Negi - I am impressed with Indiagift - online gifting website.It was my mother birthday and I want to send cake and flowers for her. It was very late around 1.30 pm. I ordered from Indiagift and was confident that they deliver it on time.I was surprised when I got a call from my mother Thank You Beta" at 5.00 PMI would definitely recommend. Keep It Up Indiagift.Keep it Going!!Prashant Jain - Right place to wish your loved ones "Happy Birthday. No Matter wherever you are, just say happy birthday with online cake and birthday gifts () delivery. It was a nice expertise with you guys.Thank You for making my special day memorable.Nikita Gupta - Its a wonderful online gifting store. I have ordered personalized gifts from here for my wife & got on Time. Timely delivery and good customer services team are appreciated.Priyanshu Mittle - I surf the internet for gifts delivery and I got to know about Indiagift. I ordered for a Barbie doll cake for my daughters birthday. They deliver cake on time was fresh.I will surly use this website again ..Keep Up Guys!!Jagannath Mishra - I really appreciate Indiagift Team. The flowers are delivered by them in the remote village were very fresh. I am in Dubai and orders for my parents anniversary in a small village of Bihar.This website is best for online flowers and cake anywhere in India.kamlesh dave - I love this website very much and always place my order from Pune. They always deliver high quality products that loved by the receiver.Guddu Singh - I got awesome delivery of cake, gift and flowers on last mothers day. I am going to order again on mothers day 2018. So, please deliver my gifts on time as usual.Thanks a lot Indiagift Team for feel my mom special.Rukhsana Shaikh - I must say I have never seen user friendly website before. Its very easy to navigate and having a variety of gifts collection. It very easy to find gifts for all occasions.Ganapati Team - Hi greetings from Ganapati Team!!We all really thank full to you guys for personalized mug for our entire team. You guys really have a great collection of personalized gifts.Rohit Minhas - Amazing services!!On Time Delivery!!Best Customer Care Team!!Unique and High quality Products!!Really recommend to Others!!IndiaGift.in is new generation gifting website which offers gift delivery in India. The website has more than 1000 delivery partners in India and boasts of the largest gift delivery network. Now, Indiagift is tring to offer Amazing Holi Gifts Ideas with exiting Holi Gifts. You can surprisingly present the impressive personalized gift item in the Diwlai, Valentine Day, Anniversary, Friendship Day and so on. We delivers Cakes, Gifts & Flowers overall India like Pune, Delhi, Banglore, Gurgaon, Kolkata, Hydrabaad and many more cities. Keep the uniqueness in choosing online gift items and make sure you get the best online gifts. The price of all the gift items is affordable and online gifting site provides various benefits like ease of purchase, quick delivery, reliable customer support service, securable payment option, etc.Rupal BansalJ - 17, South City 1
Global Industrial Wood Coatings Market Size and Growth 2022

https://www.researchtrades.com/request-sample/1472558

https://www.researchtrades.com/discount/1472558

https://www.researchtrades.com/report/global-industrial-wood-coatings-market-professional-survey-report-2018/1472558

http://www.researchtrades.com

This report studies Industrial Wood Coatings 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.Request for free sample atThis report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringArkemaNuplex Industries LimitedDSMDynea ASPolynt SpaSirca SpaHelios Group...On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoWateryOilyBy Application, the market can be split intoIndoorOutdoorBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaRequest for discount atTable of ContentsGlobal Industrial Wood Coatings Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Industrial Wood Coatings1.1 Definition and Specifications of Industrial Wood Coatings1.1.1 Definition of Industrial Wood Coatings1.1.2 Specifications of Industrial Wood Coatings1.2 Classification of Industrial Wood Coatings1.2.1 Watery1.2.2 Oily1.3 Applications of Industrial Wood Coatings1.3.1 Indoor1.3.2 Outdoor1.3.3 Application 31.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Industrial Wood Coatings2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Industrial Wood Coatings2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Industrial Wood Coatings2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Industrial Wood CoatingsBrowse complete report at3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Industrial Wood Coatings3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Industrial Wood Coatings Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Industrial Wood Coatings Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Industrial Wood Coatings Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Industrial Wood Coatings Major Manufacturers in 2016Who we areResearch Trades has team of experts who works on providing exhaustive analysis pertaining to market research on a global basis. This comprehensive analysis is obtained by a thorough research and study of the ongoing trends and provides predictive data regarding the future estimations, which can be utilized by various organizations for growth purposes.We distribute customized reports that focus on meeting the clients specific requirement. Our database consists of a large collection of high-quality reports obtained using a customer-centric approach, thus providing valuable research insights.Contact us:Email: sales@researchtrades.comCall us: +1 6269994607 (USA), +91 7507349866 (IND)Web:Skype ID: researchtradescon
A bizarre robbery attempt at politician Orie Rogo Mandulis residence has been confirmed by the police.

Authorities on Tuesday said they were investigating the incident and looking for the suspected thugs.

The gang attempted to access the Karen home on Monday night but were detected by security dogs. The unknown number of thugs are then said to have poisoned the canines, killing them on the spot.

A guard on duty also heard the commotion and raised alarm before the thugs escaped on foot.

Nothing was stolen from the compound.

The outspoken politician is celebrated for being the first woman in Kenya to head an NGO. She is also the first black woman to compete in the world circuit Safari Rally.

The last time Manduli made headlines was last year during a Nasa rally when her famous head regalia fell off.

NASAs Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, and former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero couldnt help themselves as they laughed off the incident.

However, NASA leader Raila Odinga came to her rescue as he picked up the headgear and handed it back to Manduli.
Europe is Expected to be Dominate the Global Malt Ingredients Market through the Forecast Period 2016 - 2024

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=5132

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/malt-ingredients-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Malting is the procedure of converting cereal grains such as barley and wheat into malt, which may be utilized in applications such as brewing, distilling, and in manufacturing foods. The cereal grains are germinated by soaking them in water and consequently allowing them to sprout. Following this, they are dried with warm air.During the malting process, grain starches are transformed in simple sugars including glucose and fructose. Malt components are utilized by leading food and beverage enterprises in the form of food additives, which impart a palatable taste and color to the end product. The use of this ingredient also facilitates the modification or stabilization of the texture of various F&B products. The rising number of new food products launched on the market, especially those containing organic and herbal ingredients, as well as the growing demand for completely natural foods is creating new possibilities in the malt ingredient marketplace.Download PDF Brochure @Global Malt Ingredients Market: SegmentationThe malt ingredients market can be segmented basis source into the following: wheat, barley, and others (such as rye). Barley is commonly used as a base ingredient in the malting process. Likewise, wheat grains are also used for malting as they feature more proteins. The malt ingredients market can also be segmented on the premise of grade into special grade and standard grade malts (which as are also referred to as base malts). Of these two types of malts, it is the base malts that have diastatic power, which helps them convert their naturally occurring starches. On the other hand, specialty malts have very little diastatic power  this makes them integral to the flavor and color of the end product.Based on type of malt ingredients, the market can be segmented into: flour, liquid malt, dry malt, and others (such as flakes). Dry malt powder is widely used in numerous powder premixes and bakery products. The use of liquid malts is commonly made in syrups and toppings used on ice creams. Furthermore, flakes are typically sprinkled on bakery products as toppings. The market for malt ingredients can also be segmented on the basis of end use applications into the following: bakery and confectionary products, food products, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, dairy and frozen products, and others (such as animal feed and pharmaceuticals).Malt Ingredients Market: Region-wise OutlookSegmented on the basis of region, the global malt ingredients market can be divided into: North America, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Western Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Japan. The global malt ingredients market has been projected to display vigorous growth all through 2025 on account of the rising demand for different packaged foods and ready-to-eat products. With an increase in the amount of packaged food consumed and an upswing in the sales of non-alcoholic beer, the market for malt ingredients worldwide is predicted to follow a steady growth trajectory. Europe, especially, is expected to perform well and dominate the global market through the forecast period. The markets of Asia-Pacific and the Middle East and Africa (MEA) will also register robust growth thanks largely to the mounting demand for non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks. New products under development in the dairy premixes and the soaring popularity of malt-based drinks formulated for kids will stimulate the malt ingredient markets growth.Global Malt Ingredients Market: DriversThe exploding population across the globe has positively impacted the demand for food, thus having a cascading effect on the demand for various ingredients used in the F&B sector. There is a spike in the number of health conscious consumers, too. This is helping the growth of the market.An uptick in the sales of malt beer and other dairy products that are malt-based will substantially drive the malt ingredients market, it is expected.Obtain Report Details @Malt Ingredients Market: Key PlayersThe top companies that have gained a foothold in the malt ingredients market are: Cargill Incorporated, Axereal, Global Malt GmbH & Co. Kg, Crisp Malting Group, Ireks GmbH, Muntons PLC, Malteurop Group, and Simpsons Malt Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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.Transparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700,Albany, NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Medical Rubber and Balloon Product Industry 2018: Top Vendors are Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Adventa Berhad (Malaysia) and more.

Market Research Future

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/549

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/549

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/medical-rubber-balloon-products-market-549

Medical Rubber and Balloon Product Market is growing because of the rising number of the medical equipment and accessories across the globe. Moreover increasing in the prevalence of cardiovascular and the thoracic diseases also fueling the market. The global market of medical rubber and balloon products is growing with a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecasted period 2017 to 2023.According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, in 2015, the U.S. healthcare spending is likely to increase 5.8% reaching USD 3.2 trillion. In 2016, the healthcare spending in North America has been increased. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The U.S. economy grew in 2016 by 1.6%. Rising in fund allocation in healthcare industry has further added fuel to this market.Access Sample Copy @A wide variety of coatings can be added to the surface of a balloon to enhance the properties of the products to meet new requirements. The coatings such as lubricious coating, abrasion & puncture resistance coating, tacky or high friction coatings, conductive coating, drug release coating, and others.Market Scenario:In a typical clinical setting, the rubber and balloon products play a very important role and are in great demand. Almost all diagnostic products and treating equipment are made up of rubber. Balloon products are those products which are used generally for heart patients, the stents are balloon which helps in pumping the heart. These balloons are also made up of rubber. The rubber is used to develop a variety of products such as gloves, masks, bulbs syringes, caps, implants, breathing bags, tubes, condoms, infusion and transfusion sets. Furthermore these products are generally used for various surgeries such as cardiovascular, thoracic, abdominal trauma, tumor, ophthalmology, ENT and others. There are various types of balloons which is used like multi-lumen balloon, light therapy, drug delivery, and heat transfer catheters.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2015, over 17.7 million people died from cardiovascular diseases, representing 31% of all global deaths and in 2015, 82% of the total deaths occurred in the low and middle income countries.Get Discount @Key Players:Some of the major players in the global medical rubber and balloon product market are Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Adventa Berhad (Malaysia), AngioDynamics, Inc. (U.S.), Ansell Healthcare (Australia), Arrow International (New Zealand), Astra Tech, Inc. (U.S.), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Cardinal Health, Inc. (U.S.), Hartalega Holdings Berhad (Malaysia), Church & Dwight Co, Inc. (U.S.), Latexx Partners Berhad (Malaysia), Reckitt Benckiser Group (U.K), and others.Segmentations:The global medical rubber and balloon product market is segmented on the basis of types and application. On the basis of the type, it is segmented into natural rubber latex, catheters, balloons, condoms, and others. Furthermore natural rubber latex is segmented into medical gloves and non-medical gloves. Catheters segmented into cardiovascular catheters, neurovascular catheters, urological catheters, and specialty catheters. Balloons segmented into non-compliant balloon and semi-compliant balloon. On the basis of the application, it is segmented into diagnostics, therapeutics, industrial, and others.Table of Content: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 80 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
Internet Ad Spending Market - Global Industry Trends and Forecast 2017-2021

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1288021

https://www.researchmoz.us/global-internet-ad-spending-market-2017-2021-report.html/toc

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Internet advertising or web advertising is a form of marketing that uses the Internet for delivering promotional marketing messages to users. Consumers view advertisements online as an unwanted distraction along with a few benefits. The global ad spending market is experiencing exponential growth. The rapid adoption of ad usage across various industry verticals, improving economic environment, and increasing distribution of films and music online are also increasing the demand for online advertising.The global internet ad spending market to grow at a CAGR of 9.44% during the period 2017-2021. The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global internet ad spending market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from different types of Internet ads and by different region in the global Internet ad spending market.Click to get Sample PDF:Technavios report, Global Internet Ad Spending Market 2017-2021, 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- Facebook- Google- LinkedIn- TwitterOther prominent vendors- BCC- Deutsche Telekom- IAC- Pinterest- TumblrMarket driver- Increasing customer base- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Rising complexity in integration- For a full, detailed list, view our reportView Complete TOC with Tables and Figures at:Key questions answered in this report- What will the market size be in 2021 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?ResearchMoz 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.Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn at:
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market : Size, Status and Forecast 2017 - 2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=1691

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1691

https://www.tmrresearch.com/environmental-health-safety-market

Global Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market: SnapshotConcerns regarding the rising levels of pollution and looming threat of global warming have escalated in the recent past and a number of countries, developed or developing, have come together to reduce these concerns. One of the primary reason of environmental damage is the poor compliance of regulatory by various companies, and governments are now bringing in stricter regulations, which in turn is encouraging companies to implement advanced processes of environmental health and safety (EHS) software and services, providing a thrust to the market for the same.The demand in the global environmental health and safety market is expected to increment at a strong CAGR during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, owing to a number of factors such as government initiatives to protect the environment, incremented investment by end users, and reduced cost of environmental compliance software, which is leading to its adoption across small and medium businesses. On the other hand, there is still a vast population base that is unaware of the availability of the EHS software and are still depending on traditional methods. This factor is obstructing the market from attaining its true potential.Request Sample Copy of the Report @The competitive landscape of the global environmental health and safety market is highly dependent on product innovation, as there is strong need for products that can work efficiently and can be installed in different business setups of diverse companies. The EHS market is primarily used by industries pertaining to energy and mining, chemical and petrochemical, construction, manufacturing, telecom and IT, and healthcare. While a number of companies are also focused on strategic mergers and acquisitions in order to expand their geographical presence, satisfaction of the stakeholders, preservation of their brands, and development of solutions are also at the forefront for the key companies to maintain their strong hold.Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market: OverviewA variety of chemicals have become unavoidable in our everyday lives. From computers, to medicines, cosmetic creams to paints and coatings. The chemical industry is one of the worlds largest industries, with products manufactured in the range of billions of tonnes every year. The industry and countries with established chemical industries therefore have a huge responsibility to ensure the safe usage and production of chemicals so that the associated activities do not pose harm to the human resources working in close proximity and the environment.Request TOC of the Report @Environment health and safety (EHS) tools allow companies to keep track of and properly manage activities that related to the production or usage of chemicals, especially the ones that are known to pose harm to health of living organisms and the environment, such as mercury or CFCs. Companies operating in sectors such as power production, mining, and construction also frequently use EHS tools to ensure that production and operation sites to adhere to environmental norms and regulations concerning occupational and environmental health and safety.Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market: Trends and OpportunitiesThe increasingly stringent health, safety, and environment laws, regulations, guidelines, and processes instigated in the past few years across leading chemical producing countries is the key factor driving the increased implementation of EHS tools across the industrial sector. Companies diligently adhering to environment- and resource-friendly manufacturing practices are increasingly investing in the deployment of effective EHS tools.In developing economies such as India, China, South Africa, and the UAE, the thriving industrial sector is encouraging the increased adoption of EHS tools. However, certain factors, such as the high costs involved in auditing complex production sites and the highly expensive services and solutions required to comply with EHS regulations are expected to hinder the overall rate of adoption of EHS tools to a certain extent.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market: Market PotentialChina is one of the largest producers of a number of chemicals and has immense scope for the implementation of EHS tools across companies involved in the production of a number of high-risk chemicals. Recent incidences of leakage of hazardous chemicals (the series of explosions on the Port of Tianjin in August 2015), leading to the death of hundreds of people and serious injuries to many more, have highlighted the pressing need for effective management of chemical production and storage sites. Post this incidence, the government has been paying more attention to the strict implementation of EHS rules and regulations.Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market: Regional OverviewThe EHS market holds immense promise of growth in Asia Pacific owing to the established chemical industry and burgeoning construction and energy and mining sectors. The rate of implementation, however, is presently low in the region owing to high costs and is expected to increase in the future years owing to initiation of stringent EHS regulations in countries such as India, China, and Japan.The high costs of EHS tools largely restrict their overall adoption to developed economies across regions such as North America and Europe. North America presently accounts for the dominant share in the global implementation EHS software and services. The region is also expected to retain dominance owing to the stringent EHS regulations and policies and steady pace of development of the chemical and energy industries.Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Market: Competitive LandscapeThe market for EHS tools and services features a large number of companies, pointing towards a largely fragmented vendor landscape. The market features some of the worlds leading software development companies and several non-profit consulting organizations. Some of the leading vendors in the market are 3E Company, International Finance Corporation, IHS Inc., UL LLC, SAP SE, Medgate Inc., and Enablon North America Corporation.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
Global Special Education Software Market 2018- Merit Software, DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, Excent, IntelliTools, Widgit Software

https://goo.gl/WSmBqz

https://market.biz/report/global-special-education-software-market-2017/71783/

https://goo.gl/FRqqNw

https://market.biz/

http://ereports.market/

The Global Special Education Software Industry 2018 Market Research Report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Special Education Software industry.Firstly, Special Education Software Market report provides a basic overview of the Special Education Software industry including definitions, classifications, applications and Special Education Software industry chain structure. Global Special Education Software Market analysis is provided for the international market including development history, Special Education Software industry competitive landscape analysis, and major regions development status on Special Education Software Market scenario.To get sample copy of Report Click Here:-Major Manufacturers Analysis of Special Education Software:- Special Education Software market include Crick Software Ltd., DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, Excent, GetYa Learn On, IntelliTools, Logotron Ltd., Merit Software, MindPlay Educational Software, Monarch Teaching Technologies, Slater Software, Scantron Corporation, Spectrum K12 School Solutions, SunGard Public Sector, Widgit SoftwareSpecial Education Software Market: Type Analysis:- Math Skills Software, Keyboarding Software, Language Arts Skills Software, Assessment Software, Educational Software by DisabilitySpecial Education Software Market: Application Analysis:- Kindergarten, K-12, Higher EducationSecondly, Special Education Software Market report includes, development policies and plans are discussed, manufacturing processes and cost structures. This Special Education Software Industry report also states import/export, supply and consumption figures as well as cost, price, Special Education Software Market revenue and gross margin by regions (United States, EU, China and Japan), and other regions can be added.Then, the Special Education Software report focuses on global major leading industry players (in Special Education Software market area) with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification, capacity, production, price, cost, revenue and contact information. Global Special Education Software Market report also includes Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis.Browse Complete Report details with TOC Click Here :-All above Company Profile, Product Picture and Specifications, Capacity, Production, Price, Cost, Gross and Revenue, Contact Information covered in Special Education Software market report.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.Table of ContentsChapter One Special Education Software Industry OverviewChapter Two Special Education Software Manufacturing Cost Structure AnalysisChapter Three Special Education Software Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants AnalysisChapter Four Special Education Software Production by Regions, Technology and ApplicationsChapter Five Special Education Software Sales and Sales Revenue by RegionsChapter Six 2013-2018 Special Education Software Productions Supply Sales Market Status and ForecastChapter Seven Special Education Software Key Manufacturers AnalysisChapter Eight Special Education Software Price Gross Margin AnalysisChapter Ten 2018-2023 Special Education Software Industry Development TrendChapter Eleven Special Education Software Industry Chain Suppliers and Contact Information AnalysisChapter Twelve Special Education Software New Project Investment Feasibility AnalysisGet Discount and Inquiry Before Buying click here:-Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.James Johnson420 Lexington Avenue Suite 300New York City, NY 10170.Tel: +1(857)2390696Email ID: inquiry@market.bizWebsite:Other Website:
Professional Analysis on Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market 2018  Top Merchants are Eli Lily and Company (US), GlaxoSmithKline PLC (UK), Pfizer Inc., Depomed Inc. etc.

Market Research Future

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/4631

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/4631

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/cubital-tunnel-syndrome-market-4631

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market is segmented on the basis of causes, treatment, and end users. On the basis of causes, the market is segmented into injury, noncancerous fatty tumors, bone tumors, inflammation, and others. On the basis of treatment, the market is segmented into diagnosis & therapy. The diagnosis is further segmented into nerve compression tests, X-ray, electrodiagnostic studies, MRI, and others. The therapy is further segmented into nonoperative, and operative. Non operative is further classified into NSAIDs and steroids. On the basis of end users, the market is segmented into hospital, retail pharmacy, and other.Key Players are:Some of the major key players in the global cubital tunnel syndrome market: Eli Lily and Company (US), GlaxoSmithKline PLC (UK), Pfizer Inc., Depomed Inc., Novartis International AG (Switzerland), Johnson & Johnson Services Inc. (US), Bristol-Myers Squibb and Company (US), Sanofi S.A. (France), Debiopharm Group (Switzerland), Baxter Healthcare Corporation (US), Biogen Idec Inc. (US), Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC. (US), and Amgen, Inc. (US).Access Sample Copy @Market Scenario:Global cubital tunnel syndrome market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% during forecast period 2017-2023. Cubital tunnel syndrome is a condition of increased pressure on the ulnar nerve in the elbow. The ulnar nerve controls muscles and feeling in the hand. Furthermore, it can be caused by direct pressure, stretching, or decreased blood flow to the ulnar nerve. According to the WHO (2014), the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome is >3 new cases per 1000 persons every year. Women are 3-4 times more susceptible than men. Increasing prevalence of the cubital tunnel syndrome is the major driving factor for the growth of the market. Moreover, increasing healthcare expenditure, and strong encouragement from the government have also contributed to the growth of the market. According to research, geriatric population is more likely to suffer from this disease; According to the Aging World in 2015, 562 million (or 8.0 %) were aged 65 and over across the globe, this has increased the prevalence of the diseases and contributed to the growth of the market. However, lack of awareness among people and high cost of surgeries may restrain the growth of the market.Regional Analysis:The Americas dominates the global cubital tunnel syndrome market owing to large patient population. Additionally, increasing geriatric population, changing lifestyle, and increasing healthcare expenditure have boosted the growth of the market in America. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the number of Americans ages 65 and over is projected to be more than double from 46 million in 2016 to over 98 million by 2060. Additionally, increasing awareness among the people regarding different monitoring procedures and well-developed technology has also contributed to the growth of the market.Europe is the second largest cubital tunnel syndrome market, which is followed by Asia Pacific. Huge geriatric population, availability of funds for research, and government support for research & development projected to drive the market in Europe.Get Discount @Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the global market due to the presence of an increasing patient population, continuously developing economies, and increasing need for the better treatment. According to the WHO report published in 2015, Asia's elderly population is projected to reach nearly 923 million by 2050.Whereas, the Middle East & Africa owns the least share of the global cubital tunnel syndrome market due to the presence of poor economy, especially, in Africa region. The market of this region is dominated by the Middle East due to well-developed healthcare sector and huge healthcare expenditure.Table of Content:Chapter 1. Report PrologueChapter 2. Market Introduction2.1 Definition2.2 Scope Of the Study2.2.1 Research Objective2.2.2 Assumptions2.2.3 LimitationsChapter 3. Research Methodology3.1 Introduction3.2 Primary Research3.3 Secondary Research3.4 Market Size EstimationChapter 4. Market DynamicsAnd moreLIST OF TABLESTable 1 Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Industry Synopsis, 2017  2023Table 2 Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market Estimates And Forecast, 2017  2023, (USD Million)Table 3 Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market By Region, 2017  2023, (USD Million)Table 4 Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market By Causes, 2017  2023, (USD Million)Table 5 Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market By Treatment, 2017  2023, (USD Million)And moreLIST OF FIGURESFigure 1 Research ProcessFigure 2 Segmentation For Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome MarketFigure 3 Segmentation Market Dynamics For Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome MarketFigure 4 Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market Share, By Causes 2016Figure 5 Global Cubital Tunnel Syndrome Market Share, By Treatment 2016And moreBrowse 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
Marguerite Photography: The Leading Photographer of South Africa

http://margueritephotography.co.za

Marguerite Photography is one of the leading photographers in South Africa that has covers a wide range of assignments across various genres of photography. Marguerite Photography is an experienced photographic company that has firmly established itself as South Africas leading photograph specialist. The company has understood the basic requirements of both the event organisers and the clients. Marguerite Photography, situated in the Western Cape specialises in events and portrait photography. They have 11 years of experience in event photography, property photography and portraits.The reputation of the Marguerite Photography depends on the consistently high levels of service, the expert professional photographers, creative excellence and the fact that they pay attention to details to ensure they provide the best service to their clients.Some of the important services provided by Marguerite Photography are discussed below:1. Event Photography Marguerite Photography is motivated in providing the best quality images that capture every detail of your event. This reputed photographic company is capable of providing professional services to all kinds of events like the corporate events, private events, team building and racing events. They have over 10 years of photography and clientele experience. They are experienced in capturing beautiful artistic images that make for great marketing material and can attract clients when posted on the social media websites.2. Property Photography High demand for professional quality images in the property industry is a reality and Marguerite Photography fulfils the demand by providing quality services to the industry. Marguerite Photography also captures the interiors of an apartment or an office space. This photographic company is capable of providing unique services because of their technical knowledge and also because of their proper understanding of the property industry. They also provide exterior photography services at an affordable rate.3. Portfolio Pictures are one of the most important tools through which people express their personality and prospects both in professional and personal life. Marguerite Photography has an experienced portfolio photography team that is capable of capturing all kinds of portraits for professional portfolios. This South African photographic company is experienced in delivering excellent results catering to all the basic requirements of their clients.For any further information please visitsAbout:Marguerite Photography has 11 years of experience in providing high-resolution, high-quality work and professional services. Situated in the Western Cape they provide services like event photography, property photography, and portraits.Contact:19 Ravenswood Road, Parkland,Western Cape, 7441, South AfricaTel: (+27)76 840 2202
Global Epoxy Resin Consumption and Growth Rate of Paints and Coatings

https://www.marketintelreports.com/report/mr10653/global-epoxy-resin-industry-market-research-report

https://www.marketintelreports.com/pdfdownload.php?id=mr10653

https://www.marketintelreports.com/purchase.php?id=mr10653

Epoxy resins are low molecular weight pre-polymers or higher molecular weight polymers which normally contain at least two epoxide groups. The epoxide group is also sometimes referred to as a glycidyl or oxirane group.A wide range of epoxy resins are produced industrially. The raw materials for epoxy resin production are today largely petroleum derived, although some plant derived sources are now becoming commercially availableAvail complete Report @Scope of Report :Global Epoxy Resin Industry Market Research Report' It mainly elaborate the definition, types, applications and major players of Epoxy Resin market in details. Deep analysis about market status (2012-2017), enterprise competition pattern, advantages and disadvantages of enterprise Products, industry development trends (2017-2022), regional industrial layout characteristics and macroeconomic policies, industrial policy has also be included. From raw materials to downstream buyers of this industry will be analyzed scientifically, the feature of product circulation and sales channel will be presented as well.Avail free sample brochure of report @Material Types : Liquid Solid SolutionApplication: Building & construction Automotive, large & heavy vehicles & railroads General industrial Consumer goods (including sporting equipment) Wind power Aerospace MarineKey Players: Aditya Birla Chemicals Chang Chun Plastics Co. Ltd. Nan Ya Plastics Corporation Huntsman Corporation Olin Corporation Hexion Inc. Kukdo Chemical Co. Ltd. 3M Company BASF SE Sinopec CorporationProcure Report @About Us:MarketIntelReports in-house domain consultants to discuss any research and intelligence requirements of clients to provide suitable syndicate reports, suggest custom analysis partners and act as a representative to procure the best services and quotes from global publishing houses in case a consulting assignment in the need of the hour. We believe in providing quick turnaround times for any data or report queries with our publishing partners so that any strategic planning studies can be executed with ease and efficiency. We welcome you to have a pleasant market tour with us.Contact Us:Market Intelligence Reports PTE. LTDNorth Bridge RoadHigh Street CentreSingapore (179094)
In-Memory Database Market Will Generate New Growth Opportunities by 2027

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2797

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2797

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/

In-memory databases are faster than traditional databases which is a part of the computer main memory and need just fewer instructions to access the data for reading and writing. In-memory databases are primarily used in business analytics and big data management where there is need for fast data access and storage. Another advantage of in-memory database system is its application in real-time embedded systems which are highly resource constrained which require small memory and have low processor computational capabilities.A sample of this report is available upon request @Primary factor which benefit organizations through the use of in-memory database was the performance.Market drivers & challenges:Business analytics and Web-based transactions are the most important drivers for the global In-memory database market.The use of in-memory databases is increasing both among established users as well as new users.In-memory databases market is expected to witness great innovations in terms of technological advancements and increasing demand from different verticals using database software. Already in-memory database solutions are finding applications in every database warehousing and analytics application and is witnessing increasing adoption by private sector organizations as well as government organizations.Database using in-memory processing delivers faster data-retrieval speeds, which attracts companies facing hardship with large size database transactions and management. The enhanced performance optimization and transformational business potential of in-memory database are expected to increase in demand for the technology. Other factors driving the demand for in-memory database management includes surge in big data, declining price of RAM which will result in replacement of physical storage of memory intensive architectures.Global In-memory Database market: SegmentationGlobal In-Memory Database Market is segmented based on the data type, application, vertical and region.On the basis of the data type the global In-memory database market is segmented into relational data type, SQL, and NEWSQL.On basis of application global In-memory Database market can be segmented to transaction, reporting and analytics.On the basis of vertical global in-memory database is segmented into BFSI, retail, telecomm, health care, energy, education, automobile, public sector and others.On basis of region global In-memory Database market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).Market Overview:North America region is dominant in In-memory Database market due to growing demand from enterprises and technical experts in North America and followed by Western Europe during the period. Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at a faster rate during the forecast period.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Key Market Players:Some of the Key players in In-memory database market include IBM Corporation, Oracle Corporation, Amazon web services, Teradata Corporation, SAP SE, VoltDB Inc., Altibase Corp., Microsoft corporation, Tableau Software and Software AG.About UsFuture Market Insights is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.FMIs research and consulting services help businesses around the globe navigate the challenges in a rapidly evolving marketplace with confidence and clarity. Our customised and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. We continuously track emerging trends and events in a broad range of end industries to ensure our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.Contact Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Global Sheet Molding Compound and Bulk Molding Compound Market Overview, Top Key Players, Growth and Analysis by Forecast to 2021 - Market Research Future

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1671

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/sheet-molding-compound-market-1671

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/1671

Market Senario :Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) is a fiber protected polymer matrix composite material which offers a range of beneficial properties that are demanded by various modern applications. Bulk Molding Compound (BMC) is any combination of cut glass components and resin in the form of a bulk pre-preg. Bulk molding compound is mainly suitable either for compression or injection molding. Transportation, electrical, construction and other applications such as aerospace, automotive, marine and consumer industries are increasing using sheet molding compound to take better advantage of its performance. Glass fiber is expected to hold the maximum market share of USD 589.5 million by 2021, growing at a CAGR of 6.7%. The global sheet molding compound and bulk molding compound market is expected to and reach USD 3,531.1 Million at the end of the forecasted period and is expected to show a staggering growth at CAGR of 6.5% from 2016 to 2021.Study Objectives of Global Sheet Molding Compound and Bulk Molding Compound Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of various segments and sub-segments of the global sheet molding compound and bulk molding compound market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the global sheet molding compound and bulk molding compound market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, APAC, and Rest of the World (ROW) To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by type, application, and region. To provide strategic profiling of the key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global sheet molding compound and bulk molding compound marketRequest a Sample Report @Global sheet molding compound and bulk molding compound Market Share (2015)Key Players IDI Composite International Citadel Plastics Holding Inc. Menzolit GmbH Polynt S.P.A, Core Molding Technologies Inc. Continental Structural Plastics Inc. Showa Denko K.K. Changzhou Runxia Fiberglass Products Co., Ltd Royal Tencate.Target Audience Manufactures Raw material Suppliers Aftermarket suppliers Research Institute / Education Institute Potential Investors Key executive (CEO and COO) and strategy growth managerBrowse Full Report Details @Product Analysis Product matrix which gives a detailed comparison of the market for different recycled product typesAdditional Information Regulatory Landscape Pricing Analysis Macroeconomic IndicatorsGeographic Analysis Geographical analysis across 15 countriesCompany Information Profiling of 10 key market players In-depth analysis including SWOT analysis, and strategy information of related to report title Competitive landscape including emerging trends adopted by major companiesRegional Analysis of Global Sheet Molding Compound and Bulk Molding Compound MarketAPAC will expand at a CAGR 7.2% over the forecast period with largest market size of USD 1,885.2 million by 2021. The share is attributed to the growing transportation and electrical & electronics industries in this region. China stands on the top most position as producers and consumer which account the total of around 50% of the global market.However Europe is expected to acquire a market share of USD 923.7 million and will expand at a CAGR 4.9% by 2021. It is followed by U.S.Ask for Discount @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.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.Contact:Market Research FutureOffice No. 524/528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Believe it or not but Nairobis youthful legislators Paul Ongili alias Babu Owino and Charles Njagua alias Jaguar have buried the hatchet.

The two first-time MPs have taken their cue from President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who stunned the country last week with their historic handshake.

Babu Owino and Jaguar have been the staunchest supporters of their respective party leaders and even came to blows in parliament last October.

In case you missed that bout, watch: VIDEO: Jaguar and Babu Owino Exchange Blows in Parliament

Five months later, the youthful MPs who represent the new generation of Kenyan politicians, met in Parliament again and it was joy and laughter as they settled their differences.

Today I met Hon Jaguar at parliament and we reconciled our differences. Promised to work together to serve the interest of Kenyans, said Babu Owino.

Jaguar added: Kenya is finally one.

The pics:
Medical Device Technologies Market: Increasing Prevalence of Cancer to Encourage Market Growth

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=11705

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=11705

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/medical-device-technologies-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The world medical device technologies market is mostly propelled by prominent international market players. A few of those players which are engaged with the production of in vitro diagnostic devices account for a very large share of the overall market. The small market players are, however, predominantly hailing from various emerging economies thereby looking for entry into the market. Such moves are anticipated to alter the future scenario of the said market in the years to come.Request for Sample Copy of Report @The evolution in the technologies of medical device has resulted in the breakthroughs in the diagnosis of disease and further in treatment of diseases. Technologies pertaining to the medical industry have brought forth efficiency, sustainability, and efficacy in the healthcare systems. It comes with various hi-tech, cutting edge gadgets like systems of constant glucose monitoring, ultrasounds, and many others. These are a few of the prime growth promoting factors of the world market for medical device technologies.Some of the major market players that adorn the international market for medical device technologies are Baxter International Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Medtronic plc, Abbott Laboratories, GE Healthcare, Boston Scientific Corporation, Stryker Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Siemens Healthineers, Cardinal Health Inc., Smith & Nephew plc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.A recent market intelligence study by Transparency Market Research forecasts that the world market for medical device technologies to expand at a steady CAGR of around 4.6% over the forecast period that extends from the year 2017 to 2025. The said market is expected to attain a market value of around US$ 563,886.5 mn by the year 2025 rising from a market valuation of US$ 377,562.4 mn in the year 2016.Enquiry for discount on this report @The major geographical categories of the international market for medical device technologies are Latin America, North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The region of North America has led the said market in the year 2015 amongst other prime geographical segments because of soaring incidence of various diseases such as metabolic diseases, cancer, and a huge pool of patients with different types of cardiovascular diseases and chronic diseases and those need crucial therapies and diagnosis. The burgeoning requirement for automated medical processes and the said regional segment being home to many of the manufacturers are also contributing hugely to the North American market for medical device technologies.The region of North America is trailed by Europe in the world market for medical device technologies in the year 2016 as long as revenue was concerned. In vitro diagnostic devices are primarily bolstering the progress of this regional segment owing to such high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases, strokes, and various types of cancer.The segment of In vitro diagnostic devices and others accounted for the leading share in the world market for medical device technologies in the year 2016 so far as revenue is concerned. The category of in vitro diagnostic devices is further forecasted to exhibit impressive growth in the years to come owing to growing occurrences of various chronic and infectious diseases together with the increasing popularity of various non-invasive diagnostic practices.Report Overview @The world market for medical device technologies is set to exhibit a lucrative growth in the years to come so as to cater to the immense unmet medical needs. Presently many of the clinics and hospitals are installing and implementing automated processes in a bid to diminish errors that might have repercussions on the safety of patient. Some other advantages include workflow automation together with consistent and speedy analysis of data. These are a few of the major factors that have been stoking growth of the world market for medical device technologies.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:
Global Hemifacial Spasm Market 2018  Synopsis | Market Size Measurement and Forecast up to 2023

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/5533

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/check-discount/5533

Hemifacial spasm is a painless neurological condition characterized by persistent or brief involuntary contractions of the muscles innervated by the facial nerve. Vascular compression triggers the primary hemifacial spasm, and secondary hemifacial spasm comprises all other causes of facial nerve damage. It is estimated that the hemifacial spasm market is expected to grow at a CAGR 7.5% during the forecast period of 2017-2023.It is noted that increasing technological advancements and growing awareness are the key factors driving the hemifacial spasm market. Nowadays, people are becoming more aware of different types of neurological disorders. Government and other different organizations have started educating people about hygiene and diseases through seminars, and conferences. Thus, increasing awareness has provided a push to the growth of the market.Some of key the players in the global hemifacial spasm market are Abbott, Allergan, Inc., Cephalon Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Ipsen Group, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Medytox,Inc., Merz Pharma GmbH and Co. KGaA, Novartis AG, Pfizer, Revance Therapeutics, Inc., ROCHE, Sanofi S.A, Shire plc, Stryker, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., UCB S.A., US WorldMeds, LLC., and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.Sample Report Available @The Americas dominate the hemifacial spasm market owing to the rising technological advancements and high healthcare expenditure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2015, the total health expenditure in the United States was reported to be USD 3.2 trillion, and hospital care accounted for a share of 32.3%.Target Audience:Pharmaceutical CompaniesResearch and Development (R&D) CompaniesDiagnostic LaboratoriesGovernment Research InstituteAcademic Institutes and UniversitiesTable of Content:Chapter 1. Report Prologue2.1 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 Analysis5.1 Porters Five Forces Analysis5.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers5.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Buyers5.1.3 Threat Of New Entrants5.1.4 Threat Of Substitutes5.1.5 Intensity Of Rivalry5.2 Value Chain Analysis5.3 Investment Feasibility Analysis5.4 Pricing AnalysisContinued TOC.For discount :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.Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528,Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar, Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Generics Market 2018  By Analyzing the Performance of Various Competitors

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3054067-generics-global-industry-almanac-2017-2021

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3054067-generics-global-industry-almanac-2017-2021

www.linkedin.com/company/4828928

https://twitter.com/WiseGuyReports

https://www.facebook.com/Wiseguyreports-1009007869213183/?fref=ts

SummaryGlobal Generics industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market size (value and volume 2012-16, and forecast to 2021). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market.SynopsisEssential resource for top-line data and analysis covering the global generics market. Includes market size data, textual and graphical analysis of market growth trends and leading companies.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Key Highlights- For the purposes of this profile, a generic is defined as a copy of an ethical (prescription) drug formerly protected by patents that have now expired. Both unbranded generics and all branded generics are included. However, off-patent drugs that continue to be offered by the original manufacturer under the original name, and which form part of the 'generic-eligible' market, are not included. The market value is evaluated at ex-factory prices. Market volume is quantified here as the percentage of the total ethical pharmaceutical market volume in a country or region which is accounted for by generic drugs. It is therefore a generics penetration rate measure, not an absolute measure of market volume.Regional volumes are calculated as weighted averages of countries which make up the region in question where volume data exists.Please note that any volumes of "1" (one) or 100% are due to rounding as MarketLine does not believe that generics will ever fully represent 100% of the medicinal market in any country or region.All currency conversions were calculated at constant average annual 2016 exchange rates.- The global generics market had total revenues of $311.1bn in 2016, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% between 2012 and 2016.- Market consumption volume increased with a CAGR of 2.2% between 2012 and 2016, to reach a total of 82.1% of total pharma volume in 2016.- Strong growth will continue in the emerging markets but worldwide there will be a deceleration.Scope- Save time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the size, growth, and leading players in the global generics market- Use the Five Forces analysis to determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of the global generics market- Leading company profiles reveal details of key generics market players global operations and financial performance- Add weight to presentations and pitches by understanding the future growth prospects of the global generics market with five year forecasts by both value and volumeReasons to buy- What was the size of the global generics market by value in 2016?- What will be the size of the global generics market in 2021?- What factors are affecting the strength of competition in the global generics market?- How has the market performed over the last five years?- How large is the global generics market in relation to its regional counterparts?Table of Content: Key PointsEXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2Market value 2Market value forecast 2Market volume 2Market volume forecast 2Geography segmentation 2Introduction 32What is this report about? 32Who is the target reader? 32How to use this report 32Definitions 32Global Generics 33Market Overview 33Market Data 34Market Segmentation 36Market outlook 37Five forces analysis 39Generics in Asia-Pacific 45Market Overview 45Market Data 46Market Segmentation 48Market outlook 49Five forces analysis 51Generics in Europe 57Market Overview 57ContinuedACCESS REPORT @Get in touch:LinkedIn:Twitter:Facebook: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.WISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, India
Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Report 2017-2022: Focus on Disposable Diapers, Cloth Diapers, Training Pants, Swim Pants and Biodegradable Diapers

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=80

https://www.factmr.com/report/80/baby-training-nappy-diaper-market

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=80

https://www.factmr.com/

A fresh study, covering Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking: Global Review 2017 to 2022 has been broadcasted to wide online repository of Fact MR, which presents deep focus on the Retail & Consumer Goods Market. This smart study contains precise data that offers a clear insight about market current scenario and future projections for the benefit of readers. Moreover, the study enclosed significant data which tends to make the research a powerful source for analysts and industry experts who are looking to gain necessary knowledge about the prevailing market trends, opportunities and drivers present in the Household Air Care Products Market.Request for Sample Report-Baby training nappy diapers are used in the practice of elimination communication, a sort of communication that takes place between the caregiver and the infant in order to cater to the need of an infant to eliminate waste. This process is commonly known as potty training. Due to the practice of elimination communication, the infants are trained to urinate and defecate in an appropriate place. This process of elimination communication or potty training is vital for the child, as it gives the child comfort and is a natural evolution of the child ultimately to maturity. However, care should be taken to ensure that potty training is not forced upon the child and there is no force used on the child to be potty trained. It is in this context baby training nappy diapers are used so that the child is able to follow their own natural rhythm in the process of waste elimination and gradually gets trained in this practice of elimination communication. As per the recent report of Fact.MR on the global baby training nappy diaper market, this market is slated to exhibit a robust CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period of 2017 till 2022. The market in the APEJ region is slated to demonstrate the maximum potential and attractiveness due to the rapidly growing population of the region.APEJ is Set to Dominate the Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper MarketThe Asia Pacific excluding Japan market is expected to dominate the global baby training nappy diaper market in terms of revenue in the year 2017, and this trend is projected to sustain itself throughout the assessment period. APEJ baby training nappy diaper market is the most attractive market, growing at a robust CAGR during the assessment period. The APEJ market is forecasted to be valued at US$ 6,864.1 Mn by the end of the year 2022.Ultra-Absorbent Segment to Demonstrate a Robust CAGR During the Assessment PeriodAs per the forecasts of Fact.MR, the ultra-absorbent segment is poised to touch a value of US$ 15,591.2 Mn in 2022. This represents a robust CAGR growth during the five year period of assessment. Ultra-absorbent segment is estimated to account for more than two-third of the revenue share of the product segment by 2017. The largest share is contributed by APEJ region in ultra-absorbent diapers market.Browse Full Report with TOC-Table of Content:1. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market - Executive Summary2. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Overview2.1. Introduction2.1.1. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Taxonomy2.1.2. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Definition2.2. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20222.2.1. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Y-o-Y Growth2.3. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Dynamics2.3.1. Drivers2.3.2. Restraints2.3.3. Trends2.4. Supply Chain2.5. Cost Structure2.6. Pricing Analysis2.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis2.8. Trade Analysis2.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By Region3. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Analysis and Forecast By Product3.1. Global Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Size and Forecast By Product, 2012-20223.1.1. Ultra-Absorbent Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20223.1.1.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region3.1.1.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region3.1.1.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region3.1.2. Super-Absorbent Baby Training Nappy Diaper Market Size and Forecast, 2012-2022Continued.Check Discount on This Report-About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized Retail & Consumer Goods market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MRSuite 988427 Upper Pembroke Street,Dublin 2, IrelandTelephone: +353-1-6111-593Email: sales@factmr.com/Web:
Collagen Market : Potential and Niche Segments, Geographical regions and Trends 2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=1727

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1727

https://www.tmrresearch.com/collagen-market

Global Collagen Market: SnapshotThe demand in the global collagen market is projected to increment at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025, gaining traction from a number of factors such as increasing demand for collagen-based products for medical applications including tissue engineering, wound healing, and bone reconstruction, growing consumption from food and beverages and cosmetic products, rising percentage of geriatric population, increasing disposable income of urban populations, and consumer inclination towards healthy lifestyle and protein consumption. On the other hand, stringent regulations pertaining to food additives, concerns regarding the depletion of animal source, and lack of consumer awareness are some of the challenges obstructing the prosperity of the global collagen market. Nevertheless, the vendors operating in this market are expected to gain new opportunities in emerging economies.In the current scenario, the competition in the global collagen market is intense, which is a reflection of a vast number of integrated players who have a strong platform of raw material suppliers. While CONNOILS, Nitta-Gelatin, PanBiotech GmbH, Advanced BioMatrix, and JBS-Brasil are some of the prominent companies operating in the global collagen market, their primary focus is on resilient research and development of new products as well as expansion of their production capacity in order to stay ahead of the curve.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Geographically, Asia Pacific is quickly emerging as most lucrative regional market for collagen as countries such as India, China, and Japan have a population base that is drifting towards skin care and personal care products. A number of companies have already shifted their attention towards these heavily populated countries, which is helping them solidify their position before the market reaches is peak point. That being said, North America and Europe are expected to remain highly profitable region throughout the forecast period, owing to high level of awareness among the consumers and rapid adoption of new technology.Global Collagen Market: OverviewCollagen accounts for nearly a third of protein composition in the human body, and plays essential role of providing skin structure and helping blood clot. Being the prominent building block of muscles, skin, bones, ligaments, and tendons, in the recent past, the use of collagen as a nutritional supplement and ingredient in body lotions and shampoos has escalated. Out of 16 types of collagen that are present in the human body, four types are most important, termed as type I, type II, type III, and type VI. 90% of the bodys collagen is of type I, made up of densely packed fibers, which helps in structuring the bones, skin, connective tissue and teeth, and fibrous cartilage. Type II is more loosely packed fibers that are primarily found in elastic cartilage that cushions joints. Type III aids the structure of organs, muscles, and arteries while type VI helps in filtration. With aging, the body produces low-quality and significantly less collagen and hence, supplements are recommended. Consequently, with rising geriatric population across the world, the demand in the global collagen market is expected to rise at a healthy CAGR during the forecast period of 2017 to 2025.Request TOC of the Report @Global Collagen Market: Key TrendsBesides escalating number of people beyond the age of 60 years who need collagen supplements, the incremented use of collagen in drug delivery system and medical devices is the primary driver of the market for the same. Moreover, effectiveness in wound healing with collagen and the rising adoptability for minimally invasive technologies are some of the other important factors that will boost the demand in the global collagen market in the coming years. Rising population of obese people across the world is further boosting the demand for collagen, as obesity bodies produce decreased levels of collagen. By source, the collagen market can be segmented into marine, bovine, porcine, chicken, and others. Currently, bovine and porcine are the leading sources for collagen used in various applications.Global Collagen Market: Market PotentialThe flourishing healthcare industry is opening new avenues for the players in the global collagen market. Losing collagen in skin due to aging and daily exposure to sun leads to wrinkles as the elasticity fades. Several beauty products now utilize collagen to improve health of skin and hair, heal leaky gut, strengthen nails and teeth, reduce joint pains and degeneration, improve liver health, and protect against cardiovascular disorders.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@Global Collagen Market: Regional OutlookOwing to high awareness pertaining to the benefits of collagen and robust healthcare infrastructure, North America and Europe currently are the most lucrative regional markets for collagen. The region is also gaining from the presence of high-end manufacturing organizations. Among other regions, Asia Pacific is projected to increment the demand rapidly over the course of the forecast period. The region houses nearly half of the worlds population and the number of geriatrics is proportionally increasing. Continuously expanding application of collagen is aiding the market in this region, as is favorable government policies and improving healthcare infrastructure.Global Collagen Market: Competitive AnalysisAmple of opportunities are available for new players in the global collagen market, while the existing key players also have enough fodder with expanding application of collagen. To be precise, with the rise in chronic diseases such as diabetes, players can concentrate on drug delivery or tissue engineering segments to establish stronghold.The market overall is fragmented in nature with several regional players, Collagen Matrix, Inc. seems to have taken a lead over the competitors, concentrating on all of the three major application segments. Some of the other prominent companies in the global collagen market are Medtronic plc, Botiss biomaterials GmbH, Nippi, Inc., and Baotou Dongbao Bio-Tech Co. Ltd., although most of them are active in only a few market segments.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
Fuel Cells Market : Pit Falls, Present Scenario and Growth Prospects from 2017 to 2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=1733

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=1733

https://www.tmrresearch.com/fuel-cells-market

Global Fuel Cells Market: SnapshotFuel cell technology has risen in prominence as a combustion-free conversion device for producing electricity, apart from producing heat and water. They can be made to power systems in variety of stationary application, particularly in backup power systems, and are more efficient than most conventional combustion engines. Hydrogen is one of the most versatile fuels used and its demand has gained traction in modern fuel cell vehicles in various developing and developed regions. Other fuels used include natural gas, ethanol, methanol, and biogas. Fuel cells are scalable and can power backup systems almost indefinitely, as long as the supply of the fuel is maintained. The pressing demand for cleaner fuel sources and technologies with low-carbon footprint, coupled with the burgeoning demand for electricity in numerous developing and developed economies, is a notable factor stoking the demand for fuel cells. The growing demand for non-conventional sources of energy, attributed to fast depleting sources of fossil fuels world over, is a crucial factor bolstering the demand for fuel cells. In addition, stringent implementation of regulatory norms for reducing carbon emissions in emerging economies is a key development boosting the market. The versatility of applications of fuel cells and their scalability are significant factors expected to bolster their uptake. In addition, fuel cells can easily be combined with other standard energy technologies, notably batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, and super-capacitors. This is a crucial factor fortifying the demand. In recent times, substantial research and development activities related to fuel cell vehicles and their growing adoption are key factors expected to accentuate the market growth. Furthermore, the growing investment by governments in several developing and developed countries is a prominent factor expected to provide a robust impetus to the growth of the market.Global Fuel Cells Market: OverviewFuels cell is a fairly recent technology that is used as a source of heat and electricity in various spaces such as commercial, industrial, and residential sectors. They generate power without movement of any parts or combustion and thus are known to be noise-free technologies. The most popularly used form of fuel cell is PEMFC due to their ability to fit in a wide range of applications.Request Sample Copy of the Report @Global Fuel Cells Market: Drivers and TrendsThe primary usage of fuel cells is to provide backup for a certain period of time or so long as the fuel is supplied to them. Thus, fuel cells are extensively being used in stationary applications such as backup power systems and CHP, portable applications such as consumer electronics, and the transportation sector. Though the usage of fuel cells for transportation sector is limited, the ongoing research and development will offer efficient fuel cell systems in vehicles, thereby boost the segments progress.The soaring rise of the global fuel cells market is also attributable to the dire need of cleaner fuel sources, depleting conventional sources of energy, and rising pollution. Analysts expect that the market will also be driven by the growing demand for electricity and strict regulatory norms to reduce carbon emissions. The uncontrollable rise in population and the excessive dependency of the mankind on fossil fuels has fueled the demand for fuel cells in recent years. The report states that rising temperatures and greenhouse emissions will also be responsible for the uptake of fuels cells in the near future.Request TOC of the Report @Global Fuel Cells Market: Market PotentialThe changing outlooks of governments are also expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the global fuel cells market. For instance, the Government of Canada has committed to support technologies that will benefit the environment and offer jobs that will promote cleaner and greener output. In tandem with this sentiment, the government announced its plans to invest US$10 million non-repayable contribution to the Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC). This organization is a joint venture run by German-based Daimler AG and Ford Company.Global Fuel Cells Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the global fuel cells market is segmented into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World. Asia Pacific is projected to lead the global market in the coming years. Analysts anticipate that Japan will dominate the region as the demand for power and combined heat systems rises in the country. The rise of hydrogen power plants in several emerging countries of Asia Pacific are also anticipated to augment the demand for fuel cells in the coming years.Read Comprehensive Overview of Report@The rapid technological advancements and the supportive regulatory scenario in North America is expected favor the regions progress in the global fuel cells market in the near future. As of 2015, the region held a 50% share in the installed capacity and is projected to show its dominance during the forecast period as well.Key Players Mentioned in this Report are:Some of the leading players operating in the global fuel cells market are AFC Energy PLC, Doosan Fuel Cell America, Inc., Ballard Power Systems Inc., FuelCell Energy, Inc., Nedstack Fuel Cell Technology B.V., Hydrogenics Corporation, Panasonic Corporation, Plug Power, Inc., Toshiba Corporation, and SFC Energy AG.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
Global e clinical solutions Market valued approximately at growth rate of 15.4% CAGR to 2025

http://orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/2105900

http://orbisresearch.com/contacts/discount/2105900

http://orbisresearch.com/reports/index/global-e-clinical-solutions-market-forecasts-2017-2025

Description:Global e clinical solutions market was valued approximately USD 3.4 billion in 2016, is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 15.4% by 2025. The market growth is attributed to the rising government funding and R&D investments from pharma-biotech companies. Moreover, clinical research studies incur higher cost and are highly regulated, thus there is a rapid increase in adoption of cost effective e clinical solution.Additionally, with the advent of big data and healthcare IT, the global healthcare industry is moving towards centralization of data for faster and better execution of healthcare, anywhere across the globe. The e clinical solutions will enable the effective planning, tracking and execution of the healthcare data base across different countries.Request a Sample Report! Download a PDF sample copy @By Product:Electronic Data Capture and Clinical Data Management SystemsClinical Trial Management SystemsClinical Analytics Platforms Randomization and Trial Supply Management Clinical Data Integration PlatformsElectronic Clinical Outcome Assessment SolutionsSafety SolutionsElectronic Trial Master File SystemsRegulatory Information Management SolutionsOther e Clinical SolutionsDelivery Mode:Web-Hosted SolutionsOn-Premise SolutionsCloud-based(SaaS) SolutionsEnd User:E-Clinical Solutions Market, Sub Segment AnalysisContract Research Organizations Medical Device Manufacturers HospitalsAcademic Research InstitutesRegions:North AmericaU.S.CanadaEuropeUKGermanyFranceAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanRest of the WorldOn the basis of delivery mode, currently the market is dominated by web hosted delivery model. The web hosted delivery model aids faster and easy accessibility of data and incurs lower cost than on premise delivery. However, in coming years, cloud hosted models are expected to grow at highest CAGR. The market growth is primarily driven by the ability of cloud to flexibly integrate with multiple platforms and the pay as you go model.In 2016, North America dominates the global e clinical solutions market with more than 35% revenue share. The market growth is driven by the presence of large number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms in the region. Moreover, there is a significant rise in number of clinical trials in the region due to increasing support from government funds. However, during the forecast period, Asia Pacific market is expected to grow at an accelerating rate. Due to less stringent regulations in many Asian countries, the biotechnology and pharmaceuticals companies across the world are outsourcing clinical trials to the developing countries in Asia Pacific.The report highlights the top market players in the industry and their key strategies to operate in the market place. Some of the key companies discussed in the report include, Bio-Optronics, Inc., CRF Health, Datatrak International, Inc., Eclinical Solutions, LLC., ERT Clinical, Maxisit Inc., Medidata Solutions, Inc., Merge Healthcare Incorporated, Systems, Inc., Oracle Corporation, Parexel International Corporations and others. These companies are primarily engaged in partnerships and agreement, specially partnerships between biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms has been the most followed strategies in recent years.Check Discount@Some Point from Table of Content:Chapter 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 e-Clinical Solutions Market Definition & scope2.1. Objective of the Study2.2. Market definition2.3. Scope of the Study2.4. Years considered for the study2.5. Currency2.6. Report LimitationChapter 3. Executive Summary3.1. Key Trends3.2. Global & Segmental Market Estimates & Forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion/Million)Read more...Get Detailed TOC, Tables, Figures, Charts and Companies Mentioned in E clinical solutions Market Research Report@About Us: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.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019Email ID: sales@orbisresearch.com
Global Power Bank Market Research and Forecast 2018-2023

https://www.omrglobal.com/industry-reports/global-power-bank-market/

Global Power Bank Market Size, Share, Market Intelligence, Company Profiles, Market Trends, Strategy, Analysis, Forecast 2018-2023GLOBAL POWER BANK MARKET INSIGHTS:Global Power bank market is defined as a potable battery charger device that is used to charge portable electronic products such as laptops, smart phones, tablets and cameras. Versatility and mobility are the primary features of the power banks that are augmenting the growth of the power bank market. The global power bank market is anticipated to grow with the CAGR of 20.4% during 2018-2023. Rising demand of smartphone across the globe and retailing of power bank on online portals and e-commerce websites are estimated to be one of the major factors that are driving the growth of the market. In addition, increasing digitalization and drop off in the price of the power banks are also estimated to be the major factors that are driving the growth of the market.Over the past few years, rapid increase in the demand of the smartphone has been witnessed. The increasing demand of the smartphones is attributed to the increasing internet penetration across the globe and availability of low cost smartphones in the market. Further, increasing trend of social media and digitalization are also one of the major factors that are driving the growth of the smartphone across the globe. The total number of smartphone user across the globe was estimated to be 2.1 billion in the 2016, up from 1.5 billion in 2014, and the number is further estimated to reach 3 billion by the year 2020. These are the major factors indicating the increasing demand of smartphone worldwide. Power bank are majorly used in charging smartphones, therefore increasing demand of smartphones are estimated to drive the growth of the power bank market.For More info:However, there are certain factors that are hampering the growth of the market. high intensity of competitive rivalry among the market players and development of low power consumption smartphones are estimated to be the major constraints in the growth of the market. Besides these restraints, growing trend of wearable devices and development of solar and hydrogen fuel-based power banks are estimated to develop myriad growth opportunities for the growth of the market in the future.The global power bank market is further studied on the basis of the geographical regions that are contributing significantly towards the growth of the market. Asia Pacific region is estimated to account for major share in the global power bank market owing to increasing demand of smartphones in region. Total number of smart phone user in Asia Pacific region was estimated to be 1,023 million in 2015, and the number is further estimated to reach 1,800 million by the year 2022. Further, sales of smart phone in Asia Pacific region amounted to approximately $76 billion in 2016. Presence of low cost smart phone manufacturers which are also manufacturing power banks (such as Xiaomi) is estimated to be one of the major factors that is backing the growth of the market. North America is estimated to be the fastest growing market during the forecasted period.Key players of the global power bank market are Advantage Computer Pvt Ltd, Anker, China Bak Battery Inc., Hitachi Maxell, Intelligent Energy Ltd., LG Chem Ltd., Limefuel, Microsoft Corporation, Mipow, Mophie Inc., OnePlus, Panasonic Corporation, Ravin Group, Samsung SDI Co. Ltd., Sandberg A/S, Sony Corporation, UNU Electronics, Xiaomi Technology Co. Ltd., Xtrom, Zendure and so on. In order to sustain in the market these players adopt various strategies such as merger, acquisitions, product launch, and geographical expansion and so on.Market Segmentation:Global power bank market by the technology1.1. Lithium ion battery1.2. Lithium polymer batteryGlobal power bank market by applications2.1. Smartphones2.2. Tablets2.3. Portable media devices2.4. Other2.Global power bank market by product2.1. Portable power bank2.2. Solar power bank2.3. Battery caseTHE REPORT COVER:Comprehensive research methodology of global power bank marketIn-depth analysis of macro and micro factors influencing the market guided by key recommendations.Analysis of regional regulations and other government policies impacting the global power bank marketInsights about market determinants which are stimulating the global power bank marketDetailed and extensive market segments with regional distribution of researched revenuesExtensive profiles and recent developments of market playersOrion Market Research (OMR) is an Indian research company known for its crisp and concise reports.The company is equipped with an experienced team and young brigade of analysts. The company provides quality syndicated research reports, customized research reports, company profiling, consulting and other research-based services. OMR provide global and regional market reports of various domains such as healthcare, energy, IT, chemicals, and automobiles. The company provides a 360-degree view of the market with parametric analysis, key market insights, key findings, statistical forecasts, competitive landscape, extensive segmentation, key trends, strategic recommendations and detailed company profiles.CORPORATE OFFICE:Orion Market Research Pvt Ltd116, Shagun ArcadeVijay Nagar SquareIndore, Madhya Pradesh  India- 452010Email: info@omrglobal.com, support@omrglobal.comIndia: +91-780-304-0404Global: +1-646-755-7667 (USA)Anurag Tiwari (India)Orion Market Research Pvt. Ltd.+919179828694
Global Industry Research on Crude Oil Carriers Market Analysis, Demand & Opportunities till 2024

Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/1657

https://www.mrrse.com/crude-oil-carriers-market

https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/1657

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

A latest research report titled as Crude Oil Carriers Market, by Vessel Type (VLCC/ULCC, Suezmax, Aframax, and Panamax) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024 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 Free Sample Report @Crude oil can be transferred from production spots to refineries by using crude oil carriers. Other means of transporting them are rail tank cars, pipelines, barges, and tank trucks. Crude oil carriers, better known as oil tankers in common parlance, deliver crude oil in bulk from one location to another. Perfect competition prevails at present in the global crude oil carriers market on account of numerous providers of similar shipping services, absence of strict rules, and most importantly information on freight rates on the Baltic Index.In order to further their positions in the global crude oil carriers market, savvy players are coming up with improved transportation technologies and carrier models. This has served to catalyze growth in the market. Further, ship owners have proper procedures in place to ensure secure and environmentally responsible operations and this is also upping demand in market.A factor posing a roadblock to the global crude oil carriers market, on the other hand, is the massive initial investment needed to acquire brand new and even second hand carrier ships. This has particularly hampered many aspiring players from foraying into the market.A report by Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE) predicts the global market for crude oil carriers to expand at a tepid CAGR of 3.5% during the period between 2016 and 2024 to become worth US$217 bn by 2023 from US$160 bn in 2015.VLCC and ULCC Together Account for Dominant ShareThe two main kinds of oil carriers are crude oil carriers and product carriers. Crude oil carriers, typically, transfer unrefined crude oil from exploration and production facilities to crude oil refineries. Product carriers, on the other hand, ship refined products to points close to consuming markets. Coastal tank vessel trades are carried out using crude carriers, tank barges, and product tankers. Crude oil carriers serve the West/Alaska coast crude oil trades.Depending upon the type of vessels, the global crude oil carriers market can be segmented into Suezmax, VLCC/ULCC, Aframax, and Panamax. Of them, the combined share of VLCC and ULCC was about 63.0% in 2015 mainly on account of a significant number of VLCCs operating. In 2015, these two large carriers are said to have transported worth over US$90,000 a day to Asia Pacific. Crude oil carriers are also treated as a medium of floating storage by some energy traders and companies stored wanting to hedge against higher future price.Aframax held about 21.0% share in the global crude oil carriers market in 2015. Suezmax accounted for nearly 14.0% and Panamax accounted for the rest 2% of the market.Get More Info, Read Complete Report with Table of Content @Powered by China and Japan, Asia Pacific Dominates MarketDepending upon geography again, the global crude oil carriers market can be segmented into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and the Rest of the World. Of them, Asia Pacific accounted for share of 41.0% in 2015. This is because, many countries in Asia Pacific, namely South Korea, China, Malaysia, and Japan, own and operate most of the crude oil carriers. Crude oil from West Africa and South America is mainly transported to Asia Pacific, owing to lesser demand from the U.S. which has been witnessing a boom in shale oil and gas and hence requires lesser crude oil.Europe is another key market for crude oil carriers, in which Greece is said to have owned and operated almost 17.0% of the worldwide crude oil carriers in 2015.Enquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket 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:
Africa Malaria Diagnosis & Treatment Market by Malarial Parasite (Plasmodium Falciparum, Plasmodium Vivax, Plasmodium Malariae and Plasmodium Ovale) - Forecast 2023 Market Research Future (MRFR)

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2952

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/2952

Africa Malaria Diagnosis & Treatment Market Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the Plasmodium type. The symptoms include fever, fatigue, vomiting, and severe headaches and may lead to seizures, coma, or even death if untreated. Malaria is primarily a disease of the tropical and subtropical regions. The carrier of malaria is the female anopheles mosquito and hence there is a seasonal variation in the cases of malaria. Most cases of malaria are caused by P. falciparum because other types of plasmodium such as P. vivax, P. ovale, and P. malariae generally cause a milder form of malaria.Taking all factors into consideration, we expect the Africa malaria diagnosis market to reach around $ 2418.92 million from $ 550 million in 2017, by the end of the forecast period at a CAGR of ~ 28.0 %. While the malaria treatment market will grow by a CAGR of 8.1% to reach around $ 7180.7 million from $ 4500.0 million in 2016.Request for Sample Report:Some of the key players in this market are: Alere Inc., Access Bio Inc., Premier Medical Corporation, Beckman Coulter/Danaher, bioMerieux, Novartis Diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Cipla Inc., Ipca Laboratories Ltd., Uni-Med India, Pfizer Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Sanofi among others.Table of Content:1 Introduction1.1 Definition1.2 Scope Of Study1.3 Research Objective1.4 Assumptions & Limitations1.5 Market Structure:2 Research Methodology2.1 Research Process2.2 Primary Research2.3 Secondary Research3 Market Dynamics3.1 Drivers3.2 Restraints3.3 Opportunities3.4 Challenges3.5 Macroeconomic Indicators4 Market Factor Analysis4.1 Porters Five Forces Model4.1.1 Bargaining Power Of Suppliers4.1.2 Bargaining Power Of Customer4.1.3 Intensity Of Competitors4.1.4 Threat Of New Entrants5 Africa Malaria Diagnosis & Treatment Market, By Technique5.1 Introduction5.1.1 Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs),5.1.2 Molecular Diagnostics5.1.3 MicroscopyTO BE CONTINUED..For Inquired @The report of Africa Malaria Diagnosis & Treatment Market of Market Research Future comprises extensive primary research along with the detail analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides detail information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.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.Contact Us: Market Research Future Office No. 528,Amanora Chambers Magarpatta Road,Hadapsar, Pune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone: +1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
City dwellers now have a chance to have a one on one telephone chat with Governor Mike Sonko about their challenges.

The County boss on Tuesday gave out his cell phone number and encouraged city residents to engage him by calling him or texting him between 5 am and 7.30 am.

To reach him, Nairobians have been asked to use the number 0722 886600.

Sonko made the announcement on social media platforms, drawing mixed reactions from netizens.

Good morning Nairobians. I will be receiving your calls from 5.50 am to 7.30 am. Use 0722886600 in case busy just text and I will call back. Urgent issues please especially on challenges we are facing, posted Sonko.

Good morning Nairobians. I will be receiving your calls from 5.50am to 7.30am. Use 0722886600 in case busy just text and I will call back. Urgent issues plse especially on challenges we are facing. Those with appointment for this morning use the gate facing city hall Annex pic.twitter.com/KnyQNHfHN4  Mike Sonko (@MikeSonko) March 13, 2018



While the gesture was well received by a majority, some labeled it a PR gimmick.

One Amin Ali challenged Sonko to set up a call centre with subsections that deal with each ward. The subsections will collect issues from every ward and then attach the tickets or complaints to the respective Ward Representatives and ensure resolution of the same within specified time.

This is a good gesture but may not be viable, you need to set up a Call Centre with subsections dealing with each ward.you will have your head office guys also have the issues automatically escalated to them after a lapse of certain amount of time. This will help in identifying the issues, allocating resources to the issues and tracking the resolution time of the issues, he said.

Sonko was open to the idea and responded; We shall try to fix that issue of a call center. Thank you.

Another Kenyan on Twitter, @dankasesh, dismissed the initiative as a public relations stunt.

 [Stop the] PR stunts. I tried getting to you and was told the mail box was full. Anyway, we have serious water problems in South C.

Others said Sonkos idea was not practical. Daniel Chiedo wrote; His idea of an open door and open call for more than 2million Nairobians is not practical.

Omollo Junior received the announcement with positivity, writing: This has impressed me. I wish other Governors could pick this. Service delivery would be improved.
Bakery Improvers Market 10-Year Market Forecast and Trends Analysis Research Report

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4422

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-4422

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/

Bakery improvers Market Introduction:Bakery improvers, bakery pre-mixes and bakery concentrates are often used interchangeably in the baking industry. These bakery improvers are used for miscellaneous purposes including sustaining quality and softness of bread, soft and thin crust of pastry products, reducing crispiness of crumb, for preserving and increasing shelf life, developing a fine-pored crumb, improving color of baked goods, strengthen tolerance during manufacturing stages and largely enabling bakers to prepare good quality and a standardized baked products.Request For Report Sample:Bakery improvers are generally used at 10 % amount as calculated on flour. Apart from reducing the time taken by the bread to rise, bakery improvers also improve volume and texture of the baked product, by using the enzymes such as amylase and protease on starch and gluten. Furthermore it helps to get high volume of products during the processing of the flour. The high amount of bakery products consumption in European countries has created a lavish demand for the bakery improvers to constantly improve the quality of baked goods.Bakery improvers Market Segmentation:The bakery improvers are broadly segmented by from and by product type. The availability of bakery improvers in variety of form is credited to the use of the different forms for different preparations and use at various stages of processing. The segmentation by form include powders, liquid and others (granules and paste).Each of the bakery improver added to the baked product offers a specific improvement and thus on the basis of product type the bakery improvers are segmented as stabilizer, emulsifier, thickening agents, oxidants, reducing-agent, enzymes, others (bean flour, malt, etc.)Bakery improvers Market Regional Outlook:Bakery product such as bread is the primarily consumed as a source of carbohydrates in most European countries and has also been a key source of whole grain in the Scandinavian countries. With a very high consumption in Turkey and Bulgaria the market for bakery improvers is also expected to grow parallel in these countries. The growth rate for bakery improvers in bread in countries such as U.S, U.K. Canada, Germany, Italy, France, Brazil and China is not expected to grow intensely as bread is eaten in almost every household; however the bakery improvers are expected to witness a growth in packed baked products due to various new product introduction by packed food baking giants such as Mondelez International, Grupo Bimbo etc.In most parts of U.S., bread and baked goods are consumed as staple food and a very high consumption is recorded through food services and fast food restaurants. In developing countries such as India, this massive bakery industry is further expected to grow due to high urbanization and increasing number of youth opting for fast food service restaurants; this in turn is expected to grow the bakery improvers market during the forecast period.Bakery improvers Market Drivers and TrendsA continues demand for greater variety of bread with ethnic breads getting more popular in the UK and more varieties of whole meal breads with oats, bran, seeds etc., arriving in the market. There is also a growing trend for increased production of sliced and wrapped bread of different varieties in many countries across Europe including Germany and France.With most parts of Europe following a gluten free trend, egg free is emerging as a new key trend. Primarily driven by a rising vegan population in the UK, it is swiftly moving into the mainstream market. The rapid growth of egg free cake mixes require bakery improvers such as stabilizers and thickening agents, thus bakery improvers are expected to see an upsurge in the demand during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Bakery improvers Market Key Players:Some of the key players participating in the global Bakery improvers market includes; Lesaffre & Cie, Puratos Group NV, Bakels Group, UNIFERM GmbH & Co. KG, Allied Mills, IPSA SPA., Megazyme Inc., among others.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 Us:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Filling and Capping Monoblock Market: Clear Understanding of The Competitive Landscape and Key Product Segments

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/filling-capping-monoblock-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32384

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32384

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Filling and capping is the most vital process for the production of end products in the food, beverages, healthcare, cosmetics, and chemical industry. The filling and capping process is simplified by the automated operation performed by the filling and capping monoblocks. The filling and capping monoblock is the PLC operated machine which performs both of the operations simultaneously one after another. Both filling and capping machine components are engraved on a single machine to ease the production process. The monoblock can handle both plastic and glass bottles of different shapes and sizes.The compact monoblock machine delivers easy integration of existing packaging lines and enhances the production output. The automated system allows quick and easy cleaning operation to inaccessible places. The monoblock machine is made such that, it avoids any direct human contact with the liquid which is being filled in the bottles. The machines available in the market are capable of filling and capping around 60 to 300 or more bottles per minute. The machine could be equipped with insertion system for custom caps or pumps fitments.Browse the Report to Know Worldwide Industry Analysis and New Market Opportunities Explored @Filling and Capping Monoblock: Market DynamicsThe demand for the filling and capping monoblocks are fuelled by the increasing need for single unit cost-effective technology for filling and capping process during the production of end products in various industries. The manufacturers are opting for the elimination of the conventional filling and capping process and switching to new and highly automated filling and capping monoblocks to increase production lead times. Another major factor that drives the filling and capping monoblocks market is the need for high-end packaging machinery that imparts quantitative accuracy during the filling process.The latest trend observed in the filling and capping monoblocks market is the increased usage of these machines in the pharmaceutical industry for filling and capping process of the vials and ampoules. The low penetration of the automatic filling and capping machines globally creates the enormous opportunities for the filling and capping monoblocks market in the near future. The revenue generated by the trade of filling and capping machines is expected to increase two-three folds by the end of next decade. The major restraint in the filling and capping monoblocks market is the high cost of machinery and unavailability of skilled technicians which may obstruct its growth rate in the coming years.Request Sample to Know Emergence of Advanced Technologies and Global Industry Analysis @Filling and capping monoblock market segmentation by End Use Food & BeveragesPharmaceuticalChemicalCosmeticsOthersFilling and Capping Monoblock Market: Regional outlookGeographically, the global filling and capping monoblock market is segmented across following regions- North America, Latin America, APEJ, Japan, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Middle East and Africa. Filling and capping monoblock market is expected to increase at a healthy CAGR value due to high demand for sophisticated packaging machinery globally. The North American market is followed by the European market which is expected to dominate the filling and capping monoblock market throughout the forecast period.Get TOC of This Report @This high growth rate could be attributed to high demand for food, beverages, pharmaceutical, and chemical products in these regions. The APEJ is also expected to gain market share because of the shift of food, beverages, and pharmaceutical manufacturers to this region. The Latin America and MEA region also offer untapped growth potential for the filling and capping monoblock market.Filling and Capping Monoblock Market: Key playersSome of the key players in the global filling and capping monoblock market are Shibuya Hoppmann Corporation, Clearpack Group, Zima Pack LLC, Pacific Packaging Machinery Inc., M.A.R. S.p.A. Macchine Automatiche Riempitrici, SRAML d.o.o., Barry-Wehmiller Group, Inc., Accutek Packaging Equipment Companies, Inc., ESS Technologies Inc., Capmatic Ltd., Tenco srl, IMACO GROUP, Rejves S.r.l., Karmelle Liquid Filling & Capping Solutions Limited.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. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e 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, chemical, 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, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Business Opportunities of Patient Monitoring Equipment Market 2018

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=735447

https://www.researchmoz.us/patient-monitoring-equipment-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2016-to-2022-report.html/toc

https://www.researchmoz.us/patient-monitoring-equipment-market-shares-strategies-and-forecasts-worldwide-2016-to-2022-report.html

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

https://marketinfo247.wordpress.com/

Albany, NY, 14th March : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "Patient Monitoring Equipment: Market Shares, Strategies, and Forecasts, Worldwide, 2016 to 2022" globally.The 2016 study has 615 pages, 365 tables and figures. Worldwide Patient Monitoring markets are poised to achieve significant growth as a resurgence in tracking vital signs extends from the intensive care unit ICU and emergency department to all areas of the hospital, to patient transport venues, and to home outpatient treatment locations.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @The patient monitoring platform is modular, integrating various components. Modular systems are developed in the context of consideration of probable specifications for the interaction of system components. Patient Monitoring systems are making a market resurgence because smaller, lighter, wireless units are less costly and more valuable in the context of treatment evaluations and recommendations. People who have cardiac or respiratory difficulty have more treatment options, making more extensive patient monitoring useful.Designs take into consideration users with mild, moderate, and severe chronic disease condition restrictions. Users come from chronic disease groups and older age groups.The core of a patient monitoring platform is an integration of separate vital signs detection sensors that form a system that supports adapting to numerous clinical requirements. Modules implement ways to determine patient condition. Market driving forces for multi-parameter and specialized vital signs patient monitors relate to more societal willingness to pay for vigilance, an increase in vigilance of sick people at risk. Cardiac and respiratory symptoms are measured as vital sign shifts by patient monitors.Symptoms are represented by shifts in vital sign monitoring that measures disease conditions impacted deterioration of patient well-being. The monitoring is frequently done in conjunction with blood work.There is a lot of complexity in determining the meaning of the patient monitor vital signs measurements. Shortness of breath is a common symptom of cardiac disease. It is frequently misdiagnosed as a respiratory symptom or ignored by patients and is not even considered a symptom.Vital signs monitoring is a way to get a window into patient condition that can provide alerts when a small change signals a possible shift in patient condition. Hospital cardiac patient monitoring technology is a vital aid in providing treatment for severely ill patients.View Complete TOC with tables & Figures @Alerts can be used to take action before a patient gets even more seriously ill. Hospital and outpatient cardiac patient monitoring can detect arrhythmias and get people to treatment faster before it is too late to correct heart failure. Early detection of a problem in the home is a way to avoid a hospital stay. Appropriate treatment of chronic conditions is difficult and is essential to helping people protect quality of life after recovery from a serious illness.Revitalization of patient monitor markets is occurring because units are smaller, less costly, and more useful across a variety of venues. Patient monitoring is moving toward the ability to help with wellness and to participate in the wearables markets. As people shift resource toward medical treatment, patient monitoring equipment becomes a priority.Lifestyle is supported by patient monitoring products that support earlier detection of disease conditions. Increasing market share has been achieved by providing value to the clinicians. The technical expertise of the sales force, the effectiveness of the distribution system, the strength of the dealers, and the availability of prompt and reliable service for products when addressed are able to help patient monitor vendors achieve competitive advantage.Patient monitor markets at $11 billion in 2015 are anticipated to reach $26.2 billion by 2022. Strong growth is predicated on the increasing reliance on multi-parameter patient monitors in every bed of the hospital, in multiple areas of specialized clinics, and in many rehab centers.Market growth occurs with the expansion of multi-parameter patient monitors connected to a central station beyond the intensive care unit to all floors of a hospital. Clinical care depends on monitoring. Vital signs monitors transmit data wirelessly directly to the electronic patient record, generating alerts if data is outside preset parameters. Patient monitors are expanding the use base in the hospital and expanding use in rehab centers, clinical settings, and home.Companies ProfiledMarket LeadersPhilipsGeneral Electric (GE)DragerNihon KohdenFukuda DenshiHill-Rom / Welch AllynMindray MedicalOSI / SpacelabsViterionMaquetPenlonBrowse Report @Criticare SystemsMedtronicBiotronicCare InnovationsSoteraMortara InstrumentResearchMoz 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.ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,90 State Street, Albany NY, United States - 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email: sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @Follow me on :
Alfalfa Hay Market 2018 Global Analysis By key Players : Anderson Hay, ACX Global, Bailey Farms, Aldahra Fagavi, Grupo Oses, Gruppo Carli, Border Valley Trading

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1215957-global-alfalfa-hay-market-research-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1215957-global-alfalfa-hay-market-research-report-2017

In this report, the global Alfalfa Hay market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Alfalfa Hay in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaRequest a Sample Report @Global Alfalfa Hay market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingAnderson HayACX GlobalBailey FarmsAldahra FagaviGrupo OsesGruppo CarliBorder Valley TradingBarr-AgAlfa TecStandlee HaySacate Pellet MillsOxbow Animal HealthM&C HayAccomazzoHuishan DiaryQiushi Grass IndustryBeijing HDR TradingBeijing Lvtianyuan Ecological FarmModern GrasslandInner Mongolia Dachen AgricultureInner Mongolia HuangYangwa Grass IndustryOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoAlfalfa Hay BalesAlfalfa Hay PelletsAlfalfa Hay CubesOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales), market share and growth rate of Alfalfa Hay for each application, includingDairy Cow FeedBeef Cattle & Sheep FeedPig FeedPoultry FeedIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of ContentsGlobal Alfalfa Hay Market Research Report 20171 Alfalfa Hay Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Alfalfa Hay1.2 Alfalfa Hay Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category) (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Alfalfa Hay Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Alfalfa Hay Bales1.2.4 Alfalfa Hay Pellets1.2.5 Alfalfa Hay Cubes1.3 Global Alfalfa Hay Segment by Application1.3.1 Alfalfa Hay Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Dairy Cow Feed1.3.3 Beef Cattle & Sheep Feed1.3.4 Pig Feed1.3.5 Poultry Feed1.4 Global Alfalfa Hay Market by Region (2012-2022)1.4.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Market Size (Value) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Alfalfa Hay (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Revenue Status and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)2 Global Alfalfa Hay Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Alfalfa Hay Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Alfalfa Hay Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Alfalfa Hay Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Alfalfa Hay Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Alfalfa Hay Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Alfalfa Hay Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Alfalfa Hay Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Alfalfa Hay Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Alfalfa Hay Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 China Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Japan Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 Southeast Asia Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.10 India Alfalfa Hay Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Alfalfa Hay Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Alfalfa Hay Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Alfalfa Hay Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Alfalfa Hay Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Alfalfa Hay Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Alfalfa Hay Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Alfalfa Hay Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Alfalfa Hay Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Alfalfa Hay Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Alfalfa Hay Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Alfalfa Hay Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Alfalfa Hay Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)ContinuedAccess Complete Report @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
Denim Market Analysis, Size, Trends and Forecast 2023 by Product, Company, Region and Industry Analysis Study

http://orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/2098963

http://orbisresearch.com/reports/index/asia-pacific-denim-market-analysis-2012-2017-and-forecast-2018-2023

http://orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/2098963

DescriptionAccording to the Asia-Pacific Denim report, the market is expected to reach the value of $XX million at the end of the forecast period of 2018  2023, showing good progress, rising at a CAGR of XX%. The Asia-Pacific Denim report covers a detailed analysis of the Denim including the various parameters on which the Denim is analyzed such as the product, applications, regions, competition, and many others. The Asia-Pacific Denim report from 99 Strategy is prepared keeping in mind the key requirements of the customer, which is to empower them with the information to take on the market.Get a Free sample of Asia-Pacific Denim Market report atEach product is analyzed in depth across all parameters which include the market size by value and volume, trends in the market for a particular product, and which is the product with the largest share in the market and which is the fastest growing product, among others.Gain Full Access of Asia-Pacific Denim Market with complete TOC atFor providing the customer with the best view of the competition to handle, the Asia-Pacific Denim report provides an in-depth view of the top players in the Denim.The report includes a detailed company profile of the players along with their product portfolio and recent developments in the Denim. The players information is a handy tool for the customers to understand which are the current trends that are being followed in the Denim.The fastest growing and the leading applications are covered in the report along with the value and volume statistics to elucidate the market trends.Do Inquiry Before Accessing Asia-Pacific Denim Market Report atA vast portion of the Asia-Pacific Denim report covers the regional analysis of the Denim. The performance of the market in different regions across the globe holds significance for the customer for their plans of growth and expansion. As many players across the globe are forming partnerships and acquiring other companies in specific regions to gain a foothold in the Denim, the regional market analysis comes handy here for the customer to realize maximum gains through planned expansions in lucrative regions.The Asia-Pacific Denim report is segmented on the basis of region into the following: North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & AfricaThe Asia-Pacific Denim report further provides a detailed analysis of the Denim through a SWOT analysis, price analysis, marketing channels, and value chain. The horde of data and statistics has been provided to compliment the information in the report through tables and charts for easy consumption of the customer. Anyone looking to garner information about the Denim for commercial or academic purposes, the Asia-Pacific Denim report presented by Orbis Research is a great value buy.For any enquires before buying, connect with us @ enquiry@orbisresearch.comAbout Us: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.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019For more information contact sales@orbisresearch.com
Heavy Duty Trucks Market to cross USD 160 Billion by 2024

https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2015

https://www.gminsights.com/securecheckout/paymenta/2015?gmpaycod=sugmp

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/heavy-duty-trucks-market

Natural gas will generate demand at over 160 thousand units in the heavy duty trucks market by 2024. Improved fuel efficiency and growing preference toward low emissions will support the industry expansion. Rising number of natural gas filling stations coupled with superior mileage offered by the product will propel the industry demand.Logistics segment is anticipated to witness a substantial growth rate with a rate of 4.9% up to 2024. Increasing orders for new lorries due to enhanced recovery of equipment manufacturers from tumbling freight market will support product penetration. Bulking up of new orders and specialized balance in inventory levels will positively impact the heavy duty trucks market size.Request for a sample of this research report @Increasing domestic and international trading activities across the globe will significantly propel the heavy duty trucks market size over the forecast period. Road and rail lead the freight transport unit enhancing the overall business growth. Heavy Duty Trucks Market size is estimated to surpass USD 160 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Upsurge in fleet size will positively support the logistics and construction sectors, which in turn will drive heavy duty trucks market share. Growing demand for heavy commercial vehicles used in agricultural and mining applications with improved transmission will further support the product penetration.In 2016, class 5 contributed to over 12% of the overall industry share in terms of volume. This can be credited to superior features including wide usage in construction and logistic sectors. Furthermore, sturdy development in the manufacturing, particularly from emerging countries, is anticipated to further support the industry growth.Asia Pacific is projected to register the maximum revenue share over the forecast timeframe due to the increasing production across the region, particularly in emerging economies including China and India. High availability of cheap labor and raw materials will foster heavy duty trucks market growth across the region.Innovative connectivity based business models are revolutionizing the product demand by enhancing safety, reducing the cost of ownership, and improving the convenience level of owners. Thus, propelling the heavy duty trucks market size from 2017 to 2024.Development of road network coupled with rising global sourcing of vehicle components will support the product demand. Several manufacturing companies are focusing on enhancing the profit margins by relying on customers from logistics and construction applications over the forecast timespan.Buy This Latest Research Report @Stringent government protocols pertaining to emission control with the requirement for replacing the old vehicles will further fuel the product sales. Majority of the customers rely on the core values of offering products along with high quality, safety and environmental care features. Products offering higher power required by the applications will boost the overall heavy duty trucks market growth.Rise in labor cost, particularly in several emerged economies, coupled with fluctuation in the raw material prices may act as a restrain to the industry growth. Furthermore, economic uncertainty in several European countries may hamper the business expansion.Daimler, Tata Motors, General Motors, FAW Group, Volvo, Toyota, Freightliner, Ford, Volkswagen, ISUZU Motors, Peterbilt, PACCAR, Kenworth, Navistar, FCA, MAN, Scania and Ashok Leyland are key heavy duty trucks market players.Other significant companies in terms of geographical presence includes Iveco, Dongfeng Motor Group, Hino, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile, KAMAZ, Beiqi Foton, Beijing Auto Industry and China First Automobile Works Group.Browse key industry insights spread across 300 pages with 592 market data tables & 10 figures & charts from the report, Heavy-Duty Trucks Market Industry Size By Class (Class 5, Class 6, Class 7, Class 8), By Fuel (Diesel, Natural Gas, Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Gasoline), By Application (Agriculture, Logistics, Construction, Mining) Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, Russia, Sweden, UK, Norway, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Iran, Turkey, KSA, UAE, South Africa, Egypt), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Global 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.4 North Main StreetSelbyville, Delaware
Assisted Living Technologies Market Growth and Sales Forecast 2017 - 2015

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=39353

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=39353

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/assisted-living-technologies-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Assisted living technologies deal with improving quality of life with the help of a group of service providers. This group is responsible for providing personal services, round the clock supervision, and assistance in the area of health care related services. With the onset of Medicare and Medicaid, there is beginning of long term service delivery which consists of nursing care at home facilities. In order words, assisted living technologies is an integration of standalone assisted technologies with elements of smart home and telehealth services.Assisted technology services deal with information and communication technologies which are used for diagnosis, treatment, consultations, and patient education. The European Union funded project SOPRANO (Service-Oriented Programmable Smart Environments for Older Europeans) is a renowned international consortium consisting of corporations, service providers, academic institutions, and partners with countries such as Greece, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, and Canada. The Cambridge Assisted Living Technologies (Cambridge ALT) is developed with the aim of encouraging older people to live in their own homes for a longer duration.Download Report Brochure @Also, students of EPSRC Center for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Sensor Technologies and Application have developed an innovative platform for technology with an aim to revolutionize home care for older citizens. The basic activities included in assisted living technologies are 24*7 home care service for protection, emergency service, inclusion of three meals daily, encouragement of social gatherings, continuous supervision for physical or mentally disabled individuals, facilities such as housekeeping, and maintenance and transportation.The global assisted living technologies market is driven by increase in aging population, innovation in technology, and rise in awareness among the population. Life expectancy of people has increased in the last decade. This has led to a large population above reproducible age. The ability of a person to work and carry out daily activities decreases with age. Hence, rise in geriatric population has led to increase in demand for using assistance for many activities.According to the National Institute of Aging, in 2010, 8% of the worlds population, about 524 million, was aged 65 years or older. Between 2010 and 2050, the geriatric population in less developed countries is projected to increase by more than 250% as compared to 71% in the developed countries. With increasing age, there is increasing in incidence of chronic diseases leading to hospitalization and thus will require assistance at hospitals or at home care facilities. However, high cost associated with these technologies and budget constraints are the major restraints of the global assisted living technologies market.Request for TOC @The global assisted living technologies market can be segmented into devices used in residence and devices used at institutions. In terms of region, the global market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America and Europe are highly potential markets for assisted living technologies.Awareness among the population, government investment in improving the quality of life, increase in disposable income, advancement is technologies and technological knowhow by citizens in the country are major factors contributing to the growth of the assisted living technologies market in these regions. Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa are emerging markets for assisted living technologies due to slow growth of technology, lesser disposable income, and less awareness.Key players in the global assisted living technologies market are Assisted Living Technologies, Inc., CareTech AB, Chubb Community Care, GreenPeak Technologies BV, Koninklijke Philips N.V., OBS Medical Ltd., Possum Ltd., Telbois, TeleAlarm S.A., Tunstall Healthcare Ltd., Tyco Security Products, and Tynetec, among others.Obtain Report Details @About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend 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 UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Shampoo Sales Market Trend and Forecast to 2022

Global Shampoo Industry

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/911101-global-shampoo-sales-market-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/911101-global-shampoo-sales-market-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/911101-global-shampoo-sales-market-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com

Global Shampoo IndustryLatest Report on Shampoo Market Global Analysis & 2022 Forecast Research StudyGlobal Shampoo market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Shampoo sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingHead & ShouldersPanteneCLEARVSL'OrealDoveRejoiceSchwarzkopfLUXAquairSyossSLEKLovefunHazelineCaltrolKerastaseTry Sample Report @Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K Units), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Shampoo for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoStandard ShampooMedicated ShampooOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Shampoo for each application, includingHomecareSalonHotelOtherIf you have any enquiry before buying a copy of this report @Some Major Points from Table of content:Global Shampoo Sales Market Report 20171 Shampoo Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Shampoo1.2 Classification of Shampoo by Product Category1.2.1 Global Shampoo Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Shampoo Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Standard Shampoo1.2.4 Medicated Shampoo1.3 Global Shampoo Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Shampoo Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Homecare1.3.3 Salon1.3.4 Hotel1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Shampoo Market by Region1.4.1 Global Shampoo Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Shampoo Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Shampoo Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Shampoo Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Shampoo Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Shampoo Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Shampoo Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Shampoo (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Shampoo Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Shampoo Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 Global Shampoo Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Shampoo Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Shampoo Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Shampoo Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Shampoo (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Shampoo Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Shampoo Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Shampoo (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Shampoo Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Shampoo Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Shampoo (Volume) by ApplicationFor Detailed Reading Please visit WiseGuy Reports @3 United States Shampoo (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Shampoo Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Shampoo Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Shampoo Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Shampoo Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Shampoo Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States Shampoo Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Shampoo Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 China Shampoo (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Shampoo Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Shampoo Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Shampoo Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Shampoo Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Shampoo Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China Shampoo Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China Shampoo Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationContinued..For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comWise 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 LtdPune  411028Maharashtra,Ph: +91 841 198 5042
Global Fog Computing Market: Know The Key Growth Drivers Developments and Innovations

QYResearchReports

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1315429&type=S

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/2017-2022-fog-computing-report-on-global-and-united-states-market-status-and-forecast-by-players-types-and-applications.htm/toc

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Fog Computing to its huge collection of research reports.The global Fog Computing market is driven by a variety of regional and global factors, a critical assessment of which forms the crux of the report. The key dynamics of the market is constantly influenced by changing business models and several paradigmatic shifts in recent years, holistic insights of which is offered in the report. The study on the market tracks the vendor landscape, changes in regulatory framework, and the prevailing governmental policies in major countries. The analysis zeroes in on the prevalent risks, strategic as well as tactical, impacting the dynamics of the Fog Computing market. The report takes into account recent offerings of major players and key strategies adopted by them to gain a better foothold in the global Fog Computing market. An analysis of the key strategic dynamics also includes recent investments made by them to expand their presence across new geographic regions. In addition, the analysis takes a closer look at research and development (R&D) activities being undertaken by them. Furthermore, the study evaluates the impact on emerging avenues and lucrative prospects in various regions.Get Sample Report of the Research Study at:This report studies the Fog Computing market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Fog Computing market by product type and applications/end industries.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Fog Computing.The major players in global and United States Fog Computing market, including-MicrosoftPrismTech CorporationIntelARM Holding Plc.PrismTech CorporationNebbiolo TechnologiesDellCiscoFogHorn SystemsCyberLightningTable of Contents2017-2022 Fog Computing Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications1 Methodology and Data Source1.1 Methodology/Research Approach1.1.1 Research Programs/Design1.1.2 Market Size Estimation1.1.3 Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation1.2 Data Source2.1.1 Secondary Sources2.1.2 Primary Sources1.3 DisclaimerRead Complete Table of Content of the Report at:2 Fog Computing Market Overview2.1 Fog Computing Product Overview2.2 Fog Computing Market Segment by Type2.2.1 Hardware2.2.2 Software2.2.3 Service2.3 Global Fog Computing Product Segment by Type2.3.1 Global Fog Computing Sales (Units) and Growth (%) by Types (2012, 2016 and 2022)2.3.2 Global Fog Computing Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.3 Global Fog Computing Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Types (2012-2017)2.3.4 Global Fog Computing Price (USD/Unit) by Type (2012-2017)3 Fog Computing Application/End Users3.1 Fog Computing Segment by Application/End Users3.1.1 Industrial Automation3.1.2 Transportation & Logistics3.1.3 Smart Grid3.1.4 Traffic System3.1.5 Network Sensors3.2 Global Fog Computing Product Segment by Application3.2.1 Global Fog Computing Sales (Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.2.2 Global Fog Computing Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)3.3 United States Fog Computing Product Segment by Application3.3.1 United States Fog Computing Sales (Units) and CGAR (%) by Applications (2012, 2016 and 2022)3.3.2 United States Fog Computing Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications (2012-2017)4 Fog Computing Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1 Global Market Status and Outlook by Regions4.1.1 Global Fog Computing Market Size and CAGR by Regions (2012, 2016 and 2022)4.1.2 North America4.1.3 Asia-Pacific4.1.4 Europe4.1.5 South America4.1.6 Middle East and Africa4.1.7 United States...About QYResearchReports.comQyresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from Qyresearchreports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact US:Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Meat Alternatives Market 2018 - Showa Sangyo, Kyoto Vegelabo, MAISEN, Morinaga Milk, White Wave

Global Meat Alternatives Market

https://goo.gl/BnooSn

https://goo.gl/SGTLdC

www.apexmarketreports.com

Apex Market Reports, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the Meat Alternatives Market across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of Meat Alternatives 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 PP Pipe industry, and estimates the future trend of Meat Alternatives on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares Meat Alternatives performance both in terms of volume and revenue.The market research report explores the Meat Alternatives Market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of Meat Alternatives 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 Meat Alternatives Market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Meat Alternatives. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Meat Alternatives Market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportNisshin OillioKellogg'sPinnacle FoodsFuji OilTaishi FoodShowa SangyoKyoto VegelaboMAISENMorinaga MilkWhite WaveTofurkyBeyond MeatBoca FoodsPhoney BaloneysLightLife FoodsAmy's KitchenThe competitive landscape of the global market for Meat Alternatives is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Meat Alternatives Markets production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Meat Alternatives Market globally.Inquire Before Buying @The Global Meat Alternatives Market 2018 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Meat Alternatives production volume, data pertaining to demand and Meat Alternatives supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Meat Alternatives 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 Meat Alternatives 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 -
American Canyon Middle School has joined elite company in the New Technology Network after being named an exemplary school as well as a National Demonstration Site to show off their achievements.

ACMS was one of four schools selected from the nearly 200 NTN campuses in the country. The other three demonstration sites chosen were Central Coast New Tech in Nipomo, New Tech Institute in Evansville, Indiana, and Niles New Tech Entrepreneurial Academy in Michigan.

The middle school is the second Napa Valley Unified School District campus chosen as a demonstration site. In 2016, Napa Junction Elementary School received the same honor.

As a National Demonstration Site, they will host visitors and provide training for schools throughout the country to showcase their best practices, said Krista Clark, communications director for New Tech Network.

ACMS has hosted delegations of instructors and education officials in recent years.

In 2015, a group of Chinese principals and administrators visited ACMS as part of its mission to research Western-style education and how American schools are changing to fit the needs of their students and keep pace with changes in technology, including the use of Project Based Learning.
Asia-Pacific Moissanite Market Growing Focus on Maximum Productivity, Increasing Adoption and Market Analysis to 2023

http://orbisresearch.com/contacts/request-sample/2099092

http://orbisresearch.com/reports/index/asia-pacific-moissanite-market-analysis-2012-2017-and-forecast-2018-2023

http://orbisresearch.com/contacts/enquiry-before-buying/2099092

DescriptionAccording to the Asia-Pacific Moissanite report, the market is expected to reach the value of $XX million at the end of the forecast period of 2018  2023, showing good progress, rising at a CAGR of XX%. The Asia-Pacific Moissanite report covers a detailed analysis of the Moissanite including the various parameters on which the Moissanite is analyzed such as the product, applications, regions, competition, and many others. The Asia-Pacific Moissanite report from 99 Strategy is prepared keeping in mind the key requirements of the customer, which is to empower them with the information to take on the market.Get a Free sample of Asia-Pacific Moissanite Market report atEach product is analyzed in depth across all parameters which include the market size by value and volume, trends in the market for a particular product, and which is the product with the largest share in the market and which is the fastest growing product, among others.Gain Full Access of Asia-Pacific Moissanite Market with complete TOC atFor providing the customer with the best view of the competition to handle, the Asia-Pacific Moissanite report provides an in-depth view of the top players in the Moissanite.The report includes a detailed company profile of the players along with their product portfolio and recent developments in the Moissanite. The players information is a handy tool for the customers to understand which are the current trends that are being followed in the Moissanite.The fastest growing and the leading applications are covered in the report along with the value and volume statistics to elucidate the market trends.Do Inquiry Before Accessing Asia-Pacific Moissanite Market Report atA vast portion of the Asia-Pacific Moissanite report covers the regional analysis of the Moissanite. The performance of the market in different regions across the globe holds significance for the customer for their plans of growth and expansion. As many players across the globe are forming partnerships and acquiring other companies in specific regions to gain a foothold in the Moissanite, the regional market analysis comes handy here for the customer to realize maximum gains through planned expansions in lucrative regions.The Asia-Pacific Moissanite report is segmented on the basis of region into the following: North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & AfricaThe Asia-Pacific Moissanite report further provides a detailed analysis of the Moissanite through a SWOT analysis, price analysis, marketing channels, and value chain. The horde of data and statistics has been provided to compliment the information in the report through tables and charts for easy consumption of the customer. Anyone looking to garner information about the Moissanite for commercial or academic purposes, the Asia-Pacific Moissanite report presented by Orbis Research is a great value buy.For any enquires before buying, connect with us @ enquiry@orbisresearchAbout Us: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.Contact Us:Hector CostelloSenior Manager  Client Engagements4144N Central Expressway,Suite 600, Dallas,Texas - 75204, U.S.A.Phone No.: +1 (214) 884-6817; +912064101019For more information contact sales@orbisresearch.com
Global Refrigerated Trailer Gaskets Market Anticipated to Surge at a CAGR of 3.9% by 2027

MRRSE

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/4504

https://www.mrrse.com/refrigerated-trailer-gaskets-market

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

New research report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Global Market Study on Refrigerated Trailer Gaskets: Latin America and Middle East & Africa Regional Markets Anticipated to Witness Moderate Growth in the Coming Years The main objective of this report is to deliver insightful information and clear-cut facts pertaining to the growth trajectories of the market.Request For Sample Report @Asia Pacific and Europe are expected to bolster revenue growth of the global refrigerated trailer gaskets marketRefrigerated trailers are thermally insulated temperature controlled food grade vehicles deployed with a sophisticated refrigeration unit. This trailer is dragged by a traction unit and can be used both for road and rail transportation. The refrigerated trailer gaskets are installed at the periphery of trailer body doors and vents. Our new research on the global refrigerated trailer gaskets market depicts a complete regional analysis of the global market. The report indicates that North America is expected to continue to be the leading market in the global refrigerated trailer gaskets market and this growth is helped by the increasing capital expenditure of third-party logistics businesses across the region. Truck trailers are major assets for 3PL businesses around the world. These trucks are constantly upgraded with the latest technologies to meet growing consumer demands and to improve operational efficiency. Large fleet owners operate refrigerated trailers for an average period of 35 years, after which new trailers are usually purchased. Theres also a rise in demand for new refrigerated trailers with the revised emission standards.Our analysis of this market highlights Asia Pacific and Europe as the upcoming lucrative regions in the global market with a high CAGR projected during the forecast period. The Europe market for refrigerated trailer gaskets is currently on an upward growth trajectory, owing to the need to expand the cold chain capacity in the region. Whereas in Asia Pacific, efforts to improve food preservation and transportation, lower food wastage and increase food safety as well as the prevalent government norms and industry standards are enabling emerging Asian economies such as India and China to create significant demand for refrigerated trailer gaskets.Browse Full Report with TOC @Urbanization in Latin America is contributing to the growth of the regions refrigerated trailer gaskets marketLatin Americas economy is on its way to be transformed with the increasing urbanization and growing middle class population density. This has in turn given a boost to the consumption of perishable products such as fruits, vegetables, meat and seafood. Increasing demand for perishable food is linked with the growth of the refrigerated trailers market and consequently the gaskets used in the doors and vents of these vehicles. However, Latin America is still not a strong economy as compared to the other regions. The refrigerated trailer gaskets market may find some hindrances in its growth. As compared to refrigerated vans and trucks, investment required for refrigerated trailers is significantly higher. Local players prefer refrigerated vans and trucks over refrigerated trailers due to their low production and transportation capacity. Cost of transportation of products through refrigerated trailers is comparatively higher than transportation through refrigerated vans and trucks. Due to their low production capacity, local manufacturers do not transport their products in bulk quantity and hence there is no major requirement for refrigerated trailers in the region. This can hamper revenue growth of the refrigerated trailer gaskets market.Product innovation is expected to be a major trend in most of the regional marketsA rapidly expanding population has increased the consumption of frozen food and hence the refrigerator trailers that transport frozen food. However, with the skyrocketing technological advancements taking place in the industry, there is also a need for innovations in refrigerated trailers. To stay ahead of the competition, several manufacturers are focusing on implementing new technologies for refrigerated trailers as well as refrigerated trailer gaskets. Some of the major upgradations companies are looking to deploy include the adoption of more efficient strengthening processes, a wider product portfolio and long-term supply relations with key end-use industries as well as local manufacturers.About (MRRSE)Market 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:
Credit Management Software Global Market detailed strategies, Competitive landscaping and developments for next 5 years

Credit Management Software Global Market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1009502-global-credit-management-software-market-1

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1009502-global-credit-management-software-market-1

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1009502

HTF MI recently introduced Global Credit Management Software study with 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed TOC on " Credit Management Software Market by Type (On-Premise & Cloud Based), by End-Users/Application Banking, Healthcare, Telecom and IT, Government & Others, Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast and outlook to 2022". At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players profiled in the report includes Rimilia, Emagia Corporation, Credit Tools, Innovation Software Limited,, Oracle Products, OnGuard, Credica Limited, Cforia Software Inc., HighRadius Corporation, Alterity, Credit & Management Systems, Inc. (CMS), Misys, Finastra, S4FINANCIALS B.V., Xolv BV, SOPLEX Consult GmbH?Hanse Orga Group, Prof. Schumann GmbH, DebtPack, Bureau voor Credit Management BVCM, Apruve, Triple-A Solutions, CRiON, Creman B.V., Analytical Solutions TechnologyAsTech, SystemPartner Norge AS, Care & Collect, Viatec Business Solutions, Equiniti & Sarjen Systems Pvt. Ltd. amongst others. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization.Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @The growth of the Credit Management Software market has been attributed to demand in application/end-users such as Banking, Healthcare, Telecom and IT, Government & Others. Furthermore the research is geographically segmented as United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia.Request Sample of Global Credit Management Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @:In terms of application the market is categorized under Banking, Healthcare, Telecom and IT, Government & Others and by following product type which includes On-Premise & Cloud BasedTo get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2012-2017), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2012-2017) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future. Company profile section of players such as Rimilia, Emagia Corporation, Credit Tools, Innovation Software Limited,, Oracle Products, OnGuard, Credica Limited, Cforia Software Inc., HighRadius Corporation, Alterity, Credit & Management Systems, Inc. (CMS), Misys, Finastra, S4FINANCIALS B.V., Xolv BV, SOPLEX Consult GmbH?Hanse Orga Group?, Prof. Schumann GmbH, DebtPack, Bureau voor Credit Management ?BVCM?, Apruve, Triple-A Solutions, CRiON, Creman B.V., Analytical Solutions Technology?AsTech?, SystemPartner Norge AS, Care & Collect, Viatec Business Solutions, Equiniti & Sarjen Systems Pvt. Ltd. includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Buy this research report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Credit Management Software market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Credit Management Software, Applications of Credit Management Software, Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, Export & Import, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia, Credit Management Software Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Credit Management Software Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Credit Management Software;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [On-Premise & Cloud Based], Market Trend by Application [Banking, Healthcare, Telecom and IT, Government & Others];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of ;Chapter 12, to describe Credit Management Software Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Credit Management Software sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.About Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA - 08837+1 (206) 317 1218 (US)info@htfmarketreport.com
Global Network Forensics Market Expected to Grow at a CAGR of 17.6% by 2025

MRRSE

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/4503

https://www.mrrse.com/network-forensics-market

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

New research report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Global Market Study on Network Forensics: Services Segment by Component Anticipated to Increase 4.3X Between 2017 and 2025The main objective of this report is to deliver insightful information and clear-cut facts pertaining to the growth trajectories of the market.Request For Free Sample Report @Global Network Forensics Market  RegulationsSingapore: Singapores Computer Misuse and Cyber Security Act underwent changes in April 2017 with a view to forbid the act of trading and using data with a criminal intention.UAE: Disabling, suspending or destroying a network or becoming a reason for complete or partial loss of data are among such acts that are punishable according to existing laws in the UAE. Besides, anyone found guilty of blocking access to computer networks or for using their skills and knowledge of cyber technology for any kind of criminal activities are also penalized under the UAE law.Japan: To provide complete national security to the population, the Cyber Security Basic Act was passed by Japans legislature in January 2015, which decides the roles and responsibilities of the government in providing security policy. This act was beneficial as it encourages educational and research institutions and infrastructure providers to implement proper security measures so that they can protect their critical data from security threats.Rising need for secured networks and increasing interest of key players to create a positive impact on the global network forensics marketIt has been witnessed that the number of players in the global network forensics market are increasing day by day and the reason behind it is the rising demand for advanced security solutions among enterprises. The presence of a large number of companies in this market is beneficial for consumers as they get a wide variety of choices while selecting network forensic platforms that are available at a low cost with greater accessibility. Another advantage to consumers is that they can get accurate knowledge about all the services available to them. Owing to these benefits along with the rising awareness of cyber security offered by several network forensic platforms, consumers are more inclined to adopt these services, which in turn creates a huge growth potential in the global market.With the rapid advancements in technologies, a rising number of cybercrimes are being reported nowadays. In addition to traditional malware such as worms, Trojans, and viruses, numerous advanced attacking techniques have been developed, such as DoS attacks and DDoS attacks, which are increasingly used by hackers to steal critical and confidential enterprise and consumer data, thereby creating immense problems for organizations. As the number of such attacks increase, the need to secure data will also increase, directly leading to an increased adoption of network forensics by business enterprises of all sizes.Browse Full Report with TOC @Several small and medium sized enterprises are entering the global market of network forensics in developing regions particularly in Asia Pacific. These enterprises based in the developing regions are generally not capable of spending a huge sum of money to recuperate from any kind of attack on their network. As a result, small and medium organizations tend to adopt network forensics solutions on a large scale. As the number of such organizations are increasing steadily, the adoption of network forensics is also expected to increase, thereby leading to high growth rates in the global market for network forensics.With an exponential CAGR of 20.0%, the services segment is expected to lead the global market for network forensicsIn terms of value, the software segment is projected to be the most attractive in the global network forensics market during the forecast period. In 2016, the software segment was valued at US$ 320.9 Mn and is expected to witness steady growth in terms of revenue throughout the forecast period. However, the services segment is expected to register high Y-o-Y growth rates throughout the assessment period. In terms of value, the services segment is expected to register a growth rate of 20.0% during the eight year period 2017 to 2025.About (MRRSE)Market 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:
Fluorosurfactants Market Size  Latest Growth, Development Trends & Forecast Report to 2025

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1520534

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/reports/1520534/fluorosurfactants-global-industry-analysis-market-research-reports

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/enquiry/1520534

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

The report "Fluorosurfactants Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025 ", has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts.The main objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the global Fluorosurfactants market on the basis of types of applications, major sectors, deployment models, organization size, and regions. The report contains an analysis of the major factors influencing the growth of the market (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges). It aims to strategically analyze the micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and their contribution to the market. The report attempts to forecast the market size for 5 major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. It contains key vendor profiles and comprehensively analyzes their core competencies. The report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments, including partnerships, collaborations, acquisitions, new product developments, and R&D activities in the market.Get Sample Copy of this report @Surfactant or surface-active agent is a compound used for reducing the surface tension of one or more components. Surfactants are made from natural or synthetic substances, which act as wetting agents to disperse or suspend greasy soils in a solution. Surfactants weaken the surface tension force of solvents or interfacial tension between two non-miscible liquids. Fluorosurfactants, also known as fluorinated surfactants or per fluorinated alkylated substances, belong to the organ fluorine chemical group. They offer more effective chemical properties vis-a-vis hydrocarbon based surfactants. Fluorosurfactants are fluorocarbon based compounds that are synthetic. They consist of multiple fluorine atoms with a hydrophilic head and fluorinated tail in a chain. They function by breaking down the interface between water and oils or water and dirt through suspension of soiled particles. They possess a strong carbonfluorine bond that makes them more stable and appropriate for harsh conditions than hydrocarbon surfactants.The global fluorosurfactants market is primarily driven by the increase in demand for short chain surfactants in various end-use industries such as building & construction and oil & gas. Fluorosurfactants possess enhanced characteristics of wettability, particle dispersion, permeability, and better levelling techniques. These superior properties are anticipated to boost the global fluorosurfactants market. Rise in demand for fluorosurfactants in enhanced oil recovery activities for foam generation, particle dispersion, and emulsion stabilization purposes is expected to propel the fluorosurfactants market. The market is estimated to be driven by the increase in demand for fluorosurfactants in the marine industry owing to the anti-corrosive properties applicable to protection of marine ships and vessels. Rise in awareness about hygiene and sanitation among consumers is also projected to augment the demand for laundry products and detergents, thereby fueling the fluorosurfactants market. However, toxicity of fluorosurfactants and implementation of stringent environmental regulations against emission of volatile organic compounds are likely to hamper the fluorosurfactants market. Furthermore, manufacturers of fluorosurfactants are compelled to replace the manufacturing of long chain fluorosurfactants with eco-friendly substitutes, i.e. short chain fluorosurfactants. This is projected to offer lucrative opportunities to the fluorosurfactants market.View Full Report @In terms of type, the fluorosurfactants market can be segmented into anionic fluorosurfactants, nonionic fluorosurfactants, amphoteric fluorosurfactants, and cationic fluorosurfactants. Anionic fluorosurfactants hold key share of the global fluorosurfactants market. . Anionic fluorosurfactants are widely used for laundering, dishwashing liquids, and shampoos owing to their characteristics of wettability and permeability.Based on end-use industry, the fluorosurfactants market can be divided into oil & gas, paints & coatings, healthcare & hygiene, firefighting, and others. The paints & coatings segment is estimated to account for significant share of the global fluorosurfactants market in the near future. Fluorosurfactants exhibit excellent surface contamination, anti-blocking, low foaming, and emulsifying properties. Thus, they can be used in the paints & coatings industry. Fluorosurfactants are also employed in specialty detergents for industrial and household purposes. Fluorosurfactants are used extensively in hair conditioners and fabric softeners, shampoos and shower gels, machine dishwashing powders & tablets, and laundry detergents in healthcare and hygiene industries.In terms of geography, the fluorosurfactants market can be segregated into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. The market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at a rapid pace due to the easy availability of raw materials in countries such as China and India. North America and Europe also constitute significant share of the market owing to the increase in demand for fluorosurfactants in the building & construction industry.Key players operating in the global fluorosurfactants market include Asahi Glass Co. Ltd., DIC Corporation, E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Merck KGaA, The 3M Company, The Chemours Company, and Advanced Polymer, Inc.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 analysisRequest For Enquiry @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 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.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Fly Ash Market Size and Industry Forecast 2025 - Shares and Strategies Of Key Players

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1520535

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/reports/1520535/fly-ash-global-industry-market-research-reports

https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/enquiry/1520535

http://www.marketresearchreports.biz/

" Fly Ash Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" is the latest addition to MarketResearchReports.Biz industry research reports collection.The main objective of this report is to define, describe, and forecast the global Fly Ash market on the basis of types of applications, major sectors, deployment models, organization size, and regions. The report contains an analysis of the major factors influencing the growth of the market (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges). It aims to strategically analyze the micromarkets with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and their contribution to the market. The report attempts to forecast the market size for 5 major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. It contains key vendor profiles and comprehensively analyzes their core competencies. The report also tracks and analyzes competitive developments, including partnerships, collaborations, acquisitions, new product developments, and R&D activities in the market.Get Sample Copy of this report @Fly ash is a coal combustion product. It is also known as pulverized fuel ash. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal-fired electric power plants. Mineral impurities in coal, such as quartz, feldspar, clay and shale, fuse in the suspension and float out of the combustion chamber as waste gases during the power generation process. These particles, when cooled, are solidified into orbicular particles. These particles are known as fly ash. It is widely utilized in the construction industry as a premium substitute of Portland cement. When employed in concrete, fly ash improves the strength, ease of pumping concrete, and segregation. These advantages of fly ash compared to Portland cement make it preferred material for construction.Increase in demand for fly ash in bricks & blocks applications and extensive usage of fly ash in road construction are some of the key factors driving the fly ash market. This in turn is prompting companies to increase the production of fly ash. Additionally, easy availability of raw materials is anticipated to boost the demand for fly ash in the near future.The global fly ash market is witnessing technological advancements. Companies are constantly striving to develop new and better ways to manufacture fly ash. Development of new manufacturing processes of fly ash and applications is estimated to propel the fly ash market. However, volatility in prices of raw material is projected to adversely affect the market.Based on type, the fly ash market can be classified into Type F and Type C. Type F is the most commonly used fly ash due to its excessive usage in mass concrete and high strength mixes.In terms of application, the fly ash market can be divided into Portland cement & concrete, bricks & blocks, road construction, agriculture, and others. The bricks & blocks segment of the fly ash market is anticipated to expand at a significant growth rate owing to its properties such as zero efflorescence, low water absorption, high compressive strength, and high strength-to-weight ratio.View Full Report @In terms of geography, the fly ash market can be segregated into North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is anticipated to hold a key share of the market during the forecast period. The market in the region is also estimated to expand at a rapid pace, owing to the increase in demand for fly ash in the bricks and blocks segment in the region. Middle East & Africa is likely to be an attractive market for fly ash during the forecast period due to the rise in demand for fly ash in road construction in the region.Prominent players operating in the global fly ash market include Headwaters Inc., CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., Boral Limited, Separation Technologies LLC, and Aggregate Industries.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 analysisRequest For Enquiry @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 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.Contact usMr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
With less than one week to go until the Paediatric Clinical Trials Conference

With less than one week to go...When designing a Paediatric clinical trial, a paediatric investigation plan (PIP) is a development plan aimed at ensuring that the necessary data are obtained through studies in children, to support the authorisation of a medicine for children. All applications for marketing authorisation for new medicines have to include the results of studies as described in an agreed PIP, unless the medicine is exempt because of a deferral or waiver. This requirement also applies when a marketing-authorisation holder wants to add a new indication, pharmaceutical form or route of administration for a medicine that is already authorised and covered by intellectual property rights. Source: European Medicines Agency 2018.Join the likes of Amgen, AstraZeneca, European Medicines Agency, GSK, MHRA, Pfizer, Roche, University of Liverpool and many more at the industrys leading paediatric clinical trials event to where Paediatric Investigation Plans (PIP) will be one focus, along with a closer look at some of the other trending topics facing the market.There will be coverage of PIP in the Keynote Session on Day 1 at 16.00, which is hosted by Mark Turner, Chair European Network of Paediatric Research, Senior Lecturer in Neonatal Medicine at the European Medicines Agency and University of Liverpool.There will also be a Panel Discussion about the effects PIPs had on quality of paediatric clinical trials and has this translated into greater efficiency in access to new approved medicines. This will be at 16.40 on Day 1 in the Panel Debate titled - Paediatric Medicine Regulation in the EU: What are the Challenges and Opportunities 10 Years onLastly, there is the conference Workshop - This years event contains a workshop on the 21st March 2018 covering a number of areas, including a look at: Do I Need a PIP, What Should the PIP Cover, Procedures and Rewards. The Workshop will be hosted by Genevieve Michaux, Member of the Brussels and Paris Bar, Partner at Mayer Brown Europe-Brussels LLP.For the latest news and to REGISTER, please visit the event website19th and 20th March 2018 / Copthorne Tara Hotel, LondonThe SMi Group is a highly Professional, Independent and Global event producing company that specialises in Business to Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and Training. We create and deliver events within Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical sectors. We are Experts in knowing Experts and have been bringing you this Expertise since 1993!1 Westminster BridgeSouth BankLondonSE17WZ
Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Global Industry Key Players Profile, Trend, Size, Share and Growth by Forecast to 2026

Market Research Report

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1646433

https://www.researchmoz.us/glass-reinforced-plastic-market-global-industry-analysis-size-growth-trends-share-and-forecast-2017-2026-report.html/toc

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

https://marketreserch1.blogspot.com

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Glass Reinforced Plastic Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Growth, Trends, Share and Forecast 2017 - 2026" to its huge collection of research reports.A new report on glass reinforced plastic provides perceptive insights on the chronological growth flight of the market along with the future prospects and present scenario of the market. The report offers an exclusive analysis of the global market and also presents insights on regional and other segments.Glass Reinforced Plastic Market: OverviewThe report offers a complete summation of the market including an official abstract that draws out the centre examples progressing in the market. It also discusses on a couple of facets, for example, drivers, obstacles, and predictions that have been found in the global market. It also acquaints readers with figures related to volume, value, and development rate of the market from a growth point of view. With reverence to market segmentation, each segment is analysed and presented in the report. It also gives an assessment in light of the market condition, and moreover presents a value chain analysis of the products and applications in concern. A year to year progression of the market has likewise been offered in the report for the reader to be predominantly aware of the altering scenario of the market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Glass Reinforced Plastic Market: Research MethodologyThe report is the end result of the cautious research work of the market analysts employing reliable sources. The information introduced has been studied carefully by industry experts of TMR. The data that has been presented here has been assembled from various tried and tested sources. The figures have also been checked by the analysts and can be used to settle on key decisions and formulate strategies.Glass Reinforced Plastic Market: Competitive DashboardThe market study conveys a structural outlook on the engaged scene of the overall glass reinforced plastic market. It features the rivalry prevalent among the present vendors in the market and also puts weight on the future circumstance of the market. The profile of the players is based on a SWOT examination sought down by company angle, product portfolio, strategies, finance related information, and year-to-year projections. The organizations have been explored minutely covering their key developments, innovations as well as mergers and acquisitions and agreements with other prominent establishments.Why to purchase our report?The reports made by our industry analysts are credible and have been researched and validated from several primary and secondary resources. What makes us unique is the fact that along with presenting an analysis of the markets historical and present scenario, we also present a forecast review of the market for the benefit of our reader. The presentation is exclusive in the form of various charts, tables, and diagrams. Every bit of information present in the market research report is unique. Expert opinions are also present in the study that can be directly used by the readers to make future decisions.Make an Enquiry about TOC @Table of Content1. Global Economic Outlook2. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market - Executive Summary3. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Overview3.1. Introduction3.1.1. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Taxonomy3.1.2. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Definition3.2. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20263.2.1. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Y-o-Y Growth3.3. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Dynamics3.4. Supply Chain3.5. Cost Structure4. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Analysis and Forecast 2012-20264.1. Global Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Size and Forecast By Composite Material Type , 2012-20264.1.1. Glass Fibre Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20264.1.1.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region4.1.1.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region4.1.1.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region4.1.2. Polyester Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20265. North America Glass Reinforced Plastic Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20265.1. North America Outlook5.2. North America Parent Market Outlook5.3. North America Target Market Outlook5.4. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Country5.4.1. US Market Size and Forecast (US$ Mn), 2012-2026About 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 @
Healthcare Inventory Management Software Global Market Development Status, Technology, Application, Function, Procedure and End User By 2025

Healthcare Inventory Management Software Global Market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/1009789-global-healthcare-inventory-management-software-market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/1009789-global-healthcare-inventory-management-software-market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=1009789

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/request-discount/1009789-global-healthcare-inventory-management-software-market

https://www.linkedin.com/company/13388569/

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Htfmarketreportinsights

https://www.facebook.com/htfmarketintelligence/

https://twitter.com/htfmarketreport

HTF MI recently introduced Global Healthcare Inventory Management Software study with 100+ market data Tables and Figures spread through Pages and easy to understand detailed TOC on " Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market by Type (Order Management Software, Warehouse Management Software, Consignment Management Software, Implant Management Software & Tissue Management Software), by End-Users/Application Manufacturers, Distributors, Healthcare Providers, Organization Size, Industry, and Region - Forecast and outlook to 2022". At present, the market is developing its presence and some of the key players profiled in the report includes Distributors & Healthcare Providers amongst others. The market Study is segmented by key regions which is accelerating the marketization.Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports. Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at @The growth of the Healthcare Inventory Management Software market has been attributed to demand in application/end-users such as Manufacturers, Distributors, Healthcare Providers. Furthermore the research is geographically segmented as United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia.Request Sample of Global Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2025 @:In terms of application the market is categorized under Manufacturers, Distributors, Healthcare Providers and by following product type which includes Order Management Software, Warehouse Management Software, Consignment Management Software, Implant Management Software & Tissue Management SoftwareTo get a deeper view of Market Size, competitive landscape is provided i.e. Revenue (Million USD) by Players (2012-2017), Revenue Market Share (%) by Players (2012-2017) and further a qualitative analysis is made towards market concentration rate, product/service differences, new entrants and the technological trends in future. Company profile section of players such as Distributors & Healthcare Providers includes its basic information like legal name, website, headquarters, its market position, historical background and top 5 closest competitors by Market capitalization / revenue along with contact information. Each player/ manufacturer revenue figures, growth rate and gross profit margin is provided in easy to understand tabular format for past 5 years and a separate section on recent development like mergers, acquisition or any new product/service launch etc.Buy this research report @There are 15 Chapters to display the Global Healthcare Inventory Management Software market.Chapter 1, to describe Definition, Specifications and Classification of Healthcare Inventory Management Software, Applications of Healthcare Inventory Management Software, Market Segment by Regions;Chapter 2, to analyze the Manufacturing Cost Structure, Raw Material and Suppliers, Manufacturing Process, Industry Chain Structure;Chapter 3, to display the Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of , Capacity and Commercial Production Date, Manufacturing Plants Distribution, Export & Import, R&D Status and Technology Source, Raw Materials Sources Analysis;Chapter 4, to show the Overall Market Analysis, Capacity Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Analysis (Company Segment), Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment);Chapter 5 and 6, to show the Regional Market Analysis that includes United States, EU, Japan, China, India & Southeast Asia, Healthcare Inventory Management Software Segment Market Analysis (by Type);Chapter 7 and 8, to analyze the Healthcare Inventory Management Software Segment Market Analysis (by Application) Major Manufacturers Analysis of Healthcare Inventory Management Software;Chapter 9, Market Trend Analysis, Regional Market Trend, Market Trend by Product Type [Order Management Software, Warehouse Management Software, Consignment Management Software, Implant Management Software & Tissue Management Software], Market Trend by Application [Manufacturers, Distributors, Healthcare Providers];Chapter 10, Regional Marketing Type Analysis, International Trade Type Analysis, Supply Chain Analysis;Chapter 11, to analyze the Consumers Analysis of ;Chapter 12, to describe Healthcare Inventory Management Software Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Healthcare Inventory Management Software sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data source.Check for discount @Thanks for reading this article; you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.Connect with us atAbout Author:HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact US :Craig Francis (PR & Marketing Manager)HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837Phone: +1 (206) 317 1218sales@htfmarketreport.com
Global Earphone and Headphone Market 2018 Key Players Bose Corporation, Apple Inc., Grado Labs, Panasonic Corporation

Global Market Insights, Inc.

https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/482

https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/482

https://www.gminsights.com/pressrelease/earphone-and-headphone-market

https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/earphone-and-headphone-market

https://www.gminsights.com

http://algosonline.com/technology

As per Global Market Insights, Inc., Earphone and headphone industry size, worth USD 20 billion in 2016, is projected to surpass USD 25 billion by 2024. Furthermore, it is noteworthy to mention that the rapidly expanding home audio equipment sector will also contribute significantly toward earphone and headphone market revenue over the coming six years. Industry players have been undertaking efforts to generate innovative product and subsequently create a marketplace for them with out-of-the-box branding strategies, eventually giving rise to bright growth prospects for earphone and headphone market.Growing consumer preference for mobiles, iPhones, and portable audio players such as MP3 music players will accelerate earphone and headphone market demand over the years to come. The flourishing demand for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies, as per analysts, is also expected to add toward the development of this business in the ensuing years. Statistics claim that two major factors that may very well impel the growth of earphone and headphone industry are the rapid economic growth and the increasing per capita income across numerous geographies.Request for a sample of this research report @In terms of technology, this industry encompasses wireless and wired products. The latter, as observed has been gaining popularity subject to the factor of price sensitivity. Numerous technological innovations in wireless products to improve the hearing experience coupled with rising efforts to curb noise pollution will however, drive wireless earphone and headphone industry revenue over the next few years. The launch of novel wireless products, such as Apples recent announcement of launching Bluetooth powered headphone has led to the widespread adoption of such products across various economies. According to a market study, wireless earphone and headphone market is slated to register an annual growth rate of more than 5% over the period of 2017-2024.The major companies partaking in earphone and headphone industry share have been implementing innovative features in their products to attract more consumers. Pertaining to the excellent user-friendly features, earphone & headphone are extensively used for public safety and aviation purposes. For instance, Phiaton recently launched a new pair of headphone specially designed for commuter and travelers. The product is equipped with multipoint technology and multifunctional buttons, and is affordable as compared to Phiatons other products.Make an inquiry for buying this report @Apart from incorporating innovative characteristics, players in earphone and headphone market are strongly focusing on enhancing the safety factor of the product, pertaining to the rise in the number of headphone explosion cases. Recently, on Feb 2017, a passenger travelling from China got severely injured because of a headphone explosion, apparently due to the products batteries. Subject to this, earphone and headphone manufacturers have been developing products with a robust design to ensure hearing protection to workers, which in turn, will stimulate earphone and headphone market share over the coming timeframe.The competitive landscape of earphone and headphone industry include Ultimate Ears Company, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG, Bose Corporation, Shure Incorporated, Beats Electronics Company, Grado Labs, Aclair Audio, Panasonic Corporation, Pioneer Corporation, Sony Corporation, and Skullcandy Incorporation. Business players may face growth challenges on account of the industry being highly fragmented.Moreover, the availability of product substitutes at lower prices may further hamper the industry trends in the years ahead. However, strategies adopted by the market players such as high R&D investments, mergers & acquisitions, improved customer services, technological inventions, and expansion of the distribution channels are likely to combat the restraints imposed on earphone and headphone market.Browse key industry insights spread across 300 pages with 296 market data tables & 31 figures & charts from the report, Earphones And Headphones Market Size By Technology (Wired, Wireless), By Application (Consumer, Call Center, Industrial, Aviation, Construction, Public Safety), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, France, Italy, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Table Content of (TOC-)Chapter 4 Earphones & Headphones Market, By Technology4.1 Earphones market share by technology, 2016 & 20244.2 Headphones market share by technology, 2016 & 20244.3 Earphones4.3.1 Wired Technology4.3.2 Wireless Technology4.4 Headphones4.4.1 Wired Technology4.4.2 Wireless TechnologyChapter 5 Earphones & Headphones Market, By Application5.1 Earphones market share by application, 2016 & 20245.2 Headphones market share by application, 2016 & 20245.3 Earphones5.3.1 Consumer5.3.2 Call Center5.3.3 Industrial5.3.4 Aviation5.3.5 Construction5.3.6 Public Safety5.4 Headphones5.4.1 Consumer5.4.2 Call Center5.4.3 Industrial5.4.4 Aviation5.4.5 Construction5.4.6 Public SafetyBrowse Full Report of TOC @About 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:
Author James Conaway said he talked this week for about an hour before the 2017-18 Napa County grand jury on various wine country issues.

Conaway recently released the book Napa at Last Light, the third in his Napa trilogy, which looks at how multinational corporations are changing the wine industry and Napa Valley. He said the grand jury asked him for his thoughts and impressions.

One topic Conaway raised was the countys definition of agriculture. The county last year changed the zoning code agriculture definition to include marketing and sales. That proved controversial, even though proponents said the uses were labeled as subordinate.

He also brought up the topics of county elections that he said are kind of stacked against the common person because there is no campaign contribution limit. Money is important in politics, he added.

He brought up information from his new book. Among them was an attorney's statement on a legal battles over a previous version of the watershed protection initiative opposed by the wine industry. The attorney compared the situation to Southern California's water wars portrayed in the movie "Chinatown."

The grand jury didnt indicate how it might use the information, Conaway said.
Absorbable Heart Stent Market is Growing decent pace and expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2018 to 2023 | Top key Players - Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Biotronik (Germany), Arterial Remodeling Technologies SA (France)

Absorbable Heart Stent Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1175

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/absorbable-heart-stent-market-1175

www.marketresearchfuture.com

Market Research Future has a half cooked research report on global absorbable heart stent Market. The global market for absorbable heart stent is growing at a decent pace and expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2017 to 2023In 2015, according to WHO reports, globally, the prevalence of cardiac disease in adults aged 18 and above was around 24.1% in men and 20.1% in women largely from low and middle income countries. Increasing unhealthy habits, lack of physical exercise and increasing prevalence of cardiac diseases contributed growth to the market. According to American college of cardiology, absorbable heart stent will replace the conventional metal stents in coming years. This is due to number of advantages of using absorbable heart stents. Most bioresorbable stents are made of polylactic acid. It is a naturally dissolvable material used in medical implants. Demand for absorbable heart stents is increasing due to advancement in technology of developing heart stents and increase in number of cardiac surgeries.Get a sample report atOn the other hand, there are few hurdles in the growth of this market. One of the biggest player in absorbable stent market, Abbott Vascular, has stopped manufacturing of its interventional cardiology product ABSORB GT. The company has terminated sales and operations related to this product in all the countries across the world due to the increased heart attack incidences with the use of its product. This major development may result in thwarting the growth of the market in the near future. However, market may regain its growth if the company resolves the issue in time and come up with better product in the market. Global absorbable heart stent market is expected to reach USD 6.2 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 9.6% during forecast period 2017 to 2023.Global absorbable heart stent Market Players:Key players in absorbable heart stent market are: Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Biotronik (Germany), Arterial Remodeling Technologies SA (France), Amaranth Medical Inc. (U.S.), Kyoto Medical Planning Co. Ltd. (Japan), Elixir Medical Corporation (U.S.), and Reva Medical Inc. (U.S.).Abbott Laboratories is an American healthcare company operating in more than 150 countries across the world. ABSORB GT is a bioresorbable vascular scaffold system manufactured by the company. In April 2016, the company entered into an agreement of acquiring St. Jude Medical thus strengthening its position in the market for heart stents and other vascular devices.Biotronik is a multinational biotechnology company. Orsiro is a drug eluting stent and PK papyrus is a covered stent manufactured by the company. The company won Cardiostim Innovation Award for Best Practice Improvement in the year 2016.Browse Complete report atEurope is the second largest market in the world due to 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. Asia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly; China and India are likely to lead this market due to fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. Middle East & Africa currently contribute least in the overall growth of this market. However, considering the growth in the healthcare sector in Middle Eastern countries like UAE, and Saudi Arabia among others, it is very likely that this region will show a decent growth in the absorbable stent market in the near future.About usAt 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.Market Research FutureP: +1 646 845 9312W:sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Global Fuel Delivery System Market Analysis & Demand & Opportunity Assessment till 2024

Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/2145

https://www.mrrse.com/fuel-delivery-system-market

https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/2145

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

A latest research report titled as Fuel Delivery System Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024has 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 Free Sample Report @The global market for fuel delivery systems is heading towards overcapacity, a trend that can wreak havoc on the profit margins of large and small players, lead to an increase in the number of loss-making companies, and harm the future growth of human resources in the longer run. Considering the presence of a large number of manufacturers and suppliers in the market, the supply of fuel delivery systems is expected to continue to swell in the next few years. Focus of manufacturers on largescale production to achieve economies of scale is also expected to add to the ever-rising pile of fuel delivery systems and components in the global market.The inevitable supply-demand gap that will arise owing to the situation is expected to hamper growth of the market to a vast extent in the coming years. However, market will be able to gain sustainable growth opportunities owing to the rise in e-commerce activities, which has enabled manufacturers to achieve cross-border sales and reach developing regions that face a scarcity of supply. Market Research Reports Search Engine states that the global fuel delivery systems market will exhibit a 3.4% CAGR from 2016 through 2024. As a result, the market, which had a valuation of US$4,330.7 mn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$5,969.1 mn by 2024.Stop Valves to Continue to Remain Dominant Fuel Delivery System ComponentsOf the chief components of a typical fuel delivery system, including stop valves, gas regulators, flow and pressure safety switches, sensors, and thermocouples, the segment of stop valves dominates, accounting for a nearly 54% share in the global market in 2015. Although the segment is expected to lose prominence to components such as flow and pressure safety switches and sensors in the next few years, it will continue to dominate the global market, albeit with a lesser share by 2024.The market for flow and pressure control systems will be driven by high demand across process industries, which utilize these systems for the efficient management of fuel delivery for a variety of industrial applications. In the past few years, the rising emphasis on automation of industrial operations and processes has played a vital role in the development of automated flow control systems.Browse Full Report with TOC @Emerging Economies in Asia and Africa to Present Lucrative Growth OpportunitiesOf the key regional markets for fuel delivery systems, the market in Asia Pacific is presently the most lucrative one. The region held a nearly 25% of the total global fuel delivery systems market in 2015. Presence of a large number of manufacturing units and suppliers and the availability of raw materials aid the fuel delivery systems markets growth in the region. The market for fuel delivery systems in the region is also driven owing to the vast expansion of energy industries in emerging economies such as India and China. Technological advancements in fuel delivery systems and the rising preference for automated systems in process industries is likely to benefit the market for fuel delivery systems in Asia Pacific in the next few years.Over the forecasting horizon, the market for fuel delivery systems in Middle East and Africa (MEA) is likely to present lucrative growth opportunities. The Middle East and Africa fuel delivery systems market is projected to exhibit a 4.7% CAGR from 2016 through 2024. The rapid expansion of the oil and gas and refining industries in the region will be the key factors presenting opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers of fuel delivery systems. Rising investment I n the energy sector in Africa will also generate lucrative growth opportunities for the fuel delivery systems market in the next few years.Enquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket 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 Bathroom Sensor Taps Market Expected To Reach At A CAGR Of 8.93% Over The Forecast Period 2017-2021

Market Research Report

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1293311

https://www.researchmoz.us/global-bathroom-sensor-taps-market-2017-2021-report.html/toc

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

https://marketreserch1.blogspot.com

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Bathroom Sensor Taps Market 2017-2021" to its huge collection of research reports.About Bathroom Sensor TapsA sensor tap has proximity sensors, which detect the presence of a person's hands within their proximity range and triggers a mechanism that opens the tap valve to allow water flow. Sensor taps are generally operated by batteries, but a few models are powered by mains. Sensor taps also incorporate an active infrared sensor to detect hand movements.Technavios analysts forecast the global bathroom sensor taps market to grow at a CAGR of 8.93% during the period 2017-2021.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global bathroom sensor taps market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the unit demand for sensor taps from key regions.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEATechnavio's report, Global Bathroom Sensor Taps Market 2017-2021, 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 vendorsAmerican StandardGROHEKohlerMoenTOTOOther prominent vendorsAdvanced Modern Technologies CorporationGeberitGESSIKully SupplymisceaOrasSloan Valve CompanySpectrum BrandsMake an Enquiry about TOC @Market driverLow maintenance and occasional replacementsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeNeed for power mains or batteryFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendGrowing trend of smart citiesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2021 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?Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: IntroductionKey market highlightsPART 05: Market landscapeMarket overviewMarket size and forecastAbout 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 @
Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Growth Opportunities, Driving Factors by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast Analysis to 2025

Market Research Report

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1561276

https://www.researchmoz.us/global-electro-hydraulic-servo-valve-market-professional-survey-report-2018-report.html/toc

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

https://marketreserch1.blogspot.com

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Professional Survey Report 2018" to its huge collection of research reports.This report studies Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve 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 2013 to 2018, and forecast to 2025.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringMoogBosch RexrothParkerEaton VickersTeamHoneywellWoodwardYUKENE+HEMGTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @VoithSchneiderStar HydraulicsDuplomaticOilgearNirecoNanjing Electro-mechanicalQinfengFACRIServo TechnologyCSICBmtri PrecisionHangyu MechanicalOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPermanent magnet typeDynamic typeBy Application, the market can be split intoMilitaryCivilBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaMake an Enquiry about TOC @Table of ContentsGlobal Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Professional Survey Report 20181 Industry Overview of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve1.1 Definition and Specifications of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve1.1.1 Definition of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve1.1.2 Specifications of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve1.2 Classification of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve1.2.1 Permanent magnet type1.2.2 Dynamic type1.3 Applications of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve1.3.1 Military1.3.2 Civil2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Major Manufacturers in 20174 Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Overall Market Overview4.1 2013-2018E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2013-2018E Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2017 Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2013-2018E Global Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2017 Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis5 Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2013-2018E Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2013-2018E Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2017 Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Share Analysis5.2 China Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market Analysis5.2.1 China Electro Hydraulic Servo Valve Market OverviewAbout 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 @
E-Learning Market By Application (SMBs, Large Enterprises, Education), 2017  2024

Global Market Insights

https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/215

https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/215

https://www.gminsights.com

Gamification is one of the recent trends characterizing the innovation landscape of e-learning industry, as this category of education has recorded a rather high rate of engagement by the learners along with providing a better understanding of the related concepts. The recent implementation of this trend was through McDonald, when the company partnered with City & Guilds Kineo to provide the till training on how to use a cash register. Reportedly, the process turned out to be highly effective and purposeful. The training involved real-time situations that required the learner to take customer orders in timed environment. As per reliable sources, over 85% of the users believed that learning via gamification learning helped them in better understanding new systems and improved their overall performance.The developments and innovations in learning tools, delivery methods, and digital technology have revolutionized global e-learning market with regards to its revenue and profitability quotient. Increasing numbers of e-learning programs coupled with the growing prevalence of online education across a myriad range of geographies is set to carve out a lucrative roadmap for e-Learning market outlook in the ensuing years. Speaking of the so far penetration of this fraternity, in 2016, the global e-learning industry stood at USD 150 billion. With a projected CAGR of 5% over the coming seven years, this market is expected to hit a remarkable valuation of USD 200 billion by 2024, claims Global Market Insights, Inc. Emerging corporate trends and the escalating popularity of online or internet-based learning programs are some of the pronounced factors fueling the e-learning market demand globally.Request for a sample of this research report @Instances validating the increasing penetration of e-learning tools include the CityCabs launch of web-based training programs to provide linguistic training to taxi drivers in order to improve their communication with the commuters. Another such move was recorded when Infosys Ltd. entered in an agreement with three firms including Udacity Inc., EdX Inc., and Coursera Inc., to train their personnel on Artificial Intelligence via e-learning tools. Reportedly, The Indian Department of Electronics and Information Technology is also embracing e-learning centered research and development activities in some of the renowned institutions including IIT and C-DAC.With such series of groundbreaking events, global e-learning market is certain to witness a rather substantial momentum in the coming years. Speaking of the geographical landscape, with significant rise in the enrollment of online programs and advanced learning methodologies, countries such as U.S., UK, India, China, and Australia are projected to be some of the most profitable avenues for the e-Learning industry growth.Speaking along similar lines, North America, being one of the mature regions pertaining to the e-learning market penetration, is expected to lead the global industry landscape over the coming seven years. Escalating adoption of m-learning and e-learning tools, which are becoming a preferred and viable choice for the corporate training programs, is one of the major factors driving the regional trends. Moreover, having an upper hand with regards to technological innovations, the region will further procure a major chunk of the global e-learning market share.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @However, taking into consideration the future scope, where niche markets will witness a strong growth potential, Asia Pacific is deemed to be another significant region to exhibit a high demand for e-learning models. Industry analysts speculate that the widespread governmental initiatives to boost literacy and educational programs especially in the rural areas have rapidly escalated e-Learning market size in the region. Example supporting this fact is the initiative taken by HRD Ministry of Government of India with regards to launching NPTEL program as an e-learning approach to pursue courses in science, engineering, and humanities. Furthermore, increasing popularity of mobile technology in the region has further provided a major push to Asia Pacific e-learning industry size.Speaking of the competitive and strategic terrain, most of the e-learning market players are vigorously working toward bringing technology and education under one roof. M&As, partnerships, and product & solution innovations are few of the major growth tactics adopted by the industry participants. Over the coming years, the fraternity is expected to witness a highly intense competitive landscape, where technology innovations will be one of the most renowned success parameters. With these trends, it is rather overt for the e-learning industry to be coined as one of the most innovative business domains, with a huge potential for developments in the coming years.Glimpse of Table of Content (ToC)Chapter 3. E-Learning Industry Insights3.1. Industry segmentation3.2. Industry landscape, 2013 - 20243.3. Industry ecosystem analysis3.3.1. Evolution of e-learning3.3.2. Vendor Landscape3.4. Technology landscape3.4.1. Online e-learning3.4.1.1. Customer buying behavior3.4.1.2. Materials available online3.4.1.2.1. Open Educational Resources (OER)3.4.1.2.2. Mobile learning and gamification3.4.1.2.3. Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)3.4.1.2.4. Cloud vs on-premise LMS3.5. Regulatory landscape3.6. Industry impact forces3.6.1. Growth drivers3.6.1.1. Increasing demand from healthcare sector in North America3.6.1.2. Rise in content digitization in Europe3.6.1.3. Government programs and initiatives in Asia Pacific3.6.1.4. Growing demand for online English courses in Asia Pacific and Latin America3.6.1.5. Rising penetration of internet and mobile learning in Middle East and Africa3.6.1.6. Growing pressure on corporates to upgrade their training programs in North America and Asia Pacific3.6.2. Industry pitfalls & challenges3.6.2.1. Lack of peer to peer interaction3.6.2.2. Slow internet connection and poor network3.6.2.3. Adaptability Issues3.7. Porter's analysis3.7.1. Supplier power3.7.2. Buyer power3.7.3. Threat of new entrants3.7.4. Threat of substitutes3.7.5. Internal rivalry3.8. Competitive landscape, 20163.8.1. Strategy dashboard3.9. Growth potential analysis3.10. PESTEL analysisAbout 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:
Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market Research and Demand Analysis by Manufacturers 2018 - 2025: Asia-Pacific

Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/816734

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/report/asia-pacific-carbon-fiber-geogrid-market-report-2018

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com

Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market Report 2018 gives a brief summary of definitions, applications, types and leading key players/manufacturers of Carbon Fiber Geogrid industry. It provides complete, professional, and extensive analysis of Carbon Fiber Geogrid market. key trends, market drivers, standardization, deployment models, challenges, opportunities, circumstances and business competition design is also discussed in the report.Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market report provides vital information on every parameter which is required for making strategic decisions and development of every business in policies. Asia-Pacific players are growing their existence, native vendors are result it tough to contest with them, particularly concerning features such as quality, technology, and price.Geographically, this report split Asia-Pacific into several key Regions, with sales (K sqm), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Carbon Fiber Geogrid for these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), includingChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanIndiaSoutheast AsiaAustraliaAsia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Carbon Fiber Geogrid sales volume, price, revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingHaining Anjie Composite MaterialShandong sanhe fiber industry...On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volum, revenue, product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoRegular-Tow Carbon Fiber GeogridLarge-Tow Carbon Fiber GeogridOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, includingMiningRailways & HighwaysOtherGet Sample Copy of this Report @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents 1 Carbon Fiber Geogrid Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Carbon Fiber Geogrid1.2 Classification of Carbon Fiber Geogrid by Product Category1.2.1 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Types (2013-2025)1.2.2 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Regular-Tow Carbon Fiber Geogrid1.2.4 Large-Tow Carbon Fiber Geogrid1.3 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Applications (2013-2025)1.3.2 Mining1.3.3 Railways & Highways1.3.4 Other1.4 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market by Region1.4.1 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 China Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 Japan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 South Korea Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Taiwan Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.8 Australia Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Asia-Pacific Market Size (Value and Volume) of Carbon Fiber Geogrid (2013-2025)1.5.1 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2025)1.5.2 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2025)10 Asia-Pacific Carbon Fiber Geogrid Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10.1 Haining Anjie Composite Material10.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors10.1.2 Carbon Fiber Geogrid Product Category, Application and Specification10.1.2.1 Product A10.1.2.2 Product B10.1.3 Haining Anjie Composite Material Carbon Fiber Geogrid Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)10.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview10.2 Shandong sanhe fiber industry10.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors10.2.2 Carbon Fiber Geogrid Product Category, Application and Specification10.2.2.1 Product A10.2.2.2 Product B10.2.3 Shandong sanhe fiber industry Carbon Fiber Geogrid Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)10.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview...Browse full report with Table of Content @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWeb-
Regenerated Fibers Market in Global Industry Analysis Including Key Players ECONYL, US Fibers, Polyfiber Industries, Martex Fiber and Forecast 2025

Market Research Report

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1381841

https://www.researchmoz.us/regenerated-fibers-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

https://marketreserch1.blogspot.com

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Regenerated Fibers Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Regenerated fiber is produced by dissolving the plant fiber cellulose in chemicals and retransforming it into fiber by using the viscose method. It is also known as regenerated cellulose fiber, as it comprises cellulose such as hemp and cotton.Regenerated Fibers Market: Drivers and RestraintsRegenerated fiber is mostly used in the automotive industry for designing automobile interiors. The automotive industry, especially in North America and Europe, continues to expand. The industry has proven to show strength in spite of challenging economic factors. This factor is anticipated to drive the regenerated fibers market during the forecast period. Regenerated fibers, however, face tough competition from synthetic fibers. Synthetic fibers are available abundantly and at a relatively low cost.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Regenerated Fibers Market: Segmentation, by TypeThe regenerated fibers market can be segmented in terms of type as:RayonAcetateCelluloseLyocellRayon is made from polymers occurring naturally and hence, it is not considered a synthetic fiber but a man-made, regenerated cellulose fiber. Rayon is a manufactured fiber, in which cellulose acetate is the fiber-forming substance. Acetate is a derivative of cellulose and it is manufactured by reacting purified cellulose obtained from wood pulp with acetic anhydride and acetic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. Rayon is also called artificial silk due to its shiny appearance that resembles silk. It is characterized majorly by unique gloss, smooth texture, and desorption and superior staining properties. Regenerated fibers are widely used, as it does not melt with heat to become soft.Regenerated Fibers Market: Segmentation, by ApplicationThe regenerated fibers market can be segmented in terms of application as:Needle-punched FabricsGeotextilesAutomotiveWaddingWater & Oil FiltrationMake an Enquiry about TOC @Needle-punched non-woven fabrics are mostly used in winter cloth, quilt, car fabrics, sleeping bags, etc. Regenerated fibers offer strength to needle-punched fabrics. Also, regenerated fibers are less expensive compared to polypropylene or virgin polyester needle-punched fabrics. Needle-punched fibers are manufactured in several dope-dyed shades, for meeting carmakers expectations in terms of fabric colors. Fabrics made from regenerated polyester staple fibers are used in nearly all cars worldwide. The reason for the preferred usage is their cost-effectiveness. These fibers also offer longer life to the product. Regenerated fibers are also used in the wadding industry as a blend with a chemical bond or BICO low-melt fiber. Additionally, filtration non-woven fabrics made from regenerated fibers are used for filtration of water, air, and oil. Filtration fabrics produced from regenerated fibers are inexpensive and hygienic to use.Regenerated Fibers Market: Region-wise OutlookBased on geography, the global regenerated fibers market can be categorized into five segments viz. North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America holds the maximum market share, followed by Asia Pacific. The market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness high growth during the forecast period, due to growing automotive industry in the region. Asahi Kasei Fibers is planning to construct a new production facility in Nobeoka, Miyazaki (Japan) for its Bemliese-brand cellulose non-woven fabrics.Regenerated Fibers Market: Key Market PlayersSome of the key players operating in the global regenerated fibers market are:ECONYLUS FibersPolyfiber IndustriesMartex FiberThe 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 landscapeAbout 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 @
United States N-butanol Market 2017- Dow Chemical, OXEA Corporation, SASOL, PetroChina Company, Eastman Chemical, Perstorp

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=934525&type=S

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/united-states-n-butanol-market-report-2017.htm/toc

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=934525&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report United States N-butanol Market Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The United States N-butanol market has been assessed with an exclusive forecast study that traces its progress from the past through future years. The report offered herewith is an intelligent guideline for players looking to successfully counter market challenges and cement their growth in the industry. With objective information provided on market restraints, readers could prepare themselves beforehand and devise strategies to overcome challenges while setting a foot on lucrative growth. A study on trends and opportunities has been expected to encourage players to take bold steps in their journey toward attaining an impressive growth in the market.Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:Readers have also been offered a comprehensive study on the segmentation of the United States N-butanol market. Each segment of the market has been critically evaluated for any opportunities that could be prevailing in the near future. On the other hand, readers could become aware of segments that have been anticipated to exhibit a slower growth in the market. The study has been backed by accurate information and meticulously calculated statistical figures for readers to be rest assured about the authenticity of the report. A standout section of the study could be regional segmentation as it informs readers of how well the market is performing in different geographies of the world.The analysts authoring the report have profiled some of the top-ranking companies of the United States N-butanol market. Factors such as strategic developments and current market standings have been taken into account when profiling each company studied in the report. The analysts have assessed a number of aspects of the competitive landscape to provide a good view of how the competitive scenario of the market could shape in the coming years. Competitor analysis and related insights presented in the report have been validated through multiple quality checks and are completely unbiased.Table of ContentsUnited States N-butanol Market Report 20171 N-butanol Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of N-butanol1.2 Classification of N-butanol1.2.1 industrial use1.2.2 Commercial use1.3 Application of N-butanol1.3.1 Plasticizer1.3.2 Extracting agent1.3.3 Others1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of N-butanol (2011-2021)1.4.1 United States N-butanol Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.4.2 United States N-butanol Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)Get more information from Table of Content:2 United States N-butanol Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States N-butanol Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States N-butanol Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States N-butanol Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 N-butanol Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 N-butanol Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 N-butanol Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 United States N-butanol Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2011-2016)3.1 United States N-butanol Sales and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.2 United States N-butanol Revenue and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.3 United States N-butanol Price by States (2011-2016)4 United States N-butanol Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2011-2016)4.1 United States N-butanol Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.2 United States N-butanol Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.3 United States N-butanol Price by Type (2011-2016)4.4 United States N-butanol Sales Growth Rate by Type (2011-2016)5 United States N-butanol Sales (Volume) by Application (2011-2016)5.1 United States N-butanol Sales and Market Share by Application (2011-2016)5.2 United States N-butanol Sales Growth Rate by Application (2011-2016)5.3 Market Drivers and OpportunitiesList of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of N-butanolTable Classification of N-butanolFigure United States Sales Market Share of N-butanol by Type in 2015Figure industrial use PictureFigure Commercial use PictureTable Application of N-butanolFigure United States Sales Market Share of N-butanol by Application in 2015Figure Plasticizer ExamplesFigure Extracting agent Examplesin 2015To Get Discount Of This Report Click here @QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Automotive Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market Projected to Grow at a CAGR of 11.11% till 2025

MRRSE

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/4501

https://www.mrrse.com/automotive-testing-inspection-certification-market

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

New research report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Automotive Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025 The main objective of this report is to deliver insightful information and clear-cut facts pertaining to the growth trajectories of the market.Request For Sample Report @Global Automotive Testing, Inspection, and Certification Market: SnapshotAutomotive testing, inspection, and certification services are performed to check roadworthiness of a vehicle. This is a procedure, performed by governing body or government certified agencies to check whether a vehicle is capable to meet the standards regarding vehicle set by the governing body of respective country. In this a vehicle is tested for its safety features, noise, power assisted steering, engine transmission mounts, hydraulic, air and vacuum brake systems, brake and steering fluids, headlamps, direction indicators, and emission. There are several standards set by each country about different parameters related to vehicles such as emission limit, number of air bags required, seat belts, and other safety features. For checking these standards, a number of tests are conducted on vehicle. Some of the most common tests undertaken include frontal and side crash test, exhaust emission test, brake test, interior inspection, under body inspection, and different component tests.The rising number of accidents, increasing automation in vehicles, advanced and more sophisticated components and features of a vehicle, increasing pollution, these are factors due to which demand for vehicle tasting and inspection is increasing day by day. According to the report, the global automotive testing, inspection, and certification market is expected to expand at a 11.11% CAGR over the period between 2017 and 2025.Testing Services to Remain Most LucrativeAs testing is mandatory for all type of vehicles in many countries, the automotive testing services segment held nearly 39.56% of the overall market, followed by the inspection services, which accounted for 25.14% of total market revenue in 2016. As the cost of testing services is much higher than that of inspection services, the revenue generated by the testing service segment is greater than that of any other segment. Inspection services are mandatory to perform at a specific time period and the certification is mandatory for each vehicle. The certification services segment held 23.85% of market revenue in 2016 and remaining 11.40% was accounted by the other services.By sourcing type, the automotive testing, inspection, and certification market is segregated as onsite and offsite. In an onsite inspection, the testing and inspection services are performed at the place of vehicle. This mainly include some of vehicle manufacturers, vehicle being imported and exported and some of the owners of the vehicle. In an offsite segment the vehicle is brought in the plant of a testing, inspection, and certificate providing agency. The majority of tests conducted, commonly are covered under this segment. Owing to this the offsite segment has generated 64.30% of total market share. Remaining 35.70% market share was accounted by onsite segment.Browse Full Report with TOC @Europe and North America to Continue to Hold Significant Share in Overall MarketIn terms of region, the automotive testing, inspection, and certification market has been classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. In 2016, Europe dominated the automotive testing, inspection, and certification market with 36.96% share, thanks to the presence of some of the worlds leading automotive manufacturers and a steadily expanding domestic automotive industry. North America also accounts for a significant share in the global market owing to the well-established automotive sector. In regions like Europe and North America, stringent rules for periodic vehicle inspection and testing are laid down so as to ensure the safety of human life. These regulations are also key drivers for the automotive testing, inspection, and certification market in these regions.Over the forecast period, the market for automotive testing, inspection, and certification services is likely to get a major boost in emerging markets such as Latin America and Asia Pacific. With the increased consumption of a vast range of vehicles in these regions as disposable incomes rise, the demand for testing, inspection, and certification services is also likely to steadily expand.Some of the leading companies operating in the market are SGS SA, Bureau Veritas, Dekra, Intertek Group, TUV SUD, DNV GL, TUV Rheinland, Applus+, ALS Limited, TUV Nord Group, and Mistras Group, Inc.About (MRRSE)Market 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 Air Velocity Monitor Market 2018- Dwyer Instruments, TBJ INC, Kestrel, Sensocon, Extech, TSI Alnor

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1618311&type=S

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-air-velocity-monitor-market-professional-survey-report-2018.htm/toc

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1618311&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Air Velocity Monitor Market Professional Survey Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.The report on the global market for Air Velocity Monitor procures data and other relevant information from myriad dependable sources, and applies various methodologies to analyze and map it. It then groups the data into digestible chunks so that they offer crucial market information. The entire process entails both primary and secondary research methodology.The sourced information is also used to draw growth forecasts of the global market for Air Velocity Monitor. It helps to understand the various factors providing tailwinds and headwinds to the markets trajectory and the macro-fundamentals likely to impact in the near future.Download Free exclusive Sample of this report:Another key area, where the report proves to be a valuable source of information is in the understanding the competitive dynamics for the global market for Air Velocity Monitor. Using analytical tools, viz. Porters Five Forces and SWOT Analysis, it evaluates the opportunities and pitfalls players might encounter in the market for Air Velocity Monitor. It also enables it to draw insights on strengths and weaknesses of prominent market participants.For the purpose of study, the global market for Air Velocity Monitor has been segmented depending upon different parameters in the research study. A comparative analysis of the different segments grouped under one head is presented to that stakeholders can tap into the market right. The research and development landscape too has been studied to understand the scope in the global market for Air Velocity Monitor.Table of ContentsGlobal Air Velocity Monitor Market Professional Survey Report 20181 Industry Overview of Air Velocity Monitor1.1 Definition and Specifications of Air Velocity Monitor1.1.1 Definition of Air Velocity Monitor1.1.2 Specifications of Air Velocity Monitor1.2 Classification of Air Velocity Monitor1.2.1 Analog Air Velocity Monitor1.2.2 Digital Air Velocity Monitor1.3 Applications of Air Velocity Monitor1.3.1 HVAC Systems1.3.2 Clean Room Monitoring1.3.3 Process ControlGet more information from Table of Content:2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Air Velocity Monitor2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Air Velocity Monitor2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Air Velocity Monitor2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Air Velocity Monitor3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Air Velocity Monitor3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Air Velocity Monitor Major Manufacturers in 20173.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Air Velocity Monitor Major Manufacturers in 20173.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Air Velocity Monitor Major Manufacturers in 20173.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Air Velocity Monitor Major Manufacturers in 20174 Global Air Velocity Monitor Overall Market Overview4.1 2013-2018E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2013-2018E Global Air Velocity Monitor Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2017 Air Velocity Monitor Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2013-2018E Global Air Velocity Monitor Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2017 Air Velocity Monitor Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2013-2018E Global Air Velocity Monitor Sales Price4.4.2 2017 Air Velocity Monitor Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Air Velocity MonitorTable Product Specifications of Air Velocity MonitorTable Classification of Air Velocity MonitorFigure Global Production Market Share of Air Velocity Monitor by Type in 2017Figure Analog Air Velocity Monitor PictureTable Major Manufacturers of Analog Air Velocity MonitorFigure Digital Air Velocity Monitor PictureTable Major Manufacturers of Digital Air Velocity MonitorTable Applications of Air Velocity MonitorFigure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Air Velocity Monitor by Application in 2017Get discount copy @QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Martinez said that new fault line information collected in conjunction with the California Department of Conservation and geological survey mapping experts revealed it is not an ideal and safe location for a school.

District spokesperson Elizabeth Emmett said on Tuesday that the district received the earthquake fault information after the public meeting on March 5, which was why the bad news wasnt presented then to the school community.

At that point, we did not yet have the info from the geologists, said Emmett. By Thursday we had the info and the [school board] gave instruction to discontinue consideration of that property.

Asked if the decision was influenced by the opposition that arose to the move to Old Sonoma Road, Emmett said, The change in direction was directly from the discovery of the earthquake fault.

The district will not go through with purchasing the 7.6 acres at 5266 Old Sonoma Road, according to Emmett.

We will continue to look for a site, she said. We still have some options were still looking at.

The district still intends to move Stone Bridge and open its new campus by the fall of 2020. Thats still our goal, Emmett said.
ATM Machine Market 2018- Classification by Suppliers, Consumption, Application and Overview

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1464264&type=S

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-atm-machine-market-research-report-2018.htm/toc

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1464264&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global ATM Machine Market Research Report 2018 to its huge collection of research reports.Global ATM Machine market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingNCRDieboldWincor Nixdorf InternationalGRG Banking EquipmentHitachi Payment ServicesSynkey GroupPertoFujitsuOKINautilus HyosungSPL GroupHantleRoyal Bank TechnologyKingTellerEastcomDownload Free exclusive Sample of this report:The global ATM Machine market is carefully assessed in this report which holds the primary objective of informing its readers about rewarding business prospects and advancements in the industry. Besides studying lucrative opportunities available in the market, the analysts shed light on value forecasts, market restraints, growth factors, and trends. The report offers an accurate outlook of the market for the mentioned forecast period. It notes the degree to which a growth factor could be impacting the market and discusses about important trends making a contribution to market growth. On the whole, players are expected to find this report as a perfect instructional study assisting them to plan effective strategies.Furthermore, the report incorporates profiles of key companies operating in the global ATM Machine market. There could be different sections of a company profile, including recent developments, business strategies, and financial and company overviews. In order to validate the reports analysis and data, the researchers conduct ongoing interviews with industry experts. Besides face-to-face interviews, the primary research could involve telephonic and email interactions. Secondary research may typically include collecting information and data from government reports, statistical databases, and documents, regulatory and patent databases, internal and external proprietary databases, investor presentations, and financial and annual reports.Table of ContentsGlobal ATM Machine Market Research Report 20181 ATM Machine Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of ATM Machine1.2 ATM Machine Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global ATM Machine Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global ATM Machine Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Cash Dispenser1.2.4 Automated Deposit Terminal1.2.5 Recycle Type1.3 Global ATM Machine Segment by Application1.3.1 ATM Machine Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Bank1.3.3 RetailRead Complete Table of Content @2 Global ATM Machine Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global ATM Machine Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.1 Global ATM Machine Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global ATM Machine Production and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.2 Global ATM Machine Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.3 Global ATM Machine Average Price by Manufacturers (2013-2018)2.4 Manufacturers ATM Machine Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 ATM Machine Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 ATM Machine Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 ATM Machine Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global ATM Machine Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2013-2018)4 Global ATM Machine Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2013-2018)5 Global ATM Machine Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global ATM Machine Production and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.2 Global ATM Machine Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.3 Global ATM Machine Price by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Global ATM Machine Production Growth by Type (2013-2018)6 Global ATM Machine Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global ATM Machine Consumption and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)6.2 Global ATM Machine Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2013-2018)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/CountriesList of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of ATM MachineFigure Global ATM Machine Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2013-2025)Figure Global ATM Machine Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2017Figure Product Picture of Cash DispenserTable Major Manufacturers of Cash DispenserFigure Product Picture of Automated Deposit TerminalTable Major Manufacturers of Automated Deposit TerminalFigure Product Picture of Recycle TypeTable Major Manufacturers of Recycle TypeFigure Global ATM Machine Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2013-2025)Enquiry For Discount Visit @QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Europe Laptop Touchscreen Market- AU Optonics, Innolux, TPK, Wintek, CPT, ELK, MELFAS

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=914485&type=S

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/europe-laptop-touchscreen-market-report-2017.htm/toc

https://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=914485&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Europe Laptop Touchscreen Market Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The Europe market for Laptop Touchscreen has been examined on different perspectives that are for all intents and purposes introduce in the situation, and have influenced the market circumstance to the huge degree. The report additionally introduces excellent experience and information related to worldwide Laptop Touchscreen showcase. The real purposes behind the report is to detail out certain positive and obstructive elements centers about the market conditions with the target that potential examiners have a tolerable thought and finding out about the market they will place assets into. Exact and authentic data has been accounted for with a specific ultimate objective to give a hardened view and alongside a present status of the market, to the customers of the generation. The market consider report furthermore amasses the features for instance, drivers, constraints, advertise figures, segments, future improvement, ventures, and alternate points of view. The introduction similarly fuse the basic market purposes, which contains specific highlights of the basic viewpoints that are most likely going to trigger change in the market or reasons that may have a negative impacts as well.Request for Sample Copy of this Study @This report gives an additional knowledge and investigation of the Europe market for Laptop Touchscreen by effectively looking at current happenings and business systems of concerned market. This is required to go about as a supplementary guide in giving right data and information on a couple of plots for the market, for instance identifying with pattern of the administration bodies in the locales, progress and course structure, streams drawbacks, income exchange, and wages made among others.Table of ContentsEurope Laptop Touchscreen Market Report 20171 Laptop Touchscreen Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Laptop Touchscreen1.2 Classification of Laptop Touchscreen1.2.1 Traditional Laptops1.2.2 Ultrabooks1.2.3 Convertible Laptops1.2.4 Other Laptops1.3 Application of Laptop Touchscreen1.3.1 Industrial Cutting1.3.2 Industrial Cleaning1.3.3 Application 3Get more information from Table of Content:2 Europe Laptop Touchscreen by Manufacturers, Type and Application2.1 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1.1 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.1.2 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Europe Laptop Touchscreen (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.2.2 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)2.3 Europe Laptop Touchscreen (Volume and Value) by Countries2.3.1 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Market Share by Countries (2011-2016)2.3.2 Europe Laptop Touchscreen Revenue and Market Share by Countries (2011-2016)2.4 Europe Laptop Touchscreen (Volume) by Application3 Germany Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 France Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 UK Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 UK Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Value (2011-2016)5.1.1 UK Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2016)5.1.2 UK Laptop Touchscreen Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2016)5.1.5 UK Laptop Touchscreen Sales Price Trend (2011-2016)5.2 UK Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Market Share by Manufacturers5.3 UK Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Market Share by Type5.4 UK Laptop Touchscreen Sales and Market Share by Application6 Russia Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Italy Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 Spain Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Benelux Laptop Touchscreen (Volume, Value and Sales Price)List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Laptop TouchscreenTable Classification of Laptop TouchscreenFigure Europe Sales Market Share of Laptop Touchscreen by Type in 2015Figure Traditional Laptops PictureFigure Ultrabooks PictureFigure Convertible Laptops PictureFigure Other Laptops PictureTable Application of Laptop TouchscreenFigure Europe Sales Market Share of Laptop Touchscreen by Application in 2015Get discount copy @QYResearchReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYResearchReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Watch Bargains Website and Chrome Extension Launched in the UK to Provide Rapid Access To Hot Wristwatch Deals

Watch Bargains Website and Chrome Extension Launched in the UK to Provide Rapid Access To Hot Wristwatch Deals

http://eu4.io

http://eu4.io

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/watch-bargains-uk/eenanfmeclennhlhgmgfeaolllokpmdm

For immediate releaseLONDON 12th March 2018A new website and Chrome extension have been launched in the UK that provide access to thousands of highly discounted watch bargains. The website, eu4.io, is preconfigured with 25% discounted items fulfilled by global online retailer Amazon. The Chrome extension, which can be downloaded for free from the Chrome Web Store, installs in the Chrome browser and provides instant access to the latest discounted watch bargains.The founder of eu4.io, Steven Roberts, said Im excited that our website and extension are live. Between them they can provide a never-ending list of highly discounted high quality wristwatches. The extension is especially interesting since it is instantly accessible in the Chrome browser and makes shopping for gifts a snap. Although we targeted the UK for our launch, the site and extension automatically adapt for shoppers from the US, so they too can get their hands on some amazing deals.The website and extension do more than offering watch bargains. Once the site is loaded, users can change their products of interest, and with a simple swipe on the slider, change their preferred discount level as well. The result is a comprehensive shopping experience that can deliver any level of discount for any kind of product  a service that will certainly provide a dose of user euphoria from the eu4.io website!ABOUTThe websiteand its associated Chrome extension have been developed in the UK for UK and US shoppers. The founder, Steven Roberts, has been developing online marketing and sales technologies for several years, this being his latest venture.Website:Extension:Email: steve@eu4.ioAddress: eu4.io, Newton St, Taunton, Somerset, UK
Preventive Asthma Drugs Market Pegged for Robust Expansion by 2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32063

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32063

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/preventive-asthma-drugs-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways caused by recurrent attacks of breathlessness, bronchospasm, and reversible airflow obstruction. Asthma is a life threatening lung disease that hinders normal breathing. It has become one of the most common diseases that affects quality life of patients. It has been anticipated by the physicians the cases for asthma and COPD are increasing on a magnificent level. An estimated 300 million people suffer from asthma globally, with around 250,000 deaths each year.According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, asthma can be classified into four types: exercise-induced, occupational, childhood, and allergic. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America classifies asthma into two categories: allergic and non-allergic. Asthma can be controlled by preventive medicines, which ought to be managed to the patient regularly to enhance his quality of life by controlling the frequency and intensification of asthmatic attacks. Occurrence of asthma is common in both genders owing to increased usage of tobacco and exposure to smoke of biomass fuels used for cooking.Request to View Brochure of Report -Increase in incidence of asthma and rise in industrialization leading to high air pollution are the major factors anticipated to drive the global Preventive Asthma Drugs Market. Asthma is a well-recognized disorder. Hence, simple diagnostic tests such as spirometry, polysomnography devices, peak flow meters, and other diagnostic devices are available in the market. Several drugs are also available in the market for the treatment of asthma including Advair and Pulmicort. Unknown disease etiology is the major restraint of the market.The global preventive asthma drugs market can be segmented based on product type and application. In terms of product type, the market can be segmented into immunosuppressants, corticosteroids, combination of LABA/ICS, leukotriene antagonists, and mast cell stabilizers. Corticosteroids are projected to account for the largest share of the market. The most commonly prescribed corticosteroids are Seretide/Advair and Flixotide/Flovent. Based on application, the global preventive asthma drugs market can be segmented into children and adults.Request to View ToC of Report -Geographically, the global preventive asthma drugs market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global market, followed by Europe, due to increased awareness among people and well developed medical system. However, the market in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period owing to increase in incidence of asthma and adoption of modern lifestyles. Additionally, increase in number of contract manufacturing organizations in Asia Pacific drives the preventive asthma drugs market in the region. According to the WHO, regions such as Southeast Asia and Africa have highest mortality rates and high demand for asthma preventive medicines as some of the countries in these regions have less access to essential medicines. Lack of manufacturing facilities, technologies, and high dependence on imports are the factors hampering the growth of the preventive asthma drugs market in these regions.Key players in the global preventive asthma drugs market include Novartis AG, GlaxoSmithKline plc, AstraZeneca plc, Merck & Co., F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Abbott Laboratories, Boehringer Ingelheim, MediciNova, Inc. and Mylan.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Meningitis Diagnostic Testing Market to Register a Stout Growth by End 2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1973

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/report-toc/1973

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/meningitis-diagnostic-testing.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Meningitis is referred to as the inflammation (swelling) of meninges or membranes that cover the brain and the spinal cord. People of any age can be affected by the meningitis disease. The most common cause of meningitis is bacteria or viruses. However, microorganisms other than bacteria or viruses and certain medications (for example, amoxicillin, azathioprine, or methotrexate) or certain illnesses may also lead to meningitis. Fever, irritability, skin rashes, headache, drowsiness, and fits (seizures) are some of the most common signs and symptoms of meningitis. Signs and symptoms of infant meningitis might differ. They include jaundice, weak suck, and stiffness of the body and neck. Some of the major complications of meningitis are brain damage, hearing loss, epilepsy, vision loss, bone and joint problems, and loss of limbs (amputation). Patients suffering from meningitis can be diagnosed by their medical history, physical examination, and certain diagnostic tests. Meningitis diagnostic tests include laboratory tests and imaging studies that are primarily used to detect meningitis infection.The global Meningitis Diagnostics Testing Market is expanding significantly, owing to increased chances of infection led by increase in the life expectancy of people across the globe. A driving factor for the meningitis diagnostic testing market is rising initiatives by governments and disease foundations. For instance, GAVI has taken an initiative to save childrens lives and protect public health through the widespread use of diagnostic tests. Growth of the meningitis diagnostic testing market can also be attributed to the rise in cross-country travel and increase in the number of road accidents.Request to View Brochure of Report -The global meningitis diagnostic testing market can be segmented on the basis of type, source of infection, end-user, and region. Types of meningitis diagnostic tests include complete blood count test, blood culture test, lumbar puncture (spinal tap) test, imaging tests (computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)), and others. Blood culture tests help identify the bacteria in the blood. MRI or CT scan of the head show swelling or inflammation of meninges. X-ray or CT scan of the chest may also show the infection and help diagnose the meningitis disease. Spinal tap or lumbar puncture test is employed to identify increased pressure on the central nervous system (CNS) and inflammation or presence of bacteria in the spinal fluid.In terms of end-user, the meningitis diagnostic testing market can be segmented into hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, and others. In terms of revenue, the hospitals segment held a significant share of the meningitis diagnostic testing market in 2016.Request to View ToC of Report -In terms of region, the global meningitis diagnostic testing market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the leading market for meningitis diagnostic testing, followed by Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. In terms of revenue, the U.S. holds a major share of the meningitis diagnostic testing market in North America. The market in Europe is expanding rapidly, due to increase in the patient population, especially in Germany. Moreover, the market in Asia Pacific and Latin America is projected to expand significantly in the near future. Developing economies such as China and Japan are projected to contribute to growth of the market in APAC between 2017 and 2025, due to better health care infrastructure, economic growth, increase in the number of insurance payers, growth of the private health care sector, and increasing awareness through awareness programs.Key players operating in the global meningitis diagnostic testing market are Abbott Laboratories, Inc., Affymetrix, Inc., Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Diamedix Corporation (a subsidiary of IVAX Diagnostics, Inc.), DiaSorin S.p.A., Fujirebio Diagnostics, Inc., Gen-Probe, Inc., Novartis Diagnostics, XCyton Diagnostics Limited, BioFire Diagnostics, HiberGene Diagnostics, and Diagenode Diagnostics.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Homeopathic Veterinary Medicines Market to Witness Exponential Growth by 2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32264

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32264

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/homeopathic-veterinary-medicines-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Homeopathy is a discipline of medicine introduced by Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician. In 1813, Hahnemann first published his theory on use of homeopathy in animals. This use was similar to use of homeopathy in humans. Homeopathy emphasizes the principle of like cures like, according to which the substance that generates symptoms or diseases in a healthy person can be used to treat similar symptoms or diseases in patients. Remedies are substances diluted to a minute level, which help in recovering the patient rather than making the condition more severe. Veterinary homeopathy gained its popularity in the second half of the 20th century. Since then, veterinary physicians are practicing homeopathy for treating certain common animal diseases across the world.Increasing disbursing power and rise in the standard of living have led to increase in the number of companion animals across the globe.Moreover, high demand for food items such as milk, meat, and other animal-derived products (including leather, plasma, proteins) is likely to raise the number of cattle such as cows, goats, and ships across the globe. Demand for organic remedies is likely to increase the consumption of homeopathic veterinary medicines in the near future, as these medicines are derived from natural sources such as plants, animals, and minerals. The number of veterinary homeopaths is rising across the world, which is likely to spread the awareness about homeopathic veterinary. This, in turn, would propel Homeopathic Veterinary Medicines Market during the forecast period. However, there has been opposition from other disciplines of medicine to the use of homeopathy in animals, due to lack of concrete evidence. This factor is anticipated to restrain the market during the forecast period.Request to View Brochure of Report -The global homeopathic veterinary medicines market can be segmented on the basis of source of origin, type of animal, distribution channel, and region. In terms of source of origin, the market can be segmented into plant-derived, animal-derived, minerals, and others. Most of the homeopathic medicines are derived from plants. Hence, the plant-derived segment is likely to hold a large share of the global market during the forecast period. Various minerals, chemicals, and other sources such as moonlight, X-rays, and extracts from diseased body parts are used to develop homeopathic veterinary medicines.Based on type of animal, the market has been segmented into canines, felines, porcine, equines, cattle, and others. The increasing number of cattle and companion animals such as canines and felines is projected to drive the global homeopathic veterinary medicines market from 2017 to 2025. Based on distribution channel, the market has been segmented into retail pharmacies, veterinary clinics, online pharmacies, and others. Increasing adoption of e-commerce is likely to lead to exponential growth of the online pharmacies segment between 2017 and 2025. However, the rise in need for skilled homeopath veterinarians in the diagnosis and administration of customized medicines is anticipated to lead to high share being held by the veterinary clinics segment in the global homeopathic veterinary medicines market.Request to View ToC of Report -In terms of region, the global homeopathic veterinary medicines market has been divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Europe is estimated to dominate the global market during the forecast period, due to high adoption of homeopathy and well-established distribution network in the region. North America is estimated to hold a prominent share of the global market in the near future. The market in the region is anticipated to witness strong growth during the forecast period. The increasing number of cattle and companion animals in Asia Pacific is estimated to propel the market in the region during the forecast period.Major players operating in the global homeopathic veterinary medicines market include Helios Homeopathy Ltd., Omida AG, animalEO, Verm-X, Freemans Homeopathy Pharmacy, VECOL, Guna S.p.A., OVEJERO, Ainsworth Ltd., SBL Pvt. Ltd., and Dorwest Herbs Ltd.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Medical Grade Display Market to Expand with Significant CAGR by 2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32279

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32279

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/medical-grade-display-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

For enhanced diagnostic as well as therapeutic procedure performance, the clinical field is highly dependent on imaging technology. Medical displays are crucial in the medical imaging field as it is on this display that doctors, surgeons, or patients can see the real-time image of an organ or a particular area. The medical grade display varies from traditional displays as they offer high contrast ratios, better luminance, and better grayscale production. During surgeries, this high-resolution display has an important role to play as it helps differentiate the vascular structures in the organ as well as evaluate the diseased lesions. It is therefore, no surprise that medical grade displays are being used across dental, diagnostic, surgical, and radiology specialties.Request to View Brochure of Report -One of the key factors boosting the global Medical Grade Display Market is the rapid advancements in technology within the imaging sector. The growing demand for the safety of patients and less incision has led to a rise in the number of minimally invasive procedures that I've been carried out which in turn is boosting the medical grade display market across the globe. There is also a growing demand for reduced hospital stays which is boosting minimally invasive procedures such as arthroscopy and endoscopy which will create a demand for medical grade displays.Diagnostic imaging procedures such as x-ray, computed tomography, ultrasound, and medical resonance imaging are increasingly in demand. Additionally, a significant rise in the healthcare expenditure from both the private and public sectors will lead to a higher investment in the healthcare infrastructure development especially in developing nations which will also benefit the medical grade display market. On the other hand, one of the biggest challenges which is affecting the medical grade display market is the high cost of these displays in comparison to the traditional displays.Request to View ToC of Report -On the basis of geography, the global medical grade display market is segmented into Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. North America is witnessing the highest growth in the market on account of the early and high adoption of advanced technology. The increased healthcare expenditure from both private and public sectors will also help the market for medical grade display to grow in North America. Europe will also be a key market in the years to come on account of the well-established healthcare infrastructure. The Asia Pacific market for medical grade display will also witness growth in the years to come mainly due to an increase in the number of private and public health care facilities in countries such as China and India. On the other hand, it is expected that the adoption of medical-grade displays will be considerably low on account of its high cost in underdeveloped countries in the Middle East in Africa and Latin America.Some of the leading players vendors within the market include: Barco, Contec, Nanjing Jusha Display Technology Co., Ltd, NEC Display Solutions, Koninklijke Philips N.V., NDS Surgical Imaging, Advantech Co., Ltd., Sony Electronics Inc., EIZO Inc., LLC, FSN Medical Technologies, Ampronix Inc., Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Peptide Synthesizers Market to Observe Strong Development by 2025

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=32282

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=32282

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/peptide-synthesizers-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Peptides are chains of amino acids, which are building blocks of all major living organisms. In-vitro production of peptides can be achieved by using individual amino acids and binding them in accordance with the desired sequence in a controlled environment. Earlier, synthetic peptides were produced by using the liquid phase method, which was largely replaced by the solid phase method. Before introduction of peptide synthesizer systems, in-vitro synthesis of peptides was a time-consuming process involving complexity, highly skilled operators, and high consumption of resources. Peptide synthesizers offer ability to build and synthesize complex peptides in a short time from research scale to production scale. Moreover, advanced peptide synthesizers can synthesize multiple peptides at the same time. Synthetic peptides are used to produce specific antibody epitopes and enzyme-binding sites and for designing and development of drugs, vaccines, and enzymes.Changing landscape of the health care industry with a higher focus on developing novel therapeutics for diseases and disorders is anticipated to increase investments in research and development programs in public as well as industry sectors. This is estimated to drive the Peptide Synthesizers Market during the forecast period from 2017 to 2025. Additionally, growing inclination in the pharmaceutical industry toward biosimilars and peptide therapeutics is projected to fuel the market. Growing parasitic & viral infections across the globe and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases are likely to rise demand for new diagnostic tools using specific antibodies. This is projected to rise in vitro peptide synthesis, driving global peptide synthesizers market in the near future.Request to View Brochure of Report -Besides pharmaceutical and health care sectors, consumption of synthetic peptides is rising in industries such as food & beverages, biosensors, and environment. Synthetic peptides are used for R&D and production purposes in these industries. This factor is estimated to drive the peptide synthesizers market during the forecast period. However, high cost of peptide synthesizer systems and its consumables is projected to restrain the market between 2017 and 2025. Availability of customized peptide synthesis services and increasing use of bio-simulation software are some more factors estimated to restrain the global peptide synthesizers market from 2017 to 2025.The global peptide synthesizers market can be segmented on the basis of product, technology, system capacity, end-user, and region. In terms of product, the market can be divided into single channel and multi-channel. Ability to synthesize complex peptides simultaneously is estimated to be a driving factor for the multi-channel segment of the peptide synthesizers market in the near future. In terms of technology, the market can be segregated into manual, semi-automatic, and automatic peptide synthesizers. In terms of capacity, the market can be categorized into low-throughput and high-throughput peptide synthesizers. Increasing usage of synthetic peptides in pharmaceutical and diagnostics industries is likely to drive the high-throughput peptide synthesizers segment in the near future. Based on end-user, the market for peptide synthesizers can be segmented into academic research institutes, pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry, and others. Increasing investments in research and development in pharmaceutical, food & beverages and life sciences industry; and the rising number of contract research organizations are likely to propel the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry segment during the forecast period.Request to View ToC of Report -Geographically, the global peptide synthesizers market has been divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World. High adoption of technology and high expenditure by both public and private sectors on R&D are factors likely to contribute to high share held by North America in the global market. Europe is anticipated to account for a significant share of the global market during the forecast period, due to well-established pharmaceutical & biotechnology industry in the region. Increasing base on contract research organizations and academic research institutes in emerging markets such as China and India is likely to fuel the market in Asia Pacific during the forecast period.Major players operating in the global peptide synthesizers market are AAPPTec, LLC, Biotage, CSBio Company Inc., GYROS PROTEIN TECHNOLOGIES AB, Activotec, HB Technologies AG (Intavis), Thermo Fisher Scientific, CEM Corporation, Shimadzu Corporation, PerSpective Biosystems, Inc., and Advanced ChemTech Inc.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Worldwide Multiple Sclerosis Treatment-Market is Rising Prevalence of Autoimmune Diseases is Anticipated to Accelerate The Growth

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/940

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/multiple-sclerosis-treatment-market-940

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/940

www.marketresearchfuture.com

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, specifically the communication between the brain and other parts of the body. The disease is characterised by damage to the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure to multiple sclerosis. Its treatment focusses on speeding recovery from damages slowing the progression of diseases and management of symptoms of the disease. The global multiple sclerosis treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% during forecasted period 2017-2023.Global multiple sclerosis treatment market is expecting a steady growth in the near future. Increasing prevalence of muscle weakness related problems and increasing elderly population has driven the growth of the market. However, the growth of the market is restrained by high of cost of treatment of multiple sclerosis.Get a sample report atThe most preferred drug classes used for the treatment of multiple sclerosis include immunosuppressant (Zinbryta Lemtrada, Ocrelizumab, and Aubagio,) and Immunomodulators (Ampyra, Avonex, Gilneya, Betaseron, Tysabri, Rebif, Tecifidera, and Copaxone) have emerged as and its associated symptoms. Researchers expect this scenario to remain so over the next few years. According to a research, the drugs for multiple sclerosis in US are nearly five times higher than drugs price in European countries for multiple sclerosis.Industry updates:August, 2016 Teva pharmaceutical Industries Ltd announced the completion of its acquisitionof Allergans generics business Actavis Generics. Achieving synergies from the Actavis Generics acquisition and driving efficiency and effectiveness throughout our organization so as to extract the greatest benefit from the Actavis Generics acquisition is the key focus of the company. This acquisition aimed at strengthening the company`s position in the global and U.S. generics markets. The acquisition strategy has been coupled with cost reduction to improve the profitability of business.May, 2014 Bayer AG acquired Merck & Co., Inc.s non-prescription business to become the OTC leader in North America and Latin America & achieve top global positions in key OTC product categories.Teva pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Isreal), Bayer (Germany), Biogen Idec (U.S.), Pfizer Inc. (U.S.), Sanofi (France), Merck (US), Novartis (Switzerland), AbbVie (U.S.) are are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the global multiple sclerosis treatment market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Browse Complete Report atGlobal Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Market  Regional AnalysisGeographically, the regional market is segmented into America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. The North America dominated the global multiple sclerosis treatment market with the U.S. holding the largest market share owing to numerous developments in the medical sector, and rising numbers of research institutes for better treatment of this diseases. Additionally, the increasing number of hospitalization procedures due to high penetration of healthcare in the U.S. and Canada drives the multiple sclerosis market. The consolidation of large healthcare players in the U.S. also cause the growth in the market due to increasing buying power of the healthcare players, which results in the economies of scale.In Europe, the market for multiple sclerosis is expected to exhibit positive growth during the forecast period. Increasing prevalence of multiple sclerosis in European countries, and availability of funds for research and development activities for diagnosis and treatment of various autoimmune disease are key factors driving the market. Additionally, rising awareness about autoimmune diseases and their treatment also boost the market in Europe.As per the European CRA analysis report, Prevalence rate in Europe is 100 per 100,000 patients. 80% of patients suffering from multiple sclerosis need regular treatment to reduce the progression of multiple sclerosis in the body. Europe is increasing in funds to bring better treatment technology to the market. Many European nations are focusing on advanced diagnostic methods for early detection of MS. These are major driving forces for the growth of the market in this region. Rapid development in technology and increasing different treatment methods has led the growth of the market.More Inquire atAsia Pacific region is expected to grow rapidly with developing countries such as China and India leading this market due to the fast growing healthcare sector and large unmet needs over the forecast period. Countries such as China, India, and Malaysia are also projecting highly to the market growth. Presence of huge patient population suffering from different infectious diseases is the major driving factor for the market in Asia Pacific region.The Middle East & African market especially, the African region is expected to witness a poor growth owing to the lack of knowledge in medical sector, and less development in medical facilities in Middle East & Africa will have limited growth in the market.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.Market Research FutureP: +1 646 845 9312W:sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Contact Lenses Market will observe gains at 2.9% up to 2024 from Polymer material segment

https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2095

https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2095

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/contact-lenses-market

http://www.thecampingcanuck.com/

http://marketsizeforecast.blogspot.com

https://www.gminsights.com/

The evolution of contact lenses market can be primarily attributed to the rising incidences of myopia, presbyopia, hyperopia, and nearsightedness across the globe. It would also be noteworthy to mention that the advent of new technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality have indeed revolutionized this business space. It has been observed that the younger populace, spending quite some time within the confines of their homes, glued to smartphone and laptop screens, are more prone to loss of distant vision than the yesteryear generation, thereby necessitating the requirement of contact lenses over eyeglasses or vision surgery.In consequence, this demand has had quite a proportional impact on contact lenses industry size, which was pegged at USD 9.5 billion in 2016. Reliable sources have quoted that over 40 million of the U.S. population wear contact lenses with most of them being soft lenses made from hydrogels.Request for a sample copy of this report @According to authentic estimates, nearly half of the Asian youth populace has been suffering from nearsightedness. It has been witnessed that the majority of the global population affected due to vision problems reside in the developing regions. As per the current global rankings, India and China have the highest population with poor vision problems.Researchers have estimated that negligence towards eye-care has resulted in the global costs amounting to nearly USD 3 trillion dollars annually. This has undeniably created global awareness toward the use of eyewear such as contact lenses, thereby accelerating contact lenses market trends.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @New product developments taking place taking across the eyewear sector are also predicted to provide rapid momentum to the expansion of contact lenses industry. Researchers at Oregon State University have recently introduced contact lenses for diabetes patients with implanted indium gallium Zinc Oxide biosensors to determine their glucose levels. Alongside, Google Inc. is also expected to penetrate contact lenses market with the development of smart contact lenses comprising wireless chips as well as the tiny glucose sensor devices.Researchers have claimed that these lenses have the ability to transfer monitored information to external instrument. Reputed firms such as Bausch + Lomb are not that far behind either, when it comes to making appreciable contributions to the contact lenses industry. The firm has in fact, launched the all-new Biotrue ONEday across twenty countries in Europe. The new products unique dehydration barrier feature helps in restoring 98% of moisture till 16 hours, and it is exclusively designed to meet the needs of astigmatic patients.Browse complete report summary @Speaking in terms of geographical trends, a research study has demonstrated that a drastic shift in the lifestyles of the APAC population and rising eye health awareness among the populace will generate lucrative growth prospects for contact lenses market in the region. It is anticipated that the Asia Pacific contact lenses industry will grow at a rate of more than 4% over 2017-2024, having accounted for a revenue of over USD 2 billion in 2016. In North America, on the other hand, the rise in the aging population and introduction of new technologies across the eye care sector are expected to help augment the regional contact lenses market. As per estimates, North America contact lenses industry is expected to record a CAGR of 3.2% over 2017-2024.Global contact lenses market share, as per analysts, is partially consolidated, with a select few players such as Bausch & Lomb, Novartis International AG, ZEISS, and Hoya Corporation predominantly covering a major portion of the industry share via product innovations and strategic alliances. The business sphere has been forecast to reach commendable heights in the ensuing years, given the projected demand for these lenses across the developing and established economies. According to Global Market Insights, Inc., contact lenses market is set to hit a targeted revenue margin of over USD 18 billion by 2024.Read Our Blog:About Global Market Insights:Global 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:Social Media: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | News
Groups such as the Napa County Farm Bureau and Napa Valley Grapegrowers are making a mistake in opposing Measure C, Conaway said.

This is a chance to show how much they care, Conaway said. They dont have that much to lose; lets face it, they dont. The big boys in the organizations are the ones who want access to the hills.

He sees another possible threat to the hillside oak woodlands besides vineyard development  marijuana crop development.

Marijuana does not like shade, Conaway said. In fact, it likes shade less than vines do and it uses even more water. As we sit here tonight, there are people already out thereyouve probably already heard about thisdevising some kind of regions for growing pot. Theres a lot of money thats going into it.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors has yet to decide if it will allow commercial marijuana grows in the unincorporated county and, if so, what the rules will be.

Measure C co-authors Mike Hackett and Jim Wilson explained why they launched Measure C. Hackett said the two met at a county-sponsored growth forum in March 2015.
Augmented Expansion of US$ 3,564.4 Mn to be Registered by Casein and Caseinate Market by 2025

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/5873

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/casein-caseinate-market/toc

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/casein-caseinate-market.asp

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

The global casein and caseinate market is teeming with companies both large and small that predominantly operate in global and local markets respectively. Of them, few large companies hold prominence in the market due to high revenue generation from sales of dairy products for their nutritional value.Top players in this market such as Fonterra are focused on developing new products to serve niche growth areas. These players are also vying to expand into emerging markets by means of selling new nutrition products. Some other key names in the global casein and caseinate market are Arla, Danone, Friesland Campina, Nestle, Lactalis, Westland Milk Products, and Saputo. The global casein and caseinate market was valued at US$ 2,459.2 Mn in 2017. The market is anticipated to be worth US$ 3,564.4 Mn by the end of 2025 expanding at a CAGR of 4.8% therein.The global casein and caseinate market is segmented depending upon type, application, and geography. In terms of type, the casein market is classified into edible and industrial casein. Of the two, industrial casein enjoys a higher market share due to numerous industrial applications of caseins. The caseinate market based on type has been classified into sodium caseinate, calcium caseinate, and potassium caseinate. Of them, sodium caseinate is likely to represent the leading market share over the 2017-2025 forecast timeframe.Request Sample Report @Favorable Physical Properties of Casein to Make Industrial Segment AttractiveDepending upon application, the casein and caseinate market is segregated into food and beverages, industrial, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and others. Food and beverages, among them, currently holds the leading share in the overall market. Going ahead, the segment is anticipated to hold supremacy over other application segments in the casein and caseinate market.On the other hand, industrial application segment is anticipated to emerge attractive in several parts of the world over the forecast period. The physical properties of caseinate such as ability to bind with pigments account for its wide application in water-based paints. Also, the emulsifying properties of caseinates make them suitable to be used as stabilizers and emulsifiers in oil and latex paints.Growth of Indian Dairy Industry to Boost Growth of Asia Pacific except Japan Regional MarketGeography-wise, the global casein and caseinate market is classified into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Rest of Europe, Japan, and Asia Pacific except Japan. Of them, North America is currently the leading regional market for casein and caseinate mainly because of rising demand for nutritional food composed of vital nutrients such as protein. The growth of the industrial sector in the U.S. is also contributing to the growth of this regional market. In absolute value, North America casein and caseinate market is predicted to contribute a revenue of US$ 1,231.6 Mn by the end of 2025.Request to Browse Full Table of Content, figure and Tables @Asia Pacific except Japan is predicted to display significant growth in the casein and caseinate market in the upcoming years. The growth of the Indian dairy industry in terms of both production and consumption is contributing to the Asia Pacific except Japan casein and caseinate market.In a nutshell, growing demand for protein rich foods and easy availability of dairy products globally is propelling the casein and caseinate market. Adoption of advanced technologies in the dairy industry that is aiding efficient and economical extraction of milk components is also driving the uptake of casein and caseinates.Read Report Overview @ABOUT US:Persistence 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:Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Future Growth of Smart Contact Lenses Market is Estimated to Reach USD 7.2 Billion In 2023

Smart Contact Lenses Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/1186

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/smart-contact-lenses-market-1186

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/enquiry/1186

Contact lens are thin lenses are worn to improve vision or for aesthetic use. An increase in the trend of using contact lens has been noticed in last few years. Contact lenses eliminate the need of using spectacles. Technological advancement in smart contact lenses is on the verge of creating something innovative with a goal to minimize vision problems in people. Trend in the use of medical devices is found to be increasing from last few years, with the urge of innovative product development and technological advancement. Smart contact lenses monitor physiological parameters like blood glucose level helping the patient to manage his/her health. It also help a person to take immediate action and take consultation if blood glucose levels are elevated. Hence, smart contact lenses have brought a revolutionary change in diabetes management.Get a sample report atAccording to American Diabetes Association, diabetes patients are 40% more susceptible to the glaucoma making it necessary to continuously monitor glucose levels, thus favoring the growth of this market. According to a Center for Disease Control, nearly 26 million Americans are living with diabetes and about 7 million are undiagnosed, 79 million people living with prediabetes. It is the precursor to Type 2 diabetes, which accounts for up to 95 percent of all cases in the United States.Global Smart Contact Lenses Market - Competitive AnalysisSamsung (South Korea), Sony (Japan), Alcon (U.S), Google (U.S), Sensimed SA (Switzerland) are some of the prominent players at the forefront of competition in the Global Smart Contact Lenses Market and are profiled in MRFR Analysis.Samsung is a multinational conglomerate company manufacturing wide range of products. In April 2016, the company received a patent for smart contact lenses with in-built camera in South Korea. According to Samsung Mobile's report, Samsung started developing smart contact lenses as a means to create a better augmented reality experience than the ones that exist through Google Glass-like wearables.Browse Complete Report atGoogle is an American multinational technology company received a patent from the U.S FDA for smart contact lenses in November 2015. Increasing demand for self-monitoring devices, increasing aging population with eye disorders associated to diabetes and user friendliness of smart contact lenses drive this market in America. Development of innovative products for eye care and diabetes management their increasing popularity among people also contribute to the growth of this market.Google agreed for partnership with the pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop smart contact lenses that can track diabetes by measuring blood glucose levels in tears and fix farsightedness as well. As part of the agreement, Google and Novartis eye care division Alcon will create smart lenses that feature non-invasive sensors, microchips and other miniaturized electronics and focus on two main areas i.e first they will provide a way for diabetic patients to keep a check on glucose levels by measuring the sugar levels in their tear fluid, feeding the data back to a smartphone or tablet. The second solution aims to help restore the eyes natural focus on near objects, restoring clear vision to those who are only farsighted.Global Smart Contact Lenses Market - Regional AnalysisGlobally, America accounts for the largest market share. America consists of two regions namely North America and South America. Increasing diabetic population, demand of eye care solutions with innovative technology, increasing adoption of upgraded wearable medical devices and trends in cosmetics drive the growth of this market in America.Europe is the second largest market due to an increase in expenditure on research in smart medical devices. Moreover, extensive use of smart contact lenses in the European countries also drives the market growth. According to the report published by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015, over 60 million people were suffering from diabetes in the European Region.More Inquire atAsia pacific is expected to be the fastest growing market due to increasing burden of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and growth of medical device sector in developing economies such as China and India. However, countries such as China and India are expected to show exponential growth in the market in this region.However, in the Middle East and Africa the market shows slow growth due to low technology penetration. In Africa, there is an increasing demand for primary care services and unavailabity of medical care restrains the growth of the market.ContinueAbout usAt 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 FutureMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: salesteam@Marketresearchfuture.Com
Global Optical Lens Market 2018 Key Players: Largan, Sunny Optical, GeniuS Electronic Optical (GSEO), Sekonix, Kantatsu.

Optical Lens Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2550861-global-optical-lens-market-professional-survey-report-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2550861-global-optical-lens-market-professional-survey-report-2017

Optical Lens Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Optical Lens Market 2018 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2025reports to its database.Executive SummaryThis report studies Optical Lens 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, coveringLarganSunny OpticalGeniuS Electronic Optical (GSEO)SekonixKantatsuKolenCha DiostechSEMCOAsia OpticalNewmaxAbility Opto-ElectronicsKinkoCanonZEISSSonyOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoOptical Plastic LensOptical Glass LensBy Application, the market can be split intoSmartphoneFeature PhoneTabletComputerTraditional CameraCar LensSecurity MonitoringOtherBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Request Sample Report @Table of ContentGlobal Optical Lens Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Optical Lens1.1 Definition and Specifications of Optical Lens1.1.1 Definition of Optical Lens1.1.2 Specifications of Optical Lens1.2 Classification of Optical Lens1.2.1 Optical Plastic Lens1.2.2 Optical Glass Lens1.3 Applications of Optical Lens1.3.1 Smartphone1.3.2 Feature Phone1.3.3 Tablet1.3.4 Computer1.3.5 Traditional Camera1.3.6 Car Lens1.3.7 Security Monitoring1.3.8 Other1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Optical Lens2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Optical Lens2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Optical Lens2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Optical Lens3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Optical Lens3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Optical Lens Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Optical Lens Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Optical Lens Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Optical Lens Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Optical Lens Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Optical Lens Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Optical Lens Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Optical Lens Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Optical Lens Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Optical Lens Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)5 Optical Lens Regional Market Analysis5.1 North America Optical Lens Market Analysis5.1.1 North America Optical Lens Market Overview5.1.2 North America 2012-2017E Optical Lens Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.1.3 North America 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis5.1.4 North America 2016 Optical Lens Market Share Analysis5.2 China Optical Lens Market Analysis5.2.1 China Optical Lens Market Overview5.2.2 China 2012-2017E Optical Lens Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.2.3 China 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis5.2.4 China 2016 Optical Lens Market Share Analysis5.3 Europe Optical Lens Market Analysis5.3.1 Europe Optical Lens Market Overview5.3.2 Europe 2012-2017E Optical Lens Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.3.3 Europe 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis5.3.4 Europe 2016 Optical Lens Market Share Analysis5.4 Southeast Asia Optical Lens Market Analysis5.4.1 Southeast Asia Optical Lens Market Overview5.4.2 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Optical Lens Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.4.3 Southeast Asia 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis5.4.4 Southeast Asia 2016 Optical Lens Market Share Analysis5.5 Japan Optical Lens Market Analysis5.5.1 Japan Optical Lens Market Overview5.5.2 Japan 2012-2017E Optical Lens Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.5.3 Japan 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis5.5.4 Japan 2016 Optical Lens Market Share Analysis5.6 India Optical Lens Market Analysis5.6.1 India Optical Lens Market Overview5.6.2 India 2012-2017E Optical Lens Local Supply, Import, Export, Local Consumption Analysis5.6.3 India 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales Price Analysis5.6.4 India 2016 Optical Lens Market Share Analysis6 Global 2012-2017E Optical Lens Segment Market Analysis (by Type)6.1 Global 2012-2017E Optical Lens Sales by Type6.2 Different Types of Optical Lens Product Interview Price Analysis6.3 Different Types of Optical Lens Product Driving Factors Analysis6.3.1 Optical Plastic Lens of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis6.3.2 Optical Glass Lens of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7 Global 2012-2017E Optical Lens Segment Market Analysis (by Application)7.1 Global 2012-2017E Optical Lens Consumption by Application7.2 Different Application of Optical Lens Product Interview Price Analysis7.3 Different Application of Optical Lens Product Driving Factors Analysis7.3.1 Smartphone of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.2 Feature Phone of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.3 Tablet of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.4 Computer of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.5 Traditional Camera of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.6 Car Lens of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.7 Security Monitoring of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor Analysis7.3.8 Other of Optical Lens Growth Driving Factor AnalysisContinuousFor further information on this report, visit Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +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:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Airport Security Market: Development Factors, Key Players, Regional Analysis, Applications and Forecasts By 2024

https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/sample_request/1170

https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/reports/enquiry/1170

https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com/ict_semiconductor/global_airport_security_market

https://www.infiniumglobalresearch.com

A recent report published by Infinium Global Research on airport security market provides in depth analysis of segments and sub-segments in global as well as regional markets of airport security market. The study also highlights the impact of drivers, restraints and macro indicators on the global and regional markets of airport security over the short term as well as long term. The report is a comprehensive presentation of trends, forecast and dollar values of global airport security market. According to report the global airport security market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecast period of 2018 - 2024.Get Sample Copy of this Report:Segments CoveredThe report on global airport security market covers technology segments. The technology segments include perimeter security, access control, screening, cyber security, surveillance and others.Geographic CoverageThe report provides regional analysis covering geographies such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World. In this section the key trends and market size for each geography is provided over the period of 2016  2024. The countries covered in the North America region include the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; while Asia-Pacific includes China, Japan, India, South Korea, Malaysia and among others. Moreover, European region covers countries such as Germany, UK, France, Spain, and rest of Europe. The U.S. drives the growth in the North America region as it is the largest market in the region. The Asia-pacific region offers a substantial potential for the market growth owing to rapid growth in markets such as India and China. The APAC region is projected to experience a growth at a CAGR of x.x% over the period of 2018 - 2024.Companies Profiled:The report provides profiles of the companies in the global airport security market such as, BOSCH Security Systems, CEIA, American Science and Engineering, Inc, G4S PLC, Fisher Research Laboratory, Auto Clear LLC, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Axis Communications, MilliVision Technologies, and IBM Corporation.For More Enquiry on This Report:Table of Content1. Preface1.1 Report Description1.2 Research Methods1.3 Research Approaches2. Executive Summary3. Global Airport Security Market Overview3.1 Introduction3.2 Market Dynamics3.2.1 Drivers3.2.2 Restraints3.2.3 Opportunities3.3 Porters Five Forces Analysis3.4 IGR  Growth Matrix Analysis3.5 Competitive Landscape in the Global Airport Security Market4. Global Airport Security Market by Technology 2018 - 20244.1 Perimeter Security4.2 Access Control4.3 Screening4.4 Cyber Security4.5 Surveillance4.6 Others5. Global Airport Security Market by Regions 2018 - 20245.1 North America5.1.1 North America Airport Security Market by Technology5.1.2 North America Airport Security Market by Country5.2 Europe5.2.1 Europe Airport Security Market by Technology5.2.2 Europe Airport Security Market by Country5.3 Asia-Pacific5.3.1 Asia-Pacific Airport Security Market by Technology5.3.2 Asia-Pacific Airport Security Market by Country5.4 RoW5.4.1 RoW Airport Security Market by Technology5.4.2 RoW Airport Security Market by Sub-Region6. Companies Covered6.1 BOSCH Security Systems6.2 CEIA6.3 American Science and Engineering, Inc6.4 G4S PLC6.5 Fisher Research Laboratory6.6 Auto Clear LLC6.7 Lockheed Martin Corporation6.8 Axis Communications6.9 MilliVision Technologies6.10 IBM CorporationComplete report at:About UsInfinium Global Research and Consulting Solutions is started with a single motto of being business partner of first choice. We at Infinium work on the strengths of our clients to ensure we help them consolidate their market position. We firmly believe in the fact that if you are able to develop newer opportunities then you find there is no dearth of opportunities for you. With our strategic research approaches and deep dive in the market segments, we try to find out new opportunities that our clients can encash with their existing resources. Our experts with over 100 years of cumulative experience in research offer the best in the industry services to our clients to ensure that they achieve their business goals.Contact UsInfinium Global Research,Toll Free:U.S. + Canada: 1-800-638-0796,Website :Email: sales@infiniumglobalresearch.com
Wound Cleanser Products Market Size, Share, Trends, Market Growth, Global Analysis And Industry Forecast 2018 - 2026 - Research Corridor

http://www.researchcorridor.com/wound-cleanser-products-market/

http://www.researchcorridor.com/wound-cleanser-products-market/

http://www.researchcorridor.com/enterprise-password-management-market/

http://www.researchcorridor.com/unified-communication-service-healthcare-market/

http://www.researchcorridor.com/password-management-small-business-market/

http://www.researchcorridor.com/

Wound Cleanser Products Market: Global Industry Trends, Market Size, Competitive Analysis and Forecast - 2018  2026, this study is recently published by Research Corridor covering global market size for Wound Cleanser Products market for the key segments and further cross-regional segmentation of these segments for the period 2016 to 2026.Browse the complete report atAccording to Research Corridor this study will provide in-depth analysis of segments on the basis of current trends, market dynamics and country level analysis of Wound Cleanser Products industry. This report provides market estimates and forecast for the period 2016-2026, along with respective CAGRs for each segment and regional distribution for the period 2018-2026. In depth analysis of competitive landscape, porters five forces model, value chain analysis, and pricing strategies are also covered in the report scope.Report Synopsis: Wound Cleanser Products MarketThis report provides an exhaustive market analysis of the Wound Cleanser Products industry presented through sections such as1. Wound Cleanser Products: Market Summary2. Key Developments in the Wound Cleanser Products Industry3. Market Trends and Dynamics of Wound Cleanser Products Industry4. Attractive Investment Proposition for Wound Cleanser Products Market5. Competitive Landscape of Key Market Players in Wound Cleanser Products Industry6. Current Market Scenario and Future Prospects of the Wound Cleanser Products Market7. Mergers and Acquisitions in Wound Cleanser Products Market8. Wound Cleanser Products Market Revenue and Forecast, by Segment A Type, 2016 to 20269. Wound Cleanser Products Market Revenue and Forecast, by Segment B Type, 2016 to 202610. Wound Cleanser Products Market Revenue and Forecast, by Segment C Type, 2016 to 202611. Wound Cleanser Products Market Revenue and Forecast, by Segment D, 2016 to 202612. Wound Cleanser Products Market Revenue and Forecast, by Geography, 2016 to 2026For more details with charts and figures:Key Takeaways:1. Market size and forecast of the Wound Cleanser Products market for the period from 2016 to 20262. Compounded annual growth rate (CAGR%) for each segment in several regional markets by year 20263. Market share analysis combined with competitive landscape of key players4. Profiles of key market players covering overall business operations, geographic presence, product portfolio, financial status and news coverage.Latest Reports:About Research CorridorResearch Corridor provides End to End Solution for Market Research Consulting and Custom Research Reports. Database of Over 47000 Global Market Reports Research Corridor is world leading company in syndicated market Research Reports.Media ContactCompany Name: Research CorridorContact Person: Vikram ChauhanEmail: sales@researchcorridor.comWebsite:
Peanut Butter Market is expected to double its market size by 2021

Peanut Butter Market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/540415-global-peanut-butter-market-2

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/540415-global-peanut-butter-market-2

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/540415-global-peanut-butter-market-2

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=540415

A new research document with title 'Global Peanut Butter Market 2017-2021 covering detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like APAC, Europe, North America, ROW and important players/vendors such as The J.M. Smucker Company , Hormel Foods , Conagra Foodservice ,, The Hershey Company The report will help user gain market insights, future trends and growth prospects for forecast period of 2017-21HTF analysts forecast the global peanut butter market to grow at a CAGR of 13.02% during the period 2017-2021.Peanut butter is a paste made from roasted peanuts and is usually used in households as a spread for breakfast and lunch, or in snacks. The commercially available peanut butter contains ingredients, such as vegetable oil, sugar, and salt, which increases the shelf life of the product. The shelf life of peanut butter is almost a year, provided it is properly stored.Request a sample report @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global peanut butter market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers sales value of consumption.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEMEAHTF report, Global Peanut Butter Market 2017-2021, 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 vendorsThe J.M. Smucker CompanyHormel FoodsConagra FoodserviceThe Hershey CompanyOther prominent vendorsKraft HeinzAlgood Food CompanyTrader Joe'sPeanut Butter & CoPinnacle FoodsThe Hain Celestial GroupMarket driver Health benefits associated peanut butter For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge Lower yields of peanuts For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend Peanut butter as an ingredient of snacks For a full, detailed list, view our reportView Detailed Table of Content @Key questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2021 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?You can request one free hour of our analysts time when you purchase this market report. Details are provided within the report.Get Customization in the Report, Enquire Now @Table of ContentsPART 01: Executive summaryPART 02: Scope of the reportPART 03: Research MethodologyPART 04: IntroductionPART 05: Market landscape Market overview Market size and forecast Five forces analysisPART 06: Market segmentation by product type Market overview Global creamy/regular peanut butter market Global crunchy/chunky peanut butter market Global natural peanut butter market Global low-fat peanut butter market Global others peanut butter marketPART 07: Market segmentation by distribution channel Global peanut butter market segmen....ContinuedThanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.Buy this report @HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact us :HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218
Global Swine Respiratory Diseases Treatment Market Anticipated to Surge at a CAGR of 6.7% till 2027

MRRSE

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/4498

https://www.mrrse.com/swine-respiratory-diseases-treatment-market

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

New research report offers a comprehensive analysis of the Swine Respiratory Diseases Treatment Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012 - 2016 and Opportunity Assessment 2017 - 2027 The main objective of this report is to deliver insightful information and clear-cut facts pertaining to the growth trajectories of the market.Request For Free Sample Report @Increase in pork consumption across various regions to help lift the global swine respiratory diseases treatment market in the coming decadePigs are mostly affected with respiratory diseases such as PRRS (Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome), which is a one of the common diseases. The Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome is caused by a virus and is categorised under arterivirus. PRRS disease is also known as blue-ear pig disease. The PRRS was identified in USA during the 1980s and is also known as the mystery swine disease. The PRRS disease is rapidly spreading in all the countries that are into pig productions, very few countries are left which are PRRS free today. The consumption of pork is increasing over the years across all the regions, which directly boosts the pork industry to produce more pork that is disease free, to enable the pork industry to meet the increasing demand for pork in the global market.Market snapshot of the top regions in the global swine respiratory diseases treatment marketAPEJ: APEJ is expected to lead the global swine respiratory diseases treatment market with its market size reaching a value of over US$ 1,100 Mn in 2027, growing at a CAGR 6.7%. However it is in close competition with Eastern Europe, which is leading in terms of CAGR, with a robust market growth at 6.9% CAGR during the forecast period. The animal industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in most countries of the Asia Pacific region. It is a vital industry linked to millions of jobs in related industries. However, the health and growth of this industry are being threatened by the emergence of animal diseases. APEJs market includes Chinas pig industry, where the Chinese government is willing to invest and increase the pig industry by implementing supporting policies to support large pig farmers. Chinese scholars have indicated that they have found a new strain of PRRS virus (PRRSV) GDsg that was isolated in the Guangdong province of China, which caused high fever, high morbidity and high mortality for sow and piglets. This is helping APEJs swine respiratory diseases treatment market to grow exceptionally.Browse Full Report with TOC @North America: The demand of pork in countries such as US and Canada is increasing, as a result the production of pork is increasing to meet the needs of the market. The pathogen free pork is directly contributing to the demand of the meat industry. In the pork industry in North America, especially in the U.S, most of the pork farms are using vaccines as the pork industry is looking forward to produce pork which is disease free. Vaccines are mostly used as preventive process to overcome the harmful pathogens. The use of vaccines for PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome) and mycoplasma is increasing, the vaccine is directly given to breeding females, to enable the new born pig to be pathogen free. The increase in use of vaccines has helped North Americas market to reach a size of over US$ 780 Mn in 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. Also, the market is quite positive for investors in the animal healthcare sector and it seems like a win-win situation for both the parties (investors and manufacturers) in the long term.About (MRRSE)Market 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:
Latex Medical Disposables Market is Likely to Touch Value US$ 6.4 Bn By 2024

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=16109

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16109

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=16109

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/latex-medical-disposables-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Latex Medical Disposables Market: SnapshotLatex medical disposables such as latex gloves are used during surgeries and check-ups. The demand for latex medical disposables is therefore quite high among doctors, surgeons, and dentists across the globe. Primarily, there are two types of latex gloves available in the market. These are powdered and non-powdered latex gloves. The non-powdered gloves might witness relatively more demand when compared with powdered gloves, as powdered gloves were found to be hindering the healing process of patients.The market might encounter obstacles owing to the prevalence of latex allergies that induce several healthcare professionals to use non-latex products instead. Moreover, with the intensifying competition, the market players might have to bring down the prices of their products. As a result, sluggish growth in revenue might restrict the growth of the global market for latex medical disposables. However, the impact of these restraints will be negated by the emergence of novel technologies.The global market for latex medical disposables was pegged at US$4.1bn in 2015, and is expected to rise up to achieve US$6.4bn by the end of 2024, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9%.Request Sample of Report:Rising Demand from Countries in Asia Pacific to Accelerate GrowthBased on geography, the global latex medical disposables market has been segmented into Europe, Asia pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, and North America. The global latex medical disposables market is presently dominated by North America, which accounted for a 33% share of the global market during 2016, with Europe close-by at its heels. The increasing concerns about safety, growing awareness about health and the spread of contagious diseases, and increasing measures for preventing the spread of these diseases are some of the major factors driving the the market in Europe and North America.Asia Pacific is also slated for substantial growth during the forecast period, expanding at a promising CAGR of 5.8% between 2016 and 2024. The countries in Asia Pacific such as India, Japan, Singapore, China, Australia, and Thailand are likely to represent a significant portion of the global market for latex medical disposables over the coming years. The growth of these regions can be attributed to the growing awareness about the safety of patients and healthcare professionals, rising per capita incomes of people, increasing healthcare expenditures of governments, and flourishing medical and pharmaceutical sectors in these regions.Request Brochure of Report:Latex Gloves Emerge as Dominant Product SegmentBy product, the global market for latex medical disposables has been segmented into latex, foley catheters, latex gloves, urine bags, latex probe covers, and others. Hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, diagnostic centers, and others are the key segments by end user. Of these, latex gloves have been witnessing increasing demand over the past few years. As a result, these products have been dominating the global market. In terms of revenue, this product segment accounted for nearly 60.4% of the global market for latex medical disposables during 2015. Latex gloves might continue to hold the foremost position as these gloves are an easy and effective way of protecting the hands of patients and healthcare providers from the risk of infection.Enquiry for discount on this report By end user, the hospitals segment dominated the global market for latex medical disposables in terms of revenue during 2015. The increasing number of surgical procedures and check-ups in hospitals, coupled with establishment of new clinics and hospitals is responsible for the dominance of this segment. This segment is slated to contribute 28.7% to the global market for latex medical disposables by the end of 2024. The diagnostic centers segment might hold the second-most position over the forecast period.Some of the major companies operating in the global market for latex medical disposables are Hartalega Holdings Bhd., Supermax Corporation Berhad, B. Braun Melsungen, C.R. Bard, Ansell, Top Glove Corporation, Dynarex Corporation, and Medtronic plc.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Transparent Display Market 2018 Key Players: Panasonic Corp., Google, Inc., Apple, Inc., Samsung Electronics, AU Optronics Corp., Sony Corp, and Pioneer.

Transparent Display Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/2997498-global-transparent-display-market-size-study-by-technology

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/2997498-global-transparent-display-market-size-study-by-technology

Transparent Display Market:WiseGuyReports.com adds Transparent Display Market 2018 Global Analysis, Growth, Trends and Opportunities Research Report Forecasting to 2025reports to its database.Executive SummaryGlobal Transparent Display Market industry valued approximately USD xx billion in 2016 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than xx% over the forecast period 2017-2025. Transparent display is a next-gen technology that presents features to the consumers to see anything displayed on the glass and past it simultaneously. The major factors driving the growth are the escalating need for transparent displays in landmarks, hotels, & corporate offices, and rising usage of transparent walls in automotive shops and malls.Also, the growth in transparent displays in wearable computing devices and mobile phones is further increasing the scope for growth of the industry. The rising appeal of the transparent display amid the gaming industry is adding to the growth. Moreover, the technology allows consumers to see the digital world and stay in harmony with the reality concurrently.The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:Technology:LCDOLEDE-PaperApplication:Wearableso Watcheso Helmets & GlassesMobile Displayso Notebooks & Laptopso Tablets & MobilesBuilding-related Applicationso Refrigeratorso Hybrid Displayso OthersRetail applicationso Store Windows and Advertising Displayso Vending Machineso Display CasesAutomotiveMilitaryRequest Sample Report @Furthermore, 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 Panasonic Corp., Google, Inc., Apple, Inc., Samsung Electronics, AU Optronics Corp., Sony Corp, and Pioneer. Acquisitions and effective mergers are some of the strategies adopted by the key manufacturers. New product launches and continuous technological innovations are the key strategies adopted by the major players.Target Audience of the Transparent Display Market Study:Key Consulting Companies & AdvisorsLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprisesVenture capitalistsValue-Added Resellers (VARs)Third-party knowledge providersInvestment bankersInvestorsTable of ContentChapter 1. Global Transparent Display Market Definition & Scope1.1. Research Objective1.2. Market Definition1.3. Scope of The Study1.4. Years Considered for The Study1.5. Currency Conversion Rates1.6. Report LimitationChapter 2. Research Methodology2.1. Research Process2.1.1. Data Mining2.1.2. Analysis2.1.3. Market Estimation2.1.4. Validation2.1.5. Publishing2.2. Research AssumptionChapter 3. Executive Summary3.1. Global & Segmental Market Estimates & Forecasts, 2015-2025 (USD Billion)3.2. Key TrendsChapter 4. Global Transparent Display 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 Transparent Display Market by TechnologyChapter 6. Global Transparent Display Market by ApplicationChapter 7. Global Transparent Display Market, Regional AnalysisChapter 8. Competitive Intelligence8.1. Company Market Share (Subject to Data Availability)8.2. Top Market Strategies8.3. Company Profiles8.3.1. Panasonic Corporation8.3.1.1. Overview8.3.1.2. Financial (Subject to Data Availability)8.3.1.3. Product Summary8.3.1.4. Recent Developments8.3.2. Google, Inc.8.3.3. Apple, Inc.8.3.4. Samsung Electronics8.3.5. AU Optronics Corporation8.3.6. Sony Corporation8.3.7. Philips Corporation8.3.8. Pioneer8.3.9. BOE Technology8.3.10. Universal DisplayContinuousFor further information on this report, visit Contact Us:Norah Trentsales@wiseguyreports.comPh: +1-646-845-9349 (US); +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:WISEGUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT LTDOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersPune - 411028Maharashtra, IndiaPhone :+91 841 198 5042
Research Analysis on High Pressure Processing Food Market- Industry Size, Growth, Forecast, Segment, Application 2018

High Pressure Processing Food

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/815812

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/check-discount/815812

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/report/global-high-pressure-processing-food-market-professional-survey-report-2018

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com

The Report provides a basic overview of the High Pressure Processing Food Market including definitions, classifications, applications and chain structure. The High Pressure Processing Food Industry analysis is provided for the international market including development history, competitive landscape analysis, and major regional development status.QY Research render to you profound details in respect to leading participants, regions, application and type of the Global High Pressure Processing Food Market which is estimated to encounter substantial growth over the forecast period 2013-2025.For comprehensive data provided in sample clickThis study provides insights about the High Pressure Processing Food in regards to its uses and benefits. We at QY Research Groups provide updated information that is beneficial in decision making regarding business investments.The regions encompassed by this study areNorth AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaIn terms of type the market is segmented intoMeat & Poultry ProductsJuices & BeveragesFruit & VegetableSeafood ProductsOthersBy Application the market coversSupermarketDirect StoreOnlineOtherThe top participants in the market areHormel foodEspunaCampofrio AlimentacioCargillSuja LifeEchigo SeikaUniversal PasteurizationHain CelestialAvure TechnologiesMotivatitSafe Pac PasteurizationGrab your best price atTable of ContentsGlobal High Pressure Processing Food Market Professional Survey Report 20181 Industry Overview of High Pressure Processing Food1.1 Definition and Specifications of High Pressure Processing Food1.1.1 Definition of High Pressure Processing Food1.1.2 Specifications of High Pressure Processing Food1.2 Classification of High Pressure Processing Food1.2.1 Meat & Poultry Products1.2.2 Juices & Beverages1.2.3 Fruit & Vegetable1.2.4 Seafood Products1.2.5 Others1.3 Applications of High Pressure Processing Food1.3.1 Supermarket1.3.2 Direct Store1.3.3 Online1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 India2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of High Pressure Processing Food2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of High Pressure Processing Food2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of High Pressure Processing Food2.4 Industry Chain Structure of High Pressure Processing FoodRead the full report:About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on Global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWeb-
ABC/Randy HolmesLuke Combs is well on his way to becoming an international star.

At last weeks Country to Country Festival in London, the crowd of 15,000 proved theyre already well-versed in his catalog. In addition to his hits like Hurricane and When It Rains It Pours, the audience also sang along to the unreleased Beer Never Broke My Heart and early tracks like She Got the Best of Me and Can I Get an Outlaw.

Then on Friday, tickets to his show next fall in Glasgow, Scotland sold out in just minutes, with a second London concert also being added due to demand. The North Carolina native will travel to the Netherlands and Germany as well, when his first international headlining tour starts October 3.

Heres the complete itinerary, with tickets on sale now at LukeCombs.com:

10/3 -- Birmingham, England, O2 Institute Birmingham

10/4, 5 -- London, England, O2 Shepherds Bush Empire

10/7 -- Glasgow, Scotland, O2 ABC Glasgow

10/8 -- Manchester, England, O2 Ritz Manchester

10/10 -- Amsterdam, Netherlands, Amsterdam Melkweg

10/11 -- Berlin, Germany, Columbia Theatre

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A felon wanted in two shootings being investigated by San Francisco Police was arrested following a vehicle pursuit through Napa on Tuesday, according to the Napa Special Investigations Bureau.

During the afternoon pursuit, which started in north Napa, a rifle and a bag were thrown from the car, police said.

NSIB detectives had attempted to pull the vehicle over after recognizing the driver as Howard Edejer, 33, of San Mateo County, who was wanted by San Francisco Police. Instead of pulling over, the vehicle fled from officers until failing to negotiate a turn from southbound Solano Avenue onto the southbound Highway 29 on ramp south of Lincoln Avenue. Edejer got out of the car and started running, but was quickly taken into custody.

Detectives recovered the bag and the short-barreled AR-15 rifle/pistol that was thrown from the car in addition to two 30-round magazines, one of which was loaded. Detectives said they found a 10mm Kimber semi-automatic pistol loaded with eight Radically Invasive Projectile rounds, also known as R.I.P rounds, inside the bag.

A tactical plate-carrier with rifle plates, a type of body armor, and a balaclava-style ski mask were found inside the vehicle, police said.
Tissue Banking Market is Expected to Rise at a 11.3% CAGR from 2014 to 2024

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=14681

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=14681

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=14681

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/tissue-banking-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Tissue Banking Market: SnapshotFor the purposes of medical research and education, a tissue bank as an establishment collects and recovers human cadaver tissue. It may also refer to a site where biomedical tissue is kept under cryogenic conditions and is normally used in a more clinical sense.The global tissue banking market is gaining traction due to escalating geriatric population, increasing number of blood donations, introduction of technologically advanced equipment, growing incidence of chronic diseases, favorable insurance and reimbursement policies, and rising per capita healthcare expenditure.However, the development of the market is expected to be restricted by factors such as stringent regulatory norms governing the safety and functional aspects of tissues and the approval of new products. Also, many current systems are incapable of systematically keeping a record of the process of handling tissues and maintaining a complete historical record of the temperatures at which tissues have been stored, highlighting any prominent deviation from the given standard.According to Transparency Market Research, thRequest Sample of Report:Excessive Usage of Variety of Tissues in Research Institutes to Propel DemandOn the basis of equipment, the market is segmented into storage system, freezers, labelling and coding equipment, thawing equipment, and alarming and monitoring equipment. The segment of freezers held a significant share in the market in 2015 and is expected to grow during the forecast period on account of increasing demand for organ transplant, blood transfusions, regenerative medicines, cellular therapies, and vaccines. Moreover, escalating population, increase in health care expenditure, and the rising use of a variety of tissues in research institutes are driving the demand for freezers in the field of tissue banking.Freezers are finding increased applications in the global market as they have the ability of plummeting temperatures anywhere from -18C to an ultra-low -86C for the long-term storage of tissues. The import and export of tissues has risen globally due to increased requirement of tissues for chronic diseases, which is expected to supplement the market growth of storage system in the next few years.Request Brochure of Report:Asia Pacific to Emerge as a Promising Market Due to Improved Disposable IncomeGeographically, the global tissue banking market is segmented into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Among the mentioned regions, North America led the pack and will continue to grow over the said period due to increase in the prevalence of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, growing geriatric population, and technological advancements. On account of government initiatives such as Cells Directives (EUTCD) and the European Union Tissues, which focuses on improving responsiveness about quality and safety standards for human cells and tissues across the European Union, the Europe market is expected to show a noticeable growth over the forecast period.Enquiry for discount on this report Asia Pacific is known to be the most lucrative market for tissue banking due to high target patient pool, large population base, growing disposable incomes, increasing government initiatives to provide better healthcare facilities and an increase in per capita healthcare expenditure. In addition, a consecutive rise in demand for regenerative medicines will supplement the tissue banking market in this region.The prominent players in the global tissue banking market include Taylor-Wharton, Backman Coulter Inc., Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, Panasonic Biomedical, Custom Biogenic Systems, Inc., Brooks Automation, and BioLife Solutions, Inc.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cervical Dysplasia Market to Reach an Estimated Value of US$ 640.2 Mn by 2024

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=2241

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2241

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=2241

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cervical-dysplasia-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Cervical Dysplasia Market: SnapshotCervical dysplasia is one of the fastest growing market in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Cervical cancer is a precancerous stage and it can be completely cured by early detection. Rising consumer awareness in this regard has led to an increased demand for cervical screenings in the past few years. Government bodies in several developed countries conduct screening programs in order to improve the quality of life of population by reducing the mortality rate. Furthermore, recommendations from government organization for early detection of chronic diseases including cervical dysplasia is one of the major factors that is expected to drive the overall cervical dysplasia market over the forecast period.Transparency Market Research states that the global cervical dysplasia market was valued at US$349.0 mn in 2015 and will expand at a CAGR of 7.0 % during the period between 2016 and 2024, to reach US$ 640.2 mn by 2024.Request Sample of Report:Thanks to High Accuracy and Low Cost, HPV Tests to See Vast Rise in DemandBased on diagnosis, the market has been segmented into diagnostic tests and diagnostic devices. Furthermore, the diagnosis test segment is examined for Pap smear (Papanicolaou) test, HPV (human papillomavirus) test, and biopsy. Colposcope devices are considered as diagnostic devices for cervical dysplasia market in this report. Of these, the segment of diagnostic tests accounted for around 86.3% of the market in terms of revenue in 2015. Availability of reimbursement for cervical dysplasia screening tests in mature markets such as North America and Europe is one of the key factors expected to fuel the sales of cervical dysplasia diagnostic tests market in the next few years.Of the key cervical dysplasia diagnostic tests analyzed in the report, the segment of HPV tests is expected to grow at a higher CAGR over the forecast period owing to the rising aversion to Pap smear tests and advancements in HPV testing technologies. The significant false-negative rate and high costs of Pap smear tests have resulted in a vast decline in their demand, with the more accurate and cost-effective HPV testing emerging as one of the primary screening tool recommended by healthcare providers these days.Request Brochure of Report:Developed Economies to Continue Being Most LucrativeGeographically, North America was the dominant market for cervical dysplasia in 2015. The region accounted for a share of over 55.2% of the global cervical dysplasia market in the said year. Rising awareness about cervical dysplasia screening programs and technological advancements in screening devices and other supporting equipment are the key factors fueling the growth of the North America cervical dysplasia market. The diagnosis test segment in North America dominated, accounting for over 85% in the regional market in 2015. The increasing incidence rate of cervical cancer in women above the age of 50 years and favorable reimbursement policies supported by federal organizations such as Medicare are also expected to drive the market in North America in the next few years.Enquiry for discount on this report The cervical dysplasia market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the most promising growth rate during the forecast period, chiefly owing to the improving healthcare infrastructure and encouraging government funding on cancer research in the region. The markets in emerging economies such as India and China are expected to exhibit significant expansion in the next few years. Several government-funded cervical dysplasia screening programs in these countries, initiated with the aim of reducing the mortality rate by improving the quality of life of the population will be a key driver of the market.Some of the key players operating in the global cervical dysplasia market are F. Hoffmann La-Roche Ltd., QIAGEN, Becton, Dickinson and company, OncoHealth Corporation, Quest Diagnostics, Inc., Hologic, Inc., and Abbott Healthcare Pvt Ltd.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. 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.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Cancer Stem Cells Market Segmentation Detailed Study with Forecast to 2020

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/cancer-stem-cells-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2733

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=2733

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) refer to the cells obtained from tumor that posses potential to reproduce all types of cancer cells found in a cancer sample. Cancer stem cells are planned to grow in tumors as a separate population and thereby cause deterioration and metastasis of existing tumor through generation of new tumor. Thus, with advancement in technology especially in cancer stem cells research area, therapies specific to targeting cancer stem cells are expected to improve quality of life and survival cases of cancer patients with metastatic diseases.Browse Premium Industry Research Report with Analysis:Morbidity and mortality rate of cancer is rising at a faster speed worldwide and thus prevention of cancer and cancer treatment is grabbing attention of cancer researchers globally. Stem cells and cell therapy have shown significant potential to treat cancer effectively. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been tested on animal models and have also shown satisfactory results. However, human testing of cancer stem cells is still in its developing stage owing to stringent regulations and ethical issues associated with the same.Worldwide cancer research activities are increasing rapidly owing to rising burden of mortality rate of cancer. Cancer stem cells are under research for various types of cancers such as lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, skin cancer, brain cancer and bone cancer. Government initiative to boost the cancer research activities and availability of funds are some of the factors that are driving the global cancer stem cells (CSCs) market towards growth. While on the other hand, ethical issues involved in the stem cells research and stringent regulations to perform human trials are some of the factors that are restraining the growth of the global cancer stem cells (CSCs) market.Request for Sample Copy of Report:Geographically, global cancer stem cells market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the world (RoW) regions. Currently, North America is leading the global cancer stem cells (CSCs) market and is followed by Europe. Factors such as highly developed research infrastructure, well defined regulatory norms, availability of research funds, availability of skilled research and healthcare professionals and supportive economy are driving the North American cancer stem cells market towards growth. Asia Pacific is lucrative market for cancer stem cells. Governments in the Asia Pacific countries mainly, India and China are taking initiative to boost the healthcare and biotechnology industry in the respective countries and thus, research and development activities in these countries are swiftly increasing.Apart from India and China, Japan will play a significant role in the cancer stem cells market. Japanese government is heavily investing in healthcare industry in order to improve the healthcare facilities in the country and thus rising cancer treatment are expected to escalate the cancer stem cells treatment market in Japan. Latin American countries namely, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina are expected to contribute more to cancer stem cells market than other countries in the rest of the world region. While on the other hand, African countries and Middle Eastern countries are expected to show slow or no growth rate in the global cancer stem cells (CSCs) market. Some of the major players in the global cancer stem cells market are AdnaGen GmbH, Advanced Cell Diagnostics, Inc., AVIVA Biosciences Corporation, Celula, Inc., Epic Sciences, Inc., Fluxion Biosciences, Inc., Rarecells USA, Inc. and Silicon Biosystems, S.p.A.Request Table of Content of 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.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.Contact US:Transparency Market Research,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY  12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Neuroprosthetics Market: Future market projections for forthcoming years

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/neuroprosthetics-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=4617

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=T&rep_id=4617

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Neuroprosthetics, or more commonly as neural or brain implants, have added a noteworthy impetus to the healthcare industry over the past few years, thanks to the successful realization of its massive potential as a substitution method for injured or missing motor, sensory, or cognitive functions. Neuroprosthetic devices can develop or supplant the central nervous systems function, when embedded in the human body, in order to stimulate organ function that was previously incomplete due to disease or injury. It is therefore a brain-computer interface device that can be used to sense and interpret neural activity into command sequences for prosthetics. The core function of neuroprosthetics is the rehabilitation of a patients motor functions through the restoration of the ones that are damaged. Several causes are listed under loss of motor skills, including injuries or diseases such as spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, lateral sclerosis, and strokes.Browse Premium Industry Research Report with Analysis:This research report on the global neuroprosthetics market is a thorough reading of its present day trends, opportunities, drivers, and restraints. It arranges for projection within the global neuroprosthetics market for the given forecast period. This also include an examination of recent technological developments, along with the competitive development, which as explained using Porters Five Forces analysis. The report also includes reviews of the major and minor features that are indispensable for the current players in the global neuroprosthetics market and are viable tools for new entrants.The increasing patient count for neurological diseases in the world is currently the primary driver for the global neuroprosthetics market. A growing number of patients are being affected by diseases such as Parkinsons which can severely hinder and complicate the daily life of an individual. One of the fundamental reasons for this increasing patient count is the swiftly increasing population of geriatric citizens. This growing elderly population has had a strong impact on this market and will continue to be a driving force for developments and technological implementations over the coming years.Request for Sample Copy of Report:The global neuroprosthetics market is also being propelled by other factors such as increasing awareness and availability of treatments across all regions, better reimbursement policies, improving government support, and increasing awareness initiatives by public and private bodies. Currently, however, the global neuroprosthetics market is being restricted by the limited reimbursement schemes in favor of the market, coupled with the high procedure cost which makes it out of reach for a large patient demographic.The key players in the global neuroprosthetics market over the recent times have included Cochlear Ltd., Boston Scientific Corporation, Cyberonics, Inc., Medtronic plc, NDI Medical LLC, NeuroPace, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc., Nervo Corp., Retina Implant AG, Biomet, Inc., and Sonova.Request Table of Content of 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.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.Contact US:Transparency Market Research,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY  12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Silicon Powder Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2023

Silicon Powder 2018

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3060897-global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3060897-global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south

WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Silicon Powder Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2023.Description:Silica fume, also known as micro silica, is an ultrafine powder collected as a by-product of the silicon and ferrosilicon alloy production. Silica fume is an ultrafine material with spherical particles less than m in diameter, the average being about 0.15 m. So it also called the ultrafine silica fume.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Silicon Powder in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversFerroglobeElkem(Blue Star)Erdos MetallurgyLinyuan Micro-Silica FumeWINITOORAll Minmetal InternationalEast Lansing TechnologyWuhan MewreachDow CorningFinnfjordLixinyuan MicrosilicaQingHai WuTongBlue StarSichuan LangtianRW Silicium GmbHWackerCCMAFesilWashington MillsJinyi Silicon MaterialsRenheElkon ProductsSimcoa OperationsOFZ, a.s.MinasligasMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth 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 etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversDensified Silica FumeSemi Densified Silica FumeUndensified Silica FumeMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoConcreteRefractoryOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Silicon Powder market.Chapter 1, to describe Silicon Powder Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Silicon Powder, with sales, revenue, and price of Silicon Powder, 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 Silicon Powder, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;ContinueReport Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Market Overview1.1 Silicon Powder Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Densified Silica Fume1.2.2 Semi Densified Silica Fume1.2.3 Undensified Silica Fume1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Concrete1.3.2 Refractory1.3.3 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Ferroglobe2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Ferroglobe Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 Elkem(Blue Star)2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 Elkem(Blue Star) Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Erdos Metallurgy2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Erdos Metallurgy Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Linyuan Micro-Silica Fume2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Linyuan Micro-Silica Fume Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 WINITOOR2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 WINITOOR Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 All Minmetal International2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 All Minmetal International Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 East Lansing Technology2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 East Lansing Technology Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Wuhan Mewreach2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Wuhan Mewreach Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.9 Dow Corning2.9.1 Business Overview2.9.2 Silicon Powder Type and Applications2.9.2.1 Type 12.9.2.2 Type 22.9.3 Dow Corning Silicon Powder Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)ContinueFor 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.
Alpha Lipoic Acid Market to set new growth frontiers by offering cures for chronic ailments

https://www.fractovia.org/request-sample/606

https://www.fractovia.org/request-purchase/606

https://www.fractovia.org/news/industry-research-report/alpha-lipoic-acid-market

https://www.fractovia.org

Alpha lipoic acid market has been forecast to exhibit a surging growth potential in the ensuing years. This upward curve in the growth map of this business space can be credited to many essential factors, one of the more common ones being, the mounting demand for this compound subject to the drastic changes in the consumer behavior with regards to obesity and fitness.Researchers have gathered various empirical evidences that demonstrate the successful utilization of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) across the medical, pharmaceutical, healthcare, and food supplements sectors, a factor that will be responsible for the commercialization of alpha lipoic acid market in the coming years. The usage of ALA has been proved to be quite beneficial (in some cases) for humans, since the product intake is said to positively affect the nervous, immune, and cardiovascular systems of the human body. Pertaining to the crucial fact that ALA holds a unique position among various natural antioxidants, as justified through experimental evidences, alpha lipoic acid industry has been forecast to cross a valuation of USD 19 million by 2024.Request for a sample of this research reportFor most parts, it has been proved that ALA is an effective therapeutic agent for treating medical conditions such as diabetes that are associated with oxidative stress. ALA has apparently exhibited an ability to reduce the glucose proportion in diabetics. ALA supplements provide manifold benefits  they help to improve the mitochondrial functions of body cells and lower the oxidative stress related to aging & various ailments, which will undeniably lead to an upswing in alpha lipoic acid industry size.An insight into the application trends of alpha lipoic acid market:Experimental studies have revealed the health benefits of ALA supplements consumption in the doses ranging between 301 to 1,799 mg per day. Its consumption is proved to be safe by most medical practitioners, only if they are consumed in strictly prescribed proportions, as excess ALA consumption was found to cause skin allergies and gastrointestinal disorders.Based on the research reports from a reputed journal - Neuroimmunology & Neuroinflammation, ALA may be capable enough to treat patients affected by secondary progressive multiple sclerosis. In the event that this treatment methodology is proved with further solid evidences, it may leave a profound impact on alpha lipoic acid industry size.The Oregon Health & Science University (OSHU) had recently carried out a trial on 51 patients suffering from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis disorder for two years. Twenty-seven of these patients were provided with 1200 mg of ALA/day, while the other 24 were given the placebo treatment. The study was aimed at detecting the products ability to control the brain atrophy rate in patients through magnetic resonance imaging technique. The results depicted that more than 60% patients exhibited signs of fast recovery and slowing of the brain atrophy rate after they were treated with ALA. This positive outcome of ALA may result in the commercialization of this product for multiple sclerosis treatment, which will eventually benefit the growth path of alpha lipoic acid market.In one of the many experiments carried out to treat cancer, it was detected that the consumption of ALA affects the phenotypes of non-lung cell lung cancer derived H460, H23, and H292 cells. These cancer stem cells can renew themselves and possesses the ability to increase tumor growth along with metastasis. Scientists have also found that the product can prove to be helpful in preventing atherosclerosis, which will encourage new entrants and established players to make substantial investments in cancer research. Eventually, they will try to explore the untapped growth potential of alpha lipoic acid market and generate lucrative business opportunities.Make an Inquiry for purchasing this report @Delving into the regional landscape of alpha lipoic acid marketDespite being at a fairly nascent stage, alpha lipoic acid industry has established its footprints across numerous geographies. The extensive improvement depicted in the healthcare sector across APAC coupled with the advent of highly sophisticated medical facilities will augment the regional alpha lipoic acid market profitably. This is quite evident from the statistics  APAC alpha lipoic acid industry is expected to depict a cumulative growth of more than 7% over 2017-2024.With the presence of a huge number of pharmaceutical firms in countries such as China and India, APAC is expected to make substantial contributions toward global alpha lipoic acid market. The industry is also expected to modestly penetrate the Europe belt in the next few years.Alpha lipoic acid market has been anticipated to display an immense growth potential across the globe. This tangible elevation can be mainly ascribed to the ever-expanding application landscape of alpha lipoic acid industry. Unrefutably, the business stands to gain huge profits from various end-use sectors across the globe. On these grounds, Global Market Insights, Inc., claims alpha lipoic acid market to portray a laudable growth rate of more than 6% over 2017-2024, having attained a revenue of over USD 11 million in 2016. Though still in the initial stages, alpha lipoic industry is expected to witness a fair number of mergers & acquisitions and strategic alliances. Novel product developments are also in the pipeline, which will prominently influence the profitability landscape of alpha lipoic acid industry.Browse the report, Alpha Lipoic Acid Market Size By Application, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:Chapter 4. Alpha Lipoic Acid Market, By Product4.1. Alpha lipoic acid market share by product, 2016 & 20244.2. R-lipoic acid4.2.1. Market estimates and forecasts, 2013 - 20244.2.2. Market estimates and forecasts by region, 2013  20244.3. S-lipoic acid4.3.1. Market estimates and forecasts, 2013 - 20244.3.2. Market estimates and forecasts by region, 2013  2024About Fractovia.orgFractovia.org is one of India's leading in-house and free news portal. It is fully automated, and operates on a constant premise, interfacing with news sites and offering redesigned breaking features to readers across the globe. Our mission is to offer individuals opportunities for connections with news writers and distributors which they can pursue. We operate by mapping articles pertaining to breaking news, constantly and progressively, against a pre-determined word-based theme, offering important connections to readers and clients, as well as distributers.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAFractovia.orgPhone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@fractovia.orgWebsite:Connect with us: Facebook | Twitter
Make a Fashion Statement with Designer Pet Carriers from Wet Nose Boutique

https://www.wetnoseboutique.com/

How many times have you missed your pet while you were out? Seeing people carrying their pets along might have made you remember your pet at home. Have you ever thought that you can actually carry your pet to a lot of places and spend quality time with them?Pet carriers help solve this problem and they are the trend these days. Wet Nose Boutique offers pet carriers and designer pet carriers in our online market store. Our pet carriers are greatly enjoyed by pets and their owners. We design our pet carriers in a way that it is easy to carry around even when you are walking, traveling in a car or flying on an airplane.If you are looking for style and fashion on your pet carrier, we have got it covered. We offer designer pet carriers for sale from reputed brands such as Susan Lanci Designs, Puppia and Pinkaholic NY and much more.Other than taking your four-legged friend around, designer carriers can also make a fashion statement when you are out and enjoy time with your pet. Pet carriers can be used for a number of different reasons but they all make transportation of your pet more conventional and safer.Per carriers are ideal for your pet while you go on a long travel. While being comfortable, pet carriers can also make your pet feel warm and secure.The simulated soft angora Smart-Comfort pad used in our designer pet carriers adds extra comfort for your pet.The features of our designer pet carriers include:1. A luggage strap that helps in easy portability.2. A car seat belt.3. Zippered openings on front and rear.4. Accessory pockets.5. Rolled and padded carry handles.6. Detachable shoulder straps.7. Meshes for appropriate ventilation.8. You can also find designer pet carriers to make a fashion statement when you are out.9. Use of Ultrasuede that makes the product last longer.You can order designer pet carriers from our online store atand also browse through a wide variety of other pet merchandise we offer. You can also avail a 20% discount on your first purchase.Wet Nose Boutique4910 South Pheasant WayFloral City, Florida, 34436352 897-6863
Contraceptive Devices : Major Regions Analyzed Under Current Key Player and Case study 2018

Contraceptive Devices

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1429475

https://www.researchmoz.us/contraceptive-devices-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html#table-of-content

www.researchmoz.us

Press Release - 14 Mar 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' 'Contraception is deliberate use of artificial methods or other techniques to prevent pregnancy as a consequence of sexual intercourse. Contraceptive devices are intended to prevent conception. These devices also help to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Various awareness initiatives taken by market players is a major factor propelling the global contraceptive devices market. Bayer HealthCare, a major player in the contraceptives market, in collaboration with 11 NGOs, organizes the World Contraception Day every year on September 26 to spread awareness about contraceptive methods, enabling young people to take the right decision about their reproductive health.. . Get Sample Report' 'The global contraceptive devices market is expected to grow substantially due to factors such as high incidence rate of unintended pregnancies, unmet contraceptive needs, rise in awareness initiatives by governments and NGOs, and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. A high percentage of population belonging to the sexually active age group in Asia (India and China) coupled with increase in disposable incomes of consumers belonging to such economies is likely to offer significant opportunities in the contraceptive devices market. However, side effects associated with the use of contraceptive devices inducing people to opt for natural and permanent contraceptive methods, and rise in prevalence of infertility among women and aging population hamper the growth of the global contraceptive devices marketBased on type, the global contraceptive devices market can be segmented into male contraceptive devices and female contraceptive devices. Male contraceptive devices comprise male condoms. Female contraceptives include female condoms, contraceptive vaginal rings, contraceptive diaphragms, contraceptive sponges, sub-dermal contraceptive implants, intrauterine devices, and non-surgical permanent contraceptive devices. Male condoms dominate the male contraceptive devices segment due to almost universal adoption facilitated by ease of use and lowest prices. Non-surgical permanent contraceptive devices is projected to be the fastest growing sub-segment of the female contraceptives segment. Growing popularity among women who prefer to obtain permanent contraception without painful surgeries is the major factor propelling the non-surgical permanent contraceptive devices sub-segment. Based on end-user, the global contraceptive devices market can be divided into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgical centers, and home care.Geographically, the global contraceptive devices market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. North America dominates the global market due to high incidence rate of unplanned pregnancies, implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the U.S., and high usage of contraceptive devices in this region. Favorable reimbursement policies for contraceptives by large insurance firms for all federal employees (U.S.) and their dependents has contributed significantly to the growth of the contraceptive devices market in North America. The contraceptive devices market in Asia Pacific is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period. Strong economic growth in India and China, high population, rise in disposable income, increase in awareness about contraceptives and its advantages for preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections are expected to accelerate the growth of the market in the region during the forecast period.Key players operating in the global contraceptive devices market include Bayer HealthCare AG, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, Medisafe Distribution, Inc., Actavis, Inc., Medicines360, Pace Pharmaceuticals Inc., Cooper Surgical, Inc., Mayer Laboratories, Inc., Church & Dwight, Co., Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Reckitt Benckiser plc, and Pfizer, Inc. These players focus on creating various awareness programs and providing contraceptives at cost effective prices to increase market share and sustain in the highly competitive market.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:1. Market segments and sub-segments2. Market trends and dynamics3. Supply and demand4. Market size5. Current trends/opportunities/challenges6. Competitive landscape7. Technological breakthroughs8. Value chain and stakeholder analysis The regional analysis covers:1. North America (U.S. and Canada)2. Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)3. Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)4. Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)5. Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)6. 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 Contents..ResearchMoz 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
Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing |Segmentation : In-Depth Overview and Region-wise Outlook 2018

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1429476

https://www.researchmoz.us/directtoconsumer-genetic-testing-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html#table-of-content

www.researchmoz.us

Press Release - 14 Mar 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' 'Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing refers to genetic tests or services that are directly advertised to consumers and purchased through consumer requests. The results of these tests are directly provided to consumers/customers without any participation of the consumers health care providers. This type of genetic test is directly marketed to customers/consumers by using print advertisements, television, or the Internet. Many medical device companies are marketing this DTC testing to the public at a realistic price point without consulting with doctors or other medical professionals. Consumers can order genetic testing kits from home by using a website and receive volumes of information relating to their individual genetic profile without visiting a doctor.. . Get Sample Report' 'The DTC genetic testing market contains two business models: one-to-one and one-to-many. In the one-to-one model, the results are discussed directly by the companies with the consumer or with the physician. In the one-to-many model, DTC companies will only conduct a genetic test once they receive consent from the consumer and the data is owned by the companies. The companies operating in this market obtain profit from the sales of DTC genetic testing kits to consumers and physicians and the sales of genetic data to pharmaceutical companies. This paradigm shift in business models is identified as one of the key trends behind the growth of the DTC genetic testing market.The global DTC genetic testing market is expected to grow substantially due to high aging population coupled with growing prevalence of chronic disorders such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), diabetic retinopathy, and other chronic diseases. In addition, growing customer awareness about direct-to-consumer genetic testing, along with increasing prevalence of major chronic diseases has resulted in rise in healthcare expenditure and the demand of DTC genetic testing is increase for early diagnosis various diseases are fuel the growth of the direct- to- consumer genetic testing market. However, DTC genetic testing raises a number of issues, including scientific, technical, and clinical issues, along with First Amendment issues of honesty, fidelity to facts, and truth-in-advertising, are limiting the growth of the global market.The global DTC genetic testing market is segmented based on service, distribution channel, and region. In terms of service, the market is further segmented into diagnostic screening, prenatal, newborn screening, pre-implantation diagnosis, and relationship testing. The diagnostic screening segment dominates the global DTC genetic testing market as it helps in identifying the gene responsible for chronic diseases such as cancer. This includes carrier screening and hereditary testing that are usually conducted for DTC genetic testing. In terms of distribution channel, the market is classified into direct sales, retail sales, and laboratory sales. The direct sales segment generates high revenue due to pricing strategies.Geographically, the DTC genetic testing market is distributed over North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. Each geography market is sub-divided into specific countries such as the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Brazil, China, India, and GCC countries. North America dominated global DTC genetic testing market because of importance of early diagnosis of for better treatment outcomes, and high level of consumer literacy about diseases. Asia Pacific is projected to be the most attractive market during the forecast period due to rising health care awareness and growing disposable income.Key players operating in this market are 23andMe, Inc., Laboratory Corporation of America, Myriad Genetics, Inc., Quest Diagnostics, Counsyl, Inc., Gene by Gene, and Positive Bioscience Ltd. In order to gain competitive advantage in the market, these market players are actively involved in various growth strategies such as collaborations, partnerships, agreements, and new product launches.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:1. Market segments and sub-segments2. Market trends and dynamics3. Supply and demand4. Market size5. Current trends/opportunities/challenges6. Competitive landscape7. Technological breakthroughs8. Value chain and stakeholder analysis The regional analysis covers:1. North America (U.S. and Canada)2. Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)3. Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)4. Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)5. Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)6. 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 Contents..ResearchMoz 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
Will Cable Analyzer Market Size Observe Significant Surge during 2017 - 2025?

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/cable-analyzer-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/16336

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/

A cable analyzer is a device that is primarily used to examine the strength and connectivity of a particular type of cable or other wired assemblies. There are number of different types of cable analyzers, each being able to test a specific or different type of cable or wire. A cable analyzer can examine whether a cable or wire is set up properly, connected and fitted correctly between the source and destination. Cable analyzer with its unique ability contributes in averting any un-predictable lurking danger by providing necessary condition of cables.For more information about this Report visit @With portability and easy to handle of this device even layman are now using this device to keep check on their houses electrical circuit & earthing connection in order to avoid any accidents. Understanding the unique functionality of the device and its necessity it can be forecasted that the market for Cable analyzer will grow at a decent CAGR annually.Cable Analyzer market: Drivers and RestraintsWith increase in construction activities and involvement of various machines in such operations which runs on electric and battery power instead of manual labor cables and wires uses are ought to increase, which will eventually fuel the market of cable analyzer. Increase in data centers, laying of under-ground cables for telecommunication and other communication purpose are also boosting the market of cable analyzer. Projects such as to upgrade power grid and rural electrification will bring in use of multiple cables and wires which need frequent maintenance as well as during installation need to be carefully and thoroughly checked which can only be achieved with use of cable analyzer market.Further, as networks evolve, so do the requirements of the cabling infrastructure to support them will increase. New standards are continuously being developed and deployed to explain guidelines for cabling professionals when installing, testing, troubleshooting, and certifying cables and wires which again will boost the market of cable analyzer. Effort to make houses and commercial spaces space safe for human usage and to full proof such space of any sort of danger with loose cable and wire fittings has been also augmenting the market of cable analyzer.Lack of awareness, inadaptability towards new technology can be possible restraints for growth of cable analyzer market. ,,Cable analyzer market can be segmented under following type of segmentation ,,Cable Analyzer Market, by end-user type,, Household use, Industrial use, Commercial use, R&D labs,,Cable Analyzer Market, by types of Cables ,, Telecommunication Cables, Power Cables, Optical CablesGeographically, the cable analyzer market is segmented into seven regions, namely North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and the Middle East and Africa (MEA). North America is the market leader in terms of value in the cable analyzer market owing to the habit of using and adopting technology for handling and maintenance of various activities and operations. Existence of critical projects and systems as well as on-going projects and consciousness to improve public safety & security will boost the market of cable analyzer in North America.Followed by APEJ. In APEJ region countries like India, China are too not lagging in public safety & security market. Initiatives and plans are being introduced and executed for improving public safety & security. Rising projects on urbanization, electrification better connectivity and smart cities will trigger the use of multiple cable for various energy source and purpose which will directly impact the market of cable analyzer. In MEA region, public safety & security has been growing constantly due to rise in spending in improving city life and understanding importance of public safety & security. Latin America is in nascent stage in public safety & security market. But government has been introducing plans and adopting measures for public safety & security, which will fuel the use of cable analyzer.Request to Sample of Report-Cable Analyzer Market: Key playersThe prominent players operating in Cable Analyzer market are:KYORITSU ELECTRICAL INSTRUMENTS WORKS, LTD.CHAUVIN ARNOUX and MetrixExtech InstrumentsAEMCGrainger ChoiceMegger LimitedFluke CorporationCalright InstrumentsWacoinstrumentsMetravi Instriuments Pvt. Ltd.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:
The message on a busy Napa boulevard was one of force and determination  even with no words spoken.

APPLES NOT AMMO, read one sign hoisted above a preteens head as cars and trucks rolled down Jefferson Street. In the grasp of schoolmates were placards proclaiming Books NOT Bullets, #FedUp, Make a change! and It Couldve Been Us.

And on the opposite, east shoulder of the Hayes Street intersection, three boys unrolled a banner castigating those resisting tighter curbs on gun possession even after the shooting deaths of 17 high school students in Parkland, Florida exactly one month earlier  followed by the killing last Friday of three employees of The Pathway Home in Yountville, as well as an unborn baby, just 10 miles away from Napa.

Black ink on the brown paper proclaimed: HOPES AND PRAYERS ARENT ENOUGH!

The demonstration by more than 75 students from the Blue Oak School was the most visible of several memorial events Wednesday morning during the National School Walkout. Other remembrances at the same time involved teenagers attending Napa and Vintage high schools, as well as privately owned Justin-Siena and secondary schools in American Canyon and St. Helena.

At thousands of schools across the U.S., students left their classrooms at 10 a.m. local time to stand or demonstrate against gun violence for 17 minutes, one minute for each student who was shot and killed Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, reportedly by a 19-year-old former student who now faces capital murder charges.

There are over 3,100 schools across the U.S. that are participating in these events, Dan Schwartz, head of the Blue Oak School, told students shortly before the short walk from their campus. There are students and parents and teachers who are taking a stand against violence, especially from guns that dont belong in schools.

After some last-second instructions by Schwartz not to gesture or shout and to remain respectful to any hostile passers-by, the students set out 30 feet west to line both sides of Jefferson Street. Their quiet vigil would last 20 minutes, after the seventh-grade class had decided to add three more minutes to remember the Pathway workers shot dead by Albert Wong, a former program client who had been treated there for trauma from his Army service.

Even before all the Blue Oak children had taken their places on the sidewalk, the horn-honking of sympathetic Napans began. With some of the honks came a smile, a wave, even a man shouting Yes! from his car window.

News of the massacre in Florida had not immediately reached Blue Oak students such as Giulia Guerrera and Joshua Miles, eighth-graders who didnt learn of the attack until a few days afterward. But the shootings  and surviving classmates determination to publicly campaign for greater school and gun safety  soon caught the attention of the young Napans.

Honestly, I thought, Oh, another one! because its been happening for a while now, Guerrera, 13, said after the student walkout. But I was inspired that the teens in Florida did something about it; I think theyre why its become as big a deal as it is.  Those people didnt only mourn; they also did what had to be done.

Students, parents and staff at the private K-8 school held two meetings to discuss how to mark the National School Walkout and settled on a sign-holding vigil by middle schoolers, with fourth- and fifth-graders observing and taking notes for an article to run in a student newspaper.

If there were any doubt why local teens should show their support for the Parkland survivors, said the 14-year-old Miles, the Yountville attack brought the issue of gun violence even closer to home.

We wanted to get across that we care, he said. There were more deaths near Napa, and we wanted to get across that its just a national issue; its also a Napa issue.

At Justin-Siena High School, faculty members prepared an on-campus walk-to directing students toward a ceremony inside a darkened Clark Gymnasium. The observance included readings of Bible passages, as well as the lighting of 17 candles and the ringing of a bell 17 times in remembrance of each Parkland student who died.

The remembrance at Vintage was scheduled to feature a letter-writing drive to send messages to Parkland victims relatives and elected officials to offer support or suggest change, according to Principal Mike Pearson. In addition, a set of one-minute tributes to the 17 students who died in Florida were planned in the Vintage gym.

Napa High students also were to mark the event on campus with a ceremony in the outdoor quad, according to Principal Annie Petrie.

Carrying signs bearing the names of shooting victims and messages like Stand in Solidarity, scores of St. Helena High students gathered under the flag in Rotary Field before heading out to the sidewalk along Highway 29. They chanted Enough is enough as passing drivers honked horns to signal their support.

Were not necessarily going for gun control or against gun control, said freshman Ellie Aslanian. Were just trying to show the students of Parkland and other school shootings that were with them.

During the St. Helena walkout, a handful of students held a counter-demonstration, holding signs supporting the Second Amendment and opposing gun control.

The walkouts are for more gun control laws, said freshman Mike Henry, who was passing out copies of the Second Amendment. But we believe that gun control is not the answer, and we need to have less gun laws because the bad guys arent going to pay attention to any gun laws. All gun laws are doing is making it harder for the good guys to get guns.

Both American Canyon High School and American Canyon Middle School stopped classes around 10 a.m. to allow students to gather and share their reactions to the mass shooting in Parkland.

ACMS Principal Dan Scudero said his school adjusted its plans following last weeks shooting at the Yountville Veterans Home, sensing the proximity of that tragedy, coupled with that of the Parkland high school required a different approach for his students.

Originally we were going to have just a moment of silence to honor the 17 kids in Florida, said Scudero on Wednesday. But when the Yountville situation happened, I thought they were going to want to take some action.

Action was translated into written messages that students were encouraged to write out on 3-by-5-inch cards and share with others in school and by posting them on social media.

Middle school students dont know yet how to exercise their voice, said Scudero. So we wanted to find an applied and safe way to exercise a positive voice, whatever their message was  we didnt give them a message, it was their message to share.

The school held a moment of silence, and Scudero read off the names of the 17 people killed in Florida with help from a student, Angelina Driscoll.

Driscoll took it upon herself to make a large poster with the names, ages and some biographical information about each of the Parkland victims. The poster was then hung up in the school library for visitors to see, along with many of the 3-by-5 cards that students penned.

At the bottom of her poster, Driscoll wrote: Violence is not the answer. Show love. Spread love. Share love.

Another protest against gun violence is scheduled in Washington, D.C. on March 24, with organizers saying it is expected to draw hundreds of thousands. Historians have said the March for Our Lives demonstrations were shaping up to be one of the largest youth protests since the early 1970s, near the tail end of the Vietnam War.

With reports from Register photo editor J.L. Sousa, St. Helena Star reporter Jesse Duarte and The Associated Press.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Global Online Education Industry Share Size 2018, Trends and Forecast Report

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1644777

https://www.researchmoz.us/global-online-education-industry-2018-trends-and-forecast-report-report.html/toc

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

https://marketsizeinfo.blogspot.in/

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Online Education Industry 2018, Trends and Forecast Report" to its huge collection of research reports.Online Education Report by Material, Application, and Geography Global Forecast to 2022 is a professional and comprehensive 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).In this report, the global Online Education market is valued at USD XX million in 2018 and is projected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% during the period 2018 to 2022.The report firstly introduced the Online Education 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.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The major players profiled in this report include:Benesse HoldingsNew OrientalAmbowK12 IncConnections AcademyPearsonGeorg von HoltzbrinckTable of ContentsPart I Online Education Industry OverviewChapter One Online Education Industry Overview1.1 Online Education Definition1.2 Online Education Classification AnalysisElementary Education(Grades 1-5)Junior High Education(Grades 6-8)Senior High Education(Grades 9-12)1.2.1 Online Education Main Classification Analysis1.2.2 Online Education Main Classification Share Analysis1.3 Online Education Application AnalysisTeacherStudentParents1.3.1 Online Education Main Application Analysis1.3.2 Online Education Main Application Share Analysis1.4 Online Education Industry Chain Structure Analysis1.5 Online Education Industry Development Overview1.5.1 Online Education Product History Development Overview1.5.1 Online Education Product Market Development Overview1.6 Online Education Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.1 Online Education Global Import Market Analysis1.6.2 Online Education Global Export Market Analysis1.6.3 Online Education Global Main Region Market Analysis1.6.4 Online Education Global Market Comparison Analysis1.6.5 Online Education Global Market Development Trend AnalysisChapter Two Online Education 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 Analysis2.1.1 Down Stream Market Analysis2.2.2 Down Stream Demand Analysis2.2.3 Down Stream Market Trend AnalysisGet Complete TOC With Tables and Figures @Part II Asia Online Education Industry (The Report Company Including the Below Listed But Not All)Chapter Three Asia Online Education Market Analysis3.1 Asia Online Education Product Development History3.2 Asia Online Education Competitive Landscape Analysis3.3 Asia Online Education Market Development TrendChapter Four 2013-2018 Asia Online Education Productions Supply Sales Demand Market Status and Forecast4.1 2013-2018 Online Education Capacity Production Overview4.2 2013-2018 Online Education Production Market Share Analysis4.3 2013-2018 Online Education Demand Overview4.4 2013-2018 Online Education Supply Demand and Shortage Analysis4.5 2013-2018 Online Education Import Export Consumption Analysis4.6 2013-2018 Online Education Cost Price Production Value Profit AnalysisContinue...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.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 @Follow me on @
AdBlue Market Research: 2018 Size, Share, Growth, Key Players, Growth Factors, Industry Analysis to 2027

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/790

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/ad-blue-market-790

AdBlue Market by Type (Packaging, Equipment, Can, Tank, Drums, Pistol, Container, Pump), by Application (Railway, Commercial Vehicle), by Method (SCR, EGR, Post combustion) - Global Forecast 2027AdBlue Market Major PlayerSome of the major players in Global AdBlue Market include Shell, BASF, Bosch, Daimler AG, Fiat group automobiles, Nissan chemical, Komatsu, Kruse Automotive, Alchem AG, Mitsui Chemical, and Yara among others.Get Sample PDF Report @Global AdBlue Market Report: OverviewGrowing consumer demand for better fuel efficiency is encouraging automobile buyers to do more investment in diesel engine vehicles. Unlike petrol engines where normal catalyst reduces CO, NOx and Hydrocarbon can be reduced by a SCR catalyst which involves usage of AdBlue.AdBlue is a kind of Urea having high quality solution and thus is easy to use and manufactured according to ISO 22241. It is used with Selective Catalytic Reduction system (SCR) to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide from the exhaust of vehicles. It is a colorless clear liquid which has no harmful effect on environment as well as on health. AdBlue is the composition of more than 30% of Urea and rest 60 % of deionized water. It is available in various forms such as drums, pumps, Cans and other forms.The average usage of AdBlue is depends on the type of vehicle a consumer is using. The time duration of the journey through vehicle also drives how much quantity of AdBlue is required by the Vehicle. Some characteristics of AdBlue include suspensions, corrosiveness, crystallization and Not ADR classified.Global AdBlue Market Report: ApplicationIt is widely used for applications such as Commercial vehicle, cars, and passenger vehicles. For instance, if a commercial vehicle is equipped with SCR technology, AdBlue is needed. In SCR technology AdBlue is injected into the exhaust system which releases ammonia and the SCR catalytic converter reduces harmful nitrous oxides into harmless nitrogen and water. It is also used in heavy vehicles such as trucks, busses and Railways.Global AdBlue Market Report: Regional AnalysisThe regional analysis includes America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and rest of the world.Europe:The Europe is dominating the Global AdBlue market followed by Asia-pacific due to increase in consumption from the on-road heavy, medium and light duty vehicles, passenger cars segments as well as non-road mobile machinery sectors such as agricultural, construction, forestry and mining equipment. Also, improvement required in air quality for the benefit of public health and environment is also driving the usage of AdBlue in the vehicles in the region.Asia-Pacific:Asia-Pacific is the emerging region in Global AdBlue market due to growing urbanization, increasing awareness about harmful effects of fuel combustion for the environment, and government initiatives to support the growth of automotive sectors. China and Japan are the emerging countries in Asia-Pacific region because China is changing and developing its technical expertise with the help of new and emerging techniques and strict regulations imposed by the Government.Global AdBlue Market Report: Latest NewsBosch one of the renowned automobile industry introduces intelligent sensor systems to reduce the cost of equipment and to support research projects with the help of robust multi-sensor technology. It is also planning to expand in North America due its growing economy in automotive sectors.Browse Complete Report @Target Audience of Report:This report mainly focuses on Electric Bicycles market Distributer & Supplier companies, and end Users. Investment bankers and consultants with end user for Electric Bicycles market also analyzed. And finally Government and Independent Regulatory Authorities involved with Global Electric Bicycles market studied.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.Contact:Market Research Future+1 646 845 9312Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com
Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market 2018 Global Analysis By key Players  SAP, Oracle, Infor, McKesson, Manhattan Associates, GHX

Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3060616-global-healthcare-inventory-management-software-market-size-status

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3060616-global-healthcare-inventory-management-software-market-size-status

Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com adds Healthcare Inventory Management Software 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 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Healthcare Inventory Management Software 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 Healthcare Inventory Management Software market, analyzes and researches the Healthcare Inventory Management Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeSAP (Germany)Oracle (US)Infor (US)GHX (US)McKesson (US)TECSYS (Canada)Manhattan Associates (US)JDA Software (US)Jump Technologies (US)LogiTag Systems (Israel)Request a Sample Report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoOrder Management SoftwareWarehouse Management SoftwareConsignment Management SoftwareImplant Management SoftwareTissue Management SoftwareMarket segment by Application, Healthcare Inventory Management Software can be split intoManufacturersDistributorsHealthcare ProvidersThis report provides valuable information for companies like manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, traders, customers, investors and individuals who have interests in this industry.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 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20251 Industry Overview of Healthcare Inventory Management Software1.1 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market Overview1.1.1 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Healthcare Inventory Management Software 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 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market by Type1.3.1 Order Management Software1.3.2 Warehouse Management Software1.3.3 Consignment Management Software1.3.4 Implant Management Software1.3.5 Tissue Management Software1.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Manufacturers1.4.2 Distributors1.4.3 Healthcare Providers2 Global Healthcare Inventory Management Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Healthcare Inventory Management Software 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 SAP (Germany)3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Oracle (US)3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Infor (US)3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 GHX (US)3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 McKesson (US)3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 TECSYS (Canada)3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.6.5 Recent Developments3.7 Manhattan Associates (US)3.7.1 Company Profile3.7.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.7.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.7.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.7.5 Recent Developments3.8 JDA Software (US)3.8.1 Company Profile3.8.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.8.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.8.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.8.5 Recent Developments3.9 Jump Technologies (US)3.9.1 Company Profile3.9.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.9.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.9.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software Revenue (Million USD) (2013-2018)3.9.5 Recent Developments3.10 LogiTag Systems (Israel)3.10.1 Company Profile3.10.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.10.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.10.4 Healthcare Inventory Management Software 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
UV Curing Lamps Market is Projected to be Fueled by Rapid Technological Advancements

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/uv-curing-lamps-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/16486

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/

UV curing is a unique way in which coatings, varnishes, ink, adhesives and others are cured using polymerization instead of using methods which involve evaporation or heating. Inks, varnishes, adhesives and other different types of photo initiators respond to different wavelengths of UV light for curing. Selection of a proper photo initiator is most important to achieve the desired speed and to balance the properties of cure films. UV LED a type of UV curing lamp is divided into two systems which are radical systems and cationic systems respectively.For more information about this Report visit @UV lamps are powered by ballasts. Ceramic end cap is used for the electrical insulation of the UV curing lamps. Some UV curing lamps have an aluminum polished reflector which increases the UV curing lamps efficiency. The UV curing systems are efficient and are preferred more than thermal coating methods. Mercury curing lamps will dominate the digital print sector until UV LEDs substitute it. Owing to the technology advancement, reduction in manufacturing time is observed. UV LED curing lamp takes less time to dry the adhesives, inks and coatings compared to the traditional lamps. The reduction in manufacturing time thereby reduces the manufacturing costs.Global UV Curing Lamps Market: DynamicsEnvironmental improvements and new system capability has made a lot of demand for adoption of UV curing technology. Increased adoption of UV curing systems in end users like automotive, medical, chemical and other industries has created growth opportunities for the Global UV curing lamps market along with its different applications. Advances in printing industry and vehicle manufacturing is another factor leading to a rise in the Global UV curing lamps market.UV LED curing lamps are eco-friendly and resource saving. There is a demand for shorter turnaround time for the job to be cured and also increasing demand for uncoated stocks that can be challenging with traditional lamps. These trends make the UV attractive in the market leading to a potential growth of Global UV curing lamps.UV LED curing technology is now used in UV ink jet printing. Mercury based UV curing lamps will be replaced owing to United Nations ban on mercury by 2020. However, the LED based UV curing lamps have disadvantages too. The UV LED curing lamps react to specially formulated inks owing to their narrow wavelengths. Life span and maintenance costs of UV curing lamps are other factors which may slow down the growth of the Global UV curing lamp market. UV curing lamps require a high installation which may also affect the growth of the Global UV curing lamps market.,,The global UV Curing lamps market can be segmented on the basis of product type, end use and applications as follows;,,Segmentation by product type,,, UV curing lamps, High pressure, Low pressure / amalgam lamps, Medium pressure, UV curing spot lamps, Moderate intensity, High intensity, 3D UV curing lamps, UV curing flood lamps, UV curing LED lamps, UV curing conveyor lamps,,Segmentation by end-user,,, Automotive, Chemicals, Paints & Coatings, Adhesives & Sealants, Inks & Dyes, Medical, Others,,Segmentation by application,,, Adhesive market, Masking market, Inks market, Coating market, OthersOwing to the recent advances in the technologies the regions of North America and Europe have been forecasted to hold the major shares for the global UV curing lamps market. The United States is the foremost consumer of the UV curing lamps. In future, the emerging countries of Latin America and Asia-Pacific are expected to have high demand for the UV curing lamps owing to its eco-friendly and resource saving feature which thereby leads to the growth of the consumer electronics industry in all these regions.Request to Sample of Report-Global UV Curing Lamps Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the examples of the market participants identified in the global UV curing lamps market are Nordson Corporation, Novachem Corporation Ltd, Primarc A Baldwin Company, Dymax Corporation, Heraeus Holding, Hanovia, Uvexs Inc, Scheugenpflug AG, Phoseon Technology, GEW, Miltec uv, Benford uv.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:
Worldwide Canola Oil Market Leading Players Analysis 2018 | Archer Daniels Midland Company, Associated British Foods, Sunora Foods and Wilsons Foods

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2752

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/canola-oil-market-2752

Market Overview:Global canola oil market is projected to grow at the CAGR of 6.8%. Numerous health benefits, low prices and easy availability is driving the market growth across the globe. Growing application of canola oil by personal care industry is influencing the demand of canola oil from last few years. Favorable government policies for minor oil crop producers has improved the production of canola in North America and Asia Pacific region. In Europe, large portion of canola oil is used for industrial purpose particularly to produce biodiesel.Canola is considered as one of the best oil for heart health as it contains less saturated fat compare to any other oil. Canola oil is also very high in unsaturated fats which are good for health. It's higher in the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenicexpe acid (ALA) than any other oil. All these factors has impacting on consumer preferences while selecting the oil for food preparation and food processing.Receive a Sample Report @Major Key Players:This report includes a study of strategies such as mergers and acquisitions, product launches by the major canola oil market players. It further includes product portfolios, developments of leading major players which includesWilsons Foods (South Africa)JIVO WELLNESS PVT. LTD. (India)DALMIA CONTINENTAL PVT. LTD (India)ARLA FOODS AMBA (Denmark)Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.)Associated British Foods plc. (U.K.)Sunora Foods (Canada)Global Canola Oil Market is segmented by canola species, processing, application, packaging and region. Canola oil application in bio-diesel is growing at faster rate due to increasing demand of bio-diesel. Brassica Rapa i.e. polish canola are in high demand due to its increased application personal care products and processed foodsRegional Analysis:The Global Canola Oil market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Europe has the major market share followed by Asia Pacific. Europe is one of the major producer of canola and support from government has made Europe a leading market for canola oil. China and India contributes maximum market share in Asia Pacific region and increased canola production in China and India has boosted the export canola oil from Asia Pacific region.Key Findings:The top five importers of canola oil are U.S., Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and FranceEurope and China are the major producer of canola oilAccess Report Details @Segments:Canola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of canola species which includes Brassica Rapa (Polish canola), Brassica napus (Argentine canola) and Brassica juncea (Brown mustard canola)Canola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of processing which includes refined, modified, handmade, crude and othersCanola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of application which includes cooking purpose, processed foods, lubricants, personal care, bio-diesel and othersCanola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of packaging which includes drum, can, plastic bottle, glass bottle and othersBrassica Rapa i.e. polish canola are in high demand due to its increased application personal care products and processed foods. Many key players are use refined and modified processing technique compare to other type of processing. Canola oil application in bio-diesel is growing at faster rate due to increasing demand of bio-diesel.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
Market Growth of Level Transmitter to Remain Sluggish through 2025

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/level-transmitter-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/17812

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/

Level Transmitter is a device that provides continuous and non-physical contact level with respect to measurement of the fluid or solid within a container. It delivers an electrical output related to the level of material in the container. Level transmitter is capable of computing levels in both clean as well as harsh situations providing cost-effective results. Level transmitter measures liquids such as viscous fluids, water and fuels and dry material like bulk solids and powders. Level transmitters are used in a wide range of applications that requires level measurement within tanks or containers. Many industries namely food and beverage, chemical, material handling, water treatment and power often employ level transmitters. Additionally, with the growing need of level transmission without going through the desired location in all industries is going to uplift the growth of global level transmitter market over the forecasted period.For more information about this Report visit @Level Transmitter Market: DriversRising demand for level transmitters, due to increasing need for precise level measurement in industries like oil and gas, water and wastewater management, chemicals, food and beverages, etc. and is anticipated to fuel the growth of the global level transmitter market during the forecast period. Moreover growing demand for wireless connectivity in level transmission is also one of the key factors responsible for the growth of global level transmitter market. This wireless level transmitter provides visibility in a wide range of offshore applications. It provides quick outputs and are easy to install. Additionally, usage of level transmitter in effluent treatment plant for effluent level measurement is also anticipated to drive the level transmitter market. Hence, wide application areas of level transmitters and its rising demand from emerging economies like APEJ has been estimated to create substantial opportunities for this market in the near future.Level Transmitter Market: RestraintsLack of product awareness in regions such as Latin America and Africa is one of the key factor responsible for restraining the growth of level transmitter market. Moreover skilled workers and network congestion are some other factors responsible for hampering the growth of level transmitter market. In level transmitter data is produced from many ports and is transferred to a significant computer systems for processing. Thus the chances of network congestion getting increased owing to bottle neck which can cause interruption in decision making procedure and can even disturb the production schedule. Moreover, trained specialists are needed in this industry for operating latest tools and software systems. Therefore the existing workers needs to be properly trained with all latest technological systems. Additionally, the industries are adapting new technologies but they have to face a lack of highly skilled staff and proficient labors which act as a key challenge in the growth of level transmitters market.Segmentation of global level transmitter market can be done on the basis of product type, end use and regions.,,On the basis of product type, segmentation of global level transmitter market can be into,, Capacitance, Radar, Optical, Displacer, Magnetostrictive, Ultrasonic, Differential Pressure,,On the basis of end use, segmentation of global level transmitter market can be into,, Chemical, Food & Beverages, Pulp & Paper, Pharmaceuticals, Metals & Mining, Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater, PowerNorth America is expected to dominate the global level transmitter market in the forecasted period. Owing to the presence of level transmitter market participants in this region. Moreover Asia Pacific is estimated to show healthy growth during the forecasted period. Rapid expansion and development in the APEJ region along with huge investment in various key industries such as wastewater treatment, pharmaceuticals and oil & gas extraction are the important factors that are responsible for driving the level transmitters market in APEJ region. Additionally Europe is also anticipated to ho hold significant share of level transmitter market in the forecasted period.Request to Sample of Report-Level Transmitter Market: Market ParticipantsSome of the main level transmitter market participants areABB Ltd. (Switzerland)Emerson Electric Co. (U.S.)Siemens AG (Germany)Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Japan)Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.)General Electric (U.S.)SAPCON INSTRUMENTS.Dwyer Instruments, Inc.Jaycee Technologies Private LimitedSemrad Pty LtdVEGA Grieshaber KGAbout 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:
Global Lemon Oil Market Report: Track to cross US$ 75 Mn by the end of the 2022 Forecast Period

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=99

https://www.factmr.com/report/99/lemon-oil-market

https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=D&rep_id=99

https://www.factmr.com/

A fresh study, covering Global Lemon Oil Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking: Global Review 2017 to 2022 has been broadcasted to wide online repository of Fact MR, which presents deep focus on the Food & Beverages Market. This smart study contains precise data that offers a clear insight about market current scenario and future projections for the benefit of readers. Moreover, the study enclosed significant data which tends to make the research a powerful source for analysts and industry experts who are looking to gain necessary knowledge about the prevailing market trends, opportunities and drivers present in the Lemon Oil Market.Request For Sample Report-Numerous Uses of Lemon Oil to Benefit Lemon Oil MarketLemon oil has astringent, antifungal, disinfectant, antiseptic, and detoxifying properties and it can be deployed in a variety of ways. Some examples include house cleaning, laundry, and air freshening. Lemon oil also blends extremely well with other essential oils such as tea tree oil, geranium oil, peppermint oil, sandalwood oil, rose oil, and lavender oil, making it a good choice for herbalists who rely on aromatherapy. All of this is anticipated to boost the overall lemon oil market which is predicted to cross US$ 410 million by the year 2022.Natural Segment Winning Over Organic in the Lemon Oil MarketIt is a two-horse race in the lemon oil market between the natural segment and the organic one with the scales tilted decisively in favor of the former. A revenue share exceeding two third of the lemon oil market by source type makes the natural segment extremely lucrative and a projected market size of almost US$ 300 million by the end of the forecast period attests the segment's dominance. Europe accounts for approx. 2/5th of the natural segment which can largely be attributed to the awareness and desire of customers in this region to opt for natural products whenever they are available. The organic segment is much smaller and is only a third of the lemon oil market in terms of revenue share. Europe dominates the organic segment as the region contributes almost as much to the lemon oil market as North America and APEJ combined.Absolute and Concentrate Segments Focus Areas in Lemon Oil MarketTogether, the absolute and concentrate segment are more than half of the lemon oil market revenue by form type and key stakeholders are advised to take this into consideration while devising their business strategies. The only two regions poised to have a market value in excess of US$ 40 million in the absolute segment of the lemon oil market are Europe and North America, with the former recording an impressive CAGR. The concentrate segment represents slightly over a quarter revenue share and it is predicted to remain steady during the course of the forecast period.Competition Dashboard in the Lemon Oil MarketKey companies in the lemon oil market, which are expected to remain active in the market through 2022, are Citromax Flavors, American Vegetable Oils, Grief Inc., Fischer S/A, Citrus and Allied Essences, Askuvital, Aromaaz International, Biolandes, DoTERRA International, and Lionel Hitchen Essential Oils.Browse Full Report With TOC-Table of ContentGlobal Lemon Oil Market - Executive Summary2. Global Lemon Oil Market Overview2.1. Introduction2.1.1. Global Lemon Oil Market Taxonomy2.1.2. Global Lemon Oil Market Definition2.2. Global Lemon Oil Market Size (US$ Mn) and Forecast, 2012-20222.2.1. Global Lemon Oil Market Y-o-Y Growth2.3. Global Lemon Oil Market Dynamics2.3.1. Drivers2.3.2. Restraints2.3.3. Trends2.4. Supply Chain2.5. Cost Structure2.6. Pricing Analysis2.7. Raw Material Sourcing Strategy and Analysis2.8. List of Distributors2.9. Key Participants Market Presence (Intensity Map) By RegionGlobal Lemon Oil Market Analysis and Forecast By Source Type3.1. Global Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast By Source Type, 2012-20223.1.1. Natural Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20223.1.1.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region3.1.1.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region3.1.1.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region3.1.2. Organic Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20223.1.2.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region3.1.2.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region3.1.2.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By RegionGlobal Lemon Oil Market Analysis and Forecast By Form Type4.1. Global Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast By Form Type, 2012-20224.1.1. Absolute Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20224.1.1.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region4.1.1.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region4.1.1.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region4.1.2. Concentrates Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20224.1.2.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region4.1.2.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region4.1.2.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By Region4.1.3. Blends Lemon Oil Market Size and Forecast, 2012-20224.1.3.1. Revenue (US$ Mn) Comparison, By Region4.1.3.2. Market Share Comparison, By Region4.1.3.3. Y-o-Y growth Comparison, By RegionContinue..Request For Discount On This Report-About Fact.MRFact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; thats why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.Contact UsFact.MRSuite 988427 Upper Pembroke Street,Dublin 2, IrelandTelephone: +353-1-6111-593Email: sales@factmr.com/Web:
Online Employee Scheduling Software Market Development Status, Trends, Structure, Production Value, 2018-2025

Online Employee Scheduling Software

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/request-sample/814691

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com/report/2018-2025-online-employee-scheduling-software-report-on-global-and-united-states-market-status-and-forecast-by-players-types-and-applications

https://www.qyresearchgroups.com

SummaryThe Online Employee Scheduling Software Market Research report gives us a complete overview of the various parameters of the current situation of the market. Online Employee Scheduling Software Market provides a great source of information for numerous business strategy and also business developments.This report studies the global Online Employee Scheduling Software market, analyzes and researches the Online Employee Scheduling Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeAcuity SchedulingSimplybook.meAppointySetMoreMyTimeTimeTradePulse 24/7CalendlyBobclassShortcuts SoftwareVeribookReservioBookingRunCirrus InsightCozyCalSquareMINDBODYMarket segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Type, the product can be split intoAndroidiOSWindowsMarket segment by Application, the market can be split intoUniversityRetailGovernmentRestaurantOthersGet Sample Copy of this Report @Major Points Covered in Table of Contents 2018-2025 Online Employee Scheduling Software Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications1 Industry Overview of Online Employee Scheduling Software1.1 Online Employee Scheduling Software Market Overview1.1.1 Online Employee Scheduling Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Online Employee Scheduling Software Market Size and Analysis by Regions1.2.1 United States1.2.2 EU1.2.3 Japan1.2.4 China1.2.5 India1.2.6 Southeast Asia1.3 Online Employee Scheduling Software Market by Type1.3.1 Android1.3.2 iOS1.3.3 Windows1.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 University1.4.2 Retail1.4.3 Government1.4.4 Restaurant1.4.5 Others2 Global Online Employee Scheduling Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Online Employee Scheduling Software Market Size (Value) by Players (2017 and 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 Acuity Scheduling3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Revenue (Value) (2013-2018)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Simplybook.me3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Revenue (Value) (2013-2018)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 Appointy3.3.1 Company Profile3.3.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.3.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.3.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Revenue (Value) (2013-2018)3.3.5 Recent Developments3.4 SetMore3.4.1 Company Profile3.4.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.4.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.4.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Revenue (Value) (2013-2018)3.4.5 Recent Developments3.5 MyTime3.5.1 Company Profile3.5.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.5.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.5.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Revenue (Value) (2013-2018)3.5.5 Recent Developments3.6 TimeTrade3.6.1 Company Profile3.6.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.6.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.6.4 Online Employee Scheduling Software Revenue (Value) (2013-2018)3.6.5 Recent DevelopmentsBrowse full report with Table of Content @About Us:QY Research Groups is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. QY Research Groups is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the world's most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:Email- sales@qyresearchgroups.comWeb-
Electronic Transformers Market is Expected to Generate Huge Profits by 2025

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/electronic-transformers-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/18247

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/

Electronic transformers are used in low-voltage appliances such as SMPS, computer peripheral devices, medical electronics devices, etc. Whereas, power transformer is an electrical device having both primary and secondary windings, which is used to convert high voltage to low voltage and vice versa works through electro-magnetic induction principle. In power transformers, input voltage is stepped into up & down and used as per the desired requirement. Transformers works on the principle of Faradays laws of electromagnetic induction.For more information about this Report visit @Furthermore, electronic transformers are designed especially for low-voltage applications. Electronic transformer are used in RF (Radio Frequency) devices, computers and low-voltage lighting devices. Electronic transformers are used in circuit boards to insulate the complete circuit, electronics transformers are used in impedance correction and provide alternating but with low impedance. In low-voltage appliances, frequency should be maintained properly as change in frequency may result in output voltage, which can be adjusted with the help of RF transformer. To provide effective bias voltage for proper operation in low-voltage applications, electronic transformers are used. Moreover, low-voltage applications are small circuits and as compared to the power transformers electronic transformers are smaller in size or compact-size transformers and also less weight. Growing necessity of low-voltage applications globally, drives the growth of the electronic transformers market.,,The global electronic transformers market is segmented as follows:,,By transformer type, the global electronic transformers market is segmented into:,, FBT( Fly back transformers), LOPT( Line output transformers), RF (Radio frequency ), PFN(Pulse forming network), Signal transformers, Others(telecommunication transformers),,By applications, the global electronic transformers market is segmented into:,, Step down/Step up, Lighting, Impedance matching, Frequency, Others,,By industry, the global electronic transformers market is segmented into:,, Telecommunication, Radio frequencyThe growing electronics and telecommunication industry, rise in technology, growing necessity of low-voltage applications usage are the key factors that drive the electronic transformers market. Electronic transformers are highly used in electronics devices and semiconductor devices for impedance correction, signal correction, noise correction and frequency correction, which drive the growth of the global electronic transformers market. The evolving electronic industry utilizes electronic transformer as a means of protecting devices in the circuit. Implementation of new updated technologies, where electronic components are replaced with updated transformers, sensors due to aging, and for better and efficient transformers in low-voltage electronic devices. Repair and replacement of electronic transformers is also expected to offer growth opportunities in the forecast period.Global Electronic Transformers: TrendsThe intensifying demand for electronic transformers are growing day-by-day. There are many electronic transformers in which each has specific application and task. Line output transformers and fly back transformers are designed to step up the output voltage with relatively low input voltage. To maximize the power transfer efficiency, the PFN pulse transformers are used. In order to get the DC voltage, current rectifier transformers are used. RF transformers are used to sample the frequency. To the get the discrete output, switch mode transformers are used. Each specific transformer has completely specific function.Global Electronic Transformers: Regional OutlookThe regional coverage of electronic transformers market includes North America, Latin America, Europe, APAC and MEA. The electronic transformers market witnesses a promising demand and production in Europe and North America. North America and Europe hold the dominant market share in electronic transformers market. The growing technology, research and development in semiconductor devices in Europe penetrates the market. The evolution of the electronics industry in North America along with large exports and imports after the rescission 2008 in North America are the key factors driving the market. High usage of electronic transformers in semiconductor devices for better quality, efficiency and reliable electronic products in end use applications are the growth factors of the market in North America. APAC holds the significant market share, China is manufacturing cheap and cost-effective transformers for low-voltage applications, and they are exported all over the world.In India and China, the electronics industry is growing comparatively high, remarkable growth in electronics industry in last decade and demand from manufacturing industries pertaining to electronics industry, which is going to boost the growth of the market in APAC. Implementation of government regulations over the electronics sector is restraining the market in this region, low-voltage appliance such as semiconductor devices and other applications in the electronics industry are going to boost the market in APAC. Latin America & MEA hold a significant market share.Request to Sample of Report-Global Electronic Transformers Market: ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants identified across the value chain include TT Electronics plc, Houston Transformer Company, Ltd., Pulse Electronics, EPCOS AG, TOKO, INC., Bharat Electronics Limited, Mouser Electronics, Inc., Halo Electronics, Hammond, Macom, Wurth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KGAbout 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:
Geocells Market to Witness Steady Growth at 8.8 % CAGR During 2015 - 2025

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-372

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-372

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights (FMI), in its recent report titled, Geocells Market: Global Industry Assessment and Forecast; 20152025, projected global geocells market to exhibit CAGR of 8.8% during 2015 to 2025. Consumption of geocells is projected to reach 428.2 million square meter by 2025 reflecting a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period.Geocells, also known as cellular confinement systems, are three dimensional mats resembling honeycomb structure usually made of high density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester or other polymeric alloys. These are used in construction sector primarily for earth reinforcement, slope protection, channel protection, load support and tree root protection. Geocells are subset of geosynthetics market and are estimated to represent around 5.6% share in terms of volume consumption in overall geosynthetics market.Request For Report Sample@The report analyses the global geocells market in terms of market value (US$ Mn) and volume (Million Square Meter) by applications, region, and material type and provides information regarding market dynamics, value chain, competitive landscape, current trends, market estimations and forecast.Infrastructure development activities, construction sector output and urbanisation trend are some of the macro-economic drivers of the market. Developed economies have formulated regulations concerning erosion control and sustainable infrastructure development. Such regulations and initiatives are identified as underlying driving factors of the market. On the flipside, low awareness of geocells amongst infrastructure developers in emerging economies and competition from substitute products, such as geogrids and geomembranes are identified as minor restraints in the global geocells market.From regional perspective, North America and Asia Pacific represented prominent markets for geocells globally in 2014. In terms of market value, geocells market in developing countries is collectively projected to grow at CAGR of 10.2% while geocells market in developed countries is collectively projected to grow at CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period. Asia Pacific region is expected to be the largest geocells market in terms of value by 2025, followed by North America, Western Europe, and other regions.From materials perspective, high density polyethylene (HDPE) is extensively used across the globe for geocells manufacturing followed by polypropylene, polyester and other polymeric alloys. HDPE commanded around 68.6% share by value in 2014 and is projected to remain the largest market segment by 2025 with a share of around 64%. Prices for these materials are anticipated to increase over the forecast period owing to increasing energy costs, crude oil prices and complex manufacturing processes.From application perspective, earth reinforcement, channel protection and slope protection are the prominent applications of geocells which constituted around 86% of market value in 2014 and are collectively projected to exhibit value CAGR of 8.8% over the forecast period. Other applications including load support and tree root protection are collectively projected to exhibit a value CAGR of 8.4% during the forecast period.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Key market participants covered in the report, include Presto Geosystems, Polymer Group Inc., TMP Geosynthetics, Armtec Infrastructure Inc., Strata Systems Inc., PRS Mediterranean Ltd., Maccaferri S.p.A, ACE Geosynthetics, MiakomGroup of Companies, Wall Tag Pte Ltd., Tensar International Ltd., Tencate Geosynthetics, Admir Technologies, Polyfabrics Australia Pty Ltd., Bonar, ABG Geosynthetics, Huifeng Geosynthetics, SABK International, Wrekin Products, Ltd., CeTeau Group.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:
SACRAMENTO  Local resident Shana Jones, a Cal Fire unit chief, has been honored as Woman of the Year by Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, in celebration of Womens History Month.

I truly love working for Cal Fire, and I am blessed that I am able to serve my communities working alongside so many dedicated first responders and public servants every single day, said Jones. There are so many inspiring women, I am truly humbled to have been chosen for this award, and I want to thank Senator Dodd for the recognition.

Jones has a long history of serving the public in forest management and fire protection. She is responsible for overseeing all Cal Fire functions within Sonoma, Lake, Napa, Colusa, Yolo, and Solano counties. Throughout her career, she has been assigned to numerous complex fires. Most recently, she served as the agency administrator overseeing three Cal Fire Incident Management Teams that orchestrated the response to the October 2017 wildfires in Sonoma, Napa, Lake and Solano counties.
Prebiotics Market 2018 Global Analysis By key Players  Beneo, Sensus, Cosucra, Friesland Campina Domo, Yakult Pharmaceutical

Prebiotics Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3054480-global-prebiotics-market-research-report-2018

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3054480-global-prebiotics-market-research-report-2018

Prebiotics Market 2018Wiseguyreports.Com adds Prebiotics 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 Prebiotics Market using SWOT analysis i.e. Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threat to the organization. The Prebiotics 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.Global Prebiotics market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer;The top key players including ;BeneoSensusCosucraFriesland Campina DomoYakult PharmaceuticalIngredionNissinNFBCClasado BioSciencesTate & LyleDaniscoWackerRoquetteBeghin MeijiBaolingbaoNikon Shikuhin KaKoQHTHayashiabaraLongliveRequest a Sample Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Prebiotics 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 intoFructose -oligosaccharide (FOS)Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)OtherOn 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, includingFood & BeveragesAnimal FeedPharmaceuticalOtherThis report provides valuable information for companies like manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, traders, customers, investors and individuals who have interests in this industry.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 Prebiotics Market Research Report 20181 Prebiotics Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Prebiotics1.2 Prebiotics Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Prebiotics Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Prebiotics Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Fructose -oligosaccharide (FOS)1.2.4 Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS)1.2.5 Other1.3 Global Prebiotics Segment by Application1.3.1 Prebiotics Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Food & Beverages1.3.3 Animal Feed1.3.4 Pharmaceutical1.3.5 Other1.4 Global Prebiotics Market by Region (2013-2025)1.4.1 Global Prebiotics 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 Prebiotics (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Prebiotics Revenue Status and Outlook (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Prebiotics Capacity, Production Status and Outlook (2013-2025)7 Global Prebiotics Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Beneo7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Beneo Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 Sensus7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 Sensus Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Cosucra7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Cosucra Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.4 Friesland Campina Domo7.4.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.4.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.4.2.1 Product A7.4.2.2 Product B7.4.3 Friesland Campina Domo Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.4.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.5 Yakult Pharmaceutical7.5.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.5.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.5.2.1 Product A7.5.2.2 Product B7.5.3 Yakult Pharmaceutical Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.5.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.6 Ingredion7.6.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.6.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.6.2.1 Product A7.6.2.2 Product B7.6.3 Ingredion Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.6.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.7 Nissin7.7.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.7.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.7.2.1 Product A7.7.2.2 Product B7.7.3 Nissin Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.7.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.8 NFBC7.8.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.8.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.8.2.1 Product A7.8.2.2 Product B7.8.3 NFBC Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.8.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.9 Clasado BioSciences7.9.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.9.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.9.2.1 Product A7.9.2.2 Product B7.9.3 Clasado BioSciences Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.9.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.10 Tate & Lyle7.10.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.10.2 Prebiotics Product Category, Application and Specification7.10.2.1 Product A7.10.2.2 Product B7.10.3 Tate & Lyle Prebiotics Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2013-2018)7.10.4 Main Business/Business OverviewContinued.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
Endoscope Procedure Kits Market Latest Insights, Demand and Analysis 2016-2026

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2219

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2219

www.futuremarketinsights.com

An endoscopy is a minimally invasive medical procedure with the help of a tool used to observe the interior surfaces of the body. It is to diagnose, prevent and even treat complications pertaining to the internal organs of the body. It is cost effective, much less complicated than surgery and also leaves minimal if any scars in the body. An endoscope procedure kit mainly consists of a long tube, a camera and a light source at the tip that enables the physicians or medical practitioners to examine the area of interest. The procedure is and usually painless requiring minimum hospital stay. They make cause some discomfort but a quick recovery is expected for most patients undergoing an endoscopy. These factors contribute to their popularity and are also responsible for the endoscopy procedure kit market.Endoscope Procedure Kits market DriversA fast paced modern lifestyle has led to a variety of gastrointestinal disorders like Gastrointestinal Reflux Disease (GERD), Crohns disease, Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroenteritis, dyspepsia, gallstones and also various forms of Cancer such as Colon Cancer. This affects not only the aged population, but also the young and upwardly mobile. Hence, it can be reasonably assumed to drive the endoscope procedure kit market demand for the foreseeable future. There is also a growing preference for minimally invasive non-surgical procedures with diagnostic and therapeutic application. An endoscopy does not require a patient to stay in the hospital for very long (if at all) which brings down the stress levels and associated costs of the treatment. Greater patient awareness and technological innovation are also primary reasons that the endoscope procedure kit market is growing exponentially. Another factor is the reimbursement option available for preventive screening techniques like various endoscopies. The American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy estimates the average Adenoma Detection Rate (ADR) to be around 25%. This also requires the use of endoscope procedure kit, further boosting growth. The U.S. FDA policies are also encouraging and support quick approval of these devices.Request Report Sample@Endoscope Procedure Kits market RestraintsThere are a few factors which restrain the endoscope procedure kit market from reaching its true potential, the availability of advanced alternatives being one of them. These devices are very costly and there are limited funds available with governments in developing countries to reimburse hospitals and medical practitioners for their sizeable investment in them. A lack of awareness on the part of the general public in these countries about the cost-benefit equation of such treatments is also something which must be mentioned.Endoscope Procedure Kits market Key RegionsThe main regions served by the endoscope procedure kit market are as follows  North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the rest of the world (Latin America, Middle East and Africa). North America is the largest market at present followed by Europe. This is mainly due to the availability of advanced healthcare facilities, an aging population, strong government support in the form of social security benefits and an educated and aware populace. Asia Pacific can be expected to rapidly catch up to the West in the medium to long term for demanding endoscope procedure kits because of greater investment in healthcare, rising prevalence of gastroenteritis disorders and lastly a growing awareness of such procedures.Visit For TOC@Endoscope Procedure Kits market Key Market PlayersThe endoscope procedure kit market key players include Ethicon, Inc. (U.S.), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Hoya Corporation (Japan), Given Imaging Ltd. (Israel), Minntech Corporation (U.S.) Fujifilm Holding Corporation (Japan), Advanced Sterilization Products Services Inc. (U.S.), Steris Corporation (U.S.), Boston Scientific Corporation (U.S.), Pentax Medical Corporation (Japan), Stryker Corporation (U.S.). KARL STORZ GmBH (Germany), Smith & Nephew plc (U.K.), Medtronic plc (Ireland), Richard Wolf GmBH (Germany), CONMED Corporation (U.S.), and Cook Medical Incorporated (U.S.).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:
Off-Street Parking Management Systems Market is Anticipated to Account for US$ 6,550 Mn by 2025

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/off-street-parking-management-system-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/off-street-parking-management-system-market/toc

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4728

Persistence Market Research presents pertinent insights and a revised forecast of the global off-street parking management system market in its published report titled, Off-Street Parking Management Systems Market: Global Industry Analysis 2012  2016 and Forecast 2017  2025. As per the report, global off-street parking management system market was valued at nearly US$ 3,301 Mn in 2017, and is expected to register a CAGR of 8.9% from 2017 to 2025. The rise in the demand for flexible payment solutions and proliferation of internet-enabled solutions is driving the growth of this market.Rising Vehicle Parc and Increasing Rate of Urbanization Driving the Global Off-Street Parking Management Systems MarketReport Overview @Rising concerns for safe and obstacle-free walking spaces for pedestrians is driving the demand for off-street parking facilities, which is expected to further increase over the next five to six years. This is expected to increase concerns of the public as well as private sectors towards the construction of parking garages and lots.Also, increasing car parc size has a direct impact on the utilization of parking spaces in various nations. This poses challenges for companies to maintain a proper balance between demand and supply in developed as well as developing nations.Urbanization is increasingly gaining importance as a key factor depicting the economic condition of a nation. This is due to concerns by governments of various nations seeking modernization in all aspects of their respective countries.In addition, urbanization has led to a changing consumer lifestyle, which is expected to fuel the demand for parking management solutions, primarily in developing nations. By 2050, 66% of the total worlds population is expected to be living in urban areas, and this is anticipated to drive demand for more efficient parking management solutions to suit varied consumer needs.Request for Table of Contents @Global Off-Street Parking Management System market is categorized by SCS, by solutions, by end-user and by region. By SCS, the market is segmented as parking software, system devices and professional devices. The parking software sub segment accounted for relatively higher CAGR of 9.1% during the forecast period.The system devices sub segment is accounted for the largest market share of 41.7% in 2017. Moreover, proliferation of internet-enabled solutions and demand for flexible payment solutions are the factors which are fueling the growth of the off-street parking management system market.Get Sample Copy of this Report @By solutions, the market is segmented as access control parking fee and revenue management, parking reservation management, valet parking management, parking guidance and slot management, and others.The parking guidance and slot management sub segment accounted for relatively higher CAGR of 9.6% during the forecast period. The parking reservation management sub segment is accounted for the largest market share of 33.1% in 2017.By application, the market is segmented as government and municipalities, airports, healthcare, corporate and commercial parks, commercial Institutions, and others. The commercial institutions sub-segment accounted for relatively higher CAGR of 9.7% during the forecast period. The airports sub-segment accounted for the largest market share of 30.9% in 2017.Europe off-street parking management system market was estimated to be valued at nearly US$ 880 Mn in 2017 and is slated to reach a value of nearly US$ 1,750 Mn in 2025, exhibiting a CAGR of 8.8% during the period of assessment. The North America off-street parking management system market accounted for the largest market share of 29.6% in 2017.Some of the popular vendors in off-street parking management system market are IBM Corporation, Xerox Corporation, Cubic Corporation, Kapsch TrafficCom AG, TIBA Parking , Amano Corporation , Kudelski SA, SWARCO AG, Nortech Control Systems Limited, and CREE, INC.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.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Iron Oxide Market to Witness Impressive Expansion, Reflecting a 4.3% CAGR over 2015 - 2025

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1254

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1254

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global iron oxide market in its latest report titled, Iron Oxide Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025. In terms of value, the global iron oxide market is projected to increase at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period, owing to various factors, regarding which FMI offers vital insights in detail in this report.Iron oxides are chemical compounds that, apart from iron ores, find wide application as pigments, catalysts, etc. Construction and paints & coatings are the major end-use industries for iron oxides.Growth in construction industry, supported by rising urbanization, is expected to be among the major drivers for global iron oxide market. Major application of iron oxides in the construction industry is to colour concrete blocks and pavement bricks. Iron oxide pigments are being widely used in paints and coatings industry for their use as primers for automobiles and steel structures.Request For Report Sample@Stringent government regulations are expected to adversely impact global iron oxide market significantly. This is especially the case in China, where, over the last two years, various small- and medium-scale companies have exited the iron oxide market due to high costs involved in ensuring regulatory compliance. The same trend is expected to continue over the near future.The iron oxide market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and region. On the basis of product type, the global iron oxide market is segmented into red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, black iron oxide, orange iron oxide, brown iron oxide, green iron oxide and other blends. On the basis of application, the global iron oxide market is segmented into construction, paints & coatings, plastics, chemicals, paper & pulp manufacturing, textile, ceramics, leather and others (fertilizers, cosmetics and rubber). Regionally, the global iron oxide market is segmented into Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa and Japan.Among product types, red iron oxide was the largest revenue contributor to the global iron oxide market in 2014. Wide application of red iron oxide across various industries is expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period.In 2014, the construction industry segment dominated the global market, accounting for around 50% revenue share. Growth of the construction industry is in turn expected to drive growth of the iron oxide market over forecast period. In order to enhance their market share, iron oxide producers are focusing on development of new applications for iron oxides.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):In 2014, Asia pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) was the largest market for iron oxide, both in terms of production and consumption. In terms of consumption, APEJ was followed by Western Europe and North America, respectively.Key players profiled in this study of the global iron oxide market include LANXESS AG, Huntsman International Inc. Cathay Industries, Alabama Pigments Company LLC, Shenghua Group Deqing Huayuan Pigment Co LTD, TODA KOGYO CORPORATION, Jiangsu Yuxing Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., Hunan Three-ring Pigments Co., Ltd., Yaroslavsky Pigment Company and Tata Pigments Company. LANXESS AG has been estimated to account for the largest share in the global iron oxide market in 2015.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:
Automotive Composites Market to Register Steady Expansion During 2016-2026

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1216

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1216

www.futuremarketinsights.com

The growing technological advancement and consistent focus on high performance vehicle has surged demand for automotive composites. A composite is a composition of two or more chemically different phases and insoluble materials which are of high performance fiber like carbon or glass in a matrix material like epoxy polymer that when combined with each other provides much more enhanced properties as compared with the properties of the individual materials itself. Such composites when deployed in automobiles and automotive are then called automotive composites. The main advantage of using automotive composites in the manufacturing of vehicles like cars, trolleys, trucks etc. is that they are approximately 60% lighter than steel or iron and are good in terms of stiffness and strength. Moreover, automotive composites are corrosion resistant unlike steel. Vehicle weight is an important factor in respect to performance of a vehicle. Automotive composites can significantly increase the fuel economy of the vehicle by reducing the vehicle weight. Automotive composites can be added to the vehicles body in a single layer as well as in multiple layers. One material between two other materials when mixed gives a sandwich composite which can be used in the construction of the roof and inner coatings of the vehicle. The automotive composites are used in the manufacture and refurbishing of vehicles like cars, utility vehicles, and inner coatings of vehicles, trucks, buses and vehicle interiors. Automotive composites increase the vehicles resistance to heat as well as reduces the external impact on the vehicle.Global Automotive Composites Market: SegmentationOn the basis of composite material type, the global automotive composites market can be segmented into:Metal CompositesPolymer CompositesNatural Fiber CompositesGlass Fiber CompositesCarbon Fiber CompositesCeramic Matrix CompositesRequest For Report Sample@On the basis of manufacturing process, the global automotive composites market can be segmented into:Compression ProcessInjection ProcessManual ProcessOthersOn the basis of composite component application, the global automotive composites market can be segmented into:Engine ComponentsDrivetrain ComponentsInterior ComponentExterior ComponentsOthersGlobal Automotive Composites Market: Drivers & RestraintsIncreasing urban population is the key factor driving the growth of the global automotive composites market. Moreover, rising industrialization in developing countries like India, China etc. is a key element encouraging the deployment of automotive manufacturing facilities in these countries. Increasing automobile production globally is a major factor fuelling the growth of the overall global automotive composites market. Further, increasing carbon emissions from vehicles is promoting the governmental bodies to revamp several aspects in a way to adhere to environmental regulations and norms thus boosting the growth of the global automotive composites market. Since deployment of automotive composites in vehicles increase the vehicles fuel efficiency and reduces the vehicle weight by 60%, customers are more tending towards vehicles made of automotive composites thus driving the growth of the global automotive composites market. Increased demand for electric and hybrid vehicles are also boosting the growth of the market.The high cost of manufacturing composite materials is the major challenge faced by the global automotive composites market. Moreover, use of automotive composites in high end vehicle models is acting as a challenge to the growth of the global automotive composites market as customers prioritize to buy mid-range vehicles instead of high end vehicles. Moreover, manufacturing of automotive composites take a much longer time than steel and aluminum thus this factor is also acting as a minor restraint in the market.Request For Report Table of Content (TOC):Global Automotive Composites Market: Key PlayersThe key players identified in the global automotive composites market are:Owens CorningToray Industries IncJohns ManvilleCytec Market IndustriesSGL GroupNippon Sheet Glass CompanyTeijin LimitedJushi Group Co, Ltd.SAERTEX GmbH & Co. KGJohnson Controls, Inc.E.I. du Pont de Nemours and CompanyUFP Technologies, Inc.Scott Bader Company Ltd.Koninklijke Ten Cate N.V.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:
Mens Shoes Sales Could Soon Outsell Womens In 2018

Men formal shoes

https://www.progressivemarkets.com/industry-research/men-formal-shoe-market

https://www.progressivemarkets.com/request-sample/men-formal-shoe-market

The men formal shoe market was valued at USD $ 6276.6 million in 2014 and is likely to garner USD $ 11469.0 million in 2025, growing at a CAGR of during the forecast period according to Progressive Markets report, Global Men Formal Shoe Market-Opportunity and Forecast, 2016 - 2025.Access Full Summary at:The report provides a comprehensive overview of the men formal shoe industry with the help of market trends, market dynamics, market segmentation, Porters Five Forces Analysis (PFFA), market size, market share analysis, market forecast, and company profiles. The information in the report is procured after performing an extensive primary and research, not to mention, opinions from industry leaders. The report is a useful source of guidance for market players, investors, and new entrants as it helps them gain useful insights on the latest happenings of the market and devise strategies to survive the intense competition in the marketplace.The research report commences with an executive summary of the industry, which includes the key findings in the men formal shoe market along with the analysis of any associated research and development. Market attractiveness and trends analysis are outlined in the market research report. The competitive landscape is provided to help industry players assess the competition level in the industry and make plans to stand out in the marketplace.The market landscape of the global men formal shoe industry is discussed in the report. It is based on the growth drivers, restraints and challenges, Porters analysis, and market share analysis. The drivers and restraints play a role in the rise and fall of the market. Porters Five Forces model is provided to determine the level of competition in the market worldwide. The analysis is based on the five forces such as bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of new entrants, the threat from substitutes, and industrial rivalry.The report includes a concise analysis of both the drivers and restraints that govern the growth and fall of the men formal shoe market. This data helps an investor or market player evaluate the risk associated with this market. The drivers mentioned in the report include the rapid growth and urbanization, the rise in commercialization, a high demand for branded footwear, an increase in disposable income among developing economies, and innovations in the design and features of formal shoes. Furthermore, the fast-expanding Asia-Pacific men formal shoe market provides opportunities for growth of the market. On the other hand, counterfeit shoes and entry of non-leather local brands act as hindrances to the overall growth of the industry.The report provides information regarding market segmentation based on the mode of transport, service type, and geography. Thus, market players, new entrants, and investors gain insights on the market trends in different segments and geographical regions. The market research conducted covers the segmentation based on shoe types, leather types, and geography. By shoe types, the market is divided into oxfords, derby, loafers, boots, and others. The oxfords segment is likely to garner $1838.9 million in 2018. The derby segment is expected to garner $2782.2 million in 2025. The boots segment is likely to grow at a CAGR of 7.01% during the forecast period. Based on leather types, the market is segmented into patent leather, pebble & full grain, top grain, and suede leather. The pebble & full grain segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.16% while the top grain segment is likely to grow at a CAGR of 6.41% during the forecast period. Geographically, the market is divided into the regions such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. In North America, the market analysis covers the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. In Europe, the market analysis covers Italy, Germany, France, UK, Spain, and the rest of Europe. In Asia-Pacific, the market analysis is done for China, Japan, India, Malaysia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific. In LAMEA, the market analysis covers Latin America, Middle East, and Africa.Do Inquiry for Sample report:The report provides a detailed analysis of the key market players operating in the men formal shoe market. An overview of each company along with information regarding their financial and business segments, as well as their recent developments are included in the report. This information helps players and investors recognize future competitors and develop strategies to grow their own business. The key market players include C. & J. Clark International Ltd (UK), Dolce & Gabbana (Italy), Cole Haan LLC (U.S.), Louis Vuitton (U.S.), Alden Shoe Company (U.S.), Guccio Gucci S.p.A (Italy), Calvin Klein Inc. (U.S.), Hugo Boss AG (Germany), Burberry Group Inc. (UK), and Prada S.p.A. (Italy). These market players adopt expansion, collaboration, partnership, joint venture, merger & acquisition, and other strategies to gain a strong foothold and sustain the intense competition in the marketAbout Progressive:The company makes use of primary corporate research and secondary inputs from trusted sources to build its own reference base. It maintains consistency in quality as it keeps itself updated with changes in market dynamics and gauging its net effect on global business trends.Reach UsMr. Shriram Dighe4th Floor, Unit 12, Marisoft III,West Wing, Marigold IT Park,Kalyani Nagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411014,India: +91 20 66346040Toll Free: + 1-888-906-9222help@progressivemarkets.com
Rubber Track Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2023

Rubber Track Market 2018

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/3060894-global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/3060894-global-north-america-europe-and-asia-pacific-south

WiseGuyReports.Com Publish a New Market Research Report On  Rubber Track Market by Manufacturers,Types,Regions and Applications Research Report Forecast to 2023.Description:Rubber track is a kind of circular tape made of rubber and fiber or metal composite material rubber track with a small grounding pressure, traction, vibration, low noise, wet field through the good, and it does not damage the road, the quality of small, fast speed and other characteristics , Rubber track can partially replace tires.Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Rubber Track in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Get a Sample Report @For more information or any query mail at sales@wiseguyreports.comMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversCamsoMcLaren IndustriesTempo InternationalBridgestoneContinentalVMT InternationalMinitopChermack MachineSoucyProwlerGlobal Track WarehouseMattracksJinli Long CorporationZhejiang JiuyunDRBJongguZhejiang Yuan Chuang Rubber TrackMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth 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 etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversTriangular Rubber TrackRegular Rubber TrackMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoAgricultural MachineryIndustry MachineryMilitary VehiclesOthersThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Rubber Track market.Chapter 1, to describe Rubber Track Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Rubber Track, with sales, revenue, and price of Rubber Track, 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 Rubber Track, for each region, from 2013 to 2018;ContinueReport Details @Table Of Contents  Major Key Points1 Market Overview1.1 Rubber Track Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Triangular Rubber Track1.2.2 Regular Rubber Track1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Agricultural Machinery1.3.2 Industry Machinery1.3.3 Military Vehicles1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (United States, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 United States Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2013-2023)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Camso2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Camso Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 McLaren Industries2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 McLaren Industries Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Tempo International2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Tempo International Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 Bridgestone2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 Bridgestone Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Continental2.5.1 Business Overview2.5.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.5.2.1 Type 12.5.2.2 Type 22.5.3 Continental Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.6 VMT International2.6.1 Business Overview2.6.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.6.2.1 Type 12.6.2.2 Type 22.6.3 VMT International Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.7 Minitop2.7.1 Business Overview2.7.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.7.2.1 Type 12.7.2.2 Type 22.7.3 Minitop Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.8 Chermack Machine2.8.1 Business Overview2.8.2 Rubber Track Type and Applications2.8.2.1 Type 12.8.2.2 Type 22.8.3 Chermack Machine Rubber Track Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)ContinueFor 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.
New DRC Mining Code: Demand for cobalt, and copper to a lesser extent; will override the financial impacts

DRC Mining Week gathers industry to discuss new code

http://www.drcminingweek.com

I believe the demand for cobalt, and copper to a lesser extent, will override the financial impacts of the revised DRC Mining Code, says Laura Cornish, editor of the mining trade journal Mining Review Africa. She adds: the electric vehicle and battery markets are growing and require cobalt to operate. Profits due to higher cobalt prices should lessen the impact of higher taxes.Last week Friday, the DRC President Joseph Kabila signed the revised Mining Code into legislation, just two days after government met with the countrys major mining houses to negotiate terms that would be beneficial to all stakeholders.The new Mining Code and how it will impact the industry is high on the agenda of discussions at the upcoming DRC Mining Week in Lubumbashi from 13-15 June.Mining industry has not fully embraced codeThe Mining Code in essence has increased taxes on the minerals mined and processed in the DRC says Laura, and the code will likely impose higher royalties on cobalt, a critical metal for electric vehicles  a market that is growing exponentially every year. Royalties on cobalt could rise to 10% if it is determined strategic by the government, up from 2%. I understand that the country would like to realise greater revenue generation from its mining industry and copper and cobalt in particular and I appreciate this need, but I believe it would have been better for government to engage more with the industry to find a resolution that benefits all, including the investors.She continues: the mining industry has not fully embraced the revised Mining Code  primarily because the government did not engage with them during the revision stages. Secondly, the government invited the mining houses to engage with them on the code last week, indicating they were open to discussion, only to introduce an unchanged code into law two days later. Naturally mining companies would be opposed to legislation that impacts on their profits and shareholder returns without forewarning.We need to have a transparent platformAt the recent Mining Indaba in Cape Town in February, Randgold Resources CEO, Mark Bristow, openly stated that the revised DRC mining code was not beneficial to investors and stakeholders."When we set out in 2014 to negotiate the code he said at the time, we did have constructive engagements and we made progress and we reached agreement on just about every contentious issue, but the code that was presented to Parliament the last time was not that draft."We need to have a transparent platform with the intension of finding the most beneficial code for the DRC."The Randgold Resources CEO said that through the company's Kibali gold mine, the company had invested some $3-billion into the economy, its surrounding communities and local skills development and it would continue to do so for its long lifespan."We need more investment not less investment, we need big investors because it is going to take tens of billions of dollars to bring this great country to its rightful place, both in Africa and in the world," said Mark Bristow.Read the full interview with Mining Review Africas Laura Cornish on the event website and listen to Mark Bristows full speech on the Mining Review Africa portal.Industry supportAs with previous editions of event, DRC Mining Week has already secured impressive industry support for this year from leading industry giants, including Engen and FBNBank as diamond sponsors, Standard Bank and Tenke Fungurume as platinum sponsors while Axishouse, Copperbelt Energy, ERG, IDC and Randgold Resources are back as gold sponsors. Mining Review Africa is the premium media partner for the event.DRC Mining Week:Pre-conference Power Focus Day: 13 June 2018Conference and expo: 14-15 June 2018Site visit: 13 June 2018Location: The Pullman Grand Karavia Hotel, Lubumbashi, DRCDRC Mining Week is organised by Spintelligent, a leading Cape Town-based organiser of exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, real estate, energy, mining, agriculture and education sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include African Utility Week, Agritech Expo Zambia, Mining Baraza, Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria and Nigeria Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.Senior communications manager: Annemarie RoodbolOffice: +27 21 700 3558Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.comWebsite:Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, 7947, South Africa
Advanced Computed Tomography Scanners Market to Surpass US$ 2900 Mn by 2027

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/advanced-computed-tomography-scanners-market.asp

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/advanced-computed-tomography-scanners-market/toc

https://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/22348

Understanding various facets of the advanced computed tomography scanners market, Persistence Market Research has come up with an analytical research report titled Advanced Computed Tomography Scanners Market: Global Industry Analysis (2012-2016) and Forecast (2017-2027). This comprehensive research report focuses on various trends, developments, drivers, opportunities and restraints that influence the growth of the global advanced CT scanners market.The intensity of these aspects vary across various geographies. The scenario of these factors is covered in this study which gives a heads up to the reader from an investment standpoint. Along with historical data, the study covers a weighted forecast analysis for a period of 10 years, starting from 2017 till 2027.Report Overview @By product type, the adoption of cone beam CT scanners is expected to soar at a high rate in the coming years, making it a fast growing segment. Low dose CT scanners segment is the largest with maximum value share.By region, North America is the most lucrative and is expected to dominate the global market with a high market share. By the end of the year of assessment, the advanced CT scanners market in North America is projected to expand at a stellar CAGR and is estimated to reach a billion dollar milestone.By end user, hospitals and diagnostic centers expected to largely contribute to the growth of the global market for advanced CT scannersIncreasing Strategic Collaborations Between Players to Present Lucrative Growth Opportunities in the Global MarketStrategic collaborations among key players in the advanced CT scanners market is expected to present potential growth opportunities for advanced CT scanners. Strategic alliances and collaborations can spur the development rate of the market as key players can focus on development of innovative technologies and advanced imaging systems. Collaborations are usually carried out by players that have strong product portfolio and patented technologies.Request for Table of Contents @This can support the international players in gaining market hold with support of local players in that respective region. For instance, Toshiba Medical Systems signed contracts with Russian imaging equipment manufacturer ZAO Roentgenprom to carry out licensing and sub-contracting production of CT scanners in the country. This initiative was a move towards enhancement of the healthcare system and infrastructure in Russia with main goal being the improvement in the countrys overall healthcare space.Moreover, increasing number of diagnostic centers is anticipated to spur the demand for advanced CT scanners. Since recent past, a number of diagnostics and imaging centers across various emerging and developed regions has increased substantially.Independent diagnostic centers offer better service and superior quality diagnosis at a pocket friendly cost. Several insurance companies have adopted efficient marketing strategies to shift the patient volume to the cost efficient independent diagnostic centers thus reducing the out of pocket costs of the patients.There are several aspects that have contributed to the growth of the global advanced computed tomography scanners market. Aspects such as increasing ageing population, growing need for medical imaging across various regions in the globe, increasing prevalence and growth in adoption of minimally invasive diagnostic procedures, high funding for research and development to carry out product innovations in medical devices and imaging systems, ease in FDA clearance, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and dental and orthopedic disorders, growing number of hospitals and diagnostic centers and growing need for faster and more definitive result are driving the growth of the global market.Get Sample Copy of this Report @However, factors such as exposure to radiation, inadequate reimbursement policies, adoption of refurbished medical devices, lack of skilled personnel and lack of healthcare infrastructure in emerging markets are the main challenges restricting the growth of the global market for advanced CT scanners.Acquisitions, mergers, strategic collaborations and alliances are the key expansion strategies adopted by manufacturers and integrators for technology transfer and to increase consumer base in different geographies. Moreover, companies are focusing on new product launches and reducing the costs of advanced computed tomography devices in order to gain maximum market share.Some of the leading companies operating in the advanced computed tomography scanners market are Koninklijke Philips N.V., General Electric Company, Siemens AG, Carestream Health, Inc., Canon Inc., Xoran Technologies, LLC., Medtronic, Plc., iCRco, Inc., and NeuroLogica Corp.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.Persistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,Telephone - +1-646-568-7751USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Patient Monitoring Devices Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023

Patient Monitoring Devices Market

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-patient-monitoring-devices-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-patient-monitoring-devices-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-patient-monitoring-devices-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-patient-monitoring-devices-market/

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com

Patient monitoring devices are the devices with digital technology used to measure the persons health condition. The accuracy of the results with patient monitoring devices may help to early diagnosis of the disease, leads to more efficient and specific treatment. The major advantages of the patient monitoring devices include accuracy of the results with less time and reduce the cost for disease diagnosis. These devices are commonly used to measure oxygen saturation level, pulse rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and heart activity among others. Physicians prefer the patient monitoring devices to enhance the excellence in the patient care.Increase in the technological advancements such as wireless devices of patient monitoring devices, rise in prevalence of various diseases such as diabetes and hypertension which require lifelong monitoring, increase in geriatric population, grow in adoption of patient monitoring devices are anticipated to fuel the growth of patient monitoring devices. Moreover, increase in the healthcare awareness, ease of operating and availability of the wider products in the market, and rise in healthcare expenditure expected to propel the market patient monitoring devices market over the forecast period. However, product recalls, lack of awareness in rural areas, high cost of the devices, and lack of favourable reimbursement policies for medical devices are the key factors restrain the patient monitoring devices market growth.A sample of this report is available upon request @Patient monitoring devices market is segmented on the basis of product type, technology, application, and end userBased on the product type, patient monitoring devices are segmented into the following: Blood pressure monitors Blood glucose monitors Heart rate monitors Pulse oximeters Weight monitors Sleep apnoea monitors Breath monitors OthersBased on the technology, patient monitoring devices are segmented into the following: Portable devices Standalone devices Wireless technology devices OthersBased on the application, patient monitoring devices are segmented into the following: Cardiovascular conditions Neurological conditions Haematological conditions Respiratory conditions Physiological conditions OthersBased on the end user, patient monitoring devices are segmented into the following: Hospitals Clinics Ambulatory surgical centres Home care settings OthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Patient monitoring devices market is growing at a significant CAGR owing to increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular, and neurological advancements. Market players majorly focusing on the innovation of new devices with advanced technology to gain larger market share. Acquisitions and mergers, collaborations, product approvals, product launchings, and patent approvals are the strategies followed by the competitors for increasing their revenue in the patient monitoring devices market. For instance, in September 2015, Zoll Medical Corporation acquired Kyma Medica Technology for broadening the product portfolio in cardiovascular monitoring devices. In addition, in March 2014, Nihon Kohden has awarded a U.S. patent for the advanced technology which reduces the false alarms in the patient monitoring systems.Geographically, patient care monitoring devices are segmented into Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. North America holds significant share in patient monitoring devices owing to rise in geriatric population prone to chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, increase in healthcare expenditure, and patent approvals for novel technologies in the region. In Europe, due to high adoption of novel technologies, technological advancements, and well-developed healthcare infrastructure are propelling the patient monitoring devices market. However, Asia Pacific exhibiting significant growth in global market which is attributed to growing prevalence of chronic diseases, rise in healthcare expenditure, and rise in per capita income are driving the patient monitoring devices market in the region.Need more information about this report @Some of the players in patient monitoring devices market are GE Healthcare (U.K.), Philips Healthcare (Netherlands), Nihon Kohden (Japan), Roche Diagnostics Limited (Switzerland), Abbott Laboratories (U.S), Omron Healthcare (Japan), Zoll Medical Corporation (U.S.), Cardinal Health (U.S.), and Medtronic (Ireland) to name a few.Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553Website @
Now, the anniversary hotel reservation will need to be canceled. The OB-GYN appointments erased. It still doesnt feel real to Shushereba. He could find out whether the baby would have been a girl or a boy, but he doesnt know whether he wants to.

My day-to-day was a hell of a lot better with her by my side, he said. She would learn from me, and I would learn from her. Through everything, from the first day we met through the last day we talked, she was just this incredible woman.

On Saturday, Shushereba folded their laundry for the last time. It had been sitting in the dryer for days. Gonzales wasnt very neat. But it was one of the things he loved about her. He folded her sleep shirt, an oversized T-shirt with a cartoon Simpsons character. He brushed his teeth with one of the matching toothbrushes she had bought for them.

He remembered her laugh, how she liked red wine and red lipstick, her obsession with sandwiches and how she wanted to open a shop with one for each state. He remembered how they called their brown leather couch by the name Walter, and how she was always trying to help other people. He remembered their last day together.
Automotive Robotics Market to Hit USD 5.96 Billion by 2024: Analysis of Key Players, Trends, Drivers, & Challenges

https://www.marketstudyreport.com/request-a-sample/568780/?utm_source=OPR&utm_medium=SK

https://www.marketstudyreport.com/reports/global-automotive-robotics-market-research-report-2017/?utm_source=RR&utm_medium=SK

https://www.marketstudyreport.com

https://www.marketstudyreport.com/category/news-releases/

http://reports.algosonline.com/

MarketStudyReport.com Adds New Global Automotive Robotics Market 2017  2024 research report providing information and data By Product, By Application, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast spreading across 400 Pages with table and figures in it.Pertaining to the stiff competition prevalent in the automotive robotics market space, companies have been devising a number of business tactics to consolidate their position. In September 2017, for example, Avnet Incorporation, a major participant across information technology and services industry, acquired Dragon innovation, a major producer of consumer electronics products. The acquisition is expected to assist both the firms add to their existing product line and expand their presence in automotive robotics market.Automotive Robotics Market size is projected to exceed USD 5.96 billion by 2024; according to a new research report.Request a sample copy of Automotive Robotics Market Research Report @Having garnered the reputation of being highly technology-driven, automotive robotics industry thrives on the product innovations brought forth by leading business players. A recent instance citing the validity of the aforementioned declaration is Rimacs collaboration with Dassault Systemes. Elaborating further, the September of 2017 saw Rimac Automobili, a key manufacturer of high performance electric vehicles, battery systems, and drivetrains, join forces with Dassault Systemes, a software firm based in France, to acquire the product lifecycle management digital platform from the latter to scale up its business growth. The latters 3D experience platform referred as electro mobility accelerator will help the former increase its production capacity and connect with its employees across 11 countries. This deal is an apt example that underscores the developments prevalent in automotive robotics industry. The continued trend of similar alliances are likely to encourage entrants explore newer markets  the autonomous car sharing market, for instance.The month of September has also witnessed Technion  an Israeli tech institute, Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, and Hyundai Motor Group forming an alliance to jointly complete the projects on artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and cyber security. The collaboration has been touted to help the emerging automotive firms and startups in Israel to launch their products with Hyundais vehicle product line. Vice-versa, the initiative is expected to aid Hyundai Motors establish itself as a leader in automotive robotics market, having experimented with next generation of automotive technologies equipped with artificial intelligence and robotics. The alliance signifies a paradigm shift toward the fourth industrial revolution and new vehicle technology, thereby pushing automotive robotics industry trends.Robotics has established itself as a principal technology across major end-use domains in the developed geographies such as UK, Germany, and Italy. The surging requirement to achieve time consistency and a higher level of production has led to escalating demand for robotic body assemblies in the country. The deployment of these assemblies to improve the proficiency of the supply chain activities across the automotive sector is likely to impel UK automotive robotics industry expansion.Germany has a powerful base of automakers, on the grounds of which it has been forecast that robotic applications would be deployed heavily across the automotive sector in the region. Subject to the extensive implementation of robotics, Germany automotive robotics industry is likely to gain a strong ground in the ensuing years. The expansion of this business space across Germany, UK, and Italy is certain to boost Europe automotive robotics market, which contributed nearly 25% toward the overall industry share in 2016.As per estimates, the demand for robots from vehicle component suppliers increased by 53% in 2016, and that from automotive original equipment manufacturers rose by 32% in the same year. This goes to prove that automotive robotics industry has bright prospects across North America. In fact, research reports claim that North America automotive robotics market is expected to witness a lucrative growth over the coming years, having held a valuation of USD 1 billion in 2016.A currently compiled market study claims that automotive robotics industry revenue is anticipated to surpass USD 5.96 billion by 2024. Considering the notable contributions made by the automotive giants such as Rockwell Automation, Omron Corporation, The Yaskawa Electric Corporation, and ABB Group, it is no longer a supposition that automotive robotics market will indeed experience a commendable expansion in the years ahead.Related Reports: -Global Automotive Robotics Market Research Report 2017Notes: Production, means the output of Automotive Robotics Revenue, means the sales value of Automotive Robotics This report studies Automotive Robotics in Global market, especially in North Amer...About Us:Centralize market research purchases across your entire organization in one place. 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:More Report at:Connect with us:Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter
Pen Needles Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023

Pen Needles Market

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-pen-needles-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-pen-needles-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-pen-needles-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/global-pen-needles-market/

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com

Pen needles are used for conjunction with injection pens in order to deliver injectable medications into the body. Pen needle comprises a needle which is hallow and embedded in plastic hub and attached to injection pens. Pen needles will available in different lengths and diameters to make them easily used by the healthcare professionals and patients to administer medications. Generally these pen needles are used by the people with diabetes and who require insulin injections. Pen needles are an alternative delivery system of drug administration to conventional method.Increasing prevalence rate of diabetes is one of the primary factors that enables drive the pen needles market. As per International Diabetes Federation (IDF), around 642 Mn of total population is estimated to have diabetes by 2040. People with obesity are highly prone to diabetes which in turns rise market growth of pen needles. As per, Diabetes.Co.UK, obesity is reported for 80-85% of risk of diabetes development. Growing adaptation of pen needles and minimally invasive methods over conventional systems, increasing geriatric population is expected to fuel the market growth of pen needles. However, dearth of specialized endocrinologists to treat diabetes, hormonal imbalances, thyroid disorders etc., issues and risks related to the safe usage of pen needles and strict regulatory frame work for the development of new products are the few factors which are restraining the pen needles market size growth.A sample of this report is available upon request @The global pen needles market is classified on the basis of type, length of needle, therapy, end user, and geography.Based on type, the global pen needles market is segmented into the following Standard pen needles Safety Pen NeedlesBased on needle length, the global pen needles market is segmented into the following 4mm 5mm 6mm 8mm 10mm 12mmBased on therapy, the global pen needles market is segmented into the following GLP-1 Growth Hormones InsulinBased on end user, the global Pen Needles Market is segmented into the following Hospitals Homecare Diagnostic centersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Increasing government initiatives in prevention of diabetes is expected to boost the market growth. For instance, in 2013, World Health Assembly introduced a comprehensive global frame work which is accompanied by WHO global action plan for prevention and control of NCD 2013-2020. Growing advanced technologies is also anticipated to drive the market growth of pen needles. For example, In 2013, Becton, Dickson and Company has launched BD Ultra fine nano 4mm pen needles with easy flow technology which enables easy adherence of insulin therapy regimens in diabetic patients.Geographically pen needles market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia- Pacific, Latin America, The Middle East & Africa. North America holds the largest share in pen needles market owing to high prevalence of diabetes, high acceptance of state-of-art technologies. As per, American Diabetes Association, in 2015, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in U.S with 79,535 deaths. Europe accounted for significant share in pen needles market. Asia pacific region is anticipated to show significant growth due to the innovative product launches, affordability, rising awareness regarding healthcare in countries like China, India and Japan.Need more information about this report @The major companies in the market include Novo Nordisk A/S (Denmark), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), B. Braun Melsungen AG (Germany), Ypsomed Holding AG (Switzerland), Terumo Corporation (Japan), HTL-STREFA S.A. (Poland), Artsana S.p.a (Italy), Allison Medical, Inc. (U.S.), UltiMed, Inc. (U.S.), ARKRAY Inc. (U.S) and Owen Mumford Ltd. (U.K.).Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Contact to Precision Business Insights,Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXEmail: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.comToll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553Website @
Digital Signature Global Market 2018: Key Players  Adobe Systems, Inc, Ascertia, Microsoft Corporation, Docusign, Inc.

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1184422-digital-signature-global-market-outlook-2016-2022

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/enquiry/1184422-digital-signature-global-market-outlook-2016-2022

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1184422

https://www.wiseguyreports.com

Digital Signature IndustryDescriptionWiseguyreports.Com Adds Digital Signature -Market Demand, Growth, Opportunities and Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecast To 2023 To Its Research DatabaseGlobal Digital Signature Market is accounted for $662.4 million in 2016 and expected to grow at a CAGR of 30.0% to reach $3209.4 million by 2022. Factors like increasing use of digital signature to eliminate fraud, Technological innovations and enhanced data integrity, scalability, and transparency are driving the market growth. Increase in adoption of cloud based solutions will provide opportunity for Digital Signature market. However, implementation cost and incompatibility among various digital signature techniques will hinder the market.Cloud based solutions is projected to be the largest deployment segment as they reduce the operational cost of implementation. The managed services segment is expected to witness largest market share owing to reduction of the cost of operations as well as they provide integration of Wide Area Network (WAN) and branch networks. North America is the largest market followed by Europe. Europe growth is attributed to growing legal services firms, adoption of digital signature and release of new regulations for electronic signatures by the European Electronic Messaging Association. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing market due to enhancement of digital technologies in countries such as China and India.Some of the key players in global Digital Signature market are Adobe Systems, Inc, Ascertia, Microsoft Corporation, Docusign, Inc., Entrust Datacard Corp, Gemalto, Inc, IdenTrust, Inc, International Business solutions llc, Kofax Limited, Korea SYSTEM's TECH Inc, Kotrade Inc, Right Signature LLC, Secured Signing Limited, Signix Inc and Oracle Corporation.Deployments Covered: Cloud-Based On-Premises Web BasedRequest for Sample Report @Components Covered: Serviceso Professional Serviceso Managed Services Solutionso Softwareo HardwareApplications Covered: Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance Education and Research Government and Defense Healthcare and Life Sciences Human Resources Legal Manufacturing and Engineering Real Estate Other ApplicationsEnd Users Covered: Large Enterprises Small and Medium Enterprises (SME)Types Covered: Class 1 Class 2 Class 3Regions Covered: North Americao USo Canadao Mexico Europeo Germanyo Franceo Italyo UKo Spaino Rest of Europe Asia Pacifico Japano Chinao Indiao Australiao New Zealando Rest of Asia Pacific Rest of the Worldo Middle Easto Brazilo Argentinao South Africao EgyptLeave a Query @What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 6 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements1 Executive Summary2 Preface2.1 Abstract2.2 Stake Holders2.3 Research Scope2.4 Research Methodology2.4.1 Data Mining2.4.2 Data Analysis2.4.3 Data Validation2.4.4 Research Approach2.5 Research Sources2.5.1 Primary Research Sources2.5.2 Secondary Research Sources2.5.3 Assumptions3 Market Trend Analysis3.1 Introduction3.2 Drivers3.3 Restraints3.4 Opportunities3.5 Threats3.6 Application Analysis3.7 End User Analysis3.8 Emerging Markets3.9 Futuristic Market Scenario....11 Key Developments11.1 Agreements, Partnerships, Collaborations and Joint Ventures11.2 Acquisitions & Mergers11.3 New Product Launch11.4 Expansions11.5 Other Key Strategies12 Company Profiling12.1 Adobe Systems, Inc12.2 Ascertia12.3 Microsoft Corporation12.4 Docusign, Inc.12.5 Entrust Datacard Corp12.6 Gemalto, Inc12.7 IdenTrust, Inc12.8 International Business solutions llc12.9 Kofax Limited12.10 Korea SYSTEM's TECH Inc12.11 Kotrade Inc12.12 Right Signature LLC12.13 Secured Signing Limited12.14 Signix Inc12.15 Oracle CorporationBuy Now @Continued...Contact Us: Sales@Wiseguyreports.Com Ph: +1-646-845-9349 (Us) Ph: +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 LtdPune  411028Maharashtra, GlobalPh: +91 841 198 5042
Saudi Arabia Personal Protective Equipment Market Analysis, Demand & Growth Trends till 2021

Market Research Reports Search Engine (MRRSE)

https://www.mrrse.com/sample/1622

https://www.mrrse.com/saudi-arabia-personal-protective-equipment-market

https://www.mrrse.com/enquiry/1622

https://www.mrrse.com/

https://www.industrynewsanalysis.com/

A latest research report titled as Personal Protective Equipment Market - Saudi Arabia Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2021 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 @Saudi Arabia has been undergoing radical evolution in generating awareness on worker safety over the past few years. The high number of worker accidents in the region have prompted the industries as well as the government to raise the bar on safety standards and implementing these standards as strongly as possible. This impetus in worker safety awareness forms the primary driver for the increasing demand of personal protective equipment in Saudi Arabia.Of all the key upcoming government regulations to be implemented in Saudi Arabia regarding worker safety, the oil and gas industry has been the foremost in it. This industry contributes to a large chunk of the Saudi Arabia GDP and is therefore focused on with a higher priority.Additionally, the implementation of stronger regulations is expected to be complemented well by the increasing number of safety product approvals in the region.However, key players can get sidelined by the number of local players that provide cheap safety products. This is eating into the research and development budgets allotted by the more prominent players by forcing them to cut costs to maintain market volume share. The sales of personal protective equipment are also hampered by the reducing number of workers due to the growing rate of automation in Saudi Arabia industries.The Saudi Arabia market for personal protective equipment is expected to expand at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2015 to 2021 in terms of revenue. This market revenue is expected reach US$444.2 mn by 2021, after being projected at US$318.7 mn by the end of 2016.Eastern Province Continues to Show High Personal Protective Equipment DemandOwing to the presence of a large number of boroughs and a very high number of Saudi Arabia locations of oil and gas production, the eastern province has shown the leading demand for personal protective equipment. By the end of 2021, the demand for personal protective equipment in the eastern province is expected to have generated US$233.6 mn in revenue. This region is considered to be one of the key regions for the global chemical industry due to the presence of several of the worlds leading chemical providers, including Nama Chemicals and Saudi Aramco. A large number of these companies operate in both the chemical sector and the oil and gas sector and therefore demand for a large volume of diverse personal protective equipment.The Central province with is a large number of oil and gas companies along with transportation and construction industries, and the Western province with its large number of end-use industries, cater for a lot of the remainder of the demand for personal protective equipment in Saudi Arabia.Browse Full Report with TOC @Application/Products + Company NamesThe demand for personal protective equipment in the Saudi Arabia oil and gas industry has consistently been the leading one over the recent past. This high demand is expected to grow even further over the coming years, due to the upcoming implementation of stricter regulations regarding worker safety in the oil and gas sector. By the end of 2021, the oil and gas sector is expected to contribute US$175.0 mn of the total Saudi Arabia personal protective equipment revenue.Meanwhile, the demand for personal protective equipment in the pharmaceuticals industry in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at a very high rate. This is attributed to the massive surge in demand for hand protective gear and respiratory protective gear.The top providers of personal protective equipment in Saudi Arabia include 3M Corporation, Honeywell International, Ansell Ltd., Avon Rubber Plc., MSA Safety, E.I. DuPont De Nemours, and JSP.North America to Retain LeadershipThe worldwide market for personal protective equipment is also analyzed on the basis of its geographical presence. North America, the Middle East and Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, and South America have surfaced as the prominent geographical segments of this market. With a share of 38%, North America dominated the global market in 2016. The regional market is expected to remain on the top over the forthcoming years, thanks to the increasing adoption of PPE across a number of industries.Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is expected to offer the most promising growth opportunity to the global market for personal protective equipment in the years to come. With the growing constructions, increasing production, and the rise in the transportation sector, the Asia Pacific market for personal protective equipment is projected to proliferate at a healthy CAGR of 7.50% between 2017 and 2025. The Middle East and Africa market is also anticipated to report a significant pace of growth in the near future due to the rising application of personal protective equipment and the increasing number of stringent rules and regulations aiming at employee protection and work place safety.Enquire about this Report @About Market Research Reports Search EngineMarket 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:
Biochar | Rising Demand From Upcoming Year And Expected to Boost The Growth of the Global Market 2018-25

Biochar

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1551104

https://www.researchmoz.us/global-biochar-sales-market-report-2018-report.html/toc

www.researchmoz.us

Press Release - 14 Mar 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' 'In this report, the global Biochar 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.Geographically, this report split global into several key Regions, with sales (K MT), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Biochar for these regions, from 2013 to 2025 (forecast), covering1. United States2. China3. Europe4. Japan5. Southeast Asia6. India. . Get Sample Report' 'Global Biochar market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Biochar sales volume, Price (USD/MT), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players including1. Cool Planet2. Biochar Supreme3. NextChar4. Terra Char5. Genesis Industries6. Interra Energy7. CharGrow8. Pacific Biochar9. Biochar Now10. The Biochar Company (TBC)11. ElementC612. Vega Biofuels13. Carbon Gold14. Kina15. Swiss Biochar GmbH16. BlackCarbon17. Carbon Terra18. Sonnenerde19. Biokol20. ECOSUS21. Verora GmbHOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into1. Wood Source Biochar2. Corn Stove Source Biochar3. Rice Stove Source Biochar4. Wheat Stove Source Biochar5. Other Stove Source BiocharOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate for each application, including1. Soil Conditioner2. Fertilizer3. Others. . More Clear Details get Table of Contents..Table of ContentsGlobal Biochar Sales Market Report 20181 Biochar Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Biochar1.2 Classification of Biochar by Product Category1.2.1 Global Biochar Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2013-2025)1.2.2 Global Biochar Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20171.2.3 Wood Source Biochar1.2.4 Corn Stove Source Biochar1.2.5 Rice Stove Source Biochar1.2.6 Wheat Stove Source Biochar1.2.7 Other Stove Source Biochar1.3 Global Biochar Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Biochar Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2013-2025)1.3.2 Soil Conditioner1.3.3 Fertilizer1.3.4 Others1.4 Global Biochar Market by Region1.4.1 Global Biochar Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2013-2025)1.4.2 United States Biochar Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.3 China Biochar Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.4 Europe Biochar Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.5 Japan Biochar Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Biochar Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.4.7 India Biochar Status and Prospect (2013-2025)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Biochar (2013-2025)1.5.1 Global Biochar Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2025)1.5.2 Global Biochar Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2025)2 Global Biochar Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Biochar Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Biochar Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.1.2 Global Biochar Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2013-2018)2.2 Global Biochar (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Biochar Sales and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.2.2 Global Biochar Revenue and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)2.3 Global Biochar (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Biochar Sales and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)2.3.2 Global Biochar Revenue and Market Share by Region (2013-2018)2.4 Global Biochar (Volume) by Application3 United States Biochar (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Biochar Sales and Value (2013-2018)3.1.1 United States Biochar Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.2 United States Biochar Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)3.1.3 United States Biochar Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)3.2 United States Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)3.3 United States Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)3.4 United States Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)4 China Biochar (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Biochar Sales and Value (2013-2018)4.1.1 China Biochar Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)4.1.2 China Biochar Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)4.1.3 China Biochar Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)4.2 China Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)4.3 China Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)4.4 China Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)5 Europe Biochar (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5.1 Europe Biochar Sales and Value (2013-2018)5.1.1 Europe Biochar Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)5.1.2 Europe Biochar Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)5.1.3 Europe Biochar Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)5.2 Europe Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)5.3 Europe Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)5.4 Europe Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)6 Japan Biochar (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6.1 Japan Biochar Sales and Value (2013-2018)6.1.1 Japan Biochar Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)6.1.2 Japan Biochar Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)6.1.3 Japan Biochar Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)6.2 Japan Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)6.3 Japan Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)6.4 Japan Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)7 Southeast Asia Biochar (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7.1 Southeast Asia Biochar Sales and Value (2013-2018)7.1.1 Southeast Asia Biochar Sales and Growth Rate (2013-2018)7.1.2 Southeast Asia Biochar Revenue and Growth Rate (2013-2018)7.1.3 Southeast Asia Biochar Sales Price Trend (2013-2018)7.2 Southeast Asia Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Players (2013-2018)7.3 Southeast Asia Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Type (2013-2018)7.4 Southeast Asia Biochar Sales Volume and Market Share by Application (2013-2018)ResearchMoz 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
Wireless Fire Detection Systems 2018 (Ceasefire Industries Pvt. Ltd, Electro Detectors Ltd, Ems Wireless Fire & Security Ltd, Eurofyre Ltd) segments and regional markets 2025

Wireless Fire Detection Systems

https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1443101

https://www.researchmoz.us/wireless-fire-detection-systems-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2017-2025-report.html#table-of-content

www.researchmoz.us

Press Release - 14 Mar 2018Global Research and Development News --. .Report Description-' ' The current wireless fire detection industry is oriented towards mixed wireless and wired systems. It is a common way of upgrading or extending installations or installing new systems without impacting the hard wiring running throughout the building. Star network is the common wireless fire system which involves multiple wireless devices in direct communication with either a repeater or a central wireless gateway.. . Get Sample Report' ' Increasing emphasis on design and aesthetics and the ease involved in these systems is anticipated to drive the industry over the forecast period. Improvements in existing government mandates and regulations regarding fire protection systems is the major factor supporting the industry. However, lack of acceptance in the industry owing to low reliability perception and high maintenance cost is expected to act as a restraining factor for the wireless fire detection systems industry. The declining prices of IR systems is expected to drive the wireless fire detection systems market demand over the forecast timeline. Increasing local and regional suppliers has led the industry to be competitive thereby drastic decline in prices of the sensors used in these systems. These industry players are supplying IR sensors with high customization levels which is comparatively cheaper as compared to global suppliers. Improvement in miniaturization and costs has increased the adoption of IR sensors in fire detection systems market which are highly sensitive to the radiations. These sensors are used to detect the inflammable gases both outdoors and indoors of the plants and facilities enabling the fire-fighters to carry their fire rescue operations efficiently. Increasing adoption of wireless systems in safety systems is also expected to fuel the market growth as the wireless communication eases the communication between field devices and control stations, allowing remote access. These field devices are often placed in hostile environment such as subsea in oil & gas industry. These communication systems have reduced the cabling costs and other overhead expenses. These detection systems with wireless connections can be used to directly transmit vital statistics for giving command for any critical issue by the top management. Emergence of government compliant wireless fire detection systems has increased the adoption of wireless instrumentation needs for critical safety applications. Several technologies for detecting and sensing fire presence are available in the industry including heat detectors, smoke detectors, multi sensor detectors and gas detectors. Integration of sensor and detector technologies within a single detector is the latest trend in the industry which results in lowered costs and greater efficiency. The robust growth in utilities, infrastructure, and facilities is increasing the need for adoption of advanced detectors and sensors globally. The global wireless fire detection systems market can be segmented by product into sensors, call points, input/output modules and call points. By type, the industry can be classified into fully wireless and hybrid systems. New and existing installations segments the industry by installation type. By application, the industry can be segmented into commercial, residential, manufacturing, and government. North America is expected to dominate the wireless fire detection systems market over the forecast timeline. Europe is expected to grow with the highest CAGR from 2017 to 2025. This industry growth is catered by presence of numerous wireless fire detection system manufacturers in this region. Moreover, stringent government mandates for installation of smoke alarms and smoke detectors in homes from European countries such as France, UK, and Germany is anticipated to support the wireless fire detection industry growth. The prominent industry participants of wireless fire detection systems market are Detectomat Gmbh, Ceasefire Industries Pvt. Ltd, Electro Detectors Ltd, Ems Wireless Fire & Security Ltd, Eurofyre Ltd, Hochiki Corporation, Halma Plc, Johnson Controls, Honeywell International Inc, Napco Security Technologies Inc, Siemens AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Tyco International Plc, Sterling Safety Systems, United Technologies and Zeta Alarm Systems. 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:1. Market segments and sub-segments2. Market trends and dynamics3. Supply and demand4. Market size5. Current trends/opportunities/challenges6. Competitive landscape7. Technological breakthroughs8. Value chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:1. North America (U.S. and Canada)2. Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)3. Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)4. Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)5. Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)6. 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:1. A complete backdrop analysis, which includes an assessment of the parent market2. Important changes in market dynamics3. Market segmentation up to the second or third level4. Historical, current, and projected size of the market from the standpoint of both value and volume5. Reporting and evaluation of recent industry developments6. Market shares and strategies of key players7. Emerging niche segments and regional markets8. An objective assessment of the trajectory of the market9. Recommendations to companies for strengthening their foothold in the market. . More Clear Details get Table of Contents..ResearchMoz 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
India Hyperloop Market  Future looks promising in the superfast lane with Rising Impressive Business Opportunities Analysis

https://www.xpodenceresearch.com/Request-Sample/105806

https://www.xpodenceresearch.com/Reports/India-Hyperloop-Market

Market OverviewHyperloop is considered as the fifth mode of transportation. It is also referred as a revolutionary train service that envisages the loading of passengers and cargo into a pod and accelerate gradually by electric propulsion through a low pressure tube. The technology is intended for superfast travel between the two large cities with a top speed of 760mph (1,200 km/h).The Hyperloop system has various components which include the track, tube, propulsion system and capsule carrying passengers/freight. The capsule entails passenger compartment in middle, air compressor in front and battery compartment at the back. The tube tracks are designed to maintain the vacuum inside the tube, although the tubes are not completely air free and will have a low pressure inside the capsule.Key Players:Few major players in the market include AECOM India and Hyperloop India, DGWHyperloop which are working on the hyperloop technology. Furthermore, a non-profit consortium of volunteers and organizations are also involved in recreating the transportation in India. In August 2015, BITS Hyperloop which is a fully funded Indian team among the 120 teams are selected globally for presenting their designs at the 2016 SpaceX Design Weekend.Hyperloop India has now decided to constitute a team of students and faculty from: BITS Pilani IIM Ahmedabad Indian School of Business consulting for logistics transportation infrastructure NITI Aayog RITES SocialCops DP World IndiaRequest a Sample Report Copy @Market Highlights:The capsule uses a compressor fan at the front which can re-direct air at the back of the capsule, hence providing additional propulsion to the Hyperloop. The redirected air is then sent to the air bearings which further levitate the metal capsule above the tube surface leading to reduction in friction. Thus helps in achieving very high speed of capsules in the tube.Increasing demand for fastest mode of transportation, with low cost for decongestion of cities and low power consumption structure is expected to drive the market in the longer run. Furthermore, other factors influencing the growth in the country include easier-to-build, less expensive infrastructure, immune to bad weather conditions and resistant to earthquakes and other natural calamities.Additionally, the hyperloop project in the country will be served as an economic catalyst creating thousands of jobs for manufacturing, service and construction and IT sectors supporting Make in India initiatives. Although, initial cost of investment, lack of awareness and safety & security issues are few factors expected to impact the growth and development of hyperloop in the country.Market Outlook:In March 2017, Hyperloop One Vision For India, New Delhi, the company has shortlisted 5 sustainable proposals for the country which include Bengaluru to Chennai (334 km in 20 minutes), Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram (736 km in 41 minutes), Delhi to Mumbai via Jaipur and Indore (1,317 km in 55 minutes), Mumbai to Chennai via Bangalore (1,102 km in 50 minutes), Bengaluru to Chennai (334 km in 20 minutes).Recently, in February 2018, Maharashtra government has signed the agreement with the Virgin Hyperloop One for building a hyperloop between Mumbai and Pune starting with an operational demonstration track. In 2017, the company has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) for analyzing the level of economic impact and for identifying the potential routes with technical viability of the hyperloop transportation solutions in the country.The proposed route for hyperloop will connect central Pune to Mumbai and Navi Mumbai International Airport in 25 minutes and will support 150 million passenger trips annually. The demonstration track will be constructed in 2-3 years and will be prepared for testing, certifying and regulating the system for commercial operations.Browse Report @About us:Xpodence Research have the most extensive collection of market research reports of many categories. Xpodence Research provides the best market research solution for every industry by publishing the best possible results of great market research firms worldwide. For every particular problem, theres a particular solution, so according to the customer needs, we provide the best possible results to them from different market research organization, whether its a Custom Research or Syndicated Research reports because the product that wins is the one that bridges customers to the future, not the one that requires a giant leap.Every organization, whether it is related to Pharmaceuticals, Technology, Eatables, Consumable Goods and many more demands a market research results so that they can take important decisions for more productivity and better output in this swift world. Xpodence Research gives the best possible outcome, perfect forecast, analysis and insights of market research in the form of report which is beneficial for various organisations and also to the manufacturing companies in taking the best decisions for quality production.Contact us:Xpodence Research244 , Madison AvenueNew York City, NY - 10016United StatesToll Free +1- 844-445-2861Email: sales@xpodenceresearch.com
Congressman John Moolenaar recently questioned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin regarding the Treasury Department's efforts to implement tax reform along with the status of sanctions on foreign countries.

During an Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Moolenaar, R-Midland, inquired about the department's work to impose sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia. Mnuchin announced at the hearing that his department is reallocating resources to focus on sanctions against Russia. While the secretary declined to specifically name countries involved in cyber attacks against the American financial system he did ask for more funding to combat threats in the future.
Yeo & Yeo CPAs & Business Consultants recently honored Kelly Smith with the most prestigious award bestowed by the firm, the Spirit of Yeo award.

The Spirit of Yeo award recognizes an individual within the firm who exemplifies the attributes of the firms mission and core values.
To the editor:

In a recent Detroit News article (March 5, Armed Teachers Part of the Solution), Michigan Rep. James Runestad disclosed new legislation he is currently drafting. Key points of this legislation include:

 Schools could choose to have trained school marshals

 School marshals would be teachers who volunteer to be vetted and trained

 Firearms would be kept in a secure and locked area

 Cost would be $5,000-$7,000 per trained teacher

This is the plan Runestad proposes to improve the safety of our schools, a proposal making teachers responsible for stopping an active shooter. My question is why are our representatives refusing to draft legislation directed at the causes of this multifaceted issue? Such legislation would include:

 Improving and closing loopholes in gun sale background checks

 "Red flag" legislation allowing police officers to temporarily confiscate firearms from an individual who a judge deems a legitimate threat

 Eliminate either the sale of assault-style weapons or muti-round ammunition clips

 Increase funding for mental health care

 Provide funding for career-trained school police officers

 Provide funding to improve exterior safety of schools

 Increase funding for school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers and school nurses.

As a country, state, and community, we must not allow legislators to place this issue onto the backs of teachers. We must insist they address this multifaceted issue in a proactive manner.

KATHY KINKEMA

Sanford
Jose Padilha, Brazilian helmer of taut political-military thrillers like the Elite Squad seriesand that useless 2014 Robocop remakeis an appropriate choice to direct the refreshingly empathetic, even-keeled 7 Days in Entebbe, mainly because he can explore an especially incendiary moment in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without kowtowing to any specific ideology. The real-life 1976 hijacking of an Air France plane full of Israeli citizens by a group of Palestinian terrorists (or freedom fighters, depending on your outlook) and their comrades, as well as the seven days of negotiations and military rescue preparations that followed, has been adapted to film multiple times before. Irvin Kershners TV movie, Raid on Entebbe, immediately following the actual event, so it understandably skewed towards praising and exaggerating the heroics of the Israeli soldiers in charge of the rescue attempt. A 1977 theatrical release, Operation Thunderbolt, tripled down on Kershner jingoism.

With 7 Days in Entebbe, Padilha and screenwriter Gregory Burke attempt to give equal time to both the hijackers and those tasked with defeating them. Daniel Bruhl and Rosamund Pike play German, far-left revolutionaries Wilfried and Brigitte, who help their Palestinian comrades in the hijacking, which brings the plane to a Uganda under the wonky leadership of batshit crazy Idi Amin (Nonso Anozie, who does his best, but of course is no Forest Whitaker). An ideologue who would rather talk your ears out about the evils of fascist imperialism than grab a gun and get blood on his hands for the cause, Wilfried becomes increasingly conflicted about the kind of violence he might be asked to perform, fully aware of how the image of Germans killing Jews will look to the world. Meanwhile, Brigitte has second thoughts, mainly for oddly humanitarian reasons, perhaps willfully unaware of the fact that what shes participating in is a blatant act of war. The film seems always in tune with the conflicting ideals of its characters, reveling in the irony of Wilfried pointing a gun at a pregnant woman and yelling, We are humanitarians!

Granted, the film relegates the Palestinian hijackers to the background while telling the white Europeans story, but that appears to be part of Padilhas point, and least as far as offering one sincere sequence after another in which Palestinian characters, whose families were decimated by Israeli forces, question the Germans resolve. What stakes do those who dont have a personal connection to such pain face?

On the Israeli side, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (Lior Ashkenazi) struggles between the hostages families, who want him to negotiate with the hijackers, and minister of defense Shimon Peres (Eddie Marsan, in a chilling performance as the dead-eyed realist) insistence that a military rescue operation is the only option. Rabin pines for a time when some form of negotiation needs to take place for the sake of peace, and those familiar with his biography know where that went, but he still decides to give Peres plan a chance. A tense sequence of decisions builds, of course, to the climactic rescue operation.

Boldly, Padilha intercuts footage of an interpretive dance performance with the films third act action, stamping a giant symbolic exclamation point on the surface heroics while infusing a run-off-the-mill action sequence with some refreshingly original touches. The only glaring downside of this choice lies in Padilha and Burkes sloppy attempt to narratively tie the dance scenes to the plot via a woefully underdeveloped side story about a dancer worried for her soldier boyfriend (Ben Schnetzer) going on the rescue mission.

In fact, 7 Days in Entebbes one hour and 45-minute runtime tries a bit too hard to cram in too much, revealing and inherent desire for something more epic in its historical origins. This material might have even worked better as a miniseries, when what we get in the feature is an acceptable cliffs notes version. With a deft docudrama approach (that doesnt overdo the usual extra-shaky handheld camera and overtly grainy visual tone), Padilha shows a commendable technical control over that rare movie that could have benefitted from being much longer.

Director: Jose Padilha

Written by: Gregory Burke

Starring: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Bruhl, Eddie Marsan, Ben Schnetzer, Lior Ashkenazi, Nonso Anozie, Peter Sullivan, Denis Menochet

Release Date: March 16, 2018
I think the tone for the evening was set when Michael J. Fox plugged his guitar into the mad scientists amp and blew himself backward through the wall and Camille started laughing so hard she almost needed medical attention. Grace thought Back to the Future was an eternal classic, and I pretty much do too, but the funniest part was watching Camille repeatedly fall on the floor howling. Based on my admittedly small and weird sample, the film remains relevant not only to teens but to eleven-year-olds who enjoy watching people whack their heads and fall down.

Robert Zemeckis channeled his inner Frank Capra for Back to the Future, taking advantage of a great script and stellar casting to play with the alternate-future concept of Its a Wonderful Life in teen terms. Michael J. Fox had a career-defining moment as Marty McFly, who has a nice small-town life, a cute girlfriend, and a little bit of a confidence problem clearly stemming from having grown up in a family of Born Loser types, especially his cringing, wishy-washy bully-magnet father. Marty wants to do things with his life, but even competing in the school band competition feels riskywhat if he loses? And the only person encouraging him to think big is the local wackadoo genius, Doc Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd, making the most of his ability to make his eyes look really really huge).

I dont need to recap this, right? Doc Brown has turned a DeLorean into a time machine powered by stolen plutonium, Marty ends up in 1955 without enough juice to get back, consults 1955 Doc Brown, who warns him about the horrible dangers of messing with the past, but its too late because Martys 1955 mom has already developed a crush on him. Hijinks ensue. I think people who cant appreciate the sheer good-heartedness and humor of this film are probably few and far between and in need of therapeutic attention; its just a rock-solid pop-culture evergreen. Both kids loved it. I still pretty much loved it, too.

Graces discomfort point? The Libyans.

Why? I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew.

Um  it just  its so specific.

Well its the story, they say the plutonium for the time machine was stolen by a Libyan terrorist cell.

I know but

But it seems weird to create cardboard bad guys who are Middle Eastern?

Well, yeah! I mean, likelook out, its ISIS!

So, theres an interesting historical relationship between U.S. foreign policy and Hollywood. In the case of Libya, the Reagan administration declared them a rogue state in 1981. Before that, you probably wouldnt find a lot of movies that characterized Libyan people or Libya as anything in particular. Once they got designated as a sort of enemy of the West it was open season. Portraying Middle Easterners and especially Libyans as bad guys, bombers, terroristssuddenly that was part of the cultural moment.

Yeah

Grace wasnt sure that really justified anything. Im not sure it does either, but there werent really any bad guys in the movie. And I can think of a zillion films with more racially suspect plots, themes and characters than Back to the Future. But just as Heathers was probably not going to be the same text to a kid who grew up before the Columbine shootings than it was to one who turned ten the week of Sandy Hook, a post-9/11 kid maybe didnt have the same ability to dismiss cavalier portrayals of terrorists from Arab countries. To me, it was innocuous. To her, it was seriously uncomfortable.

Does it matter that its a comedy? I asked her. In terms of the offensiveness level of these people being specified as Libyan terrorists versus, say, Mexican drug cartel bosses? In fact, would that be different? And do you think it matters that The Libyans are not real characters in this movie? Like, obviously the script needed someone to shoot Doc Brown. Theyre like an idea, not characters. Is that worse, or less bad?

Grace thought about it. I bet I wouldnt have flinched as much if a Mexican drug cartel was the cartoony bad guy, to be honest.

Because thats what our foreign policy, and our media, have reflected in your lifetime, yes?

I guess.

And do you think that a Mexican person would be offended by that if it were the Mexicans who shoot Doc Brown in that scene?

I have no idea. I mean, its not really  its obviously not meant to be super heavy. And then thats where I guess I dont know if its better or worse. A fleshed out villain is arguably better than a caricature but there was no point to having one in this movie, it wasnt the story.

Agree. On both counts. Casual caricature is actually more offensive to my way of looking at things, but at the same time I cant be bothered to be offended by the ethnicity of the shooters in this particular movie. Its just so silly its like its not worth getting worked up about. It doesnt feel like it has a bad spirit.

It doesnt, Grace said. But I still found it jarring.

What if theyd been Russians?

Honestly? That might have rolled off my back, too, she said. Graces history class had spent most of a semester on Russian history. It was still the Cold War in 1985, right?

Yes. And to be honest I sometimes wonder if it ever really ended.

Yeah.

So is it acceptable in a film to have foreign nationals be bad guys?

In theory, of course. But theres ways of doing it and ways of doing it.

I agree.

So, the shortest scene in the movie generated the longest conversation. Whether Hollywood illuminates or reflects the acceptable and unacceptable biases of a specific moment in American culture isnt something Im prepared to hold forth on, at least not in the context of a few frames of Back to the Future. But the taboos do appear to shift.

Meanwhile its eternally relevant to imagine what would change if you could go back in time. And its eternally hilarious when people get a truckload of manure on their convertible.

Amy Glynn writes for Paste and product-tests 80s teen cinema for contemporary relevance.
Last week, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped over a park bench, poisoned by an extremely rare chemical agent. The detective who found them was also exposed, and all three are still in serious condition. It is clear that this was perpetrated by Russia because this is not the first Putin critic to be poisoned on British soil (Alexander Litvinenko was the first human in recorded history to die of polonium-210 poisoning), and mainly because the nerve agent used in this attack is part of a group called Novichok, which means newcomer in Russian, and it describes a group of nerve agents developed in the U.S.S.R. in the 1970s and 1980s. At minimum, Russia created this devastating and undetectable chemical weapon, and let it escape from under their control.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May gave Russia a midnight deadline to explain their actions, and it expired with the Kremlin still vehemently denying any role in this murder with their weapon. She then went in front of parliament to announce the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers (the single biggest expulsion in over 30 years), and said that the UK must look at new sanctions and new laws to combat Russian spying.

Jacob Weindling is a staff writer for Paste politics. Follow him on Twitter at @Jakeweindling.
See some of the top Michigan high school football performers from Week 4
So it does, and in a rational world, Levine's disappointment would be justified. But gun politics is a function of raw power, not reason. The gun regulation forces have never lacked strong arguments. What they've lacked is a large number of people willing to invest their time and energy and votes in demanding safer regulation.

Florida, where students and activists bore down on the Legislature and last week won very real concessions, is the most powerful evidence that the cavalry may finally be saddling up.

The state is home to some of the most depraved, legally sanctioned gunplay in America. A breathtaking 2012 series by the Tampa Bay Times on the state's Stand Your Ground law depicted dozens of shootings in which the killer went free merely by claiming, in full accord with the law, that he felt "threatened" in some way before opening fire.

"One man killed two unarmed people and walked out of jail," the paper reported. "Another shot a man as he lay on the ground. Others went free after shooting their victims in the back. In nearly a third of the cases the Times analyzed, defendants initiated the fight, shot an unarmed person or pursued their victim - and still went free."
Trail work in progress!

Some days there was a lot of finger pointing and visualizing to get the next feature just right. Photo: Mike Ruffell

Other days it was all hands on deck and keep your head down and work!! it took a big group to make this project become a reality. Photo: Mike Ruffell

The final product! Photo: Jaret Brantley

Andrew Pellkofer is the brainchild/lead operator behind the Enticer build! Photo: Jaret Brantley

Some of the trail crew enjoying the fruits of their labor! Mike Eastman up top, Andrew Pellkofer below, followed by Kyle Adams. Photo: Jaret Brantley

It used to be that a trip to the trail system at Swasey Recreation Area was like a trip your aunt's house when you were young. Although not as fun as Grandma's, it sure was better than being at the odd smelling daycare place. It had a sense of familiarity, it was nearby and while the toy selection wasn't great, you knew some other kids hadn't been putting them in their mouth. The trails at Swasey were similar. They've been around long enough that they feel like family. Your tires have rolled across them so many times that any excitement they might have once had starts to feel commonplace. You didn't go ride Swasey in seek of adventure or thrills. You went there because of its convenience. A five-minute drive from downtown Redding, you're able to get 20 plus miles on the dirt and one or two thousand feet of elevation without touching pavement once.That all changed last year with the addition of the Enticer . What is now the Enticer trail has filled many roles over the years. It started out as an access road for old mining operations. When the Swasey trail system was put in in the early 2000s, the road was used to complete a loop called the Wintu Loop. This section of trail proved to be a maintenance and managerial nightmare. Erosion was so bad that large rolling dips would fill with sediment and quickly become ineffective. To the land managers unease, trail users started to build unsanctioned jumps of various sizes and quality down the old road.Enter Redding Trail Alliance, a 501c3 non-profit trail building/advocacy organization. Working with BLM we developed a plan that would turn the old road into a world-class, bike park style trail. Our goal with this project was to provide the mountain bike community with a trail they could feel good about progressing their jumping skills on. A trail unlike any other in Redding where riders of all skill levels can grow by pushing their limits, trying something new and feel comfortable while doing it. All the while, the road to trail conversion would also do wonders to remedy the current sustainability issues of the old road. Constant grade reversals, out slopes and drains help get the water off the trail at every opportunity.Enticer was finished in the spring of 2017, it took 2 months of work and over 1000 man hours to complete. The final product is incredible! The entire line is 1 mile long with 24 jumps of various sizes and difficulty, 21 berms and dozens of rollers.Following the momentum of this build Redding Trail Alliance has refurbished 2 other trails at Swasey and has flagged several miles of new trail to be developed in 2019!None of this would be possible without the support of BLM and The McConnell Foundation.Now that the Enticer exists, a visit to Swasey has become like a visit to your favorite grandma's house. You know, the one that lets you stay up past your bedtime playing with that brand new toy and eating WAY too much dessert.
Perfect Day

Words by Jimmy SmithPhotography by Ben MatthewsBack in middle school, I had this writing assignment where we were asked to describe our . Naturally, I outlined a day of shredding mountain bikes all the way down to the beach, where bikes would be swapped for surfboards and I'd finish out the day surfing into the sunset.That idea has been kicking around in my head ever since. Once I heard about the Bali Bike Park and the Chillhouse, the wheels in my head started turning and I knew where I had to go to turn that middle school writing assignment, my perfect day, into a reality.After an overly enthusiastic phone call to a friend, tickets were hastily purchased and we were off starting our adventure on what seemed like the very next day. After 24 hours of travel on some very cozy Hello Kitty-themed planes, we landed in Denpasar, Indonesia on the island of Bali.The Chillhouse, an incredible yoga, surf and bike resort in Canggu, served as home base for the 7-day endeavor. After a day of hanging out by the pool, dialing in the Fuji Auric, and getting real sketchy riding scooters around, we were set for an early morning the next day. I went to bed that night knowing that after all these years, I was finally going to turn my Perfect Day into a reality.We woke up bright and early and stoked to get after it. All the mountain bike trails on the island are quite the journey from Canggu where we were staying, so we hopped in the van with our driver Lukemon and guide Alit for a 2-hour trip. The excitement built as we kept climbing higher and higher through increasingly rural areas until we reached what seemed like the highest point on the island.We prepared to take off, and after setting up our bikes, the Perfect Day was finally in motion! From the start, we ripped down 6000 feet of single track, dirt roads and villages to the north side of the island. The ride offered incredible views, friendly locals, farmland, and even a whole village gathered for a chicken fight! A chicken fight wasn't included in my original "perfect day" plan, but you've got to be flexible with these things.The shredding ended at the beach where we hopped in the water and surfed the rest of the day away. A seed that was planted long ago in middle school had finally bloomed, and what had seemed like a rather unlikely dream at the time was now here right in front of me. Two of my passions came together on one beautiful island. All it took to make it happen was the motivation to just go for it, even if that meant flying to the other side of the world!The whole trip was more fun than I could have ever imagined. Bali is incredible and if you have any interest in going there, DO IT!!Thanks to Fuji Bikes Photographer: Ben Matthews For more information visit www.TheChillhouse.com
Make no mistake, the GOP is the actual loser of Tuesday nights election even if Rick Saccone ultimately is declared the winner.

For Democrat Conor Lamb to be in a virtual tie (actually with a slight lead) after nearly all the votes have been counted is a major accomplishment for him. Remember is is a deep-red congressional district as shown by the following facts:

Trump won by 20% in 2016 There were no Democratic candidates in 2016 and 2014, and The last time a Democrat ran in this district  in 2012  he lost by 27 percentage points.

So there is truly no excuse for Republicans to have lost this race, although we will be hearing plenty of excuses from the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in the days and weeks to come.

But here is the ONE fact that above all proves that this special election was an unmitigated disaster for the Republican Party: There are 114 Republican-held congressional seats that are LESS red than Pennsylvanias 18th district. Since the Democrats need to gain only 24 seats in the November elections, this fact spells doom for the GOP.

Perspective: There are 114 GOP-held seats more competitive than #pa18 based on Cook PVI, per Dem strategist.  Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) March 14, 2018

Interesting stat for the midterms: There are 114 Republican-held House seats more competitive than Pennsylvania's 18th, according to a Democratic tabulation of the Cook Political Report's partisan voting index. https://t.co/jJ021RPKjy  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 14, 2018

What were seeing is that even in a VERY Republican congressional district a Democrat can win in 2018. The results in PA-18th are sending shockwaves through the Washington political establishment in much the same way as the results from the Alabama special Senate election that saw Democrat Doug Jones pull off a stunning upset.

And Rep. Ted Lieu has confirmed that Democrats are going to try to defeat Devin Nunes, and they have a good chance of doing so.

As a Vice Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, I can confirm we added Devin Nunes district to our target list. Why? Two reasons: -Nunes writes bad memos

-Dem historic performance is better in Nunes district than Conor Lamb district. A blue wave is coming.  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 14, 2018

Here are the excuses that Republicans will use to try to explain away the special election results:

Lamb is not a real Democrat and he didnt have to run in a primary. Saccone was an unusually bad candidate. Lamb raised more money than Saccone. Special elections dont predict midterm results and more Republican voters will show up in November.

Of course none of these excuses hold water.

Lamb is actually a real Democrat and there are plenty more like him running in congressional races all over the country (many in deep-red districts like PA-18th).

Saccone was not a bad candidate like Ray Moore in Alabama. He was in fact a very typical Republican candidate.

Saccone actually spent 5 times as much as Lamb because of the outside Republican PAC money that poured into the race, and

The turnout for the special election last night was the same as turnout has been in past midterm elections.

looks like total turnout will be a little north of 200k. Murphy was unopposed in 2014, got 166k votes. Other PA cong. districts featuring two-party competition were in that general 200k ballpark. Point is, this is basically midterm-level turnout  real good for a special, I'd say  Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) March 14, 2018

So lets be honest Republicans  there are no excuses for the election results last night. The voters have spoken, and it is a clear rejection of Donald Trump and all of the bad policies of the Republican Party.
On March 8, the Russian government-funded broadcaster RT published a story that focused on remarks President Vladimir Putin made during a television interview, in which he claimed that the U.S. and its Western allies cheated Russia by supporting an armed coup in Ukraine in February 2014.

"Here is something not publicly known, Putin said to his interviewer in a documentary called World Order 2018.

At this very moment, our American partners called us and asked to do everything  and thats almost a quote  to ensure that Yanukovich didnt use the army, so that the opposition could clear the squares and governmental buildings on its own terms and go on towards the implementation of the agreement, the Russian President said.

Putin then claimed that his Western partners gave no warning about what he called a coup, which he alleges they supported.

They could have at least called us, do something, say a word! They could have said, It was a case of agents stepping out of line, but we will fix it and turn everything into the bounds of the law, Putin said.

Not a word! On the contrary, there was full support of those who committed this coup, he continued.This is what they did with their own hands. How can they not support the current leadership now? They put themselves into a corner.

In fact, what occurred in Ukraine in February 2014 was not an armed coup, and there is no credible evidence that protesters were agents of the United States or any other country. After government snipers and riot police killed dozens of protesters on February 20, a small minority of protesters acquired rudimentary weapons, including so-called traumatic (non-lethal) pistols, air rifles, and hunting rifles. This can be seen even in the photo RT used for this story: the man in the foreground appears to be armed with an air rifle or small-caliber sporting rifle.

None of these weapons proved a match for trained police armed with fully automatic Kalashnikovs and a variety of sniper rifles.

It is also important to remember that only a handful of buildings in the center of Kyiv were ever occupied by protesters, some of which were non-governmental buildings whose owners voluntarily allowed protesters to use their facilities.

The basis for Putins accusation is the February 21 agreement signed between then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and the leaders of the parliamentary opposition parties, whom many saw as leaders of the Maidan protest movement (though this was disputed by many protesters themselves). Putin, like other Russian politicians and media figures, has repeatedly implied that the U.S. somehow exercised control over the protesters, who ignored the agreement and supposedly led an all-out assault to seize power. This is not how events played out.

Protest leaders have said they received phone calls from commanders of individual police units asking for safe passage out of Kyiv, which was granted. In the early morning hours of February 22, Yanukovych left his private residence of Mezhyhirya outside the city by helicopter, bound for Kharkiv in the eastern part of the country. Eyewitnesses said the disappearance of the riot police guarding his residential compound coincided with Yanukovychs flight, with protesters showing up later. Yanukovych traveled from Kharkiv to his native city of Donetsk, then to the Crimea, and wound up in Russia, where he resides to this day.

Rather than being driven from power by a coup, there is evidence suggesting that Viktor Yanukovych was already planning to leave Kyiv before signing the February 21 agreement. Security camera footage shows his staff removing valuables from his Mezhyhirya compound on February 19.

Other security footage shows valuables being removed on February 21, clearly during the day.

The agreement was signed in the evening, when it was already dark in Kyiv. Based on reports at the time, the Ukranian leader said while in Kharkiv that he had not resigned, but it became clear soon after leaving that his party allies had abandoned him. When he failed to leave on a plane from Donetsk airport, he then left by car and made his way to Crimea and later Russia. (see NYT article linked above) Yanukovychs plan to leave was in place before riot police began abandoning their positions.

What is (and isnt) a coup

By definition, a coup detat is when members of a countrys political elite, most often military officers, seize power by force. That is not what happened in Kyiv in 2014. The military played virtually no role, and the only military unit mobilized during these events was ordered to come to Kyiv to help suppress the protesters, not help them. Those personnel were blockaded in their barracks and never made it to the capital.

Viktor Yanukovych was not removed as the result of machinations of his countrys political or military elite. He provoked protests through his own actions (refusing to sign an EU association agreement he had promised for years and then violently cracking down on protesters), and then planned to flee the capital, apparently hoping he could rebuild his power base outside Kyiv until planned December 2014 elections. Instead, his allies abandoned him, and so he abandoned Ukraine.

Later in the RT article, Putin is quoted on the topic of post-Maidan Ukraine.

If they did it a little different, Ukraine would have benefited much more. Our co-operation links would not have been broken. Entire industries in Ukraine would have still existed, Putin said.

What Putin and the RT article neglected to mention is the Russian invasion and annexation of the Crimea and the presence of Russian nationals fighting with separatists of Ukraines Donbas region, which lead to the breakdown in Russian-Ukrainian relations.


CAN INSTC BE A GAME CHANGER FOR INDIAS PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY?

The International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is a network of sea, rail and road routes between India, Iran, Central Asia and Russia which started functioning in 2016, after 16 years since its formation. This 7,200 km extensive network through Irans Chabahar port is Indias golden gate to Central Asia and Europe for trade.



However, factors like logistics, geopolitical conflicts and security constraints need to be taken into consideration for a free flow of trade. (Source: www.financialtribune.com)



International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), is a multi-modal transportation established on 12 September 2000 in St. Petersburg, by Iran, Russia and India for the purpose of promoting transport cooperation among the Member States. This corridor connects the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Islamic Republic of Iran, which further extends to St. Petersburg and North European via the Russian Federation.



The INSTC was expanded to include eleven new members, namely: Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Ukraine, Republic of Belarus, Oman, Syria, Bulgaria (Observer). (http://www.instc-org.ir/Pages/Home_Page.aspx)



Chabahar Port- Indias gateway to Central Asia and Eurasian markets

Historically, Chabahar port holds great importance as it is believed that Alexander the Great used the port in 326 BC when his troops marched towards India and Al Biruni. The Persian scholar used the port to travel to India in 1017. However, modern day Chabahar came into existence in 1970's when Iran realised the value to develop Chabahar into an economic port. The Chabahar port comprises of two separate ports: Shahid Kalantari and Shahid Beheshti.



Indias involvement in the development of Chabahar Port began when Hassan Rouhani, Irans National Security Advisor under President Syed Mohammad Khatami, held discussions with his Indian counterpart, Brajesh Mishra, in the year 2002.)



A few months later, in January 2003, when Irans President Khatami (in picture) visited India as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations, he and the then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee signed on an ambitious roadmap for strategic cooperation. Chabahar was among the key projects agreed upon, which held the potential to link the South Asian subcontinent to the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe.



However, the project did not see daylight because the United States government imposed economic sanctions on Iran. In January 2016, the sanctions were lifted and the deal was on floors again. In May 2016, India and Iran signed the historic agreement to develop two terminals of the Chabahar Port. Twelve Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed between India and Iran. Bilateral contract on Chabahar Port for port development and operations between IPGPL [India Ports Global Private Limited] and Arya Banader of Iran formed a part of the agreement. The contract envisages development and operation for 10 years of two terminals and 5 berths with cargo handling [multipurpose and general] capacities.



The first phase of the Chabahar port on the Gulf of Oman was inaugurated in December 2017 by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, opening a new strategic route connecting Iran, India and Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan, and reflecting growing convergence of interests among the three countries. Chabahar, which is located 72 kilometres west of Pakistans Gwadar port, holds immense strategic and economic significance for India, which has already spent about US$ 100 million to construct a 218 km-long (140 mile-long) road from Delaram in western Afghanistan to Zaranj on the Iran-Afghan border to link up with Chabahar Port. But, to make it a commercially and strategically viable option, Indian policymakers will have to use the Chabahar project as a lynchpin to integrate it with its larger connectivity project  the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC).

INSTC Route The primary aim of International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is to ease and increase trade connectivity between Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku and European countries. The route involves transport of bulk cargo from India to Russia via Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhastan and Turkmenistan with Mumbai as the Southern hub and Moscow, the Northern hub of the route.



The route extends from Mumbai, India to Bandar Abbas in Iran via sea. Bandar Abbas is a sprawling port city on the southern coast of Iran. It extends from Bandar Abbas to Bandar-e-Anzali by road on the Iranian mainland. Bandar-e-Anzali is an Iranian port on the Caspian Sea side. From Bandar-e-Anzali the route extends to Astrakhan by ship across the Caspian Sea.



Astrakhan is a Caspian port in the Russian federation. The city lies on the two banks of the Volga River. From Astrakhan the route extends to other regions of the Russian federation, and further into Europe by the Russian Railways. The NSTC route through Azerbaijan allows India-Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Kazakhstan transport connectivity.4 The primary aim of International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) is to ease and increase trade connectivity between Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku and European countries. The route involves transport of bulk cargo from India to Russia via Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhastan and Turkmenistan with Mumbai as the Southern hub and Moscow, the Northern hub of the route.The route extends from Mumbai, India to Bandar Abbas in Iran via sea. Bandar Abbas is a sprawling port city on the southern coast of Iran. It extends from Bandar Abbas to Bandar-e-Anzali by road on the Iranian mainland. Bandar-e-Anzali is an Iranian port on the Caspian Sea side. From Bandar-e-Anzali the route extends to Astrakhan by ship across the Caspian Sea.Astrakhan is a Caspian port in the Russian federation. The city lies on the two banks of the Volga River. From Astrakhan the route extends to other regions of the Russian federation, and further into Europe by the Russian Railways. The NSTC route through Azerbaijan allows India-Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia-Kazakhstan transport connectivity.4

Prominence of the Bandar Abbas port is proved by the fact that it handles 85% of Irans seaborne trade making the INSTC route an important one as the Chabahar port will be used for shipping.



Currently, Chabahar port has a capacity of 2.5 million tons per annum and can handle cargo ships bigger than 100,000 tons.



Alternative routes like Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran railway and Armenia-Iran Railway are also under consideration to be a part of INSTC. While the Kazakhtastan rail route is already in function, the Armenia rail road project is still on paper.

Economic benefits of INSTC route and Chabahar port

As per the agreement of 2002, the main objective of this route are:

increasing effectiveness of transport ties in order to organise goods and passenger transport along the International NorthSouth transport corridor;

the promotion of access to the international market through rail, road, sea, river and air transport of the state Parties to this agreement; and

providing security of travel and safety of goods

Harmonization of transport policies as well as law and legislative basis in the field of transport for the purpose of implementing this Agreement.5

Boost Connectivity: INSTC will improve the transport connectivity between Russia, Central Asia, Iran and India, and their respective bilateral trade volumes will also increase. The route will deliver the goods from India to Russia within 16-21 days. At present, India uses Rotterdam port or land route via China to Russia for exporting goods. The Suez Canal route which takes 45-60 days is also used. INSTC will boost India's connectivity to Central Asia which has economically viable countries for trade like Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Importance of Central Asian countries for trade:

Afghanistan has been essential for India to fulfil its strategic commitment. But for the route to be economically viable, reaching out to Central Asia becomes imperative, for it is this region which houses the most strategic and high-value minerals including uranium, copper, titanium, ferroalloys, yellow phosphorus, iron ore, rolled metal, propane, butane, zinc, coking coal, etc. For example, Kazakhstan alone wants to increase its non-oil exports by 50 per cent by 2025. And, without a direct transport access, India cannot procure the Central Asian riches needed for its manufacturing economy.



Indias current trade with Central Asia is minimal, at a little over $1 billion and is not growing much. The volume of trade with the region accounts for merely 0.11 per cent of Indias total trade. Similarly, Indias share in Central Asian total trade is only about one per cent. Only by improving transport connectivity can the prospect of commercial ties with the region be enhanced.



For the landlocked countries of Central Asia, Chabahar now becomes the shortest land route option to conduct their maritime trade. So far, they have been relying on seaport facilities in Turkey, Russia, Baltic States, Iran (Bandar Abbas) and China. But, with the opening of Chabahar port, Uzbekistan sought access to the Indian Ocean through a deal with Afghan railways just two days after the Shahid Behesti terminal was inaugurated on December 3.6

Benefits to Petrochemical sector:

India has an interest in gaining a foothold in the free trade zone being developed around the port: in addition to a urea plant, other energy-intensive industries can also be set up in the zone. Proposals for Indian investments in upstream oil and gas exploration have been discussed by Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan during his visits to Tehran.



India is already the worlds fourth largest energy consumer, and its demand for energy is expected to increase significantly. Central Asia has abundant natural resources, including petroleum, natural gasand uranium, which could meet Indias energy needs. Iran was the largest supplier of crude oil in 2016 and the third largest in 2017.



India can benefit from Irans crude oil reserves of 157.8 billion barrels and gas reserves of 1,187.3 trillion cubic feet. Additionally, there is potential to utilize $ 3 trillion worth resources of Afghanistan. India could import energy resources of central Asia from countries like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan having 3.6 billion barrels of oil and gas reserves of 663.8 trillion cubic feet. Kazahkstan holds 679,300 tonnes of Uranium and 33.6 billion tonnes of coal reserves. India could import iron ore from Hajigak mines in Central Afghanistan.



The INSTC will provide India more direct access to Central Asia and Russia. At the same time, it will allow Iran and Azerbaijan to become regional transit hubs. A second factor is the creation of regional supply chainsor a consumer-producer network across Eurasia that seeks to reverse, in time, the traditional model of the East as producer and the West as consumer.

Importance of European market to India

Indias long-standing historical and cultural links with Europe are reflected in the legal and constitutional foundations of the country and in the widespread use of English as the core commercial and elite language.



Trade is the main driver for the EU-India relationship. Indias total goods trade with the EU in 2015 stood at a value of  78 billion, making India EUs ninth biggest trading partner, after South Korea. Adding trade in services does not change the picture much: in 2014, the last year for which these data are available, India remains ninth, sandwiched between South Korea above and Brazil below. In that year it was a larger trading partner for the EU28 than was Canada.



Collectively the EU28 are Indias largest trading partner (merchandise trade only). Indian sources cite Germany, Belgium and the UK as the principal country partners. Indias protracted negotiations with the EU on a broad-based trade and investment treaty (BTIA) made little progress at the recent Brussels summit. While India runs a sizeable trade deficit globally, its merchandise trade with the EU remains evenly balanced but has been stagnating in line with Europes recent sluggish growth. Indias relative dynamism as a services exporter is also not reflected in its trade with the EU.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has been in constant pursuit to improve the trade relations under Broad-based Trade & Investment Agreement (BTIA). At the 14th India-EU Summit, agreements were made on solar, rail and research projects. However, the topic of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was stalled. It is expected that 2018 will be the year of change as Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Suresh Prabhu (in picture) visited London in January 2018 and exchanged ideas. Chabahar port will be an important part of exchange of goods between the two countries if the FTA is approved.

Iran- Indias important crude oil trading partner

Bilateral trade between the two countries is deep-rooted and dates back to thousands of years. Iran's economic relations with the South Asian country have long been tied with crude oil. India bought a monthly average of 450,000 bpd of Iranian oil during January-August 2017. Indias scheduled crude oil loadings from Iran, excluding condensate, an ultra-light oil, were about 550,000 bpd in December 2017, up 78% from November.



India's investment in Iran's strategic port of Chabahar is expected to give a boost to bilateral trade, besides expanding India's trade with Afghanistan and energy-rich Central Asia by circumventing Pakistan. Chabahar Port, located in Sistan-Baluchestan Province on the energy-rich Persian Gulf nations southern

coast, lies outside the Persian Gulf and can be easily accessed from Indias western coast, bypassing Pakistan. The port is likely to ramp up trade involving India, Afghanistan and Iran in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi for trade with the two countries.



Other investments include an Indo-Iran joint venture to set up a gas based urea manufacturing plant. State-run Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals (GSFC) announced that it was exploring the possibility of setting up an ammonia-urea plant in Iran.



In the long term, India and Iran are discussing building a gas pipeline between the two countries along the bed of the Arabian Sea to bypass Pakistan, using the Chabahar port. A 1,300-km undersea pipeline from Iran, avoiding Pakistani waters, can bring natural gas from the Persian Gulf to India at rates less than the price of Liquefied Natural Gas available in the spot market.



Natural gas imported through the over $4 billion line would cost $5-5.50 per million British thermal unit at the Indian coast, cheaper than the rate at which some of the domestic fields supply gas. LNG imported through ships costs about $7.50 per mmBtu. South Asia Gas Enterprise Pvt Ltd (SAGE)the firm wanting to lay the undersea linesaid the pipeline can first travel to Oman, and then onwards to Porbandar in Gujarat. The cost of landed gas through an undersea pipeline will be at least $2 cheaper than importing LNG, saving about $1 billion annually.



Essar Oil has doubled the oil import from Iran in December 2017. The Chabahar port is the key mode for trade.

INSTC vs. OBOR

Touted as Chinese President Xi Jinpings ambitious project, the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe.



The emphasis is on enhancing land as well as maritime routes. The policy is significant for China since it aims to boost domestic growth in the country. OBOR is also a part of Chinas strategy for economic diplomacy.



Inspired by the Silk Road, the medieval trade routes between Europe and Asia, the OBOR project will be a vast network of sea and land routes across dozens of countries. It will impact 4.4 billion people.

China is said to be spending $1 trillion on it. It is not one project but six major routes which will include several railways line, roads, ports and other infrastructure. China claims these economic corridors will not only build infrastructure in countries that cannot afford to do it themselves but also boost global trade.



About 80 percent of the world trade is carried out by sea-borne routes. The South Asian region has great significance since it is located in an area where most of the worlds sea trade occurs. Rapid changes are underway in this region namely, development of the Gwadar Port and the Chabahar port. The key stakeholders of the two sister ports are China, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Gwadar is the worlds only warm water deep sea port and will provide ingress in Indian Ocean where about 70% of worlds oil trade passes annually. Gwadar port offers access to the Central Asian Republics (CARs), Middle East and the oil rich Gulf States. Chabahar port is 72Km away from Gwadar and it is central to Indian desire to have access to Afghanistan and CARs.

On the other hand, INSTC route is India's master plan. If India intends to use Chabahar, China has the nearby Gwadar port, which it has leased from Pakistan for 40 years. Gwadar port through the CPEC (China- Pakistan Economic Corridor) will connect China to Kashgar on its western border. The main reason behind Indias opposition towards the policy is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of OBOR. Under INSTC, IRCON International, the wholly owned subsidiary of Indian Railways, is constructing a railway line from Chabahar to Zahedan, which will be linked to Iran's domestic rail network. Iran has already completed the road from Chabahar to Zahedan, which in turn will connect with the road from Zaranj to Delaram, two important urban centres in Afghanistan, which India built in 2009. However, there are various areas where China is a reason of distress to India.



In 2017, India's trade with the five key Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan - has been a mere S1.6 billion. These markets are dominated by Chinese, Russian and European products, but India believes its trade can increase manifold if it can build convenient trade routes.

Conclusion

The potential of the INSTC corridor will be manifold for India if linked further with South-east Asian countries. This can boost trade between Europe and South-east Asia as well.



The first dry run was conducted in August 2014 by the Federation of Freight Forwarders Association in India (FFFAI). The dry run report stated, The proposed INSTC route via Bandar Abbas in Iran to Russia and CIS (commonwealth of independent states) destination in transit through Iran, could be the best route with optimal transit/cost for Indian exporters/importers.

India, which offers a huge market for the supplying countries, has been diversifying its sourcing countries in recent years to reduce payment of high 'Asian premium' to the OPEC countries. Oil imports from non-OPEC nations like US, Canada, Russia and Kazakhstan increased in 2017.



India and Kazakhstan have discussed deepening cooperation in oil and gas sector. ONGC Videsh Ltd owns a 25 per cent stake in the Satpayev oilfield in the Caspian Sea. The expansion of INSTC by linking it to the Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran rail link will boost trade between the countries.



Iran is trying to recover from the time it lost when international sanctions were imposed. They have ambitious plans to invest in the petrochemical industry and boost the production of crude oil, methanol, ethylene, propylene and other chemicals using new technologies. Being one of the largest exporters of crude oil to India, more production in Iran would mean cheaper prices of goods from Iran. Competitiveness in the market is also a concern as China is coming up with new technologies and import of cheap US shale is increasing. The INSTC is the perfect route for trade to flourish.



Chabahar coupled with INSTC can indeed be a game changer for India's strategic and economic goals in the Eurasian region. It will be a win-win proposition for all countries. All countries need to act in unison -- Iran, Afghanistan, India, Russia, and Central Asian States for the success of the project.





Disclaimer
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Rain this morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 78F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 73F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%.
We want to clarify that I, in my official capacity as Napa County assessor, have no involvement in the assessment of the family parcels. Napa County has adopted an employee-owned property procedure in conformity with state law which prohibits any employee of the Assessor Division from participating in the valuation of his or her own property.

In conformity with this policy, appropriate staff assess the value of our family parcels, and these values are then reviewed by the chief appraiser before being enrolled.

In order to resolve this issue to the Grand Jurys and the publics satisfaction, my sister and I respectfully suggest that the Attorney General refer this matter to the California Board of Equalization for review and proposed action. BOE staff already review property owned by elected county assessors in each of Californias 58 counties as part of the BOE assessment survey program.

During the most recent Napa County survey in November and December 2011, the BOE survey team visited this same parcel to confirm the accuracy of a new construction assessment.
The Charleston County School Board voted 7-1 to keep an all-boys charter school open after a six-hour hearing with school officials Tuesday night.

Prestige Preparatory Academy, which opened in the fall of 2016, faced a threat of closure due to low enrollment, financial difficulties and poor academic performance. The board voted to keep the school open with several conditions:

The school's leaders will have to submit their current financial data by the end of the week, a revised budget by May 1, and an academic plan for each student as well as a plan to increase enrollment to 85 students by June 30.

According to Alice Paylor, the attorney who represented the school district in the revocation hearing, Prestige started the 2017-18 fiscal year with a $45,647 deficit and a $50,000 bank loan that it had only paid interest on.

Paylor also painted a grim picture of the school's academics based on standardized test scores from the school's first year-and-a-half of operation.

"Some of them are moving forward a little bit," Paylor said of the students. "Very few of them are moving forward at the pace they should be moving, and some of them are actually falling behind."

Prestige Prep officials acknowledged that the school had a difficult first year in 2016-17, including near-total staff turnover and an enrollment drop-off that hurt the school financially due to the per-pupil funding formula for charter schools.

They also presented a plan for fixing their problems.

The school's staff members have agreed to a reduction in pay to help balance the budget, according to Executive Director Joyce Coleman. The school is talking with Word of Life Ministries about using part of the church's North Charleston campus as a facility at a reduced rental rate. Board member Willi Glee is spearheading a fundraising effort, and the school is posting flyers and recruiting students for next school year.

Academically, Coleman and her colleagues pleaded for a chance to prove themselves where other North Charleston schools have struggled for years.

Jahbrisha Pennick, the mother of a fifth-grader at Prestige, addressed the board in a video. She said the school supports her son in ways their previous school did not.

"Parents like me were scared of the future because of the options that were available to them. This has opened up such a major opportunity for our boys and our community," Pennick said.

After five-and-a-half hours of testimony and cross-examination, the board left the room to discuss its decision behind closed doors. Prestige Prep's supporters gathered in a circle to pray.

The board returned and voted not to revoke the school's charter. Todd Garrett cast a dissenting vote, and Priscilla Jeffery was absent.

Board member Michael Miller said the school deserved more time to prove itself academically, just as principals and superintendents have asked for in the past.

"When you look at where we are in the district as it pertains to serving students just like they're serving, we have not historically served that subgroup well," Miller said.
She added, This is what I believe: That the deaths of Jennifer, and Christine, and Jennifer and her baby, and Albert on Friday were not Gods will, or a part of Gods plan. They were the outcome of a very complex and multi-layered story of the brokenness of this world, of which we are all a part. But God is also a part of that story. God never stops loving, God never stops working, nothing can stop the movement toward transformation, healing, resurrection  God is not done with this story yet. And we are all a part of that story, both the brokenness, and the healing.

Galbraith statement

On Saturday, St. Helena Mayor Alan Galbraith released the following statement: The City of St. Helena is devastated by the deaths of the three accomplished professionals at the Veterans Home of California. Our pain is especially acute because one of the victims was an admired resident of our city. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Christine Loeber, Jen Golick, and Jennifer Gonzales, their friends, co-workers, the Town of Yountville, and the entire Veterans Home community.

At Tuesdays City Council meeting, Councilmember Paul Dohring thanked first responders and offered St. Helenas love and prayer to the Town of Yountville, the Veterans Home community, and the families, friends and co-workers of the victims.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 11:40:14

Press Information

Coherent Market Insights

1001 4th Ave,



#3200



Mr Shah

CEO

2067016702

email

http://www.coherentmarketinsights.com





# 729 Words

1001 4th Ave,#3200CEO2067016702

Sterilization devices are of a significant value as they ensure the absolute destruction and elimination of all forms of microbes. Autoclave is a majorly used sterilization device as it uses high temperature steam to sterilize a variety of solids and liquids. It is an effective, non-toxic and inexpensive method. The benefits offered were soon apparent and eventually it became an invaluable and integral part of every hospital and private clinic. Autoclaves are built to operate at high temperature range of 121-1450C, which enables steam to infiltrate materials and effectively decontaminate it. Autoclaves provide a number of display features for cycle documentation. These displays work in tandem with one another to specify how temperatures change based on treatment times. Autoclave equipment provides a benefit of exhaust fan features that function to dry decontaminated materials and evaporate moisture. These benefits of autoclaves are likely to drive the global autoclave market during the forecast period.Research and development laboratories, pharmaceuticals & healthcare, tattooing & body piercing, veterinary science, rubber vulcanization in chemical industry are some of the common application areas.Low capital Investment, high returns leads to the growth of Autoclave Equipment Market:One of the prominent factor driving the autoclave equipment market is the increase in the number of surgeries and endoscopic procedures. For instance, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in U.S. as of 2015 states that 46.5 million surgeries and 5 million endoscopies are performed every year which require sterilization of the devices post-surgery. The Autoclave Equipment Market has witnessed growth over the years as it require low capital investment for installation, and is more efficient than other sterilizing equipment. The World Health Organization states that 7 out of 100 hospitalized patients acquire hospital acquired infection at any given time and one third of the ICU patients acquire hospital acquired infections (HAIs) due to the presence of a non-sterile environment in 2011. The Journal of the Royal Society Interface stated that more than 44 million cases of infectious diseases were reported globally between 1980- 2013. The global rise in the number of hospital-acquired infections and diseases, huge surge in surgical procedures has resulted in stringent safety regulations, leading to an increase in the demand for sterilization equipment in healthcare facilities.Get The Holistic SAMPLE With TOC:Technological advancement in autoclave equipment could be a dominating trend in near future:With the advancement in technology, the improvised version of autoclaves introduced in the markets are smarter and flexible to function with minimum human input. They reduce functioning complexities and allow accurate monitoring. The autoclaves can be easily synced with the devices and instruments. This improved connectivity enables easy monitoring of equipment.Regional Segmentation and Statistics based on the growth of global steam autoclave market:Regional segmentation of the autoclave equipment market by Coherent market Insights comprises North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Slowest market growth was observed in Europe due to the economic instabilities in certain countries. The growth of the chemical sector in Eastern Europe is a major source of demand of autoclaves. According to the World Health Organization, 180,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in Nigeria in 2015, which has led to the emergence of largest and most promising markets in Nigeria. The boost in South African autoclave market is due to 78% increase in research laboratories. The demand for autoclaves over the next five years is due to the increase in the number of medical and healthcare facilities in other West African countries.Adoption of various sterilization technique to develop autoclave equipment by Danaher can boost the company revenueThe leading players of autoclave equipment market industry include Danaher, PerkinElmer, Tecan Group and Thermo Fisher. Other prominent vendors in the autoclave equipment market are: Siemens Healthcare, Abbott Diagnostics, Agilent Technologies, Aurora Biomed, Becton, bioMerieux, Biotek Instruments, Eppendorf, Brooks Automation, CernerHamilton Storage Technologies, LabVantage Solutions, Labware, Olympus, Qiagen.Get More Details On this Report:Catch us at 3rd International Conference on Separation + Drying Technologies for Milk & Whey at Cologne, March 19 and 20, 2018About 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
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 03:17:03

Press Information

Te Wananga o Aotearoa

Dynaspeak Level 10, 238 Queen Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand







0800 355 553

email

https://www.twoa.ac.nz/



Published by

Cam Wilkes

006499503888

e-mail

' ' . c2c_truncate_link("www.pureseo.co.nz", "0", "", ".") . ''







# 349 Words

Dynaspeak Level 10, 238 Queen Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand0800 355 553Cam Wilkes006499503888

Most social workers, nurses, educators and others working in the caring professions received their training through a typical western education system. To succeed in this system, cultural beliefs are often set aside. Now, Te Rangimaria Warbrick wants to bring those cultural beliefs back to the forefront of what they do.Te Rangimaria is the kaiako for the Kaitiakitanga: Postgraduate Diploma in Bicultural Professional Supervision programme, offered by Te Wananga o Aotearoa in Tauranga for the first time in 2018. The programme teaches students how to make a positive difference as kaitiaki/supervisors by effectively working alongside whanau, hapu, iwi and communities.The unique programme uses matauranga Maori as the core of its supervision curriculum in a range of different disciplines. Te Rangimaria  Rangitane, Ngati Rangitihi - says the concept of kaitiakitanga differs from supervision in that it incorporates a Maori worldview. Kaitiakitanga transcends supervision, he says. We operate from a Maori perspective and Maori working in hauora often have the ability to look at things from a bicultural viewpoint. He says students will develop their own kaitiakitanga framework. That comes from their own cultural knowledge and understanding. Te Rangimaria has more than 20 years experience working in the addiction and health services area, after beginning his own recovery journey through the Taha Maori programme at Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer in 1992. That was a life changing transformation and it got me interested in the use of culture in the healing process from addiction. It also set me on a journey of giving back to the kaupapa. He holds a Masters in Philosophy, Bachelor of Education and Diploma in Teaching and says his own journey has been a good filter to what I was being told. I enjoy putting that knowledge to use in the community. He says the programme is ideal for people moving into leadership roles who want to create their own conceptual frameworks and apply them in their mahi.For more information on online courses NZ, distance learning NZ and learning Maori please go to www.twoa.ac.nz
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 13:03:01

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET.CN) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (FKT:GJT) is pleased to announce that it is setting up a new office in London, U.K., to explore opportunities for its technology in the U.K. and across Europe.

A long-standing global capital of finance, commerce, and innovation, London is a natural fit for bringing Glance's leading-edge mobile payments platforms to the European and global marketplaces. By expanding Glance's footprint there - the city is already home to Glance Coin CDO Zeeshan Mallick and key advisor Dinis Guarda - Glance will be on the doorstep of not only FinTech and crypto thought leaders, but also some of the world's most active mobile payments users: as of 2016, 74 per cent of British consumers use mobile payments,1 while 68 percent of Europeans are also used to the technology.2

London was once again ranked the #1 Financial Centre in the world in the latest Global Financial Centres Index in September 2017.3 Additionally, London is a very active centre for cryptocurrencies, one of the most bitcoin-friendly cities in the world, based on the number of outlets accepting bitcoin payments,4 and home to several of the most prominent and most well attended blockchain conferences in the world, such as Blockchain Expo Global.

"Given its central importance to both the FinTech and crypto communities, its proximity to fast-growing mobile payment markets across Europe, and the fact it's already home to some of our key team members, opening this office is a natural next step in our expansion plans," says Glance CEO Desmond Griffin. "During the years growing my former venture, PayByPhone, London was one of the biggest, most active centres for our business globally, so I know first-hand the great opportunities this city presents."

Glance will be looking to expand its existing U.K. and European network through new partnerships, while also exploring the launch of its Glance Merchant, Glance Pay and Glance Coin products into the European markets.

If you are interested in finding out about business opportunities with Glance in the U.K. and across Europe, please email Zeeshan Mallick at europe@glancepay.com.

________________________

1 Visa Europe. "Mobile Payments Soar as Europe Embraces New Ways to Pay." Oct. 12, 2016. https://www.visaeurope.com/media/pdf/40172.pdf

2 Visa Europe. "Mobile Money Takes Off as 77% of Europeans Use their Phones to Bank and Make Everyday Payments." Sept. 27, 2017. https://www.visaeurope.com/newsroom/news/mobile-money-takes-off-as-77-of-europeans-use-their-phones-to-bank-and-make-everyday-payments

3 Z/Yen Partners. "Global Financial Centres Index 22." September 2017. http://www.longfinance.net/images/GFCI22_Report.pdf

4 Crypto Coin Network. "The Top 10 (or 11) Bitcoin-Friendly Cities." Jan. 16, 2016. https://www.ccn.com/top-10-11-bitcoin-friendly-cities/

About Glance Technologies Inc.

Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to shop, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards and interact with merchants. Glance offers targeted in-app marketing, geo-targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in iOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large-scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning-fast payment processing. Glance has also recently purchased an end-to-end blockchain solution and is working on a rewards-based cryptocurrency intended to be integrated into the Glance Pay app.

For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech.

For more information, contact:

investors@glancepay.com

1-866-258-1249

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: "may", "believe", "thinks", "expect", "exploring", "expand", "could", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "pursue", "potentially", "projected", "should", "will" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to the discussion of Glance's business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, margins, sales, new products, new licensing arrangements, potential acquisitions, use of proceeds, expenses, profitability, liquidity and capital resources and to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the most recent Annual Information Form and Prospectus of Glance, which may be accessed through Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Glance Technologies Inc. via Globenewswire


The Napa County grand jury filed court papers Thursday, March 8 ordering the district attorney to initiate legal action against Assessor John Tuteur to recover what it says are about $20,000 in back taxes.

Tuteur learned of the action that afternoon.

I am happy to have the State Board of Equalization or staff from an assessors office in any California county review the challenged assessment, Tuteur said.

The challenged assessment was done by staff working independently and reviewed by the chief appraiser, Tuteur said. An Assessors Office procedure report said this method is used to ensure employee property assessments are done with integrity.

The issue involves property on Green Valley Road that John and Mary Tuteur leased for a cell tower site to Transmission Agency of Northern California from about 1992 through 2016, the court papers said. Cell tower rental income was to be capitalized for property tax assessments.

The Napa County assessor failed to capitalize the rental income correctly from 2008-2015 and the property was under-assessed, the court papers said. In 2016, the assessor discovered the error and attempted to correct the assessment for 2016.

But, the court papers said, the assessor failed to correct the error for 2008-2015. The grand jury says the Tuteurs may owe the county about $20,000 for those tax years, plus interest and any applicable penalties.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 09:03:01

FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GridGain Systems, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite(TM), today announced it is expanding its management team to keep pace with surging demand for its in-memory computing solutions. Tim Carley has been named managing director of EMEA and will head up sales and customer operations across the entire EMEA region. Lalit Ahuja has been named vice president of Professional Services and will lead GridGain's expanding global professional services organization.

According to Gartner's Predicts 2018: In-Memory Computing Technologies Remain Pervasive as Adoption Grows*, "By 2019, 75 percent of cloud-native application development will utilize in-memory computing or services that use in-memory computing, thus enabling mainstream developers to implement high-scale/high-performance applications" and "by 2021, at least 25 percent of large and global organizations will adopt platforms combining multiple in-memory technologies to reduce their in-memory computing infrastructure complexity." In 2017, GridGain, a clear leader in delivering in-memory computing technologies, saw sales surge by 84 percent compared to 2016 and grew the company's headcount by 73 percent.

"Initiatives related to digital transformation, omnichannel marketing, and real-time regulatory compliance are generating an insatiable demand for high performance and scalability that can be met only with a comprehensive in-memory computing platform," said Abe Kleinfeld, President and CEO of GridGain. "To meet this demand, we are expanding our operations across the organization, and we are excited to bring Lalit and Tim aboard. Their experience in growing larger organizations will be vital to our success moving forward."

Prior to joining GridGain, Tim Carley, who is based in France, spent four years at Numerix as the managing director for EMEA, where he transformed and diversified the business from a pricing analytics firm to a leading enterprise-wide risk company, leading an aggressive business strategy to accompany the development of a new risk management platform. The successful diversification strategy led to 15 major projects in just 24 months. Prior to Numerix, he was the vice president of EMEA for FRSGlobal, a Wolters Kluwer company, where he grew the risk management business by 50 percent. Carley also held a variety of positions at DataSynapse Inc., Sungard and Reuters. Carley holds a BA in International Business Studies from ESSEC BBA Paris, France.

Based in Toronto, Canada, Lalit Ahuja has a long track record of successfully influencing organizational change and defining technology strategies. Prior to joining GridGain, he was the vice president of global professional services at Akana, Inc., where he grew the professional services team by more than 250 percent while defining the company's professional services methodology and portfolio. Before Akana, Ahuja was the head of enterprise architecture & IT strategy at First American Financial Corporation, where he successfully ensured the corporate IT infrastructure was aligned with the organization's strategic business goals. Prior to that, he was the chief enterprise architect at Pacific Life. Ahuja has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Master of Science degree from Iowa State University.

*Gartner, "Predicts 2018: In-Memory Computing Technologies Remain Pervasive as Adoption Grows," Fabrizio Biscotti et al, 22 December 2017.

About GridGain Systems

GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite(TM). GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom and other major sectors, with a client list that includes Barclays, ING, Sberbank, Finastra, IHS Markit, Workday, and Huawei. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers (RDBMS, NoSQL and Apache Hadoop), requiring no rip-and-replace of the existing databases, or it can be deployed as an in-memory transactional SQL database. GridGain is the most comprehensive in-memory computing platform for high-volume ACID transactions, real-time analytics, web-scale applications and HTAP. For more information, visit gridgain.com.

CONTACT:

Terry Erisman

GridGain Systems

terisman@gridgain.com

(650) 241-2281

GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, and Ignite are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 13:30:32

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Kapuskasing Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:KAP). has issued a press release with the following headline:Kapuskasing Terminates Letter of Intent with Minfocus for the Daniels Harbour Zinc Property, Newfoundland and LabradorTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Kapuskasing Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Kapuskasing Gold Corp.Source: Kapuskasing Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: KAP)Date: March 14, 2018Time: 8:30 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Kapuskasing Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2018 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
Medical Device Technologies Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023

Medical Device Technologies Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 13:53:49

Press Information

Precision Business Insights

Kemp House, 152  160 City Road, London EC1V 2NX



Satya

Lead Marketing

+1-866-598-1553

email

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com





# 615 Words

Kemp House, 152  160 City Road, London EC1V 2NXLead Marketing+1-866-598-1553

An article, instrument, apparatus or machine that is used in prevention, diagnosis or treatment of illness or disease, or for detecting, measuring, restoring, correcting or modifying the structure or function of the body for some health purpose is known as medical device. Typically, the purpose of a medical device is not achieved by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means. Medical devices requires maintenance, calibration, user training, decommissioning and repair which are predominantly handled by the clinical engineers. Medical devices are used for certain purposes of treatment, rehabilitation and diagnosis of diseases or injuries, may be used alone or in association with any other accessories, consumables or other medical equipment.Increase in advanced technologies, rise and prevalence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and COPD are expected to create demand for medical device technologies market. Rise in aging population, high need of preventive healthcare, rise in awareness about health concerns and changes in lifestyles of people are few factors which are expected to propel growth of global medical devices technologies market. However, stringent government regulations, increased taxes on the products, increase in technology piracy incidence rate, rise in cost of devices and services are restraints of the market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Medical device technologies market is segmented on basis of type of devices, application, end users and geographical regions.Based on the type of devices, the global medical device technologies market is segmented Neuro stimulators Insulin pumps Passive implants Orthopaedic implants Cochlear implants Pacemakers Cardiac devices Kidney devices Endoscopy devices Diagnostic and imaging devices OthersBased on the application, the global medical device technologies market is segmented Disease diagnosis Identification Prevention ImagingBased on the end user, the global medical device technologies market is segmented Diagnostic centres Multi-speciality hospitals Ambulatory surgical centres Research centresTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @The medical device technologies market is expected to show significance growth during the foresee period due to huge unmet needs in the healthcare sector. Currently, many clinics and hospitals are positioning automatic processes to diminish errors and also to achieve fast and accurate data analysis. Medical device companies are spending huge amounts of investments for quality product development and to enhance product portfolio by developing respiratory products, medical imaging devices, orthopaedic implants, vascular drug-eluting stents microelectronics, bio-materials etc.Need more information about this report @Medical Device Technologies Market is segmented as North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. North America followed by Europe, are the dominating market medical device technologies market owing to advancements in the technologies, and the region is being residence for the many major companies. Asia-Pacific is accounted as emerging region due to robust growth in economy forecasted in some of the Asian countries such as Japan, China, India and Malaysia. As per china pharmaceutical materials association medical device branch, Chinas medical devices market size is anticipated to $48Mn by 2015 and according to statistics from china chamber of commerce for export and import of medicines and health products (CCCMHPIE) the export and import value of medical equipment of china has reached $34 Bn in 2013.Some of the players in global medical device technologies market are Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S), Abbott Laboratories, Inc. (U.S), bioMerieux, Inc. (France), Biomerica, Inc.(USA) , Novartis AG(Switzerland), Olympus Corporation (Japan), Johnson & Johnson Diagnostics, Inc. (USA), Qiagen N.V. (Geramany), Siemens AG (Germany), and Thermo Fischer Scientific, Inc. (USA).Get access to full summary @Email: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 02:13:35

Core Net Profit increases by 31.9% to RMB310.4 Million, with Core Net Profit Margin Achieving at 65.0%;Expands School Network, Forays into the High School EducationHONG KONG, Mar 13, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Minsheng Education Group Company Limited ("Minsheng Education" or the "Group," Stock code: 1569) has announced its audited annual results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017 ("Period under Review").Financial Highlights- Revenue increased by 7.4% to RMB477.8 million (FY2016: RMB445.0 million)- Gross profit grew by 7.8% to RMB278.7 million (FY2016: RMB258.6 million). Gross profit margin improved to 58.3% (FY2016: 58.1%)- Core net profit increased by 31.9% to RMB 310.4 million (FY2016: RMB235.3 million). Core net profit margin increased to 65.0% (FY2016: 52.9%)- Annual net profit increased by 4.4% to RMB 260.9million (FY2016: RMB249.7 million)- Basic earnings per share were RMB6.86 cents (FY2016: RMB8.00 cents)Minsheng Education recorded a revenue of RMB 477.8 million for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017, increasing by approximately 7.4% when compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Gross profit rose by 7.8% to approximately RMB278.7 million, with gross profit margin up to approximately 58.3%. Net profit was approximately RMB 260.8 million, rising by 4.4% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year. Excluding the listing-related expenses, unrealized exchange loss and share option expenses, the core net profit surged by 31.9% to RMB310.4 million as core net profit margin grew to 65.0%. Basic earnings per share amounted to RMB6.86 cents. The Board does not recommend an annual dividend for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017.Mr. Li Xuechun, Chairman of Minsheng Education, said, "Minsheng Education intends to expand its school network and increase its market penetration and its market share in private higher education sector in the PRC. The management team will identify and evaluate potential acquisition target across China to solidify our position as one of the largest private provider of formal higher education in China, thus enhancing the value of the Group, further consolidate and expand the Group's competitive advantage to create long term and high value returns to shareholders." Business ReviewActively Expands School NetworkThe Group had an aggregate of 41,120 students enrolled at 5 schools that it owned and operated as at 31 December 2017, namely, Chongqing College of Humanities, Science and Technology, Pass College of Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing Vocational College of Applied Technology, Inner Mongolia Fengzhou Vocational College (Qingcheng Branch) and Chongqing Electronic Information College. Besides, Laoling Minsheng Secondary Vocational School, the sixth school of the Group, is expected to enroll its first batch of students in September 2018. In addition, the People's Government of Laoling (the"Laoling Government") and Bureau of Education of Laoling have entrusted the management and operation of Laoling Secondary Vocational and Technical School to Laoling Minsheng Secondary Vocational School.In November 2017, Chongqing Yuecheng Zhiyuan Education Technology Co., Ltd. ("Chongqing Yuecheng"), a consolidated affiliated entity of the Company, signed an agreement to increase capital in Chongqing Electronic Information College. Pursuant to the agreement, Chongqing Yuecheng would make a capital contribution of RMB125 million to Chongqing Electronic Information College, increasing its stake in operation of the college to 51%, and all procedures concerned were completed in February 2018.On 12 February 2018, Chongqing Jierui Education Technology Co., Ltd. ("Jierui"), a company designated by the Company, entered into an agreement and a supplemental agreement (collectively, the"Laoling Agreements") with the People's Government of Laoling (the"Laoling Government") in relation to the proposed establishment of Laoling Senior High School Affiliated with Minsheng Education Group (the "Minsheng Laoling High School"). The establishment of the Minsheng Laoling High School represents the Group's step in expanding the scope of its businesses into the high school market in the PRC.Growing of teacher qualificationsAs at 31 December 2017, the number of school teachers has increased by approximately 286 or approximately 26%. At the same time, the Group has recruited more experienced personnel in various positions. The Group has implemented a job competition mechanism for mid-level management staff in its Pass College of Chongqing Technology and Business University and Chongqing Vocational College of Applied Technology.Upgrade and transformation of teaching facilitiesThe Group has further improved the teaching conditions in 2017. Chongqing College of Humanities, Science and Technology has recently built the Innovation and Entrepreneurship College and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Base; Chongqing College of Humanities, Science and Technology and Chongqing Vocational College of Applied Technology have refurbished their stadiums, student apartments in Pass College of Chongqing Technology and Business University and Chongqing Vocational College of Applied Technology have configured new facilities, and Shandong Laoling Minsheng Secondary Vocational School has finished the new campus planning, and has started the basic construction.OutlookSeek acquisition opportunities and formulate organic growth strategyGoing forward, the Group will expand its school numbers and student sizes through mergers and acquisitions and internal growth. It will explore the investment opportunities in independently organized ordinary undergraduate higher education institutions; independent colleges with preliminary conditions to be converted to independently organized ordinary undergraduate higher education institutions; higher vocational (junior) colleges with preliminary conditions to be upgraded to independently organized ordinary undergraduate higher education institutions; and specialized secondary colleges and high schools.Expand into the high school market and extend its presence in the international teaching arenaThe Group will expand the scope of business into the high school market in the PRC through the establishment of high schools and mergers and acquisitions of high schools with both good brand name and good quality. To expand the internationalised school operation, the Group will choose universities with both good brand name and good quality in Europe and the United States as its acquisition targets. It will set up a marketing department and an international college in each school to carry out a variety of models of cooperation in operating schools and cooperate with famous international universities to carry out network teaching.The Group will gradually expand the teaching-by-network scope and together with its campuses achieve effective information management and services to improve the centralised management, the Group's schools share courses with a high level of high-quality teacher resources and logistics supply, including the implementation of a unified tender and procurement for large amounts procurement, and for building construction, aimed at strengthening management.
Molecular Diagnostics Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023

Molecular Diagnostics Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 14:04:17

Press Information

Precision Business Insights

Kemp House,





152  160 City Road,





London EC1V 2NX



Satya

Lead Marketing

+1-866-598-1553

email

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com





# 669 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXLead Marketing+1-866-598-1553

Molecular diagnostics are the tests that are carried out for the detection of sequences present in the DNA and RNA including deletions, insertions, rearrangements, single nucleotide polymorphism, and others for the diagnosis of diseases. Molecular diagnostics are cumulative techniques analyze the biological markers at molecular level, like proteome and genome. Molecular diagnostics are commonly used in the diagnosis of cancer, infectious diseases, and others. These are also used in the genetic predisposition checking to a disease.Increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases and various cancers, rise in demand for personalized medicines, technological advancements in the diagnostic tests, and rise in the preference for biomarker identification tests are anticipated to fuel the molecular diagnostics market. Moreover, rise in geriatric population, increase in healthcare expenditure, developed healthcare infrastructure, and favourable government initiatives for preventing the genetic disorders are also expected to boost the molecular diagnostics market over the forecast period. However, stringent regulatory policies, high cost for testing, issues with quality control, and lack of reimbursement policies for the diagnosis might restrain the growth of molecular diagnostics market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Molecular diagnostics market is segmented on the basis of product type, technology, application, and end userBased on the product type, molecular diagnostics market is segmented into the following: Reagents Kits Instruments SoftwareBased on technology, molecular diagnostics market is segmented into the following: Polymerase chain reaction Microarray Next generation sequencing Isothermal nucleic acid amplification Hybridization OthersBased on the application, molecular diagnostics market is segmented into the following: Caner Blood screening Infectious diseases Microbiology Genetic tests OthersBased on the end user, molecular diagnostics market is segmented into the following: Hospitals Diagnostic centres Research institutes OthersTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Molecular diagnostics market is in the developing stage owing to increase in the prevalence of cancer, infectious disease such as HIV (according to World Health Organisation, global health observatory (GHO) data, in 2013, approximately 34-38 million people suffered from HIV infection worldwide), and hepatitis among others. Rise in research activities for the prevention of genetic disorders also fuels the molecular diagnostics market. Acquisitions & mergers, collaborations, and innovation of novel diagnostic methods are some key strategies followed by companies for increasing their revenue in the molecular diagnostics market. For instance, in August 2015, Roche Diagnostics has acquired GeneWeave Biosciences, Inc. for strengthening its portfolio in microbiology diagnostics. Moreover, in April 2015, Alere Inc. received FDA approval for Alere I Strep, a molecular diagnostic test for the detection of Group A Streptococcus bacteria.Need more information about this report @Geographically, global molecular diagnostics market has been segmented into following regions Viz. North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Increase in the prevalence of various infectious diseases, rise in the government funding for the research in molecular diagnostics, wide range of applications, and availability of skilled workforce in North America anticipated to create dominant for molecular diagnostics in the region. Europe molecular diagnostics market is growing significantly owing to well-developed healthcare infrastructure, initiatves for the prevention of genetic disorders, and increase the number of biotechnological companies are driving the molecular diagnostics market. Moreover, rise in geriatric population in Japan China, and India, and increase in the prevalence of infectious diseases and cancer in Asia Pacific has created lucrative growth for molecular diagnostics market in the region.Some of the players in molecular diagnostics market are Cepheid Inc. (Danaher Corporation) (U.S.), Biomerieux (Sofiana s.a.) (France), Beckman Coulter, Inc. (Danaher Corporation) (U.S.), Becton, Dickinson and Company (U.S.), Siemens Healthcare GmbH (Germany), Abbott Laboratories (U.S.), Grifols (Spain), Hologic, Inc. (U.S.), Qiagen (U.S.), Alere Inc. (U.S.), Roche Diagnostics (U.S.), and DiaSorin S.p.A. (American Standard Companies) (Italy) to name a few.Get access to full summary @Email: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com
Fact.MR

PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 16:05:16

Press Information

Fact.MR

Suite 9884





27 Upper Pembroke Street,





Dublin 2, Ireland



Abhishek Budholiya

Marketing Manager

+353-1-6111-593

email

https://www.factmr.com/





# 756 Words

Suite 988427 Upper Pembroke Street,Dublin 2, IrelandMarketing Manager+353-1-6111-593

Traditional image-guided procedures remained restricted to the limitation of physicians referring to pre- and post-operative images for conducting neurosurgical or maxillofacial procedures. With advancements in medical imaging technologies, intraoperative MRI techniques paved their way in the diagnosis-guided surgery landscape, enabling physicians and surgeons to view the images during surgery, rather than referring to them preoperatively or postoperatively. Advanced intraoperative MRI equipment are being developed to facilitate enhanced imaging for physicians and lower the risks of improper surgeries during preoperative conditions.Request for Sample Report  https://www.factmr.com/connectus/sample?flag=S&rep_id=519 Fact.MR observes as robust growth in demand for intraoperative MRI equipment in the global healthcare marketplace. By the end of 2026, the global intraoperative MRI equipment market is estimated to surpass US$ 315 million valuation. The advantage of intraoperative MRI equipment in improving the localization for physicians during surgeries will continue to bolster their demand in the near future. During the period, 2017-2026, the global market for intraoperative MRI equipment is assessed to reflect a CAGR of 7.1% in terms of volume.The Uptake for Intraoperative MRI Equipment to Remain High in Medical CommunitiesAs the years progress, advancements in medical imaging technologies are being welcomed by communities of physicians and surgeons across the globe. Currently, the adoption of intraoperative MRI equipment showcases a promising growth. Leading medical research organizations are exhibiting readiness to invest in technologies for instrumenting developments in the operability and functioning of intraoperative MRI equipment. Multiple advantages of using intraoperative MRI equipment will be driving their uptake in the coming years.1- Real-time visualization offered by latest intraoperative MRI equipment to improve the efficiency of surgical interventions2- Gradient-imaging advantage of intraoperative MRI equipment to support physicians in planning the path of surgery3- Cost-effective maintenance to compensate for high prices of intraoperative MRI equipment4- The co-efficiency of intraoperative MRI equipment in lowering the chances of second surgical intervention to aid patient outcomes of hospitalsFurthermore, intraoperative MRI equipment operate on conventional MRI modality, which supplements their adaptability among traditional healthcare settings. It has been estimated that majority of intraoperative MRI equipment manufactured in the world will be adopted by hospitals. Sufficient funding to purchase these expensive machines will keep hospitals at the forefront of global intraoperative MRI equipment end-use. By the end of 2026, more than 2,200 units of intraoperative MRI equipment are expected to be sold across hospitals worldwide.Neurosurgical Interventions to Represent Highly-Profitable Applications of Intraoperative MRI EquipmentConsidering the significance of obtaining quality outcomes during neurosurgeries, advanced equipment are being used across hospitals in the world. Intraoperative MRI equipment are an addition to the range of devices used during neurosurgical intervention. By the end of 2026, more than 1,640 units of intraoperative MRI equipment will be adopted for neurosurgical intervention applications around the world. The report also estimates that orthopedic procedures will represent a fast-growing application of intraoperative MRI equipment during the forecast period.Browse Full Report with TOC  https://www.factmr.com/report/519/intraoperative-mri-equipment-market North America  Largest Market for Intraoperative MRI Equipment through 2026The report estimates that majority of intraoperative MRI equipment are produced and sold in the US. High value growth in North Americas medical tourism sector will drive the sales of intraoperative MRI equipment in the US and Canada. Companies such as Medtronic Plc, GE Healthcare, IMRIS, Inc., Siemens AG, Hitachi Corporation, and Koninklijke Philips N.V., which are the key players in global intraoperative MRI equipment market are prominent in the US and have gained their footholds across Europe and the Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region.In the coming years, a steady demand for 0.2T systems will be observed in the global intraoperative MRI equipment landscape. Growing need for low-field MRI in surgical interventions will drive the demand for 0.2T systems across the globe. The report also estimates that 3.0T systems will register a rapid growth in terms of volume, reflecting a 9% CAGR over the forecast period. Manufacturers will continue to extend the production of these two key systems to capture the specific demands of physicians. Moreover, lowering the risks of these systems in creating geometrical distortion will be prioritized by intraoperative MRI equipment manufacturers in the foreseeable future.Buy This Report  https://www.factmr.com/checkout/519/S About Fact.MR Fact.MR is a fast-growing market research firm that offers the most comprehensive suite of syndicated and customized market research reports. We believe transformative intelligence can educate and inspire businesses to make smarter decisions. We know the limitations of the one-size-fits-all approach; that's why we publish multi-industry global, regional, and country-specific research reports.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 14:38:03

Octo continues to empower the sharing economy through individualised and real-time insurance monitoring

Car & Away will use Octo subsidiary Omooves groundbreaking P2P car- and ride-sharing technology to power its Gatwick airport service

Octo Telematics Provides Telematics Solutions for Car & Aways New London Gatwick Airport Carsharing Scheme

Press contacts:

John Merva and Nelly Akpaka at Octo Telematics

020 7796 4133

press.uk@octotelematics.com

Octo Telematics (Octo), the number one global provider of telematics for the auto insurance industry, has announced that its innovative telematics devices and big data analytics will be used to power the insurance for Car & Aways new Gatwick Airport car-sharing scheme. The base technology for the scheme will draw upon Octo subsidiary Omooves car- and ride-sharing platform to provide services to holidaymakers parking at Gatwick.

Car & Away is a new peer-to-peer car-sharing platform that allows vehicle owners to rent out their car whilst they are away on holiday. Holidaymakers flying from the airport will be able to earn while on holiday as their cars are rented to other drivers. This means that they will still have the convenience of driving to the airport and will be able to offset some or all of the often-expensive long-term airport parking fees. In some cases, drivers may even be able to make a profit from short-term vehicle rentals, earning an extra dinner while abroad or paying for a tour or excursion to make the most of their time away.

Consumers are firmly embracing the sharing economy through apps and services such as AirBnB and Octo subsidiary Omoove, which allows drivers to create car and ridesharing communities to pool vehicles and earn from unused assets. In terms of revenues, peer-to-peer transportation is the UKs biggest sharing economy sector, with over a third of UK platform revenues. However, for consumers to be able to lend their cars with confidence, they must be reassured that they will not be liable for any incidents while theyre on their holidays. They must also have trust in both the service, and the community, which is provided by Octos telematics services and data analytics.

Drivers registering for the Car & Away scheme will temporarily install an Octo device and will receive a temporary usage-based insurance (UBI) policy. The cars usage will be monitored from driving out of the car park to its return, clearly establishing any liability in case of an accident, as well as measuring safe driving behaviour and any wear and tear caused by poor driving. Car & Away can monitor driving behaviour and enable insurers to provide the best value cover and assistance in the event of any emergency. The box will be easily removed and the policy cancelled as soon as the car is returned. The car will also be cleaned inside and out, ready for the owners to return.

Jonathan Hewett, Chief Marketing Officer, Octo Telematics said: Canny consumers are always looking for the best ways to save money. We shop around for the best holiday packages and Car & Away represents one more way to achieve a lower-cost vacation. However, making sure that your car is properly insured remains a top priority. The evolution of insurance from insuring the vehicle to insuring individuals is driving the car-sharing economy. Telematics already means that each driver is given a premium based on their own, unique driver DNA and this technology is empowering innovation such as Car & Away. A carefree holiday need not be ruined by endless wrangling over liability in the event of an unfortunate accident while youre away. Octos advanced data-gathering and analysis means you can hand over your keys in complete confidence that everyone is protected.

Edwin Colella, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Omoove said: We are happy to be able to continue to play a role in the ongoing development of the sharing economy and to contribute to the implementation of this car-sharing solution with such an innovative start up. We are happy that Car & Away recognised the value of Omooves service and ability to provide a ready-to-use technology, as well as the security for owners and users that Octos telematics solutions provide.

Andy Hibbert, Car & Away Founder & CEO said: Were all getting used to, and comfortable with, the sharing economy, especially with the advent of services such as Airbnb. So, sharing a car while people go away isnt such a big step. Especially when owners not only make money out of it, but benefit from dropping the car right next to the terminal and receiving a professional cleaning service. Having Octo telematics installed in every car provides a much greater level of assurance to our community of owners and renters. This clever device provides key insights to our insurers meaning they can provide the best value cover and peace of mind so owners can enjoy their holiday whilst their car is earning and renters can enjoy an amazing rental experience from the great range of cars available. Early customer feedback is showing us time and time again that when it comes to renting cars, together with our partners, we provide a service where everyone wins.

Car & Away launched at Gatwick Airport in November 2017 and is available to the general public who are looking to park at London Gatwick South Terminal for 6 days or more. To register, please visit www.gatwickparking.com.

For more information on Octos market-leading solutions, including its IOT-enabled insurtech ecosystem, the Next Generation Plaftorm, please visit www.octotelematics.com. For more information on Sharemine, please visit www.sharemine.com.

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Octo Telematics

Octo is the number 1 global provider of telematics and data analytics solutions for the auto insurance industry. Founded in 2002, Octo is one of the pioneers of the insurance telematics industry. Today, Octo is the largest and most experienced insurance telematics company in the world, transforming auto insurance through behavioural, contextual and driving analytics for more than 100 insurance partners.

Octo has more than 5.4 million connected users and the largest global database of telematics data, with over 186 billion miles of driving data collected and 438,000 crashes and insurance events analyzed (as of 31 December 2017).

Octo applies proprietary algorithms to this market-leading database to deliver powerful new insights into driver risk, informing solutions that benefit both auto insurance companies and policyholders.

The company is headquartered in London, with offices in Boston, Rome, Stuttgart, Madrid, and Sao Paulo. http://www.octotelematics.com/

About Omoove

Omoove is the European leader in providing innovative technological solutions in the Mobility market, offering end-to-end Shared Mobility, Fleet Management and Insurance Telematics technologies and solutions for Vehicle Sharing Operators and Car Rental Companies.

Omoove operates more than 10 car sharing services in 15 cities with about 200.000 connected vehicles and scooters, 900.000 registered users and more than 400.000 rentals per month (as of 31 December 2017). Founded in 2001, Omoove is wholly-owned by Octo Telematics, the largest and most experienced insurance telematics company in the world for number of registered users and managed vehicles. Omoove is headquartered in Rome with local offices in France, Spain, UK, Germany and the United States. http://www.omoove.com

About Car & Away

Car & Away is the peer to peer car sharing platform that allows car Owners to make money from their car whilst it is parked at airports by renting it out to incoming passengers. The business has been launched at London Gatwick Airport, working in partnership with Gatwick Airport Ltd., Rentalcars.com, OCTO, RAC and Allianz. https://www.carandaway.com/

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201803140055
Respiratory Inhaler Devices Market: Global Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012 to 2016 and Forecast 2017 to 2023

Respiratory Inhaler Devices Market

PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 12:51:58

Press Information

Precision Business Insights

Kemp House,





152  160 City Road,





London EC1V 2NX



Satya

Lead Marketing

+1-866-598-1553

email

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com





# 974 Words

Kemp House,152  160 City Road,London EC1V 2NXLead Marketing+1-866-598-1553

Global Respiratory Inhaler Devices Market: By Product Type (Metered Dose Inhaler, Nebulizer, Dry Powder Inhaler), By Technology (Manually Operated Inhalers, Digitally Operated Inhalers), By Disease Indication (Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Others), By Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacies, Retail Pharmacies, Online Pharmacies), and Geography  Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012-2016 and Forecast 2017-2023Market Outline: Respiratory Inhaler Devices MarketRespiratory inhaler devices are the medical devices that deliver the medication to prevent or control the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and other respiratory disorders. Various types of respiratory inhaler devices are available in the market such as metered dose inhaler, dry powder inhaler, and nebulizer.Market Dynamics: Respiratory Inhaler Devices MarketIncrease in the prevalence of COPD, asthma, and other respiratory disorder, technological advancements in respiratory inhaler devices, rapid industrialization and rise in smoking population are anticipated to fuel the market. Moreover, ease of administration of drug with respiratory inhaler devices, cost-effective of the products, and growing newborn babies and geriatric population who often exposed to one or the other respiratory disorders are anticipated to boost the respiratory inhaler devices market over the forecast period. However, adverse effects associated with drug inhalation, product recalls, lack of single effective inhalers for all types of disease, and lack of awareness about respiratory inhalers in underdeveloped countries expected to hamper the growth of respiratory inhaler devices market over the forecast timeframe.A sample of this report is available upon request @Market Scope: Respiratory Inhaler Devices MarketRespiratory inhaler devices market is segmented based on the product type, technology, disease indication, and distribution channelBased on the product type, the market is segmented into the following: Metered Dose Inhaler Nebulizer Dry Powder InhalerBased on the technology, the market is segmented into the following: Manually Operated Inhalers Digitally Operated InhalersBased on the disease indication, the market is segmented into the following: Asthma Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension OthersBased on the distribution channel, the market is segmented into the following: Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online PharmaciesTo view TOC of this report is available upon request @Market Summary: Respiratory Inhaler Devices MarketEscalation in the number of industries led to an abnormal increase in environmental pollution that causes respiratory diseases such as COPD and asthma might propel the respiratory inhaler devices market. According to World Health Organization approximately 3 Mn deaths were observed in 2015 around the globe. Increase in the tobacco consumption majorly in middle and low income countries may causes respiratory disorders and which in turn drive the respiratory inhaler devices market. Moreover, most of the market players are focusing on the development of newer respiratory inhaler devices which are more convenient for drug administration. Furthermore, acquisitions and mergers, product approvals, and product launchings are the strategies followed by market players for garnering larger revenue share in respiratory inhaler devices market. For instance, in April 2016, AstraZeneca received FDA approval for Bevepsi Aeresphere (glycopyrrolate and formoterol fumarate) inhalation aerosol used in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In addition, in January 2016, Novartis AG collaborated with Qualcomm, Inc. for the innovation of digital technology for Breezhaler inhaler used in the treatment of COPD.Regional Analysis: Respiratory Inhaler Devices MarketGeographically, global respiratory inhaler devices market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America respiratory inhaler devices market is growing due to increase in the prevalence of respiratory disorders such as COPD (according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2014, approximately 15.7 Mn Americans were diagnosed with COPD), high awareness about the respiratory inhalers, and technological advancements in the devices are anticipated to fuel the market. Europe respiratory inhaler devices market driven by increase in the prevalence of respiratory disorders such as COPD and asthma majorly in Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and Portugal, adoption of newer respiratory inhaler devices, and expansion of business by market players in the region. For instance, in November 2015 Sandoz launched AirFluSal Forspiro in UK. Asia Pacific respiratory inhaler devices market has a lucrative growth, which is attributed to increase in geriatric and newborn population, rise in health awareness, and growing pollution due to rapid industrialization in the region. Latin America respiratory inhaler devices market is poised to grow at significant rate owing to product approval in Latin America region. For instance, in August 2014, Sandoz received Mexicos Health Authority (COFEPRIS) approval for the marketing of Airflusal Forspiro used in COPD. Middle East and Africa respiratory inhaler devices market driven by product launchings by the market players in Africa region. For instance, in January 2017, Cipla launched respiratory inhaler Synchrobreathe in South Africa. Moreover, increase in tobacco consumption and increase in pollution due to increasing the number of industries are anticipated to boost the market in the region.Need more information about this report @Competition Assessment: Respiratory Inhaler Devices MarketSome of the players in the global respiratory inhaler devices market include: Cipla Ltd. (India) Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Bangladesh) Merck & Co., Inc. (U.S.) GlaxoSmithKline plc (U.K.) AstraZeneca plc (U.K.) Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Germany) Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands) Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Israel) OMRON Healthcare Europe B.V. (Netherlands) Novartis AG (Switzerland) PARI Medical Holding GmbH (Germany)Get access to full summary @About Precision Business InsightsPrecision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.Email: sales@ precisionbusinessinsights.com
PR-Inside.com: 2018-03-14 10:14:02

NanoDriver Series LED drivers measure 13.5mm x 13.5mm x 1.42mm

Seoul Semiconductor Launches the Worlds Smallest LED Driver Developed for Japan Lighting Market

Europe

Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH

Ariane Heim, +49-(0)89-450-3690-0

press.eu@seoulsemicon.com

or

North America

Seoul Semiconductor Inc.

Andrew Smith, +1-901-831-6614

andrew.smith@seoulsemicon.com

or

Asia

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd

Jake Jung, +82 070.4391.8270

pr@seoulsemicon.com

Seoul Semiconductor, a leading global innovator of LED products and technology, has developed the industrys smallest 100V / 24W LED driver for Japan lighting market. The NanoDriver Series LED drivers employ Seouls patented Acrich technology to produce an ultra-miniature device to drive LED circuits from 8  24W with 100V input designs with low flicker requirements.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201803140053

Seoul Semiconductor's NanoDriver Series is the industry's smallest 100V / 24W LED driver for Japan lighting market. (Photo: Business Wire)

The NanoDriver Series LED drivers will have an significant impact on lighting fixture design, enabling the smallest size luminaires while still delivering high efficacy and low flicker using our patented AC technology explained Keith Hopwood, executive vice president at Seoul Semiconductor.

Fixture manufacturers can significantly reduce the size, weight and volume of their luminaire designs, thus providing their end customers with a highly efficient, less bulky light fixture, Hopwood continued. The NanoDriver Series superior efficacy, low flicker, and small size is the result of Seoul Semiconductors continued research and development in AC LED technology, which delivers a unique power topology that results in smaller size, increased efficiency and lower costs

The NanoDriver Series devices are ideal for applications such as flush mount, wall sconce, vanity and downlight fixture applications. The NanoDriver Series overcomes the problem of the limited space in lighting fixtures for the electronic controls, it had previously been difficult to convert these applications to LEDs, as there was no space for conventional driver components and circuitry.

The NanoDriver Series LED drivers are designed for controlling luminaires up to 3,000 lumens, making possible the integration of the external converter with the control circuitry. The reduction in size for control circuits made possible by the NanoDriver Series facilitates mounting more light sources on the PC board or reducing the overall size of the fixture and its mounting plate. The NanoDriver Series devices are also small and lightweight enough to make airfreight practical and economical, reducing lead times and streamlining the supply chain.

The NanoDriver Series is available in two models rated for output power of 16W and 24W, for LED assemblies operating at input voltages of 100V (50  60Hz). The drivers have typical efficiencies of 85% and up to 150lm/W fixture efficiency, depending on the LEDs and configuration used. They feature power factor correction (PFC) of <0.9, with an over-temperature protection feature that limits the LED current at temperatures above 160C. Operating temperature range is -40 to +70C (ambient) and -40 to +140C (case temperature).

To download the datasheet for the NanoDriver Series LED driver, please visit: http://seoulsemicon.com/upload2/Data%20sheet%20Nan

About Seoul Semiconductor:

Seoul Semiconductor develops and commercializes light emitting diodes (LEDs) for automotive, general illumination, specialty lighting, and backlighting markets. As the fourth-largest LED manufacturer globally, Seoul Semiconductor holds more than 12,000 patents, offers a wide range of technologies, and mass produces innovative LED products such as SunLike  delivering the worlds best light quality in a next-generation LED enabling human-centric lighting optimized for circadian rhythms; WICOP  a simpler structured package-free LED which provides market leading color uniformity and cost savings at the fixture level, providing high lumen density and design flexibility; NanoDriver Series  the worlds smallest 24W DC LED drivers; Acrich, the world's first high-voltage AC-driven LED technology developed in 2005, including all AC LED-related technologies from chip to module and circuit fabrication, as well as multi-junction technology (MJT); and nPola, a new LED product based on GaN-substrate technology that achieves more than ten times the output of conventional LEDs.

For more information about Seoul Semiconductor, please visit http://www.seoulsemicon.com

Trademarks

WICOP and Acrich are trademarks of Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201803140053
Push polls. Pseudo-science. Property rights. The opponents to Measure C are pulling out all the stops in order to confuse and mislead the voters. Mr. Smiths letter to the editor is such an example.

Contrary to Mr. Smiths assertion, oak woodlands are an evolved, complex and well-adapted habitat, perfectly in-tune to the climate. Even left unchecked (for how many thousands of years?), they have not depleted or threatened the water supply. Human activity has. That is the indisputable fact.

But, while water quality and quantity are certainly, and justifiably, on everyones mind, what the Measure C opponents would have you overlook are the very real threats to air and climate that will be created if we lose more of our oak woodlands  not to mention the scenic degradation and traffic impacts that could undermine Napa Valleys position as a premier destination and ultimately damage the local economy.

It is indeed an indisputable fact that increasing CO2 in the atmosphere is a leading cause of climate change. It is also indisputable that oak woodlands help stabilize climate change by pulling damaging CO2 from the air and storing most of that carbon in their leaves and woody mass, both above and below ground, what is known as carbon sequestration.
ADVERTISEMENT

Nigeria is set to sign the framework agreement for the establishment of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

The agreement establishing the AfCFTA would flag off the Single Liberalised Market for Trade in Goods and Services in Africa.

The AfCFTA is a negotiated rules-based system, to establish the rule of law in trade, deepen and expand intra-Africa trade from its very low base of 14 per cent.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) in its meeting on Wednesday gave the Minister of Trade & Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, the go-ahead to seal the agreement on behalf of Nigeria.

The agreement is expected to be concluded during the forthcoming Extraordinary Meeting of the African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government scheduled for Kigali, Rwanda, on March 21, 2018.

At the end of the meeting in Abuja, Mr. Enelamah told State House Correspondents that the country stood to gain a lot from the AfCFTA, particularly in terms of export of goods and services from the Nigerian market.

This is an important agreement. Its part of our ambitious economic agenda to generate more exports for Nigeria. African market is about 1.2 billion people, while we (Nigeria) are 180 million. We are going into this clearly wanting to improve market access for our products and our people, Mr. Enelamah said.

Besides, he said Nigeria needed the agreement to help protect her markets from unfair trade practices like dumping, smuggling and all the other negative things that impact the economy.

He said President Muhammadu Buhari had in February 2017 given a set of objectives to be built into negotiations for the detailed draft paper and terms of the framework as well as the final implementation strategy.

Besides, the Minister said the president also constituted a negotiating committee, made up of members of the organised private sector and businesses, including the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture.

The AfCFTA was established in 2012 by all Heads of State and Government of the AU at their 18th Ordinary Session to implement the AU Agenda 2063 Vision for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa.

Actual negotiations for the AfCFTA commenced in 2015, with Stage 1 covering trade in goods and services, and Stage 2, covering intellectual property, competition policy and investment.

Negotiations on Stage 1 are expected to be concluded in this month in Kigali, Rwanda, where Heads of State and government would adopt, sign and launch the African Continental Free Trade Area.

For Nigeria, Mr. Enelamah said the country would gain significantly through the expansion of market access for exporters of goods and services, spur growth and boost job creation.

Besides, he said established rules-based trade governance in intra-African trade would invoke trade remedies as safeguards, anti-dumping and countervailing duties against unfair trade practices, including dumping, trans-shipment of concealed origin of products.
ADVERTISEMENT

Popular Nollywood comic actor, Victor Osuagwu, has revealed that he intends to go into farming after acting.

The actor disclosed this at the African Farmers and Cultural Organisation event, tagged Job Creation/Empowerment for the Unemployed held at Zion Event Hall, Isolo, Lagos.

I am preparing myself for retirement because a time will come when we(actors) will all go back to our various hometowns to go and relax, eat fresh foods away from the hustle and bustle of the urban city. Im presently the President General of my Community. And Im also a farmer, he stated.

He also revealed his retirement plans, stating that he intends to relocate to his hometown so as to fully concentrate on farming.

Im planning to expand my farming enterprise because I want to begin exporting my produce outside Nigeria. What I do now is that I give it out to people. I dont buy bags of rice for people because I produce rice in my farm. That is the reason why I attended this event and I have learned a lot from this programme.

The actor further implored Nigerians to embrace agriculture.

If you travel to Europe, you will realise that a lot of people are into farming and that is why they dont lack food. They have varieties of farm produce to eat but the case here in Nigeria is different.

Everybody wants to work in a bank or an oil company and the other areas are being neglected. So, I give kudos to AFCO empowerment initiative which has partnered with the federal government to improve agricultural production in Nigeria.

The actor also advised the federal government to invest and expand the agricultural sector so as to make the sector more attractive to the

youth.

A pioneer Nollywood actor, Mr. Osuagwu joined the Nigerian movie industry in 1994 and featured in his debut role in Evil Passion.

The film was a blockbuster and shot him to prominence. Some of his popular movie roles were in Our Daily Bread and One Dollar.

He also made news headlines in 2002 when he celebrated and wedded his wife in a truck.
ADVERTISEMENT

The African Union (AU) has supported 5,200 migrants to return home safely from Libya since November 2017, the International Organisation for Migrations (IOM) Mission in Libya, has said.

Othman Belbeisi, Chief of IOM Mission in Libya, said thousands of migrants had also returned home safely from the war-ravaged country since 2017 through a UN-supported programme.

We are continuing to assist migrants inside Libyan detention centres, while increasing efforts to reach stranded migrants outside of detention.

Since the expansion of our Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) operation, the number of migrants in official detention centres have dropped from an estimated 20,000 people in October 2017 to 4,000 people today, a five-fold decrease.

He said since January 2017, some 23,302 migrants had repatriated through the VHR programme, which consists of the European Union (EU), AU and Libyan Government.

He said IOM in Libya was also working with the authorities to register migrants, provide lifesaving assistance in the form of health care and essential aid items, psychosocial support, improve consular services and projects promoting community stabilisation.

He said nearly half of voluntary returns executed by IOM from Libya were part of the larger EU-IOM Joint Initiative on Migrant Protection and Reintegration initiative that supported reintegration for returnees in countries of origin.

According to him, the initiative is active in Libya as well as 26 countries in North Africa, the Sahel and the Lake Chad region, and the Horn of Africa.

IOM Regional Director for the EU, Eugenio Ambrosi, said the VHR operations scale of protection needs and number of returns had overtaken initial planning and pose challenges for countries of origin.

Mr. Ambrosi said: We are embarking on a completely new approach to reintegration and we believe in it.

It will take some time to build, and in cooperation with authorities in countries of origin and the local communities, we are already seeing promising developments.

He said with partners, IOM had been scaling up activities to meet the surge in returnees and ensure assistance upon their arrival, and in the longer-term  to readjust to their communities.

Mr. Ambrosi said the programme also offered re-integration assistance for those returning from EU States.
ADVERTISEMENT

Mauritian President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim rejected calls for her to resign over accusations of financial misconduct and will provide evidence to debunk these, her office said in a statement on Wednesday.

In February, local Lexpress newspaper said Gurib-Fakim had used a credit card issued by an international non-governmental organisation to buy clothes and jewellery in Italy and Dubai.

She has denied any wrongdoing and said she had refunded all the money in question.

Recently, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said Gurib-Fakim, the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial role, would step down on March 12.

However, she contradicted this in a statement published on the website of her office on Wednesday.

Her Excellency rejects any resignation prospect.

She is ready to take legal action before the courts to defend herself against the slanderous accusations, the State House statement said.

Report says Mauritius is trying to shift an economy mostly focused on sugar, textiles and tourism toward offshore banking, business outsourcing, luxury real estate and medical tourism.

The report in the Lexpress newspaper said Gurib-Fakim had used a credit card issued by Planet Earth Institute, an organisation which supports education by offering scholarships.

The president had served as an unpaid director of the NGO and that the credit card was to be used to pay for the promotion of a doctorate programme named after the president.

(Reuters/NAN)
Nigerias entire health system will be paralysed this time if the federal government fails to meet the demands of health workers in 30 days, the Joint Health Sector Unions, JOHESU has said.

This one is the mega strike. If it begins, it will start with the federal then states will join, the local governments will join. Let the health system in Nigeria be paralysed for the first time, the National Vice Chairman of JOHESU, Ogbonna Chimela, said Wednesday in a phone interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

The members of JOHESU are hospital workers, apart from medical doctors and dentists.

JOHESU embarked on a nationwide strike last September to protest among other issues, salaries adjustments, promotion arrears, and improved work environment for its members.

In compliance with the declaration of an indefinite strike by JOHESU, the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM directed its members to stay away from all federal health institutions across the country.

On the 9th day of the strike, JOHESU struck a deal with government.

According to JOHESU, six months after the deal was struck, the government is yet to meet any of its demands.

Mr. Chimela said series of meetings with the federal government to see these demands to fruition over the years were remained unfruitful.

We can no longer sit and wait. We started this negotiation since 2009, in 2012 we had an agreement. In 2014 there was also an agreement. Instead of implementing ours, they implemented for medical practitioners and we have to wait again until 2017.

Even before we called off the strike in September, we reached an agreement. All these meetings have been culminating in agreement without implementation of the so called agreements, Mr. Chimela, who also doubles as the President of National Union of Allied Health Workers, NUAHP said.

The union official also said JOHESU had embarked on a sensitisation and mobilisation tour of the six geopolitical zones of the nation ahead of the expiration of the 30 days ultimatum.

We are on sensitisation and mobilisation tour of the six geopolitical zones of the nation. Why we are doing this is to awaken the conscience of all citizens of this nation. Because we know that an ordinary or common Nigerian will not have the money to go for medical tourism and if we begin this strike, its the common man that will suffer and that is why we are giving this long gap to the government to really do the needful. However, strike is the only language that the government seems to understand, he said.

Mr. Chimela said the union made 18 demands from the government which included upward salary adjustment.

He further accused the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA of frustrating efforts geared towards implementation of the demands.

The NMA had repeatedly declared its opposition to many of the demands made by JOHESU, describing them as unacceptable.

The NMA specifically opposed salary harmonisation, one of the important agreements government reached with JOHESU, and declared that the doctors cannot receive the same salary as other health workers.

Who is NMA? Why should they decide our fate? They are very greedy and that is why we should not allow them to decide our fate, the JOHESU union leader quipped.

The NMA is just an association and not a union. Under the trade union law they are not even supposed to be recognised as a union but the Federal Government have being stooping law in order to please them because they have people in the policy making platform so they use that opportunity to lobby their way.

ADVERTISEMENT

They have negotiated for theirs then why should they try to decide the fate of other people whom government has also entered into agreement with, he added.

Mr. Chimela also accused the health minister, Isaac Adewole, of being biased against the union.

Nepotism! That is what the minister of health is practicing and hes dancing towards their (NMA) claims against that of the majority.

The JOHESU family comprises 95 per cent of the work force in the health sector, NMA is just 5 per cent they are now using that opportunity of being at the helm of affairs to marginalise us but we cant take that. Let the government intervene on this matter.

Calls and text messages sent to the phones of both the health minister and ministrys spokesperson, Boade Akinola, for a response to the allegations were not returned as at press time.
ADVERTISEMENT

The House of Representatives says it will override President Muhammadu Buharis veto on the recently rejected Peace Corps Bill.

This means the House will exercise its power to make a passed bill to become a law, without the assent of the president.

The Houses move, however, will only be effective if a similar decision is taken by the Senate.

The decision to overrule the president was announced Wednesday by the House spokesperson, Abdulrazak Namdas.

He told journalists at the National Assembly that apart from the widely anticipated Peace Corps bill, the House will commence the process of overriding the presidents veto on nine other bills.

The bills are: A Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management; A Bill for an Act to establish the Nigerian Council for Social Works; and A Bill for an Act to amend the currency conversion, freezing orders act to give discretionary powers to the judge of high court to order for forfeiture of assets of affected persons, and a bill for an act to establish the police procurement fund.

Others are, A Bill for an Act to amend the environmental health officers council registration Act; A Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria; A Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria; A Bill for an Act to establish the Chartered Institute of Exports and Community Brokers of Nigeria; and A Bill for an Act to establish the Federal University, Wukari.

President Buhari, at various times, either rejected the bills or did not communicate his decision to the House after the stipulated 30 days.

On the Peace Bill, Mr Buhari said in a letter to the House that he would not sign the legislation considering its financial and security implications.

He also in 2017 refused to sign the bill establishing the University of Wukari, Taraba state, based on what he described as wrong use of some phrases in the bill.

The National Assembly is empowered by Section 58(5) of the 1999 Constitution to override the presidents veto on Bills.

The House requires 240 members to make up its two-thirds, while the 109-member Senate requires 73 members to veto the presidents assent.
ADVERTISEMENT

A Senior Magistrates Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Monday remanded a 46-year-old lawyer, Kingsley Philips, in prison for alleged rape of a-12-year-old girl.

Mr. Philips is standing trial on a one-count charge of rape.

The magistrate, Kariba Braide, said she had initially used her discretion to admit the defendant to bail in order to enable him seek settlement with the victims family.

Since the parties could not settle, the law will take its course. I revoke the order I had made on the case.

The case file has to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.

The defendant has to be remanded in prison. Missiles have been flying because of the decision I took.

My boss has called me about the matter. My hands are tied.

I had bent backward, gave time (16 days) to act fast, but nothing was done. I have my job to protect.

Several petitions have been written against me because of this case, because I am a controversial magistrate, anything I do rings bell, she said

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many lawyers had pleaded with the magistrate to temper justice with mercy, but all to no avail.
ADVERTISEMENT

A Nigerian senator, Ben Murray-Bruces Twitter comment on the sacking of the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, has pitched him against many Nigerians on the social media site, apparently.

Mr. Tillerson had just returned from his tour to Nigeria and other African countries when he was fired via Twitter by President Donald Trump.

The relationship between the two was not really smooth, according to the American media.

But Mr. Murray-Bruce (PDP/Bayelsa East), through his tweet, tried to link Mr. Tillersons sack to his visit to Nigeria.

Someone said that our unemployment rate in Nigeria is so high that US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson visited Nigeria and was affected by it, the senator said on Twitter, Tuesday.

He added, Funny, but it has an element of truth!

Many Twitter users immediately went after Mr. Murray-Bruce, with all sorts of brickbats, from outrageous emoluments for senators to corruption allegations against them, and the senator spending too much time on Twitter.

Its amazing how you just tweet for the fun of it now. As a Senator of the Federal Republic, you should at least give yourself some respect and reduce your tweet from just frivolities and focus more on informing Nigerians on success or otherwise of the Senate, said one Twitter user, Myk egbe (@myk3gbe75).

Congratulations sir, you are now cracking jokes about the unemployment rate in Nigeria. I hope an unemployed Nigerian sees this and is able to smile. I mean, who needs work when your Nigerian senators can double as part-time comedians, said another Twitter user.

My four-year-old daughter asked why Tillerson was removed. I told her, he had issues with his boss, Trump. Things didnt go well with them! Mr. Bruce, let your time at the senate count, at least to those you represent in Bayelsa state. This commonsense thing isnt Common! said another Twitter user, Davidson Ademoyegun (@Mightypluzz).

One Twitter user told Senator Murray-Bruce that he has extinguished his distinguished status with that single tweet.

Since Mr. Tillersons removal from office, some Nigerians, especially members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have tried to use the development to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari.

Essien Ndueso, a media aide to Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom, said on Facebook that Mr. Tillersons visit to Nigeria may not have had approval from White House.
A judge of the Ikeja Division of the Lagos State High Court, Mojisola Dada, on Wednesday said she would no longer entertain further proceedings in the suit involving the chairman of Innoson Nigeria Limited, Innocent Chukwuma, until she had responded to petitions against her before the National Judicial Council (NJC).

Mr. Chukwuma and his company are facing allegations of fraud and forgery instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC).

Although Mr. Chukwuma claimed innocence, he has continually refused to appear before the judge.

At the last adjourned date, the judge issued an arrest warrant against the Innoson boss.

Mr. Chukwumas lawyers, however, had asked the judge to recuse herself from the case and also filed an appeal against the arrest order on their client.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Dada insisted she had no interest in the case.

In fact, Ill be relieved if this case is taken off me as it will be a reduction of my workload, she added.

Earlier, when the case was called for arraignment, George Uwechue, Mr. Chukwumas lawyer, told the court he had filed four applications in the suit.

Mr. Uwechue, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the applications should be heard by the court before his clients arraignment.

He also noted that the EFCC had just served them with an amended charge despite a pending appeal in the higher court over the charges.

We have just been served with the amended charge by the EFCC, My Lord, there is a Notice of Appeal filed against the order of this Honourable Court, he said.

There is also at the Court of Appeal, a Notice to Stay Proceedings of this matter, we were not given adequate time to study the charge.

The charge is an abuse of court processes, there is a charge pending at the Federal High Court filed against the first defendant by the Federal Government.

Responding, Anselm Ozioko, counsel to the EFCC, urged the court to go ahead with the scheduled arraignment, adding that the applications by the defence were a ploy to delay proceedings.

The defence running to the NJC is immaterial, this case should not be treated as special, it is like any other case, I hear the first defendant may be in court, he said.

The defence filed five applications not four as alleged by the Senior Advocate.

On January 15, they filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of this court. On January 18, they asked for a mandatory injunction that the EFCC not be heard in any of the application.

On February 5, they filed another application that Your Lordship disqualifies herself. On February 9, they filed an application requesting for the stay of execution of the order of the bench warrant and on February 12, they asked My Lordship to dismiss the bench warrant.

ADVERTISEMENT

Prof. J. N Mbadugha, the counsel to the second defendant has abused court processes, it is not meant to harass and intimidate the court, he said.

The EFCC prosecutor said they had responded to the five applications and are ready to proceed with the case despite the Innoson boss evading arrest by the EFCC.

The presence of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria cannot change the fact that the defendants must be physically present in court, that is the law.

We made efforts to approach the second defendant by going to Enugu, Nnewi, Abuja and going through the back gate of the Senate and now we are here, he said.

The judge adjourned till April 25 for arraignment.

Mr. Chukwuma and his company, Innoson Motors Nigeria Ltd are to be arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy to obtain property by false pretenses, stealing and forgery.

According to the charge sheet, the defendants committed the offences between 2009 and July 2011 in Lagos.

The EFCC alleges that the defendants with intent to defraud, conspired to obtain by false pretenses containers of motorcycle, spare parts and raw materials property of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) from Mitsui OSK Lines Limited, Apapa, Lagos.

They are alleged to have fraudulently induced staff of Mitsui OSK and Maersk Line to deliver to them via their clearing agents the goods which were imported from China in the name of GTB by falsely pretending that they were authorised by the bank to clear the goods.

The prosecution claim that the defendants, in order to facilitate the fraud, forged a bill of lading numbered 598286020 of Maersk Line Limited and 11007950841 of Mutsui O.S.K Lines by knowingly putting a false GTB stamp and signature of the bank staff.

The alleged forgery was in order that the forged documents be used or acted upon as genuine to the prejudice of any person within Lagos or elsewhere.

The offences, according to the EFCC, are in contravention of Sections 1(1)(b), 1(3), and 8(a) of the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2016 and Sections 309(9), 388, 465 and 467(1)(j) of the Criminal Code of Lagos State 2003.

Mr. Chukwumas absence on Wednesday would be the third time he failed to appear before the judge for arraignment on the charges against him and his company.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Director General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Suleiman Kazaure, says the corps will sanction any employer aiding and abetting truancy by corps members.

Mr. Kazaure said this in a keynote address at the 2018 NYSC/Corps Members Employers Workshop held in Uyo on Wednesday.

He said that NYSC management had increased the number of regular inspection of corps members at their places of primary assignment to ensure absentee corps members were duly sanctioned.

The director general urged employers of corps members to mentor and monitor them while in their places of primary assignments. He, however, did not explain how the employers would be sanctioned.

The scheme will not spare corps employers who are liable of aiding and abetting absenteeism and abscondment.

Management has increased the number of regular inspections of corps members at their places of primary assignment while ensuring that absentee-corps members are duly sanctioned, Mr. Kazaure said.

He said that the workshop was not only to appreciate the enduring partnership between the scheme and the employers, but to also identify challenges in Corps administration and proffer solutions.

Mr. Kazaure urged state governments to upgrade orientation camps to cope with the increasing demand and for the comfort of corps members during orientation.

Earlier in a remark, the state Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Monday Uko, urged the participants to put to use the legal framework fashioned for the attainment of corporate goals and objectives of the scheme.

Mr. Uko, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Aniedi Dickson, said that the operational strategy for achieving the NYSC goals was a symbiotic relationship between the managers of the scheme and stakeholders.

He noted that for effective corps administration, there was need to strengthen zonal and local government administrations.

In his welcome address, the NYSC State Coordinator, Julius Amusan, said that the workshop was a strategy by NYSC to sustain a good working relationship with the stakeholders.

Mr. Amusan commended the corps employers and other stakeholders for their support in ensuring the success of the scheme

Speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), one of the corps employers, Ayokehinmi Bambe, a DSTV dealer, urged co-employers to impact discipline on the corps members.
Fridays awful killings remind us that no community is immune to gun violence. But despite the tragedy at Pathway Home, there is progress. Some firearms sellers have stopped selling assault rifles, important corporations are severing their association with the NRA, and a few state legislatures have taken up the debate. Most important, high school students are taking a stand on firearms carnage. Many of them are already voters, and in four years  look out  all of them will be.

But as horrifying and cruel as mass shootings are, they account for less than 4 percent of all gun homicides in the United States. Despite the brave work of the Parkland survivors and Pathway staff, we must broaden our focus to fully address gun violence.

Every year about 13,000 Americans are murdered by guns, roughly 70 percent by handguns. Rifles of all kinds account for only 3 percent of gun homicides, meaning that assault rifles are actually a small, if ghastly, agent of murder. Dont get me wrong  such weapons and their high-capacity magazines should be banned, preventing hundreds of deaths and injuries each year.
ADVERTISEMENT

A federal lawmaker, Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa West), has accused the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, of using his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, to do his dirty work.

He made this accusation during an interview with Daily Trust, where he also accused Mr. Saraki of leading the Senate by proxy.

Mr. Adamu was one of the Senators who opposed the amendment of the election sequence by his colleagues and has since defended his actions, stating that he acted ultimately in the interest of democracy and the country.

He was eventually removed as the leader of the Northern Senators Forum, an action many linked to his daring to oppose the senate leadership.

The former governor of Nasarawa state said there have been attacks on him as a ranking senator.

He also denied allegations that he was plotting to destabilise the Senate and cause a change of its leadership.

I have no problem with the senate president; Im not looking for his seat but somehow he is a kind of guy who is operating by proxy, principle of proxy. You know he has errand boys who take it upon themselves to do the hatchet mans job. If there is anything that is going to happen and he feels it will be a bit hard to swallow, he will make sure he is not on the stage and he will have Ike Ekweremadu to do the dirty work for him.

Yes, I may not have supported Sarakis emergence as the senate president because I wasnt part of the circumstances that produced him; but in order to make for peace, I was talked to and we decided to let the sleeping dogs lie.

The leadership of the government, the presidency and the party didnt fight when this thing happened under their watch, so I felt there was no point to fight to any ridiculous level. In this room that we are having this interview, people from outside the senate came wanting me to vie (for the Senate presidency) but I said no. In the end, people who wanted to make peace came and said we should give it a chance and we made it very possible to have peace and I have never changed my mind on that.

Reacting to reports that monkeys absconded with N70 million belonging to Northern Senators Forum that was kept in his farm, Mr. Adamu said people making the accusation were being used to give him a bad name.

In order to give a dog a bad name, they now went to say that they had N70m that I mismanaged or whatever. The NSF, to the best of my knowledge, has never had N70m, at least not during my tenure that they purported it was mismanaged. We inherited something in the region of N62m/N63m that was declared by the outgone secretary of the forum who happens to be the present Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan. I didnt touch one kobo until when we were going to Katsina for the NSF retreat. When we were going, we got the same guys to sign for the transport fares.

Every senator that attended was paid N250, 000 as allowance for his two days and everyone also got N150, 000 for return ticket. They got these and they signed. The remaining money was returned to Abuja and was paid back into the account.

You know, when you talk of money, everybodys attention will be attracted. They did this to get attention, but this is just garbage, and for the allegation, it is up to them to prove.
ADVERTISEMENT

Omamen, the wife of the assistant pastor of The StandPoint Church, Abuja, Idahosa Iyawe, is dead.

Mrs. Iyawe died on March 4 during the Sunday service.

According to the church, the 29-year-old mom was deeply and intensely lost in worship, lifted up her hands and was called to a higher place of praise and worship.

Her brother, Ejiro Obrokpor, took to Instagram to share his grief over the untimely death of his beautiful young sister.

Below is the tribute from the church:

The StandPoint Church together with the families of the Iyawes and Obasekis, soberly announce to the public the passing of Mrs. Omamen Iyawe, a profoundly treasured mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend.

She was called to glory on the 4th of March 2018. It was a glorious exit. As Oma, deeply and intensely lost in worship, lifted up her hands, she was called to a higher place of praise and worship.

Oma was a beautiful soul, an admirable shining example, and a source of inspiration to many people in and outside The StandPoint Church.

Oma will surely and terribly be missed by many. We cry and we grieve, but we also rejoice in this glorious translation because we know that Omamen Iyawe is not in our past, but alive in our future.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died, so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NLT)

At this time, let us keep the family in our prayers. We all should be strong and strengthen each other in faith.

A service of songs in her honour was held on Wednesday at the Daughter

of Abraham Hall, Jabi, Abuja.

She will be buried in her hometown Benin City, Edo State, on Friday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BgEQaiPnB7X/?taken-by=standpointabj
Google pulled out 3.2 billion bad ads from sites in 2017, an official, Jessica Stansfield, said in Lagos on Wednesday.

Ms. Stansfield, the Head of Global Product Policy, Monetised Products, Google Trust and Safety Europe, the Middle East and Africa, gave the figure during a video conference.

She said that Google pulled out the bad ads with the aid of policies, technology and people.

According to Stansfield, the figure shows about 100 per cent increase from the 2016 figure which stood at 1.7 billion.

In 2017, we took down more than 3.2 billion ads that violated our advertising policies, which is more than 100 bad ads per second.

This means we are able to block the majority of bad ad experiences, such as malvertising and phishing scams before the scams impacted on people.

We blocked 79 million ads in our network for attempting to send people to malware-laden sites.

We equally removed 66 million trick-to-click ads as well as 48 million ads that were attempting to get users to install unwanted software, she said.

The official said that digital advertising played an important role in making the web what it was.

In order for this ads-supported free web work for everyone, it needs to be safe.

It should also be an effective place to learn, create and advertise, but unfortunately, this is not always the case.

To make things work and move smoothly, Google has introduced many measures to checkmate online ad violators.

For the last 15 years, Google, in a bid to keep the ecosystem safe, has invested in people, technology and policies to help fight issues such as ad fraud, malware and content scammers, she said.

Ms. Stansfield listed some of the actions that constituted the violation as scraping which had to do with copying others contents, tabloid cloaking  deception of someone to click on a site, malicious activity and malware.

She said that, to remove sites that created and spread deceptive content online, Google introduced a technology called Page-level enforcement that allowed removal of over 28 million URLs monthly.

According to the official, Page-level enforcement technology allows better protection of advertisers by removing more bad ads from more sites while minimising the impact on legitimate publishers.

This new technology has been critical in helping to scale enforcement for policies that prohibit monetisation of inappropriate and controversial content, she said.

Ms. Stansfield said that Google was constantly updating policies as new threats emerged, adding that in 2017, 28 new advertiser policies and 20 new publisher policies were added to combat new threats and improve ad experience online.

ADVERTISEMENT

She said that in 2018, Google would be adding several new policies to address ads in unregulated or speculative financial products such as binary options, crypto currency and foreign exchange markets.

She said that Google had already updated gambling policies to address new methods of gambling with items that had real-world value.

Google will introduce a new certification process for rehabilitation facilities, allowing legitimate facilities in this space to connect with users in need, she added.

(NAN)
The federal government has released about N43.92 billion (122 million dollars) to 300,000 rice farmers to increase Nigerias rice production by additional two million tonnes in 2018.

The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Al-Hassan, stated this in New York at Nigerias side event during the ongoing 62nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The theme of the event was: Achieving Economic Empowerment: Addressing women peace and security issues as a pathway for socioeconomic Independence for rural women in Nigeria.

Mrs. Al-Hassan said: The Agricultural Transformation Agenda is aimed at strengthening the agricultural value chain, achieving a hunger-free nation, accelerating food and nutritional security, generating employment and growing wealth for millions of farmers.

The current Anchor Borrowers Programme of the Federal Government has released over 122 million dollars to farmers through 13 participating institutions.

This is to spur the production of additional two million tonnes of rice in 2018 by 300,000 Rice Farmers, majority of whom are women in rural areas.

She said the Muhammadu Buhari-led government was determined to meet the objectives of poverty eradication and the empowerment of rural women and girls for sustainable development, inherent in Agenda 2030.

According to her, the Nigerian government has taken rigorous steps to initiate and strengthen policies, institutional frameworks, systems and mechanisms aimed at achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

She said some of the implementable strategies were designed to harness the socio-economic potentials of Nigerias 83.3 million female population.

Mrs. Al-Hassan said the development and launch of Economic Growth and Recovery Plan gave prominence to the inclusion and empowerment of women in the rural areas and linked national development strategies to Agenda 2030 in an integrated, multi-sectoral and multifaceted manner.

On Girl-Child education, she said government was implementing with more vigour a universal basic education programme strategically directed at enhancing girl child education at the grass root level.

She said the implementation of the N-Power job Creation and Youth Employment Programme, which targetted gainful and sustainable employment for 500,000 graduates and 100,000 non-graduates, had taken off successfully in the country.

Consequently 200,000 N-Power graduates have been successfully deployed to serve in local communities in the country with another batch of 300,000 graduate volunteers already pre-selected, she said.

Mrs. Al-Hassan said additional 10,000 artisans were being trained in the construction and automobile sub-sectors in close collaboration with the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria and the National Automotive Design and Development Council.

She said government was implementing the implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, aimed at providing one million poor and vulnerable households with N5,000 monthly cash transfers to the care givers of households.

As at December 2017, over 622,649 identified poor and vulnerable households have been enlisted in the programme with over 439,859 captured in the National Social Register from 233 local government areas across 23 states.

Of these figures, 293,973 caregivers from 9,567 communities have been paid, with over 25,000 beneficiaries already accessing requisite skills through trained community facilitators.

The Home Grown School Feeding programme, also part of the social investment programme is designed to provide one nutritious meal a day to 5.5 million school children, including girls in classes one to three of public primary schools is progressing.

ADVERTISEMENT

By December 2017, over six million pupils are being fed daily nationwide. The programme has trickled down financial incentives to local farmers and cooks, who are mostly women, the minister said.

She said the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and the National Women Empowerment Fund, also under the governments Social Investment Programme, were designed to provide 1.66 million dollars micro credit, lending to businesses at the bottom of the financial pyramid.
ADVERTISEMENT

The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, arrived the Maiduguri air force base, in the Borno State capital on Wednesday morning.

The president is on his way to Yobe State, his first visit there since over 100 girls were abducted from their school in Dapchi.

The presidential aircraft arrived the air force base at 11.05 a.m.

After taking the military parade, the president immediately went into a closed-door meeting at the lounge of the air force base with the Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, and some top military commanders including the Chief of Air Staff.

By 11:55 a.m., the president and the governor of emerged from the meeting. Mr. Buhari was then escorted to the tarmac to board an air force helicopter to Damaturu, the Yobe State capital.

Journalists other than those of NTA and the News Agency of Nigeria were practically barred from filming or covering the presidents arrival.
ADVERTISEMENT

Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has pleaded with the Senate to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Mr. Akeredolu, represented by his Deputy, Agboola Ajayi, made the plea on Wednesday in Akure, while playing host to a team from the commissions zonal headquarters, Benin Office.

According to him, the senate should resolve the lingering issue of confirming the appointment of Mr. Magu as EFCC chairman for the benefit of the country.

The governor said Mr. Magu had been in acting capacity as chairman of the commission for more than two years.

Mr. Akeredolu said that EFCC, under the President Muhammadu Buharis All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, had achieved a lot in fighting corruption more than the previous governments in the country.

To fight corruption is more difficult than the fight against Boko Haram in the northern part of the country.

With the record of billions recovered by the commission in the country, it means God is with this country.

With the level of massive looting in the country in the past, I believe there is hope for Nigeria to get to the greater height, he said.

While commending the commission for its achievements in the last two years, he urged the team to extend its offices to states.

This, he said, would enable the commission to recruit staff with apparatus to aid it to fight corruption at the state and local government levels.

Earlier, the EFCC Zonal Head, Benin Office, Mallafia Yakubu, called for the support of the state government in the fight against corruption.

Mr. Yakubu said that corruption had led to underdevelopment and employment.

We want to join hands with the state government to fight corruption as the commission cannot do it alone, he said.

Mr. Yakubu also solicited the support of the state government on the need to sponsor programmes at the grassroots to highlight the damage corruption had caused in the country.

(NAN)
The Senate has drafted two of its committees to investigate the establishment of the Vigilante Service Group by Kogi state government.

The attention of the Senate was drawn to the development by Dino Melaye (Kogi-APC) on Wednesday.

Mr. Melaye, while presenting a motion, said the establishment of the state police in Kogi contravened provision of the constitution.

Mr. President, I bring to the senate a law passed by the Kogi state government and signed into law by the governor of Kogi state that talks about the establishment of the Vigilante Service Group. Mr. President, I have that law here, its already a law of the Kogi state government. By the time I perused this law, this law is in conflict with the provisions of the constitution. This law alters the functions of the Nigeria Police as stipulated in section 214 of the constitution.

Mr. President, it is a fact that state can make laws through the Houses of Assembly as enshrined in section 4 of the constitution but the law they will make must not be in conflict with the provisions of the constitution. Mr. President, I seek your indulgence to read a section of the law passed by Kogi state government. It says that Vigilante Group will be involved in detection and prevention of crime, the apprehension of criminals, the preservation of law and order, the protection of lives and property. Will assist other security and para-military agencies in the discharge of their duties to assist other security agencies in government installations, to assist other security agencies in maintaining law and order in any economic, political and social gathering. There shall be a controller of Vigilante services. There is also a Deputy Controller-General.

Mr. President, the most affront on the constitution is in section 15 of that law which says the vigilante Service Group shall carry dane guns, other guns and other light weapons that are commiserate with their duties and responsibilities.

He warned against condoning such group in Kogi state. Mr. Melaye said the group are already killing people in Kogi.

This is how it started in Kano, it was not contained, it started ravaging. This is how Boko Haram started, this is how Sara Suka started. The senate will not fold our arms and close our eyes where a governor is equipping militia to wreak havoc on innocent citizens. As I speak to you, this group is already killing in every parts of Kogi state. There is record of killings in Okene, Adabi, Lokoja and this group are carrying AK-47 and pump actions openly in Kogi.

This will now justify the reason why uniforms and hardwares are imported into Nigeria. It will now justify why military weapons and gadgets were addressed as sporting equipment for the purpose of illegal importation. The laws of Kogi state shall not override the constitution.

Dino Melaye

Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, said the activities of Governor Bello is an indication of incapability of youth in government.

Quite unfortunately it is Kogi again. Here we are at the Senate trying to make laws to enable the youth who can go to elections to be voted for and we are seeing a very youthful governor who is giving impression that we elders should continue to recycle ourselves. But I do know that the youth of Nigeria are ready.

Having been a governor before, we were very circumspect about arming militants or arming youth because at the end of the day, even after youve left office, for you to retrieve that weapon. To hear that there is a law at all mentioning people to carry light weapons in a state is not only condemnable but must be looked into because Nigeria has been struggling with proliferation of arms. What is happening is almost like legalising illegality.

Taraba senator, Emmanuel Bwacha, urged the federal government to stop virtually everything and focus on security.

If we do not stop everything and face this matter, we will wake up one day and our country will not be there, he said.

Magnus Abe (Rivers) called the attention of the senate to a similar group in his state.

Mr. President as we all know, I have always been and I will remain an advocate of state policing as solution to the problems of this nation but for us to do this thing and do it well, we have to be careful.

In my own state, Rivers, the state House of Assembly has just passed a law called the neighbourhood something bill and law provides for this people to carry arms, provides for them to take every order for the governor, makes all sorts of provisions and even provide for these corps members that even the Nigeria Police does not have. Mr. President, this problem is not just a Kogi problem, it is a Nigerian problem.

Meanwhile, Victor Umeh (Anambra-APGA), said the vigilante group had been a success in his state. He urged the senate to limit the proscription of such parallel groups to states where they constitute threat to citizens.

ADVERTISEMENT

This is a very critical issue. It is very unfortunate that Kogi has been in the news for this abuse for some time now but it behoves on me to point out to this senate that vigilante service has worked in some parts of this country in helping to maintain peace in those states. Anambra is an example.

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello [Photo Credit: The News Nigeria]

It is important, while we condemn vigilante in some states, we have to commend them in places where it has worked effectively like in my own state.

The senate mandated its committees on Security and Intelligence and Judiciary to invite the National Security Adviser to investigate the issue.

The committees are to also invite the Attorney-General of the federation with a view to disband this unconstitutional body.

The lawmakers however rejected an additional prayer to include Rivers state in its purview of investigation of the committees.
ADVERTISEMENT

The member of the House of Representatives, representing Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency of Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, has finally resumed his legislative duties after being recalled from a lengthy suspension.

Mr. Jibrin was on suspension for one year and four months.

He was punished by his colleagues in September, 2016 for 180 legislative days after he exposed a budget padding scandal.

He accused the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, deputy speaker, Lasun Yussuff; the Chief Whip, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; and the minority leader, Leo Ogor of padding the 2016 budget with over N30 billion constituency projects.

He submitted a petition against the principal officers at the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Department of Security Services (DSS) and the Police headquarters all in Abuja.

After being on suspension for over a year, the speaker, Mr. Dogara, said Mr. Jibrin was recalled after apologising to the House.

Although the letter was not fully read before the parliament, the speaker paraphrased it by saying Mr. Jibrin had met all the conditions given to him to resume.

Upon resumption, Mr. Jibrin declined to speak with the press.

Sources familiar with the development said the chief Whip facilitated his return to the house.

Messrs. Doguwa and Jibrin are both from Kano state and members of the ruling All Progressives Congress, (APC).

House of Representatives, representing Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency of Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, resuming duties. House of Representatives, representing Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency of Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, resuming duties. House of Representatives, representing Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency of Kano State, Abdulmumin Jibrin, resuming duties.
The 2019 ambition of Omoyele Sowore suffered setback on Wednesday after GoFundMe suspended his bid to raise $2 million towards his Take Back Nigeria Movement.

The Sahara Reporters publisher told PREMIUM TIMES Wednesday night that he could not immediately say why the crowdfunding platform suspended his account, but said he would not be discouraged.

I woke up this morning and got an e-mail saying saying theyve suspended the campaign, Mr. Sowore said.

Previously, he had been asked to provide further details about the purpose of the fundraiser by GoFundMe, which he did without hesitation.

He said the request was most likely due to the popularity that his campaign had garnered from those supporting his presidential ambition online.

But the campaign also elicited resentment amongst his antagonists, especially for its apparent success within the early hours of registration.

I think they started reporting us as soon as we opened it and they saw we made $1,000 in one hour, Mr. Sowore said.

The closure could prove demoralising for the anti-corruption campaigner, coming just as his campaign was getting off to a great start.

Mr. Sowore, who lives in New York from where he runs Sahara Reporters, first unveiled his presidential ambition during one of his regular visits to Nigeria last month.

Mr. Sowores bid gained widespread momentum after PREMIUM TIMES published an interview he granted it.

He lampooned President Muhammadu Buhari as a misfit in the interview, promising to offer an unprecedented leadership for a people he said had never been lucky with leaders since its independence in 1960.

If there is anything we have learned in the last few years, it is the fact that the Nigerian electorate has become impatient with purposeless leadership, Mr. Sowore said.

To actualise his ambition, he vowed to pursue a relentless mobilisation of Nigerians to rally behind his message for a new Nigeria.

It will be the largest mobilisation of Nigerias ignored and dispossessed people, Mr. Sowore said. It will be the most direct engagement of a people in their own political future.

Crowdfunding via channels like GoFundMe is one of the earliest but critical stages of Mr. Sowores campaign, although the activist said he had not identified a political platform under which he would run.

The Nigerian Constitution has no provisions for independent candidacy, although efforts to change this are currently part of the ongoing process to amend the Constitution.

GoFundMe did not immediately respond to PREMIUM TIMES e-mail seeking comments about the development Wednesday night.

But notwithstanding the reservations of GoFundMe against Mr. Sowore or the outcome of the dispute, the Sahara Reporters publisher strongly believes in his ability to see his ambition through.

ADVERTISEMENT

There is no going back! He said in a Facebook update informing his followers of the development shortly after 11:00 a.m. Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Chairman, Bida Local Government Area of Niger State, Mohammad Bagudu, on Wednesday claimed that the attack on Governor Abubakar Bello in Bida town was politically motivated.

Mr. Bagudu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bida that the local council would do everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

NAN recalls that the governor was stoned by youth in Bida on March 8, when he visited the town to assess the damage caused on Bida old market by a night fire.

The police have since announced the arrest of six persons suspected to have been involved in the incident.

The chairman stressed that the local council would follow the case to logical conclusion to ensure justice is done.

He warned that politics must not be a do or die affair, but should be played with decorum and responsibility.

We will not condone abnormal behaviour before our leaders; those behind the act would be flushed out and prosecuted, Mr. Bagudu said.

He urged youth in the area to shun indiscipline, adding that parents must monitor the conduct and behavior of their children.

We as responsible leaders will continue to provide the needed peaceful atmosphere for political activities and I hereby warn the youth to desist from indulging in any form of political violence and thuggery.

(NAN)
The Ministry of Defence of Qatar has announced a contract today for the purchase of 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters. The deal was announced during the DIMDEX Exhibition in Doha in the presence of the Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti and Leonardo Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Profumo.

The Ministry of Defence of Qatar has announced a contract today for the purchase of 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters. The deal was announced during the DIMDEX Exhibition in Doha in the presence of the Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti and Leonardo Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Profumo.

The Ministry of Defence of Qatar has announced a contract today for the purchase of 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole military helicopters during DIMDEX 2018.



The overall programme is valued at more than 3 billion to the NHI consortium, and includes 16 NH90 TTH for land operations, 12 NH90 NFH for naval missions, a comprehensive support, maintenance training services package and associated infrastructure. The programme could be further extended in the future with the addition of 6 + 6 units in a mix of TTH and NFH variants. Leonardo will act as overall prime contractor with responsibility for programme management, final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice  Tessera facility in Northern Italy and an eight-year support and training services package for crews and maintenance technicians. Meanwhile Airbus will be responsible for the final assembly of the16 NH90 TTH aircraft. Deliveries are expected to start before June 2022 and to continue through to 2025. Leonardo will also supply, contribute to and integrate various equipment, avionics and sensors.



Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo Chief Executive Officer, said: We are proud to have signed this contract that expands and continues Leonardos strong and long term partnership with Qatar, to which we are delivering a wide range of the most advanced technology and customized solutions spanning the military and security domains. This contract award confirms Leonardo as a reliable partner to Qatar and marks an outstanding achievement and a new and further milestone for one of the key sectors of Leonardo. We are all strongly committed to strengthen our business approach according to our 2018-2022 Industrial Plan.

An NH90 NFH aboard ITS Carlo Margottini during DIMDEX 2018



Leonardo is responsible for or contributes to the design, production and integration of a wide range of NH90 critical components and systems. These include the rear fuselage, main gearbox, hydraulic system, Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), plant management system, NFH mission system, power plant integration and final assembly of TTH and NFH aircraft for various customers at its Venice - Tessera facility in Northern Italy. Leonardo also integrates additional dedicated systems, avionics and sensors such as the Laser Obstacle Avoidance Monitoring (LOAM) system, radar, digital map generator, sonar and naval mission console. Weapon systems Leonardo contributes to comprise pintle mounted gatling-type guns, torpedoes and air-to-surface missiles for Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) missions.

An Italian Navy NH90 NFH at DIMDEX 2018

About NH90

The largest military helicopter programme in Europe, the NH90 is the optimal choice for modern operations thanks to its fully composite airframe with a large cabin, its excellent power-to-weight ratio and its wide range of role equipment. It features a quadraplex fly-by-wire flight control system for reduced pilot workload and enhanced flight handling characteristics.



The NH90 is available in two main variants, one dedicated to naval operations, the NH90 NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) and the TTH (Tactical Transport Helicopter) for land based operations. As of today, almost 350 helicopters have been delivered in NFH and TTH variants to customers in 13 nations. Aircraft in service have logged nearly 170,000 flight hours in a wide range of weather and environmental conditions, over land and sea. 543 NH90s have been ordered by customers worldwide to date.



The twin-engine, medium-size NH90 helicopter programme is managed by NHIndustries, which is owned by Leonardo, Airbus, and Fokker.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday admitted in evidence, the statement made by Abubakar Umar , the fourth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Gabriel Suswam, former Benue governor.

It will be recalled that attempts by the prosecutor, Rotimi Jacobs, on January 31 to enter into evidence, the statement alleging that the witness was pressured into changing his statement were resisted by Mr. Suswams counsel, Joseph Daudu.

At the resumed trial, Justice Ahmed Mohammed ruled that relevance determined admissibility of documents in a case and that the statement in contention was relevant to the matter.

The judge said that the defence was at liberty to raise their doubts concerning the statement in their final written addresses.

He, adjourned the matter until April 19 for continuation of hearing.

The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Mr. Jacobs, on January 31, told the court that Mr. Umar said he was coerced by Mr. Suswams team.

Mr. Jacobs read part of the statement where the witness said that he was under a lot of pressure from the people around Mr. Suswam to change his statement and was told he would be offered money if he did.

Mr. Daudu, however, objected to his admitting the said witnesss statement in evidence on the grounds that the original statement, which was made in Hausa language ought to be tendered before the court.

He said it was only from the original statement made in Hausa that the true testimony of the witness could be deciphered.

NAN also recalls that the prosecution had in 2017 declared Mr. Umar a hostile witness, saying he gave contradictory evidence in court outside the statement he made to the EFCC.

Mr. Umar, had in his statement to the EFCC, said that he took the money to the governor in his residence in Maitama, but had told the court that he took the money to the Government House in Makurdi, Benue.

Mr, Suswam and his former Commissioner for Finance, Omadachi Oklobia are standing trial on a nine- count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N3.1 billion.(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

The management of Federal Polytechnic Bida will confer Fellowship Awards on three state governors and the Etsu Nupe on March 28, the institutions Rector, Abubakar Dzukogi, said on Wednesday.

Mr. Dzukogi told the News Agency of Nigeria in Minna that the governors are Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Abubakar Bello of Niger and Yahaya Bello of Kogi.

They will be conferred with the award alongside Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe, he said.

The Rector said the institution was honouring the four distinguished Nigerians because it has noted with satisfaction their useful contributions towards educational development in their respective states and the country in general.

He said the polytechnic would bestow the awards on the personalities during its combined convocation ceremony of March 28.

During the ceremony, 5,605 students of 2016, comprising 3,380 ND students and 1,729 HND students, will become graduands, while 4,811 students of 2017 with 3,134 for ND and 1,677 for HND, will also become graduands, Dzukogi said.

The Rector said he was happy that the institution was one of the most peaceful polytechnics in the country.

This is due to the diligence and dedication of management, students and members of the academic board, he added.

However, we will continue to utilise the little resources at our disposal to provide an enabling environment for a conducive atmosphere for learning.

(NAN)
ADVERTISEMENT

An early morning fire outbreak on Wednesday destroyed at least, 22 shops at Yankatako market in Rijiyar Lemo in Kano.

The Public Relations Officer of the State Fire Service, Saidu Mohammed, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano, that the incident happened 3.10 a.m.

We received a distress call early hours of today (Wednesday) from one Muhammed Yahaya from Kurna division at about 3.10 a.m that, there was fire outbreak at the market.

On receiving the information, we quickly sent some of our personnel and fire fighting vehicle to the scene of the incident at about 3.14 a.m to quench the fire, he said.

Mr. Mohammed said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

He advised traders at the market and other residents to be more careful and desist from using instruments capable of triggering fire as a way of guarding against future occurrence.

The spokesman also advised the people to keep fire bucket, blanket and fire extinguisher that would enable them curtail the fire before calling on the fire service.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Kaduna State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) on Wednesday began a two-day induction training for 27,000 public primary school teachers in the state.

Nasiru Umar, its Executive Chairman, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kaduna on Wednesday that the participants included 15,409 newly-recruited teachers and 11,591 old ones.

Mr. Umar said that the training would be held in 254 centres across the 23 local government areas of the state.

He said that the objective of the training was to equip the new and the old teachers with the needed skills for effective classroom management and quality teaching to create the desired impact.

He said that the induction was a crucial step to welcome particularly the new teachers into the teaching profession.

According to him, the step is necessary because although the teachers have NCE and B. Ed. Certificates, they lacked the needed teaching experience for effective teaching.

Similarly, the old teachers also need to be equipped with new teaching method for quality, effective teaching and learning.

He said that the new teachers would be posted to schools immediately after the training based on areas of need.

The chairman said that after the induction, the head teachers would also be trained on effective school management.

At Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Maiduguri Road, Kaduna, one of the induction centres, the boards Permanent Secretary, Shehu Raubilu, urged the teachers to be teachers and not cheaters.

Mr. Raubilu also urged them to be role models, saying If you are good, the society will be good; if you are bad, the society will be bad.

I want to assure you that we will supervise you to ensure that you deliver nothing, but the best. Anything short of that, you will find yourself out.

Umar Aliyu, the Education Secretary, Kaduna North Local Government Area, also urged the new teachers to give their best and support the state government to provide quality education to primary school pupils in the state.

One of the new teachers, Abdullahi Suleiman, said he was happy for being among the lucky ones and thanked the state government for giving him the opportunity to practice his profession.

Mr. Suleiman, who holds a Bachelor of Education degree, commended the vigorous screening processes, adding that the induction would equip them with the needed skills to succeed as a classroom teacher.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Kaduna State coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Dahunsi Mohammed, said on Wednesday that the scheme has withdrawn corps members serving in troubled communities in Kaduna.

He also said the scheme will suspend the posting of corps members particularly to Kajuru Local Government Area due to the recent crisis that claimed 12 lives.

The coordinator, who stated this during NYSC/Corps Employers workshop with the theme: Tackling Emerging Challenges in Youth Corps Administration Through Greater NYSC / Stakeholders Participation, said the action would subsist until the security situation improves.

We are sorry we did not post corps members to places we know there is crisis. We stopped posting corps members to Birnin-Gwari and we have also withdrawn all corps members serving at Kasuwa Magani where crisis recently broke out. This will continue until normalcy returns to these areas and other places where we have social unrest, he said.

On the rejection of corps members posted to some organisations, the coordinator described this as sad.

As long as posting is done without strict compliance with corps employers request, the challenge of corps rejection will persist. That cannot drive the countrys developmental agenda. What obtains is a glut of graduates in the humanities and the arts, which a country striving for technological development like Nigeria barely needs.

The effect of this is too many corps graduates of arts and humanities chasing fewer placements for primary assignment which automatically leads to rejection, he said.

Mr. Mohammed also said NYSC has devised strategies to counter challenges by organising a forum where the management and corps employers rub minds on best practices to optimally utilise the skills of corps members to check sharp practices.

Meanwhile, the NYSC Director-General, Suleiman Kazaure, represented at the event by Aisha Mohammed said the NYSC has had the tradition of organising discussions with stakeholders especially corps employers with the aim of strengthening mutual capacity for the effective engagement of corps members.
ADVERTISEMENT

The Oyo State Government has come down heavily on medical facilities in the state operating without due certification, closing down eight of them.

The government said the step was to eradicate quackery, warning that training auxiliary nurses in private facilities would not be tolerated in the state.

It said it was against the ethics guiding the medical profession for nurses to be trained in private facilities and that it leads to quackery.

According to the Commissioner for Health, Azeez Adeduntan, there are 12 qualified institutions in Oyo State that train nursing students in tandem with best practices across the globe.

He also announced the provision of 34 motorcycles to improve surveillance and ensure that citizens attained the highest standard of health in the state.

The commissioner, who led the task force of the Ministry of Health on a routine monitoring exercise and inspection of private health care facilities within Ibadan metropolis, counselled those interested in becoming nurses to go to nursing schools established and identified by the State Government.

Mr. Adeduntan explained that to be qualified as a nurse, passing the weeding test is very important in order to participate in capping and knotting of tie ceremony which would confirm the certification of professionalism.

He pointed out that eight out of eleven facilities visited were closed for quackery practices, illegal operations, unqualified medical personnel, and failure to maintain the minimum standard of practice, noting that they were not also registered with the government.

He said the monitoring exercise was not to witch-hunt anybody or private health care facilities in the state but to sanitise the system and ensure that they complied with the rules and regulations guiding the operations of private health care facilities.

He added that the monitoring exercise by the task force would be continuous.

Among the areas visited by the task force were Apete, Awotan, Ijokodo, Arometa, Sango, and Mokola area in Ibadan.
ADVERTISEMENT

A man who reportedly murdered two school pupils at Agodo in Ogun Waterside local government area of Ogun State on Monday has been arrested.

He was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday by policemen attached to Ogbere area command led by Makinde Kayode and local hunters.

The Ogun State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, who confirmed this to journalists, said the suspect, Lekan Adebisi, on Monday broke into the compound of St. John Anglican School Agodo with a cutlass and hacked two pupils to death after which he ran off.

He said the commissioner of police, Ahmed Iliyasu, subsequently ordered the area commander, Ogbere, and divisional police officer, Abigi Division, to fish out the murderer.

In compliance with the CPs order, the Area Commander mobilised policemen and local hunters for the manhunt of the suspect. Their efforts paid off in the early hours of today when the suspect was seen in a bush around the community, Mr. Oyeyemi stated.

The police spokesman said while the police wanted to arrest him, the suspect, who was brandishing a cutlass, attacked them.

He said as a result he was shot and injured on the leg, adding that he has been taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Mr. Oyeyemi added that the case has been transferred to the Homicide section of State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for proper investigation.
The 10th anniversary edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018), heldunder the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and hosted and organised by Qatar Armed Forces, concluded today (March 14), attractingclose to 13,000 visitors over the three days.

The 10th anniversary edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2018), heldunder the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, and hosted and organised by Qatar Armed Forces, concluded today (March 14), attractingclose to 13,000 visitors over the three days.

H.E. Dr. Al-Attiyah and the Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti, signed an agreement for the purchase of 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole helicopters.



The sixth edition of the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference 2018, was under the theme World-Class Platform for Technology, Maritime & Defence Industry Capabilities. DIMDEX features four key elements, including the Exhibition, the Middle East Naval Commanders Conference (MENC), the Visiting Warships at Hamad Port, as well as the hosting of VIP and senior officials from around the world.

A record number of agreements have been signedat this years DIMDEX 2018, with more than 35 partnerships being announced. Barzan Holdings (Strategic Partner), that was officially launched during the DIMDEX 2018 opening ceremony,signed more than 20 MoU and partnership agreements with multiple regional and international defence companies, aimed at empowering the military capabilities of Qatar Armed Forces, and enhancing the security and protection of the countrys natural resources.

Commenting on the success of DIMDEX 2018, Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S. Al-Ansari, Chairman of DIMDEX said: It was an honour welcoming and working with industry leaders and Qatars foremost businesses that have ensured the continuous success of DIMDEX. This years edition marked a special occasion as it celebrated its 10thanniversary. The highly anticipated industry event has once again proved itself as the MENA regions premier maritime and defence exhibition, and as the preferred destination for procurement opportunities for decision-makers.

(Sea) Al-Ansari, continued; In addition to brand new technological advancements that have been revealed at this years event, DIMDEX also nurtures maritime and industry solutions and provides a collaborative destination to address current regional and international challenges, to advance and protect global defence and trade. We look forward to preparing for our next edition, DIMDEX 2020. Actingas a platform for presenting state-of-the-art technologies, global industry giants utilised DIMDEX 2018 to debut their latest products includingglobal firsts for Leonardo showing the OTO Marlin 40 naval turret and BAE Systems design of the Type 31e frigate, as well as for the first time in the Middle East, Sofresuds Intuitive Pointing Device (IPD) naval gun.

Staff Brigadier (Sea) Abdulbaqi S. Al-Ansari, Chairman of DIMDEX and Chief-Editor of Navy Recognition Xavier Vavasseur at Navy Recognition's booth

As one of the four key elements of the show, the first day of DIMDEX 2018 saw the arrival of 11 visiting ships from Qatar, Oman, Italy, USA, the UK, India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh at Hamad Port. In particular, the UKs RFA Cardigan Bay, a Bay-Class Landing Ship Dock and HMS Middleton, aHunt-class mine countermeasures vessel, as well as Indias INS Koikata, the lead ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided-missile destroyers.In addition, an official gala dinner was hosted at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, where ceremonial shields were presented to naval ship commanders of visiting warships and official sponsors.

The final day of the exhibition saw H.E. Dr. Khaled bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, visiting Hamad Port to thank the visiting warships for their participation in DIMDEX 2018. Additionally, H.E. Dr. Al-Attiyah and the Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti, signed an agreement for the purchase of 28 NH90 medium twin-engine multirole helicopters.

Over 180 global exhibitors and close to 90 VIP official delegations from 60 countries participated in this years edition across the defence, maritime and security sectors, and DIMDEX continues to earn its position as one of the most prestigious maritime defence shows in the region. Offering its audience A World-Class Platform for Technology, Maritime & Defence Industry Capabilities,DIMDEX 2018 remains true to Dohas position as a burgeoning business hub, as testament to this attracting new international participation from Russia and China, as two of the nine national pavilions in the Exhibition, held at Qatar National Convention Centre.
Expect to see leaders from major companies and organizations speaking on hot topics regarding the beverage industry, including production technology, consumer insight, packaging and -- of course -- the adoption of IoT and digitalisation. Delegates will recognize basic components which help to achieve their business goals from sensors and robotics to data analysis software and beyond through one of these interesting topics, 'IoT in Beverage Processing'. Additionally, they also learn more about changing consumer behavior and how to cater these changes.

Backed by a strong partnership with Asia Pacific Food Industry -- Asia's leading trade magazine for the food and beverage industry -- participants will receive key information related to beverage innovations, technologies and insights that will be able to strengthen their business and stay on top of the latest trends. The conference is strongly supported by potential partners like Rockwell Automation and Krones whom delegates could share expert knowledge and experience with. In addition to valuable knowledge, it is also a good platform for networking with executives from top drink manufacturers such as Coca-Cola, Tipco, ThaiNamthip, Green Spot, San Miguel, F&N, Dole, Sermsuk, and many others.

"The beverage industry is growing rapidly due to urbanization and the increasing disposable income of consumers, especially in Asia. There are still opportunities awaiting manufacturers who can foresee the trends and adopt technology to boost their businesses," said Justin Pau, General Manager of UBM Asia (Thailand) Co., Ltd. "We believe that the upcoming 6th Asia Drink Conference will be the most successful to date. Guests will have access to the tools needed to get to the top of this highly competitive industry."

Asia Drink Conference has featured more than 100 participants from Asia for each of the past five conferences and this year will be no different. The format will also be similar to other years: a single morning programme with keynote speakers and two parallel tracks in the afternoon -- one technology track and the other business & marketing. The Asia Drink Conference 2018 will be held concurrently with ProPak Asia and DrinkTechAsia. ProPak Asia hosts companies from over 45 countries representing an estimated 5,000 individual pieces of major packaging and processing equipment, the show will opens from 13 to 16 June.

For more information on remaining sponsorship opportunities and participation, please visit www.asiadrinkconference.com

Notes to Editor:

For more information, please contact Wantita Porntanawong (Bow)

Tel: +662 036 0500 ext. 728

Email: [email protected]

About ProPak Asia

ProPakAsia is organised by UBM Asia -- Asia's Largest Trade Show Organiser -- and a division of UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM.

SOURCE UBM BES

Related Links

http://www.asiadrinkconference.com


NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), a leading independent investment bank, announced today that Adam Troso will join the Firm in New York as a Managing Director and Head of Real Estate Corporate Advisory for North America.

Mr. Troso has more than 20 years of real estate related experience. He was most recently a Managing Director in the Real Estate investment banking group at J.P.Morgan, where he spent more than 11 years. During his time there he advised companies in numerous REIT sectors on both M&A and capital markets transactions. Prior to his time at J.P. Morgan he was at Bear, Stearns & Co., where he provided investment banking services to real estate, gaming and lodging clients.

Scott L. Bok, Chief Executive Officer of Greenhill, said, "We are pleased to bring Adam into our Firm to lead our North American corporate advisory effort for the real estate sector. We expect he will build on our long history of corporate advisory work in the real estate sector, as well as our strong franchise in raising private capital for real estate private equity funds, joint ventures and projects. This move is part of a larger initiative to broaden and deepen our industry sector coverage in a number of key areas, particularly in the North American market."

Greenhill & Co., Inc. is a leading independent investment bank entirely focused on providing financial advice on significant mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, financings and capital raising to corporations, partnerships, institutions and governments globally. It acts for clients located throughout the world from its offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Madrid, Melbourne, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

Contact: Patrick J. Suehnholz

Director of Investor Relations

Greenhill & Co., Inc.

(212) 389-1800

SOURCE Greenhill & Co., Inc.

Related Links

https://www.greenhill.com


Mr. Deaver has more than 25 years of experience in patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, and contract disputes and has litigated cases covering a wide range of technologies and subjects. Mr. Deaver represents individual inventors and small business owners, and provides IP portfolio management for large companies over a wide range of mechanical, electro-mechanical, electronic, and bio-medical technologies. In addition, he provides IP counseling and strategic analysis for his clients, including opinions, due diligence, licensing, market analysis, competitive designing, and invention management.

"Al's arrival to Jones Walker further expands our growing Intellectual Property practice and his extensive experience will be an asset to our clients across many industries," said Whit Rayner, head of the firm's Intellectual Property team.

After receiving his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University, Mr. Deaver practiced as a consulting engineer in the area of metallurgy and stress analysis. He earned his juris doctor degree from the South Texas College of Law.

About Jones Walker

Jones Walker LLP (www.joneswalker.com) is among the 120 largest law firms in the United States serving local, regional, national, and international business interests with offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Texas. The firm is committed to providing a comprehensive range of legal services to major multinational, public and private corporations, Fortune 500 companies, money center banks, worldwide insurers, and emerging companies doing business in the United States and abroad.

Contact: Betsy Fortin

504.582.8183

[email protected]

SOURCE Jones Walker LLP

Related Links

http://www.joneswalker.com


ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The City of Alexandria and Dickenson County, Virginia, represented by Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP, and The Cicala Law Firm PLLC today became the first municipalities in the Commonwealth of Virginia to pursue legal action against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) for their role in creating the public health emergency caused by prescription opioids.

The Complaints, filed in state court in the City of Alexandria and of Dickenson County, allege that each defendant contributes to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged these municipalitiesthe drug manufacturers make the drugs and misrepresent the truth about their benefits and addiction risks to doctors and patients; wholesale distributors ignore their responsibilities to report and stop suspicious orders of opioids leading to drug diversion to the black market; and PBMs leverage their role as middlemen to increase the flow of opioids into the marketplace. The municipalities have alleged violations of statutory and common law public nuisance, the Virginia Consumer Protection Act, fraud, common law conspiracy, negligence, and unjust enrichment.

The defendants include manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Abbott Laboratories, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals; Teva Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Cephalon, Inc., Barr Laboratories, Inc., Actavis Pharma, Watson Laboratories, Inc., Allergan PLC, and Insys Therapeutics; distributors AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., and McKesson Corp.; and PBMs Express Scripts, Inc., CVS Health; United Health Group Inc., and OptumRx, Inc.

Both Alexandria and Dickenson County have witnessed the devastating consequences of opioid abuse. Alexandria has seen an explosive rise in the number of city residents overdosing on opioidsan approximately 30% increase in the last two years from already soaring levels in the years preceding. Despite having a population of less than 16,000 people, Dickenson County recorded 465 opioid deaths in 2016. Opioid abuse affects every facet of community life from a higher incidence of children born into addiction, to increased crime, to decreased labor productivity and economic growth.

Alexandria and Dickenson County have been forced to spend scarce local funds to address the harms caused by the defendants. The lawsuits aim to recover these costs and costs associated with the purchase of opioids prescribed to City and County employees.

"Through this lawsuit, our respective firms expect to help put an end to defendants' nefarious conduct and recoup the funds Alexandria and Dickenson County taxpayers have had to spend to help abate the harms of the opioid crisis. We know that the families and communities that have suffered will require more than litigation in order to heal the damage that has been inflicted upon them, but we are proud to be part of the fight to demand justice on their behalf," said Kevin H. Sharp of Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP.

Joanne Cicala added, "the opioid epidemic is not accidental. It is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made crisis. And worse  the companies that did this were not just seeking to build market share  they knew they were creating addicts. No local government wants to have to file a lawsuit. Local governments have enough to do already, providing services to the public on tight budgets. But this man-made crisis is costing Alexandria, Dickenson and communities like them dearly  and so Alexandria and Dickenson must respond. Those responsible for this epidemic  those who profited from it  must be held accountable for its costs."

About Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP is a public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C, Nashville, San Francisco, and San Diego. Our attorneys have graduated from the nation's top law schools, clerked for judges throughout the United States, and amassed extensive experience litigating and trying cases that have earned over one billion dollars for our clients. The Firm specializes in civil rights and general public interest cases, representing plaintiffs with claims of employment discrimination, labor and wage violations, predatory lending, consumer fraud, and whistleblowing, among other claims. Along with a focus on class actions, the Firm also represents individuals and has achieved extraordinary success in the representation of executives and attorneys in employment disputes.

For more information go to www.sanfordheisler.com or call (202) 499-5200 or email [email protected]. For the latest news, visit our newsroom or follow us on Twitter at @sanfordheisler.

About The Cicala Law Firm PLLC

The Cicala Law Firm PLLC is a plaintiff's civil litigation firm that prosecutes claims in the health care space. We are particularly experienced in advocating for governmental entities and identifying novel claims designed to maximize recoveries. We have a diverse, experienced and nimble team comprised of attorneys, analysts, law enforcement, health care and IT professionals. We are particularly skilled at managing complex multi-party litigation and navigating federal multi-district litigations, whether through direct participation or coordinated state proceedings. We are firm believers in taking advantage of cutting edge technology and data mining to identity claims and particularize damages. Our team has the skills to do this work in house. We are available for pharmacy benefit claims evaluation and other health care cost containment efforts. We welcome strategic partnerships with other firms where our team may complement their activities on behalf of their clients.

For more information go to www.cicalapllc.com or call (512) 275-6550 or email [email protected].

SOURCE Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Related Links

http://www.sanfordheisler.com


ROHNERT PARK, Calif., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- It might seem intuitive that more work experience is better for landing a job, but that doesn't always seem to be the case. Unpaid internships, for example, do not appear to lead to a greater chance of job offers, possibly hurting job-seekers who are also student loan borrowers. Ameritech Financial, a document preparation company that helps align student loan borrowers with federal repayment programs that could potentially lower their monthly payments, supports better opportunities for borrowers to improve their financial outlook.

"Even with better unemployment numbers, recent college grads still might have a hard time finding work, plus more and more graduates are saddled with student debt," said Tom Knickerbocker, executive vice president of Ameritech Financial.

Now officials in Wisconsin are looking to add an internship as a graduation prerequisite for the 26-campus University of Wisconsin system. What these internships will be like is still in question, but if not done right, education experts say the internships could backfire and potentially hurt students. Since many Wisconsin college students are also student loan borrowers, a mismanaged internship requirement could potentially worsen borrowers' employment prospects, too.

In addition to poorer future job prospects, many students just cannot afford to take an unpaid internship for immediate financial reasons. Unpaid internships are ostensibly for the benefit of the intern, thus justifying the lack of pay, but it's hard to tell whether every unpaid internship falls squarely in this category. Even in a best-case scenario, where the internship meets all requirements to be unpaid, the opportunity to work another job for money is lost when the student takes the unpaid internship.

Ameritech Financial assists federal student loan borrowers who need guidance regarding repayment, including those who may be struggling with their monthly loan payments. Individuals who have had poorer employment outcomes post-graduation might be interested in an income-driven repayment plan. These plans are offered by the Department of Education and require an application and yearly recertification. Ameritech Financial is a private company  not affiliated with any government agency or any loan servicer  and assists borrowers in applying and recertifying their enrollment in a repayment plan that better fits their financial needs.

"At Ameritech Financial, we're interested in helping borrowers move past any hurdles they've had towards a better financial future," said Knickerbocker. "The way we contribute is by helping borrowers use the repayment resources and strategies that work best for them."

About Ameritech Financial

Ameritech Financial is a private company located in Rohnert Park, California. Ameritech Financial has already helped thousands of consumers with financial analysis and student loan document preparation to apply for federal student loan repayment programs offered through the Department of Education.

Ameritech Financial is a member of the Association for Student Loan Relief (AFSLR), and each representative on the phone has received the Certified Student Loan Professional certification through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA).

Ameritech Financial prides itself on its exceptional customer service.

Contact

To learn more about Ameritech Financial, please contact:

Ameritech Financial

5789 State Farm Drive #265

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

1-800-792-8621

[email protected]

Related Links

Ameritech Financial home page

SOURCE Ameritech Financial
ROHNERT PARK, Calif., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennials have been in the spotlight recently for shouldering the bulk of the student loan debt. However, the older end of Generation Z is making its way through college now, accumulating the debt that millennials have been struggling with. How will they fare? It's hard to tell how successful they will be through repayment, but a recent survey brought to light some Gen Z understandings of student loans. Ameritech Financial, a document preparation company specializing in helping borrowers with federal loan repayment plan applications, reminds current students that student loans will affect their lives for years to come and it's important to be as knowledgeable as possible about their loans and options.

"College is a time for education, and when it involves taking out student loans, it's important that students learn what they can about those loans in addition to their studies," said Tom Knickerbocker, executive vice president of Ameritech Financial. "Knowing things like how much they will be paying back and their options for repayment will influence their success."

According to the survey, about two-thirds of Gen Z respondents have looked at their student loan accounts. Keeping track of those loans is essential for minimizing them. For those borrowers who are near the end of their school career, knowing their balances will inform their job search, especially when it comes to salary requirements.

The survey revealed two major misconceptions held by Gen Z students. First, a little more than half of the respondents believe that they will be able to take advantage of forgiveness programs after graduation. The main forgiveness program, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, only benefits those working for the government or 501(c)(3) employers, regardless of job function.

Second, nearly 40 percent of respondents believed it is possible to refinance student loans through a federal program. That is simply not true. Refinancing is solely in the realm of private companies, and refinancing a federal loan will forfeit the valuable borrower protections inherent in federal loans, such as loan forgiveness and income-driven repayment plans.

On a positive note, more than half of the respondents believe that they will be able to fully pay off their debt. However, those in the remaining 40 percent, or any federal student loan borrower struggling to make their payments, may be able to take advantage of one of the various income-driven repayment plans offered by the Department of Education. Such plans base payments on income and family size and may even end in forgiveness after 20 or 25 years.

"Knowledge is power and leads to success in the student loan repayment process," said Knickerbocker. "We specialize in that knowledge and help our clients understand the available repayment plans. We also help them with the application paperwork and yearly recertification so that they can hopefully feel empowered in their repayment process."

About Ameritech Financial

Ameritech Financial is a private company located in Rohnert Park, California. Ameritech Financial has already helped thousands of consumers with financial analysis and student loan document preparation to apply for federal student loan repayment programs offered through the Department of Education.

Ameritech Financial is a member of the Association for Student Loan Relief (AFSLR), and each representative on the phone has received the Certified Student Loan Professional certification through the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators (IAPDA).

Ameritech Financial prides itself on its exceptional customer service.

Contact

To learn more about Ameritech Financial, please contact:

Ameritech Financial

5789 State Farm Drive #265

Rohnert Park, CA 94928

1-800-792-8621

[email protected]

Related Links

Ameritech Financial home page

SOURCE Ameritech Financial
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Psychological Association has selected Marriott International as the recipient of its 2018 Organizational Excellence Award, a national recognition designed to highlight the effective application of psychology in the workplace.

Four other employers will receive APA's 2018 Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award at a ceremony on March 22 for their comprehensive sets of practices that support a healthy, high-performing work environment. They are: Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (Alberta, Canada), Federal Detention Center, Honolulu (Hawai'i), Four Seasons Resort Hualalai (Hawai'i) and Maplewave (Nova Scotia, Canada). The awards are presented annually by APA's Center for Organizational Excellence.

Marriott International is being recognized for its comprehensive employee training and development efforts that are informed by psychological research and theory.

Marriott's training and career development initiatives are ingrained in the corporation's employee well-being program, which reaches 700,000 people on six continents who wear the Marriott name badge. Company human resource executives, who are led by a team of industrial-organizational psychologists, developed a program of personalized learning that has blended psychological research, evidence-based learning modalities, psychology-informed assessments and data analysis into the design, content and evaluation of training programs. Marriott has adapted its training to fit the needs of associates (such as offering shorter, digital, micro-learning opportunities) and pressing issues, such as a recent effort to train all associates at every level of the company in how to identify and respond to signs of human trafficking on its properties.

On average, at the four companies receiving Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards, 83 percent of employees say the organization values training and development, and 88 percent say their organization regularly communicates with employees, according to an employee survey conducted as part of the award application. Well-being plays a central role in these organizations, with 87 percent of employees reporting that their organization promotes and supports a healthy lifestyle. Nearly nine in 10 say they recommend their organization as a good place to work (86 percent) and feel motivated to do their best (89 percent).

"These employers are weaving a commitment to well-being and performance into the fabric of their organizations," said David W. Ballard, PsyD, MBA, head of APA's Center for Organizational Excellence. "In times of change and uncertainty, these forward-thinking employers are building organizational cultures where employees are well equipped to tackle emerging challenges."

Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan is a not-for-profit organization that offers health insurance and insurance administration services to the education sector. ASEBP's workplace culture is fueled by voluntary, employee-led initiatives, such as a holiday toy drive and quarterly life event celebrations for employee milestones and career accomplishments. The organization also offers voluntary, on-site mental health first aid training. The organization encourages professional development by subsidizing professional association memberships for employees and providing a yearly allowance to further their education. Nearly all staff (98 percent) said in an employee survey that they are treated with respect and dignity.

Federal Detention Center, Honolulu, is a federal Bureau of Prisons detention facility that houses nearly 400 inmates. Staff are encouraged to provide input through an "Ideas for Dollars" initiative, in which suggestions that can improve operations can be rewarded with bonuses or an increase in pay. All new hires are trained in the risk factors of burnout, and three full-time psychologists are available for staff consultation. To provide immediate recognition, supervisors carry chits that they can hand out as they interact with employees to acknowledge outstanding performance.

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai is a luxury resort in a predominantly rural location that provides its employees with the autonomy necessary to make decisions and solve problems in an effort to enhance guest experiences. An on-site wellness center for employees focuses on both conventional and culturally informed services. Employees receive an additional perk of complimentary rooms  along with discounted food and beverages  at any Four Seasons property in the world. Staff recognition includes "Aloha Spirit," a monthly event in which two employees nominated by coworkers are recognized for their exceptional work. In a confidential employee survey, 92 percent said the resort is a great place to work, a belief further supported by a decline in turnover from 18 percent in 2014 to 13 percent in 2017.

Maplewave is a technology company that specializes in telecommunications for the retail sector. Maplewave's profit-sharing program helps keep employees invested in the business's performance. Along with a comprehensive group benefits package, employees receive a health spending account of up to $300 per year for health-related expenses that may not be covered by insurance. Maplewave's policy of promoting from within has allowed numerous employees to advance their careers. The company's comprehensive performance review program is an ongoing, collaborative process between managers and staff. This pays off as the employee satisfaction rate was 81 percent and turnover was just 2 percent in 2017.

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Awards recognize organizations for their efforts to foster employee well-being while enhancing organizational performance. The program has both local and national components. APA's award program spans North America and is designed to showcase the best from among the winners recognized by APA's affiliated state, provincial and territorial psychological associations.

Nominees are evaluated on their workplace practices in the areas of employee involvement, health and safety, employee growth and development, work-life balance and employee recognition. Additional factors that are considered include employee attitudes and opinions, the role of communication in the organization and the benefits realized in terms of both employee health and organizational performance. Awards are given to for-profit and not-for-profit organizations as well as government, military and educational institutions.

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace and Organizational Excellence Awards are part of a public education initiative from APA's Center for Organizational Excellence. To learn more about the award winners and how to create a work environment where employees and organizations thrive, visit the APA Center for Organizational Excellence webpage.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.

SOURCE American Psychological Association

Related Links

http://www.apa.org


PALM DESERT, Calif., March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- ASC Biosciences, Inc. ("ASC") symbol ASCW is pleased to announce its first television commercial is scheduled to be aired nationally on Thursday, March 15, 2018 and Sunday, March 18, 2018 in prime time on Fox Business Network.

At the time of publication of this press release actual air times are not available; however, the television commercial can also be viewed at OTCMarkets.com by typing in our ticker symbol ASCW and scrolling to the bottom of the page.

About ASC Biosciences, Inc. ASC Biosciences, Inc. ("ASC" or the "Company") is a development stage biotechnology company with a proprietary adult stem cell platform capable of forming nearly every tissue in the human body. These cells, Multipotent Adult Stem Cells ("MASCs"), will differentiate into cartilage, bone, tendon, muscle, ligament, fat, blood vessels, nerves and skin etc. in humans. MASCs have apparent unlimited proliferation potential (do not reach replicative senescence) and have been shown to regenerate tissues by differentiating into the cell types at the site. MASCs do not cause a rejection response and can thus be used allogenically - which means that cells harvested from a single donor can be expanded in culture and the expanded cells can be used to treat hundreds, thousands, or millions of patients. ASC believes it has a sustainable competitive advantage with its MASCs. Once FDA approved, the Company's MASCs will replace the need to use autologous stem cells for therapies. The MASCs will essentially become known as "cells in a bottle", providing a specified dose of adult stem cells for specific therapies, which is an enormous advantage over harvesting cells from a patient's body. ASC intends to establish an intellectual property portfolio that will provide proprietary dominion in the repair and regeneration of all human tissues. For more information visit: http://www.ascbio.com or @ASCbio1 on Facebook.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about ASC Biosciences, Inc. industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Because such statements involve risks and uncertainties, the actual results and performance of the Company may differ materially from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Unless otherwise required by law, the Company also disclaims any obligation to update its view of any such risks or uncertainties or to announce publicly the result of any revisions to the forward-looking statements made here. Readers should review carefully reports or documents the Company files periodically with the https://www.otcmarkets.com.

SOURCE ASC Biosciences, Inc.

Related Links

https://ascbio.com


ASTOUND are the makers of reality & engineers of the impossible.

TORONTO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - ASTOUND is very excited to announce two strategic hires as they continue to expand and diversify capabilities.

ASTOUND is proud to announce that Chuck Bajnai has joined as the inaugural Chief Creative Officer and Mark Thompson has been appointed as the Chief Revenue and Client Officer; leading all client focused operations

Chuck Bajnai has 24 years of exhibition design experience working with clients such as General Motors, Audi, Motorola, Volkswagen, Cessna and IBM. Bajnai previously served as Chief Creative Officer at EWI Worldwide and prior to that was Vice President of Design at George P. Johnson. Bajnai has a deep knowledge across a wide range of disciplines and capabilities. This spans from large immersive brand experiences and architecture design to tradeshow programs and retail environments. He and his team have been recognized for leading award-winning executions across multiple industries around the globe.

ASTOUND has been a global leader in building and designing custom brand experiences for the past 15 years. "In order for companies to thrive, creative thinking and the customer should be at the heart of any organization. These two hires, will be solely focused on these areas," says Dale Morgan, founder and CEO of ASTOUND.

"At ASTOUND we believe companies are in the business of storytelling. Compelling experiences are what drives emotion. Companies are looking to tell storiesstories about their customers, their partners, their products, their services and their industries," says Morgan.

Chuck is a storyteller at heart and has been tasked with continuing to lead a world-class design team to solve problems and push creative boundaries. "Design today means needing to be cross-disciplinary. Audiences expect more and more out of everything they engage with. There are limits to this, and we must figure out how to harness simplicity and focus in everything we design," says Bajnai.

Mark Thompson has been appointed as the Chief Revenue and Client Officer. Mark brings over 16 years in the industry working with global brands such as Mastercard, General Motors, Salesforce and Coca-Cola. Most recently, Thompson has spent time as the President of Momentum Worldwide. During his tenure, Mark led a team consisting of experiential, sponsorship and shopper marketing. Mark brings a deep understanding of the industry and a passion for excellence with his clients. His problem-solving mindset has proved to breakthrough challenges and uncover opportunities to serve customers in meaningful and purposeful ways. "In today's highly dynamic marketplace, things are changing so quickly. We need to adapt to best support our clients as they evolve their businesses," says Thompson.

About ASTOUND

ASTOUND is a full-service fabrication and creative house. They focus on delivering unforgettable custom experiences of the highest quality for the world's most innovative brands. ASTOUND's capabilities include exhibits, events, architectural fabrication, specialty contracting and creative.

With offices in Toronto and Las Vegas, ASTOUND has developed, designed and deployed projects for Fortune 500 brands in more than 30 countries around the world. Established in 2001, ASTOUND has been awarded as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies, a Fab 50 company, one of the Best Places to Work in Events and a multi-year winner of Profit 500's Fastest Growing Companies. For more information, visit www.astoundgroup.com.

SOURCE ASTOUND Group Inc.

Related Links

www.astoundgroup.com


CHICAGO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) today launched the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute (BCBS Institute), a new subsidiary of BCBSA created to address the social and environmental factors that greatly influence health and health outcomes.

A first-of-its-kind organization in scope and scale, the BCBS Institute combines a social mission with business innovation and insight to target barriers to health care that can be solved with technology and strategic alliances. With a mission to improve health care access and outcomes, the BCBS Institute will address the "ZIP code effect," which shines a light on transportation, pharmacy, nutrition and fitness deserts in specific neighborhoods. Through these efforts, the BCBS Institute goes beyond the walls of the traditional provider setting to reach into the daily realities of communities across the country.

"For some of our members, it can be difficult to get to a physician's office for treatment, to the pharmacy for much needed medication, to the grocery store for nutritious food or to a safe place to exercise," said Scott P. Serota, president and CEO of BCBSA and chairman of the board of the BCBS Institute. "We want to help lift these burdens for more Americans."

"The time is more critical than ever for American business leaders to bring to bear the might and ingenuity of the world's strongest economy to affect positive change in the health of all Americans," said Serota. "Serving one in three Americans in nearly every geographic area in the country, Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies know all too well that what often dictates health isn't genetic code, but ZIP code."

"Conservative estimates show 60 percent of health outcomes are driven by social determinants of health, including lifestyle behaviors and environmental factors," said Dr. Trent Haywood, BCBSA chief medical officer and president of the BCBS Institute.

The BCBS Institute leverages powerful data by ZIP code about social determinants of health and brings together the partners best positioned to tailor solutions to meet community needs. In collaboration over the last year with Lyft, the BCBS Institute has made it possible to dispatch rides for patients via Lyft's network of drivers.

Addressing Transportation and Pharmacy Deserts



With the launch of the BCBS Institute and partnerships with Lyft, CVS Health and Walgreens, the BCBS Institute is addressing transportation and pharmacy deserts in test markets across the country.

"Lyft is proud to partner with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association to address the social determinants of health through the launch of their new Institute," said John Zimmer, Lyft co-founder and president. "The work we're doing with BCBSA is critical to our goal of reducing the transportation health care gap by 50 percent in the next two yearsand a key part of our mission to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation."

"A growing number of Americans live in areas where medical care is beyond reach, even when they have health insurance," said Dr. Troyen Brennan, executive vice president and chief medical officer for CVS Health. "Through working with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute, we are committed to addressing issues that are inextricably linked to health outcomes and which are greatly improved when people have access to pharmacies."

"At Walgreens, we pride ourselves on being a source of care that is both trusted and accessible. This initiative brings greater accessibility to populations in need, and we look forward to bringing our growing range of pharmacy and health services to a larger population," said Nimesh Jhaveri, vice president, health care services, Walgreens.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies across the country to address the "ZIP code effect" on health

"With the launch of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute, we are building on our record of innovation and commitment to introduce new solutions to improve our members' access to quality healthcare," said Daniel Hilferty, president and CEO of Independence Blue Cross.

"The BCBS Institute resonates the value of Blue coverage for members and patients around the country," said David Holmberg, president and CEO of Highmark Health. "Through the BCBS Institute, we will be forging a path to important and valuable services. As an integrated financing and delivery system in Western Pennsylvania, we not only recognize the challenges some patients face in having access to reliable transportation for medical appointments, but we are in a unique position to provide an enhanced Blue experience to these patients."

"At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, we seized the opportunity to work with the BCBS Institute," said Dr. Steve Udvarhelyi, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. "Our providers have often told us about their concern for our mutual customerstheir patientswho struggle to keep their appointments and get the care they need to get healthy and stay healthy," Udvarhelyi said. "One of our chosen providers told us, 'The Institute has excited everyone at our facility and is the type of innovation we like to see.'"

The BCBS Institute will address nutrition and fitness deserts in 2019.

For additional information regarding the BCBS Institute, please visit www.bcbs.com/Institute.

All product names, trade names and brands are property of their respective owners and used for identification purposes only. Use of these names and brands does not imply endorsement.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Indexsm. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out our blog.

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute

Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute (BCBS Institute) is the first entity dedicated to addressing social determinants of health (SDOH) at the community level by identifying geographic areas of opportunity and targeting services to improve health within commercially insured markets. The Institute is a subsidiary of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), an independent licensee of BCBSA, and filed as a benefit corporation. CHM Hub and the CHM Hub proprietary software application are intellectual property owned by Blue Cross Blue Shield Institute. CHM Hub is a proprietary software application that offers general information, only, in "as is" condition. CHM Hub does not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. For medical issues, check with your healthcare provider. Neither BCBSA nor any Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield Plan recommends, endorses, warrants, or guarantees, nor are they responsible for damages based on any program, provider, product, service, or community asset whose information may appear on CHM Hub's website. For details, see our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy available at https://app.chmhub.com/.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Related Links

http://www.bcbs.com


(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/653900/Nathalie_Laneret_Hunton_and_Williams.jpg )



In this role, Nathalie will work on global public policy initiatives and develop and maintain relationships with relevant regulatory authorities in Europe, among other projects. She will reside in the firm's Brussels office effective May 2018.

Nathalie joins CIPL from Capgemini Group - a leader in consulting, digital technology and outsourcing - where she was Public Affairs and Group Data Protection Officer (DPO), a member of the Group Cybersecurity and Information Protection Steering Committee and responsible for managing the DPO network and defining Capgemini Group's implementation strategy for the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She is admitted to the New York and Paris bars and has experience in both France and in the US on data protection, IT and security matters, contracts, competition law, compliance issues and litigation.

"Nathalie brings significant operational experience and expertise and will be instrumental to CIPL's mission and help us meet the increasing demands from our members, regulators and other stakeholders globally. I am delighted that with the addition of Nathalie, CIPL is increasing its presence in Europe and its ability to engage fully in both the ongoing data protection law reform in the EU and developing a strategy for the future," said CIPL President Bojana Bellamy.

"I am thrilled to join a leading global privacy and security think tank and look forward to working with CIPL to contribute to building a future in which innovation, beneficial uses of data and individual privacy are fully enabled," said Nathalie.

"Data protection is not just another compliance issue; it is a key topic that should be embedded within each organisation's overall strategy. In the modern information age, it is a shared responsibility of stakeholders to achieve the protection of individual rights and responsible data use and innovation. Finding the way to achieve this goal is at the core of CIPL's mission," Nathalie added.

Nathalie has worked both in France and in the US. She sits on the IAPP European Advisory Board and is a member of the task force of the Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE) Code of Conduct.

"We are delighted to welcome Nathalie to the team. Her experience will be instrumental to CIPL's continued growth in the EU and across the globe, where she will help CIPL and its members continue their mission of developing solutions to the most vexing privacy issues of our information age," said Aaron Simpson, head of the European data protection practice and managing partner of Hunton & Williams' London office.

Lisa Sotto, chair of the firm's top-ranked global privacy and cybersecurity practice and managing partner of the firm's New York office said that, "CIPL's substantive strength is due to its network. Through our outreach efforts, one-on-one meetings and policymaker dialogues, the growth of the team will ensure our members stay engaged with key stakeholders that establish meaningful benchmarks and map the future of data privacy and legislation."

Among other projects, CIPL has been working on a multi-stakeholder project on the consistent implementation and interpretation of the EU GDPR, with a series of workshops and papers. All published papers are available on www.informationpolicycentre.com.

About the Centre for Information Policy Leadership

The Centre for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL) works with industry leaders, regulatory authorities and policymakers to develop global solutions and best practices for privacy and the responsible use of data to enable the modern information age. CIPL was founded in 2001 by leading companies and Hunton & Williams LLP to develop innovative, pragmatic approaches to privacy and data security policy that consider the requirements of business processes and concerns surrounding information protection. More details about CIPL can be found at www.informationpolicycentre.com, and you can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Hunton & Williams LLP

Hunton & Williams is a global law firm of more than 725 lawyers serving clients in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm handles transactional, litigation and regulatory matters for a diverse client base, with significant experience in retail and consumer products, energy, financial services, real estate, and privacy and cybersecurity. Visit www.hunton.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

SOURCE Hunton & Williams LLP
"I've been proud to be a City Year supporter for more than 20 years and I'm honored to serve as co-chair alongside one of City Year's biggest champions, Jonathan Lavine," Cohen said. "Education is a huge priority for our country, and ultimately, it is citizen service that empowers us to dream of a better tomorrow. Since 1988, City Year has invested in the success of schools and communities and supported the development of our next generation of leaders. I am looking forward to helping to steward the outstanding work of this organization across the country."

A longstanding supporter of City Year, Cohen has played a key role in helping to build City Year's partnership with Comcast NBCUniversal, which has invested more than $90 million in cash and in-kind support to City Year since 2003. Cohen also leads and serves on multiple boards, including as: Chairman of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a J.D. summa cum laude in 1981; Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of Penn Medicine; Chair of the Philadelphia Theatre Company; Campaign Chair for the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey's 100th Anniversary; Co-Chair of the 2017-2018 Campaign for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia; and a member of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission, among others.

"It is an honor for me to continue to serve City Year, an organization I have believed in and been inspired by since it first launched, and to do so in partnership with David," said Lavine. "We know that the organization is poised for even greater impact in the years ahead and we are looking forward to leveraging the talent, wisdom and dedication of the board to help City Year achieve its ambitious goals to serve more students and schools."

"City Year is extraordinarily fortunate to have such deeply committed champions as David Cohen and Jonathan Lavine leading our national Board of Trustees. We are enormously grateful for their leadership, stewardship and vision," said Michael Brown, CEO and Co-Founder of City Year. "We are also excited to welcome Tushara Canekeratne, George Nichols, Enrique Salem and Wendy Spencer, all accomplished leaders and steadfast supporters of City Year, to our national Board."

Tushara Canekeratne is the founder and CEO of Nadastra, Inc., a knowledge driven global services company, and the co-founder of Virtusa Corporation, a global provider of software development and IT Services. A global leader and entrepreneur with more than 25 years of broad and deep experience in the information technology industry, Canekeratne also serves as a member of the Brigham and Women's Hospital Advisory Council, Harvard Graduate School of Education Graduate School of Education Dean's Leadership Council and Harvard University Campaign Executive Committee. She holds a B.S. in computer science and mathematics and received an honorary degree of doctor of the University from Loughborough University. Canekeratne was elected to City Year's national Board of Trustees on October 17, 2017.

George Nichols III is Senior Vice President, Office of Governmental Affairs at New York Life Insurance Company where he oversees all state, federal and international legislative/regulatory and public policy issues for the company. Before joining New York Life in January 2001 as Senior Vice President and Assistant to the Chairman, Nichols was the Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Insurance. He also served as President of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) and Chairman of the International Relations Committee. Nichols received an M.A. from the University of Louisville, a B.A. from Western Kentucky University and an A.A. from Alice Lloyd College. He was elected to City Year's national Board of Trustees on July 11, 2016.

Enrique Salem is Managing Partner at Bain Venture Capital, where he focuses on infrastructure software and services with a specialization in cybersecurity. Previously, Salem was President and CEO of Symantec, a Fortune 500 digital safety company, where he also served as Executive Vice President of worldwide sales and marketing and president of consumer products; and President and CEO of Brightmail, the leading anti-spam software company. In 2011, Salem was appointed to President Obama's Management Advisory Board. He currently serves on the boards of DocuSign, FireEye, Atlassian and ForeScout. Salem was named 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young and Corporate Executive of the Year by Hispanic Net in 2007. For the past several years, Salem has served on the Board of City Year San Jose/Silicon Valley. He was elected to City Year's national Board of Trustees on January 25, 2018.

Wendy Spencer serves as President and CEO of Leadership Florida, a non-partisan convener of committed individuals that enhances the knowledge and leadership abilities of Florida's leaders through educational programs and encourages collaborative work for the betterment of the state. Prior to her appointment with Leadership Florida, she served a five-year term as the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). Spencer also has served Governors Rick Scott, Charlie Crist and Jeb Bush as the CEO of the Florida Governor's Commission on Volunteerism, commonly known as Volunteer Florida. She holds a B.A. in fine arts and speech communications from Valdosta State University. Spencer was elected to City Year's national Board of Trustees on March 28, 2017.

City Year's national Board of Trustees includes leaders in business, national service, public education and philanthropy from across the country. For a complete list of the City Year Board of Trustees and their biographies, please visit cityyear.org.

About City Year

City Year helps students and schools succeed. Fueled by national service, City Year partners with public schools in 28 urban, high-need communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and Johannesburg, South Africa. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide research-based student, classroom and school-wide supports to help students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school, ready for college and career success. A 2015 study shows that schools that partner with City Year were up to two to three times more likely to improve on math and English assessments. This year, 3,000 City Year AmeriCorps members are serving 223,000 students in 327 high-need schools across the country. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service, local school districts, and private philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individuals. Learn more at www.cityyear.org, City Year's Facebook page, on Twitter, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE City Year

Related Links

http://www.cityyear.org


Posted by Mark Williams | March 14, 2018

Anytime a manufacturer returns to a vehicle class it left, the assumption is that something changed.

Example: The mid-size 2019 Ford Ranger that's due to go on sale at the end of this year resulted from dealers pushing to get a U.S. version of the popular global Ranger following the successful (and risky) introduction of the mid-size GM twins, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon.

Now it looks like GM has bowed to dealer demands with the introduction of the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado as a medium-duty truck at the 2018 Work Truck Show in Indianapolis. It's a class in which GM has not had a player for nearly 10 years. But there's more behind this introduction than dealer pressure. As we understand it, GM's return to the medium-duty class had to do with finding the right partner to defray manufacturing and engineering costs. That's where Navistar and its Ohio production plant comes in.

The 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 4500/5500/6500 is not exactly a bold dive back into the deep end of the work-truck pool, but it's certainly cost effective. Nevertheless, we have some reservations about it:

1. Fleet Buyers Have Long Memories

Nothing bothers a fleet buyer or commercial truck business owner more than not being able to depend on their vehicles or suppliers for service. When GM left this market, many of those buyers had to make other arrangements and buy from other manufacturers to fix or replace aging trucks. That very likely left a bad taste that could take a few years to mend.

2. What's Changed?

Following GM's restructuring after its collapse, it's hard to believe that it took this long for the business case for medium-duty trucks to get the green light. More likely, it took GM time to find a partner willing and able to do most of the heavy lifting on this project. Thankfully, Navistar has plant capacity and plenty of experience building medium-duty trucks (think International TerraStar and DuraStar).

3. Doesn't Navistar Have Its Own Trucks?

We're not sure about a strategy that involves entering a truck class with a competitor that is likely to have a vehicle with almost the exact same specifications. It seems likely that International, Navistar's premium truck brand, also will offer a truck in this highly competitive class.

4. Do Customers Want a One-Ton Interior?

No one will tell you more clearly than the drivers of these vehicles that the interiors need to be better. As a rule, they've always been quite functional and designed to take punishment, which includes being easily cleanable. Making the interior of this medium-duty truck look identical to a Silverado 3500 interior could make some of the owners and drivers happy, but isn't there a lot of wasted space with a center console and a conventional dashboard layout?

5. You Can't Escape Your Past

You can bet that competitors will not let fleet and commercial buyers forget how GM abandoned the medium-duty class and suggest that it's possible GM could do it again if the trucks don't turn a profit in a short time. Still, our guess is savvy Chevy dealers will be nimble and humble, reminding customers that they now have a full pickup truck lineup  from the mid-size Colorado to a medium-duty low-cab-forward Silverado  to meet their every need.

Manufacturer image
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Corporate Whistleblower Center is appealing to Physicians nationwide to call them anytime at 866-714-6466 if they possess proof any imaginable type of healthcare service provider is paying kickbacks for referrals. Recently the Department of Justice announced a $29.6-million-dollar settlement involving two medical practice groups and a hospital system involved in a referral kickback scheme. The allegations revolved around kickbacks for patient referrals. In this instance the scheme involved a hospital system admitting patients rather than seeing them on an outpatient basis. In this instance the whistleblowers (two medical doctors) will receive $6.2 million dollars for their information. http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

Physician Kickback

According to the Department of Justice, "On average, Medicare pays at least three times as much for an inpatient admission as it does for outpatient care."

The Corporate Whistleblower Center is inviting a medical doctor or healthcare professional to call them anytime at 866-714-6466 if they possess proof the following type of company is bribing medical doctors for referrals, purchases or admissions:

A nursing home or skilled nursing facility bribing physicians for admissions

A hospital bribing physicians for patient referrals for radiology or cardiac catheterizations

A pharmaceutical company bribing physicians to prescribe medications (needed or not needed)

A hospice provider paying referrals to medical doctors-even if the patient is not dying

A dialysis center bribing-physicians for referring new patients

An Imaging Center bribing medical doctors for patients who may not need expensive imaging services such as an MRI or CT scan.

An in-home healthcare provider that is bribing physicians to recommend their services.

A blood testing company paying off medical doctors to prescribe medically unnecessary-expensive blood tests.

The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "We are positive healthcare companies are paying kickbacks to some physicians in every state and the potential rewards can be significant provided the whistleblower has proof or an eyewitness account of what happened or is happening on an ongoing basis. If you possess this type of proof, please call us anytime at 866-714-6466 for a conversation about the potential value of your information. Why sit on a potentially winning lotto ticket without ever knowing what it might have been worth?" http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

Simple rules for a whistleblower from the Corporate Whistleblower Center: Do not go to the government first if you are a major whistleblower. The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "Major whistleblowers frequently go to the government thinking they will help. It's a huge mistake. Do not go to the news media with your whistleblower information. Public revelation of a whistleblower's information could destroy any prospect for a reward. Do not try to force a company or individual to come clean stark on anti-kickback laws or overbilling Medicare. Come to us first, tell us what type of information you have, and if we think it's sufficient, we will help find the right law firms to assist in advancing your information."

The Corporate Whistleblower Center wants to emphasize there are high quality whistleblowers in every state, including California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, Washington or Alaska. http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

The Corporate Whistleblower Center is the premier advocate for whistleblowers in the United States. Unlike any group in the US, they can assist a potential whistleblower with packaging their information and providing the whistleblower with access to some of the most accomplished whistleblower attorneys in the nation. For more information a potential whistleblower can contact the Corporate Whistleblower Center anytime at 866-714-6466 or visit http://CorporateWhistleblower.Com

For attribution please refer to the Department of Justice press release that discusses this matter: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-physician-groups-pay-over-33-million-resolve-claims-involving-hma-hospitals

Media Contact:

Thomas Martin

[email protected]

866-714-6466

SOURCE Corporate Whistleblower Center

Related Links

http://corporatewhistleblower.com


SCHAUMBURG, Ill., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tomorrow, HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION's President and Managing Director David Doyle will receive a 2018 Silicon Valley 50 Award at Stanford University. This is the 11th annual Silicon Valley Global Awards being hosted by ITLG (Irish Technology Leadership Group), which brings together the most entrepreneurial minds in the Silicon Valley and beyond to honor top Irish and Irish-American executives making a significant impact in their field.

A total of fifty executives are selected and honored each year.

David Doyle, HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION's new President/Managing Director

With 25 years of experience in technical, product management and senior leadership roles, Doyle joined HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION in 2016, and currently assumes full responsibility for the customer-focused operations in North America. Doyle is spearheading the organization and business development activities within HEIDENHAIN's electronics, automation and machine tool capital equipment markets. HEIDENHAIN's products and technology also enable advanced systems capabilities in the robotics, automotive, energy, agriculture, medical and life science industries.

As HEIDENHAIN's President/Managing Director, Doyle is also currently investing in the California Bay Area resources and infrastructure, supporting OEM partners with both the HEIDENHAIN product portfolio and ETEL-brand motion control systems expertise.

Born in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, David attended St Paul's College, Dublin, and Maynooth University (National University of Ireland), earning a double honors degree in chemistry and experimental physics. He has also attended Stanford University for professional development programs. Click here to view Doyle's full biography.

About HEIDENHAIN

Dr. Johannes HEIDENHAIN GmbH, headquartered in Traunreut, Germany, develops and supports motion control feedback solutions for the machine tool, semiconductor, electronics assembly and test, metrology, automation, medical, energy, biotechnology and other global markets. HEIDENHAIN employs approximately 6,000 people worldwide in its core business activities. The North American subsidiary is HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION, headquartered in Schaumburg, IL, and San Jose, CA, and has been serving the U.S. industry for over 50 years. www.heidenhain.us

Contact:

Kathleen Stoneski

HEIDENHAIN's North American Public Relations Manager

333 E. State Parkway

Schaumburg, IL 60173

847-519-4702

[email protected]

SOURCE HEIDENHAIN CORPORATION

Related Links

http://www.heidenhain.us


ORLANDO, Fla., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The MusicHelpsHeal.org initiative was kicked off recently by the School District of Osceola County and Live Music Tutor Inc. and has continued to pick up great steam. The program which was started to help the students displaced from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands due to hurricane Maria is using music to address the emotional and social needs caused by the storm. Many local businesses and organizations have donated instruments, and some have provided cash and grant opportunities. With over 2600 students displaced and 25-50 additional arriving daily this number will continue to climb!

Debbie Fahmie says, "The donation of 2 baby grand pianos and an upright piano from Disney has been a tremendous asset to our choral programs at 3 of our schools. Funding from Universal Orlando Foundation has enabled us to purchase instruments to accommodate our new arrivals from the islands. Through their generosity $20,000.00 worth of new instruments will arrive shortly. Mr. Holland's Opus came to the rescue for students who were impacted by Hurricane Irma or Hurricane Maria. As part of the recovery efforts following the destruction of the hurricanes, the foundation administered a disaster relief program, Music Rising, through which they are able to replace musical instruments that were damaged or destroyed as a direct result of the storms. The Orlando Concert Band has a program titled "Your Own Instrument" in which they assist music students who need instruments to participate in their band or orchestra programs. They have donated 8 instruments to us. "In addition to these organizations, several private individuals who understand and value music education have stepped up to make a used instrument or financial donation." We are so grateful for a community who understands the importance of music in the development of our students."

The MusicHelpsHeal.org initiative is working hard to make this initiative a success with our local community, including our recent participation with U.S. Rep Darren Soto individually and also Joint Task Force on arrivals from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, the support of Mayor Jose Alverez, Superintendent Debra Pace, Education Foundation of Osceola County, the Orlando Sentinel, the Osceola Star, El Nuevo Dia,and many other government officials, school appointees, and local community leaders. We have already contacted a variety of national organizations that are interested and willing to help support our initiative.

We are seeking used instruments as well as financial donations that will be used for instruments and the additional bi-lingual instruction needed to support these students in day school or after school settings. "The demand is so great, that the existing inventory of school-owned instruments has quickly depleted. During this time of transition, inclusion in a school or after-school music program can offer these disadvantaged students so many therapeutic benefits. Until the children feel safe and accepted, it is hard for them to learn academically!" says Fahmie.

For more information about this project or for donation information, visit www.musichelpsheal.org to learn more!

ABOUT LIVE MUSIC TUTOR

Founded in 2011, Live Music Tutor provides private and master classes in music education to schools, individuals and groups using its proprietary web platform and thousands of vetted instructors for almost every instrument including voice. The platform has delivered over 26,000 lessons globally! For more information go to https://livemusictutor.com or http://livemusictutorinschools.com

Contact:

Shawn Taylor

Live Music Tutor

321-684-4928

[email protected]

SOURCE Live Music Tutor

Related Links

https://livemusictutor.com


DAYTON, Ohio, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr Amol Soin, CEO of Soin Neuroscience, was elected to serve as president of the Society of Interventional Pain Management Surgery Centers (SIPMS) as well as the ASIPP Foundation for 2018. ASIPP, also known as the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians, is a leading medical advocacy society of pain management physicians. The Society of Interventional Pain Management Surgery Centers is a national society, born from ASIPP,that advocates for surgery centers. SIPMS and ASIPP will hold a joint annual meeting from March 15th  17th in Orlando, Florida. The ASIPP Foundation is a separate affiliated entity than the main ASIPP society, and the foundation is an organization that advocates for patients and physicians who suffer from pain through charitable donations and events. The ASIPP foundation also participates in other areas of community need, for example, last year the foundation participated in a Hurricane Harvey relief fund.
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Education, having made headlines over the past year for its attacks on both teachers and students, has now launched its newest attack directly at public employees. In a violation of the law, the Department of Education implemented a management edict that aims to kill the union and deny workers their legal right to representation, the American Federation of Government Employees said today.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has made headlines over the past year for her attacks on teachers and students. Now she and her management team are attacking the public sector employees who work at the Department of Education. They have illegally trashed the collective bargaining agreement negotiated between the American Federation of Government Employees and prior management, instead replacing it with a set of rules and instructions that gut employee and union rights. Photo: Caitlin Emma

After months of anti-union proposals and hostile behavior at the bargaining table, Department of Education management told AFGE Council 252 President Claudette Young on Friday, March 9, that it would not negotiate and would instead implement its own terms. The so-called "collective bargaining agreement" referred to by management is an illegal management edict that guts employee rights, including those addressing workplace health and safety, telework, and alternative work schedules.

"AFGE did not agree to these unilateral terms," Young said. "AFGE is, and has been, eager to return to the table to negotiate a fair and just contract, which all employees deserve."

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' vendetta on public education has now taken stage within the Department of Education by gutting employees' right to representation in the workplace, and interfering with AFGE's legal obligation to represent employees by taking away representational time for union representatives. Education's management edict subverts the statutory process established by Congress 40 years ago to facilitate the representation of all employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, regardless of their decision to join or not join the union.

AFGE Council 252 represents 2,500 Department of Education employees across the country, all of whom will be adversely impacted by this new anti-union decree. Joining the union is voluntary for workers, yet AFGE and other federal unions are required by law to represent everyone covered by the union contract  even if they choose not to join. For this reason, Congress provided representational time so that the union can carry out its legal duty of fair representation to all those who are covered by the contract, including those who choose not to pay dues. Removing access to this time is like asking the fire department to operate without firetrucks or a firehose.

DeVos's new edict requires shop stewards and local union officers to use leave without pay to carry out their statutory representational duties  which include things like meeting with employees and managers to resolve workplace disputes, addressing issues of discrimination and retaliation, and effecting improvements in work processes. This edict is counterproductive and wrong. It's bad for public employees, and it's bad for public education.

Read more: Biggest Violations in DeVos', Dept. of Ed. Management's Edict

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 700,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.

For the latest AFGE news and information, visit the AFGE Media Center.

SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

Related Links

http://www.afge.org


STOCKHOLM, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Electrolux Major Appliances North America has been informed by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) that it has set a final tariff rate of 72.41% on its washing machines imported into the U.S. from Mexico between February 2016 and January 2017. As previously communicated, the DOC informed Electrolux about this preliminary rate in November 2017.* Electrolux will contest this decision vigorously.

It is Electrolux's position that the DOC set this tariff rate by improperly citing, as the basis for this decision, a failure on behalf of Electrolux to submit data in a timely manner. Electrolux believes that the DOC's decision lacks legal merit, because the DOC failed to provide Electrolux actual notice of the relevant documents or the necessary timeframe for response, as required by the World Trade Organization Anti-Dumping Agreement and the DOC's own internal guidelines.

Electrolux will now appeal the DOC's decision. If the tariff rate is not significantly reduced as a result of the appeal process, it could lead to a one-time cost of up to USD 70 million. However, Electrolux believes that the company has a very strong legal case and, at this point, will not make any provision related to this potential cost.

*Press release from November 2, 2017: http://www.electroluxgroup.com/en/electrolux-to-contest-tariff-rate-set-in-antidumping-review-by-u-s-department-of-commerce-24115/

For further information, please contact:

Daniel Frykholm, Electrolux Press Hotline, +46-8-657-65-07

This is information that AB Electrolux is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 0800 CET on March 14, 2018

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/electrolux/r/electrolux-provides-update-on-u-s--antidumping-review--intends-to-contest-decision,c2471484

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Electrolux
The requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

Back to [RTHK News Homepage]
NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennial Tax Founder Meisa Bonelli sees incredible opportunity for women and black-owned businesses to become an even greater force in today's economy  provided these business owners have the best, most qualified professionals in their corner.

"Women and black-owned businesses face a pair of major deficits: lack of capital access and an absence of experienced, savvy financial professionals," explains Bonelli. "No matter how great the concept, any business needs both factors in place to succeed."

Meisa Bonelli, Senior Tax Professional

Economic uncertainty affects women at a higher rate than men, and women who own their own businesses are not exempt. Women have a tougher time saving for retirement, and women and minorities are frequently a blind spot for high-powered financial professionals.

On the other hand, women-owned businesses generate over $1.6 trillion annually, a number that's continuing to grow. Bonelli believes that growth curve could be even sharper if owners know the right questions to ask their current (or prospective) financial professionals. In a feature report on MillennialTax.com, she suggests the following questions to get a healthy and productive conversation started:

How many women or black-owned businesses does the financial professional work with regularly?

Unique obstacles require a unique, hands-on understanding that can only be achieved through experience. The right financial professional will have demonstrated experience working with women and black-owned enterprises, as well as being proactive and protective of clients' livelihoods.

What's the income range of the financial professional's clients?

The income range of a financial professional's client base is a proxy for their skill and experience. Business owners with elite ambitions should select a professional who routinely consults with high net worth clients and profitable, growing enterprises.

Among the financial professional's women-owned business clients, how many are caregivers, single mothers or divorcees?

Women are more likely to be raising children alone or serving as primary caregiver for a disabled or ill loved one. They're also more adversely affected financially following a divorce. Women-owned businesses therefore benefit from a financial professional who understands the demands on their time and energy reserves.

How often does the financial professional help prepare documents related to loans and other capital-raising efforts?

For black-owned enterprises, the value of the business, its long-term potential and its need for capital to reach that potential can be difficult to communicate to investors and loan officers. Expertly prepared documents can help bridge the gap. Therefore, it's important that a financial professional have ample experience in the nuances of document preparation for black-owned businesses.

About the Expert

Meisa Bonelli is one of America's leading tax strategists for solopreneurs, freelancers and micro-small business owners and is a reputed media expert on tax issues. She has been featured by U.S. News and World Report, CNN Money, and The Associated Press. Her blend of flair with seasoned experience in private equity has made Meisa a multilingual phenomenon being able to communicate across generations from millennials to baby boomers.

About Millennial Tax

Founded in 2013 and with offices in New York and Philadelphia, Millennial Tax provides tax preparation and tax education to solopreneurs, freelancers and micro-small businesses ($75,000  $500,000 in revenue/income). Millennial Tax's clients run the gamut  digital marketing and public relations agencies, salon owners, veterinarians and pet groomers, real estate sales professionals, freelance makeup artists and hairstylists, architects and interior designers, consultants, contractors and more. For more information, please visit: www.millennialtax.com.

Media Contact:

Karolina Swierk

Millennial Tax

(646) 537-1733 ext. 102

[email protected]

www.millennialtax.com

SOURCE Millennial Tax

Related Links

http://www.millennialtax.com


IRVINE, Calif., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to help firefighters cover the high cost of cancer treatment as a result of the occupational risk of experiencing higher rates of certain types of cancer than the general U.S. population, Laboratory for Advanced Medicine (LAM) today announced the launch of Firefighters Against Cancer and Exposures (FACEs), a Texas-based non-profit that provides supplemental funding to firefighters who have been diagnosed with cancer and not met their deductible through insurance, signifying a hopeful future for reducing cancer stress in the fire service. One hundred percent of the proceeds are given to firefighters to aid the financial burdens of a cancer diagnosis.

"As a career firefighter, I have seen my colleagues face the harsh realization of cancer, and the death rate for firefighters is increasing faster than we can find ways to help," said Chris Conner, president of FACEs and firefighter in Bedford, Texas. "There needed to be a better way to provide help to firefighters who are diagnosed with cancer, as they need financial assistance with medical deductibles and treatments. That's where FACEs comes in. We've made it our mission to find every appropriate resource to assist them in fighting cancer."

FACEs will kick off with a fundraiser on March 17, 2018, at the Bedford Fire Station in Dallas-Fort Worth at 7:30 a.m. local time to raise awareness about the risk of cancer in the fire service and provide funds for families who are affected. FACEs will also attend the FDIC International firefighter conference on April 23 through 28, 2018, in Indianapolis.

"After working with the Bedford Fire Department over the past two years, and most recently in January 2018 to test firefighters for cancer with our new IvyGene technology, we recognized the extent of the financial burden that's borne by families who are going through a cancer diagnosis today," added Adam Davis, Business Development Manager, LAM. "This is all about saving lives sooner for firefighters, and the launch of FACEs is a major step toward making that goal a reality now."

About Laboratory for Advanced Medicine

LAM is a clinical-stage medical technology company focused on developing cutting-edge non-invasive, nontoxic technologies for early diagnosis and intervention, possibly years before symptoms arise. LAM is dedicated to building and growing world-class technologies still in development from the laboratory to the clinic. LAM operates scientifically, ethically and efficiently to bring these cutting-edge technologies into the mainstream.

LAM is headquartered in the United States with offices in California, Texas and Indiana. LAM is a multi-national business with collaborations in both the U.S. and China, including leading scientists, physicians, research institutions and business leaders. LAM strives to combine the experiences of these innovators and achievers to provide the healthiest and safest diagnostic technologies to everyone.

LAM has CLIA registered and CAP accredited laboratories, third-party laboratories and cGMP facilities all working toward the endeavor of bringing these first-class technologies into the medical community.

SOURCE Laboratory for Advanced Medicine

Related Links

https://www.lamoncogroup.com


NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- From March 22-24, 1,600 middle school students led by 220 student advisors from 85 middle schools from all around the world, will convene at the Grand Hyatt in New York City for the 2018 Global Classrooms International (GCI) Model UN Middle School conference, one of the largest chapters of the MUN programming worldwide.

Representing Canada, China, Ghana, Germany, Georgia, Lebanon, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, and U.S.A., among other nations, the participants will over a three-day gathering hone in on their negotiations skills utilizing the power of persuasion to debate a complex and pressing global agenda, solve problems, and find creative solutions.

"Bringing young students from all over the world to simulate the United Nations committees and discuss world affairs is a hands on training in diplomacy, diversity and democracy," said Elie Samia, Assistant Vice President for Outreach and Civic Engagement for LAU's Division of Student Development and Enrollment Management, "LAU is indeed a champion of the power of argument instead of the argument of power."

The future global leaders will also have the opportunity to meet with key figures representing governments and international non-government actors in the fields of diplomacy and international relations, including Mr. Eric Olson, Senior Economic Affairs Officer, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Ms. Yamina Djacta, Director of UN Habitat NY and H.E. Marie Chatardova, President of ECOSOC and Ambassador of Czech Republic to UN.

The purpose of the program is to instill in the future generation the UN culture of a global mindset and to allow students to step into the shoes of ambassadors in order to experience international diplomacy, improve their public speaking and debate skills, and to navigate the UN's rules of procedure.

About Model UN and GCI

Model United Nations, also known as Model UN or MUN, is an educational simulation and/or academic competition in which students learn about diplomacy, international relations and the United Nations. Participants in Model UN conferences, known as delegates, are placed in committees and assigned countries where they represent members of that body, and debate on its behalf.

GCI Model UN is the flagship education program of the Lebanese American University (LAU). Operated since 1999 by the United Nations Association of the United States of America, since 2016, LAU now heads the esteemed GCI brand in New York City. These conferences have engaged more than 48,000 high school and middle school students coming from 250 schools in 20 countries.

About LAU

The Lebanese American University is a leading nonsectarian private higher education institution based in Lebanon, with a satellite headquarters and academic center in New York City. It was founded by an American missionary in 1835 who established a school for girls during the time of the Ottoman Empire, marking an important shift in education for women in the surrounding region. It operates under a charter from the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

For more information, background, and a schedule of events please contact:

T: 212-203-4333 E: [email protected] or [email protected]

Stay up to date on LAU news and events. Follow us on:

Website: lau.edu.lb

Facebook: facebook.com/LebaneseAmericanUniversity

Twitter: twitter.com/LebAmUniv

Join the conversation: #GCIMSMUN18 and #PowerofPersuasion.

SOURCE Lebanese American University

Related Links

http://www.lau.edu.lb


NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DOAR, Inc., a legal consulting and testifying expert company, welcomed The Honorable Shira Scheindlin, a distinguished former federal judge, as a DOAR Affiliate. Judge Scheindlin will provide DOAR and its clients with valuable, strategic insights based on decades of presiding over significant criminal and civil cases in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She joins an extensive network of DOAR affiliates that includes many of the world's leading legal consulting and testifying experts across a wide range of fields.

"Judge Scheindlin's experience and credibility are well-known and highly respected," said DOAR Chief Executive Officer Paul Neale. "In addition to serving as a judge or arbitrator during mock trials and hearings, Judge Scheindlin will be available as a trial strategy consultant and testifying expert, providing critical perspectives into complex, high-profile legal matters. We are privileged to have Judge Scheindlin affiliated with the company."

Judge Scheindlin is available to DOAR and its clients as a judicial consultant and an expert in federal, civil and criminal law, as well as New York law. She is an expert in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the Federal Rules of Evidence with specific expertise in personal jurisdiction, choice of law, class certification, and venue, as well as substantive areas of law such as securities, employment and intellectual law, among others. She will be an important addition to DOAR's experienced consulting teams and its impressive bench of expert witnesses. Judge Scheindlin's Affiliate bio can be found here.

"I am honored to join DOAR's outstanding network of experts and hope that my experience will prove useful to litigants and law firms working with DOAR," said Judge Scheindlin.

Since retiring from the federal bench in May of 2016, Judge Scheindlin has been Of Counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Levan in New York and served as a mediator, arbitrator and expert witness. She has also been very active in social causes including the rights of immigrants and assisting companies in proactively addressing sexual harassment risk.

About DOAR

DOAR is a firm comprised of the world's leading consulting and testifying experts. DOAR tests, develops and implements litigation strategies in complex business disputes and high-profile criminal cases across the globe, providing research-based advice, strategic communications, and industry and academic experts to advance its clients' positions and increase their likelihood of success. Over its 30-year history, DOAR has advised on thousands of cases totaling hundreds of billions of dollars of asserted damages, and on many of the highest-profile white-collar criminal cases. DOAR's experience, commitment to excellence, and tireless dedication to its clients have earned it the trust of the world's top law firms and corporations. www.doar.com

Contact: Christina Pandapas

Stackpole

[email protected]

339-927-7788

SOURCE DOAR, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.doar.com


CLEVELAND, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- BlueLinx Holdings Incorporated, a leading US distributor of building materials and related construction products, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Cedar Creek  a wholesale building products distributor  from Charlesbank Capital Partners for approximately $415 million.

The transaction, which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2018, will:

Nearly double the number of BlueLinx's existing sales locations to nearly 70 sites across the US

Allow BlueLinx to add Cedar Creek's products to its portfolio, providing it with enhanced sales opportunities for such items as lumber, siding, insulation, decking, and moulding and trim

products to its portfolio, providing it with enhanced sales opportunities for such items as lumber, siding, insulation, decking, and moulding and trim Enable BlueLinx to better serve Cedar Creek's customer base by integrating its catalog into BlueLinx's extensive ecommerce platform

According to Freedonia Group industry analyst Matt Zielenski, "This transaction greatly expands BlueLinx's physical presence in the building materials distribution market and makes BlueLinx a more formidable competitor nationwide." Furthermore, noted Zielenski, with construction activity in the US showing steady growth, BlueLinx will be well-positioned to capitalize on increased demand for building materials.

"Housing starts are expected to rise during the remainder of 2018, especially now that the weather will be more favorable in the US. Additionally, as rebuilding activity continues in Florida and Texas in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma and more consumers show an interest in home improvement projects, contractors will be purchasing more plywood, framing lumber, insulation, siding, and other building materials. The combined operations of BlueLinx and Cedar Creek can supply builders and contractors with most, if not all, of these products."

For more information on the outlook for the US building construction industry, see the Construction Studies page featuring the following studies by The Freedonia Group:

Moulding & Trim in the US

Home Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling

Siding in the US by Material, Market, & Region, 17th Edition

Insulation in the US by Material, Market, & Region, 12th Edition

Roofing: US Forecasts by Product, Market, & Subregion

Siding Distribution in the US by Channel, Market, & Type

About The Freedonia Group  The Freedonia Group, a division of MarketResearch.com, 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. Each study includes product and market analyses and forecasts, in-depth discussions of important industry trends, and market share information. Studies can be purchased at www.freedoniagroup.com and are also available on 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/


SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fujitsu America, Inc. introduces the LIFEBOOK U938  an enhanced version of its flagship ultra-mobile notebook designed for road warriors and frequent travelers. One of the lightest fully featured business notebooks on the market today, the LIFEBOOK U938 comprises powerful 8th generation Intel Core vPro processors, full size connectivity ports and enterprise-grade biometric authentication.

The 13.3-inch (33.8cm) LIFEBOOK U938 is just 15.5mm tall and has a starting weight of only 1.76 lbs. (799g). Despite its lightweight and slimline profile, it is packed with features including best-in-class connectivity options  with full size interfaces for HDMI, USB types A and C, audio combo, SD and a smart card reader. The U938 is equipped with a long battery runtime to ensure all-day productivity, making it the perfect travel companion.

This top-of-the-line LIFEBOOK is also highly secure, featuring PalmSecure, the advanced biometric authentication system from Fujitsu, which uses individuals' unique palm vein patterns to confirm their identities and help prevent unauthorized access to data. Users can alternatively specify a fingerprint reader for access control while further security is provided by the integrated SmartCard Reader and inclusion of the TPM 2.0 module for hardware-based authentication.

Available in eye-catching satin red or traditional matte black, the LIFEBOOK U938 has a durable but lightweight magnesium casing. It also provides an excellent viewing experience thanks to a full HD anti-glare display or an optional touchscreen.

Pricing and availability

The LIFEBOOK U938 is available to order immediately in the United States and Canada, and shipments will commence this month. It can be purchased directly from Fujitsu and via a region-wide network of authorized resellers.

Online resources

Purchase Fujitsu tablet PCs and notebooks online: https://www.shopfujitsu.com

Read the Fujitsu blog: http://blog.ts.fujitsu.com

Follow Fujitsu on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/FujitsuAmerica

Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/fujitsu-america

Find Fujitsu on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Fujitsu

Fujitsu pictures and media server: http://mediaportal.ts.fujitsu.com/pages/portal.php

For regular news updates, bookmark the Fujitsu newsroom: http://www.fujitsu.com/us/about/resources/news/

Media contacts

Fujitsu America, Inc.

Bryan Hollar

408-746-6412

[email protected]

Finn Partners

Victoria Perlak

646-202-9782

[email protected]

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 155,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US $40 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu Americas

Fujitsu America, Inc. is the parent and/or management company of a group of Fujitsu-owned companies operating in North, Central and South America dedicated to delivering the full range of Fujitsu products, solutions and services in ICT to our customers in the Western Hemisphere. These companies are collectively referred to as Fujitsu Americas. Fujitsu enables clients to meet their business objectives through integrated offerings and solutions, including consulting, systems integration, managed services, outsourcing and cloud services for infrastructure, platforms and applications; data center and field services; and server, storage, software and mobile/tablet technologies. For more information, please visit: http://fujitsu.com/us and http://twitter.com/fujitsuamerica.

Fujitsu, the Fujitsu logo, LIFEBOOK, PalmSecure and "shaping tomorrow with you" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Fujitsu Limited in the United States and other countries. Intel, Intel Core and Intel vPro are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries. USB Type-C is a trademark or registered trademark of the USB Implementers Forum, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.

SOURCE Fujitsu America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.fujitsu.com/us


DALLAS, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Generational Equity, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, Coastal Screen & Rail LLC, to Baymark Partners. The acquisition closed January 25, 2018.

Coastal Screen & Rail, based in Delray Beach, Florida, manufactures and installs a broad range of products for outdoor spaces, including pool screen enclosures, aluminum picket fences and patio screens. It specializes in other outdoor space-enhancing products such as insulated roofs, trellis and pergola installation, and pavers to achieve a beautiful outdoor space. The company, which serves both the residential and commercial sectors, has two locations, one of which is a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

Baymark Partners is a growth-oriented private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas. It focuses on acquiring growing middle market service, distribution, manufacturing and tech-enabled companies. The firm's goal is to provide owners with liquidity and their companies with resources to accelerate their growth.

Generational Equity Managing Director Terry Mackin successfully closed the deal, and Executive Managing Director Edward Weber established the initial relationship with Coastal Screen & Rail.

"Each business is unique but some require a special kind of buyer," said Mackin. "In this case Baymark fit the bill by being forward thinking and open to the broader business strengths of the company and the Coastal team."

About Generational Equity

Generational Equity, DealForce, and Generational Capital Markets, member FINRA/SIPC, are part of the Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas and is one of the leading M&A advisory firms in North America. With over 250 professionals located throughout North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing merger, acquisition and strategic growth advisory services. Their four-step approach features exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, and M&A transactional services.

The M&A Advisor named the company the 2016 and 2017 Investment Banking Firm of the Year. For more, visit https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

For more information:

Carl Doerksen

972-232-1125

[email protected]

SOURCE Generational Equity

Related Links

http://www.genequityco.com


LONDON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Report Scope:

The primary objective of this report is to provide in-depth knowledge of the global pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing, research and packaging market. The contract manufacturing segment is further analyzed by various dosage forms, over-the-counter (OTC) options and nutraceuticals, and drug delivery technologies. The drug discovery and development segments of pharmaceutical research through outsourcing have been analyzed under contract research market. The clinical research segment is further analyzed on the basis of preclinical and clinical research. Adaptive clinical trials have also been discussed. The contract packaging market covers primary, secondary and tertiary packaging. To analyze the primary packaging market, primary containers are categorized as blisters, bottles and others (e.g., prefillable-syringes, inhalers, vials and ampoules, caps and closures, dosing droppers, labels, accessories).







Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/1604733







The scope of the study is global. BCC Research analyzes each market and its application, regulatory environment, new products and advancements, market projections and market shares.



The report also includes relevant patent analysis and comprehensive profiles of companies that lead the contract manufacturing market. It covers applications of outsourcing in the contract manufacturing market and contract research market. Pharmaceuticals (small molecules) and biopharmaceuticals (biologics) are the end users considered in this report. The need for outsourcing, the technology involved, and the driving and restricting factors are presented.



Report Includes:

- 50 data tables

- An overview of the global market for contract pharmaceutical manufacturing, research, and packaging, with emphasis on the outlook of the market and a comprehensive analysis of the overall pharmaceutical and biotechnology outsourcing industry

- Analyses of global market trends, with data from 2015, 2016, and 2017, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2022

- Examination of the effects on market growth of state-of-the-art packaging facilities, as well as expensive research facilities and the capabilities of research organizations

- Coverage of the market's need for outsourcing, the regulatory environment, and technological issues, including the latest trends and developments

- Profiles of major companies in the market, including AbbVie Contract Manufacturing, Alkermes Plc, Catalent Inc., Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals Limited, Jubilant Life Sciences Limited and Norwich Pharma Services



Summary

The nascent pharmaceutical industry of the early 20th century was comprised of the companies with drug manufacturing, marketing and distribution under one roof. The advent of the "wonder drug" penicillin during World War II changed human and animal life expectancy and also paved the way to the mass production of pharmaceuticals. The development of new instruments and assay techniques after World War II found rapid application in the realm of medicine as research into general physiology and therapeutics prospered. After the 1950s, technological advances coupled with the understanding of molecular science opened the door for innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. The 21st century brought patent-protected innovative targeted biopharmaceuticals into the market. This also presented tough economic realities to small-molecule manufacturers in the form of expiring patents, growing threats to intellectual property, stringent regulations, shrinking pipelines, constricting profit margins and fierce competition. To deal with these issues, pharmaceutical companies started forming collaborations with contract manufacturing organizations (CROs). They also pursued mergers and acquisitions, as well as joint venture strategies, to get access to other markets.



The pharmaceutical industry, a highly innovation-driven industry, is knowledge-intense, highly globalized and diversified. It brings massive benefits to the public health and to the economy by bringing out inventive therapies. Pharmaceutical companies squeezed by healthcare providers and governments on pricing and patent cliff approached contract manufacturing organizations to maintain their positions in this highly competitive environment. The peak of the patent cliff has passed, and research and development productivity is increasing in the industry. Outsourcing that has been transformed from "pay for services" to "partnerships and collaborations" is considered the most successful strategy to bring innovation into the drug industry. Strategic partnerships are now prevalent during all aspects of the research and development (R&D) cycle. In contrast to the traditional outsourcing model, this strategic partnership model shares the risks and rewards of innovation.



The need for contract manufacturers for pharmaceutical manufacturing arose from the increasing demand of pharmaceutical products due to growing aging populations and more incidence of chronic diseases. Pharmaceutical manufacturers wish to gain access to new manufacturing and drug delivery technologies without investment, and their need to reduce the manufacturing costs are further driving the contract manufacturing and research in pharmaceutical landscape. Mr. Biswajeet Sahu, Associate Vice President, Wockhardt Ltd., Mumbai, India, stated, "Both technology and regulatory are going to play very pivotal role as far as the quality system in manufacturing is concerned. If I may talk about technology specifically, we need zero defect products; that means any company would like to have a zero-defect product and that can be achieved only when you have a technology with minimum human intervention. So, the science of engineering is moving to more of robotics and less interventions by human beings, where there are chances of committing errors; so that is how the technology is moving forward." Boots Contract Manufacturing, Patheon N.V., Catalent Pharma Solutions and Lonza are some of the leading CMOs in the bio/pharmaceutical industry.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/1604733



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +1 (718) 213 4904

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HBI and The Home Depot Foundation have partnered to train transitioning military members and other new tradespeople to help address the ongoing skilled labor shortage in the building industry. Beginning with a $1.145 million grant to fund the continuation of HBI's Military and Veterans Program at Fort Stewart, Ga., and start new operations at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., The Home Depot Foundation is committed to working with HBI to set up training sites at additional U.S. bases this year and in subsequent years.

HBI instructors will train student soldiers using HBI's Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training. Separating soldiers within 180 days from discharge can participate in the programs to learn trades skills as they prepare to transition into civilian life.

"Through the initial foundation grant, more than 400 student soldiers will train over a two-year period and receive skills that they can use outside of the military. With the roll-out of the Home Depot Foundation commitment, we will increase the number of soldiers we are able to train each year. The foundation's support is unprecedented. This is a real commitment to industry to train individuals who will help reduce the labor shortage," said HBI President and CEO John Courson.

The Home Depot Foundation grant will provide support for soldiers to earn national, industry-recognized credentials in their chosen trade such as plumbing, electrical or carpentry. They will also receive support for job placement or continuing education in the building industry upon separation from the military. Soldiers will be trained five days a week, eight hours a day toward completion typically within 12-14 weeks.

"Filling the skilled labor pipeline is essential to the future of America, which is why The Home Depot Foundation recently committed $50 million dollars to train 20,000 tradespeople," said Shannon Gerber, executive director of The Home Depot Foundation. "With more than 50 years of experience, HBI is the leader in trades training, and we are very proud to partner with them."

HBI also currently serves soon-to-separate military members at Fort Bliss in Texas in addition to veterans in Orlando and Jacksonville, Fla.

"Our new partnership with The Home Depot Foundation is just the beginning of a long-term relationship to support members of the military and veterans. We will also be able to expand our career and technical training programs serving high school students," Courson added.

Training under The Home Depot Foundation grant began earlier this year at Ft. Stewart and Ft. Bragg with the first student soldiers set to graduate later this month.

About HBI

HBI is a national nonprofit that provides training, curriculum development and job placement services for the building industry. With overall program job placement rates at over 85 percent for graduates, HBI training programs are taught in local communities across the country to at-risk youth, veterans, transitioning military members, high school students, justice-involved youth and adults, and displaced workers. Visit www.hbi.org for more information.

About The Home Depot Foundation

The Home Depot Foundation works to improve the homes and lives of U.S. veterans, train skilled tradespeople to fill the labor gap and support communities impacted by natural disasters.

Since 2011, the Foundation has invested nearly a quarter-of-a-billion dollars in veteran-related causes and improved more than 37,000 veteran homes and facilities. In 2018, the Foundation committed an additional $50 million dollars to train 20,000 skilled tradespeople over the next 10 years starting with separating military members and veterans, at-risk youth and members of the Atlanta Westside community.

To learn more about The Home Depot Foundation and see Team Depot in action, visit thd.co/community and follow us on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram @teamdepot and on Facebook at facebook.com/teamdepot.

SOURCE The Home Builders Institute

Related Links

http://www.hbi.org


TSX Symbol: HNL

CALGARY, March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Horizon North Logistics Inc. ("Horizon North" or the "Corporation") reported its financial and operating results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016.

Fourth Quarter Key Comments

Results for Q4 2017 were stronger than Q4 2016 as a result of higher volumes across all operations.

The Modular Solutions business gained significant momentum throughout Q4, closing 2017 with a backlog of $43.9 million and high probability opportunities of $148.0 million compared to $10.7 million and $50.0 million for year ended 2016;

and high probability opportunities of compared to and for year ended 2016; Horizon North finalized two new Aboriginal partnerships in Q4 of 2017, one north and one south of Fort McMurray, Alberta . Working with and developing strong Aboriginal relationships is one of Horizon North's core values; and

. Working with and developing strong Aboriginal relationships is one of Horizon North's core values; and Subsequent to year end, Horizon North completed a $14.0 million acquisition of the 288 bed Moose Haven Lodge south of Fort McMurray, Alberta . This acquisition was a key part of Horizon North's strategy to secure opportunities in the Fort McMurray, Alberta area.

Fourth Quarter Financial Summary













Three months ended December 31 Twelve months ended December 31 (000's except per share amounts)

2017

2016 % Change

2017

2016 % Change Revenue $ 82,664 $ 60,420 37 $ 324,082 $ 250,935 29 EBITDAS(1)

6,786

4,609 47

30,045

28,661 5 EBITDAS as a % of revenue

8%

8%



9%

11%

Operating (loss) earnings

(4,074)

(8,304) (51)

(5,935)

(22,204) (73) Operating (loss) earnings as a % of revenue

(5%)

(14%)



(2%)

(9%)

Total (loss) profit

(3,885)

(7,215) (46)

(7,843)

(20,316) (61) Total comprehensive (loss) income

(3,892)

(7,214) (46)

(7,846)

(20,383) (62) Earnings (loss) per share





















Basic $ (0.03) $ (0.05)

$ (0.05) $ (0.15)



Diluted $ (0.03) $ (0.05)

$ (0.05) $ (0.15)

Total assets $ 479,750

485,101 (1) $ 479,750 $ 485,101 (1) Total Long-term loans and borrowings

74,604

75,268 (1)

74,604

75,268 (1) Funds from operations

8,705

4,183 108

51,168

37,693 36 Net Capital spending

1,645

7,655 (79)

(23,830)

18,692 (227)





















Senior debt to EBITDAS(1)

2.43:1.00

2.46:1.00



2.43:1.00

2.46:1.00

Total debt to EBITDAS(1)

2.48:1.00

2.46:1.00



2.48:1.00

2.46:1.00

Debt to total capitalization ratio(1)

0.19:1.00

0.19:1.00



0.19:1.00

0.19:1.00

Dividends declared $ 2,894 $ 2,893

$ 11,573 $ 11,112

Dividends declared per share $ 0.02 $ 0.02

$ 0.08 $ 0.08







(1) See Non-GAAP measures definitions within the press release for details.

Fourth Quarter Overview

Results for the three months ended December 31, 2017 ("Q4 2017") improved across all financial measures, compared to the three months ended December 31, 2016 ("Q4 2016"). The improvement was driven by higher activity levels across all operations in Industrial Services and increased project volumes in Modular Solutions.

Revenues from camp rental and catering operations for Q4 2017 increased by 22% compared to Q4 2016 as a result of significantly higher catering only activity and a camp equipment sale. Higher catering only activity was primarily a result of recent Aboriginal partnerships in the Fort McMurray, Alberta area which resulted in an additional catering only contract significantly increasing catering only volumes compared to Q4 2016. Large camp activity increased, compared to Q4 2016, driven by continued strong activity in the W5/W6 region south of Grande Prairie, Alberta and higher demand in the Fort McMurray, Alberta region as a result of plant maintenance programs underway by major oil sands producers. The higher activity levels resulted in RevPAAB and utilization of $36 and 55% respectively, up from $32 and 45% in Q4 2016.

Revenues from Rentals and Logistics segment for Q4 2017 were consistent with Q4 2016. Access mat utilization was 3% stronger as a result of higher activity levels but was offset by softer pricing which decreased 2% compared to Q4 2016. Relocatable structures rental utilization strengthened by 9% as a result of an increase in rental activity combined with a decrease in fleet size compared to Q4 2016.

Modular Solutions revenues for Q4 2017 were above Q4 2016 as a result of the increased number and scope of projects. The projects in Q4 2017 included several government sponsored affordable housing projects, a hotel project and several commercial condominium projects compared to a single government sponsored affordable housing project and one hotel project in Q4 2016.

Horizon North's EBITDAS in Q4 2017 increased compared to Q4 2016 mainly as a result of the higher activity levels and volumes discussed above. Operating loss and loss per share for Q4 2017 improved compared to Q4 2016 as a result of stronger EBITDAS and lower depreciation and amortization expense due to camp setup costs becoming fully depreciated and used camp equipment sales throughout the year.

Horizon North continued to maintain a strong focus on managing the Statement of Financial Position through minimizing working capital and a reduced capital program. Total loans and borrowings were $74.6 million at December 31, 2017 compared to $75.3 million at December 31, 2016. As a result of the decreased debt and stronger EBITDAS, the Debt to EBITDAS ratio was 2.48:1.00 compared to 2.46:1.00 at December 31, 2016.

Outlook

Horizon North's focus in 2018 will continue to be on building out and expanding on initiatives started in 2017, initiatives intended to strengthen and diversify the Industrial Services business.

For 2018, Horizon North expects the revenue and EBITDAS momentum seen in Q4 2017 to continue with the Industrial Services business anticipating moderate strengthening of activity levels as compared to 2017. Although commodity prices have shown some stability, Horizon North does not expect to see any significant strengthening in pricing from 2017 levels and will continue to focus on cost control to improve EBITDAS levels. The Modular Solutions business exited 2017 with a significant backlog and is anticipated to have positive EBITDAS in 2018 through improving efficiencies as the production rate increases to execute on backlog.

The Industrial Services business will be focused on continuing to build-out and expand on the three phase strategy initiated in 2017:

Leverage the Aboriginal relationships entered into in the second half of 2017 which cover regions north and south of Fort McMurray, Alberta . A significant project undertaken in the second half of 2017 has shown the potential of this region and 2018 is expected to bring several similar projects;

. A significant project undertaken in the second half of 2017 has shown the potential of this region and 2018 is expected to bring several similar projects; Focus on the Grande Prairie, Alberta region through securing strategic land locations positioning Horizon North to participate fully in the continued high activity levels expected in the conventional W5/W6 market; and

region through securing strategic land locations positioning Horizon North to participate fully in the continued high activity levels expected in the conventional W5/W6 market; and Grow Horizon North's presence in the mining sector, specifically on developing opportunities in northern Canada where Horizon North has a strong track record.

Late in 2014 Horizon North under took several initiatives to develop and secure suitable land positions near proposed LNG project sites on British Columbia's west coast. Horizon North maintained a longer term view of LNG development and continued these initiatives, completing the development of its land asset in Kitimat and building strong relationships with regional First Nations and the municipality. Given the recent renewed potential of LNG projects, Horizon North is now well positioned to take full advantage of opportunities as they arise.

The Modular Solutions business is expected to continue its growth based on a strengthening backlog and high quality opportunity pipeline which is underpinned largely by social infrastructure and affordable housing projects, a focus by all levels of government. The backlog and opportunity pipeline are providing a higher level of visibility to the business requiring an increase in labour force at our Kamloops, British Columbia manufacturing facility to achieve a critical mass of scale and manufacturing throughput. Horizon North anticipates that Modular Solutions will continue its trend of earnings improvement and contribute positive EBITDAS throughout 2018 as increased volumes drive improved economies of scale.

The strength of the Statement of Financial Position was a priority for Horizon North throughout 2017, and will continue to be a focus for 2018. Cost reduction measures across our operations and the continued centralization of certain general and administrative functions will drive improved cash flow through efficiencies. In addition to a limited and tightly managed capital program, 2018 will continue to assess Horizon North's portfolio of assets to ensure a focus on core business lines. This combination of actions will help ensure the continued strength with respect to the financial position of Horizon North.

Dividend payment

Horizon North announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a dividend for the first quarter of 2018 at $0.02 per share. The dividend is payable to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 31, 2018 to be paid on April 12, 2018. The Board of Directors regularly monitors the strength of the Statement of Financial Position, cash from operations and capital requirements to ensure the overall sustainability of Horizon North is not compromised. The dividends will be eligible dividends for Canadian tax purposes.

Additional Information

A copy of the Corporation's Consolidated Financial Statements for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 and related Management's Discussion and Analysis have been filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and www.horizonnorth.ca. Unless otherwise indicated, the consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and the reporting currency is in Canadian dollars.

Non-GAAP measures

Certain measures in this MD&A do not have any standardized meaning as prescribed by generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and, therefore, are considered non-GAAP measures. These measures are regularly reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker and provide investors with an alternative method for assessing the Corporation's operating results in a manner that is focused on the performance of the Corporation's ongoing operations and to provide a more consistent basis for comparison between periods. These measures should not be construed as alternatives to total profit and total comprehensive income determined in accordance with GAAP as an indicator of the Corporation's performance. The method of calculating these measures may differ from other entities and accordingly, may not be comparable to measures used by other entities. The following non-GAAP measures are used to monitor the Corporation's performance:

EBITDAS: Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, impairment, gain/loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment and share based compensation ("EBITDAS"). Management believes that in addition to total profit and total comprehensive income, EBITDAS is a useful supplemental measure as it provides an indication of the Corporation's ability to generate cash flow in order to fund working capital, service debt, pay current income taxes and fund capital programs, and it is regularly provided to and reviewed by the Chief Operating Decision Maker.

Debt to total capitalization: Calculated as the ratio of debt to total capitalization. Debt is defined as the sum of current and long-term portions of loans and borrowings. Total capitalization is calculated as the sum of debt and shareholders' equity.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking statements or information ("forward-looking statements"). These statements relate to future events or future performance of Horizon North. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. The use of any of the words "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "predict", "potential", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

In particular, such forward-looking statements include:

Under the heading "Outlook" the statement that:

"Horizon North's focus in 2018 will continue to be on building out and expanding on initiatives started in 2017, initiatives intended to strengthen and diversify the Industrial Services business.

For 2018, Horizon North expects the revenue and EBITDAS momentum seen in Q4 2017 to continue with the Industrial Services business anticipating moderate strengthening of activity levels as compared to 2017. Although commodity prices have shown some stability, Horizon North does not expect to see any significant strengthening in pricing from 2017 levels and will continue to focus on cost control to improve EBITDAS levels. The Modular Solutions business exited 2017 with a significant backlog and is anticipated to have positive EBITDAS in 2018 through improving efficiencies as the production rate increases to execute on backlog.

The Industrial Services business will be focused on continuing to build-out and expand on the three phase strategy initiated in 2017:

Leverage the Aboriginal relationships entered into in the second half of 2017 which cover regions north and south of Fort McMurray, Alberta . A significant project undertaken in the second half of 2017 has shown the potential of this region and 2018 is expected to bring several similar projects;

. A significant project undertaken in the second half of 2017 has shown the potential of this region and 2018 is expected to bring several similar projects; Focus on the Grande Prairie, Alberta region through securing strategic land locations positioning Horizon North to participate fully in the continued high activity levels expected in the conventional W5/W6 market; and

region through securing strategic land locations positioning Horizon North to participate fully in the continued high activity levels expected in the conventional W5/W6 market; and Grow Horizon North's presence in the mining sector, specifically on developing opportunities in northern Canada where Horizon North has a strong track record.

Late in 2014 Horizon North under took several initiatives to develop and secure suitable land positions near proposed LNG project sites on British Columbia's west coast. Horizon North maintained a longer term view of LNG development and continued these initiatives, completing the development of its land asset in Kitimat and building strong relationships with regional First Nations and the municipality. Given the recent renewed potential of LNG projects, Horizon North is now well positioned to take full advantage of opportunities as they arise.

The Modular Solutions business is expected to continue its growth based on a strengthening backlog and high quality opportunity pipeline which is underpinned largely by social infrastructure and affordable housing projects, a focus by all levels of government. The backlog and opportunity pipeline are providing a higher level of visibility to the business requiring an increase in labour force at our Kamloops, British Columbia manufacturing facility to achieve a critical mass of scale and manufacturing throughput. Horizon North anticipates that Modular Solutions will continue its trend of earnings improvement and contribute positive EBITDAS throughout 2018 as increased volumes drive improved economies of scale.

The strength of the Statement of Financial Position was a priority for Horizon North throughout 2017, and will continue to be a focus for 2018. Cost reduction measures across our operations and the continued centralization of certain general and administrative functions will drive improved cash flow through efficiencies. In addition to a limited and tightly managed capital program, 2018 will continue to assess Horizon North's portfolio of assets to ensure a focus on core business lines. This combination of actions will help ensure the continued strength with respect to the financial position of Horizon North".

The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain assumptions made by Horizon North which include, but are not limited to, assumptions relating to:

industry activity for oil, natural gas and mineral exploration and development in the western Canadian provinces and northern territories;

commodity prices;

capital investment in the Canadian oil and gas sector;

dividend payments;

anticipated activity levels for 2018;

operational results and capital spending;

anticipated backlog in the Modular Solutions business;

trade and other receivables;

future operating costs and Corporation's access to capital;

the effects of regulation by governmental agencies;

the competitive environment in which the Corporation operates;

the ability of the Corporation to attract and retain personnel;

the development of LNG and commodity transportation infrastructure;

the relationships between the Corporation and its customers; and

general economic and financial conditions.

Although Horizon North believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because Horizon North cannot give any assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following:

volatility in the price and demand for oil, natural gas and minerals;

fluctuations in the demand for the Corporation's services;

availability of qualified personnel; and

changes in regulation by governmental agencies, including environmental regulation.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is not exhaustive. Additional information on these and other risk factors that could affect Horizon North's operations and financial results are included in Horizon North's annual information form which may be accessed through the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. In addition, the reader is cautioned that historical results are not indicative of future performance. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and Horizon North does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements and information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Certain information set out herein may be considered as "financial outlook" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The purpose of this financial outlook is to provide readers with disclosure regarding Horizon North's reasonable expectations as to the anticipated results of its proposed business activities for the periods indicated. Readers are cautioned that the financial outlook may not be appropriate for other purposes.

About Horizon North

Horizon North is a publicly listed corporation (TSX: HNL.TO) providing a full range of industrial, commercial, and residential products and services. Our Industrial division supplies workforce accommodations, camp management services, access solutions, maintenance and utilities. Our Modular Construction division integrates modern design concepts and technology with state of the art, off-site manufacturing processes; producing high quality building solutions for commercial and residential offerings including offices, hotels, and retail buildings, as well as distinctive single detached dwellings and multi-family residential structures. As a result of our diverse product and service offerings, Horizon North is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of our customers in numerous sectors, anywhere in Canada.

SOURCE Horizon North Logistics Inc.

Related Links

www.horizonnorth.ca


The new community has been carefully innovated to deliver an experience that more closely matches the needs of today's always-connected society. Members can now join interest groups and hold real-time discussions with likeminded peers around the worldasking questions, getting answers and support, and learning from each other. The Hu-Points program has also been updated, with more frequent opportunities to earn product samples and exclusive member gear.

Now in its eleventh year, Friends of Hu-Friedy started as the original online destination for registered dental hygienists, students, and faculty to share information and make connections, eventually growing to become a community of over 50,000 that today represents a wide variety of dental professional titles and functions.

Ron Saslow, Chairman and CEO of Hu-Friedy, explains, "We have always believed that innovation is the key to helping our customers perform at their best, whether it be through our products, services, or community experiences. When we launched Friends of Hu-Friedy in 2007, we ushered in a new forum for dental professionals that was designed around their specific needs and desires. Now, by leveraging advanced technologies, we've created a sophisticated platform that delivers an even more engaging and socially connected community experience, which we are thrilled to introduce to our customers."

Patrick Bernardi, Hu-Friedy's CMO, goes on to state, "Our community members are an impressive demographic. They are educated clinicians, they are tech-savvy, and they work to stay on top of industry developments. This new platform provides a next-level experience regarding peer-to-peer connection, continuing education, value-add information and community rewards. Judging by the phenomenal reaction we received at the Chicago Mid-Winter Meeting pre-launch, we can't wait to see how the members engage with, and continue to shape, the community moving forward."

Dental professionals, educators, and students are encouraged to join Friends of Hu-Friedy today by creating a free account at www.FriendsOfHu-Friedy.com, where they will find complimentary online continuing education, industry news, product information, live discussions, and rewards.

About Hu-Friedy

Founded in Chicago in 1908, Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company, LLC helps dental professionals perform at their best by producing dental instruments and products designed to function as an extension of each practitioner's skill. Hu-Friedy products are hand-crafted by highly-skilled artisans and are known for their precision, performance, longevity, reliability, and quality. Headquartered in Chicago, the company's 10,000 dental instruments and products are sold in over 100 countries, backed by a global employee base of over 900. With international offices in Frankfurt, Milan, Shanghai, and Tokyo, the company is committed to improving lives by advancing dental performance, smile after smile. For further information, please visit http://www.hu-friedy.com.

SOURCE Hu-Friedy

Related Links

http://www.hu-friedy.com


POCASSET, Mass., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hydroid, Inc., a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime and the leading manufacturer of marine robotics, announced today that it successfully delivered the first modular bathymetry payload with the new HISAS 2040, a high resolution interferometric synthetic aperture sonar (HISAS). The system, engineered and manufactured at Kongsberg Maritime in Horten, Norway, was delivered to the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO).

Designed with the latest technology and capabilities, the 2040 bathymetry payload was installed on a Hydroid REMUS 600 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The system was delivered fully integrated with navigation, and is calibrated to provide full swath, gap-filled imagery and bathymetry in a small form factor, modular AUV package. The HISAS 2040 sonar provides resolution 10 times higher than conventional sonars and offers high-performance real-time processing and sonar quality assessment. NAVOCEANO Project Manager, Doug Cronin said the HISAS 2040 sonar performance is, "Impressive. Some of the best imagery I've ever seen."

The HISAS 2040 is able to build up a series of synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) images that represent different observation angles. Through this multi-aspect imaging, an AUV operator is able to obtain an extra dimension in the data set since many complex objects have a high aspect-dependent echo and shadow structure.

"The HISAS 2040 sonar brings an entirely new dimension to the synthetic aperture sonar market," said Duane Fotheringham, president of Hydroid. "Compared to traditional sonars, the HISAS 2040 sonar reduces survey time and provides superior data quality, which is particularly useful in oceanographic surveying and mine countermeasure operations. We are excited to be offering this new Kongsberg technology on our REMUS vehicles."

The HISAS 2040 frequency range is 220-280 kHz, with a typical operational-performance range of 130m on each side of the vehicle at 2 m/s. It has a practical resolution of 5cm x 5cm at all ranges.

About Hydroid, Inc.

Located in the U.S. and a subsidiary of Kongsberg Maritime, Hydroid is the world's most trusted manufacturer of advanced, field proven Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Our REMUS AUVs and marine robotics systems provide innovative and reliable full-picture solutions for the marine research, defense, hydrographic and offshore/energy markets.

Developed by a veteran team of engineers, Hydroid products provide a safe and reliable answer to the challenges that have hampered ocean exploration and security. For more information on our technologies, please visit www.hydroid.com.

Media Contact

Kaitlyn Rhue

Hydroid, Inc.

[email protected]

SOURCE Hydroid, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.hydroid.com


CINCINNATI, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- I74 Wired LLC, owner of one of Cincinnati's original technology campuses, has upgraded and re-launched the 65,000 square-foot, mixed-use office and data center campus to support the community of technology and media firms in Cincinnati. The I74 campus, located just six minutes north of OTR, has a long heritage of innovation, beginning with its construction in 1973 as the original global HQ for Cincom Systems Incorporated. Today the site is home to entrepreneurs in cryptocurrency, online gaming, podcasting, film, virtual reality, real estate, web development and cloud services. These innovators enjoy the scale, peer networking and unique features of the site, including an industrial data center, an audio production studio, and a lounge that celebrates the Mad Men era of the 50s and 60s.

"We have nearly doubled our revenue in two years by providing world class infrastructure, advice, and peer networking to media and technology firms. Our clients benefit from our 'everything but you' approach, which allows them to scale quickly, multiply limited resources, and focus on their core business," comments Everett Thompson, Owner.

I74 Wired is located near Northside, just off the I74 freeway, in Cincinnati, Ohio, at 2300 Montana Avenue.

ABOUT I74 WIRED LLC

I74 Wired is an infrastructure services company, providing office, data center, a recording studio, photography studio, and Internet services, allowing SMB technology and media companies to grow quickly, exchange services, and network within a close community of similarly positioned enterprises. The I74 campus is located six minutes north of OTR in Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, visit I74Wired.com.

SOURCE I74 Wired LLC

Related Links

http://I74Wired.com


TORONTO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - IAMGOLD Corporation ("IAMGOLD" or the "Company") today announced it has filed a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus with the securities regulators in each province and territory of Canada, except for the Province of Quebec, and a corresponding registration statement with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings, when made final or effective, will allow the Company to make offerings of common shares, first preference shares, second preference shares, debt securities, warrants, subscription receipts or any combination thereof of up to US $1 billion during the next 25 months in the United States and Canada, except for the Province of Quebec. The net proceeds from any such offerings may be used by the Company to fund on-going operations and/or capital requirements, reduce the level of indebtedness outstanding from time to time, fund capital programs, fund potential future acquisitions and for general corporate purposes. The Company filed this new preliminary base shelf prospectus with a view to maintaining financial flexibility but has no immediate intention to undertake an offering.

About IAMGOLD

IAMGOLD (www.iamgold.com) is a mid-tier mining company with four operating gold mines on three continents. A solid base of strategic assets in North and South America and West Africa is complemented by development and exploration projects and continued assessment of accretive acquisition opportunities. IAMGOLD is in a strong financial position with extensive management and operational expertise.

For further information please contact:

Ken Chernin, VP Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation

Tel: (416) 360-4743 Mobile: (416) 388-6883

Laura Young, Director Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation

Tel: (416) 933-4952 Mobile: (416) 670-3815

Martin Dumont, Senior Analyst Investor Relations, IAMGOLD Corporation

Tel: (416) 933-5783 Mobile: (647) 967-9942

IAMGOLD Corporation Toll-free: 1 888 464-9999 [email protected]

Please note:

This entire news release may be accessed via fax, e-mail, IAMGOLD's website at www.iamgold.com and through CNW Group's website at www.newswire.ca . All material information on IAMGOLD can be found at www.sedar.com or at www.sec.gov.

Si vous desirez obtenir la version francaise de ce communique, veuillez consulter le http://www.iamgold.com/French/accueil/default.aspx.

SOURCE IAMGOLD Corporation

Related Links

http://www.iamgold.com


HOUSTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- IGP Methanol (IGP), COSCO, and Jinguotou (JGT) agreed to cooperate to construct up to two methanol plants in IGP Methanol's Gulf Coast Methanol Park to supply feedstock for Jinguotou's Methanol-to-Olefins (MTO) facility at Jin Zhou Port. The plants will each have a capacity of 1.8 million tons of methanol per year.

IGP Methanol (IGP), COSCO, and Jinguotou (JGT) agreed to cooperate on building methanol plants in IGP Methanol's Gulf Coast Methanol Park.

IGP Methanol Chairman Mr. James S Lamoureaux said, "IGP is pleased to begin this cooperation with internationally esteemed logistics company COSCO and JGT. The project will assure long-term stable and low-priced pure methanol for JGT's MTO projects as well as supply ultra-clean fuels to China, from abundant US natural gas resources. IGP's local US construction and operations will create thousands of jobs in Louisiana and the local communities in the US Gulf Coast."

The cooperation with IGP and JGT brings opportunity for COSCO to access and participate in the new Green Energy Revolution Market. It is a key step for COSCO to move toward new clean transportation fuels, promoting the transformation and upgrading of traditional businesses for COSCO Energy Transportation, while providing strong support for IGP Methanol and JGT methanol distribution.

Methanol is the fastest-growing New Energy fuel in China being used to replace coal in industrial boilers while reducing pollution by 95%. It is also growing globally as a low-sulfur, low NOx marine fuel that also reduces PM2.5 by 95% and SOx by 99%.

China COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation Co., Ltd, IGP Methanol LLC and Jinguotou (Dalian) Development Co., Ltd (JGT) signed a "Memorandum of Understanding on US Gulf Coast Methanol Project Cooperation" (MOU) in Shanghai. Mr. Huang Xiaowen, Executive Vice President of China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited attended and witnessed the signing ceremony. Mr. Liu Hanbo, President of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation Co., Ltd and Mr. James S. Lamoureaux, Chairman of IGP Methanol LLC and Mr. Ning Hongpeng, Vice President of Jinzhou Port Co., Ltd signed the MOU on behalf of the three Parties.

The companies also intend to discuss the feasibility of building new shipping vessels for the project, which can run on methanol, supporting government policies for clean energy and blue skies.

Media Contact:

Scott Benson

VP, Marketing & Communications

[email protected]

(612) 417-5980

SOURCE IGP Methanol
SPRING, Texas, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Union Pacific recently outlined $1 billion in infrastructure investments for the Lonestar State. These private capital funds will go towards maintaining and securing existing rail lines and bridges, as well as the largest investment in a single facility in the railroad's 155-year history.

In Case You Missed It: Union Pacific Sending $1B to Texas for Rail Infrastructure

On March 5, 2018, Union Pacific announced it will spend $450 million in 2018 to maintain and upgrade its existing infrastructure across the state. Once again, Texas will receive the largest portion of Union Pacific's annual investment budget that is spread amongst 23 states. Information regarding this announcement can be found at https://www.up.com/media/releases/170305-texas-infrastructure.htm

Additionally, in February Union Pacific announced construction on Brazos Yard in Robertson County, Texas. This $550 million facility is scheduled for completion in 2020 and will be one of the largest rail facilities in Texas. Brazos Yard will support Union Pacific's customers that represent a wide variety of economic drivers across Texas, including cross-border traffic, petrochemicals, consumer goods and plastics. With room for potential expansion to make it one of the largest yards in the country, Brazos Yard represents a significant investment in Texas for Union Pacific. More information on the project and its impact across the state can be found at https://www.up.com/media/releases/180125-brazos-yard.htm

SOURCE Union Pacific

Related Links

http://www.up.com


HARTFORD, Connecticut, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Infosys (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in consulting, technology and next-generation services, today announced that it will open its next Technology and Innovation Hub in Hartford, Connecticut and hire 1,000 American workers in the state by 2022.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg )



The Connecticut Technology and Innovation Hub will have a special focus on insurance, healthcare and manufacturing. It will bring Infosys closer to its Connecticut clients and serve as the global hub for Infosys' InsurTech and HealthTech efforts. Infosys' investment in Connecticut is a continuation of the company's commitment to accelerate innovation for American enterprise by amplifying top local talent with the best global talent and shrink the IT skills gap in the marketplace.

"Today marks yet another landmark day in Connecticut's economic development efforts, at a time when our investments are bringing new life and vigor to our Capital City," Governor Dannel P. Malloy said. "I am thrilled to welcome Infosys to Connecticut and congratulate them on their decision to establish a Technology and Innovation Hub in Hartford. Connecticut's tremendous assets and talent pipeline continue to attract high caliber companies to the state, and I look forward to the value that Infosys will bring to our business community."

"We are excited to announce the expansion of our presence in Connecticut and to create 1,000 technology jobs in the state," said Ravi Kumar, President, Infosys. "This investment will further strengthen our ability to serve clients' needs throughout the New England region and expand the local workforce to help our clients compete in the rapidly digitizing insurance, healthcare and manufacturing sectors. Hartford's position as the Insurance Capital of the World, paired with Connecticut's world-renowned academic institutions, will place Infosys in close proximity to valued clients and accelerate the recruitment of highly-skilled local talent."

"Connecticut is a hub for health care innovation, and these capabilities are a key part of Cigna's global growth strategy," said Mark Boxer, EVP and Global Chief Information Officer at Cigna. "We are continuously looking at technology-led innovation to simplify the healthcare experience for consumers and improve our engagement and alignment with healthcare providers, employers, and other stakeholders. We are pleased that Infosys has chosen to plant a flag here in Connecticut, and proud that we had a role in advancing employment in the region. We look forward to working with them as part of our technology journey."

"Stanley Black & Decker is excited to welcome Infosys to Hartford and Connecticut," said Jim Loree, Stanley Black & Decker's President and CEO. "This is a great win for the state. With Infosys' expanded presence and focus on attracting and training top local talent, Infosys will strengthen Connecticut's innovation ecosystem and help to develop the technology workforce of the future."

The Hub will include insurance and healthcare labs that focus on smart underwriting, claims fraud, IoT and Cloud, and will employ cutting-edge data security and data-sharing features to help Infosys clients comply with all applicable privacy laws while promoting innovation. Infosys will also leverage the Hub to train its employees and develop pioneering techniques with agile, development operations, cloud and information security projects.

Infosys inaugurated its first Technology and Innovation Hub in Indianapolis, Indiana and has already announced a Technology and Innovation Hub in Raleigh, North Carolina and a Design and Innovation Hub in Providence, Rhode Island.

As part of Infosys' commitment to boosting American innovation and helping to create the workforce of the future, Infosys Foundation USA has provided multiple grants for classroom technology and computer science training to teachers and schools. To date, more than 4.7 million students; 13,000 teachers and 21,000 schools across America, including over 3,500 students, 35 teachers and 24 schools in Connecticut, have benefited from computer science training and classroom equipment funded by Infosys Foundation USA. This includes grants for professional development for teachers, hands on workshops for students, and new technology and teaching aids for classrooms, with an emphasis placed on serving underrepresented groups such as women, African-American, Latino, urban, rural and autistic groups that will gain greater access to computer science and maker education.

For more information, please visit: https://www.infosys.com/american-innovation/Pages/in.aspx

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in technology services and consulting. We enable clients in 45 countries to create and execute strategies for their digital transformation. From engineering to application development, knowledge management and business process management, we help our clients find the right problems to solve, and to solve these effectively. Our team of 200,000+ innovators, across the globe, is differentiated by the imagination, knowledge and experience, across industries and technologies that we bring to every project we undertake.

Visit http://www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise thrive in the digital age.

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this press release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements regarding our future business expectations intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017. These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. In addition, please note that any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that we believe to be reasonable as of the date of this press release. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company unless it is required by law.

SOURCE Infosys
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Insignia Capital Group, a leading middle-market private equity firm, today announced the promotions of Pradyut Shah to Managing Director, Julian Hinderling to Principal and Nick DeTrempe to Vice President.

"My partners and I are thrilled to recognize the well-earned promotions of these talented individuals," said David Lowe, Chairman & CEO of Insignia. "The promotions are a reflection of their important contributions to the growth and success of the firm, and further enhance our ability to help founders and management teams realize their full potential. We look forward to their continued contributions."

These promotions will assist Insignia in fulfilling its mandate to make equity investments in profitable, growing companies with $5-30 million of EBITDA. Insignia will selectively pursue larger platform investments that require in excess of $100 million of equity, and routinely evaluates smaller strategic add-on acquisitions for existing portfolio companies.

Pradyut Shah joined Insignia in 2011 as a founding member of the Firm. Prior to Insignia, he was a Vice President at Behrman Capital. He began his career at Credit Suisse First Boston's Technology Group working on mergers and acquisitions in the technology sector. Pradyut attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude.

Julian Hinderling joined Insignia in 2016 as a Vice President. Prior to Insignia, Julian was a Vice President at American Securities. Before that, Julian spent time at Disney's Corporate Strategy & Business Development Group as well as Credit Suisse's Leveraged Finance & Restructuring Group. Julian earned an MBA degree from Stanford University and previously attended Georgetown University, where he graduated cum laude.

Nick DeTrempe joined Insignia in 2014 as an Associate. Prior to Insignia, Nick was an Associate at Baird Capital and an Analyst in Credit Suisse's investment banking group. Nick attended the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated magna cum laude.

About Insignia Capital Group

Insignia Capital Group is a San Francisco Bay Area private equity firm focused on lower middle-market companies. Insignia partners with company founders and management teams to help drive growth and achieve true business potential. The firm's principals have significant experience building businesses across a range of industries including consumer, business services and healthcare. For more information please visit www.insigniacap.com.

SOURCE Insignia Capital Group

Related Links

http://www.insigniacap.com


VANCOUVER, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (TSX: ITH, NYSE-American: THM) ("ITH" or the "Company") announced today that it has completed a non-brokered private placement (the "Offering") pursuant to which it has issued 24,000,000 common shares (14.8% of the 162.4 million shares currently issued and outstanding) at a price of US $0.50 per share for aggregate gross proceeds of US $12 million.

The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Offering for the continuation of optimization studies in efforts to further improve and de-risk the Livengood Gold Project, required environmental baseline studies, and for general working capital purposes.

Under the Offering, an institutional shareholder that is new to the Company, Electrum Strategic Opportunities Fund II, L.P. ("Electrum"), an investment fund managed by The Electrum Group LLC., acquired 19,894,528 shares. The balance of the shares were taken by an existing institutional shareholder of the Company, Paulson & Co. Inc. ("Paulson"), which acquired 4,105,472 shares. Following completion of the Offering, Paulson will own 32.0% of the issued and outstanding shares, while Electrum will hold 10.7%.

The Company also announced today that it appointed Stuart Harshaw to the Company's board of directors effective April 1, 2018, and intends to nominate Company CEO Karl Hanneman to stand for election to the board of directors at the forthcoming annual general meeting. Mr. Harshaw is a seasoned mining executive with a successful international career at Vale and Inco. He earned a BS in Metallurgical Engineering from Queen's University and an MBA from Laurentian University.

Marcelo Kim, the Chair of the Board, said "We are delighted to welcome Electrum as a new shareholder of ITH and Mr. Harshaw to the Board. This financing uniquely positions ITH with sufficient financial resources for the next 4 to 5 years as we continue to advance the Livengood Gold Project towards one day becoming one of North America's biggest gold mines."

Igor Levental, Electrum's President, said "ITH is an excellent fit for Electrum. Its multi-million ounce Livengood Gold Project located in Alaska, the second largest gold-producing state in the US, is exactly the type of project we seek to invest in. Furthermore, what makes ITH particularly special among developers in the precious metals space is its management team with an exceptional track record of advancing and permitting mines in Alaska, a strong board with an incredible depth of experience in taking assets up the value chain in a disciplined fashion and top tier long-term value-oriented investors involved with the Company. We are looking forward to joining the ITH family."

On March 12, 2018 the Board approved a 2018 budget of $5.1 million. The work program incorporated in this budget will build upon the metallurgical studies undertaken in 2017 to continue to define and refine the project flowsheet. Using the improved mineralization and alteration models now available for the Livengood gold deposit arising from the work completed in 2017, 4000 kg of metallurgical composites have been selected based on location within the deposit and shipped to SGS Vancouver. Portions of these samples will be processed in 2018 to determine whether different recovery or cost parameters should be applied to different portions of the orebody. The engineering firm of BBA Inc. will be retained to continue to guide the metallurgical program. Work is also planned to advance the environmental baseline efforts needed to support future permitting.

Karl Hanneman, Chief Executive Officer, said "I am pleased to continue the technical work that can potentially improve and certainly will serve to de-risk the Livengood Gold Project. ITH has unique and positive fundamentals, given our land status and proximity to Fairbanks, size of the gold resource and the leverage opportunity for gold investors."

The Board has also approved recommendations by management to further reduce corporate overhead costs beginning in 2018, including a reduction in CEO salary by 50% reflecting an approximate 50% reduction in the effort needed to perform the CEO duties, a reduction in board member cash compensation and expense, and staff reductions as appropriate when critical work is completed. Depending upon the level of technical work or permitting efforts underway in future years, these cost savings should bring total project G&A costs into the range of $2.5 million/year, providing the opportunity for a multi-year runway from the proceeds of the Offering.

As set forth in the Company's April 2017 NI-43-101 Technical Report, the Livengood Gold Project has a measured and indicated gold resource of 11.5 million ounces with an all-in-cost of $1,247/oz. The large resource size and current market valuation, together with the favorable and stable Alaska jurisdiction, makes the Livengood Gold Project one of the most attractive highly leveraged gold projects in the world. Going forward, the potential for reduced project G&A costs could provide the time necessary for the gold market to reward patient investors.

The shares of common stock sold in the Offering were offered and sold in reliance upon an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The shares may not be offered or sold by the purchasers in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of any securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. controls a 100% interest of the Livengood Gold Project, located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

On behalf of

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

(signed) Karl L Hanneman

Chief Executive Officer

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and US securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including statements with respect to the proposed use of the proceeds of the Offering by the Company, the ability of the Company to carry out and complete optimization studies with respect to the Livengood Gold Project, the ability of the Company to advance the Livengood Gold Project, the potential development of any mine at Livengood, business and financing plans and business trends are forward-looking statements. Although the Company 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, proposed, planned, potential and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company 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, , the use of proceeds from the Offering, the potential inability of the Company to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies, and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K and other reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and certain securities commissions in Canada and other information released by the Company and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies. All of the Company's Canadian public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sedar.com and its United States public disclosure filings may be accessed via www.sec.gov, and readers are urged to review these materials, including the latest technical report filed with respect to the Livengood Gold Project.

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States or Canada.

SOURCE International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.ithmines.com


PITTSBURGH, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- "When I travel, I never have a good way to carry a meal while hauling my luggage," said an inventor from Katy, Texas. "I came up with this idea so that I had a convenient way to transport foods and beverages while at the airport, train station, bus station, etc."

She developed the PORTABLE CUPHOLDER to offer a convenient way to store and transport food and beverages while traveling. The design frees the hands to wheel luggage, hold bags and do other things. It eliminates the need to place food and beverages on your lap or on the floor. This makes eating and drinking more comfortable. The unit lessens some of the stress associated with travel. In addition, it is designed for ease of use.

The original design was submitted to the Houston office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 16-HUN-495, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.

SOURCE InventHelp

Related Links

http://www.inventhelp.com


HOUSTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- KBR, Inc. (NYSE: KBR) announced today it has been awarded a contract by the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the design, manufacture, supply and storage of a Combat Water Supply System (CWSS) plus reimbursable Maintenance, Repairs, and Operations (MRO) services.

Under the terms of the contract, KBR will bring in to service a water purification, storage and distribution system, designed to deliver potable and palatable water to deployed UK forces. Once operational, KBR will provide fully integrated Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) through to 2025 with responsibility for the design, manufacture, testing and supply of each of the variants of the CWSS.

"I am delighted we are working with KBR to deliver this critical capability to our land forces," said Major General Colin McClean, Director Land Equipment for Defence Equipment and Support, the UK MOD's procurement organization. "The Combat Water Supply System will ensure the availability of high quality water wherever we are in the world, drastically reducing our reliance on bottled water; saving money and lessening the environmental impact."

The objective of the CWSS program is to deliver an end-to-end solution spanning the provision of water from its source to the point of use. Specifically, CWSS will be required to purify water from various sources, test and assure water quality, store, distribute and issue water to doctrinally mandated volumes. During the contractor logistics support phase, KBR will be responsible for the maintenance of the CWSS capability to agreed Readiness and Availability levels.

The award strengthens KBR's position as a key supplier to the UK MOD for critical capabilities, both in the UK and on deployed operations and comes following a number of other awards supporting the MOD on overseas deployments.

"We are extremely proud of our long standing record in delivering operational support to the UK MOD," said Jay Ibrahim, KBR President, EMEA. "This award is a reflection of the confidence that the MOD places in us to deliver critical operational infrastructure and is testament to the collaborative relationship that has been built over many years of working side by side with the UK's Armed Forces."

The contract value for this project is $42 million and was booked into the backlog of unfilled orders for KBR's Government Services Business Segment in Q4 of 2017.

About KBR, Inc.

KBR is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies across the asset and program life cycle within the Government Services and Hydrocarbons sectors. KBR employs over approximately 34,000 people worldwide (including our joint ventures), with customers in more than 75 countries, and operations in 40 countries, across three synergistic global businesses:

Government Services, serving government customers globally, including capabilities that cover the full life-cycle of defense, space, aviation and other government programs and missions from research and development, through systems engineering, test and evaluation, program management, to operations, maintenance, and field logistics

Technology & Consulting, including proprietary technology focused on the monetization of hydrocarbons (especially natural gas and natural gas liquids) in ethylene and petrochemicals; ammonia, nitric acid and fertilizers; oil refining; gasification; oil and gas consulting; integrity management; naval architecture and proprietary hulls; and downstream consulting

Engineering & Construction, including onshore oil and gas; LNG (liquefaction and regasification)/GTL; oil refining; petrochemicals; chemicals; fertilizers; differentiated EPC; maintenance services (Brown & Root Industrial Services); offshore oil and gas (shallow-water, deep-water, subsea); floating solutions (FPU, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU) and program management

KBR is proud to work with its customers across the globe to provide technology, value-added services, integrated EPC delivery and long term operations and maintenance services to ensure consistent delivery with predictable results. At KBR, We Deliver.

Visit www.kbr.com

Forward Looking Statement

The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the outcome of and the publicity surrounding audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies and potential adverse results and consequences from such proceedings; the scope and enforceability of the company's indemnities from its former parent; changes in capital spending by the company's customers; the company's ability to obtain contracts from existing and new customers and perform under those contracts; structural changes in the industries in which the company operates; escalating costs associated with and the performance of fixed-fee projects and the company's ability to control its cost under its contracts; claims negotiations and contract disputes with the company's customers; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements; compliance with laws related to income taxes; unsettled political conditions, war and the effects of terrorism; foreign operations and foreign exchange rates and controls; the development and installation of financial systems; increased competition for employees; the ability to successfully complete and integrate acquisitions; and operations of joint ventures, including joint ventures that are not controlled by the company.

KBR's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, any subsequent Form 10-Qs and 8-Ks, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors that KBR has identified that may affect the business, results of operations and financial condition. Except as required by law, KBR undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE KBR, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kbr.com


SEATTLE, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- According to LinkedIn's Global Recruiting Trends report, hiring managers ranked the use of soft skill assessments among the top trends of 2017. With 58 percent of hiring managers agreeing that lack of soft skills is limiting company productivity, this shift is picking up further momentum in the year ahead. Recognizing this importance, today Koru announced that its award-winning predictive hiring software, Koru Predictive Hiring, is integrated with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Talent.

The addition of Koru Predictive Hiring will allow hiring managers and recruiters using Dynamics 365 for Talent to measure the Koru7 Impact Skills, some of the most important soft skills required for success in today's innovation economy  namely: grit, rigor, impact, curiosity, polish, ownership, and teamwork.

"The integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Talent is driven by the growing need to reduce the amount of time wasted on sifting through resumes and instead more effectively -- and quickly -- identifying top talent for your company and the role at hand," said Kristen Hamilton, CEO and co-founder at Koru. "In an age of innovation, the skills that make a difference are impact skills, and more and more companies are quickly recognizing this. This integration is an exciting part of our company's continued growth."

Laurel Reitman, General Manager, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Talent said, "We provide a compelling recruiting solution that helps our customers attract and hire talented candidates. The integration of Koru to our platform is a natural fit in this mission, enhancing the talent acquisition process of our customers with a layer of critical soft skills so that hiring managers can pinpoint the right talent with precision and confidence."

The integration with Dynamics 365 for Talent further bolsters Koru's recent momentum and consistent customer growth. Proven successful outcomes from Koru's assessment and predictive hiring product include reduced time to hire by 20-30 percent, 30 percent increase in high performers hired, and reduction in turnover of 30-50 percent.

For more information, please visit https://www.joinkoru.com/.

About Koru

Headquartered in Seattle, Koru is the leader in predictive hiring based on what really drives performance. Based on the Koru7Impact Skills (Grit, Rigor, Impact, Teamwork, Curiosity, Ownership and Polish), we're mobilizing the "Grit over Grades" revolution with some of the world's leading enterprises. Koru was founded by veteran entrepreneurs Kristen Hamilton, co-founder at Onvia and former COO at World Learning, and Josh Jarrett, former head of Higher Education Innovation for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and consultant with McKinsey & Company. Koru has raised $12.57 million in funding from First Round, Maveron, City Light Capital, Trilogy Equity Partners, Battery Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and Nas' Queensbridge Venture Partners. For more information, please visit www.joinkoru.com and follow us at https://twitter.com/joinkoru.

SOURCE Koru

Related Links

http://www.joinkoru.com


LONDON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

London Block Exchange (LBX) - the UK's only dedicated multi-cryptocurrency exchange - has today confirmed that it will offer its members access to the Faster Payments system.

The Crypto Payment Account will give users of the exchange a trading account, making the transfer of GBP to digital currencies (and vice versa) seamless.

A watershed moment in UK crypto history, this will be welcomed by the thousands of active cryptocurrency advocates.

Furthermore, users will be able trade with confidence, knowing they have the associated security and protection that comes with UK banking involvement, as well as having their crypto assets tied into London, the world finance centre.

Premium and pre-registered LBX members will be first to be offered these accounts - with openings starting today.

On-boarding will be phased on a first come, first served basis and is expected to take a number of weeks for most applicants, given the thorough KYC and AML (anti-money laundering) processes that LBX prides itself on.

LBX Founder and CEO Benjamin Dives, said:

"We are creating a service where all steps of the cryptocurrency investment journey are seamless and straightforward.

"Crypto enthusiasts have been long calling for this, but equally, new customers will be able to find in LBX a grown up, reliable and comprehensive service that they can trust. It's just another step in cryptocurrency's maturation in the UK."

LBX has confirmed these details as it begins beta-testing its trading app, after launching in late 2017 with over-the-counter trading (25k+).

About LBX

The London Block Exchange is the first multi-cryptocurrency exchange dedicated to the UK market. Based in Canary Wharf, LBX provides a credible, safe and easy exchange for consumers and institutional investors - delivered via its online platform and app.

This is underpinned by educational content, bank-grade security and solid governance, with four cryptocurrenciescurrently available for trade with more to be added each month.

London Block Exchange (FRN: 902014) is registered EMD Agent for e-wallet functionality by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011.

SOURCE London Block Exchange
Mat Kaplan to give SIU guest lecture March 23

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  He guided thousands through the Great American Eclipse at Saluki Stadium last summer. Now, Mat Kaplan returns to Southern Illinois University Carbondale this month, to give a guest lecture for the campus community.

Kaplan, host and producer of the popular Planetary Radio show, acted as master of ceremonies during SIUs eclipse program at Saluki Stadium. He will be give the lecture at 9 a.m. Friday, March 23, in room 440 at the Neckers Building, home of SIUs College of Science.

The hour-long event, titled You Live in the Golden Age of Exploration, is free and open to SIU students, faculty and staff.

Media advisory

Reporters, photographers and news crews are welcome to cover Mat Kaplans guest lecture. The event begins at 9 a.m. on Friday, March 23, in room 440 at the Neckers Building on the SIU campus. Contact Bob Baer at 618/453-2729 or rbaer@physics.siu.edu for more information.

Lecture precedes eclipse documentary premiere

The lecture precedes the premiere of SIUs eclipse documentary, which Kaplan will also attend.

In the Shadow, an hour-long look at the run-up to the Great American Eclipse in Southern Illinois on Aug. 21, 2017, was created by the professionals and students in SIUs College of Mass Communication and Media Arts. It will premiere Saturday, March 24 at Shryock Auditorium on the SIU campus.

Bob Baer, specialist in the Department of Physics and co-chair of the universitys eclipse steering committee, said Kaplan is well-known across the nation and in Southern Illinois, where his radio show plays early on Saturday and Sunday mornings on WSIU public radio.

During last years total eclipse, Kaplan partnered with SIU to emcee Eclipse Day at Saluki Stadium and also hosted a Planetary Radio live event on the SIU campus that month.

We invited him back for the premiere of the documentary, and as part of his visit, he will be spending some time with students in a few SIU classes, Baer said. Mat is an excellent public speaker and has a passion for space exploration.

Guest lecture takes place in astronomy class

The lecture will be part of a regular astronomy course taught by April Hendley, senior lecturer in the physics department. Baer said he was thrilled to learn Kaplans schedule would allow him to give the guest lecture and decided to throw it open to the campus community.

There is a lot of excitement about astronomy and space exploration these days as is evident in the title of his talk, Baer said. It is a real treat for our students and guests to be able to hear from him.

Eclipse memories remain fresh

Baer was a key member of the SIU team that prepared for the thousands of visitors that descended on the university that weekend leading up to the eclipse. With the six months that have passed since then, Baer said its memory still excites him.

I still love to hear people tell me about their eclipse experience and how it has made a lifelong impact on them, he said. I've attended a few national conferences and meetings since the eclipse.

There were a lot of events out there, but nobody put on an eclipse event like SIU did. The variety and quality of what we did over 4 days was awe inspiring. As a Saluki, I am most proud of the way the campus community worked together to put on what I consider to be the best national eclipse event.

Planning is already underway for a second eclipse event that will traverse the area once again in 2024, he said.
TOKYO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Licensing Expo Japan, following its successful debut last year in Tokyo, will return to the third-largest global licensing market from April 25-27, 2018 at the Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center. The event will feature over 350 international and Japanese brands and will be collocated with IFF MAGIC Japan, the leading exhibition for the branded fashion industry in Japan.

Licensing Expo Japan provides exhibitors with access to both the Japanese and international markets and is the only show in Japan supported by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). The show is also promoted by Licensing Expo's international network, including the world's premier industry magazine, License Global.

"We are thrilled to see continued commitment from leading global licensors and agents to participate in the Japan show for the second year in a row and also welcome many new exhibitors. These include industry leaders like CAA-GBG, IMG, Sony Creative Products, Tsuburaya Productions, Toho, Ingram, Green Camel, Capcom, Perfetti Van Melle, V&A Enterprises Limited, National Museum of History (Taiwan), Art Vivant, Haibara, King Records, Hokkaido Railway Company, Lagardere Active Enterprises Japan, Sanrio Far East, The Lucy Company, Mikasa Corporation, East Japan Marketing & Communications, Kenshin and a new Taiwan pavilion launched by the New Taipei City Computer Association," said Jessica Blue, senior vice president, Global Licensing Group, UBM.

LIMA Japan will also lend its support by organizing educational seminars and activities on the show floor at Licensing Expo Japan. This year's seminar topics span risk management, global licensing trends, co-branded cafe licensing and more, and speakers include executives from the likes of CAA-GBG, Legs Company LTD, Nissan Motor Corp and Sony Creative Products. In addition, LIMA Japan will also host a Retail Seminar and Market Research event taking place on April 24. Attendees will be provided with the opportunity to learn more about the retail landscape of Japan before moving offsite to explore the LaLaport shopping destination. For more details or to register for the event, please visit http://www.licensing.or.jp/20180308retailseminar/.

A sophisticated matchmaking service will be introduced at Licensing Expo Japan 2018, enabling exhibitors to make appointments and schedule meetings with the licensees and exhibitors. The system is similar to the highly successful online matchmaking system implemented at Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe. At Licensing Expo 2017 in Las Vegas, more than 3,800 meetings were scheduled using this service.

About Licensing Expo Japan

Licensing Expo Japan was launched as an independent trade show on 26-28 April 2017, co-located with IFF Magic Japan. Licensing Expo Japan is a part of the Global Licensing Group at UBM, the global licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide opportunities around the world to bring brands and products together to explore and cement licensing partnerships. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at UBM: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo China, NYC Licensing Summit, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-news and License TV. Licensing Expo Japan is organized by UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit http://www.ubm.com/global-reach/UBM-Asia for the latest news and information about UBM.

About Global Licensing Group

The Global Licensing Group at UBM is the global licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide opportunities around the world to bring brands and products together to explore and cement licensing partnerships. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at UBM: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo China, NYC Licensing Summit, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-news and License TV.

SOURCE Licensing Expo Japan
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Recall Summary

Name of Product: Maax Spas hot tubs and swim spas

Hazard: The UV generator inside the hot tub and swim spa can ignite while in use, posing a fire hazard.

Remedy: Repair

Consumers should immediately stop using the hot tubs and swim spas and contact a MAAX Spas' dealer for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: MAAX Spas at 800-413-2704 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Arizona local time, Monday through Friday, email at [email protected] or online at www.maaxspas.com or www.deltaUVrepair.com for more information.

Recall Details

Units: About 550 in the U.S. (In addition, about 630 were sold in Canada)

Description:

This recall involves MAAX Spas hot tubs and swim spas containing a Delta UV generator. The generator is used to sanitize the water and plumbing inside the hot tub or swim spa. The generator's model number is EA-4H-5. The model numbers for the hot tubs and swim spas are: 461; 470; 471; 472; 480; 481; 482; 780; 781; 5200; 5300; 5400; 5600; 7000; 7500; 8000; 8500; 9000; DT6; ENV; ES; ESX; GRD; LT6; MON; MT6; NUG; PRS; RB4; RL4; RS1; RS2; XB4; XL4; XSD; XSL; XSP; and XSR. The model name is the first 3 or 4 digits of the hot tub or swim spa serial number, and is engraved into a silver plate on the lower right or lower left corner of the front side of the hot tub or swim spa.

Incidents/Injuries: Maax Spas has received six reports of generators in the affected hot tubs and swim spas igniting and causing damage to the generators and surrounding hot tub or swim spa components. There have been no reports of injuries.

Sold At: Independent hot tub and swim spa retailers nationwide, from January 2012 through July 2015. Hot tubs were sold for about $4,000 to $15,000. Swim spas were sold for about $16,000 to $30,000.

Manufacturer: MAAX Spas Industries Corp., Chandler, Arizona

Manufactured in: United States

In Conjunction With: Canada

Health Canada's press release is available at: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/recall-alert-rappel-avis/hc-sc/2018/66066r-eng.php

This recall was conducted, voluntarily by the company, under CPSC's Fast Track Recall process. Fast Track recalls are initiated by firms, who commit to work with CPSC to quickly announce the recall and remedy to protect consumers.

About U.S. CPSC:

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals  contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

For more lifesaving information, follow us on Facebook, Instagram @USCPSC and Twitter @USCPSC or sign up to receive our e-mail alerts. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired.

CPSC Consumer Information Hotline

Contact us at this toll-free number if you have questions about a recall:

800-638-2772 (TTY 301-595-7054)

Times: 8 a.m.  5:30 p.m. ET; Messages can be left anytime

Call to get product safety and other agency information and to report unsafe products.

Media Contact

Please use the phone numbers below for all media requests.

Phone: 301-504-7908

Spanish: 301-504-7800

SOURCE U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Related Links

http://www.cpsc.gov


"Manheim Express is a whole new channel and a whole new way to do business in the Manheim Marketplace," said Grace Huang, president, Cox Automotive Inventory Solutions. "We are bringing the power of the Manheim Marketplace to the dealer's lot, in the palm of their hand. On top of that, we are launching the industry's only wholesale guaranteed first bid and are integrating 3D and 360degree vehicle imaging technology that leapfrogs the competition."

After completing a few quick steps in the Manheim Express mobile app, dealers will have all of the information they need to evaluate a vehicle so that they can decide to take a Guaranteed First Bid SM, list it in the Manheim Marketplace, order an inspection or consign it to a Manheim operating location.

Load Vehicle Info via VIN Scan  In the new and free Manheim Express mobile app, dealers simply scan the VIN and are immediately presented the vehicle's value from Manheim Market Report (MMR), AutoCheck Snapshot vehicle history report data, and manufacturer build data (where available). This information provides dealers the necessary information to make smart decisions on taking vehicles in on trade.

Get a Guaranteed First Bid  Manheim Express offers the industry's only wholesale guaranteed first bid (GFB). Driven from the industry-leading MMR, a minimum floor price is set and if the vehicle does not sell for the minimum floor price or greater after being listed in the Manheim Marketplace for 2 business days, Manheim will buy the vehicle at the GFB price. So, Guaranteed First Bid means that dealers know they can have a check in hand in two business days. Dealers can also be assured that their inventory is in the largest and most active market in the world, which experiences 58 million unique visits per year.

List to the Manheim Marketplace  Simplifying the listing experience, Manheim Express allows dealers to walk a car and create a listing complete with the industry's first and best-in-class, 360-degree images that can be uploaded into the Manheim Marketplace within three minutes. Manheim is partnering with computer vision company Fyusion to enable dealers to walk cars and create immersive, interactive 3D images, while also being able to apply smart tags to any damaged areas in under 3 minutes.

"Our products are focused on creating intelligent 3D imaging," said Radu Rusu, CEO of Fyusion. "Any dealer will be able to easily create a fully tagged interactive 3D image from their Android or iOS phone, that's viewable on any device - mobile or desktop."

Order an Inspection  Manheim research shows that vehicles with a condition report from an independent inspector are three more times likely to sell online. From the app, dealers can order a condition report and an inspector will come right to their lot within 72 hours, making inspections easy and convenient.

Consign to Manheim Auction  If a dealer prefers to not sell the vehicle in any of the Manheim Digital Marketplaces, dealers can now send their inventory to the Manheim operating location of their choice via Manheim Express.

"Manheim Express is another example of how Manheim continues revolutionizing inventory wholesaling and how Manheim Marketplace is uniquely positioned to meet clients wherever they are  even off their lots," said Huang.

Launching this summer, Manheim Express is one of several solutions that are being integrated into the Manheim Marketplace. Manheim Marketplace has a variety of flexible, customizable solutions that allow clients to buy and sell right off their lots. Comprising Manheim.com, OVE and now ManheimExpress.com as well as OEM-specific marketplaces, Manheim Marketplace is the largest and most active market in the world.

Manheim will showcase this all-new way to do business with Manheim Marketplace via hands-on demonstrations at NADA: https://www.coxautoinc.com/nada2018/manheim/

About Manheim North America (www.manheim.com)

Manheim  is North America's leading provider of end-to-end wholesale solutions that help dealer and commercial clients increase profits in their used vehicle operations.

Through its extensive physical, mobile and digital sales network, the company offers diverse solutions for inventory management, buying and selling, floor planning, logistics, assurance and reconditioning. With more channels and smarter tools, Manheim Marketplace offers the most comprehensive end-to-end solutions and services, enabling wholesale vehicle buyers and sellers faster and more efficient ways to connect and transact business how and when they want. In addition, Manheim provides industry-leading data and tools to improve client efficiencies and decision-making, while delivering a value-added customer experience.

Approximately 18,000 team members enable Manheim to offer 8 million used vehicles per year, facilitate transactions representing nearly $58 billion in value and generate annual revenues of more than $3 billion. Headquartered in Atlanta, Manheim North America is a Cox Automotive brand. For more information, visit http://press.manheim.com.

About Fyusion

Fyusion applies 3D computer vision and machine learning expertise to make images as intelligent as they are beautiful. Immersive, interactive photorealistic high definition 3D images are viewable on any mobile, desktop, VR or AR device - all captured using a smartphone or any other camera.

Capturing in 3D means that we give images powers beyond what's possible with 2D photos & videos; from changing backgrounds & adding rich data tags, to visual search & damage analysis. No professional photographers or tools are needed - it's immersive imaging at scale.

Based in San Francisco, Fyusion's core visual technology is covered by over 50 patents and is empowering the growth of the most innovative, visual-centric businesses worldwide.

www.fyusion.com

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling and owning cars easier for everyone. The global company's 34,000-plus team members and family of brands, including Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, VinSolutions, vAuto and Xtime, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across 100+ countries and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion. coxautoinc.com

SOURCE Cox Automotive

Related Links

https://www.coxautoinc.com


ROCKVILLE, Md., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DrFirst, the nation's leading provider of e-prescribing and medication management solutions, announced today that Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, members of the governor's office, MedChi leaders, the Maryland State Medical Society, and Dr. Mark Reynolds, dean of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) and periodontist at the school's clinics, will meet at the company's Rockville headquarters on March 16. During the visit, Lt. Gov. Rutherford will learn how DrFirst is fighting the opioid epidemic in conjunction with MedChi, Maryland's medical society, UMSOD, and CRISP, the state's Health Information Exchange and authorized agent for its Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP).

The Lt. Gov.'s visit is particularly important given the imminence of the PDMP check mandate. Starting July 1, 2018, Maryland will join 40 states to require healthcare providers to view medication history via an online PDMP registry before prescribing opioids. The collaboration between DrFirst and CRISP streamlines the required PDMP check by delivering fast and easy access to the database directly within the e-prescribing workflow. Twenty-five states currently make PDMP integration available through DrFirst.

In addition to Lt. Gov. Rutherford, participants in the upcoming event will include members of Governor Larry Hogan's staff, the Maryland Department of Health, MedChi executives, and Dean Mark Reynolds from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.

WHEN: Friday, March 16



TIME: 1:30 p.m. ET



PLACE: 9420 Key West Avenue Suite 101 Rockville, MD 20850

"We are delighted to host this visit by Lt. Gov. Rutherford and bring together this impressive group of community healthcare leaders to drive substantive change in opioid prescribing," said G. Cameron Deemer, president of DrFirst. "The power of integrating PDMP query directly into e-prescribing workflow simplifies the process and facilitates informed prescribing. By lowering the barrier to prescribers viewing their patients' medication histories before prescribing powerful opioids, we can make significant strides in our fight against opioid overprescribing while continuing to treat patient pain appropriately."

In 2015, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan formed a Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, chaired by Lt. Gov. Rutherford. The task force developed 33 recommendations, including mandatory registration of all prescribers in the state PDMP.

About DrFirst

DrFirst, the nation's leading provider of e-prescribing and medication management solutions, enables stakeholders across the healthcare industry to intelligently utilize comprehensive real-time data and connectivity to increase their patient safety ratings, efficiency and profitability. Today, more than 170,000 healthcare professionals and more than 60% of Electronic Health Record vendors, depend on DrFirst's innovative software solutions to improve clinical workflows, expedite secure collaboration across a patient's care team and drive better health outcomes. The company's integrated technologies include its award-winning electronic prescribing platform, the most comprehensive medication history available, clinically specialized secure messaging, as well as patient medication adherence monitoring and benefits checking. In addition, DrFirst was the first to offer e-prescribing for controlled substances (EPCS), which is considered the industry standard for providers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.drfirst.com or connect with us @DrFirst.

DrFirst Media Contact:

Jenna Warner

Amendola Communications

480-664-8412 x 19

[email protected]

SOURCE DrFirst

Related Links

http://www.drfirst.com


SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical Marijuana, Inc. (OTC: MJNA), the first publicly traded cannabis company in the United States, today announced that its subsidiary HempMeds Brazil, which was the first company authorized by Anvisa to import a cannabidiol-based product to Brazil, is partnering with the National Association of Cannabidiol Users (ANUC) to host the Cannabidiol (CBD) Symposium from March 19-23 in Rio Grande do Sul, in the cities of Canoas, Passo Fundo and Porto Alegre.

It is the first time that hospitals in Brazil have ever offered cannabis events to the medical community.

On March 19, Dr. Jorge Luiz Winckler, Regent Professor of Neurology at ULBRA, is hosting an evening lecture at the University of Canoas on his clinical study on CBD as a treatment for Parkinson's patients. This study is being developed in partnership with HempMeds Brazil and Dr. Kelson James Almeida, neurologist and current technical director of the Integrated Rehabilitation Center (CEIR).

On March 20, Junior Gibelli, Director of Medical Affairs at HempMeds Brazil and Pediatric Neurologist Dr. Luiz Fernando Fonseca will be hosting accredited classes at the University of Canoas ULBRA hospital on the endocannabinoid system and CBD as a treatment option.

On March 21 in Passo Fundo, Dr. Alan Frohlich, neurologist of the Service of Neurology and Neurosurgery and Dr. Daniel Lima Varela, Professor of Neurology at IMED and Coordinator at the Outpatient Clinic Hospital in Sao Vicente de Paulo, and Dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana Inc., parent company of HempMeds Brazil, will give a presentation on the health and wellness benefits of CBD.

On March 23, the last of the three symposium events will take place in Porto Alegre in the auditorium of the Moinhos de Vento Hospital, where Dr. Pablo Winckler, neurologist and specialist in diabetic neuropathy, will give a closing presentation.

"We want to encourage a discussion of the benefits of cannabis and expand access to CBD in Brazil," said Medical Marijuana, Inc. CEO Dr. Stuart Titus. "Our relationship with Brazilian health professionals is growing daily and we hope to continue to be a helpful resource for them."

For more information and to register, visit hempmeds.com.br/beneficios-do-cbd-rio-grande-do-sul/.

About Medical Marijuana, Inc.

We are a company of firsts. Our mission is to be the premier cannabis and hemp industry innovators, leveraging our team of professionals to source, evaluate and purchase value-added companies and products, while allowing them to keep their integrity and entrepreneurial spirit. We strive to create awareness within our industry, develop environmentally-friendly, economically sustainable businesses, while increasing shareholder value. For details on Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s portfolio and investment companies, visit www.medicalmarijuanainc.com.

To see Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s corporate video, click here.

Shareholders and consumers are also encouraged to buy CBD oil and other products at Medical Marijuana, Inc.'s shop.

About HempMeds Brazil

HempMeds Brazil was the first company to receive approval from the National Sanitary Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) to import a product based on cannabidiol, a substance derived from hemp, a plant of the genus Cannabis. Currently, it is authorized to supply its products, which help in the control of diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson's, chronic pain and multiple sclerosis, under medical prescription. For these indications, the products can be subsidized by the Brazilian government. HempMeds Brazil works on additional approvals for other indications. About HempMeds Brazil and all its products with natural hemp oil: www.hempmeds.com.br.

FORWARD-LOOKING DISCLAIMER

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Medical Marijuana, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein.

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) DISCLOSURE

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

LEGAL DISCLOSURE

Medical Marijuana, Inc. does not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act (US.CSA). These companies do grow, sell, and distribute hemp-based products and are involved with the federally legal distribution of medical marijuana-based products within certain international markets. Cannabidiol is a natural constituent of hemp oil.

CONTACT:

Public Relations Contact:

Andrew Hard

Chief Executive Officer CMW Media

P. 858-264-6600

[email protected]

www.cmwmedia.com

SOURCE Medical Marijuana, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.medicalmarijuanainc.com


NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OHA, through their Preferred Partner Network, has identified Medtel as a partner that will deliver best-in-class software to assist with surgical care, increase surgical profitability and increase quality outcomes for their members.

"We are excited to announce our Medtel partnership," says Shelby Faust, Vice President at OHA. "Medtel has a proven track record of assisting healthcare providers in successfully transitioning to value-based care and CJR by optimizing their surgical care process. The OHA members will immediately see the value of implementation and how it will help their teams provide a superior patient experience while managing the cost of care."

"Improving outcomes and reducing costs for patients is imperative, but despite large investments in electronic medical records, surgical care continues to rely heavily on manual-based processes such as faxes and phone calls that hinder communication and challenge surgical outcomes," says Harold Mondschein, CEO and Founder of Medtel. "The Medtel platform provides an environment that helps the financial and surgical teams identify both financial and clinical risks prior to the incision and continues to monitor information about the patient throughout the entire episode of care."

As a result, in 2013, Medtel's solution emerged as the first surgical care management platform designed to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and provide better outcomes. The following are 3 keys to Medtel's success with client implementations:

Below is a brief description of Medtel's surgical care management solution that has assisted hospitals such as NYU Medical Center's Hospital for Joint Diseases in improving their surgical profitability. For NYU's hip and knee total joint program, they have reduced their costs by $10,000 per patient per 90-day episode of care. This translates into significant dollars. In NYU's case, it is roughly $40 million. Medtel is not solely responsible for these savings, but they credit us as being a big part.

Automating manual-based processes, improving workflows and capturing structured data easily and reliably connecting a large variety of patient information. Creating the earliest opportunity to identify the clinical and financial risks of a procedure before the incision. Sustaining surgeon and staff compliance to clinical guidelines, care pathways, and protocols that lead to an institution's improved financial health.

Armed with the Medtel solution, providers now have the necessary agnostic, cloud-based tools to easily connect with their surgical offices and sustain compliance to best practices which results in better outcomes for their patients and financial health for their institution.

About OHA: The Oklahoma Hospital Association is the voice of hospitals in Oklahoma. Established in 1919, the OHA represents more than 135 hospitals and health systems across the state. OHA's primary objective is to promote the health and welfare of all Oklahomans by leading and assisting its member organizations in providing high quality, safe and valued health care services to their communities. The OHA also believes hospitals play a vital role in helping to advance the overall state of health for their patients and the public at-large.

The OHA provides a variety of membership services including representation and advocacy at the state and federal national levels, educational programs, information and data analysis, patient quality and safety resources, and industry communication. Members can also avail themselves of various insurance and group-purchasing products.

Contact: Mary Winters | 405.427.9537 | [email protected].

Medtel Contact: Barbara Norman, VP Client Growth | 408.410.5797 | [email protected].

Related Files

Medtel - OHA PR Final (03-09-18).docx

Related Images

image1.jpg

oha-logo.jpg

OHA logo

Related Links

Medtel

OHA

SOURCE Medtel.com, Inc.
LONG BEACH, Calif., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach and MemorialCare Community Medical Center Long Beach, announced that more than 100 of its physicians have been recognized among the best in their fields by the 2018 Southern California Super Doctors report.

The 2018 Southern California Super Doctors report recognizes the top five percent of active doctors in Los Angeles and Orange counties with three lists: Super Doctors 2018, Super Doctors Rising Stars and Super Doctors Hall of Fame. The selection process relies on 10 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement, surveying physicians in Southern California and ensuring the physicians named are the most respected and talented in their fields.

"Our physicians are continuously recognized for their outstanding work, medical breakthroughs and quality care that they provide for our patients," says Graham Tse, M.D., associate chief medical officer, Miller Children's & Women's. "Our patients are our priority, the Super Doctor's Report reaffirms that they are under the care of the best team of doctors in the area."

The Super Doctors peer review selection process asks doctors to nominate fellow physicians by answering the question, "If you needed medical care, which doctor would you choose?" In addition, candidates were evaluated based on professional achievement, as well as the Super Doctors' 'blue ribbon panel review' process, where physicians in more than 30 specialties evaluate the list of nominees.

"We are overjoyed to work alongside so many accomplished physicians who strive to improve the lives of our patients, their families and the community," James Wells, M.D., interim chief medical officer, Long Beach Medical Center.

Long Beach Medical Center, Miller Children's & Women's and Community Medical Center Long Beach physicians were recognized in areas including pediatrics, obstetrics and maternal fetal medicine, gynecology and gynecologic oncology, cardiology and cardiothoracic surgery, urology, family and internal medicine, surgery, medical oncology and hematology, dermatology, ophthalmology, pediatric and adult gastroenterology, pediatric hematology/oncology, physical medicine/rehabilitation and pediatric rehab (physiatry), reconstructive plastic surgery, neurointerventional radiology, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, sleep medicine, reproductive endocrinology, pediatric and adult critical care medicine and more.

View the complete list of physicians.

About MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center, MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach and MemorialCare Community Medical Center Long Beach:

MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center and MemorialCare Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach, part of MemorialCare, are designated with the prestigious Magnet recognition.

Long Beach Medical Center has been providing compassionate care with the latest state-of-the-art technology for more than 100 years and is the region's first choice for comprehensive care in virtually every medical and surgical specialty. Miller Children's & Women's provides specialized pediatric care for children and young adults, with conditions ranging from common to complex  as well as maternity care for expectant mothers  all under one roof. Serving the greater Long Beach area with 24-hour emergency services and intensive care, Community Medical Center Long Beach offers state-of-the-art imaging, a comprehensive cancer care center, cardiovascular diagnostics, occupational medicine, wellness and diabetes services. Visit memorialcare.org/longbeach, millerchildrens.org and memorialcare.org/community-medical-center-long-beach for more information.

SOURCE MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center; MemorialCare Miller Childrens & Womens Hospital Long Beach; MemorialCare Community Medical Center Long Beach
BOCA RATON, Fla., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Campus Management announced today that Mount Marty College selected the enterprise suite of CampusNexus solutions to support their mission of cultivating lasting relationships between students, faculty and staff. Once implemented, CampusNexus Student, CampusNexus CRM and CampusNexus Finance, HR & Payroll deployed in the CampusNexus Cloud, will enhance their constituent engagement and enable communication that leads to lifelong learning.

"At Mount Marty College we are embracing our centuries-old Benedictine heritage and our vision for the future, which will better serve students, faculty and administration using the latest technology," said Mount Marty College CIO Christian Hunhoff. The values of stability, stewardship and community are the foundation of our new effort to streamline many administrative functions with the latest next generation software from our new partner - Campus Management."

For the past 30 years, Campus Management has been developing solutions and services to allow higher education institutions to transform their academic delivery, student success and operational efficiency. Campus Management solutions are built on Microsoft technology, allowing clients to leverage the flexibility, security and scalability of Microsoft Azure, Dynamics and other products.

"We are pleased to welcome Mount Marty College to the Campus Management community, where we will begin the process of transforming their institution with new technology and business processes," said Campus Management CEO Jim Milton. "We whole heartedly embrace their vision for enabling lifelong learning and look forward to helping the institution deepen and enrich its engagement with constituents throughout the student lifecycle."

About Campus Management Corp.

Campus Management is a leading provider of cloud-based SIS, CRM and ERP solutions and services that transform higher education institutions. Today, more than 1,100 institutions in over 30 countries partner with Campus Management to transform academic delivery, student success and operational efficiency.

About Mount Marty College

Mount Marty College is an academic community in the Catholic Benedictine liberal arts tradition that prepares students for a contemporary world of work, service to the human community, and personal growth. Based in South Dakota, Mount Marty College strives towards academic excellence in its undergraduate and graduate programs.

Media Contact:

Ashley Prince

Media Relations

Campus Management Corp.

954-249-1124

[email protected]

SOURCE Campus Management Corporation

Related Links

http://www.campusmanagement.com


WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut are ready for their journey to the International Space Station that begins on Wednesday, March 21. Live coverage will air on NASA Television and the agency's website.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold, and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, are set to launch in the Soyuz MS-08 spacecraft at 1:44 p.m. EDT (11:44 p.m. Kazakhstan time) March 21.

After a two-day flight, the new crew members will dock to the station's Poisk docking module at 3:41 p.m. Friday, March 23. About two hours later, hatches between the Soyuz and the station will open, and the new residents will be greeted as part of the Expedition 55 crew by station commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Coverage of Expedition 55 launch and docking activities is as follows (all times EDT):

Wednesday, March 21

12:45 p.m.  Soyuz MS-08 launch coverage (launch at 1:44 p.m. )

Friday, March 23

3 p.m.  Docking coverage (docking scheduled for 3:41 p.m. )

 Docking coverage (docking scheduled for ) 5 p.m.  Hatch opening and welcome coverage

A full complement of video of the crew's pre-launch activities in Baikonur will air on NASA TV in the days preceding launch.

The crew members of Expedition 55-56 will continue work on hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science aboard the International Space Station, humanity's only permanently occupied microgravity laboratory. This crew continues the long-term increase in U.S. crew size from three to four, allowing NASA to maximize time dedicated to research on the space station.

During his flight, former educator Ricky Arnold will wrap up NASA's Year of Education on Station, an initiative to engage students and educators in human spaceflight and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers.

Get breaking news, images and features from the station on Instagram and Twitter at:

http://instagram.com/iss

and

http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT Monday, March 19, to discuss a number of science investigations and instruments launching in April to the International Space Station on the next SpaceX commercial resupply mission. Audio of the teleconference will stream live on NASA's website.

To participate in the teleconference, media must contact Stephanie Schierholz at 202-358-1100 or [email protected] by 5 p.m. Friday, March 16, for dial-in information.

Pete Hasbrook, associate program scientist for the International Space Station Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center, and Michael Roberts, deputy chief scientist at the Center for Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), will kick off the call with an overview of the research and technology aboard SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

Also participating in the briefing will be:

Torsten Neubert , National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark  Neubert, principal investigator for the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), will discuss how this Earth observatory will study severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth's atmosphere and climate. In addition to space applications, ASIM will help improve current atmospheric models that guide long- and short-term climate predictions.

Neubert, principal investigator for the Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor (ASIM), will discuss how this Earth observatory will study severe thunderstorms and their role in the Earth's atmosphere and climate. In addition to space applications, ASIM will help improve current atmospheric models that guide long- and short-term climate predictions. Stephanie Murphy and Mark Gittleman , Alpha Space Test and Research Alliance  Murphy, founder of Alpha Space , and Gittleman, the company's president and chief executive officer, will discuss Alpha Space's Materials International Space Station Experiment flight facility (MISSE-FF). MISSE will be permanently installed on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory and provide the ability to test materials, coatings, and components in the harsh environment of space, with flight opportunities for experimenters approximately every six months. Testing on MISSE may benefit a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing of products ranging from protective clothing for astronauts to solar cells.

Murphy, founder of , and Gittleman, the company's president and chief executive officer, will discuss Materials International Space Station Experiment flight facility (MISSE-FF). MISSE will be permanently installed on the exterior of the orbiting laboratory and provide the ability to test materials, coatings, and components in the harsh environment of space, with flight opportunities for experimenters approximately every six months. Testing on MISSE may benefit a variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing of products ranging from protective clothing for astronauts to solar cells. Kim de Groh , NASA's Glenn Research Center  De Groh, a senior materials research engineer, will talk about how exposing 138 polymer and composite samples to the space environment via MISSE-FF will provide critical data to improve predictions of materials durability for spacecraft and component lifetimes in low-Earth orbit.

De Groh, a senior materials research engineer, will talk about how exposing 138 polymer and composite samples to the space environment via MISSE-FF will provide critical data to improve predictions of materials durability for spacecraft and component lifetimes in low-Earth orbit. Elaine Horn-Ranney , Tympanogen, Inc.  Principal investigator for research about wound healing, Horn-Ranney will discuss this investigation into improving the process of antibiotic release from gels that can cover large wounds, a medical advancement that could be used to treat military combat wounds and reduce the occurrence and severity of systemic infection and inflammation.

Principal investigator for research about wound healing, Horn-Ranney will discuss this investigation into improving the process of antibiotic release from gels that can cover large wounds, a medical advancement that could be used to treat military combat wounds and reduce the occurrence and severity of systemic infection and inflammation. Randall German , San Diego State University  German will discuss the NASA Sample Cartridge Assembly experiment (MSL SCA-GEDS-German) that seeks to better understand how the lack of gravity affects a process used to produce high-performance products from metal powders. This research could lead to improved manufacturing techniques and has potential as a way to perform in-space fabrication and repair.

German will discuss the NASA Sample Cartridge Assembly experiment (MSL SCA-GEDS-German) that seeks to better understand how the lack of gravity affects a process used to produce high-performance products from metal powders. This research could lead to improved manufacturing techniques and has potential as a way to perform in-space fabrication and repair. Dr. Guy Trudel , University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital in Ontario  Trudel, a physician and principal investigator for the MARROW study, will discuss an investigation that looks at the effect of microgravity on bone marrow, blood cells produced in marrow, recovery after space missions, and the application of this data to future space explorers as well as healthcare providers on Earth.

SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 4:30 p.m. April 2 for the launch of its Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Find out more about NASA's commercial resupply services at:

https://go.nasa.gov/2FPdagj

Learn more about research aboard the International Space Station at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station/research

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Doximity today released its second annual Physician Compensation Report, one of the most comprehensive surveys of U.S. physician compensation. This year's study found that doctors saw an average 4 percent wage increase nationally from 2016 to 2017. However, compensation varied significantly across metropolitan areas, between genders and across medical specialties. The report is based on more than 65,000 verified U.S. physician respondents, making it one of the largest studies available on physician pay in the United States.

"Considering the increasing concern about potential doctor shortages, having a clear understanding of physician compensation is more relevant than ever," said Nate Gross, M.D., co-founder of Doximity. "As the largest online medical network in the U.S., Doximity has unmatched insight into issues that affect the medical community, including compensation trends and disparities."

Key findings include:

Physician Compensation by Metro Area

The five metro areas with the highest average annual salary in 2017 were: Charlotte, N.C. ($402,273) ; Milwaukee ($398,431) ; Jacksonville, Fla. ($379,820) ; Indianapolis, Ind. ($378,011) ; and San Jose, Calif. ($376,585) .





; ; ; ; and . The five metro areas with the lowest average annual salary in 2017 were: Durham, N.C. ($282,035) ; Ann Arbor, Mich. ($302,692) ; Baltimore ($304,002) ; New Haven, Conn. ($308,262) ; and Rochester, N.Y. ($312,503) .





; ; ; ; and . From 2016 to 2017, the metro areas with the largest increase in physician compensation were: Charleston, S.C. (11.6 percent or $33,182 more); Milwaukee (7.3 percent or $52,601 more); Austin, Texas (7.2 percent or $45,605 more); San Francisco (6.9 percent or $58,184 more); and Las Vegas (6.7 percent or $47,256 more).

Physician Compensation by Medical Specialty

The five medical specialties with the highest average annual salary in 2017 were: neurosurgery ($662,755) ; thoracic surgery ($602,745) ; orthopedic surgery ($537,568) ; vascular surgery ($476,300) ; and plastic surgery ($473,212) .





; thoracic surgery ; orthopedic surgery ; vascular surgery ; and plastic surgery . The five medical specialties with the lowest average annual salary in 2017 were: pediatric infectious disease ($191,735) ; pediatric hematology and oncology ($208,524) ; pediatric endocrinology ($214,911) ; pediatrics ($221,900) ; and preventive medicine ($231,838) .

Physician Gender Wage Gap

In 2017, the national gender gap for physicians increased as female doctors earned 27.7 percent less ($105,000) than their male counterparts. The disparity in 2016 was 26.5 percent, when female doctors earned $91,284 less.





than their male counterparts. The disparity in 2016 was 26.5 percent, when female doctors earned less. Similar to 2016 findings, there remains no medical specialty in which female doctors earn more than male doctors. Additionally, women earn less than men in all of the top 50 metro areas.





From 2016 to 2017, the metro areas with the largest increase in gender wage gaps were: Charleston, S.C. (8.6 percent increase); Ann Arbor, Mich. (8.2 percent increase); Riverside, Calif. (8.0 percent increase); Providence, R.I. (6.4 percent increase); and Indianapolis (6.1 percent increase).





(8.6 percent increase); (8.2 percent increase); (8.0 percent increase); (6.4 percent increase); and (6.1 percent increase). In 2017, the metro areas with the largest gender wage gaps were: Charleston, S.C. (female physicians earn 37 percent or $134,499 less); Kansas City, Mo. (32 percent or $131,996 less); Nashville, Tenn. (32 percent or $118,706 less); Providence, R.I. (31 percent or $108,796 less); and Riverside, Calif. (31 percent or $115,991 less).





(female physicians earn 37 percent or less); (32 percent or less); (32 percent or less); (31 percent or less); and (31 percent or less). In 2017, the medical specialties with the largest gender wage gaps were: hematology (female physicians earn 20 percent or $78,753 less); occupational medicine (20 percent or $59,174 less); urology (20 percent or $84,799 less); orthopedic surgery (19 percent or $101,291 less); and gastroenterology (19 percent or $86,447 less).

"All health care stakeholders should be aware of the differences in compensation for men and women across the country," said Christopher Whaley, Ph.D., the report's lead author and adjunct assistant professor at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health. "Compensation inequity can directly affect where and what physicians choose to practice, which could ultimately affect patient access."

To read the full report, visit https://www.doximity.com/careers/compensation_report.

Methodology

Doximity's study is drawn from self-reported compensation surveys completed in 2016 and 2017 by more than 65,000 full-time, licensed U.S. physicians who practice at least 40 hours per week. Responses were mapped across metropolitan statistical areas, and the top 50 were ranked by the number of respondents in the data. To control for differences in specialty, geography and other provider-specific factors that might influence spending, we estimated a multivariate regression with fixed effects for provider specialty and MSA. We also controlled for how long each provider has practiced medicine and their self-reported average hours worked per week. This regression was estimated using a generalized linear model with a log link and gamma distribution. For the geographic and specialty rankings, we used the predicted values from this regression.

Doximity Media Contact:

Jim Rivas

[email protected]

415-515-8780

About Doximity

Founded in 2011, Doximity connects physicians and clinicians to make them more successful and productive. It is the largest medical social network with over 70 percent of all U.S. physicians as members. The network enables medical professionals to communicate with colleagues and patients, and to share their perspectives on the latest health care trends and research. Doximity is based in San Francisco and was created by the founders of Epocrates and Rock Health. To learn more, visit www.doximity.com.

SOURCE Doximity

Related Links

https://www.doximity.com


NEWARK, N.J., March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New Jersey SEEDS, a nonprofit that provides educational access to high-achieving, low-income students, announced that its 2018 Leading Change Benefit will honor the accomplishments of William V. Engel, Esq. and Neha Pathak, M.D. on Thursday, April 12, 2018. Each year, SEEDS presents the Leading Change Award to those whose initiative and commitment have enhanced the educational opportunities of young people throughout New Jersey.

"We are excited to recognize the accomplishments of Bill Engel and Neha Pathak at this year's Benefit," explains John F. Castano, New Jersey SEEDS' Executive Director. "Bill has been part of the SEEDS family since its inception. For more than 25 years, he and his family have been committed and generous donors to SEEDS. As one of our Founders, a dedicated Trustee, and now a Trustee Emeritus, Bill works tirelessly to show that students from low-income families need to be given opportunity and access to reach their full potential. Neha was one of our first graduates and is our second Leading Change alum honoree. Excelling academically and professionally, Neha has never forgotten her SEEDS roots. Throughout her career in medicine, she has worked to engage and empower vulnerable populations. Last year, she returned to her SEEDS family, serving as one of our Alumni Ambassadors at our 25th Anniversary Benefit."

William V. Engel, Esq. is a Trustee Emeritus of New Jersey SEEDS and a Partner at Engel & Devlin, P.C., a firm in Warren, New Jersey that specializes in trusts, estates and private foundation law. Bill's combined service as a Trustee of private foundations and charitable trusts collectively totals over 200 years, in addition to his combined 90 years plus of service as a Trustee for numerous nonprofit organizations. In addition to serving on SEEDS' Board, Bill's board service has included the University of Virginia Law School Alumni Association, the NJN Foundation, and the Rensselaerville Institute. Bill is the First Vice-Chair for the Council of New Jersey Grantmakers and Director and Chairman of the Board of The Hyde and Watson Foundation. He is Executive Director of the E. J. Grassmann Trust, Vice President of the N. R. Leavitt Foundation, and President of the Standish and Union Foundations. Bill also served as a Pingry Trustee for many years, including as the School's Board Chair from 1995-2002, when he helped to foster a strong relationship between SEEDS and the Pingry community.

Bill graduated from The Pingry School and Princeton University with an A.B. with honors in History and a concentration in African American Studies. He graduated from the University of Virginia Law School, and has received an Honorary Degree from St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey.

"Over the past 25 years, I'm proud to say that SEEDS has stayed true to our original mission of opening doors to economically challenged students of all backgrounds," says Bill Engel. "The achievements of the nearly 2,500 graduates show that the SEEDS formula works, and I am proud to be part of an organization that has changed so many lives by giving opportunity with thoughtful support."

Neha Pathak, M.D., is a SEEDS alumna who graduated from SEEDS' first class in 1994. Board-certified in internal medicine, Neha is currently a medical editor at WebMD, where she works to develop content and ensure the accuracy of health information. There, she works to provide accessible, accurate healthcare information to a broad audience. She cares for patients at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.

After graduating from The Pingry School, Neha obtained a B.A. in Psychology and Biology from Harvard University and completed her M.D. with honors in Community Service from Cornell University, Weill Cornell Medical College. Neha went on to complete her primary care and internal medicine residency at New York Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, and then participated in the VA Quality Scholar Fellowship Program. As part of the Fellowship Program, she focused on improving the quality of care delivery for veterans at high-risk for hospitalization or emergency care, and served as the site-lead for a national VA pilot program.

Neha says, "I will forever trace the beginning of my academic journey to my SEEDS experience, which taught me that hard work combined with opportunity can completely change the trajectory of life. It is a profound privilege to be a part of the SEEDS family."

The 2018 Leading Change Benefit will be held at The Park Savoy on Thursday, April 12, 2018. For sponsorship information or to reserve your table, please contact MarrLa Brown at [email protected] or at 862.227.9142.

About New Jersey SEEDS

For more than 25 years, New Jersey SEEDS has provided educational access for highly motivated, low-income students and created a viable path for them to achieve their full potential. SEEDS strives for a world in which young people's initiative, creativity and intellect can flourish without regard to socioeconomic status. Since SEEDS' founding in 1992, nearly 2,500 scholars have graduated from its programs. For more information, visit www.njseeds.org.

CONTACT:

Theresa Murray

1-862-227-9145

[email protected]





SOURCE New Jersey SEEDS

Related Links

http://www.njseeds.org


THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Newfield Exploration Company's (NYSE: NFX) charitable foundation today announced it had awarded grants in the amount of $315,000 to 12 charities located in the Oklahoma communities where the company operates.

"Since Newfield arrived in Oklahoma 17 years ago, we have always had a belief that we should support the communities where our employees not only work, but live," said Lee K. Boothby, Newfield chairman, president and CEO. "Strengthening local communities is at the heart of our Foundation and we are proud to be involved in helping to enrich the quality of life of Oklahoma families."

To reinforce its mission, the Newfield Foundation supports programs in the environment, medical, cultural arts and community services. Receiving grants this year in Oklahoma were eight community service charities, three environmental organizations and one medical foundation. The charities include:

Boys & Girls Club of McAlester The Toby Keith Foundation Calumet Fire Department Wheatbelt Chapter of National Ambucs Center of Family Love, Kingfisher Oklahoma Ducks Unlimited Kingfisher Community Collaborative Kingfisher Trails Oklahoma Youth Expo National Wild Turkey Federation Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma McAlester Scottish Rite C&E Foundation

In 2018, The Newfield Foundation, which is employee-driven with charities nominated by employees, awarded grants totaling $1,002,500 to local organizations in Oklahoma, Utah, North Dakota and Texas. Newfield employees are encouraged to contribute a portion of their time, talent and personal resources to help where it matters most and to nominate local charities for further consideration by the Newfield Foundation.

Newfield Exploration Company is an independent energy company engaged in the exploration, development and production of crude oil, natural gas and natural gas liquids. We are focused on liquids-rich U.S. resource plays and our principal areas of operation include Oklahoma, Utah and North Dakota. We also have offshore oil developments in China.

For additional information, please contact Newfield's Communications department.

Phone: 281-210-5253

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Newfield Exploration Company

Related Links

http://www.newfield.com


PALO ALTO, California, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Next Insurance, the leading digital insurance company for small businesses, and the Association of Certified Handyman Professionals (ACHP), a leading organization for handyman professionals, are proud to announce that Next Insurance is now the preferred provider of insurance for association members, which will be offered directly through the ACHP website.

This partnership highlights the appeal of digital small business insurance, with Next Insurance offering simple, affordable, tailored insurance policies online, 24/7. The insurance policy offering for handyman professionals includes General Liability coverage, which includes property damage, medical claims and more. Next Insurance policies are uniquely tailored to each class of business, providing coverage designed to meet the needs of handyman professionals, plumbers, painters, photographers and many others.

The Next Insurance offering to ACHP members includes:

100% online process, complete in minutes, and available 24/7

Monthly payment option available at no additional cost

Ability to instantly add unlimited "Additional Insured" (e.g. the homeowner), for free

Certificates of Insurance are downloadable as needed, at no additional cost

"Partnering with the Association of Certified Handyman Professionals is an exciting step for us," said Guy Goldstein, CEO of Next Insurance. "A central location for handyman professionals to share their knowledge, the ACHP now gives their expert endorsement of our carefully crafted policies, providing direct access for their members to the insurance they need, accessible immediately and entirely online."

"We are always looking for ways to strengthen our organization and ensure that every member has the confidence and security they need to succeed," said Ed Padilla, Director of the Association of Certified Handyman Professionals. "We are excited to partner with Next Insurance, whose insurance policy has been built from the ground up with the handyman in mind, providing ease and efficiency for our ACHP members".

About the Association of Certified Handyman Professionals:

The Association of Certified Handyman Professionals (ACHP) is a not-for-profit organization of handyman professionals with the general skills and knowledge of the trade. Membership is open to ALL handymen and handywomen across the US, Canada, and the UK. Interested members must first take an online evaluation exam and agree to adhere to our code of ethics to qualify to become an ACHP certified member.

About Next Insurance:

Next Insurance is transforming small business insurance with simple, affordable coverage, tailored to the needs of each class of business. Next Insurance offers policies that are easy to buy with instant, 24/7, online access to services such as Certificates of Insurance, Additional Insured and more with absolutely no extra fees. Revolutionizing traditional insurance processes, Next Insurance is utilizing advanced technology to offer the industry's most innovative small business insurance policies. Founded in 2016 by a team of serial entrepreneurs, the company is headquartered in Palo Alto and has received a total of $53 million in venture capital funding from Ribbit Capital, TLV Partners, Zeev Ventures, Munich RE Ventures, Markel, Nationwide, American Express, and others. For more information, visit Next-Insurance.com.

Contact Information:

Brandon Weinstock

[email protected]

+1-914-336-3878



SOURCE Association of Certified Handyman Professionals (ACHP) and Next Insurance
HOUSTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Nobilis Health Corp. (NYSE American: HLTH) (NEO: HLTH) ("Nobilis" or the "Company") has announced today that Nobilis' First Surgical Hospital ("FSH") has entered into an in network contract ("Payor Agreement") with one of the largest commercial payors in the nation.

Kenneth Efird, Nobilis' President, stated, "Bringing First Surgical Hospital, Nobilis' highest volume hospital, in network with one of the largest commercial payors enhances our ability to provide high quality, concierge care to patients and physicians in the Houston market. With this Payor Agreement each of Nobilis' 20 Texas facilities and clinics now has an in network commercial payor contract. Texas is the Company's largest market and comprises approximately 85% of system revenue."

About Nobilis Health Corp.

Nobilis Health (www.NobilisHealth.com) is a full-service healthcare development and management company, with more than 30 locations across Texas and Arizona, including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and multi-specialty clinics. In addition, Nobilis Health partners with more than 30 facilities across the country. Marketing nine independent brands, Nobilis Health deploys a unique patient acquisition strategy driven by proprietary, direct-to-consumer marketing technology, focusing on a specified set of procedures that are performed at its facilities by local physicians. Nobilis Health's business model connects patients with physicians and delivers the highest quality healthcare.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Canadian and United States securities laws, including the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts and may be identified by the use of words such as "may," "believe," "will," "expect," "project," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan" or "continue." These forward-looking statements are based on current plans and expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors which could significantly affect current plans and expectations and our future financial condition and results. These factors, which could cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from those anticipated, include, but are not limited to our ability to successfully maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting; our ability to implement our business strategy, manage the growth in our business, and integrate acquired businesses; the risk of litigation and investigations, and liability claims for damages and other expenses not covered by insurance; the risk that payments from third-party payers, including government healthcare programs, may decrease or not increase as costs increase; adverse developments affecting the medical practices of our physician limited partners; our ability to maintain favorable relations with our physician limited partners; our ability to grow revenues by increasing case and procedure volume while maintaining profitability at the Nobilis facilities; failure to timely or accurately bill for services; our ability to compete for physician partners, patients and strategic relationships; the risk of changes in patient volume and patient mix; the risk that laws and regulations that regulate payments for medical services made by government healthcare programs could cause our revenues to decrease; the risk that contracts are canceled or not renewed or that we are not able to enter into additional contracts under terms that are acceptable to us; and the risk of potential decreases in our reimbursement rates. The foregoing are significant factors we think could cause our actual results to differ materially from expected results. However, there could be additional factors besides those listed herein that also could affect us in an adverse manner.

We have not undertaken any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All of our forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of the document in which they are made or, if a date is specified, as of such date. Subject to a mandatory requirements of applicable law, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to provide any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions, circumstances or information on which the forward-looking statement is based. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing factors and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, filed on March 12, 2018, as updated by other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact Information:



Tuan Tran

Vice President, Investor Relations

(346) 207-6342

[email protected]

SOURCE Nobilis Health Corp.

Related Links

http://www.nobilishealth.com


ATHENS, Ga., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Modern medicine has increased the life span, but the quality of health is still lagging behind; there will be more than 5.5 million Americans living in a nursing home and another 12 million requiring home health assistance in their daily life.

America spends over $3.2 trillion a year on healthcare. For every $1 spent on medical care in our country, $0.75 is used to manage and treat chronic diseases. I believe the best way to reduce the cost of health care in the U.S. is to help Americans reach their 100th birthday and to live well until their last breath.

Five fabulous steps to consider as you prepare for your 100th birthday:

Visualize your 100th birthday. Do you see yourself in a nursing home, wheelchair, or ready to the cha-cha-cha? Evaluate your current physical, mental, and spiritual health. The best way to monitor your physical and mental health is to visit your physician(s) for an annual physical exam. Your doctor(s) will conduct the appropriate screening and diagnostic tests and provide you with a plan to prevent illness and to stay healthy. Annual wellness visits are FREE for Medicare patients. Take advantage of this opportunity! Define what will make you happy. Is it more money, where you live, or how you live? Find what gives you joy, and then make a plan to achieve it. Change your lifestyle slowly and continue to improve your health. Even if you are 65 years old and it takes five years to achieve a healthy lifestyle, the next 30 years will be full of joy. It would be cheaper to live independently than to spend the last 10 years in a nursing home. Learn to enjoy food, work, and the world around you. It's essential to develop divine vision. As you fill your heart with love, you will begin to view others in a different light rather than by their appearance, wealth, or religion.

The 100 year celebration awaits you! Let's start the discussion!

Dr. Subodh Agrawal is a board-certified Cardiologist at Athens Heart Center and Specialty Clinics, Chairman of Doctors Accountable Care Organization, and Co-Founder of the Human Yoga Project.

CONTACT: Dr. Subodh Agrawal, [email protected]

SOURCE Athens Heart Center and Specialty Clinics

Related Links

www.athensheartcenter.com


ARLINGTON, Va., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Executive Chairman Earl E. Congdon was honored by American Trucking Associations with the Diamond Legacy Award at a recent ceremony in Orlando, Florida. The inaugural award recognizes the lasting legacy Congdon has created at ODFL Inc., in ATA and throughout the trucking industry from a career that spans more than half a century.

(Pictured from left to right: Chris Spear; Earl Congdon; David Congdon)

"Earl comes from one of trucking's great families. He grew his parents' company, which began with one truck in 1934, into a billion-dollar, worldwide, world-class carrier," said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. "His story is trucking's story. The strength of our industry draws from remarkable family-owned and family-run companies like Old Dominion, and none exemplify that culture like the Congdons do."

Headquartered in Thomasville, N.C., ODFL, Inc. was founded in 1934 by Earl's parents, Earl and Lillian. Following the passing of Earl Sr., Earl joined the company, which soon began growing its network and expanding into new markets over the course of several decades. The company went public in 1991 and, since 1998, has acquired more than eight trucking companies to further its expansion. Today, ODFL Inc. employs more than 17,000 people and does nearly $3 billion in revenue.

Earl's legacy extends well beyond ODFL, Inc. He has been a champion for the trucking industry, working to burnish its image as a ground-level member of Trucking Moves America Forward. Many communities and organizations have been touched by his charity, including a pledge of $15 million to High Point University for the School of Health Sciences and a proposed school of Pharmacy. He has endowed a scholarship at the university's School of Business, and he and his wife are donors to the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation.

Old Dominion remains the No. 1 giver to United Way of Greater High Point, pledging more than $470,000 last year. Since the United Way began its CANpaign food drive in 2010, Old Dominion has donated a driver and trailers to carry the food, totaling approximately 100,000 pounds each year.

"Earl is a titan of trucking who has made an indelible mark on this great industry of ours," said ATA Chairman Dave Manning. "He has paved the way for so many to follow his lead, and we could not be more proud and grateful for his service and commitment to the ATA family."

American Trucking Associations is the largest national trade association for the trucking industry. Through a federation of 50 affiliated state trucking associations and industry-related conferences and councils, ATA is the voice of the industry America depends on most to move our nation's freight. Follow ATA on Twitter or on Facebook. Trucking Moves America Forward

SOURCE American Trucking Associations

Related Links

http://www.trucking.org


BEACHWOOD, Ohio, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- OMNOVA Solutions (NYSE: OMN) will hold its conference call to discuss first quarter 2018 results on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 11:00am ET. The call will be hosted by OMNOVA Solutions' President and Chief Executive Officer Anne Noonan, and Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Paul DeSantis. OMNOVA will release earnings before the market opens on March 28 for the quarter ending February 28, 2018.

The call will be webcast and participants may log on from OMNOVA's website at www.omnova.com. OMNOVA will archive the call on its website until noon ET, April 11, 2018. Or, to listen to a digitized telephone replay (available from 1:00pm ET, March 28 until 11:59pm ET, April 11, 2018), callers should dial:

(USA) 800-475-6701, Access Code 446094

(Int'l) 320-365-3844, Access Code 446094

OMNOVA Solutions Inc. is a global innovator of performance-enhancing chemistries and surfaces used in products for a variety of commercial, industrial and residential applications. As a strategic business-to-business supplier, OMNOVA provides The Science in Better Brands, with emulsion polymers, specialty chemicals, and functional and decorative surfaces that deliver critical performance attributes to top brand-name, end-use products sold around the world. OMNOVA's sales for the last 12 months ended November 30, 2017, were $783 million. The Company has a global workforce of approximately 1,800. Visit OMNOVA Solutions on the internet at www.omnova.com.

SOURCE OMNOVA Solutions Inc.

Related Links

http://www.omnova.com


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- On Target Laboratories, Inc., a privately held biotechnology company that is developing tumor-targeted fluorescent dyes to improve cancer surgery, has secured an additional financing as part of its Series B capital raise which initially closed September 2017. These recent raises bring the total financing round close to $44 million.

The funding will be used to fully develop the company's lead molecule, OTL38, in ovarian and lung cancers as well as introduce an additional molecule into the clinic. Coincident with the closing, Aaron Davidson, an H.I.G. BioHealth Partners Managing Director has joined the board of directors of On Target Laboratories.

"With our lead candidate OTL38 and our pipeline of tumor-targeting dyes, we can enhance a surgeon's ability to see diseased tissue and are seeking to improve outcomes for patients in all major cancers," commented Martin Low, CEO of On Target Laboratories. "This substantial investment exceeded our expectations. The raise led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation  JJDC, Inc. in September 2017 was for $32.5 million with an additional $7.5 million guaranteed if there were no additional investors. The second close of $11.1 million completes the financing with $3.6 million raised above the $7.5 million goal. This newest investment from H.I.G. BioHealth Partners, Elevate Ventures and Helsinn shows the great confidence healthcare investors have in our company and this technology."

Wedbush served as exclusive strategic adviser and placement agent to On Target Laboratories in connection with the financing.

About OTL38

OTL38, which is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial in ovarian cancer and a phase 2 clinical trial in lung cancer, is given to patients intravenously before surgery. In ovarian cancer surgery studies, OTL38 is being evaluated for its ability to help surgeons locate and remove hard-to-find cancerous lesions that are often widespread. Similarly, in clinical trials of OTL38 in lung cancer surgery, On Target Laboratories is evaluating whether OTL38 allows surgeons to better locate smaller nodules, synchronous lesions and positive margins.

About On Target Laboratories, Inc.

On Target Laboratories Inc., is in the business of discovering, developing and commercializing small molecules that, when conjugated with fluorescent dyes, target and illuminate specific cancerous cells and other diseased tissue. These conjugates can be used by doctors, including surgeons, worldwide to better diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases from cancer to inflammation-related disorders. OTL38 is currently under clinical development for use in ovarian and lung cancer surgery. For more information visit www.ontargetlaboratories.com.

About H.I.G. BioHealth Partners

H.I.G. BioHealth Partners is the dedicated life-science investment affiliate of H.I.G. Capital. H.I.G. BioHealth Partners invests in a broad range of healthcare opportunities across sectors and stages, principally in companies developing therapeutic drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics for significant unmet medical needs. With approximately $400 million in committed capital, H.I.G. BioHealth Partners invests $5 million to $40 million per company over the life of an investment. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. BioHealth Partners website at www.higbio.com.

About Elevate Ventures

Elevate Ventures is a private venture development organization that nurtures and develops emerging and existing high-growth businesses into high-performing, Indiana-based companies. Elevate Ventures accomplishes this by providing access to capital, rigorous business analysis and robust advisory services that connect companies with the right mix of resources businesses need to succeed long term. To learn more about Elevate Ventures, visit elevateventures.com.

About Helsinn

Helsinn is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with an extensive portfolio of marketed cancer care products and a robust drug development pipeline. Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the everyday lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality. The Group works across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and nutritional supplements and has expertise in research, development, manufacture and the commercialization of therapeutic and supportive care products for cancer, pain and inflammation and gastroenterology. In 2016, Helsinn created the Helsinn Investment Fund to support early-stage investment opportunities in areas of unmet patient need. The company is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, with operating subsidiaries in Switzerland, Ireland, the U.S., Monaco and China, as well as a product presence in approximately 190 countries globally.

To learn more about Helsinn Group please visit www.helsinn.com.

The Helsinn Investment Fund is focused on early-stage investments in areas of high unmet patient need. Backed by the Helsinn Group, and guided by Helsinn's core values of quality, integrity and respect, Helsinn Investment Fund aims to help companies with innovative technologies to transform new ideas into commercial solutions with the potential to impact health-related quality of life of patients.

Drawing on Helsinn's over 40 years of investment into research and development and commercial expertise, the investment fund selects companies with technologies in a range of areas including cancer therapeutics and diagnostics, cancer supportive care, metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders, and dermatology conditions.

For more information, visit www.helsinninvestmentfund.com.

Helsinn International Services sarl is the Helsinn subsidiary which provides a range of advisory services and strategic activities to the Group and its specific companies. In particular, it acts as the advisory company to Helsinn Investment Fund.

Media Contact:

Travis Kruse, Ph.D.

Russo Partners LLC

Phone: 212-845-4272

Email: [email protected]

Purdue Research Foundation:

Tom Coyne

Phone:765-588-1044

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE On Target Laboratories

Related Links

http://www.ontargetlaboratories.com


BROOKFIELD, Wis., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Richard Gallegos, DREI, CDEI, education manager for OnCourse Learning Real Estate, is scheduled to speak about good business writing and oral skills in the real estate industry and present a paper on expansive thinking at the 34th Annual American Real Estate Society Meeting April 10 to April 14 in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Richard Gallegos

The annual meeting features more than 200 research paper presentations, 18 panel sessions, a doctoral seminar and an all-day "Critical Issues Seminar" that is jointly organized and sponsored by major industry trade associations. The event draws an audience of real estate thought leaders from around the world.

Communication skill panel details

Gallegos is one of five esteemed speakers scheduled to participate in the 8:15 a.m. April 13 panel discussion "Business Writing and Oral Communication Skills: Teaching and Assessment Methods." The panel is comprised of moderator Tanya Bansal, University of Maryland, and panelists Gallegos; Margaret McFarland, University of Maryland; Rosemary Carucci Goss, Virginia Tech; Charles Davidson, Villanova University; and Karen McGrath, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

As part of the conference's education track, the panel will explore what is being done in real estate classes at the university level to ensure real estate curriculum and pedagogy provides students with these critical skills.

"Having top-notch business writing and oral communication skills can mean the difference between success and failure as well as play a role in how far real estate professionals are able to go in their careers," Gallegos said. "In the real estate industry, being able to communicate clearly and concisely in a businesslike manner is just as important as great marketing or keeping apprised of current real estate trends."

Expansive thinking presentation

Gallegos also is presenting on the use of expansive thinking, which he has used in teaching real estate courses in live class settings, at 8:15 a.m. April 14 during the ARES Conference.

"Attendees of my presentation will be able to recognize how to apply expansive thinking to draw a correlation between the common elements related to real estate and new concepts in new and creative ways," Gallegos said. "Learning this new tangible skill set will broaden the attendees' existing knowledge base and enable more effective collaboration with peers, students and clientele."

During his presentation, Gallegos will cover the following:

How expansive thinking works

How educators can use this teaching method to introduce new material

How to use team building and questions in teaching new concepts

How to teach the difference between knowledge and wisdom

OnCourse Learning Real Estate is a trusted source of training, licensing and continuing education. It has helped more than 650,000 real estate, appraisal and home inspection professionals begin and advance their careers through a blend of e-learning, instructor-led courses and textbooks. To learn more, please contact 800-532-7649, visit OnCourse Learning Real Estate or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For media inquiries, contact:

Deborah Filipek, Media Relations Manager

847-908-8017

[email protected]

About OnCourse Learning

OnCourse Learning delivers licensure, regulatory and compliance education solutions throughout the nation's leading industries including financial services, healthcare and real estate. Through trusted industry expertise, compliance management and technology solutions, OnCourse Learning focuses on advancing the e-learning environment for individuals and businesses to help to build new careers, empower employees through knowledge and identify efficiencies in corporate training management. OnCourse Learning offers a full suite of educational products including state and federally approved prelicensing and continuing education programs, accredited course content, exam prep tools, publications, e-books, events and a sophisticated and customizable learning management system and course-authoring tool. To learn more, visit OnCourseLearning.com.

SOURCE OnCourse Learning

Related Links

https://www.oncourselearning.com


BOSTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hussain joins Placester after 14 years of serving as President & CEO of Imprivata, a healthcare IT security company. While at Imprivata he grew the company to over $160 million in revenue and completed a successful IPO in 2014. Under his leadership, the company became the world's leading healthcare IT security provider with more than 1,400 healthcare organizations worldwide. He was named an Ernst and Young 2013 Entrepreneur of the Year for his extraordinary success in innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment.

"I'm thrilled to partner with Omar Hussain as we reinvent how Placester enables real estate agents and brokers to efficiently use technology to help their customers buy and sell more homes," said Matt Barba, co-founder and CTO. "Omar is a product-focused CEO with a proven track record of scaling fast-growing businesses. His experience bringing innovative technologies to the healthcare sector to drive productivity correlates precisely with the digital transformation consumers are expecting of real estate today. Placester led the first wave of digitization in real estate by providing thousands of agents and brokers with the online tools to help their businesses grow. Now it's time for the next phase of a tech-enabled real estate industry, and Omar is the ideal partner to help us get there."

"I'm excited to join the team at Placester. Placester represents a unique opportunity in an industry that is undergoing massive technological transformation," said Omar Hussain, President, and CEO of Placester. "Matt Barba and I share a common vision of a more connected, efficient, human-centered and technology-enabled real estate market. Placester is well positioned to capitalize on the technology trends impacting the industry."

To date, Placester has raised over $100 million and has established relationships with over 550,000 brokers and agents using Placester technology to better connect with their customers. Placester is bringing fundamental change to real estate with an aggressive product roadmap that addresses the full breadth of challenges and opportunities that real estate agents continue to face as technology shapes the future of the business.

"Since our initial investment in 2015, Placester's traction has demonstrated their ability to use technology to empower real estate agents and brokers to grow their businesses," said Ravi Viswanathan, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates (NEA). "As Placester continues to accelerate, we're confident in Omar and Matt's partnership to drive growth and innovation within the nearly $4B real estate software market."

About Placester

Placester is an all-in-one sales and marketing platform for real estate professionals with beautiful lead capturing websites, lead management, email marketing, marketing automation, analytics, free education and 24/7 support. Placester offers a wide range of apps and add-ons for high-impact email marketing, digital advertising campaigns, lead management and streamlining of everyday tasks. Currently serving three in five real estate professionals in the U.S., Placester is a proud technology partner to leading real estate brands across North America, and the sole website provider for the REALTOR Benefits Program, the official member benefits program of the National Association of REALTORS. To date, Placester has raised $100 million in funding. For more information, please visit placester.com.

Contact:

Deidre Woollard

1-323-6004976

[email protected]

SOURCE Placester

Related Links

http://placester.com


NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

NetworkNewsWire Editorial Coverage

As the legal cannabis market continues to grow, new deals are creating opportunities for a range of companies and an influx of investments. PreveCeutical Medical, Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTC: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) (PRVCF Profile) has teamed up with research institutions in Australia and gained a government permit to import cannabis for development of its drug delivery system. Cannabis for this project will be supplied by Aurora Cannabis (OTC: ACBFF) (TSX: ACB), a company experiencing significant production growth, including a deal for a new joint venture in Denmark. ABcann Global (TSX-V: ABCN) (OTC: ABCCF) (ABCCF Profile) is expanding its production facilities and utilizing a computer-controlled system to ensure the best growing conditions, while Aphria, Inc. (TSX: APH) (OTC: APHQF) has developed an expansion strategy using targeted investment and collaborations to help the company and its partners grow. And with legal recreational cannabis coming to Canada, Canopy Growth Corp. (TSX: WEED) (OTC: TWMJF) has secured a $191 million investment from Constellation Brands to support new products such as cannabis-infused soft drinks.



Demand for Cannabis Grows



The cannabis market is growing fast as more states and countries legalize its use for both medical and recreational purposes. This is allowing companies to invest heavily in cannabis research to develop drugs and other products for this growing market. Research and design is becoming increasingly important.



Research for Preventive Treatment



One of the companies deeply involved in this process is PreveCeutical Medical, Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H). The company was founded by entrepreneurs Stephen Van Deventer and Kimberly Van Deventer. The pair has been working together since they created business development and venture capital company Cornerstone Global Partners in 2009. Since then they have helped create successful cannabis, hemp and block-chain companies.



Building on a shared interest in the health and wellness market, they began research into pairing natural remedies with scientific achievement to provide treatments for health-conscious consumers. In October 2015 they formed PreveCeutical, combining the words "preventive" and "pharmaceutical" to express the company's goal: medicinally preventing illnesses.



The company's products are designed to help people stay healthy rather than dealing with the consequences of illnesses when they hit. Its therapies, both preventive and curative, use organic and Nature Identical products to ensure that they are in harmony with natural forces and appealing to environmentally and ethically conscious consumers. Initial research and product development has focused on medically acute ailments such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, neurological disorders and pain management.



Focus on Research



PreveCeutical Medical's corporate office is based in Canada, and it is making bold advances through research partnerships and a research team based in Australia. One of its main partners is UniQuest, the University of Queensland's commercialization company. The partnership gives PreveCeutical the rights to any intellectual property created through work under their agreement. University of Queensland's scientific knowledge and experience in intellectual property management combined with PreveCeutical's extensive experience in product development, corporate strategy and accessing capital markets, creates a powerful combination of academic and commercial expertise.



Chief Research Officer Dr. Harry Parekh will lead the sol-gel cannabinoid project from his base at the University of Queensland's (UQ) Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE) and is joined by Chief Science Officer Dr. Makarand Jawadekar, who has 28 years of experience in R&D with Pfizer, Inc. Dr. Jawadekar was a part of the team responsible for bringing drugs such as Zolof and Viagra to the market. They are supported by research collaborators Dr. Rakesh Veedu and professor Grant Ramm. Dr. Veedu is an emerging international expert in molecular medicine, while professor Ramm is currently head of a leading medical research institute in Brisbane, Australia.

Cannabis Plant Material in Medical Research



PreveCeutical's work extends to one of the most exciting and fastest growing areas of medical research - the use of cannabidiols (CBDs).



PreveCeutical and Aurora Cannabis (OTCQX: ACBFF) (TSX: ACB) recently announced the grant of three permits by the Australian Department of Health for the import of CBDs for research purposes (http://nnw.fm/K2l88). The CBD will go to PACE at the University of Queensland, where it will be used in a research program led by Dr. Parekh. This program will be built around PreveCeutical's sol-gel nasal drug delivery system. The aim is to develop sol-gels that deliver CBDs - active, non-psychotropic ingredients from cannabis - more effectively into the patient's system. CBDs can provide valuable solutions for a wide range of symptoms including pain, inflammation, seizures and neurological disorders. The research team's hope is that, through a more direct nose-to-brain delivery system, they can provide faster, more effective relief using a time-release, nano bubble technology.



Notably, the cannabis will be provided by Aurora Cannabis. A licensed producer under the Canadian government's medical cannabis regulations, Aurora has over 175,000 square feet of production facilities. These allow it to provide large volumes of high-grade medical cannabis for customers such as PreveCeutical.



Better Ways to Deliver Medicine

The sol-gel delivery system is one of the most exciting developments to come out of PreveCeutical's medical research program. It provides medicine in a liquid form that is squirted up the nose. There, it forms a gel that slowly and steadily releases the active ingredients over time.



Sol-gel gets around barriers within the body that limit the effectiveness of drugs targeting the brain. Traditional delivery methods, including pills and injections, go through a complex range of bodily systems before reaching the target. The liver filters out and metabolizes ingredients, affecting both effectiveness and delivery time. The blood-brain barrier blocks the path for active ingredients to reach the brain.



Sol-gel uses hydrogels-molecules that soak up biological fluids and closely resemble living tissue. Sprayed onto the nasal mucosa, the medicine has a more direct route to the brain, bypassing bodily barriers and increasing the effectiveness of the treatment. The gel's controlled release of medicine means that delivery is steady as well as direct, reducing daily doses to once or twice a week with a 90 percent bioavailability.



Supplying a Growing Research Business



ABcann Global (TSX-V: ABCN) (OTCQB: ABCCF) is another company gaining traction in its cannabis business. The company runs a production facility in Ontario with 14,500 square feet of growing space. Its computer-controlled environment uses proprietary lighting systems designed to replicate the natural environment and provide a perfect space for cannabis to grow. ABcann also owns 65 acres of real estate with proper zoning and existing infrastructure in place to support the construction of another production facility of up to 1 million square feet, and is pursuing ongoing global expansion into the European, Australian and Israeli markets.

Canadian companies are using their experience and favorable market conditions to expand into other cannabis markets. Aphria (TSX: APH) (OTCQB: APHQF), a Canadian medical cannabis company, is working in not only the Canadian but also the American market. Its strategy of collaboration and targeted investment has led to significant expansion. This includes a recent agreement with the Societe des alcools du Quebec (SAQ) to supply high-quality cannabis products through retail outlets in Quebec and an associated e-commerce platform.



Canopy Growth (TSX: WEED) (OTC: TWMJF) has achieved an even bigger team-up through an agreement with Constellation Brands. The $42 billion company is behind the Corona, Modelo and Svedka brands and has taken a $191 million stake in Canopy Growth, providing investment for the development of cannabis-related soft drinks. Canopy Growth's other collaborations include a deal with Sunniva, a vertically integrated cannabis company focused on the Canadian and Californian markets. This deal will see a steady supply of cannabis for Canopy Growth, allowing it to expand its share of the market.



Research is leading the way in the cannabis market, with the development of new drugs and recreational products. That research is powering fresh growth on the production side for a sector that's healthier than ever before.



For more information on PreveCeutical Medical Inc., visit PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H).

About NetworkNewsWire

NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is a financial news and content distribution company that provides (1) access to a network of wire services via NetworkWire to reach all target markets, industries and demographics in the most effective manner possible, (2) article and editorial syndication to 5,000+ news outlets (3), enhanced press release services to ensure maximum impact, (4) social media distribution via the Investor Brand Network (IBN) to nearly 2 million followers, (5) a full array of corporate communications solutions, and (6) a total news coverage solution with NNW Prime. As a multifaceted organization with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, NNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, NNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. NNW is where news, content and information converge. For more information, please visit https://www.NetworkNewsWire.com



Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the NetworkNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by NNW, wherever published or re-published: http://NNW.fm/Disclaimer



DISCLAIMER: NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is the source of the Article and content set forth above. References to any issuer other than the profiled issuer are intended solely to identify industry participants and do not constitute an endorsement of any issuer and do not constitute a comparison to the profiled issuer. FN Media Group (FNM) is a third-party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated with NNW or any company mentioned herein. The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release by NNW are solely those of NNW and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM. Readers of this Article and content agree that they cannot and will not seek to hold liable NNW and FNM for any investment decisions by their readers or subscribers. NNW and FNM and their respective affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT registered broker-dealers/analysts/investment advisers, hold no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.



The Article and content related to the profiled company represent the personal and subjective views of the Author, and are subject to change at any time without notice. The information provided in the Article and the content has been obtained from sources which the Author believes to be reliable. However, the Author has not independently verified or otherwise investigated all such information. None of the Author, NNW, FNM, or any of their respective affiliates, guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any such information. This Article and content are not, and should not be regarded as investment advice or as a recommendation regarding any particular security or course of action; readers are strongly urged to speak with their own investment advisor and review all of the profiled issuer's filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission before making any investment decisions and should understand the risks associated with an investment in the profiled issuer's securities, including, but not limited to, the complete loss of your investment.



NNW & FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.



This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E 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. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and NNW and FNM undertake no obligation to update such statements.



NetworkNewsWire (NNW) is affiliated with the Investor Brand Network (IBN).



About IBN

Over the past 10+ years we have consistently introduced new network brands, each specifically designed to fulfil the unique needs of our growing client base and services. Today, we continue to expand our branded network of highly influential properties, leveraging the knowledge and energy of specialized teams of experts to serve our increasingly diversified list of clients.



Please feel free to visit the Investor Brand Network (IBN) www.InvestorBrandNetwork.com





Corporate Communications Contact:

NetworkNewsWire (NNW)

New York

+1-212-418-1217 Office

[email protected]



Media Contact:

FN Media Group, LLC

[email protected]

+1-(954)345-0611





SOURCE NetworkNewsWire
NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network  it's easy and free. Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

President Trump's Plan to Impose Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Federal and State Regulatory Activity

Trump Blocks Broadcom's Bid for Qualcomm

Website Accessibility Laws and Requirements for Government

MEDIA JOBS

Editor, Pro Venture Capital  The Wall Street Journal (CA)

Social Media Manager  South China Morning Post (NY)

Metro Editor  The Seattle Times (WA)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

Be a Better Storyteller: 7 Public Speaking Tips You Can Apply to Your Writing

Female Journalists Speak: How to Make It as a Woman in the Media Business

Blog Profiles: Hipster Blogs

-------------------------------------------------------------------

EXPERT ALERTS:



President Trump's Plan to Impose Steel and Aluminum Tariffs

Raj Bhala

Brenneisen Distinguished Professor

University of Kansas School of Law

Bhala can discuss President Trump's announcement to impose 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum imports: "The tariffs mean more than whacking foreign steel and aluminum imports with 25 and 10 percent tariffs, respectively. Deploying Section 232 is the most aggressive unilateral trade move President Trump has made, and very possibly the start of a trade war. Surely this scenario was not what President Kennedy had in mind when he signed the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which contains Section 232."

Bhala has studied tariffs and international trade deals for decades and has written dozens of books and journal articles, including "TPP Objectively: Law, Economics and National Security of History's Largest, Longest Free Trade Agreement," the textbook "Modern GATT Law," "International Trade Law" and "Understanding Islamic Law (Shari'a)." He has worked in more than 25 countries and practiced international banking law at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York before entering academia.

Contact: Mike Krings, [email protected]



Federal and State Regulatory Activity

Ashley L. Taylor Jr.

Partner

Troutman Sanders LLP

"Federal regulatory activity diminished, as expected, after Republicans took control of the White House and both chambers of Congress last year. But in the immediate aftermath of that pullback, states stepped in to fill the void. There's a relationship among state attorneys general, and they are working collectively to shape national policy. State AGs and their regulatory bodies -- licensing divisions, banking divisions, bureaus of insurance -- are becoming more engaged in investigations and enforcement actions."

As a partner at a nationwide law firm, Taylor can speak to federal and state government regulatory and enforcement matters involving state Attorneys General, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). He can speak to the trend of regulatory power moving to states and what it means for companies.

Website: https://www.troutman.com

Contact: Caitlin Whitehurst, [email protected]

Trump Blocks Broadcom's Bid for Qualcomm

Daniel N. Anziska

Partner

Troutman Sanders LLP

"President Trump just blocked the Broadcom takeover of Qualcomm. The timing and substance of this decision is unprecedented. Historians have predicted we would end up here."

As a partner at a nationwide law firm, Anziska can speak to what this action means going forward  the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is a powerful and unseen gatekeeper on multi-billion-dollar deals. Anziska's legal practice focuses on counseling parties on antitrust issues with respect to mergers and acquisitions, including assessing potential competitive impacts of transactions, drafting relevant deal provisions and managing the substantive antitrust approval process with U.S. and foreign competition agencies. To that end, he routinely advises clients on competition and national security (CFIUS) issues concerning China and Taiwan businesses, including coordination with China's MOFCOM. Anziska is based in New York.

Website: https://www.troutman.com

Contact: Diane Iselin, [email protected]

Website Accessibility Laws and Requirements for Government

Stephen Tidmore

VP of Technology

Mighty Citizen

"With millions of Americans using assistive technologies, like screen readers, to use the Internet, accessibility isn't only the right thing to do, it's smart business."

Tidmore joined Mighty Citizen in 2012, where heads up the development process, builds and maintains large and complex websites, works closely with clients to help guide technology decisions, consults on information architecture and design, oversees a team of developers, and manages all internal technology for the company. A technical savant and savvy communicator, Tidmore became a webmaster at the University of Texas at Austin, and built his first website in 1999.

Austin, Texas.

Bio: https://www.mightycitizen.com/team/stephen-tidmore

Contact: Laura Bond Williams, [email protected]

****************

MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

Editor, Pro Venture Capital  The Wall Street Journal (CA)

Social Media Manager  South China Morning Post (NY)

Metro Editor  The Seattle Times (WA)

*****************

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at [email protected]

BE A BETTER STORYTELLER: 7 PUBLIC SPEAKING TIPS YOU CAN APPLY TO YOUR WRITING. Hitting the publish button on your latest written piece can be stressful. You're putting your voice out into the world. And while your audience can't look you in the eye, they can laser in on your every word. Here are some tips to apply public speaking best practices in your writing: http://prn.to/2IdpKnS



FEMALE JOURNALISTS SPEAK: HOW TO MAKE IT AS A WOMAN IN THE MEDIA BUSINESS. In recent months, females have proliferated the news. From national marches advocating for human rights to the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, women are making their voices heard. Journalists are also speaking up about harassment in the newsroom and the gender pay gap, forcing media organizations to shine a light on internal operations. Recently, Sixth & I in Washington, D.C. , hosted a timely talk called "Work in Progress: Women in Media," where three women journalists shared their take on current events. Here are a few takeaways for women entering the publishing field: http://prn.to/2FBxth1



, hosted a timely talk called "Work in Progress: Women in Media," where three women journalists shared their take on current events. Here are a few takeaways for women entering the publishing field: http://prn.to/2FBxth1 BLOG PROFILES: HIPSTER BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry/subject and profiles a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at a few hipster blogs: http://prn.to/2Df8kU8

****************

PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire.

To contact ProfNet: [email protected] or 800-776-3638, ext. 1

SOURCE ProfNet

Related Links

http://www.profnet.com


SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NYSE:BA], through its subsidiary Tapestry Solutions, today announced it will implement an advanced Enterprise Resource Planning/Logistics Management Information System (ERP/LMIS) for the Qatar Armed Forces that will maximize readiness for troops on land, air and sea. Work will be performed under a five-year contract, which includes ongoing maintenance support.

Tapestry Solutions, a business unit of Boeing Global Services, has teamed with Qatar-based Mannai Corporation as well as Accenture and Oracle. The companies are leaders in delivering multi-service logistics and business systems for international defense and aerospace, government and commercial markets.

The core components of the ERP/LMIS solution are Tapestry's GOLDesp Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) software and the Oracle E-Business suite. Mannai Corporation, which is Qatari's leading Information Technology (IT) company, will implement Oracle's personnel, finance and procurement capabilities.

"We are proud to provide a world-class enterprise-level software suite for QAF  a comprehensive, end-to-end platform that adapts to support the growth and sustainment of Qatar's force modernization efforts," said Robin Wright, president and CEO, Tapestry Solutions. "This contract award is further indication of Boeing's commitment to broaden its service offerings to global customers."

Tapestry's GOLDesp platform provides integrated supply, maintenance and transportation capabilities for complex assets for land, air, sea and space environments. The commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software provides aftermarket logistics support for customers on five continents, including international militaries, OEMs, defense contractors and commercial aviation organizations.

"We are pleased to leverage our deep domain experience  based on years' of experience delivering similar software and services for U.S. and allied forces  to improve force effectiveness, modernize IT processes and reduce costs for our customer," said Ron Isom, Tapestry's Sales Manager.

About Boeing Global Services

Boeing Global Services, headquartered in the Dallas area, was formed by integrating the services capabilities of the government, space and commercial sectors into a single, customer-focused business. Operating as a third business unit of Boeing, Global Services provides agile, cost-competitive services to commercial and government customers worldwide.

About Tapestry Solutions

Tapestry Solutions, Inc. is a global provider of information management software and services for defense, government and commercial markets. We provide mission planning, training and simulation support to maximize readiness for our warfighters. We also help solve logistics challenges for the world's largest and most complex supply chains. Supporting customers from more than 50 locations worldwide, Tapestry Solutions is part of Boeing Global Services.

Contact

Janet Dayton

[email protected]

SOURCE Boeing
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Quaker Chemical Corporation (NYSE: KWR, "Quaker"), a longstanding supporter of the Association for Iron & Steel Technology (AIST), is taking its patronage to the next level as a global event sponsor of AISTech 2018, the steel industry's premier technology conference and exposition. The world's largest annual steel event kicks off on May 7th and is expected to draw 7,000 attendees and 500 exhibiting companies to Quaker's hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

The AIST mission is to advance the technical development, production, processing, and application of iron and steel. Quaker, now celebrating its centennial year, has contributed to the AIST as a steel process fluids authority through volunteerism and thought leadership. As a global event sponsor, the company will be recognized at the AISTech tradeshow, as well as international events, including CONAC Mexico and the European Steel Forum.

"At Quaker, we know how important is it to connect with our customers. The global sponsorship gives us the valuable opportunity to grow our partnership with the AIST and our intimacy with the collective customer. It is also offers an opportunity to reinforce our thought leadership in the steel industry," commented Wayne McVey, Industry Business Director.

Involvement

Within the AIST organization, there are 30 steelmaking technology committees and 22 regional based chapters. Currently, Quaker has seven associates serving in committee and chapter leadership roles:

John Accurso (Account Manager, Greases) - Lubrication & Hydraulics Technology Training Chair

(Account Manager, Greases) - Lubrication & Hydraulics Technology Training Chair Susan Conley (Product Manager, Tube & Pipe) - Pipe & Tube Chair

(Product Manager, Tube & Pipe) - Pipe & Tube Chair Roger Chmura (Industry Business Manager, Tube & Pipe) - Pipe & Tube Roundup Chair

(Industry Business Manager, Tube & Pipe) - Pipe & Tube Roundup Chair Jim Murphy (Product Manager, Hot Rolling) - Hot Sheet Rolling Chair

(Product Manager, Hot Rolling) - Hot Sheet Rolling Chair Amy Beard (Market Manager, Steel Hot Rolling) - Philadelphia Chapter Chair

(Market Manager, Steel Hot Rolling) - Philadelphia Chapter Chair Edgar Gonzalez (Industry Business Manager)  Mexico Chapter Chair

(Industry Business Manager)  Mexico Chapter Chair Jernej Pretnar (Area Sales Manager)  European Chapter Secretary & Treasurer

Thought Leadership

The AIST offers a network of global steel industry knowledge through its educational programming. Many of Quaker's technical experts have been invited to speak on their areas of expertise at training seminars and committee meetings as well as having several technical papers selected for presentation at conference sessions and featured in AIST publications. For 2018, Quaker's activities have included:

Four technical papers to be presented AISTech at the cold rolling, pipe and tube, lubricant & hydraulics, and hot rolling sessions (https://www.quakerchem.com/events/aistech-2018)

at the cold rolling, pipe and tube, lubricant & hydraulics, and hot rolling sessions (https://www.quakerchem.com/events/aistech-2018) An article, "Friction and Surface Microstructure in Steel Cold Rolling Investigated in Pilot Mill Trials", published in the February 2018 issue of Iron & Steel Technology (https://www.quakerchem.com/wp-content/uploads/events/aistech/2018/steel_aistech.pdf)

Matthew Knapik, Industry Business Director, stated, "This sponsorship definitely extends our exposure. The visibility at the show makes an impactful impression especially to the young engineers not yet familiar with Quaker. I see it as an investment in supporting the longevity of the steel industry as a whole and our partnership with the AIST."

______________________________

About Quaker Chemical Corporation:

Quaker Chemical is a leading global provider of process fluids, chemical specialties, and technical expertise to a wide range of industries, including steel, aluminum, automotive, mining, aerospace, tube and pipe, cans, and others. For 100 years, Quaker has helped customers around the world achieve production efficiency, improve product quality, and lower costs through a combination of innovative technology, process, knowledge, and customized services. Headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, USA, Quaker serves businesses worldwide with a network of dedicated and experienced professionals whose mission is to make a difference. Visit quakerchem.com to learn more.

About AIST:

AIST is a non-profit technical association of 17,500 members from 70 countries, with the mission to advance the technical development, production, processing and application of iron and steel. The organization is recognized as a global leader in networking, education, and sustainability programs for advancing iron and steel technology.

SOURCE Quaker Chemical Corporation

Related Links

https://www.quakerchem.com


FLORHAM PARK, N.J., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), a leading health care services and software company focused on the alternate site health care provider marketplace, is pleased to share key industry trends that emerged from its 15th Annual Business Summit at The Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada, March 7-9, 2018. The three-day meeting attracted more than 1,400 MHA long-term care, home infusion and specialty pharmacy Members and Business Partners for engaged discussions and interactive breakouts led by an exceptional line-up of thought leaders.

During the MHA Business Summit, key trends transforming the industry were identified and discussed, including:

Technology and software advancements are transforming how and where care is delivered: this 'new normal' is highly dynamic, and partnering with companies that explore new ways to apply innovation to the long-term care market is a core driver of success and differentiation for care providers. A number of sessions including a well-received breakout by SoftWriters, an MHA company, and demos delivered in the exhibition hall, provided attendees with a first-hand view of how this innovation may be effectively applied to their own practices.

Interdisciplinary collaboration to prevent gaps in the continuum of care remains an urgent need. Even in times of software-driven gains, 'classic' cross-disciplinary teams can deliver clear improvements, e.g. transitional care to prevent and reduce re-hospitalizations. At the Summit, SHP, an MHA company and a leader in benchmarking software for the home health, hospice and home infusion markets, demonstrated how software and data analytics can provide in-depth tools to assist in the management of the continuum of care in the home infusion and home health space.

Health care is being transformed to center around patients as retail consumers. In the context of paying more of their own medical care, consumers face major decisions how to identify clinical and financial value. As explored by several keynote speakers, this means that health care is entering the consumer-driven economy that characterizes much of today's society, with a focus on what consumers can afford to meet their health care needs. This transformation points towards a new health care economy favoring lower-cost providers who can show consistent quality and operate efficiently, while marketing themselves directly to consumers.

Michael J. Sicilian, MHA President, commented, "We're excited to share with our Members insights and tools that are vital to continue thriving in a dynamic market that's being increasingly transformed not only by software innovations but also by consumer-centric trends. The strong Member turn-out for our 15th Annual Business Summit tells us the alternate site health care industry continues to embrace this unique opportunity to understand the macro trends impacting their business, evaluate software and other solutions, and network to share insights and opportunities with each other."

Look for upcoming details on the 16th Annual MHA Business Summit to be held March 6-8, 2019, at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, Nevada.

About MHA

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA) is a leading health care services and software company that offers a growing portfolio of services and solutions to support the diverse and complex needs of the alternate site health care provider. MHA provides expertise in Group Purchasing, Managed Care and Payor Contracting, Reimbursement Management, Specialty Pharmacy Solutions, Pharmaceutical Data Analytics, Consultant Pharmacy Software and Legislative Advocacy. Through the delivery of innovative health care services and solutions, MHA helps Members increase operational efficiency, maximize business growth and provide optimum care for their patients. For more information, visit www.mhainc.com.

For More Information Contact:

Elisabeth Overend

VP of Marketing

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc.

800-642-3020 X9374

[email protected]

SOURCE Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA)

Related Links

http://www.mhainc.com


DALLAS, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Riata Capital Group ("Riata") today announced that Eric Anderson has joined Acuity Eyecare Group ("Acuity"), a Riata portfolio company that owns and operates leading North American eyecare groups and optometry practices, as Chief Executive Officer. Anderson is a proven industry leader who brings over three decades of business and optical industry experience spanning multi-billion dollar companies across both domestic and international markets. He most recently served as Executive Vice President at Fossil Group, leading its $3 billion multi-brand licensed portfolio. Prior to Fossil, he spent almost 20 years at Luxottica in several prominent leadership positions, including President and GM of LensCrafters North America.

Riata also announced that Acuity has acquired two new regional eyecare groups: One Hour Optical, based in Denver, and 20/20 Image Eye Centers, based in Phoenix. Including these two acquisitions, Acuity now operates more than 70 optometry locations across eight states, owns a large full-service digital lab operation, and expects to grow to over 100 locations by mid-2018.

"Acuity is off to a strong start and we are very excited about what lies ahead under Eric Anderson's leadership," said Jeff Fronterhouse, Managing Partner of Riata Capital Group. "Eric is a proven industry leader who brings tremendous optical experience, a strategic vision for growth, and a track record for developing great talent. Eric joined Acuity's board in October of 2017, and we have been able to see Eric's impact firsthand. His exceptional leadership skills, and passion for growth and people, will be critical to realizing our future potential in the marketplace."

Regarding the acquisitions of One Hour Optical and 20/20 Image Eye Centers, Fronterhouse said, "We are excited to have successfully completed these recent acquisitions. They are both strong additions to our existing Acuity portfolio and provide expansion into new markets that are dynamic and growing."

Acuity is the second platform investment of the Riata principals in the eyecare sector. From 2011 to 2015, certain of the principals organized and led the very successful investment in Vision Source, a market-leading network of independent optometry practices across the United States. Under the leadership of a very seasoned management team, Vision Source grew from 2,300 to over 3,150 locations, making its network of member optometrists second only to Walmart in terms of number of locations. Vision Source was sold to Essilor USA in late 2015, generating strong returns for its investors.

About Eric Anderson

Prior to joining Acuity, Anderson served as Executive Vice President at Fossil Group leading their $3 Billion multi-brand licensed portfolio. Previous to Fossil, he spent almost 20 years at Luxottica in several prominent leadership positions including President and GM of LensCrafters North America, Chief Executive and GM of GMO Opticas in Santiago, Chile, GM of Target Optical, VP Marketing and Business Development for Pearle Vision, and VP at Sunglass Hut.

About One Hour Optical

Founded in 1968 and currently owned by Kevin Breslaw, One Hour Optical is a Denver-based eyecare group with 4 full-service eyecare centers located in Denver, Aurora, Greenwood Village and Thornton, and 1 location in the Denver Health Hospital. One Hour Optical's top priority is customer care and offers affordable vision services and comprehensive eye exams with caring, knowledgeable opticians. Additionally, they offer a wide variety of styles and brands of eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses and safety wear. For more information, please visit www.onehouroptical.com.

About 20/20 Image Eye Centers

Founded in 1996 by Dr. Tom Babu and Dr. Vasvi Babu, 20/20 Image Eye Centers is a Phoenix-based eyecare group with 5 full-service eyecare centers located in Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Fountain Hills and Chandler. 20/20 Image Eye Centers offer the highest quality of vision care with courtesy and compassion. 20/20 Image Eye Centers takes a complete approach to caring for its patients and offers a full-range of optical services, comprehensive eye exams and an extensive line of eyeglasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses. For more information, please visit www.2020image.com.

About Riata Capital Group, LLC

Riata Capital Group is a leading Dallas-based private equity investment firm that partners with seasoned management teams to invest in growing, profitable, privately-held companies across North America with a focus on four core industry sectors: consumer, energy, healthcare, and business solutions. The firm takes a selective approach to investing in high-potential businesses whose owners and management teams want an investment partner with the capital, experience, and record of successful collaboration required to achieve their liquidity and value-creation objectives. Over the course of their careers, the principals of Riata have sponsored over 55 platform investments and 75 add-on acquisitions representing over $4 billion in transaction value. With significant investment experience, a balanced team with financial and operating expertise, a strong team of seasoned operating partners, and significant experience in the firm's core sectors, Riata provides a compelling value proposition to business owners and entrepreneurs.

Contact:

Mark Semer

212-521-4802

Ashe Reardon

212-521-4809

SOURCE Riata Capital Group
AUSTIN, Texas, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Ridecell Inc., the leading platform developer for carsharing and ridesharing operators, today announced that its Autonomous Operations Platform was chosen as a winner of the 2018 South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Innovation Awards. The top contender in the New Economy category, the Ridecell platform was selected by the SXSW judges as the most exciting tech development amongst sharing economy award finalists.

"The SXSW conference has a recognized pedigree as the forum for groundbreaking technology introductions," said, Aarjav Trivedi, Ridecell CEO. "Ridecell is thrilled to be chosen from such a highly competitive field of New Economy finalists for our Autonomous Operations Platform. While many innovators, including our own Auro brand, are teaching vehicles how to drive, the Ridecell Autonomous Operations Platform teaches fleets of driverless vehicles how to maintain themselves and manage their own emergency situations."

The award-winning Ridecell platform, publicly announced in October 2017, enables on-demand ridehailing and automates operations for autonomous vehicle fleets. Designed to handle rider onboarding, routine vehicle deployment, user accounts, and response to emergency situations, Ridecell offers fleet owners an intelligent platform that fulfills ride requests and handles scheduled and unscheduled refueling, maintenance, cleaning, and roadside assistance. The platform manages operations on both public roads or on private roadways, like college and corporate campuses, residential communities, and resort properties.

The Ridecell platform is available to any autonomous vehicle or service provider who is scaling their test fleets and working towards an on-demand pilot or planned service offering. It's also enables existing Ridecell carsharing and ridesharing customers to accommodate the addition of autonomous vehicles without the need to change the underlying platform.

Now in its 21st year, the annual SXSW Interactive Innovation Award recognizes "the most exciting tech developments in the connected world." One of five finalists considered from amongst hundreds of applicants in the New Economy category, the Ridecell platform is currently powering autonomous shuttle service on the campus of Santa Clara University in Silicon Valley and for a leading driverless fleet operating on public roads in the US.

About Ridecell

Headquartered in San Francisco, the company provides an intelligent software platform that empowers mobility operators, including OEMs, car rental companies, auto clubs, cities, transit agencies, dealer groups, and private fleets to launch, expand, and maximize the utilization of their own ridesharing, carsharing, and autonomous fleet services. End-to-end integration and automation accelerate time to market, enabling Ridecell customers to launch mobility services quickly, operate efficiently, and scale revenues as business grows.

Founded in 2009 with a team of more than 100 professionals in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, Ridecell is backed by investment funding from BMW i Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Khosla Ventures and Y Combinator. The company has already processed over 20 million rides and rentals for new mobility offerings, including ReachNow, mobility service from the BMW Group, OMNI by Volkswagen, and GIG Carsharing service by AAA. In addition, Ridecell powers dynamic shuttle services for campuses such as Georgia Tech, UC Berkeley, UCSF, 3M, and transit agencies like SouthWest Transit.

2018 Ridecell, Inc. All rights reserved.

RIDECELL is a registered trademark of Ridecell, Inc. All company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at the time of publication and is subject to change without notice.

Media Contact:

Alexis Daswick

415.294.9857

[email protected]

SOURCE Ridecell

Related Links

http://ridecell.com


FOXBORO, Mass., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Schneider Electric, the global specialist in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, today announced a project with REC Solar to build an advanced microgrid at its Foxboro, Massachusetts facility. The microgrid will be funded by Schneider Electric's innovative Microgrid-as-a-Service (MaaS) business model  it is the third MaaS project with Duke Energy Renewables and REC Solar  and will offer greater power resilience to help the company better serve its customers. The Foxboro facility operates as Schneider Electric's Process Automation North American Power Generation Center of Excellence.

Many facilities believe a backup generator is sufficient for power resilience, but typical backup generators are tied only to selected loads and don't allow facilities to remain fully operational. Adding microgrid and automation capabilities can enhance resilience, prevent outages in the event of grid failure, and allow facilities to maintain operations as usual. Commercial and industrial facilities that experience a power outage will suffer loss of productivity. A 30-minute power cut at a U.S. facility reportedly results in an average loss of $15,709 for medium and large industrial clients, and shorter blackouts account for an annual estimated economic loss of between $104 and $164 billion.[1] Thus, even a short duration grid outage can cost companies thousands of hours of productivity.

This announcement comes less than a year after Schneider Electric unveiled the advanced microgrid at its Boston One Campus (BOC) in Andover, Massachusetts. The microgrid offers Schneider Electric increased reliability, cost savings, and sustainable energy production for critical R&D operations and was funded by its MaaS business model, which helps companies build microgrids without needing upfront capital.

"Our customers demand power resilience from the microgrids we install at their sites, and our facilities rely on the same high standards to keep sites online in the event of a grid outage. Through our existing partnership with REC Solar and Duke Energy Renewables, we have seen first-hand the benefits of installing advanced microgrids at commercial and industrial facilities through the MaaS business model," said Mark Feasel, Vice President, Utility Segment, Smart Grid & Microgrid, Schneider Electric. "This microgrid ensures the building will remain operational during unplanned outages, in addition to optimizing the use of our on-site resources that demonstrate Schneider Electric's commitment to sustainability."

As part of the microgrid deployment at the Foxboro facility, Schneider Electric will utilize its own flagship EcoStruxure Hybrid Distributed Control System (DCS) to harness power of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and connect all components of the architecture. The EcoStruxure Hybrid DCS offers advanced asset management capabilities and enables energy optimization and easy troubleshooting to ensure a resilient, cost-effective and sustainable source of power via the microgrid.

EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric's IoT-enabled, open and interoperable system architecture and platform that delivers Innovation At Every Level across connected products, edge control, and apps, analytics, and services. The EcoStruxure architecture enables scalable design and operation of connected systems with best-in-class cybersecurity built in at every layer.

EcoStruxure Profit Advisor and Termis District Energy Optimization Software will also be incorporated into the solution to further optimize the thermal distribution and energy (OpEx) costs. A unique, patented IIoT software that uses Big Data analytics to measure and reveal the profitability of an industrial operation in real-time, EcoStruxure Profit Advisor offers insight into how every production asset within the plant contributes to the operational profitability of the company.

Finally, Schneider Electric's Foxboro microgrid will include on-site advanced microgrid control software and hardware through the use of EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor and the Energy Control Center, in addition to the deployment of ongoing monitoring and services including turnkey implementation and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). EcoStruxure Microgrid Advisor will help Schneider Electric track and make CO 2 reduction measures visible to the facility managers.

As the "Investor Owner" of the project, REC Solar will be leveraged as the capital partner to fund, own, and operate the microgrid assets. Upon its completion by the end of the year, the Foxboro microgrid will mark the third MaaS project that Schneider Electric has completed with the REC Solar and Duke Energy Renewables team.

"Microgrid-as-a-Service makes microgrids accessible to a wider variety of customers and has prompted innovation within the industry," said Chris Hiller, Lead Solution Architect, REC Solar. "By partnering with Schneider Electric, we have helped customers integrate microgrids with no upfront capital, while helping companies achieve more efficient and sustainable energy consumption."

As a leader in microgrid technology, Schneider Electric is an expert in enabling scalable, repeatable microgrids, especially those including Combined Heat and Power (CHP). Schneider Electric's microgrids solve resilience, cost, and sustainability challenges with no upfront capital requirements through the MaaS approach.

For more information about Schneider Electric's microgrid solutions, please visit www.schneider-electric.us/microgrid

About Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric is leading the Digital Transformation of Energy Management and Automation in Homes, Buildings, Data Centers, Infrastructure and Industries. With global presence in over 100 countries, Schneider is the undisputable leader in Power Management  Medium Voltage, Low Voltage and Secure Power, and in Automation Systems. We provide integrated efficiency solutions, combining energy, automation and software. In our global Ecosystem, we collaborate with the largest Partner, Integrator and Developer Community on our Open Platform to deliver real-time control and operational efficiency. We believe that great people and partners make Schneider a great company and that our commitment to Innovation, Diversity and Sustainability ensures that Life Is On everywhere, for everyone and at every moment.

www.schneider-electric.us

About REC Solar

REC Solar is a nationwide leader providing complete commercial, public sector and utility-scale solar solutions. In 1997, our founders had a simple idea  create better power. Since then we have helped hundreds of organizations across the United States think differently about energy; saving money, creating predictability in operating costs, reducing their environmental impact, and pushing their business forward. REC Solar offers all design, engineering, financing and maintenance services in house, allowing for a simple customer experience. Our unmatched expertise and quality are enhanced by the creativity we bring to each project. By integrating into the core beliefs, values and community of the organizations we work with, we generate greater business value. For more information, visit RECSolar.com.

Discover Life is On

Follow us on:

Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

GooglePlus

YouTube

Schneider Electric TV

Schneider Electric Blog

Hashtags: #InnovationAtEveryLevel, #EcoStruxure, #Microgrid, #DistributedEnergyResources



[1] Allianz, "Power Trip," 2017

SOURCE Schneider Electric

Related Links

http://www.schneider-electric.us


SALT LAKE CITY, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SEARCH Group Partners, Inc. announces the sale of its Westlake Village, CA office to Partners Personnel.

SEARCH Group Partners, Inc. expanded to Southern California in 2015 and built its business there from the ground up. The Westlake Village office experienced such rapid growth that a former mentor of Ema Ostarcevic's, Founder and CEO of SEARCH Group Partners, Inc, developed an interest in acquiring it.

"The fact that Partners Personnel took notice of the Southern California office is a testament to what Debby Loesch and our team built there," Ostarcevic says. "I'm having a hard time saying goodbye. I've known Debby for years, but also when you start a business together, it truly feels like a family."

Considering how familiar everyone is with each other, the transaction really does seem like a family affair -- a reunion even. The acquiring firm, Partners Personnel, was founded by Steve Sorensen, and both Ostarcevic and Loesch worked for Sorensen previously in their careers.

"It's all very serendipitous when you think about it," Ostarcevic says. "Steve gave me my first job in the staffing industry. And now, he's acquiring an office that I started with Debby, who worked for him for over 20 years."

Sorensen agrees that the way the whole deal worked out felt like kismet.

"It's funny how things come together in life sometimes," Sorensen says. "I'm thrilled to work with Debby again and have her team as an integral part of Partners Personnel."

Partners Personnel is rapidly growing its presence in Southern California and this acquisition is part of the expansion plan.

"I really admire Steve and I'm excited to see what he does with the foundation we built," Ostarcevic says. "It's a great move for him and a great move for us -- that gives us the opportunity to fully focus on the Utah market, which experienced over 80% revenue growth for us last year."

SEARCH Group Partners, Inc. will continue to focus and execute on its strategic expansion plans for the Utah market.

About Partners Personnel

Partners Personnel is a new leading staffing agency created by the founder of Select Staffing, Steve Sorensen. Mr. Sorensen was able to grow Select Staffing into a multibillion dollar corporation. The merger of Select Staffing with EmployBridge (a one Billion dollar "niche" temporary employment agency) changed the direction of Selectthe emphasis moved to "higher margins" and "better profits"  essentially abandoning the virtues of Select's "full value" and "strong volume" historic strategies. Mr. Sorensen gracefully stepped away from Select Staffing and fulfilled his three year non-compete obligation. This non-compete expired in May 2017. So, in response to overwhelming support and demand from Mr. Sorensen's long-time customers and employees, he is partnering with key staffing professionals to fill the void and re-establish a "strong volume" "cost competitive" "best value" service organization.

About SEARCH Group Partners, Inc.

SEARCH Group Partners, Inc. (SGP) is a premier boutique recruiting firm, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah-- conducting searches on a nationwide basis. SGP provides professional talent acquisition and consulting services. The services we offer include temporary, temporary-to-hire, permanent placement and executive search. SGP's customized searches are dedicated to the following niches: Accounting & Finance, Office & Administrative, Technology, Marketing & Creative, Human Resources and Executive Search.

Search Group Partners, Inc. and staff are the proud winners of the following awards: 2017 CEO of the Year Award, MountainWest Capital Network's Utah 100 Awards 2015's Emerging Elite Companies, Inavero's Best of Staffing Diamond Client Satisfaction Award for five consecutive years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018; 2014 Bronze Stevie Award in the Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year category for Women in Business; Utah Business Magazine Forty under 40 Award winners; Utah Business Magazine 2013's 30 Women to Watch and Utah Business Magazine 20 in their 20's.

SOURCE SEARCH Group Partners Inc.

Related Links

http://www.searchgrouppartners.com


Small companies are drivers of ingenuity and progression, yet within the economic sector, their contributions are often overlooked. The media relies largely on macro data  primarily gross domestic product and the Standard & Poor's 500  to gauge the health of the U.S. economy. However, a review of small businesses can reveal distinctive insights. Small companies can be, the most fragile businesses  fighting for market share, funding, sales and profits, while balancing the costs of payrolls and new technology to stay competitive. The full report is available at 1cbank.com/research.

Some key findings:

78 percent of respondents are expecting increase market demand.

54 percent of respondents reported increased margins in the past six months, and 79.3 percent of respondents said they believe margins will increase in the future.

56 percent of respondents reported increased sales in the past six months, and 70.7 percent said they expect sales to increase in the next six months.

"Small businesses are an enormously important part of the economy, whether in a major metropolis like Los Angeles or just about any sized market across the nation," said Adam Fowler, research director at Beacon Economics. "The owners and operators of these businesses have their fingers directly on the pulse of key business and economic trends, but they also have specific concerns that often aren't captured in the headlines, and this is a serious omission. If we don't understand small-business sentiment, we can't know the direction this important sector will be heading in that future nor can we improve conditions for their success."

"As a bank supporting small businesses, we are motivated to understand the overall sentiment of the markets we serve while also providing trend insight to the business community at large. We are pleased to share this report to the small business community of Los Angeles and confident this information will be of value to business owners," said Jason DiNapoli, CEO and President 1st Century Bank.

1st Century Bank is a division of MidFirst Bank, one of the nation's largest privately held financial institutions. This combination of private ownership, a strong capital base and local market focus and expertise, allows 1st Century Bank to provide greater scale and opportunity for its clientele. 1st Century Bank's exceptional service model provides the flexible, local decision-making that has distinguished it in the Los Angeles market.

SOURCE 1st Century Bank
TEL AVIV, Israel and WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Spacecom (TASE: SCC.TA), operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, and hiSky Ltd, a provider of affordable satellite-based voice and data communications, announced today a cooperation agreement to provide affordable, low-capacity voice, data MSS (Mobile Satellite Services) and satellite IoT (Satellite Internet of Things) services in the Middle East via AMOS 17's Ka-bands and hiSky's newly developed Smartellite family satellite terminals.

Using AMOS-17's Ka-band beams, hiSky's Smartellite Family solution includes a compact portable SIoT device based on Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA) technology, to provide low data rate services for various applications such as connected vehicles, trains, the energy and agricultural sectors in remote areas.

Yaron Shachar, Chief Business Officer of hiSky said, "Our Smartellite Family, together with AMOS-17, will provide significantly lower prices than the market currently offers. We look forward to being a very appealing alternative in the voice and data MSS market, and especially for the growing IoT market. hiSky is continuing to develop new product lines to meet customer needs. We just released our new Smartellite Static for fixed IoT sensor connectivity based on our core technology and integrated with our modem network solution. We will continue to develop innovative technology and solutions in order to provide the market with affordable and reliable products."

Jacob Keret, Sr. VP Sales at Spacecom, stated, "AMOS-17's full digital HTS technologies will provide a wide of array of service capabilities and allows us to combine our classic satellite bandwidth product offering with end to end communication services throughout Africa, the Middle East and Europe. hiSky's innovative offering is an exciting solution for applications in remote locations, for satellite on the move communications, and brings us into IoT markets."

The Smartellite Family are small, lightweight, and portable. With a built-in electronic pointing antenna, the units automatically locate the satellite in milliseconds. The secure integrated modem is designed for low and medium data rate and includes easy to use management tools.

About hiSky:

hiSky brings innovative technology to the field of voice and data satellite communications, offering mobile connectivity that is affordable, portable, and easy to use. hiSky's Smartellite makes satellite communication accessible, even in the most remote and extreme locations, on land, at sea or in the air. www.hiskysat.com

About Spacecom:

Spacecom (Space-Communication Ltd.), operator of the AMOS-3 and AMOS-7 satellites co-located at 4W, and AMOS-4 at 65E, provides high-quality broadcast and communication services to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia via direct-to-home (DTH) and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) operators, Internet service providers (ISPs), telecom operators, network integrators and government agencies.

With the additions of AMOS-17 in 2019 and AMOS-8 to the 4W orbital position in 2020, Spacecom will further expand its reach reinforcing its position as a leading multi-regional satellite operator.

For more information, please visit: http://www.amos-spacecom.com/

SOURCE Spacecom and hiSky

Related Links

http://www.hiskysat.com


NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Telecorp, Inc. (OTC Markets: TLNUF) ("Telecorp" or the "Company") is an emerging investment company that is centered around investments in hard assets, financial services, technology, product and distribution, and management consultancy. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding of the "New Living" project begins the enhanced strategy of TLNUF to acquire companies and assets that meet one of 3 main qualities: they must be progressive and established in the global marketplace, they are built upon innovative ideas and backed with real asset value, or they must be able to scale both quickly and profitably.

The central focus of the enhanced strategy is in "Helping investors achieve success through synergistic innovation, technology, and expert leadership."

Jason Cataldo, CEO of TLNUF, said: "We are very pleased with how we have been able to make great strides in creating a profitable company. The new enhanced strategy and investments into projects that have hard asset value, is quickly creating a robust and actively growing company."

The Company has continued to add valuable team members to help push TLNUF forward. Because of the growing team, and individual expertise, the Company has been presented with a lot of quality opportunities that have incredible asset value to consider in the weeks and months ahead.

Recently, the Company signed a Memorandum of Understanding to begin development of the "New Living" project. Positioned in one of the fastest growing areas of Europe, the "New Living" project enables TLNUF to enhance its portfolio with hard asset support. Valued at $8.5 million dollars, the "New Living" project helps to bring greater value to the Company, and in turn potentially create a profitable vehicle for investors.

To better represent the vision and enhanced strategy of the Company, TLNUF has announced today that it is has been taking significant leaps forward in changing its business structure to better implement the enhanced strategy. The Company has also began the process to change its current ticker symbol (OTC: TLNUF) in favor of a symbol that better reflects its core values. This change is pending approval and will be updated further as approval process develops.

Mr. Cataldo, CEO, also commented, "We're very excited about all of the new developments and changes that are happening. We understand that during this time of new endeavors, and business changes that transparency and clarity are required. We pledge to inform our investors of each new development.

We are humbled by the incredible support of our shareholders, and we are looking forward to sharing additional news in the weeks and months ahead."

To learn more about the "New Living" project please visit http://telecorpdigital.com. You can also keep updated with other news and information by following us at http://twitter.com/tlnuf.

About Telecorp Inc.

Telecorp, Inc. is a North American emerging technology company headquartered in New York, New York, with operations in over six countries. The company was formally incorporated on April 13, 2009 in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

Since 2016, Telecorp has shifted its business focus and strategy to pursue acquisitions in Hard Assets, Financial Services, Technology, Product/Distribution and Management Consultancy. As a part of this business transition, The Company began screening a number of potential acquisitions that would broaden services, products and talent into the Company.

Companies that will be considered for acquisition are required to have one of 3 main qualities: they must be progressive and established in the global marketplace, they are built upon innovative ideas and backed with real asset value, or they must be able to scale both quickly and profitably.

Telecorp's planned investments are in the categories of hard assets including commercial real estate, hard asset trading and gold and silver exchanges, production and distribution with advertising, ad-tec optimization, fashion production and product, fashion analytics and sales, artist and event management, technology focused in financial technology, trade predictive software, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology and bio-technology, financial services centered in credit unions, asset management, and private and public investment interfaces, among others.

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for historic information contained in this release, the statements in this news release are forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause a company's actual results in the future to differ materially from forecasted results. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the company's ability to attract qualified management, raise sufficient capital to execute its business plan, and effectively compete against similar companies.

For further information, please contact:

Telecorp Inc.

Investor Relations

E: [email protected]

T: +1-(917)-397-0750

W: http://www.telecorpdigital.com



SOURCE Telecorp, Inc.
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- World-renowned tenor Anthony Kearns will perform at this year's Friends of Ireland luncheon to be hosted by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) on Thursday, March 15, 2018 at the United States Capitol, it was announced today.

As announced by the Speaker's office, "President Donald Trump and Prime Minister (Taoiseach) of Ireland Leo Varadkar are scheduled to participate as an ode to St. Patrick's Day and strong U.S.-Ireland ties. This is the third year that Speaker Ryan will host this event."

The annual event is a time-honored tradition started in 1983 by House Speaker Tip O'Neill and President Ronald Reagan, who rose above politics to unite in their shared heritage and desire for peace.

"It is indeed a privilege to accept the invitation of Speaker Ryan to sing for the Friends of Ireland Luncheon which highlights the shared history and enduring affection between Ireland and America," said Mr. Kearns. "I hope to express that closeness through my music on this special occasion."

He will be accompanied by Jon Laird of Virginia.

Mr. Kearns previously performed at the 2013 Friends of Ireland Luncheon on March 19, 2013, hosted by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). Special guests included President Barack Obama and Taoiseach Enda Kenny among other distinguished attendees.

Mr. Kearns first took the American television audience by storm in 1999 as the youngest member of The Irish Tenors, whose extraordinary collaborations include 5 television specials and a dozen CDs, most reaching Gold, Platinum, and Double Platinum status. Now living in the U.S., Kearns enjoys a robust international solo career, performing in the world's most prominent venues with the finest symphonies, in operas, on television, and at prestigious charity benefits. He has had the honor to sing for three U.S. Presidents, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and at the pre-Mass Concert for Pope Francis I in Philadelphia.

A legendary interpreter of Irish vocal music and a powerful operatic and classical voice on the global stage, Mr. Kearns is considered to be a musical ambassador on both sides of the Atlantic, with a large repertoire of inspiring songs that has guided the Irish people and people of faith through famines, wars, migrations and tyranny, raising their spirits, nourishing their hopes, and sustaining their courage. In 2016, Kearns was honored to be a part of the centennial celebration of Irish emancipation in New York City, and at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

For more information about Anthony Kearns, contact Kirsten Fedewa (on behalf of Anthony Kearns) at 202.365.6965 or [email protected]

SOURCE Kirsten Fedewa (on behalf of Anthony Kearns)
Ecobuild SEA, held in conjunction with International Construction Week (ICW), has grown to become a prestigious platform in Southeast Asia and is currently the largest construction trade event in Malaysia, bringing together 150 exhibitors and an expected 15,000 attendees this year.

2018 marks ICW's 18th edition bringing together construction industry players to showcase, learn, build partnerships and share innovative ideas. This year's theme, "Achieving Peak Productivity" fits perfectly with one of the pillars of the Malaysia Construction Industry Transformation Plan (CITP) for 2020.

Ecobuild SEA encompasses Greenbuild Asia, Ecolight Asean, Construction Showcase, Malaysia IBS International Exhibition (MIIE) and Construction Career Fair, making it a true platform for the construction industry in ASEAN.

Mr M Gandhi, Group Managing Director of UBM ASEAN Business said, "The opportunities created in the booming construction industry have attracted the attention of companies in the region. We welcome Gamuda Berhad and MRCB on board as a Gold Sponsor and IJM Corporation Berhad as a Silver Sponsor and over 150 participating companies coming from more than 10 countries, namely Malaysia, China, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Korea, Greece, Singapore, Vietnam and more."

"Apart from that, Ecobuild SEA this year is having the first Heavy Machinery & Equipment Event as one of the new segments and this will be showcased at CIDB IBS Centre, making Ecobuild SEA an ONE FAIR, TWO VENUES event. To allow easy access to both exhibitions, there will be free shuttle buses provided from KLCC to CIDB IBS Centre and return during the three-day exhibition," he added.

Ecobuild SEA will be accompanied by over 50 free-to-attend seminars, presenting a number of topics including quality, safety and professionalism, as well as environmental sustainability, productivity and internationalisation, all reflecting the categories emphasised under CITP.

"Ecobuild SEA and ICW 2018 will showcase the latest sustainable processes, systems and materials in the construction industry. This is part of our efforts to transform Malaysia's construction industry to be more green and sustainable as outlined within the second strategic thrust of the Construction Industry Transformation Programme 2016-2020 (CITP)," said Puan Sr. Sariah Abdul Karib, Senior General Manager, Policy and Corporate Sector of CIDB Malaysia.

Ecobuild SEA 2018 visitor pre-registration is now open. Please visit https://onlinereg.ubmasia.com/Registration.aspx?EventID=2018EBM to register or check out www.ecobuildsea.com for more information.

About UBM Asia -- the show organiser (www.ubm.com)

We Create Business For You

Owned by UBM plc listed on the London Stock Exchange, UBM Asia is Asia's leading exhibition organiser and with a track record spanning over 30 years. UBM Asia operates in 21 market sectors with 160 dynamic face-to-face exhibitions, 75 high-level professional conferences, 28 targeted trade publications, 18 round-the-clock vertical portals and virtual event services for over 1,000,000 quality exhibitors, visitors, conference delegates, advertisers and subscribers from all over the world. We provide a non-stop diversified global service for high-value business matching, quality market news and online trading networks. In ASEAN, UBM Asia operates from its offices in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines with over 50 events in this region.

SOURCE UBM Asia (Malaysia)

Related Links

http://www.ecobuildsea.com


ATLANTA, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arbor Company, a premier operator of outstanding senior living communities, today announced the publication of a guide to help families better understand senior assisted living. The e-book, The Complete Guide to Assisted Living, is available for free download at https://www.arborcompany.com/the-complete-guide-to-assisted-living.

Adult children of senior parents may feel worried about loved ones who are living on their own. From falls to forgetting medication to limited mobility, concerns may cause families to consider assisted living communities to ensure the safety and health of their loved ones. However, the process of finding an ideal community can be difficult. Arbor's new e-book compiles various facts about assisted living to make it easier for families to choose a community that is best suited for their loved ones. Among the guide's features:

How assisted living differs from other types of senior living

What features are included with assisted living

Details of who can benefit from assisted living

Questions to ask when researching communities

Advice for making the transition to assisted living

"The decision on whether an aging parent will be better cared for in assisted living is challenging enough; the search for a community shouldn't lead to additional stress," says Chris Harper, vice president of communication at The Arbor Company. "Yet, the senior care industry is large, and anyone can feel lost or overwhelmed as they research communities. Our new comprehensive guide helps families navigate this research en route to finding the assisted living option that works best for their loved ones."

To download this guide or learn more about The Arbor Company senior living communities, visit www.arborcompany.com.

About The Arbor Company

The Arbor Company is an Atlanta-based operator of nearly 40 independent living, assisted living, and memory care communities, serving seniors in 10 states. With 30 years of dedication and experience, The Arbor Company strives to deliver the highest-quality care and service to residents and their families. The company's innovative Engaged Living program creates meaningful moments through structured activity programs and spontaneous interactions, filling each day with the right balance of purpose and fun. More information about The Arbor Company is available at www.arborcompany.com.

CONTACT: Chris Harper, [email protected], 678-539-8966

SOURCE The Arbor Company

Related Links

http://www.arborcompany.com


LINCOLN, Neb., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Arbor Day Foundation has announced today that six individuals and organizations are the recipients of a 2018 Arbor Day Award in honor of their outstanding contribution to tree planting, conservation and stewardship. The 2018 Arbor Day Award winners will be presented with their award during their local national Arbor Day celebrations. More information can be found at CelebrateArborDay.com.

The 2018 Arbor Day Award winners are:

The Spirit of Arbor Day Award which recognizes an organization or community that fulfills the Foundation's mission through programs and activities that have been implemented within the past five years.

Plant-for-the-Planet, Munich, Germany :

This worldwide network of young tree planters began with a school presentation by a nine-year-old German boy ( Felix Finkbeiner ), and today Plant-for-the-Planet is a global movement with an ambitious goal: to fight the climate crisis by planting trees around the world.

The J. Sterling Morton Award which recognizes an individual who has had a positive impact on the environment due to his or her lifelong commitment to tree planting and conservation. The individual will have demonstrated a commitment to advancing tree planting and care through a record of education, work experience, talent and temperament.

David Forsell , Indianapolis, Indiana , USA:

Dave Forsell was the first tree planter at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB) and is now president of the nonprofit, devoted to "helping people and nature thrive." He has forged KIB into a national leader of community development through greenspace-making and urban forestry.

The Trail Blazer Award which recognizes an individual under the age of 35 who has demonstrated leadership in forestry, community forestry, research or tree care during the past five years.

Erica Smith Fichman , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , USA:

In 2012, Erica Smith Fichman developed TreePhilly, an urban forestry outreach program with the goal of increasing tree canopy to 30 percent across every neighborhood in Philadelphia . Under Erica's leadership, TreePhilly strives to ensure that its programs are accessible to all residents of Philadelphia .

The Headwaters Award which celebrates innovative programs  in rural or urban areas  that support the improvement of water quality and quantity through forestry activities.

Cacapon Institute, Great Cacapon, West Virginia , USA:

For more than 30 years, Cacapon Institute has focused on protecting West Virginia's portion of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, while also supporting forestry-related education and projects along the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and into western Maryland . As a regional leader in forestry activities, the Cacapon Institute uses tree planting, education, and stewardship as solutions for improving water quality.

The Champion of Trees Award which recognizes a government entity, community-based organization or partnership among such groups that has demonstrated exemplary leadership to develop and implement new policies and practices for municipal tree planting and care, natural area stewardship or arboriculture.

City of San Francisco and Friends of the Urban Forest, California, USA :

The city and their nonprofit partner, Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), used a community planning process to write a new urban forest management plan that identified street tree care as a major problem. Then FUF led the outreach plan to pass a ballot measure to allow the city to take back control of street trees. Measure E passed with 75 percent support and guarantees $19 million per year for street tree care in San Francisco .

The Friend of the Forest Award which recognizes a corporation and its leaders for their commitment to using trees and forests to achieve corporate sustainability goals and targets.

Procter & Gamble Family Care, Cincinnati, Ohio , USA:

Procter & Gamble Family Care is a major buyer of wood pulp used to make many of their familiar brands, with all of this material adhering to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) certifications. In addition, they are working with the American Forest Foundation (AFF) in the Carolinas for reforestation, landowner outreach and improved forestry management to bolster sustainable forestry efforts across the Carolinas.

Since 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation has recognized the inspiring and life-changing work of leading environmental stewards and tree planters through the annual Arbor Day Awards. Award winners from previous years include the late Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, the United States Forest Service, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

About the Arbor Day Foundation: The Arbor Day Foundation is a million-member nonprofit conservation and education organization with the mission to inspire people to plant, nurture and celebrate trees. More information is available at arborday.org.



SOURCE Arbor Day Foundation

Related Links

http://www.arborday.org


Guests can indulge their inner child in the Costa Rican playground of Nosara. The modern and stylish renovations honor The Gilded Iguana's 30 year-long history as a magnet to surfers, bikers, yoga and wildlife lovers, providing thoughtful new features for all. The Gilded Iguana's professionally trained instructors in surfing, mountain biking, yoga and other fitness classes provide both private and group lessons and all the equipment necessary for newbies to old pros.

After a day in the surf, biking downhill jungle trails, hours on the yoga mat, or just sitting poolside, The Gilded Iguana's new renovations will rejuvenate and inspire winter weary travelers. Rooms are equipped with high speed Wi-Fi, luxurious linens, secure surf board storage and more to coddle guests. Many rooms feature indoor/outdoor living space and showers.

Located on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, along the Pacific Coast in one of the world's five "Blue Zones," The Gilded Iguana epitomizes healthy and fun living. Embrace the Costa Rican lifestyle that has been shown to be the key to longevity through regional cuisine, social activities and having fun while working out.

Internationally acclaimed architect, Benjamin Garcia Saxe, designed The Gilded Iguana's environmentally sustainable transformation. Saxe and co-owner/project manager, Jeffrey Grosshandler, collaborated to modernize this storied hotel for surfers and outdoor lovers. The hotel retains its long history as a community gathering spot with its onsite dining, twice weekly live music events and a "can't miss" boutique gift store with curated treasures.

So ditch those winter boots and make a hot break to the newly renovated The Gilded Iguana Surf Hotel, where adventure and luxury are all in a day's play.

Guestrooms

The Gilded Iguana Surf Hotel has 29 beautifully and thoughtfully redesigned hotel guest rooms, including a Surfer Suite for large groups. The renovation process included construction of a new centerpiece pool, kids pool, and pool bar by Joan Roca, top Central American "Master Pool Designer." A property-wide organic bug repellant system provides a mosquito free setting.

Getting there

Nosara is a convenient getaway for travelers on most major carriers, who offer multiple daily flights to either San Jose or Liberia. From there, either ground transportation or a very short in-country flight completes the trip to the best adult playground imaginable.

A landmark at the beaches of Nosara, Costa Rica, The Gilded Iguana Hotel provides casual relaxation, comfort and splendid service to all guests. It is the ideal spot for travelers looking for a variety of activities and an affordable comfortable stay close to wildlife refuges and world-class surfing of Playa Guiones.

Facebook and Twitter: @gildediguana Instagram: @thegildediguana www.TheGildedIguana.com

SOURCE The Gilded Iguana Surf Hotel
The MPF Government MBS product was initially made available only to eligible participating members of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. Today, it has expanded to six Federal Home Loan Banks that can now offer the MPF Government MBS product to their members. "The interest in the MPF Government MBS product continues to grow helping to make more affordable lending available throughout the country," says John Stocchetti, Executive Vice President of the MPF Program. The MPF Program's partnership with Ginnie Mae continues to provide lenders a channel to the MBS marketplace and the ability to choose whether to retain or release servicing on the government loans they originate.

Ginnie Mae developed the first mortgage-backed security in 1970 which allowed for loans to be pooled in a security that could be sold in the secondary market. "This partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago is just the beginning of the productive partnerships that Ginnie Mae's charter allows and that we intend to leverage in the coming years," said Michael Bright, Ginnie Mae Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "These types of programs help to level the playing field for small and local financial institutions, help Ginnie Mae fulfill its core mission, and creates important opportunities for innovation in our mortgage system."

About the MPF Program

The MPF Program allows eligible Federal Home Loan Bank members to sell conventional conforming, government and jumbo loans to their Federal Home Loan Bank or other investors. To learn more visit fhlbmpf.com. "Mortgage Partnership Finance" and "MPF" are registered trademarks of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago.

About Ginnie Mae

Ginnie Mae is a wholly owned government corporation that attracts global capital into the housing finance system to support homeownership for veterans and millions of homeowners throughout the country. Ginnie Mae MBS programs directly support housing finance programs administered by the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the HUD Office of Public and Indian Housing, and the Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service. Ginnie Mae is the only MBS to carry the explicit full faith and credit of the United States Government.

SOURCE Mortgage Partnership Finance Program; Ginnie Mae

Related Links

http://fhlbmpf.com


"With the worldwide tissue business expected to yield continuous growth of 3.5 percent over the next few years, Tissue World's conference sessions provide invaluable insights into global trade and consumer trends, and sourcing and supply-chain shifts," said Agnes Gehot, deputy event director for Tissue World. "And the exhibition offers attendees a chance to see the latest technological innovations, such as recent achievements in TAD technology, live on the trade show floor."

More than 200 senior decision makers and technical specialists have registered for the three-day conference, themed "When Best in Class Isn't Good Enough: Identifying Hidden Dynamics to Optimize Business Performance."

For a list of conference delegates, visit:

http://www.tissueworld.com/miami/en-us/conference-delegates

Principal Tissue World Sponsors:

Stax Technologies -- Registration Area Sponsor

Voith GmbH & Co. -- Gala Dinner Sponsor

Trebor USA Corp. -- Visitor Bag Sponsor

BTG Group -- Lanyard Sponsor

For information about Tissue World Miami 2018, visit:

Registration

http://www.inscriptweb.com/Inscript/Gabarit/TW/indexingoVisitor.html

Exhibitor List

http://apps.ubmasia.com/exhlist/Tissue-World-Miami-2018/en/

Activities

http://www.tissueworld.com/miami/en-us/activities

Conference Agenda

http://www.tissueworld.com/miami/en-us/conference_day1

IMAGES: Photos from previous Tissue World events:

http://www.tissueworld.com/miami/en-us/gallery

ABOUT TISSUE WORLD

Tissue World Miami is part of the Tissue World international tissue industry event portfolio, established in 1993. The portfolio includes trade shows and conferences serving the tissue industry in the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Tissue World publishes Tissue World magazine, the independent news resource for the global tissue business. Tissue World Miami is organized by UBM Exhibition Singapore Pte Ltd., a unit of UBM plc (LON: UBM).

ABOUT UBM PLC

UBM plc is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. At our events people build relationships, close deals and grow their businesses. Our 3,750-plus people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors -- from fashion to pharmaceutical ingredients. These global networks, skilled, passionate people and market-leading events provide exciting opportunities for business people to achieve their ambitions.

MEDIA CONTACT

NewmanPR

Buck Banks

Office: +1-305-461-3300

[email protected]

SOURCE Tissue World - UBM

Related Links

http://www.tissueworld.com


SANTA CLARA, California, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital business and technology transformation organization Trianz is pleased to announce that Matthew (Matt) Feyling has joined the firm as a Vice President in its Analytics and Information Management Practice. Feyling has previously held leadership roles at a Big Data solutions group in the San Francisco Bay area, and will now oversee Trianz' client engagements in the West Coast region where he will focus on growing its client relationships, driving client value, and supporting client success.

Feyling has over 20 years of industry experience in designing analytical solutions and driving business adoption to ensure customer success. His role at Trianz will extend to enabling digital transformation at Fortune 1000 client organizations, specifically targeting Big Data, Data Science, and Data Engineering and Analytics Reporting initiatives.

Feyling said he looks forward to working with the Trianz leadership team to develop and advance key analytics service offerings such as Modern Data Architectures, Customer 360, Data Monetization, Marketing Analytics, and other data-centric initiatives which have become critical to digital transformations. He is also spearheading the firm's talent acquisition efforts to accommodate recent growth in the region. Todd Nash, the Trianz Analytics & Information Management Practice leader added, "We're all excited to have Matt on board. His experience, capabilities and collaborative style should prove to be a tremendous advantage for Trianz clients and our teams in achieving success through use of analytics that are playing a key role in enterprise transformation."

About Trianz

Trianz simplifies digital evolutions through effective strategies and excellence in execution. Collaborating with business and technology leaders, we help formulate and execute operational strategies to achieve intended business outcomes by bringing the best of consulting, technology experiences and execution models. Powered by knowledge, research, and perspectives, we enable clients to transition to a digital enterprise by leveraging Cloud, Analytics, Digital, Infrastructure and Security paradigms. With offices in Silicon Valley, Washington DC Metro, Rosemont, Chicago, Austin, Boston, Denver, Irvine, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Dubai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai, we serve Fortune 1000 and emerging organizations across industries globally. For more information, visit www.trianz.com.

Trianz Media Team

[email protected]

+1-408-387-5800

SOURCE Trianz

Related Links

http://www.trianz.com


HOLMDEL, N.J., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage (NYSE: VG), a business cloud communications leader, has received a second patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for innovations to its Adaptive Routing technology. This patent provides additional coverage that further enhances the reliability of message delivery to any device, worldwide.

Vonage's Adaptive Routing solution provides users with improved deliverability, low latency, and overall stability when using contextual communications services to send and receive text messages. Together with its unique direct-to-carrier network, this solution enables Vonage to continuously monitor multiple available routes for delivering text messages, and to select the best route among multiple options based on real-time, relative performance data of each route.

This latest patented technology (Pat. No. 9,853,884) broadens Vonage's Adaptive Routing patent coverage with a feature that enables replacement of a primary route for message delivery with an alternate route based on an automated risk analysis that indicates whether the quality of the primary route is likely to decrease.

"For customers that need a reliable, global messaging solution to deliver messages with speed and consistency, such as those in the retail space, Vonage's patented Adaptive Routing solution enhances the customer journey for a real-time and contextual experience," said Omar Javaid, Chief Product Officer for Vonage. "When it comes to message delivery, customer experience hinges on reliability, and this technology demonstrably improves our ability to route and deliver messages around the globe at scale."

Vonage received its first patent for the Adaptive Routing technology (Pat. No. 9,485,169) in December 2016.

Stop by the Vonage booth (1906) at Enterprise Connect or visit Vonage.com.

About Vonage

Vonage (NYSE:VG) is redefining business communications. True to our roots as a technology disruptor, we've embraced technology to transform how companies communicate to create better business outcomes. Our unique cloud communications platform brings together a robust unified communications solution with the agility of embedded, contextual communications APIs. This powerful combination enables businesses to collaborate more productively and engage their customers more effectively across messaging, chat, social media, video and voice.

The Company also provides a robust suite of feature-rich residential communication solutions.

Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Israel. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc.

(vg-a)

SOURCE Vonage

Related Links

http://www.vonage.com


BOERNE, Texas, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyle Courtney, groundwater industry expert and current owner of Wellstar Groundwater Technologies, has announced the launch of MyWaterWell.com.

MyWaterWell is a SaaS application designed to serve the needs of commercial and residential groundwater professionals, community water systems, regulatory agencies, individual well owners, and many others.

The application is the first ever graphically based information management system to be used in the groundwater industry.

"Like most innovation, MyWaterWell was born out of necessity," said Kyle Courtney. "Our decades of experience have taught us what's needed and we're excited to bring a practical solution to help solve one of our industry's greatest challenges," said Courtney.

This announcement comes in the middle of National Groundwater Awareness Week, declared by the National Groundwater Association (NGWA) from March 11-17, 2018. "Everyone should be concerned about groundwater, and we hope that our technology can make a significant impact in preserving it more efficiently," said Courtney.

MyWaterWell has entered final beta testing and will be available for subscriptions in the Spring of 2018.

ABOUT KYLE COURTNEY

Kyle Courtney has been in the business of drilling water wells in Texas for over 30 years. As a licensed driller and pump installer, he has drilled over 600 wells in the region. Over the last five years he has worked with regulatory bodies along with some of the most prominent groundwater monitoring scientists and systems and in the country to study the science of groundwater in Texas.

Courtney has worked with several municipalities as well as Fortune 500 companies including Cemex and Vulcan Materials, among others. He has been either directly or indirectly involved with the most technical projects in Texas relating to well yield studies and Aquifer Storage and Recovery systems.

CONTACT:

Chase Conner

210-634-0013

[email protected]

SOURCE Wellstar Groundwater Technologies

Related Links

http://www.mywaterwell.com


The Tokyo District Court on Tuesday ordered restaurant chain operator Foods Forus Co. to pay 169 million ($1.58 million) to the families of three victims who died from food poisoning after eating raw meat at one of its barbecue restaurants in 2011.

While the court awarded damages to the plaintiffs, it ruled that the former president of Foods Forus, which is filing for special liquidation, was not guilty of gross negligence. The plaintiffs had sought around 209 million in damages and medical treatment expenses from the company and the former president.

Around 180 customers developed symptoms of food poisoning after dining at six Yakiniku-zakaya Ebisu restaurants in four prefectures - Kanagawa, Toyama, Ishikawa, and Fukui - in April 2011. A strain of E. coli, O-111, was found in many of the victims.

Five died due to illness. Nine plaintiffs, including the families of three who died after eating at the outlet in Tonami, Toyama Prefecture, sued the company and the former president in October 2014. - Japan Times
White Castle Hosts Royal Wedding in Las Vegas for National Contest Winners

White Castle's Royal Couple, Adam and Whitney, were wed at the iconic Las Vegas Strip location prior to luxurious honeymoon in Belgium
Wakanda, home to the King and his people, is the most technologically advanced nation in the world. Wanderlusters finding themselves in Wakanda Park, Wisconsin, which has a population of fewer than 20,000**, might not find any holographic beads or nanotechnology suits, but they will not be disappointed as the destination boasts a waterpark.

Since spotting the spike in searches to Wakanda Park, Wisconsin, the travel experts at Hotels.com noticed similar peaks in demand for other Wakanda namesakes around the world, as fans desperately seek out the home of the superhero.

Wauconda, Illinois (pronounced identically to Wakanda) was up more than 25% and Makanda, also in Illinois, was up over 40% year-on-year. Further afield, Wakaya, in Fiji was up over 235% and Wakkanai in Japan enjoyed a more than 55% year-on-year uplift.

Scott Ludwig, from Hotels.com brand commented: "Our hotel portfolio spans more than 200 counties and territories around the world but not Wakanda just yet. We're looking into it!"

"The film has touched the hearts and minds of millions of film fans around the world. We regularly see that pop culture inspires travel choices and in a surprising way, this is no exception. We love that travelers are seeking the Black Panther's homeland, from Wisconsin to Japan. Wakanda forever!"

For those who make the pilgrimage to Wakanda Park, Wisconsin, Hotels.com recommends staying at:

Best Western Plus Menomonie Inn & Suites - This hotel scores a heroic 9.2 rating from Hotels.com genuine guest reviews. Located minutes from Wakanda Park , guests can enjoy its indoor pool and fitness center, so they can train to become as buff as the superhero himself. Rooms available from $113 per room per night***.

This hotel scores a heroic 9.2 rating from Hotels.com genuine guest reviews. Located minutes from , guests can enjoy its indoor pool and fitness center, so they can train to become as buff as the superhero himself. Rooms available from per room per night***. Hampton Inn & Suites Menomonie-UW Stout - Located just off North Broadway Street, this great value hotel is just a stone's throw from Wakanda Park . It may not be as techy as the most technologically-advanced nation on earth, but it does offer free Wi-Fi to all its guests. Rooms available from $109 per room per night.

- Located just off North Broadway Street, this great value hotel is just a stone's throw from . It may not be as techy as the most technologically-advanced nation on earth, but it does offer free Wi-Fi to all its guests. Rooms available from per room per night. Cobblestone Inn & Suites at UW Stout Downtown Menomonie - Located in the heart of Menomonie , this hotel is rated 'exceptional' with a score of 9.8 from Hotels.com genuine guest reviews. Enjoy a breakfast of champions at the buffet after a super comfortable night's sleep in this Marvel-ous hotel, less than 10 minutes' drive from Wakanda Park . Rooms available from $105 per room per night.

Hotels.com recommends the following futuristic hotels for those looking to channel their inner superhero and vibe on the most technophile properties in this universe:

Dream Downtown Hotel , New York , United States of America

Fully clad in perforated metal, this stunning hotel would fit in well in Wakanda. The Dream Downtown is in the trendy Meatpacking District and boasts a large glass-bottomed pool, a poolside bar and a rooftop lounge, which offers dazzling night-time views along with live DJs and cocktails. Large porthole windows frame views of the city, making the 314 guestrooms stylish and indulgent. Wi-Fi and flat-screen LED TVs featuring wireless keyboards and laptop connectivity provide the high-tech edge. Rooms available from $349 per room per night.

Fully clad in perforated metal, this stunning hotel would fit in well in Wakanda. The Dream Downtown is in the trendy Meatpacking District and boasts a large glass-bottomed pool, a poolside bar and a rooftop lounge, which offers dazzling night-time views along with live DJs and cocktails. Large porthole windows frame views of the city, making the 314 guestrooms stylish and indulgent. Wi-Fi and flat-screen LED TVs featuring wireless keyboards and laptop connectivity provide the high-tech edge. Rooms available from per room per night. Huis Ten Bosch Henn na Hotel , Sasebo, Japan

Henn, meaning 'to change' in Japanese, is a futuristic hotel where guests will meet robots  lots of robots. From the multi-lingual robotic dinosaurs at the check-in desk, to the robotic arm that stores guests' luggage, or the robot porter who delivers bags to the rooms, guests will find themselves submerged in this ultra-technological world. This is a perfect break after a day of visiting the Huis Ten Bosch theme park the hotel resides in. Rooms available from $223 per room per night.

Henn, meaning 'to change' in Japanese, is a futuristic hotel where guests will meet robots  lots of robots. From the multi-lingual robotic dinosaurs at the check-in desk, to the robotic arm that stores guests' luggage, or the robot porter who delivers bags to the rooms, guests will find themselves submerged in this ultra-technological world. This is a perfect break after a day of visiting the Huis Ten Bosch theme park the hotel resides in. Rooms available from per room per night. Hotel Puerta America , Madrid, Spain

The design of this hotel is seriously sci-fi. As guests lay on the bed and stare at the slick ceiling, they may have the sensation of floating in space. The rooms, designed by Pritzker award-winners including Zaha Hadid and Jean Nouvel , will make guests feel a step closer to outer space without leaving Earth. It's also located in the heart of super-cool Madrid . Rooms available from $202 per room per night.

The design of this hotel is seriously sci-fi. As guests lay on the bed and stare at the slick ceiling, they may have the sensation of floating in space. The rooms, designed by Pritzker award-winners including and , will make guests feel a step closer to outer space without leaving Earth. It's also located in the heart of super-cool . Rooms available from per room per night. Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi , United Arab Emirates

Nothing embodies futuristic advancement like an island created by humans. Dominating the man-made Yas Island is the epitome of Abu Dhabi elegance  the Yas Hotel. Sleek curves and LED lights make up the incredible canopy of changing colors. One of the hotel's main highlights is the possibility to watch race cars zoom by on the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit at the hotel's feet. Rooms available from $156 per room per night.

Nothing embodies futuristic advancement like an island created by humans. Dominating the man-made is the epitome of elegance  the Yas Hotel. Sleek curves and LED lights make up the incredible canopy of changing colors. One of the hotel's main highlights is the possibility to watch race cars zoom by on the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit at the hotel's feet. Rooms available from per room per night. Container Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Container Hotel offers ultra-modern, affordable accommodation located in Kuala Lumpur's Golden Triangle. This eco-friendly hotel is built from renewable freight containers and features stylish rooms equipped with free Wi-Fi access. Minimalism is the aesthetic of the day at The Container Hotel  with the rooms true to the hotel's name. Rooms available from $47 per room per night.

Notes to editors

*Hotels.com search data is for January and February 2018 compared to January and February 2017

**According to the 2010 census

*** Hotel prices are a from price as of March 13, not including tax, are per room per night and are subject to availability

About Hotels.com

Hotels.com is the place to go if you're looking for a place to stay. We really love travel and we know you do too. That's why we make it really easy to book with us. With hundreds of thousands of places to stay around the world and 90 local websites in 41 languages, Hotels.com has it all. So, whether you're looking for value in Vegas, treehouses in Thailand or villas in Venezuela, it's all just a click away. And with our "Reward-winning" loyalty program you earn free* nights while you sleep and get access to instant savings like Secret Priceswhat could be better? Booking just got smarter too. With over 25 million real guest reviews and an app so easy to use that it's been downloaded more than 60 million times, you can be sure to find the perfect place for you.

*Free nights are only available on select, participating properties. Maximum value of the free night is the average of daily rate of the 10 paid nights and doesn't include taxes or fees. See site for details.

 2018 Hotels.com, LP. Hotels.com and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CST #2083949-50

For further information, please contact;

Alex Lee

Phone: (214) 613-0025

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Hotels.com

Related Links

http://www.hotels.com


Expert observer

Melbourne has a serious problem. Most of its job growth is in the CBD, yet most of its population growth is at the far extremes of the city. Its the same in other big Australian cities, like Sydney.

Getting people to work is becoming harder. Many people take more than an hour to commute each way. They could better spend this time with their families, or at work; commuting time is wasted time.

There are three ways we might tackle this:

change the planning rules to let more people live near the centre

improve the freeways and railways so that people can commute more quickly

promote job growth away from the CBD.

We almost certainly need to do all three.

The Victorian Planning Authority (VPA) has identified three places in the west of the city  Footscray, Sunshine and Werribee  where jobs should be developed. The Victorian government is on the cusp of making major decisions that could convert these potential employment hubs into actuality. There are three big development proposals before the government that could make a difference. It would be a pity if it missed these opportunities.

Change of tack is needed

At the moment the Victorian governments main strategy is to improve the infrastructure. This is a very expensive solution.

In parallel, the Planning Authority has been working to improve population density by allowing more high-rise housing, particularly around main railway stations and tramlines. However, resistance from local residents has made it hard to increase density in the middle suburbs.

We have seen very little effort so far in Melbourne to create job opportunities within the city but away from the CBD. The planners have identified several potential employment hubs but have not figured out how to create jobs there. This has been a failure of state governments over recent decades.

The problem is most acute in the west of the city. On current growth trends, by 2030 there will be a shortage of 100,000 jobs in the west; that many extra people will have to commute out every day.

Whats on the drawing board?

At Footscray, the key decision is where to locate the new hospital. The best opportunity for future employment would be to put it next to Victoria University to exploit co-investment and synergies between the two. This would accelerate Footscrays emergence as a professional services hub.

The payoffs in terms of jobs will be much greater than if the hospital is built well away from the centre of Footscray, which is the other main option. The decision is a test of whether the government really intends to create a polycentric city or not.

At Werribee, the decision is whether to go ahead with the proposed Australian Education City. This is an ambitious proposal to develop a completely new technology city, mixing technology companies, universities, research laboratories and suitable housing. There would be significant public infrastructure needs to complement the private investment.

The big advantage for Melbourne would be that it gains a major new technology precinct. It is an important proposal for the west because the region has very few jobs in IT, computing and e-commerce.

The third big opportunity lies in the rail connection between Sunshine and the airport at Tullamarine. With Sunshine the hub for regional rail and well connected to the CBD, the proposed airport link adds a major new facility that Melbourne lacks. It would also transform Sunshine, making it an important focal point for hotels and other airport-oriented businesses.

While the state Labor government has proposed this alternative, the post-2025 start date makes it less valuable as a city-shaping investment.

To maintain the quality of life of its residents, Melbourne badly needs to create new poles of employment. The west of the city has some of the fastest population growth in the nation. What is lacks is a commitment from government to growing jobs in the region and away from the CBD.

The location of the Footscray hospital, the decision on the Australian Education City, and the timing of the airport rail link are once-in-a-generation choices. Let us hope the government makes decisions that will support dispersed job growth. Failure to do so will make Melbourne a much less attractive place to live in future.

Rodney Maddock, Vice Chancellor's Fellow at Victoria University and Adjunct Professor of Economics, Monash University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
The property industry is buzzing, with subscribers to the Avdiev Property Remuneration Report 2018 suggesting business conditions are better than ever in 2018.

97% of subscribers to the Avdiev Report are doing well or very well, none are doing badly, according to Avdiev.

Rita Avdiev, managing director of the Avdiev Group, says the speed of property activity is ramping up.

From a slow start in January, companies expect to be flat out till Christmas and beyond.

Property salary rises are up again, well above the general workforce 1.8% (ABS) and CPI 1.9 percent increases.

The juniors are doing best in the pay stakes, especially in development, design and building.

The report found that shortages of competent staff with desirable skills and attitudes are keenly felt by employers.



The young are outpacing their seniors in the race for remuneration rises.

The young are the future of the industry says Avdiev.

Recognized and rewarded at last, they are pushing the boundaries, bypassing old hierarchies and may bring some much needed change into attitudes and working relationships of the 21st Century.

The RBA no longer frets about the property bubble. Its new focus is on Australia's fast growing economy, expecting the flow on effect of rising company profits to lift pay levels in the general workforce this year.

The report found that the commercial sector is set to provide the most work, with competition forcing retail assets into redevelopment.

A solid two year pipeline of work is predicted, most from the commercial sector with foreign fund inflow, asset growth and capital raisings the source.

The Avdiev Property Industry Remuneration Report  is published annually in March.

It is the product of a formal Australia wide survey of property, investment, construction employers and built environment related consulting companies. It gives vital information on current remuneration ...
If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity.

PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move.
News

World news

The EC investigates the Romanian energy producer CE Hunedoara

AUTHOR: publics.bg



 pexels.com



The European Commission launched an investigation of the energy producer Complexul Energetic Hunedoara. The aim is to assess if the number of public support measures received by the energy producer are in line with EU rules on State aid to companies in difficulty, cited Reuters.

CE Hunedoara is a Romanian State-owned electricity and heat producer based in Petrosani, Hunedoara County. It operates hard coal mines to fuel its power plants. The company has a market share of approximately 5% of Romanian electricity generation, and employs around 6 600 people. CE Hunedoara was incorporated in 2012 with assets previously held by other insolvent and liquidated State-owned companies.

In 2013, the company started loss-making. On 21 April 2015, the Commission approved temporary rescue aid of 37.7 million to CE Hunedoara. In the context of this decision, Romania committed to submit a restructuring plan to ensure the future viability of the company, if the company failed to pay back the rescue aid in six months' time. In another decision from 20 April 2015, the Commission concluded that CE Hunedoara had to repay around 6 million of incompatible State aid.

In January 2016, under Romanian law, CE Hunedoara entered into formal insolvency proceedings with more than 500 million debt owed to various State bodies. This includes a number of state loans and the State aid that CE Hunedoara received. In the meantime, the insolvency proceedings have been suspended pending an appeal by trade unions before a Romanian regional court.

EU State aid rules only allow a state intervention for a company in financial difficulty under specific conditions, requiring in particular that the company is subject to a sound restructuring plan to ensure its return to long-term viability, that the company contributes to the cost of its restructuring and that any competition distortions are limited. But CE Hunedoara restructuring plan does not foresee a discernible contribution of the company to the costs of restructuring nor measures to limit possible distortions of competition as a result of the significant State support.

At this stage, the Commission has doubts whether the proposed restructuring plan could restore the long-term viability of the company without continued State aid.

The Commission will now investigate further to find out whether its initial concerns are confirmed. At the same time, the Commission will continue to work closely with Romanian authorities to find a viable solution for CE Hunedoara's assets that will ensure they continue to supply electricity, reduce costs for consumers and limit the burden on Romanian taxpayers.
Ted Dekker is never one to shy away from the hard questions of life. He looks at the darkest parts of us and shines light on that darkness in novels such as Blink of an Eye (Thomas Nelson, 2012), THR3E (Center Street, 2010), and the four books in the Circle series published by Thomas Nelson.

Now Dekker, who has sold more than 10 million books, has a new publisher and a new, two-book series. The 49th Mystic is first in the Beyond the Circle series being published May 15 by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. It takes readers back to the Circle universe. In the original series, Thomas Hunter, hero of the Circle books, must bridge two worlds, one threatened by a lethal virus and the other threatened by dark powers held at bay by a resistance group known as The Circle. This time Samuel of Hunter, Thomas son, is part of the fight against evil in his world.

Its the first book in two years for Dekker. He told PW, I came to a point where I realized I needed to let go of my identity as a writer, husband, father and search for my identity as a human. This is a natural progression of the journey Ive been on for decades, to understand who I am and why Im here.

The 49th Mystic is also the story of Rachelle Matthews, a blind girl in Eden, Utah, who dreams of another world. She wonders which world is real and which is the dream as she wakes up in one place or the other, sometimes blind and sometimes seeing. Soon, Rachelle finds out shes the 49th Mystic, the one prophesied in the Books of History, the scripture of the Circle society, who must recover five ancient seals hidden in both worlds before her enemies find and destroy her.

This is a continuation of the Circle series, but a standalone, said Dekker. They are independent stories that intersect. The whole device in this novel is a girl who is dreaming of a reality that feels real, and when she falls asleep in that reality she wakes up in this one. It begs the question that if were living in a dream, what makes reality more real than the kingdom currently at hand. What makes spiritual reality less or more real than physical reality?

The second book in the series, The Rise of the Mystics, releases in October. He wrote the first drafts of both books in a motor home he purchased for the occasion. Hed fill it with food, then drive from his Nashville home into the Smoky Mountains and stay for 12 to 14 days. He made the trip multiple times.

The three-hour drive over there was my wardrobe into Narnia, into the world where I became the protagonist and all the characters, said Dekker, who watched documentaries, studied quantum physics, and read books from all religious traditions to learn about the nature of reality.

The 49th Mystic is his 40th book and the culmination of everything Ive written," Dekker said. This new book, he added, is written to show Christians that "we spend most of our lives completely blind about who we are. Dekker equates Rachelles harrowing journey to find the five seals with a Christians journey to find true perspective on who they are in Gods eyes.

However, The 49th Mystic can be read by anyone interested in awakening out of fear into the light of love, said Dekker. Were all on the same journey. Im writing authentically about my (journey), my audiences, and every human beings journey. We need to know that the journey from fear to Gods love is possible, and its the only thing that matters.
Mother's Day is not a biblical holiday but the Good Book might have been the first to laud the virtuous wife and mother. Proverb 31: 28 details  Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her

Now, add to that, her mother, her mother-in-law and her gal-pals and you have a hint of the modern day publishing niche aimed at the gift-buyers for the May 13 holiday. This spring, shoppers will find books by daughters celebrating the faith, love, and wisdom their mothers taught them and moms encouraging each other in the fray of parenting and married life.

For folks who havent written their mothers lately, authors Kara Lawler and Regan Long have done it for them. Their book, A Letter for Every Mother, (FaithWords, April 3) is a collection of epistles to celebrate, inspire  and commiserate with -- mothers in every walk of life.

Never-shy celebrity Tyra Banks, model and TV host, and her mother, Carolyn London, share the lessons that inspired Tyras success in Perfect Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me about Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss. (Penguin/TarcherPerigee, April 17)

The Audacious Molly Bruno (FaithWords, April 17) was written by Brunos daughter, Marie Armenia, to celebrate her moms Godly  and hilarious  mentoring and encourage older moms to mentor their adult children with their wisdom and faith.

For the get-real readers who know how the seesaw of motherhoods delights and disasters rocks in their lives, publishers offer books by moms (and one dad) for moms (and dads, getting an early jump on Father's Day).

In One Beautiful Dream: The Rollicking Tale of Family Chaos, Personal Passions, and Saying Yes to Them Both (Zondervan, May 1) Jennifer Fulwiler, Sirius XM radio host on the Catholic Channel and a mother of six, shares how she learned to embrace everything that truly matters  with Gods help and a sense of humor.

Going Solo: Hope and Healing for the Single Mom or Dad by Robert Beeson (Focus on the Family, April 1). Beeson, founder of faith-based music company iShine Records, addresses the fears and exhaustion of single parenting and discusses how to gain strength and courage for each day.

Feeling imperfect? There are mom-books for that  offering solace in faith and welcome infusions of humor as well.

Jamie Sumner, in Unbound: Finding Freedom from Unrealistic Expectations of Motherhood (FaithWords, April 10) describes her journey through infertility and special needs parenting. He trip has not been easy, but Sumner found in the Bible stories of women who show her comfort, hope, companionship and triumph in releasing herself in Gods hands.

The Better Mom blogger Ruth Schwenk has a book by the same title (Zondervan, April 24) that contradicts the bless-the-mess trend. Instead, writes Schwenk, recognize that just as God is using us to shape our children, God is using our children and motherhood to shape us.

Of course, whats a list without something Amish. This Mothers Day entry is a Charlotte Hubbard novel, A Mothers Gift (Kensington, March) about a young Amish woman who struggles to be a stepmother  until an abandoned baby is left on their doorstep.

It will, as always, have a happy, faithful ending.
Stephen Hawking, the groundbreaking theoretical physicist and cosmologist who died Wednesday at age 76, was an atheist who none-the-less sparked debate about God and religion with his books.

Although he lived more than five decades with a motor neuron disease that usually kills people within three years, he saw no miracles and to the end, he thought heaven was a fairy story.

In his 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, which spent 147 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, he said if we ever understood why the universe exists, It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then, we would know the mind of God. Later, however, he told a journalist for El Mundo he meant, We would know everything God would know if there were a God, which there isn't. I'm an atheist."

Hawkings last science book,The Grand Design, (with physicist Leonard Mlodinow), published in 2010 and a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, discussed the most current theories of the origins of this universe  and many other universes. Hawking began by saying that current scientific theories predict a great many universes were created out of nothing. Their creation does not require the intervention of some supernatural being or god. Rather these multiple universes arise naturally from physical law.

And he concluded it by tossing off God: Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.

Some Christians argued right back.

Popular apologetics author Lee Strobel, in Case for a Creator, interviewed believers who disputed Hawking and concluded the intelligent designer has to have been a supernatural force -- God.

In 2011, Oxford Mathematician and evangelical Christian John Lennoxs book God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design is it Anyway argued that Hawkings inadequate idea of God position only makes God more, not less, probable.

But one of the most famous popularizers of cosmology, Neil deGrasse Tyson, who calls himself an agnostic, wrote in Death by Black Hole, a 2006 collection of science essays: So youre made of detritus [from exploded stars]. Get over it. Or better yet, celebrate it. After all, what nobler thought can one cherish than that the universe lives within us all?
Do we need to apply compassion to our political enemies? author George Saunders asked during his keynote note address at the 2018 Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference held in Tampa, Fla., March 7-10.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Saunders, who received the 2017 Man Booker Prize for Lincoln In the Bardo and was talking about covering the Trump rallies for The New Yorker. "But I don't mean we have to be gentle, he said to a standing-room crowd of 1,800 people. This years AWP conference, which featured 2,000 presenters and 600 exhibitors, was held at the Tampa Convention Center, along Tampa Bay. Total attendance was 10,000, down from 12,000 last year due in part to snow storms in the Northeast that caused flight cancellations.

In addition to Saunders' insistence on compassionboth in life and in writing fictionanother theme of the conference was identity. There were panels such as Knowing Your Place: Identity and Space in Young Adult Fiction, Dont Ask Me Where Im From: Exploring Beauty and Bravery in Stories About Muslims, and Creatures from the Black Lagoon: Feminist Writing from the Deep South of Florida.

One panel, The Ecstasy and the Laundry, moderated by fiction writer Jess Row, explored identity and gender stereotypes within families of writers. Fiction writer Caitlin Horrocks expressed the importance of establishing writing times when having children, You need to have a conversation about what happens after that first year of having a child. Harrocks husband, poet W. Todd Kaneko noted how many male writers had as many books as wives: "I"m not going to be that dad." Critic and NBCC president Kate Tuttle, speaking on her own identity as a writer said, My husband [Kevin Young] is a poet and for years Id meet some of his fellow poets and they were surprised that I have my own career as a critic.

Many of the panels addressed the craft of writing and the role of criticism. Graywolf Press publisher Fiona McCrae moderated a panel with Maud Casey, Christopher Castellani, and Edwidge Danticat based on the books they wrote for Graywolf's The Art Of series. I love to read beautiful criticism, and it is an art in itself but in that space I feel like a visitor, said Danticat. I approach it more like a conversation between passionate readers.

Colette Bancroft, book editor of the Tampa Bay Times, moderated a discussion between novelists Nathan Englander and Lauren Groff on, among other things, the importance on getting feedback during the writing process. "Its massively important, said Groff. My husband, as a general reader, is my first reader. Then I have a great group of readers, then my agent and my editor. Englander observed that it took me a while to realize that the book is a living thing."

Kate Tuttle moderated a discussion between Jeffrey Eugenides, Lorrie Moore, and Dana Spiotta. The conversation ranged from ideas (I collect juicy stories, said Moore, talking about people she knows, and I will take things from your life and put them into fiction) and on false starts and failures ( It all feels like one long failure, said Spiotta, to which the packed room of attendees responded with a communal laugh).

Many of the participants commented that while the conference wasnt as crowded as last year, they felt they were able to have more intimate conversations and were generally pleased. AWP always feels invigorating, said Cordelia Calvert, senior publicist at Liveright/Norton, which had a booth at the event. And its so refreshing to see such a robust and devoted community come out to visit the presses they love.

Joey Franklin, assistant professor of English at Brigham Young University, also gave the conference and venue high marks. I've been to AWP every year since 2008, said Franklin, noting that this conference had a particularly good mix of craft and pedagogy. As for Tampa, Franklin said, Everyone I talked to wished Tampa's downtown was a little more lively, but the waterfront, palm trees, and the blue skies may have ruined me for future conferences in less temperate climates.
A satellite-delivered video-on-demand (VOD) service is being proposed by Algerie Telecom Satellite (ATS), when Algerias Alcomsat-1 becomes operational later this year.





Part of a triple-play offering alongside high-speed Internet and voice telephony, the Algerie Telecom satellite subsidiary will partner two public companies to realise the project. ANS will work with the National Enterprise of Electronic Industries (ENIE) and the Algerian Industry of Telephony (INATEL) for the production of the turnkey system that would include an antenna, a modem and a satellite receiver, reported ITWeb Africa.This project aims to provide a service dedicated to individuals through the recently launched Algerian telecommunications satellite, Alcomsat-1. The acquisition of a pack of ATS allows the consumer to have only one antenna with added value, said Mohamed Anouar Benabdelouahad, president and CEO, ATS. Alcomsat-1 was launched in December 2017 by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) aboard a Long March 3B rocket. The satellite will support TV broadcasting as well as broadband communications for remote education, e-government and other services.Expected to commence service by July, Alcomsat-1 will be operated by the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL).
In January, U.S. President Donald Trumps frustration with the Iran nuclear deal got the better of him as he set a 12 May deadline for its renegotiation. But meeting this goal is impossible in the current environment. As a result, in an unnecessary and counterproductive move, it looks like the U.S. will walk away from the deal.

Trump described the deal as the worst ever while continuing to actively chip away at it. In October 2017, he refused to certify Iranian compliance with the deal, despite renewing sanctions waivers one month earlier.

Under the nuclear deal, the White House must suspend sanctions on Iran every 120 days. This was intended to bypass the U.S. Congress, which was unlikely to approve legislation to completely lift U.S. sanctions on Iran; like the Europeans did, for example. Early this year, Trump again reluctantly renewed U.S. sanctions waivers on Iran.

But its been problematic. Trump hates re-examining compliance every three months because its a reminder of a campaign promise he hasnt fulfilled. As a result, after months of threatening to walk away from the deal, in January Trump set the controversial deadline of 12 May to either fix the deals disastrous flaws, or the United States will withdraw.

The Trump administration wants the European powers to help it negotiate a better deal with Iran. By better, he means granting International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors immediate access to Iranian nuclear facilities whenever the P5+1 demands it and halting Irans ballistic missile program.

Interestingly, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson walked back some of Trumps demands a few weeks later, stating that these improvements would be done on the side, and would not vitiate the fundamentals of the Iran nuclear deal.

Europe has confirmed multiple times that Iran is complying with the nuclear deal. The IAEA  the organisation in charge of monitoring Iranian compliance with the deal  also confirmed this. In fact, the IAEA has done so nine times to date. For the IAEA, the deal is doing what it was supposed to, and any party walking away from it would be a great loss for nuclear verification and multilateralism.

For the U.S., walking away from the nuclear deal is counterproductive. Putting aside the disastrous consequences for its credibility as a negotiator and ally, the U.S. wont benefit by walking away.

Even without walking away from the deal, however, Trump has fostered an equivalent environment of uncertainty for Iran.

Indeed, uncertainty works against effective sanctions relief. Since January 2016, when sanctions were lifted, business has been slow to trickle back into Iran. But the continued uncertainty makes this worse. Financial institutions and businesses wont finalise arrangments, or will refrain from financing, because its unclear if the nuclear deal will survive. The uncertainty also puts the potential for a U.S. change of mind on sanctions relief back on the table, meaning that companies could suddenly find themselves in breach of U.S. sanctions. In short, the current situation has the same effect as reimposing sanctions or walking away from the deal.

Whats more, the U.S. walking away from the deal actually weakens the rest of the P5+1s ability to continue to obtain concessions from Iran. Some in Europe, especially the French, pushed for curbs on Irans controversial missile program not covered by the nuclear deal. This was something Iranian officials had shown some willingness to discuss under a more-for-more deal whereby they could agree to some limits on their program in exchange for more carrots.

But that option went out the window when the U.S. demonstrated it couldnt be trusted in multilateral settings and would use its temporary sanctions relief against Iran. Today, those who wanted to continue dialogue in Tehran are having second thoughts.

The longevity and the effectiveness of the nuclear deal depend on the carrots  the benefits Iran gets  as much as the sticks. If Iran cant feel the positive economic effects of the deal, then what incentive does it have to continue respecting it?

While Europeans are doing their best to mitigate a potential U.S. withdrawal from the deal, if Trump walks away it will be difficult to ensure that Iran continues to benefit from the agreement. And if the deal collapses, then what?

Trumps policy only works if an alternative to the nuclear deal is in place. And Iran wont agree to more talks, or to another deal after the first one wasnt been respected. If Trump wants more concessions from Iran, then his best bet is to stick to the deal and show Iran what it stands to gain from more concessions.

Dina Esfandiary is a CSSS Fellow in the War Studies department at Kings College London, and a non-resident Adjunct Fellow in the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Middle East Programme in Washington D.C.

This article appeared originally at Lowy Institute's the interpreter.
THE CHANCE

As the Islamic State in the Levant and Syria (ISIL) tore through Iraq and Syria, there was a brief opportunity to reframe the political geography and future of the Middle East. It would have been tantalizing, but for a moment the possibility of creating a Kurdish state existed.

There are legitimate arguments against the creation of a Kurdish state. There are also moral and pragmatic reasons to find the status quo in the Middle East unacceptable. The post-Ottoman region requires new ideas to correct a century of imperial exploitation, political instability, and violent religious extremism. The creation of a recognized Kurdish state could have been the linchpin for stability in a 21st-century Middle East.

A CHANGING REGION

Tunisians protest outside the gates to the French Embassy in Tunis during the Arab Spring. (Fethi Belaid /AFP/Getty Images)

Within the modern geopolitical context, there is very little practical argument for a Kurdish state. Though a large, and largely autonomous group, the Kurdish population is split primarily amongst five countries, and their territory is landlocked among neighbors unsympathetic to their aspiration of statehood. These factors have weakened the Kurdish position and stalled their dreams of independence for decades. But, the Arab Spring unleashed a revolution that could have altered the strongman-paradigm of the 20th-century Middle East. Dictatorships fell, and the upheaval created space for new actors in the region, particularly in Syria.

One of these actors is ISIL. The neo-caliphate spawned in Syria and conquered wide swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. Imposing harsh sharia law, ISIL attracted recruits from around the world and continued an effective offense, threatening both Iraq and Syria.

The Kurds were among the few actors in the region capable of effectively combating ISIL. The militants routed the Iraqi Army, and Syrian forces were consumed in their battle with various rebel groups  including ISIL  to focus exclusively on the caliphates territorial expansion. ISILs rampage through the Middle East brought them into contact, and conflict, with the Kurds in northern Syria and Iraq. The geographic boundaries of the Middle East were momentarily redrawn, and the window for a Kurdish state briefly opened.

HISTORY MEETS THE MOMENT

Considered the worlds largest stateless group, an estimated around 25 million Kurds live in Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, and Iran. The Kurds have occupied this area for centuries, and count among their most famous figures the great Muslim conqueror Saladin. Like other ethnic groups, the Kurds spent centuries under Ottoman rule, but after World War I their path diverged from many of the regions other peoples.

The Arabian Commission to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference and its advisors. In front, Emir Feisal with, from left to right, Mohanned Rustum Bey Haidar of Baalbek, Brigadier General Nuri Pasha Said, Captain Pisani, T.E. Lawrence and Capt. Hassan Bey Kadri. (Clio Visualizing History)

The Great Wars European victors gave little regard to the concerns of distinct local populations when drawing the boundaries of the modern region. The promises made to various local interests in exchange for support against the Ottomans were often contradictory, and while some promises were fulfilled the arbitrary borders of the post-Ottoman Middle East did not necessarily reflect the histories or ambitions of those living within the newly formed nations, including the Kurds.

The Middle East has lurched from crisis to crisis over the last century. Many countries exist in states of ephemeral stability, too strong and strict to invite full rebellion, too illegitimate and repressive to ensure true peace and prosperity. Leaders exploit religious and ethnic divisions and use divisive politics to increase their holds on power. Many have suffered, but the stateless Kurds are particularly at risk, suffering from ongoing violent repression by the Turkish government to biological weapons attacks from Saddam Hussein.

Until very recently, geopolitical realities did not lend themselves to addressing the desires of the Kurdish people for statehood. The collapse of Syria and the birth of ISIL changed that paradigm. After a decade of rebuilding Iraq, the United States could not watch the country collapse in the face of ISILs onslaught. The American public was appalled by the groups barbaric murders, but weary of direct intervention after years of foreign wars. Instead, America searched for reliable ground partners to support with training and airpower. They found the Kurds.

WHAT DIDNT HAPPEN NEXT

Although the Kurds were fighting for their survival, they also had a clear objective in their war against the Islamic State: to claim territory. Like the caliphate, the Kurds wanted land for a nation and saw an opportunity in the Syrian cauldron. Although the United States collaborated with and supported the Peshmerga, there were no promises or commitments to Kurdish national aspirations. Still, the United States supported the Kurds knowing they were pursuing territorial ambitions and, possibly, statehood.

ALTHOUGH THE KURDS WERE FIGHTING FOR THEIR SURVIVAL, THEY ALSO HAD A CLEAR OBJECTIVE IN THEIR WAR AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE: TO CLAIM TERRITORY.

Without a plan for how to deal with the power vacuum in Syria post-ISIL, the United States supported Kurdish forces who pushed into Syria and invited an aggressive response from Turkey, a NATO ally. The instability in Syria and tensions between Turkey and the Kurds increases the likelihood of a larger regional conflict that may force more direct US involvement. Both the Obama and Trump administrations failed to prepare for the current scenario, even while knowing the Kurds were using the cover of US air strikes to capture territory for a future homeland.

Had the United States acted early and decisively to create dialogue among key regional actors, the blueprint for a new, more sustainable Middle East could have been drawn. Geopolitical realities and the American commitment to defeating ISIL combined to open a brief window for the creation of a Kurdish state.

THE FRAMEWORK

Rather than a precise plan, the details of which would require intense negotiations, it is useful to ask: What preconditions would need to be in place for a Kurdish state to be feasible? There are five major considerations that must be addressed: geographic; economic; military; political; and demographic.

Geographically, a new Kurdish state would comprise territory in the semi-autonomous region of northern Iraq as well as any Syrian territory previously held by ISIL but captured by the Kurds. Thus, the new state would abutt Turkey, Iran, Syria, and Iraq, but only consist of territory once belonging to the latter two nations. The borders of the new state would be policed predominantly by the security forces of Kurdistan and the neighboring countries, except in the case of Turkey, where initially an international peacekeeping force would maintain border security. The Kurdish economy would be dominated by oil production. Being landlocked, the Kurds would need to sign economic treaties to ensure the export of Kurdish oil, particularly to Iraqi refineries, which is where they ship much of the oil produced in northern Iraq. Militarily the Kurds are quite capable, but the they possess limited capacity for offensive strikes. A new state would require a security apparatus to police itself and its borders, but should agree to limit the size and scope of its military forces and, ideally, would agree to non-aggression pacts with neighbors as well as Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon. Politically, the new state would be based on the inclusive, self-representative model used by Iraqi Kurds and the Peshmerga. History suggests this important political infrastructure is already in place, but the new Kurdish nation would produce a constitution that enshrined democratic freedoms under the supervision of a international tribunal comprising representatives from many of the worlds democracies. Finally, the new nation would attract Kurds from the diaspora, and they would need to establish a mechanism to admit them to the new nation and register them as citizens. Given the potential for conflict between the new Kurdish state and its neighbors with large Kurdish populations, the new government should give priority to Kurdish immigrants from Turkey and Iran who would be compensated for their property through an internationally-established fund run by the United Nations or ad hoc body specifically for this purpose that would purchase Kurdish homes in these two nations and then return the land to the government. This way emigres would be fairly compensated, and the governments of Turkey and Iran could maintain geographic, political, and financial integrity. Such a compensation method should apply primarily to immigrants from Turkey and Iran.

Areas historically occupied by ethnic Kurds. (Joe Burgess/The New York Times)

OUTCOMES

It is difficult to anticipate how the Kurds would perform as actors in the international arena since, to date, all of their actions have focused on attaining statehood. However, with strong western support for their new homeland, a democratic constitution, non-aggression pacts with their neighbors, and one internationally policed border, the Kurds would have little incentive, or room, to forge a destabilizing diplomatic path. International patrons must provide support for the development of democracy in Kurdistan to prevent internal disputes, so normal in a democracy, from dragging the nascent state into destabilizing civil war.

It is possible Kurdistan eventually becomes what Iraq was supposed to be; a true bastion of democracy in the Middle East and a reliable partner to the west. It is important to remember that the conditions for the creation of Kurdistan are far different than the conditions preceding the invasion of Iraq.

WERE KURDISTAN TO DEVELOP INTO A REPRESENTATIVE, DEMOCRATIC STATE, IT WOULD BUTTRESS ISRAEL, BECOME AN AMERICAN ALLY IN THE REGION, AND COULD EVEN SERVE AS A PROOF POINT FOR A TWO-STATE SOLUTION BETWEEN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE.

Although this proposal may seem to fit the pattern of Western meddling in the political structures of the region, the unique situation of the Kurdstheir semi-autonomous status, pre-existing political and military infrastructure, and historical diplomatic quest for nationhoodmake efforts to facilitate a Kurdish state quite different from previous ventures. Unlike the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the Middle East, which created friction with many native Palestinians, the Kurds already inhabit the territory in question. There will be no equivalent to Churchills Hiccup as the boundaries of the state are pre-determined on the eastern, Iraqi border, and would only constitute territory taken from ISIL on the western end of the nation. There is no American invasion. Even the tribunal helping draft the new constitution and the international peacekeeping force along the border with Turkey would be composed of multinational groups, more legitimate than American-only endeavors. Were Kurdistan to develop into a representative, democratic state, it would buttress Israel, become an American ally in the region, and could even serve as a proof point for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.

After nearly two decades of watching violence in the Middle East consume American soldiers and funds, it is in the interest of the United States to attempt the creation of a more sustainable region. An independent, autonomous, and fully sovereign Kurdish state could be just the linchpin of stability the region needs.

Will Staton is a career K-12 educator who just began work on his Masters in International Relations via Syracuse Maxwell Schools full time program in Washington, DC . Most recently he served the Director of Scholar Support for Democracy Prep Congress Heights in Washington, DC. and in 2017 published his first novel, Through Fire and Flame, a modern rethinking of Dante's Inferno.

This article appeared originally at Strategy Bridge.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump unceremoniously dumped Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by tweet on Tuesday and picked CIA Director Mike Pompeo to take his place, abruptly ending Tillersons turbulent tenure as Americas top diplomat and escalating the administrations chaotic second-year shake-up.

Tillerson was ousted barely four hours after he returned from an Africa mission and with no face-to-face conversation with the president, the latest casualty of an unruly White House that has seen multiple top officials depart in recent weeks. Citing the Iran nuclear deal and other issues, Trump said he and Tillerson were not really thinking the same.

We disagreed on things, Trump told reporters at the White House  a diplomatic take on a fractious relationship that included reports that Tillerson had privately called the president a moron.

In an illustration of the gulf that has long separated Tillerson and Trump, the White House and the State Department vigorously disagreed about the circumstances of his firing.

Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein and other State Department officials said Tuesday morning that Tillerson hadnt learned he was dismissed until he saw Trumps early-morning tweet, and hadnt discussed it directly with Trump. Goldstein said the former Exxon Mobil CEO was unaware of the reason he was fired and had had every intention of staying.

Then Goldstein, hours after making those comments, was fired, too.

Multiple White House officials said that Tillerson had been informed of the decision Friday, while he was in Ethiopia. One official said chief of staff John Kelly had called Tillerson on Friday and again on Saturday to warn him that Trump was about to take imminent action if he did not resign and that a replacement had already been identified. Tillerson canceled his entire schedule that Saturday in Ethiopia, with the State Department telling reporters he was sick.

When Tillerson didnt step aside, Trump fired him, that official said.

All of the officials demanded anonymity because they werent authorized to speak publicly.

I think Rex will be much happier now, Trump said before flying to California.

Trumps change puts Pompeo, an ardent foe of the Iran nuclear deal, in charge of U.S. diplomacy as the president decides whether to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement. Trump faces another deadline in May to decide whether to remain in the Obama-era nuclear agreement that he campaigned aggressively against.

Tillerson has pushed Trump to remain in the agreement and had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment it to Trumps liking. The president mentioned differences over how to handle the Iran agreement, so we were not really thinking the same.

The reshuffle also comes amid a dramatic diplomatic opening with North Korea, with Trump set to hold a historic meeting with leader Kim Jong Un in May. Pressuring North Korea with sanctions and other isolation measures had been a top Tillerson priority, and he had been one of the administrations more vocal advocates for holding talks in some form with the North. When Trump ultimately accepted Kims invitation for a meeting, Tillerson was in Ethiopia, though he said he spoke with Trump at 2:30 a.m., shortly before it was announced.

Tillersons departure adds to a period of intense turnover within Trumps administration that has alarmed those both in and out of the White House. Top economic adviser Gary Cohn announced his resignation last week, not long after communications director Hope Hicks and staff secretary Rob Porter both departed near the start of Trumps second year in office.

Speculation that Tillerson would be fired grew last fall with the reports of his moron insult, which the secretary state never personally denied. It spiked again in November when White House officials told multiple news outlets of a plan to replace him with Pompeo. But Tillerson continued to hang on, pointing out that his doubters had yet to be proven right.

The president said he was nominating the CIAs deputy director, Gina Haspel, to take over for Pompeo at the intelligence agency. If confirmed, Haspel would be the CIAs first female director

Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, has been one of Trumps most loyal Cabinet members and quickly formed a close bond with the president, coming personally to the White House most days to deliver the Presidents Daily Briefing. Known for his blunt-talking style, Pompeo has already been confirmed by the Senate for his current role at the CIA, making it likely that he will be confirmed for the State Department role.

He will do a fantastic job! Trump tweeted.

But several Democrats quickly raised concerns about both Pompeo and Haspel, suggesting their confirmation hearings could be contentious. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Senate Intelligence Committee, accused Pompeo of being insufficiently tough on Russia and said hed demonstrated a casual relationship to truth and principle.

Pompeo said he was deeply grateful to be nominated and looked forward to guiding the worlds finest diplomatic corps if confirmed. He also praised Trump.

His leadership has made America safer, and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further Americas prosperity, Pompeo said.

On Tillersons plane trip back from Africa, he had told reporters he had cut short his mission by one night because he was exhausted after working most of the night both Friday on Saturday and falling ill. He mentioned that after his 2:30 a.m. call with Trump on Friday about North Korea, the next night he got another call at 2:30 that woke me up, but declined to say what that call was about.

I felt like, look, I just need to get back, Tillerson said.

Dismissing Tillerson had been discussed at multiple levels for a long time, said a senior White House official, adding that the North Korea overture and invitation brought more urgency to the decision. Two officials said Trump wanted to have a new team in place ahead of an upcoming meeting with Kim, the North Korean leader.

One senior White House official said that when Trump made the decision to meet with Kim while Tillerson was in Africa, an aide asked if Tillerson should weigh in on the matter. Trump said there was no reason to consult him because no matter what the group decided, Tillerson would be against it, the official said.

It was unclear when exactly Tillerson would formally step down. Once he does, Deputy Secretary John Sullivan will take over temporarily until Pompeo is confirmed, the White House said.

The former Exxon chief had been an unlikely pick for top diplomat, with no formal experience but a lifetimes worth of personal relationships with heads of state and powerful global figures, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was slated to retire from Exxon in March 2017 at age 65 under the companys mandatory retirement policy when he joined the administration.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller, Jonathan Lemire Ken Thomas contributed to this report.
The transformative nature of President Trump's election in 2016 -- by way of a unique coalition of support -- had given Republicans a degree of optimism heading into a challenging midterm election season. Though the president has historically low approval ratings nationally, he is still overwhelmingly popular among the party's base, which includes voters Trump lured away from the Democrats.

But as Democrats discovered over the past few elections with Barack Obama as president, star power doesn't necessarily trickle down. If anything, it fuels and unites the opposition. Now, after losing a congressional district Tuesday that Trump had won by 20 points, the GOP faces a similar reckoning.

Democrat Conor Lamb's apparent defeat of Rick Saccone in a Western Pennsylvania district that combines steel country with the suburbs, comes on the heels of Democrats winning a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in a quarter-century. Trump endorsed the Republican candidate in both cases. He visited Pennsylvania twice to tout his agenda and tie it to Saccone, who ran as an ally of the president. Trump's son Don Jr. told voters during a campaign stop earlier this week that "everything [my father] stands for and represents for the future" would be on the ticket.

Republicans say Trump's visit was helpful, and argue that Saccone was a uniquely weak candidate and Lamb as a uniquely strong one. But the results raise questions about the president's utility for his party in the midterms and the transferability of his coalition of support.

This is a sign that the congressional map is more likely to expand than narrow over the coming months," said GOP strategist Ken Spain, who served as communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee during the 2010 cycle -- when his party took control of the House.

In midterm elections, voters are voting yes or no to the party in charge," Spain said. "While the president will likely be an asset for Republicans in rural and exurban districts, it does not appear  at least at this point in the election cycle  that he is a net positive asset on the 2018 campaign trail.

Former NRCC Chairman Tom Davis said Republicans shouldn't be counting on Trump to turn out voters anyway. "Obama couldn't turn out Democrats in midterms. Why would it be different for Trump? That's the history of midterm elections. They don't come out in off years," Davis said. "It's a strong, strong base, but the problem is Trump-centric voters aren't coming out for other Republicans."

As midterm campaigns heat up, Republicans will be analyzing where the president can be useful and where he will be a liability. There is some consideration that resistance to Trump among Democrats, though palpable, may already be baked in, so Republican candidates might as well have him visit to drum up support among his voters. But there is some nuance in primaries versus general elections.

If you're in a primary election, you better be sticking close to Trump wherever you are. But in the general in many of these districts, being attached to Trump doesn't help, Davis said. It depends where you are.

Republican operatives say Trump and Republicans have to carefully strategize about where and how to deploy the president, especially since control of Congress would determine the rest of their shared agenda and serve as a firewall against impeachment. While Republicans debate Trump's usefulness in turning out voters, some strategists say the party needs to more closely align with Trump in order for the transfer factor to pay dividends.

"What he needed to do is get a lot of people to say, 'I'm not necessarily voting Republican, I'm voting for the Trump agenda," said GOP strategist John Brabender, who has served as an adviser in many Pennsylvania races. "The real challenge is how to take those conservative Democrats who like the president's agenda and are dissatisfied with both parties and help them understand the president is going to need reinforcement."

Lamb's campaign "was smart enough to figure out that a Democrat running as supportive of the Trump agenda has a better chance of winning in this district. And they got a twofer: a Democratic base fired up, but also those swing Democratic voters choosing the Trump agenda," said Brabender.

Though Lamb didn't run as a Trump ally, he didn't run against him either. Unlike many in his party, Lamb didn't even mention the president much on the campaign trail and instead ran as a conservative Democrat, appealing to union workers and also to suburban voters more inclined to his demeanor than to Trump's. He also embraced Trump's plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imported to the United States, ran a pro-gun message, and said he would not back Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. But he also ran against the GOP tax bill and as a supporter of Obamacare.

Lamb's union support was also integral, and demonstrated that a coalition inclined toward Trump in a presidential election isn't easily swayed by him in other races. "It shows what a candidate who is willing to stand together with workers and embrace our agenda, what kind of activism that can motivate," said Josh Goldstein, spokesman for the AFL-CIO. "There are a lot of races coming up in these midterms where there will be candidates who are willing to or able to inspire working people."

While Republicans argue Lamb's candidacy was singular enough to win a district like PA-18, Democrats point to ratings that show over 100 congressional districts as more competitive than PA-18 was on paper. And they note districts like the 12th in southern Illinois, where veteran and prosecutor Brendan Kelly is challenging Republican Mike Bost in an area Trump won by 15 points. Democrats have also touted a flood of military veteran recruitments. And they point to the Pennsylvania race as a test case for whether the GOP message on tax cuts and the economy is working.

This notion also raises the question of whether Trump can be an effective messenger on the agenda items Republicans wish he would talk about or concentrate on.

"Democrats want 2018 to be a race about the president and his personality. Republicans want to run on the issues like the tax bill and the improving economy. But the president won in 2016 in large part because he ran on personality," said Spain. "As a result you have diverging messaging efforts playing out on the GOP side."
CANONSBURG, Pa.  Democrats outperformed expectations in a string of House special elections in 2017, making GOP stronghold districts competitive and pointing to narrow losses in heavily Republican areas as signs of a potential wave election this fall. But each time, they failed to actually turn the seat blue.

Conor Lamb may have changed that.

Lamb declared victory early Wednesday morning in the special election in Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District after finishing the long night ahead of Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone by 641 votes, with only absentee ballots from one county remaining untallied. Despite the margin being just 49.8 percent for Lamb to 49.6 percent for Saccone, the young Democrat appeared confident that his path to victory was secure.

As he entered a hotel ballroom here in front of hundreds of campaign supporters and volunteers who stayed through hours of uncertainty, Lamb was introduced as Congressman-elect Conor Lamb.

It took a little longer than we thought but we did it, he told the crowd. You did it.

Still, major news outlets didnt call the race, and Saccone didnt concede, appearing at his own election night party well before Lamb gave his victory speech to say he would fight all the way to the end. You know I never give up.

Even before Lamb declared victory, the results represented a major boost for Democrats and a significant warning sign to Republicans ahead of this years midterm elections. A Republican has represented PA-18 in Congress since 2003; Mitt Romney won it by 17 percentage points in 2012, and President Trump won it by nearly 20 in 2016. Yet Republican outside groups and the president led the charge in the district to attempt to lift Saccones fledgling campaign: GOP groups spent more than $10 million in backing the partys nominee and attacking Lamb.

Trump joined the last-minute push, holding a rally with Saccone outside Pittsburgh Saturday night, followed two days later by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., campaigning with Saccone Monday. Republicans hoped Trump would increase turnout among his base by enough to give their candidate a slight edge, in some ways turning the race into a referendum on the president in a district that largely supports him.

Yet in keeping with the campaign strategy he had taken for months, Lamb downplayed the national significance of the race. He had campaigned exclusively on local issues, rejecting the national spotlight even as it continued to shine brightly on the race. After casting his vote early Tuesday morning, he shrugged off the notion that the race was a referendum on Trump.

People are really excited for this race. Im happy for them that their voices are being heard all around the world today, Lamb told reporters. But this is a local race. People are voting for either me or Rick Saccone and I dont think it has anything to do with the president.

Lamb downplayed the presidents rally Saturday  Trump nicknamed him Lamb the sham at the event  and said at that point, his campaign was executing a plan that we came up with a long time ago that had nothing to do with the president.

Democrats will be looking closely at Lambs campaign for signals about how to run successful races in the fall. Given his significant fundraising advantage over his opponent, the fact that he didnt face a Democratic primary and the unique circumstances surrounding the race with the potential change to Pennsylvanias congressional maps this fall, it may be a difficult to replicate his campaigns success.

Still, Democrats view his victory as affirming two critical components of their fall strategy: first, generate strong turnout in suburban and Democratic areas  such as Allegheny County, a portion of which is in the district Lamb won  fueled by antipathy for the president; second, win back blue-collar, working-class voters who supported Trump in 2016. Lamb campaigned as a champion of working-class issues, and made outreach to labor unions central to his approach.

National Democrats exalted in the apparent win. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee declared Lamb the victor even before he did. DNC Chairman Tom Perez said that as the midterms approach, the momentum is undeniable for Democratic candidates running up and down the ballot.

For Republicans, there were several warning signs in the race. Republican strategists criticized Saccone, frustrated that his lackluster fundraising prevented him from defining the race, and Lamb, early and forcing them to spend on TV ads both attacking Lamb and supporting Saccone  its rare for outside groups to need to spend on positive biography ads for a candidate.

It also left a major question for Republicans regarding whether their message of a positive economy propelled by tax cuts passed last year can overcome the negative environment surrounding Trump. GOP groups backed off the tax-cut message in their closing TV ads in the race  though it may have been more difficult for Saccone to run on the issue than it will be for Republican incumbents who voted for it.

Still, in the end, for many voters the race centered on Trump. Some supporters turned out specifically to back the president, including Bill Chorgo, 71, from Elizabeth Township.

Its a very important election. Its very important to the country and to Donald Trump and Im a Donald Trump supporter, Chorgo said.

But Democrats were equally motivated by the idea of sending the president a message with their votes. When asked why she cast her ballot for Lamb, Eileen Sudzina, from Allegheny County, had a simple answer:

Because I hate Trump is why. Thats the only reason why. I would have never come here in a million years, but Trump is a frickin crazy person.

Voters in the district had been inundated with TV and radio ads, campaign mailers and intense media attention in recent weeks, but few said they made up their minds near the end of the race.

Ken Brennfleck, a registered Democrat, voted for Lamb despite having backed Saccone in his races for the state legislature. He said he made up his mind after the two debated, and was frustrated by the influx of negative campaigning aimed at Lamb.

The negativity was one of the things that turned me off with Rick Saccone and Saccones campaign because I didnt hear one nice thing said, Brennfleck said after casting his vote.

Central to Republicans attacks on Lamb were attempts to link him with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. They have made Pelosi the bogeyman of the Democratic Party, and have made no secret that linking her to opponents will be central to their approach this fall. Several party strategists believed efforts to link Lamb and Pelosi were effective, pointing out that he ran an ad on TV explaining that he wouldnt support her for leader.

But there were signs on the ground that voters didnt care about the association, a potential indication that it will be difficult to tie challengers with no Washington experience to the liberal congresswoman, especially if the candidates disavow her.

He doesnt even know Pelosi at this point, said Janet Delanna, 64, a registered Republican who backed Lamb. I dont think hes going to lock-step. There are things hell probably agree with, there are probably things he wont agree with. Im very comfortable with my vote.

I doubt he even knows Nancy Pelosi, said Al Smith, a registered Democrat. Hes never been in office before; how the hell would he know her?
Its national Sunshine Week across America, sponsored by the American Society of News Editors. Its a week for government watchdog groups like ours, OpenTheBooks.com, as well as journalists, to call for open government and transparency.

Much of the information we uncover isnt pretty, which is why so many government officials prefer to keep some things hidden. Consider what we learned this year about federal employees: There are 30,000 rank-and-file federal employees out-earning every governor of the 50 states. At 78 large federal agencies, average pay exceeded $100,000. Federal employees, on average, received 43 days of paid time off  thats 8.5 weeks a year.

Thats what we know. What we dont know, and cant see, is even more troubling. The Trump administration should take three simple steps to shine light on spending that is still in the shadows.

1. Stop redacting federal salaries

The federal government is withholding salary information on nearly 255,000 civil service employees whose paychecks are funded by American taxpayers. Thats unacceptable.

Over the past 11 years, our organization captured and posted online the salary and bonus information for nearly every person employed in federal government agencies. This year, however, the feds redacted 254,839 salaries from the federal payroll  thats a huge increase from the 3,416 salaries missing in fiscal year 2016.

Approximately one out of every five salaries is now hidden from the public. We estimate about $20 billion in federal payroll lacks transparency.

2. Open the books on $1.1 billion in federal performance bonuses

In fiscal year 2016, the federal government awarded approximately 1 million performance bonuses, costing $1.1 billion. Every cent, however, was hidden from the taxpayers who foot the bill.

The federal government discloses four types of bonuses: incentive, recruitment, relocation, and retention. In fiscal year 2016, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management disclosed 330,000 employees received bonuses for $351 million in total. But the largest bonus bucket  performance bonuses  was shielded from view by government union contracts.

Even small agencies gamed the bonus system. For example, the largest disclosed bonus didnt go to a rocket scientist or a doctor researching a cure for cancer. Instead, a $141,525 bonus went to the human resources manager at a small land management agency in San Francisco called Presidio Trust. In fact, Presidio Trust gave out six of the top 10 largest federal bonuses over the last three years.

Imagine the wasteful practices wed uncover if performance bonuses were subject to sunshine.

3. Make federal pensions transparent

What has a $3.5 trillion unfunded liability, is hand-calculated inside a windowless cave in Pennsylvania, and costs taxpayers more money annually than the entire state budget of Texas? Answer: federal employee pensions.

Its estimated that federal pensions pay out $125 billion to retirees each year. Basic questions deserve answers: How many years were worked, how much money was paid-in and by whom, how quickly did they break-even on their own contributions, and just how much did the taxpayers finance?

At the state level, we have demonstrated the public interest benefit of illuminating pension data. In the 32 states that have pension transparency  including California, Illinois, New York and Oregon  citizens have exposed significant amounts of waste and mismanagement.

For example, a pair of union bosses in Illinois taught as substitutes for one day in public schools and then retired on $1 million lifetime teacher pensions. Despite a state law expressly designed to stop them, we found that they still received their pensions.

With relatively little transparency, we've found numerous examples of waste and abuse across the country. Consider what wed find if we could see more.

Our right to know is codified in the U.S. Constitution. Article 1, Section 9 reads, A regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.

Sunshine isnt just a week  its our right. Its time citizens demand it.
This item is available in full to subscribers.

Attention subscribers

We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.

If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.

If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.

Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
WASHINGTON -- The Great Disrupter and the Boy Scout were never comfortable partners. So there was a sense of inevitability to President Trump's announcement Tuesday that he was dumping Rex Tillerson as secretary of state and installing Mike Pompeo, the man he wanted in that job back in November.

The gregarious, risk-taking Pompeo has an easy rapport with Trump that the more cautious, reticent Tillerson never achieved. A successful secretary of state needs to be able to speak for the president -- something Tillerson could never do and Pompeo will probably achieve from Day One.

Trump's tone in announcing the reshuffle was almost that of an exultant commander picking his "war cabinet," though the challenges for now will be diplomatic. In Trump's face-to-face negotiations with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, perhaps the apex of his presidency, Pompeo will be his key adviser and perhaps emissary.

"Tremendous energy, tremendous intellect," Trump said of Pompeo. "We are always on the same wavelength." As for Tillerson, Trump concluded: "We disagreed on things," citing the Iran nuclear deal as an example of where the two "were not really thinking the same."

Tillerson was at his wounded best as he said an abrupt goodbye Tuesday afternoon. He was dignified and generous, even as the fatigue and stress were evident on his face. He rightly took credit for framing the diplomatic strategy that engaged North Korea -- but also conceded his inability to fashion clear policies for Syria, China or Russia. He dispensed with the usual ritual testimonial to a president who has treated him so poorly, instead thanking his colleagues at the State Department and the Pentagon.

Tillerson's ouster capped a year of humiliating treatment from Trump. Representing a president who, through leaks and tweets, advertised his personal discomfort with the former Eagle Scout, Tillerson was in an untenable position.

The danger is that Pompeo, so much in synch with Trump, will remove the dampers that have sometimes tempered the president's disruptive instincts.

Tillerson offered solid, traditional foreign-policy counsel. He opposed gutting the Iran nuclear deal, starting a trade war, relocating the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and other moves. He operated in tandem with Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. This axis of caution has now been broken, perhaps leaving Mattis in a weakened position.

Pompeo has been among the most political CIA directors in modern history, acting as a quasi-policy adviser in addition to intelligence chief. CIA operators liked his gung-ho activism; analysts were warier, fearing that Pompeo would dilute the agency's independence. In his public appearances, Pompeo has been feisty and even combative in supporting the administration. That undoubtedly pleased Trump, but it made Pompeo more a partisan figure than the usual CIA director.

Pompeo is a smooth communicator, and he may fix some of the obvious problems at State. He'll talk more with the press corps and State employees, both hungry for contact after the taciturn Tillerson. Colleagues are urging Pompeo to quickly name career ambassadors to vacant embassies, which would revive morale among foreign-service officers.

Tillerson's biggest mistake was his seeming disdain for his own agency. He appeared to regard Foggy Bottom as enemy territory; only one senior aide, Policy Planning Director Brian Hook, spoke authoritatively for him on policy issues. Tillerson's tenure produced a genuine morale crisis at State, with precious talent walking out the door nearly every week.

Trump nominated a career CIA officer, Deputy Director Gina Haspel, as Pompeo's successor. She's popular with colleagues at Langley, but her confirmation hearings will be contentious because of her involvement in the CIA's secret detention and interrogation programs. Former Obama administration intelligence officials speak highly of her, which may blunt Democratic criticism. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., the conservative firebrand, would have been a much more controversial choice, giving the CIA a face even more partisan than that of Pompeo.

The fulcrum in foreign policy has been Mattis and Tillerson. The center-weight will now shift to Trump and Pompeo. The policy process may be smoother, with a chief diplomat who knows (and shapes) the president's mind.

But Tillerson's demise removes a restraint on the president's sometimes impulsive behavior. Trump resented tutelage from a man who privately called him a "moron," but Tillerson's advice on Iran, Russia, China and North Korea was sensible and generally correct.

Now Trump will have a kindred spirit at State; the White House and Foggy Bottom will be going in the same direction, for better or worse. Pompeo will help in shaping the high-level diplomacy that's ahead. The worry is that he may be an accelerator when the president needs brake.

(c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group
Two recent presidential economic decisions have cheered Americas adversaries and antagonized our friends and allies, but there may be a way to modulate the actions and engender a more positive domestic and international dynamic.

It may well be that Chinese banks doing business with North Korea, thus undermining U.N. Security Council sanctions and further enabling Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, are too big to punish. At least, this has been the rationale for giving them a pass.

It may also be the case that to protect America's steel and aluminum industries against unfair competition, across-the-board tariffs are necessary against friends and foes alike, as U.S. President Donald Trump has said.

Hopefully, however, the administration is considering some fine-tuning to target the real international wrongdoers and avoid collateral damage to America's genuine partners and allies. One question is whether the tariffs can be imposed selectively on countries whose governments deliberately undermine U.S. national security by, for instance, supporting and enabling North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

According to the Commerce Department Fact Sheet, section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 authorizes protective action if "the article in question is in such quantities or under such circumstances as to threaten to impair the national security." (My emphasis.) Theoretically, the secretary could adhere to his present finding by applying tariffs to all steel and aluminum imports, but he also could recommend not imposing punitive tariffs against allied and friendly countries, while leaving them in place against others.

The distinguishing factor would be not the quantities of the imports but "the circumstances [that] threaten to impair the national security." Those circumstances might be defined broadly as the myriad ways certain countries  led by China and Russia  intentionally harm America's security. If administration lawyers can satisfy themselves that the distinction is legally defensible under statutory history and WTO rules, then a two-tier tariff schedule could be implemented.

Under that nuanced approach, the administration would not impose tariffs on our friends and allies. But adversarial and miscreant governments could suffer tariffs far higher than the 25-percent and 10-percent levels presently contemplated for steel and aluminum, respectively. Indeed, punitive levels could reach as high as 100 percent. Whatever the economic impact on China, Russia, and other states defying the international order, the political message would be clear.

With far fewer countries affected by the U.S. tariffs, the problem of global retaliation and trade war would be reduced to more manageable levels. Washington would have to contend only with all-but-declared adversaries like China and Russia  who pose challenges that need to be addressed in any event.

There was another unfortunate event last week  the president's ill-considered endorsement of Chinese President Xi Jinping's expanded autocratic tenure. The president's professed admiration for Xis naked power grab may have been intended to soften the blow Trump is about to deliver when he signs the Taiwan Travel Act, which the U.S. Senate passed unanimously, encouraging more high-level official interactions with the United States.

The president should sign this act with at least the same enthusiasm for Taiwan's democracy as he mustered for Chinas deepening dictatorship. This would be an opportune time for an unequivocal commitment to Taiwan's defense pursuant to the Taiwan Relations Act. Discarding the counterproductive doctrine of strategic ambiguity once and for all would do Xi a useful favor by preventing the dangerous strategic miscalculation that America will not stand by its long-time ally.

Countries all around Asia would take heart at the further expression of U.S. resolve that already appears to be producing positive movement by North Korea. Without explicitly reversing either of the earlier decisions, these simple presidential actions would go a long way toward restoring American credibility and respect.

Joseph Bosco served in the office of the secretary of defense, 2002-2010. The views expressed are the author's own.
A student at UGA writes about the importance of speaking out on the real issues and urges UGA to take action on school walkouts and gun violence.
TORRINGTON  Torrington High School gathered Wednesday to promote unity and communication in the face of tragedy, as students and faculty commemorated the lives of the 17 people who were killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, with a walk-in.

Gianna Del Monte, Megan Barrios, and Samuel Erickson helped organize the event, providing a chance for the school community to come together and reach out to the people of Parkland.

Its important to speak out and say this isnt acceptable, but at the same time we wanted to stress that this was to send good vibes to the people of Parkland, said Erickson, a sophomore.

We wanted to (create) a sense of unity, and we wanted to have our class think  we wanted to start a conversation with this, and the conversation can be anything that the students want it to be, said Del Monte, a senior.

The event was planned by the students, and the administrators were supportive of their efforts, they said.

The gathering began with remarks from THS principal Andrew Skarzynski, who said he was proud that it was student-led and asked that those in attendance consider bridging gaps with others.

Who are the 17 people that you can talk to and reach out that you might not normally reach out to? What are the 17 nice things that you can do on a daily basis? Who are the 17 people that you can connect with? Skarzynski said. If you take that aspect alone from today, we will be a better place, and we will address some of the challenges that we have here.

The school chamber choir and Erickson also performed for the gathering.

Teacher Janet Giampaolo, who lost family in the Las Vegas shooting in October and had others threatened during the 2012 shooting in Sandy Hook, shared her story, and asked Torrington High School students to stay vigilant and communicative in the face of potential violence.

We rise up to help people in and out of our community in good times and in bad  fire, flood, natural disaster  our kids are really committed to helping others, said Giampaolo. THS students care. Weve had threats in the past, but our students arent afraid to speak up. Every time, someone has come forward and tells someone, so we can be prepared and we can be safe as a school.

Please dont ever stop being a community THS  a community that cares will speak up, Giampaolo added. If you hear something, please say something.

Students read a poem, asking those in attendance to be mindful and care for others, which ended with the couplet the world can be dark, so be the light / there is always sunrise after midnight.

The event concluded with a long moment of silence after assistant principal Robin Ledversis read the names of the 17 individuals who died at Stoneman Douglas High School.

Students and faculty stood alongside those speaking and performing throughout, holding balloons inscribed with the names of the victims.

The event joined protests and commemorative events held across the country Wednesday, including in Middletown and New Haven, to speak out against gun violence and honor the memory of the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting.

Erickson and Barrios hoped people took away a sense of community from the days events.

Just think respect, and that its not okay, said Erickson. That we all need to come together as one to stop this (unsensible) gun violence.

We have to communicate with one another too, said Barrios, a senior. Nowadays, obviously, phones, we have those  its just so nice to have that connection face-to-face with someone. When we get up and do this with people, its like were not all individuals  were individuals that come together as one.
A Tribute to Legends

The death of famed physicist Stephen Hawking reminds RFA cartoonist Rebel Pepper of the passing of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo, who died last year. At the 2010 Nobel ceremony in Oslo, the democracy activist was represented by an empty chair because he was serving an 11-year jail term in China for incitement to subvert state power.
Chinese activists Chen Jianfang and Li Xiaoling have won a prestigious human rights award in memory of a human rights campaigner who died in police detention after being denied access to adequate medical care.



The award, which comes amid an ever-widening crackdown on human rights advocates by the ruling Chinese Communist Party, is named for late human rights activist Cao Shunli, who died in police detention on March 14, 2014.



Chen, a Shanghai-based housing activist who was recently prevented from leaving China, and Li, who is currently herself in police detention in the southern province of Guangdong, were named as recipients of the 4th Cao Shunli Memorial Award for Human Rights Defenders by its founders, Civil Rights & Livelihood Watch, Human Rights Campaign in China, and the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) network.



"The two women defenders are recognized for their contributions in promoting human rights at the grassroots level in China," the overseas-based CHRD network said in a statement on its website.



Chen, 48, who hails from a rural community, began defending land and housing rights after her family lost land to government-backed developers.



Her work has highlighted the widespread mass evictions behind Shanghai's skyscrapers and high-speed railways, key elements in China's development showcase that mask widespread abuses of residents'

rights.



Chen told RFA in a brief text message on Wednesday that she was "delighted" at the award, and described Cao Shunli as "my spiritual teacher, from whom I learned some of the highest ideals."



"My own rights defense work is indivisible from what she taught me," Chen wrote.



'Picking quarrels'



Li has been in police detention since last year on suspicion of "picking quarrels and stirring up trouble," a public order charge frequently used to target critics of the government.



She was detained on June 4, the 28th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre, after she posted photos of herself standing on Tiananmen Square holding a sign that read: "June 4, marching towards the light."



According to CHRD, Li has been ill-treated in custody, including by being deprived of medical treatment for glaucoma, a condition that has deteriorated during her current detention. Li also suffers from painful tumors on her body, the group said.



Her lawyers have also filed a lawsuit against the local police department, alleging torture, but repeated applications for medical parole have been refused, it said.



Li has been an outspoken advocate for China's prisoners of conscience, and joined a movement calling for transparency around the personal assets of government officials and party members.



Fellow rights activist Xu Peiling said the award comes at a time of worsening rights abuses under President Xi Jinping, who now looks set to rule indefinitely.



"There aren't so many people nowadays who are able to move around freely these days, whether we are talking about petitioners or rights activists," Xu said. "The crackdown has been so intense ... that there is nobody left who dares to stand up."



She said many activists are currently under some form of detention or house arrest during the annual session of China's rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC).



Beijing-based anti-eviction activist Ni Yulan said she had noticed a number of social media posts memorializing Cao, and had posted her own tribute.



'Rights work is difficult'



She said anyone who undertakes human rights work in China is likely to face huge suffering as a consequence.



"When I was locked up in jail, I was unable to join with Cao Shunli in her human rights activities," Ni said. "After I got out, she was already in detention, which eventually led to the loss of her life."



"Human rights work is so difficult, and we would like to know that all of our efforts to advance human rights on behalf of our children and grandchildren, so that they will have a better world to live in, haven't been in vain," she said.

Cao was detained on Sept. 14, 2013, as she was boarding a flight to Geneva, where she was to attend a session of the U.N. Human Rights Council, where she hoped to participate in drafting Chinas human rights action plans and reports for its U.N. human rights reviews.



The award named for Cao is aimed at those who carry on her grassroots human rights work on behalf of vulnerable groups, in the face of threats from the authorities and other personal risks, and who push for more international monitoring of rights abuses in China.



It includes prize money to support ongoing initiatives and assist recipients who have suffered government reprisals for their activism.



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Wen Yuqing for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
The ruling Chinese Communist Party's censorship machine has suppressed online discussion and reporting of a viral video showing a Chinese journalist covering the country's annual parliament roll her eyes in exasperation at a long-winded, soft-ball question asked by a colleague standing next to her.



In the footage, reporter Liang Xiangyi of the Shanghai-based financial news service Yicai Media is seen looking at fellow journalist Zhang Huijun of a U.S.-based TV station with ties to Beijing, then rolling her eyes, as Zhang asks a 45-second question remarkable only for its lack of challenge to the official it is aimed at.



"How will there be effective supervision for the assets of state-owned companies overseas, so as to prevent capital flight?" Zhang asks, in a rambling question packed full of official media propaganda buzzwords lauding President Xi Jinping's pet Silk Road international infrastructure plan, also known as One Belt, One Road.



At one point, she refers to China as "our country."



Liang turns to look at Zhang, who works for a China-backed station called American Multimedia TV, possibly wondering which organization she represents, before rolling her eyes in dramatic style at Zhang's sycophantic tone, and turning away again.



The video provided a rare moment of color in the heavily scripted environment of NPC press conferences, where tame questions are selected in advance from organizations friendly to Beijing, and was immediately picked up as a meme, spawning several satirical re-enactments, cartoons, and pop-art designs for T-shirts and cell phone cases.



But Liang's expression also drew criticism from some in China's tightly controlled state media, amid reports from fellow journalists that her NPC press accreditation was revoked, and that she could face further punishment.



Recalled for investigation



Journalists said Liang had been recalled by Yicai Media for investigation and self-criticism, and was devastated by the backlash caused by her eye roll, according to unconfirmed posts to social media chat groups.



Liang's name quickly became a banned keyword on Chinese social media sites, while the ruling party's propaganda department issued a directive to editors and journalists banning further coverage of the eye roll.



"Urgent notice: All media personnel are forbidden to discuss the NPC blue-suited reporter incident on social media platforms. Any posts already made must be deleted," a leaked directive published online by the U.S.-based China Digital Times website said.



"All websites are to avoid hyping this incident," it said.



A journalist who gave only his surname Zhang said retribution against Liang may not happen immediately, but is likely inevitable.



"This has really exploded now," Zhang said. "There is already an emoticon of her facial expression; it's all over the place."



"As for how they deal with it, there may be a certain amount of delayed reaction, but it won't be delayed by much," he said. "There will be an internal process first of all [at Yicai Media], and the NPC press center will be sanctioning her. They said her NPC accreditation has been revoked."



"The propaganda department will definitely be dealing with the reporter concerned, so this isn't over yet," he said.



A second journalist surnamed Chen said Liang had definitely been kicked out of the NPC after the incident.



"I think we can be pretty sure we won't be seeing any more of Liang Xiangyi at the NPC," Chen said. "This incident has caused so much merriment that you can't even run searches on social media for her name now."



"From the point of view of the party, they don't want anyone talking about this ever again," he said.



'Sensitive stuff'



Chen said that AMTV is one of a number of "overseas" media organizations that are registered outside China, but which put out the official line of the propaganda ministry, and Beijing wants to avoid scrutiny of such groups at all costs.



"I have written about investment in overseas media, and the identity of these so-called overseas media organizations," he said. "This is really sensitive stuff, I tell you. The party owns these media organizations, but there is far more than that going on below the surface."



"I can only really hint at it for now. There are huge risks involved," he said.



In 2015, Reuters reported that the Chinese government secretly controls a network of 33 overseas radio stations in 14 countries via its international broadcaster, which is structured so as to hide its true ownership, and which broadcast Beijing's take on global events to listeners in their own countries.



The network is run by three expatriate Chinese businessmen who are China Radio International (CRI)'s partners and executives, Reuters said, adding that it reaches from Finland to Nepal to Australia, and from Philadelphia to San Francisco.



One of the stations identified in the report broadcasts across the U.S. capital, and Reuters quoted officials as saying they knew nothing of the paper trail leading back to CRI in Beijing.



And according to exiled billionaire Guo Wengui, also known as Miles Kwok, the Chinese Communist Party is flooding the United States with its spies, sending dozens of new operatives from the state security police to work in the country at state-owned organizations.



State media reporting



An employee who answered the phone at AMTV said Zhang Huijun would be continuing to work as normal following the incident.



He denied that the organization has any links to the Chinese government, and tried to distance the organization from Zhang, saying she was a "temporary" hire who didn't represent it.



The group's own website says it operates under a "cooperation deal" with state broadcast CCTV, and broadcasts Chinese state television programs in the U.S.



The employee cut short the interview when questioned in more detail about its ties to CCTV, however.



An employee who answered the phone at Yicai Media declined to comment when contacted by RFA on Tuesday, saying they didn't have details of the incident.



The ousted former editor of Baixing magazine, Huang Liangtian, said the huge online reaction to the incident illustrated the sheer dullness of state media reporting.



"These reporters who are 'covering' the NPC have such a boring time of it these days," Huang said. "I used to cover the NPC as a journalist 30 years ago, and it wasn't like it is now."



"Nowadays, it is getting more and more tedious, with both the interviewers and the interviewees just going through the motions," he said.



Reported by Wong Siu-san and Sing Man for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Yang Fan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Rohingya Muslims gather outside their makeshift homes on land belonging to a Bangladeshi farmer near the Kutapalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar district in southeastern Bangladesh, Feb. 9, 2018.

Myanmar has informed Bangladesh that it will take back fewer than 400 Rohingya refugees out of the more than 8,000 who want to return voluntarily to northern Rakhine state from which they fled a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military, a government official said Wednesday.

Myint Thu, permanent secretary of Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said during a press conference in Naypyidaw that the country has verified that 374 refugees on a list of 8,032, which Bangladesh submitted to Myanmar officials in February, are eligible for the first round of repatriations.

We have sent the list [of 374 refugees] to the Bangladeshi embassy in Yangon today, and the Myanmar embassy in Dhaka is going to forward it to Bangladeshs Foreign Ministry, Myint Thu said. We are ready to receive these 374 refugees. We have asked Bangladesh to fill out the incomplete forms of the rest.

The military launched a violent campaign against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine in response to deadly attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) in August. The crackdown, which included killings, rape, and arson, drove roughly 700,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh where they live in squalid displacement camps.

The U.N. and United States have said the military crackdown in Rakhine has amounted to ethnic cleansing, if not genocide.

On Monday, Yanghee Lee, the U.N.s human rights envoy in Myanmar, and Marzuki Darusman, chairman of a U.N.-appointed international fact-finding mission on human rights in Myanmar, issued damning reports on the violent expulsion of Rohingya, citing hundreds of interviews with victims and eyewitnesses about reported human rights violations. Lee said the crackdown bore the hallmarks of genocide.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to repatriate refugees who can prove they had lived in northern Rakhine prior to Oct. 9, 2016, the date of a smaller-scale ARSA attack. But the program, slated to begin in late January has been beset by delays, with each side blaming the other.

Aung Tun Thet, chief coordinator of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development (UEHRD), an organization set up by the government to handle refugee resettlements and development plans for impoverished Rakhine state, told the media that the international communitys accusations of genocide and ethnic cleansing are not reasonable.

No country receives back refugees if it is accused of genocide or ethnic cleansing, but we are taking the refugees back even though we have been accused of this, he said, adding that there have been no cases of either crime anywhere in Myanmar.

He also took issue with the United Nations estimate of refugees who fled to Bangladesh from northern Rakhine after the Aug. 25 ARSA attack, putting the number at 530,000.

Also during the meeting on Wednesday, Myanmar governments spokesman Zaw Htay said authorities have arrested more than 380 Rohingya based on background checks of those on the list, and have charged 248 of them under anti-terrorism laws.

He also said the government has taken action against a military commander and senior police officer involved in the Rohingya crisis, without further elaboration.

Bangladeshi leader complains

Senior officials in Myanmar and a U.N. spokesman in the country said Wednesday that that they have begun talks with U.N. agencies to see how they can assist with the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, the Associated Press reported.

Bangladeshs Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged Myanmar on Tuesday to cooperate on repatriating the refugees, which she said are a burden on her impoverished country of 160 million people.

Despite commitments by the Myanmar authorities, the flow of Rohingya into Bangladesh continues till today, she told The Straits Times of Singapore during a state visit to the Southeast Asian city-state.

Creating a conducive environment in the Rakhine state in terms of ensuring safety and security, rebuilding of destroyed villages and houses, creating livelihood options, and granting due rights to the returnees are crucial, she said.

These are primarily the responsibilities of the Myanmar authorities. Now, it depends on their sincerity, the newspaper quoted her as saying.

The U.N. has expressed concern about the creation of conditions that will allow for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of refugees in accordance with international principles.

Reuters reporters trial

Meanwhile the Myanmar government continues to deny reports about abuses against the Rohingya during the crackdown and refuses to allow the independent media and Darusmans commission into the country to investigate.

Two Reuters news agency reporters, detained for obtaining state secrets while reporting on the massacre of 10 Rohingya civilians from Inn Din village in northern Rakhines Maungdaw township appeared in court in Yangon for the tenth time on Wednesday.

Thet Oo Maung, also known as Wa Lone, and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on Dec. 12 just after they had dinner with two police officers who gave them documents about the military crackdown. They face up to 14 years in prison.

Rights groups and the Myanmar media have accused the police of entrapment and have criticized Myanmars civilian government under de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi for backpedaling on press freedom.

Lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said Kyaw Soe Oo is suffering from hepatitis  a health condition he did not have before he was jailed in Insein Prison, according to his wife Chit Nu Win.

Lawyer Than Zaw Aung met Kyaw Soe Oo at Insein Prison before this hearing and saw his eyes were yellow, he said. Thats why the lawyer asked him to see a prison doctor.

The doctor said he observed symptoms of hepatitis in the reporter, Khin Maung Zaw said.

We have suggested that he see his prison doctor again and be referred to a specialist or sent to a hospital, he said. His wife will also meet with the head of the prison and ask him to refer her husband to a hospital. It is a right for a detainee to be sent to a hospital if he is sick.

About half of the 25 listed witnesses have been called by the government prosecutor to the weekly hearings. The next hearing is scheduled for March 21.

Fighting in Shan state

The interim report issued by Darusmans panel said the Myanmar military has created patterns of human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law not only in Rakhine state, but also in Shan and Kachin states, where lesser-known conflicts are raging between the government army and ethnic militias.

He told the annual meeting of the Human Rights Council that there are credible reports of indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, destruction of property and pillage, torture and inhumane treatment, rape, forced labor, and the recruitment of children into armed forces in those areas.

Recent fighting between two ethnic militias in Shan states Kyaukme township left two residents of Tawphe village dead and three injured, and forced about 500 others to flee, Colonel Tar Aik Kyaw, a spokesman from the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), said on Wednesday.

The new clashes between the TNLA, an ethnic Palaung militia, and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) also prompted about 500 propel to flee the area to safety, local residents said

Some people in Kyaukme called us for help because these internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Tawphe village are experiencing problems trying to get to Kyaukme, said Ko Myo who is helping the IDPs.

They dont have enough food and they will have trouble surviving if they have to stay away from homes for a long time, he said.

The online journal The Irrawaddy reported Wednesday that altogether more than 800 residents of Namtu, Kyaukme and Namhsan townships in northern Shan state have been displaced by a recent flare-up of hostilities between the TNLA and RCSS.

Many have sought shelter in Buddhist monasteries.

On Monday, The Irrawaddy reported that the TNLA said its soldiers killed three RCSS members and seized some of its weapons and ammunition during two days of fighting in northern Shan state at first along the border between Kyaukme and Namhsan townships where the RCSS is said to be building a new base, and the next day in Namtu township.

The TNLA first attacked the RCSS base in January, and the Myanmar army fired on its soldiers to help the RCSS drive them back, the report said.

The TNLA has been fighting the government army and the RCSS in Shan state since late November 2015, about six weeks after the signing of a nationwide cease-fire agreement (NCA) between the government and eight of the countrys more than 20 ethnic armed groups.

The RCSS is one of the eight original signatories to the NCA, while the TNLA was excluded from signing the accord because of its ongoing hostilities with Myanmars armed forces.

Reported by Thant Zin Oo, Khin Khin Ei, Htet Arkar, Khet Mar, and Aung Theinkha. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
The photographer using an iPhone to document life on the margins of Russian society.

Photographer Dmitry Markov (pictured) grew up Pushkino, a hardscrabble industrial town north of Moscow where, for Markov and many of his childhood friends, sniffing glue and spending days outside avoiding their alcoholic dads seemed relatively normal. Somehow, though, the 35-year-old plotted a course -- through blogging, activism, and photography, which eventually won him grants and commissions from Russias most prestigious publications (even if some tried to avoid paying him ). But Markovs story is not a simple case of a talented kid making good against the odds.

Although hes been hired for glitzy PR events and flown abroad to showcase his work, Markov keeps his work and his life firmly grounded on Russias grittiest streets. He has amassed an Instagram following of more than 200,000 people.

Summer in Pskov. From 2005-2012, Markov volunteered at an orphanage in the city, which is close to the border with Estonia. After his camera was stolen from his room in the orphanage, he switched to an iPhone for his photography, reasoning that the image quality of a big, heavy camera was less important than the freedom of a cell phone. Quality? Screw it, Id sketch things with a pencil if I could draw, he wrote in a blog post.

Misha, one of the orphans whom Dmitry looked after during his volunteering years, sobering up in a banya after a fistfight.

Markov said helping to raise orphan children is like keeping a Tamagotchi, the handheld digital pets which were popular in the 1990s. You get this little monster that you feed and feed and feed, and the f***er grows and grows and grows, and it feels like everything in life is not in vain, not in vain, not in vain. A young orphan gets a buzz cut before leaving an orphanage. In a blog post recalling his volunteering days, Markov says there were a few perks to the job. We used to pass [donated things] on to the kids. I was the primary filter for the clothes that came from Moscow and I would take all the trendy stuff for myself. In principle, I didnt see anything awkward about that. The only awkward moment was when I put on a shirt to meet a girl [and it turned out] she was the one whod donated it.

A Putin-esque drinker pours for a friend in Pskov. Markovs sometimes bleak depiction of Russias provincial towns has earned him some criticism online.

A commenter on this photo of a cigarette break in Vishniy Volochek wrote: This is what doom looks like.

In an interview with RFE/RLs Siberia Desk, Markov explained his choice of heroes for his photographs with a story that reads like something straight out of Chekhov: My grandmother died recently. She worked as a seamstress in a factory. Under the bed she was lying in the weeks before her death, she kept a sack of potatoes -- she sewed these same sacks every day for decades. My grandma lived like this. You could call this doom, too, right? I doubt young people dream of working all their lives in a factory and dying on a mattress above a bag of potatoes." "I doubt young people dream of working all their lives in a factory and dying on a mattress above a bag of potatoes." "At the same time, when I see these scenes -- these [saleswomen on a cigarette break pictured above] or this bag of potatoes, I want to see the meaning and beauty in it. This is life. It passes by like this. And its not two or three people. Most people live like that. I want to capture them. Look at any magazine rack: stars and celebrities. I want to capture the simple person, to show the beauty of ordinary life.

Girls in the summertime in Krasnodar

Paratroopers Day in Pskov

An apartment scene in Pskov. Markov told RFE/RL that around half the people he photographs are personal acquaintances.

In a sense, these drunks are more frank in intelligent discussions than those whose problems are safely hidden under a thick layer of social norms and morality.

A young man in Pskov tattooed with the words, God forgive me for my mothers tears.

Markovs work with orphans has led to uplifting stories, like Misha, pictured dozing in a train, who now works as a cook in a ski resort. But Markov has also had crushing disappointments.

Sometimes it feels like it would be easier to look after kids with cancer. At least then theres a clear scope for your involvement. Everything worked out, the kid was cured, fine, its done. A volunteer in a cancer ward has no obligation to think about who this kid will become in a decade. He wasnt cured, he died -- well you cry, accept it, and move on. The kid wont be hanging out on the street corner with a packet of glueor texting you from prison, plunging you into gloomy thoughts and guilty feelings.

Tattoos and scraped knuckles in Pushkino, Markovs hometown

Naked friends outside a banya in Pskov

A winter bonfire on a hill above Chita in Siberia. Markov now travels widely throughout Russia but has chosen to settle in Pskov, a town he says he loves, despite the occasional sadness of life in provincial Russia.

In a blog post about lying awake at night, Markov wrote that under his window, a man [not pictured here] was trying to stop his wife leaving the house, apparently to go and party. F**k Shalava, youre leaving a child alone! B****, Ill kill you! The car left and he kept yelling for 15 minutes into the void. Yearning and despair."

Lake Baikal in Siberia. Markov says he now has enough money to put down a deposit for an apartment that would give me some stability and social approval. But on the other hand, its much more fun to squander [money] on travel.

After the experiences Markov has had, he has developed a simple philosophy for life: The presence of hands, feet, and a head is all you need for happiness.

A boy in Sebezh chilling with a cigarette. Of his plans for the future, Markov just says: Nothing in particular. Ill just keep shooting photos.

------------------

Text by Amos Chapple
An online campaign in Afghanistan calling for the boycott of the ancient festival of Norouz has prompted a backlash among many Afghans, who have vented their exasperation at the growing influence of fundamentalist Islamic ideology in the war-torn country.

Heralding the arrival of spring, the pre-Islamic Persian new year celebration has been under constant fire from conservative Afghan clerics and militant groups that have called it un-Islamic.

The anti-Norouz campaign has distributed cartoons on social media leading up to Norouz festivities on March 20, urging people in the predominantly Muslim country not to celebrate.

Norouz is believed to have been a holiday of the Zoroastrian religion that was widespread in the region before the spread of Islam in the 7th century.It is also celebrated in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of the Middle East.

One cartoon includes a man in religious clothing holding a poster that reads: "I do not celebrate Norouz."

Beside the cartoon figure, the text reads: "This is Abdul Rahman. He does not celebrate Norouz. Abdul Rahman knows that Norouz is the Eid of Magus," a word that refers to Zoroastrians.

The text adds that Abdul Rahman "has two Eids," a reference to Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, the two most important festivals on the Islamic calendar. "Abdul Rahman is very smart. Be like Abdul Rahman," the text reads.

A second cartoon has a young girl draped in black and holding a Koran, the Islamic holy book.

"This is Fatima," reads the text. "Not only does Fatima not celebrate Norouz, but she also prevents other Muslim sisters [from doing so.] Because she knows that celebrating Norouz is an invention that promotes Zoroastrian traditions. Fatima is very cautious in matters of religious affairs."

The cartoons have prompted an outpouring of anger at the growth of Islamic conservatism in society but has also led to a great show of support for Norouz, which is arguably the biggest day of the year for many Afghans.

Samay Hamed, a prominent cartoonist and political satirist, said on Facebook on March 9 that Abdul Rahman should "go to Saudi Arabia," the birthplace of the extremist Wahhabi version of Islam, and perform a "sword dance for [U.S. President] Donald Trump," who is a vocal supporter of Riyadh and took part in a traditional Saudi dance on a visit there in 2017.

"Instead of celebrating and being happy, people like Abdul Rahman are becoming suicide bombers and killing peoples' families," wrote Habib Mohammadi, a Kabul resident, on Facebook on March 10, in a reference to the radical ideology of militant groups like the extremist Taliban and the Islamic State groups that are fighting Afghan forces.

During its draconian rule from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban officially banned Norouz.

But the spirit of Norouz was so strong among Afghans that they continued to celebrate it discreetly at home, risking beatings and imprisonment.

Norouz was reinstated as an official holiday after the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Taliban militants have issued periodic warnings against the observance of the holiday, and authorities have been constantly on the watch against possible bomb attacks during massive Norouz gatherings in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif.

"The influence of extremist groups like the Taliban and Islamic State and the spread of fundamentalist ideas has led some small sections of society to oppose national celebrations like Norouz," Ali Amiri, a university lecturer in Kabul, told RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan.

Habibullah Rafi, a researcher and prominent Afghan writer, says Norouz has no religious connection to Zoroastrianism, the world's first monolithic religion.

"The inhabitants of this land have been celebrating Norouz for thousands of years," he told Radio Free Afghanistan. "It is a national and cultural day, and opposition to Norouz is illogical."

Norouz is observed with a public holiday on March 20-21 in Afghanistan, but many people extend their celebrations for up to two weeks.

Festivities include planting flowers, congregating at mosques, attending games of the traditional buzkashi sport, and eating specific foods and fruits that represent the coming of spring.

Written by Frud Bezhan based on reporting by Mustafa Sarwar from RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan


At least 10 members of Afghan security forces have been killed in separate attacks in western and southern Afghanistan, officials say.

Militants attacked a security checkpoint in Farah Province early on March 14, killing at least eight security forces and wounding a number of others, according to provincial council members.

Provincial council head Farid Ahmad Bakhtawar said that at least 15 Taliban insurgents were also killed in the attack in the outskirts of the western provinces capital, also named Farah.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault, which came after a series of deadly attacks by the Taliban in the province over the past week.

Another provincial council member, Abdul Samad Salehi, said that four of those killed were from the intelligence service and six were police officers.

"We have asked the central government for additional troops before Farah city falls into the hands of the Taliban," Salehi said.

Other council members said the assault lasted for three hours.

In Helmand Province, a suicide truck bomb struck a checkpoint, killing at least two border police officers, said provincial police chief General Abdul Ghafar Safi.

He said another three police officers were wounded in the attack in the southern province's Nad Ali district. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

The Western-backed government in Kabul has been struggling to fend off the Taliban and other militant groups since the withdrawal of most NATO troops in 2014.

As the United States is putting new resources into the more than 16-year Afghan war, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis traveled to Kabul on March 13 for a previously unannounced visit.

Before landing in the Afghan capital, Mattis told reporters that the United States was picking up signs of interest from groups of Taliban fighters in exploring the possibility of talks to end the violence.

"It may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop. That would be a bridge too far. But there are elements of the Taliban clearly interested in talking to the Afghan government," he said.

As part of its new regional strategy announced in August 2017, Washington has stepped up assistance to the Afghan military in a bid to break the stalemate and force the militants to the negotiating table.

But the Taliban has so far ruled out direct talks with Kabul and insisted it would only negotiate with the United States, which it calls a "foreign occupying force." The Taliban also says that NATO forces must withdraw before negotiations can begin.

The United States has refused to withdraw troops as demanded by the Taliban and has insisted that the Afghan government must play a lead role in peace negotiations.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, AFP, and dpa
Activists in Armenia have voiced concern that an antiterrorism provision included in a draft criminal code could be used to criminalize criticism of the government.

The proposed amendment sets out a potential three-year prison term for publicly justifying, promoting, or financing domestic or international "crimes of terrorism."

Artur Sakunts, head of the Vanadzor-based Helsinki Citizens Assembly, warned on March 14 that, should the law be enacted, the authorities might be able to use its provisions to punish political opponents who speak up in public debates.

He said he is not opposed to fighting terrorism, but faulted the legislation for not explicitly identifying what would be considered "terrorism."

"Even the most extreme and offensive speech against a [government] official cannot serve as grounds for prosecution, because it is protected -- it is public opinion," Sakunts said.

He cited the 2016 standoff between police and more than 30 members of the Sasna Tsrer armed group that seized a police station in Yerevan's Erebuni district. The group held the station for more than two weeks before surrendering to police.

Thousands of the gunmen's supporters joined nightly rallies, occasionally clashing with police. Several dozen activists were arrested during the events.

But he said that during the standoff, many "neutral" citizens demonstrated against a potential violent storming of the police station, and he expressed concerns that people in this type of situation could be arrested under the proposed law.

Another rights activist, Avetik Ishkhanian, head of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, also expressed concerns that such a draft law could be "applied arbitrarily."

Justice Minister David Harutiunian, who authored the bill sponsored by the ruling Republican Party, dismissed the criticism.

"There is no criminal offense in this draft that has been included with anyone particular in mind," he said.

"We study the experience of other countries on every step that can be seen as controversial," he said.

"We discuss things with international experts to see the experience of courts in other countries, their interpretations."

He added that backers of the bill are willing to listen to proposals from civil society and human rights activists on the planned provision on terrorism.

If the new criminal code reaches the parliament, its adoption will be a foregone conclusion, given that the majority Republican Party and its junior coalition partner, Dashnaktsutyun, have 65 seats in the 105-seat body.

The main opposition faction, Yelk, has just nine members, and another nominally opposition grouping, the Tsarukian alliance, has 31 members but usually votes in favor of government-backed bills.

Political Challenges

The Armenian leadership has gone through years of political challenges.

A newly created group, the Front for the State of Armenia, held its first rally in the capital, Yerevan, on March 10, with supporters calling for the creation of a provisional government and the release of political prisoners.

The group's leaders urged opposition political parties to join hands and prevent outgoing President Serzh Sarkisian from retaining power after his second and final term expires on April 9.

Armenia's parliament on March 2 elected Armen Sarkisian, who has no relation to his predecessor, as the countrys next president.

Following a referendum in December 2015, Armenia changed its form of government from a semipresidential to a parliamentary republic.

As a result, presidential veto powers are being stripped from the post and the presidency is being downgraded to a figurehead position elected to a single term by parliament every seven years rather than a direct popular vote.

Skeptics see the constitutional reforms as a way for outgoing President Sarkisian to maintain political control in Armenia by becoming prime minister when the mandate for his second five-year presidential term expires.

Written by Sisak Gabrielian
The Armenian Prosecutor-Generals Office said on March 13 that it has no grounds for instructing an investigation body to interrogate former President Robert Kocharian in connection with postelection violence a decade ago.

Last week, Nikol Pashinian, the leader of the Yelk alliance, an opposition faction in parliament, asked the prosecutor-general to subpoena Kocharian for questioning over his order to use lethal force to suppress protests held by the opposition in the wake of the South Caucasus country's disputed 2008 presidential election.

Pashinian, who participated in the protests and was later tried and convicted as one of the organizers, in a video on Facebook on March 5 said that Kocharian in particular should explain where he got information about gunshots fired at security forces at the protests, which was a key excuse cited by authorities in violently putting down the protests.

Pashinians demand came less than two weeks after a senior ruling party lawmaker who led a parliamentary investigation into the deadly unrest had raised the same question in parliamentary hearings.

In its reply, the Prosecutor-Generals Office told RFE/RL's Armenian Service that Pashinian has no legal standing to demand Kocharian's testimony.

The prosecutor also insisted that according to the information collected by the investigation body so far, there are no grounds for ordering the interrogation of Kocharian as a witness.

The head of Kocharians office, Viktor Soghomonian, dismissed Pashinians demand on March 12, describing him as the main provocateur and organizer of the 2008 unrest.

Ten people, including two police officers, were killed in the 2008 melee, which was followed by a crackdown on the opposition during a state of emergency imposed by Kocharian. No one has been charged with murder in connection with the incident.
SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan has acquitted a woman who was charged with illegal missionary activity after she showed another person how to download the Bible on a smartphone.

The South Kazakhstan Regional Court, in the city of Shymkent, found Dilobarkhon Sultanova not guilty on March 13.

Sultanova was charged in January after she showed a woman she met at the New Life protestant church in December how to download the Bible on her smartphone. The woman later filed a complaint against Sultanova with local police, accusing her of illegally propagating Christianity.

Kazakhstan is a multiethnic country of almost 18 million people with a Muslim majority and a large Russian Orthodox minority.

Although freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, there have been several cases where followers of religions considered "nontraditional" have been sentenced to prison terms on charges of inciting discord or conducting illegal missionary activities.
In early May 2014, as Ukraine's conflict with Russia-backed separatists in the east was exploding into all-out war, the Spanish-language channel of Russia's state-funded RT network brought on a guest to discuss the crisis.

Seemingly in his 30s or 40s, he sported a blue-and-white-striped Puma polo shirt, a five-o'clock shadow, and short brown hair slightly tousled on his forehead. RT Spanish identified the man as "Carlos," a Spaniard the network described as an air-traffic controller who "had been working in Ukraine for five years." He had agreed to speak on the condition that his name not be used, RT Spanish said. His face was blurred to guard his anonymity.

Carlos claimed to have fled Kyiv after his social-media posts prompted death threats against him from supporters of the Euromaidan protests that swept Ukraines Moscow-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych, from power in February of that year. The segment featured posts from the Twitter account attributed to the guest: @spainbuca.

This man, however, was a fabulist. And two months later, the Twitter account shown in the interview would launch one of the most notorious and enduring hoaxes of the Ukraine conflict -- one that would later be cited by a top Russian military official and, ultimately, President Vladimir Putin himself.

On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over territory held by Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Immediately after the tragedy, @spainbuca purported to be watching the events unfold from an air-traffic control tower at Kyiv's Boryspil Airport. It posted a string of dramatic claims suggesting Ukraine had shot down the plane and was attempting a cover-up.

One claim in particular ricocheted across Russian state media and Twitter: that two Ukrainian fighter jets had flown close to the Boeing 777 shortly before it disappeared from the radar.

But red flags about @spainbuca's credibility emerged quickly as well. Why was a Spanish air-traffic controller working in Kyiv? Where were the reports corroborating his claims? Why was he back in Ukraine after telling RT Spanish that he'd fled the country?

No evidence ever emerged that such a Spanish air-traffic controller actually worked at Boryspil, and @spainbuca was suspended by Twitter shortly after its MH17 tweets. Journalists and social-media users widely dismissed "Carlos" as a ruse. Still, some conspiracy theorists insisted his story was real and that he had either been targeted by Western intelligence services or gone into hiding. Others claimed he was part of the notorious Russian troll farm eventually indicted in the United States for alleged meddling in U.S. elections. One Ukrainian official has suggested the Carlos persona was a Russian intelligence operation.

The claims by Carlos about MH17 and his professional background were indeed a hoax.

But a niggling question remained: If Carlos was a fake, who was the man in the RT Spanish interview?

Today, RFE/RL and the RISE Project, a Romanian investigative-journalism group based in Bucharest, can reveal that he is a Spanish ex-convict detained by Romanian police for alleged fraud in August 2013 -- nine months before his appearance on RT Spanish.

We also found substantial evidence linking this man to the @spainbuca account that posted the bogus MH17 tweets.

Our investigation tracked Carlos through the Spanish courts and the Romanian criminal-justice system, to the posh Bucharest neighborhood where he lived, and even to a Romanian cooking show he appeared on in 2015 -- when some people were still positing that he was in hiding for his alleged MH17 whistle-blowing.

Ultimately, we made contact with someone credibly claiming to be the very same Carlos in the RT Spanish interview -- and who spun fresh provocative claims about the bizarre role he played in the Ukraine conflict.
A last-minute complaint from Yevgeny Nikulin, the Russian cybercrime suspect at the center of a tug-of-war between Moscow and Washington, has delayed a final decision on his extradition to the United States or Russia.

The Constitutional Court in the Czech Republic, where Nikulin is jailed, said on March 13 that the Russian cannot be extradited until it rules on the matter.

Although Nikulin has exhausted all appeals, his lawyers, who have accused appeals court judges of bias, presented a final complaint to the court in a bid to postpone their client's extradition.

Nikulin, 30, was arrested in Prague in October 2016 based on a warrant issued by the United States, where he is suspected of hacking the LinkedIn and Formspring social networks and the Dropbox file- hosting service in 2012-13.

After he was detained, Russia asked the Czech authorities to extradite him to his home country, citing him as a suspect in a relatively minor $2,000 online theft in 2009.

Nikulin denies he is a hacker. His lawyers have pushed to return their client to Russia, arguing that he could not expect a fair trial in the United States.

Nikulin faces a maximum 30 years in prison and up to $1 million in fines if convicted on U.S. charges including computer intrusion, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy, and trafficking in illegal access devices.

Czech courts have ruled that Nikulin can be extradited and the decision on where he will be sent is up to Justice Minister Robert Pelikan.

Pelikan told parliament earlier this month that Czech President Milos Zeman, who has praised Russia and has warm ties with President Vladimir Putin, has asked him to extradite Nikulin to Russia.

"He asked me repeatedly and vehemently. I listened to it and presented my stance to the president, which I am not going to interpret here," Pelikan said on March 1.

He said he does not feel any pressure to decide in Russia's favor because of Zeman's request and that he would base his decision primarily on where Nikulin is accused of committing more serious crimes.

The battle between Russia and the United States over Nikulin's fate comes amid persistent tension between Moscow and the West over alleged Russian operations to interfere in other countries' affairs through hacking and social-media propaganda.

U.S. intelligence agencies said in January 2017 that they determined that Putin had ordered an "influence campaign" aimed at interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

With reporting by Echo24.cz, Novinky.cz, and AP
The ethnic-Armenian leader of Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh has arrived in the United States for a visit that has triggered a strong protest from the authorities in Baku.

Few details have been released of Bako Sahakian's trip and it is not known if he will meet with any U.S. officials, although authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh said he had visited the Armenian Embassy and the breakaway region's mission in Washington on March 13.

Baku and Yerevan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for years.

Armenia-backed separatists seized control of the mainly ethnic-Armenian populated region during the early 1990s in a war that killed some 30,000 people.



The region declared independence, but it has not been recognized internationally. Intermittent fighting has continued since a 1994 cease-fire, and diplomatic efforts to resolve the territorial dispute have brought little progress.

Ahead of Sahakians visit, Baku summoned the U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan, Robert Cekuta, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and handed him a note of protest addressed to the U.S. Department of State.

In the note, Azerbaijani authorities urged the United States "to adhere to the norms of international law and not to allow on its territory activities aimed at violating the sovereignty of Azerbaijan."

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev claimed the visit would "seriously harm the negotiating process [over Nagorno-Karabakh] and increase tensions in the region."

Officials in Nagorno-Karabakh said Sahakian had led a delegation on March 13 to the Armenian Embassy in Washington, where he met with Ambassador Grigor Hovannisian.

Sahakians press office said that "a range of issues related to cooperation between the United States and the two Armenian states were on the agenda of the meeting" at the Armenian Embassy.

The press office said Sahakian stressed the importance of close cooperation between Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and the Armenian Diaspora as "a crucial factor for successful implementation of scheduled programs."

An official said Sahakian also held meetings at the permanent representation of Nagorno-Karabakh to the United States.



"The president [Sahakian] noted the importance of expanding and deepening cooperation with the United States, underlining that the representation should continue implementing daily professional work. He gave specific instructions in that direction," the official said.

The state-run Armenpress news agency quoted the western region office of the Armenian National Committee as saying that Sahakian will visit the California city of Glendale, which has a large ethnic-Armenian population.

It said he will discuss the reported decision by the Glendale City Council to rename a street in the city to honor "Artsakh," which is the alternative name for Nagorno-Karabakh used by Armenians.

Written by Artak Hambardzumian
ASTANA -- A court in Astana has sentenced former Kazakh Economy Minister Quandyq Bishimbaev to 10 years in prison after convicting him on charges of bribery and embezzlement.

At a hearing on March 14, judge Adilkhan Shaikhislamov also barred Bishimbaev from serving in public office for life and ordered all his property confiscated.

And he urged President Nursultan Nazarbaev to strip the U.S.-educated Bishimbaev, once a rising star in the energy-rich Central Asian country's government, of a state medal called Qurmet (Honor).

Bishimbaev's cousin Sultan Nurlybek, one of 22 other defendants at the trial, was sentenced to seven years in prison. The rest received prison terms ranging from two to four years, were fined, or were released with no penalty under an amnesty enacted in 2017.

Bishimbaev's wife and parents were in the courtroom, and his mother prayed quietly as the judge read out the long verdicts and sentences against the 23 defendants. Her son was the last on the list.

Bishimbaevs wife, Nazym Bishimbaeva, said the sentence will be appealed.

Bishimbaev, 37, was arrested by Kazakhstans Anticorruption Service in January 2017, weeks after Nazarbaev fired him. He was accused of accepting bribes when he was head of Bayterek, a state-controlled holding company.

The product of an elite presidential educational program called Bolashaq (Future), Bishimbaev graduated from George Washington University in the U.S. capital in 2001 with a degree in economics.

Before his arrest, he had risen quickly through the ranks in the tightly controlled former Soviet republic, serving as deputy industry and trade minister and deputy chairman of Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund before becoming economy minister in May 2016.

Bishimbaev pleaded not guilty at a preliminary hearing in October, while several of his co-defendants pleaded guilty and concluded deals with prosecutors.

Authorities say he exercised his right to remain silent and did not speak to investigators after he and the other suspects were arrested.

On January 8, in his first remarks to the court since his trial began in November, Bishimbaev apologized to Nazarbaev and the country but maintained he had done nothing illegal.

Several former officials have faced prosecution on suspicion of graft in energy-rich Kazakhstan in recent years, with some sentenced to long prison terms.



During their trials, many of them have apologized to Nazarbaev, who holds near absolute power and has been president since before Kazakhstan gained independence in the 1991 Soviet collapse.


The Kremlin has expressed a measure of hope for an improvement in relations with the United States following President Donald Trump's nomination of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, saying bilateral ties cannot get much worse.

"It's hardly possible to fall below the floor, so it is unlikely things will get any worse in this regard," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on March 14.

He spoke a day after Trump announced the dismissal of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated Pompeo, now the CIA director, to take his place.

Peskov called for a "constructive and sober approach in joint relations" under Pompeo, adding: "This hope will always remain."

Pompeo faces Senate confirmation hearings where he is expected to be asked about his approach toward Russia.

Bilateral relations have worsened in recent years over Russias aggression against Ukraine, the war in Syria, Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and other issues.

In his farewell remarks, Tillerson said Washington must do more to respond to Russia's "troubling behavior and actions."

"Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interests of the Russian people and of the world more broadly," Tillerson said. "Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

His dismissal came a day after he sharply criticized Russia in the wake of the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain, which Prime Minister Theresa May said was "highly likely" to have been carried out by Russia.

With reporting by AP and AFP
Macedonia's parliament has passed a law extending the official use of the Albanian language, despite protests from the right-wing opposition who say the decision will put the Balkan country's national unity in jeopardy.

Sixty-four lawmakers in the 120-member parliament voted to adopt the law on March 14, without a debate requested by the opposition.

Lawmakers from the right-wing opposition party, the VMRO-DPMNE, staged protests against the measure -- which had already been passed in January, but was again put up for a vote after conservative President Gjorge Ivanov vetoed it.

The president must now sign it into law following the new vote.

Outside the parliament building, several hundred protesters demonstrated against the law, but the protests passed without incident.

Macedonian is the primary official language, but ethnic Albanians make up around a quarter of Macedonia's two million people.

Albanian has until now been an official language only in areas where the minority makes up at least 20 percent of the population.

The new law will boost the use of Albanian at a national level, including in administrative, health, judicial, police, and other official matters.

It can also be used in parliament by the ethnic Albanians' elected representatives.

The adoption of the law was a demand of Macedonia's ethnic Albanian parties before they agreed to join a ruling coalition with the Social Democrats last year.

Ethnic Albanian rebels waged an insurgency against Macedonian authorities in 2001. More than 100 people were killed in the insurgency, which ended with an agreement providing greater rights for the minority.

With reporting by AP and AFP


Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats as part of a series of measures against Moscow after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain with what's being called "a military-grade nerve agent." Speaking to parliament on March 14, British Prime Minister Theresa May said that the diplomats will have one week to leave the country. (Reuters)
A bomb has exploded near a police checkpoint killing three police officers and a bystander and wounding 20 others near the eastern city of Lahore, Pakistani police say.

Lahore deputy police chief Haider Ashraf said on March 14 that an initial investigation suggests the bomb was planted near the checkpoint close to a religious group's main congregation place in Raiwind near Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

Ashraf said many of the wounded were police and three were hospitalized in critical condition.

The wounded also included members of the Islamic preaching group known as Tablighi Jamaat.

The Taliban group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility, saying it was a suicide attack.

Lahore and its surroundings have been targeted by multiple bomb and suicide attacks in recent years.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dawn.com


A top U.S. military commander expressed the Pentagon's continued support for Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, hours after the announced departure of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a top defender of the deal in the U.S. administration.

U.S. Central Command chief General Joseph Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 13 that he shares the views of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joe Dunford that the deal is still in the best interests of the United States.

"From my perspective, the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] addresses one of the principal threats that we deal with from Iran. So, if [it] goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program," he said.

"There would be some concern, I think, about how we intended to address that particular threat if it was not being addressed through the JCPOA," Votel said.

"Right now, I think it is in our interest" to stay in the deal, he said.

Votel's remarks came after President Donald Trump once again criticized the 2015 agreement as "terrible" and cited disagreement with Tillerson over the deal as a reason he decided to fire the top diplomat.

"We got along, actually, quite well, but we disagreed on things," Trump said. "Look at the Iran deal. I think it's terrible; I guess he felt it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same."

Trump said that he and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who he is naming to replace Tillerson, think more alike.

"We are always on the same wavelength," he said.

Pompeo, 54, is a strong critic of Iran and the nuclear deal. Trump has vowed to pull the United States out of the deal if substantial changes are not made by May 12.

Media reports last week said that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would withdraw from the deal if European powers that also signed the agreement do not agree to modifications he is demanding.

The deal, which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions, was designed to constrain Iran's ability to make nuclear weapons for at least 15 years.

Despite Trump's strong opposition to the deal, Tillerson, Mattis, and other members of his administration have defended it, arguing that the United States is better off with it than without it.

It remains to be seen whether Pompeo will continue Tillerson's efforts to try to save the deal by working out side deals with European allies Britain, Germany, and France.

Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on January 12, saying they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws" in the deal or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief for Iran.

U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers" to suspend them under a statutory deadline on May 12. Iran has said it will stop complying with the deal if the U.S. withdraws and resumes sanctions.

U.S., British, French, and German officials are due to meet on the deal in Berlin on March 15. The European countries all continue to express support for the nuclear deal while also showing willingness to try to address Trump's concerns.

Trump has said he sees three defects in the deal: its failure to address Iran's ballistic-missile program; the restrictive terms under which international inspectors are allowed to visit suspected Iranian nuclear sites; and its "sunset" clauses under which the deal's limits on Iranian nuclear activities such as uranium enrichment start to expire after 10 years.

Trump has said he wants all three strengthened if the United States is to stay in the deal.

"We're working with allies and partners to block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon and confront its sponsorship of terror and bloodshed all around the world," Trump said in a speech at Miramar Air Base in California on March 13.

"Everywhere we go in the Middle East, it's Iran, Iran, Iran. Every problem is Iran. Well, we're dealing with it in a very serious fashion. One of the worst deals I've ever seen, was the Iran deal."

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters


Russian President Vladimir Putin has thanked the residents of the annexed Crimean Peninsula, saying a 2014 referendum that led Moscow to seize the Black Sea region was "real democracy."

Putin made the comments on March 14, four days ahead of Russia's presidential election, in a move that Ukraine's president called an "extremely dangerous provocation" and which drew sharp criticism from the U.S. State Department.

The March 18 Russian presidential vote coincides with the fourth anniversary of the Russia's illegal annexation of the Ukrainian region.

"With your decision you restored historical justice," he told a crowd in the historic naval port of Sevastopol.

"With your decision, you showed the whole world what is real, rather than sham democracy, you came to the referendum and made a decision, you voted for your future and the future of your children," he said.

Before arriving in Crimea, Putin visited the construction site of a bridge that is meant to link the peninsula with Russian territories across the Kerch Strait. Construction of the bridge started in 2016.

Putin, who is widely popular and enjoys glowing coverage on state-run TV, is expected to easily win over eight other candidates on the ballot in the March 18 election.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, meanwhile, called Putin's visit to Crimea "an extremely dangerous provocation." He urged the European Union to impose sanctions against "those who organized Russian presidential election events on a Ukrainian territory."

The U.S. State Department on March 14 blasted Putin's comments and reaffirmed its support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"Four years ago this week, Russia held an illegitimate, fabricated 'referendum' in Ukraine in a futile attempt to legitimize its purported annexation of Ukrainian territory," Heather Nauert, the acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, said in a statement.

"In light of Putin's remarks, it is important to call attention to the illegitimacy of the staged 'referendum,' but also to the tremendous human costs the Russian government has imposed on the people of Crimea."

"Russian occupation authorities have subjected Crimean Tatars, ethnic Ukrainians, pro-Ukrainian activists, civil society members, and independent journalists to politically motivated prosecution and ongoing repression, while methodically suppressing nongovernmental organizations and independent media outlets," she added.

Putin's government seized control of Crimea in March 2014 after months of street protests erupted in violent clashes in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. The violence led to then-President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing the country.

Russia sent troops without insignia to Crimea and orchestrated the takeover of government agencies, before holding the referendum on March 16, a move that was denounced by the UN Security Council and General Assembly. The referendum was deemed illegitimate by at least 100 countries.

Russian lawmakers last year moved the date of the presidential election from March 11 to March 18.

With reporting by AFP, Interfax, TASS, and UNIAN
The first summit of Central Asian leaders in nearly 20 years is set for March 15 in Kazakhstan's capital Astana.

There have not been many Central Asian summits. Not counting the Aral Sea summit of April 28, 2009, which was dedicated to one topic, there have been only five such meetings since the U.S.S.R. collapsed in late 1991 and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan became independent.

There have been 17 total solar eclipses visible from various parts of Earth in that same time frame, so the gathering in Astana is significant simply because it is happening.

There is every possibility that the March 15 gathering will also be the most successful Central Asian summit ever held, though admittedly that is not saying much.

For example, the first Central Asian summit was arguably the most productive meeting to date.

Ashgabat 1991

Kazakhstan's Nursultan Nazarbaev, Kyrgyzstan's Askar Akaev, Tajikistan's Rahmon Nabiev, Turkmenistan's Saparmurat Niyazov, and Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov assembled in Ashgabat on December 13, 1991 with one question on the agenda -- what were they going to do now?

The Belavezha Accords dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had been signed in Belarus on December 8, 1991, and none of the Central Asian leaders had been invited.

The Central Asian leaders opted to join the CIS, though in truth they had little choice. The newly independent Central Asian states did not have armies, there were no existing trade agreements with countries outside the former U.S.S.R., the administrations hastily being cobbled together had no experience operating without Moscow's guidance, which was also true of the Central Asian presidents themselves, none of whom were trained to run a state on their own.

The decision to join the CIS was easy and was probably the last easy agreement the five presidents would ever reach.

Tashkent 1993, Dashoguz 1995

The summit of January 3, 1993, in Tashkent made an effort to create something like regional cooperation but it was doomed to failure -- one: because of the Tajik civil war and differences of opinion on what should be done to help the Tajik government; and two: because of Turkmenistan's increasing reluctance to tie its future to its Central Asian neighbors as Ashgabat pursued its policy of neutrality.

On March 3, 1995, the five met again in the northern Turkmen city of Dashoguz. Judging from the statement released after the summit, the gathering was about reassuring one another because it speaks about the five countries' memberships in international organizations and pledges support for UN efforts to save the Aral Sea. It also contains a line that says, "We confirm that equal cooperation, good neighborliness, and mutual respect will become the fundamental principles of our policies in relation to one another."

Ashgabat 1998, 1999

The summit of January 5-6, 1998, in Ashgabat was probably the strangest of all of the summits, simply because there seemed to be no set agenda going into the meeting. There was no warning about the summit coming until the day before it happened.

Officially, the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek presidents showed up in Ashgabat to wish Turkmen President Niyazov a speedy recovery from heart surgery he underwent in September 1997 but a summit ensued behind closed doors.

Little of what was said at the summit was made public but what did leak out indicated that there was not much cooperation. The Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, and Uzbek leaders invited Turkmenistan to join their Central Asian Economic Union but Niyazov's press office later released a statement saying Turkmenistan's neutral status prohibited it from joining such a grouping. The statement also mentioned, "Solutions by the Central Asian Union to the problems of energy transportation and the development of pipelines could be of interest to Saparmurat Niyazov."

Some things haven't changed much it seems.

The other tidbit of information that emerged from that summit was that Uzbek President Karimov and Kyrgyz President Akaev criticized Turkmen President Niyazov for failing to halt illegal narcotics entering Central Asia from Afghanistan via Turkmenistan.

A joint statement released at the end of the meeting called for more cooperation between the five countries.

By the time the five countries' leaders got around to meeting again on April 8, 1999, in Ashgabat, the situation had changed significantly. The Tajik and Uzbek governments were hurling accusations and criticisms at each other for reasons just covered by Qishloq Ovozi https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-uzbek-president-mirziyoev-takik-visit-rahmon-relations/29086973.html.

The Taliban had arrived at the border with Central Asia. Nazarbaev, Akaev, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon, and Karimov wanted to discuss a regional response to Islamic extremism. Niyazov's Turkmenistan, guided by its policy of neutrality, did not view the Taliban as a threat.

It was hardly surprising then that little came out of this last Central Asian summit, at least as far as cooperation among all five states was concerned.

Nazarbaev and Niyazov held discussions that would be more fruitful in the future. "I just held talks with my Kazakh counterpart Nazarbaev and we agreed to commit ourselves to cooperation with China," Niyazov told reporters.

The two were discussing the oil pipeline deal that Kazakhstan had signed with China and a gas pipeline deal Turkmenistan hoped to conclude, and eventually did, with Beijing.

Astana 2018

Which makes Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov's decision not to attend this meeting in Astana all the more strange, especially since Berdymukhammedov seems to have time to go to Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (http://www.turkmenistan.gov.tm/?id=15799) when he could be talking about gas pipelines and electrical transmission power lines with fellow Central Asian leaders.

The silver lining here is that Turkmenistan is sending a delegation led by the speaker of parliament, Akja Nurberdyeva, so Ashgabat is not totally ignoring Central Asian cooperation as it did in the case of the Central Asian Union, later called the Central Asian Economic Union, which functioned from 1994 to 2004 without Turkmenistan as a member.



The summit in Astana is a big event. Only two of the five leaders who met in the 1990s are still in power. And most importantly, Uzbekistan has a new leader, President Shavkat Mirziyoev and unlike his predecessor Mirziyoev is amenable to regional cooperation.

Karimov's policies of fortress Uzbekistan essentially blocked off his country, which lies at the center of Central Asia, thereby making regional trade and other ties difficult.

The Central Asian leaders are unlikely to reach any monumental breakthroughs in Astana but if they can exit the meeting with smiles and handshakes rather than scowls and accusations, it will already mark progress in regional relations.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect the views of RFE/RL.

bp/coc

OTHER STORY ELEMENTS:

Photo of first Central Asian summit in 1991: https://gdb.rferl.org/286173D2-E9F4-4AE6-A70F-FA00694B5411.jpg

Combo photo of Central Asian leaders attending this year's summit: https://gdb.rferl.org/6E7ED597-86ED-4EDD-B329-183FD77D5F27.jpg
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon has discussed bilateral ties with counterpart Nursultan Nazarbaev in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana.

Several documents signed after the talks on March 14 include an agreement allowing Tajiks to stay in Kazakhstan and Kazakhs to stay in Tajikistan for up to 30 days without registration and up to 90 days with registration.

An agreement was also signed allowing Kazakh citizens condemned in Tajikistan and Tajik citizens condemned in Kazakhstan to serve their prison sentences in their home countries.

Nazarbaev said after the talks that there was "no unresolved issue between our countries," and called Tajikistan "Kazakhstan's most important strategic partner."

"The past 25 years [of Kazakh-Tajik ties] have been a history of friendship and support," Nazarbaev said.



"Kazakhstan has an important place in Tajikistan's foreign policy and its development," Rahmon said.

The talks were held a day before a summit of Central Asian nations in Astana.

The summit will also be attended by Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoev.

Turkmenistan will be represented by parliament speaker Akja Nurberdyeva.

The summit will be the first such gathering of Central Asian leaders in almost a decade.

Based on reporting by KazTAG and Tengrinews
The Russian government has blacklisted two European organizations involved in election monitoring, days ahead of the March 18 presidential vote.

On March 13, the Justice Ministry listed Germany's European Platform for Democratic Elections and Lithuania's International Elections Study Center as "undesirable organizations."

The ministry said the designations were based on legislation on "measures against individuals involved in the violation of basic human rights and freedoms" and on a March 12 decision by a deputy prosecutor-general.

Under a law signed by President Vladimir Putin in 2015 and widely criticized by rights groups, the government can brand foreign and international groups "undesirable organizations."

The legislation, which critics say is designed to prevent NGOs from promoting democratic institutions in Russia, enables the government to ban the organizations and launch criminal proceedings against Russian groups that work with them.

The ministry listing followed a March 12 report on Russian network REN-TV that accused international organizations monitoring elections, including the European Platform for Democratic Elections, of being tools for "secret methods to gain power" in Russia.

The Justice Ministry list now names 13 "undesirable" organizations, including Open Russia, the National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society Foundation, U.S. Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law, and others.

With reporting by REN-TV
The Russian motorcycle club Night Wolves, known for its staunch Russian nationalism and allegiance to President Vladimir Putin, has announced a "Russian Balkans" tour of Bosnia and Serbia in mid-March.

Around two dozen members of the biker group, which is under U.S. sanctions for its role in a Russia-backed separatist war in Ukraine, will tour the Balkan countries to research on the cultural influence of the Russian Empire in the Balkans, the group said in an Internet post.

The announced tour was recently criticized by Bosnia's National Security Minister Dragan Mektic for being part of what he said is a campaign to intimidate moderate Bosnian Serbs and non-Serbs in Bosnia ahead of elections in October.

The Night Wolves is "no typical motorcycle club. They carry strong political messages," Mektic said, citing reports that the Night Wolves plan to open an office in Banja Luka -- the administrative center of Republika Srpska, Bosnia's Serb-dominated entity -- and monitor the elections.

Authorities in Republika Srpska "want to give them legitimacy and use them in an election process," Mektic said.

Mektic also denounced other intimidation tactics he said have been used by Serb far-right groups whose leaders were trained in Russia and who recently marched in full combat gear during a parade in Banja Luka.

Wess Mitchell, U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, also warned on March 12 about Russia playing what he said was "an increasingly destructive role in much of the Balkans."

The Night Wolves said its members will tour Bosnia and Serbia for around nine days covering around 2,000 kilometers, starting on March 19 in the Serbian capital, Belgrade.

The group plans to visit Banja Luka on March 21 and meet with Republika Srpska's pro-Russia President Milorad Dodik, according to its itinerary.

The biker group said its "Russian Balkans" pilgrimage aims to study the historical heritage of the "Russian Empire" and the Russian Orthodox Church.

The group is known for its allegiance to the Kremlin, and critics say its main aim is not recreational but to promote Putin's brand of Russian nationalism.

In December 2014, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted the Night Wolves because its members served in an armed group in Ukraine.

In contrast to the U.S. sanctions, Dodik gave the Night Wolves an award on January 9 for their emphasis on the affirmation of human rights, tolerance among people, the rule of law and freedom, and the strengthening of friendly relations between the Russian Federation and [Republika Srpska].

A few weeks later, Aleksandr Zaldastanov, the president of the biker club, sent a letter to Dodik, inviting him to visit the bikers' annual party in Sevastopol, Crimea, the region that Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

In the letter, Zaldastanov called Dodik a son of the true, deep Serbia whose goal was to establish the unity of peoples, after which, finally, will be the long-awaited revival.

With reporting by Reuters and Balkan Insight


The Russian mercenaries fighting in Syria say they are not in the country for the money or to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"[Syrians] can't stand Assad," one Russian mercenary commander told RFE/RL. "Really. Only a tiny percentage of the population there supports him and the rest oppose him. Only [Russian President Vladimir] Putin supports him. Russia supports him -- no one else."

There is a bigger motivation, the mercenary claimed. "If you are fighting under a Russian flag, with a Russian weapon, even if you are eating moldy food and are 10,000 kilometers from home, you are nonetheless fighting for Russia," he said.

"There is no Syrian war," he added. "There is no Ukrainian war. There is only a war between the Russian Federation and the United States."

Early last month, an unknown number of Russian mercenaries -- some reports say a dozen, others as many as 200 -- were killed by U.S. air strikes during fighting in Syria. The men were hired by a private military contracting firm called ChVK Vagner, which has been sending Russians to fight in Syria since 2015.

RFE/RL has been able to speak -- on condition of anonymity -- with three Vagner commanders who have fought for the company both in Syria and, before that, in support of Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Together, the three men -- all veterans of the Soviet Army -- paint a grim picture of the campaign in Syria and of the men who are fighting there.

The first Russian mercenaries were sent to Syria by an organization called Slavic Corps in 2013 -- 267 men, according to an investigation by the St. Petersburg website Fontanka.ru. Their official mission was to guard oil facilities and pipelines, but they were soon caught up in the country's civil war and suffered heavy losses. When the survivors returned to Moscow in October 2013, their leaders were arrested and sentenced to three years in prison for illegal mercenary activity.

Nonetheless, the idea of a role for mercenaries apparently took hold somewhere among the Russian authorities. In 2014, as Moscow was annexing Ukraine's Crimea region and stoking a separatist war in eastern Ukraine, a Soviet and Russian army officer named Dmitry Utkin and others began forming paramilitary units to fight in Ukraine's Donbas.

"In 2014, [Ukrainian separatist military commander Igor Girkin a.k.a.] Strelkov was fighting around Slovyansk and a lot of people wanted to go and help him," one of the Vagner commanders said.

'A Cruel Fellow'

The mercenary groups worked hand-in-hand with the Russian military. They trained at a military facility near Rostov-on-Don and were commanded by experienced officers from the special services and the Defense Ministry. By June 2014, the first groups of about 250 mercenaries each had crossed the border into Ukraine.

"They were basically company-sized tactical groups," one commander said. "There were no private military contractors then, but people were paid on time."

One of the groups sent to Ukraine was headed by Utkin, who fought under the nom de guerre Vagner, after 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner.

"Vagner is a cruel fellow," one of the Vagner commanders told RFE/RL. "He's no fool." The man added that Vagner has a swastika tattooed on his shoulder, wears a helmet with horns, and practices a form of paganism, a description that RFE/RL could not confirm.

The Syrian story of the Vagner force began in 2015. Now there are several Russian private military contracting companies working in the country, but only the Vagner troops are said to engage in combat operations.

RFE/RL's sources estimated that there are about 2,000 Vagner fighters in Syria, although other media reports put the figure at 4,000. In addition, the Vagner troops fight together with a unit called Karpaty, which is made up primarily of about 300 Cossacks with Ukrainian citizenship.

Including Russian military forces, there are some 8,000 Russians supporting Assad in Syria now, the commanders say. "There were 6,000, but they announced a draw-down and reduced it to 8,000," one commander quipped.

The five Wagner companies and the Karpaty company work under Syrian command in close coordination with the Russian military.

"Every company has a connection to [Vagner] headquarters and there is an officer of the Russian military command there," one commander said. "He coordinates the air cover where an operation is under way. In general, the coordination is very precise. Sometimes it is a thing of beauty to see how perfectly the aviation and artillery support works out."

'Zones Of Influence'

Vagner forces do not carry out full-scale military operations, the sources said, but rather "expand zones of influence."

"They take territory under control -- as a rule, oil and gas fields -- and then guard these territories," a commander said. "They are paid for this.... But it is impossible to control an oil field if there are hostile fighters 500 meters away, so they have to force them out."

Officially, the Vagner mercenaries sign contracts for civilian work in oil and gas fields.

Mercenaries can earn 150,000 rubles ($2,650) a month, plus a bonus of up to 100 percent for completing a three-month tour. In three months, a mercenary can make nearly a million rubles. A commander can earn about three times as much. But a fighter who changes his mind is sent back to the supply port to unload crates at 1,000 rubles a day.

The commanders RFE/RL spoke with estimated that some 400 Russians have been killed in Syria since 2015. Not all the killed mercenaries, they said, are returned to Russia.

"There is a rumor that Vagner is a so-called meat-grinder project," one of the commanders said. "What is to be done with those who fought in Donbas? With the idiots from the first wave who are real ideologues? These are scary people who could catalyze society. They can cause trouble like yeast in bread. But in Syria, you can help the interests of the country and get rid of some yeast at the same time. That's what some people are saying. And probably there is something to it."

In the early days of the operation, the mercenaries were well supplied, with, albeit used, Russian military equipment, including T-90 and T-72 tanks and various armored vehicles.

One commander remembers unloading crates of 120-millimeter mortar shells at the port of Tartus. The crates were labeled "Use: 1986." You'd grab a crate, one of the commanders recalled, and the handles would come off in your hands as the box disintegrated.

In 2016, the commanders claimed, some disagreement between Vagner patron and close Putin ally Yevgeny Prigozhin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu took place that resulted in much poorer conditions for the mercenaries.

"They took away the tanks and the weapons," one commander said. "They took back everything they had given earlier. Now the Vagner forces fight with Syrian weapons."

'War Without Ceremony'

Even the training ground in Russia where the Vagner mercenaries prepare is now stripped bare. But one of the Vagner commanders did not see that as a problem. "War will teach them," he said dryly.

The mercenaries now are paid by the Syrian government, which transfers the funds to Prigozhin-controlled structures in St. Petersburg.

The mercenaries have little respect for their Syrian comrades in arms, the commanders said.

The Syrians "are afraid of Islamic State," one said. "Say, for example, you go on the attack and take some high ground. You hand it over to the Syrians, but in the morning they don't have it anymore. IS is back there. And we have to take the hill again."

"I asked one translator, 'How come your boys don't want to fight?'" he said. "He told me that many of them had been killed and it is necessary for some of them to remain and to [have intercourse] with girls so that there will be some children."

The Vagner fighters know that they mustn't be taken prisoner. And their IS foes know it, too.

"It is the kind of war without ceremony," one commander said. "Everyone knows perfectly well that being captured means death by torture."

"I have specialists who remove eyes," he added. "They take a spoon and dig around up and down until the eyeballs are just dangling there."

The Vagner commanders predicted the demand for their services would only grow as the "war between the Russian Federation and the United States" continued.

"There are many fights ahead," one commander said. "Soon it will be in Libya. Vagner is already fighting in Sudan."

"Putin just explained to everyone that they'd better get ready," he added, referring to Putin's state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly on March 1. "It was a good speech and it is about time someone told them, 'enough.' I agree with it completely -- we can't play defense forever. Such a world power [as Russia] and a bunch of gays are going to tell us how things should be?"

"If we have to fight with America, we will win," he said. "They don't know how to fight. As Putin said, you can invent all sorts of missiles, but you can't invent people like we have. Our people -- they know how to sacrifice themselves."

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson on the basis of reporting by RFE/RL Russian Service special correspondent Sergei Khazov-Cassia.


Russia has lashed out at Britain ahead of an expected announcement by Prime Minister Theresa May on measures against Moscow, which ignored a midnight deadline to explain how a nerve agent developed during the Cold War was used to poison a former Russian spy in Britain.

The United States, European Union, and NATO all said they supported Britain after May said it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter with a deadly chemical substance developed by the Soviet military -- part of a group of nerve agents known as Novichok.

May gave Moscow a deadline of midnight on March 13 to explain how the rare nerve agent made its way to England. She said she is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation for the assault.

The prime minister is due to host a meeting of her national security council. She is then expected to give an update to lawmakers.

British news reports said measures could involve the expulsion of Russian diplomats, sanctions against Russians with links to the Kremlin, curbs on Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT, and a boycott of the World Cup soccer tournament in Russia this summer.

A few hours before the expected announcement, President Vladimir Putin's spokesman reiterated Russia's denial of involvement, saying that Moscow is in no way connected to the poisoning and will not accept "unfounded accusations or ultimatums.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed hope that any measures by London will be based on "common sense," warning that actions against Moscow will trigger a response. He did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused Britain of acting out a political drama to mislead the international community.

He argued that Russia had no motive to attack Skripal and said the poisoning could have been plotted by people or groups with an interest in spreading Russophobic sentiment.

Despite May's demand, Lavrov said that London has not sent an official request for information about the nerve agent involved in the attack.

He had earlier said that his country's requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down.

British police said the probe into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, 66, and Yulia Skripal, 33, will last many weeks and that they are not ready to identify any persons of interest in the inquiry.

The two remained in critical condition in a hospital in the southern English city of Salisbury, where they were hospitalized on March 4 after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping mall.

London has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to update members on the investigation into the poisoning, the Foreign Office said on March 14.

NATOs main decision-making body, the North Atlantic Council, expressed "deep concern at the first offensive use of a nerve agent" on alliance territory since NATO was founded in 1949.

In a statement, the allies called on Russia to answer Britain's questions in full about the Novichok nerve agent.

European Council President Donald Tusk said EU leaders would discuss the matter at their meeting next week, adding that the incident showed the need for "transatlantic unity."

In Geneva, the head of the British mission to the UN there, Julian Braithwaite, told the Human Rights Council that Russias reckless behavior is an affront to all this body stands for."

"From Ukraine to Syria, and now the United Kingdom, Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, said Jason Mack, a first secretary at the U.S. mission in the Swiss city.

The White House joined Britain in calling on Russia to provide "unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom," after a phone call between May and U.S. President Donald Trump on March 13.

"The two leaders agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms," it said.

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also condemned the attack and offered support to Britain.

A Russian chemist who helped develop the nerve agent in the Soviet era and now lives in the United States said that only the Russian government could have carried out the attack with such a deadly and advanced toxin.

Vil Mirzayanov, 83, said that Russia maintains tight control over its Novichok stockpile and that the agent is too complicated for a nonstate actor to have weaponized.

The Kremlin all the time, like all criminals, denying -- it doesnt mean anything, Reuters quoted Mirzayanov as saying in an interview at his home in Princeton, New Jersey.

Meanwhile, British broadcasting regulator Ofcom has warned it could review RT's license.

Ofcom said it had written to ANO TV Novosti, which holds RT's British broadcast licenses, saying that if Moscow is found to be behind the attack, "we would consider this relevant to our ongoing duty to be satisfied that RT is fit and proper."

In response to Ofcom's statement, Moscow threatened on March 13 to bar all British media from working in Russia if British authorities ban RT.

"No British media will work in Russia if they close down RT," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

Skripal, a retired Russian military intelligence colonel, was convicted by a Moscow military court in 2006 of "high treason" for passing secrets to Britain's Secret Intelligence Service.

He was one of four Russian prisoners released in 2010 in exchange for 10 Russian sleeper agents detained in the United States in one of the biggest spy scandals since the Cold War.

Police have confirmed that Sergei Skripal is a British citizen. Lavrov said that Yulia Skripal has Russian citizenship.

With reporting by AP, AFP, dpa, and Reuters
British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, a leading figure in the world of cosmology, died early on March 14 in his sleep at his home in Cambridge, England, at the age of 76.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his children Lucy, Robert, and Tim said.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasnt home to the people you love. We will miss him forever.

For decades, the theoretical physicist produced theories, resolved problems, gave talks, and participated in documentaries.

Hawking achieved that despite living most of his life with a paralyzing disease and speaking through a computer voice generator.

At a conference in February 2008, he described himself as lucky, as the slow progress of the disease allowed him the time to make discoveries.

"I have been very lucky that my disability has not been a serious handicap," he said. "Indeed, it has probably given me more time than most people to pursue the quest for knowledge."

He told told the BBC last year that he "never expected to reach 75."

Hawking produced a number of first-class research papers during the 1970s, including one of his most important contributions to cosmology.

In 1974, he provided a theoretical argument for the existence of thermal radiation emitted by black holes -- objects in space so massive and dense that even light cant escape.

Hawking applied his work on black holes to the Big Bang -- the early development of the universe -- and the nature of time.

In 1983, he and Professor Jim Hartle proposed a model of the universe based on the idea that it did not have a boundary.

His discoveries were achieved by bridging the gap between Albert Einsteins Theory of Relativity, which explains how massive objects like stars and planets cause a distortion in space-time, and quantum physics, which deals with the behavior of atomic and subatomic particles.

In a paper published in January 2014, Hawking presented a "mind-bending" new theory that argued that black holes do not exist in the way we traditionally think of them. Instead of devouring information and energy permanently, he said, black holes release it back into the universe in a garbled, unrecognizable form.

Not content with publishing among his peers, Hawking popularized his ideas in a 1988 best-selling book called A Brief History Of Time, which sold 10 million copies worldwide.

Hawking also examined the relationship between science and religion, writing in his 2010 book Grand Design that evoking God is not necessary to explain the origins of the universe.

In a 2011 interview, he suggested that heaven is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark. When we die, the renowned scientist said, our brains switch off like broken-down computers.

Hawking repeatedly used his fame to raise alarm over climate change, which he described as one of the greatest threats posed to the future of humankind and the world.

"As we stand at the brink of a second nuclear age and a period of unprecedented climate change, scientists have a special responsibility once again to inform the public and to advise leaders about the perils that humanity faces," he said.

Born on January 8, 1942, Hawking won a scholarship to Oxford University in 1959, and three years later switched to rival Cambridge to conduct research on cosmology.

When he was 21, he received the diagnosis of a debilitating motor-neurone disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition that has progressed over time.

The disease was expected to kill him within a few years.

At the unusually young age of 32, Hawking was made a fellow of the Royal Society, Britain's most prestigious academic institution.

In a wheelchair since 1970, he relied on a computer and voice synthesizer to speak. But his mind and senses remain unaffected.

For 30 years, Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge until he resigned in 2009.

After that, he became director of research at the universitys Centre for Theoretical Cosmology.

He married twice and had three children.

When he was 65, he was given a two-hour ride on a zero-gravity flight that allowed Hawking to experience spurts of weightlessness.

"I have long wanted to go into space, and a zero-gravity flight is the first step toward space travelm," he said at the time. "I also want to demonstrate to the public that everyone can participate in this type of weightless experience."

Hawking became as much a celebrity as a scientist, receiving a number of awards, including the highest U.S. civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

He appeared on the animated sitcom The Simpsons and the science-fiction television series Star Trek, and provided narration for a British Telecom advertisement that was later sampled in a Pink Floyd song.

In August 2012, Hawking had a starring role in the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants the U.S. military to create a new "space force" that would be separate from the Pentagon's current army, navy, and air force.

Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego on March 13 that the new group would incorporate the "tremendous amount" of work the military already is doing on space-related defense.

"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea," Trump said.

"We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we'll have the space force, we'll have the army, the navy... Maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen," he said.

Last year, some legislators pushed a bill in Congress that included a provision to establish a new branch of the military dubbed the Space Corps.

But the Pentagon itself has resisted, saying it does not need to create another bureaucracy.

"At a time when we are trying to integrate the department's joint war-fighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Representative Michael Turner in a letter in July.

It would be "premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead," Mattis said.

The idea was dropped from the Pentagon's funding bill by the end of last year, but it retains some support in Congress, where advocates say the United States is facing significant strategic vulnerabilities in the face of Russian and Chinese ventures into space warfare.

Representative Mike Rogers told a February 28 conference in Washington that China and Russia have become "near peers" to the United States in space capabilities, and the United States is not pushing hard enough to stay ahead.

"That's unacceptable that we have allowed that to happen, particularly in a day and age when it is essential to have those space capabilities to fight and win wars," he said.

Rogers said that a separate space corps could be carved out from the air force within "three to five years."

Sean O'Keefe, who was both NASA administrator and navy secretary under President George W. Bush, said some people may argue that a space force would "compromise the sanctity of considering space to be off-limits from warfare."

Ever since the Space Age started with the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, there has been a military and national security aspect to space, even though there are treaties aimed at keeping space a place of peace.

In the 1950s, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower established two separate space programs -- a civilian one that became NASA, and a military one. NASA is much more public, but the military program is just as big.

The military space program has mostly been led by the air force. For the past several years, the military has been flying an unmanned space plane that is a lot like the retired civilian space shuttle but smaller, U.S. officials said.

With reporting by AP and AFP


BRUSSELS -- Thirteen of Ukraine's most enthusiastic backers in the European Union have piled pressure on Kyiv by warning that the implementation of important reforms are "just beginning or lagging behind," according to a document seen by RFE/RL.

In a discussion paper titled Keeping Ukraine On The Reform Path, the countries called the presidential and parliamentary elections next year "a test for Ukraine."

The document, shown to RFE/RL by diplomats who were not authorized to release it publicly, was signed by representatives of Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, and Britain.

It will be debated when EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels on 19 March to discuss EU-Ukraine relations. The meeting also follows the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini's March 12-13 trip to Ukraine, and while no concrete decisions are expected at the gathering, it will indicate how the EU views the reform process and the political situation in its eastern neighbor.

The paper states that "against the backdrop of the Russian aggression, we commend the Ukrainian leadership for its considerable achievements in a number of key areas of reform, including energy, the banking sector, public procurement and decentralization." It says that "we remain fully committed to supporting Ukrainians' desire for change and a future of their own choosing. For Europe, the success of Ukraine is of strategic importance."

But it also includes considerable criticism of the Ukrainian government as well as other political forces in the country. In a key paragraph, the document stresses that "the government is not fully delivering on EU and IMF [International Monetary Fund] benchmarks. Civil society activists and experts warn of the risk of backsliding. Incomplete reforms threaten to undermine the credibility of the reform process and lead to reform fatigue and disillusionment among Ukrainians. Indeed some are already deploying populist arguments that a prosperous and well-functioning society can be realized without painful reforms."

'Vital' Anticorruption Bureau

The group of 13 is demanding that Ukraine pays particular attention to the fight against corruption by underlining that it is "vital" that the National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) remain able to "operate effectively and independently in investigating corruption" and that the establishment of an independent High Anticorruption Court was "essential to complete the anticorruption chain."

The document also sets out how the group of countries should ensure that Ukraine remains on the reform path in the upcoming months. Among the initiatives outlined is a pledge that "we should not shy away from speaking up when needed" and should "help promote a positive narrative of those Ukrainian reforms that have been a success."

Other ideas set out in the document include stepping up people-to-people contacts, more conditionality, greater support for civil society and especially anticorruption activists, and offering Ukraine "our support in building resilience and countering Russian disinformation, cyber-attacks and other hybrid activities in the run up to Ukrainian elections in 2019."
He was teaching a gun safety course as part of his administration of justice class. One of the injured, a 17-year-old boy, was hit in the neck by debris or a fragment after the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling. Alexander had just told the class he wanted to make sure the firearm was not loaded when it went off. He was planning to use the gun for a demonstration for how to disarm someone. School site administration and the Seaside Police Department immediately began investigating the incident, including interviewing students in the class.

Were looking into any violation of city ordinance or the penal code and well determine whether or not there are any applicable charges, Pridgen told to media. It remains unclear whether Alexander was legally allowed to have a gun on campus. Alexander has been a reserve Sand City police officer for the past 11 years. Alexander has been placed on administrative leave for the duration of the on-going investigation. School resumed after the incident.
Yesterday morns popular public interest message, which read, Modified Silencers are not Allowed. It is a violation to modify silencers of motorcycles. Strict action shall be taken against such vehicles. As per section 190(2), Motor Vehicles Act, 1988: Such a violation is punishable for the first offence with fine of Rs 1000, and for second or subsequent offence with a fine of Rs 2000. The motorcycle can also be seized.

To make detection of such bikes easy, the force has appealed to the public  If anyone is found riding a motorcycle with modified silencers, plesae share his/her information on Chandigarh Traffic policeWhatsapp No  9779580985.

Yesterday, dated 13.03.18 the Chandigarh Traffic Police put up a special awareness to shopkeeper and mechanics about bullet, motorcycle pataka silencer in Motor Market sector- 27, Chandigarh. A lot of People were educated through this awareness.

CTP has also appealed to the public saying, Chandigarh please tell us in which sectors or near which landmarks do you often hear cracker-sound being emitted by motorcycles with modified silencers. If there is a pattern to it, please also provide approx. time.

Whats strange is the unpreparedness of citizens and police in almost every given situation. For one, no one seems to know the law and most of whats passed on is hearsay. Certain offences are not viewed uniformly depending on which region you were in. The High Court has this week issued a directive clarifying No challans to be issued on bullbars/crash guards till April 18  Next date of hearing.

The High Court has in fact said MoRTHs interpretation of MV Act sections pertaining to this matter are not proper and has sought a detailed reply. In the meantime, Chandigarh Traffic Police are proactively putting up public interest messages on social media to explain to offenders what punishment an offence warrants. This mornings appeal to the public is to immediately remove all unauthorised fitments on vehicles, such as crash guards or bull bars.

They further list the offence. It is an offence of u/s (under section) 52 of MV Act 1988 and attracts u/s 190 and 191 of MV Act 1988 for which one shall be liable to pay fine of Rs 3000. The message has no dateline mentioned, except that it was uploaded this morn. It also doesnt state basis what the offence is considering a non modified standard issue silencer may in fact be louder than modified silencers.

The strangest part of this is Chandigarh is major city if one were heading to Ladakh or other Himalayan regions. A large number of rental taxis are fitted with accessories for ride preparedness, and will such vehicles be stopped. The same is true for the endless number of bikers that head to the mountains each year, with stock or modded bikes. Will there be a decibel metre in place to document an offence?

With traffic departments and police facing a myriad of singular and common issues in regards to road rules, Lucknow RTO has now identified a series of registration number sequences that are highly sought even though they dont enjoy VIP status. In an attempt to prevent prevalent stylising of reg numbers, theres now a proposal to increase the charge on such numbers.
Yes, we have finally had a rendezvous with the utterly delicious Yamaha R15 V3.0 and will talk about the new motorcycle in detail in this review. The R15 V3.0 (pronounced as Version 3 point O), until recently, was the most anticipated bike in the country and not without a reason. The original R15, the V1.0 as we now refer to it now, was much ahead of its time when it first came to India.

It was quick to become a hot favorite of many youngsters and all racing enthusiasts worth their salt. Almost a decade later, Yamaha has introduced the third iteration of its fully-faired low-displacement supersports motorcycle. We rode it on MMRT today and you can find a full account of our trackday in this Yamaha R15 V3.0 review.

Design and Ergonomics

While a trained eye could be pretty quick to spot at least some of the components that the V3.0 shares with its predecessor, many are bound to perceive this as an all-new product. Actually, Yamaha has given the R15 a comprehensive facelift, which not only makes it look a lot fresher but also more premium. The India-spec R15 borrows in plenty from the Indonesian version but skips on bits like USD front forks to keep costs under check. Anyway, other new bits, like the full LED headlamps and taillamp, do make the motorcycle look a lot more premium. The new front-fairing is more angular and looks a bit sharper than the one on the V2.0.

Astride the motorcycle, youll be quick to notice the new fully-digital speedo console that replaces the part-digital-part-analogue cluster of the V2.0. The new unit displays speed, tachometer, fuel level indicator, trip meter, odometer, and even a gear shift indicator. It also offers a USB charging port. The fuel tank is also new and offers better thigh support through the flatter knee recesses.

Even the seats are new and are wider than before. The pillions should no longer feel awkward as the pillion seat isnt as high as before. The new tailpiece is sleeker and the earlier single-piece R6-like taillamp has been replaced with a bigger unit with LED fixtures.

Engine and Performance

The Yamaha R15 V3.0 is powered by a new 155cc heart that benefits from Variable Valve Actuation (VVA). The new engine outputs a maximum power of 19.3 PS at 10,000 RPM along with a peak torque of 14.7 Nm at 8,500 RPM, which makes the R15 V3.0 the most powerful 150cc offering by a huge margin.

The engine comes mated to a six-speed manual transmission but the real highlight here is the introduction of the slipper clutch  this helped us downshift aggressively under hard-braking and before making fast entries into corners. Also, the lighter clutch action is due to a company-claimed 18% reduction in the weight of the clutch pull.

Yamaha engines have always been high on refinement and the new 155cc mill for the latest R15 is no different in this regard. Thumb the starter and the engine wakes up with a muted growl. The soundtrack is sufficiently rorty without ever getting too loud.

Like we said, the clutch action is light and the transmission offers a positive shift action. The biggest highlight, however, is the way the new R15 feels more sophisticated and even more accomplished than its predecessor.

Theres a lot of punch, available almost throughout the powerband. Its really tough to accept that its a 155cc heart that powers this motorcycle. The engine just loves to rev even and feels much more powerful than the 149.8cc motor it replaces. Theres really no surprise, then, that the new motorcycle ends up being considerably faster and quicker than its predecessor. Compared to the V2, the V3 delivers 16.3% more power and 4.7% more mileage.

Ride and Handling

While the R15 has always offered decent straight line performance, its high engine prowess has always played second fiddle to the motorcycles excellent handling characteristics. A big reason for the amazing handling capabilities is the Deltabox frame that has been carried forward since the original R15. Furthermore, Yamaha claims to have made enough revisions to the frame to enhance its strength and balance. What remains unchanged, however, is a really aggressive riding position. You can order the V3.0 with Metzeler rubber, which further enhances this motorcycles cornering abilities.

Overall, Yamaha has done a decent job with making this motorcycle all the more fun in the corners. The V1.0 is still remembered for being a sharp cornering tool that can be a great track weapons in the right hands of experienced racers. The V2.0, on the other hand, was slightly softer and much friendlier to the novices.

Guess what, Yamaha has got it just right with the V3.0. While its at least as sharp as the V1.0, it offers enough confidence to enable even the not-so-experienced riders to push this bike hard in the corners. The excellent weight distribution and the lightweight helps the V3.0 feel at home in the fast corners. Sudden line-corrections are really easy and youll love to go apex-hunting on one of these.

The new R15 offers a comfortable ride even on the broken tarmac. While the ride remains firm, it never gets too uncomfortable. Sadly, Yamaha isnt offering ABS on this motorcycle. You get a single disc brake arrangement on both the wheels. The brakes offer a sharp bite and are adequate to easily bring this baby to a complete halt from triple digit speeds.

As part of the standard package, the R15 V3.0 comes fitted with 100/80-17- and 140/70-17-spec MRF tires at front and rear respectively. Of course, you can always opt for the lovely Metzelers but having the MRFs as standard option enables the company to price the motorcycle competitively. This is also why theres no USD-arrangement for the Indian version.

Verdict

On sale at an ex-showroom price of Rs 1.25 lakh, the new Yamaha R15 V3.0 is only about Rs 8,000 costlier than the V2.0. However, this slight increase in price is easily justifiable through a sharper styling, more performance, higher fuel efficiency and pretty much the same affordability. Basically, the V3.0 is quite an improvement over the earlier iterations, which is saying a lot as the earlier R15s were remarkably capable.

The new Yamaha R15 V3.0 is a world-class motorcycle that impresses with its high engine performance, a very attractive design, and excellent handling characteristics. The V3.0 is easily the best R15 weve seen so far and that, alone, is a reason enough to have one of these in your garage. The R15 V3.0 is definitely the sportiest sub-200cc offering we have on sale today. And it has enough firepower to beat most of the 200 cc segment motorcycles we have on sale in India today.

Did you enjoy reading our Yamaha R15 V3.0 review? You can connect with us through commenting below in case theres something more you want to know about this baby.

[wp-review id=265974]
[CAPE TOWN] A dose of oral vaccine provides effective short-term protection against cholera during an outbreak, a study in Zambia shows.



According to researchers, a shortage in the global stockpile of cholera vaccines meant that single-dose oral vaccination was necessary to tackle an outbreak in Lusaka, Zambia, in February 2016.



The emergency vaccination campaign was implemented in April 2016, targeting more than 500,000 people in Lusakas overcrowded township areas.

Francisco Luquero, co-author of the study and an expert in preventable diseases at the France-based Epicentre, the research arm of the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) or Doctors without Borders, says that studies have already proven that one dose of oral cholera vaccine works  but those studies were conducted in countries that had recently experienced cholera.

Our results show that people vaccinated can be protected against cholera a few days after receiving one dose. Francisco Luquero

The 2016 outbreak happened when Zambia had not reported a case of cholera in four years.



To determine the effectiveness of the single-dose cholera vaccine, the researchers enrolled 66 patients with confirmed cholera and 330 people without the disease who were neighbours of the patients.



According to the study, published last month (8 February) in the New England Journal of Medicine, the effectiveness of the single dose vaccination was about 90 per cent.



Our results show that people vaccinated can be protected against cholera a few days after receiving one dose, which is important in outbreaks because we need to protect people quickly, says Luquero.



Oral cholera vaccines have been used in past years to successfully prevent outbreaks in complex emergencies, to curb epidemics, or to reduce the disease burden in countries where cholera is endemic but vaccines are in short supply, according to MSF.



The Lusaka outbreak ended quickly after the implementation of the vaccination campaign, which limited the number of cases recruited for the study, Luquero explains.

The Ministry of Health offered a second vaccine eight months later, in December 2016.The WHO estimates that globally, cholera infects between one and four million people a year, resulting in 21,000-143,000 deaths, with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa at increased risk.This is an important study because it suggests that the world could face the challenges of cholera outbreaks with a single dose, says Roma Chilengi, chief scientific officer at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia. A single-dose vaccine is cheaper and could help countries with limited financial ability to control the disease, he added.However, it would be helpful to be clear about the potential duration of the protection the single dose offers, Chilengi tells SciDev.Net.
The odds of a 22-year absence of mass shootings in Australia since 1996 gun reforms being due to chance are one in 200,000, new research reveals.

Published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, scholars at the University of Sydney and Macquarie University used mathematical techniques to test the null hypothesis that the rate of mass shootings in Australia before and after the 1996 law reforms is unchanged.

The National Firearms Agreement, enacted after the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania in which 35 died and another 23 were seriously injured, saw the destruction of more than a million firearms -- perhaps a third of the country's private gun stock.

The Agreement included uniform gun registration, repudiation of self-defense as a legitimate reason to hold a firearm license, mandatory locked storage, a ban on mail order sales and standardized penalties, and the banning of semi-automatic rifles and pump action shot guns from civilian ownership.

Its provisions were subsequently enacted in national, state and territory legislation across Australia.

In the 18 years up to and including the Port Arthur massacre in 1996, there were 13-gun homicides in which five or more people died, not including the perpetrator. In the 22 years since, there have been no such incidents.

"Most people hear these starkly contrasting numbers and conclude that Australia's gun law reforms effectively stopped firearm massacres here," says the paper's lead author, Emeritus Professor Simon Chapman of the University of Sydney.

"However, some scholars and members of the gun lobby have argued that since mass shootings are relatively rare events, the concentration of incidents in one decade and their absence in another decade is merely a statistical anomaly."

For example, Australian researcher Dr Samara McPhedran writing in The Conversation said: "Mass shootings are rare events, and the long gap between incidents post-1996 may simply reflect a return to a more 'normal' state of affairs, similar to the years before 1987."

"This was no accident," says the new study's co-author Associate Professor Philip Alpers, from the University of Sydney. "Australia followed standard public health procedures to reduce the risk of multiple shooting events, and we can see the evidence. It worked.

"Gun lobby-affiliated and other researchers have been saying for years that mass shootings are such rare events it could have been a matter of luck they dropped off in the wake of Australia's gun control laws," says Alpers. "Instead, we found the odds against this hypothesis are 200,000 to one."

In related news, Tasmania's re-elected Premier has defended the Liberals' policy to relax the state's gun laws, despite an outcry from survivors of the Port Arthur shooting.
The work of faculty and students from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has yielded the first evidence of how waterborne microinvertebrates move across vast expanses of arid desert.

An article published March 13, 2018 in Limnology and Oceanography Letters, a publication of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, details for the first time how high desert winds disperse small invertebrates and how they colonize hydrologically disconnected basins throughout the region.

"These novel findings might have large implications for freshwater systems," said Elizabeth J. Walsh, Ph.D., professor in UTEP's Department of Biological Sciences and director of the doctoral program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "As climate changes and water patterns shift, our work might help others understand the intricacies of the wind-aided dispersal of freshwater organisms. It's important because these organisms are the base of the food web. How they move will affect the movement of the biological communities that are built up around them."

Walsh added that the impetus for the research grew out of a previous five-year study of Chihuahuan Desert aquatic environments funded by the National Science Foundation. Part of that project involved characterizing the biodiversity of microinvertebrates at 300 sites. Researchers wanted to better understand how organisms were colonizing these bodies of water that were separated by vast distances of desert and not tied together by hydrological links such as drainage routes.

"If they weren't being moved by water, and they weren't being moved by other animals, then the next thing we thought is, 'It has to be the wind,'" Walsh said.

Enter Thomas E. Gill, Ph.D., UTEP professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Science and Engineering Program, who while conducting concurrent studies on Chihuahuan Desert wind storms, pondered, "What kinds of living things are being carried along with the dust?"

What followed was a multi-year interdisciplinary research effort that collected dust samples; confirming those samples contained microinvertebrates in dormant, developmental stages; rehydrating them in laboratory settings; and utilizing next-generation sequencing to determine which organisms were present in the dust.

The last step involved moving the dust through a simulated storm to determine if the organisms could survive being blasted through the air across lengthy distances. Doctoral student Jose A. Rivas Jr. and Gill worked with Scott Van Pelt, Ph.D., a soil science researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to conduct such a test at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's wind tunnel facility in Big Spring, Texas.

"We basically simulated a wind storm," Gill said. "We took the clean desert soil, in which we mixed microinvertebrates, and blew it into the air. After this energetic, turbulent journey through the wind tunnel, our team showed that those organisms, which are about the size of grains of sand in their dormant stage in their development, survived getting sandblasted into the air. They can fly through the atmosphere, maybe hundreds of miles in viable conditions, and still wake up."

Gill said the group's findings will help inspire further research on the movement of organisms. He added that the effort that took place at UTEP was a successful collaboration because of support from the UTEP Interdisciplinary Research (IDR) program, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS). He also said the work conducted by doctoral students Rivas and Jon Mohl -- who served as the study's lead and second authors -- was vital to the effort.

"It's a very exciting and unique project," said Rivas, who was the study's lead author. "Dust storms are a huge part of the Southwest. We interact with them every spring. What's interesting is not only learning about dust storms but finding out what exactly is being transported, what's in the dust? This is especially important in understanding the diversity of our Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. Learning how small, aquatic animals are transported and colonize new areas will lead to insights into how communities in tem

The article was co-authored by Walsh; Gill; Ming-Ying Leung, Ph.D., professor and director of the UTEP Border Biomedical Research Center's Bioinformatics Core; Robert L. Wallace, Ph.D., the Patricia and Philip McCullough Professor in Biology, Ripon College; Mohl; Rivas; and Van Pelt.
Up to half of plant and animal species in the world's most naturally rich areas, such as the Amazon and the Galapagos, could face local extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked.

Even if the Paris Climate Agreement 2C target is met, these places could lose 25% of their species according to a landmark new study by the University of East Anglia (UK), the James Cook University (Australia), and WWF.

Published today in the journal Climatic Change and just ahead of Earth Hour, the world's largest environmental event, researchers examined the impact of climate change on nearly 80,000 plant and animal species in 35 of the world's most diverse and naturally wildlife-rich areas.

It explores a number of different climate change futures -- from a no-emissions-cuts case in which global mean temperatures rise by 4.5C , to a 2C rise, the upper limit for temperature in the Paris Agreement . Each area was chosen for its uniqueness and the variety of plants and animals found there.

The report finds that the Miombo Woodlands, home to African wild dogs, south-west Australia and the Amazon-Guianas are projected to be some the most affected areas. If there was a 4.5C global mean temperature rise, the climates in these areas are projected to become unsuitable for many the plants and animals that currently live there meaning:

Up to 90% of amphibians, 86% of birds and 80% of mammals could potentially become locally extinct in the Miombo Woodlands, Southern Africa

The Amazon could lose 69% of its plant species

In south-west Australia 89% of amphibians could become locally extinct

60% of all species are at risk of localised extinction in Madagascar

The Fynbos in the Western Cape Region of South Africa, which is experiencing a drought that has led to water shortages in Cape Town, could face localised extinctions of a third of its species, many of which are unique to that region.

As well as this, increased average temperatures and more erratic rainfall could become be the "new normal" according to the report -- with significantly less rainfall in the Mediterranean, Madagascar and the Cerrado-Pantanal in Argentina. Potential effects include;

Pressure on the water supplies of African elephants -- who need to drink 150-300 litres of water a day

96% of the breeding grounds of Sundarbans tigers could become submerged by sea-level rise

Comparatively fewer male marine turtles due to temperature-induced sex assignment of eggs.

If species can move freely to new locations then the risk of local extinction decreases from around 25% to 20% with a 2C global mean temperature rise. If species cannot they may not be able to survive. Most plants, amphibians and reptiles, such as orchids, frogs and lizards cannot move quickly enough keep up with these climatic changes.

advertisement

Lead researcher Prof Rachel Warren from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA said: "Our research quantifies the benefits of limiting global warming to 2C for species in 35 of the world's most wildlife-rich areas. We studied 80,000 species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians and found that 50% of species could be lost from these areas without climate policy. However, if global warming is limited to 2C above pre-industrial levels, this could be reduced to 25%. Limiting warming to within 1.5C was not explored, but would be expected to protect even more wildlife."

Overall the research shows that the best way to protect against species loss is to keep global temperature rise as low as possible.

The Paris Agreement pledges to reduce the expected level of global warming from 4.5C to around 3C, which reduces the impacts, but we see even greater improvements at 2C; and it is likely that limiting temperature rise to 1.5C would protect more wildlife.

This is why on 24 March millions of people across the world will come together for Earth Hour, to show their commitment to reducing global emissions and protecting people and wildlife from the impacts of climate change. The event also sends a clear message to business and government that there is a global will to change this trajectory.

Tanya Steele, CEO of WWF commented: "Within our children's lifetime, places like the Amazon and Galapagos Islands could become unrecognisable, with half the species that live there wiped out by human-caused climate change. Around the world, beautiful iconic animals like Amur tigers or Javan rhinos are at risk of disappearing, as well as tens of thousands plants and smaller creatures that are the foundation of all life on earth. That is why this Earth Hour we are asking everyone to make a promise for the planet and make the everyday changes to protect our planet."

The models used in this research come from the Wallace Initiative, a near decade long partnership between the Tyndall Centre at UEA, eResearch at James Cook University, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and WWF.

Dr Jeff Price, coordinator of the Wallace Initiative and also from UEA, said: "This research provides a view on the differing spatial impacts of climate change on biodiversity. It shows the benefits of combining citizen science with the research and resources of highly-ranked universities to assist an NGO with their conservation activities."

'The implications of the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change for globally significant biodiversity areas' is published in the journal Climatic Change on March 14, 2018.
A warming climate will shrink and fragment mountain hare habitat in the Swiss Alps. Populations are likely to decline as a result, concludes an international study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the University of Bern.

Specialised species like the mountain hare, adapted to life at high altitudes, are particularly affected by climate change. If temperatures become too warm for the mountain hare, it only has limited options to move to cooler, higher elevations. In fact, the area of suitable mountain hare habitat in Switzerland is expected to shrink by an average of one third by the year 2100. This is the conclusion of a study by the WSL, the University of Bern and the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU).

And that habitat will not only diminish in size, but also become more fragmented. As a result, mountain hare populations will be less well interconnected, which may lead to genetic impoverishment. According to the study published in the journal Global Change Biology, overall numbers of mountain hares are expected to decline. At the same time, the study pinpoints the mountain hare's most important future habitats, crucial for interconnecting individual populations and protecting the species.

Mountain hares suffering from heat stress

The research team investigated the impact of climate change on the species' distribution in the Swiss Alps, based on 1,046 mountain hare observations recorded between 1990 and 2013. In addition, it modelled the location and extent of suitable current and future habitat, following various scenarios envisaged by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The suitability of a habitat for mountain hares depends on factors such as food availability, protection from predators, heat and cold, and human disturbance.

It turned out that above all rising temperatures during the hare's breeding season influence the habitat available to the species. Cold-adapted species are less adept than heat-loving species at regulating their body temperature during hot summers. They have to move to cooler environments, which are necessarily limited by narrowing mountains and craggy rock faces.

The researchers' model calculations predicted a habitat loss for Swiss mountain hares of 26% in a medium warming scenario and 45% in a strong warming scenario. However, there turned out to be substantial regional differences, with the greatest habitat loss to be expected in the southern and northern Alpine foothills. By contrast, less loss was anticipated in the Central Alps, though there, too, habitat for mountain hares was expected to decline significantly.

National monitoring recommended

"Habitat loss and increasing habitat fragmentation will increasingly imperil the species," says lead author and WSL researcher Maik Rehnus. "Our study identified key areas for interconnecting mountain hare populations in Switzerland. They represent the backbone for the mountain hare's future distribution," adds the WSL's Kurt Bollmann, who led the study together with Veronika Braunisch from the University of Bern. The authors recommend setting up a national mountain hare monitoring scheme in these areas as well as on the periphery of the species' current range. "That would help to fill gaps in our knowledge about regional differences in population development and the endangerment of the species," maintains Rehnus.
Today, a study published in the open access, open data journal GigaScience provides three-dimensional visual data from hermit crabs using the latest 3D microCT (Micro computed tomography) scanning technology. By making this microCT data publicly available, taxonomists potentially have more time and cost-efficient options for examining and comparing specimens for taxonomic research. With a shortage of trained taxonomists, this also provides new opportunities for education and training. To ease access to these data, the authors go beyond just describing the data collection and findings by providing downloadable, interactive files of everything in this study. For interested citizen scientists out there, they even include interactive web-based viewers and 3D printable file formats. The work here highlights new ways for researchers to share complex data without having to send out precious samples that can be damaged or lost.

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea), are one of the most diverse superfamilies of sea crustaceans and are easily recognisable through the way their most-often asymmetrical pleon is concealed and protected usually inside a scavenged sea shell. With over 1,100 species and 120 genera recognised to date, there are many more as yet undiscovered or unidentified species sitting on museum shelves. Being of small size and having very similar body plans and membranous body parts that typically lack identification characteristics, hermit crabs can be extremely difficult to identify and thus remain taxonomically poorly understood. Proper identification requires careful examination, which depend heavily on the quality of the original species descriptions and illustrations. Much of these procedures have not kept pace with digital advances, and when literature-based descriptions have proven inadequate, the only option has been to contact museums to loan out valuable samples for physical examination.

New three-dimensional microCT (X-ray micro-computed tomography) scanning technology provides a new tool in the taxonomic toolkit that can aid with species identification and be consulted by scientists before the physical material has to be sourced and shipped from natural history collections. Researchers at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, South Africa, use this approach to scan seven hermit crab samples. This includes three recently described species and one still undescribed species, as well as two scans of rare species, one of which is from a deep-sea habitat at over 500m depth. The most recent species description of Diogenes albimanus has just been published in the journal Zootaxa, where this data was used in the paper and review process.

First author Jannes Landschoff contrasts this with the classical procedure of species description: "These specimens are too valuable to be shipped and can only be examined by one referee at a time. In this process, we used microCT in addition to classical drawings. The scan images provided less subjective data and were particularly suited to provide high-resolution surface images of complicated 3D structures that are difficult to draw. Publishing the dataset also makes the process of assessing whether a species is new to science easier to evaluate, not only in the peer-review process but also in later studies. At the same time these downloadable avatars can act as an insurance policy should the type specimens get damaged or lost."

Although the physical specimens used in this study were deposited at the Iziko South African Museum (SAMC), Cape Town, South Africa, and at the National Museum of Natural History (USNH), Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA, researchers interested in these samples can now inspect them in detail from the comfort of their home. The 3D scans are available for download and view from the GigaScience GigaDB repository. Widgets are available that allow embedding in your own website (see below for code).

Using recently deployed functionality in GigaDB, surface-rendered CT images can now be interactively explored in the context of a web browser, enabling users to explore 3D images prior to download. As 3D printer (STL) files are also available for download, this demonstrates the potential for a new interactive species description.

Senior Author Anton Du Plessis says of the advantages of X-ray microCT to visualize and analyse these new species: "This study clearly shows the power of the technique and the magnification allows precise identification of surface textures which are often missed in photographs or even in manual drawings."

GigaScience's Chris Armit who deployed the new viewer in GigaDB said, "The 3D model viewer enables CT and MRI images to be interactively explored. This interface development has huge potential for Digital Biology, and enables morphology and in situ gene expression patterns to be explored easily using a desktop, laptop, or mobile device. We will be extending the visualisation tools to enable exploration of complex image data captured using optical imaging and molecular imaging techniques."
Palaeontologists Vicente D. Crespo, Francisco Javier Ruiz Sanchez and Plini Montoya, from the department of Botanics and Geology of the Universitat de Valencia, and Marc Furio, from the Institut Catala de Paleontologia, have discovered a new fossilised species of insectivore belonging to the unusual and extinct Plesiodimylus family. The identification of this group, related to the fauna that lived in Central Europe during the Miocene (16 million years ago), is based on the study of isolated teeth found in l'Alcora (Castellon), in the district of Araya.

This new species of insectivore, found in the palaeontological site Mas d'Antolino B, has been unveiled in the Historical Biology journal and has the scientific denomination Plesiodimylus ilercavonicus, in reference to the Iberian Ilercavones people, who inhabited part of what are the provinces of Castellon and Tarrragona today.

This family is defined by having teeth that protrude from the jaw, with thicker dental enamel than other mammals, as well as the presence of four molars (two in each jawbones, or one in each jawbone and then one more in each maxilla). These characteristics give them an unusual look -- with overgrown teeth.

Furthermore, by studying the dentition of this species and specially with the type of wear suffered by the teeth's enamel, one can surmise they would have fed mainly on gastropods, the most common group of mollusks, according to Crespo, Ruiz Sanchez and Montoya -- also researchers for Valencia's Natural History Museum -, and Marc Furio.

Until now, the finding of material from this animal group in Araya is the only one of its kind in the Iberian Peninsula, joining findings of other species from Central Europe such as some types of hamsters and other rodents, bats and insectivores, which reveal a phase of faunistic exchange between Iberia and Central Europe in the Lower Miocene.

In order to obtain the fossilised remains of these small mammals, a strenuous process to clean and sieve through tones of sediment was undertaken, as well as the examination of the residue obtained through this process. The studying of the specimens was performed with various techniques, including some derived from the use of electronic microscopy devices. The results of the study were unveiled at the 15th Annual Meeting of the European Association of Vertebrate Palaeontologists, held in Munich (Germany) during the summer of 2017.

In the Mas d'Antolino B palaeontological site, available since 2008, fossils of other species of shrews, squirrels, hamsters, dormice, bats or crocodiles have been unearthed, among others. These faunas, in a context of an environment similar to the current day rainforests, date back to the Aragonian age of mammals, also within the Miocene period. In this era there was a rainforest where Araya is currently located, with meadows, which would have been located near a great lake which reached most of today's l'Alcora, Ribesalbes and Fanzara villages.
The mountains of East Africa are a treasure trove of biodiversity. However, their ecosystems may be at a higher risk than previously realized. Dr. Andreas Hemp and Dr. Claudia Hemp have discovered that Mount Kilimanjaro is turning into an "ecological island." Agriculture and housing construction have eliminated the natural vegetation that used to serve as a bridge to the surrounding area, enabling the diversity of species to develop to its current levels. Neighbouring mountain regions are presumably also being isolated from their surrounding areas. The researchers have published their study in the journal Global Change Biology.

With a height of almost 6,000 metres, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, and it is located less than 100 kilometres from the 4,600-metre-high volcano Mount Meru in northern Tanzania. Satellite images show how the strips of land between them changed in the 25 years leading up to the turn of the century. Areas that originally had dense vegetation were forced to make room for the intensive agriculture and residential development of a growing population. Nowadays, Mount Kilimanjaro is almost completely surrounded by large areas that are characterized by the encroachment of human civilization.

Bridges of vegetation promote the diversity of species

In order to investigate the impact this rapid change is having on biodiversity, the biologists from the University of Bayreuth and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre Frankfurt (BiK-F) studied the environments of grasshoppers at 500 selected sites on Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. In this investigation, endemic species -- species that are only native to this region of East Africa -- were of particular interest. The scientists found an especially high proportion of endemic species in the forest areas at lower altitudes shared by these two mountains. This is a clear indication that grasshoppers once used the dense vegetation between the mountains as bridges to spread out in both regions. Most notably, the flightless species relied on this land route.

Conspicuously, there are also a few endemic species that are only found in higher forest areas. According to the authors of the study, geoscientific findings suggest the answer lies in palaeo-ecological climate changes. "Several thousand years ago, it was considerably cooler and damper in the lower areas than it is today. Thus, grasshoppers that preferred these climatic conditions settled at the foot of the mountains, travelling by foot via the wooded land route. It was only later, as the temperatures rose and precipitation diminished that they made their way to higher areas. They then no longer had contact to grasshoppers in neighbouring regions," Dr. Andreas Hemp explained.

Moreover, the study provides new insight into the question of how the East African mountain ranges were settled during past climate periods. "Our research findings corroborate the thesis that animal and plant species spread out primarily via bridges of vegetation. In contrast, other ways of spreading over long distances, for instance seed transport via wind or the "air travel" of individual insects, must have played a subordinate role. All of these prehistoric processes are still reflected in the current diversity of species we encounter in mountainous regions of East Africa, many of which are difficult to reach. The endemic species, in particular, help researchers trace the development of natural history," Dr. Hemp continued.

Grasshoppers as early warning systems for endangered species

If bridges of vegetation between the mountains weaken or vanish altogether, it is not just the mobility of grasshoppers that is affected. Larger animals living in the forest -- e.g. antelope, small mammals, snakes, or chameleons -- are at an even higher risk of becoming isolated and thus going extinct in the foreseeable future. Grasshoppers serve as an early warning system for researchers, signalling these kinds of far-reaching effects for other animal groups that are often difficult to study. "However, reliable statements about the ecological interrelationships are only possible after many years of scientifically demanding field studies," emphasized Dr. Claudia Hemp, an animal ecologist who works at the University of Bayreuth and, more recently, also at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F).

Support for the research from natural history museums

The newly published study, which was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), would not have been possible without the support of research institutions in Tanzania and the cooperation of the natural history museums in Nairobi, London, Tervuren (Belgium), Berlin, Madrid, Stockholm, and Vienna. This enabled the authors to compare their evolutionary and taxonomical findings from their investigations of grasshoppers in Tanzania with the museums' insect collections. "Our study demonstrates the considerable scientific relevance of such natural history collections. The museums offer more than just fascinating insights into the diversity of species and the history of their evolution. They are also crucial for the investigation of ecological interrelationships in times of global anthropogenic changes," said Dr. Claudia Hemp.

The study, which was carried out over several years, was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and supported by the University of Bayreuth's Plant Systematics research group and the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F). Museum stays were mainly funded by the Synthesis Project (www.synthesys.info), which was in turn financed by the European Union -- Research Infrastructure Action under the FP6 'Structuring the European Research Area Programme'.
A new study shows that healthy people who take attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drugs experience a surge in the neurotransmitter glutamate in key parts of the brain. And that increase in glutamate is associated with subsequent changes in positive emotion.

The findings, published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, not only provide clues about how these drugs affect healthy brains, they also hint at a previously undiscovered link between glutamate and mood.

"This is the first time that an increase in brain glutamate in response to psychostimulant drugs has been demonstrated in humans," said Tara White, an assistant professor in the Brown University School of Public Health and lead author of the new study. "That's important since glutamate is the major neurotransmitter responsible for excitation in the brain, and affects learning and memory."

Even more interesting, White said, the rise in glutamate predicted the magnitude and the duration of positive emotional responses to the drug.

"Given the timing of these effects -- the glutamate effect comes first, and the positive emotion comes later -- this could indicate a causal link between glutamate and positive emotion," White said. I think what we're seeing here is not just a drug effect, it's how positive emotion works in humans."

Drug effects on the brain

Millions of kids nationwide take prescription medication to treat ADHD. But in addition to prescribed usage, there's a thriving black market for these drugs, which young people use to improve attention, mood, and work and school performance. Yet little is known about what effects these drugs have on healthy brains, White said.

advertisement

In this new study, subjects were first screened for mental and physical health and then underwent MRI spectroscopy scans designed to detect the concentration of neural compounds in specific regions of their brain. From the medical literature on psychostimulants, White and her team wanted to look in the anterior cingulate cortex, which is a "hub" brain region that connects multiple brain networks involved in emotion, decision-making and behavior.

They found that two ADHD medications, d-amphetamine and Desoxyn, significantly increased the overall amount of glutamate in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, even after controlling for possible confounding factors, such as volume of gray matter in the region. The rise in brain glutamate predicted both the duration and the intensity of positive emotion, measured by participant ratings about whether they liked the drug or felt high after consuming it.

The authors caution that while this was a placebo-controlled study, the research demonstrates only an association between glutamate and positive mood, and not necessarily a causal relationship. However, the fact that the mood changes consistently followed changes in glutamate is suggestive of causality, though more research is necessary.

Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the brain, White said, and its roles in learning and memory are well established. A potential link between glutamate and mood would be a novel finding.

"This is the first time we've seen a link between increases in brain glutamate and increases in positive emotion in healthy people -- with both changes happening in real time," said White, who is based at Brown's Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. "I think it's going to open up a whole new way of thinking about emotion in humans."

The research also found evidence of gender differences in drug effects. Women in the sample showed a larger increase in glutamate compared to the men in the sample. Women also responded more strongly to Desoxyn, compared to d-amphetamine. The gender difference is consistent with prior studies in animals, which show greater stimulant drug effects in females compared to males. The differences between the two drugs also indicate that ADHD medications can have different effects on glutamate and other compounds in the brain.

advertisement

White and her colleagues say there's evidence to suggest that the increase in glutamate involved drug-induced changes in enzymes and glutamate precursors. That suggests that the glutamate signal the researchers saw was from newly produced glutamate, rather than reuptake. With further research, the new data could help scientists to better understand how individuals respond differently to drugs, and changes in positive emotion over time.

"[The] present findings provide the first evidence in humans that drug-induced changes in [glutamate] correlate with subjective experiences of drug liking and drug high following drug ingestion" White and colleagues wrote.

The research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA R21 029189), National Science Foundation (DGE 1058262), and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA P01 007459).
For all talkers, except perhaps the very best ventriloquists, the production of speech is accompanied by visible facial movements. Because speech is more than just sound, researchers set out to ascertain the exact visual information people seek when distinguishing vowel sounds.

"An important and highly debated issue in our field concerns what is it that we are attending to in speech -- what's the object of perception?" said lead author Matthew Masapollo, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral scholar at Brown University and is a now at Boston University. "Another question that's debated is whether speech processing is special and distinct from other kinds of auditory processing since it is not purely an acoustic signal."

Resolving these questions would improve the scientific understanding of how we perceive speech, Masapollo said. That, in turn, could apply to the design of more intelligible online avatars and physical robots, and could even improve computer recognition of human speech and enhance communication devices for the hearing impaired.

While scads of studies have investigated which audible features of speech are important, Masapollo said, far fewer have looked at which visual components are essential, despite evidence from phenomena as intuitive as lip reading that the sights of speech matter, too.

Through a series of experiments at Brown and McGill University in Montreal reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, Masapollo and colleagues found that when people perceive speech, they closely watch the form and motion of the lips. If either of those cues is missing, their ability to make subtle distinctions between vowel sounds suffers measurably.

"The findings demonstrate that adults are sensitive to the observable shape and movement patterns that occur when a person talks," said Masapollo, who did the work as a researcher in the lab of senior author James Morgan, a Brown professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences.

advertisement

Exploiting differences in speech perception

Earlier this year, Masapollo set the table for the new study when he and co-authors Linda Polka and Lucie Menard showed in the journal Cognition that people exhibit the same "directional asymmetry" in visually perceiving vowels that they do when hearing vowels: They are better at distinguishing between two versions of the "oo" sound, as in the word "loose," if the less extremely articulated version occurs first and then the more extreme version second. If the order is switched, they are much less likely to discriminate them -- by sight or sound. While these directional effects may seem like a quirky instinct, they reflect a universal bias favoring vowels produced with extreme articulatory maneuvers. Current research is focused on uncovering what salient features or properties of extreme vowels give rise to these perceptual asymmetries.

It turns out that this asymmetry plays out between French and English, being manifest in the bilingual speech of many Canadians. When speaking French, their articulation of "oo" is produced with more visible lip protrusion and tongue positioning than when making the same vowel sound in English.

For the new study, Masapollo realized that this asymmetry in vowel production and perception provided a great opportunity to determine which visual features matter in distinguishing subtle speech differences. He devised and led five experiments to ferret out exactly what visual information was pertinent to this asymmetry.

In the first, with help from Brown graduate student and co-author Lauren Franklin, he employed eye-tracking technology to measure where Brown student volunteers looked when watching videos of a bilingual Canadian woman make "oo" sounds in both French and English. Definitively, people watched the mouth, far more, for instance than the eyes.

advertisement

But what about the mouth mattered? To determine if motion, rather than simply a particular position, was important, the next experiment presented students with a still frame rather than video. In experiment two, volunteers at McGill tried to distinguish "oo" speech using just still images of the same speaker. Without the cue of motion, the results showed, the asymmetry of French-English or English-French ordering no longer occurred, suggesting that motion is a key component in this instinct of vowel perception.

In the next three experiments, the team continued to investigate which visual aspects of speech perception mattered among groups of Brown or McGill student volunteers. In experiment three, the subjects saw not a face, but an array of four dots in a diamond pattern that moved just like the speaker's lips did. When the speaker pursed her lips to make the "oo," the dots moved closer together, for example. Masapollo's hypothesis was that position and motion might matter together, even if the face isn't actually represented. In this experiment, people returned to showing the asymmetry suggesting that he was on the right track.

Experiment four was exactly the same but the dot pattern was rotated 45 degrees clockwise, showing more of a square than a diamond. Here the asymmetry didn't occur, suggesting that the orientation of the dots to represent a speech-making mouth matter. In experiment five, the motion was represented by a sideways figure eight that would move in a manner analogous to the speaker's lips. There, too, without even an essential form of a mouth, people didn't show their instinctual asymmetry of vowel perception. Mere motion, without the form and position of a mouth, was not enough.

"Overall, the picture that emerges is that perceptual asymmetries appear to be elicited by optical stimuli that depict both lip motion and configural information," the authors wrote.

To Masapollo, the results demonstrate that vision makes specific contributions to perceiving speech.

"The findings of the present research suggest that the information we are attending to in speech is multimodal, and perhaps gestural, in nature," Masapollo said. "Our perceptual system appears to treat auditory and visual speech information similarly."
Using data from NASA missions observing Earth, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have created new maps of the bed topography beneath a score of glaciers in southeast Greenland, thereby gaining a much better understanding of why some are undergoing rapid retreat and others are relatively stable.

"The undersides of glaciers in deeper valleys are exposed to warm, salty Atlantic water, while the others are perched on sills, protected from direct exposure to warmer ocean water," said Romain Millan, lead author of the study, available online in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters. "We have been able to demonstrate unequivocally that glacier retreat in southeast Greenland is controlled by the topography of the bedrock under the ice and by ocean temperature."

Millan, a UCI graduate student researcher in Earth system science, and his colleagues analyzed 20 major outlet glaciers in southeast Greenland using high-resolution airborne gravity measurements and ice thickness data from NASA's Operation IceBridge mission; bathymetry information from NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland project; and results from the BedMachine version 3 computer model, developed at UCI.

They found glacial fjords hundreds of meters deeper than previously estimated; the full extent of the marine-based portions of the glaciers; deep troughs enabling Atlantic Ocean water to reach the glacier fronts and melt them from below; and few shallow sills that limit contact with this warmer water.

"It's important to understand the physical processes controlling the retreat in order to improve projections of sea level rise from this region in a warming climate," Millan said. "Until recently, we had little information on ocean temperature and water depth in these fjords to quantify these processes, so the interpretation of glacier evolution on a case-by-case basis was difficult."

Co-author Eric Rignot, UCI professor of Earth system science, added, "Now that the picture is clear, the role of the ocean in glacier evolution is overwhelming."

Rignot, who has led dozens of research expeditions to Earth's polar regions, said that southeast Greenland -- with its fast-moving glaciers, deep fjords and harsh climate conditions -- poses significant challenges to researchers.

"Thanks to the newest NASA missions, such as Oceans Melting Greenland and Operation IceBridge, we have been able to make great advances in understanding the evolution of this very dynamic sector of Greenland and its impact on sea level rise now and in decades to come," he said.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said Tuesday that they cant put a number on how many targets avoided arrest because of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafs public warning before an operation, confirming the complaints of an ICE spokesman who resigned over what he saw as false assertions by officials.

ICEs spokesman in San Francisco, James Schwab, told The Chronicle Monday that he quit in frustration over statements by ICE chief Thomas Homan and Attorney General Jeff Sessions that 800 people had eluded the agency due to Schaaf. Schwab said that based on his understanding, the number had to be far lower.

The mayors Feb. 24 warning came on the eve of a four-day Northern California immigration sweep that netted 232 arrests and was designed to counter Californias pro-immigrant sanctuary laws.

Liz Johnson, an ICE spokeswoman, said in a written statement that we disagree with Mr. Schwab on this issue. But at the same time, she verified his main contention by saying the agency cant put a number on missed arrests.

Now Playing: James Schwab, the communications director for the Northern California Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency quit, frustrated that he's been told to tell the public "alternative facts." Video: KTVU

Even one criminal alien on the street can put public safety at risk and, as Director Homan stated, while we cant put a number on how many targets avoided arrest due to the mayors warning, it clearly had an impact, Johnson said. While we disagree with Mr. Schwab on this issue, we appreciate his service and wish him well.

A spokeswoman for Sessions did not directly address the assertion that 800 people got away thanks to Schaaf, but ripped the mayors warning.

Does anyone seriously dispute that the mayor attempted to thwart the efforts of federal law enforcement to apprehend wanted aliens in Oakland  many of whom had previously been arrested or convicted for crimes ranging from drug trafficking to domestic abuse to child pornography? said the Justice Department spokeswoman, Sarah Isgur Flores. But if anyone wants to have a public argument over precisely how many dangerous criminal aliens eluded arrest because of the mayors irresponsible actions, we are happy to have that debate.

According to the ICE spokeswoman, though, the number is not known.

Schwab, who was hired in 2015 and resigned last week, told The Chronicle he had wanted the agency to correct the assertion that 800 people had escaped because of Schaaf, and didnt want to deflect media questions about it.

I quit because I didnt want to perpetuate misleading facts, Schwab said. I asked them to change the information. I told them that the information was wrong, they asked me to deflect, and I didnt agree with that. Then I took some time and I quit.

The focus of Schwabs concern were statements by Trump administration officials that shifted. On the third day of the Northern California operation, Homan said, 864 criminal aliens and public safety threats remain at large in the community, and I have to believe that some of them were able to elude us thanks to the mayors irresponsible decision.

The next day, Homan went further, saying, Theres 800 that we are unable to locate because of that warning, so that community is a lot less safe than it would have been.

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.

On March 7, Sessions said in a speech in Sacramento that he had learned from Homan that ICE failed to make 800 arrests that they would have made if the mayor had not acted as she did. Those are 800 wanted aliens that are now at large in that community.

A day after that, President Trump said ICE had been prepared to arrest close to 1,000 people before Schaafs warning.

That same day, though, Homan said in an appearance on Fox News that many criminal aliens were not apprehended because of that warning. I cant put a specific number on it.

Schaaf praised Schwabs action, saying, I commend Mr. Schwab for speaking the truth while under intense pressure to lie. Our democracy depends on public servants who act with integrity and hold transparency in the highest regard.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said in a statement that this administration has a deeply troubling track record of half-truths, false statements and outright lies aimed at demonizing and scapegoating immigrant families. I commend this individual for refusing to perpetuate misleading information.
A man who allegedly committed at least one sexual assault while a rape kit that implicated him in a 2008 attack in Berkeley went untested for years has now been charged with raping and murdering a UCSF dental student in 2015, authorities said.

Keith Kenard Asberry Jr., 33, of Antioch was charged Friday in the March 2015 killing in Albany of Randhir Kaur, a 37-year-old from India who was attending UCSF School of Dentistry. Kaur was raped and shot in her second-floor apartment on Kains Avenue, a block east of busy San Pablo Avenue; it was the citys first homicide in more than a decade.

The attack took place nearly eight years after a 19-year-old woman and 15-year-old girl were kidnapped and sexually assaulted in Berkeley. In 2016, a Chronicle investigation revealed that the Berkeley Police Department had failed to test a rape kit from that attack. If the kit had been tested, investigators could have matched DNA from the assailant with Asberrys DNA, which had been in a national database since he was convicted of a felony gun crime in 2005.

In February 2015, a 46-year-old woman was the victim of an attempted sexual assault in her home in Berkeley. Police quickly tested the rape kit from that attack, and it produced a match to Asberry. He was arrested four months later and is in Alameda County jail, awaiting trial for that assault and the 2008 rapes.

He was also charged last year in Contra Costa County with a home invasion rape in 2005 in El Cerrito after police there retested evidence using newer technology.

Now Playing: Comparison of 2016's violent crime stats from major Bay Area cities Video: Ted Andersen, SFGATE

The findings in The Chronicles investigation have prompted several lawmakers to propose legislation to eliminate rape-kit backlogs across the state.

The Albany slaying was absolutely horrifying and tragically avoidable, and exactly why we need every rape kit in the state to be tested, Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, said Wednesday.

Kaurs body was discovered after UCSF contacted a family member to say she had not shown up for her scheduled appointments. Albany police said Monday that an exhaustive three-year investigation had led them to Asberry, who was charged with rape, robbery and murder.

Its unclear whether DNA was found at the scene. Albany police and the Alameda County district attorneys office said they could not comment, citing a court order not to talk about the case.

Kaur was a student at the UCSF School of Dentistrys International Dentist Program, which admits 24 foreign-trained dentists each year. She had been at the university for eight months and was to graduate in June 2016.

California lawmakers have pushed for new laws over the past five years to ensure rape kits are tested, after reports emerged that tens of thousands of the kits have sat on shelves for decades across the country. Victims have expressed frustration at being unable to learn whether their kits were part of the national backlog.

Its unclear how many untested rape kits there are in California.

Two bills are pending in the Legislature: one by Chiu, requiring an audit to learn the number of untested rape kits in the state; and another by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino (San Bernardino County), to require that all future rape kits be tested.

Ive never encountered anyone who thinks these rape kits should not be tested, Chiu said. We are behind states like Texas and Kentucky that have implemented stronger reforms to end their backlogs, and California needs to catch up.

A rape kit is assembled from a painstaking, hours-long process where blood, urine, fingernail clippings, hair and swabs from the mouth, genitals and anus are collected. A victims clothes and underwear are bagged as evidence. Photos are taken of her body.

Trained nurses carefully inspect victims, looking for any traces of DNA evidence. Once completed, the kit is given to police, who can have it tested and analyzed in a lab for a DNA profile that might identify a suspect.

Cities and states that have cleared their shelves of untested rape kits have been able to identify suspects in cold cases. In many cases, they have identified serial offenders.

Allowing rape kits to sit untested on a shelf means cases go unsolved, serial rapists remain undetected, innocent people are incarcerated and survivors continue to wait for justice, said Ilse Knecht, director of policy and advocacy for the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national group pushing to end backlogs.

Berkeley police said they cant explain why the rape kit from the 2008 attack was shelved. The two victims in that case reported that a man had kidnapped them at gunpoint, raped the 19-year-old woman and digitally penetrated the 15-year-old, and then robbed them.

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.

They immediately went to a hospital, where police were called and a rape exam was performed on the 19-year-old.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy OMalley previously told The Chronicle that the rape kit from that case was found in 2014 when her office asked law enforcement agencies to conduct an inventory all of their untested kits.

Had that kit been tested in 2008, we would have known who he was then, OMalley said in 2016.

Berkeley police Sgt. Andrew Frankel said there are still no answers as to why the kit went unexamined.

Asked whether the Albany killing and 2015 rape in Berkeley could have been prevented had the kit been tested, Frankel said, that requires a significant amount of conjecture which I cant speak to.

Asberry has pleaded not guilty in the Berkeley cases. He will enter a plea on the new charges of rape and murder on March 28.

In November, El Cerrito police linked Asberry to one of their unsolved cases, a 2005 home invasion rape of a 20-year-old woman. In that case, police said the womans rape kit was processed at the time of the crime, but that it was not successful in creating a DNA profile. Newer technology linked the attack to Asberry last year.

Police Chief Paul Keith said the 2005 home invasion rape stuck with officers in the department over the past 13 years.

It was a relief to see that hes been identified, Keith said of Asberry. But, its tragic to see the other destruction hes alleged to have caused.
Supervisor London Breeds campaign ads for mayor are popping up all over San Francisco, but one place they shouldnt be appearing is the end panel of a Muni bus shelter.

Thats the gist of an ethics complaint filed Tuesday by good-government activist Larry Bush, who cited two Breed bus stop ads  one at 18th and Guerrero streets, the other at 18th and Diamond streets  saying they abuse city resources for a political purpose.

Additional Breed ads were spotted at Phelan and Ocean avenues, at Geary and Arguello boulevards, and at California and Spruce streets.

The posters feature pictures of Breed glowing against a yellow backdrop, with the slogan A mayor for all San Franciscans  a line that both Breed and her political rival, Mayor Mark Farrell, have used to describe themselves. They were paid for by the London Breed for Mayor 2018 campaign.

Bush called for an ethics investigation and, if warranted, action and penalties against both Breed and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, whose spokesman expressed surprise when asked about the ads. SFMTA bans political advertising on its fleet and on its bus stop kiosks.

Breeds campaign posters clearly violate our advertising policy, said SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose, noting that the agency has asked its vendor, Clear Channel Outdoor, to remove the ads immediately.

Questioned about the ads Tuesday, Breed fired back.

I guess I just cant get comfortable anywhere without someone trying to throw me out, she said, referring to a vote that progressive supervisors orchestrated in January to install Mark Farrell in the mayors office until the June 5 election. Breed had served as acting mayor after the death of Ed Lee in December.

Her campaign spokeswoman, Tara Moriarty, blamed Clear Channel Outdoor for mistakenly hanging London Breed for Mayor posters at bus shelters, even though the campaign had asked that the ads be placed there.

The obligation falls upon Clear Channel to ensure compliance, and it failed to do that, Moriarty said.

Clear Channel Outdoor spokesman Jason King apologized for the ads Tuesday, and said the company had taken them down.

Erin Allday/The Chronicle

 Rachel Swan

Another round: San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell nominated City Controller Ben Rosenfield to a second 10-year term on Tuesday.

Rosenfield, who leads an office of about 250 city accountants, auditors and analysts, has been credited with playing a key role in stabilizing San Franciscos budget as it reeled from the 2008 financial crisis and with helping to usher in a period of unprecedented economic growth in the citys history.

Its been a fascinating 10 years, Rosenfield said. I think weve gotten a lot of things done.

Rosenfield is unassuming, widely respected and outwardly apolitical, so its unlikely his nomination will be held up in the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, which must first approve the nomination before it goes to the full board.

As controller, Rosenfield provides oversight of the citys $10.1 billion budget and is responsible for, among other things, the disbursement of city funds and departmental performance analyses.

Ben has played an integral role in our citys financial management for the last 10 years, helping usher in financial solvency and responsibility unlike any this city has seen, Farrell said in an email. He cited the citys recent credit-rating upgrade as one example of the citys responsible fiscal governance under Rosenfields leadership. Farrell served as the chairman of the budget committee while on the Board of Supervisors.

Rosenfield said his office has prided itself on taking a long-term view of the citys economic health. He was instrumental in creating a successful 2009 ballot measure that shifted the city to a two-year budget cycle and required city officials to create and adopt a five-year financial plan.

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.

More recently, Rosenfield has overseen an overhaul of the citys internal payroll and human resources technology, as well as its contract procurement system, which has been described as the largest technology overhaul in San Franciscos history.

Prior to his first appointment to the controllers office in 2008, Rosenfield served as the deputy city administrator from 2005 to 2008 and as the budget director for mayors Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom.

 Dominic Fracassa

A sweeter smell: The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission signed off on a $1.3 billion plan to replace the 60-year-old solid wastewater processing facilities at the citys Southeast Treatment Plant.

The so-called biosolid digester facilities project represents the cornerstone of the SFPUCs 20-year, $6.9 billion plan to modernize and improve the citys aging sewer infrastructure. The Southeast Treatment Plant, located in Bayview-Hunters Point, is the workhorse of the citys sewer treatment system, processing about 80 percent of San Franciscos wastewater.

In addition to making the citys solid wastewater treatment more efficient  the SFPUC will build five digesters to replace the nine that exist today the new facility will also be built farther away from peoples homes, helping to limit the foul odors that can emanate from the plant. The SFPUC has pledged to keep the odor contained to the treatment plants fence line.

To help offset some of the costs of planning and construction, the SFPUC is working with the federal Environmental Protection Agency to secure a $625 million low-interest loan through federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act. The agency is also seeking a $651 million loan from the State Revolving Loan fund.

The SFPUC anticipates construction will begin this fall and last through May 2024.

 Dominic Fracassa
Dee Andrews climbed aboard the J-Church Muni Metro this week, glanced around and voiced words rarely spoken about San Franciscos public transportation system: Its beautiful.

Andrews, 65, a longtime city resident, had just boarded one of Munis new light-rail cars for its inaugural run on the J-Church line.

The car Andrews rode in is among five that have been put into service so far. By the end of the month, said John Haley, the Municipal Transportation Agencys transit director, We intend to start putting one new car each week into service.

Gray and white with a wide red stripe wrapped around them like a ribbon, the new cars offer a different look for Muni. The third-generation Muni Metro car isnt fancy, but its got a modern look and feel, with automated video screens announcing the next stop, loudspeakers you can hear and bright red and blue seating (blue for passengers with disabilities and seniors) along the interior sides.

The first of the five new cars in service was rolled out in November. Three more are finishing a break-in period that involves running each one for 1,000 hours to reveal any problems before carrying passengers. Nine additional cars have been received and are waiting to be inspected and broken in.

Now Playing: SFMTA debuted the first new Muni train, one of more than 200 cars to be released in coming months, at the Church St. and Duboce Ave. station on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. Video: Michelle Robertson/SFGATE

The new cars, built by German manufacturer Siemens in Sacramento, are part of a Muni renaissance, at least in terms of vehicles. The Municipal Transportation Agency is in the midst of replacing all of its buses and railcars, except, of course, for the cable cars and historic streetcars.

And while passengers like the look, feel and features of the new Metro cars, Muni is counting on them to be considerably less trouble than the cars that are being replaced.

The current light-rail cars, manufactured by the Italian company Breda, have been plagued with problems from their introduction to city streets in the mid-1990s. Most notably, doors sometimes fail to close or stay closed and steps dont lower or raise when theyre supposed to. Problems with ventilation and propulsion systems have also vexed Muni.

Replacing the Muni fleet can have a significant impact on Muni reliability, said Paul Rose, a spokesman for the agency. Each new vehicle is another step in that direction.

Muni plans to replace its current Metro fleet of 149 cars and expand it to 264 by 2027. The additional cars will be needed, in part, for the Central Subway and to meet service demands resulting from the Golden State Warriors new Chase Arena, both scheduled to open in 2019. The cost of the new cars is about $1.2 billion.

MTA officials are in talks with the Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to speed up the replacement of the Breda cars, which could each require $300,000 in maintenance and overhaul work to keep them running until theyre swapped out.

Hopefully, that would mean everything would be in place by 2025, two years early, Rose said.

So far, Muni has just run the new cars as single-car trains, but its been testing trains with two cars and even three cars  something the Breda cars cant do. If the state Public Utilities Commission approves, two- and three-car trains could be picking up passengers by late spring, Haley said.

As the new car that would eventually pick up Andrews made its maiden voyage from the Muni Metro East yard down Third Street, along the Embarcadero, into the Market Street Subway and onto the streets of the J line, riders reacted enthusiastically. Even some of the most jaded Muni riders cracked smiles.

Jim Wilson, a 36-year-old product manager who lives in the Dogpatch, had seen many of the new cars roll past during testing. But this was his first chance to ride on one. He and his 5-month-old daughter, Gabrielle, in a stroller, both were wide-eyed.

I ride Muni every day to work, Wilson said. Its always nice to board something new. Its nice and clean, theres a lot more room, and its quieter.

Manny Enriquez, Munis test and acceptance supervisor, said a lot of residents along the Metro line have said the Siemens cars dont cause their buildings to rattle and shake as they pass, unlike the Bredas, which are thousands of pounds heavier.

Andrea Beithon, 29, who lives along the N line, said life will be more pleasant with the new cars. When it goes by, its so much quieter, she said.

She said the new cars offered an improvement inside as well. She said she liked the look of the cars, the screens and the audible announcements.

Its nice to see the city making progress and getting new things out there, Beithon said.

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.

Riders also said they liked the larger windows and the roomier feel of the car, which has fewer seats but more standing space.

Muni chose the new seating configuration over rows of seats facing forward and back  like the Bredas  after rider surveys.

More people chose the longitudinal seating than the traditional seating, Rose said.

Aboard the J car, some disagreed. They didnt like the feel of the bench seats, which lack individual spaces, saying they felt slippery and were too high above the floor.

Its not very comfortable, said Amber Cox, 36, a graphic designer who lives in Noe Valley. Especially if youre under 5-2.

She also said the spacious center of the train didnt have enough grab bars or straps for people to hold onto. Thats something Muni can fix, Haley said.

Even with those shortcomings, Cox said, she was excited to see the new cars.

It looks like a Japanese train, really modern, she said. It feels like San Francisco is catching up, which is cool.

Andrews, who teaches history at Cal State East Bay, said she hopes the new cars are a sign that Muni is on the rise.

I think Munis doing very, very well these days, she said. Much better than it had been.
Students, angry and empowered, walked out of classrooms across California on Wednesday. They poured out of schools in Alaska, Maine, Texas, Georgia and cities and towns in between. They were joined by their parents, teachers and neighbors  all in an effort to enact stricter gun laws.

It was one of the biggest shows of force by the nations youngest generation, and throughout the Bay Area, thousands of school children walked out of class at exactly 10 a.m. to protest school shootings and honor the 17 victims of last months massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Similar scenes played out at schools across the country, as speeches were made and moments of silence were held. Young people raised signs demanding Books not bullets. And they vowed to vote as soon as they could to enact stricter gun control laws and elect lawmakers who will do more than offer thoughts and prayers.

It was the largest student-led protest in recent memory, perhaps rivaling previous generations marches for civil rights and walkouts over the Vietnam W ar.

As mass shootings have become commonplace, so have protests and calls for action, including requests for stronger background checks and limits on the capacity of high-powered rifles. But the uproar would always subside  until the next time.

This time, politicians and historians say, momentum only seems to be building.

Now Playing: Hundreds of San Francisco students walked out of their classrooms calling for more comprehensive gun control policy in wake of a school shooting that killed 17 people in Parkland, Fla. Video: SFChronicle

These students have not stopped  theyve been relentless, said history and communications Professor Nolan Higdon, an expert in youth movements and digital culture at Cal State East Bay. This fits in with the history of the country. The way change is made is the bottom up.

Since the shooting, Parkland students and youth across the country have forced a renewed debate on gun control by putting pressure on politicians to act. Florida legislators passed a bill Friday that raises the age required to purchase a gun from 18 to 21, a move denounced by the National Rifle Association.

And, as students across the country walked out, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a measure that would provide funding for school violence prevention strategies, although critics say the bill does little to limit access to guns.

Students across the country said the walkout was just the beginning of a movement to prevent school gun violence, which includes registering young people to vote, lobbying legislators and eventually running for office.

Were very tired of having our fellow students across the nation die, and seeing nothing being done about it, said Ben McLaren, 17, a senior at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in San Francisco. This time were trying to keep the momentum going.

Students at both the School of the Arts and the Academy San Francisco, which share a campus, walked out of class at 10 a.m. They gathered in the courtyard for speeches, a moment of silence and a choir performance of the song Prayer for the Children. The names of the Parkland victims were read aloud while people stood in silence.

From the suburban spreads of Fremont and Walnut Creek to the urban cores of Richmond and Oakland, high school students raised their fists and their voices in solidarity to denounce gun violence.

At El Cerrito High School, most of the 1,430 students jammed into the central quad for a protest. They sang Shine, a song written by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, and wore orange, the color adopted by gun control advocates.

Enough is enough, Claire Sterling, 17, told the crowd. All week at lunch we are going to be in Room C200 writing letters to our representatives. Please join. It may not seem like a lot, but everything matters.

Anneli Kuch, a junior at Oakland Technical High School, said she was fed up with school shootings. On her orange shirt, she safety-pinned a sheet of paper.

Senators & representatives, it read, start valuing our lives over the money you get from the NRA! If not we will vote you out.

At El Cerrito High, teacher Pat Jimenez, 55, sat in his class after the rally and reflected on the moment.

I was a little kid during the Vietnam War and during the civil rights movement, and I teach American history, so I appreciate movements, and I havent seen anything like this since that time period, he said. I think its a really seminal moment among the students who I work with every day.

The Bay Area walkouts followed those in New York, Houston, Denver and other cities across the country as the clock struck 10 a.m. in each time zone.

Now Playing: Students from Ruth Asawa School of the Arts High School in San Francisco explain why they are participating in the nationwide walkout to protest gun violence Video: Jenna Lyons, Paul Chinn, Michael Short, Sophie Haigney, The Chronicle

In Parkland, the teenage survivors of the mass shooting walked out to the sound of helicopters overhead, bringing back vivid memories of Feb. 14, said David Hogg, one of the student organizers advocating for government action to end school gun violence.

Nothing about this is going to be easy, he said in a live-streamed video posted on Twitter. We have to continue to fight for our lives. Each and every one of these individuals is a person that could have died that day. I could have died that day.

This common sentiment has brought students together and created a new consciousness, something necessary to bring about change, Higdon said.

All these students go into classrooms and fear they could be locked in a classroom and sprayed with bullets, he said.

But the students now seem to have numbers on their side.

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.

There are 92 million so-called millennials  those born between 1980 and 2004  and they represent the biggest generation in history, Higdon said. As of this year, he added, theyll become a third of the countrys voting population.

Teenagers and young adults could not only become a force on the streets, but also the ballot box, said California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

Theyve found their voice  thats perhaps the most important thing, he said, joining students during the walkout at his alma mater, McClatchy High School in Sacramento.

Imagine what could happen if young people realize the power of their vote, Becerra added. It would throw politicians into a tizzy.

If young folks think about it, they can make money irrelevant in the electoral process, Becerra said. If all of a sudden young people come out  wow, game changer.

And thats exactly the plan, students said Wednesday, as they gathered on the steps of San Franciscos City Hall.

Josiah Kelly, student body president at the Academy, said that beyond the protests, students are trying to form an anti-gun coalition. Partnering with civic leaders will be the next step toward lasting change.

People just lose momentum, you know? People lose interest in things. Even when theyre really important, Kelly said. Things do lose steam, so pushing this really hard and promoting it and motivating people to just keep on fighting and keep on resisting is a really huge thing for all of us.

Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the estimated number of millennials.

Chronicle staff writers

Kevin Fagan and Otis R. Taylor Jr. contributed to this story.
Oakland may not be done paying for that shove delivered by City Councilwoman Desley Brooks to former Black Panther leader Elaine Brown at a Jack London Square restaurant.

An Alameda County jury hit Oakland with a $3.77 million verdict last year  then, for good measure, tacked on $550,000 in punitive damages against Brooks herself.

Now, Browns legal team is seeking $1.1 million in attorneys fees for the elder-abuse lawsuit they filed over the October 2015 push and fall that Brown suffered when she and Brooks got into an argument at Everett and Jones Barbeque.

The jury found that the councilwoman had pushed the then-72-year-old Brown over a row of chairs.

In a sworn declaration filed in Alameda County Superior Court, the former Panther leader said she had been turned down by several prominent Bay Area civil rights attorneys after they concluded her claim was good for no more than $20,000 to $25,000.

And that she was told it was going to be an uphill battle because Brooks is a powerful Oakland politician.

The Sausalito law firm Bonner & Bonner, however, decided her case had merit and a high jury, trial value, Brown said.

And it appears they were right. Attorney Charles Bonner is now asking the city for fees of up to $700 an hour  plus expenses  for himself, his son and another lawyer, as well as for a half-dozen legal assistants. Total tab: $1.1 million.

Bonner did not return our call seeking comment, but he did tell the court that his fees are consistent with the San Francisco Bay Area market rates for attorneys of comparable skill and experience and with court awards of attorneys fees in other cases.

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.

A spokesman for Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker, whose office defended Brooks, also declined to comment.

A hearing on the fees has been set for March 23.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Hundreds of students at schools across San Francisco walked out of class at 10 a.m. Wednesday, joining untold thousands of their peers nationwide in what was the largest coordinated school-day protest in recent memory.

The National School Walkout comes a month after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed by a former student.

Students from both Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and The Academy, which share a campus in the Twin Peaks neighborhood, poured out of their schools and into the courtyard, joined by school staff and Mayor Mark Farrell.

Our labor movement, our civil rights movement, so many movements have started with our youth and its so inspiring to be here today with the students of San Francisco, he said. Enough is enough and this is where were going to see the difference  these youth leaders.

Now Playing: Katie Dragone, Cimone Powell and Amarisa Azucar, students at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, in San Francisco explain why they took part in the National School Walkout to protest gun violence, which was organized by students nation-wide following the school shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Students at schools all over the Bay Area participated in similar demonstrations Wednesday. Video: Jenna Lyons, Paul Chinn, Michael Short, Sophie Haigney, San Francisco Chronicle

The students gave speeches, sang the song Prayer for the Children and then recited the names of the Parkland victims as their solemn classmates stood in silence.

Were very tired of having our fellow students across the nation die, and seeing nothing being done about it, said Ben McLaren, 17, a senior at the School of the Arts. This time were trying to keep the momentum going.

After a 30-minute walkout at the school, some students returned to class, while others headed to City Hall, where students from several city schools were expected to gather to protest gun violence.

Hundreds of teens huddled under umbrellas and hoodies in the rain in the Civic Center, where they called on legislators to increase school safety and push for stronger gun control.

In front of City Hall, students from 21 city schools gathered on the steps while carrying handmade signs.

More for you In the East Bay, thousands of students walk out to denounce...

Books, not bullets, read one. Give teachers raises not gun, said another.

The Parkland shooting could have just as easily been my school, said Claire Garcia, a senior at Lowell High School. School is a place of learning; its not a place to be afraid.

Student organizer Katie Dragone, a senior, said she wants the walkout to push politicians to act.

Im here today trying to help a movement that is trying to save childrens lives and prioritize our health and well being over someones right to own a semi-automatic assault weapon, which should not be in civilian hands to start with, she said.

A couple hundred students headed down Market Street to the Ferry Building, and continued along The Embarcadero and eventually toward Ghirardelli Square for more speeches and another moment of silence.

The Bay Area walkouts followed those in New York, Houston, Denver, Parkland, Fla., and other cities across the country, where thousands of students poured out of schools Wednesday as the clock struck 10 a.m. in each time zone.

In Parkland, the teenage survivors of the mass shooting walked out to the sound of helicopters overhead, bringing back vivid memories of Feb. 14, said David Hogg, one of the student organizers advocating for government action to end school gun violence.

Nothing about this is going to be easy, he said in a live-streamed video posted on Twitter. We have to continue to fight for our lives. Each and every one of these individuals is a person that could have died that day. I could have died that day.

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.

In Washington, D.C., a throng of students marched to the White House and sat on the ground with their backs to the presidents home before continuing on to the Capitol building, where they called for increased gun control.

In some cases, public officials joined students as they held moments of silence for the Parkland victims. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo chanted, Protect our kids, as he stood with New York City students.

An hour later, in the Central time zone, students in Chicago, Memphis and Houston left their classrooms, followed an hour later by peers in Denver and Salt Lake City.

In California, students in elementary, middle and high schools participated in the walkout. At Presidio Middle School in San Francisco, students sat or lay down in the hallways for 17 minutes of silence, one minute for each of the Parkland victims.

At Berkeley High School, students formed a peace sign on the football field. And at

Local school district reactions to the walkout varied, with some officials changing the days schedule to include a mid-morning break at 10 a.m., while administrators elsewhere said students who miss class for any reason will be given unexcused tardies or absences.

In the days before the walkout, some education officials in Texas and other states threatened to suspend students who participated in the protest.

The American Civil Liberties Union advised districts that legally they cant punish students more harshly for a protest than they would for any other unexcused absence.
In the heart of San Franciscos Mission Bay neighborhood, which not long ago was dirt lots and warehouses, Emily Leproust is cooking up what she  and $209 million worth of investor cash  believes is the future of DNA production.

Leproust is CEO of Twist Bioscience, a 5-year-old biotech company striving to make the production of synthetic DNA  which is used in fragrances, genetically modified foods and pharmaceutical drugs  cheaper, faster and smaller.

The same lab-manufactured DNA, Leproust hopes, could also transform the way data, from music to medical records, is stored.

Twist represents a blending of two dynamic Bay Area disciplines  biotechnology and data sciences  that grew alongside each other for years, and now share ever more ideas. Biotechnology in the Bay Area is widely viewed as dating back to the founding of South San Franciscos Genentech in 1976. The industry has expanded in recent years to Mission Bay and pockets around the Peninsula, even as mainline Silicon Valley evolved from silicon factories to world-changing software companies.

Leprousts goals are not unlike those of Silicon Valley pioneers who envisioned cheaper, faster, smaller computers powered by ever-shrinking silicon technology. What engineers were doing decades ago to make PCs smaller, Twist is working on for DNA synthesis  shrinking it from the size of a teardrop to a fraction of the volume.

What happened over the years in making transistors from silicon, were doing the same thing with DNA, Leproust said.

One foundation of Twists technology is, appropriately, silicon. On silicon plates the size of a 3x5-inch index card, Twist manufactures thousands of strands of synthetic DNA, piecing together pairs of A, C, G and T in minuscule drops of liquid. They form sequences that are carbon copies of the DNA in naturally occurring substances like rose oil, and are used in new systems that detect the presence of monkey pox, the Zika virus and other pathogens in the blood samples of sick humans.

Twist creates made-to-order DNA to the specifications of its clients  about 300 pharmaceutical companies, research institutions and government health agencies. It then sells the DNA to them, to be used for various purposes, such as testing many different antibodies with slightly different DNA for their effectiveness in cancer treatments.

Leproust says revenue at Twist grew 380 percent in 2017 compared with 2016, but she declined to provide dollar figures for the privately held company.

Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle

Many companies chemically synthesize DNA, a process that scientists discovered nearly 40 years ago. But Twist says its technology enables it to do so 100 times faster than conventional methods because it has shrunk the process, and can thus produce more DNA in the same amount of time.

The technology is sought after  including by Leprousts former employer, Agilent Technologies, the Hewlett-Packard spin-off in Santa Clara that makes lab instruments and medical devices. In 2016, the company sued Leproust, who once helped lead Agilents genomics business, accusing her of stealing Agilents technology to start Twist and later poaching Agilent employees to join the new venture. The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages.

Leprousts attorneys called the lawsuit an attempt to stifle the innovative work of a burgeoning startup company. They say Twists other co-founders, Bill Banyai and Bill Peck, formerly of the DNA sequencing company Complete Genomics, were the ones who developed key technology that led to the creation of Twist. Both Twist and Agilent declined to comment on the litigation, which is ongoing.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Twist recently partnered with researchers at Microsoft and the University of Washington to use its technology to store data on DNA by converting 0s and 1s to corresponding A, C, G and T bases. Their maiden experiment encoded Deep Purples Smoke on the Water and Miles Davis Tutu, and the company unveiled the audio recordings at last years Montreux Jazz Festival. The DNA, a speck smaller than a grain of rice, is now stored at UNESCOs Memory of the World archive.

Storing data this way would be prohibitively expensive for the average person  it cost thousands of dollars to convert the two songs worth of data, just 140 megabytes, into DNA  and it wont be commercially viable unless the cost drops dramatically.

Until then, the bulk of Twists revenue will come from the sale of synthetic DNA. But the possibilities of finding more uses for the product within conventional Silicon Valley loom.

This is just the beginning, Leproust said.
LinkedIn was a classic Silicon Valley success story. The company  with headquarters on a Mountain View cul-de-sac surrounded by Google buildings  had 276.8 million members and $1.5 billion in annual revenue by 2013.

But it didnt have a significant presence in San Francisco. That was enough to turn off some potential employees living in the city, said Jim Morgensen, a LinkedIn vice president who oversees the companys real estate.

People didnt really want to commute, Morgensen said.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

So that year, LinkedIn began looking for a bigger San Francisco office. The company already had sales and marketing staff there, but engineers wanted to work in the city, too. In 2016, LinkedIn moved into a 26-story tower at 222 Second St. that now is home to more than 1,500 employees. Today, its engineering staff is split among San Francisco, Mountain View and Sunnyvale, home to LinkedIns new headquarters after it reached a land-swap deal with its space-hungry neighbor, Google.

The shift has led San Francisco and Silicon Valley to become intertwined to a degree the region has not seen before. Where previously the city and the South Bay were two separate economies  the Census Bureau still views them as such  they now share in each others prosperity. Of the 10 largest tech employers in San Francisco, five are headquartered in the city, four on the Peninsula or in the South Bay. It puts in question what being a Silicon Valley company even means.

Having an office in San Francisco may seem like a no-brainer in todays tech market, but for decades, companies placed a priority on having their engineers in Santa Clara County, near venture capital, legal services and suppliers. The dot-com boom saw a handful of short-lived startups, like Pets.com and NBCi, set up shop in San Francisco. Google opened a San Francisco office in 2007.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

But its in the past half-decade or so, experts say, in the wake of the mobile-app and social-network revolutions, that tech companies started aggressively looking for younger workers who had a finger on the pulse of the latest technology. Much of that talent now lives in San Francisco.

ServiceNow, a Santa Clara cloud computing company, opened an office in San Francisco a few years ago. Sean Convery, a vice president, said opening an additional office in the city was critical for hiring the people he needs.

The moment you tell them you dont have to drive down to Santa Clara, it becomes a huge value to them from a lifestyle perspective, he said.

Silicon Valley traditionally has become increasingly competitive (when it comes to hiring) among tech companies, said Jesse Gundersheim, a San Francisco market economist with CoStar Group, which tracks real estate trends. In order to attract the best talent, (the companies) might as well locate in the city where this talent is already living.

The tech giants that have San Francisco offices include Mountain Views Google with 861,000 square feet of office space and Facebook, which recently leased 432,000 square feet at 181 Fremont St., according to CoStar data. A small team will move from Facebooks Menlo Park headquarters to the new office this summer.

San Jose companies like Adobe and Cisco have added to their San Francisco presence by acquiring companies, with offices in the city that employ significant numbers of workers  not just salespeople, but also teams of engineers building crucial products.

The only thing that I see that will temper (the demand for office space) is the lack of available space in San Francisco, said Mike McCarthy, an executive vice president for Colliers International. The demand is certainly there.

Facebook probably wanted an office in San Francisco because of employee demand and to boost recruitment efforts, said Tim Bajarin, president of advisory services firm Creative Strategies Inc. Already, many Facebook staffers live in San Francisco and take corporate shuttle buses to Menlo Park.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Its a reversal of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerbergs stated strategy of keeping as many engineers as possible under one roof: Facebook moved Instagram from San Francisco to Menlo Park after acquiring it in 2012.

Some companies like Cisco have accumulated San Francisco office space and staff through acquisitions. The San Jose firm purchased companies that were already based there, including hardware firm Meraki, analytics business AppDynamics and network security firm OpenDNS. There is also a team in San Francisco working on its Cisco Spark software. Cisco had roughly 1,900 employees in San Francisco at the end of October, about 11 percent of its Bay Area workforce.

Rowan Trollope, a Cisco senior vice president overseeing its applications division, splits his time between San Francisco and San Jose.

The Cisco Spark team is distributed globally but I wanted to have an S.F. location so we could attract talent in the city, Trollope wrote in a message to The Chronicle.

Apple, known for its large campuses in Cupertino and Sunnyvale, signed a lease in 2016 to consolidate its San Francisco offices into a 76,000-square-foot space that could hold up to 500 employees, according to news site Mashable. The affected employees included workers from past acquisitions like analytics company Topsy Labs, Mashable reported. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on its San Francisco presence.

Demand for office space in San Francisco among tech companies remains strong. Adobe plans to expand its office presence in the city with 300,000 square feet on Hooper Street. That space will accommodate up to 1,200 employees. The company currently has 1,600 staffers in San Francisco, a presence that dates to its 2005 acquisition of software firm Macromedia.

San Francisco has talent that we want to have working for us, said Jonathan Francom, a vice president of employee and workplace solutions. Its been a population that is creative and has been a thriving part of our overall population at Adobe.

Just about 50 miles separates Sunnyvale from San Francisco, but Erran Berger, LinkedIns vice president of engineering, says San Francisco differs in critical aspects. There is a density of startups in San Francisco that makes it easier for people to meet and exchange ideas, he said.

They bring that hustling, innovative kind of creative mentality and set of experiences to companies like LinkedIn, Berger said.

The draw of living in San Francisco was enough to cause Adobe Communications Manager Alexa Kiel to ask if she could work at the companys office there. Kiel interned at Adobes San Jose headquarters. She liked how San Francisco was pedestrian-friendly and had cool restaurants.

I was really interested in experiencing (life) in the new city, Kiel said.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Each Adobe office has events tailored to what employees are interested in, and San Francisco has a slightly more casual dress code, she said.

Maybe the difference is not wearing ripped jeans to corporate headquarters, she said.

San Francisco Chronicle

staff writer Trisha Thadani

contributed to this report.

Wendy Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: wlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thewendylee

Tech firms with major San Francisco office space

Google, 861,000 square feet

Adobe Systems, 600,000 square feet

LinkedIn, 452,000 square feet

Facebook, 432,000 square feet

Cisco, 412,313 square feet

Blurring the lines

Is it a Silicon Valley company if its in San Francisco? Four of the 10 largest tech employers in San Francisco are headquartered in the South Bay.
Oakland has a thriving technology scene, but many of its denizens dont see it as a wannabe Silicon Valley. In fact, they eschew what they call the valleys conformist, insular nature. Oaklands tech culture, they say, mirrors the citys rich culture and diversity.

While communities nationwide piggyback on Silicon Valley cachet with names like Silicon Alley, Silicon Prairie and Silicon Beach, its unlikely that Oakland will proclaim itself Silicon Town anytime soon. The city wants the valleys upsides  job growth and economic vitality  without the downsides of gentrification, elitism and a lack of diversity.

We dont want to benchmark against Silicon Valley, said Lili Gangas, chief technology community officer at Oaklands Kapor Center for Social Impact, calling the valleys racial homogeneity a broken model. We dont want to duplicate or imitate or re-create it. We want to create an inclusive and diverse tech ecosystem.

When I go down to Mountain View, sometimes I might be one of two people of color in the room, said Brian Dixon, a partner at Kapor Capital, the venture capital arm of the Kapor Center, which shares its commitment to diversity. The enterprises are all backed by Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein, who are investors and philanthropists. That should not be the norm.

As he spoke, a DJ spun hip-hop tunes while dozens of young tech workers and executives mingled in the circular atrium of the Kapor Center, a nonprofit that works to increase diversity in tech. Later they assembled in an auditorium to hear a presentation by Dixon and another venture capitalist.

Michael Short/Special to The Chronicle

The monthly First Friday event for the Oakland Startup Network, run by the Kapor Center and the city, underscores how backers try to think differently when it comes to Oakland tech. The Kapor Center, with an accelerator program, innovation lab, summer internships, science and technical education for underserved youth, impact awards and venture capital arm, is leading a charge to support entrepreneurs who are women and people of color. Thats also a major focus for Oakland itself.

Were making a big push to create a tech sector that looks like who we are as a city, said Marisa Raya, the citys liaison to the tech community, a role shes held for almost four years.

Its a delicate balancing act to keep tech growth from turning Oakland into another home of $7 avocado toast and entitled brogrammers.

We want to embrace the tech sector and help it grow in Oakland, but we want it to be sustainable and equitable growth, to counter some of the trends and cultural impacts we saw elsewhere, Raya said.

Encouraging local hiring is a big part of that. Increasingly, she sees enterprises embrace that ethos.

She cited local software maker Propeller Labs, with headquarters downtown, as having hired Youth Radio, a nonprofit that trains diverse young people in media skills, to create a virtual reality tour of Oakland.

Likewise, when the mayors office meets with tech firms considering a move to Oakland, We make it very clear that our values are striving for equity and committing to diversity, said Jose Corona, director of equity and strategic projects for Mayor Libby Schaaf. We want them to support our local economy, use local sources for their supply chain, be part of the fabric of the Oakland community.

For Berkeley native Leandrew Robinson, founder of Hingeto, which makes drop-ship technology for online retailers, Oakland was an obvious place for the 14-person firm that grew out of a T-shirt enterprise he started during his senior year at UC Berkeley.

Michael Short/Special to The Chronicle

I like locations that are not in a bubble but still have access to the talents and tools and conversation and networks, he said. Oakland is more authentic.

Joel Flory, CEO and founder of VSCO, which makes digital photo tools, had a similar take.

In Silicon Valley, you can get too caught up in the echo chamber of one approach to business, the same conversation topics at every coffee shop, he said. Oakland provides an opportunity to really engage with the general population and hear different perspectives; ultimately, a really rich environment.

Flory, a Bay Area native, moved his 100-person company to Oakland in 2014, after stints in San Ramon and Emeryville. Among the draws: Oakland embraces and celebrates the arts.

While Silicon Valley companies treat their workers to fabulous perks from on-site dining to massages and car detailing, Oakland companies are scrappier. Even giants like Pandora dont have in-house catering, so workers leave the office at lunchtime and patronize local businesses, Dixon said.

Oakland tech covers a range of sectors: music, education, art and design, solar energy, biotech, cloud software, logistics, food. Most of the 350-plus companies have fewer than 100 on staff, but overall they add up to some 7,000 tech employees in Oakland. Bigger companies include Pandora, Ask.com, 99 Designs and GT Nexus. Annual tech salaries averaged $122,000 in 2016, according to a Tech Trends report from the Chamber of Commerce, comparable to those in San Francisco and the South Bay.

The report showed that Oaklands tech companies employ a larger share of African Americans than valley companies. Blacks are 11.7 percent of Oakland tech workers, versus 1.3 percent in San Jose, it said. Blacks account for about 27 percent of Oaklands population.

Women were slightly more represented in Oakland, accounting for 34.4 percent of tech workers, versus 32.6 percent in San Jose.

Even if the city itself rejects being tagged as part of Silicon Valley, others may still see it as an adjunct.

You dont have to proclaim yourself Silicon Valley, but Silicon Valley is here, said Jeremy Owens, who works in San Francisco as MarketWatchs bureau chief and lives in Alameda.

Oakland office rents have increased dramatically in the past three years, said John Dolby, executive director of brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. Office space with services now averages $54 to $62 per square foot, still a bargain compared with San Franciscos $80 per square foot.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

About a third of new tenants pick Oakland for the cost, Dolby said, but those firms tend to be older-line enterprises such as insurance companies. The venerable Sierra Club, founded in San Francisco in 1892, moved its headquarters to Oakland in 2016.

The rest of Oaklands commercial growth is heavily tech-centered, he said, including startups and companies relocating or creating Oakland divisions to improve their employees quality of life.

They look at the demographics and see that more than half their employees live in the East Bay, he said. Why have them crowd into BART or inch across the bridge?

Developers are orienting buildings to lure tech firms, he said, citing TMG Partners newly renovated 1330 Broadway, which landed Oracle, Clovis Oncology and engineering firm Arup as tenants.

They installed bike storage, showers, high-tech elevators, exposed ceilings  that whole new creative look, Dolby said.

Oakland is rapidly adding office space, including its first new office tower in a decade, the 24-story 601 City Center, which Shorenstein Properties expects to complete next year. Meanwhile, CIM Group is renovating Uptown Station, the 391,000-square-foot 1920s-era former Emporium Capwells department store building. Uber originally bought Uptown Station but scrapped its plans to open an East Bay headquarters there.

Oakland brokers are confident that those buildings quality will draw other large tech enterprises.

Theyre an opportunity for Oakland to attract firms that need several hundred thousand square feet and cant find it in San Francisco, Dolby said. They can just look through their binoculars from S.F. and see a brand-new, state-of-the-art building just across the bay.

As larger, powerhouse tech companies move into Oakland, the city may well be seen as a Silicon East Bay, like it or not.

I agree that to call Oakland a part of Silicon Valley feels wrong, but will it feel wrong in five years? said Leslie Berlin, Silicon Valley collection archivist at Stanford and author of Troublemakers: Silicon Valleys Coming of Age.

There was a time when I never would have considered companies in San Francisco part of Silicon Valley.

Now, she says, Silicon Valley has become a shorthand for all tech.

San Francisco Chronicle business editor Owen Thomas contributed to this report.
Four years ago, cloud computing firm Box outgrew its space in Los Altos and went hunting for a larger office. First, it had to grapple with its CEOs desire to remain near Palo Alto, where many draw Silicon Valleys northern border.

After losing out on a potential Los Altos property to deep-pocketed Google, Box searched farther north, settling on a former parking lot near the train tracks in downtown Redwood City.

CEO Aaron Levie said he wanted to be near Palo Alto because it was part of Boxs roots. The company, founded in 2005, occupied two cottages in Berkeley before moving to Palo Alto, where it had its first real office. It was close to other startups and investors, and also a short commute for Levie, who lived in the Peninsula city. It spent years there before decamping to Los Altos.

Levie says he never worried about whether Redwood City was technically in Silicon Valley, though he saw the company as having roots in Palo Alto. If he misses the old neighborhood, he shouldnt worry. Its coming his way, as Silicon Valley, overcrowded farther down the Peninsula, hunts for space.

Stanford University, whose location is often cited as a reason why Silicon Valley sprang up where it did, is building office space for 2,700 employees that is expected to open next year in Redwood City. Evernote made the move from Mountain View not long before Box did.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle

Box executives argued that Redwood City was a location where the company could finally fit its workers in one central place. About 40 percent of employees came from San Francisco, and they could cut their commute.

Boxs arrival helped revitalize downtown Redwood City, which was once known among some locals as Deadwood City. The company employs 900 people at its brick office building near the Caltrain stop. Its a short walk to amenities, including a movie theater, restaurants and bars, as well as offices for startups. Construction is continuing ahead of the arrival of even more groups, including 450 employees with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a company created by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan.

Every day I look out, there are new cranes popping up everywhere, said Box General Counsel Peter McGoff. The (citys) reputation has changed from this sleepy little town north of Palo Alto to a potential tech hub.

Downtown Redwood City used to be a bustling retail center, with large stores like Montgomery Ward, the Fox Theatre and a sign hoisted up in the 1920s that boasted that the city was Climate Best by Government Test. But over the years, as more residents got in their cars and traveled to nearby shopping malls, the downtown fell into disrepair with empty storefronts.

Paul Chinn/The Chronicle

In 2011, city officials began a dramatic plan to redesign the downtown. Over 20 years in its 183-acre downtown, city leaders hoped to build 500,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 housing units, 100,000 square feet of retail and 200 hotel rooms. It has made a dent into those goals, already reaching the cap on office space downtown.

Today, people can shop for furniture at Cost Plus World Market, dine at the Old Spaghetti Factory and catch a movie at the downtown Century theater. Rosanne Foust, CEO of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association and a former Redwood City councilwoman, still remembers the day her daughter came home from school and excitedly said, Oh my gosh, Mommy, Redwood City has a Philz, the popular Bay Area coffee chain.

Yeah, we arrived, Foust recalled saying.

Redwood City, a 36-minute express Caltrain ride from San Francisco, has become this sweet spot from a recruiting perspective and a retention perspective, said Bo McNally, a partner with T3 Advisors, a commercial real estate firm that serves startups.

When the company arrived in 2015, city policies for a building its size were antiquated and had to be updated, according to Sandra Ladao, Boxs senior director of workplace services. For example, Ladao says, it took longer to get a Box logo on the building  about a year  than it (did) to build the entire building.

Developers also began to create offices designed for startups, and the demand was so great that the city tightened its rules last year on ground-floor office space to preserve room for retail on Main Street.

Redwood City is home to other large tech firms, including Electronic Arts and Oracle in the Redwood Shores neighborhood. But the growth downtown is relatively new. As a result, rents now rival some spaces in San Francisco, McNally said. The vacancy rate for offices downtown is just 2 percent, said Aaron Aknin, Redwood Citys assistant city manager.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Similar to downtown Palo Alto, we have the critical mass of businesses now that other businesses want to come, Aknin said.

Peter Cuschieri says the influx of companies has helped his restaurant, Angelicas.

Its been good for business, said Cuschieri, who co-owns the restaurant with his wife. If it wasnt for the startups, we would be struggling.

In February, roughly 7,000 people from around the world came to Redwood City for its annual Startup Grind conference, which has been held in the city for four years. Entrepreneurs gathered inside a historic theater to pitch their startups to audience members. For some attendees, Redwood City is their glimpse into Silicon Valley life. It was the first time Zaur Agamov, a Dubai resident, had ever visited the Bay Area.

Oracles offices are here, so Redwood (City) is pretty much Silicon Valley, reasoned Agamov, head of engineering for Cheeze, a photo-sharing app. For him, Silicon Valley was more about the people he met. He was struck by their upbeat spirit.

Its just like the movies, Agamov said.
A San Francisco woman has filed a lawsuit against Pacific Fertility Center, alleging the San Francisco clinics mishandling of a storage tank containing frozen embryos and eggs resulted in the loss of her eggs.

The suit seeks $5 million in damages and was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. It also names as a defendant Prelude Fertility, a private-equity-owned reproductive health company based in Atlanta, which in 2017 acquired a majority stake in Pacific Fertility Center.

The plaintiff is identified only as S.M. to protect her privacy, said her attorney, Adam Polk of the law firm Girard Gibbs. She underwent procedures in 2016 to preserve her eggs, which cost about $10,000, according to the suit.

A spokesman for Pacific Fertility Center did not immediately offer comment on the suit.

On March 4, during a routine inspection, staff discovered a cryo-storage tank with low levels of liquid nitrogen, which is used to keep eggs and embryos frozen. The clinic notified several hundred patients who had their eggs or embryos stored in the affected tank. Some, including the plaintiff, were told their reproductive tissue had been destroyed and could not be used. Others were told their tissue was still viable.

The lawsuit alleges thousands of frozen eggs and embryos were destroyed in the incident. The center has not specified how many may have been affected.

The fertility center committed gross negligence by failing to keep the human tissue under its care frozen, resulting in its permanent loss, says the suit, which seeks class-action status.

In a statement issued Sunday, Pacific Fertility apologized for the incident and said an independent investigation is under way.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Our patients and the safety of their eggs and embryos are our highest priorities and we are reaching out to inform them of this incident, the statement said. In addition, we have completed a physical inspection of all of the lab equipment and have also thoroughly reviewed all cryo-preservation protocols with staff. We are truly sorry this happened and for the anxiety that this will surely cause.

A similar incident at a University Hospitals Cleveland clinic where a storage tank suffered an unexplained rise in temperature damaged approximately 2,000 embryos, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported last week. A couple affected by that incident filed a lawsuit earlier this week.
State Sen. Scott Wiener plans to amend his California net neutrality bill on Wednesday to make it as comprehensive as the policy the Federal Communications Commission recently voted to repeal.

The revised SB822 asserts Californias authority to require Internet service companies to treat all Web traffic equally, not only to protect consumers right to binge-watch Netflix programs, but also to ensure the state can continue to provide online-connected emergency notification alerts, electric grid management programs and smart transportation systems.

The reality is that in 2018, the Internet is at the heart of our democracy and at the heart of our economy, Wiener said. And government has the responsibility to protect full and open access to the Internet as opposed to letting a handful of large companies decide who can access what.

The San Francisco Democrat introduced the bill Jan. 3 in reaction to the FCCs Dec. 14 vote to overturn Obama-era regulations that required Internet service companies to treat all Web traffic equally. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has said the order, scheduled to take effect April 23, is a return to a light-touch regulatory scheme that enabled the Internet to develop and thrive for nearly two decades. Opponents of Pais action fear that Internet providers could charge some companies more than others, or introduce extra charges for faster service, though many broadband providers have denied such intentions.

The initial draft of Wieners bill contained only sparse language stating an intent to enact net neutrality regulations. Since then, Wieners office has worked with legal scholars and groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union to draft the details.

Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon has also introduced a net neutrality bill that the Senate has already sent to the Assembly, but it may not be heard until June. Meanwhile, Washington state lawmakers earlier this month became the first in the nation to enact a net neutrality law, set to go into effect in June.

The Wiener bill is more comprehensive than the others and would match the level of protection of the FCCs 2015 net neutrality rules, at least within California, said Barbara van Schewick, a Stanford Law School professor. Van Schewick provided feedback to Wieners staff on some of the legal technicalities of the proposed bill.

The FCC has said individual states dont have the authority to pass their own net neutrality rules. However, Wieners bill asserts the state has broad powers to protect residents safety, life, public health (and) public convenience, and that almost every sector of the economy is dependent on the open and neutral Internet.

That includes police and other emergency services, which increasingly rely on broadband and wireless connections to alert citizens. The bill also seeks to protect transportation, government services, voting, education and environmental monitoring.

In addition, it directs the states electrical grid operators to evaluate whether a lack of net neutrality rules could hurt the power system when smart energy devices become more integrated in the future.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

The bill would cover cable and telephone companies that deliver service to any customer in the state, not just companies that have contracts with state agencies.

We believe we have a strong argument that California under our police powers has the ability to protect consumers, Wiener said. This is a comprehensive and aggressive bill in terms of protecting net neutrality. Were trying to adopt the protections that the FCC abandoned.

However, Broadband for America, which represents AT&T, Comcast, Charter Communications and other Internet providers that opposed net neutrality rules, said individual state laws governing an Internet that crosses all state lines will eventually cost consumers more.

Creating a maze of competing state rules to govern the Internet is the wrong approach to creating long-term policies for the Internet of the 21st century, spokesman Rob Tappan said in a statement. Competing regulations from state to state would increase compliance costs for businesses, lead to higher prices for customers and curb investment in the expansion of high-speed broadband infrastructure, which would most impact rural and other underserved communities.
Theres no cell service in the St. Helena winery where T.J. Shushereba works, so he missed the alert that went to phones throughout Napa County.

A gunman had barged into a farewell party for an employee Friday at the Pathway Home in Yountville, a treatment center for troubled veterans of the post-9/11 wars. The cake was still uncut on the table. The man, who had been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder at the center, singled out three staffers and took them hostage.

Shusherebas boss found him in the cellar at Anomaly Vineyards and said he should call his wife.

Dr. Jennifer Gonzales phone rang five times and went to voice mail. She worked as a clinical psychologist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, helping men with PTSD return to school. Part of her time was spent at the Pathway Home.

Im on my way, Shushereba said as he drove toward Yountville. Ill see you soon. I love you.

She never heard the message. Gonzales, Pathway executive director Christine Loeber and Jennifer Golick, the centers clinical director, were already dead. So was the gunman, Albert Wong.

That night, officers would go to Yountvilles town hall. At a press conference, they would confirm what he couldnt believe. His mind would go to the dark place.

We talk about the three individuals that lost their lives, Shushereba said Tuesday. There were four. I dont think that part of this whole scenario has really set in for me. We were going to have a baby. I am trying not to go down that path yet.

Gonzales, 32, was six months pregnant. Shushereba wanted to know the gender; she didnt. So they decided it would be a surprise. They called her bump June Baby.

Shushereba, 35, doesnt know why Wong picked out his wife and the two staffers. She didnt often talk about her work, because that could violate a patients privacy.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

Golicks father-in-law told the Associated Press that she had expelled Wong from the Pathway Home, but he didnt give a reason. Pathways administrators never reported any actions or threats by Wong to local law enforcement, the Napa County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday.

Both the Pathway Home and the California Highway Patrol, which is leading the investigation, have declined to discuss the circumstances surrounding Wongs expulsion.

So Shushereba is left to wonder why his wife died, and what their life might have been like with the child she was carrying.

Some of their friends called it Smoky because Gonzales took the pregnancy test the night the North Bay wildfires ignited. On Friday morning, Gonzales texted a photo of her bulging belly to Shushereba and his mother. She was starting to feel the baby kicking.

Two days before Gonzales died, she and Shushereba booked doctors appointments and birthing classes through the summer. With Gonzales  whom everyone called Jenn  he knew they could raise a good kid. She always wanted to cuddle her friends children. She would be a good mother.

If the baby was a boy, they would call him Jackson Blaise. If it a was a girl, they would call her Cecilia Rose. Shushereba wanted to nickname her Cece, but Gonzales said it was too froufrou. Their girl would be strong, just like her.

Somehow, Shushereba knew he was always supposed to meet Gonzales. But he didnt expect it to happen on Match.com. Her first email  asking what he would cook for a celebrity guest  intrigued him. They met in Santa Rosa in January 2014 for drinks, which led to dinner, dessert, a walk and coffee. After five hours, he was smitten.

They were a team. She wanted to visit all 50 states before she turned 30, so in 2015, she and Shushereba took a road trip through the South. That summer, they went to Alaska. It was her last state. In a pizza restaurant, she listed each states name and whom she had visited it with on a napkin.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

She held the paper in front of her face, brown eyes peeking over the top. Shushereba took a picture. He still has it saved on his phone. He has another folder, too, called Jenn sleeps in cars. She got motion sick easily and could never stay awake on long drives.

Gonzales was smart and driven. She attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and earned her doctoral degree from Palo Alto University.

She grew up with three brothers in Mountain View. She had a big family and a big group of friends. Shushereba was an only child; he didnt know what to make of it at first. The number of weddings he was attending suddenly skyrocketed. But he blended right in.

Last year, at their own wedding in Sacramento, they hired a 1980s band. Everyone drank Manhattans  Gonzales favorite  and danced for hours. She wore red high heels for the ceremony and red Converse sneakers for the reception. Their one-year wedding anniversary is March 18. Shushereba was going to surprise Gonzales with an overnight trip to San Francisco.

Sometimes when she came home from work, she seemed drained. She worked with men struggling to re-acclimate to society after witnessing the atrocities of war. Wong, who was trying to earn a college degree, was one of them. Before graduate school, she had counseled women who struggled with eating disorders.

She liked the vets in particular, said her father, Mike Gonzales. Theyre grizzled and gruff. She felt like they wanted to be helped. Her work was like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill and coming back down again. She wanted to be in the weeds with them. She had great empathy and compassion for these men.

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.

Now, the anniversary hotel reservation will need to be canceled. The OB-GYN appointments erased. It still doesnt feel real to Shushereba. He could find out whether the baby would have been a girl or a boy, but he doesnt know whether he wants to.

My day-to-day was a hell of a lot better with her by my side, he said. She would learn from me, and I would learn from her. Through everything, from the first day we met through the last day we talked, she was just this incredible woman.

On Saturday, Shushereba folded their laundry for the last time. It had been sitting in the dryer for days. Gonzales wasnt very neat. But it was one of the things he loved about her. He folded her sleep shirt, an oversized T-shirt with a cartoon Simpsons character. He brushed his teeth with one of the matching toothbrushes she had bought for them.

He remembered her laugh, how she liked red wine and red lipstick, her obsession with sandwiches and how she wanted to open a shop with one for each state. He remembered how they called their brown leather couch by the name Walter, and how she was always trying to help other people. He remembered their last day together.

That Friday morning  like every Friday morning  Gonzales left the house first. Shushereba was cutting up a grapefruit in the kitchen. He never said goodbye to his wife or June Baby; it felt too final.

See you later, he said.

No, I will see you later, she replied, smiling.

Jenn walked out the door and was gone.

A GoFundMe account for Jennifer Gonzales family has been set up here.

Chronicle staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report.

Lizzie Johnson is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: ljohnson@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @LizzieJohnsonnn

Chronicle staff writer Kurtis Alexander contributed to this report.
Ben Davis, founder of Illuminate, which has spread shimmering radiance around some of San Franciscos iconic structures, is on a crusade for light. With guiding principles that include the idea that no Illuminate project will require any fee to be seen, Davis has conceived of, organized and done fundraising for Leo Villareals Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge; has created, with Obscura Digital, Photosynthesis: Love for All Seasons, the light show projected on the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers; and organized both Harveys Halo, a temporary Harvey Milk tribute with rays shooting to the sky from the roof of a former bank at Market and Castro, and a permanent neon installation quoting Milk (Hope will never be silent) on that same building.

He stopped by at The Chronicle the other day to talk about some other projects in various states of planning/execution:

Lightrail, previously described in The Chronicle, was at first envisioned as streams of light running overhead on Market Street parallel to Muni Metro cars running underground. There are plans afoot now to give Market Street a major makeover, to remove its bricks, its curbs and most of its overhead wires. The light would then move along ribbons embedded in the border lines between the sidewalks and the street.

Love Above involves reimagining Sutro Tower as a structure for lights, turning the landmark into an art object.

Changing the lights along Market Street, already done by the city for a few blocks westward from the Ferry Building. Harsh orange lights are being replaced with softer, whiter ones that are more energy efficient.

Southern Hills Lights would place colored light panels in the windows along rows of Daly City houses along the curved streets on that citys hillsides.

Grace, a timed project to light the interior of Grace Cathedral.

Troubadour, in which an old American-made streetcar is outfitted like an art car, its outside covered with blinking lights, its inside usable at night as a mobile performance space on Munis F-line light-rail tracks.

The 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park will be in 2020, and Davis had such a good time working with parks chief Phil Ginsburg on the Conservatory project that he hopes theyll be able to cook up something for that occasion.

Davis knows that the challenges of this work go way beyond the struggles of fundraising. Sculpting with light, he says, is about transformation. You have to believe in the city. ... You have to break through the despair of impossibility. Thats no small goal.

Adda Dada is just back from Paris, where in the window of Philippe le Libraire bookstore, there was a handwritten sign that said, in French: The goal of (this) bookstore is to represent artists for they are the best representatives of society, humanity, democratic ideas and a revolutionary new life.

At Copenhagen Bakery in Burlingame, Greg Zompolis overheard a couple somewhat heatedly discussing whether it would rain this week. The grand finale was when the husband, slightly exasperated, in Zompolis description, blurted, Its a prediction, not a promise!

Meanwhile, back east, John Antoun saw a social media posting from someone apparently hunkered down for a storm, having stockpiled necessities. I have the bread, milk and toilet paper. But now I cant find the recipe.

As to the San Francisco-specific question, Who is the new Rose Pak?, Scott Goble, manager of Modern Appealing Clothing, opined that If Mark Leno wins, itll be Juanita More.

Browsing through Craigslists postings looking for talent, Peter McKenna came across Looking for Spicy Meatball, a posting from someone whose grandmother is nearing her 85th birthday. The woman has dementia, isnt super aware most of the time. But she has always been a major flirt, and me and my family say that is the last part of her that will go. Whenever she is in a mood or just zoning out, the second she sees my handsome boyfriend she is the same old her again.

The boyfriend, alas, is out of town, so for the birthday celebration, the family is looking for a handsome fella, or as my noni (grandma in Italian) would say, a spicy meatball to come to her birthday party and maybe dance with her to a couple of songs. ... Price is negotiable. ... This post is a long shot but hoping I can find somebody willing.

Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik

Public Eavesdropping

I dont need anger management. I just need people to stop pissing me off.

Man to man, overheard near Peets Coffee in Montclair by Kathleen Costa
Dominique Crenns highly-anticipated wine bar and ode to French cooking, Bar Crenn, opens Tuesday night, creating a San Francisco restaurant triumvirate for a chef widely recognized as one of the best on the planet.

Crenns spinoff project, which is adjacent to her two-Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn on Fillmore Street, will have a rotating cast of French wine collection curated by wine director Matt Montrose. Bar Crenns cocktail component is compact with a nod to old-style French aperitifs.

As for Bar Crenns food, the menu has evolved since the Crenn herself announced the project in December 2016. Initially Crenn planned to focus on small plates. Then in January, the chef said the food would be an homage to the classics of French gastronomy. The recipes are donated by French powerhouses like Alain Ducasse and Yannick Alleno, among others.

Some of the dishes include iced poached oyster, inspired by chef Guy Savoy; les pommes moulees with smoked trout roe via chef Guillaume Gomez; as well as brioche with cultured butter and whipped beef fat from next door at Atelier Crenn.

The entirety of Bar Crenns menu is available a la carte or as a three-course tasting menu for $85; its website describes the menu as a rotating menu of typically eight menu items, all of which are shareable bites. Theres also a $165 caviar tasting for parties of two. Reservations for Bar Crenn are available on Tock. (See the photos below for more on the food.)

Bar Crenn

Bar Crenn

About 17 wines are available by the glass, ranging in price from $14 to $50.

As prominent as the Bar Crenn project may be, its debut may have been trumped for a few days in late-February when Crenn announced a surprise venture in San Franciscos brand-new Salesforce Tower  Boutique Crenn.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

And if Bar Crenns style, which Crenn has said is her interpretation of a Parisian salon of yesteryear, was a chance for Crenn to flex her design muscle, Boutique Crenn will be where she unleashes it. The project is part boulangerie, part patisserie and part restaurant ensconced in a fashion and art-focused environment.

Bar Crenn: 3131 Fillmore St.; Open Tuesday through Saturday: 4:30 p.m. to 12 a.m.; Closed Sunday and Monday. www.barcrenn.com
Greg Berlantis movie about a teenagers coming out is nothing if not sincere. More to the point, its not very much except sincere.

Love, Simon is the story of a sweet-natured 17-year-old named Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), the elder child in a picture-perfect family that includes a dad (Josh Duhamel) whos a loving and lovable doofus, a therapist mom (Jennifer Garner) whos as nurturing as Bambis mother, and a younger sister (Talitha Bateman) who dotes on her older brother and enjoys cooking. They live in an Ozzie and Harriet house in a charming suburb where Simon goes to high school and hangs around with three other kids, including Leah (Katherine Langford), his best friend since he was 4.

Simon is gay but hasnt come out yet. He begins a growing but anonymous online friendship with another closeted guy at school. The closer he gets to Blue, the closer he gets to coming out, especially to his friend.

Simon begins fantasizing about the identity of his pen pal. Im not talking about wavy camerawork and harp music: I mean we actually see Bram (Keiynan Lonsdale), Cal (Miles Heizer) and Lyle (Tony Pollari) paired up with Simon at various points. It takes a second to realize its just Simons imagination. A series of events, some unfortunate, most manufactured, impact Simons journey to coming out and the lives of his friends.

Berlantis purpose is clear: He means to show the empowerment that can occur in the process of coming out. And for a certain audience, thats what Love, Simon can do. That audience is probably about the same age as Simon and his friends. Theres nothing wrong with that, but a bit more realism and authenticity not only could have made the film better, it also could have made Berlantis heartfelt intent more effective.

Through a nicely nuanced, underplayed performance, Robinson adds needed ballast in the title role. We may feel sure that things will turn out just swell for Simon, but Robinson expertly forces us to suspend disbelief enough to enjoy the valentine of a movie by projecting credible insecurity and effectively depicting the confusion of emotions that comes with adolescence.

Garner and Duhamel are set dressing, and Tony Hale is assigned the role of comic relief as an over-sharing school principal. Langford, best known as the star of 13 Reasons Why, again proves she has remarkable depth, even in a supporting role.

As a television critic, Im normally the last person to attribute the films weaknesses to the fact that Berlanti not only comes from the TV world, he owns a good piece of it, with shows like The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl and Riverdale. The element that keeps Love, Simon from fully realizing its potential is that it feels like something youd see on TV. And not on TV in 2018  TV youd see in the 1980s.

David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV

Love, Simon

Comedy-drama. Starring Nick Robinson, Josh Duhamel, Jennifer Garner. Directed by Greg Berlanti. (PG-13. 110 minutes.)

Movie newsletter

Get the latest movie reviews, Mick LaSalles views, critics picks and more film news each week in the San Francisco Chronicles revamped movie newsletter! Sign up here for Popcorn Picks and other Chronicle and SFGATE newsletters like the Taploid, Chronicle Commuter, and breaking news alerts.
Rex Tillerson's tenure as secretary of state ended not with a bang but with mass confusion.

This precise personnel move was reported in late November, so anyone who is surprised by this really shouldn't be. By this point, in fact, anyone surprised by the reality-show nature of this White House's personnel moves has been living in a secluded oasis that I will very much want to visit after writing this.

But I have five immediate reactions to this piece of news:

1) Rex Tillerson did not have the worst policy instincts of the Trump administration. Longtime readers are probably aware that I was not Tillerson's biggest fan, so let's start with the nice things I can say. Tillerson's initial impulse to maximize his face-time with President Donald Trump was sensible, given the lack of a prior personal relationship with him. Tillerson acted as a brake on Trump's worst instincts: The withdrawal from the Paris climate change accords, wanting to tear up the Iranian nuclear deal, a reluctance to give diplomacy a shot on the Korean Peninsula. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is the most competent policy principal in Trump's Cabinet, and he formed a close relationship with Tillerson. And Tillerson was not wrong in thinking that the State Department could be reformed.

That said . . .

2) This was an absolutely necessary move for Trump. The most important currency for a diplomat is their credibility. If they say something will happen and then they are overruled by their boss, it's a problem (this, by the way, is one reason that diplomats always seem so cautious and measured in their language). Trump had undercut Tillerson's credibility on numerous occasions, and the constant leak campaign in the media that Tillerson was on his way out undercut his standing even further. To put this more simply: If you were a foreign head of government meeting with Tillerson, would you have taken his assurances seriously?

Pompeo clearly has a much closer relationship with Trump and has displayed more public fealty to him. That relationship will give Pompeo more credibility as secretary of state when he is speaking with foreign interlocutors.

3) Tillerson's legacy will be as one of the most ineffective secretaries of state in modern history. I have has written a fair amount about Tillerson's incompetence and ineffectiveness as secretary of state. He was so incompetent that I called for him to resign in August. I would wager that everything I said in that column holds with greater force today. His influence within the administration waned over time. His proposed redesign of the State Department was botched, and botched badly. His incompetent management helped trigger an exodus of seasoned Foreign Service officers and crushed morale among the remaining diplomats. It seemed as though he could not visit a region without saying something that offended his hosts. There is no signature idea or doctrine or accomplishment that Tillerson can point to as part of his legacy. He was woefully unprepared for the job on Day One and barely moved down the learning curve. His incompetence undercut his ability to advance any worthwhile policy instinct.

Peter Baker and Gardiner Harris pull very few punches in their New York Times write-up of Tillerson's time at State:

"But perhaps the most puzzling part of Mr. Tillerson's tenure was his poor oversight of the State Department. As a former top business executive, his managerial skills were thought to be his chief asset.

"But he failed to quickly pick a trusted team of leaders, left many critical departments without direction and all but paralyzed crucial decision making in the department.

"He approved one global conclave in Washington just eight days before the event was to start, ensuring that few leaders from around the world were able to attend. He rarely sat for comprehensive briefings with many of his top diplomats and often failed to consult the State Department's experts on countries before visiting.

"Foreign diplomats - starting with the British and the French - said Mr. Tillerson neither returned phone calls or, with much advance warning, set up meetings with his counterparts. Strategic dialogues with many nations, including nuclear weapons powers like Pakistan, were ended without explanation."

We live in a politically incorrect age, so let's be blunt: Tillerson was an awful, incompetent secretary of state. Anyone who tells you differently is selling you something.

4) Pompeo has the opportunity to become a good secretary of state. A competent secretary of state needs to cultivate ties with key stakeholders to succeed at the job: The White House, other Cabinet secretaries, Congress, the bureaucracy and the wider foreign policy community. As previously noted, Pompeo is tight with the president and has served in the Cabinet and Congress. The bureaucracy would ordinarily be wary of someone with his policy preferences (more about that in a moment). But Pompeo has the opportunity to build considerable goodwill just by, you know, properly staffing the agency and defending its budget a little bit better than Tillerson.

As for the foreign policy community, well, that's a thing, because . . .

5) U.S. foreign policy is about to get even more hawkish.

Pompeo is far more hawkish than Tillerson on an array of policy issues, particularly Iran. Tillerson's departure follows the exit of Gary Cohn, which means there are now two fewer voices in Trump's Cabinet advocating for the benefits of the liberal international order.

On one level, it will be impossible for Pompeo to be a worse secretary of state than Tillerson. But Pompeo might still prove to be a more dangerous secretary of state by enabling Trump's most hawkish instincts.
Citing false and misleading public statements by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting Director Thomas Homan, the agencys San Francisco spokesman, James Schwab, resigned on Monday.

Schwab told the Chronicle he couldnt continue to do his job, as officials pressured him to deflect media questions by using so-called alternative facts about last months Keep Safe raid in Northern California.

What Trump administration officials said, again and again, was that about 800 undocumented immigrants evaded arrest during the operation  thanks to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.

Schaaf alerted the public on Feb. 24 about an upcoming raid. Officials arrested 232 suspected undocumented immigrants during the operation.

Schwab wanted officials to correct the claim of 800 undocumented immigrants evading arrest. He stated that he knew it to be far lower.

I quit because I didnt want to perpetuate misleading facts, Schwab told The Chronicle. I asked them to change the information. I told them that the information was wrong, they asked me to deflect, and I didnt agree with that.

Out of a target list of nearly 1,000 undocumented immigrants, Schwab said, the agency would never have been able to capture all of them  regardless of whether Schaaf warned the public.

Meanwhile, ICE has been backpedaling: The agency now claims it never said it would capture all of the targets. ICE spokeswoman Liz Johnson said: While we cant put a number on how many targets avoided arrest due to the mayors warning, it clearly had an impact. While we disagree with Mr. Schwab on this issue, we appreciate his service and wish him well.

Schwab was right to follow his conscience and quit his job. He was also right to insist that a federal agency do its job.

Providing the public with truthful information is a basic responsibility of government  whether the Trump administration likes it or not.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
JONATHAN ERNST/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump asserted that there is no chaos in his administration a week before he unceremoniously canned Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a man Sen. Bob Corker once described as helping to separate our country from chaos. In substance and style, Tillersons departure confirmed that while reasonable people might disagree about the degree of chaos in the administration, it is certainly not none.

Tillersons long-rumored, oft-denied Rexit was accorded all the dignity of a plot twist on Trumps old television show. Having cut short a trip to Africa, the former Exxon Mobil chief emerged at Foggy Bottom hours after his ouster to thank his staff and the nation  though, pointedly, not the president  for the privilege. His undersecretary for public affairs, Steve Goldstein, said Tillerson had not spoken to Trump or received an explanation before his firing was announced on Twitter. Goldstein was fired shortly thereafter.
As Hollywood gathered March 4 for the Academy Awards, philanthropic dance fans here fundraised $400K at the San Francisco Design Center for Smuin Ballet, in its 25th season this fall.

Led by co-chairs Jerry and Patti Hume with Athena and John Konstin, the enthusiastic affair commenced with cocktails followed by a McCalls dinner and a sizzling contemporary performance by Smuin stars, sources said.

Guests noted a delicious Oscar irony amid the live auction: While Hollywood stars starved themselves to squeeze into size 00 Oscar gowns, slender Smuin dancers whipped up decadent desserts for bid at a live auction.

Terez Deans dark chocolate buttercream cake raised a whopping $3K. Lemon pie by Ben Needham-Wood raised $2K. And Benjamin Warner, whos nursing a ruptured tendon, created Kneecap Cakes: cupcakes decorated with anatomically correct tendons and nerves that raised a healthy $1,400 for the troupe.

Drew Altizer

Board chair Dell Larcen turned the spotlight on Board of Supervisor President London Breed, who honored Smuin supporter-philanthropist Bruce Braden with a proclamation for his support of the arts.

Ballet is one of my favorite arts forms, he enthused. And Smuin is my favorite of the favorite!

Flawless: It was a curious sight on a sparkly March 7 morn as white-aproned waiters passed delicious Paula LeDuc bite-size avocado toasts with bacon among a coterie of well-heeled shoppers cooling their heels on the corner of Post Street at Grant Avenue.

The occasion: a ribbon-cutting heralding the arrival of haute jewelry house Harry Winston in the revamped bones of storied San Francisco jeweler Shreve & Co. that, until pushed out by rising rents, owned its namesake building founded in 1906.

Yet all is well among our high-end jewelers: Shreves found new digs a half block away at 150 Post St. And even Tom Carroll, Tiffany & Co. Northwest vice president, and legendary local jeweler Sidney Mobell were on hand to welcome the house of Harry.

This is probably one of the most beautiful jewelry salons in the United States, said Mobell, who maintains an office above the boutique.

Wielding gold ceremonial scissors, Winston VP of Regional Sales Michael Moser and salon manager Matthew Coleman were joined by San Francisco Protocol Chief Charlotte Shultz, who, adorned with Winston dazzlers, shimmered in the morning sun.

Shultz read a mayoral proclamation honoring this first San Francisco salon for Harry Winston, long dubbed The King of Diamonds as a sparkling addition to our crown jewel Union Square shopping district.

Inside, a classical music trio serenaded guests as Shultz expertly surveyed vitrines filled with diamonds, deep red rubies and a variety of exquisite sparklers.

Theres so much beautiful jewelry here, she marveled, with a teasing aside about a fellow carat aficionado. I guess Dede (Wilsey) hasnt been shopping yet.

Bonjour: Gretchen Leach and her husband, former U.S. Ambassador to France Howard Leach, were recently feted by friends Jan Buckley and Mara Fritz to to celebrate madames first book, and her return to San Francisco.

Available on Amazon and at the Sacramento Street atelier of Sue Fisher King, Letters from Paris: My Life as the Wife of the U.S. Ambassador to France from 2001-2005 (Vantage Point Historical Services; $50) is a Proustian madeleine of reminiscences featuring photos, recipes and letters Gretchen wrote from Paris to her American friends.

Howard was appointed by President George. W. Bush, and Gretchen described the job as both a huge honor to serve their country yet awesome in its scope of duties.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

It was truly 24/7 duty. Wherever we went, you never really had time to yourself. I always had at least one bodyguard; Howard had six to eight, she recalls. So you always had to look good, smile and attend food shows where you might taste foods you didnt really want to try.

Even at home when not hosting one of their numerous receptions at the historic U.S. ambassadors Parisian residence, the Leaches, attended to by a 24-strong staff, remained in top-notch form.

The only time I really relaxed was on Sundays, when I gave most of the staff the afternoon off, she says, with a laugh. Then I could take off my shoes because I love walking barefoot.

The Leaches were in Paris at a time when anti-American sentiment in the City of Light ran high. Back home, Americans were defiantly eating Freedom fries and pouring French wine down the drain.

But, personally, the couple were embraced and developed many lasting friendships  especially when her husband was asked on French television if hed divested of his French wines.

Howard replied, Yes, Gretchen recalls, with a laugh. One bottle at a time shared with friends.

Though now residents of Pebble Beach (Monterey County), Palm Beach, Fla., and Paris, Gretchen shares her advice for other potential EssEff ambassadorial appointees.

Meet the locals; attend everything; be polite, engaging and engaged; make some good friends, she says. Abroad, America is still No. 1, and people want to see the American ambassador. Even those who didnt share our party views, we were liked for who we are. And that made people more accepting of the president we represented.
SURPRISE, Ariz. - Jorge Mateo was sent down to minor-league camp after Tuesdays game, but he certainly made a strong impression before leaving.

The 22-year-old shortstop, picked up in the Sonny Gray deal with the Yankees last summer, homered twice in Oaklands 9-8 win over Kansas City, a leadoff shot and then a two-run homer in the fourth.

Pretty exciting stuff, manager Bob Melvin said. To have that kind of speed and that kind of power as well, a little flash to his game, good arm strength, all good stuff.

Both of Mateos homers came off Royals left-hander Danny Duffy.

Jorges awesome, As starter Kendall Graveman said. Hes someone I talk to every day, hes a kid whos easy to love. Hes a great guy. We gave up Sonny and we got some really good players for him, youre starting to see the fruits of that: Mateo a couple homers, (Dustin) Fowler hit the ball hard today, his step is finally coming back.

The pop in (Mateos) swing, you dont usually see it from a guy of that stature but he did it against one of the better pitchers in the league today.

Graveman, the As presumed Opening Day starter, allowed five hits and four runs, with all of the Royals scoring off him coming in the fourth, an inning that started when Graveman hit Cheslor Cuthbert. That ball got away from me, I cant let that happen, thats kind of what escalated that whole inning, Graveman said. That whole outing came down to that one HBP.

Entering the day, opponents were batting .407 against Graveman this spring, but the only hard-hit ball the Royals got off him Tuesday was an RBI double by Ryan Goins. Three hits were infield singles, including one by Goins in the second on a close play at first; Graveman remained convinced that he got Goins with a lunging tag, which photos appeared to confirm.

Graveman was pleased overall with his outing and especially liked how his sinker was working. When I started out, I threw three balls and didnt know where it was going so we just set up down the middle and started throwing sinkers, he said. That really got my arm slot where it needed to be. You see the balls on the ground, thats back to who I am.

Several other of the As promising youngsters had strong days Tuesday. Sheldon Neuse, from the Sean Doolittle deal with Washington, who blasted a two-run homer in the first, doubled in the fifth and singled in the sixth, infielder Franklin Barreto had two hits to raise his average to .332, and minor-league catcher Sean Murphy had two hits.

Outfielder Mark Canha went 3 for 4 with a homer, a double, two RBIs and two runs and hes 9 for his past 17. The fact he doesnt really play center field probably will keep him off the Opening Day roster but hes making a solid case for consideration in the event theres a need for a right-handed hitting corner outfielder.

The more at-bats, as weve seen from him before, the better he is, Melvin said. It can be a little bit of a complicated swing, and really when he did well is when he played every day for us. When he hasnt played every day, hes struggled some, then he goes to Triple-A and starts hitting again. So its about being able to acclimate to what potentially would be a bench role for him, but weve got a couple weeks to go and hes swinging the bat really well right now.
From the suburban spreads of Fremont and Walnut Creek to the urban cores of Richmond and Oakland, East Bay high school students raised their fists and their voices Wednesday in solidarity with the national campus walkout to denounce gun violence.

At El Cerrito High School, most of the 1,430 students jammed into the central quad for the protest, singing the song Shine, written by students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where 17 students and staffers were massacred last month. Many of the El Cerrito students wore orange, the color adopted by gun control advocates.

Starting at precisely 10 a.m., 17 El Cerrito youths read off the names of the Parkland dead.

Luke Hoyer was 15 years old, began Athena Lynch, a 17-year-old senior. He is remembered as a happy-go-lucky kid with a laid-back personality. Then she passed the microphone to the next student for the next name.

More for you Thousands of students protest gun violence in nationwide walkout

The quad fell silent, and at the end three more students spoke out in support of gun control.

Enough is enough, Claire Sterling, 17, told the crowd. All week at lunch we are going to be in Room C200 writing letters to our representatives. Please join. It may not seem like a lot, but everything matters.

After the rally, students filtered in and out of American history teacher Pat Jimenezs classroom, signing a poster that they plan to send to Stoneman Douglas High. It got smudged in the rain, so organizers were sharpening up the letters.

We decided it was really important to support students across the country, said one of El Cerrito Highs chief organizers, 17-year-old student Eleanor Maoz. We wanted to bring the community together after Parkland to address violence.

Senior Charlotte Diamant, 17, said the most important thing now is to keep momentum going for the cause she now believes in so fervently.

We really wanted to make sure that it wasnt just like, were walking out because were angry but how can we start making change? Thats why we put out the posters that we did, encouraging people to register to vote, and we hope people do go vote, and go to march for our lives later.

Rally organizers in El Cerrito, as at most East Bay high schools, had the support of their teachers and administrators.

I was a little kid during the Vietnam War and during the civil rights movement and I teach American history, so I appreciate movements, and I havent seen anything like this since that time period, said Jimenez, 55, who helped organize the walkout. I think its a really seminal moment among the students who I work with every day, so that makes me especially proud.

Im excited for them, said El Cerrito Highs principal, Edith Jordan-McCormick. I think its really important to listen to the youth of today and also to provide them guidance.

Who better to say whats up than the kids? she told the organizers as the walkout began.

Parents pitched in, too.

I think its amazing that this has been organized all by students, said Robin Ferguson, who came to support her daughter, a senior at the school. Im concerned about the safety of our children and ending gun violence.

At Oakland Technical High School  which once counted in its student body Clint Eastwood, who glamorized gun use in his movies such as Dirty Harry  an enthusiastic crowd of students poured out of their classrooms for the walkout.

In Concord, students at Mount Diablo High School briefly broke through a locked gate after their rally, yelling enough is enough while they attempted a protest march on nearby streets. But they were quickly brought back to the school by administrators who said they werent authorized to leave campus.

To the south, dozens of students at James Logan High School in Union City added a flourish to their campus walkout  lying on the pavement in a die-in for several minutes while the hundreds of protesters stood in silence around them.

And in a jolting counterpoint to the rallies, San Leandro High School went on lockdown Wednesday morning after graffiti was found threatening a shooting on campus. No guns were found, police said, but school was canceled Thursday as a precaution.

Chronicle columnist Otis Taylor contributed to this report.
Joaquin Avila, a pioneering voting-rights attorney whose victories at the U.S. Supreme Court and the California Legislature helped to empower Latinos and other minorities at the ballot box, has died of cancer at his home in Seattle. He was 69.

Our nation has lost a steadfast hero-warrior for the Constitution and for human rights, said Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, positions that Avila held from 1982 to 1985. He had previously worked as a staff attorney for MALDEF in California and Texas, and remained in voting-rights work throughout his career, litigating more than 70 cases.

In Californias Central Valley his name is mentioned in reverent tones, and with good reason, said San Francisco civil rights attorney Robert Rubin, who worked on cases with Avila. Hes been responsible for so many legal victories that have protected and advanced political empowerment of Latinos and other groups.

One such case came from Monterey County, where county supervisors had changed judicial elections from a system of individual districts to countywide at-large votes, diminishing the prospects of Latinos, who made up one-third of the countys population, of being elected to a judgeship.

Because of a history of voting discrimination, the county was required to seek U.S. Justice Department approval for changes in its election laws. County officials argued that no approval was needed because a state law had ratified its action. But Avila and Rubin, in a suit by MALDEF and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights on behalf of Latino voters, won an 8-1 ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999 requiring the county to seek federal clearance for any such changes.

Avila also won a precedent-setting ruling from the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1989 requiring Watsonville to switch from at-large to district elections, paving the way for the first election of Latinos to the City Council.

In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down the section of the federal Voting Rights Act that had required many state and local governments to clear new election laws with the Justice Department. By then, however, California had its own Voting Rights Act, which Avila drafted and helped to steer through the Legislature in 2002.

The law, the only one of its kind in the nation, allows minorities to challenge at-large elections in cities and local agencies that have a history of racially polarized voting and a likelihood of diluting minority voting power. Lawsuits and even the prospect of suits under the law have caused hundreds of local governments to move to district-by-district elections.

Avila was still defending the law at the end of his life, fighting a conservative groups suit that contended the redistricting was unconstitutional race-based discrimination, said Denise Hulett, a MALDEF attorney also working on the case. A federal judge in San Diego has upheld the law, but opponents plan to appeal.

After he left MALDEF, he continued to do (voting-rights work) on his own dime. It was not something that made him rich, Hulett said.

That was evident in 1996, when Avila won a genius grant fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation and said he would use the $295,000 award to pay debts from the costs of his voting-rights suits.

Avila was born in Compton (Los Angeles County) and attended Yale University, becoming one of the first Mexican-Americans to enroll there, and Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 1973. He maintained a law practice in Fremont after leaving MALDEF, then became director of the National Voting Rights Advocacy Initiative at Seattle University School of Law.

His son Joaquin Avila Jr. described his father as a kind and caring person who helped people who were in trouble, just as he did during his career.

Avila died Friday, surrounded by family members at his home. He is survived by his wife, Sally Avila; his children, Joaquin, Angelique and Salvador Avila; and a brother, Jaime Avila.

Plans for a public memorial are pending.
This article appeared on KSBW.

SEASIDE, Calif.  A teacher who also serves as a reserve police officer accidentally fired a gun inside a Seaside High School classroom Tuesday, police said, and three students were injured.

Dennis Alexander was teaching a course about gun safety for his Administration of Justice class when his gun went off at 1:20 p.m.

Teachers are not legally allowed to have firearms in California classrooms, even if they have a concealed carry permit.

Alexander, who is a reserve officer for the Sand City Police Department, was pointing his gun at the ceiling when it fired. Pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground.

A press release from the Seaside Police Department said no one suffered "serious injuries." One 17-year-old boy suffered moderate injuries when fragments from the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling and lodged into his neck, the student's father, Fermin Gonzales, told KSBW.

The teacher had just told the class that he wanted to make sure his gun wasn't loaded, when the gun fired, according to Gonzales.

"It's the craziest thing. It could have been very bad," Gonzales said.

Alexander was about to use the gun for a demonstration for how to disarm someone, according to Gonzales.

Everyone in the classroom was stunned and the teacher apologized. But no one at the school checked to make sure that all of the students were uninjured, Gonzales said.

The school day resumed as normal, and Seaside Police Department officers went to the school to investigate.

The 17-year-old boy's parents were shocked when he returned home from school with blood on his shirt and bullet fragments in his neck. The student's parents rushed him to a hospital for X-rays.

"He's shaken up, but he's going to be OK," Gonzales told KSBW. "I'm just pretty upset that no one told us anything and we had to call the police ourselves to report it."

Alexander was placed on administrative leave from his teaching position at Seaside High School, and he was also placed on administrative leave at the Sand City Police Department.

Sand City Police Chief Brian Ferrante told KSBW, "I have concerns about why he was displaying a loaded firearm in a classroom. We will be looking into that."

Ferrante said Alexander has been a reserve Sand City police officer for the past 11 years, and described his track record as "positive and professional." The 2013 Reserve Office of the Year is also a Seaside City Council member and Red Cross volunteer. KSBW interviewed Alexander in 2015 while he was volunteering for the Red Cross to help victims of the Tassajara Fire.

Whether to arm teachers with guns on campus to make American schools safer has been a fiery question politically over the past few weeks, following a mass shooting at a Florida high school.

Thousands of students are planning to walk out of their classrooms Wednesday to raise awareness about gun violence and school safety.

One KSBW Facebook fan remarked about the Seaside incident, "This is clear example why teachers shouldn't have a gun. Accidents happen, even to people with experience."

Another Facebook fan quipped, "Oh great.. .Ya let's give ALL the teachers guns. What could possibly go wrong?"

Students who take Alexander's Administration of Justice class are interested in public safety and becoming a police officer.

"I think a lot of questions on parents' minds are, why a teacher would be pointing a loaded firearm at the ceiling in front of students," Monterey Peninsula Unified School District Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh said. "Clearly in this incident protocols were not followed."

The Superintendent's Office sent a letter to parents reading: "We want to make you aware of an accident that occurred in the Administration of Justice class today at Seaside High School. As some of you may know, the teacher is a reserve police officer. Today, during class, the teacher accidentally discharged his firearm during a lesson while it was pointed at the ceiling. Debris from the ceiling then fell. Upon learning of the incident, our Human Resources department, school site administration and the Seaside Police Department immediately began investigating the incident, including interviewing students in the class. We will also have counseling services available for students. Due to the nature of this personnel incident, we are unable to share any other details. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave for the duration of the on-going investigation. The safety of your student is always our top priority, and we will continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to keep them safe while they are under our care."
An 8-year-old boy in San Jose walked out of his classroom on Wednesday morning to join the millions of students protesting for more gun control regulations across the country. Tied around his neck was a simple, brown cardboard sign with earnest, marker-written text: "Guns are cruel, not cool."

The young student, named Leonardo Aguilar, was the only one in his 2nd-grade class at San Jose's Trace Elementary to walk out. With none of his classmates to join, Aguilar (and his mother) walked to Lincoln High School to stand with the older kids.
While hundreds of El Cerrito High School students crammed into the central quad Wednesday carrying signs such as Protect children, not guns, at least two stayed silent when everyone cheered for gun control.

Diego Anderson and Daniel Reales, both 17-year-old juniors, each carried an American flag to the rally, part of a national student walkout denouncing gun violence and honoring the 17 high school students and staffers killed by a gunman last month in Parkland, Fla.
The family of a 16-year-old pregnant girl shot and killed by undercover Fremont police officers last year filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the department Wednesday.

Elena Mondragon, of Antioch, was killed on March 14, 2017, when two Fremont detectives shot at a moving car in Hayward. She was in the first trimester of pregnancy. Police were reportedly tracking her boyfriend, who was driving the car.

Shockingly, officers engaged in a series of egregious tactical errors and contravened their training and basic common sense, which resulted in an outrageous loss of innocent life, said attorney John Burris, whos representing the family.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, cited the officers reckless disregard for department policy, safe tactics and human life by opening fire on a moving car full of teenagers, Burris said.

The suit was announced at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Last March, Elena, her cousin and two friends  including 19-year-old Rico Tiger, Elenas boyfriend  were swimming at City View Apartment Homes in Hayward while a group of undercover officers from the Southern Alameda Major Crimes Task Force kept watch from afar, Burris said. The officers were reportedly following Tiger, an armed robbery suspect.

When Elena and the others left the pool, police said, she got into the passenger seat of an allegedly stolen car. As the group attempted to drive away, a Dodge minivan and Honda Pilot pulled out to block the cars path.

Tiger, who was driving, rammed the unmarked patrol vehicles, resulting in Fremont Police Sgt. Jeremy Miskella and Fremont Police Detective Joel Hernandez firing their weapons, police said.

Five officers in total were on the scene, but none of them had activated their body-worn cameras, Burris said.

Four bullets hit Elena, who later died in the hospital, Burris said.

The Alameda County district attorneys office concluded the two officers were justified in using lethal force.

In a 30-page report, Deputy District Attorney Robert Graff said Elenas death was unintended and tragic, but that the two officers acted in lawful self-defense when they opened fire.

Geneva Bosques, a Fremont police spokeswoman, said the department would not comment on pending litigation.

The familys lawsuit contends that the plain-clothes officers never identified themselves as police after jumping out of their vehicles with assault rifles. The complaint also argues that police had multiple opportunities to initiate an arrest of Tiger before he, Elena and others got into the vehicle.

Christina Flores, Elenas aunt, told The Chronicle last March that the family was broken after the girls death.

She enjoyed being a kid, Flores said through tears outside of her Pittsburg home, adding that Elena was always smiling.

She was our baby. This family will never be complete.

Tiger fled the scene, police said, before being arrested the next day.

Tiger and Elena were dating, Flores said.

I feel like he was manipulating her. She wasnt involved in what (police) were looking for him for, Flores said of Tiger. Maybe she hung around them, but she didnt do none of those things.

Tiger remains in custody in Santa Clara County on unrelated armed robbery charges. He was also charged with Elenas murder and the attempted murder of two police officers.
A homeless San Francisco man who spent the past 7 months in jail while awaiting trial on burglary and theft charges has been freed by a federal judge, who said there was no legitimate reason to hold him indefinitely by setting bail he couldnt afford.

A San Francisco Superior Court judge had set bail at $330,000 for James Reem in late July and reaffirmed that decision in December when the federal court questioned the amount. Judge Garrett Wong said Reem had failed to show up in court twice in previous cases and might flee if released without bail.

But Public Defender Jeff Adachis office said the only reason Reem hadnt made previous court appearances was that he was being held in jail elsewhere. On Monday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said Wong hadnt articulated a constitutional basis for detaining Reem pending trial, and ordered his release. He was freed Tuesday.

The case is one of several legal challenges to Californias bail system, which has based the amount of money to get out of jail on the seriousness of the charges and a defendants criminal record without considering his or her ability to pay.

A state appeals court in San Francisco has ruled the system unconstitutional and prohibited judges from setting bail at unaffordable levels unless they have evidence that a defendant would be dangerous or likely to flee if released before trial. Local prosecutors have not appealed that ruling, but the California District Attorneys Association has asked the state Supreme Court to overturn it. State lawmakers, meanwhile, are considering legislation that would overhaul the system.

Reem is charged with home burglary and auto theft. Prosecutors say he has 19 previous criminal convictions and faces up to 22 years in prison if convicted. He has not yet gone to trial.

Breyer ruled in November that Reem was being held unconstitutionally because his bail was so high that it amounted to detention without trial. He put his order on hold to let Wong decide whether pretrial detention was necessary to protect the public or guarantee Reems future appearances in court.

On Monday, Breyer said the justifications offered by Wong and the prosecutors lacked any indicia of reliability. He said that if Reem were a rich man, with the same record, he would have gone free for no reason other than his wealth by paying bail.

Adachis office said Wednesday that the case illustrates the reluctance of local judges to follow the law on bail.
First there were mobile homes. Then there were tiny homes. Now there are mobile tiny homes. Like the innovations that came before, it's all in the name of living cheaply, or  for some residents of the San Francisco-Bay Area  surviving.

These mobile tiny homes blend into the traffic of the Bay Area. They can be Sprinter vans or school buses, para-transit shuttles or 16-footers. There is no standard definition. All one needs is a set of wheels and a desire to eat and sleep atop them.

"I've got internet, TV, a phone, fans, ventilation," said 37-year-old Pauly Ollie of his cargo van setup. "It's just like a tiny home."

Ollie's mobile home is discrete: He drives a cargo van, with a hand-built trailer attachment, that meshes with the patchwork of San Francisco's streets. At night, he parks in dense urban areas, where a foreign van won't raise eyebrows, but he's not about to publicly reveal the prime locations.

This sort of mobile home is hard to distinguish from standard-use vehicles, unless you know what to look for, and to know this, one must typically be a part of the community. It's a group that goes by many names: van dwellers, RV lifers, nomads.

Twenty-eight-year-old Andreas joined the mobile home community three years ago, after living in a standard Bay Area home with a sibling for some time.

"I wanted to get out of there, but I couldn't afford to stay close to San Francisco," said Andreas, who asked to conceal his last name. "So I bought a van."

***

The high cost of living in the Bay Area means people do things differently here. That applies to #vanlife.

Around 2017, the #vanlife hashtag became a social media movement after stories of bohemian types, who live and travel in highly outfitted vans, began flooding news feeds and capturing the imaginations of affluent, burned-out worker-bee types.

Story continues below.

The social media version of #vanlife is romantic, often featuring an attractive, young, white couple who throw off the shackles of mainstream society to live on-the-go and off-the-grid indefinitely. A passage from Rachel Monroe's viral 2017 New Yorker story on #vanlife summarizes this demographic:

"Huntington had given up his apartment in New York and his job as a designer at Ralph Lauren, and moved into a 1987 Volkswagen Syncro. He spent his days surfing, exploring, and taking pictures of his van parked in picturesque locations along the California coast."

In the Bay Area, #vanlife is grittier  often born from necessity, rather than an overwhelming desire to travel the open road. Its attractions entice folks in every income bracket. There are people like Brandon, a Google engineer who lived in a truck parked on his employer's lot. There are also the previously-homeless, who move off the streets and into motor vehicles.

Large groupings of RVs whose residents fall into this latter category pool on certain streets around the Bay Area, like El Camino Real in Palo Alto and Shoreline Boulevard and Latham Street in Mountain View.

"The whole idea of people living in vehicles ... we've never seen that to the degree we see now. It's a relatively new phenomenon for us and for the community," Tom Myers, executive director of the Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, told the Mercury News in August. At last count, 89 of 391 CSA clients lived in vehicles, Myers said.

San Francisco Municipal Code does not prohibit people from residing in vehicles, though it puts limits on where and when people can do it. The "use of vehicles for human habitation" is forbidden in San Francisco parks, beaches, alleys and streets between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., the code says, though it's "not often enforced," a San Francisco police officer told the Washington Post.

Many Bay Area cities have a similar attitude toward vehicle dwelling  it's generally frowned upon but rarely acted against. Palo Alto recently enacted a citywide policy that forbids parking un-permitted vehicles in the same place for 72 hours (San Francisco already has a similar law), but that's easily skirted by moving down the block.

Story continues below.

The tune does seem to be changing as the cost of Bay Area living keeps growing and city officials soften to alternative modes of housing. In 2014, a California judge struck down a law banning vehicle habitation in Los Angeles as unconstitutional. A Seattle judge did the same recently. If you live in your car, the ruling said, it's your home, and you don't have to abide by 72-hour parking limits and other vehicle restrictions. The Seattle City Attorney's Office issued a brief statement indicating it could still appeal the decision.

Once the Seattle ruling is finalized, it could impact the way the city handles such vehicles, though city officials wouldn't speculate on how.

***

Between those extremes are regular folks, who aren't experiencing homelessness nor pulling a six-figure tech salary. They live in vehicles to skirt the expensive cost of housing in the Bay Area  the average rent in San Francisco hovers around $3,400, according to Zumper  and because they can.

Barbara Wahli, 46, considers herself a part-time RV lifer. She purchased an RV last year and quickly found herself enmeshed in a diverse community of part-timers, like her, and full-timers, like Ollie and Andreas. The group is a diverse one; incomes range far-and-wide, as do ages. But they're united by a common desire to skirt the high cost of Bay Area life.

Many of Wahli's friends make "pretty decent money," she said. "They're not doing it because they're broke or homeless, but because they don't understand why they should be paying so much rent."

Jason Ravanelli, 51, falls under such a designation. He's lived in the Bay Area his entire life and currently rents an Alameda studio for $1,500 a month. When his son graduates from high school this year, he's moving out and into a van.

"I have to live and work here because I have no resources to go elsewhere," said Ravanelli, a logistics manager for a truck company in San Francisco. He hopes living in a van, rent-free, changes that.

"Some people like the idea of traveling by van," he said. "Me, I have a goal in mind."

That goal entails saving enough cash to eventually get out of the Bay Area for good. He hopes to purchase a parcel of land on the Olympic Peninsula.

"I'm going to work until I die," he said, "but if I do this, I can work until I die and still have my little spot of land."

Ravenelli said he's been thinking about doing this for a decade, and he's prepared accordingly. He purchased a 2013 refurbished U-115 cargo van for $1,600 down, with monthly payments of $385 that include servicing. Inside is an Ikea futon  free on Craigslist  some stackable Rubbermaid totes (they contain the kitchen and his clothing), a camp stove, a 12-volt cooler, and not much else.

There's an element of anarchy involved in all this. One need not be anchored to a mortgage and a house filled with things when you have a mobile home and the ability to come and go as you please.

The going part can get tedious, though, especially if you park in or around San Francisco. As all city drivers know, parking can be an urban wild west. Ticketing and towing opportunities abound with frequent street sweeping, timed limits on spaces and persnickety neighbors who'll tow you if an inch of your vehicle protrudes into their driveway.

The threat of a "knock on the door" looms constantly for those who live in their vehicles, and it can inspire paranoia. A recent discussion in a Facebook group devoted to local RV lifers quickly became split between those excited to share their stories and those hesitant to do so for fear of police crackdowns. One person claimed an alt-right group keeps a wiki of vans known to house full-time residents.

Van dwellers, said one commenter, don't have political representation, and until there's an #RVLifer in office, the nomads won't feel welcome anywhere. Ollie hopes politicians seize on van life as a means of easing the housing crisis. He suggested a registry of mobile dwellings and designated lots for car campers.

Until political bureaucracy catches up with the latest housing trends, those who live in motor vehicles will have to keep moving. Many people rotate between 10 spots where they know they can park undisturbed, Wahli said. Some stay in one place for the night, and leave early in the morning. It's essential not to draw attention to yourself, and that's easier if you hit the road frequently.

Then again, moving is more feasible for some folks than others  namely those with spiffy vehicles and ample gas budgets. The socioeconomic divide among mobile van dwellers echoes the divisions among traditional home dwellers.

"There's families who live in RVs now that just don't leave," Wahli said, citing Shoreline Avenue, which has a large population of formerly homeless people living in RVs.

"You can't just park somewhere and stay," she continued. "They're ruining it for everyone."

Even in her "upper class" Campbell neighborhood Wahli routinely sees a cohort of mobile homes. They move around every few days, she says, but "they are always there, and that's a problem."

***

Andreas, who teaches circus arts and gymnastics in San Francisco, finds himself in a "caravan" situation these days. He parks his van beside two other full-time van dwellers  one's an engineer, the other a mechanic  and says the dynamic is similar to that of a "traveling circus caravan."

The trio trade keys in case a vehicle requires moving or a cop comes knocking. They'll cook each other dinner, lend tools and store perishables if someone's generator runs out of juice. The latter occurrence is a common one, and it can be devastating.

According to Andreas, if your battery dies and you don't have a solar power setup, "you're up the creek without a paddle." Installing solar panels is expensive  Andreas estimates it costs upwards of $1,000 for the panels and special batteries  but it pays for itself in the long run by circumventing the cost of constantly eating out. Before going solar, Andreas kept his food in a cooler "probably made for keeping beers chilled at a barbecue."

Food storage, he says, is not only difficult but limited  "You can't go to Costco and buy bulk." One must be purchasing food constantly. Cooking it is another matter. Most van dwellers use a propane burner, Andreas says, and keep a few "versatile, easy-to-clean" pots and pans on hand.

Cleaning the dishes  and yourself  proves another challenge. Water can be found in public spigots or friends' homes, or purchased by the five-gallon jug from a grocery store. Showering is more difficult, but easy to come by with a cheap gym membership, which many van dwellers deem a necessity.

Then there's the toilet situation  often one of the first things those who live in mobiles homes are asked about when they divulge their lifestyle. Some hold their bowels until they find a reliable public restroom, others make a trip to the gym. Andreas takes a page out of the backpacker's guidebook. He uses a tiny, self-contained composting unit that "doesn't smell much at all."

Perfecting your setup is key to thriving, though it can be an expensive endeavor to get your vehicle built out just right.

Andreas recommends a few thousand dollars minimum for startup costs and a couple hundred dollars a month in case of a breakdown or towing. Once you're set up, month to month costs are minimal  "It's not much more than living in an apartment," though minus the cost of rent.

From there, it's just a matter of knowing which spots are welcoming to overnight guests, and which are less hospitable. Every day brings a new address and a fresh view from your bedroom window  and that's part of the charm.

Said Ravanelli, "I'm not homeless, I'm houseless by choice."

"That works on your mind a bit."

Kevin Fagan, a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer, contributed to this report.

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.
Thanks to their shiny digital map displays and their spacious, relatively un-graffitied interiors, BART's new cars are more reminiscent of Seoul or Tokyo subways than, well, BART.

But BART's stations are still lagging behind those cities in a key feature for suicide prevention.

Many modern subway stations have platform screen doors, or PSDs. They're essentially an extra set of sliding doors that open as the train pulls up, on the station side. Ostensibly, they prevent passengers from falling onto the tracks. They also greatly reduce suicides.

No major subway system in the U.S. has these doors. But BART could be the first existing system in North America to install them.

According to spokesperson Alicia Trost, BART is currently planning a pilot project for PSDs, with a final design expected in 18-20 months. Trost said the test doors would likely be located on one side of the 12th Street station in Oakland  a relatively low-traffic station, compared to some of the busier stops in San Francisco. If things go well, the doors could someday appear at the Embarcadero and Montgomery stations.

But Trost said in an email the project has neither an estimated total budget nor a timeframe. $3 million of Measure RR bond money has been allocated for the planning phase alone.

"It takes a long time for organizations to actually implement something that is this drastic," said Eve Meyer, executive director of San Francisco Suicide Prevention. "BART has made good progress on the other efforts that they've put into suicide prevention."

Those efforts include putting up signs and distributing paper tickets with the National Suicide Hotline number printed on them, as well as training BART staff to recognize potential suicidal behavior.

But all that pales in comparison to the effectiveness of physical barriers. A 2015 study of PSDs in Tokyo, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, found they reduced suicide deaths by 76 percent. A 2016 study in the same journal found the doors dropped suicide deaths in Seoul by 89 percent.

Full-height doors  those that cordon off the entire platform, like the doors on Oakland International Airport's AirBART terminal  are generally more expensive than shorter barriers, and present additional engineering challenges if they aren't pre-built into the station. But the Tokyo and Seoul studies found the taller doors were even more effective than shorter, torso-height barriers, which people can simply climb over. Trost said BART would likely go with 5-foot-9 doors.

Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, who co-authored both studies, said platform screen doors clearly worked, but acknowledged that they don't come cheaply.

"Ultimately, it all depends on how many railway/metro suicides happen on those lines," Ueda-Ballmer said in an email. "In Tokyo, there are so many of them ... it probably justified the cost."

Since 2015, BART has recorded 31 passenger-train collisions on its tracks. Of those, 22 were lethal, with just one fatality so far this year.

Though the transit agency doesn't track the cause of individual incidents, some, like that of Hayward resident Jeff De La Fuente last year, are the result of unintentional falls. A physical barrier could reduce those accidents, as well as suicide attempts, like a harrowing episode in August when BART passengers managed to halt an oncoming train before it hit a man on the tracks.

There are also appearances to consider, Meyer said. She cited cosmetic objections as one reason why the Golden Gate Bridge is only now getting an anti-suicide net. Construction began last year and is expected to last until 2021, at a projected cost of more than $200 million.

For more information on suicide prevention or to seek help:

 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/

 Hotline: 1 (800) 273-8255

 National Institute of Mental Health Suicide Prevention: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/suicide-prevention/index.shtml

 American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: https://afsp.org/

To barrier opponents, the net is "a reminder that suicide exists," Meyer said. But with dozens of bridge suicides annually, including more than 30 reported last year alone, many locals can't ignore the problem.

"A lot of people said, 'I don't want to see it, I don't want to know about it, I don't think it would help,'" Meyer said. "They didn't want (the bridge) changed for a group of people (that) didn't include themselves, until they found out it did. And then they wanted change immediately."

Meyer is confident BART, too, will someday have suicide barriers.

"Eventually BART will figure out a way to have something physical because they want to perfect it as much as possible," she said. "They really are motivated."
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The former student charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school last month refused to announce a plea on Wednesday so a judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill repeated that Nikolas Cruz would plead guilty if prosecutors waived the death penalty, which they refused to do. Cruz is accused of carrying out the Valentines Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that also wounded 17 others.

The case has reignited a national debate about gun control and school safety, and prompted a nationwide walkout of thousands of students Wednesday showing solidarity a month after the shooting.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer entered the not guilty pleas on Cruzs behalf after he remained silent.

A plea of not guilty shall be entered on the defendants behalf on all 34 counts of the indictment, Scherer said.

Shackled and wearing red jail clothes, Cruz sat in the jury box with his head bowed and said nothing. At least 20 Broward Sheriffs Office deputies ringed the courtroom in a heavy show of security.

Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz, has said there were so many warning signs that Cruz was mentally unstable and potentially violent, and that the death penalty might be going too far.

Finkelstein said Cruz is immediately ready to plead guilty in return for 34 consecutive life sentences.

Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the shooting, sat in the second row and stared intently at Cruz. Also attending the hearing was Cruzs younger brother, Zachary. Neither spoke with reporters.

But earlier, Guttenberg said he was angry that the state decided to pursue the death penalty, noting how tortuously long capital punishment cases last.

This guys is willing to plea and spend the rest of his life in the general population. Let him do that and let them do what they want with him, Guttenberg said. Why not take the plea and let the guy rot in hell?

Much of the hearing concerned whether Cruz has enough assets to pay a private lawyer rather than be represented at taxpayer expense by the public defender. McNeill told Scherer that Cruz may have as much as $37,000 combined in a bank account and life insurance proceeds from his mothers death last November. Cruz also has 24 shares of Microsoft stock and some other assets, McNeill said.

What this information means in terms of his net worth, I dont know, McNeill said. The court can make a determination once we do a more thorough review.

But she added: I dont think theres a private attorney in Florida that would take a 17-count first-degree murder case for $37,000.

Scherer set an April 11 hearing on the assets issue.
WASHINGTON  The FBI could have and should have done more to investigate information it received prior to last months massacre at Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the agencys deputy director told a Senate panel on Wednesday.

David Bowdich told the Senate Judiciary Committee that authorities will never know if any investigative work would have prevented the shooting, but we clearly should have done more.

The panel is examining legislative proposals to improve school safety, but much of the early focus was on law enforcement failures. Sen. Charles Grassley, the Republican chairman of the committee, expanded the blame to include local and state officials.

The FBI has acknowledged that it received separate tips related to the accused shooter, Nikolas Cruz. Bowdich said the tips occurred on Sept. 25, 2017, and on Jan. 5.

The first tip came via email from someone in Mississippi who warned that someone had posted on a YouTube page under the username Nikolas Cruz: Im going to be a professional school shooter.

Bowdich said it was decided that the true identity of the poster could not be determined and work on the tip was closed about two weeks later.

In January, the FBI received a call from a woman who identified herself as a close friend of the Cruz family and shared information from Cruzs social media accounts that concerned her. She also warned that Cruz wanted to kill people, was mutilating small animals and was going to explode.

Bowdich said that upon finishing the call, the FBI operator conducted a search of databases and found the closed lead out of Mississippi. The operator then consulted with her supervisor and the matter was closed. He said he didnt know why the information was not forwarded to local law enforcement.

When we make mistakes, we will not hide them, and we are committed, with your help, to doing whatever is necessary to correct our mistakes and prevent tragedies like this one from being repeated, Bowdich said.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
At Oakland Technical High School  alma mater of Clint Eastwood, who glamorized gun use in movies such as Dirty Harry  students poured out of their classrooms Wednesday chanting, Enough is enough, in support of the national walkout against gun violence.

Under rainy skies, students read the names of the 17 students and staffers shot to death last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Many held signs, including one reading, Thoughts and prayers dont save lives.

Then, while motorists on nearby Broadway honked support, students took to a microphone to denounce gun deaths in America. They gathered in front of the entrance to the century-old main building, where Eastwood attended classes in the late 1940s.

Several speakers opposed President Trumps proposal to arm teachers, and all called for tighter restrictions on weapon ownership. Throughout the morning, many lined up at a table under a tent to register to vote.

We want to promote a message that encourages our legislators to pass stricter gun control laws, but we also want to get students involved in the political process, said Kendall Prime, an 18-year-old senior. So part of that is registering and pre-registering as many students as we can.

Another table offered notepads that students were encouraged to use to write letters to Congress urging gun control.

Anneli Kuch, 15, junior, said she was frustrated because school shootings keep happening. She wore an orange jersey shirt  the color adopted by those favoring gun restrictions  with a sheet of paper safety-pinned to it.

The paper read: Senators & representatives start valuing our lives over the money you get from the NRA! If not we will vote you out.

Alonzo Henderson, an 18-year-old senior, rapped an a cappella version of a song he said he wrote five years ago. The chorus was simply, Dont shoot, dont shoot.

I feel like this is a platform where I can influence a lot of minds, a lot of young minds, he said. Action can be taken in the future. The youth is the future, so I feel like I had to deliver.

Brad Newsham, 66, who lives nearby, came to support the students. He held up a sign that read, Geezer gainst guns on one side and, Your time, young folks ... Lead on! on the other.

Ive always thought that the age to engage had to lower if we were going to turn things around, he said.
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

Two men were arrested early Monday morning for allegedly spraying gang-related graffiti at more than a dozen locations in South San Francisco, according to police.

Officers responded at 12:21 a.m. to a report from a witness who said two male suspects were spraying graffiti on the side of the Estrada's Meat Market building at 612 Linden Ave., police said.

The officers arrived and contacted two suspects who matched the description provided by the witness. One, later identified as 28-year-old Wolfgang Lopez, tried to flee but was quickly apprehended, police said.

The second suspect, 29-year-old Ignacio Contreras, was also arrested. Contreras and Lopez, both South San Francisco residents, were booked into the county jail on suspicion of felony vandalism, according to police.

During the subsequent investigation, police discovered more than 15 locations in the 500, 600 and 700 blocks of Linden Avenue that had freshly painted gang graffiti.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call South San Francisco police at (650) 877-8900, an anonymous tip line at (650) 952-2244, or email them at tips@ssf.net.

###
BART police placed a man on a psychiatric hold Monday night after he allegedly made false bomb threats on his cellphone while riding a San Francisco International Airport-bound BART train, police said today.

The incident began around 8:50 p.m. when Alameda County sheriff's officials learned of a male suspect making bomb threats on his social media.

The suspect's cellphone was tracked and found to be near the Embarcadero BART station in San Francisco. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate him, according to police.

Officers then learned that the suspect was on a train at the Daly City station and officers were able to track him and detain him.

A patron then alerted officers that an unattended backpack was left on the same train that the suspect had been on, police said.

When the train arrived at the SFO station, BART officials held it and evacuated the train as well as the station around 9:50 p.m.

After officers searched the train and deemed it safe, the station was reopened.

In addition to placing the man on a psychiatric hold, a criminal hold was placed on him for allegedly making terrorist threats and false bomb threats, according to police.

The suspect, who was not identified, did not make direct threats against the BART transit system, police said.

###
A women's jail in Santa Cruz is reopening on Saturday after being closed for more than a year, county sheriff's officials said.

The facility closed in October 2016 because the number of minimum-security inmates who were eligible to stay at the jail was dropping, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.
Human rights watchdogs are continuing lambasting Algerian authorities for the mistreatment of migrants on Algerian soil and the arbitrary deportation of hundreds of them in violation of international law.

Human Rights Watch denounced again this Wednesday Algerian authorities that have arbitrarily deported in the beginning of March more than a hundred migrants of various African nationalities into a lawless zone of neighboring Mali, where armed groups have robbed some of them.

Algerian authorities failed to adequately screen the migrants to determine their status and give them the opportunity to challenge their deportation, including those who might have refugee claims, and to collect their savings and belongings, said the human rights watchdog.

Algeria should treat all migrants with respect and decency, give them a chance to challenge their deportation and not expose them to the risk of suffering inhuman treatment, said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

Five migrants who had reached Mali told HRW in separate phone interviews that police in the north-central Algerian city of Ghardaia rounded them up on March 1 at various places, including on the street, at a construction site, and in a welding workshop. They said that authorities did not inform them of their right to call their consular representatives or let them collect their wages, savings, and other belongings.

The police escorted them on buses to Bordj Badji Mokhtar, the last town before the Mali border, handing them to gendarmes, who trucked them to the border and sent them over the border at gunpoint.

Armed militant groups linked to al-Qaeda operate in northern Mali, along with criminal gangs and armed smugglers.

Since December 2016, Algeria has expelled thousands of sub-Saharan migrants, mostly to Niger. According to HRW, the Algerian government has legitimate authority to deport undocumented migrants. But it must comply with international law.

As a party to the Migrants Workers Convention, Algeria is prohibited from collective expulsions of migrant workers and their families and is required to examine and rule on each potential expulsion individually. The convention applies to all migrant workers and their families, irrespective of their legal or work status.
NAPA (BCN)

Police today arrested a man in Napa, wanted in connection with two San Francisco shootings, according to officials with the Napa Special Investigations Bureau.

This afternoon NSIB detectives recognized San Mateo County resident Howard Edejer, 33, as he was driving in North Napa.

A Napa County sheriff's deputy attempted to pull Edejer over, however, Edejer fled in the vehicle, leading deputies and Napa police officers on a short pursuit.

During the pursuit, an AR-15 rifle was thrown out of the car in addition to a fully loaded semi-automatic handgun, NSIB officials said.

The pursuit continued onto a southbound on-ramp of state Highway 29 south of Lincoln Avenue.

At some point, Edejer got out of the car and led deputies on a foot pursuit. However, deputies eventually caught up with him.

Inside the car, officers found a bulletproof vest and ski mask, according to NSIB officials.

Edejer was arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, being a felon in possession of ammunition and possession of body armor by a felon, in addition to a previous warrant for his arrest out of San Mateo County.

Officers also arrested a passenger in Edejer's car, Elsie Basulto, 25, in connection with violating terms and conditions of her probation. Both were booked into the county jail, special investigators said.

The NSIB did provide details about the San Francisco shootings connected to Edejer.

###
ALBANY (BCN)

An ex-convict who was already awaiting trial for a series of East Bay sexual assaults dating back to 2005 has now been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a dental student at her apartment in Albany three years ago, authorities said.

Keith Asberry, 33, of Antioch, was charged last Thursday with killing Randhir Kaur, 37, a student at the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry who was found dead inside her apartment in the 1000 block of Kains Avenue on March 8, 2015.

Dental school officials said Kaur was enrolled in the International Dentist Program and was scheduled to graduate in June 2016.

In addition to murder, Asberry faces three special circumstances allegations that could result in the death penalty: the murder of Kaur during a robbery, during a rape, and during a burglary.

Prosecutors also allege that Asberry was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in Contra Costa County in May 2005.

Asberry, who is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail, was arraigned last week and is scheduled to return to court on March 28 to enter a plea.

Asberry also is scheduled to appear in court on Friday in a separate case in which he previously was charged with committing sexual assaults in El Cerrito in February 2005 and in Berkeley in May 2008.

El Cerrito police said last year that they finally were able to solve the 2005 crime because of advances in forensic science that identified Asberry as a suspect through a new DNA test.

Albany police said that at the time of Kaur's death, they were not able to identify any suspects or a motive for the killing. Some of her personal items were found in a trash can in Richmond a few days later.

Albany police said in a statement that after an "exhaustive three-year investigation" they finally were able to identify Asberry as a suspect in Kaur's killing.

However, they didn't say how they identified Asberry as a suspect or disclose a motive for the slaying.

Albany police said they "would like to publicly thank the family of Randhir Kaur for their patience, understanding and support during the course of our investigation."

On March 2, six days before Asberry was charged with murder in connection with Kaur's death, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Northridge issued an order barring prosecutors, defense attorneys, and Albany, Berkeley and El Cerrito police from talking about Asberry's cases, except for factual statements about them.

###

272-6280

Albany police (510) 525-7300
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell will join students during a protest and walkout this morning against gun violence in the U.S., the mayor's office announced.

Farrell and San Francisco Supervisor Jeff Sheehy will join high school students at Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts.

The walkout will take place at 10 a.m. at 555 Portola Drive in San Francisco.

The mayor's office said he will participate in support of the students' push for additional gun control measures.

###
FREMONT (BCN)

A 38-year-old woman who was reported as "at risk" and missing on Monday has been located, Fremont police said.

The family of the woman, Manon Huang, reported her missing Monday after she left to go on a walk at 11 a.m. in Central Park.

They told police at about 7:10 p.m. that they last spoke to her on the phone at 3 p.m., and officers called Huang's cellphone.

Huang picked up the phone and told police that she was lost.

Police said they checked the location of her phone and tracked it to Central Park, but she was not there when they arrived.

Police then sent out a Nixle message reporting her as missing.

At about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the person who reported Huang as missing called police and said she had been safely located in Berkeley.

They said no further assistance was needed, according to police.

###
Attorney John Burris said he's filing a federal lawsuit today on behalf of the mother of a 16-year-old girl who was fatally shot in Hayward last year by two Fremont police officers while they were trying to arrest her boyfriend, who was wanted for multiple armed robberies.

Elena "Ebbie" Mondragon of Antioch, who was pregnant, was shot near the City View Apartments complex at 25200 Carlos Bee Blvd. near the California State University East Bay campus at about 5:20 p.m. on March 14, 2017.

Mondragon was treated by the Hayward Fire Department at the scene and then was transported to a trauma center, where she died of her injuries.

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Robert Graff wrote in a recent lengthy report on the shooting that Mondragon's death "was unintended and tragic" and he believes that Fremont Detective Joel Hernandez and Sgt. Jeremy Miskella "acted in lawful" self-defense when they fired shots at suspect Rico Tiger, 19, and struck her instead.

Graff wrote that the evidence supports the conclusion that Hernandez and Miskella acted "under an actual and reasonable belief" that Tiger posed an immediate threat of death or great bodily injury to themselves and other officers by driving a stolen BMW at them while they were trying to arrest him on a warrant for multiple armed robberies in Fremont, Union City and Santa Clara County.

Two Fremont police detectives who were injured when Tiger allegedly drove into police vehicles were treated and released from a hospital, according to Hayward police, who investigated the incident.

Tiger fled the scene on foot but was arrested in San Francisco the next day.

District Attorney Inspector Jason Riechers wrote in a probable cause statement that when police interviewed Tiger, "he admitted that he ran away from the scene, leaving Ms. Mondragon behind."

Burris alleged in a news release about the lawsuit that Fremont officers, who were plain-clothed undercover officers from the Southern Alameda County Major Crime Task Force, should have tried to arrest Tiger when he, Mondragon and two other teens were swimming at the City View Apartments complex.

"Inexplicably, the officers did not attempt to take the man (Tiger) into custody during his afternoon of swimming nor while he was walking back to the car but instead waited until the teens to get into a car," Burris said.

"Out of nowhere, an unmarked Dodge minivan and unmarked Honda Pilot pulled in front of the car. Several men jumped out of the unmarked cars with assault rifles and did not identify themselves as police officers and none of the officers were wearing uniforms," Burris said.

He said Tiger "attempted to escape from the would-be ambush and tried to drive away to safety," but said Miskella and Hernandez "opened fire on the moving car, in violation of department policy."

The attorney said, "Inexplicably, none of the five officers present had their body-worn cameras activated at the time of the shooting."

Burris alleged that, "Officers engaged in a series of egregious tactical errors and contravened their training and basic common sense, which resulted in an outrageous loss of innocent life."

Riechers wrote that a passenger who was in the stolen BMW told police that it was clear to him that men who were in the Dodge minivan were a police task force because they had the word "police" on their chests.

Riechers wrote that the passenger also told police that he heard Tiger say, "Police, duck down."

In addition, the passenger heard Tiger make a comment about the police having their guns out, according to Riechers.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office recently charged Tiger with murder for allegedly causing Mondragon's death by acting provocatively and with two counts of the attempted murder of a police officer for allegedly trying to kill Miskella and a colleague, Ghailan Chahouati.

Prosecutors also charged Tiger with vehicular manslaughter for allegedly killing Cristel Antunez-Ayala in a vehicle crash at Bancroft and 90th avenues in East Oakland on Feb. 26, 2017.

Riechers said Tiger was driving a stolen Audi at an estimated 90 mph and alleged that he was fleeing from Oakland police officers who suspected the vehicle was the getaway car used in the Santa Clara robberies.

Riegers said Tiger admitted to police that he was the driver of the stolen Audi that struck and killed Antunez-Ayala.

Tiger currently is in custody in Santa Clara County on a pending criminal case in which he's charged with multiple armed robberies. He will be transported to Alameda County at a later date.

###

272-6280

Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques (510) 7906957 or (510) 520-1876
Marin County Public Health has confirmed one case of illness from paralytic shellfish poison, a toxin that can be found in mussels, clams and oysters.

The person ate mussels harvested on Sunday in Dillon Beach and went to the hospital with symptoms of shellfish poisoning, according to the department.

The person is expected to recover because their doctor was able to diagnose the poisoning very quickly, the department said.

The health department warned the public of the toxin on March 7 after the California Department of Public Health found extremely high levels in a mussel sample from Chimney Rock in the Point Reyes National Seashore.

The department said the sample contained about 37 times the "alert" level of paralytic shellfish poison, known as PSP.

Changes in water conditions, including temperature, flow and salt content can cause the toxins to surge. Symptoms of poisoning could include tingling, numbness, dizziness, nausea, or respiratory problems.

According to the department, the amount of toxins is the highest that Marin has seen in 20 years and could potentially be lethal.

The highest levels were found near Chimney Rock and areas north of Stinson Beach.

They advised the public on March 7 to avoid collecting shellfish until it is safe again.

The warning does not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops, or oysters from approved sources, the department said.

In the last 90 years, California state statistics say there have been 542 reported illnesses and 39 deaths due to paralytic shellfish poison.
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)

A Silicon Valley blood-testing company and its chief executive were accused by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission today of "elaborate, years-long fraud" that deceived investors into providing more $700 million.

The SEC simultaneously filed a civil lawsuit against Theranos Inc. and founder Elizabeth Holmes in federal court in San Francisco and announced a settlement in which Holmes will step down from authority there and pay millions of dollars in fines and stock to be returned to the company.

Holmes, 34, of Los Altos Hills, founded Palo Alto-based Theranos in 2003 after dropping out of Stanford University and has been its chief executive officer.

Under the settlement, she will pay a fine of $500,000, return 18.9 million shares to the company, relinquish her voting control of the company and be barred from serving as an officer of a publicly traded company for 10 years.

The company promised a pioneering blood testing technology in which a portable blood analyzer could conduct comprehensive blood tests from drops of finger blood.

The now-settled lawsuit alleges that the company's testing menu listed 200 tests that could supposedly be carried out, but that the company could perform only 12 of those tests in its clinical laboratory and in some cases used equipment developed by other companies.

The lawsuit said that Theranos, Holmes and another officer made "false and misleading statements" to investors and the media "with the intent to deceive or with reckless disregard for the truth."

Among other claims, the lawsuit said Holmes misled investors by claiming Theranos technology was used by the U.S. Department of Defense in Afghanistan and in medical evacuation helicopters. In fact, the device was used by the department only in a small burn study, according to the suit.

The SEC also sued former Theranos president Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani. That lawsuit was not settled and remains pending.

Theranos previously faced and settled lawsuits by Walgreens and the state of Arizona, was sanctioned by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and scaled back its work and its workforce.

The lawsuit says Theranos was near bankruptcy at the end of last year, but received a loan that will allow it to continue work on its mini-laboratory for one year.

SEC regional director Jina Choi said in a statement, "The Theranos story is an important lesson for Silicon Valley.

"Innovators who seek to revolutionize and disrupt an industry must tell investors the truth about what their technology can do today, not just what they hope it might do someday," Choi said.

Theranos's board of directors issued a statement saying, "The company is pleased to be bringing this matter to a close and looks forward to advancing its technology."

The statement said the company cooperated with the SEC investigation and noted that Holmes and Theranos did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.

###
Students at schools around the Bay Area walked out of school today as part of a national action to call for gun reform legislation in the wake of a deadly mass shooting at a high school in Florida exactly one month ago.

Students at many Bay Area schools walked out of class at 10 a.m. and gathered for large rallies, including one at Oakland Technical High School, to mark a month since the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

While hundreds of students poured out of Oakland Tech and said they were standing in solidarity with victims of gun violence nationwide, they particularly called attention to the protracted issue of gun violence in Oakland, which affects many Oakland youth.

When the gathered crowd was asked if they'd known someone killed by gun violence, nearly every student raised their hand.

The students called for silence as speakers announced the names of gun violence victims for 17 minutes, including many from Oakland. The list included Davon Ellis, a 14-year-old student at Oakland Tech who was shot and killed in 2015, whose name drew loud applause. They ended the list by chanting, "Enough is enough."

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell was among local politicians who joined walkouts or expressed support for the students' actions on gun reform. Farrell joined students at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts this morning.

School districts and individual schools handled the walkouts differently, with some encouraging moments of silence or rallies that remained on campus and others allowing supervised marches from the school.

Milpitas Unified School District officials earlier this week said students who left campuses in the district as part of the walkouts would be given an unexcused absence, but later relented and said the district was allowing a supervised march from Milpitas High School to the Police Department a few blocks away.

###

554-6131
OAKLAND (BCN)

Hundreds of students poured out of Oakland Technical High School this morning as part of nationwide school walkouts to protest gun violence a month after a deadly mass shooting at a school in Florida.

The demonstration was one of many held across Oakland and the Bay Area. Oakland Unified School District spokesman John Sasaki said that it appeared that nearly all of the school's more than 2,000 students were participating in the rally.

Actions were planned at most of Oakland's middle and high schools and at some elementary schools today.

The protests were called in the wake of the shooting on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 students were killed by a 19-year-old former student.

Survivors of the Parkland shooting have become outspoken proponents of gun control in the weeks following the shooting, prompting protests nationwide and injecting renewed energy into a stagnant debate on how to prevent mass shootings.

Since the Parkland shooting, there have been some suggestions on how to prevent mass shootings at schools and some new legislation has passed. One controversial suggestion floated by President Donald Trump involved arming teachers in classrooms, a suggestion that Oakland's students chided.

"Giving our teachers weapons will not diffuse the problem, it will only make it worse," one speaker at today's rally said.

The students said they were standing in solidarity with victims of gun violence nationwide, but also particularly called attention to the protracted issue of gun violence in Oakland, which affects many Oakland youth. When the gathered crowd was asked if they'd known someone killed by gun violence, nearly every student raised their hand.

The students called for silence as speakers announced the names of gun violence victims for 17 minutes, including many from Oakland. The list included Davon Ellis, a 14-year-old student at Oakland Tech who was shot and killed in 2015, whose name drew loud applause. They ended the list by chanting, "Enough is enough."

They also listed children who had been killed by guns in Oakland, like 5-year-old Gabriel Martinez Jr., who was killed in a drive-by shooting near his family's taco truck in 2012, or Hiram Lawrence Jr., who was 1 year old when he was shot in West Oakland in 2011.

The list of school shootings included the 2012 shooting at Oikos University in Oakland, when a former student killed seven people and injured three others.

After each victim, the speakers said, "may he rest in peace" or "may she rest in peace," and remained silent for 30 seconds.

The students unequivocally called for stronger gun laws nationwide, calling out Trump and other politicians for taking donations from the National Rifle Association while refusing to take action on gun control.

"Youth have been at the forefront of almost every movement for social change in American history," one of the student organizers, Maxwell Stern, said at the rally. "Thoughts and prayers are no longer enough."

The students seemed confident in their ability to effect change on the issue.

"Doesn't it seem like people with the Second Amendment are awfully scared of teenagers armed with only the First?" another speaker said.

Student Ellie Davis spoke at the rally about her experience grappling with the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, in 2016, when 49 people were killed.

The massive loss of life at a gay nightclub was terrifying to LGBT people nationwide, Davis said, but the shooting was ultimately forgotten with no action. Now she fears the Parkland shooting will be forgotten with no action as well.

"Time and time again, our government has refused to do anything," she said. "That feeling, that fear of being killed and forgotten has to end."

(510) 214-2080
MOUNTAIN VIEW (BCN)

Mountain View police said in a statement that after a very extensive and thorough investigation they have determined that threats reported to police against Mountain View High School Monday night are not credible.

Police worked with both Mountain View High School and Mountain View-Los Altos High School District administrators this morning to ensure school safety, police said. The school district reached out to parents to let them know of the incident and provide communication resources should the families needs them.

The Police Department also put out two tweets around 9:30 a.m. acknowledging reports of threats posted on social media by a student, which they learned about approximately twelve hours beforehand and looked into immediately, according to spokeswoman Katie Nelson.

Police said that during their investigation they learned that the MVHS student had in fact not threatened others, but that the rumor had circulated to the point where it became a public safety issue.

Officers confirmed that not only was there no threat, but there was also no threat shared in any capacity by said student and it was fueled only through hearsay.

Mountain View police encouraged students and parents to alert them if they see something of concern, but emphasized that sharing speculations with others does not help.

"We want to be able to prevent incidents like the one today so that students, staff and families can always feel safe on school grounds," police said.

###
Conor Lamb. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Over the past three months, Americas two major parties spent over $12 million on a race for a House vote that wont matter  in a district that will soon cease to exist. Which is to say: Last nights special election in southwestern Pennsylvania was, primarily, a battle over this mornings headlines.

A victory for Democrat Conor Lamb was never going to threaten a single item on Paul Ryans agenda  but it would threaten his colleagues peace of mind. A win for Team Blue in the heart of Trump country could convince GOP incumbents that a blue wave was coming, thereby pushing more into retirement, depressing contributions to campaigns, and torpedoing morale across the board. Thus, the actual result of the election would matter less than the lessons that it appeared to teach.

And so, even though we dont yet have an official result for the final contest in (this version of) Pennsylvanias 18th district, we do have the only returns that really matter: The takeaways:

1. The GOPs House majority is (probably) not long for this earth.

Before voters went to the polls in the Keystone State yesterday, there was already good reason to think Paul Ryan would soon be parting ways with his Speakers gavel. Historically, theres been a strong correlation between a partys performance in off-year special elections and its showing in the ensuing midterms. And, as CNNs Harry Enten notes, the performance of the Democrats in said special elections has been exceptionally strong.

Still, before last nights showdown, the GOP retained one plausible argument for downplaying these results: Special elections are special. Such contests allow the more energized party to focus attention and resources on a single race, and to mine a greater advantage out of an enthusiasm gap. Since turnout is generally lower in special elections than in midterm ones, its easier for a (relatively) small number of highly motivated voters to engineer upsets in the former than in the latter.

But turnout in the Keystone State last night was at midterm levels. And if the specialness of the congressional race allowed Democrats to focus their resources on the election, well, that was even more true for Republicans. The GOP outspent the Donkey Party, and flew in the president of the United States to campaign for its candidate.

Photo: Echelon Insights

And as of this writing, Conor Lamb is, nonetheless, the presumptive winner of an election that remains too close to officially call.

Democrats need to flip 23 seats this fall to win control of the House. There are 118 congressional districts that have more Democratic-leaning electorates than the one Lamb (appears to have) won.

2. Democrats can win back white working-class voters with economic populism (where the labor movement still exists).

The constituency for the Republican Partys economic agenda is exceptionally small. In a recent analysis of voter opinion data, political scientist Larry Bartels shows that a majority of Republican voters support government efforts to regulate pollution, provide a decent standard of living for people unable to work, and ensure access to good health care. That finding is buttressed by Lee Drutmans study of the 2016 electorate, which found that more than 70 percent of voters that year held left-of-center positions on fiscal policy, as well as by the large number of polls that found GOP voters expressing support for increasing health-care spending  and opposition to tax cuts for the rich  in 2017.

All of which is to say: If Democrats could convince white voters to prioritize their views on taxes and spending  over their cultural anxieties and resentments  they would dominate national politics. And we know that it is possible for the party to perform that feat. In Bartelss analysis, roughly a quarter of reliable, Democratic voters have opinions on racial and cultural issues that are closer to Donald Trumps than Nancy Pelosis  they just like big government more than than they fear illegals.

Lambs strong showing last night would have been impossible without these voters, and he succeeded in winning over a critical mass of them without engaging in dog-whistle demagoguery. Lamb did make some concessions to cultural conservatism, most conspicuously on guns. But he vehemently rejected Republican Rick Saccones attempts to pin the opioid crisis on immigrants, and ran as a pro-choice, pro-LGBT candidate. Instead of trying to beat the GOP at its culture war game, Lamb worked to make bread-and-butter issues more salient  and succeeded, thanks, in no small part, to the aid of the labor movement.

According to a telephone exit poll from Public Policy Polling, 52 percent of voters in last nights election ranked health care as one of their top issues  with 15 percent saying it was the single most important one, and 37 percent saying it was very important. And on that issue Lamb enjoyed a seven-point advantage. This wasnt because conservative voters failed to turn out; last nights electorate narrowly approved of Donald Trump, according to PPPs survey  but they disapproved of the GOPs attempts to repeal Obamacare by 14 points.

And Lamb gained the upper hand on other pocketbook issues, including Social Security, Medicare, miners pensions, and labor rights. That last one was especially crucial. Tim Murphy, the Republican congressman whose resignation triggered the 18th-district race, had maintained a friendly relationship with organized labor. Saccone, by contrast, was an avid supporter of turning Pennsylvania into a right-to-work state. Thus, unions rallied to Lambs side  and helped him increase the salience of economic issues to their working-class members. As Eliza Griswold illustrates in her New Yorker profile of the Lamb campaign:

Last week, when I drove through Greene County, which Trump won handily, I noticed flocks of blue and white Lamb road signs among signs advertising vape shops and a local Mace dealer, and 800 numbers for the sale of oil, gas, and mineral rights. The next day, I passed more signs lining rural back roads as I drove to a warehouse that smelled of fresh sawdust. Hundreds of local union members were waiting for Lamb to appear with Joe Biden, the one national Democratic leader who is still liked in Pennsylvania, in no small part because he comes from Scranton.

This isnt a referendum on Trump, [Machinists union representative Kevin] Hallam said, explaining that it was about work and health care and wages, and that Lambs opponent stood on the wrong side of all of these issues.

Rick Grejda, a local leader of the Service Employees International Union, told me that social issues paled in comparison to the economic ones that union members and others face. Its hard to say youre in the middle class if you work two jobs, he told me. Were not this bunch of liberal lefties.

This way of thinking is a real threat to the GOP. And labor unions are uniquely capable of turning working-class voters onto it. This is why Republicans have prioritized the passage of anti-union legislation in other Rust Belt states. In fact, one of the GOPs few consolations after last nights election is that  while PA-18 is a Trump country district, its one (of a relative few) that lies in a non-right-to-work state. In a demographically identical county in Wisconsin, Michigan, or Iowa, Rick Saccone probably would have posted a decisive victory.

3. Democrats dont need to sell out reproductive rights to compete in red America.

As noted above, Lamb ran as a personally pro-life, but politically pro-choice candidate  in a district where the Republican incumbent just resigned in disgrace for revealing himself to be the opposite.

If Lamb does pull out a victory, this will be the second consecutive high-profile special election in (deep) red America where Democrats triumphed with a pro-choice standard-bearer  Doug Jones having accomplished that feat in Alabama late last year.

Theres been less of a leftward drift in public opinion on abortion than on other social issues. But the reality is, Democrats are never going to win passionately pro-life voters. And Lambs win suggests that Team Blue can win over moderately pro-life ones in red areas merely by giving voice to their moral qualms on the issue  while making the libertarian case against getting government involved in such intimate matters.

4. Opioids can be a gateway issue for Democrats in rural America.

The year Donald Trump was elected president, drug overdoses killed 63,600 Americans. The epidemics body count was almost certainly higher in 2017, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And yet, despite his campaign promises to solve the opioid crisis, Trump has done virtually nothing to address the plague  but has tried to cut $1 trillion in funding from one of Americas top sources of addiction treatment, and allowed his attorney general to wage war on legal marijuana, which many in rural America now see as a much-needed alternative to opioids for those suffering from chronic pain.

This grotesque failure to mitigate a public health emergency  concentrated in white rural America  offers Democrats an opportunity to make inroads in that hostile territory. And, by all appearances, Lamb capitalized on it. While the Democratic candidate declined to attack the White House over the issue, he did make the crisis a central one in his campaign, and called for an expansion of federal funding for 90-day treatment centers. Other Democrats in rural districts this fall would do well to follow his example.

5. The suburbs are revolting.

Lambs inroads with rural, working-class voters kept him competitive  but his base was still in the elite suburbs of Allegheny.

This isnt surprising. The biggest development in American politics over the past 14 months has been the suburbs secession from red America. For decades, these high-income enclaves had been a key part of the GOP base; now, some look like battlegrounds  while others look like blue Americas new frontiers.

The upper-middle-classs left turn gave Democrats a ten-point victory in Virginias gubernatorial race, powered Doug Joness unlikely victory in Alabama; and helped Team Blue outperform expectations in nearly every special election held in 2017.

Following Trumps victory, the question of whether Democrats should seek to build on Hillary Clintons gains with suburban professionals  or to restore the partys standing with its traditional working-class base  sparked much progressive infighting. But Lambs showing last night confirms that the correct answer to this conundrum is: Why not both?

White working-class voters tend to view the Democrats fiscal positions more favorably than its racial and gender ones. The opposite may be true for some high-income suburbanites  but not for most. College-educated voters tend to actually hold more progressive views on fiscal policy in public opinion polls than their working-class counterparts. And the GOPs fiscal agenda has now grown so extreme, it no longer serves the material interests of the average suburban professional  only the average trust-fund millionaire. Charles Koch may have little use for well-funded public schools, universities, Social Security, or child-care subsidies. But the upper-middle-class class does.

Democrats can draw strength from the (female-led) anti-Trump rebellion in the suburbs  and win back working-class voters with populist economic appeals  all while honoring the progressive movements commitments to racial equality, reproductive freedom, and immigrants rights.

Last night, in the heart of Trump country, Conor Lamb did just that.
Students at schools around the Bay Area walked out of school today as part of a national action to call for gun reform legislation in the wake of a deadly mass shooting at a high school in Florida exactly one month ago.

Students at many Bay Area schools walked out of class at 10 a.m. and gathered for large rallies, including one at Oakland Technical High School, to mark a month since the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

While hundreds of students poured out of Oakland Tech and said they were standing in solidarity with victims of gun violence nationwide, they particularly called attention to the protracted issue of gun violence in Oakland, which affects many Oakland youth.

When the gathered crowd was asked if they'd known someone killed by gun violence, nearly every student raised their hand.

The students called for silence as speakers announced the names of gun violence victims for 17 minutes, including many from Oakland. The list included Davon Ellis, a 14-year-old student at Oakland Tech who was shot and killed in 2015, whose name drew loud applause. They ended the list by chanting, "Enough is enough."

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell was among local politicians who joined walkouts or expressed support for the students' actions on gun reform. Farrell joined students at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts this morning.

School districts and individual schools handled the walkouts differently, with some encouraging moments of silence or rallies that remained on campus and others allowing supervised marches from the school.

Milpitas Unified School District officials earlier this week said students who left campuses in the district as part of the walkouts would be given an unexcused absence, but later relented and said the district was allowing a supervised march from Milpitas High School to the Police Department a few blocks away.

Attorney John Burris said he's filing a federal lawsuit today on behalf of the mother of a 16-year-old girl who was fatally shot in Hayward last year by two Fremont police officers while they were trying to arrest her boyfriend, who was wanted for multiple armed robberies.

Elena "Ebbie" Mondragon of Antioch, who was pregnant, was shot near the City View Apartments complex at 25200 Carlos Bee Blvd. near the California State University East Bay campus at about 5:20 p.m. on March 14, 2017.

Mondragon was treated by the Hayward Fire Department at the scene and then was transported to a trauma center, where she died of her injuries.

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Robert Graff wrote in a recent lengthy report on the shooting that Mondragon's death "was unintended and tragic" and he believes that Fremont Detective Joel Hernandez and Sgt. Jeremy Miskella "acted in lawful" self-defense when they fired shots at suspect Rico Tiger, 19, and struck her instead.

Graff wrote that the evidence supports the conclusion that Hernandez and Miskella acted "under an actual and reasonable belief" that Tiger posed an immediate threat of death or great bodily injury to themselves and other officers by driving a stolen BMW at them while they were trying to arrest him on a warrant for multiple armed robberies in Fremont, Union City and Santa Clara County.

Two Fremont police detectives who were injured when Tiger allegedly drove into police vehicles were treated and released from a hospital, according to Hayward police, who investigated the incident.

Tiger fled the scene on foot but was arrested in San Francisco the next day.

District Attorney Inspector Jason Riechers wrote in a probable cause statement that when police interviewed Tiger, "he admitted that he ran away from the scene, leaving Ms. Mondragon behind."

Burris alleged in a news release about the lawsuit that Fremont officers, who were plain-clothed undercover officers from the Southern Alameda County Major Crime Task Force, should have tried to arrest Tiger when he, Mondragon and two other teens were swimming at the City View Apartments complex.

"Inexplicably, the officers did not attempt to take the man (Tiger) into custody during his afternoon of swimming nor while he was walking back to the car but instead waited until the teens to get into a car," Burris said.

"Out of nowhere, an unmarked Dodge minivan and unmarked Honda Pilot pulled in front of the car. Several men jumped out of the unmarked cars with assault rifles and did not identify themselves as police officers and none of the officers were wearing uniforms," Burris said.

He said Tiger "attempted to escape from the would-be ambush and tried to drive away to safety," but said Miskella and Hernandez "opened fire on the moving car, in violation of department policy."

The attorney said, "Inexplicably, none of the five officers present had their body-worn cameras activated at the time of the shooting."

Burris alleged that, "Officers engaged in a series of egregious tactical errors and contravened their training and basic common sense, which resulted in an outrageous loss of innocent life."

Riechers wrote that a passenger who was in the stolen BMW told police that it was clear to him that men who were in the Dodge minivan were a police task force because they had the word "police" on their chests.

Riechers wrote that the passenger also told police that he heard Tiger say, "Police, duck down."

In addition, the passenger heard Tiger make a comment about the police having their guns out, according to Riechers.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office recently charged Tiger with murder for allegedly causing Mondragon's death by acting provocatively and with two counts of the attempted murder of a police officer for allegedly trying to kill Miskella and a colleague, Ghailan Chahouati.

Prosecutors also charged Tiger with vehicular manslaughter for allegedly killing Cristel Antunez-Ayala in a vehicle crash at Bancroft and 90th avenues in East Oakland on Feb. 26, 2017.

Riechers said Tiger was driving a stolen Audi at an estimated 90 mph and alleged that he was fleeing from Oakland police officers who suspected the vehicle was the getaway car used in the Santa Clara robberies.

Riegers said Tiger admitted to police that he was the driver of the stolen Audi that struck and killed Antunez-Ayala.

Tiger currently is in custody in Santa Clara County on a pending criminal case in which he's charged with multiple armed robberies. He will be transported to Alameda County at a later date.

An ex-convict who was already awaiting trial for a series of East Bay sexual assaults dating back to 2005 has now been charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a dental student at her apartment in Albany three years ago, authorities said.

Keith Asberry, 33, of Antioch, was charged last Thursday with killing Randhir Kaur, 37, a student at the University of California at San Francisco School of Dentistry who was found dead inside her apartment in the 1000 block of Kains Avenue on March 8, 2015.

Dental school officials said Kaur was enrolled in the International Dentist Program and was scheduled to graduate in June 2016.

In addition to murder, Asberry faces three special circumstances allegations that could result in the death penalty: the murder of Kaur during a robbery, during a rape, and during a burglary.

Prosecutors also allege that Asberry was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in Contra Costa County in May 2005.

Asberry, who is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin without bail, was arraigned last week and is scheduled to return to court on March 28 to enter a plea.

Asberry also is scheduled to appear in court on Friday in a separate case in which he previously was charged with committing sexual assaults in El Cerrito in February 2005 and in Berkeley in May 2008.

El Cerrito police said last year that they finally were able to solve the 2005 crime because of advances in forensic science that identified Asberry as a suspect through a new DNA test.

Albany police said that at the time of Kaur's death, they were not able to identify any suspects or a motive for the killing. Some of her personal items were found in a trash can in Richmond a few days later.

Albany police said in a statement that after an "exhaustive three-year investigation" they finally were able to identify Asberry as a suspect in Kaur's killing.

However, they didn't say how they identified Asberry as a suspect or disclose a motive for the slaying.

Albany police said they "would like to publicly thank the family of Randhir Kaur for their patience, understanding and support during the course of our investigation."

On March 2, six days before Asberry was charged with murder in connection with Kaur's death, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Yolanda Northridge issued an order barring prosecutors, defense attorneys, and Albany, Berkeley and El Cerrito police from talking about Asberry's cases, except for factual statements about them.

A teacher accidentally discharged a firearm at Seaside High School on Tuesday afternoon while he was believed to have been giving a public safety awareness presentation, according to Seaside police.

At approximately 1:20 p.m., officers were called to the school at 2200 Noche Buena St. and identified the teacher as Dennis Alexander, police said.

Alexander is a reserve police officer for the Sand City Police Department, Seaside police said. Sand City police were not immediately available for comment.

No one was seriously injured during the incident, police said. School resumed shortly after the shooting occurred.

Seaside police will be working closely with high school officials as a part of their investigation, according to police.

Anyone with information about the case should contact the Seaside Police Department at (831) 899-6748 or (831) 394-6811.

Anonymous tips can be sent in to a tip line at (831) 899-6282 or on the department's website at http://www.tipsoft.com/index.asp?P=WebTips.

San Leandro High School was placed on lockdown this morning after graffiti was found on the campus threatening a school shooting, police said.

San Leandro police issued a community message shortly before 11:10 a.m. about the police activity at the school at 2200 Bancroft Ave.

Police are working with district and school staff to ensure safety on the campus and to systematically inspect the school grounds.

Students cannot be dismissed from the campus so police advised parents to not go there until officers confirm that no threat exists.

All other schools in the San Leandro Unified School District remain open, according to police.

A 38-year-old woman who was reported as "at risk" and missing on Monday has been located, Fremont police said.

The family of the woman, Manon Huang, reported her missing Monday after she left to go on a walk at 11 a.m. in Central Park.

They told police at about 7:10 p.m. that they last spoke to her on the phone at 3 p.m., and officers called Huang's cellphone.

Huang picked up the phone and told police that she was lost.

Police said they checked the location of her phone and tracked it to Central Park, but she was not there when they arrived.

Police then sent out a Nixle message reporting her as missing.

At about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, the person who reported Huang as missing called police and said she had been safely located in Berkeley.

They said no further assistance was needed, according to police.

Port of Oakland officials announced today that the port set many records with the number of import containers it handled last month.

Oakland handled the equivalent of 73,666 20-foot import containers in February, the highest total for that month in the port's 91-year history and a 14.9 percent increase from February 2017, port officials said.

Total volume -- the port's imports, exports and empty boxes -- grew 7.6 percent since last year to 188,175 containers, another February record.

"A lot can happen in an uncertain trade environment, but we're off to an encouraging start to 2018," Port of Oakland executive director Chris Lytle said in a statement. "There'll be challenges along the way but we still see steady cargo growth into the future."

Port officials said March's volume of containers going through the port could dip compared to February because of post-Lunar New Year factory holidays in Asia, which is Oakland's primary market.

PG&E officials said earlier this week they began conducting gas meter inspections that will not interrupt regular service.

Between Monday and Friday, PG&E employees are using mobile tablets and visually observing residents' gas meters.

The utility said the inspections will happen between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. in San Jose, Cupertino, Los Altos, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Campbell and Saratoga.

Authorized employees will be wearing a hardhat and safety vest, and photo identification will be available upon request, according to PG&E.

Anyone who is concerned about a person who claims they are a PG&E employee can call (800) 743-500 to verify their presence.

The utility said the inspections will end in early June if there are no unforeseen delays.

A women's jail in Santa Cruz is reopening on Saturday after being closed for more than a year, county sheriff's officials said.

The facility closed in October 2016 because the number of minimum-security inmates who were eligible to stay at the jail was dropping, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office.

The Blaine Street facility houses incarcerated women who are considered low- to medium-risk.

The facility opened again to create a healthy environment for incarcerated women despite the small population, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff Jim Hart said in a statement that the upgraded building will have "robust programming," will allow family visitation and facilitate the inmates' re-entry to their communities.

The grand re-opening ceremony will be at 11 a.m. in the facility on 141 Blaine St.

###
A person was fatally struck by a train in Richmond Tuesday afternoon, according to police, leading to delays of up to two hours.

San Joaquin train No. 716 struck the person around 3:10 p.m. along Carlson Boulevard at Pullman Avenue.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police Lt. Felix Tan.

There were 21 passengers on board and none of them were injured, according to Capitol Corridor spokeswoman Priscilla Kalugdan.

Family members of a 28-year-old man fatally shot by a BART police officer near the West Oakland BART station two months ago came to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office Tuesday to demand that the officer be fired, arrested, criminally charged and convicted.

Yolanda Banks Reed, the mother of Sahleem Tindle, who was killed in the shooting in the 1400 block of Seventh Street across the street from the West Oakland station at about 4:40 p.m. on Jan. 3, said Chief Assistant District Attorney Kevin Dunleavy told her and other family members that his office's investigation into the matter is still continuing.

Oakland police, who also are investigating the shooting, have said that Tindle was armed while he was grappling with another man on the sidewalk and refused commands when Officer Joseph Mateu shot him.

Banks Reed said BART officials should not have allowed Mateu to return to works two weeks after the shooting "because he took my son's life."

Attorney John Burris, who represents Tindle's family and has filed a claim alleging that BART police violated Tindle's civil rights, joined Tindle's family at the district attorney's office Tuesday and said he thinks that based on the evidence he's seen so far, Mateu should be charged with committing an unlawful killing, possibly manslaughter or murder.

BART police released a video of the shooting on Feb. 21 but there are different interpretations of what it shows.

BART police Chief Carlos Rojas said he believe the video indicates that Tindle didn't have his hands up when Mateu shot him three times and that Tindle didn't raise his hands until after he was shot.

Rojas also said he thinks the video indicates that the hands of the man who Tindle was struggling with were empty, which he believes shows that the man hadn't possessed a gun.

But members of the activist groups the Anti Police-Terror Project and Mothers Fight Back, who joined Tindle's family at the district attorney's office Tuesday, said in a statement that they believe the video "exposed for all to plainly see that Sahleem was shot in the back three times with his hands up and no weapon in sight."

Mateu was hired as a community service assistant for BART police in May 2003, was sworn in as a police officer in November 2007 and was promoted to senior police officer in January 2010.

Mateu initially was placed on paid administrative leave but was cleared to return to work two weeks after the shooting.

Tindle's family and the activist groups have attended two BART board meetings and a BART Police Citizen Review Board meeting to demand justice for Tindle. BART directors said at their meeting last Thursday that an update on the investigation into the shooting will be presented at their next meeting.

Tindle's family and the activist groups were also planning to go to Oakland police headquarters at 6 p.m. Tuesday to demand that Mateu be arrested, but Anti-Police Terror Project leader Cat Brooks said that the rain Tuesday forced them to postpone that action until a later date.

Two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were given access to two interview rooms at San Francisco County jails last week, breaching the city's Sanctuary City policy, which bars local law enforcement from allowing ICE agents to contact inmates.

In one of the incidents, both of which occurred Thursday, the inmate who ICE agents requested to speak with refused to participate in the interview. In the other case, the inmate participated in the interview, according to sheriff's officials.

After learning of the breach of department policy, Sheriff Vicki Hennessy took immediate actions, including reiterating department policy to facility commanders and addressing any training failures.

"Any policy breach is a serious matter, especially as it pertains to the department's obligation to upholding the city's sanctuary commitment. We made a mistake and as sheriff, I hold myself accountable," Hennessy said in a statement.

"The San Francisco Sheriff's Department has one of the strongest policies in the country which protects the rights of undocumented inmates. As a result, ICE is trying tactics they haven't tried in years," Hennessy said.

The inmate who participated in an interview with ICE agents Thursday had been notified the week before that ICE requested a voluntary detention or notification of his release. The inmate, however, was not given an interview consent form because the department's policy prohibits ICE agents from accessing inmates for administrative investigations.

The inmate was notified of his legal rights as an immigrant, according to sheriff's officials.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi said the inmate, who is a client of the Public Defender's Office, was interrogated by ICE agents without a lawyer present and was asked to sign a document he was unable to read and they never told him what he was signing.

"It is difficult to believe that sheriff's deputies would be untrained in San Francisco's sanctuary policies, which are very clear and have been in place for years. But I take the sheriff's word that this was a mistake that will never happen again," Adachi said in a statement.

On Monday, ICE agents returned to the county jail requesting to interview an inmate but were denied access, according to sheriff's officials.

Words like "shameful" and "murder" were shouted toward BART's Police Citizen Review Board on Monday afternoon during an unorthodox public meeting that often strayed from protocol due to frequent interruptions from an audience that was clearly outraged over a recent fatal police shooting.

Several members of the review board were visibly distraught while listening to public comment on the fatal shooting of 28-year-old Sahleem Tindle by BART police Officer Joseph Mateu just outside of the West Oakland station on Jan. 3.

After the end of a contentious and occasionally hostile public comment period, many of the board members repeatedly offered their condolences to the Tindle family -- things which have largely gone unsaid by BART's Board of Directors during recent meetings.

"I just want to ask that whatever is being done, we move expeditiously as possible to give this family peace," public-at-large board member Cydia Garrett said as she choked back tears.

"Thank you for everything you guys said today," Garrett said. "I heard you, and I know that everyone in this room heard you."

At least some of the outrage expressed by the crowd appeared to be over confusion about the official process for filing a complaint against Mateu, which can only be done through the BART Police Department or through Independent Police Auditor Russell Bloom, and had not yet been attempted as of Monday afternoon.

Board members attempted to manage the expectations of the crowd, informing them about the limits of the oversight board's power, which does not include terminating Mateu's employment as some have demanded.

"I'm not confident that this process is going to deliver the kind of justice that you want to see," said board member Aman Sebahtu, who represents District 7.

BART police Chief Carlos Rojas was repeatedly chastised and called a "coward" by the crowd over past statements he's made about Mateu, calling the shooter's actions "courageous."

The review board asked the police chief to provide some details on the investigative process. Rojas explained that since the shooting took place in the jurisdiction of the Oakland Police Department, that agency is in charge of investigating any criminal culpability that may result from the shooting along with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, which investigates all officer-involved shootings in the county.

"I think what meetings like this demonstrate is that BPD still has a lot of work to do to win back the trust of this community," said board member David Rizk, who represents District 8.

The meeting ended with a 9-2 vote in favor of drafting a letter to the Board of Directors urging Rojas to consult with the citizen review board before making further public comments on the case.

After the meeting, Cat Brooks, an organizer with the Anti Police-Terror Project, referred to that action as a "gag order" and a victory.

"Every time that man opens his mouth about this case, he says something silly that's inflammatory and hurtful," Brooks said.

She also called on BART's Board of Directors and the citizen review board to do a better job of informing the public about the role of the two boards in dealing with police shootings as well as the scope and limits of each entity's powers.

BART police placed a man on a psychiatric hold Monday night after he allegedly made false bomb threats on his cellphone while riding a San Francisco International Airport-bound BART train, police said.

The incident began around 8:50 p.m. when Alameda County sheriff's officials learned of a male suspect making bomb threats on his social media.

The suspect's cellphone was tracked and found to be near the Embarcadero BART station in San Francisco. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate him, according to police.

Officers then learned that the suspect was on a train at the Daly City station and officers were able to track him and detain him.

A patron then alerted officers that an unattended backpack was left on the same train that the suspect had been on, police said.

When the train arrived at the SFO station, BART officials held it and evacuated the train as well as the station around 9:50 p.m.

After officers searched the train and deemed it safe, the station was reopened.

In addition to placing the man on a psychiatric hold, a criminal hold was placed on him for allegedly making terrorist threats and false bomb threats, according to police.

The suspect, who was not identified, did not make direct threats against the BART transit system, police said.

Mountain View police said in a statement that after a very extensive and thorough investigation they have determined that threats reported to police against Mountain View High School Monday night are not credible.

Police worked with both Mountain View High School and Mountain View-Los Altos High School District administrators Tuesday morning to ensure school safety, police said. The school district reached out to parents to let them know of the incident and provide communication resources should the families needs them.

The Police Department also put out two tweets around 9:30 a.m. acknowledging reports of threats posted on social media by a student, which they learned about approximately twelve hours beforehand and looked into immediately, according to spokeswoman Katie Nelson.

Police said that during their investigation they learned that the MVHS student had in fact not threatened others, but that the rumor had circulated to the point where it became a public safety issue.

Officers confirmed that not only was there no threat, but there was also no threat shared in any capacity by said student and it was fueled only through hearsay.

Mountain View police encouraged students and parents to alert them if they see something of concern, but emphasized that sharing speculations with others does not help.

"We want to be able to prevent incidents like the one today so that students, staff and families can always feel safe on school grounds," police said.

A 34-year-old security guard is being charged with murder in the death of his coworker at a construction site in Walnut Creek on Thursday, Contra Costa County prosecutors said.

Police responded to the 1800 block of Lacassie Avenue just before 7 p.m. and found Harry Edward Swayne III with severe head injuries.

Swayne was pronounced dead at the scene and police arrested Hakim Madjour, who was found nearby, on suspicion of assaulting him.

Madjour has been charged with the murder of Swayne with malice aforethought, along with an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon. Prosecutors say Swayne's injuries were caused by a metal pipe.

Charges were filed Tuesday, according to a spokesman for the district attorney's office. Madjour's arraignment has not yet been scheduled.

The San Jose City Council was scheduled to decide Tuesday evening whether to continue with the development of an Opt-In/Stay-In-Business ordinance in an effort to preserve mobile home parks citywide.

The heavily debated Opt-In program was first proposed in 2015 to provide mobile home park owners with financial incentives to make needed capital improvements in return for keeping parks operating for a defined period of time, according to an analysis written in November by city housing director Jacky Morales-Ferrand.

But after more than two years, property owners and residents cannot agree on measures that satisfy the wants and needs of both parties.

Morales-Ferrand said the advisory committee in charge of the program held meetings from February through July last year in which residents and park owners "worked diligently to discuss the components of the Opt-In concept."

However, a middle ground could not be met as residents did not like the idea of capital improvement pass-throughs and park owner representatives opposed requiring resident consent to the Opt-In.

"Enough staff time and energy has been spent on the discussion of the proposal," says a memo submitted by Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Raul Peralez and Donald Rocha for the agenda item. "If, after two-plus years of analysis, we have been unable to propose a solution to this significant but basic issue, we must conclude that the Opt-In proposal is unworkable."

The memo submitted by Jimenez, Peralez and Rocha, as well as another submitted by Mayor Sam Liccardo, Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco and Councilmembers Chappie Jones, Lan Diep and Tam Nguyen say that the program could threaten an option of affordable housing for low-income residents and say the Council should cease any further work on the concept.

The city of San Jose already finds itself in a difficult position in relation to mobile home parks, according to Morales-Ferrand.

"Over half the city's mobile home parks are more than 50 years old and have varying infrastructure conditions," she said in the analysis from November. "Mobile home parks are governed by the state. As a result the city's ability to intervene on code violations, maintenance or improvement of the parks' physical infrastructure is extremely limited."

The item was set to be considered during the 6 p.m. portion of Tuesday's Council meeting at City Hall, according to the agenda.

Letters from the public have been submitted by local organizations like the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley and the Golden State Manufactured-Home Owners League as well as local residents. Every single one asked the City Council to vote to end consideration of the ordinance.

A pedestrian fatally struck by a vehicle Monday night on the Golden Gate Bridge has been identified as 20-year-old Malcolm Terrell Melick from Santa Rosa, according to the Marin County coroner's office.

Patrol officers approached him on the west walkway toward the north end of the bridge around 8:45 p.m. out of concern that he might be trying to jump.

However, Melick jumped over the handrail and ran into traffic and was hit by a vehicle.

Officers administered CPR for nearly 10 minutes, but Melick died.

Vallejo police this month started carrying Narcan, which can reverse deadly opioid overdoses in emergency situations, police said Tuesday.

After training earlier this month, each patrol officer is carrying Narcan and is trained to give single dose units of Narcan Nasal Spray.

Police said they are just one of a few agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area where each officer carries Narcan.

"There is no doubt that this program will save citizens' lives and protect police officers from incidental exposure," Vallejo Police Chief Andrew Bidou said in a statement.

California Senate Bill 1438 authorized police officers to deliver Narcan under Assembly Bill 635, known as the Good Samaritan Act.

Marin County Public Health has confirmed one case of illness from paralytic shellfish poison, a toxin that can be found in mussels, clams and oysters.

The person ate mussels harvested on Sunday in Dillon Beach and went to the hospital with symptoms of shellfish poisoning.

The person is expected to recover, according to the health department, and their doctor was able to diagnose the poisoning very quickly.

The health department warned the public of the toxin on March 7 after the California Department of Public Health found extremely high levels in a mussel sample from Chimney Rock sentinel station.

The department said the sample contained about 37 times the "alert" level of paralytic shellfish poison, known as PSP.

Changes in water conditions, including temperature, flow and salt content can cause the toxins to surge, Marin County Public Health said.

According to the department, the amount of toxins could potentially be lethal. They advised the public on March 7 to avoid collecting shellfish until it is safe again.

The warning does not apply to commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops, or oysters from approved sources, the department said.

Today will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 50s with southwest winds at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight will be partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers in the evening. Lows will be in the 40s and west winds will be at 10 to 20 mph.

Thursday will be partly cloudy in the morning with a chance of rain in the morning, and likely rain in the afternoon. There will be a 70 percent chance of rain overall.

Highs will be in the mid 50s, and southwest winds will increase from 10 to 20 mph to between 20 and 30 mph in the afternoon.

###
OAKLAND (BCN)

A former office manager at a real estate technology company office in Concord has been sentenced in federal court in Oakland to four years and three months in prison for crimes related to the embezzlement of $2 million.

Celia Nipper, also known as Celia Arrand, 62, of Discovery Bay, was given the sentence Monday by U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam.

She pleaded guilty before Gilliam in September to three counts of wire fraud, two counts of bank fraud and two counts of filing false tax returns for the 2009 and 2010 tax years.

Nipper worked as office manager in the Concord office of MarketLinx, a subsidiary of Irvine-based CoreLogic Inc., and of a predecessor company, Sonic Eagle, from 2005 to 2011, according to a 2016 grand jury indictment.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons said that in her guilty plea, Nipper admitted to embezzling more than $2 million from her employers by diverting customer payments and other company funds to her personal bank accounts.

The two counts of false tax returns were related to her failure to report $1.1 million in ill-gotten gains in the 2009 and 2010 tax years, according to a prosecution filing.

Nipper's office manager salary ranged from $65,000 to $80,000 per year, the indictment said.

Gilliam also ordered her to pay restitution. The exact amount will be determined at a future hearing. The judge mandated three years of supervised release following her prison term and prohibited her from taking any fiduciary jobs without permission during that time.

Nipper was ordered to surrender on April 30 to begin serving her sentence.

###

436-7264

Defense attorney Doron Weinberg (415) 431-3472
Conor Lamb. Photo: Justin Merriman/Conor Lamb for Congress

Democrats need to win two dozen Republican seats to gain a House majority. Approximately 118 districts have more Democratic-leaning electorates than the 18th district of Pennsylvania, which voted for Donald Trump by nearly 20 points, and which Democrat Conor Lamb turned into a competitive race. Several days before the election, Republicans were already spreading the word that the discouraging outcome would be the idiosyncratic result of the unusual candidates on the ballot. The lesson of this race is that campaigns and candidates matter, Corey Bliss, a Republican helping to direct the partys midterm strategy, told Jonathan Swan. In this environment, when one campaign out-raises and runs circles around the other, that creates a number of challenges that are tough to overcome.

Republican candidate Rick Saccone was not an especially weak nominee, having won several races in competitive environments before. (Saccone struggled to fundraise, but his shortcomings were offset by the Brinks-truck-level $12 million spent on his behalf by outside Republican groups.) It is also true that Conor Lamb was an especially strong candidate: Young and lacking a voting record to be picked apart, with a background as a Marine, Lamb cut a favorable profile in comparison with the lifelong politician he faced.

And there are a lot of Conor Lambs out there. Very early in the election cycle, Democrats recruited candidates with nontraditional backgrounds, especially in the military, who would appeal to voters in red districts. A rough profile of [Democrats] ideal candidate has started to emerge: veterans, preferably with small business experience too, reported Politico last April. Theyd like as many of them to be women or people whove never run for office before  and having young children helps. The next month, Axios reported that Republicans were already worried about Democrats recruiting unusually high-quality House candidates for the 2018 midterms. It listed several:

 Jason Crow to challenge GOP Rep. Mike Coffman for Colorados 6th District. Crows bio: [Led] a platoon of paratroopers during the invasion of Iraq and earned the Bronze Star for his combat actions during the invasion   Chrissy Houlahan to challenge GOP Rep. Ryan Costello for Pennsylvanias 6th District. Houlahans bio: Engineering degree from Stanford, Captain in the Air Force Reserve, chief operating office of an apparel company and of nonprofits.  Josh Butner to challenge GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter for Californias 50th District. Butners bio: Navy SEAL, serves as trustee on a school board, and currently works for the dive equipment company, Aqua Lung.

There are more, some of them so ridiculously wholesome, they seem like characters in a trailer for a corny movie. When I saw the bio ad of Amy McGrath (Kentucky), by the time she got to her mothers story, I thought I might be watching some kind of parody:

Recruiting veterans is an effective strategy for overcoming the Republican tilt of the House map, which requires Democrats to contest deeply conservative territory in an attempt to gain a majority. Republicans have used ethnonationalist themes for decades to sell voters on an unpopular economic agenda: Election messaging is all American flags, crime, and being tough on terrorism, while the policy agenda is about lax business regulation and regressive tax-cutting.

This disconnect between politics and policy is Republicans weakest point. Their strategy can be hacked. The most powerful Republican theme is that Democrats are not one of us: They arent tough, and they dont love their country. A candidate with a compelling biography  especially those with a military background  can disarm these attacks pretty easily. It is not a panacea, but a major advantage nonetheless. Army veteran Jason Kander lost a 2016 Senate race by three points in Missouri, a state Donald Trump won by more than 18 points.

It is obviously not always easy to find candidates who have this sort of background, a clean (or clean enough) record, and are willing to run for and serve in Congress, a miserable, soul-crushing job. But one of the ways in which Democrats benefitted from the massive countermobilization that formed immediately after the 2016 election is an unusually high number of people willing to rearrange their lives around the goal of saving their country from an unfit president. In many cases, the possibly corny and self-serving narrative of the military veteran called to serve their country once again actually applies. Democrats have more or less unanimously regarded a Trump presidency and a pliant Republican Congress as a national emergency.

The unusual success Lamb showed in running a competitive race in Trump country is not a total fluke, but rather proof of concept for a strategy that could replicate itself across the country.
Maybe the president saw Starship Troopers back in the day. Photo: TriStar Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Californians have been bracing themselves for some classic Donald Trump weirdness during the presidents quick trip to the border, San Diego, and Los Angeles this week. But this pronouncement during his address to the Marines at Miramar Air Station was unexpected. Gizmodo has the story:

My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea, said Trump. We may even have a space forcedevelop another onespace force. We have the Air Force. Well have the space force. We have the Army, the Navy.

Omitted from Trumps list of armed forces branches were the Coast Guard and (presumably comprising a large part of the crowd at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar) the Marines.

Trump continued by noting that the concept of a space force was one he both thought up and had previously dismissed. I said maybe we need a new force. Well call it the space force. Not really serious, he told the crowd to mixed laughter, And then I said What a great idea. Maybe well have to do that. That could happen.

Actually, despite Trumps claim of having originating it, the idea of a new branch of the military to be dubbed the Space Corps (under the umbrella of the Air Force) was embraced by the House Armed Services Committee in its version of the last defense authorization bill. But it was dropped from the House-Senate conference committee, and wheres why, according to CNN:

[T]he idea was opposed by Pentagon leaders and the White House, who argued the idea was premature and needed more study.

Defense Secretary James Mattis even took the rare step of writing a letter supporting an amendment to remove the Space Corps from the Houses version of policy bill earlier this year.

We have no way of knowing right now if Trump missed that whole series of events, or heard about it and substituted his own endorsement for Mattiss dismissal, or just ate a rich dessert before bedtime and dreamed the whole thing up. But his unfeigned excitement at his idea was a reminder that the oldest man ever elected president is in some respects a man-child.
Photo: Bahn Mi/CC BY-SA 2.0 This Central Coast of California high school wasnt invaded by a shooter, but an armed teacher did accidentally shoot up a classroom.

What happened yesterday at a high school in the small Central Coast city of Seaside, California, would have raised eyebrows in any event. But in the context of the presidents NRA-endorsed proposal to train and arm school teachers, and todays nationwide School Walkout to protest gun violence in schools, the Seaside story got national attention right away.

High school teacher and reserve police officer Dennis Alexander was doing a demonstration of how to disarm an assailant in his administration of justice class at Seaside High when his handgun discharged, firing a bullet into the classroom ceiling. Falling debris from the accident inflicted minor injuries on three students. It could have been much worse, of course.

California state law requires a special authorization for anyone to bring a firearm onto public school property. Alexander did not have that authorization. Hes been placed on administrative leave by the school district, and also by the nearby municipal police force on which he was a decorated reserve officer.

What makes the incident even more striking is that Alexander is a member (and currently mayor pro tem) of the (non-partisan) Seaside City Council, first elected in 2006. Hes also a former Peace Corps volunteer, a long-time community activist, and in general not a gun-nutty sort of guy, so far as we can tell. Hes very likely not a MAGA fan, either; aside from holding elected office in a very Democratic portion of a very Democratic Monterey County, Alexanders main gig at Seaside High is teaching math in Spanish (the schools student body is 89 percent minority).

But fairly or not, Alexander will probably become a figure of mockery and scorn to those who are fighting Trumps arm-the-teachers proposal. After all, if a trained police officer winds up endangering his students with a handgun, how safe should parents feel about teachers who are not professional law enforcement folk packing heat? Its a valid question.

Meanwhile, the local school district is being somewhat supportive of the planned walkout. But the sound of yesterdays gunshot may echo for a good while.
The minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Janat Mukwaya, has called for enhanced womens financial empowerment through availing affordable credit, market opportunities and institution of affirmative action measures.

Mukwaya says financially-empowered women can benefit from a fixed percentage of tenders for the supply of goods and services in public procurement. Speaking on Monday at the 62nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), taking place at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Mukwaya said since the bigger part of world population comprises women, their economic empowerment would greatly contribute to sustainable development.

Minister Janat Mukwaya (R) with Speaker Rebecca Kadaga

The minister said the government of Uganda had made tremendous strides to improving the environment within which rural women and girls live and operate.

She cited the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) initiated two years ago to empower women, which is providing funds to over 44,000 women to invest in projects that generate income.

She added that Uganda has achieved gender equality in schools, having attained 47 per cent of girls at secondary education level.

Lets support women and girls to attain education, life skills and literacy including financial literacy as a springboard for holistic development, Mukwaya said in a press statement from her ministry.

Similarly, she added that the Youth Livelihood Programme has, since 2015, reached over 74,140 female youths (45%) as beneficiaries with skills training and capital for business enterprises. She called for enhanced dialogue with women and girls to capture their needs from lived experiences in policy formulation, planning and programming.

They want to see themselves being consulted on issues that affect them and working closely with all stakeholders to effect the required actions, she said.

Mukwaya also mentioned agricultural production investments and infrastructure developments that have enhanced economic growth and transformation of the society.

These investments have generated concrete results, especially increased access to safe water for rural communities, health services, immunization coverage and antenatal care for pregnant women, Mukwaya said.

She also recommended that all forms of gender-based violence (GBV) including child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) be addressed through strategies for prevention and response that bring on board men and boys as behavioral change agents and advocates.

Mukwaya is leading a high-power delegation comprising Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, Gender ministrys Permanent Secretary Pius Bigirimana, and Ugandas Permanent Representative at the UN, Ambassador Adonia Ayebare.

Meanwhile, Uganda is scheduled to hold a side event on Thursday March 15, 2018 focusing on transforming lives of rural women and girls through gender and equity budgeting.
Total E&P Uganda have announced that they will train at least 200 Ugandan youths in welding in preparation for works in the Albertine region and along the East African crude oil pipeline route.

Speaking at a press conference in Kampala, Total E&P Ugandas general manager, Adewale Fayemi, said their plan is to maximize the use of local manpower, goods and service providers, which is in line with the local content regulations.

A local welder

Ugandas oil and gas sector is entering the production stage, with the oil refinery and pipeline some of the big projects expected to start soon. The training will, therefore, initially benefit welders from Nwoya, Masindi, Nebbi, Buliisa and Hoima, as well as the districts along the pipeline route including Kakumiro, Kyankwanzi, Mubende, Gomba, Sembabule, Lwengo and Rakai.

Fayemi noted that the six-month training will be conducted by Assessment and Skilling Centre (TASC) in Ntinda and E360 Group Ltd in Muyenga. He said these companies are expected to perform technical training and certification of the candidates up to 2G and 4G coded welding levels in line with the industry standards and health, safety and environment training.

Following the training, Total will ensure that the certified welders are taken on in preparation for the development phase of the project. Fayemi also said that a lot of technicians will be needed during the development phase; so, they are liable to train and certify technicians such as welders to enhance their knowledge and skills and ensure that the highest standards of safety are met.

To ensure that the desired quality of candidates is attained, the programs implementation is going to be closely monitored by GIZ, a German development agency.

Due to the highly technical nature of the industry, quality and safety cannot be compromised, Fayemi said.

The executive director of Petroleum Authority of Uganda, Ernest Rubondo commended Total for undertaking the initiative to identify a Ugandan institution to undertake training of certified welders.

This effort will significantly immerse the participation of Ugandans in the oil and gas sector, which the government of Uganda considers to be an extremely important aspect of oil and gas sector, Rubondo said.

He added that trainees will not only qualify to work in Uganda, they will also be in position to work in other parts of the world without limitation.

Therefore, this program is going to put welders in place to certify and work in the oil and gas sector and there is a strong demand for these welders in addition to their skills.
An Idaho junior high science teacher is under investigation after allegedly feeding a puppy to a snapping turtle, local media reports.

According to students present at the feeding, 7th-grade teacher Robert Crosland fed the snapping turtle a sick and deformed puppy during after-school hours.

In a statement to EastIdahoNews, the Preston district's superintendent said he was aware of the "regrettable circumstance involving some of the biological specimens," but as of yet, detailed no actions against Crosland.

TRAGIC: Mississippi 6th grader commits suicide after being bullied for sexual orientation

A local animal activist filed a police report with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office who said they were looking into the incident, according to Fox 13.

"Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal," the activist, Jill Parrish, told Fox 13. "That is violence. That is not okay."

Above: See animal abuse cases that occurred in Texas in the past year.
Women and children have always been the main victims of domestic abuse at the hands of men.

Several testimonies have come to the fore to expose the vice but little has been written about why some men act in such a harmful manner.

So, as the rest of the country marked the International Womens day on March 8, MasterPeace-Uganda, an NGO, launched a challenge dubbed Abasajja Bawandiike, at Fitness Paradise city gym, Acacia mall.

Its a writing challenge for men to share untold stories about struggles with the women in their lives.

Jaq Deweyi, the MasterPeace-Uganda club leader, explained the concept. We have always listened to the women; so, now we want to hear the men. That will help the women to know how to work together and hopefully help reduce domestic violence, Deweyi, revealed.

Abasajja Bawandiike challenge is inspired by South African Beulah Thambadoo, who runs a similar event called The Mens Writing Challenge.

Thambadoo said it will be more successful in here since Uganda is not so much a divided country as South Africa in terms of race, language, class, gender and equity issues.

The inaugural theme is The struggles of men with women and the deadline for submission is August. Submissions of no more than 2,000 words should be e-mailed to jaq.deweyi@gmail.com, of which a panel of judges will shortlist those successful.

The best essays will be selected and published in a book titled In the mans World. At stake is $200 for the winner while the second and third will take home $100 and $50 respectively.

MasterPeace is a grassroots peace movement existing in more than 40 countries. It was launched in 2011, with an aim to mobilize people to use their talent and energy for peacebuilding and togetherness.

In Uganda, MasterPeace is under the legal umbrella of Center for Media Literacy and Community Development (CEMCOD), a non-profit organization focusing on uplifting vulnerable communities through the provision of media-related community interventions.
Keep an eye on the confirmation of Gina Haspel, President Trumps nominee to lead the CIA, because the political blowback could ripple into Californias Senate race, specifically against Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The political arm of the American Civil Liberties Union wants Feinstein, who is facing re-election this year, to oppose Haspel forcefully. The 33-year CIA veteran was involved in the federal governments torture program, overseeing black sites in Thailand where detainees were held. Later, she supported destroying video of the torture.

Feinstein, as the former chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, oversaw its six-year investigation into the program. In 2014, she spoke for an hour on the Senate floor, outlining the panels 525-page report, which found that the CIA misled policymakers about the extent and effectiveness of the torture program. Later, Feinstein blocked Haspels nomination to lead the CIAs clandestine operations.

Given her history as a champion of this issue, Faiz Shakir, the ACLUs political director, said Feinsteins initial statement on Haspels nomination should have been tougher.

Its no secret Ive had concerns in the past with her connection to the CIA torture program and have spent time with her discussing this, Feinstein said in a statement Tuesday on Haspels nomination. To the best of my knowledge, she has been a good deputy director and I look forward to the opportunity to speak with her again.

Shakir said Feinsteins statement builds on the narrative that shes totally out of touch with California values. Shes jeopardizing her credibility on this.

Haspel is the architect of the governments torture program, Shakir said.

This woman was literally at the black sites watching torture occur and personally approving the action.

This means a lot to us, Shakir said. And Feinstein is equivocating on it.

The ACLU is ready to flex its new political muscle. The 98-year-old organization raised $93 million online in the year after Trump took office  compared with $5.5 million the year before. Shakir said the organization plans to spend $25 million nationally this year and is ready to run an educational campaign about Feinsteins viewpoints aimed at California voters if she doesnt speak out against Haspel.

Dont look for Feinstein to say much soon  she doesnt usually say how shell vote before Senate confirmation hearings begin.

 Joe Garofoli

Let the culling of the herd begin: Good news for all those California Democratic Party leaders begging their candidates to drop out of crowded congressional races: Phil Janowicz, an educator running in the Orange County district represented by retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce, dropped out Wednesday.

I undertook this race almost a year ago with a desire to serve my community, Janowicz wrote in a note to supporters. As a teacher, after watching my students and their families struggle with rising tuition and cost-of-living, I wanted to help my students in real ways that I couldnt inside the classroom.

But, Janowicz said, Royces surprise decision not to run for re-election created new complications under Californias jungle primary system, he said of the states top-two system. The prospect existed that too many Democratic candidates could shut us out entirely from the ballot in November.

Janowicz raised $322,210, but roughly half of that is a loan from himself. He had $93,366 cash on hand. Democrat Andy Thorburn has $2 million.

Im glad to see that Phil did the right thing, said Katie Merrill, a Democratic strategist who is advising Fight Back California, a political action committee focused on the seven key congressional districts, including this one, that Democrats hope to flip in November.

Still that leaves, by Merrills count, six Democrats and three Republicans running active campaigns. A poll commissioned by Fight Back California concludes that two former Republican officeholders  former Assemblywoman Young Kim of Fullerton and former state Sen. Bob Huff of Diamond Bar (Los Angeles County)  are leading. Democrats could get shut out of a race they thought they could win.

It would be nice, Merrill said, if one of the other Democrats got out.

 Joe Garofoli
Liz Hafalia/The Chronicle

Saying San Francisco needs to manage its money carefully, Mayor Mark Farrell did not commit Tuesday to funding two of Supervisor London Breeds legislative priorities: wage increases for contract workers and free attorneys for residents facing eviction.

Breed confronted Farrell during Question Time, the mayors monthly appearance before the board, which has become a rote ritual in which the mayor delivers a five-minute prepared speech. Breeds budget question was the first since September 2016.
California Governor Jerry Brown sent President Donald Trump a philosophical sentiment over Twitter on Tuesday.

"Bridges are still better than walls," Brown wrote in a message tweeted at 2:15 p.m.

The tweet was a response to harsh words Trump made against Brown upon his visit to California to view prototypes for a border wall separating the United States and Mexico.

Before beginning his Southern California tour Tuesday morning, Trump slammed the Golden State, writing on Twitter: "California's sanctuary policies are illegal and unconstitutional and put the safety and security of our entire nation at risk. Thousands of dangerous & violent criminal aliens are released as a result of sanctuary policies, set free to prey on innocent Americans. THIS MUST STOP!"

Trump's criticism of state policy continued as he stood among wall prototypes. He attacked Brown saying the governor has done done a "poor job" running the state and criticized the state for having "the highest taxes in the United States."

"The place is totally out of control," he said. "People are going to start to move pretty soon."

Brown's Tweet to Trump painted a different picture of California and touted its booming economy.

"California remains the 6th largest economy in the world and the most prosperous state in America," Brown wrote.

ALSO, Trump uses visit to San Diego to bash California, Jerry Brown, Libby Schaaf

Trump's visit comes just days after his Justice Department sued to block California laws designed to protect people living in the U.S. illegally and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions followed up with a speech in Sacramento that was immediately denounced by Brown, who said the Trump administration was "full of liars."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Rwandan minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo has said that her government is saddened by the recent behaviour of its neighbour, Uganda over the treatment of Rwandan nationals.

In a press briefing today, Tuesday, Mushikiwabo said Rwanda will not reciprocate illegal detentions, deportations and torture subjected to Rwandan nationals to Ugandan nationals living in Rwanda.

Rwandan minister of Foreign Affairs Louise Mushikiwabo

According to Kigali Today (KT Press), Rwanda will instead continue to engage the Ugandan authorities on how to resolve the issues at hand.

We share a lot in common with Ugandans. We share the same blood. Rwandans cannot hurt Ugandans, Mushikiwabo is quoted as saying.

Adding; "The problems between the two countries definitely affected the implementation of some regional projects. But there's continued diplomatic push to ensure they are realised....We hope that these problems will eventually pass and our ties normalise. There is a lot that bind us together."

There has been rising tensions between the two East African countries since last year. The tensions even led to the closure of a Ugandan tabloid, Red Pepper in November 2017 after it reported that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, with the help of his brother Gen Salim Saleh were plotting to overthrow Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

Both countries have since detained several of each other's citizens believed to be spies or crossed the borders illegally. On December 28 last year, 45 Rwandans were charged for terrorism before Mbarara Grade One magistrate Daphine Ayebale who remanded them to Mbarara Central Prison.

The group had spent over two weeks at Nalufenya detention facility in Jinja following their arrest at Kikagati border point in Isingiro district.

As the 45 were being arraigned before court, another group of five Rwandan nationals  Freddy Turatsinze, Jessica Muhongerwa, Vanessa Gasaro, Dianne Kamikazi and Herbert Munyangaju  was being deported.

The families of the detained Rwandan nationals threatened to sue Ugandas Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen David Muhoozi over what they term as illegal detention.

When Uganda Museveni sacked former police chief Gen Kale Kayihura a fortnight ago, it was suggested by some sections in government that one of the reasons was because Kayihura was spying for Rwandan government.

A few days later while addressing the nation on International Women's Day, Museveni said police had been infiltrated by bean weevils, a statement some thought was in reference to Rwandan spies.
Eighteen animals died on United Airlines flights in 2017, a fatality rate substantially higher than that of other domestic carriers.

Animals rarely die aboard planes. Of the 17 airlines surveyed for a recent Department of Travel report, only four reported pet fatalities and injuries.

Two animals died aboard Alaska, Delta and American flights last year, a rate nine times lower than United. Thirteen animals were injured on United in the last year, the report says, while Delta and America had only one such incident apiece. Alaska Airlines reported no injuries, but the loss of one animal.

United and Alaska transported the highest number of animals in the past year, carrying about 140,000 and 115,000, respectively.

"The overwhelming majority (of deaths), according to medical experts, were due to a pre-existing medical condition or the animal wasn't properly acclimated to its crate," said United spokesman Charles Hobart.

The data comes to light after a series of highly publicized incidents aboard United planes  an airline that touts its PetSafe shipping program.

On Monday night, a French bulldog puppy died after a flight attendant put its animal carrier in an overhead bin, despite the family's alleged protestations.

"Our flight attendant did not hear or understand her, and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin," United said in a statement.

On Wednesday, the airline sent a German shepherd to Japan, instead of its intended destination of Kansas City. When the Swindle family went to a cargo facility to pick up the 10-year-old pooch, they were instead given a Great Dane. Their shepherd, Irgo, was en route to Asia, attendants told them. Irgo was put on a return flight to Kansas City.

It's been a year of bad publicity for the airline, which faced criticism in April after video surfaced of airport security dragging a 69-year-old passenger off a United plane. One month later, a 10-month-old Continental giant rabbit that was likely to outgrow its record-holding sire and become the world's largest bunny, was found dead after flying United. Its owner claimed the airline cremated the rabbit, Simon, to destroy evidence.

Mike Moffit, an SFGATE staff writer, and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Michelle Robertson is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @mrobertsonsf.




Mother Nature is putting on quite a show from the sky over the Bay Area Wednesday afternoon.

An isolated storm cell pounded the North Bay around 11:30 a.m., blanketing Sonoma and Petaluma with pea-sized hail. Lightning strikes were reported in Sebastopol and Bodega Bay.
A trough of low-pressure hanging along the West Coast has opened the storm door for Northern California and wet weather is the forecast for the San Francisco Bay Area through Saturday.

The unsettled conditions will bring "hit or miss showers" and maybe a few thunderstorms throughout the day, says National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Mejia.
BEIRUT  For the first time since its meteoric rise in 2012 amid the chaos of war, al Qaedas branch in Syria is in retreat, battling rival militant groups in the north and fighting for survival in a key foothold near the capital, Damascus.

Over the past three weeks, the extremist group has been driven from nearly all of the northern province of Aleppo, losing dozens of fighters in battles there and in nearby Idlib province.

The fighting poses a major challenge to the militant group, already beset by infighting and a string of assassinations that have taken out some of its top leaders. Unlike previous battles in which al Qaeda-linked fighters were able to quickly crush their opponents, the fighting has been particularly fierce, with the militants losing dozens of villages.

The al Qaeda-linked coalition known as the Levant Liberation Committee is still one of Syrias most powerful armed groups, with fighters numbering in the thousands.

While the U.S.-led coalition and Russian-backed Syrian troops have focused on driving the Islamic State from the countrys east, the al Qaeda-linked group has consolidated its control over Idlib, where it remains the strongest force despite its recent losses there.

After the defeat of Islamic State, al Qaeda is seen as the main jihadist group that rejects any peace talks to try to end Syrias seven-year conflict. Its presence in northern Syria and in the Damascus suburbs of eastern Ghouta has provided a pretext for President Bashar Assad and his Russian backers to wage war against opposition-held territory, since various de-escalation and cease-fire agreements have excluded al Qaeda.

Several hundred al Qaeda fighters holed up in eastern Ghouta have become a burden to the armed opposition battling government forces there, which has pressed the extremists to leave the area for their stronghold in Idlib in order to avoid the current crushing offensive.

The groups presence has also raised concern in nations from Turkey to the United States that fear the global network founded by Osama bin Laden could use its presence in northern Syria to launch terrorist attacks around the world.

Despite losing dozens of villages in the recent battles, it is unlikely that al Qaeda will be defeated easily in Idlib, where the militants have crushed many of their opponents in recent years.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons firing is reverberating across a Middle East where Iran fears his replacement will fight to end the 2015 nuclear deal, a hope of Gulf Arab states as Palestinians worry about a further-emboldened nationalist Israeli government.

Also at play is the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Qatar and four Arab nations, a crisis the former oilman sought to reconcile with no success during his brief tenure as Americas top diplomat.

How Tillersons proposed successor, CIA director Mike Pompeo, will handle these challenges remains to be seen. But Pompeo remains a major opponent of the atomic accord, while Tillerson had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment the Obama-era deal.

Already in Iran, some are expressing concerns.

Irans daily Javan newspaper, believed to be close to the hard-line Revolutionary Guard, said that replacing Tillerson with Pompeo signaled the end of the nuclear deal.

For quitting the deal, his dumping was necessary, Javan said.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, meanwhile, sought to minimize Tillersons firing, calling it part of the frequent and multiple changes in Trumps administration.

Tillersons firing was welcome news for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which view Iran as a regional menace. They have also pushed Washington to take a harder line on Qatar, which they and other Arab nations have boycotted since last year, accusing it of supporting extremist groups and cozying up to Iran. Tillerson had sought to mediate the crisis among the U.S. allies.

In the UAE on Wednesday, the English-language Khaleej Times borrowed from the U.S. presidents showbiz days for its headline: YOURE FIRED! Saudi Arabias English-language Arab News had the same headline.

Another English-language newspaper, the state-aligned The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi, offered an editorial saying Tillersons firing would surprise few, pointing to his disagreement with Trump over Qatar.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, cut off land, sea and air routes to Qatar in June 2017. Qatar, which has backed Islamist opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, has denied supporting extremists. It shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

Trump has at times appeared to side with Qatars rivals in the dispute, while Tillerson had projected a more neutral stance. ExxonMobil, which Tillerson ran before becoming secretary of state, had a long business history in Qatars natural gas plays.

For Israel, the Pompeo announcement appears to be good news for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been an outspoken opponent of the Iranian nuclear deal and who sees Irans involvement in neighboring Lebanon and Syria as a major threat.

Israels Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.
LONDON  Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday.

He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.

The best-known theoretical physicist of his time, Hawking wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book, A Brief History of Time, became an international best seller, making him one of sciences biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.

Even though his body was attacked by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, when Hawking was 21, he stunned doctors by living with the normally fatal illness for more than 50 years. A severe attack of pneumonia in 1985 left him breathing through a tube, forcing him to communicate through an electronic voice synthesizer that gave him his distinctive robotic monotone.

But he continued his scientific work, appeared on television and married for a second time.

As one of Isaac Newtons successors as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Hawking was involved in the search for the great goal of physics  a unified theory.

Such a theory would resolve the contradictions between Einsteins General Theory of Relativity, which describes the laws of gravity that govern the motion of large objects like planets, and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, which deals with the world of subatomic particles.

For Hawking, the search was almost a religious quest  he said finding a theory of everything would allow mankind to know the mind of God.

A complete, consistent unified theory is only the first step: our goal is a complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence, he wrote in A Brief History of Time.

In later years, though, he suggested a unified theory might not exist.

He followed up A Brief History of Time in 2001 with the more accessible sequel The Universe in a Nutshell, updating readers on concepts like super gravity, naked singularities and the possibility of an 11-dimensional universe.

Hawking said belief in a God who intervenes in the universe to make sure the good guys win or get rewarded in the next life was wishful thinking.

But one cant help asking the question: Why does the universe exist? he said in 1991. I dont know an operational way to give the question or the answer, if there is one, a meaning. But it bothers me.

The combination of his best-selling book and his almost total disability  for a while he could use a few fingers, later he could only tighten the muscles on his face  made him one of sciences most recognizable faces.

He made cameo television appearances in The Simpsons and Star Trek and counted among his fans U2 guitarist the Edge, who attended a January 2002 celebration of Hawkings 60th birthday.

His early life was chronicled in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything, with Eddie Redmayne winning the best actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the scientist. The film focused still more attention on Hawkings remarkable achievements.

Some colleagues credited that celebrity with generating new enthusiasm for science.

His achievements, and his longevity, also helped prove to many that even the most severe disabilities need not stop patients from living.

Hawking was born Jan. 8, 1942, in Oxford, and grew up in London and St. Albans, northwest of the capital. In 1959, he entered Oxford University and then went on to graduate work at Cambridge.

Signs of illness appeared in his first year of graduate school, and he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease after the New York Yankee star who died of it. The disease usually kills within three to five years.
AMMAN, Jordan  Sara al-Matoura watched through a window as her 1-year-old daughters chest heaved up and down under a tangle of medical wires.

The 22-year-old mother from the Syrian city of Homs hadnt eaten for a day and stayed up all night at a hospital in the Jordanian capital, Amman, holding her daughter, imagining the scalpel cutting her babys chest open.

Al-Matoura, who fled the Syrian war for Jordan in 2012, was only four months pregnant with her second child when she found out the baby had a congenital heart defect known as tricuspid atresia, which has a mortality rate of 90 percent before age 10.

Jordanian doctors encouraged her to abort the fetus. Al-Matoura refused. She is my gift from God, she said. She named her daughter Eman  faith in Arabic.

Last week, Eman received lifesaving open heart surgery, one of eight cardiac operations that Italian pediatric surgeons from the Vaticans Bambino Gesu Hospital came to perform for free in Jordan.

Dozens of other Syrian refugees with cancer, heart defects and other complex conditions go untreated each month because of funding constraints, according to U.N. officials. The more expensive the treatment, the more likely their funding requests will be turned down. Even primary care and basic services such as child delivery are increasingly unaffordable.

Some 5.5 million Syrians have fled their homeland since 2011, most settling in the region. Jordan currently hosts more than 650,000 Syrians registered by the U.N. refugee agency, though the government estimates the number of Syrians in the country is twice as high.

After Emans surgery, her parents watched her breathe, her chest covered with bandages and wires, rising and failing in rhythm with the beeping monitor.

Doctors told them she would likely need another, more complicated surgery in two to five years.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.

We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.

A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
As a wave of unexplained murders and violent crime gripped the country last year, Gen Kale Kayihura declared that kicking him out of office would not stop spiralling criminality.

The police chief was clearly feeling the heat from the relentless public criticism when he talked to local leaders. Below The Observer re-visits those comments of the man who lost his job as inspector general of police a week ago on March 4...He had been invited to address the 23rd annual general meeting of local governments in September 2017.

Gen Kale Kayihura

For more than one hour, the audience gathered inside St Peters Technical Institute Mubende watched and heard him point fingers at anybody or anything else but himself. He referred to President Musevenis gloves-off lecturing of police commanders from central region for failing to end the spate of murders.

The president was criticising us that we have failed to stamp out crime...If we are to prevent crime, we must address the root causes of crime in society, Kayihura said.

He drew attention to his differences with the now former Security minister Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde over the women killings in Nansana and Entebbe. At the time, Kayihura and Tumukunde were running parallel investigations into the deaths, which remain unresolved to-date.

These songs of police this, police that...Kayihura alemeddwa [has failed]Okay, Kayihura can be sent to Luzira [prison] but I tell you, if you dont address the problems in society, even if you put I dont know who, whoever you put there [as IGP], the problems of crime will not be solved, he said.

The police chief had come in for heavy criticism, including from the minister, over his association with known criminals and prostitutes in Nansana and Entebbe. But he pointed out that he had learnt from these dealings that they turned to crime and sex work because they were unemployed.

It has now become fashionable to criticise the police in parliament instead of highlighting the actual problems and strategise on how to solve them, Kayihura said.

He said that much as the police are accountable to Ugandans, local leaders also have a responsibility to help weed out bad elements from the force.

Instead of waiting for the president to complain, why dont you arrest those corrupt police officers? Kayihura wondered amidst murmurs from the district and sub-county chairpersons.

You have a constitutional mandate as leaders. Discipline any corrupt characters in the police instead of complaining I have given you the authority as IGP, Kayihura said.

This was a rather strange proposal; exactly how these politicians should go about disciplining police officers, he never said. The IGP instead talked about how tired he was of human rights groups ranking the police as the most corrupt institution, and as the leading abuser of human rights.

He seemed to be at his wits end, grasping for straws as his fate loomed. Kayihura said police would now partner the Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) and cultural leaders to monitor its police personnel.



CRIME PREVENTERS

He defended the so-called crime preventers, that dubious addition to his community policing pet project. Crime preventers were supposed to help fight crime, but were instead being berated for being at the forefront of breaking the law.

Now a person like [former prime minister] Amama Mbabazi who is knowledgeable, a highly respected legal scholar and a great leader...how could he go to the Supreme court and claim that crime preventers are a Kayihura militia?

You can see how someone can get corrupted by politics. Really, someone who has got a great history of the revolutionary struggle degenerates because he wants power? Kayihura said.

Despite their shortcomings, the police chief said he believed crime preventers were part of the answer. He announced new measures to establish a policing presence right at the grassroots; revealing that each parish would now have two motorcycles for police patrols.

We are [also] in advanced stages of procuring a national CCTV camera system. It is a project that the president is micromanaging because we want something good and implemented fast because if he is to leave it to some people, it can be mishandled, Kayihura said.

Once installed, Kayihura said, the entire country will be monitored from a single point in Kampala. In hindsight, however, none of this eventually mattered. He left with the police image in tatters; its institutional structure compromised by his tendency to surround himself with unquestioning yes men at the expense of experienced professionals, derided for wanton human rights violations, heavily infiltrated by extortionists, sheltering a homicidal mafia and hopelessly corrupt  in effect, unable to protect and serve the people



sadabkk@observer.ug
Australia's highest reported CEO salary peaked at $33.5 million before the GFC, fell to $11.8 million in 2011 and bounced back to $21.6 million in 2017.

A new report that analyses data from Australia's top 100 companies shows that the average chief executive pay dropped from $5.5 million before the GFC to $4.7 million in 2011. But it has steadily crept back to $5.2 million.

The average top chief executive in Australia is earning $5.2 million, a figure not seen since before the global financial crisis. It comes as wage growth remains stagnant for most workers.

The report has found that while average earnings have less than doubled since 2000, the pay packets of executives at National Australia Bank and the Commonwealth Bank have more than tripled.

The report is being released to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Bear Stearns, the fifth largest investment bank in the US, which had some of the world's highest paid executives.

Report author David Richardson, a senior research fellow at left-wing think tank the Australia Institute, will on Thursday release the report, which analyses executive pay in Australia 10 years on from the GFC.

"These salaries dropped substantially during the GFC, but Australia is currently going through another surge in CEO pay, particularly in larger companies, heading back towards GFC levels," Mr Richardson said.

"The lesson of the GFC should be that the surge in executive pay was not only unwarranted but dangerous where it accompanied a high-risk culture among some of the world's biggest financial institutions."
Gina Rinehart-backed Lakes Oil faced off with the Victorian government in court on Wednesday as it fights against the states ban on gas exploration.

The company has been in limbo since 2014 when the Victorian government called a moratorium on all onshore gas exploration until 2020.

Lakes Oil has carried out legal action to re-open Victoria to gas exploration and production.

Lakes Oil initiated legal action in 2016, waging an almost $3 billion battle, to fight the ban.

It has the backing of major shareholder Gina Rinehart through her business Timeview Enterprises, which holds about 13.75 per cent of Lakes Oil, while Ian Plimer - a director on Gina Rinehart's Roy Hill mining company and a noted climate change sceptic - also serves on oil junior's board.
Within two weeks the fate of one of Australias oldest retailers, Oroton, will be decided but it is safe to say the top end handbag and accessories chain appears to have been saved.

In the end it was not a voluntary administrator, or its largest creditor and would-be owner Will Vicars that determined its fate. It is a bunch of retail landlords that have worked out that taking a haircut on rent is safer than the risk of finding a new tenant to occupy almost 60 stores.

The top end handbag and accessories chain appears to have been saved. Credit:Nic Walker

While the uber landlords like the big real estate investment trusts insist they wont engage in bargaining with tenants and will simply replace them with another retailer, the extent to which these words are realistic or bravado remains to be seen.

This week the chief executive of Scentre, Peter Allen - the owner of Westfield Malls in Australia - briefed media with fighting words.
Recently the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling of High court judge Lydia Mugambe nullifying the election of NRMs Nathan Igeme Nabeta as MP for Jinja Municipality East.

However, unlike the High court that declared Forum for Democratic Changes (FDC) Paul Mwiru as the duly elected MP, the appeals court ordered a by-election. For the last three weeks, candidates have been canvassing votes in the constituency and tomorrow, Thursday, the people will decide who their MP will be. Baker Batte Lule spoke to Mwiru, Nabetas main challenger.

Paul Mwiru

What do you make of the Court of Appeal ruling?

The judgement, despite its half justice provisioning, redeemed the power of the people. They had elected a different person but because of the impunity of the state another candidate was declared winner.

Reclaiming the peoples power to get back their mandate must be exercised given the conduct of someone [Nabeta] who was imposed on them and how he has performed. For me, it was largely a success for the people of Jinja Municipality East constituency.

What were your misgivings about the judgement?

I went to court challenging the declaration of results using falsified declaration of results forms. I was in possession of the correct DR forms. The High court agreed with me and even the Court of Appeal agreed with me that actually the DR form used to declare Nabeta winner was a falsified form.

Their form had more people than those who voted for the woman representative and the president in an election that took place on the same day. The court agreed with me that it was farfetched that there could be an excess of almost 300 voters.

So, for court to say that the results of one polling station would affect the results of other polling stations that were not in issue, the least I can say is that the court arrived at a wrong conclusion. Thats where I have an issue. But by and large, I respect the decision of court.



Does it bother you that there are cases where court is presented with similar facts but arrives at different conclusions?

My case was about numbers and the numbers were favouring me. In my case, they dealt with the law properly; its only in the conclusion that they brought in politics of Uganda today. I think that area must be corrected. Otherwise, for the future readers of those judgements, and even the judges who make such judgments, cannot call it full justice.



Almost all cases which the Court of Appeal decided were dismissed. Did this ruling surprise you?

I was confident for the sole reason that mine was about numbers. I was saying I won. This meant that the court had to pronounce itself on who actually won. They had two options; to either declare me winner or the other person. In all our pleadings, nobody prayed for a by-election.



Are you confident about returning as Jinja Municipality East MP?

There has been abuse of trust. Our people in Jinja Municipality East are concerned that when it came to the constitutional amendment [on presidential age limits] Nabeta misrepresented facts; he claimed that people told him to support the amendment to scrap age limits.

He also said that people supported the extension of parliament from five to seven years, which was a lie. The number of votes that will be cast will determine whether people supported the amendment or there was an abuse of their trust. With what I have seen and heard [on the campaign trail], Im confident the people will speak loudly that they never supported the amendment.

My situation is very different; its about abuse of peoples power, misrepresentation of facts. Actually, when I have been consulting, people were saying what is going to happen is more of a referendum to determine whether people supported the amendment or not.

Even during the previous two terms [Nabeta] has been in parliament, he has misrepresented them. Therefore, its going to be a question of honest leadership versus dictatorship.



The election is coming almost three months after the constitutional amendments yet Ugandans are known to move on very quickly

Those are Ugandans in other areas but those of Jinja Municipality East, I have ably explained to them what is at stake and they have perceived the message rightly.



The by-election is [tomorrow]; how do you assess the ground?

The ground is very responsive to my campaign message; the voters have rightly perceived it that a vote for me is a vote for Uganda. And a vote for any of my opponents is a vote against Uganda because I represent the values for which society stands and they look at me as a ray of hope; to send a message to government that the people power needs to be restored.

The people had their power that was taken away from them and this seems to be the culture yet the constitution says power belongs to the people. In my campaigns, I have been talking about the roles of a member of parliament, which is legislation, representation, oversight and appropriation.

But the public seems to want to use this election as a precursor to protecting their power and once they have achieved that, I think I can say, Im home and dry.



You have complained about ghost voters on the voters register and you appealed to the Electoral Commission. How are they responding?

Its true I had issues with the voters register and I made it known to the Electoral Commission. They have given us the register already and my technical team is doing an analysis; so, I will comment on that after they have finished their work.



Youve also complained about police arresting some of your supporters

We were trying to move on with police well until they abandoned the way they are supposed to do their work according to the law. That is where I have had issues with them. I talked to the new inspector general of police [Okoth Ochola] and he gave me assurances that under his reign, he will follow the law.

Actually the people who have been arrested, he ordered that they are given bond because its their constitutional right and they have been released. I want to say that with the intervention of the new IGP, I think we are on the right course.



I have seen you moving door-to-door canvassing votes. Is it the most effective way of campaigning?

I have been doing door-to-door campaigning just to close the gaps because I have already done many major rallies; so, I wanted to reach out to the people directly.



We have seen the whole FDC brass here. Before this by-election, there was a sharp divide between those who supported Major General Mugisha Muntu and those who supported Patrick Amuriat for FDC leader. Does this mean you have moved on as a party?

The divide in FDC was imaginary; just in the heads of the journalists. I have seen you propping it up. I know there is only one party and we made it categorically clear that the leadership of the party wasnt an issue but there were issues that we thought we should discuss internally within the party. But that wouldnt hinder the party from going on.



I have heard allegations of money changing hands to try and influence the election.

Im not scared at all. I have made people understand that its me giving them the money. Before I brought this by-election, no one was giving money to people. People also know that money can buy food, clothes, etc but it cannot buy their hearts.



Can you predict by what percentage you expect to win?

Im very sure just like day follows night that I will win. The support that people have given me is overwhelming. I have no doubt in my mind that this will be a landslide victory. I can comfortably say that winning will be as easy as cutting through butter because of the hard work.

I think I will win with about 80 percent and leave the 20 to other candidates. There are many fringe candidates who were brought by the NRM to try and divide the vote but I think society will place them in their rightful positions in this contest.



bakerbatte@observer.ug
The last rites are being read over the carcass of the woeful beast that was the Murray Goulburn investment vehicle.

The explanatory memorandum was released on Wednesday which recommended investors accept the 80 per share takeover bid from the Canucks from Saputo.

These are the same investors who flooded in a few years back with $500 million cash - which gave them shares at $2.10 each, but no voting rights.

Illustration: John Shakespeare Credit:

I acknowledge and appreciate that there is some disappointment among many of our shareholders with the commercial position that MG is currently in, said the companys chairman John Spark.

He was appointed last year to shut the gate after the prize cow had well and truly bolted.

Spark warned investors that faced the prospect of substantial loss of value in the near term and risk the viability of the business in the medium term unless they agreed to inject a substantial amount of cash into the business.

Given that Sparksie is the former head of insolvency and turnaround firm Ferrier Hodgson, that should have given everyone pause for thought.

The Independent Expert Grant Samuel was even more explicit: There would be a real prospect of further milk losses taking Murray Goulburn past a tipping point that would precipitate loss of financier support and wholesale destruction of equity value.
My university graduation was looming over my head when I sought and secured an internship last year at a boutique book publisher in Melbourne.

At one point, I was stationed next to a Year 10 student on work experience. She was in casual clothes  a fun part of missing classes for work experience  and was unsure how to pronounce Bronte sisters.

In Victoria, Year 10 students receive a small payment for every day of their placement that often just covers the cost of their transport (although teenagers in NSW are not so lucky). So my young neighbour was paid to learn about the myriad jobs in publishing and bookselling.

Students who need experience to get a job are vulnerable to exploitation. Credit:Nic Walker

But I wasnt. I had spent two years studying professional writing and literature, and yet I proofread, marketed and assisted at events for nothing.
Catching Thunder

Eskil Engdal & Kjetil Saeter

Catching Thunder. By Eskil Engdal & Kjetil Saeter.

Scribe, $32.99

This is a modern pirate story, but the plunder isn't pieces of eight  it's the Patagonian Toothfish, as valuable as narcotics. The pirate ship, the eponymous Thunder, was one of a number specialising in the illegal, million-dollar trawling of endangered species. In December 2014 Swedish-American Peter Hammarstedt set out on the Bob Barker to catch the Thunder, which was also wanted by Interpol. Easier said than done: oceans are vast, ships tiny. Six months later, in a journey that had taken them from the Antarctic to the tropics, Hammarstedt and his volunteer crew were shadowing their prey, in scenes reminiscent of Coleridge, when the sinking Thunder sent out a Mayday call. Today it lies 3000 metres below. A solid piece of collaborative journalism, it's just one tale about the oceans of unregulated, pirate waters.
Only Child

Rhiannon Navin

Only Child. By Rhiannon Navin.

Mantle, $29.99

School shootings came to prominence in US fiction in the early 2000s, in the wake of the Columbine massacre. Novels from Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin to D.B.C. Pierre's Vernon God Little fruitfully probed such darkness. Given the numbing regularity of such events since then  the latest outrage at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida last month  it's surprising there aren't more books in this vein. Rhiannon Navin's Only Child is told by Zachary, just six when a gunman rampages through his school, killing his older brother (and tormentor) and changing his family forever. While Navin creates a credible narrative voice for her young survivor, the novel feels like an evasion, sidestepping the political in favour of sentiment inapt to the enormity of its subject.
Operation Caesar

Garance Le Caisne

Operation Cesar. By Garance le Caisne.

Polity, $33.95

In January 2014 a group of foreign affairs representatives (including John Kerry) gathered in Paris and watched a deathly slideshow of the tortured, mutilated victims of the Assad regime. All documented and meticulously classified. Fifty-three thousand shots had been smuggled out of Syria by a former Syrian military photographer: codename, for his own safety, "Caesar". Garance Le Caisne, a French journalist, interviewed him on numerous occasions, and the result is a deeply disturbing archive of brutal, state murder. In Syria, Caesar helped families identify loved ones from photos; wives and mothers fainting in front of him. Risking his own life he copied the photos so the world could see. Much of the book is the transcript of Caisne's interviews: Caesar calm, reserved, "scarcely aware of the heroic nature of the operation he had embarked upon".
"Shaun speaks not only to people who have autism, or are close to those who do, but to anyone who feels somewhat different, or feels like society has maybe not dealt them a fair hand, or that they've been discriminated against in the work place. He speaks to people who feel that they haven't had their fair shot in life, or their chance to shine."

So what's the key to its broad and trend-busting appeal? "I think there's something about Shaun's optimism and hopefulness that has resonated with people," says Highmore. "He always sees the good in people and has a positive view of humanity and the human condition in a time when there's so much negativity.

But, for Highmore, the news that the hospital series in which he stars and on which he also works as a producer would continue did not exactly come as a surprise. The most successful series launched by a US broadcast network last year, The Good Doctor charts the trials and triumphs of Dr Shaun Murphy, a surgical resident at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital who is autistic and has savant syndrome. It was the ABC's most-watched program in 13 years. And it travels well: in Australia, the series' breakout popularity is credited with reviving hope for the possibilities for imported drama on free-to-air networks, as well as boosting Channel Seven's primary channel sufficiently to enable it to claim a slim win in the ratings for 2017.

Freddie Highmore had just arrived for a three-day promotional tour in Sydney when the announcement came that The Good Doctor had been renewed for a second season by America's ABC network.

The series opened with the young doctor moving from his hometown in Wyoming to a big-city hospital under the protective eye of his mentor, hospital president Dr Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff). The shift launched him into a scenario that bears striking similarities to that of the hit series House, which is no great surprise given that David Shore created both. Though The Good Doctor was originally inspired by a Korean TV series, like House, it features a racy pace, a perpetual sense of urgency and a procession of complicated and sometimes confounding cases. There's also a competitive group of doctors making up its workplace family and, at its heart, a brilliant diagnostician who struggles with social interaction and communication. In The Good Doctor, the compassion and emotional intelligence in the multicultural medical team is supplied by Shaun's fellow surgical resident, Dr Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas).

Shaun doesn't have Gregory House's irascibility: he's more gently curious and never judgmental. His abruptness is disarming and unwitting. "He has a knack for cutting through the facades that people put up and going directly to the point in his line of questioning," says Highmore. "He's incredibly perceptive."

Highmore notes that the first season charted Shaun's struggle for independence  moving away from home, sorting out his relationship with Glassman  and his learning about whom he can trust.

Highmore plays his character with his eyes darting around or fixed on the middle distance when he speaks, often avoiding eye contact with his colleagues and patients. He also clasps his hands together almost protectively in front of his stomach. He says that he adopted that stance because "sometimes people who have autism are thought to keep their hands in that position to control certain movements. But also it came from a desire to connect more to Shaun's emotional journey, him being ready for surgery, because that's how surgeons hold their hands in an operating theatre because only the upper part of the body is considered sterile."

Highmore was offered the plum role as he finished work on Bates Motel after five seasons. So, instead of killing people as Norman Bates, he now works at saving them. The 26-year-old Londoner, who started acting in films at the age of seven, says he welcomed the change. "As an actor, you want to push yourself and challenge yourself with things that are new and different to those you've played before. You don't want to play the same roles again and again."
The rest of us should remain aware that the water that surrounds us  and is us  is also a finite resource. One which venal agribusinesses and rapacious global corporate entities would love to own and make us pay increasingly high prices for  like energy  as populations soar and potable water supplies dwindle.

They'll enjoy this one in Cape Town as the last precious drops of water evaporate and the provincial government's sullied credibility goes down the gurgler.

Viewers who recall Roland Joffe's (1986) film, The Mission, will recall one of its central themes was a deliberation by Catholic hierarchy in Spain to determine whether indigenous tribes qualified as human beings with a God-given right to life and their culture or were adjudged to be a lower form of life  the latter designation allowing them to become a resource for Portuguese slave traders.

Exploitation of Third World treasure troves in the name of religion is one thing but is exploitation in the name of art really any different?

So off we go to Bolivia where a film crew is shooting a historical drama about Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World to initiate a New World Order.

Hypocrisy is seldom the pathway to redemption but the film's tight-fisted producer, Costa (Luis Tosar from Miami Vice), is in dire need of a conscience as he screws the locals while preaching the virtue of providing well-paid work  a per diem of $2 for unskilled labourers and extras.

Human muscle is cheaper than a crane when it comes to erecting a huge crucifix as a symbol of Columbus' genocidal work in the name of Christianity.
This handsome, ambitious drama series traces the long and bloody road to the September 11 terrorist attacks from the perspectives of those in the CIA and FBI whose job it was to prevent such atrocities.

From the outset it seems clear who the baddies are supposed to be.

There's Osama bin Laden, of course, and then there's the CIA, which would later attract much criticism for withholding from the FBI information that might have foiled the attacks.

Most of the main characters are based on real people. Foremost among them in terms of speechifying from up on the moral high ground is the FBI's top Bin Laden hunter, John P. O'Neill (Jeff Daniels, bringing across a fair bit of his character from The Newsroom).

O'Neill's chief adversary is a cagey composite CIA man (Peter Sarsgaard), who comes off a bit odious but does get a chance to explain his rationale.
But in Berlin's gangster-run underbelly there lives a singularly soulful kind of soul  a towering, mute Amish nightclub barman named Leo (Alexander Skarsgard).

Duncan Jones' memorably disturbing sci-fi noir takes place in Berlin, in one of those gritty, neon-lit near-futures where even the flying cars look dirty, and where the US is headed back to war in Afghanistan.

He has a tender relationship with a waitress named Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh) but she has a secret, and when she disappears he must embark on a silent, fateful search for her.

Leo is destined to cross paths with one Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd), an aggressively prickly American military medic who has gone AWOL and makes a comfortable living pulling bullets out of Russian gangsters.

Leo will also run into Bill's unpleasant old comrade, Duck (Justin Theroux, providing Rudd with a perfect foil that has some unexpected layers).

Writer-director Jones is well at home in the genre  having previously made Moon and Source Code  but the future technology in Mute provides little more than interesting ornamentation.

The meat of the film is in more timeless aspects of human nature.
Great British Royal Ships

SBS, 7.35pm

The Royal Yacht Britannia, now decommissioned. Credit:Associated Press Photo

Ever wanted to know about the Queen's preferences regarding soft furnishings? No? Well, tune in for this and more minutiae about domestic arrangements aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia, the now decommissioned floating palace on which Her Maj and family sailed the seas from 1954 until 1997. The vessel's 220 yachtsmen wore white gym shoes, lest they blemish its polished wooden deck or  worse  make a noise that could be heard in the royal quarters below. Host Rob Bell winches his face into a portrait of fascination as he receives these facts from a former crewman. You mean the Queen actually sat in that chair? And one time she actually spoke to you? We move from the floral upholstery of the royal sun room to the crew's sleeping quarters, where fully-grown men would kip in bunks three rows deep, lining the walls of rooms so narrow that sleepers on opposite sides could reach out and brush fingers. The documentary notes that by the time it was decommissioned, Britannia was seen by some as an expensive symbol of elitism and excess. But a hoary historian assures us the cost was justified by its role in foreign policy and trade promotion. This could well be so, but we spend more time hearing about toilet paper and tea.

Louise Schwartzkoff
The National Drug Authority (NDA) is investigating how eight private hospitals and clinics came to sell counterfeit hepatitis B vaccines in Mbarara, Kampala and Mbale.

As inquiries proceed, the authority has asked the public to remain calm awaiting further advice. Amos Atumanya, the NDA regulatory officer who led the three-week preliminary investigation, told journalists yesterday that the fake vaccines are allegedly manufactured by the Serum Institute of India.

NDA director, product safety, Hellen Ndagije (R) displays some of the fake vaccines as NDAs regulatory officer Amos Atumanya looks on

We got our first complaint from Mbarara. This person got the fake labels on Mbarara street and was able to inform our regional office, Atumanya told journalists at NDA offices in Kampala. From that tip, we investigated hepatitis B vaccines used within Mbarara and when we found initial information, we expanded it to other parts of the country.

More counterfeits were then seized at immunization camps in Mbale central market that were being run by suspicious individuals, and another by Sanyu Medical Centre in Katabi, Entebbe.

Affected health facilities are UMC Victoria hospital Bukoto; Mbarara Community hospital, Devine Mercy, Mayanja Memorial hospital, Family Doctors clinic Ntungamo, Mbarara City clinic, Malcom Health Care Kisaasi and Kampala Medical Chambers along Buganda road.

Hellen Ndagije, the NDA director product safety, said the investigating team first operated under cover.

At first, we thought it was something small in Mbarara but later agreed to move elsewhere, and as well inform the media about these hospitals and clinics, Ndagije said.

This vaccine is administered to immunise against hepatitis B, a deadly virus that causes potentially fatal liver disease and inflammation of the liver. Health ministry figures show that more than 3.5 million Ugandans are living with chronic hepatitis B infection.

From the 2005 screening across the country, the highest prevalence was recorded in Karamoja (23.9%); West Nile (18.5%), and Western region (10.0%). Lowest incidence was in Central (6%) and South Western (3.8%).

There are various types of hepatitis viruses; A, B, C, D and E but B is the most prevalent in Uganda. Several hepatitis B vaccine brands are approved for supply in Uganda from various manufacturers, including Serum Institute of India.

The Serum brand, according to Ndagije, is available in only two registered pack sizes; 1ml ampoules and 10ml multi-dose vials. Norvik Enterprises Ltd located along Bombo road in Kampala are the only approved importer.

The 1ml pack supplied to private concerns can be identified by a white label with two green bands, while the 10ml vial to government facilities is identified by a white label with two purple bands at the top and bottom parts of the labels, respectively.

The government vaccines also bear the words: Government of Uganda, Not for Sale.

Ndagije explained that the genuine 10ml vial also has batch numbers, manufacturing and expiry dates with a shelf life of three years.

Some of the fake vaccines were found with no manufacturing dates while others had four-year expiry dates. In other cases, the shelf life showed two years and below instead of three years, Ndagije said, adding that markings on the vial would also easily be rubbed off.

All facilities found with fake vaccines had bought from unlicensed dealers with fake addresses on invoices/receipts. UMC Victoria hospitals head of marketing, Mukesh Meharwal, yesterday declined to comment but gave his phone to another male staff.

UMC doesnt deal with fake drugs and suppliers. It is true we were found with the 10ml vial [meant for government facilities] and the 1ml. But when a person comes, we use the 1ml and only use the 10ml in medical camps, the unidentified staffer said.

Later in the evening, the hospitals chief medical officer, Dr Edrin Jjuuko, issued a statement to assure the public that all drugs, vaccines inclusive that are used by UMC Victoria hospital are authentic and approved by the relevant authorities.



In regards to hepatitis B, we have administered the same to many people and a wrong vaccine would cause a negative reaction in the body.



We have parameters for testing the effectiveness of the vaccine and ascertain whether the vaccine really indeed worked or not. For hepatitis B, we do anti-HBs which if greater than 10mIU/ml will indicate immunity. We are, therefore, open to receiving any one that would like to get assurance in this regard.

Yesterday, Ndagije appealed to all private health facilities stocking the 10ml multi-dose vials manufactured by Serum to immediately stop using them and take them to the nearest NDA office from where they will be collected for testing.

People that have been vaccinated from the affected facilities need to stay calm until we give our final results. But if we find that all the three doses were counterfeit, you will have to repeat the cycle again, she said.

nangonzi@observer.ug
pay The Spymasters: CIA in the Crosshairs

History, 11.30am

Sacha Horler stars as Victoria ''Sando'' Sandringham, the alcoholic alpha-CEO of a chain of furniture discount stores, in Sando. Credit:ABC

A fascinating feature-length documentary in which all 12 CIA directors alive at the time of filming, along with other senior agency veterans, give their unvarnished opinions on the events and controversies involving the agency over the past 25 years. Those opinions are sharply and bitterly divided over the use of torture (or, as some insist on calling it, "enhanced interrogation techniques") on suspected terrorists under President George W. Bush. Another division involves the militarisation of the CIA  the use of armed drones gives the civilian agency a military capability outside the US military chain of command, and enables US presidents to carry out extrajudicial executions of American citizens practically anywhere in the world. Filmmakers Gedeon and Jules Naudet leave the viewer in little doubt that the men whose decisions are under scrutiny did feel the weight of their responsibilities. Essential companion viewing for anyone watching The Looming Tower.

Brad Newsome
The number of hours of subsidised care families can access will be determined by an activity test, including paid work (including parental leave), approved study or training, unpaid work in a family business, self-employment, looking for work, volunteering, and other activities on a case-by-case basis. There's been criticism that the emphasis on how parents spend their time will impede access to early childhood education for kids in disadvantaged families. The government's response is that there'll be exemptions for parents who legitimately cannot meet the requirements. They've also funded a "safety net" for families where childcare will boost children's safety and wellbeing or grandparents are the main carers, for example. Many will welcome the abolition of the annual cap for many families  currently Child Care Rebate is limited to $7613 a year for each child. That doesn't go far if your child needs more than one or two days a week or if you live in a big city where childcare rates are up to $150 a day. Under the new system, families earning $185,710 or less will have no cap on the amount of Child Care Subsidy they receive. Families earning above that threshold but below $350,000 will be capped at $10,000 a year. However, there's now an hourly cap on the subsidy: $11.55 an hour for centre-based care, $10.70 for family day care and $10.10 for out-of-school-hours care.

The subsidy will be paid directly to childcare providers to pass on in the form of reduced fees, rather than directly to families. If you want to find out how much subsidy you'll get, there's a handy calculator at education.gov.au/childcare. It's pretty easy to use on both desktop and mobile, and it doesn't record your personal details so you can have a play around with it and figure out how a change in circumstances would affect your payments. I won't share my own details but I ran through a couple of fictional scenarios. Case study 1: Ash and Sarah have a daughter called Molly, age 4. Sarah is working full-time, while Ash is spending 8 hours a week in approved activity. Molly is attending a preschool program three days a week at a long daycare centre to prepare her for school in 2019. The family income is $60,000 total. This family is actually worse off under the new rules. Under the old system, the family received $460 a fortnight of which $260 was Child Care Rebate. Under the new system they'll get just $350 a fortnight. The family is no longer subject to the annual cap of $7613 for Child Care Rebate  but this makes little difference to them because the current level of rebate is less than that.

If Ash did double the amount approved activity i.e.16 hours a week but the household income stayed the same, the scenario would change dramatically. In that case, the family would be eligible for $530 a fortnight, compared with $470 a fortnight under the current system. If the work activity is low because Ash is the stay-at-home parent to a younger child not yet in formal care, I guess the family could try applying for an exemption. I don't know what the ruling would be on that. Case study 2: Aram and Haneen have a household income of $100,000. They own a restaurant and Haneen is working four days a week. They have two children in long daycare, where the daily rate is $130 a day for up to 10 hours of care. The couple will be eligible for subsidy of $1220 a fortnight, with no cap. Under the old system they were eligible for $1040 a fortnight  $580 of that was rebate, which just squeaked under the annual cap. Case study 3: Su-Lin is a marketing executive at a bank and Michael is a registered nurse. Both work full-time and the household income is $215,000. The couple has a nine-year-old, a seven-year-old and a four-year-old. They use a nanny twice a week, but the four-year-old goes to a preschool program at long daycare three days a week and on those days the older children go to after-school care. In their area, daycare is $150 a day for up to 10 hours, while after-school care is $30 a day for 3 hours. This family sees an increase, from $470 a fortnight now to $530 a fortnight from next July. The annual cap increases to $10,000 for each child, though this doesn't make much difference now that two of the three kids are at school.
A few months ago I was having dinner at home with my family when the doorbell rang.

I opened the front door and there was a woman fundraising for a charity. I listened to her pitch but politely declined to sign up for a regular donation, and she went on her way.

Donating good-quality used goods is another way to help charity. Credit:Jay Cronan

I went back inside and explained what happened to my husband and my mother, who was visiting. It was a good cause, I said, but I wouldn't sign up to a direct debit via face-to-face fundraising. This prompted some friendly debate about the most effective ways for charities to fundraise and individuals to give.

My reasoning was that I preferred to do my own research into charities, rather than commit on the spot. I also believed that more of my money would reach the cause if I donated proactively and directly to the charity, so they didn't have to pay fees or commissions to paid fundraising agents.
His photographs in this exhibition are of the most dispossessed and disadvantaged people living in the poorest countries of the world. Each black-and-white photograph is accompanied by a lengthy narrative panel explaining the circumstances of his subjects and, quite frequently, ending with some pronouncement about the death of the subjects sometime after the photograph was taken. One aim of the series was to document the progress of the eight "Millennium Development Goals" set by the United Nations to eradicate poverty by 2015. The images may be deliberately painful on the eye in their exposure of extreme tragedy, but, when viewed collectively, I noticed within myself a process of de-sensitising and the overwhelming feeling of extreme helplessness.

The Australian photographer Zahalka belongs to the same generation as Danziger and has been responsible for multi-layered photographs, some of which quote earlier traditions in Australian visual culture and have become iconic images in their own right. Frequently she makes clever and ironic images realised as archival pigment prints on a large scale in panoramic format. Of all of the exhibitors, Zahalka is gifted with a sense of humour and her images in this exhibition, including Derrida Lecture (1999), Open Air Cinema (1999) and Star City Casino (after Breughel) (1999), are arresting in their conception, brilliant in their technical realisation and memorable in the splendour of their conceit.

If Zahalka's images operate on a cerebral level, the American-born and trained photographer Stephenson, who is of the same generation as Danziger and Zahalka and who has lived in Tasmania since 1982, seduces the viewer on a more emotive and spiritual level. Possibly best remembered as an environmental photographer and video artist, his main photographs in this exhibition are huge sprawling aerial panoramas of cityscapes shown at night with their multiplicity of pretty coloured lights. Although there are properties of awe and the sublime and you can pick out the familiar topography of Melbourne or Shanghai, there is a certain sameness and unreality of these artificial spectacles viewed from the sky. His collaborative video installation with Martin Walch on the Derwent, titled Watershed (2017), is anchored closer to earth and in a multifaceted manner explores the rocky interrelationship between man and nature.

The most senior photographer in the show, Fairskye from Sydney, like most of the other participants in this exhibition, combines in her practice photography with video installations and occasional performances. She was a frequent exhibitor at the now defunct Still Gallery in Sydney and has a reputation for inventive, experimental photography that generally engages with an urban environment and many of the burning social, political and environmental issues of the day. At the Drill Hall exhibition, many of her images relate to sites that were used for nuclear testing or remembered for accidents with nuclear reactors. The contrast between tranquillity found in nature and the implied violation of this tranquillity through human intervention creates a tension in the images as well as a strange eerie stillness.

Hamlet's lament "the world is out of joint" runs throughout the exhibition and is explored to some extent by each of the artists. Alas, Hamlet's challenge, "O cursed spite that ever I was born to set it right"  in other words, to make sense of the world  no longer appears achievable. We have entered an age of incommensurability.
Teacher and parent groups have welcomed the ACT's answer to the Safe Schools initiative as an important step in making Canberra schools more inclusive of gender and sexuality diverse students.

Information on the government-funded ACT Safe and Inclusive Schools Initiative will be released publicly for the first time on Thursday.

A supporter of the Safe Schools program at a protest against it at Civic Square in August 2016. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Among the the program's four objectives is to build the capacity of ACT schools to support and "actively include" same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students, staff and families.

According to information sheets, targeted variously at teachers, parents and secondary school students, the initiative will link schools with a range of supports upon the request of each campus's leadership team.
The head of an Australian delegation that will visit East Timor on polling day has called for a calm and fair process.

Northern Territory MP David Tollner will lead the official Australian parliamentary group, which will arrive in East Timor on April 7, two days before the nation's first presidential poll since the country was granted independence from Indonesia in 2002.

Also in the group is Queensland Senator Claire Moore and officials from the Australian Electoral Commission and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Recent campaigning has deteriorated into occasional violence in Dili, with police firing warning shots and tear gas to disperse fighting between supporters of rival political parties across the capital.

As most of the eight candidates vying to become president in next Monday's poll wound up their election campaigns ahead of the Easter break, Mr Tollner on Thursday said it was important that voting was conducted in a democratic manner.
As senior stylist for Chrysler Australia, Brian Smyth was the major figure behind the design of the legendary Valiant Charger. Produced in Adelaide for eight years, the Charger became a classic collector's item, and was the Wheels Car of the Year in 1972.

Smyth, who has died in Adelaide aged 86, went on to be a leading figure in Australian design for many years. His private practice produced an amazing range of diverse and award-winning products across a wide spread of industries.

Brian Smyth.

Smyth was born in Adelaide on December 18, 1931. In his early years he attended Footscray Primary School in Victoria and Rose Park Primary School in South Australia. His secondary schooling was at Norwood Technical High School, where he was a house vice-captain and prefect.

He went straight from his Leaving Certificate at school to join Chrysler Australia as a draftsman in 1949. In 1953 he became assistant supervisor, aircraft tool template maker for the Jindivic Pilotless Aircraft.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.

George Pell's lawyer has claimed that Broken Rites, a support group for sex abuse victims, was first to raise the name Pell with one of the cardinal's accusers, before a report was made to police.

Not long after the door to court 22 at Melbourne Magistrates Court was opened to the public after six days of evidence behind closed doors, defence counsel Robert Richter, QC, suggested it was a Broken Rites volunteer who gave the name Pell to a complainant. The volunteer had discussed an allegation of a historic sexual offence with the accuser in 2015.

But retired academic Bernard Barrett,who has worked for the support group for 25 years, told the court it was the accuser who first raised Cardinal Pell's name, not him.

As Mr Richter questioned Dr Barrett, the defence lawyer told magistrate Belinda Wallington: "We are suggesting he [Dr Barrett] provided the name Pell [to the complainant]."
The NSW rockmelon grower linked to a fatal listeria outbreak in Australia has been revealed as Rombola Family Farms in the Riverina region.

The NSW Food Authority said it was working with the business in Nericon, near Griffith in south-western NSW, to determine the exact cause of the outbreak.

Seventeen elderly people across the country have been affected, and two Victorians and two people from NSW have died.

"The Food Authority is now working with Rombola Family Farms in an effort to support the business and the wider rockmelon industry as it works to recover from the impact of the outbreak," it said in a statement on Tuesday.
Oskar Groening, an unassuming onetime corporal in Hitler's Waffen SS who became known as the bookkeeper of Auschwitz, one of the very last Germans to face war-crime charges arising from the Holocaust, has died aged 96.

Hans Holtermann, a lawyer for Groening, told the German public broadcaster NDR on Monday that his client died late last week, giving no further details. Holtermann also sent a letter to the public prosecutor's office in Hannover, said a spokesman. Groening was convicted nearby in Luneburg in 2015.

Oskar Groening leaves the court after the first day of his trial in Lueneburg in 2015. Credit:FABIAN BIMMER

In a case that turned on the tangled interplay of moral responsibility, criminal guilt and the consequences of complicity, Groening, who never rose above the rank of corporal, insisted that he had played no more than a back-office role in the management of funds confiscated from Jews at Auschwitz.

"The essential, almost frightening, point about Oskar Groening is that he is one of the least exceptional human beings you are ever likely to meet," said Laurence Rees, an author and BBC journalist who interviewed him at length in 2005.
Blaise Kamugisha, the national coordinator of crime preventers, a brainchild of the former inspector general of police, has said they shouldnt be disbanded simply because Gen Kale Kayihura was relieved of his duties. Kamugisha spoke to Baker Batte Lule on Monday in Naguru. Excerpts:-

Blaise Kamugisha, the national coordinator of crime preventers

How did you become national coordinator of crime preventers?

I was chosen by the national assembly of crime preventers which is constituted by district and sub-county coordinators. What Im doing is what the coordinator at the sub-county is doing. My role is to liaise with the national stakeholders on behalf of crime preventers. I was chosen, I think, in 2014.

What do crime preventers do?

The work is categorised into two; security work, which entails working with police at the local level but we are not stationed at police stations. We serve as an information system that feeds into the police structures.

When there are operations, a police commander may ask for five crime preventers; these operate under that commander. We have also been trying to build the system of neighborhood watch where we do foot patrols.

Its generally bulungi bwansi or ggwanga mujje (voluntary work). If you want to fight crime, you have to look at its root cause. The biggest cause of crime is unemployment and you know majority of crime preventers are young people. You have to engage them economically. We have tried to organise crime preventers into Saccos.

Government cant afford to fund these groups; so, we have tried to engage the private sector.

There is contention about your actual numbers. How many are you?

We are 11 million crime preventers across the country. I have also heard people say how can you mobilise 11 milion people? But like I told you, its a coordination thing from the village to the district.

Initially, each village had 30 crime preventers but afterwards we said each of the 30 should mobilise 10 others and that translates to 300 crime preventers. I know some villages dont have those numbers but for Kampala those are very small numbers.

You realise that 11 million is more than one third of Ugandas population

It might look impossible but we have them. You can mobilise crime preventers within hours without even spending any money.

If we have 11 million crime preventers, why is crime on the rise?

Not all the 11 million people are active; some are not but they are registered. Some are not actively working with the police but they are there. Others dont want to get involved in operations but we have them in the system.

Do you receive any form of training?

We receive basic training. We are trained in ideology. Achievers in society give us inspirational pep talks. These range from public servants to members of the business community. Mentorship is very important.

We also train in self-defence, especially for girls. In case of rape, they should be able to defend themselves. Thats the ideological and physical training we receive. There is training in weapon handling. It is part of the basic training at police training schools like Kabalye.

We have heard stories that some of you are armed

No crime preventer is armed. Armed for what? Those stories are not true.

You said your roles are two; security and economic but we have seen you do NRM work

Yes, its true as a group we believe in the president. If there is any political work to do, we do it. We are civilians who have a right to vote. If there is any candidate who has better ideas, he can also be supported.

But whats wrong is the claim that we have been stationed by the state to be their voting machines. There was no deliberate recruitment of us by the state. It was us who voluntarily organised ourselves to support the state.

But the president returned just above five million votes in 2016. Who did his 11 million crime preventers vote?

You cant know who each crime preventer voted. We believe in our commander-in-chief but like the case is in the UPDF and police, you cant know who has voted whom.

President Museveni inspecting a guard of honour mounted by crime preventers in Mbale

Kayihura funded your activities because he was using you to do his political mobilisation.

I dont think he was doing any political mobilisation for himself.

For the time I have worked with him, I have never heard him say such a thing. Im telling you the truth. I have never heard the IGP say he had political ambition. Im telling you the truth. So, whoever is saying that rubbish has his/her own intentions. Crime preventers work for the president and government.

What is your reaction to the sacking of Kayihura?

The IGP has been supportive of crime preventers and community policing in general. Even after he puts off the uniform, he can probably be a crime preventer. He said so several times.

How did you take his sacking?

We dont question the commander-in-chiefs powers and decisions. He knows why he sacked him. So, for us we are ready to work with whoever he brings.

Police chief political commissar Asan Kasingye has disowned you; he says you reported to the IGPs office directly

That is not true. In the coordination of our work, we work with the political commissar. But you have to also realise that this is a widespread structure. If the IGPs office thought there was work for us to do, he would engage us directly.

What do you say to those calling on the new IGP Okoth Ochola to disband your group?

It cant just be calls to disband; they must provide a better alternative and we discuss it. You have to present reasons why, not relying on political or other emotions.

The president said the police had weevils; are you part of the weevils?

I have not heard of a crime preventer who is in police because we are civilians. There are checks and balances but I cannot say there are no bad elements.

People say you have made a lot of money from this business of crime preventing

Which money? I dont know what makes them draw those conclusions. There has been a wrong interpretation that whoever works with the IGP has money but that thinking is rubbish. People think that there is money attached to this programme yet they dont know that there is a real struggle inside the system.

bakerbatte@observer.ug
Dangerous surf whipped up by ex-Tropical Cyclone Linda has forced the closure of beaches along Queensland's south-east coast.

The Bureau of Meteorology downgraded the category one cyclone to sub-tropical low just before 10am on Wednesday and it was not expected to intensify.

Tropical Cyclone Linda would likely be downgraded to a low-pressure system as it loses strength on Wednesday morning. Credit:EarthWindMap

But the offshore system, which is about 760km north, northeast of Brisbane, is bringing some wild conditions to beaches in the south-east.

Lifeguards have closed all Gold Coast beaches due to hazardous conditions.
A $5 billion defence contract expected to deliver hundreds of full-time jobs will be carried out in Queensland after months of state-versus-state campaigning for the work.

On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will be in Brisbane to award phase two of the Land 400 armoured vehicle contract to Rheinmetall Defence Australia.

The Rheinmetall Boxer CRV at Parliament House. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

After a three-year tender process, the German contractor will build 211 Boxer CRVs at Ipswich, with a future $15 billion deal also on the cards.

Mr Turnbull said Rheinmetall's vehicle was the most capable option on the table, beating a bid from BAE Systems Australia to build the vehicles in Victoria.
A woman has been charged following an incident at a Gold Coast shopping centre where police fired shots at a car.

An off-duty officer spotted what he suspected to be a stolen vehicle in the car park in Upper Coomera on Tuesday afternoon.

Police fired shots at a car they allege was deliberately driven towards two marked police cars. Credit:Queensland Police Service

Police allege the vehicle was then deliberately driven towards two marked police cars, which were subsequently damaged.

Police fired several shots at the car's tyres though no-one was injured.
To see that this is true, imagine an Australia with only half its present population. Would wages be much different? Or imagine an Australia with the population it has now, but cut in two along a line separating Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania from NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Each half would have roughly half Australias present population, but would its wages change much? Illustration: Dionne Gain Credit: The Productivity Commission examined every piece of international evidence it could and found only small (either positive or negative) effects. Its own Australian modelling found only a negligible impact overall, but allowed for the possibility that immigration would make some workers worse off and some better off. Loading In the United States, leading immigration economist George Borjas has found persuasive evidence that its the least skilled who have been made the worst off and the most skilled the best off. But when Australian National University economists Robert Breunig, Nathan Deutscher and Hang Thi To set out to replicate his work in Australia they found no such thing. Which isnt surprising. The US immigration program is skewed towards low-skilled arrivals, while the Australian program is skewed towards the high end.

They examined 40 different skill groups and found no evidence that immigration damaged the labour market outcomes of pre-existing Australians. If anything, there is some evidence for small positive associations, they wrote. It shouldnt be surprising. Migrants bring with them, or make, money, which they use to buy houses, start businesses and educate their children. They employ people. What if we dont want all that activity? What if we want a more peaceful life with fewer traffic jams and shorter commutes? Its a future we would be denying would-be migrants, who often come from places far more crowded than Australia. That there are places worse than Australia suggests that Australia isnt yet populated enough compared with the rest of the world. Anyone who gets out of our cities and looks at our coastline will have to agree.

The "problem" is that immigrants want to settle in cities, and who could blame them? (Although it must be acknowledged that many settled in Western Australia during the mining boom at a time when existing Australians would not). They make our existing cities bigger rather than help us create new ones. Building a new city is hard. Australia has only successfully done it once, in Canberra. But the second-best options arent bad. This months Grattan Institute report says it wouldn't be that hard to build all of the extra homes we will need within our existing cities, so long as we get used to the idea of living closer together. It would bring us benefits. Berlin, Rome and Toronto are each more densely populated than Sydney and Melbourne, and easier to get around. Dense populations can make proper public transport worthwhile. Sydney is leading the way, creating dense corridors along major roads, while leaving the suburbs surrounded by those corridors untouched. Canberra is doing it by stealth. Each ACT suburb has within it randomly distributed "Mr Fluffy" houses, contaminated by loose asbestos. The ACT government has bought each one, demolished it and resold the site on the condition that it can be used for multiple dwellings, whatever the zoning. Every suburb, leafy or not, will get used to denser living. When the existing residents sell, they too will want the right to have their blocks divided.
"You're fired!" Donald Trump said it a lot on his reality television show. He clearly liked the phrase, because he has kept on saying it now his reality television career has morphed into a stranger-than-reality presidency.

The sacking of his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, had been predicted in Washington for some months, although the man himself appeared confident he could hold on. In the end, though, the message was delivered as clumsily as anything this administration has done. According to a State Department spokesman, Mr Tillerson learned about it on Twitter. Whether he did or not is unclear  the spokesman was immediately sacked by the White House.

Revolving door: Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson (left) and President Donald Trump. Credit:Evan Vucci

Observers will probably not be surprised at this behaviour from the most eccentric US president in decades, perhaps ever  but they should not be impressed, either. Whatever his faults  and Rex Tillerson had many domestic critics for undermining US diplomacy by accepting huge cuts to the State Department's budget  this casual flick-off looks like boorish and ungracious treatment of a man who had served his country as best he could and who had steadied the ship of state at a time of great uncertainty.

The world is gradually getting used to the chaotic Trump style. White House sackings, rare and remarkable under other presidents, are the norm now. Yesterday Mr Trump also lost another close aide in John McEntee, his personal assistant, whom CNN reported to be under investigation for "serious financial crimes". He joins a long and growing list of resignations and dismissals.
Melbourne Express, Thursday, March 15, 2018

Were sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later.

Dismiss
An 18-year-old man has been charged over a brawl at McDonald's in Baldivis on Monday night that left a teenager in hospital with stab wounds.

Police spokeswoman Susan Usher said two men had a verbal fight with four other men inside the fast food restaurant on Safety Bay Road about 10.20pm.

A 17-year-old boy came close to death after being stabbed outside McDonald's in Baldivis. Credit:9 News Perth

As the quartet left the store and walked towards Norseman Approach they were followed by the the two men they had an altercation with.

A brawl ensued that saw three people rushed to hospital with injuries.
Two ACT Labor politicians with close ties to the CFMEU and its Tradies Club have rejected concerns of a perceived conflict of interest in their roles on a committee investigating the club's Dickson land swap audit.

The two Legislative Assembly members, Michael Pettersson and Bec Cody, sit on the public accounts committee, which has launched an inquiry into an audit into the tender process surrounding the Club's Dickson land swap with the ACT government.

ACT Labor MLA and CFMEU member Bec Cody has received advice she has no conflict of interest on committee investigating Dickson land deal. Credit:karleen minney

That deal involved the Canberra Tradesmen's Union Club, which is effectively controlled by the CFMEU's ACT branch, exchanging two of its blocks of land Dickson for a government-owned carpark outside the Dickson club.

The deal, The Canberra Times has previously reported, was brokered by long-time CFMEU secretary Dean Hall, who is also the club's chairman, but recently announced plans to resign from the union.
ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher ignored the possibility her bid to renounce UK citizenship could take 74 days or longer by posting her application close to a deadline for candidates to nominate for election, the government has told the High Court.

The court reserved its decision on Wednesday after the Coalition government and the barrister representing Senator Gallagher, former solicitor-general Justin Gleeson, sparred over the limits of section 44 of the Constitution that bars dual citizens from sitting in Parliament.

Katy Gallagher was a UK citizen when nominating for the last election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

A full bench of justices tested and queried arguments from Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue and Mr Gleeson, and an adverse decision for Senator Gallagher could lead to a countback in Labor's ACT Senate seat finding her replacement.

Mr Donaghue told the High Court the Labor senator ignored the possibility her bid to renounce UK citizenship could have remained incomplete before the nomination deadline.
Exxon Mobil will not pay tax until 2021, a Senate inquiry has heard, the eighth year in a row it will not contribute to government revenue despite earning $7 billion last year.

Australia's tax take from natural resources has come under criticism after it was revealed the country would become the largest exporter of gas in the world by 2020 while earning the second lowest share of revenue.

Appearing before a Senate inquiry into corporate tax avoidance on Wednesday, Exxon executives said they had made "a significant contribution to Australias economic wellbeing," and would begin paying about $600 million in tax every year from the early 2020s, once the capital depreciation from their mining investments had wound down.

Tax campaigners rally outside a Senate inquiry into resources. Credit:Justin McManus

The inquiry heard the company spent $3 million on tax advice each year and that it had not transferred a cent to its Dutch parent company in the past decade after recording a series of losses.
Voters going into tomorrows Jinja East by-election will cast their ballot in a poll largely to be determined more by the schisms over presidential age limits, than pressing local matters.



In February, the Court of Appeal upheld a lower courts finding and nullified the election of the ruling partys Nathan Igeme Nabeta on grounds of falsification of results. High Court judge Lydia Mugambe had a few months earlier concluded that Nabeta connived with the Electoral Commission to alter results at Danida A-D polling station in the 2016 general elections.

NRMs Nathan Igeme Nabeta addresses the crowd on the campaign trail

Although there are eight candidates in this fascinating race, the real contest is between Nabeta and Forum for Demo- cratic Changes Paul Mwiru. Other hopefuls are Francis Wakabi, Isabirye Mugendi, Richard Nyanzi, Faisal Mayemba, Paul Mugaya and Christine Monica Abuze.



But as already noted, they come across as footnotes in this story. In previous elections, the electorate here tended to be unduly influenced by whatever inner demons either the NRM or FDC were battling.

In this one, they have been spellbound as the contenders weaved a campaign around the hugely unpopular December 20, 2017 constitutional amendment which made it possible for President Museveni to rule beyond 2021.

Majid Dhikusooka, Jinjas NRM vice chairman, told The Observer that Museveni, knowing the stakes are high, intervened early in the race to help the ruling party side.



The president met the NRM leadership in Jinja and advised them to set aside their differences and focus on the importance of the election given what it means for him.



When we met our national chairperson at the State Lodge in Jinja, he reconciled the warring factions. The take home message was we should not allow the differences to cost our house. We cannot afford to lose any NRM MP who touched the constitution, Dhikusooka said.



The NRM camp in Jinja is split down the middle by a bitter fight over recognition, which led to the emergence of two factions within the leadership. One group is led by Jinja West MP Moses Balyeku while Nabeta leads the other.



However, with the Jinja by-election being the first poll since the age limit bill was muscled through parliament last year, NRM strategists recognised that voters were likely to strike back by throwing Nabeta under the bus.



Nabeta never helped his cause along the way, having voted yes yet his constituents had said no to the bill.

FDCs Paul Mwiru campaigns in Masese

Dhikusooka, it should be noted, defected from Balyekus camp to land a visible position on Nabetas campaign task force. And for him, the harsh reality of national politics cannot be wished away in this race.



There are individuals who stayed away from the vote for fear of being harangued by their constituents when the vote on the bill was made in parliament. But, despite being harassed by the voters during the consultation Nabeta stood his ground, Dhikusooka said.



Both President Museveni and Dr Kizza Besigye have camped in Jinja East to steer their respective camps to victory. In fact, both sides take this election as a pseudo referendum on their own support. Here, during the 2016 presidential elections, Museveni garnered 50.4% (66,063 votes) of the valid votes, while Besigye got 47.7% (61,692 votes)



FDCS GAIN



Mwiru has channelled the anger over that constitutional amendment to his advantage; seeing it as a blessing in disguise. Talking to The Observer days to the by-election, he said the amendment had galvanised all the voices against Museveni and NRM in Jinja East under his candidature.



People are saying that what is going to happen [tomorrow] is more of a referendum to determine whether they supported the amendment or not... The voters have rightly perceived that a vote for me is a vote for Ugandaanda vote for any of my opponents is a vote against Uganda ... Mwiru said.



Mwirus candidature has also helped the party to rally some of its big wigs for a joint cause following a bruising election that saw Patrick Amuriat beat Mugisha Muntu to the FDC leadership.



While Mwiru was a prominent member of the Gen Muntu camp, his campaign has attracted all shades of FDC, including the activist defiance wingers. Keen observers of Jinja East politics say that FDCs internal quarrels, which at one point saw disaffected youths dump piglets on Jinjas streets in protest against Mwiru, partly affected his performance in 2016.



Salaamu Musumba, the FDC national vice chairperson for Eastern Uganda, wherein Jinja East falls, says her defiance colleagues closed ranks with Mwiru for strategic reasons.



I urged my colleagues to put aside our internal differences for the enemy would ride on that to defeat us. Besides, this is an opportunity to make our defiant voice against the constitutional amendment and NRM government clear, Musumba said.



It has been interesting seeing Patrick Oboi Amuriat, the man who replaced Muntu in that ill-tempered contest late last year, vigorously campaign for Mwiru.



Addressing a mammoth crowd last week, he said: Mwiru is needed for purposes of righting the wrongs Igeme has caused to Ugandans. In this struggle, we should think about and promote the spirit of One Uganda One people.



NABETA COST



One-time Democratic Party candidate in Jinja East, Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, headed Nabetas campaign in the last elections. He acknowledges that this vote is tricky.



Jinja is an urban constituency. You cant vote for such an amendment and think that you will get away with it. In fact, some of us and other colleagues in opposition who supported Nabeta have stayed away from him because of that. We are supporting Mwiru, he said.



But while Mwiru is enjoying popular appeal, Mufumbiro maintains he too should not take things for granted.



The NRM strategists have remained calm since their prowess lies in financial resources and security. Since the beginning of this week they have been giving out money as they have been arresting some FDC youths...that is a signal of the outcome.



It is likely to be a closely fought by- election. Since 2006, the gap between eternal opponents Nabeta and Mwiru has been narrowing. In 2006, Nabeta got 6,819 votes against Mwirus 6,127. In 2011, Igeme got 8,203 and Mwiru managed 7,060. In 2012, when a by-election was held, Mwiru defeated Nabeta with 7,715 votes against Nabetas 6,057.



At the last election, the difference between the two was just two votes. The constituency battlegrounds this time are likely to be Allidina, Walukuba and Danida polling stations.



If Mwiru wins, the opposition gains a valuable second parliamentary seat in the vast Busoga sub-region, joining Bugweri countys Abdu Katuntu. If Nabeta wins, NRM gains the bragging rights.



skakaire@observer.ug

bakerbatte@observer.ug
Bill Shorten is fighting a war on two flanks over his $59 billion tax hike on shareholders after the Greens warned it could hurt struggling Australians and vow to use the full power of the Senate to guarantee fairness.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale seized on the issue to escalate his partys campaign in the crucial Batman byelection this Saturday, given estimates that one in five voters in the seat are over the age of 65.

Mr Shorten rushed to appease older Australians who stand to lose annual cash refunds if Labor overhauls the dividend imputation rules, declaring their part-pension will increase but avoiding any detail on how this would happen.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale with the Greens' candidate for Batman, Alex Bhathal. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

With the Coalition vehemently against the theft from shareholders and seniors groups urging Labor to reconsider its reform plan, the Greens are moving to assure older Australians they will be looked after by amendments in the upper house to avoid financial harm to those on low incomes.
Bill Shorten has pledged to compensate up to 250,000 pensioners for any dollar they lose under his $59 billion dividend imputation policy as the Coalition, retirees and seniors groups accuse Labor over a "brutal and cruel" threat to their finances.

The commitment could see part and full pensioners rushing to restructure their investments and move away from shares to pension payments if Labor wins the election early next year, with only eight weeks between the latest date an election can be held in May and the July 1 implementation date of the new policy.

The opposition insists the hit to the budget from pension increase for hundreds of thousands of voters has been fully costed and is included in the $59 billion budget boost, but has refused to release its Parliamentary Budget Office advice, leaving no clarity on how much the pension-subsidy will cost.

"For a person on the part pension they may get some taxpayer funded supplement to their shares - what we're proposing is if they're not getting some extra taxpayer funded bonus for income tax they haven't paid, their part pension will increase," said Mr Shorten.
They are the seat of choice for NSW train passengers.

But the top transport bureaucrats opted for the opposite to reversible seats for the state's fleet of new intercity trains the state government is buying for $2.3 billion.

The intercity trains will have two-by-two fixed seating on their upper and lower decks.

Now internal documents released under freedom of information laws show why the state's lead transport agency chose fixed seats for the new intercity trains despite its own research revealing a strong customer appeal and usage of reversible seating and a perception that fixed seating was a backward step.

While passengers had a general preference for flip seats, a sensitive briefing document for Transport Minister Andrew Constance several months before he awarded the contract for the new trains in 2016 said there is no proven design solution that meets safety requirements.
Manila: Denouncing what he called efforts to paint him as a "heartless violator of human rights," President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that the Philippines was withdrawing from the treaty that established the International Criminal Court.

The Hague-based court said last month it was opening a preliminary inquiry into allegations Duterte and other Philippine officials committed mass murder and crimes against humanity in the course of the crackdown on narcotics. Thousands of people have died at the hands of police officers or unknown gunmen since Duterte took office in 2016 promising to kill drug dealers and addicts.

War on drugs: Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte. Credit:Bloomberg

In a written statement, Duterte accused the court of violating "due process and the presumption of innocence."

"The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes," he said. "Neither is it a crime of aggression or a crime against humanity. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operation lacked the intent to kill." He said the killings by police officers, which police say now number more than 4000, were carried out in self-defense.
LONDON: Facebook says it has banned Britain First from its platform for breaking rules against inciting hatred, blacklisting a far-right group brought to global attention when US President Donald Trump retweeted its anti-Islamic posts.

Facebook said the decision had been made to take down Britain First's Facebook page and those of its leaders, Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen, for repeatedly violating rules designed to stop the incitement of hatred against minority groups.

Jayda Fransen, leader of the fringe British anti-Islam party Britain First.

More than two million people had liked the group's Facebook page.

A fringe party, Britain First shot to the fore last November when Trump sparked outrage in Britain and a sharp rebuke from Prime Minister Theresa May for retweeting British far-right anti-Islam videos.
London: Russian opposition figure Vladimir L Ashurkov breathed a sigh of relief when he fled Moscow for London in 2014. After months of being followed by the Kremlin's intelligence agents, culminating in a televised raid of his apartment, he let his guard down, disappearing into the elegant, polyglot streets of Kensington.

Six months passed before he realised he was still being followed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives his annual state of the nation address in Moscow this month. Credit:AP

An old friend returned from a trip to Russia with unnerving news: In Moscow, security officials had asked detailed questions about a private conversation he had with Ashurkov in a London cafe. As he built his life in London, Ashurkov learned to look for Russian agents reflexively  men in dark suits sitting alone at emigre gatherings, dinner-party acquaintances rumoured to be informants.

"You can't do much about it," he said. "Even after you escape from Moscow to London, you know they have long hands."
Iran seems ever more confident it will achieve its hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East now it controls four capitals. Credit:AFP

Comments made by US President Donald Trump about the sacking of his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson highlighted the fact that while the threat to world peace posed by North Korea has dominated the headlines in recent months, Trump is determinedly focused at least as much on another rogue state, which probably poses an even greater threat in the longer term  Iran.

Trump stated, "When you look at the Iran deal, I thought it was terrible, he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something. He felt a little differently." In fact, Trump had already set a deadline of May 12 to have new international arrangements in place to deal with Iranian rogue behaviour in terms of nuclear and missile proliferation, regional aggression, terrorism and other problems.

The reality is that while North Korea threatens violence, Iran is already instigating or provoking it on considerable scale  in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen and, recently, by flying a drone into Israel from Syria, prompting Israeli reprisals. In fact, most of Israels top military analysts now say it is only matter of time before further violence, probably on a much larger scale, develops between Israel and Iran.

Iran appears ever more confident it will achieve its hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East now that it not only controls four capitals  Damascus, Beirut, Baghdad and Sanaa  but is very close to completing its long-sought land corridor, across Iraq and Syria to the Mediterranean, facilitating its threat to Israel.
During her Senate confirmation, Haspel will be forced to answer unsettling questions about waterboarding and her interactions with detainees. She will probably have to answer whether she would agree to reinstate waterboarding as the President has suggested and whether she believes that torture is an effective way to extract information from terrorism suspects. "I don't envy her trying to get through confirmation," said Robert Eatinger, the former top lawyer in the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. "It's going to be the first chance for senators to have someone intimately involved in the program in front of them to answer questions. I think they'll take full advantage of that opportunity." Senators who were deeply critical of the interrogation program could stand in Haspel's way. Democrat Dianne Feinstein, the former chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, oversaw its investigation into the program. The resulting 2014 report found the program was deeply flawed and those involved portrayed it as more effective than it was, misleading policymakers. The extent of Haspel's role in the program is not known; only the report's executive summary was released, and it obscured the identities of agency operatives. Loading Feinstein has remained silent on whether she would block Haspel's nomination but told reporters on Tuesday that the two women had worked together since Haspel ascended to the CIA's No. 2 post in February 2017.

"Since my concerns were raised over the torture situation, I have met with her extensively, talked with her," Feinstein said. "She has been, I believe, a good deputy director. She seems to have the confidence of the agency, which is good." Senator John McCain, who was held prisoner during the Vietnam War and tortured for 5 years, demanded that Haspel publicly explain her role in the interrogation program. "The torture of detainees in US custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history," he wrote on Twitter. "The Senate must do its job in scrutinising the record and involvement of Gina Haspel in this disgraceful program." Haspel was also embroiled in another dark episode in the CIA's interrogation program. In 2005, Jose Rodriguez, then the head of the agency's clandestine service, ordered the destruction of videotapes of the waterboarding sessions. Haspel, serving as Rodriguez's chief of staff, was a strong advocate for getting rid of the tapes, former CIA officers said.

Years later, when the CIA wanted to name Haspel to run clandestine operations, Feinstein blocked the promotion over Haspel's role in the interrogation program and the destruction of the tapes. Loading Amy Jeffress, a national security aide to former attorney-general Eric Holder who served in London for the Justice Department while Haspel was CIA station chief there, defended her. "She will be criticised for her role in the interrogation program, but my experience from working with her is that she has learned from those mistakes and will be a thoughtful and conscientious leader of the CIA," Jeffress said. Haspel was described former agency operatives and FBI agents who worked with her as apolitical, a tough intelligence professional and direct but collegial. She has successfully managed sometimes difficult relationships with foreign intelligence services and the occasional grumpy FBI agent.

She has succeeded in an agency traditionally dominated by men. After joining the CIA in 1985, she was assigned to the Central European Division. She spent long stretches overseas, including in Turkey and Central Asia, before ascending to station chief in New York, where she was posted when Osama bin Laden was killed and worked closely with the FBI as the agencies combed through files taken from his compound. Haspel has held two of the top three jobs in the clandestine service and twice ran the CIA's station in London, a post made all the more important by the agency's relationship with MI6, the British intelligence service. But her role in fighting terrorism is certain to draw the most scrutiny as her confirmation hearing looms. After the September 11 attacks, the CIA launched a desperate hunt around the globe to find those responsible. In 2002, agency operatives working with Pakistani authorities captured an al-Qaeda suspect, Abu Zubaydah, and ferried him to the CIA prison in Thailand. He was harshly interrogated and waterboarded at least 83 times in one month, sent to the brink of death, revived and questioned over and over. Abu Zubaydah, date and location unknown. Credit:Handout/AP

Haspel arrived to run the prison in late October 2002, after the harsh interrogation of Zubaydah, a former senior CIA official said. In mid-November, another al-Qaeda suspect, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri arrived. Nashiri, accused of bombing the USS Cole, was the man who was waterboarded three times. After the prison closed in early December 2002, former officials said, Haspel returned to the Counterterrorism Center outside Washington as an operations officer. Of the many difficult jobs she has held her career, former agency officials said, running the CIA and managing the President would likely prove to be the hardest. Feinstein said her support would hinge on the outcome of a meeting with Haspel, who contacted Feinstein on Tuesday morning to request one. Feinstein declined to detail what she would ask and what assurances she might seek in exchange for her support of Haspel's confirmation. "There is a difference," Feinstein said, "between the second spot and the top spot."
London: Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, by Twitter, that he has sacked Rex Tillerson as secretary of state. Tillerson's brutal departure may reduce the US administration's divisions on key foreign policy issues, but is unlikely to stop continued flip-flops by the President which reflect the ad-hoc nature of his style of governing, policy inexperience, and contrarian nature.

When Trump moved into the White House, he promised an America First platform that could have reshaped US foreign and trade policy more radically than at any point since the beginning of the Cold War. But so far he has failed - abjectly - to forge any new Trump doctrine centered around his vision.

To be sure, he has made some moves to shift away from the post-war orthodoxy pursued by both Democratic and Republican presidents, such as building US-led alliances to expand the liberal democratic order. He has, for instance, scrapped US involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal with key allies in Asia-Pacific and the Americas; withdrawn from the Paris climate change deal agreed by more than 170 nations; and launched a review of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which may yet collapse in 2018.
The move would also put Pompeo, who has been immersed in the details of Pyongyang's nuclear program, in a central role in running the negotiations with Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator whom Trump has said he will meet by May.

Tillerson's anticipated replacement, CIA director Mike Pompeo, was among the harshest of critics of the 2015 nuclear agreement that world powers brokered with Iran. If confirmed, Pompeo would take over the State Department just as the President is weighing whether to ditch the deal altogether  even if it outrages European allies.

Washington: The sudden firing on Tuesday of Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil chief executive who never managed to capture the role of chief diplomat, makes room for a true believer in President Donald Trump's "America First" views and a bitter critic of the Iran nuclear deal  but also a deep skeptic about whether negotiations will convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal.

For all the criticisms of Tillerson  and there were many, particularly in the State Department as he moved to slash its size  he was considered a restraining influence on Trump. Pompeo, in contrast, has been an enthusiastic defender of the President's policies, to the point that many senior current and former CIA officials worried that he was far too political for the job.

In his public comments  including his dubious contention on Sunday that Trump has done more to constrain North Korea than any other president  Pompeo seemed to know that he would likely soon switch from giving the President his daily intelligence brief to carrying out Trump's blunt "America First" vision worldwide.

"We've had a very good chemistry right from the beginning," Trump told reporters at the White House on Tuesday morning as he described his relationship with Pompeo.

Chemistry is vital between any president and his chief global emissary. But the shift disrupts the delicate balance of power in the administration's national security team.

Tillerson and Jim Mattis, the defense secretary, had run something of a tag team to keep the President in check, finding common ground on policies from the Middle East to East Asia. For the better part of a year, that put Trump in the position of having to overcome their unified advice, which also was sometimes aligned with the White House national security adviser, HR McMaster.
Members of parliament are seeking an annual allocation of at least Shs 1.2 billion for the treatment of sufferers of the nodding disease syndrome in northern Uganda.



The request is in support of a proposal by Dr David Lagoro Kitara, a senior medical doctor attached to Gulu University. Dr Lagoro suggested a monthly allocation of Shs 50 million to two centres set up to manage nodding disease patients in Odek and Tumangur.

State Minister for Health Sarah Opendi addressing the House about government's input efforts in combating the nodding disease syndrome

Lagoro who has been working on the disease since 2006 was invited by the deputy speaker Jacob Oulanyah to make a presentation before members of parliament. In his statement, he reaffirmed that the disease is treatable but centres are constrained by lack of resources.



Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya calls for a needs assessment for affected households and rehabilitation centres in the districts most devastated by the disease. He says information obtained by the Acholi MPs indicates that there are over 3,000 children living with nodding disease. Another 1,000 lives have been lost according to the MP.



However, government records indicate that 2,143 cases have been recorded, and 37 lives have been lost since the outbreak of the disease.



Ngora County MP David Abala said that Ugandan children cannot be subjected to untold suffering while money is spent elsewhere.

According to the ministry of Health, Shs 1.8 billion has been disbursed to date towards nodding disease in the northern Uganda. Ministry of Health says it stopped funding nodding syndrome activities after districts failed to account for quarterly disbursement to them.



Adjumani Woman MP Jessica Ababiku called for an audit and investigation into the alleged mismanagement of over Shs 200 million meant for nodding disease syndrome. She says it's unfortunate that money is released to help children but some people don't have the heart to save the children.



Nodding disease syndrome, according to WHO, is a neurological condition with unknown cause or origin. It was first documented in Tanzania in the 1960s, then later in the Republic of South Sudan in the 1990s and in northern Uganda in 2007.



WHO says nodding syndrome typically affects children between the ages of 5 and 15 years old, causing progressive cognitive dysfunction, neurological deterioration, stunted growth and a characteristic nodding of the head.

Despite numerous and extensive investigations in all three countries, very little is known about the cause of the disease.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council partners with VXFIBER to launch Gigabit full fibre broadband

Posted by Publisher Telecommunication

MIPIM, Cannes  Wednesday 14 March 2018  VXFIBER, the Swedish provider of Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) Open Access solutions, has partnered with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to roll out Gigabit full fibre connectivity to residents and businesses. With an initial project in the city\-\-s Enterprise Zone, the rollout of a full city-wide fibre network is a vital part of Stoke-on-Trent\-\-s move towards becoming a smart, sustainable \-\-Gigabit city\-\-.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is working with VXFIBER and its open access approach to building fibre networks as the best model to support its aim to transform the city. Installing a new all-fibre network, lit up by the VXFIBER Open Access platform, will bring Gigabit broadband connectivity to businesses and residents in the city and surrounding areas.

As part of an initial project Stoke-on-Trent City Council plans to extend full-fibre Gigabit connectivity to the Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone, one of 26 Enterprise Zones across the UK. Ceramic Valley is a 140 hectares site with excellent road and rail connectivity in a strategic central location with access to the whole UK. The enterprise zone is transforming brownfield land into sites tailor-made for businesses to locate to and has so far attracted more than 1,000 jobs.

\Stoke-on-Trent has a brilliant central geographic location, which is boosting its economic growth beyond what much of the rest of the UK is experiencing at the moment. We\-\-re in the top ten fastest growing economies outside of London, we already have some of the fastest average 4G mobile download speeds in the country, and are developing an innovative district heat network to supply sustainable energy to business and residents.

\We\-\-re serious about becoming a sustainable, smart city. However, the traditional part copper based broadband offering currently available simply isn\-\-t good enough to keep pace with the fast-changing connectivity demands of today\-\-s increasingly digital society and economy,\ explained Councillor Abi Brown, deputy leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

\Full fibre Gigabit connectivity addresses these needs and is the cornerstone of our vision for the future growth and prosperity of our city and its residents and businesses. VXFIBER is playing a significant role in realising this vision in a way that\-\-s practical, affordable and flexible, to adapt and grow alongside our city and its connectivity needs.\

Under the scheme, Stoke-on-Trent City Council will retain complete ownership of the city ring fibre network: it already owns the main ducts across the city and will utilise these to connect all parts of the city. VXFIBER will \light up\ the fibre and supply the platform for operators and service providers to build and launch their own services to run over the network. The VXFIBER platform will enable the Council to monetise its infrastructure and receive a return on its investment in a completely open access ecosystem where all service providers are welcome to deliver their services.

The VXFIBER Open Access platform will deliver better value and reduced service delivery costs for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which is in line with its aim to support disadvantaged citizens with affordable broadband access. Broadband plays an increasingly important role for delivering benefits online to those who cannot collect them in person.

The open access VXFIBER platform will also encourage healthy competition among service providers whilst giving the users wider choice. It will provide a level playing field for operators and service providers of all sizes  including smaller, independent regional players  to host their services on and compete on features and price.

This model also allows for alternative investors in the fibre deployment typically undertaken only by the telecoms industry. With this model, other investors  including housing associations, developers and other land owners  can ensure their buildings or developments can benefit from full fibre and get connected to the Stoke-on-Trent Gigabit city network.

\Stoke-on-Trent is a forward-looking city that understands the essential role of high speed broadband access to businesses and individuals, and the positive social and economic impact it can have on a community,\ said VXFIBER Executive Chairman Mikael Sandberg. \Our work with Stoke-on-Trent City Council provides a template for other UK local authorities and regional governments to follow. By investing in and installing Gigabit-speed fibre themselves, local authorities and councils can take charge of their community\-\-s \digital destiny\, without having to rely on third party telecom operators or ISPs.\

Sandberg continued, \Councils can reap the economic and social benefits of full fibre Gigabit connectivity in a way that\-\-s affordable and future-proof. Furthermore, the fibre they invest in is a valuable asset that will deliver ongoing revenue and ROI.\
Georgetown, SC (29440)

Today

Rain showers in the morning with thunderstorms developing for the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then mainly cloudy overnight with thunderstorms likely. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 71F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
A lot has been said about changes in Ugandas security apparatus, which saw long-serving Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura replaced by veteran career police officer Okoth Ochola, and Gen Elly Tumwine taking Lt Gen Henry Tumukundes job as minister of Security.



Many analysts have celebrated these changes, particularly the removal of Gen Kayihura, saying it is a positive step towards making the police more professional.

This comes at a time the approval rating of the police is at its lowest, following widely documented criminal behaviour, brutality, corruption and sheer incompetence within the rank and file.



None other than President Museveni told Kayihura after the assassination of deputy IGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi that the police had been infiltrated by wrong elements, who must be weeded out. Last week, after removing the IGP, Museveni said the police had been invaded by bean weevils.



While it is reasonable to expect the new security leadership to tackle this state of affairs, these expectations must be tempered by the fact that it all depends on what the appointing authority expects of Okoth Ochola and his deputy Sabiiti Muzeyi Mugyenyi.

We cant forget that the president renewed Kayihuras contract less than six months ago!



In countries with strong state institutions, where absolutely nobody is above the law, the police operate freely and independently, just like the judiciary. In Israel, the police are questioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife over corruption.



In South Africa, former president Jacob Zuma had the police hovering over his head throughout his time in charge. In the Unites States, President Donald Trump just cant wish away the FBI investigation about him and Russian interference in the elections that brought him to power.



That is how the police is supposed to function. They should be able to defend the interests of the state without being compromised by individuals in government, including the most powerful.



Is Uganda under President Museveni ready for such a police force?

As long as the appointing authority is more inclined to a police force whose main preoccupation is regime protection rather than its core duty of keeping law and order, then the new changes will bring more of the old.
Artist's illustration of NASA's New Horizons spacecraft encountering 2014 MU69, a Kuiper Belt object that orbits 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto. The encounter will occur on Jan. 1, 2019. With public input, the team has selected the nickname Ultima Thule for the object, which will be the most primitive and most distant world ever explored by a spacecraft.

The New Horizons spacecraft's next flyby target now has a nickname befitting the object's exotic nature and locale.

On Jan. 1, 2019, the NASA probe will zoom by a small object officially known as 2014 MU69, which lies about 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond the orbit of Pluto. In the process, MU69 will become the most distant object ever observed up close.

But we don't have to call it MU69 anymore. The New Horizons team has just nicknamed the body Ultima Thule, a term used in medieval times to mean "beyond the known world." (Thule was a location in far northern Europe hazily invoked by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Over the years, the term apparently referred to a number of different places, including Norway, Ireland and Iceland.) [Destination Pluto: NASA's New Horizons Mission in Pictures]

"MU69 is humanity's next Ultima Thule," New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, from the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said in a statement.

"Our spacecraft is heading beyond the limits of the known worlds, to what will be this mission's next achievement," Stern added. "Since this will be the farthest exploration of any object in space in history, I like to call our flyby target Ultima, for short, symbolizing this ultimate exploration by NASA and our team."

Stern and his colleagues settled on Ultima Thule after reviewing nicknames proposed and voted on by the public during an outreach campaign that ran from November through December 2017. About 115,000 people around the world participated, submitting 34,000 names, NASA officials said.

The mission team narrowed this huge pool down to 29 finalists, ultimately choosing Ultima Thule, which was proposed by about 40 different people.

"We are grateful to those who proposed such an interesting and inspirational nickname," New Horizons team member and naming campaign leader Mark Showalter, of the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, California, said in the same statement. "They deserve credit for capturing the true spirit of exploration that New Horizons embodies."

The team didn't go with the top vote-getter in the campaign; if they had, we'd be calling MU69 "Mjolnir," the name of Thor's hammer in Norse mythology (and the Marvel universe). But Ultima Thule was up there. It came in seventh, ranking just above "Tiramisu." You can see the results here: http://www.frontierworlds.org/vote-tally

To be clear: Ultima Thule is merely a nickname. After the 2019 flyby, New Horizons scientists will work with NASA and the International Astronomical Union to come up with a new official name for the object, mission team members said.

Ultima Thule is an odd, mysterious object. In fact, scientists don't even know if it's a single body; it may be two close-orbiting objects, each of which is about 12 miles (19 km) wide, New Horizons team members have said.

The Jan. 1 encounter will be the second close flyby for the $700 million New Horizons mission. The spacecraft famously flew by Pluto on July 14, 2015, capturing the first-ever good looks at that distant, frigid and complex world.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
The U.S. military may add another branch, this one devoted to defending the ultimate high ground, President Donald Trump said today (March 13).

"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea," the president said during a speech to service members today in San Diego. "We may even have a Space Force."

Trump said he was musing "the other day" about the possibility of adding a Space Force to the military, which currently consists of five branches: the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. [The Most Dangerous Space Weapons Concepts]

"I said, 'Maybe we need a new force. We'll call it the Space Force,'" he said. "And I was not really serious. And then I said, 'What a great idea. Maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen. That could be the big breaking story.'"

As he said this last sentence, Trump pointed at some off-camera folks, presumably members of the news media, and added, "Look at all those people back there. Look at them. Oh, that fake news."

So, it's unclear whether a Space Force will actually happen. But the idea does align with a seemingly intensified focus within the U.S. military on maintaining U.S. dominance in space.

This dominance is increasingly under threat from nations such as China and Russia, and the U.S. needs to act accordingly, top military officials have said recently.

"Just as nuclear assets deter aggression by convincing potential adversaries there's just no benefit to the attack, we have to maintain a space posture that communicates the same strategic message," Navy Vice Adm. Charles A. Richard, deputy commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said last March during a presentation at a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference in Washington, D.C.

"I submit [that] the best way to prevent war is to be prepared for war, and we're going to make sure that everyone knows we're going to be prepared to fight and win wars in all domains, to include space," Richard added.

And Air Force officials recently stressed the need to create a "warrior culture" in space. So, stay tuned!

You can watch Trump's entire speech on White House YouTube channel here. He starts talking about the Space Force at about the 13:15 mark.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Astronomers are hunting down the cause of a nearby galaxy's "arrested development" with the help of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

The odd galaxy, called NGC 1277, doesn't appear to have evolved much in the past 10 billion years, a new study reports. Learning about its history should shed light on galaxy formation and evolution in general, study team members said.

NGC 1277, which is located about 240 million light-years away from Earth, is called a "red and dead" galaxy because it doesn't have enough fuel to produce new stars. That wasn't always the case, however. Shortly after the galaxy was formed, it produced stars 1,000 times faster than they are formed today in our Milky Way, the researchers said. [Gallery: 65 All-Time Great Galaxy Hits]

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the galaxy NGC 1277, which is unique in that it is considered a relic of what galaxies were like in the early universe. NGC 1277 is composed exclusively of aging stars that were born 10 billion years ago. (Image credit: M. Beasley(Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias)/NASA/ESA)

Astronomers think the key to NGC 1277's development lies in its globular clusters, which are groups of stars. Large galaxies typically have two types of clusters: metal poor, which appear blue, and metal rich, which appear red. (In astronomical parlance, a metal is any element on the periodic table that's heavier than helium.) Early in a typical galaxy's history, it should have a lot of red clusters; researchers think the blue clusters form later, after smaller satellites are absorbed into the center of the galaxy.

The Milky Way has roughly equal numbers of red and blue globular clusters, in part because our galaxy eats up galactic neighbors that get too close. But in NGC 1277, there are almost no blue globular clusters at all, the new study reports. This suggests the galaxy stopped growing because it didn't eat up nearby galaxies  a process that spurs star formation because of the new reservoirs of gas and dust that are available to it after such events.

"I've been studying globular clusters in galaxies for a long time, and this is the first time I've ever seen this," study lead author Michael Beasley, an astronomer at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC) at the University of La Laguna in Spain, said in a statement.

Zoomed-out Hubble view of NGC 1277, which lies near the center of the Perseus cluster of over 1,000 galaxies, located 240 million light-years away from Earth. (Image credit: M. Beasley(Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias)/P. Kehusma/NASA/ESA)

NGC 1277 might be moving too fast to eat, the researchers added. It's speeding through the Perseus cluster of galaxies at about 2 million mph (3.2 million km/h), which may not allow it to pick up gas for new star formation. The Perseus galaxy cluster also has a punishing environment near the center; the intergalactic gas there is too hot to coalesce for star formation, study team members said.

NGC 1277's shape is also a source of mystery. NGC 1277 has twice as many stars as the Milky Way, but it's just one-quarter the size of our galaxy. To researchers, the shape of NGC 1277 suggests that perhaps all galaxies, including the Milky Way, started as small, stunted collections of stars. It was only after accreting more material that galaxies grew into spirals and the other shapes that we see in the sky today.

NGC 1277 isn't the only "red and dead" galaxy out there; Hubble spotted several of these in the early universe. (In fact, astronomers suggest that 1 in 1,000 massive galaxies in the universe should look like NGC 1277.) The other galaxies, however, are too far away to see clearly. But NGC 1277's relative proximity allows astronomers to see greater detail, enabling more insights into its composition and history.

"We can explore such original galaxies in full detail and probe the conditions of the early universe," study co-author Ignacio Trujillo, who is also an astronomer at the IAC, said in the same statement.

This animation offers a blink comparison of the locations of red stars and blue stars in the globular clusters of the NGC 1277 and NGC 1278 galaxies. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, and Z. Levay (STScI))

Astronomers cottoned on to NGC 1277's unique history because of its central black hole, which is much more massive than expected for a galaxy of that size. Some astronomers suggest that young galaxies and black holes grow together; in the case of NGC 1277, the black hole may be overly massive (compared to those of other galaxies) because the galaxy's growth suffered from the lack of new stars.

The study team has used the Sloan Digital Sky Survey to identify another 10 candidate "arrested development" galaxies. As for NGC 1277, team members hope to use NASA's forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope (which launches in 2019) to look at how globular clusters move within NGC 1277. The clusters' movements will provide more information on dark matter  mysterious stuff that doesn't emit or absorb light, but which makes up most of the mass of the universe.

The results were published in the March 12 issue of the journal Nature.

Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Brilliant mind

NASA/Paul Alers

The iconic physicist and arguably one of the world's greatest minds, Stephen Hawking, died peacefully at his home in Cambridge, England, on March 14, 2018. As tributes pour out from colleagues, other cosmologists and enthusiasts the world over, Live Science looks back at Hawking's life. Though he used a wheelchair and could speak only through an electronic device in his cheek muscle (due to the debilitating motor neuron disease called ALS), Hawking probably did more in his lifetime for science and exploration than most others.

(Shown here, Hawking delivers a speech entitled "Why we should go into space" during a lecture for a series honoring NASA's 50th Anniversary, April 21, 2008, at George Washington University.)

A mathematician

Terry Smith/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty

The University of Cambridge physicist and author, Hawking, inside a lecture hall with mathematical equations in the background. In 1962, Hawking jointed the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. In 1979, following in the footsteps of Isaac Newton, Hawking became the university's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

Celebrating his life

Jean-Regis Rouston/Roger Viollet/Getty

Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942, which was 300 years to the day after the death of the astronomer Galileo Galilei. It wasn't until age 21 that he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Two years before this diagnosis, Hawking married Jane Wilde. They had three children before separating.

When in Paris

Gilles Bassignac/Gamma-Rapho/Getty

Shown here on March 3, 1989, in Paris, France, Hawking would have been 47 years old at the time.

Speak to Me

PA Images/Getty

On Oct. 3, 1993, Hawking met with Kate Caryer of the Vale School in North London at the "Speak to Me" exhibition, which he opened at the Science Museum.

Another marriage

Tim Ockenden/PA Images/Getty

In 1995, Hawking married Elaine Mason, shown here after their marriage ceremony at the Cambridge registry office. The couple divorced in 2006.

Royal Society award

Sean Dempsey/PA Images/Getty

The Duke of Edinburgh presents Hawking with the Royal Society for the Art Albert Medal during a ceremony at St James's Palace. His daughter, Lucy Hawking, looks on as her father is presented with the award for "making physics more accessible, understandable and exciting, and opening the subject to a wider audience through his books and television programs."

Kudos to Hawking

Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty

Hawking is seen on a TV monitor as he opens the XXV Prince of Asturias Awards Anniversary event in Oviedo, Spain, on April 12, 2005. Hawking won the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord in 1989.

South Korean writers

Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty

Hawking visits the stand of his German publisher Rowohlt at the Frankfurt Book Fair on Oct. 19, 2005. That year, the fair focused on authors from the Korean peninsula, with 60 writers showing up from South Korea. (No North Korean writers attended.)

Temple of Heaven

China Photos/Getty

Assistants carry Hawking during his visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China, on June 18, 2006. The scientist was visiting Beijing for the 2006 International Conference on String Theory. The temple, which became a UNESCO Heritage site in 1998, "symbolizes the relationship between earth and heaven  the human world and God's world  which stands at the heart of Chinese cosmogony, and also the special role played by the emperors within that relationship," according to UNESCO.

Inspiring young minds

Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty

Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem on Dec. 10, 2006. According to Getty images, "Hawking filled the hall to capacity with young Israeli scientists."
Stephen Hawking was most famous for melding general relativity with quantum mechanics, revolutionizing our understanding of black holes, and bringing big-picture cosmology to the masses in a series of best-selling books. But he was a passionate advocate for space exploration as well.

The theoretical physicist, who died today (March 14) at age 76, repeatedly stressed that humanity must expand beyond its birth planet  or face extinction.

"I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space," Hawking said in a& 2010 interview with BigThink. "It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load." [Stephen Hawking: A Physics Icon Remembered in Photos]

He reiterated that sentiment more recently as well. For example, at a conference in Norway in June 2017, Hawking said, "We are running out of space, and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth."

Physicist Stephen Hawking delivers a speech titled "Why We Should Go to Space" during a lecture honoring NASA's 50th anniversary in 2008. (Image credit: NASA)

The late cosmologist wasn't all talk on this issue, either. Hawking served on the board of Breakthrough Starshot, a $100 million project that aims to launch fleets of tiny, sail-equipped probes to other star systems. If all goes according to plan, powerful lasers will accelerate such "nanocraft" to about 20 percent the speed of light, meaning they could get to Proxima Centauri, the sun's nearest neighbor  which hosts a potentially habitable planet, by the way  just 20 years after liftoff.

Hawking also helped announce the existence of Breakthrough Starshot in April 2016. The project, which is bankrolled by Russian-born billionaire Yuri Milner, could launch its first interstellar probes within the next 30 years if everything goes well, Starshot representatives have said. (Milner also funds the alien-life-hunting Breakthrough Listen initiative, with which Hawking was involved as well.)

The Starshot nanocraft won't carry humans, of course. But the basic laser-sailing technology could theoretically be scaled up to crew-carrying dimensions, eventually allowing astronauts to get to Mars in just a few weeks, Starshot researchers have said. (It takes six to nine months to get to the Red Planet using current rocket technology.)

And Hawking longed to fly in space himself. In 2007, he flew aboard Zero Gravity Corp.'s Boeing 727 aircraft, which takes parabolic paths that allow passengers to experience brief stints of weightlessness. Hawking said at the time that he viewed the flight as a step toward bona-fide space travel.

Virgin Galactic founder Sir Richard Branson wanted to help Hawking achieve that dream. About a decade ago, Branson called Hawking and offered him a free ride on Virgin's suborbital SpaceShipTwo space plane, Hawking said in February 2016.

"I said 'yes' immediately," Hawking recalled in a video message that was played at the unveiling of Virgin Galactic's new SpaceShipTwo vehicle. That message served to announce the space plane's name  VSS Unity.

"Since that day, I have never changed my mind. If I am able to go, and if Richard will still take me, I would be very proud to fly on this spaceship," Hawking added.

Hawking is the only person ever offered a free seat aboard SpaceShipTwo, Branson has said. Tickets to ride in the six-passenger vehicle, which is still in the testing phase, currently sell for $250,000.

See more

Branson paid tribute to Hawking in a blog post today.

"He was part of our Virgin Galactic family from day one. His support for opening space, his enthusiasm to fly, humbled and inspired us all," Branson wrote. "I am so sorry we didn't get him into space as he so dearly wished, but so thankful he was able to play such a meaningful role in the development of a new frontier he was so passionate about."

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.




These latest episodes of Empire have caught my attention. The show is still full of crazy wtf twists and useless storylines, but at least this last arc is showing its strength. Lets summarize what happened in Slave to Memory.





After Andres psychotic breakdown, he is obliged to stay in the hospital. Lucious is furious: he wants revenge and vows to destroy the DuBois' for once and for all. He creates a plan that will push Angelo to sign a confession about Dianas violations. The Lyons get access to the Captains Ball and they manage to finish what they started: thanks to Warren, Cookie exposes the truth and Dianas reputation is destroyed. As she tries to stop the Lyon matriarch, the police arrive and arrests her for the kidnap of Bella. This also creates a series of consequences: Anika is forced to give Bella back to her father. I really enjoyed the rhythm and the resolutions of this episode. They finally closed a chapter and they gave to Diana what she deserved: she is such a horrible character. Everyone must have been in joy.





Angelo tries to get back to Warren by killing him and he shoots him in the shoulder, but Jamal defends him. During the struggle, Angelo ends up being shot and killed. We will not miss him at all. Finally, the writers gave us an ending to the Dubois story.





Lucious goes to the hospital to tell his son the news, but Andre reveals his gruesome secret: he set the car bomb. He doesnt have time to process this shocking revelation because Claudia sneaks in and drugs him. He is kidnapped. I didnt expect this soapy twist, but we could have some fun with this out-of-mind character. I cant wait to see how this kidnap will evolve. This season will be recalled as the kidnaps year. Will Cookie and Lucious finally have their time together? Will they be able to rekindle their love? Its a disaster after another. I definitely enjoyed this episode.








Lets go straight to the point: this season of Riverdale has been a roller coaster of great and weak moments. This episode gets Riverdale back to its roots: its not a boring episode, there are many narrative developments and chickens come home to roost. Lets summarize what happened in The Hills Have Eyes.





Hiram wants Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead to go to the Lodge's lake house. The group accepts the proposal and they spend some time together. Things get awkward when the truth about Betty and Archie kiss comes out: Jughead is angry at Betty. In order to find a possible solution to future problems, Ronnie kisses Jug. As Betty perfectly summarized, now the only combination that is missing is Jug and Archie. They all have kissed each other in these two years, and we really want to see this missing kiss. Tensions arise also after a breaking news: back in Riverdale Hiram bought the trailer park and the Riverdale Register. Betty and Jug are furious, but they dont have time to process it because a group of black hoods tries to rob them. I liked how they handled this situation by reuniting them in a single place, making them face all their issues.





In the meanwhile, we finally have a storyline for Kevin. He wants to go to see the new Greg Berlantis movie Love, Simon and he meets with Moose and his new date. Besides having a clear and direct promotion of the movie (we actually have scenes at the cinema), we have some interesting moments between the two formers friends with benefits. But Kevin is not the only one affecting by this coming-of-age new gay comedy, Cheryl reveals to Toni that she had a crush on a girl in middle school! - a lesbian relationship that was interrupted by her crazy mother, Penelope.





We all know that Toni and Cheryl will end up together, its something that anyone could foresee, but I really enjoy how they have created a path to this revelation. Its a WTF moment, but I enjoyed it.

Not only we got to see Kevin, we have also some interaction between him and Josie. Josie has a confrontation with her mother about her affaire and she goes straight to Kevin and reveals the truth about this matter. In the end, she manages to convince the young Keller to respect their parents wish and create a sort of family together.





In front of Archie, one of Hiram's men kills one of the intruders. These two share one of their shady and creepy conversations about how to keep their close ones safe, with a Godfather vibe. Its clear: in this episode, the writers have finally decided that it was time to actually discuss all the problems and themes that were part of this second season. I really hope they will continue to keep this rhythm. Riverdale deserves to go better to season ones roots.




One of the headlines that captured my attention last week was one where Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta met to resolve the political crisis that had gripped Kenya in the aftermath of the August/ October 2017 elections.



As a true Ugandan, I was appalled and shocked. Shocked because there is no reason whatsoever that requires the sitting president  no matter how you came to power  to seek and talk to the loser in the elections you both contested.

Now, Mr Kenyatta, you are making East Africans look bad! We have always had a strict policy that we religiously follow in the region. In a political contestation, there is a loser and a winner. Whatever way you won the elections in Kenya, you are the president and you have no obligation to speak to your opponent on how to rule Kenya!



Are you really a true son of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta? If yes, then you know very well how your fathers main foe, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the father of your current nemesis Raila, was treated. That is what you are supposed to do, instead of meeting him. And offer an olive branch? Chief, that is not right!



On this continent, you do not want to be seen speaking or shaking hands with your political opponent. What we do in Africa is arrest our opponents, financially kill them, and make their lives a living hell. Have you not heard it done in very close and neighbouring countries? Pick some inspiration!



I hope you are not creating a stupid precedence that will deny us the right to drama where regime opponents are hounded and harassed in the harshest of manners. You are supposed to be angry with Odinga.



Kenya police is supposed to be under your strict instruction to unleash teargas or even bullets wherever he is seen disturbing peace. He should be spending more time in prison and in court defending himself from all sorts of charges.



So, now Mr Kenyatta, you need to remember that you are the president of Kenya. How on earth did you even allow Mr Odinga to swear himself in as the peoples president? He had made your case so easy.



Shortly after that swearing-in ceremony, he should have been charged with treason and sent to a maximum security prison. Instead, you allowed the man you defeated to freely roam the countryside! Man, you need to style up or else you are looking bad in a well-governed region.



I sometimes think yours is a sense of human gone bad. How else can I make sense of the moves and machinations that you have employed for the main op- position figure? I hear the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, is visiting Kenya and, all of a sudden, you are making peace with Odinga?



That does not add up. Did the US State Department make it a precondition for the secretary to visit Kenya?



The usual script is that the head of the opposition is, by nature, not to be trusted and cannot be spoken to. They are good for nothing other than causing political discord in the country.

They have no vision and their politicking has no value for the entire country. They are negative forces who must be fought, using all available means. They must be contained and exposed.



I am still in shock after seeing your picture shaking hands with Odinga at Harambee House and even smiling and looking him straight in the eyes. Gosh! Mr Kenyatta, you do not smile with your opponent; you do not shake hands except if Pope Francis is in town. That is the unwritten law about politics in Africa.



Do a personal quick survey on the East African democratic scene and you will discover that you are not adhering to the unspoken agreement on how to contain any real or perceived opposition.

As a president, you are entitled to rule as you wish. You do not have to discuss the future of the country with anybody. You have all the wisdom and vision for Kenya.



Dont you remember that Odinga even refused to recognise your victory during the last elections? He even refused to stand again for the fresh elections; and you have the courtesy of allowing a photo to be taken of the two of you! What will your voters think?



That is unacceptable, sir! Please seek advice from those who have dealt with the opposition in a way that leaves no room for contestation. That way, we will fulfil the legacy of the founding fathers of the East African Community that is based on strictly containing the opposition.



The author is a human rights expert.
Office buildings across southwestern Connecticut have become towering reminders of Americas aging population.

Medical offices, a rapidly growing business for commercial real estate brokers, investors and property owners, are really the most active occupants in the office market, according to Randy Vidal, of Vidal Wettenstein in Westport.

While many companies are looking to reduce office sizes by fitting more people into less space, physicians are expanding. Whole buildings and even streets have transitioned to medical usage. Examples include western Greenwich, a portion of Long Ridge Road in Stamford and a stretch of Mount Pleasant Road that has become known as Medical Mile in Newtown.

In some areas, medical practices have moved into properties with high vacancies and sagging rents, and landlords have welcomed their presence. Their long-term, stable lease commitments are also a plus.

Its desirable for a landlord, said Bob Caruso, of CBREs Stamford office. But its not just a Connecticut thing. Its happening in Westchester (County, N.Y.), and its happening all over the country.

A resilient sector

Rising demand from physicians and specialists has driven the medical office vacancy rate to a record low, according to an industry report published by CBRE last fall. As of early 2017, it had dipped to 8 percent, compared to a 13 percent vacancy rate in the U.S. office market. It is projected the number of people who are 65 and older will almost double by 2055.

Medical office is a resilient sector, able to weather economic downturns and the major political and technological changes that have shaken up the health care industry in recent years, according to the report.

That has led real estate investors to angle their portfolios toward capturing medical tenants. Between 2010 and 2016, total investment in the U.S. medical office sector more than doubled, reaching $10.2 billion for buildings of at least 10,000 square feet.

Great Neck, N.Y.-based Benedict Realty Group is among investors targeting medical office buildings. Last year it bought a Class-A office building in western Greenwich for nearly $34 million. The Holly Hill Lane property houses an outpost of Stamford Health, which takes up about a third of the building.

In a January interview, BRG founder and President Daniel Benedict told Hearst Connecticut Media he believes demand for medical offices is growing, and he plans to increase his investment.

Theres two reasons why Im confident, he said, America is aging, and, as we get older, we need more and more medical care. This phenomenon is not specific to Greenwich or Connecticut; its nationwide.

In addition to maturing baby boomers, demand is being driven by health care providers who are trying to operate more cost-effectively by moving patients away from costlier hospitals.

Limitations

Medical tenants will not settle just anywhere. Big, empty buildings represent an opportunity, but they need other things, too, Tom Pajolek, of CBRE said.

Like retailers, they want to be seen by customers and need an expanse of parking. Unlike retailers, they often do not mix well with other office tenants.

If its a Class-A building and you put medical in, its no longer an office building, said Caruso, of CBRE.

Medical tenants have bridged gaps in some local office markets, but they probably will not fill some of the larger vacancies, such as the former UBS trading floor or Silicon Harbor in Stamford. I dont see any major or minor medical tenants going to where most of the vacancies are in Stamfords central business district, said Christian Bangert, of Rhys Commercial.

The bottom line is there is medical space available, said Sean McDonnell, principal in the Norwalk office of Avison Young, which is handling lease inquiries at the newly built Wilton Wellness Center on Danbury Road. The problem is a lot of what is available now is dated and inefficient space. That, in part, is why his firm is converting retail plazas and industrial sites into medical space.

Maplewood Healthcare, a division of Maplewood Senior Living, is also working on building medical facilities. When you build new, you can customize and help the image of the end-user. Traditionally, medical users were back-filling space that wasnt filling, for whatever reason, said Jay Lapham, Maplewood portfolio manager. To build new gives a level of professionalism to the practice.

This story had been updated to correct the principal quoted at Avison Young.
HARTFORD  The state Department of Consumer Protection is opening an investigation into the Connecticut Lottery Corp. for its handling of three recent scandals and its treatment of employees following the incidents.

DCP will open a wide-ranging investigation into the operation and management of the CLC (Connecticut Lottery Corp.), DCP Commissioner Michelle Seagull wrote in a letter to legislators, who requested the investigation Wednesday

In November 2015, the lottery discovered retailers manipulated machines to print only winning tickets in the Five Card Cash game. In August, a lottery mobile app incorrectly informed winners they lost.

And on Jan. 1, the lottery botched a drawing, wrongly excluding 100,000 ticket buyers and costing the state nearly $1 million.

These mistakes have resulted in several investigations and some Lottery leaders have lost their positions. But DCP, which oversees the lottery, still sees ongoing issues, including the lotterys relationship with DCP, possible retaliation against an employee who reported the Five Card Cash fraud, and the promotion of leaders with ties to former President Anne Noble.

In Seagulls letter, DCP said it will also ask the lottery to cease all disciplinary actions against employees for mistakes made in the Jan. 1 drawing, pending its investigation.

Lottery officials had no comment Wednesday on the investigation, said Chelsea Turner, interim president and CEO of the Lottery Corp. The lotterys board of directors will meet Thursday morning to draft a response.

Seagull announced her decision Wednesday in a letter to Senate Republican Leader Len Fasano, R-North Haven, and Rep. Joe Verrengia, D-West Hartford. Fasano and Verrengia had sent joint letters to DCP and the Lottery Corp. calling for an investigation.

The DCPs intervention may mean the end of administrative leave for three employees involved in the Jan. 1 drawing, including the Lotterys $139,000-a-year security director, Alfred DuPuis.

Fasano and Verrengia suggested in their letter that DuPuis might be the victim of retaliation by lottery leadership because he reported the Five Card Cash fraud to Noble as early as 2013, but she never acted on it.

DCP suspended Nobles license to work at the lottery as a result of the scandal, but the Lottery Corp. gave her a separation agreement that allowed her to collect half a million dollars and continued to employ her as a consultant.

Meanwhile, Human Resources officials at the lottery never investigated the Five Card Cash scandal, but investigated the New Years Day drawing blunder.

DuPuis and other members of the drawing team were guilty of gross negligence, Lottery Human Resources Director Jane Rooney found. A DCP investigation of the failing attributed the mistakes to human error.

It gives the appearance of selective investigation and retaliation against Mr. DuPuis for his forthright testimony before the Public Safety Committee before the Five Card Cash scandal, Fasano and Verrengia wrote.

DCP had been hopeful after the departure of Ms. Noble from the President and CEO position, personnel and culture changes would be made to ensure the integrity of CLC operations, Seagull wrote. Unfortunately, we share your concern that issues stemming from Ms. Nobles leadership remain within the CLC.

Verrengia, co-chairman of the Public Safety Committee, the legislative arm with authority over the lottery, and Fasano also pointed to a string of instances in which lottery board members have been appointed president of the Corporation.

Noble was one such appointee.

This revolving door of cronyism is disturbing and only adds to a lack of confidence in the impartiality and competence of the Lotterys leadership, they wrote.

They asked for an investigation into board members and their business contracts.
Theres a problem with Silicon Valley.

With a culture that emphasizes disrupting entire industries through automation, tech startups often forget to consider their impact on workers. In creating 1,000 jobs in Silicon Valley, many startups may very well be destroying 10,000 jobs elsewhere. They increase inequality, and most worryingly, if you extend the trend lines far enough, it's a dead end. What happens when all industries have been "disrupted" and all jobs have been automated away?

Every company performs economic arbitrage when they decide between investing in a technology solution or investing in their workforce. Startups can tip the balance of that arbitrage in one direction or the other, depending on if they focus on improving the productivity of the technology or the labor.

Before studying construction management at Stanford, I spent summers working on residential construction sites. During this time I noticed a disconnect between the challenges faced by the workers in the field and the construction technology being developed. Most of the technology focused on helping the architect or the engineer. There was little effort to support the craftsman on site.

As a result, the way construction projects are designed has gone through considerable innovation, while the way projects are executed has not. Many tasks performed onsite by foreman and crews are still done in the same manner they were completed more than 30 years ago: with paper, email, and phone calls. This includes scheduling assignments, updating blueprints, sharing punch lists, and planning walkthroughs and inspections.

I began to wonder: Why are we automating skilled blue-collar jobs away before we've reached the full potential of human capability? Thats what I had in mind when I started Fieldwire, a technology company designed to empower construction laborers and craftsmen by helping them do their jobs more efficiently, rather than replace them.

Advantages of technology for blue-collar workers.

Many industries have failed to recognize the potential of the blue-collar workforce, opting for automated replacements. Although robots are easier to train and manage, they lack the adaptability that is critical to many sectors such as construction. Tech can be designed to obviate automation by maximizing human productivity. Emerging technologies can help companies improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and increase value.

Related: 3 Reasons Why You Should Go into Project Management

Only 30 percent of a craftsmans day is spent building, or wrench time as its called in the construction industry. The remainder is consumed by tasks such as data entry, paperwork and gathering equipment, which generate little value. One study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology concluded the construction industry wastes $15.8 billion each year because of a lack of efficient information management systems for exchanging and accessing data. Construction teams often transition back and forth between paper-based and electronic systems, leading to redundant labor costs for companies. As a result, management teams on construction sites must repeatedly verify that all parties have the same information.

Image credit: Fieldwire

By developing tech that supports blue-collar workers in their daily work, we can reduce the need to perform tedious administrative tasks and help more projects get completed on time and on budget.

The importance of blue-collar jobs.

Historically, blue-collar workers have benefited little from innovation in the digital space. While the personal computer and internet have revolutionized white-collar office work, the impact on labor and craft jobs has been minimal. In fact, over the last 30 years productivity has increased in nearly every industry, yet it has declined in the construction sector. According to research by McKinsey, productivity has nearly doubled in the manufacturing sector but has remained flat in construction.

Related: 4 Methods to Increase Employee Productivity

Image credit: McKinsey & Company

Blue-collar jobs serve a critical role in society. They are good paying opportunities with a low entry barrier and strong growth potential. These positions are the bedrock of a healthy middle class and balanced economy. Unfortunately, these jobs have progressively lost competitiveness which has created an economic incentive for companies to outsource or automate them. We have already witnessed this in the manufacturing sector, and now construction jobs are being threatened by new technologies like assembly line-built homes and self-driving excavators.

By bringing technological leverage directly to the end user, blue-collar tech companies are proving you can improve worker productivity and preserve jobs, while also creating a more profitable business.

The mobile revolution empowers individual workers.

Mobile tech has brought online connectivity to people across the globe. Its convenient for consumers on the go, but its also a revolution that benefits individuals who spend most of the day working with their hands.

The mobile revolution didnt happen on purpose. Companies didn't seek to equip their field workers with mobile phones and tablets; it happened naturally as mobile technology became ubiquitous. This created a platform to distribute products directly to the end user as opposed to doing it through the CIO. Just like the mobile app stores created a gigantic market by allowing developers to directly compete for consumers attention, theyve also enabled the blue collar worker to pick the technology they feel is the most helpful for their day-to-day work. Workers no longer need to use the tech chosen by a disconnected office executive.

Related: When to Upgrade From IT Staff to CIO

Blue collar jobs are often viewed as cost centers by companies despite being most directly responsible for generating value. This perception by decision-makers, who frequently are far removed from the daily activities of construction sites, is why most companies invest conservatively in technology to improve construction labor efficiencies. With mobile products distributed through a freemium model, blue collar workers are able to adopt the technology without additional cost, validate the benefits, and communicate the value to their management.

Blue-collar tech in construction.

At Fieldwire, we have seen firsthand how digital technology can help construction workers be more efficient. The project team responsible for the expansion of the Moscone Center, San Franciscos largest convention complex, was able to coordinate over 350 workers across 60 different companies using our task management software. The $550 million project faced two significant challenges. First, the unique layout of the Moscone Center meant there were long distances between the offices and field site. This could have led to lost time by workers needing to travel back and forth between locations to share information.

Second, sections of the Moscone Center were still being used while the renovations were taking place, meaning construction periods had to be reserved around convention dates. Delays or setbacks could have impacted the dates of events that had been booked years in advance. Craig Hartman, senior partner at the architectural design firm SOM, told the San Francisco Business Times, Its almost a chess game of moving parts in order to keep things in operation and keep things operating well. We cannot remove existing meeting space below grade until we build new space to accommodate that.

Teams onsite were able to communicate and share drawings, files, and tasks while working in different areas. Most importantly, they were able to reduce excess work and complete the second phase of the project on time.

Related: The 5 Biggest Reasons Projects Fail

Our company isnt the only startup focused on building technology to support blue collar workers. Its a competitive space, especially in the massive construction industry -- which accounts for nearly 10 percent of the GDP in most countries.

Serious Labs produces virtual reality simulation for workforce education in the industrials sector. The company aims to improve worker safety and productivity by helping companies provide hands-on training. Their VR technology helps workers gain experience and know-how to handle job-site hazards through a combination of game-based learning and personal evaluation. Last year Serious Labs developed a crane simulator to allow construction crew members become certified in crane operation without tying up company equipment.

Safesite is another startup building technology to support the blue collar workforce. The company provides a safety management platform so teams on construction sites and other high risk industries can notify each other of safety hazards. With Safesite, companies can save money on worker compensation costs. The mobile technology improves productivity by preventing workplace injuries and streamlining safety inspection compliance. Safesite has been used by construction companies on multi-million dollar projects such as the expansion of the Los Angeles metro rail system to the LAX airport.

Tech can increase worker efficiency and preserve jobs, too.

According to the Commercial Construction Index, 60 percent of construction contractors had trouble finding skilled workers in the third quarter of 2017. With a labor shortage, employers have an incentive to find solutions with a relatively low labor intensity, which is not good for blue collar workers. One-third of the contractors surveyed reported a high concern over the cost of skilled labor, while more than one-half reported moderate concern.

Image credit: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index - 2017 Q4

Image credit: U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index - 2017 Q4

By improving the productivity and skillset of workers, blue collar technology startups help employers by increasing jobsite efficiency and reducing the cost of labor output. In the long run, these companies provide workers with greater job security by making automated alternatives to labor less attractive.

Related: The 5 Most Successful Work Environments (and the 5 Worst)

A study at Oxford University predicts 47 percent of jobs in developed countries will be replaced by computers or robots in the next two decades. This trend could have profound economic and social consequences. A healthy economy requires a robust middle class. It is critical for the prosperity of nations that technology is utilized in a responsible manner that supports working class jobs. In a diversified labor market, not everyone can be a computer programmer.

Understanding construction workers has been an integral part of developing our product at Fieldwire. Our customers know best what they need to be effective, and we are constantly speaking with them to learn about their logistical bottlenecks. In addition, we have made a concerted effort to recruit team members with experience working in the construction sector. Ultimately, we believe we can revolutionize a traditional industry and bring it into the 21st century by reexamining how work is done.

What would the future economy look like if more startups did the same?

Related:

Human vs. Machine: Blue Collar Tech Startups Side With Humans

How to Start a White-Collar Business in a Blue-Collar Industry

What Does 'Hard Work' Look Like? Read Mike Rowe's Epic Takedown of an MSNBC Anchor's Controversial Comment.



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and National Super Alliance (Nasa) leader Raila Odinga last week struck a deal to cease fire against each other.

Whereas what they did was laudable, we ought to question why it had to first take the lives of Kenyans and almost shatter the economy before these two ever-feuding gentlemen could come to the discussion table.

Odinga had vowed to make governance of Kenya very difficult for Kenyatta. He refused to recognize Kenyatta as president and declared himself the peoples president. He even took an illegal presidential oath.

The symbolism of Odinga taking oath at Uhuru (independence) Park in sheer protest of a government headed by one Uhuru was incredible.

The other three co-principals with whom they formed Nasa  Moses Wetangula, Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi  skipped Odingas swearing-in function. This was the first sign that the centre at Nasa could no longer hold.

There were signs that the ruling party, Jubilee, had infiltrated Nasa. By taking an illegal oath, Odinga breached the constitution that he was ever claiming to protect; and that act alone was treasonable. However, he was never arrested!

Instead, the advocate, T. J Kajwanga, who administered the oath was arrested and questioned by the police. Another of Odingas officials, Miguna Miguna, was not only arrested but also deported to Canada.

As ridiculous as it sounded, the authorities claimed that Miguna did not use proper procedures to acquire his Kenyan passport. He has dual citizenship of Kenya (his country of birth) and Canada.

Miguna is one of the acerbic critics of Kenyattas government and describes the incumbent as a despot. Never mind that in 2012, Miguna published a book Peeling Back the Mask, in which he attacked Odingas leadership skills and his democratic credentials.

When Kenyas Supreme court nullified the August 8, 2017 presidential election, Odinga set certain conditions for the electoral body before he could participate in fresh elections.

Eventually, he refused to participate and also urged his supporters to boycott the October 25, election. In some parts of Kenya, especially those affiliated to Odinga and mainly dominated by the Luo communities, voting was frustrated.

Odinga urged Kenyans to throng the streets and protest against what he called electoral injustice. Naturally, the street protests exposed the participants to police brutality. Some people were killed and others maimed, all in the name of defending Baba Odingas right to become president.

None of the big shots in Nasa were ever killed. Why does it take so long for ordinary citizens to read through the selfish interests of politicians? After all those lives are lost, Odinga has realized that he might never become Kenyan president.

So, he has decided to cut a deal for himself with Kenyatta and leave a legacy as a politician who is not interested in the presidential seat but in the higher cause of peace and justice!

I could not get the answer why people decide to throw stones on behalf of politicians. In his book The Tipping Point, Malcom Gladwell makes reference to what sociologist Mark Granovetter called threshold model of collective behaviour. Granovetter tries to distinguish between belief and threshold.

Granovetter says that a belief is an internal thing. Its a position we have taken in our heads or in our hearts. He adds: But unlike beliefs, thresh- olds are external. They are about peer pressure. Your threshold is the number of people who have to do something before you join in.

Granovetter further makes two crucial arguments. The first is that thresholds and beliefs sometimes overlap. But a lot of the time, they dont. He illustrates this with a teenager who decides to drive at 100 miles an hour at midnight with three of his friends [cheering him on].

It is not because he believes that driving 100 miles per hour is a good idea. In that moment, his beliefs are irrelevant.

His behaviour is guided by his threshold. The connection here is that ultimately, someone with a low threshold is more open to going with the group, whereas someone with a high threshold is more likely to do it their own way.

The argument then is that someone who is more open to being extremely forward-thinking in a setting that is steeped in traditional ways of thinking might also have a high threshold.

What is important is to recognize the culture of the group as well as the individuals. And politicians world over have exploited this interplay of threshold and belief to manipulate support and keep themselves safe in political positions.

So, now you know why Ugandan politicians have exploited boda boda riders. It is their low threshold that leads them to being used and crushed.

The author is the business development director at The Observer Media Limited.
I ts fun to imagine being someone else, to become a cooler me, a Premier League footballer, a Hollywood star. Kids do this in the playground and most of us indulge in private but when it becomes government policy, its time for a reality check. The nation that most often crops up in post-Brexit ministerial fantasy is Canada, with some add-ons.

Why should Britain want to be Canada? Its not just that its affluent, (mostly) speaks English and has a prime minister who looks like a ski instructor (indeed, Justin Trudeau once taught snowboarding).

Canada is number one in the wannabe contest because it is the nation left over when you exclude Norway and Switzerland. Those latter countries are cool (meaning they are rich and no one hates them) but we cant be them because Theresa Mays government wants to leave the European single market (Norway has signed up to this) and she has also ruled out freedom of movement (Switzerland has open borders with the EU).

So we are left with Canada. Michel Barnier, the EUs chief Brexit negotiator, agrees that dressing Britain up in a Canada Goose down jacket is the only option left. He is offering Britain a free trade agreement, similar to Ceta, the deal recently signed by Canada and the EU. David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, is ready to run with this option but he talks about Canada plus plus plus, meaning that he wants much more, notably free trade in services, in particular access by UK financial firms to the Single Market.

Brussels has already precluded divvying up the Single Market unless the UK signs up to other stuff: the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, EU labour regulation and freedom of movement. It would mean taking up the Switzerland option, which May has firmly rejected.

But if Canada is the only option, what is it like being Canada? Surely, it is thriving in its frosty northern world hugging the US border.

The border with America is what its prosperity is all about, accounting for three quarters of Canadas foreign trade. Sitting cheek-by-jowel to Canada is the worlds most coveted marketplace and Canadians, until recently, have not bothered to consider selling much to anyone else. America sucks in its natural resources, timber, minerals, commodity materials, electric power and manufactured goods but it is far from an easy relationship.

A nation of 35 million doesnt dictate terms of trade to a nation of 325 million, no matter how close the kinship. On a good day, Washington views its northern neighbour with amused condescension, country cousins, but this can quickly turn to suspicion or anger.

Donald Trump is threatening to repudiate Nafta, the 1994 agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico that created the worlds largest zone for free trade in goods and labour. The president hates Americas $15 billion (11 billion) trade deficit with Canada, complains that Nafta gives too much away and he would replace the independent panels created to adjudicate Nafta disputes with US courts.

But President Trumps America First agenda is nothing new. For generations, Canadians have lived with the grumpy but hungry bear next door. Since the 1980s, Canada has been locked in a recurring cycle of disputes over its exports of lumber into the US. America accuses Canada of subsidising timber sold from government land while American forests are privately owned.

Canada protects its dairy and poultry industry from American competition with quotas, fixed prices and tariffs and now Trump is championing the cause of US steelmakers, threatening big tariffs unless Canada agrees to renegotiate the Nafta treaty; Canada is Americas biggest foreign steel supplier.

Canadians have to roll with the punches. They remember the unfortunate Lester Pearson, the Canadian premier who, following a critical speech on the Vietnam War, found himself grabbed by the collar and lifted off the floor by a furious President Lyndon Johnson. You pissed on my rug, said the president.

Fortunately, for the UK, meetings in Brussels post-Brexit are unlikely to get physical but the same truths must apply. There is a dominant partner in any deal with a trading superpower and that partner sets the terms.
W hy have one man from the Pru when you can have two?

Wednesdays split at Britains oldest surviving insurance brand is a long-needed recognition that this vast organisation has become increasingly schizophrenic.

It has a fairly dull, low but steady-growth business in the UK, still prone to sporting a bowler hat and black umbrella, but a turbocharged, risk-taking tiger of a chap in Asia that sucks up investment but grows like topsy.

For investors who prefer their shares to be simple and one dimensional, thats a problem. How to categorise and weight such a mixture in your portfolio?

For bosses trying to keep the Prus split personality under control, its been exhausting, too, as divisional heads with different investment needs and risk appetite jostle.

Primarily, the Asian managers were facing a future of being hobbled by the restrictions of its London parents entanglement in European Solvency II rules. These mean they have to set aside huge amounts of capital to show they cant go bust. UK-based insurers have long complained about City regulators gold-plating those rules.

The deal, added to Standard Lifes annuities exit last month, suggests the watchdogs are driving business from our shores.

When Tidjane Thiam was running the Pru, he vowed hed never split it. But the arrival of Mike Wells, the Nashville bluesman, as chief executive in 2015, created a major shift in thinking. He invested in the UK operation and set about disentangling it from the rest.

As Wednesdays decent figures suggest, its now worthy of a fuller standalone valuation than it ever would have commanded in Thiams day. Questions remain over precisely how much it will be worth, or how the capital will be divvied up.

But the broad thrust is that shareholders will now get the chance to hold either a reliable, dividend-paying stock looking after Brits pensions and savings, or a low-dividend, high-growth investment play in Asia, the US and increasingly Africa.

The UK bit isnt without risk, though. Like Lloyds, it is a bet on the uncertain post-Brexit UK economy. For many investors, that feels like shooting in a blindfold.

Funds who actually liked the Prus international mix might sell their shares in the UK bit or decide its time to take stock of what other UK-heavy stocks are available. Aviva, perhaps? L&G?

Bankers will be hoping the smaller UK Pru will be vulnerable to a juicy takeover bid.

One even muttered that Aviva might come knocking. Doubtful. Although its takeover of Friends Life was sweet, Avivas shareholders wouldnt wear another deal that big. Overseas investors, meanwhile, are unlikely to bid before Brexit.

After that, who knows? Chinas insurers have deep pockets; Japans Softbank is bidding $10 billion for a stake in Swiss Re.
I nsurer Prudential unveiled a dramatic break-up of its global empire on Wednesday by announcing that it would demerge its UK unit, M&G Prudential, and then turn itself into a standalone Asian-focused giant.

Britains biggest insurer  founded 170 years ago in Holborn  will carve out M&G Prudential by listing separate shares in the company on the FTSE 100, ending years of speculation that the UK and international arms would go their separate ways.

To fuel M&G Prudentials standalone prospects, a 12 billion annuity book has also been sold to Rothesay Life, freeing up around 1 billion of capital.

Both businesses will remain headquartered in London.

Prudentials Mike Wells will stay head of the international company and Pru veteran John Foley will lead M&G Prudential. A new board will be created to oversee the UK firm.

London is one of the deepest and best markets in the world and the talent base is unparalleled. British rule of law exports well to various markets where we do business and the governance standards help us in foreign markets, Wells said.

He added that the move was not about saving money but instead a response to the rapid growth and success of M&G Prudential, which were merged together last August. Shares in the firm rose 90.5p, or 5% to 1916p.

The mixture of the two sides of the company has long puzzled analysts and investors, given the different customers and markets each division served.

Prudential Plc, worth 40 billion, mainly sells products to the booming middle-class in Asia and retirees across America whereas M&G Prudential, worth 10 billion, sells policies and investments to pensioners in the UK and Europe.

Splitting the shares in two will also give investors more choice which part of the Pru they like best, Wells said.

M&G Prudential has more than seven million customers and a 350 billion fund management arm led by top fund manager Anne Richards.

Prudential Plc has four million policyholders in the US and 15 million life insurance customers across Asia.

The 12 billion annuity book sale will see around 400,000 policyholders transfer to Rothesay, which is backed by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and Blackstone.

The jumbo sale leaves around 20 billion of annuities on the books but M&G said it had no plans to sell more. By splitting off the UK, Prudential Plc also escapes onerous Solvency II rules on capital.

Panmure Gordon said the separation will take until 2020 and the demerger would allow its Asian operations to have a higher value.
Big news this session is that Google is to ban ads for cryptocurrencies and IPOs from June.

The company said the ban applies to all cryptocurrencies including but not limited to initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets and cryptocurrency trading advice.

Google said it will also seek ways to close loopholes which allow cryptocurrency advertising by purposely misspelling words like "bitcoin."

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies responded negatively to the news, but there was no huge sell-off on the crypto market.

Chris Keshian, managing partner and CEO of $APEX Token Fund, said: We see Googles actions as progressive  as long as they continue to keep an open mind and dont tar all cryptocurrencies with the same brush. Crackdowns on cryptocurrencies are the best way to weed out irresponsible and fraudulent ICOs and place greater focus on cases against unregistered persons acting as agents, brokers, and investment professionals in the cryptocurrency space. This is a key step in cryptocurrencies becoming a mature and stable asset class."

Hmmm not sure about that comment.
H e was born 300 years to the day after Galileo. He had a professorship at Cambridge once held by Isaac Newton. He overcame the tests of great and growing disability in a way which showed there are few limits to human possibility.

As Stephen Hawkings life is celebrated, this is a moment to remember not only his individual brilliance and the inspiring example he set but the importance of his research and of science to our country and our world.

He was, before anything else, a scientist: Britain has long been an amazing home for original thinkers and researchers, of which he was the most famous.

Science is one of the things in which our country excels and for which it is admired: a genuinely shared endeavour to expand human understanding everywhere, through co-operation and hard evidence.

At a time when this country is searching for its future, this great strength needs protecting more than ever from pressures that may diminish it by closing it off from the world.

No one showed this more than the greatest astrophysicist of all time.

His genius lay not just in the research he did into the basic laws which govern the universe but also in his awareness of its importance to those of us beyond the boundaries of academic life.

He always sought to explain his thinking in ways that drew people in, even if he did not deny its complexity.

Professor Stephen Hawking dies at the age of 76

Crossing an event horizon into a black hole, he said, was a bit like going over Niagara Falls in a canoe.

If time had a beginning, he once pointed out, it must also have an end: though that might not be for 20 billion years  by which time, he joked, maybe ... [a] trade agreement will have come into effect.

Humour and a sense of history  both often missing in modern science, as in much else about todays world  were his key tools.

He knew that his thinking stood on the shoulders of many great researchers who had come before him and that his work would, in time, feed into the knowledge of future generations.

Science is not about fixed facts but the constant testing and development of ideas.

Stephen Hawking has gone but his work will always live, and that is the most important thing of all.

Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures 1 /32 Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures Nelson Mandela talks to Prof Hawking in Johannesburg in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking and his second wife Elaine Mason attend the international bookfair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2005 Getty Images Prof Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem in 2006 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking, his daughter Lucy and French physicist Christophe Galfard in 2007 AFP/Getty Images Stephen Hawking with his son Robert in 1967 Collect Stephen Hawking with his wife Stephen Hawking with wife Jane and their children Professor Stephen Hawking at his marriage ceremony to his former nurse Elaine Mason in 1995 PA Stephen Hawking nd Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London PA A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Amazon Then-president Barack Obama presents Prof Hawking the Medal Freedom in 2009 Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II meets Prof Hawking at St James's Palace in 2014 Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking and Eddie Redmayne attends the UK Premiere of "The Theory Of Everything" at Odeon Leicester Square Getty Images George Osborne and Stephen Hawking attend the London Evening Standard's '1000: London's Most Influential People' at The Francis Crick Institute Stephen Hawking in The Simpsons Fox Stephen Hawking with David Beckham Professor Stephen Hawking unveils a scientific formula to predict the chances of England succeeding in the World Cup in Cambridge ill Gates (L), accompanied by University Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Broers meets Professor Stephen Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University REUTERS Stephen Hawking floats on a zero-gravity jet in 2007 AP Pope Benedict XVI greets British professor Stephen Hawking during a meeting of science academics at the Vatican in 2008 Reuters Prof Hawking on a visit to Cape Finestre, Spain, in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking in Futurama Stephen Hawking played himself in multiple episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' Hawking : World leaders and scientists pay tribute to famous physicist PA Prof Hawking pictured in London in 2014 AFP/Getty Images British physicist Stephen Hawking sits in the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games August 29, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS) David Walliams, Professor Stephen Hawking and Catherine Tate for Red Nose Day 2015 Rex Features Stephen Hawking with Jane Wilde and guests attend the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Royal Opera House in 2015 Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones presenting the Award for Special Visual Effects at the EE BAFTA British Academy Film Award 2015 Rex Features Pope Francis greets physicist Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants at a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican in 2016 AP Professor Stephen Hawking presenting winners Oxford's Balliol College (right) with the winning trophy after their victory by 190 points to 140 over Wolfson College Cambridge (left) in 2017 PA Professor Stephen Hawking is presented with his illuminated Freedom scroll by the Chamberlain of the City of London Peter Kane as he receives the Honorary Freedom of the City of London during a ceremony at the Guildhall, London in 2017 AP

Lets hear it for Barking

East Londons rebirth is proof that thinking big works. Today that takes another step.

The leader of Barking and Dagenham council says he wants to build a mini-Manhattan in the borough. Some will laugh. But history is on his side.

Take the Isle of Dogs. When, in the Eighties, Michael Heseltine backed a plan to build a new financial city on a dock once used for unloading fruit from the Canary Islands, almost everyone thought he was crazy. Now 100,000 people work there.

Or take the old railyards at Stratford. When it was suggested they host the Olympic Games, sceptics were everywhere.

Now the park is full of trees, housing and both Sadlers Wells and the V&A Museum are opening there.

So Barkings new 10-year plan to rebuild around the station has every chance of success.

Nor far away, alongside the Thames, the Barking Riverside development is already well under way.

Such ambition is vital.

London needs more homes and jobs and they dont happen by accident. They take vision, guts and investment in things such as great transport, skills and good planning.

Of course some will point out that our city doesnt need more dull glass-walled boxes: but thats a test for Britains architects and designers to come up with something far better, not a case for holding back from growth and development.

So look east and see the future.

Food for thought

What do you do when you get home? Throw something frozen in the microwave for dinner? Click online for a curry? Or get chopping and cook for yourself? Sounds good. But who has time?

From today, in Life & Style, were helping: chef Clodagh McKenna is offering a recipe every Wednesday.
Human beings tend to be different, conditioned by varying social settings and differing lived experiences.

From a Marxist standpoint, the attitudes and actions of individuals are determined by the existing economic system and their place in the structure of production.

But there is also a great deal of human essence that cuts across economic systems, classes, and races. There are motivations and behavioral patterns that are attributable to the entirety of the human race.

There is of course the danger of essentialism in this assertion, but one cant gainsay the reality of humanity that has historically been reflected in actions and deeds of societies and individuals all around the world.

There is, for example, scarcely any society or part of the world that has never experienced war and conflict in recorded history, or no nation and social group that has never been under autocratic rule.

The question of human nature and the innate characteristic of human beings has been the subject of philosophical inquiry; it has exercised the minds of seminal thinkers in human history.

Two broad conclusions are worth high- lighting. The first that sees human nature as inherently predisposed to do good because we are endowed with rational capability and can, unlike other beings, discern good from bad and do right instead of wrong.

This line of thinking dates back to Plato but was most popularized in modern times by philosopher Immanuel Kant. The counterargument sees human beings as fundamentally oriented to doing bad. We are at our very core selfish and greedy such that left to our devices and in the absence of any constraints, we can display the worst of our instincts. This position was articulated

most forcefully by Thomas Hobbes in explaining the origins of modern government. Like all other major debates, the truth about human nature most plausibly lies somewhere in the middle.

But even if we held that the essence of human beings is to do good, we would also have to concede that good intentions and noble acts, too, can produce disastrous outcomes.

Consider the fact that some individuals selflessly and out of good heartedness contribute to the foreign aid industry that has been quite notorious for perpetuating underdevelopment than it has improved the lives of the poorest of the world.

If there is something that history has made abundantly clear about human beings, it is that for good or bad, the motivations and actions of individuals and societies must be tamed or, at a minimum, regulated. T

he challenge in this regard has always been how to design governance regimes and institutional arrangements that at once assure social harmony and individual freedom.

The predominant solution to that end that has proved enduring has been a rule-based society where legal and constitutional provisions along with established norms and values undergird everyday political relations, social interactions, and economic transactions. Let me exit this somewhat abstruse excurse.

Here is the crux of the matter, making possible social existence and progressive societies requires that all beings are subjected to constraints against their instincts and desires.

This is the essence of government. But putting in place a government that constrains everybody is the biggest challenge of all time. One of Americas foremost statesmen, James Madison, laid down this conundrum in the Federalist 51: the government must be powerful enough to govern but the governed should in turn control the government.

The real crisis facing a country like Uganda is the failure to develop a system of government that subjects everyone to the same rules of engagement.

A rules-based system means actions that dont conform to the rules are sanctioned and those that adhere to the rules are rewarded. If this basic system of rewards and sanctions is disregarded, as is the case in Uganda today, a society descends into jungle life and lawlessness.

We see a great deal of this especially in the capital Kampala where even in the presence of traffic cops, motorists, more so passenger motorcyclists, can ride the red light at will. Government vehicles drive over shoulders without punishment.

By contrast, many hardworking public servants who stick to the rules and serve with distinction are sidelined and many retire to a paupers life. Being rewarded for excellence is not guaranteed because the system can be gamed such that one does not need to excel to be rewarded.

For those of us who believe that politics is a key determinant of other social and economic processes and outcomes in society, the structure of Ugandan politics today underpins much of what has gone wrong.

It all started in earnest in 1986. The new rulers proceeded by ruling without rules that bound everyone, both in terms of rewards and punishment.

When the rules caught some people on the wrong side, like the rulers brother, they were exempt. Others could effortlessly commandeer public assets and state enterprises to reward themselves for having fought.

This meant having different rules for different Ugandans.

The author is an assistant professor of political science at North Carolina State University.
A s fury and frustration gripped many of the nations millennials yesterday, the target of their anger apologised.

We did not expect a response like this, tweeted the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) to one of many annoyed applicants for a 26-30 Railcard.

With hindsight, perhaps the representatives of the train operators and Network Rail will conclude that the surge in demand was predictable.

The 26-30 Railcard aims to increase revenue as well as ridership, filling empty off-peak seats rather than adding to the rush-hour squeeze. To detect any unintended consequences, the RDG planned two small-scale trials, distributing just 10,000 of the digital discount cards in each.

The first, in the Greater Anglia area, began in January. Millennials residing in the right postcodes in east London and East Anglia soon snapped up the 10,000 available railcards, while those in the rest of Britain looked on impatiently. Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, reassured them, announcing: A new railcard for those aged 26 to 30, giving 4.5 million more young people a third off their rail fares.

Those born between March 14, 1987 and March 13, 1992, feeling financially squeezed between declining real wages and high rents, were not warned how scarce the 26-30 Railcard would be. On opening day, 450 millennials competed for each one available. The server never stood a chance. For every silently smug late-20s passenger on your train this afternoon, enjoying a first full day of cheap travel, there will be many more resentful 26-30 year olds.

The rail industry and the Government must learn from the wave of unsatisfied demand and tackle the root of the problem: irrational rail fares, many baked in at the time of privatisation.

Arbitrary age boundaries are not the answer: whether the upper limit is 25 or 30, the cut-off penalises people who are still early in their working lives. Better to emulate the no-frills airlines. Over a quarter-century, Europes budget carriers have used sophisticated demand-based pricing to become the most efficient transport providers in the world, filling all but a handful of seats on the average flight.

Londons commuter network cannot be run entirely on commercial grounds; it fulfils an essential role in the powering the capitals economy. But every day outside rush hours, vast numbers of empty seats shuttle around the south-east network, while motorists  many of them deterred by high rail fares stew in traffic jams.

The rail industry should stop slicing and dicing passenger demand, and instead manage it more effectively using pricing. Many fares would fall, while some would rise. But as passengers came to terms with the idea
T oday, a new sculpture of the Crucifixion was due to be unveiled near the altar of St Stephen Walbrook in the Square Mile.

So what, you might think? This is a dog-bites-man story, surely?

But this is not a conventional Crucifixion scene. In the place of Jesus, a life-sized Stormtrooper from the original Star Wars films hangs on the cross. Whether his face is divinely serene or twisted in agony, none can say, since his helmet covers his face. And thanks to his bulky shoulder pads, his arms cant fully stretch out across the horizontal beam. But otherwise, his body language is as Christ-like as they come. He even has a halo.

Crucified Stormtrooper, by street artist RYCA (real name: Ryan Callanan), is part of an exhibition called Stations of the Cross, but if you want to visit St Stephen Walbrook to see how well the sculpture sits with the Henry Moore altar, you cant. A backlash from parishioners at yesterdays morning service meant the work was removed later in the day. The church has since decided it will be on display after all, but relocated away from the altar.

I couldnt make it to the church in time to see the work in situ, but judging from the pictures I dont think itll be a minority opinion to say that it looked unbearably tacky.

But. But, but, but. The exhibition has been organised for a worthwhile cause. It is curated by Art Below founder Ben Moore in support of a fund set up to find his brother, who went missing in 2003.

So how are we meant to react, those of us who want to support charity fundraising but also think that St Stephen Walbrook is one of Wrens most beautiful churches?

Perhaps, if were lucky, the hoo-ha around Crucified Stormtrooper means someone will take notice and buy it (its going for 12k), then its welcome money for a good cause. But I hope whoever claims it takes it to a galaxy far, far away.



Spare Anne-Marie any more duff roles

Anne-Marie Duff / PA Wire/PA Images

Rufus Norriss production of Macbeth for the National has been torn apart by critics for being full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Is this a dud which I see before me? wrote one. The worst Shakespeare production at the NT for at least a decade, said another. Its easy to feel sorry for Norris (Macbeth is the latest in a series of flops for the Olivier stage), but the person I feel for most is poor Anne-Marie Duff.

Before her wasted turn as Lady Macbeth she was in Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle at Wyndhams, a play so hampered by Simon Stephenss self-indulgent script that not even the dream team of director Marianne Elliott and designer Bunny Christie could salvage it. And before that she starred in DC Moores Common  another dud for the Olivier  which saw her crawling out of a grave as a clunky allegory for the unkillable spectre of capitalism. Duff is one of our finest actresses and she deserves better than this string of stinkers.

A vast brain and the humour of Homer

It was sad to wake up this morning to the news of Stephen Hawkings death. While most of us will always be in ignorant awe of his complicated work on quantum physics, he made us want to understand. We also loved his self-deprecating humour about his own public image. His first cameo appearance on The Simpsons is an all-time classic. In the episode he chastises the residents of Springfield for their failed attempt at creating a Utopia. When Principal Skinner tries to twist his words, Hawking angrily interjects: Silence! I dont need anyone to talk for me except this voice box.

Why get in a froth over millennials?

A fresh intake of under-40 town councillors for Charlotte, North Carolina, propose that the word millennial ought to be dropped from the chamber because it has so many negative connotations.
You know the naked dream, the one where youre standing in the middle of a Paris Fashion Week catwalk with nothing but an iPhone to hide your modesty?

Ive had that three times this week.

Weighed down with anxiety following 10 months of maternity leave and what feels like a lifetime of trousers with expandable waistbands, my head is a breeding ground for style dilemmas (is it still socially acceptable to wear frayed hem jeans and, worryingly, does Phoebe Philos departure from Celine spell the end of office track-pants?).

A quick audit of desk mates (a new novelty) confirms that its not just those returning to the land of al desko lunches who find themselves anxiously scrolling through the new in section of Net-a-Porter during the wee small hours.

Much like Tube rage and the fear of missing out on a new and ridiculously named pasta restaurant (its a thing), severe wardrobe anxiety is endemic in this city.

People. Fashion. Power. Delivered weekly. Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}}

With such fraughtness in mind, I bring you a painstakingly researched plan to rebooting your spring look. This is no Queer Eye overhaul but a checklist of all that you need to start afresh.

The key is to wipe the slate clean (see badly fitting dresses, scratchy fabrics and moth-eaten sweaters). Once youve arrived at wardrobe square one you can begin.

1. Find the right trousers

...and youre sorted. This is no exaggeration. For SS18, a pair of black jumbo cords is a great plan  theyre smart enough to wear to the office and borderline frumpy (a good thing this season). A pair of flat-fronted herringbone trousers (far right) will also work hard for you.

2. Learn to tuck

A spade is a spade just as a shirt is a shirt, but how you tuck yours in is of paramount importance. Tuck loosely at the back and tightly around the front for a chic finish.

3. Coat check

Seek out a trench. Id also extend the crusade to coats in punchy hues. While a zesty lemon coat may not be typical capsule wardrobe fodder, its what those in the trade refer to as an event piece thats certain to lift your look and your mood.

4. Hot fuzz

Jumpers are not just for Christmas. Your bank balance wont thank you but fine gauge cashmere in buttery shades are pure gold. UK-produced sweater brand & Daughter is a one-stop shop. Splurge now and wear daily.

5. Speaking of shoes

...unless trainers are your one-suits-all solution (totally fine, by the way) all roads lead back to Celine and the angular ugly courts that defined the Philo era. Emerging brand Aeyde is a great shout for those seeking a formal shoe thats both comfortable and anti corporate.

6. So basic

Sounds simple, is anything but. Avoid anything clingy and pay close attention to sleeve length  the most flattering styles reach a third of the way down the arm.

7. The boring bit

Rebuilding your wardrobe from the ground up means looking at what lies beneath, spelling the end for badly fitting bras and mismatching socks. Simplify your life by stocking up on 10 pairs of the same socks. Uniqlo has a refreshingly generic selection.

8. Make your own fun

These are building blocks to get us back on track, not rules to live by. As your dynamic new wardrobe grows so too will your ability to pick and choose. Tread carefully when it comes to the really silly stuff (i.e never spend a whole months pay on a neon yellow hoodie splayed with diamonds).
A trio of Hamlets came face to face with their miniature film portraits ahead of a show by artist Tacita Dean.

Ben Whishaw, Stephen Dillane and David Warner, who have all played Shakespeares prince, feature in His Picture In Little, which will be shown on a continuous loop at the National Portrait Gallery from tomorrow until May 28.

Dean filmed the trio separately and cut the clips together into the 15-and-a-half minute piece, named after a line from the play.

They met at the gallery yesterday to watch the film for the first time. Whishaw, 37, played Hamlet at the Old Vic in 2004.

6 exhibitions you need to see this March 1 /6 6 exhibitions you need to see this March The EY Exhibition: Picasso 1932  Love, Fame and Tragedy Tate Modern, March 8  September 9 2018; tate.org.uk Succession Picasso/DACS London, 2017 All Too Human: Bacon, Freud and a Century of Painting Life Tate Britain, February 28  August 27 2018; tate.org.uk Read our review Paula Rego Another Kind of Life: Photography on the Margins Barbican Centre, February 28  May 27 2018; barbican.org.uk Paz Errazuriz Victorian Giants: The Birth of Art Photography National Portrait Gallery, March 1  May 20; npg.org.uk Wilson Centre for Photography Joan Jonas Tate Modern, March 14  August 5 2018; tate.org.uk Tacita Dean National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery, 15 March  August 28; nationalgallery.org.uk , npg.org.uk

Dillane, 63, took the role in 1994, at the Gielgud Theatre, while Warner, 76, starred as the prince for the RSC in 1965.
L ike the pot of gold at the end of this week's rainbow, St Patrick's Day on March 17 is tantalisingly close.

The fact that your great-great-Grandad had an Irish setter may be tenuous link to the Emerald Isle, but it's a good enough excuse to pick up a pint of Guinness and celebrate the wonders of Irish culture on this saint's day.

London may not be Dublin but  helped along by a contentious rugby match  the capital is well and truly in the spirit of things this year, with parties aplenty.

Here are the London hotspots you should be raising a glass or two in this St Patrick's Day.

Camden Market

Exclusive offers and competitions weekly Email Sign up Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice {{message}} {{permutiveUid}} {{message}}

Camden Market are mixing St Patricks Day with the spirit of Womens History Month, by hosting a musical extravaganza dedicated to Irish women artists. The 16th annual edition of their Irish music trail will host an all-female line-up, with performances taking place across the market in a range of venues, from coffee shops to outdoor stages.

Camden Lock Place, Camden Town, NW1 8AF, camdenmarket.com

Studio 88 and The Piano Works

The excellent Studio 88, the latest round-the-clock live music bar from the team behind Piano Works, will be celebrating their first St Patricks Day in suitably jovial spirits. Cocktails named after Irish music legends (choose between the Enya, Van Morrison and U2) will be on the menu, while revellers will be encouraged to come Irish and Stylish. Devoted to The Piano Works? The Farringdon location will also be hosting a Cant Dance Ceilidh party from midday to 4am.

Pop Brixton

South Londons pop-up connoisseurs will be throwing a St Paddys Party with ceilidh band Fiddle Paradiddle entertaining the masses, accompanied by traditional Irish dancing. Face painters will be on hand to help you look the part and if you share a name with Irelands patron saint then youre in four-leaf clover luck  anyone named Patrick can get their hands on a free pint of Guinness.

49 Brixton Station Road, Brixton, SW9 8PQ, popbrixton.org

The Sun Tavern

The Sun Tavern have one of the largest selections of Irish whiskey in the capital, and theyll be putting it to good use this St Patricks Day. A special selection of Teeling whiskey cocktails will be on offer with oysters provided by Oyster Boy. The highly anticipated England vs Ireland rugby match will be on the screens, before guests can enjoy music from Drew McConnell, bass guitarist for Babyshambles, Helsinki and Liam Gallagher.

441 Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AN, thesuntavern.co.uk

Bloomsbury Club Bar

If youre looking for a more refined approach to the festivities, then the Bloomsbury Club bar will be hosting a St Patricks soiree on the Saturday evening. Enjoy live acoustic music with a bespoke cocktail menu based on artisan spirits from the Dingle Distillery, and a menu of Irish-inspired treats, including hot smoked salmon with Colcannon and Guinness Welsh Rarebit.

16-22 Great Russell Street, WC1B 3NN, thebloomsburyclub.com

Nuala

Newly opened Irish restaurant and bar Nuala will be kicking off their St Patricks Day celebrations from 9am, with an Irish seafood breakfast of crab claws and fresh oysters that can be enjoyed with a pint of Guinness included, all for 25. From 11am until the early hours of Sunday, their downstairs bar will be hosting live Irish music and bountiful festivities.

70-74 City Road, EC1Y 2BJ, nualalondon.com

The Dairy

The Dairy in Clapham is celebrating their fifth birthday this week by championing the underappreciated side of Irelands food and drink industry. Expect a menu stocked with fresh Irish sea urchins and snails, along with fine Irish whiskey and offerings from unusual Irish brewers. This could be a good place to escape all the cliches of St Patricks Day this year.

March 13 - 17, 15 The Pavement, SW4 0HY, the-dairy.co.uk

Top of The Shard

Getty Images

The Shard is getting in the spirit by welcoming a talented group of Irish dancers to put on a show at the very top of the landmark. The mix of traditional celebration and contemporary setting makes this a pretty unique way to celebrate Irelands patron saint.. The best thing is, if your name happens to be Patrick or Patricia youll get in for free too.

32 London Bridge Street, SE1 9SG, the-shard.com

50 Shades of Green at 40FT Brewery

Quirky Dalston brewery 40FT are hosting an all-Irish celebration this Saturday, bringing a great selection of food, live music and beer together under one roof. Therell be a Ban Poitin pop up bar in residence as well as the warming Irish cocktails McGregors Punch, Belfast Coffee and Shamrock Shakes on offer too. Therell be rugby on the big screen throughout the day, before the Dalston venue welcomes DJs to soundtrack the evening.

18a Ashwin Street, E8, 40ftbrewery.com

Swift

A celebration of Irish Whiskey is coming to Swift with the Soho venue putting on a special selection of cocktails featuring Jamesons, Redbreast and Green Spot. The venue will also take inspiration from traditional Irish pubs to create a new handmade menu topped off with the bars signature Swift Irish Coffee.

12 Old Compton Street, Soho, W1D 4TQ, barswift.com

All Star Lanes

Giles Christopher - Media Wisdom

London bowling and dining institution All Star Lanes are rolling out the green carpet this year with the introduction of a new Irish-themed pie. The comforting Cheeky Tot Pie is made with braised ox cheek and Guinness, and joins the menu for a limited time over St Patricks weekend. Work up your appetite with a few games of bowling, before kicking back with a pie and a Guinness - what could be better?
Review at a glance









H am, the old English word for home states the menu at this new restaurant.

Ham, says the dictionary more emphatically, is the name given to the cut of meat from the upper part of a leg of pork preserved by curing and/or smoking. Ham can also be a hyperbolic actor or, according to urban slang, an acronym for hard as a motherf**ker.



With the pleasing graphics of a horizontal line  by the way called a macron  above the a as utilised here, it is possibly referencing mathematics. My definition is that Ham is yet another neighbourhood restaurant in West Hampstead where practically every shopfront offers stuff to eat  but a noticeably loftier one. It even has the chefs looking out over the dining room from the back of the room at a theatrical mezzanine level.



Head chef is Matt Osborne, who has worked at The Ledbury, Terroirs, Salon in Brixton and ToastED in East Dulwich (now Terroirs East Dulwich). I happen to know he is Australian but I could have guessed his nationality from the dinner menu anyway. Then the brunch list confirms it. There is a strand of inventiveness coupled with health-consciousness that isnt unusual these days but here possesses a breezy buoyancy that I associate with the Land of Oz.



Co-owners Rose Tuckey and David Houten seemed to want to create an agreeable fairly priced restaurant that cherishes small independent suppliers. They are fortunate in their warm, capable manger Alexandra Caciuc, whom I remember from 45 Jermyn Street.



We ask for a Negroni and she shows us the bottle of Sacred Rosehip Cup that is involved. It is an English take on Campari brewed with 27 botanicals in the home of Ian Hart in Highgate. His distillery also provides Sacred gin, vodka and vermouths. What a discovery right on the doorstep.



Social media can surely be blamed  the garnish of the moment is discs of thinly sliced radishes. You see them spinning everywhere. Here they make a pretty quilt neatly draped over a mound of chopped aged raw beef mixed with wasabi mayonnaise, ginger and shallots creating powerful Superman mouthfuls. Equally impressive is Norfolk quail, roasted, pulled apart and tumbled with artichokes, pearl barley and kombu, which is Japanese dried sea vegetable. I think I see leeks unless that is what fresh kombu resembles  probably grown by some woman living in Crouch End. The benign chewiness of the barley is spot on.



Herdwick lamb shoulder is judiciously cooked, yielding gracefully but hanging on to a distinct personality that suits beautifully the anchovy puree alongside. A skein of calcots (strapping Catalan spring onions) and a light snowstorm of grated salted ricotta complete the picture. The flavours of grated almonds, pear and parsley do every kind of favour to the roasted root vegetables that are all of a golden hue.



On this same day my chum Stiffy and I were at lunch at The Fordwich Arms. We are two of the Infamous Four who try out restaurants within a two-hour train journey from London. So far The Sportsman in Whitstable has come out tops  as it does with everyone  but The Fordwich, a gemutlich pub in the smallest town in the land, now run by chefs and a sommelier previously at The Clove Club, is a strong second. This is to explain our tame dessert order of just blood-orange sorbet to share. How I love and admire blood oranges.

Fay Maschler's 50 favourite restaurants in London 1 /50 Fay Maschler's 50 favourite restaurants in London Andrew Edmunds Once through the battered door of the early C18th terrace house you can breathe a sigh of relief: Sohos soul remains untrammelled. Opened in 1986 by the eponymous print dealer whose shop trades next door, the venue was quickly embraced as Londons riposte to a Parisian bistro. As happens in such places, a clientele of regulars clubbily coalesced. But make a booking & membership is granted by your name scribbled on the white paper tablecloth  next to a candle in a bottle. Nothing much has changed in the past 30-odd years. Cooking keeps pace with the evolving way we like to eat but is never egregiously clever-clogs. The drinks list, plus extra bottles on the blackboard, continues to delight and demand exploration. There isnt a better description than that by Bruce Yardley in my Standard restaurant guide of 1996: a bizarre assortment which looks as if picked up at auction following the death of a rich crank, with surprisingly grand bottles available at bargain prices. Still true. A Wong I go to the opening of any Chinese restaurant I hear about, always searching for the Holy Grail (a speciality, I think, of Fujian). In the dreary January days of 2013 I noticed the launch of A Wong in the badlands of Victoria, went one evening and have been going ever since. Andrew Wong, whose late father ran Kyms at the same address, did a Chinese reverse ferret and went from university into the restaurant kitchen, having fervently and effectively studied the cooking traditions of his homeland. Time of day influences the experience, with lunch being the moment for imaginative, exquisite and often astonishing dim sum, sensibly served by the piece. Underpin them with knife-shaved noodles with garlic, soy, chilli, sesame and dried fish, and Xian city lamb burger with Xinjiang pomegranate salad. In the evenings, the 10-course Taste of China Menu and the Peking Duck Feast are truly memorable. Undisputedly, Andrew is the most audacious, forward-thinking Chinese chef in London. Barrafina Apparently inspired by Barcelonas Cal Pep, these tapas bars are the creation of Hart Brothers Sam & Eddie, in whose domain are also Quo Vadis & El Pastor. Bilbao-born chef Nieves Barragan Mohacho established the rigorously authentic style and introduced regional culinary tropes not seen before in London. Her departure to do her own thing  fair enough after 14 years with the Harts  will, I believe, not leave customers short-changed. I dont observe queues shortening outside the three outlets, my favourite being Drury Lane because the wait is often more merciful and it is perfect for before and after theatre, ballet and movies. The venues are slickly kitted out and the dance of service skilfully choreographed. Sparkling, pristine fish can be combined with gnarly offal and grills of the day and bedded down in the basics such as tortilla and pan con tomate, which are notably carefully constructed. The Harts import their own manzanilla, which is a good way to start as you mean to go on. Bellamy's My dutiful admiration for the Queen soared to a state approaching fandom when, in March 2016, I read that she had dined at Bellamys  and not for the first time. In her terms you might almost say shes a regular. Some restaurants are the person who owns them, and Bellamys is Gavin Rankin. Gavin worked for Mark Birley, original creator of Annabels and Marks Club, outstripping him, to my mind, in charm and subtlety. He is also a cracking mimic. French-Belgian brasseries inspire the look and the menu, which features the sort of simple things done well that posh people like, the dishes Arabella Boxer celebrated in her perspicacious Book of English Food. You might choose to start with iced lobster souffle but find milk chocolate Minstrels served with coffee. How well Gavin understands. A table dhote menu at lunch and dinner offers excellent value and French wines kick off very reasonably. Young customers are encouraged  as well as venerable royalty. Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill My gaggle of companions for restaurant reviewing includes people working in the biz. They are curious, invariably generous in judgment  and they understand. Oisin Rogers, of The Guinea Grill, grasps the nettle fearlessly but sometimes he will say, lets just go somewhere good. Bentleys Oyster Bar is mooted because it is a serious enterprise devoted to prime ingredients treated with wit and brio, and because ebullient Richard Corrigan is a consummate chef and restaurateur  and of course an Irishman. The oyster bar is the place to sit, the end table on the left opposite the long marble bar my preference. Oyster-eaters (not me) say the best specimens are are here. Oystermen open them with a skill that could re-invent The Generation Game. Fish soup, fish and chips and a glorious fish pie are all present and correct, but dont ignore the inventive and sometimes globetrotting dishes of the day. The terrace outside is another asset. Black Axe Mangal One BAM review remarked prissily that you cant adjust the volume on your palate. It then occurred to me that the relentless heavy-metal that prohibits conversation actually works to balance the smack of roaring flavours and deafening colours. Forget talking, start drinking cocktails. Chef/patron Lee Tiernan, who fronts the black, wood-fired, iron-clad metal oven decorated with tributes to Kiss, worked for 10 years at St John, finishing as head chef at St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields. He is well travelled, soaking up influences, stratagems and spices like a wily sponge. For what I describe generically as pimped-up lahmacun, one of the breads incorporating potato and spelt flour, is inspired by San Franciscos Tartine Bakery. If you get nervous around offal, cunning accoutrements with the meats and the clout of chilli will dispel that. More decorous assemblies are also offered. Consider squid ink flatbread topped with an egg yolk literally  and silently  glittering. Bocco di Lupo Chef Jacob Kenedy and manager Victor Hugo both worked at Moro. Inspired and instructed, in 2008 they opened their own venture in an unkempt Soho street in premises that once housed Charlie Chesters Casino. They were early into small plates  at the start of a meal a stack like gambling chips is placed on the table. The menu takes inspiration from the 20 regions of Italy and from the kitchens own ideas when the region is listed as BDL. Perfect radish, celeriac, pomegranate, pecorino salad with truffle dressing comes from there, ie, inside Jacobs head. Rome is the go-to for fried fancies such as anchovy-stuffed sage leaves and Mammole artichokes. Pastas from anywhere are sublime, and when choosing roasts and grills it is well worth remembering that sausages are one of the staples made in-house. No luck with a booking or a place at the counter? Try the offshoot Vico in Cambridge Circus, specialising in southern Italian cooking. And definitely an ice cream from Gelupo. Brasserie Zedel I luxuriate at The Wolseley. The Delaunay confers glamour. At Fischers the mittel-European cafe concept has found its ideal address. The peace, space and tartes flambees at Bellanger are a boon, and I wouldnt stay anywhere in London other than The Beaumont. But it is Brasserie Zedel, just off Piccadilly Circus and conceived by Corbin and King, that touches my heart. Here is the meat and drink of democracy inspired by Bouillon Chartier in Paris. Marble columns, brass rails, mirrors and gilt decorate a vast hall where tables have salmon-pink cloths and napkins. After five years of business, ridiculously reasonable prices hold. I choose the prix-fixe menu at 12.75 for three courses, not because I am a cheapskate but because I like carottes rapees, steak hache and gateau Opera. Dishes of the day make me hope its Monday for that quintessential French assembly, poulet au curry. An evening of cabaret at Crazy Coqs across the hall followed by dinner is one of Londons unbeatable treats. Brawn I got to know Keith McNally in 2013 when he came to recreate his New York landmark restaurant Balthazar in Covent Garden. He asked me where I most liked to eat and I took him here. He loved it, said it was absolutely his idea of an ideal restaurant and claimed that his mother was born in Columbia Road. Maybe she was. Ed Wilson, once head chef for the Terroirs coalition, now concentrates his energies here. Seasonal, local, foraged, organic, yadda, yadda, yadda... but here, in what was once a wood-turning workshop, those attributes obtain magnificently. The daily printed menu bristles with relevance, relish and temptation. The off-piste wine list comes with staff willing and able to explain, recommend and let you try. When I first reviewed Brawn, I gave it five stars. Enough said. Brunswick House If anywhere could redeem the urban blight of the developments in Vauxhall Cross, it is the Georgian house now fittingly occupied by architectural salvage company Lassco. It is where young blade Jackson Boxer runs his candelabra-lit, ground-floor restaurant and bar with access to some of the atmospheric rooms for private parties. Jackson, grandson of Arabella (see Bellamys) and the late Mark Boxer, has been fortunate in his culinary evolution here in having Andrew Clarke  soon to open duck-devoted Bastien  as chef-director and gifted Drew Snaith at his elbow. Their menus are fertile, nourishing, plugged into the markets and fashionable without being faddy. The old ways of a major ingredient bolstered by minor accompaniments has been abandoned to a new musicality where every element carries more or less equal weight. Vegetarians wont feel neglected; their options are never obvious. The romance of craftsmanship, apparent everywhere in the building, carries over into the cooking. Cambio de Tercio In compiling this list some choices needed a revisit to check that everything was as I thought. When I slipped in here on a weekday lunchtime I locked eyes  you will grasp the significance when you meet him  with Abel Lusa, owner since the restaurant opened in 1995. Over 20 years on, you might expect the boss to miss a quiet service, but Lusa was also meeting Spanish wine makers, the cellar being his pride and joy. Albero & Grana (now closed) where Lusa worked and Cambio de Tercio (both names inspired by bullfighting) brought to west London stirrings of how we now perceive Spanish cooking  as something revelatory. Jamon Iberica  here five-star Sanchez Romero Carvajal  is the way to begin any meal. Head chef Alberto Criado embraces the technique of low and slow whether that be for roasted tomatoes, heritage carrots, rabbit, oxtail or baked custard. Vivid and energising decor and enthusiastic service animates the diners  including Rafael Nadal when hes in town. Chez Bruce When there was a flurry of media surprise in the mid-Eighties at university graduates becoming restaurant chefs, Bruce Poole (Exeter  history) was among that number. After a couple of years working front-of-house, he began cooking with Simon Hopkinson at Bibendum. Pooles premises overlooking Wandsworth Common previously housed Marco Pierre White at Harveys. For many  me included  Chez Bruce is a restaurant ideal and often wins awards pointing to that fact. Classic technique from head chef Matt Christmas is let loose on a roll call of enticing ingredients exhibiting deep-seated understanding of the role and impact of each. Generosity of spirit conveyed by the dishes themselves plus canapes and friandises is reinforced by the warmth and capability of the staff with a strong female component including sommelier Sara Bachiorri in charge of a magnificent list. There is agreeably defiant plainness in the decor, all the better to frame tip-top eating and drinking. Ciao Bella Was it named when a world-weary Italian waiter approached a pretty girl with an oversized pepper mill in his hands? This familiar scenario that for many underpins the London restaurant experience is to my mind enshrined most satisfactorily at Ciao Bella. Always buzzing  electric heaters outside provide an all-weather terrace  with the basement often given over to parties, diners on the ground floor are squashed tight under stills from the heyday of Italian movies, with special attention paid to Fellini and La Dolce Vita. Those traditional Italian specialities salume affumicato and avocado e gamberetti share the menu with insalata tricolore, myriad pizzas, over two dozen pastas, vitello, fegato, pollo, scampi, cassata, torta della nonna, all reassuringly served in comforting quantity. A pianist plays, customers imbibe and often sing. Catching a movie at Curzon Bloomsbury followed by supper here is one approach of mine to the sweet life. Clarke's In a magazine article asking chefs what they would be cooking on Christmas Day, I remember Sally Clarke saying something like she might boil a few carrots. She is ascetic, our Sal and it has stood her in good stead. Young dude chefs nowadays get praised for their no-choice tasting menus, but more than 30 years ago Sally  inspired in part by Alice Waters at Chez Panisse  launched Clarkes with a fixed dinner menu (that rule has recently been relaxed). She was ahead of her time in other ways such as strict seasonality, devotion to the best produce, local if possible, an open kitchen, bread made in-house, simplicity, clarity, clean fingernail inspection and Californian wines. There is a serenity in the dining rooms that attracts a band of devoted followers. Lucian Freud was one, as art on the walls attests. For the best of British ingredients handled with an artistic yet practical sensibility, Clarkes is there to carry you to a safe harbour. The Clove Club From a supper club in a modest flat to Shoreditch Town Hall and a placing this year at No 26 in the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants, chef Isaac McHale and his partners front-of-house, Johnny Smith and Daniel Willis, have made an extraordinary culinary trajectory. Tasting menus pre-paid as if for a front-row seat at the opera are one way to go, but I prefer lunch Tuesday to Friday when dishes are offered a la carte. (As a mealtime I tend to like lunch best anyway, especially long lunch). The open kitchen and pared back scholastic dining room look most appealing when light floods through long windows. Dishes that are almost fixtures like buttermilk fried chicken & pine salt; meats cured in-house; raw Orkney scallop with hazelnut, clementine and truffle; game in season; Amalfi lemonade & Kampot pepper ice cream are on offer  as, please note, they might be on the a la carte bar menu. Genial interaction between staff, including chefs, and customers can be another lovable quality here. Club Gascon (Le Bar) Some chefs stay preternaturally young looking. My theory is that its the steam in the kitchen. Pascal Aussignac, son of Gascony, also possesses elfin charm. He nips between his main restaurant close to St-Bartholomew-the-Great church, Le Bar (formerly Cellar Gascon) next door, Comptoir Gascon on the other side of the old Smithfield meat market and Cigalon in Chancery Lane. I dare say his Fitbit is constantly vibrating. Restaurant-going in south-west France will not have readied you for his daring wit and ingenuity with ingredients. The menu salutes vegetable gardens, rivers and oceans, forests and pastures. Although taken to its heights in the main restaurant, I prefer eating in the more casual surroundings of Le Bar. French tapas delivers items such as duck doughnuts with spicy sauce, cod roe plancha with white asparagus and truffle, lentil veloute & eel madeleine, frosted After Eight, along with cocktails and wines chosen with real discernment, graciously served. The Dairy When it opened in 2013, The Dairy burst onto the restaurant scene like overnight spring blossom. And in Clapham! This laid-back light-hearted outfit offering an amazingly good value tasting menu was not the result of a whim on the part of Dublin-born Robin Gill. Hard graft had been put in under Marco Pierre White at The Oak Room and Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux QuatSaisons, sandwiching a time in Italy at Don Alfonso 1890 on the Amalfi coast where the importance of seasonality and local producers was brought home. With his wife Sarah, wanting to create a little farmhouse in the middle of London, he drew on inspiration from Scandinavia and stages at Noma and Frantzen. Sound husbandry, fermentation, bee keeping, bread and butter making, good drinking, staff nurturing all play a part. In the following four years, The Manor, also in Clapham, Paradise Garage in Bethnal Green and Counter Culture next to The Dairy have followed. Something else is in the pipeline. I cant wait. L'Escargot I discovered LEscargot (estd. 1927) when, in the late Sixties, I worked as a copywriter at J. Walter Thompson and was taken for lunches by one of the account directors, Robert Fearnley-Whittingstall (Hughs father as he became). What I remember best from those days are lampshades made from scorched white silk hankies weighed down by snail shells and the list of Alsace wines. As Soho changes for what likeable people think is the worse, LEscargot, now nurtured by genial owner Brian Clivaz, stands solid as proof of  and a link to  more sybaritic, velvety times. The menu devised by chef James Tyrell embraces French brasserie classics including snails (bien sur), onion soup, steak tartare, cassoulet, beef Bourguignon, steak-frites and Bearnaise, Grand Marnier souffle. There is the occasional trendy incursion that can be easily sidestepped. I like to sit in the ground floor front bar. I had my 70th birthday at LEscargot: It was one of the best parties I have ever been to. Elystan Street After working for 25 years at The Square  holding two Michelin stars for 17 of them  at the age of 50 when most chefs slip out of their whites into something more managerial, Phil Howard  in a striped pinny  goes on cooking. Last year, with his business partner Rebecca Mascarenhas, he opened Elystan Street in Chelsea revealing in studiedly casual no-tablecloth decor and sprightly, nourishing, salubrious menus that he has not been unaware of changes in customer preferences and their awareness of vigour and healthiness in restaurant meals. Howards culinary taste is almost pitch-perfect and the balance of earthiness and elegance in the dishes is ever delicate. Getting to work past Andreas greengrocer could provide inspiration. These ingredients and skills come at a cost (to us) but set-price lunch is a relative bargain and Phil Howard sprung free is a treat worth saving for. Consider warm salad of guinea fowl with cauliflower, shaved mushrooms, liver crumble and hazelnuts. Frenchie The name was given to Gregory Marchand by Jamie Oliver when he worked as head chef at Fifteen in Shoreditch. He parlayed it into a notably successful restaurant followed by wine bar and traiteur in Pariss 2nd arrondissement. Earlier experience in New York, Spain and Hong Kong meant that Frenchie opening in London wasnt the ill-starred relocation made by some of his compatriots. Unless particularly gifted hands in the patisserie section signify French to you, the menu, its execution and the surroundings are simply modern global chic  that last word a reference to dainty portions, which grate on some. Provenance of ingredients, the majority British, is name-checked. Their treatment is sharp-witted, often erudite in a revealing way about what flatters what. Fixed-price lunch is good value and a candid approach to what you want to spend on wine works well with the vivacious sommelier in charge of a list mined with natural wines. Dont miss maple-licked bacon scones with clotted cream. The Goring Londons last family-owned luxury hotel is the claim, and there is a stylish cosiness to The Goring that other grand establishments lack. When legendary New York food writer Mimi Sheraton last came to London she arranged that we have lunch at The Goring and, exigent critic that she is, pronounced herself very content. Proximity to Buckingham Palace isnt the only reason that the royals are customers. Eggs Drumkilbo (jellied lobster cocktail) on the dining room menu was a first course much favoured by the late Queen Mother. Another restaurant lure is Fillet of Beef Wellington for two to share  and of course roast sirloin on the trolley on Sundays  but chef Shay Cooper has a fertile mind resulting in assemblies like cured sea bream, pickled lemon, hazelnut oil, iced celery; and roast squab, Tokyo turnip, crispy squab leg parcel, fresh apple, cider vinegar sauce. For a drink or tea in the comfortable bar overlooking the pretty garden it is always wise to book. Great Queen Street Although part of a group that includes three of Londons outstanding gastropubs  Anchor & Hope, Canton Arms and Camberwell Arms are all well worth seeking out  Great Queen Street is a restaurant with the facility to book tables and a 5.30pm dinner kick-off in a location that makes it ideal for pre-theatre eating. Ten years ago when it opened with delightful Tom Norrington-Davies at the stoves, the stripped-back decor  to which nothing much seems to have been done since  was arguably more startling than the modern European cooking. Now dishes and sharing assemblies such as warm black pudding, Alsace bacon salad and a poached egg; pot roast beef shin and risotto Milanese for two; suckling pig shoulder, choucroute, Montbeliard sausage, apple and horseradish for three are harder to find in multidisciplinary Soho and Covent Garden. Opposite Freemasons Hall where the Observer Food Monthly Awards are usually held.,I find myself gravitating to GQS for reassuring dinner after. Hereford When I go for lunch at Hereford Road sandwiched between Bayswater and Notting Hill, as I do quite a lot, I often run into Tom Parker Bowles. We are both fans of Tom Pembertons approach to cooking  basically following the gospel according to St John  his sweet demeanour, ceaseless industry and the 13.50/15.50 two/three course set lunch with choice, a bargain that has been held at that price for years. Of course we might sometimes branch out and maybe choose crab, fennel and tomato salad in place of duck livers, green beans and tarragon or Blythburgh pork chop with chard and mustard rather than guinea fowl with pearl barley and chestnuts and finish with treacle tart not chilled rice pudding with marmalade (all taken from the menu on day of writing) but as you see there is no real need. In summer, tables outside and the skylight at the back come into their own. In winter sitting opposite the open kitchen is snug and rather romantic. Honey & Smoke The self-styled Honeys, Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, met cooking in an Italian restaurant near Tel Aviv. Yotam Ottolenghi  for whom they have both worked in London  you could say laid the trail here, in terms of restaurants and magazine features, for their magic carpet ride Middle Eastern food. First came Honey & Co, roughly the size of a beehive, then books, then the deli Honey & Spice and now this recreation of a spartan, but spacious grill house (always their dream), made distinctive by a cobalt blue wall. A set price menu for all the innovative mezze followed by a grill, side and dessert works for four or more. On your own or with a pal, roam among the first dishes not omitting burnt celeriac, Urfa chilli butter, soured cream and chives and then share a main, something based on lamb or pigeon with sweet onions as done in the Philadelphia restaurant, East Jerusalem. The brisk, sometimes brusque service just reinforces my determination to visit Israel. Hoppers The JSK group is named after Jyotin, Karam and Sunaina Sethi, Indian siblings who seem preternaturally sure-footed when it comes to devising their own culinary businesses or backing others. I am letting Hoppers epitomise the usefully varied skills they bring to bear on other in-house ventures like Gymkhana and the talents they back, as at Bao; this list cant accommodate them all. Hoppers celebrates Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka not just in the eponymous crumpety rice and coconut bowl-shaped pancakes but the vivid singular spicing, relishes such as seeni sambol, crisp dosa pancakes, inclusion of pork, enthusiasm for butter, snacks rolled in breads, love for the soothing quality of coconut and of course the particular hit of arrack fermented and matured in vats made from teak or Hamilla trees. Hoppers is hot in every sense of the word and queues (no bookings taken) are well handled  they take a number & text. It keeps the prices staying as sweet as they are. Indian Zing There is a clue in the name about what makes this restaurant the favourite of so many. Dear old Michael Winner, whose judgment was by no means always batty, was a fan. Chef/patron Manoj Vasaikar has worked in London since the early 1990s  at the original Chutney Mary and also Veeraswamy. His knowledge of Indias regional cooking plus his understanding of what people want results in a delicate balance between tradition and derring-do. Zing go the strings of my heart for dishes like king prawn lonche, referring to the pickle that points up the aubergine and onion sauce, and chicken shatkora flavoured with the tang  subtly different from zing  of a knobbly green citrus fruit from north-east India. Vegetables assume almost the same importance that they do in the homeland, so vegetarians can make merry here. In a street stiff with curry houses, distinction lies in superior cooking of prime foodstuffs, handsome decor and unerringly charming staff. J Sheekey In 1893 Josef Sheekey was granted permission by Lord Salisbury to sell fish and shellfish in St Martins Court so long as he also undertook to provide dinners for the Lord and his friends after they had been to the theatre. It was only relatively recently that a prohibition on frying was lifted. Now J Sheekey is part of Richard Carings Caprice Holdings. So it goes as Kurt Vonnegut might have said. The Atlantic Bar with its own terrace is ideal for post-theatre eating in terms of location, hours kept and the composition of the menu, which can deliver delicacy and lightness if that is what is required, or fish pie. Oysters and/or a plateau de fruits de mer are another way of dealing with late eating, and there are on-trend items such as tuna poke and stone bass ceviche for those who dont want shellfish. It is a clever, useful and somehow quite louche concept. It would be equally handy pre-theatre but I have never been that organised. Kiln Its OK to say white boys cooking Thai food when they say it about themselves. Andy Oliver at Som Saa, Seb Holmes at Farang, Ali Borer at Smoking Goat are all candidates here, but as there is room for one it will be Ben Chapman (ex-Smoking Goat) at Kiln. With experience as a designer, self-taught cook Chapman, well-travelled in Northern Thailand on the borders of Burma and Laos, brings endearing serene obsession to the charcoal-fired cooking  clay-pot, barbecue and wok  behind a long steel counter. He has said that none of it is verbatim Thai cooking but part of that claim is the high quality of raw ingredient and his relationships with indigenous farmers and fishermen. Fish arrives daily. Whole animals are butchered in-house. Asian herbs and vegetables are grown specially. The result is some of the most exciting cooking in London  at wholly amenable prices. Start with aged lamb and cumin skewer, then set off into the jungle. Kitty Fisher's Naming a Shepherd Market restaurant after a famous 18th-century courtesan shows wit. Wood-fired cooking in premises that were once a 19th-century bakery with the ovens still on show brings a touch of gastronomic dignity to the peculiarly self-conscious area. Launch chef Tomos Parry has been replaced by George Barson who includes Heston Blumenthals Dinner and Nuno Mendes Viajante on his CV. Kitty, who allegedly once ate a 1,000 banknote on a slice of bread and butter, would feel at home in the cosy downstairs room with its button-back seating upholstered in old rose velvet  and might not swoon at the prices. Whipped cods roe on toast; silver darlings (baby herrings) with piccalilli; leeks with smoked Hollandaise, crispy chicken skin and hazelnuts are a fine start. In the main course Iberico pork and Galician beef respond delectably to the cooking medium. Good manners of the owners inform the thoughtful service. There is news of a rollout  inevitable but slightly sad-making. The Laughing Heart The name is taken from a Charles Bukowski poem. He would have liked this place  We are here to laugh at the odds and live so well that death will tremble to take us. Open evenings only from Wednesday then all day Sunday, lights staying on late (until 2am) attract flapping moths released from catering and other adrenaline-fuelled activities or anyone looking to keep the fun going. Burly, bearded, bucolic Charlie Mellor has taken on a restaurant, wine bar and off-licence devoted in part to natural and biodynamic wines. Let him be your guide. Chef Tom Anglesea  Rockpool in Oz, Per Se in New York  sends out beguiling dishes like creamed cods roe sprinkled with onomatopoeic Japanese furikake made from dried fish, sesame seeds and seaweed and unctuous chicken liver mousse contained in a stockade of slices of pear and batons of fried chicken skin. Late at night, soak up your troubles with special fried rice or char sui buns. Koya Bar My two favourite Mom & Pop Japanese restaurants  Sushi-Say and The Shiori that offered a kaiseki menu  have seen the chefs and their wives return to Japan. Junya Yamasaki whose BackBench at Koya (the original) was a gastronomic revelation has also gone back. Theres Umu and The Iraki that I cant afford, wondrous Sushi Tetsu where getting a booking is torment, and Dinings where Im waiting to see the effect of the new branch  so lovely Koya Bar. Fat udon noodles, the wheat dough kneaded by foot, wriggle at the centre of the operation. Whatever the weather they can be hot with hot broth, cold with hot broth or cold with dipping and pouring sauces plus garnishes. When alone or your date is on the phone, watching the chefs noodling behind the long counter can be agreeably meditative. Small plates of pickles, salads, and tempura and seasonal daily specials provide constant variety and diversion. Breakfast is great. Try kedgeree or rice porridge. The Ledbury Since it opened in 2005, many accolades  not least two Michelin stars  have been bestowed on Brett Grahams Notting Hill restaurant. The web guide All in London, which awarded Ultimate London Restaurant four years in a row, says it well. Experience in his homeland of Australia followed by several years working for Philip Howard at The Square brings a lightness of touch, a fleetness of foot, a visceral understanding of textures and flavours made for each other that is unsurpassed. Important to the achievement is the paradox in Grahams reference to the effort put in to make customers feel relaxed. In this he is fortunate in amiable general manager, Dublin-born Darren McHugh. Here are a first and main course that give a taste of the wizardry: clay-baked candy beetroot, English caviar, smoked and dried eel; jowl of pork, carrot & gooseberry juice, crackling and girolles. And most probably no one will interrupt to ask if you are enjoying them. Spendy, yes, but money well spent. London Shell Co The Prince Regent is moored at Paddington Basin. Skipper and ships cook are Harry and Leah Lobek, assisted in the galley by Stuart Kilpatrick. Heavy-heartedness attendant on the phrase dinner cruise is immediately dispelled as you step aboard and settle down in the twinkling interior for resting actor Harrys health and safety instructions that include the tip that if you fall overboard you can walk to the bank. Unbidden comes a sparkling aperitif based on Julian Temperleys Somerset Cider Brandy and then, as you start to head for Camden Lock via Little Venice and Primrose Hill, the first of the five courses in the well-executed fish-propelled menu arrives. Harry, who has also worked as a sommelier (at Pollen Street Social), is a nifty guide to the wine list, which he seems to know inside out. Seeing London from a whole new vantage point as well as peering into moored houseboats is kind of magical  with much better dining than you might have anticipated. A perfect date night. Lyle's Along with star ratings restaurant reviews might usefully indicate whether the place in question is better for lunch or dinner. In my judgment, Lyles comes with a big L for lunch. Dinner is four courses at a set price with no choice. Whats mine is thine; wheres the fun there? But at lunch, there are 15 choices to dice with and divvy up and because James Lowe is a gifted, responsive, companionable chef tightly plugged into seasonality and a believer in the St. John diktat that nature should write your menu  he was head chef at St John Bread & Wine  dishes will feature ingredients like dulse and nettles, herbs like sweet cicely and lovage, breeds like Speckled Face mutton and tingling treats like cedrat lemon sherbet & preserved lemon meringue. Daytime also suits the high-ceilinged strictly functional dining room better. Take note of The Guest Series whereby compelling chefs from other countries are invited to cook, admittedly in the evenings. Everyone benefits. Masala Zone Owned by the Panjabi-Mathrani family, whose standalone Indian restaurants are the estimable Chutney Mary, Veeraswamy and Amaya, their six-strong group (plus an outlet in Selfridges) to my mind achieves something more difficult. It is a definitely a group, not a chain, palpably apparent in different decor in each outlet celebrating India at play & at prayer and what must be very focused training to produce such informed and committed staff. As a frequent visitor to India  and having been born there  I can vouch for authenticity in the food, which naturally includes grills, tandoor and curries but also uplifting, diverting street food like pao bhaji, golgappa and dahi puri and thalis big or small, meat or vegetarian, the well-balanced healthy, almost ayurvedic way to approach a meal. At the Covent Garden branch beside the Opera House Rajasthani puppets bobbing across the ceiling are suitably theatrical  and merry company. The groups home delivery service is also unusually rewarding. Noble Rot Noble rot is the name given to the beneficial form of grey fungus on grapes known as botrytis cinerea. It is also a magazine and, since late 2015, a restaurant & wine bar in one of Londons most engaging streets. Mark Andrew and Dan Keeling, editors and owners, share a deep affection for wine and their publication and its catering arm demonstrate that joy can triumph over nerdiness in both. Consultant chef Stephen Harris from The Sportsman in Whitstable has installed his protege Paul Weaver behind the stoves sending out dishes like Lincolnshire smoked eel, Yorkshire rhubarb & soda bread (superb); gnocchi, chestnut mushroom, kale pesto & mascarpone; roast Anjou squab, peas and Puy lentils; peanut parfait & champagne jelly. There is a bar menu for the front half of the deep, dark green premises and an incredibly good value set lunch. I go to Noble Rot more often than I should. For me it offers all the human frame requires including graceful service and invaluable wine knowledge. Ognisko How could you not love a chap who opens a restaurant called Wodka? Jan Woroniecki, whose father Krzysztof was a soldier in the Polish forces who stayed in Britain after the Second World War, went on to open Baltic in Blackfriars Road. With Wodka now closed (sob) I suspect his heart is in Ognisko in the Polish Hearth Club, where he has stripped back what was a fusty room with musty food to reveal elegance in the lineaments of the space and a canopied terrace overlooking the lawn at the back. The menu exhibits the history, intricacy and dumpling comfort of a cuisine often written off as sausages. It is close to the South Kens Museum Quarter and also The Albert Hall, so I find many opportunities to visit Ognisko to order what I nearly always do  smoked eel with Salat Olivier, blinis or pierogi or pelmeni or placki (potato pancakes) with the great combo of chicken livers and dried cherries. Vodka obvs, but also careful study of the wine bin ends. Otto's My friend Simon Hopkinson, the best cook I know, spots Ottos in 2013. It is not just prestigious empty wine bottles in the window that catch his eye but a notice announcing, canard a la presse prepared to order. We make a plan to go  the duck from the same company in Challans that supplies La Tour dArgent in Paris must be ordered in advance. A silver-plated duck press made by Christofle in the early 1900s is in place and Otto embarks on the elaborate rich and redolent procedure that results in boozy brown velvet sauce for the breast meat followed by crisped legs served with salad. I dont suppose there will be pommes souffles, sighs Simon. There are. Otto is a maitre d who might be cast in a Wes Anderson movie. Now he has a lobster press and also offers the option of Mere Braziers Poularde de Bresse demi-deuil en vessie. It is old school; it is heaven  where kitsch meets a deeply serious kitchen. Peckham Bazaar That chef John Gionleka came to London from his native Albania to enter a Greek Orthodox seminary  but obviously got distracted  is a detail that seems significant when you observe his burning devotion to the charcoal grill. The restaurant presents the cooking style as eastern Mediterranean or, more stirringly, the area that once comprised the Ottoman Empire, but I think of it as the direction Greek food could go if only it tried a lot harder. A menu based on the markets changes every day. Here are some dishes to give the flavour, vigour and depth of understanding: caramelised onion pide, heritage tomatoes, Sicilian aubergine, anthotyro (Greek cheese); John Dory, freekah, monks beard, fennel, blood orange; marinated leg of Yorkshire lamb, coco beans, Charleston pepper, ktipiti (Greek red pepper/feta dip); venison, pork and prune adanas, cracked wheat, marinated peppers, adjika (spicy Georgian dip). There are interesting wines to match. Peckham beckons doesnt it? The Quality Chop House Co-owner is Will Lander, son of Jancis Robinson and Nick Lander, who has fulfilled what is maybe every parents dream and blended their talents (and added some of his own) to run not just this gem in Farringdon but also the admirable Portland and Clipstone in Marylebone. Obliged to pick my favourite, it is the revamp (insofar as English Heritage allows) of the Progressive Working Class Caterer established in 1869. I sit in the room next-door to the listed bum-numbing pews or, with enough chums, in the small private room upstairs to enjoy gifted chef Shaun Searleys singular take on what is happily now a fairly common cry of local, sustainable, independent, authentic etc. If they are on the daily-changing list, hard to resist are smoked cods roe with cured egg yolk and Hereford mince on dripping toast. And steaks on Tuesday nights and game in season. Always trust a restaurant with a butchers shop and deli attached. Great wine list. Ca va sans dire. The Ritz When I am asked for suggestions for a very special meal, I suggest The Ritz. The most beautiful dining room in London lends itself wholeheartedly and with gilded garlands to a sense of occasion, but more importantly executive chef John Williams commands an impeccable kitchen. There are many reasons to disparage the Michelin Guide but its withholding of stars from Williams at The Ritz is a strong one. Only this year did it bestow a measly one. Emphasising the classicism of the cooking is the menu section Arts de la Table that might offer Beef Wellington or Poulet Demi-Deuil served from a trolley. Everything from canapes to petits fours  here is one of the strongest pastry kitchens in town  is considered and commandeered. When I remarked to Williams that breakfast could be a bit more Downton Abbey he agreed and got rid of the Paltrow bowls of berries. It is expensive, but on Friday and Saturday nights you can dance Riva Riva is my favourite restaurant if you discount those owned by my sister or my son. I hesitate to say it because unless or until you get to know Andrea Riva and his exacting right-hand woman Dorothy it probably wont be yours. The restaurant is Andreas fiefdom. If he cant be there, he closes it. Of course all customers are made welcome but new ones will notice that towards the back of the strikingly plain room food and wine are being brought without orders being taken. For me this is high-definition luxury, especially since I know I am going to love the burrata, culatello, astringent salad, grilled langoustines, pasta, veal Milanese and so forth all predicated on the best ingredients handled with restraint. Riva is where I used to see the late Adrian Gill. Its where we went recently to celebrate Regs book deal with Jamie Byng of Canongate and saw Adrians widow Nicola Formby. Its a club where you get membership by turning up. River Cafe I am writing this entry the morning after having been there for dinner. I needed to make sure that it is as impressive as ever and fortuitously a perspicacious art dealer friend celebrating his birthday asked Reg and me to join him. Founder (with the late Rose Gray), Ruthie Rogers was ruling the roost, only she wasnt because thats not how it is done in what is more a cooperative or a community from which Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Jamie Oliver, Samantha and Samuel Clark, Stevie Parle and April Bloomfield, to name just some, have flown the nest. She was standing beside the nail polish pink-painted wood fired oven from which so much of the menu cooked fast or slow emanates. The room was packed with customers. The blindingly obvious secret is the very best ingredients used for Italian recipes that have stood the test of time but never miss a trick about what currently delights and delivers. I mean to go back when we can eat outside among the herbs and near the Thames. Rochelle Canteen A restaurant in the converted bike shed of a former school in the Boundary Estate in Shoreditch sounds so achingly here and now, but Margot Henderson and Melanie Arnolds spinoff from their outside catering company has been bowling along for more than 12 years. Permission has recently been granted for evening opening Thursday to Saturday. Heavens, the next thing you know theyll be getting a liquor licence but if so, it shouldnt stop you visiting the lovely, fastidious Leilas (shop) nearby. The way in  through a small blue door in the high brick wall  invokes The Secret Garden and when the weather is so inclined it is a lovely, peaceful green space in which to loll. Margot is married to Fergus Henderson of St. John (see right) and shares his direct, wholesome approach to cooking but augmented by the spirit apparent in her terrific cookbook, Youre All Invited. Here is one of Londons hidden treasures. Sardine Chef Stevie Parle put on a spurt of acceleration recently. After Dock Kitchen in North Kensington then Rotorino in Dalston, he did something ambitious and brilliant at Craft London in Greenwich Peninsula, opened Sardine on the fringe of Shoreditch not long after and Rome-inspired Palatino in Finsbury at the beginning of this year. Chef Alex Jackson is in charge of Sardines southern French cooking and I suspect that gentle marination in the works of Richard Olney, Elizabeth David and Paula Wolfert has informed his inviting, unusually cohesive menu at the heart of which is a wood-fired stove over which a leg of lamb can dangle a la ficelle or a duck be given the same treatment. Snacks  that canny new ammunition in restaurateurs hands  starters and desserts reveal the presence of someone with cool hands for pastry. It can be enjoyed equally in a slice of pissaladiere or a brown butter and apricot tart. Service, like the room, is sweet and pretty. The communal table can be skirted. Six Portland Road Wise heads wondered whether manager Oli Barker and chef Pascal Weidemann, both having worked in the Terroirs group with its headquarters in theatreland, could pull off a little bistro in Holland Park where, it is said, locals are away all the time. These days you must plan ahead for a reservation in the evening. It is the perfect little restaurant with the daily date on the menu and a wine list backed by Caves de Pyrene homing in on growers working with a gentle hand, which is another way of referencing natural wines. Oli is a natural, you could even say biodynamic host, which is harder to find, Pascal a chef who understands how unobtrusively to seduce. Since eating there I now only cook pink fir apple  or any new  potatoes by steaming, squashing and then roasting. Perfect. In my review in April last year, I mentioned the unaffected pleasure that some restaurants can bring. This one does, again and again. Smokestak From working front of house for Gordon Ramsay at Claridges to travelling to Houston Texas to buy a 4.5 ton meat smoker to becoming a main man in London street food is what these days might be termed a journey. It is a trip that has stood amiable David Carter in good stead. His permanent restaurant in Shoreditch is to BBQ what opera is to nursery rhymes. Were you wearying of singed meat? Was pulled pork starting to pall? Here Carters Barbadian heritage comes to the fore showing that smoking and grilling over coals is the natural approach to fixing food. His silky loose-knit brisket cooked long and slow, patiently basted, dutifully rested is not to be missed. Thick-cut pork rib with a side order of baked potato is another must. As is hot-smoked salmon with horseradish. Even desserts and cocktails play with the effect of charring but testosterone doesnt overwhelm and staff are softened by charm. St John If I had to nominate just one person responsible for the astonishing improvement in London restaurants over the past couple of decades I would give you Fergus Henderson. His influence is all over this list. Nose to tail eating is more than acknowledgement that every part of a pig except the squeal can be utilised for nourishment, it encapsulates an approach visible in this graphically converted smokehouse; food (and wine) is what really matters. Artists eat here but there is no art on the walls. Music is the hum of conversation. Staff eat what customers eat. Waste is deplored, an attitude only recently highlighted in the wider trade. Roasted bone marrow with parsley sauce is shorthand for the menu that promotes pleasure where it finds it, but for every wilder dish like kid faggots on the daily-changing, evolving list there is something familiar like roast veal. Desserts, eg ginger loaf with butterscotch sauce, are always a reward for a meal well eaten. The Wells I would go to The Wells in Hampstead even if it wasnt owned by my sister Beth Coventry. She has solved The Hampstead Conundrum, which is why in an area full of people equipped and anxious to eat out isnt there an excellent restaurant? Ham & High restaurant critic Joseph Connolly thinks she has too. New Zealander Greg Smith in charge of the kitchen ensures that the menu in the ground-floor pub and upstairs dining rooms of the Georgian building cajoles, flatters and diverts. I could, I suppose, get blase about eating here but decorousness and also my job means that I never do and when Beth suggests going, I am always thrilled. Pub food such as sausages and Scottish Angus burgers are carefully prepared and specials such as whole roast squab or Dutch calves liver with lentils invariably appeal. Chateaubriand with chips served for two is a best seller. And sometimes there are Beths famous fishcakes. Staff tend to stay for ages. The Wolseley As AA Gill said after his first visit in 2003: Its a restaurant that has been made from the front door in, not from the kitchen out. Whether you are seated in the central horseshoe of the resplendent space  he was, I sometimes am  actually matters not a jot as the emphasis on seamless service never alters. Running a restaurant open from 7am to midnight is as arduous as operating a hotel but without room revenue to cushion the effort. Chris Corbin and Jeremy King struggled at first but cracked it and brought to life the Hilaire Belloc observation that breakfast, dinner, lunch and tea is all the human frame requires. You go to The Wolseley for time out. You might be in the mood for mittel-European schnitzel or Anglo-Indian kedgeree, oysters or Alsace choucroute. It is all available and will be brought on stylish china and set on fine linen. Here too the restaurant breakfast habit was born.
P ret-a-Portea  fashion meets afternoon tea.

The Berkeley are creating wedding dress shaped biscuits and stiletto shoe cookies in celebration of this years Royal Wedding. These sweet treats draw inspiration from dress designers Ralph & Russo, Phillipa Lepley and Suzanne Neville, and shoe designers Manolo Blahnik, Jimmy Choo and Nicholas Kirkwood.

Head pastry Chef, Mourad Khiat has invited the wedding guests to exclusive baking classes throughout May, where they will be taught to transform royal fashion favourites into delectable biscuits and cakes

Khiat responds to The Berkeleys involvement in the big day: 2018 is an exciting year in London and across Britain, as we celebrate this very special Royal Wedding and we wanted to pay tribute to this modern day fairy-tale by creating a Pret-a-Portea with a contemporary regal flare especially for the occasion!

The Berkeley are to launch these fit-for-a-queen treats in a limited edition SS18 Pret-a-Portea collection, in the run up to the big day.
T he father of a murdered student has spoken of the familys intolerable pain nine years after his daughter's body was found buried in a west London basement.

Farouk Abdulhak, the prime suspect in the murder investigation, left the country within hours of 23-year-old Martine Vik Magnussens disappearance.

Despite Metropolitan Police detectives efforts, nine years later he continues to refuse to return to the UK from Yemen where he went in March 2008.

Miss Magnussens father Petter today spoke of the torment Mr Abdulhak is causing the family while he remains abroad.

In statement, he said: We never imagined nine years ago that we would be in this position today.

We had hoped that Farouk Abdulhak would by now have had the courage to return to the UK.

Sadly that is not the case, he remains at large, hiding from justice and putting myself and my family through intolerable pain.

"Martine was a beautiful daughter and our search for justice will never cease."

A post-mortem examination gave the Norwegian students cause of death as compression to the neck and found that she had also been raped, police have said.

On the evening of March 13, 2008 the 23-year-old, who lived in Westminster with friends, went out with her flatmates and other students from Regents Business School.

She was last seen by her friends at Maddox nightclub on Mill Street in Mayfair between 2am and 3am the following morning.

CCTV of suspect Farouk Abdulhak with Martine Vik Magnussen

It is believed by officers that she left with fellow student Mr Abdulhak.

After she was reported missing one day later, officers began making inquiries to trace her.

They visited a residential address on Great Portland Street where they discovered her body in the basement of a flat.

Attempts had been made to conceal her beneath rubble.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge said: "Martines family has spent the last nine years without her in their lives.

To have your daughter taken from you in such a horrific way, especially when so far from home, and still be without answers is truly heart-breaking.

"One man can help provide those answers. Farouk Abdulhak remains wanted for Martines murder.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge him to return to the UK so that this matter may be resolved through the UK courts."
T hree ringleaders of a 1 million cocaine-dealing ring who sold drugs across London, using couriers disguised as black cab drivers learning The Knowledge, have been ordered to pay back only 36,000.

Jay Tripp, 35, his right-hand man Joseph Maloney, 34, and Danny Ward, 35, ran the network, which had hundreds of clients and promised to deliver drugs within the hour anywhere in the capital.

The Old Bailey heard they distributed more than 40 kilos of cocaine worth 1.4 million across London in the space of three weeks in February 2016.

They used modified mopeds fitted with Knowledge Boards to transport the drugs, so fake trainee cabbies could travel around unsuspected making the drug deliveries. National Crime Agency officers caught the gang with more than 10 kilos of drugs, 100 mobile phones and six mopeds in a lock-up garage.

Danny Ward was jailed for eight years

They also uncovered a text message, sent to more than 400 potential clients, advertising that they could deliver within 30 mins central London and within an hour anywhere else.

In court on Friday, Judge Nicholas Cooke QC put confiscation orders on Tripp, Maloney and Ward, saying they had each benefited from more than 1 million in proceeds from the drugs enterprise.

Jay Tripp, of Fyfield in Essex, who also admitted dealing heroin, was jailed for 16 and a half years in December 2016

However, Maloney was ordered to pay back just 26,346. Tripp must repay 4,430 and Ward was told to hand back 5,625. The money has to be paid within the next three months.

Joseph Maloney, from Shoreditch, was jailed for 15 years

Twelve other members of the cocaine ring have already been jailed for a total of almost 70 years. Tripp, of Fyfield in Essex, who also admitted dealing heroin, was jailed for 16 and a half years in December 2016; Maloney, from Shoreditch, was jailed for 15 years; and Ward, from Beckenham, got eight years.
A police dog who saved his handler from a robbery suspect armed with a 10-inch knife is to receive a national bravery award.

Finn, a German shepherd, was slashed across the chest as he stopped the teenage suspect scrambling over a fence. He refused to let go even as the attacker plunged the blade into his head.

Finns handler, Pc Dave Wardell, said he would never forget the flash of metal as the knife slid out of Finns body, adding: The suspect lunged a second time, aiming for my upper body, and Finn moved to protect me blocking the weapon with his head.

Finn grabbed hold of the suspect and stopped him landing a fatal blow.

The pair gave chase after a hold-up at a taxi rank in Stevenage in October 2016. The dogs determination let Pc Wardell wrestle the knifeman to the ground and detain him as back-up arrived. The officer, then 32, later wrote it was like being at the epicentre of a violent storm: blood everywhere, matted fur flying, radios crackling, phones ringing, equipment beeping.

In the midst of it all, lying horribly still now, was my partner, being the good lad he had always been, trusting me to take care of him.

Finn was taken to a vet for life-saving surgery and had 30 stitches to wounds that criss-crossed his head and stomach. Pc Wardell slept on a makeshift bed at Finns side for almost a month and helped nurse him back to fitness.

The pair were on duty again together within 11 weeks and continued until Finn retired from Hertfordshire constabulary last March.

The officer said: Finn definitely saved my life that night. He is a true gem and embodies everything that is special about police dogs in this country.

Finns 16-year-old attacker was found guilty of criminal damage. Pc Wardell is now campaigning for Finns Law, to with tougher punishments for criminals who injure service animals.
B arbara Judge, the chair of the Institute of Directors until she was forced to step aside last week after a raft of allegations of racism and bullying, told fellow guests at Downing Street reception yesterday that she will be suing the organisation. Asked what she was planning to do now that she has departed, the 71-year-old said: Im planning to take legal action. Lady Judge (pictured) stepped down last Friday after 41 accusations from 14 employees about her behaviour. In one instance she allegedly told the Director General of the IoD that the problem is, we have one black and we have one pregnant woman, and that is the worst combination we could possibly have.

She resigned soon after the report appeared, but said, I continue to strongly refute the allegations.

Lady Judge, whose husband Sir Paul died last year, was at the launch of Next Gen, a venture by the charity Speakers for Schools to secure state school and disadvantaged kids better work experience placements. Other guests included Alex Mahon, chief executive of Channel 4; Roly Keating, chief executive of the British Library; Kenneth Tharp, former chief executive of dance centre The Place; Baroness Vadera, chairwoman of Santander UK; and BBC presenter Martha Kearney.

This morning a representative for Lady Judge said she is very emotional right now, and is only thinking about taking the IoD to court, but no lawyers have been instructed. The spokesman said he thought that any action would be for a specific point centring on process and data.

Shes pretty bruised. Shes been through a tough old time. Dont forget business was a large part of her life and her husband died last year. The architecture of her life has been damaged. It doesnt matter how much support she has from friends, youre still going to feel pretty terrible.

Chris Walton, former finance chief of budget airline easyJet, was named as her interim replacement at the IOD yesterday.

A key to Annabels most exclusive club

The new Annabels has redefined the notion of exclusivity. Indeed, as George Orwell didnt quite say, some members are more exclusive than others. The club has sent out latch keys to 100 members hand-picked by owner Richard Caring  among them, Lady Emily Compton, fashion designer Valentino and Russian billionaire Leon Max. The keys have a copper fob, are engraved with the clubs logo and the words The First 100. Recipients will skip Annabels joining fee (150,000 for life membership) while gaining special benefits.

---

Our obsession with Ru and Choupette, fashions most glam pets, continues. Brave Ru, Vogue editor Edward Enninfuls Boston Terrier, was once bitten by a rattlesnake in upstate New York. As Choupette, Karl Lagerfelds Birman, barely leaves her own linen pillow, we feel she is in no such danger.

---

Cherie  My Struggle debuts at the Richmond Drama Festival tomorrow. Its an imagined account of Cherie Blairs life during New Labour and Tonys time in power. Theyve both been invited, writer Lloyd Evans says. I expect Cherie will send a libel expert incognito. Tony seems to be too busy overturning Brexit.

Want a career in film? Gemma can show you the way...

Inspiring youth: Gemma Arterton (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for INTO Film ) / Dave Benett/Getty Images for INTO Film

Actor Gemma Arterton was at the BFI Southbank yesterday afternoon for the annual Into Film Awards, which celebrate young talent in film. The former Bond girl, pictured top right, knows a little something about exploring potential: she made her stage debut  in Loves Labours Lost at Shakespeares Globe  straight out of Rada before roles in Their Finest and the Made in Dagenham musical. She is set to play novelist Virginia Woolf in period drama Vita and Virginia, a role which earned Nicole Kidman an Academy Award. Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie, pictured bottom right, was among those handing out gongs to the lucky few, with winners fitting within a 9-19 age bracket.

Into Film is a charity that address the importance of film in young peoples education, and industry leaders including Billy Elliot actor Jamie Bell and film producer Barbara Broccoli judged the submissions. Well be keeping an eye on the winners..

SW1A

Putney MP and former Education Secretary Justine Greening, pictured, says she can cancel her spin classes. I never planned to be an MP, I never made a decision to be an MP, but I got out there, she said at a political representation workshop at the Women of the World festival. Its great exercise. Scrap the gym! And scrap grammar school proposals, she might have added.

---

How strong is Arlene Fosters arm-lock? Labour spent three hours debating child care vouchers in the Commons yesterday but when a single DUP MP arose, Education Secretary Damian Hinds changed course. I hear the issue went right to the top of the DUP  and the Government. Hinds told Emma Little-Pengelly, the Belfast South MP, I have heard the concerns raised about this, and about the timing, and I can confirm we will be able to keep the voucher scheme open for a further six months following representations she has made.

At least one Law can still melt the heart

Dynamite daughter: Iris Law (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Burberry) / Dave Benett/Getty Images for Bur

Perhaps Jude Law, 45, doesnt have the pulling power he once had: the actor  soon to play a young Dumbledore in J K Rowlings Fantastic Beasts series  was turned away from Burberrys Regent Street restaurant, Thomass Cafe, last week on grounds that they were too busy. Laws dynamite daughter Iris, 17, is the global ambassador for Burberry Beauty and the face of their Liquid Lip Velvet campaign. Laws son Rafferty, 21, also occasionally models for the brand. What a world it is, when your own superstar children arent enough to secure you a table at the cafe du jour.

Quote of the day

We disagreed on things

In the understatement of the week, Donald Trump explains why he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

Thom Browne's school days
T he British ambassador to the UN has issued a fierce warning to Russia, saying "We will not make the same mistake again" with reference to the Litvinenko scandal of 2006.

Speaking during an emergency UN Security Council summit, called by Theresa May following Russia's failure to explain the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, UK ambassador Jonathan Allen hit out at the Putin regime.

He said: "We have asked Russia for an explanation. Their response was to say they considered our request null and void.

"One of the key tactics in the Russian playbook is to delay, delay, delay. We know that from the sad, tragic Litvinenko case.

Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in Britain in 2006 / AP

"We waited for months in vain [for cooperation from Russia]. we will not make the same mistake again."

Responding to a sarcastic aside in which the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, compared the UK to the fictional Inspector Lestrade "when we need a Sherlock Holmes", Mr Allen said: "My Russian colleague quotes fiction. My Russian colleague quotes fiction, let me quote Putin: 'Traitors will kick the bucket, believe me.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia speaks during the UN Security Council meeting / AFP/Getty Images

"'Those other folks betrayed their friends, their brothers in arms.

"'Whatever they got in exchange, those 30 pieces of silver they were given. They will choke on them.'"

And he added that without any alternative explanation from Russian authorities about the nerve agent "we have no choice but to conclude this was a state-sponsored act against the prohibition and use of chemical weapons and in defiance of international law."

He said the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has been informed about the use of the nerve agent and the UN "are inviting them to independently verify our analysis."

He said: "We are making every effort to expedite this process."

Theresa May expels Russian diplomats in response to nerve agent attack

Mr Allen described the attack as a reckless act carried out by people who disregard the sanctity of human life.

The US ambassador to the world body Nikki Haley said: "Let me make one thing clear from the very beginning, the United States stands in absolute solidarity with Great Britain.

"The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent."
R ussia has vowed to hit back after Theresa May announced she is expelling 23 of the countrys diplomats in retaliation over the nerve agent attack on a former spy.

The nation warned its response "will not be long in coming after Prime Minister Mrs May declared that the UK will impose new sanctions on the Kremlin, which Russia described as absolutely unacceptable.

The threat from the Russian foreign ministry came amid reports that British officials would be expelled from Moscow as part of its retaliation following Wednesdays developments in the Commons.

She chaired a meeting of the National Security Council as minister Sajid Javid accused Russia of a brazen attempt to murder civilians on British soil.

Theresa May expels Russian diplomats in response to nerve agent attack

It comes as the Russian ambassador to the UN said Russia had nothing to do with this incident adding that the nation has nothing to fear. Nothing to hide.

And in one sarcastic aside, the Russian representative compared the UK to the fictional Inspector Lestrade, saying the UN "needs a Sherlock Holmes" to resolve the matter.

Speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council this evening, he said: "Russia had nothing to do with this incident. The ultimatum from London is something that we cannot pay attention to and we expect that the UK will act in strict adherence to the other instruments including the European Convention on Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

"This is the only civilized way of settling the issue."



Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman had earlier said his country had no connection to the poisoning and wont accept the language of ultimatum from the UK.

And in its latest statement, the Russian foreign ministry described Mrs Mays measures as an unprecedented, flagrant provocation that undermines the foundations of normal dialogue between our countries.

A forensics team search a pub in Salisbury today following the nerve agent attack / EPA

It added: Instead of completing its own investigation and using established international formats and instruments, including within the framework of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons  in which we were prepared to cooperate  the British Government opted for confrontation with Russia. Obviously, by investigating this incident in a unilateral, non-transparent way, the British Government is again seeking to launch a groundless anti-Russian campaign.

Needless to say, our response measures will not be long in coming.

Amid the rising tensions, the UKs Foreign Office issued a warning to British nationals travelling to Russia as the row over the nerve attack on spy Sergei Skripal continued.

Britons currently in Russia or due to travel there in the coming weeks should be aware of "the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment", the FCO said.

The advice urged Brits to avoid any protests or demonstrations while in the country, and to monitor the ongoing political tensions closely.

UK Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Allen sits in the security council after Britain called for an urgent meeting following the incident in Salisbury / Getty Images

At a meeting of the UN Security Council called to discuss the incident in Salisbury, Jonathan Allen, the UKs deputy permanent representative to the UN, said that the Britain did not jump to conclusions in its update earlier today.

He said Russia has behaved in the same way it always has when flouting international law, using denial and distraction.

The government is asking the international chemical weapons watchdog to independently verify its analysis that a military-grade nerve agent from the former Soviet Union was used to poison Sergei and Yulia Skripal, Mr Allen said.

Russian Spy Sergei Skripal: Salisbury Nerve Agent Incident 1 /14 Russian Spy Sergei Skripal: Salisbury Nerve Agent Incident Investigators in protective gear pursue the probe into the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal Getty Russian spy 'poisoning': Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal are fighting for life in hospital PA Personnel in hazmat suits work to secure a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA ilitary personnel are deployed to help remove vehicles from the scene after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent in Salisbury Getty Images Military in protective clothing remove vehicles from a car park in Salisbury EPA Police cordon: Military personnel in Salisbury PA Traces of the nerve agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found at Zizzi in Salisbury PA Amber Rudd: she visited the scene where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found after having been poisoned by a nerve agent REUTERS Personnel are helped from their hazmat suits (right), after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA Personnel in hazmat suits walk away after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA Police put a red bag inside a police evidence bag immediately after the nerve agent attack on a Russian spy. Officers previously issued CCTV of a woman clutching a red bag Solent news Snap Fitness 24/7 Police activity in the cul-de-sac in Salisbury that contains the home of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal who was poisoned along with daughter Yulia with a nerve agent PA Sergei Skripal shops at Bargain Stop in a CCTV image from five days before his apparent poisoning

And he added that without any alternative explanation from Russian authorities about the nerve agent "we have no choice but to conclude this was a state-sponsored act against the prohibition and use of chemical weapons and in defiance of international law."

He said the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has been informed about the use of the nerve agent and the UN "are inviting them to independently verify our analysis." He said: "We are making every effort to expedite this process."

Mr Allen described the attack as a reckless act carried out by people who disregard the sanctity of human life.

The US ambassador to the world body Nikki Haley said: "Let me make one thing clear from the very beginning, the United States stands in absolute solidarity with Great Britain.

"The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent. Dozens of civilians and first responders were also exposed.

Russian spy 'poisoning': Sergei and Yulia Skripal / PA

"No two nations enjoy a stronger bond than that of the United States and the United Kingdom. Ours is truly a special relationship. When our friends in Great Britain face a challenge, the United States will always be there for them. Always."

It came after a group of Labour backbenchers has said it "unequivocally accepts" the Russian state's culpability for the Salisbury attack after Jeremy Corbyn's team raised doubts about who was responsible.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia speaks during the UN Security Council meeting / AFP/Getty Images

The Labour leader's spokesman had said there was a "problematic" history over the use of UK intelligence and left open the possibility of the Federation being framed.

The spokesman indicated that the Labour party does not believe there is enough evidence yet to blame the Russian state for the attack.

Theresa May condemned the comments as "shocking" and "outrageous" after a Conservative MP raised them in the Commons chamber.

And the spokesman's comments prompted Labour backbencher John Woodcock to table an Early Day Motion "unequivocally" accepting the "Russian state's culpability" for the attack, and supporting "fully" the statement made by Mrs May in the Commons.
T he Foreign Office issued a warning to British nationals travelling to Russia as the row over the nerve attack on spy Sergei Skripal continued.

Britons currently in Russia or due to travel there in the coming weeks should be aware of "the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment", the FCO said.

The advice urged Brits to avoid any protests or demonstrations while in the country, and to monitor the ongoing political tensions closely.

In statement, the Foreign Office said: "While the British Embassy in Moscow is not aware of any increased difficulties for British people travelling in Russia at this time, you should follow the security and political situation closely and keep up to date with this travel advice."

It comes after Theresa May today expelled 23 Russian diplomats and targeted Vladimir Putin's allies with punitive financial sanctions in retaliation for the Salisbury nerve agent attack on Mr Skripal.

Theresa May announcing sanctions against Russia in the Commons today

In a Commons statement, she branded as reckless and despicable the first known use of such a weapon on European soil and said there was no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable.

While Mr Putins officials continued to deny their countrys guilt over the attack on former double agent Mr Skripal and his daughter, Mrs May said Russia had failed to meet the midnight deadline she set for an explanation of how the Novichok nerve agent came to be used in the Wiltshire city.

Theresa May expels Russian diplomats in response to nerve agent attack

She repeated her charge that Russia must have either deployed the toxin or lost control of its Cold War supplies.

Mrs May said: It was right to offer Russia the opportunity to provide an explanation. But their response has demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events.

Vladimir Putin has declined to discuss the Salisbury poisoning / EPA

They have provided no credible explanation that could suggest they lost control of their nerve agent. No explanation as to how this agent came to be used in the United Kingdom. No explanation as to why Russia has an undeclared chemical weapons programme in contravention of international law.

Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.

Russian Spy Sergei Skripal: Salisbury Nerve Agent Incident 1 /14 Russian Spy Sergei Skripal: Salisbury Nerve Agent Incident Investigators in protective gear pursue the probe into the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal Getty Russian spy 'poisoning': Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal are fighting for life in hospital PA Personnel in hazmat suits work to secure a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA ilitary personnel are deployed to help remove vehicles from the scene after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent in Salisbury Getty Images Military in protective clothing remove vehicles from a car park in Salisbury EPA Police cordon: Military personnel in Salisbury PA Traces of the nerve agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found at Zizzi in Salisbury PA Amber Rudd: she visited the scene where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found after having been poisoned by a nerve agent REUTERS Personnel are helped from their hazmat suits (right), after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA Personnel in hazmat suits walk away after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA Police put a red bag inside a police evidence bag immediately after the nerve agent attack on a Russian spy. Officers previously issued CCTV of a woman clutching a red bag Solent news Snap Fitness 24/7 Police activity in the cul-de-sac in Salisbury that contains the home of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal who was poisoned along with daughter Yulia with a nerve agent PA Sergei Skripal shops at Bargain Stop in a CCTV image from five days before his apparent poisoning

There is no alternative conclusion other than the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter and the threat to the lives of other British citizens.

The Security Service believes that the 23 diplomats based in the UK are spies. The expulsions would fundamentally degrade Russian espionage in the UK, said Mrs May.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal / PA

They have one week to leave in what will be the single biggest expulsion for over 30 years. All planned high-level bilateral contact between UK and Russia is suspended.

This includes the revocation of an invitation for the Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, to visit the UK.

In its latest updated to Brits in Russia, or those planning to travel there, the Foreign Office added: "Due to heightened political tensions between the UK and Russia, you should be aware of the possibility of anti-British sentiment or harassment at this time.
T he government has been warned it risks harming charities, damaging peoples savings and even ruining fun if it goes ahead with proposals to scrap copper coins.

There are plans to consider phasing out 1p and 2p coins, as well as 50 notes, because they arent used enough.

The Government raised the prospect in a document released as part of the Chancellors Spring Statement, announced on Wednesday.

But Ministers have claimed that phasing out small change could have a big impact on charities as many people donate their spare coins at the check-out.

And some have said it could affect seaside towns where penny slot machines and arcade games are popular.

Conservative MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said the move would be a mistake because a lot of charities live for those pennies and Labours Peter Kyle added we need to get this right otherwise charities and sectors that rely on the loose change people carry with them could be affected.

He told the Mirror: Some of these are traditional tourist destinations like Brighton Pier so lets not do anything hasty that could damage the great day out at the British seaside.

Shadow Civil Society minister Steve Reed urged the government to think again on the issue, saying: Cash is the most popular way for people to donate to charities, and much of that comes in small change like 1p and 2p coins.

Scrap? A one pence coin. / PA Archive/PA Images

If the government goes ahead, it will directly hit the vulnerable people who rely on charities to feed, clothe, house and care for them.

Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, added: I do think it would be a great shame to lose our 2p machines on the pier - and wonder if the government hasnt just found another way to ruin peoples fun.

Others have warned that the move, which is being consulted on, would impact vulnerable members of society the most  like pensioners who prefer paying in cash.

Neil Duncan Jordan, from National Pensioners' Convention, told the Daily Mail that the Government risks getting its fingers burned on this.

Proposals: Chancellor Phillip Hammond ahead of his Spring Statement / Jeremy Selwyn

There will always be a need for cash from pensioners who are not comfortable paying online, he said. We don't want decisions that will affect how older generations live their live made by some Smart Alec in their 30s who only uses online payments.

Sara Coles, personal finance expert at Hargreaves Lansdown, added: Coppers play a small but vital role in the nation's savings habits. In many cases people collect their small change at the end of the week and add it to their savings jar. The sums can add up and can establish a regular savings habit.

On Wednesday former Treasury chief Lord Macpherson joined calls to save the 1p coin from being axed, warning that ditching the penny could hike prices.

Campaign to retain the 1p coin starts now, he tweeted. To abolish penny would be to give into inflation and to trash 1000 years of history. #soundmoney

International trade minister Greg Hands also voiced concerns over scrapping the 1p and 2p coins, as well as the 50 note.

Chelsea and Fulham MP Mr Hands, who was previously Chief Secretary to the Treasury, messaged: Government call for evidence on scrapping 1p, 2p & 50. I looked at this in 2015 & rejected it as being premature. Also, UK would be outlier v-a-v eg EU, US & others.



The Cash and Digital Payments in the New Economy consultation released by the Government questions whether the current mix of eight coins and four banknotes meets modern needs, and if not "how should it change?".

Royal Mint needs to produce more than 500 million 1p and 2p coins each year to replace those that fall out of circulation.
C ornish pasties could lose their protected status after Brexit.

Business minister Andrew Griffiths told MPs yesterday that post leaving the EU there is no cast-iron assurance that UK products will remain protected.

At present only pasties made in Cornwall can be called Cornish pasties due to their protected geographical indication status.

Mr Griffiths made the remarks in the Commons yesterday in response to a question posed by South East Cornwall MP Sheryll Murray who asked for his assurance that Cornish produce like the Cornish pasty will not be compromised post Brexit.

Griffiths responded: All of those products will achieve UK geographical indications and will continue to be protected in the UK after EU exit.

As negotiations are ongoing, I cannot right now give her a cast-iron assurance that UK products will remain protected in the EU after exit. But I can categorically state that this is the Governments clear objective.

Cornish pasties became protected by the European Commission in 2011. They have the same standing as Champagne and Jersey Royal potatoes.

However there are concerns that when Britain leave the EU, manufacturers outside of Cornwall will be able to copy it and sell it as a regional product.
P rofessor Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

The world-famous scientist died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a spokesman for his family said.

Professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures 1 /32 Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures Nelson Mandela talks to Prof Hawking in Johannesburg in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking and his second wife Elaine Mason attend the international bookfair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2005 Getty Images Prof Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem in 2006 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking, his daughter Lucy and French physicist Christophe Galfard in 2007 AFP/Getty Images Stephen Hawking with his son Robert in 1967 Collect Stephen Hawking with his wife Stephen Hawking with wife Jane and their children Professor Stephen Hawking at his marriage ceremony to his former nurse Elaine Mason in 1995 PA Stephen Hawking nd Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London PA A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Amazon Then-president Barack Obama presents Prof Hawking the Medal Freedom in 2009 Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II meets Prof Hawking at St James's Palace in 2014 Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking and Eddie Redmayne attends the UK Premiere of "The Theory Of Everything" at Odeon Leicester Square Getty Images George Osborne and Stephen Hawking attend the London Evening Standard's '1000: London's Most Influential People' at The Francis Crick Institute Stephen Hawking in The Simpsons Fox Stephen Hawking with David Beckham Professor Stephen Hawking unveils a scientific formula to predict the chances of England succeeding in the World Cup in Cambridge ill Gates (L), accompanied by University Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Broers meets Professor Stephen Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University REUTERS Stephen Hawking floats on a zero-gravity jet in 2007 AP Pope Benedict XVI greets British professor Stephen Hawking during a meeting of science academics at the Vatican in 2008 Reuters Prof Hawking on a visit to Cape Finestre, Spain, in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking in Futurama Stephen Hawking played himself in multiple episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' Hawking : World leaders and scientists pay tribute to famous physicist PA Prof Hawking pictured in London in 2014 AFP/Getty Images British physicist Stephen Hawking sits in the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games August 29, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS) David Walliams, Professor Stephen Hawking and Catherine Tate for Red Nose Day 2015 Rex Features Stephen Hawking with Jane Wilde and guests attend the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Royal Opera House in 2015 Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones presenting the Award for Special Visual Effects at the EE BAFTA British Academy Film Award 2015 Rex Features Pope Francis greets physicist Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants at a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican in 2016 AP Professor Stephen Hawking presenting winners Oxford's Balliol College (right) with the winning trophy after their victory by 190 points to 140 over Wolfson College Cambridge (left) in 2017 PA Professor Stephen Hawking is presented with his illuminated Freedom scroll by the Chamberlain of the City of London Peter Kane as he receives the Honorary Freedom of the City of London during a ceremony at the Guildhall, London in 2017 AP

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

"He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever."

The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne, tells the story of Stephen Hawking's life / Getty Images

The renowned physicist was born in Oxfordshire in 1942 and went on to study at both the University of Oxford and Cambridge.

But after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22, he was given just a few years to live.

Stephen Hawking receives the Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2009 / Getty Images

Yet against all odds Professor Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday nearly half a century later as one of the most famous scientists of the modern age.

Despite being wheelchair-bound, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesiser, he wrote a plethora of scientific papers that earned him comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

He won a string of awards throughout his illustrious career, during which he was best known for his work on black holes and the 1988 book A Brief History of Time.

University of Cambridge vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope said today: "Professor Hawking was a unique individual who will be remembered with warmth and affection not only in Cambridge but all over the world.

His exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge and the popularisation of science and mathematics have left an indelible legacy. His character was an inspiration to millions."

Prof Hawking's crowning achievement was his prediction in the 1970s that black holes can emit energy, despite the classical view that nothing - not even light - can escape their gravity.

With Roger Penrose, he showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implies space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes.

Stephen Hawkings best TV appearances

These results indicated that it was necessary to unify general relativity with quantum mechanics, the other great scientific development of the first half of the 20th century.

His book, A Brief History Of Time, has sold more than 10 million copies.

The University of Cambridge, where Professor Hawking studied and worked, will open a book of condolence at Gonville and Caius College.

Professor Hawking with his second wife Elaine Mason in 2005 before they divorced a year later / Getty Images

His rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane, was dramatised in a 2014 film, The Theory Of Everything, in which Eddie Redmayne put in an Oscar-winning performance as the physicist battling with a devastating illness.

He has three children with his first wife of 26 years, who he left in the 1990s to marry Elaine Mason. The couple then divorced in 2006.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was one of the first to pay tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking following his death aged 76.

Sharing a photo of himself and Prof Hawking on Twitter, he said: "His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018."

Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood said Prof Hawking was "an inspiration to us all, whatever our station in life, to reach for the stars".

He tweeted: "RIP Sir, You epitomised true courage over adversity as you explained the wonders of the universe to the world. Your achievements symbolise the pwr of the human mind.
P ressure on Russia is growing as the UKs most powerful allies one-by-one pledged their support for the government in condemning the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal.

As the Prime Minister prepared to visit Salisbury, the scene of the March 4 attack, the White House announced it "stands in solidarity" with Britain and agrees that Russia was responsible.

The US joined Canada, Australia, Germany, France  as well as the European Union and Nato  in supporting the UK.

It came as Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for "all responsible nations" to stand up in the face of Russian aggression threatening the very architecture of global security".

Meanwhile the Kremlin made it clear it was preparing to hit back at sanctions and the biggest expulsion of its embassy staff since the Cold War, with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs branding Mrs May's speech on Wednesday as "an unprecedentedly crude provocation".

This live blog has now ended.
R ussia has missed Theresa May's midnight deadline to provide answers over the attempted assassination of a former spy in the UK.

The Prime Minister had given Moscow 24 hours to respond after revealing the nerve agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury was "highly likely" to have come from Russia.

The Foreign Office summoned Russia's ambassador to provide an explanation but they refused to discuss the investigation. Moscow said it would ignore the demands unless Britain agreed to send it samples of the poison.

Mrs May, who vowed to take extensive measures if no response was received, is preparing to chair a meeting of the national security council on Wednesday.

Sergei and Yulia Skripal were left fighting for life in hospital / PA

Britain's options are being weighed up by the Government - with a cyber counter-strike said to be among the possible measures being considered, along with economic, financial and diplomatic action.

The Russian embassy in the UK fired off a series of tweets on Tuesday warning the threat of sanctions would "meet with a response".

"The incident appears to be yet another crooked attempt by the UK authorities to discredit Russia," it added.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also told reporters: "One should not threaten a nuclear power".

World leaders, including Donald Trump and Angela Merkel, voiced their support for the UK as the deadline approached on Tuesday evening.

President Trump told Mrs May in a phone call the US is "with the UK all the way" and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she stood in "full solidarity" with Britain, according to Downing Street.

Salisbury spy attack: What we know so far

Britain's options are being weighed up by the Government - with a cyber counter-strike said to be among the possible measures being considered, along with economic, financial and diplomatic action.

Meanwhile, counter-terrorism police launched an investigation into the death of a Russian exile who was a close friend of Vladimir Putin critic Boris Berezovsky.
R enowned British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

He was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 1964 and given just a few years to live.

But he went on to defy doctors and lived for decades more - becoming one of the greatest scientists in modern history in the process.

He eventually became confined to a wheelchair and dependent on a computerised voice system but, despite this, he continued to travel the world spreading his scientific theories and inspiring millions.

Stephen Hawking in pictures

Hawking: The Oxford graduate was diagnosed with MND in his 20s

Graduating from Oxford University in 1962.

He started at University College in 1959 at the age of 17 after being awarded a scholarship. He chose to study chemistry and physics because his first choice, maths, was not offered. After graduating from Oxford he went on to study at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 1962. A year later he was diagnosed with MND and given two years to live.

COLLECT

Wedding to Jane Wilde in 1965

During his time at Cambridge Prof Hawkings relationship with Jane Wilde, another student, developed. The two married in July 1965 and stayed together for 26 years.

Best seller: Hawking with wife Jane and their children

The Hawking family

The couple had three children together. Robert was born in May 1967, Lucy, was born in 1970 and Timothy, was born in April 1979.

PA

Hawking and Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits at the National Portrait Gallery

Prof Hawking, pictured in 1992, shot to global fame after the publication of his best-selling book A Brief History of Time which was written to appeal to the general public, rather than just academics. The book was published in 1988 and was a bestseller in both the UK and US. It sparked a lot of media attention which put strain on the family at times.

PA

With second wife, Elaine Mason after their wedding at St Barnabas Church, Cambridge

After leaving Jane Prof Hawking went on to marry one of his nurses, Elaine Mason, in 1995. The marriage caused concerns among his family and friends and, during their 11-year union, he became less close to his three children. The couple divorced in 2006.

AP

In 2007, becoming the first quadriplegic to experiences weightlessness

Prof Hawking was taken on the on a specially-adapted plane designed to mimic the experience of zero gravity. After the experience, which was operated from the Kennedy Space Center the US, he said the human race has no future if it doesnt go into space.

Reuters

Pope Benedict greets prof Hawking at the Vatican

Prof Hawking travelled to the Vatican in Rome on several occasions. In 2008 he was invited by then pope Benedict to a meeting of science academics. Hawking spoke of religion numerous times, saying that he was "not religious in the normal sense" and he believed that "the universe is governed by the laws of science". He also said he did not believe in any heaven, saying: We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that, I am extremely grateful.

President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to physicist Stephen Hawking in 2009 / Getty Images

President Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom

The physicist was awarded multiple awards and honorary degrees throughout his career. In 2009, then-US President Barack Obama presented him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Queen Elizabeth meets Stephen Hawking in London in 2014 / Reuters

Prof Hawking meets Queen Elizabeth

During his high profile career, Prof Hawking met members of the royal family on several occasions, including give the late Queen Mother a tour of Cambridge. In 2014 he rubbed shoulders with the Queen during a reception for Leonard Cheshire Disability in the State Rooms, St James's Palace, London. According to reports, he was offered knighthood but refused.

Opening the Paralympics in London

The physicist was invited to Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. After receiving loud applause, he said: We are all different. There is no such thing as a standard or run-of-the-mill human being, but we share the same human spirit. What is important is that we have the ability to create. This creativity can take many forms, from physical achievement to theoretical physics. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.

PA

Film premiere The Theory of Everything

Prof Hawking with (from left) Felicity Jones, Jane Hawking and Eddie Redmayne, attending the UK Premiere of The Theory of Everything - a film about his life. Upon hearing of his death, Redmayne - who played Hawking in the film, described the scientist as the "funniest man" he knew.

Space-time: Stephen Hawking flies into the milky way in his Galaxy Song video
Within months of assuming office as the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi launched his famous 'Make in India' initiative with an aim to make India a global manufacturing hub. Many global companies in the defence sector have since evinced interest but to little effect.

Recently, reacting to media reports about Airbus' plans to set up a manufacturing plant in Chennai, Pierre de Bausset, president and managing director of Airbus India, clarified that the company had not zeroed in on any location yet. He further said that all plans to someday manufacture in India were linked to Airbus getting a make-in-India project in defence. So, evidently, while there is interest from the global companies, how have we performed on translating these into actual manufacturing projects?

Conversations with those within the private aerospace and defence sector in India suggest that it is still early. While some joint ventures have been formed and work has started, manufacturing, especially on a large-scale, is some distance away. Some of those that Business Today spoke to felt results on the ground could start showing clearly in the next 12 to 18 months albeit it is still early and only little over half a dozen joint ventures have been announced in the defence space. What cannot be missed out is that three of them are in Hyderabad.

Some of the major joint ventures include:

1. Boeing and Tata Advanced Systems have a joint venture company, Tata Boeing Aerospace (TBAL). On March 1, 2018, it inaugurated its state-of-the-art facility in Hyderabad. Spread over 14,000-square meters and employing 350 people, it is being described as the sole global producer of fuselages for AH-64 Apache helicopter delivered by Boeing to its global customers including the U.S. Army. The facility will also produce secondary structures and vertical spar boxes of this multi-role combat helicopter. The delivery of the first fuselage is expected this year. In fact, a press release of the Tatas on this quotes Nirmala Sitharaman, minister of defence, as saying: "I congratulate Tata and Boeing for taking this bold step towards Make in India and making this substantial investment in the defence space." TBAL is Boeing's first equity joint venture in India.

2. In August last year, to make anti-tank guided missiles, Kalyani Rafael Advanced Systems (KRAS), a joint venture between Kalyani Strategic Systems Ltd. and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. of Israel, inaugurated their state-of-the-art facility, also in Hyderabad.

3. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems also has a joint venture with Astra Microwave Products Limited in Hyderabad to make software-defined radios. This is again in Hyderabad.

4. In October 2017, Dassault Aviation and Anil D. Ambani's Reliance Group laid the foundation stone of the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) manufacturing facility in Mihan, Nagpur. Under the Joint Venture company, DRAL (51 percent Reliance Aerostructure and 49 percent Dassault Aviation) the facility will manufacture several components of the offset obligation connected to the purchase of 36 Rafale Fighters from France, signed between the two Governments in September 2016.

5. On February 23, 2018, Mahindra Aerospace Private Limited and Canada's Viking Air Ltd signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) "to form a strategic alliance to support and take advantage of India's growing regional air connectivity opportunities." The MoU was signed during the state visit of Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Justin Trudeau, to India last month.
S tephen Hawking was one of the world's most acclaimed scientists, a medical miracle and probably the galaxy's most unlikely celebrity.

After being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22, he was given just a few years to live.

Yet against all odds Professor Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday nearly half a century later as one of the most respected scientists of the modern age.

Despite being wheelchair-bound, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesiser, he wrote a plethora of scientific papers that earned him comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

At the same time he embraced popular culture with enthusiasm and humour, appearing in TV cartoon The Simpsons, starring in Star Trek and providing the voice-over for a British Telecom commercial that was later sampled on rock band Pink Floyd's The Division Bell album.

Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures 1 /32 Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures Nelson Mandela talks to Prof Hawking in Johannesburg in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking and his second wife Elaine Mason attend the international bookfair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2005 Getty Images Prof Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem in 2006 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking, his daughter Lucy and French physicist Christophe Galfard in 2007 AFP/Getty Images Stephen Hawking with his son Robert in 1967 Collect Stephen Hawking with his wife Stephen Hawking with wife Jane and their children Professor Stephen Hawking at his marriage ceremony to his former nurse Elaine Mason in 1995 PA Stephen Hawking nd Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London PA A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Amazon Then-president Barack Obama presents Prof Hawking the Medal Freedom in 2009 Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II meets Prof Hawking at St James's Palace in 2014 Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking and Eddie Redmayne attends the UK Premiere of "The Theory Of Everything" at Odeon Leicester Square Getty Images George Osborne and Stephen Hawking attend the London Evening Standard's '1000: London's Most Influential People' at The Francis Crick Institute Stephen Hawking in The Simpsons Fox Stephen Hawking with David Beckham Professor Stephen Hawking unveils a scientific formula to predict the chances of England succeeding in the World Cup in Cambridge ill Gates (L), accompanied by University Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Broers meets Professor Stephen Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University REUTERS Stephen Hawking floats on a zero-gravity jet in 2007 AP Pope Benedict XVI greets British professor Stephen Hawking during a meeting of science academics at the Vatican in 2008 Reuters Prof Hawking on a visit to Cape Finestre, Spain, in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking in Futurama Stephen Hawking played himself in multiple episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' Hawking : World leaders and scientists pay tribute to famous physicist PA Prof Hawking pictured in London in 2014 AFP/Getty Images British physicist Stephen Hawking sits in the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games August 29, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS) David Walliams, Professor Stephen Hawking and Catherine Tate for Red Nose Day 2015 Rex Features Stephen Hawking with Jane Wilde and guests attend the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Royal Opera House in 2015 Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones presenting the Award for Special Visual Effects at the EE BAFTA British Academy Film Award 2015 Rex Features Pope Francis greets physicist Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants at a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican in 2016 AP Professor Stephen Hawking presenting winners Oxford's Balliol College (right) with the winning trophy after their victory by 190 points to 140 over Wolfson College Cambridge (left) in 2017 PA Professor Stephen Hawking is presented with his illuminated Freedom scroll by the Chamberlain of the City of London Peter Kane as he receives the Honorary Freedom of the City of London during a ceremony at the Guildhall, London in 2017 AP

His rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane, was dramatised in a 2014 film, The Theory Of Everything, in which Eddie Redmayne put in an Oscar-winning performance as the physicist battling with a devastating illness.

He was best known for his work on black holes, the mysterious infinitely dense regions of compressed matter where the normal laws of physics break down, which dominated the whole of his academic life.

Prof Hawking's crowning achievement was his prediction in the 1970s that black holes can emit energy, despite the classical view that nothing - not even light - can escape their gravity.

Hawking Radiation, based on mathematical concepts arising from quantum mechanics, the branch of science that deals with the weird world of sub-atomic particles, eventually causes black holes to "evaporate" and vanish, according to the theory.

Had the existence of Hawking Radiation been proved by astronomers or physicists, it would almost certainly have earned Prof Hawking a Nobel Prize. As it turned out, the greatest scientific accolade eluded him until the time of this death.

Born in Oxford on January 8 1942 - 300 years after the death of astronomer Galileo Galilei - Prof Hawking grew up in St Albans.

He had a difficult time at the local public school and was persecuted as a "swot" who was more interested in jazz, classical music and debating than sport and pop.

Although not top of the class, he was good at maths and "chaotically enthusiastic in chemistry".

As an undergraduate at Oxford, the young Hawking was so good at physics that he got through with little effort.

He later calculated that his work there "amounted to an average of just an hour a day" and commented: "I'm not proud of this lack of work, I'm just describing my attitude at the time, which I shared with most of my fellow students.

"You were supposed to be brilliant without effort, or to accept your limitations and get a fourth-class degree."

Hawking got a first and went to Cambridge to begin work on his PhD, but already he was beginning to experience early symptoms of his illness.

During his last year at Oxford he became clumsy, and twice fell over for no apparent reason. Shortly after his 21st birthday he went for tests, and at 22 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease.

The news came as an enormous shock that for a time plunged the budding academic into deep despair. But he was rescued by an old friend, Jane Wilde, who went on to become his first wife, giving him a family with three children.

Then-president Barack Obama presents Prof Hawking the Medal Freedom in 2009 / Getty Images

After a painful period coming to terms with his condition, Prof Hawking threw himself into his work.

At one Royal Society meeting, the still-unknown Hawking interrupted a lecture by renowned astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle, then at the pinnacle of his career, to inform him that he had made a mistake.

An irritated Sir Fred asked how Hawking presumed to know that his calculations were wrong. Hawking replied: "Because I've worked them out in my head."

In the 1980s, Prof Hawking and Professor Jim Hartle, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, proposed a model of the universe which had no boundaries in space or time.

The concept was described in his best-selling popular science book A Brief History Of Time, published in 1988, which sold 25 million copies worldwide.

As well as razor sharp intellect, Prof Hawking also possessed an almost child-like sense of fun, which helped to endear him to members of the public.

He booked a seat on Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space plane and rehearsed for the trip by floating inside a steep-diving Nasa aircraft - dubbed the "vomit comet" - used to simulate weightlessness.

On one wall of his office at Cambridge University was a clock depicting Homer Simpson, whose theory of a "doughnut-shaped universe" he threatened to steal in an episode of the cartoon show. He is said to have glared at the clock whenever a visitor was late.

From 1979 to 2009 he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the university - a post once held by Sir Isaac Newton. He went on to become director of research in the university's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Prof Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem in 2006 / AFP/Getty Images

Upheaval in his personal life also hit the headlines, and in February 1990 he left Jane, his wife of 25 years, to set up home with one of his nurses, Elaine Mason. The couple married in September 1995 but divorced in 2006.

Throughout his career Prof Hawking was showered with honorary degrees, medals, awards and prizes, and in 1982 he was made a CBE.

But he also ruffled a few feathers within the scientific establishment with far-fetched statements about the existence of extraterrestrials, time travel, and the creation of humans through genetic engineering.

He has also predicted the end of humanity, due to global warming, a new killer virus, or the impact of a large comet.

In 2015 he teamed up with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner who has launched a series of projects aimed at finding evidence of alien life.

The decade-long Breakthrough Listen initiative aims to step up the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti) by listening out for alien signals with more sensitivity than ever before.

The even bolder Starshot Initiative, announced in 2016, envisages sending tiny light-propelled robot space craft on a 20-year voyage to the Alpha Centauri star system.

Meanwhile Prof Hawking's "serious" work continued, focusing on the thorny question of what happens to all the information that disappears into a black hole. One of the fundamental tenets of physics is that information data can never be completely erased from the universe.

A paper co-authored by Prof Hawking and published online in Physical Review Letters in June 2016 suggests that even after a black hole has evaporated, the information it consumed during its life remains in a fuzzy "halo" - but not necessarily in the proper order.

Prof Hawking outlined his theories about black holes in a series of Reith Lectures broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 2016.
A neighbour of a Russian businessman found dead in London told today how he had witnessed suspicious activity outside his home.

Counter-terrorism police are investigating the unexplained death of Nikolai Glushkov, 68, who was discovered collapsed at his terraced house in New Malden by his daughter Natalia on Monday night.

A Russian newspaper reported a friend of Mr Glushkov saying that there were strangulation marks on his neck and it was not clear if it was murder or suicide.

Mr Glushkov was a former employee and close friend of oligarch Boris Berezovsky, an outspoken Kremlin critic, who was found dead at his home near Ascot in 2013 with a scarf around his neck. A coroner recorded an open verdict.

Glushkov, a former senior Russian executive linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky was found dead in unexplained circumstances / AFP/Getty Images

Today a neighbour of Mr Glushkov said people in expensive supercars had visited the house in recent months.

Glushkov was found collapsed at his New Maldon home by his daughter Natalia

The resident, 35, who did not wanted to be named, said: There was something strange about the number of supercars pulling up outside the house.

There was a Ferrari and a Lamborghini I believe. One of the cars was yellow and really stuck out. Houses in the road are about 500,000 and people do not have supercars like that. It was all very strange, I am going to report it to the police. The activity was unusual. It makes you wonder if it was connected with what had happened. I was suspicious.

The address in New Malden which has been sealed-off by police after Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov was found dead / PA

Mr Glushkov lived alone in Clarence Drive with a cat and dog. Russian sources in London said he had no guard, no servants, according to Russian newspaper Kommersant.

Allegedly, his daughter who came to visit discovered traces of strangulation on her fathers body, reported the newspaper,

Mr Glushkov was director of Russian state airline Aeroflot in the Nineties and a close friend of Mr Berezovsky. However, when the billionaire fell out with President Putin in 1999, Mr Glushkov was charged with defrauding Aeroflot and jailed for five years.

After being released he fled to Britbut faced fresh charges of fraud in 2010. He was sentenced to eight years in his absence last year. Mr Glushkov, who feared he was on a Kremlin hit list, was also linked to Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian spy assassinated in London in 2006 as well as Andrei Lugovoi, the Russian MP believed to have carried out the killing.
T he Chinese government has censored a journalist after she rolled her eyes at a TV reporter for asking a government official a softball question.

Liang Xiangyi, a journalist for Shanghai-based Yicai.com, was filmed scowling at TV reporter Zhang Huijun for asking a scripted question designed to present a facade of transparency at a political summit

Ms Huijun, who was dressed in Communist Party red, asked a government official a long and rambling question at one of the heavily-scripted press conferences held on the sidelines of China's annual parliament, the national people's congress.

Xiangyi's reaction, which was broadcast on television, spread wildly on social media through a string of comments, GIFs and memes.

Liang Xiangyi was filmed rolling her eyes at a TV reporter who asked a Chinese official a scripted question

The Chinese government then censored her name on the microblogging platform Weibo and released a directive which said "all media personnel are prohibited from discussing the blue-clothed reporter incident on social media."

Ms Xiangyi, who was wear a blue outfit at the press conference, allegedly told a colleague that she thought that Ms Huijun, a reporter for a US-based channel with apparent ties to the Chinese Government, was "being an idiot.

The clip of her eye-roll became an internet sensation with many people posting videos of themselves re-enacting the moment dressed in red and blue to resemble the women.

A series of GIFs and memes swept the internet and thousands of people began to search for Ms Xiangyis name.

Merchandise, including t-shirts and mobile phone covers, which depicted Ms Xiangyis reaction went on sale at online stores such as Taobao.

But by Tuesday afternoon, the Chinese government stepped in to censor the use of her name on all social media platforms and searches.

The incident came at a delicate time in Chinas political history.

On Sunday, XI Jinping announced that he will be Chinas leader for life, getting rid of presidential term limits.

This was followed by a government overhaul on Tuesday.

In response to Ms Xiangyis eye roll, Chinese authorities told journalists to pretend it didn't happen.

Urgent notice: all media personnel are prohibited from discussing the Two Sessions blue-clothed reporter incident on social media, a leaked censorship directive said according to the China Digital Times.
A family whose beloved puppy died after being stored in an overhead bin on a United Airlines flight have spoken of their "heartbreak".

The airline apologised over the death of French Bulldog Kokito and accepted "full responsibility" for the incident.

Heartbroken owners Catalina and Brayan Castano said it had been "non-stop tears" for the family following their pet's death on Monday.

Mr Castano told Houston news site Khou 11 his 11-year-old daughter had been left heartbroken while fellow passengers branded cabin crew "murderers".

The family was distraught after discovering their dog had died / Twitter/ @MaggieGrem

He said: "She hasn't stopped crying. Every time we talk about it she's just heartbroken thinking about the pain and suffering the little animal went through."

Mrs Castano was flying on the United Airlines flight 1284 from Houston to New York with her daughter, two-month old newborn and Kokito on Monday night.

The family initially placed the dog, which was in a standard pet-carrier, under the seat in front before a flight attendant told them to move it to the overhead compartment.

"The flight attendant demanded that no, Kokito couldn't be by her feet, that he had to go in the overhead bin," said Mr Castano.

'Tragedy': the dog was in a standard pet-carrier / Facebook

He said that the family had flown with Kokito before and had never been asked to store the pet in the overhead cabin.

When the flight attendant requested that they do so, Ms Castano refused, however she was eventually persuaded to back down.

Mr Castano said: "Her train of thought was this is an authority figure on the plane, maybe there's ventilation that she knows about that I'm not aware ofShe trusted the flight attendant.

He said that Kokito barked for 30-35 minutes after take-off but as the flight was unusually turbulent, the family were unable to check on the dog.

"As soon as the plane landed after three hours, she (Ms Castano) tried to get him out of there, when she did that she placed him on the floor in the aisle, opened the kennel and he wasn't responding," said Mr Castano.

"She picked him up and started shaking him. That's when she realised he was dead. She went hysterical after that."

"There's nothing that they can offer me that can bring back the dog," he added.

The family were flying from Houston to New York / David McNew/Getty Images

Fellow passengers have accused cabin crew of "murdering" the puppy.

June Lara said in a Facebook post: There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel.

There was no movement as his family called his name. I held her baby as the mother attempted to resuscitate their 10 month old puppy.

"This little guy fought hard for his life, filling our flight with his cries until he finally ran out of breath. This poor family paid $125 for their pet to be murdered in front of them. There is no excuse for the pain this family is suffering."

Maggie Gremminger who was also on the flight said: "I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an United flight attendant. My heart is broken."

A spokesman said: This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin.

"We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them.
G oogle is banning advertisements for cryptocurrency related content.

The ban includes trading advice on cryptocurrencies and also initial coin offerings. 

According to the notice made by the company, the changes will come into effect in June this year.

Google say that the policy will apply globally.

Google's director of sustainable ads, Scott Spencer told CNBC: "We don't have a crystal ball to know where the future is going to go with cryptocurrencies, but we've seen enough consumer harm or potential for customer harm that it's an area we want to approach.

It comes after Facebook decided to ban cryptocurrency ads on its platform in January.

On its business page, a post from the social network said: "We've created a new policy that prohibits ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency."

It added that there are many companies advertising cryptocurrencies that are currently not operating in good faith. Facebook said its policy would be reassessed in the future "as our signals improve."

In January, the Financial Conduct authority warned that investors are being targeted by fraudsters on social media and persuading them to sign up to invest in cryptocurrencies. It found that young people were the most at risk from online scams.
T ens of thousands of students across the US have staged a mass walkout against gun violence.

Close to 3,000 demonstrations took place on Wednesday, in the biggest example of student activism yet in the wake of the Florida school shooting.

Participants stepped out of their classrooms for 17 minutes in honour of the victims of the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school last month.

The protests have drawn mixed reactions from school administrators. While some applaud students for taking a stand, others threatened discipline.

Students at Philadelphia High School of Creative And Performing Arts / Getty Images

In Washington, thousands of students gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, holding colourful signs and cheering in support of gun control.

Students chanted: "Hey, hey, ho, ho. The NRA has got to go!" and "What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!"

President Donald Trump was travelling in Los Angeles and not in the White House during the demonstrations.

Students from local schools gather at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan / Getty Images

Meanwhile in Ohio, West Liberty-Salem high school students were threatened with disciplinary action, telling them "school campus is not the place for political demonstrations".

In North Carolina, students held a discussion on gun violence where many could be seen sporting T-shirts with the phrase "#Enough'.

Police patrolled outside Kell high school in Atlanta, where students were threatened with unspecified consequences if they took part in the walkout.

TV network Viacom suspended broadcasting on all its channels - including MTV and Nickelodeon - for 17 minutes in solidarity with the protests.

Mr Trump recently rowed back on promises to increase the legal age to buy firearms from 18 to 21, pushing forward plans to "arm the teachers" to widespread criticism.
E ddie Redmayne has paid tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking, describing him as the funniest man he has ever met.

In a statement he said: We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.

Redmayne won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the acclaimed physicist in The Theory of Everything.

Greatest moment: Eddie Redmayne with Professor Stephen Hawking / Getty Images

He described meeting Hawking while researching the role as one of the great moments of [his] life.

A slew of tributes poured in for Hawking in the wake of his death, aged 76.

Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne as Professor Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything

Fellow scientist Professor Brian Cox  who Hawking once ran over in a Monty Python sketch  tweeted: Sad to hear about Stephen Hawking. What a remarkable life. His contributions to science will be used as long as there are scientists, and there are many more scientists because of him.

Stephen Hawkings best TV appearances

He spoke about the value and fragility of human life and civilisation and greatly enhanced both.

British astronaut Tim Peake praised him for inspiring generations and said his personality and genius will be sorely missed.

Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures 1 /32 Scientist Stephen Hawking - In pictures Nelson Mandela talks to Prof Hawking in Johannesburg in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking and his second wife Elaine Mason attend the international bookfair in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2005 Getty Images Prof Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem in 2006 AFP/Getty Images Prof Hawking, his daughter Lucy and French physicist Christophe Galfard in 2007 AFP/Getty Images Stephen Hawking with his son Robert in 1967 Collect Stephen Hawking with his wife Stephen Hawking with wife Jane and their children Professor Stephen Hawking at his marriage ceremony to his former nurse Elaine Mason in 1995 PA Stephen Hawking nd Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London PA A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Amazon Then-president Barack Obama presents Prof Hawking the Medal Freedom in 2009 Getty Images Queen Elizabeth II meets Prof Hawking at St James's Palace in 2014 Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking and Eddie Redmayne attends the UK Premiere of "The Theory Of Everything" at Odeon Leicester Square Getty Images George Osborne and Stephen Hawking attend the London Evening Standard's '1000: London's Most Influential People' at The Francis Crick Institute Stephen Hawking in The Simpsons Fox Stephen Hawking with David Beckham Professor Stephen Hawking unveils a scientific formula to predict the chances of England succeeding in the World Cup in Cambridge ill Gates (L), accompanied by University Vice-Chancellor Professor Alec Broers meets Professor Stephen Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University REUTERS Stephen Hawking floats on a zero-gravity jet in 2007 AP Pope Benedict XVI greets British professor Stephen Hawking during a meeting of science academics at the Vatican in 2008 Reuters Prof Hawking on a visit to Cape Finestre, Spain, in 2008 AFP/Getty Images Professor Stephen Hawking in Futurama Stephen Hawking played himself in multiple episodes of 'The Big Bang Theory' Hawking : World leaders and scientists pay tribute to famous physicist PA Prof Hawking pictured in London in 2014 AFP/Getty Images British physicist Stephen Hawking sits in the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games August 29, 2012. REUTERS/Toby Melville (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT OLYMPICS) David Walliams, Professor Stephen Hawking and Catherine Tate for Red Nose Day 2015 Rex Features Stephen Hawking with Jane Wilde and guests attend the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Royal Opera House in 2015 Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones presenting the Award for Special Visual Effects at the EE BAFTA British Academy Film Award 2015 Rex Features Pope Francis greets physicist Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants at a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican in 2016 AP Professor Stephen Hawking presenting winners Oxford's Balliol College (right) with the winning trophy after their victory by 190 points to 140 over Wolfson College Cambridge (left) in 2017 PA Professor Stephen Hawking is presented with his illuminated Freedom scroll by the Chamberlain of the City of London Peter Kane as he receives the Honorary Freedom of the City of London during a ceremony at the Guildhall, London in 2017 AP

Prime Minister Theresa May also paid tribute hailing him as a brilliant and extraordinary mind  one of the great scientists of his generation.

She said: His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration. His legacy will not be forgotten.

David Walliams, who teamed up with Hawking for a Little Britain sketch, led the celebrity tributes, thanking him for being a great laugh.
H arry Potter fans have slammed the huge plot hole in the latest Fantastic Beasts movie trailer.

A teaser for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald, which forms the latest in the spin-off Harry Potter series, left fans both ecstatic and disappointed.

The trailer shows the Minister for Magic and a group of men apparating - a magical form of travel used by witches and wizards at Hogwarts.

However, J.K Rowlings books clearly claim that nobody is able to apparate into the grounds of Hogwarts except for headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

A wave of fans took to social media to argue over the glaring plot hole and to bash director David Yates, who directed the final four Harry Potter films. Others debated whether the rule would have been in place if the movies are set pre-Harry Potter.

In the much-loved franchise magic is in place to prevent apparition within the realms of the castle to keep evil out of the school.

One tweeted: Honestly, David Yates, if you would only read Hogwarts: A History, you would know that you can't apparate onto school grounds.

Another posted: This isn't nitpicking. The inability to apparate within hogwarts is an important plot device in nearly every book!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - London premiere 1 /24 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - London premiere Eddie Redmayne and J.K. Rowling Dave Benett Eddie Redmayne signs autographs for fans Dave Benett JK Rowling Ian West/PA Katherine Waterston Dave Benett J.K. Rowling Dave Benett Eddie Redmayne and wife Hannah Bagshawe Ian West/PA J.K. Rowling signs autographs for waiting fans Dave Benett Alison Sudol greets fans at the European Premiere of "Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them" Dave Benett Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne and Carmen Ejogo Dave Benett Eddie Redmayne Ian West/PA Alison Sudol Dave Benett Daisy Lowe Dave Benett Ezra Miller Ian West/PA Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them cast Ian West/PA Harry Potter and the Cursed Child cast Dave Benett Gemma Chan Ian West/PA Amber Le Bon Dave Benett Maisie Williams Dave Benett Danny Jones, Tom Fletcher and Harry Judd of McFly Dave Benett Lilyella Zender and Melanie Blatt Dave Benett Henry Holland Dave Benett Daisy Lowe and Aljaz Skorjanec Ian West/PA David Heyman, Rose Uniacke and Harper Heyman Dave Benett David Yates Ian West/PA

A third said: Okay Potter fans I know some of you are Mad Online but what if events in this movie ARE the reason you can't Apparate onto the Hogwarts grounds HMMM.

A fan also referenced a quote from character Hermione Granger, played by Emma Watson in which she explains at apparition is not possible.

They wrote: You can't Apparate inside the Hogwarts grounds, how often do I have to tell you?" - Hermione Granger #CrimesOfGrindelwald #FantasticBeasts.

One cited the author herself who has in the past said: The castle and grounds have always been protected with anti-apparition charms.
A manda Holden has praised Ant McPartlin for getting through a tough year, complimenting him on his strong backbone and thick skin.

McPartlin underwent a stint in rehab last year to recover from an addiction to painkillers, he then split from his wife of 11-years Lisa Armstrong in January.

TV presenter Holden revealed that the star has managed to bounce back due to the support of his strong group of friends.

Speaking on Heart FM Holden revealed: You know he's come back and it's absolutely fine.

Ant Mcpartlin divorce

It feels like nothing happened and that's rare and it's because of his tenacity and his sense of humour about it all.

That's the most important thing to keep when you're in this industry. It's hard sometimes to keep laughing [but] you'll be fine.

Holden added how the other half of McPartlins dynamic duo, Declan Donnelly, had been hugely supportive.

Split: The pair ended their 11-year marriage / PA

[Ant] has been in this industry since he was a kid so I think that he's got a strong backbone and I think he's got thick skin.

I think he's got an amazing partner in Dec and I think the people that surround him have just been hugely supportive.

According to The Sun, Holden and co-judge Alesha Dixon also offered support to make-up artist Armstrong, despite being close friends with McPartlin.

Friends: Holden praised her co-star for his strength / PA

A source told the publication: Lisa has been keeping herself to herself a fair amount while on Britains Got Talent this year for obvious reasons, as no one wants a big showdown.

But Amanda and Alesha Dixon, despite being close friends with Ant, have been a real support for her.

Theyve had a couple of late nights sat up chatting and helping her take her mind off things.
J ustin Theroux has denied reports that he is dating model Petra Collins following his split from Jennifer Aniston.

The Girl on the Train actor split from the Friends star in February following their three-year marriage.

Speculation arose on Tuesday that the Leftovers star is spending his newly-found free time with the 25-year-old artist and model.

According to Star magazine, the 46-year-old is obsessed with the Canadian, who he has been enjoying cosy dinner dates with.

Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux announce split

A source said: Justin and Petra have been carrying on for some time. He insists that theyre just 'friends,' but he seems obsessed with her, and Jen isnt buying it.

The duo reportedly connected over the New York art scene andhit it off right away.

Last month, Theroux tagged Collins in an Instagram post shortly before his split with Aniston was announced.

The pair posed together in t-shirts crated by designer Adam Selman.

Model: Collins boasts a beaming portfolio / Getty Images for GQ

The news comes after speculation that Aniston has planned a girls trip to Hawaii in a bid to get over the actor.

A source told The Sun: "Jen loves a beach vacation - there's nothing she finds more relaxing than a trip to the beach, or lying by the pool.

"Normally she goes to Mexico, to the same place, but she doesn't want to go to Mexico for a while because it reminds her too much of Justin!

"There's talk of her going to Hawaii with ten friends, though - something really low key."

The source added that the American actress had her 'core group' of friends at her house.

They added: They've all been staying so she doesn't feel alone. It's like she's got a rotating squad of friends on hand at all times.

The news comes after the couple released a statement saying they wanted to handle their separation privately, but they wanted to counter tabloid speculation and "convey the truth directly".

They said they intend to maintain love and respect for each other.

A representative for Theroux said speculation of Theroux and Collins dating was "false."
BT Podcast: Supreme Court extends deadline for linking Aadhaar

Loading the player...

Aadhaar linking with bank accounts, mobile numbers: SC extends March 31 deadline indefinitely

In a major relief to those who still haven't linked their Aadhaar cards with bank accounts and mobile numbers, the Supreme Court extended the deadline from March 31 indefinitely till the final judgement in the controversial case. The apex court is hearing the case on the constitutional validity of the government's biometrical identification scheme. However, it is still mandatory to link your welfare schemes with Aadhaar to get benefits under Article 7 before the deadline.



Pratt & Whitney engine issue: IndiGo, GoAir cancel 65 flights

A day after aviation regulator DGCA grounded 11 A320neo aircrafts fitted with a certain series of Pratt & Whitney engines, budget carriers IndiGo and GoAir cancelled as many as 65 domestic flights. IndiGo, which flies four out of every 10 Indians, cancelled 47 of its flights. The Wadia Group-promoted GoAir, on the other hand, cancelled 18 flights. The aviation sector in the country may remain affected with IndiGo and GoAir likely to face more disruptions in the coming weeks.



SBI reduces charges on non-maintenance of minimum balance by 75%

The SBI's decision to reduce penalty for non-maintenance of an average monthly balance (AMB) by 75 per cent will benefit over 25 crore of its customers. The latest decision by the country's largest public sector bank was taken after feedback from various stakeholders. The new charges will be applicable from April 1.



RBI clamps down on credit guarantees as PNB fraud swells

The Reserve Bank of India has barred all lenders from issuing letters of undertaking - a form of credit guarantee at the heart of a major fraud - as embattled Punjab National Bank disclosed its total exposure in the case had risen by another $145 million. As reported by Reuters, in a notice posted on its website, the RBI said banks would have to stop issuing letters of undertaking and letters of comfort, with immediate effect. It said banks could continue issuing credit guarantees in the forms of letters of credits and bank guarantees, however, if certain parameters were met.



Tata Sons to sell 1.5% stake in TCS through block deals to strengthen its balance sheet

Tata Sons has sold shares valued at nearly Rs 9,000 crore in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) through open market transactions. The amount of shares offloaded by the major promoter of TCS amounts to around 1.63 per cent stake.



India's solar financing may have peaked at $10 bn in 2017: consultancy

India's solar industry more than doubled its fund raising to $10 bn in 2017, clean energy consultancy Mercom said, but activity is likely to slow this year as New Delhi plans to slap high tariffs on imports, as reported by Reuters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of raising India's solar power generation to 100 gigawatt (GW) by 2022, five times its current levels. The government says India will need to raise at least $125 billion to reach its goal of generating 175 GW of energy from all renewable sources in five years.
Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe
Iran has lost its largest warship in the Caspian Sea, the 1,500 ton Damavand. In early January the ship ran aground on rocks near a jetty protecting the harbor it was attempting to enter during bad weather. At first Iran played down the severity of the situation but after a month it was clear the ship was breaking up and probably unsalvageable. With the loss of the Damavand Iran has only one recently built large (over 1,000 tons) surface warship. The Damavand was the second of what was supposed to be a class of seven ships and entered service in 2013. A third, a slightly larger, version of this type of ship (Sahand) has a hull built but not much else because of budget problems. The first ship of this class, Jamaran, is based in the Persian Gulf, with most of the Iranian Navy, which consists mostly of small coastal missile boats, small locally built submarines and lots of speedboats manned by fanatic members of the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps).

The Iranian navy could certainly use some new warships. Currently, the only major surface warships it has except for the Jarmaran are three elderly British built Alvand class frigates (1,540 tons each) and two U.S. built Bayandor class patrol frigates (1,100 tons each). The 560 ton Government Yacht Hamzeh was also refit as a warship by installing a 20mm autocannon, two machineguns, and four C-802 anti-ship missiles on it and is probably used mostly for training purposes. Hamzeh is now the largest Iranian warship in the Caspian Sea. There are about fifty smaller patrol craft, ten of them armed with Chinese anti-ship missiles. There are another few dozen mine warfare, amphibious, and support ships. The three most powerful ships in the fleet are three Russian Kilo class subs. There are about fifty mini-subs, most of them built in Iran.

There are some serious quality problems with Iranian built warships, and not just because of budget problems and sanctions. Iran's naval shipbuilding facility at the Bushehr shipyard has lots of labor problems. There have been strikes and lockouts as well as complaints of poor designs and sloppy management. Iran has, for the last two decades, announced many new, locally made, weapons that turned out to be more spin than substance.

Iran does have commercial shipbuilding firms that produce merchant ships that are larger than destroyers. Thus it was believed that Iran could build something that looks like a destroyer. The Jamaran (or Moudge) class ships have Chinese C-802 anti-ship missiles, but a lot of the other necessary military electronics are harder to get and install in a seagoing ship. Iran has coped by using commercial equipment. This does not make for a formidable warship but does enable high seas operations.

Iran is trying to expand its growing (slowly) naval power on all its coasts (Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean). Thus since 2011 Iran has had one or more of its few surface warships working with the international anti-piracy patrol off Somalia. This was the first time since the 1970s that the Iranian Navy has conducted sustained operations outside its coastal waters. Despite their own Islamic radical government, the Iranian sailors have got along with the other members of the patrol, including the United States (which is officially the "Great Satan" back home). Encouraged by this, Iran announced that it would send more of its warships off to distant areas, mainly to show the world that Iran was a naval power capable of such reach. These voyages often ran into problems and the Iranians learned to send a resupply ship along that contained a large stock of spare parts and skilled ship techs to install them as needed.

Since 2000 Iran has been building some larger warships. Not really large but big enough to take trips across the Indian Ocean. In 2012 Iran got a chance to try long-distances cruises when the first Jamaran, which had already been in service for two years. In 2013 it put the second Jamaran into service, but only in the Caspian Sea. But both these vessels were hastily built by yards with no experience in building major surface warships. That meant a lot of mistakes were made. Moreover, the Iranians could not get modern weapons or equipment and were fitting out these ships with whatever they could scrounge up. Iran planned to build a total of seven vessels of the Jarmaran class. Between the labor and supply problems and the 2014 collapse in oil prices it was slow going and, in fact, so far not going much at all.

The original Jarmaran entered service in 2010, followed in 2013 by Damavand and then, after the collapse of oil prices, nothing. Both entered service roughly two years after launch. The Jamaran class is the largest locally built surface warship in Iran and it was based on the British built Alvand class frigate (also known as Vosper Thornycroft Mk 5). The Jarmarans were described as destroyers when first announced (as under construction) in 2010. In fact, it's a 1,400 ton corvette. The ships have a crew of 140 and are equipped with anti-aircraft artillery in form of one reverse engineered Bofors 40mm clone and two Oerlikon 20mm cannons, two (four on first ship of the class) Fajr anti air missiles (Iranian clone of the SM-1), anti-submarine weapons (six 324mm light torpedoes), and anti-ship missiles (four C-802s), in addition to a 76mm Fajr-27 double purpose cannon, which is an Iranian copy of the common OTO Melara 76mm cannon. In 2014 the ships were modified with a phased array radars, replacing terribly obsolete parabolic antenna radars, boosting their still modest air defense capabilities. The ships also have a small helicopter pad.

It wasnt until November 2012 that Iran announced it was building the new a slightly larger and better equipped version of the Jamaran/Moudge class of corvettes. At the time all that was shown was pictures of the completed hull and superstructure. The ship had yet to be fitted out with weapons, electronics, or most other equipment. That was supposed to take place by 2015 but the collapse of oil prices halted that and it has not yet resumed construction. There are four other Jamarans under construction but the work is stalled.

This was embarrassing because in 2012 tut the Iranians couldnt wait to announce what a great ship the improved Jamaran would be. These announcements are seen as useful to cheer the population up. However, as of early 2018, the Sahand is still awaiting outfitting with weapons, electronics and other equipment. The Sahand, despite Iranian reports of being an improvement over the earlier Jamaran class frigates, though still unfinished, seems to be just another ship of Jarmaran class.

A larger ship, a 7,500 ton destroyer was announced in 2013 but construction has not made much progress and even the press releases have dwindled. Again its a matter of resources. The collapse of world oil prices in 2014, more that the numerous economic sanctions, crippled the expansion plans for the Iranian Navy. Most of the sanctions were lifted in a 2015 treaty but that has not helped the navy much because a lot of the additional cash went to prop up the Assad government in Syria and finance the pro-Iranian Shia militias in Iraq and Yemen.

What it comes down to is that the navy is not nearly as high a priority as the ground and air forces. Iran has never been a major naval power and that does not appear to be changing any time soon.
by Austin Bay March 13, 2018

The British government has directly accused Russia of using a very sophisticated chemical weapon ---a "poison gas" in common idiom -- in a failed attempt to murder a former Russian defector and his daughter.

A vengeful Kremlin assassination team prowling Britain sounds like a scene in a Cold War spy novel and the botched March 4 homicide has Cold War echoes. The targets, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were sitting on a park bench in Salisbury, England.

However, immediate 21st century contexts matter. Vladimir Putin's Russia is an especially relevant context. Putin's Kremlin is currently engaged in global political and cyber agitation while waging so-called "hybrid war" in Ukraine and Syria.

Putin's Kremlin practices what some analysts call "gray zone warfare."

Waging a gray zone campaign requires maintaining "plausible deniability" -- in order to escape retribution, be able to deny responsibility for the dirty and destructive operations.

Propaganda, crime, covert influence operations, cyber intrusions and old-fashioned bribery are gray zone weapons.

The Putin-led Kremlin employs all of them and more. The April-May 2007 Russian sustained cyber assault on Estonia illustrates plausible deniability. Estonia traced the economy-crippling attacks to "state agencies in Russia." Russia denied the charge, attributing the attacks to criminals and vandals.

Violence is an integral gray zone tool. In Ukraine, Russia has used agitators, mercenaries, assassins, special operations soldiers and occasionally Russian conventional forces. But violence is risky. In order to avoid international reprisals that seriously damage Russian interests, gray zone violence must be constrained. The bloodshed must be kept below that hazy threshold where an adversary suddenly retaliates with damaging consequences.

More or less, Russia has managed to do that in Ukraine. Russia's invasion of Georgia in 2008 stayed below the threshold. That invasion mimicked the "creeping war of aggression" Serbian dictator Slobodan Milosevic launched in 1991 when Serbia attacked Croatia. Serbia would launch an attack, take a small piece of territory, and then hunker down to absorb the political blowback from the UN and Western Europe.

Putin's Kremlin has employed assassins in Western Europe. Since 2003, 14 people in Britain with Russian connections have died under mysterious circumstances. They were either Russian expatriates (several were former intelligence agents) or individuals with connections to Russian businesses or opposition political figures. Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko is perhaps the most famous. In 2006 the former security officer drank tea poisoned with polonium-210 and died in agony. In 2016 a British investigators concluded that it was "highly probable" he was assassinated by the FSB, Russian domestic security service.

But the use of an illegal chemical weapon that could be employed on a battlefield makes the March 4 crime qualitatively different. The assassins used Novichok -A-230, an "enhanced" nerve agent dispersible as a liquid or powder. Reports claim it is eight times more toxic than VX liquid nerve agent. In February 2017 North Korean assassins used VX to murder Kim Jong Nam, dictator Kim Jong Un's half-brother.

I think this is one reason British Prime Minister Theresa May has framed the March 4 incident as no ordinary assassination. May argued that the incident can be characterized as a state-directed chemical weapon attack that occurred on British territory -- in other words, an act of war. She mentioned invoking NATO Article 5 as a response to incident.

NATO Article 5 -- also called The Three Musketeers Clause -- commits the alliance to defend an ally when its territory is attacked. The daring French musketeers promised one for all and all for one. Article 5 makes a similar serious commitment. It has only been invoked once: after al-Qaida's attack on the U.S.

I doubt that Britain will invoke it. However, Britain is telling Putin's Kremlin "gray zone war" is still war. And the March 4 incident is a very pale white shade of gray.
UN investigators have decided that the flight of over 700,000 Burmese Rohingya Moslems to Bangladesh was deliberate genocide and that this was made possible by Facebook and that someone in the Burmese government should be prosecuted as a war criminal. This assessment generated more anger and hostility in Burma because the UN investigators seemed to miss the fact that the Burmese military operates autonomously, as it has done for decades and the 2011 deal that returned an elected government to power did little to curb the power of the military to do as it pleases in the border areas and tribal north. The tribal rebels of Burma would like to see the UN go after the Burmese generals for decades of violence, as well as holding China to account for supporting the Burmese generals, but that is unlikely to happen. The Chinese, who have substantial investments in Burma, are pro-government when it comes to the Rohingya. Burmese wonder what the definition of genocide is when 99 percent of the victims survived the attempt to kill them (although six percent are considered missing). The instigators of the violence were a handful of ambitious, nationalist and eloquent Buddhist clerics that created a crises the army took advantage of. The UN is unlikely to prosecute radical clerics and rogue generals because that model is too close that found in a lot of the Moslem nations that are pushing the UN effort to prosecute Burma. The tribal rebels are out of luck as well because they are a problem for China and China has also paid for a lot of UN clout. Meanwhile some of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have organized (established a presence on Internet social media sites) and are demanding peacekeepers (armed escorts) before they will return to Burma. That is unlikely to happen because the UN peacekeeper budget is exhausted and the Burmese generals will not tolerate foreign troops for any reason.

The repatriation to Burma of Rohingya Moslems in Bangladesh was supposed to begin in January but continued army violence against Rohingya still in Burma made that impossible. Those Rohingya going back must do so voluntarily but there have been many reports of Rohingya refugee camp leaders putting Rohingya on the will return list even if the refugee does not want to return. This abuse of the lists may have to do with corruption or Rohingya politics. There has been some violence in the camps over the issue.

The Burmese military is accused of agreeing to allow repatriation while also ordering its troops to interfere with that in subtle ways. Rohingya leaders have called on the UN and Bangladesh to persuade Burma to renegotiate the repatriation agreement so that the Burmese military will behave. Burma will not even try that because the military has veto power over government decisions and China has been backing Burma (and the Burmese military) in the Rohingya matter. So the UN has to be careful not to offend China or anyone else who has purchased a lot of loyalty in the UN bureaucracy.

Rohingya keep fleeing across the border to Bangladesh. Although arriving in much smaller numbers the more recent Rohingya refugees report that Burmese troops continue to make life difficult by blocking their movement as well as interfering with commercial traffic and the distribution of relief supplies. The soldiers conduct frequent searches of Rohingya homes and businesses which is usually just an excuse to do some looting. Rohingya heading for the border, carrying possessions, are often stopped, searched and robbed of any valuables plus an occasional rape. Sometimes Rohingya are taken away for questioning, which turns out to be a kidnapping and only the payment of cash to the soldiers will get the captive released. This is, in effect, a less newsworthy way to forcing Rohingya to leave. The Burmese army denies everything and refuses to allow foreign (UN) investigators into Rakhine State to see for themselves. Satellite photos and local reports indicate that the military is treating the abandoned (by fleeing Rohingya owners) property is being considered as available for the taking by anyone able to enforce their claim. The military is already doing that and this is something the military has done before in the tribal territories.

Up until late 2017 the soldiers used rather blatant force to persuade the Rohingya to leave. This usually involved looting Rohingya settlements as well as killing or raping those too slow to move. Less than a third of the 1.1 million Rohingya are still in Burma and over half of them fled since August 2017. Surveys of the 680,000 Rohingya refugees in Burma indicate that the two month army operation killed about 7,000 of the fleeing Rohingya. Most (about 70 percent) of those deaths were directly due to army violence. Some 15 percent of these were burned to death when their homes were destroyed and another seven percent were beaten to death by soldiers. Some two percent died when they encountered landmines near the border. The army claims only 400 civilians died but the evidence shows otherwise, as it has throughout the north for decades, usually against non-Moslem tribal minorities. But the violence was never on such a scale because there was no neighboring nation the military could legitimately push unwanted groups into. The elected government in Burma is limited in what it can do because the post 2011 constitution (where the army gave up half a century of military rule) guaranteed the military veto power over what the elected officials could do to the military. There is an ongoing effort to change that and some Burmese see the increased army violence in the north as part of an effort to delay changes to the 2011 constitution. The next major struggle between the government and the military will be how the agreement to take back the refugees could or would be carried out. The military is aided by Buddhist radicals, who started the Rohingya expulsion effort in 2012. While the Buddhist clergy oppose the scale of the army violence against the Rohingya they do not support taking the refugees back. Whatever happens the repatriation process will be carefully scrutinized in Bangladesh and Burma. So far the repatriation has not started and may never do so because of continued violence and Rohingya unwillingness to trust the military.

Reviving Dead Monsters

All this Rohingya activity in Rakhine State has attracted existing tribal rebels like the AA (Arakan Army) who are now calling for restoration of the Arakan Empire which ceased to exist 233 years ago. This is a renewal of ancient feuds over who should control the northwest coast of Burma, an area with a long history as an independent Arakan state. For example in late 2017 ARSA (the new Islamic terror group in Burma) called for Rohingya to join with al Qaeda to fight the Burmese army and establish Rakhine State as the independent Moslem state of Arakan. This refers to the Arakan region, which is the coastal area that includes Rakhine State and the coastal area along the Bay of Bengal from eastern Bangladesh down deep into Burma. Some 1800 years ago Arakan became an independent Hindu state but 500 years later Islam spread to the area in part became Arakan was one of the many branches of the ancient Silk Road from China. The population was largely Bengali and Burmese. In the 18th century the Burmese kingdom to the east conquered the area but lost it to the British a century later. After that most of Arakan became part of the post-colonial nation of Burma. When the British left in the late 1940s they had created a Burma with unique borders and many citizens who were not ethnic Burmese. For Islamic radicals Arakan, like Spain, Portugal and parts of the Balkans are still considered part of the Caliphate (Islamic Empire) because they had once been ruled by Moslems. The current inhabitants of these lost territories are now largely non-Moslem and have no interest in becoming Islamic states again. Groups like al Qaeda see an opportunity in Burma.

Islamic terrorists first showed up in late 2016 and August 2017 when there were attacks by a Rohingya Islamic terrorist group called ARSA. Its founder (a Rohingya expatriate) and much of the cash came from Saudi Arabia. Burma prefers to call groups like ARSA Islamic terrorists but until ARSA and the Saudi cash showed up there had not been much, if any, religious aspect to the armed Rohingya resistance. ARSA was openly calling for Rohingya worldwide to support a war against Burma for the bad treatment the Rohingya have received, especially since 2012. Until this new document appeared ARSA had denied any connection with al Qaeda but that has apparently changed. The ARSA leader; Ataullah abu Ammar Jununi (or just Ata Ullah) has received more attention now that Islamic terror groups like al Qaeda are calling for its members to help ARSA and the Burmese Rohingya any way they can. Since August 2017 there have been no more large scale ARSA attacks but there have been some clashes with security forces. For the moment ARSA is largely a force on the Internet, not on the ground.

Slavery To The South

Rohingya who seek to flee farther than Bangladesh run into even worse situations. To the south in Thailand and Malaysia slavery is still thriving as fishing companies seek cheap labor. Men from Bangladesh and Burma are recruited for jobs in Thailand but once they arrive are forced to first work for nothing to pay for their transportation and the recruiting fee. This form of debt slavery is a common scam in the region, especially in remote areas where it will not be noticed. This sort of thing is illegal everywhere but police dont do anything unless a violation is reported. The persistent poverty in Burma and Bangladesh has led to an increase in this sort of people smuggling to Thailand and Malaysia, two countries that have been economic powerhouses in the region and a magnet for millions seeking jobs. The smugglers charge a lot of money, and those smuggled (also illegal) in then become slaves for years until the fees are paid off. Sometimes the slaves are offered paying jobs once their debts are paid off but the system tends to keep the slaves in debt for life. These debt slaves are common on rubber plantations as well as aboard fishing boats.

Corruption Declines As The Military Fades

Decades of military rule left Burma one of the most corrupt nations on the planet. The 2017 international corruption ratings show that Burma is still near the bottom when it comes to corruption (130 out of 180 nations compared with 156 out of 175 nations in 2013). 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. African nations are the most corrupt, followed by Middle Eastern ones. The current Burma score is 30 (versus 28 in 2016) compared to 63 (61) for Taiwan, 40 (40) for India, 29 (29) for Russia, 54 (53) for South Korea, 17 (12) for North Korea, 35 (33) for Vietnam, 84 (84) for Singapore, 73 (72) for Japan, 37 (37) for Indonesia, 38 (36) for Sri Lanka, 33 (36) for the Maldives, 34 (35) for the Philippines, 32 (32) for Pakistan, 28 (26) for Bangladesh, 30 (29) for Iran, 15 (15) for Afghanistan, 41 (40) for China, 71 (66) for the UAE (United Arab Emirates), 62 (64) for Israel, 75 (74) for the United States, 27 (28) for Nigeria, 43 (45) for South Africa, 18 (17) for Iraq, 40 (41) for Turkey, 49 (46) for Saudi Arabia and 28 (28) for Lebanon. A lower corruption score is common with nations in economic trouble and problems dealing with Islamic terrorism and crime in general. Burmas corruption score has changed a lot since democracy was restored in 2011. Back in 2012 it was 15. That went up to 21 in 2012 and has continued to rise despite the military resisting attacks on their many scams, especially in the northern tribal areas.

March 12, 2018: In the north (Shan State) there were several clashes between TNLA tribal rebels and a rival group SSA-S over territory. There were about a dozen casualties over the weekend. SSA-S is pro-government and TNLA is not but both groups generally try to avoid fighting each other.

February 26, 2018: India has agreed to cooperate more with Burma to control the flow of illegal drugs from Burma to neighboring countries. Most of the drugs (meth, hashish, opium and heroin) come from the northern tribal territories of Burma. This drug production has been going on there for centuries and large scale efforts have managed to reduce but not eliminate the production and distribution of banned drugs.

February 24, 2018: In the northwest (Rakhine State) three bombs went off in the state capital. There were no deaths and police later arrested six Buddhist radicals associated with the local Arakan Army (AA) tribal rebels.

February 16, 2018: The Burmese army commander-in-chief visited Thailand and the Thai military arranged for the Burmese general to a high royal honor (medal); the Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant. This good will gesture was appreciated by the Burmese general, who is under criticism by the Moslem world and the UN for the way the Burmese has been handling their Royhinga minority. Thailand continues having problems with the drug trade in neighboring Burma, where the northern tribes resist government efforts to suppress the drug trade. Because of this the leaders of both countries try to cooperate in controlling and containing this drug trade.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday hinted that they might seek help from FIA and intelligence agencies to probe alleged horse-trading in March 3 elections for 52 Senate seats.

Representatives of different political parties in person or through counsels appeared before a five-member bench of the ECP to substantiate their claims of horse-trading in Senate polls.

Shahid Gondal, the counsel for Imran Khan, told the ECP bench that PTI had already constituted a committee to investigate which party lawmakers voted for candidates other than PTI. He claimed PTI will provide all available proof to ECP.

Minister of State for Information Marriyum Aurangzaib requested ECP to get help from FIA and intelligence agencies.

Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza remarked ECP would do, further stating that ECP wants all the political parties to help the supervisory body in investigating this matter.

Selling and buying of votes is a serious crime, he added further.

In his written reply, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) Chief Farooq Sattar alleged six MQM-Ps Provincial Assembly members sold their votes.

According to Sattar, Heero Soho, Saleem Rajput, Shazia Javed, Naila Munir, Samita Afzal and Naheed Begum voted for the opposing candidate.

In his reply, Sattar further stated MQM-P has issued show-cause notice to the Provincial Assembly members.

Addressing the media, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistans Sheikh Salahuddin said, the party has provided all proof regarding horse-trading to the ECP.

It is a very embarrassing act. Earlier, horse-trading was only limited to Fata. Now it has been carried out in all provinces.

He further added the evidence contains names of those who sold votes.

The next hearing for the case will be on April 6.
Absconding former SSP Malir Rao Anwar has written another letter to the Supreme Court, asking it to unfreeze his bank accounts and allow him to maintain interaction with media.

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, the bench of the apex court was hearing a suo motu case pertaining to the death of Naqeebullah Mehsud in a staged encounter in Karachi.

At the outset of the hearing, the chief justice said Rao Anwar had written another letter in which he has sought unfreezing of his assets and permission to talk to media.

He lamented that no progress so far has been made with regard to the arrest of the absconding police officer.

Military Intelligence (MI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) submitted their respective reports to the bench, which said the Sindh police were extended every possible cooperation to find Rao Anwar.

Sindh police chief Allah Dino Khowaja maintained his force was making all-out efforts to arrest him. He said a charge-sheet against the arrested members of the team that carried out encounter in which Naqeeb was killed was submitted to the trial court concerned.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial said it was possible that someone would be providing the sacked police officer shelter from the police.

The chief justice asked if CCTV footage of Rao Anwar when he was stopped while trying to flee abroad at Islamabad airport was available.

To which, IG Sindh said the CCTV recordings were secured and provided to a probe team.

To a query about whether the judges could view them, he replied in the affirmative, requesting that they should watch it in their chamber.

The chief justice directed the director general of Airport Security Force (ASF) to appear before it on next hearing.

The hearing was adjourned till Friday when the bench would take up the case at the apex courts Karachi registry.
Google is one-stop destination for all the information in the world. Maintaining a data base of such a gigantic scale is no easy task even for the world's best tech company like Google. Every year, Google is faced with new threats from hackers and scammers trying to make money through deceptive and misleading advertising practices. These 'trick-to-click' ads and 'click-bate' ads can often lure innocent and unaware people to invest their hard-earned money in such schemes only to get fleeced. To address such ads in unregulated or speculative financial products, Google has banned binary options, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange markets, and contracts for difference (CFDs). The world's biggest search engine has said that the step has been taken to combat emerging threats and improve the ads experience online.

"Last year, we added 28 new advertiser policies and 20 new publisher policies to combat new threats and improve the ads experience online. This year, we updated several policies to address ads in unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange markets and contracts for difference," said Google. The company has also updated its gambling ads policies to address new methods of gambling with items that have real-world value (e.g., skins gambling).

Google has said in 2017, it took down over 3.2 billion ads that violated their advertising policies. "That's more than 100 bad ads per second!" said the company, adding that it blocked a majority of bad ads like malvertising and phishing scams.

Google is not the first big company to ban ads on financial products. The world's biggest social media platform, Facebook, has already banned such ads from Facebook and Instagram. Facing a lot of criticism over the use of fake news to influence public opinion on the network, Facebook has also tightened its content publishing policy. So, ads like 'Use your retirement funds to buy Bitcoin' and 'New ICO! Buy tokens at a 15% discount Now!' will automatically be banned on Facebook, said the company.

On January 31, Facebook said it would ban advertisements promoting initial coin offerings (ICOs) and cryptocurrency like Bitcoin on Facebook and its photo-sharing app Instagram. The new rule "prohibits ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, such as binary options, initial coin offerings and cryptocurrency," it said.

Though cryptocurrencies have gained enormous popularity in the past two-three years, suspicion around their legality and regulation has always made these virtual currencies vulnerable to bans by big online platforms. The Indian government in December 2017 had also cautioned investors to be wary of virtual currencies like Bitcoin, calling them "Ponzi schemes with no legal tender and protection".

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has also issued strict guidelines against investing in cryptocurrencies. Apart from keeping a track on the cryptocurrency exchanges operating across the country, the government has introduced the Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill, 2018, which might also spell serious repercussions for bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies.
The Supreme Court dismissed contempt petitions against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and federal ministers Daniyal Aziz and Khawaja Saad Rafique today.

A three-member bench of the apex court had on Tuesday dismissed contempt petitions against Nawaz, Yousaf Raza Gilani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif and former Senate chairman Nayyar Bukhari.

Petitioner Sheikh Ahsanuddin, a member of the Justice and Democratic Party, had filed the petition against the Pakistan Muslime League - Nawaz (PML-N) supremo.

During today's hearing, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar remarked that the court did not consider the presented evidence contemptuous.

He observed that every individual has the right to comment on verdicts while staying within the legal parameters.

The petitioner argued that according to a media report Nawaz had said that the court's verdict was an insult of over 20 million citizens of the country. He alleged that the PML-N supremo had scandalised the court's verdict in his rally.

Justice Nisar, in response to the argument, stated that the limit might not have been crossed in the cited example.

"The limit may have been crossed on some other instance," he said.

Ahsanuddin continued to argue that the party had not obtained the votes of 20 million citizens. Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan responded that the court too, exercises patience.

"There is a limit to the court's patience," Ahsanuddin argued, in response to which, Justice Ahsan stated that the court's level of patience was greater than that of the petitioner.

Justice Nisar on Tuesday had said that the Supreme Court was noting remarks being made regarding the judiciary at present and would take up those cases 'at an appropriate time.'

During yesterday's hearing, referring to the contempt petitions, the chief justice had observed that the remarks in question were directed at the joint investigation team and not the apex court.

The contempt cases against late former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Pakistan Peoples Party's Iqbal Haider were also declared ineffective and disposed of, as was the contempt petition against MNA Capt (retd) Safdar Nawaz's son-in-law.

The court had also wrapped up a petition against the holding of dual offices president of Pakistan and army chief by Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.
Commodore Ahmad Fauzan has been promoted to the rank of rear admiral, a spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy said on Wednesday.

Rear Admiral Fauzan joined the Navys weapon engineering branch in 1986 and has served at various command and staff posts during his career.

He holds degrees from the Naval War College and National Defence University.

The officer has also been awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (military) for his service, according to the spokesperson.

Rear Admiral Fauzan will now head the Maritime Technologies Complex after his promotion.
The ruling party received another shock when its member Punjab Assembly Raza Nasrullah Ghuman joined the rivalry Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) after meeting with party chairman Imran Khan.

According to the details, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Raza Nasrullah Ghuman on Wednesday announced joining rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) after meeting PTI chief Imran Khan.

Several of Ghumans supporters also joined the party, PTI said on its social media.

During his meeting with PTI Chairman Irman Khan Nasrullah Ghuman expressed full confidence in Imrans leadership and PTIs manifesto.

According to sources, Nasrullah Ghuman was angry from his leadership over the issue of amendment in Khatm-e-Nabuwat clause, however after governments refusal to not expose the prime character who made the amendment he has resigned from party.

Talking on the occasion, Imran Khan said that Pakistan and its political system being faced unusual challenges and there was need to redress them.

Including Ghuman, PML-N has lost four lawmakers to PTI over 20 days.
Click the image above to watch the video

The winner of Greerton Villages Vintage & Retro Fayre Window Dressing competition is Wendy Forgesson with her window at Embellish Boutique in Chadwick Road. Wendy has won a $750 Sun Media advertising package.

The window at Embellish Boutique features mannequins, hats, and accessories from the shop, along with additional items and details that are theme-related. Overall, it was original and inspiring, making effective use of the available space.

It wasnt an easy competition to judge, with the Waipuna Hospice Greerton, Zest Cafe and MDs Leatherworks also creating stunning displays celebrating the vintage and retro theme.

Competition runner-up and a very close second is Waipuna Hospice Greerton, with three large windows, created two tableaus that drew the passerby in. One window is dedicated to a display of vinyl records.

The Greerton Village Vintage & Retro Fayre will be held in Greerton Village on Saturday March 17 from 10am  2pm with over 40 stall holders selling a wide variety of vintage and retro items. The public is encouraged to dress up in Vintage or Retro style and join the Best Dressed to Theme Competition at 12noon at the Greerton School Rotunda. Mark and Jolene from The Breeze will be among the judges.

High teas will be served on site, with live music from the Cleverwood band which will be playing old favourites from the 60s and 70s. The Waihi Troupe Roving entertainers will be performing amongst the crowds and there will be classic and vintage cars and motorcycles on display.

Selected stores will be running a competition with prize of a seven night trip for two to the Gold Coast up for grabs.
Click the image above to watch the video

Ngai Tahu Tourism owned Rainbow Springs are thrilled to welcome several hundred giant kokopu (galaxias argenteus) into the park in Rotorua.

Giant kokopu are the largest adult fish of New Zealands iconic whitebait species, endemic to New Zealand and classified as endangered.

Children who were visiting the park were given the rare opportunity to help transfer the giant kokopu from their travel container into the Rainbow Springs pool using buckets.

The giant kokopu were donated to Rainbow Springs as part of New Zealand Premium Whitebait (NZPW) Fish Ark project.

NZPW reproduces, hatches and grows whitebait in their Warkworth fish hatchery (the only native whitebait fish hatchery of its kind in New Zealand).

As part of the NZPW

commercial whitebait business they release some of their production into pools or restored habitats around New Zealand.

The several hundred giant kokopu that arrived on Thursday are the first batch of a shipment of around 2000 two year old giant kokopu that will be transferred to Rainbow Springs over the next month, making it presumed to be one of the largest moves of adult endemic species in crisis in New Zealands history.

Rainbow Springs Business Manager David Hennigan explained that projects like this are vital for the future of New Zealands endangered species.

We saw it as another opportunity to do what we can for the native species of New Zealand. This country has lost so much already and too many species found nowhere else in the world are still in danger of extinction.

Weve now removed an introduced species out of oneof our pools and introduced an endemic and endangered one instead. Its wonderful, were reversing the cycle," says Wildlife Program Manager Mark Paterson.

Paul Decker, Manager, New Zealand Premium Whitebait, explained that whitebait have undergone significant population declines since European settlement.

The biggest threat to this species is the loss and degradation of habitat through activities such as drainage of wetlands and straightening of river channel systems.

Around 85 per cent to 90 per cent of New Zealands wetlands have been lost in the last 100 years and this species is now essentially absent from most of New Zealands intensively utilised lowland plains.

"Its predicted that the population will continue to decline unless we intervene.

Giant kokopu are slow growing, they can live in excess of twenty years and weigh as much as three kilograms.
Click the image above to watch the video

Today we are expecting a fine day with high cloud. Also light winds and afternoon sea breezes.

Its a two-clothing-layer day today with a high of 23 and an overnight low of 15 degrees. Humidity is 89 per cent.

Low tide is at 12.20pm and high tide at 6.30pm. Theres sea swell of about .3m, with a sea temperature is 21 degrees and sunset tonight is at 7.33pm.

If youre going fishing today the best fish bite time is between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

This day in NZ history in 1919 New Zealand troops rioted in England.

In the most serious breakdown of discipline in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the European theatre, hundreds of men rioted at Sling Camp on Salisbury Plain.

In 1944 New Zealand forces captured Castle Hill at Cassino. The 6th New Zealand Brigade attacked the Italian town of Cassino as part of the Allies advance on Rome.

By the time the New Zealand Division was withdrawn in early April, 343 New Zealanders had lost their lives.

On this day in world history in 44 BC Julius Caesar was assassinated by Roman Senators. In 1493 Christopher Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the New World.

In 1903 the British completed the conquest of Nigeria. In 1934 Henry Ford restored the $5-a-day wage. In 1949 almost four years after the end of World War II, clothes rationing in Great Britain ended. In 1955 the U.S. Air Force unveiled the first self-guided missile.

Today is the birthday of Emil von Behring. Born in 1854, Emil was the first recipient of the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1901.

He discovered antitoxins and was a pioneer in the treatment of diphtheria. Emil once said "You must understand it is the task of science to discover the truth. There is no shame attached to the recognition of error."

To get involved in some of the many activities happening around the Bay, please check out our Whats on page.

Have a great day!
Western Bay of Plenty residents are threatening to blockade all the main routes into Tauranga if steps arent taken to make State Highway 2 north of the city safer.

Te Puna resident Sean Lett says such actions would be a last resort after making submissions to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council and bombarding government ministers with emails.

We want to show weve tried all the nice and cuddly avenues first, he says.

Sean was among several residents who live near State Highway 2 between Te Puna and Omokoroa who met at Top Shot Bar in Te Puna on Tuesday night to discuss their issues with the road.

We had more than 120 people attend, and more than 300 apologies between Andrew [Hollis] and I. So thats a lot of angry people.

Residents in the area are frustrated at the high number of crashes on the highway, a number of which have resulted in fatalities.

Sean says the idea of blocking the road has been discussed, and resulted in some people on social media saying it shouldnt happen, or that they would ignore the blockade and drive straight through it. But hes unrepentant.

Theyre not the ones who run up to the end of their driveway with a blanket and first aid kit when they hear the smash, and see people lying on the ground screaming. Ive seen a lady with a smashed sternum and smashed shoulder  she was not in a good way.

Protest organiser Andrew Hollis started a Facebook group on Wednesday afternoon  Fix the BLOODY Road  which already has several hundred members.

The motivation behind it is what happens to my phone whenever theres a fatality out between Te Puna and Apata, when the community starts asking: Is it one of us? he explains.

He says the road toll is horrendous on that stretch of highway, and now he and others are organising themselves to push their case to the rest of the community and the government.

There isnt a timeline as yet on when roads might be blocked, but Andrew is already putting steps in place to do it.

Im talking with the police about the safety measures required at the moment, and organising the permits. Police are happy for us to block it, so long as we follow the rules. Ive told them we wont settle for half an hour, we want a good hour or two hours.

He also says theyll be aiming to block not just State Highway 2 north of Tauranga, but the Eastern Link, Pyes Pa Road, and Tauriko  all of the major routes into the city.

We want to spend a decent amount of time marketing and letting people know, so the regional council has ample time and everyone knows about it. If agencies take notice and prioritise us, we wont have to resort to blocking the roads.

Sean says the long-term solution is to get on and four-lane the highway. In the short-term, though, hed like to see the speed reduced.

Id like to see it 70-80km between Katikati and Tauranga, except maybe for that new bit with the median barrier.

I dont mind crawling to work in the morning in that traffic, because I feel safe. But when its flying past my house at 100km an hour I dont.

Acting Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter says they do not have a position on the protest, but will do what they can to make sure everyone involved is safe, including their own staff, protesters, and motorists.

Last year State Highway 2 was closed at the Wairoa Bridge for around 15 minutes while a number of private citizens walked across it in protest over competing Waitangi Tribunal claims.

It resulted in a traffic snarl-up that wasnt cleared until two hours later.

At the time, Senior Sergeant Ian Campion told SunLive police and the NZTA were advised of the proposed march by the organisers. Their role was to ensure the lawful right to protest was upheld, while ensuring the safety of all involved.

Given the bridge is particularly narrow with no pedestrian facilities, police requested the road be closed for a short period of time due to safety concerns. The road was closed to ensure the safety of everyone.

SunLive contacted the NZTA at the time to find out what the guidelines are around private citizens shutting down the Wairoa Bridge, or any section of state highway.

State highways may be temporarily closed for planned events such as parades or sporting events or for unplanned events where public safety is a priority, says a NZTA spokesperson.

Planned events require an applicant to detail the purpose of the event, provide a description of the course to be followed, communicate with affected stakeholders such as local authorities, and clearly show how traffic, participants and spectators will be managed on the day.

For planned events the Transport Agency requires the procedures contained in the Transport Regulations to be followed. For what is deemed unplanned or emergency events, the road can be shut by police or the fire service under the Local Government Act and the Fire Service Act.

Under the Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004, pedestrians must, at all times when practicable, remain on the footpath if one is provided. Non-compliance may result in a fine of $35.
Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



Paginas vistas en total

'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



Sin palabras



La UE le apunta a la paz



Cada vez mas solo



Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript.

Dolar USA Vs Euro

Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript.

LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



Archivo del blog Archivo del blog marzo (4) abril (9) mayo (8) junio (10) julio (11) agosto (10) septiembre (17) octubre (11) noviembre (15) diciembre (10) enero (9) febrero (10) marzo (8) abril (5) mayo (6) junio (8) julio (13) agosto (10) septiembre (7) octubre (12) noviembre (8) diciembre (15) enero (17) febrero (11) marzo (11) abril (12) junio (6) julio (11) agosto (15) septiembre (5) octubre (15) noviembre (14) diciembre (11) enero (13) febrero (9) marzo (10) abril (8) mayo (7) junio (12) julio (12) agosto (8) septiembre (8) octubre (4) diciembre (8) enero (35) febrero (20) marzo (29) abril (19) mayo (21) junio (27) julio (21) agosto (28) septiembre (40) octubre (47) noviembre (21) diciembre (34) enero (62) febrero (81) marzo (117) abril (141) mayo (114) junio (111) julio (126) agosto (98) septiembre (160) octubre (234) noviembre (493) diciembre (319) enero (219) febrero (267) marzo (230) abril (291) mayo (347) junio (223) julio (179) agosto (191) septiembre (239) octubre (350) noviembre (406) diciembre (353) enero (284) febrero (202) marzo (274) abril (250) mayo (232) junio (251) julio (188) agosto (249) septiembre (230) octubre (178) noviembre (141) diciembre (164) enero (187) febrero (147) marzo (211) abril (190) mayo (199) junio (164) julio (162) agosto (174) septiembre (182) octubre (225) noviembre (114) diciembre (132) enero (223) febrero (147) marzo (133) abril (108) mayo (387) junio (465) julio (785) agosto (748) septiembre (485) octubre (681) noviembre (754) diciembre (805) enero (708) febrero (896) marzo (735) abril (831) mayo (723) junio (555) julio (658) agosto (619) septiembre (457) octubre (455) noviembre (295) diciembre (269) enero (534) febrero (556) marzo (205) abril (119) mayo (194) junio (255) julio (294) agosto (182) septiembre (207) octubre (340) noviembre (351) diciembre (281) enero (114) febrero (128) marzo (216) abril (195) mayo (116) junio (141) julio (182) agosto (181) septiembre (50) octubre (72) noviembre (104) diciembre (88) enero (168) febrero (102) marzo (151) abril (207) mayo (43) junio (72) julio (35) agosto (146) septiembre (43)

Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







Translate













LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


Denmark Tops Tax Burden League Table

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

14 March 2018

Denmark was found to have the heaviest burden of taxation as a percentage of the economy in a new study by accountancy firm UHY.

UHY studied 34 countries around the world, calculating what percentage of that country's GDP is taken by the government in tax and found that Denmark's tax take represented 53.5 percent of GDP in 2017.

Western European countries dominated the higher positions in the ranking, with France (51.9 percent), Italy (46.1 percent), Portugal (43.9 percent), and Germany (43.8 percent) completing the top five.

The average tax burden in Europe was 43.3 percent of GDP in 2017, while the average tax burden across the G7 was significantly lower, at 31.1 percent of GDP. The average across the "BRIC" grouping of leading emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) was lower still at 21.8 percent, the study said.

At 22 percent, the United States tax burden was substantially lower than both the European and G7 averages, meaning that the US was ranked in joint 23rd place in the ranking.

With the United States having recently passed tax reform legislation reducing taxation by USD1.3 trillion, UHY warned other developed economies that they risk being out-competed by the US for investment unless they find ways of reducing their tax burdens.

"Developed economies need to investigate ways of lowering the tax burden for businesses or they may find increasing competition for foreign-based companies from more dynamic developed or emerging countries," commented Rick David of UHY member firm UHY Advisors in the US.

However, David conceded that it will be difficult for many developed economies with ageing populations to achieve meaningful tax cuts.

"It's not easy for more developed economies to balance an aging population with trying to reduce the tax rate," he said.
EU Makes Changes To Tax Blacklist

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

14 March 2018

The EU has removed three countries from its list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions and added a further three.

On March 13, the European Council removed Bahrain, the Marshall Islands, and Saint Lucia from the list. It said that these jurisdictions have made commitments at a high political level to remedy the EU's concerns. Implementation of these commitments will be carefully monitored.

The Council added to the list the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the US Virgin Islands.

When it first published the list, the Council agreed to put on hold a screening of the tax systems of the Caribbean jurisdictions that were affected by hurricanes in September 2017. This process was restarted in January 2018, when the EU sent letters requesting commitments from the countries involved that they would take steps to allay EU concerns.

According to the Council, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the US Virgin Islands have been added to the list because they failed to make commitments at a high political level in response to all of the EU's concerns.

The Council decided to add Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, and Dominica to annex II of the list, which is comprised of jurisdictions that have made commitments to reform their tax policies. Jurisdictions included in this annex are subject to close monitoring. Screening is ongoing in the case of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The original list, announced on December 5, 2017, contained 17 jurisdictions.

Vladislav Goranov, Minister for Finance of Bulgaria, which currently holds the Council presidency, said: "I am glad to see more jurisdictions that we listed in December committing themselves to reforming their tax policies in a manner that will remedy our concerns. We call on all jurisdictions on the list to do likewise, and on all those that have already made commitments to implement them in a timely manner. Our aim is to achieve optimal tax transparency worldwide."

This is the second time that the Council has agreed to delist jurisdictions. On January 23, it removed Barbados, Grenada, South Korea, Macao, Mongolia, Panama, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates to annex II.

Remaining on the list from the original 17 are: American Samoa, Guam, Namibia, Palau, Samoa, and Trinidad and Tobago.
IRS To End Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

14 March 2018

The Internal Revenue Service has announced plans to close the 2014 Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) from September 28, 2018.

By alerting taxpayers in advance, the IRS intends that any US taxpayers with undisclosed foreign financial assets have time to use the OVDP before the program closes.

"Taxpayers have had several years to come into compliance with US tax laws under this program," said Acting IRS Commissioner David Kautter. "All along, we have been clear that we would close the program at the appropriate time, and we have reached that point. Those who still wish to come forward have time to do so."

Since the OVDP's initial launch in 2009, more than 56,000 taxpayers have used one of the programs to comply voluntarily. All told, those taxpayers paid a total of USD11.1bn in back taxes, interest, and penalties. The planned end of the current OVDP also reflects advances in third-party reporting and increased awareness from US taxpayers of their offshore tax and reporting obligations.

The number of taxpayer disclosures under the OVDP peaked in 2011, when about 18,000 people came forward. The number has steadily declined through the years, falling to only 600 disclosures in 2017.

The current OVDP began in 2014 and is a modified version of the OVDP launched in 2012, which followed voluntary programs offered in 2011 and 2009. The programs have enabled US taxpayers to voluntarily resolve past non-compliance related to unreported foreign financial assets and failure to file foreign information returns.

In a March 13 notice, the IRS emphasized that it would continue to use tools besides voluntary disclosure to combat offshore tax avoidance, including taxpayer education, whistleblower leads, civil examination, and criminal prosecution. Since 2009, IRS Criminal Investigation has indicted 1,545 taxpayers on criminal violations related to international activities, of which 671 taxpayers were indicted on international criminal tax violations.

"The IRS remains actively engaged in ferreting out the identities of those with undisclosed foreign accounts with the use of information resources and increased data analytics," said Don Fort, Chief, IRS Criminal Investigation. "Stopping offshore tax noncompliance remains a top priority of the IRS."

A separate program, the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures, for taxpayers who might not have been aware of their filing obligations, has helped about 65,000 additional taxpayers come into compliance. The Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures will remain in place and available to eligible taxpayers. As with OVDP, the IRS has said it may end the Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures at some point.

"The implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the ongoing efforts of the IRS and the Department of Justice to ensure compliance by those with US tax obligations have raised awareness of US tax and information reporting obligations with respect to undisclosed foreign financial assets," said the agency. "Because the circumstances of taxpayers with foreign financial assets vary widely, the IRS will continue offering [a range of] options for addressing previous failures to comply with US tax and information return obligations with respect to those assets."

These include the IRS-Criminal Investigation Voluntary Disclosure Program, Streamlined Filing Compliance Procedures, delinquent FBAR submission procedures, and delinquent international information return submission procedures.
OECD To Host Digital Economy Webcast On March 16

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

13 March 2018

The OECD has scheduled a webcast on its efforts to develop improved tax rules for the digital economy.

The webcast, to take place at 15:00-16:00 CET, March 16, will feature experts from the OECD's Centre for Tax Policy and Administration.

The OECD has been asked to present options to increase the fairness of tax rules for the digital economy. It comes alongside work from the European Commission on the same, with the EU stating that if an international consensus on an immediate way forward cannot be reached, the EU may go it alone, potentially with a new turnover tax on large multinationals based on where the company's users are based.

Last month, Pascal Saint-Amans, the OECD's Director of Taxation, urged that the problems posed by the digitalization of the economy should be addressed collectively and any interim measures taken by countries unilaterally should be "as little damaging as possible." He told the Irish Independent that 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."

"You need to get the right analysis of the challenges of the digitalization of the economy, and things are not stabilizing there. So I think there is an agreement that we need to address this collectively," he said.

According to Saint-Amans, this process "will take a few years." He did however acknowledge that, if it takes too long, countries will be faced with the challenge of how to address the concerns of citizens.

Saint-Amans noted that there is some expectation that certain countries will take "interim measures," but stressed that these measures should be "as little damaging as possible."

Earlier in February, EU Tax Commissioner Pierre Moscovici said that the situation calls for "a fundamental overhaul of our corporate tax systems." He argued that, ideally, progress should be achieved at an international level, but this "is not a prerequisite." Moscovici said that although the Commission is working closely with the OECD on the issue, "international progress does not give much cause for optimism."
Tax-Lite Jamaican Budget Focuses On Tax Enforcement

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

14 March 2018

Jamaica's recent 2018 budget, delivered by Minister of Finance Audley Shaw, imposed no new taxes and reiterated the island's commitment to cracking down on tax arrears.

Shaw said tax compliance continues to be a significant challenge, with tax arrears standing at JMD234bn (USD1.83bn), inclusive of interest and penalties, and property tax arrears estimated at almost JMD14bn.

Notwithstanding the sizable amount of unpaid tax, Shaw said progress is being made to address tax non-compliance with the island's tax collector, Tax Administration Jamaica, registering 15,106 new taxpayers in the period from April to December 2017. Shaw also announced reform of Jamaica's penalties and interest regime to encourage compliance.

Addressing the loss of correspondent banks, which are vital to connect Jamaica with the international financial system, Shaw said this loss has slowed but the "battle continues." He said the Government remains focused on trying to arrest the decline in international banking relationships with local banks.
Ukraine Consults Investors On Corporate Tax Overhaul

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

14 March 2018

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has invited business representatives to discuss a "new model of taxation" that will shift the burden of tax from company profits to income distributions.

During a meeting with representatives of foreign and domestic businesses on March 12, Poroshenko described the proposals as a "new philosophy" in taxation that would simplify tax for small businesses and lead to higher rates of investment.

"We are protecting small and medium businesses with this bill. It means significant simplification of accounting: you pay taxes for the sum you withdraw. What is left goes to the investment in business," he said.

Poroshenko suggested that the reforms could be phased in so they would apply to small firms before being extended to other businesses.

"On the first stage we can spread this on small and medium business only in order to find compromise with foreign investors," he said.

Poroshenko said: "This worked 100 percent positively in many countries, including Georgia, Estonia."

Poroshenko argued that the reforms would fundamentally change the business environment and "dramatically stimulate" investment in Ukraine.

"Why should you withdraw money? Contribute them to the development of production. I think we have to act decisively on this. This is our common change in the investment climate in the state," he concluded.
Thank you for reading!

Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Amazons Alexa isnt as hospitable as she once was to people who prefer to buy music instead of just signing up for a music subscription service such as Spotify. But well show you the best ways to stream the music you ownwhether youve ripped it from CD or purchased it as a downloadto any of Amazons Echo smart speakers.

To play your own MP3s (or music encoded in other formats, such as FLAC) on the Echo or other Alexa-compatible devices, you can still use Plex or My Media Server for Alexa, both of which allow you to stream songs youve stored on another device. Alternatively, a service called My Pod lets you to stash some songs in Google Drive and access them with custom voice commands. These services arent as full-featured or as easy to use as Amazon Music was, but at least they still let you access your music collection with voice commands.

Heres how to keep the music playing:

Option 1: Plex Media Server

To have Plex play your music files on an Amazon Echo, youll need a media server device that is always on and can run Plex Media Server. That can include a desktop computer (running Windows, MacOS, or Linux), a NAS (network-attached storage) box, or an Nvidia Shield TV. Plex does not currently support streaming to Alexa devices from Plex Cloud servers.

Streaming your music this way also has some limitations compared to Amazon Music and other services that dont require installing an Alexa skill, such as Spotify and Pandora:

Whole-home music is not supported, so you can listen on only one speaker at a time

You cant set Plex as the default streaming service, and you must use specific syntax (either Alexa, ask Plex or Alexa, tell Plex) to play your songs each time.

Responses from Plex take slightly longer than Alexas built-in music services.

Album art isnt supported on the Echo Show.

Still on board? Heres how to set up Plex for Alexa music playback:

1. Sign up for a free Plex account, which is required to use the service with Alexa.

2. Download Plex Media Server to the device where your music files are stored, and follow the installation instructions. During this process, youll be prompted to specify the folder where your music is located.

3. Visit app.plex.tv to launch Plex from any phone, tablet, or computer.

4. In the left sidebar, select Settings.

5. In the settings menu, select Remote Access from the left sidebar, then select Enable Remote Access. (Plex says this isnt necessary if youre running the latest media server software, but still suggests it anyway.)

Jared Newman / TechHive

6. If you didnt set up your music folder during installation, return to the main menu. Under the Libraries section of the left sidebar, highlight Music, press the  icon, then select Edit. Use the Add folders menu to show Plex where your music files are located.

Jared Newman / TechHive

7. Now that youre done setting up Plex, install the Plex skill for Alexa, either directly through the web or by searching for Plex under the Skills section of the Alexa mobile app.

Jared Newman / TechHive

8. Sign into your Plex account, then hit the Authorize button.

9. With your Alexa device, say Alexa, Ask Plex to change my server. If you only have one server, Alexa will set it automatically. Otherwise, listen for the list of server numbers, and respond with the one youd like to use.

Now, you can use Plex to play your music collection on the Amazon Echo. Plexs support page has a list of voice commands you can use, but here are some useful ones:

Ask Plex to play music by [artist name]

Tell Plex to play the album [album name] (This tends to only work if you dont say the artists name as well.)

Ask Plex to play the song [song name]

Tell Plex to shuffle the playlist [playlist name]

Ask Plex what I should listen to.

Tell Plex to play some music.

Ask Plex to throw down some phat beats.

You can also say Next track, Previous track, Pause, Play, and Stop without having to say ask Plex first.

Option 2: My Media for Alexa

My Media is similar to Plex, in that it requires setting up a media server device for streaming your music files to the Echo. It also has some of the same restrictions: Whole-home streaming isnt supported, and you must use specific Ask My Media... syntax to start listening.

But My Media does have some advantages: It can index playlists from iTunes and play music by genre, and it doesnt have the Echo Show playback issues I experienced with Plex. (It still doesnt support album art, though.)

On the downside, the service isnt free like Plex. You can try it for seven days, but after that it costs $5 per year for a single media server and access from up to two Amazon accounts, $10 per year for two media servers and five Amazon accounts, and $15 per year for five media servers and 25 Amazon accounts.

Heres how to set it up:

1. Download My Media for Alexa, run the installation file, and go through the setup process. (If choose not to launch the My Media for Alexa Console after installation completes, find and launch it in your program list to continue setup in your web browser.)

2. In the My Media for Alexa Console, click the green Next button, sign into your Amazon account and select Allow on the next page.

3. Select No when asked if youd like to automatically download sample media.

4. On the left sidebar, select Watch Folders, then hit the Add Folder button. Select the folder or folders where your songs are stored.

Jared Newman / TechHive

5. Install the My Media skill for Alexa, either directly through the web or by searching for My Media under the Skills section of the Alexa mobile app.

6. Optional: To automatically share iTunes playlists with My Media For Alexa, open iTunes, then go to the Preferences menu. Click the Advanced tab, then select Share iTunes Library XML with other applications. Return to the My Media for Alexa console, select iTunes Library from the left sidebar, and click Index iTunes Library. Choose the folder where your XML files are located (typically /Users/[username]/Music/iTunes on macOS and C:\Users[username]\Music\iTunes on Windows).

Now, you can use My Media to play songs on the Echo or other Alexa devices. Here are some voice command examples:

Ask My Media to play music by [artist].

Ask My Media to play the album [album] by [artist].

Ask My Media to play the song [song] by [artist].

Ask My Media to play my [playlist name] playlist.

Ask My Media to play [genre] music.

Ask My Media to turn shuffle [on/off].

Ask My Media to turn loop [on/off].

You can also say Next track, Previous track, Pause, Play, and Stop without having to say ask My Media first.

Option 3: My Pod

My Pod is a simple way to play individual albums or playlists through Alexa using links to Google Drive folders with MP3 and AAC music files in them. (Support for Dropbox and OneDrive links is experimental, but neither has worked for me.) It also works with playlists on YouTube. While My Pod isnt a great option for accessing your entire music collection, at least it spares you from having to set up a media server.

Heres how to set it up:

1. Create a folder in Google Drive for whatever album or playlist you want to hear, then upload your songs to it. (Note: My Pod only plays songs in alphabetical order. To rearrange the order of songs, youll need to add track numbers to the beginning of your file names in each folder.)

Jared Newman / TechHive

2. Visit mypodapp.com and select Get Started and Sign in with Amazon. Enter your account credentials, and select Allow at the next page.

3. Under the Create Playlist heading, type the playlist name youd like to speak when using Alexa voice commands (such as Funk or Indie Rock) then click Create.

Jared Newman / TechHive

4. In Google Drive, right click on the playlist folder you created, then choose Get sharable link. Copy the link to your clipboard.

Jared Newman / TechHive

5. Return to the My Pod playlist page, then paste the link into the Full link URL field.

6. In the Link Tag / Name field, you can use the same name as your playlist, then hit Create Link. (Choose a separate name if you want to include multiple folders under one playlist. You can link additional folders under additional names after creating the first one.)

Jared Newman / TechHive

7. Install the My Pod skill for Alexa, either directly through the web or by searching for My Pod under the Skills section of the Alexa mobile app. Then click Allow in the prompt that appears.

Now, you can use My Pod to play any folder of songs youve uploaded to Google Drive. Just say, Alexa, ask My Pod to play my [playlist name] playlist. You can then use Next track, Previous track, Pause, Play, and Stop to control playback, without having to say ask My Pod first.

The nuclear option: Goodbye, Alexa

If any of this seems like too much hassle, consider investing in a different speaker ecosystem instead. Google Home integrates nicely with Google Play Music, which lets you store up to 50,000 songs for free. Apples HomePod supports iCloud Music Library, either through the $10-per-month Apple Music service or the $25-per-year iTunes Match service.
365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free! Learn More.

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has launched Chronicle, a new cybersecurity venture, following two years of development at the Alphabet X research lab.

Cofounded by CEO Stephen Gillett and Chief Security Officer Mike Wiacek, Chronicle will operate as an independent unit. Gillett previously worked as executive in residence at Google Ventures and previously worked as chief operating officer at Symantec. Wiacek was the cofounder and manager of Googles Threat Analysis Group.

Chronicle will include VirusTotal, a Google-owned cybersecurity and intelligence platform and malware intelligence service. VirusTotal will continue to operate as an independent company, according to Bernardo Quintero, manager of the firm.

Faster Analysis

The idea behind Chronicle stems from the fact that many companies receive tens of thousands of security alerts per day, more than most teams can handle, Gillett said last week in an online post introducing the new firm. Typically, security teams can filter those alerts to a few thousand, and at best, review several hundred at a time.

One of the problems with analyzing threats is the sheer cost of storing relevant data, he noted.

As a result, its pretty common for hackers to go undetected for months, Gillett wrote, or for it to take a team months to fully understand whats going on once theyve detected an issue.

Chronicle will be able to speed up the detection process by as much as 10 times, using the same infrastructure that is employed in other Alphabet programs, thus allowing those threats to be analyzed in minutes.

The firm has enlisted a number of Fortune 500 companies to test a preview release of Chronicles new security intelligence platform, which is currently in alpha mode.

The Final Frontier

The real goal is to create an immune system for the digital world, allowing companies to predict future attacks rather than react after the damage has been done, wrote Alphabet X CEO Astro Teller, captain of moonshots, in an online post.

Chronicle will be the third company to emerge from the development lab, following autonomous driving startup Waymo and life sciences firm Verily, he noted.

Information Overload

Many enterprises lack the most current threat intelligence to process information in an effective way, said Brian Contos, CISO at Verodin.

Intelligence becomes more like a lagging indicator, he told TechNewsWorld. The malicious IPs, domains, URLs, Tor proxies and the like are constantly growing and moving.

If an enterprise is outsourcing most of its IT services, then Chronicle may be a good solution, observed Jim McGregor, principal analyst at Tirias Research.

Google has performed an extensive amount of research on security threats and relies on improved security for its own platforms, he told TechNewsWorld, noting that Google researchers most recently unmasked the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities.

Google is also a leader in AI research, McGregor said. However, having everything local and a local AI solution may be the most secure solution.

The Chronicle launch is intriguing, said GreatHorn CEO Kevin OBrien, though he wondered why Google previously had not woven that type of security into its core products.

Google can bring a tremendous amount of data and design experience to bear on cybersecurity, he told TechNewsWorld. However, cybersecurity is a domain for experts and layers of defense, and less frequently aspirational side projects.
365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free! Learn More.

Fitbit on Tuesday added a new smartwatch to its wearables line with a pricetag of US$199.95.

The Fitbit Versa, which will reach global retail outlets in next month, will be the lightest metal smartwatch in the U.S. market. It includes a new dashboard that simplifies the way health and fitness data is accessed on the device.

Versa mixes health and fitness programs, such as 24/7 heart rate tracking, onscreen workouts and automatic sleep-stage tracking, with smart features like quick replies on Android and on-device music.

Although the Versas operating system is Fitbits proprietary OS 2.0, the smartwatch can connect to an Android phone via an app.

That sets it apart from the Apple Watch, noted Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.

Thats a good move when the Android Wear platform for smartwatches has some uncertainty surrounding it moving forward, he told TechNewsWorld.

Its been reported that Google intends to re-brand Android Wear as Wear OS. Although Google hasnt commented on the rumor, its been suggested the company may want to distance Wear from Android, because Wear runs on more than Android devices.

Good Move

Versas introduction appears to be a good move by Fitbit, especially given the tepid response by the market to its Ionic smartwatch last year.

The Fitbit Versa seems to be a much better offering than the Fitbit Ionic and will likely help the company to enter further into the smartwatch market, said Stephanie Lawrence, a research analyst at ABI Research.

Updating the offering is likely to be good for the company, she told TechNewsWorld.

It helps them become more well known as a smartwatch provider, and to develop more devices in the future with different features and prices, Lawrence pointed out.

I give it a thumbs-up, said Ramon T. Llamas, a senior research analyst with IDC.

Fitbit has been moving correctly and confidently in a direction where theres still a lot of growth potential by sticking to its DNA, he told TechNewsWorld.

Fitbit is staying faithful to its DNA by focusing on health and fitness, and not trying to be a Swiss Army Knife of smartwatches that attempt to do everything, Llamas remarked.

Tough Row to Hoe

Avoiding the smartwatch label will work well for Fitbit, suggested Charles King,principal analyst at Pund-IT.

Rather than pitching itself as a maker of smartwatches, Fitbit instead appears to be positioning the Versa as a platform for cost-effectively extending the capabilities and value of its fitness-tracking solutions for existing and potential customers, he told TechNewsWorld.

Thats a good move since it plays well to the companys strengths and its customers interests, King said.

However, Fitbit will have a tough row to hoe in the smartwatch market, according to Carolina Milanesi, a principal analyst at Creative Strategies.

I guess Fitbit is not ready to give up yet in trying to pursue the smartwatch market, which is solidly owned by Apple, she told TechNewsWorld.

Fitbit seems to have learned from the Ionics mistake. It has lowered the price point and made the design more appealing for women, Milanesi said.

While the Versa might sell more than its predecessor, she continued, I remain skeptical of Fitbits long-term opportunity in this space, as Apple is investing more and more into health, not just fitness.

Fashion Statement

For $200, the Versa model is an improvement over the Blaze, Fitbits previous entry at that price point, observed Ben Stanton, an analyst at Canalys.

The Blaze was a flop due to a poor industrial design, he told TechNewsWorld.

Smartwatches are not just fitness tools  they are also fashion statements. So with Versa, bringing premium features  like its aluminum chassis  down to $200 is a positive move, Stanton explained.

Of course, fashion is subjective  but in my opinion, this is a big step in the right direction for Fitbit, he added.

Fitbit has pegged the Versas battery life at four days.

Fitbit sacrifices [user experience] to deliver incredible battery life, Stanton said.

Its FitbitOS is an incredibly light platform, which doesnt require huge processing power, he noted.

Its software also focuses on blacks and dark colors, which helps Fitbit get the most out of its built-in battery, Stanton continued. The competition, namely Apple and Samsung, have more functional, heavy-duty operating systems  but sacrifice a bit of battery life to get there.

Strong, Steady Growth

The global smartwatch market has been experiencing strong and steady growth, and its future looks bright, ABIs Lawrence noted. Shipments should reach 49 million by 2022, compared with 26 million in 2017.

Growing numbers of consumer and enterprise users are looking to the devices for numerous reasons, she said, particularly access to smartphone features from the wrist, as well as information  such as calendar notifications, what work to be completing, and directions, she said.

However, even greater growth is expected for hybrid smartwatches  products like the Fossil Q and Nokia Steel  which have the look of an analog watch but some smartwatch functionality. Eighty million hybrids will be shipped in 2022, according to Juniper Research, compared with 14 million in 2017.
Back at Mobile World Congress, Sony unveiled its new Xperia XZ2 series smartphones. While the handsets reduced bezels and curvy designs are a welcome departure from their boxy predecessors, they do following an annoying trend: no headphone jacks. Now, the company has explained its reasoning behind their removal, and its about as convincing as Apples courageous decision to get rid of the "dinosaur" port in the iPhone 7.

In the Sony Mobile MWC 2018 FAQ, the company is asked why it removed the jack in the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. The answer? To create a beautiful seamless design, of course.

This is part of the shift to our new Ambient Flow design language, wrote Sony. In order to create the beautiful seamless design, our designers needed to remove the headphone jack. Plus, were aware of the major market trend toward wireless headphones over wired headphones.

The design excuse does seem a little strange, especially as Samsungs latest phones, including the Galaxy S9/S9+, all come with headphone jacks, and their designs appear pretty seamless. But, as Sony points out, its devices do ship with an included adaptor, so you can still use your wired headphones with them. And the adaptor supports Sony's Hi-Res Audio technology, too, as long as you use a compatible headset.

Samsung is, admittedly, one of the few firms refusing to let go of the 3.5mm jack in its phones, as Sony joins Google, HTC, Motorola, Huawei, and others in abandoning the long-used port.

While its true that the market seems to be moving toward wireless headphones rather than wired, most consumers want to be able to choose between the two, instead of being forced to opt for wireless. Still, the new Xperia XZ2s do look like an impressive pair of devices, even without the jack.
This Latin American country faces a strong migratory flow with 147,000 undocumented persons detected between January and August. | Read More
This blog will focus on political images I have found all around the Internet, though I will intersperse some commentary and quotes that I find interesting.
Rowena Orr, QC, one of two silks assisting the landmark banking royal commission headed by former High Court judge Kenneth Hayne, offered a blunt assessment of the task confronting the inquiry on Monday.

"The terms of reference ... are broad and the time to report is short," Orr told Hayne in Melbourne. "We embrace the challenge involved in assisting you."

Rowena Orr at the banking royal commission this week. Credit:Eddie JIm

Orr and her fellow counsel assisting the commission - Brisbane-based silk Michael Hodge, QC, and junior barristers Albert Dinelli, Eloise Dias and Mark Costello - have just 12 months to help Hayne uncover and report on misconduct in the banking and financial services industries.
Far from a one-store wonder, this burger business has plans to upsize with the lot.

Melbourne-based Huxtaburger is set to embark on an aggressive expansion strategy that will see 50 burger joints open in five years.

Huxtaburger chief executive Matt Fickling.

Customers queued on the street when its first store, a spin-off of Collingwood restaurant Huxtable, opened in 2011. But can the hipster-foodie haven go large and still sustain its mojo?

We are ambitious people, we want to attract people to join our journey, but we want to do it responsibly, chief executive Matt Fickling says.
The decision to award a $5 billion contract for 211 high-tech armoured vehicles in Queensland means a new multimillion-dollar Centre of Excellence at Redbank and defence jobs for 40 years.

Ipswich mayor Andrew Antionolli said the decision was the biggest news for Ipswich since Queensland Rail came to town.

Ipswich mayor Andrew Antoniolli inside a Rheinmetall Boxer armoured vehicle.

Queenslands first train line was built from Grandchester to Ipswich in 1865, kickstarting the Ipswich railway workshops that employed thousands of people until they closed last decade.

Cr Antoniolli said the Defence contract announced on Wednesday would create more than 330 permanent jobs from the outset, build significant opportunities for local businesses and provide associated work with ongoing delivery and maintenance of the vehicles.
The world's financial leaders will pledge to fight unfair trade practices and stress the role of global trade rules when they meet on March 20, as the United States raises the threat of a global trade war by imposing import tariffs on steel and aluminium.

Finance ministers and central bank governors of the world's 20 biggest economies will discuss on March 19-20 in Buenos Aires the risks to the improving global economic outlook, including "a retreat to inward looking policies".

US President Donald Trump last week announced he would impose import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent for aluminium. Credit:Bloomberg

A draft communique prepared for the meeting, seen by Reuters, says the ministers and central bankers "reiterate the conclusions of our leaders on trade at the Hamburg Summit, and are working to strengthen its contribution" to their economies.

Last week, US President Donald Trump announced he would impose import tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent for aluminium to protect domestic metals production that he said was vital to national security.
The Minerals Council of Australia has released a new energy and climate change policy that refers to coal just once, and calls for reliable and affordable energy at least cost while Australia follows a pathway to meet its emissions reduction targets.

The Minerals Council of Australia has released a new climate change and energy policy. Credit:Jessica Shapiro

The new policy from the mining industry lobby group explicitly says energy policy should aim to "reduce energy costs". And it says a technology-neutral approach should be adopted for all low emissions energy sources" where no single technology is favoured over others.

The word coal appears in the two page Minerals Council policy document just once, in the last sentence.

The policy comes as miner Rio Tinto urged its shareholders to vote against a resolution pushed by the ethical investment group Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility for Rio to review its membership of the Minerals Council of Australia and other industry groups when shareholders gather for Rio's annual general meeting in Australia. The ACCR has also called on Rio to release details of its payments to these industry groups.
Tax agents have been put on notice for deliberately encouraging their clients to submit over the top work expense claims with Tax commissioner Chris Jordon warning cheating by professionals could undermine the integrity of the taxation system.

The Tax Office has been doing random audits of taxpayers with work-related expense deductions, and Mr Jordan, in an address to the the Tax Institute conference in Cairns on Thursday, said he was concerned that some practitioners had displayed a lack of competence and others were deliberately scamming or cheating the system.

Chris Jordan says he wants to win the "hearts and minds" of taxpayers. Credit:Penny Bradfield

We are continuing to see a level of incorrect claiming for deductions that is concerning - particularly in relation to over-claiming of work-related expenses, he told the crowd of about 350 tax professionals.

There were different results for self-preparers and those who used an agent. "The incorrect claiming in these random enquiries is actually worse in agent-prepared returns," he said.
Comedian Ricky Gervais has hit back at critics of his new Netflix comedy special, after he was accused of making transphobic jokes.

The special, titled Humanity, opens with Gervais defending his controversial turn as Golden Globes host in 2016.

His monologue during that awards show included a joke aimed at Caitlyn Jenner's fatal 2015 car crash, which led to the death of another driver.

The gag, which ended in the punchline that Jenner's transition "didn't do much for women drivers", sparked backlash at the time. Gervais was accused of transphobia and criticised for "dead-naming" Jenner, after he referred to her by her pre-transition name.
The Australian comedian who found international fame after playing a bong-smoking dog on SBS's breakout comedy Wilfred has been ordered to pay more than $750,000 to a former bus driver.

A judgment handed down by the Superior Court of California on Tuesday, local time, is expected to be the final chapter in a saga that began on Derby Day more than a decade ago.

Joseph Hosny was driving a packed bus at the Melbourne spring racing carnival in 2007 when he told actor Jason Gann and his girlfriend they would have to wait for the next shuttle.

Gann, who was drunk after spending the afternoon in a VIP area, abused Mr Hosny before punching him repeatedly in the face while onlookers tried to restrain him. He pleaded guilty to the assault and was ordered to pay $325,000. That figure was upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.
For queer Australian Muslims this marginalisation is palpable, and their fight for visibility has led to the creation of an organisation that aims to shed light on their concerns.

Mainstream coverage of LGBTQ events, including this month's Mardi Gras parade, has largely centred on the flashy, white, and middle class, thereby fashioning a marketable caricature of LGBTQ identity that restricts entire communities, and their unique concerns, into the margins.

Australias LGBTQ community is a vibrant and diverse part of the wider, global fabric of uncompromising gay liberation advocacy, but the media's characterisation of it exists almost entirely through the lens of what is ferociously visible.

It's about reconciling our faith with our lives as queer members of the community. Credit:Peter Harrington

President of SQM, referred to here as N.H.* for privacy concerns, tells Fairfax Media that after the horrific Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, members decided to turn their support group into a revolutionary advocacy network in order to be able to do more.

The primary goals of SQM are to let queer Muslims know that they are not alone, to provide queer Muslims with a sense of community and opportunities to form social connections and support networks, to provide resources for queer muslims so that they're able to reconcile their faith with their sexual and gender identity (and so that their families may understand their journey), and to strengthen family bonds through family remediation workshops.

Recently, SQM has proposed a spiritual counselling program that will primarily take the shape of short-term crisis counselling and assistance with family reconciliation.

N.H., a 48-year-old Muslim lesbian, admits that while her inter-familial experience has been free of violence she is well versed in stories of other LGBTQ Muslims, and the pain they've had to endure. Lives are being ruined by the impact of societys attitudes towards LGBT Muslims, she says.

The intention of SQM is to step in where more normative social services and community support fall short. We act as a referral service, but with a personal touch. Our organisation is dedicated to supporting queer people of Muslim background, and especially to those who dont want to renounce their faith.
Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the American Authors Association

Douglas V. Gibbs is a proud member of the Military Writers Society of America.
The fire at the recreation centre in Cranbourne East. Credit:Nine News

Fire broke out at an after-school care facility in Melbourne's south-east, sending flames soaring from the roof of the building on Wednesday afternoon.

The blaze destroyed a recreation centre which houses a day care facility, wood workshop and swimming pool, located near the Blue Hills Retirement Home on Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East.

The building was almost burning "end to end" when crews arrived, Country Fire Authority operations officer Paul Summons said.

"The recreational facility is totally destroyed by fire," he said.
Look out King O'Malley's, Playground and Mooseheads - a new dance craze has hit Canberra and it's headed straight for your dance floors.

The art of twerking - a dance move originating in the late 1980s as part of the New Orleans bounce music scene - is a skill hundreds of Canberra women are adding to their repertoires through Aussie Twerk dance classes here in the capital.

Twerk instructor Becky Fleming says while you don't need a big booty to be a good twerker, 'it certainly helps'. Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

There's no way to describe twerking other than what it actually is: a controlled yet rigorous shaking of the booty. Up, down, sideways, around, one butt cheek at a time, both butt cheeks at a time. It's all on the agenda at an Aussie Twerk dance class.

According to Aussie Twerk ACT instructor Becky Fleming, twerking is an "incredible" workout for the abdominal muscles, glutes and quadriceps, with twerkers spending up to 45 minutes in every hour session in a squat position.
The territory government's $600 million public housing renewal project is halfway complete, with more than 600 properties finished and handed over to Housing ACT.

The huge project has so far seen 662 dwellings handed over to Housing ACT and another 287 dwellings are being built in Throsby and Taylor in Gungahlin, Monash in Tuggeranong, and Holt in Belconnen.

The demolition of public housing in civic, the ABC flats (Allawah, Bega and Currong buildings) on the edge of Civic underway last year. Credit:karleen minney

A further 227 dwellings are being bought from the private sector in Lyneham, Turner and Dickson in the inner north and Amaroo in Gungahlin. Ninety-four dwellings are either in planning or construction is due to start on them in coming weeks.

The auditor-general in June last year questioned whether the project would get its original total sales figures, after the government saw a $94 million shortfall in total sales prices by November 2016 due to lower sales values.
Derek Walker, who co-founded the company with her and directed the production in its initial Sydney season a couple of years ago, suggested Proof, she says. It struck an immediate chord with her.

Former Canberra actor Ylaria Rogers is returning to the region professionally for the first time with her theatre company FREEFALL Productions. They're touring the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play Proof - a work which has particular resonance for her.

Alex Brown as Hal, left, and Ylaria Rogers as Catherine in Proof. Photo by Michael Snow Credit:Michael Snow

"I'd looked after my dad when he was very sick."

Proof deals with a number of subjects, among them the challenges of caring for an ailing parent. Robert (Gerard Carroll) was a brilliant young mathematician who revolutionised the field twice before he was 22 but as he grew older became increasingly mentally unstable. His younger daughter Catherine (Rogers) - who may have inherited some of his genius but also wonders if she might also have his instability - withdrew from her own career prospects to take care of him at home in Chicago. Her older sister Claire (Julie Christensen) visits from New York, where she has used her own facility with numbers to make money. She also has a partner, which Catherine does not.

"They're resentful of each other," Rogers says of the siblings.

While the sisters agree their father needs to be looked after, they disagree on the best way to do it - Claire thinks he should be in professional care, while Catherine thinks he's better off with her and sees her sister's view as an adverse judgment on her abilities
A woman was due to attend a court custody hearing on the same day she and her two young children were found dead in the remains of a suspicious blaze.

The bodies of Anne Muhoro, 45, her son Ezvin, 8, and her daughter Furaha, 5, were found inside the house on Peter Coppin Street, Bonner, following the tragic fire on February 19.

Anne Muhoro was due to attend court on the morning she was found dead following a suspicious blaze. Credit:karleen minney

That morning, Ms Muhoro was listed to appear as a respondent in a child custody matter heard by Judge Tonkin.

It is understood the applicant in the matter was the children's father, who was seeking an amendment to the children's custody arrangements.
Julie had also been impacted by the Australia Institute report Corporate Paedophilia: Sexualisation of children in Australia (October 2006), in which lead author Dr Emma Rush observed that there had been "no sustained public debate" about the issue in Australia. As a result, Kids Free 2B Kids was established in February 2007 in alliance with the Australian Council for Children and Media (ACCM, previously known as Young Media Australia). Julie attracted significant media coverage and an outpouring of public support. The premature ejaculation billboard disappeared. Many victories against advertisers and marketers were to follow. In an email to Patricia Edgar, founding director of the Australian Children's Television Foundation, and Barbara Biggins, of Young Media Australia, in 2007 she asked: "What on earth do you think it will take to shift the consciousness or is it just a matter of chipping away?" This time I thought, you guys have picked the wrong street! Julie Gale Julie Gale chipped away and shifted the conscience of a nation. Her motto was: "People should not underestimate the power of their own voices."

Sexualisation  a word barely in use a decade ago  is now in the public lexicon. Most Australians understand that children should be "free to be kids" because of her work. Multiple corporations were brought to account for putting vested interests above vulnerable children and the community. She wrote hundreds of letters pointing out that sexist, degrading and exploitative representations of women were major social concerns. With the help of the Democrats Lyn Allison, Julie was instrumental in establishing the first inquiry into the sexualisation of children in June 2008. Because of Julie and her raids on illegal porn magazines containing rape and incest themes and depicting young girls as eager for sex, BP, Shell and Mobil service stations removed them. Her expose contributed to the setting up of the Attorney-General's working party on the issue and two inquiries into classification system failures. The Australia Institute was saved from legal action against it by David Jones over AI's Corporate Paedophilia report. Julie's FOI request turned up documents from the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian revealing information that young girls aged 10 to 12 be posed "slightly more adult and sexy" for a photo shoot for the company's advertising catalogue. As a result, the action was dropped.

Julie's early advocacy regarding advertising codes of ethics has just seen a long sought-after change to the wording of the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) code of ethics, now incorporating wording on "exploitative or degrading" treatment'. Julie's actions met with significant backlash. She was labelled the fun police, a moral crusader, a zealot, hysterical mother, a self-appointed moral guardian fuelling a "moral panic", and, a particular favourite, "pearl clutcher". Julie and I had a daily competition to see who got the worst insults. We were accused of everything from wanting to ban all sex and forcing Australian women to don the burka, to having them all circumcised and hastening armageddon. This from the ABC Unleashed comments section: "I have read some drivel on this site but, really! What else does Ms Gale want to ban  shorts, singlets, short skirts (nothing above the knee) or puberty. Moreover, how about a time machine so that she (and those who support her) can be transported back to the Victorian era!" Julie responded that she did indeed want to ban EVERYTHING. "Everything must go!" she said.

Julie's work was a service to all. "It was really waking people up," recalls public intellectual Clive Hamilton. "Julie provided continued motivation to keep going. Her enthusiasm was infectious. We were fighting against forces that were too powerful She would come along with a joke to lift us up. All protest movements need humour and Julie delivered in spades." Psychologist and best-selling author Steve Biddulph wrote: "So sad to lose a dear friend, activist and livewire Julie Gale. We will never forget her inspiration for our work." Actress Noni Hazlehurst: "Our approaches to the issues were very different. Mine was sober and serious, but dear Julie, a true clown, understood the power of laughter to get a message across like few do. Her passion and commitment were an inspiration to all of us who were lucky enough to meet her." Julie Gale's "luminosity of being" was acknowledged at her memorial service by psychologist Bob Sharples, who leads a healing meditation program at Melbourne's Tibetan Buddhist Centre, the Tara Institute, where the history of her vision and mission were recounted, including her later campaign for better treatment and support for those experiencing cancer. Towards the end, Julie turned from activism to leading a quiet peaceful life, meditating daily, writing poetry, focusing her energy on health and happiness. After a life on stage, she turned inwards.
The first alleged member of a pedophile ring accused of terrorising vulnerable children at a western Sydney school four decades ago will remain on bail after the DPP failed in its bid to put him behind bars.

Queensland man Brien Peckover, 67, who is facing 19 historical charges including indecent assault and buggery, had his bail continued at Penrith Local Court on Wednesday.

His bail conditions include not contacting any child under the age of 16 years, not attending any place where children frequent, and not going within 100 metres of any school or daycare centre.

Peckover allegedly molested two boys at the now-defunct government-run Daruk Training School in Berkshire Park in 1978, but AAP understands he was not a member of staff.

AAP
One of the United States Navy's most senior figures has temporarily left his post in the Pacific to commemorate the role Queensland played in World War II.

Vice-Admiral Phillip G. Sawyer on Wednesday sat in the same chair as General Douglas MacArthur did when he formed the formidable 7th Fleet in Brisbane in 1943.

Vice-Admiral Phillip G. Sawyer (left) and United States Consul General Valerie Fowler attend a ceremony at the Submariner's Walk Heritage Trail in Brisbane on Wednesday. Credit:AAP

He and US Consul General Valerie Fowler then laid a wreath at the Submariner's Heritage Trail along the river, as part of the 75th anniversary of the naval fleet's formation.

Vice-Admiral Sawyer, who commands the 7th Fleet, said it was important to remember where the two countries' bond had come from.
The yellowed, tattered letters  in Yiddish, Polish and German, some with Hitler stamps and inky Z's indicating that they had been censored  offered intimate if doleful glimpses of the disintegration of Jewish life before and during World War II in Kirschner's hometown, Sosnowiec, in southwestern Poland, whose Jewish population was confined to a ghetto before 35,000 of them were deported to Auschwitz.

Inside was an extraordinary cache of 350 letters, postcards and photographs from family and friends that she had squirrelled away from the eyes of Nazi guards as an inmate in seven forced-labour camps over five years, starting when she was just 16.

Sala Kirschner, with her daugher Ann, holds some of the letters and documents she saved from her time in concentration camps during World War II, at their home in Monsey, New York, 2005. Credit:Joyce Dopkeen

Worried that she might die during cardiac surgery without passing on a secret she had concealed for 50 years, in 1991 Sala Kirschner handed her daughter, Ann, a battered red cardboard box from an outdated children's game.

The trove eventually reached the public. The letters and a diary Kirschner kept for a few months were put on exhibit at the New York Public Library in 2006. They became the subject of a book, Sala's Gift: My Mother's Holocaust Story (2006), by her daughter, Ann Kirschner, a professor at the City University of New York.



Sala Kirschner died at age 94 on March 7 in Manhattan, at the home of her daughter, who said the cause was congestive heart failure.

In the Nazi camps, Kirschner hid the letters in the barracks or buried them in soil, risking punishment if they were discovered. She had held onto them, she said, because they were her only link to a family that she believed she might never see again.

"If I was lonely, I would take out these letters and read them over and over again," Kirschner told The New York Times in 2005. "It was my way of feeling close to them."

She later kept them hidden from her children because she was afraid that her full story of the Holocaust  her parents were gassed at Auschwitz, and four siblings were killed in the war  would wound them emotionally. "I wanted to raise them in a normal way and not have them take on the burden of their mother," Kirschner said.

Kirschner was allowed to send and receive mail, and for a few months she received a small salary.
There is a great irony in the fact that one of the physics communitys greatest communicators wasnt even able to talk. Stephen Hawking had a sensor that sat over his right cheek, and by twitching the cheek, a computer generated the sentences he wanted to say. And it generated them quite loudly by all reports: a friend of mine had an office near Hawkings at Cambridge, and he said the famous electronic voice resonated so well down the corridor, he had to keep his office door permanently closed to concentrate. If you were saying something Hawking didnt agree with, he had enough muscle control to drop down one corner of his mouth; if he did agree, hed raise one eyebrow. What really propelled Hawking to household-name fame was writing a bestselling book - on theoretical physics, of all things. A Brief History of Time sat at on the bestseller list for 237 weeks. A book on theoretical physics! And all the more remarkable, given the book went into various astrophysical concepts in some depth.

A Brief History of Time came out as I was moving out of astrophysics and into science journalism and communication, so it was particularly influential on me  and I suspect on a whole generation of physics and astronomy communicators. Hawking had a team of helpers who cared for him around the clock. One of them once introduced him as disabled, and he quickly corrected his helper: he wasnt disabled, he was merely in a wheelchair. In an interview I read many years ago, he said he considered himself fortunate to be an astrophysicist, because being in a wheelchair hadnt held him back much at all. Hawking made many contributions to astrophysics over his career. His main area of research was black holes, and he is most well-known for demonstrating that these mysterious beasts evaporate over time. Until then, the prevailing wisdom had been that nothing at all could escape a black hole. Indeed thats why theyre black, not even light escapes. But Hawking realised that quantum physics implied that black holes would slowly leak radiation  and this became known as Hawking radiation. It means even black holes dont last for ever. He had a wicked sense of humour. He gave a talk at CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research in Switzerland, a few years ago, where the Large Hadron Collider resides. This particle accelerator whirls streams of atomic fragments around in circles at just a whisker under the speed of light, and then brings them together into head-on collisions. In the explosive smashes all sorts of new particles are created  and many CERN scientists were hoping they might be able to create never-before-seen microscopic black holes. Stephen Hawking made astrophysics accessible to a wide audience. Credit:PA
He fractured her nose two months into the relationship. By six months she was listed in his mobile phone not by name or as his girlfriend but as Hitlers evil sister.

He was controlling and jealous, and on February 23 last year he smashed her phone and said she was spending too much time with friends and not enough with him.

So Christopher Josevski made sure his girlfriend stayed with him that night. By punching her and dragging her out of a Derrimut service station by the hair, shoving her into the car and then kidnapping her and taking her to a caravan on a rural block.

An image of Josevski dragging his girlfriend to the car.

When police found the pair the next day, the County Court heard on Tuesday, he had clumps of her hair on his clothing, and she was asleep and later needed to be treated for shock, a fractured nose, grazing, swelling and bite wounds, having also been told she would be forced to write goodbye letters to her family before being killed.
A man who claimed his former lover died as part of a suicide pact will stand trial for murder after allegedly using his full body weight to drown the "caring and beautiful" woman in a bathtub.

Lalor man Murat Davsanoglu, 42, has been charged with killing 34-year-old mother Ozlem Karakoc  also known as "Ozzie"  by drowning her in Dandenong last July 14.

Dandenong mother Ozlem Karakoc was found dead inside a house in Lalor.

Mr Davsanoglu allegedly claimed the pair had a "suicide pact", but Melbourne Magistrates Court was told Ms Karakoc was scared of him and wanted to marry another man by the name of Ozden Gonullu.

According to court documents, Mr Gonullu said he started dating Ms Karakoc who was known to suffer bipolar disorder  in February last year, a few months before her death.
Trinity Grammar has plunged further into crisis after three members of its school council, including its chair, resigned in the wake of their controversial decision to sack a popular deputy principal.

Facing intense criticism over the council's handling of the incident, chair Rod Lyle and deputy chair David Waldren said in a statement that they could no longer continue because sections of the school community did not share their values.

"We maintain that we and the council acted with integrity and in the best interests of the school  its staff, parents and, above all, its students  in taking action over the recent behaviour of the schools former deputy headmaster, Mr Rohan Brown," they said.

This behaviour was, in the unanimous view of the council, unacceptable and incompatible with the values of Trinity Grammar and with contemporary community standards."
An unapologetic Derryn Hinch says he will continue to drink after a fall which saw him knocked unconscious and hospitalised on Monday night.

The 74-year-old senator was diagnosed with minor brain trauma from the fall outside his St Kilda Road apartment in Melbourne.

He insists he was not drunk at the time, but says he'd had two of glasses of wine with a dinner guest that night.

Youve got to live your life, he told reporters on Thursday.
One of Australias most iconic beers is on its way to Western Australia for the first time.

The legendary Betoota Advocate announced it has shipped 100 slabs of its prime lager Betoota Bitter to Perth on Wednesday.

Steeped in Betootas rich history, the drop has been a favourite of Western Queensland locals since 1878.

Initially starting out as a hobby for our towns first dual-income couple, The Betoota Bitter, was an overnight sensation when Jeff and Andy Carton managed to convince the publican to put on a tap at the Lord Betoota Hotel."
The Tactical Response Group was called to a Perth home on Tuesday after a woman was threatened and held against her will by a man.

A 46-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences over the incident in Maddington.

Police will allege the man and woman were at a house on Revesby Street, having met the previous day.

During the morning the pair became involved in a verbal argument. The man then physically assaulted the woman, threatened her with firearms and demanded she stay at the property.

That afternoon she managed to flee the house and sought help from a neighbour.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has signalled Australia wants the United States to remain closely engaged in Asia in the wake of former Secretary of State Rex Tillersons sacking.

Speaking just hours after US President Donald Trump delivered the news that he had fired his top diplomat because of differences of opinion on key issues, Ms Bishop said she was hoping there will be a seamless transition to Mr Tillersons replacement, CIA director Mike Pompeo.

Ms Bishop also stressed that Australia had been working hard to make sure it had deep connections in the administration. It is understood Australias diplomats have pursued a strategy of having a wide range of strong relationships in Washington, given the fast turnover of Trump administration personnel.

While the administration was criticised early on for unnerving allies in Asia with its haphazard foreign policy, Mr Tillerson and Defence Secretary James Mattis in particular made strong efforts to reassure the region that the US would remain closely engaged.
The nation's peak law body has warned of "systemic racism" in the justice system, as it presented shocking statistics on the sky-rocketing rate of Indigenous incarceration and called for a massive cash injection to fund legal aid.

In his first major speech as president of the Law Council, Morry Bailes said the number of Aboriginal Australians in jail cells was "catastrophic" and required "urgent" action to address.

"The figures are shocking," he told the National Press Club on Wednesday. "In the last decade, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration in this country has risen 88 per cent. Those peoples represent less than 3 per cent of the population but are 27 per cent of our incarcerated population."

This increase in prison numbers is far greater than the general Indigenous population, which rose by 17 per cent between 2011 and 2016 according to census figures.
Epping Grove resident Harshin Reshamwale has lived in the building complex for the past 18 months and said it was not unusual for fire emergency services to be called.

Recently there have been a few [electrical] short circuits in the building next door [attended by fire crews], so everyone thought it was the same, but this time it was a fire, he said.

They actually sealed the whole place that day. It started with the fire in the kitchen  there were fire alarms ringing  then they found out it was something big and the police came.

Mr Reshamwale lives directly opposite the unit where the alleged clandestine laboratory was located and said there were a number of large chemical containers outside the unit when he returned on Monday evening, while a sign on the door of the unit now reads enter at own risk.

By 4.30pm that day I received a call from police saying the premises were safe, you can come home, he said.
A Melbourne City councillor who was sexually harassed by former lord mayor Robert Doyle has called for mandatory training in acceptable workplace behaviour and an independent body to look into any complaints.

The proposals, by Greens councillor Cathy Oke, have been backed by the states municipal association.

They came as one of the frontrunners to replace Mr Doyle declared they would ban booze in the mayor's office and publish a monthly list of who they met with and when, to stop a culture of secrecy at Town Hall.

Sexual harassment allegations made against Mr Doyle were found proven in a report provided to Melbourne City Council by independent investigators. Parts of the report were released on Tuesday.
Hawking shouldn't be able to do the things he now does. The 73-year-old shouldn't be able to deliver meditations on the existence of God. He shouldn't be able to fret over artificial intelligence or humanity's capacity for self-destruction. And he most definitely shouldn't be able to attend the BAFTAs  Britain's academy awards  settled inside the wheelchair that has carried him for decades, expressing admiration for a recent biopic that paid homage to his struggle. But yet, he is. And he does.

On April 20, 2009, a moment arrived that doctors had foretold for decades. Stephen Hawking, a scientist who overcame debilitating disease to become the world's most renowned living physicist, was on the cusp of death. The University of Cambridge released grim prognoses. Hawking, diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21, was described as "very ill" and "undergoing tests" at the hospital. Newspapers ran obituary-esque articles . It seemed time was up for the man who so eloquently explained it.

Stephen Hawking at a press conference last year to announce new communication technology. Credit:AFP

It's difficult to overstate the lethality of ALS, the condition with which Hawking lives. The disorder can befall anyone. It first brings muscle weakness, then wasting, then paralysis, ripping away the ability to speak and swallow and even breathe. The ALS Association says the average lifespan of someone diagnosed with the condition is between two and five years. More than 50 per cent make it past year three. Twenty percent make it past year five. From there, the number plummets. Less than 5 per cent make it past two decades.

And then there's Hawking. He has passed that two-decade mark twice  first in 1983, then in 2003. It's now 2015. His capacity for survival is so great some experts say he can't possibly suffer from ALS given the ease with which the disease traditionally dispatches victims. And others say they've simply never seen anyone like Hawking.

"He is exceptional," Nigel Leigh, a professor of clinical neurology at King's College London, told the British Medical Journal in 2002. "I am not aware of anyone else who has survived with [ALS] as long. What is unusual is not only the length of time, but that the disease seems to have burnt out. He appears to be relatively stable. ... This kind of stabilisation is extremely rare."

This description is not in any way unusual. More than a decade later, when Hawking turned 70 in 2012, more researchers were baffled and amazed. Anmar al-Chalabi of King's College London told the Associated Press Hawking was "extraordinary. ... I don't know of anyone who's survived this long."
London: British Prime Minister Theresa May was due to meet senior intelligence chiefs and government colleagues on Wednesday, before announcing her plans to retaliate for the assassination attempt on a Russian ex-spy in Salisbury.

Russian oligarchs in the UK could have their assets frozen and NATO could step up activity in Eastern Europe in possible measures reportedly being considered by the government, though nothing about May's plans or options have yet been made public.

The Prime Minister could also seek additional European Union sanctions against Russians and Russian officials.

Theresa May leaves number 10 Downing Street before the deadline on Tuesday. Credit:Bloomberg

May's midnight deadline passed without a "credible" response from Russia to the UK's belief the Kremlin was behind the use of a military-grade nerve agent in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter on March 4.
'Disabled genius' Hawking suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, and was confined to an electric wheelchair for much of his adult life. Diagnosed at age 21, he was one of the worlds longest survivors of ALS. Hawkings fame increased as his health worsened. After his degenerative muscle disorder was diagnosed, he defied medical opinion by living five decades longer than expected. He communicated his ideas through an American-accented speech synthesizer after a life-saving tracheotomy in 1985 took away his ability to speak. To the layman, the robot-like voice only seemed to give his words added authority. Stephen Hawking

To my colleagues, Im just another physicist, but to the wider public, I became possibly the best-known scientist in the world, Hawking wrote in his 2013 memoir My Brief History. This is partly because scientists, apart from Einstein, are not widely known rock stars, and partly because I fit the stereotype of a disabled genius. Loading Last year, he argued that we should prepare for a cosmic exodus to take place in the next 200 to 500 years. "We are running out of space, and the only place we can go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems," he said via video link to the audience gathered in Trondheim, Norway.

"Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth." Hawking and Trump In March last year, Hawking said he no longer felt welcome in the United States, now that President Donald Trump was in power. "The reaction to the election of Donald Trump may have been overdone, but it represents a definite swing to a right-wing, more authoritarian approach," Hawking said about the negative response to Trump's election. Of the United States, he said: "I have many friends and colleagues there, and it is still a place I like and admire in many ways. But I fear that I may not be welcome."

Leading up to the US presidential election, Hawking was cheekily asked whether he could explain Trump's rise to presidential candidacy. "I can't," Hawking said. "He's a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator." Asked now about that statement, Hawking elaborated on Trump's victory and his first two months in office. "Trump was elected by people who felt disenfranchised by the governing elite in a revolt against globalisation," Hawking said. A brief history

Book cover : A brief history of time (1988) Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Italian physicist Galileo Galilei. Hawking's father, Frank, was a doctor of tropical medicine. His mother, Isobel, was a tax inspector and a secretary. He had two younger sisters and a brother. At age 8, Hawking moved with his family to St Albans, where he went to school. He then graduated with first-class honours in natural science at Oxford's University College. While he was a doctoral candidate at Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, also known as motor neuron disease. He was told he had only a few years to live. However, as the illness progressed more slowly than expected and he found inspiration in his girlfriend, Jane Wilde, Hawking began to work at his studies for the first time. He completed his doctorate on the origins of the universe, became a research fellow at Caius College and married Wilde in 1965. In 1970, Hawking realised the mathematical approaches he developed with mathematician Roger Penrose could be applied to black holes, a term coined by physicist John Wheeler. Hawking worked for the next four years on black holes, discovering they weren't totally black, but leaked radiation, now known as "Hawking radiation".

For 30 years, Hawking was Cambridge's Lucasian professor of mathematics, a chair once held by Isaac Newton. Then US president Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hawking in 2009, the year of his retirement. Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde, 1965. His other popular books included The Universe in a Nutshell (2001), On the Shoulders of Giants (2002), A Briefer History of Time (2005) and The Grand Design (2010). In 2015, Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in The Theory of Everything, a film about the scientist's life. Hawking separated from his wife in 1991 and married his nurse, Elaine Mason, four years later. They divorced in 2007.

'Profound impact' Hawking applied quantum theory  about the forces governing the subatomic world  to black holes, which he claimed discharge radiation that causes them to disappear. This process helps explain the notion that black holes have existed at a micro level since the Big Bang, and the smaller they are, the faster they evaporate. Stephen Hawking in front of sun with coronal mass ejections. Credit:Publicity Black holes are formed when a massive star collapses under the weight of its own gravity. Detected by the movement of surrounding matter, they devour everything in their path and may play a role in the birth of galaxies. Physicists say these invisible cosmic vacuums might allow travel through time and space via "wormholes," a favourite of science-fiction writers.
Fort Lauderdale: A Florida judge on Wednesday entered a not-guilty plea for Nikolas Cruz, who is charged with shooting to death 17 students and staff last month in a massacre at a high school in Parkland, Florida.

Nikolas Cruz is facing the death penalty. Credit:AP

Cruz, 19, chose to remain mute during the arraignment hearing in Broward County circuit court. Judge Elizabeth Scherer then entered the not-guilty plea on his behalf for 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Scherer set April 27 for a hearing for attorneys to agree to a trial date.

Cruz, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and shackled at wrists and ankles, sat alone and head bowed in what is normally the jury box, guarded by a dozen deputies.
The weapon, which was not described, was pointed at the ceiling, according to a statement from the school, and debris fell from the ceiling.

Dennis Alexander, who also serves as a reserve police officer with Sand City, discharged the weapon at Seaside High School about 1:20pm, according to police.

A teacher at a California high school accidentally fired a gun in a classroom on Tuesday afternoon during a lecture on "public safety awareness," authorities said.

Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen told the Monterey County Weekly that a male student was "struck in the neck by 'debris or fragmentation' from something overhead.'" Pridgen said whatever hit the student was not a bullet.

However, the student's father, Fermin Gonzales, told KSBW 8 that it was his understanding that fragments from the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling and lodged in the boy's neck. The father said the teacher told the class before pointing the gun at the ceiling that he was doing so to make sure his gun wasn't loaded, something that can be determined visually.

"It's the craziest thing," Gonzales told the station. "It could have been very bad."

Gonzales said he learned about the incident when his 17-year-old son came home with blood on his shirt and bullet fragments in his neck.

"He's shaken up, but he's going to be OK. I'm just pretty upset that no one told us anything and we had to call the police ourselves to report it," the father told the TV station.
Washington: US President Donald Trump's firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has sent shock waves through the world.

His unhappiness with Tillerson, who once called him a "moron," was well known, and the possibility of his replacement by CIA Director Mike Pompeo was floated last autumn.

Goodbye to all that: Rex Tillerson. Credit:AP

Even so, the abruptness of the dismissal - hours after Tillerson returned from a tour of Africa and pointed the finger at Russia for the poisoning of a former spy in Britain, and on the brink of awaited talks between Trump and the leader of North Korea - surprised foreign policy experts.

Some critics raised the prospects of what they called a more hawkish and rightward turn in US foreign policy. Others, however, noted that Tillerson, an oil executive with no prior government experience, had been deeply unpopular within the US State Department.
Outside the Krim familys apartment building on the night of the murders. Photo: James Keivom/NY Daily News via Getty Images

Kevin Krim was flying back from California on the day that his familys nanny, Yoselyn Ortega, killed his 2-year-old son Leo and 6-year-old daughter Lucia with a kitchen knife. When Krims plane landed and he turned his phone back on, a cavalcade of voice and text messages sent him into an immediate panic. The flight crew asked everyone to remain seated when the plane arrived at the gate; the NYPD needed one passenger to exit first.

From the messages on his phone, Krim said today in court, he gathered that two of his children were dead  but he didnt know which two, or how theyd died, or where the rest of his family was. He remembers collapsing in front of the airplane, and being lifted to his feet by two police officers holding his arms. Krim cant remember whether he walked out of John F. Kennedy airport or if the police officers carried him. But he remembers looking at his phone and seeing a voicemail from his wife, Marina. He remembers hitting play.

And I just heard this background noise of screaming, and I crumbled again.

On Tuesday, the prosecution rested their case against Ortega, who is pleading insanity on murder charges for both children. Three weeks after opening with the childrens mother, Marina, the prosecution closed with their father, whose grief-stricken testimony drove at least half of the jury  and a packed courtroom  to tears.

When Marina Krim testified at their former nannys trial for their childrens murders, her testimony was emotionally raw: There were angry outbursts, wails of agony, and a showdown that saw the mother screaming, Youre evil! at her childrens killer. Today, Kevin Krim presented a different kind of grief. He sat very still during his testimony, speaking quietly and clearly into the microphone, wiping his eyes every few minutes.

Kevin was the one who encouraged Marina to hire a nanny, he said. Back when the couple lived in San Francisco, the birth of their second daughter, Nessie, posed challenges: Born with hip dysplasia, Nessie underwent surgery in the first weeks of her life. For some time thereafter, she was confined in a chest-to-ankle body cast while recovering. That was the first time Kevin  who worked full-time while Marina stayed home with the kids  suggested hiring help. Kevin was, by then, traveling frequently to New York for his new job, and the couple was preparing to move.

Arriving in New York, the family moved to the Upper West Side. We had two kids and a dog. We wanted to be around families and we wanted good public schools, Kevin testified. Soon Marina became pregnant with a third child, Leo. (His was the only kids name I ever got to pick, Kevin said at one point, laughing through tears during a lighter moment in his testimony.) Again, Kevin encouraged Marina to consider hiring part-time help, using the same phrase his wife used to explain the choice: an extra set of hands.

The father went deeper than the mother did on how the couple found and why they hired  Ortega. Ive hired hundreds of people over 18 years of work, he testified. He researched advice on screening childcare providers on the internet, then compiled a list of questions with Marina. His wife did the interview; she forwarded Kevin the recommendation shed received by email, from what appeared to be a music executives professional email account. Though Marina took the lead in interacting with Ortega, Kevin was laid off from his job early in the nannys employment, so he saw her frequently. Ive managed a lot of people, the media executive reflected. I want to make sure theyre happy, and content, and effective, and productive.

The father stressed that they never cut their nannys hours and always found a task for her so shed never be working fewer than 25 hours a week, as specified at the start of her employment. When the Krims were out of town and didnt need Ortega, theyd ask around for work from their friends, particularly once they heard Ortegas finances were tight. I wanted to make sure there was no miscommunication  that we werent pawning her off on people, that we werent getting rid of her, Krim testified. It seemed like a win-win situation: The nanny needed money, and when the Krims didnt have a reason to give it to her, they could refer her to friends who could. (These arrangements would come up in the nannys complaints about Marina.) Ortega never asked the Krims for more money, Kevin said. And she never seemed mentally ill.

Theres a history of mental illness in your family, is there not? assistant district attorney Stuart Silberg asked Kevin. Yes, he replied; his mothers sister was schizophrenic, as was her son, Kevins cousin. I spent time with both of them as a child, and it was vivid, disturbing, and unsettling. I remember them very, very well, he said, recalling a couple specific memories.

Did you see anything during the time of the defendants employment that made you think she was mentally ill? asked Silberg. Over defense lawyer Valerie Van Leer-Greenbergs objections, Kevin said, Absolutely not. Never. And I know what I know.

Arriving at St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital, Kevin saw a flock of news reporters. He was taken to a private room, where a person in scrubs told him that Lucia and Leo were dead. That was the first time I actually knew which two of my three kids were dead, he said through tears on the witness stand. I was crying. And I was flailing, because I didnt want people touching me. I was asking what happened, what happened, what happened. No one seemed to know a lot of details. But they said it was the babysitter who had killed them. Asked to identify that babysitter, Kevin sat straight up and clenched his jaw. He extended his arm and pointed straight at Ortega, who did not visibly react.

When hospital officials brought Kevin to Marina, he said, she was hysterical. Were not going to get divorced over this, were not going to get divorced over this, they say everyone gets divorced over this, but were not going to get divorced over this, he remembered her saying. He couldnt remember if he said anything; he just remembered holding her and crying.

Eventually, he asked to see his children: I wanted to say good-bye to my kids. A doctor told them theyd cleaned the bodies as best they could. (Which would have been a difficult task, according to Mondays testimony from the medical examiner; in the final minutes of her life, 6-year-old Lucia struggled mightily. Slashes on her arms and twisted stabs to the front and back of her torso suggest she fought the nanny and twisted to escape. Two-year-old Leo had no defensive wounds; he either didnt see it coming, or was too small to respond.) Kevin and Marina decided to go together to see Leo and Lucia one last time.

The children were in a private room, lying next to one another, white sheets covering their bodies and tucked up to their chins. I got down on my knees and said, Im sorry. I said, I love you, said Kevin. And I kissed them. I said good-bye.

They looked beautiful and strange, he continued. They were the wrong color. They didnt have any blood left in them, so they were bluish. But they still had this perfect skin, and their long eyelashes, and their eyes were closed. Both children had sandy-brown hair, Kevin Krim said. But on that day  even after the hospital had bathed them  their hair was auburn, tinted from the bloodbath in which theyd died.
Students walking out after the Parkland shooting. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

On the one-month anniversary of the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, thousands of students will be walking out of their schools on Wednesday, March 14, as part of a nationwide protest against gun violence. The Cut will stop publishing on all channels at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes to honor the walkout. But what is National School Walkout Day? When is it happening? And how are people participating? Here, what you need to know.

When is National School Walkout Day happening?

The walkout is set to take place at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and last for 17 minutes, which represents 1 minute for each of the people killed in the Florida shooting.

Students protesting after the Parkland shooting. Photo: Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images

How many students are participating?

Organized by the Womens March Youth Empower, the #Enough National School Walkout already has more than 3,136 student protests planned across the United States for Wednesday. Young people from elementary, middle, and high schools  and even some universities  are set to participate in the events.

What will the walkout entail?

Students are choosing to spend their walkouts in different ways. Some will be standing in circles with their classmates to hold hands, sing songs, and honor the victims of the shooting with moments of silence. Others will be making signs to call on lawmakers to prioritize school safety. Some will even speak the names of all 17 of the victims. Meanwhile, others will be registering to vote  getting started by texting P2P to RTVOTE (788683), according to the Womens Youth Empower website.

Students walking out after the Parkland shooting. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

How are people showing their support?

Many people will be posting messages of support about the walkout using the hashtag #EnoughIsEnough on social media. Certain brands are also showing support. For instance, MTV, BET and Comedy Central will all suspend their programming for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. EST during the walkout. Students will also be taking over MTVs social media channels during that time. The Cut will also stop publishing on all channels during the walkout.

This post has been updated.
A Growing Chorus Objects to Confucius Institutes at American Universities

A Massachusetts lawmaker is the latest dissenting voice against the presence of Confucius Institutes (CIs) on American college campuses.

Managed directly and funded by the Chinese regime, CIs have been criticized by concerned academics as tools for promoting the regimes political aims under the guise of teaching Chinese language and culture.

Rep. Seth Moulton (DMass.) has sent out letters to Tufts University and University of MassachusettsBoston asking them to cut ties with CIs, reported the Boston Globe on March 9. Both universities host the institutes on campus.

In his letter, Moulton called for alternatives to learning about Chinese language and culture that do not come from an undemocratic governments effort to restrict free expression and open dialogue on American college campuses.

The Chinese government has been clear in its goal and purpose for creating and expanding Confucius Institutes throughout the country, namely to distort academic discourse on China, threaten and silence defenders of human rights, and create a climate intolerant of dissent or open discussion, Moulton wrote.

He also sent a letter to 38 other colleges in the Boston area that do not have CIs, urging that they never open such centers.

In a series of congressional hearings in February, U.S. officials such as FBI Director Christopher Wray warned of the Chinese regimes infiltration of American academia and noted that his agency was investigating CIs around the country.

That month, Sen. Marco Rubio (RFla.) also sent out letters to four Florida universities and one high school, urging them to close CIs on their campuses.

According to a 2017 report on CIs published by the National Association of Scholars (NAS), there are 103 CIs currently operating in the United States.

In an interview with U.S.-based Chinese broadcaster New Tang Dynasty Television, NAS Director of Research Projects Rachelle Peterson warned of the costs to academic freedom if universities continue to partner with CIs:

Theres a real threat that Americans will grow up, will raise a generation of students who know only the Chinese governments official version of its own history. We will have a generation of Americans who dont know what happened at Tiananmen Square, who dont know whats happening in Taiwan and Tibet, who dont know whats happening to those who practice Falun Gong, referring to the spiritual group that is banned and heavily persecuted by the Chinese regime since 1999. Students can receive college credit for taking CI classes, according to Peterson.

She also spoke of the muzzling of American professors and academics who study and teach about China. They are facing pressures to not do research on sensitive topics, to not speak out on Chinas policies, out of fear that they may not get a visa to go back for research, out of fear that the university will take action against them if they jeopardize the universitys Confucius Institute. So this is a serious threat to the integrity of American higher education, she said.

Peterson also urged U.S. officials to investigate whether CIs engage in discriminatory hiring practices and to require CIs to register as a foreign agent with federal authorities. The Epoch Times previously reported that the CIs official website once contained an explicit prohibition against hiring Falun Gong practitioners.

CIs are largely funded by the Hanban office, an agency of Chinas Ministry of Education. The NAS report found that Hanban typically gives universities around $150,000 as a startup grant, followed by $100,000 for subsequent years.

Citing disclosures from the U.S. Department of Education, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that from 2010 to 2016, Hanban gave 15 U.S. universities more than $17 million in gifts and contracts. Because colleges are only asked to report contracts of $250,000 and above, the actual total is likely greater.
Alaska Airlines Female Pilot Files Lawsuit, Saying Male Co-pilot Drugged and Raped Her

A female Alaska Airlines pilot has filed a lawsuit against the airlines over a work trip in 2017 during which she claims she was drugged and raped.

Betty Pina, based out of Seattle, said that during an overnight stay in Minneapolis for a work trip, she drank wine spiked by her male co-pilot.

She said she woke up in his bedroom.

And Im like, Where am I and immediately I sit up and realize my bra and top is on and Im sliding off the bed. Its wet and I smell vomit and the blankets and sheets are gathered up at the end of the bed. And I realize my pants and underwear are off, Pina said of the alleged attack, reported KIRO.

Pina is a former military pilot who flew combat missions in Afghanistan before joining Alaska Airlines.

Exclusive: Seattle-based @AlaskaAir co-pilot files lawsuit saying she was drugged and raped by the captain of her aircraft. Betty Pina told me, "I immediately sit up and I realize my pants and underwear are off." Pena says the captain is still working for Alaska Airlines. pic.twitter.com/50SlPzHBrT  Dave Wagner (@DaveKIRO7) March 14, 2018

Exclusive: Lawsuit says "predator pilot" still working for @AlaskaAir after co-pilot claims she was drugged and raped by her captain.

Betty Pina is a combat vet who flew Chinook helicopters in Afghanistan and says she never imagined the dangers of an overnight in Minneapolis. pic.twitter.com/7utQrejewV  Dave Wagner (@DaveKIRO7) March 14, 2018

Pina said that her attacker, a predator, still works for the airline, prompting her lawsuit. She wants him fired.

Alaska Airlines issued a statement to the broadcaster in the wake of the lawsuit being filed.

This is an open and active investigation and we arent going to comment. What we can say is that we are taking this matter seriously, the airline stated.

The safety and well-being of our employees and guests is a top priority. It is our policy to withhold an employee from work during this type of investigation.

Same thing happened to my wife on an overnight trip with a private aircraft in January. The other pilot remains uncharged. You never realize how hard it is to prove rape in a he said she said scenario until it happens to a woman you know.  PirateTruck (@PirateTruck) March 14, 2018

Someone commenting on the story said that it may be hard for Pina to prove her case.

Same thing happened to my wife on an overnight trip with a private aircraft in January. The other pilot remains uncharged, a Twitter user said.

You never realize how hard it is to prove rape in a he said she said scenario until it happens to a woman you know.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Corvette Chase
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte points to photographers during an awarding ceremony for outstanding government workers, at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines Dec. 19, 2016. (Reuters/Ezra Acayan/File Photo)

Duterte to Withdraw Philippines From ICC After Outrageous Attacks

MANILAThe Philippines said on Wednesday it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) due to what President Rodrigo Duterte called outrageous attacks by U.N. officials and violations of due process by the ICC.

The decision marks an about-face by Duterte, who initially welcomed a preliminary ICC examination announced last month into a complaint, filed by a Philippine lawyer, that accuses him and top officials of crimes against humanity, committed during a war on drugs that has killed thousands of people.

A 15-page statement, dated March 13 and not signed by Duterte, said the withdrawal from the ICCs founding treaty, the Rome Statute, was effective immediately.

That was confirmed separately by Dutertes spokesman and his legal counsel, who both said the ICCs examination was part of a plot by the presidents enemies.

Dutertes statement said the withdrawal was because of baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks by U.N. officials, and what he said was an attempt by the ICC prosecutor to seek jurisdiction over him in violation of due process and presumption of innocence.

ICC spokesman Fadi el Abdallah referred most questions to the courts prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached for comment.

Dutertes war on drugs has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some U.N. rapporteurs and officials, including U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein, who on Friday said Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.

The maverick former mayor has sparred relentlessly with critics and refused to change his approach, or accept that police may have executed suspected dealers, as activists allege.

Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4,100 drug dealers in shootouts. Police say they have no ties to armed men responsible for the deaths of about 2,300 drug users and peddlers.

Duterte, who is hugely popular among Filipinos, has no love for the ICC, calling it useless and hypocritical.

Changing Tune

He at first dared the ICC to indict him, saying he was willing to rot in jail for his people. He then said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.

He has recently changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate should there be any international investigation. He last week said the ICC would not in a million years have jurisdiction.

The ICCs preliminary examination into the complaint seeks to establish whether crimes have taken place. Such a process typically takes years.

Jude Sabio, the Philippine lawyer who filed the ICC complaint last year, said Dutertes move was predictable, futile and designed to appeal to his base.

Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation, Sabio told Reuters.

His statement is only good for politics, just so his supporters can hear that he is withdrawing from the ICC. But it will have no binding legal effect.

According to ICC rules, the withdrawal becomes effective one year after receipt of the notification. Duterte and the Philippines are under the jurisdiction of the ICC as a result of being a member, and pulling out would not change that jurisdiction retroactively.

The ICC can only intervene in a member state when that state is unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators. The Philippines says its legal processes are functional and independent.

Senator Antonio Trillanes, who filed supplementary communications to support Sabios complaint, said the withdrawal was flip-flopping by Duterte, who knows that there is no way out for him in the ICC.

Duterte, by withdrawing from the ICC, has practically admitted that he is guilty of the allegations filed against him, he said in a statement.

By Karen Lema and Martin Petty
High School Students Honest Facebook Post on Trip to Oklahoma Capitol Goes Viral

A high school students honest post after her trip to the Oklahoma State Capitol has gone viral.

Madison Marshall, a student at Cache High School, recently went to the capitol during a school trip with her classmates.

She said in a post to Facebook that she was disappointed that while she and her classmates were meeting with their districts representatives, they were all on their phones.

Today I went with a small group of my peers up to the capitol to support our teachers, and watch the legislative process in action. We sat in on their session, and spoke to our districts representative. If I could sum up my thoughts on what I saw I would use the word disappointing,' she wrote.

These representatives clearly did not care about doing their job. Over half of them were sitting on their phones, and the other halfwere not even in the room. It was like walking into a room of unsupervised high school freshman. They were on cell phones, backs turned, talking, or just leaving the room coming back only to vote on a bill they had been absent during the introduction of.

She said what happened was especially disappointing in light of how much the representatives make.

However, the thing that ticked me off the most was that they make more in three months than what an Oklahoma teacher makes in one year, and all they do is sit on their phones and chat about who knows what. To top it off we got to speak with our representative. He proceeded to tell us that Oklahoma teachers were trying to extort the government, and that teachers can wait it out another year. His attitude was passive, and he gave us the run around on everything we asked, she said.

Marshall was referencing how the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), the states largest teachers union, is seeking a $10,000 pay raise for Oklahoma teachers over the next three years as well as a $5,000 pay raise for support professionals, along with a cost-of-living adjustment for retirees.

He clearly did not value us nor our education. I will remember that when I vote, and I hope my peers will as well. To all of my teachers past and present: As a senior with my graduation, state contest, and other activities on the line because of this walkout. You have my full support. I would rather suffer now, so that the future generations will not have to. You are not walking out on us. You are walking out for us.

The OEA is planning a walkout on April 2 if legislators dont increase teacher and staff pay and restore education funding in the state, according to KFOR.

Our goals remain the same- to force the legislature to pass a plan that provides teachers and support professionals a significant pay raise, and restores critical funding to our classrooms, said association President Alicia Priest in a video posted to the unions Facebook page. We will not allow lawmakers, once again, to shortchange our students, our teachers and our support professionals.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Father Who Lost Child Tells Trump: I remember the hug you gave me
Sarah Gatt at age 15 or 16 according to her father. (Victoria Police)

Killer Allegedly Fooled People Into Thinking Dead Woman Was Still Alive

Chilling details have emerged about a woman who was found decomposing in a bathtub at a home in Melbourne, Australia.

Police discovered Sarah Gatt, 40, dead in a bathtub at a residential unit at Lambeth Street on Jan. 3. Investigators believe Gatt had died eight months prior to being found, between April 20 and 24 last year, according to a police statement released on March 13.

Forensic evidence indicated a violent assault took place on the property and deliberate steps were taken to fool people into thinking Gatt was well and alive.

Detective Inspector Tim Day said the new revelations were disturbing and concerning.

Were LIVE with Detective Inspector Tim Day and father of victim, Sarah Gatt whose body was discovered in Kensington https://t.co/QJlSoxYmWo  Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) March 13, 2018

Its disturbing and concerning to investigators that it appears someone has deliberately attempted to make it look as though Sarah was still alive, Day said in the statement.

Authorities discovered the decomposing body after they were called to the property for an unrelated matter. Before entering the property, officers were able to detect a foul smell which led them to the bathroom inside the premise, they said.

Day told reporters that someone was living on and off at the property while the body was hidden in the bathtub, reported Newscorp.

Three men and two women were questioned by police about the body but no charges have been laid and all five people were released pending further enquiries. Police said they remain persons of interest in the investigations.

Gatts grieving parents told reporters at a press conference on March 12 that they lost contact with their daughter about 18 months ago, reported the news website.

I lost contact with her about 18 months ago because she didnt want to see me. Whatever I said, she just didnt want to do it, Victor Gatt said.

No one deserves to die like that. It doesnt matter what happened, she doesnt deserve to die like that, Gatts stepmother Cheryl Gatt told reporters.

Victor said his daughter, who was an aspiring model, started using drugs as a teenager not long after she started attending modeling school. He said her life then started spiraling downwards.

She was a great person. I couldnt fault her at all, she was great. Then she went down the wrong path, he said.

I put her in different places to try and get her cleaned up but it didnt happen.

I should have pushed myself to go and see her, but Sarah is the type of person if she doesnt want to see you, she doesnt want to see you, he added.

Gatts family said their daughter was living in the property at Lambeth Street for a number of years and had four children aged seven to 18 but none of the children were living with her.

Police are appealing for information following the death of Sarah Gatt whose body was discovered in Kensington in January. Read more here  https://t.co/2MzNoqsEDy pic.twitter.com/IReMzijCh5  Victoria Police (@VictoriaPolice) March 13, 2018

Authorities are now urging for anyone with information to come forward and speak with them.

We are particularly keen to speak to anyone who saw any person coming or going from her Lambeth Street unit after 20 April last year, Day said.

Police would also like to speak to anyone who was provided any information by any person indicating that Sarah was still alive after that date.

This could be from a range of people including neighbours, friends, passersby or any local businesses she had contact with.

Police said they have a pretty good idea of what had occurred but have not released any further information pending their investigations.

Recommended Video:

Spectacular Lightning Storm Flashes Above Surfers Paradise
Little Boys Mystery Illness Causes Up to 50 Seizures a Day as Doctors Scramble for Cure

Doctors in Australia have been left baffled by a baby boy that is suffering dozens of seizures a day.

Zavier Elward was a healthy baby for six months, but one day his mother Shaileen Roberts noticed he would stare into the distance with a strange smile on his face.

He was doing these really weird movements, like just looking up into the distance and his mouth was slowly twitching, sort of like he was smiling, Roberts told 7News.

Initially, the baby would do this about once a day but it started to happen more frequently, prompting Roberts to rush her child to the hospital.

Doctors diagnosed Elward with West syndrome, a rare condition that starts afflicting babies between three to nine months old.

The babies are left with spasms and seizures that often come in clusters. There is no known cure and doctors are still working to figure out treatments and medications for the disease.

Elward has experiences dozens of seizures per day including one day of 150 seizures and one hour of 32 seizures.

Little boy's mystery illness causes up to 50 seizures a day: https://t.co/kCSyodBNEd #7News  7News Yahoo7 (@Y7News) March 13, 2018

Roberts told the Community News that her baby had been trialed on up to 50 different medicines since the diagnosis around one year ago.

Hes on five medications now twice a day and if theyre late at all then hell have a seizure, she said. When hes put on a new medication, its all very promising and he doesnt have any seizures but then all of a sudden they come back.

They dont know what it is, theyre just trial and error on the medications, just to see what works and what doesnt, Zaviers dad Harley said.

Elward is now 18 months old but has regressed to the developmental stage of a 4-month-old.

Treatment costs are adding up, prompting Roberts and her partner Harley Elward to ask for help paying for them.

A little Perth boy has been struck down by a mystery illness that causes up to 50 seizures a day, and doctors aren't sure why it's happening. https://t.co/uzmgeW6NuO #7News pic.twitter.com/wij2LQpLTe  7 News Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) March 13, 2018

Medications and intensive therapy are costing the family over $3,000 a month.

Treatments will mean everything to Zavier because hes an 18-month-old baby and hes only just learnt [sic] how to roll again, he cant walk, he cant do anything that my niece who is the same age can do, she said. Theyd be life-changing because after he had one treatment recently, he tried to sit up on his own so it will really benefit him in the long run.

According to the GoFundMe the family has launched, they would like $10,000. So far they had raised almost $7,000 towards that goal at the time of this publication.

As you can imagine, Zavier has had a really tough start in life, but despite what he continues to endure, his personality grows bigger and more beautiful every day. Hes a little fighter! But he is also in desperate need of intense therapies to help boost his overall development, and increase his chances for a better quality of life in the future, the family wrote.

However time is of the essence (hes growing every day), costs are high, and funding is very limited!! This is why Zaviers family is seeking your help!! All money raised will be used to cover costs directly associated with ongoing intense therapy sessions for Zavier.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Boiling Water Turns to Snow
Louisiana Woman Allegedly Used Boiling Cooking Oil to Kill Her Friend After Argument

A Louisiana woman was arrested and charged with murder after police said she used boiling cooking oil to attack her friend following an argument.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriffs Office said officers were sent to the 1700 block of Creole Street in LaPlace around 6:45 a.m. on Feb. 26.

Officers found Alena Populis, 50, sitting near the front door with severe burns on her face and body.

The woman told officers she and her friend Stacey Williams Sylvester, 56, got into an argument the previous night.

In the morning, Sylvester went to Populis home and threw a pot of boiling cooking oil on her, reported WGNO.

Woman used boiling cooking oil to kill her friend after argument, police say https://t.co/i6W0hPvnj8 pic.twitter.com/4D8OkJkwAB  PIX11 News (@PIX11News) March 14, 2018

Laplace woman dies after 'friend' attacks her with boiling cooking oil>>https://t.co/j94cW7kC4Z pic.twitter.com/QozmIaGoAm  FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) March 12, 2018

Deputies located Sylvester walking to her home shortly after and arrested her.

An initial charge of aggravated second-degree battery was upgraded to second-degree murder after Populis succumbed to her injuries on March 5.

Sylvester is being held on $485,000 bond.

The nature of the argument wasnt stated publicly.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Kayaker Rescues Iguana Swimming Miles From Shore
Missing Climbers in Alaska Declared Dead, Father of One Climber Says

The missing rock climbers in Alaska have been declared dead, according to the father of one of them.

Two men, Ryan Johnson, 34, and Marc-Andre Leclerc, 24, went missing at Mendenhall Towers. They were due back on March 7.

Serge Leclerc said in a Facebook post this week that the two missing climbers have been declared dead.

To all of our friends near and far who have been supporting us and praying for Marc Andre I wanted you all to hear it from me first hand before its in the news. Sadly we have lost two really great climber and I lost a son I am very proud of, he said.

Thank you for the support during this difficult time. My heart is so brokenPart of me is gone with him Our family appreciates all of your prayers and we would like to ask for a time of privacy as we come to grip with these devastating developments Marc-Andre was an amazing, loving man and he has touched many lives in so many ways. He will be remembered and loved forever. I know he is with our Lord and I will be with him again one day.

The last communication from the climbers was on March 5, when Leclerc sent a text message to his father saying hed reached the summit at the towers, reported Global News.

Marc-Andres mother, Michelle, said that her son had been climbing since age 10 and was sponsored by popular outdoor outfitter Arcteryx.

Weather conditions greatly hindered the efforts with a snowstorm dropping two to three feet of snow in the area, reported the Juneau Empire.

Tuesday morning marked the first day the weather started to clear, allowing for aerial teams to circle the tower and try to spot the missing climbers.



Jackie Ebert, the operations section chief for Juneau Mountain Rescue, said that there were no conclusive findings from the flights, but that rescue teams would keep looking for them.

All signs could point to a successful rescue at this point, so were just going to keep going as long as were able to go with the support of the Troopers, Ebert said. Were going to go through our boxes and through our search plans and basically exhaust every resource that we have, especially for a search like this and the level of their abilities, we know that if anybody can do it, these guys can.

Two GoFundMe fundraisers have been set up, one for Leclerc and one for Johnson. The money is meant for search efforts as well as, in the event of the climbers deaths, for Leclercs partner Brette Harrington and Johnsons son.

A family member of Johnson appeared to confirm the death declarations, saying As of Tuesday, March 13th SAR efforts have determined that Ryan and Marc are no longer with us.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Kayaker Rescues Iguana Swimming Miles From Shore
New York Parents Arrested After Demanding Answers About Porn on School Computer

Parents of a New York elementary school student were arrested after demanding answers as to why their son was exposed to pornographic images when using a school computer.

Gregory and Kristen Pitres third-grade son attends Parliament Place Elementary School in North Babylon on Long Island.

Their son came home one day and said that while he was doing a science report on a computer, he looked at a computer next to him and saw pornographic images.

I felt so bad for him, Gregory Pitre told ABC7. And the confusion on his face is what really gets you as a parent.

The parents went to the school to demand answers as to how their son was exposed to porn and school administrators told them the matter was under investigation so they were unable to provide them with any information.

The parents refused to leave until they were given an incident report, and were arrested.

They denied us the report to protect themselves and the school district. We called the police so we can get a report stating the school would not give us the incident report! They then called the police on us and had us PARENTS ARRESTED for trespassing on school property!!! Gregory Pitre wrote on Facebook.

Why would you have parents taken away in handcuffs when theyre trying to discuss a serious issue with you? Gregory Pitre said.

The arrest came after Kristen Pitre and the principal went into the classroom and were able to view dozens of pornographic images on the computer.

Pitre wrote on Facebook that The children of our school have been subjected to illegal material for over a year.

The district has pulled the wool over our eyes and have set smoke screens to deter from their negligence. Please share and stay tuned. Parents need to be made aware. Our childrens best interest instant [sic] always at hand. Thank you for everyones support! she added.

She also said that her son wants for no other children to have to see what he saw.

The school released a statement.

As a result of a thorough diagnostic assessment, it was determined that our filtering system had failed to properly block a specific website. The District immediately put additional internet safety precautions in place that would prevent access to this site and any of its nature, North Babylon School District Superintendent Glen Eschbach said.

These actions include, limiting the search engines available to students and staff, utilizing Google Safe Search, and monitoring district filters twice a day through manual review by our technology department. Please know that the well-being of our students is our utmost concern and top priority when educating our students.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Lost World War I Submarine Found 103 Years Later
NY Nursing Student Homicide: Ex-Boyfriend Arrested in Nicaragua

Police have tracked down and arrested the boyfriend of 22-year-old New York nursing student Haley Anderson, who was found dead last week.

Police had launched an international manhunt for her ex-boyfriend, who jumped on a flight to Nicaragua just hours before her body was found in Binghamton, New York.

WABC reported that Orlando Tercero was arrested in Nicaragua on Tuesday afternoon in connection with the killing, citing the Nicaragua national police force.

Tercero, 22, may have Nicaraguan nationality, which could make extradition difficult.

After Andersons death was ruled a homicide, police named Tercero, also a nursing student, as a person of interest on Monday.

On Friday Tercero caught a flight out of New York at 8:40 a.m., according to police. Andersons body was found at 1 p.m. She was last seen alive at 4 a.m. the day before.

We were a few hours behind him, Binghampton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski told ABC News. Then we put two and two together quickly.

Zikuski said Anderson had filed a police report over damage to her property back in September and blamed Tercero for it.

Tercero was born in Miami, Florida, Zikuski said, but has family in Nicaragua, where he could potentially be a citizen.

Were currently determining with the State Department if hes a U.S. citizen, said Zikuski.

The United States has an extradition treaty with Nicaragua, Zikuski said, but it will be harder if it turns out he is a citizen of Nicaragua.

Theres a chance they may not extradite him, he told ABC News.

Anderson was a senior student and would have graduated in May.

A longtime friend of Anderson, Emma Derbin, told CBS that losing her was very hard.

This is not an easy loss at all, Derbin said. She was literally like the greatest person ever. She never didnt have a smile on her face.

This year she did an internship at a hospital here on Long Island and she told me about all the operations that she witnessed. (Its a) tragic loss, added neighbor John Doran.

Anderson worked at Jazzmans Cafe on the university campus for three years, reported WICZ. A colleague, Athena Anadnostakos, said she had last seen Anderson the day before she died.

Everybodys sad. A lot of students came who work together, they cried today. The supervisor and Haley were so close. We are very sad, Anadnostakos said.

Recommended Video:

Officer Saves Woman Who Was Pinned
Physicist Stephen Hawking Dies At 76

LONDONStephen Hawking, who sought to explain some of the most complicated questions of life while himself working under the shadow of a likely premature death, has died at 76.

He died peacefully at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday.

We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.

Hawkings formidable mind probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time.

His work ranged from the origins of the universe itself, through the tantalizing prospect of time travel to the mysteries of spaces all-consuming black holes.

He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years, his family said. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world.

The power of his intellect contrasted cruelly with the weakness of his body, ravaged by the wasting motor neurone disease he contracted at the age of 21.

Hawking was confined for most of his life to a wheelchair. As his condition worsened, he had to resort to speaking through a voice synthesizer and communicating by moving his eyebrows.

The disease spurred him to work harder but also contributed to the collapse of his two marriages, he wrote in a 2013 memoir My Brief History.

In the book he related how he was first diagnosed: I felt it was very unfair  why should this happen to me, he wrote.

At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life.

Hawking shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of A Brief History of Time, one of the most complex books ever to achieve mass appeal, which stayed on the Sunday Times best-sellers list for no fewer than 237 weeks.

He said he wrote the book to convey his own excitement over recent discoveries about the universe.

My original aim was to write a book that would sell on airport bookstalls, he told reporters at the time. In order to make sure it was understandable I tried the book out on my nurses. I think they understood most of it.

He was particularly proud that the book contains only one mathematical equation  relativitys famous E=MC squared.

His popular recognition became such that he appeared as himself on the television show Star Trek: Next Generation and his cartoon caricature appeared on The Simpsons.

A 2014 film, The Theory of Everything, with Eddie Redmayne playing Hawking, charted the onset of his illness and his early life as the brilliant student grappling with black holes and the concept of time.

Two Concepts of Time

Since 1974 he worked extensively on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics  Einsteins General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles.

As a result of that research, Hawking proposed a model of the universe based on two concepts of time: real time, or time as human beings experience it, and quantum theorys imaginary time, on which the world may really run.

Imaginary time may sound like science fiction  but it is a genuine scientific concept, he wrote in a lecture paper.

Real time could be perceived as a horizontal line, he said.

On the left, one has the past, and on the right, the future. But theres another kind of time in the vertical direction. This is called imaginary time, because it is not the kind of time we normally experience  but in a sense, it is just as real as what we call real time.

In July 2002, Hawking said in a lecture that although his quest was to explain everything, a theory of determinism that would predict the universe in the past and forever in the future probably could not be achieved.

Another major area of his research was into black holes, the regions of space-time where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape.

When asked whether God had a place in his work, Hawking once said: In a way, if we understand the universe, we are in the position of God.

Personal Life

His health, and accidents involving his wheelchair, including one where he broke his hip after crashing into a wall in December 2001  the wall won, he observed  led to his appearing in the news for reasons other than his work.

In 2004 he was admitted to hospital in Cambridge suffering from pneumonia and was later transferred to a specialist heart and lung hospital.

He was twice married and divorced.

He married undergraduate Jane Wilde in July 1965 and the couple had three children, Robert, Lucy and Timothy. But Hawking tells in his 2013 memoir how Wilde became more and more depressed as her husbands condition worsened.

She was worried I was going to die soon and wanted someone who would give her and the children support and marry her when I was gone, he wrote.

Wilde took up with a local musician and gave him a room in the family apartment, Hawkingsaid.

I would have objected but I too was expecting an early death, he said.

He went on: I became more and more unhappy about the increasingly close relationship between (them). In the end I could stand the situation no longer and in 1990 I moved out to a flat with one of my nurses, Elaine Mason.

He divorced Wilde in 1990 and in 1995 married Mason, whose ex-husband David had designed the electronic voice synthesizer that allowed him to communicate.

My marriage to Elaine was passionate and tempestuous, he wrote in the memoir. We had our ups and downs but Elaines being a nurse saved my life on several occasions.

It also took its emotional toll on her, he noted, and the pair divorced in 2007.

Long and Full Life

Stephen William Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942, to Dr. Frank Hawking, a research biologist in tropical medicine, and his wife Isobel. He grew up in and around London.

After studying physics at Oxford University, he was in his first year of research work at Cambridge when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

The realization that I had an incurable disease that was likely to kill me in a few years was a bit of a shock, he wrote in his memoir.

But after seeing a boy die of leukemia in a hospital ward, he observed some people were a lot worse off than him and at least the condition didnt make him feel sick.

In fact there were even advantages to being confined to a wheelchair and having to speak through a voice synthesizer.

I havent had to lecture or teach undergraduates and I havent had to sit on tedious and time-consuming committees. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research, he wrote in his memoir.

I became possibly the best-known scientist in the world. This is partly because scientists, apart from Einstein, are not widely known rock stars, and partly because I fit the stereotype of a disabled genius.

Hawking was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University from 1979 to 2009  a post held by Sir Issac Newton over 300 years earlier  wrote countless scientific papers and books, received 12 honorary degrees and was made a Companion of Honour by Queen Elizabeth in June 1989.

To celebrate turning 60, he satisfied a life-long ambition and traveled in a specially created hot air balloon.

He narrated a major segment of the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games in August 2012, the year he turned 70.

I have had a full and satisfying life, he said in his memoir. I believe that disabled people should concentrate on things that their handicap doesnt prevent them from doing and not regret those they cant do.

He added: It has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research in theoretical physics. Im happy if I have added something to our understanding of the universe.

By Stephen Addison

Recommended Video:

Timelapse Video Captures Ocean of Clouds Over Vancouver, British Columbia
Scandal Erupts After Prison Inmates Selfies Found Posted to Facebook

A federal inmate was found to be using a cellphone to communicate with friends, family, and potential dating partners via Facebook.

Cellphones are banned in prison. The public is wondering what breakdown in security lead Jeffrey Mattox to obtain a cellphone and post photos from within prison walls. Mattox is currently in Lackawanna County Prison on drug and assault charges, WNEP reported.

Its scary, its actually scary because theyre in there for a reason, theyre not in there to play around and how that cellphone got in there, that is the question, Colleen Mowery, of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, told WNEP.

Photos on Mattoxs Facebook account appear to be taken from within prison. Facebook comments appear to show him communicating with family and friends.

A local man speculated on how Mattox may have obtained the cellphone.

I think hes in good with the guards and guards are bringing, the ones bringing the stuff in, thats the only way its getting in there. Just got to tighten down the security with the guards, maybe clean house, Todd Mowery told WNEP.

Reports indicate cellphone use in prison is a growing problem that legislators are seeking ways to solve. The Federal Bureau of Prisons confiscated 5,116 cellphones in 2016, according to USA Today. Authorities told USA Today the problem is worse in state and local facilities.

Options authorities are looking at include jamming cellphone signals, but the technology is costly and could impact cellphones of people both inside and outside the prison. Also, state and local prisons are not authorized to jam signals, USA Today reported.

Another option has to be implemented by cellphone carriers, and would alert the prison to illicit use and shut down the cellphone service. That technology is also expensive and doesnt work on all models of cellphones, according to USA Today.

A report about cellphones in Tennessee prisons from WSMV several years ago shows a very active prison Facebook community. The prisoners are shown smoking drugs, flashing cash, making music, eating snacks, and having fun with friends in videos taken on prison grounds.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Boiling Water Turns to Snow
Serial Killer Makes Unusual Request for His Last Meal

A convicted serial killer said he wants his final meal to be what every other inmate in prison is having for dinner that evening.

Carlton Gary, known as the Columbus Stocking Strangler, is scheduled for execution by lethal injection at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 15.

He will be executed at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Georgia, WSB-TV reported.

Members of State Board Pardons and Parole are seated. Closed door meeting began at 9:30. Group will be deciding the fate of Columbus Stocking Strangler, Carlton Gary. @WTVM pic.twitter.com/uRly9vJDLI  Sharifa Jackson WTVM (@SharifaJWTVM) March 14, 2018

Since Gary declined a request for a last meal, he will be receiving the institutional tray consisting of a grilled hamburger, hot dog, white beans, coleslaw, and grape beverage, according to WSB-TV.

Gary, now 67-years-old, was sentenced for murdering three elderly womenFlorence Scheible, 89; Martha Thurmond, 70; and Kathleen Woodruff, 74. He killed the women by strangling them with their own stockings in 1977 and 1978.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gary was also accused of killing four other women. Those women were believed to be aged between 59 and 74 and all lived alone in the same Wynnton neighborhood.

DEVELOPING: Columbus "Stocking Strangler" Carlton Gary execution is planned for this Thursday night; his last meal (not at his request) will include a grilled burger, hot dog. https://t.co/641YKwhsk1 pic.twitter.com/QSph8dHeQY  Jason Dennis (@JasonDennisWTVM) March 13, 2018

Though he was not charged for the deaths of the additional four women, they all died after being strangled with their own stockings over a period of seven months.

Prosecutors at the time used the accused murders, as well as similar murders in New York, to show a pattern of murder.

However, Garys lawyers still have pending appeals asking to court to stop the execution, due to the limited evidence when he was tried in 1986.

The lawyers claim that Gary is not the Stocking Strangler and that someone else is responsible for the multiple murders, the newspaper reported.

If the execution is carried out as scheduled, he will be the first inmate executed in Georgia this year, according to WSB-TV.

On Wednesday, March 14, both Garys lawyers and family will go to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. They will make a final case for his mercy while the Columbus-Muscogee County authorities will make a case for carrying out the execution.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

How Doctors in China Turn into Murderers
A clock and the motto 'In God We Trust' over the Speaker's rostrum in the U.S. House of Representatives chamber are seen in Washington, DC on Dec. 8, 2008. (Photo by Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images)

Some Arkansas Schools Are Putting up In God We Trust Signs

Some schools in Arkansas are putting up In God We Trust signs.

Schools across the state are allowed to display framed signs with the words inside classrooms, reported KNWA.

However, the condition is that the signs must be donated as opposed to being paid for with public funds.

The 222 posters placed into Pea Ridge Schools were donated and hung up in schools across the district.

The posters came from the American History and Heritage Foundation.

Mark Laster of the Pea Ridge Schools said the district is following the new law.

Anytime there is a new law, you are going to have opinions and they have a right to their opinion, Laster said. But it doesnt change what we do as a public school and what we do here is follow the law.

Arkansas schools to display 'In God we trust' posters over objections https://t.co/bjhNCKySZp pic.twitter.com/A491EFBrl5  The Washington Times (@WashTimes) March 11, 2018

Almost 900 signs in total were provided to Bentonville Schools.

In God We Trust is the official motto of the United States.

However, some people arent happy.

We are now sliding down a hill, Bentonville resident Casey Goodman told KNWA. There are other religions inside schools besides Christianity. Have these outside people looked at a classroom nowadays? It is not just a bunch of white kids.

Others, though, approved the law (pdf), which was originally passed in 2017.

It should be there, Sharon Sumpter from Mulberry told Arkansas Matters. We need to turn more back to our religion, our roots and why our country was founded.

The posters or framed copy must include an accurate representation of the United States flag as well as the Arkansas state flag.

Watch the latest video at &amp;lt;a href=//video.foxnews.com&amp;gt;video.foxnews.com&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Public buildings such as libraries are also allowed to display donated posters.

Legislation that would have required all schools in Florida to put up In God We Trust, the official state motto, was moving forward for a while but was indefinitely postponed and withdrawn from consideration on March 10.

Rep. Kimberly Daniels, a Democrat from Jacksonville, had said prior to a vote of advancement in February that the state needed to address issues of the heart.

I believe it was God, and I heard a voice say, Do not politicize what has happened in Florida and do not make this a thing of division, she said, reported NPR. Referring to God, she added: Hes not a Republican and hes not a Democrat. Hes not black and hes not white. He is the light. And our schools need light in them like never before.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Kayaker Rescues Iguana Swimming Miles From Shore
Sudden Snow Squall Causes 81-Vehicle Pileup on Ohio Highway

A sudden afternoon snow squall caused an 81-vehicle pileup on Interstate 71 about 40 miles northeast of Columbus, Ohio, on March 13.

The State Highway Patrol said 11 commercial vehicles were involved, including several semi-trailers, with one ending up on its side, ABC6 reported.

Traffic was heavy in I-71 at around 4 p.m. when a sudden flurry created white-out conditions.

When we were coming south just patches of boom! Just crazy white snow and you cant see 20 feet in front of you and I can totally see thats what happened, Mike Smith, who was heading to Dayton, told ABC6.

Multiple drivers and passengers reported minor injuries, ABC6, reported, but no one was seriously hurt.

A woman and her granddaughter who were caught in the middle of the wreck were miraculously unhurt. Their car remained untouched as chaos unfolded all around them.

Both were too upset to speak to the media, but the womans husband, Dennis Cowles, told NBC4i how thankful he was that the wreckage didnt include his wifes car.

We could have lost everyone, two major people in our lives right then and there, he said. Thats the only thing I can say is give thanks to God.

Helicopter footage of the crash site showed a semi-trailer jack-knifed across the highway, while the cab of another lay on its side nearby.

The resulting traffic jam blocked the entire northbound side of I-71 for several hours.

Some motorists, tired of waiting, turned around and drove back down the highway to the exit they had just passed.

People were driving backwards on the expressway toward us to get out. It was crazy, Wendy Denton told ABDC6. Ive never seen that happen in my life.

It took five hours for police and Ohio Department of Transportation workers to clear one lane of the three-lane highway. It was another hour before traffic was flowing in all three lanes.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Firefighter Going Over 100 mph Before Deadly Crash
Surrounded by steel and aluminum workers, U.S. President Donald Trump signs a 'Section 232 Proclamation' on steel imports during a ceremony in Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, on March 8, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Tariffs: Trumps Prelude to Ending Unfair Trade Practices

Steel and aluminum tariffs are just the beginning in an ongoing fight to unleash American industry, says Wilbur Ross

President Donald Trumps new tariffs on imported steel and aluminum look like an effort that goes beyond its stated rationale of preserving national security. The tariffs could be the first of a number of initiatives by the Trump administration to retaliate against unfair foreign trade practices.

Were going to see whos treating us fairly, whos not treating us fairly, Trump said at the White House on March 8 while rolling out the new trade barriers.

Trump signed orders imposing a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum. However, he has kept the doors open to negotiations.

America will remain open to modifying or removing the tariffs for individual nations, said Trump.

He invited trading partners seeking an alternative to tariffs to negotiate with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Trump has promised to show great flexibility and cooperation towards real friends. Hence, there may be a flexible set of tariffs depending on the outcome of these negotiations.

The countries that export the highest volumes of steel and aluminum to the United States also happen to be some of its key allies, including Canada, the European Union (EU), Japan, and South Korea.

By getting tough on tariffs, Trump has created a bargaining chip to force these allies to knock down their barriers to American goods.

Its just the start of unleashing American industry from the unfair trade practices that have hounded us for years, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross told Fox News on March 8.

Behind the scenes, however, EU representatives have been pressing for exemptions from tariffs, claiming that the bloc is a close ally and that any import levies are unjustified.

At a weekend rally in Pennsylvania on March 10, Trump took aim at Europe, threatening to extend tariffs to its car industry.

Open up the barriers and get rid of the tariffs. And if you dont do that, we are going to tax Mercedes-Benz, we are going to tax BMW, he warned.

Trade Barriers

Trade and investment flow between the United States and the EU creates the largest economic relationship in the world. The U.S. goods trade deficit with the EU was $152.4 billion in 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

U.S. exporters and investors, however, face barriers to entering or expanding their businesses in certain sectors of the EU market, stated a report by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).

The EUs average applied tariff rate is 4.8 percent. The average agricultural tariff is 10.9 percent and the nonagricultural rate is 3.9 percent. Although the EU imposes a low levy for nonagricultural goods, there are some high tariffs that affect U.S. exports, such as a 10 percent duty on passenger vehicles and 22 percent on trucks.

Open up the barriers and get rid of the tariffs. And if you dont do that, we are going to tax Mercedes-Benz, we are going to tax BMW.  President Donald Trump

The United States applies a maximum 2.5 percent tariff on imported passenger cars and a 25 percent tariff on pickup trucks and work vans, according to The Wall Street Journal.

There are some non-tariff barriers as well. One of the issues American companies face in the EU market is European standardization and conformity assessment procedures. The EUs standard measures are so strict that the products that conform to international standards may not meet EU standards, stated the USTR report. Therefore, U.S. exporters face extra challenges in accessing the EU market.

On March 12, Trump wrote on Twitter that the United States would hold meetings with EU representatives to address trade issues.

Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will be speaking with representatives of the European Union about eliminating the large Tariffs and Barriers they use against the U.S.A. Not fair to our farmers and manufacturers, he wrote.

Similarly, American companies are facing difficulties in accessing Japans automotive market. A number of non-tariff barriers exist that impede access to the market. As a result, overall sales of American-made vehicles and automotive parts in Japan remain very weak, according to the USTR report.

On March 10, Trump wrote on Twitter: Spoke to Prime Minister Abe of Japan, who is very enthusiastic about talks with North Korea. Also discussing opening up Japan to much better trade with the U.S. Currently have a massive $100 Billion Trade Deficit. Not fair or sustainable. It will all work out!

Both Canada and Mexico received a temporary exemption from tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

Trump signaled that the two allies could make their exemption permanent by conceding to U.S. demands in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Due to the unique nature of our relationship with Canada and Mexicowere negotiating, right now, NAFTAwere going to hold off the tariff on those two countries, to see whether or not were able to make the deal on NAFTA, Trump said at the White House on March 8.

Canada and Mexico account for 32 percent of U.S. imports in steel and aluminum, according to the Brookings Institution. And Canada is the largest exporter of the metals to the United States.

Another factor that could exempt a nation from the tariffs would be if it were to trim a bilateral trade deficit with the United States, according to Trump officials. The administration is asking China to come up with a plan to reduce its massive trade surplus with the United States.

Massive Trade Deficit

China is a relatively small exporter of steel and aluminum to the United States, but it has been on Trumps radar for a long time. The United States has its largest trade deficit with China.

Were negotiating now with China. Were in the midst of a big negotiation. I dont know that anything is going to come of it, Trump said.

Trump wants to cut the trade deficit with China by $100 billion, which accounts for more than a quarter of last years $375 billion trade deficit for goods.

Trump recently referred to tweets by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on the difference between import duties imposed by China and the United States. In a series of tweets, Musk complained that an American car going to China pays a 25 percent import duty while a Chinese car coming the other way pays just 2.5 percent.

In response to Musk, Trump said a reciprocal tax or mirror tax would be put in place soon.

In addition, the Trump administration may take a tougher stance on the Chinese regimes protectionist policies, which could lead to retaliatory trade measures over intellectual property.

On Aug. 14, Trump signed a memorandum to tackle Chinas trade practices with regard to the theft and forced transfer of American intellectual property. The memorandum has ordered Lighthizer to determine whether a formal investigation into Chinas trade policies is needed.

The Chinese regimes protectionist and trade-distorting policies have weakened the competitiveness of American companies.

Key Democrats Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who have been the most prominent critics of Trump in the Senate, support the presidents efforts to address Chinas unfair trade practices.

I have been one of the chief critics of status quo on trade, said Schumer on the Senate floor on March 7.

The presidents instincts to go after China are correct, he said. China is eating our lunch. China is rapacious.

However, Trumps proposal to increase tariffs has prompted an outcry within the Republican Party.

Some Republican lawmakers have openly discussed taking legislative action to claw back Trumps trade powers. They are concerned that sweeping tariffs would spark a global trade war.

But talk of a trade war is a false narrative, according to Trumps top trade adviser, Peter Navarro.

America is a free trading nation with among the lowest combinations of tariffs and non-tariff barriers of its major trading partners, he wrote on USA Today. Fair and reciprocal trade and a secure nation is all we seek.

Recommended Video: President Donald Trumps Weekly AddressMarch 10, 2018
Teacher Urges Parents to Wake Up When It Comes to Childrens Social Media Use

A teacher in Utah is urging parents to wake up when it comes to childrens social media use.

The teacher, Skipper Coates, who teaches in Pleasant Grove asked a group of 85 teenagers to finish one sentence: What my parents dont know about social media is

One student responded, finishing the sentence, That Im on it till like 2 a.m. every day.

Another added, You can send nudes, receive nudes, sext, buy drugs, delete texts, buy bongs.

What my parents dont know about social media isI swear so much and talk [expletive] on everyone. I get nudes from boys I dont even know, another student said.

What my parents dont know about social media is how to find my pictures, said another.

Coates posted pictures on Facebook of the cards that students wrote their answers on.

What my parents dont know about social media is that I have a secret rant account [where] I talk about my mental health. I also have Internet friends, said another.

What my parents dont know about social media is that I actually have one, said another.

The answers were SICKENING. Heartbreaking. Depressing, wrote Coates.

Parents of the world, WAKE. UP. Your kids are living in a world that you are not invited to be part of. And they know how to keep you out. Your teenager DOES NOT NEED a smartphone.

She said she wanted to get the word out that children need mental health resources and also better parenting.

Our kids need mental health resources. Ive worked with teens long enough to know how to read between the lines, she said.

Referring to one of the cards talking about nudes, she added, What this student is really saying is that s/he doesnt know how to handle emotions beyond their control (sadness, low self-esteem, etc)but surely knows how to manipulate the emotions s/he can control (anger, bitterness, resentment).

All year long, Coates told ABC that she has been passing out similar questions to the students.

With the recent school violence, the high Utah suicide rate, and the prevalence of school bullying I wanted to know more about what is happening behind the scenes. I also am a mother of three and have a pre-teen at home. Hes been talking about how he needs a smartphone, but I see the damage they are doing, she explained.

What concerns me the most is how quickly social media changes. As adults who did not grow up with social media, we cant keep up with all the new apps, the new codes the kids use, and the speed of communication. My mission in sharing all of this is to get all adults to work together to help save our kids from life-changing habits that are forming at younger and younger ages.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

First Lady Makes a Plea to Promote Compassion to Children
The Illusion of Free Trade

The current trading system was never free; Trumps tariffs merely change who gets what

Anything President Donald Trump does usually provokes a backlash from the status quo. In early March, the focus is on trade, as Trump walked the walk and slapped import tariffs on steel, aluminum, washing machines, and solar panels not just from China but also other countries.

The backlash from popular media and the affected countries politicians blames Trump for ruining the beautiful free trade system built up around the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its predecessor the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

As with anything Trump says or does, its important to step back and look at the bigger context hes acting within.

Not Free

The first big-picture news flash is that neither the WTO nor the GATT was free. Free trade is trade without government intervention.

One country or industry may produce and export a lot of steel, but if it doesnt get any subsidies and doesnt have protective import tariffs, then it deserves to capture global market share because its the most competitive. It uses the locally given resources of labor and capital in the most productive way.

Another country may be the best in producing solar panels, making it the world leader in solar panels. The two countries can swap steel and solar panels and balance their trade, with each country doing what it does best.

Ifand this is a big ifthere is no government interference in the marketplace for money itselfin other words, if there is a global, sound money standardthen trade surpluses in one country would lead to money inflows and goods outflows, thus raising the price level and making exports naturally less competitive. In the deficit country, money would leave and goods would enter, lowering the price level and making its exports more competitive. Therefore, there would be no persistent deficits as we have seen with the United States and the rest of the world.



However, the WTO works according to a complex system of rules and penaltiesopposite to being a system free of government intervention, it provides a framework for how governments can micromanage their trade. The mismanagement of global fiat currencies and floating exchange rates further exacerbate imbalances.

And every type of government intervention in the marketplace, whether via taxation or tariffs and import quotas, creates winners and losers. These winners and losers are different from a competitive system, where the best steel manufacturer who has the cleanest furnace, consuming the least electricity, makes the most sales.

Winners and Losers

Winners by the diktat of government intervention are often less competitive and therefore need the help of the state to survive. The Chinese steel industry as a whole only continues because of massive government subsidies in the form of cheap loans, direct transfers, and state-subsidized electricity.

American steel companies didnt get the same help and therefore many had to fold. They were the losers in this exercise of free trade, as well as millions of American manufacturing workers who could not compete with cheap labor and massive state subsidies in China.

But there were also winners on the American side. Multinational corporations like General Motors Co. and Caterpillar Inc. benefited from either exporting to China or from being allowed to set up shop in China and starting production. This is especially the case for tech companies like Apple who through proxies, produce most of their tech gadgets in China, where average tariffs are as high as 10 percent, compared to the average 3.5 percent of the United States.

Another winner of this lopsided free trade is the U.S. government, which could sell a lot of its debt to China through the aforementioned manipulated system of fiat currencies and fixed exchange rates. But the average U.S. consumer also benefited from cheaper import prices for his thousands of electronic gadgets and other goods.

The list of winners and losers goes on and on and its different for every tariff, every regulation, and every manipulation of the fiat currency system.

Video: How Industrial warfare has occurred between USA and China

Coming back to Trump and his tariffs, its only natural he would want to change the configuration of winners and losers in an already deeply manipulated system. Trump is an economic nationalist, and his goal is to benefit U.S. industry and domestic employment. Every policy from immigration to regulation to taxation reflects this philosophy.

So by raising tariffs on select products, he is picking the domestic winners who should be able to expand production in the face of less international competition and hire more local workers.

In a truly free trade system, this would have long-term disadvantages, because American workers and companies would expand their effort on something that foreign companies and workers could do better.

However, in the current trade regime, it merely levels the playing field for domestic producers while at the same time making life more uncomfortable for not only the American companies operating in China, but also in Europe and Canada.

And it comes with all the unintended consequences any kind of government intervention carries, probably even higher prices for domestic consumer goods.

However, if the people complaining right now had been truly interested in free trade and not just in collecting their own spoils, they would have long ago called on China to lower their average tariff rates and the European Union to stop their massive subsidies for agricultural products.

Alas, for them, free trade is only a one-way street leading to the United States, and theyre unhappy that Trump just put up a massive stop sign.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Kombucha is made from either a green or black tea base, with some interesting additions. (Matt Hoffman)

What Is Kombucha and How Do the Health Claims Stack Up?

A closer look at this ancient drink once only found in hipster cafes

The drink kombucha was previously only popular in hipster cafes but is now vying for space on the supermarket shelves. Many claims are made about the health benefits of drinking kombucha, but what does the science say?

For those of you who havent tried it, kombucha is a quirky-tasting drink. Depending on whats added to it, its best described as a sour apple cider, perhaps with vinegary notes.

Kombucha is an ancient beverage that was originally consumed in China over 2,200 years ago for its detoxifying and energizing properties. As trade routes expanded, kombucha found its way to Russia and then into other Eastern European areas.

During World War II, kombucha was introduced to Germany, and in the 1950s it became popular in France and North Africa. By the 1960s, Swiss scientists claimed that kombucha was beneficial for the gut in a similar way to yogurt.

How Its Made

Kombucha is made from either a green or black tea base. Added to that is white sugar, which has been fermented with a type of tea fungus called a symbiotic culture of acetic acid (vinegar), bacteria, and yeast (SCOBY) for one to two weeks.

Detailed scientific recipes are available on how to prepare kombucha. The taste of the kombucha changes during fermentation from a pleasantly fruity sour-like sparkling flavor to a mild vinegary taste after a long incubation period.

The fermentation process is important, as the SCOBY changes the polyphenolscompounds normally found in tea, fruits, and vegetablesinto other organic compounds. This increases the acidity, which prevents other micro-organisms from growing.

It is these new organic compounds that are claimed to provide health benefits beyond those already found in green or black tea.

The Fermentation Process

The fermentation process extends the shelf-life of kombucha as it does with other historically popular foods and drinks such as cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, wine, and beer.

Beer and wine become alcoholic during the fermentation process, whereas kombucha generally contains less than 0.5 percent alcohol. Food Standards Australia New Zealand classifies foods and drinks below 0.5 percent as non-alcoholic.

Ethanol, the alcohol you can drink, is produced when the yeasts and bacteria in the SCOBY interact via a process called glycolysis. The acetic acid bacteria in the SCOBY make use of the ethanol to produce vinegar (acetic acid), which contributes to its sour taste.

Gut Health

Lightly fermented foods, made from bacteria, contain healthy bacteria. The theory is that these bacteria help colonize our gut, which early research suggests may improve a range of bodily functions from our mood and stress levels, to our weight and cravings for food.

But simply ingesting healthy bacteria wont necessarily cause these bacteria to permanently live in, or colonize, the gut. To gain any long-term health benefits from foods containing live bacteria, known as probiotics, the current research suggests you would need to take them continuously.

There is some evidence that probiotics can be useful in some groups of people, such as those who suffer from certain gut problems like C. difficile infection. But the effect on other diseases like inflammatory bowel disease is uncertain.

The jury is still out on whether probiotics are beneficial to the wider population. So kombuchaor yogurt, for that matterwont necessarily improve the health of your gut. To maintain good gut health, the best thing you can do is eat a wide variety of healthy foods.

Testing the Other Health Claims

A quick Google search will produce many exciting health claims about kombucha. These include detoxifying the blood, reducing cholesterol levels, reducing blood pressure, protecting against diabetes, antibacterial effects, and counteracting aging.

When scientists want to evaluate the effect of a nutrient on health, we like to see that the studies have been done in humans, rather than animals. Many lab bench studies may begin by looking at isolated cells and then animals. This provides us with limited evidence, as human biological systems typically work differently.

For kombucha, there is only evidence from lab bench studies and animal studies. No published studies come from human clinical trials of drinking kombucha.

Two reviews of the lab bench and animal studies on kombucha from 2014 and 2000 suggest the drink may have antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, and antidiabetic properties.

The reviews also note some exciting mechanisms by which kombucha could potentially be used to treat gastric ulcers and high cholesteroland improve the bodys immune response and liver detoxification. But they do not yet tell us if they translate to humans.

A chemical called DSL (D-Saccharic acid-1,4-lactone) is potentially the most beneficial component in kombucha. DSL has the potential to inhibit an important enzyme, -glucuronidase, which may be linked to cancer growth. But once again, this has not been shown in humans.

Lab-bench studies have, however, detected the presence of polyphenols, acids, and vitamins that are also found in regular green and black tea.

Whats the Verdict?

Based on the current evidence, we can say the health properties of kombucha are likely to be similar to drinking tea or other fermented foods. If you enjoy kombucha, continue drinking it, but if you favor the traditional black and green tea, there are good health reasons to continue drinking those.

While some exciting properties have been shown from lab bench and animal studies, it doesnt necessarily follow that we will see these benefits in humans.



Keep in mind that some of the kombuchas on the market have fruit juice added after the fermentation process, which will contribute to your overall sugar intake. The amount of sugar in these varieties can range from 10 to 15 grams per serving (2 to 3 teaspoons), so if you have regular tea without sugar, drinking kombucha will increase your sugar intake.

Evangeline Mantzioris is a lecturer in nutrition at the University of South Australia. Permal Deo is a lecturer and researcher at the University of South Australia. This article was originally published on The Conversation.
Victoria's Secret in Folsom, California, where two women tried to steal $11,000 worth of bras. (Screenshot via Google Maps)

Women Arrested for Trying to Steal $11,000 Worth of Bras

Two women were arrested for trying to steal $11,000 in bras from a Victorias Secret store just outside of Sacramento, California.

An employee saw them stuffing their bags with the undergarments at the Folsom store but when she approached them, they tried to pepper spray her. The altercation slowed the women down enough that police were able to arrive in time and pursue them, ABC 7 reported.

An officer spotted the getaway car of 22-year-old Blanca Thalia Quintero and 19-year-old Antanae Lastar Welch as they attempted to flee, thanks to a description of the vehicle the store employee gave police, according to a Facebook post from the Folsom Police Department.

Both women were charged with robbery and conspiracy, and Quintero was also charged with unlawful possession of tear gas and using tear gas to commit a crime. They also found she had an outstanding arrest warrant from another county  also for theft. Welch was additionally booked for possession of a counterfeit $100 bill, according to police.

A photo accompanying the Facebook post shows a huge amount of bras in a variety of colors. Another photos shows packages of pepper spray and pepper gel.

Victoria Secrets is expensive. If this was Walmarts, theyd only be worth about $400, wrote Sandra Burritt-Perrigo, commenting on the Folsom PD post.

Its like Oceans Eleven only with bras, commented John Leo Huetter, comparing the crime to the Hollywood heist movie.

Police also explained to a commenter why the pepper spray was considered illegal in this incident.

FPD, was unlawful possession of tear gas due to previous conviction(s)? They sell this brand in keychain form at Big 5, asked Jennifer Jones, via the comments section.

Yes, the brand is fine for non-prohibited persons to possess. There are certain prior convictions that prohibit possession of a pepper spray/tear gas device, responded Folsom Police Department.

Both women were detained in the Sacramento County jail.

From NTD.tv

Recommended Video:

Brazen Pickpockets Steal 1,000 From London Pensioner
A Greenwich executive will lead Carl Icahns fight to stop a sale of Xerox to Fujifilm Holdings and explore other options as Icahn attempts to enlist fellow Xerox investors for support.

New Icahn consultant John Visentin previously led the 2013 spinoff of Novitex Enterprise Solutions from the outsourced document and workflow division of Pitney Bowes, with backing from the private equity investment firm Apollo Global Management.

Establishing its headquarters in Stamford where Pitney Bowes is based, Novitex was merged in 2017 with SourceHOV in a $2.8 billion transaction to form Exela Technologies. Exelas sign hangs today on the First Stamford Place building overlooking Interstate 95, which formerly served as the headquarters of Novitex, but with Exela listing its headquarters today in Irving, Texas.

In addition to the familiarity with document technologies honed during his years with Novitex, Visentin worked previously for Xerox rival Hewlett Packard, as well as for IBM. Visentin continues to serve as an adviser to the chairman of Exela, while running a strategic advisory firm called Menda Consulting out of his Greenwich home.

John is a highly in-demand operating executive with a superb track record, specifically when it comes to revamping complex operations with prior managerial shortcomings in the IT services industry to consistently drive profitable growth, Icahn stated in a Wednesday letter to shareholders. John has the ideal skill set to help us show shareholders why the proposed Fuji scheme makes no sense and how there is tremendous value potential in a stand-alone Xerox with new management.

Under CEO Jeff Jacobson  whom Icahn has been attempting to oust  Xerox has made its own case to shareholders in a series of missives on why the Fujifilm deal is best for their long-term interests and that of the company itself. That included last week when the company emphasized some $1.7 billion in cost savings it aims to achieve by 2021 as a result of Xerox and Fujifilm operating under the same corporate structure.
Currently Reading

Restaurants, breweries that opened in SW Conn. in 2018
Detroit, a city that in recent years had to file a multi-billion dollar bankruptcy, is in danger of missing out on generating millions of dollars in taxes and fees with the legal medical marijuana industry.

As Michigan gears up to begin medical marijuana sales, including holding educational sessions around the state for those interested in the marijuana business, Detroit is something of a no-fly zone when it comes to cannabis.

An attorney who consults for the marijuana industry in Michigan told the Detroit Free Press that she has advised prospective marijuana business owners to stay away from Detroit out of concern the city will not soon untangle the legal knots currently surrounding regulation of medical marijuana.

Related: Massachusetts Won't Allow Cannabis Cafes or Marijuana Home Delivery After All

A Complicated History

Theres a long history of difficulties and legal battles surrounding marijuana laws in Michigan. Approved by state voters in 2008, medical marijuana became legal in the state the following year under what is now considered a poorly written Michigan Medical Marijuana Act.

How poorly written? According to one local law firm, the act failed to even make it clear that marijuana dispensaries are legal.

The act launched many rounds of legal action. The Michigan Court of Appeals found the state's inartfully drafted marijuana law left state residents unclear about the circumstances in which they could use marijuana (much less grow, transport and sell it).

In 2016, state lawmakers, attempting to clear up the confusion, passed the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (yes, they spell it with an h). It sets out rules for licensing marijuana dispensaries.

Detroit, however, may not participate.

Related: California Studies Viability of a Public Bank for Marijuana Businesses

Detroit Legal Quagmire

The marijuana issue in Detroit right now is bogged down by a lawsuit won by Detroit officials against, essentially, the citys own voters. The city at one point had more than 200 medical marijuana dispensaries. That number was cut down a few years ago as Detroit officials began to develop a new plan on how to license dispensaries.

The plan included reducing the number of dispensaries to 50 and basing them in industrial areas. However, in November 2017, 60 percent of Detroit voters approved city ordinances that would have opened the medical marijuana business to more entrepreneurs.

The city then sued to overturn that referendum. A judge ruled in the citys favor last month, throwing out most of what voters had approved.

With the rules still up in the air in Detroit, many believe that medical marijuana businesses will simply move to the suburbs, costing the city money and jobs.

Medical marijuana advocates now plan to file another lawsuit against the city, claiming leaders are ignoring the will of the people. For Michigan and Detroit, its just another chapter in what has become a very long and complicated medical marijuana story.

To stay up to date on the latest marijuana related news make sure to like dispensaries.com on Facebook

Related:

Detroit, Bankrupt a Few Years Ago, Seems Uninterested In Reaping Medical Marijuana Millions Now

Massachusetts Won't Allow Cannabis Cafes or Marijuana Home Delivery After All

Investment In Marijuana Industry Has Grown 600 Percent so Far in 2018



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


The following is an extended excerpt of Javier Hasses book Start Your Own Cannabis Business. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Hunter Garth, bearded, 27, seems to be as chill as they come. After all, he works with marijuana.

But this was not always the case.

Returning home after serving with the United States Marine Corps in Afghanistan for four years was not easy. Readapting to civilian life was not easy. And, as you might imagine, overcoming the trauma of war was not easy--is it ever?

During my life in deployment, I was hyper-exposed to trauma, but I really negated it all, telling myself that it was not that bad. I really took a tough guy approach while I was in the Marine Corps, Garth reveals.

However, coming back home was a whole other issue. He could no longer live in denial. My deployment had pretty extensive consequences. During my transitional period, I was not thinking right, I was not sleeping well, [and] I wasnt handling things in an appropriate manner, he continues.

Despite being among the lucky ones, counting on the support of friends and family at the time of his return, Garth marks the moment of getting out of the Marine Corps as the one where things really went South--not only for him but also for almost every one of his comrades. There was not a lot of time to process things in Afghanistan; back home, they were all alone with their thoughts.

A few of the guys that I served with killed themselves; a few of them got in adrenaline-based accidents Basically, we were all self-medicating and acting in a way that was incredibly dangerous as a group of people and as individuals.

I can tell you with certainty that I thought about killing myself more than once. And so did one of my best friends and former unit companion, Caleb Patton, he adds. It was the guys around us, who are now part of IPG, that saved us.

Garth had gotten his stuff on a U-Haul, with 400 bucks in his pocket, moved from his home state, Florida, to Colorado and never looked back. Pretty much the opposite: he was now incentivizing his friends to do the same.

Caleb Patton had served in Iraq and Afghanistan alongside Hunter Garth. Upon returning home, he had to undergo a Calvary of his own. Suffering from excruciating physical and mental pain deriving from an injury he got during a training accident--in which seven of his fellow Marines were killed--Patton had turned to alcohol and pharmaceutical drugs, which the United States Department of Veterans Affairs was feeding him, Garth points out. After a long quest, he found comfort in cannabis. He never imagined weed would change his life, not only on a personal level, but also on a financial one.

When Garth returned from Afghanistan, he found himself without a job, without a college education and without any experience beyond being a Marine. He was 23 years old, and to a certain extent, it looked like everything was said and done.

One day, already in Denver, he walked into a dispensary to get some cannabis, which helps him soothe and deal with posttraumatic stress more easily, and saw an armed guard. His behavior, how he presented himself, and his general attitude were very off-putting, he describes.

He immediately thought that nobody wants to feel uncomfortable when buying weed. This was his a-ha moment: Ive got extensive knowledge about cannabis and a military background. I can do this better, he thought.

That same day, he decided to reach out to his friend Caleb Patton to discuss this idea. This is how Iron Protection Group (IPG) came to be, formed by four former Marines without any additional outside funding or help from business-savvy people.

IPG is not a security company that specializes in marijuana; its a marijuana company that specializes in security, the co-founders often mention. The concept is not hard to grasp: in an industry where each batch of product is worth tens of thousands of dollars and is not covered by insurance; where almost every transaction is made in cash; and where access to traditional banking is pretty limited, danger abounds. There are millions of dollars in product and actual bills sitting around at any given moment.

So, what IPG does is make sure that everyone involved in producing, selling and moving the product and the money derived from it is safe--and feels that way.

People are not necessarily afraid of guns but rather of the people using them, Garth argues when confronted with the issue of IPG personnel carrying guns. All of our team served in the military and was in combat; we would literally go out and fight the Taliban. So, we have extreme confidence around firearms and extreme training to use them correctly. However, we are also all very calm in our approach to threats and danger. We are quiet professionals: this means we know our jobs and our skills; we dont need to prove we are bad-ass.

This is an industry where there is space for anyone with good ideas and good intentions.

As youll find out in the next few paragraphs, Garths story is the embodiment of the cannabis industrys values; it shows that the cannabis industry is not just about growing and selling weed.

This is an industry that loves the Wall Street suit-type as much as it loves the underdog and the least likely to succeed. This is an industry where there is space for anyone with good ideas and good intentions. This is an industry where everyone will find a role that suits him or her. And this is the industry that saved, in more than one way, all of the war veterans involved in IPG: people who gave up what many consider to be the best years of their lives so that Americans in every corner of the country can enjoy the liberties they adore.

We started IPG with four guys, and in about 60 days, we already had 30 employees, Garth says. We went from nothing to a multi-million-dollar business in literally two months, but none of us had business knowledge--we werent even 25 years old. All we knew was there was a problem in the industry and we could help fix it.

The complete lack of business knowledge was not a problem at first. However, as time went by, what Garth and Patton learned (the hard way) was that clients would get delayed with payments and, in occasions, would not pay at all. In fact, this is something that every entrepreneur in every industry should know: shut up and take my money is an expression that only exists on memes. In real life, people are very often unreliable payers.

Questions emerged quickly. How would IPG continue to cover its expenses as delinquency rates surged? How would they stay afloat with no financial backers other than its owners? If this were your business, how would you?

Faced with these hard questions, Garth decided to stop taking on new clients and instead dedicate his time to getting educated on entrepreneurship and business issues. Six months later, he felt he was ready to go back to taking on new customers and managing the cash flow resulting from these contracts.

But, probably the most important lesson Garth got from his business education was that his company needed expert help. Remember this because you will, too!

Consequently, he decided to reach out to Advanced Cannabis Solutions, which is now a $24 million, publicly traded company that goes by the name of General Cannabis and trades over the counter under the CANN symbol. After presenting his business over a breakfast meeting, Advanced Cannabis Solutions Chairman committed to helping Garth get the $200,000 he needed to finance and grow his operation. After looking into it in detail, they decided they would rather acquire IPG, but none of its co-founders were willing to sell.

This is my baby. I need help, but I am not ready to let go, Garth told them.

When discussing this story with Tyler Stratford, whos also a veteran and now serves as director of client operations at one of North Americas top cannabis consulting firms, Canna Advisors, he stopped us at this point. I love that these guys are still in the business. I dont like to see people come into the industry, make a quick dollar and then leave, he commented.

Instead of just making a profit from his company and running, Garth agreed to an acquisition where General Cannabis would give him and his partners equity in the parent company, finance IPG and retain the entirety of the team. What this meant was that IPG would now count on the support of a corporate structure (back office, legal, and financial backing) without having to actually sell out.

This company was built by brothers helping brothers, and we intend to follow that path, Patton adds.

This company was built by brothers helping brothers.

This success story clearly shows how anyone like yourself, educated or not, connected or not, experienced or not, can make it in the cannabis industry. I had made a million dollars, personally, by the time I turned 26, Garth discloses.

On the other hand, this story also provides numerous lessons about whats important when creating a business. Funding and expert advisory are central to the realization of a business idea; the fact that the guys at IPG got lucky does not mean anyone else will. In order to make it in the cannabis world, youll need to plan ahead, raise money and get good advice.

Having said this, know that youll have to put a lot of effort into your business. People think they will become rich overnight. But this is rarely the case. Cannabis today is a long-term play, Marvin Washington, Super Bowl champion turned cannabis investor and activist, points out.

We could have been eaten alive in this process. Someone could have easily taken the company from our hands, Garth reflects. I now understand the public space and the nuances of finance, but I didnt at the time. Education and mentorship were the most important takeaways from this experience.

You need to be extremely confident on what you know and get help with what you dont know.

Related:

How This Former Marine Turned His PTSD Into a Multi-Million-Dollar Business in 60 Days

These Shepreneurs are Scripting the Next Chapter of Entrepreneurship

To Learn the Secrets of Long-Term Success Just Study This 50-Year-Long Wrestling Career



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


NORWALK  A Stamford man who had been living inside a shipping container behind a South Norwalk business was charged with trespass and reckless burning while cooking a meal inside the container, police said.

Franck Sylvain, 39, was charged Tuesday with first-degree criminal trespass and reckless burning after smoke was seen coming from the inside of the container.
Are you wondering how your competitors got higher rankings on Google and managed to get so many mentions in the media? Well, while you were busy optimizing keywords for your website's SEO, your competitors were using public relations (PR) strategies to promote their business and get free links at the same time.

Many businesses make the mistake of thinking that PR strategies are only good for big brands and that its difficult to get media coverage without a big marketing budget. The truth is, you can actually develop a PR strategy without even touching your marketing budget. Well show you how.

How PR helps improve SEO.

Now, youre probably thinking how does PR and media coverage improve SEO? Public relations is not just about press releases and news coverage.

PR also comes with many more additional benefits. It can build backlinks to improve your website domain authority, which is a direct ranking signal Google uses on its search engine.

Whenever you send a press release, popular publications will write about your business while linking to your website. This automatically gives a free backlink to your website.

Related: How to Build SEO Backlinks: A Beginner's Guide

In addition, youll also receive brand recognition and build authority. Youll even be able to create an as seen on section on your website to brag about all the publications that published a story about you.

How to get started.

The key to a successful PR strategy is understanding your market and positioning your tactics to get coverage on the right publications to reach your target audience.

Before you start reaching out to the media, make sure to set specific goals to measure success. For example, if improving SEO is your goal, you should focus on getting published on websites that offer do-follow backlinks.

Many popular blogs place a no-follow tag to outbound links, especially on the comment section. This type of link still helps generate traffic to your website but adds less SEO value from a domain authority perspective.

Once you find the right websites to reach out to, you can use these four simple tactics to develop an effective PR strategy.

1. Create a guest posting campaign.

Guest posting is the easiest way to get free media coverage. This method allows you to publish stories featuring your products on popular blogs and also to link back to your website.

Heres how it works. First, you find a blog in your niche that accepts guest posts. You can find one from a detailed list of over 300 websites. Then, you reach out to the publication to pitch a blog post idea. If it accepts the idea, you can deliver the article while mentioning your business or including a link to it in the author bio.

The publication gets a free high-quality post to generate traffic to their website and you get a free backlink to your website. Its a win-win deal.

2. Join popular PR platforms.

Another great way to get published in blogs and publications is to join popular PR platforms. With this strategy, you dont have to write the content for the media, they will write the stories for you.

Related: The New PR: 5 Content and News Distribution Strategies You Need to Master

There are many popular PR websites you can use to connect with journalists and blogs. HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is one of the most popular places that allows businesses to reach out to publications to share their stories.

You can also use sites like PRWeb and PR Newswire to publish press releases to get the media come to you for stories.

3. Use the skyscraper technique.

You dont have to be a billion-dollar brand constantly making news, to get the attention of the media to generate links and build awareness. Even if youre a small business thats just starting out, you can use the power of quality content to get other publications to link to your website for free.

The skyscraper technique is a popular strategy many websites use to build links. This method involves creating an in-depth guide or a resource on your own website and then reaching out to publications asking to link to your guide.

4. Use an email outreach program.

A lesser-known PR strategy that most businesses forget about is keeping track of brand mentions. Many websites will often write stories about your business without even you noticing, and you can use those stories to build more links to your website.

Setup a Google Alert to be notified whenever a website mentions your brand or product. Then, you can reach out these publications to thank them and ask for a link back to your website. Most websites will gladly link to your website to add value to their articles.

Related: 7 Essential Tools for Easily Building Your Personal Brand Online

Today, there are plenty of tools you can use to create a successful PR strategy with even a tiny budget. You can even develop and maintain a PR campaign all by yourself.

Whether its getting more links or more visitors to your landing pages, creating a proper PR strategy is the best way to stay ahead of your competition and grow your business at the same time.

Related:

This Ingenious PR Strategy Will Improve Your SEO

3 Ways to Use Twitter to Increase Search Rankings

How To Improve Your Business' Website in 2018



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


WESTPORT  About a dozen parents stood across from Staples High School Wednesday morning. The group of mothers and fathers turned out despite the chilly weather in support of the nationwide student-led walkout against gun violence while Staples students gathered in the fieldhouse.

Gun violence prevention groups across the country organized the March 14 movement, which called on students to walk out of school at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes in remembrance of the 17 students and staff members killed in the Feb. 14 shooting in Parkland, Fla.

Darcy Hicks, a Staples mom and gun-violence prevention activist who organized the parents gathered across from the high school, said she was disappointed with the schools purported efforts to keep politics out of the students speeches at the gathering in the fieldhouse.

Its hard to say whats going on without talking about politics, Hicks said. If anything good is coming from this, its bringing to light the question of when is it OK to be political and when is it necessary to break the rules and be civilly disobedient for a cause thats important to you.

In a March 6 email to parents, Superintendent of Schools Colleen Palmer outlined the guidelines for students who wished to participate in the walkout.

While our district does not condone school walkouts, we are especially sensitive to how our students are processing and reacting to not only the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, but also the issue at Staples High School last week, Palmer wrote, the latter in reference to the Feb. 28 incident in which a Staples student with thoughts of allegedly executing a mass shooting at the high school was taken into custody.

Palmer said the Staples leadership team was working with students to plan thoughtful, focused events for the morning of March 14 that allowed students to voice their concerns and honor the memory of the Parkland victims.

For safety and security reasons, we request that parents and outside visitors refrain from coming to our schools during this time. Beyond our own Inklings student press, no press will be permitted on any school site, Palmer wrote.

With multiple police cars guarding the entrances to Staples, press was unable to observe the student walkout, which took place in the fieldhouse, as opposed to outside as occurred at schools across the country. Neither Palmer not Principal James DAmico returned multiples requests for comment.

Hicks son, Theo Koskoff, delivered a speech  the contents of which was provided to the Westport News after the protest  first thanking the administration for their cooperation in organizing the event and then criticizing their attempts to ensure apolitical discourse.

Instead of voicing our political opinions and exercising our right to free speech, the administration has encouraged us to hide any debate or confrontation behind a thin veil of artificial unity. This same thin veil has left a barren landscape, a political vacuum which the NRA (National Rifle Association) has exploited to its maximum capacity, killing 90 people every day in the process, Koskoff said, citing a data from the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention that, on average, 96 Americans are killed by guns daily.

Koskoff continued, I would now like to invite students here to exercise their freedom of speech and to lie down to protest the stifling of political confrontation which has done nothing but strengthen the omnipresence of gun violence in the United States.

Following the seniors remarks, those in the auditorium collectively sat down. (While Wesport News  and all other media  was barred from school grounds, video of the protest is available at Inklings Facebook page).

While parents were not allowed to attend the student demonstration, Hicks said she was proud of the speech her son prepared, including calling out the administration.

Preventing debate and stifling people from speaking about something like gun violence is the most political thing you can do, Hicks said. Our whole problem is the question of whats too political anymore. I dont see dead children as being too political to talk about.

Fellow Staples mom Sarah Green-Motyl was similarly frustrated by the schools response to the walkout.

I understand Dr. Palmer feels she needs to protect our children, and shed doing a great job of that. But, on the other hand, I want to show solidarity with the children across the country, Green-Motyl said. I feel I need to support whatever they feel they need to do to protect themselves. Its horrifying we have to watch our children fighting to protect their lives. To be afraid to go to school is a disgrace.

Westporter Sarah Manning, who has four kids, the eldest in middle school, said students in other parts of the country faced the threat of suspension for walking out and said she was pleased with the Westport School Districts relatively-supportive response to student participation in the movement. Manning said her primary purpose for attending the parent walkout was to support the student protesters.

Fellow Westporter Maggie Mudd said she stood outside Staples because students are at the center of  and the leaders of  the movement against gun violence prevention.

Im so proud of Americas youth for standing up on this gun issue. Theyre not easily dissuaded and I think our generation has been morally bankrupt on the issue of gun control, said Mudd, whose children recently graduated from Westport schools. The least I can say to the children fighting is keep going.

Elected to the Representative Town Meeting in November, Greens Farms resident Nicole Klein wore a Protect Children, Not Guns shirt and waved a small American flag at the protest.

I brought an American flag because I believe in America and, to me, one of the most important things is protecting our children, which is a true American value, Klein said.
If you turn down an opportunity to take a risk and prove something to yourself and your company, you might be missing out on an important moment in your entrepreneurial career.

Related: 5 Things Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Risk-Taking

Thats why whenever shes presented with a risk or opportunity, Auria Abraham, founder and chef of Aurias Malaysian Kitchen, says yes. Then, figures out how to make it happen later. After receiving a request for one of the largest orders her company has ever seen, and under a tight deadline, Abraham didnt think twice before accepting the challenge. I had, at the time, no idea how we were going to do it, she shares in the video. Its an opportunity and its a risk. It was scary but go-time. You just have to make it happen. Prove it to yourself.

Related: 7 Risks Every Entrepreneur Must Take

And thats exactly what Abraham and her team did. Successfully completing the order, the company felt proud and learned an important lesson: say yes and then figure out how to make it happen later.

To learn more from Abraham and her experience with risk-taking, click play.

This video was shot at Pilotworks.

Related:

How to Fight Isolation as a Solopreneur

Musings From Dubai Lynx 2018: MENA Needs More AI Solutions Working On Arabic Content

Startup Docswallet Wants To Help Your Company (And The Economy) Go Paperless



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


WILTON  A month after 17 people were killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, Wilton High School students joined their peers from around the state and nation in walking out of school Wednesday morning to protest gun violence.

Shortly before 10 a.m.  the time when the Florida shooting began  students began milling out of the high school in what students described as a nonpartisan show of solidarity against gun violence.

Some students wore orange, the color adopted by a number of national gun violence awareness campaigns. Others carried signs with sayings like I want to differentiate and conjugate, not duck and cover, and One child is worth more than all the guns on Earth.

Despite differences in how the protest manifested itself, the students all walked out of class with a similar message to convey: enough is enough.

Thousands of schools were participating in this, and I think it will make a statement to the government and Congress about gun safety, about preventing gun violence and school safetyWe hope that this will stir up some excitement from students who havent been involved in this issue before, said Emily Kesselman, one of the lead organizers of the walkout.

The walkout featured a ceremony with 17 different speakers with representatives from each grade at the school, each with diverse backgrounds. Each speaker gave a short yet illustrative summary of one of the victims of the Parkland shooting, as well as a brief bio on themselves.

The ceremony lasted exactly 17 minutes in commemoration of the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting.

Cameron Berg, president of Wilton Highs student body, assisted Kesselman in organizing the walkout. For Berg, the walkout wasnt about Wilton, its students or even the innocent 14 lives lost unexpectedly on Feb. 14, per se. It was about doing something as community, as a state and as a nation to prevent gun violence in schools.

The students and teachers whose lives we commemorate today werent from our community, but the point is that they could have been, said Berg.

In his speech to the nearly 500 students who voluntarily attended the walkout, Berg cited a Martin Luther King Jr. adage, which he said the community could not afford to ignore.

Channeling our frustration, anger, impatience and sadness into courage, persistence and knowledge is the only tractable course forward in this growing national movement, said Berg, quoting King.

Its the responsibility of every individual student in this community to formulate a coherent position on gun laws and on school safety. There are a wide range of respectable stances, but I dont know can no longer be one of them, he added.

Kesselman and Berg, along with other students, organized the Wednesdays walkout with minimal input from the school administration.

Aside from approving the walkout time and securing additional police patrols for safety, Wilton High principal Robert ODonnell said the walkout was entirely a product of his schools student body.

The students took the initiative to organize a meaningful ceremony to remember the 17 victims who went to school that day and never came home their families, and that was very important to them to do so. In talking to the students, they just feel very strongly about school safety and very strongly against school violence, and consequently they thought this was important, said Wilton High Principal Robert ODonnell.
Question: I follow a video blog, and one of the people on it is a lawyer. During a discussion, they talked about corporations as being treated like people, but they did not really go into detail. Can you explain to me how it is that a corporation can be treated like a person, and whether or not a corporation enjoys rights that are similar to individuals if they are treated like people?

The creation of a corporation is no laughing matter. It is not a simple or easy thing to do, and it involves a lot of commitment and follow-up documentation. One of the reasons why a corporation is so difficult to create and potentially subject to so much regulation is that it has more constitutional protections than do other business entities that can be formed, such as partnerships, limited liability companies, and so on.

One such constitutional characteristic of a corporation is that it is its own entity. In other words, the corporation itself is liable for its obligations, as opposed to its board of directors or president being held liable for them. Constitutionally speaking, a corporation is entitled to equal protection of the law (or the equal application of the law without arbitrary distinctions being made) as well as due process of law (or the fundamental fairness of the law, which involves certain rights in relation to legal actions). For this and other reasons, a corporation is considered a person under the law.

The result of a corporation being considered a person are serious. It means that a corporation is entitled to any and all protections and rights that are afforded to persons under the law. This excludes, however, those laws that refer to natural persons. There can be very real consequences of this.

For example, a corporation is sued, and certain records are sought. The corporation can claim, for instance, the attorney-client privilege in refusing to disclose those records, just as a real live human being could. It is interesting to note a particular exception to this. The main exception to a corporations enjoying the same protections and rights that you and I share is that, unlike us, corporations do not enjoy the 5th Amendment protection in the United States Constitution  which protects a person against self-incrimination. What this means is that if a corporation is under investigation by Congress, for example, or is sued, the corporation  through its representatives, of course  cannot refuse to testify for fear of possibly incriminating itself.

There is more, however, than a corporation simply being considered a person. For those who remain interested, there are other constitutional characteristics of a corporation. Among these are that a corporation, like a person, can be domiciled in a particular place. Domicile can come into play for a very important reason: taxation. For a corporation, the place of its domicile  or home  will usually be the state in which it has been incorporated, or, alternatively, where its principal place of business is located. A corporations principal place of business is usually where its executive offices are or where the locations of its major corporate activity are. A corporation, being a person, can be considered a resident of a state as well. Generally, a corporation is considered a resident where it conducts its business, where it is only qualified to do business, or the state or states in which it has been incorporated.

Finally, a corporation is not considered to be a citizen. However, for the purpose of establishing which court (or jurisdiction) can hear a case involving a corporation, citizenship is vitally important. For this limited purpose, a corporation is considered a citizen of either the state where its principal place of business is or the state where it has been incorporated. In instances in which a corporation has been incorporated in several states, that corporation is considered a citizen of each state in which it was incorporated.

Have questions for Brendan Bukalski? E-mail him at askthelawyer@gmail.com, or write him, c/o The Edwardsville Intelligencer, 117 N. 2nd St., Edwardsville, IL 62025.

Editors note  the answers provided in this column are general in nature, and should not be relied upon as legal advice or interpreted as creating an attorney-client relationship. As a general rule, all specific legal problems should be handled by an individuals personal attorney. Any submissions to the author are subject to being published and to being modified prior to publication.
EDWARDSVILLE  The Illinois Supreme Court has denied Edwardsville Mayor Hal Pattons appeal and has officially removed his name from the ballot for the 56th District Senate seats Republican nomination.

As announced Tuesday, March 13, the Illinois Supreme Court has denied to hear Pattons appeal and has denied a motion for a stay of the Appellate Court's order. This means Patton is officially off of the ballot, at least for the primary. Although Ken Menzel, of the Illinois State Board of Elections, indicated that Pattons attorney Burt Odelson said he may attempt to appeal Patton's case to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This has not yet been confirmed from Patton or Odelson.

In a statement received by Patton earlier this evening regarding his candidacy, he said he will be taking some time to evaluate the next steps to getting his name back on the ballot in time for the election in November.

The rigged political system in Illinois is alive and well and this process has been a clear example of that. This is why its so hard to get good people to run for office, Patton said. This case was filed in Cook County because thats where Mike Madigan and his attorney have the most influence and where voters in the 56th District have the leastThe people of Madison, St. Clair and Jersey County deserve better than to be controlled by Cook County.

I am going to take time to evaluate all of my options, but I can assure you that I am more committed than ever to being on the ballot in November and putting an end to business as usual in Springfield, he added.

Pattons objector, Charles Yancey, first appealed the Illinois State Board of Elections on Jan. 11 with a motion to remove Patton from the ballot after signing a petition for State Rep. Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville. Illinois state law prohibits candidates from signing petitions for different political parties. Last week, the Appellate Court also ruled against Patton and forwarded the cast to the Cook County Circuit Court to invalidate any votes that had been received for his nomination.

The primary election in Illinois is set for Tuesday, March 20 and early bird voting is currently ongoing, as it first started Thursday, Feb. 8.

The 56th District includes all or parts of Edwardsville, Alton, Glen Carbon, Bethalto, Caseyville, Collinsville, East Alton, Elsah, Fairview Heights, Hartford, Godfrey, Granite City, Madison, Maryville, OFallon, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, Shiloh, South Roxana, Swansea and Wood River.

More information on Pattons candidacy will be released as it is received.
Brookfield Asset Management, Inc. engages in the management of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It operates through the following segments: Asset Management, Real Estate, Renewable Power, Infrastructure, Private Equity, Residential Development, and Corporate Activities. The Asset Management segment includes the management of its listed partnerships, private funds and public securities. The Real Estate segment is comprised of the ownership, operation and development of core office, core retail, LP investments and other properties. The Renewable Power segment encompasses the ownership, operation and development of hydroelectric, wind, solar, storage and other power generating facilities. The Infrastructure segment consists of the ownership, operation and development of utilities, transport, energy, data infrastructure and sustainable resource assets. The Private Equity segment refers to the broad range of industries, and is mostly focused on business services, infrastructure services and industrials. The Residential Development segment represents homebuilding, condominium development and land development. The Corporate Activiti

Read More
Wall Street analysts have given Chinook Energy 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 Chinook Energy wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.
 American Consumer News, LLC dba MarketBeat 2010-2021. All rights reserved.

326 E 8th St #105, Sioux Falls, SD 57103 | U.S. Based Support Team at [email protected] | (844) 978-6257

MarketBeat does not provide personalized financial advice and does not issue recommendations or offers to buy stock or sell any security.



Our Accessibility Statement | Terms of Service | Do Not Sell My Information



 2021 Market data provided is at least 10-minutes delayed and hosted by Barchart Solutions. Information is provided 'as-is' and solely for informational purposes, not for trading purposes or advice, and is delayed. To see all exchange delays and terms of use please see disclaimer. Fundamental company data provided by Zacks Investment Research.
4 hours ago

Investors, Have You Used the Rule of 72? If Not, Here's Why You're Missing Out

You could live to 120 and not know everything you could possibly know about investing. However, it's also important to have a firm grasp on the basics. One of the most basic concepts of personal finance involves the rule of 72.

Read Article
Prep Polls: Florence-Henrys football team moves up to No. 3 in Class 9AA

Florence-Henrys high school football team is now ranked third in Class 9AA in this weeks South Dakota Prep Media poll.
About Me Scott Because prophetic scriptures are found throughout the bible, it is obvious that a comprehensive, systematic approach would be useful, if not necessary, for the understanding of prophecy. Past prophecies have been fulfilled in a literal manner, as confirmed by the dating of these writings and historical records of confirmation. These past prophecies also serve as a model of how to interpret future prophecies. A literal view of prophecy clearly indicates a certain sequence of events will occur within a single generation, concluding with the Tribulation and Second Advent and these events will be obvious. The prophetic signs appear to be present in this generation and we believe these signs are revealed in the news from around the world. View my complete profile
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
DETROITUnder pressure from U.S. regulators, Ford is recalling nearly 1.4 million mid-size cars in North America  including 62,479 in Canada  because the steering wheels can detach from the steering column and drivers could lose control.

The recall covers certain Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ cars from the 2014 through 2018 model years.

Ford says steering wheel bolts can loosen over time. The company says it knows of two crashes and one injury caused by the problem.

Dealers will replace the bolts with longer ones that have more aggressive threads and a nylon patch to stop them from coming loose. Owners will be notified by mail the week of April 30, and parts are expected to be available by then.

Just over 1.3 million cars in the U.S. are being recalled, with the rest in Canada and Mexico.

The recall comes about five months after the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into steering wheels falling off of Fusions from the 2014 through 2016 model years.

The safety agency said in documents that it began the probe after receiving three complaints, including one from a driver from Georgia who reported that the steering wheel in a 2015 Fusion fell into their lap when turning into a gas station.

Two other people reported that the bolt attaching the wheel to the steering column came loose while driving and had to be re-tightened at a repair shop. At the time the agency had no reports of crashes or injuries.

Ford isnt the only manufacturer to issue a recall for steering wheels coming off. In February, Hyundai recalled 43,900 vehicles which were at risk of the steering wheel breaking away from the steering column. That recall affected the 2018 Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport SUVs.
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont.Canada wont be bowled over at the NAFTA negotiating table, Justin Trudeau vowed Wednesday in the face of U.S. President Donald Trumps ongoing push for a quicker resolution to the ongoing trade talks.

The prime minister made the comment Wednesday while greeting steelworkers during an early-morning shift change outside a plant in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., part of a three-day meet-and-greet tour of communities where steel and aluminum manufacturing are major employers.

Were standing up for ourselves. But, we know theres a win-win-win we can get to, Trudeau told one employee at the Algoma steel facility.

The challenge (the United States) faces is that were there at the table, were contributing but were not just going to be bowled over by them, he added.

Were pushing back on some things that we think might not be the right suggestions, which is what people would expect from Canada.

In a phone conversation with Trudeau earlier this week, Trump called for the talks to wrap up promptly  an echo of his administrations long-standing desire to resolve the negotiations before upcoming congressional elections in the U.S. later this year and a Mexican presidential election July 1.

Speaking at a sustainable business forum Wednesday in Vancouver, International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said the government has stood firm at the NAFTA table and will continue to do so.

Weve done that with Boeing. Weve done that with softwood lumber. Well continue. We are constructive. Well always be at the table, Champagne said. We want to modernize NAFTA, a NAFTA that is a win-win-win situation.

Read more:

U.S. imposes more anti-dumping duties on Canadian newsprint

Trudeau talks steel, calls dealing with opioid crisis a priority during visit to Hamilton

U.S. wants to decide on tariff exemptions in two weeks, Mnuchin says

Trudeau later travelled to Regina where he toured the Evraz steel factory and reassured workers in the break room of the federal government's support for the industry.

Trump recently exempted Canada and Mexico from tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum, although the U.S. government has been dropping hints that the exception is only temporary. Trump in particular has been linking Canadas fate on tariffs to the outcome of the NAFTA negotiations.

"I'm really happy to be having the kind of conversations we're having this week instead of the conversations we might have had had the American decision gone differently last week," Trudeau told the workers. "I'm glad to be able to reassure you guys a little bit."

Regina was the final stop on Trudeau's tour of metal cities which began in Alma, Que., moved to Hamilton on Tuesday before visiting Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday morning.

Trudeau credited the co-ordinated efforts of business, labour and political leaders for securing an exemption for Canadian steel and aluminum from the recent threat of U.S. trade duties.

One of the really strong things about our approach is that were all saying the same kinds of things from very, very different perspectives, he told a roundtable of industry leaders.

Its been a real team effort and Canada has been united.

Trudeau emphasized how the level of integration between the American and Canadian steel industries means both economies would suffer from trade restrictions.

We can see the bridge built with local steel here that literally connects Canada to the United States, he said, gesturing out the window toward the overpass spanning the nearby St. Marys River that separates the Canadian city from its American namesake in Michigan.

These are things that I highlighted to the president.

Earlier in the day, Trudeau was taken on a tour of the Algoma facility. Wearing a white hard hat, he watched from a raised walkway as a red-hot sheet of steel shot along rollers and was sprayed with water, sending a sharp hiss throughout the plant.

Later wearing an orange hard hat in Regina, Trudeau inspected the Evraz plant, shook hands with workers and received explanations on how different machines worked.

The prime minister also met with Regina Mayor Michael Fougere and with steel industry leaders.

During his earlier visits to factories in Saguenay, Que., and Hamilton, Trudeau repeated his message that the national security argument the U.S. has made when it comes to tariffs makes no sense and could not apply to Canada.

Speaking in Hamilton on Tuesday, Trudeau said there are measures in place, including tariffs and tougher border controls, to prevent steel and aluminum producers in other countries from using Canada as a back door to slip cheap metal into the U.S..

Trudeau said the surplus of steel in the global market is not new and with American tariffs in place, some countries might try to ship their products to the U.S. through Canada.

He said Canada would be alert to such scenarios and would work with industry partners and the U.S. to make sure that doesnt happen.

Read more about:
REYKHOLT, IcelandStanding in the mud of the Myvatn geyser field in northern Iceland, Kolla Ivarsdottir lifted the lid of her makeshift bread oven. It had been fashioned from the drum of an old washing machine and buried in the geothermally heated earth. All around us mudpots burbled and columns of steam shot skyward, powered by the heat of nascent volcanoes.

Ivarsdottir, a mother of three who sells her bread in a local crafts market, reached into the oven and retrieved a milk carton full of just-baked lava bread, a sweet, dense rye bread that has been made in the hot earth here for centuries. She cut the still-hot loaf into thick slices. It is best eaten, she said, completely covered by a slab of cold butter as thick as your hand, and a slice of smoked salmon, just as thick. We settled for bread and butter  still a supernal combination.

Do many people cook other things this way? I asked, eyeing the natural heat sources all around me.

Not much, she replied. Sometimes a goose that a hunter shot, but most often, just the lava bread.

I found this surprising in an energy-rich and conservation-minded country that is also a pioneer in modern Nordic cuisine. In this era of slow cookers and Sous-vide, wouldnt it be possible, I wondered, to make a whole meal using Icelands natural geothermal ovens?

I did more than wonder: I decided to test my proposition, a quest that led me last summer on a wide-ranging tour of this islands culinary riches.

A call to restaurant critic and fish exporter Kjartan Olafsson, my go-to source for all things Icelandic, caught him in the midst of haying for the horses that carry him and his wife on off-road forays into the wilderness. In this land of rapid weather changes and not much arable land, the folk wisdom of making hay while the sun shines is a deeply held article of faith.

I have just the guy for you, he said.

At his suggestion, I immediately set out on an eight-hour drive to Reykholt, a village in the southwest. Although it has the some of grandest scenery on earth, Iceland is a small country; 16 hours by car will take you on a complete circuit.

The next day, I met Jon Sigfusson in Reykholt, where he is the chef at Fridheimar, a restaurant under the same roof as a futuristic indoor farm of the same name. About a fifth of Icelands tomatoes are grown there on soaring vines  as tall as a two-storey house  under golden lamps in geothermally heated greenhouses. The restaurants whole menu, including cocktails, is based on tomatoes.

Sigfusson and his wife, Asborg, returned to Reykholt, his native village, after raising their children in Reykjavik. They were looking for a slower pace of life. He did not foresee the runaway success that the tomato restaurant would have, but he still maintains a small-town existence, more in tune with nature. He is proud of his successful recent effort to marshal local opposition to the installation of street lamps.

I moved here because I want the moonlight, the stars and the Northern Lights, he said.

In that low-tech spirit, our group  Olafsson; his wife, Karitas; my wife, Melinda; and I  hatched a plan to cook at the local geyser oven, a feature of many rural Icelandic towns. A short drive from the restaurant, it sits on a rise with a 160-kilometre vista to the south and east, a panorama of big rivers and lava fields. In the distance, Hekla, an active volcano, hulks over the plain. In medieval times it was said that the birds that circle the sleeping volcano were the souls of sinners queuing up for the descent into hell.

The water we are drinking fell as rain and snow on that glacier 700 years ago, Sigfusson said, pointing west to the mountains of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, which rise up from the North Atlantic rift that marks the separation of Eurasia from North America.

We were standing on the hill above Reykholt, where the towns geyser has been capped with a roughly finished housing of concrete, topped by a ramshackle smokestack. From that source, the village channels steam and hot water that supply part of the heat and power needs of the modern community.

Some of the hot vapour is also diverted to the villages communal oven, where Sigfusson proposed to cook our meal. Its a much safer way to cook in geothermal heat than tiptoeing around boiling geysers.

He opened the geyser oven, propping it up with a fence post so that I could peer in safely. The escaping steam was as hot as a sauna and, at the bottom of the oven, a good deal hotter (about 93 C). It smelled a bit sulphurous, too, but that comes with the territory when tapping the heat of the Earths core.

We agreed to meet the following morning to cook a menu of local fare, including trout from the nearby Tungufljot River and grass-fed Icelandic lamb, a hardy local breed that has the same salty succulence of the famous French agneau de pre-sale, lamb raised in salt-marsh meadows.

For dessert, Sigfusson suggested abrystir, made from the first milk (nutrient-dense colostrum) produced by a nursing cow. Whenever one of our cows gave birth, my grandma would take some of the milk and put it in a teakettle set into a pan of hot water, he said. It was so rich that pretty soon it had set into a creme brulee all on its own  no eggs.

The next day broke bluebird-bright, with cotton-candy clouds and a light breeze. First we forage, Sigfusson said when we met. Wild herbs are everywhere.

Our small group ranged along the hillside. The ground was carpeted by wild thyme, with purple flowers the size of a gumdrop nestled among tender flavourful leaves. In the lusher folds and hollows, we found angelica, a plant with a floral, almost verbena note and just a touch of bitterness  well suited to contain the broad flavours of the unctuous lamb.

Sigfusson lopped off two stalks of wild hops to season the broth, a new use  at least to me  of the brewmasters mainstay.

With the tailgate of his truck serving as our work surface, we separated some greenhouse romanesco into florets and tossed them into a Dutch oven. We cubed baby kohlrabi, did the same with the smoky brined lamb shoulder, then added the herbs, the hops and a half-dozen glugs of cream. As we worked, the geyser would blow its top every seven minutes, and we had to pause, retreating beyond the reach of its warm, misty spray.

Next, we poured the colostrum into ramekins that we set into our bain-marie  a roasting pan half-filled with water. Then Sigfusson brought out a 2-pound brown trout he had caught himself (on a Hairy Mary salmon fly, he reported with pride). We stuffed the brightly spotted trout with sorrel, angelica and scallions, folded it up in parchment paper (en papillote is an ideal way to cook in a steam oven) and placed it in with the rest of our feast.

We left the oven to work its magic and, a few hours later, returned to unburden it of our meal. The bread, Jons own variation on this Viking staple, could have easily sufficed for the whole meal had we not exercised some restraint. The trout was flaky and herbaceous. The milk pudding, topped with a jam of green tomatoes, ginger and honey, was super-creamy.

But the star of the show was the lamb braise. The meat was salty and smoky, the creamy gravy enriched with the captured juices of lamb, romanesco and kohlrabi, and everything suffused with wild thyme, angelica and hops  which brought the sweetness-enhancing quality of fresh tarragon. I made a note to try it under the skin of my next roast chicken.

The breeze was gentle, and the ground was soft and dry enough to lie or sit on without getting damp. Late afternoon sun lit up the landscape formed long ago by lava flows. It looked like pale-green velvet rippled by the breeze.

Ill admit to a tingle of schadenfreude as I looked over at Hekla to see to see if the soul of anyone on my hit list was plunging into hellfire, but I didnt dwell on it. The day was too lovely, the natural world too congenial and the food too satisfying to yield to uncharitable fantasies.
OTTAWAHigh-ranking Belgian officials played down a perceived snub of the Belgian king and queen by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the royal couple carried on day two of their weeklong state visit to Canada.

A meeting between Trudeau and the royal couple would have been preferred, Belgiums deputy prime minister said in an interview Tuesday.

Its all the time better to have contact with the prime minister, Didier Reynders said.

But Reynders, who is also Belgiums foreign and European affairs minister, said he understood that Trudeau is dealing with more pressing political concerns: namely, showing support for his countrys steel and aluminum industries.

Trudeau launched a cross-country tour of steel and aluminum mills this week in light of potential tariffs on the metals being imposed by the U.S. government, even though Canada and Mexico were granted a temporary exemption from the tariffs last week by President Donald Trump.

Its a choice, Reynders said of Trudeaus decision to immerse himself in meetings with steel and aluminum producers.

We have full respect for such a choice.

A government source, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity, said Belgian officials were told well in advance of the planned visit by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde that Trudeau would likely be unavailable to meet with them this week.

But that message was relayed before the prime minister planned his outreach tour of cities that could be impacted by tariffs.

What was more important for Belgium this week, said Reynders, was that Canadas International Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne was available to discuss trade issues with Belgian political and industrial leaders.

Of course wed prefer also to discuss with the prime minister, said Reynders.

As a politician, I fully understand that this may be a priority to be very close to the workers and very close to the different people in the steel industry and in aluminum than to organize a contact during a state visit.

Several other federal cabinet ministers have greeted the royals so far; among them Treasury Board President Scott Brison and Veterans Affairs Minister Seamus ORegan, who was at Gov. Gen. Julie Payettes side as she officially welcomed the couple Monday at Rideau Hall.

King Philippe spoke Tuesday at the University of Ottawa where he also met with students and academics before attending a First World War commemoration, where a cannon from the war that was gifted to Belgium in 1919 was put on display at the Canadian War Museum.

Trudeau, meanwhile, was in Hamilton, Ont., visiting the citys two largest steel producers in a show of solidarity with workers as the Liberal government also worked back channels to ensure that Trumps threat of tariffs doesnt become a reality.

Trump has tied Canadas exemption from the tariffs to a successful and speedy conclusion to negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement.

On Monday, Trudeau visited aluminum facilities in Quebec, but also spoke with President Trump by telephone about the NAFTA talks and the potential threat to impose tariffs.

The White House said Trump emphasized on that call the importance of quickly concluding the ongoing NAFTA negotiation while Trudeau said he warned that slapping tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum would only serve to harm the NAFTA talks and would run counter to Trumps stated goals of saving American jobs and lifting the U.S. economy.

Reynders said the unfolding tariff spat, which still threatens European industries, is a reminder of the importance of diversifying relations with countries, including Canada, where governments are more open to co-operative trade.

He cited the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, known as CETA, between Canada and the European Union, as a clear example of how countries and regions can mutually benefit from opening their doors to freer market access.

Belgium is among the roughly 20 countries that have yet to ratify CETA, but that process could be completed by as early as the end of this year, Reynders predicted.

It wasnt too long ago that Canada was paying considerable attention to Belgium as it worked to overcome resistance to CETA by the European countrys Wallonia region, which held out the threat of vetoing the pact before it was eventually signed in October 2016.

The Walloons were backed at the time by anti-trade activists in opposing CETAs investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

But a change of government in Wallonia last year was expected to nullify any further resistance to ratification, Reynders suggested.

Its (no longer) a problem to implement and ratify the entire document, he said, save for a European court ruling expected soon on investor provisions of the agreement.
HALIFAXA Metis chief is calling for the reversal of the East Coast Music Associations decision to pull a Nova Scotia nominee from consideration for an Indigenous artist award amid questions about his heritage.

Cape Breton guitarist Maxim Cormier, who identifies as being of Acadian and Metis heritage, has been withdrawn from the Indigenous artist of the year category.

Karole Dumont, chief of the Council of the First Metis People of Canada, said there is no question that Cormier is Indigenous, and to suggest otherwise in an affront to Metis identity.

(Indigenous people) are the only, only group of people in Canada who constantly have to prove who we are, said Dumont. Were not going to take it laying down. This has been going on for quite a while, and its part of a much bigger dispute  at the national level.

Dean Stairs, chair of the East Coast Music Associations board of directors, called the situation regrettable. He said the decision, which was announced late last week, was made based on research and in consultation with government officials and community stakeholders.

Though we do not question how someone identifies their own ancestry and personal identity, we also have to  be respectful of the Indigenous peoples of Atlantic Canada, Stairs said in a news release. We must ensure that all nominees for the Indigenous Artist of the Year award have met the true intent of the criteria.

Neither Cormier nor the community he belongs to, the Highlands Metis Nation Association, are recognized as members of Canadas Aboriginal Peoples under constitutional law, according to the board.

But Dumont said the awards association is wrong about both the musician and the Highlands Metis, which is one of the councils treaty partners.

She said the council has determined that Cormiers lineage can be traced back to Metis ancestors on both sides, and based on this evidence, the council is consulting with lawyers about challenging the East Coast Music Associations withdrawal of his nomination in court.

A spokesperson for East Coast Music Association declined to provide further comment. Representatives for Cormier did not return a request for an interview.

The chief of the Highlands Metis Nation Association, which was founded two years ago, said he was disappointed in the organizations decision, but declined to comment on the associations legal status.

A spokesperson for Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada said the government does not maintain a list of Metis individuals or groups.

The Metis population in Atlantic Canada increased by nearly 125 per cent between 2006 and 2016, according to Statistics Canada, leading some to academics to question the legitimacy of many peoples claims to Metis ancestry.

This is about supporting Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, Saint Marys University sociology professor Darryl Leroux tweeted Monday. Its fundamentally a political issue, not one that is simply about individual self-identification. I have many of the same ancestors as Acadians who are now calling themselves Acadian-Metis. 

After centuries of discrimination, Dumont said many people of Metis heritage have only recently come to take pride in their identity. She acknowledged there have always been a handful of charlatans making fraudulent ancestry claims, but insists that Cormier is not among them.

He shares the same lineage and same blood as people who are currently registered as status Indians, she said.

Mikmaq activist Cheryl Maloney said many groups claiming Metis ties have cropped up in the Atlantic Canada in recent years, and in some cases, opposed the Mikmaqs efforts to preside over their ancestral territory.

Indigenous artists make up a tiny cohort of the regions relatively small music industry, Maloney said.

We need to be proud of the achievements of our people and for somebody to come in and theyre not part of the Indigenous community, that leaves us without those role models, she said.

Its hard to watch if youre a part of a real Indigenous community, a real struggle, a real identity to the land  when someone walks in and takes whats ours.

The East Coast Music Awards, a five-day celebration of music showcasing hundreds of Atlantic artists, is set to take place in Halifax in May.
LONDONRussia on Tuesday dismissed accusations of any involvement in the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter as nonsense, saying it will co-operate with a British investigation only if it receives samples of the nerve agent believed to have been used.

Police, meanwhile, said the investigation of who poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, will last many weeks and that they are not ready to identify any persons of interest in the inquiry. The father and daughter remain in critical condition in a Salisbury hospital.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russias involvement is highly likely, and she gave the country a deadline of midnight Tuesday to explain its actions in the case. She is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation for the assault with what she identified as the military-grade nerve agent Novichok.

United States and European officials were quick to offer words of support for Britain, which will need the backing of its allies if any new sanctions are to have any impact.

Mays Downing Street office said she discussed the Salisbury incident with U.S. President Donald Trump, and that the U.S. was with the U.K. all the way in agreeing that Russia must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used.

They also agreed on the need for consequences for those who use heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms, the White House said.

Earlier, Trump had said: It sounds to me that they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that his countrys requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down. He insisted that Russia is not to blame for the poisoning.

We have already made a statement to say this is nonsense, he said. We have nothing to do with this.

The Russian Embassy in London tweeted that it will not respond to the ultimatum without the samples.

Russian officials and media have responded with a variety of accusations against Britain in recent days, including suggestions that it was seeking to influence Sundays election, which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win easily.

James Nixey, head of the Russia program at the Chatham House think-tank, said Mays response must be more than symbolic.

Will actions meet with responses which have real-world effects? he said. Or are we going to have more fudge?

Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said financial sanctions would be keys to a strong response.

Given that the regime is built on money  its effectively a flow of money from the Russian people to Putin and from Putin to his acolytes  money matters, he said.

We have enormous amounts of control of a lot of peoples assets through various means, and I think its important we exercise that, Tugendhat said. If you get the right people and you freeze their assets, it can make a lot of difference.

The cases of other Russians who have died under mysterious circumstances also are being raised. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said police and the domestic security service will look into 14 deaths in Britain that might be linked to Russia.

In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that, Rudd said. The police and MI5 agree and will assist in that endeavour.

BuzzFeed News reported in 2017 that 14 deaths in Britain and the U.S. dating to 2006 may have been linked to Russia. Among them are prominent Putin critics, including oligarch Boris Berezovsky and whistleblower Alexander Perepilichny.

The chief of the worlds chemical weapons watchdog also said that those responsible must be held accountable.

In a speech Tuesday to the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu said U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called him Monday evening to inform him of the results of investigations.

It is extremely worrying that chemical agents are still being used to harm people. Those found responsible for this use must be held accountable for their actions, he said.

Johnson also spoke with his French and German counterparts and to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as Britain sought Tuesday to rally international support. A statement from his office said British officials would brief NATOs political decision-making arm, the North Atlantic Council, on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg and Johnson agreed that Russian actions repeatedly threaten the security of NATO partners  from the Baltics, Balkans, Ukraine and Georgia  and NATO must stand as an alliance to call out Putins behaviour, the statement said.

Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer, was convicted of spying for Britain and then released in a spy swap. He had been living under his own name in Salisbury for eight years before the attack without attracting any public attention.

Police are appealing to the public to come forward if they saw Skripal and his daughter driving in his red BMW in the early afternoon of March 4 in the city located 145 kilometres southwest of London.

New counterterrorism chief Neil Basu, who referred to Skripal as a British subject and his daughter as a Russian national, also said Salisbury residents would see much police activity in the coming days and that they should not be alarmed.

Some 38 people have been seen by medics in connection with the case.

Read more about:
MONTREALAs firefighters, an ice rescue unit and police on all-terrain vehicles and horseback trudged through fresh-fallen snow in their search for a missing Montreal boy Wednesday, his father held out hope he will come home safely.

Im talking and thinking about those people I dont know and who are here to help us, so I have hope, I have hope, Frederic Kouakou told reporters at a police command post set up to help find Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou, 10.

My son (will) come back. I have that feeling.

The search was centred on a park and riverbank near where the boy was last seen Monday afternoon after telling family he was heading to a friends house.

Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said officers from nearby communities as well as a canine unit were assisting in the search, and police were also assessing whether to send divers into the river.

Theres an evaluation that was done by our SWAT team to know if theres a dive that could be done later today, but were still evaluating for now because we dont have any target space where we could do some searches, Brabant said.

But Kouakou said he didnt believe his son would have gone to the river because the family never went there.

He said a security camera at a nearby garage had captured his sons image, leading to believe the boy had been heading to visit his friend as planned.

He was walking to the place he was supposed to go, he said.

Police said they received about 70 tips after triggering an Amber Alert on Tuesday afternoon, including a piece of information from a woman who said she saw someone matching the boys description at about 2 p.m. on Monday at a park not far from his home.

Deeming that piece of information credible, police officers and firefighters focused Wednesdays search on the vast greenspace bordering the Riviere des Prairies.

In these types of investigations, we have to be sure that we didnt overlook anything, Insp. Andre Durocher said in an interview.

Any possible trail, maybe a piece of clothing, maybe a footprint, anything  thats what were trying to find.

Meanwhile, friends and concerned neighbours canvassed the neighbourhood in small groups in the hopes of finding him.

Issiaka Samassi, who knows the boys father, said he joined the search in response to a call from the local Ivorian association.

He said searchers were very worried, but still hopeful the boy would be found safe.

Its already been two to three days, and (its harder) with the snow, but we still have hopes of finding him, Samassi said in an interview.

We hope to find him at someones place, that someone took him in and will come forward.

A police cruiser was parked outside the parents house in the event Kouakou came home on his own.

Police said while the disappearance didnt meet the criteria for an Amber Alert, they decided to issue one given Kouakous age, the cold weather in Montreal and the fact he has no history of running away.

They said they lifted the Amber Alert late Tuesday night because the criteria to maintain it was no longer being met.

Durocher said police decided to use the alert to help spark the missing person investigation and find the woman who saw someone matching the boys description.

He added there was no reason to maintain the alert because there was no indication Kouakou had been abducted or that his life was in danger.

Police say the boy, who is French-speaking, is Black, has black hair and black eyes and was wearing a black coat with a hood, grey pants and yellow shoes before he disappeared.

Local residents were told to remain vigilant and to keep an eye on any places a young boy may hide from the wintry weather hitting Montreal on Wednesday.
OTTAWAInternet giants like Facebook and Google should play a direct role in investing in trusted local journalism and Canadian culture, Heritage Minister Melanie Joly said Tuesday.

Joly told the Star international tech companies have not basically accepted they have a clear responsibility to the countries they operate in, including promoting and funding cultural content, but also shaping public debate and discussion.

Far from being neutral pipelines for information, Joly said the digital platforms have immense power in deciding what content Canadians consume, from Netflix recommending your next TV binge to Facebook and Google promoting some news stories over others.

I think more and more voices around the world are being raised regarding the fact that platforms need to recognize their responsibility, and that while theyre getting a huge piece of the pie of digital advertising revenues, there needs to be an approach to support more trusted local journalism, Joly said in an exclusive interview.

The benefits of the digital economy have not been shared equally. Too many creators, journalists, artists have been left behind, and there needs to be a better balance.

Jolys comments came as the federal government is preparing reviews of the Broadcast Act and the Telecommunications Act. The Liberals have also asked the CRTC to study how Canadians will consume content in the future.

But in recent weeks, the Liberals have taken a more aggressive tone with digital disrupters  saying the companies need to address problems like the spread of disinformation online, or face tighter federal regulations.

Taylor Owen, a digital media and global affairs researcher at the University of British Columbia, said he feels theres been a sea change within the Canadian government on digital governance issues.

Theyre increasingly being exposed to the depth of the concerns (around digital platforms), Owen said.

This is having an impact, and theyre seeing a real political liability and a real policy challenge, right? That theres something really going wrong here that we need to get ahead of.

In response to Jolys comments Tuesday, both Facebook Canada and Google Canada highlighted their efforts to date to promote access to local news, and promised more action later this year.

Our goal is to show more news that connects people to their local communities, and we look forward to improving and expanding these efforts this year, wrote Meg Sinclair, Facebook Canadas head of communications.

Googles mission and business interest is to provide high-quality information to users across the entire scope of our products, wrote Aaron Brindle, a spokesperson for Google Canada.

And, to that end, we work hand in hand with Canadian publishers. We provide a platform for their success, helping them engage a wider audience, build new revenue streams and adopt new technologies.

Joly faced intense criticism, especially in her home province of Quebec, over her Creative Canada policy rolled out last year. Most of that criticism revolved around a deal with streaming giant Netflix, which was not subject to new taxes or regulations, but committed $500 million to new production in Canada.

But Joly said Tuesday the Netflix deal was transitional in nature, and would not necessarily be used as a model for deals with internet platforms in the future.

In a speech at Stanford University last week, Joly said the Canadian government must address the discoverability of Canadian content  how easy it is for Canadians to find  as well as the economic sustainability of cultural content in a digital world.

Both concepts seem to be guiding the upcoming review of Canadas broadcast and telecommunications policies, although Joly would not discuss the specifics of the review Tuesday.

The questions we are looking at are how can we have more transparency around algorithms, which are the basis of having content pop up on your screen? What are the criteria taken into account when these algorithms are functioning? Joly said.

A recent Public Policy Forum report found while digital ad sales came in at $4.6 billion in 2015, newspaper and television websites saw just $393 million of that total. That same year, internet advertising accounted for 34 per cent of all advertising revenue in Canada, compared to 27 per cent for television ads and 13 per cent for daily newspapers.

The revenue crisis has led a number of media groups, including Torstar chair John Honderich, to argue for some form of government intervention. The recommendations included changing tax rules to allow media outlets to compete on an equal footing with the likes of Google and Facebook, temporary digital tax credits, and allowing non-profit journalism funded by philanthropy.

In their 2018 budget, the Liberals committed $50 million over five years to support local journalism in underserved areas of the country. On Tuesday, Joly said she was open to continuing a dialogue with media industry representatives on other recommendations.

Read more about:
OTTAWANDP Leader Jagmeet Singh condemned all acts of terrorism on Wednesday, after a newspaper report revealed he addressed a rally in San Francisco where a controversial Sikh preacher, who was killed during religious violence in India in the 1980s, was celebrated on stage.

In a statement emailed to the Star and posted online, Singh said he was invited to speak at an annual event in 2015 that commemorates the Sikh Genocide of 1984, a reference to violence in India after government forces raided the Sikh Golden Temple in Amritsar in June of that year.

The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that Singh addressed the Sikh sovereignty rally, where a banner featuring Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was set up on stage. Bhindranwale, the leader of an armed Sikh group that occupied the Golden Temple, was killed in the army raid in 1984 and is considered a martyr by some members of the religion.

Singh did not address Bhindranwale in his statement, but condemned terrorism in every part of the world, regardless of who the perpetrators are or who the victims are.

He said that he spoke to the San Francisco rally about the pain in the community and my own path to learning about my heritage.

A YouTube video of Singhs speech at the 2015 March for Freedom in San Francisco shows him speaking about the need to teach youth about what happened in 1984, and to respond to genocide by learning more about what it means to be Sikh.

Last year, the Ontario legislature passed a motion that deemed anti-Sikh riots in India in 1984 to be genocide.

Thousands of Sikhs were reportedly killed during mob violence that broke out after Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own Sikh guards in October of that year, four months after the Indian army raided the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

In his statement Wednesday, Singh said: When faced with the knowledge that your relatives were targeted for who they were, you are faced with the question of how to respond. My response was to embrace my identity and work harder to stand up for human rights ... I encourage all those facing these tough questions not to fall prey to rage and violence, but rather to embrace your truth and move forward with love and courage.

Singhs press secretary said Wednesday it is unlikely the NDP leader will participate in an interview about the San Francisco rally.

The rally was organized by the Sikh Centre of the San Francisco Bay Area. The organizations vice-president, Karanbir Singh, told the Star the annual event is a peace march to commemorate people who died during anti-Sikh violence in India in 1984, and that many participants are supporters of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.

Asked about Bhindranwale, he said his image is among those often on display at the rally. He called Bhindranwale a great saint and a soldier, whose armed movement was only defending against oppression from the Indian state.

This isnt the only time in recent weeks that questions of Sikh extremism have entered Canadian politics; last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus trip to India was derailed by news that a former member of a Sikh extremist group, who tried to kill an Indian cabinet minister in 1986, was invited to official Canadian events and photographed with the prime ministers wife and Canadas infrastructure minister. The photos emerged just after Trudeau had told the chief minister of Punjab, who has accused Ottawa of harbouring sympathy for proponents of an independent Khalistan, that he supports a united India.

Singh was barred from entering India to accept a Sikh of the Year award in 2013, which, he said, at the time, was because the Indian government did not like him raising a voice for justice for victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms.

Singh said in his statement Wednesday he supports the right to self-determination, but does not take a position on an independent Khalistan.

Questions regarding the future of India are not for me to decide, said Singh, who pointed out hes not a citizen of India, nor is he a politician in that country.

I am focused on building a stronger Canada, a country where we tackle growing inequality, where we unlock the full potential of our citizens and where no one is left behind, he said.

Read more about:
Another 53 TTC employees have quit, been fired or retired to avoid being dismissed since September amid a benefits fraud investigation, the transit agency said Wednesday.

A total of 223 employees have left since the probe began in 2014, according to the TTC statement.

Receipts were given to TTC employees by Healthy Fit  a health-care products and service provider  where reimbursements were made but no product or services were being obtained, and receipt amounts were inflated, agency officials said.

Adam Smith, the proprietor of the health company, was found guilty of two counts of fraud over $5,000 and sentenced to two years in a federal penitentiary. Ten TTC employees faced fraud charges, with four pleading guilty.

The TTC has collected more than $82,000 back from those employees.

The TTCs internal investigation continues. Where evidence shows the TTCs benefits plan was billed inappropriately, demands for repayment are made and employees face discipline, up to and including dismissal, the statement read.

The agency announced last fall that it was suing Manulife Financial, Smith and Healthy Fit for up to $5 million, alleging that Manulife Financial did not have appropriate fraud management controls in place nor were there systems in place to detect and analyze unusual trends or patterns that might indicate fraud or abuse.

The TTC maintains that Manulife breached its duties of care, which contributed to the losses suffered by the TTC and, ultimately, the public.

Since the start of their investigation, the TTC said it has seen a reduction in benefits claims costs of more than $7 million.
A self-represented accused killer is laying out for a Toronto jury the possibility his DNA was either innocently transferred or planted under the fingernails of the victims right hand.

Its important to know DNA is not transferred only in the commission of a crime, Michael Ivezic said during his cross-examination of forensic biologist Kimberley Sharpe.

There may be so-called innocent transfer prior to the crime event or put there, via tampering or contamination, after the fact, he stated.

Sharpe agreed it is possible that DNA could be deposited before or after a crime. But she rejected the suggestion the sample she analyzed in this case was contaminated after it was collected from Allan Lanteignes fingernails during the autopsy.

The coroner has documented procedures for the collection of samples, she said, adding, I do not see any time in which the item could have been tampered with.

Ivezic and his former lover, Demitry Papasotiriou-Lanteigne, have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder of the latters husband. The Crown alleges the pair arranged the murder in order to collect a $2 million life insurance policy.

Papasotiriou-Lanteigne was in Europe at the time of the March 2, 2011 slaying. Ivezic is alleged to have beaten Lanteigne to death in the foyer of his home on Ossington Ave.

Ivezic is representing himself after firing his lawyer mid-trial.

Last week, Sharpe, who works at the Centre of Forensic Sciences, took the stand as the Crowns expected last witness. She testified its almost certain the DNA profile found under Lanteignes fingernails matches DNA belonging to Ivezic.

On Tuesday, during his second-day of cross-examination, Ivezic asked Sharpe about organic material found beneath Lanteignes fingernails.

You did not find any large pieces of skin under Mr. Lanteignes fingernails, correct?, he asked.

There was no indication that there was something . . . visibly adherent to the nails, she replied.

If you ended up with chunks of skin under Mr. Lanteignes fingernails, with blood, with my blood, under his fingernails, that could . . . be an interesting tie in, correct, Ivezic said.

The forensic biologist explained it would be difficult for her to identify skin found under someones fingernails.

So you dont end up with chunks of skin . . . when somebodys thats been clawing for his life, Ivezic said moving his hand in a scratching action.

I have not had that, experience to see chunks of skin, blood yes, but not chunks of skin that are visibly detected . . . we dont test for that.

The trial continues Wednesday.
Students at Toronto universities and colleges could be in line for steep discounts on TTC passes, as part of a new program designed to provide financial relief to cash-strapped young people while boosting transit ridership.

In a report published Tuesday, the TTC recommends the agencys board endorse the so-called U-Pass program, which would allow post-secondary students unlimited travel for as little as $70 per month, less than half the price of an adult monthly pass.

A U-Pass will make transportation more affordable for post-secondary students and could potentially unlock additional economic, educational and cultural opportunities, the report states. The board will debate the issue on March 20.

The report notes the average income for college and university students is less than half the provincial average, and at current prices a post-secondary pass costs $930 each eight-month school year.

Share your thoughts

Theres a catch, however. For the U-Pass program to work, participation would have to be mandatory for all students at an institution, with the cost added to their student fees.

A portion of students at the citys colleges and universities already buy monthly post-secondary passes, which cost $116.75. By spreading the cost of the U-Pass evenly across all students, the program would lower the price of travel for those who currently buy passes, while increasing costs for most who dont, and keeping the program revenue neutral for the TTC.

For instance, of the 40,000 full-time undergraduate students at the University of Torontos St. George campus, the TTC estimates just over half use transit frequently. Each month 13,200 buy a post-secondary pass, and 10,800 dont buy a pass but spend about $99 on single rides, generating $2.6 million in revenue for the TTC.

Under the U-Pass program, all 40,000 students would pay $70 a month to get a pass, generating $2.8 million for the TTC.

The cost of the program is based on at least one of University of Toronto St. George campus, OCAD University, Ryerson University, or George Brown College opting in, which would require a student referendum at each school.

The TTC estimates the U-Pass program would result in a 15-per-cent increase in transit trips taken by students. If all four institutions participated, it would lead to 4.2 million additional rides each year. That would be good news for the transit agency, which is seeking ways grow ridership after four years of stagnation.

The $4.7-million annual cost of adding service to accommodate the increased ridership would be recouped through the U-Pass revenue.

Because it takes time to hold a referendum and student fees for each semester are usually set well in advance, the program couldnt start until the fall of 2019 for most institutions.

However, the University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU) already has a referendum scheduled for March 26 to March 28, and if students endorse the U-Pass it could be in place this fall.

A previous referendum on the idea failed at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus in 2008, but UTSU President Mathias Memmel said this time our data suggests wide support for U-Pass. A survey the union conducted last year determined more than 95 per cent of respondents approved of the concept.

Memmel defended the idea of students who currently dont buy TTC passes being compelled to subsidize lowering transit costs for those who do. He argued the program would benefit all students by giving them greater access to transit at discounted prices.

We see the pass as more than just for commuters; it's an affordable way for all students to experience the city, he said.
It was after he was given fentanyl  a drug 50 times more potent than heroin  following a gunshot wound to the shoulder during a robbery and that Adam Vickerson began his long, painful and costly spiral downward.

Following this, he began abusing the drug before getting his hands on a prescription pad and filling out false prescriptions for himself, his co-conspirators and those he allegedly sold the drugs to.

In February, the 45-year-old Newmarket resident and former member of Satans Choice and Hells Angels, in Keswick, was finally sentenced for his actions, attracting a 10-year sentence.

Read more:

Ontario saw spike in opioid deaths in 2017, new data shows; pharmacies to offer free naloxone spray

This is the latest in a string of elevated sentences handed down by courts to those convicted of peddling a drug that has wrought so much pain on communities around Canada and beyond.

(Fentanyl) is an extremely dangerous drug  (that can) result in death to the unschooled user, Justice Phillip Sutherland said. For these reasons, fentanyl should be treated by the courts with a high degree of gravity.

The local and provincial statistics show just how dangerous the drug can be.

York police Const. James Watson said the number of deaths from fentanyl rose 1,400 per cent in 11 years in the region  from no deaths in 2005 to 14 in 2016.

In Ontario there were fentanyl deaths in 35 in 2003 and 355 by 2016.

Vickerson, a father of three, said at one point he was convincing physicians to prescribe him between 20 to 22 patches of fentanyl a month.

Throughout these years he reckons he spent $500,000 on fentanyl, including equity in his home, paycheques, savings and credit cards.

When this ran out he began to conspire with a series of individuals, many of whom reside in Keswick.

Vickerson and his then partner Gavin Lambie often filled out the prescriptions themselves before using fentanyl users to access them from York Region pharmacists.

In all, 20 people were charged in the York police investigation named Tango & Cash.

Vickerson was originally found guilty of seventeen offences by a jury  including possession for the purpose of trafficking, uttering forged documents and theft of a prescription pad  along with his co-accused Tracy Fairbarn, of Keswick, who received 18 months in prison for taking part in the scheme.

Lambie pleaded guilty before the trial and received six years in prison.

Since their respective arrests, Lambie has sought treatment and is a member of Narcotics Anonymous and Vickerson is attending a methadone program.

The trial was well publicized after Fairbarn posted silly selfies of herself in court, at one point catching Vickerson in a photo.

Lambie also testified in court in a bid to set the record straight and take responsibility for his actions.

In the past hes been convicted of fraud over $5,000 and then discharging a firearm in 2002.

The victims vehicle was forced off the road at Lake Dr. and Roberts St., south of the Keswick clubhouse, the Toronto Sun quoted then York police Det. Duncan McIntyre as saying in 2006. Shots were fired in an intersection, but the intended victim was not hurt.
A dozen kids from Toronto eagerly gathered around a laptop Wednesday morning, ready to show off their singing voices and a recorder.

On Skype, a group of young Syrian refugees in Azraq, Jordan, had the same tools, ready to share music from the other side of the world.

They sang songs, played a few tunes on their recorders and offered generous applause for every effort.

Both groups peppered Lexi Shereshewsky, who is fluent in English and Arabic, with questions about life in each others countries.

From Jordan, Shereshewsky translated for her students, giving them insight into what life in Canada is like.

This meetup was the first of its kind for Bob McKitrick, who runs a March Break music camp for kids who attend Dixon Hall Music School in Toronto, where he has been director for 18 years.

Members of the Dixon Hall Music Schools March Break camp, including instructor Bob McKitrick, on a Skype call Wednesday with Syrian children living in Jordan.





After reading about a Canadian woman who built a school in Jordan to help Syrian refugees, he was inspired to take action as well. Online, he met Shereshewsky, the founder of the Syria Fund, an organization that helps Syrian refugees, and proposed that the two sets of children meet.

I tossed this idea by her saying were doing a music camp and wed love to sing some songs and she loved it, McKitrick said. This is pretty momentous, what we did today.

It is the 10th year of the camp, held at Hart House Farm. Its a vast, picturesque plot of land in Caledon, owned by the University of Toronto, with a spacious house for lodging. At one point during the Skype meeting, an instructor took the laptop outside to show the Syrian kids snow, which they dont see in Jordan.

On the first night, I did a history of the Syrian War from 2011 onward, and I didnt pull any punches there, McKitrick said.

By setting up a Skype session with Syrian refugees, he wanted to put names and faces on kids who have been affected by the war.

One major effect of the war has been an interruption in the education of Syrian children, many of whom missed out on years of schooling. Shereshewsky worked with other aid groups to build the school in Azraq, teaching more than 100 kids (ages 6-14), Arabic, math, science and English.

This week is music week for the students, who learn about music from their region and around the world.

We want to give them pride in their own culture and things they know, but also expose them to different things, Shereshewsky said.

One tune the Toronto students sang was What the World Needs Now by Jackie DeShannon to the Syrian kids. They in turn gave a rendition of the Beatles classic Here Comes the Sun to the Canadian kids.

Shereshewsky hopes to expand the age range at the Azraq school, and work to build more schools in Jordan for Syrian refugees. Children who do not attend school can be vulnerable to being recruited for terrorist activity or early marriages.

The Jordanians themselves are under a lot of pressure, Shereshewsky said. If you can imagine your town doubling with a needy, underserved population, that would be tough.

Thursday is the seven-year anniversary of the beginning of the Syrian War.
Torontos transit plans received a major boost on Wednesday when the federal and provincial governments announced they would team up to spend close to $9 billion on new projects in the city over the next 10 years.

At a press conference at a MiWay bus garage in Mississauga, the federal and provincial infrastructure ministers ceremoniously signed a bilateral agreement that will pump $8.34 billion in federal funding into public transit projects across the province between now and 2028.

Based on a formula that allocates the funding according to transit ridership, Toronto will receive more than half, or $4.89 billion. In a coup for the city, Queens Park will match that with $4.04 billion of its own.

The city of Toronto is getting a significant amount of money said federal Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi. Torontos ridership is larger and we want the resources to go where the resources are needed.

A spokesperson for the Ontario infrastructure ministry confirmed the contribution from Queens Park would be new money, in addition to previously announced provincial commitments for projects like the controversial one-stop Scarborough subway extension.

Although the nearly $9 billion investment from the provincial and federal Liberals is not enough to cover all of the unfunded items on Torontos transit wish list, it brings the city significantly closer to being able to afford badly needed projects.

The projects council has prioritized for funding are: the Scarborough subway extension; Mayor John Torys SmartTrack plan; the relief line subway; Eglinton East LRT, and Waterfront LRT network.

Although the federal government would cover up to 40 per cent of the cost of projects, and the province up to 33 per cent, the details of how the funding could be distributed between projects has yet to be worked out.

Tory was out of town with his family and didnt attend Wednesdays press conference. But in a statement he called the announcement good news for transit in Toronto and for all of our residents.

This funding is only possible due to the co-operation and mutual respect between the city, the province and the federal government, he said.

After years of delays and divisive debates, we are finally getting on with expanding our transit system, we are getting on with working together to build up our cities.

Ontario Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli echoed those sentiments.

I often say that the people of Ontario are best served when all levels of government work together, he told reporters.

While Ottawas contribution has been in the works since the federal governments 2017 budget launch last March, the provincial commitment was unexpected.

The Ontario Liberals had previously balked at Torys request to match new federal transit spending, arguing the province had already invested substantially in Toronto transportation through projects like the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, Union Pearson Express, and the Spadina subway extension.

Chiarelli didnt explain the governments change of heart, but it comes less than three months before whats expected to be a hotly contested provincial election.

The transit funding is part of a wider infrastructure agreement that will inject $11.8 billion in federal money into Ontario public transit, green infrastructure, and community projects over the next decade. The province is matching that with roughly $10 billion.

Wednesdays announcement wasnt all good news for Torontos mayor. The federal transit money includes $660 million Ottawa already committed to the Scarborough subway extension, a project currently estimated to cost $3.35 billion.

Tory had pressed the federal government to make the $4.9 billion an addition to the already announced Scarborough money, which would have freed up funding for other projects. Ottawa turned him down.

The federal contribution also includes $1.24 billion Ottawa had previously earmarked for Torys $3.7-billion SmartTrack plan.

Torontos five priority projects are estimated to cost at least $17.4 billion.

The relief line, which many experts view as the citys most urgently needed transit project, is estimated at $6.8 billion.

The Eglinton East LRT, is expected to cost around $1.6 billion, while the Waterfront LRT network is pegged at a minimum of $2 billion.

Under a cost-sharing arrangement council has already approved, the city would contribute $2.01 billion for SmartTrack.

The city has also earmarked up to $910 million for Scarborough subway extension, which is also set to receive up to $1.99 billion from the province.

With Wednesdays announcement, the Scarborough subway project could be fully funded, although its cost is expected to rise.

The city could still be at least $3.5 billion short of being able to fund all four remaining projects.

Councillor Josh Matlow (Ward 22, St. Pauls) argued that while the contributions from the other levels of government have created a golden opportunity for the city, council needs to reconsider its priorities to avoid squandering it.

Matlow has waged a campaign to convince council to scrap the expensive Scarborough subway plan for an LRT network that would be less expensive and serve more people.

We have a historical moment right now that could change the city forever, and we have to grab it, but we have to do it well, he said.

Imagine if we had a mayor and a majority of council that would actually spend those billions of dollars provided by the federal and provincial governments on the most fact-based projects that would serve the most people in the city.

Read more about:
A piece of pointed, fossilized tooth, which once belonged to a massive shark known to have dwarfed even the great white, sat undisturbed in a remote, secret location in western Australia.

That had been the case, until last week. Wildlife officials said the megalodon tooth, believed to be about 1.6 million years old, had been removed and stolen from its resting place in the vast Cape Range National Park on Australias Ningaloo coast. Few people knew of the exact location of the ancient fossil, said Arvid Hogstrom of western Australias park and wildlife agency, and it remains unclear who the thief is.

It was definitely a secret. . . . But it only takes one person to tell the wrong person and we end up where we are now, Hogstrom told Australia Broadcasting Corp. Monday. It could be someone who doesnt know what theyve taken. It could be an amateur collector who wants to add to their collection, or it could be someone who wants to trade it on the black market.

A member of the public told wildlife rangers on Friday that the tooth was missing.

Hogstrom said the fossil was stolen just as his team was figuring out ways to secure it.

Weve been looking at everything from bulletproof glass covers and other sorts of cages to enclose it, he told ABC. But obviously someones got in there before weve been able to [secure it].

This ancient shark species, which has a name that literally means giant tooth, grew to about 50 feet long. Thats three times the size of an adult female great white shark, which can be about 16 feet long. A megalodon weighed more than 20 tons, roughly three times the weight of a Tyrannosaurus rex.

A great white is about the size of the clasper, or penis, of a male megalodon, Peter Klimley, a shark expert and professor at the University of California at Davis, told National Geographic in 2008.

Much of what researchers know about megalodon sharks were based on the fossilized remains of its teeth. Researchers say it preyed on giant prehistoric turtles and whales, which a megalodon could chew with a force between 24,000 to 40,000 pounds. Thats strong enough to crush a car.

Megalodons killing strategy was to bite the tails and flippers off large whales, effectively taking out their propulsion systems, said Stephen Wroe of the University of South Wales in Australia, the National Geographic reported in 2008.

Scientists say this shark species went extinct about 2 million years ago, during the middle of the Miocene era, though they have only speculated as to why. One theory is that megalodon sharks were unable to adapt as the temperature of the Earths oceans dropped.

Last year, 7-year-old Foster Frazier found a 5-inch megalodon tooth while vacationing with his family in North Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

His father, myself, and his younger brother were downstream from him at the time and heard him yelling what hed found and saw him holding it up. We were speechless, the boys mother, Tina Frazier, told the Myrtle Beach Sun News.

In 2013, megalodon sharks became the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary that was created based on the notion that the ancient shark might still be alive today. The film featured actors pretending to be scientists on the hunt for a nearly 70-foot-long megalodon off the coast of South Africa, according to National Geographic.

The documentary, titled Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives, angered many, including scientists.

If this megalodon special had aired on the Syfy Channel, I probably would have loved it, David Shiffman, then a doctoral student studying shark ecology, told National Geographic. But Discovery bills itself as the premier science education television station in the world, and theyre perpetuating this utter nonsense.
WASHINGTONThe Trump administration and its new secretary of state  assuming the Senate confirms Mike Pompeo in time  will face a confluence of foreign-policy decisions and potential national-security crises this spring that would challenge even the most experienced diplomats.

A meeting between President Donald Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un, tentatively to be held before the end of May, will bring two volatile leaders face to face with the highest stakes imaginable.

In mid-May, Trump has said he will decide whether to end U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear weapons deal, a determination that could profoundly change the United States relationships with its closest European allies and throw down a gauntlet before Tehran.

Even before those events, Trump is due to host, beginning Monday in rapid succession, the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar for complicated talks on Iran, Syria and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Depending on how those bilateral talks go, the administration is hoping to bring the Persian Gulf leaders together for a May summit in Washington to broker an end to a regional dispute among them that has hobbled U.S. policy across the Middle East.

Rex Tillerson, who was fired Tuesday as secretary of state, has been deeply involved in all of those issues, while operating with a skeleton staff that is expected to dwindle even more with his departure. On these and other challenges  including Russia  he has often been publicly at odds with Trumps impulsive approach to foreign policy, counselling more traditional diplomacy rather than dependence on gut instinct.

Pompeo is likely to be more amenable to Trumps way of doing business. As a firebrand congressman from Kansas and a tea party leader, he sharply opposed the Iran nuclear deal, tweeting just before his CIA nomination his determination to roll back the agreement. Earlier, Pompeo was a leader of the Republican House effort to hold the Obama administration responsible for the killings of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012, and questioned the wisdom of traditional multilateralism.

As CIA director, Pompeo has followed Trumps lead in declining to directly accuse Russia of interfering in the 2016 presidential election, and withholding direct allegations of recent chemical weapons use in Syria. While Tillerson urged step-by-step caution in dealings with North Korea, Pompeo has congratulated Trump on his boldness in agreeing to meet with a leader who he last year suggested would be a good candidate for U.S.-authored regime change.

In an indication that he knew what was coming, Pompeo told CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday that he spent last weekend reading the history of U.S. involvement in previous failed negotiations with Pyongyang. You can be sure that  I wont make those mistakes again, he said.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said in a statement Tuesday that he expected to hold confirmation hearings for Pompeo in April, and noted that the CIA director had been confirmed in his current role by a vote of 66 to 32.

But much of what the new secretary of state will have on his plate will not wait. It remains unclear whether Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who often joined Tillerson in pressing Trump to be more patient and thoughtful on a range of issues, will be willing or able to continue in that role.

In a statement last fall, Corker said that Tillerson, Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos. Since then, Kelly has come under sharp criticism in Congress  and even in the White House  for his conduct in the job.

Read more:

Trump fires Secretary of State Tillerson, a moderate, replaces him with CIA head Pompeo, a hawk

Opinion|Editorial: Donald Trump is silencing those who might restrain him

How the last five days of Rex Tillersons tenure played out

While the White House continues to plan for the North Korea talks, the arrival here Monday of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, poses an early challenge.

Tillerson, as chief executive of ExxonMobil, had long and deep relationships with Gulf leaders. But his calls for caution were sometimes challenged by presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who has formed his own ties, often outside the purview of the State Department, with MBS and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi who is seen as the United Arab Emirates de facto ruler.

Kushner has been counting on the Gulf leaders to support his still-unrevealed peace plan, a prospect that was already thrown into doubt when Trump announced  over Tillersons objections  U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital and plans to move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.

When the Saudis and Emiratis, along with Bahrain and Egypt, broke relations and instituted a boycott of neighbouring Qatar last summer, Trump openly supported them, backing their charges of support for extremism. Tillerson and Mattis, who noted the close U.S. military relationship with Qatar, quickly issued even-handed statements calling for dialogue.

Eventually, after months of openly criticizing Qatar, Trump was persuaded to change course, offering to broker a deal among them at a summit at Camp David, Maryland. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates refused, and Tillerson and Mattis have spent much of the ensuing months voicing support for Qatar and trying to pressure the others to come to a Trump-led negotiation.

Read more about:
LONDONRelations between Britain and Russia plunged Wednesday to a chill not seen since the Cold War as Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 diplomats, severed high-level contacts and vowed both open and covert action against Kremlin meddling after the poisoning of a former spy.

Russia said it would respond soon to what it called Britains crude and hostile actions.

While May pledged to disrupt Russian espionage and hostile state activity, she gave few details about how hard Britain would hit Russian politicians and oligarchs where it really hurts  in their wallets.

Expelling diplomats is a kind of a standard response, said Natasha Kuhrt, a Russia expert at Kings College London. Im not sure its going to make Moscow stand up and think.

May told the House of Commons that 23 Russians diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers have a week to leave Britain.

This will be the single biggest expulsion for over 30 years, May said, adding that it would fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability in the U.K. for years to come.

May spoke after Moscow ignored a midnight deadline to explain how the nerve agent Novichok, developed by the Soviet Union, was used against Sergei Skripal, an ex-Russian agent convicted of spying for Britain, and his daughter Yulia. They remain in critical condition in a hospital in Salisbury, southwestern England, after being found unconscious March 4.

May said there is no alternative conclusion other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Mr. Skripal and his daughter.

Read more:

U.K. wants answers, but Russia calls poisoning accusations by Britain nonsense

British police investigating the unexplained death of Russian businessman linked to dead Putin critic

Canada condemns despicable use of a chemical agent in U.K. attack against ex-spy: Freeland

She announced a range of economic and diplomatic measures, including the suspension of high-level contacts with Russia. An invitation for Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to visit Britain has been cancelled, and British ministers and royals wont attend the soccer World Cup in Russia this summer.

May also said Britain would clamp down on murky Russian money and strengthen its powers to impose sanctions on abusers of human rights, though she gave few details.

We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of U.K. nationals or residents, May said, promising to use all legal powers against criminals and corrupt elites, and to increase checks on private flights, customs and freight.

There is no place for these people  or their money  in our country, she said.

May said some of the measures cannot be shared publicly for reasons of national security.

The Russian Embassy in London said the expulsion of diplomats was totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted. Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko called Britains actions were a provocation.

Russia did not immediately announce retaliatory measures, but its Foreign Ministry said our response will not be long in coming.

It said Britains hostile measures were an unprecedentedly crude provocation.

Britain called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in New York at which U.K. and Russian diplomats traded accusations, with Britain blaming the Russian state for the attack and Russia vehemently denying responsibility.

Some Russia experts said the measures announced by May were unlikely to make Russian President Vladimir Putins government change its behaviour. She didnt expel Russias ambassador or announce sanctions against any individuals or companies.

Critics of the British government have long claimed that the U.K. is reluctant to act against Russia because Londons property market and financial sector are magnets for billions in Russian money.

There does not seem to be any real appetite so far to investigate the ill-gotten gains of the Russian elite that have been laundered through London, said John Lough, an associate fellow in the Eurasia program at the Chatham House think-tank. It is not clear to me that Londons response will hit the Kremlin where it hurts.

Moscow has denied responsibility for Skripals poisoning. It refused to comply with Britains demand for an explanation, saying the U.K. must first provide samples of the poison collected by investigators.

Some in Russia have suggested that the nerve agent could have come from another former Soviet country.

British police say a Russian ex-spy and his daughter, who are now for their lives in an English hospital, were attacked with a nerve agent in a targeted murder attempt. (The Associated Press)

Lawmaker Vladimir Gutenev, a member of Russias state commission for chemical disarmament, said Russia had scrapped its stockpile of Novichok.

It is hard to say what may be happening in neighbouring countries, he was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Britain is seeking support from allies in the European Union and NATO in response to the use of an illegal chemical weapon on British soil. Mays office said U.S. President Donald Trump told the prime minister the U.S. was with the U.K. all the way.

But Britain faces an uphill battle in rallying international backing for any new measures against Moscow.

European Council President Donald Tusk said he would put the attack on the agenda at an EU summit meeting next week.

The UN Security Council  of which Russia is a veto-wielding member  was due to meet later Wednesday at Britains request to discuss the investigation.

At UN headquarters, deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was not in a position to attribute responsibility for the attack, but he strongly condemns the use of any nerve agent or chemical weapons and hopes that the incident will be thoroughly investigated.

NATO promised to help investigate what it called the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe or North America since the military alliance was founded in 1949.

But its unclear what, if anything, NATO can do to put more pressure on Russia. Relations between the old Cold War foes are already poor and short of military action the alliance has little leverage.

May said Russias use of a chemical weapon was an affront to the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons. And it is an affront to the rules-based system on which we and our international partners depend.

We will work with our allies and partners to confront such actions wherever they threaten our security, at home and abroad, she said.

Read more about:
DUBAI, United Arab EmiratesU.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillersons firing is reverberating across a Middle East where Iran fears his replacement will fight to end the 2015 nuclear deal, a hope of Gulf Arab states as Palestinians worry about a further-emboldened nationalist Israeli government.

Also at play is the ongoing diplomatic dispute between Qatar and four Arab nations, a crisis the former oilman sought to reconcile with no success during his brief tenure as Americas top diplomat.

How Tillersons proposed successor, CIA director Mike Pompeo, will handle these challenges remains to be seen. But Pompeo remains a major opponent of the atomic accord, while Tillerson had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment the Obama-era deal.

Read more:

Trump fires Secretary of State Tillerson, a moderate, replaces him with CIA head Pompeo, a hawk

Trump and his new secretary of state are facing a host of foreign policy challenges

Analysis | How the last five days of Rex Tillersons tenure played out

Already in Iran, some are expressing concerns.

Irans daily Javan newspaper, believed to be close to the hard-line Revolutionary Guard, said that replacing Tillerson with Pompeo signalled the end of the nuclear deal.

For quitting the deal, his dumping was necessary, Javan said.

That was echoed by Ali Khorram, a former Iranian envoy to the United Nations, in the pro-reform daily newspaper Arman.

Pompeo is very interested in waging a war similar to the Iraq war by citing international regulations, Khorram wrote. European powers will play a role in balancing his desire.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Bahram Ghasemi, meanwhile, sought to minimize Tillersons firing, calling it part of the frequent and multiple changes in U.S. President Donald Trumps administration.

What matters to the Islamic Republic of Iran are the policies and approaches of the United States in regard to international issues and toward Iran, Ghasemi told journalists. We closely monitor their approaches and macro policies and will take appropriate stances accordingly in the future.

Tillersons firing was welcome news for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which view Iran as a regional menace. They have also pushed Washington to take a harder line on Qatar, which they and other Arab nations have boycotted since last year, accusing it of supporting extremist groups and cozying up to Iran. Tillerson had sought to mediate the crisis among the U.S. allies.

In the UAE on Wednesday, the English-language Khaleej Times borrowed from the U.S. presidents show-biz days for its headline: YOURE FIRED! Saudi Arabias English-language Arab News had the same headline.

Another English-language newspaper, the state-aligned The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi, offered an editorial saying Tillersons firing would surprise few, pointing to his disagreement with Trump over Qatar.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, cut off land, sea and air routes to Qatar in June 2017. Qatar, which has backed Islamist opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, has denied supporting extremists. It shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

Trump has at times appeared to side with Qatars rivals in the dispute, while Tillerson had projected a more neutral stance. ExxonMobil, which Tillerson ran before becoming secretary of state, had a long business history in Qatars natural gas plays.

While Mr. Tillerson shortsightedly urged Saudi Arabia and allies in the quartet to end their boycott of Qatar, Mr. Trump named Doha a funder of terrorism at a very high level, The Nationals editorial page said.

Faisal J. Abbas, the editor-in-chief of the Arab News, similarly said Tillersons mishandling of the Middle East turned the region into his political graveyard. Abbas wrote that Tillersons handling of the Qatar dispute proved he was full of gas more than anything else.

Is there reason to believe Doha had influence over Tillerson? Was he really biased toward Qatar? Abbas wrote in a front-page editorial. Or was he surrounded by so many State Department officials still stuck in the Obama era that they undermined his ability to act? None of this matters now.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati professor of political science, called Tillerson the worst foreign minister in the history of America on Twitter. He also implied Gulf Arab unhappiness with Tillerson led to his ouster.

History will remember that a Gulf state had a role in expelling the foreign minister of a superpower and thats just the tip of the iceberg, he wrote.

Kuwait, which has sought to broker an end to the Qatar crisis, offered no immediate comment, though a local newspaper described Tillersons departure as striking like an earthquake in a headline.

For Israel, the Pompeo announcement appears to be good news for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been an outspoken opponent of the Iranian nuclear deal and who sees Irans involvement in neighbouring Lebanon and Syria as a major threat.

Netanyahu has also welcomed the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem  a move for which Tillerson showed little enthusiasm.

Israels Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment.

Israel and its right wing American supporters will rejoice in the unceremonious sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his replacement with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, wrote Chemi Shalev, a columnist for the Haaretz daily. Tillerson was seen as reserved and distant about Israel, while Pompeo is viewed as a warm supporter. Tillerson sought to preserve the Iran nuclear deal, while Pompeo is aligned with the demand of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu to fix it, or, in greater likelihood, abandon it altogether.

Read more about:
AMMAN, JordanSara al-Matoura watched through a window as her one-year-old daughters chest heaved up and down under a tangle of medical wires.

The 22-year-old mother from the Syrian city of Homs hadnt eaten for a day and stayed up all night at a hospital in the Jordanian capital, Amman, holding her daughter, imagining the scalpel cutting her babys chest open.

Al-Matoura, who fled the Syrian war for Jordan in 2012, was only four months pregnant with her second child when she found out the baby had a congenital heart defect known as tricuspid atresia, which has a mortality rate of 90 per cent before age 10.

Read more:

Syrian government troops cut major roads in rebel-held Damascus suburbs

Russia behind airstrike on Syrian market that killed 84, UN probe finds

Their son went to Syria. Theyre facing 14 years in prison for trying to send him money  they say to bring him home

Jordanian doctors encouraged her to abort the fetus. Al-Matoura refused. She is my gift from God, she said. She named her daughter Eman  faith in Arabic.

Last week, Eman received life-saving open heart surgery, one of eight cardiac operations that Italian pediatric surgeons from the Vaticans Bambino Gesu Hospital came to perform for free in Jordan.

Dozens of other Syrian refugees with cancer, heart defects and other complex conditions go untreated each month because of funding constraints, according to UN officials. The more expensive the treatment, the more likely their funding requests will be turned down. Even primary care and basic services such as child delivery are increasingly unaffordable.

Some 5.5 million Syrians have fled their homeland since 2011, most settling in the region. Jordan currently hosts more than 650,000 Syrians registered by the UN refugee agency, though the government estimates the number of Syrians in the country is twice as high.

Seven years into the Syria conflict, with European and American doors increasingly shut to refugees and no signs of peace in Syria, neighbouring countries like Jordan are cutting resources for Syrians, saying they cannot even afford to take care of their own people.

While Eman was in the operating room, another Syrian mother in Amman tried to keep her 12-year-old son Tamer from moving too much, afraid that his lips and hands would turn blue.

She fled the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta on the first day of the chemical attacks in 2013.

They started at 3 a.m. and I left at 8 in the morning, she said of the attacks, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions for her family members in Syria. She brought her three boys, including a two-week-old baby, to Jordan.

Tamer, her second son, also has a congenital heart defect. When he moves too much, he loses his breath and turns blue.

Children with his condition should receive an operation at age five or six, according to Dr. Iyad al-Ammouri, pediatric cardiologist at the University of Jordan Hospital.

But Tamers final surgery costs up to $28,000 (U.S.), far more than his mother can afford. She supports her sons alone, with her husband still trapped in Syria.

Jordan used to subsidize Syrians fees at government health facilities, so they paid the same as uninsured Jordanians. But the subsidies were cancelled in February, meaning refugees must pay two to five times more for life-saving interventions.

Meanwhile, severe conditions like cancer and heart disease are subject to a special doctors committee that sifts through hundreds of cases each month, deciding which few to assist based on criteria including vulnerability, prognosis and cost.

Late-stage cancer patients are typically offered palliative care. Expensive surgeries like Emans, which would have cost $21,000, are also delayed.

Of course people come back month after month and apply again, because they are desperate, said Dr. Adam Musa, a UN public health officer who sits on the committee. Its painful.

In January, 60 out of 143 refugee applications for emergency help were approved. The United Nations gave them approximately $2,000 each. There wasnt enough funding for the rest, Musa said.

Younis al-Hariri, an eight-year-old from Daraa, is one of those unfunded cases.

His mother, Ridaa, said he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and other liver conditions four years ago, and now needs a $565,000 transplant. She already owes $18,000 to Jordanian hospitals for dialysis, blood transfusions and hospital stays.

Al-Hariris uncle, Hassan al-Turkmani, also needs surgery for his two hands, paralyzed in clenched fists from months of electric shock torture in Syrian prisons. Jagged scars run down his thin arms. The 32-year-old father of four hasnt been able to open his hands for seven years. The operation would cost $3,100 per finger.

There is no mercy here, al-Turkmani said.

A senior Jordanian government official said health subsidies were cut because of an economic crisis. Syrian refugees are now paying health fees comparable to those charged to Jordanians, he said. Jordan remains on high moral ground for hosting the refugees at all, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with briefing regulations.

Across the region, donor fatigue and decreased host country support have left millions of refugees on the edge of survival, even pushing some to return to Syria.

The UN refugee agency spent $51 million on 84,000 life-saving cases in Lebanon last year, yet could not cover most cancer cases with poor prognoses, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or dialysis.

There are very few NGOs that are able to provide support for some of these cases and we know that people have taken difficult decisions to return to Syria to access dialysis or cancer care, said Dr. Michael Woodman, senior public health officer in the UNHCRs Beirut office.

Bambino Gesu got involved at the request of Pope Frances, said Dr. Fiore S. Iorio, who operated on Eman.

Iorio said he and his colleagues were also compelled by a moral obligation to help these unfortunate children, either through surgery or by training Jordanian colleagues.

The UN refugee agency helped pay for the hospital expenses.

After Emans surgery, her parents watched her breathe, her chest covered with bandages and wires, rising and failing in rhythm with the beeping monitor.

Doctors told them she would likely need another, more complicated surgery in two to five years.

I dont know where we will get the money then, al-Matoura said. But thank God for healing her today.

Read more about:
ORLANDO, Fla.  If jurors in a federal trial in Florida believe government prosecutors, the wife of the man who carried out one of the U.S.s biggest mass shootings gave a green light to her husband when he wanted to execute his terrorist-inspired attack.

But if they accept Noor Salmans attorneys account that she was a devoted mother with an IQ of 84 and was the victim of Omar Mateens repeated lies throughout their marriage, they could decide she had no prior knowledge of the attack.

Salman went on trial Wednesday in Orlando. The 31-year-old is accused of aiding and abetting her husband in his attack on the Pulse nightclub in June of 2016. Shes also charged with obstruction of justice. If convicted, she faces life in prison.

Read more:

Pulse nightclub shooters widow knew he would do something bad, investigators say

Orlando nightclub gunmans wife knew about the attack, prosecutor says

FBI arrests wife of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen

After opening statements, the government called a variety of witnesses who gave emotional testimony about that night at Pulse. Two police officers testified, as did a survivor who said she covered herself with a dead body while Mateen shot his way through the club. Prosecutors also showed video taken inside the club by one survivor; Salman covered her eyes with her hand and victims family members in the court teared up.

Prosecutors portrayed a woman who knew Mateen was buying rounds of ammunition for his AR-15, helped him spend thousands of dollars before the attack and knew about his plan when he left the house in the hours before the shooting. They also say she lied, tried to mislead FBI agents and had knowledge of her husbands sick fascination with violent jihadist videos and terrorism.

None of the victims that night knew the horrific events that would unfold. No one knew except for two people: Omar Mateen and his wife, Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mandolfo said. The defendant gave Omar Mateen the green light to commit terrorism on behalf of ISIS (Daesh).

In his hour-long opening statement, Mandolfo gave several examples of Salmans conflicting statements to FBI agents in the hours after the attack. In one conversation with authorities, before they informed her of any details of the attack, she said, My husband is safe with guns.

Said Mandolfo: No one ever told her about guns.

He described a wife that knowingly went to at least two locations with Mateen to scout sites of potential terrorist attacks. One was City Place, an open-air shopping centre in West Palm Beach. The other was Disney Springs, a crowded dining and shopping area near the famed theme parks, Mandolfo said.

What would make people more upset, an attack at a club or an attack at Disney? Mateen asked his wife, according to Mandolfo.

Salman also knew her husband was fascinated with violent jihadist videos, even pulling their 3-year-old away from the screen, Mandolfo said.

The statements she made to the FBI after the attack will be key to the trial.

Salmans attorney, Linda Moreno, argued in opening statements that some of the claims are contradicted by cellphone records and other evidence.

She co-operated with the FBI completely, said Moreno, adding that her client never asked for a lawyer and consented to a home search. The FBI in their hours-long questioning manipulated and coerced her, Moreno asserts.

Noor Salman denied any knowledge of Omar Mateens plans for hours, she said, adding that agents told Salman that she could go to jail and not see her child.

Her attorney said Mateen had a secret life that involved meeting women online and cheating on Salman. Moreno called Mateen misogynistic. According to court records, Mateen abused Salman, including when she was pregnant.

The only sin was that she married a monster, said Moreno, adding that the jury can honour the victims of the attack by seeking the truth of her clients actions.

U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron said the trial could last three weeks or more, after taking several days to pick a jury of 12 with six alternates.

Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, was killed by police in the hours after the shooting. At the time of the attack, it was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. It was surpassed last October by the fatal shooting of 58 people in Las Vegas.

Salman was arrested in 2017 in California, where she was staying with family, and has been jailed since then.
In The case for French immersion, Irvin Studin states: There are no good arguments against French Immersion schooling in Canada.

Hes either mistaken or misguided. French Immersion has many more flaws than the three Studin glosses over, and our failure to recognize and address these issues weakens our public education system and diminishes the quality of education for all students.

Studin asserts that French Immersion is an important part of supporting official bilingualism, but that was never the original intention of the program. When the Mothers of Immersion, Murielle Parks, Olga Melikoff and Valerie Neal established French Immersion in 1965, their goal was to help Anglophone children living in a mostly French speaking province become better at French. They werent trying to produce students who were bilingual.

Thats just as well, because in most situations French Immersion isnt very effective at creating bilingual citizens. While data is scarce, research shows that fewer than 20 per cent of French Immersion students graduate high school with proficiency in French. Partly because the vast majority of students who enter French Immersion programs leave the program long before that.

Can a program that fails to meet the needs of so many students be considered successful? And if French Immersion is an effective way of promoting bilingualism, then why, after 40 years of exponential growth in French Immersion programs across the country, is the number of bilingual Canadians dropping?

So, if French Immersion isnt very effective at teaching students French, why is it so popular? The unsettling answer may lie in the fact that French Immersion classrooms dont reflect the diversity of our multicultural society.

French Immersion classrooms have more students from wealthier families, more girls and fewer students who need special education support than the average English speaking classroom. Some school boards also report that there are more white and more native English-speaking students in French Immersion classes than in English speaking classrooms.

French Immersion programs are further hampered by a significant shortage of qualified teachers. In 2017 the Halton Catholic District School Board almost cancelled their early French Immersion program explaining, there is a French Teacher staffing crisis across the province of Ontario.

Trustees at the Waterloo Region District School Board have called on the province to increase the number of qualified French Immersion teachers and former Education Minister Mitzie Hunter agreed that there are   challenges with teacher supply. Surely, a lack of qualified teachers should be a concern for parents considering French Immersion.

In spite of these problems, the demand for French immersion places across Canada grows at about 12 per cent each year. This rapid growth creates headaches for school boards, stretching scarce resources even further and forcing difficult decisions. Boards employ a variety of solutions, but all of them have enormous consequences for non-French Immersion students.

English schools are regularly converted to French Immersion to meet demand, forcing English language students onto school buses and out of their neighbourhood schools. In the Ottawa Carlton District School Board, the demand for French Immersion has marginalized the English-speaking program so much that board officials worry that English may become a specialty program.

However, the biggest consequence of French Immersion for our education system is the ghettoizing of English language schools. French Immersion programs siphon engaged families and high performing students away from their neighbourhood schools. These are the families and students that are desperately needed to contribute to neighbourhood schools, ensuring that the education in those schools is as good as possible for all students.

French Immersion, like any education program, has positives and negatives, but the combination of those negatives with high demand is harming the education of all students.

Unfortunately, advocates of French Immersion persist in defending the program at all costs and insisting there are no problems. Perhaps instead, they could agree that we have some work to do to make French Immersion more effective and inclusive, and in doing so, improve our education system for all students.

Andrew Campbell is an educator and writer. He has taught in the public school system in Ontario for over 25 years, as well as two years in Kuwait. He is currently a Grade 5 teacher in Brantford, Ontario.
In January, a new mother in California became part of a viral Facebook post that described her babys four-month postpartum checkup. As a result of the thoughts she shared with her health care providers, the police were called and she was escorted to the hospital, forcibly admitted to the psychiatric unit and made to feel like a criminal.

During the postpartum checkup, she had revealed that while she wouldnt hurt herself or her baby, she was having violent thoughts and wished to have medication and counselling. This mother had postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). She needed support and counselling, not forced hospitalization and unnecessary trauma.

If you think that this cant happen in Canada, think again. We know of numerous instances just like this, as a psychologist and a nurse specializing in maternal mental health for 30 years between us.

In Canada, we have made tremendous strides in the last decade raising awareness about the serious condition of postpartum depression, which occurs in 10 to 20 per cent of mothers, and involves sadness and lack of interest in usually pleasurable activities over a one-to-two week period in the first year postpartum.

Stigma around postpartum depression has decreased and mothers can usually find supports and services in their communities as well as resources online that promote understanding.

What we have not made strides in is understanding and treating postpartum OCD.

Postpartum OCD occurs in 3 to 5 per cent of new mothers, is an anxiety disorder that involves disturbing uncontrolled thoughts and images of harm coming to the baby. And not just any harm  the mother pictures herself inflicting the harm.

As one Canadian mother describes it:

I remember the first time it happened. The first time I believed that I could be capable of hurting my baby. I was standing at the top of the stairs. My first thought was about keeping her safe. Then I thought, What if I accidentally drop her? It was like a switch flipped. I thought, What if I intentionally dropped her down the stairs What if I threw her down the stairs

My heart started racing, my arms started to tingle. I felt like I was going to throw up. I could barely breathe. From that moment, my thoughts spiralled out of control. I could no longer trust myself. I saw everything as a threat or a weapon that could be used to hurt my child, and I was terrified that I would or could be the one inflicting the hurt, which terrified me because it was so senseless and completely against my feelings of love for my daughter.

Without appropriate treatment, moms with postpartum OCD have racing, unwanted thoughts so unspeakable and so incomprehensible that many may think about killing themselves to keep from hurting their baby.

Mothers with postpartum OCD experience a waking nightmare and desperately need help, yet their silent shame and terror about others finding out prevents them from getting the understanding care they need. They fear others will judge them to be unfit mothers whose babies should be taken away.

They need support, not judgment. The public needs to know that postpartum OCD is highly treatable with proper support, medication and counselling. And yet its the least understood and most commonly misdiagnosed postpartum mood disorder.

Mothers and their loved ones need to know that if they reach out for help  are brave enough to share their scary thoughts  they will be supported, not persecuted. To make this a reality, health care providers need to be educated.

Health care providers need to know the simple signs to distinguish postpartum OCD from postpartum psychosis (women with postpartum OCD know their thoughts are irrational and unwanted; women with postpartum psychosis lose touch with reality and are unaware they are having illogical thoughts or delusions)

Postpartum Support International is offering a new training program for health care professionals. The program focuses on increasing health care providers comfort in screening, evaluating, diagnosing and treating moms with symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders such as those associated with postpartum OCD.

With greater awareness and sensitivity, we hope to hear more stories about women who found a health care provider who understood what she was going through and offered the kind of support the mother needed.

Dr. Gina Wong is a registered psychologist and an associate professor in the Graduate Centre for Applied Psychology at Athabasca University. She is currently working on a national strategy on maternal mental health. Nicole Letourneau is an expert adviser with EvidenceNetwork.ca and a professor in the Faculties of Nursing and Medicine. She also holds the Alberta Childrens Hospital Foundation chair in parent-infant mental health at the University of Calgary.
Is the world about to see Trump Unchained?

In the space of a week, Donald Trump has rid himself of two men who served as checks on his worst instincts. Hes forced out his top advisers on economics and foreign affairs and promoted men who will egg him on as he pushes his nationalist America First agenda.

If you didnt like the first year of the Trump presidency, in other words, get ready to hate the second year even more.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of the hapless Rex Tillerson to go for the high jump as the president tweeted out his firing as secretary of state. In retrospect, the only surprise was that Tillerson lasted as long as he did after last summers reports that he had called Trump a moron in a private meeting.

Tillerson was a relatively moderate voice on issues like climate change, Iran and North Korea. Hell be replaced by the hard-line CIA director Mike Pompeo, who is likely to reinforce Trumps most aggressive attitudes toward the rest of the world.

As a bonus, Trumps nominee to be the new CIA chief is Gina Haspel, best known for heading a secret agency torture program in Thailand after 9-11. Quite a pair.

And thats just this week. Remember all the way back to last week, when the former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn quit as Trumps chief economic adviser after losing the argument on trade and tariffs that had been raging inside the White House?

The winner in that bureaucratic knife-fight was a previously obscure economist named Peter Navarro, who is closely aligned with Trumps views on economic nationalism and a fierce critic of so-called globalist policies.

It was Navarro who was the most vocal advocate of slapping tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States, a measure ostensibly designed to hit back at Chinese protectionism but whose actual effect would be to fall most heavily on Canada and other U.S. allies.

In both economic and foreign policy, then, Trump has managed in just a few days to purge his administration of top advisers who have been generally regarded as moderating influences on him.

Cohn represented more conventional free-trade thinking. Tillerson was a lousy steward of the State Department, but he at least spoke for those who believe the U.S. is better advised to work with its allies around the world rather than going its own way.

Now theyre out, and there will be even fewer people around Trump prepared to restrain him, or even give him an alternative way of approaching an issue.

That wouldnt be good even if the president was well-informed, calm and far-seeing. Given that Trump is none of these things, it can only be worrisome in the extreme.

Thats especially true when the top item on the White House foreign policy to-do list is trying to defuse the ticking time bomb that is North Korea.

Trumps impulsive decision to accept an invitation to meet Kim Jong Un by May raises the stakes there dramatically. Its undeniably a bold move, and holds the potential of a historic deal to end the nuclear threat from North Korea.

But if it all falls apart, tensions could rise even higher. And given there has been almost no ground-work lain for such a summit, thats a genuine risk. Pompeo will now be Trumps chief diplomat and no one in his administration has been more skeptical of North Koreas willingness to give up its nuclear weapons.

So there it is: at the very moment that Trump prepares to tackle the most delicate security issue facing the world, he has chosen to empower his most aggressive advisers and silence the voices of caution.

What could possibly go wrong?

Read more about:
Forget the comparisons to Donald Trump. Doug Ford, Ontarios new Progressive Conservative leader, is very much a homegrown phenomenon.

If he and his party win the June provincial election, it will be for homegrown reasons.

Ontario is usually a Red Tory province. Voters tend to elect parties, whether they call themselves PC, Liberal or New Democrat, that promise the Red Tory formula of fiscal rectitude and moderately progressive social policy.

But every now and again, when they believe matters have swung too much to one side or the other, Ontarians elect a more radical government  one that promises to purge the system and restore balance.

Ford is banking on the hope that Ontario is ready for one of those purges and that his PCs will be chosen on June 7 to deliver the emetic.

This can be labelled populism, I suppose. But it is not the same kind of bitter populism that propelled Trump to the U.S. presidency.

Unlike Trump, Ford has not fanned the embers of white nationalism and nativism. Indeed, his Ford Nation backers are marked by their racial and ethnic diversity.

Unlike Trump, Ford levels no complaints against immigrants. Quite the reverse.

And the PC leaders rants against elites are aimed not at those who have betrayed the industrial working class through flawed trade deals but rather at liberal snobs who just dont get what ordinary people want.

If Ford does become premier on the promise of delivering fundamental change, he will be following in the footsteps of Bob Rae and Mike Harris.

Raes NDP was elected in 1990 by an electorate that had grown weary of then-premier David Petersons governing Liberals but was not prepared to vote in the Tories.

The voters were not necessarily opposed to Liberal policies. But they did chafe at the governing partys unbridled sense of entitlement.

In the next election, in 1995, Harris PCs were elected with a sweeping mandate to restructure a public sector that the voters thought was badly out of kilter.

The Harris years were marked by both radical change and conflict. In 2003, the voters decided it was time for a rest and returned the Liberals to power.

Since then, the PCs have been looking for another Mike Harris to purge a government they believe has grown fat and lazy.

There are similarities between Ford and Harris. Both hew to a few basic principles: tax cuts are good; regulations that interfere with business are bad; government is inherently wasteful.

Ford does not yet have the kind of fully costed platform that Harris brought into the 1995 election. But few voters read the details of political platforms. They are more interested in the broad strokes.

So when Ford announces he will cut just four cents from every dollar of government spending without laying anyone off or curtailing services, many voters nod in agreement. Where exactly that $6 billion will come from remains an unanswered question.

Fords critics point to his views on sex education to paint him as a social conservative zealot. Ford has said that he would scrap the current curriculum and start over. He has also allowed himself to be drawn into the fringes of the fraught abortion debate.

Abortion is a topic Ford would be wise to avoid. But it is unclear that expressing doubts about sex education is that far outside the mainstream.

Certainly, NDP federal leader Jagmeet Singh didnt think so. When he was still an Ontario MPP, Singh spoke in the legislature on behalf of those in his Brampton riding opposed to the new curriculum, referring to it as a mistake that was disrespectful to parents in my constituency.

Which is pretty much Fords position.

None of this means that Ford has a lock on the election. Much can happen before June 7. Ontarians may decide that a full-blown enema isnt necessary.

But the fact that someone promising disruptive change could become Ontario premier is neither odd nor unprecedented.

This has happened here before.

Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Read more about:
The aerospace stock fell after its biggest supplier cited challenging conditions as Boeing ramps up 737 production.

Boeing Co. (BA) - Get Boeing Company Report stock slipped Wednesday, March 14, ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to a plant in St. Louis.

Shares of the aerospace company fell 4.5%, closing at $330.26, as its biggest supplier suggested it was having trouble meeting Boeing's demand as it seeks to increase production of its 737 aircraft.

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. (SPR) - Get Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. Class A Report Chief Executive Tom Gentile said during the J.P. Morgan Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference Wednesday that the first quarter "will be a bit more challenging because of the surge effort we put to get control of the [Boeing] 737."

"There are tens of thousands of different parts that we put together for the 737 and we have 600 major suppliers and it's fair to say that the suppliers experience some difficulty going up at rate," said Gentile.

Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit is deploying "swat team" at 12 suppliers to meet the demands of Boeing's target to increase production. Spirit provides about 70% of the 737's structure, including flaps and slats on the wings, Gentile said.

Meanwhile, the president is visiting a Boeing plant in St. Louis to tout the benefits of the recent U.S. tax overhaul, which cut the corporate tax rate to 21%. Trump is also expected to discuss his budget request for more Super Hornet fighter jets, which Boeing makes at its St. Louis plant, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg, who is expected to be in St. Louis, praised the tax cut, calling it "the single-most important thing we can do to drive innovation, support quality jobs and accelerate capital investment."

Muilenburg said in late February that Boeing's effective tax rate has declined to about 16% as a result of the tax reform. The corporate tax cut buoyed the Chicago-based aerospace company's stock. Since Trump's inauguration, Boeing stock has soared about 105%.

On the heels of the passage of the tax law, Boeing announced $300 million in employee-related and charitable investments. On Wednesday, the company said it wrapped up a crowdsourcing initiative to gather ideas for the workforce investments.

"In total, the effort generated more than 40,000 ideas from employees across the globe," Boeing said in a statement. "The company will process the crowdsourced data over the coming weeks with plans to implement programs this year."

Despite the benefits of the U.S. tax reform, there are concerns that China could retaliate against Trump's tariffs, especially as he is reportedly looking to impose tariffs on as much as $60 billion of Chinese imports.

Boeing announced in November that it reached an agreement to sell 300 passenger aircraft to China Aviation Supplies Holding Co., worth about $37 billion.

Boeing has remained relatively mum since Trump announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, but management is closely watching the developments.

"It's something we're keeping a close eye on," Muilenburg told CNBC on Feb. 15. "We've had a very good dialogue with the administration and our Chinese customers, Chinese government. ... It's important that we have a balanced approach to China. ...We need fair trade, fair competition. But as you look at the China market from an airplane standpoint ... those 41,000 new airplanes, more than 7,000 are in China. It's becoming the world's biggest airplane market."
ALTON  By way of Los Angeles, a short stay in Toronto, and finally here, Hookies co-founder planted roots and went to town.

Hookie lead vocalist and guitarist Graham Pagano met the three-piece bands fellow co-founder, bassist Mikey Lowenstein, at Chez Marilyn, when Pagano moved from L.A. at the height of the Rodney King riots in 1992 only to land in Alton during the Great Flood of 93. Now, Pagano, Lowenstein and drummer Ray Ayers are celebrating their bands first studio album, 600, Saturday, with the Hookie-hosted St. Pats Day Album Release Party at Altons Bottle and Barrel.

A former member of Alton-based, now-dissolved-but-never-fan-forgotten, The Undecided, met Pagano when both lived in L.A., becoming fast friends, eventually inspiring Pagano to adopt the Metro East as home. Pagano made a short detour to Canada for one year, came to Alton and settled near The Undecideds original drummer, Scott Robertson, who also became Hookies first drummer.

Hes like my brother  very, very good friends, Pagano said about Robertson, who came up with the name Hookie. It was weird times when we left Los Angeles. He moved back to Alton, came back home; I played a while in Toronto, but wanted to play with Scotty. Hell still sit in now and again with us.

Pagano, originally from Buffalo, New York, now of Fairview Heights, and Lowenstein, of East Alton, went through two more drummers, both of whom ended up moving to Texas, before recruiting Ayers, also of East Alton, and eventually making 600 at St. Louis Sawhorse Studios.

It took the trio two sessions, two to four days each last summer, to record tracks for the album, of which some are getting airplay in the United Kingdoms England and here by St. Louis KDHX 88.1 FM, Carbondales WDBX 91.1 FM radio show Purple Beards Playhouse,  which airs at 2 p.m. Thursdays, and Altons own Big Z WBGZ 94.3 FM/1570 AM.

I didnt want to leave the studio. It was awesome, Pagano said of the bands shared experience. I wanted to sleep on the floor and move in. It was a dream come true.

More Information If you go: What: Hookie - St. Pat's Day Album Release Party When: 8 p.m.-12 a.m., Saturday Where: Bottle and Barrel, 554 E. Broadway, Alton Info: $5 cover charge to get in; $5 CDs/download cards; www.hookiemusic.com, Hookie on Facebook and Bottle and Barrel on Facebook. For more about Graham Pagano visit www.grahampagano.com. Release Party lineup: DiBiase - www.dibiasetunes.bandcamp.com Hookie - www.hookiemusic.com Polyshades - www. polyshades.bandcamp.com See More Collapse

He described Hookies debut album, officially released Jan. 2, as a blend of no-frills modern rock; dark blues, as in harder and more electronically infused than traditional blues; lively ska; and, soul. Upon viewing the American rock bands video performance of Opportunity Knocking, at www.hookiemusic.com, the Black Crowes came to mind from watching and listening to Pagano and Lowensteins guitar style had characteristics of The Whos Pete Townshend. Hookies website stated that the band fuses Led Zeppelin-style bluesy swagger with modern rock and punk sensibilities.

The album overall has a blues feel to it, which I love, Pagano said to The Telegraph. Live, we do some off-the-cuff jam stuff, but not so much on the record.

Pagano, a musician for years, who met his wife, Karen, here and now has a family, took a break until 2010, when he got the fever again and started to play acoustically, going out solo for nearly four years. Then he formed Hookie with Lowenstein, formerly with Crazy Chester, now dissolved. Paganos solo work, which includes an album, can be found at www.grahampagano.com.

Being our first time as a band in the studio, we werent as comfortable as we are live. We were looser in the second session, Pagano recalled about recording 600, named for the door number of Hookies Downtown Alton rehearsal room and where the three-piece outfit hones its big sound.

Thats where everything was created, so we wanted to acknowledge that room, Pagano said. The hardest thing to do is describe our sound. We can all play. Im not trying to be arrogant at all, but we know how to play.

We strive to cover a lot of ground, of playing to the edge of our abilities.

Pagano gave ground-coverage credit to Lowenstein and Ayers rhythm section.

Its a good foundation behind me with Ray, on drums, and next to me with Mikey, on bass, he explained. If I want to play a twenty-minute guitar solo, or stop and talk or start to sing, it doesnt sound like anything dropped because they hold it down. That gives me a lot of room to go over the top. A lot of great bands have excellent rhythm sections. You cant beat Zeppelins rhythm section.

On stage, Hookie senses their fans and audiences anticipation.

We thrive on the challenge of seeing what we can get away with as a three piece, especially live improv. I love throwing a curveball at them to see if they catch up, Pagano said. We want to see how far we can push it without a train wreck; the audience feels that. We can see theyre waiting for something to happen.

Writing music and lyrics is a collaborative effort, with Pagano mostly writing lyrics influenced by Lowenstein and Ayers.

Lyrically, I usually bring in an idea, a starting point, nothing set in stone and see what happens. They chime in, Pagano noted. The music is more collaborative, so you can blame me for the lyrics.

The song Opportunity Knocking, on 600, came from Paganos acoustic CD.

But, with Hookie, its electrified, he said. When I brought the song to the band, I was thinking it could be real fun, high energy, and it worked. Theres more kick to the song than my acoustic version. We all participate in writing; theres no way its all me.

Pagano credits Ayers for pushing Hookie to make an album. Ayers came from Midnight Reveille, a band that broke up but first recorded and released an album from Sawhorse Studios.

He motivated us again, Pagano said.

Reach Jill Moon at 618-208-6448 and Twitter @jill_moon.
ALTON  Members of the Alton Education Association overwhelmingly voted to authorize the issuance of an intent to strike Monday after the Alton School Districts last and best offer was turned down by its members.

Jason Chapman, professional negotiating chair for Alton Education Association and fifth-grade teacher at North Elementary School, said the vote came after members overwhelmingly rejected the final offer from the district.

The sticking point is salary, Chapman said. Right now, we have some of the lowest staring salaries in our area. We would like to see that salary schedule become competitive with other districts so we could hire and keep good teachers.

Alton Schools Superintendent Mark Cappel agreed that teachers deserve compensation but said the districts finances put them in a tough spot.

There is no question that our board of education believes our teachers and staff deserve as much money as we can possibly give them and even more, Cappel said in a news release. We wish it could be more because they certainly deserve it.

However, we had to borrow $10 million in working cash bonds just to make payroll and keep our doors open this school year. That is money that has to be paid back and provided by taxpayers. Therefore, we are limited in what we can offer teachers and we worked at great lengths to derive enough cost reductions to even provide our current offer.

The district is a priority school district for the new evidenced-based funding formula and considered to be underfunded by the state, according to the districts release. However, while the states new evidenced-based funding formula will eventually generate an additional $900,000 in revenue, Altons nearly $1.3 million loss in Corporate Personal Property Replacement Tax (CPPRT) revenue will more than wash away that increase, the district said.

The latest offer to the AEA is the highest salary increase the district has offered in comparison to the three previously approved contracts, the district said in a news release. The offer included a $1,296 increase for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years for certified staff, and 100 percent employer-paid health, dental and life insurance. For non-certified teachers and staff, the district proposed a $0.35 per hour increase for each of the two years, plus the continued insurance coverage extended to certified staff.

Chapman said the two sides are roughly $700 apart on salary for certified members and approximately $0.30 per hour apart on non-certified members pay. The union also wants to sign a one-year contract, while the district is interested in a two-year deal, Chapman said.

More Information THE OFFER Teachers/Certified Staff 2017-18 $1,296 increase (Step movement + $100 to each salary cell) 100 percent employer-paid health, dental and life insurance continued 2018-19 $1,296 increase (Step movement + $100 to each salary cell) 100 percent employer-paid health, dental and life insurance continued Educational Support Staff/Non-Certified 2017-18 Increase of $0.35 per hour 100 percent employer-paid health, dental and life insurance continued 2018-19 Increase of $0.35 per hour 100 percent employer-paid health, dental and life insurance continued See More Collapse

The sides met with a federal mediator, Chapman said, but after one mediation session the district broke off talks and submitted its final offer.

The members of my association havent seen our schedule enhanced in some time. Weve taken pay freezes, compacted steps in salary schedule, with hopes of being able to see more consistent movement in salary schedule, and that just hasnt happened, Chapman said.

Despite the ominous tone, an intent to strike does not give teachers the ability to strike on a whim. Before teachers would be allowed to strike, the federal mediator working with both sides would need to declare an impasse and notify the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board (IELRB) of the situation. Both sides would then be required to submit final proposals to the IELRB, and the board would publicly post both offers on its website for 14 days. Only then would a strike be allowed.

Chapman said the AEA does not have a date set for a potential strike and said the earliest a strike could reasonably happen is mid-April. In the meantime, the sides can continue negotiating.

Chapman expressed hope something gets done before more dire measures are taken.

Our goal is to get back to the table and work something out, Chapman said.

Cappel echoed that sentiment.

We hope to return very soon to the bargaining table in an effort to reach an agreement with the AEA, Cappel said. The one priority that both sides have in common is our commitment to our students and because of that, we will certainly do everything within our ability to come to a mutual agreement.

The union was in a similar position the last time the sides negotiated a contract in 2015. Then, an intent to strike was also authorized after 95 percent of AEA members rejected the school districts offer. Eventually, an agreement was reached before a strike occurred.

Chapman said some of the dissatisfaction with that process may have carried over into these negotiations.

Our members are very frustrated, Chapman said. We were really close last time to being in the same boat were in now, in the last contract. And that has kind of led over into this contract. We were very frustrated with the lack of salary increases. Members feel were asked to do more and more for less and less.

Reach managing editor Nathan Grimm at 618-208-6456.
EDWARDSVILLE  The Madison County Zoning Board of Appeals approved five separate requests at its Tuesday meeting.

The requests included three zoning map amendments to rezone property, a special use permit and a variance. The approvals came after on-site hearings.

Requests approved were:

 The rezoning of property at 2816 Union School Road, Alton, to R-1 Single Family Residential from Agricultural by owners Greg and Linda Miller. The request included a variance to create an R-1 tract of 32,800 square feet, rather than the required 40,000, and to allow a private sewer system.

 A special use permit by owner Joshua Williams to continue placement of a single-wide manufactured home at 1434 Eighth St., Cottage Hills.

 Rezoning a one-acre tract to B-4 Wholesale Business District from R-2 Single Family Residential at 4028 Henkaus Lane, Bethalto by purchaser James Scott and owner Kristal Null. The purpose of the rezoning would be to allow a commercial office on the site.

 A variance to create a one-acre tract of land in an agricultural district, rather than the required two acres, at 6110 St. James Dr., Edwardsville, by owners Raymond and Regina Svoboda.

 The rezoning of a 1.36-acre tract of land to B-5 Planned Business District from R-3 Single Family Residential at 4548 N. Illinois Route 157, Edwardsville, by owner Joseph K. Garwood. The request included a setback variance. This was approved with several stipulations, including that there would be no lighting or signage. The original request was for a B-3 Highway Business District zoning, but was changed to B-5 to restrict the type of developments that could go in.

The items now move to the Planning & Development Committee for approval before moving to the full Madison County Board.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.
A local group is opposing the proposed new 1 percent sales tax in Madison County that is on the March 20 ballot. Madison County Citizens for Sustainable Education is a group of grassroots volunteers working to educate voters on the details of the new tax law, and its impact on residents and local businesses.

The same sales tax was defeated by voters in Madison County in 2017, and soundly defeated by a margin of 81 percent to 19 percent by voters on the 2011 ballot. Spokesperson Nancy Moss, a Collinsville resident, says that nothing has changed from the original proposal that voters overwhelmingly rejected in 2011.

This is still a tax that adds to the crushing tax burden that we face here in Illinois, which now has the highest combined state and local taxes in the nation. The state legislature raised our income taxes by 32 percent last summer, and now we are confronted with yet another local tax. At what point do we say: enough is enough?

If voters approve the sales tax on the March 20 ballot, areas of Madison County would have some of the highest sales tax rates in the nation. The sales tax in Granite Citys Bellemore Village business district would rise to 10.35 percent, surpassing Chicago and Long Beach, California, which at 10.25 percent have the highest sales tax rate in America. In all seven of Collinsvilles business districts the sales tax rate would rise to 10.1 percent.

What signal are we sending to businesses and consumers, when we already have some of the highest property taxes in the nation, and now were aiming to have the highest sales taxes in the country as well? Gas prices and sales taxes are already less in Missouri, and this would just increase the disparity, said Moss. Since Madison County sits on the state border, it makes our businesses even more vulnerable to people crossing state lines for lower prices.

Many local school districts have also promised to use a portion of the estimated $23 million in revenue from the tax to lower property taxes. However, nothing in the law requires school districts to lower property taxes with the revenue, and there are no provisions to hold school boards to their promises.

In fact, in 2009, when the 1 percent sales tax was on the ballot in Champaign County, all 13 school districts in the county promised to lower property taxes with a portion of the revenue. However, five years later, 12 of the 13 school districts had broken their promises and had actually raised property taxes by an average of 22 percent.

There are just no examples around the state of school districts following through on the promise to lower property taxes if this new sales tax is passed, said Moss.

Most school districts around the state have issued bonds to pay for school construction and have used the sales tax revenues to pay down the bonds. However, if sales tax revenues are insufficient to make minimum bond payments, the school districts are required to raise property taxes.

So, if we fall into another recession, and sales tax revenues are down and there isnt enough money to make their minimum bond payments, our property taxes will actually go up, as required by state law, added Moss. Thats why we have to read through the fine print and put the claims of lower property taxes into proper context. Its laughable that someone would claim that they need to raise our taxes in order to lower them. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Finally, if the sales tax is passed, it never expires and voters cannot repeal it.

As we look at the pitfalls of this oppressive tax, it is also important to follow the money.

In 2011 and 2017, the attempts to pass this tax were heavily funded by out of state and out of Madison County investment bankers, architectural, and construction companies who would profit greatly from this measure. They, not the taxpayers, would be big winners if this tax is passed.

Madison County Citizens for Sustainable Education
No debate, no discussion, but with a voice vote in the din of noisy protests, Union Budget 2018-19, the last full budget of the Narendra Modi government, was passed in the Lok Sabha a little after noon, on Wednesday, where after the house was adjourned for the day. Earlier, too, there was an adjournment till 12 noon. Some MPs were heard commenting that it was just as well, as they could go to track the results of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar byelections.

Opposition parties added one more reason to their protest soon after the Finance Bill 2018 and the Appropriation Bill were passed. There was time to debate and discuss the bills till April 6 when the session is slated to end, many leaders maintained.

The government applied what is called guillotinepassing by voice votes whether or not a bill have been debated. Finance Minister Arun Jaitely moved the Finance Bill 2018 and the Appropriation Bill to go with it.

The bills will now go to the Rajya Sabha, where they will have to be approved within two weeks. The opposition is strong in the Rajya Sabha, but sources in the ruling party did not seem to see any hitch.

The opposition has been noisily protesting in the Lok Sabha over various issues since March 5, when Parliament reconvened after the recess in the budget session. The house witnessed repeated adjournments as Congress, TDP, TRS, and AIADMK stuck to their position over Nirav Modi's escape and the PNB fraud, special category status for Andhra Pradesh, and a board to manage the Cauvery waters.
The trailer to the sequel of Fantastic Beasts was released on Wednesday, with actor Jude Law filling the shoes of a young Albus Dumbledore. The Harry Potter spinoff, in which Eddie Redmayne returns as the 'magizoologist' Newt Scamander, is set around 70 years before Harry Potter went to Hogwarts wizarding school and learned to become a wizard. The Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald trailer hints that Scamander is acting under orders from Dumbledore to head to Paris, but as the future-Hogwarts headmaster notes, Scamander isn't one for taking orders well.

The film follows Dumbledore and Scamander, his former student, as they join forces to recapture an escaped Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, who is on a mission to dominate all non-magical people with the help of his pureblood wizard followers.

But the trailer has caused some furore, especially among the Twitterati. In the opening scene, some wizards are seen apparating (teleporting) inside the grounds of Hogwarts. Several fans pointed out that this was a major glitch given that it was impossible to apparate inside or outside the grounds of Hogwarts schoola safety measure put in place by Dumbledore himself. "So excited for the new Fantastic Beasts movie but I didnt think you could apparate on Hogwarts grounds. @jk_rowling please explain," wrote user Kristen. "Me Watching the new Fantastic Beasts trailer.

So excited for the new Fantastic Beasts movie but I didnt think you could apparate on Hogwarts grounds. @jk_rowling please explain  Kristen Day (@Kdayyy809) March 13, 2018

"You can't apparate onto Hogwarts grounds! The book Hermione always quotes says so!" wrote user Craig.

Fantastic Beasts did you even listen to Hermione? Read a history of magic? BOY. YA CANT APPARATE INSIDE THE HOGWARTS GROUNDS. pic.twitter.com/Ks8rFfACgu  Natasha Calland (@NatashaCalland) March 13, 2018 Me Watching the new Fantastic Beasts trailer.



"You can't fucking apparate onto Hogwarts grounds!" The book Hermione always quotes says so!" pic.twitter.com/5GFWF77tRY  Craig  (@Serok42) March 13, 2018

Another group argued that the script was written by J.K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter series) herself and that those alleging plot holes should keep a proper track of the timeline of the story.

About the plot hole that HP fans found with the Fantastic Beasts trailer: J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplay, so she allowed them to apparate onto Hogwarts grounds. So it must be for a reason. I'm sure certain high official people in the wizarding government can do that.  Jason Van Oeveren (@JasonVanOeveren) March 14, 2018 Everyone is upset about the ministry members in the new trailer of Fantastic Beasts apparating into Hogwarts but does anyone realize that those borders probably weren't there before Voldemort? If they did, it didn't have to be so far away, so maybe they did apparate right outside  Cassie (@JaneWinter228) March 14, 2018 "Hogwarts, A History" was published in 1984...so yes, by that point, you couldn't apparate into Hogwarts. BUT did you ever think that rule was made AFTER the events in Fantastic Beasts? Once again fans think they know more than @jk_rowling...it's HER world, not your's.  Becky Who (@Babs_Bunny420) March 14, 2018

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released on November 16, 2018.

(Inputs from PTI and IANS)
"In the infinite universes, is there one where I am smarter than you?" asks John Oliver. "Yes", Hawking shoots back, "and also one where you are funny."



Physicist Stephen Hawking was a man of infinite intelligence, one who made radical contributions in the field of science and technologyhis theories of black hole radiation (black holes emit heat and go out of existence) and breakthroughs in quantum physics elevated him to the pedestal of demigods like Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. He retained his impish sense of humour even after years of relegation to the wheelchair, and slow loss of motor functions, as the deadly Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) tore into his physique.

His work was accessible (sample his A Brief History of Time), and with a little help from the robotic tones of the speech synthesiser, the scientist became one of the most meme-fied pop culture icons of a generation (Neil deGrasse Tyson is a close second). His first breakthrough was an appearance in the American television show The Simpsons. In an episode titled They Saved Lisa's Brain, where a Mensa group with exceptionally high IQs takes over Springfield, Hawking makes an appearance. In the episode, a delicious spoof of Plato's Republic and Nietzsche's Ubermensch, Hawking discusses 'donut-shaped earth' theory with Homer. Although nowhere close to the top Simpson's episode, it certainly was a lot of fun.

The scientist occasionally appeared on The Big Bang Theory, a tremendously popular sitcom that explores the lives of four scientists living in Pasadena, California. In the series, Hawking is the hero of the protagonists, especially Sheldonthe high-IQ, unbearably egotistical theoretical physicist who worshipped at Hawking's altar. In this series, he is at his comedic best. What do Sheldon Cooper and a black hole have in common? Hawking asks. They both suck. After reviewing one of Sheldon's papers on Higgs Boson, he was gleeful: You made an arithmetic mistake on page two. It was quite the boner.

In Groening's (creator of The Simpsons) another series, Futurama, Hawking makes appearances as a talking head, and also saving the fabric of space-time continuum along with the (do-gooder) vice president Al Gore.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, he makes an appearance in a (very nerdy) poker game along with manifestations of Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton.

Pink Floyd's song Keep Talking features samples of Hawking's electronic sound.

And don't forget the very funny instalment of John Oliver's HBO show Last Week Tonight, where Hawking creams the host with brilliant one-liners. "In the infinite universes, is there one where I am smarter than you?" asks Oliver. "Yes," he shoots back, "and also one where you are funny."


Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat says the recent farmers march in Maharashtra was politically motivated.

Shekhawat told THE WEEK, Some sections of farmers in Maharashtra were misguided by a political party to join their rally. This particular party is desperate for attention as the morale of their cadre is at an all-time low.

He said majority of the farmers in the country are aware of the numerous schemes of the Union government to help farmers. Even the Union budget this time was a farmer-friendly budget. Such a show of strength by a political party is not going to scare us, said Shekhawat,

We have schemes that will revive agricultural sector and double income of farmers in a few years. He said the Maharastra government and the Union government are working tirelessly for the welfare of the farmers of the country. All that we have done for the farmers is out in the open. Our government is 24/7 with farmers, said Shekhawat.

The schemes look good in paper, but first, see the ground reality, retorted Mohammed Salim, CPI(M) MP, to THE WEEK.

This is a national issue and not confined to one state. The All India Kisan Sabha has held similar rallies in states like Rajasthan, but it was not noticed. Only because this time we marched to Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, that the media took note of us, he argued. Salim said the CPI(M) will be organising a similar rally of farmers in Lucknow on March 15.

Around 50,000 farmers and tribals, who came together under the Left-associated All India Kisan Sabha, walked around 165kmfrom Nashik to Mumbaidemanding an unconditional loan waiver and transfer of forest land to tribals. The protests were called off after the Devendra Fadnavis-led NDA government in Maharashtra accepted their demands in writing.

The AIKS is planning to organise similar rallies in other states after the remarkable success of its march in Mumbai. The march in Lucknow, on March 15, is with the demand to implement the recommendations of the M.S. Swaminathan CommitteeNational Commission for Farmersin the state.

The commission that suggested various reforms in the interests of farmers was constituted in 2004 under M.S. Swaminathan, an agricultural scientist. It had requested the government to provide minimum support price for grains and put agriculture in the concurrent list from the state list. Most of the suggestions of the commission, which is a thorough status paper on Indian agriculture, are yet to be implemented.

The march to Mumbai was supported by all political parties, including the Shiv Sena. The Congress chief in the stateAshok Chavanwas, in fact, heard shouting Lal Salaam at the rally.

Ashok Chavan did not respond to queries from THE WEEK.

The CPI(M)s rally did not take away the sheen from us. The issue is the problems faced by the farmers in the country, said Nana Patole, vice president of the Congress in Maharastra, while interacting with THE WEEK.

The Congress is also planning a similar rally of farmers in some days. It will be bigger than the rally organised by the CPI(M), he said, The assurance given by Fadnavis to the farmers was an eyewash. He gave the same assurance to another group of farmers some three months ago.

Patole, who was a Lok Sabha member of the BJP, resigned from the party and joined the Congress just before the Gujarat Assembly elections. The reason he had cited was the failure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Fadnavis to address farmers issues. An OBC leader from Nagpur, Patole said Modi used his OBC identity only during elections and did not like taking questions from Patole.
The Sukma attack by the CPI (Maoists), killing nine CRPF personnel on Tuesday, has come as a wake up call for the government to check the free flow of explosives to the banned outfit in states like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.

According to data available with the Union home ministry, two third of casualties faced by security forces in Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas is due to IED explosions.

Where do you think the Naxals are getting their explosives supply from? Unlike insurgencies in other parts of the country, the supply of explosives and arms and ammunition in the Left-Wing Extremism affected areas is not coming from across the border. It is being supplied to them locally. The mining industries operating in the area and the illegal mining happening in some other parts are being used by the Maoists to procure explosives in huge quantities. These supply chains have to be held accountable,'' said former CRPF DG Dilip Trivedi.

According to him, the IEDs threat posed by Maoists can only be countered if the root of the problem is effectively tackled. Intelligence reports have, time and again, indicated links between mining mafia and the outlaws in LWE affected states, with the former helping the extremists to procure huge amount of explosive materials which are then used to carry out IED blasts, targeting security forces. Sadly, this has been an issue that has plagued the security forces deployed in the Naxal hotbeds for nearly a decade now, and experts say the problem has only become worse.

The unregulated supply of explosives and electronic detonators to Maoists reflects the inability of both the Central and state governments to implement the long pending decisions taken to barcode the detonators, check their supply and sale as well as enforce strict regulations for the mining industries which are spread across the LWE affected states.

In 2014, Trivedi had raised the issue with the Union home ministry, and several meetings were held on the issue. Home ministry sources said the easy availability of detonators, especially among mining industries, is an equally bigger concern as the sale of ammonium nitrate which goes unmonitored in many parts of the country.

Sources revealed that the ministry had asked the department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) to initiate steps to barcode detonators to check their misuse. Without such a step, it is impossible to determine from where the detonator has been sourced and details of the manufacturer and the buyer. The DIPP had argued that this will increase the price of the detonators manifold. Earlier, the DIPP had also started barcoding packets of ammonium nitrate, but the exercise had not been fruitful since only the packets can be barcoded.

Sources privy to the discussions said unless the state governments, ministries concerned and the departments involved tackle the issue promptly and effectively, the anti-Naxal forces will continue to get hit.

Trivedi said it is easy to blame the security forces for not following standard operating procedures when they carry out ROP (road opening party) exercises, but it is a fact that the security personnel are the ones who are at the receiving end. ''We are serious in handling the issue of proliferation of IEDs, but is it enough that the CRPF is serious? I have been flagging this issue for so long,'' he said.

In the last few years, the security forces have successfully detected several IEDs, but occasionally, an undetected mine can cause fatalities like the one that was witnessed in Sukma on Tuesday.

It may be recalled that the government had drawn up an extensive anti-Naxal action plan in 2014 which entailed an ambitious proposal to procure land mine detectors, similar to those used by the US forces in Afghanistan. The DRDO had also been roped in to help with their expertise in tackling the IED threat. But, the situation on the ground more or less remains the same.

CRPF officials in Sukma said there are limitations in the areas in which the forces are deployed, with terrains that make it near impossible for them to detect the mines. Moreover, some of these landmines have been laid months and years ago, and go undetected. Mine Protected Vehicles, which are used by the forces, also have their limitations, they said.

The huge amount of explosives used in Sukma attack blew up the vehicle so badly. We cannot say what was the exact quantity of the explosive used, but it was definitely in enormous quantity. The MPVs also have their limitations,'' the official said.

CRPF officials pointed out that earlier the modus operandi adopted by the Maoists was to loot weapons from the security forces and attack police stations for the same. After successive attacks and loss of lives of security forces, the government had decided to fortify police stations and camps of central security forces. Once this was done, the incidents of looting weapons came down and related attacks on security forces were also brought down as Maoists started facing a shortage of weapons.

However, Maoists had, by then, started exploring other options. They formed a nexus with the growing mining industries to procure explosives for indigenously made IEDs.

Fresh intelligence inputs have revealed that during the ongoing Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), the CPI (Maoists) distributed huge number of pamphlets to their young cadres, teaching them how to make IEDs.

During the TCOC, which is held every year, the central leadership of the Maoists exhorts its cadres to carry out attacks on security forces besides focusing on their training on making IEDs among others.

The supply chain for them, however, remains unchecked and undisturbed each year, making the job of security forces tougher.
A Delhi court on Wednesday extended by 14 days the judicial custody of an alleged middleman in the Election Commission bribery case involving AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran.

Special judge Arvind Kumar extended the judicial custody of Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who was arrested on April 16 last year, and posted the matter for April 4 when arguments on framing of charges are likely to take place.

The court also asked Chandrashekhar to file his response by April 17 on a plea of the Income Tax Department for his interrogation for alleged possession of assets worth more than his declared income.

The I-T department, in its plea, has claimed that during its various search and enquiry in the matter, it was found that Chandrashekhar has purchased "11 luxury vehicles and one Ducati bike" and some expensive watches.

The department claimed that he had purchased these assets by paying cash in violation of provisions of the I-T Act.

Earlier in the day, the court granted bail to a Chennai-based senior advocate B Kumar, who is also an accused in the case.

The police had accused Chandrashekhar, Dhinakaran and others of hatching a criminal conspiracy to bribe some Election Commission officials.

The Delhi Police had on December 14 last year filed a supplementary charge sheet against Dhinakaran, Chandrashekhar and seven others in the matter.

In its 701-page charge sheet filed on July 14 last year, the police had claimed that money recovered from Chandrashekar was sent by Dhinakaran through unaccounted channels with the help of other accused persons.

Chandrashekhar was named in the charge sheet for alleged offences of forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating, making a false document and criminal conspiracy under the IPC and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Dhinakaran, accused of trying to bribe EC officials to get the "two leaves" poll symbol for the AIADMK faction led by V.K. Sasikala, was arrested on April 25 and granted bail on June 1.
If anything happens to me, please tell my story. This was...
Strong rumours that a certain Gumnaami Baba living in Faizabad, near Ayodhya, could have been Subhas Chandra Bose was ruled out by Justice Manoj Mukherjee, who headed the Mukherjee Commission conducting an inquiry into Boses death, after conducting a DNA test in 2004.

Yet, the baba, who was identified later as a criminal on the run after murdering his colleague and who himself died in 1985, till recently had piqued the interest of several RSS groups. It seems that Bose's charisma still has a strong political pull, even seven decades after his death.

Similarly, the Trinamool Congress and the Forward Bloc, during the Vajpayee regime also raked up the issue of how Bose died, making the Centre spend taxpayers' money to set up yet another commission to unravel the mystery surrounding the legendary Indian freedom fighter.

Bose was acknowledged by the Axis Powers as the president of the provisional government of free India, after he hoisted the tricolour in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on December 30, 1943.

Renowned journalist Ashis Ray tries to bring the mystery surrounding Bose's death to a resounding conclusion by presenting 30 years of his research in his latest book, Laid To Rest: The controversy over Subhash Chandra Bose's death (Roli Books, Rs 595).

For over 30 years, Ray had nurtured Bose's death mystery as his personal project. "It is not my opinion on Bose's death," says Ray. And during this period, he got hold of details from 11 different investigations carried out over the last 72 years to confirm Bose's demise. For his research, he travelled to Taiwan, Japan, Pakistan, Russia, Britain and the United States.

Of these 11 investigations, four are Indian investigations, three each conducted by Japan and Great Britain and one investigation by Taiwanese authorities. "There is no difference of opinion on any of these," says Ray.

He also interviewed six of the seven survivors out of 14 passengers on that ill-fated aircraft carrying Bose, which crashed in Taiwan. A fire killed seven people including a Japanese general who could not survive the crash.

"On midnight of August 18, 1945, Bose died a heroic death at the military hospital in Taipei. He was cremated there and his ashes was then transported to Tokyo Military headquarters, personally carried by a Japanese officer," says Ray.

Among those interviewed by Ray was Bose's fiercely loyal aide-de-camp (ADC) Lt Col Habibur Rehman Khan, who was one of the survivors of the plane crash. Khan also witnessed Bose's last moments at the Taipei military hospital.

He submitted a statement written and signed on August 24, 1945six days after the crash, confirming Bose's last words to him. Rehmans statement on Boses death could be read at Annexure-3 in the book.

"Prior to his death, he (Bose) told me that his end was near and asked me to convey a message from him to our countrymen to the following effect: 'I have fought to the last for India's independence and now am giving my life in the same attempt. Countrymen! Continue the independence fight. Before long, India will be free. Long Live Azad Hind'," the statement reads.

S.A. Iyer, a cabinet minister of the provisional government, and Ramamurthy, president of IIL in Japan, received Bose's ashes in Japan. Bose's remains were carried in procession to the Renkoji monastery a month after his death, where they still remain.

At Renkoji, after a funeral service, those present requested the head priest at the temple to look after the last remains of the great freedom fighter, till the time proper arrangements could be made to take the ashes back to India.

At the time of his death, Bose was wearing three hats. He was the global head of India Independence League (an overseas organisation founded by Rashbehari Bose, another freedom fighter), president of the provisional government of free India and supreme commander of the Indian National Army (INA).

Finally, some years after India gained her freedom, in 1956, then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru initiated an enquiry to confirm facts about Bose's death.

Strangely, Bose's Austrian widow Emilie Schenkl and her economist daughter Anita Pfaff had rued the fact that Bose's last desire was to die in a free India, which remains unfulfilled. Pfaff, who has authored the foreword of the book, has been seeking closure over the mystery about her fathers death, and wants a DNA test of the Renkoji temple remains to put an end to the controversy.

"I wrote this book for humanitarian reasons. I was concerned that Bose's widow, who survived for 26 years after his death, died without getting a closure of her husband's death. I felt it was cruel to her," says Ray, speaking of his inspiration to do the book.

Bose's daughter, now 75, has been requesting subsequent Indian governments to bring back Bose's ashes to India. Bose was secular but privately a follower of the Hindu faith, says Ray. "It was her father's last wish to return to the soil of an independent India. She has been seeking Hindu rites and immersion of his ashes in the Ganga."

But the last wish of one of India's most iconic freedom fighters has been ignored by subsequent Indian governments, though they kept on paying Renkoji temple for the upkeep of his remains. A fact, Ray says, indicates that his death was acknowledged by all Indian governments till date.

Narasimha Rao's government made a decision to bring his remains back, but their efforts were sullied by the union home ministry. The Intelligence Bureau under the ministry has been saying that bringing back Bose's remains would result in riots in Kolkata.

"The IB argument is hackneyed, exaggerated and outdated, but has still prevented authorities from bringing back his remains from Japan to India," says Ray.

"If government of India wants to bring back his ashes, it has to be an all-party affair. Bose's death should be seen above politics," says Ray. "On a non-partisan basis, India should honour the man who gave them freedom and whom they have all insulted," he says, emphasising that his book should be read by all rational and sensible people across the world, with an open mind.
The DMK, in a detailed complaint, has urged the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), to investigate the enormous assets and wealth acquired by Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam. THE WEEK was the first to expose the same, and DMKs complaint comes right on the heels of a detailed investigative report in the issue dated December 8, 2017.



The DMKs Rajya Sabha MP and organisation secretary R.S. Bharathi alleged that OPS' act clearly constituted abuse of power. "The deputy chief minister is guilty of acquiring assets disproportionate to his income," he said. Referring to OPS declaration before the Election Commission of India (ECI) in his 2014-15 election affidavitthat he had an income of Rs 5.80 lakhBharathi said in the same period he had bought a car worth 17.85 lakh, which would be disproportionate. It is highly improbable considering his total income. His sons Raveendranath Kumar and Jayapradeep too have invested in various companies. The sources of investments remain unexplained. It warrants a detailed investigation, Bharathi said in the petition.



In his complaint, Bharathi mentioned the assets in the names of OPS, his sons, his wife P. Vijayalakshmi and his daughter Kavitha Bhanu, and alleged that the deputy chief minister amassed wealth using benamis too. Stating that there were strong contradictions in the affidavits submitted before the ECI and the tax returns he filed, Bharathi claimed that details about many of the assets of OPS family were missing.





This is the second such complaint against OPS. Earlier, an anti-corruption NGO Arappor Iyakkam had filed a similar petition with the DVAC. The DMK, being the principal opposition, is not likely to stop with a mere complaint. "If there is no action from the DVAC, we will meet Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit and seek appropriate action. Finally, we will file a disproportionate assets case in the court," said Bharathi.


The Islamic State and Ansar-ul-Gazwat-ul-Hind, which claims to be an Al Qaeda franchise in Kashmir, have made claims that the third militant, who was killed along with two local militants in Anantnag on March 11, was a resident of Hyderabad in Telangana.

The police have denied the claims of the two groups. The delay in ascertaining the identity of the militant has given currency to the claims by the two pan -Islamist groups about the origin of the militant. Ansar Gazwat-Hind, in its bulletin Al Nasir, said the third militant killed with Muhammad Eisa Fazili of Soura, Srinagar and Syed Owais of Anantnag, was Mohommad Taufeeq from Hyderabad.

Police have said it is verifying the claims by the two groups. If the claims made by the two pan-Islamist groups are true then it would be the first time that a militant from outside the state has died fighting in Kashmir.

The security agencies are worried that it could influence more Indian youth to turn to Kashmir for militancy and worsen the situation in the state and the country.

Responding to the call of shariat or martyrdom, Mohommad Taufeeq started his Jihadi journey in 2017 after making hijrah (migration) from Indias Hyderabad city to the mountains of Kashmir and was among the first in the ranks of Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind, read the Al Nasir bulletin. The group also posted a photo of Taufeeq with Rehan Khan (deputy Ameer Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind).

Mohommad Taufeeq became the first Mujahid in recent history to make hijrah (migration) to Kashmir and began the work of preaching. His jihadi names were Sultan Zabul Al Hindi and Abu Zarrr Al Hindi, Al Nasir said.

Earlier, on March 12, the Islamic State identified the three militants as Eisa Fazili alias Abu Yahya, Syed Owais Shafi alias Abu Barra al Kashmiri and Sultan al Hyderabadi alias Abu Zarr al Hindi.
In a relief to the Pinarayi Vijayan government, Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed a single judge bench order for a CBI probe into the murder of Shuhaib, a Young Congress activist.

The division bench order of Wednesday was on a petition filed by the state government which had contended that the earlier order was passed without taking note of the speedy forensic and fair investigation carried out by the state police and without giving them an opportunity to file a counter.

Shuhaib, 29, was hacked to death allegedly by CPI(M) workers at a tea stall in Kannur on February 12. Police have arrested 11 people in the case.

Earlier, Justice Kamal Pasha ordered a CBI probe into the case while considering a plea filed by the parents of Shuhaib. The petitioners had submitted that since the prime accused, Akash, was "close with those in the power", it was necessary to have a free-and-fair investigation in the case by the CBI.

However, the state government in its petition argued that the Special Investigation Team, set up to probe the killing, has arrested 11 persons involved in the attack and recovered the weapons and vehicles which were used in the commission of offence. No materials were there before the single judge apart from newspaper reports and FIR produced along with the writ petition, it said.

It further said the single bench order violated the principle of natural justice and the principles settled by the Supreme Court.
Even as the BJP was basking in the glory of its recent election victories in three northeastern states, it turned out to be a different story in Uttar Pradesh where the party suffered severe setbacks in two high-profile Lok Sabha bypolls on Wednesday.

Winning elections in Uttar Pradesh has always been projected as real, bold victories, be it in general elections or Assembly elections or byelections. There may be other Hindi-speaking states in the north, but the two words 'Hindi heartland' has generally meant Uttar Pradesh, also called the cow belt.

UP has also generally been the state where the PM's constituency was located. That could have been the reason Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to retain Varanasi and give up Vadodara seat from his home state of Gujarat in 2014.

When the BJP won 71 out of 80 parliamentary seats from Uttar Pradesh in 2014, adding a lot of substance to its eventual numbers,the party had reasons to preen, and feel relieved. And to keep that momentum going, BJP president Amit Shah and his team, as well as Prime Minister Modi worked overtime in the state in the second half of 2016, to get the victory they did in March 2017, when the duo picked out saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath, who was then MP from Gorakhpur for the fifth consecutive time, to be the chief minister.

When the saffron party lost Gorakhpur on Wednesday, it was symbolic not just of people rejecting Adityanath's work as chief minister, or the Modi government's acts of omission and commission, or the BJP.

In the political space that for decades rested with the Gorakhpur Peeth, new occupants have come in: the Samajwadi Party hand-in-hand with the Bahujan Samaj Party.

These truly strange bedfellows are expected to be game changers who will be capable of upsetting Shah's apple cart and calculations come next summer and Lok Sabha elections 2019. Gorakhpur, which fell vacant when Adityanath moved to the chief minister's residence in Lucknow, is not the only byelection where people have voted against the BJP. They have done likewise in Phulpur constituency, which was vacated by UP Deputy Chief Minister and former state BJP unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya.

If these two seats of the BJP, represented by its biggies, going to rivals in the parliamentary byelections, is not hard hitting enough, what is?

It is a fact that since the Lok Sabha elections of 2014that brought BJP to power with a clear majority for the first time in 30 yearsthe party has won but one of 8 parliamentary byelections.

The lone win was in Vadodara, vacated by Modi when he decided to retain Varanasi after winning both seats. The Lok Sabha bypolls the BJP lost included Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh where the Shivraj Singh Chauhan government will soon complete 15 years! The losses included the Gurdaspur seat in Punjab where late actor and BJP leader Vinod Khanna was extremely popular. The other seats were Alwar and Ajmer in Rajasthan, where the BJP had won 25 seats out of 25 in 2014, but have now been wrested by the Congress.

And along with Gorakhpur and Phulpur in UP, the BJP has lost the Araria parliamentary constituency in Bihar to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, whose chief, Lalu Prasad Yadav, is in jail. This despite the BJP leaders suggesting just a couple of days before elections that if BJP does not win Araria, it will signal the entry of ISIS in the region.

That polarising may have worked or not worked for the BJP!

The RJD has also won the Jehanabad Assembly seat byelection, defeating the JD(U) candidate hand picked by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the NDA. Voters, it could be interpreted, don't care for Nitish in the company of BJP.

The BJP's only win has been in Babhua, which the party retained.

Congress national spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted, 2017-18 Report Card of BJP is 0/10BJP lost all 10 LS byelections in 2017 & 2018. By-Poll results have given clear message that Ppl are angry with BJP for its arrogance & misrule. 2017-Amritsar,Srinagar, Malappuram,Gurdaspur 2018-Ajmer,Alwar, Uluberia,Gorakhpur,Phulpur,Araria.

Coming as these results do less than a fortnight of the northeast Assembly election, which seemingly gave the thumbs-up to the BJP for the first time, there is reasonable sense in brushing aside the BJP's claim that the northeast results indicate the way the country will go in 2019. There is reason to believe that there are fewer takers for Prime Minister Modi's eloquent speeches loaded with development promises, while skirting all the promises he had made on the corruption front. In the Hindi heartland, people have waited for the promised jobs and found they have not come in the last four years.

But a big factor wrapped in Wednesday's results is that an anti-BJP alliance is possible, and it can defeat the BJP. It also indicates that the BJP has so driven others against the wall, that a person like Mayawati will not mind joining hands with her otherwise bete noire, the Yadavs of the Samajwadi Party. The results also prove that RJD with Lalu in jail is not a spent force, and that Nitish with Modi and Shah is not a hot item.

Above all, it shows that there is nothing like the Modi magic or Achche Din in the distance. Indian elections are all about arithmetic based on many factors, as much as it is about Shah trying to woo or buy over people who represent winning parties, in order to break themthe recent example being Naresh Agarwal who hopped from the SP to BJP.

Keshav Maurya says the BJP will introspect. Tejashwi Yadav, acting president of the RJD, believes the results show that people want an anti-BJP alliance at the national level.
Arguably the smartest man on earth, physicist Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, the 300th death anniversary of the pathbreaking astronomer Galileo Galilei, and died on the birth anniversary of another genius Albert Einstein. Destiny? Unlike his counterparts, Hawking was never one to shy away from fame. It was this trait that prompted him to give the publishing rights of A Brief History of Time to Bantam Books, whose reach, and ability to cater to the masses, outclassed some of the most prestigious publishing houses at the time. The book found a place in The Guinness Book of Records as an international bestseller. His body may have atrophied over the years, but his mind was in hyper-drive, and the recognition he received equalled that of a celebrity athlete or actor.

Widely recognised as the world's greatest scientist, Hawking was known for his works in cosmology, astronomy and mathematics. He has authored numerous books, and among his considerable laurels are the Order of the British Empire (1982), Companion of Honour (1989), and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009). He has received the Fundamental Physics Prize (2013), Copley Medal (2006), and the Wolf Foundation Prize (1988). He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. He also held the post of Lucasian Professor at Cambridge from 1979 to 2009, a post held by Isaac Newton in 1663.

His most notable achievement was proving how Black Holes emitted heat, a phenomenon which later came to be known as Hawking Radiation. Along with Roger Penrose, he proved the existence of singularitiesone-dimensional points which contain infinite mass in an infinitely small space. He theorised that the universe might have originated from a singularity. Along with James Bardeen and Bradon Carter, he wrote the four laws of black hole mechanics. In 1971, his essay 'Black Holes' won the Gravity Research Foundation Award. In 1983, along with James Hartle, he published a research paper on the Hartle-Hawking state, proposing that time didn't exist before the Big Bang.

Belying his achievements, he had a slow academic startlearning to read only at the age of 8, academically weaker than his friends in school. But he was nicknamed 'Einstein' by his friends, a nod to his intellect. His flight to greatness and intellectual immortality was strewn with hurdles. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease when he was just 21; he had to undergo a tracheotomy in 1985 that rendered him speechless for the rest of his life; he lost mobility in his hands in 2005, and the ability to move his wheelchair independently in 2009.

But Hawking's journey was one about defying all odds. When he couldn't walk, he used a wheelchair. His loss of speech gave birth to the famous voice synthesiser, and when he lost his ability to use his hands, he communicated using an infrared switch mounted on his glasses that generated words by detecting his cheek movements.

As popular as he was for his intellectual prowess, Hawking was also known for his wit, appearing on television on a handful of occasions, most recently as part of the hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory. In 2012, he famously threw a party, but only sent the invitation after the event, an attempt to see if time travellers existed. Alas, it wasn't received by anyone across time, space or galaxies, forcing him to conclude that time travelling was not possible!

He met his first wife Jane Wilde shortly before the diagnosis of his illness, and got married in 1965. They have three childrenRobert, Lucy and Timothy. They divorced in 1995, after years of strain in the marriage due to Hawking's deteriorating health condition and the constant intrusion of nurses and doctors in the household. He married Elaine Mason in 1995 and divorced in 2006.

Although a proponent of technology, he cautioned the rise of artificial intelligence, saying that it could be one of the worst inventions in human history. He also believed that human life was at risk on earth due to the possibility of outbreaks of war or other hazards, and said that humans needed to find a way to live in space!

A fighter all his life, his only defeatapart from that of his illness was in 1997, when he lost a bet to American theoretical physicist John Perskill, on the concept of Black Holes. The mind that could solve immensely complex problems also once admitted that the most mysterious thing in the world was a woman!

His absence will definitely leave a void in science, but such was his contribution that his legacy will live on. As noted theoretical physicist and cosmologist Lawrence Krauss tweeted, 'A star just went out in the cosmos'.
My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is, and why it exists at all, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking once said. True to his words, Hawking who explored the cosmos on a wheelchair, will forever be remembered for his unparalleled work on gravity, quantum theory, black holes and origins of the universe. Hawking died on Wednesday at the age of 76.

Hawking, who was so much in tune with the universe, has repeatedly warned humans about threats during recent years. As the genius departs, a look at some of his biggest warnings for man and earth.

Artificial intelligence may replace humans: At the peak of debates about artificial intelligence, Stephen Hawking gave a terrifying warning in November last year. I fear that AI may replace humans altogether. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans, he said in an interview. He feared that AI might keep improving itself and eventually rule over humans.

This was not the first time Hawking expressed his concerns regarding the growth of artificial intelligence. Earlier he had warned that technology needs to be controlled, and threats of artificial intelligence identified before they escalate and destroy the human race.

Hawking had said AI could be either the best thing or worst thing to happen to humanity. As artificial intelligence grows, making its way into almost every sphere of life, Hawking's words need to revisited. Shift the goal of AI from creating pure undirected artificial intelligence to creating beneficial intelligence.

Stop trying to communicate with aliens: 2017 saw the launch of one of the biggest searches for extraterrestrial lifeBreakthrough Listen Projectwhich scans the universe for radio signals. Though funded by Hawking, he had a word of caution for seekers of intelligent life who want to communicate with them. Reaching out to advanced civilisations could put earth in a risky position.

"As I grow older I am more convinced than ever that we are not alone. After a lifetime of wondering, I am helping to lead a new global effort to find out," Hawking says in the film while exploring Gliese 832c, a planet that lies 16 light-years away and might foster alien life.

"The Breakthrough Listen project will scan the nearest million stars for signs of life, but I know just the place to start looking. One day we might receive a signal from a planet like Gliese 832c, but we should be wary of answering back," he said in an online film titled Stephen Hawking's Favourite Places.

Hawking likens our encounter with aliens to that of the Native Americans meeting Christopher Columbusit didn't turn out so well. Hawking has warned that if an alien civilisation can pick up our signals, they might have the potential to be billions of years more advanced than humans, making us soft targets for an invasion.

Find a new home outside earth if the human race must survive

Speaking at a conference in May last year, Hawking warned that we are running out of space on earth and colonising other planets was the only way forward. Hawking, said we must start in the next 100 years, warned the extinction of human species due to climate change, overpopulation, wars or even extraterrestrial apocalypses like an asteroid impact.

Putting forward yet another ambitious option, Hawking had said countries must collaborate to create a moon colony within 30 years. Besides focusing on Mars, he also urged investors and scientific community to travel to Alpha Centaurione of the stars closest to our solar system. Scientists believe habitable planets like earth may be orbiting the star.

He declared that humans must "boldly go where no one has gone before" if we fancy continuing our species for another million years.

Earth will turn into a sizzling fireball in less than 600 years

Hawking has warned that earth could turn into a fireball if we didn't keep a check on climate change and rising temperatures. If so, earth would end up being as hot as Venus. He said that Venus was once an earth-like planet, but a greenhouse effect burnt up the planet's oceans and lands. Now temperatures on Venus reach 250 degree Celsius. "Next time you meet a climate change denier, tell them to take a trip to Venus; I will pay the fare," he said.

Hawking has also been severely critical of US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris agreement on climate change.
Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and 26/11 attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's newly formed Milli Muslim League (MML) has announced that it will launch its own manifesto on March 23, ahead of the Pakistan general elections later this year.

This comes after the Islamabad High Court set aside the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to reject the application of the MML for registration as a political party last week, according to local media reports.

The ECP had earlier rejected MML's application to register Saeed's political party on the Pakistan interior ministry's recommendation, saying that the "MML has links with banned militant outfits".

MML President Saifullah Khalid said on Tuesday that there were no "legal hurdles" left for the registration of the party and said that it will release the manifesto as per the scheduled date.

Commenting on the court verdict, Khalid said, "This is a victory of the Pakistan ideology. The court has allowed MML to give us a chance to play its role in national politics."

Khalid added that it will field its candidates in all provincial and national assembly seats in the Pakistan general elections.

In January, Saeed's entities were moved from Pakistan's watch list to the list of proscribed organisations after the government introduced a presidential ordinance by amending the country's anti-terrorism act to include UN-designated terrorist groups and individuals for terror financing, paved the way for the confiscation of JuD and FIF assets.

However, despite the ban, the entities were found to be freely operating in Pakistan.

Last month, Pakistani authorities confirmed that the country was going back on the "grey list" of the FATF, after a span of nearly four years.

In December last year, Saeed opened his political office in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's parliamentary constituency in Lahore.

India has, time and again, protested against Pakistan for harbouring Saeed, who is wanted for plotting the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which claimed 166 lives.
World famous physicist Stephen Hawking has died aged 76 at his home in Cambridge on Wednesday, his family stated.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. We will miss him forever," stated his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim in a statement, according to UK-based Sky News.

Hawking was a pioneer in modern cosmology. His major contributions include studies on gravitational singularity theorems and black holes. Hawking was the first to propose a theory of cosmology using the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.

Born on January 8, 1942, in England's Oxford, Hawking went to the University College, Oxford in 1952 to pursue physics. After graduation, he joined the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics (DAMTP) at the University of Cambridge to do research in cosmology. He, along with Roger Penrose, stated that "space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes". He also discovered that black holes are not completely black, but rather should emit 'Hawking' radiation and eventually evaporate and disappear.

From the age of 21, the scientist was suffering from ALS, a motor neurone disease, that limited his abilities to move around.

He has published many books, including international best seller A Brief History of Time. His other books include Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell, The Grand Design and My Brief History.

He was awarded the prestigious Fundamental Physics prize in 2013. His other recognitions include CBE (1982), Companion of Honour (1989), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009), Copley Medal (2006) and the Wolf Foundation prize (1988).
A Russian man living in exile in the UK and a critic of President Vladimir Putin has been found dead in his London home, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a probe into the "unexplained" death.

Nikolai Glushkov was found dead by his family and friends late Monday night and the cause of death is not yet determined.

The 68-year-old was a close friend of late Russian oligarch Boris Beresovsky, an opponent of Russian President Putin.

The news of his death comes as the UK has given Moscow an ultimatum to reveal what it knows regarding the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury last week.

The Metropolitan Police said there was no evidence to suggest a link between the poisoning and Glushkov's death.

Police said the death was being treated as "unexplained", adding that the counterterrorism team would lead the investigation "as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had".

Scotland Yard's Counter-Terrorism Command said it was investigating the death.

"At this stage the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had. There is no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury," the Met police statement said.

"A postmortem examination will be held in due course. The death is currently being treated as unexplained," it added.

In the 1990s, Glushkov was director of the Russian state airline Aeroflot and Berezovsky's LogoVAZ car company.

In 1999, he was charged with money laundering and fraud and spent five years in a Russian jail before being freed in 2004 and after that fled to the UK.

Glushkov was granted political asylum and lived in London in recent years.

After his friend Berezovsky was found dead in 2013, Glushkov told the 'Guardian' that he doubted that the death was as a result of natural causes.

"I'm definite Boris was killed. I have quite different information from what is being published in the media," he had said.

In 2017, during a trial in absentia in Russia, Glushkov was sentenced to eight years in prison for allegedly stealing $123 million from Aeroflot.

The airline went on to pursue the case in London and Glushkov was due to attend a hearing on Monday morning at London's Commercial Court but failed to appear.

According to Russian newspaper 'Kommersant', he was discovered with "signs of suffocation" by his family later on Monday.

His so-far unexplained death could add a further dimension to UK-Russian relations, which are under considerable strain after the poisoning of the 66-year-old Skripal with a deadly nerve agent.

The UK government had given the Kremlin until Tuesday midnight to provide a "credible response", while Russia has denied any involvement and demanded access to the nerve agent in order to assist the investigation.

In a phone-call with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump assured the UK of support in the case.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition in hospital, where they have been since being discovered collapsed on a bench of a shopping centre in Salisbury on March 4.
A baby's birth is one of the most beautiful moments that one can ever expect to go through in their life. But it is also a very traumatic experience for a mother. But, not for this Russian mother who seems to have had a breezy labour while swimming in the Red Sea.

Photographs of a mother who gave birth to her child in the Red Sea near Dahab, Egypt are going viral. The photographs were taken by the uncle of Hadia Hosny El Said, an Egyptian badminton star. Her uncle owns a hotel on the shores of the Red sea and he spotted the incident from the balcony of his hotel.

The images show a man carrying the newborn with the umbilical chord still attached and the father of the baby is seen carrying the placenta in a bowl. Another image shows the mother walking back to the shore. She does not look as if she just went through labour and looks more like she had just gone for a swim. The newborn is brought to the shore where another child seems to have been waiting for them. The man carrying the baby appears to have been a doctor experienced in water births, according to the report in Daily Mail. The doctor's presence shows that the delviery appears to have been planned.

The images posted on Facebook by Hadiya on March 10 have since gone viral and have been shared more than 2500 times.

Water births are preferred by many parents as it reduces the stress felt by the baby and mother when compared to normal births. Being underwater reduces pain felt by mothers during contractions and birth. Even babies born underwater are said to be more calm than those born in air.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:

Home Regional News East
BALLSTON SPA  The wife of John W. Cole testified Tuesday her husband was "definitely fine to drive" when he allegedly drove drunk and crashed his car on Sitterly Road in Halfmoon, leaving a passenger quadriplegic.

Regina Cole told jurors in Saratoga County Court her husband of 27 years swerved after an object suddenly "blew out in front of us" just after midnight on March 11, 2017.

"I screamed and I did say my husband's name," she recalled, saying she was in a "panic mode."

That night, she was a front seat passenger in her husband's 2015 twin-turbocharged BMW coupe as he drove her and two backseat passengers  Scott Shapiro and his wife, Deanna Shapiro  home from seeing a band at Trick Shot, a Halfmoon bar.

As Regina Cole testified, Deanna Shapiro was in the courtroom in her wheelchair completely within the line of sight of the witness. At times, a health aide assisted Shapiro as she watched.

"Will I ever forget that night?" Regina Cole testified. "No."

Cole testified her husband is not a big drinker and did not appear intoxicated before leaving the bar.

"He was walking around fine and he acted totally fine," she told jurors. "He was definitely fine to drive."

While making that same point later in her testimony, Regina Cole volunteered that her husband has a personal trainer. The judge struck the comment.

A blood test showed the defendant's blood alcohol level as allegedly 0.10 percent  two points above the legal blood alcohol threshold for driving while intoxicated  but it was ruled inadmissible for trial, the judge noted.

Defense attorney Cheryl Coleman called several witnesses  who were out with the couples for dinner at the Rusty Nail bar and later Trick Shot  who testified that the defendant did not appear intoxicated.

At least one witness also testified that Deanna Shapiro  whose blood alcohol level was at 0.20, more than twice the legal limit  did not appear intoxicated.

John Cole, 53, owner of the Cole's Collision auto repair chain, is on trial charged with vehicular assault.

Regina Cole testified the car had just come down Route 9 and turned into Sitterly Road when the unknown object suddenly came upon the vehicle.

"It was very windy and something had blown toward the car, toward the windshield on the side that I was sitting," she said. She said she thought it might be a sign because many signs and cones were at a nearby construction site.

She said her husband swerved, struck a fire hydrant and slid across the road. She said she ducked her head and grabbed her knees before the car hit trusses  and not a tree as the prosecutors say  off Sitterly Road.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Regina Cole's testimony was at odds with the testimony of both Deanna and Scott Shapiro as well as police witnesses for the prosecution, who say the car smacked into a tree.

At one point, Assistant District Attorney Katherine DeMartino confronted Regina Cole with a photo of the heavily damaged BMW and questioned her if she believed that was the result of trusses.

The witness said it did.

Neither of the Shapiros had testified about any object approaching the vehicle. Both said that moments before the crash, they  and Regina Cole  asked John Cole to slow down.

"That absolutely did not happen, Cheryl," Regina Cole said under questioning by her husband's defense attorney.

The Shapiros also testified the defendant told Regina Cole to "shut up."

On Tuesday, Coleman asked Regina Cole: "Did John tell you to shut up?"

"No, he absolutely did not," she replied.

Regina Cole said she was unsure how fast her husband was driving but made a point to say the BMW often went faster it seemed.

Summations could be late Wednesday after Coleman concludes her defense. The case would then go to the jury following instructions from Judge James A. Murphy III.
Colonie  The Colonie town landfill had to fix problems with foul odors and leaks as it rapidly approaches its maximum capacity while awaiting a state ruling on a potential expansion.

On Tuesday, Colonie Public Works Engineer Matt McGarry said the town had addressed environmental violations found last summer by state inspectors, who discovered exposed garbage and leaks of tainted liquid coming through the ground.

"We have complied with everything that the state (Department of Environmental) asked us to do," he said.

He said the town expanded its facility that collects malodorous landfill gas, which is burned to generate electricity.

The DEC report also said that loose trash was coming up through the ground, and that water was leaking out of landfill walls. Garbage is supposed to be covered over each day to seal it up.

A DEC spokeswoman confirmed that the town had addressed the problems, which included placing thicker layers of cover to seal in trash.

Three years ago, the landfill had a different problem and was fined more than $50o,000 after its private operator, Waste Connections, was found to be bringing in  and being paid for  much more cover than was necessary each day. It was a method to make more money while still obeying the maximum dumping limits.

Now, the dump is running out of the room, and McGarry said there is only enough space for about nine more months, if "we start cutting back at the end of this month" on the amount of trash being accepted.

"We are getting close to full," he said. "This will be hard to operate going forward, and there could be long lines here to get in."

This comes as DEC is considering a town request to nearly double the size of the landfill, which is located along the Mohawk River to the east of Route 9. That plan is opposed by officials from Halfmoon and Waterford, as well as local residents in Saratoga County.

"We're pleased to see the NYSDEC is taking seriously recent complaints of landfill operations by local citizens and the towns," said George Harris, a Waterford resident of Church Hill Historic District who opposes the dump expansion.

Harris said the July 25 violations notice by DEC against the Colonie landfill highlighted "just some of the inappropriate risks associated with approving the proposed massive landfill expansion impacting both the bordering Mohawk River and the local community."

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

While the town's state landfill permit expired at the end of December, the DEC is allowing the facility to continue running on an extension while the expansion plan is under review. However, the state-imposed maximum capacity remains in force.

The state is continuing its review of the town's proposal to expand the dump in a 132-acre section of the already capped landfill called Area 7. There, new trash could ultimately be piled up to eight stories high during the next two decades.

Part of that site includes 50 acres where hazardous waste was dumped by Colonie until the early 1980s. The DEC classifies this area, which does not include an underground liner to help collect potential pollution from seeping into the ground, as an inactive hazardous waste site.

In opposing the expansion, Waterford and Halfmoon officials are concerned downward pressure caused by tons of new trash could squeeze out loose "alluvial" soils -- and possibly existing pollution from the old hazardous waste site -- underground in the direction of the nearby river.

In 2011, Colonie agreed to lease its landfill to Texas-based Waste Connections Inc., under a 25-year agreement that gave Colonie $23.8 million up front, plus another $33.5 million over the life of the deal, with cash incentives for expanding the facility.

The town applied for the landfill expansion in August 2016. The DEC asked for more information and took public comments until early July of last year.
Albany

Massive grain elevators at the Port of Albany that have loaded outbound freighters since Franklin Roosevelt was president will do so no more. Faced with the loss of a key export, port officials are now eyeing a $20 million plan to remake the aging facility into a grain import hub.

Later this month, Cargill, a major food conglomerate and port tenant since its modern creation in 1932, will end its use of the concrete elevators, which to this day still remain the largest east of the Mississippi River.

Over the decades, Cargill has shipped millions of tons of U.S. wheat and other grains down the Hudson River from the port, making grain one of its largest and most reliable export commodities.

Albany Port Commission General Manager Rich Hendrick said Wednesday that Minnesota-based Cargill no longer needs Albany to handle exports now being done from Cargill facilities that connect to the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Northwest. Cargill is one of the world's largest grain exporters.

"Grain exports were very important and steady for us, but are are an extinct cargo here now," he said.

On March 23, said Hendrick, Cargill will transfer its lease for the elevator facility to Ardent Mills, a Denver flour and grain milling company that operates a mill at the port. Ardent is co-owned by Cargill, Chicago-based food maker ConAgra Foods and another Minnesota agribusiness, CHS.

"Cargill continually evaluates its business to ensure its asset base is positioned to provide a competitive offering to its customers," said Antonella Bellman, a spokeswoman for Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain North America. "After an in-depth evaluation of its grain facility in Albany, Cargill decided to transfer the lease to Ardent Mills."

Cargill has been positioning itself in recent years to exploit Mississippi River shipping routes. In 2015, Cargill built a new $45 million grain-handling facility on the west bank of the Mississippi near Memphis, allowing grain from the Midwest to reach the Gulf of Mexico and beyond into markets in South America, Africa and Europe.

About 60 percent of U.S. grain exports travel down the Mississippi. In 2012, Cargill finished a $25 million upgrade to its grain storage facility further up the river in Hales Point, Tenn.

About that same time, Cargill and CHS teamed up to expand grain export facilities in Portland, Ore.; as well as in Tacoma and Kalama in the state of Washington, to serve global demand in the Far East.

A diversified company with global interests in agricultural services, crop and livestock, food, health and pharmaceutical products, industrial and financial risk management, and raw materials, Cargill had 2017 revenues totaling $109 billion. The company has about 150,000 workers worldwide.

Last year, for the first time in recent memory, Cargill exported no grain out of Albany, said Hendrick. Because the port's contract requires Cargill to ship at least 200,000 tons a year, the company had to pay a $50,000 penalty to the port commission, he added.

Earlier this decade, grain exports by Cargill had surged, hitting a recent high of 280,000 tons in 2014. But exports sagged in some years to less than 50,000 tons. Between 2009 and 2016, grain exports averaged about 157,000 tons annually, according to port commission figures.

Hendrick said port officials are working with Ardent to ink a new long-term lease for the grain elevators, as well as to craft a plan to modernize the aging facility so it can receive imported grain to feed the Ardent mill. The current elevator facility can only load grain onto freighters, not off-load it, he said.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Hendrick said the work likely will cost $20 million or more, given the age of the facility, which was built when the port opened. Financial support for the proposal is still being developed, he said.

An Ardent spokeswoman said that about a half-dozen Cargill workers in Albany will be "transitioned" to Ardent. Transfer of the elevators and handling equipment to Ardent should be finished by the end of the month, she added.

Ardent owns a network of 40 flour mills and blending facilities throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico that produces multi-use flours, whole grains, mixes and custom multi-grain blends.

The company currently has a mill in Ayer, Mass., outside of Boston; four mills in eastern Pennsylvania; three mills near Toronto; and a mill near Montreal.

Grain imports for Albany to fuel the Ardent mill could likely come from Canada, Hendrick added.

Canada recently surpassed the U.S. in grain exports. In 2015, Canada exported nearly 24 million tons of wheat, compared to U.S. wheat exports of 22.3 million tons.

Between 2012 and 2015, Canada exported about 3 million tons of wheat to the U.S., according to a 2016 report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During that period, Canadian wheat accounted for 98 percent of all imported wheat to the U.S.

Flour is a major U.S. export to Canada, according to that report. U.S. grain exports account for about 40 percent of Canadian flour and pasta consumption.
Albany

The 9.4-mile Interstate 787, the route to work for thousands of Capital Region residents, will cost $330 million to keep in a "state of good repair" over the next 20 years. And when it comes time to replace it, the bill will likely be nearly $900 million  the current value of the road  according to the draft final report of the I-787/Hudson Waterfront Corridor Study.

The interstate highway opened nearly 50 years ago, replacing railway tracks along the Albany waterfront with several lanes of concrete and a series of exit ramps and flyovers. It eventually connected the New York State Thruway at Exit 23 with a reconstructed NY Route 7 in Maplewood.

But in recent years, there have been efforts to gain access to the Hudson riverfront, with suggestions ranging from burying the highway, removing it entirely, narrowing it, adding light rail, covering it with platforms that could hold public spaces or new development, and even rerouting part of it west of the City of Watervliet, all of which the study committee considered but chose not to pursue.

Instead, reconfiguring some interchanges, making the waterfront more accessible to bicyclists and pedestrians, converting from an expressway to a more traditional roadway, and pursuing strategies to reduce travel demand were identified.

Michael Franchini, executive director of the Capital District Transportation Committee, which coordinated the study, said 787 has continued to do what it was designed for "very well," moving 88,000 vehicles a day into downtown Albany from around the Capital Region.

Removing 787 would have forced that traffic onto not only the Northway and Interstate 90, but likely onto local streets as well, Franchini said. And because 787 is also considered a freight highway, that would have meant tractor trailers and other trucks also would be looking for new routes.

Complicating any changes are a set of existing railroad tracks that run for several miles in 787's median, carrying Canadian Pacific freight trains to and from the railroad's Kenwood Yard and the Port of Albany. Much of the interstate also occupies a flood plain, and climate change would make 787 more susceptible to flooding, particularly if the roadway were to be lowered below grade, as one proposal suggested.

The Kenwood Yard and a perpetual easement for the rail line were granted in exchange for taking the railroad's riverfront property for the highway.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

"There were a lot of stakeholders in this study, not just CDTC," Franchini added. He said the stakeholders, ranging from the state Department of Transportation, AAA and Amtrak to various cities along the route, including Albany, Watervliet and Cohoes, as well as neighborhood groups, sought to reach consensus on proposals that were reasonable.

Some initiatives already are under way. The Cuomo administration is awarding Albany $3.1 million toward a project to convert a little-used exit ramp into a linear park for pedestrians and bicyclists called the Albany Skyway. The Capital District Transportation Authority meanwhile is in the midst of planning a new Bus Rapid Transit route paralleling 787 that would offer an alternative to commuters.

Planners are accepting public comments, which can be emailed to 787waterfrontstudy@cdtcmpo.org until 5 p.m. April 13. A final report is due in June.

"After that, where's the public opinion? None of these options are cheap," Franchini said. "We did a planning study," he said. The costs will become apparent when and if planners proceed with an engineering study.

518-454-5323 eanderson@timesunion.com
Toys R Us plans to sell or close all of its U.S. stores, the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The company's CEO, David Brandon, told employees about the impending changes Wednesday at the retailer's headquarters in Wayne, N.J., the Journal reported. The move would affect up to 33,000 jobs.

Toys R Us planned to file liquidation papers Wednesday evening ahead of a bankruptcy court hearing Thursday, according to the Journal. Multiple media reports in the past week said the company is preparing for liquidation and may shutter all of its U.S. stores. The BBC reported Wednesday that the company's 100 stores in the U.K. will close in the next six weeks after Toys R Us failed to find a buyer.

The company filed for bankruptcy in September and later announced plans to close around 182 of its stores. Fifteen stores in New York were on the list of planned closures, including a Babies R Us in Latham and a Toys R Us in Glens Falls. The Latham store was to close by the end of March and has launched a closing sale, an employee at the store told the Times Union on Tuesday. An employee at the Glens Falls location declined to comment, though some items in photos on the store's Instagram account were discounted.

The retailer also operates a Toys R Us and Babies R Us store across Wolf Road from Colonie Center and a Toys R Us store in Clifton Park that were not included on the list of closures but would be affected by the retailer's liquidation.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Following reports about the future of Toys R Us, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer called on the Federal Trade Commission to ensure that laws are not being violated in the case of liquidation and people have time to get cash back for unredeemed gift cards.

"With the entire Toys R Us operation at risk of shutting its doors for good, I am urging the company to redeem outstanding gift cards for cash so they are not as worthless and unwanted as a lump of coal in a stocking," he said Wednesday.
Republican state Sen. George Amedore of Rotterdam, who represents a swing state Senate district likely to be competitive in 2018, has attracted a Democratic challenger with strong support already from local party officials.

Pat Strong, a Kingston business owner, told the Times Union Wednesday that she would run for the seat, which includes all of Greene and Montgomery counties, and parts of Albany, Schenectady and Ulster counties.

Strong said she would focus her campaign on taxes, jobs, health care and education.

"This November, we'll be weighing in on issues that affect our daily lives, based on who we choose to represent us," Strong said in a statement. "As a business owner and parent, I'm concerned about the direction our nation is heading in. We need to make our schools and public spaces safer; counter the unfairness of the federal tax cuts, make health care a human right, push for more green jobs, support manufacturing, small businesses and family farms, and tackle the structural funding problems of our public schools"

Strong's press release included supportive statements about her candidacy from Ulster County Executive Mike Hein, Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach, as well as endorsements from several area Democratic Party officials. Strong said she will be officially kicking off her campaign on Friday in Kingston.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Jeff Collins, who had said he'd run against Amedore, said he is withdrawing and endorsing Strong.

Strong's business provides technical assistance and energy education to local governments, homeowners and businesses, she said, and her clients include the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Capital District Regional Planning Commission and several engineering firms and colleges. She is the founder of the Made In Kingston arts expo and co-founded the Business Alliance of Kingston.

Amedore's district was created by Senate Republicans during the 2011 round of redistricting to create a 63rd state Senate seat, but Amedore (then a Republican assemblyman) surprisingly lost in 2012 to Democrat Cecilia Tkaczyk. In a 2014 rematch, however, Amedore captured the seat and won again in 2016 by a wide margin.
One way or another, on Wednesday, students plan to make known their feelings about gun violence.

In the Capital Region and nationwide, they'll walk out of class. They'll ring bells and release balloons. They'll read names over a loudspeaker. They'll debate during 10th period. They'll pray. They'll hold signs. They'll be silent. They'll speak out.

What began as a call to action from teenagers in Parkland, Fla., is now a global movement. Students from more than 2,500 schools nationwide and internationally are planning to walk out of school at 10 a.m. Wednesday, a month after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, to call on lawmakers to take action against the gun violence that continues to claim so many lives in America.

Many of the observances will last for 17 minutes, for each of the 17 people who were shot dead in Parkland last month.

"We want everyone in Parkland to know that they do not stand alone," said Alana McNulty, a senior at Niskayuna High School who helped organize a walkout at her school. "Their voices are being heard and we're standing with them until something is done. Because enough is enough."

More than a dozen walkouts and events are being planned at Capital Region schools Wednesday, according to local students and a list of events registered with Women's March Youth Empower, a student-led initiative that formed in the wake of the January 2017 Women's March on Washington.

A number of them will be closed to the public and outside spectators in an effort to keep the events as safe as possible, school administrators said. Although many of the actions are slated to last for 17 minutes, no two will be the same.

On one end of the spectrum are students who are designing events that are strictly non-political in hopes of uniting their student bodies against a common cause  the elimination of gun violence  without breaking into fights over how exactly that should be achieved.

At Niskayuna, students will gather near the flag pole outside the high school and read aloud the names of the Parkland shooting victims. A balloon will be released for each victim. They also plan to wear orange to honor victims of gun violence nationwide.

"This walkout is really in remembrance of the lives that were lost. It's not political," said McNulty, adding that another walkout has been planned for April 20 devoted specifically to political speech and protests.

At Saratoga Springs High School, student organizers have billed their event as "political but not partisan."

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

"We don't want this to be a blue-only event or a red-only event," said Sara Zlotnick, an 18-year-old senior. "So we're not calling for specific steps to be taken, but we are calling for all adults who have the power to vote and to make laws to make changes to legislation that will help end gun violence."

On the other end of the spectrum, however, are students who feel the walkouts should be political. After all, they say, policy and politics are the reason gun violence has persisted for so long.

At the Albany Academy for Girls, students have worked to organize an event that both honors the Parkland shooting victims and gives students an opportunity to call for specific actions, said 16-year-old Caroline Crowell.

At 10 a.m., both girls and boys from Albany Academy will walk out of class and ring a bell in memory of each of the Parkland victims. Then, they will demand change.

"There have been these discussions of, you know, do we want to take a political stand? Do we want to just show solidarity against gun violence? But at the end of the day we realized we have something to say," said Crowell. "We want better gun control. We don't want guns at our schools. We want universal background checks. We want a ban on assault weapons. Just because we're young doesn't mean our opinions don't count."
Cohoes fire: The images seen around the world Through the lens of Times Union photographers

Cohoes fire: The images seen around the world Through the lens of Times Union photographers

The inferno that struck three blocks of downtown Cohoes on Nov. 30, 2017, started as a porch fire.

Skip Dickstein, a veteran Times Union photographer, heard the initial call at 1:30 p.m. on the police scanner and dashed to the scene.

When he arrived at 2 p.m., 30 mph winds had whipped that porch fire into a frenzy. The blaze had already swallowed two buildings and was quickly taking over swaths of downtown Remsen Street.

Heavy flames from two building in Cohoes N.Y. @nysfirechiefs pic.twitter.com/bkfiVLiNmb  Skip Dickstein (@SKIPSCAM) November 30, 2017

"I've covered a lot of fires," Dickstein said. "This one was just amazing, with the wind, and the volume of smoke, and the number of fires."

Dickstein was standing downwind of the blaze, cloaked in smoke and debris, when he sent out his first photos on Twitter at 2:35 p.m. It was most devastating blaze he'd ever witnessed in his 44 years photographing breaking news, he said, and he knew he needed to get a better angle to capture that.

"I've worked as volunteer firefighter and knew I needed to get on the other side of the fire," he recalled.

Dickstein walked a few blocks east, then south, to reach the origin of the blaze. He arrived just in time to capture fireballs barreling out the windows of 228 Remsen and down the street  an image that would be seen around the world.

As Dickstein traversed downtown Cohoes, he called city desk editor Mike Goodwin and dictated details for an online news story. Several times over the course of the afternoon, Dickstein called Goodwin back and handed his phone to a witness, who would tell the editor his or her story.

One of those phone interviews was with the teenage son of the man who would later be charged with starting the fire.

John Gomez, 16, got a call about the fire and rushed to his home, finding it destroyed. "My house is on fire. It was on fire - it's gone now," he said.

READ  MAYOR: AMATEUR BLADESMITH STARTED MASSIVE COHOES BLAZE

At 4:30 p.m., as the scope of the fire was coming into focus, editors decided to send a second photographer, Lori Van Buren.

"I knew it had to be real bad," she recalled. "I had no idea how bad."

Van Buren arrived at the smoke-filled north end of the scene.

"I would look up and see buildings and, seconds later, I would look into my lens and couldn't see anything," Van Buren recalled. "The wind was blowing so hard and the smoke was so thick."

She found reporter Chris Churchill, who took her east and south  the same route Dickstein discovered  and showed her the fire through a gap in fences that led to Remsen Street. Van Buren emerged just across the street from the blaze and posted her first images at 6:30 p.m.

As Van Buren and Churchill were circumventing the blaze, Dickstein was getting ready to leave. As he walked to his car, he saw distraught residents returning home to discover the damage.

"These people were just realizing they lost their homes," he said.

Meanwhile, Van Buren was shooting the image that would be named one of the day's top pictures by the Associated Press and, like Dickstein's fireball photos, would be published worldwide.

"I had a friend call me to say he saw my photos on a foreign news site when he was vacationing in Ecuador," Dickstein said. BBC News in London messaged him on Twitter asking to use his photographs.

Within six hours of when the fire started  and while it was still burning  John A. Gomes, 51, of Cohoes was charged with felony reckless endangerment and misdemeanor arson.

Gomes is accused of starting a barrel fire in his backyard that quickly spread out of control.

The fire is said to have started in the rear of a building near 228 Remsen St., where Gomes lives.

"It is the worst disaster the city has ever seen," said Mayor Shawn Morse. The city was under a state of emergency.

Weather conditions Thursday were dry and windy all day, with gusts up to 30 mph.

At about 7 p.m., a welcome rain began to fall.

It was the continuous work of the firefighters that stayed in the minds of both photographers that night. Both returned home smelling of smoke. Dickstein said his wife could smell his soot-covered car from inside their home.

Strong winds had carried embers across city blocks, sparking fires where crews did not expect to battle flames. Thirty-two buildings sustained damages.

"I was having a hard time breathing," Van Buren said. "All I could think of was how do firefighters do this all the time?"

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with unspecified injuries, but remarkably no other injuries were reported.

"While everyone else runs away from fires, these guys go into the fires," Dickstein said of the first responders. "And we (journalists) are right behind them."

READ MORE:

City tries to comprehend impact of devastating downtown blaze

Close calls amid downtown Cohoes devastation

Churchill: Fire won't keep Cohoes down

Massive blaze melts fire truck but not mutual aid pacts

Cohoes fire suspect's court date moved
SCHENECTADY - Two gas pumps at the Sunoco station on Erie Boulevard have been found to contain credit card skimming devises, police said.

Employees at the station at 127 Erie Blvd. found the devices in the pumps located closes to the road around 3:30 p.m. March 7 while performing routine maintenance, police said.
TROY  The Rensselaer County Historical Society is entering the final stretch of its drive to raise money to buy an 1840s portrait of Peter F. Baltimore, who was deeply involved in the local abolitionist movement during the 19th century.

RCHS has raised $9,000 of the $15,000 it needs to buy the rare watercolor portrait of Baltimore, a barber who was a prominent member of the citys African-American community before and after the Civil War. Now in its Bring Peter Home drive, the historical society wants to raise the remaining $6,000 it needs to make the purchase by the April 24 deadline.
Albany

A major state workers union is questioning a decades-old practice in which civil service employees get repeated two-year leaves of absence in order to fill higher ranking non-union management jobs in their agencies.

While the idea is to allow these people, often staff attorneys, to maintain fallback jobs in the protected civil service ranks when there is a change of commissioners or administrations, a lawyer for the Public Employees Federation said the use of these leaves has become excessive and could be circumventing the civil service promotional system.

Scores of top officials throughout the state bureaucracy have been on recurring two-year leaves of absence for almost a decade, say union activists.

Civil service regulations allow people to take leaves of absence under extraordinary circumstances, said Kevin Jones, chief of civil service enforcement at PEF, a white collar union representing about 53,000 state employees.

I dont know what the extraordinary circumstances are for the two individuals, Jones said, referring to two employees at the Office of Medicaid Inspector General, whose leaves of absences were set to be extended on Tuesday.

Janine Daniels-Rivera had gotten leaves since 2009 and Matthew Babcock had them since 2012, noted Jones.

While not quibbling with the idea of promotions or targeting those two in particular, PEF is questioning how OMIG and other agencies can keep granting the two-year leaves.

The rules says a singular extension to a two-year leave may be granted, Jones noted.

You cant assume that certain wording in the law has no meaning, said Jones.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Civil Service Commissioner Jeanique Greene, though, said lawmakers would have used the term shall not if they didnt want multiple extensions.

Others noted that the language is in rules set by the Civil Service Commission rather than laws directly passed by the legislature

Were already at nine years, Jones said of Riveras renewal. Its PEFs position that thats not permissible under the law.

In addition to being convoluted, the system of leaves underscores the political nature of top agency jobs. Many of the fallback positions are used by top managers when a new governor comes into office and begins making patronage appointments to state jobs.

rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU
ROTTERDAM JUNCTION - A freight train derailed on tracks that cross Route 5S, closing the busy road Wednesday morning.

The train went of the rails on a portion of the tracks near the SI Group's plant along Route 5S.

The cars that are off the tracks appear to be containers for liquid but it was unclear if they were filled with any fluid. Sheriff Dom Dagostino said no fluid leaked.

Police expect the closure of the road will cause significant traffic delays but they say the derailment poses no other hazards.

Police said detours are being used to move traffic around the area though the sign for the eastbound detour blew down near Route 103 and cars are continuing on Route 5S until they get to the derailment.

It appears that at least four cars near the front of the train derailed.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

The westbound side of the road will be closed from Interstate 890 at the Thruway's Exit 26 toll booth. Traffic is being routed over the Mohawk River to Route 5 in Glenville.

Eastbound traffic is being detoured over the Mohawk River at Route 103 and vehicles are then being sent east on Route 5 in Glenville.

Police say it could take some time to remove the derailed train and Route 5S is expected to be closed throughout the day.
TROY  For nearly 30 years the city Zoning Board of Appeals has granted zoning variances to projects by a 3-2 vote.

Problem is, the legal requirement is passage by at least a 4-1 vote.

The discrepancy became apparent after Hillside neighborhood residents vigorously opposed variances needed to convert a closed church building into an apartment house. That drew attention to the city zoning code by Republican politicians who questioned whether it a simple majority or a super majority was needed to secure a variance.

For a city thats counting on revitalization of its Victorian-era buildings and abandoned factories, its creating a potential legal and economic mess.

Its quite the quagmire, said Councilman Mark McGrath, one of the GOP politicians who raised the issue and who predicts litigation ahead.

While the city will have to consider that legal swamp, the news was greeted with enthusiasm by Hillside residents who were disgusted with the ZBAs treatment of their opposition.

Awesome, said Amy Halloran, one of the Hillside leaders, who criticized the panel for not acting courteously.

Mayor Patrick Maddens administration had David Gonzalez, the ZBA attorney, review the city zoning code. In the code it states,  granting a variance from any requirement of this chapter shall require the concurrence of four members of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The four-vote majority is printed in black and white in the code and clearly states thats whats needed, Gonzalez said.

The staff of the planning and community development office is contacting the applicants who thought their two separate projects had won 3-2 approvals to tell them their variances werent granted, Gonzalez said.

How long has this been going on? asked City Council President Carmella Mantello, another Republican.

Michael Ginsberg, the developer of the proposed eight apartment units at the United Armenian Calvary Congregational Church building at 144 Ninth St., could not be immediately reached for comment about the reversal of what was celebrated as a win on March 6.

Another project, for 44 apartments at 171 Oakwood Ave., was the other application approved by a 3-2 vote. Developer Kevin Vandenburgh said he's yet to hear from the city about any rescinding of the approval.

"(If so) we're going to fight," he vowed.

Projects with 5-0 votes to OK variances, such as a farm stand at 492 Second St. in South Troy dont have to worry.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter.

Attorneys reviewing the city zoning code were surprised to see the four-vote majority requirement. Unusual was the single word they used to describe the situation. But Troys ZBA has its own unique history.

While many municipal ZBAs in the Capital Region have five members, its a given that they all have an odd-number of members so there are no tie votes. That didnt occur historically in Troy.

When the City Council created the ZBA in 1966 it set its membership at six instead of giving it an odd number such as the current membership of five, according to documents deposited at the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Speculation is that the language for a four-vote majority is left over from when the ZBA had six members. McGrath said he understands that the ZBA was reduced to five members in 1988.

Gonzalez, who recently became the ZBAs counsel, said he hasnt had an opportunity to conduct any historical legal research about the boards operations.

Just how many projects were granted variances with 3-2 votes is hard to determine. The ZBA minutes posted online on the citys website dont report the vote totals. A project will be listed as approved or denied.

ZBA member Jack McCann said he was unaware of the four-vote requirement and would have to consult with the attorney, Gonzalez. He also expects potential legal issues and issues about previous approval over the last 30 years. It's a reason why the city needs to update its zoning code, he said.

The legal questions surrounding the ZBA vote requirement to grant a variance comes as the city is seeking neighborhood support for a new comprehensive plan. Part of adopting the plan will be updating the zoning code.

Mantello said the city has to balance the quality of life in its neighborhoods with the demand for economic development. She is waiting to hear from the corporation counsels office about whether any changes to the four-vote minimum for approval of variances will be granted.

Meanwhile, Halloran said the Hillside neighbors plan to contact other neighborhood groups in the city to band together to fight for reform of the Zoning Board of Appeals and its practices.
Mercedes-Benz has been named the worlds most valuable auto brand while Ferrari takes the prize as the worlds strongest automotive brand in Brand Finances latest annual report. The valuation list is different from the one published by Interbrand, which put Mercedes in the number 2 spot in its last valuation report, behind only Toyota . The German automakers spot atop Brand Finances report was largely achieved on the back of a 24-percent year-on-year growth to US$43.9 billion.

It is interesting, though, that Mercedes and Toyota switched places in Brand Finances report compared to the version released by Interbrand in November 2017.

Even if you re-arrange the names on top of both lists, it still wouldnt matter because most of the companies in it are some of the biggest automotive brands in the world. It is interesting, though, that Mercedes and Toyota switched places in Brand Finances report compared to the version released by Interbrand in November 2017. But the German automaker slightly made it to the top spot, nipping Toyotas $43.7 billion brand value. BMW comfortably took third place with a brand value of $41.8 billion while Volkswagen came in fourth, well behind the top three placers with a brand value of $33.7 billion. The German auto giant does have the spot all to itself because fifth place Honda is nowhere near it. The Japanese auto giant came out with a brand value of $22.1 billion. Interestingly enough, Tesla reported the biggest year-on-year growth among all automakers, registering a 106-percent growth in 2017 to $5.7 billion in brand value. That was good for the 19th spot on this list.

If youre wondering what kind of approach Brand Finance uses in determining these brand values, the company said that it uses the Royalty Relief approach, a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. The specific method involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a brand value understood as a net economic benefit that a licensor would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.

In that scorecard, Ferrari pulled in a 91.5 BSI score, easily beating runner-up Porsche, which posted an 87.5 BSI score.

In terms of being the strongest automotive brand, nobody could compete with the Prancing Horse from Maranello. The Italian automaker scored the highest Brand Strength Index (BSI), which itself is calculated using a balanced scorecard of metrics that assess marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. In that scorecard, Ferrari pulled in a 91.5 BSI score, easily beating runner-up Porsche, which posted an 87.5 BSI score. Proving that its brand revival is legitimate, Jaguar finished third with a BSI score of 86.9, edging out BMW, which finished fourth with a BSI score of 85.6. Aston Martin rounded out the top five placers with a BSI score of 85.3, beating out Volkswagen by the slimmest of margins. The German automaker finished sixth by a hairline with a BSI score of 85.2. Surprisingly, SEAT finished seventh place with a score of 84.3, higher than more established luminaries like Bentley (83.3), Toyota (82.9), and Renault (82.8).

References

Read more Mercedes-Benz news.

Read more Toyota news.

Read more BMW news.

Source: Brand Finance
Volkswagen will support its upcoming ID lineup be selling home EV charger boxes ahead of launching the first vehicle. Sales will commence by 2020, which means customers who pony up for the first EV, the ID Hatch, will be all set for home charging the day they take delivery. Furthermore, there are plans for 400 new fast-chargers that will be spread out across Europe  thats right, its a global offensive.

Furthermore, there are plans for 400 new fast-chargers that will be spread out across Europe  thats right, its a global offensive.

Volkswagen Chairman, Herbert Diess, spoke at VWs annual media conference, saying, Our aim is to make driving electric vehicles as simple, comfortable and clean as possible. We will supply private households with charging solutions; our wallbox for home use at 300 [about $370 at current exchange rates] will be affordable for everyone. For the record, thats $130 less than the basic wall connector offered by Tesla for the Model S, Model X, and Model 3.

As for the public charging network, its being rolled out through a partnership with BMW, Daimler, and Ford. They offer up to 350kWh of power, which is more than double that of Teslas fast-charging network right now. Of course, thats not the only thing VW is doing to up the Pioneer of EV.

Diess went on to say, We are making our IDs so intelligent that every vehicle will become a moving credit card. You will be able to recharge without thinking about paying. The vehicle will do it for you. And, thats where the privacy concern comes in. With as easy as cars have been hacked in the past, and the seemly constant leaks of personal information  even the way thieves use skimmers to steal our banking information right in front of us  will VW have a system in place that offers ample security?

Looking to the future, expect the ID hatch to launch in 2020, which will then be followed by the ID Crozz by 2022

Its certainly a necessity in todays world, and as cars become more and more connected, the risk of personal information, especially when stored in our vehicles, being expertly lifted from our vehicles is a very possible scenario. Lets just hope that Volkswagen things that through by the time the public charging stations open up and our cars start paying all by themselves.

Looking to the future, expect the ID hatch to launch in 2020, which will then be followed by the ID Crozz by 2022. Both will connect to the aforementioned quick charging network and will be produced in mass amounts. According to Diess, the brand is expecting to produce as many as 1500 ID and ID Crozz per day, a figure that is based on the current demand for EV vehicles. That, of course, leads to the belief that customers are willing to switch to EV if the price is right.

Well, we shall see. Regardless of where you stand, however, EVs are coming.

References

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen I.D. Vizzion Concept.

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen I.D. Buzz.

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen I.D. Crozz II

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen I.D. Crozz

Read more Volkswagen news.

Source: Autocar
What Zanzotti has done is, take a brand new BMW R1200R and dismantle it back to its iconic boxer engine and parts of the frame. Using Virtual Reality-prototyping and state-of-the-art production methods, he, along with his project partners GRAYDEV. and Wunderlich, the worlds largest BMW premium motorcycle outfitter, has assembled a futuristic motorcycle that manifests as a fused element of both man and machine.

A Munich-based industrial designer who goes by the name Christian Zanzotti has come out with his latest motorcycle creation using a newfangled piece of technology, virtual reality.

Minimalistic design philosophy hand built aluminium tank being the only bodypanel

Zanzottis approach to design is a highly emotional one and at the same time characterized by reduced forms. His striking designs lead to outstanding results by exploring technological boundaries which have also won him the German Design Award as Best Newcomer of the Year in 2014. His designs include products that range far and wide, from whiskey bottles and time-trackers to tables and chairs.

But now, hes tried his hand at designing a breath-taking motorcycle; a machine that lurked his interests ever since his childhood. And he decided to use Virtual Reality to concoct his favorite design. Yes, you read that right. Virtual reality. Google defines it as the computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional image or environment that can be interacted with in a seemingly real or physical way by a person using special electronic equipment, such as a helmet with a screen inside.

Headlamp unit houses a sensor panel relays the generated data to the riders visor

He did that by mounting sensors and cameras all around the Beemer that records all information relevant to the rider and pushes this directly onto the riders helmet visor. Zanzotti describes this display element as superfluous allowing for drastic streamlining.

The motorcycle itself carries a minimalistic design philosophy that boasts the highest level of functionality. Chiseled lines follow everywhere around the bike, and it is pretty sharp. Sharp enough to cut your vision. The hand-built aluminum tank is the only bodywork that your eyes can fall on and is met with individual components that are manufactured with modern techniques like 3D printing and laser cutting, thus closing the gap between futurism and traditional builds.

Eliminates the concept of a dashboard

Front USD cowl

Bespoke hand grips and levers

Makrolon brake lightstrip

The entire frame of the original motorcycle is modified to suit Zanzottis unconventional design form and the individual parts that are rendered inculcating digital Virtual Reality concept. The headlamp unit is actually not a headlamp primarily. It houses a sensor panel that relays the generated data to the riders visor, hence eliminating the concept of a dashboard. You sit on laser cut rubber pad that is not really a plush saddle, so to speak. At the rear, you dont see anything but a thin strip of Makrolon brake light that looks out of this world.

All the above-mentioned elements were scrutinized individually in VR and 3d scans before moving onto production. This method has allowed Christian to build an incredibly ergonomic, highly functional, and specialized motorcycle that will have very less or nothing to complain about in terms of riding stance.

Individual components are manufactured with modern techniques like 3D printing and laser cutting

All that said, the motorcycle will carry the same 1170 cc BMW Boxer Engine along with brake and suspension units. A set of telescopic upside-down forks with a stanchion diameter of 45mm at the front and a cast aluminum single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever at the rear does the job here too. The braking duties are taken care of by dual 320mm disc brakes at the front and a single 276mm disc brake at the rear. What has changed though is the exhaust header unit which has a free flow exhaust sporting an aluminum tip. The wheels also get an upgrade with them carrying aluminum milled rims and racing spec tires.

With this, he is trying to bring a fresh lease of momentum in the motorcycle industry, just like what companys like Google, Apple, or Tesla are foraying into. These kinds of studies present a vision for the motorcycle industry that is radical and is an unhackneyed way to revolutionize how motorcycles are built.

All elements scrutinized individually in VR and 3d scans

Pushes data directly onto the helmet visor

If you want to buy this, hard luck because Digimoto says that it is only a  design concept study of the future bike experience. We wanted to prove a Zeitgeist way of designing and developing products. It is not for sale, and moreover, it isnt even street legal. However, if you are doing a Hollywood movie though, it is a different story altogether.

Reference
ECI holds a meeting with CEO/DEOs to instruct SOPs related to First Level Checking (FLC) of EVM-VVPAT

Counting of votes for 3 city corporations in K'taka under way
It's not all about numbers, really there's more.

I have probably quoted Kiwi architect Elrond Burrell more than any other living architect; his blog on Passivhaus (or PassiveHouse) is invaluable. I even named a new green building standard after him. One of the things I really looked forward to at the 22nd International Passivhaus Conference in Munich was actually meeting him in person and hearing him speak as one of the keynotes.

Elrond, like myself, spends a lot of time trying to explain the benefits of Passivhaus that go beyond just saving energy and reducing carbon emissions, although that should be enough on its own. But it's not, particularly in an era of cheap fuel prices. So Elrond explained why he loves PassiveHouse so much:

Design

Architectural design is typically carried out with little or no environmental consideration during the design process. Once the design has reached a certain stage, it is assessed so that "environmental features" can be added.

Elrond suggests that PassiveHouse is different, and that design is baked into it from day one, that "design is central to Passive House." I am not sure that I agree here; I have seen some really ugly PassiveHouse buildings and houses. But Elrond's basic point is valid; PassiveHouse design avoids what Philadelphia builder Nic Darling called "Polishing the turd", building the same thing that they always did but just tacking stuff on.

So, they polish the turd. Rather than redesign the house that has been successful for them in the past, they add solar panels, geothermal systems, high end interior fixtures, extra insulation and other green features. The house gets greener. It gets certified, but it also increases significantly in cost. Since the features are add-ons and extras, the price rises as each one is tacked on.

PassiveHouse avoids that by keeping it simple.

Integrity

Houseplanning Help/Screen capture

Building standards are often confusing and aspirational, failing to deliver what they claim. There is integrity in the clarity and simplicity of the Passive House Standard performance requirements.

Integrity perhaps; I have never heard anyone describe achieving it as simple. Just look at that spreadsheet! But the concept has always been clear: you can burn so much energy per unit area, and have just so many air changes. Everything else is commentary.

Comfort

 What is comfort anyway? This is something we have been going on about for years on TreeHugger; I have called it the best way to sell the Passive House concept. Elrond notes that "Passive House is a comfort standard" It's not really, because comfort is subjective. As Engineer Robert Bean has written, comfort is a condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation. Basically, its all in your head  and in your skin. So you want the interior surface of the wall as close to the temperature of our skin as possible, to minimize heat loss from our skin sensors to the walls and windows. That's what you get in PassiveHouse.

Science

 Hanspeter Schless via Cukrowicz Nachbaur Architekten

Architecture is often described as a combination of art and science. Art is subjective; however, buildings have no choice but to obey the laws of science.

Alas, this is why many architects avoid doing PassiveHouse; it's hard to turn them into art. You need real talent to get rid of jogs and bump outs and big windows, to make it, as Bronwyn Barry calls it, Boxy But Beautiful. But these days more and more architects are figuring it out and doing beautiful buildings that just happen to be PassiveHouse certified. And finally, Elrond talks about:

Community.

North American participants at the International Passivhaus Convention/CC BY 2.0

The construction industry often feels fragmented and adversarial. Passive House is different... There is a very strong global Passive House community.

At the conference in Munich it certainly felt like there was a community. Alas, in North America the community is still a bit fragmented and adversarial.

I found Elrond's talk to be inspiring, accessible and refreshing, but it appeared that the other energy nerds in the room were not as seduced by its charms as I was; they would rather look at data. This is a shame; there are many ways to save energy or go Net Zero that don't deliver these benefits. Integrity, comfort, community and design, all those subjective attributes of PassiveHouse, are ultimately what people really care about. They should listen and learn.
There's a lack of affordable housing worldwide, from the most cosmopolitan of cities, to more remote, rural areas -- affecting an estimated 1.2 billion people worldwide. Tiny houses, micro-apartments, and modular and prefabricated housing are some potential solutions, but others are offering even more radical proposals, such as American startup ICON. They recently unveiled this affordable, 650-square-foot home that was 3D printed out of concrete in under 24 hours using a mobile printer, at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas -- they say it's the first permitted home of its kind in the US that complies with local building standards.

 ICON / New Story

Building a Home With a 3D Printer

According to the company, this prototype cost around USD $10,000 to produce, but it estimates that costs will be lowered to around $3,500 or $4,000 for its production run in El Salvador next year, where it plans to print 100 affordable homes, in collaboration with international housing solutions non-profit New Story.

ICON's house is priced about the same but is larger than the 409-square-footer (38 square metres) printed by Russian startup Apis Cor, which also offers a similar kind of house-scale, mobile 3D printing technology. ICON's model has a living room, bathroom, bedroom, and a porch; the only part that was not printed was the roof.

 ICON / New Story

 ICON / New Story

 ICON / New Story

 ICON / New Story

ICON's durable 3D printer, nicknamed The Vulcan, is built to be easily transported via truck, and is capable of printing a home of up to 800 square feet, or about two to three times the size of a conventional tiny home. The versatile Vulcan uses a mortar that can be sourced from almost anywhere -- the idea here was to develop a technology that could be used in places where there might not be a lot of building resources. As Jason Ballard, cofounder of ICON, tells Fast Company:

The big difference, between a developed world and developing world context is you have a much more limited set of materials to work with. Number one, just because of access, you want to restrict your material mix to things that you could find very ubiquitously around the globe. And you also want to avoid expensive materials.



 ICON / New Story

 ICON / New Story

 ICON / New Story

 ICON / New Story

The Benefits of a 3D Printed Home

These 3D printed structures not only reduce labour costs, construction time and material wastage, they are also quite durable and more disaster-resistant, says Ballard:

There are fundamental problems with conventional stick-building that 3D printing solves, besides affordability. You get a high thermal mass, thermal envelope, which makes it far more energy-efficient. Its far more resilient.



The team plans to use the 3D printed demonstration model in Austin as an office in the near future, to test and tweak it out further. The aim is to offer the Vulcan at an affordable price internationally, so that it can be adopted on a wider scale, explains New Story CEO Brett Hagler:

Ideally we can move from thousands of people to millions of people around the world by allowing other nonprofits and governments to use this technology. Thats the big goal, because our goal is impacting the most families possible.



 ICON / New Story

The idea of being able to print an affordable small home legally is a tantalizing one -- not only would it make a big difference in developing nations, it could make a big impact here as well. Of course, the team says that this technology would not only benefit humans on Earth, it could potentially be scaled up to be used to build structures on Mars or on the Moon. To help fund the next phase of development in El Salvador, you can donate here; or find out more via ICON and New Story.
Treehugger and our third-party partners use cookies and process personal data like unique identifiers based on your consent to store and/or access information on a device, display personalized ads and for content measurement, audience insight, and product development. To change or withdraw your consent choices for Treehugger.com, including your right to object where legitimate interest is used, click below. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. List of Partners (vendors)
In the 2021 Budget, Finance Minister Colm Imbert had said the goal of the Government was to boost jobs. But what exactly is the state of unemployment in Trinidad and Tobago?
ON Republic Day, activist Jerome Alexander will run a marathon from OMeara Road in Arima to South Quay, PoS to raise public awareness about the dangers of pornography. Alexanders idea to run the 26-mile marathon was in part inspired by a friend of his in the US who ran 30 marathons in 30 days.
Do you have a news tip?

Want to share good news story, or do you have information that should see the light of day? Then we want to hear from you.

More here
Hyperdia is good, but not the most user-friendly, you just have to bear with it :) But it is an order of magnitude more user-friendly than trying to work out the machines when you are there. Those things make you want to lose the will to live, but there are always friendly and helpful people around to give you a hand if you get really stuck. In fact most electronic things are seemingly fiendishly complicated in Japan, it's like playing a giant video game.

You've probably seen this elsewhere in your research, but probably the most important thing you will need in Tokyo is a suica card - I think you can use it elsewhere in Japan as well. It is worth putting up with the jetlag and getting one at the airport, even if it involves a bit of queuing, as it will make your life massively easier - if you are arriving at Narita you have to go downstairs to the actual metro station. Also consider getting a portable wi-fi, and use OK google for information on all train times (including metro) and directions. Google maps works excellently in Japan.

Enjoy! The sakura is amazing, wherever you see it.
We are from hongkong travelling to Australia for the first time. Its a 10 day trip in all and we are looking for suggestions. First, We would be in melbourne for 3 days and in cairns for next 3. After that, we have 2 days free and last day we will be in sydney as our flights are back from there.

We had thought of going to gold coast in those 2 days being sat/sun but now there are national games scheduled during that time in gold coast and we are afraid that the place would be overbooked and over expensive. People suggested us to go to Tasmania otherwise but we are not sure if 2 days would be enough to cover that place.

What should we do considering we have only 15 days left to decide.
Flight Booked! We will be flying into/out of Liberia the last week in July and have 10 full days in Costa Rica (12 with traveling). We will be traveling with our 9 year old daughter, and will rent a car. We would like to do some relaxing and some adventure, and don't want to spend a huge amont of time in a car. I initially chose 6 days Samara (thought it would be better to stay off caribe side during rainy season, and seemed nice safe beach for children) and 4 in Arenal, and probably will stick to those destinations. However, I got nervous when I was on another travel forum where the main contributors kept steering travelers away from Guanacaste beaches, saying they weren't lush and tropical like the caribe side, and not a lot of nature nearby? Will we be missing out on a lot if we don't go to the Caribe side, or Uvita where they kept recommending? I know it is hard to do too much in 10 days, but if we just go to Samara and Arenal will we be missing out on much of what Costa Rica has to offer? Suggestions?
-:- Message from Tripadvisor staff -:-

This topic has been closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the Tripadvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
On your first 2 days you will probably want to stay at Alajuela as this is the nearest town to SJO airport. Each of them will offer you a whole set of possible day trips. You can use this web site as an example: . Be aware that Poas volcano is closed to visitors at the moment. Irazu volcano is closer then Arenal volcano.

Probably the best area for the mix of activities you are looking for is around Manuel Antonio.
A few questions for our first night in Narita

A few questions for our first night in Narita

We land on a Friday night at 3:35pm, and were heading to Fujiyoshida the next day, then on to Tokyo Disney.

For that first noght, Id like to keep it simple and cheaper. Is it feasible that we could get a hotel close to the airport, clean up, and hop on a train to sakura for an evening walk, dinner, and then a train back to Narita to sleep at the hotel?

Is that even a worthwhile endeavor?
First, check to see if your period of travel is a holiday period in Japan. If yes, then reserve as far in advance as you can and suffer the inconvenience of being on a schedule.

If it's not a holiday period, you can probably just show up at the station and when you get to the front of the ticket line, ask for the next train. If you really need to be on the 8:00 train and not the 8:20, I'd suggest getting there 45 minutes in advance, or making your reservation the night before, but there are no guarantees. Lines can be slow if there are too many confused foreign tourists.

An alternative is to just show up and go to the platform without a reservation. You will be limited to non-reserved cars, which can be crowded, and you will lose the benefit of free reserved seating.

I generally stay at hotels with a 10 a.m. checkout time, and make reservations in advance for trains leaving shortly thereafter.

Edited: 3 years ago
Hi, I understand JR pass can only be collected and activated only when arrive into Japan, but I would like to book in advance as I would like to travel to Kyoto immediately after I arrive into Narita next weekend, Im worried the Shinkansen will be full. Any way I can book in advance?

I saw Hyperdia website on per way price sounds reasonable but I cant seem to purchase. Any afdcj
notini - unfortunately, your thoughts on this issue are not correct.

There are two types of coverage that come into play:

1.) Liability Insurance - protects you from costs incurred by damaging other people's property.

2.) CDW (Collision-Damage-Waiver) - protects you from costs incurred by damaging the rental car.

You MUST carry liability insurance - as you found out. Theoretically, you should be able to use applicable insurance instead. The thing is that the Costa Rican government has not approved a single outside insurance carrier to supply this insurance. Thus, you cannot use any insurance you have back home, you cannot purchase insurance elsewhere and use it, and you most definitely cannot use insurance that your credit card offers. Instead, you MUST purchase it from the rental car company - which you did. There is no way around it and it is a legitimate charge.

The ONLY thing you can provide yourself is CDW - which can usually be done via your credit card or via a third-party provider. Not all rental companies will allow you to do so, though. They set the terms within the limits of the law and some will only accept CDW purchased through them.

Going by what you said about your friends, I would think that this is exactly what they did. They used their credit card for the CDW and then still had to purchase liability insurance.

It's not a rip off by Fox - it's the law. I have to purchase this insurance, you do, and everybody else does, too. What I can say about this charge is that different companies charge different amounts for coverage and that it is well worth it to shop around. Still, in the end, you sign the contract and enter a legally-binding agreement.

Thus, I doubt that you will have success with your credit card company. They will simply tell you that you signed a contract to purchase insurance - which you did and which can easily be proven by Fox. Nobody can reverse charges that are legally required and that are accepted by a purchaser.

If you do not like the terms of a contract, don't sign it.

Edited: 3 years ago
I have no idea about the hire car situation. It is countryside so kangaroos always an issue. But locals drive that stretch at night going between the towns albeit kangaroo risks.

Suggest you take the Upper Denmark road to Albany- less winding sections. Surrounded by farmland and whilst some bush on side of road its not heavily forested.

There was a fatal crash last year on that stretch due to kangaroo collision. Theres plenty of kangaroo activity in the region-

Do you have to drive at that time of day? If day time going the Lower Denmark Rd means you can drop in to say Mutton Bird Island etc.

Edited: 3 years ago
- NASA leader Raila Odinga has called on members of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party to keep off 2022 politics and instead support push for dialogue

- Speaking during ODM's meeting on Tuesday, Odinga said dialogue was their only option if ODM party is to stay relevant

- He said it was about time that they started talking to each other instead of bickering over who will assume what position in 2022

- Odinga held a surprise meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 12 and the two leaders agreed to work towards bringing Kenyans together

- His co-principals in NASA were, however, not amused by the reunion because they were not made aware of it

- The ODM leader on Monday, March 12, 2018 held a meeting with his NASA coalition co-principals and all agreed to support the Harambee House deal as they push for an all-inclusive dialogue

National Super Alliance coalition leader, Raila Odinga, has pleaded with members of his Orange Democratic Movement party to put on the back burner 2022 succession politics and instead support his push for national dialogue for now.

Addressing the ODM members of Parliament on Tuesday, March 13, during their meeting at Orange House, Odinga emphasized that dialogue was their best option if the party is to stay relevant even as they continue with the quest for electoral reforms, TUKO.co.ke can report.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Picha ya mwalimu bila mikono akitumia mdomo kuandika ubaoni yayeyusha nyoyo za wengi

Raila Odinga on Tuesday, told his ODM party members that dialogue was their only option if the party is to stay relevant .Photo: Capital FM.

READ ALSO: Raila meets Uhuru, agree to end dissent

In what seemed like an attack on his NASA co-principals, the ODM party boss reiterated that quarreling over who will take what position in 2022 is not going to help their course.

" We are going nowhere with reforms if we continue antagonizing each other. Let's talk to one another and not at each other," he said.

READ ALSO: Raila attends NASA summit despite earlier reports indicating he won't be present

The former Prime Minister on March 9, 2018 held a surprise closed-door meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta at Harambee House.

The two leaders, who a few weeks back could not see eye to eye, agreed to put an end their political feud and work together towards uniting the country following a divisive electioneering period.

READ ALSO: NASA co-principals Mudavadi, Kalonzo, Wetangula finally welcome Raila-Uhuru political deal

NASA leader Raila Odinga on March 9, 2018, held reconciliation talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta at Harambee House.Photo: . Photo: Lyn Ngugi/TUKO

The meeting between Odinga and Uhuru was, however, not well received by Odinga's co-principals who held that they were not privy to the reconciliation talks.

The four NASA co-principals, nevertheless, met on Monday, March 12, in Athi River and agreed to support the Harambee House pact, but on condition that it will be an all-inclusive national dialogue.

READ ALSO: Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Wetangula disown Raila's reconciliation talks with Uhuru

There has been a growing sense mistrust between Odinga and his NASA co-principal since the coalition held its controversial oath-taking ceremony on January 30, 2018.

Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga: Full Speech at Harambee House - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
- Nairobi-Narok highway was on Tuesday night closed after heavy rains and flood sunk a section of the road

- The bridge between Suswa and Duka Moja was swept away by the flood amid downpour in the area, consequently cutting off the road linking Nairobi and Narok at Mai Mahiu

- The usually busy road is currently impassable and motorists have been advised to use alternative routes

The road linking Nairobi and Narok has been closed indefinitely after heavy rains sunk a section of the busy highway on the night of Tuesday, March 13.

Reports reaching TUKO.co.ke on the morning of Wednesday, March 14, indicated that the bridge between Suswa and Duka Moja was also swept away by the floods amid a heavy downpour in the area.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Picha ya mwalimu bila mikono akitumia mdomo kuandika ubaoni yayeyusha nyoyo za wengi

Nairobi-Narok highway was on Wednesday night closed after heavy rains and flood sunk a section of the road. Photo: TUKO.

READ ALSO: Met Department issues yet another warning on heavy rains,flash floods

According to the traffic police manning the area, the Nairobi-Narok highway is currently impassable and motorists are advised to use other routes.

Road blocks have been mounted on both sides of the dangerous rift that emerged in the middle of the road to alert unsuspecting motorists.

READ ALSO: Roads closed after explosive is found at embassy

Engineers have been informed to fix the road as soon as possible.Photo:TUKO.

Engineers have reportedly been informed to fix the road as soon as possible.

Vehicle being pulled out of rift that was created after road caved in to heavy rain.Photo:Twitter/KTN

Nairobi-Narok road caved in to heavy rain.Photo:Twitter/KTN

The incident comes a few days after the Meteorological department issued a statement warning Kenyans over the heavy rains starting Monday, March 12.

READ ALSO: Mombasa Road blocked at Chyulu Hills as truck carrying cooking gas bursts to flames after accident

According to the Met department, the devastating heavy rains are expected in Western, South and Central Rift Valley, and Central Kenya as well as Nairobi.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 or Telegram: Tuko news.

High school leaver builds own electricity power plant - On Tuko TV

Source: Tuko.co.ke
- Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet faulted the Judiciary on anti-terrorism war in the country following decisions made by judges

- Boinnet complained that sentences passed by lower courts are always quashed or reduced by the Court of Appeal thus frustrating war on terror

- The police boss remained optimistic that security agencies would be successful in keeping away criminals terrorising Kenyans despite frustrations from the courts

The Inspector-General of Police (IG) Joseph Boinnet on Wednesday, March 14 attacked the Judiciary and accused the Court of Appeal of providing room for terrorists to operate.

Boinnet said that the Court of Appeal was fond of throwing out sentences slapped against terror suspects by lower courts.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens

READ ALSO: Ruto asisimua Wakenya baada ya kunaswa kwenye video akicheza Odi Dance

He said that sentences by lower courts were reduced or quashed by judges of the Court of Appeal and thus frustrating war on terrorism.

Police boss Joseph Boinnet displaying one the weapons recovered from terrorists. Photo: Lucky Omenda/TUKO

"While security agencies have been undertaking their best to tackle terrorism, these efforts are sometimes undermined when terror operatives convicted in lower courts have their sentences either lowered or quashed by the Court of Appeal thereby rendering counter terrorism efforts in the country futile," he said during an event at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

However, the IG said security agencies will continue to be firm and warned terror gangs including Al-Shabaab against terrorising Kenyans.

"Our joint counterterrorism efforts remain firm and we warn any locl criminal groups with any form of affiliation to terrorist groups that there is no place and space for you in Kenya," he said.

Police notice requesting public assistance to arrest gang leader. Photo: Facebook/National Police Service

READ ALSO: Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Wetangula now want to meet Uhuru after the president held talks with Raila

He spoke as he enumerated how police had foiled a series of terror attacks in different parts of the country including interception of a vehicle fitted with explosives by police in Isiolo.

Journalists were taken through a detailed explanation on how terrorists use such vehicles to attack unspecting targets.

The vehicle is said to have been assembled by Al-Shabaab terrorists in El-Adde, Somalia and was destined for Nairobi where a major attack had been planned.

READ ALSO: Moi recuperating well in Israel, will soon be back home

Inspector-General of Joseph Boinnet displays weapons that were recovered from terrorists. Photo: Lucy Omenda/TUKO

As reported earlier by TUKO.co.ke, police gunned down one suspect after a shootout and five automatic rifles, 36 grenades, a cache of assorted arms, detonators, knives and mobile phones were recovered from the vehicle.

All of them were displayed at the DCI where the police boss spoke.

At the moment, police are camping in Mt Elgon to flush out members of a militia that is behind a spate of killings and displacements in the region.

Two suspected commaders  Alex Juma and Cleophas Sichei  have since been arrested and are being detained as police conduct investigations.

Police have put a KSh1 million bounty on the head of Timothy Kiptanui Kitai alias Cheparkach who is belived to be the top commander of the rag tag militia.

Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news.

Kenyan Domestic worker explains her plight in Saudi Arabia | Faces of Kenya - on TUKO TV

Source: Tuko
The Health Minister says the Health Ministry is not ignoring the concerns of nurses on short
Russian-backed militants launched four attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in Donbas over the past day.

This is reported by the ATO Headquarters press center.

In Luhansk direction, illegal armed formations opened fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms on the Ukrainian strongholds near Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk) and Zalizne (39km north of Donetsk).

In Donetsk direction, the enemy used 82mm mortars, large-caliber machine guns and small arms to fire at the Ukrainian positions near Pisky (12km north-west of Donetsk). The defenders of Butovka coal mine (11.4km north-west of Donetsk) came under small arms fire.

As a result of the enemy attacks, one Ukrainian serviceman was wounded. He was taken to a military mobile hospital and received the necessary amount of medical aid.

ish
The heroism and courage of Ukrainian volunteer fighters allowed the state to create a powerful army and restore its defense-industrial complex.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksandr Turchynov stated this in his greeting on the occasion of the Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer Fighter, the NSDCs press service reports.

Thanks to the heroism and self-sacrifice of our volunteer fighters, who went first and started to defend their country, Ukraine outstood and proved to the whole world that it is capable of protecting itself. We proved that our state was, is and will be! Thanks to your courage it became possible to win necessary time for creating a powerful army, restoring the defense-industrial complex, developing and producing new weapons, Turchynov said.

He reminded that four years ago, when the aggressor attacked Ukraine, he called on the patriots to take arms and defend their homeland.

"Then the true Ukrainian patriots went straight to the front, and without military training, high-quality weapons, even military uniforms, they stopped the Russian invasion. Deep honor for you and eternal glory! We bow down before the heroes who were killed, defending their native land!, the NSDC secretary said.

The Day of the Ukrainian Volunteer Fighter is marked on March 14.

iy
One Ukrainian serviceman was wounded in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) area in eastern Ukraine over the past day.

Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Spokesman for ATO issues Dmytro Hutsuliak said this at a briefing on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"One Ukrainian serviceperson was wounded in enemy shelling in Donetsk direction. He was immediately taken to hospital. The state of his health is satisfactory," he said.

Hutsuliak also informed that despite of Russian-backed militants attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ukrainian side observed the ceasefire regime introduced on March 5 and did not return fire.

iy
Ukraine is ready to increase its presence in peacekeeping forces in other regions and territories if necessary, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

He said this at a joint briefing with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen in Kyiv on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We discussed with Mr. President the situation in occupied Donbas. The Austrian president once again assured [Ukraine] of Vienna's readiness to contribute to the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force, following the decision of the UN Security Council. And I suggested that, if this is necessary, Ukraine is ready to increase its presence in peacekeeping forces in other regions and territories," Poroshenko said.

op
The completion of the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline can open the way for Russia to full-scale aggression in Ukraine, and resistance to this project is what unites Poland and Ukraine.

Marshal of the Sejm of Poland Marek Kuchcinski said this at the Europe-Ukraine Forum in Rzeszow, Poland, on March 13, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"If this gas pipeline is put into operation, it will be a signal that Russia will be able to carry out aggression in Ukraine without any restrictions. So the gas pipeline, which now runs through Ukraine, will not be needed [for Russia for transit]. Therefore, this is another argument [for Ukraine and Poland] to stand together," Kuchcinski said.

He emphasized that the second important thing in the context of Polish-Ukrainian relations was infrastructure cooperation, the development of the network of connections, in particular border checkpoints.

"The ambitious plans on the construction of railways, or, rather, the renewal of the Malhowice-Kroscienko section through Khyriv, have shifted from place. Although this initiative is local, it is very important," he said.

According to him, Poland and Ukraine have no time to conduct lengthy historical debates and treat the wounds that are constantly being re-opened by "active Moscow actions."

"These problems need to be resolved, and then we can safely move forward together," Kuchcinski said.

He also said that Ukraine had made significant progress in reforming the country, which is particularly striking, as it has been done in conditions of external aggression.

op
The economic and energy security remains priority areas for cooperation between Moldova and Ukraine in 2018.

The Economy and Infrastructure Ministry of Moldova reported this following a meeting of Minister Chiril Gaburici with Ukraines Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador Ivan Hnatyshyn, own Ukrinform correspondent in Moldova reports.

The implementation of the Agreement on the Conditions for the Future Interconnection of the power systems of Ukraine and Moldova with ENTSO-E remains priority issues on the agenda of bilateral relations, as well as the holding of the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Ukraine-Moldova Commission on trade-economic cooperation," said Gaburici.

Gaburici reaffirmed Moldova's openness to constructive dialogue and interaction with Ukraine so that to ensure economic and energy security of the two countries.

Ambassador Ivan Hnatyshyn, in turn, noted that "Ukraine unconditionally supports the implementation of all joint projects that contribute to the strengthening of regional security."

The diplomat also stressed that Ukraine is interested in further cooperation in the field of joint control at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border.

According to the Economy and Infrastructure Ministry of Moldova, due to the implementation of the Roadmap for Trade and Economic Cooperation, the volume of bilateral trade between Ukraine and Moldova grew by 33% in 2017 from 2016.

iy
Ukraines GDP growth will significantly accelerate after lifting of the moratorium on the sale of land.

Former Deputy Head of the European Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Oleh Havrylyshyn said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"The pension reform is important, but it will not help accelerate the GDP growth. In this regard, I would first talk about the land reform, which we have been waiting for a quarter of a century. Ukraine remains one of a few states in the world which has no free private land. This is absurd! We must put an end to this and become a civilized country. It is necessary to sell land but not to lease for 100 years or something else," he said.

In his opinion, Ukraine should also focus on deregulation and judicial reform.

ish
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said he is convinced that Europe needs to urgently reconsider its position regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

He said this at a joint briefing with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen in Kyiv on Wednesday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"I am convinced that Europe needs to urgently reconsider its position on Nord Stream 2. There is no economy there, there is no drop of commerce there - only political blackmail. I am sure that the answer should be adequate," Poroshenko said.

He said that at a meeting with the Austrian president "we also touched on the recent attempt by Gazprom to provoke a new gas crisis in Europe, deliver a sharp blow to the energy security of the European Union."

"Once again, Moscow showed its true face in terms of gas blackmail, but nothing worked. Ukrainians reacted responsibly to these threats. Despite the fact that it was very cold and Moscow always attempts to use blackmail in the worst colds, Ukraine responded with the hashtag #Turn Down, reduced consumption by 14%, but showed itself to be an extremely reliable gas supplier to Europe," Poroshenko said.

op
In 2018, Ukraine plans to start exporting domestic wheat to China and Vietnam and to liberalize exports to Indonesia.

This issue was discussed during a meeting of the Chairman of Ukraines State Service on Food Safety and Consumers Protection, Volodymyr Lapa, and representatives of the Committee for Grains and Oilseeds of the European Business Association, the press center of the State Service on Food Safety reported.

"The prospects for 2018 include the beginning of exports of Ukrainian wheat to China and Vietnam and the liberalization of exports to Indonesia, as well as the visit programs of representatives of the national plant protection organizations," Lapa said.

Earlier, Ukraine supplied only barley, soybeans and corn to China and Vietnam.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed the draft of phytosanitary requirements for the export of Ukrainian wheat to Indonesia, which is scheduled to be signed in April this year.

Ukraine is one of the world's leading exporters of agricultural products. The annual export of grain and oilseeds is about 40 million tons. In the 2016-2017 marketing year, the export of wheat amounted to more than 17.5 million tons.

ish
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has urged the G7 countries to condemn and not to recognize Russian election in the occupied Crimea.

Poroshenko said this during a meeting with the ambassadors of the G7 countries, including the USA, Japan, Germany, UK, France, Italy and Canada, the press service of the head of state reported.

"I would like to discuss Russian election of March 18. This would be critically important for us to get your firm statement of condemnation and non-recognition of Russian election in Crimea," Poroshenko said.

"We really appreciate your strong previous position," he added.

The Head of State addressed Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli who was also present at the meeting and thanked him and the Vice-President of the European Commission for the EUs strong position.

"It would be also important that you dont allow your citizens to go to Crimea to monitor the election there," the President noted, adding that this referred to the representatives of France, Austria and Finland. "This could destroy the one-voice policy on the Crimean election," Poroshenko emphasized.

ish
An official ceremony of a meeting between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen has taken place in Kyiv on the square near the Presidential Administration, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The program of the visit foresees face-to-face talks between the heads of state, as well as talks as part of official delegations. The presidents will also take part in the opening of the Ukrainian-Austrian business forum.

The program of the Austrian president's visit to Ukraine also includes a trip to Lviv.

As reported, Van der Bellen is on an official visit to Ukraine from March 13 to March 15.

op
In the presence of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander van der Bellen, an agreement on cooperation in the spheres of education, science and culture was signed between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Austria.

This was informed by the press service of the head of the Ukrainian state.

"The intergovernmental agreement is a framework one. It determines the directions and forms of cooperation agreed upon by the parties in the spheres of education, science and culture," the report reads.

The parties will also support the organization of cultural events, including tours, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, theatrical performances and other artistic events.

To implement the provisions of the agreement, a mixed commission will be established, which will include representatives of relevant authorities of both countries. The meetings should be held once every 4 years.

In addition, the agreement contains provisions on the support of the future activities of the "Ukrainian Institute" in the Republic of Austria.

The agreement will come into force upon completion by the parties of the corresponding internal procedures - ratification by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and approval by the National Council of Austria.
Ukrainian MP Nadia Savchenko may stay in Spain according to law enforcement agencies.

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko told this to journalists on Wednesday, Ukrinform reports.

"According to tentative data, she [Savchenko] stays in the territory of Spain, therefore, taking advantage of this possibility, I directly appeal to her with the request to come for interrogation to the SBU investigator tomorrow at 11.00 and give explanations in the case... If she fails to do so, I, as prosecutor general, have enough grounds and authority to submit a motion to the Verkhovna Rada on the removal of parliamentary immunity, detention and arrest of this people's deputy," Lutsenko said.

He said that the investigation has a fairly large amount of evidence, including video and audio recordings, which reveal the picture of a planned terrorist act in the Verkhovna Rada.

"In this regard, we not only arrested Ruban, but also appealed to people's deputy Nadia Savchenko with the request to come to the SBU investigator for interrogation," Lutsenko said.

As reported, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) issued subpoenas for MP Savchenko to come to the SBU for interrogation on March 13 and 15 in the case of Volodymyr Ruban, the head of the Officer Corps Center for Prisoner Release The SBU expects her to come at 11.00 on March 15.

Savchenko, in turn, said that she would be on a working trip to Strasbourg until March 16. She also said she had not received a formal subpoena for questioning.

Ruban was arrested on March 8 while crossing the contact line at the Mayorsk checkpoint in Donbas during an attempt to bring weapons from the temporarily occupied territory.

On March 9, a judge of the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv said at a session on the selection of a preventive measure for Ruban that he was suspected of plotting assassination attempts on Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov.

On March 9, the court ruled to arrest Ruban for two months without the right to post bail.

In 2015-2016, Ruban served as a negotiator for the release of prisoners held in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

On February 27, 2017, the SBU canceled the permission for him to cross the contact line in Donbas. Such a ban was introduced by the SBU after he and MP Savchenko arrived in occupied Donetsk.

op
San Padre Pio, a Swiss tanker with Ukrainian crew on board, has been arrested for illicit fuel trade, Ukraine's online media outlet Novoye Vremya has reported, referring to FleetMon, a live vessel tracking website.

A vessel with 16 Ukrainian sailors on board was arrested on January 23. However, reports about this incident surfaced only in March.

"The Nigerian Navy, in a March 9 statement, reported the arrest of the San Padre Pio, a tanker with 16 Ukrainian sailors and about 5,000 tons of cargo aboard, for unauthorized entry into Nigeria's waters and illicit fuel trade," the report says.

Captain tanker Andriy Vaskov said that the vessel had permission from the Nigerian fleet to ship the cargo to Nigeria. According to him, this was their fifth entry into the Nigerian port with oil products.

The ship is currently on Bonny in the southeast of Nigeria.

Earlier, a Greek court sentenced Ukrainian sailor Denys Brovchenko, who transported Syrian refugees, to 180 years in prison.

op
Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Eugene Czolij has urged the UAE authorities to provide land to build a Ukrainian church.

This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC).

"The UWC president called upon the governing authorities of the UAE to provide the Ukrainian community with land to build a church and access to a facility in which they could organize cultural activities," the statement reads.

During his visit to the UAE, Czolij met with representatives of the Ukrainian community in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, where he presented the work of the UWC and discussed the ways of future cooperation.

The UWC president also participated in a solemn event on the occasion of the official opening of the Ukrainian Social Club in the UAE.

In addition, during the visit, Czolij spoke at a UN Pre-conference Workshop in conjunction with the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development Conference (DIHAD) that was dedicated to the development of cooperation on humanitarian aid issues between governments, business sectors and diaspora.

He presented the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine caused by the ongoing hybrid aggression of the Russian Federation, outlined the contribution of the 20-million strong Ukrainian diaspora led by the UWC to the aid effort and called for international attention to the situation and tangible support for the victims.

ish
The Ukrainian Association of New Zealand has written an open letter to Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Hon. Winston Peters.

"The Ukrainian Association of New Zealand (Northern Regions) and The Ukrainian Gromada of Wellington express concern on behalf of their members and all Ukrainians living in New Zealand in relation to the recent comments regarding the proposed closer trading relations with the Russian Federation made by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of New Zealand, Hon. Winston Peters, in the Newshub Nation programme," reads a statement published on Facebook page of the association.

"The sanctions officially adopted by New Zealand against the Russian Federation in response to its violations of Ukraine were adequate in relation to the situation and were aligned with sanctions adopted by many of New Zealands political and trading partners such as Australia, the European Union and the United States of America. We, Ukrainians of New Zealand, greatly appreciate New Zealands consistent stance and comprehensive support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. For this reason, the recent comments of Hon. Winston Peters cannot be left without response, as they go against the political and trading stances adopted by New Zealand thus far and many of New Zealand's major partners, as well as directly affecting Ukrainian people," the statement reads.

The Ukrainian Association underlines that the Russian Federation has not eliminated any of the reasons for which sanctions were imposed. Moreover, Russia continues to disregard appeals from the international community to stop its aggression against Ukraine, ignoring its international obligations and acting in contravention of fundamental international peacekeeping values.

"Supporting Russias acts of aggression is the worst possible signal that New Zealand could give to the international community and will encourage Russia to freely and with impunity violate the fundamental principles of international law," the statement reads.

According to the Ukrainian Association of New Zealand, Hon. Winston Peters, as a leader of a country which protects human rights, democracy and the rule of law, cannot allow such behaviour as exhibited by the Russian Federation to be tolerated.

"The participation of New Zealand in international sanctions against Russia is a demonstration of solidarity across the international democratic community,.. We, Ukrainians of New Zealand, ask to be assured that the official position of the New Zealand government will remain in line with the position of the civilised democratic world," noted in the letter.
March 14 is the Ukrainian Volunteer Fighter Day, which was established by the Verkhovna Rada in early 2017 to honor the courage and heroism of the defenders of Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The date is not random. On March 14, 2014, from Independence Square, the first volunteers left for the training base in Novi Petrivtsi near Kyiv. The contribution of the first wave of volunteers at the beginning of the war in eastern Ukraine can hardly be overestimated, since at the time, not all professional servicemen were ready to defend their state.

In late 2013 and early 2014, thousands of ordinary Ukrainian citizens, abandoning their own affairs - education, work, business and families - first went to the country's squares, protesting against the anti-state policy of the then top government of the country, and then resisted with arms in their hands to the Russian army. In the spring of 2014, there was a record-breaking turnout at Ukrainian military recruitment offices. People came there without waiting for a summons. Others - men and women, self-organized into battalions and left for the east of the country. Volunteers, their courage, dedication to national interests and genuine patriotism helped mobilize forces in the rear and supply the army with weapons. Ukrainian volunteers became the pride of the Ukrainian people and at the same time the headache of the Kremlin's assassins. In total, nearly 40 volunteer battalions participated in the military conflict in the east of the country. The overwhelming majority of them later turned into military units of law enforcement agencies.

The phenomenon of volunteers has long been characteristic of Ukrainians. One of the first such examples was Zaporozhian Sich - a paramilitary structure of volunteer battalions, which defended Ukraine for centuries.
Civil society and experts warn of the risk of backsliding.

EU officials say Ukraine is not fully fulfilling the requirements set both by the bloc and International Monetary Fund, according to RFE/RL's correspondent in Brussels Rikard Jozwiak.

"13 EU member states & close allies of Ukraine have authored a non-paper ahead of the FAC [Foreign Affairs Council] discussion on 19 March stating that "the government is not fully delivering on EU and IMF benchmarks. Civil society activists and experts warn of the risk of backsliding," Jozwiak wrote on Twitter.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini said during her recent Kyiv visit that there was no "Ukraine fatigue" in the EU.

The European Commission has offered that the European Parliament provide to Ukraine a new program of macro-financial assistance.

The International Monetary Fund said that Ukraine could count on a successful review of the Extended Fund Facility as early as May 2018 if the country's authorities showed progress in the implementation of required reforms.
Poroshenko thanked Mingarelli and the Vice President of the European Commission for the EU's strong position.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has called on the Ambassadors of the G7 countries to condemn and not to recognize Russian elections in Russian-occupied Crimea.

"I would like to discuss Russian elections of March 18. This would be critically important for us to have your firm statement condemning and not recognizing Russian elections in Crimea," Poroshenko said at a meeting with the Ambassadors of the G7 countries: the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, the presidential press service reports.

Read alsoCrimean Tatars not to vote at Russian presidential election in Crimea - Chubarov

"We really appreciate your strong previous position," Poroshenko added.

The Ukrainian president addressed Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Hugues Mingarelli who was also present at the meeting and thanked him and the Vice President of the European Commission for the EU's strong position declared on March 12.

"It would also be important that you don't allow your citizens to go to Crimea to monitor the elections there," the president said, adding that it concerns representatives of France, Austria and Finland.

"That would be very harmful for the one-voice policy on Crimean elections," Poroshenko added.
Putin's plans for a full-scale invasion failed because of Ukrainian military volunteers who helped the Ukrainian army to recover.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine, Oleksandr Turchynov, who served as acting president of Ukraine from February 23 to June 7, 2014, reveals Ukraine's intelligence repeatedly reported in March 2014 on Russian troops' readiness to launch a full-scale offensive against Ukraine.

In a documentary titled "Ukraine: 100 Days Above an Abyss " that was shown on Ukrainian 1+1 TV channel on March 13, Turchynov said enemy tanks and helicopters were approaching the border and were turning back, and the Russian army was standing along the entire border in the north and east.

Read alsoTop U.S. intel official on Donbas war: Major offensive by either side unlikely in 2018

"During March, our intelligence reported several times  three times or maybe even more  that Russian troops would enter the territory of Ukraine at 04:00 Kyiv time and a large-scale offensive would begin. For the first time, we spent the night at the command post, in full combat readiness. The tanks approached almost to the border and turned back. The second time within a week  it is exactly there will be an offensive at 04:00," Turchynov said.

Putin's plans for a full-scale invasion failed because of Ukrainian military volunteers who helped the Ukrainian army to recover.

"Putin miscalculated. He thought he had destroyed the Ukrainian army, special services, the economy. But he did not think that a volunteer movement would be created in Ukraine. When lawyers, teachers, students from the Maidan will go to the front. The creation of a voluntary movement at that time was a key moment that frustrated Putin's plans. It was the volunteers who kept Putin and saved the situation, since they gave the army the time to recover, to buy bullet-proof vests, helmets, weapons," the NSDC secretary said.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov spoke about the flights of Russian attack helicopters toward Ukraine.

"Every night we were told that a group of helicopters took off, either from Belarus or Russia, and was flying here. And it happened several times when strike groups of helicopters flew along the border, turned around and flew back," he said.

Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy recalled the Russian army's massing along the border with Ukraine.

"The Russian army was standing along the entire border at that time, namely along the border with Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions. We must realize that the distance from Chernihiv to Kyiv is small," Parubiy said.
The TCG's meeting on March 14 will take place without Ambassador Sajdik.

The next meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on Ukraine in Minsk is scheduled for April 4.

Read alsoSajdik: Minsk process is working  Belarusian media

The TCG's current meeting on March 14 in the Belarusian capital will take place without Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in Ukraine and in the Trilateral Contact Group, Ambassador Martin Sajdik, the Belarusian Telegraph Agency (BelTA) reported, citing the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the ministry, the diplomat could not fly to Minsk due to bad weather in Kyiv.

The TCG's working subgroups are currently in session.

The previous talks on Ukraine were held in the Belarusian capital on February 28. The participants of the talks discussed the water supply through the Karbonyt and Voda Donbassa supply systems, repayment of arrears to former employees of the Ukrainian Railways in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Another topic was the return of freight cars in foreign property currently retained in Donbas. The exchange of prisoners of war was in the spotlight of the meeting of the working subgroup on humanitarian affairs.
Despite some initial jitters in Kyiv about what a Trump presidency could mean for Ukraine, Washington has continued to support Ukraine in its standoff with Russia.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister told Reuters on Wednesday he is "100 percent certain" that ties with Washington will remain unchanged with the arrival of Mike Pompeo as U.S. Secretary of State.

"We have a strategic partnership. This partnership is built on our alliance," the minister, Pavlo Klimkin, told Reuters on the sidelines of a press briefing by the presidents of Ukraine and Austria in Kyiv.

Read alsoRussia says things can't get worse with new U.S. chief diplomat  media

"We have the support of both main parties: the Republican and the Democrat. Of course there will be no change in the support of Ukraine  that's 100 percent certain."

President Donald Trump chose Central Intelligence Agency director Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson after a series of public rifts with Tillerson on North Korea, Russia and Iran.

Despite some initial jitters in Kyiv about what a Trump presidency could mean for Ukraine, Washington has continued to support Ukraine in its standoff with Russia over the annexation of Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency in the Donbas region.

Some of Trump's comments during the election campaign in 2016, from appearing to recognise Crimea as part of Russia to contemplating an end to U.S. sanctions, had stoked fears in Kyiv that Trump would mend ties with Moscow at Ukraine's expense.

But since then, the United States has kept sanctions on Russia, appointed a tough-talking special envoy to the Ukraine conflict and latterly agreed to supply Kyiv with lethal defensive weapons despite Russian objections.

A deal for Ukraine to buy anthracite coal from the United States for the first time has also helped improve Ukraine's relations with the Trump administration.

Pompeo, a former Army officer, is seen as a Trump loyalist who has enjoyed a less hostile relationship with career spies than Tillerson had with career diplomats.

Critics expressed dismay at the decision to dump Tillerson ahead of a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and worried that Pompeo would encourage Trump to scrap the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and be hawkish on North Korea.
The man assures that he can provide evidence that confirms the connection between the Russians and a mysterious @spainbuca Twitter account, as well as banking data.

An international journalistic investigation reveals astonishing details behind the so-called "Spanish air-traffic controller" story spun by the Russian propaganda media following the downing of MH17 to try to put blame on Ukraine.

"Air-traffic controller Carlos", who allegedly worked at the Boryspil airport near Kyiv and claimed via Twitter using @spainbuca account that Ukrainian warplane pursued the aircraft flight MH17 of Malaysian Airlines just before it crashed in eastern Ukraine, was identified as Jose Carlos Barrios Sanchez, according to a joint investigation by RFE/RL and RISE project (Romania).

The man is reported to have a criminal record in Spain. He had also been arrested in Romania for fraud.

As reported earlier, after the flight MH17 was shot down from the sky over Donbas, Russian propaganda media actively disseminated various conspiracy theories behind the disaster. One of them was based on Twitter posts by a "Spanish air-traffic controller", who was later even shown on the air of the Spanish branch of Russia Today TV channel a few months ahead of the tragedy.

Read alsoExpert dissects Russias shifting, self-contradicting MH17 narrative that blames Ukraine

The authors of the investigation managed to get hold of Sanchez and communicated with him via WhatsApp.

Sanchez claimed to have received a total of $48,000 from Russian sources as payment for his turn as "Carlos the Spanish Air-Traffic Controller."

The man assures that he can provide evidence that confirms connection between the Russians and a mysterious @spainbuca Twitter account, as well as banking data and recordings of his communications with Russia Today staff. However, he did not immediately provide such evidence at journalists' request. The RT denied ever making such payments.

Read alsoBellingcat: Russian Colonel General identified as key MH17 figureClaims of the "Spanish air-traffic controller" were also cited by Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with film director Oliver Stone: the Kremlin chief said that the MH17 crash could have been observed by an air-traffic controller of "Spanish origin" from the airport in Kyiv, who allegedly saw a combat aircraft next to the passenger jet.

UNIAN memo. All 298 people on board flight MH17 were killed when it was struck by a missile on July 17, 2014, and crashed into fields in the part of eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia's proxy forces. Two-thirds of the passengers on the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were Dutch.

The Joint Investigation Team's preliminary report concluded that the plane was shot down by a BUK missile "controlled by pro-Russian fighters". It was also established that the Buk launcher had been brought from Russia and then hastily taken back.

The JIT conclusions have been disputed by Russia claiming that it was the Ukrainian forces who were responsible for the plane's downing.
Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine Dmytro Zolotukhin turned to the Facebook's European office to address the problem.

Facebook has recently started massively blocking accounts of Ukrainian opinion leaders, top bloggers, journalists, and volunteers  all of them telling the truth about Russian aggression in Ukraine.

The bans come as a result of complaints by pro-Russian bots, the "Come Back Alive" Charity Foundation reports.

"Massive attack on the Ukrainian segment of Facebook! For several days, an attack has been ongoing, launched from Russia against the accounts of our volunteers, activists, journalists, bloggers, and opinion leaders. Pro-Russian bots and those siding with the occupation forces have been actively complaining against the accounts of Ukrainians in the social network, which leads to bans," the report said.

The organization suggests that the attack on Ukrainian netizens is related to the upcoming presidential elections in Russia.

"On March 18, presidential elections will be held in Russia. Therefore, it is likely that a massive attack on Ukrainian activists on Facebook is another manifestation of the occupiers' fear toward Ukraine and its citizens," the foundation notes.

Read alsoRussian psy-ops campaign paved way for military action in Crimea in 2014 - mediaNoteworthy, it is the old posts about the war in Donbas and Crimea annexation, as well comments on Russia that are cited as the cause of the ban.

"Several thousand bots subscribe to the accounts of Ukrainian activists and volunteers and carefully analyze their postings uploaded before 2013-2014, and then send complaints to the Facebook administration," the organization's representatives say.

The fund advises users to close access to older posts in account settings to avoid the ban.

"For some old posting, the founder of 'Come Back Alive', Vitaliy Deynega was banned. Also, most investigators and a speaker of the InformNapalm international OSINT community Mykhailo Makaruk, a military columnist and editor-in-chief of the Information Resistance portal Yuriy Karin, producer Olena Mozgova, deputy editor-in-chief at Obozrevatel Anna Molchanova, and others were suspended from posting reactions on Facebook, the foundation said.

It is noted that such a massive attack was already recorded a few of years ago, when Facebook accounts of Ukrainians were suspended for images and satire of the Russian president and militant leaders.

Read alsoTwitter has shut down 49 accounts linked to a Russian "troll factory"

In turn, Deputy Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine Dmytro Zolotukhin appealed to Facebook's European office to address the problem.

"Today [March 13] I will submit an appeal on the issue to colleagues from Facebook's European office. There are suspicions that individual bans for older postings are formally legitimate because in 2014 we didnt' quite choose words, but the Administration of the social network couldn't care less, of course," Zolotukhin wrote on Facebook page.

As UNIAN reported earlier, on February 9, President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, put into effect Resolution of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine of January 26, 2018 "On Additional Measures to Counter Information Aggression of the Russian Federation".

Earlier it became known that a vast majority of Russian-language accounts on Twitter are actually bots.
According to the ministry's spokesperson, the final decision is to be made by the country's president.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has prepared a number of proposals concerning the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and Russia, including ones envisaging the document's partial or complete suspension.

"The Foreign Ministry has prepared a number of proposals and completed an analysis on a possible suspension of the Treaty, either partial or complete. Both international law and the Treaty itself allow this. That is, it is possible to suspend as a whole or in part, or denounce it. That is, there are several options," a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, Marianna Betsa, has told UNIAN.

Read alsoFacebook massively blocking accounts of Ukrainian critics of Russian aggression

At the same time, she said that this list of possible options is not limited to what has been mentioned.

"We have not made any final decision since the final decision is to be made by the president. This is a treaty on behalf of Ukraine," the diplomat noted.

She added that options are further being discussed and analyzed.

Separately, speaking about the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Betsa recalled that Ukraine is not a member of the organization as it has never ratified the CIS Charter.

Read alsoRussian Duma official proposes to partially denounce Russia-Ukraine Friendship Treaty

She said that Ukraine "following the aggression does not take part in the meetings of the CIS highest bodies". "And we always proceeded from the fact that our goal is to withdraw from the CIS. This is a post-Soviet model that has exhausted itself," she said, adding that, indeed, there are a number of multilateral agreements that are important to Ukraine, such as the ones on social and retirement benefits.

UNIAN memo. The Treaty on Friendship, cooperation and partnership between Ukraine and Russia, also known as the "Big Treaty", was signed by the presidents of the two countries on May 31, 1997.

The parties formally recognized each other's borders and consolidated the principles of strategic partnership and respect for territorial integrity.

Following the Crimea annexation and the start of the Donbas conflict, repeated calls were made to terminate the Treaty over Russia's violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity.
This year, Ukrainians celebrate this holiday for the second time.

Ukraine is marking Volunteer Fighter Day on March 14.

On this day in 2014, the first 500 volunteer fighters of the Maidan Self-Defense arrived at the Novi Petrivtsi training ground to form the first volunteer battalion.

On January 17, 2017, the Verkhovna Rada adopted resolution No. 4261 on the establishment of the Day of Ukrainian Volunteer Fighters. This year, Ukrainians celebrate this holiday for the second time.

Read alsoHeavenly Hundred Heroes honored in Kyiv (Photo)

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko greeted the nation on this day.

"Today we remember the Ukrainian patriots who, since the beginning of the events in the east of Ukraine, volunteered to defend the state from the Russian aggressor, having no military background. I thank all volunteer fighters who, having acquired invaluable combat experience, joined the ranks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard and the National Police, or take an active civil position in civil life. [I thank] all who have chosen an honorable thing  to defend their homeland," Poroshenko wrote on Facebook.

In turn, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman thanked "every fighter for their feat!"
The Russian-led forces used 82mm mortars, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, small arms to attack the Ukrainian army.

Russia's hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas four times in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as wounded in action (WIA).

Read alsoUkraine reports 2 WIA's amid five enemy attacks in last day

"In the Luhansk sector, the enemy used grenade launchers and heavy machine guns near the village of Luhanske, as well as grenade launchers and small arms to attack the Ukrainian positions near the village of Artemove," the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations reported on Facebook on Wednesday morning.

In the Donetsk sector, the occupiers fired 82mm mortars, heavy machine guns and small arms at the Ukrainian positions near the village of Pisky. In addition, the defenders of Butivka coal mine came under fire from small arms.
He was detained amid an attempt to cross the contact line.

The SBU Security Service of Ukraine has detained an intelligence commander of a militant unit of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR").

"The militant decided to enter the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities to resolve personal issues," the SBU's press service wrote on Facebook.

Read also"Destabilization" plan: SBU reveals 12 Russian provocations in Feb

The law enforcers established that a native of the town of Schastia in Luhansk region joined the so-called "LPR people's militia" in 2015 as an intelligence officer and was "promoted" to the position of the "commander of the intelligence department."

He was detained amid an attempt to cross the contact line together with a man dressed as a police officer without proper documents. The latter, according to operative data, was supposed to help the terrorist to pass all checkpoints.

The militant was notified of suspicion of committing a crime under Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The second detainee will be transferred to a pre-trial investigation agency to determine his procedural status.

An investigation into the incident is under way.
Peskov said he hopes for a "constructive and sober approach in joint relations" under former CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman says relations with the U.S. can't get any worse so he's hoping for improvement under a new secretary of state.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that he's not worried about relations getting worse after Rex Tillerson's ouster, saying the relationship "can hardly go lower than the floor," according to Voice of America.

Read alsoTrump sacks Tillerson who earlier spoke of Russia's complicity in spy poisoning in Britain

He said he hopes for a "constructive and sober approach in joint relations" under Tillerson's nominated replacement, CIA Director Mike Pompeo. "This hope will always remain."

Relations between the U.S. and Russia have worsened in recent years over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and alleged Russian interference in the U.S. presidential campaign.

Trump unexpectedly fired Tillerson on Tuesday. Pompeo faces Senate confirmation hearings where he is expected to be asked about his approach toward Russia.
Evaan KherajAfter stepping away from the business while his son Noah battled cancer, Michael Buble is now slowly returning to the spotlight. He'll host the Juno Awards on March 25, appear at a charity event in April, and has booked two big U.K. shows for the summer. But even more exciting is the news that Michael is more than halfway done with a new record.

Michael's manager, Bruce Allen, tells the Vancouver Sun, "I cant tell you that much about it because theyre recording a bunch of songs. But its going to be a themed album, like the Christmas album.

No word on the theme, but Allen estimates the disc, which Michael is working on with producer David Foster, is about 60% done. He hopes it will be out by the end of the year, and then Michael will follow it with a world tour in 2019.

Michael's last tour ended in 2015. He had planned to do one in support of his 2016 album Nobody But Me, but when Noah was diagnosed, it was canceled.

"The album was out five days when his son got diagnosed, and that was the end of it, says Allen. He did the right thing, he put his family first.

On April 28, Michael will perform at the annual Power of Love Gala in Las Vegas, staged annually by Keep Memory Alive, a charity that supports the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. He'll also perform in Dublin on July 7 and in London on July 13.

On top of all that, Michael and his wife Luisana Lopilato are currently expecting their third child.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Allies expressed solidarity with the UK, offered their support in the conduct of the ongoing investigation.

The Western NATO military alliance called on Russia on Wednesday to give Britain "complete disclosure" of the Soviet-era nerve agent used in an attack on a Russian double agent on March 4, following a British briefing to allies at NATO headquarters.

Read alsoSky News: 23 Russian diplomats to be expelled from UK

"Allies expressed deep concern at the first offensive use of a nerve agent on Alliance territory since NATO's foundation," the alliance, founded in 1949, said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.

"Allies expressed solidarity with the UK, offered their support in the conduct of the ongoing investigation, and called on Russia to address the UK's questions including providing full and complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons," the statement said, referring to the watchdog in The Hague.
Uruguay extended an agricultural state of emergency due to a prolonged drought to more regions, Agriculture Minister Enzo Benech said, Xinhua reported here on Wednesday.

MONTEVIDEO, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) ::Uruguay extended an agricultural state of emergency due to a prolonged drought to more regions, Agriculture Minister Enzo Benech said, Xinhua reported here on Wednesday.

The decision is aimed at helping small cattle ranchers and dairy farmers to overcome the severe dry spell, he said. "The country's agricultural heartland is affected," said Benech, adding the 90-day emergency will allow producers to access soft loans to purchase emergency rations to feed cattle.

On Feb. 28, the ministry declared a state of emergency mainly in central north and middle areas of the country, which include departments such as Tacuarembo, Artigas, Rivera, Salto and Durazno.

The emergency is now also extended to cover departments in eastern and southern regions such as Cerro Largo, and Flores, as well as parts of the departments in western Uruguay.

"The dry spell in the central north of the country has gotten bigger," said Benech. Uruguayan Meteorological Institute (INUMET) reports that from December 2017 to February 2018 "rainfall was below normal throughout the country," dropping 30 percent in most parts and a more than 60-percent reduction in the north.

Rainfall below average is expected to affect the north through May. Agricultural goods account for 70 percent of Uruguay's exports, according to official figures.
(@FahadShabbir)

A delegation of Chinese companies from Lanzhou City of China visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and showed keen interest to find partners for escalators, elevators, lifts and energy vehicles in Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Mar, 2018 ) :A delegation of Chinese companies from Lanzhou City of China visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and showed keen interest to find partners for escalators, elevators, lifts and energy vehicles in Pakistan.

The delegation was representing manufacturers of heavy duty escalators, elevators, lifts, battery vehicles and others. Speaking at the occasion, Xuexian Pei, Head of Chinese delegation said that CPEC had put Pakistan and China on long-term business partnership and they have come to Pakistan to find partners for achieving win-win results.

He said that Lazhou Yatai Eastern Elevators Company Limited was manufacturing heavy duty escalators, elevators and lifts and it was looking for local partners in Pakistan for these products. He said another member of the delegation was manufacturer of energy vehicles that operated on battery.

He said the vehicle took 6 to 8 hours in full charging and ran up to 150 kilometers. He said that recharging station would be set up to recharge battery-operated vehicles. He said their main purpose of visiting Pakistan was to identify local partners for these products in Pakistan.

At this occasion, they gave a detailed presentation on their products. Addressing the delegation, Muhammad Naveed, Senior Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that CPEC has created plenty of new business and investment opportunities in Pakistan and it was the right time for Chinese investors to bring technology and set up joint ventures in Pakistan.

He said that many big projects were under construction in Pakistan that needed heavy duty escalators, elevators and lifts and Chinese companies should shift their plants to manufacture these products in Pakistan.

He said Pakistan was an attractive market for automobiles and Chinese company should set up energy vehicles manufacturing plant in Pakistan. This way they would not only meet the needs of local market and they would be able to export their products to regional countries as well.

He said that ICCI would set up a CPEC Facilitation Centres where its members would also be taught Chinese language so that they could easily communicate and materialize successful business deals with Chinese entrepreneurs.
Newly appointed Resident Representative of International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Pakistan, Maria Teresa Daban Sanchez called on Minister of State for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal here on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Newly appointed Resident Representative of International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Pakistan, Maria Teresa Daban Sanchez called on Minister of State for Finance Rana Muhammad Afzal here on Wednesday. The minister welcomed the IMF representative and wished her a successful tenure in the country. He exchanged views with her on the current macro- economic situation in Pakistan and said all efforts were afoot to keep up the momentum of economic growth. Maria Sanchez lauded efforts of the government for improving security situation in the country which had given boost to economic activities and enhanced confidence of the business community.

She also appreciated the government's endeavours to increase exports that would help bring down trade deficit. During the meeting, the IMF representative also discussed with the minister the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank scheduled in April. She expressed the desire to work in close cooperation with the government during her term.
(@rukhshanmir)

:Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo on Wednesday said that Italian investors were being informed about the investment potential in various sectors of Pakistan's economy and they had expressed keenness to take advantage from these opportunities.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Italian Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo on Wednesday said that Italian investors were being informed about the investment potential in various sectors of Pakistan's economy and they had expressed keenness to take advantage from these opportunities.

The Ambassador called on Adviser to Prime Minister on Finance Miftah Ismail and apprised the Adviser regarding various bilateral cooperation initiatives underway between the two countries.

The Adviser on Finance appreciated the dedicated efforts of Italian Envoy for promoting Pak-Italy economic cooperation.

He said that the steady economic growth was creating greater economic opportunities for the investors. He said that the improved security and greater economic opportunities had led to a renewed interest of the international investors. He said all possible facilitation would be offered to potential Italian businessmen under Pakistan's liberal investment regime.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) issued the following shipping report for the last 24 hours, ending 0700

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :The Karachi Port Trust (KPT) issued the following shipping report for the last 24 hours, ending 0700 hours on Wednesday. ALONG SIDE (Bulk Oil Pier) OP-I Lahore D.

Crude Oil PNSC 13/03/18 OP-II Al Mahboobah D. Chemical East Wind 12/03/18 OP-III Silver Eterna D. Mogas Trans Maritime 13/03/18 ALONG SIDE (East Wharves): 1 Bunga Lavender L. Ethanol Alpine 11/03/18 14/15 Astra Centaurus L.

Wheat East Wind 06/03/18 15/16 Sea Lion D. Wheat WMA Shipcare 13/03/18 ALONG SIDE(P.I.C.T): 8/9 Sima Genesis D. L. Cnt. East Wind 12/03/18 ALONG SIDE(PDWCP): SAPT-3 Msc Positano D. L. Cnt. MSC Pak 14/03/18 Along Side(West Wharves) 24 Selin D L.

Chemical Trans Maritime 13/03/18 25 Mohar L. Cement Argonaftis 11/03/18 ALONG SIDE (K.I.C.T): Berth Vacant... EXPECTED ARRIVALS: CONTAINER (GEARLESS) Cosco New York COSCO 12/03/18 Not Sched 600 Cnt.

600 Cnt. Ever Delight Green Pak 21/03/18 Not Sched 800 Cnt. 900 Cnt. Mol Endowment MOL Pak 22/03/18 Not Sched 800 Cnt. 1000 Cnt. Ever Union Green pak 23/03/18 Not Sched 600 Cnt. nil CONTAINER (GEARED): Polo Golden 15/03/18 Not Sched 557 Cnt.

480 Cnt. GENERAL CARGO: Damas COSCO 14/03/18 Not Sched Ni 163 G.C Karina Danica Gulf Maritime 14/04/18 Not Sched 7 Cnt.

Nil Hermann-2 GAC 15/03/18 Not Sched 30,974 Steel Nil Kobe Star GAC 15/03/18 Not Sched 28,716 G.C Nil Yangtze Fortune Sea Trade-Sh.

15/03/18 Not Sched 2,926 Heads Nil Heilan Journey Facilities 15/03/18 Not Sched 24,631 GC Nil Rickmers Tokyo Delta 16/03/18 Not Sched 1,901 GC Nil Royal Jade GAC 16/03/18 Not Sched 14,349 Steel Nil COAL: Bao Tong OC-Services 14/03/18 Not Sched 60,053 Nil SBI Leo OC-Services 14/03/18 Not Sched 59,915 Nil LOADER: Dubai Galactic OC-Srvices 14/03/18 Not Sched Nil 55,000 Wheat SHIPS OFF PORT: Vessel Name Type Agent expected Berth No.

Arrival date Arrival Time Remarks Sevgi General Cargo Ace Shipping -- 13/03/18 13:45 - Seaodyssey Oil Tanker Alpine -- 27/03/18 16:18 - Lyric Camellia Oil Tanker GAC -- 07/03/18 16:00 - BW Rhine Oil Tanker Alpine -- 08/03/18 10:00 - Mid Fortune Oil Tanker East WInd -- 11/03/18 12:12 - Nissos Christiana Oil Tanker Gac -- 11/03/18 23:48 - Ribe Maersk Oil Tanker Transtrade -- 12/03/18 03:18 - Blue April Oil Tanker Trans Maritime -- 12/03/18 22:48 - Al Salam II Oil Tanker Wilhelmsen -- 13/03/18 04:15 - Oriental Sakura Oil Tanker East Wind -- 13/03/18 08:55 - Ac-D Oil Tanker East Wind -- 13/03/18 21:06 -
The upcoming Turkey-European Union (EU) summit in Bulgaria is a "very important step" in resolving issues between the EU and Turkey, according to a senior EU official on Wednesday.

ANKARA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :The upcoming Turkey-European Union (EU) summit in Bulgaria is a "very important step" in resolving issues between the EU and Turkey, according to a senior EU official on Wednesday.

The remarks came ahead of a key EU-Turkey summit set for March 26 in Varna, Bulgaria -- the current EU term president  that would bring together EU leaders and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

EU-Turkey relations, regional and international issues, including global foreign policy, security, fight against terrorism, the middle East, Africa and Russia are expected to be discussed during the summit, the senior EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, said.

An "environment of trust" exists between Turkey and the EU to discuss specific issues, he said, adding that the meeting provides a platform where both sides could listen to each other. The official said Turkey's visa-free travel to Europe would also be discussed at the summit, adding that the European Commission was examining files ahead of the meeting.

In 2016, Turkey and the EU signed a deal aiming to stem the irregular migration flow through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving conditions for nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The deal also allows for the acceleration of Turkey's EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, on the condition that Ankara meets all of the 72 requirements set by the EU.

The official added that a "privileged partnership" model for Turkey in the EU is not the case but only an offer of full membership of Turkey. - Astana talks On the active role of Turkey in the Astana peace talks, the official said the EU is not part of it but Turkey, the closest partner of the bloc, could represent its interests.

The Astana peace talks were launched on Jan. 23-24, 2017, with an aim to end violence and improve the humanitarian situation in war-torn Syria. The three guarantor countries -- Turkey, Iran and Russia -- had agreed to establish de-escalation zones in Idlib and in parts of the Aleppo, Latakia, and Hama provinces.

The official said Turkey is "representing the EU in a way" in the Astana process. Turkey had applied for the EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005. However, negotiations stalled in 2007 due to the objections of the Greek Cypriot administration in the divided island of Cyprus, as well as opposition from Germany and France.

To gain membership, Turkey has to successfully conclude negotiations on 35 policy chapters that involve reforms and the adoption of European standards. As of May 2016, 16 chapters had been opened and one concluded.

However, in December 2016, the member states said no new chapters would be opened. Since then, the country has held many negotiations with the bloc officials, insisting that Turkey wants to open Chapter 23 on the judiciary and fundamental rights and Chapter 24 on justice, freedom, and security.
(@FahadShabbir)

Excessive daytime sleepiness in cognitively normal elderly leads to a buildup of a plaque in the brain called amyloid said a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Excessive daytime sleepiness in cognitively normal elderly leads to a buildup of a plaque in the brain called amyloid said a study published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Depositing amyloid in brain tissue is the first known preclinical stage of Alzheimer's and happens well before any obvious symptoms of dementia begin. "We know that sleep is necessary to clear toxins and beta-amyloid in the brain," said study author Prashanthi Vemuri, a research faculty member at the Mayo Clinic, where the study was done.

"We also know that beta-amyloid causes sleep disruptions. So, it's been a chicken and an egg problem. "In our study, we wanted to know if excessive daytime sleepiness causes an increase of amyloid over time in people without dementia," Vemuri continued.

"And the answer was yes." "While further research is necessary, this study adds a new question that doctors can ask patients to assess risk and potentially intervene, said Dr. Richard Isaacson, Director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, who was not involved in the study.

"In fact, the findings will change the way i care for patients," said Isaacson, "as i will now proactively ask about excessive daytime sleepiness as one of the many potentially modifiable risk factors for the disease." The Mayo researchers reached out to people 70 and older who were enrolled in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging, a population-based sample in Olmsted County, Minnesota.

To be included in the study, participants had to have baseline scan and a later scan of their brains on file, complete a sleep quality questionnaire and be certified free of dementia by a team of specialists who administered a battery of cognitive tests.

That process whittled down the initial sample of 2,172 to 283 people with an average age of 77. Researchers measured the amount of beta-amyloid buildup in their brains over time, and compared those results to the amount of daytime sleepiness each person reported.

Subjects who were most drowsy during the day were found to have greater amounts of Alzheimer's-causing amyloids over the two-year period of the study, especially in the areas of the brain responsible for emotion, memory retrieval and behavior.

In an editorial that accompanied the study, sleep researchers Bryce Mander of the University of California, Irvine and Joseph Winer of the University of California, Berkeley said the study was the first to directly addresses the relationship over time of poor sleep and biomarkers for developing Alzheimer's.

"This is the first study that followed people over time." Dr. Yo-El Ju, a neurologist at the Washington University school of Medicine, agreed. "Importantly, it is the first longitudinal study of the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer's Disease in the preclinical stage, meaning before any cognitive changes appear," said Ju.

"This finding is important because it means we could potentially treat sleep problems to reduce risk of AD years down the road."
(@rukhshanmir)

Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Headquarters Bahawalpur Corps on Wednesday, said a statement issued here by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited Headquarters Bahawalpur Corps on Wednesday, said a statement issued here by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The COAS was given a detailed briefing by the commander Bahawalpur Corps on operational preparedness of the formation.

The Army Chief appreciated the Corps for keeping themselves well prepared for response against any threat on eastern border as per assigned tasks.

Our commitments in sub conventional combat has not lowered our attention for response to conventional threat rather it has enhanced our confidence and made us battle hardened, he added. Commander Multan Corps was also present.
Deputy Secretary National Security Council of the Russia Federation Mikhail Popov called on Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Deputy Secretary National Security Council of the Russia Federation Mikhail Popov called on Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Wednesday.

Mr Popov is in Pakistan to hold consultations with his counterparts. According to Foreign office statement, both sides discussed defence and security relations and expressed satisfaction on the current level of cooperation in this context.

The Foreign Secretary elaborated on Pakistan's improved security situation in the country and ongoing counter terrorism efforts. She also expressed satisfaction at increasing military and technical cooperation between Pakistan and Russia.

The talks were marked by convergence of views between the two sides on various global and regional issues of mutual interest, she added. The Russian side expressed deep appreciation and acknowledged Pakistan's contribution and sacrifices in the fight against terrorism.

They also recognized the need for joint efforts for peace, security and stability in the region. Initiated this year, the talks between the high-level security officials of Pakistan and Russia provide a useful platform for engagement on wide range of issues.
(@rukhshanmir)

Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari Wednesday said the government was working on upgrading the existing transmission network to make it more reliable and efficient and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) has been asked to take the necessary measures.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Minister for Power Division Sardar Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari Wednesday said the government was working on upgrading the existing transmission network to make it more reliable and efficient and National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) has been asked to take the necessary measures.

Chairing 115th meeting of the Private Power and Infrastructure board (PPIB) here the minister said the government realized the importance of transmission lines in complimenting the upcoming power generation projects.

Current transmission network needed to be strengthened and made reliable to support government aim of achieving sustainability in the system, he said. At the same time private sector was also being encouraged to contribute in network expansion, he said.

The minister said as a result so far, Pakistan's first ever HVDC Transmission Line project had already been initiated in the private sector under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) while several other projects were being planned to launch through international competitive bidding, said a press release.

Managing Director PPIB Shah Jahan Mirza briefed the Board on various projects being implemented by PPIB under the CPEC. In today's meeting, the Board approved extension in Financial Close deadline of +660 KV HVDC Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line being processed under the CPEC.

The Board also allowed extension in Financial Close deadlines of Thar coal based power projects being processed under CPEC which include 330 MW Project by Thar Energy Limited and 330 MW Project by Thal Nova Thar Pvt.

Ltd. The minister said that the current government believed in the policy of facilitating investors, and extending full support to them for processing and timely completion of their projects.

Shah Jahan Mirza while briefing the Board on the performance of PPIB stated that extensive efforts were being made to cultivate Thar coal and hydro potential for power generation.

Mirza said that PPIB was successfully meeting the challenging and ambitious timelines of the current government for addition of huge quantum of power generation capacity in the national grid. Within a period of less than one year, two projects of 1467 MW have started commercial operations while another four projects of 5000 MW cumulative power capacity have achieved partial commissioning as well, he added.

The minister remarked that sustainability in power system was a must to do task of the government next to balancing the demand-supply situation. Merely, providing additional megawatts would not be sufficient to gain real goals, he added.

He said Pakistan's future lies in the indigenous and renewable energy for which serious efforts were being put in. National Electricity Plan and a new Energy Policy were steps to consolidate these efforts which would act as a guide for future capacity expansions as well as choice of fuels etc, he said.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Power Ch. Abid Sher Ali, Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, Secretary Ministry of Energy (Power Division), Arif Ahmed Khan, Secretary Ministry of Finance, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform, Lieutenant General Muzammil Hussain, Chairman WAPDA representatives of Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division), Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan provinces and AJ&K, a private sector member, besides, Executives Director and Directors of PPIB and other senior government officials.
Families and children of officers and staff of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi are continuously facing intense harassment, intimidation and outright violence of the Indian state agencies.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Families and children of officers and staff of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi are continuously facing intense harassment, intimidation and outright violence of the Indian state agencies.

According to foreign office statement on Tuesday, this deliberate bullying was not confined to a single isolated event, but continued unabated in a series of incidents, especially targeting the children of officers and staff of Pakistani High Commission.

Some of these events which occured on March 7 and 8, the children of the officers of the Mission were harassed while returning from school, the statement added. The protest lodged by Pakistani High Commissioner with the Indian Foreign Secretary.

Instead of taking steps to ameliorate the situation by the Indian government, further harassment of the officers of the High Commission, stoppage of provision of gas to the High Commission residential complex and threatening of contractors and staff working in the High Commission were continued.

On March 9, the car of the Naval Adviser was aggressively chased. On the same day, Counselor Political was forcibly evicted from a cab and harassed by unknown persons, who used abusive language, threatened him and filmed the whole incident with impunity.

On 12th March, the technicians working at the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi were threatened and stopped from working. "The same evening our First Secretary was aggressively followed when he left work for his residence," the statement said.

"Today, the car carrying the school-going children of our Counselor, who were returning from school, was followed by unknown persons on cars and motorcycles harassed, intimidated and their vehicle was blocked.

For psychological intimidation, videos and photographs of the children were constantly made for 40 minutes, leaving the children extremely traumatized. They were followed upto their residence." Additionally, the drivers of the High Commission were forcibly halted and their mobile phones switched off to prevent them from contacting anyone.

The statement said all these incidents continued unabated despite repeated official protests lodged with the Indian Ministry of External Affairs at the highest level, providing specific details of the culprit's vehicles.

"Our High Commission has also shared photographs identifying the individuals, who forcibly halted and took pictures of the officer, today." The Indian Deputy High Commissioner Mr. J.P. Singh was summoned by Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Dr.

Mohammad Faisal and a strong protest was lodged at the maltreatment being meted out to the officials and families of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi. He emphasized that under the Vienna Convention, the safety and the security of Pakistani diplomats and their families was the responsibility of the Indian government.

The foreign office statement said the total apathy and failure of the Indian government to put a halt to these despicable incidents, sparing not even young children, indicated both a lack of capacity to protect foreign diplomats posted in India or a more reprehensible and complicit unwillingness to do so.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar Wednesday said he had received another letter from absconding Sindh police officer Rao Anwar, requesting the court to unfreeze his bank accounts.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar Wednesday said he had received another letter from absconding Sindh police officer Rao Anwar, requesting the court to unfreeze his bank accounts.

A three-member SC bench headed by the CJP and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan heard the case regarding extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi by a police party led by former Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar.

During the course of proceedings, the chief justice observed, "I do not know whether the letter is real or fake." He expressed dissatisfaction over the progress in the murder case. Reports were being presented in the court but there was no progress, he added.

Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Sohail Mehmood informed the court that all the suspected individuals had switched off their mobile phones. The Inter-Services Intelligence had said that it was providing technical assistance to Sindh police while the Military Intelligence said that it had limited technical means to trace the suspects but it was still aiding the civilian law enforcement agencies, the DAG added.

The CJP asked Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) A D Khowaja whether he was being assisted by the intelligence agencies. The IGP responded in the affirmative, saying the initial first information report (FIR) of the incident, claiming Naqeebullah and three others killed in the encounter were militants, had been dismissed.

Advocate Faisal Siddiqui, representing Naqeebullah's father, said questions were being raised on the authority of the state as only 10 of the 24 accused had been arrested so far. The chief justice ordered the Sindh police chief to give the court an in-camera briefing on the next hearing regarding Anwar's escape from the Islamabad airport.

Later, hearing of the case was adjourned till Friday.
Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal has said that economic development was directly linked with peace in society and police played a crucial role in making Pakistan a safe and strong country.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Minister for Interior Ahsan Iqbal has said that economic development was directly linked with peace in society and police played a crucial role in making Pakistan a safe and strong country.

He stated this while addressing the National Police Summit and Expo in Islamabad on Wednesday. He congratulated Islamabad Police, Higher education Commission, National Police Bureau for arranging this event and said it is the unique conference as police leadership of four provinces, Giglit Baltistan and heads of law enforcement agencies are gathered here.

Minister for Interior said that no development is possible without peace in the society and also called for strong relationship between police and academia to tackle the modern day challenges. The minister paid rich tributes to police martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for maintaining law and order in the country, saying the nation was proud of them.

He said that police officials from foreign countries would be invited in the next conference. The role of police department is very much crucial for maintaining peace, ensure protection to the lives and property of citizens and elimination of crime, he added.

The minister said that economic development is linked with peace in society and police force has the major responsibility to ensure it. He said that Pakistan has rendered great sacrifices for victory in war against terrorism and whole nation is proud of gallant police personnel who embraced martyrdom to root out this menace.

He said there have been several challenges to the law enforcers in this era of modern technology. Police and other law enforcement agencies would have to equip themselves with this modern techniques and also to ensure public cooperation to curb crime.

The minister said that police should take advantage of the research being made in the fields of Criminology, Technology and Sociology and other departments.

He termed the youth as real asset of the country and said that they should come forward to assist police in curbing crime and raise awareness about responsibilities of police in society.

"We will have to make our youth safe and protected", he added. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal said that violation of law should not be tolerated by police and there should be policy of zero tolerance in this regard.

He termed the public cooperation as crucial for successful policing and asked policemen to maintain close coordination with them. "Police needs to develop strong relationship with the community to win their confidence," he maintained.

He said that a proper mechanism should be made to settle the disputes of petty nature. The minister said the databank having record of criminals and terrorists would be prepared. The Conference was attended by IGP Islamabad, IG Motorway Police, high officials of police from four provinces, Frontier Constabulary and other law enforcement agencies.

The minister also awarded prizes and certificates to students of Bahria University, Riphah University and Institute of Space Technology for presenting various projects related to law enforcement activities.

The IGP Islamabad Dr. Sultan Azam Temuri also stressed for community policing and thanked the Minister for Interior over support to Islamabad police for effective policing. The representatives from Provincial Police Departments and others also spoke on the occasion and gave their suggestions to improve policing system.

Mr. Ammar Jaffery and Dr. Zafar highlighted the importance of using modern technology in policing affairs to curb criminal activities. Police uniforms, security vehicles, firearms, crime scene aids, pursuit vehicles, motorbikes and other security equipment were also placed at the Expo.

Thousands of persons visited there and lauded the skills and efforts of police and other law enforcement agencies in maintaining peace.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the government had ensured transparency and fairness in balloting for Hajj-2018

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousuf Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the government had ensured transparency and fairness in balloting for Hajj-2018.

During the question-hour, he clarified that there was no hajj quota for the Prime Minister, ministers and parliamentarians. This year, the minister said, as many as 3,75000 people had applied to perform the religious obligation under the government scheme.

As per the Hajj Policy 2018 approved by Cabinet, he said, as many as 179,210 pilgrims would perform the pilgrimage under both the government and private schemes. Out of the total Pakistan's Hajj quota, as many as 67 percent people will perform the hajj under government scheme, while 33 percent through private hajj group organizers.

He, however, said that the private hajj operators have moved the court against this decision. He assured the House that the court's decision with regard to allocation of quota would be implemented in letter and spirit.

He said the ministry would extend all possible facilities to intending pilgrims in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia during Hajj, terming the package under the government scheme 'most economical." He said majority of intending pilgrims were preferring to perform the religious obligation under the government scheme, keeping in view facilities being extended to the Hujjaj.
(@FahadShabbir)

Minister for Water Resources Syed Javed Ali Shah here on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the work on Munda Mohmad dam will be started in the month of April. Responding to question during question hour, the minister said the project is proposed to be constructed across Swat River at a distance of about 48 km from Peshawar and 5 km upstream of existing Munda Head works in Mohmad Agency FATA.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Minister for Water Resources Syed Javed Ali Shah here on Wednesday informed the National Assembly that the work on Munda Mohmad dam will be started in the month of April.

Responding to question during question hour, the minister said the project is proposed to be constructed across Swat River at a distance of about 48 km from Peshawar and 5 km upstream of existing Munda Head works in Mohmad Agency FATA.

He said the project was delayed due to many reasons including non- allocation of funds, but the present government had allocated enough funds for the said project. "Timeframe for the completion of project cannot be given" he said, adding that Munda dam will generate about 840MW electricity after its completion.

About Akhori dam, he said the dam site is proposed to be constructed on a small tributary of Haro River, near Akhori village across Nandna Kas in Attock district. He said that the dam will generate about 600MW electricity.

The minister said that construction of Akhori dam project had not been started yet. Syed Javed Ali Shah said that PC-II for the feasibility study of Chiniot dam was submitted to Ministry of Water and Power on January 23,2014 and the project was approved by CDWP in its meeting held March 4,2014 at cost of Rs 146.330 million.

He said the dam is currently in the study phase and work will be started after the approval of PC-I and release of funds.
(@FahadShabbir)

World Consumer Rights Day would be observed on March 15 to create awareness among consumers.

RAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :World Consumer Rights Day would be observed on March 15 to create awareness among consumers. Talking to APP, focal person District Consumer Protection Council (DCPC) Idrees Randhawa said consumer protection council and consumer courts are working to protect consumer rights.

He said a consumer can file application against sale of substandard quality products, poor services rendered by the manufacturer, violation of consumer act and other issues in the council. According to details, the consumer court has decided 248 cases to compensate consumers who had filed complaints against shopkeepers, manufacturers, govt departments and others in 2017.

As many as 440 citizens had registered their complaints against poor quality products and services of manufacturers and government departments in the district consumer court during last year. 248 complainants are provided relief while 156 cases are being heard by the court.

An official of the consumer court said the court listened to appeals regarding faulty manufacturing, defective services and other problems faced by consumers including WAPDA, SNGPL and other public service institutions.

The citizens also got registered complaints against poor services of banks, hospitals, doctors, medical labs while during winter a number of applications are also submitted against SNGPL for low gas pressure.

To a question, he informed that 17 consumer courts are working in the province while six new courts were set up in six other districts of the province during last year. The consumer courts are providing relief to the citizens, he said and urged the media to play a role to create awareness about consumers' rights.

Meanwhile, Assistant Director DCPC Adnan Kareem said consumers should not compromise on the quality of products and they should confer with consumer court and consumer protection council against companies which do not claim guarantee and warranty.
(@rukhshanmir)

A man died and another was injured in an ammunition plant accident on Wednesday in the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak, some 200 km east of the country's capital Sofia, a government official said.

SOFIA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :A man died and another was injured in an ammunition plant accident on Wednesday in the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak, some 200 km east of the country's capital Sofia, a government official said.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Valentin Radev said the accident occurred as a result of the unintentional ignition of gunpowder ingredients. The fire caused by the accident had been extinguished, and details of major cause of the accident are still under investigation, he added.

The most lethal accident in a Bulgarian ammunition plant in recent years occurred in October 2014, when an explosion killed 15 persons near the northwestern Bulgarian village of Gorni Lom.
Thousands of citizens across Albania Wednesday celebrated the Summer Day, which falls on every March 14.

TIRANA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Thousands of citizens across Albania Wednesday celebrated the Summer Day, which falls on every March 14. In central Albania's Elbasan in particular, celebration of the day, which seen as the beginning of spring, is an old tradition.

A big concert was held in Elbasan's main square and attracted many citizens. Elbasan and the capital city Tirana have prepared many activities, such as bicycle race, carnival parade of elementary schools and traditional handicrafts and foods fair. During the day, people also exchange visits to each other home and send candies.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

As Cuban President Raul Castro prepares to step down next month, ending his family's six-decade grip on power, his successor will be faced with major challenges, including the implementation of economic reforms vital for the island's future

Havana, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :As Cuban President Raul Castro prepares to step down next month, ending his family's six-decade grip on power, his successor will be faced with major challenges, including the implementation of economic reforms vital for the island's future.

On Sunday, Cubans went to the polls to ratify a new National Assembly, who will choose the future president. That transition will take place on April 19. "We have walked a long, long, long and difficult road," Castro said after casting his vote in Santiago de Cuba, the birthplace of the 1959 revolution spearheaded by his brother Fidel, who died in 2016, 10 years after handing power to Raul.

Raul -- who is now 86 -- will remain at the head of the all-powerful Communist Party of Cuba until the next congress in 2021. But his number two, Miguel Diaz-Canel, is poised to take his place as president.

If Diaz-Canel does indeed assume the role, the discrete 57-year-old vice-president -- the first Cuban leader to have not fought in the revolution -- will be faced with a balancing act of reform and staying true to the principles of "Castroism." Diaz-Canel insisted Sunday that "the triumphant march of the revolution" would continue.

But economist Pavel Vidal, a former advisor to Raul Castro and now a professor at the Javieriana University in Cali, Colombia, said: "The new government will arrive with limited political capital, less popular recognition and without historical legitimacy.

" - Limited legitimacy - The road ahead will be littered with obstacles, as Cuba's new leader will inherit reforms sketched out by his predecessor, while the economy struggles to take off -- with an average 2.4 percent growth between 2008 and 2017.

"The key question is whether changes will make a difference to the economy -- the most critical issue for many Cubans," said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based think-tank Inter-American Dialogue.

Among the most urgent tasks is the elimination of Cuba's dual Currency system. Experts say favorable exchange rates offered to the state sector distort an economy already weakened by its obsolete model and the US trade embargo in place since 1962.

At the same time, the new president must relaunch foreign investment and get people back to work in manufacturing, given that the island imports most of what it consumes. Experts say Castro's successor must also offer a real legal framework for small businesses, who are gaining ground and generate revenues far higher than the average $30 monthly state salary.

"If Diaz-Canel wants to convince young people, he will have to communicate that individual initiative and income inequality are now compatible with the aims of the revolution," said the former British ambassador to Cuba, Paul Webster Hare, who is now a professor at Boston University.
Sofia, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2018 ) :A Bulgarian appeals court has slashed to two-and-a-half years the jail term of an Australian who tried to join the Islamic State group -- the first terror-related conviction in the country.

John "Ivan" Zahariev, who holds dual Australian and Bulgarian nationality, was sentenced last June to four years for having taken shooting lessons in 2016 "with the aim of participating in terrorist activities".

But on Wednesday an appeals court confirmed that the sentence has been cut to two and a half years. The court hasn't yet published its ruling so the reason the sentence was reduced was not immediately clear.

A court spokeswoman said Zahariev had not appealed the sentence and that the deadline for doing so had passed. Zahariev had travelled to Syria in 2013 and attempted to join Islamic State, but was turned back because of his lack of fighting skills, prosecutors said at his initial trial.

Checks on his computer showed he had regularly visited websites with articles and videos about the Islamist Al-Nusra group and Islamic State. The special court ruling was the first terror-related conviction in Bulgaria, which is considered a major transit point for would-be Islamic State fighters travelling from Western Europe to Syria and Iraq.
Pakistan Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid said on Wednesday that Pakistan would continue to deepen cooperation with China's Guangdong Province in the fields of agriculture, education, food processing, and industries.

BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Pakistan Ambassador to China, Masood Khalid said on Wednesday that Pakistan would continue to deepen cooperation with China's Guangdong Province in the fields of agriculture, education, food processing, and industries.

The friendship between China and Pakistan goes back to ancient times. It is hoped that under the "One Belt and One Road" initiative. "We will continue to deepen cooperation with Guangdong in the fields of agriculture, education, food processing, and industry, and promote the establishment of friendship-province relations," he said during his meeting with Vice governor of Guangdong Province Oyuang Weimin in the provincial capital Guanghzhou.

Welcoming the ambassador and his delegation, the vice governor said that in recent years, the exchanges between Guangdong and Pakistan in the fields of economy and trade, tourism, higher education, and humanities have developed rapidly and the cooperation has achieved remarkable results.

Ouyang Weimin said that at present, Guangdong is in accordance with the deployment of the central government to build a new pattern of comprehensive opening. Pakistan can seize cooperation opportunities and make use of platforms such as exhibitions in Guangdong to promote all-round pragmatic cooperation between the two places in the areas of the economy, trade, tourism, and agriculture, and deepen exchanges and friendship, he added.
(@rukhshanmir)

Rabat, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2018 ) :Protesters and police clashed on Wednesday in the former mining town of Jerada in northeastern Morocco in connection to an ongoing protest movement, authorities and activists said.

Videos posted on social media by activists showed a tense standoff as a new sit-in began in the city, economically devastated by the closure of its mines in the late 1990s. A local source reported clashes between police and protesters, and activists on Facebook accused police of assaulting the demonstrators.

Authorities said a "confrontation" began after hooded youths threw stones at police. Local media reported injuries after the clashes, but authorities have not yet released any figures. Protestors also gathered in front of illegal coal mining shafts in a nearby village, where men descended into the "death shafts" to protest against the security approach adopted by authorities, reports said.

"Five people went down the illegal shafts.

Four came out and the fifth refused civil protection assistance," authorities said. Jerada police headquarters on Wednesday moved to ban any illegal demonstration in the province.

The accidental deaths in December of two brothers trapped in a mine shaft, followed by two other deaths under similar circumstances, gave rise to calls demanding economic alternatives for the former coal mining town.

Hundreds of illegal miners risk their lives in closed mine shafts to extract coal, the sale of which is legal thanks to operating permits issued by Moroccan authorities. An economic plan proposed by the government succeeded in briefly calming social unrest, but protesters returned the street in late February to demand concrete solutions.

Tension rose last weekend after authorities arrested four activists. Videos posted on Facebook show a large police presence. On Tuesday, the interior ministry promised "firm responses to aggressive and irresponsible behaviour".
Saudi Arabia is fast-tracking an atomic energy programme to reduce its dependence on oil, but concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East could put a damper on its ambitious plans.

Dubai, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Saudi Arabia is fast-tracking an atomic energy programme to reduce its dependence on oil, but concerns over nuclear proliferation in the middle East could put a damper on its ambitious plans.

The atomic policy, which limits nuclear activities to peaceful purposes, was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday just days before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington. Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of oil, has framed its nuclear project as driven purely by economics.

The kingdom is struggling to meet fast-rising energy demand and crude prices remain far below their peaks reached before the 2014 market crash. Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in October that the nuclear programme would start by building two reactors, each producing between 1.2 and 1.6 gigawatts of electricity.

The Saudi cabinet says its nuclear programme will be in "full compliance with the principle of transparency" and meet nuclear safety standards "in accordance with an independent regulatory and supervisory framework".

The country has accelerated plans to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next two decades, according to officials and analysts, at a cost of around $80 billion. The reactors are expected to generate 17.6 gigawatts of electricity -- 10 percent of the country's power needs -- by 2040.

- Bidders line up - Riyadh is expected to shortlist next month two to three international firms out of five bidders from China, South Korea, Russia, France and the United States, according to Abdulmalik al-Sabery, a consultant in the business development department at King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE).

In December, one firm will be selected to build the first two nuclear reactors, Sabery told Bloomberg news in January. Construction of the reactors will start next year although they are not expected to begin operating before 2027, Sabery said.

Energy consumption in Saudi Arabia has been rising at more than five percent per year although growth slowed in 2017 after the government cut subsidies and hiked prices. Electricity consumption is expected to double over the next 15 years, reaching 120 gigawatts by 2032, Abdullah al-Shehri, governor of Saudi Arabia's Electricity and Co-generation Regulatory Authority, told AFP.

The kingdom draws on oil and natural gas to both generate power and desalinate its water so turning to other sources of power, including solar, would free up crude for exportation. By 2040, 55 percent of the country's power supply will come from solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear energy combined, according to KACARE.

The projects will cost the kingdom around $67 billion over the next five years, according to energy minister Faleh. But the Middle East Economic Digest last week estimated Riyadh had already spent over $82 billion on electricity projects in the past decade.

Riyadh has signed cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding with over a dozen countries in recent years to boost nuclear cooperation, including France, China, Russia, Hungary and South Korea.
(@FahadShabbir)

Bratislava, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Mar, 2018 ) :Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico offered Wednesday to resign, under pressure from the opposition for his handling of a scandal over the killing of a journalist investigating political corruption.

"Today I have offered my resignation to the president of the republic" Andrej Kiska, Fico said in a public address. "If the president accepts it, I am ready to resign tomorrow." Fico, 53, has been struggling since February with a scandal over the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee.

The killing had sparked protests against Fico's government, with tens of thousands of Slovaks turning out for rallies. The prime minister's three-party coalition government was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for next Monday.

Interior minister Robert Kalinak had already resigned two days ago in a bid to save the government from collapsing. But a minor member of Slovakia's three-way governing coalition, the Most-Hid party, raised the pressure further, calling for early elections.

Kiska had also called for early elections -- or sweeping government changes -- earlier this month. Fico has resisted the call for snap polls. He warned the country could "plunge into chaos if the current opposition takes power".

Slovakian daily Sme reported that Fico's Smer-SD party may field deputy prime minister Peter Pellegrini, 42, as a candidate to succeed Fico. Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, both 27, were found shot dead on February 25 at their home near the capital Bratislava.

Police said Kuciak's death was "most likely" related to his investigation on ties between Slovakia's top politicians and Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia. The murder and Kuciak's article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people.

Fico's close aide Maria Troskova was alleged to have links to one of the Italians named in Kuciak's story. The EU urged Slovakia to swiftly investigate the murder. "The top priority for all of us must be to carry out an independent and thorough investigation of the facts and bring those responsible to justice," the EU's security commissioner Julian King told MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday.

"We call upon the Slovak authorities to do this quickly." The killing of Kuciak and Kusnirova raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It followed the assassination in October of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Sri Lanka on Tuesday said it firmly adheres to the one-China policy and will actively participate in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China.

COLOMBO, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Mar, 2018 ) :Sri Lanka on Tuesday said it firmly adheres to the one-China policy and will actively participate in the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China.

During his talks with China's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Cheng Xueyuan, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana praised the long-standing friendship between the two countries and thanked China for its long-term support to Sri Lanka's economic and social development as well as to Sri Lanka's efforts to safeguard national unity and stability, according to a statement released by Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka.

Marapana said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka will coordinate various government departments to speed up projects assessment and approval in order to promote the friendly cooperation, and bring tangible benefits to Sri Lankan people as soon as possible.

Ambassador Cheng said that China and Sri Lanka were traditionally friendly neighbors and had been long supporting each other's core interests and major concerns. Attaching great importance to Sino-Sri Lanka relations, the ambassador said China is willing to work with all sectors of Sri Lanka to actively implement the consensus reached by leaders of both countries, speed up the mega projects cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative framework and strive for early harvest to bring real benefits to the two peoples.
(@FahadShabbir)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already confirmed Iran's commitment to the landmark international deal nine times, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

GENEVA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) ::The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has already confirmed Iran's commitment to the landmark international deal nine times, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

'The agency has been verifying and monitoring the implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for more than two years,' said Amano at a quarterly meeting of the agency's board of Governors in Vienna.

'The JCPOA represents a significant gain for verification. As of today, I can state that Iran is implementing its nuclear-related commitments. It is essential that Iran continues to fully implement those commitments.

If the JCPOA were to fail, it would be a great loss for nuclear verification and for multilateralism,' he added. He also said that the IAEA has requested Iran 'to provide further clarifications regarding its plans relevant to the development of the nuclear fuel cycle related to naval nuclear propulsion.' 'The Agency continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement.

We have had access to all the sites and locations which we needed to visit. Evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran continue,' Amano stressed.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Niamey, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :Three police officers were killed in western Niger in a border region that has come under repeated attack from jihadists, the defence ministry said Tuesday.

"On Monday at around 21:40 (2040 GMT) the police station at Goube was attacked by terrorists.

We have three dead and an injured among our ranks," a statement said. Goube, located about 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the capital Niamey, lies in a region that has suffered repeated attacks from jihadist incursions from neighbouring Mali.

Local radio Saraounia said the encounter lasted about 30 minutes and the attackers fled after police reinforcements arrived. It said the assailants had probably fled to Mali.
(@rukhshanmir)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Tuesday appointed Elliott Harris of Trinidad and Tobago as assistant secretary-general for economic development and chief economist in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Mar, 2018 ) :UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Tuesday appointed Elliott Harris of Trinidad and Tobago as assistant secretary-general for economic development and chief economist in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Harris will succeed Lenni Montiel of Venezuela, said a Xinhua. Harris brings over 25 years of international experience in the fields of international economics and development policy analysis, coupled with knowledge of the UN system, multilateral and inter-agency coordination processes, said the press office of Guterres in a statement.

Harris has extensive experience in the design of macroeconomic policies and its application as a central instrument for the reduction of poverty and for resilient and sustained economic development.

His work in the field of economics also focuses on the macroeconomic linkages with global social and environmental policies, said the statement. Since 2015, Harris has served as UN assistant secretary-general and head of the New York office of the United Nations Environment Programme. Before joining the UN system, he had a longtime career in the International Monetary Fund.
Chinese artist and dissident Ai Weiwei has unveiled a 60-meter inflatable rubber raft carrying more than 300 anonymous oversized figures in Sydney, Australia, to represent the plight of refugees around the world. His work of art comes as more than 11-thousand migrants have arrived by sea in Europe so far this year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Nearly 430 have died or gone missing in the attempt. VOAs Mariama Diallo reports.
Delegates from across Africa are attending the Commonwealth Africa Summit in London  where the theme this year is the 'Common Good.' Topics under discussion include climate change and improving gender equality. The Commonwealth has its origins in the British Empire  most members were former colonies  and as Henry Ridgwell reports from London, Britain is hoping to rekindle those ties as it leaves the European Union.
A Texas immigration crackdown on "sanctuary cities" took effect Tuesday after a federal appeals court upheld a divisive law backed by the Trump administration that threatens elected officials with jail time and allows police officers to ask people during routine stops whether they're in the U.S. illegally.



The ruling was a blow to Texas' biggest cities  including Houston, Dallas and San Antonio  that sued last year to prevent enforcement of what opponents said is now the toughest state-level immigration measure on the books in the U.S.



But for the Trump administration, the decision by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans is a victory against measures seen as protecting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sued California over its so-called sanctuary state law.



In Texas, the fight over a new law known as Senate Bill 4 has raged for more than a year, roiling the Republican-controlled Legislature and once provoking a near-fistfight between lawmakers in the state capitol. It set off racially-charged debates, backlash from big-city police chiefs and rebuke from the government in Mexico, which is Texas' largest trading partner and shares close ties to the state.



Since 2010, the Hispanic population in Texas has grown at a pace three times that of white residents.



"Allegations of discrimination were rejected. Law is in effect," Republican Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted after the ruling was published.



A major focal point of the Texas law is the requirement for local authorities to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, or risk jail time if they don't. Police chiefs, sheriffs and constables could also face removal from office for failing to comply with such federal "detainer" requests.



One sheriff Abbott had in his sights was Travis County's Sally Hernandez, an elected Democratic who runs Austin's jails. Last year, Hernandez announced on the day Donald Trump was sworn-in that her department would no longer comply with all detainer requests, a decision Republicans repeatedly pointed to in their defense of the measure.



"Words just can't express how disappointed I am with this ruling," Hernandez said. But she said her department would follow the law as directed by the courts.



The Texas law is often slammed by opponents as a near-copycat of Arizona's "Show Me Your Papers" law in 2010, but the two measures are not identical. Whereas the Arizona law originally required police to try to determine the immigration status of people during routine stops, the Texas bill doesn't instruct officers to ask.



U.S. Circuit Judge Edith Jones wrote in the court's opinion that the Arizona law  which was partially blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court  was more "problematic" because it mandated the questions during traffic stops. She added that no suspicion, reasonable or not, is required to ask questions off lawfully-detained individuals.



"It would be wrong to assume that SB4 authorizes unreasonable conduct where the statute's text does not require it," she said.



But the Texas law remains worse in "a lot of respects," said Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which helped lead the lawsuit against SB4. He said they were still deciding their next steps following the ruling, which could include asking the full appeals court to reconsider. Until then, Gelernt said they will closely watch how Texas implements the law.



Police chiefs across Texas said the law will create a chilling effect that will cause immigrant families to not report crimes or come forward as witnesses over fears that talking to local police could lead to deportation. Critics also fear it will lead to the racial profiling of Hispanics and put officers in an untenable position.



Last year, Mexico's foreign ministry expressed concern that the law could trample on the rights of Mexican citizens who choose to live just across the border.



But the law was enthusiastically backed by the Trump administration, which had joined Texas in court to defend the measure. Sessions has blamed sanctuary city policies for crime and gang violence, and announced in July that cities and states could only receive certain grants if they cooperate with immigration agents.



Sessions is now targeting California, which passed sanctuary laws in response to the president's promises to ramp up the deportation of people in the U.S. illegally.
A British U.N. envoy said Wednesday that a thorough investigation indicated that Russia was behind the attempted assassination of a former Russian spy in an English town.

"On the 4th of March, a weapon so horrific that it is banned from use in war was used in a peaceful city in my country," British Deputy U.N. Ambassador Jonathan Allen told Security Council members, referring to an attack using a chemical weapon. "This was a reckless act, carried out by people who disregard the sanctity of life, who are indifferent if innocents are caught up in their attacks."

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury and were rushed to a hospital, where they remain in serious condition. Several other individuals, including a police officer, were sickened.

Soviet origins

British officials said the chemical nerve agent known as Novichok was used in the attack. It was developed by the Soviet Union and inherited by Russia.

"This was no common crime," Allen said. "It was an unlawful use of force."

He noted Russia has a history of state-sponsored assassinations and cited the 2006 slaying of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned and later died in London.

"Russia has shown in its repeated protection of [Syrian President Bashar al-] Assad's chemical weapons use that it has different standards when it comes to the use of these terrible substances," Allen said. "We have not jumped to conclusions. We have carried out a thorough, careful investigation, which continues."

He said his government had asked the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, headquartered at The Hague, to independently verify the nerve agent used.

"We have offered Russia the chance to explain, but Russia has refused. We have therefore concluded that the Russian state was involved, and we have taken certain measures in response," the British envoy said.

Expulsion of diplomats

Earlier Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced several reprisals, including the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from Britain. Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that its response to the measures "will not be long in coming."

"Let me make one thing clear from the very beginning: The United States stands in absolute solidarity with Great Britain," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the council. "The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom using a military-grade nerve agent."

Haley's remarks were the strongest from a Trump administration official on Moscow's potential involvement in the incident. She went on to say that Russia "must account for its actions."

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia dismissed the British accusations.

"Russia had nothing to do with this incident," he told council members.

Nebenzia said Russia considered the "ultimatum" from London to respond to accusations of involvement "null and void."

WATCH: Britain Expels Russian Diplomats

He demanded that London provide samples of substances used in the attack for a joint investigation, since Britain claimed they were Russian in origin.

"We stand ready for such an investigation," Nebenzia said. "We have nothing to fear. We have nothing to hide."

The Russian envoy said his government had ceased developing chemical weapons in 1992 and had destroyed its stockpiles in September 2017.

Nebenzia said that in order for the British to determine the agent used was Novichok, they would have to possess a sample for comparison.

"In other words, if the U.K. is so firmly convinced this is the Novichok gas, then that means that they have the samples of this, and they have the formula for this, and they are capable of manufacturing that," the Russian envoy said.

Other council members expressed concern about the attack, condemning the use of chemical weapons by anyone at any time. A spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the use of nerve agents by a state would constitute a serious violation of international law.

"While the secretary-general is not in a position to attribute responsibility, he strongly condemns the use of any nerve agent or chemical weapons and hopes the incident will be thoroughly investigated," the spokesperson said.
One Cabinet member was grilled by Congress about alleged misuse of taxpayer funds for private flights. Another faced an extraordinary revolt within his own department amid a swirling ethics scandal. A third has come under scrutiny for her failure to answer basic questions about her job in a nationally televised interview.

And none of them was the one Trump fired.

President Donald Trump's Cabinet in recent weeks has been enveloped in a cloud of controversy, undermining the administration's ability to advance its agenda and drawing the ire of a president increasingly willing to cast aside allies and go it alone. Trump's ouster of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday may have just been the first salvo in a shakeup of a Cabinet that, with few exceptions, has been a team of rivals for bad headlines and largely sidelined by the White House.

Donald Trump is a lone-wolf president who doesn't want to co-govern with anybody and doesn't want anyone else getting the credit, said presidential historian Douglas Brinkley of Rice University. For his Cabinet, he brought in a bizarre strand of outsiders and right-wing ideologues. Many are famed conservative or wealthy business people, but that doesn't mean you understand good governance.

The string of embarrassing headlines for Trump's advisers, as well as the president's growing distance from them, stands in sharp contrast to how he portrayed the group last year.

There are those that are saying it's one of the finest group of people ever assembled as a Cabinet, Trump said then.

On Tuesday, the president hinted after firing Tillerson that more changes may be forthcoming, saying an ideal Cabinet is in the making.

I've gotten to know a lot of people very well over the last year, Trump told reporters at the White House, and I'm really at a point where we're getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want.

Amid the scrutiny, Trump tweeted some praise for his team the day after Tillerson's firing, writing five of our incredible [at] Cabinet Secretaries would be appearing on Capitol Hill to testify about infrastructure.

Even as Trump routinely convened Cabinet meetings in front of the cameras for Dear Leader- type tributes over the past year, his relationship with many of its members began to splinter.

Last summer he began publicly bashing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former close adviser who was the first senator to back his campaign. Furious that the attorney general recused himself from the Russia probe that has loomed over the White House, Trump has privately mused about firing Sessions and taken to delivering unprecedented Twitter broadsides against him.

Trump has used the words beleaguered and disgraceful to describe Sessions, who only recently stood up to the president and defended his recusal decision. Tillerson also frequently clashed with Trump, who never forgave the outgoing secretary of state for reportedly calling him a moron last summer after grumbling that the president had no grasp of foreign affairs.

The pair never developed a particularly warm relationship.

Last November, during a full day of meetings in Beijing, Trump and his senior staff were served plates of wilted Caesar salad as they gathered in a private room in the Great Hall of the People.

None of the Americans moved to eat the unappetizing dish, but Trump prodded Tillerson to give it a try, according to a senior administration official.

Rex, the president said, eat the salad.

Tillerson declined, despite Trump's urging.

After repeatedly undermining and contradicting Tillerson, Trump at last fired his secretary of state in a tweet. Trump in recent days has told confidants that he feels emboldened. He's proud of his unilateral decisions to impose sweeping tariffs on metal imports and to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, and far less willing to put up with disloyalty around him, according to a person who has spoken to the president in recent days but was not authorized to discuss private conversations publicly.

Trump's esteem for the Cabinet has faded in recent months, according to two White House officials and two outside advisers. He also told confidants that he was in the midst of making changes to improve personnel and, according to one person who spoke with him, get rid of the dead weight - which could put a number of embattled Cabinet secretaries on notice.

The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke underwent questioning Tuesday by Senate Democrats, who accused him of spending tens of thousands of dollars on office renovations and private flights while proposing deep cuts to conservation programs. Zinke pushed back, saying he never took a private jet anywhere - because all three flights he had taken on private planes as secretary were on aircraft with propellers, not jet engines.

Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin's days on the job may be limited after a bruising internal report found ethics violations in connection with his trip to Europe with his wife last summer, according to senior administration officials. He also has faced a potential mutiny from his own staff: A political adviser installed by Trump at the Department of Veterans Affairs has openly mused to other VA staff about ousting the former Obama administration official.

Trump has floated the notion of moving Energy Secretary Rick Perry to the VA to right the ship, believing Shulkin has become a distraction, according to two people familiar with White House discussions. They were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Others under the microscope:

White House aides deemed Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' recent appearance on 60 Minutes a disaster as she struggled to defend the administration's school safety plan and could not answer basic questions about the nation's education system.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson came under fire last month after reports his agency was spending $31,000 for a new dining set, a purchase HUD officials said was made without Carson's knowledge.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has faced questions about $25,000 spent on a soundproof privacy booth inside his office to prevent eavesdropping on his phone calls and another $9,000 on biometric locks.

The first Cabinet member to depart his post, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, resigned last fall following reports he spent at least $400,000 in taxpayer funds on private jets for himself and his staff.

Some other Cabinet members - such as Labor Secretary Alex Acosta and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue - keep a low profile and are barely heard from. National security adviser H.R. McMaster, who has faced a barrage of attacks from right-wing media outlets, has never clicked with Trump, leading to speculation that he too may soon depart.

This is the most irrelevant Cabinet since the Carter years, said Brinkley, evoking former President Jimmy Carter, another Washington outsider who struggled to delegate authority.

A handful of Cabinet-level officials have remained in Trump's good graces.

Defense Secretary James Mattis is widely viewed as the most powerful Cabinet member, his military record commanding Trump's respect and giving him leeway to at times disagree with the commander in chief without drawing his rage. Budget director Mick Mulvaney is perceived within the West Wing as a Trump favorite, while CIA director Mike Pompeo was tapped to replace Tillerson at the State Department.
In the 2017 movie Wolf Warrior 2, the protagonist is a heroic Chinese soldier fighting mercenaries, pirates and an Ebola-like disease in a nameless African country. The film depicts a China that's strong but benevolent  ready to fight but doing so in the name of justice and peace.

Wolf Warrior 2 also reflects the stance of the Chinese government, said Peter Fabricius, a freelance journalist and a consultant with the Institute for Security Studies, an Africa-focused research organization.

"[Chinese leader] Xi Jinping is carving out an increasingly assertive role for China on the world stage," Fabricius told VOA.

Offscreen, China's security footprint in Africa has been expanding quietly alongside its deepening economic interests across the continent. Experts disagree about whether China might, in the future, protect its interests through force. But they see its presence in Africa as a testing ground for a new kind of multilayered engagement around the world.

Beyond peacekeeping

Historically, China exerted its security presence in Africa through contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions, Fabricius said. However, it has long used its U.N. involvement to protect its interests, he added.

For instance, in South Sudan, where China has significant oil interests, the country has contributed a 700-troop infantry battalion to the U.N. mission, UNMISS. In the Democratic Republic of Congo  a major supplier of copper and cobalt to the Chinese economy  China has contributed 220 troops to the U.N. mission, MONUSCO.

But recently, China has shown a willingness to take direct military action in Africa. Its navy has monitored and captured Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean, and last year China opened its first overseas logistics and military base, a naval resupply facility in Djibouti.

China's maritime presence, including its navy, is now arguably the world's strongest, David Lampton, the director of China Studies at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies, said at a recent screening of the film in Washington.

"As China's interests in the world grow, China feels entirely  as I think it should  entitled to protect its people. And that's going to lead to a more interventionist China," Lampton said.

Strings attached

Western governments have long worried that China supports African governments with questionable human rights records by issuing loans or offering development aid with no strings attached.

"That's been undercutting the efforts by Western donor countries, if you want to put it that way  development partners, more euphemistically  to use their aid, et cetera to develop democracy, human rights and so on, making it conditional," Fabricius said.

In reality, Fabricius said, China does impose conditions. Countries that work with the world's second-largest economy must observe the One-China policy, for example. That doctrine insists that Taiwan is part of China.

In other cases, nations that accept Chinese assistance have been asked to ban visits from the Dalai Lama, whom Beijing considers a subversive force working to promote Tibetan independence.

Development aid has also come with a cost. In Angola, China has offered aid in exchange for future rights to oil. In Djibouti, Kenya and elsewhere in East Africa, funding for large infrastructure projects may trigger exclusive access rights if countries struggle to pay back their loans.

Djibouti, home to the Chinese logistics and military base and a new Chinese-funded electric railway that connects it to Ethiopia, has borrowed the equivalent of more than 75 percent of its GDP from China.

Projection of force

Experts disagree on whether China would protect its interests through direct force and under what circumstances that might happen.

But China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, its massive collection of global infrastructure projects, has produced tensions that may require military might to protect commercial interests, Lampton said.

"I do not expect that the Chinese are going to be using military force to protect their investments in a general sense," Deborah Brautigam, the director of the China-Africa Research Initiative, told a VOA reporter at the film screening. "I do think that Chinese companies will hire security guards to protect their investments."

Lampton was less confident that China won't use its expanding security presence to project force as its economic interests expand.

"China doesn't want to depend on the U.S. Navy to guarantee its resource supply," Lampton said. That punctuates the need to protect its own interests and also raises questions about whether China would act defensively or offensively. That's a matter of perspective and of how a specific context gets framed, Lampton said.

Highest-grossing film

The message of Wolf Warrior 2, directed by and starring Wu Jing, seems to be resonating at home. The film has become the highest-grossing movie in China, surpassing all domestic and Hollywood-produced films.

Rosemary Segero, a Kenyan businesswoman and consultant who attended the film screening, appreciated the portrayal and welcomed the message.

She said the movie depicted positive aspects of Chinese involvement in Africa and should be shown across the continent. "I think that would be used as a tool for peacebuilding and security," Segero said.
From rifles to combat aircraft and warships, China has become the dominant supplier of weapons to Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar, according to the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Titled "Trends in International Arms Transfer, 2017" the report reflects on the major change in the geopolitical sphere of South Asia. Weapons sales to Pakistan by the United States have dropped by 76 percent in the past five years, according to the report.

China has become the biggest supplier of arms to India's archrival neighbor, providing 35 percent of its arms to Pakistan from 2013 to 2017.

According to the report, the United States, Russia, Germany, France and China are currently importing 74 percent of the weapons around the globe, which makes them the largest arms importers globally.

The report said the United States was once the largest exporter of weapons to Pakistan. But recent tensions between the two countries have significantly affected arms sales, particularly from 2013 to 2017, when there has been a large decrease in arms transfers from the U.S. to Pakistan.

Relations between the U.S. and Pakistan deteriorated after a November 2011 incident in which 26 Pakistani troops were killed in NATO attacks on two military checkpoints. Pakistan retaliated by closing both of its borders into Afghanistan, effectively suspending NATO supply convoys through the country to its land-locked neighbor.

The Trump administration has accused Pakistan of supporting militant groups that launch attacks across the border into Afghanistan, accusations that Pakistan denies.

Pakistani officials say geopolitics demand that the country should not be relying on the U.S. only when it comes to security needs.

Talking to VOA, Pakistani professor Zafar Jaspal said Pakistan wants to be self-sufficient in making small weapons, and that's the country's foremost effort.

"Pakistan's reliance on just one country has not been a fruitful experience," Jaspal said. "Therefore, the shift in the foreign policy now demands that the weapon import of Pakistan should be multinational."

The SIPRI report said China provides 70 percent of weapons to Pakistan. The U.S. is the second-largest arms supplier with 12 percent, while Russia is third with 5.7 percent.

Jaspal said Pakistan is not only importing weapons from China, but the two countries are exchanging technology, as well.
An indefinite term in office for Chinese President Xi Jinping gives China more space to try new ways of seeking unification with self-ruled Taiwan, where most people prefer autonomy, experts say.

Chinas legislature, the National Peoples Congress, confirmed Sunday that a president can serve an unlimited number of five-year terms, down from the previous two term limit. That outcome means Xi, now 64, can legally keep the countrys top job for life.

The leader who renewed pledges in October to seek unification with Taiwan will have more time to experiment with hard and soft ways of reaching his goal, analysts say. Xi has said the issue of Taiwans would-be unification with China cannot be passed to the next generation of Communist leaders in Beijing.

Its possible that Xi will not push Taiwan to the negotiating table, for he has more time to deal with Taiwan if (he encounters) no external influence, said Huang Kwei-bo, international affairs college vice dean at National Chengchi University in Taipei.

Staunch goal of unification

Taiwan and China have been separately ruled since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, when Chiang Kai-sheks Nationalists lost to the Communists and rebased on the nearby island. Taiwan democratized in the 1980s, and government surveys since 2015 have said most citizens oppose unification with todays authoritarian China.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and has vowed to unify with it, by force if needed. Xi said in October he would pursue peaceful unification with Taiwan under a one-country, two-systems model that Beijing has applied to Hong Kong since the U.K. ceded it to China in 1997.

If Xi keeps the top job for a long time, his Taiwan approach will probably intensify but without substantive changes, Taiwanese ruling party legislator Lee Chun-yi said.

In that case, he said, expect more military and diplomatic pressure against Taiwans leaders along with soft measures to charm the public, he said. Earlier this month, China announced 31 measures making it easier for Taiwanese to work, study and invest on the other side.

I actually dont think well see much change, Lee said. The old policies are the way they are, and the soft measures will get softer and the hard measures harder.

Previous Chinese leaders, including Xis most recent predecessor Hu Jintao, had also made military threats and enticed Taiwanese investors to share in the fast growth of Chinas economy thats now worth over $12 trillion.

More space to experiment

Some in Taiwan call the end of Chinas term limits a setback, as transfers of power would let new people and opinions surface in Beijing, said Joanna Lei, chief executive officer of the Chunghua 21st Century think tank in Taiwan.

But a longer-term tenure for Xi could let his government slow the pace of its pressure on Taiwan, she said.

If he has to step down in 2023, then certainly the clock will be ticking and there will be greater pressure onto the Taiwan issue and its final resolution, Lei said. If he doesnt necessarily step down in 2023, the clock doesnt have to start ticking today, so that may indicate an easing of direct pressure on unifying Taiwan through more aggressive or even military means.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, backed by a party that advocates further distance between the two sides, disputes the Beijing view that both belong to a single China. The two sides have not spoken formally since she took office in 2016.

China in turn has scaled back tourism to the island, sent military aircraft into the skies nearby and blocked Taiwan from United Nations participation.

Xi may veer toward a soft approach on Taiwan given the time he has, said Shane Lee, a political scientist at Chang Jung Christian University in Taiwan.

Its not good for Taiwan because its certainly going to draw a lot of people from Taiwan, human resources and financial resources, he added. Many people will move to China.

Over the next few years Beijing will probably sustain political and military pressure on Taiwan, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at Washington-based think tank Center for International and Strategic Studies.

Beijing will also offer inducements to select Taiwanese groups such as younger citizens and business leaders but adopt a much tougher approach if the inducements fail, Glaser said.

Taiwan seen retrenching

Taiwans government and citizens will grapple to adapt to a long stay by Xi Jinping, analysts believe. Not only Tsai Ing-wens government, but everyone I know doesnt know how to deal with that," Shane Lee said.

The Taiwan governments Mainland Affairs Council said Sunday, in response to the scrapping of term limits in China, that it would monitor Beijing's next moves.

Cross-Strait ties still need long-term, comprehensive observation, the Council said in a statement, referring to China-Taiwan relations. The government will continue paying close attention to development of the other sides follow-up movements and formulate careful evaluations and responses.

The end of term limits in China also will remind already skeptical Taiwanese of the gaps between political systems, the lawmaker said.

Taiwan democratized in the 1980s and citizens directly elect presidents who can serve up to eight years in office.
A producer of hit royal drama The Crown says Claire Foy, who played the central role of Queen Elizabeth II, was paid less than her on-screen husband.

The Netflix series traces Elizabeth's journey from princess to queen, beginning in the 1950s.

Trade publication Variety quoted producer Suzanne Mackie as confirming Foy was paid less than Matt Smith, who played Prince Philip in two seasons of the series. She made the reported comment at an industry event in Jerusalem.

She said this was because Smith was better-known after starring in the sci-fi series Doctor Who. Mackie said the gap would be closed with the forthcoming third series, saying "going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen."

Foy's agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Neither Foy nor Smith will appear in the third series, which will star Olivia Colman as the middle-aged monarch.

The gender pay gap has become a big issue in Hollywood after revelations that many female stars were paid less than their male counterparts.
Delegates from across Africa are attending the Commonwealth Africa Summit in London  where the theme this year is the Common Good. Topics under discussion include climate change and improving gender equality. The Commonwealth has its origins in the British Empire  most members were former colonies - and Britain is hoping to rekindle those ties as it leaves the European Union.



Nineteen African countries are members of the Commonwealth  an organization that encompasses one-third of the world's population.



The opening summit address was given by Maria Fernandez De La Vega, president of the Women for Africa Foundation.



She said that in the face of the ever-greater tolerance of inequality, we have to continue to cry out for equality." She said "the combination of young people and women together will allow us to take a new look at Africa.



Issues like gender equality are being tackled by other institutions like the United Nations and the African Union. So what is the point of the Commonwealth? Sue Onslow is from the Institute for Commonwealth Studies at the University of London.



There is a general interest and value which is attached to the Commonwealth as a political imagination, to the access and networks that it offers, to possibilities of best practice and indeed to emphasizing commonalities of working together, she said.



Gambia was last month re-admitted to the Commonwealth after a four-year absence, following the democratic election of President Adama Barrow.



Zimbabwe has indicated that it may apply to re-join after it was suspended in 2002 following concerns over unfair elections.



Caroline Kampila - a Zimbabwean citizen living in London, attending the conference - hopes Zimbabwe will soon be readmitted.



Weve been isolated for such a long time and we really want to be where other people are, where other nations are, she said.



Interest in the Commonwealth has also revived in Britain  where the government hopes increased trade could help to make up for any losses after leaving the European Union.



Quite frankly I find that idea laughable because the Commonwealth is the antithesis, the very opposite of the EU as a bureaucratic, trading bloc, said analyst Sud Onslow.



Nonetheless Britain is aiming to strengthen ties when it hosts the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next month  when the leaders of all 53 member nations will gather in London and at the Royal Familys residence at Windsor Castle.
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are sharply disagreeing with Republicans on the panel who say they don't see any evidence of collusion or coordination between President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said Tuesday that he believes there is "significant evidence'' of collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, though he couldn't say if there was criminal wrongdoing.

Republicans on the committee announced Monday that they'd completed a draft report and they saw no evidence of collusion. Schiff, who saw the GOP report for the first time on Tuesday, said Democrats on the committee would try to continue the investigation where possible and would write their own report to lay out conclusions from the intelligence panel's yearlong investigation into Russian meddling.

The GOP report "misleadingly characterizes events, and paints a portrait and tells a story that could not have been better written if it was written in the White House itself,'' Schiff said.

Trump enthusiastically praised the draft Republican report, telling reporters Tuesday morning that the White House is "very, very happy'' with the GOP conclusions.

"It was a powerful decision that left no doubt and I want to thank the House intelligence committee,'' Trump said.

Democrats have said for some time that they believed Republicans weren't conducting a serious investigation. Schiff on Tuesday released a 22-page report detailing threads that Democrats still believe the committee should pursue and witnesses they still want to hear from. Those include White House officials, campaign officials and people in the intelligence community.

As examples of evidence of coordination, Schiff cited multiple contacts between Trump's campaign and Russia, including a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 and information passed on to an Australian diplomat by a former Trump campaign aide, George Papadopolous, that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Schiff said Democrats would try to release all committee interview transcripts in their report. He also signaled that he would reopen or begin certain lines of inquiry if Democrats retake the majority of the House this November.

Texas Rep. Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the Russia probe, previewed some of the GOP report's findings on Monday, but said the public will not see the full document until Democrats have reviewed it and the intelligence community has decided what information can be released, a process that could take weeks.

"We found no evidence of collusion,'' Conaway said, suggesting that those who believe there was collusion are reading too many spy novels. "We found perhaps some bad judgment, inappropriate meetings, inappropriate judgment in taking meetings. But only Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn or someone else like that could take this series of inadvertent contacts with each other, or meetings or whatever, and weave that into sort of a fiction page-turner, spy thriller.''

In addition to the statement on coordination with Russians, Republicans said the draft challenges an assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian government, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, waged a covert influence campaign to interfere in the election with the goal of hurting Clinton's candidacy and helping Trump's campaign.

House Intelligence Committee officials said they spent hundreds of hours reviewing raw source material used by the intelligence services in the assessment and that it did not meet the appropriate standards to make the claim about helping Trump. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the intelligence material.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a statement soon after the GOP announcement, saying it stood by the intelligence community's findings.

Conaway appeared to walk that conclusion back a bit on Tuesday, saying it was clear that the Russians intended to hurt Clinton and make her a less effective president, if she won.

"Whether or not they were trying to hurt Hillary, help Trump, whatever it is - it's kind of the glass half full, glass half empty,'' Conaway said.

Conaway said there will be a second report just dealing with the intelligence assessment and its credibility.

According to Conaway, the GOP report will agree with the intelligence assessment on most other details, including that Russians did meddle in the election. It will detail Russian cyberattacks on U.S. institutions during the election and the use of social media to sow discord. It will also show a pattern of Russian attacks on European allies - information that could be redacted in the final report. It will blame officials in former President Barack Obama's administration for a "lackluster'' response and look at leaks from the intelligence community to the media.

The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating the Russian intervention, is expected to have a more bipartisan report out in the coming weeks dealing with election security. The Senate panel is expected to issue findings on the more controversial issue of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia at a later date.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, also investigating the meddling, is expected to release transcripts soon of closed-door interviews with several people who attended the 2016 meeting between the Trump campaign and Russians. It's unclear if the Judiciary panel will produce a final report.

The congressional investigations are completely separate from special counsel Robert Mueller's criminal probe into Trump campaign ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice, which is likely to take much longer. So far, Mueller has charged nearly 20 people as part of his investigation, including three Trump associates who have pleaded guilty.

House Democrats signaled they were pinning their hopes on the Senate, and on Mueller.

Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said they will continue to try to probe the meddling, but "we also hope the Senate investigation will go further, will get out more to the American people, and then of course special counsel Mueller will do his job.''
In July 2016, former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Daniel Ragsdale explained to Congress the protocol to deport a foreign national.

Two things are generally required, he said. An administratively final order of removal, and a travel document issued by a foreign government.

An order of removal is a deportation order.

Of the two, the travel document is the hardest to obtain. Travel documents can be permission from the deportee's country or a valid passport. But both require cooperation from countries. Usually, there are written repatriation agreements. But often, a deportation is done on an ad-hoc basis, said Leon Fresco, a former Department of Justice immigration official.

He explained, using a hypothetical case in which an immigrant is to be deported to the U.S.

This isnt actually a real thing. But suppose we were trying to deport someone to America. What we might be able to do, if we couldnt land a flight in America, is to land a flight in, like, Tijuana and walk the person up to the border. And sometimes they take that person at that point. And so, we do do some of that.

Fresco added that if deportees are to be sent back by plane, permission from the destination country is required, and that is where repatriation agreements come in.

"The countries, receiving these removals, see the flight manifest  the list of people who are on the flight  and approve. So, there is multiple steps along the way where the receiving government is issuing travel documents, approving that the flight comes to their airspace, and approving the people on the flight," an official with ICE explains.

As VOA reported earlier this month, President Donald Trumps administration has removed more than a dozen countries from its list of recalcitrant countries  nations that refuse to take back their nationals when the U.S. wants to deport them.

That would seem to indicate that more countries are accepting their citizens. And ICE said it, along with other government agencies, is forging agreements.

"The U.S. government, particularly (Department of Homeland Security) with ICE and the State Department, with the Bureau of Consular Affairs are engaging diplomatically with those governments to kind of work on in the entire process in bilateral relationship," the ICE offfical told VOA.

But negotiating a repatriation agreement can be fraught with challenges.

Talks with Laos

VOA has obtained documents that offer a small window into the arduous process of hammering out a deportation agreement between the U.S. and Laos.

A pair of embassy cables from 2008 and 2009  released earlier by the online whistleblower organization WikiLeaks  describes attempts of U.S. and Laos officials to work out a repatriation agreement.

The documents show that in February 2009, three U.S. officials from the State Department and ICE traveled to Vientiane, Laoss capital, to examine ways to repatriate Laos nationals.

While the State Department was invited to participate in this particular meeting, ICE is the one who tries to engage in diplomatic efforts to remove people, Fresco said. But in his view, it is the State Department that has the clout to get countries to do things.

He concluded, So, what ends up happening as a result of that, is that we end up with situations where we don't have these very formal diplomatic arrangements.

Notes of the 2009 meeting reveal that Laos repeatedly requested that deportation agreements be negotiated one-by-one, while the U.S. was hoping that each case could be resolved in 60 days.

But Laos said that verifying its citizens, particularly after a long absence, could be problematic because the names of rural districts and villages were often changed.

The individual may only remember the name of his native village, but that name may have disappeared, said Mai Sayavongs, then-deputy director of the Europe and Americas department for the Laos government.

Another problem for Laotian deportees: Expired citizenship from their home country.

Expatriates were required to register with the embassy in the country in which they were living or lose their citizenship after 10 years.

By the end of the embassy cable in 2009, both countries were still hoping to reach agreement on basic procedures covering all cases.

It never happened. Laos was not on the recalcitrant list during former President Barack Obamas time but has been added to the list under Trump.

A current State Department spokesperson told VOA the agency could not confirm or comment on something reported to be an internal department document.

When talks fail

When a travel document is not issued, ICE then moves on to other actions, such as sending letters to the nations embassies in the United States urging cooperation with the removal process and recommending inclusion of countries to the recalcitrant list.



"If the United States could just fly a plane whenever it wanted and drop people off, there wouldnt be recalcitrant countries. It doesnt work that way in a number of aspects," the ICE official said.



If none of the above work, ICE requests the issuance of demarches (formal instructions) to the uncooperative country by the Department of State. The agency can recommend visa sanctions under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

That is exactly what the Trump administration did in September when it imposed visa sanctions on Cambodia, Eritrea, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for failing to accept removable nationals.

In the 2009 cable released by Wikileaks, Sayavongs noted that during the administration of George W. Bush in 2007, the U.S. had tried to send 26 people back to Laos, but the repatriation procedures had not been consistent and had sometimes created problems, as when the Lao were unaware of a return until the individual debarked from a plane in Laos.

Quyen Dinh, executive director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, said recent enforcement actions show a more aggressive strategy on the part of the U.S. government, especially toward Southeast Asian countries.

Thats the scary part. They [ICE] can deport people, even if they dont have a (memorandum of understanding) with a country. Theres nothing that prohibits the U.S. from deporting folks who are not U.S. citizens back to different countries, she said.
European Union leader Donald Tusk has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to maintain longstanding trans-Atlantic relations that have been increasingly strained since Trump announced stiff trade tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

"Instead of risking a trade war, which he seems eager to wage, we should be aiming for greater cooperation,'' Tusk said at a news conference Wednesday in Helsinki, Finland.

Trump, however, has continued to defy protests both from abroad and within his own Republican Party, tweeting Wednesday, "We cannot keep a blind eye to the rampant unfair trade practices against our Country!"



Trump has maintained the tariffs are necessary to protect U.S. security, but E.U. Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said Trump's assertion is simply a ploy.

"We suspect that the U.S. move is effectively not based on security considerations but an economic safeguard measure in disguise," said Malmstrom.

Malmstrom told the EU parliament the 28-nation bloc would develop countermeasures targeting U.S. goods, while continuing to pursue an exemption from Trump's tariffs that could take effect next week.

Mistrust between the U.S. and its long-time European allies has escalated since Trump was elected president in 2016, with the tariff announcement being the latest point of friction.



Tusk said there was still time to improve relations and urged Trump to deliver on his promise to exempt "real friends'' from the tariffs.



Instead of threatening a trade war, Tusk called on Trump to resume U.S.-EU talks which began under former President Barack Obama but were never finished.



"Make trade, not war, Mr President,'' Tusk said in comments posted on Twitter.



The EU says in place of tariffs, the U.S. should try to reduce a surplus of steel and aluminum on global markets, which experts says is primarily due to China's overproduction in recent years.

In a VOA interview broadcast Wednesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said a major reason for Europe's opposition is that "... they too are being dumped on by China and other places. And theyre afraid if we build an effective wall against China, theyll be subjected to more dumping."

Dumping refers to the practice of exporting products to other countries at very low or below market prices.
France added more kindling to a growing commercial dispute between Europe and the United States, announcing Wednesday it would sue American tech giants Google and Apple over allegedly abusive business practices.



After peanut butter, cranberries and bourbon, Google and Apple are the latest American icons in Europe's crosshairs. Speaking to French radio Wednesday, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire accused the two U.S. companies of unilaterally imposing prices and other terms on French startups.



Google and Apple may be powerful, Le Maire said, but they should not be able to treat French startups and developers the way they currently do.



France has taken legal action against the companies before. But this latest dispute comes amid a potential trade war, as Washington prepares to slap tariffs against steel and aluminum imports.



The European Union has vowed countermeasures on products such as peanut butter if the bloc is not exempted from the U.S. measures, which may take effect next week. But European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told the EU Parliament Wednesday she hopes that will not happen.



"As long as the measures have not entered into force, we hope to avoid a significant trade dispute," she said. "The root problem, as many of you have said, is overcapacity in steel and aluminum sectors."



Malmstrom said the European Union and the United States should instead work together to end unfair subsidies by some countries and level the trading field.



France has a mixed relationship with U.S. internet companies  both encouraging them to invest here, but also to pay more EU taxes  as it tries to build its home-grown industry.

Last year, it also threatened fines against Amazon for allegedly abusing its dominant position with suppliers. French justice has yet to rule on the case.
An unexpected resurgence of gun control proposals following last month's shooting at a Florida high school is showing signs of ebbing in the U.S. Congress, where a bill to strengthen a national background check for gun ownership is treading water despite public pressure in favor of it.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, so far has held back on bringing it to the floor for debate and a vote, even though it has at least 69 co-sponsors in the 100-member chamber.

McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that he was "extremely interested" in passing both the background check measure and a school safety bill "soon," but he did not elaborate.

The background check bill aims to improve the investigation of prospective gun buyers who have criminal backgrounds.

Students, their parents and gun control activists increased efforts nationwide to address gun-related deaths in the United States after 14 students and three adults were shot and killed by a former student at a school in Parkland, Florida on February 14.

The background check bill is being pushed by Republican Senator John Cornyn following last November's mass shooting at a church in his home state of Texas that was carried out by someone with a domestic violence conviction. That crime was not reported to the federal gun-check data base.

"I'm convinced that those 26 people and the 20 more who were wounded would be alive today and the injured would not have been shot if an appropriate background check system had been in place," Cornyn said on Tuesday.

Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, has accused Democrats of erecting roadblocks to his bill by demanding debate on broader, tougher gun controls, even though they also support the background check measure.

Proposals favored by gun control advocates, including a ban on assault-style weapons and the closing of loopholes on requiring background checks before gun purchases, are opposed by the National Rifle Association gun rights group, which has broad influence in U.S. politics through its election campaign donations that largely go to Republicans.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York has called for a full-fledged debate on guns, including legislation closing loopholes that let certain sales at gun shows and over the internet skirt background checks.

'Something tiny'

Democrats also want votes on banning assault-style weapons like the one used in Parkland and legislation to facilitate gun-restraining orders on people thought to be posing an imminent danger to a community.

"Our Republican friends hope we'll pass something tiny, something small, so they can clap their hands and say they did something on gun violence and move on," Schumer said in a speech on the Senate floor.

A handful of Republican senators oppose Cornyn's background check bill as written, even though it has the support of the National Rifle Association.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has stepped back from his tough talk of just a few weeks ago in which he suggested raising the minimum age for some weapons purchases and even forgoing "due process" court procedures in order to speed law enforcement's ability to take guns away from those threatening violence.

Against that backdrop, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives on Wednesday is slated to debate a bill authorizing $50 million a year to help schools and law enforcement agencies prevent violent attacks.

The bill stops short, however, of allowing the money to be used to train and arm teachers and other school officials so they can attempt to repel shooters.

With McConnell devoting Senate floor debate time this week and next to other legislation, there is the possibility that any gun measure will have to wait at least until April because of a two-week spring break.

Some gun advocates fear that by then the political will in Congress for gun legislation will have evaporated.

Democrats disagree, noting that Wednesday's planned nationwide walkouts by students demanding tougher gun laws will be followed by demonstrations across the United States and elsewhere on March 24.

Also, a makeshift memorial on the Capitol grounds was receiving national media attention. Composed of about 7,000 pairs of shoes, it commemorates child gun-related deaths since the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.
Stephen Hawking's computer-generated voice was known to millions of people around the world, a robotic drawl that somehow enhanced the profound impact of the cosmological secrets he revealed.

The technology behind his means of communication was upgraded through the years, offering him the chance to sound less like a machine, but he insisted on sticking to the original voice because it had effectively become his own.

The renowned theoretical physicist, who died Wednesday at age 76, lost his ability to speak more than three decades ago after a tracheotomy linked to complications in the motor neuron disease he was diagnosed with at age 21.

He later told the BBC he had considered committing suicide by not breathing after the operation, but he said the "reflex to breathe was too strong."

Hawking started to communicate again using his eyebrows to indicate letters on a spelling card.

A Cambridge University colleague, Martin King, contacted U.S. company Words Plus, which had developed a program to allow a user to select words using a hand clicker, according to a 2014 report in Wired magazine. It was linked to an early speech synthesizer, which turned Hawking's text into spoken language.

In 1997, PC chipmaker Intel Corp. stepped in to improve Hawking's computer-based communication system, and in 2014 it upgraded the technology to make it faster and easier for Hawking to communicate.

It used algorithms developed by SwiftKey, a British software company acquired by Microsoft, best known for its predictive text technology used in smartphones.

Senior software engineer Joe Osborne said he soon realized the impact SwiftKey's natural language and artificial intelligence technology could have on Hawking's communication.

"It was always hard not to have a hero complex when you start working with someone like that," he said Wednesday. "He was a pretty witty guy. There were jokes aplenty. But with his background we could talk about some of the mathematical models" that underlay the technology.

He said Hawking was certainly not SwiftKey's usual user.

"You realize how much of a lifeline communication is when you spent time with him," he said.

Hawking provided lectures and other texts to help the algorithm learn his language, and it could predict the word he wanted to use by just inputting 10 percent to 15 percent of the letters.

But despite the upgrades to the software, one thing remained constant: the voice itself.

Hawking stuck with the sound produced by his first speech synthesizer made in 1986. It helped cement his place in popular culture. It was used in episodes of The Simpsons and Futurama; in Star Trek: The Next Generation, when Hawking appeared as a hologram; and by Pink Floyd, who sampled the voice for the track "Keep Talking" on the 1994 The Division Bell album.

Hawking said on his website that the robotic-sounding voice had been "described variously as Scandinavian, American or Scottish."

"I keep it because I have not heard a voice I like better and because I have identified with it," he said in 2006.
Organizers of a Peace March supporting Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Tuesday they expect as many as 200,000 people to attend the event, set to take place three weeks before Hungarys April 8 national election.

Leaders of the Civil Union Forum said the ruling Fidesz party is supporting Thursdays march to parliament, where Orban will speak on a holiday commemorating the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.

Organizer Andras Bencsik said the march in Budapest is meant to provide an impulse for a successful election, so we can help Fidesz.

We have to take this election very seriously  life or death is practically at stake, Bencsik, chief editor of the Demokrata weekly magazine, said.

Opposition groups plan several demonstrations across the city, with the two largest expected to be a student-led protest outside the State Opera House and a Peace March for supporters of the opposition announced by the satirical Two-Tailed Dog Party.

The Two-Tailed Dog Party has been around for over a decade and conducted several popular campaigns mocking Orbans policies. It is fielding candidates for the first time in next months election.

Orban, a populist criticized for centralizing power and weakening democratic checks and balances, is seeking a third consecutive term. He and other Fidesz candidates have not participated in debates and most of Orbans campaign stops have not been shared with the news media.

Orban has made immigration his main campaign theme. He opposes mass immigration, especially by Muslim migrants, whom he says threaten Europes Christian culture and lifestyle.

If we become an immigrant country, there will be regression, decline and stagnation, Orban said last week at a business forum. If ... we do not become an immigrant country, then Hungary will progress.

Orbans anti-migration stance has targeted the European Union, George Soros and, lately, the United Nations.

His chances of winning the election are being enhanced by a fragmented opposition, which has had a hard time agreeing to back a single candidate in voting districts where Fidesz could be defeated.

If the opposition parties coordinate with each other, they can achieve some level of success, Gabor Gyori, a senior analyst at political research institute Policy Solutions said. It may not be enough to get a majority, but it would definitively be enough to stop Fidesz from getting a two-thirds majority.
Iran's foreign minister has wrapped up a trip to Pakistan in which he made a surprise offer to let Islamabad take part in a major port project partly funded by Pakistan's archrival India.

India has helped to expand and develop Iran's Arabian Sea port of Chabahar as part of efforts to set up a trade link to Afghanistan and Central Asia that would bypass Pakistan. But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Pakistan's Geo TV late Tuesday that Iran was open to participation in the project by Pakistan and China, both of which India views as rivals.

There was no immediate response from India, which has committed up to $500 million for the development of the Chabahar port along with associated roads and rail lines. In November, New Delhi shipped its first cargo of wheat to Afghanistan through the Iranian port.



Zarif, who arrived on Monday, met with senior officials and praised Pakistan for the "timely" sharing of intelligence, which he said allowed Iranian border guards to kill two would-be bombers. The restive area along the border has been the scene of several attacks by armed groups as well as drug smugglers.



Last year, gunmen killed 10 Iranian border guards in an attack that strained relations. Zarif said the "terrorists" are still holding a border guard and asked Pakistan for assistance in retrieving him. Authorities have not provided further details on who was behind the attack.



Zarif did not comment publicly on Pakistan's recent deployment of 1,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, or the assignment of a former Pakistani army chief to command a Saudi-led coalition that bills itself as an Islamic alliance against terrorism but does not include Iran.



Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional rivals in the Middle East, and back opposing sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Zarif said Iran had "made offers for dialogue" with the Saudis to try to bring stability to the region, but that if the kingdom wants to "engage in the politics of confrontation then it is a dead end."



Pakistani officials have said the troops will be providing training to Saudi forces, particularly in mountain warfare, and will not be taking part in the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Iran-allied Houthi rebels since 2015.
International resettlement experts from seven countries are gathering in Sydney Wednesday to look at ways to help millions of people displaced by the war in Syria. The summit will also release the first results of a research project looking at how 12,000 refugees from the conflict have adapted to life in Australia.

A study funded by the Australian Research Council has tracked the lives of 200 Syrian and Iraqi families who have been resettled in the state of Queensland.

They were part of an emergency intake of refugees from the Syrian crisis, and arrived in Australia in 2016 and 2017.

The survey found that while most were happy to forge new lives in Australia, there was deep frustration at the lack of employment.

Jock Collins, a professor of social economics at the University of Technology Sydney Business School, was part of the research team.

There is a frustration about work," he said. "They are very highly educated people; dentists, sort of pharmacists, engineers, major positions in multi-national corporations  strong achievements in a professional life. They are anxious to get going here and they find they have not been able to do that. There is a frustration about that. Basically, the key point is that getting a job is difficult but critical.

Typically refugees in Australia suffer disproportionately high rates of unemployment. The University of Technology Sydney estimates that only about 17 percent of recently arrived refugees in Australia are working.

Community leaders worry that those statistics can influence the way the broader Australian community considers refugees.

Atem Atem, a Sudanese community leader who arrived in Australia in 2002, is a university graduate. He attended the Sydney resettlement summit and believes high rates of unemployment can stir negative perceptions of those fleeing persecution.

If you are someone who lives in the suburbs and who has never met a refugee and you just hear refugee stories, which is the majority of the population then you think that we should not have refugees because they are hopeless," he said. "Those are the stories that you hear in the media and a lot of people who just get information from the media, which is the majority of the Australian population, believe that refugees are no good for Australia, that they are not contributing.

Australia typically grants refugee visas to about 14,000 people each year through official humanitarian programs. Asylum seekers who arrive by boat have been detained in offshore camps run by Australia in the South Pacific. They have been told they will never be allowed to resettle in Australia under a strict policy designed to stop asylum seekers risking their lives at sea. Critics of the policy say it is inhumane and breaches international law.
General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Volkswagen and Mercedes all knew of problems with dangerous exploding Takata air bag inflators years before issuing recalls, according to three class actions filed Wednesday with the federal court in Miami.

The lawsuits cite company documents obtained through previous legal actions against other automakers over faulty Takata inflators. The plaintiffs allege that automakers were informed of inflator defects during tests but delayed taking action. Allegations against GM are among the most serious. Takata documents showed that GM employees expressed concerns about inflators rupturing as early as 2003.

Messages were left Wednesday seeking comment from GM, VW and Mercedes. Fiat Chrysler declined comment, saying it had not been served with the lawsuit.

Takata uses the chemical ammonium nitrate to create small explosions to inflate air bags. But the chemical can deteriorate when exposed to high temperatures and airborne moisture. That causes it to explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and hurling shrapnel. At least 22 people have died worldwide and more than 180 have been hurt.

The problem touched off the largest series of automotive recalls in U.S. history, with 19 automakers having to recall up to 69 million inflators in 42 million vehicles. The problem brought a criminal conviction and fine against Takata and forced the Japanese company into bankruptcy protection.

The lawsuits, which consolidate individual claims that were filed previously, allege that owners paid higher prices for their vehicles than they would have if the defect had been disclosed.

They allege that manufacturers picked Takata to supply inflators because the cost was less than other air bag makers who used different, less volatile chemicals as propellants. According to the lawsuits, manufacturers had employees who questioned the quality and performance of Takata's inflators well before any vehicles were recalled.

"These auto manufacturers were well aware of the public safety risks posed by Takata's airbags long ago, and still waited years to disclose them to the public and take action," Peter Prieto, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. The lawsuits "are an important step forward in holding them accountable."

Early concerns

In an April 2003 communication with Takata, GM was concerned about "ballistic variability," which is a tendency for the air bags to either underinflate or explode when deployed, the lawsuit against GM said. A GM engineer raised concerns about inadequate testing, moisture control and the inability of Takata to meet GM specifications after a 2003 visit to Takata's factory in Moses Lake, Washington, according to the lawsuit.

In 2004, Takata employees met with GM officials about a tendency for the inflators to shoot flames when they ruptured, and in March of 2006, Takata reported that inflators tested for GM vehicles continued to show "aggressive behavior," including the escape of "molten propellant" when they ruptured. A Takata employee admitted "we cannot get good results" with the inflator design, the lawsuit stated.

Yet GM didn't issue any recalls until June of 2014 when it recalled 29,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact cars from the 2013 and 2014 model years, according to the lawsuit. That recall came after Takata reported three exploding inflators in 2010. "Defendants did nothing to meaningfully investigate the problem, notify the appropriate regulators or notify the class [car owners]," the lawsuit stated.

GM also received reports of real-world problems in 2011 and 2014, including one case in which a Cruze driver was blinded in one eye by an exploding inflator, according to the lawsuit. GM and Takata blamed the trouble on a manufacturing problem instead of the deteriorating ammonium nitrate. "Rather than publicize the truth, both Takata and New GM blamed the ruptures on a manufacturing problem," the lawsuit alleged.

Old GM, the company that existed before seeking bankruptcy protection in 2009, knew of the problems, and New GM, the company that emerged from bankruptcy, kept employees who knew and had the same knowledge, according to the lawsuit.

More recalls

Volkswagen, the lawsuit alleged, had repeated quality issues with Takata dating to 2003, even rejecting products after an audit. Yet no recalls were issued until 2016, the plaintiffs claimed. Daimler AG, maker of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, had concerns about the integrity of Takata inflators in 2003, according to company emails. In 2004, Mercedes engineers agreed to "forego key performance variables" and allow use of Takata inflators, the lawsuit stated. The company didn't do any recalls until 2016.

Fiat Chrysler didn't issue its first recall until 2014, even though its engineers expressed concerns about Takata inflators during the early 2000s, the lawsuit stated.

Last year Toyota, BMW, Mazda, Subaru, Nissan and Honda settled similar economic loss class actions for millions of dollars.
Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was questioned by prosecutors Wednesday in connection to a massive corruption probe, joining a long list of ex-leaders tainted by scandal.

The 76-year-old Lee is suspected of accepting over $10 million in bribes from the National Intelligence Service, the country's main spy agency, as well as Samsung, the country's iconic electronics corporation, and other businesses and individuals. The ex-president is also alleged to have embezzled as much as $30 million from auto parts company DAS. Lee's brother is the largest shareholder in DAS, but prosecutors believe Lee actually owns the company.

The conservative Lee, who served as president from 2008 to 2013, publicly apologized when he arrived at the Seoul Central District Office for questioning. "I am deeply sorry for causing concern to public," he said, while offering hope that he will be "the last former president" to face a criminal probe.

Lee has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, calling it "political revenge" by current liberal President Moon Jae-in.

Lee Myung-bak is the fifth South Korean president targeted by prosecutors for corruption. His successor, fellow conservative Park Geun-hye, is on trial facing several counts of bribery, abuse of authority, coercion and leaking government secrets. She is also accused of using her office to coerce South Korea's major corporations into donating nearly $70 million to two nonprofit corporations controlled by Choi Soon-sil, her close friend and confidant. Prosecutors are seeking a 30-year prison sentence for Park, who became the first democratically elected South Korean president to be ousted from office in 2017.

Two other ex-presidents, Chun Dioo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, were tried and convicted in the 1990s for bribery, treason and other charges for their involvement in a 1979 military coup and each spent two years in prison.

And Roh Moo-hyun, Lee's immediate predecessor, committed suicide in 2009 after he was questioned in a corruption probe involving his family.
It is unclear how Mike Pompeo becoming U.S. secretary of state may affect the Iran nuclear deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump's choice of the Central Intelligence Agency director to replace Rex Tillerson means an Iran hawk who fiercely opposed the 2015 pact as a member of Congress will now be in charge of the U.S. diplomacy trying to strengthen, and perhaps save, it.

Former U.S. officials and serving European officials were at a loss to gauge how the switch would affect negotiations between the United States and three European powers  Britain, France and Germany  that are also parties to the agreement.

Some said Washington may take a harder line under Pompeo and the Europeans may be under more pressure to offer concessions, while others suggested his views on the deal have evolved and he may be better placed to influence Trump to keep it.

U.S., British, French and German officials are due to meet on the deal Thursday in Berlin.

"Any officials negotiating with the Europeans right now will get a much more aggressive set of requirements from Pompeo," said Richard Nephew, a former White House and State Department official who worked on Iran during the Obama administration.

"The odds of them coming up with a thoughtful compromise by May just got a lot longer," he added.

Trump on Tuesday singled out the Iran nuclear deal as one of the main differences he had with Tillerson.

"I think it's terrible, I guess he thinks it was OK," Trump said.

Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European powers on Jan. 12, saying they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal" or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief on Iran. U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers" to suspend them on May 12.

The crux of the July 2015 pact between Iran and six major powers  Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States  was that Iran would restrict its nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions that have crippled its economy.

Trump sees three defects in the deal: its failure to address Iran's ballistic missile program; the terms under which international inspectors can visit suspect Iranian nuclear sites; and "sunset" clauses under which limits on the Iranian nuclear program start to expire after 10 years. He wants all three strengthened if the United States is to stay in the deal.

In a Jan. 13 cable, the State Department sketched out a path under which the three European allies would simply commit to try to improve the deal over time in return for Trump keeping the pact alive by renewing sanctions relief in May.

Trump 'is what matters here'

Other European officials and former U.S. officials said Pompeo's rise, if he is confirmed as secretary of state by the Senate, might have a more ambiguous effect on the negotiations and that, in any case, Trump's views are paramount.

"All our work is going into delivering a credible package that is sellable to Trump," said a European diplomat on condition of anonymity. "He is what matters here."

While Pompeo was a fierce critic of the deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a congressman, he tempered his views when testifying before Congress in January 2017 to seek confirmation as CIA director.

"Pompeo was a hawk on Iran. However, my understanding is he doesn't want the deal to disappear," said a former senior U.S. official. "People should not jump to conclusions."

Many of Trump's top national security aides, like Tillerson, have argued that the United States is better off with the Iran nuclear deal than without it. That stance was echoed Tuesday by the U.S. general who heads the U.S. military command responsible for the Middle East and Central Asia.

Former U.S. officials suggested that, as the administration nears a planned summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un about Pyongyang's nuclear program, it could rethink its stance on the Iran deal.

European diplomats saw some chance Pompeo may have more influence over Trump than Tillerson, who antagonized the U.S. president by reportedly calling him a "moron" and who differed with Trump on Iran and other issues.

"If Pompeo is that hawkish, then in reality all it is is the affirmation of Trump's policies. It's Trump's line," said another European diplomat. "Hopefully, he'll have the mandate that Tillerson didn't have."
The special counsel's office wants to talk to Donald Trump about the firings of James Comey and Michael Flynn, but as the president's lawyers negotiate the terms and scope of a possible interview, they're left with no easy options.

Balking at an interview, even a narrowly tailored one focused on obstruction of justice questions, risks perpetuating the perception that Trump has something to hide. But agreeing to discuss those matters with Robert Mueller's team is risky for Trump, whose statements can be unpredictable and inconsistent. Weeks of dialogue between the sides have yet to resolve a question of extraordinary consequence: Will Trump, like many of his aides before him, get grilled by Mueller's prosecutors?

"Obviously this is not just a legal problem, but this is also a political problem," said Robert Ray, who succeeded Kenneth Starr as the independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation. "Life is not that simple. It requires a delicate balance between weighing the important legal issues that are involved but also recognizing the important political consequences as well."

The negotiations have been closely held, but a resolution could arrive soon to avert the prospect of a grand jury subpoena, as happened to President Bill Clinton during Whitewater, or a lengthy court challenge reminiscent of the Watergate era.

Mueller's interest in Trump himself has appeared focused on seminal moments of his administration even amid signs of an expanding, and intensifying, investigation. In the past month alone, Mueller secured the guilty plea of a Dutch lawyer for lying to the FBI, indicted 13 Russians accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election and secured the grand jury testimony of a well-connected Lebanese-American businessman whose cooperation could open a new front for investigators.

Subjects of interest

Yet Mueller's office has so far presented the president with more limited questions.

Prosecutors trying to establish whether Trump took steps to obstruct justice have conveyed interest in talking with the president about his decision to fire Comey as FBI director last May and about multiple conversations between the two men, including one in which Comey said he was encouraged to end an investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn, according to people familiar with the investigation. They're also interested in the February ouster of Flynn and the events leading up to it  the White House was warned that law enforcement thought he was vulnerable to blackmail  and in Trump's pressuring of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation.

Those topics may be narrow, but Trump hasn't always helped himself.

The White House initially said Trump was acting on the Justice Department's recommendation when he dismissed Comey, but Trump said days later that he'd have done it anyway and was thinking of "this Russia thing" at the time. And though Trump has denied Comey's account of his conversation about Flynn, a tweet from his account after Flynn pleaded guilty of lying to the FBI appeared to suggest for the first time that the White House knew at the time Flynn was ousted that he had misled investigators about his Russian contacts.

It's impossible to rule out that Mueller's team won't seek answers from Trump on the investigation's other tentacles, making it dangerous for Trump to be interviewed "because there are lots of things that Mueller is looking at that Trump doesn't know the answer to," said Solomon Wisenberg, the deputy independent counsel under Starr who led the grand jury questioning of Clinton in the Whitewater probe.

"This is very dangerous. There's no question if he were a normal client, you would tell him, 'Don't go in for an interview,' " Wisenberg said.

Though Trump's legal team has not said publicly what terms it would accept, "if you're Trump's lawyers, you want to limit damage. You want to limit both the time and the topic."

And "if you're Mueller," Wisenberg added, "you have to think about, 'It's the presidency.' You have to show proper respect for the office and the demands of the presidency. You don't want to take a position that can be seen as unreasonable."

Trump's legal team has repeatedly pointed to its cooperation with Mueller, noting that the White House has furnished more than 20,000 documents and made more than 20 officials available for interviews without asserting executive privilege. But though Trump, who has decades of experience with lawyers and sees himself as a street-smart talker, has declared publicly that he wants to sit for an interview, that question is more delicate for his own attorneys. His personal lawyer, John Dowd, has pointed reporters to a 1997 appeals court opinion that created broadly interpreted presidential privilege.

Precedent for questioning

There's well-established precedent for presidents to be questioned by government investigators. Ronald Reagan, for instance, provided written responses to questions from an independent counsel investigating the Iran-Contra scandal. George W. Bush was interviewed about the disclosure of a CIA officer's identity. Clinton offered grand jury testimony.

If Trump and Mueller are unable to reach agreement, Mueller could theoretically subpoena Trump to compel his testimony before the grand jury. Trump might be reluctant for perception reasons to invoke a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Wisenberg said, but by the same token, "if anybody can pull off explaining to the American people why he's not going in, it's Trump.



"If he doesn't go in, I think he should make a statement. 'I'm invoking my right, and here's why.' It could be a civics lesson for the country."

If the calculus were simply a legal one, said Ray, "then you would just listen and be governed by the guidance of criminal defense counsel" not to speak.

Instead, he added, the president is surely mindful that the investigation has shadowed his administration and may conclude that speaking with Mueller may be the fastest way to resolve it.

"That is also a factor, too, and that is just as important to the administration and to the country," Ray said.
Pakistan in recent years has seen a spike in youth radicalization. Some experts believe the education system in the country is one of the factors that contribute to the rise of extremism among youth. VOA's Umer Farooq spoke with experts at Peshawar University.
A protest over infrastructure and insecurity turned into violent clashes with police Tuesday in Panama's second biggest city, which is home to a strategic port at the northern end of the Panama Canal.

Preliminary reports from national police said four officers were injured and 18 people were arrested for looting, vandalism and attacks on police. There was no information on civilian injuries.

Demonstrators are angry over what they see as the slow pace of a project to revitalize Colon's collapsed sewer system, deficient water supply and crumbling housing. Ditches left open for protracted periods have regularly filled with dirty water and flooded streets, giving off a foul stench and making life more unpleasant in an already dilapidated city.

A march called by a social and labor movement ended without incident in the city center. Protest leader Edgardo Voitier called on supporters to return to the streets Wednesday and announced that a general strike in Colon province would continue for another 24 hours.

But splinter groups of protesters broke off and threw rocks at police, set at least one patrol car aflame, burned tires and wooden pallets, and looted some businesses. Riot officers responded with tear gas.

Public transportation was paralyzed and stores were shuttered, though activity was normal at the canal, port facilities and the Colon Free Trade Zone.

Government public works official Jorge Gonzalez asked Colon residents to be patient and said the revitalization project is more than 50 percent complete.

"We are not applying makeup. We are rebuilding," Gonzalez said.

Decades of neglect

Despite being a key commercial port, Colon has seen decades of neglect from a succession of governments in Panama City, leading to a protracted decline in the quality of infrastructure.

President Juan Carlos Varela, who visited Colon after taking office in 2014 and promised people there a turnaround, has said his government is spending more than $1.2 billion on public and social works in the city.

Residents of Colon "have been abused for many decades, and the current president promised them that he was going to improve their quality of life," said Marco Gandasegui, a sociologist at the University of Panama. "Nearly four years have gone by and not only has that promise become hollow, it has hurt the great majority [of people] with a project that openly cheated them."

Protesters also demanded more attention be paid to combating crime in the province, which has one of the highest homicide rates in Panama.

Tuesday's protests were the most serious in Colon since violent demonstrations in 2012 against an initiative to sell off property in the free trade zone.
In a race with national implications, Democrat Conor Lamb declared victory in a very close special congressional election held Tuesday in Pennsylvania.

Officially, the race has not been called for Lamb, who holds a lead of 627 votes over Republican candidate Rick Saccone, a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. Its possible Saccone and his supporters may request a recount, given the close vote.

Even though Lambs apparent victory is narrow, the Pennsylvania result could broaden implications for Republicans looking to defend their congressional majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate in the November midterm elections.

A centrist pitch

Lamb ran surprisingly strong in a district that Trump carried by nearly 20 points, campaigning as a moderate Democrat.

We fought to find common ground, and we found it, almost everywhere. Democrats, Republicans, independents  each of us, Americans, Lamb told supporters early Wednesday.

Saccone was not ready to concede the race. We are going to fight all the way to the end. You know I never give up.



Trump stokes Democrats

The Pennsylvania race follows Democratic victories late last year in Virginia and Alabama, fueled in large part by what some analysts see as an anti-Trump theme that continues to build.

The opposition to Donald Trump is as intense as I have seen since the last year of [Richard] Nixons presidency," said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato via Skype. It is so intense, it is so hot, that it could result in a much bigger turnover than we think in the midterm elections to the Democrats and away from the Republicans.

Saccone cast himself as the presidents wingman, and Trump campaigned on his behalf at a rally last Saturday when Trump urged Republicans to get out and vote.

We want to keep the agenda, the make America great, going. You have got to get him in. This is a very important race, Trump said.

Republicans on alert

Democrats were thrilled with the result, while some Republicans saw the race as a wake-up call for what could be a devastating midterm in November.

We need to execute, we need to get our message, and we need to make sure that our candidates are not massively outraised and outspent on TV, as was the case between these two candidates, House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters.

North Dakota Republican Rep. Kevin Cramer said he did not see the need to be alarmed about the result, but acknowledged there is reason for concern.

I think for Republicans, the message has to be, run on what weve done and what we are doing, because we have a good record.

Battling history

Midterm elections historically are unkind to sitting presidents, and Trump is likely no exception, according to Michael Barone of the American Enterprise Institute, a research group.

The party of the president is generally going to be held responsible for what the president and the administration have done, particularly when, as now, Republicans have a majority in both houses (of Congress). So, there is a vulnerability there.

The presidents party historically averages about a 30-seat loss in the House in a midterm election.

Sabato said a Democratic victory in the so-called Trump country of western Pennsylvania, an area he won by nearly 20 points in 2016, is a major sign of danger for Republicans.

The fact that a Democrat managed to win in that district suggests that Republicans in easily 100 districts around the country who are incumbents now have to worry, because they are representing places that went for Trump by much less.

Democrats need a gain of 24 House seats and two Senate seats to reclaim congressional majorities. And complicating Republican efforts to hold their majorities is the presidents historically low public approval rating, which remains just above 40 percent, and the uncertainty of the ongoing Russia probe.

Sabato, however, also notes that the intensity of Trumps core supporters remains high, which could help Republicans temper Democratic gains in November. Sabato estimates that core Trump supporters make up about 35 percent of the electorate, at most.
Working-class voters across western Pennsylvania on Tuesday are weighing in on a surprisingly tight congressional contest that has pitted the strength of President Donald Trump's grasp on blue-collar America against the energy and anger of the political left.



The fight between Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm election in November.



In a region Trump carried by 20 points, the White House has scrambled to rally voters behind Saccone, who cast himself as the president's "wingman," but has struggled at times to connect with the blue-collar coalition that fueled Trump's victory little more than a year ago.



Democrat Conor Lamb, a 33-year old Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor, downplayed his opposition to the Republican president on Tuesday and insisted instead that the race hinged on local issues.



"This didn't have much to do with President Trump," Lamb said after casting his vote in suburban Pittsburgh.

Polls close at 8 p.m.



Because of a long-running fight over Pennsylvania's congressional boundaries, the winner will have to start campaigning for re-election almost immediately in a different district. Still, the election has far greater political consequences as each party prepares for the November midterm elections.



For the White House and its Republican allies, a Tuesday loss would represent both a profound embarrassment and major cause for concern in the broader push to defend its House and Senate majorities.



The president has campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf. Other recent visitors include the vice president, the president's eldest son, the president's daughter and the president's chief counselor. Outside groups aligned with Republicans have also poured millions of dollars into the contest.



For Democrats, a win would reverberate nationwide, while even a narrow loss would be viewed as a sign of increased Democratic enthusiasm just as the midterm season begins.



Democratic voter Brian Konick supported Trump in 2016. On Tuesday he voted for Lamb.



"He's a little more my style, a little more moderate," Konick, a 51-year-old Jefferson Hills resident, said of the Democratic candidate.



Registered Republican Brett Gelb voted for Saccone, largely because the Republican candidate promised to support the president.



"Saccone backs a lot of President Trump's plans for the country," said Gelb, a 48-year-old fire technician who lives in Mt. Lebanon. He added, "I do think Trump is doing a good job. I think he needs backup."



Democrats must flip 24 GOP-held seats this fall to seize control of the House, and few counted on this Pittsburgh-area district to be in play. The seat has been in Republican hands for the last 15 years.



It's open now only because longtime Republican congressman Tim Murphy, who espoused strong anti-abortion views, resigned last fall amid revelations of an extramarital affair in which he urged his mistress to get an abortion.



After voting Tuesday in Allegheny County, Saccone downplayed the significance of the unusually close race.



"The Democrats ... they're throwing everything they can at this race," he said. "There hasn't been an open seat for a long time."



Besides bruising the president, a Lamb defeat also could shake Republican self-assurance that their new tax law can shield them from other political woes.



With polls showing a tight race for months, Saccone has implored the GOP-leaning electorate that their choice is about "making America great again," just as the president says.

The 60-year-old Air Force veteran turned state lawmaker and college instructor enjoys enthusiastic backing from social conservatives who've anchored his state career, and he's perhaps at his most animated when he touts his opposition to abortion rights.



Yet Saccone struggled to raise money and stir the same passions that helped Trump sweep the industrial Midwest on his way to the White House. The consistent fundraising deficit has left him with limited resources to air the message he delivers one-on-one: His four decades of experience in the private sector, international business and now the legislature make voters' choice a no-brainer.



Lamb, meanwhile, has excited core Democrats and aimed for independents and moderate Republicans.



"We worked really hard for it," Lamb said after voting.



He did it as national Republican groups filled airwaves and social media with depictions of the first-time candidate as little more than a lemming for Nancy Pelosi  the California Democrat, House minority leader.



Lamb answered the critique by saying he won't support Pelosi as floor leader, much less a return to the speaker's rostrum. He also says he opposes major new gun restrictions  though he backs expanded background checks  and declared himself personally opposed to abortion, despite his support for its legality.



Lamb has largely avoided mentioning Trump, who remains generally popular in the district even if slightly diminished from his 2016 dominance.



He pairs those tacks with Democratic Party orthodoxy on the new GOP tax law, hammering it as a giveaway to corporations at the certain future expense of Social Security, Medicare and the nation's fiscal security. And he embraces unions, highlighting Saccone's anti-labor record at the statehouse  a noticeable deviation from Murphy's status as a union-friendly Republican.



The AFL-CIO counts 87,000 votes from union households  around a fifth of the electorate.



In a final-hours message on Fox Business Network, Saccone said that he's ready and willing to help Trump.



"He's getting beat up in Washington as you see, from the media, from the bureaucracy and from Hollywood," Saccone said. "He needs a good wingman."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday thanked residents of Crimea for voting to annex the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, calling the move "real democracy" in a speech days ahead of Sunday's presidential election.

"With your decision you restored historical justice," he told the crowd of supporters in Sevastopol, home to the Black Sea Fleet's base.

"With your decision, you showed the whole world what is real, rather than sham, democracy. You came to the referendum and made a decision. You voted for your future and future of your children," Putin said.

In a rallying call, he said there were still things to improve in Crimea, but "we will definitely do everything, because when we are together, we are a huge force that can resolve the most difficult problems."

Putin is running for a historic fourth term in a poll all but guaranteed to hand him another mandate.

His visit to Crimea also included a stop at the construction site of a massive bridge linking the peninsula to Russia and a look at a new airport terminal.

Police said about 40,000 people attended Putin's short speech, having to wait first for several hours to listen to patriotic songs.

An AFP correspondent at the scene put the crowd at nearer 20,000.

Putin's stop at Sevastopol's main Nakhimov square was seen as his last campaign event before the country votes.

Foreign condemnation

The annexation of Crimea in March 2014 was slammed by the international community and led to sanctions against Moscow but is celebrated by most Russians and resulted in a major boost of Putin's popularity at the time.

After Putin's speech, the U.S. State Department reacted with a statement titled starkly: "Crimea is Ukraine."

"In his campaign rally in Crimea today, President Putin reiterated Russia's false claims to Ukrainian territory in another open admission that the Russian government disdains the international order and disrespects the territorial integrity of sovereign nations," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

Russian authorities scheduled the election for March 18 to mark exactly four years since Putin signed a treaty with representatives from Crimea to make it a part of Russia.

Ahead of the vote, authorities are presenting the annexation as a major legacy of Putin's current term, with Moscow's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warning recently that failing to endorse Putin on Sunday would amount to opposing the move.
Turkish forces shelled the Kurdish-held northern Syrian town of Afrin on Wednesday, killing at least seven people, Kurdish forces reported, as government shelling and airstrikes killed at least 20 civilians in the besieged eastern Ghouta enclave near Damascus, activists said.

Shells slammed into the heart of Afrin at dusk at intervals just second apart, forcing residents to rush for cover, according to video published by the People's Protection Units, known as the YPG. The group is being targeted by Turkey as a threat to its national security.

A resident reported a worsening bread shortage as tens of thousands of civilians have flocked to the town seeking relief from the advancing forces, shelling and airstrikes. Azad Mohamed said he waited in line at Afrin's only bakery for eight hours for a few loaves of bread. He said some residents were being turned away without any.

Afrin is already suffering from water and power shortages after Turkish forces cut supplies from the countryside, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Turkey has bombed several bakeries since launching its offensive January 20, according to the observatory.

Thousands of residents had already fled Afrin as the Turkish troops approached, heading toward nearby areas controlled by the Syrian government, but hundreds of thousands more remain trapped in the town as Turkish forces and supporting Syrian opposition fighters move to encircle it.

Turkish airstrikes killed at least eight pro-government militiamen, deployed to help the YPG, south of Afrin, according to the Kurdish military group.

A Facebook page of the Nubl and Zahraa villages posted photographs of the eight killed fighters, who were from the villages.

There was no comment from the Turkish or Syrian government.

Turkey had warned the Syrian government against aiding the Kurdish militia. Turkey launched its military offensive into the border region to drive out Syrian Kurdish forces that it considers to be "terrorists'' and an extension of Kurdish rebels fighting inside Turkey.

In the eastern Ghouta enclave, meanwhile, a doctor in Hamouria, which is inside the besieged zone, said his hospital had been overwhelmed with casualties and that for four hours ambulances could not move the wounded for care. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear for his own safety. At least 10 civilians were killed in Hamouria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Ghouta Media Center said the towns of Arbeen, Jesreen and Saqba were also targeted.

Recent government advances have cleaved eastern Ghouta into a northern and southern pocket. The bombing Wednesday focused on the south.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian Civil Defense first responders, known as White Helmets, said Kfar Batna, a town in the southwestern corner of the enclave, had been particularly heavily bombed since Tuesday.

A video by the White Helmets shows rescuers rushing to a neighborhood in the town, scrambling to find survivors and unable to pick up the dead amid continuing bombing. A couple of women emerge from a cloud of smoke, walking over a pile of debris to get to the rescuers.

Two dozen civilians in need of medical care were evacuated from eastern Ghouta, the latest trickle of urgent cases to leave the area as government forces advance.

Local authorities in Harasta, also in eastern Ghouta, said they had been cut off from the rest of the rebel-held district, isolating 20,000 residents with no access to medical aid or supplies.

A spokesman for a medical charity said the isolation meant that Harasta and another cut-off pocket have not been able to send patients out in the evacuation.

A list of least 1,034 patients, including 72 urgent cases, for evacuation from eastern Ghouta has been drawn up, said Mohamad Katoub, of the Syrian American Medical Society, which oversees a number of medical facilities there.

The evacuation is part of a deal negotiated by the United Nations to allow urgent medical cases to leave the enclave for treatment. About 150 patients and their families left Tuesday.

Opposition activists say more than 1,100 civilians have been killed since government forces intensified their offensive in mid-February. An estimated 400,000 residents remain trapped in eastern Ghouta.
Sierra Leone will hold a runoff presidential election in two weeks after the country's 16 candidates failed to clinch the 55 percent of votes necessary to win in the first round.

National Electoral Commission chair Mohammed Nfa'ali Conteh made the announcement at a press conference Tuesday night, a week after the country went to the polls.

"There will be second election, runoff, exclusively between the All People's Congress presidential candidate Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara, and the Sierra Leone People's Party presidential candidate Julius Maada Bio," he said.

Kamara, a former minister, is the ruling APC's presidential pick. He took 42.7 percent of the vote, slightly behind opposition SLPP's Bio, who took 43.3 percent of the ballots. President Ernest Bai Koroma of the APC must step down this year after serving two terms.

Kamara ran on a platform of continuing the APC's track record of infrastructure development. But opposition groups pointed to alleged corruption by the ruling party, as well as poor handling of crises such as the ebola outbreak in 2014.

This is the second time opposition candidate Bio has run for the country's top government job. He lost the 2012 election to Koroma.

Despite Bio's slight lead this time, reactions from his supporters, who hoped for a first round win, were subdued.

Mutaru Kamara was part of a small crowd of SLPP supporters who gathered quietly outside Bio's house on the outskirts of Freetown.

"I'm not really happy regarding the outcome of the results because we are expecting victory tonight," said Kamara.

At the APC headquarters in the capital, the crowd was more jubilant, even though they lagged in the poll. Party members wearing red cheered in front of television crews.

Mohamed Sise, a carpenter who voted for Kamara, looked for a silver lining.

"It's not a disappointment because we have 15 parties against the ruling party, so if we come second it's a blessing in disguise... We have the power to defeat them second round," he said.

Both APC and SLPP may need to form coalitions with smaller parties to win a majority in the runoff, but analysts say APC faces an uphill battle to do so given widespread anti-establishment sentiment.
Slovakias prime minister announced on Wednesday that he was ready to resign as a way out of the political crisis triggered by the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee.

Robert Ficos surprise move was meant to keep the current three-party coalition in power and avoid the possibility of early elections.

The early elections would be almost certainly accompanied by chaos and instability, Fico said.

His government coalition came to power after 2016 general elections. The next regular ballot is planned for 2020.

Fico said he was ready to resign if the next prime minister is from his left-wing Smer-Social Democracy party and to present his or her name Thursday.

Fico agreed on the plan with the leaders of the other two coalition partners, the Most-Hid party representing ethnic Hungarians and the ultranationalist Slovak National Party.

The deal needs approval from President Andrej Kiska, Ficos rival. According to the Slovak Constitution, it is the president who picks the prime minister.

If the prime minister steps down, it means the end of the entire government.

Kiska already proposed either major changes in the government or an early election as ways to resolve the crisis, suggestions Fico initially dismissed.

It was not immediately clear if Kiska was ready to agree with Ficos new initiative.

It came after tens of thousands of Slovaks joined in anti-government protests across the country last week to demand the governments resignation and a thorough investigation of the shooting deaths of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova.

They were the biggest protests in Slovakia since the 1989 anti-communist Velvet Revolution. Kuciak was writing about ties between the Italian mafia and people close to Fico.

More anti-government protests are scheduled for Friday despites Ficos move, organizers immediately said.

Earlier this week, the crisis deepened after the Most-Hid coalition party called for resolving the situation by holding early elections.

Most-Hid chairman Bela Bugar welcomed Ficos decision, saying it could calm down the situation.

He said the newly created government would mean the continuity in what we started two years ago.

Ficos announcement came amid a poll suggesting a drop in the popularity of his party.
A suicide bomb blast at a police post in eastern Pakistan late Wednesday killed at least nine people and wounded more than 20 others.



The rare attack on the outskirts of the city of Lahore killed and wounded mostly security personnel.



The area deputy inspector general police, Haider Ashraf, told reporters a religious congregation of about 60,000 people was underway in the Raiwind area and the bomber on a motorbike intended to attack the worshipers.



Ashraf said security personnel at the police post intercepted and tried to stop the attacker when he detonated his suicide vest. Ashraf added that body parts of the bomber have been retrieved from the site and an investigation is under way.

The religious gathering was organized by an Islamic organization known as Tableeghi Jamaat, or party of preachers. Security is usually tight around the venue for the annual event.



There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the bombing near Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's most populous Punjab.



The religious party is an ultra-orthodox Islamic sect which preaches that Muslims should replicate the life of Prophet Muhammad and tells its followers they are duty-bound to travel across the world to preach about Islam.
About 5,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya seeking refuge since March 10, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said, after several civilians were killed in what the Ethiopian military said was a botched security operation targeting militants.

Ethiopian state media reported Sunday that soldiers had been deployed to an area near the town of Moyale in Oromia, a region that borders Kenya, in pursuit of Oromo Liberation Front fighters who had crossed into the country from Kenya.

But faulty intelligence led soldiers to launch an attack that killed nine civilians and injured 12 others, the Ethiopian News Agency said.

In a statement Tuesday, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said "the population of refugees from Ethiopia continues to increase" and was now estimated at 5,000.

Refugees from Ethiopia had begun to arrive in Kenya on March 10, it said, adding that they were mostly women and children, including "pregnant and lactating mothers, chronically ill persons, those abled differently and the elderly."

Some of those fleeing had moved with their livestock, compounding pressure on struggling relief agencies, the Red Cross said.

The Oromo Liberation Front is a secessionist group which the Ethiopian government describes as terrorist.

Outbreaks of violence have continued in Oromia province even after Ethiopia declared a six-month, nationwide state of emergency last month following the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

A state official in the Oromia region told Reuters on condition of anonymity that tens of thousands of people have also been internally displaced.

Ethiopia has said that five soldiers who took part in the attack near Moyale have been "disarmed" and are under investigation, while a high-level military delegation has been dispatched to the area to inquire further into the incident.

The town's mayor was not immediately available to comment.

Desalegn said his unprecedented Feb. 15 resignation was intended to smooth the way for reforms, following years of violent unrest that threatened the ruling EPRDF coalition's hold on Africa's second-most populous nation.

His successor as premier and EPRDF chairperson is expected to be named before the end of this month.
The top American commander in Afghanistan and other U.S. officials are talking up prospects for peace negotiations with the Taliban, arguing that after 16 years of war the militants are weary of a stalemate on the battlefield.



Gen. John Nicholson, who commands more than 14,000 U.S troops in an American-led coalition, acknowledged that peace talks, which the Taliban definitively rejected just two years ago, likely would take years to bear fruit.



His emphasis on a push for peace coincides with the Trump administration's injection of new resources into the war effort and the start of the traditional fighting season this spring. It also comes as turmoil in the State Department raises questions about the steadiness, depth and effectiveness of American diplomatic clout.



At the same time, security in Afghanistan is so tenuous that parliamentary elections set for July could slip to autumn. Nicholson said pursuit of a second key feature of Trump's strategy  pressuring Pakistan to halt its support for Taliban-linked militants who use Pakistan as a sanctuary  has yet to produce clear-cut results.



Asked whether Pakistan had changed its behavior in this regard, Nicholson said: "No changes yet that wouldn't be potentially reversible."



The U.S. and its Afghan partner have said many times during the course of America's longest war that the Taliban were faltering and edging toward the peace table, only to be proven wrong. By some measures the Taliban today control more of Afghanistan than at any time since they were forced from power in a U.S.-led invasion in October 2001.



The Taliban have proven far more resourceful than the U.S. originally anticipated.



Brig. Gen. Lance Bunch, director of the air campaign against the Taliban, said the militants are believed to be collecting at least $300 million a year in revenue from a variety of sources, including the narcotics trade and illegal mining. He said the air campaign is targeting labs that enable the Taliban's narcotics trafficking.



The Taliban have not yet responded to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's recent unconditional offer of peace talks. They have, however, insisted that they would only talk peace with Washington. The U.S. position is that the Taliban must talk to Afghan leaders.



Nicholson spoke to reporters Wednesday at Bagram Airfield north of Kabul shortly after consulting for a second day with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Mattis has a long history with the conflict: as a Marine general, he commanded a unit that established a crucial foothold in southern Afghanistan in November 2001.



Mattis told reporters on Tuesday that while getting the entire Taliban leadership to the peace table may be "a bridge too far," some elements of the group "clearly are interested in talking to the Afghan government."'



Senior U.S. military officers in Kabul voiced similar views in interviews this week.



Brig. Gen. Michael R. Fenzel, the coalition's director of strategic plans, said small numbers of Taliban fighters are "coming in" to express interest in reconciling with the Afghan government. He declined to be more specific beyond describing them as groups of 10 or 20 fighters  "not a critical mass" of militants, he said.



Fenzel, Nicholson and other officers credited Ghani with taking a host of military, political and diplomatic measures that together are diminishing prospects for new Taliban gains as the traditional fighting season gets underway in April or May. These include a new push to stiffen security in Kabul, where a series of deadly attacks this year have reinforced the impression of Taliban resilience.



Nicholson said that some members of a newly arrived brigade of U.S. Army advisers are assigned to mentoring Afghan police in Kabul as part of a comprehensive plan for improving security in a city of an estimated 5 million residents. He said U.S. special forces are helping carry out raids on militant safe houses in the city.



Nicholson said the U.S. government needs to focus more attention on the possibilities for a diplomatic opening to the Taliban.



"I would like to see a real concentrated effort on this," he said in the interview. "We need to focus on this more."
China is voicing support for the possible U.S.-North Korea summit, despite concerns that it will be left out of talks that could dramatically alter regional security and political dynamics.

U.S. President Donald Trump surprised the world last week when he agreed to accept North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns offer to meet about ending Pyongyangs nuclear weapons program.

The rapid turn toward diplomacy could defuse building tensions over the Norths accelerated testing of missile and nuclear devices to develop a nuclear-armed long- range missile that can target the U.S. mainland.

The Trump administration has led a maximum pressure campaign that imposed tough sanctions on Pyongyang, and planned for possible military action, if needed, to force the Kim government to give up its nuclear program.

Chinese support

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was delighted with the progress being made to reduce regional tensions and facilitate direct talks between Trump and Kim.

The Chinese leadership has closely consulted the U.S. and South Korea on the prospects of talks. Lu Chao, a North Korea expert at the Liaoning Academy of Social Science in China said Beijing has nothing to fear from being left on the sidelines of the upcoming summit between Washington and its ally in Pyongyang.

Beijings role will not be diminished. Neither will Chinas interests be compromised if the U.S. engages in direct talks with the North Koreans, said Lu.

The Global Times, Chinas Communist Party newspaper, also reacted to the prospect of a Trump/Kim summit by urging the Chinese people to avoid the mentality that China is being marginalized.

Also anxiety

Yet other China scholars in the region worry that Trumps diplomatic initiative could undermine Beijings influence and further strain already tense relaxations between Xi and Kim.

There is evidently anxiety on the progress being made in the absence of its [Chinas] influence all of a sudden, said Seo Jeong-kyung, a professor with the Sungkyun Institute of China Studies in Seoul.

North Korea has still not reacted to Trumps response, nor confirmed the offer for a summit that was communicated though a South Korean envoy that met with Kim in Pyongyang.

If the summit does happen, Trump would be the first head of state who Kim Jong Un will meet since he came to power in 2012. The North Korean leader has yet to meet with Chinese President Xi.

Even though North Korea is dependent on China for over 90 percent of its trade, relations between the two allies has been strained over Pyongyangs nuclear program. The young leader of North Korea has also not cultivated friendly ties with China, and has repeatedly ignored Beijings calls for Pyongyang to refrain from provocative missile and nuclear tests.

In contrast, Kim Jong Il, the father of the current North Korean leader, often visited with the leaders in Beijing, despite his own disagreement with China over nuclear weapons. In the 2000s China led six party talks - that included the U.S., North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and Russia  to reach a denuclearization deal. But in 2009 Kim Jong Il walked away from these talks to resume his countrys nuclear development program.

President Xis frustration with past failure and with the young North Korea leader may also be part the reason why Beijing is willing to sit out the denuclearization talks this time.

China wants to play some role, but the greatest obstacle is Kim Jong Uns hostility against China," said Shi Yinhong, a political science professor at Renmin University in Beijing.

Improving U.S.-North Korea relations could further estrange Kim from Xi. With a nuclear deal in place, the Trump administration would no longer need Beijings support on sanctions and could take a more confrontational approach to deal with Chinese trade issues and to counter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.

Aligned benefits

For China, there are clear benefits to a North Korea nuclear deal. It would reduce the potential for conflict in the region and restore expanding cross border economic activity.

Rather than lead to confrontation with the U.S. on other issues, there is also speculation that Beijing could leverage its support of U.S. led sanctions to end Washingtons objections to Chinas claims in the South China Sea, or to the One China Principle on Taiwan.

There have been discussions about trying to obtain the cooperation of the U.S. to unify Taiwan into China, after securing a good deal with the U.S. on the North Korea issue, said Seo Jeong-kyung, with the Sungkyun Institute of China Studies.

A nuclear deal would also increase pressure on the United States and South Korea to reduce their military presence and remove the THAAD missile defense shield that was deployed on South Korea last year.
Tuaregs in northern Niger are hoping to draw tourists back to the region by putting their traditional dances, music poetry and camel races on display.



Despite concerns about Islamic extremism throughout the Sahel region in West Africa, organizers recently hosted more than 1,000 visitors to a cultural festival in Iferouane, a village in Niger's far north.



"Without tourism, our youth risks falling into idleness and misery, and will join the wave of migration to Europe," said Mohamed Houma, the mayor of the town located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the central city of Agadez.



The Air festival, considered one of the most important gatherings to celebrate the culture of the Tuareg people, has been held since 2001.



It was marked last month by the sound of tende, the Tuareg style of music and drumming, as the women and men, on foot and on their camels, participated in song and dance competitions.



Since 2001, the gatherings have been held to celebrate the culture of the semi-nomadic Tuareg people. More than 2 million Tuaregs live in the Sahara Desert area, stretching across Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Tunisia.



Niger's Air region, with oases, mountains and sand dunes, has been a destination for adventurous Western tourists since the 1980s and the visitors have been a financial boon for the region. But the tourism has dwindled since the Tuareg rebellion, which lasted from 2007 to 2009, and from the proliferation of armed and extremist groups in the Sahel region.

Security guards watched over the dozen French and Belgian tourists who participated this year's in Air Festival.



"We are very happy because this festival shows the rest of the world that despite the international geopolitical and security context, we live here in peace, sheltered from the upheavals of some of our neighboring countries," Houma said.

French tourists to the festival this year included Jacques Maire, a French legislator who heads a France-Niger Friendship group in the French National Assembly.



While the situation in Niger is tense, he said it is not the worst in the region.



"There has always been a strong French appetite for the Sahara," said Maire. "We must seize every opportunity to recreate tourist flows."'
The dismissal of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is threatening to further complicate efforts to resolve a crisis involving key NATO ally, Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that Tillerson's firing likely would delay a meeting scheduled for Monday between the two diplomats.

Cavusoglu had earlier described the Monday meeting as key to resolving ongoing differences between the countries over Washington's support of the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, in its war against the Islamic State.

Ankara considers the militia terrorists linked to a Kurdish insurgency inside Turkey.

The dispute has poisoned relations between NATO allies, potentially spilling over into direct confrontation with Ankara, who is threatening to attack the YPG in the Syrian City of Manbij, where U.S. forces are deployed with the Kurdish militia.

Analysts claim Tillerson worked hard to pull the countries from the brink, including a three-and-a-half-hour meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Cavusoglu in January.

"We worked with Tillerson at a point in which our ties came to a critical stage," Cavusoglu said Wednesday. "We continued our communication even in the most difficult times."

Turkish and U.S. officials are currently engaged in a series of meetings to resolve ongoing differences.

"In the first instance, Ankara, and especially foreign minister Cavusoglu, is losing an interlocutor that he appears to be getting along with quite amicably," said political columnist Semih Idiz of the Al Monitor website. "The choice of Mike Pompeo is being questioned in Ankara."

U.S. President Donald Trump has named Pompeo, the former CIA chief, as Tillerson's replacement at the State Department. In a tweet the day after the failed coup in Turkey in 2016, Pompeo referred to Erdogan as heading a totalitarian Islamist dictatorship.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim sought to play down the nomination of Pompeo, who still has to be confirmed by Congress.

"Whoever comes in, Turkey's stance is clear. It is not very important to us what the new secretary thinks about Turkey," Yldrm said.

The YPG

Analysts point out that Ankara is likely to be more concerned with Pompeo's stance toward the YPG.

"Pompeo may take a harder line. He may be closer to the Pentagon's position of supporting the YPG and that they will defend the YPG against any attacks from anybody, which includes Turkey," Idiz said. "So, there is this concern in Ankara that Pompeo will be more aligned to the military outlook than the diplomatic."

Turkish presidential and diplomatic sources frequently blame the Pentagon's strong support for the YPG as the root of many problems in bilateral relations.

But other observers suggest the outcome of future Turkish-U.S. relations will ultimately depend on the diplomatic goals of the new secretary of state.

"Pompeo has a military background. He is a person more likely to play hardball than Mr. Tillerson. If that is used for Turkey's interest, is one thing. If it's used against Turkey, is something else," said former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Iraq and Washington.

"The difference will be what the priorities of the U.S. [are], and whether they can accommodate Turkey, is the question. Whether there will be real friction between the U.S. and Iran in our region?" Selcen added.

Iran

Pompeo is widely seen as a hawk toward Iran, a stance Trump indicated as a factor behind nominating him. A tougher stance toward Tehran could become a powerful impetus to Washington improving relations with Ankara.

"The United States needs Turkey, given what the United States wishes to accomplish in the region. Primarily, how are you going to contain Iran in the region?" asked Soil Ozel, international relations expert at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.

Turkey is one of Iran's main trading partners, and it borders both Syria and Iraq. Tehran is seeking to expand its influence. Such a strategic location is why analysts suggest Ankara would be key in reining in Iran's influence.

But Pompeo may not find a willing partner in Ankara for any new aggressive policy toward Tehran.

"I think Ankara ... will want now to maintain its own specific relations with Iran, even if America pressures it to take a specific position on Iran," Idiz said. "Remember in the past, it [Ankara] has very rarely fallen in line with the West on Iran, especially on sanctions."

Analysts point out a stark reminder of Ankara's independent stance toward Tehran: the January conviction by a New York Court of a senior Turkish banking official of evading U.S. sanctions against Iran, among other offenses.

Prosecutors implicated former Turkish ministers closely linked to Erdogan. The case is another point of contention in bilateral relations that Ankara claims is politically motivated.
Ugandas new police bosses have been given a big job  rebuild public confidence in an institution that has seen its image damaged by soaring crime.



Unsolved murders, including those of a police boss, a state prosecutor, Muslim clerics and women; attacks on residents, robberies and the recent killings of foreigners in hotels  that is the crime scene in Uganda. Police corruption compounds the problem.



With public frustration growing, President Yoweri Museveni last week named Okoth Martins Ochola as the inspector-general of police, with Brigadier Sabiiti Muzei as his deputy.

The reshuffle came just a few days after the kidnap and brutal murder of a young woman, whose captors warned her relatives not to call the police. One of the kidnappers was recorded saying we are working with the police and would know if the family sought help.

This was just one of many cases in which police have been implicated in crime. Only a few officers have been held to account for criminal activities. The police also have been seen working with militias and criminal groups during police operations, thus discrediting investigations.



One suspect, Juma Muyirwa confessed before journalists that many criminals work with the police.



He says police in patrol cars protect him and his comrades, and they were taken to a rich mans house. When they got there, Muyirwa says the police handed us pangas (large knives) and told them to get to work attacking the residents. The police protect them, he says.



President Museveni last week said the police have long been infiltrated by criminals.



With Ochola at the head of the force, many in Uganda now hope for greater security and accountability. He has been on the force 30 years and is seen as a disciplinarian. He also has served as a legal officer, which may indicate more criminal investigations will go through proper procedures.

His new deputy, Brigadier Muzei, comes from the military, where he had been commander of the military police.

Despite the allegations of corruption, police spokesperson Emiliano Kayima says the force provides security for all Ugandans.



A few incidents that happened, that probably even threatened all of us, they are bad enough. But this is not to say that we are in disarray. In the near future, the new team that comes I am sure will have a road map. And we shall see if there are gaps that have been exploited by this criminality, it will be purged, but we are here to serve.



However, political analyst Godber Tumushabe says he expects little change.



I actually dont think there is a change of guard. I think we are still at exactly the same point. Because, the chief security person in this country is President Museveni," he said. "So, as long as he is the president, commander in chief, I doubt if any of these guys have the ability to transform the security architecture of this country.

For Ugandans, a new police administration focusing on the state will hopefully be reason enough to restore confidence in the police force.




The United Nations Human Rights Office is calling on the Eritrean government to immediately release all people who are arbitrarily detained and ensure they receive a fair trial. On Wednesday, a senior rights official updated the U.N. Human Rights Council on the prevailing rights situation in Eritrea.

For years, groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have considered Eritrea one of the most repressive countries in the world. There is no independent media, critics of the government are routinely arrested, and most young people are forced into years of "national service," which some liken to slavery.

U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore, who presented Wednesday's report, says the human rights situation for Eritreas people has not improved.

Arbitrary detention without charge or trial are still the norm in the country, affecting thousands imprisoned, languishing within the countrys jail cells, including those who were reportedly arrested after participating in the funeral of the 93-year-old founder of an Islamic school who himself had been arrested for opposing the takeover of the school by the state, she said.

Thousands of people reportedly were rounded up when demonstrations broke out at the clerics funeral earlier this month.

Gilmore says a U.N. delegation to Eritrea in October raised a number of troubling human rights concerns with authorities.

We emphasized the need to strengthen the rule of law and to ensure access to justice. We urged an end to indefinite national service  which is the root cause of so many human rights violations," she said. "We asked that information on the whereabouts of disappeared persons be provided urgently, as should access for the families of those in detention.

Gilmore says the U.N. delegation urged the Eritrean government to implement a constitution under which human rights are fully protected.

She says the government said it was still considering a review of the constitution  something that Eritrean officials have raised as a possibility before, but with no actual results.

Gilmore says her office is committed to working with the government in hopes of bringing about tangible reforms to end decades of human rights violations.
A senior U.S. official on Tuesday urged Macedonia and Greece to seize the moment to resolve a decades-long dispute over the Balkan country's name that has prevented it from joining NATO.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wes Mitchell visited Macedonia's capital, Skopje, as part of a Balkan tour. He told reporters "there is a tremendous opportunity" for Skopje and Athens to reach a deal over the long-running spat.

Macedonia and Greece have been at odds for a quarter-century over the name Macedonia, but have pledged to resolve the dispute by the summer. Greece argues the country's name harbors territorial claims on its own northern province of Macedonia.

The two countries have intensified talks recently in hopes of finding a compromise to end the dispute.

Prime Minister Zoran Zaev, speaking at a joint news conference with Mitchell, said he had told the U.S. official Macedonia and Greece were "starting the final phase that will ultimately bring a dignified solution to this issue."

The left-led governments in both countries have been holding talks with a U.N. negotiator, Matthew Nimetz.

Greece wants Macedonia to add a modifier such as "north" or "upper" to Macedonia's name, and Zaev has said he is open to some options.

But the proposals have triggered protests in both countries.

"We acknowledged that the only solution that will last is the one that both parties would work out for themselves," Mitchell said. "We are encouraged in that regard with the steps that Macedonia and Greece have taken, so we want to be supportive."

Mitchell visited Kosovo before arriving in Macedonia, and was scheduled to head from Skopje to Serbia.
The United States is trying to improve Syrian rebels' ability to detain what has become a steadily growing number of foreign fighters in Syria, the top U.S. commander in the Middle East told Congress on Tuesday.

Army General Joseph Votel, the head of U.S. Central Command, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces were holding more than 400 detainees.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has been urging reluctant allies to address the escalating crisis by taking responsibility for their citizens who have been captured. During a meeting of allied defense ministers in Rome last month, Mattis pressed them to use diplomatic, legal and other means to take back citizens detained in Syria to make sure they don't get back on the battlefield. And the subject came up again during a meeting of NATO defense ministers that followed.

"We are working with our partners in the government here to work to get them back to their countries so they can be prosecuted in accordance with their laws,'' Votel told senators Tuesday.

Asked by Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, if there was a "credible,'' long-term plan to detain the fighters inside Syria, Votel said the U.S. was working on that now.

So far, however, those entreaties to allies have been largely unsuccessful. Officials have said that only one or two detainees have been returned to their home countries.

British stance

As an example, British officials made it clear they did not want to accept the return of two notorious British members of an Islamic State cell who were commonly dubbed "The Beatles'' and were known for beheading hostages. The two men  El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey  were captured in early January in eastern Syria and are being held by the SDF.

Belgium officials have also spoken against the return of any detainees to their country. Belgium Foreign Minister Didier Reynders has suggested that detainees be tried where they were captured.

Most of the foreign fighters are from the region, including Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Hundreds of them have fought alongside IS in recent years as it seized large parts of Syria, raising concerns they'll commit terrorism at home if they return.

The U.S. is mainly advising and working with the SDF and with other nongovernment organizations and the United Nations to ensure detainees get appropriate care, including food, beds and shelter from the weather. But the U.S. military in Syria doesn't have the funding or ability to actually solve detention facility shortages.

As the number of detainees increases, U.S. officials worry that the SDF will lose either the ability or the will to continue to hold them. Doing nothing, Mattis warned the allies, is not an option.
The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State has been able to decimate the terror group's self-proclaimed caliphate in Iraq and Syria but these gains could be easily undercut by continued instability, a U.S. intelligence official warned Tuesday.

In the near term, I worry about a loss of gains in Syria and Iraq, David Cattler, of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said Tuesday at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done there, he said.

The Islamic State terror group has lost thousands of fighters and has been expelled from more than 98 percent of territory it held for over three years in Iraq and Syria.

Last year the group was pushed out of its self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa in Syria and declared defeated in Iraq.

Now the coalition is helping the Syrian Democratic Forces to finish off IS remnants in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border.

IS global ideology

Cattler said IS ideology continues to resonate globally as it tries to adjust to the losses in the region.

In Syria, he warned that gains are threatened by increased complexity in the battlefield where allies and enemies compete for influence.

The United States, Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia are all combating ISIS. We are fighting the same enemy as our adversaries. As such, they too will likely reap the benefits of a peace dividend, Cattler said.

Meanwhile, Turkey and the Kurds, both U.S. allies, have turned on each other, thereby diverting attention from IS, he added.

Sunni Shiite dynamics

In Iraq, he said, gains are endangered by increased political instability fueled by reconstruction challenges and lack of trust between Sunni residents and the Shiite-dominated central government.

Even if these do not lead to the groups resurgence, fears of reprisals and Sunni grievances due to political marginalization, discrimination, and delays in reconstruction may hamper the reconciliation necessary for a sustained peace, which is a key U.S. objective," he said.

Islamic State is believed to have exploited Sunni fears of Shiite domination to seize large swaths of predominantly Sunni regions in 2014. Sunni leaders have already accused the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces of committing crimes in Sunni areas retaken from IS and have asked for the disbanding of the group.

But the Shiite leaders reject those claims and say the group needs to be given an institutionalized role as an effective fighting force to prevent the re-emergence of IS.

Last Thursday the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a decree formalizing the incorporation of the Shiite paramilitary group into the country's official security forces.

Reconstruction challenges

Meanwhile, the Iraqi government has another daunting task to complete: the post IS reconstruction of the country. The government says the reconstruction and normalization of war-torn areas is a priority, but an impossible task to undertake without international support.

An international conference in Kuwait last month collected about $30 billion mostly in credit facilities and investment to help rebuild Iraq's economy and infrastructure. But that amount felt short of Baghdad's appeal which said it needed $88 billion to recover from three years of war.

The delayed reconstruction efforts have also pushed millions of people to stay in refugee camps. The UN Migration Agency estimates some 3.5 million Iraqis have returned to their homes but over 3 million people remain internally displaced.

Norwegian Refugee Council, an aid group helping internally displaced Iraqis, last month reported that Iraqi authorities were forcing many civilians to return to their homes despite the risk of death from booby-traps or acts of vigilantism.

The group said the Iraqi government feared that delays in returning people could result in the postponement of parliamentary elections scheduled for May.
The Trump administration is pressing China to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $100 billion, a White House spokeswoman said Wednesday, clarifying a tweet last week from President Donald Trump.

Last Wednesday, Trump tweeted that China had been asked to develop a plan to reduce its trade imbalance with the United States by $1 billion, but the spokeswoman said Trump had meant to say $100 billion.

The United States had a record $375 billion trade deficit with China in 2017, which made up two-thirds of a global $566 billion U.S. trade gap last year, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

China reported its 2017 U.S. trade surplus as $276 billion, also about two-thirds of its reported global surplus of $422.5 billion.

The White House spokeswoman declined to provide details about how the administration would like China to accomplish the surplus-cutting goal  whether increased purchases of U.S. products such as soybeans or aircraft would suffice, or whether it wants China to make major changes to its industrial policies, cut subsidies to state-owned enterprises, or further reduce steel and aluminum capacity.

The request comes as the Trump administration is said to be preparing tariffs on imports of up to $60 billion worth of Chinese information technology, telecoms and consumer products as part of a U.S. investigation into China's intellectual property practices.

It is also unclear if the requested $100 billion reduction would address U.S. complaints about China's investment policies that effectively require U.S. firms to transfer technology to Chinese joint venture partners in order to gain market access.

The issue is a core part of the probe being conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, a provision seldom invoked since the World Trade Organization was founded in 1995. Trade experts have said tariffs imposed as a result of the China intellectual property probe may fall outside of WTO rules.

U.S. targets Indian subsidies

But Washington showed on Wednesday that it has not abandoned the global trade body, launching a WTO legal challenge to India's export subsidies for domestic companies, including producers of steel, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles and IT products.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said India had failed to remove the subsidies as required by WTO rules after the country reached certain economic benchmarks.

The United States is expected to invoke a national security exception to WTO rules in imposing import tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum announced by Trump last week.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told lawmakers on Wednesday his department would soon publish procedures for product-specific exemptions from the steel tariffs for items that are not available from domestic producers or in short supply. The procedures are due by Sunday.

Anne Forristall Luke, president of the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, said the group would be "pressing very hard" for an exemption from tariffs for high-strength wire rod used to make cord for steel tire belts that is not produced by U.S. mills.

The largest sources for the material are Japan and Brazil, she said, adding that U.S. tire producers will lose business to foreign competitors if their steel costs rise.

"We are working this from the product side and the country side. We think we have a very good case," she told Reuters.
The United States is rejecting as "laughable and patently false" Iranian allegations that American troops in Afghanistan support Islamic State militants.

Citing "intelligence as well as eyewitness accounts," Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, earlier this week alleged U.S. military helicopters were seen rescuing and airlifting IS militants from battle zones and an eastern Afghan prison to unknown locations.

U.S. Ambassador to Kabul John Bass and NATO's Resolute Support military mission, in separate statements Wednesday to an Afghan television station, dismissed Zarif's accusations as propaganda.

Tehran should be focusing its energies on supporting the Afghan government's peace efforts "rather than spreading falsehoods," Bass told TOLOnews.

"The facts are clear: U.S. forces have removed more than 1,000 ISIS-K combatants from the battlefield, and the combined efforts of the United States and the Afghan National Defense and Security forces have reduced ISIS-K's presence in Afghanistan," the ambassador said, using one of several acronyms for the Syrian-based terrorist group.

A U.S. embassy spokesman confirmed to VOA that Bass issued the statement exclusively to the channel in response to comments made by the Iranian foreign minister.

Captain Tom Gresback, of NATO's mission, also told the Afghan television station that every effort has been made on the ground and from the air to kill IS militants and to prevent them from establishing a presence in the country.

"This false Iranian narrative has no substance, is based on no evidence, and repeats a deliberate Russian propaganda and disinformation campaign," he said.

Moscow has also increasingly alleged in recent months that "unmarked" military helicopters are making flights to areas in northern Afghanistan where IS militants are entrenched, which borders Russia's allied Central Asian states.

While Russians have avoided naming U.S. and NATO, the Iranian foreign minister, during his official visit Monday to neighboring Pakistan, directly accused Washington of supporting Afghan-based IS militants.

For their part, U.S. officials alleged Moscow and Tehran are supporting the Taliban insurgency to undermine hard-earned political and security gains Afghanistan has achieved over the past 16 years with the help of international partners.
Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul said on Wednesday he would oppose President Donald Trump's nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo to be secretary of state and CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel to become the new director of the CIA.

Paul also said he would "do everything I can" to block them.

Haspel has faced strong criticism for overseeing a secret Central Intelligence Agency prison where detainees were tortured in the years following the Sept. 11 attacks.

"I find it just amazing that anyone would consider having this woman at the head of the CIA. My opposition to her is over her direct participation in interrogation and her gleeful enjoyment at the suffering of someone who was being tortured," Paul told a news conference.

Pompeo, a former Republican member of the House of Representatives, was confirmed as CIA director with the support of two-thirds of the Senate last year. Many legislators have said they are happy with his workat the agency, and expect he will be confirmed as the United States' top diplomat.

Paul is the first Republican to come out against the nominations, which Trump announced on Tuesday. He was the only Republican who voted last year against Pompeo's nomination to be CIA director.

Another Republican senator, John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, also had questions about Haspel, but did not say he would oppose her. McCain has not been in Washington to vote this year as he undergoes cancer treatment at home in Arizona.

Haspel is respected for her work in the clandestine service and held in high regard at the CIA. Early indications are that, if her hearing goes well, she would be supported by at least enough moderate Democrats to be confirmed.

An intelligence officer who worked with Haspel denied she was anything like a "gleeful participant," saying, "That makes it sound like she was holding the bucket and laughing, when all she was was a bureaucrat following orders."

A CIA spokesman said the agency was aware of Paul's statement and had no immediate comment.

Trump's fellow Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the Senate, so it would take little Republican dissent to block a nomination, but only if all Democrats vote no.

Paul could make the process difficult particularly for Pompeo. He is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which will hold Pompeo's confirmation hearing and vote on whether to report his nomination favorably to the full Senate.

His opposition could keep the committee from doing so, if every Democrat also opposed the nominee, although the Senate's Republican leaders could hold a vote anyway.

Committee Democrats said it was too early to say how they would vote.

Senate Republicans said they expect both confirmation hearings to be held soon. Pompeo's is expected in April.

Every Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel voted against Trump's first secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, in January 2017, but the panel advanced his nomination by an 11-10 vote because every Republican, including Paul, backed him.
Venezuelan security forces on Tuesday detained Miguel Rodriguez, a powerful former interior minister and intelligence chief who broke with Nicolas Maduros leftist government, a witness told Reuters.

The motives of the detention were not immediately clear. The ruling Socialists have accused Rodriguez of seeking to topple the unpopular Maduro amid Venezuelas crippling economic crisis that has sparked hunger and disease.

Rodriguez, an army major-general who was close to late leader Hugo Chavez, was arrested during an event at the President Hotel in Caracas, said Indira Urbaneja, an aide to Rodriguez.

Theyve arrested Miguel, Urbaneja said in a phone interview.

A video circulating on social media showed agents escorting him into a white van amid commotion. As the jeep speeds off, Urbaneja is heard shouting We have to denounce this!

The Information Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The office of the Vice Presidency, which oversees the Sebin intelligence agency, did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

Maduro has clamped down on dissent in the last year by arresting or sidelining political rivals and has arrested dozens of oil executives.

Authorities have also detained soldiers on charges including treason, rebellion, theft and desertion, according to military documents seen by Reuters.
The White House on Tuesday hosted 19 nations, including Israel and Arab Gulf states, to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but the Palestinian Authority boycotted the meeting, angered by the Trump administration's policies on Jerusalem.

U.S. President Donald Trump reversed decades of U.S. policy in December when he decided to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv.

The administration is also putting the final touches on a Middle East peace plan, and U.S. officials said the conference was integral to future negotiations.

"Fixing Gaza is necessary to achieve a peace agreement," one of the senior administration officials said. The officials stressed that the multination humanitarian and reconstruction effort remained in its beginning stages.

Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Trump who is overseeing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process for the White House, gave a two-hour presentation to the attending countries, officials said, but the potential U.S. peace plan was not addressed.

No Israeli-Arab talks

Attendees included representatives from Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, as well as several European nations. The format did not allow for direct discussions between Israel and the Arab states, officials said.

Potential electricity, water, sewage and health projects were discussed, but officials declined to outline specific proposals. A senior administration insisted that many projects could be implemented without assistance of the Palestinian Authority, but the goal was to have it ultimately engage in the multilateral process.

Gaza faces a 43.6 unemployment rate, and many in Gaza blame Israel for the hardships, accusing it of placing an economic blockade on the enclave that has drastically reduced movement of people and goods.

But Gazans also fault their own leaders, complaining of a power struggle between Hamas, the armed group that seized military power in Gaza in 2007, and Fatah, the secular party of Western-backed Palestinian President Abbas.

Israel, which pulled its settlers and soldiers out of Gaza in 2005, says it has been forced to control access to and from the territory to prevent Hamas from sending out gunmen and bombers, and from smuggling in weapons or material to make them.

The Palestinian Authority's prime minister, Rami Hamdallah, escaped an apparent assassination attempt in Gaza on Tuesday, when a bomb struck his convoy. Hamas and the Palestinian Authority signed an agreement in October that called for the Islamist group to hand administrative control of Gaza to the authority, but it remains to be fully implemented.
China plans to set up an international development cooperation agency, according to a parliament document released on Tuesday, to better coordinate its foreign aid program.

The new agency will be responsible for forming policies on foreign aid, as well as granting aid and overseeing its implementation, according to the document.

"The move is to give full play to foreign aid as a key means of major-country diplomacy, enhance strategic planning and coordination of foreign aid, and better serve the country's overall diplomatic layout and the Belt and Road Initiative," state news agency Xinhua said.

The Belt and Road initiative refers to President Xi Jinping's landmark scheme to build a new Silk Road, connecting China to Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond.

The new agency will be formed as part of a broad reshuffle of government departments that China's largely rubber-stamp parliament will formally approve on Saturday.

China has only occasionally provided details of its foreign aid program in recent years.

The last time it did, in a policy paper released in 2014, it said more than half of China's foreign aid of more than $14 billion between 2010 and 2012 was directed to Africa, underscoring Beijing's interest in the resource-rich continent to fuel its economy.

It provided no breakdown of aid recipients or any yearly figures. In 2011, China put its total foreign aid over the past six decades at 256.29 billion yuan ($40.51 billion).

Some Chinese projects have attracted attention for China's support of governments with poor human rights records and lack of transparency, such as Zimbabwe, Sudan and Angola.

China says its aid has no political strings attached, unlike many Western countries, and that its development programs are often much more warmly welcomed as a result.

($1 = 6.3270 Chinese yuan renminbi)
Although they never clashed publicly, the relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been strained almost from the outset of the latter's 14-month tenure as America's top diplomat. Here are some of the issues that caused friction between the two men.
The Constitutional Court today reserved judgement on an application filed by three Zimbabweans challenging some restrictive provisions of the Electoral Act, which prevent Zimbabwean citizens living outside the country from participating in the countrys electoral processes.

Belinda Chinowawa, who is representing the applicants and is affiliated to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), told VOA Zimbabwe Service that the full bench will inform them of the next court date.

The hearing of the application follows the granting of an order by Chief Justice Luke Malaba, who in January this year, gave the green light to three Zimbabweans living outside the country to file the application on the right to vote.

In their application, which was filed by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC), human rights lawyer Gabriel Shumba and two other applicants, are seeking an order to compel the respondents, who include the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) among other respondents, to facilitate the amendment of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) and put appropriate measures so as to enable Zimbabweans living and working abroad to participate in the countrys electoral processes.

In the application, ZLHR and SALC argued that the residents requirements imposed under the Electoral Act are unconstitutional and that the new constitution, which provides for political rights allows for every citizen of Zimbabwe to participate in political processes, wherever they are.

The applicants want some restrictive provisions of the Electoral Act, which disenfranchises some Zimbabweans based on their physical positions, struck off the countrys statutes.
This content is expired!

Unfortunely this content is expired and cannot be viewed anymore; if You are the owner of this content please login to our Website, go to our access panel and enable this content again.
16 March-9 May. On the 40th anniversary of the massacre of Via Fani, Rome's MAXXI recalls Aldo Moro through the work of three artists along with a series of initiatives that trace the kidnapping and imprisonment of the Italian statesman.

Central to the project is a 3.24-sqm work by Francesco Arena which reproduces in real dimensions the narrow space in which Moro was held prisoner for 55 days, on display from 16 March until 9 May: the dates of Moro's abduction and the finding of his body.

For full details of the other installations and parallel events see MAXXI website
The Short Film Sector Inside the Irish Film Industry at Irish Film Festa

22 March. The Making Shorts  Short Films Panel takes place on 22 March as part of the 11th IRISH FILM FESTA, running from 21-25 March. The event offers an in-depth analysis over the short film production as part of the Irish and Northern Irish film industry, a sector whose work has gained international accolades.

The production of short films in Ireland is constantly developing, both in terms of quality and quantity: the Irish Film Board, public institution that supports the national film industry, every year it provides specific funds for fiction, documentary and animation, including also other special initiatives. In Northern Ireland similar initiatives are carried out by Northern Ireland Screen.

The programming of the main national festivals devotes ample space to short films; out of these  the Galway Film Fleadh, the Cork Film Festival and the Foyle Film Festival  are Academy Awards qualifying festivals and hence they guarantee their winners the eligibility for the Oscars.

So far, three short films from Ireland or Northern Ireland have won an Oscar for Best Short Film: Six Shooter by Martin McDonagh (2005), The Shore by Terry George (2011) and Stutterer by Benjamin Cleary (2015).

IRISH FILM FESTA pays particular attention to this area of the Irish film production and since 2010 has hosted a popular competition dedicated specifically to shorts.

The panel of this year represents a special occasion for networking and debate for all Italian filmmakers and film professionals since they will have the chance to share ideas and projects with their fellow Irish filmmakers following the panel presentation.

The speakers include Christine Morrow (Northern Ireland Screen), Derry OBrien (Network Ireland Television) and Eibh Collins (Galway Film Fleadh, short film programmer). Some short films directors attending the festival will also take part in the panel.

The event, with free entry and simultaneous translation, will be held in the Sala Deluxe at the Casa del Cinema from 15.00-17.00 on 22 March. RSVP (info and accreditation): irishfilmfesta@gmail.com  tel. 339650901. For full details see IFF website.
Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue.

The new European data protection law requires us to inform you of the following before you use our website:

We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. By clicking I agree below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. See our Privacy Policy and Third Party Partners to learn more about the use of data and your rights. You also agree to our Terms of Service.
Before the vote, The Washington Post had reported on multiple lapses in care at the hospital and its attached nursing home, including the death of a man who was left on the floor after crying out that he couldnt breathe and dangerous medical errors that led regulators to temporarily close the hospitals obstetrics ward. The hospital board voted to permanently close the unit in December.
The school, the financial audit found, is expected to need an infusion of more than $830,000 between now and the end of the fiscal year, which concludes June 30. That jumps to more than $1 million when taking into account pay owed to teachers through the end of the summer. The school has a $300,000 line of credit, which it has maxed out.
Environmentalists spent much of last year trying to stop construction of the 3.5-mile pipeline beneath the Potomac River and C&O Canal in Western Maryland. They say the pipeline could jeopardize the drinking water supply of about 6 million people, many of them in the Washington metropolitan area.
Baker said that because it is election season, there will inevitably be a lot of chatter about whats wrong in Prince Georges County. But what cannot be disputed, he added, is that the next executive will take over a county in much stronger financial shape than in 2010.
One was Californian Vince Collier, who died March 4 of cardiac arrest at 57 in Oaxaca, Mexico, after riding waves at El Mojon beach. He knew Mexican surf well. He often rode the Mexican Pipeline, the globally respected and oft-feared tubes off Puerto Escondido. He was known as the Godfather of Santa Cruz, his California home town and surfing base. He was also one of the first to charge the extreme waves at Mavericks, a surfing location outside Pillar Point Harbor in northern California.
Todays Headlines

The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning.

Email address

By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Federal authorities say the men were arrested Tuesday in Illinois on separate gun charges and that they were suspects in the mosque bombing. But federal authorities in Minnesota charged them with additional counts of arson for their alleged roles in the Aug. 5 explosion at Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.
Take, for example, the story of a Texas woman who claimed that, during a smoke break with her boss, he exposed himself and pushed her head toward his crotch. Despite the egregious nature of her allegations, at the time she could only collect $300,000. Thats because Texas is one of the few states with no additional state laws allowing victims to receive compensation beyond the caps. If her supervisor had hit or physically fought her, she would have been able to sue for millions. But because her claims were considered sexual harassment, she was out of luck. Her case eventually made its way to the Texas Supreme Court, which ruled she could sue for assault with no caps on damages.
Nevertheless, most Republicans have hesitated to worry too much, at least publicly, since the president appeared in polls to have a solid grip on his core voters in areas like Pittsburghs southern suburbs  the voters Republicans are counting on to turn out in droves this fall and stave off a Democratic takeover. He had overseen the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and signed the sweeping tax law that they had craved, which reassured them along the way.
Those are kind of fighting words for me, because Im partial to Missouri voters, said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who is running in a state Trump won by 19 points. I think they were expressing their frustration with the status quo. I may not have agreed with their choice, but I certainly respect them. And I dont think thats the way you should talk about any voter, especially ones in my state.
Obama drew an outpouring of African American voters in 2008 and 2012, as well as a flood of young voters of all kinds who saw him as an inspirational figure. Trump in 2016 persuaded millions of voters, particularly across the Rust Belt, that they had been given a raw deal by Obama and previous Republican presidents and that it was time to shock the establishment with a non-politician in the White House.
On the ground, they found what Lamb had learned early  some Trump voters were winnable, and reliable Democratic voters were going to vote for Lamb no matter what. One Republican super PAC sent mailers to Democrats warning them that Lamb opposed new gun laws in the wake of school shootings and that he had broken with his supporters in the labor movement by opposing a $15 minimum wage. (Small businesses, Lamb said, were against it.) He also opposed the brief government shutdown that Democrats hoped to use for a vote on protections for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
Farekh, who was raised in Dubai, served in al-Qaedas external operations unit from 2007 to 2014, prosecutors said. In March 2007, Farekh and two fellow students from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, traveled to Pakistan intending to fight American troops, they said. Before leaving, the men watched videos encouraging violent jihad and listened to sermons by Anwar al-Awlaki, a charismatic preacher and operational leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula  and a U.S. citizen  who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011.
But if the FBI fires McCabe with just days to go before his retirement, it could be viewed as bending to the will of a vindictive president. Trump has previously suggested McCabe was biased in favor of Clinton, pointing out that McCabes wife, who ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Virginia legislature, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from the political action committee of Terry McAuliffe, the then-governor of Virginia and a noted Clinton ally. During an Oval office meeting in May, Trump is said to have asked McCabe whom he voted for in the presidential election and vented about the donations.
The wise course of action would be to not make a big thing out of the date, said Aaron David Miller, a Wilson Center scholar who helped with preparations for three presidential summits when he worked at the State Department during Republican and Democratic administrations. They said May, but it could easily be June or July. They need time here. And they cant rush it. They only get one shot at this. And if it goes badly, they may never get another shot.
Fans of Jersey Boys, which has been seen by millions, will tell you its a Tony Award-winning show about the Four Seasons  the 1960s group that gave us such hits as Sherry, Rag Doll and Walk Like a Man.

But those words only scratch the surface, according to Chris Stevens, who will appear in the national touring production coming to Waterburys Palace Theater, Friday and Saturday, March 23 and 24. The musical tells the story of how four blue-collar kids worked very hard and diligently to become The Four Seasons and wind up in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (in 1990), he said in a phone interview.

Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi were New Jersey guys who came from really nothing, said Stevens, who portrays Massi. They just kept working whether relationships were succeeding or failing, whether record producers were saying yes or no, they kept at it.

The Four Seasons invented their own sound and sold 175 million records, all before they were 30. Many of their songs are in Jersey Boys, which won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Like every showbiz story, theirs had ups and downs, Stevens said. These four had some major problems. The four who started the group arent the ones who ended up in it (Massi left in 1965), but it is a special story about real life and what underdogs go through to rise to success ... with great cross-generational music thats still around.

Speaking of real life, one challenge the group faced was dealing with DeVitos gambling habit. In the show he is portrayed as Massis messy roommate, using every towel in the room, then leaving them on the floor and worse. In one scene Massi goes on a colorful tirade about it, after its discovered theyre $162,000 in debt because of DeVito.

Nick is very much the quiet one of the group, Stevens said. But at that point in the story, hes gone a long time without opening his mouth. Nick says, Youre really not a good human, dude, and he wants the rest of the group to know.

Stevens said he had the honor of meeting the real Bob Gaudio this past January. He told me Nick (who died in 2000) cared only about the music, wasnt into the drama and didnt hang out much.

So how did Stevens win the role of Massi? The 2011 graduate of DeSales University in Pennsylvania said he did a national tour of Cats right out of college, and auditioned numerous times for a spot in Jersey Boys.

More Information Palace Theater, 100 E. Main St., Waterbury. Friday, March 23, 8 p.m.; Saturday, March 24, 2 and 8 p.m. $95.50-$67.50. 203-346-2000, www.palacetheatrect.org See More Collapse

It took six years for me to get into the show. I was always called in for Bob Gaudio, but then they said, We think you might be aging out of Bob Gaudio. I kind of looked at them and said, Im 28, how am I aging out of anything? 

Fortunately, they asked him to audition as Massi, and when he did, putting his own spin on it, everything fell into place.
It was 13 minutes of soul searching, hurried consultations with leadership, head counting and  finally for some conflicted lawmakers  pressing the red button in the historic hall of the state House of Representatives.

Veteran Rep. Fred Camillo, R-Greenwich, was surrounded by GOP colleagues during the dramatic period before he finally hit the red button on his desk, voting against Supreme Court Justice Andrew J. McDonald, a man he respects and considers a friend.

After waiting and waiting, looking up at the electronic tally boards and talking quietly in the back of the bustling chamber with House Majority Leader Matt Ritter, first-term Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire counted the votes and saw she had enough room, barely, to vote against McDonald without actually sinking his candidacy.

For both, and for many others who voted against McDonalds candidacy, which next moves to the state Senate, the issue was the 2012 repeal of the death penalty in Connecticut and its subsequent expansion to Death Row inmates three years later.

While there were a variety of reasons for opposition to McDonald in the razor-thin House vote, including a dislike of Malloy and disagreement with McDonald on other decisions, the predominant one cited in the debate was the expansion of the death penalty. House Republican Leader Themis Klarides said there was no House caucus position, no showing of hands behind closed doors on McDonalds nomination.

After Speaker of the House Joe Aresimowicz called for the vote Monday after three-and-a-half hours of debate, it took Camillo the better part of 10 minutes to finally vote. Linehan waited until the very end.

In my 10 years up there I have never been so conflicted, Camillo said Tuesday. I had intended to vote yes, but I had an obligation to really listen to all the arguments. The one issue that bothered me was the way the death-penalty repeal was passed and the promises that were made.

Waiting till verdict is clear

As the minutes went by in the House and the white lights spelling out the names of 151 House members began to turn to green or red, with the letters Y or N next to them, several House Republicans congregated around Camillos desk. Hed never experienced that before, but didnt really hear much, amid the conversational roar in the chamber, which had remained abnormally silent during the debate.

Youre kind of tuning everything out, Camillo said, remembering looking at the board as the colors filled in. I was weighing all the positives and negatives. I knew I wasnt going to feel good. Your heart ached one way or the other. They all knew I was struggling with this.

When Camillo finally voted no, Linehan  who had joined Middletown Mayor Dan Drews campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination as his lieutenant governor running mate before he withdrew last year  was standing up against the wall in the back of the chamber, speaking to the Majority Leader Ritter, D-Hartford.

A first-termer in a swing district, Linehan was torn between helping McDonald and representing her district, which still remembers the horror of the Petit family murders. Finally, when the 149 lawmakers present had made their decisions, Linehan voted no. McDonald was confirmed 75-74.

It was a very difficult decision for Liz, Aresimowicz said in a Tuesday phone interview. She knows Andrew and thinks hes a superb Supreme Court justice. In the end she cast her vote against the nomination, based on the feelings of her district.

In all five Democrats joined Republicans, including Linehan, Rep. Bruce V. Morris of Norwalk, Rep. Larry Butler of Waterbury, Rep. Minnie Gonzalez of Hartford and Rep. Dan Rovero of Killingly.

All Republicans, except Rep. Livvy Floren, of Greenwich, voted red. Butler had a brother who was murdered and said during the debate that he felt betrayed by the expansion of the death penalty by the high court.

As a state senator in 2009, McDonald voted to end capital punishment, but the bill was vetoed by then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell. When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed similar legislation in 2012, amid promises that the repeal would not affect the eventual lethal injections for the states 11 Death Row inmates, McDonald was his chief legal counsel.

As a Supreme Court justice, McDonald sided in the narrow, 4-3 decision that led to the life sentences for inmates including Russell Peeler of Bridgeport, who ordered the killing of a mother and her young son; and Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky for the 2007 home invasion, rape and murders of the wife and two daughters of now-state Rep. William Petit of Cheshire.

At the time the high court ruled that capital punishment for Death Row inmates was incompatible with contemporary standards of decency in the state. Eventually the Death Row inmates were resentenced to life without the possibility of release.

Church ruling

Morris, an associate pastor at the Macedonia Church in Norwalk, said he disliked an issue that might have changed the way the Roman Catholic Church is incorporated. The issue emerged after two priests were caught after million-dollar embezzelments in Catholic churches in Greenwich and Darien and the lawmakers discovered that 100-year-old law protects the church hierarchy from liability.

This is more than a vote about Andrew McDonald, in my mind, said Morris, who bucked his party and voted against the nominee. Those priests did an injustice, but thats what we have criminal laws for. How many of you want Connecticut to determine the governance of your house of worship?

McDonalds candidacy will head to the Senate next week where if Republicans unite against him, the nomination of the person who could become the first openly gay chief justice in the nation, will fail at least 18-17 following the recusal of Sen. Gayle S. Slossberg, D-Milford.

State Rep. William Tong, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee who summed up the issue before the green-and-red lights on Monday, said a lot more than a judges career is at stake.

What is really in dispute? Tong asked, noting that if a future Republican governor nominates a candidate who is rejected by a partisan Democratic House majority it ends up in a very ugly place including a possible constitutional crisis in the Constitution State.
Peter Galbraith Braith Kelly Jr. a former power plant executive who was arrested on federal corruption charges along with a former top aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was freed from felony charges on Tuesday, when a jury in Manhattan could not agree on his guilt.

The Albany Times Union reported that Joe Percoco, Cuomo's former top aide was found guilty of three corruption counts in a trial that cast a light on the pay-to-play culture in New York state government. Percoco was found guilty of honest services fraud, conspiracy to commit honest services, and solicitation of bribes and gratuities. Percoco was acquitted of three other counts against him, including extortion.
Larry Kudlow might be the favorite on a list of potential economic advisers to President Donald Trump, but that doesnt mean hes not paying attention to the race for the top seat in his home state.

Kudlow, the TV personality and Redding resident who served as an economic adviser to Trumps campaign, is providing similar advice to a first-time Republican candidate for governor.

Kudlow is a long-time friend of Art Laffer, the economics guru Bob Stefanowski paid to endorse his 26-page plan for resuscitating Connecticuts economy. Its the centerpiece of Stefanowskis mostly-self-funded candidacy for governor, and its apparently got Kudlows approval.

My introduction (to Kudlow) was through Art Laffer, who Ive known for 20 years, Stefanowski said. Art and I wrote the plan for Connecticut and Larry has reviewed that plan. Weve talked about it and hes supportive of what Im trying to do for Connecticut. Larry is very supportive of what Im trying to do to bring taxes down.

Stefanowski stopped short of characterizing their relationship as friends, but said hes been in frequent contact with Kudlow, whos been providing advice on his economic plan for the state.

Art and Larry and I have very similar views on supply-side economics, he said.

Kudlows name has made headlines as the top candidate to replace former Goldman Sachs executive Gary Cohn as Trumps economic chief.

"I'm looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly, Trump told reporters outside the White House Tuesday.

Kudlow took to Twitter after Cohns resignation (prompted by Trumps plan to impose tariffs on aluminum and steel) to say hed encouraged Cohn to stay in the role. Kudlow has also been loudly anti-tariff both on Twitter and in his commentary on CNBC, calling the tariffs a crisis of logic.

Blanket tariffs never a good thing, Kudlow tweeted. Why hurt allies? Or econ? Punish biggest offenders w/ targeted tariffs.

More Information Lawrence "Larry" Kudlow Age: 70 Residence: Redding, Connecticut Political party: Republican (former Democrat) Occupation: Economic analyst, television personality and newspaper columnist Known for: The Kudlow Report See More Collapse

He backed off the stance once Trump announced the tariffs wouldnt apply to every country.

Excluding Canada & Mexico right decision @realDonaldTrump Also optimism on NAFTA. All very positive, Kudlow tweeted.

Trump brushed over their differing viewpoints in his comments to reporters.

We don't agree on everything but in this case I think that's good: I want to have a divergent opinion, Trump said. We agree on most. He now has come around to believing in tariffs as also a negotiating point. I'm renegotiating trade deals and without tariffs we wouldn't do nearly as well. But Larry has been a friend of mine for a long time. He backed me very early in the campaign; I think the earliest; I think he was one of my original backers. He's a very, very talented man, a good man, and I think Larry Kudlow has a good chance. I'm also speaking to many others but I think Larry has a very good chance.

Kudlow, 70, was the host of CNBCs The Kudlow Report, and spent several years working in former president Ronald Reagan's White House budget office, and for the Wall Street firm Bear Stearns. He is still a regular presence on cable news and hosts a podcast, The Larry Kudlow Show. On both Twitter and his podcast, Kudlow has been generally complimentary of Trump on a wide range of issues beyond economics, including on immigration, abortion and the Russia investigation.

A former Democrat, Kudlow has often been touted as a potential Republican challenger to Sen. Richard Blumenthal.
On the business days that sandwiched the provincial budget, the province released a study by Deloitte on what it will take to put an economic development strategy together and a Conference Board of Canada report came out that says Manitobas economy is about to take a breather for the next three years.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/3/2018 (1287 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

On the business days that sandwiched the provincial budget, the province released a study by Deloitte on what it will take to put an economic development strategy together and a Conference Board of Canada report came out that says Manitobas economy is about to take a breather for the next three years.

The Deloitte report was underwhelming in its findings, and left an even less hopeful feeling because the only action the province was prepared to take was to begin a new round of consultations with business.

The Conference Board report was not surprising, because the issues affecting Manitoba  such as global trade uncertainties  are affecting the rest of the country as well.

In his Monday budget speech, Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen did not pretend the provincial economy is going gangbusters.

"Our economy is growing," he said. "But lower growth will be the new normal for advanced economies throughout the world. Manitoba is not immune to this reality."

The Conference Board and others are forecasting Manitoba will have among the lowest growth rates in the country for the next few years. But Friesen and Premier Brian Pallister have continued to focus on deficit reduction and lowering taxes, as opposed to business incentives, and they got a thumbs-up from the bond-rating agencies for that on Tuesday.

That may or may not be worth more than the ongoing uncertainty that prevails in the Manitoba economy from those who saw nothing in Mondays budget to change the narrative that theres not much on the horizon to look forward to.

On Friday, when asked about how he feels about the very low economic growth forecasts, and the reluctance of his government to target that, Pallister said: "The best tax incentives we can offer (business) is more money on the kitchen table so that there is more money to invest. We think we can build the kind of province they want to invest in."

Justifiably, Pallister and Friesen point to the $800 million-plus Roquette and Simplot are investing in Portage la Prairie in the agri-food sector as examples that international investors  Roquette from France and Simplot from the U.S.  continue to be wiling to make in Manitoba.

They show that, irrespective of macro trends, there continue to be good reasons to invest in Manitoba. Yet, large companies that are already here are paring back their footprint, and many would argue it is prudent corporate management for Great-West Life, Manitoba Hydro, Shaw and others to reduce their Manitoba employment.

Meanwhile, mines are closing in northern Manitoba. And while there are some prospects in the pipeline, it will take a few years to balance off the losses.

In the last week, StandardAero announced expansions to three of its U.S. facilities, and New Flyer Industries has been growing its U.S. footprint with strategic developments in Kentucky and Alabama. Not to suggest the province could have done anything about those corporate decisions, but care and attention is needed on the home front.

Chuck Davidson, CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, acknowledges the current governments approach that makes it clear, especially to communities in the north, that all economic activity is not running through the provincial government any more.

Economically, its time to hunker down in Manitoba.

He said he believes, "the lack of an economic-development strategy does not lessen the business confidence in the province."

But it does not improve it, either.

Lorne Remillard of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, ever the optimist, is even less concerned about a detailed strategy. He pointed out there really has not been one for the last two decades at least, and the economy has not done too badly without it.

"Getting an economic-development strategy in place will unlock the real potential that resides here," he said. "Look at the success we have been able to achieve without a co-ordinating vision and strategy. Imagine when we are are pulling in the same direction."

And the fact is, historically, Manitobas relative economic performance shows up in a very narrow band.

But Don Leitch, CEO of the Manitoba Business Council, said his members, who run the largest companies in the province, all see the same reports that point to slow growth and have real concerns about NAFTA and trade issues.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

"We have to really pay attention to the headwinds," he said. "There are some very troubling signals."

The business council advocated for some export tax credits to offset the carbon tax for Manitoba exporters whose competitors in the U.S. will not have the same costs, and was disappointed in lowered infrastructure spending in this budget.

"We have argued that a competitive economy is not just tax," he said

"It is the regulatory environment, it is the trade environment... the way in which we try to incent good behaviour."

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
There's a favourite story I can tell with the snow still on the ground and with us almost two months away from the first flowers popping out of the soil and the leaves bursting open as spring begins anew.

It was back in 2012 and I was one of a team of reporters and editors who were doing a year-long project called 'Our City, Your World' where every month we featured another ethnic community in Winnipeg and Manitoba.

Each week, Kevin Rollason combs through all the news to curate the finest selection of feel-good stories to warm your heart and lift your spirits. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press)

We spoke to people who had immigrated here recently, and also some who had arrived in Canada decades before.

I still remember something one of the immigrants said to me: He came from the Philippines back in the 1960s during roughly the same time of year as now, and he admitted his first impression of Winnipeg was one of shock - and not because of the snow, ice and temperatures.

"I wondered what had happened to all of the trees - why had they all died?" he said, laughing at the recollection. "I'm from the Philippines - our trees don't drop all of their leaves."

Every winter since, I still chuckle when the leaves fall off our trees, the snow comes, and all of our 'dead' trees make their annual appearance here.

Look up now, with newcomer's eyes, and you'll see what a new Canadian sees when they come here. Sometimes we really can't see the forest from the trees.

That's also part of the reason for our weekly Uplift newsletter. People think of the news as a forest filled with stark branches of tragedy and negativity. We want to highlight the many flowers shooting up around them.

-Kevin Rollason
Manitoba smartphone users will soon have access to the sort of life-or-death emergency alerts Hawaiians infamously received on their mobile devices in January, warning of "ballistic missile threat inbound."

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 13/3/2018 (1287 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba smartphone users will soon have access to the sort of life-or-death emergency alerts Hawaiians infamously received on their mobile devices in January, warning of "ballistic missile threat inbound."

On Tuesday, some people in the province received text messages saying Canada's Alert Ready system will be available on compatible mobile devices, as of April 6.

Some Bell MTS subscribers were sent a text Tuesday about the new alert system.

Alert Ready allows authorities from each level of government to issue a wide range of public safety messages to its constituents, its website says.

A text message Tuesday from Telus Corporation to some Manitoba customers said the system "will broadcast emergency alerts to inform you of critical or potentially life-threatening situations that require immediate attention to keep you and your family safe."

A similar Bell MTS text message said: "Capable devices will receive emergency alerts from the government Alert Ready service."

"The text messages are being sent out in waves over the next several days," Bell MTS spokesman Jeremy Sawatzky said in an email Tuesday.

No representatives from Telus or Alert Ready responded to a request for comment.

The Alert Ready system was developed in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pelmorex Corp., and the broadcast industry to ensure Canadians receive important information and know when to take action to keep themselves safe.

The system already includes TV and radio broadcasters, which can also issue warnings for things that aren't necessarily life-threatening -- such as heavy rainfall or blizzard warnings -- at their discretion.

However, wireless service providers will only receive and relay messages that are issued for life-threatening situations, Alert Ready says.

In order to receive the emergency alerts, a wireless device has to be an LTE device, such as a smartphone. (LTE stands for Long-Term Evolution, and is a 4G wireless broadband standard.)

The device must also be wireless public alerting (WPA) compatible and connected to an LTE cellular network at the time an emergency alert is issued.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

There is no sign-up or opt-in required, Alert Ready says. Emergency alerts will be automatically sent to compatible wireless devices.

And there is no opt-out feature, either. Regulations require all Canadian wireless service providers to distribute emergency alerts.

A compatible wireless device that is turned off will not display an emergency alert. If the emergency alert is still active when the wireless device is powered up, and it is still in the alert area, the device will then display the alert.

A device that is set to silent will display an emergency alert, but no tone will accompany it -- usually. Alert Ready says, depending on the device and circumstances, the alert tone may override user settings.

Alert Ready will issue a test alert for mobile devices in Manitoba, at 1:55 p.m., on May 9.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Manitoba Health is considering stripping international students of their provincial health-care coverage to save $3.1 million a year.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/3/2018 (1286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Health is considering stripping international students of their provincial health-care coverage to save $3.1 million a year.

The province would ensure students of all ages had continued coverage through a private plan, but the students would have to start paying their own premiums. Education Minister Ian Wishart told reporters Wednesday.

Based on what international students pay for private care in Quebec, that would be $12.3 million, and at Ontario's rates it would be $6.9 million.

Manitoba could get the foreign students package coverage at about $400 each, which would be $4.5 million, Wishart said.

So far, it's only a review from the health department, Wishart pointed out.

"We do not see this change as detrimental," he said.

The overwhelming majority of students affected are in university or college, but it would also affect children and youth who come here to attend K-12 schools, primarily high schools in both the public and private system.

The most recent annual report from Wishart's office showed that there were 7,919 foreign university students here in 2016, 1,958 college students and 1,317 students in K-12 schools, an overall increase of 29 per cent from the year before.

International post-secondary students already pay hefty fees for studying here: regular tuition fees plus surcharges of two to three times those amounts.

"This government is trying to roll back years of support," said Dele Ojewole, the Manitoba representative for the Canadian Federation of Students. "It's something that would drive students out of the province."

Ojewole, a Canadian citizen who came here from Nigeria to attend the University of Winnipeg, called the government's plans harsh and inhumane.

When Ojewole first came here and had no government health coverage, he avoided getting medical treatment, he said.

It is difficult and costly for international students to get coverage with pre-existing conditions, said Ojewole, who rejected Wishart's cost estimates.

International students paid for their own health coverage until 2012 when the former NDP government extended public health care to them, Wishart said.

"Some other provinces do this, not all," he said, noting Canada is the only country that offers health care to foreign students.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

The extra cost would drive international students to other provinces, NDP leader Wab Kinew said.

"This is also going to apply to children. It strikes me as deeply unfair."

When foreign students go elsewhere, their lost tuition revenue will hurt Manitoba students' quality of education, Kinew said.

But Premier Brian Pallister said foreign students don't come here for health coverage, they come for an education, and a huge deficit won't persuade them to stay here.

"They will stay because there is an economic opportunity," he said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
A woman accused of killing her Wolseley neighbour last spring has pleaded not guilty, as the murder charge against her is tested in court.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/3/2018 (1286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman accused of killing her Wolseley neighbour last spring has pleaded not guilty, as the murder charge against her is tested in court.

Brenda Lee Schuff began her preliminary inquiry in front of a full courtroom Wednesday, as her defence lawyer, Matthew Gould, indicated she would plead not guilty to second-degree murder in the April 2017 death of 54-year-old Judy Kenny.

Judy Kenny was found dead in her home in the 400 block of Camden Place. (Facebook photo)

The provincial court hearing is meant to determine whether there is enough evidence for the case to proceed to a jury trial in the Court of Queen's Bench. None of the testimony heard during the preliminary hearing can be published, due to a ban designed to protect Schuff's right to a fair trial.

On Wednesday, Crown prosecutors were set to call to the witness stand two police officers and one civilian witness to hear their evidence against Schuff. The preliminary hearing is set to last three days, before provincial court Judge Catherine Carlson is expected to decide whether to send the case to the Court of Queen's Bench.

Schuff, wearing standard-issue grey sweats, with her blonde hair highlighted and curled, sat in the prisoner's box next to a sheriff's officer during the hearing in Winnipeg. She often kept her arms crossed and eyes downward as testimony continued.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

Brenda Schuff has pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charge. (Facebook photo)

Schuff was 44 when she was arrested within minutes of the police discovering Kenny's body around 3 a.m. on April 10, 2017.

At the time, the Winnipeg Police Service said an "edged weapon" had been used against Kenny, but police could not publicly point to a motive.

Schuff lived down the street from Kenny's home on the 400 block of Camden Place, and a friend previously described the victim as "a beautiful lady who wouldn't hurt a fly."

Those in the neighbourhood who knew both women previously told the Free Press they didn't know of any animosity between them, and called the killing "bizarre."

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 14/3/2018 (1287 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Can urban reserves support Indigenous economic development?

A quick review of the provinces 63 First Nations communities reveals incomes and earnings well below Manitoba averages. The proportion of income received from social assistance by residents in First Nations communities often exceed 50 per cent, compared to the Manitoba average of 13 per cent. Little doubt exists about the relative economic deprivation and dependency that exists within these communities.

Many advocates promote urban reserves as a remedy for this economic discrepancy. As an economist, I can support this with a resounding "maybe!"

Lets start with a quick review of the legal foundations for this idea. The editorial page of this paper has the following phrase on its masthead: "Published since 1872 on Treaty 1 land and homeland of the Metis." Such recognition reflects a constitutional arc starting with the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples two decades ago and culminating in the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

The Supreme Court has upheld the basis for the treaties between First Nations and the government of Canada. This constitutional recognition forms an essential step in the re-establishment of Indigenous rights, but this is only a first step. Unless followed by second, third and fourth steps, little will change for Indigenous peoples in Canada. This is where urban reserves offer promise.

The significance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is beyond doubt. But like most analyses of Indigenous economic development, it has critical limitations. It does not reflect the economic reality faced by Canadians, and especially by Indigenous persons living in remote communities.

Few of Manitobas First Nations communities benefit from natural resource development. Most also lie far from urban centres. Contrast this with the Tsawwassen and Musqueam First Nations near Vancouver in British Columbia  two communities that have earnings and real estate income that are well above those of the average B.C. resident.

They have won the "lottery" by being close to the hottest real estate market in North America.

So, can we create more Indigenous winners in Manitoba by starting urban reserves?

An urban reserve typically emerges as an expanding urban centre encroaches on an existing First Nations community, or when one is created within or immediately adjacent the urban centre. Manitoba has several urban reserves, one of the more recent being the Petro-Canada gas station managed as Long Plain Madison Reserve No. 1 near Polo Park.

A review of urban reserves in Saskatchewan, by Western Economic Diversification, found many potential benefits both for the First Nations communities involved and the surrounding non-Indigenous communities. However, these benefits require specific conditions.

Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

First, the urban reserve needs to strike appropriate revenue-sharing and service arrangements with the nearby municipality. It rarely pays to duplicate basic urban services available from the larger municipality. While an urban reserve has all the legal independence of any First Nation community, acceptance of such a proposal by the wider Winnipeg population, especially the 160 acres of the Kapyong Barracks in Tuxedo, will also require that zoning and land use is compatible with the adjoining areas.

Second, an urban reserve works best as an economic development zone, involving non-Indigenous business partners. A small urban reserve that starts a gas station can be successful without partners, but a larger reserve benefits from an integrated plan.

Finally, the urban reserve needs to develop land at its "highest and best use." With land values conservatively set at $200,000 per standard city lot, the total value of Kapyong Barracks in single family residential use exceeds $5 million. Creating a trailer park there makes no economic sense and any rational owner will attempt to maximize economic benefits.

Two important issues temper enthusiasm for urban reserves. First, if the band council of the First Nation sponsoring the urban reserve acts solely as a developer, profits may flow solely to a small number, limiting the creation of a broad base of economic benefit within the community. Second, thus far it seems that two First Nations, Peguis and Long Plain, have been associated with discussions regarding Kapyong Barracks. Developing this with such limited sponsorship will attenuate benefits for other First Nations in Manitoba.

Urban reserves represent an important opportunity for economic development for certain First Nations. But the impacts are likely to be narrow.

Gregory Mason is an associate professor in the department of economics of the University of Manitoba.
Derwent London plc owns 83 buildings in a commercial real estate portfolio predominantly in central London valued at A5.4 billion (including joint ventures) as at 30 June 2020, making it the largest London-focused real estate investment trust (REIT). Our experienced team has a long track record of creating value throughout the property cycle by regenerating our buildings via development or refurbishment, effective asset management and capital recycling. We typically acquire central London properties off-market with low capital values and modest rents in improving locations, most of which are either in the West End or the Tech Belt. We capitalise on the unique qualities of each of our properties - taking a fresh approach to the regeneration of every building with a focus on anticipating tenant requirements and an emphasis on design. Reflecting and supporting our long-term success, the business has a strong balance sheet with modest leverage, a robust income stream and flexible financing. As part of our commitment to lead the industry in mitigating climate change, in October 2019, Derwent London became the first UK REIT to sign a Green Revolving Credit Facility. At the same time, we also launched our Green Finance Framework and signed the Better Buildings Partnership's climate change commitment. The Group is a member of the 'RE100' which recognises Derwent London as an influential company, committed to 100% renewable power by purchasing renewable energy, a key step in becoming a net zero carbon business. Derwent London is one of only a few property companies worldwide to have science-based carbon targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Landmark schemes in our 5.6 million sq ft portfolio include 80 Charlotte Street W1, Brunel Building W2, White Collar Factory EC1, Angel Building EC1, 1-2 Stephen Street W1, Horseferry House SW1 and Tea Building E1. In 2019, the Group won several awards including EG Offices Company of the Year, the CoStar West End Deal of the Year for Brunel Building, Westminster Business Council's Best Achievement in Sustainability award and topped the real estate sector and was placed ninth overall in the Management Today 2019 awards for 'Britain's Most Admired Companies'. In 2013 the Company launched a voluntary Community Fund and has to date supported over 100 community projects in the West End and the Tech Belt. The Company is a public limited company, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange and incorporated and domiciled in the UK. The address of its registered office is 25 Savile Row, London,

Read More
Rayonier, Inc. is a real estate investment trust, which engages in investment in timberlands. It operates through the following business segments: Southern Timber, Pacific Northwest Timber, New Zealand Timber, Real Estate, Timber Funds and Trading. The Southern Timber, Pacific Northwest Timber and New Zealand Timber segments reflect all activities related to the harvesting of timber and other value-added activities, such as recreational licenses, within each respective geography. The Real Estate segment reflects all U.S. land sales, which are reported in the following sales categories: Improved Development, Unimproved Development, Rural, Non-Strategic and Timberlands, and Large Dispositions. The Timber Funds segment represents operations of the three private equity timber funds included in the Pope Resources transaction. The Trading segment reflects the log trading activities that support New Zealand operations. The company was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Wild light, FL.

Read More
Donald Trumps first visit to California as president Tuesday highlighted all of the administrations prioritiesa survey of border wall prototypes in San Diego, a speech at the Marine Corps Air station at Miramar, and a fundraiser at Beverly Hills.

Trumps visit comes in the context of the intensification of the anti-immigrant drive spearheaded by his administration. Many of the horrifying immigrant enforcement actions reported in recent monthsincluding roundups at workplaces, the separation of parents from their children, and the targeting of sanctuary citieshave taken place in California, the state with the largest Latino population in the country.

Trumps anti-immigration platform centers on plans for building a border wall across the nearly 2,000-mile long US-Mexico border. In March 2017, Trump called for design proposals to create physically imposing and aesthetically pleasing prototypes for the wall. Soon after, six private contractors were awarded grants of $300,000 to $500,000 to build the prototypes. As of now, eight prototypes (18 to 30 feet tall, half made of concrete, and the other half from non-concrete materials) sit on federally-owned land in San Diego.

In his first stop of the day, Trump visited the prototypes in order to, as he put it, pick the right one. Trump sent out a tweet just prior to his visit citing a study which claimed that the $18 billion wall will pay for itself by curbing the importation of crime, drugs and illegal immigrants who tend to go on the federal dole...

The Trump administration and its various immigration enforcement agencies have also worked overtime to criminalize immigrants. As part of this drive, the Justice Department filed a suit against the state of California last week targeting its immigration laws.

These laws, adopted just last year by the state legislature, are largely cosmetic and do not block raids and deportations from taking place. Trump and his administration, however, are seeking to punish the state for placing even minor restrictions on the actions of federal immigration officials.

The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) recently claimed that its operations in Oakland targeting immigrants failed primarily because Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf issued a warning about the impending four-day operation. Trump waded into the issue with typical alacrity calling the mayor a disgrace. Attorney General Jeff Sessions added, ICE failed to make 800 arrests that they would have made if the mayor had not acted as she did.

On his way to California, Trump tweeted: Californias sanctuary policies are illegal and unconstitutional and put the safety and security of our entire nation at risk. Thousands of dangerous & violent criminal aliens are released as a result of sanctuary policies, set free to prey on innocent Americans. THIS MUST STOP!

Protests were called in San Diego and Los Angeles Monday and Tuesday.

In San Diego, Andrea, a trans-border student who spends a lot of time crossing the border daily to attend school at San Diego City College, told WSWS reporters that she is against the border wall and the criminalization of immigrants. I dont want to have to cross to go to school, but what is there for me in Mexico? Transnational capital is hooked on immigrant labor, and the media makes it look like everything is the fault of immigrants.

When discussing the strike by West Virginia teachers and the movement of workers who have been charged with having white privilege, Andrea agreed that this is not the fundamental division in society. First off it will be a class war, and trying to put more Latinos as ICE agents or diversify the police force is still capitalism with a different face.

Estela, 47, a sociology student in City College, who earns a living as a housekeeper, spoke to our reporter at rally in the San Ysidro border crossing today.

The building of the wall is something really significant that we can not permit. We [immigrants] end up as scapegoats, and it doesnt look like we have anyone really to turn to in the political establishment.

We want to get involved politically, but both sides are united in carrying out neo-liberal policies that affect all, not just in the US, but across Latin America and the world. I see it as a much bigger problem, a global problem. Its difficult because we find ourselves disillusioned by the kind of policies that are being carried out here in the US. Its clear the corporations have power over everything.

Trump has deported fewer [than Obama], but the problem is that hes more active in generating divisions here in the US, it fragments the struggle, it fragments people. I think that the wall just pours more salt into the wound. Obama deports us, and on top of that Trump wants to put in an even bigger wall. I do see it as a retrogression, and it does actually frighten me. Without wanting to overstate things, its looking more and more like Germany back then, with more and more militarization.

Trump is just a symptom. Its capitalism, its the corporations that have all the power in our politics. Trying to have a party that represented the working class would be the ideal. As long as we have this two-party system, you cant have a genuine democracy. Democracy doesnt really exist for us, it does feel like something of a game at times.

There is a danger that opposition to Trump will be channeled into the arms of the Democratic Party. California Democrats, including Governor Jerry Brown and Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, have postured as defenders of immigrant rights.

However, many of the policies that are being enforced under the Trump administration were in fact put in place by Democratic legislatures. Dianne Feinstein voted for an immigration enforcement law in 1996 that granted officers the authority they are now using.

The Obama administration has the record of carrying out the greatest number of deportations in US history.
The new German government will be sworn in today, but the media has already begun to condition the public to its programme. In doing so, they confirm what the WSWS has written about the coalition treaty from the start: the policy of the grand coalition will be characterised by great-power politics, militarism and fierce attacks on social and democratic rights.

On Saturday, Der Spiegel published an essay entitled Thank You, Donald. The editor-in-chief of the magazine, Klaus Brinkbaumer, sums up what Sigmar Gabriel, Ursula von der Leyen, Wolfgang Ischinger, Herfried Munkler and other representatives of German foreign policy have proclaimed in recent months and draws definite conclusions.

One must be grateful to the American president, because the cracks in the transatlantic alliance offer Germany the opportunity to grow up, reads the articles central argument. Germany must once again conduct a dirty foreign policy based on great-power politics. The times when we could rely on the US and leave all the major, and above all dirty tasks, to the US are over, Brinkbaumer declares, arguing, We must once again make Europe a world political force.

Brinkbaumer casts an envious eye at non-democratic China, which advocates free trade and globalisation, which is predictable and is in certain respects a better partner than an America shattered in its democratic foundations. For multinational issues, Europe needs to choose the partners it needs to impose what it considers right. And of course, when necessary, against the US.

Brinkbaumer then summarises what this means concretely in four points.

We must say goodbye to the gentle, protected, sometimes hypocritical foreign policy of the past, reads the first. Germany can no longer hide and take morally pure positions.

Secondly, he advocates openly propagating militarism rather than disguising it: When it comes to military operations involving huge expenditures and outright risks, then in a democracy it should first be argued about and then decided.

He then goes on to demand a foreign policy based on interests and not on values; this must also be debated fearlessly. He cites as an example Germany policy for Turkey and asks: Do we want Turkey to respect human rights and democratic rules, or do we want to prevent it orienting towards Moscow or Beijing?

Finally, Brinkbaumer demands: We must unite Europe into a single entity. In the end, we must have a joint financial and economic policy, a joint army, a joint strategy and thus a joint foreign policy. The aim must be a strong Europeor we Europeans yield up our importance and lose the fight.

A decade ago, such an openly imperialist programme would have provoked protests or at least caused a sensation. Today, there is a consensus within the ruling elite and its parties, including the Left Party. The coalition agreement, signed by the CDU, CSU and SPD on Monday, spells this out in detail.

The international framework, which permitted Germany after the Second World War to become an economic great power by relatively peaceful means, no longer exists. Geo-strategic differences have long existed with the US. These are now compounded by a trade war, involving threats of import duties on steel and aluminum and punitive taxes on cars by US President Donald Trump, which would hit at the heart of the German economy.

There is no other country that would so be hard hit, Der Spiegel quotes the economist Gabriel Felbermayr. Every fourth German job depends on exports. In particular, five key industriesauto, machinery, electrical engineering, pharmaceuticals, precision instrumentsare major exporters to America.

The European Union (EU), by far the most important market for the German economy, is also disintegrating. Following the British Brexit, parties hostile to the EU have now gained a majority in the parliament in Italy, a founding member of the European Economic Community. And despite enthusiasm for the French president, Berlin and France have come no closer to implementing the reform of the monetary union proposed by Macroneven though the next financial crisis is looming.

The ruling class of Germany is reacting to this crisis by returning to the criminal methods it used in the past. In order to regain world power, it seeks to dominate the EU and turn it into a well-equipped military alliance.

This has a direct impact on domestic policy. Militarism and great-power politics are incompatible with democracy. Years of welfare cuts combined with a huge expansion of the low-paid sector have already sharpened class tensions enormously. Now, rising military spending is on the agenda. The target agreed in the coalition pact of 2 percent of GDP as required by NATO amounts to a doubling of the military budget to a total of 70 billion per year. This all has to be paid for by the working class.

That is why the campaign against refugees is now being stepped up again, although the number of applications for asylum is declining significantly. The campaign against refugees serves to direct social discontent against the most vulnerable layer in society. At the same time, it is used to wipe out basic democratic rights and erect a police state to suppress social opposition.

The new interior and homeland minister, Horst Seehofer (CSU), marked the beginning of this renewed assault on Sunday when he announced a master plan for more resolute deportations, mass surveillance and other police state measures. On the same evening, in the course of a German television talk show, he received the backing of the new CDU general secretary, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer; the SPD politician Manuela Schwesig; the parliamentary faction leader of the Left Party, Sahra Wagenknecht; and FDP leader Christian Lindner.

On Monday, deputy CSU leader and group leader of the European Peoples Party in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, followed suit with a long interview in the Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Weber declared he was horrified by the Italian election result. A breakdown of the EU would mean the end of our global assertiveness, he warned. He then identified the miserable failure of EU states in migration policy as the chief problem.

His solution: We need tough security for our borders. ... If the Bulgarians try to prevent illegal migration with fences on the border with Turkey, then they deserve support. Europe needs active officers for joint border security. Instead of the current 1,500, at least 10,000 are required.

As a role model for the deportation of refugees, Weber cited the 2016 agreement with Turkey. We need to organise direct but structured repatriations from the camps, as, for example, from [the Greek island] Lesbos back to Turkey. ... In Libya, we must at least build enclaves to which we can return and provide for illegal migrants.

Dirty, interest-oriented foreign policy, huge spending on military operations, resolute deportationsthese are the keystone policies for the new government that takes office today. It will be the most right-wing German government since the overthrow of the Nazi regime.

The author also recommends:

Germany: Grand coalition expands foreign operations in Afghanistan and Iraq

[8 March 2018]

Germanys incoming interior minister announces police state measures, mass deportations

[13 March 2018]
Last Friday, March 9, marked the end of the 12-day strike by 2,700 graduate students and teaching assistants at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). With a low turnout for the ratification vote, the Graduate Employees Organization/Illinois Federation of Teachers Local 6300 (GEO) pushed through a sellout agreement, which betrayed the principled struggle by graduate student workers.

The extremely low-paid workers will get a 4.5 percent raise in the first year of the contract, followed by 2 percent increases in the second and third years. The previous minimum annual salary of a graduate student worker was $16,281, some $6,000 below what is called the minimum living wage in the area. This will only rise to $17,097 in the first year. Healthcare benefits for individual grad students will cover 87 percent of medical costs, up from 80 percent, but only 25 percent of the costs for dependents. In other words, workers will still make poverty wages while they pay large out-of-pocket costs for their partners and children.

Of even greater significance, GEO and the state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers abandoned the strikers main demand: guaranteed tuition waivers, which defray a significant portion of the universitys ever-rising tuition fees. Workers struck to guarantee the right to these waivers not just for themselves, but for future students as well.

The new contract states, Future students would be governed by the new policy in place at the time of their enrollment. Speaking on the five-year guarantee, GEO negotiator Bruce Kovanen said, Most important from the unions perspective, anyone with a 25 percent to 67 percent time appointment as a teaching assistant or graduate assistant will be guaranteed a waiver, he said. The type of waiverfull or base rate (similar to in-state tuition)will depend on which program theyre enrolled in.

In other words, the union capitulated to the administrations demand for a multi-tier tuition waiver system. While nominally guaranteeing waivers for current members, GEO gave the university the power to change the type of program a student is enrolled in at will, thereby reducing the amount of the waiver or eliminating it altogether.

The GEO has been silent on this since it exposes its claims of victory.

After the World Socialist Web Site exposed this in a March 9 article, said representatives from GEO posted a comment below the article accusing the WSWS of lying about the union abandoning guaranteed waivers. In the next breath, however, the commentor said GEO is going to spend much of the next few years protecting guaranteed tuition waivers through grievances.

Having already demobilized the striking students after doing nothing to broaden the struggle against the bipartisan attack on public education and state employees in Illinois, GEO would have workers believe their rights will be ensured through impotent appeals to university officials and labor relations boards!

The commentor continues: Frankly, you can have whatever argument you want to with the Democrats, the Democratic Party and mainstream unions, but you should understand that the GEO is ENTIRELY member run. It is one of the most democratic unions in the U.S.

Such a claim is belied by the fact that GEOs parent union is the American Federation of Teachers, which has decades of experience in running roughshod over the will of teachers in order to do the bidding of big-business politicians and the worst enemies of public education, including the Eli Broad and Bill and Melinda Gates foundations.

GEO invited AFT President Randi Weingarten to speak at a rally on campus on March 9. Weingarten, who makes close to $500,000 per year, came to UIUC fresh from her betrayal of the strike by 33,000 West Virginia teachers and school employees, which had erupted as a rank-and-file rebellion against the state affiliates of the AFT and the National Education Association (NEA). Fearing the spread of teacher struggles throughout the US, Weingarten and her cronies in the WVEA and the AFT-WV struck a deal with billionaire governor Jim Justice to end the strike.

The deal abandoned the strikers main demand to fully fund the states public employees medical insurance agency and end soaring out-of-pocket costs. To add insult to injury, the one-time 5 percent pay raisefor teachers who will remain near the bottom in the country in salarywill be paid for through cuts in other essential services.

There may be graduate students in the leadership of the GEO and some members, no doubt, who hoped joining an AFT-affiliated union might strengthen them and put them in contact with teachers throughout the state also fighting the attacks of Governor Bruce Rauner and the state legislature. But this does not change the fact that GEO is controlled by the AFT, not its members.

GEO also follows the same political line as the AFT promoting Chicago Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa and the corporate-controlled Democratic Party, which is no less an enemy of public education than Rauner and the Republicans. In 2012, the AFT-affiliated Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) betrayed the strike by over 20,000 teachers before it erupted into a direct political confrontation with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the Obama administrations reactionary school reform agenda. This paved the way for Emanuel to close 49 schools in the city and expand the number of for-profit charter schools.

In July 2017, Illinois State Democrats voted with Republicans on an austerity budget that stripped funding for public education from the K-12 to the university level, after the budget crisis of nearly two years that left schools starved for necessary funds and in peril of shutting down.

The fight to defend good-paying jobs, healthcare, and higher education for all is a political fight. It cannot be conducted within the framework of pro-capitalist unions tied to the big-business Democratic Party. Teachers in West Virginia and now lecturers in the United Kingdom were forced to rebel against the unions, and the same must be done by graduate students and teaching assistants.

Student workers must continue their principled fightbut they must organize independently of the unions by forming rank-and-file committees elected by and democratically controlled by graduate students and teaching assistants themselves.

The resources to fund higher education exist in abundance. If societys resources are to be used for the common good, instead of enriching the few and waging war, then the working class must build a powerful movement for socialism. We urge grad students and teaching assistants to join the International Youth and Students for Social Equality to take up this fight.
In replacing US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo Tuesday, US President Donald Trump tapped a more than 30-year CIA veteran, Gina Haspel, to head the premier US spy agency. In doing so, he is attempting to place the CIA back under the leadership of an individual who is directly implicated in the crimes of torture and forced disappearance, as well as the destruction of evidence of these crimes.

Trump declared Haspels nomination an historic milestone because she would be the first woman to head an agency that long ago earned the epithet of Murder Inc.

Haspel, 61, joined the CIA in 1985. Among the positions she has held in the agency are chief of station in several world capitals, senior manager of the Counterterrorism Center and, under the Obama administration, acting deputy director of the National Clandestine Service, which carries out covert operations around the globe. Then-CIA Director John Brennan shifted her out of the position, however. The fact that Haspel was considered within top government circles to have been compromised by her torture record was a likely factor in that personnel move.

Her rise within the agency was bound up with her participation in the criminal methods adopted by the CIA in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks, when thousands of individuals were illegally detained, forcibly disappeared and subjected to horrific forms of torture.

Haspel ran one of the first secret prisons set up by the CIA, where alleged Al Qaeda suspects were brought under the extraordinary rendition program of abduction and extra-judicial transfer of individuals to third countries to be interrogated and tortured.

Haspel oversaw operations at the Cats Eye secret prison in Thailand, where Abu Zubaydah and Abd el-Rahim al-Nashiri were taken after being kidnapped by CIA operatives.

Secret records of this torture were released last year as a result of a Freedom of Information Act suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the CIA. They reveal that the prisoners were subjected to prolonged confinement in boxes, as small as 21 inches wide, 2.5 feet deep and 2.5 feet high; walling, or having their backs and heads slammed repeatedly into a wall; and water boarding, a technique in which water is poured through a cloth placed over the victims mouth and nose, inducing drowning.

Zubaydah was subjected to water boarding 83 times. While in CIA custody, he lost his left eye.

Haspel ordered and supervised these acts of torture even under conditions in which she knew they were illegal and suspected that her victims had no information to give the CIA even if they wanted to.

Sixteen years later, Abu Zubaydah and Abd el-Rahim al-Nashiri are both detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba. A psychological expert has described al-Nashiri as one of the most damaged victims of torture she has ever examined.

One of Zubaydahs attorneys wrote of his client nine years ago that his mental grasp is slipping away. Today, he suffers blinding headaches and has permanent brain damage. He has an excruciating sensitivity to sounds, hearing what others do not. The slightest noise drives him nearly insane. In the last two years alone, he has experienced about 200 seizures. Already, he cannot picture his mothers face or recall his fathers name. Gradually, his past, like his future, eludes him.

Haspel also played the central role in the illegal destruction of videotapes made by the CIA of the torture sessions that she oversaw. In 2005, she served as chief of staff to Jose Rodriguez, then the head of the agencys clandestine service, who ordered the destruction of tapes. She was reportedly among the strongest advocates of destroying the videotapes, which directly implicated her, and was the only person ccd on the memo to the Thailand station to shred the evidence.

The Obama administration sought to cover up these crimes, ordering that the full report on CIA torture remain sealed until 2028, opposing all prosecutions of crimes carried out by Haspel and her cohorts and dropping investigations into both the torture itself and the destruction of evidence.

Under Trump, Haspel was tapped as deputy director to Pompeo, who, like the Republican president, had made public statements supporting waterboarding and forms of torture. During the Republican primary debates, Trump declared, I would bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding, and claimed that military officials had told him that torture works.

The proposed elevation of Haspel to the post of CIA director is an unmistakable indication of the criminality of the US government and the increasing domination of every aspect of its activities by the US intelligence agencies and the military.

Haspels nomination has been roundly condemned by civil liberties organizations. The ACLU demanded Tuesday that the CIA declassify and release every aspect of Haspels torture record before her nomination is considered.

The Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement that Gina Haspel should be prosecuted not promoted.

There was no such outcry from leading Democrats, however. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, who joined a dozen other Democrats in voting to confirm Pompeos nomination as CIA director, announced on Tuesday that he was not calling on Democrats to oppose Haspel being installed in the same position.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who, as the former chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, oversaw its investigation into the CIA rendition and torture program, voiced support for Haspel.

Since my concerns were raised over the torture situation, I have met with her extensively, talked with her, Feinstein told the New York Times. She has been, I believe, a good deputy director. She seems to have the confidence of the agency, which is good.
In the wake of the horrific massacre at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, hundreds of thousands of student youth have organized walkouts, protests and demonstrations against mass shootings in America.

The sentiments animating the demonstrations go far beyond the limited and state-sanctioned politics of the official protest organizers. Facing unprecedented inequality, the looming threat of nuclear war, and the rise of nationalism, xenophobia, and far-right movements, there is a growing recognition among young people that the pervasive violence seen in their schools is the product of something deeply diseased in American society.

Neither of the parties of the political establishment offer anything to address the underlying causes of violence in America. The Republican Party, the Trump administration and the National Rifle Association are calling for the arming of teachers, beefed up police forces and the further militarization of schoolswith disastrous consequences.

The Democratic Party and its various satellite organizations are working to curtail the outrage over school violence and channel it behind the Democrats electoral strategy. Their focus on gun control is an attempt to increase the powers of the state while obscuring the more fundamental questions bound up with gun violence.

And what are the issues raised by such horrific acts of violence such as mass shootings?

First, the prevailing violence in society cannot be understood without addressing the staggering levels of social inequality. Numerous scientific studies establish a correlation between inequality and social violence. In the United States, three billionaires own as much wealth as the bottom half of society, or 160 million people. The crushing exploitation of workers, inherent in the capitalist system, has produced at one pole a ruling elite drunk with wealth, and at the other, mass social misery.

As the global economic position of the US over the last 40 years has declined, the ruling class has responded by starving social services, including mental health services, while draining workers pensions, reducing wages, benefits and full-time jobs.

Most of those participating in the student demonstrations have known only deteriorating social conditions throughout their lives. A high school senior has lived through 18 years in which there have been 600,000 drug overdoses (200,000 involving opioids) and 650,000 suicides (130,000 by veterans), while an estimated 700,000 people have died prematurely during this period due to lack of health care.

The second fundamental issue bound up with the rampant homicidal violence in American society is the state-sanctioned killing carried out by the US military around the world. The war on terror, now in its 18th year, dominates not only the political life of the United States, but its social culture as well.

Threats of violence on a scale that far surpass any individual outburst like Parkland or Columbine can be heard daily in the American media, not by a disturbed teenager, but by the president of the United States. North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States, Trump has declared. They will be met with fire, fury and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.

Representatives of both big-business parties have proven, through the most brutal acts, their commitment to defending the interests of the American ruling class through violence. Democrat President Bill Clinton dropped bombs on Iraq and waged an air war against Serbia that, combined, killed thousands of innocent people. George W. Bush, who came to power through the theft of an election, launched the longest war in US history in Afghanistan and a war in Iraq, based on lies about weapons of mass destruction, that has led to the death of more than 1 million people.

Obama, the candidate of hope and change, continued Bushs wars, institutionalized drone assassinations and domestic spying and tore apart millions of families by deporting more immigrants than all previous presidents combined, all while handing out hundreds of billions of dollars to Wall Street.

The state of permanent war and mass surveillance has an effect on the social psychology of broader layers of the population. In the case of 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who was a member of the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), the influence was more direct.

Nearly 100 years ago, in the aftermath of World War I, the renowned attorney Clarence Darrow, in arguing against the death penalty for two young men, Leopold and Loeb, who had carried out a brutal murder, pointed to the social origins of individual violence. Referring to the impact of World War I, he argued, The tales of death were in their homes, their playgrounds, their schools; they were in the newspapers that they read; it was a part of the common frenzywhat was a life? It was nothing. It was the least sacred thing in existence and these boys were trained to this cruelty.

For todays youth it is the tales of the last 25 years of unending war waged in every corner of the globe that floods their homes, their playgrounds, and their schools. It is the images of gruesome police murders and armed agents of the state abducting immigrants that are the examples offered by todays ruling class.

The root cause of the unending string of mass violence in America lies in the capitalist system and the nightmarish world that it has created.

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) warns that protests addressed to the Democratic and Republican parties will fall on deaf ears. It is to the working class, the great progressive and revolutionary social force, that students must turn.

The solution to the dead end of the capitalist system can be seen in the resurgence of class struggle in the United States and around the world. The recent strike by teachers and school employees in West Virginia has inspired students and all workers to take up a fight against inequality and exploitation. This year has seen protests and mass demonstrations of workers in the UK, Germany, France, Greece, Kenya, Argentina, Iran, Sri Lanka and many other countries.

The coming upheavals will transform the social and political culture of the entire globe. A new pole of attraction will galvanize workers everywhere in a common fight for social equality, an end to war, and for the transformation of society to meet social need, not private profit.
In little over a week since the mysterious poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent and British spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Britain, on March 4, a campaign has emerged in ruling circles of the NATO alliance to pin blame for the poisoning on Moscow. Backed by top officials in Washington and in Europe, the British government is using this poisoning to concoct accusations against Russia with the most far-reaching implications.

On Monday, Prime Minister Theresa May issued an ultimatum, which expired at midnight today, declaring that absent a credible response from Moscow, her government will conclude there has been an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom. During the parliamentary debate May was urged to invoke Article 4 of the NATO treaty, forcing the alliance to confer if the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any [NATO member state] is threatened.

These are issues over which states go to war, and top NATO officials are clearly putting together a case for war with Russia, a major nuclear-armed power. Yesterday, as May prepared to return to Parliament today with proposals for action, reports emerged in international media that ruling circles in London are discussing also invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty. This article compels all NATO countries to assist any NATO member state that says it has been attacked to take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force.

Faced with such drastic threats raising the danger of nuclear war, one must ask: what is the basis of the allegations that it was Moscow that poisoned Skripal and his daughter, who are now very ill?

The World Socialist Web Site holds no brief for the kleptocratic business oligarchy that emerged in Russia from the Stalinist bureaucracys restoration of capitalism in the Soviet Union in 1991. It cannot be ruled out that a faction of Russian intelligence, acting with or without the knowledge of President Vladimir Putin, may have poisoned Skripal.

But London and NATO have neither produced physical evidence of Kremlin involvement, nor established a motive for a hypothetical Russian attack. Nor has London explained why, if the Kremlin wanted Skripal dead because he spied for Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, it did not execute him after convicting him of spying in 2006, and instead sent him to Britain four years later in exchange for Russian spies jailed by London.

Instead, a simplistic narrative accusing Moscow has emerged: If a crime appears to target countries or individuals hostile to the Russian government, NATO governments and media conclude within hours that it is self-evident that the Kremlin is responsible.

In fact, in international politics, the simple and obvious answer all but inevitably fails to reveal the complex web of political and economic interests that produce a given event or policy. Were the Skripal attack to be a Le Carre spy novel, the accusations so far would likely take up the first 10 pages of the book, after which the real story would unfold over the next 400 pages. The questions that must be posed in such cases are: what is the credibility of the accuser, and, above all, cui bono (who benefits from the crime)?

To those who say it is obvious that Russia poisoned Skripal, it is worth recalling the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States, in which a deadly strain of anthrax was mailed to many US officials in Washington, killing 5 people and infecting 17 more, shortly after the September 11 attacks. There again, media immediately blamed the attacks on obvious targets of US-UK war threatsthe Iraqi regimes weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program and its alleged ties to Al Qaeda. These all proved to be lies, serving Washingtons foreign policy interests as it sought to go to war in Iraq.

And, after the US invaded and occupied Iraq, as it became clear that Iraq had no WMDs and was not responsible for the attacks, it emerged that the particular anthrax strain used in the attacks had in fact been created by Washingtons own WMD program at Fort Detrick, Maryland. A US scientist, Steven Hatfill, was rumored to be responsible, investigated, and ultimately cleared.

It still remains unclear to this day which US officials were involved in carrying out the anthrax attacks. The FBI closed the investigation in 2010 after pinning the blame on another scientist, Bruce Edwards Ivins, who had committed suicide in 2008. However, the US National Academy of Sciences found in 2011 that the US government did not have sufficient scientific evidence to definitively assert that the anthrax used in the attacks came from Ivins.

In the Skripal attack, it is unclear how Moscow would benefit. The attack took place shortly before this weekends elections in Russia, and as the NATO powers ramp up a confrontation with Russia over their failed war for regime change in Syria that has seen US forces attack and kill Russian military contractors in Syria in recent weeks. The Skripal attack hands Putins enemies inside NATO an ideal diplomatic and political weapon to use against him.

The benefits flow to sections of the British and European ruling class who are stoking war hysteria against Russia, and sections of the American ruling elite, particularly around the CIA and the Democratic Party, working with them to discredit Trump as a supposed agent of Russia. The Skripal attack allows these factions to place enormous pressure on rival sections of the European ruling class, notably in the French and German governments, who are calling for a European military policy independent from the United States and closer ties to Russia.

Thus, on Monday, former French President Francois Hollande issued a sharp if barely veiled attack in Le Monde on his successor, Emmanuel Macron, who is working closely with Berlin. Asserting that current NATO policy allows Moscow and the Syrian government to liquidate its opposition and massacre its own people, Hollande called for a confrontation with Moscow: Russia has been rearming for several years, and if Russia is threatening, it must be threatened.

Yesterday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States has full confidence in the British assessment of the attacka statement he implicitly contradicted by then declaring that Russia was only likely responsible. Despite firing Tillerson shortly after he made those statements, Trump echoed Tillersons accusation of Russian complicity, declaring, It sounds to me like it would be Russia, based on all the evidence they have.

Under these conditions, and after the experience of the anthrax attacks, it must be said that factions of the British and American states themselves are prime suspects in the Skripal attack.

London has based its allegations against Russia entirely on the shifting analyses of its Porton Down biochemical warfare facility, located coincidentally only 10 miles from Salisbury. Initially, London alleged that Skripal had been exposed to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid more powerful than heroin. On March 7, however, British officials alleged that the poison was a nerve gas like sarin or VX, without explaining why Porton Down, a facility that has for decades specialized in producing nerve gases, failed to correctly identify one after it was used.

On Monday, May alleged that the nerve gas in question is in fact novichok, a special chemical weapon initially produced by the Soviet government. However, London has refused Moscows requests to actually provide it with samples of the substance used in the Salisbury attack for analysis, as required by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). As of now, at least, the case against Russia is based on the say-so of the Porton Down facility.

Porton Down is not a reliable source, however. It has a long record of illegal or covert testing of biological and chemical weapons on British citizens. These include the 1942 contamination with anthrax spores of Gruinard Island, which the British government was compelled to decontaminate in 1986; the unlawful death of Ronald Maddison in 1953 during trials of sarin gas on British servicemen; and the 1963-1975 spraying of biological weapons in Lyme Bay. The British government paid out 3 millions pounds to victims of such tests in 2008, without admitting liability.

None of the allegations directed by such sources against Russia on the still-murky Skripal poisoning case have a shred of credibility. Only a full, objective international public inquiry, whose findings are published in real time as the inquiry progresses, can establish the truth of what took place. In the meantime, it is a critical measure of self-preservation for workers in America, Europe and around the world to oppose the ruling elites stoking of war hysteria against Russia and the danger of an all-out confrontation between the worlds main nuclear-armed powers.
A political earthquake was let loose early this month in Peru when the main business representative of the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, Jorge Barata, testified to Brazilian and Peruvian prosecutors that the multinational had paid out bribes in the form of campaign contributionsamounting to several million dollarsto the main political figures who have ruled the country from the beginning of the last decade up to the current president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (PPK).

Baratas testimonypart of a guilty plea in the Brazilian Lava Jato investigation into corruptionnot only implicates all the presidents who ruled Peru since the collapse of the autocratic, corrupt government of Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000), but also Limas former left mayor, Susana Villaran (2011-2014), and the main big business federation CONFIEP. The corruption seeped down to all of these figures main subordinates in the state apparatus as well as their associated political parties.

These revelations have led many to question the political future of all the figures involved, the most visible faces of the Peruvian political class for over a generation. Many commentators are arguing that all of them should withdraw from political life (if they manage to avoid jail) and that a new political class rise to fill the vacuum.

This follows the previous testimony that the former CEO of the Brazilian multinational that bears his name, Marcelo Odebrecht, gave in another guilty plea last year, detailing the bribes paid to officials of different Peruvian governments to secure giant construction and infrastructure contracts.

Odebrechts detailing of the multinationals bribery machine in Peru had already shaken the establishment: former president Alejandro Toledo (2001-2006) fled to the US last November after an arrest warrant was issued and currently resides in San Francisco, under the apparent protection of US authorities; while former president Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) has been detained since July, along with his wife, Nadine Heredia, in a preventive prison, awaiting their day in court.

PPK himself was implicated in the revelations, as he had been prime minister and economy minister under Toledos administration and had a main role in awarding the contract for the construction of the Interoceanic Highway to Odebrecht in 2005. He denied having received any bribe from the Brazilian company, but eventually Odebrecht himself detailed that they made cash contributions to two companies set up by PPK. The president was then forced to admit that he, in fact, received some money from Odebrecht for working as a consultant for the company after leaving the Toledo administration.

This set into motion impeachment proceedings by Congress. The fujimorista Fuerza Popular (FP)which holds an absolute majority in Congresswas the main promoter of the impeachment after the corruption investigation was threatening to extend to the partys leader, Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the jailed former president. But the motion was supported by all other parties in Congress, which apparently concluded that the immensely unpopular PPK had become a problem for the stability of the country.

The impeachment unexpectedly failed, after Kenji Fujimoribrother of Keikoled a group of dissident FP congressmen to vote no and the pseudo-left Nuevo Peru (NP) caucus (of former left presidential candidate Veronika Mendoza) abstained after claiming that the impeachment was a fujimorista plot to undermine the government and take power.

It was then revealed that the president himself had been negotiating with Kenji to pardon his father in exchange for the votes to defeat impeachment. Alberto Fujimori was released at the end of last year after serving 8 years of a 25-year prison sentence imposed in 2009 after his conviction on human rights and corruption charges.

The pardon politically backfired for the government, leading to dozens of protestsmostly by young activistsand the loss of the support from the left. While the NP and Frente Amplio (the pseudo-left coalition of which NP was once a part) had publicly called for a vote for PPK in order to defeat Keiko Fujimori during the last elections, the pardon made it no longer tenable for them to continue promoting him as the lesser evil.

Since the pardon, PPKs government has sunk further in the polls, reaching an abysmal 17 percent.

In his testimony, Barata detailed how much was paid to every candidate, and who was the receiver in each case, prompting virtually everyone involved to deny their guilt.

PPKs Odebrecht receiver and fundraiser for his failed 2011 campaign was Susana de la Puente (who was handed US$300,000). Like the president himself, she spent most of her professional life as a Wall Street predator banker specializing in exploiting the Latina American people.

During the decade of Fujimoris rule, de la Puente, a figure of the Peruvian aristocracy, got along very well with the autocratic government, which helped her expand the influence of J.P. Morgan in Peru and the rest of Latin America. PPK recently come out in her defense, dismissing calls for her removal as ambassador to Great Britain.

In recent days, a new drive has begun to secure the impeachment of PKK. This time however, as a result of the Odebrecht scandal ensnaring Keiko Fujimori as well, of the 30 legislators backing a motion to initiate proceedings, only five come from the FP. The leading role has been assumed by the bourgeois left parties, with 10 congress members from Nuevo Peru and 10 from Frente Amplio backing the measure.

These parties, whose principal role is to divert the struggles of the Peruvian working class back under the domination of bourgeois politics and the capitalist state, are sensitive to the growing popular anger provoked by the combination of rampant corruption at the top and the decline of living standards and basic rights for the masses of working people. Their sense is that PPK must be removed in order to prevent the eruption of social upheavals.

There are growing calls for the first vice-president, Martin Vizcarra, to assume the presidency. But, for the working class, Vizcarra and PPK are of the same lot.

When PPK took office in July 2016, Martin Vizcarra took the position of minister of transport and communication. In May 2017, he resigned his post after announcing the cancellation of a public-private contract to build a long-awaited new international airport in Chinchero, in the Cusco region. The cancellation was due to the similarities between the Chinchero contract and the corrupt deals signed with Odebrecht.

Meanwhile, the impasse between the executive and legislative branches continues to affect the economic future of the country. According to Claudia Cooper, minister of economy and finance, there are 252 projects, investments worth US$9.23 billion and 53,000 jobs, in danger if Congress does not pass the necessary laws replacing Emergency Decree 003, which was imposed in response to the corruption scandals and will soon expire.
Amid rapidly escalating provocations against Russia by the US, Britain and other allies, General Valery Gerasimov, the chief of general staff of the Russian Armed Forces, vowed on Tuesday to attack any forces that directly or indirectly target Russian troops operating in Syria.

Gerasimov told a gathering of his top commanders: If the lives of Russian officers are threatened, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will retaliate against missile and launch systems.

The generals statements are a direct warning that Russia will attack American warships or airbases that are responsible for any strikes. They were made in response to a series of unsubstantiated accusations by American officials that the Russian-backed Syrian government has used chemical weapons in its operations against US-backed rebel militias.

On April 6, 2017, such allegations were used as the pretext by the Trump administration to fire dozens of cruise missiles against one of the Syrian militarys main airbases. According to reports at the time, Russia was informed shortly before the attack, so it could evacuate any personnel it had in the vicinity.

On Sunday, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cited unconfirmed reports of chlorine attacks on the rebel-held Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta and threatened the Syrian government with retaliation if they were confirmed. He said that President Donald Trump had full political maneuver room to take whatever decision he believed was appropriate.

It would be very unwise for them to use weaponized gas. And I think President Trump made that very clear early in his administration, Mattis told reporters before landing in Oman. Either Russia is incompetent or in cahoots with Assad. Theres an awful lot of reports about chlorine gas use or about symptoms that could be resulting from chlorine gas, he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron joined in chorus, declaring on Monday that France was also prepared to launch targeted strikes against any site in Syria used to deploy chemical attacks that result in the deaths of civilians. He accused Russia of not doing enough to permit relief efforts into eastern Ghouta.

According to Reuters, Macron said: The day we have, in particular in tandem with our American partners, irrefutable proof that the red line was crossednamely that chemical weapons were used to lethal effectwe will do what the Americans themselves did moreover a few months ago; we would put ourselves in position to proceed with targeted strikes.

The same day, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, declared that when the international community consistently fails to act, there are times when states are compelled to take their own action. Threatening US attacks, she stated: It is not the path we prefer, but it is a path we have demonstrated we will take, and we are prepared to take again.

While the US and other imperialist powers denounce the Syrian offensive against armed groups in Ghouta as a violation of the cease fire ordered by the UN Security Council, Damascus and Moscow argue that they are fighting terrorist groups not protected by the ceasefire.

Russias UN envoy Vassily Nebenzia countered Haleys accusations with claims that Russia has evidence that the Islamist extremist rebel grouping al-Nusra used chlorine gas in Ghouta, to provide the US and its allies with a pretext to launch air strikes against government forces. Advising against any such attacks, he stated: Steps are being weighed which could hit regional stability very, very hard.

Gerasimovs blunt warning the next day that American forces will be directly attacked if they threaten Russian personnel follows the US air strikes in February that killed dozens, and possibly more than 100 Russian military contractors working with the Syrian government.

The proxy war in Syria has brought the militaries of the worlds two largest nuclear armed powers to the point of open conflict. In a measure of the dangers, General Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly held discussions Tuesday with his Russian counterpart Gerasimov. A spokesman for Dunford would only tell media that they had discussed issues of mutual concern and had both agreed to keep the details of their conversation private.

Further adding to the tension, the Turkish government is stepping up its operations in northern Syria against Kurdish nationalist Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia, which Ankara considers to be a terrorist group and an extension of Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Turkey's military and its proxy force in Syria, the so-called Free Syrian Armee (FSA), have encircled the northern town of Afrin, where some 700,000 people are now under siege. Reports suggest they are preparing a full-scale assault.

In a written statement, the Turkish General Staff said yesterday that the centre of Afrin has been surrounded since Monday following the seizure of critically important areas.

Since the beginning of the operation on January 20, a total of 3,393 terrorists have been neutralized, the statement claimed. The Turkish authorities use the word neutralized for those who are killed or captured or have surrendered during the fighting. It reported that 43 Turkish troops have been killed and 156 were injured in the Afrin offensive.

Ankara insists that it is carrying out the operation within the framework of international law and its self-defense rights under the UN charter. Turkeys Western allies, however, have repeatedly indicated that Turkey should stop the attack on Afrin, referring to the UN Security Councils decision on February 24, which demanded a 30-day ceasefire across Syria without delay.

In a phone conversation on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the UN call for a ceasefire also applied to Afrin. The conversation came a day after phone calls between Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Syrian crisis.

Yesterday, Reuters reported that a top Syrian Kurdish official has accused Turkey of settling Turkmen and Arab families in villages seized in the Turkish armys campaign in the Kurdish-dominated Afrin region. He denounced it as a policy of demographic changea claim rejected by Turkish officials as absolutely false.

As it intensifies its offensive on Afrin, Ankara is seeking to get the Trump administration to order the withdrawal of YPG militants and their US military trainers and advisors from the northern Syrian town of Manbij.

Speaking to reporters on a flight to Moscow yesterday, Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Cavusoglu said that Turkey and the US would decide on a plan to safeguard Manbij during talks between himself and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on March 19. Tillerson has since been sacked by Trump, placing a question mark over whether any talks will go ahead.

Directly raising the prospect of Turkish forces clashing with American troops, Cavusoglu reiterated that Turkey will carry out a military operation if talks with the US failed to bring about a YPG withdrawal from Manbij.
American President Donald Trumps announcement of an exemption for Canada from new US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports highlights Ottawas intimate military-strategic partnership with US imperialism and the determination of Justin Trudeaus Liberal government to line up with Washington in its preparations for economic and military conflict with its main rivals, above all China.

Trump confirmed the exemption last Thursday as he announced, in the name of national security, the imposition of 25 and 10 percent tariffs respectively on all steel and aluminum imports.

Trumps tariffs represent a major step in dismantling the liberal global trade order Washington long championed, and have provoked warnings from government and business leaders around the globe that the world risks becoming embroiled in trade war.

Trumps exemption for Canada and fellow North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) partner Mexico, is not without a hitch, however. The White House has indicated its continuation is tied to a successful and speedy outcome of the ongoing talks to renegotiate NAFTA. In other words, Washington intends to use it as leverage in compelling Ottawa and Mexico City to bow to its NAFTA demands. These include: dramatically limiting Canadian and Mexican access to US government procurement contracts; a 50 percent US content and 85 percent North American content requirements for automobiles to be tariff-free; and the dismantling of Canadian barriers on dairy and poultry imports.

At the same time, the exemption underscores that a key aim of Washington is to fashion NAFTA into an even more overtly protectionist trade bloc directed against Washingtons economic and military competitors, China and Russia, but also against the European powers, especially Germany.

The Trump administration is calling on Ottawa to ensure Canada is not used by Chinese and other overseas steel and aluminum producers as a back door to the US, and Ottawa has been quick to signal that it is more than ready to comply and otherwise help Washington in fighting its trade rivals.

The Canadian ruling establishment greeted Trumps announcement of an exemption for Ottawa with a mixture of relief and enthusiasm.

Since World War II, Canadian imperialism has pursued its predatory interests around the world chiefly through its close strategic partnership with Washington. During the past quarter century, Canadian military forces have participated in virtually every aggressive US-led war around the world.

In her speech accompanying the release of the Liberal governments new defence policy last year, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland applauded the outsized role played by US imperialism in the post-war era and pledged Canada would do more to support its closest ally under conditions where Washington can no longer maintain North American global hegemony alone.

This was the principal argument Trudeau and his government officials made in lobbying Washington for an exemption for Canadian steel and aluminum. According to media reports, the key conversations in winning a Canadian exemption were when Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told Secretary of Defense James Mattis that the US relies on Canadian steel to manufacture its fighter jets, and Trudeaus March 5 pledge to Trump he would ensure Canadian steel was manufactured in Canadian plants by Canadian workers.

Trudeau has stepped up his governments pro-militarist and anti-China rhetoric this week as he conducts a tour of steel and aluminum plants in Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan aimed at posturing as a defender of Canadian jobs. We are very concerned about the actions taken by China and the dumping of steel and aluminum on the global market, he declared, in remarks that could just as well have come from Trump. Canada is already extremely active in preventing the arrival of dumped steel or aluminum from the global markets, specifically China, onto our territory.

The prime minister went on to emphasize the crucial role that Canada, which is the largest supplier of steel and aluminum to the US market, plays in supporting the US war machine. Canadian aluminum is in your fighter jets. Canadian steel is in your tanks, he said, in remarks delivered just kilometers from the Canadian Armed Forces Bagotville air base, which was established in World War II to protect Canadas strategically significant aluminum industry. There is no better security partner in the world ... So that whole issue of national security is off the table.

Trudeau, Freeland and other government officials have boasted that securing the tariff exemption required a Team Canada effort. This included the Official Opposition Conservative Party, which welcomed the maintenance of free access to the US market for Canadian steel and aluminum. However, Conservative foreign affairs critic Erin OToole urged the Trudeau government to go even further, declaring that Canada has to align its interests even more closely with the US in order to retain the bilateral strategic partnership. OToole said this should include joining the US ballistic missile defence shield. BMD, its name notwithstanding, is aimed at developing the means for Washington to wage a winnable nuclear war, and is directed chiefly at Russia and China.

Of even greater political significance is the role that the New Democrats, Canadas nominal social democratic party, and the trade unions are playing in championing economic nationalism and protectionism.

Tracey Ramsey, the NDPs international trade critic, applauded Canadas full court press to secure the exemptions. Said Ramsey, This has been a group effort at a grassroots level of just some intense education, I believe, about the Canadian component (to US manufacturing and security).

Unifor President Jerry Dias urged the Liberal government to stand up to Trumps trade blackmail, a reference to his attempt to use the exemption as leverage in rewriting NAFTA. Dias had earlier called on Trudeau to walk away from the NAFTA talks if Canada was not exempted from the steel and aluminum tariffs.

Canadas union bureaucracy has systematically promoted nationalism for more than three decades as a means of smothering the class struggle and dividing Canadian workers from their class allies in the US and internationally. Unifor, in particular, has imposed round after round of concession and job cuts in the name of defending Canadian jobs.

Dias and other top union bureaucrats praised Trump for his reopening of NAFTA, claiming that his push to strengthen a North American protectionist trade bloc opened up opportunities to secure a better deal for workers. In truth, the talks have served to demonstrate the further integration of the entire union bureaucracy with the capitalist state, with Dias functioning as an official adviser to the government at every stage in the renegotiation.

The United Steelworkers (USW), which represents workers in both Canada and the US, has welcomed the US tariffs, while urging Trump to make Canadas exemption permanent. Ken Neumann, the USW Canadian director, declared, Our union has led the labour movement in taking the message to the White House that Canada is not the problem.

Marty Warren, USW director for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, was even more explicit, providing a stamp of approval to Trumps reactionary resort to national security considerations to launch an investigation into imported steel. The evidence confirmed there are many countries that engage in unfair, illegal and predatory trading practices that have created a global steel glut and depressed prices affecting all steel and aluminum markets, he asserted. These bad actor countries, including China, Egypt, India, Malaysia, Korea, Russia, Turkey and Vietnam, have harmed the entire North American market. Canada is not one of these bad actors.

To underscore the point, the USW appealed to the Trudeau government to take action to prevent a surge of steel and aluminum imports into Canada as a result of US tariffs, i.e., to fall into line with the Trump administrations reactionary protectionist trade war agenda that is intensifying tensions between the worlds major powers and laying the basis for future military conflicts.

The trade unions are pursuing a similar policy in every country. In the United States, Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO hailed the tariffs as a step forward in the battle against economic cheaters.

The unions incitement of economic nationalism, and the rise of militarism and the danger of war that accompanies it, is the logical consequence of their anti-working-class, pro-capitalist policies.

As the Socialist Equality Party warned in its recent statement Oppose Trudeau and Trump, the Canada-US alliance and Imperialist War, Workers must beware: those who today wave Canadian and Quebec flags, inciting workers to align with their bosses against Mexican and Chinese workers, will on the morrow be the recruiting sergeants for war.
The New York Times Sunday Review (March 10) prominently featured an article by Susan Chira, a senior correspondent and editor on gender issues at the newspaper, headlined, Money Is Power. And Women Need More of Both.

The column is forthright: Women are running for political office in record numbers this year. They are challenging the sexual status quo from Hollywood to corporate offices, pursuing power as seldom before. But there is one barrier yet to be toppled: Money. Of 2,043 billionaires on the latest annual Forbes tally, 227 are women; most of that small group inherited their wealth.

Chira bemoans the fact that there are not enough very wealthy women to influence (or buy up) the political process. She reproduces approvingly the comment of Alicia Glen, New Yorks deputy mayor for housing and economic development, a former managing director at Goldman Sachs, that if youre the richest person on the planet, theres no waiting you out.

The Times correspondent further expresses the concern that many women, those who grew up wealthy and those who did not, have long been steered away from the unapologetic drive for wealth.

She cites a scene from the 2016 film Equity, in which one character states baldly, I like money, and continues, It was a jaw-dropping moment because such portrayals are so rareand that void is one that Sarah Megan Thomas, one of the films writers, stars and producers, set out to fill, with financial backing from a group of Wall Street women. We dont show strong women liking money on screen, she said.

Chiras piece describes, with a certain degree of sorrow or bitterness, what the author considers the obstacles that remain in the path of women pursuing money and clout just the way men do, but concludes, on an optimistic note, more women appear to be awakening to the power wealth can endow.

That the Times carries this open appeal for women to be single-mindedly greedy and power-hungry, to spurn compassion and caring, and identifies this with feminism generally and the #MeToo movement in particular has a certain significance. Chiras refreshing honesty sets in helpful relief the innumerable spurious claims to the effect that the ongoing sexual misconduct campaign has a left-wing character, that it concerns sexual harassment in the capitalist workplace, that it is a mass movement led by working women, etc.

We have argued on the World Socialist Web Site that the ongoing sexual witch hunt has nothing to do with improving the conditions of working-class women. A layer of affluent women are cynically attempting to use the existence of genuine abuse and past injustice to improve their own bargaining power and their own positions within the existing economic system. Insofar as this group of bourgeois women win concessions and more power and privileges for themselves, it will make them more directly into exploiters of the working class and further increase the divide between women along class lines.

Under certain circumstances, however, those who are leading the #MeToo and related movements require a type of politically legitimizing cover story. It can be awkward, and even embarrassing, to appear before the public and declare: To be honest, we are doing this entirely for ourselves. We are conducting this campaign so we can become producers and studio executives, and run large companies. We too like money. Please, help us become even richer than we are!

Such an effort needs the Times and Washington Post editorial boards, the Nation, the Socialist Worker (i.e., The #MeToo campaign has allowed tens of thousands of women to step into the space opened up by high-profile women in Hollywood to speak about their own experience of sexual assault and harassment on the job) and the rest of the liberal and left media to provide them with arguments and alibis.

Indeed, as far as the pseudo-left goes, it is largely at present a machine for providing a progressive gloss to profoundly reactionary movements and operations.

The comment in Sundays edition of the Times cuts through a lot of this. Chira has a lengthy history at the newspaper, where she started working in 1981. She has been the foreign news editor, the assistant managing editor for news and a deputy executive editor overseeing the Times entire news reporting.

She speaks unashamedly for a social layer that has emerged and enriched itself rapidly in the past several decades. Women in the US earned 2.6 percent of professional degrees in 1961; in 2008, that figure had risen to 52 percent. Women now graduate from law school in roughly the same numbers as men. They make up just under half of medical residents and fellows, or medical-school graduates in training, according to the American Medical Association. They earn more than 44 percent of masters degrees in business and management, including 37 percent of MBAs.

As one commentator has observed, Among younger men and women with equal education levels, who have also put in equal time in the same occupation, there are no gender pay gaps left.

A 2011 study noted that inequality in educational attainment has risen more sharply among women than among men. This is driven by rapid increases among women from upper-income families, who have pulled away from other women, and all men, in their educational attainment.

In sum, a layer of women has separated itself out dramatically and decisively from the millions of working-class women, many of them trapped in some of the lowest-paying jobs: cashiers, childcare workers, maids and housekeeping cleaners, waitresses, personal care aides, nursing, psychiatric and home health aides, teacher assistants, receptionists, secretaries, etc. This rapid change and differentiation has also shaped the consciousness of this social grouping, encouraging its indifference to poverty and economic suffering and its hostility toward those below.

A good many affluent women are a little tired of pretending there is anything radical or subversive about feminism, or that there needs to be.

In certain instances, these women are carrying out attacks on males in their professions, and the campaign over sexual misconduct is one of the weapons, to take over their places in business, in the media, at universities. The working class will not gain anything by this. If there were an additional 1,816 female billionaires, would the world be any more of a paradise for the vast majority of women and men?

Socialists have long recognized that the struggle of feminists and bourgeois women generally for privileges has this reactionary character. The comment by Russian socialist Alexandra Kollontai in 1909, for example, reflected a widely held view: The feminists see men as the main enemy, for men have unjustly seized all rights and privileges for themselves, leaving women only chains and duties. For them a victory is won when a prerogative previously enjoyed exclusively by the male sex is conceded to the fair sex. Proletarian women have a different attitude. They do not see men as the enemy and the oppressor; on the contrary, they think of men as their comrades, who share with them the drudgery of the daily round and fight with them for a better future.

This is our attitude too.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Blog Archive September 2021 (40) August 2021 (56) July 2021 (57) June 2021 (66) May 2021 (63) April 2021 (75) March 2021 (73) February 2021 (61) January 2021 (69) December 2020 (62) November 2020 (62) October 2020 (70) September 2020 (51) August 2020 (52) July 2020 (60) June 2020 (57) May 2020 (79) April 2020 (56) March 2020 (52) February 2020 (50) January 2020 (69) December 2019 (58) November 2019 (64) October 2019 (44) September 2019 (49) August 2019 (71) July 2019 (71) June 2019 (71) May 2019 (67) April 2019 (74) March 2019 (85) February 2019 (64) January 2019 (73) December 2018 (66) November 2018 (81) October 2018 (87) September 2018 (66) August 2018 (76) July 2018 (84) June 2018 (86) May 2018 (64) April 2018 (83) March 2018 (78) February 2018 (69) January 2018 (69) December 2017 (82) November 2017 (87) October 2017 (89) September 2017 (77) August 2017 (75) July 2017 (76) June 2017 (90) May 2017 (86) April 2017 (59) March 2017 (61) February 2017 (82) January 2017 (92) December 2016 (90) November 2016 (80) October 2016 (75) September 2016 (95) August 2016 (104) July 2016 (93) June 2016 (96) May 2016 (98) April 2016 (99) March 2016 (113) February 2016 (82) January 2016 (98) December 2015 (113) November 2015 (94) October 2015 (93) September 2015 (98) August 2015 (97) July 2015 (105) June 2015 (103) May 2015 (95) April 2015 (100) March 2015 (102) February 2015 (93) January 2015 (114) December 2014 (110) November 2014 (103) October 2014 (105) September 2014 (96) August 2014 (96) July 2014 (112) June 2014 (119) May 2014 (109) April 2014 (116) March 2014 (117) February 2014 (109) January 2014 (116) December 2013 (117) November 2013 (121) October 2013 (125) September 2013 (93) August 2013 (115) July 2013 (110) June 2013 (102) May 2013 (115) April 2013 (113) March 2013 (119) February 2013 (108) January 2013 (119) December 2012 (132) November 2012 (115) October 2012 (121) September 2012 (115) August 2012 (124) July 2012 (102) June 2012 (121) May 2012 (121) April 2012 (127) March 2012 (130) February 2012 (112) January 2012 (131) December 2011 (129) November 2011 (118) October 2011 (118) September 2011 (110) August 2011 (138) July 2011 (146) June 2011 (139) May 2011 (144) April 2011 (127) March 2011 (140) February 2011 (116) January 2011 (134) December 2010 (133) November 2010 (136) October 2010 (148) September 2010 (128) August 2010 (155) July 2010 (129) June 2010 (138) May 2010 (152) April 2010 (161) March 2010 (119) February 2010 (149) January 2010 (155) December 2009 (177) November 2009 (171) October 2009 (176) September 2009 (159) August 2009 (156) July 2009 (170) June 2009 (157) May 2009 (185) April 2009 (179) March 2009 (183) February 2009 (170) January 2009 (181) December 2008 (189) November 2008 (183) October 2008 (164) September 2008 (164) August 2008 (177) July 2008 (179) June 2008 (170) May 2008 (191) April 2008 (175) March 2008 (195) February 2008 (162) January 2008 (188) December 2007 (187) November 2007 (189) October 2007 (194) September 2007 (156) August 2007 (194) July 2007 (163) June 2007 (176) May 2007 (190) April 2007 (177) March 2007 (192) February 2007 (165) January 2007 (170) December 2006 (182) November 2006 (177) October 2006 (185) September 2006 (180) August 2006 (156) July 2006 (160) June 2006 (177) May 2006 (173) April 2006 (157) March 2006 (158) February 2006 (146) January 2006 (144) December 2005 (135) November 2005 (138) October 2005 (128) September 2005 (141) August 2005 (136) July 2005 (133) June 2005 (119) May 2005 (143) April 2005 (52)
Kathmandu, Nepal: Chief Justice (CJ) Gopal Prasad Parajuli has been relieved of the responsibility.

The Judiciary Council has sent the letter of his relieved of the post to him rightly after he was administering the oath of office and secrecy to the re-elected President Bidya Devi Bhandari amid a function at Sheetal Niwas.

The letter sent to the CJ Parajuli in the sign of secretary of the Council, Nrip Dhwaj Niraula states that Parajuli should have retired on August 5, 2017 on the basis of the certificate submitted during assumption of service.




Photo credit: Getty

From Esquire

We learned earlier this month thatDr. Ben Carson planned to spend $31,000 on a dining room set. Carson did this while advocating for massive cuts to his Department of Housing and Urban Development - and thus, to affordable housing for low-income Americans. The revelation fit something of a pattern. The Trump administration is a haven for big spenders, few of whom seem to see a contradiction with their expressed opposition to government waste or the perils of Big Government.

There are the Blue Angels, including Scott Pruitt, Ryan Zinke, and the dearly departed Tom Price, who simply must fly in style wherever they go - whatever the expense. Zinke has since claimed he's never taken a private jet because the planes he used had propellers, but his Interior Department was also caught trying to spend nearly $139,000 to upgrade some doors in his office. Price, on the other hand, didn't deny spending more than $1 million in taxpayer cash on private and government planes in just a few months (before he was sacked). Veterans Administration Secretary David Shulkin misrepresented a $122,000 European trip to ethics lawyers, including the fact that he'd used taxpayer funds to cover his wife's airfare. Perhaps feeling upstaged, Pruitt once spent $1,641 on a first-class seat from Washington, D.C. to New York City. He and several staffers also dropped $36,000 on a military jet to get from Cincinnati to New York. So much for taking this country back from the Coastal Elites.

Photo credit: Getty

But if there's one thing you can count on more than hypocritical spending on frivolous things, it's that Donald Trump's cabinet members will lie about said spending. CNN reminds us that both Carson and various department spokespeople denied having knowledge of the furniture purchase:

HUD spokesman Raffi Williams initially denied the Carsons had any involvement in the dining set selection. "Mrs. Carson and the secretary had no awareness that the table was being purchased," he told CNN last month. A HUD spokesman went further at the time, blaming the purchase on an unnamed career staffer. "The secretary did not order a new table. The table was ordered by the career staffers in charge of the building," he said.

Story continues

A few days later, Carson personally addressed the issue, telling CNN in a statement that he was "surprised" by the more than $31,000 price tag and was having the order canceled. The company confirmed a few days after CNN reported the purchase that the agency officially canceled the order on March 1.

And yet, CNN reports, there's this:

Emails show Carson and his wife selected the furniture themselves. An August email from a career administration staffer, with the subject line "Secretary's dining room set needed," to Carson's assistant refers to "printouts of the furniture the Secretary and Mrs. Carson picked out."

The emails surfaced via a Freedom of Information Act request from liberal watchdog group American Oversight. That email trove also exposed that the dining set originally came in under $25,000 - under the allowed spending limit, and certainly a bargain!

"Hi Mrs. Carson!" the scheduler wrote. "There is a designer who will be in town next week on the 15th-17th to look at possibly redecorating the Secretary's office and bringing in new furniture. Are you available on any of those dates and would you like to come in and have input on the redecorating?" The scheduler noted an urgency to making a decision on the furniture: "We must have the order for new furniture in before the 21st in order to use the money allocated for this fiscal year."

Photo credit: Getty

The emails do not include a response from Candy Carson, but in his statement to CNN earlier this month, Secretary Carson also acknowledged there was a deadline to make a decision on the furniture purchase. Carson said he and his wife "were told there was a $25,000 budget that had to be used by a certain time or it would be lost." A quote for the dining room furniture, released as part of the FOIA, came in at $24,666, just under budget.

The career administration staffer sent the quote to Carson's office, specifically Carson's chief of staff and his executive assistant, casting further doubt on the agency's assertion that the purchase was made entirely by career staff.

No pearl-clutching is necessary with this administration, but it still bears remarking on that these nominal public servants feel entitled to spend taxpayer money freely, then lie to the taxpayers about it. Yes, the furniture exceeded the spending limit because of cost overruns, which increasingly seems a problem: We also learned Wednesday that Scott Pruitt's ultra-secret phone booth, from which we can safely assume he is Protecting the Environment and definitely not strategizing with energy industry lobbyists, cost $43,000 - not the $25,000 originally quoted.

Photo credit: Getty

But why did Carson (and his wife, who seems to, in Trumpian fashion, be taking a prominent role in this government despite holding no federal office) feel compelled to spend as much as possible of the $25,000 he was allowed? The HUD accountants would not flush it down an agency toilet. How many months of rent for a single mother in St. Louis would $31,000 cover? How many families of four could get the help they need to keep a roof over their heads until spring? Whether or not the monies are in separate pots, it's a matter of principle and perspective.

If you're in this administration, it's your God-given right to live large. Just ask the secretary, who tweeted this when the first Diningate story broke:

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Psalm 91 indeed. The inverse relationship between loud, public religiosity and actual morality continues apace. The secretary is walking with Jesus - just look at his wall. It's you who needs to make sacrifices.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

You Might Also Like
Hubert de Givenchy, the acclaimed French designer who founded the House of Givenchy, died at the age of 91 on Saturday.

Givenchy was best known for his work dressing actress Audrey Hepburn, who owned a vast wardrobe of Givenchy pieces and wore many of his legendary designs in her movie roles in Breakfast at Tiffanys, Sabrina and Funny Face to name a few.

In 1952 Givenchy launched his own brand after working under designers, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and Elsa Schiaparelli, and one year later, he was tapped by Hepburn herself to create pieces for her 1954 film, Sabrina.

According to Vanity Fair, she came up with the idea to travel to Paris herself to buy original pieces from Givenchy for the film. Clothes are positively a passion with me, Hepburn said on the set of Sabrina. I love them to the point where it is practically a vice.

Subsequently, he designed pieces for seven more of her films, including the most memorable little black dress in movie history, the one worn in Breakfast at Tiffanys, above.

Before her death in 1993 Hepburn left more than 25 Givenchy dresses in her personal collection to the designer and he loaned many pieces to various museums ever since.

It was a kind of marriage, Givenchy told The Telegraph in 2015. Little by little, our friendship grew and with it a confidence in each other. There [was never] any criticism of the other person, no upsets.

He dressed other notable celebrities including, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, who frequently wore his pieces.

She wore a sleeveless embroidered Givenchy gown to an event at the Palace Of Versailles with French president Charles De Gaulle in 1961 and in a two-piece tailored suit in 1961, below.

The brand released a statement on Instagram. The House of Givenchy is sad to report the passing of its founder Hubert de Givenchy, a major personality of the world of French Haute Couture and a gentleman who symbolized Parisian chic and elegance for more than half a century. His enduring influence and his approach to style reverberates to this day. He will be greatly missed.

Story continues

Bernard Arnault, the chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH, the owner of the brand also released a statement, according to WWD. He was among those designers who placed Paris firmly at the heart of world fashion post 1950 while creating a unique personality for his own fashion label. In both prestigious long dresses and daywear, Hubert de Givenchy has brought together two rare qualities: to be innovative and timeless, Arnault said.

Since his retirement in 1995, his brand has been helmed by some of the top designers in the industry. John Galliano took the reigns after Givenchy stepped down, followed by Alexander McQueen, Julien Macdonald and Riccardo Tisci before Clare Waight Keller assumed the role in 2017.

Fittingly for a designer who realized the value of dressing the Hollywood A-list well ahead of his time, Givenchy is still a go-to for many leading ladies, including Gal Gadot, who wore Givenchy Haute Couture by Keller to the 2018 Academy Awards, and Kim Kardashian West, who wore a Givenchy design by Tisci to her wedding.
Human remains have been uncovered under concrete in the Florida backyard of a man who hasnt been seen since 2015 but was only recently reported missing, PEOPLE confirms.

The unidentified remains were found behind the home 36-year-old Michael Shaver, who was reported missing in February, according to a Lake County Sheriffs Office news release obtained by PEOPLE.

According to multiple reports including CBS, Shaver was an employee of Disney.

Lake County authorities were contacted by a friend of Shavers who asked officials to conduct a well-being check on him. The friend told police that neither he nor Shavers family had heard from him since 2015.

Upon arrival at Shavers Clermont home, authorities were greeted by Shavers wife, Laurie, who also told officials she hadnt seen her husband in three years.

Its a completely bizarre, completely abnormal [case], Lt. John Herrell of the Lake County Sheriffs Office tells PEOPLE. Its just really strange that no one reported him missing until now.

Initially, Laurie Shaver gave deputies permission to search her home, but she later stopped cooperating and requested a lawyer, says Herrell.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

A fire pit in the backyard of Shavers home caught the attention of deputies when they noticed the concrete located around the fire pit appeared new, says Herrell.

It was just a shoddy concrete job, poured around this fire pit, so we began focusing our efforts there, and I can tell you we found what appears to be a bone that is consistent with that of a human upper arm bone, Herrell told WKMG-TV.

The first bone was discovered Friday evening, Herrell says.

On Saturday morning, additional human remains and articles of clothing were discovered, Herrell says. The remains have been sent to the medical examiners officer for identification.

Story continues

Why Wasnt He Reported Missing Earlier?

Its unclear how Shaver disappeared for so long before being reported missing.

It doesnt sound like [the Shavers] were sociable people, Herrell tells PEOPLE. They lived in a very rural part of the county, on maybe like a five-acre ranch-style home, with big open pastures.

Lake County deputies were familiar with the Shavers from previous domestic disturbances, according to Herrell.

Laurie Shavers attorney Jeffrey Wiggs tells PEOPLE the couple were estranged at the time of Shavers disappearance.

There were problems in the past that existed between the two of them, Wiggs says. So there was no motive for her to call his parents when he wasnt there. She was [actually] really relieved when he wasnt.

 For more compelling True Crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard.

According to incident reports obtained by PEOPLE, Shaver was arrested in 2014 on simple assault-battery and aggravated assault with a gun charges after an argument allegedly turned violent one afternoon.

Ms. Shaver stated that during the argument, it became physical when Mr. Shaver grabbed her by the arms and pushed her into the wall, the incident report states.

When Shaver allegedly struck his wife with his gun, Laurie Shaver fled the home with their two young children, according to the incident report.

The charges were dropped after Shaver completed pretrial intervention program, a Lake County Clerk of Court official tells PEOPLE.
John Krasinski is totally game to reprise his beloved role as Jim Halpert on 'The Office' -- so much so, that he even has an idea for how it might be revived.

John Krasinski is totally game to reprise his beloved role as Jim Halpert on The Office -- so much so that he even has an idea for how it might be revived.

The 38-year-old actor already told Ellen DeGeneres last month that he's definitely interested in a reboot of the show a la Roseanne and Will & Grace, and in a new interview, he shares his pitch on how the show might come back.

Every single day, people said, By the end, were you guys kind of tired of each other? I was like, No no no, we had the most fun up until the last day,'" he tells The Wrap of the close-knit cast. "I would love to play with those guys again and do something. It really comes down to the idea the original British show, the best thing was they had a Christmas episode -- it was a one-off. I would love to do that. I think it would be a sort of Where Are They Now kind of thing. That would be really fun.

However, Krasinski said he still hadn't received a call from NBC regarding a potential reboot.

I would totally be interested! he reiterates. I still have yet to get a call. I am surprised that after Ellen and all that -- I havent gotten a call, so I havent heard anything about it, other than on the internet -- the internet is making the show."

"Twitter is shooting The Office reboot," he jokes. "I dont know if any of us are going to be a part of it!

On a more serious note, Krasinski stressed how central his Office role has been to his career.

That show for me was, obviously, the greatest experience," he says. "Its given me everything, absolutely every opportunity, and it is the thing that has allowed me to do all this other stuff.

ET spoke to Krasinski's Office co-star, Steve Carell, last November, who unfortunately, wasn't as keen as Krasinski on a reboot.

"I don't want to be a jerk about it, but I think people who like the show originally would want it to come back exactly the way it was, but that could never happen because all the writers would be different, and I just wouldn't want to recreate something that was a very, very specific moment in time," he explained. "I kind of don't want to do it because I love the show so much. I think people would be disappointed, I really do."

Story continues

Watch below:

RELATED CONTENT:

Mindy Kaling & BJ Novak Attend Vanity Fair Oscar Party Together -- and 'The Office' Fans Freaked Out!

Melora Hardin Hopes to See Jan in 'The Office' Reboot -- But Steve Carell Won't Be Returning (Exclusive)

'The Office' Star Jenna Fischer (and Her Character Pam Beesly) Are Once Again Welcome to Dine at Chili's

Related Articles:
Katy Perry is quickly proving herself to be one of the most game judges on American Idol.

On Monday night's episode of the ABC reboot, Perry and her fellow judges -- Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan -- get roped into dancing with Venezuelan contestant Michelle Sussett, who hails from Miami. But as Perry went lower on the floor, she took a tumble in her sparkly minidress and high heels, accidentally exposing a little more than she bargained for.



Producers put up the American Idol logo to cover Perry, as Richie and Bryan rushed to help her.

Despite the mishap, Perry had a great sense of humor about the fall, cracking, "I'm the best dancer ever."

Meanwhile, after Richie and Bryan both sweetly helped Perry up and made sure she was covered, the two also joked about the incident.

"You all right? You covered?" Richie asked Perry, standing in front of her body. "Some things you have to do for the business. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it."

Meanwhile, Bryan hilariously rubbed his eyes.

"Oh, dear god," he said. "There are some things a man can't unsee."

Sussett did end up making the cut, with all three judges giving her an enthusiastic "yes."

On Monday night's episode, Perry was also brought to tears by contestant David Francisco, who was hit by a car in 2016 and wound up paralyzed from the waist down.

Watch below:

RELATED CONTENT:

'American Idol': How ABC's Premiere Compares to the Original

Kelly Clarkson Admits She Didn't Initially Know She Was Auditioning for 'American Idol'

'American Idol' Alum Fantasia Barrino Pays Tribute to Nephew Killed in Shooting

Related Articles:
Kris Jenner is setting the record straight.

During a call-in to Australian radio show Kyle and Jackie O., the 62-year-old momager shut down speculation that Kylie Jenners ex Tyga, rather than current boyfriend Travis Scott, is the father of her newborn daughter rather than  gossip fueled by Tyga himself on Snapchat back in September.

Host Kyle Sandilands said during the interview, Tyga was chiming in saying maybe it was his baby.

Oh no, no no. I think that was just a bunch of silly rumors as usual, Kris replied, as first reported by E! News.

Sandilands added that he wouldnt believe anything until Kris confirmed it.

Yeah, you guys know better than that, she replied with a laugh. You just gotta call me.

Kris also called the current KarJenner baby boom such an exciting time. In addition to Kylies daughter Stormi, Kim Kardashian West welcomed her third child, daughter Chicago, via surrogate in January, while Khloe Kardashian is eight months along with her first child, a baby girl.

Once Khloes bundle of joy arrives, Kris will be a grandmother nine times over.

Six kids, nine grandchildren. I am officially outnumbered, the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star joked.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Kris gushed about first-time mom Kylie last month at the Rachel Zoe Collection Presentation and Dinner (sponsored by Belvedere Vodka) at The Jeremy Hotel in Los Angeles.

RELATED VIDEO: Kylie Jenner Shares First Photo of Herself Cradling Stormi: My Angel Baby Is 1-Month-Old

Shes amazing. An amazing mom, she told PEOPLE.

Kris Jenner and Kylie Jenner

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

With her family once again getting bigger, the momager said she could not be more thankful.

Its a whole nother dimension of love and family, and feeling so lucky to be where we are today. Its really an exciting time, she said at the event.

Any mom just wants her family to be happy, healthy, peaceful, joyful and thats my joy, Kris added. Theyre my heart!
Microsoft has received hundreds of gender discrimination and sexual harassment claims since 2010, according to court documents obtained by Reuters and made public this week.

Female employees argued that Microsoft systemically denied pay raises and promotions, the lawsuit filed in Seattle in 2015. Only one out of 118 gender discrimination claims were founded by the software giant, according to unsealed court documents. Altogether, the company received 238 internal grievances between 2010 and 2016.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs are pushing to make it a class action lawsuit  which could balloon to more than 8,000 women. U.S. District Judge James Robart has not ruled on whether to allow the class action motion, and a trial date hasnt been set.

Also Read: Katie Couric Talks Matt Lauer, Sexual Harassment at TheWrap's Power Women Breakfast Austin

Microsoft did not immediately respond to TheWraps request for comment.

Microsoft said it had a robust system to investigate concerns raised by its employees, and that it wanted them to speak up, according to Reuters.

The Seattle-based company allocates more than $55 million each year to promote diversity, according to court documents. It has about 75,000 employees in the U.S., and 115,000 across the globe.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Amazon Teams With Microsoft So Alexa and Cortana Can Talk to Each Other

Microsoft Paint Is on Its Way Out and Twitter Is Sad: 'RIP My Childhood'

Microsoft Lays Off Thousands of Sales Workers, to Focus on Cloud
A 22-year-old nursing student has been killed, and investigators in Binghamton, New York, have launched an international manhunt for her ex-boyfriend, who is a person of interest in the case.

Haley Anderson, a senior, was found dead Friday at an off-campus residence near the State University of New York at Binghamton. Police found her body while responding to a request for a welfare check. It is unclear how long she had been dead.

The medical examiner has classified her death as a homicide but has not yet released a cause of death.

Police say that a male nursing student is a person of interest in Andersons death, though authorities did not name the student. He allegedly had a previous romantic relationship with the victim. Authorities allege that the male student left the country on an international flight before Andersons body was found.

Authorities declined to name the former boyfriend, or identify what country he went to.

This incident and the circumstances of the death was not a random act or involving the conduct of a stranger, Binghamton police said in a statement.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

The universitys Facebook page expressed sorrow at the loss of the promising student. The Binghamton University community is deeply saddened to learn of the death of senior nursing student Haley Anderson, whose death is being investigated by the Binghamton Police Department, the statement reads. Our entire University community extends our deepest condolences to Haleys family and friends, both here in Binghamton and in her hometown of Westbury, N.Y.

The statement also stresses that her killing was not a random act. There is no threat to public safety at this time, the statement reads. The investigation is continuing.

In the aftermath of her death, those who knew Anderson are trying to come to terms with her death. Athena Anadnostakos, who worked with Anderson at a cafe on campus, tells FOX News that Anderson was a very good girl.

Story continues

 For more compelling True Crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard

She was friendly, joked around, we had a good time together, Anadnostakos said. A lot of students came who work together, they cried today. The supervisor and Haley were so close. We are very sad.

A GoFundMe has been set up for funeral expenses. Anyone with information on her death is asked to contact the Binghamton Police Detective Division at 607-772-7080 or 607-772-7082.
A three-year-old Ohio girl is clinging to life after she was allegedly beaten by her babysitter, PEOPLE confirms.

According to WLWT and other outlets that cite court records, the child, Hannah Wesche, of Hamilton Township, is brain dead and is on life support at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital.

On Friday, the babysitter, Lindsay Partin, 35, was arrested and charged with assault and child endangerment, the Butler County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

Partin has pleaded not guilty. She posted a $30,000 bond and was released from Butler County Jail on Monday, jail records show. She is scheduled to return to court on Thursday.

This little girl is hanging on by a thread, said Sheriff Richard K. Jones in the statement. Cases like this rip your heart out. I dont understand why or how anyone harms a child.

Lindsay Partin

On Monday in court, the girls father, Jason Wesche, told a judge his daughter is not expected to live.

Within the next couple of days, weve been told that its going to come to an end, he told a judge, Fox 19 Cincinnati reports.

We just want to stress that this situation is devastating, he said, the outlet reports.

The familys ordeal began on Thursday, when police responded to a home on Shank Road for a call about an unconscious child, the sheriffs office said in the statement.

When police and EMTs arrived, the child was unresponsive, had trouble breathing and had bruises on her head and face, the sheriffs office said.

Partin allegedly admitted to striking the child, the statement said. Initially, she allegedly said the toddler had fallen and hit her head on the concrete floor in her garage the day before, according to the statement.

Partin called 911 shortly after the childs father dropped her off at her house at 7 a.m. on Thursday, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

I babysit kids, Partin can be heard saying on the 13-minute 911 call, which was obtained by the Enquirer. (The childs father) just dropped her off and all of a sudden she just passed out.

Story continues

When the operator asks Partin who passed out, she replies, The little girl, shes three. She fell pretty bad yesterday. She was fine and then all of sudden this morning she walked in and she passed out, limp.

At one point during the call, Partin can be heard telling the child, I love you, buttercup. Youre OK, before saying to the operator, I cant believe this is happening. I thought she was fine.

When Jason Wesche learned that his daughter was unconscious, he raced back to Partins home and tried to help his ailing daughter breathe, the Enquirer reports.

Hannah, look at daddy. Look up, he can be heard saying on 911 call. Breathe for daddy, breathe. Hannah, look at daddy. Whats the matter?

Hospital personnel and police found more bruises on Hannahs body, Fox 19 reports.

Sheriff Jones warned other parents about properly vetting babysitters.

Parents, please know who is watching your children. Get background checks, talk to neighbors, friends and family members before letting anyone watch your children, know who you are leaving your babies with, he said in the statement.

It is unclear whether Partin has retained an attorney who can comment on her behalf.

Jason Wesche has launched a GoFundMe page for medical care for Hannah.
President Trump abruptly fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter on Tuesday, and late night hosts had a lot to say about it. Tillerson reportedly learned of his firing from Trumps tweet, which has been many peoples point of focus. But according to Conan OBrien, maybe they should concentrate on how he was hired.

Today President Trump  get this  he fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Twitter, OBrien said. It makes sense when you consider that Trump hired Tillerson on Tinder. Thats how they met.

Tillerson is the latest in a string of high-level officials to leave the administration during Trumps short tenure, and on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon had an idea of whos next.

In the past few weeks, Gary Cohn, Hope Hicks, and now Rex Tillerson have all left the White House, Fallon said. Most people said theyre shocked, while Betsy DeVos was like, Wait, how the hell am I still here? I mean, didnt anyone see 60 Minutes?

On Late Night, Seth Meyers joked that Trumps tweet was actually a retweet, with the original coming from Russian President Vladimir Putin. While on The Late Show, Stephen Colbert found something about Trumps tweet that could make getting fired sting just that much more for Tillerson.

What could be worse than learning you got fired from your bosss tweet? Colbert asked. Oh, maybe seeing that 86,000 people liked it.

Check out Oprahs advice for anyone running for president:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram  or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
After nearly 30 years in Hollywood, Reese Witherspoon probably thought shed seen it all when it comes to interviews.

But a reporter named Lucy Ford managed to surprise the industry veteran when she passed her a copy of a 15,000-word college dissertation she wrote about Legally Blonde during a press junket for A Wrinkle in Time.

After making clear that she is also a fan of costars Oprah Winfrey and Mindy Kaling, who sat beside Witherspoon for the interview, Ford told the actress, 41, that she was the subject of her college dissertation, which focused on strong female characters in film.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

She then handed Witherspoon a copy of the paper, saying, You can read it, you can burn it, you can clean your windows with it, but I feel like this was full circle for me that I wrote that four years ago. She added that shes watched Legally Blonde about 800 times.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Witherspoon seemed touched by the gesture, and, after taking the paper, said that she noticed it was even sprayed with perfume  a trick her character uses with resumes in Legally Blonde.

The moment I handed @RWitherspoon my 15,000 dissertation/love letter to Legally Blonde  and yes, it was scented, Ford later tweeted, along with a video of the interview. I blacked out somewhere between her taking it and Oprah saying wow. 

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Witherspoon wasnt the only person touched by the moment. Thousands have retweeted and commented on the video, including famed YouTube personality Tyler Oakley.

I love moments like this, he tweeted.

A Wrinkle in Time is now in theaters.
Reuters, March 6, 2018

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appointed a committee of scholars to prove that Hindus are descended from Indias first inhabitants. Members of the countrys Muslim minority worry the government wants to make them second-class citizens.

By RUPAM JAIN and TOM LASSETER

NEW DELHI - During the first week of January last year, a group of Indian scholars gathered in a white bungalow on a leafy boulevard in central New Delhi. The focus of their discussion: how to rewrite the history of the nation.

The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi had quietly appointed the committee of scholars about six months earlier. Details of its existence are reported here for the first time.

Minutes of the meeting, reviewed by Reuters, and interviews with committee members set out its aims: to use evidence such as archaeological finds and DNA to prove that todayas Hindus are directly descended from the landas first inhabitants many thousands of years ago, and make the case that ancient Hindu scriptures are fact not myth.

Interviews with members of the 14-person committee and ministers in Modias government suggest the ambitions of Hindu nationalists extend beyond holding political power in this nation of 1.3 billion people - a kaleidoscope of religions. They want ultimately to shape the national identity to match their religious views, that India is a nation of and for Hindus.

In doing so, they are challenging a more multicultural narrative that has dominated since the time of British rule, that modern-day India is a tapestry born of migrations, invasions and conversions. That view is rooted in demographic fact. While the majority of Indians are Hindus, Muslims and people of other faiths account for some 240 million, or a fifth, of the populace.

The committeeas chairman, K.N. Dikshit, told Reuters, aI have been asked to present a report that will help the government rewrite certain aspects of ancient history.a The committeeas creator, Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, confirmed in an interview that the groupas work was part of larger plans to revise Indiaas history.

For Indiaas Muslims, who have pointed to incidents of religious violence and discrimination since Modi took office in 2014, the development is ominous. The head of Muslim party All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, Asaduddin Owaisi, said his people had anever felt so marginalised in the independent history of India.a

aThe government,a he said, awants Muslims to live in India as second-class citizens.a

Modi did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

INTO THE CLASSROOM

Helping to drive the debate over Indian history is an ideological, nationalist Hindu group called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It helped sweep Modias Bharatiya Janata Party to power in 2014 and now counts among its members the ministers in charge of agriculture, highways and internal security.

REVISING HISTORY: Indias Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, above, said he expects the history committeeas conclusions to find their way into school textbooks and academic research. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

The RSS asserts that ancestors of all people of Indian origin - including 172 million Muslims - were Hindu and that they must accept their common ancestry as part of Bharat Mata, or Mother India. Modi has been a member of the RSS since childhood. An official biography of Culture Minister Sharma says he too has been a adedicated followera of the RSS for many years.

Referring to the emblematic colour of the Hindu nationalist movement, RSS spokesman Manmohan Vaidya told Reuters that athe true colour of Indian history is saffron and to bring about cultural changes we have to rewrite history.a

Balmukund Pandey, the head of the historical research wing of the RSS, said he meets regularly with Culture Minister Sharma. aThe time is now,a Pandey said, to restore Indiaas past glory by establishing that ancient Hindu texts are fact not myth.

Sharma told Reuters he expects the conclusions of the committee to find their way into school textbooks and academic research. The panel is referred to in government documents as the committee for aholistic study of origin and evolution of Indian culture since 12,000 years before present and its interface with other cultures of the world.a

Sharma said this aHindu firsta version of Indian history will be added to a school curriculum which has long taught that people from central Asia arrived in India much more recently, some 3,000 to 4,000 years ago, and transformed the population.

Hindu nationalists and senior figures in Modias party reject the idea that India was forged from a mass migration. They believe that todayas Hindu population is directly descended from the landas first inhabitants. Historian Romila Thapar said the question of who first stood on the soil was important to nationalists because aif the Hindus are to have primacy as citizens in a Hindu Rashtra (kingdom), their foundational religion cannot be an imported one.a To assert that primacy, nationalists need to claim descent from ancestors and a religion that were indigenous, said Thapar, 86, who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi for decades and has authored books on ancient Indian history.

The theory of an influx of people from central Asia 3,000 to 4,000 years ago was embraced during British rule.

Indiaas first post-independence leader, Jawaharlal Nehru, who promoted a secular state and tolerance of Indiaas Muslims, said it was aentirely misleading to refer to Indian culture as Hindu culture.a That outlook informed the way India was governed by Nehru and then by his Congress party for more than half a century. The rights of minorities - including the prohibition of discrimination based on religion - are enshrined in Indiaas constitution, of which Nehru was a signatory in 1950.

Shashi Tharoor, a prominent member of the Congress party, said right wing Hindus are aleading a political campaign over Indian history that seeks to reinvent the idea of India itself.a

aFor seven decades after independence, Indianness rested on faith in the countryas pluralism,a Tharoor said, but the rise of Hindu nationalism had brought with it a asense of cultural superiority.a

A HISTORY FOUNDED ON HINDU TEXTS

The history committee met in the offices of the director general of the Archaeological Survey of India, a federal body that oversees archaeological research. Among the committeeas 14 members are bureaucrats and academics. The chairman, Dikshit, is a former senior official with the Archaeological Survey.

Culture Minister Sharma told Reuters he will present the committeeas final report to parliament and lobby the nationas Ministry of Human Resource Development to write the findings into school textbooks. That ministry, which is responsible for education and literacy programmes, is also headed by an adherent of the RSS, Prakash Javadekar.

aWe will take every recommendation made by the Culture Ministry seriously,a Javadekar said. aOur government is the first government to have the courage to even question the existing version of history that is being taught in schools and colleges.a

According to the minutes of the history committeeas first meeting, Dikshit, the chairman, said it was aessential to establish a correlationa between ancient Hindu scriptures and evidence that Indian civilization stretches back many thousands of years. Doing so would help bolster both conclusions the committee wants to reach: that events described in Hindu texts are real, and todayas Hindus are descendants of those times.

The minutes and interviews with committee members lay out a comprehensive campaign to achieve this, including the dating of archaeological sites and DNA testing of human remains.

aOur government is the first government to have the courage to even question the existing version of history that is being taught in schools and colleges.a  Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development

Culture Minister Sharma told Reuters he wants to establish that Hindu scriptures are factual accounts. Speaking of the Ramayana, the epic that follows the journey of a Hindu deity in human form, Sharma said: aI worship Ramayana and I think it is a historical document. People who think it is fiction are absolutely wrong.a The epic tells how the god Rama rescues his wife from a demon king. It still informs many Indiansa sense of gender roles and duty.

Sharma said it was a priority to prove through archaeological research the existence of a mystical river, the Saraswati, that is mentioned in another ancient scripture, the Vedas. Other projects include examining artifacts from locations in scriptures, mapping the dates of astrological events mentioned in these texts and excavating the sites of battles in another epic, the Mahabharata, according to Sharma and minutes of the committeeas meeting.

In much the same way that some Christians point to evidence of an ancient flood substantiating the Biblical tale of Noah and his ark, if the settings and features of the ancient scriptures in India can be verified, the thinking goes, then the stories are true. aIf the Koran and Bible are considered as part of history, then what is the problem in accepting our Hindu religious texts as the history of India?a said Sharma.

Modi did not order the committeeas creation - it was instigated by Sharma, government documents show - but its mission is in keeping with his outlook. During the 2014 inauguration of a hospital in Mumbai, Modi pointed to the scientific achievements documented by ancient religious texts and spoke of Ganesha, a Hindu deity with an elephantas head: aWe worship Lord Ganesha, and maybe there was a plastic surgeon at that time who kept the head of an elephant on the torso of a human. There are many areas where our ancestors made large contributions.a Modi did not respond to a request from Reuters that he expand on this remark.

Nine of 12 history committee members interviewed by Reuters said they have been tasked with matching archaeological and other evidence with ancient Indian scriptures, or establishing that Indian civilization is much older than is widely known. The others confirmed their membership but declined to discuss the groupas activities. The committee includes a geologist, archaeologists, scholars of the ancient Sanskrit language and two bureaucrats.

One of the Sanskrit scholars, Santosh Kumar Shukla, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, told Reuters he believes Indiaas Hindu culture is millions of years old. Another committee member, Ramesh Chand Sharma, former head of the linguistics department at the University of Delhi, said he would take a strictly scientific approach. aI donat subscribe to any ideology,a he said.

With an annual budget of about $400 million - an important source of federal funding for historical research, archaeology and the arts - the Culture Ministry is an influential place to start a campaign of historical revision.

After he was named culture minister in 2014 following Modias victory, Sharma, a doctor and chairman of a chain of hospitals, said he received guidance from the RSS. Sharma, a genial man with a wide smile, has a portrait of Bharat Mata, or Mother India, hanging above the doorway of a meeting room in his bungalow in central Delhi. Below it are portraits of past RSS leaders.

During the last three years, Sharma said, his ministry has organized hundreds of workshops and seminars across the country ato prove the supremacy of our glorious past.a The aim, he said, is to build a fresh narrative to balance the liberal and secular philosophy espoused by Indiaas first prime minister, Nehru, and furthered by successive governments for most of the nationas post-independence history.

The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, now controlled by Sharmaas ministry, these days mixes in sessions about right wing Hindu leaders and causes. At one such event in 2016, the president of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Amit Shah, took the opportunity to lambast Nehru as a man influenced by the western world. aWe have always believed that our policies should have the smell of Indian soil,a Shah said. It was time for a history of India that concentrates on afacts about our great past.a

Additional reporting by Krishna N. Das, Aditya Kalra and Vipin Das M in New Delhi, Jatindra Das in Bhubaneswar and Subrata Nagchoudhury in Kolkata
At least 50 people have been killed after a plane carrying 71 passengers crashed near Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport in Nepal on Monday, officials told Reuters.

Flight BS211, operated by, US-Bangla Airlines, was flying from Dhaka in Bangladesh to the airport when it crashed while trying to land onto the runway, Nepal Police officials said.

At least 40 bodies have been recovered at the scene of the accident and nine passengers died in the hospital. Some 22 other passengers were still being treated in local hospitals, Nepal police spokesperson Manoj Neupane told CNN.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The plane, which was meant to land on the south side of the airports runway approached from the north side instead, veering off the runway and bursting into flames as it crashed, Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal director general Sanjiv Gautam said in an interview with the Hindustan Times.

Authorities are still investigating why the aircraft attempted to land from the other side of the airport.

Related: Why You Should Start Every Flight With This Pilot's 3-second Safety Trick (Video)

Amanda Summers, an expat living in Kathmandu, happened to see the crash and described the incident to CNN.

I saw one spark, or flash. Then, seconds later I saw another bigger one, she said. It was almost as if the plane might have bounced. Then, no more light but a tall billow of thick black smoke rose in the air.

Rescue workers and soldiers from Nepals army were called in to help assist survivors out of the wreckage amid thick smoke, shutting down the airport for several hours on Monday before operations reopened.

Officials are still continuing to confirm the total death toll from the crash of the Bombardier Dash 8 as injured passengers are currently undergoing treatment at various hospitals in the area.
Many kids are fascinated by what their parents do and where they go in the early morning when they leave the house in a familiar uniform. But for NASA astronaut Anne McClains 4-year-old son, nothing seems to bring him more joy than seeing his mother transform when putting on her spacesuit in preparation for launch training.

Anne McClain and her 4-year-old son pose together for her official NASA portrait. (Photo: Bill Stafford/NASA)

Leading up to her scheduled flight to the International Space Station this November, the member of the 21st astronaut group had her official NASA portrait taken last August by staff photographer Bill Stafford. And while many aerospace engineers take the opportunity to get a professional solo shot, McClain couldnt help but include her son in the special moment.

In a thread of tweets from her now-deleted account, the decorated U.S. Army major, attack helicopter pilot, and aerospace engineer shared that leaving her young son behind was the most difficult part of her job. However, it seems that he wouldnt trade his mothers occupation for the world.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Sometimes, I bring him to work with me, McClain had tweeted. Not sure who enjoys it more! But the response is evident from the smile on her sons face. While McClain holds on to his stuffed elephant, he has both hands on his mothers helmet  possibly with intentions of keeping it himself.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

McClain went on to share what her son has told classmates about her job, saying that he assures her, None of my friends have ever met an engineer.

Although her son speaks in awe of what his mother does, its clear that he may not understand the extent of it, as many people dont. Through the Twitter thread, Business Insider shared that the astronaut was asked if its more difficult to stay back from expeditions or to leave for them, to which McClain replied: No easy answer there.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

One provides immediate comfort, the other achieves not only lifelong goals but also teaches lifelong lessons. Gotta play the long game here, McClain responded. But it doesnt make missing out on waffles with the kiddo in the morning any easier. Most parents can relate.

Story continues

The conversation between McClain and her followers is one that reflects the many woes of working parents. But its amazing to see the role model that this astronaut already is to so many, beyond her adorable son.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




Kevin Esterly, Amy Yu

Police are searching for a Pennsylvania teen who went missing after a 45-year-old man checked her out of school.

According to NBC, Kevin Esterly illegally signed out 16-year-old Amy Yu on Monday from Leigh Valley Academy Charter School. An arrest warrant shows that he had checked her out at least 10 times between Nov. 13 to Feb. 9.

All without her mother's consent.

RELATED: Scary New Details About The Man Who Tried to Lure A 14-Year-Old Child Into Being A 'Full-Time Baby Maker' And Wanted To 'Cannibalize' Her

According to police, Esterly was able to take Yu out of school because she had changed school documents to list him as her stepdad.

Police had already warned Esterly to stay away from Amy, and court records indicated that they had been in an illegal relationship. Esterly is currently married.

In fact, on Feb. 15 police were called to Amys home by her mother, Miu Luu, and both Esterly and his wife were there. Its not clear why they were there, but thats reportedly when police told him to stay away from the teen.

Luu reportedly found texts between her daughter and Esterly that sounded like they were "in a romantic relationship."

Miu reported her daughter missing when she failed to come home from school. She said she then noticed her daughters jewelry and other personal belongings were also missing from their home.

Esterlys wife told police that her husband withdrew $4,000 from her bank account. Personal documents were also missing from their home.

The teen's younger brother told reporters that their family met Esterly's family at church years ago and that Amy is friends with one of his daughter's. They've even had Esterly over for dinner.

RELATED: Heartbreaking New Details About The Murder Of A 22-Year-Old Student Found On The Bed Of A Jealous Former Hookup

The brother, John, said after their mother dropped them off at the bus stop on Monday, Amy took off. He didn't know where she was going.

Story continues

Allentown police issued a missing person alert on Wednesday, and labeled both Amy and Esterly as endangered.

A representative for the school claimed that Esterly has not stepped foot on school grounds since Feb. 9. That was reportedly when the school staff was made aware that he was not allowed to pick Amy up.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Esterly has several prior minor criminal charges against him that were dismissed.

He is a white male standing 5 feet 9 inches and weighing 185 pounds. Amy is an Asian female standing 4 feet 11 inches and weighing 90 pounds. They may be traveling in Esterlys red, two-door 1999 Honda Accord; license plate KTL0529.

Anyone with information about their whereabouts should call investigators at 610-437-7751.

RELATED: Horrific New Details Released About WHY A Mother Let Her Boyfriend And His Cousin Rape And Murder Her 10-Year-Old Daughter While She Watched

Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 7:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTangos Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).

Keywords: crime, Missing

read more
Haley Anderson

Police are on the hunt for a possible suspect in the murder of a 22-year-old college student.

Haley Anderson, a student a Binghamton University in New York, was found dead on Friday. According to her roommate, her body was found carefully arranged on the bed of Orlando Tercero, 22.

She was in Orlandos room," Josephine Artin told the New York Post. She was in the bed. Looking back at it, she was clearly dead, because living people arent that color."

RELATED: Sad New Details Revealed About The 20-Year-Old Girl Who Is Permanently Blind After Gouging Her Eyes Out While On Drugs

After Anderson had left their house abruptly on Thursday, Artin said she didn't think much of it. Her friends started to get worried when she didn't answer her phone later that day.

At the time, we didnt want that to be true. We called the police. My friend was on the phone with them. They asked, Is she breathing? so I went over to her and I just  I wanted her to be alive. But I could tell she hadnt just died. Im sure it had happened the day before, based on her color."

According to Artin, Anderson and Tercero would occasionally hook up, but she had recently told him she just wanted to be friends. Anderson reportedly wanted to focus her romantic efforts on Kevin Ocampo, her on-again, off-again boyfriend.

Artin said this angered Tercero to the point where he would drive by Anderson's house late at night when Ocampo was over. One time, he even slashed her tires.

There was no blood," Artin said about finding her friend dead. "The way she was lying, I wasnt sure if thats where she died or he put her there. It was very formal  she was on her back laying on the bed and she had a blanket halfway up her body. And she just had her arms at her side."

RELATED: 8 Strange Details About The Unsolved Murder Of Faith Hedgepeth  The Disturbing Voicemail On Her Phone & The Threatening Note On A Fast Food Bag

There was a handprint bruise on her arm. When I saw that, thats when I knew for [sure] that Orlando had done this to her.

Story continues

Anderson's friends grew even more concerned during their search when they realized Tercero's roommates were looking for him too. He reportedly fled to his native Nicaragua after telling his sister that he "did something bad," and was "a disgrace to the family."

Facebook

"We were a few hours behind him," Binghamton Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said. "Then we put two and two together quickly."

The circumstances of Anderson's death have not yet been revealed. Police said they're working with the State Department to determine if Tercero is a U.S. citizen and that it's a critical issue if he has dual citizenship.

There's a chance they may not extradite him," Zikuski said.

RELATED: Haunting Stories And Theories About The 6 Missing Kids Who Disappeared Without A Trace

Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 7:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTangos Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).

Keywords: crime

read more
When Donald Trump first announced his big plan for a great, great wall on our southern border, he declared, full of the sort of conviction that only a man who thinks hes getting away with that hair could possess, that Mexico would pay for it. So insistent was he that our southern neighbors would actually pony up the dough that, early on in his tenure in the White House, he threw a fit when Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto suggested it was never going to happen, basically telling Nieto to either help him make good on his delusional campaign promise, or to stay home. Later, when it became clear that repeatedly asserting Mexico would cut the U.S. a check for the wall (memo line: Who loves ya, baby?) was making him sound as stupid as he looks, Trump changed his story: taxpayers would lay out the money to get construction on the wall underway initially, but Mexico would totally reimburse us for the cost. Shockingly, over time, that story has changed again and again, from Mexico will pay for the wall through import tariffs to Mexico will pay for [the wall] indirectly through NAFTA, to todays new yarn: the wall will pay for itself.

Quoting a line from a story tweeted by Fox News, Trump wrote on Twitter that, According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the $18 billion wall will pay for itself by curbing the importation of crime, drugs, and illegal immigrants who tend to go on the federal dole . . . For those who are unaware, the Center for Immigration Studies is a group that favors far lower immigration numbers and produces research to further those views. Some of its greatest hits include a thoroughly panned claim that immigrant households receive 41 percent more federal welfare than households headed by native-born citizens, and another that immigrants are to blame for global warming. Unsurprisingly, it is a favorite source for members of the Trump administration, particularly senior adviser Stephen White males should be a protected class Miller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was accused on Tuesday by an outgoing ICE official of making false and misleading statements about immigration, or what he presumably calls that scourge on society.

Story continues

The most recent study obviously got a retweet from Big Orange because it perpetuates two of his favorite myths: that immigrants are a drain on the economy, and that his passion project will be financed by anyone other than U.S. taxpayers. Incidentally, when Team Trump was having trouble selling its deficit-busting tax plan, it turned to a similar line of bullshit, with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin producing a one-page report, seemingly typed up on his phone, that claimed the bill would totally pay for itself and then some, despite vast bodies of evidence to the contrary.

Anyway, stay tuned for next week when Trump claims Rex Tillerson will pay for the wall as part of a reverse severance package.

If you would like to receive the Levin Report in your inbox daily, click here to subscribe.

Trump might actually be serious about hiring Larry Kudlow

Yesterday we had a little chat about Larry Kudlow, the perpetually wrong Reaganite who CNBCs Jim Cramer claimed was the leading candidate to replace Gary Cohn as Trumps National Economic Council director. Due to Cramers history of flamingly bad calls, and the fact that he is a friend and former colleague of Kudlow, we took his report with a grain of salt. But now Trump has weighed in, and it seems like this bad joke might actually happen, thanks to Kudlow changing his tune on the one opinion that gave him an ounce of credibility.

Im looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly, Trump told reporters on Tuesday. He now has come around to believing in tariffs. (Previously, Kudlow, like virtually everyone, had come out against Trumps tariffs, it appears hes willing to do whatever dance necessary to get the job.) Troublingly for the economy, Peter Navarro, the administrations Rent-an-Economist, thinks Kudlow would be a great hire:

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Of course, the one thing Kudlow has going for him is that he hasnt yet professed to believe that waterboarding is just another communication tool to get ones point across. That view would belong to the other two people the president promoted this morning: Mike Pompeo for the position of secretary of state, and this charming woman for the head of the C.I.A.:

The C.I.A.s first overseas detention site was in Thailand. It was run by Gina Haspel, who oversaw the brutal interrogations of two detainees, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

Mr. Zubaydah alone was waterboarded 83 times in a single month, had his head repeatedly slammed into walls, and endured other harsh methods before interrogators decided he had no useful information to provide.

The sessions were videotaped and the recordings stored in a safe at the C.I.A. station in Thailand until 2005, when they were ordered destroyed. By then, Ms. Haspel was serving at C.I.A. headquarters, and it was her name that was on the cable carrying the destruction orders.

According to market strategist Matt Miskin, though, the nominations of two alleged torture-loving individuals to the highest levels of government is basically much ado about nothing given the pace at which the Trump administration is losing staffers. This is now what is expected to be normal, Miskin told The Wall Street Journal.

Jamie Dimon, like everyone else, thinks Trumps tariffs are a terrible idea

The JPMorgan Chase C.E.O. said the Business Roundtable he chairs is very concerned that the presidents trade policy will do more harm than good to the economy and that one-off things like the tariffs tend to backfire. Meanwhile, the measures will reportedly be the topic of conversation in Buenos Aires when G20 leaders meet, according to a letter discussing their plan to combat unfair trade practices and inward-looking policies.

Ryan Zinke: I wasnt flying private jets on the taxpayer dime, I was being being ferried by aircraft[s] driven by propellers

If anyone knows what the point of distinction is here, please do drop us a line:

The former Navy SEAL flashed with anger when the Energy and Natural Resources Committees ranking Democrat pressed him on whether he could justify increasing access fees for working Americans when he has been spending taxpayer money on chartered airplane flights. Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington asked Zinke if it was a mistake for him to spend $12,375 on a late-night trip in June from Las Vegas to his home state of Montana on a private jet.

Well, first, insults and innuendos are misleading. I never took a private jet anywhere, Zinke said, adding that all three flights he had taken on private planes as secretary were on aircraft driven by propellers, not jet engines.

Elsewhere!

Ten Years After the Bear Stearns Bailout, Nobody Thinks It Would Happen Again (W.S.J.)

Rex Tillerson Has 180 Million Reasons Not to Return to Oil Industry (Bloomberg)

U.S. business chiefs warn on dangers of protectionism (Financial Times)

Britain Will Still Be Paying for Brexit in 2064, Forecasters Say (Bloomberg)

A start-up is pitching a mind-uploading service that is 100 percent fatal (M.I.T. Technology Review)

Trump Blocks $117 Billion Deal, Biggest in Tech History (N.Y.T.)

Saudi Aramco international listing looks increasingly difficult (Reuters)

Elon Musk: we must colonize Mars to preserve our species in a third world war (Guardian)

Fight fire with fire: IMFs Lagarde calls for bitcoin crackdown (Guardian)

Escaped bull leads police on chase in New York state (UPI)
With medical marijuana now legal in 29 states, the need for laws to clarify who can use it  and when  continues to grow. This month, three lawmakers in Colorado are doing just that: introducing a bill that would allow school nurses to administer medical marijuana to students who have a prescription.

The bill, HB18-1286, was introduced to Colorados House of Representatives last week by its sponsors, Rep. Dylan Roberts, Sen. Irene Aguilar, and Sen. Vicki Marble. Its stated objective is to allow a school nurse or the school nurses designee, who may or may not be an employee of the school, to also possess and administer medical marijuana to a student at school. On top of giving nurses this power, the law offers protection from criminal prosecution for those tasked with handling it.

Colorado lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow school nurses to give medical marijuana to students. (Photo: Getty Images)

Currently, medical marijuana is allowed in Colorado Jacks Law, a 2016 bill named for a student who requires it in order to treat debilitating muscle spasms. But the law, while beneficial for those who need medical marijuana during school hours, requires that it be administered by a primary caregiver.

For the parents of third grader Quintin Lovato, who relies on medical marijuana to treat his epilepsy, this doesnt help. As parents to five kids, Lovatos parents  who both work full-time  havent been able to give their son the midday dose that he needs to keep from seizing. This bill, which has been nicknamed Quintins Amendment, could change that.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

If a nurse was able to give him that third dose at school, that would open up his medication doses and help us out immensely, Lovatos mom told local affiliate Fox31. It may mean the difference between where hes almost seizure-free right now and actually being seizure-free if he was able to get that third dose.

The medicine that Lovato relies on to stem his seizures is called Haleighs Hope, a cannabis oil named for a 9-year-old in Forsyth, Ga., whose parents helped develop it to stop her near-constant seizures. Like Lovatos parents, Hope found the oil to have an almost instant effect on her seizures, taking them them from roughly 200 a day to one or two daily.

Story continues

For Lovato, the hours during which hes at school without his prescription are crucial. Although his mom cannot be there to give it to him, the option of a nurse being able to do so would be a game-changer  not only for him, but for potentially millions of kids suffering from epilepsy who could benefit nationwide.

Although some parents may find the idea of nurses having access to medical marijuana concerning, the bill specifically outlines safety measures to ensure that it is not improperly used. One of the measures, for example, mandates that the marijuana be removed from the school grounds as soon as its administered.

Lovatos mom hopes that those opposed to the bill will look past their fears. This doesnt mean your child is going to get cannabis oil at school, she said. I just hope that other parents will really think about that when they look at this law and realize that this isnt just about a drug being given to my child at school.  This is about my kids life being saved.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




Scores of students are raising their voices against gun violence on Wednesday, March 14, by planning a National School Walkout. Some school districts, like Needville near Houston, TX, have already threatened to slap students with suspension if they participate in a protest or walkout during school hours. Which might make you wonder: What rights do I really have at school?

The American Civil Liberties Union  which has been fighting on students' behalf in districts like Needville, and others from Nevada to New Jersey to Maryland  has put together a Q&A (and a video) on free speech in schools so that students know their rights ahead of the walkouts. The superintendent in Prince William County, VA, has already walked back on a message threatening to punish students for protesting after the Virginia ACLU sent him a letter.

Here's everything you need to know about your right to protest.

Do I have the right to protest during school hours?

100%. This is your first amendment right, which you don't lose just because you're at school. "You have the right to speak out, hand out flyers and petitions, and wear expressive clothing in school  as long as you dont disrupt the functioning of the school or violate the schools content-neutral policies," according to the ACLU. If a school disagrees with your position, that doesn't necessarily mean it's "disruptive." What does "content-neutral" mean? Your school can prohibit you from wearing, say, a hat  but not specifically a pink pussyhat (or an NRA hat).

Because of a landmark Supreme Court case called Tinker v. Des Moines, ACLU attorney Vera Eidelman wrote, punishing students for exercising their first amendment rights is illegal and unconstitutional. The 1969 decision upheld the right of Mary Beth Tinker to wear an armband to school signaling her protest of the Vietnam War.

Could I still be punished for participating in a walkout?

Story continues

Yes. "Because the law in most places requires students to go to school, schools can discipline you for missing class. But what they cant do is discipline you more harshly because of the political nature of or the message behind your action," the organization says. Look up your district's individual rules to make sure you're not being treated differently for participating in a walkout.

What if I'm protesting off school grounds?

You have the same rights as any American citizen to protest and speak out, says the ACLU. "This means youre likely to be most protected if you organize, protest, and advocate for your views off campus and outside of school hours."

Are my rights different depending on whether I go to public or private school?

Unfortunately, there is not as much protection when it comes to students' free speech at private schools since private schools aren't run by the government. "That said, we hope that private schools will still allow students the leeway to express themselves and engage politically in the issues of the day," says the ACLU.

Related video:

Read these stories next:

Here's What The Parkland Students Have Accomplished So Far

We Made These Posters To Help You Support Gun Reform Efforts In Your Area

Democrats Call For Challenge To Maine GOP Candidate After He Called Emma Gonzalez A "Skinhead Lesbian"

Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?

Here's What The Parkland Students Have Accomplished So Far

Democrats Call For Challenge To Maine GOP Candidate After He Called Emma Gonzalez A "Skinhead Lesbian"

Rex Tillerson Found Out He Was Fired From A Tweet
The correct White House response to the poisoning of an ex-Russian agent and his daughter, in Britain last week, would have been for Donald Trump to have delivered a televised address, shortly after that of British Prime Minister Theresa May. May is an unremarkable politician, meaning that she adheres to the traditions and mores of ordinary presidents and prime ministers. So on Monday, when she said, in front of Parliament, that it was highly likely the Kremlin was behind the assassination attempt, it was, in fact, highly likely. Unremarkable politicians are cautious and plodding and aware that their words, more than those of non-presidents and non-prime ministers, reverberate around the globe. The American president, signaling to the rest of the world (and especially Vladimir Putin) that the United States is a reliable ally, would have said in a televised address that America stands ready to support Britain in any way possible. He would have reiterated Mays demand that Moscow explain itself. The president might have added that the United States viewed a Russian attack in a NATO member country as particularly alarming and intimated that Washington and London would soon respond jointly. The overriding message would have been two-pronged and unmistakable: the United States and Britain are allies, and there will be consequences. This is how one bolsters relationships and deters future attacks.

This, of course, is not what Donald Trump did. Trump has two plays in his playbook: either he struts and flaunts and makes big, beautiful declarations he eventually walks back (one recalls his very manly but brief showdown with the gun lobby), or he equivocates. With Putin, its always equivocation. Thats why, on Monday, Trump stayed silent and then, on Tuesday, after being pressed by reporters, he said he mostly believed the British but wanted to withhold judgment for now. This is because the American president is an idiot who believes bad men who say nice things to him, as well as a child who cares more about his feelings than about our national security and the once-special relationship between Britain and the United States. Todays announcement that Rex Tillerson had finally been axed24 hours after the now-former secretary of state declared, We have full confidence in the U.K.s investigation and its assessment that Russia was likely responsible for the nerve-agent attack that took place in Salisbury last weekreminds us that the only insiders in this White House are toadies and tough guys who want desperately to be led.

Story continues

We should be crystal clear that the price of this latest waffling will be more poisonings, more deaths. For now, it cant be viewed as entirely coincidental that Russian exile Nikolai Glushkov was found dead Monday night in his home, in London. But, more important, it will be more incursions, and more assaults, against the liberal democratic order.

The presidents most zealous supporters, those whose plights and furies have become the obsession of progressives and media elites, welcome the chaos. They think the old configurations are corrupt and un-American. They crave a battle royale with anyone they believe to be on the inside: the globalists and profiteers who have apparently made zillions off the backs of Real Americansanyone who feels angry, Lilliputian, put upon. They think that what polite company refers to as the liberal democratic order is a sham, and if the president is undermining it, thats good because shams are bad. One imagines they have not given much thought to the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal, the police officer who found them, or the 18 others who were exposed to the nerve agent, Novichok.

We should be deeply troubled by Salisbury, and, when the proverbial dust has settled, we should refocus our energies on New York and Los Angeles, and we should ask the president, our would-be tsar, what he plans to do when the real tsar launches a similar attack here. That will happen, if it has not already. (The death of onetime Putin aide Mikhail Lesin, found dead of head injuries in a D.C. hotel room in 2015, was ruled an accident.) Boundaries are being pushed. And when they are, there will be hundreds of bots and disinformation campaigns to ensure that what is nakedly apparent, what would have outraged so-called patriotic Americans not long ago, is murkier than we once thought. We will never get to the bottom of what is obviously true because we will allow ourselves to be deceived. There will be tweetstorms about Hillary, uranium, political correctness, maybe Benghazi or Seth Rich. Confusion will be sowed. We will be lost in a sandstorm we helped to create. And we will be more alone than we have been in a long time.

We dont know when this will happen. Probably soon. The Russians know the Americans are wading into what will be their most frenzied midterm elections in recent memory, and a pitchforked passion is coursing through the Interwebs, and half the country thinks Russia is Democratic hype. The moment is ripe.
Summerlin Hutson (Photo: Facebook/Nathan Bunch)

Thousands of students nationwide participated in a walkout Wednesday honoring those who were killed during the shooting that took place last month in Parkland, Fla. While many students were applauded for their efforts, others are facing in-school suspensions, unexcused absences, and detention for participating.

The 17-minute school walkout was designed to honor the 17 individuals who were killed when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla, on Feb. 14. The shooting, which claimed the lives of students and faculty, rattled not only those who survived the massacre but the nation that watched it from afar.

In its aftermath, survivors have galvanized a movement on Twitter, Facebook, and in person, calling on lawmakers to enforce stricter gun control laws. The walkout, in addition to being a memorial, was meant to raise awareness about gun violence nationwide. But for some school leaders, students who participated in the walkout were seen as disruptive and deserving of punishment.

One such student is Summerlin Hutson, a senior at Bentonville West High School in northern Arkansas, who received an in-school suspension Tuesday for handing out flyers informing students about the event. Undeterred by the punishment, Hutson participated in the walkout on Wednesday morning, carrying a megaphone to spread the message of nonviolence to her peers. She will now serve suspension Thursday and Friday for her actions.

Hutson, who is set to attend the University of Arkansas in the fall, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that she was in contact with school administrators about the walkout from the start. They showed nothing but resistance, Hutson says. They were vocal about wanting to not be supportive of it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Although the 18-year-old says the schools stance on the walkout was clear, they ultimately cracked down on her for passing out a flyer on Monday without giving three full school days for administration to review it  which is one of the rules. According to Hutson, she showed them the flyer on Thursday, which did not give them the required amount of time. When she told the administrators that it was time-sensitive, they didnt agree to approve it quickly.

Story continues

While the three-day rule is in place, Hutson says its one that is often not followed  and people who break it are rarely punished. In this case, it was. My principal actually called me out of class on Monday to tell me he was disappointed with me for doing it, Hutson says. He asked me to stop handing them out to avoid punishment, and I told him I would think about it but not promise anything.

Hutson says after the talk with her principal, she didnt continue to hand out the flyers, but it was already too late. I got a note from our dean, who called me into the office and told me I would be suspended for two days for insubordination, says Hutson. I have never seen any sort of disciplinary action taken against [flyers] before. Their response is excessive.

During an in-school suspension, students are not allowed to attend class, eat lunch with their peers, or interact with anyone outside gthe suspension room. Hutson sees it as a direct violation of her rights. It is my belief that my school administration is censoring the information I am putting out there based on their personal beliefs, she says. I am being punished.

The punishment didnt dissuade the Arkansas senior from continuing her work. On Wednesday, she marched alongside hundreds of classmates holding brightly colored signs with slogans such as, Enough is enough. The decision to move forward came with a punishment all its own  one that was decided upon in a board meeting held last week to discuss the march. After debate from both sides, the school announced that all those who participated in the walkout would be recorded as absent and assigned detention.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Hutson, who reportedly marched along with about 250 classmates, said the decision made them angry. I think the things going on in my school and my district should be known, Hutson tells Yahoo Lifestyle. I think often times adults dont realize the extensiveness of the struggles we face.

Photo: Summerlin Hutson

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, students have the right to speak out  including on flyers  as long as it doesnt disrupt the functioning of the school or violate the schools content-neutral policies. As far as punishment for a walkout, the ACLU notes that disciplinary action against students who leave class is permitted.

Leslee Wright, communications director at Bentonville Schools, tells Yahoo Lifestyle in a statement. We fully respect and appreciate each students individual free speech rights. Our respect for their voices, however, does not translate to selective enforcement of our policies, which are designed to keep students safe while on campus and minimize disruption in the classroom.

By Wednesday afternoon, the students were still waiting to get their official detentions, but Hutson doesnt doubt that they will be given. They made kids sign out on sheets if they wanted to leave the classroom for the walkout, and thats how theyll know who to assign detentions to, she says. I am not sure when theyll assign them, but our administration stated multiple times that they would be.

Although school officials were against the students actions Wednesday, not everyone in the older generation disagreed. In an interview with ArkansasMatters.com, Hutsons father commended his daughter for standing up to authority. Im really proud of her for taking the lead in it, and I would think that everybody would be, John Hutson said. Were trying to raise these kids to be critical thinkers and articulate adults, and I think thats what shes doing.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




The holding of the 4th edition of the renowned Crans Montana Forum in the Moroccan southern city of Dakhla this March 15  20 caused a stir in the ranks of the leadership of the Polisario Front and its Algerian and European sponsors.

The separatist movement leaders who are distraught by the holding of this outstanding event in Western Sahara found no other way than call to their rescue the African Union (AU).

In a letter addressed to Rwandan President, who holds the rotating presidency of the AU, the torturer Brahim Ghali called on Paul Kagame to intervene with Moroccan authorities in order to cancel this event, and thus avoid any escalation in the area.

We ask you to intervene urgently to convince the Kingdom of Morocco, as a member of the African Union, to refrain from organizing this forum in the occupied city of Dakhla (Western Sahara), in order to avoid any escalation in the region, the Polisario leader wrote in a threatening tone.

But no need to worry! The first of the some 500 high-ranking personalities to attend the 4th edition have started arriving in the Kingdom.

Like previous editions, the fourth gathering, dedicated to Africa and South-South Cooperation, will bring together many political and economic decision-makers, leading figures from civil society and international NGOs and several mayors from African and European cities.

They will all flock to Dakhla to debate, discuss and think over the future of the African continent and the challenges it is facing, say the organizers, recalling that the host country, Morocco, already plays a vital role in upgrading a multi-sectoral South-South cooperation with other African countries.

Topics on the agenda of this new edition include, among others, urban global management, a new challenge for all Africa; womens empowerment in the economic & political frameworks; the thorny issue of migration and migration flows; and the ocean economy & fishing industry, a strategic sector for Africa.

Sustainable agriculture and its resilience to Climate change consequences; and food and nutritional security in Africa will also be high on the agenda.

In this connection, sessions will be devoted to the presentation of the Moroccan Initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture to Climate Change (AAA), and the Blue Belt Initiative dedicated to the African fisheries sector.
A junior high science teacher in Preston, Idaho, is being investigated after he fed a puppy to a snapping turtle in front of students.

Robert Crosland reportedly fed the puppy to the turtle on March 7 after school was out. The turtle is one of a few exotic pets he keeps in his class at Preston Junior High, according to the Salt Lake City station KSTU.

Its not clear whether the puppy was alive or dead at the time of feeding, according to East Idaho News. Its also not clear how many students were present.

The puppy was reportedly sick and going to die, but local animal activist Jill Parrish, who filed a police report about the incident, thinks Crosland is the sick one.

Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal. That is violence. That is not okay, Parrish told the station.

Preston School District 201 Superintendent Marc Gee called the incident a regrettable circumstance, but noted in a press release that the event occurred well after students had been dismissed and was not a part of any school-directed program.

We emphasize that at no time was the safety of students or staff compromised, Gee added.

Robert Crosland, a junior high science teacher in Preston, Idaho, is being investigated after he reportedly fed a puppy to a snapping turtle in front of students. (Photo: Preston School District)

A former student told East Idaho News that Crosland was known to feed guinea pigs to snakes and snapping turtles during classroom demonstrations.

He is a cool teacher who really brought science to life, the former student told the News. I loved his class because he had turtles and snakes and other cool things.

Franklin County Sheriff David Fryar says the incident is being investigated to determine if there was a crime.

Were investigating the facts and turning it over to the prosecutor, Fryar told KSTU. Hes the one who will determine if the law has been broken.

Reached for comment Tuesday, Fryar told HuffPost a prosecutor statement would be released by the end of the day.

Crosland is still employed by the school district and has not been placed on administrative leave.

Story continues

His actions are getting support from some students parents, like Annette Salvesen.

If it was a deformed puppy that was going to die anyway, Cros[land] is very much circle of life, Salvesen told KSTU.

Also on HuffPost

Shelley Dufresne, Rachel Respess

These two Louisiana teachers at Destrehan High School in St. Charles Parish were accused in September, 2014 of having group sex with a student.

Brianne Altice

Brianne Altice, 34, was arrested in October 2013 after one of her former students approached Utah police and told them that he had a sexual relationship with the English teacher beginning when he was 15 years old. He was able to describe tattoos on the teacher's body, and told police that they had sex at least seven times, including once in a public park.

George Hernandez

As a substitute teacher in L.A.'s second-largest school district, George Hernandez was investigated three times for sexual misconduct with students. Hernandez fled to Mexico when officially charged when police found video evidence of him molesting a second-grade girl. He remains at large and wanted by the Huntington Park Police Department.

Summer Michelle Hansen

Summer Michelle Hansen, 31, was charged in August with sex crimes involving 5 students at the California high school where she taught special education. Hansen allegedly sent sexually suggestive texts to at least one student, who claimed she had sex with him as a "prize" for doing well in a baseball game.

Mark Berndt

This undated police booking photo released by the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department shows former Los Angeles teacher Mark Berndt, 61, who was arrested for felony molestation of 23 kids after photos surfaced. Berndt been charged with committing lewd acts with 23 boys and girls ages 7 to 10. Berndt pleaded not guilty on Feb. 21. AP Photo/ Los Angeles Sheriff's Department)

Diana Leigh Farnell

Diana Leigh Farnell, 28, turned herself in to North Carolina police on Sept. 12 following accusations that she'd had sex with one student at the high school where she taught English. One student told WCCB that he noticed flirting between Farnell and certain students in his English class.

Rachelle Gendron

Rachelle Gendron, 27, was charged with five counts of rape stemming from her alleged affair with a 14-year-old student. The former sexual education teacher allegedly sent the boy photos of herself in "various stages of undress, with breasts and genitals exposed," according to an indictment.

Kelly Ann Garcia

Kelly Ann Garcia, an English teacher in Texas, is accused of carrying on sexual relations with a 16-year-old female student. The Houston-area educator, who allegedly took the teen to a sex shop during their romance, faces charges of sex assault of a child and indecency with a child.

Broch DeGraff

According to the Daily Herald: Police arrested a teacher at a private school in Pleasant Grove for allegedly having sexual relations with two students. According to Pleasant Grove detective Ryan Armitstead, 27-year-old Broch DeGraff was arrested in 2012 after two victims were identified. DeGraff taught at the Liahona Preparatory Academy, which Armitstead described as an LDS-themed private school that serves students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Armitstead said the alleged victims were teenage girls. Authorities learned of the incidents after one of the girls reported the alleged abuse.

Kahtanna Culp

Culp is accused of having sex multiple times with a student at Northbrook High School in Houston. She allegedly told the school's principal about the relationship after the student threatened to make their relationship public unless she paid him.

Debra Lafave Pleads Guilty

Former middle school teacher Debra Lafave is shown in this file photo as she looks at a reporter after pleading guilty on Nov. 22, 2005 to two counts of lewd and lascivious battery. Lafave, now 31, whose sexual liaisons with a 14-year-old middle school student made tabloid headlines, avoided prison as part of a plea agreement. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara/FILE)

Debra Lafave Mugshot

This booking photo shows Debra Lafave, who was arrested Tuesday Dec. 4, 2007 for violating the terms of her probation. Lafave was originally arrested on June 21, 2004 and charged with two counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a person under 16 years old. (AP Photo/Hillsborough County Jail)

Carrie McCandless

Carrie McCandless is taken into custody after her sentencing hearing at Larimer County Justice Center for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student at Brighton Charter High School, where she was a teacher, Friday, June 8, 2007, in Fort Collins, Colorado. McCandless was sentenced to 45 days in jail, five years on probation and a four-year deferred sentence. McCandless was arrested in May of 2011 for a parole violation after she tested positive for morphine. She served a 60-day sentence for the violation. (AP Photo/Sherri Barber, Pool)

Michael Shanklin

Former Virginia Beach teacher Michael Shanklin has been indicted on a charge of possession of child pornography. He recently pled guilty to spanking a student during a tutoring session at the school. He claims he felt the student needed to be punished for not finishing an assignment and was charged with misdemeanor sexual battery in the case.

Carrie McCandless

Carrie McCandless listens during her sentencing hearing at Larimer County Justice Center for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a student at Brighton Charter High School, where she was a teacher, Friday, June 8, 2007, in Fort Collins, Colorado. McCandless was taken to custody by a Larimer County sheriff's deputy after being sentenced to 45 days in jail, five years on probation and a four-year deferred sentence. In May of 2011, McCandless was sentenced to 60 days in jail for a parole violation after she tested positive for morphine. (AP Photo/Sherri Barber, Pool)

Carrie McCandless

Undated booking photo of Carrie McCandless from the Jefferson County Jail.

Erin Thorne

Erin Thorne, 28, is accused of sending one of her students sexually explicit text messages before he turned 18. The relationship turned sexual after the student turned 18, cops said.

Katheryn L. Carmean

Carmean, who worked as a teacher's aid at Seaford Middle School in Delaware is accused of having sex with a 14-year-old boy at least '40 times' over a ten month period. She was arrested in February, 2012.

Steven E. Reynolds

According to the Chicago Tribune: A former substitute teacher and basketball coach at an Orland Park high school received 15 days in jail in 2012 after admitting to sexually abusing a female student, according to DuPage County prosecutors. Steven E. Reynolds, 27, was sentenced to 15 days of periodic imprisonment in the county jail and 30 months of sex offender probation by Judge George Bakalis after pleading guilty to criminal sexual abuse of a 17-year-old Sandburg High School student.

Leah Shipman

Leah Shipman was arrested in 2009 for having an alleged sexual affair with a 15-year-old student in North Carolina. But prosecutors were forced to drop the case in 2011 when Shipman and the then-17-year-old got married. Under North Carolina law, a husband cannot be forced to testify against his wife.

Vil Fualaau, Father 2 Daughters With 6th Grade Teacher Mary Kay Letourneau

Vili Fualaau testified Wednesday, April 3, 2002, in his and his mother's civil lawsuit against the City of Des Moines and the Highline School District at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, Wash. Fualaau, then 18, and his mother, Soona Vili, are seeking $1 million from the city claiming police and school officials should have kept Fualaau from having sex with his teacher Mary Kay Letourneau. (AP Photo/Matt Brashears, Pool)

Kristine Ngum

Ngum, who taught exceptional students at Myers Park High School in Charlotte, is accused of having sex with a student. Her husband denied the charges, but said Ngum is "too overcaring."

Stephanie Fletcher

Fletcher is accused of having sex with two 16-year-old students, including during class breaks.

Stephen Malusa

According to NBC New York: Stephen Malusa, a 47-year-old science teacher at Ward Melville High School, is accused of sexually abusing a female student in May 2013. It's not clear when the alleged victim came forward with the complaint. Malusa, of Selden, was arraigned in First District Court in Central Islip on charges of third-degree sexual abuse and child endangerment.

Amanda Sotelo

Sotelo, a 35-year-old married woman, was a substitute teacher who had a months-long affair with a 14-year-old boy, police in Texas said. She learned she was pregnant, allegedly with his child, during a visit to the emergency room in September 2012. Police charged her with indecency with a child, but she claims that she and the boy are in love.

Arrest photo of Lynne Freeman from Weld County Sheriff's Office. Freeman, a 38-year-old mother and parent volunteer at University Schools, was arrested Wednesday for the alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old teenage boy -- a friend of her daughter's -- in her home.

Stefanie Dickinson

Colorado school board member Stefanie Dickinson was charged with Internet luring of a child in September after she was caught sexting a 14-year-old boy. The boy reportedly told police he became uncomfortable after she would show up at his football games and tell him how sexy his smile was. She was arrested in October for sexual assault on another minor, also a student. Photo courtesy of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office.

Irene Khan

In June, 2012, Khan was accused of having sex with a 14-year-old student on multiple occasions including in her car and home and at various hotels.

Lauren Redfern

Colorado high school physical education teacher and basketball coach Lauren Redfern was charged with sexual assault on a child by a person of a position of trust with a pattern of sexual abuse after suspicions arose that she was having an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student over the course of 4 months. Though initial interviews with the victim indicate that their relationship was consensual, it will not deter the Sheriff's Office from pressing charges against Redfern. Photo courtesy of the Eagle County Sheriff's Office.

Andrea Ebert, a 30-year-old special education teacher at Rice Lake Middle School in Wisconsin, was jailed in February 2012 after she allegedly had sex with two 17-year-old students. None of several encounters between her and the students were reported to be on campus.

Jennifer Schultz

North Dakota school teacher Jennifer Schultz is charged with sexually assaulting two of her students after a group of students arrived at her home and asked if she would like to drink vodka with them. Authorities say that after a few drinks, two of the boys went up to Schultz's room, where the teacher allegedly had sex with one boy while the other watched.

Kelly K. Miller

Kelly K. Miller, 32, a science teacher in the Chicago suburbs, was charged with sexual exploitation of a child on Sept. 27 after allegedly sending explicit photos of herself to a 15-year-old student. Photo courtesy of the Aurora Police Department.

Pamela Joan Rogers Turner Mugshot

This April 26, 2006 booking mug shot shows Pamela Rogers Turner after her arrest. Turner, now 34, a former teacher who served time in jail for having sex with a 13-year-old boy, is currently serving a prison sentence for sending inappropriate photos and videos of herself to that same boy after she served out her original sentence. (AP Photo/Warren County Sheriff, HO)

Pamela Joan Turner (Pamela Rogers) In Court

This July 14, 2006 photo shows Pamela Joan Turner, right, being escorted into circuit court in McMinnville, Tenn. The Tennessee Supreme Court said that it will not hear the appeal. Turner was convicted of having sex with a 13-year-old student at the Warren County school where she taught and then again convicted of sending that same student inappropriate photos and videos of herself. (AP Photo/Mark Humhrey)

Amber Jennings

Shepherd Hill Regional High School teacher Amber S. Jennings is arraigned in Worcester Superior Court in this file photo taken Feb. 24, 2005, in Worcester, Mass. Jennings pleaded guilty to "disseminating harmful materials to a minor." She was sentenced to two years' probation. A spokesman for Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte said the allegations involved a 16-year-old student. (AP Photo/ Pool)

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
When a group of Chinese start-up founders and innovators visited Silicon Valley in January, they came away less than impressed. The age that Silicon Valley serves as the teacher and China follows step by step is becoming the past, at an accelerating pace, Li Gen, the founder of a Beijing-based online media start-up, reportedly wrote on his companys WeChat account. Perhaps he would have changed his tune, if only he had known of the new Y Combinator start-up that offers to disrupt the very act of dying itself. Per the M.I.T. Technology Review, Nectome uses a high-tech embalming process to preserve brains postmortem, presumably making them available for examination (and digitization) by future generations for the very reasonable price of $10,000refundable if you change your mind beforehand. Y Combinator president Sam Altman has already signed up for the serviceI assume my brain will be uploaded to the cloud, he said.

The only catch: the process is, per Nectomes Robert McIntyre, 100 percent fatal. Yet he and co-founder Michael McCanna refer to their company, which has already received a $960,000 federal grant, using the same tech-world jargon that a C.E.O. might use to describe an app allowing you to hail a car by pressing a button on your phone. Nectome will work by connecting people with terminal illnesses to a heart-lung machine and pumping anesthetized patients full of embalming fluids. The deadly experience, said McIntyre, is why we are uniquely situated among the Y Combinator companies. The company will pitch itself to investors at Demo Day next week, along with a message that aims to drive home the mission of the start-up (brain preservation) without being too overtly creepy (we kill you to do it). The user experience will be identical to physician-assisted suicide, McIntyre said. Product-market fit is people believing that it works.

Story continues

Another obstacle for Nectome to overcome will be the seeming impossibility of reviving memories found in dead brain tissue. As McGill University neuroscientist Michael Hendricks wrote in 2015, Reanimation or simulation is an abjectly false hope that is beyond the promise of technology and is certainly impossible with the frozen, dead tissue offered by the cryonics industry. Nevertheless, the company has so far attracted a handful of willing guinea pigs: 25, including Altman. Its co-founders believe Nectome will comply with Californias End of Life Option Act, which legalizes physician-assisted suicide for patients with terminal illnesses.

McIntyre and McCanna may have discovered a way to make cryogenic brain preservation even more ethically nebulous, scientifically unlikely, and morbid than it was. But in the tech world, their preoccupation with life-extension technology is more or less the norm. Billionaire investor Peter Thiels alleged fascination with youthful blood transfusions has become the stuff of Silicon Valley legend, and although questions abound as to whether Thiel has gone through with the procedure, his obsession with preserving his own life is well documented. Ive always had this really strong sense that death was a terrible, terrible thing, he told The Washington Post in 2015, a statement reinforced by the reported recent remodeling of his New Zealand bunker. In 2013, Google Ventures C.E.O. Bill Maris spurred the founding of Calico, a top-secret effort to combat aging. And cryogenics company Alcor will freeze your whole body for $200,000. Our view is that when we call someone dead its a bit of an arbitrary line, said Alcor C.E.O. Max More. In fact they are in need of a rescue. It may seem creepy to the rest of us, but for Altman and his ilk it is a fittingly selflessand self-centeredfinal act.
Some women are claiming that Monat products are causing hair loss and scalp sores, but the company is fighting back against what it deems malicious attacks. (Photo: Monat)

Monat Global products are supposed to do a lot for hair: rejuvenate, replenish, hydrate, and everything else we want for our tresses, with naturally-based, safe, pure and sustainable ingredients. But some women say the products have done quite the opposite, claiming they cause hair loss and scalp sores.

In a market where neither cosmetics companies claims nor customers social media missions are regulated, how can the rest of us figure out who is telling the truth?

In February, two women in Florida filed a class-action lawsuit against Monat, accusing the company of failing to warn customers of possible adverse affects. Meanwhile, Monat has filed its own defamation suits against three women who have been posting warnings on Facebook about the products. One woman, Vickie Harrington, who organized a closed Facebook group in which she and others shared photos of their bald patches and irritated scalps, agreed to settle with Monat last week.

While the company doesnt deny that some people might experience bad reactions to its product  which can happen with nearly any product  it characterizes these claims as a malicious attacks. In its defense, Monat has posted an entire website, TruthAboutMonat.com, that includes internal scientific studies about its trademarked active ingredients meant to promote hair growth and fullness, Capixyl, Procataline, and Crodasorb.

However, thats not quite the proof of the products effectiveness or safety, as Marie Jhin, a dermatologist and director of Premier Dermatology in San Francisco, explains to Yahoo Lifestyle.

Unless its FDA approved, you cannot say something is safe or not harmful, Jhin says. Because these are cosmetics and not drugs, Monats studies dont have to be reviewed by an outside body. Another possibility is that an inactive ingredient is causing a reaction, such as dermatitis, in some customers.

It could be something else in their product that could be irritating, Jhin explains. It sounds like from all the lawsuits that something is causing the scalp to get very irritated, and by causing inflammation, some of the hairs are breaking.

Story continues

One inactive ingredient, cocamidopropyl betaine, which is derived from coconut oil, has been known to cause allergic reactions or irritation in some. But without having seen any of these women as patients, Jhin couldnt speculate any further about what they may have experienced.

This is my pet peeve: When something is organic and natural, you may still get an allergy or irritation, Jhin says. It doesnt mean that youre not going to have side effects.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Monats selling model is an important factor in all of this. People buy these products based on the word of people they trust. That also means that if it fails, those individuals selling the product stand to lose a lot of money, a fact Monat emphasizes to counter these lawsuits.

Unfortunately, we at Monat are being forced to use litigation to stop these defamatory attacks on our market partners and on our products, Stuart MacMillan, president of Monat, tells Yahoo Lifestyle in a statement. These attacks are aimed at damaging the livelihoods of thousands of market partners and their families who have safely and successfully served their customers across the United States and Canada. The real victims here are the market partners who are trying to do their best to make a living and make their lives better. To date, there has been no evidence of the attacks or the claims that are being made by the people who are trying to undermine the market partners and their business.

The truth is beauty is still a buyer-beware business. The Personal Care Products Safety Act, which would require manufacturers to list all of their ingredients and provide safety information to the FDA, has been languishing in Congress for years now. As consumers, we can either buy what sounds right and test it out on ourselves, or we can consult a professional. In many cases, dermatologists can offer proven solutions for hair loss, as well as skin care.

I have patients come in with bags full of products they spent thousands of dollars on, and a lot of it is marketing, Jhin says. It smells good, it looks good, it has a good website  [but] thats not the way to pick products. Have someone who understands the skin, who can analyze your skin issues, your skin problems, and then go from there.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
The blunt firing of Rex Tillerson, relayed Tuesday morning via presidential tweet, was met with more indignation than shock inside the limestone walls of the State Department headquarters in Foggy Bottom. It was chaos . . . it was a W.T.F. moment, a current state department staffer said of the episode, which had been quietly anticipated for months. Everyone had been expecting a moment like this to happen, some sudden off-the-cuff decision, but the unceremonious ouster still stung. Technically, Tillerson was Americas top diplomat, the staffer said, but in other ways, he had become an afterthought in an administration where the only voice that matters is Donald Trump. Mike Pompeo, Director of the C.I.A., will become our new Secretary of State, the president wrote. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the C.I.A., and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

Sources paint a conflicting picture of when, precisely, Tillerson learned that hed been given the ax. Diplomats had seen the writing on the wall last week, when Tillerson, left in the dark over Trumps surprise plan to meet with Kim Jong Un, grumbled that the U.S. was a long way from negotiations with North Korea. The following day, while traveling in Africa, a spokesperson said that Tillerson had fallen ill. We knew something was up on Friday. Just as we thought he had dodged the bullet, a second State Department staffer told me, adding that according to sources that were on the trip with Tillerson, the secretary Didnt appear sick. According to The Washington Post, that was the same day that Trump told him to step aside. As I was told by a former diplomat in contact with officials at the U.S. embassy in Kenya, staffers were outraged that Tillerson continued his visit after he was reportedly fired, with one fuming that Tillerson had wasted thousands of taxpayer dollars.

Story continues

A State spokesperson, however, disputed that timeline. In a remarkable statement Tuesday morning, Steve Goldstein said that Tillerson had been blindsided by the presidents decision. The secretary had every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security, Goldstein, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, said. The secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling. Shortly after contradicting the White House, Goldstein was also fired.

The proximate cause of Tillersons ouster, too, is in dispute. It had become pretty clear that his role had become untenable and that he was no longer effectively serving the president and the country, Brett Bruen, a former foreign-service officer, told me. It was time for him to go. But being undercutagainon North Korea might have been the final straw for the embattled secretary. It sends a pretty strong signal that State is not part of the discussion anymore on the top level issues, the current staffer told me. I think sometimes people forget that he is very low-key, he is down to earth but he does still think of himself as this C.E.O. and more than anything else this embarrassed him. In a final act of defiance, Tillerson broke with the White House late Monday, declaring that the brutal killing of an ex-Russian spy and his daughter with a military-grade nerve agent in the United Kingdom was a really egregious act that clearly came from Russia. A senior State Department official saw the remark as a message to Trump. He couldnt have made this comment without knowing that this was a little bit of a stick your finger in that direction, the official told me.

The enmity appears to run both ways. Trump, who had repeatedly denied reports that Tillersons exit was imminent, was openly dismissive of his former secretary in comments to reporters Tuesday morning, saying that he and Tillerson were not thinking the same and predicting that Rex will be happier now. Tillerson has not yet released any personal statement.

While Tillerson was widely seen as ineffective by his staff, who fumed over the secretarys efforts to downsize the department, the appointment of Mike Pompeo is equally portentous. Despite long-standing rumors that the C.I.A. director and favored Trump adviser would take over State, Pompeo remains a largely unknown quantity in Foggy Bottom, where the rank-and-file fear that Pompeo will over-militarize the State Department and prove more hostile to the bureaucracy. As one staffer characterized it to me last year, Pompeo would be the secretary of war, not state.

I continue to have serious concerns that Mike doesnt bring the requisite knowledge of the work of diplomacy and that he could well transform the State Department into an agent of the C.I.A., which has been a concern going back for decades and that diplomats have worked very hard to avoid, Bruen told me, emphasizing the importance of having a civilian in charge of the nations foreign affairs. Rob Berschinski, a former deputy assistant secretary of state, expressed similar concerns. Its hard to fathom Tillerson having done a worse job of rallying Americas diplomats over the course of his tenure, said Berschinski, who served under President Barack Obama. That said, by all accounts Tillerson was an appropriately cautious counterweight to many of the hawks and foreign-policy neophytes surrounding the president . . . the White Houses announcement of Mike Pompeo as his replacement, and Gina Haspel as C.I.A. director, may also portend the rise of a significantly more hawkish U.S. foreign policy. (Haspel, he noted, is a particularly controversial choice, given her reported past involvement in torture at C.I.A. black sites. No one responsible for torture should be leading a federal agency, period.)

Whatever the respective qualifications of Tillerson and Pompeo, however, sources in the diplomatic community were in agreement that Tillerson had become unable to perform his job. The first State Department staffer remarked that Tillerson had lost control following the news that Trump had agreed to a summit with Kim without consulting him. He used to do those two dinners a week [with the president], and now he is barely seen at the White House, the staffer said. Ousting Tillerson at a critical moment in the North Korea negotiations appeared to rattle some nerves. But as Washington moves toward talks with Pyongyang, Pompeos relationship with the president is seen as an advantage. Given all that is going on, having a [secretary of state] who has the confidence of the president and an established relationship with the president will surely be good, a former career foreign-service officer told me.

At the end of the day, the No. 1 currency in Trumpworld is loyaltywhich Pompeo has proven over the past year. Under Trump, it is unlikely that any secretary of state will have the authority to speak on behalf of the president without his input, or else risk being publicly contradicted, as Tillerson often was. When it comes to foreign policy, the senior State official told me, leading the department is little more than an exercise in obedience and kowtowing to the White House. But at least Trump and Pompeo are somewhat simpatico. Maybe that idealism of last spring of, lets let Tillerson work his magic so that he can exert some influence and help guide and advise and put diplomacy at the heart of discussions in the White Houselooking back, that seems a bit naive, the official added. I think that Tillerson concluded that some months ago as well.
(CLEVELAND)  Two fertility clinics across the country from each other experienced equipment failures on the same day that may have damaged hundreds of frozen eggs and embryos, something that a fertility expert called a stunning coincidence and that is already producing lawsuits from crestfallen couples.

Lawyers for Amber and Elliott Ash, of the Cleveland suburb of Bay Village, and an unidentified Pennsylvania couple have sued University Hospitals after its fertility clinic in suburban Cleveland discovered a storage tank malfunction March 4 and said last week that as many as 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos may have been damaged.

The lawsuits come as a San Francisco fertility clinic said thousands of frozen eggs and embryos may have been damaged in a liquid nitrogen failure in a storage tank on the same day.

Lawyers for the couples who went to the Ohio clinic are seeking class action status, which would require approval from a judge. The Ashes said they stored two embryos at a University Hospitals fertility clinic in suburban Cleveland after Elliotts cancer diagnosis in 2003. They said they were told over the weekend that their embryos are no longer viable.

Its heartbreaking, just heartbreaking, Amber Ash told WEWS-TV. The medical community calls it tissue. I like to think of it as my children.

The couple has a 2-year-old son conceived through in-vitro fertilization and hoped to bring him a genetic sibling.

With this lawsuit, we will get answers and stop this from happening again, said Mark DiCello, an attorney for the Ashes.

The Pennsylvania couple was beginning to set up a time last week for transferring a frozen embryo to the womans womb when they later were told something went wrong, attorneys said. They had spent eight years trying to become parents and were devastated, attorney Lydia Floyd said.

University Hospitals officials said that that they are determined to help the patients who lost eggs and embryos, and that the lawsuit will not affect an independent review.

Story continues

Dr. Carl Herbert, president of the Pacific Fertility Clinic in San Francisco, told ABC News in an interview released Monday that a senior embryologist noticed the nitrogen level in one tank was very low during a routine check of the tanks March 4.

That embryologist, Herbert said, immediately rectified the problem by refilling the tank. The embryos, he said, were later transferred to a new tank.

The clinic is sending letters to about 500 patients that may have been involved in this tank, Herbert said. It has put in place more failsafe measures to prevent a repeat.

Dr. Kevin Doody, lab director at the Center for Assisted Reproduction in Texas and past president of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, told The Associated Press that the nearly simultaneous storage failures are beyond stunning but appear to be just a bad, bad, bad coincidence.

Its two black swan events happening in the same day, he said. One of them causes the beehive to buzz. Two? Were all in shock.

Nobody knows so far of any connection between the two failures, he said.

The industry in the long run will end up being safer because there will be investigations and other facilities will examine their own backup measures and alarm systems, he said.
Lagos (AFP) - Herders are believed to have killed 25 villagers in central Nigeria's Plateau state, police said on Wednesday, in the latest violence linked to land, water and grazing rights.

The killings happened on Monday in the Bassa area of Plateau state, just a few days after at least five people were killed in the area.

"The people were returning to Zirechi (village) from Dundun when they were attacked by gunmen believed to be Fulani herdsmen," state police commissioner Undie Adie told AFP.

"I can confirm that 25 villagers were killed while two were injured. A number of houses were also burnt down by the attackers," he said.

No arrests have yet been made, he said, adding: "The terrain is mountainous. The assailants had fled before police could (get) there.

"We have launched a man-hunt for the killers with a view to bringing them to justice."

He added: "We appeal for calm and for the people to sheathe their swords. The violence is not new. It has been a lingering dispute between the local people and Fulani herders.

"We are making efforts to resolve the problem."

Plateau state governor Simon Lalong blamed "hoodlums who take advantage of conflicts among citizens to perpetrate killings and destruction of property in the name of ethnic crisis".

The state lies in Nigeria's so-called Middle Belt that separates the predominantly Muslim north from the largely Christian south.

The area has long been a hotbed of ethnic, sectarian and religious tensions between indigenous farming communities, who are mainly Christian, and the nomadic Hausa/Fulani cattle herders, who are Muslim.

Tensions have boiled over access to land and resources, escalating into a rift that has deepened along nominally religious lines.

Last week, at least five people were killed in the state while President Muhammadu Buhari rounded up a tour of Plateau and four other states hit by violence.

Nigeria has seen a growing number of clashes between herders and farmers over grazing rights since the beginning of the year.

Buhari has come under tremendous pressure to end the bloodshed but has been criticised for being slow to act because the Fulani are his kinsmen.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his speech as he and China's President Xi Jinping meet business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

John Hemmings, James Amedeo

Economics, Asia

Tokyo and Washington engaged in a small-scale trade war in the 1980s. What could this teach us?

Lessons from the America-Japan Trade War of the 1980s

The current wisdom is that there are no winners in trade wars. This message is inherent in nearly all coverage on the United States President Trump administration's tariffs campaign on China, the European Union, and Japan. However, is this really true? History tells us that sometimes, there are winners in trade warsall it takes is for one side to blink first.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the White House was faced with a powerful Asian economic power that manipulated its currency, subsidized its companies, and erected stiff non-tariff barriers to imports. Washington's response was to put 100% tariffs on electronics, force voluntary restrictions on the aggressor's auto, steel, and machine industries, and adopt laws that restricted the country's steel, lumber, and sugar industries. But this wasn't a nascent People's Republic of China (PRC), it was the U.S. treaty-ally, Japan.

For approximately a decade, Japan and the United States engaged in a small-scale trade war. The United States achieved a tactical victory in the war with the 1985 Plaza Accord when the U.S. argued that it and Japan should abandon the fixed exchange rates that had prevailed after the Second World War. The result was that U.S. imports dropped in price as the dollar fell and Japan entered the bubble economy, which was ultimately to lead to the Lost Decade.

While there are many differences between the PRC now and Japan in the 1980sthe PRC is an authoritarian power and a peer competitor, rather than a U.S. allythere does seem to be similar structural features in how the two approached trade, and how they approached access to their home market.

Thus far, the PRC's strategy has been to respond to U.S. measures in kind. This reciprocity is somewhat ironic, given widespread complaints about Beijing's lack of market access reciprocity. President Xi's economic adviser, Liu He, has been the central player behind this approach. Shortly after Trump gave the green light on tariffs worth $50 billion of Chinese products Beijing retaliated with tariffs of their own that totaled up to $34 billion. Liu He even went so far as to pick the same date to enact their tariffs, July 6.

Story continues

The difference between the two sets of tariffs lies in the contents. The Trump tariffs focus on parts and components used in high-technology manufacturing, machinery, automobiles, and transportation, while Xi's tariffs focus mainly on agriculture exports like soybeans. This latter strategy seems odd until one realizes the Chinese dependency on U.S. high-tech. These items are unlikely to be targeted by Lieu He as long as Made in China: 2025 is a crucial part of Xi's platform. Under that plan, China aims to improve its domestic production of high-end technology.

The Trump team has, of course, realized this, and therefore focused primarily on this area, both to stop the loss of valuable American intellectual property and to put pressure on the PRC through the threat of urban job losses. The example of the Chinese company ZTE is telling. With 74,000 workers jobs risked by its expulsion from the U.S. economy, Beijing focused the entirety of its next move on attempting to remedy this. While the PRC's attack on farmerswho are a part of Trump's voter basethreatens success in the Midterms, the White House's attack on ZTE was much quicker, and some would say, more effective at moving Beijing.

There is a lot of noise around Trumps tactics, saying that he represents chaos or anarchy. However, if one looks at the U.S.-China relationship since he came into office, one can discern a pattern.

First, communicate with the other side that you are unhappy and want to negotiate. One could argue that this occurred during the Presidential campaign when Trump consistently repeated the trope that China was "killing the American economy." Second, develop a personal relationship with your opponent and give him time to make an offer. This occurred when President Xi was invited to the President's estate at Mar-a-Lago. Filled with personal bonhomie, the president also joked during the Press Conference that Xi had not given him anything yet.

Second, if you are ignored, give the other guy something to think about. Cause him pain. This is not meant to be punitive, but to prod the opponent into really engaging with you. Famously, Beijing has promised structural reforms to previous U.S. administrations, only to renege. The first round of steel tariffs was a sign that Trumps patience had finally run out. Perhaps symbolically, the replacement of Gary Cohn by Peter Navarro at that time as Trumps key economic advisor was a message the U.S. would now be taking a more hard-handed approach.

Whatever the drivers are for the tariffs the end goal should remain the same for the Trump administrationWashington needs to focus on structural reform in China rather than on the reduction of the trade deficit. The trade deficit of $375.57 billion has become a useful political tool in Washington and, while it may be powerful, it is also dangerous. This is because it focuses on the symptoms, rather than the cause. In the words of former U.S Under Secretary of Commerce Frank Lavin, "If they give you a check, watch out. They're sort of buying you off and getting you just to go away for that money."

Trump could win this trade war by getting Beijing to blink by seriously addressing the structural and intellectual property concerns raised in the March U.S. Trade Representative report. Whether Xi can make these changes and continue his China Dream, on the other hand, is debatable.

Dr. John Hemmings is director of the Asia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society.

James Amedeo is a Researcher at the Asia Studies Centre at the Henry Jackson Society.

Image: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his speech as he and China's President Xi Jinping meet business leaders at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

Read full article
Activists placed thousands of pairs of shoes on the lawn outside the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Tuesday to memorialize children killed by gun violence.

The demonstration was planned by international advocacy group Avaaz to represent the number of children killed by guns since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, CBS News reports.

The demonstration was based on research by the American Academy of Pediatrics that found that 1,300 children die from gun shot wounds in the U.S. annually, or about three daily. Thus the display featured 7,000 pairs of shoes.

The protestors assembled the empty shoes on the southeast lawn from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in an effort to push Congress for gun reform.

The tribute follows nationwide outcry over the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last month, where former student Nikolas Cruz, 19, killed 17 people with an AR-15 assault rifle. The Parkland shooting was the 18th school shooting of the year.

Ahead of the March for our Lives, this monument is bringing the heartbreak of gun violence directly to Congress doorstep, Avaaz wrote in a statement.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

On Wednesday, a national school walk out is planned to raise awareness about issues of school safety and the impact of gun violence O.n March 24, protestors will march on Washington for the March For Our Lives rally, organized by survivors of the Florida shooting.
It was a party-line vote in December when Congress passed the biggest tax reform since President Reagans tax cuts in 1986. But even though 227 Republican House members and all but one Republican senator voted for the bill (Sen. John McCain did not vote; he was in Arizona with his family), many have different ideas when it comes to the perfect tax plan.

Yahoo Finance traveled to the nations capital to talk to accountants who are also members of Congress. We reached out to all 12 members listed as an accountant on the House Library clerks list and two senators; seven members agreed to speak with us  six Republicans and one Democrat.

(Note: the list has since been updated. Originally, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio was listed as an accountant, though he is a former prosecutor, and Rep. Peter Viclosky of Indiana was not on the original list.)

When asked what is your perfect tax code? responses ran the gamut, from a national sales tax, proposed my Rep. Mike Conaway (R  Texas), to a simple W-2 submission by Rep. Jim Renacci (R  Ohio). Rep. Conaway acknowledged a national sales tax would hit lower-income earners the hardest, so he proposed a prebate for them.

Rep. Bill Flores (R  Texas), would keep the income tax system, but drop the rates and number of deductions; he would only have two: charitable contributions and mortgage interest.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R  Wisc.) would drastically overhaul the corporate tax system by replacing all C Corporations, which are taxed as businesses, with pass-through entities, in which the business income passes through to the individual and is taxed at the personal rate.
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) - A European Union court said on Wednesday civil society groups could challenge the way the European Commission authorized the sale of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the bloc. The ruling follows the commission's rejection of a demand by German campaign group TestBioTech for a review of a decision to permit the entry into the EU of genetically-modified (GM) soybeans produced by Pioneer and Monsanto. The soybeans were cleared by the commission in 2015, after a positive recommendation from the European Food Safety Agency. EU scientists have repeatedly said GMOs are as safe for humans and the environment as their non-modified counterparts, but consumer opposition remains strong. Permission to allow GM crops into the EU is often delayed as EU members cannot agree. TestBioTech had filed for a review under a regulation that allows civil society groups to engage with the EU on environmental issues. The commission rejected the request, saying GMO decisions related to health not the environment. The EU's General Court disagreed, saying regulations on GMOs were "an integral part" of environmental law. It said GMOs were part "of the natural environment" before being processed into food. The "Aarhus Regulation", under which TestBioTech filed its case, covered all aspects of EU legislation concerning the regulation of GMOs in relation to health risks, the court said. TestBioTech welcomed the ruling, calling it "an important step towards strengthening the precautionary principle in the EU." The EU allows the import of more than 50 GM crops and, while approval covers human consumption, they are exclusively used as animal feed. Only one GM crop, a type of maize, is grown in Europe. (Reporting by Samantha Koester; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Donald Trumps decision on Tuesday to replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA chief Mike Pompeo caught the world by surprise, and injected even more uncertainty into Mays historic summit between the U.S. President and North Korean leader Kim Kong Un.

Pompeo has been one of the most hawkish voices on North Koreas escalating missile and nuclear tests and is unlikely to inspire confidence in a regime wary of American capriciousness regarding international pacts. In July, he suggested that regime change would be a positive development welcomed by the North Korean people and has refused to condemn preemptive military action.

It would be a great thing to denuclearize the peninsula, to get those weapons off of that, but the thing that is most dangerous about it is the character who holds the control over them today, Pompeo told a panel at the Aspen Security Forum. I am hopeful we will find a way to separate that regime from this system.

This view differs pointedly from Tillerson, who in April insisted, We do not seek a collapse of the regime, and was so keen to reach a negotiated settlement that in December offered a meeting without preconditions: Lets just meet  we can talk about the weather if you want, he said.

Those dovish overtures ultimately helped sideline Tillerson in the formation of North Korean policy, further evidenced by his unfortunate statement, Were a long ways from negotiations, just hours before Trump accepted Kims summit invitation.

Read More: Why President Trump Fired Rex Tillerson

The victory of North Korea hawks in the administration was presaged by veteran diplomat Victor Cha, who was dropped from consideration for U.S. ambassador supposedly over his staunch criticism of the preemptive strike option. It also likely stoked South Korean President Moon Jae-ins frantic reengagement with the Kim regime. Rumors of Tillersons replacement by Pompeo were being discussed by South Koreas intelligence services in January, according to documents seen by TIME.

Story continues

Now the fear for liberals is that mustachioed diplomat John Bolton  the ultra-hawkish former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., who has voiced support for preemptive war with both North Korea and Iran  may soon replace current National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.

Moons urgency has been manifest: In a matter of weeks he agreed to march under a united Korea flag at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, dispatched envoys to Pyongyang to meet Kim, agreed his own face-to-face talks in April, and brokered the Trump summit.

I think President Moon was concerned both by the potential for a North Korean provocation or attack during the Olympics as well as potential for a U.S. preventive attack, so that he eagerly grasped at the olive branch offered during Kim Jong Uns annual New Years Day speech, says Bruce Klingner, a Northeast Asia expert at the conservative think-tank The Heritage Foundation.

It is not just Pompeos views on North Korea that are problematic, though. The new Secretary of State has also been a strident critic of the Iran nuclear deal, saying that he would like to roll back on the agreement, while comparing the Tehran government to ISIS.

A combination photo shows U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 8, 2018, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Feb. 13, 2018 respectively.

In May, Trump, who has also criticized the Iran agreement, has to decide whether to waive the nuclear-related U.S. sanctions on Tehran to abide by that deal, right at the moment when the summit with Kim is due to take place.

Many would argue that [renouncing the Iran deal] would completely undermine his opportunity to reach some sort of diplomatic outcome with Kim Jong Un, says Daryle Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association. [Kim] would see an American president arriving at the summit table having just rejected an agreement negotiated in good faith by law that Iran is complying with.

The need to build trust is already a fraught prospect given Washingtons history of broken promises. U.S. President George W. Bush labeled North Korea part of his axis of evil in his first State of the Union Address in January 2002, despite the Agreed Framework for denuclearization still officially being in place. (It broke down the following year.) Then there are the cases of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who were both toppled with American backing despite abandoning their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

And so a fresh reversal augments the already considerable risk of non-compliance or other shenanigans from Pyongyang around any agreement. The danger today, of course, is that North Korea already has the technology to hit the entire continental U.S. with its latest Hwasong-15 nuclear armed ballistic missiles.

If they conduct three or four more Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missiles tests, they will most certainly perfect the ability to deliver a nuclear payload across the Pacific Ocean to the United States, adds Kimball. At that point they can begin building these missiles in quantities and the problem becomes much more difficult to solve.
Professor Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist who died Wednesday at the age of 76, enthralled the world with his work and teachings on space, time, and the universe.

He had a knack for making his pioneering research accessible to the wider public, and his brilliance deepened our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

Throughout his illustrious career, he was known for his quick wit and humor, often demonstrated at conferences and in interviews with the press. He also offered insights on a whole range of subjects. Here are some of his most famous quotes:

On life

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Hawking gave this now-famous piece of advice to his three children Lucy, Robert and Tim and related it in an interview with ABCs Diane Sawyer in 2010. Included in those words of advice were: Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. And: if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and dont throw it away.



This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While theres life, there is hope, he told Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2006.

On living with a disability

My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesnt prevent you doing well, and dont regret the things it interferes with. Dont be disabled in spirit, as well as physically, he told the New York Times in 2011. Hawking was frequently frank about his battle with ALS, a degenerative neurological disease that often proves fatal. But he defied doctors expectations, living for over half a century after he was diagnosed in 1963, at the age of 21. The year before, he said in an introduction to the 2010 TV documentary series Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking: Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

On being diagnosed with ALS

My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus, he told the New York Times in 2004, after being asked how he kept his spirits up. Life would be tragic if it werent funny.

Story continues

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

On being a celebrity

The downside of my celebrity is that I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognized, he told an Israeli journalist in 2006. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away.

On the potential of humans

We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special, Hawking told German paper Der Spiegel in 1988. He often spoke about space exploration and the extent of human potential.

Professor Stephen Hawking addressing The Cambridge Union on Nov. 21, 2017 in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire.

On women

They are a complete mystery, he said in an interview with The New Scientist magazine in 2012, having confessed to having spent most of his 70th birthday thinking not about the wonders of the cosmos, but about women.

On religion

There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason, Hawking told ABCs Diane Sawyer in 2010. Science will win, because it works. But his work wasnt all dry rationality. Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion, he told PARADE magazine in 2010.

On the reason the universe exits

If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason  for then we would know the mind of God, he wrote in his 1988 bestseller A Brief History of Time.

On finding alien life

Cosmologist Stephen Hawking on Oct. 10, 1979 in Princeton, New Jersey.

On climate change

On Death

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. Im not afraid of death, but Im in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first, Hawking said in an interview with The Guardian in May 2011.


Jeremy Corbyn was barracked by MPs for his line of questioning - REUTERS

Jeremy Corbyn was yesterday accused of being an "apologist for Russia" after suggesting Moscow may not be responsible for a nerve agent attack, as furious Labour MPs turned on him in the House of Commons.

The Labour leader and his spokesman Seumas Milne repeatedly failed to accept that Russia is responsible for the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter and later called British intelligence "problematic", warning another state could be to blame.

Labour MPs called for Mr Milne's resignation last night with one branding his behaviour "deplorable", while a shadow minister warned his comments showed a "complete lack of understanding of the mood of Parliament and the British people".

The remarks prompted John Woodcock, the Labour chair of the backbench defence committee, and a group of his parliamentary colleagues, to table a formal motion throwing his support behind the Prime Minister in defiance of their leader.

Corbyn or the Russian Embassy | Who said what

Mr Milne, who once traveled to Russia on a trip paid for by the Kremlin, was criticised by the Prime Minister after he said the record of British intelligence services was "problematic" following the Iraq war.

A furious Theresa May told MPs it was "shocking" and "outrageous" of Mr Corbyn's most senior aide to claim Russia may have been framed after the nerve agent fell into "random hands", while the defence secretary Gavin Williamson told this newspaper the remarks were "utterly deluded".

Security sources also reacted with anger, claiming Mr Milne would rather trust the Russian FSB than British MI6.

Russian spy poisoning | Read more

It came after Mrs May expelled 23 Russian diplomats and left MPs in no doubt of Russia's responsibility for the attack, which left Mr Skripal and his daughter in a critical state in hospital.

Story continues

But speaking in the House of Commons Mr Corbyn, who was heavily criticised for failing to condemn Russia in his address on Monday, appeared to repeat demands made by the Russian Embassy on Twitter.

He asked Mrs May how she had responded to the Russian state's request for samples of the nerve agent used in the attack, just 24 hours after Moscow said it would not respond until it had been sent evidence of the toxin used.

And he drew cries of "disgrace" and "shame" as spoke of cuts to Britain's diplomatic service around the world.

The Labour leader was forced to watch as his own MPs rounded on him publicly, offering their support for the Prime Minister and denouncing his failure to take a tough stand on Russian aggression.

He is understood to have been given a full security briefing under Privy Council terms before making the statement, suggesting he would have been shown the evidence presented by British security experts.

Conservative MP Mark Francois branded him "a CND badge-wearing apologist for the Russian state".

In a briefing after the statement Mr Milne, who speaks for Mr Corbyn, told reporters that Labour does not believe there is enough evidence yet to blame the Russian state for the attack.

Despite being given security briefings on the incident, the spokesman said: "The Government has access to information and intelligence on this matter which others don't.

"However, also there is a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly."

Pressed on whether Moscow was being framed, he said the "overwhelming" evidence pointed to either the Russian state being responsible of losing control of the agent.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

But indicating another state could be involved he added: "If the material is from the Soviet period, the break up of the Soviet state led to all sorts of military material ending up in random hands."

Labour MP Anna Turley later tweeted: "I'm afraid Seumas [Milne] doesn't speak for my Labour or British values."

His words appear to echo the statement made by Russian MP Vitaly Milonov earlier this week when he said: "This poison is 50 years old. Its not modern stuff. You can create this poison from any laboratory in Ukraine or other fake countries that are happy to help you.

"I think this is something to deal with in theatre or a James Bond movie.
VIENNA (Reuters) - The far-right deputy leader of Austria's government has agreed to apologize and pay damages to a top news anchor after accusing him and national broadcaster ORF of lying, the presenter said on Tuesday, announcing a settlement. Last month Freedom Party leader and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache posted a picture on Facebook of the TV news anchor, Armin Wolf, with the inscription: "There is a place where lies become news. That place is ORF." In a speech the next day, Strache, who has long accused ORF of left-wing bias, said the posting was a prank since it was labeled "Satire!" He also said he wanted to scrap the license fee that funds ORF and force it to report "objectively" as part of government plans to reform the broadcaster. Wolf, the presenter, filed a defamation suit against Strache before a criminal court, after which ORF took the exceptional step of filing its own civil suit against the vice chancellor. Strache's party is the junior coalition partner to Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservatives. "My aim was not to drag a politician before the courts but to make clear that ... there are limits to criticism of the work done by journalists and the media, namely the point at which it becomes personally defamatory," Wolf said in a blog posting announcing that he had reached a settlement with Strache. "Mr Strache has now accepted these limits and he will also announce that to a large public audience," Wolf said, showing a text Strache had agreed to pin to the top of his Facebook page for 10 days and have published on page 3 of the country's top-selling tabloid. Wolf said he had rejected an initial settlement offer presented by Strache's lawyer but accepted this one because it was preferable to a legal conflict that could have lasted years. A spokesman for Strache confirmed that a settlement had been reached but declined to elaborate. ORF welcomed the agreement but said its own settlement talks with Strache over its civil suit were continuing. "This assertion was incorrect and I apologize to Armin Wolf and the employees of ORF for this unfounded statement," the text Strache had agreed to post says, according to Wolf's blog. It also says Strache withdraws his assertion. Strache also agreed to pay Wolf's legal costs plus 10,000 euros ($12,400), Wolf said. He added that he would donate the lump sum to the Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance, an archive and research organization that examines the Holocaust and other Nazi-era crimes. ($1 = 0.8063 euros) (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
We need more people with amazing intellect and will power. He suffered illness with grace, dignity, humility and humor. Thats more than I could ever do. Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76. Comments pour in as Newsroom readers share their heartfelt respects. Hawking died early Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, England. The British theoretical physicist was diagnosed with ALS at 21. Hes best known for his work with black holes and relativity, and he wrote several popular science books, including A Brief History of Time. He is considered one of the worlds greatest scientists. Newsroom readers made a connection with another great, Albert Einstein: He died on Einsteins birthday  and both great minds died at age 76. Eddie Redmayne played Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything. The actor honored the late scientist with these touching words: We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist, and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.
Brussels (AFP) - One week before the second anniversary of the Brussels suicide bombings, the Belgian government unveiled plans Wednesday to establish one point of contact for victims frustrated in their bid for compensation.

In January, survivors and relatives of victims complained publicly that steps for compensation were too complex and accused the authorities of having "abandoned" them.

"It has been decided to establish this one point of contact within the federal prosecutor's office because it has been involved in the events from the start," government officials said in statement.

The prosecutor's office has led the investigation into the suicide attacks at a Brussels metro station and the city's airport that killed 32 people and wounded 230 others on March 22, 2016.

Those attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group.

In their joint statement, the ministers of justice, health and defence did not say when the new administrative unit would be set up.

But it said it will "guarantee that all care service providers offer the same information about the legislation and procedures to follow."

Belgian authorities -- heavily criticised immediately after the attacks for intelligence and security failings -- promised a year ago to grant a "status of national solidarity" to terror victims, guaranteeing them financial aid for life.

But the V-Europe victims association said at a news conference in January that the government was still not doing enough.

One of the coordinators of the group, Thomas Savary, took a wait-and-see attitude toward Wednesday's announcement.

"Promises are good. Actions are better. We will see how this is put in place," Savary told AFP.

Savary, a relative of a woman killed at Zaventem airport, said the July 2017 Belgian law on "national solidarity" for terror victims had just begun to be applied.

He said only 40 of the 510 files for determining the level of compensation for the March 22 victims have "been settled."

The attacks were carried out by a Franco-Belgian group of young men that was also linked to the November 2015 Paris attacks.
Michael Auslin

Security, Asia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits war graves to pay respects to war dead for the 64th anniversary of the armistice which ended the Korean War, in this undated photo released on July 28, 2017 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. KCNA/via REUTERS

Trumps bold gamble is as much a diplomatic breakthrough as it is strategically risky.

Beware A Korean Reykjavik

The White House is warning against inflated expectations over the proposed summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. The surprise announcement that Trump had accepted the invitation from Pyongyang to hold the first-ever summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea stunned everyone from war hawks to peace advocates. Trumps bold gamble, however, is as much a diplomatic breakthrough as it is strategically risky. Above all, the administration must guard against the summit turning into a Korean Reykjavik, where Trump finds irresistible a dramatic grand bargain to solve the North Korean crisis. Such a move could wind up harming U.S. interests more than continued stalemate.

On the face of it, of course, the North Korean offer seems a victory for Trumps hard line. Some may even claim that it vindicates his widely derided mad man theory of diplomacy. To be sure, the administrations successful implementation of harsh sanctions appears to have changed the Norths calculus, and reports that it is running low on foreign reserves suggests why Kim may have made his invitation.

Yet anyone who has watched the sad history of U.S. interaction with North Korea knows that Pyongyang always plays a multi-layer game while Washington focuses narrowly on one goal. Pyongyangs newest gambit may just as easily be a prelude to a further surprise: the unveiling of a tempting grand solution to the Korean peninsula crisis, possibly dropped into the middle of the talks between the two leaders.

It might be hard for Trump to resist such an offer. When Ronald Reagan met Mikhail Gorbachev at Reykjavik, Iceland, in October 1986, their talks quickly ballooned into a truly historic proposal for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons. The fact that an agreement faltered on the rocks of Reagans cherished Strategic Defense Initiative does not minimize just how close the two sides came to committing themselves to a plan neither had fully thought out.

Story continues

Kim may be planning a similar surprise. He could well offer Trump the promise of complete denuclearization for an end to sanctions, the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Korean peninsula, normalization of relations, and the ending of the U.S.-South Korean alliance. Given that North Korea has repeatedly cheated on its past agreements, any agreement should be met with great skepticism. Without fully transparent inspections, however, America and its allies will never be sure Kim is living up to his side of the bargain, while South Korea will likely look to China for its ultimate security guarantee.

Moreover, North Korea continues to work on other weapons of mass destruction, such as nerve gas, all of which can be fitted onto its intercontinental ballistic missiles. Trump will have to make sure that these threats are eliminated, as well. Pyongyang will have to agree to destroy its ICBM program and existing missiles, none of which it is likely to do. The end result could be to leave Kims weapons of mass destruction program largely intact, while American cities could still be targeted. The Norths nuclear program would surreptitiously continue, and Americas credibility in Asia would collapse.

Alternatively, if Trump rightly rejects such a precipitous grand bargain, then Kim can play the disappointed party, and tell the world that he wanted peace but now realizes he can never surrender his nuclear and missile programs in the face of American hostility.

None of this is guaranteed to happen, and perhaps the talks will simply be talks. But we have enough of a track record from North Korea to anticipate some kind of unpleasant surprise. If such a trap is sprung, either Trump will find it impossible to pass up the chance to be remembered as the president who solved the Korean crisis, or he will wind up legitimizing the Kim dynastys nuclear program.

Either way, the Trump-Kim summit seems a rushed gamble on Washingtons part. Talking is obviously better than war, but if the North really is rattled enough to offer serious dialogue, it would be better to initiate a series of lower-level talks that methodically work their way up to the Oval Office. Starting at the top will be must-see geopolitical theater, but it is unlikely to be worth the risk.

Michael Auslin is a Williams-Griffis Fellow in Contemporary Asia at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Image: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits war graves to pay respects to war dead for the 64th anniversary of the armistice which ended the Korean War, in this undated photo released on July 28, 2017 by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. KCNA/via REUTERS

Read full article
LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb blast ripped through a police checkpoint in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing seven people and wounding 18, a rescue official said. Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesman of a state-run rescue service, told Reuters that his officials had taken seven dead bodies to hospitals. "Our rescuers are at work," he said. "They have shifted so far seven bodies." Deputy Inspector General of police Haider Ashraf said the bomb exploded when the police were changing guards at the checkpoint just outside an annual religious congregation, where nearly 80,000 people were in attendance. "I can at the moment say that police was the target," he said. No claim of responsibility was immediately made. (This version of the story corrects day in lead to Wednesday from Monday) (Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari; Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Mamoudzou (AFP) - The French government was facing fresh protests Wednesday on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, after citizen groups dismissed talks on efforts to improve living standards and security problems as insufficient.

Mayotte, an island of 250,000 people that is part of the Comoros archipelago off southeast Africa, has been in turmoil since mid-February.

Violent clashes between rival gangs at a school sparked anger over spiralling crime which many residents blame on migrants from non-French Comoran islands.

Five hours of negotiations late on Tuesday between protest leaders and France's minister for overseas territories, Annick Girardin, had raised hopes that breakthrough was in sight.

But protest leaders at a rally Wednesday in the main town of Mamoudzou felt "betrayed" by Girardin's suggestion that an accord had been reached before they had consulted with demonstrators, said spokesman Said Hachim.

Organisers vowed to maintain the roadblocks that have paralysed the island, but said they were willing to hold new talks with a government delegation, following Girardin's return to Paris.

- Migration pressure -

The island, which voted to become an integral part of France in 2009, has been plagued by strikes, demonstrations and roadblocks aimed at drawing the attention of the government in Paris to the situation.

Per capita economic output on the island is a quarter of that on the French mainland and the unemployment rate of 25.9 percent is over double that in France as a whole.

Ahead of her visit, Girardin promised to tackle the phenomenon of pregnant women arriving by boat from nearby islands to give birth on French soil, as a way of obtaining French and EU citizenship for their child.

Around 70 percent of the 10,000 babies born every year in the maternity hospital in Mamoudzou are born to illegal migrants, mainly from the nearby Comoran islands of Anjouan, Moheli and Grande Comore, according to official statistics.

Story continues

Girardin has suggested giving the hospital special "extra-territorial" status so that children born there do not automatically qualify for citizenship by birth.

The Comoros, one of the world's poorest countries, was a French colony until 1975 when it declared independence.

But Mayotte opted to remain part of France. In March 2011 it became the 101st French department, or administrative area, in accordance with a referendum two years earlier.

The islands' population, who are mostly Muslim, have full French voting and citizenship rights. They have a representative in the National Assembly in Paris, 8,000 kilometres away (5,000 miles), and two in the Senate.

Mayotte is not the only French overseas department that has become a magnet for migrants while itself trying to play catch-up with mainland France on health, housing and education.

French Guiana, situated between Brazil and Suriname in South America, has experienced a surge of arrivals from Haiti and neighbouring countries in recent years that has also put pressure on under-resourced hospitals and schools.

That led to months-long protests ahead of France's presidential election last year, which prompted promises of extra security forces and funding.
An engaged 28-year-old Turkish heiress and seven of her closest friends were killed on Sunday when their private jet crashed into an Iranian mountain range after the group spent time in Dubai on a bachelorette party getaway.

Mina Basaran, daughter of the chairman of Turkeys Basaran Investment Holding, was identified as one of the 11 people who died in the crash. The group was headed to Turkey from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Basaran, her friends and three crew members were killed in the crash after someone on board made a call about a technical failure, CNN reports. The group had been traveling for about an hour before abruptly falling and hitting a mountain, according to the Associated Press.

Mina Basaran

A witness told reporters that the jet was on fire before hitting the mountain, according to the AP.

Kerem Kinik, chairman of the Turkish Red Crescent, identified the deceased friends in a tweet as: Basaran, Zeynep Coskun, Ayse And, Burcu Urfali, Asli Izmirli, Liana Hananel, Jasmin Baruh and Sinem Akay.

A photo from Basarans now-private Instagram account showed the bride-to-be boarding the plane with a suitcase, wearing a jacket with the title Mrs. Bride embroidered on the back. Another picture showed her holding heart-shaped balloons on board.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The women appeared to be in good spirits during the trip, with Basaran sharing an Instagram photo of the group smiling wide on the plane.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Another shot showed the women lounging in robes and sporting sunglasses at the One and Only Royal Mirage luxury hotel in Dubai, according to CNN.

Basaran was expected to marry Murat Gezer on April 14 at Ciragan Sarayi, CNN reports.
Donald Trump is scheduled to visit the L.A. home of Bucs owner Ed Glazer Tuesday after he spent part of the day looking at border wall prototypes. (Reuters)

Donald Trump is making his first trip to California as president, sending Los Angeles into its standard POTUS traffic panic with an added dose of Trump protests.

Part of the reason hes there is to slam Governor Jerry Brown and promote his dream of a border wall that the state does not want. But hes also there to raise money, headlining a GOP fundraiser with a goal of $5 million to support Republican congressional candidates and his anticipated reelection campaign.

Thats not news. What is news is that Ed Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Manchester United, is hosting the Tuesday night event at his Beverly Hills home. TMZ first reported the news, and the L.A. Times confirmed it Tuesday afternoon.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The Times reports that Glazer donated $98,000 to the Trump election campaign along with $250,000 for his inauguration. He also donated $5,400 to Hillary Clintons campaign, apparently for good measure on the same day he gave $33,400 to the Republican National Committee.

Despite his support of Trump, Glazer publicly backed Bucs players last season who chose to protest during the national anthem in the face of Trumps demands of owners to get that son of a bitch off the field right now, referring to players who knelt during the anthem.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

More from Yahoo Sports:

 No, Altuve was not glaring at President Trump

 Eric Adelson: The quiet aftermath of the scary foul that went viral

 Packers revamp passing attack in one fell swoop

 Warriors cancel practice after Currys wild birthday party


NAIROBI (Reuters) - Burundi's ruling party reaffirmed its loyalty to President Pierre Nkurunziza on Tuesday, saying that he was a "visionary" and that it would work to implement his ideas, ahead of a referendum that could extend his rule for at least a decade. The small and impoverished Central Africa nation has been rocked by insecurity since 2015, when Nkurunziza decided to seek a third term in office that his opponents said was unconstitutional. The country is due to hold a referendum in May on whether to amend the constitution to extend presidential terms to seven years from five. The proposed changes would limit the president to two consecutive terms but would not take into account previous terms, potentially extending Nkurunziza's rule to 2034. Evariste Ndayishimiye, secretary general of the ruling CNDD-FDD, told a press conference in the capital Bujumbura that the party had decided to give Nkurunziza the title of "CNDD-FDD Party Visionary" after appraising his ideas and teachings. The title has no specific role attached to it and appeared to be aimed at shoring up support for the president ahead of the referendum. Ndayishimiye said the party has also started "working on his ideas". On social media, some Burundians said the announcement was likely a step toward Nkurunziza seeking a life presidency. Several leaders around Africa have sought to void laws or use other tactics to thwart opponents and prolong their reigns beyond constitutional limits, sometimes for decades. Those who opposed Nkurunziza's third five-term launched an armed struggle against his government, and the resulting violence has left hundreds dead and forced at least 400,000 people into exile. Regional efforts to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict have dragged on without results so far. (Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Ottawa (AFP) - The Canadian government is looking at how to regulate and tax internet giants such as Google, Facebook and Netflix, as it moves to improve protections for its cultural sector, an official said Wednesday.

"The government of Canada recognizes that large internet companies are acting outside regulatory frameworks and may be a threat to our culture," Simon Ross, a spokesman for Heritage Minister Melanie Joly, told AFP.

It will therefore be necessary to update Canada's 1991 Broadcasting Act to take into account the new digital landscape, he said.

A review process will be started soon, Ross added.

Ottawa initially refused to apply a so-called "Netflix tax" on foreign-based internet companies offering services and selling online advertising in Canada, saying it didn't want those costs passed on to Canadians.

But that position provoked a backlash in the cultural sector that relies in part on government funding, and from Canadian broadcasters that must pay into the arts fund to support Canadian programming -- calling it unfair competition.

Canadian broadcasters also must fulfill a quota of Canadian content on air, which streaming services are not required to match.

Facebook, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube and other online firms reach Canadians directly, outside of Canada's regulated broadcast system.

Most of their content is produced outside of Canada.

Soon, these companies will be pressed to "respect our cultural policies, and also share the benefits of their business model," Joly told the daily French-language newspaper Le Devoir after returning from a trip to Silicon Valley in the United States.

"The fundamental problem is that (these companies) do not recognize their responsibilities," and that must change, she said.

"The benefits of the digital economy have not been shared equally. Too many creators, journalists, artists have been left behind, and there needs to be a better balance," as digital platforms are getting "a huge piece" of the advertising pie, Joly told the daily Toronto Star in a separate interview.

The government, however, has not provided details of how it will proceed or a timeline for rolling out reforms.
A student from Grace Church School in New York City holds a sign made for the days protests. (Photo: Alexandra Mondalek)

To commemorate the one-month anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, students across the country staged a 17-minute walkout to remember each of the people whose lives ended.

While response to the walkout itself has been mixed, the days events inspired much more than moments of silence for the iGeneration. Rallies and protests accompanied the walkout, and students carried signs unique to their own experiences and causes.

At Grace Church School in New York City, students walked in a procession ahead of the 10 a.m. walkout time to memorialize a school employee who died by gunshot near the school in November. Of the roughly 220 students participating (about two-thirds of the student body, Grace Church School chief communications officer Topher Nichols tells Yahoo Lifestyle), many carried signs with slogans ranging from lobs against the National Rifle Association to names of people those students knew personally who died from gun violence.

At the rally in Washington Square Park, hundreds of students gathered from neighboring schools. (Photo: Alexandra Mondalek)

Photo: Alexandra Mondalek

Photo: Alexandra Mondalek

Students from Grace Church School joined those from Harvest Collegiate High School for a larger rally in Manhattans Washington Square Park, where hundreds of students and faculty gathered around speakers with a megaphone extolling the student organizers at the Parkland, Fla., high school and encouraging their peers to remain politically engaged, despite most of them being too young to vote. One student, watching the rally from the fringes, held a sign that read, What if it was your friend? and said a family friend died in the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

Another sign, held by Nicholas Dumais from Harvest Collegiate, said, I should be playing dodgeball, not dodging bullets. Dumais explained that schools hes attended have no trouble banning a game but havent banned weapons like guns.

Photo: Alexandra Mondalek

Photo: Alexandra Mondalek

Also in attendance at the rally was Tamika Mallory, a national co-chair for the Womens March and advocate for gun-violence prevention. Mallory, speaking to the crowd through a megaphone, reminded kids that their voices were powerful enough to effect change, regardless of their age.

Story continues

Having these young people engaged on this level is exactly what weve been missing in terms of legislative reform, but just to change the hearts and minds of the people who are more attached to their guns than they are to our young people.

Outside New York City, other young people put their politics on posters.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The walkout was scheduled for 10 a.m. ET, and protests ended along with the school day, though the students seemed emboldened to continue to speak out beyond the days events.

I wrote, I should be worried about my SAT, not our lives, because my SAT is next week, Roxanna Ruedas, a 16-year-old from Harvest Collegiate in New York, says. There are proposals coming in for teachers to have guns in schools. What the hell? Were starting a club every Friday, called Harvest Action. I think thats a perfect name for the club.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Police in California have located the missing vehicle of a woman who found decapitated near a survivalist bunker in northwest Washington state. Authorities filed charges Monday against 35-year-old Jacob Gonzales, who has been deemed a person of interest in the case.

The Island County Sheriffs Office said that 26-year-old Katherine Cunninghams missing Honda Civil was found abandoned on Interstate-5 in Yreka, California. The vehicle was found about 560 miles away from where Cunninghams body was discovered on March 3.

17522796-1320248418066322-1530465229655887869-n_crop

Island County Sheriff's Office

Trending: Carolina Panthers Sale: Stephen Curry and Diddy Joining Forces to Buy NFL Team?

The car was taken as evidence and is set to be taken back to Island County for processing in the coming days, the sheriffs office said in a statement.

The statement also revealed that the Island County Prosecutors Office filed charges against Gonzales in the homicide. Gonzales has been charged with five counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and one count of motor vehicle theft.

A $1 million warrant was issued for Gonzales arrest. A previous statement issued by the sheriffs office said Gonzales could be heading to the Las Vegas area.

Don't miss: Did Stephen Hawking Believe in God? What Physicist Said About the Creation of the Universe

Gonzales is believed to be armed and we ask that the public not approach him, the sheriffs office said.

Cunninghams remains were discovered near Tamarack Lane on Camano Island in Washington state on March 3. According to Fox News, investigators found a bunker dug into a hillside containing supplies, guns and ammo near Cunninghams decapitated corpse. Investigators seized the items found in the bunker.

The Island County Coroners Office determined Cunningham died of homicidal violence with decapitation. Officials believe Cunningham was killed several days before her body was found and was specifically targeted.

Story continues

Most popular: Winter Storm Skylar Pictures: Blizzard Dumps Snow on Boston and New England

A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Seattle Times that she knew both Cunningham and Gonzales and that the two were a couple. The pair, originally from California, allegedly lived with the womans family for a short period of time more than two years ago.

Cunningham and Gonzales later moved to a trailer on Camano Island. Its just crazy, she said. They were in my house, around my kids and I never thought he was capable of something like this.

Screen Shot 2018-03-13 at 5

Google Maps

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Havana (AFP) - As Cuban President Raul Castro prepares to step down next month, ending his family's six-decade grip on power, his successor will be faced with major challenges, including the implementation of economic reforms vital for the island's future.

On Sunday, Cubans went to the polls to ratify a new National Assembly, who will choose the future president. That transition will take place on April 19.

"We have walked a long, long, long and difficult road," Castro said after casting his vote in Santiago de Cuba, the birthplace of the 1959 revolution spearheaded by his brother Fidel, who died in 2016, 10 years after handing power to Raul.

Raul -- who is now 86 -- will remain at the head of the all-powerful Communist Party of Cuba until the next congress in 2021.

But his number two, Miguel Diaz-Canel, is poised to take his place as president.

If Diaz-Canel does indeed assume the role, the discrete 57-year-old vice-president -- the first Cuban leader to have not fought in the revolution -- will be faced with a balancing act of reform and staying true to the principles of "Castroism."

Diaz-Canel insisted Sunday that "the triumphant march of the revolution" would continue.

But economist Pavel Vidal, a former advisor to Raul Castro and now a professor at the Javieriana University in Cali, Colombia, said: "The new government will arrive with limited political capital, less popular recognition and without historical legitimacy."

- Limited legitimacy -

The road ahead will be littered with obstacles, as Cuba's new leader will inherit reforms sketched out by his predecessor, while the economy struggles to take off -- with an average 2.4 percent growth between 2008 and 2017.

"The key question is whether changes will make a difference to the economy -- the most critical issue for many Cubans," said Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based think-tank Inter-American Dialogue.

Story continues

Among the most urgent tasks is the elimination of Cuba's dual currency system.

Experts say favorable exchange rates offered to the state sector distort an economy already weakened by its obsolete model and the US trade embargo in place since 1962.

At the same time, the new president must relaunch foreign investment and get people back to work in manufacturing, given that the island imports most of what it consumes.

Experts say Castro's successor must also offer a real legal framework for small businesses, who are gaining ground and generate revenues far higher than the average $30 monthly state salary.

"If Diaz-Canel wants to convince young people, he will have to communicate that individual initiative and income inequality are now compatible with the aims of the revolution," said the former British ambassador to Cuba, Paul Webster Hare, who is now a professor at Boston University.

- Facing Trump -

In terms of diplomacy, the future Cuban leader will also have to face up to fresh antagonism from the United States.

Since Donald Trump arrived in the White House little over a year ago, relations between the two countries have taken a nosedive in the wake of as-yet unexplained attacks on US diplomats that have left them with serious injuries.

"The Cuban government has vast experience in successfully resisting and deterring interventionist policies," said Arturo Lopez-Levy of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, adding he expected that policy to continue under the new leader.

In light of these daunting challenges, Castro has left nothing to chance, drawing up a party-approved roadmap that sketches out political and economic guidelines for the country until 2030.
A hundred yards from the rusting ruins at the site of the worlds worst nuclear disaster, a gossamer array of almost 4,000 photovoltaic panels sits atop a thick concrete slab capping a grave of radioactive waste.

When it comes to clean energy, its hard to think of a less likely place than Ukraines infamous Chernobyl nuclear plant. But final preparations are being made to generate electricity again, this time using safer power from the sun.

Its part of the countrys plan to reduce dependency on increasingly unreliable Russian gas deliveries and disrupted coal supplies. Dominated by the 300 foot (91 meter) high grey containment structure that entombs the destroyed reactor, Chernobyls exclusion zone is almost the size of Luxembourg and the authorities say its vital to Ukraines push to double its solar energy output.

Solar Chernobyl SPP is at the vanguard of the latest experiment to give a place synonymous with catastrophe a new life after previous efforts failed. The company is a partnership between Ukrainian entrepreneur Yevgen Variagins Rodina Energy Group and Hamburg-based Enerparc AG.

Our idea was to utilize the waste land thats unsuitable for anything else and somehow develop the investment project and make business in Chernobyl, Variagin, who was a 10-year-old schoolboy in Kiev when the disaster struck in April 1986, said as he showed off the solar panels installed over the past month.

The Chernobyl power plant was once the cornerstone of the Soviet Unions nuclear strategy in Ukraine.

Then the fourth reactor exploded, blanketing the area with radiation that killed 49 people outright and left thousands more with lingering, often fatal health problems. The zone is dotted with abandoned villages and former dairy farms slowly being swallowed up by the dense forest.

Pripyat, once a bustling Soviet-designed town of 50,000 people housing plant workers and their families, is now an eerie tourist destination with collapsing apartment blocks, a decrepit hotel and an empty supermarket. Behind a stretch of buildings with broken windows and peeling facades, an abandoned amusement park is slowly decomposing.

Story continues

The reality is some of the land will be abandoned for generations, even a million years, said Yevgen Gucharenko, an agency employee who accompanies tour groups and other visitors. He was 13 when the reactor exploded. But there are some clean areas, where its safe enough for short visits.

Thats where it fits in to the grand renewable energy plan. Ukraine wants to boost solar, hydro, wind, biomass and biogas output to 11 percent of power generation by 2020, said Yulia Kovaliv, the head of Ukraines National Investment Council.

With a cumulative capacity of around 1.2 gigawatts of solar power by the end of 2017, Ukraine already is a significant player at par with European counties such as Austria, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Evans.

The goal now is to lure companies to generate another 1.2 gigawatts of solar energy on the site of the devastation, enough to power 200,000 homes. Solar Chernobyl is the farthest along of two companies preparing to go on line in Chernobyl.

The project is symbolic, Kovaliv said in an interview in her Kiev office, and the key for renewables is to make Ukraine more independent in its energy sources.

What to do with Chernobyl has vexed governments in Kiev since the nuclear plants remaining reactors were finally mothballed in 2000.

For decades, the stretch of deserted forest and ghost towns about 90 kilometers north of the Ukrainian capital have been ring-fenced, with entry strictly monitored. The 1,000 square-mile swath of land is patrolled by special police and exiting visitors are screened as many as four times for radioactivity before being allowed to leave.

With the improved 1.5 billion-euro ($1.8 billion) containment structurethe sarcophagusfinally settled into place last year, the State Agency of Ukraine on Exclusion Zone Management is brainstorming again.

It has granted tourists limited access, warning them in a handbook to refrain from picking up anything off the ground, eating in the open air and wearing shorts and t-shirts. Its also become the center of spent fuel storage for other nuclear plants in the country.

The Chernobyl management authority is now mulling offering abandoned buildings to house data centers and is promoting scientific research, said Vitalii Petruk, its head. For energy producers, the allure is the cable network already laid out to feed Kievs growing power needs, he said.

The solar idea started taking shape in 2016 after Solar Chernobyl, which already has a 4.2-megawatt site at the edge of the zone in neighboring Belarus, first inquired about operating within the zone and began to wade through the famously slow Ukrainian red tape. It took years to get the project going.

The government has since smelled an opportunity and is now making it easier for companies to set up, said Petruk. We now understand what needs to be changed, he said.

In all, 203 companies possess a state license to generate solar energy in Ukraine. There are more to come, especially with a deadline for companies to go on line by 2020 to qualify for a special tariff to charge the governmentthe buyer of the powerabout triple the normal fee.

Among them is TIU Canada, which is looking to open a solar farm in Chernobyl after completing a 10.5-megawatt plant about 550 kilometers southeast of Kiev earlier this year.

The sun in Ukraine is as good as anything in Florida, Louisiana or Texas or southern California, said Michael Yurkovich, the president of Calgary-based Refraction Asset Management, which owns the solar-panel installer.

Back at the site, the 1-megawatt project abutting the towering hut-shaped sarcophagus that holds back deadly radiation is the first small step for Solar Chernobyl. It cost 1 million euros to install and the company pays $450 a month for rights to use the 1.6 hectare (4 acre) property at the heart of the 1986 disaster.

By the first quarter of 2019, Variagin said he wants to produce 100 megawatts of power. The philosophy that drove Variagin and his partners is clear, he said.

What is the sense of converting agricultural fields into solar fields if there are so many territories affected by human activity and damaged and not useful for anything else, said Variagin, who was evacuated in his grandfathers car to the countryside after Chernobyl. For us, this project is all about social responsibility. Its the right thing to do.
Beijing (AFP) - It was the eye-roll that launched a thousand gifs.

China's censors are scrambling to put a lid on a social media frenzy unleashed by a journalist's reaction to a softball question during the mostly scripted annual parliament session.

Impeccably coiffed and sporting a bright blue suit jacket, Yicai financial news service reporter Liang Xiangyi sighed and raised a sceptical eyebrow at another journalist's query to a delegate at a National People's Congress press event Tuesday.

As the question about China's Belt and Road infrastructure project dragged on for 45 seconds, Liang grimaced, glanced sideways to give the woman dressed in red a disbelieving once-over, and concluded with a majestic, head-turning eye-roll.

Caught on camera by state broadcaster CCTV, the moment at the usually staid Great Hall of the People went viral and turned Liang into an instant online celebrity.

Social media platforms were flooded with gifs, cartoons and parody reenactments, with people dressed in red and blue. Some began superimposing footage of her eye-roll on clips of celebrities spouting nonsense.

Liang's image was plastered onto T-shirts and cellphone cases sold on Taobao, China's ever-reactive eBay equivalent.

But China maintains tight control of its internet and is extremely wary of viral stories about politically sensitive subjects like the NPC.

By evening, Liang's name had become the most-censored term on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform.

And on Wednesday, authorities released an "urgent notice" prohibiting all discussion of her in all mainland media outlets.

"Anything already posted must be deleted. Without exception, websites must not hype the episode," according to the US-based China Digital Times, which posted the leaked directive.

- 'In the hearts of the nation' -

This year's NPC gathering has been historic.

A vote Sunday abolished rules limiting heads of state to 10 years in power, setting President Xi Jinping on a course to potentially rule the country for life.

Story continues

On Tuesday, the congress also unveiled plans for the biggest shakeup of government structures in at least a decade, including the merger of its banking and insurance regulators to better handle financial risks.

But Liang's epic eye-roll has now grabbed the limelight.

"With this outfit and your meaningful expression, you've left a deep impression in the hearts of the whole nation's people," wrote one of thousands of commenters on her Weibo account, which had soared to over 200,000 followers.

Zhang Huijun, the reporter who posed the long-winded question, works for American Multimedia Television (AMTV), a Los Angeles-based company whose website describes itself as a CCTV partner.

Reporters from media outlets based abroad but with ties back to China's state media apparatus are often called on at government events so that Beijing can appear to cede the floor to "foreign" journalists -- who will nonetheless toe the party line.

- Unknown fate -

A leaked screenshot of an Yicai group chat showed Liang explaining herself.

"Her question was even longer than the answer," she said, using a colourful obscenity to describe Zhang and calling her "stupid".

Yicai Media declined to comment and the NPC press office said they did not know anything about rumours that Liang's press credentials were revoked.

AFP journalists did not see Liang or Zhang during a session on Wednesday of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory board that holds its annual session at the same time as the NPC.

Online commenters were sympathetic to Liang.

"Sister, if you've lost your job," one fan told her, "you can always work in social media".
The Daily Beast

YouTubeThe last text Gabby Petito sent before she went missing while road-tripping across the U.S. with her fiance set off alarm bells for her mother, who became fearful for the 22-year-olds safety after receiving the odd message.Thats according to a newly-unsealed search warrant giving North Port, Florida, police permission to search a hard drive investigators found in Petitos white van, which she and Brian Laundrie, 23, had been using to tour the countrys national parks.The text message
China's annual "two sessions" meetings are as serious as they come when it comes to political affairs.

Taking place in Beijing, the event predictably gets extensive coverage in China. Yet a viral eye roll by reporter Liang Xiangyi has upstaged the stony-faced gathering, leading to her being censored on social media.

SEE ALSO: Chinese messaging app WeChat banned by Australia's Defence Force

Liang, who works for Chinese business outlet Yicai, has swiftly become the subject of memes and parodies after she dramatically rolled her eyes on camera at Zhang Huijun, a reporter for U.S.-based American Multimedia Television.

Zhang, in red, asks a rather long-winded question to officials from China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, while Liang is on the left in blue.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

According to a leaked WeChat conversation published by WhatsonWeibo, a colleague at Yicai told Liang that the moment was broadcasted live. Liang's response to why she rolled her eyes so dramatically? "Because the woman next to me was being an idiot."

The moment inevitably spawned imitators, who shared parodies of the moment via social media.

Yes, there were memes.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

And even phone cases for sale.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Liang's eye roll became the talk on Weibo, China's biggest social media platform, where people argued over whether the moment was disrespectful, particularly as she was "foreign" media  or if it was just plain funny.

Both the reporter's name "Liang Xiangyi" and the term referring to the moment, "question-asking bitch," were eventually blocked on Weibo searches.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The viral moment also led to Liang's press accreditation at the event being revoked, and her personal Weibo page was taken down, according to the South China Morning Post.

For those interested, here's the lengthy question that was asked by Zhang as translated and published by the New York Times.

The Global Times, the English-language component of state publication People's Daily, said there was "nothing to see" in the incident, in regard to discussions about whether it reflected the country's political landscape.

Story continues

Earlier in the week, China's parliament decisively approved the removal of presidential term limits, with only two votes against the change.

It's a matter that has seen rare dissent against the country's president Xi Jinping on social media, forcing censors to step in against Winnie the Pooh memes, which have been used to represent Xi.
Chinese social media users are abuzz after a camera caught a reporters candid moment at a government event.

The footage captured reporter Liang Xiangyi  who works for Yicai, Chinas largest financial media conglomerate  rolling her eyes as another reporter, Zhang Huijun, asks a question during a convening of the National Peoples Congress.

While these press conferences are typically heavily scripted and choreographed, often peppered with questions meant to spotlight the governments achievements, the eyeroll wasnt.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Just moments after the eyeroll aired, Chinese netizens flooded social media platforms like Weibo and Sina to discuss it. Viewers said they appreciated Liangs honesty during the press conference, which many described as a dry event, while others laughed at the reporters unfiltered facial expressions.

Social media users even came out with GIFs and parodies of the moment:

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Zhang, the reporter who asked the question, works for American Multimedia Television USA, a California-based outlet that appears to have a relationship with Chinese state-run media outlet China Central Television. Her question was directed at government official Xiao Yaqing, and partly involved what his plans were for 2018 and what he would do to protect Chinese state-owned enterprises.

Netizens said the question was so long that it resembled a speech and likely prompted Liangs eyeroll.

The Communist Party quickly made moves to censor Liangs name on social media, and rumors have been swirling that she has been suspended from her position. However, Liangs employment status has not been confirmed, and Yicai hasnt released a statement on the incident.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Ed Cropley JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Exiled Democratic Republic of Congo opposition leader Moise Katumbi said on Monday he would return home by June to lodge his candidacy for a presidential election in December to succeed Joseph Kabila. The ballot was originally scheduled for 2016 but has been repeatedly delayed, drawing accusations that Kabila, who has governed Congo since his father's assassination in 2001, is trying to cling on to power. Kabila denies that. But he has refused to rule out trying to change the constitution to remove term limits that bar him from standing for re-election. Katumbi left Congo for South Africa in May 2016 for medical treatment after being accused by state prosecutors of hiring mercenaries, and has been courting African regional and international support for his efforts to press Kabila to stand down. "I'm not scared of returning to Congo," Katumbi told a news conference in Johannesburg after he launched Ensemble - meaning "Together" - a new opposition coalition. "I will be there to present my candidacy," he added, while declining to give a date and refusing to be drawn on whether he had won support from regional leaders. Returning to Congo would expose Katumbi to arrest after he was sentenced in June 2016 to three years in prison for real estate fraud. He says the accusations against him are politically motivated. Failure to hold the election in December could embolden militia groups whose attacks have forced many people to flee their homes, deepening a humanitarian crisis. The unrest has caused fears that Congo, a vast, undeveloped country that sits in the heart of Africa, could slide back into civil war. Civil conflict killed millions in the country at the turn of the century. Katumbi, who established his political credentials as the governor of the mineral-rich southwest province of Katanga, also had harsh words for Kabila's signing into law on Friday of a new mining code that imposes big hikes in taxes and royalties. If elected, Katumbi said he would sit down with mining companies and work towards a more equitable system of levies on the mining industry, one of Congo's few sources of foreign exchange. "If there's no stability, even a dog can't come and invest in the Congo because there's no guarantee of the money," he told Reuters on the sidelines of the Ensemble meeting. "We have to give respect to the investors." (Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Angus MacSwan and John Stonestreet)
Once again, United Airlines (UAL) is having a tough week. The fourth-largest airline in the U.S. by passengers has had a suite of public relations snafus, largely involving animals, that are compounding the airlines reputational damage from last years Dr. Dao incident in which a customer was violently ejected from the plane.

First, a flight attendant made a customer put their French bulldog in an overhead bin on a flight from Houston to New York, a fatal move that lead to the dogs death Monday night. United told CNN that it assumes full responsibility for the mistake and has offered to pay the late dogs owner for a post-mortem. It was unexplained to what end this post-mortem would serve for the owner, but the company told CNN that many animals have preexisting conditions and that a review occurs following each death.

FILE- In this March 15, 2017, photo, people stand in line at a United Airlines counter at LaGuardia Airport in New York. A dog died on a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered its owner to put the animal in the planes overhead bin. United said Tuesday, March 13, 2018, that it took full responsibility for the incident on the Monday night flight from Houston to New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Uniteds policy for animals excludes any mention of overhead bins, instead requiring animals traveling in the cabin to be in a kennel that must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times.

A United spokesperson did not respond to Yahoo Finances request for comment by press time.

A lost dog and strongly worded letter from a Louisiana senator

The rough week continued on Tuesday with another dog incident. A German Shepard leaving Oregon on a United flight bound for Missouri somehow ended up in Japan. Airline officials sent the 10-year-old dog, named Irgo, back to Missouri, but not before outrage over this animal treatment spread over social media.

Uniteds animal foibles got the attention of Sen. John Kennedy, an animal lover and Republican from Louisiana, who sent a strongly worded letter to Uniteds president Scott Kirby.

I write to demand an immediate explanation for the number of animals who have died recently in United Airlines care, the senator wrote.

Kennedy cited statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation that show that 75% of all animal deaths on airplanes happen on United:

Story continues

Eighteen of the 24 animals who died in major U.S. airlines care last year were in the care of United. Another 13 animals in Uniteds care suffered injuries last year, he wrote. For comparison, Delta and American each reported two animal deaths.

The letter called the pattern of incidents inexcusable.

For many people, pets are members of the family, he wrote. They should not be treated like insignificant cargo. Frankly, they shouldnt be placed in the cargo hold much less an overhead bin.

The dog death is perhaps the loudest incident for the airline since last year debacle with David Dao that was botched by CEO Oscar Munoz, who famously apologized for having to re-accommodate the doctor.

Eventually Munoz appeared in front of Congress for a grilling. To help solve the issue, the CEO said that the crews would be empowered to hand out the money required to convince customers to leave on their own, should a flight be overbooked.

Accusations of white privilege

United hit another bout of turbulence with a series of tweets from marketer and writer Frederick Joseph, who was sitting next to a woman with her shoeless feet on the tray table in front of him. Joseph, who is black, asked the woman, who is white, to move her feet. She only moved them after the airline agreed to give her compensation, which amounted to a $1,000 voucher, Joseph tweeted. Joseph got nothing, a move that struck him and others on the internet as white privilege in action. Josephs tweet received more than 5,000 retweets.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The airline later called Joseph to tell him that no compensation was actually given. Still, Joseph was miffed that the airline seemingly took the womans side, despite her breaking a social contract of decorum. The airline told Joseph race was not a factor.

The trio of disparate issues, which followed last weeks bad PR over a proposed bonus system via lottery, which employees rebelled against, highlights a failure on Uniteds part to learn from last years lessons, which mandated that swift visible compassion was essential, as well as appropriate compensation  past paying for a dog autopsy that may only serve the companys interest.

There are two-and-a-half days left in the week.
U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb is greeted by supporters at an election night rally in Pennsylvanias 18th U.S. Congressional District special election against Republican candidate and state Rep. Rick Saccone, in Canonsburg, Pa., March 13, 2018. (Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

With Democrat Conor Lamb holding on to a margin of a few hundred votes in Tuesdays special election to fill a Pennsylvania House seat, strategists from both parties were frantically seeking lessons in the outcome that will help them in the midterms this fall.

What combination of Lambs personal qualities, policy positions, grassroots organizing, labor-union support and disaffection with Donald Trump led to the apparent victory by the 33-year-old first-time candidate over Republican state representative Rick Saccone in an overwhelmingly Republican district on the West Virginia border?

Lambs local supporters credit his support from labor unions and a resistance movement that began organizing the district almost a year ago, long before the incumbent congressman resigned in a sex scandal. But the parties also are taking note of Lambs biography, as a former prosecutor and Marine veteran, and his moderate positions on hot-button social issues. We can win even the reddest districts if we recruit candidates who fit them, Democratic strategist Lis Smith said Wednesday. We cannot and should not expect Democrats who run in western Pennsylvania to espouse West Village political views. Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnamy expressed the views of many on the right when she said Lamb has essentially run as a Republican.

But as important as Lambs views were  personally opposed to abortion, but a supporter of existing abortion rights laws; for stronger gun purchase background checks but against a new assault weapons ban  the nature of the mixed suburban-rural district itself made his victory possible. That means that any lessons drawn from Lambs victory may well be applicable in similar districts  but not necessarily in those that lack a strong union base.

Supporters of U.S. Democratic congressional candidate Conor Lamb react to the results coming in during Lambs election night rally in Pennsylvanias 18th U.S. Congressional district special election against Republican candidate and state Rep. Rick Saccone in Canonsburg, Pa., March 13, 2018. (Photo: Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

The boots on the ground of grassroots activists and reinvigorated labor organizers  won back a Trump plus-20 district door by door, call by call, an elated Valerie Fleisher, a leader of 412 Resistance, a suburban Allegheny County activist group begun shortly after Trumps 2016 victory, told Yahoo News. It was such a great night for the grassroots activists that had been organizing in the district for 14 months.

Story continues

With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Lamb had a lead of fewer than 1,000 votes out of the more than 226,000 cast, with provisional ballots not due to be counted until Friday. Lamb claimed victory Tuesday night, but Saccone had not conceded as of Wednesday morning. A recount would not automatically be triggered under such circumstances, but the Saccone campaign could petition for one, and Republicans may well do so.

We followed what I learned in the Marines  leave no one behind. We went everywhere; we talked to everyone; we invited everyone in, Lamb told supporters at his victory party.

Should the election results be certified as is or confirmed on recount, Lamb would succeed eight-term Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, who stepped down from his spot representing the 18th district in October following news reports the married Pro-Life Caucus member had suggested his mistress consider getting an abortion. Lamb will represent a district that is set to disappear under a court-ordered redistricting plan that breaks up the population of the 18th District just in time for the falls midterm elections. As an incumbent who overcame a huge Republican advantage to win the 18th, he would be strongly positioned to retain his new title in a face-off against Rep. Keith Rothfus in the new 17th district, which will be more Democratic than the 18th, this fall. Saccone, who campaigned on a promise to be Trumps wingman in Congress, has indicated he is likely to seek election in the new 14th district, which will be an open seat expected to favor Republicans.

President Trump, right, with Republican Rick Saccone during a campaign rally on March 10, 2018, in Moon Township, Pa. (Photo: Keith Srakocic/AP)

The victory is the first by a Democratic special election candidate in a hotly contested Republican-held district since Trump won office, after a string of narrow defeats in which Democrats substantially outperformed historical patterns in their districts. Trump won the district by a nearly 20-point margin, and both he and Vice President Pence had campaigned for Saccone. Democrats gleefully suggested that the rally Trump hosted on Saturday, where he gave a meandering speech that touched on an array of inflammatory topics, had backfired. In the end, neither Trumps last-minute appearance nor his controversial  though welcome in the district  announcement that he would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum was enough to overcome his unpopularity and the weakness of the Saccone campaign. Support for Trump in the district fell 20 points over the course of 2017, according to one poll, and while Saccone did better than many had predicted, Lambs ability to overcome the structural disadvantages of the district shows what can happen when Democratic distaste for the president matures into an organized electoral force.

I think most Republicans realize were running into a very serious headwind  hurricane-force wind, Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., said early Wednesday of the improbable victory.

The much discussed blue wave or Democratic headwinds GOP candidates are seeing is not a force of nature like the weather, however, but something being built painstakingly from the ground up by grassroots Democratic volunteers. In Pennsylvanias 18th District, they began organizing against Murphy, who had not even had a challenger the last two election cycles, shortly after Trumps election, holding weekly rallies and protests at his district offices. Once Lamb joined the race, they tapped an existing power structure that had been allied in recent years with Murphy: the old-line industrial labor unions.

Whats really powered this, the viability of the campaign, is two separate forces that have managed to work well together, Lara Putnam, the chair of the history department at the University of Pittsburgh, who has been studying the resistance organizing in southwestern Pennsylvania since it began, told Yahoo News. Voters in the Pittsburgh suburbs of Allegheny County powered Lambs win, even as he lost to Saccone in the more rural and industrial parts of the 18th District. Turnout was higher in Allegheny County than in the GOP stronghold of Westmoreland.

Conor Lamb supporter Judy Kramer of Bavington, Pa., arrives early for Lambs election night party in Cecil, Pa., on March 13, 2018. Lamb claimed victory over Republican Rick Saccone in a special election in Pennsylvanias 18th U.S. Congressional District. (Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP)

We were already organized to flip this district, so [Lamb] had a base of volunteers from the first minute of this campaign, said Mykie Reidy, the lead organizer of Progress 18 PA and the 18th District Campaign Coalition, which worked to forge a coalition out of the new resistance groups. The unions getting behind him helped build on that base.

And I also think we had a great candidate who ran a smart campaign, she added, speaking Tuesday from her Mount Lebanon home, where shed been running a get-out-the-vote staging location for the Lamb campaign for the past week.

The fact that Lamb reached out to labor and labor reached out to Lamb  the AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers, United Mine Workers, Retired Mine Workers of America  the fact that unions were supporting Lamb and saw in Lamb someone who respected them, respected the work they did, respected the promises made to them  issues around pensions are really critical  that was profoundly impactful, said Putnam. Those informal networks  the communications sustained by the unions  are super powerful.

About 23 percent of workers in the 18th District belong to unions, compared to less than 10 percent of the private sector workforce nationwide.

Republican outside groups spent heavily on the race, pouring more than $10.7 million into the contest. Most of that money came from Paul Ryan-backed super-PAC the Congressional Leadership Fund and the National Republican Campaign Committee. The Lamb campaign spent $3.1 million and drew a further $2.6 million in support from outside Democratic groups.

The race that Conor has run has been representative of our district and not some cookie-cutter mold that you can then apply to races all over the country, said Fleisher, who spent 14 months doing organizing work in the district. I think if there is a blue wave it will be because the Democratic candidates are relying on these new Democratic groups to really understand their districts and their issues, and they are talking to voters about really specific priorities.

Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate for the March 13 special election in Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District, celebrates with his supporters at his election night party in Canonsburg, Pa., early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (Photo: Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Resistance groups from outside the district also sent in volunteers. We have shown we can overcome geographic disadvantages  and get out to the suburbs and rural districts that will decide the 2018 midterms. Thats what we did tonight in Pennsylvania. Thats what were going to do across the country in November, predicted Ethan Todras-Whitehill, executive director and co-founder of Swing Left, a national group founded after Trumps election to funnel blue-state and blue-city energy into organizing and fundraising for potentially flippable neighboring red districts.

The group did phone-banking and canvassing for Lamb, as did a number of smaller resistance and womens activist groups from the regional Democratic stronghold of Pittsburgh.

That progressives in the district backed Lamb despite his stances opposing an assault weapons ban and abortion was partly a reflection of the intensity of their desire to elect a Democrat. But it also reflected what they learned from knocking on doors and encountering moderate to right-of-center voters who were open to supporting Lamb.

Speaking for myself, coming from the left wing of the party, I started off this whole enterprise more than a year ago  before I ever heard of Conor Lamb  having a checklist of policies I wanted, and I learned a lot this year about my district and the issues that mattered to them, said Reidy, who was also a Bernie Sanders delegate in 2016. I just really came to see that the candidates character  his honesty, his willingness to have a conversation with people, his general leadership skills  turns out to be more important than any checklist.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
Professor Stephen Hawking made it his life's mission to explain the great mysteries of the universeand perhaps no mystery is greater than how the universe came into being.

Hawking died at 76 on Wednesday, after spending most of his life living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a condition he was diagnosed with when he was 21. Given only a few years to live at the time, Hawking's longevity was considered somewhat of a miracleif only one of modern medicine, as his first wife Jane Hawking, a Christian, told The Telegraph in 2015.

"When I think that it has been 52 years since Stephen was first diagnosed, that to me is a miracle. OK, it may be a miracle of modern medicine and Stephens own courage and perseverance but it is also quite simply a miracle, she said.

Trending: Ryan Zinke Says He Never Took a Private Jet Because the Plane He Flew on Had Propellers

Hawking, however, did not believe in miracles of any kind and described himself as an atheist, most notably in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo in 2014.

03_14_Hawking_pope

Osservatore Romano (VATICAN)/Reuters

The scientist's position on the existence of God, until then, were seen as somewhat blurred between agnosticism and atheism. In his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, Hawking wrote that achieving a "theory of everything" would be "the ultimate triumph of human reasonfor then we should know the mind of God."

This contrasted with his 2010 book The Great Design, in which he said that the idea of God was "not necessary" to explain the origin of the universe as the laws of physics offer enough of an explanation. That statement that was seen as a change from his previous position on God and the universe as, in an interview with Reuters in 2007, Hawking said I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science, conceding that the laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws.

Story continues

Don't miss: Fortnite C4 Update 3.3 Delayed Due to Unexpected Bug

Hawking later allowed for the possibility of identifying God with the laws of nature, but rejected the idea of "a human-like being" with whom one has a personal relationship. "When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible," he told ABC News' Diane Sawyer in 2010, a few months before the publication of The Great Design.

In the course of that interview, he also argued for the superiority of science over religion. "There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason," he said. "Science will win because it works."

In an interview with The Guardian in 2011, Hawking also shared his view on life, death and what comes next. "I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first. I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

Hawking's response to El Mundo finally dispersed any remaining doubts as to his beliefs. "In the past, before we understood science, it was logical to believe God created the Universe. Now, however, science offers a more convincing explanation. What I meant when I said we would know God's mind was that we would know everything that God would understand if he existed. But there are no Gods," he said.

Most popular: 'White Houses' Author Amy Bloom on Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok's Secret Love Affair

"I am an atheist. Religion believes in miracles, but these are not compatible with science," he said.

As a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Hawking presented his ideas on the origin of the universe at various scientific conferences organized at the Vatican over the years, where he met Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis on various occasions.

In 2006, the physicist recalled Pope John Paul II discouraging scientists from studying the creation of the universe as that was God's work and joked about the pontiff ignoring he had presented a paper at the conference precisely on that topic. "I didn't fancy the thought of being handed over to the Inquisition like Galileo," Hawking said.

Hawking kept speaking about his no-boundary proposal on the creation of the universe at the Vatican even a decade later. "Asking what came before the Big Bang is meaningless because there is no notion of time available to refer to," he said at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 2016.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
With Mike Pompeo as U.S. Secretary of State, President Donald Trump is likely to get a more subservient top diplomat on the world stage than his predecessor Rex Tillerson, who has fallen foul of the president on numerous occasions over the past 14 months.

Tillerson was tipped for the sack as far back as November 2017, but the announcement Tuesday, just after he touched down from a trip to Africa and reportedly without speaking to Trump, was a surprise even by the roller-coaster standards of the current administration.

In Pompeo, Trump has someone in step with his policies on North Korea, Iran and Russia. As CIA director, Pompeo announced there would be a Korea Mission Center based in Langley, Virginia, which would be significant given the prospective high stakes diplomatic face-off in May between Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Trending: 'Sims Mobile' Relationship Guide: How to get Married, Have a Baby, Age Kids Up and More

RTS1NDDA

REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/File Photo.

John Glaser, director of foreign policy studies at the Washington-based tank Cato, said Trump "did not want to continue to have a secretary of state he didnt trust in that kind of environment. In Pompeo, he has a hard-line hawk who has frequently advocated the use of force and Trump likes that.

Trump doesnt like this business about the importance of diplomacy, he wants a more top-down presidential approach to the world and he saw Tillersons approach to diplomacy as outside of his orbit, Glaser told Newsweek.

Don't miss: Alabama 2-year-old Kills His 1-year-old Brother in Accidental Shooting

On Moscow, Pompeo will likely be driven by political expediency rather than national security: such as when he criticized the Obama administration on the militant attack on Benghazi in Libya in 2012.

Pompeo is a partisan. He will get right in line with Trumps Russia agenda and not ask questions and not be too skeptical about the Mueller investigation in Congress, Glaser said.

Story continues

On Iran, when Pompeo was in Congress, he said in 2014 it would be easier to destroy Tehrans nuclear capacity by air in a move that would only require 2,000 sorties. He has talked about regime change, he has a very ideologically hard line on Iran and is deeply hostile to the joint comprehensive plan of action around the Iran nuclear deal, he added.

Most popular: School Resource Officer Accidentally Fired Gun Inside Middle School, Police Say

RTS1NDZK

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Pool

Trump praised Pompeo in a statement but only had a single line for Tillerson, who once reportedly described the president as a moron and went a step further than the White House by naming Russia a suspect in the nerve agent assassination attempt of ex-spy Sergei Skripov.

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the London-based think tank, the Henry Jackson Society, said that Pompeo may even be better received internationally.

Throughout his previous political career, Mike Pompeo took a principled stand in opposing the expansionist aims of Iran, Russia and North Korea.

While President Trump will continue to make decisions on these issues, the change in personnel means the advice hes receiving will change in favor of more robust responses to infractions. Secretary Pompeo will also command more respect abroad given his political and intelligence experience.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Salvatore Babones

Security, Asia

North Korea's Kim Jong-un has offered to bargain away his nuclear weapons program in exchange for lasting peace. Maybe that's because he doesn't have one.

Does North Korea Really Have a Nuclear Bomb?

When India staged its first nuclear test in 1974, there were no doubts. It was a massive explosion estimated at eight kilotons (kt.) equivalent of TNT. Though it was conducted underground, it left a large crater on the surface. The test was celebrated in India, condemned in Pakistan and observed with caution in the rest of the world. After India's second series of tests in 1998, Pakistan responded with a five-device test set of its own two weeks later. Again, craters were made, congratulations offered, condemnations heard and medals given. India and Pakistan have been locked in a tense nuclear standoff ever since.

Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and of course the United States also had unambiguously "successful" first nuclear testsif success means blowing up a big chunk of desert while poisoning the atmosphere with tons of radioactive debris. Of course, all five countries had massive science-industrial complexes to support their research, as did India. Pakistan did not, but China is widely suspected of having provided both the technology and the materials for Pakistan's first nuclear devices.

North Korea's nuclear tests, as so much else about the country, have taken a road less traveled. Its first test in 2006 was either a masterpiece of minimization, or a total fizzle at less than one kt. The second test in 2009 was a more nuclear-like five kt., but apparently a masterpiece of environmental good practice: the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) estimated that the containment of radioactive exhaust gas from the explosion "was above 99.9 percent."

The CTBTO dismissed the possibility of a faked nuclear test under the theory "that such a massive logistical undertaking would have been virtually impossible under the prevailing circumstances and would not have escaped detection." The CTBTO scientists apparently had never seen The Great Escape. But North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il was a great film buff, and any country capable of building a clandestine nuclear weapons program would presumably also be capable of sneaking high explosives into a remote mountain fortress under cover of darkness.

Story continues

Rocket Man Goes Nuclear

After 2009, North Korea's nuclear testing program went back to sleep until the Dear Leader's son, "Supreme Leader" Kim Jong-un, needed to prove himself with a test of his own. It came in February, 2013. This test was at least a nuclear-sized twelve kt., unlike the previous two, though once again North Korea claimed a great technological leap forward, claiming it had tested a miniaturized warhead suitable for missile deployment.

Building a nuclear device is hard enough. Building one that can be deployed on an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), launched into space, delivered to its target and then detonated is something else entirely. That was Kim Jong-un's threat.

But was the 2009 explosion even nuclear? The United States has conducted conventional explosion tests of nearly four kt. using chemicals packed into an forty-four-foot radius fiberglass hemisphere. Do the math, and a ten kt. explosion could be engineered in an underground chamber of roughly ninety feet (twenty-seven meters) cubed. That's not a lot of rock to be shifted to make room for a fake nuclear test.

The United States and Japan scrambled spy planes to sniff out the tell-tale radioactive xenon from North Korea's 2013 test, to no avail. But then, two months later, ground-based stations in Japan mysteriously detected the suspect chemical trail. It is possible that it took sixty days for the gases to waft the 600 miles from the test site. It seems just as likely that the Kim regime, coming to understand that the failure of international observers to detect radioactive gases cast doubt on its nuclear credentials, belatedly released gases to prove its test had been real.

Then there was a three year pause before the three big explosions of January 2016, September 2017 and the granddaddy of them all in September 2017. The first two were repeats of the 2013 performance, though North Korea again claimed major technical advancesthis time to a weaponized thermonuclear device. Yet both explosions were estimated at around ten kt., far too small to be H-bombs. Though experts did not believe North Korea's claims of a thermonuclear device, they continued to take it as given that North Korea was exploding fission bombs.

Finally, on September 3, 2017, North Korea staged what seemed to be its first unambiguous, unfakeable nuclear test, a 108 kt. explosion accompanied by a burst of xenon gas. That would seem to have settled the issue. But once again, strange facts clouded the picture. Yield estimates are based on the size of the seismic shocks created by the explosion, and the 2017 detonation was grossly irregular. "Seismologists stumped by mystery shock after North Korean nuclear test" was the headline in Nature magazine.

The leading theories were that the secondary shock was caused either by a cave-in or a landslide, not a second bomb or secondary explosion. A week later, a second series of collapses under North Korea's nuclear mountain reportedly killed more than 200 workers on the site. Nothing like this has ever happened in association with any other country's nuclear tests. Whatever is going on at North Korea's Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site, it is unlike anything that has ever gone on anywhere else in the world. And apparently the North Koreans are still digging in a big way, though why they would need huge tunnels to test warhead-sized nuclear bombs is anyone's guess.

A Nuclear Potemkin Village?

Last month, Stanford University Professor Siegfried Hecker, the former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory and America's leading expert on North Korea's nuclear program, told the story of how he was allowed to see North Korea's uranium centrifuges in 2010. He was taken to the roof of a building where he was allowed to look down through "big glass observation windows" at two centrifuge halls below, where he saw "2000 centrifuges." North Korea has reportedly since doubled its centrifuge capacityby erecting a second building next door. That's 4000 centrifuges, conveniently on display under glass roofs.

Until the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Iran's more than 20,000 centrifuges were mostly underground, many of them in reinforced bunkers. Iran spent at least twenty years striving to develop a nuclear device. Despite ever-tightening international sanctions, it had multiple open land borders, huge oil revenues, cadres of engineers studying overseas and myriad other advantages over the Kims Hermit Kingdom. Yet Iran never succeeded in building a bomb.

North Korea may in fact possess an arsenal of 3060 nuclear bombs that have been successfully miniaturized to fit inside a nuclear warhead of an ICBM. Or Kim Jong-un may be sitting on top of a collapsed nuclear Potemkin village that he accidentally destroyed in a final hubristic attempt to prove to the world just how powerful he really is. His "sudden willingness" to use his nuclear empire as a bargaining chip can be interpreted either way.

The only certain thing in the North Korean nuclear story is that everyone involved in itthe North Koreans, the Western experts, the political analysts, the news media and the U.S. governmenthas a vested interest in believing it. The truth lies buried somewhere under North Korea's tortured Mount Mantap. If Kim has his way, it just might stay there.

Salvatore Babones is an associate professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Sydney.

Image: Reuters

Recommended:

Why North Korea's Air Force is Total Junk

Why Doesn't America Kill Kim Jong Un?

The F-22 Is Getting a New Job: Sniper

Read full article
A 10-month-old puppy died on board a United Airlines flight after an attendant said the dog had to be placed in an overhead bin.

The airlines apologized for the incident, which took place on a trip from Houston to New York City. "This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred," the carrier said in a statement. The airlines extended its "deepest condolences to the family."

Some passengers took to social media to express shock at seeing the dead dog being wept over by its owner.

"My heart is broken," Maggie Gremminger wrote on her Facebook page. "I am in shock and don't know how I'll sleep," she said. Gremminger posted that she saw a flight attendant tell the dog's owner to put the pup in the overhead compartment.

"The passenger adamantly refused but the flight attendant went on with the instruction. At the end of the flight, the dog was found dead in the carrier. I am heartbroken right now," Gremminger wrote.

The dog's owner, a mother traveling with two children, was not identified.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Passenger June Lara also took to Facebook, writing "Today, I boarded my last United Airlines flight." The pup was in a carrier under a seat when it barked a few times, Lara said. The owner was ordered to put the carrier in the overhead bin, and the woman was told the dog would be fine up there, Lara wrote.

"There was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel. There was no movement as his family called his name. I held her baby as the mother attempted to resuscitate their 10-month-old puppy. I cried with them three minutes later as she sobbed over his lifeless body. My heart broke with theirs as I realized he was gone," Lara said.

The black French bulldog should never have been placed in the bin, and United said it accepted full responsibility for the animal's death.

Monday's death was the latest in a troubling series of incidents on United planes. Last April, a doctor was dragged screaming and bleeding from an overbooked flight in Chicago. In August, the airlines apologized to the owners of 5-year-old King Charles Spaniel that died after being loaded into the cargo hold. Last spring, a giant rabbit head to a state fair died on a flight that originated in Britain.

Story continues

RELATED STORIES

College Student Claims Spirit Airlines Told Her to Flush Comfort Hamster Down Toilet

American Airlines Employee Suspended After Allegedly Hitting Woman With Stroller

Did United Airlines CEO Get Preferential Treatment When He Received Heart Transplant?

Related Articles:
The dog died after being placed in an overhead locker on a United Airlines flight (Rex/stock photo)

A dog has died on a United Airlines flight after a member of the cabin crew ordered the animal be put in the planes overhead locker.

Catelina Robledo was travelling from Houston to New York with her daughter, Sophia Ceballos, 11, and their pet French bulldog Kokito.

They wanted to keep the dog under the seat  as the airlines policy states  but a member of the cabin crew reportedly refused.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The passengers were then forced to put it in the locker for the duration of the flight.

Other passengers said they heard barking during the flight and did not know that Kokito had died until the plane landed at LaGuardia Airport, nearly four hours later.

Maggie Gremminger, who was on the flight, wrote on Twitter after the flight: It was clearly a dog and while the customers was adamant about leaving it under the set, the attendant pushed her to (put the dog in the locker).

MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO

At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog, deceased.

She sat in the airplane aisle on the floor crying and all of surrounding passengers were utterly stunned.

Ms Gremminger added: I am disgusted and traumatised.

The French bulldog, similar to the one pictured, barked throughout the flight (Rex/stock photo)

United said it was taking responsibility for the incident on the Monday night flight, saying pets should never be put in the overhead storage compartment.

In a statement, the company described the death as a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin.

The airline is now investigating the incident and speaking to the flight attendant.
President Donald Trumps pick for the next director of the CIA will face questions on Capitol Hill over her involvement in past torture programs.

Senators from both parties raised questions about Gina Haspel, who Trump announced Tuesday morning would replace current director Mike Pompeo, who he has nominated as Secretary of State. (Both positions require Senate confirmation.)

The current deputy director of the CIA, Haspel once led an an agency black site in Thailand where detainees were subjected to torture. She is also linked to a decision within the agency to destroy evidence of the interrogations.

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who was tortured as a prisoner-of-war while serving in Vietnam, called the U.S.s torture of detainees one of the darkest chapters in American history and urged his colleagues to press Haspel about the role she played in it.

Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIAs interrogation program during the confirmation process, McCain said in a statement. I know the Senate will do its job in examining Ms. Haspels record as well as her beliefs about torture and her approach to current law.

Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, said in a statement that her background makes her unsuitable for the position. Wyden, who serves on the Select Committee on Intelligence, said that he opposes her nomination  and the promotion of Pompeo  while calling for transparency from the intelligence committee as the process moves forward.

I feel very strongly that information about her should be declassified, Wyden told reporters on Capitol Hill. I think its really a cover-up that it hasnt been declassified.

During the 2016 campaign, Trump pledged to bring back waterboarding and bring back a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding, but in office he deferred to Defense Secretary James Mattis, who argued that torture is not as effective as a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers.

Story continues

Haspels history also led to swift condemnation from civil rights groups. The American Civil Liberties Union said she was up to her eyeballs in torture and demanded that the CIA release all of her torture record before the nomination is considered. The Center for Constitutional Rights, which represents people who have experienced CIA torture firsthand, called her unfit to serve in the position.

Gina Haspel should be prosecuted not promoted, a statement from the Vincent Warren, the organizations executive director, reads.

Thats not to say she doesnt have supporters on the Hill, including the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina.

I know Gina personally and she has the right skill set, experience, and judgment to lead one of our nations most critical agencies, Burr said in a statement, adding that he was proud of her work. I look forward to supporting her nomination, ensuring its consideration without delay.

Several senators said they were reserving judgement on Haspel for now.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who objected to former CIA Director John Brennans efforts to promote Haspel in 2013, said she would hold off on making a final decision on the nomination until after the yet-to-be-scheduled confirmation hearings. Feinstein, a California Democrat and member of the intelligence committee, said she has had personal conversations with Haspel about her involvement in the interrogations.

Everything I know is shes been a good deputy director of the CIA, Feinstein, told reporters. I think hopefully the entire organization learned something from the so-called enhanced interrogation programI think it is something that cant be forgotten and I certainly can never forget it and I wont let any director forget it.

Fellow Intelligence Committee member Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, also said she was also reserving judgement.

Id prefer to wait until we have a confirmation hearing before making a decision on her nomination, she said. She certainly has the expertise and the experience as a 30 year employee, but Im sure that there will be some questions.
The president's son is burning up the internet, thanks to a viral photo that seems to show him being interviewed by a chocolate bunny.

Donald Trump Jr. wasn't really talking to an inanimate object. It just looked like he was.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

On Monday, Donald Trump's eldest son was in Pennsylvania, campaigning for a Republican seeking an empty House of Representatives seat. While stumping at a candy factory, Trump was interviewed by a reporter.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photographer Andrew Rush snapped an image at an angle that made it look like the edible Easter bunny was holding a microphone under Trump's chin.

Rush posted the photo on Twitter, where it promptly became an internet sensation.

The first son joined in, writing on social media, "The chocolate rabbit gave a hard-hitting interview and was delicious afterwards."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Many of the comments posted online took aim at Trump's June 2016 meeting with a Russian attorney, where the president's son was reportedly promised "dirt" on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Other posters just cracked wise.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Donald Trump Jr.'s Wife Vanessa Hospitalized After Opening Letter With White Powder Inside

Donald Trump Jr. on the Outs With His Father Over Russia Meeting Controversy: Report

After Russian Email Scandal, Author Says Donald Trump Jr. Has Always Been 'Problem Child'

Related Articles:
Visiting California for the first time since assuming the presidency, President Donald Trump has called his wish for a border wall with Mexico a national necessity, as he accused the state of putting the "entire nation at risk" by not dealing with illegal immigration.

If you dont have a wall system, were not going to have a country, Mr Trump said.

The President was touring eight wall prototypes, erected near the border in the San Diego area, that stand as the chief concrete progress towards one of his central campaign promises. Congress has so far not allocated the billions of dollars needed to build the larger structure, with the Trump administration seeking $18bn (12.9bn) for the first phase.

But Mr Trump, who has sought to secure funding as part of a larger immigration deal, continued to press for a barrier as a means to prevent a lot of problems in Mexico from flowing into the United States.

They reestablished law and order in San Diego when they put up a wall, Mr Trump said, referencing an existing structure.

While Congress has so far proved unreceptive to Mr Trumps wall funding request, the President argued that the structure would ultimately be a boon to taxpayers by reducing crime and strain on public services.

The wall will save hundreds of billions of dollars - many many times what its going to cost, Mr Trump said. I want to again call on Congress to deliver a budget that protects our homeland, he added.

In a speech to military personnel at a Marine Corps facility, Mr Trump reiterated his description of the wall as a national security safeguard, saying we don't have a choice in building it.

California has been a regular target for the Trump administration, with Mr Trump and other officials assailing so-called sanctuary laws that limit cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr Trump took aim at those laws and at California Governor Jerry Brown, who last week responded to the Department of Justice suing his state by lambasting the Trump administration as full of liars.

Governor Brown had sent Mr Trump a letter the day before saying California thrives because we welcome immigrants and innovators from across the globe and urging Mr Trump to tour construction of a planned high-speed rail line. Mr Brown responded to the President's broadside on Twitter.
Donald Trump mused to an audience of Marines about launching an extraterrestrial branch of the military.

Space is a warfighting domain, just like the land, air and sea, Mr Trump told an audience at Miramar Air Station, near San Diego. We may even have a space force - develop another one.

I was saying it the other day, because were doing a tremendous amount of work in space - maybe we need a new force, well call it the Space Force, Mr Trump added. I was not really serious, and then I said what a great idea, maybe well have to do that. That could happen.

In viewing space through a national security lens, Mr Trump was echoing his administrations past justifications for bolstering American space exploration. Last year the President signed a directive seeking to revive the countrys moribund space programme.

The stated rationale for those efforts is in part a military one. Vice President Mike Pence cited Americas prosperity, security and identity in describing the initiative last year, noting that Russia was eclipsing America beyond Earths atmosphere and cautioning that both Russia and China were formulating technology that could interfere with US satellites.

Reaching Mars has also been a recurring focus for Mr Trump. In signing the space policy directive, he spoke of establishing a foundation for an eventual mission to Mars and perhaps, someday, to many worlds beyond.

In his speech to the Marines, Mr Trump projected more certainty about reaching Mars - and worked in a dig at former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Very soon were going to Mars, Mr Trump said. You wouldnt have been going to Mars if my opponent won.
On Wednesday, students and staff at more than 2,000 schools nationwide staged a walkout to honor the 17 murdered on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and raise awareness for gun control.

Demonstrations were held in New York, Washington D.C. and sites of past mass gun violence like Littleton, Colorado, Newtown, Connecticut and Parkland, Florida, the home of Stoneman Douglas.

The protests have received widespread support and praise from Americans who support common sense gun measures while garnering derision from the NRA, which tweeted a photo of an assault rifle with an American flag ahead of the protests.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Among the backers is Miami Heat guard Dwayne Wade, who has been active in his support of the Stoneman Douglas community.

He praised the students in Parkland and nationwide while speaking ahead of Wednesdays Heat game against the Sacramento Kings.

Its great for all the kids to rally around what happened, but understanding that its in support of all the kids nationwide, Wade said. This is obviously led by Parkland 17, but its for all kids in all communities, and they all are getting it and all are understanding the stronger they are together  and they all do things together.

Its great to see our youth take a stand and do the things they feel is necessary.

Dwyane Wade praised students at Stoneman Douglas and nationwide for their efforts to keep control in the news. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Wade has been vocal about the efforts of the Stoneman Douglas survivors since one of the 17 victims was buried in a Wade jersey. He visited students at the school last week.

Like, they get it, Wade said of talking with the students. We talked about all those things and I was highly impressed with them understanding and knowing that, OK, we know that this might fade after a few months, so this is what weve got planned for when that time its supposed to fade.

Its something we should all want to get behind and support and see if all of our voices together matter when it comes to legislation and all these things.

More from Yahoo Sports:

 Pete Thamel: The heartbreaking truth the NCAA fails to realize

 Eric Adelson: The quiet aftermath of the scary foul that went viral

 Aaron Rodgers posts heartfelt tribute to Jordy Nelson

 How one upset can change everything for a school


The UN's top official on preventing genocide said Tuesday efforts were made to "cleanse" the Rohingya and that returning the persecuted Muslim minority to Myanmar risked further atrocities against them.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August, crossing into Bangladesh with stories of murder, rape and arson at the hands of soldiers and Buddhist mobs in Rakhine state.

Adama Dieng, who this past week visited Bangladesh's refugee camps and met officials, also urged the UN Security Council to hold Myanmar to account over the "international crimes".

His remarks come a day after UN special rapporteur to Myanmar Yanghee Lee warned the violence against the Rohingya bears "the hallmarks of genocide".

Myanmar has vehemently denied US and UN allegations of ethnic cleansing, insisting it was responding to attacks by Rohingya militants.

"All the information I have received indicates that the intent of the perpetrators was to cleanse northern Rakhine state of their existence, possibly even to destroy the Rohingya," Dieng said in a statement Tuesday.

If proven this "would constitute the crime of genocide", the special envoy added.

Calls have been mounting for the creation of a UN-backed investigation to prepare criminal indictments over atrocities committed in Myanmar.

Lee said investigators should be based out of Bangladesh and work for three years to "collect, consolidate, map, analyse and maintain evidence of human rights violations and abuses".

Dieng said he was "perplexed" by Myanmar's denial of the litany of abuses against the Rohingya, and urged the UN to consider different options to hold authorities to account.

"The world needs to show that it is not ready to tolerate such barbaric acts," he said.

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was last week stripped of a prestigious human rights award by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which accused her of doing little to halt the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.

Story continues

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in November to begin repatriating Rohingya who volunteered to return to Rakhine, but the plan has stalled.

Dieng said Myanmar had made "no genuine efforts" to ensure those who returned were guaranteed freedom and safety.

"Under the present conditions, returning to Myanmar will put the Rohingya population at risk of further crimes," he said.

Amnesty International this week said Myanmar was building security installations on top of razed Rohingya villages, casting further doubt on plans to repatriate hundreds of thousands of refugees.
British physicist Stephen Hawking died Wednesday at 76 at his home in Cambridge, England. Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)also known as Lou Gehrig's diseasewhen he was 21 and suffered from the debilitating disease for the rest of his life. Confined to a wheelchair and incapable of speaking, he nevertheless became one of science's greatest starsa physicist as famous as Albert Einstein.

But amidst the glory, there were dark rumors of abuse at the hands of Hawking's second wife, Elaine Mason. They first met in the 1980s, during her years working as one of his caretakers. The pair grew close, and she left her husband of 15 years, David Mason, and their two children. Hawking had already separated from his first wife of more than 25 years, Jane Hawking in 1990. Following their divorce, in 1995, he married Mason.

Hawking and Mason evenutally divorced, 11 years later. It's unclear what led to their separation, but rumors of Mason's alleged abuse surfaced after Hawking sustained multiple mysterious injuries over a period of several years during their marriage. Mason was also accused of leaving him to urinate on himself, allowing him to suffer heat stroke and breaking his wrist. Witnesses even said they saw Mason engage in "vulgarity-strewn explosions directed at her husband," Vanity Fair reported.

Trending: How Did Stephen Hawking Survive ALS For So Many Years? It's a Medical Mystery

Hawking, Elaine

Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images

Both Hawking and Mason denied the allegations of misconduct, and two police inquires filed to turn up any evidence to substantiate criminal acts. The case was dropped in 2004.

Still, an unidentified woman who claimed to have previously worked for Hawking insisted that Mason has treated the physicist poorly. "She is the reason I left. Its the reason everyone leaves," the unnamed woman told the Daily Mail. "It's impossible to reconcile the way she treated Stephen with the ethics of our profession."

Story continues

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Thousands of people are expected to take to the streets in Washington, D.C., and other communities around the world on Saturday to protest gun
What Were Following

Mixed Messages: This morning, President Trump unexpectedly announced the ouster of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whos set to be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The move resulted in a fair amount of confusion, as the White Houses and the State Departments timelines and details of the firing differed. State Department officials claimed that Tillerson didnt know the reason for his firingwhich they say came after he made comments condemning Russia for its possible involvement in the poisoning of a Russian former spy in England. The White House said he was made aware of the decision Friday. Keep tabs on Trumps evolving Cabinet with our tracker.

Across the Country: As questions swirl over the events happening in Washington, D.C., Trump is on the West Coast attending an expensive donor event, which conflicts with his campaign promises about not being beholden to billionaires. California, where the event is being held, is heading into battle with his administration, in an immigration lawsuit that brings up several questions about states rights. On the other side of the U.S., Pennsylvanias special election will reveal whether Democrats can win a district Trump took by 20 points in 2016.

Recommended: Supervolcano Goes Boom. Humans Go Meh?

Medical Findings: In times of extreme trouble, the common thinking goes, ones health is bound to suffer. And a new study proves it: Researchers looked at changes among people during the Great Recession and found that economic hardship caused stress, which in turn led to declining health. In health-care policy, a paradox regarding Medicaid is becoming apparent. Support for full expansion of the program is growing, even among more-conservative states, but some of those same states are attempting to make that expansion more restrictive.

Tori Latham

Snapshot

Japans Hiraku Misawa competes at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in South Korea, on March 11, 2018. See more photos from other events here. (Lee Jin-man / AP)

Recommended: Team of Sycophants

Who Were Talking To

Story continues

Arielle Baskin-Sommers, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Yale, explains how psychopaths dont instinctually consider other peoples perspectives.

Jeff Hewitt, a Democratic strategist, argues that if Democrats win the special election in Pennsylvanias 18th congressional district, it will be because their candidate distanced himself from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and appealed to white, working-class voters.

Evening Read

Sophie Gilbert tells the story of recently discovered Nazi-looted art:

Inside a small flat in a boxy white building, hidden in filing cabinets and suitcases, investigators found more than 1,500 works by artists including Picasso, Matisse, Monet, Liebermann, Chagall, Durer, and Delacroix. The German authorities were investigating Gurlitt for tax evasion; what they found instead was an amassment of art that was immediately, incontrovertibly suspicious.

Read more about the implications of uncovering this trove here.

What Do You Know  About Business?

This week, The Atlantics Business section presents three harrowing stories written by women who have survived human trafficking as domestic workers in the United States. Natalicia Tracy traveled from Brazil to Boston with little but a few cassette tapes and the promise of work. She recalls the self-doubt and coercion that enabled her traffickers to keep her in servitude. Judith Daluz recounts how she became tago nang tago, an undocumented worker on the run from the diplomatic family that employed her. And Nena Ruiz tells her story of modern-day slavery in the home of a powerful couple in California, where she spent each night sleeping on a bed meant for a dog.

Recommended: The Last Temptation

Can you remember the other key facts from this weeks business coverage? Test your knowledge below:

1. Critics nicknamed the Works Progress Administration, President Roosevelts effort to put millions of unemployed Americans back to work, ____________.

Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.

2. In 2016, Americas top four retail companies were Walmart, Kroger, Costco, and ____________.

Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.

3. Consumer advocates say the bipartisan banking bill working its way through Congress could affect ____________ by relaxing requirements on reporting mortgage-loan data.

Scroll down for the answer, or find it here.

Steven Johnson

Urban Developments

Our partner site CityLab explores the cities of the future and investigates the biggest ideas and issues facing city dwellers around the world. Gracie McKenzie shares todays top stories:

The Atlanta metro regions Cityhood movement has expanded, leaving residents in the nearby county of South DeKalb to ask the question: Should they form a new city too? Americans need more-affordable housing, but the Trump administrations steel and lumber tariffs are not going to help. In fact, they might have come at the worst possible moment. Around the country, cities have been converting one-way streets into two-ways, in light of evidence that they make traffic safer, reduce crime, and bolster neighborhoods commercial districts. But is all that true?

For more updates from the urban world, subscribe to MapLab, CityLabs newsletter for mapmakers and map lovers.

Reader Response

After Laura McKenna explored how much time professors put into their work, one reader reflected on her experience with professors as an undergraduate student:

As a third-year undergraduate at a public university, I can attest to the fact that nearly all of my professors work extraordinarily hard, and in many cases for far less compensation than they deserve. They do research with limited budgets, teach passionately, and are available outside class to help students better understand material. Almost all of those Ive had the pleasure of learning from have gone above and beyond for my fellow students and me. Im sure many universities, especially those which are privately funded, employ professors who display varying degrees of commitment to both education and research. However, I am profoundly grateful to the men and women who have taught me with dedication, passion, and fervor.

Read more comments on Facebook, and write to us at letters@theatlantic.com.

Nouns

Violent mail, cookbook fantasies, insipid drama, absent administrator

Time of Your Life

Happy birthday to Andrews wife, Judy (a year younger than human spaceflight); to Steves son Joe (born around the time that white South Africans voted to end apartheid); Sterlings girlfriend, Cookie (a year younger than G. I. Joe action figures); and from Claytee to Milton (twice the age of The Oprah Winfrey Show).

Do you or a loved one have a birthday coming up? Sign up for a birthday shout-out here, and click here to explore the Timeline feature for yourself.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Ava DuVernays movie adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time not only updates the 1962 young adult novel with a multiracial cast, but also sets the film in South Central Los Angeles. Like the book, the film follows 13-year-old Meg Murry (Storm Reid) as three fairylike MrsesMrs. Who (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling)help her search for her father, Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine), an astrophysicist who mysteriously disappeared from his home lab after discovering a method of space travel that allows him to travel 91 billion light years in the blink of an eye. But unlike in the book, the nearly-200-year-old farmhouse in Connecticut the Murrys call home wasn't going to cut it for DuVernay's modern adaptation.

Finding the perfect house for the Murrys took some time. When I first met Ava, I showed her a picture of a house in Detroit, the films production designer, Naomi Shohan, tells Architectural Digest. It was just a stand-alone house. We were talking about urban blight and urban redevelopment and people moving into neighborhoods that had been blighted but were now having some hope.

After looking at about 50 homes in Los Angeles, Shohan says, they finally settled on an American Craftsman style home in West Adams, a historic neighborhood of Victorian mansions and Craftsmans from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The home had seen its share of both good and bad timesbut that was exactly the type of semblance they were seeking.

The house had a really good flow, and the woodwork is this beautiful golden color which we didnt find anywhere else, Shohan says. We painted the interior yellow because it was originally a kind of cold yellow and we made it warmer. Architecturally, the only thing we did inside of the house was add some beams in the living room, but that was only so that the electricians could hide their cables.

Story continues

A WRINKLE IN TIME Photo Credit: Atsushi Nishijima

They converted the semiattached garage into Dr. Murrys lab. It was practically falling down and completely packed with stuff, Shohan says. So we emptied it out and added windows and new doors.

Shohan and her set decorator, Elizabeth Keenan, consulted with scientist Rohit Bhartia of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on the look of the lab. We wanted to get real equipment and make sure that it was totally realistic, Shohan explains.

All three Mrses appear together in the movie for the first time in the Murrys backyard to guide Meg on an intergalactic search for her father. The backyard had to be re-created on an empty lot in Santa Clarita, California, because the productions lighting equipment was too big to use at the West Adams house. The space was given an enchanted look with birdhouses and orbs of various sizes hanging from the trees. We made the backyard bigger and prettier than at the house, Shohan says.

The other prominent home in the movie belongs to Mrs. Who. Her house is actually a rundown bungalow about a mile away from the Murrys Craftsman, located in the same West Adams area. The small interior was filled with stacks of books because Mrs. Who only uses famous quotations when she speaks. The custom wallpaper features a print of the flowers found on the fictional planet Uriel.

Its a really diverse neighborhood of beautiful bungalows and thats where her house was, Shohan says. The house was owned by a guy who hadnt really started fixing it up yet. Its a neighborhood thats coming up again.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday threatened to soon crush militants in northern Iraq, after his foreign minister last week said Ankara and Baghdad would carry out a joint offensive against Kurdish militants in Iraq. "We are checking the terror nests in northern Iraq at every chance. Soon, we will stomp very strongly on the terrorists there," Erdogan told local administrators in Ankara. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last week that Turkey and Iraq's central government could start a joint military operation against Kurdish militants after Iraqi parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2018. Turkish warplanes regularly launch strikes against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has camps in the mountains of northern Iraq, near the border with Turkey. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by David Dolan)
Brussels (AFP) - The EU on Wednesday unlocked a further three billion euros ($3.7 billion) for refugees in Turkey, the second tranche of a controversial 2016 deal to curb the flow of migrants coming to Europe.

"The Commission is today launching the mobilisation for the second three billion euro tranche of the facility for refugees in Turkey," said the European Commission, the EU executive.

EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said the commission had fully contracted the first three billion euros under the deal sealed two years ago at the height of Europe's worst migration crisis since World War II.

"Now the union and its member states need to fund the second tranche," Avramopolous told a press conference in Brussels.

"It makes sense we follow the same division as before, with the EU budget mobilising one billion euros and the member states delivering the other two billion euros," he said.

Under the deal, all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands must be returned to Turkey. These include both refugees fleeing conflict and persecution as well as economic migrants.

In addition to providing billions in funds in return, the EU agreed other concessions to Turkey such as to accelerate plans to bring in visa-free travel for its nationals and boost negotiations for its membership of the bloc.

But these have stalled due to Brussels charges that Ankara has committed massive human rights violations in the wake of a failed coup in July 2016.

Humanitarian groups slammed the deal for deterring people from coming who under international law must be granted asylum as so many were fleeing war-torn countries like Syria.
Brussels (AFP) - The EU warned African and other countries on Wednesday that their citizens will find it harder to get visas to Europe if they refuse to readmit economic migrants under the bloc's efforts to curb migration.

Brussels has been seeking greater cooperation from such countries to take back irregular migrants since Europe was hit in 2015 with its worst migration crisis since World War II.

"I cannot understand how a country can refuse to take back its nationals" when they have entered Europe illegally, EU migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos told a press conference in Brussels.

"We will introduce stricter conditions for processing visas when a partner country does not cooperate sufficiently on the readmission of irregular migrants," Avramopoulos added.

Under international law, European countries do not have to admit migrants seeking jobs but are required to take in those people fleeing war and persecution.

EU officials say the vast majority of people from sub-Saharan Africa are economic migrants and they have stepped up efforts to return them to their home countries.

But EU sources and analysts said African countries have dragged their feet on readmitting them, mainly because the money they send home from abroad boosts their economies.

"Countries like Mali, Senegal or Ivory Coast cooperate very little," a diplomat told AFP.

"We must fight to obtain the famous consular pass (to return a migrant to his country) and that undermines the ties of trust we must have with these countries."

Under the proposal, if the commission and member countries find other countries are uncooperative on returns, they can toughen rules on granting visas.

These include the processing time of applications, the length of validity of visas issued, the cost of visa fees and the exemption of such fees for certain travellers such as diplomats.

The commission, the EU executive, said 14 million tourist and business visas for short stays, up to 90 days maximum every six months, were granted in 2016.

These visas are required for citizens of around 100 countries and allow them to travel freely in 26 European countries in the so-called Schengen zone.
Tillerson and Trump - AFP

Not long after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired, President Trump told reporters, Im really at a point where were getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want.

That may be the main takeaway from Tillersons firing: Trump is gradually shedding people and personnel who were restraining him, instead doing what he wants to do. Trump recently imposed steel and aluminum tariffs over internal objections, a move that was followed by the resignation of top economic adviser Gary Cohn, who was described by the president as a globalist and not quite as strong on those tariffs.

Iran nuclear talks

Tillerson was encouraging Trump to keep the Iran deal in place; he was a voice inside the administration for staying in the Paris climate treaty; he encouraged diplomacy with North Korea at a time when the president was reproaching him on Twitterthe medium through which the secretary of state was eventually dismissedfor pursuing futile negotiations.

Replacing Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, as Trump hopes to do, increases the likelihood that the nuclear deal former President Obama negotiated with Iran will be terminated. It also signals a harder line on North Korea ahead of planned face-to-face talks between Trump and little rocket man Kim Jong Un.

Taken together with the tariffs and Trumps unilateral decision to talk with the North Korean dictator in defiance of the foreign policy establishment, it is a signal to the world that the president is going to do whatever he feels necessary for protecting American interestseven if the professionals dont like it.

Profile | Mike Pompeo

The big exception for many of Trumps critics will be Russia: Tillersons firing comes the day after he went further than the White House press secretary in blaming Russia for the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain. Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee also closed its Russia investigation and exonerated Trumpprematurely, according to Democratsthe previous day.

Story continues

But Pompeo is arguably more hawkish with regard to Russia than was Tillerson and has never doubted Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. It is unlikely that US policy toward Russia would become more conciliatory in a Pompeo-run State Department.

Instead Trump will have a secretary of state who more clearly speaks for him than the hapless Tillerson and who is more closely aligned with him on major international issues.

In a sense, that is a victory for nationalists over globalists inside the administration. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon reportedly sent a journalist a celebratory text about Tillersons departure. The Trump White House is projecting America First on steroids.

Profile | General James Mad Dog Mattis

Yet it is also a win for a particular version of America First that is somewhat at odds with the way Trump campaigned as a skeptic of foreign wars. Pompeos nomination was celebrated by Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain, who are both hawks and internationalists. Sen. Rand Paul, who agreed with Trump that the Iraq war was a disaster, voted against Pompeo becoming CIA director.

Pauls vote could be more important this time around. The Republicans Senate majority is even smaller, 51-49. Many Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, backed Pompeo for CIA director but they could make his confirmation hearings for his new position difficult. It is therefore not guaranteed that Pompeo will actually become secretary of state.

It is however another sign that cultivating good relations with the president is essential for success inside the Trump administration. Tillerson never really denied calling Trump a moron. Along with Defense Secretary James Mattis, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and White House chief of staff John Kelly, he was viewed as an attempted moderating influence on the presidentbut not a particularly effective one.

Profile | General John F Kelly

Tillerson was not even very popular with those who agreed with his preference for diplomacy over confrontation. This is largely because he was perceived as presiding over the State Departments marginalization. He was certainly at the helm as it was being downsized.

This made Tillerson too isolated to perform well. If Pompeo is indeed his successor, he will not initially share that problem.

When Ronald Reagan was president, conservatives used to plead with his more moderate and establishment-friendly advisers to Let Reagan be Reagan. Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski has exhorted current White House staffers and Cabinet members to Let Trump be Trump.

It looks like Lewandowski and the hawks will get their wish. Those hoping for a more restrained and realistic foreign policy may not be so lucky.

W. James Antle III is politics editor of the Washington Examiner.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's new foreign minister, Heiko Maas, criticized Russia on Wednesday over its stance towards a nerve agent attack in England for which the British government has blamed Moscow and he said it could not go unpunished. In his first speech as foreign minister shortly after taking up the post in Germany's new coalition government, Maas also criticized Russia's behavior in Ukraine but said he still hoped to improve relations with Moscow through dialogue. "We take the assessment of the British government (on the chemical attack) seriously and it is disappointing that Russia seems not to be willing to contribute to clearing up (this case)," Maas told foreign ministry staff and reporters. "Moscow should be ready to be transparent... And it is clear this cannot go without consequences," he said, adding that Germany would stay in close contact with its NATO ally Britain on the matter. "The perpetrators must be held accountable... We can fully understand why Britain had to react to this (attack)." Russia denies any involvement in the attack on Russian ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. They were found unconscious on March 4 on a bench in the English city of Salisbury and remain in a critical condition in hospital. Prime Minister Theresa May announced earlier on Wednesday that Britain would kick out 23 Russian diplomats, the biggest expulsion since the Cold War, over the attack, which she blamed squarely on President Vladimir Putin. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other Western leaders have already condemned the attack and backed Britain's demands that Russia cooperate with the investigation. Maas said German foreign policy had had to adapt to a situation in which Russia increasingly defined itself as an antagonist to Western countries. "We continue to disapprove of Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea and the ongoing aggression against Ukraine," he said, referring to a four-year conflict in eastern Ukraine between Kiev's forces and pro-Russian separatists. Maas, who was speaking after lawmakers re-elected Merkel as chancellor for a fourth, and likely final, term, said Germany must live up to its international responsibilities, and he vowed not to avoid confronting difficult issues. Germany, Europe's biggest economy, is facing calls to take a more active approach on issues ranging from euro zone reforms to the threat of U.S. trade sanctions and a more assertive Russia. Maas was due to hold talks in Paris later on Wednesday with his French counterpart. (Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Madeline Chambers,; writing by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Gareth Jones)
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's new Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called on Russia to cooperate in the investigation into a nerve agent attack on an ex-Russian spy in England for which British Prime Minister Theresa May blames Moscow. "We take the assessment of the British government seriously and it is disappointing that Russia seems not to be willing to contribute to clearing up (this case)," Maas said in his first speech as minister before heading to Paris. "Moscow should be ready to be transparent .. And it is clear this cannot go without consequences," said Maas, adding Berlin would remain in close contact with the British government. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers and Michael Nienaber)
CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel has been nominated to lead the agency: CIA via AP

When Donald Trump made his surprise announcement naming CIA director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, he left a void at the intelligence agency that may  for the first time  be filled by a woman: former CIA deputy director Gina Haspel.

Ms Haspel's nomination earned praised from a number of former CIA leaders, but it also stirred controversy: Human rights groups and members of Congress wanted to know more about Ms Haspel's history at the agency  a secretive one, which involved several encounters with the CIA's controversial, post-9/11 interrogation programme.

Below is everything we've learned about the nominee and her contentious background.

Who is Gina Haspel?

The 33-year CIA veteran has served as deputy director of the agency since February 2017, when Mr Trump nominated her to the role. She took over as acting director from Mr Pompeo after his confirmation as Secretary of State. Little is known about career before this, as the bulk of it was spent undercover.

Materials released by the White House trumpeted her as a celebrated leader, who previously served as Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service and Chief of Staff for the CIAs Directorate of Operations. She also won the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Presidential Rank Award, and other accolades.

In a her Senate confirmation hearing this week, the 61-year-old released more biographical information. She said she was born in Kentucky but raised as an Army brat, moving frequently throughout her childhood. She joined the CIA in 1985 as an operations officer in the clandestine service and worked her way up the ranks, serving a total of seven tours in the field  including four as chief of station.

By any standard, my life at the Agency  and it has been my life  has exceeded all of my expectations, from that January day when I took my oath to today, she said at the hearing.

Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), testifies at her confirmation hearing (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Why is she a controversial choice?

Ms Hapels more than three decades at the CIA also included a dark period in American history: the post-9/11 CIA interrogation programme, which employed methods that many have deemed torture.

Story continues

Its not clear the depth of Ms Haspels involvement in the programme, as much of her record is classified. (Though, as several senators pointed out in her hearing, she has the power as acting CIA director to declassify any information shed like.)

What we do know is that Ms Haspel oversaw an American black site prison in Thailand in 2002, at the same time at least one detainee was waterboarded. She also drafted a 2005 cable ordering the destruction of nearly 100 video tapes showing detainees being waterboarded by the CIA. An internal CIA review later found Ms Haspel was not at fault for the tapes' destruction.

In her committee hearing, Ms Haspel vowed to never, ever restart the controversial interrogation programme at the CIA. She also maintained that her former boss, Jose Rodriguez, had been the one to officially order the destruction of the videotapes. But she refused to say whether she had overseen the waterboarding at the black site prison, saying the information was classified.

To the frustration of several senators, Ms Haspel also refused to call the methods the CIA had used immoral. Instead, she said the CIA had done extraordinary work in the aftermath of 9/11, but should be held to a stricter moral standard now.

Who is opposed to her confirmation?

Numerous human rights groups, more than 50 members of the US House, and more than 100 former US ambassadors have spoken out against Ms Haspels nomination. But what really matters to the deputy director now is the senators: She needs 51 of them to approve her nomination.

Republicans currently hold a slim, 49-51 majority in the chamber  good news for Ms Haspel, who has so far secured the support of only one Democratic senator. But several Republicans have also said they will not vote for the controversial nominee.

Senator John McCain  a Navy veteran who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam  released a statement urging his fellow Republicans to oppose Ms Haspel after her committee hearing.

Ms. Haspels role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge tortures immorality is disqualifying, he wrote. I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination."

A group of 109 former US diplomats expressed similar concerns in a letter sent to senators before Ms Haspels hearing. They said her nomination would undercut the work of those trying to convince foreign counterparts that torture is not only morally wrong, but strategically shortsighted and legally impermissible.

Republican Senator Rand Paul has also said he will not vote for Ms Haspel.

Who is in favour of it?

Despite the pushback from outside groups and legislators, Ms Haspel has strong support from figures inside the agency.

Mr Pompeo, her boss at the CIA for more than a year, called her and exemplary intelligence officer  and a devoted patriot in a statement.

Several Obama-era figures, including former director of national intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan, have also voiced their support. Michael Morell, the former CIA Deputy Director during the Obama Administration, called Ms Hapel a highly capable individual, with the best interests of the country, the Agency, and the men and women who serve it at heart.

Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr praised Ms Haspel during her committee hearing, calling her the most qualified person the president could have chosen to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in its 70-year history.

Whats next?

Ms Haspel appeared to have passed a Senate Intelligence Committee vote after her hearing on Wednesday. Her confirmation now advances to a full Senate vote, where she needs a simple majority to be approved.
Kitty Hawk Cora flying taxi airtaxi

Kitty Hawk

A secretive flying car startup has been quietly testing self-flying airtaxis in New Zealand, with an eye to eventually launching a commercial flying taxi service.

The startup, Kitty Hawk, envisages that flying cars will be the new norm and is financed by Google cofounder Larry Page and led by ex-Google scientist Sebastian Thrun.

Kitty Hawk unveiled the prototype Cora airtaxi on Tuesday, which it has been testing in New Zealand for the last five months.

The airtaxi can fly up to 110mph, and uses 12 rotor blades to take off and land vertically.



Kitty Hawk, the flying car startup financially backed by Google cofounder Larry Page, has been quietly testing flying taxis in New Zealand. We first saw the news via The New York Times.

The company has been testing what looks like a hybrid between a helicopter and a glider over the South Island of New Zealand during the last five months. The Cora aircraft is a self-flying vehicle with 12 rotor blades which allow it to take off and land vertically.

You can watch the air taxi in action on YouTube.

Kitty Hawk wants us to travel in flying taxis that take off from our roofs

Cora airtaxi Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk's idea is to build a network of self-flying air taxis. Like Uber, but for "The Jetsons."

The prototype Cora is all-electric, can carry two passengers, and flies between 500 and 3,000 feet above the ground. It has an 11-metre wingspan and operates a single propeller. It can travel at around 110mph, and has a range of around 62 miles.

Kitty Hawk chose New Zealand as a testbed due to its "forward thinking regulatory system," according to an update on its website. It's been testing the vehicles through a local operator called Zephyr Airworks, and Cora has an "experimental airworthiness certificate" from both New Zealand and US aviation authorities. Kitty Hawk is working on further certification so it can launch a commercial air taxi service.

Cora airtaxi Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk

Story continues

The project was officially unveiled on Tuesday by Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, and Fred Reid, chief executive of Zephyr Airworks.

Here's what Kitty Hawk said on its site:

"Designing an air taxi for everyday life means bringing the airport to you. That's why Cora can take off and land like a helicopter, eliminating the need for runways. Cora has the potential to transform spaces like rooftops and parking lots into places to take off right from your neighborhood."

Zephyr Airworks is working in collaboration with New Zealand's business ministry, its transport ministry, and its Civil Aviation Authority.

Kitty Hawk is a secretive flying car startup personally funded by Google cofounder Larry Page

Kitty Hawk is led by Sebastian Thrun, a former Google scientist who worked on the company's self-driving cars and Google Glass.

Little is known about the company beyond its founders and its flying car mission. It is financed by Larry Page, Google's cofounder, and he and Thrun envisage that flying cars will be the norm within a decade. According to a Bloomberg report in 2016, Page has spent at least $100 million (72 million) on the project since 2010.

Kitty Hawk demonstrated its first prototype, the Flyer, last April and the company said it would open signups to buy an aircraft in 2017.

NOW WATCH: How AT&T conquered all forms of communication after the government forced it to break up

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Larry Page's flying car will be available to buy before the end of the year
New Zealand could become the first country to establish a commercial network of autonomous electric air taxis after a new deal was reportedly struck between the government and a flying car startup.

Kitty Hawk, financed by Google co-founder Larry Page, is set to start publicly testing its airborne vehicles in the hope of launching self-flying taxis in the country within the next three years, according to the New York Times.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will announce the deal Tuesday, the publication reports, moving the country ahead of other developed countries that have so far failed to keep aviation regulation up to date with technological breakthroughs in the space.

Trending: What Does Mike Pompeo Think About Russia, Iran and North Korea?

flying taxis new zealand kitty hawk

Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk describes its vehicle as an everyday air taxi that takes off and lands like a helicopter to avoid the need for passengers to travel to an airport. Instead, it would transform rooftops and parking lots into places from which to hail rides.

The startup has already conducted stealth tests of its Cora vehicle in New Zealand under the name Zephyr Airworks. The all-electric vehicle has a 62-mile range and is able to operated independently under the supervision of a human pilot.

Don't miss: Apple: Cryptocurrency-mining Software Qbix Sneaks onto the Mac App Store

After eight years of tackling some of the biggest challenges in aviation, that dream is one step closer, Kitty Hawk's website states. After a global search for a partner, Cora has landed in New Zealand to start a new phase of evolution.

kitty hawk flying taxi larry page

Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk is not the only company working to develop a flying car, with Slovakian firm AeroMobil and Munich-based Lilium both working on their own prototype versions. So far, neither firm has succeeded in bringing their vehicles to market.

Story continues

Most popular: When Does NFL Free Agency Start? Player Moves Will Soon Be Official

Read more: Will flying cars ever take off?

The first vehicle is intended to create a buzz, Stefan Vadocz, AeroMobils chief communications officer, told Newsweek last year after unveiling plans to produce 500 flying cars at a cost of around $1.5 million each. Eventually, though, we want to build a mass-market flying car, which is autonomous and can fly anyone.

Unlike Kitty Hawk and Lilium, AeroMobils Flying Car requires a standard runway in order to become airborne, therefore limiting its usefulness to cities with airports but no direct links, such as Munich and Florence.

The reasoning behind this decision is due to a lack of current regulation in place for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) systems. However, such limitations could change following New Zealand's push towards establishing a framework for commercializing the technology.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
ATHENS (Reuters) - Dozens of Greek protesters clashed with police on Wednesday as they tried to storm a notary's office to prevent an e-auction of repossessed properties under the country's international bailout. The protesters, led by the left-wing Popular Unity party, chanted "No home in the hands of bankers!" and threw eggs and garbage at a line of police guarding the office's entrance. At least one protester was visibly injured in the scuffles, with blood around his eye. The auctions, a condition of the bailouts Greece negotiated with the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, have often been disrupted by leftist activists who say they are unfair and target the poor. Notaries, who handle the auctions, boycotted them for months over safety concerns, but returned to work after the government said it would improve the process and increase security. Online auctions began in November. Greek banks are saddled with more than 100 billion euros in bad loans after years of financial crisis, mainly due to people's inability to repay mortages. Popular Unity said four e-auctions had been scheduled to take place at the office in Athens targeted by the protesters on Wednesday, each involving accumulated debts of up to 100,000 euros. (Reporting by Costas Baltas; Writing by Karolina Tagaris; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Conakry (AFP) - Guinea's powerful teachers' union called off a month-long strike on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with the government on pay.

The strikes have paralysed the country's education system and fractured relations between teachers, parents and the state, while President Alpha Conde has faced criticism for allowing the industrial action to drag on.

They have run in parallel to protests by the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), one of whose supporters was killed during a demonstration on Wednesday, his family told AFP.

Aboubacar Soumah, the secretary general of the SLECG teachers' union, declared the strike over after signing an agreement with the Inspector General for Work, Alya Camara.

The union has gained a guarantee of a 40-percent pay increase agreed in 2017 which was only partially implemented in February.

The two sides have also agreed to negotiations on May 2-25 for a base salary of eight million Guinean francs (717 euros, $880) and to a promise that strikers would not be punished.

"Each of us put the interests of Guinea first, through the children who should be back at school," said government mediator Mohamed Said Fofana.

President Conde's authority has been sorely tested by the strike, which followed similar industrial action last year.

Rights groups regularly criticise the heavy death tolls during protests and industrial action in Guinea.
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas widened an investigation Wednesday into a bomb explosion that targeted Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah as he made a rare visit to the strip a day earlier.

The interior ministry in Gaza said it had launched a "high-level investigative committee" into the bomb attack, which was a further blow to faltering reconciliation talks between Hamas and president Mahmud Abbas's secular Fatah party.

It said a number of suspects were being questioned after the roadside bomb targeted Hamdallah's convoy shortly after he entered Gaza, leaving him uninjured but lightly wounding six guards.

It did not provide further details on the investigation Wednesday or release the identity of the suspects.

"The door is open to anyone who wants to participate in the investigation," Tawfeeq Abu Naim, the head of the Hamas security services in Gaza, said in a statement.

A minister in Hamdallah's government told Voice of Palestine radio that Hamas informed them there were two 15-kilogramme (33-pound) bombs, the second of which was planted 30 metres (yards) away but failed to explode.

A senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Abbas decided no members of Hamdallah's government would travel to Gaza in the short term "due to the security problems".

A number of officials have been travelling to the enclave in recent months to discuss reconciliation.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's internationally recognised government more than a decade ago but agreed in October to hand power back.

Yet the deal has all but collapsed, with the two sides accusing each other of responsibility, and Tuesday's explosion further exacerbated tensions.

After the attack, Abbas said he held Hamas responsible as the de facto power in the strip, though stopping short of directly accusing the group of carrying out the bombing.

Hamas shot back, saying such rapid accusations were unhelpful before in turn pointing the finger of blame at Israel.

Story continues

Other potential suspects include smaller, more radical Islamist groups that are opposed to Hamas but operate in Gaza, or a Hamas splinter group.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

Hamdallah said the attack would not end his government's commitment to continue with reconciliation and again called on Hamas to hand over all power in Gaza.

"We are talking about internal security -- the police and the civil defence," he said. "Without security there won't be a government."

- Salafist suspects? -

Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist in Gaza, said the aim of the attack was to "sabotage any chance for reconciliation".

He said potential suspects are those who have an interest in maintaining the split.

"It could be a group that split from Hamas for ideological reasons, such as a militant Salafi group," he told AFP.

In October, Abu Naim, the Hamas security chief who issued Wednesday's statement, was wounded by a car bomb after leaving a mosque.

Hamas officials privately admit the assassination attempt was by Salafists, rather than Israel, and like Tuesday's attack the explosion was relatively small.

The UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, condemned Tuesday's attack and called on Hamas to hand over control in Gaza to the recognised government.

Mladenov has warned of the consequences of the desperate humanitarian suffering in the strip, saying in January that Gaza "risks exploding in our face again".

Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008 while the Jewish state maintains a crippling blockade of Gaza.

Hamdallah travelled to Rome Wednesday for a meeting of international donors aimed at raising funds for the United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees, which is facing desperate shortages after the US froze tens of millions of dollars in aid.

The White House held a conference on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza on Tuesday, but no Palestinian officials attended.

They have refused to meet with President Donald Trump's administration since he broke with longstanding US policy in December by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
By Keith Coffman

LITTLETON, Colo. (Reuters) - Like most of her friends at Columbine High School, Abigail Orton had not yet been born when a shooting attack at her school in a Denver suburb left 15 people dead and horrified the country.

She was raised in a world in which students have regular active-shooter drills, as their parents once had fire drills, and she joined Wednesday's national student walkout against gun violence to help prevent massacres, such as the one at Columbine in 1999, from happening again.

"I grew up in a community still haunted by the tragedy from 19 years ago. I can see the haunted looks in the eyes of teachers and parents who went through it," said the 16-year-old sophomore.

"We want to make changes so no one has to have that look ever again," said Orton, one of thousands of students who took part in protests across the country on the one-month anniversary of the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 students and faculty were killed.

Columbine is one of more than 2,800 U.S. schools whose students participated in an #ENOUGH rally, with about 250 students walking out of class for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. local time.

The walkouts were the latest action by a student-led gun control movement that emerged from the Parkland massacre. It has already helped pass new restrictions on weapons sales in Florida, though enthusiasm for action in Congress appears to be fading.

"What happened here and at Parkland should never happen again," said Leah Zundel, 15, a sophomore at the school of 1,664 students, who took part in Wednesday's walkout. "We shouldn't have to go to school in fear for our lives."

Few teachers or staff who were present for the April 20, 1999, attack still work at Columbine High, but the man who served as its principal at the time returned on Wednesday in solidarity with the student walkout.

Frank DeAngelis, who retired as Columbine's principal in 2004, said he considered the student-led movement "phenomenal."

Story continues

"If the adults won't do anything about it, they will," he said.

A wide array of policy prescriptions have been put forward to stem mass shootings since the Florida attack. That state's legislature has raised the minimum age to buy any sort of gun to 21, from 18, in recognition of the fact that the accused 19-year-old shooter used a legally purchased AR-15 assault-style rifle in the rampage.

Democrats have called for a ban on that style of weapon, which has been used in four of the five deadliest mass shootings by a single gunman in U.S. history. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have advocated arming teachers to provide a stiffer defense of schools.

Columbine attack survivor Evan Todd said he saw little sense in restricting gun rights, which are enshrined in the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, as an attempt to stop shootings and would rather see some school staff armed.

"Criminals don't pay attention to laws," said Todd, who was a sophomore when he was wounded in the shooting and is now a 34-year-old construction worker. "It's maddening that students are left as sitting ducks."

(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
Broadcoms hostile Qualcomm takeover plans hit a massive wall on Monday: Trump. The president issued an order to block the $117 billion Qualcomm buyout, effectively killing what could have been among the biggest tech deals in history.

It all happened over national security issues, and it all has to do with Huawei, a giant Chinese corporation whose ties to Beijing are a cause of concern among intelligence agencies. The best part about it is that Huawei did nothing to block the Qualcomm deal. Well, other than advancing 5G technology development at a rapid pace.

Don't Miss: Amazon has a $92 smartwatch with 45-day battery life that supports both iOS and Android

Over the weekend, news emerged that Intel was interested in buying Broadcom, which was still looking to buy Qualcomm, which wants to acquire NXP. Thats probably a mergers-from-hell kind of scenario for competitors, including Samsung and Huawei, both when it comes to 5G networking technology but also other chip tech thats currently in use in all sorts of smartphones and connected devices.

Intels Broadcom deal alone would be worth $170 billion, according to Barrons, and thats without the successful Broadcom acquisition of Qualcomm. In fact, reports last week said Intel was waiting to see the Broadcom deal fall through so that it could move forward with its own acquisition plans.

So what role did Huawei have in the Broadcom/Qualcomm deal? Bloomberg explains it best in one word: None.

But Huawei is still the reason why Trumps administration intervened to block the purchase. The US government is worried that Broadcom would slowdown Qualcomms 5G R&D spending, a move that would solidify Huaweis lead and favor China. The real reason why the government is taking all these measures against a Chinese company is a different one: Huaweis ties with the Chinese government arent exactly clear. The company tried for years to distance itself from Beijing but was never able to fully explain its relationship with the government. Thats why the heads of various US intelligence agencies managed to block US carriers from selling Huaweis latest iPhone rival a few months ago, warning that all Huawei equipment might pose security threats.

Story continues

Just because Trump blocked Broadcoms plans doesnt automatically mean that the US will have a lead over China when it comes to 5G. Huawei does own a tenth of essential patents pertaining to 5G though, and its eying full-scale commercialization of 5G networks by 2020. Huawei is now not just the leading provider in the worlds largest telecommunications equipment, but also a dominant player across the planet, Bloomberg explains.

Also of note, Chinas minister for information technology said in an interview last week that the country is already preparing for the development of 6G technologies.

BGR Top Deals:

Trending Right Now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
BUDAPEST/SZEGED (Reuters) - A Hungarian court sentenced a Syrian-Cypriot man to seven years in prison for illegally crossing the border and for being an accomplice in "an act of terror" during clashes with police in September 2015, state news agency MTI reported on Wednesday. The preliminary ruling after a retrial of the case, which is milder than the original 10-year sentence issued in 2016, comes as Prime Minister Viktor Orban campaigns on an anti-immigrant platform ahead of an April 8 election he is expected to win. Ahmed Hamed was part of a group that crossed illegally into Hungary on Sept. 16, 2015 and also spoke to the crowd using a loudspeaker before hundreds of migrants forced open the border gate and police fired water cannon and teargas. A Reuters photographer in the courtroom in the southern Hungarian town of Szeged said the handcuffed man, who was also chained around his ankles and guarded by masked police, received the sentence calmly. "We did not go to the border to cause problems," Hamed was quoted as saying by local news website Index. "Neither my culture, nor my religion would encourage that." Hamed's lawyer was not immediately available for comment. The court will issue a statement later on Wednesday. It was not clear when the court would issue its final verdict in the case. As the holder of a Cypriot passport and therefore a citizen of the European Union, Hamed would be allowed to enter Hungary without a visa, but he was helping relatives and other Syrian citizens, MTI cited his lawyer as saying during the trial. Nearly half of the more than one million migrants who surged into the European Union in 2015 passed through Hungary, often causing chaos at borders and along major highways. Orban's rightwing nationalist Fidesz party has strongly opposed EU quotas to share out the mostly Muslim migrants across the bloc and says they pose a threat to Western values and culture. Orban called Hamed a "terrorist" last June. Orban's tough stance on migration has helped shore up support for Fidesz among voters but it has drawn accusations of racism from the United Nations human rights chief. The party, in power since 2010, suffered an unexpected setback at a recent municipal by-election, but remains well ahead of its rivals in opinion polls. (Reporting by Bernadett Szabo; Writing by Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Tehran (AFP) - Iran on Wednesday signed a $742 million (600 million euro) deal with Russian state-owned energy firm Zarubezhneft to boost production at two oil fields in the country's west.

Zarubezhneft and Dana Energy, a private Iranian company, will jointly develop the Aban and Paydar fields in Ilam province near the Iraqi border, to boost production from 36,000 to 48,000 barrels of oil per day.

Zarubezhneft will put up 80 percent of the capital, while Dana Energy will cover the rest.

"Increasing the production from these two fields will bring some four billion dollars to Iran" over the coming years, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namadar Zanganeh said at a signing ceremony in Tehran.

National Iranian Oil Company head Ali Kardor said it was the country's first such deal with a Russian firm.

"On the political front, relations with Russia are at the highest level, but in the economic sphere they have not yet reached" the same level, he said.

Iran and Russia, both key allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have strengthened their relations in recent years.

Kardor said energy giant Russia had "great experience" in exploring and developing oil fields.

The deal comes amid heightened fears that Washington will withdraw from a historic 2015 deal to restrict Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of crippling sanctions.

That would further complicate the work of foreign companies wanting to work in Iran.

Wednesday's was Tehran's second deal with a foreign energy firm since the signing of the nuclear accord with world powers.

In July last year, a consortium headed by French energy behemoth Total defied pressure from Washington to sign a $4.8 billion agreement with Tehran.

That made it the first major western oil and gas company to return to the country since the lifting of international sanctions in January 2016.
Jerusalem (AFP) - An Israeli military court on Wednesday began examining a request for a shorter prison term by a soldier jailed for 14 months for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian, the army said.

A ruling on the request by Elor Azaria was expected in the coming days, an army spokeswoman said.

Azaria was convicted of manslaughter last year for shooting Abdul Fatah al-Sharif in the head in March 2016, as the Palestinian lay on the ground wounded after stabbing a soldier.

Azaria was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but Israel's Chief of Staff General Gadi Eisenkot later reduced the term by four months.

The shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video by a human rights group and spread widely online.

It showed 21-year-old Sharif lying wounded on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after the stabbing attack, according to the army.

Azaria then shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.

The Israeli soldier said he feared Sharif had been wearing an explosive belt and could have blown himself up, a claim judges rejected.

In November, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday formally rejected a request to pardon Azaria.

According to media reports, the military prosecutor would not be opposed to reducing Azaria's sentence by one third, which could see him walk free on May 10.

But his lawyer Yoram Sheftel is reportedly set to plead for his immediate release based on his good behaviour.

The months-long trial of Azaria captivated Israel and highlighted deep divisions in public opinion.

His sentence was condemned by right-wing politicians as too harsh and labelled too lenient by Palestinians and rights groups.
MILAN (Reuters) - The leader of Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement said on Wednesday he had no intention of plunging the country into chaos, promising a responsible economic policy if his party formed the next government. Five-Star emerged as Italy's biggest party from a national election on March 4, behind a center-right coalition, but neither group got enough seats to form a working majority. Speaking to businessmen in Milan, Luigi Di Maio reiterated the well-established 5-Star line that it was no longer time to leave the euro currency and said before talking about breaking EU deficit rules, Italy needed to crack down on wasteful spending. He also said he wanted to head off any automatic increase in sales taxes, such as one now foreseen for the end of this year, if the national deficit breaks pre-established limits. (Reporting by Claudia Cristoferi; Writing by Crispian Balmer)
Tokyo (AFP) - Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, local media reported, as diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang ramp up.

The reports come after the surprise announcement that US President Donald Trump plans his own talks with the North Korean leader, part of fast-paced diplomatic developments following an Olympic detente.

However, there have been no public proposals of talks by either Pyongyang or Tokyo.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported a potential Abe-Kim summit late Tuesday, citing unnamed government sources who said the talks could be part of a new approach by Tokyo to dealing with the North.

Hours later, Jiji Press reported a similar story, saying Tokyo fears being left behind in dealing with the North if talks proceed between the isolated nation and South Korea and Washington without Japan's involvement.

Contacted by AFP, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit.

But she added "we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective" to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang.

Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan's leadership on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement last week of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearisation.

Suh, the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, on Tuesday met with Abe but it was unclear if he brought a message from the North Korean leader to propose a summit with Japan.

Media reports and experts say Tokyo fears it may be left out of developments around North Korea, and worries that the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is being sidelined.

But the possibility of an Abe-Kim summit also comes as the Japanese premier faces a growing scandal at home over the sale of government land to one of his supporters, and an apparent cover-up of the deal by the finance ministry.

Story continues

Abe rose to political prominence on his calls for a tough line on North Korea, particularly over its abductions of Japanese citizens.

Japan, a close US ally in the region, is in the firing line of North Korean missiles and saw two fly over its territory in 2017, sparking outrage and lifting tensions to fever pitch.

The last Japanese prime minister to meet a North Korean leader was Junichiro Koizumi, who met Kim's father Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2004.
Jimmy Kimmel had a surprise guest on his show Tuesday night in order to deliver a joke about how many people who have worked in Donald Trumps White House have quit or been fired  with three new names added to that list Tuesday, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Kimmel talked at length about Tillersons firing on Tuesday morning, which was the latest in a long string of people who work for Trump either being shown the door of quitting.

Im starting to think he fires people just so he can get some going-away cake at the party. Trump told reporters he made this decision by myself. Like a five-year-old. I did it all by myself. Of course you did by yourself, theres no one left at the White House anymore. Its just you and your Slovenian captive, Kimmel said, referring to Slovenia-native Melania Trump, which was met by shocked sounds from the audience before the response morphed into applause. Was that too much? Ill make a note of that.

Also Read: Colbert: GOP Cleared Trump of Russian Collusion Because 'They Did Not Want to Get Sprayed With a Nerve Agent' (Video)

Kimmel also mentioned one of the other big firings from Tuesday, Trump assistant John McEntee.

Hes been with him last three years. He was his body man. The reports say he was fired because he was under investigation by the Department of Homeland Security for serious financial crimes. He really does pick the best people. You cant argue with that, Kimmel joked before showing a picture of the very handsome McEntee.

According to members of the White House staff, he was escorted out of the building and wasnt allowed to get his jacket. Which based on that picture probably had a lot of shiny buttons on it. The Wall Street Journal reported his problems are related to gambling and tax issues. The good news is even though he had to be removed from the White House, McEntee already new job as senior adviser to Trumps reelection campaign. Hakuna matata, Kimmel said. It is true that McEntee was hired by the Trump 2020 campaign after being fired from the White House.

Story continues

Also Read: Seth Meyers: Trump Fired Tillerson Via Tweet Because He's Scared of People Over Six Feet Tall (Video)

Near the end of the segment, Kimmel had special guest George Takei pop in to present a collection of commemorative plates with the faces of everyone who has quit or been fired from the Trump Administration.

And because the list is sure to grow, were adding 50 blank plates so you can affix your own pictures to keep up. Look what I did, Takei said as he held up a plate with a printed out picture of Donald Trumps face affixed. And if you act right now you will receive a bonus: a Chris Christie bottomless pasta bowl.

Earlier in the segment, Kimmel delivered a zinger about the GOP-led House Intelligence Committee deciding to end its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Also Read: 'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah: Trump's White House Casualty Numbers Reaching 'Saving Private Ryan' Levels (Video)

The president was riding high after the end of the Russia investigation, or I should say their Russia investigation,' Kimmel said, doing finger quotes as he said investigation the second time. But putting Republican members in the House in charge of finding out if there was collusion with Russia is like putting a team of raccoons in charge of finding out who is knocking over your trash can every night.

You can watch this portion Kimmels Tuesday monologue in the video embedded at the top of this post.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Colbert: GOP Cleared Trump of Russian Collusion Because 'They Did Not Want to Get Sprayed With a Nerve Agent' (Video)

'Daily Show' Host Trevor Noah: Trump's White House Casualty Numbers Reaching 'Saving Private Ryan' Levels (Video)

Seth Meyers: Trump Fired Tillerson Via Tweet Because He's Scared of People Over Six Feet Tall (Video)
(AP)

Today show host John Humphrys has landed himself in hot water after asking Professor Brian Cox a vile question about Professor Stephen Hawking.

The famed scientist, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease from the age of 21, died overnight aged 76.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s flagship morning show during a segment about the departed physicist Humphrys asked fellow scientist Cox: I wonder whether it was ever said of [Hawking], in your profession, that he was cut a bit of slack because he was so desperately disabled and fought through it?

Cox immediately responded, no, absolutely not and Humphrys has come under intense criticism online with many claiming offence at his line of questioning.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

NASA was just one of the many scientific institutions who have paid tribute to Hawking and his incredible body of work, saying: His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield also tweeted: Genius is so fine and rare. Goodbye Professor Hawking. You inspired and taught us all.

John Humphrys, who was recently revealed to be the BBCs highest-paid presenter, also found himself under fire in February after audio leaked of a jokey conversation he had with BBCs North America editor Jon Sopel about the BBC pay gap dispute.

Humphrys had recently agreed to take a pay cut, along with Sopel, Jeremy Vine, and Huw Edwards after Carrie Gracie resigned as BBC China editor in protest at unequal pay between male and female international editors.

Dear God, Humphrys can be heard saying to Sopel, Shes actually suggested that you should lose money; you know that, dont you? Youve read the thing properly, have you?

Read more

Tributes pour in for Hawking

Bullseye host Jim Bowen dies

Toys R Us to close 100 stores
The road to the Final Four is a long one with three weekends of travel required for each member of the quartet who punches it ticket to San Antonio at the end of month.

But which school will require the least charter jet fuel? And which one requires the most?

[Its bracket time! Sign up now to play Tourney Pickem]

These are questions that All My Sports Teams Suck looks at every March and addressed with a table ranking the potential trips of all 68 teams that earned bids to the NCAA tournament.

For the second straight season, Kansas ranks at the top of the list. Both of their first two potential sites  Wichita and Omaha  are a long inbounds pass from Lawrence and the Final Four in San Antonio isnt that far away. At 1,382 total miles (AMSTS doesnt count return mileage), the Jayhawks rank just behind No. 15 seed Georgia State, which wouldnt have to leave Atlanta for the second weekend should they spring two upsets in Nashville.

The flight paths for each NCAA tournament school to their prospective sites. (AllMySportsTeamsSuck.com)

The big question, of course, is whether the Jayhawks can take advantage of the relative luxury of never leaving the middle of the country. A second weekend date in nearby Kansas City let them lead last years list at 1,590 potential miles, but Oregon  with 4,726 miles of travel to the Final Four in Arizona  defeated Kansas in the Elite Eight.

Two other No. 1 seeds rank in the top 10 shortest potential distances: Villanova would have to go 2,591 miles while Virginia would travel 2,695 miles. Xavier, meanwhile, pays for having the top spot in the West with 5,284 miles of travel required from Cincinnati to Nashville, Los Angeles and San Antonio.

(Thats 300 miles longer than John Calipari will have to travel after he cried about his Kentucky team being seeded fifth in the South and routed to Boise the first weekend.)

Other top seeds benefiting from close sites include second-seeded Cincinnati (2,231 for Nashville, Atlanta and San Antonio), third-seeded Michigan State (2,524 for Detroit, Omaha and San Antonio) and third-seeded Tennessee (2,793 for Dallas, Atlanta and San Antonio).

Story continues

Which team has to go the longest? Well, it would have been UCLA, which had 10,454 miles because of its First Four trip to Dayton, Ohio. But St. Bonaventure saved them from all the hassle, eliminating the Bruins on Tuesday night.

That leaves 15th-seed Cal State-Fullerton, which would have to go 10,281 miles between Detroit, Boston and San Antonio.

No. 1 seeds have the shortest average distance at 2,988 potential miles while No. 13 seeds are the longest at an average of 7,495. If you want more ammunition to pick No. 12 seeds over No. 5s in the first round, theyll travel an average of 5,162 miles while fives will travel the second-longest average distance at 6,709 miles.

For the potential distances of each team, visit All My Sports Teams Suck.

More from Yahoo Sports:

 Pete Thamel: The heartbreaking truth the NCAA fails to realize

 Eric Adelson: The quiet aftermath of the scary foul that went viral

 Aaron Rodgers posts heartfelt tribute to Jordy Nelson

 How one upset can change everything for a school


Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway took private flights with former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price last year at the cost of thousands of dollars to taxpayers, according to a letter sent by a high-ranking Democrat Tuesday. He also accused the White House of denying the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee requested documentation of Conways trips.

Conway and some members of her staff took four private flights with Price between May and September of last year, according to the letter. The total for two of the flights was nearly $60,000, ranking committee Democrat and U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland wrote, citing private documents the committee managed to obtain.

Cummings claimed he contacted Conway in October about the flights but did not receive a response.

Trending: WWE SmackDown Live Results: Shane McMahon to Makes WrestleMania Announcement

The White House pushed back on Cummingss allegations, calling them a partisan attack on Conway, and saying it's not unusual for cabinet members to invite White House staff for work-related trips.

This partisan attack on Kellyanne is ridiculous. Members of the presidents Cabinet invite relevant White House staff for official travel to events advancing the presidents agenda. When White House staff accompany Cabinet members their travel plans are arranged, secured and financed by the inviting agency, Deputy White House Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told Newsweek in a statement.

GettyImages-928215844

Getty Images/Andrew Harrer

Don't miss: Trumps New CIA Director Nominee Embraced Waterboarding, but Torture Not Likely to Return at the Agency

In a letter to Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, a Republican who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Cummings accused the White House of stonewalling requests for documents, and queries as to whether or not Conway intended to pay back the cost of the flights.

Story continues

Cummings also called for Gowdy to issue a subpoena within the next two weeks for information regarding Conway and Prices flights, policies concerning government and private travel, and the cost of the trips.

Under your chairmanship, the Committee has launched three investigations of the White House  into private jets, private email, and security clearances  but the White House has completely stonewalled our requests for documents in all three, the letter read. If you do not issue a subpoena at this point, it will be obvious to the White House and the American people that the Committee has no intention of serving as a true check on the Executive Branch.

Most popular: People No Longer Want to Move to Alaska for the First Time Since World War II; Heres Why

Price resigned in September amid accusations of using government funds to fly privately at the cost of at least $400,000. Prices flights followed scrutiny of government plane use requests by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.

Cummings accusations follow others made by the U.S. special counsels office against Conway. She was accused last week of violating a law prohibiting high-ranking officials from speaking about or endorsing a certain political candidate prior to Alabamas special election last year.

The White House claimed Conway was expressing President Trumps preference, and that Conway was not stating her own.

A previous version of this story identified Cummings as a representative from Georgia. In fact, he represents a Maryland district.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
One of the academics that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R) picked to back up his claims of widespread voter fraud said in sworn testimony on Tuesday that he could not support Kobachs claim that illegal votes may have swung the popular vote during the 2016 presidential election.

That statement was just the latest in a series of remarks in various federal courts that undermine Kobachs argument that noncitizen voter registration is a substantial problem in the U.S. and that requiring people to prove their citizenship when they register to vote isnt really a burden.

Kobach is currently being sued in the U.S. district court in Kansas City, Kansas, by a group of state residents over a state law mandating that would-be voters prove their citizenship when they register. While the American Civil Liberties Union represents the residents, Kobach is leading his own defense.

Jesse Richman, a political scientist at Old Dominion University, had performed an expert analysis for Kobach that suggested that as many as 18,000 noncitizens could be on the voter rolls in Kansas  a number the ACLU disputes. Richman is also the author of a study from which Kobach has extrapolated that 3 to 5 million people nationwide could have voted illegally in the 2016 election. President Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote by about 2.9 million votes to Hillary Clinton, has said he only lost it because of all those allegedly illegal votes.

Richman does not share Trumps view of what happened. He wrote last year that he did not believe noncitizen votes swayed the popular vote. And pressed by an ACLU lawyer on Tuesday, the professor said on the stand that he was unable to support Kobachs claim, according to the Topeka Capitol-Journal and KCUR.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

In a November 2016 talk with reporters, Kobach explained why he believed noncitizens could have decided the popular vote. Relying on Richmans data, he said 11.3 percent of noncitizens reported voting in 2008. He estimated there were approximately 28 million noncitizens in the U.S. at the time of the 2016 election. And from that, Kobach concluded that 3.2 million could have voted that year.

Story continues

Over his objections, the ACLU played video of Kobach making those comments on Tuesday.

In a sworn deposition, the Kansas official said hed discussed generally the idea of noncitizens registering to vote with President-elect Trump that same November.

Last year, the White House tapped Kobach to lead the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, a panel created to investigate voter fraud in the United States. The commission was disbanded in January of this year after it managed to gather voter roll information from several states and little else.

Last Friday, an ACLU lawyer got another former member of that panel and proponent of stricter voting laws, Hans von Spakovsky, to concede that he was unaware of any instance in which an election was determined by noncitizens voting.

Related Coverage

Top ACLU Voting Rights Lawyer Rips Into Trump Expert's Evidence Of Kansas Voter Fraud

Blocked From Voting, Kansans Get Their Day In Court With Kris Kobach

Kris Kobach Admits White House's Idea For Identifying Voter Fraud Wasn't A Good One

Kris Kobach Just Got Torched By A Federal Judge In Kansas Vote Trial

Kris Kobach Gets His Turn To Defend Kansas Proof Of Citizenship Law. It's Not Going Well.

Kris Kobach Begins To Show Why He Thinks There's Widespread Voter Fraud In Kansas

Kris Kobach Claims Its Not That Hard For Would-Be Voters To Prove Citizenship

Trump's Voter Fraud Czar, And His Claims About Illegal Voting, Are About To Go On Trial

Also on HuffPost

Alabama State Capitol (Montgomery, Ala.)

Pictured on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2012. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Alaska State Capitol (Juneau, Alaska)

Pictured on Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Miller)

Arizona State Capitol (Phoenix)

Pictured on Friday, April 23, 2010. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

Arkansas State Capitol (Little Rock, Ark.)

Pictured on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)

California State Capitol (Sacramento, Calif.)

Pictured on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006. (Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images)

Colorado State Capitol (Denver)

Pictured on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2006. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Connecticut State Capitol (Hartford, Conn.)

Pictured on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 1999. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

Delaware State Capitol (Dover, Del.)

Florida State Capitol (Tallahassee, Fla.)

Pictured on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Georgia State Capitol (Atlanta)

Pictured on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. (Photo by Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)

Hawaii State Capitol (Honolulu)

Idaho State Capitol (Boise, Idaho)

Pictured on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. (Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)

Illinois State Capitol (Springfield, Ill.)

Pictured on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2004. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

Indiana State Capitol (Indianapolis)

Pictured on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Iowa State Capitol (Des Moines, Iowa)

Pictured on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2011. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Kansas State Capitol (Topeka, Kan.)

Pictured on Thursday, April 15, 2010. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Kentucky State Capitol (Frankfort, Ky.)

Pictured on Wednesday, April 12, 2006. (AP Photo/James Crisp)

Louisiana State Capitol (Baton Rouge, La.)

Pictured on Monday, Jan. 14, 2008. (Matthew HINTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Maine State Capitol (Augusta, Me.)

Pictured on Monday, Oct. 17, 2011. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

Maryland State House (Annapolis, Md.)

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Massachusetts State House (Boston)

Pictured on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

Michigan State Capitol (Lansing, Mich.)

Pictured on Wednesday, April 13, 2011. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

Minnesota State Capitol (St. Paul, Minn.)

Pictured on Friday, July 1, 2011. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Mississippi State Capitol (Jackson, Miss.)

Pictured on Thursday, June 10, 1999. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis)

Missouri State Capitol (Jefferson City, Mo.)

Pictured on Friday, Oct. 16, 2000. (Photo credit should read ORLIN WAGNER/AFP/Getty Images)

Montana State Capitol (Helena, Mont.)

Nebraska State Capitol (Lincoln, Neb.)

Pictured on Wednesday, Nov. 25, 1998. (AP Photo/S.E. McKee)

Nevada State Capitol (Carson City, Nev.)

New Hampshire State House (Concord, N.H.)

Pictured on Friday, Dec. 28, 2001. (Todd Warshaw//Pool/Getty Images

New Jersey State House (Trenton, N.J.)

Pictured on Friday, Aug. 13, 2004. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

New Mexico State Capitol (Santa Fe, N.M.)

New York State Capitol (Albany, N.Y.)

Pictured on Sunday, March 16, 2008. (Photo by Daniel Barry/Getty Images)

North Carolina State Capitol (Raleigh, N.C.)

Pictured in 1930. (AP Photo)

North Dakota State Capitol (Bismarck, N.D.)

Pictured on Thursday, April 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Dale Wetzel)

Ohio Statehouse (Columbus, Ohio)

Pictured on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. (Photo by Mike Munden/Getty Images)

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
At least one person was killed and many more were injured when a bus full of high school band members on their way home to Texas from Disney World veered off a highway and plunged into a ravine in Alabama.

The charter bus crashed into the median of Interstate 10 before falling approximately 50 feet into a ravine under a suspended bridge at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, Baldwin County Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack told reporters.

The driver of the bus was reportedly killed, while others sustained a wide range of injuries.

Forty students and six adults were on the bus at the time of the crash, Channelview Independent School District Superintendent Greg Ollis said.

We are aware of numerous injuries, Ollis said in a statement. We are now focused on getting everyone back safely to our community. We are extremely grateful for the first responders, hospital employees, and volunteers from churches and schools in Alabama and Florida that have stepped up to help our students and comfort them though this difficult situation.

The injured were rushed by medivac and ambulance to several hospitals to be treated for their injuries, Mack said.

One person was listed in critical condition and five were in serious condition.

This has been an extensive rescue operation, Mack said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the bus to veer off the road.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott offered his condolences to those affected by the crash, saying in a statement: "I pray for a speedy recovery for all those injured, and I am especially grateful for the heroic actions of the Alabama first responders that undoubtedly helped save lives today."

The bus was one of two traveling to Houston from Florida. Another bus carrying students was ahead of the bus that crashed at the time.

First Class Tours, which owns the bus that crashed, said in a statement: We pledge our assistance in cooperating with local authorities in the investigation. Presently, this is all the information that we have to share. We will provide updates as additional information becomes available and it is appropriate to do so.

Story continues

An image of the crash showed the bus had landed on its side. A special crane will be needed to lift it out of the ravine.

The interstate was closed in both directions as recovery efforts were underway and will remain closed while authorities investigate. The National Transportation Safety Board is also sending six investigators to probe the crash.

RELATED STORIES

Teen Who Was Planning to Propose to Girlfriend Dies After Being Swept Away by Wave

Timothy Cunningham Case: CDC Scientist Missing More Than a Month as Reward Reaches Nearly $40,000

Dramatic Video from Miami Shows Alleged Hit-and-Run Driver Attacked by Onlookers

Related Articles:
Tripoli (AFP) - Libya has issued arrest warrants for more than 200 Libyans and foreigners suspected of involvement in a smuggling network for Europe-bound migrants, the attorney general's office said on Thursday.

"We have 205 arrest warrants for people (involved in) organising immigration operations, human trafficking, (cases) of torture, murder and rape," said Seddik al-Sour, the director of the attorney general's investigations office.

The trafficking ring is alleged to include members of security services, leaders of migrant detention camps, and embassy officials from African countries based in Libya, Sour said.

Libya has descended into chaos since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi's regime in 2011, and has become a hub for hundreds of thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants trying to reach Europe by sea.

The oil-rich country ruled by a web of militias and two rival authorities has routinely been criticised for abuses against migrants.

Sour said investigations into smuggling networks were carried out in coordination with the Italian prosecutor's office.

Rome and Tripoli agreed in December to form a joint unit to combat smugglers and human traffickers involved in the intelligence, coastguard and justice sectors of each country.

Sour said his office had established a direct link between the smugglers and Islamic State group jihadists.

The latter take advantage of trafficking networks to move from one country to another, to find refuge or to seak medical treatment, he said.

The official also said a probe was still ongoing into a CNN television report in November of African migrants being auctioned off as "slaves" in Libya.

Sour said that according to the investigation, traffickers do "sell" migrants to each other, but not as slaves.
Washington (AFP) - John McCain, the US senator subjected to brutal treatment as a prisoner in North Vietnam, questioned Tuesday the nomination of a CIA official once involved in torture to lead the spy agency.

McCain said Gina Haspel, currently the deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency, must pledge "without reservation" to oppose the use of torture if she is to be approved as director.

"The torture of detainees in US custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history," McCain said in a statement.

"Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA's interrogation program during the confirmation process."

President Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated Haspel, 61, to replace Mike Pompeo, who has been named to take over the State Department after the top US diplomat, Rex Tillerson, was fired.

Haspel, who has had a long career in the CIA's clandestine service, ran the agency's "black box" interrogation cell in Thailand after the September 11 attacks.

Two high-profile al-Qaeda detainees, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, were subjected to waterboarding and other torture methods while they were held in the secret prison.

McCain, a navy pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam in 1967. Taken prisoner, his severe injuries weren't treated and he was repeatedly bound and beaten.

Since then he has steadfastly opposed the use of torture by the US government.

"In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, our government squandered precious moral authority in a futile effort to produce intelligence by means of torture," McCain said.

"We are still dealing with the consequences of that desperately misguided decision."

"Current US law is clear in banning enhanced interrogation techniques. Any nominee for director of the CIA must pledge without reservation to uphold this prohibition," he said.
First lady Melania Trump is a Slovenian captive in the White House as more staff members exit, late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel claimed on Tuesday.

Related: Trump Admits Melania's Life Is 'Not So Easy' But Avoids Mentioning Stormy Daniels

Kimmel referenced the first lady in context of President Donald Trumps firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson earlier in the day.

Trending: China Says It Is Testing World's First Railgun At Sea, Confirming Leaked Photos of Electromagnetic Weapon

Trump told reporters he made this decision by myself. Like a five-year-old. I did it all by myself. Of course you did by yourself, theres no one left at the White House anymore. Its just you and your Slovenian captive, Kimmel said of Melania Trump, who immigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia.

The audience appeared shocked, then applauded, according to The Wrap.

Was that too much? Kimmel then said. Ill make a note of that.

Don't miss: Splatoon 2 X Rank Details and Schedule Changes Revealed

It isnt the first time Kimmel has suggested that the first lady is unhappy in the White House.

In January after reports of Donald Trumps alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels broke out, Kimmel said the first lady decided not to join her husband at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, because she hates him.

So instead of going to Davos, I guess her plan was to stay back in the White House to keep digging the escape tunnel she has hidden behind a poster of Tom Selleck, Kimmel said jokingly.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Does President Trumps Twitter activity undermine the first ladys cause? (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

On the same day President Trump announced by tweet that he was replacing Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, the Washington Post reported that Melania Trump is scheduled to meet with tech giants to discuss strategies to curb cyberbullying.

Sources told the paper that the first lady, who has spoken in the past about her desire to see more positive online interactions, will address leaders from Amazon, Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Snap.

Trump is reportedly hesitant to use the term cyberbullying, however, and her spokeswoman confirmed only that she had simply asked for a meeting to discuss one of the many things that impacts children.

Though the consensus is that more can be done to promote civility and crack down on trolls online  particularly when children are involved  Trumps project has been met with some derision.

Many called it ironic, given President Trumps reputation for online attacks  most recently, a New York Times reporter whom he blasted as a Hillary flunky  and Donald Trump Jr.s liking tweets that promote conspiracy theories involving 17-year-old Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. Hoggs 14-year-old sister, Lauren, personally called on the first lady to stop the cyberbullying.

Not surprisingly, the Twittersphere had some strong reactions.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The first ladys meeting is scheduled to take place March 20.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Gina Haspel is the CIAs first female director  why arent more female agents getting promoted?

Alleged Trump mistress has a racy message for her haters

Donald Trump Jr. gets his makeup done in an American flag smock

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the European Union would present a common stance over the nerve agent attack in England that British Prime Minister Theresa May blamed on Russia on Wednesday. Asked by German broadcaster ARD if she could mediate between Britain and Russia, Merkel replied: "This is not about mediating. We take the findings of the British government very seriously. I spoke by telephone with Theresa May yesterday. We will present a common European view here." However, a French government spokesman said it was too early for Paris to decide on a response and it would wait for "definitive conclusions" before adopting a position. EU leaders are due to meet next week and Merkel said they would take a position then. NATO called on Russia on Wednesday to give Britain "complete disclosure" of the Soviet-era nerve agent used in an attack on a Russian double agent on March 4. "Transparency is important from the Russian side," Merkel said. "If NATO has taken a position, then Germany has taken a position. We are a NATO member. Next week, the European Council (EU) meets and we can do similarly (to NATO)." "Nonetheless, I say we can't break off all contacts now. We must still talk responsibly with the Russians despite all differences of opinion," she added. May said Britain would expel 23 Russian diplomats, the biggest such expulsion since the Cold War. (Reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Madeline Chambers and Robin Pomeroy)
After months of tension, President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, announcing he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

Trump was quick to praise his new pick for the cabinet position, writing on Twitter that Pompeo will do a fantastic job! Other top Republicans added their seal of approval as well.

He understands very clearly the international challenges and the opportunities before America in the 21st Century, Sen. Marco Rubio tweeted. No one understands the threat posed by North Korea & Iran better than he does, Sen. Lindsey Graham added.

Heres what you need to know about Trumps new choice for Secretary of State.

Who is Mike Pompeo?

The departing CIA director got his political start in the House of Representatives, where he served three terms as a Kansas Republican.

Prior to his entry into politics, Pompeo grew up in Orange County, California, and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point until 1986. After graduating first in his class with a specialization in mechanical engineering, he served as a cavalry officer in the Army until 1991. Pompeo then concluded his military career and set off for Harvard Law School, where he took up the position as editor of the Harvard Law Review before graduating in 1994.

Pompeos political views have been described as aggressive. He campaigned for Congress as a Tea Party Republican and took hardline stances on Iran (he considers it a national security threat), Guantanamo Bay prison (he believes it should remain open), the use of torture (he defends it), and Hillary Clintons involvement with the 2012 Benghazi attack (he harshly condemned her).

Does Mike Pompeo need to be confirmed by the Senate?

Yes, Pompeo will once again need to be confirmed by the Senate for his new role as Secretary of State. The hearing will be headed by Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican who has clashed with Trump in the past.

Story continues

I had a very good conversation with Director Pompeo this morning and look forward to meeting with him soon, Corker said in a statement Tuesday. As I shared with the president, the committee will consider his nomination as expeditiously as possible.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is set to hold the confirmation hearing in April. Pompeo was confirmed for his role as CIA director by a vote of 66 to 32.

What has Mike Pompeo said about Russia?

Pompeo believes strongly Russia is a potential national security threat. Speaking at a foreign policy panel in Washington in October 2015, the then-Congressman said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is heck bent on changing the geopolitical future, and said that President Barack Obama was not being tough enough on the country.

In January, Pompeo told the BBC that he was confident that Russia would attempt to meddle in the upcoming midterm elections.

Of course. I have every expectation that they will continue to try and do that, but Im confident that America will be able to have a free and fair election [and] that we will push back in a way that is sufficiently robust that the impact they have on our election wont be great, he told the outlet.

Who would take over for Mike Pompeo at the CIA?

Gina Haspel, deputy director of the CIA, is in line to to fill Pompeos position. Trump confirmed the nomination in a tweet and noted that she would be the first woman so chosen to run the agency.

Hapsel has faced backlash for overseeing the torture of terrorism suspects while at the CIA and the destruction of videotaped evidence of the incidents. She will also need to face the Senate in order to be confirmed for the new position.
CHISINAU (Reuters) - A Moldovan court has sentenced former lawmaker Yuri Bolboceanu to 14 years in prison on charges of high treason and spying for Russia's GRU military intelligence, the general prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. The ex-Soviet state has long been the focus of a struggle for influence between Russia and the West. Its relations with Moscow nosedived in 2017 due to a series of disagreements that included tit-for-tat expulsions of each other's diplomats. Bolboceanu, who served as a lawmaker in 2001-2005 and 2010-2014, was arrested last year on suspicion of working for GRU from October 2016 to March 2017. "He collected and handed over information of national interest, which could have been used against the interests of Moldova," the general prosecutor said in a statement. It said its investigation had found that Bolboceanu's cooperation with GRU had included "regular secret meetings, the use of special methods and equipment, the use of secret communication methods and the payment of monetary compensation for the execution of orders." Bolboceanu, who denies the charges, has the right to appeal the sentence, which also bans him from holding public office for four years after his release. (Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Recognizable actors always help a film to secure financing and may increase the interest of potential audiences, but they often work against the aims of a film based on real-life events.

That may be especially true for films that endeavor to dramatize events that took place more than 40 years ago, as in 7 Days in Entebbe, which is based on a hijacking and subsequent rescue attempt in the summer of 1976. Directed by Jose Padilha, known for action thrillers like Elite Squad (2007) and RoboCop (2014), as well as the startling Bus 174 (2002), the film effectively recreates the insane rush of the hijacking and the building tension that surely must have swamped the terrorists and their victims as the real-life drama played out over the next few days.

The quick pacing by Padilha and his editor Daniel Rezende -- they're worked together on nearly all of Padilha's films -- adds to the urgency. The cinematography by Lula Carvalho, another frequent Padilha collaborator, fleshes out the varying locales with subtle, easily-identifiable lighting, so that we always know instantly where the action is unfolding.

The film begins with the hijacking of an Air France jetliner by terrorists. Originating in Tel Aviv, Israel, and bound for Paris, France, about two-thirds of the passengers are Europeans, while the remaining 90 or so are Israelis. Screenwriter Gregory Burke, who scripted Yann Demange's extraordinary '71, then divides the action between the terrorists, who end up landing the plane in Entebbe, Uganda, and government officials in Israel.

In doing so, the actions and convictions of two terrorists, a hostage, a defense minister, a prime minister, and a soldier are showcased, and therein lay the complexities of the piece. Frankly, that's also where the presence of recognizable actors starts to fudge things.

Daniel Bruhl, Rosamund Pike and Eddie Marsan are all fine actors, and I've enjoyed their rich and varied performances in the past very much. They are similarly fine here, portraying Wilfried Bose (Bruhl), Brigitte Kuhlmann (Pike) and Shimon Peres (Marsan), respectively. They bring as much nuance and subtlety as possible to their roles, eschewing any possible inclination toward scene-chewing or showboating.

Pike's German accent as Kuhlmann and Marsan's particular accent as Peres (born in Poland, grew up speaking Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian) are not issues as much as the film's focus on Bose and Kuhlmann to represent the terrorists. There were two other hijackers, both Palestinian, and after the flight landed in Entebbe, they were joined by three comrades, as well a a complement of Ugandan soldiers.

Bose and Kuhlmann were a couple, however, or had been a romantic couple in the past, and their story is perhaps more appealing because, over the seven days, Bose apparently became a bit sympathetic toward the Israeli hostages, while Kuhlmann was resolute in her hostility, so that all makes for a positive/negative charge to the quieter moments. Of course, they are also both pale-faced Europeans.

Yet the focus on those two, especially Bose, engenders greater sympathy for the European terrorist(s). As much as anything, that's because Bruhl is a terrific actor; we also keep waiting for Pike to recant a bit, just because the actress is well-established in so many roles as an empathetic personality. Perhaps to balance this, several quiet moments are also shared between a soft-spoken French flight engineer (Denis Menochet) and a Palestinian terrorist, who provides fervent, if stock, reasoning for his actions. Overall, though, it's easy enough to conclude that the terrorists were well-meaning revolutionaries who only wanted justice for the Palestinians.

Lior Ashkenazi, another fine actor, portrays Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, but the emphasis (and the energy) inevitably shifts to Eddie Marsan as Peres. In part, that's because Defense Minister Peres is depicted as a more dynamic, take-charge, 'let's kill all the terrorists now' kind of leader. Again, perhaps to balance this, the "Israeli half" of the film alternates between political discussions and domestic scenes, featuring a young soldier (Ben Schnetzer) and his dancer girlfriend.

The hijacking and subsequent military mission was quickly dramatized on American television twice, first in Victory at Entebbe (broadcast five months later in December 1976) and then in Raid on Entebbe (broadcast in January 1977). I saw both and don't recall much beyond the basic outline of what happened. Those were followed by Menahem Golan's Operation Thunderbolt (1977).

A solid dramatic thriller, 7 Days in Entebbe serves as another good outline of the events that occurred, making me curious about the historical record, as well as somewhat uncomfortable by its portrayal of the terrorists. Maybe that was the idea.

Photo credit (top): Liam Daniel / Focus Features. The film will open in U.S. theaters nationwide on Friday, March 16, 2018.


The mother of a little boy with cancer whose family missed their flight to a cross-country doctors appointment says the airline didnt express compassion for their predicament.

Talia Tallman and her son Escher, who has cancer, missed their flight, and Tallman says that Spirit Airlines wasnt kind about it. (Photo: Facebook/Talia Tallman)

On Monday, Talia Tallman, 32, a stay-at-home mom in Delray Beach, Fla., was traveling to Los Angeles with her mother, husband, and three children ages 2, 3, and 8 via Spirit Airlines. In July, middle child Escher was diagnosed with a rare cancer called spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma and is getting treated at a Los Angeles hospital. Escher just had surgery, and we had a follow-up appointment Tuesday in L.A., Tallman tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

The family arrived at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport at 7 p.m. for their 9 p.m. flight, and after waiting in a long security line and being directed to a new gate that Tallman says was almost a mile away from security, she asked her mom to run to the gate while the family walked behind with their carry-on bags.

According to Tallman, her mother arrived at the gate at 8:50 and informed the attendants that the rest of the family would arrive momentarily. She was told, They have 30 seconds to get here. And when Tallmans mom walked a few steps away to check on her family, the gates closed.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Panicked at the idea of her checked luggage containing Eschers cancer medication flying to California without the family, Tallmans husband banged on the sealed gate door and yelled for someone to open it.

We were told that since we didnt arrive at the gate 15 minutes prior to takeoff, that we couldnt have gotten on the flight, says Tallman, adding that fellow passengers rallied around her family, offering cash and toys.

Right after the incident, Tallman vented in a Facebook Live video, which was viewed more than 4,000 times. Her supporters called the airline disgusting and rude.

A Spirit Airlines representative sent the following statement to Yahoo Lifestyle: While we are sorry for the inconvenience to this Guest and her family, our records show they were not present at the gate when the flight closed. Our team made every effort to hold the flight for as long as possible. Ultimately, the flight had to take-off to ensure a timely arrival for our other Guests waiting on board.

Story continues

The Tallmans rescheduled their doctors appointment for Wednesday, and Spirit Airlines gave them five $50 travel vouchers and placed them on a Wednesday flight to Los Angeles.

Tallman acknowledges that she arrived at the last minute, and while she understands airport protocol, she says the treatment she received from Spirit was not humane.

We are living every parents worst nightmare, she says of her sons condition. The people who could have made a big impact had zero compassion.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
Farah (Afghanistan) (AFP) - Afghanistan has deployed more troops to a restive western province where a multi-billion-dollar pipeline is planned after the Taliban launched multiple attacks against security forces, causing heavy casualties, officials said Wednesday.

The latest assault in Farah, which borders Iran, happened in the early hours of Wednesday when Taliban militants stormed a checkpoint manned by police and intelligence officers on the outskirts of the provincial capital of the same name, killing seven security forces.

It came as the Taliban face growing pressure to take up Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer of peace talks to end the 16-year insurgency, but so far the group has given only a muted response.

"When commando forces were deployed they (the militants) retreated," Jamila Amini, a member of the Farah provincial council, told AFP.

Four members of the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan's spy agency, and three police were killed, she added.

The incident and death toll were confirmed by fellow provincial council member Gul Ahmad Faqiri.

"We have sent more troops and commando forces to Farah to contain the situation," defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP, adding the army chief of staff had also visited the province.

"The situation will soon come under control," he said.

Taliban fighters on Monday briefly took control of the administrative building of Farah's Anar Dara district, killing eight police, before they were beaten back by security forces, officials said.

That came after an attack on soldiers in Bala Buluk district over the weekend that resulted in multiple casualties.

A February 24 raid on an army base in the same district killed at least 18 soldiers, officials said, in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in recent months.

Farah is a poppy-growing province in a hard to reach part of Afghanistan which a section of the multi-billion-dollar TAPI gas pipeline will traverse.

Story continues

The conduit is named for the four countries involved: Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Despite security concerns, the Taliban have pledged to cooperate with the project.

Farah has been the scene of intense fighting in recent years. In 2017 insurgents tried to overrun the capital three times, according to the Afghanistan Analysts Network.

"The security situation has been deteriorating day by day in Farah," Faqiri confirmed, estimating around a dozen security forces are killed in the province every day.

Former Farah governor Mohammad Aref Shah Jahan resigned in January after days of protests in the provincial capital over rising insecurity.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018

What to watch today

Investors will be looking for more positive action in the stock market on Wednesday after stocks sold off across the board on Tuesday following a flurry of news out of Washington, D.C., some of which mattered to investors and some of which was largely a sideshow.

In the morning, retail sales data for February will be the economic highlight as economists expect a 0.3% increase in sales over the prior month after Januarys data disappointed.

Ian Shepherdson, an economist at Pantheon Macro, notes that retail sales rocketed higher after last summers hurricanes in Texas and Florida, pushing three-month annualized sales gains through November to 10%, more than double the prior trend. Recent data is now moving past this inflated period, and some softness in retail sales could persist into the end of the first quarter.

On the earnings side, results expected on Wednesday include quarterly results from Progressive (PGR), Williams-Sonoma (WSM), Noodles & Co. (NDLS), and 3D Systems (DDD).

Read More

Top news

Trump eyes tariffs on up to $60B Chinese goods: President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on Tuesday. A third source who had direct knowledge of the administrations thinking said the tariffs, associated with a Section 301 intellectual property investigation, under the 1974 U.S. Trade Act begun in August last year, could come in the very near future. [Reuters]

Walmart to expand grocery delivery as Amazon battle intensifies: Walmart Inc. (WMT) plans to expand its grocery home-delivery service to more than 100 metro areas this year, a sign its food fight with Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is heating up. The service, currently in six cities, will roll out to more than 40% of U.S. households by the end of the year, the company said on Wednesday. [Bloomberg]

Story continues

Adidas shares jump on buyback, profit optimism: Shares of German sportswear firm Adidas soared on Wednesday after it announced a large buyback, gave an upbeat outlook for 2018 and lifted its 2020 profitability forecast, helped by rapid growth of e-commerce. Adidas, which has seen its shares fall 15% in the past six months as sales growth cooled, said late on Tuesday it plans to buy back up to 3 billion euros ($3.7 billion) worth of its shares by 2021, or almost 9% of its share capital. [Reuters]

Google to ban ads on cryptocurrencies: Alphabet Inc.s (GOOGL) Google said on Wednesday it will ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and related content starting in June. Under the new policy, the company will ban ads for unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency and financial spread betting among others. [Reuters]

China sovereign fund exits Blackstone investment: Chinas sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corp (CIC) has sold its equity holding in Blackstone Group LP, the U.S. private equity firm said in a filing, exiting from an 11-year old investment. The original agreement with Beijing Wonderful Investments  the legal entity set up by CIC to invest in Blackstone  was struck in May 2007, just before the private equity firms initial public offering a month later. [Reuters]

For more of the latest news, go to Yahoo Finance

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson waves goodbye after speaking at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, March 13, 2018. President Donald Trump fired Tillerson and said he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, in a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into high-stakes talks with North Korea. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

Yahoo Finance Originals

Fitbit is dead set on taking down the Apple Watch

Etsy CEO: We are the voice of the new, digital Main St.

The US economy could be $1.6 trillion bigger if it were like Norways in one way

What Elon Musk missed in his China tariff tweets

Former Guns N Roses drummer Matt Sorum is going crypto



Like what you just read? Get the Morning Brief sent directly to your inbox every Monday to Friday by 6:30 a.m. ET. And feel free to share it with a friend!

The Morning Brief provides a quick rundown on what to watch in the markets, top news stories, and the best of Yahoo Finance Originals.
Moscow (AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday claimed that Syrian rebels were planning to stage a chemical attack to give the US-led coalition a pretext to strike Damascus.

Lavrov's claims came after he and the Russian military warned Tuesday that any such strike by the US coalition would lead to Russiam retaliatory steps in Syria and "very serious" consequences.

They spoke after US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that the United States was ready to act in Syria "if we must" to address the use of chemical weapons and "inhuman suffering".

"New provocations with the use of chemical weapons are being prepared -- performances will be organised in Eastern Ghouta, among others," Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday.

"Under this pretext there are plans to use force by the US coalition including against the Syrian capital," he said, adding that he hoped "such irresponsible plans will not be realised".

Lavrov's remarks follow a statement by the chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov who on Tuesday raised the spectre of a direct clash between Russian and US troops in Syria.

Gerasimov claimed that Moscow had "reliable information that fighters are preparing to stage the use by government troops of chemical weapons against the civilian population".

He alleged that the US plans to accuse Assad's troops of using chemical weapons against civilians and then "carry out a bombing attack" on Damascus.

He warned Russia would "take retaliatory measures" if the US targeted areas where its military are staying in the Syrian capital.

"Russian military advisers, representatives of the Centre for Reconciliation and members of military police" are currently in the Syrian capital, Gerasimov said.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons and Russia, its ally in the war, has questioned UN findings that Damascus carried out sarin and chlorine attacks.

Story continues

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his supporters have consistently claimed that chemical and other attacks were in fact staged, and that an army of actors including children has been trained to fake injury on a massive scale.

Gerasimov's comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin told the American network NBC in an interview released last week that "we know about fighters' plans to stage the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army".

Putin insisted that the Syrian government has "long ago" destroyed its stockpiles of chemical weapons and dismissed accusations against Assad and Russia.
Most Americans in a new poll support stricter gun regulations, with even a majority of National Rifle Association in the survey backing stiffer background checks.

Sixty-nine percent of NRA members expressed support for comprehensive background checks. A proposal to implement universal background checks would apply to all gun sales, rather than just purchases made at licensed retailers, according to the Giffords Law Center, a gun control advocacy group.

Support for such a measure increases to 78 percent among gun owners who dont belong to the NRA and to 89 percent for respondents who dont own a firearm. The poll of 803 American adults was conducted by Monmouth University from March 2-5, weeks after a high school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Comprehensive background checks are considerably more popular among gun owners than is a national firearms registry, a policy proposal often raised after mass shootings. Among those who dont own guns, 79 percent support a firearms-purchase database, but only half of gun owners back such a proposal. The level of support drops to 31 percent among NRA members.

Although opinion polls indicate support for some gun control regulations, theres been little movement at the federal level to pass new laws. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, has not proposed a timeline for consideration of firearms regulation; last week, Congress turned its attention to an unrelated banking measure.

Many of the changes to firearms policy are instead coming from the retail sector. Walmart Inc., Dicks Sporting Goods Inc., Kroger Co. and L.L. Bean Inc. have all said they would stop selling firearms to 18- to 20-year-olds in the wake of the Florida shooting last month, in which a 19-year-old gunman was charged with killing 17 people. Orvis Co., an outdoor goods retailer, said it would sell firearms only to those under the age of 21 if they have completed a education and safety course. Dicks also halted the sale of assault-style rifles.

Story continues

Support for gun control measures is divided along party lines, but background checks drew broad support. The policy has the approval of 91 percent of Democrats, 83 percent of independents and 72 percent of Republicans. The partisan split over a firearms ownership database is more pronounced: Some 84 percent of Democrats favor such a measure, while only 45 percent of Republicans do.

NRA members, in particular, strongly opposed such a registry. Among members of the group, 79 percent expressed concern that a regulation such as increased background checks or a firearms purchase registry could be used to track the activities of Americans.

There is still a stark political divide driven by special interests who represent about one-third of gun owners, Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. The NRAs influence in Washington may still be powerful enough to maintain the status quo on national gun policy.
By Simon Lewis and Shoon Naing YANGON (Reuters) - Some international observers urged Myanmar on Wednesday not to drag out legal proceedings against two Reuters journalists, as they appeared in court for the 10th time since they were arrested in December and accused of possessing secret government papers. A Yangon court began preliminary hearings in January to decide whether reporters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, will face charges under the colonial-era Officials Secrets Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. Denmark's embassy in Yangon, which has closely followed the case, said ahead of the latest hearing that the journalists should be "thanked and not punished" for their reporting on northern Rakhine state - where they found evidence of security forces' involvement in the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men. "Nor should they be subject to a dragged out trial that appears to be set to last for months while keeping Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo incarcerated, away from their families and their work," the embassy said in a statement. Two civilians that police brought to witness a search of Wa Lone's family home the evening after the reporters were arrested gave testimony on Wednesday. Min Min, a neighborhood official in north Yangon, told the court he joined nine or 10 policemen searching the residence and signed a form to confirm a laptop with a charger and a bag, a hard drive and a notebook were discovered there. Asked by defense lawyer Than Zaw Aung during cross-examination whether any government papers were discovered in the search, he said no. Min Aung, a ward administrator who joined the search and gave testimony, said he could not remember seeing police find official documents. Lead prosecutor Kyaw Min Aung left the court building before Reuters was able to put questions to him after the hearing. Government spokespeople have declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing court proceedings. The government prosecutor has now called 12 of 25 listed witnesses to hearings that have been taking place weekly. The court agreed to hear three witnesses at its next session on March 21. HELD IN CUSTODY Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo have been in custody since their arrest on Dec. 12. The pair had been invited by police officers to a restaurant in northern Yangon. They have told family members they were arrested by plainclothes officers almost immediately after being handed some rolled up papers by the policemen, whom they had not met before. Previous police witnesses have said they were stopped and searched at a traffic checkpoint by officers who were unaware they were journalists, and found to be holding in their hands documents relating to security force deployments in Rakhine. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, wearing handcuffs, were rushed in and out of court by police on Wednesday, giving them only a brief opportunity to talk to their families or reporters. Kyaw Soe Oo was prevented by police from hugging his young daughter. Myanmar has denied accusations the two reporters were targeted over their reporting in Rakhine, where a security response to insurgent attacks has seen nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims flee to Bangladesh since August. Last week, responding to comments from U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein who said he strongly suspected "acts of genocide" had taken place in Rakhine, Myanmar's national security advisor Thaung Tun said the country wanted to see "clear evidence" to support such allegations. Sean Bain, a legal adviser in Myanmar for the International Commission of Jurists, a human rights group made up of 60 senior international judges, lawyers and legal academics, called for the case against the reporters to be dropped. "The government has asked for 'concrete evidence' of alleged rights violations in Rakhine State," said Bain, who attended Wednesday's hearing. "These journalists produced it, but they remain imprisoned." (Reporting by Simon Lewis and Shoon Naing; Additional reporting by Thu Thu Aung; Editing by Alex Richardson)
National Geographic's editor-in-chief has published an extensive letter detailing the magazine's history of racism. Susan Goldberg wrote the letter from the editor as part of the April issue, which is dedicated to race and was published online on Monday. Goldberg is the first woman and the first Jewish person to hold the magazines top position.

It hurts to share the appalling stories from the magazines past. But when we decided to devote our April magazine to the topic of race, we thought we should examine our own history before turning our reportorial gaze to others, Goldberg wrote in the letter.

Among those appalling stories, Goldberg notes, is one that includes a photo of two Aboriginal people in Australia with a caption calling them "savages" with the lowest intelligence "of all human beings."

Trending: Why Are Democrats Backing a Former NRA-Supporter Over a First-Time Black Woman Candidate?

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

National Geographic staff didnt examine their magazine's history alone; they asked an expert for help. John Edwin Mason, who teaches African history at the University of Virginia, highlighted some of the most egregious examples and omissions as part of the review. For example, he noted that a story about South Africa in the early 1960s failed to mention the Sharpeville massacre, when police killed 69 black people who were protesting the countrys discriminatory system of internal passports.

National Geographics story barely mentions any problems, Mason told Goldberg, pointing out that many of the black South Africans who are included in the piece are servants or workers. Its bizarre, actually, to consider what the editors, writers, and photographers had to consciously not see.

Don't miss: Who is Larry Kudlow? Former Democrat Turned Conservative Republican in Line for Top White House Economic Job

This isnt the first time that National Geographic has been associated with racism. One former editor, Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, was described in a 2013 cultural study as not merely conservative but frequently an outright racist, the New Yorker reported. (Grosvenor is not mentioned in Goldberg's letter.)

Story continues

This mea culpa follows closely on the heels of another. As Ann-Derrick Gaillot noted for The Outline, National Geographics article was published days after the New York Times published Overlooked," a series of obituaries that covered the lives of 15 women, including several women of color.

Its not every day that we see major, canonical media outlets admit that their power had been wielded in ways that upheld racism and sexism, she wrote.

Other stories in National Geographic's Race issue include a cover story on biracial fraternal twins who have different skin colors and a feature on how skulls were used to define racial labels.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Dapchi (Nigeria) (AFP) - Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday visited the northeastern town of Dapchi, nearly a month after Boko Haram militants kidnapped 110 schoolgirls in a chilling echo of the Chibok abduction four years ago.

Buhari was given a red carpet welcome at the Government Girls Science and Technology College, which was attacked on February 19, before meeting parents, teachers and residents.

He told them the military and security services were working around the clock to bring back the girls and vowed to punish those responsible for both Dapchi and the Chibok kidnapping in April 2014.

"This abduction Boko Haram carried out and the one they did before we came to power, in 2014, we will not allow them to go scot-free," said Buhari, who spent 45 minutes on the ground before departing by helicopter.

Some parents were in tears as they begged Buhari to ensure the swift return of their daughters.

Earlier in the Yobe state capital, Damaturu, Buhari said he had "no doubt" the Dapchi girls would be rescued or released.

The jihadists are still holding 112 students they abducted from Chibok, which sparked a global campaign for their release. The Dapchi kidnapping has been given less attention.

"I can reassure parents, Nigerians and the international community that we will do all that is within our power to make sure that the girls are brought back safely to their families," he said in a speech.

"There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok or Dapchi, is released. The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations."

- Mounting pressure -

Similarities have been drawn between both kidnappings, as on both occasions, heavily-armed militants were able to take so many pupils without any resistance from security forces.

Buhari's predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, was lambasted for his delayed and lacklustre response to Chibok, which happened as Boko Haram rampaged across the northeast, seizing territory.

Story continues

The Dapchi kidnapping occurred despite repeated claims from Buhari, his government and the military that Boko Haram was a spent force, as a result of a sustained counter-insurgency.

Nigeria's political opposition has called into question the extent of those claims and also urged him to meet parents of the missing Dapchi girls.

His visit to Yobe was part of a tour of a number of states hit by repeated unrest, including deadly clashes between cattle herders and farmers.

On Tuesday, the #BringBackOurGirls pressure group gave the government a seven-day deadline to free the remaining 112 Chibok girls and 110 Dapchi girls or face court action.

The group, which was set up in the wake of Chibok, accused the government of "incompetence and carelessness" and would sue it for criminal negligence if the girls were not freed.

- Kidnappings rife -

Buhari, who is expected to seek re-election next February, said he was aware of "orchestrations by some evil elements to take advantage of the development to score cheap political points".

"The government, under my watch, will continue to maintain normalcy and ensure that incidents of this nature (mass kidnappings) are stopped," he added.

"Be assured that measures are being put in place to achieve these objectives."

Boko Haram has used kidnapping as a weapon of war during its nearly nine-year fight to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.

Women and young girls have been abducted to act as sex slaves and suicide bombers, while men and young boys have been forcibly conscripted to fight alongside the jihadists.

At least 20,000 people have been killed and more than two million others made homeless in the conflict, which has triggered a humanitarian crisis in the region.
Oslo (AFP) - Norway's controversial justice minister on Wednesday withdrew a Facebook post that triggered outrage among survivors of the 2011 Utoya massacre and calls for a motion of no confidence against her in parliament.

In the post last Friday, Sylvi Listhaug, a member of the populist and anti-immigration Progress Party (FrP), had accused the opposition Labour Party of considering "the rights of terrorists (to be) more important than the security of the nation".

Listhaug, whose party is a member of a centre-right coalition, was angry at Labour's rejection of a proposal to strip jihadists of their Norwegian citizenship without a court decision.

The post, which contained a photo showing threatening Al-Shabab militants, sparked outrage because Labour members had been targetted in 2011 in the worst attack on Norwegian soil since the end of WWII.

On July 22 that year, right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who once was a member of the FrP, killed 77 people in twin attacks: one targeting then Labour prime minister Jens Stoltenberg's office in Oslo and another against a Labour youth camp on the island of Utoya.

Hours after Listhaug withdrew her post, Prime Minister Erna Solberg issued an apology on behalf of her government after coming under fire for not voicing unequivocal disapproval of her minister.

"On behalf of the government ... I wish to present my apologies because the rhetoric used by the government hurt people," Solberg, a conservative, told reporters.

"Norway has a special link with terrorism since July 22 (2011). That means we have to pay special attention in discussions on terrorism, because we have people in society who have experienced it in the most appalling manner," Solberg said.

Earlier, she had said that Listhaug's comment had "crossed a line."

Listhaug's message coincided with the release of the first film in Norway devoted to the atrocities.

Labour leader Jonas Gahr Store accused the minister of stoking "the hatred that led to the July 22 (massacre)".

Story continues

A far-left lawmaker said he would table a motion of no-confidence against Listhaug, a move that could put the minority government in a difficult situation, because its centrist allies, who have always been critical of Listhaug, would be forced to decide.

Pressured to apologise, the justice minister on Tuesday posted another message on Facebook saying she did not mean or intend to hurt anyone.

She finally withdrew the controversial post, arguing that rights issues prohibited the use of the Al-Shabab photo for political purposes.
At least one person was killed and several others were injured early Tuesday morning when a charter bus full of high school students and chaperones plunged into a 50-foot ravine in Alabama.

Shortly after 5:30 pm, the Texas-bound bus crashed into a highway median on Interstate 10, the main highway that connects the southern states from Florida to California, Baldwin County, Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack said in a news conference. After hitting the median, the bus plunged into the ravine, trapping people inside the mangled vehicle until rescuers could rappel down the ravine to extricate them, said Mack.

The bus was carrying about 45 passengers at the time of the crash. It is not clear what caused the crash.

PEOPLE has confirmed that the students were band members from Channelview High, a suburban school east of Houston. They were on their way home from a school trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando.

A charter bus transporting Channelview High School band students was involved in an accident on Interstate 10 in Alabama early this morning, the school district said in a statement. At this time, details are limited. We are in contact with law enforcement in Alabama trying to obtain further information.

 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

The charter bus line, First Class Tours, also released a statement about the crash. A serious accident has taken place involving a First class Tours bus in Alabama this morning, the company writes. It is our understanding that there are injuries as a result of the accident. Our prayers are with the injured and their families at this time. We pledge our assistance in cooperating with local authorities in the investigation.

 For more compelling True Crime coverage, follow our Crime magazine on Flipboard

The injured passengers have been taken to several local hospitals, with about 20 patients being transported by helicopters and ambulances to Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida. More than a dozen fire departments from Alabama and Florida responded to the scene.

The Interstate was shut down down in both directions after the incident. Police say it will be closed for at least another several hours to remove the bus and investigate the incident.
Annandale (United States) (AFP) - Nicolle Uria was 15 when her parents told her a shocking secret: she was an undocumented immigrant in the only country she has even known.

The teen, who was born in Bolivia, recalls that as her parents braced her two years ago for that gut-wrenching conversation, she expected something else to come out of their mouths.

"I immediately thought, 'I'm adopted', even though I look just like my sisters and my mom," Uria told AFP.

"The last thing on my mind was finding out that I was undocumented," said Uria, who is in her last year of high school in Annandale, Virginia outside Washington, and says she wants to study journalism in college.

She gets good grades, is on the school volleyball team and works on the school newspaper. But she is now worried that her dreams will go unrealized.

Last September, her life was turned upside down when President Donald Trump ordered an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Obama-era program that protected from deportation some 700,000 immigrants brought to the US illegally as children, as she was.

Trump gave Congress six months to work out something for these so-called "Dreamers," most of them Latinos.

The program was supposed to end on March 5 but remains in force because of rulings from two federal judges suspending Trump's decision.

While the program works its way through court and lawmakers have failed to agree on the fate of the "Dreamers," Nicolle is terribly afraid of being separated from her parents, siblings and other family members.

"I would be going back to a country I don't even know," she said as she cried. "I have no memories of Bolivia."

- 'A better future' -

Nicolle's parents brought her to America when she was a year old.

Ivan Uria, a former civil servant, and Giovanna Portugal, who studied to be an architect, worked in whatever they could find: cleaning homes or offices, at a gas station, looking after small children.

Story continues

Their overriding goal was to get a good education for their three daughters. They always led Nicolle to believe she had been born in the United States.

"I did not want to break her heart telling her the truth," said Portugal.

One time, Portugal asked her daughter's Girl Scout leader to leave her out of a trip to the White House by telling her there was no room -- she could not bear to tell Nicolle she did not have the papers needed to get into the presidential mansion.

Portugal and her husband recently obtained residency papers after their elder daughters -- Ariana, 31, and, Lizzet, 29, both university graduates -- married US citizens.

But legalizing Nicolle's status is tricky, and they are acutely afraid of her being deported.

"I just don't want to go back because I'd feel that I wasted my parents' time. My parents have worked so much," Nicolle said.

She thought of her parents when she attended Trump's State of the Union speech at the invitation of a Democratic lawmaker, and once again heard the president speak of immigrants as if they were criminals.

"I would like him and the members of Congress to think of us as their kids. I know that they want the best for their kids. And we are here to give a better future to America," said Nicolle.

- Threats -

Once she knew the truth, Nicolle was not shy about telling the truth. But it was not easy.

Kids she thought were her friends treated her "in a different way," she said, adding: "That was a surprise."

On social media, she got threatening messages that told her to go home, or that immigration agents would be sent to her house, or that her parents should be arrested.

One teacher even told her he trusted Trump would build his promised wall on the border with Mexico. Uria said it was a joke but it still stung.

Nicolle's real friends say they could not be prouder of her and that she is the first "Dreamer" they have met.

"When she told me her story, it was the first time I heard about DACA," said Jessica Roop, who has played volleyball with Uria for the past four years.

Another classmate, Asael Saed, added: "Many Americans don't even know that their friends and their neighbors hold this stress inside."

Nicolle began to feel she was doing the right thing when kids at school who had grown up without papers would stop her in the hall and thank her.

"This country was made by immigrants. I've always felt American and I always will," she said.
The owners of the dog that died during a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York said a flight attendant made them put their pet in an overhead bin on the plane.

Catelina Robledo, who was traveling with her 11-year-old daughter Sophia Ceballos, a newborn baby and her French bulldog Kokito, tried to argue with the flight attendant against putting the dog carrier in the overhead compartment.

My mom was like, Its a dog, its a dog,' Ceballos told NBC New York. And [the flight attendant] said, You have to put it up there.'

In an interview with Telemundo, Robledo said she heard Kokito crying out from the overhead bin but could not get up to help him because she had a baby on her lap while the plane was going through turbulence.

The dog barked and barked but I could not stand, Robledo said in Spanish.

When the flight landed at LaGuardia Airport, Kokito had died. Ceballos recalled her mother saying, Kokito, Kokito wake up!

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

In a statement, United Airlines took responsibility for the tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be place din the overhead bin. The airlines pet policy stipulates that non-service animals can travel onboard for a $125 fee as long as they are in a kennel that fits under the seat in front of the passenger.

The Associated Press reports that Robledos tickets and the $200 fee she paid to travel with Kokito were refunded.
Washington (AFP) - A closely watched special congressional election in Pennsylvania remained nail-bitingly close early Wednesday -- bad news for nervous Republicans who saw President Donald Trump romp to victory there in 2016 and face mid-term elections in November.

With more than 99 percent of precincts reporting in southwestern Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, young Democratic candidate Conor Lamb declared victory in a speech to cheering supporters.

"It took a little longer than we thought but we did it!" he said.

There was no immediate response from his Republican rival Rick Saccone, a Trump ally, or any official announcement of results.

CNN said later that with all precincts reporting, Lamb was ahead by just 0.2 percentage points -- 49.8 percent to 49.6 percent.

The race was so close that the results from outstanding absentee ballots would likely decide the outcome.

A Lamb victory would not endanger Republican control of the House of Representatives -- the Republicans currently have 238 seats to 193 for the Democrats, with four vacant.

But it would be seen as a stark warning that districts which Trump won in 2016 could now be for grabs in November's vote.

The election, seen by many as a referendum on Trump and the Republican Party, was taking place in a working-class district that Trump won by about 20 points, suggesting the latest developments were good news for the opposition party.

With the race in the balance, Saccone, whose campaign drew criticism from Republican strategists for its lackluster performance in recent weeks, told his followers earlier that "It's not over yet."

"We're not giving up," Saccone added.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also refused to concede.

"This race is too close to call and were ready to ensure that every legal vote is counted. Once they are, were confident Rick Saccone will be the newest Republican member of Congress," it said in a statement.

Story continues

- Alarm bells -

But the performance by Lamb provided the broader takeaway.

"It's a win for the Democrats even if they don't actually win this," Kevan Yenerall, a political science professor at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, told AFP.

For Republicans, it sets off alarm bells.

"If you're a Republican and you're in a marginal, competitive district... you're going to be concerned," he added.

The 33-year-old Lamb, a former federal prosecutor and US Marine officer, ran a surprisingly strong race against conservative state representative Saccone, 60.

His performance in a district held by Republicans for the last several elections has the potential to shake up the political landscape on a national level.

And it would reassure Democrats they can win in what has been considered Trump country, giving them a surge in enthusiasm, fundraising and grassroots activism as they head toward the all-important mid-term elections.

Veteran political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said it was notable that in a district long dominated by Republicans, the party's voters "either stayed home or flipped to Lamb."

Who wins the district was immaterial, Rothenberg argued on Twitter. "The outcome is clear."

Trump had endorsed Saccone and made an 11th-hour campaign stop with the candidate.

But Lamb's strong performance underscored the challenges that Republicans face as they prepare to defend their majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives in November.

The party occupying the Oval Office tends to lose seats in the first mid-terms after winning the presidency.

With chaos swirling in the White House, Trump's approval rating under water, and a special prosecutor investigating potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, Democrats are counting on a domino effect at the polls to send them back to power in Congress.

Republican organizations have poured millions of dollars of outside money into the race in the hopes of dragging Saccone across the finish line and signaling that their position ahead of the mid-terms is not as precarious as Democrats suggest.

- Crossover support -

Democrats have noted that Lamb's blue-collar roots, support of organized labor and moderate political views were helping him win crossover support in conservative areas.

In District 18, several of Trump's campaign promises have resonated with voters -- in particular, his call for restricting immigration, supporting gun rights, and bringing back jobs in the coal and steel industries.

Lamb has worked to avoid alienating Trump supporters, and downplayed the idea that the Pennsylvania election is a referendum on the controversial commander-in-chief.

The district's voters "overwhelmingly want me to work with the president," Lamb said after casting his ballot Tuesday.

Lamb was endorsed by the main mineworkers and steelworkers unions in the region, whereas Saccone has had a tempestuous relationship with organized labor.

Democrats came close to flipping Republican seats several times in US House special elections last year, in Georgia, Kansas, Montana and South Carolina. While those Democrats ultimately fell short, they fared better than Hillary Clinton did against Trump in those districts in the 2016 presidential race.

Pennsylvania 18's previous congressman, Republican Tim Murphy, resigned last year amid an adultery scandal.
Rick Saccone styled himself presidents wingman but faced tight race with Democrat Conor Lamb in district Trump won by 20 points in 2016

Democrat Conor Lamb has claimed victory in a very tight special election race for Pennsylvanias 18th congressional district, where his surprisingly strong showing in a Republican stronghold dealt a blow to Donald Trump.

On Wednesday morning, with all precincts reporting, unofficial results had Lamb leading Republican Rick Saccone by 627 votes.

Saccone refused to concede as provisional and military ballots were still uncounted. However, the number of outstanding ballots was reportedly less than Lambs lead, leaving a recount as the only way Saccone could win.

Saccone, who ran as an extension of Trump in a district the US president won by 20 points in 2016, had said he would be Trumps wingman in Washington and touted himself as Trump before Trump.

He appeared with Trump in a rally only days before the election and held campaign events with two of the presidents children as well as a number of administration officials.

The photo finish in a deep red district made clear how much Trumps standing has fallen since 2016 and gives Democrats increased optimism for Novembers midterm elections.

Some voters cast their ballot based on Trump. Outside a polling place in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Joe Morgan told the Guardian: I approve of the way the president is trying to put the country in a better spot and I think voting Republican will help him do that.



In contrast, another voter, Paul Kane, told the Guardian he voted for Lamb because Trumps an asshole.

The vote for Libertarian candidate Drew Miller was larger than than the margin between Lamb and Saccone  despite Miller receiving less than 1% of the vote.

Speaking briefly on stage late Tuesday night, Saccone insisted he was still fighting the fight and promised a crowd of supporters who had enjoyed an open bar and buffet featuring meatballs and crab dip: Were going to fight all the way to the end.

Story continues

National Republicans echoed Saccone. In a statement, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee said: This race is too close to call and were ready to ensure that every legal vote is counted. Once they are, were confident Rick Saccone will be the newest Republican member of Congress.

In contrast, Democrats declared victory. Lamb took the stage at his election night party as Congressman-elect Conor Lamb and proclaimed to a cheering crowd: It took a little longer than we thought, but we got there.

In a press release sent out earlier Tuesday night Ben Ray Lujan, the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, preemptively congratulated Lamb on his incredible victory and insisted: These results should terrify Republicans.



Lamb had actively attempted to distance himself from national Democrats. He recorded a television ad where he made clear he would not support Nancy Pelosi for Democratic leader in the House and had only a handful of national Democrats stump on his behalf. All of them were white men.

The election was not just about Trump and national issues. Lamb, a former marine with deep political roots in the district, ran as a moderate who steadfastly avoided any mention of the White House. He also benefited from heavy support from organized labor in a district that included a mix of suburban Pittsburgh and coal country. Lamb went out of his way to praise unions for their support on Wednesday morning. Ive never seen the unions as mobilized as they are right now, said the Democrat.

In contrast, Saccone was a weak candidate and lackluster fundraiser, which forced outside Republican groups to spend over $10m to aid him.

The race took place under unusual circumstances. The district itself will not exist for the midterm elections after the Pennsylvania supreme court ruled the current congressional map unconstitutional. The vacancy was created when pro-life Republican Tim Murphy resigned in disgrace after it was revealed he had pressured his mistress to have an abortion.

A Lamb win would be the first time Democrats have picked up a seat in the House of Representatives since Trump took office. They endured disappointing losses in special elections for the House in states such as Montana and Georgia in 2017.

Republicans did lose a special election for the US Senate in Alabama in 2017, but only after their nominee, Roy Moore, faced credible allegations of sexually assaulting teenage girls.
Alaskas population is shrinking for the first time in decades. The drop in residents suggests the state could be facing an unprecedented economic struggle as fewer people are opting to move there as they stay home or look for jobs elsewhere, according to a new state labor report.

For the past five years, Alaska has lost more people than it has gained residents, representing the longest streak of population loss since World War II, when researchers first started tracking the yearly numbers. In all, nearly 29,000 more people have moved out of Alaska since 2012 than have moved into the state. The state had a net loss of nearly 9,000 residents in 2017, its largest population loss since 1988, the report from Alaska's Department of Labor and Workforce Development found.

The problem isn't necessarily that more people are leaving Alaska. Roughly 50,000 people have left every year. Instead, the issue is fewer people are moving to Alaska, with a drop to about 40,000 from 50,000 new residents in 2013, the report found.

Trending: Inside a Supreme Court Case on Abortion that May Redraw the Lines of Free Speech

Alaska has the most unstable population of any state in the U.S., with residents coming and going every year. While there are more native-born Alaskans than ever, with 41 percent born in Alaska these days versus only 32 percent in 1980, most residents arrive from other states.

Alaska has always been sparsely populated, but it did attract a rush of new residents starting in the 1970s as it began embracing its oil economy, and a recession in the rest of the country in the 1980s helped make the cold, northern state more attractive to residents in the Lower 48. Alaska was largely unaffected by the Great Recession in the late 2000s, which also helped it lure new residents.

But as state economies have improved in recent years, Alaska has struggled to maintain its allure to new residents. December marked the 27th consecutive month of job losses for Alaska and the state now has the highest unemployment rate in the nation, the report found.

Story continues

Don't miss: Michael Hari: Minnesota Mosque Bombing Suspect Wanted to Build Trump's Border Wall for $10bn

RTSSOZO

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Handout via Reuters

Most people leaving Alaska are heading to Washington because of its proximity. California, Texas and Florida are also popular alternatives, according to the report. Many of those fleeing are young people looking for jobs, starting college or entering the military. But older people are increasingly leaving Alaska, too, especially residents over the age of 50.

Others factors include the growing death rate as the states population ages and a decrease in births. In fact, Alaskas working-age population dropped for the fifth consecutive year in 2017 as more residents entered retirement or moved away.

Most popular: Pi Day 2018: 14 Math Jokes to Make You Laugh on 3.14

Heidi Drygas, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, said in a statement in the report that she was concerned about non-Alaskans taking jobs in the oil and gas industry from state residents. History shows that without concerted action, too much of our oil wealth will leave Alaska, including the billions of dollars in wages were losing to nonresident workers. During a time of rising unemployment, it is unacceptable for oil companies to continue hiring outsiders instead of skilled, experienced Alaskans. Lets make it clear to producers and support contractors that they must do better, she said.

Alaskas unemployment rate was 7.3 percent, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report in March. New Mexico, which has the second highest unemployment rate in the U.S., had a rate of 5.9 percent.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
By Mitra Taj LIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Vice President Martin Vizcarra would not resign to pave the way to early elections if President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski were removed from office by an impeachment vote, two sources told Reuters this week. Opposition lawmakers are seeking to impeach center-right Kuczynski over accusations he lied about his ties to Odebrecht [ODBES.UL], a Brazilian construction conglomerate at the heart of a far-reaching graft probe. After a first impeachment vote failed in December by just eight votes, a second was presented by opposition lawmakers last week. Kuczynski, a 79-year-old former Wall Street banker who denies wrongdoing, warned it would create chaos and said there was no legitimate reason to oust him. If Kuczynski were removed from office, Peru's constitution dictates that Vizcarra replace him as a president. Early elections would be held if both Vizcarra and Kuczynski's second vice president resign. In the past week, ruling party lawmakers have called for Vizcarra to pledge to resign out of loyalty. But Vizcarra believes it would be his duty to govern Peru until the next scheduled elections in 2021 instead of deepening the political turmoil by resigning, said a source close to Vizcarra, who asked not to be named. A government source also said that Vizcarra, a 54-year-old former governor of a mining region, was opposed to stepping down. Vizcarra declined to comment. "I can't put myself in scenarios that haven't happened yet," Vizcarra told Reuters at a mining conference in Toronto last week. Investors in Peru, the world's No. 2 copper producer and one of Latin America's most stable economies, fear fresh elections might sweep anti-establishment candidates to power at a time when the corruption scandal and constant political feuding has left many Peruvians disgusted with elected officials. On the eve of the impeachment vote in December, Kuczynski signaled that if he lost, both his vice presidents would resign to protest what he called a legislative coup. But Vizcarra disagreed with that stance and refused to sign a resignation letter prepared for him before the vote, the sources said. Relations between Vizcarra and Kuczynski cooled after that, and Vizcarra no longer weighs in on government decisions, the sources said. Kuczynski named Vizcarra transportation minister upon taking office in July 2016, but Vizcarra resigned after lawmakers threatened to censure him over a controversial airport contract. Since September, Vizcarra has been Peru's ambassador to Canada as well as vice president. (Reporting By Mitra Taj, Additional Reporting By Susan Taylor in Toronto, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)
Manila (AFP) - President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he was pulling the Philippines out of the treaty underpinning the International Criminal Court, which is examining his deadly drug war.

The outspoken leader, who is accused of stoking the killing of drug suspects with inflammatory statements, has fiercely pushed back since the Philippines became the first southeast Asian nation put under "preliminary examination" by the court's prosecutors.

The ICC announced last month it was launching a study of the killings, which Philippine police put at 4,000 but rights groups say is actually triple that number.

Officially quitting the court requires a year's notice and experts say pulling out does not preclude an investigation of the deaths, which have drawn international concern.

"It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines," Duterte said in a statement, adding the ICC examination was "unduly and maliciously created".

"I therefore declare and forthwith give notice... that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately," he added.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

The Philippines, under previous President Benigno Aquino, ratified in 2011 the Rome Statute which underpins the ICC, giving the tribunal authority to investigate crimes on its soil.

Rights advocates and attorneys said quitting the court would not eliminate the possibility of a case before it.

"The Philippines' intention to walk away from the International Criminal Court is unfortunate, but it doesn't shut the door on the prosecutor's scrutiny of the government's horrendous track record of grave abuses," said Param-Preet Singh of Human Rights Watch.

- 'Unprecedented, outrageous attacks' -

Story continues

Celeste Mallari, a professor at the Philippines College of Law, said the court can "investigate any acts that have been done from the time the Philippines became a member of the ICC... until one year after we gave our notice of withdrawal".

However, should the Philippines fully withdraw from the court it would not be the first to do so, as Burundi became the first ever nation to leave in October 2017.

In a wave of unprecedented defections, other African nations -- Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Gambia -- have also made moves to quit or expressed interest to withdraw as they accused the court of being biased against Africans.

Russia in 2016 dealt the ICC another blow by withdrawing its signature from the Rome Statute.

Duterte, who is buoyed by high popularity ratings in the Philippines, has fiercely defended the drug war as a battle to bring safety to the nation's 100 million people.

On Wednesday he repeated that defence, citing "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on his person as well my administration".

"The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operations lacked the intent to kill," he added.

But even as early as October 13, 2016, when Duterte had only been in office less than four months, the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement that she was "deeply concerned" over reports of extra-judicial killings of over 3,000 alleged drug users and pushers.

Adding pressure on Manila, in February, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva raised the country's human rights record, with Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson calling on the Philippines to accept the visit of a UN Special Rapporteur.

Philippine officials had initially said in February that the country was ready to cooperate but asked for fairness.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque also said they would refuse a visit by one such rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who had previously been pressing to investigate the killings.

But Roque has also said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the case because the tribunal was intended as a "court of last resort" and the Philippine courts were fully functioning.
By Stephen Addison LONDON (Reuters) - Stephen Hawking, who sought to explain the origins of the universe, the mysteries of black holes and the nature of time itself, died on Wednesday aged 76. Hawking's formidable mind probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time. Ravaged by the wasting motor neurone disease he developed at 21, Hawking was confined to a wheelchair for most of his life. As his condition worsened, he had to speak through a voice synthesizer and communicating by moving his eyebrows - but at the same time became the world's most recognizable scientist. Hawking died peacefully at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said. "His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world." Hawking shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of "A Brief History of Time", one of the most complex books ever to achieve mass appeal, which stayed on the Sunday Times best-sellers list for no fewer than 237 weeks. "My original aim was to write a book that would sell on airport bookstalls," he told reporters at the time. "In order to make sure it was understandable I tried the book out on my nurses. I think they understood most of it." The physicist's disease spurred him to work harder but also contributed to the collapse of his two marriages, he wrote in a 2013 memoir "My Brief History". In the book he related how he was first diagnosed: "I felt it was very unfair - why should this happen to me," he wrote. "At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life." FILM PORTRAYAL U.S. space agency NASA said: "His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we and the world are exploring." Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, said: "We have lost a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit." Hawking's popular recognition became such that he appeared as himself on the television show "Star Trek: Next Generation" and his cartoon caricature appeared on "The Simpsons". He narrated a segment of the opening ceremony of the London Paralympic Games in August 2012, the year he turned 70. A 2014 film, "The Theory of Everything", with Eddie Redmayne playing Hawking, charted the onset of his illness and his early life as a brilliant student. "We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet," Redmayne said. In Cambridge, Hawking's university college Gonville and Caius flew its flag at half mast. "At Caius he will always be 'Stephen'  the man whose wicked sense of humor enlivened high table dinners and saw him spinning uproariously around hall in his wheelchair to the strains of a waltz at a college party," it said in a tribute. Since 1974, Hawking worked extensively on marrying the two cornerstones of modern physics - Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which concerns gravity and large-scale phenomena, and quantum theory, which covers subatomic particles. As a result of that research, Hawking proposed a model of the universe based on two concepts of time: "real time", or time as human beings experience it, and quantum theory's "imaginary time", on which the world may really run. "Imaginary time may sound like science fiction ... but it is a genuine scientific concept," he wrote in a lecture paper. He caused some controversy among biologists when he said he saw computer viruses as a life form, and thus the human race's first act of creation. "I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive," he told a forum in Boston. "We've created life in our own image." Another major area of his research was into black holes, the regions of space-time where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. When asked whether God had a place in his work, Hawking once said: "In a way, if we understand the universe, we are in the position of God." PERSONAL LIFE He married undergraduate Jane Wilde in July 1965 and the couple had Robert, Lucy and Timothy. But Hawking tells in his 2013 memoir how Wilde became more and more depressed as her husband's condition worsened. "She was worried I was going to die soon and wanted someone who would give her and the children support and marry her when I was gone," he wrote. Wilde took up with a local musician and gave him a room in the family apartment, Hawking said. "I would have objected but I too was expecting an early death ...," he said. He divorced Wilde in 1990 and in 1995 married one of his nurses Elaine Mason, whose ex-husband David had designed the electronic voice synthesizer that allowed him to communicate. The pair divorced in 2007. Stephen William Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942. He grew up in and around London. After studying physics at Oxford University, he was in his first year of research work at Cambridge when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. "The realization that I had an incurable disease that was likely to kill me in a few years was a bit of a shock," he wrote in his memoir. In fact there were even advantages to being confined to a wheelchair and having to speak through a voice synthesizer. "I haven't had to lecture or teach undergraduates and I haven't had to sit on tedious and time-consuming committees. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research," he wrote. "I became possibly the best-known scientist in the world. This is partly because scientists, apart from Einstein, are not widely known rock stars, and partly because I fit the stereotype of a disabled genius." (Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Kelland; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall and Alison Williams)
Over the last two weeks, three packages left on doorsteps in and around Austin, Texas have killed two people and wounded two others, leading to panic throughout the city. All of the victims were people of color, and some of the targets have been linked to prominent members of Austins Black community, leading police to say they cannot rule out the possibility of hate crimes.

Of course, people in the city are on edge. The first package bomb went off on March 2, killing Anthony Stephan House, the stepson of prominent Black pastor Freddie Dixon, who previously headed one of the citys historic Black churches. On Monday, a 17-year-old boy was killed, and his mother was seriously injured in a separate blast. Pastor Dixon told The Washington Post that he was good friends with the grandfather of the boy who was killed Monday, leaving a curious connection to the two incidents.

Also on Monday, a 75-year-old Hispanic woman walked out of her house to pick up what she believed was a package, and according to neighbors, when the package exploded, it literally rocked the community. It shook my house and it shook my body, neighbor Isaiah Guerrero told KXAN News.

Guerrero told the station he was in his room when he heard the explosion, which led him to climb up on his roof where he saw police walking up to one of his neighbors homes. From that angle, you could actually see the house that got the package sent to them. The woman who detonated the package bomb is in critical condition.

All three packages were placed outside of the victims homes, made to look like deliveries. CNN reports that neither the United States Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS delivered the packages.

After the first blast that killed House, police in Austin believed the attack to be isolated, but after the events on Monday, they will not rule out a connection as well as the possibility that these crimes are racially motivated.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

With SXSW just getting underway in the city, Austin police are reminding residents to stay vigilant and be cautious with their packages.

If youve received a package that has been left on your doorstep or left in your yard or left on your driveway that you were not expecting or that was not from someone you know, then give us a call, the Chief said via social media on Monday.

(photo via Al Henkel/NBC News/Wire)
Danielle Pletka

Politics, North America

National Security Leaders testify on

The Director of Central Intelligence has been a competent leader at the Agency, and competence is sorely missed at State.

Will Pompeo Turn the State Department Around?

In the professional abattoir that is the Trump administration, almost every cabinet member has been rumored to be in the presidents gunsights. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wasn't even back at the top of the batting order, but hes the first top man to go.

Before turning to the question of Tillerson himself, Washingtons rumor mill deserves a word. We have heard frenzied rumors about almost everyones ouster from the get-go. Last week (seriously), H. R. McMaster was out, being replaced by a Ford exec. Before that, Chief of Staff John Kelly was out. We heard the president wished Jared would go. That the Secretary of the Interior was out. Also VA sec. Some others. To be sure, at least one of the rumors must be true. Even a blind hog is right twice a day. Or something. But most of these stories are reporters talking to agitators, ax grinders and other reporters. They are not talking to people who know anything, which in this administration, consists of Donald J. Trump. But back to Tillerson.

The former Exxon mogul was the great hope of the establishment in the age of Trump. To say he disappointed is an understatement. It was not that Tillerson was too Trumpy. It was that he was not what he promised to be: a manager. His stewardship of the State Department has been a fiasco from soup to nuts. Insular and ignorant, Tillerson refused to fill positions, refused to manage foreign policy, and frankly, refused to do his job. His sole constituent in the administration has been Secretary of Defense James Mattis, who was apparently unable to protect his pal. Nor was Tillerson a moderate as deranged anti-Trumpers are now suggesting. Does a moderate cut State by 30 percent? Not have ambassadors in Saudi or South Korea? Refuse to meet staff? Skip multinational meetings on counterterrorism? Ignore Iraq?

Story continues

Then there is Mike Pompeo. The Director of Central Intelligence has been a competent leader at the Agency, and competence is sorely missed at State. He respects the rank and file. He is a hardliner on North Korea, like Tillerson, but unlike Tillerson, may actually want someone to work that file at State. For those who suggested the firing of Tillerson was related to his tough stand on Russia (ahem, what?), Pompeo is an actual Putin skeptic. And oddly, for those who suggest that now is a terrible moment to can the Secretary of State (who has done next to nothing on Asia), who better to slot in than someone who knows all too well what the intel says about North Korea and Kim Jong-un.

The tasks ahead for Pompeo, if confirmed, to restore the State Department are clear:

1 - People. Appoint some people. There are dozens of empty positions at State. Almost every key position.

2 - Leadership. Tillerson has led with a tiny inner circle that could easily fit in the proverbial phone-booth. He doesn't meet the assistant secretaries or undersecretaries, such as exist. Pompeo must expand his circle and lead every day.

3 - Policy. The State Department has been MIA under this administration except insofar as Tillerson has worked to derail the National Security Council. There are good people, political and career, who deserve respect and should be allowed to do their jobs. Recent career employees who have fled could be allowed back to help do the work of the nation. Foreign policy is not all war and peace, and requires a professional and experienced team. Threats are growing, whether from Russia, Iran, China or Al Qaeda and ISIS. The nation cannot afford to have a Secretary of State who is AWOL every single day.

4 - Trust. If the president trusts Pompeo, all to the good. But it will also be Pompeos job to restore the trust of people at State in their leadership.

Danielle Pletka is the Senior Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

This is an expanded version of an article that appeared earlier on the AEIdeas blog.

Image: Reuters

Read full article
Prince George has shown an interest in policing, his father said - Times Newspapers Ltd

Prince George could be interested in joining the police, his father has suggested.

Speaking as he met winners of the Metropolitan Police Excellence Awards at a reception in Kensington Palace, the Duke of Cambridge revealed that his four-year-old son has shown an interest in the police force.

The Duke met cadet of the year Nabil Laasid, who has completed almost 1,000 hours of volunteering in the last year, and was one of the first cadets to volunteer after the Grenfell Tower fire. He was nominated by Jayne Richardson who joked with William that his children could join the cadets.

After the event, she said: "We're only based just down the road in Kensington and I said to him 'Perhaps Prince George and Princess Charlotte could join the police cadets'.

"And he said 'Well he does like the police at the moment'."

Prince William and Prince Harry, met Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick at the reception Credit: AFP / Adrian Dennis

He and Prince Harry praised the "impressive" and "inspiring" police officers, staff and volunteers who won awards for their work.

William and Harry also met Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood who won an outstanding contribution award for his efforts in rushing to help Pc Keith Palmer during the Westminster terror attack.

Mr Ellwood, a former soldier, told William about how "instinct kicked in" as the attack unfolded last March.

The Duke said: "Everyone did all they could I'm sure."

William met Investigation of the Year award winner DC Hannah Stewart, who led a time sensitive and logistically challenging investigation into a child sexual abuse offence.

The victim had motor neurone disease, with a life expectancy of less than six months, and was no longer able to speak.

Prince Harry jokes with Metropolitan Police officers Credit: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP

DC Stewart arranged for a specialist neurologist to act as an intermediary between her and the victim.

She arranged for a private company to install specialist technology that would let the victim give evidence by blinking.

On the day of the verdict, the victim died, not knowing that the defendant had been convicted.

Story continues

William congratulated her on her award and described her work as "very impressive".

The royals also met police officer of the year, Pc Philip Stone, who co-ordinates the work of the Met's Disaster Victim Identification Cadre, which organises the national and international recovery and identification of human remains for the coroner to repatriate them to their families.

Pc Stone discussed Grenfell Tower with William and afterwards the officer described his team's work there as "very, very difficult".

He said he had already met the Duke at Grenfell in the aftermath of the tragedy.

As they left, William described the group as "really inspiring", while Harry said: "Well done guys."

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said the force is "really grateful" to William and Harry for finding time for them.

"It's wonderful for our guys and girls to be here and to enjoy such a treat.

"They're really excited and have had a lovely time.

"They all spoke very openly and clearly and frankly about what they do, and what they do is ... you know they take it for granted, but it is extraordinary for many of them," she said.

The Commissioner said William and Harry are "very knowledgeable", adding: "We're very grateful because they've been supporting us in a variety of different ways over the last several years."

She said they are "interested in policing" and in how the force keeps the public safe.

The Commissioner said the pair have taken a great interest in crime that affects young people, such as knife crime.

The seventh annual awards ceremony, held on Friday, celebrated the work of police officers in London.

Pc Palmer was posthumously honoured at the ceremony for his heroic response during the Westminster attack.

The officer, who was stabbed to death when he confronted attacker Khalid Masood outside the Houses of Parliament, was named the winner of the outstanding bravery of the year prize.
Eddie Redmayne starred as Professor Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory Of Everything - Rex Features

Professor Stephen Hawking, the renowned British physicist and author of A Brief History of Time, has died at the age of 76.

He died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning, his family said.

Prof Hawking, one of the world's finest scientific minds, was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22 and was given just a few years to live.

He eventually became confined to a wheelchair and dependent on a computerised voice system for communication.

Despite this, he continued to travel the world giving lectures and writing scientific papers about the basic laws that govern the universe. Prof Hawking explained the Big Bang and black holes in his best-selling book A Brief History Of Time.

Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures

As tributes to the acclaimed physicist poured in from around the world, Prime Minister Theresa May said he was "a brilliant and extraordinary mind - one of the great scientists of his generation" whose "courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration".

The University of Cambridge said he was "an inspiration to millions" and his work will leave "an indelible legacy".

Eddie Redmayne, who starred as Professor Hawking in The Theory Of Everything, said in a statement: "We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

Story continues

"My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family."

Eddie Redmayne starred as Professor Hawking in the 2014 film The Theory Of Everything Credit: James Shaw/REX/Shutterstock

Stephen Hawking's ex-wife Jane Hawking, who was married to the physicist for 30 years, said she was "deeply saddened by the news of the death in the early hours of this morning of our dear Stephen".

She added: "I am glad to be able to say that he died peacefully in the comfort of his own home.

"The peace that he has found is well earned after such an extraordinary and courageous life, but we shall feel his loss keenly for a long time."

In a statement early on Wednesday, Prof Hawking's children Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever."

Prof Hawking was born on January 8 1942 in Oxford, the eldest of four children, and went on to become one of the world's most acclaimed cosmologists.

Stephen Hawking at his Oxford graduation Credit: SWNS.com

Prof Hawking arrived at the University of Cambridge in 1962 as a PhD student, and rose through the ranks to become the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a position once held by Sir Isaac Newton, in 1979.

His most famous scientific insight concerned the arcane physics of black holes. He discovered the phenomenon which has become known as Hawking radiation, where black holes leak energy and fade to nothing.

Nasa remembered Prof Hawking as a "renowned physicist and ambassador of science", while inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, said: "We have lost a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking."

British astronaut Tim Peake said Prof Hawking "inspired generations to look beyond our own blue planet and expand our understanding of the universe".

'I try to lead as normal a life as possible': Prof Hawking on living with ALS

Prof Hawking was left having to use a wheelchair by the time he was 30. In 1986, aged 44, his voice was removed to save his life after an attack of pneumonia.

From then on, he spoke through a computer synthesiser on the arm of his wheelchair.

"I am quite often asked: how do you feel about having ALS?" he once wrote. "The answer is, not a lot.

"I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many."

Professor Stephen Hawking was in a wheelchair from the age of 30 Credit: JULIAN SIMMONDS for The Telegraph

Prof Hawking was Britain's most famous modern day scientist, a genius with a razor-sharp wit who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe.

"My goal is simple," he once said. "It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

A Brief History of Time: A book 'that would sell on airport bookstalls'

Much of Prof Hawking's work centred on bringing together relativity - the nature of space and time - and quantum theory - how the smallest particles in the Universe behave - to explain the creation of the universe and how it is governed.

Hawking shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of A Brief History of Time, one of the most complex books ever to achieve mass appeal, which stayed on the Sunday Times best-sellers list for no fewer than 237 weeks.

He said he wrote the book to convey his own excitement over recent discoveries about the universe.

"My original aim was to write a book that would sell on airport bookstalls," he told reporters at the time. "In order to make sure it was understandable I tried the book out on my nurses. I think they understood most of it."

Stephen Hawking shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of his book Credit: REX/Shutterstock

In 1974, he became one of the youngest fellows of Britain's most prestigious scientific body, the Royal Society, at the age of 32.

Five years later, he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, where he had moved from Oxford University to study theoretical astronomy and cosmology. A previous holder of the prestigious post was the 17th-century British scientist Isaac Newton.

The news of his illness came as an enormous shock that for a time plunged the budding academic into deep despair.

But he was rescued by an old friend, Jane Wilde, who went on to become his first wife, giving him a family with three children. Jane cared for Hawking for 20 years, until a grant from the United States paid for the 24-hour care he required.

'An inspiration to millions' - University of Cambridge on Prof Hawking's 'indelible legacy'

Professor Stephen Hawking was "an inspiration to millions" and his work will leave "an indelible legacy", the University of Cambridge has said.

He retired from this position as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 2009, and became the Dennis Stanton Avery and Sally Tsui Wong-Avery Director of Research in the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics until his death.

The university's vice-chancellor Professor Stephen Toope said: "Professor Hawking was a unique individual who will be remembered with warmth and affection not only in Cambridge but all over the world.

"His exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge and the popularisation of science and mathematics have left an indelible legacy. His character was an inspiration to millions. He will be much missed."

Professor Stephen Hawking at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge Credit: Eleanor Bentall /Corbis

Prof Hawking was a fellow at the university's Gonville and Caius College, where a book of condolence is due to be opened.

Astronomer Royal, Professor Lord Martin Rees, emeritus professor of cosmology and astrophysics at Cambridge, said:

"Soon after I enrolled as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964, I encountered a fellow student, two years ahead of me in his studies; he was unsteady on his feet and spoke with great difficulty. "This was Stephen Hawking. He had recently been diagnosed with a degenerative disease, and it was thought that he might not survive long enough even to finish his PhD. But, amazingly, he lived on to the age of 76. "Even mere survival would have been a medical marvel, but of course he didn't just survive. He became one of the most famous scientists in the world - acclaimed as a world-leading researcher in mathematical physics, for his best-selling books about space, time and the cosmos, and for his astonishing triumph over adversity. "Tragedy struck Stephen Hawking when he was only 22. He was diagnosed with a deadly disease, and his expectations dropped to zero. "He himself said that everything that happened since then was a bonus. And what a triumph his life has been. "His name will live in the annals of science - millions have had their cosmic horizons widened by his best-selling books, and even more, around the world, have been inspired by a unique example of achievement against all the odds - a manifestation of amazing willpower and determination."

Eddie Redmayne on 'the funniest man' he ever met

Prof Hawking's rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane, was dramatised in a 2014 film, The Theory Of Everything.

Eddie Redmayne put in an Oscar-winning performance as the physicist battling with a devastating illness.

Following Prof Hawking's death, Redmayne describing him as "the funniest man" he has ever met.

He said in a statement: "We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family."

Benedict Cumberbatch will raise margarita 'to the stars to celebrate your life'

Benedict Cumberbatch, who also played Prof Hawking on screen, said in a statement:

"I was so sad to hear that Stephen has died. I send my heartfelt love and condolences to all his family and colleagues. "I feel so lucky to have known such a truly great man who's profundity was found both in his work and the communication of that work. Both in person and in books. "He virtually created the publishing genre of popular science. A heroic feat to bring the wondrous complexities of the universe to all outside of specialists in this field. "But truly courageous when considering it was achieved by a man who lived a life trapped in his body from the age of 21 when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. "His support of the sciences, art, education and the NHS and charities such as the MND foundation will also live on as will his wickedly funny sense of humour. "I will miss our margaritas but will raise one to the stars to celebrate your life and the light of understanding you shone so brightly on them for the rest of us. You were and are a true inspiration for me and for millions around the world. Thank you."

An ambassador of science... a remarkable life: Tributes flood in from around world

The Prime Minister has led tributes to Professor Hawking, as scientists and celebrities hailed a man who had brought complex science to the masses.

Theresa May said: "Professor Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and extraordinary mind - one of the great scientists of his generation.

"His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration. His legacy will not be forgotten."

Barack Obama

The former US President tweeted a picture of himself speaking with Prof Hawking at the White House and wrote: "Have fun out there among the stars."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Nasa

The US space agency, described Professor Hawking as an "ambassador of science" in a video post on Twitter.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Professor Brian Cox

The scientist and broadcaster told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Prof Hawking was "one of the greats".

"There are many good theoretical physicists who make a big contribution, but there aren't that many greats," he added.

"And by that I mean that I think there are physicists in a thousand years' time, they will still be talking about Hawking radiation, they will be using his fundamental results on black holes."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

He added: "Actually, the last time I saw him at his 75th birthday party, he was talking about the new gravitational wave experiment where we've seen the collisions of black holes, and speculating that those results might be able to prove some of his theorems once and for all.

"Plus his contributions to the physics of the very early universe, so there are at least three and possibly more areas where his work will be remembered as long as there are cosmologists and that's the best you can hope for as a scientist."

Lawrence M. Krauss, theoretical physicist

The best-selling author said a "star just went out in the cosmos".

"We have lost an amazing human being. Stephen Hawking fought and tamed the cosmos bravely for 76 years and taught us all something important about what it truly means to celebrate about being human. I will miss him."

Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist

The American astrophysicist and author said Prof Hawking's "passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake".

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

The inventor of the World Wide Web described Prof Hawking as having "a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit".

He tweeted: "We have lost a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking."

Carol Vorderman

The former Countdown presenter described Prof Hawking as "a great man and friend".

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Mayim Bialik, actress and neuroscientist

The actress met and worked with Prof Hawking when he appeared on US sitcom The Big Bang Theory.

She tweeted: "As we near Pi day (3.14) I join the global community in mourning the loss of the greatest physicist of our era."

Along with a picture of Prof Hawking with the cast of the programme, she added: "He is soaring above us now marveling at it all."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The Big Bang Theory's Johnny Galecki wrote on Instagram: "Not only your brilliance, but your sense of humor will be sorely missed by all."

James Hartle, physicist

Mr Hartle, whose work with Prof Hawking led to the Hartle-Hawking model of the universe's origins, said his colleague had "inspired a lot of people".

Prof Hartle told BBC Radio 4's Today: "What was unique about him was that he had a marvellous ability to see through all the clutter in physics and to see what the essential points are and that, of course, was a great thing for going forward."

He added: "My memory of him would be on several fronts: first our work together, as a scientist, and second as a human being whose whole story is of triumph over adversity and who inspired a lot of people, including me."

Paralympic Games

The organisers of the Paralympic Games described Prof Hawkins as "a pioneer of the human spirit".

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Political reaction

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among the politicians sharing tributes to Prof Hawking, saying: "Stephen Hawking inspired the world with his determination to explain the mysteries of the cosmos.

"But he also showed breathtaking courage to overcome life's adversities and a burning passion to protect our National Health Service. He will be greatly missed."

Prof Hawking was a Labour supporter but in March 2017 said Mr Corbyn had been a "disaster" as leader, adding: "His heart is in the right place and many of his policies are sound, but he has allowed himself to be portrayed as a left-wing extremist."

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was among the politicians sharing tributes, said Prof Hawking had "changed the way we see the universe".

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted a tribute to Prof Hawking:

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said Prof Hawking had "made the world a better place" and his death was "anguishing".

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Errol Morris, film-maker

The film-maker, who made a biographical documentary called A Brief History of Time, said he was "funny, perverse, and, of course, brilliant".

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Greenpeace USA

The campaign group thanked Prof Hawking for helping people understand their place in the universe and for "leaving us in awe and wonder".

Prof Hawking's popularity in China

Prof Hawking's Sina Weibo site attracted 3.6 million followers just over two weeks after it was set it up last April and now has nearly five million followers, reports Neil Connor in Beijing.

The Chinese call him "Hawking Dada" or "Uncle Hawking. It is an affectionate term. Xi Jinping is called Xi Dada.

His posts on Weibo (Chinas version of Twitter) generated tens of thousands of admiring comments apiece.

News of his death at age 76 quickly became the top-trending Weibo topic, with the hashtag #Hawking passed generating more than 450 million reads and nearly 250,000 comments in the hours after his death was announced.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang called him a "fighter for science who arduously battled illness for a long time.

Mr Lu said Hawking also "strongly insisted on visiting the Great Wall when he made a trip to China, despite his physical condition.

How Stephen Hawking made his mark on popular culture

He was an intellectual giant, but Professor Stephen Hawking also embraced popular culture. The celebrated physicist featured in cartoon The Simpsons and enjoyed a cameo in several episodes of The Big Bang Theory, the hit US sitcom about a group of science geeks.

The Simpsons

In The Simpsons, a cartoon version of the professor, complete with voice generator, appeared in Springfield many times.

In the episode They Saved Lisa's Brain, in which he appears with his flying wheelchair, Prof Hawking says: "Your theory of a doughnut shaped universe is intriguing Homer. I may have to steal it."

He was so proud of his appearance in The Simpsons, which he called "the best thing on American television", that he had a clock depicting Homer on a wall in his office.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

He also featured, in 1993, in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His character was seen playing poker with Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein.

"The uncertainty principle will not help you now Stephen," Einstein tells him.

Futurama

He also appeared in Futurama, the other cartoon by Simpsons' creator Matt Groening, in which he takes the credit for inventing gravity.

The Theory Of Everything

Eddie Redmayne played Professor Hawking in the film The Theory Of Everything, winning an Oscar for the role, portraying the scientist as a young man.

"He has a real force of charisma and humour and incisive wit and a sense of mischief", Redmayne said of Prof Hawking.

Hawking

Benedict Cumberbatch previously played Prof Hawking in TV film Hawking in 2004, for which he was Bafta nominated for best actor.

Why Professor Hawking never won the Nobel Prize

Professor Stephen Hawking's groundbreaking work earned him dozens of accolades over his lifetime, but the coveted Nobel Prize always eluded him.

His discovery in 1974 that black holes should emit radiation was initially controversial as it was widely accepted that nothing, not even light, could escape their gravity.

His theory, dubbed "Hawking Radiation", was based on mathematical concepts arising from quantum mechanics, the branch of science dealing with sub-atomic particles. It stated that this emission of radiation eventually causes black holes to "evaporate" and vanish.

Although it became widely accepted, Hawking Radiation was never proved by astronomers or physicists - if it had, it would almost certainly have earned him the Nobel Prize.

In January 2016, Prof Hawking gave a Reith Lecture broadcast on the BBC in which he joked that his lack of a Nobel Prize was "a pity".

He said: "A mountain-sized black hole would give off X-rays and gamma rays, at a rate of about 10 million megawatts, enough to power the world's electricity supply.

"It wouldn't be easy however, to harness a mini black hole - about the only way to keep hold of it would be to have it in orbit around the Earth.

"People have searched for mini black holes of this mass, but have so far not found any. This is a pity because if they had I would have got a Nobel Prize."

Graduate assistant Colin P. Williams talks to Stephen Hawking at Harvard University in 1984 Credit: Boston Globe/Getty

After the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2013, almost five decades after British physicist Peter Higgs developed the theory in the 1960s, Prof Hawking admitted he was disappointed the so-called "God particle" had been found.

The discovery earned Prof Higgs the Nobel Prize.

The Higgs boson is theorised to give other particles mass, but Prof Hawking said in a speech at London's Science Museum: "Physics would be far more interesting if it had not been found," because it would force scientists to develop alternative solutions to the problem of mass.

He joked: "I had a bet with Gordon Kane of Michigan University that the Higgs particle wouldn't be found. The Nobel Prize cost me 100 dollars."

Unafraid of ruffling the feathers of the religious

Hawking was an outspoken commentator on life back on earth, voicing his disapproval in recent years of both the election of Donald Trump in the United States, and Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

He was unafraid of ruffling the feathers of the religious, dismissing the concept of an afterlife in a 2011 Guardian interview.

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he said at the time.

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark," he added.

He was also outspoken when it came to artificial intelligence, warning it "could spell the end of the human race.''

MND: The disease that kills a third of people in a year - Prof Hawking survived for half a century

Professor Hawking overcame a debilitating rare disease to become one of the world's best known physicists.

He survived for around half a century after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND), despite being told he had just years to live when he was diagnosed.

The disease kills a third of people within a year and more than half within two years of diagnosis, according to the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Yet Prof Hawking was diagnosed with the condition in his early 20s and lived until he was 76. The condition is fatal, and usually progresses rapidly, affecting the brain and spinal cord.

MND is the collective name for a group of diseases that affect the nerves in the brain and spinal cord that control movement.

The condition progressively damages parts of the nervous system which leads to muscle weakness, stiffening and waste.

About | Motor neurone disease

Sally Light, chief executive of the MND Association, said: "All of us at the MND Association have been extremely saddened by the news of Professor Hawking's passing.

"Through so many years in the public eye he did a huge amount to raise awareness of motor neurone disease, yet he never allowed himself to be defined by his illness. His approach to life with MND is an example to all of us."
(SAN DIEGO)  Rallies for and against Donald Trumps big beautiful border wall with Mexico are expected to mark his first visit to California as president amid growing tensions between his administration and the state over immigration enforcement.

Trump will visit eight towering prototypes of his planned wall Tuesday before addressing Marines in San Diego and attending a fund-raiser in Los Angeles.

A top federal immigration official lashed out at some of the states elected leaders ahead of the visit. Thomas Homan, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements acting director, singled out Gov. Jerry Brown, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday for recent criticism of a spate of immigration arrests in the state and a federal lawsuit challenging state laws that limit cooperation on immigration.

Homan said Pelosis comments about federal agents terrorizing immigrant communities were beyond the pale and challenged Feinstein to change laws if she disagreed with how they are enforced.

Protests are also being planned across the border in Tijuana, Mexico, when Trump will examine the 30-foot-tall prototypes built along the international border to fulfill his signature campaign promise. Trump has insisted Mexico pay for the wall but Mexico has adamantly refused to consider the idea.

Numerous rallies both for-and-against Donald Trumps big beautiful border wall are expected to mark his first visit to California as president on Tuesday. About 250 people protested Trump in San Diego on Monday. (March 13)

Organizers on both sides were urging people to remain peaceful after recent scuffles at rallies in Southern California, including brawls at a Dec. 9 rally near where the prototypes stand.

San Diego is the largest city on the U.S.-Mexico border to formally oppose his plans, passing a resolution in 2017.

Immigrant activists, church leaders and elected officials held a press conference at the citys historic Chicano Park to call for demonstrations to show border communities do not support a wall. Standing in front of murals of Mexican revolutionaries and other Latin American icons, they chanted We reject your hate! We dont need your racist wall!

Story continues

Its really important that as a region, as a city that has firsthand understanding of what the border wall means for our communities that we stand against (this) and we send a strong message to DC to say this is something that we dont welcome, City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez said Monday.

Gomez sponsored the resolution opposing the wall, calling it detrimental to the citys environment and tourism. It also expressed the citys intent to divest from the companies involved in the construction, financing and design of the wall.

Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer  who is not expected to meet with Trump during his visit  did not support the resolution but also did not veto it. The mayors office said Faulconer has been clear in his opposition to walls along the border but he did not want to blacklist companies involved in the construction of the prototypes.

When some people look at the U.S.-Mexico border, they see division, Faulconer said in his state of the city address in 2017. But here in San Diego we view it much differently. Rather than allowing the border to divide us, were building bridges that connect us.

Jeff Schwilk, founder of San Diegans for Secure Borders, whose group participated in the rally in December near the prototypes that ended in clashes with counter-protesters, said the city councils resolution does not reflect the views of many residents, who feel the border is not secure. He said his organization respects free speech and hopes Tuesdays rally will be safe for participants.

We absolutely want President Trump to feel welcome and to come inspect the prototypes so we can get the wall built, he said.

Trump on Tuesday is expected to be briefed on lessons learned from the construction of the prototypes built in San Diego last fall. He also will meet with border agents and officers to ask what they need, said Jonathan Hoffman, Homeland Security spokesman.

The president will not be swayed by California Republican lawmakers concerned the wall is a waste of money, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Monday.

The president campaigned on this, he talked about it extensively and hes the president and this is something that he is not going to back away from, she said. Its something that hes going to continue to push for.

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday invited Trump to also visit the states high-speed rail construction projects.

You see, in California we are focusing on bridges, not walls, Brown, a Democrat, said in a letter sent to Trump.

Trumps visit comes just days after his Justice Department sued to block California laws designed to protect people living in the U.S. illegally and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions followed up with a speech in Sacramento that was immediately denounced by Brown, who said the Trump administration was full of liars.
(LONDON)  A Russian businessman who was associated with a prominent critic of the Kremlin has died in London, his lawyer said Tuesday. Police are treating the death as unexplained and have put counterterrorism detectives in charge of the case.

But police said there was no evidence to suggest a link to the March 4 poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Attorney Andrei Borovkov told Russian media outlets that his client, Nikolai Glushkov, has died, but said he was unaware of the time and circumstances.

Londons Metropolitan Police force said counterterrorism detectives are leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had.

Reports in British and Russian media said Glushkov, who was in his late 60s, was found dead at his home in southwest London.

Police said officers are investigating the unexplained death of a man found at a house in the New Malden area late Monday. It didnt release his name, saying formal identification had yet to take place.

Glushkov was an associate of Boris Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch and Kremlin critic who died in London in 2013. An inquest failed to determine whether he had killed himself or died from foul play.

Glushkov had worked for various Berezovsky enterprises including the car factory AvtoVAZ and flagship Russian airline Aeroflot.

He was arrested in 1999 and put on trial for embezzling $7 million from Aeroflot. In 2004, he was sentenced to three years and three months in prison, but released because of time served before and during his trial.

Russian media reported that Glushkov was granted political asylum in Britain in 2010.

In 2017, a Moscow court reviewed Glushkovs case and sentenced him in absentia to eight years for embezzling more than $122 million from Aeroflot.

Last year, Glushkov appeared on a list published by the Russian Embassy in London of Russians wanted for serious crimes whom the U.K. had refused to extradite.

It said Russia had sought his extradition in 2015 for committing a number of severe financial offences on the territory of Russia, but the British government refused.
Sevastopol (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday thanked residents of Crimea for voting to annex the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, calling the move "real democracy" in a speech days ahead of Sunday's presidential election.

"With your decision you restored historical justice," he told the crowd of supporters in the city of Sevastopol, home to the Black Sea Fleet's base.

"With your decision, you showed the whole world what is real, rather than sham democracy, you came to the referendum and made a decision, you voted for your future and future of your children," Putin said.

In a rallying call he said there are still things to improve in Crimea but "we will definitely do everything, because when we are together we are a huge force that can resolve the most difficult problems."

Putin is running for an historic fourth term in a poll all but guaranteed to hand him another mandate.

His visit to Crimea also included a stop at the construction site of a massive bridge linking the peninsula to Russia and a look at a new airport terminal.

Police said about 40,000 people attended Putin's short speech, having first to wait for several hours listening to patriotic songs.

An AFP correspondent at the scene put the crowd at nearer 20,000.

Putin's stop at Sevastopol's main Nakhimov square is seen as his last campaign event before the country votes.

The annexation of Crimea in March 2014 was slammed by the international community and led to sanctions against Moscow but is celebrated by most Russians and resulted in a major boost of Putin's popularity at the time.

Russian authorities scheduled the election for March 18th to mark exactly four years since Putin signed a treaty with representatives from Crimea to make it a part of Russia.

Ahead of the vote, authorities are presenting the annexation as a major legacy of Putin's current term, with Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin warning recently that failing to endorse Putin on Sunday amounts to opposing the move.
Sevastopol (AFP) - Olga Orlova says she never thought she would be able to vote for Vladimir Putin in her native Crimea. "It still seems so surreal, like a fantasy," she said after watching the Russian leader at a rally in the port city of Sevastopol.

The 57-year-old listened to Putins less than two-minute speech at an ultra-patriotic rally marking the annexation of Crimea ahead of Russias presidential election on Sunday.

The 65-year-old Russian leader, who has been in power since 1999, is widely expected to win a fourth Kremlin term.

"We are still in euphoria (about joining Russia)," Orlova said with tears in her eyes of the momentous events of 2014 which led the West to impose biting sanctions against Moscow.

She was one of around 15,000 people who turned out in the historical home of the Russian Black Sea fleet.

Crowds cheered as Putins helicopter hovered over the stage as Soviet-era war songs blared and snipers perched on a nearby building.

They had waited for the Russian leader for hours.

But, after his eagerly anticipated arrival, Putin spoke for only a minute and 47 seconds.

Four years ago you made a historic decision thanks to which Sevastopol and Crimea came back to their native home, our common home, our motherland Russia," Putin told the cheering crowds.

After briefly praising the events of 2014, the Russian leader swiftly walked off stage.

"Thank you very much to all of you. I am sending you all hugs! See you soon," he said.

Shortly after, his helicopter took off to the sound of more cheering.

Many of those who attended had gathered on Sevastopol's main square five hours before the president's arrival. AFP saw groups of people told where to stand throughout, many holding Russian flags.

Ganif Serverovich, a 43-year-old Crimean Tatar told AFP he came to show his support for Moscow. Crimean Tatars have faced persecution since the annexation, but Serverovich said those were rumours fuelled in the West.

Story continues

"Its not true that Crimean Tatars are being suppressed in Crimea. They say that in the West because they don't want us to live in peace," he told AFP, adding that he had travelled from the mountain town of Bakhchisaray, a Tatar stronghold.

"We will go vote to show Crimean Tatars support Russia, he said, adding that it is "never easy to change country" but he believes in a bright future.

Many Crimeans who support Moscows rule see Sundays presidential election as a repeat of the 2014 referendum to join Russia, which was organised by the Kremlin and has not been recognised internationally.

"Tell the world we went to the referendum voluntarily," said Lyudmila Voloshina, a 65-year-old retired lawyer.

"If there are higher prices in the shops then it does not matter because we returned home (to Russia)," she said.

Russian performers flew in from Moscow and played both modern pop music and Soviet-era military songs.

A heavy metal band played a tune called Sevastopol will always be Russian and well-known artists performed ballads about the vastness of Russia.

Putin, who has been in power Russia both as prime minister and president since 1999, is already Russia's longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin and is likely to further extend his rule until 2024 in Sundays election.

I hope he is healthy and stays forever, said Klavdia Shleynikova, a 29-year-old stay-at-home mother who brought along her children.
Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District celebrates with his supporters: Gene J Puskar/AP

Democrat Conor Lamb has claimed victory over Donald Trump-backed Republican Rick Saccone in a highly anticipated special election in Pennsylvania, though officials say the result is too close to call.

Mr Lamb and Republican state Representative Mr Saccone are battling for the US House seat in Pennsylvania's 18th district  a race many billed as an indicator of the Republican Partys ability to hold its majority in Congress in midterm elections this November.

While Mr Lamb has tried to play down the idea of the race being a referendum on President Donald Trump, there is no doubt that a Republican loss in a district the president won by 20 points in 2016 would be a blow to the White House.

It took a little longer than we thought but we did it. You did it, Mr Lamb told cheering supporters. However, before his rival claimed victory Mr Saccone told his supporters: "It's not over yet... We're going to fight all the way to the end."

Mr Lamb and Mr Saccone were virtually neck-in-neck with more than 99 per cent of the votes counted on Tuesday night, and final votes likely to be tallied in the morning.

Mr Lamb started the night with a strong lead over his opponent, which narrowed significantly over the course of the evening. He pulled strength from the liberal Allegheny county, where he lead Mr Saccone by more than 10,000 votes. But with almost all precincts reporting  and some absentee ballots still unread  the Democrat lead was around 800 votes out of more than 220,000.

Democratic sources said absentee ballots were expected to show Mr Lamb winning the election by more than 400 votes, but Mr Saccone did not concede.

Two counties  Greene and Washington  said they likely would not count their absentee ballots until Wednesday. While there is no mandatory requirement for a recount, the result will likely be easily within the range where wither campaign could request, and pay for, one to be conducted.

Mr Saccone and Mr Lamb are competing for the seat vacated by Republican Representative Tim Murphy, who resigned amid a personal scandal in October. The district itself will not last past the midterms in 2018  the current Pennsylvania map was recently struck down by a court for being biased towards Republicans. But the race remains a powerful symbol for what could happen in the midterms.

Story continues

Signalling the importance of the race, Mr Saccone rallied the full force of the White House to his side in the weeks before the election, making appearances with everyone from Vice President Mike Pence to Mr Trumps son, Don Jr.

Mr Trump himself praised the candidate in a last-minute rally in Pennsylvania this weekend, calling him a very fine human being. Mr Saccone said in an election-day interview that he hoped to be the presidents wingman in Washington.

But it was unclear on Tuesday night whether tying himself to the presidents coattails would help the representative beat Mr Lamb, a Marine veteran and former prosecutor who ran an outsider campaign as a moderate Democrat.

Perhaps in an attempt to appeal to the Trump voters in Pennsylvania's 18th, Mr Lamb has repeatedly claimed the election was not about the president, but about local issues. He also steered clear of traditional Democratic issues like gun control, and expressed support for Mr Trumps tariff plan.

The candidate surged in the polls last month, after an impressive round of fundraising in which he raked in $3.3m compared to Mr Saccones $703,000. Outside Republican groups rushed to make up the difference, flooding the district with $10m in funding. It remained to be seen whether their efforts paid off.
Beirut (AFP) - Rebels in Syria's battered Eastern Ghouta shot dead a civilian Monday taking part in a protest calling for a deal to end regime attacks on the enclave, a Britain-based monitor said.

The man was killed in Kafr Batna where talks have been ongoing with the regime on a possible deal to evacuate fighters and civilians from the area, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

More than 1,160 civilians have been killed since Russia-backed regime forces launched a brutal air and ground assault on Eastern Ghouta, the last stronghold of the armed opposition near the capital Damascus.

"Seven hundred people protested in the area of Kafr Batna asking for a deal to end the fighting," Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.

"Opposition fighters deployed on rooftops opened fire on the protest, which led to one civilian being killed and six wounded," he said.

Kafr Batna is controlled by opposition group Faylaq al-Rahman, but jihadists from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) -- once linked to Al-Qaeda's Syria branch -- also have a presence.

Kafr Batna is one of several areas in the besieged enclave where talks are ongoing between local dignitaries and the regime on a possible evacuation to other areas of the country under rebel control.

But no deal has been reached until now, the Observatory said.

Regime forces have taken control of around 60 percent of Eastern Ghouta since launching their offensive on February 18.

Eastern Ghouta, which is home to some 400,000 people, has been under regime siege ever since 2013.
Republican Rick Saccone acknowledges the crowd during a campaign rally with President Donald Trump: AP

Republican Rick Saccone has pledged to be Trumps wingman as voters head to the polls in a tight congressional race in Pennsylvania.

The race outside of Pittsburgh has become surprisingly competitive, with both Democrats and Republicans pulling out all the stops in the district that Mr Trump won by 20 percentage points in 2016.

Mr Saccone said hes not surprised the race against Democrat Conor Lamb is so close. Democrats are throwing everything they can at this race because its a rare open seat, the 60-year-old state lawmaker said.

Despite being a political novice, the 33-year-old Lamb has far outpaced Mr Saccone in fundraising.

Up until last year, the seat in the heart of steel country was occupied by former Republican Representative Tim Murphy, who resigned in October amid a sex scandal.

But while the southwestern Pennsylvania district is Republican-leaning, Mr Saccone has struggled to win the same support that Mr Murphy managed during his 14-year career as a member of US Congress.

Several senior administration officials, as well as Mr Trump and his eldest son Donald Trump Jr, have appeared with Mr Saccone on the campaign trail, attempting to fend off the threat from Mr Lamb.

In an Election Day interview, Mr Saccone told Fox Business Network that the President is getting beat up in Washington by the media, bureaucrats and Hollywood. He needs a good wingman, the state lawmaker said.

While Mr Saccone has tied himself to Mr Trump, Mr Lamb asserted that the race didnt have much to do with President Trump, according to the Associated Press.

Appearing to recognise that Mr Trump still remains generally popular in the district, Mr Lamb has downplayed his opposition to the Republican president, insisting instead that the race hinges on local issues.

The 33-year-old Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor has positioned himself as a moderate with an independent streak, unbeholden to establishment Democrats like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Story continues

While he has blasted the Republican tax law passed last year  labelling it as a giveaway to corporations at the certain future expense of the USs fiscal security  he has departed from members of his party on guns. He has said he doesnt support proposals by fellow Democrats to ban certain weapons, saying that Congress should emphasize enforcing existing regulations.

Mr Saccone, meanwhile, supports Mr Trumps tax cuts and said he would fight for lower taxes, lower spending and fewer regulations on private businesses. He also opposes many of the federal governments recent gun-control proposals, including raising the age limit for purchasing certain types of guns from 18 to 21.

The battle between Mr Saccone and Mr Lamb is being seen as a marker for the chances of both Republicans and Democrats in the midterms elections in November.

Democrats are on a mission to recapture a majority in the House of Representatives later this year. Democrats must flip 24 Republican-held seats to take control of the lower chamber, and an upset in Pennsylvania on Tuesday will only embolden them as they look to win in places where the party has lost ground in recent decades.

Inside the White House, aides have reportedly dismissed suggestions that the contest is a referendum on Mr Trumps presidency, according to the Washington Post.

Along with holding a rally in the area over the weekend, Mr Trump has weighed in on Twitter, writing that Mr Saccone will be much better for steel and business.

The Economy is raging, at an all time high, and is set to get even better, he tweeted. Jobs and wages up. Vote for Rick Saccone and keep it going!

The president of the AFL-CIO, Richard Trumka, who once flirted with an alliance with Mr Trump, also weighed in on the race  but on behalf of Mr Lamb.

Mr Trumka told union voters that the Democratic candidate supported our agenda so now its time to ... support him.

The labour vote is expected to a key factor in determining whether Mr Lamb can pull out a win over Mr Saccone. The AFL-CIO estimates the total union household vote in the district to be 87,000  about one-fifth of the registered electorate.

The seats former occupant, Mr Murphy, had enjoyed union backing, but unions have now lined up behind the Mr Lamb as the candidate has highlighted his Republican opponents anti-labour record at the statehouse.
Aides for fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have claimed that he found out he had lost his job after President Donald Trump tweeted about it.

One State Department official said that Mr Tillerson was caught unaware by the announcement, according to CNN, with it clear that the US's top diplomat wanted to stay in his job.

The tweet that notified Mr Tillerson that he lost his job read: "Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!"

In an official statement, Steve Goldstein, undersecretary for public diplomacy at the State Department, said that Mr Tillerson "had every intention of staying... The secretary did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason" for his firing. Mr Tilleron will be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Mr Tillerson's departure caps months of friction between the Republican president and the 65-year-old former Exxon Mobil chief executive. The tensions peaked near the end of last year amid reports Mr Tillerson had called Trump a moron and considered resigning. Mr Tillerson had repeatedly denied those reports.

Showing the apparent lack of coordination between the White House and the State Department Mr Trump claimed to reporters that he and Mr Tillerson had been talking about this for a long time.

The changes come as Mr Trump considers whether to withdraw the US from the 2015 deal over Iran's nuclear programme that Mr Pompeo has called disastrous. Mr Tillerson had long pushed the president to remain in the agreement and had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment it to Mr Trump's liking.

"We got along, actually, quite well but we disagreed on things, Mr Trump said of Mr Tillerson. "When you look at the Iran deal; I think it's terrible, I guess he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently," Mr Trump added.

Story continues

The president said he was nominating the CIA's deputy director, Gina Haspel, to take over for Mr Pompeo at the intelligence agency. If confirmed, Ms Haspel would be the CIA's first female director

Mr Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, has already been confirmed by the Senate for his current role at the CIA, making it extremely likely that he will be confirmed for the State Department role. Mr Trump tweeted, He will do a fantastic job!

On Monday, Mr Tillerson blamed Russia for the poisonings of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on UK soil despite denials from the Kremlin. Earlier, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders had refrained from saying Moscow was responsible.

A senior White House official said Mr Trump had asked Mr Tillerson to step down on Friday but did not want to make it public while he was on a trip to Africa, hence making it public today. Mr Trump's Twitter announcement came only a few hours after Tillerson landed in Washington after the trip, which had been cut short.

But, officials in Mr Trump's administration finding out they lost their job through untraditional means is anything but unusual. Last year, the President fired his former FBI director, James Comey, but the former intelligence chief was not properly notified before news outlets could confirm the decision.

Mr Comey ended up finding out about his firing while speaking to FBI agents in California, because CNN happened to be in the background with a chyron announcing his ouster.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson dropped $5.5 million for a home in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, D.C., just weeks before President Trump fired him from his role at the White House. According to the Washingtonian, which first reported the sale, Tillerson and his wife, Renda, closed on the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom home in February, in an off-market deal. The previous owners, former AOL executive Richard Hanlon and his wife, Pamela, off-loaded their home to a Texas-registered limited liability company called R2 Real Estate, possibly a nod to Tillerson and his wifes first initials.

The Tillersons's D.C. purchase was quite a bit pricier than their other properties in Texas, which are valued closer to $3.25 million and $1.53 million, according to records. The price, however, is likely justified by the new homes proximity to the whos who of Washington, including Barack and Michelle Obama, who are currently renting a home in the same neighborhood while their younger daughter, Sasha, finishes high school, and Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner, who live just a few blocks away. The four-story home is also located amid a cluster of embassies, including those of Korea, Japan, Turkey, Mexico, and Slovenia. Tillerson learned on Tuesday that he had been fired from his position as Secretary of State following a tweet from President Trump thanking him for his service; Trump also announced on Tuesday that Mike Pompeo will replace him. The former ExxonMobil chiefs firing comes after a series of public rifts with the president since his appointment last year. Trump told reporters that though the pair actually got alongquite well, they disagreed on things.
The new secretary of state appears much more willing than Tillerson to toe Trumps line  and thats a very dangerous prospect



On leading Americas diplomacy with the world and running state, Tillerson has been an utter disaster  but his policy views were about as moderate as they come inside the Trump administration. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

Rex Tillerson will go down as one of the worst secretaries of state in US history. And yet, with his departure and replacement by CIA director Mike Pompeo, things could get a whole lot worse for US national security.



Donald Trump made clear his disdain for diplomacy from day one of his presidency, and that he views foreign policy as an endeavor for the military, not the state department. He proposed enormous increases in the military budget while attempting to slash the state department budget by roughly a third. Trump appointed generals to be secretary of defense, national security advisor (twice) and White House chief of staff, while appointing as secretary of state someone with no diplomatic experience.

If Trumps contempt for diplomacy somehow wasnt clear, he did his best to actively undermine his secretary of state, criticizing him in public on a number of occassions. In the fall of 2017, as Tillerson attempted to open a diplomatic process with North Korea, Trump tweeted to the world, I told Rex Tillerson  he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man. When a Middle East dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar broke out in 2017, as Tillerson scrambled to calm the situation and mediate, Trump undercut him by publicly siding with Saudi Arabia.

So it should come as no surprise that Tillerson would find out he was fired when his boss tweeted the news to the world.

Despite this poor treatment, it is hard to shed a tear for Tillerson. He has been a good soldier in enabling a military-first foreign policy, in which the state department is relegated to an afterthought.

He has worked aggressively to gut the state department, not filling key positions, and implementing freezes on hiring, all of which have contributed to a hostile environment and low morale. The nations most senior diplomats have resigned over the last year, leading to a wave of exits of career diplomats at all levels that has depleted the ranks of the nations diplomatic corps. It will take years to rebuild the state department in the wake of the damage inflicted by Trump and Tillerson.

Story continues

On leading Americas diplomacy with the world and running the state department, Tillerson has been an utter disaster  but his policy views were about as moderate as they come inside the Trump administration. He has been one of the administrations strongest voices for diplomacy with North Korea. He was reportedly an advocate of remaining in the Paris climate change agreement. And he supposedly tried to keep the US in the Iran nuclear deal.

If and when Pompeo replaces him, we should be deeply concerned  both because of Pompeos more hawkish views, and where they might take America on the critical foreign policy decisions coming down the pike.

The president directs foreign policy, and no change in personnel will alter the unique chaos of Trumps foreign policy

The fate of the Iran deal is once again hanging in the balance, and with it potentially more conflict in the Middle East. Trump has set a 12 May deadline for getting European allies on board with changes to the Iran deal, and has reportedly said that he will exit the deal if those changes arent made.

While Tillerson advocated remaining in the deal, Pompeo has been a vocal critic of the 2015 agreement. If the US unilaterally withdraws from the deal, theres no telling where tensions with Iran  which is already fighting proxy wars in Syria and Yemen  could go.



This development doesnt bode well for diplomacy with North Korea, either. As Trump prepares for a possible summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Tillersons exit could signal a much harder line on talks.

Whereas Tillerson has been a proponent of diplomacy with North Korea, Pompeos public language on North Korea has been more aggressive, and he has openly hinted at regime change. A negotiation with North Korea is one of the most difficult diplomatic endeavors one can imagine  and Pompeo, like Tillerson, has no diplomatic experience.



And then theres Russia. Tillerson has hardly been tough on Russia, prioritizing attempts at cooperation over pushing back against clearly destabilizing actions by Russia, including its interference in the 2016 election. While Pompeo held critical views of Russia during his time in Congress and has admitted that Russia interfered in the election, its unclear for which policies Pompeo will advocate.

To those ends, there are reasons for concern: at Trumps request, Pompeo met with a conspiracy theorist peddling the falsehood that the hack of the Democratic National Committees emails in 2016 was an inside job, not Russian hacking. He also falsely claimed that the CIA concluded that Russian meddling did not affect the elections outcome. As war rages in Syria and Ukraine, and Russia continues interfering in US politics, Pompeo will be a key player in leading US policy on all.



At the end of the day, the president directs foreign policy, and no change in personnel will alter the unique chaos of Trumps foreign policy. But if past is prologue, Pompeo appears much more willing than Tillerson to toe Trumps line  a very dangerous prospect.

This development may prove that no matter how bad things look, in Donald Trumps administration, they can always get worse.
Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Donald Trump, who just fired him, were a terrible fit from day one. Its pointless to seek a more profound truth here, as media boffins will insist on doing. The news doesnt show that business leaders are unfit for government service, though it does illustrate the old observation that if they choose to serve, theyll probably be miserable. The larger, worrying trend is that after Gary Cohns resignation as Trumps chief economic adviser, the administration in one week has lost two of its most substantial members.

The bad fit should have been obvious. Tillerson has a habit of saying what he thinks, which guaranteed collisions with his impulsive, distractible boss. As Exxons CEO for a decade he built a reputation in the business world as a blunt talker who sticks to his guns. Calling him an Eagle Scout is no metaphor; he was one and later was president of the Boy Scouts of America. When Trump said he wanted to bail out of the nuclear arms treaty with Iran, Tillerson said he didnt want to. When Trump initially did not condemn the white supremacists whose rally in Charlottesville became deadly, Tillerson said, The president speaks for himself, distancing himself from Trump in a way that shocked the foreign policy establishment. It probably didnt help when Tillerson was reported to have privately called Trump a moron and, sticking to his guns, didnt deny it.

Most notably, when Tillerson said last October that he was trying to start a dialogue with North Korea, Trump publicly rebuked him, tweeting that Tillerson was wasting his time. Save your energy, Rex. Then last week, when Trump reversed course, agreeing to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, he didnt consult with Tillerson beforehand or personally inform him afterward.

It was a relationship made in hell.

Business leaders have long and rightly been wary of government service. Which CEOs have gone to Washington and come back with their reputation improved? a prominent CEO asked me when he was offered a post in George W. Bushs cabinet. He could think of just oneformer Goldman Sachs chief Robert Rubin, who was Bill Clintons Treasury Secretary in the late 1990sand declined Bushs offer.

That was then. The Trump administration is in a class by itself and seems unlikely to attract any prominent CEO after publicly undercutting Cohn and Tillerson. Trump made a telling comment in explaining to reporters why he fired Tillerson. They disagreed on things the Iran deal. So we were not thinking the same, he said. Many top leaders prize subordinates with the courage to disagree and argue their position. Trump does not. He emphasized why he chose Tillersons proposed successor, CIA chief Mike Pompeo: We have a similar thought process.

Trump added a comment with which Tillerson will surely agree: Rex will be much happier now.
Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Nigeria, a day before he was fired by Donald Trump: AP

Donald Trump has announced he is replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, an abrupt end  after months of speculation  to a bumpy tenure for the former oil executive.

I wish Rex a lot of good things, Mr Trump said. I think hes going to do  I think hes going to be very happy. I think Rex will be much happier now.

1 February 2017: In a 56-43 vote, the Senate confirmed Mr Tillerson as Secretary of State. During his confirmation hearing, Mr Tillerson indicated that he could depart from Mr Trump on a range of issues.

28 April 2017: Mr Tillerson proposed cutting 2,300 jobs from the State Department and 26 per cent of its budget, in line with the Trump administrations budget proposal in March. Since taking office in January 2017, Mr Trump has indicated a preference for solving issues with military might rather than diplomacy.

2 June 2017: Mr Trump announced he would withdraw the US from the Paris climate accord, a controversial move that was criticised by several world leaders. Mr Tillerson pressed the President to remain in the agreement, which he had expressed his support for while serving as Exxons chief executive.

June 2017: Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson appeared to diverge over a regional crisis involving Qatar. The Secretary of State called on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt to ease their blockade of Qatar and urged all involved in the dispute to quickly resolve their differences.

Mr Trump seemed to undercut Mr Tillerson shortly after, saying that the Saudi-led action against Qatar was hard but necessary. The President added he had been consulted in advance by nations that spoke to me about confronting Qatar, a country he said has been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.

25 July 2017: In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Mr Trump questioned the Iran deal, and said it was easier to say that Iran was complying with its requirements under the agreement. Look, I have a lot of respect for Rex and his people, good relationship. Its easier to say they comply. Its a lot easier. But its the wrong thing. They dont comply.

Story continues

July 2017: Mr Tillerson reportedly threatened to resign from his post following Mr Trumps speech to the Boy Scouts of America.

2 August 2017: Mr Trump signed a bill imposing further sanctions on Russia for interfering in the 2016 election and its annexation of Crimea in Ukraine. Mr Trump called the law seriously flawed and Mr Tillerson said the legislation would hamper efforts to form a closer relationship with Moscow.

27 August 2017: Mr Tillerson said the US maintained its commitment equal treatment to people around the world after international criticism for the White Houses tepid response to violence at a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. When asked about the values of Mr Trump, Mr Tillerson said the President speaks for himself.

30 September 2017: Mr Tillerson said the US was in direct contact with North Korea, probing to see whether Pyongyang would be willing to engage in talks regarding the regimes nuclear weapons programme.

1 October 2017: But Mr Trump apparently wanted to pursue a different strategy, I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man, Mr. Trump said on Twitter, using a disparaging reference to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done!

4 October 2017: In an impromptu press conference, Mr Tillerson said he would stay in the Trump administration as long as he is useful. He also declined to address a news report that he called Mr Trump a moron. A department spokesperson later said that the the Secretary does not use that type of language.

1 December 2017: Mr Tillerson is not leaving, the President tweeted, after US officials reportedly said the White House had a plan for CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

8 March 2018: While in Ethiopia, Mr Tillerson indicated the US was not ready for direct talks with North Korea, saying the first step was some kind of talks about talks. Later that day in Washington, it was announced that Mr Trump accepted an invitation to meet with North Koreas leader.

12 March 2018: Mr Tillerson said we have full confidence in the UKs assessment that Russia was likely responsible for a nerve agent attack against a former Russian spy in Salisbury last week. Mr Tillersons comments went further than the White Houses response, which stopped short of pinning blame on Moscow.

13 March 2018: Mr Trump fired Mr Tillerson. The outgoing top diplomat was not given an explanation for why he was being axed, an aide to Mr Tillerson said in a statement.
Mr Tillerson pictured seated beside Mr Trump at the White house: Reuters

President Donald Trumps decision to sack Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been met with mixed response in Washington, with Republicans largely supporting the President while Democrats characterise the move as a hasty and dangerous decision  though they plan on hearing from Mr Trump's nominee during confirmation hearings before passing judgement on that front.

Republicans heaped praise on Mr Tillerson, and cheered Mr Trump's decision to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement, even though reports indicated that many members of the GOP were not told about Mr Trumps plans beforehand.

Mike Pompeo is an outstanding selection as our next Secretary of State While its a loss for the CIA, Gina Haspel is also an excellent choice to become the new CIA director, Sen Tom Cotton, a Republican who has seen a swift rise in prominence during Mr Trumps presidency and was even once considered as a potential replacement for Mr Pompeo, said in a statement following the announcement.

I look forward to supporting them both during the confirmation process and working with them in the years to come.

Sen Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thanked Mr Tillerson for tireless service, and said that he had spoken with Mr Pompeo Tuesday morning. He indicated that his committee will take up Mr Pompeos nomination at some point in April.

I had a very good conversation with Director Pompeo this morning and look forward to meeting with him soon, Mr Corker said in a statement. As I shared with the President, the committee will consider his nomination as expeditiously as possible.

Mr Corkers counterpart in the House, Rep Ed Royce, hailed Mr Tillerson as a thoughtful leader and business titan, and thanked him for his service.

Thanks to his diplomatic efforts, we have charted a new course to counter the full range of threats from Iran and apply maximum pressure on Kim Jong Un, he said in a statement. I wish Rex well and look forward to working with our next Secretary of State. There are many challenges ahead.

Story continues

Democrats, on the other hand, were critical of the timing of Mr Trumps decision, which follows less than a week after the White House announced an unprecedented plan to have Mr Trump meet Mr Kim for negotiations in person.

Democrat Sen Bob Menendez, the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, promised a rigorous confirmation hearing, while his House counterpart, Rep Eliot Engel, criticised Mr Trump for throwing the State Department into disarray.

The timing of this move couldnt be worse. Less than a week after announcing a summit with Kim Jong Un  the sort of engagement that will require a diplomatic full-court press  the President has let the world know that hes throwing an already hollowed-out State Department into further disarray with a transition at the top, Mr Engel said in a statement. However much I may have disagreed with Secretary Tillerson, to push him out at this moment sends a terrible message to friends and adversaries all over the world.

Still, other Democrats expressed optimism that Mr Pompeo could be a good replacement who takes the threat of Russia  and its intervention in American elections  seriously. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schemer, for instance, said he hopes the incoming secretary of State will turn over a new leaf and toughen policies towards Russia.

But, Mr Schumer did not miss the opportunity to criticise the Trump administrations frequent chaos  which fired at least two other people Tuesday in addition to Mr Tillerson.

Instability of this administration in just about every area weakens America, Mr Schumer said, pointing to the frequent firings and in-fighting reported about the administration.
UPDATED WASHINGTON  Rex Tillerson is out as secretary of state.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday morning on Twitter that Mike Pompeo, the current CIA director, will replace Tillerson, marking the latest shake-up in Trumps administration.

Tillerson is the second cabinet member to depart, after Tom Prices resignation last year as secretary of health and human services.

Gina Haspel will succeed Pompeo at the CIA, becoming the first woman in that role.

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State, Trump tweeted. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Tillersons spokesman said that he did not speak to the president before his firing and he was unaware of the reasons for his dismissal. There were multiple media reports that Tillerson found out about his firing via Trumps tweet on Tuesday, but also that he was told on Friday by Chief of Staff John Kelly that he would be ousted.

The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues, said Steve Goldstein, undersecretary of state, in a statement. He established and enjoyed relationships with his counterparts.

The Secretary will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship, Goldstein added. The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted. We wish Secretary-Designate Pompeo well.

Adding to the drama of the day, Goldstein himself was fired after issuing the statement about Tillerson, apparently because it contradicted the White House.

Story continues

Tillerson gave brief remarks later in the afternoon, telling reporters that he would hand over responsibilities to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan at the end of the day, and that his official last day would be on March 31. He said that Trump called him at noon, three hours after his departure was announced.

He thanked the departments career diplomats, but did not thank Trump.

Before leaving on a trip to California, Trump told reporters, I actually got on well with Rex, but it was a different mindset.

Weve been talking about this for a long time, Trump said, per a pool report. We disagreed on things The Iran deal So we were not thinking the same. With Mike Pompeo, we have a similar thought process.

Trump said that Pompeo had tremendous energy, tremendous intellect, were always on the same wavelength. The relationship has been very good. He said that he would be speaking to Rex over a long period of time.

Pompeo and Haspel will face Senate confirmation.

Tillersons exit has long been anticipated. The former CEO of Exxon Mobil was said to have clashed with the White House on issues like the Paris climate accord. He also appeared unaware of Trumps decision last week to accept an offer to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Reporters who cover the State Department had been guessing how long into 2018 Tillerson would last.

Haspel is a CIA veteran who was appointed deputy director in February of 2017.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attacked the upheaval in the administration as instability that weakens America.

If hes confirmed, we hope that Mr. Pompeo will turn over a new leaf and will start toughening up our policies towards Russia and Putin. Schumer said.

Tillersons tenure at the State Department was dominated on by the escalating tensions with North Korea, and he is leaving at a critical moment if Trump is to see through his meeting with Kim Jong Un. But Tillerson also was a controversial figure within the department, where there has been an exodus of many top career diplomats and a number of positions unfilled.

Related stories

As Trump Blocks Qualcomm Deal, Hollywood and China Watch From the Sidelines

Alyssa Milano: Time to End the Partisan Politics Around Health Care (Guest Column)

Former DOJ Officials Ask for Inquiry Into Trump Interference in AT&T-Time Warner Case

Subscribe to Variety Newsletters and Email Alerts!
After months of speculation, President Donald Trump finally ousted Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.

Trump announced on Tuesday morning that he was replacing Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who would be replaced by Deputy CIA Director Gina Haspel, who will be the first woman to lead the agency.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Trump said he thinks Tillerson will be much happier once he leaves the position, and that the two were of a different mindset. But Tillersons associates struck a very different tone, saying that the Secretary had not spoken to the President this morning, was unaware of the reason behind the personnel change and had harbored every intention of continuing in his role.

The diverging viewpoints of the ouster is only the latest in a series of sparring and disputes between Trump and Tillerson. Heres a timeline of the relationships highs and lows.

Dec. 11, 2016: Trump puts Tillerson on short list

After considering everyone from former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, President-elect Trump puts the soon-to-retire Exxon Mobil CEO at the top of his short list, which would make him the first person in at least a century to be elevated to the post without prior government experience.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Dec. 13, 2016: Trump announces Tillerson pick

In announcing his selection of Tillerson as Secretary of State, Trump calls him one of the truly great business leaders of the world.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

March 22, 2017: I didnt want this job

In a break with tradition, Tillerson brings only one journalist with him on a trip to Asia, a reporter from the conservative-leaning Independent Journal Review. In an interview published March 22, he says he was reluctant to accept the job. I didnt want this job. I didnt seek this job, he said. My wife told me Im supposed to do this.

Aug. 27, 2017: The president speaks for himself

In an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Tillerson appears to distance himself from Trumps controversial remarks following the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., telling host Chris Wallace that the president speaks for himself.

Story continues

Sept. 30, 2017: Tillerson looks to negotiate with North Korea

Tillerson tells reporters that the U.S. is in direct communication with North Korea over its missile and nuclear testing, with both sides looking to start negotiations. We are probing, so stay tuned, he says. We ask, Would you like to talk? We have lines of communications to Pyongyang  were not in a dark situation, a blackout.

Oct. 1, 2017: Trump says negotiating is a waste of time

One day after Tillersons remarks, Trump tweets that he thinks efforts to begin communicating with North Korea are a waste of time.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Oct. 4, 2017: Report Tillerson called Trump a moron

NBC News reports that Tillerson was on the verge of resigning the previous summer amid clashes with the White House and that after a July 20 meeting at the Pentagon he referred to the president as a moron. The New Yorker later reports the same incident, adding that Tillerson actually referred to Trump as a fucking moron.

Oct. 10, 2017: I guess well have to compare IQ tests

In an interview with Forbes magazine published on Oct. 10, Trump says that the report Tillerson called him a moron was false: I think its fake news, but if he did that, I guess well have to compare IQ tests. And I can tell you who is going to win. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders later says that the comment was a joke and nothing more than that.

Nov. 16, 2017: House Democrats voice concerns

Over 20 House Democrats, including Rep. Eliot Engel, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, send a letter to Tillerson, claiming that over 100 foreign service officers had left the the State Department, departures about which they said were deeply concerned.

Nov. 30, 2017: Plan to replace Tillerson floated to the press

The New York Times reports that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has developed a plan to force Tillerson out and replace him with Pompeo perhaps within the next several weeks. The report ends up being incorrect in two ways: the announcement to replace Tillerson with Pompeo came three and a half months later, and the story also said Pompeo would be replaced by Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, which did not happen.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Jan. 6, 2018: I intend to be here for the whole year

In an interview with CNN, Tillerson says reports that he would be leaving are exaggerated and said he was looking forward to a very successful and productive year in office. I intend to be here for the whole year, he said.

March 9, 2018: Tillerson: North Korea talks wont happen

While traveling in Africa, Tillerson tells reporters that conditions were not yet right for direct talks between the U.S. and North Korea. We are a long ways from negotiations, he says. We need to be very clear-eyed and realistic about it. I think the first step, and Ive said this before, is to have talks, to have some kind of talks about talks.

March 10, 2018: Trump announces North Korea talks

After Trump announces talks with North Korea, Tillerson tells reporters while still traveling in Africa that it was a decision the President took himself after thinking about it for quite some time and said the decision was not a surprise in any way.

March 12, 2018: Tillerson says Russia behind U.K. poisoning

On his way back from Africa, Tillerson tells reporters that the poisoning of a former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the United Kingdom was a really egregious act that appears to have clearly come from Russia though it was not yet known if it was with the Russian governments knowledge.

March 13, 2018: Trump fires Tillerson

Trump announces on Twitter that he is replacing Tillerson. A Washington Post report says that Trump asked Tillerson to resign on March 9, but a State Department spokesman says Tillerson had every intention of remaining on the job and that the two had not spoken that morning. The spokesman, Steven Goldstein, was then fired as well.
Entrepreneur Joshua Browder has made waves in the past by building a robot-lawyer called DoNotPay that has beaten hundreds of thousands of parking tickets, aided tenants in landlord disputes, and helped consumers sue Equifax  with a few successes.

Armed with an infusion of over $1.1 million in funding led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, the part-time Stanford student (My degree is a bit of a side project, he says) is turning to empower air travelers by helping them leverage their own rights they may not know about to get cheaper tickets.

If someone buys a ticket and the price falls within 24 hours for that flight or other similar flights, DoNotPay is able to cancel the original flight and rebook at a lower price since all fights are legally refundable for a day.

Its actually ridiculous, Browder says. Sometimes there are flights within 10 minutes, but one is $200 cheaper than the other.

In some cases, thanks to a suite of other refundability rules, this price protection can work weeks later.

In addition to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, which outline consumers rights and dictate to some degree rules on air travel, airlines have their own contracts with their customers. These contracts of carriage outline the terms of your flights, including your own rights as a customer like what youre entitled to in case of big delays, airport changes, flight time changes, and more.

But most consumers dont exercise their own rights or hold an airline accountable to its end of the bargain simply because theyre unfamiliar with all these rules. A typical contract of carriage is often well over 20 pages long and there is a good chance this is the first youre hearing about it. Its usually amongst the fine print people skip.

Even the most un-refundable ticket can be canceled at some point, Browder says. Browders robot-lawyer app, DoNotPay.com, has been programmed with all the various reasons and loopholes for cancellation, 70 to 90, depending on the airline. For example, every ticket is eligible for cancellation under the 24-hour rule  you can make changes before it locks in  and if the National Weather Service issues a warning, a passenger is allowed not to fly and instead get a refund.

Story continues

The good news is that all these things exist, says Browder of the FAA regulations. The bad news is that the Trump administration is thinking of getting rid of these regulations, so in six months the opportunity may not exist.

The Trump administration has pushed for two regulations to be scrapped for every new one implemented and supported privatization of the air traffic control system. Last year in a meeting with aviation leaders, he spoke of rolling back regulations. Browder and others believe the rollbacks would advantage the airlines, not the travelers and reasons for refundability could be in play.

How the app works

To sign up, air travelers go onto DoNotPay.com and enter their Gmail address (no other email addresses work right now). This is because Gmails API allows a third-party service like DoNotPay to have limited access to messages sent only from certain email addresses, in this case ones from online travel agencies and airlines.

Finding the flight information in a travelers flight receipts, the app cross-references the airlines obligations for cancellation with actual potential reasons for cancellation as well as the prices of itineraries like yours, something it can access thanks to the APIs of online travel agencies, such as Expedia, Orbitz and Kayak.

If a lower price is found and theres grounds for cancellation, DoNotPay will book the lower-price flight of the same ticket class  with its own money  and cancel yours.

DoNotPay has enough confidence in its system that it will not charge you if your flight doesnt get canceled. When the flight is canceled and your refund is on its way, DoNotPay charges the travelers credit card, via Stripes payment network.

In addition to this price protection for certain flights, DoNotPay can offer you better flights, even if theyre not necessarily cheaper. If a flight surfaces thats better than yours  different airport, shorter layover, fewer stops, better fare class  DoNotPay will text you if it can cancel yours and give you that one.

Anant Akash, a beta tester during the two-month testing period that ended this week, told Yahoo Finance that he had booked a flight out of Oakland, Calif., for around $200 on Spirit Airlines. He declined a slightly cheaper flight, but when DoNotPay offered him a flight out of San Franciscos airport for $40 less and on Delta, an airline he likes better, he jumped.

DoNotPay texts a user if a better flight is available. The user can say yes or no.

I got a [cancellation] email from Spirit and DoNotPay sent me a text with confirmation, with the name and flight deals, he said. DoNotPay charged me for $170 for the new ticket. It was all through text and pretty fast.

If the user says yes, then the app will cancel the old reservation and rebook at the lower price.

Lessons from Equifax

Browders latest project for DoNotPay  this time with a revamped website thanks to the new funding  is the next step in his crusade to make the law work for all, not just those who can afford lawyers. For this project, he aimed to make it as automatic as possible, based on the lessons he learned from his bot that helped people draft lawsuits against Equifax.

The bad things are that for consumers, it doesnt provide true access to justice. To make consumers print out a PDF and go to court  Its too much of a struggle. A lot of people didnt even show up in court, he said. But when they did and they were prepared, they won their cases. The good things were that these sorts of rules and regulations, they stand up and can be enforced.

With a team of two employees whom he pays (he does not take a salary), Browder has his sights set on a big insurance project, and wants to make it fully automated. While he is the first to acknowledge the current limitations of robot lawyers, his products show the value of public APIs and how organizing public data can be all it takes to give consumers a little more agency. In essence, this latest product merely shows a consumer public information that could save them money: their cancellation rights and other cheap flights.
New York (AFP) - Rock icon Roger Waters has joined Palestinian artists for a new song billed as a response to the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

To the sound of the oud lutes of Le Trio Joubran, one of the most prominent groups performing Palestinian traditional music, Waters recites verse from Mahmoud Darwish, considered the poet laureate of the Palestinians.

Darwish's poem, "The Red Indian's Penultimate Speech to the White Man," on the surface comes from the voice of a Native American mourning settlements that will permanently alter the land but clearly draws a parallel to the Palestinians and Israel.

"Where, oh white master, are you taking my people -- and yours?" the British rocker recites in the English translation over the lutes and an ambient backdrop.

Waters, best known as a former member of Pink Floyd who conceived the rock opera "The Wall," has long been a passionate supporter of the Palestinian cause and has angered Israelis by leading calls for a cultural boycott.

Le Trio Joubran wrote on Facebook that the collaborative song, entitled "Supremacy," was meant as a response to Trump. They called Jerusalem the "#CapitalOfPalestine."

Trump has broken international precedent by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and ordering the US embassy's move from Tel Aviv to the holy city.

Israel occupied mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. It sees the entire city as its capital.

The Palestinians view east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.

Washington plans to open its embassy in Jerusalem to mark Israel's 70th birthday in May, delighting the Jewish state but enraging Palestinians who mark Israel's creation as Naqba, or their "day of catastrophe."
Dave Majumdar

Security,

And the spells trouble for Washington and Beijing.

Russia's Killer Mach 20 Avangard Hypersonic Weapon Is About to Enter Production

Russias new Avangard hypersonic boost-glide vehicle is about to enter production.

The Russian Defense Ministry has already signed a contract for the weapon to enter into serial production according to Yuri Borisov, Russias deputy defense minister. Borisov told the Russian-language newspaper Red Star that the Avangard (or Vanguard in English) is not a bluff.

The Avangard system that the president [Vladimir Putin] mentioned is well tested, Borisov told Krasnaya Zvezdaor Red Star in English.

It came about through considerable effort, because temperatures on the surface of a combat unit reach up to 2000 degrees [Celsius]. It really does go through the air surrounded by plasma. Thus, the challenges involved in controlling and defending the system were considerable, but did eventually find resolution. Practical tests have confirmed the chosen approachs feasibility. In fact, we have secured a contract for mass production of these systems. So this is no bluff, but a serious undertaking.

Recommended: Americas Battleships Went to War Against North Korea

Recommended: 5 Places World War III Could Start in 2018

Recommended: How North Korea Could Start a War 

Borisov simply reinforced what Putin had said earlierthe Avangard is a real weapon. However, unlike other new weapons such as the Kinzhal aero-ballistic missile, the Russians are unwilling to show any visuals of the new hypersonic boost-glide missile.

For obvious reasons we cannot show the outer appearance of this system here, Putin said during his March 1 speech. This is still very important. I hope everyone understands this. But let me assure you that we have all this and it is working well.

According to Putin, the Avangard can travel at speeds greater than Mach 20 at intercontinental ranges.

In moving to its target, the missiles gliding cruise bloc engages in intensive maneuvering  both lateralby several thousand kmand vertical, Putin said. This is what makes it absolutely invulnerable to any air or missile defense system. The use of new composite materials has made it possible to enable the gliding cruise bloc to make a long-distance guided flight practically in conditions of plasma formation. It flies to its target like a meteorite, like a ball of fire. The temperature on its surface reaches 1,6002,000 degrees Celsius but the cruise bloc is reliably guided.

Story continues

It is not clear if the weapon is dual capable, but given that American efforts at developing a conventional prompt global strike weapon, it would make sense for Moscow to develop an equivalent. An article from the TASS news agency suggests that the weapon can be equipped with a conventional warhead or nuclear warheadranging in yield from 150 kilotons to one megaton.

If the Russians are not bluffing and the Avangard is ready for production, the Kremlin is ahead of Beijing and the United Statesboth of which are trying to develop similar hypersonic boost-glide weapons. Given that the Russians have been working on such efforts since at least 2004, there is a good chance that Putin is not bluffing.

Dave Majumdar is the defense editor for The National Interest. You can follow him on Twitter: @davemajumdar.

Image: Creative Commons.

Read full article
U.K. police and the British secret service MI5 are reexamining the sudden deaths of 14 people with connections to Russia that were previously dismissed by authorities as natural, despite warnings from the U.S. intelligence community that they may be Kremlin assassinations.

In a letter to her opposition counterpart, the U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed that the circumstances around each deathhighlighted in a 2017 investigation by BuzzFeedwill be looked at again in the wake of the Skripal poisonings.

Vladimir Putin

ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/AFP/Getty Images

Trending: Afrin Under Siege: Turkey Prepares to Crush Kurdish Enclave

The Government was aware of these allegations, and takes seriously any suggestion that a foreign state has engaged in murder on UK soil, Rudd wrote. As you know, police investigations and coronial inquests at the time did not discover evidence of foul play.

As I stated in the House [of Commons] on 8 March, my immediate priorityand that of the police and other operational partnersis responding to the attempted murders [of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia] in Salisbury, including decontamination, local reassurance and the criminal investigation itself. I do not want to distract from that focus.

However, in the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that. The Police and MI5 agree and will assist in that endeavour.

Among those 14 deaths on British soil are several apparent suicides, heart attacks, and a helicopter crash. One of the names on that list is the Russian oligarch and Putin critic Boris Berezovsky, who had refugee status in Britain. Berezovsky was found hanged in his locked bathroom back in 2013.

Don't miss: Thousands of Empty Shoes Displayed at U.S. Capitol Building to Protest Gun Violence

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May gave the Russian government an ultimatum after investigators discovered that the toxin used to poison Russian double agent Skripal and his daughter was a Moscow-made chemical weaponthe nerve agent novichok.

Story continues

May demanded that Russia account for how someone could have obtained novichok or it would be assumed that the Kremlin is behind the attack on the Skripals, who both remain critically ill in hospital, along with the first police officer on the scene, who is also seriously ill. May said the U.K. would retaliate.

This attempted murder, using a weapons-grade nerve agent in a British town, was not just a crime against the Skripals, May told MPs in the House of Commons. It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk. And we will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil.

Russia denies any involvement in the Skripal incident. Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, claimed the British government is denying Moscow access to the materials in the Skripal case.

Most popular: Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Why Earth Is Not Flat, Again, Says Education System Has Failed

Sergei Skripal, 66, and Yulia Skripal, 33, were rushed to hospital after being found unconscious on a bench in a shopping centre in Salisbury on Sunday March 4. Police were alerted by a call from a concerned member of the public who spotted the pair. One eyewitness said it looked like they had "been taking something quite strong."

Skripal is a former colonel in Russian military intelligence convicted of spying for the British. He was prosecuted by Russian authorities in 2006 and found guilty of espionage. He allegedly passed secrets to British intelligence during the 1990s and 2000s, in particular the identities of Russian agents.

He received a 13 year sentence but was pardoned and released under a 2010 spy-swap deal between the U.S. and Russia. Skripal settled in Salisbury.

The poisoning is being likened to the murder of former FSB agent and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko in 2006. Litvinenko, who investigated the mafia and corruption in Russia, was poisoned with polonium-210 in London.

An investigation by U.K. authorities concluded that the Russian President Vladimir Putin had probably ordered the assassination and it was carried out by Andrei Lugovoi, a politician in the State Duma. Both deny any involvement.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
London (AFP) - The Russian embassy in London said Wednesday it had asked British authorities for details about a Russian who died in mysterious circumstances, amid a diplomatic crisis over an attack on an ex-spy.

Nikolai Glushkov, a former senior executive linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, was found dead in his home in the southwest of the capital on Monday, Russian and British media said.

The embassy made an official request for information on the "mysterious" case.

"The investigation is not transparent, the British side appears not inclined to cooperate. This can only cause regret," it said.

"Today the embassy made an official request to provide all the information in possession of the British side regarding this Russian citizen whose death, as you said, appears mysterious."

Police have confirmed they are treating the death of an unnamed man found in the southwest suburb of New Malden on Monday as "unexplained".

They have called in counter-terror officers "as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had", a spokesman said Tuesday.

Glushkov received political asylum in Britain after serving five years in prison in Russia for money laundering and fraud, the Guardian reported.

His death has prompted speculation because it occurred in the middle of a crisis between Russia and Britain over the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on March 4.

British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier Wednesday said Moscow was "culpable" for the attack in the southwestern city of Salisbury, and expelled 23 Russian diplomats.

Police are revisiting a number of other unexplained deaths following the Skripal case.

Yvette Cooper, who chairs the House of Commons home affairs committee, has raised 14 cases that have reportedly been identified by US intelligence sources as potentially connected to Russia.

These include oligarch Berezovsky, a one-time supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin who then turned against him, and was found hanged in a bathroom at his home outside London in 2013.

Story continues

Another is businessman Alexander Perepilichny, who was found dead in front of his London home in 2012, and which Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said last week was "deeply troubling".

In a letter to Cooper, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that.

"The police and MI5 (domestic spy agency) agree and will assist in that endeavour."
London (AFP) - US President Donald Trump demanded an explanation from Moscow over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain as London's deadline for answers expired, with Russia threatening retribution if it is punished for the Cold War intrigue.

Moscow has slammed the accusations that it was behind the attempted murder of a double agent, defying the midnight Tuesday (00:00 GMT) ultimatum set by Britain to explain how a Soviet-designed nerve-agent found its way onto British streets.

The attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 sparked a deepening diplomatic row that pits Russia against Britain and its allies the United States, NATO and the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will outline London's response to the escalating crisis on Wednesday, has pointed the finger at Moscow, which she said was "highly likely" to be responsible.

In a phone call with May on Tuesday, Trump said Russia must "provide unambiguous answers" to explain what is believed to be the first nerve agent attack in Europe since World War II.

The two leaders "agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms", the White House said.

In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted "Russia is not guilty", saying it was ready to cooperate with Britain but complaining that its request for samples of the nerve agent had been rejected.

The Russian embassy said it had formally demanded Britain allow a joint investigation, saying "without that, there can be no sense in any statements from London".

In the first sign of the practical implications of the growing diplomatic crisis, Russia threatened to bar all British media from working in Russia if British authorities banned the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster.

British regulator Ofcom has warned it could review RT's licence if Russia were found to have been responsible for the attack on Skripal, who came to Britain in a 2010 spy swap.

Story continues

- Allies back Britain -

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the southwestern city of Salisbury.

The British government believes a "Novichok" Russian nerve agent was used and on Monday May called on Moscow explain whether the attempted murder was a state-sponsored attack, or whether it had "lost control" of the substance.

She demanded Moscow disclose details of the development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

But addressing the OPCW, Russian ambassador Alexander Shulgin accused British officials of launching "vicious attacks" against Moscow and "fomenting hysteria".

Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union during the late stages of the Cold War, was "more dangerous and sophisticated" than sarin or VX.

May will gather her National Security Council on Wednesday morning "to discuss the response from Russia", and will then give a statement to MPs, her spokesman said.

The prime minister has said that her government was considering a British version of the US "Magnitsky Act", which was adopted in 2012 to punish Russian officials accused of human rights violations.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson attempted to rally support on Tuesday by calling his counterparts and vowing that if Russia was responsible, "this would be further reckless behaviour which threatens the international community and requires an international response".

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was united in "unwavering" solidarity, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was taking the British accusation "extremely seriously" and French President Emmanuel Macron said the attack was "unacceptable".

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was "of great concern" amid reports that Britain was consulting NATO allies about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence.

- 'They will not recover' -

Vil Mirzayanov, a chemist who worked on the Novichok programme and now lives in the United States, said the nerve agent's effects were "brutal".

"These people are gone -- the man and his daughter. Even if they survive they will not recover," the 83-year-old told The Telegraph newspaper.

A policeman was also taken ill, and police revealed Tuesday that 35 people were assessed at the time, all but one of whom were swiftly released. That person is being monitored as an outpatient.

The case has prompted comparisons with the 2006 radiation poisoning of former spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, which a British public inquiry blamed on Russia.

In a further twist, former senior Russian executive Nikolai Glushkov, linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, was found dead in London in unexplained circumstances, British and Russian media reported.
The Russian Ambassador to the UK has said that the British government's response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal has been "absolutely unacceptable" and is being considered a "provocation".

Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko also said that Russia was not going to respond to any ultimatums that had been issued by Theresa May, who had demanded explanations about how the former spy was poisoned in Salisbury.

Speaking after a meeting with the Foreign Office Mr Yakovenko called on the Prime Minister to "follow international law".

"Everything that has been done today by the British government is absolutely unacceptable and we consider this a provocation," Mr Yovenko told Sky News.

"We believe the UK should follow international law and under this obligation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons they have to present the request to the organisation.

"We are happy to consider this within ten days. That is the international law."

The comments came as Britain called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the attack.

Ms May has won the backing of German, French, US and other European leaders as she attempts to push for consequences for Mr Putin, after blaming him for being behind the attack in Salisbury which also left dozens of civilians needing treatment.

The Prime Minister also announced the biggest expulsion of Russian spies from the UK for more than 30 years.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms May said Vladimir Putin had responded to her demand to explain the reckless and despicable act in Salisbury with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.

She concluded that that was "no alternative" other than the Russian state was responsible for the incident.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday it had information that the United States planned to bomb the government quarter in Damascus on an invented pretext, and said it would respond militarily if it felt Russian lives were threatened by such an attack. Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia's General Staff, said Moscow had information that rebels in the enclave of eastern Ghouta were planning to fake a chemical weapons attack against civilians and blame it on the Syrian army. He said the United States intended to use the fake attack as a pretext to bomb the government quarter in nearby Damascus where he said Russian military advisers, Russian military police and Russian ceasefire monitors were based. "In the event of a threat to the lives of our servicemen, Russia's armed forces will take retaliatory measures against the missiles and launchers used," Gerasimov said in a statement. He did not say when the alleged attack would take place or provide detailed evidence to back his assertions. Russia has previously accused rebels in Syria of preparing to use toxic agents in eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse Damascus of employing chemical weapons. Damascus denies Western allegations that government forces have used chemical weapons. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned on Monday that Washington "remains prepared to act if we must," if the U.N. Security Council failed to act on Syria, as the Syrian army's onslaught in eastern Ghouta continued unabated. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrey Ostroukh)
Princeton (United States) (AFP) - The Russian chemist who first revealed the existence of "Novichok" nerve agents says only the Russians can be behind the weapon's use in Britain against a former spy and his daughter.

Vil Mirzayanov, 83, came to the United States in 1995 after 30 years of working for the State Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology, or GNIIOKhT.

It was he who in the early 1990s revealed the existence of that class of ultra-powerful nerve agents.

He did so first in the Russian media as it opened up with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and later, with chemical formulas at hand, in his book "State Secrets," published in 2007.

Former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. Britain says it is "highly likely" that Moscow was to blame for the nerve agent attack.

Mirzayanov, speaking at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, said he is convinced Russia carried it out as a way of intimidating opponents of President Vladimir Putin.

"Only the Russians" developed this class of nerve agents, said the chemist. "They kept it and are still keeping it in secrecy."

The only other possibility, he said, would be that someone used the formulas in his book to make such a weapon.

- 'Dangerous for the Kremlin' -

He said that the Russians could argue that maybe someone had synthesized them "and they could make me guilty!"

This is the first time the nerve agents, which took 15 years to develop and were tested on animals, have been used to try to kill somebody, Mirzayanov said.

Why now? Mirzayanov said he believes the Kremlin wants to intimidate people, such as enemies of Putin.

For instance, he hypothesized, suppose someone leaves Russia with material that would compromise President Donald Trump in the US probe into whether his 2016 election campaign colluded with Russia in its alleged drive to help him beat Hillary Clinton.

Story continues

"It's very dangerous for the Kremlin because it is a plot against America," said the chemist. "So they threaten this person, and they say, 'look what happened to Skripal. The same could happen to you.'"

Mirzayanov said Skripal could no longer cause Russia any problems but the Kremlin could have killed him anyway, and in a cruel fashion, just to intimidate potential opponents.

- No cure -

An attack with Novichok agents, which are 10 times stronger than VX, is excruciating and has no cure, he added.

He said half a gram is enough to kill a person who weighs 50 kilos (110 pounds).

Someone exposed to it first has their vision go blurry, and if no antidote is applied are then hit with violent convulsions and can no longer breathe.

"I have seen the effect on animals -- rabbits, dogs. It is awful," he said.

Even if they do not die, Skripal and his daughter will suffer for the rest of their lives, he predicted.

The nerve agents are easy to administer because they are binary, meaning they result from the mix of two substances which on their own are harmless.

So these two parts can be transported with no risk, then blended to make the weapon in a spray gun.

Mirzayanov said that as awful as it has been, the attack in Britain might lead to something good: the UK and other Western countries insisting on Novichok agents being registered in the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as he has been urging for more than 20 years.

Had these weapons been placed under control the Salisbury attack might not have happened, he said.

Now that Mirzayanov is speaking openly about Novichok, his friends on Facebook and elsewhere are urging him to be careful, lest the Russians seek reprisal against him.

"But I have lived for quite a long time. They cannot stop me. I will work until the end to have Novichok placed under international control," he said.
Halabja (Iraq) (AFP) - On March 16, 1988, as many as 5,000 Iraqi Kurds, mostly women and children, were killed when deadly gas was released on the northern town of Halabja by Saddam Hussein's forces.

AFP remembers the massacre, believed to have been the worst-ever gas attack targeting civilians.

- Circling planes -

In the final months of the eight-year Iraq-Iran war, ethnic Kurdish fighters who sided with Iran capture the large farming town of Halabja in Iraq on March 15.

Home to more than 40,000 people, the town is in the Kurdistan region and just 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the Iran border, while 250 kilometres from the Iraqi capital.

Saddam's army retaliates with artillery and air strikes. The Kurdish fighters and most of the town's men withdraw to surrounding hills, leaving behind the children, women and elderly.

The following day, Iraqi fighter planes circle above the area for five hours, releasing a mixture of toxic gases.

- No obvious injury -

The slaughter is quickly revealed: the fighters who come down from the hills give the alert and foreign journalists are soon on the scene.

By March 23, the first images are broadcast on Iranian television. Corpses scatter the streets with no obvious sign of injury, although witnesses say later some had blood around their noses.

The cameras of journalists brought in by the Iranian army linger on the bodies of the children. The town is the victim of a chemical weapon attack, say the commentaries, using official Iranian explanations that accuse Iraq of responsibility.

A Belgian-Dutch team from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the first foreign medical mission to reach Halabja, confirms the use of mustard gas and probably of cyanide.

"Our conclusion is clear: the civilian population was gassed," it says.

- Nothing moves -

An AFP special envoy, Michel Leclerq, describes the horror in a story filed on April 1.

"Not the slightest stir, not a cry, not a movement: Halabja ... seems frozen, immobilised in a deep sleep, while canons thunder in the distance," the report says.

Story continues

The "houses remain standing, the stores are full" but "no soul lives here since Iraqi planes released their deadly poison".

Many of the thousands who fled are in camps in Iran.

A French MSF team estimates the number of dead at 2,000-3,000. Teheran gives a toll of 5,000.

A Belgian toxicologist says in May that analysis shows that several gases were used including mustard gas and nerve agents.

He estimates that 3,800 people were killed and 10,000 poisoned.

Analysts say afterwards the attack may have been in revenge for the Kurdish fighters' support of the Iranian army in the 1980-1988 war.

- 'Chemical Ali' hanged -

Justice comes more than 20 years later when General Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for ordering poisonous gas attacks, is hanged in 2010.

A cousin of Saddam, he is found by the courts to have ordered the attack on Halabja.

He gets four death sentences, including for Halabja, but insists he acted in the interests of Iraqi security and expresses no remorse.

In 2012, the Iraqi government hands Halabja authorities the rope used in his hanging.

Saddam is hanged in 2006 for another atrocity, closing various investigations underway against him, including for genocide of the Kurds.

Foreign Policy magazine reveals in 2013 that the United States provided Iraq with intelligence on preparations for an Iranian offensive during the war knowing Baghdad would respond with chemical weapons.

"The Iraqis never told us that they intended to use nerve gas. They didn't have to. We already knew," said retired Air Force colonel Rick Francona, a military attache in Baghdad during the 1988 attack.
Dubai (AFP) - Saudi Arabia is fast-tracking an atomic energy programme to reduce its dependence on oil, but concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East could put a damper on its ambitious plans.

The atomic policy, which limits nuclear activities to peaceful purposes, was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday just days before powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of oil, has framed its nuclear project as driven purely by economics.

The kingdom is struggling to meet fast-rising energy demand and crude prices remain far below their peaks reached before the 2014 market crash.

Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in October that the nuclear programme would start by building two reactors, each producing between 1.2 and 1.6 gigawatts of electricity.

But the atomic ambitions of the key US ally and regional power are coming under scrutiny in Washington at a time of growing tensions between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme.

The Saudi cabinet says its nuclear programme will be in "full compliance with the principle of transparency" and meet nuclear safety standards "in accordance with an independent regulatory and supervisory framework".

The country has accelerated plans to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next two decades, according to officials and analysts, at a cost of around $80 billion.

The reactors are expected to generate 17.6 gigawatts of electricity -- 10 percent of the country's power needs -- by 2040.

- Bidders line up -

Riyadh is expected to shortlist next month two to three international firms out of five bidders from China, South Korea, Russia, France and the United States, according to Abdulmalik al-Sabery, a consultant in the business development department at King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE).

In December, one firm will be selected to build the first two nuclear reactors, Sabery told Bloomberg News in January.

Story continues

Construction of the reactors will start next year although they are not expected to begin operating before 2027, Sabery said.

Energy consumption in Saudi Arabia has been rising at more than five percent per year although growth slowed in 2017 after the government cut subsidies and hiked prices.

Electricity consumption is expected to double over the next 15 years, reaching 120 gigawatts by 2032, Abdullah al-Shehri, governor of Saudi Arabia's Electricity and Co-generation Regulatory Authority, told AFP.

The kingdom draws on oil and natural gas to both generate power and desalinate its water so turning to other sources of power, including solar, would free up crude for exportation.

By 2040, 55 percent of the country's power supply will come from solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear energy combined, according to KACARE.

The projects will cost the kingdom around $67 billion over the next five years, according to energy minister Faleh.

But the Middle East Economic Digest last week estimated Riyadh had already spent over $82 billion on electricity projects in the past decade.

- Cost and controversy -

Riyadh has signed cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding with over a dozen countries in recent years to boost nuclear cooperation, including France, China, Russia, Hungary and South Korea.

Its plans have sparked some controversy in Washington, where tensions are high over the atomic programme of Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran, which denies seeking nuclear arms.

An American legislator, Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, has expressed concern over the efforts of US President Donald Trump administration to sign a cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia.

Trump has threatened to tear up a 2015 global pact under which Riyadh's arch-rival Tehran -- facing suspicions it was working towards a nuclear bomb -- agreed to curb its atomic programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.

Analysts have also warned that capacity to produce nuclear energy could potentially open the door to military options across the Middle East.

"Concern about a nuclear arms race is fuelled by uncertainty over the future of Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement, a seeming US willingness to weaken its strict export safeguards in pursuit of economic advantage, and a willingness by suppliers such as Russia and China to ignore risks involved in weaker controls," said James Dorsey, a Middle East expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
By Rania El Gamal, Saeed Azhar and Alex Lawler DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking to just float oil giant Saudi Aramco locally as plans for an initial public offering (IPO) on an international exchange such as London or New York hang in the balance, sources close to the process said. The kingdom is counting on being awarded emerging market status by index complier MSCI in June to help Saudi Aramco attract Western funds, in addition to cornerstone investors from China, Japan and South Korea, the sources said. "I would guess it is about evens that there will be no international IPO," said a high-level source familiar with the preparations, saying they were proving to be a disappointment. Saudi Arabia is planning to list up to 5 percent of Saudi Aramco in an initial public offering that could value it at up to $2 trillion and make it the world's biggest oil company by market capitalization. Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said last week that Aramco was too important to risk listing in the United States because of litigation concerns, such as existing lawsuits against rival oil companies for their role in climate change. British officials have been told by Saudi counterparts London has a chance to secure the listing but only in 2019 at the earliest, according to the Financial Times, and sources told Reuters the kingdom was now focusing on a listing on the local exchange, or Tadawul. "The only thing we know today is that Tadawul will be the key listing location as our national exchange," Falih told CNN. "We are waiting for the reforms to be in place and to join MSCI and Aramco listing in Tadawul will be catalytic for that capital market as we bring international capital to the kingdom," he told the U.S. channel last week. MSCI FLOWS The initial public offering is the centerpiece of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's plan to diversify the Saudi economy beyond oil and it would also boost the kingdom's budget which has been hit by low oil prices. Initially planned for 2018, preparations have been hit by rows over whether Aramco should list on major Western markets at all. An advisory council to the government asked the securities regulator this year to study the impact of a local listing amid concern a huge IPO could harm the market. MSCI has proposed giving its existing Saudi Arabia stock index emerging market status rather than standalone status following a series of market reforms by the kingdom such as raising caps on foreign ownership of companies. MSCI will give its decision in June and, if positive, the reclassification would be in two steps in May and August 2019. According to an update of the MSCI proposal published in February, Saudi Arabia would have a market capitalization of $124 billion in MSCI's Emerging Markets Index, giving it an index weight of 2.3 percent, on a par with Thailand. Based on the assumption that another $100 billion would be added through an Aramco initial public offering, the kingdom's weighting would rise to about 4 percent, which would be bigger than Russia's weighting of 3.4 percent, for example. If MSCI grants Saudi Arabia emerging market status, it could be seen as a reason to push against an international listing, the sources close to the listing process said. Passive investment funds that replicate MSCI indexes would need to put 4 percent of their funds allocated to emerging market indexes into Saudi shares to match the country weighting. According to MSCI, $1.7 trillion of assets were benchmarked against MSCI emerging market indexes at the end of June last year, of which about a fifth was from passive investors. That could mean $13.6 billion could come into Saudi stocks from passive investors and if active investors also increased their Saudi exposure to the weighting following an Aramco IPO the total inflows could be $68 billion. Data published in March by fund tracking firm EPFR Global Funds found evidence that investors have warmed to Saudi Arabia in recent weeks. Looking at single country equity funds, Saudi Arabia attracted record setting flows as investors looked for alternatives to Russia and Turkey, the data showed. LIQUIDITY FEARS With the prospect of a listing in London and New York receding, sources familiar with the IPO told Reuters that Hong Kong was now emerging as an increasingly likely compromise because Riyadh wants to help Asian nations that are expected to become cornerstone investors. While London is preferred over New York, the requirement by both for greater disclosure of sensitive information on Aramco than the Hong Kong exchange is viewed as a drawback by some Saudi officials and advisers, the sources said. Saudi Aramco said on Monday it was still reviewing its options for the initial public offering. A final decision will be made by Mohammed bin Salman, who oversees the kingdom's economic and oil policies. Sources have told Reuters it requires a bourse at least six month to prepare for a listing so a decision would need to be taken in April for the IPO to go ahead this year. Tadawul's chief said in October that his exchange hoped to be the only venue. But with a total capitalization of about $475 billion, it could struggle to absorb Aramco without the participation of foreign funds. Sources close to the process, however, said even with emerging market status, Aramco would struggle to raise $100 billion locally. Bankers and analysts said an Aramco float risked drowning out other shares listed on Tadawul, given daily turnover now is about $1.6 billion. "They can do a nominal 2 to 2.5 percent listing," one of the sources said. (Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov and Karin Strohecker; editing by David Clarke)
A school resource officer in Alexandria, Virginia, has been placed on administrative leave after police say he accidentally discharged his weapon at a middle school Tuesday morning.

The officer, a five-year veteran of the Alexandria Police Department, accidentally discharged the service weapon in his office around 9:10 a.m. at George Washington Middle School, police said in a news release.

The officer immediately checked to make sure no one was injured, and then contacted his supervisor and school staff, police added. Classes continued as normal.

Trending: Couple Bought 21-Year-Old Box of Cereal Off Shelves at Walmart

Police said that the officer was put on routine administrative leave while they investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident. He will be on leave pending the investigations outcome.

In a letter to parents shared with Newsweek, Alexandria City Public Schools said that they have been working closely with the police department but are unable to give more information as the investigation is still active.

Don't miss: Power Season 5 Release Date Confirmed Alongside Season 6 Renewal

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

The incident comes as the U.S. debates how to respond to the threat of school shooters after the deadly attack in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 people dead. President Donald Trump has expressed his support for armed educators, saying that they [m]ust be firearms adept & have annual training.

If schools are mandated to be gun free zones, violence and danger are given an open invitation to enter, Trump said in a tweet on Monday.

Most popular: Netflix's 'Ravenous' is the Best Zombie Horror Film of the Decade, and Also the Most French Canadian

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Related: You can change gun laws, say survivors of U.K. school mass shooting

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos similarly said that [s]chools have to be protected like every other large gathering, during an interview with NBCs Today Show, adding that did not mean arming all teachers everywhere but only in places where its appropriate.

Story continues

New York City has faced criticism after it pulled armed police officers out of public schools, instead having community policing units visit the schools during other patrols. The plan was reportedly made before the February 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but only recently went into effect.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has died. He was 76.

The scientific community had an immediate outpouring of grief and admiration for the famed thinker, whose work changed the way the world thinks about the basic laws that govern the universe.

Among those voices was that of astrophysicist and media personality Neil deGrasse Tyson, who tweeted:

"His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018."

Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge Wednesday morning, his family said in a statement to The Daily Telegraph.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," his children said in a statement. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.'"

Hawking attended the University of Cambridge, where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1965. He would go on to have a distinguished career as a professor at that same vaunted institution.

"Professor Hawking was a unique individual who will be remembered with warmth and affection not only in Cambridge but all over the world," Cambridge's vice chancellor said in a statement. "His exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge and the popularization of science and mathematics have left an indelible legacy. His character was an inspiration to millions. He will be much missed."

In 1962, Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, a rare motor neuron disorder, after his 21st birthday. He was given just months or years to live.

Instead, he lived more than a half century longer, stunning physicians.

Despite being wheelchair-bound and dependent on a computerized voice system for communication, Hawking continued to combine family life with his research into theoretical physics.

Story continues

He also had three children with his first wife, Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren, according to his website's official bio.

RELATED STORIES

American Scientists Rescued From Remote Island in Antarctica

Where Is Timothy? Reward for CDC Scientist Missing More Than a Month Reaches $40,000

Stephen Hawking Reveals the Effect Zayn Malik Leaving One Direction Has on the Universe

Related Articles:
In a farewell speech, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson thanked career diplomats, servicemembers and the American people, but did not thank President Donald Trump, who fired him hours earlier via tweet.

Taking the podium at the State Department Tuesday afternoon, Tillerson said he would delegate all responsibilities of the office of the secretary to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan at the end of the day, but that he will stay on until March 31, remaining to address a few administrative matters related to his departure and transition.

I close by thanking all for the privilege of serving beside you for the last 14 months, he said. Importantly to the 300 plus million Americans, thank you for your devotion to a free and open society, to acts of kindness toward one another, to honesty, and the quiet hard work that you do every day to support this government with your tax dollars.

Trump tweeted just before 9 a.m. that he was firing Tillerson and replacing him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Tillerson was reportedly not given specific advance notice of his termination, and he said that he received a call from the president around noon, three hours after the tweet.

When a State Department aide put out a statement that Tillerson was unaware of the reason for his firing and learned of it when the rest of the world did on Twitter, the White House immediately fired that aide.

It was a chaotic morning that followed months of tension between the two men. Trump also told reporters that we were not really thinking the same in remarks to press Tuesday morning.

Tillerson cited the maximum pressure campaign against North Korea as his primary accomplishment at the State Department, but he did not mention Trumps recent decision to accept a meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un. (Trump said earlier in the day that he didnt consult Tillerson on that major foreign policy move. I really didnt discuss it very much with him, honestly, he said. I made that decision by myself.)

Story continues

In likely his final address as Secretary of State, Tillerson praised his working relationship with Defense Secretary James Mattis and highlighted challenges facing the State Department, including achieving peace in Syria, establish[ing] a clear view of the United States relationship with China and respond[ing] to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government.

But now out of a job, the former ExxonMobil chief said hes leaving government altogether.

Ill now return to private life, he said, as a private citizen, as a proud American  proud of the opportunity Ive had to serve my country.
When she was 11 years old, Sherry Johnson saw her world upended.

Forced to marry her rapist and the father of her child, Johnson was a child herself when life as she knew it changed.

When I found out I was going to be married, I didnt know what to think, Johnson told InsideEdition.com. No one actually protected me. They protected him by putting the handcuffs on me, instead of putting the handcuffs on him, and he was the rapist.

But instead of letting trauma dictate her life, the Florida woman set out to make sure no other child in the U.S. would have to be forced into marriage.

And shes come one step closer to making that goal a reality, as the state legislature has passed a bill prohibiting marriage for anyone under 17.

Im very excited, Johnson told InsideEdition.com Monday. Im happy. My heart is happy.

The change came after Johnson spent countless hours speaking to lawmakers and the press about her own story to highlight the need for a new law.

I had a lot of legislators tell me, toe-to-toe, theres no such law that a child can get married, Johnson said. I said, You need to do your homework, because its happening.

The bill that passed Friday was a compromise between the House and Senate.

Though the Senate originally passed a bill banning marriage for anyone under the age of 18, the House wanted to carve out exceptions for 16- and 17-year-olds when a pregnancy occurs.

The bill going before Gov. Rick Scott instead has a minimum age requirement of 17 but includes no pregnancy carve-outs. Anyone marrying a 17-year-old cannot be more than two years older and minors need parental consent to wed.

Scotts office has said he will sign the bill, which will go on to become the strictest child marriage law in the U.S.

Working together, [legislators] had to put their differences aside to vote for what was right, Johnson said.

Though she was disappointed to see the minimum age limit lowered to 17, Johnson said was pleased with the stipulations that were attached to the lower age.

Story continues

Those requirements make it a whole lot better than was offered before, she said. My main goal is to make sure we are protecting our children and giving them the opportunity to make their decisions with wisdom.

Though Johnson said she breathed a sigh of relief after the bill passed, shes still got work to do.

This week, shell head to Louisiana to help lawmakers draft their own version of the bill that passed in her home state. After that, Johnson said shell go wherever shes needed most.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, he said. We have the [rest of the] world to reach to protect our children. At least here in Florida, where all of my trauma occurred, it was a good fight. And at the end, we won.

RELATED STORIES

Bail Bondsman Charged With Bigamy After Allegedly Marrying Woman and Her Teen Daughter

Man Arrested For Allegedly 'Marrying' Stepdaughter at Age 12, Holding Her Captive For 19 Years

Girl, 13, Escapes Alleged Rapist by Jumping From Car: Cops

Related Articles:
Frankfurt am Main (AFP) - German industrial group Siemens announced plans Wednesday to invest a billion euros in Brazil over the next five years, as Latin America's biggest economy cements its recovery from a brutal recession.

In a statement, Siemens said it had signed an accord with APEX, Brazil's Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, committing to a string of projects to "unleash a new cycle of sustainable growth" in the country of 207 million people.

As part of the deal, Siemens plans to triple its investments in Brazil "to up to one billion euros" ($1.2 billion) over the next five years, mainly focusing on electrification, automation and digitalisation projects in energy, healthcare and transport, as well as training and education initiatives.

Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser, who attended Tuesday's signing ceremony in Sao Paulo alongside Brazilian President Michel Temer, said the group wanted to help the country respond to the technological changes shaking up industries worldwide.

"The people of Brazil can benefit greatly from these opportunities," he said in the statement.

"That's why it's important to act quickly to build the necessary infrastructure in energy and mobility and create a well-trained workforce."

President Temer welcomed Siemens' plans as the latest sign "of the return of confidence to Brazil's economy".

"We've been working for this over the last 22 months, creating a more favourable investment environment," he tweeted.

Siemens -- whose products range from wind turbines to trains to medical equipment -- has a long history in Brazil where it owns 14 factories and seven centres for research and development, employing nearly 6,000 people.

Brazil announced earlier this month that its economy grew by a percentage point in 2017 following two years of contraction.

The expansion was driven by strong growth in the agroindustrial sector, while industrial output remained stable.

Story continues

Although modest, last year's growth figure represented a significant turnaround for the South American giant, which contracted 3.5 percent in both 2015 and 2016.

For 2018, the government is projecting growth of three percent.

To fuel Brazil's recovery, Temer has spearheaded austerity cuts, looser labour laws and a big privatisation programme -- proposals that are deeply unpopular among many Brazilians but are backed by investors.
Freetown (AFP) - Two upstart Sierra Leone political parties said Wednesday they had filed complaints over this month's elections after failing to make the cut for the second round of the presidential ballot.

The National Grand Coalition (NGC) took 6.9 percent of votes in the March 7 elections to the presidency while the Coalition for Change (C4C) garnered 3.5 percent.

The results left them far behind the two frontrunners, who go into a deciding round on March 27.

The NGC -- whose rise last year spurred talk of the emergence of a third party in national politics -- is headed by Kandeh Yumkella, a former figure in the main opposition Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP), which topped the poll.

C4C is led by Samuel Sam-Sumana, a former vice-president of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) party.

"We at NGC are not satisfied with the presidential results," NGC campaign manager Julius Spencer told AFP in the capital Freetown.

"NGC is currently consulting our legal team to challenge the results in court," he added.

The party had earlier called for a recount of the votes in some polling stations but said it had not received any update on the outcome, though the National Election Commission (NEC) did several recounts before announcing results on Tuesday.

The C4C meanwhile said in a statement it "does not trust the published figures and we demand a recount in many instances," adding the NEC had been officially notified.

The head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, urged candidates to use "peaceful and legal means to redress any grievances and complaints they may have" in a statement on Wednesday.

The March 7 elections also chose a new parliament and members of local councils, the results of which have not yet been announced.

The export-dependent economy of this mineral-rich but impoverished West African country is in a dire state following the 2014-16 Ebola crisis, while a commodity price slump has driven away foreign investors.

Story continues

Opposition leader Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP took 43.3 percent of votes in the March 7 election, while Samura Kamara of the APC took 42.7 percent, the commission said on Tuesday.

The threshold for an outright win was 55 percent.

Maada Bio boasted on Wednesday the APC was "finished".

"Most of their own supporters voted SLPP because the people need change for the development of Sierra Leone," the retired brigadier said.

Kamara, who had emerged from the vote confident of outright victory, appeared to acknowledge the blow of coming second on Wednesday, telling public radio: "All we need now in the second round is to ensure that there is no disconnect and complacency."

Both candidates urged peaceful conduct among their supporters in the face of harassment or intimidation, which has plagued party activists of all sides during the vote.

Campaigning for the second round ends on March 25.
By John Geddie SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore said on Wednesday it was investigating two local companies accused of supplying luxury goods to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions. Citing a leaked draft of a U.N. report, British broadcaster BBC said earlier this week the two firms were OCN and T-Specialist, sister companies that share the same director. "The Singapore authorities are aware of these cases and we are in correspondence with the U.N. Panel on them," Singapore's foreign affairs ministry said in a statement. "In respect of the two companies mentioned in the BBC report - OCN and T-Specialist  our authorities have commenced investigations into these companies. However, we are unable to provide additional details as investigations are ongoing." OCN and T-Specialist could not be immediately reached for comment, neither could lawyer Edmond Pereira who local media reported was representing the firms. The BBC said the companies have denied wrongdoing. Under U.N. sanctions, it has been illegal to sell luxury items to North Korea since 2006. Singapore suspended all commercial trade with Pyongyang in November. (Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Michael Perry)
La Paz (AFP) - Police stormed a riot-torn prison in Bolivia early Wednesday, killing six inmates in an operation that also left two dozen people injured, authorities said.

Deputy Interior Minister Jose Luis Quiroga said the dead at the Palmasola prison were inmates "who resisted the police incursion."

Police said six police and 18 inmates were injured in the operation, which was launched to search the prison for weapons and drugs in the wake of a riot.

About 2,300 police surged into the cell blocks before dawn, a week after an uprising triggered by a government order that bars children younger than six from visiting jailed relatives.

Wives and children live in the prison voluntarily with their inmate relatives. They were allowed to leave before the raid began, Quiroga said.

National police chief Alfonso Mendoza said a search turned up "a still to make alcohol, and endless stands for sales of drugs, marijuana, cocaine."

"There was complete lawlessness in Palmasola," he said, even though police were meant to control the entry of people and goods into the prison.

The police separately revealed that they seized 85 knives, nine firearms, four grenades and 188 mobile phones, according to the newspaper La Razon.

Quiroga also attributed the uprising to a power struggle among inmates.

He said when police entered the prison, some inmates opened fire, wounding three police and triggering return fire.

The objective was to regain control over the prison because authorities had determined that inmates were using the prison to plot crimes in the city of Santa Cruz, he said.

"It was a successful operation -- we have taken control," he said.

Inside the prison, the situation was relatively calm after the operation, but police used tear gas to disperse people who had gathered outside the prison wanting to know the fate of their relatives.

"They've gone in to lynch them, to shoot them, they've gone in to kill them. My husband is inside. I don't know if he is alive or dead," one woman told Fides, a Catholic radio station.

Story continues

Located in eastern Bolivia, Palmasola houses an estimated 4,000 inmates and is reputed to be one of the most dangerous and overcrowded penitentiaries in the country.

It was the scene of an uprising in 2013 that left 15 dead.

Inmates have often maintained effective control inside the prison, under cursory supervision by the state.

Bolivian prisons have capacity for 3,730 inmates, but hold more than 15,000, according to official figures that date from December 2016.
If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE).


Students from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City joined more than 2,000 schools across the country in staging a walkout to call for action on gun laws. This is not only a way to honor the lives lost at Parkland, but this is a way to bring attention to the issue of gun violence, said 17-year-old senior Marcus Daschagas from Harlem, N.Y. This is us showing we dont want this to happen again.

The #NationalWalkoutDay was intended to pressure state and federal lawmakers to tighten gun laws to make it more difficult for minors and those with mental health issues to obtain firearms. The walkouts took place at 10 a.m. local time in each time zone and lasted for 17 minutes in remembrance of the 17 Parkland, Fla., school shooting victims.

Across the city, the New York City Department of Education allowed students to participate in the event if they submitted a signed permission slip from their parents. The infraction would count as an excused absence.

Hundreds of students sat and lay down on West 62nd Street to show their unity. Something needs to change in this country, said 18-year-old senior Destynie Julien. This school is 1,200 kids, and were all here to say, something needs to happen.
By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - South Dakota on Wednesday sued three major drugmakers, accusing them of deceptively marketing prescription opioids and contributing to a nationwide epidemic. Marty Jackley, the state's attorney general, announced civil claims against Purdue Pharma LP, a unit of Endo International Plc and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen unit. The lawsuit makes South Dakota at least the 16th U.S. state to sue manufacturers over opioids, which can be used to treat pain. Jackley said the drugmakers have violated Medicaid fraud laws and state deceptive trade laws, and created a public nuisance by spreading false information about opioids' risks and benefits. He said their conduct has fueled abuse of opioids in South Dakota, where nearly 596,000 prescriptions for a total of 39.3 million doses were filled in 2017. South Dakota's population is about 870,000. "Pharmaceutical companies that knowingly and deceptively harm consumers must be held accountable," Jackley said in a statement. Purdue and Janssen said in separate statements they were committed to finding ways to curb opioid abuse, and rejected the respective allegations against them. Endo declined to comment. Opioids, including prescription painkillers and heroin, played a role in a record 42,249 U.S. deaths in 2016, up 47 percent from 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Tom Brown)
President Donald Trump said he wants to create an army capable of fighting wars in space in what began as a joke but he later said was a great idea.

My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea, Trump told a crowd of Marines at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, California.

We may even have a Space Force, develop another one, Space Force. We have the Air Force. We'll have the Space Force. We have the army, the navy. I was saying it the other day because we're doing a tremendous amount of work in space. I said maybe we need a new force, we'll call it the Space Force. And I was not really serious. Then I said 'what a great idea, maybe we'll have to do that'.

Trending: Trump Cleans House: VA Secretary David Shulkin May Be Next in Firing Line

Donald Trump Space Force

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

As the audience of Marines laughed and cheered, he added: That could happen. That could be the big breaking story. Oh that fake news.

Trump continued: "So think of that: Space Force. Because we're spending a lot, and we have a lot of private money coming in, tremendous.

From the very beginning, most of our astronauts have been soldiers and sailors, airmen, coastguardsmen, and Marines. And our service members will be vital to ensuring America continues to lead the way into the stars. We're going to lead the way in space.

We're way, way behind. And we're catching up fast. So fast that nobody even believes it.

Trump appeared to be echoing a warning made by General John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, in a statement to the House Committee on Armed Services on March 7.

Don't miss: Stephen Hawking Once Gave England's Soccer Team a Pre-World Cup Formula For Winning

Today, deterrence is more than just our nuclear capabilities, Hyten said. Deterrence requires integrated planning for all capabilities, across all domains. This enables the synchronized operation and decisive response to adversary aggression anytime, anywhere.

Story continues

We must make this concept operational for all domain warfighting throughout the DoD. We must normalize space and cyberspace as warfighting domains.

There is no war in space, just as there is no war in cyberspace. There is only war, and war can extend into any domain.

The notion of a future where rival states fight in space is not a new one. Space is already used by states for military purposes, such as satellites for surveillance, and it was a focus of weapons research during the Cold War.

Back in 2015, the Department of Defense unveiled a new Joint Interagency Combined Space Operations Center (JICSpOC) "in conjunction with U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Space Command, and the intelligence community".

"The center will have the capability to develop, test, validate and integrate new space system tactics, techniques and procedures in support of both DoD and Intelligence Community space operations," the DoD said in a release.

Most popular: Nursing Student Haley Anderson Murder Update: Ex-Boyfriend Arrested in Nicaragua

"Ultimately, the output of the JICSpOC will enhance U.S. space operations, contribute to operational command and control within the DoD, and improve the nation's ability to protect and defend critical national space infrastructure in an increasingly contested space environment."

JICSpOC was renamed in 2017 as the National Space Defense Center.

Trump is not the first person to come up with the concept of a U.S. Space Force.

Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican in Alabama and former chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, floated the idea of a Space Force in 2017.

We have to acknowledge that the national security space structure is broken, he said in a speech at the 33rd Space Symposium, reported Space News.

Its very hard for a government bureaucracy to fix itself, and thats exactly why congressional oversight exists. Its the job of the Armed Services Committee to recognize when the bureaucracy is broken and to see that its fixed.

Rogers concluded: "My vision of the future is a separate Space Force within the Department of Defense."

In January 2018, Russia accused the U.S. of trying to "militarize" space.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
London (AFP) - With Britain announcing Wednesday the expulsion of 23 diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack against a Russian former double agent in England earlier this month, here are previous sanctions by London on Moscow in spying affairs.

- Expulsions of Soviet diplomats -

- In September 1971 Britain expelled a record number of 105 Soviet diplomats and officials, after Moscow refused to clarify the activities of 440 of its citizens in Britain.

Moscow in turn expelled 18 Britons.

- In September 1985 Moscow and London engaged in a furious six-day exchange of spy expulsions, declaring a draw after 31 on each side had been sent packing. This followed the defection to Britain of the KGB's London station chief, Oleg Gordievsky.

- In May 1989, 11 Soviet diplomats and journalists were thrown out for spying. Meanwhile 11 Britons were sent home from Moscow in a tit-for-tat move.

- Expulsions of Russians -

- In May 1996 Britain ordered the expulsion of four Russians working at the London embassy, in response to the kicking out of four British diplomats from Russia.

According to Moscow, the Britons were in contact with a Russian working for British intelligence.

- In July 2007 Britain expelled four Russian diplomats and hit Moscow with visa restrictions after Moscow refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the main suspect in the murder of ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Litvinenko was poisoned in London in 2006 with the radioactive substance polonium-210, in the most notorious of a rash of suspicious deaths of high-profile Russian exiles in Britain.

Moscow responded with the expulsion of four British diplomats, suspended counter-terrorism cooperation with London and also stopped issuing visas to British officials.

In January 2016, after a British probe found that Moscow was responsible for the affair, the British government summoned Russia's ambassador, and froze the assets of Lugovoi and a second suspect, Dmitry Kovtun.
For more than 50 years, death was a poignant part of Stephen Hawkings remarkable life.

The physicist, who died Wednesday at age 76, wasnt expected to see his 25th birthday, after being diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative condition ALS at age 21. Though Hawking beat the odds for more than five decades, the scientist told the Guardian in 2011 that death was never far from his mind.

I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years, Hawking said. Im not afraid of death, but Im in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.

Here are some of Hawkings most interesting thoughts about death, the afterlife and God.

Hawking didnt believe in heaven

The scientist took a pragmatic view of what happens to the brain and body after death.

I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail, he told the Guardian. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.

He believed in an impersonal God, but not a creator

Hawking invoked the name of God in his seminal book A Brief History of Time, writing that if physicists could find a theory of everything  that is, a cohesive explanation for how the universe works  they would glimpse the mind of God.

But in later interviews and writings, such as 2010s The Grand Design, which he co-wrote with Leonard Mlodinow, Hawking clarified that he wasnt referring to a creator in the traditional sense.

Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist, he wrote in The Grand Design. It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.

Using language about God, Hawking told TIME after the books release, is more figurative than literal.

God is the name people give to the reason we are here, he said. But I think that reason is the laws of physics rather than someone with whom one can have a personal relationship. An impersonal God.

Story continues

Hawking considered himself an atheist

Hawking spoke more plainly about his thoughts on God in an interview with Spanish publication El Mundo.

Before we understand science, it is natural to believe that God created the universe. But now science offers a more convincing explanation, he said. What I meant by we would know the mind of God is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God, which there isnt. Im an atheist.

But still thought the universe had meaning

Though Hawking rejected the conventional notion of God or a creator, he fundamentally believed that the universe and life have meaning, according to the New York Times.

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist, Hawking said of the meaning of life. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.
Visionary physicist Stephen Hawking died early Wednesday at the age of 76. An intellectual leader in the study of black holes, quantum mechanics, and physical cosmology, Hawking also found a degree of beloved celebrity that evades most scientists. The best-selling author was a mainstay in the public eye, using his computer-based communication system to explain the wonders of the universe.

In turn, his numerous appearances on television, radio, and the stage gave us an archive of Hawkings advice for the future. Not one to shy away from the apocalyptic, Hawking was passionate about protecting humanity, which he predicted would face an onslaught of challenges in the years to come.

See also: Eddie Redmayne Remembers Stephen Hawking in One Surprising Way

Heres a sampling of his scientific soothsaying.

Stephen Hawking died Wednesday at the age of 76.

Hawking Predicted A.I. May Be The Worst Thing for Humans

In November, Hawking warned at a technology conference in Lisbon, Portugal, that artificial intelligence could be the worst thing ever to happen to humanity. Because what an A.I. can learn is infinite, Hawking reasoned that it could eventually catch up to the limits of the human brain and surpass us.

Success in creating effective A.I. could be the biggest event in the history of our civilization or the worst, Hawking said at Web Summit last year. We cannot know if we will be infinitely helped by A.I. or ignored by it and sidelined or conceivably destroyed by it.

Hawking also told Wired in November that he feared A.I. would replace humans altogether, a concern he had in common with Elon Musk. Accordingly, the two men endorsed a list of 23 principles they feel should steer A.I. development in February 2017.

Hawking Predicted Meeting Aliens Will Be Bad News

It was Hawkings belief that when humans inevitably meet aliens, we should run. That dread came less from an idea that aliens will be inherently bad, and more from his observations of humans. Much like Christopher Columbus triggered chaos in his coming to the Americas, colonizing aliens would also bring turmoil to our proverbial shores.

Story continues

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View.

We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldnt want to meet, Hawking told the Times of London in 2010. I imagine they might exist in massive ships, having used up all of the resources from their home planet. Such advanced aliens should perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.

But He Also Predicted We Probably Wont Encounter Aliens Soon

Despite his concerns about a hostile alien civilization, Hawking never said this alien invasion would happen anytime soon. In April 2016, he explained at a conference for the space exploration project Breakthrough Starshot that the next 20 years, at least, will likely be alien free.

The probability [of finding alien life] is low  probably, Hawking told the crowd. But the discoveries from the Kepler mission suggest that there are billions of habitable planets in our galaxy alone. There are at least 100 billion galaxies in the visible universe, so it seems likely that there are others out there.

Stephen Hawking: not a fan of aliens.

Hawking Predicted Our Time on Earth Would End

During his work with Breakthrough Starshot, Hawking asserted that within the next thousand or 10 thousand years, humans living on interstellar colonies would be absolute certainty. This would be, in Hawkings opinion, for the best. Earth, he predicted, was in danger of experiencing astronomical events like asteroids and supernovas. To survive as a species, he declared in April 2016, we must ultimately spread to the stars.

This wasnt a one-time prediction from Hawking. At the Starmus Festival in June 2017, he declared that humans needed to prepare for an exodus off this planet sometime within the next 200 to 500 years because of our own damage to Earth.

We are running out of space, and the only place we can go to are other worlds, Hawking told a crowd in Trondheim, Norway. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves.

Hawking Predicted Climate Change Could Ravage Earth

Hawking joined many scientists in his assertion that climate change could spell out the end for our planet, but its on this topic that he struck a (relatively) more hopeful tone. Sure, climate change could kill us all, but that doesnt necessarily mean it will happen.

We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible, Hawking told BBC News in July. Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and its one we can prevent if we act now.

To move away from this tipping point, Hawking argued, world leaders like President Donald Trump (of whom he was no fan) would need to stick to the rules laid out by the Paris Agreement. According to Hawking, we arent at doomsday yet  and its up to our actions and ingenuity to keep it that way.

Photos via Lwp Kommunikacio/Flickr (1, 2), Bryan Bedder / Stringer

Photos via Lwp Kommunikacio/Flickr (1, 2), Bryan Bedder / Stringer

Written by Sarah Sloat

More articles by Sarah  Facebook Page  Twitter

tweetshare

More From Inverse
Famed physicist Stephen Hawking died Tuesday at the age of 76, his family confirmed. Renowned for his scientific work in a number of areas, Hawking left behind a legacy that encompassed a variety of subjects, expounding on everything from the secrets of the universe to artificial intelligence.

Hawking often shared his predictions about the future, discussing the fate of humanity and the human race.

Here are some of Hawkings most interesting theories.

Trending: Diplomat Tells U.S. Democrats to 'Get Your Shit Together' Against TrumpOr We All Die

Artificial Intelligence

Hawking warned about the potential for robots to outperform humans, effectively making the human race obsolete.

I fear AI may replace humans altogether, he told Wired in November. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans.

Boiling Earth

Hawking had some dire predictions for the temperature of our home planet, thanks, he said, to President Donald Trump. Following Trumps decision to pull the United States out of the Paris agreement on climate change, Hawking warned of the consequences.

Don't miss: What is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis? Stephen Hawking's Disease Explained

"We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible, he told BBC News. Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees and raining sulfuric acid.

Leaving Earth

Hawking urged humans to expand their horizons, saying he believed humans needed to leave Earth in order to have a viable future. Hawking discussed the potential for a space colony for survival.

I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space, the physicist told Charlie Rose.

Most popular: Pi Day 2018 Deals: Where to Get Free, Discounted Pie, Pizza

The Future of Humanity

Hawking was vocal in his belief that humanity would meet its demise at some point in the relatively near future, putting an expiration date on the human race.

Story continues

Although the chance of a disaster on planet Earth in a given year may be quite low, it adds up over time, becoming a near certainty in the next 1,000 or 10,000 years, Hawking said in the BBC documentary Stephen Hawking: Expedition New Earth.

We must continue to go into space for the future of humanity, he also said. I dont think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet.

GettyImages-520677250

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Paris (AFP) - Very few people may have read and understood "A Brief History of Time", but the physicist Stephen Hawking carved himself out a place in pop culture equalled only by Albert Einstein.

While the brilliant mind behind the theory of relativity was instantly recognisable by Einstein's unruly "mad scientist" hair, Hawking's wheelchair and his synthesised voice made him every bit as iconic.

Both knew how to play to the gallery, and that the key to scientific evangelism was not to take yourself too seriously -- in public.

Einstein famously stuck out his tongue out for a picture in 1951 and Hawking never passed up a chance to show his rapier wit.

Within months of his 1988 bestseller -- dubbed "the greatest unread book in history" -- entering the Guinness Book of Records, the British cosmologist had became a star of the television chat show circuit and a pop cultural fixture.

He appeared as himself in everything from "Star Trek: The Next Generation" -- playing poker with a hologram of Einstein -- to "The Simpsons" where he conceded that Homer's "theory of a donut-shaped universe is intriguing".

In fact, he appeared five times in the cartoon series as "the world's smartest man", and became such a running gag that he had his own Simpsons figurine.

In his 1999 debut, "They Saved Lisa's Brain", he even started a brawl by punching Principal Skinner.

He was usually called on to deliver pearls of gnomic self-deprecating wisdom such as: "Sometimes even the smartest of us can be the most childish. But not me, never..."

- 'Imprisoned mind' roaming cosmos -

The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening also used Hawking's severed head as a recurring trope in his sci-fi series "Futurama". The scientist was a regular too on another US show, "The Big Bang Theory".

Artists even found his TV adverts inspiring.

Story continues

Pink Floyd's David Gilmour sampled his voice from a 1994 British telephone ad for his song, "Keep Talking", after Hawking channelled "E.T." to declare: "Mankind's greatest achievements have come about by talking and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn't have to be like this."

Hawking's colleague at Cambridge University, the Astronomer Royal Professor Lord Martin Rees, said the key to his appeal was that his brilliant brain had been imprisoned in a wheelchair and that he had been robbed of his own voice.

"The concept of an imprisoned mind roaming the cosmos plainly grabbed people's imagination" and made him a cult figure, Lord Rees said in an appreciation of his friend, released Wednesday.

"If he had achieved equal distinction in (say) genetics rather than cosmology, his triumph of intellect against adversity probably wouldn't have achieved the same resonance with a worldwide public," he added.

- Postmodern superhero -

But for French science writer and YouTube star Bruce Benamran, Hawking was a kind of postmodern superhero.

"He was clearly handicapped by his illness but at the same time he was kind of superhuman.

"He seemed to live in a kind of energy that was almost superhuman even as he was imprisoned in his wheelchair and obliged to talk through an artificial interface, which made him even more recognisable," he added.

Despite the black hole of a body wracked by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Hawking was able to fill the Albert Hall in London and other huge venues across the world and hold audiences spellbound with his ideas.

Hawking's personal life also became public property through the success of "The Theory of Everything", which saw actor Eddie Redmayne win an Oscar for portraying the scientist.

Based on the book by his first wife, Jane, Lord Rees said the film "conveyed with sensitivity how the need for support (first from a succession of students, but later requiring a team of nurses), strained his marriage to breaking point, especially when augmented by the pressure of his growing celebrity."

Hawking later married one of those nurses, Elaine Mason, whose former husband had designed Hawking's speech synthesiser, although the relationship did not last either.

In later life, he wrote a series of much-praised books for children with his daughter, Lucy.

While more than 10 million copies of "A Brief History of Time" were sold, Lord Rees said "probably more readers got to the end" of his other books which explained his ideas, such as "Our Universe in a Nutshell" and "The Grand Design".

Benamran, however, said his gift for explaining the most complex concepts was the key to his stardom.

"He was someone who could explain simply and clearly the most difficult subjects without loading them with scientific baggage," he said.
British physicist Stephen Hawking, shown here delivering a speech at George Washington University in 2008, has passed away at the age of 76. (NASA Photo / Paul E. Alers)

Stephen Hawking, the British physicist who became famous for his way-out theories and for overcoming debilitating disease, has died at the age of 76, his children said in a statement tonight.

We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today, according to the statement, which was distributed by British news media and attributed to Lucy, Robert and Timothy Hawking. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

The statement said Hawking died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University.

His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world, the children said. He once said: It would not be much of a universe if it wasnt home to the people you love. We will miss him forever.

Hawking had to cope with neurodegenerative disease since graduate school, and had been confined to a wheelchair for decades. In his latter years, he could communicate only by blinking his eyes to control a computer and a digitally simulated voice.

Nevertheless, he achieved a level of fame that few scientists in history ever attained.

His life was the subject of an award-winning 2014 movie, The Theory of Everything. His book about cosmology, A Brief History of Time, became a bestseller when it was published in 1998. (It also spawned follow-up books, including The Grand Design and A Briefer History of Time.)

Hawking never received a Nobel Prize, but his theories about the nature of black holes and spacetime contributed to Nobel-winning discoveries such as the direct detection of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO.

He championed the search for alien civilizations  but also voiced concerns about what we might find. We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldnt want to meet, he said in 2010.

Story continues

Hawking also said it was imperative that humans spread out to new worlds within the next century or two. We have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years, but if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years, our future is in space, he warned.

One of Hawkings best-known scientific contributions is the concept of Hawking radiation  the idea that black holes radiate a trickle of energy due to the quantum nature of spacetime.

Although his base of operations was at Cambridge University, he traveled widely around the world. Hawkings most recent high-profile visit to Seattle came in 2012. During that trip, he gave a lecture at the Paramount Theater, went sightseeing and visited with family and friends.

While visiting Seattle, Hawking was asked how hed describe his quality of life in light of his long struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He told journalists that his life was actually pretty good.

I have been very successful in my scientific work, and have become one of the best-known scientists in the world, he said. I have three children, and three grandchildren so far. I travel widely, have been to Antarctica and have met the presidents of Korea, China, India, Ireland, Chile and the United States. I have been down in a submarine, and up in a zero-gravity flight in preparation for the flight into space that Im hoping to make on Virgin Galactic.

Despite my disability, I have managed to do most things I want, Hawking said. My main regret is that it has prevented me from playing with my children and grandchildren as fully as I want.

Hawking was married and divorced twice. After his divorce from his second wife, Elaine, he became close again with his first wife, Jane. The screenplay for The Theory of Everything is based on Jane Hawkings biography, Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen.

One of Hawkings sons, Robert, has worked as a software engineer at Microsoft and lives in Seattle.

In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Stephen Hawking was an advocate for people with disabilities, in part because of the disease he had to deal with in his own life. His final posting on Facebook, written last December, put out a call to challenge proposed changes in Britains health care system. He signed it with his initials: SH.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Sidelights on Stephen Hawking:

More from GeekWire:
Big banks have less than a month to submit their capital plans to the Federal Reserve as part of their annual Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review. Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE: WFC) is off to shaky start to 2018, and analysts say this year's Fed stress test will be harder on Wells Fargo than most other banks.

In February, the Fed released the details of this year's stress test scenarios. According to Bank of America analyst Erika Najarian, the 2018 severely adverse scenario is more severe than expected. This year's severe scenario includes a rapid 51 percent drop in equity markets and ultimately a 65 percent overall stock market decline. Last year's test included only a 50 percent decline in the stock market over four quarters.

[See: 7 of the Best Stocks to Buy for 2018.]

For Wells Fargo investors, the more troubling aspect of the scenario is the steep, double-digit decline in the real estate market in only two quarters. Wells Fargo must prove that it can maintain adequate capital given a rapid stock market sell-off, a 23 percent decline in the home price index and a spike in mortgage rates to 6 percent. In last year's severe scenario, mortgage rates peaked at just 4.6 percent.

"This does not only slow down mortgage revenues more, but also could imply steep mark-to-market losses on bank securities portfolios under stress," Najarian says.

Of all the banks subject to CCAR, Wells Fargo has the second-highest portfolio exposure to residential mortgage-backed securities. Bank of America estimates RMBS represent about 59 percent of Wells Fargo's total securities, second only to UBS Group ( UBS) at 69 percent.

This year's stress test may limit Wells Fargo's ability to boost its dividend and share buybacks in the near term. However, Najarian says the Trump administration will likely continue to ease the regulatory burden on banks, which could result in looser regulations by the time the 2019 CCAR rolls around.

Story continues

Najarian says long-term Wells Fargo investors should remain patient.

"We believe WFC deserves to trade at a premium due to better earnings growth, but we are assuming WFC trades in line with peers due to a higher percentage of earnings from mortgage banking and accretable yield, as well as potentially greater regulatory scrutiny as the second largest US depository," she says.

[See: 7 of the Best Bank Stocks to Buy for 2018.]

The Fed is expected to release CCAR results by June 30.

Bank of America has a "buy" rating and $69 price target for Wells Fargo stock.

Wayne Duggan is a freelance investment strategy reporter with a focus on energy and emerging market stocks. He has a degree in brain and cognitive sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and specializes in the psychological challenges of investing. He is a senior financial market reporter for Benzinga and has contributed financial market analysis to Motley Fool, Seeking Alpha and InvestorPlace. He is also the author of the book "Beating Wall Street With Common Sense," which focuses on the practical strategies he has used to outperform the stock market. You can follow him on Twitter @DugganSense, check out his latest content at tradingcommonsense.com or email him at wpd@tradingcommonsense.com.
At the talks, Secretary Nguyen Thien Nhan highly appreciated the Cambodian delegations visit to broaden opportunities for exchanges in various fields between the two sides. He also congratulated the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) that won a sweeping victory in a Senate election, and hoped the CPP will achieve a victory in the upcoming General elections.



Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan emphasized the two countries organized a series of activities marking the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-Cambodia diplomatic ties, strengthening the good neighbourly relationship in 2017, including the State-level visit to Cambodia by Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in last July and a visit by the high level delegation from Ho Chi Minh City led by City Party Leader Nguyen Thien Nhan in January, 2018.

He said that Ho Chi Minh City will launch promotional programs to support Phnom Penh in coming time, such as offering scholarships, boosting the construction of Cho Ray-Phnom Penh Hospital, creating advantages for Khmer ethnic minority people of Vietnamese origin who are living in Cambodia and among.

For his part, Khuong Sreng affirmed Phnom Penh has seen the value of keeping the focus on maintaining a steadyrelationship with Ho Chi Minh City. After the meeting. the two sides agreed to enhance exchanges and cooperation in traffic, environmental protection and administrative reform.





By THUY VU  Translated by Kim Khanh
As adults in the United States government continue to debate how best to respond to Februarys shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., many teenagers who support stronger gun-control laws are helping to drive that conversation. Though they may not be old enough to vote, they are making their voices heard outside the nations schools  in some cases, by physically getting up and leaving.

On Wednesday, participants in the National School Walkout will leave their classrooms for 17 minutes, for the 17 lives lost in the shooting. On March 24, a Saturday, the March for Our Lives will bring students from Florida and elsewhere to Washington, D.C. Then, on April 20, the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine shooting, some students are planning a National High School Walkout that would last most of the school day.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Though student walkouts can still be controversial, they have an established place in American history.

TIME reached out to people who participated in three of the 20th centurys biggest school walkouts. John Stokes, 86, a retired principal in the Baltimore City Public Schools, was a 19-year-old student at R.R. Moton High School in Farmville, Va., when he helped organize a walkout in which students marched to the local courthouse on April 23, 1951. Janice W. Kelsey, 70, a retired elementary school principal, was 16 when she spent four days in jail for taking part in the Birmingham, Ala., Childrens Crusade on May 2, 1963. Paula Crisostomo, a retired college administrator, and Luis Torres, a former journalist, both 67, were two of the more than 10,000 students who walked out of five Los Angeles high schools in March of 1968 in what was known as the East L.A. school walkouts or blowouts.

Here are the lessons they offered for those who will follow in their footsteps:

Know When You Need to Be Heard

The precise circumstances behind each of these past walkouts was unique. But in each case, the participants tell TIME that the decision to walk out of their school buildings indicated that times were desperate. Walking out happened when other attempts to get attention failed.

Story continues

In Farmville, the march  led by 16-year-old civil-rights pioneer Barbara Johns  was driven by abysmal learning conditions at the all-black school. At R.R. Moton High School, there were more than 450 students who had to fit on a high school campus originally built to accommodate 180. Three tar-paper shacks had been put up to accommodate the overflow. Parents had gone to the school board, and local leaders told them to be patient. Stokes says if the school district had built permanent buildings to accommodate the overflow instead of tar-paper shacks that let the rain come in then I wouldnt be talking to you now, because the adults might have just kept waiting for change to come. Instead, with every other avenue exhausted, the students marched.

Group portrait of some of the more than 100 students named in the lawsuit filed to seek, initially, repairs for Robert Moton High School, a segregated school in Farmville, Va., March 1953.

In Birmingham, young people protested as part of the citys central place in the larger fight for integration. Their involvement was initially designed to minimize the economic impact of community members being sent to jail  after all, the students generally didnt have families to support.

In Los Angeles, meanwhile, students had compiled a long list of grievances about the schools that served the Latino community, ranging from textbooks that didnt cover their peoples history, to a curriculum centered on funneling kids into manual labor rather than college, to locked bathrooms that drove students to relieve themselves in the bushes. They attempted to go through the protocols for addressing those concerns, bringing the list to the school board and local officials. They ignored us or patronized us, laughed at us, [asking] where were we going to get the money, says Crisostomo. They defined us as the next generation of cheap labor.

Adults Can Help

Though the walkouts were led by teens, some adults laid the groundwork or provided critical support.

For example, in 1951, Stokes says the Farmville strikers counted on members of the community, especially local World War II veterans, for loaning them cars to make sure everyone got to the strike and then safely home.

Kelsey was inspired to walk out of her high school after attending a series of mass meetings in Birmingham led by James Bevel, a principal organizer of the school walkouts. Though students may have been drawn in by protest songs and all the cute boys that come, Kelsey says, it was at those meetings that they were told that they were the movements best hope. I was born into a segregated society, but it was at those meetings that I was made aware of the inequities, she says. We wanted to do something about it, and we were told, Well, you can.'

And participants in the East L.A. walkouts say students were motivated by constant guidance from a social-studies teacher who worked at Lincoln High School and Belmont High School, who filled in the Mexican-American history missing from their textbooks and empowered students to learn more about their heritage. It was a time when the Latino community was fighting for recognition and respect from their neighbors and the national media (including TIME).

This notion that all the high school students decided on their own to organize a student strike, did it all alone, thats not true, says Luis Torres, who was the 17-year-old editor of Lincoln High Schools newspaper during the walkout. Social studies teacher Sal Castro was the man behind the curtain who always gave students the credit for doing what they did. It took students to carry things out, but he was the organizer, he was the strategist. If it werent for Sal Castros hands-on guidance, it wouldnt have gone the way it did. UCLA students, such as Moctesuma Esparza, went back and forth from campus to help the high schoolers organize.

They also benefited from consciousness-raising efforts after the Watts Riots, the rise of the Black Panthers and the antiwar protests, for many Mexican-Americans fought in the Vietnam War.

Do Your Homework on the Risks

Even though the Constitution protects students who demonstrate during school hours if they do not disrupt classes, walkouts necessarily wouldnt fall under that protection from punishment  and taking protest to the streets means that theres always a chance that the punishment may go beyond school administrators.

We couldnt do what the kids in Florida are doing, Stokes says, in terms of speaking out about plans for walkouts on social media. We would have been killed. In his day, they kept the planning process so secret they called it the Manhattan Project and used code words.

Kelsey echoes that idea. When she walked out of school in Birmingham, she carried a purse already packed for a stay in jail, with a toothbrush, toothpaste, change of underwear, a comb and her sisters leather jacket. Some parents were also afraid that the Ku Klux Klan would come after them for their childrens participation.



That level of vitriol is something todays student protesters may not have to worry about.

[That Parkland is] a predominantly white community, whereas we were, in East L.A., predominantly Mexican, is a huge difference, especially as far as how the rest of the country sees them and their struggle, Crisostomo argues. The East L.A. walkout participants were called troublemakers, and dupes of the Communists as Torres puts it. (Urban Chicanos were lumped in with the Chicano farm workers who were mobilized by Cesar Chavez around the same time.)

But, even if things may be easier for those participating in the student walkout than for their predecessors, theres always some risk involved. Crisostomo says that when students demonstrated on the campus of Occidental College, from which she retired recently as an Assistant Dean of Students for Intercultural Affairs, she would often remind her students of that fact. I would help them think it out, she says. Whats the risk? Theres always a risk. And is it worth it?

On its 40th anniversary, more than a thousand marchers turned to march from Lincoln High School to commemorate the 1968 East LA school walkout that launched the Chicano Civil Rights Movement.

Remember That Change Takes Time

One huge difference between todays protests and those of 50 years ago is the new technology todays activists have to speak directly to the public and make their demands heard.

Crisostomo points out she had to sit people down personally to convince them to join the walkout, in addition to passing out copies of the underground newspaper organizers produced to educate students on the issues. Her biggest advice to activists today is to approach as many people at the school as possible; in fact, her biggest regret about 1968 is not reaching out more to those Mexican and Chinese immigrant students who didnt speak English.

And social media can do more than spread the word. Stokes points out that, thanks to the visibility of social media, the Parkland students actions have prompted immediate change in some ways, such as Walmart ending the sales of guns to people under 21 and Dicks Sporting Goods ending the sale of assault weapons.

But, even when activists had to wait for results  years or even decades  they know they made a difference.

The Farmville case would later become one of five rolled into the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education desegregation ruling. Images of children facing down fire hoses and police dogs contributed to Birminghams place as a turning point in the civil rights movement. And the East L.A. walkouts are now seen as a key moment in the history of the local Chicano community.

And it may be no surprise that many of the one-time student marchers went on to pursue careers as teachers and school administrators.

Ive always had faith in students because I knew what we did as students, Stokes says. When people said it couldnt be done, we did it.
Students in Washington surprised their teacher battling cancer, with a life goals list. (Photo: YouTube/King 5)

A teacher with an inoperable heart tumor was surprised with the ultimate life-goals list from her beloved students.

Dorrie Coleman, a 15-year art teacher at Puyallup High School in Washington, has battled and beat Non-Hodgkins lymphoma twice. She was recently diagnosed with a heart tumor that, according to Seattle news station King 5, is growing.

In February, students in a philanthropy class led by English teacher Jamie Mooring wanted to lift Colemans spirits so they decided to surprise her with a list of dream goals.

To keep Coleman in the dark, Mooring told staff members that she was teaching her students about wish lists and asked her colleagues, including Coleman, to submit out-of-the-box suggestions to use as examples in class. We knew Dorrie would have tons of ideas and we wanted her to write her own list, Mooring tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

Coleman submitted a list of the following activities: flying on a glider, visiting NASA, vacationing at a beach house, fighting in a lightsaber battle, and, as a huge Star Wars fan  her car and classroom are decorated in film paraphernalia  meeting George Lucas. Behind the scenes, students worked to enact the list, for example, calling a local glider company to arrange a free lesson.

On Monday, during a routine staff meeting, several of Moorings students helped reveal the surprise. She was speechless, says Mooring.

The gesture was second-nature for the 41 leadership students who, as an elective, take the course to create a positive school culture. We run food drives, run a large blood drive, and gather donations for local families, says Mooring.

Coleman is thrilled with her to-do list. Im very excited to represent the Dark Side in a lightsaber battle like Im shaking inside because of it, she told King 5, adding, Ive always known I belonged to an amazing community. The fact that I know they came together to do this for me, it doesnt surprise me. It just makes my heart swell up even more.

Story continues

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




Geneva (AFP) - Catalonia's deposed leader said Wednesday that a majority of Catalans might accept being part of a Swiss-style federal system in Spain, an apparent departure from the separatist bid for full independence.

"If Spain proposes a model like the one in Switzerland, I think that would be an idea we could work with and perhaps an idea that could convince the majority of Catalans," Carles Puigdemont said in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

Switzerland is split into cantons or federal states that enjoy significant autonomy and independence.

And Puigdemont said that if Spain were organised along such lines, "there would be none of the problems there that we are seeing now."

Puigdemont is heading to Switzerland this weekend to participate in a film festival focused on human rights.

He has been in Belgium since he sought exile there after the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence on October 27 following a banned referendum on secession.

He faces arrest if he returns to Spain.

Puigdemont suggested that if Madrid were willing to shed its intransigence, it could be possible to create an autonomous Catalonia within the Spanish state.

"I think that the majority of Catalonian separatists have shown over the course of the past 40 years that they are capable of working within an autonomous framework," he said.

- 'Legitimate president' -

The 55-year-old earlier this month formally abandoned his bid to be re-appointed Catalan president, proposing imprisoned Jordi Sanchez as a candidate.

But in the interview, he did not fully relinquish his claim to lead Catalonia.

"I was elected the president of the government, which was illegally pushed from power. I am still the legitimate president," he said.

Authorities in Bern said they had "taken note" of Puigdemont's intended visit.

"The Swiss and Spanish authorities are in contact... As a Spanish citizen, Mr Puigdemont is entitled to travel freely within the Schengen area. He is also at liberty to give political speeches with due respect for the Swiss legal system," a foreign ministry statement said.

The question of Catalonia was "an internal matter for Spain," the statement said.
Kabul (AFP) - The Taliban's muted response to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer of peace talks last month reflects an internal debate over the merits of engaging with a government that the group has long viewed as illegitimate, analysts say.

In the two weeks since Ghani's offer, the Taliban has posted a statement and an unsigned commentary on its Alemarah website, pouring cold water on the plan hailed by US officials as "courageous".

But security experts say the proposal has placed the Taliban, Afghanistan's largest militant group, in a bind.

An outright refusal to talk to Ghani's administration would give Afghan and US forces justification to ramp up air strikes against the militants.

Acceptance, on the other hand, would undermine the group's long-held position that the Afghan government is a puppet of the United States and risk damaging its own credibility among its fighters.

"That won't sit well with many members in the trenches," Borhan Osman, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

The Taliban's silence has provoked repeated calls for a direct response to Ghani's proposal made at an international conference in Kabul on February 28. The Afghan leader also called for a ceasefire after which the Taliban could become a political party.

"It's not an easy decision. If they reject the offer they will give the government the upper hand," an Afghan security source told AFP.

The unsigned commentary, posted Tuesday, reiterated the Taliban was prepared to negotiate, but only with Washington -- not with Kabul, referring to Ghani's government as the "slave regime" of the "American invaders".

The taunts follow a statement released late last week where the Taliban described the Afghan government as "illegitimate" and its peace process efforts as "deceptive".

That message also called for a boycott of an Islamic scholars' conference in Jakarta set to discuss peace prospects in Afghanistan.

Story continues

"What the statement is saying is 'we haven't heard enough to come to talks'," a Western diplomat in Kabul told AFP.

A senior figure in the Taliban leadership council -- known as the Quetta Shura -- confirmed the militants were not treating Ghani's peace plan "seriously".

"We have said that we would talk with America. The Afghan government is a puppet government," he told AFP on the condition of anonymity, in apparent reference to the Taliban's earlier call for direct negotiations with the United States.

But not everyone in the Taliban leadership shares that view.

"Some think they should talk, some think they shouldn't talk to the Afghans, and there are some who think they shouldn't talk at all," a Western official in contact with the Taliban told AFP.

A former Taliban commander in the southern province of Kandahar said some fighters were "really tired" but could not surrender because their families were in Pakistan.

"They will do whatever Pakistan tells them to do because of their families," he said.

Pakistan has long been accused of supporting the Taliban and providing safe haven to its leaders -- charges Islamabad denies.

- No incentive for peace -

More than 16 years into its insurgency, the Taliban appears to have few reasons to discuss peace with Kabul, which has been repeatedly lambasted over its failure to protect ordinary Afghans.

The Taliban has been resurgent since the withdrawal of US-led NATO combat troops at the end of 2014, taking back territory and devastating Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces.

In October, insurgents controlled or influenced nearly half of Afghanistan's districts -- double the percentage in 2015, the US government's office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in January.

Over the same period, the watchdog said, the number of districts under Afghan government control or influence fell to its lowest level since December 2015.

"So long as the Taliban continues to believe it's winning the war and so long as US troops remain in Afghanistan, I can't see it becoming seriously interested in talks," Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center in Washington, DC told AFP.

Fierce fighting over the winter, when freezing temperatures and snow usually bring a lull in combat, fuelled speculation the Taliban was feeling the pressure from the US-led aerial bombing campaign.

Air strikes have intensified under President Donald Trump's new strategy announced in August that gave American pilots more leeway to target militants.

"I don't think they feel under huge military pressure," the Western official said. "A number of them probably feel they are doing quite well."

Emily Winterbotham, a senior research fellow at the UK-based Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, said the Taliban might change their tune if there was "a real shift in Pakistan support or a real gap in their financing".

But Brigadier General Michael Fenzel, planning director for NATO's mission in Afghanistan, said Tuesday the Taliban's silence was "encouraging".

"Normally whenever there's been an offer... it's been rejected out of hand," he told reporters.
Halabja (Iraq) (AFP) - As a teenager Kamal Jalal saw two of his sisters killed when Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's forces launched a gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja.

Now three decades later at the age of 47 this Iraqi Kurd remains reliant on a machine to help him breathe -- and is still waiting for compensation over a massacre that became a byword for brutality.

"The doctors told me that I lost 75 percent of my lungs," he told AFP as he sat in his small home just metres (yards) from a memorial overlooking the town.

The monument with a Kurdish flag on top commemorates some 5,000 Iraqi Kurds, mostly women and children, killed on March 16, 1988 when deadly gas was released on Halabja in the mountains of northeastern Iraq.

The attack from the skies came after ethnic Kurdish fighters who sided with Iran in the eight-year Iraq-Iran war withdrew from the rural farming town.

Like many of the thousands of people gassed in Halabja, Jalal was hopitalised in Iran, which lies just a dozen kilometres (seven miles) away.

For him -- and others who got treatment in Europe paid for by Kurdish authorities -- the recent fight against Islamic State jihadists that wracked the region meant they struggled to travel to get the care they need.

- Struggle for compensation -

The attack on Halabja marked the culmination of a ruthless campaign of retribution by Saddam against those seen as siding with Tehran as the devastating conflict between the two neighbours drew to a close.

The gruesome aftermath of the slaughter was captured by international journalists -- but it would take decades for there to be some sort of reckoning.

After his ouster in the wake of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, Saddam eventually faced trial for the killings of an estimated 180,000 in the Anfal campaign against the Kurds.

But he was hanged in 2006 on another conviction before a court could officially find him guilty of carrying out a "genocide" against the Kurds.

Story continues

Four years later Saddam's cousin General Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali", was executed for ordering poisonous gas attacks, including against Halabja.

Back in Halabja Arass Abed is spearheading the fight by survivors for compensation.

The 48-year-old is the only member of his family to have survived the attack and founded an association representing victims and their loved ones.

"The Iraqi supreme court ruled that the chemical attack on Halabja was a war crime and genocide," he told AFP.

"The government in Baghdad needs to compensate the victims and the town as a whole."

- Poisonous legacy -

The local government of the autonomous Kurdistan region which controls Halabja did promise land for some 1,000 families impacted by the tragedy.

"Thirty years after the attack at least 200 families have still not received their land."

Abderrahman Abderrahim lost 48 members of his family in the attack.

But the former enviroment minister in the Kurdish authorities says that day was only the beginning of the problems.

"Up until today there is still residue from the gas that spread over the city, unexploded shells can be found under the foundations of recently constructed buildings," he said.

Worse, he adds, pollution has also spread to "fields around the town" which relies on agriculture as one of its main resources.

And the attack keeps on taking a toll on new generations.

"Every year in the census in Kurdistan, Halabja is the area where the largest number of cancer patients is registered", he says.

"There are also a significant number of newborns with complications and birth defects."
Prague (AFP) - Thousands of protesters gathered in Prague Wednesday to support media freedom following remarks by President Milos Zeman aimed at public Czech Television.

"Shame on you!" chanted about 3,000 people in Prague's Wenceslas Square, targeting both Zeman and populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis, his ally.

"No to attacks on Czech Television and journalists," read one banner.

The pro-Russian Zeman, who won a second five-year term in a January election, is known for his aversion to journalists.

Last May, he told his political ally Russian President Vladimir Putin that "journalists should be liquidated".

In his inauguration speech last week, Zeman accused Czech Television and some printed media outlets of "trying to manipulate the public".

The billionaire Prime Minister Babis once called Czech Television reporters "a corrupt bunch".

"Media freedom is absolutely essential," Frantisek Laudat, former right-wing lawmaker and now a National Museum employee, told AFP.

"We have seen attacks on Czech Television in the past... if the current politicians swap its management, people in this country will no longer learn what is true and we're back in the Communist times when lying was a standard," he added.

Media freedom became a sensitive issue in the region last month when Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak was murdered together with his fiancee.

Kuciak was working on an article unveiling links between the Italian mafia and the Slovak government. Local police said his work was a likely motive for the murder.

"I feel anxious. I have children who are rather active so I'm worried," pensioner Alena Hrdinova told AFP at the Prague rally.

The Czech Republic and Slovakia formed Czechoslovakia until their split in 1993, four years after the country shed its totalitarian Communist rule of four decades.
(Reuters) - Three men from a rural Illinois community were arrested on Tuesday and charged in the 2017 bombing of a mosque outside Minneapolis and the attempted bombing of an Illinois abortion clinic, U.S. prosecutors said.

Michael Mcwhorter, 29, Joe Morris, 22, and Michael B. Hari, 47, were accused of carrying out a pipe bomb attack on the Dar al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, on Aug. 5 that damaged the building but caused no injuries, according to a statement from the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office.

A representative from that office was not immediately able to identify lawyers who might be representing the men, who are in custody in Illinois. The Illinois U.S. Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Dar al-Farooq mosque mainly serves Somalis in the Minneapolis area. Minnesota has the largest Somali community in the United States, according to the most recent census estimates.

Police in Bloomington were called in the early morning of Aug. 5 about an explosion at the mosque, after a bomb was thrown from a van or truck through the window of the imam's office while worshipers were gathered for morning prayers, and the vehicle was seen speeding away.

The three suspects were arrested by FBI agents in Illinois and also charged with possession of assault rifles, which are classified as machine guns, and an attempted bombing of the Womens Health Practice in Champaign, Illinois on Nov. 7, according to a statement from the Illinois U.S. Attorney's Office in Springfield.

A fourth man Ellis Mack, 18, was arrested for possession of an assault rifle, federal prosecutors in Illinois said.

All four men are from Clarence, 35 miles (56 km) north of Champaign-Urbana.

Anti-Muslim incidents rose sharply in the United States in the year after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, according to a review by the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

(Reporting by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Peter Cooney)
President Donald Trumps sacking of his top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, signals Americas likely withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement, and raises the risk of a possible military confrontation with the regime in Tehran.

The future of the Iran deal was already in serious doubt after Trump issued an ultimatum in January, warning he would pull the United States out of the accord unless European allies or Congress managed to fix the deals disastrous flaws.

But by picking CIA Director Mike Pompeo, an avowed Iran hawk, to succeed Tillerson as secretary of state, Trump sent a clear message that Washington was hardening its stance as a May 12 deadline approaches for the possible reimposition of U.S. sanctions.

Talking to reporters Tuesday about his decision, Trump cited his disagreement with Tillerson over the Iran nuclear agreement as an example of how the outgoing secretary of state had a different mindset than his own.

When you look at the Iran deal, I think its terrible. I guess he thought it was okay. So we were not really thinking the same, Trump said before departing for California.

In recent weeks, Tillersons deputies have worked to hammer out an arrangement with European allies that could preserve the deal while addressing Trumps concerns about its shortcomings, including Irans ballistic missile arsenal and provisions that expire in the next decade and beyond.

I think it spells trouble for the nuclear deal, said Colin Kahl, who served as the national security advisor to former Vice President Joe Biden.

While Tillerson often found himself on the losing side of many issues at the White House, he was a voice of caution and he did appear to have some impact in delaying Trump dumping the Iran deal, Kahl said.

The next round of talks among the United States and diplomats from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany aimed at salvaging the agreement is due to go ahead as planned in Berlin this week, officials say. And a meeting of all the signatories to the Iran deal, which includes the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China, Iran, and the United States, is scheduled for Friday in Vienna.

Story continues

Despite Trumps abrupt firing of Tillerson, the outgoing secretary of states top aide, Brian Hook, will attend the meetings in Europe, a State Department spokesperson said. Hook was an influential figure on Tillersons staff and its unlikely he will stay on under Pompeo.

The 2015 agreement between Iran and world powers, which former President Barack Obama touted as a diplomatic breakthrough, imposed elaborate restrictions on Irans nuclear program while lifting an array of U.S. and international sanctions that had damaged the countrys economy. In his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump railed against the agreement as the worst deal ever, saying Iran had won relief from sanctions without having to give up enough in return.

As president, Trump bristled when faced with a U.S. law that required him to regularly certify to Congress whether Iran was complying with the deal and whether the agreement was in Americas interest. In October, Trump told Congress he could not certify that the agreement was in the national interest but stopped short of pulling the United States out.

Over the past 14 months, Tillerson, along with Defense Secretary James Mattis, repeatedly argued in White House meetings against abandoning the agreement on grounds that it had imposed important limits on Tehrans nuclear work. Instead, Tillerson proposed trying to address the presidents concerns by negotiating a supplemental agreement or other arrangement with the Europeans, while retaining the benefits of the current deal.

Trumps January ultimatum set May 12 as the next key deadline, when he will have to decide whether to re-impose a slew of U.S. sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal.

Critics of the nuclear agreement welcomed Tillersons departure.

The selection of Mike Pompeo at State should remove any doubt about the presidents intentions, said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Two months to go and President Trump will snap back the most powerful economic sanctions against Iran unless theres a real not a fictional fix to the Iran nuclear deal.

Omri Ceren, managing director of the Israel Project, a Washington organization that works on Middle East issues, said that with or without Tillersons exit, the president had made clear he would not keep sanctions relief in place without concrete improvements to the agreement.

In recent days the Trump administration has, if anything, been toughening its stance on what it would take to make the Iran deal worth staying in, Ceren said.

If Trump opts to reimpose U.S. sanctions on Iran after May 12, European Union officials have warned that Brussels might try to block the American measures and protect European companies investing in the Iranian market. But analysts said European banks and other firms are already reluctant to do business in Iran due to the threat of a possible snap-back of U.S. sanctions and dont want to lose their access to the vast American market. A U.S. withdrawal could wreck the agreement, scaring off European investment that Iran saw as a key reward for agreeing to limit its uranium enrichment and other nuclear work.

In Washington, Democrats in Congress and retired diplomats voiced concern that the collapse of the Iran deal could undermine high-stakes talks planned for May between Trump and North Koreas dictator, Kim Jong Un, by calling into question if Washington would stand by its international commitments.

The North Koreans will wonder about whether one can have credible negotiations with the United States, said a former senior U.S. official.

U.S. military commanders and intelligence officers mostly view the Iran deal, officially referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as a useful  if imperfect  check on Tehrans nuclear ambitions.

If the deal unravels and Iran concludes it has no economic incentive to hold back on its nuclear work, then Tehran could expel U.N. inspectors and head down a fast track to building nuclear weapons  possibly in a matter of months. Under that scenario, the United States  and Israel  may decide to take military action to prevent Iran from obtaining the bomb or at least slow down a bid for nuclear-tipped missiles.

The head of U.S. Central Command, U.S. Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversees American forces in the Middle East, warned lawmakers on Tuesday about the consequences of the agreement unraveling.

The JCPOA addresses one of the principle threats that we deal with from Iran, so if the JCPOA goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program, said Votel.
A 3-year-old Ohio girl is unlikely to survive after her babysitter allegedly beat her and left her brain-dead.

Babysitter Lindsay Partin, 35, was charged with felony assault and child endangerment after admitting to hitting 3-year-old Hannah Wesche last week. In a statement released Monday, police said Partin admitted to assaulting the girl and stated she had fallen and struck her head on the concrete garage floor the previous day.

29066255_1441694565953906_377992232800019708_n

Butler County Sheriff's Office

Trending: Black Lightning Episode 8 Answers All The Gambi Questions

In a 911 call, Partin told a dispatcher that Hannah just passed out after being dropped off at her home. She fell really bad yesterday when we were playing here in the garage, and she has a bruise on her face and on her chin, and I thought she was fine, Partin said.

Butler County Police said detectives arrived at Partins home on March 8 and found the toddler unresponsive with labored breathing. Hannah had obvious bruises about her head and face, police said.

The girl was transported to Fort Hamilton Hospital before being transferred to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital with life-threatening injuries, police said. Detectives and hospital personnel also noticed additional bruising on the girls body.

Court documents reveal that Partin admitted to shaking the girl.

Don't miss: The Flash Season 4 Episode 16 Spoilers: Who Are The Bus Metas?

This little girl is hanging on by a thread. Cases like this rip your heart out. I dont understand why or how anyone harms a child, Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said in a statement. We do not know if the child will survive her injuries at this time.

Jason Wesche, Hannahs father, told Butler County Area II Court that the girl is brain-dead and unlikely to survive.

I mean, its unimaginable. I cant begin to explain the feeling of losing a child at the hands of thisof just a violent act. Hannah was great, Wesche said at Partins arraignment Monday. We just want to stress that this situation is devastating. She is not expected to survive. Within the next couple of days, we are told that its going to come to an end.

Story continues

Jason told WLWT that the family had taken Hannah to Partins home in Hanover Township for months and said Partin had all the credentials he was looking for in a babysitter. The Wesche family said the girl had been punched and that she had a black eye.

Most popular: Ronda Rousey WWE Update: Reason She Wasnt at RAW Revealed

The family added that doctors removed part of Hannahs skull due to the swelling of her brain.

Jones urged parents to thoroughly vet the people who are watching their children. Get background checks, talk to neighbors, friends and family members before letting anyone watch your children. Know who you are leaving your babies with."

Partin pleaded not guilty to the felony charges and was released from jail on $30,000 cash bond Monday afternoon, ABC affiliate WWSB reported. The case remains under investigation, the sheriff said.

According to the Hamilton Journal-News, Partins next court appearance is Thursday.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
By Linda Sieg and Hyonhee Shin TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Japan's foreign minister said on Wednesday he personally regretted the departure of "frank, trustworthy" U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ahead of a proposed summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump fired Tillerson on Tuesday after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea and other issues, replacing him with loyalist Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo. "He (Tillerson) was a frank, trustworthy counterpart and I thought we would deal with the North Korea issue together, but personally, I feel that this situation that has developed is unfortunate," Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters in Tokyo. "For sure, America holds the key, so I want to meet his successor as secretary of state soon and exchange views on North Korea and other matters," Kono said. Critics expressed dismay at the decision to swap out top diplomats so soon before the unprecedented potential meeting between Kim and Trump, and worried that Pompeo would encourage Trump to be hawkish on North Korea. South Korea's Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha decided to go ahead with a planned trip to Washington to discuss North Korea despite Tillerson's departure, the ministry said in a text message. An official had earlier said she would cancel the visit. Other South Korean officials, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that while Pompeo was known to have hardline views on North Korea, he was a seasoned politician and seemed to know how to compromise. "We're aware that Pompeo was one of the strongest voices in the talk of military action and fed Trump related assessments, but things have since changed a lot," one senior official said, referring to upcoming inter-Korean talks and the prospect of a Kim-Trump summit. "So, we will see." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China hopes the change in personnel will not impact the development of relations and important areas of cooperation. "We of course hope that the positive momentum on the Korean peninsula, including the political will for talks of both the United States and North Korea, will be maintained," Lu told a daily news briefing. CHINA CONTACT CRUCIAL Shares in Japanese defense equipment makers rose sharply on speculation that geopolitical tensions may rise after the firing of Tillerson and Pompeo's appointment. Ishikawa Seisakusho <6208.T> surged as much as 15 percent, while Howa Machinery <6203.T> jumped 11 percent. Jia Qingguo, an expert on Chinese diplomacy at Peking University in Beijing, said China may see positive outcomes from the change when it comes to the U.S. position on the Belt and Road initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative. "Tillerson has at times been quite critical of China, including of Belt and Road," Jia said. "Trump is not as hawkish on China as many assume. He has tried to communicate and to cut a deal." Coming from the CIA, Pompeo is more likely to see China as a threat but his views will probably soften, Jia said. "Once you are in the secretary of state position, you need to be more pragmatic and take into account the huge stakes involved, so the impact will not be as big as some people expect." Most important for China was that Pompeo makes contact with his Chinese counterparts to ensure a smooth meeting between Kim and Trump as soon as possible, said Ruan Zongze, a former Chinese diplomat now with the China Institute of International Studies, a think tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry. "Time is short. There are a lot things to do. Every day is very important," he said. Pompeo is also known for his hawkish views on trade. He takes over as the chief U.S. diplomat as the United States is finalizing the imposition of hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum that have upset a number of Asian trading partners. Close ally Australia, which is working through an exemption from the U.S. tariffs, welcomed Pompeo's appointment. "We know him very well," Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters. "He's a great friend of Australia. The transition will be absolutely seamless. Our relationship with the United States, as you know, is outstanding at so many levels from the president and myself, right through the military, intelligence, diplomacy and business." South Korea is the largest supplier of steel to the United States not to have secured an exemption from the tariffs and is facing pressure from Trump over the two countries' free-trade deal. "It is our joint understanding with the United States that strong cooperation be maintained through close communication between South Korea and the United States regardless of U.S. personnel changes as there are important issues, including the North Korea nuclear issue, the U.S.-South Korea alliance and trade matters," South Korea's Foreign Ministry said. (Additional reporting by Colin Packham in SYDNEY, Elaine Lies and Ayai Tomisawa in TOKYO, Josh Smith and Christine Kim in SEOUL, and Christian Shepherd in BEIJING; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Paul Tait and Michael Perry)
Keith Moore watches over some of the boiling sap he uses to make maple syrup on his Lawrence County Savage Farms on Feb. 14, 2018 in Louisa, Ky. (Charles Bertram/Lexington Herald-Leader via AP)

Canada is far from precious with its national treasures: Tim Hortons opened up shop in New York in the mid-eighties, Smokes Poutinerie has more recently been pushing poutine on Americans, and the secrets out on butter tarts with the New York Times Sara Bonisteel recently penning a 1,300-word ode to the Canadian treat.

For these products, the Canadian link is novel  the U.S. already has coffee chains, cheese-covered fries, and tarts  and therefore incorruptibly marketable. But other Canadian treasures like maple syrup and icewine face a very real threat.

Maple syrup producers in Quebec (which produced 72 per cent of the worlds maple syrup in 2016) have lost 10 per cent of the worlds market share over the past decade, falling from a high of producing 82 per cent of the worlds maple syrup in 2003, down to 72 per cent in 2016, according to the latest numbers from the Quebec Maple Syrup Federation.

But even with the province producing a majority of the worlds supply and controlling output through quotas, prices, authorized buyers and administrative fees, theyre overlooking the authenticity aspect, says Leonore Newman, author of Speaking in Cod Tongues: A Canadian Culinary Journey and a professor at the University of Fraser Valley whose research focuses in Canadian regional cuisines.

Go to Vermont, the other big producer  they have very strict rules, not quite an appellation like youd have for wine, but they have very strict rules for what you can call maple syrup, she says. We do not.

A combination of good branding and appellation can do a lot for boosting a regions products, she says.

Frances appellation system has helped convert regions into brands, says Newman, leading to agri-tourism. We could do exactly the same things here we are in tiny ways but we (could get better) at putting forward things on the world market as Canadian products.

However, there are some good examples, like Canadas icewine industry. The country is the worlds largest producer of icewine, which has to abide by standards developed by the Canadian Vintners Association in order to be called such.

Story continues

Of course that doesnt preclude U.S. producers from meeting those standards and selling their own version of icewine. But it does bolster Canadas reputation, she says.

Wild rice: branding it uniquely Canadian

Another example of the power of regional branding is Canadian wild rice which is gaining popularity.

Canadian wild rice is a great success story, its mostly indigenous groups who harvest it and its sold mostly online at a premium, she says. Its hard to fake, they have tight control over how its branded and sold its a really nice example of how you can take a resource and make sure as much (of the profit) as possible is coming back to the community.

But good branding and standards arent necessarily a guarantee, says Sylvain Charlebois, dean of the Rowe School of Business and a professor in food distribution and policy at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

One concern a lot of people have is the integrity of the products that our sector is competing against, he says. Anything thats liquid or has spices in it can be easily adulterated  adulteration is very costly to prove, you have to sample to test to compare, and obviously, these investigations are very costly.

He calls the Chinese market, which has developed an appetite for icewine, as a bit of a wild west for Canadian producers, a market rife with counterfeit icewine.

Quality, says Charlebois, is difficult to gauge when consumers arent entirely sure what the product should taste like, to begin with. Its a challenge traditionally Canadian products like icewine and maple syrup are apt to face.

Charlebois suspects the education aspect is missing. We dont have a value chain that gives retail currency to any of our commodities.

He points to IKEA as a working example. IKEA is from Sweden and when you go to IKEA they actually promote some of their commodities. Take the lingonberry, a staple in Sweden. They sell juices and pies made with these lingonberries.

Short of places like Smokes and Tim Hortons, Charlebois says that sort of retailing is missing.

Unfortunately we rely on vendors, brokers, and many retailers to promote our products and they cant do as good of a job as what IKEA is doing with Swedish-based commodities, he says.

But could wild rice be Canadas lingonberry? After all, like Canadas wild rice, Sweden has no real claim to lingonberries, they grow elsewhere across the northern hemisphere.

Sweden just has a good national story.

With wild rice, theyve lobbied to make sure (its) is served at key events, at the embassy, its pushed as local, tied to indigenous cuisine, she says. Theyve told the story well to be honest, half of cuisine is telling a good story.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.




Trace Lysette (Photo: Getty Images/Quinn Lemmers for Yahoo Lifestyle)

To mark Womens History Month, Yahoo Lifestyle is exploring notions of feminism and the womens movement through a diverse series of profiles  from transgender activist Ashlee Marie Preston to conservative campus leader Karin Agness Lips  that aim to reach across many aisles.

The first time Trace Lysette went viral was in 2015. Thats when the actress, while playing the role of Shea during the second season of Transparent, drew attention for a scene in which her character teaches fellow transgender woman  Maura Pferrerman, played by Jeffrey Tambor  how to properly say the catchphrase, Yas queen.

The two go back and forth, saying it again and again, getting more and more animated as Shea corrects Mauras intonation and pronunciation. The whole scene plays out  much like the entire series  as funny, endearing, and honest.

The second time Lysette went viral was two years later, for a much more serious moment: when she posted a statement on Twitter, along with the hashtag #MeToo, to reveal what she says was going on behind the scenes in that Yas queen moment. Upon seeing me in my costume, Jeffrey sexualized me with an over-the-top comment, she had written. I shook it off.

She then described what allegedly happened next, as the crew set up for a different shot: My back was against the wall in a corner as Jeffrey approached me. He came in close, put his bare feet on top of mine so I could not move, leaned his body against me, and began quick, discreet thrusts back and forth against my body. I felt his penis on my hip through his thin pajamas and I pushed him off, she wrote.

When they called action, I put that moment in the corner into its own corner in my mind. Compartmentalizing has always been part of my survival took kit I was used to being treated as a sexual object by men  this one just happened to be famous.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Today, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle about her decision to come forward. I just knew morally it was the right thing to do. I had to speak the truth. I didnt want to look back at my young self 10 years from now and think, You didnt do the right thing, or You didnt speak up, or You were operating in fear. Im not big on fear, she said.

Story continues

Speaking by phone about her feminist activism in honor of Womens History Month, Lysettes fearlessness is evident. At 36, she has already been performing for nearly two decades, her work as a performer and her identity as transgender deeply intertwined.

I was a drag queen as a teen, she says of her days growing up in Dayton, Ohio. That was my introduction to entertaining people. I think that was the first time I knew that I could move a crowd and hold a rooms attention. I remember that doing drag was a big deal because I felt loved and accepted in my feminine form, which kind of started this journey to my womanhood.

Lysettes on-camera acting career began years later, in 2013, with a part on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, again providing a moment in which her womanhood and her performance career were intrinsically linked  particularly because Lysette, at the time, wasnt telling people in her professional circle that she was trans.

I had been taught that if you could pass in society as a cisgender woman, that you would take that opportunity to get whatever access you could to better your position in life. Thats what I was doing, Lysette explains. I was doing what my trans elders told me to do, and what society told me to do, and that was to conform. Eventually, I reached a point that I didnt want to do that anymore. I wanted to acknowledge my womanhood and also acknowledge that I am a trans woman, just like women of different minorities acknowledge their multiple identities. I had to acknowledge mine, she said.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

While Lysette has decided to live her truth, she realizes that even amidst this progressive equality groundswell  which includes the #Timesup and #MeToo movements  not everyone has the bravery required to perpetuate equality forward. One group in particular that shes disappointed in, she says, is straight men.

The majority of trans women that I know, romantically and sexually, deal with straight men, she says. With straight men in particular who have an affinity for trans women, theyve been silent in our struggle. So here they are, laying in bed with us but not sticking up for us. Not getting on the mic when they need to be speaking out and speaking up for the women that they lie with.

This is a point Lysette made loudly from the stage at Power to the Polls: Womens March Las Vegas in January, to rousing cheers and applause, and which she now contextualizes with an anecdote. Recently, I was trying to get funding for a project, and I went to some prominent men in Hollywood who I know have a history of dealing with trans women  and I couldnt get them to put their money where their genitals have been all these years, she says. I understand where it comes from  it comes from a fear of giving up their cis heteronormative privilege, or of being accused of being gay, or whatever. Its a fear of judgment, and it all ties back to toxic masculinity as if there is shame in loving or desiring a trans woman. The reality is that trans women are just another type of woman, and theres nothing wrong with desiring that.

Looking forward, professionally, Lysette has a few acting projects in the works, but her Transparent career is on hold as the show decides how to move forward without Tambor. Meanwhile, personally, Lysette is hard at work  lending her voice at marches and movements, in op-eds and interviews, and doing what she can to promote acceptance and equality.

I think that the key going forward is intersectional feminism, she says, using a favorite buzzword of many Womens March organizers, and referring to the belief that feminists, no matter how different their backgrounds and identities, can always find a place to intersect and work towards understanding. Inclusionary feminism versus conservative old-school feminism, or white elitist feminism, she explains. Being a feminist is to be compassionate, and compassion doesnt stop at just cis white women  it should permeate into all different walks of humanity. If youre not with that, youre going to get left behind.

Finally, Lysette adds, Being a trans woman to me is being a survivor, and chokes up at the thought of what the self-possessed woman she is today would say to her 15-year-old self. I would say there are going to be some really, really dark times, but I promise you that if you stick to the people who love you and show up for you, that things will get better. It might take a while for the world to catch up, but it will, she said.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.




Members of the United Steelworkers (USW) union have knocked on doors for Democrats in recent elections in Alabama and Virginia. Last week it was the Texas primaries. Now theyre out supporting Democrat Conor Lamb against Trump-backed Republican Rick Saccone in their home state special election Tuesday.

The move is surprising after President Donald Trump signed new tariffs earlier this month, surrounded by American steel and aluminum workers, in hopes of protecting their industries from foreign competition.

On Monday Trump tweeted that Sacconea veteran of Pennsylvanias legislaturewill be much better for steel and business.

Trending: Heather Locklear Charged with Battery Against Law Enforcement

03_13_Saccone

Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Trumps endorsement and his steel and aluminum tariffs, however, wont necessarily turn into automatic votes for a Republican congressman. That's what Tim Waters, the national political director of the USW told Newsweek. The group is North Americas largest industrial labor union.

This Rick Saccone Republican here is really out of touch, said Waters, pointing out Saccone is too far right for Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District.

Just because Trump says vote for a guy like Rick Saccone doesn't mean Rick is getting the votes, said Waters, pointing out that voters where he is running see tariffs and the decision about their congressman as separate issues.

Don't miss: New York City Sends Hundreds of Tons of Sewage Daily To Other States And It Stinks

Read more: U.S. faces billions in retaliation for Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs each year, says trade expert

The district has 80,000 union members and Saccone, Waters said, has a long record of being anti-union while working in the state legislature. He's voted against the union at every opportunity, Waters said, pointing out Saccone voted against widening access to unemployment compensation, which he said especially impacted construction workers.

Story continues

Waters believes Saccone doesnt fit.

Nevertheless, the district has backed Republicans by double digit margins in the past three presidential elections. In 2016 Trump won 2.97 million of the popular vote in Pennsylvania to Hillary Clintons 2.92 million. In the 18th congressional district he was 20 points ahead of Clinton.

Most popular: Super Seducer: The 'Pick-Up Artist' Game Gamer Activists Describe As 'Absurdly Sexist'

03_13_Lamb

Maranie Staab/Reuters

On Monday polls showed Lamb leading Saccone 51 percent to 45 percent in a close race. Other polls have shown them neck-and-neck.

I think just the fact that we're talking about a competitive election in Pennsylvania 18 is certainly a sign that the Democrats are finding traction with white working class voters, said Democratic pollster Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart, a data firm that works for the DNC.

The steelworkers, Bonier said, have been out in places like Mobile and southwestern Virginia knocking on doors that hadn't been knocked on in years and so helping Democrats and progressives find a foothold with these voters.

It might also have something to do with the fact Lamb supports Trumps tariffs too. There's been a number of industries in the United States that have been completely decimated in recent decades, Waters said. I think you know people out here are happy because finally somebody is saying something.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
The president hailed his proposed wall during a visit to see the prototypes, amid derision from politicians in the progressive state

Donald Trump has started a whirlwind visit to California by promoting his immigration crackdown and bashing Democrats, sparking protests and scorn in a bastion of resistance to his administration.

Air Force One landed at a Marine Corps air station in Miramar, outside San Diego, on Tuesday morning, heralding Trumps first presidential visit to the USs most populous state and economic powerhouse.

He inspected prototypes of his proposed border wall at Otay Mesa, yards from the border with Mexico, while a mile down the road police in riot gear separated rival groups of demonstrators chanting for and against Trump. Some gave the presidential motorcade the middle finger.

For the people that say no wall, if you didnt have walls over here, you wouldnt even have a country, Trump said, repeating a line from his campaign.

The US needed a strong border to stop criminal and terrorist infiltration, he said. Truly our first line of defense  itll save thousands of lives. The state of California is begging us to build walls in certain areas. They dont tell you that.

Trump expressed preference for a see-through wall to let border patrol agents monitor the other side. He asked an official which of the eight prototypes was likeliest to deter would-be border jumpers. These are like professional mountain climbers.

He also assailed the states governor, Jerry Brown, as soft on crime and illegal migration. The place is totally out of control. You have sanctuary cities where you have criminals living.

Brown responded in a tweet stressing Californias economic might. Thanks for the shout-out, @realDonaldTrump. But bridges are still better than walls. And California remains the 6th largest economy in the world and the most prosperous state in America. #Facts

Story continues

A man in Tijuana holds a sign during a protest near the prototypes of the US-Mexico border wall. Photograph: Edgard Garrido/Reuters

Heavy security corralled protests on both sides of the border, a scene expected to be repeated in Los Angeles where Trump was due to attend a GOP fundraiser in the evening before returning to Washington on Wednesday.



No president since Franklin Roosevelt has waited this long to visit California. Trump did so trailing upheaval in Washington where he had fired the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, via tweet  later phoning Tillerson from Air Force One  before resuming an unprecedented White House confrontation with California.

Democrats, who dominate statewide posts and the legislature in Sacramento, poured scorn on their visitor even before he touched down.



Some people think that medieval walls might keep us safe in this country, Xavier Becerra, the attorney general, told reporters. It would be good only to deter knights on horses, he said.

Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor who is running for governor, released an animated video caricaturing Trump and his slogan, Make America great again, as Make America white again.

Donald Trump finally worked up the nerve to visit California, bringing his fear-of-everything agenda with him, Newsom said in a voiceover. Lets get real. Donald Trumps border wall is a monument to idiocy.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Community and Latino groups rallied in and around San Diego and the Mexican city of Tijuana, which abuts the border. Police restricted demonstrators near the wall prototypes to a free speech zone and banned potential weapons including glass containers, rocks, slingshots, knives and guns.

Members of the US Secret Service were reportedly in Tijuana in recent days coordinating security with Mexican authorities. A protest on the Mexican side of the San Ysidro point of entry passed off peacefully in the morning. Others were expected.

Trump lost California to Hillary Clinton by 4.3 million votes, costing him the national popular vote, but red pockets in the state cheer the presidents vow to build a wall and to expel undocumented migrants.

Dozens of supporters gathered near the prototypes to greet him with American flags, red hats and signs saying Secure our border and Build the damn wall.

The visit is expected to play well with Trump supporters across the country who see California as a criminal-coddling, tax-hiking liberal dystopia.

A protester chants in front of San Yisdro land port of entry to Mexico. Photograph: Kyusung Gong/AP

Californian Republicans running for Congress in Novembers midterm elections, however, are expected to steer clear of the president to avoid further alienating voters in tottering GOP redoubts.

After inspecting the wall prototypes Trump addressed troops at the air station at Miramar. He bashed the media as fake news, prompting jeers for the travelling press corps, boasted about increased military spending, mused on building an outer space force, and vowed the wall would become reality.

People wont be able to come over it, the drugs will stop by a lot. We have two or three [prototypes] that really work. He did not mention Mexico paying for it.

Later he was due to fly to LA to attend a $5m fundraiser for the Republican National Committee reportedly to be hosted at the Beverly Park mansion of Edward Glazer, whose family owns Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Police sealed off parts of downtown in anticipation of protests by immigrant, LGBT and other advocacy groups.



The White House seemed to stoke tension before the visit. Last week the justice department sued California, alleging it is interfering with the enforcement of immigration laws.

The attorney general, Jeff Sessions, ratcheted up the temperature further by accusing the states Democratic leaders of violating the constitution. Governor Brown shot back by calling Sessions a liar and accusing him of going to war with California.

On Monday James Schwab, the San Francisco spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), a federal agency, resigned over what he described as false and misleading statements by Trump officials in relation to criminal aliens supposedly evading arrest.

 This article was amended on 14 March 2018. Gavin Newsom is lieutenant governor, not general as an earlier version said.
Donald Trump has fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson without offering his outgoing chief diplomat an explanation in what is the latest indication of a White House in chaos as high-profile officials continue to exit the administration with little or no forewarning.

The change comes at a delicate time for US diplomacy, with the President having just accepted an invitation to hold face-to-face talks with North Koreas leader, Kim Jong-un, about the nuclear threat posed by Pyongyang. There are suggestions that Mr Trump wanted to make the change before the North Korea talks, but it is unusual for such a big change to be made at such a key time.

US foreign policy on Russia also remains an issue. The announcement of the firing was made a day after Mr Tillerson said we have full confidence in the UKs assessment that Russia was likely responsible for a nerve agent attack against a former Russian spy in Salisbury last week. Mr Tillersons comments went further than the White Houses initial response, which stopped short of pinning blame on Moscow.

Mr Trump had suggested last week that more changes were coming at the White House, after economic advisor Gary Cohn resigned in the wake of disagreements with the President about his policy on trade tariffs. Mr Trump also lost his Communications Director Hope Hicks late last month after she resigned. Including Mr Tillerson, five people have been fired or resigned from the Trump White House in the last two weeks. The others are John McEntee, personal aide to the president, who was fired on Monday, but will join the Trump 2020 campaign, and Josh Raffel, a White house communications aide.

Stunning Washington once again, Mr Trump made the declaration in an early morning message on Twitter that he was getting rid of Mr Tillerson and replacing him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo. The current CIA Deputy Director Gina Haspel will step up to take control of the agency.

We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things, Mr Trump told reporters moments later about his relationship with Mr Tillerson. He said he made the decision to replace Mr Tillerson by himself.

Story continues

Mr Trump said that Mr Tillerson had been talking about this for a long time  but an official statement from a member of the State Department said that Mr Tillerson had not been informed by the President that he would be fired.

Mr Trump said that he and Mr Pompeo thought along similar lines, although both he and Ms Haspel may face tough confirmation hearings, with Mr Pompeo having been criticised for claiming that waterboarding does not constitute torture and opposing the closure of Guantanamo Bay. Meanwhile Ms Haspel was previously involved with one of the CIAs black site prisons in Thailand where detainees were subjected to waterboarding and other harrowing interrogation measures that have been widely condemned as torture. Human rights organisations have been quick to condemn the move.

A few hours after the announcement of his departure, an emotional Mr Tillerson confirmed he was handing his day-to day duties to his deputy John Sullivan and his tenure officially ends on 31 March. He said that Mr Trump had called him around noon  about three hours after Mr Trumps tweet went out  and that he had spoken to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. In the speech about his departure he did not thank Mr Trump once, but praised the honesty and respect shown by his State Department staff

A source of disagreement between Mr Trump and Mr Tillerson was the Iran nuclear deal, the Obama-era agreement in which Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear programme for at least 10 years in exchange for the loosening of economic sanctions.

When you look at the Iran deal, I think its terrible. I guess he thought it was OK, Mr Trump said. I wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently, so we were not really thinking the same.

Mr Tillerson had just returned from a shortened trip to Africa hours before Mr Trumps announcement. According to the New York Times, Mr Tillerson was warned of what was coming from White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, who called to tell him to cut his Africa trip short and advised him you may get a tweet according to the Associated Press. The White House said that Mr Kelly had made clear that Mr Trump had wanted Mr Tillerson to step aside.

Mr Tillersons team said he was feeling unwell on Saturday. Later in the weekend, the State Department said he would shorten his tour by a day. I felt like, look, I just need to get back, Mr Tillerson told reporters on his plane home.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

In the initial announcement, Mr Trump and the White House focused on Mr Pompeo and the history Mr Trump was making by appointing the first female director of the CIA.

An aide to Mr Tillerson, Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein, said Mr Trump never explained to Mr Tillerson why he was being dismissed, and that the top diplomat had wanted to remain in the job. Mr Trumps apparent failure to give Mr Tillerson a reason for why he was being axed creates uncertainty over the soundness of Mr Trumps decision-making process. A similar situation occurred in May, when the President fired his FBI director James Comey with little warning. In that case, Mr Comey is said to have found out about the Presidents decision when he looked at a TV while addressing employees at an FBI field office.

The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues, Mr Goldstein said in a statement about Mr Tillerson. He established and enjoyed relationships with his counterparts. He will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship.

Mr Goldstein continued: The Secretary did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted.

Mr Goldstein himself was also fired, likely as a result of his statement about Mr Tillerson and contradicting the Presidents message. He was reportedly called up by the White House after Mr Tillersons firing on Tuesday and told that his services would no longer be needed.

A senior White House official told news outlets that Mr Trump asked Mr Tillerson to step down on Friday, but the President did want not to make the announcement while Mr Tillerson was on a trip to Africa.

Mr Trump and administration officials were said to have been thinking about replacing Mr Tillerson for months.

Last year, Vice President Mike Pence also reportedly had to persuade the top diplomat to stay with the administration after Mr Tillerson was reportedly unhappy with comments Mr Trump made in a speech to the Boy Scouts of America. But in October, the State Department organised an impromptu press briefing in which the Secretary of State denied reports that he wanted to resign.

Mr Tillerson said he would stay in the Trump administration as long as he is useful. Meanwhile, critics condemned the way he led the State Department amid reports that Mr Trump has also been unsatisfied with Mr Tillersons leadership.

The USs top diplomat was said to have called Mr Trump a moron  a report that Mr Tillerson sought to play down. A department spokesperson later said that the the Secretary does not use that type of language.

In December, Mr Tillerson said diplomacy is not that simple as the State Department closed out 2017 with no victories.

Several top department posts and ambassadorships also continue to remain vacant. Dozens of countries do not currently have a Senate-confirmed US ambassador in place, including key US allies.

The State Department is never short on foreign policy challenges, with conflicts regarding Russia, North Korea and the Middle East tending to dominate newspaper headlines. But since taking office in January 2017, Mr Trump has indicated a preference for solving issues with military might rather than diplomacy.

The President has consistently proposed increases in defence spending while also suggesting slashes to the State Departments funds.

The firing of Mr Tillerson will not lead to an improvement in strained ties with Germany, German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth said.

The dismissal of Rex #Tillerson does not make anything better, Mr Roth said in a tweet.

Joe Cirincione, president of Ploughshares Fund, a global security foundation, told The Independent that this is a disaster for American diplomacy.

For all his faults, Tillerson was a supporter of military restraint and negotiated solutions to our key security threat, Mr Cirincione said. He was a key ally of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis in supporting the nuclear deal with Iran and resisting the illusion of a military solution to the crisis with North Korea. He will now be replaced by an inexperienced hawk who opposed the Iran Deal in Congress.

Congressman Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the President had chosen a horrible time to make such a drastic change to the State Department.

The timing of this move  Couldnt be worse. Less than a week after announcing a summit with Kim Jong Un  the sort of engagement that will require a diplomatic full-court press  the President has let the world know that hes throwing an already hollowed-out State Department into further disarray with a transition at the top, Mr Engel said. However much I may have disagreed with Secretary Tillerson, to push him out at this moment sends a terrible message to friends and adversaries over the world.

Although Democrats said they were dismayed by the decision, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed at least a little optimism that the State Department tumult could be coming to an end.

The instability of this administration in just about every area weakens America, Mr Schumer tweeted. If hes confirmed, we hope that Mr Pompeo will turn over a new leaf and will start toughening up our policies towards Russia and Putin.
Donald Trump has fired Steve Goldstein, the State Department official who challenged his account of firing Rex Tillerson.

The latest dismissal came in the midst of chaos in the White House after the President decided he would sack Mr Tillerson, who had served as his Secretary of State.

Following that firing, Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein released a statement that appeared to contradict Mr Trump's account of the sacking. In it, he said that Mr Tillerson hadn't heard about being fired until the President sent a tweet announcing it.

Mr Goldstein said the former Exxon Mobil CEO was "unaware of the reason" he was fired and "had had every intention of staying," feeling he was making progress on national security.

"The secretary did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling," Mr Goldstein said the statement.

Now Mr Goldstein himself has been fired, apparently as a result of that statement, according to NBC.

He was reportedly called up by the White House after Mr Tillerson's firing Tuesday and told that his services would no longer be needed.

Mr Goldstein has served in the State Department for less three months after he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate last year. He is seen as a being loyal to Mr Tillerson, and frequently attended meetings at the White House in his capacity at the State Department.

Mr Tillerson's firing or resignation had been rumoured about for months as reports of a fraught relationship between him and the President have surfaced.

He had gotten himself into trouble with the White House repeatedly over the past year or so, and a rift between the two had reportedly gotten bigger over their preferred approaches to international diplomacy and priorities.

Last year, for example, Mr Tillerson got himself into his boss' bad graces by saying Mr Trump's statements questioning Latin American countries' efforts to combat illicit drug trade were "not helpful". Mr Tillerson was visiting the region at the time, and felt that the President's comments were harming his ability to negotiate with those countries on the issue.

Story continues

Mr Tillerson is also said to have once called the President a "moron" in private, after a meeting with Mr Trump. Mr Tillerson later denied doing so, but the reports caught the attention of Mr Trump, who later joked that he would like to challenge his secretary of State to an IQ test.

Mr Trump has said that he will nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to take over the State Department. Mr Pompeo could be confirmed by the Senate to take on that roll as soon as next month.
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a Republican report from Congress proved his claim that his 2016 election campaign did not collude with Russians.

"We're very happy with the decision by the House Intelligence Committee saying there was absolutely no collusion with respect to Russia," Trump said early Tuesday.

"We are very, very happy with that decision. It was a powerful decision that left no doubt," Trump said.

On Monday, the committee's Republicans finalized their report on their year-long investigation, saying they saw no evidence of cooperation between the campaign and Moscow.

"We have found no evidence of collusion, coordination or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians," they said in a summary of their report.

Saying they were wrapping up the probe, the panel also rejected the notion that Moscow had specifically attempted to boost Trump's White House effort, a conclusion reached by the country's top intelligence officials in January 2017.

Democrats on the polarized committee immediately objected to the findings, saying there were signs of collusion and that they still had numerous witnesses to interview.

Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the panel, said the move to end the investigation came under pressure from the White House. Committee chairman Devin Nunes has been a close supporter of Trump.

The move to end the probe is "another tragic milestone for this Congress, and represents yet another capitulation to the executive branch," Schiff said in a statement.

"We have learned a great deal about countless secret meetings, conversations and communications between Trump campaign officials and the Russians, all of which the Trump Administration initially denied," he added.

"If the Russians do have leverage over the president of the United States, the majority has simply decided it would rather not know."

The Trump campaign remains under investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee where the two parties are cooperating more closely, and by Justice Department special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

Story continues

Mueller's is the most important of the probes: he has a strong team of investigators, and has already indicted several former top Trump aides.

But he has yet to declare whether he has strong evidence of collusion.

Mueller is also investigating whether Trump has tried to obstruct the investigation, and is said to be discussing with White House lawyers whether the president himself will agree to be interviewed.
President Donald Trump has not been loyal to first lady Melania Trump throughout their 13-year marriage and does not respect women as much as men, a majority of American voters said in a new national poll. The survey was conducted as Trump fends off accusations of extramarital affairs, with women paid off to remain silent.

Fifty-six percent of respondents said Trump had not been loyal to his wife, while 18 percent said the billionaire had been loyal, according to the Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday.

As with most polls involving Trump, the results display a deep partisan divide. Forty-two percent of Republicans answered yes when asked if Trump had been loyal to his wife, compared with only 2 percent of Democrats. And 86 percent of Democrats believed Trump had not been loyal, compared with just 14 percent of Republicans.

Trending: Trump and Billy Graham: How the President Lies at the Heart of the Battle Over the Evangelist Pastor's Legacy

Strikingly, though, 83 percent overall thought it was important for a president be loyal to his spouse.

The poll followed a detailed account of Trumps alleged affair with former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal between 2006 and 2007, and allegations of a tryst with porn star Stormy Danielsboth of whom reportedly received a payment for silence.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, got $130,000 from longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen roughly a month before Election Day in 2016. McDougal was paid by National Enquirer owner American Media, which is run by Trump's longtime friend David Pecker, who has been accused of buying salacious stories about the president only to kill them so they never get published.

Don't miss: Mexico Ferry Explosion: At Least 25 Injured As 'Fireball' Rips Through Ship

Beyond the alleged consensual affairs, the president has been accused of sexual harassment, misconduct or assault by at least 19 women.

Story continues

Speculation about the state of the Trumps marriage increased after the first lady did not travel with the president to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month, even though she was originally scheduled to attend. The broken plans came after The Wall Street Journal reported the payment to Clifford.

A similar partisan divide occurred during former President Bill Clintons sex scandal involving intern Monica Lewinsky in the late 1990s. In August 1998, before Clinton testified before a grand jury, 66 percent of Republicans agreed they would believe Lewinsky over Clinton if different stories were told about their affair while 64 percent of Democrats claimed they would stand by Clintons account, the Pew Research Center found.

Most popular: South Carolina State Reps Aim to Punish People Who Sag Their Pants

Still, 70 percent of those polled by Pew nearly 20 years ago thought the allegations of sexual impropriety by Clinton were true. The 42nd president later admitted having the affair with Lewinsky.

The latest poll also asked about voters eagerness to see the real estate mogul's tax returns. Sixty-seven percent wanted Trump to release the returns, and 52 percent thought Trump had something to hide while withholding the returns. On the campaign trail, Trump often said he would release his tax returns after a routine audit was finished.

The Quinnipiac survey was conducted from February 16 to 19 and has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.4 percentage points.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US military to create a new "space force," adding to the Pentagon's current ground, navy and air forces.

Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego that the new group would be able to encapsulate the "tremendous amount" of work the military and government are doing in space-related defense.

"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea," Trump said.

"We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we'll have the space force, we'll have the army, the navy.

"Maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen," he said.

Since taking office, Trump has frequently touted his support for the US military and placed high-ranking generals in top White House and cabinet posts.

Last year some legislators pushed a bill in Congress that included a provision to establish a new branch of the military dubbed the Space Corps.

But the military itself has resisted, saying it does not need to create another force and its attendant bureaucracy.

"At a time when we are trying to integrate the department's joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congressman Michael Turner in a letter last July.

It would be "premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead," he added.

The idea was finally dropped from the Pentagon's funding bill by the end of last year, but it retains some support in Congress, where advocates say the US is facing significant strategic vulnerabilities in the face of Russian and Chinese pushes into space warfare.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers told a February 28 conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that a separate space corps could be carved out from the air force within "three to five years".

He said China and Russia have become "near peers" to the US in space capabilities, and the US is not pushing hard enough to stay ahead.

"That's unacceptable that we have allowed that to happen, particularly in a day and age when it is essential to have those space capabilities to fight and win wars," he said.
California's lieutenant governor slammed Donald Trump for turning Immigrations and Customs Enforcement into his "own personal army of hate" amid the president's visit Tuesday.

Trump's trip to California, which also includes a stop at border wall prototypes, comes at a highly contentious time between the state and administration over immigration policies.

In his bid for governor, the Democrat has run on a campaign countering many of Trump's policies. Trump has taken issue with California being a so-called "sanctuary state," which limits state and local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Trending: Michael Hari: Minnesota Mosque Bombing Suspect Wanted to Build Trump's Border Wall for $10bn

Newsom's campaign called Trump's proposed border wall "idiocy" in a narrated video, which also included a parody of Trump. "We cannot let this small, scared bully hurt our economy and turn ICE into his own personal army of hate," Newsom said in spot.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto scrapped an official visit to the White House after a hostile call with Trump last month, in which the American leader pushed his neighbor to pay for the border wall.

Don't miss: Pi Day 2018: 14 Math Jokes to Make You Laugh on 3.14

Trump has given ICE more freedom on who it can arrest and under what conditions. His first 100 days saw a 40 percent increase in immigration arrests. Many Democratic lawmakers have pushed back on increased raids.

Meanwhile on Monday, Acting Director Thomas Homan lashed out at Democratic lawmakers after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the agency's power was being used to "terrorize innocent families." Homan defended the agency and said they "don't arrest innocent people."

Earlier on Tuesday, James Schwab, a spokesman for ICE's San Francisco division, resigned, saying he could no longer continue in his role. Schwab cited misleading public statements by Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, about a recent operation in Northern California. Schwab said he "didn't want to perpetuate misleading facts."

Story continues

And just last week, the Trump administration sued California in an effort to halt a series of so-called "sanctuary state" bills, which Sessions labeled a "radical open borders agenda" that interferes with federal immigration policy.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Beirut (AFP) - Syria's lacerating conflict entered its eighth year Thursday with the country riven by international power struggles, as Turkey encircled a besieged northern Kurdish enclave, while Russian-backed regime forces pounded into shrinking rebel areas near Damascus.

The bloodshed, which has devastated huge swathes of the country since it started on March 15, 2011 when the government of President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on mostly peaceful protests, has splintered into ever more complicated conflicts.

In the latest fighting, Ankara-backed forces launched a bombardment of Afrin and closed in on the main city, in an offensive that could redraw the map in northern Syria.

The development came as regime forces, backed by Moscow, broke into a key town in the beleaguered rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta late Wednesday, driving further into the last opposition bastion outside Damascus.

More than 1,220 civilians -- a fifth of them children -- have been killed in the rebel-held enclave since the Syrian regime launched a ferocious air and ground offensive on February 18.

International efforts have consistently failed to stop one of the deadliest wars of the century, with more than 350,000 people killed since the conflict first erupted, and more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 20 million displaced.

While the past few months saw the collapse of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" -- an experiment in jihadist statehood declared in 2014 in swathes of Syria and Iraq -- world powers have since sought to carve out increased influence in the region.

US-backed Kurds hold oil-rich territory in northeastern Syria covering 30 percent of the country and a motley assortment of Turkey-backed Arab rebels are cutting a third haven in the northwest.

Ankara, which launched a deadly ground and air offensive against the Kurdish-majority enclave of Afrin on January 20, vowed on Wednesday that its encirclement of the main city "will have been completed by the evening", a Turkish presidency source said.

Story continues

The claim was laughed off by a top official in the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls Afrin.

"It sounds like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is daydreaming when he says Afrin will fall tonight," Redur Khalil told AFP.

On Wednesday, Turkish bombing raids killed 10 fighters loyal to the Syrian regime, which has deployed pro-government forces to the fray after the Kurds asked for help.

Shells rained down on Afrin city, killing 10 civilians including four children.

Displaced families have swelled the city's population to around 350,000, and officials feared a humanitarian crisis should Turkish forces draw closer.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that Turkey-led forces controlled 70 percent of the wider Kurdish enclave, after seizing several villages.

- 'Anything that moves' -

On the outskirts of Damascus, hundreds of kilometres (miles) south of Afrin, another humanitarian emergency was unfolding in Eastern Ghouta.

The Observatory said regime forces had penetrated into the town of Hammuriyeh in the enclave and were able to take control of parts of it amid heavy bombardment.

On Wednesday, an AFP correspondent saw a man in the doorway of a building holding the bodies of his two dead children.

A doctor in the area said rescue teams could not get to victims because of the intensity of the bombardment.

"The wounded are on the roads. We can't move them. The war planes are targeting anything that moves," Ismail al-Khateeb said.

The United Nations has called for urgent medical evacuations for more than 1,000 people who desperately need medical treatment outside the besieged area.

A trickle of evacuations from Ghouta's largest town Douma began Tuesday under a deal with rebels, and more patients were allowed out Wednesday.

At a Red Crescent centre in Douma on Wednesday morning, people crowded around buses and ambulances to be evacuated.

Among them, 18-year-old Omran stood leaning on crutches. Badly wounded two years ago in bombardment on Ghouta, he was missing his left leg, right arm, and left eye.

"We haven't been able to treat some of these cases for more than a year," said Mohammed al-Marhum, a doctor.

The patients were transported to the government-controlled Wafideen checkpoint on the edges of Ghouta.

The Observatory said more than 220 people including 60 patients had left the rebel enclave in two days of evacuations.

- Tightening grip -

The UN Security Council demanded a 30-day truce last month to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations from Ghouta.

Such evacuations in Syria typically see people taken out of a besieged area for care, and then transported back in after treatment.

The Syrian government's assault on Ghouta has split the enclave into three sections, each controlled by different rebels.

The regime has reportedly been pursuing separate tracks of negotiations to secure local truces or evacuations from each zone.

The Russian military said the situation in Douma had "significantly stabilised" and an aid convoy of 20 vehicles was planned to enter the enclave on Thursday.

Fresh regime and Russian bombardment Wednesday killed at least 31 civilians in an isolated southern zone of Ghouta, the Observatory said.

State news agency SANA said five civilians died of their wounds after shelling on Damascus.

Moscow's strikes also killed a dozen rebels from the Faylaq al-Rahman faction controlling the area, including two top commanders, the monitor said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday Ghouta rebels were planning to stage a chemical attack to give the US-led coalition the pretext to strike Damascus.

His comments came as his Turkish counterpart visited Moscow for talks.
(Adds background, details)

By Ece Toksabay

ANKARA, March 13 (Reuters) - A Turkish prosecutor on Tuesday sought a life sentence for a U.S. pastor over alleged links to a failed coup attempt in 2016, Dogan news agency reported, a move that threatens to undermine efforts to mend bilateral ties.

Washington believes Andrew Brunson, who has been in jail since December 2016, is one of several Americans unjustly detained in Turkey. During a visit to Ankara last month, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called for him to be freed.

The Christian pastor from North Carolina has been living in Turkey for 23 years and running a church, according to an online petition seeking his release.

The prosecutor charged him with being an "executive" of the group that Ankara holds responsible for the failed coup, the news agency said. Turkey blames the network of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Muslim cleric who denies all involvement.

In September, President Tayyip Erdogan suggested Turkey could free Brunson if the United States handed over Gulen.

It was not immediately clear what charges were brought against the pastor in the indictment. The prosecutor's office could not be reached for comment.

Brunson was accused of obtaining secret documents with the aim of political or military espionage, and attempting to overthrow the government, Dogan and other Turkish media reported when he was initially questioned more than a year ago.

The accusations were based on the testimony of a secret witness, who said Brunson was in close contact with Gulen's network and receiving funds from it for missionary activities.

Brunson denied the allegations, saying he was a defender of Jesus Christ and would never support any Islamic movement, Dogan reported at the time.

'ABSURD'

The U.S. and Turkey have been at odds over several issues, notably Washington's support in Syria for the YPG, a Kurdish militant group deemed terrorist by Turkey, and the status of Gulen.

Tillerson said during his official visit that Washington had "serious concerns" about cases against U.S. citizens arrested under the state of emergency in place in Turkey since the coup attempt, and said Brunson and others should be freed.

Story continues

Following Tillerson's visit, the two countries formed joint working groups to mend their relations.

Brunson's daughter on Friday told the United Nations Human Rights Council that the terror allegations against her father were "absurd," according to the European Centre for Law and Justice, a group supporting his case.

"Turkey should not get away with holding my father one more day," Jacqueline Brunson said, urging the U.N. to help get him released.

"I know the allegations against my father are absurd. He is ...a peaceful pastor." (Writing by Ece Toksabay; Editing by David Dolan and John Stonestreet)
People ridiculed President Donald Trump on Tuesday after he warned that undocumented immigrants trying to enter the U.S. were like professional mountain climbers.

Trump made the comment while inspecting prototypes of his long-promised U.S.-Mexico border wall just south of San Diego, California.

Getting over the top is easy, said Trump, as he attempted to explain why the barrier needed to be a tough obstacle to circumvent.

These are like professional mountain climbers, he added. They are incredible climbers. They cant climb some of these walls. Some of them they can. Those are the walls were not using.

Tweeters picked up on his rambling claim, and immediately called Trump out:

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Related Coverage

Donald Trump Jr.'s Chocolate Bunny 'Interview' Is A Hilarious New Meme

Alec Baldwin Takes Feud With Trump Up Another Notch

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Conakry (AFP) - Two men were reportedly shot dead Wednesday during protests in the Guinean capital as the powerful teachers' union called off a month-long strike after reaching agreement with the government on pay.

The strikes have paralysed the country's education system and fractured relations between teachers, parents and the state, while President Alpha Conde has faced criticism for allowing the industrial action to drag on.

They have run in parallel to protests by the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), two of whose supporters were killed during protests, reports said.

State television announced the death of 22-year-old Mamadou Bailo Diallo after a 25-year-old was also shot dead in the same area, according to his family and a doctor.

"It's really sad for this country," opposition leader Cellou Dalein told AFP. He estimated the total number of opposition supporters killed since Conde took power in 2010 at 91.

Ruling party parliamentary group leader Amadou Damaro had Tuesday accused the opposition of trying to "destabilise the regime of Alpha Conde".

Conde's authority has been sorely tested by the strike, which followed similar industrial action last year.

Aboubacar Soumah, the secretary general of the SLECG teachers' union, declared the strike over after signing an agreement with the Inspector General for Work, Alya Camara.

The union has gained a guarantee of a 40-percent pay increase agreed in 2017 which was only partially implemented in February.

The two sides have also agreed to negotiations on May 2-25 for a base salary of eight million Guinean francs (717 euros, $880) and to a promise that strikers would not be punished.

"Each of us put the interests of Guinea first, through the children who should be back at school," said government mediator Mohamed Said Fofana.

Rights groups regularly criticise the heavy death tolls during protests and industrial action in Guinea.
By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Tuesday defended his use of private planes and challenged reports of lavish spending, saying he was tired of "innuendo" and "insults." Zinke, who spoke before a Senate committee, has been dogged by the release of details of his use of charter planes and helicopters for travel, as well as recent receipts showing the department spent more than $130,000 to install new doors at his office at a time of proposed budget cuts and fee hikes at national parks. "I resent the fact of your insults, and I resent the fact that you mislead," Zinke told Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee, after she pressed him on his spending. The hearing concerned the Interior Department's 2019 budget. Zinke also got heat from senators for proposals to raise national park visitor fees, expand offshore oil drilling, and lower royalty rates paid to the U.S. government by oil and gas companies to encourage more production. "I never took a private jet anywhere," Zinke added, saying it was "innuendo" to suggest he was on a luxurious private plane when he instead took charter propeller flights. Zinke said his Democratic predecessor, Sally Jewell, also racked up significant expenses traveling to remote parts of the country. "She took private charter airplanes and took helicopters. As interior secretary she was out hiking and doing what she was supposed to be doing," Zinke said. Senators asked if the Interior Department has sufficiently analyzed a proposal to cut the royalty rate for offshore drilling by a third to 12.5 percent. Zinke responded that the data so far is "inconclusive" and a decision had not been reached yet. "I would say there is an argument (for cutting)," Zinke said. "There is an argument on the other side too." U.S. oil production has soared in recent years as a result of advances in drilling technology, but the increase has occurred mainly on private, rather than federal, lands. Zinke also faced questions from Louisianas Republican Senator John Kennedy, who was concerned about the impact of cutting royalties on Gulf Coast states that rely on the revenue to support coastal restoration projects. Last October, after Louisiana was lashed by powerful hurricanes, the states share of offshore drilling royalties turned out to be half the $175 million it expected. Zinke said he would supply the committee with data when available. Zinke also took some heat from senators opposed to his January proposal to open up 90 percent of federal waters to drilling between 2019 and 2024. The proposal is opposed by Democratic and Republican lawmakers in a dozen states. Washington state's Cantwell accused Zinke of playing politics when he told Florida Governor Rick Scott, who objected to drilling off of Florida's tourist-dependent coastlines, that his state would be exempt from any expansion in drilling. Zinke said the Florida decision is "still in the process" of being reviewed and that he would recognize the opposition of other states, like Washington, that are "passionately opposed to oil and gas drilling off their coast." (Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by David Gregorio and Steve orlofsky)
By Phil Stewart BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Once seen as relatively secure, the sprawling Afghan capital of Kabul is becoming the main focus of an intensified U.S.-backed battle against the Taliban this year after a series of high-profile attacks exposed major gaps in security. "Kabul is our main effort. To harden Kabul, to protect the people of Kabul and the international community that are here," U.S. General John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, told a group of reporters on Wednesday. The remarks underscored the high degree of concern about the Taliban's intent to stage high-profile attacks in Kabul, which are aimed at undermining the Afghan government and international resolve after 16 years of war. They are also a reminder that while U.S. and Afghan officials speak with growing confidence about the prospects of peace talks with elements of the Taliban, the military is also making long-term preparations for an extended conflict, including in the capital. Nicholson said Kabul's exponential growth from about 500,000 people in 2001 to 5 million today had created a haphazard sprawl that was hard to secure. U.S. intelligence agencies were helping Afghanistan map the city so police and soldiers can better design barriers and checkpoints. "I'll just be very candid. We have a lot of work to do," Nicholson said. "This growth at that rate has meant that there's a lot of sprawl. It's easy to get in and out of the city." In the past year, insurgents have staged massive bombings in the Afghan capital, including one in January that killed more than 100 people and another in May 2017 near the German embassy. No group claimed the May 2017 attack but Afghan and U.S. officials blamed the Haqqani network, a violent militant group affiliated to the Taliban. The Taliban claimed the second attack but many officials say it bore the hallmarks of the Haqqanis, who the United States says enjoy safe haven in neighboring Pakistan. U.S. President Donald Trump has piled pressure on Pakistan to crack down on the safehavens, announcing in January a suspension in U.S. financial assistance to Islamabad. "BACKCHANNEL COMMUNICATION" Nicholson said the Afghan Army were taking over at least some of the once "porous" police checkpoints inside the city, and was training specialized soldiers to stand guard. The goal was to establish an inner-ring of security along with an outer-ring of security, and clear everything in between. A group of newly arriving U.S. Army advisers would partner with some of the Afghan troops securing Kabul. Commandos would carry out intelligence-driven raids throughout the city, something Nicholson said was already ongoing. The goal would be to eliminate Taliban strongholds as well as Taliban facilitators, which included criminal enterprises that, for a price, gave the insurgents shelter or weapons. "The Taliban are in the city," Nicholson said. "So this is a process of deliberately clearing sections of the city. That's begun." Nicholson's comments came during a trip to Afghanistan by U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, whose delegation navigated some of Kabul's checkpoints and blast walls while moving between U.S. military and Afghan government compounds on Tuesday, helicopters buzzing overhead. Trump approved a more aggressive strategy last year that included more U.S. combat advisers and air strikes, and fighting is expected to pick up in the coming weeks. Mattis said on Tuesday that the United States had seen signs of interest from elements of the Taliban insurgency about talks with Kabul to end the conflict. Nicholson echoed that, noting there was more outreach than publicly known - including through "backchannel" intermediaries. "What you don't see in the news of course is all the backchannel communication that's going on at multiple levels, through the Gulf, from the Taliban leadership through various means, and so forth," he said. "So there's definitely an increase in the dialogue and the communication between the sides about reconciliation. And more than I've seen in any of the previous times I've been around this." Still, it was unclear whether the latest prospects would prove any more fruitful than previous, frustrated attempts to move toward a negotiated end to America's longest war. Taliban fighters still control large parts of the country and any new battlefield gains by U.S. and U.S.-backed Afghan forces cannot promise to overcome Afghanistan's yawning political divisions and entrenched corruption. (Additional reporting by James MacKenzie in Kabul; Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Alison Williams)
By Prak Chan Thul PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A U.N. human rights envoy urged Cambodia on Wednesday to drop a ban on the country's main opposition party so it can take part in a July general election. Cambodia's Supreme Court dissolved the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) in November and banned more than 100 of its politicians in a ruling that was widely condemned by the international community. Rhona Smith, U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, said the CNRP ban had denied Cambodians the right to take part in the vote through their chosen representatives. "I repeat my call on the government to restore the space for any Cambodians to exercise the right to stand for election without fear or intimidation," Smith told a news conference. "I also call for an urgent reconsideration of the blanket ban on 118 political actors," she added, referring to the banned lawmakers and senior members of the CNRP. The CNRP was dissolved at the request of veteran Prime Minister Hun Sen's government, which accused the party of plotting to take power with the help of the United States. The CNRP and the United States embassy in Cambodia denied that. The dissolution of the CNRP followed the arrest of its leader, Kem Sokha, who was also accused of plotting to take power with U.S. help. Kem Sokha said the charge was leveled against him because of the threat the opposition posed at the July elections. Cambodia's last election, in 2013, marked Hun Sen's toughest challenge in three decades of rule. His party won but with a greatly reduced majority while the CNRP made big gains, despite what it said was widespread cheating. Western countries have criticized Hun Sen over the CNRP's dissolution and the arrest of Kem Sokha ahead of the general election and some have taken steps against the government. The United States has imposed visa sanctions on high-ranking government officials while the EU announced in December it would suspend funding for the election. Hun Sen's government and its allies have targeted non-government organizations, opposition lawmakers and some independent media in the crackdown. Smith urged authorities to provide an "even playing field" to other smaller parties in the vote. A spokesman for Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP), responding to Smith's remarks, said the opposition party was "dead". (Reporting by Prak Chan Thul; Editing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Robert Birsel)
A U.N. fact-finding mission has highlighted the role of social media networks, and Facebook in particular, in fueling hate speech against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, telling the U.N. Human Rights Council this week that incitement to violence is rampant and unchecked.

Reuters reports that in an interim submission to the U.N. Human Rights Council, fact-finding mission chair Marzuki Darusman emphasized the determining role of social media networks in the conflict, which he said substantively contributed to the level of acrimony and dissension and conflict in Myanmar. As far as the Myanmar situation is concerned, social media is Facebook, and Facebook is social media, Darusman told reporters.

The three-member probe, which was established last March to investigate allegations of human rights abuses against ethnic minorities in Myanmars Rakhine, Shan, and Kachin States, has conducted hundreds of interviews with refugees in Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia that yielded hundreds of credible accounts of the most harrowing nature, Darusman told the Human Rights Council on Monday. The panel has repeatedly been denied visas to visit Myanmar.

U.N. special rapporteur for human rights Yanghee Lee also submitted a report to the Human Rights Council this week, warning that violence against the Rohingya bore the hallmarks of genocide, and expressing concerns over high levels of hate speech and incitement to hostility, discrimination and violence, particularly on social media.

Im afraid that Facebook has now turned into a beast, Lee told reporters.

Over 671,000 members of the Muslim Rohingya minority have fled Myanmars western Rakhine state for neighboring Bangladesh since Aug. 25, many bearing tales of atrocities committed by Myanmars military, including executions, gang rapes, and the razing of homes and villages. Last year, medical humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres said that at least 6,700 Rohingya were slain in Rakhine by the most conservative estimations.

Story continues

Myanmar argues that its clearance operation is a counter-insurgency in response to deadly attacks by Rohingya militants, and last week demanded the U.N. provide clear evidence of atrocities against the Rohingya.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein had previously voiced strong suspicions that acts of genocide are being perpetrated against the Rohingya, stepping up rhetoric from previous accusations of elements of genocide and ethnic cleansing.

The military is also razing abandoned Rohingya villages and building military bases and infrastructure in their place, according to a report released this week by Amnesty International, raising concerns that mass graves and other evidence of atrocities will be destroyed, Darusman said.

Facebook, which has come under considerable criticism over its use in Myanmar, has made some efforts to stem the spread of hate speech and propaganda on its platform, working with local NGOs to enforce its community standards and promote tolerance. Last month, the network suspended the page of firebrand ultra-nationalist monk Wirathu, who recently emerged from a one-year public preaching ban to claim that Rakhine was experiencing terrorism of Bengalis, a slur that implies the Rohingya are indigenous to neighboring Bangladesh and are merely interlopers in Myanmar.

Wirathu dismissed Facebooks reprimand, saying he would rely instead on Twitter and YouTube to continue his nationalist work.
Already operating in 250 or so markets, Ubers food delivery arm UberEats wants to grow in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Uber is doubling down on UberEats, its four-year-old restaurant meal-delivery service, and thats a logical move for the popular ride-sharing business which has a major advantage in that area, says one analyst.

Uber already has the advantage of their own delivery fleet as part of the rest of their business to rely upon, which most other food delivery businesses dont have, explains Natan Reddy, an analyst for CB Insights. Thats a major advantage in my opinion, and it will be interesting to see how that shakes out against as competitors expand abroad.

Rivals such as Grubhub (GRUB), DoorDash and Caviar must build out their own infrastructure of contracted drivers to pick up and deliver orders, but UberEats operates by employing the very same Uber drivers who give passengers a ride. That strategy of piggybacking upon Ubers pre-existing network of drivers has apparently been a smart one.

Indeed, UberEats has plans to expand to 100 new cities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in addition to the 250 or so cities it currently operates in around the globe.

Over the past 12 months, the food delivery service has been an asset for Uber, which took a beating over controversies that included allegations of sexual harassment in its work culture. According to The New York Times, the number of trips by UberEats drivers grew more than 24 times between March 2016 and March 2017. Meanwhile, Uber has said UberEats is profitable in at least 25 of the markets its available in and generated $1.1 billion, or 10%, of the companys fourth-quarter 2017 revenues.

Food delivery in general is a notoriously low-margin business, largely contingent upon fees added onto a meal order. For example, in the case of UberEats, it delivers from nearly 7,000 McDonalds locations in 20 different countries  or about 9% of all outlets on the platform  for a $5 fee. While thats relatively expensive to get chicken nuggets and french fries delivered to your door, McDonalds, for its part, said the partnership with UberEats is working, with an average of more than 10-plus UberEats orders per day. (Indeed, some locations are apparently receiving over 100-plus orders a day.)

Story continues

Still, that $5 UberEats fee gets divvied up, with a small portion of that being paid out to the UberEats driver. And thats very much the same case for other competitors, too, although the exact pricing and economics varies from service to service.

Consumers are extremely sensitive to the price that you charge, and a lot of these services are sort of caught between a rock and a hard place where you pay the people that are delivering the food, but you cant charge too high a price to the customers because they wont buy the food to begin with, Reddy explains.

Food delivery is a tough business

Those economics are very likely why venture capitalists are less enthused these days about backing food delivery startups. According to CB Insights, 87 food delivery startups raised $2.6 billion in venture-backed capital in 2017  significantly less than the 137 startups that raised $4.2 billion in venture-backed capital in 2015. Reddy says that indicates not only that VCs are less inclined to invest in the space overall, but also that there are fewer new businesses sprouting up vying to deliver meals to your door.

Companies like Postmates, for instance, try tackling the challenging economics of food delivery by offering different pricing schemes. Its subscription-based feature, Postmates Unlimited, lets users place as many orders as they want with restaurants without having to pay an added fee per order, provided they pay $9.99 a month or $83.99 a year. Thats in part because Postmates has raised over $278 million in venture capital-backed funding, but also because the company is available in 50 markets and has reached a national scale, effectively building a competitive moat against competitors.

The overall pattern were seeing in meal delivery is that the companies that are able to operate in the long run are the ones that reach scale, and if you dont have that scale, it just becomes extremely difficult to operate the logistics necessary to offer that service and operate that type of business, explains Reddy. If you dont reach that level of scale, I think its difficult to guard your unit economics.



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.

More from JP:

Follow Yahoo Finance on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's media regulator Ofcom said Russian broadcaster RT could lose its UK license if Theresa May's government determines that Moscow was behind the poisoning of a former Russian double agent in England this month. RT, or Russia Today, is a round-the-clock news network that is funded by Vladimir Putin's government. With tensions growing between London and Moscow over the attack on Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, some lawmakers have said RT should be blocked in Britain. Ofcom, which enforces the broadcasting code in Britain, has an ongoing duty to check that holders of licenses are "fit and proper". It said on Tuesday any ruling that Russia had acted unlawfully against Britain over the poisoning would be taken into consideration when assessing the network. RT, which runs eight TV channels including RT UK broadcast from London, said it disagreed with the position taken by Ofcom. "Our broadcasting has in no way changed this week from any other week and continues to adhere to all standards," it said in a statement. "By linking RT to unrelated matters, Ofcom is conflating its role as a broadcasting regulator with matters of state." RT says it broadcasts news with an edge for viewers who want to "question more". Available in more than 100 countries, it says it covers stories overlooked by the mainstream media and provides alternative perspectives on current affairs, including giving a Russian viewpoint. Britain has given Putin until midnight on Tuesday to explain how a nerve agent developed by the former Soviet Union was used to strike down the father and daughter. May will brief parliament on the situation on Wednesday and Ofcom said it would consider the implications for RT's broadcast licenses after that. In a letter to ANO TV Novosti, the holder of RT's UK broadcast licenses, Ofcom said it would carry out an independent "fit and proper" assessment and would write to RT again shortly to set out the details of the process. "This letter explained that, should the UK investigating authorities determine that there was an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the UK, we would consider this relevant to our ongoing duty to be satisfied that RT is fit and proper," Ofcom said. (Reporting by Kate Holton and Paul Sandle; editing by Stephen Addison)
By Pavel Polityuk KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's Foreign Minister told Reuters on Wednesday he is "100 percent certain" that ties with Washington will remain unchanged with the arrival of Mike Pompeo as U.S. Secretary of State. President Donald Trump chose Central Intelligence Agency director Pompeo to replace Rex Tillerson after a series of public rifts with Tillerson on North Korea, Russia and Iran. Despite some initial jitters in Kiev about what a Trump presidency could mean for Ukraine, Washington has continued to support Ukraine in its standoff with Russia over the annexation of Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency in the Donbass region. "We have a strategic partnership. This partnership is built on our alliance," the minister, Pavlo Klimkin, told Reuters on the sidelines of a press briefing by the presidents of Ukraine and Austria in Kiev. "We have the support of both main parties: the Republican and the Democrat. Of course there will be no change in the support of Ukraine -- that's 100 percent certain." Some of Trump's comments during the election campaign in 2016, from appearing to recognize Crimea as part of Russia to contemplating an end to U.S. sanctions, had stoked fears in Kiev that Trump would mend ties with Moscow at Ukraine's expense. But since then, the United States has kept sanctions on Russia, appointed a tough-talking special envoy to the Ukraine conflict and latterly agreed to supply Kiev with lethal defensive weapons despite Russian objections. A deal for Ukraine to buy anthracite coal from the United States for the first time has also helped improve Ukraine's relations with the Trump administration. Pompeo, a former Army officer, is seen as a Trump loyalist who has enjoyed a less hostile relationship with career spies than Tillerson had with career diplomats. Critics expressed dismay at the decision to dump Tillerson ahead of a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and worried that Pompeo would encourage Trump to scrap the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and be hawkish on North Korea. (Writing by Matthias Williams, Editing by William Maclean)
Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Global powers will gather in Rome on Thursday to discuss the future of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which faces an unprecedented crisis after the US froze tens of millions of dollars in funding.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) only has enough funds to keep schools and medical services open until May, its commissioner general Pierre Krahenbuhl told AFP.

US President Donald Trump's administration has so far committed only $60 million to the agency this year, down from $360 million in 2017.

He has frozen two planned payments worth more than $100 million -- one for UNRWA's central budget and one for food aid.

Trump continues to pressure Palestinian leaders to end their boycott of his administration, sparked by his December recognition of the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A major funding drive launched by UNRWA after the US freeze has raised little new money and diplomats are not optimistic that the Rome meeting will produce major pledges.

UN officials want European countries to step in to fill part of the gap, but are focusing their fundraising efforts on Gulf Arab countries.

Fear is rife about the future of the organisation, which employs more than 20,000 mainly Palestinian staff and relies on the United States for nearly 30 percent of its funding.

UNRWA was established after the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, when around 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled.

The agency offers vital support for these refugees and their descendants in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza, reaching more than three million people.

It provides education to around half a million students.

- 'Extremely disappointing' -

In January, Trump tweeted "we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect," accusing them of walking away from peace negotiations.

Two weeks later his administration confirmed it would hold back tens of millions in aid to UNRWA, saying it wanted the rest of the world to pay more.

Story continues

Krahenbuhl labelled it the agency's worst ever financial crisis and launched a major funding drive, turning the front page of its website into a plea for donations.

Senior officials travelled around the world to push for funds, with UNRWA aiming to find nearly half a billion dollars in new money.

But since the launch of the "Dignity is Priceless" campaign, the only new funding was a $900,000 grant from Kuwait -- although European countries have brought forward donations planned for the summer.

Private donations ran only into the "hundreds of thousands," Krahenbuhl said, saying the amount was "not groundbreaking."

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund released $30 million to UNRWA on Tuesday to keep the agency's food aid programme afloat.

Krahenbuhl played down concerns the world was not stepping up to fill the gap.

"It takes a lot of political dialogue for these things to move forward, especially in light of the size of the shortfall," he told AFP.

"States were planning to contribute $20-25 million to UNRWA and suddenly see a shortfall that has increased by $300 million. It is quite natural you will not have one single state that will come forward and close that shortfall."

But UNRWA employees have deep concerns about the sheer size of the gap.

Nicola Jones, of the Overseas Development Institute think tank, said she expected UNRWA heads to be "really concerned" by the slow pace of new funds.

"They really did try to have a high profile public awareness campaign about the cost of withdrawing funding and I think it is clearly extremely disappointing that it hasn't been fruitful," she said.

Separately Wednesday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories called the US cuts to UNRWA a "big problem".

"Anything that is cut in terms of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza creates a bigger problem for the people of Gaza. We are struggling now to address those needs," Jamie McGoldrick said at the launch of a separate appeal for funds for Palestinians.

- 'Corner the Americans' -

The Rome conference, co-hosted by Sweden, Egypt and Jordan, will seek fresh momentum.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will attend, his office confirmed on Tuesday, while Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield is expected to represent the United States.

Sweden's ambassador to the United Nations, Olof Skoog, said it was "reasonable" the world would do more for UNRWA "but we expect the United States to stay committed."

Hugh Lovatt, Israel/Palestine analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations think tank, said European countries were wary of being seen to bridge the funding gap for fear of vindicating Trump's attempts to cut international aid funding.

Trump is due to announce his proposal for new Israel-Palestinian peace talks and Lovatt said observers were waiting to see its vision for UNRWA.

He said he expected Europeans in Rome to make a "concerted effort to corner the Americans and convince them to reconsider."

jod-az-cml-sa/mjs/par
United Airlines (UAL) has a track record of reporting more dead animals than its peers.

Since 2012, there have been 153 animal deaths on airlines in the U.S. Of those, United accounted for 66 of them, or 43%, according to an analysis of Department of Transportation (DOT) filings reviewed by Yahoo Finance. To be fair, United also transports more animals than the other airlines.

This week, a United passengers 10-month old French bulldog died in its carrier after a flight attendant had it placed in an overhead compartment. The airline apologized and said it would take full responsibility.

More than 500,000 pets travel on airplanes in the U.S. every year, according to the DOT data. For the most part, incidents are rare. That said, flying can be risky, especially for certain kind of breeds.

REUTERS/Kim Kyung-HoonAir travel can be particularly dangerous for animals with pushed in faces (the medical term is brachycephalic), such as bulldogs, pugs and Persian cats. Their short nasal passages leave them especially vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke, the Humane Societys website states.

Airlines in the U.S. are required by the DOT to report loss, injury or death of an animal during air transport provided by an air carrier. In 2017, approximately 506,994 animals were transported by airlines, with a rate of 0.79 incidents per 10,000 animals. A total of 24 animals died, while 15 were injured, and one animal lost, for a total of 40 animal incidents, the DOT data shows.

United Airlines had a higher rate of animal incidents than other airlines in 2017.

Of those reported incidents, United was at the top with most incidents, reporting 18 deaths and 13 injuries.

Last year, 138,178 animals flew with United, with an incident rate of 2.24 per 10,000 animals transported. Again, United transports about 27% of all animal flights, which could increase the likelihood of an incident.

We are very liberal in our reporting in terms of what we consider an injury, Charlie Hobart, a spokesperson for United, told Yahoo Finance. When we see a dog that has a little toenail that might be chipped, or theres a drop or two of blood, we consider that an injury.

Story continues

Hobart added that United does not know if competitors take the same approach to reporting incidents.

United also features safety tips on its website for customers traveling with pets.

An examination of the reported incidents shows that in most cases no corrective action was taken by United since the deaths were considered from natural causes or a necropsy wasnt performed, the filing shows. One exception was when a three-year-old Abyssinian named Riko escaped its shipping container during the acceptance process and was hit by a car. United said that it would review existing procedures to enhance [the] security of animals during acceptance process.

In another instance, a four-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lulu was found dead upon arriving in San Francisco. A medical exam attributed Lulus death to heat stroke. The airline noted that two other animals onboard were found healthy upon arrival in San Francisco and no corrective action was taken.

Some of the animals died of natural causes, including a 9-year-old cat named Hope that had heart failure and a dog named Rocco that died of a cardiac abnormality due to congenital heart disease. Other deaths, including two geckos on a flight to Raleigh, didnt have medical exams performed.

Meanwhile, American Airlines (AAL) ranked No. 2 for the most incidents in 2017, reporting two deaths, including a golden retriever and a German shepherd and an injured poodle. American Airlines transported 34,628 animals for a rate of 0.87 incidents per 10,000 animals transported.

Delta (DAL) disclosed two deaths and one injury of the 57,479 animals it flew in 2017. The airline had a rate of 0.52 incidents per 10,000 animals. One of those reported deaths was a kitten that had a pre-existing medical condition and an Aussie shepherd puppy that died from acute myocardial necrosis.

Alaska Airlines (ALK) flew 114,974 animals in 2017, reporting two deaths and one missing animal for an incident rate of 0.26 for every 10,000 animals. The lost pet was a cat named Gaige that escaped its kennel at the Honolulu International Airport. It still has not been found.

Hawaiian Airlines (HA) posted 0 incidents in 2017. However, in 2016, Hawaiian Airlines had a higher rate of events than other airlines, of 3.99 per 10,000 animals. The carrier flew 7,518 animals and reported three deaths in 2016.

Hawaiian Airlines refunded the pet and cargo fees for the owners. The airline also paid for a necropsy and cremation for a deceased bulldog named Jax.

Julia La Roche is a finance reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter.
Washington (AFP) - As Donald Trump prepares to make a historic gamble by meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, the US diplomatic corps is in disarray after the president's brutal sacking of his secretary of state.

Rex Tillerson's departure adds to the long list of senior job vacancies at the top of the State Department, and Washington is preparing for the summit without several key diplomats in place.

Trump, of course, may not mind this at all.

His view on how to deal with the threat of North Korea's nuclear arsenal is much more in tune with that of his nominee to replace Tillerson, CIA director Mike Pompeo, than with US diplomats.

Tillerson's plan followed a classic strategy. Build relationships and trust with early contacts; establish parameters for negotiation; draft a deal between senior officials; hold a leaders' summit.

"I have a lot of confidence in my ability to create the conditions for successful negotiations between two very disparate parties," Tillerson told reporters on his last plane trip as secretary.

Trump -- who bluntly informed Tillerson in a tweet last year that he was "wasting his time" operating back channels to Pyongyang -- had a different view, and one apparently shared by Pompeo.

They believe the US must show Kim that the US is ready to use crippling sanctions and even military force if he refuses to give up his nuclear arms, then get him to the table and thrash out a deal.

In January, Pompeo appeared at the conservative AEI think tank in Washington and laid out this plan to convince Kim -- who may be misreading diplomatic signals -- that Washington is serious.

- Ambitious strategy -

"We're taking the real world actions that we think will make unmistakable to Kim Jong Un that we are intent on denuclearization," said Pompeo, who meets frequently with Trump as CIA chief.

"We're counting on the fact that he'll see it. We're confident that he will. And then we will continue to have discussions about how to achieve that denuclearization."

Story continues

So Trump may now have the beginnings of a team that better reflects his plan, but there is no hiding that America is embarking on an ambitious strategy with a shallow bench of talent.

Tillerson was not in the Oval Office last week when Trump abruptly decided to accept Kim's invitation, passed to him second-hand by a South Korean delegation, to denuclearization talks.

Instead, while Tillerson toured African capitals, he was represented by Deputy Secretary John Sullivan.

But, with Tillerson gone, Sullivan will not be able to devote all of his time to the North Korean dossier; he is acting secretary of state until Pompeo can be confirmed by the Senate, not before April.

- Empty desks -

The number three diplomat in the department, Undersecretary Tom Shannon, has announced his retirement and is only remaining in place until a replacement is named.

The lead diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific, acting Assistant Secretary Susan Thornton, is awaiting a date for a Senate vote to confirm that she can keep the job permanently.

The former US special representative for North Korea policy, Joseph Yun, retired two weeks ago and has yet to be replaced.

In all 91 senior positions at the State Department remain unfilled after more than a year of the Trump administration, including that of ambassador to key ally South Korea.

Trump acknowledged this as an issue Wednesday when he tweeted to blame opposition lawmakers for blocking his picks.

"Hundreds of good people, including very important Ambassadors and Judges, are being blocked and/or slow walked by the Democrats in the Senate," he wrote.

"Many important positions in Government are unfilled because of this obstruction. Worst in US history!"

But, at the State Department at least, it seems difficult to blame the Senate for holding up appointments. For 58 of the posts, including the Seoul ambassadorship, there are no nominees.
Geneva (AFP) - The United States has proposed World Trade Organization reforms that would punish members for violating basic rules, in what appears to be another move by Washington targeting China, according to documents seen by AFP Wednesday.

President Donald Trump's envoys to the Geneva-based trade body have circulated a document, dated March 12, that aims to address "the chronic low level of compliance with existing notification requirements under many WTO agreements."

The document does not name China, but zeroes in on a central complaint that Trump's "America first" administration has raised regarding Beijing's WTO membership.

US officials have charged that China regularly implements measures to prop up its domestic industries that breach WTO rules, fails to provide notification about those measures -- another rules violation -- and rarely gets caught, let alone punished.

They have also said the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) has unfairly given preferential treatment to China at the expense of the US economy, a charge that WTO officials have largely rejected.

Under the proposed US reforms, if a member state fails to provide adequate warning about new tariffs, subsidies or safeguards and ignores a set of warnings for three years, it will be declared "an inactive member" and lose access to WTO technical information.

The US text, released to the media by a Geneva-based trade official, comes as the 164-member WTO faces challenges unprecedented in its 23-year history.

Trump has imposed new tariffs on steel and aluminium, arguing that protecting domestic producers is a matter of national security, a move that has raised fears of a possible trade war.

Powerful states around the world have vowed to fight back, including at the DSB.

But WTO judges have never arbitrated such a case.

Trump's trade office has reserved the right to ignore DSB rulings that it considers counter to US interests.
The This Is Us season finale was everything we dreamed of. Unfortunately, it was all a dream. In reality, season two ended with some shocking, and scary, plot twists. Last week's episode teased an aged Jack Pearson and, just as most of us predicted, he wasn't real. Turns out, Kate was having the same dream every single night, for two weeks, leading up to her big wedding day. In the dream, everyone was actually at the Pearson family cabin in the woods as Jack and Rebecca renewed their vows to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. And, while our hearts were crushed, per usual, it was actually the final two minutes of the episode that really had us all freaking out. During Randall's toast at Kate and Toby's wedding reception, we saw Deja taking a bat to Randall's very expensive Mercedes-Benz and a flash forward, one year later, to Kevin flying to Vietnam, with Jack's army picture in his hand and with his new girlfriend, Zoe, a.k.a. Beth's cousin, by his side. We also catch up with Kate one year later, checking in on Toby, who is sick in bed with something more serious than a cold, as Kate calmly tells him, "Hey, babe. I just spoke to the doctor. He wants you to come in tomorrow, talk about adjusting your meds." However, the real shocker was the super flash forward to, possibly ten years later, as an older Randall sits across a grown-up Tess telling her, " It's time to go see her, Tess." Tess tells her father that she's "not ready," and he replies, "Me neither." The latter was a cliffhanger that no one was, or is, ready for, and fans didn't know how to process all of this new information. One person tweeted: "Why is toby depressed??? Who does tess need to see?? Why is Kevin going to Vietnam, with who??? Why did deja break the window???" While others wrote: "if Beth dies I will burn this place TO THE GROUND" "Ugh its Beth isnt it... ISN'T IT?" Honestly, we should have known something was up when they made that episode all about Beth and made us all fall in love with her. Only time will tell. Six months time, to be exact.
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The United Nations said Tuesday it is considering a request from Venezuela to help prepare the May 20 presidential election in which President Nicolas Maduro is seeking a new term.

UN political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman met for two hours at UN headquarters with opposition candidate Henri Falcon, Venezuelan Ambassador Samuel Moncada and other opposition representatives to discuss the request.

"The UN Secretariat is considering a request from the Venezuelan government for accompaniment of the electoral process in the run-up to presidential polls set for 20 May," said Jose Luis Diaz, a spokesman for UN political affairs.

Maduro is seeking a second six-year term and the main opposition is boycotting the vote, claiming fraud.

Falcon told reporters after the meeting that a UN "exploratory commission" will carry out an in-depth review of the electoral procedure.

The commission falls short of a formal UN observer mission, but it could help Venezuela move towards "an electoral path and not the path of violence," said Falcon.

Opposition parties have sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asking him not to send observers, out of fears such a move would lend legitimacy to the polls.

Falcon, 56, is a member of the opposition coalition Democratic Unity Roundtable, or MUD, but has defied a call to boycott the May 20 vote.

Violent protests erupted last year against Maduro's rule in which dozens have died as Venezuelans struggle with chronic shortages of food and medicine.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Vietnamese bar owner was asked to act in a video prank show by a man wanted for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leaders half-brother, but declined the offer, a Malaysian court heard on Wednesday. In a sworn statement, the bar owner, identified as Nguyen Bich Thuy, said she then introduced the man to a friend and former colleague, Doan Thi Huong, a woman now facing trial in Malaysia for the killing. Vietnamese Huong is accused with another woman, Siti Aisyah, an Indonesian, of smearing Kims face with VX, a lethal nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur international airport on Feb. 13 last year. Defense lawyers say Huong and Siti Aisyah thought they were playing pranks for a reality show and did not know they were poisoning Kim. A man who called himself Li had approached Thuy at her bar in Hanoi in December 2016, Thuy said in her affidavit, presented in court by Huong's lawyer, Hisyam Teh. Li, who spoke fluent Vietnamese and said he was the child of Vietnamese and Korean parents, told Thuy he was hiring actresses for short films and offered her a role. After she refused, she called Huong, who had previously worked with her at another bar, and asked her to meet Li, Thuy said. "I remembered that Huong loved making films so I introduced Huong to him," she said in the affidavit made available to reporters after the hearing. Teh submitted Thuy's affidavit during questioning of Wan Azirul Che Wan Aziz, Malaysia's lead police investigator on the case. Wan Azirul had earlier admitted he had not sought witnesses in Vietnam to verify Huong's account to police. Teh accused police officials of being biased in their investigation, saying Wan Azirul could have either traveled to Hanoi himself or obtained assistance from Vietnamese authorities to question Thuy. "Because you did not take these stepsthis failure has been prejudicial to the accused's case," Teh said. Malaysian police have since identified Li as North Korean Ri Ji Hyon. Ri is among four North Korean men caught on airport cameras fleeing Malaysia on the day of the killing, and Interpol alerts have been issued for their arrest. Defense lawyers have argued the killing was politically motivated, with many key suspects linked to the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur, suggesting the women were mere pawns. Kim had criticized his familys dynastic rule of North Korea, and his brother had issued orders for his execution, some South Korean officials have said. Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on North Korea after formally determining that Pyongyang had used VX to assassinate Kim. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff)
By Jeff Mason and James Oliphant WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Almost 14 months into Donald Trump's turbulent White House tenure, loyalists are in, dissenters are out and the president himself is acting on his own instincts more swiftly than ever to make decisions on policies from trade to North Korea. People close to Trump said his firing on Tuesday of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was the latest sign of the Republican president's growing impatience with his initial set of hand-picked advisers who he viewed as slow-walking his favored policies. Trump will still encourage disagreement within his inner circle, these people said, but once he makes a decision, he wants it carried out swiftly. "To this day, I think that a healthy ideological diversity prevails in the White House, but what has changed is that he is no longer willing to allow people to slow roll or stonewall his agenda," said Andrew Surabian, a former White House strategist under Trump. "He wants people executing and getting things done." Trump expects to have "a vigorous internal debate and then have everyone be on the same page" with the final decision, said a former Trump campaign official with knowledge of the White House's thinking, speaking on condition of anonymity. As Trump himself said last week, "I like conflict." After fending off entreaties to hold back, Trump last week formally announced global tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum to the dismay of allies. His top economic adviser Gary Cohn, who disagreed with him on trade and other issues, resigned. Later in the week, during a meeting with South Korea's national security adviser, Trump agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, despite months earlier having threatened to "totally destroy" his country if necessary. Tillerson, who has advocated a more moderate and diplomatic approach to U.S. foreign policy, was out days later, replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a Trump loyalist. Trump announced the change on Twitter. "He is looking for people who are in broad agreement with what he wants to do and who are willing to accept that he's the team leader," said Republican former Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich, an informal Trump adviser. Trump hinted on Tuesday that he was moving toward having the team he desired after a year of frustration with people like Tillerson and an up-and-down relationship with Cohn. THE CABINET HE WANTS "I'm really at a point where we're getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want," Trump told reporters at the White House shortly after announcing his new choice for top diplomat. "With Mike, we've had a very good chemistry from the very beginning." Longtime associates of the president said Trump's moves were consistent with his businessman past and would send a message to aides who have not accepted his style and convictions. "People who thought they could change him are finding out what we found out on the campaign a long time ago: You can't. You can make him better but 180-degree changes in opinion are unlikely," said Barry Bennett, a former Trump campaign strategist. "If you think it's your mission to just talk him out of it, it's mission impossible." Trump's critics accused him of running his White House the same way he ran his former reality television show, "The Apprentice." "Firing a Secretary of State by Twitter may make for great drama and instant TV ratings, but this, and countless other instances like this, produce undiluted instability that damages the nation and the office of the presidency at just about every level," Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said in a statement. More changes are coming. Trump has yet to announce a successor to Cohn. Gingrich said he expected the president to hire someone "more compatible" than the former Goldman Sachs executive. Trump signaled on Tuesday that conservative commentator Larry Kudlow is the front-runner for the post. The changes, and Trump's comments about staff shakeups, also raise the possibility of more senior staff departures, such as Chief of Staff John Kelly or national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom have had run-ins with the boss. (additional reporting by John Walcott and Roberta Rampton; Editing by Caren Bohan and Will Dunham)
It wasnt the disagreement over moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the wisdom of direct talks with North Korea or even the very clear split with the President over Russias aggression. In the end, calling Donald Trump a moron last year  and the broader personality clash it represented  was what cost Secretary of State Rex Tillerson his job on Tuesday.

The move could mark the start of a broader purge. Republican officials say Trump has grown tired of listening to advisers who have tried to moderate his style. Now, these officials say, Trump will do things to his liking.

Its no secret the President is not a patient man. Now, hes really out of patience and will be doing things his way, said one Republican on Capitol Hill who worries what that means for the GOPs odds of holding its majorities in this falls midterm elections. The President tried it their way and didnt like what he was seeing. Now, hes going to try it his way.

Trump fired Tillerson by tweet, expelling the former energy company CEO at an moment the U.S. is in dozens of hotspots around the globe that require constant tending and the President seems determined to shed his minders and go it his way. The pair spoke hours later, only after Trump had announced CIA Director Mike Pompeo would move from spy chief to chief diplomat.

Even by Trumpian standards, Tillersons fall was dramatic. White House chief of staff John Kelly hinted that the dismissal was in the offing during a Friday phone call with the Secretary of State, who was abroad on a diplomatic mission. Kelly strongly suggested Tillerson should cut his trip short and get back to the U.S., according to a White House official.

Tillersons team at first suggested the move caught him by surprise and that he learned about it only when an aide showed him the Twitter post. His aides said the secretary did not know why he had been fired before Trump tweeted the news.

The White House quickly fired a State Department spokesman for contradicting their story.

Story continues

Tillersons departure is just the latest from Trumps orbit. On Monday, Trumps personal aide, John McEntee, was escorted from the White House; CNN reported McEntee was under investigation for financial affairs unrelated to Trump. (On Tuesday, Trumps re-election campaign announced McEntee was joining the effort in a senior role.) Last week, top economic adviser Gary Cohn, a millionaire Democrat, announced he was leaving the White House. And a week before that, Hope Hicks announced she was leaving her post as White House communications director and all-around Trump whisperer.

Trump clashed with Tillerson repeatedly on foreign policy, often undercutting the man he lured away from ExxonMobil to be Americas envoy to the world. Tillerson, for his part, did the same, often contradicting Trumps White House. Foreign diplomats were sometimes unsure if Tillerson was speaking on behalf of the United States or not.

The latest example came in recent day when asked if Russia was responsible for the poisoning of a former spy. Tillerson laid blame on Russia. Trump said it could have been Russia or someone else, and White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to assign blame.

Days before that, Trump bristled when Tillerson contradicted the President on talks with North Korea. And before that, the pair disagreed on tariffs on steel and aluminum, negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, a global climate change pact and staffing levels in Foggy Bottom. Trump proposed a budget that cut State Department programs by 25%.

To say Trump and Tillerson had a rocky relationship would be too diplomatic. Trump saw Tillerson as too cautious. Tillerson saw Trump as woefully under-prepared for his diplomatic efforts and, in a famous moment of private candor, a moron. For that last affront, Trump ordered Tillerson to make a public statement denying it; Tillerson made a statement but didnt dispute the NBC News scoop on the insult.

Now, Tillerson is packing his wood-paneled office on the seventh floor of the State Department and heading to private life, 14 months after he joined the administration. At the close of business Tuesday, he planned to hand over his power to his deputy while the department waits for Pompeo to win confirmation in the Senate. Tillerson said he would maintain his commission until the end of March.

In Pompeo, Trump will have a stronger pal. The former congressman from Kansas has cultivated a relationship with Trump during daily intelligence conversations in a way Tillerson never bothered to forge. Trump likes Pompeo, and the pair shares a harsh view of what is taking place outside Americas borders. In particular, the pair shares worry about the threat posed by Islamic extremism. Neither has shied away from going after Muslims with inflammatory rhetoric and targeted policies.

What this means to Trumps broader national security footing remains to be seen. Tillerson was seen as a moderating factor, often working in tandem with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who was making a surprise trip to Afghanistan when the Tillerson news broke. Trump often found himself facing unified opposition from Tillerson and Mattis and, more often than not, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who is also said be eyeing the exits.

All of this leaves Trump relying on his gut and without the guardrails that kept him in line during his first year. That style served him well in his political campaign, and Trump is itching to return to it: Saturday nights raucous campaign-style rally near Pittsburgh was a sign of things to come. But that could yet prove perilous in the White House Situation Room.
San Francisco (AFP) - Twins who made a fortune in cryptocurrency after settling a claim they came up the idea for Facebook on Tuesday pitched a plan to regulate the wild digital money market.

A virtual currency policing body proposed by Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss was welcomed by US Commodity Futures Trading Commission member Brian Quintenz.

"We believe adding an additional layer of oversight on virtual commodity cash markets, in the form of self-regulation, is important for consumer protection and to ensure the integrity of these markets," Cameron Winklevoss said in online post.

The brothers, who established and operate Gemini bitcoin exchange in New York City, proposed an industry-sponsored virtual commodity association to establish and police cryptocurrency standards.

The Winklevoss twins contended that the creation of an independent regulatory body is the "next logical step in the maturation of this market."

The British government early this year called for global regulation of controversial virtual currency bitcoin, adding that the G20 would address the topic this month.

Bitcoin is independent of governments and banks and uses blockchain technology, where encrypted digital coins are created by supercomputers.

The virtual currency is not regulated by any central bank but is instead overseen by a community of users who try to guard against counterfeiting.

Virtual currency exchanges have seen tremendous volatility, and have sparked concerns they can be used to launder money for criminal networks.

Trading of digital currency in the US is regulated as a commodity, such as corn or oil.

Quintenz congratulated the Winklevoss brothers for "their energetic leadership and thoughtful approach" to the idea of a regulatory body.

"A virtual commodity SRO that has the most independence from its membership, the most diversity of views, and the strongest ability to discover, reveal, and punish wrongdoing will add the most integrity to these markets," Quintenz said in a statement.

Story continues

The Winklevoss twins are part of the story of Facebook's controversial genesis story.

In 2008, a $65 million settlement was reached with three Harvard classmates -- twins Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, and Divya Narendra -- over their charges that Mark Zuckerberg had stolen the idea for Facebook from them.

The conflict was at the heart of "The Social Network," the Oscar-winning film written by Aaron Sorkin and directed by David Fincher.
It may be a cliche to describe someone as an inspiration, but there is no title more befitting for the late Stephen Hawking.

The British theoretical physicist died early Wednesday morning aged 76, after a lifetime awing scientists and the public alike with his brilliance, wit, and his encouragement to investigate the universe around us.

SEE ALSO: Stephen Hawking, beloved author of 'A Brief History of Time,' dies at 76

One of the world's most beloved scientists and a prolific author, Hawking leaves the world with his pioneering work on black holes and relativity, as well as quintessential science books like his bestseller, A Brief History of Time.

Hawking also inspired people with a disability. At 21, he was diagnosed with ALS, where doctors gave him two years to live. Hawking lived on for another 55 years, where he frequently made appearances in popular culture, from The Simpsons to The Big Bang Theory and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Fellow physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson said Hawking's death "left an intellectual vacuum."

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Barack Obama bid him a touching farewell.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Astronauts Scott Kelly and Chris Hadfield also saluted Hawking.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

As did Google's CEO, Sundar Pichai.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared to have a typo in his tweet.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

Tributes extended from the world of pop culture, with posts from the likes of pop star Katy Perry, Simpsons writer/producer Al Jean and comedian Kumail Nanjiani. Nyle DiMarco, the first deaf winner of America's Next Top Model, said Hawking's life was a testament to disability not being inability.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.

This content is not available due to your privacy preferences. Update your settings here to see it.
The most interesting motive in the recent election crisis was US President Donald Trump. This ulterior psychological motive is important in understanding the current reality.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Since Trumps surprise election, against all polls, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has developed a sense of a shared fate with the big brother from Washington, on his part at least. In the past year, this feeling has taken shape.

The international and Israeli media often compare Netanyahu to Trump. They both evoke admiration and hatred, they are both experts in motivating the masses, they are both dealing with investigations and accusations, and they are both pointing fingers at the states institutions, despite being the ones in charge of them.

Netanyahu may like being compared to Trump, but this comparison is actually an insult to the Israeli prime minister (Photo: Haim Katz/GPO)

Netanyahu may like being compared to Trump, but I see it as an insult to him. The Israeli prime minister is an intellectual and an experienced leader, while the American presidentwho reached the White House from a reality showis characterized by vulgar language and poor personal morals. But fate and interests have called the shots.

Trump is considered a morally corrupt president by most Democrats because of his women-related affairs and blatant language, but he has actually brought some impressive achievements, at least in Americas foreign relations and at least in Israels eyes. He may be morally corrupt, but the decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem forced the Muslim countries to realize that there are restrictions and forced the Palestinians to step out of the comfort zone of blaming Israel for their own impotence.

And if that were not enough, after three presidents with a failed attitude towards North Korea, it was actually Trump and his ridiculous threats on Twitter that moved the tyrant from Pyongyang in a positive direction. The madness was much more efficient than former President Barack Obamas destructive discretion and soft diplomacy.

And the same applies to our Netanyahu: While there may be problems with a few cigars, as his associates say, he is nevertheless an excellent prime minister with economic, security and diplomatic achievements.

If thats the case, according to comparative logic, if the American public, which is so obsessed with political correctness, chose a blatant, rude and corrupt president, but one who is also achievement-oriented, the Israeli public can also tolerate blatant speech and a few corruption investigations for the sake of achievements. And is there anything clearer than an election victory?

But this is where the comparison ends and the error begins: Trump may get mired. There are investigations against him that might develop into something serious. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is already mired.

The more Netanyahu undermines the credibility of the law enforcement systems, the more he solidifies the legal process (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

The greatest absurdity in calling elections that are based entirely on Netanyahu's investigations, and are seen as a sort of vote of confidence in him, is that they will have no effect on the results of the legal proceeding against him. Thirty Knesset seats, one-quarter of the public, or even 40 Knesset seats, one-third of the public, wont stop a legal process.

On the contrary, Netanyahu is solidifying the legal process. The more he undermines the credibility of law enforcement systems, they will be forcedfor fear of making a mistaketo cement the evidence and testimonies against him so that no court will have any hesitations.

And anyway, imagine what could happen in Israel one year from now, after elections but also after the attorney generals decision to indict Netanyahu. Although the law allows a prime minister to remain in office while walking in and out of courts, thats an unlikely and unreasonable scenario. And if it does happen, the coalition he forms wont survive public criticism.

If the attorney general decides to close all the cases, it means the police and the State Attorneys Office have to conduct a thorough self-examination. In any event, despite the clear direction, a mandate from the peopleif he receives onewont change anything.

Whats the conclusion? The next elections (regardless of when they take place) could be turned into a modern-day Dreyfus trial and into a prime ministers impulsive battle against the states institutions. Like Trump. As Minister Ofir Akunis said, they could be turnedlike with Trumpinto a battle for Netanyahu and against the media (two well-known principles in the Revisionist doctrine and in Zionist history).

Netanyahu may win and gain a lot of Knesset seats, just like he may lose. After all, every election campaign has the mystery of 10 Knesset seats which no one knows where theyll end up. What cant be changed is the legal process. Trump is working from afar. From here, its more complicated.
The Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously approved Tuesday evening a compromise deal regarding the IDF conscription bill designed to exempt Haredim from military service, seeing off the most serious crisis to date that had beset the coalition and threatened to drag the nation into early elections.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The deal managed to strike a delicate balance between the warring parties, ensuring that the conscription bill passed the same evening in its preliminary reading in the Knesset Plenum, but all factions were given carte blanche to vote as they please.

As a result, Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver (Yisrael Beytenu) was enabled to vote against the billas she has threatened to dowithout being fired. The decision constituted a departure from a coalition agreement that ministers who vote against its decisions are automatically fired.

PM Netanyahu after crisis averted (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlons (Kulanu) 2019 state budget will pass all three readings in the Knesset in the near future, while the nationality bill be brought to a first reading vote no later than Thursday.

The bill passed with a 59 MK majority, with 38 MKs voting against it, including Landver, with no abstentions.

I promised to continue the existence of the government and I delivered. I am grateful to my partners in the coalition who demonstrated responsibility so that we can continue to lead the State of Israel with determination and successin security, in the economy, in social matters and in foreign diplomacy, Netanyahu proudly proclaimed from the podium as he addressed the Knesset Plenum.

Elated with the outcome, the prime minister also turned to members of the oppositionwho publicly clamored for electionsand mocked them, insisting that elections would have inevitably resulted in a certain public debasement for them.

That was scary, eh? The color has returned to your cheeks. I know I have saved you a lot of bitter disappointment because if there were elections I would have returned to this podium and you would have continued to commentate on me from there, because the public support for us is massive, he said.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also expressed his pride in result of the back-and-forth negotiations.

A word is a word. The deal that we stood for all along has been fully accepted. Yisrael Beytenu will vote against the draft-dodging bill, Lieberman commented.

Minister Landver was allowed to vote against the bill in its preliminary reading, as she threatened to do (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Until the beginning of the summer session, a professional team in the Defense Ministry will formulate a bill proposal, which will itself form the basis of a governmental bill, while legislation on religion and state will be frozen. We will continue to stand for the preservation of the status quo.

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously decided to grant freedom to vote to the factionseach party in accordance with the decision of the party chairmanon the conscription bill, a committee statement read after the meeting, which convened at 6:45pm.

After the bill is approved in its preliminary reading, the legislative process will continue with the law being incorporated into a Defense Ministry governmental bill agreed upon by all coalition factions and coordinated with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, it continued.

The crisis in the coalition erupted three weeks ago over Haredi parties' insistence to pass an amendment to the IDF draft law that would solicit state recognition of Torah studies to being equal to military service before it lends its support to the 2019 state budget.

The agreement was quickly approved by Kahlon, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, but its fate was still not sealed before Lieberman, Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman and MK Moshe Gafni (UTJ) gave their blessing.

To that end, Prime Minister Netanyahu invited the Haredi MKs to his offices to present the details of the agreement to them, but a UTJ source originally told Ynet that the party will "not consent to a freedom to vote clause, endangering the bill's passage."

Avigdor Lieberman, PM Netanyahu and Yaakov Litzman

Members of the coalition government said earlier that the general feeling is that Netanyahu "regrets" that the ongoing crisis over the IDF draft bill being pushed by Haredi parties may be dragging the nation to early elections.

Netanyahu has undertaken serious efforts in the last few hours to solve the crisis. The feeling is that he has regrets (what has happeneded) and doesnt want to go to elections, senior coalition officials told Ynet after the prime minister after met with government leaders on Tuesday evening in another bid to stave off early elections.

Minister Landver's threats to shoot down the bill was a key focus for the prime minister and his colleagues since Lieberman had made follow-up threats to torpedo the coalition if she was fired for the move. Seeking to avoid almost certain elections, Netanyahu asked other faction heads in the coalition to commit to accepting Landver's vote and not demanding that she be fired.

Earlier, while stressing that "going to elections is wrong for Israel and wrong for Yisrael Beytenu," Lieberman, the party's leader, said that if Netanyahu decides to fire Landver for voting against the legislation, "then of course we're heading for elections."

"You can't expect Yisrael Beytenu to vote in favor of the draft law, just like you can't expect Shas to vote for buses on Shabbat, Lieberman said at a conference in Airport City

Minister Avigfor Lieberman (Photo: Reuters)

"When it comes to state security, we cannot compromise. This bill is the wrong thing for the State of Israel. It perpetuates the tensions, perpetuates poverty (in the Haredi sector). The ball is in the prime minister's court. We'll know exactly where we're heading after the vote."

Terms of agreement

1. The Ministerial Committee for Legislation will discuss Minister Sofa Landver's appeal Tuesday and reach a decision that carte blanche freedom to vote will be afforded to all coalition parties on Shas MK Yoav Ben-Tzur's bill according to the position set by their party leader, subject to two conditions:

A. All MKs in a party will vote according to the position set by their party head.

B. Each party chairman will notify the coalition chairman of their decision within 30 minutes from the committee adjourning its meeting. Should such notification not be given, party chairmen will be considered to have ordered their party members to vote in favor of the bill.

2. The defense minister will submit to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation at the start of the Knesset's summer session a government bill on IDF conscription, in accordance with recommendations made by a Defense Ministry committee on the matter, no later than four weeks following the session's opening.

After the governmental bill is approved in the Ministerial Committee for Legislation and moved to a first Knesset reading, it will be incorporated with MK Ben-Tzur's bill in preparation for its second and third readings.

The second and third reading text will be consolidated with the assent of all coalition partners.

3. Coalition members will be barred from submitting private or governmental bills, or bills from a Knesset committee on religion and state affairs, to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation. Similarly, no demand will be made to promote such bills, including bills already before the Knesset.

The above will not apply to new issues stemming from a High Court ruling being made after the agreement's promulgation.

4. Voting on the nationality bill's first reading will take place after the 2019 budget is voted on. If the nationality bill cannot be placed on the agenda immediately following the budgetary vote, it will be the first bill voted on in the first day of the summer session.
Ministers praised the governments success and common sense Tuesday evening in averting early elections by holding the coalition together after an agreement was reached regarding the IDF conscription bill designed to exempt Haredim from military service.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The last-minute agreement managed to see off the most serious crisis to date that had beset the coalition and threatened to drag the nation into early elections.

The deal managed to strike a delicate balance between the warring parties, ensuring that the conscription bill passed the same evening in its preliminary reading in the Knesset Plenum, but all factions were given carte blanche to vote as they please.

PM Netanyahu and Naftali Bennett (Photo: Reuters)

Common sense won. The national interest prevailed. I praise the members of the coalition who were partners in the solution to this crisis. We will continue to serve Israel. We have a lot of work before us, Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett wrote on his Twitter account.

Speaking to the cameras at the Knesset after the Ministerial Committee for Legislation unanimously approved the deal, Bennett insisted that from the outset the crisis could have been avoided.

There was no basis for a real crisis. Sometimes we need to go into the role of the responsible adult and were happy to do it. We sat with all the elements of the coalition and we saw that it was possible to reconcile all the friction and solve the crisis. We were not alone in our efforts. To drag the people of Israel into elections two years before it is time, at the cost of billions of shekels, is wrong, Bennett said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) stressed that maintaining the governments stability until the end of its term was the most important result of the deal.

The most important thing here is that there is a government that the public in Israel is happy with and that it continues to govern, Hotovely said.

The best thing for the public is that there isnt an election every Monday and Thursday. Our aim was to bring about a situation in which all the partners would act like responsible partners and not like every man for himself, she added.

Minister Sofa Landver (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Immigrant Absorption Minister Sofa Landver (Yisrael Beytenu), who became a central figure in the crisis as it drew to its conclusion, said that her partys firm position on the conscription bill was of paramount importance.

I am happy that this coalition understood that this right-wing government musnt be brought down. I am sure that all of us understand that for the sake of the state and our youth, we are not compromising, she said.

Landver was enabled to vote against the billas she has threatened to dowithout being fired. The decision constituted a departure from a coalition agreement that ministers who vote against its decisions are automatically fired.

The bill passed with a 59 MK majority, with 38 MKs voting against it, including Landver, with no abstentions.

Her party leader, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman also expressed his pride in result of the back-and-forth negotiations.

A word is a word. The deal that we stood for all along has been fully accepted. Yisrael Beytenu will vote against the draft-dodging bill, Lieberman commented.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who was climbing in popularity in the polls, overtaking Zionist Union leader Avi Gabbay, slammed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his remarks after the crisis had been resolved.

MK Yair Lapid (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Mr. Prime Minister. You ascended the podium and said we decided to continue together. This togetherness also includes people who dont agree with you, the courts and government institutions, even the opposition. This togetherness includes IDF soldiers who you have thrown under the bus of your coalition for a few months in power.

Speaking to the Knesset after the agreement had been reached, Netanyahu also praised the coalition for weathering the storm.

I promised to continue the existence of the government and I delivered. I am grateful to my partners in the coalition who demonstrated responsibility so that we can continue to lead the State of Israel with determination and successin security, in the economy, in social matters and in foreign diplomacy, Netanyahu proudly proclaimed from the Knesset podium as he addressed the plenum.

Elated with the outcome, the prime minister also turned to members of the oppositionwho publicly clamored for electionsand mocked them, insisting that elections would have inevitably resulted in a certain public debasement for them.

That was scary, eh? The color has returned to your cheeks. I know I have saved you a lot of bitter disappointment because if there were elections I would have returned to this podium and you would have continued to commentate on me from there, because the public support for us is massive, he said.

While it was unclear whether or not Avi Gabbay wanted elections or not, a statement he issued after the crisis had been brought to its conclusion indicated his disappointment.

Avi Gabbay (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

It hurts that the elections were canceled. This bad news means that the situation will not remain as it is but will worsen, Gabbay said.

I wholeheartedly believe, even if it takes a little more time, that hope will triumph over fear, the honest people will triumph over the corrupt and the truth will triumph over the petty politics. I believe in our people. It will bring about victory, and we will bring about the change that so many yearn for.
BEIJING  China said on Wednesday it hopes the political will for talks between the United States and North Korea will be maintained.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comment at a daily news briefing.

US President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea, Russia and Iran, replacing his chief diplomat with loyalist CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
If theres one conclusion from the latest coalition crisis , its that the ultra-Orthodox politicians are far less scary than we thought.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



For years, Haredi parties have been providing a general, consistent explanation for their conduct: We do only what the rabbis say. And then the current crisis developed, nearly sending Israels citizens to elections, and put an end to that fable.

Suddenly, when they really wanted to, they revealed remarkable flexibility and an ability to flip decisions made by the Council of Torah Sages, twice in the same day.

Netanyahu, who stood to gain the most from elections, didnt gain a thing in the end (Photo: EPA)

The Haredim were the first ones to lose from the political salad of the past week. None of their initial demands were accepted and they created a problematic public atmosphere around them and a situation in which all elements of the coalition have become indifferent to their threats.

The post-crisis winners appear to be Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman.

After three nerve-racking days in the political system, Lieberman got what he wanted: The IDF draft bill would be prepared for its final reading by the Defense Ministry, and he and all his faction membersincluding Minister Sofa Landverwould be allowed to vote against the bill presented earlier without any consequences.

Despite a real threat of elections he wasnt interested in, Lieberman didnt bat an eye the entire time and highly impressed his voters.

Lieberman. Got what he wanted and impressed his voters (Photo: Reuters)

Kahlon entered the battle with only one message: If the 2019 state budget doesnt pass three readings by Passover, Israel will celebrate the holiday without a finance minister.

The finance ministers evaluation throughout most of the crisis period was that it was resolvable. But even when it seemed like the die had been cast and elections were on the way, he remained adamant and kept his composure. He didnt give wild-eyed interviews like others, whose fear of elections was revealed during their crisis, and didnt zigzag like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Haredim.

Now that the crisis has been solved, Kahlon is about to break a record by passing his fifth budget in a row.

A transition government

So what actually happened here? How did Israels citizens almost go to the polls?

Netanyahu will have no better time for elections. Thats something every political novice understands, and certainly the prime minister. The reason is simple: From now on, his legal situation will only get worse, the information provided by the states witnesses will slowly be leaked, and who knows what the future still holds. This was his last chance for an easy election victory. He understands that too, but this time he received a lesson in the limits of power.

Kahlon. Remained adamant and kept his composure (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Led by Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked of the Bayit Yehudi party, who went head-to-head against Netanyahu with bare fists and indirectly prepared the ground for a continued partnership between the coalition parties with or without him, his coalition closed in on him from all sides. First, it pressed together in its opposition to elections in June, and then it narrowed the gaps in the dispute between the Haredim and Lieberman. Netanyahu became imprisoned in his own government.

This is in fact a transition governmentno one comes in and no one goes out. The political crises wont disappear. They will return more intensely after the Knessets holiday recess, when Netanyahu's legal situation is even worse. On the other hand, there are those around him who argue that as his legal situation worsens, he will be able to ride the waves of the persecution claims and gain more and more public sympathy.

Bennett and Shaked. Went head-to-head against Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Until the very last moment, no one knew what the prime minister really wanted and to what extent were his personal considerations and legal situation affecting his decision-making concerning elections.

Netanyahu, who stood to gain the most from elections, didnt gain a thing in the end. Moreover, he found out that his partners wont remain loyal to him at all costs. As soon as they began suspecting that he was leading them to elections against their will, they started briefing against him, worked to curb every initiative of his, and mainly blockedwith the oppositions helpthe best date for elections as far as the prime minister was concerned.

The way things look now, well meet again for elections in March 2019. Until then, all players have a chance to improve their positions and, some of them, to practice ways to withstand pressure.

Need for self-examination in the opposition

My friends in the opposition, that was scary, eh? Im glad the color has returned to your cheeks, the prime minister said at the Knesset on Tuesday after the crisis was over.

Regardless of whether hes right or wrong, Avi Gabbay and the Zionist Union members are in need of a self-examination. Even in the partys grim situation in the polls, it cant stutter in a way that is interpreted as panic.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid is in need of a self-examination too. During the crisis, it was hard to detect in him the determination that would be required to challenge Netanyahu. There is no room for politeness and good manners here. This isnt how you win electionsnot against Netanyahu.
The military court at the Kirya IDF headquarters discussed Wednesday morning a request by former soldier Elor Azaria for early release. A decision will be made in the coming days.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Azaria, who was convicted of manslaughter after shooting dead a seriously wounded Palestinian in Hebron, has served seven months of his 14-month sentence. "I shot a murderous terrorist, release me today," he told the court.

The Military Advocate General's Office opposes cutting Azaria's sentence by half, but its representatives said they will not oppose to cutting it by a third, which means he would be released on May 10.

Azaria with his mother (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

"The sooner this affair ends, the better it will be for everyone," said Yoram Sheftel, Azaria's attorney. "Azaria has been in a constant and ceaseless nightmare for two years."



"The investigation began in an outrageous manner as a murder investigation with the initial intention of imprisoning him for the rest of his life," Sheftel claimed, further asserting that "morale in the army will increase the sooner he is released."

Azaria, he said, "has behaved impeccably throughout his imprisonment. After a month, he was already included in the vacations rotation and got a 96-hour furlough for Rosh HaShana. Since then, he has gone on furlough every month. This is considered unusual and it is because of his impeccable behavior and the fact the prison authorities have done everything they could within the restrictions of the law to make it easier on him, because they too believe he doesn't belong there. With this, they reflect the great majority of the people of Zion."

"Azaria believes he has been seriously wronged, and the video he released before entering prison was watched by two million people. Only the prime minister has more views. And even then, (Azaria) nobly called on the youth to enlist in the army," Sheftel went on to say.

According to Sheftel, "even the IDF chief believes the punishment was too grave. We've never seen a situation in which, while the verdict was being read out, a statement by the IDF chief was released in which he called on Azaria to ask for a mitigation of his punishment with a hint thick as an elephant's skin that the request will be acceptedand so it was. Eventually, the IDF chief did mitigate 22 percent of the punishment. There has never been a case in which the parole board rejected a request for an early release from a soldier whose punishment was mitigated by the IDF chief."

Sheftel, center, at Wednesday's hearing (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Azaria addressed the court himself as well, repeating the same claims he made during his trial. "I shot a murderous terrorist because in the field, in real time, I was sure he had a bomb on him and felt in immediate danger. If I had known otherwise in the field, in real time, I would've acted differently," he said.

"I contributed a lot to the state's security in my army service, from the long and exhausting training to the arrests and many operations, in bad conditions and difficult situations that you encounter when walking inside a village and the fear is climbing up your body. You could be dead at any second," Azaria continued.

He noted that "I was wounded in my service from a block thrown at me, and I continued serving and contributing. I was in difficult situations that are far from the air-conditioned rooms. I ask you, return me home and let me mend the fractures. There's a bleeding wound in my family and in the entire people of Israel that must be allowed to heal. Release me today. I'm asking you."

Azaria hugs his mother after addressing the court (Photo: Yariv Katz)

The prosecutor, Col. Sharon Zagagi-Pinhas, argued that "cutting the punishment by half is done only in unusual circumstances to create congruence with the civilian equivalent, according to which a prisoner turns to the parole board after serving two-thirds of his punishment. In the great majority of case, cutting a sentence by half has so far only been done for medical reasons."

"Our position is to leave the matter of Azaria's early release to the consideration of the parole board after he serves two-thirds of his sentence," she added.

"In this case, there are no considerations to cutting the punishment by half, but there are to rejecting the current request," Col. Zagagi-Pinhas argued.

"Azaria was convicted of a serious offense of manslaughter. The offense was carried out with intention and not out of negligence or mistake, according to the determination of the court. Throughout the proceedings, the prisoner has not taken responsibility for his actions, nor did he express regret. We haven't heard that today either; and this morning we even heard a certain degree of rejection of the appeal court's ruling. The court determined Azaria's actions could damage the strength of the IDF."

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot reduced Azaria's sentence by four months in September. Your conduct was unacceptable and was contrary to the army's command and values of the IDF, Eisenkot wrote at the time, qualifying the sympathy behind his decision.

The IDF chief further rebuked Azaria for the fact that you didnt take responsibility for your actions and that you never expressed regret.

Last November, President Reuven Rivlin rejected Azaria's pardon request. At the time, Rivlin noted that "taking all considerations into account ... an additional lightening of your sentence would harm the resilience to the Israel Defense Forces and the State of Israel. The values of the Israel Defense Forces, and among them the Purity of Arms, are the core foundation of the strength of the Israel Defense Forces, and have always stood strong for us in the just struggle for our right to a safe, national home, and in the building a robust society."
BEIRUT  The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday an air strike killed 12 members of the Failaq al-Rahman rebel group in eastern Ghouta, including two of its commanders.

The group's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Observatory said the strike took place on Tuesday evening and that, based on activist reports, it was conducted by Russia. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Britain-based war monitor, named the two commanders as Abu Mohammad Saif and Abu Mohammed Jobar.
State Comptroller Yosef Shapira found faults in IDF instruction of soldiers and officers on international humanitarian law as it pertained to military operations in the midst of uninvolved civilians, despite High Court orders to do so, according to a chapter on the international legal aspects of Operation Protective Edge in a report published Wednesday.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"The General Staff operational debriefing mechanism (was) not fully consistent with the recommendation of the Turkel Commission. Its establishment was carried out without complete and orderly preparation and without an orderly work procedure," the report said.

The Turkel Commission was appointed by the government in June 2010 as an Independent Public Commissionheaded by Supreme Court Justice (ret.) Yaakov Turkelto examine "whether the mechanism for examining and investigating complaints and claims raised in relation to violations of the laws of armed conflict, as conducted in Israel generally, and as implemented with regard to the present incident, (the maritime incident of 31 May 2010), conforms with the obligations of the State of Israel under the rules of international law."

File photo. Operation Protective Edge (Photo: Reuters)

The report was, in fact, the state comptroller's fourth on the 2014 Gaza Strip operation. The current report, irregularly also published in English, dealt with the degree the IDF's operations during Protective Edge conformed to international law.

In the chapter dealing with the IDF's preparations to minimize the possibility of harming uninvolved civilians in the fighting in the two years preceding Protective Edge, Shapira found that the army had yet to implement in its exercises the possible ramifications of such an extensive number of potential civilian casualties during the attack, in relation to its ability to attain the operation's military and political objectives.

State Comptroller Shapira (Photo: Yariv Katz)

Furthermore, the state comptroller found that the program for the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip's civilian population did not detail the requisite modifications for humanitarian treatment of the populace during hostilities in the West Bank and in the northern arena.

As for the National Security Council, it was found that it did not examinewithin the framework of comprehensive staff work and together with all the relevant partiesthe international consequences that may result from harm to uninvolved civilians, and its possible effects on the IDF's ability to realize its objectives in combat.

The state comptroller's report also touched on the the Hannibal orders on the eve of Operation Protective Edge and in the course thereof.

The Hannibal order is a General Staff Order issued by the Operations Directorate, intended to regulate the operational orders for preventing the abduction of a soldier or a civilian and to thwart it while in progress.

Rocket launch from Gaza during Protective Edge (Photo: AFP)

The order expresses the General Staff policy on the manner of handling by the IDF of an abduction of a soldier or a citizen, from the stage of preparation, in its course and up to the point at which the abduction was prevented or the contact with the abductors was cut off, on the basis of a chain of command required to employ firepower.

While the General Staff order was amended in October 2013following staff work and the approval of the attorney generalthe Southern Command's order and the Gaza Division's order were not compatible with one another, or with the General Staff order.

According to their phrasing at the time, the report found, the command and division Hannibal orders could have been interpreted in various ways with respect to the terms that describe the value of an abducted person's life. This could have led to different interpretations of the orders by different bodies in the IDF.

IDF bombardment in Gaza

The IDF did not verify that all the orders derived from the General Staff Hannibal order included the amendment approved by the attorney general and that their wording is identical to the General Staff Hannibal order, the report concluded.

Report raises concerns of lack of adequate reporting

State Comptroller Shapira also examined that implementation of the Turkel Commission's conclusionsfounded after the events aboard the Mavi Marmara in 2010.

During a state of emergency or an armed conflict, Shapira found, a violation of the rules of international law may occur as a result of an operational action that requires reporting according to the rules of international law.

"Although the IDF's new reporting procedure is expanded and detailed, it does not require reporting an incident of unintentional harm to civilians unless it involved extensive harm. This raises a concern that no report will be given regarding incidents that should be examined even when the harm caused to civilians was not deliberate," the report said.

In an article relating to "fact-finding assessment" (FFA), Shapira found flaws regarding the efficiency and expediency of the mechanism's work both in collecting the findings and in the documentation of the information collected.

However, the audit found that the mechanism did its work in good faith and with a sincere desire to carry out a complete and thorough FFA and to arrive at the truth.

On the same matter, Shapira expounded that, "The regulation of the FFA mechanism in the same directive regulating the General Staff operational debriefing mechanism, and the integration of the FFA mechanism within the organizational framework of the General Staff operational debriefing mechanism, are not fully consistent with the recommendation of the Turkel Commission to establish a 'separate mechanism in order to conduct a factfinding assessment.'"

Furthermore, the report said, the mechanism was established quickly, ad hoc, only after Operation Protective Edge began. Its establishment was carried out without complete and orderly preparation, without an orderly work procedure and without the early appointment of the officials in the mechanism, which caused difficulties in its work.

The work of the FFA teams in the field, Shapira added, did not include legal advisers, and only some of the first FFA teams were assigned (Criminal Investigation Division) investigators, whose involvement in the FFA teams was partial and limited.

These functionaries, he said, were meant to ensure skillful handling of assessing possible discrepancies between accounts and appropriate documentation of the statements of those being questioned, in order to ensure that the fact-finding assessment will facilitate a criminal investigation, if launched, and not harm it.

Flaws found in FFA mechanism's work

In the examination of 20 files handled by the FFA mechanism, flaws were found that could damage the thoroughness and efficiency of its work, such as the lack of documentation of the debriefing procedure.

It was further found that in more than 80 percent of the cases that were transferred to the FFA mechanism, the length of time required to complete the examination of events exceeded, sometimes significantly, the timetables set forth in the Operations Directorate order 4.8 on the subject of "The debriefing and implementation of the lessons." The prolongation of the examination, the state comptroller noted, may damage evidence and thus hamper a future investigation, if launched.

On the implementation of the Turkel Commission's conclusions, Shapira wrote that the State of Israel should continue to prepare itself thoroughly, optimally and in a timely fashion, and not wait for a time of crisis, to comply with the requirements of international law and deal with the legal campaign being waged in this arena.

Former Supreme Court justice Yaakov Turkel (Photo: Marc Israel Sellem)

"This issue is also of significant importance because of the long-term effects, even after the end of hostilities, arising from the military campaign, especially concerning the employment of firepower," the state comptroller wrote.

"Following the publication of the Turkel II Report, which was recognized by the international community, and after the Israeli government decided to adopt the recommendations made by the Ciechanover team, the Israeli government and the IDF should act without delay to implement these recommendations and take steps to amend the flaws regarding the mechanism's work noted in this report," he concluded.

The Ciechanover team, led by Dr. Joseph Ciechanover, examined the implementation of the conclusions found in the second Turkel report.

Concluding the chapter, State Comptroller Shapira stated that, "A humanitarian disaster among the civilian population in times of war may, in addition to its moral significance, constitute a breach of the State of Israel's obligations on the international level and cause serious damage to the image of the State and its international standing, and may even have legal implications.

"Such a disaster may (also) affect the IDF's ability to achieve its operational goals."
PARIS  Pro-Kurdish demonstrators protesting against Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria have clashed with police outside the US embassy in Paris.

French police tried to keep the protesters back from the embassy building on Tuesday night and used tear gas to disperse the protest. Some protesters threw projectiles at police and several of them were injured in the scuffles that followed.

The protesters were expressing anger at a perceived lack of action from the US after Turkey announced that its troops and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters had begun a siege of the Syrian Kurdish-held northern town of Afrin.
On Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mocked the opposition leaders over their fear of elections . But after one poll and less than 24 hours of hectic discussions, he stashed away his ambitions to reconquer the premiership and announced that everything was back to normal.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Who says politicians arent influence polls? The way the political system acted Tuesday leads to the conclusion that polls may not always reflect reality, but that they have a tremendous ability to change itand thats what happened Tuesday evening.

And dont let them tell you stories about national responsibility, and about the states best interest, and about responsible adults working behind the scenes out of concern for the Israeli public.

Netanyahu at the Knesset, Tuesday. Who says politicians arent influence polls? (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

None of the players in the farce known as the IDF draft law crisis were driven by the states best interest when they did what they did. Neither the ones who brought about the crisis, nor those who went along with him or those who did everything in their power to solve it. We arent dealing with altruists here. Were dealing with cynical politicians whose main concern is their seat, and when something threatens themthey charge themselves with super powers to save their skin.

The prime minister didnt change his mind about calling elections because he thought it would harm the state. He changed his mind because he realized it could backfire on him. Flattering polls with 30 Knesset seats may be empowering, but not when it comes at the expense of those who are supposed to be your partners in the next government. Even 35 Knesset seats wont help Netanyahu form a coalition if his partners are weakened or non-existent. And thats what the polls commissioned by the television channels showed Monday evening: Coalition parties which barely pass the electoral threshold or are losing Knesset seats. And when these parties have no desire whatsoever to go to elections to begin with, it certainly leads to second thoughts.

Its possible, however, that the picture was changed by something entirely different. Netanyahu was certain, based on past experience, that he would be the one to lead and decide on the election date because no onemainly the oppositionwould feel confident admitting that the date was unsuitable. After all, we would expect them to accept any date. When all Knesset membersapart from Yesh Atid and Meretzsupported the demand to hold the elections in October, it served as a main factor in thwarting the move. At one point, Netanyahu had only 46 Knesset members in favor of elections in June. The rest wanted October.

The prime ministers first priority was to hold elections in June. If not in June, then he is better off without elections. And the worst thing, as far as hes concerned, is elections in October. Half a year from now is a long time, an its uncertain that Netanyahu will manage to escape the attorney generals decision in this timeframe. In that case, he should perhaps just stick to what he has and make the most of it rather than fight for something without knowing how it will end.

Netanyahu didnt change his mind about calling elections because he thought it would harm the state, but because he realized it could backfire on him (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

But the last push was provided by Avigdor Lieberman. The defense minister, who throughout the week gave the impression that he was willing to go all the way, making it seem as if he and Netanyahu had struck some rewarding deal, discovered on Tuesday that there was another stop on the way to the Defense portfolio in the next government. And if his number of Knesset seats following the elections would be similar to the number predicted by the polls, he might not even make it to the coalition agreement stage. Even for Lieberman, that was an overly dangerous gamble.

In the afternoon hours, he was already seen turning around and kicking the ball back into Netanyahu's court. Lieberman is no sucker. He has no intention of digging his own grave. On Tuesday, for the first time, he showed Netanyahu the way to solve the crisis so as not to go to elections.

We might never know about everything that took place between Netanyahu's two ears. Was it the poll, the date, or were there other things that changed his motivation to call elections? For example, the agreement worded by the coalition parties, which included a threat to reveal the fact that Netanyahu was dragging the state to elections simply because of his investigations. Perhaps it was their promise that they wouldnt dissolve the government before the attorney general decided on a full indictment.

It doesnt really matter. What we should know is how easy it is to drag a country to elections which would cost it billions, and how personal interests, the necessity to survive and political manipulations dictate this countrys agendaand how easy it is to turn the tables.
Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters, a vehement critic of Israel , recorded a video of himself reading out a poem by controversial Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish in protest of US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The poem Waters recites, "The 'Red Indian's' Penultimate Speech to the White Man," is accompanied by music composed by Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran. The combined effort is titled "Supremacy."

A clip from 'Supremacy'

X

"Le Trio Joubran and I have collaborated to perform an excerpt from an epic poem by the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish," Waters wrote on his Facebook page.

"On the surface, it narrates the last speech of The Native American to The White Man, but it speaks also to Darwish's beloved Palestine, and its indigenous people, in fact to all victims of settler colonialism everywhere, always."

In a statement of their own, Le Trio Joubran said that "We have been touring the world with our ouds for the past 15 years, taking with usfrom city to citya bit of Palestine."

"A long time must go by / before our present becomes history," begins the poem by Darwish, which was translated by Palestinian-American poet Dr. Fady Joudah and Roger Waters.
Judges at the Lod District Court are due to determine Thursday whether the confessions extracted from the defendants in the Duma arson case were legally obtained in light of the use of "special measures" in the interrogation room.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The attack, which took place in late July 2015, claimed the lives of three members of the Dawabsheh family and left another seriously wounded. Two Jewish suspects were arrested and indicted in the case, Amiram Ben-Uliel and another suspect, who was a minor at the time of the attack.

Ben-Uliel was charged with three counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of arson, and one count of conspiring to commit a nationalistically-motivated crime. The second suspect was charged with one count of conspiring to commit a nationalistically-motivated crime. He is also suspected of involvement in the arson at Dormition Abbey.

The two defendants: Ben-Uliel and the second suspect

Their trial has been ongoing away from the media spotlight.

The submissibility of the defendants' confessions is an important question, as according to Shin Bet investigators, the confessions serve as the "golden evidence" in the case.

According to the defendants' families, the state has asked the court to recognize the "necessity investigations"in which physical measures were usedas legal.

While the state's request does note that torture is forbidden and wrong in investigations in Israel, the prosecution has nevertheless asked the court to determine that the measures used in the interrogation of Ben-Uliel and the second defendant "are not improper measures or measures used unlawfully," as well as rule that "the torture was legally carried out," according to the suspects' families.

"Everything is done under secrecy; everything is done away from the public eye. Any citizen who would've seen this request would not have been able to fall asleep at night," sources from the second defendant's family told Ynet. "They're asking a court in Israel to recognize torture as legal. This is delusional, it's concerning and above all, it is patently illegal."

Dozens of hearings were held to examine the submissibility of the confessions, in which many Shin Bet and police officials testified about the manner of investigation and the special measures that were used.

During these discussions, the prosecution tried to convince the judges that despite the use of "the unusual measures" in the interrogation of the defendants, their confessions were given "willingly," according to the families.

"To show that torture is not so terrible, the prosecution dares to write to the court that while torturing, they stuck to the rules, used judgment, and the most outrageous thingthey write that everything has been done while 'maintaining the defendants' dignity as much as possible.' They were tortured while their dignity was maintainedthat's what an official document by the State of Israel says in 2018. It's unbelievable," one relative said.
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan  The top American commander in Afghanistan and other US officials are talking up prospects for peace negotiations with the Taliban, arguing that after 16 years of war the militants are weary of a stalemate on the battlefield.

Gen. John Nicholson, who commands more than 14,000 US troops in an American-led coalition, acknowledged that peace talks, which the Taliban definitively rejected just two years ago, likely would take years to bear fruit.

His emphasis on a push for peace coincides with the Trump administration's injection of new resources into the war effort and the start of the traditional fighting season this spring. It also comes as turmoil in the State Department raises questions about the steadiness, depth and effectiveness of American diplomatic clout.
LONDON  Britain has summoned Russia's ambassador to the Foreign office in London, a government source said on Wednesday ahead of a statement by Prime Minister Theresa May on the use of a Soviet-era nerve toxin to attack a Russian former spy.

May was due to announce what Britain would do against Russia after a midnight deadline she set expired without an explanation from Moscow about the poisoning in the southern English city of Salisbury on March 4.
Police have failed to implement the lessons drawn from the investigation into the 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank by Hamas terrorists, according to a report published Wednesday by State Comptroller Yosef Shapira.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The conclusions drawn by a fact-finding committee established, in the wake of the June 12 kidnapping and murder of Gil-Ad Shaer (16), Naftali Frenkel (16) and Eyal Yifrah (19), were supposed to improve the functionality of the Judea and Samaria District Police central command headquarters.

The bodies of the three teens bodies were found in a ditch north of Halhul in the Hebron area.

During the incident, one of the teenagers managed to call the Judea and Samaria District Police after being crammed into a vehicle and report the incident, but the operator failed to take the call seriously.

L-R: Eyal Yifrah, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel (:  )

Following the kidnapping, the then Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino set up a fact-finding committee to look into the polices conduct in the initial stages of the incident.

According to the committees published findings, the Judea and Samaria Police Districts Operational Headquarters should have compiled the various reports, coordinated between the different police districts and reported to a senior commanding officer ... about the unusual incident.

The committee recommended, among other things, adding more officers with experience in the field that can be demonstrated in the manner in which the control center deals with things in different instances.

In addition, it was recommended that professional training be conducted for all police officers in the Judea and Samaria District Police control center.

The state comptroller told the police that the main lessons that had emerged from the investigation were about the need to improve the functionality of the 100 emergency hotline, with an emphasis on the improvement of technology in the centers, and that the Israel Police must promote the changes as soon as possible.

Shapira also told the police that on the day of the completion of the findings, January 20172 years after the incidentthe police had still not implemented the conclusions. Furthermore, he warned that the situation as its stands could harm the abilities of the local forces to respond efficiently to emergency incidents and therefore have a negative impact on the publics faith in the police.

Therefore, the state comptroller has urged the current Police Commissioner Ron Alsheikh to take urgent action to implement the required steps to improve the functionality of the control centers of the Judea and Samaria District Police based on the reports conclusions.

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

The state comptroller also took issue with the building in which the control center is currently located. Since the control center is unprotected and has no alternative center, he wrote, the operational capacity of the district may be impaired, and its ability to maintain functional continuity during an emergency may be compromised.

Therefore, he emphasized the importance of the creation of a permanently housed and fortified structure for the control center.

Responding to Shapiros findings, the police said it welcomes the report by the state comptroller, is adopting its conclusions and will act to implement the matters that are raised in it.

Moreover, a large proportion of the statements that were made in the report were examined and adopted by the police before its publication as a result of monitoring and learning processes conducted by the police on a regular basis.

Regarding the Judea and Samaria District Polices control center the police said: In the context of organizational processes that began in 2016 with regard to building of forces, they were carried out and more significant organizational changes are expected in the locality, including the building of two new police stations and the adding of standards and manpower for optimal coping with the various challenges.

The local control center that provides a comprehensive answer to hundreds of thousands of calls by civilians every year, the statement continued, has undergone a significant upgrade and today all control center officers are graduates of professional training.

Moreover, in the near future a new and fortified control center is expected to start being built. In accordance with the challenges faced by the the Judea and Samaria District Police and the various threats, in the last few years comprehensive staff work has been carried out in the field of armored vehicles, while examining the various alternatives in a manner that will provide an optimal and professional long-term solution.
Syrian opposition activists say at least 20 civilians have been killed in government bombing of the rebel-held enclave outside Damascus.

The activists say the town of Hamouria, in the southern pocket of eastern Ghouta, was the worst hit, with at least 10 killed there and a rescue center bombed and destroyed.

A doctor in Hamouria says he was overwhelmed and that for four hours, no vehicle was able to move the injured to a medical facility. The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity fearing for his own safety.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Ghouta Media Center say the towns of Arbeen, Jesreen and Saqba were also targeted. Recent government advances have cleaved eastern Ghouta into a northern and southern pocket. The bombing Wednesday focused on the southern pocket.
Israel returned to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip the body of a fisherman shot by the Israeli navy about three weeks ago after his boat strayed from a permitted fishing area in the northern Gaza Strip towards Israel.

His body was transferred by the security forces through the Erez crossing.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision to appoint the head of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, as the new Secretary of State, replacing ousted Rex Tillerson.

"During my meetings with Pompeo I was very impressed with his abilities and experience. I believe that in his role as Secretary of State we will also work very well together," Netanyahu said.
The Knesset Ethics Committee took action Wednesday against Arab Joint List MK Hanin Zoabi by suspending her for a week from Knesset Plenum sessions and committee discussions for describing IDF soldiers as murderers.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



MK Oren Hazan (Likud) filed a complaint against Zoabi for her statements which she made in February in the Education Committee during discussions on a proposed law authorizing the education minister to ban left-wing organizations from entering schools and educational institutions.

The Ethics Committee reviewed the segment of the video from the discussions in which Zoabi can be heard making her controversial remarks.

A person who kills even once in his life or kills every day of his life is called a murderer. Therefore, even the army which occasionally murders, not every day  Have you not heard about the young Palestinians who were murdered? How the truth scares people here. Its enough that they murder every four days. Who is murdering Palestinians in occupied territory? Zoabi said.

MK Hanin Zoabi (Photo: Knesset)

The committee's chairman, Yakov Margi, said in response that "IDF soldiers are not murderers. They are operating in an impossible reality." Margi also removed MK Anat Berko (Likud) for interrupting Zoabi and refusing to let her speak.

The Ethics Committee ruled that a person who uses the word murderers against IDF soldiers operating in the name of the state, is unworthy of the broad protections that the committee extends for the freedom of political expression of MKs.

It also said that the use of the word constitutes a violation of the general ethics that determine that a member of the Knesset shall act in a manner appropriate to his position as a member of the Knesset and shall promote public confidence in the Knesset.

It was also noted that Zoabis controversial remarks are not the first in which she has violated the code of ethics.

Despite the ruling, Zoabi showed no remorse, and instead doubled down on her remarks, insisting that she had merely spoken the truth.

MK Oren Hazan (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

I did indeed say that among IDF soldiers there are those who murdered Palestinians. I spoke the truth and I would be happy to hold a discussions on the matter. This statement is a fundamental element of freedom of expression, and no one has the right to shut peoples mouths because of opinions that they are not comfortable with, she said in response.

I would be happy to send you all detailed information about the high number of instances of murder of Palestinians at the hands of soldiers, she added, before accusing the Ethics Committee of becoming censorship committee.

I didnt know that I need permission on what terminology to use, what can be said and what cant be said, what values are allowed or not allowed to be protected, and whether the right to life is a sacred right, or one that can be annulled," she said.

When they blow up entire neighborhoods in the knowledge that there are children, women and babies, men and young people, is this killing or murder? When they shoot protesters in the back, is this killing or murder? When they shoot at a youth at close range is this killing or murder? The Ethics Committee forces us to lie and cover up truths. It would be better to not have ethics like these.

During her suspension, which will begin on the first week when the Knesset reconvenes for the summer session, Zoabi will be permitted to enter the Knesset to participate in votes only.
Hamas continues to carry out arrests in the Gaza Strip as the teror group attempts to sniff out those responsible for the assassination attempt on Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, a Palestinian source familiar with the details of the investigation told Ynet, adding they are close to bringing them to justice.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The head of the Hamas security forces, Tawfiq Abu Naim, seemed to corroborate the source's claims, announcing that the terror organization already has the names of those involved in the assassination attempt.

"The investigation is underway and we will publish its findings when it is finished," Abu Naim concluded.

Palestinian PM Hamdallah (Photo: Reuters)

The source noted that the investigation found that the terrorists used the lines of the Palestinian cellular communications companies Wataniya Mobile and Jawwal to carry out the attackapparently using a mobile phone to activate the explosive charges.

Hamas security forces arrested several workers in these companies in Gaza after they refused to cooperate with the investigation.

An explosive device was detonated Tuesday near the convoy of PM Hamdallah, who was visiting the Gaza Strip Tuesday morning accompanied by Palestinian General Intelligence chief Majid Faraj.

The aftermath of the failed hit (Photo: MCT)

New details of the failed hit led to the conclusion that a technical failure prevented a second explosive device from exploding. According to reports, the weight of each of the two charges was 15 kilograms, and they were placed 40 meters apart.

Seven were lightly wounded in the blastall of whom were security guards of the convoy. Israel offered to give medical care to the wounded at the Erez Crossing.

Minutes after the blast, Hamdallah, appearing unhurt, delivered a speech at an inauguration of a new sewage purification facility in the northern Gaza Strip, stressing the attack "will not deter (used) from seeking to end the bitter split" and that Fatah will continue coming to the strip to try to end divisions with Hamas.

"It was a well planned attempt. They planted explosive devices two meters deep," Hamdallah said later in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he is based, without pointing a finger at any group.
Eritrean authorities detained hundreds of perceived opponents this month after a school director who defied government orders died in custody, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Most of those arrested were males and some were as young as 13, Sheila B. Keetharuth, the UN's Special Rapporteur for human rights in Eritrea told a UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva.

The leaders of the country in the Horn of Africa should be tried for crimes against humanity including torture, rape, murder and enslaving hundreds of thousands of people, a UN investigation set up by the Council said in 2016.
A dual citizen of Iran and the United States was sentenced on Wednesday to 25 years in prison after he was found guilty of trying to buy surface-to-air missiles and aircraft components for the government of Iran in violation of US sanctions.

Reza Olangian, 57, was sentenced by US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan. The sentence is the minimum allowed under federal law.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to impose a sentence that was longer than the minimum, although short of the life sentence suggested by federal guidelines. Preska said she did not believe a longer sentence was necessary.

"I think Judge Preska saw that 25 years is an extraordinarily long time and that Mr. Olangian did not rise to the level of something as egregious as that," Gregory Morvillo, Olangian's lawyer, said after the sentencing.
A professor of physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has said that with the passing of the world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, science has lost one of the scientific giants of our time.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Hawkingwho despite his prolonged battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) since 1963, managed to continue to make significant strides in the field of physics and participate in groundbreaking studiesdied age 76 at his home in Cambridge on Wednesday morning.

It is a sad day, said Professor Barak Kol, who heads the theoretical gravitation and high energy physics group at the Hebrew University.

I heard him lecture and we were together in the same room a few times, but we didnt speak because you would have to wait so long for every sentence he said, Kol said in the joking spirit to which Hawking himself was accustomed regarding his medical tribulations.

Former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert with Stephen Hawking (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

As a scientist, he was one the giants of our time, with his series of discoveries in the field of Einstein's gravitational theory, in black holes, the foundation of the universe and black holes relation to quantum theory, he said.

His famous discovery was even named after himthe Hawking Discovery that showed that quantum effects allow black holes to emit exact black body radiation.

In the beginning it was thought that the black holes were holes on which things fall and he discovered that they emit weak radiations. Beyond that, he was obviously involved in many other discoveries.

According to Kol, Hawkings personality could not be separated from his abilities in his field.

His illness and his coping with it caught everyone's imagination. It was wonderful to see how in his situation he had a family, wrote books and continued to work all the time, the professor said.

Professor Barak Kol (Photo: Hebrew University)

He held a lot of respect and appreciation in the circle of global scientists, but its important to remember that there are other scientists who are not as widely publicized but in my opinion they were no less important. I think that if it wasnt for his illness, he wouldnt have reached the celebrity status that he reached, but people loved to see how he coped with his situation.

The Israeli and the late astrophysicist had a number of meetings in the past, the first being 20 years ago at Californias Stanford University where Professor Kol studied.

On one occasion a few of us scientists went to a restaurant in Los Angeles in the 90s. He absolutely loved steaks and he ordered one which they put in a blender so he could eat it, Kol recalled.

He would usually listen to conversations in his surroundings due to the fact that it was difficult for him to speak to people, but when he did eventually speak, people waited for him, even if it took him a long time and to his credit he would choose the right words and try to pack as many meaningful things as possible into every word.

We would speak about physics and science, and in these kinds of conversations which I participated in with him, what was important was who would put forward the best arguments.

But Kol and Hawking had a disagreement in 2013 when the latter, who had visited Israel a few times in the past, decided to join the academic boycott of Israel.

I thought it wasnt right to involve politics in science because science is universal. Obviously I wasnt happy about a boycott against Israel. It goes against the spirit of science and doesnt help anything, Kol stressed.

Thats why I was at the top of a list of Israeli scientists who penned a letter that was written to him on the matter. We asked him to reverse his position and we never received a response. However, years later he made a statement retracting his statements.

Professor Hagai Netzer, an astrophysicist at Tel Aviv University, also met Hawking when he visited Israel in 1988 to receive the Wolf Prize.

He was a very nice man, he asked personal questions and I remember that my wife spoke to him and was also very impressed by him, Netzer said.

Netzer did not sign a letter asking Hawking to change his position on boycotts against Israel in 2013, but he appears to have agreed with it in spirit. I felt terrible about the boycott, and like many scientists, I think there should have been a separation between science and politics, but I continued to appreciate him and judge him by his discoveries.
Reforming negative gearing and capital gains tax (CGT) could save the federal government more than $1.7bn annually without hurting mum and dad investors, according to new research commissioned by the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI).

Conducted by researchers from Curtin University and Griffith University, the research sought to explore an approach to reform that would have the least impact on investors with the lowest incomes.

Current negative gearing policies are heavily skewed towards high income earners, raising concerns about the extent to which these policies exacerbate income and wealth inequality in Australia, said report co-author Alan Duncan from Curtin University. There is concern among policymakers that reforms to negative gearing may have adverse impacts on mum and dad investors.

Our modelling suggests that a progressive rental deduction for investors cushions less wealthy mum and dad investors from significant drops in tax savings, and may be an appropriate policy option.

The reform model proposes that investors in the bottom 50% of the income distribution continue to receive 100% in rental deductions. Those in the 51st75th percentiles should receive a lower 50% rental deduction, and those in the 76th100th percentiles (who are classified as sophisticated investors) should receive zero rental deductions.

Duncan said such reforms would save the federal government more than $1.7bn from the annual $3.04bn cost of negative gearing deductions, a 57.3% saving.

The AHURI report also noted that CGT discounts are heavily weighted towards those whore more affluent. These investors, on average, own a property portfolio worth more than $730,000 and have a tax assessable income of $82,000, compared to $31,000 for renters who dont own any properties.

Report co-author Rachel Ong ViforJ from Curtin University said modelling indicates that reducing CGT exemptions means high income investors will have to pay more tax than lower income investors. However, the tax amount will represent a lower proportion of their take home income.

The reform would be progressive in nature, reducing negative gearing tax savings by greater margins as tax assessable income increases, ViforJ said. It remains that any CGT policy reform will need to be carefully communicated to avoid a misconception that the changes will have a proportionate impact on rental investors net incomes.

Reducing negative gearing benefits would impact rental supply

Not all analysts are convinced that AHURIs proposals will have the desired positive impact on the system. Michael Yardney, director of Metropole Property Strategists, said AHURIs research is just another attempt to stimulate debate on negative gearing and encourage the government to tax entrepreneurial Australians, from a left of centre organisation that doesnt really understand how property investors think.

In my opinion, any reduction in negative gearing benefits would significantly reduce rental investment in both new and existing properties and would worsen rental affordability through a reduced supply of investment housing, Yardney told Your Investment Property.

A reduced rental supply means lower rental vacancies and increased rents, which is the opposite effect of what AHURI is looking for.

With more than 30% of Australians living in rental accommodations, its clear that property investors provide an essential service to millions of people.

Property investors save a deposit, buy a property, commit to a loan for 25 or 30 years and provide accommodation for others in our community. In return we expect to get a reasonable return on our investment risk, just like other business people do, Yardney said. We know that the rent wont cover our expenses, but accept that certain tax benefits plus the long term capital growth will make up for this. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesnt.

Property investment is a real and effective method for bolstering the savings of middle Australia, at the same time providing accommodation for those who the government cant or wont help and should remain as is.

Related Stories:
- Dr. Ali Gabass could soon be granted a presidential pardon

- Authorities at the Nsawam Prison say the "gay" doctor has been of impressive behaviour

- The doctor arrested for sodomy was handed a 25-year jail sentence

It has emerged that the "gay" doctor who was jailed for defiling a 16-year-old boy could be given amnesty or a presidential pardon.

It has been three years since Dr. Ali Gabass, formerly a medical practitioner of the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital of the Western Region got arrested.

Checks by YEN.com.gh show that the doctor has been in the good books of Nsawam Prisons since his arrest.

READ ALSO: 5 top diseases killing Ghanaians today

Head of public relations at the Nsawam Prisons, Superintendent Vitalis A-Iyeh, has disclosed to the Daily Guide Newspaper that the entire management of the Nsawam Prisons is considering adding his name to the list of prisoners likely to be granted presidential pardon soon.

Dr. Gabass has since his incarceration in 2015 been imparting knowledge to his fellow inmates at the Nsawam Prisons, a development, among other requirements, that is bringing him closer to attracting pardon.

Earlier, the family of Dr. Abass filed a petition to the president calling for a possible presidential pardon.

READ ALSO: 10 rare tricks to passing your BECE or WASSCE with straight A's

Sulley Ali-Gabass, serving a 25-year sentence, has revealed that the just ended Ifta celebrations was one of the worst ever in his lifetime.

According to him; back at home I used to organize small parties for my neighbors [both the Christians and Muslims] so we enjoy [but] all these are memories that we cherish which we cannot do here.

Dr. Ali Gabass was slapped with a 25-year jail sentence after a 16-year-old male victim expressed in a detailed description how the doctor had sexually exploited him.

It all happened in September 2013 when the victim encountered Ali-Gabass on Facebook and they became friends.

According to the prosecution, the act was repeated at the same venue in February 2014. It said in March and April 2014, Dr. Ali-Gabass lured the victim to his house at Alajo in Accra where he had another bout of anal sex with him.

Who is going to be Ghanas next top pastor? Checkout YEN.com.gh's top picks:

Send us a message via our official Facebook and/or Instagram page to get it published on YEN.com.gh

Source: Yen
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang's Regular Press Conference on March 14, 2018

2018/03/15

Q: The Chilean government has asked anti-trust regulators to block the sale of 32% stake in the Chilean lithium company SQM to a Chinese firm on the ground that it would give it an unfair advantage in the global race to secure resources to develop electric vehicles. What is China's opinion on this?

A: I believe what you just described is an individual commercial case. At the Foreign Ministry's regular press conference, we rarely make specific comments on individual commercial cases. I am also not aware of the situation and would refer you to competent authorities.

With regard to China-Chile relations, I want to stress that China and Chile are comprehensive strategic partners. Recent years have witnessed the smooth development of bilateral ties and fruitful outcomes brought by the friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas. China will work with Chile to find ways for better cooperation in the relevant field under the principle of mutual benefit and win-win outcomes and elevate the China-Chile comprehensive strategic partnership under the new circumstances to new heights for the benefit of the two peoples.

Q: What is China's comment on US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson being fired? The succeeding Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is more tougher on the US relations with China and the DPRK. Is China concerned that this change will add more uncertainty to China-US relations and the Korean Peninsula issue?

A: We have noted this personnel change of the US administration. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is about to leave office. During his time in office, Mr. Tillerson has been in close communication with the Chinese side and we commend his efforts for developing China-US ties. We hope that Mr. Tillerson would remain committed to supporting China-US ties in the future.

As for China's expectation for China-US relations after Mr. Pompeo takes office, we have noted that President Trump has nominated Mr. Pompeo to the post of the Secretary of State. We would like to work with the new Secretary of State in following the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, upholding mutual respect and mutual benefit, focusing on cooperation while properly managing differences, and ensuring the sound and steady development of China-US relations, which not only serves the fundamental interests of the two peoples but also meets the general expectation of the international community.

As for China-US cooperation on some major bilateral areas and international and regional hotspot issues, we believe that such cooperation has come a long way because it agrees with the interests of both China and the US as well as the expectations of the international community. We have every intention to sustain such cooperation momentum with the US.

Q: It is reported that the Chinese business community in Papua New Guinea has lent a very helpful hand to the earthquake-stricken areas in that country, and a Papua New Guinean minister expressed his thanks for their disaster relief assistance. Could you give us more details?

A: Since the strong earthquake hit Papua New Guinea in late February which caused heavy casualties and property loss, the Chinese side has been closely following the situation there. President Xi Jinping has sent message of condolences to Governor-General of Papua New Guinea Bob Dadae. The Chinese government and the China Red Cross Society have delivered emergency humanitarian assistance to the Papua New Guinean government and people.

The Chinese business community in Papua New Guinea also pitched in by voluntarily joining the local disaster relief work or by donating money and goods. My information is that the China Railway Construction Engineering Group operating in Papua New Guinea swiftly mobilized their staff and equipment to join the emergency work. They helped clean up collapsed roads, including the highway between Mendi and Kandep, two major towns in the quake-stricken areas, ending a 15-day lockdown that about 5000 local people have been subject to since the quake hit. In the time of great difficulty, the Chinese enterprises stood with the Papua New Guinean people to tide over this crisis together, which demonstrates their strong sense of social responsibility and humanitarian spirit. Their efforts have won them wide acclaim from the Papua New Guinean government and people. The minister of its engineering department expressed his special thanks. China will continue to offer its best support to the Papua New Guinean side to help them overcome the difficulty and rebuild their homes.

Q: According to reports, on March 13, Nepal held its presidential election, and incumbent President Vidya Devi Bhandari was reelected. What is your comment on this? What are China's expectations for the future of China-Nepal relations?

A: China congratulates Ms. Bhandari on her re-election as the President of Nepal. We hope that under the leadership of President Bhandari and the Nepali government, Nepal can score greater achievements in its national development.

China is Nepal's friendly neighbor. We attach great importance to developing ties with Nepal and stand ready to work together to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and deliver more benefits to the two countries and two peoples.

Q: The United States is reportedly seeking to impose tariffs of about 60 billion dollars on Chinese imports, mainly targeting technology and telecommunications sectors, according to people close to the sources. Is China concerned about potential new tariffs and are there any retaliatory measures planned?

A: We have noted the relevant reports. Actually, whether it is about the issue of China-US economic relations, or the measures taken by China to protect intellectual property rights, the Ministry of Commerce officials have repeatedly talked about them over these days. Regarding any potential measures the US may take, as disclosed by relevant sources, I would refer you to the competent Chinese authorities.

What I want to highlight here is that economic cooperation does not necessarily mean two parties competing and undermining each other, and it should never be a zero-sum game in which one's gains will definitely be another's losses. We have stressed many times that China is firmly opposed to any unilateral trade protectionism. If the US does take the steps and harm China's interests, we will definitely take measures to safeguard our legitimate rights and interests.

Meanwhile, I must say that the China-US economic cooperation is mutually beneficial in nature. Over the past forty years or so, the growth of China-US economic cooperation has delivered tangible benefits to the people and enterprises in our two countries. It is normal for China and the United States, the top two economies in the world, to have some differences and frictions in economic cooperation. What matters is to manage them in a constructive manner, make the pie of cooperation bigger, and properly address each other's major concerns so as to achieve sound and steady development of bilateral economic cooperation.

Q: Another question about the imminent departure of Secretary of State Tillerson. Is China concerned that his replacement may affect the upcoming US-DPRK talks? Is China concerned about the new Secretary of State's possible impact on the nuclear deal with Iran?

A: Like I just said, we hope that this personnel change will, at least, have no impact on China-US relations and bilateral cooperation in major fields.

You asked whether this change may impact the recent positive interactions between the US and the DPRK. China's position is that we hope that the positive momentum of the Korean Peninsula situation, including the US and the DPRK demonstrating political wills to engage in direct talks, could keep going. I said yesterday that all relevant parties need to start and keep talking till something good comes out of the talks and a peaceful, stable and denuclearized Korean Peninsula is realized.

As for whether the nuclear deal with Iran will be impacted, we believe that the Iranian nuclear deal is an important one reached by the P5+1 and Iran, accompanied by the strenuous efforts of the international community. It stands as a model of the international community working together to resolve the non-proliferation issue through political dialogues. We hope that all relevant parties could continue to implement this deal strictly and faithfully, since it meets the international non-proliferation endeavor and the common interests of the international community.

Q: On March 14, renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking passed away at age 76. What is China's comment on Mr. Hawking?

A: Mr. Hawking was a renowned scientist who had not only made immense contributions to the scientific world and mankind, but also long been persistently fighting a courageous war against illness. My knowledge is that he made three trips to China during his lifetime when he met with Chinese leaders and engaged in pleasant talks with Chinese scientists and his fans in China. Mr. Hawking kept track of China's development and spoke very highly of China's scientific progress. He was also a big fan of Chinese culture. He was once so determined on making to the top of the Great Wall and then finally made it with the help of his assistants. We mourn for the passing of Mr. Hawking and express our condolences to his family.

I believe that Mr. Hawking and his legacy will be remembered forever.
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
With 64 percent of the vote, Dean Trantalis became the first openly-gay mayor elected in Fort Lauderdales history.

It was our time, Trantalis told his supporters Tuesday night. He thanked the community for its support and said that the really hard part [of governing] starts now.

Trantalis, who represents Dist. 2 and also the citys first openly-gay commissioner, defeated Vice Mayor Bruce Roberts.

I havent seen anything like this in years, said Ken Keechl, former Broward County mayor. I think its one of the best things to happen . . . a rejection of the status quo.

In a press release, Equality Florida touted Trantalis becoming the first openly-gay mayor of a major Florida city.

As soon as Dean declared his candidacy we knew this would be a horizon race for our LGBTQ community. Equality Florida Action PAC members and supporters have showed up in force in this election. Weve made tens of thousands of calls to pro-equality voters in the City of Ft. Lauderdale about the importance of voting in this election. We look forward to working with both Dean Trantalis and Steve Glassman as they continue the work to keep Ft. Lauderdale a beacon of inclusion in the South, stated Equality Florida Senior Political Director Joe Saunders.

In the Dist. 2 race, the other LGBT candidate, Steve Glassman, beat former city commissioner Tim Smith 61 percent to 39. This marks the first time Fort Lauderdale will have two openly-gay elected officials serving at the same time.

On a video posted to his Facebook page, Glassman said he was humbled by the victory and thanked his supporters. The results are great. Im so appreciative of everybodys vote. Were going to work really hard to protect the integrity of each neighborhood.

Michael Albetta, the regional director of the Florida LGBTA Democratic Caucus and president of Fort Lauderdales Lake Ridge Civic Association, said he now expects to see a lot of pro-LGBT ordinances passed in the city.
Equality Florida held its 2018 Miami gala Saturday, March 10, at the Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, honoring members and groups in South Florida who are making a difference in the LGBT community and beyond. Among the honorees were students, staff and faculty of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, whom received the Voice for Equality Award for their activism on gun control in the aftermath of a mass shooting Feb. 14 that left 17 dead at the school.

Diane Wolk-Rogers and Mario Caicedo, sponsors of the gay-straight alliance at Stoneman Douglas, accepted the award on behalf of the club and members of the Never Again movement, who are planning the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. March 24.

Their determination and their resiliency is absolutely an inspiration to all of us, Wolk-Rogers said.

Student and GSA president Emma Gonzalez spoke at the gala, starting her speech by asking attendees to observe a moment of silence for the victims of Stoneman Douglas and Pulse Orlando.

Just over three weeks ago, we experienced a tragedy that has been described as many things but for right now Im going to go with unnecessary, Gonzalez said. We lost 14 classmates, three faculty members, and there are plenty of individuals who are injured and are still in the hospital...Its important to remember these individuals when we fight for gun safety and gun control, as well as all other individuals affected by gun violence in America.

Gonzalez said she and her fellow GSA members were grateful and humbled to be honored by Equality Florida. She said many of the members of her GSA this year have for the first time found a place where they can be themselves freely and can experiment with names and labels while learning about a culture that is widely ignored in text books and curriculum.

It is for us the combination of the oppression we face in the LGBT-plus community along with being students who are told to listen rather than to speak, the unsatisfyingly short period of times which we are allowed to be our true selves and a million other reasons that has contributed to us jamming our feet in the door of the media and refusing to stand back in this time of senseless tragedy, Gonzalez said. Now that we know that we have the power to call BS, nothing can stand in our way of using it.

Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, said the organization wanted to recognize the efforts in the community that are creating a better Florida for us all and that includes the students from the Stoneman Douglas GSA.

Somebody asked me do I think these students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas are our future leaders and I said no, I dont think they are. I think they are our leaders right now, Smith said. [They] have been among the most prominent leaders to step forward demanding sensible gun reform in the wake of this terrible tragedy, and we wanted to honor them and their advisors for their heroism.

Smith gave an update on equality in the state of Florida, noting more than 60 percent of the population live in places where sexual orientation and gender identity protections exist at the local level.

Im hopeful right now, in part, because I know our victories have not been built on something thin and flimsy, Smith said. Its been built on us standing in those difficult places, being the first to run for office, being the ones who speak up not just in the progressive areas in our community but in the rural places like where I grew up, where its tough.

Other groups whom were honored Saturday included SAVE, which received the Community Partner for Equality Award, and the Huizenga Family Foundation, which received the Service and Leadership Award for its sponsorship of Equality Floridas Safe and Healthy Schools project. The foundation recently made a three-year commitment to help grow the program, which aims to protect and support LGBTQ students.

From our very earliest days, making schools safe for our LGBTQ young people was a core program at Equality Florida, said Stratton Pollitzer, deputy director of the 21-year-old organization. Our vision is not simply to help a single student or a single school but to shift forever the culture in our schools in support of LGBTQ young people...Today, every single high school in Miami-Dade and Broward has a GSA, and many of the middle schools have resources, as well. This is the environment we hope to create where our young people have the support and encouragement that they can rise up and become incredible leaders.

Tony Lima, executive director of SAVE, accepted the Community Partner for Equality Award on behalf of SAVE, which for 25 years has done its part to protect LGBTQ people from harassment and discrimination. The organization has led efforts to pass and defend dozens of local ordinances and were plaintiffs in the federal case that brought marriage equality to Florida.

SAVE identified tens of thousands of pro-equality voters and was instrumental in LGBT candidate David Richardson's history-making run for the Florida House. More recently, the organization launched a project to ban conversion therapy that is gaining support statewide.

This is SAVEs 25th year in South Florida fighting for not only the rights of the LGBTQ community but for the rights of all of us that are marginalized, Lima said. LGBTQ means women, immigrants, people of color, people of faith, young people, basically everyone. We are the entire community and we will not stop until equality is a reality for us all, not only in the state of Florida but in our neighboring states and country as a whole.

As the executive director of SAVE for the last five years, Lima says its been his very great fortune to help bring this organization to a place where we are that much closer to enjoying full equality.

It is such an incredible time for us all, Lima said. Its important for us to continue to work together. Its important for us to continue to have partnerships, and its important that we continue fighting the fight.
In the past month since the Parkland Massacre, several very vocal students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have risen to national prominence.

Like Emma Gonzalez, who happened to be the President of the Douglas High School Gay Straight Alliance, you have seen them featured locally and nationally on television, boldly speaking about the need to end gun violence in America.

The person I write about today though is her congressman, Ted Deutch, a firm, fit and progressive voice; a man who has also risen in stature and prominence this past month, to the national stage and the epicenter of the gun control debate in America.

Within the halls of Congress, where Deutch has served for eight years, he had already won the respect and admiration of his colleagues for his professionalism, decency, and class. In the wake of the shootings in Parkland, that polite but polemical charge has won liberal acclaim.

The clear majority of his constituents are Jewish retirees living in condominiums like Century Village in Boca. You would think that while advancing an agenda that protected Israel and the elderly, his name and game plan would not be controversial. He did not have to worry about too many opponents, and most of his constituents share his beliefs.

But his voice has a new measure today.

Before serving in Congress, he was a Florida state senator, where as a member of the National Young Leadership Cabinet of United Jewish Communities, Deutsch organized over 2,500 people to march on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with the intent of pressuring Congress on a slate of issues affecting children and the elderly. He was always an advocate for an honorable cause, but those issues are not what I am writing about today.

While I am usually the critic who can find a little bad in the best of things, on issue after issue, I have always admired Deutchs positions, policies, and practices. He even supported medical marijuana before other politicians realized so did 75 percent of their constituents.

I salute Ted today because of the things he said and did yesterday, long before the massacre in Parkland. Given chance and opportunity, he was a voice to end gun violence in Congress year after year.

As a matter of fact, two years ago, he gave a speech decrying the weak laws controlling handgun sales and distribution in Florida, publicly declaring that because of Congressional inaction and ineptitude, Floridas most shameful and shocking export is gun violence. That was a month  one month  before the Pulse nightclub shooting.

Deutch was ahead of his time when he stood on the floor of Congress on May 29, 2016 and stated, Mr. Speaker, my home state of Florida has some of the worst gun laws in the country, and Floridas legislature has done nothing to stop it. His words went unheeded and 30 days later 39 young men and women perished in Orlando.

It was not Deutchs first time down that road. Mass shootings haunted him. Two years before, he gave an interview with the Sun-Sentinel giving what you would reasonably anticipate was the standard litany of liberal answers, expressing support for same-sex marriage, which our community would win two years later in the Supreme Court.

Deutch also reaffirmed his commitment to Israel, Obamacare, Social Security, and as a member of the House Judiciary Committee, his support for protecting womens reproductive rights from judicial interference.

But I am not here today to talk about that either.

Congressman Deutch was even asked what conservatives he admired in the House, and he complimented Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen, stating that if house members listened more to her on issues affecting the LGBT community, then the American community would be more inclusive than it is today. So, I absolutely admire a lot of Republicans, but its the 10 to 15 percent of the House that prevents the thoughtful, the majority really of Republicans who are thoughtful from being able to work to get things done.

However, as I just stated, even though SFGN is the voice of LGBT South Florida, I am not here to talk about that today either.

As the 2014 interview wrapped up, the congressman turned to the reporter and offered his own, unsolicited opinion about the issue that had caused him more angst in office than any other, after- at that time- only four years on his job.

Here are those words:

There is one issue that so frustrates me. Every morning I walk past an elementary school in my neighborhood in Washington. And its usually about the time that the parents are dropping off their kids, he added. And I cant help thinking about what happened at Sandy Hook in Connecticut, and the thought that we still havent even been able to have a vote on a piece of meaningful gun safety legislation thats supported by Democrats, Republicans, and even NRA members.

Ahead of his time, but stopped by a Republican congress bent on being supplicant to the NRA and gun lobbyists, Congressman Deutch concluded: Of all the things that are happening here, my frustration about the power of special interests blocking our ability to do meaningful things for the American people can really be summed up in that issue and the fact that we have let down those families and weve let down the people of this country by failing to do anything to move gun safety legislation.

Spoken four years before Parkland and two years before Pulse, those words were still not heard in Tallahassee or the Oval Office last week. Both portals of power think that an AR-15 should rightfully be in the hands of an 18-year-old; you know the ones whose drivers license they suspend if they are caught with a .01 breath alcohol level while driving a car.

The congressman was up front on this issue in the state capitol even before that. It was January 31, 2013 that he stood before television cameras at a press conference in Tallahassee and spoke these words: We must have laws which better restrict high powered weapons and legislation that compels universal background checks. There has been a lot of talk in this country about what we can do, Deutch said. This is something that has to be acted upon.

I dont know where we measure up today, but back in 2013 Florida ranked 49th in the nation amongst all states for mental health funding. I am guessing our lot has not improved under Governor Rick Scott.

As a congressperson representing South Florida, Deutch has spoken out about gun violence before the headlines brought the national media to his district in Parkland, to the students whose courage is changing the national debate. Now it is up to us to support him.

We have seen all too often how unchecked and uncensored the gun lobby has had its way. Nothing better reflects their continuing success th the playing field on which the dialogue is today framed.

You see, as we debate whether kids should get assault rifles, or bump stocks should be outlawed, we have almost conceded that reforming the second amendment entirely is not an option. It should be. That is why our forefathers called them amendments. They foresaw a Bill of Rights that might alter the constitution on one hand, but still preserved our fundamental freedoms on the other.

Unfortunately, we are no longer fighting about the thousands of handguns and daily shootings that are slaughtering our nation. We are just saying we will be happy if we can take AK 47s and AR-15s off the playing field.

Amazingly, we are no longer fighting about eliminating guns; we are just fighting over the size of the ones we are going to hang up over our fireplace. And thanks to the NRA, we are not even winning that battle.

There was a time when the debate was different. Hell, at the start of my legal career in Fort Lauderdale I sued then mayor Virginia Young for brandishing a hand gun in a campaign poster, saying it violated a new anti-pornography ordinance in the city, because people dying from handgun violence was a lot more obscene than people reading dirty books. The book stores Fort Lauderdale closed in four years, but the gun shows have gone on for forty.

I pretty much had forgotten about that episode 40 years ago, but then last week the students of Stoneman Douglas went to Tallahassee to fight for new gun legislation, and what did they encounter? A group of legislators debating an anti-pornography bill, thats what. Deja Vu. And the biggest show in town last weekend was Stormy Daniels at the Booby Trap. Some things never change.

So how far have we regressed if we have not progressed in all these years? Ted Deutch, with his constituency, should not be debating massacres and gun violence with Jake Tapper on national television. He should be schmoozing with bagels and lox on a Sunday morning at the Delray Beach Democratic club. Although as a vegan, I am not sure he does nova lox any more.

Anyway, we sat next to each other at a political event two months ago; a Dolphin Democratic awards ceremony honoring long time LGBT pioneers. We laughed. We joked. We smiled. We had not yet lived through Parkland, an episode that will now forever etch its way into the soul of Americas tragedies.

Out of that adversity, a group of young students under Deutchs aegis are becoming their own pioneers, the next generation of leaders. With their passion and their protests, they have won the hearts and souls of Americas conscience.

By their side, Ted Deutch has become an eloquent spokesman, a good man doing his job well, a principled voice for our children, courageously and conscientiously advocating bipartisanship and fraternity. Its something this country desperately needs. We sure are not going to get it from the madman in the Oval Office. We are lucky to get it from the gentleman representing South Florida.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




Asteroids and comets appear to be a much more important suppliers of organic molecules on Mars than expected.

Until now, astronomers assumed that the organics on Mars mainly came from dust particles from space. Now, computer simulations by an international team of researchers led by Dutch astronomers indicate that one-third of the material comes from asteroids and comets. The findings have been accepted for publication in the scientific journal Icarus.

In 2015, the Mars rover Curiosity discovered remnants of organic molecules on Mars. Scientists wondered how these organic molecules had ended up on Mars. The prevailing theory was that the molecules were tied to interplanetary dust particles. Those particles are everywhere. For example, around our Earth we see the dust particles when they enter our atmosphere and cause 'shooting stars.'

An international team of researchers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, the University of Groningen, Utrecht University, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, suspected that the theory of the dust particles could not be the whole story. The scientists assumed that some of the organic molecules might be delivered by asteroids and comets. To investigate this, they built a computer model of our solar system including hundreds of thousands of asteroids and comets. Then they used Peregrine, the supercomputer of the University of Groningen, to run the computer model for a few weeks.

The calculations show that 192 tons of carbon per year end up on Mars. That is comparable to 8 truckloads. Approximately 129 tons (67%) of carbon come from interplanetary dust particles. But asteroids also deliver another 50 tons per year (26%) and comets provide about 13 tons (7%) of the organic material.

The research has consequences for future and current Mars missions. Mars rovers, according to the astronomers, should look closely at the impact craters of asteroids. In those places, a lot of organic material could be found.

Furthermore, the research also has implications for the chance of life on exoplanets. The Groningen PhD student Kateryna Frantseva, who led the research, explains: "Near other stars, there are also exo-asteroids and exocomets that can shower the surfaces of exoplanets with carbon. If, on top of that, there is water, then you have the required ingredients for life."

Now, the researchers focus on the planet Mercury, where water has been found. They want to estimate how much water on Mercury can be delivered by asteroids and comets. After that they want to extend their research to planetary systems around other stars.

Reference: "Delivery of Organics to Mars Through Asteroid and Comet Impacts," Kateryna Frantseva, Michael Mueller, Inge Loes ten Kate, Floris F.S. van der Tak, Sarah Greenstreet, 2018 March 9, Icarus [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2018.03.006, preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.03270].

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
By adopting new production techniques and improved seeds, Madagascar has doubled its rice production in just a few years.

Farmers in Madagascar are adopting improved climate change resistant seed varieties that mature at a faster pace, at higher temperatures. By using a Nepalese variety known as Tsipolatra or Chromrong Dan, the country increased its rice yields from 2.5 to 4.8 t per hectare between 2008 and 2014, and annual rice imports fell from 400,000 to 300,000 t between 2013 and 2017. At this rate, Madagascar will achieve rice self-sufficiency (5 million t) by 2020 and will cut annual import volumes by 10-20%, says Roland Ravatomanga, the countrys former Minister of Agriculture.

A World Bank-funded irrigation and watershed management project has also provided 6,600 Madagascan farmers with new or improved irrigation or drainage services, and seen over 2,500 ha cultivated with improved technologies or inputs. As a result, the average yield per hectare in irrigated sites has more than doubled to 5.2 t/ha, allowing farmers to save money to invest in the upcoming season and fund other family needs including health and education costs.

In Madagascars central uplands, irrigated rice farmers have also seen their yields increase from 2.5 t/ha to 4.5 t/ha as a result of a 5-year Japanese government-funded initiative. The Project for Rice Productivity Improvement combines intensive rice farming techniques, organic fertiliser (a mixture of cow dung, rice straw and compost), and small farming tools  such as weeders and threshers  that smallholder farmers can afford.

Despite the encouraging progress, Madagascar remains a member of the Vulnerable Twenty group of nations severely impacted by climate change, and has the highest occurrence of cyclones in Africa. In 2017, a serious drought resulted in agricultural losses of 166 million, spurring the Government of Madagascar to join the World Bank to adapt irrigation infrastructure to climate change. The first step was to develop new standards for irrigation schemes that would better resist cyclones and pass laws to ensure that their implementation was compulsory. So far, 12 dams and related channels in six regions have been rehabilitated and upgraded to better withstand cyclones.
Its never too early to start planning for St. Patricks Day, by which I mean figuring out something more productive to do with your time than getting blackout drunk and acting like a fool during a bastardized holiday that has more to do with bad stereotypes than the actual days namesake. But I digress. What you could be doingif you live in San Jose, California, at leastis going to the first-ever throwdown at Recovery Cafe.

Recovery Cafe isnt like most coffee shops hosting latte art extravaganzas. It is a safe space and healing community for those who have been afflicted by homelessness, addiction and mental health setbacks within the San Jose area, according to assistant manager Rikki Vick. Along with coffee, they offer meals, self-help classes, [and] job preparedness programs to members of their community.

Thanks to a recent remodel, Recovery Cafe is the happy owner of their own espresso machine, which will allow them to better provide individuals with coffee-related job training, and they want to celebrate with the greater public with a little throwdown. They have teamed up with Chromatic Coffee, who has graciously donated over 60 pounds of coffee to Recovery for the event and beyond, for a night of pours, hangs, and good times. The cafe is still looking for a few espresso essentials to help complete their new bar, specifically a scale and a tamping mat, so if you have any to donate, make sure to get in touch with the good folks at Recovery.

The event gets started at 5:00pm, so if youre looking for something better to do next Saturday than pretend to be Irish, consider checking out Recovery Cafe during their first throwdown. Its sure to be a good time for a good cause, and you wont regret it in the morning. For more information, visit Recovery Cafe's official website.

Zac Cadwalader is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.

*top image via Recovery Cafe
Yet another Aussie coffee company has landed in New York City, albeit with a twist on the usual cafe model. Positioning themselves as a wholesale supplier, Abbotsford Road exists foremost to serve other cafes, and its grandiose tasting-room-cafe-roastery in Brooklyns industrial Gowanus neighborhood is a one-stop shop for a brew, cafe pantry supplies, and extensive coffee training sessions.

Abbotsford Road is the project of ex-Brisbanites Karl Jameson, Logan Kedwell, and Phillip Di Bella, the latter of whom once owned a shop named Di Bella Coffee, on Brisbane's Abbotsford Road, offering inspiration for the name of the group's newest venture across the hemispheres.

The Gowanus space opened in late 2017, a 27,000-square-foot warehouse with all sorts of toys on display, from a gleaming new Sanremo Opera to an even shinier 60-kilo IMF Roaster, which dishes out coffees twice a week. Sacks of green beans stack atop one another, exemplifying the companys wide access to green coffee thanks to a sourcing program Di Bella established in Melbourne, while the cafe area hosts an ice-cream-parlor-esque display of roasted coffee to take home. Simply grab a scooper and take your pick of whats cookin that week.

As Kedwell and I sit and chat about our recent moves to the city (mine from Los Angeles and his from Brisbane), we also piece together what makes Abbotsford Road different in not only the Australian coffee scene here, but also the New York coffee scene as a whole. And in this world of heated cafe competition, he asks, Why cant we all just be friends? He answers his own question with Abbotsford Roads business approach, which is to help the middleman. Indeed, Abbotsford has no plans to open additional retail space.

We dont want to compete with anyone, he insists.

While the roasting company is open to providing coffee for any business, the main focus has been bringing beans to cafes around the city, along with providing employees extensive training for it. With a growing number of cafes and entrepreneurs inspired by the specialty coffee movement, Kedwell welcomes everyone to the club, and has so far established a small circle of wholesale accounts throughout New York, including spots like Paradigm and Gold Roast Cafe.

Also, while Abbotsford Road does offer single-origin coffees, their focus is mostly on a variety of light, medium, and dark blends. In addition to providing education and beans, Abbotsford has supplies like chai concentrates and flavor syrups on site for clients to grab and go as they refill and restock.

Still fresh to the scene, Abbotsford Road has big plans for the coming months. The team already has a coffee subscription service and offers free coffee classes for the public, which cover all grounds from an introduction to specialty coffee to latte art skills.

With a massive new space and big goals to educate and inform, Abbotsford Road has a lot of promises to hold up to in New York over the coming year. They may end up casually competing with the natives after all.

Katrina Yentch is a Sprudge contributor based in New York City. Read more Katrina Yentch on Sprudge.
If a group of legislators has its way, the great Dan Patch will soon be receiving a prestigious honour.

According to a pair of published reports (here and here), a group of five Republican legislators in the State of Minnesota are throwing their support behind a bill that calls for Dan Patch, the legendary Standardbred, to be anointed the official state horse.

On Thursday, March 8, State Sen. Dan Hall (R-Burnsville) introduced the bill (SF 3048) which calls for the great Standardbred to be honoured.

Senator Hall has said that the story of Dan Patch is an inspirational one, and that story would surely be kept alive if the great pacer becomes an official symbol of the state.

I think its a big enough deal for the whole state to take a look at Dan Patch being one of the greatest horses, the greatest pacer probably thats ever been out there, Hall has been quoted as saying.

For more on Dan Patch, click here.

(With files from Minnesota Public Radio and KZGO Go 95.3)
Charles F. Sarkis, 78, a highly successful Boston restaurateur who later went into the racing business and was the last owner of the Foxboro Park harness track (formerly known as Bay State Raceway, New England Harness and Foxboro Raceway) passed away on Sunday, March 11 after a prolonged fight with a brain tumour which was first diagnosed in 1995.

Sarkis first entered the racing scene when he purchased Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere, Mass., in 1977. The track had many years of successful greyhound meets, but in a 2008 referendum Massachusetts voters cast their ballots to ban the sport, and Wonderland, which opened in 1935, ran its last race on September 18, 2009. Sarkis then turned his attention to Thoroughbred and harness racing when he leased what was originally called Bay State Raceway and changed the name to Foxboro Park.

In 1992, Sarkis was granted 72 dates for the Thoroughbreds to be run from May-September and harness racing dates to be run from September-December. The Thoroughbred meet was a failure due in part to an equine virus that hit the horses and limited the amount of entries to short fields. Only 35 of the dates were run.

Harness racing took over the track for several years, but another problem hit Sarkis when litigation between he and Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium which is located near the track, took place and Sarkis lost that lawsuit. The Foxboro track ran its last harness race in the summer of 1997, fifty years after the track opened.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Charles Sarkis.

(Bob Temple)
Catholic Priest Suing Church for Defamation He Suffered in Retaliation for Reporting Abuse

Press Conference Thursday Morning 3-15-2018



Contact: Father Harrington, 781-749-7681, frjpharrington@aol.com



BRAINTREE, Mass., March 14, 2018 /Standard Newswire/ -- Father John Harrington, a Catholic priest is suing his former bishop, several members of the clergy, including two other bishops and a psychologist for punishing and defaming him for reporting an abusive homosexual priest in the seminary and in the clergy.

Press Conference Details:



Date:

Thursday, March 15, 2018



Time:

10:30 am



Place:

Hyatt Place Braintree

50 Forbes Road

Braintree, MA 02184

(781) 848 - 0600

"It is well documented that there is a homosexual lobby within the Church that seeks to root out orthodox priests and seminarians who don't share their re-envisioning attitude of the Church. That I am victim of retribution by the defendants for having reported two known homosexual priests manifests the power of the homosexual lobby to impede and manipulate investigations of gay clergy accused of sexual misconduct," Harrington said.



Harrington's attempt to report sexual harassment by the academic dean of St. John's Seminary, where he was a student from 19881991, were rebuffed by Cardinal Law and auxiliary Bishop Robert Banks and seminary officials. Harrington was subsequently alienated and mistreated by the homosexual community leading to his departure from the seminary in 1991. "Even though Cardinal Law and Bishop Banks acknowledged the academic dean had committed sexual misconduct toward me and the class, they did not remove him from St. John's but kept him there as a show of support to the gay community," stated Harrington.



When, in 2002, Harrington applied for re-admission to St. John's, an on staff Church psychologist wrote a scurrilous psychological evaluation of Harrington used by seminary officials to reject his application. This form of ideological discrimination is a common practice used by the homosexual lobby to screen out orthodox men from the priesthood who don't share their agenda to redefine Church ministry. "Bishop Lennon and Msgr. Edyvean both agreed that the psychologist had distorted and seriously misrepresented me in his evaluation and yet Lennon, the rector of St. John's at the time, refused to expunge the scurrilous report from my file, knowing that it could be used to blackball me if I should apply to another diocese for admission," said Harrington.



Accepted by Bishop Sean P. O'Malley of the Fall River Diocese, six months after Harrington's ordination in 2004, Fr. William M. Costello, a known gay priest and a former student of the gay friendly academic dean who sexually harassed Harrington in the seminary, falsely accused Harrington of stalking a young parishioner. Bishop George Coleman of the Diocese of Fall River removed Harrington from St. Patrick's Parish, withdrew his priest faculties, evicted him from the diocese and, in March of 2014, stripped Harrington of his clerical garb for another false accusation made this time by the Vicar of Parish Life and Leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston. Coleman published the false allegation in his 2014 decree further injuring Harrington's reputation. All of these actions are in keeping with the homosexual lobby's agenda to weed out orthodox priests from the Catholic Church. "Bishop Coleman's decree treated Fr. Harrington with contempt," attorney Thomas Harvey said to the hearing judge last week at the Dedham Superior Court.



A copy of the Complaint will be distributed at the press conference.



For more information contact Father Harrington directly at 781  749  7681, frjpharrington@aol.com.
Children Desiring God to Become Truth78: Launch to Include Event, New Books, and App

Contact: Steve Watters, 502-689-1626MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn., March 14, 2018 / Standard Newswire / -- In a strategic launch from Desiring God, Children Desiring God will become an independent ministry, changing its name to Truth78, introducing a new Website and releasing new resources.At an event on April 10, Children Desiring God will officially re-introduce itself as Truth78, an independent 501(c)3 organization structured to more strategically fulfill its mission to equip the next generations to know, honor, and treasure God."The name Truth 78 connects us to Psalm 78 which has been a signature text defining our ministry over the past 20 years," explains David Michael, founder and chairman of the board. "Psalm 78 charges us to take this testimony we've received from our fathers and faithfully pass it on to the next generation...so that they would set their hope in God."Truth78 nurtures the faith of the next generations by equipping the church and home with resources and training that instruct the mind, engage the heart, and influence the will through proclaiming the whole counsel of God.Michael sees the launch of Truth78 as an opportunity to encourage and equip even more parents, pastors and teachers with the same ministry philosophy that grew from two decades of serving within Desiring God, the ministry of John Piper. "Our burden," says Michael, "is for the next generation to have a faith that can joyfully endure with joy the trials and temptations of this age."In 1998, Children Desiring God was established as a ministry of Desiring God. The ministries shared many things, including a similar name, typeface, and color palette. Over the past twenty years, however, Children Desiring God grew more broadly as a developer of curriculum and the Fighter Verses scripture memory tools, while Desiring God increasingly focused its emphasis on spreading a passion for the supremacy of God through resources on the website of DesiringGod.org . This resulted in distinctive needs for infrastructure, technology, fundraising mechanisms and artistic and editorial methods."We saw pretty clearly after a while that we were holding each other back from the maximum flourishing of both by trying to constrain this under one organizational structure," said John Piper. "Hence the new name and new organizational structure." Reflecting on the transition process, Piper adds, "If you put your ear to the sound of this transition, what you'll hear is mutual cheering on both sides for the joy and hope of what's going to come of these two ministries."The organization will launch a new Website, Truth78.org , featuring responsive design, a Spanish translation ( Verdad78.org ), and a new weekly e-newsletter, "Joy for the Next Generations."Truth78 will also introduce four new resources for equipping churches and parents: "Glorious God, Glorious Gospel," an interactive devotional for families; "When I Am Afraid," a children's book; a newly revised "A Father's Guide to Blessing His Children" booklet that will also be available as an app, and "Indestructible Joy for the Next Generation," an anthology featuring chapters by John Piper, Albert Mohler, Russell Moore, Bruce Ware, and more.The launch event will take place at Immanuel Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky., and will feature a charge by Bruce Ware and a video message from John Piper. Also speaking will be Ryan Fullerton, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church; Mark Vroegop, pastor of College Park Church in Indianapolis, and David Michael. The event will be livestreamed at truth78.org/live
iStock / Thinkstock(AUSTIN, Texas) -- The package bombs in Austin, Texas, that killed two people over 11 days were "constructed by the same bombmaker," Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said on "Good Morning America" on Tuesday.



"There are some specific components that we won't go into the details to protect the integrity of the investigation, but there are some specific things we have seen that make us believe all three of these packages were constructed by the same bombmaker," Manley said this morning.



Federal and local investigators are working around the clock, but at this point, there has been no break in the case, Manley told ABC News on Tuesday.



"The fact they have not only been able to build these bombs, but then travel with them to the target location without them exploding either during construction or during deployment, shows that they do have a certain level of sophistication and they know what they are doing," Manley said.



Austin police have urged residents to call police if they see any unexpected or suspicious packages near their homes that were left overnight and do not have labels from an official shipping source such as the U.S. Postal Service, UPS or DHL, prompting 265 such calls to authorities as of Tuesday afternoon, Manley said in a later press conference.



Investigators responded to each call but "have not found any additional package that was suspicious or involved in any way with the investigation that is going on right now," Manley said, vowing to not "leave any stone unturned" and follow up on every lead until the case is solved.



Each package was placed in a cardboard, but Manley instructed residents to not ignore a "suspicious package" just because it is in a "different type of container."



Austin Mayor Steve Adler reiterated the call for residents to remain aware and alert in their efforts.



"At this point what we want people to do is to be very vigilant," he said on "Good Morning America" Tuesday morning.



We don't want anybody to open or pick up a package that in any way feels suspicious," he continued.



Here's what ABC News knows right now:



2 dead, 2 hospitalized



Two lives have been lost, and an "additional two" have been "forever changed" from three separate explosions, Manley said.



On Monday, 17-year-old Draylen Mason was killed in the blast, Manley said, describing Mason as "outstanding young man who was going places with his life."



"It is an absolute tragedy that he is no longer with us," Manley said.



Mason's mother, who is in her 40s, is in stable condition.



A 75-year-old Hispanic woman, whose identity was not released, is still in critical condition with life-threatening injuries after she was injured in a separate blast on Monday, Manley said.



Another victim, Anthony Stephan House, died March 2.



Each was harmed by one of the three explosive devices received as a "box-type delivery," Manley told reporters Monday.



In two of the explosions, the package detonated as soon as the victim picked it up, Manley said. In a third, the package was brought inside the house and exploded when it was opened.



The victims suffered "traumatic, penetrative injuries," Manley said.



The first blast was initially thought to be an isolated incident



When the incident occurred on March 2, investigators originally believed it to be an isolated incident without "any further concern or threat" to the community because of a bust that happened at a drug stash house three days prior, Manley said.



Because police took a "significant amount of cash" from the stash house, authorities initially thought the explosion "may have been a retaliatory act," but that the perpetrators got the wrong house, Manley said.



At the time, there was "no information to believe that it was related to a larger plan," Manley said.



Two others were reported Monday. "Significant damage" was inflicted by at least two of the blasts.



'Be vigilant'



The victims noticed packages left on their front porches, without any suspect ringing the doorbell or otherwise alerting them, Manley said.



"We don't want to have people be overly alarmed," Manley said, "but it is important that people be vigilant and be aware of things that look suspicious."



Residents are being asked to report all suspicious packages. "If you see something thats out of place, do not handle it, do not move it, do not touch it. Call us," he added.



Monday's attack



The first explosion occurred around 6:44 a.m., police said. It was "very similar" to the March 2 incident, Manley said. The device was left in front of a single-family home in the northeast part of Austin.



The second attack Monday happened around 11:50 a.m.



"The victim in this incident came outside of her residence and found a package out front and picked up that package," Manley said.



Unknown motive



"We don't know the motive behind these" attacks, Manley said, although two homes targeted had African-American residents and another the elderly Hispanic woman. "We cannot rule [out] that hate crime is at the core of this, but we're not saying that's the cause as well."



Police are not ruling out terrorism as a motive, either, because they don't want to "limit" what they are investigating, Manley said.



Evidence is being collected and sent to the ATF lab in Walnut Creek, California, so investigators can attempt to reconstruct what was in the explosive device, an ATF special agent said Tuesday afternoon.



$65,000 reward



Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has offered a $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the explosions.



I want to assure all Texans, and especially those in Austin, that local, state and federal law enforcement officials are working diligently to find those responsible for these heinous crimes, Abbott said in a statement.



The ATF, FBI and Austin Police Department are offering an additional up to $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Postal Service as also assisting on the task force team, as well as the Travis County district attorney, who is "setting this case up for prosecution" when a suspect is captured, Manley said.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.




Tribes In Sulawesi Indonesia, and more photos from my dives in Lembeh, IndonesiaJust as there are forests, mountains and hills on the earth, there are forests, mountains and canyons under the sea.Persistent currents create deep canyons under the sea, and there are mountains and rocky walls covered in coral. Giant coral formations grow in areas that are suitable, undisturbed by humans or their boats.In Lembeh, I have enjoyed being reminded of how beautiful our blue planet truly is.Here in Northern Sulawesi, this region is called Minahasa.Minahasa is also the name of the ancient tribes that live here.The name Minahasa is a combination of the word Mina, meaning Becoming, and Esa, meaning United.Thus, Minahasa means that the tribes are becoming united.Many tribal people live here, and their tribal names are still in use.There are:The Tomohon Tribe - To means People, or tribe, and Hon means Mountains, or People of the mountains.The Tondano are the people of the sea.The Tombulu are the people or the tribe of the bamboo (Bulu is bamboo.)The Tomseaa are the people of the flat land.The Tontenboan are the people of the highland.The Mantic people is the tribe that does Voodoo and faith healing.The Bantic people is the tribe that lives in Manado, the capital city of Sulawesi.Manado is Mana, meaning a place, and Do or Dzo, meaning far away.Thus Manado is a far away place, which it actually is, being so far from other places in Indonesia.The Wailan people are the ancestors, or people who live in the sky.I love this way of referring to the tribes and of dreaming of ways to unite the tribes.It is divisions and separation from the Source, from nature and from each other, that causes all our problems.I tend to think of myself not with any tribal, religious or national affiliations, but as a human being, fortunate enough to be here on earth, and to enjoy its glorious beauty.Yes, I tend to ignore politics, because it is a source of agony and division.After all, there have always been tyrants as well as compassionate rulers, and there are ego driven and corrupt politicians everywhere.I also tend to ignore religious affiliation, because all religions, at their core, celebrate some form of the Divine Creator in a language and with symbols that the local people can relate to.So....when you stop focusing on what separates we humans from one another, you start seeing how wonderful the human experience can truly be, when you can lift your eyes from misery.The body, which is the sensor through which most people experience life, is divine and intelligent and is capable of healing itself and regenerating itself.If we do not overburden it with limited ideas, bad thoughts, anger and toxins, or assign to it exalted roles it cannot fulfill, it will be a wonderful instrument with which we can sense and experience the world.Ultimately, the goal is to get to a point in which your ethereal or subtle body is so radiant, that the physical body is fully transformed.Until this occurs, remember to encourage yourself with kind words and gentleness.Do the same towards others.Be kind to others and encourage them, too.Remind them that they are divine beings with unlimited potential that is waiting to unfold.Anyway.... I have added more photos I took during my amazing dives in Lembeh.Be you filled with love and light,Tali
Fun fact: The idea of using military dogs dates back to Benjamin Franklin, who suggested the use of dogs will confound the enemy.

Via USA Today.

In war, the difference between living and dying can come down to a single step.

Ret. Air Force Staff Sgt. Len Anderson knows this too well. On patrol in Afghanistan in 2012, he was stopped just before he stepped on an improvised explosive device. Who saved his life? It was Azza, his military working dog, who alerted him to the danger.

Later in the patrol, Azza sensed another IED and signaled to Anderson to stay in place. But this IED was remotely activated. It detonated. Anderson suffered massive injury, but thanks to Azza he escaped with his life.

Tuesday is K9 Veterans Day, when we honor canine heroes like Azza and the thousands of other dogs who have served alongside our troops. Ordinary Americans can help give these dogs the recognition they deserve by observing this day. Extraordinary Americans can support efforts to reunite them with their handlers after their tours of duty are over.

Working dogs in the American military date back to the countrys founding when Benjamin Franklin recommended their use.They will confound the enemy, he wrote, and be very serviceable. Since then they have served in nearly every American war. During the Civil War they were used as messengers and guards. In World War I, Sergeant Stubby, one of historys most famous war dogs, saved American fighters from mustard gas. War dogs sniffed out Japanese positions in the Pacific Theater in World War II. Nearly 4,000 dogs served in Vietnam, saving 10,000 American lives.

These dogs have taken on even more importance in the 21st Century wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because of their ability to detect the enemys weapon of choice: the IED. These hidden bombs are the number one threat, said Ret. Adm. Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They have been responsible for roughly two-thirds of U.S. military casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even when armor can block IED shrapnel, the blast wave can create traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress.
"When you hear that healthy laughter of a child and you realize: That's what's supposed to happen  all the time, for all of us,"  Patricia Jones, founder PS I Love You Foundation
Sophos, a global player in network and endpoint security, has announced the India findings of its survey, The State of Endpoint Security Today which shows the extent to which Indian businesses are at a risk of repeated ransomware attacks and are vulnerable to exploits. The survey polled more than 2,700 IT decision makers across mid-sized businesses in 10 countries worldwide, including the US, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, UK, Australia, Japan, South Africa and India. The survey concludes that despite the intensity and magnitude of attacks, Indian businesses are still not prepared to defend itself against determined attackers.

Ransomware continues to be a major issue across the globe with 54 percent of organizations surveyed hit in the last year and a further 31 percent expecting to be victims of an attack in the future. On average, respondents impacted by ransomware were struck twice.

This relentless attack methodology combined with the growth in Ransomware-as-a-Service, the anticipation of more complex threats, and the resurgence of worms like WannaCry and NotPetya puts businesses in serious need of a security makeover, according to Sophos. In fact, more than 90 percent of Indian IT decision makers surveyed impacted by ransomware were running up to date endpoint protection, confirming that traditional endpoint security is no longer enough to protect against todays ransomware attacks.

According to those impacted by ransomware last year, the median total cost of a ransomware attack was $133,000. Indian organizations median total cost stood at $1.17mn, the highest, in rectifying the impacts of ransomware. This extends beyond any ransom demanded and includes downtime, manpower, device cost, network cost, and lost opportunities.

Sunil Sharma, Managing Director Sales at Sophos India & SAARC, said, Unlike lightening, ransomware can strike again and again to the same organization. Were aware of cybercriminals unleashing four different ransomware families in half-hour increments to ensure at least one evades security and completes the attack. Todays persistent cybercriminals are deploying multiple attack methods to succeed, whether using a mix of ransomware in a single campaign, taking advantage of a remote access opportunity, infecting a server, or disabling security software. If IT managers are unable to thoroughly clean ransomware and other threats from their systems after attacks, they could be vulnerable to reinfection. No one can afford to be complacent.

Two-Thirds of IT Admins Surveyed Dont Understand Anti-Exploit Technology

IT professionals also need to be aware of how exploits are used to gain access to a companys system for data breaches, distributed-denial-of-service attacks, and cryptomining. Unfortunately, Sophos survey revealed considerable misunderstanding around technologies to stop exploits with 72 percent unable to correctly identify the definition of anti-exploit software. With this confusion, its not surprising that 45 percent do not have anti-exploit technology in place at all. This also suggests that a significant proportion of organizations have a misplaced belief that they are protected from this common attack technique yet are actually at significant risk.

Intrusions from exploits also have been happening for years but are still a prominent threat and often go undetected for months, if not years. Once inside a system, cybercriminals use complex malware that can hide in memory or camouflage itself. In many cases, businesses do not know theyve been breached until someone finds a large cache of stolen data on the Dark Web.

Its time to disrupt these intrusions, said Sunil. Since traditional endpoint technologies are often unable to keep up with advanced exploit attacks used to compromise a system, Sophos has added predictive, deep learning capabilities to the newest version of its next-generation endpoint protection product, Sophos Intercept X.

Although 94 percent of respondents admitted their endpoint defenses need to be stronger to block the attacks seen last year, only 34 percent have predictive threat technologies, such as machine or deep learning, leaving 66 percent vulnerable to repeated ransomware attacks, exploits, and evolving advanced threats. Sixty three percent plan to implement predictive threat technology within a year, yet confusion about it persists. Of those surveyed, 37 percent admitted that they do not have a full understanding of the differences between machine learning and deep learning.

Given the speed at which IT threats are evolving and becoming more persistent and coordinated, it is a deep concern to see the adoption of the next-generation predictive technologies. It is important for organizations to keep up in this dynamic world of IT threats. Organizations need effective anti-ransomware, anti-exploit, and deep learning technology to stay secure in 2018 and beyond, said Sunil.

The State of Endpoint Security Today survey was conducted by Vanson Bourne, an independent specialist in market research. This survey interviewed 2,700 IT decision makers in 10 countries and across five continents, including the US, Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, UK, Australia, Japan, India and South Africa. Out of which, 300 respondents were from India, based in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. These employees were from varied sectors such as financial services, IT, technology and telecoms, business and professional services, manufacturing and production amongst others. All respondents were from organizations of between 100 and 5,000 users.

@Technuter.com News Service
Two residents interested in Lapeer Commission seat LAPEER  Two Lapeer women, as of Friday, have expressed interest to serve the remainder of Dan Osentoskis term on the Lapeer City Commission ...

Employers react to COVID-19 vaccine mandate LAPEER  Employers across Michigan and the country are working with their internal human resource departments, outside consultants and business associations to determine exactly how...

Dryden Fall Festival on Sept. 24-25 at Cardinal Field DRYDEN  The Dryden Fall Festival will be held Friday-Saturday (Sept. 24-25)  a two-day festival this year  at Cardinal Field, 1300 Atwell St....
Abe weighing talks with North Korea's Kim: Reports

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shaking hands with South Korean National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon on Tuesday.

AFP, Tokyo :

Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, local media reported, as diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang ramp up.

The reports come after the surprise announcement that US President Donald Trump plans his own talks with the North Korean leader, part of fast-paced diplomatic developments following an Olympic detente.

However, there have been no public proposals of talks by either Pyongyang or Tokyo.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported a potential Abe-Kim summit late Tuesday, citing unnamed government sources who said the talks could be part of a new approach by Tokyo to dealing with the North.

Hours later, Jiji Press reported a similar story, saying Tokyo fears being left behind in dealing with the North if talks proceed between the isolated nation and South Korea and Washington without Japan's involvement.

Contacted by AFP, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit.

But she added "we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective" to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang.

Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan's leadership on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement last week of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearisation.

Suh, the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, on Tuesday met with Abe but it was unclear if he brought a message from the North Korean leader to propose a summit with Japan.

Media reports and experts say Tokyo fears it may be left out of developments around North Korea, and worries that the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is being sidelined.

But the possibility of an Abe-Kim summit also comes as the Japanese premier faces a growing scandal at home over the sale of government land to one of his supporters, and an apparent cover-up of the deal by the finance ministry.

Abe rose to political prominence on his calls for a tough line on North Korea, particularly over its abductions of Japanese citizens.

Japan, a close US ally in the region, is in the firing line of North Korean missiles and saw two fly over its territory in 2017, sparking outrage and lifting tensions to fever pitch.

The last Japanese prime minister to meet a North Korean leader was Junichiro Koizumi, who met Kim's father Kim Jung Il in Pyongyang in 2004.




Shahbaz Sharif elected PML-N chief

PTI, Islamabad :

Pakistan's ruling PML-N on Wednesday elected Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif's younger brother, as its president, two weeks after he was appointed as interim chief of the party.

Nawaz Sharif was last month also barred from leading a political party following his disqualification by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers scandal in July last year.

Shahbaz was elected unopposed as no one filed nomination papers against him during the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's or PML-N general council meeting held in Islamabad.

Addressing the meeting after his election, Mr Shahbaz thanked the party for its confidence in him but said he could not even think about taking the place of his brother.

"Nawaz Sharif can be considered the political heir of Quaid-i-Azam (Jinnah) and we are lucky to have been blessed with a leader like Nawaz Sharif," he said.

Nawaz Sharif was also present in the meeting and congratulated his younger brother on his election as party chief.

Shahbaz was appointed as interim president on February 27 in a special party meeting which also appointed Nawaz as 'Quaid' for life, a symbolic post to honour him.

Analysts believe that Nawaz Sharif still calls the shots and his younger brother would just be a figurehead while real decision making would stay with the ex-premier despite his bar on becoming the legal head of the party.




First US woman to lead CIA

AFP, Washington :

Gina Haspel, nominated by President Donald Trump to lead the CIA, is a black ops veteran who once ran a secret interrogation operation in Thailand accused of torturing detainees.

If approved by the Senate, Haspel would be the first woman ever to run the Central Intelligence Agency.

Despite a controversial past, her rise is not surprising-she previously served as CIA deputy director and led worldwide undercover spying operations, a CIA mission that has gained renewed importance in recent years.

Haspel, 61, joined the spy agency in 1985 and served as chief of station in several posts around the world.

Rising through the ranks, she earned the job of deputy director of the National Clandestine Service, and was finally named to be service director in 2013.

But she was quickly replaced after political questions were raised over her role in post-9/11 interrogation operations, which involved methods widely deemed to be torture, such as waterboarding.

Her fortunes changed under Trump, who has expressed support for use of torture in interrogations.

Mike Pompeo, then the new CIA chief, rejected protests over her background and made Haspel his number two. Her appointment earned the support of numerous former senior US intelligence officials.

But the Senate Intelligence Committee's hearing to confirm her for the top CIA post could be rocky.

One member, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, has already said he will oppose her nomination.

"Ms Haspel's background makes her unsuitable to serve as CIA director," he said Tuesday.

"If Ms Haspel seeks to serve at the highest levels of US intelligence, the government can no longer cover up disturbing facts from her past."

Haspel's public reputation is based on her association with the "black site" prison run by the CIA in Thailand from 2002 for post-9/11 detainees.

Media reports said she presided over the torture of key al-Qaeda suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri who were interrogated and repeatedly waterboarded at the site.

The CIA has always maintained that what it did was legal.

"As has been well-documented, the former detention and interrogation program was authorized by President [George W] Bush six days after 9/11, reviewed and determined to be lawful by the Justice Department, and implemented by the CIA," the agency said last year in a statement.

Haspel was later accused of the 2005 destruction of the CIA's videotapes of those sessions. Lawyers for Al-Qaeda detainees had sought the tapes for evidence in court cases.

She was later cleared of wrongdoing-officials said she had just followed orders in destroying the tapes.

Torture has since been explicitly outlawed by the government, and despite Trump's endorsement of it, there have been no reports of the US intelligence agencies returning to the practice.

Under Haspel the CIA faces a number of challenges, foremost North Korea. The agency has been behind the curve in assessing what Kim Jong Un is up to, a particular challenge now that Kim has invited Trump for talks on possible denuclearization.

The agency also is under constant pressure from Trump to assess Iran's compliance with its nuclear commitments; Trump has repeatedly attacked the nuclear deal and sought evidence to support ending it.




The leaders of the Chittagong central Eid Jamaat committee led by Principal Dr Abdul Karim handing over bouquet to newly assigned Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Md Elias Hossain at his latter\'s office.
Putting an end to cosmetics testing on animals

Kerry Postlewhite :

Next month will mark five years since the European Union placed itself at the very forefront of animal protection by banning the sale of cosmetics tested on animals. This year, the anniversary takes on particular significance. It coincides with a crucial European Parliament vote that could help create an international agreement bringing a definitive end to cosmetics animal testing globally.

Last month, the animal welfare community rejoiced when the European Parliament's Environment Committee unanimously approved a resolution calling on the European Union to spearhead a global ban on animal testing in cosmetics.

Commissioners and governments now have the opportunity to show real global leadership and send a message to the rest of the world that no animal needs to suffer or die for the sake of beauty.

The landmark EU ban was a pivotal moment for animals in laboratories. It set in motion a global trend that inspired countless other nations to make a positive difference for animals.

In the past five years, many countries have stepped up and put in place progressive, compassionate new rules. India, Guatemala and New Zealand have enacted some form of restrictive legislation while several others including Korea and Turkey have taken other positive steps away from animal testing.

The EU ban has helped progress science too. Because of the ban, many cosmetics companies and scientists have stepped up their efforts to develop humane alternative tests that could be used to check the safety of cosmetics without forcing animals to suffer. This is science at its best - developing innovative, progressive, humane solutions that are cheaper, more reliable and more effective than the old-fashioned, cruel tests they replace.

Almost every type of human and animal cell can now be grown in the laboratory. Scientists have even managed to coax cells to grow into 3D structures, such as miniature human organs, which can provide a more realistic way to test.

Human cells donated from volunteers can also provide a more relevant way of studying human biology than animal testing. For example, tests using reconstituted human skin and other tissues have been developed and are used to replace the cruel rabbit eye and skin irritation tests.

But sadly, this isn't enough. A staggering 80% of countries globally would still allow animal testing for cosmetics and the marketing of these tested products. Despite the fact that reliable alternatives are available, millions of animals continue to suffer.

More than 500,000 animals worldwide are estimated to be used in cruel and unnecessary cosmetics tests each year. We need to change the world for them - and we need to do it faster.

Those in the animal welfare sector are leading the charge. For example, Cruelty Free International's Forever Against Animal Testing campaign, launched with The Body Shop last year, will deliver a global petition to the United Nations supporting the bid for an international convention banning cosmetics animal testing.

The petition has already been signed by over 4.5 million people and is on course to be the largest petition on animals ever delivered to the UN.

In 2015 a Nielsen survey found that "not tested on animals" mattered more to consumers than any other packaging claim.

We hope that growing public sentiment along with our timely reminder about the positive changes for animals triggered by the EU ban will be enough to convince the European Parliament to vote on a resolution that ends cosmetics animal testing worldwide through the United Nations.

Not only would a global ban on animal testing in cosmetics products and ingredients help to protect millions of animals around the world, it would also revolutionise the beauty industry.

Achieving an enforceable international convention through the UN that establishes a harmonised global ban would level the playing field for industry and meet the expectations of consumers around the world.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to transform the world by 2030. If global sustainable development means human progress that also sustains and respects the natural world, then we need to make sure that we give a voice to animals.

Once more the EU finds itself in the driving seat with the power to make a statement to the world and a real difference for animals. The EU ban on animal testing for cosmetics was a huge step forward. But a global ban is the only guarantee that no animal will have to suffer or die for the sake of a shampoo or lipstick ever again.



(Kerry Postlewhite is the director of public affairs at the leading animal protection organisation Cruelty Free International).


Tillerson fired by Trump in Russia warning

Sacked US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned of Russia's "troubling behaviour and actions" in a parting statement after being fired by President Donald Trump.

He pointedly failed to thank Mr Trump or praise his policies.

The former ExxonMobil chief had a series of public rifts with the White House after being appointed last year.

Mr Trump officially fired Mr Tillerson via Twitter, naming CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his replacement.

Speaking to reporters at the Department of State, Mr Tillerson said good work had been done to have better relations with China, and rein in North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

But he added: "Much work remains to respond to the troubling behaviour and actions on the part of the Russian government.

"Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly. Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

Sounding breathless and looking shaken, Mr Tillerson said he had spoken to the president to ensure clarity in the days ahead.

Although Mr Tillerson will not officially leave until 31 March, his deputy John Sullivan will take over running the state department pending the confirmation of Mr Pompeo.

"What is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges," Mr Tillerson said.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Mr Trump said his differences with Mr Tillerson came down to personal "chemistry".

"We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things," said the president. "When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was OK. "With Mike, Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well."

Mr Tillerson is the latest in a long list of senior officials who have either resigned or been fired since Mr Trump took office.

The White House and Mr Tillerson have had a series of public disagreements - and that continued until the very end.

The two sides have offered different accounts of when the secretary of state was told he was being fired.

The White House insists Mr Tillerson received a phone call on Friday from Chief of Staff John Kelly, who told him that he was being let go. They say Mr Tillerson then asked if the announcement could be held until his return from a tour of Africa.

The top US diplomat's team said he felt unwell on Saturday and decided to cut short his tour by a day.

His firing was reported by the Washington Post on Tuesday before any tweet was sent, according to a White House official.

But a statement released by Under Secretary Steve Goldstein implied that Mr Tillerson was first made aware of his firing by President Trump's tweet. "The secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason," he said. After this statement was released Mr Goldstein himself was fired by the White House.

Mr Tillerson also said he received a call from the president about three hours after Mr Trump sent a tweet announcing his departure.
BNP demands judicial probe into Zakir's death in custody

Staff Reporter :

The BNP on Wednesday demanded judicial probe into the death of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader Zakir Hossain Milon in custody. "Zakir Hossain Milon was remanded for three days. But he died in custody. We condemn and demand judicial probe into the incident," BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said it while addressing a press briefing at Nayapaltan central office.

He also demanded exemplary punishment to those who were behind torture of Zakir. JCD Vice-President of Dhaka city unit (North) Zakir died in police custody on Monday. He was remanded for three days before his death.

Earlier, Mirza Fakhrul said in a statement, Milon was subjected to the government's political vengeance. The government wants to continue its despotic rule by eliminating the existence of the opposition parties.

He said that police arrested Milon, who also was the Acting President of Tejgaon thana unit of JCD, on March 6.

Mirza Fakhrul said, "Zakir was seriously injured in the remand and met a tragic end of his life in jail on Monday morning. He was not given any kind of treatment there."
Pilot Abid resigned before flight to Nepal!

Staff Reporter :

Abid Sultan, pilot of US-Bangla plane that crashed in Nepal on Monday and died after 24 hours in hospital fighting for life, had earlier resigned though e-mail before his flight to Nepal, a colleague of the airlines told media yesterday.

But the resignation was not accepted by his employer.

Both Abid Sultan and his co-pilot Prithula Rashid were among 51 unfortunate passengers out of 67 and four crews who died in the plane crash, said officials.

US-Bangla Airlines Public Relations General Manager Kamrul Islam told The New Nation that they had no information about the resignation of the pilot. "A pilot can refuse operating flights if he feels discomfort."

Abid Sultan's colleagues said a high official of the US-Bangla Airlines resigned two months ago and joined an Ethiopian airline. Being very close to Abid, the official finalised the recruitment of Abid in that airlines.

A number of pilots, close to Abid, said it has not been ethically fair on the part of the airlines authorities to ask Abid to operate any flight after his resignation.

About the possible cause of the plane crash, the pilots said that a thorough investigation is needed to know the real cause of the accident.

The black box, which is not usually damaged in a plane crash, will help know the cause of the accident. The black box keeps information and records conversations between the pilot and the Air Traffic Control room.

On May 6, 2015, Abid Sultan joined the US-Bangla as a pilot. He was the head of the pilots at US-Bangla for Dash-8 Q400 Aircraft. He was also a trainer of this aircraft. Abid joined Bangladesh Air Force in 1984. After 20 years of service, he retired as a flight lieutenant.

Before joining US-Bangla, he worked in various local and foreign airlines companies.

This correspondent visited Abid Sultan's Uttara residence where he lived with his wife and a son. His wife was not willing to talk to the media.
A nightmarish situation is developing with the help of our own people: Mainul Hosein

Staff Reporter :

Barrister Mainul Hosein said it is most painful that a nightmarish situation is developing over the need of free election with the help of sections of our own people. They are not Punjabis like in the days of Pakistan but playing anti-people role, he said while talking with the Channel-24 television on Tuesday evening. The coordinator was Ms Sabiha Nigar Dristee.

He rejected the need for compromise on parliamentary election system between Awami League and BNP because election under parliamentary system is to be held under an unelected caretaker government practised everywhere including in India.

In answer to a question Barrister Hosein straight away rejected any possibility of compromise to be reached by the government with BNP. The government cannot step down from power in conformity with parliamentary system to face free election. So an extreme power struggle is looming before us.

He further pointed out that the free press would have been a great help for the government to remain safe and democratic. But we are all living in fear and most journalists are party activists.


BNP upset at SC order on Khaleda`s bail

Staff Reporter :

The BNP on Wednesday expressed frustration and anger at the Supreme Court order that stayed the High Court order granting bail to the BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case.

"We are upset, angry and sad for today's order. We think it has tarnished the image and tradition of the highest court," said Barrister Moudud Ahmed, at a press conference in its Nayapaltan office.

He said also, "The highest court can pass any order, but passing an order after an unilateral hearing is not logical at all."

The party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also expressed his frustration there while taking.

"The court's order reflected the government's will. It is playing tricks so that Khaleda Zia is not bailed out soon. It is obstructing Khaleda Zia even to sign the vokalatnama," Mirza Fakhrul said.

"We are frustrated at the order. The government has been destroying institutions one after another. It now wants to destroy the judiciary," he said.

Mirza Fakhrul also alleged that the government's main agenda is to keep BNP away from the polls.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed a High Court order granting four-month interim bail to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case until Sunday.

On Monday, the High Court granted the interim bail to Khaleda Zia.

Among other leaders, BNP's Standing Committee members Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Dr. Abdul Moeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Vice-Chairman Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain, Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, among others, were present.


SC stays Khaleda`s bail sans hearing her lawyers

Order unprecedented, says Adv Zainul

Staff Reporter :

The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday stayed the High Court order that granted bail to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in Zia Orphanage Trust Case till next Sunday.

A four-member bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after hearing two separate petitions filed by the government and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) seeking stay on the HC order.

The SC also directed both the parties to file leave to appeal petitions by this time.

Later, the lawyers of the BNP Chairperson filed a petition with the Supreme Court to vacate its stay order on the High Court ruling.

After receiving the petition, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique forwarded it to the apex court's full bench for its hearing on next Sunday.

The government and the Anti-Corruption Commission filed two separate petitions on Tuesday, a day after the HC granted bail to BNP chief.

The Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hassan Foyez Siddique forwarded the two petitions to the full bench for hearing.

On Wednesday, the ACC lawyer Khurshed Alam Khan told the court that they wanted to file leave to appeal petition against the bail order. But they could not file this as they did not receive the certified copy of the HC order.

After hearing ACC lawyer, the Chief Justice passed the order staying the HC order till Sunday and directed the appellants to file leave to appeal petitions by this time.

Then Khaleda Zia's lawyer Zainul Abedin said to the Chief Justice, "You have passed order after one side hearing. It may create wrong perception among people about the Supreme Court."

In response to the Zainul Abedin's statement the Chief Justice said, "We do not care for public perception. Let the court continue as a court."

Then Advocate A J Mohammad Ali, another lawyer for BNP chief, told the court, "You passed the order without hearing us."

The court said, "We passed an interim order. There is no need to hear you."

"We will hear you on Sunday," the court said.

At that time, the Pro-BNP lawyers, who were present in the court, expressed their anger. At one stage they left the courtroom.

Later, they demonstrated in the court-corridor and demanded Chief Justice's resignation.

Attorney General Mahbubey Alam was also present in the court at that time.

After the court order, Advocate Zainul Abedin said in a briefing that the court never passed such an order in the past.

"Such an order is unprecedented. No Chief Justice passed such order without hearing the defense in the past. We are shocked by this order," also said Advocate Zainul.

On March 12, the High Court bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Shahidul Karim granted bail to BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia for four months in the case.

On February 8, Khaleda Zia was jailed for five years on February 8 in connections with Zia Orphanage case filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission in 2008.

Judge of the Special Court-5 of Dhaka also sentenced Khaleda Zia's eldest son and BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, and four others to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Tk 2.10 crore each.
Shoe hurled at Imran Khan in Gujarat rally

PTI :

A shoe was hurled at Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan that missed its target and instead landed on PTI leader Aleem Khan's chest, during a public rally in Gujarat on Tuesday.

This was the second such attempt to attack the PTI chief as a man was beaten up and handed over to police for allegedly trying to throw a shoe at the PTI chief as he was getting into his vehicle to leave the venue for a political rally he addressed in Faisalabad just two days ago.

This time, the party chairman was addressing the rally in Gujrat when a shoe was hurled at him. However, it missed the PTI chief by a fair margin and hit Aleem Khan, who was also standing on the stage.

PTI Central Information Secretary Fawad Chaudhry strongly condemned the incident and alleged that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was "responsible for all these incidents as the ruling party is instigating its workers to commit such crimes".



He underlined that all political parties should develop consensus "to stop this nonsense as it is not acceptable at all".

He said all opposition parties, including PTI, stood by the PML-N when a person threw ink at Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif during a workers' convention in Sialkot a couple of days ago. Despite his political differences, the PTI chairman also condemned the shoe attack on former premier Nawaz Sharif at Lahore's Jamia Naeemia, he added. Chaudhry said there was no justification for such incidents. "It is heartening that no PTI worker is involved in such acts. The ruling party should also control its workers and supporters," he maintained.

This was the fourth such event in less than 15 days as ex-PM Nawaz Sharif on Sunday became the latest in a long line of world leaders attacked with a shoe.

Sharif was invited to address a ceremony to mark the death anniversary of slain religious scholar Sarfaraz Naeemi at Jamia Naeemia in Lahore. Just as Sharif got to the podium, a man hurled a shoe towards him, which landed reasonably far away from Sharif. Moments later, another man tossed his shoe towards Sharif. The shoe hit him in the chest before bouncing into his neck and cheek. Immediately afterwards, the man stepped up on the stage chanting a religious slogan.

Sharif's private guards and event organisers overpowered the man, pinned him to the floor, and thrashed him

n Saturday, ink was thrown on the face of Defence Minister Khawaja Asif during a workers convention in his hometown of Sialkot. On February 24, a shoe was hurled at Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal during an address at a workers convention in Narowal, his hometown. In both of the incidents, the ministers pardoned their attackers.
Victims' bodies may not be released immediately

Special Correspondent :

The anguish of the families of Bangladeshi passengers killed in the US-Bangla plane crash in Kathmandu on Monday may be prolonged as the Nepalese authorities rejected to handover the bodies immediately.

"It could take four more days to three weeks before their bodies are released," Mashfee Binte Shams, Bangladesh Ambassador to Nepal told journalists on Wednesday.

She said the bodies would be handed over to the families after due process.

"Their bodies would be handed over after completion of FIR, autopsy and DNA test. It would take four days to three weeks to complete the process," Mashfee Binte Shams added. The ambassador said the Bangladesh embassy has been coordinating with the relatives of the survivors and victims after they arrived in Nepal.

"We have opened a coordination cell at the embassy so that the bodies can be identified quickly and be handed handover to their relatives," she said.

Nepal Home Ministry reported that 28 Bangladeshis, 22 Nepalese, a Chinese passenger lost their lives in the accident, while 10 others were undergoing treatment in hospitals.

All the four crew, including pilot Captain Abid Sultan, are also dead. The other three are co-pilot Prithula Rashid and flight attendants Khwaza Hossain Mohammad Shafi and Shamim Akter.

The bodies of all dead passengers were taken to the Maharajgunj-based Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

"DNA samples have been collected from 18 charred bodies. Their bodies would be released to their families after confirming their identities," local media reported the forensic experts of the hospital.

The bodies will have to remain at the Hospital until DNA samples are tested.

Rest of the bodies would be handed over to their families when they provide conclusive evidence to identify them after autopsy.

"We came here for taking the bodies immediately. But the authorities are yet to take step to expedite the process," said a relative of the plane crush victim in an interview with a Bangladeshi private TV channel.

He said the process has already been plunged in a complex phase. Three days have already been elapsed but still we do not know when we receive the bodies. The delay in releasing the bodies is also making our distress intense.

"Even we are not allowed to see the bodies. We're facing non-cooperation from both Nepalese authorities and Bangladesh embassy in this regard," he said.

On Tuesday, a flight of US-Bangla reached Nepal with the family members of the Bangladeshi crash victims from Dhaka. According to the US-Bangla Airlines, 46 members of crash victims' families and seven of its officials boarded the flight.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh on Tuesday offered technical support to Nepal authorities for conducting the DNA test. It has also made the proposal to use DNA Lab in Dhaka.


Pregnant housewife gang-raped in Laxmipur

UNB, Laxmipur :

A six-month pregnant housewife was admitted to Sadar Hospital on Wednesday as she was allegedly gang-raped recently by some miscreants at Monowara Mansion of north Temuhoni in the district.

The victim, also a garment worker of Chittagong, went to Laxmipur earlier on Monday to meet her husband, she said.

She was waiting for her husband at Monowara Mansion of north Temuhoni while three

young men swopped on her and violated her repeatedly. The miscreants also snatched Tk 5,200 from her. At one stage, locals rescued the woman after hearing her scream. Officer-in-charge of Laxmipur Sadar Model Police Station Mohammad Lokman Hossain confirmed the matter.
Yes, the decision belongs on the local level

No, no one should be able to dictate whether people wear masks

Vote

View Results
If you are looking for the new Immoral Minority posts, you should know that they can be found here at our new home Please stop by to get caught up on politics, join the conversations, or simply check out the new digs.
This is probably the best symbolic image for the summer. Tearing down the lanterns in Tenmonkan. They were put up back in June as part of...
The 2018 Index Architecture & Design Awards, the Middle Easts leading independent celebration of generation-defining new builds, renovations and interior spaces, has released the shortlist for annual awards.



Spread over 14 categories, the event will honour the vision, hard work, innovation and pizzazz of the regions leading design and architectural firms, with projects across the residential, hospitality and commercial sectors all earning nominations.



Now in its fifth year, the awards  the ceremony of which takes place on the second evening of the Index exhibition on March 27  will also reward the creative minds driving design forward, with awards for Rising Star, Design Leader and Design Firm of the Year.



Leading the charge are Dubai-based firms DWP and Bishop Design, with five nominations each. Wilson Associates, whose new self-styled office in Dubai Design District is in the running for Best Commercial Project, has four, as does Swiss Bureau Interior Design.



Notable projects in the running include the new Renaissance Hotel Downtown Dubai, the Fairmont Quasar Istanbul, the Mirror Pavilion in Isfahan, Iran, and the self-styled family home of Gensler designer and last years Index Rising Star winner, Yasmin Farahmandy.



Samantha Kane-Macdonald, event director at Index, said: It is always nigh on impossible to whittle down our award entries to a final shortlist and this year proved no exemption; not only did we have a record number of entries  with 147 individual submissions from more than 70 different firms  but were faced with a truly awe-inspiring catalogue of exceptional builds and spaces.



These projects and the genius minds driving them are the key to this regions future, not only as a forward-looking part of the world for people to live, work and thrive in, but also in further cementing its status as a hotbed of sublime architecture and design that many other continents look to for inspiration.



To be able to celebrate the people that give this industry its dazzling reputation is always a massive honour for us. Our two most popular categories this year were Design Leader of the Year and Index Rising Star, which itself pays testament to the degree of expertise and ability in architecture and design across the board, she added.



The final shortlist is now in the hands of eight expert judges. Benjamin Piper, partner and design principal, Killa Architectural Design; Carol Finnie, head of design, dwp; Indu Varanasi, design director, IR Design; Justin Wells, head of lifestyle interiors, Woods Bagot; and Maliha Nishat, head of interior design, Marriott, make up half of the judging panel.



They are joined by Marcos Cain, principal and founder, Stickman Tribe; Mike Lewis, director design studio, Meraas Development; Chris Johnson, managing principal and creative director, Gensler; Matteo Bianchi, Matteo Bianchi Studio; and Jo Hamilton, founder of Jo Hamilton Interiors.



All the winners will be announced at the Index Architecture & Design Awards ceremony  where Boss Design; Hawa Sliding Solutions; Windows, Doors & Facades; the IE School of Architecture and Design and OFIS all sponsor categories  on the second evening of this months Index exhibition.



Taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from March 26 to 29, the four-day festival of design is promising a diverse and creative catalogue of furniture, furnishing and decor suppliers, an OFIS-sponsored Design Talks schedule featuring the pinnacle of local and international design minds, and bespoke live demonstrations and experiences brought to Dubai exclusively for the show.



Included amongst those features will be the first ever Ventura Dubai, a pool of more than 40 up-and-coming and established European designers, labels and studios, chosen specifically by Dutch design agents organisation in design for their debut Middle Eastern Ventura Project.



Dubai follows in the footsteps of Milan, London, Berlin and New York in being chosen to host one of the globally-renowned design gatherings.



Index will explore the theme of Design for Expression: how interiors can be used to illustrate individuality, and runs alongside sister events Workspace and Surface Design Middle East.  TradeArabia News Service
Expo 2020 Dubai has launched a new career portal making it easier for candidates to apply for jobs ranging from entry to director level.



The Expo 2020 team currently comprises 850 employees, 454 of whom are directly employed by Expo 2020. The remainder include external consultants engaged by Expo 2020 to deliver the large-scale, time-sensitive event, which will be the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, said a statement.



Rita Penteado, director, human resources, workforce and volunteers, Expo 2020, said: We are looking for ambitious people who want to create a global impact and work in a fast-paced environment where expectations are high.



Expo 2020 Dubai is a unique, time-critical project and our key objective is to not only deliver an exceptional Expo but also create a compelling and long-lasting legacy. We need people who are flexible and adaptable, who like to be challenged, and who share our core values of integrity, cooperation, respect, humility and excellence, she said.



Even if the positions currently available on the Expo 2020 career portal do not suit applicants skill sets, they can still register and upload their resumes. Our requirements are continuously evolving and growing so we will no doubt need capabilities in the future that we dont yet know about, she added.



With global attention already focused on Expo 2020 Dubai and the UAE, the team is committed to delivering an unforgettable experience with 25 million visits expected, including an unprecedented 70 per cent from outside the UAE.



Those who join the ranks of Expo 2020 will enter a dynamic, multicultural environment, with employees representing 57 nationalities, it said.



Expo 2020 is also a proud supporter of equal opportunities for women and youth. Of those directly employed by Expo 2020, 51 per cent are female and 129 staff members are under the age of 30. Expo 2020 is also contributing to the UAE Governments Emiratisation strategy by continuing to provide exciting job opportunities for UAE nationals, with multiple positions that will help to cement the countrys long-term success.



World Expos attract the best talent from around the world. Whether experienced professionals or ambitious graduates, successful applicants will acquire considerable expertise in a short period of time.



Alya Al-Ali, director, Youth Connect at Expo 2020, said: Expo 2020 Dubai offered me the unique opportunity to join straight from university at only 21 years of age.



I became a director at 24 and I am now responsible for running the department that ensures young people play a central role in Expo 2020. Expo truly empowers youth and enables people from around the world to progress in ways they might not imagine are possible at their age, Al-Ali said.



Expo 2020 also offers development and training programmes that open new career paths. With less than three years to deliver one of the greatest World Expos in history, we are always challenging and pushing ourselves to exceed expectations  building a great variety of skills and gaining important international exposure. Expo 2020 is a real accelerator for our careers, Al-Ali added.



Expo 2020s career portal features vacancies within a variety of fields, including information and communication technology (ICT), marketing and communication, design, operations, legal and commercial, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development (KFED) recently hosted a forum which brought together top-level officials from federal and local entities within the legislation and banking sector, as well as development institutions that support and fund local, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs in the UAE.



KFEDs forum was on Strategic Alignments  Connections 2018, and was part of its efforts to promote domestic SMEs and support their growth, and implement innovative plans to help foster an entrepreneurial spirit in the country, said a statement.



Abdullah Saeed Al Darmaki, CEO of KFED, said that Khalifa Fund plays a pivotal role in demonstrating the UAEs wise leadership in supporting the SME industry.



He added: The forum is in line with the UAEs strategy aimed at strengthening the SME sector, to ensure its active participation in the countrys sustainable development.



Al Darmaki continued: Our organisation will continuously share its expertise in financing, consulting and promoting entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation among the youth, to government entities and institutions who attended the forum.



We are confident about further enhancing the role of the SME sector to ensure its positive impact on the national economy, he said.



The forum was attended by delegates from the Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi; the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Dubai SMEs; Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa); Ruwad Establishment; Sandooq Al Watan; and the Emirates Development Bank.



At the session, participants discussed strategies and explored various projects and practical steps designed to produce and support a generation of efficient entrepreneurs capable of contributing to the countrys growing economy.



The attendees also explored ways to establish joint programmes and initiatives, facilitate the exchange of experiences and minimise waste in financial and human resources.



The forum also served as a platform to create awareness about KFEDs projects and other similar initiatives of different entities in a bid to support Emirati entrepreneurs and the local SME sector, as well as promote a positive communication and networking mechanism within the industry.



KFED outlined its strategic projects for 2018 and discussed ways of joint implementing the plan to achieve the set objectives, which include fostering a culture of entrepreneurship in the country and encouraging innovation and sustainable growth within the SME community in support of the UAEs social and economic development. It is also working towards creating a suitable business environment and providing financing solutions and integrated programs for entrepreneurs.



KFED aims to urge government, semi-government, and private entities to grant privileges for the SMEs that contribute to their development and success.



Khalifa Fund has concluded several agreements with many government and private entities for the benefit of local entrepreneurs and SMEs aimed at increasing the efficiency of their projects and enhancing their integration, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), an international aluminium smelter, said its position as one of the worlds top aluminium producers and its significant contribution to the Bahrains economy were discussed during a visit by the fellows of the FDPM Fellowship to its headquarters.



The FDPM Fellowship, launched in 2015, is an initiative led by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, aimed at building leadership skills among young Bahrainis working in middle management positions across government.



Albas deputy chief executive officer Ali Al Baqali, along with Alba executives and other officials, welcomed the FDPM fellows on their arrival to Alba, said a statement.



Al Baqali said: Our company is privileged to welcome the fellows of the FDPM Fellowship, which represents an important initiative driven by HRH the Crown Prince to develop young Bahrainis into future leaders.



As a flagship company in Bahrain, we place great value on sharing our knowledge and expertise with students and young learners, he said.



Over four decades, our company has played a transformational role in diversifying the economy and providing meaningful career opportunities to Bahrainis. As we continue to grow through the Line 6 Expansion Project, we remain deeply committed to developing our people and investing in the future of the company, he added.



During their visit, the delegation was briefed about Albas history, its position in the global aluminium industry and its operations, as well as being introduced to Albas landmark project, the Line 6 Expansion Project, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Courtesy Jodie Katsetos(NEW YORK) -- One middle school teacher offered a unique message for her students ahead of todays National School Walkout.



Jodie Katsetos, a sixth-grade teacher at Arcadia Middle School in Oak Hall, Virginia, wrote a message on a large poster board in her classroom that read, Walk Up Not Out.



Katsetos told ABC News she first got the idea while researching information about the national school walkout and found a positive message that resonated, which she adjusted for her own students.



"I adapted the message to fit areas of concern in my school," Katsetos said, adding that she wants her students to be able to participate in both the walkout and the notion of the "walk up."



The message lists five things students can do to promote a positive classroom environment.



-- Walk up to the kid who sits alone and ask him to join your group.

-- Walk up to the kid who never has a voluntary partner and offer to be hers.

-- Walk up to your teachers and thank them.

-- Walk up to someone and just be nice.



"I am adamant about it staying positive," she said about the dual messages of the walk out and walk up. "I'm not pushing either. I made those suggestions as alternatives to walking out and just an everyday reminder to include others and be considerate, which is something that I talk about with students each day."



Katsetos first posted a photo of her walk up message on Facebook and the post has been shared more than 285K times so far.



The ENOUGH nationwide walkout honors the 17 Parkland victims, one month after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.



More than 3,100 walkout events were registered around the country as of this morning, according to event organizers.



The schools principal Brian Tupper declined ABC News request for comment on Katsetos message.



Accomack County Public Schools did not immediately respond to ABC News request for comment.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Alappuzha (Kerala) (IANS): The BDJS, the BJPs strongest ally in Kerala, announced on Wednesday that it wont back the Bharatiya Janata Party in the soon to be announced Assembly by-election at Chengannur constituency.

The Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) is the political arm of the SNDP, which works predominantly for the backward Ezhava community. It was formed in 2015 and secured 4.47 per cent votes in 2016 in Assembly elections in the state.

BDJS chief Tushar Vellapally said after a meeting of his party that they had decided not to cooperate with the BJP in the Chengannur by-election as and when it is announced.

Support TwoCircles



We have also decided to call a meeting of all the allies of the NDA barring the BJP. We are pained that a section of the state BJP has spread baseless rumours that I am going to be chosen by the BJP national leadership to contest the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls, he said.

I never ever said that I am going to contest for the Rajya Sabha. I will make an official complaint to the national BJP leadership.

He pointed out that his party would now on cooperate with the BJP only after its demands were addressed.

When the BJP contested the 2011 Assembly polls from Chengannur, it got just 6,000 votes. Their tally went past 40,000 in 2016 and that was because of our strong base, he said.
[March 14, 2018] Vonage Granted New Patent in Support of the Nexmo API Platform

HOLMDEL, N.J., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vonage (NYSE: VG), a business cloud communications leader, has received a second patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for innovations to its Adaptive Routing technology. This patent provides additional coverage that further enhances the reliability of message delivery to any device, worldwide. Vonage's Adaptive Routing solution provides users with improved deliverability, low latency, and overall stability when using contextual communications services to send and receive text messages. Together with its unique direct-to-carrier network, this solution enables Vonage to continuously monitor multiple available routes for delivering text messages, and to select the best route among multiple options based on real-time, relative performance data of each route. This latest patented technology (Pat. No. 9,853,884) broadens Vonage's Adaptive Routing patent coverage with a feature that enables replacement of a primary route for message delivery with an alternate route based on an automated risk analysis that indicaes whether the quality of the primary route is likely to decrease.



"For customers that need a reliable, global messaging solution to deliver messages with speed and consistency, such as those in the retail space, Vonage's patented Adaptive Routing solution enhances the customer journey for a real-time and contextual experience," said Omar Javaid, Chief Product Officer for Vonage. "When it comes to message delivery, customer experience hinges on reliability, and this technology demonstrably improves our ability to route and deliver messages around the globe at scale." Vonage received its first patent for the Adaptive Routing technology (Pat. No. 9,485,169) in December 2016.

Stop by the Vonage booth (1906) at Enterprise Connect or visit Vonage.com. About Vonage Vonage (NYSE:VG) is redefining business communications. True to our roots as a technology disruptor, we've embraced technology to transform how companies communicate to create better business outcomes. Our unique cloud communications platform brings together a robust unified communications solution with the agility of embedded, contextual communications APIs. This powerful combination enables businesses to collaborate more productively and engage their customers more effectively across messaging, chat, social media, video and voice. The Company also provides a robust suite of feature-rich residential communication solutions. Vonage Holdings Corp. is headquartered in Holmdel, New Jersey, with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and Israel. Vonage is a registered trademark of Vonage Marketing LLC, owned by Vonage America Inc. (vg-a) View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vonage-granted-new-patent-in-support-of-the-nexmo-api-platform-300613616.html SOURCE Vonage

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Propaganda output from terror groups has had a lower-key feel so far this year in terms of volume and overt tone, but that doesnt mean we should rest easymuch of it, after all, has focused on bringing divergent terrorist factions together into a supergroup of sorts. Observer reports in its article Are Al-Qaeda and ISIS About to Form a Terrorist Supergroup? that Al-Qaedas persistent calls for unificationa troubling enough campaign in a post-caliphate worldcome as a UN Security Council report notes that as ISIS continues to transform into a terror organization with a flat hierarchy, with cells and affiliates increasingly acting autonomously, al-Qaeda has remained remarkably resilient and in several regions poses a greater threat than ISIS.

Some members of both organizations have been willing and able to support each other in the preparation of attacks, added the report. Therefore, the potential convergence of both networks, at least in some regions, is a potential new threat. This while al-Qaeda propaganda continues to highlight a new generation of potential leaders, including Osama bin Ladens son Hamza, in an apparent attempt to project a younger image to its sympathizers.

In a recent statement, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri urged warring jihadiststo unite and agree and gather and merge and cooperate and stack together as one rank as this is the basis of victory and salvation.

Zawahiri told terrorists in a video last fall that unification against the international Satanic alliance on a global front was critical: Communicate, link up with each other and extend a helping hand to your Muslim brothers in all Muslim lands. This is the surest way to victory.

The message has been consistently woven into other al-Qaeda materials as well. Al-Nafir Bulletin, a short topical essay published by al-Qaedas Global Islamic Media Front, counseled jihadists to forget your differences and put them behind your backs while the hearts of the mujahedin are open and their hands are extended to cooperate and collaborate while serving the religion.

In many ways, the post-terror-faction landscape has arrived, hastened by the fall of the caliphate. ISIS will continue to have adherents eagerly carving outposts in areas of weak governance and conducting lone attacks in any corner of the globe with a loyalty pledge to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, but commonalities in unity of purpose coupled with logistical setbacks will pull them further under the umbrella of universal jihad.

As we saw recently with ISIS supporters needling the Taliban for offering a deal to Americans (spoiler: the Taliban, like other terrorists, are blowing smoke whenever they talk detente), ISIS members will still try to stoke turf wars and challenge other groups to measuring contests when they think it will work to their advantage in luring adherents. Distinct terror groups will still exist for regional motivationswanting to oust certain governments, implement sharia in a certain country, etc.but global jihad as a cohesive unit is already coming together.

Al-Qaeda, which has openly praised ISIS attacks such as the Orlando massacre and published practical reviews of what future jihadists can learn from everybodys acts of terrorism, has escalated their message promoting unity of purpose because, frankly, they know its already there beneath the surface of factional bluster and its growth can be fostered with ISIS physical caliphate out of the way.

They know they can steer the increasing number of would-be jihadists who are never going abroad to get training at a terror camp or wont need foreign financing to conduct attacks at home. Theyve purposely not done that much of a grave-dance on ISIS over losing their caliphate while not budging from their conviction that al-Baghdadi made a big tactical blunder; they have, however, moved forward with their longstanding claims in Syria, as al-Zawahiri told jihadists there to settle yourselves into it being a battle which may last for many years and perhaps decades.

Like other extremists, Islamist terrorists are bound by rage, ideological underpinnings, and gang-style recruitment. And in what will only challenge our national security, theyre also blurring lines and embracing universal jihad. The supergroup is here.
Oil risks sliding back under $60 a barrel as a surge in U.S. shipments to Asia threatens to undermine a deal between OPEC and its allies, according to ING Groep NV. Bloomberg reports in its article U.S. Oil Export Surge Means OPEC's Output Cuts May Be Doomed that while the producer group complied with a pledge to curb output and ease a glut in 2017, U.S. flows that are gaining a bigger slice of the prized Asian market may prompt some nations to boost supplies, said Warren Patterson, a commodities strategist at the Dutch bank. The resulting fallout could drag down crude prices after a rally of more than 40 percent since June, he said.

Asian refiners are increasing their U.S. oil purchases. Brent crude, the benchmark for more than half the worlds oil, traded at $65.07 a barrel at 10:11 a.m. in London on Monday, compared with about $45 in June. ING forecasts Brent at $57 in the second half of 2018. Prices were at more than $115 in mid-2014, before a global glut sparked the biggest crash in a generation. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. marker, is currently near $62 a barrel.

Crudes rebound since last year is encouraging American drillers to pump even as they make efforts to be disciplined on spending, Patterson said. We need to see prices in the short-term trade below $60 to reduce that incentive for U.S. producers, he said.

As American output continues to expand, more exports will sail to Asia, the traditional bastion of Middle East producers. In February, even Saudi Arabias state oil company considered participating in these flows via a U.S. unit, before determining it wasnt economically viable at the time.

Bullish Calls

INGs outlook is in contrast to bullish views from Royal Bank of Canada and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to BMI Research and Societe Generale SA, which see prices supported as strong demand soaks up supply from the U.S. While Patterson does see healthy oil consumption, he said growth may slow and fail to completely absorb gaining American output.

While the U.S. is now pumping more than 10 million barrels a day, surpassing a record set in 1970, that boom is being accompanied by a surge in overseas shipments, helping drain stockpiles at the nations largest storage hub. Exports have averaged about 1.5 million barrels over the past six months, almost double the level in the previous six months, Energy Information Administration data show. Asia is the biggest buyer of the supplies.

Click here for a story on how exports are making U.S. oil costly versus rival crude

OPEC should beware as U.S. shale producers are set to steal a bigger slice of the market in Asia, which consumes more oil than any other region, according to industry consultant Wood Mackenzie Ltd. Crude shipped overseas from the U.S. will soar to almost 4 million barrels a day by the mid-2020s, rivaling shipments from Iraq and Canada, it said last week.

Asia is a market that the Middle East does not really want to give up, INGs Patterson said. We think compliance is likely to slip. The deal will still officially be in place, but once we get into 2019 theres no chance that we will see some sort of deal.
The political scientist and expert on Russia, Professor Dr. Hans-Henning Schroder commented on Russia's military campaign in Syria in an interview to Germany's NDR television channel. "There is no doubt that the Syrian campaign has become a success for Russia. I must admit that the Russian leadership has wisely analyzed the current situation in Syria. As a result of which, Russia was able to achieve military and political victory, using relatively small number of special forces and air forces in cooperation with Iran and Bashar Assad's military, whom it trained," the expert believes.

However, according to the professor, the problem is that the war is still not over, and today it becomes obvious that it is not possible to achieve a peaceful solution of the issue jointly with the Syrian regime, Iran and Turkey. It seems that the peace process needs to be internationalized, but Moscow, Ankara and Tehran are opposed to that measure.

Hans-Henning Schroder believes that Russia's success in Syria was largely made possible by the mistakes of the United States in the region: "The Kremlin clearly benefits from the vacuum that resulted from the vague and ineffective Middle East strategy of former US President Barack Obama And Russia was able to fill this vacuum with a well thought out strategy and political concept - which, of course, can be called cynical, since it places a bet on support of a stronger side in the person of Bashar Assad. But in the end, Russia has achieved success and regained the position of an important actor in the Middle East since the Russian Federation has been squeezed out of the region for many years."

The expert noted that today no solution to the situation in the Middle East is possible without Russia, which have good relations with Turkey, Iran, as well as constant contacts with Israel and Saudi Arabia. "And this is not only military, but also the foreign policy success of Russia," Schroder said.

In his interview, the political scientist also touched upon the issue of Turkish-Russian rapprochement against the background of common goals in Syria, which causes discontent among the NATO countries and, in particular, the United States. "Turkey's current steps in the Middle East are in line with its own interests. The fundamental problem, recognized and used by Russian policy, is that Turkey's Middle East policy is contrary to the interests of the United States and other NATO partners - Ankara and NATO are growing apart, and Russia is using it. We have faced a clever foreign policy strategy that places a pet on the use of existing conflicts and contradictions among other things," professor Hans-Henning Schroder concluded.
Turkeys parliament has approved a set of changes to the countrys electoral laws that critics say are aimed at helping President Recep Tayyip Erdogan consolidate power and could lead to election fraud. Washington Post reports in its article Turkey approves controversial changes to election laws that the changes were approved Tuesday after a tense, all-night session that saw altercations between nationalist and main opposition lawmakers.

Turkey faces elections next year, when Erdogan will need to secure 51 percent of the vote to remain at the helm.

The changes would allow Erdogans ruling party to enter a formal alliance with the nationalist party, permitting the smaller party to gain parliamentary seats even if it fails to pass the 10-percent electoral threshold. In turn, Erdogan would secure the nationalists continued support.

The opposition has called the plans a dirty alliance that would give the smaller party an unfair advantage over other parties. Critics also fear other amendments approved Tuesday will pave the way to voting fraud.

They include moves that would give the government the right to appoint government officials to oversee ballot stations, call in the security forces and to move ballot boxes.

The changes would also allow the electoral authority to count as valid ballot papers lacking an official stamp  a practice that had led to accusations of fraud during a referendum last year, which the opposition unsuccessfully challenged at a higher court.

The measures would come into force after Erdogan approves the changes. The main opposition party, the Republican Peoples Party, CHP, vowed to challenge the amendments at Turkeys Constitutional Court.

A brawl erupted in the assembly hall during the debate and continued in the parliaments lobby. A cameraman, mistaken for an opposition party aide, was attacked by nationalist deputies while filming the fighting with his cell phone but was not seriously hurt.

The elections are currently set for November 2019, but may be brought forward.
The likely appointment of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the new secretary of state following President Donald Trump's shock firing of Rex Tillerson could spell more bad news for Iran. CNBC reports in its article Why Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo is probably bad news for Iran that Pompeo, named as his pick for secretary of state by Trump on Tuesday shortly after he announced Tillerson's departure on Twitter, has taken a notoriously tough stance on Iran in the past in his erstwhile role as director of the CIA.

Not only has Pompeo likened Iran to the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group, calling the country a "thuggish police state" in a speech in October, he has also promised to constrain Iran's investment environment and "roll back" its 2015 nuclear deal.

Showing his disdain for the internationally-brokered agreement, Pompeo said in October that the U.S. intelligence community and Treasury Department could make it harder for Tehran to meddle in regional affairs by exposing Iranian businesses that have ties to the nation's elite security force.

The comment came shortly after Trump refused to certify the nuclear deal, marking the beginning of a campaign to toughen the terms of the agreement and rein in Iranian activities not addressed by the accord.

In November 2016, when Pompeo was appointed to lead the CIA, he warned that Tehran is "intent of destroying America" and called the nuclear deal "disastrous." He added that he was looking forward to "rolling back" the agreement.

Differences of opinion over how Iran should be treated are said to be the source of discord between Trump and Tillerson, whose firing followed a clash over the nuclear deal, the president said Tuesday.

"If you look at the Iran deal I think it's terrible and I guess he thought it was OK  We weren't really thinking the same," Trump said in a statement outside the White House. He said he and Tillerson got on "quite well" but had "different mindsets."

Iran has been increasingly marginalized during the Trump administration, which has sided with Saudi Arabia in the regional battle for influence in the Middle East.

International sanctions on Iran were lifted as part of the Barack Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran that was struck alongside the U.K., Russia, France, China and Germany. It allowed restrictions on Iran's economy and trading activities to be lifted as long as Tehran limited its nuclear energy program, which had long been feared as a cover for developing nuclear weapons.

Trump has been a vociferous critic of the deal since his election, saying that Iran had not stuck to it, although he has so far stopped short of tearing up or renegotiating the agreement.

In January, Trump decided to stick with the deal for now, but said its "terrible flaws" needed to be fixed. In particular, he wants so-called "sunset clauses" that would allow Iran to slowly resume its nuclear activities over the next decade to be removed.

Iran has said it would not accept any changes to the deal.
Armenian authorities tried to put pressure on their own media once again: on the eve of the International Women's Day, the National Assembly (parliament) of the country adopted the Law "On Structure and Activities of the Government of Armenia," which regulates the work of the media. From now on government sessions will be held behind closed doors, 10th paragraph of the law says. Press will be able to attend only a part of the government meetings, which will be determined by the decision of the Prime Minister. Sessions of the Council of Elders of Yerevan will also be held behind closed doors from now on, so work of journalists also be regulated, internet publication NovostiNK.ru writes.

Changes in transparency of the authorities' activities sparked heated discussion among public and journalists of the country, who criticized restrictions imposed on the media. According to Ashot Melikyan, chairman of the Committee on Protection of Freedom of Speech, restrictions are important not only for journalistic circles, but for the entire society, since all efforts of the media are for the benefit of society.

For society, the country's highest political elite must be open, and by imposing such restrictions, the government doesn't allow to obtain objective information about what is happening. Citizens won't know about what is happening in the country. "It's bad not only from the point of view of freedom of speech, but also because it leads to a dead end, creates information vacuum, where society and authorities exist separately from each other," he said, adding that the topic of restriction of journalists' activities is not new: such restrictions are a part of the policy pursued by the Armenian authorities.

"The authorities have already made certain things secret when they made amendments to the law 'On public procurements', adopted in 2015, which is nonsense, because if we fight corruption and abuse of power, the highest political elite of the country should be open to society," Ashot Melikyan added.

This shows that society and authorities of Armenia have completely different view on each other, chief editor of the "Hraparak" newspaper Armine Ohanyan belives. "Tougher restrictions on the media, imposed by the authorities, became a trend: if previously they were insignificant, now, with each passing year, they become more and more tougher. Journalism is turning into extreme sport. It seems that the authorities are trying to isolate themselves from society in every possible way," she believes.

Final product of Armenian journalists and its quality will suffer because of these changes, and, as a result, reader won't receive all necessary information. "In recent years, quality of the work of press secretaries of ministries and various government departments has significantly decreased. They could freely communicate with journalists before, journalists could even organize interviews with officials of high rank, but this almost doesnt happen recently. Many departments began to communicate with the media only through letters," she added.

Decisions and actions of the Armenian authorities, as a result of which the media no longer has access to information sources, have become rational alternative to violent actions - journalists in Armenia got used to the latter in past decades, Anna Akopyan, chief editor of the "Haykakan Zhamanak" newspaper, said.

"If previously journalists or editors could be intimidated using physical violence, beaten or dragged through the courts, now 'civilized' methods of restricting access to information sources have replaced these forceful methods," Akopyan explained. She noted that new amendments will complicate the journalists' work both in the government and in many other state structures.

If this situation won't change and journalists will continue to face obstacles, then society won't receive necessary information, and this, in turn, can lead to unpredictable consequences. Information deficit usually generates mistrust and misinterpretation of processes in any sphere - political, economic and public - experts believe.
International scientific conference "Interpretation of Cultural Heritage of Nizami in Modern Times" is currently held in the framework of the 6th Global Baku Forum. Over 20 scientists from 13 countries - Canada, USA, Brazil, India, Egypt, Georgia, Turkey, Germany, Italy, France, Great Britain, Iran, Finland, as well as more than 30 scientists from Azerbaijan participate in this conference.

Head of the Department of History of Azerbaijan at the Humboldt University, professor Eva-Maria Auch, gave an interview to Vestnik Kavkaza.

- Are conferences like this important?

- There's no doubt they are important. Here, scientists from different countries are discussing important topic, which hides a lot of unexplored. Almost thousand years have passed Since the days of Nizami, but some layers of his work are still undiscovered. We must find material, ask and answer new questions. At today's conference, there were not only linguists and literary critics, but also historians and philosophers. Such interdisciplinary work is very interesting.

- Are the works of Nizami interesting for German orientalists?

- According to old tradition, he's considered one of the Persian poets. Nizami wrote a lot in Persian, although he was born in Azerbaijan. At the same time, his themes are universal. I think he's one of the sources of tolerance that we can see today in Azerbaijan. What we consider to be Azerbaijan's identity has developed on this basis. This is Nizami's achievement.

- Does Germany percieve Azerbaijan as the East or the West?

- It all depends on who's asking questions and who's looking for answers. Politicians and economists perceive Azerbaijan as European country, as a member of the Council of Europe. On the other hand, majority of the population of Azerbaijan are Muslims, therefore this country is considered to be a part of the Eastern world. But at the same time, many people perceive Georgia as part of the Eastern world. Basically, Azerbaijan is at the crossroads of the West and the East, and it's wonderful.

- Did German dramaturgists, writers and philosophers who studied Nizami think the East is exotic?

- We can see in Goethe's WestEastern Diwan that he considers inner affinity of poetry of the East and poetry of the West important. For him, the East and the West are inseparable. However, some time later, colonial policy and nationalist ideas led to discord: you are the East and we are the West.

- How is it connected to today's Islamophobia in Europe?

- You can't say that there's only one opinion in the West. If we won't forget traditions laid down by Nizami and Goethe, we will get a chance to build our common future together. In Germany, there are right-wing circles who fear that "the East is coming," who fear clash of civilizations. That's why it's so important to not forget about intercultural ties that existed for centuries. At one time, the eastern influence led the West to ideas of humanism, enlightenment. Without the East, we would never see the current West.

- Azerbaijan declared 2016 the Year of Multiculturalism, while 2017 was the Year of Islamic Solidarity. Can this serve as an example of successful coexistence of world religions?

- Yes. Let's recall how Mirza Fatali Akhundov spoke about the ideas of reforming society. In this sense, Azerbaijan has a great heritage, deep traditions. Multiculturalism is often understood as a parallel coexistence, but we must take a step forward and be interested in each other, understand and accept each other. That would be great. In this sense, Azerbaijan is already a bridge between the East and the West. I regret that not all ideas of Azerbaijan are appreciated in the West. Very interesting events are being held here. There are people who only meet here. There is an intercultural dialogue. We need to write about this more often.

- This year Yerevan will celebrate its 2800th anniversary. According to Armenian sources, the city is considered to be older than Rome, although if you look at the archives, it's only 500 years old. At one time, its Muslim heritage like mosques was destroyed. What do you think about attempts to manipulate history?

- Unfortunately, we can destruction of historical monuments not only in Armenia, but also, for example, in Afghanistan. However, it's also impossible to deny Armenian history in the Caucasus. We're still far from having enough respect for each other. There is a discussion about who came to this land first. However, this issue must be resolved calmly, quietly, not through war, not through occupation of territories. It's necessary to establish dialogue in order to understand and accept each other. Competition of "who was here first, who was here last" will lead to nothing. It's hard to establish peace when history is being politicized.
The recent resignation of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and his replacement by CIA head Mike Pompeo became the international event of the week. Vestnik Kavkaza spoke with the director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Center for the Study of the US at the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Yuri Rogulev, about what is behind this decision and what are the most probable consequences of Tillerson's replacement for Russia and the world.

- Yuri Nikolayevich, the rumors about the resignation of Rex Tillerson circulated actively in the media for the last six months. In your estimation, what made President Donald Trump fire him at last?

- Among such factors, I see the upcoming meeting with the leader of North Korea, which Trump approved and Tillerson was not aware of because he had previously been skeptical about the possibility of the direct negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang due to the improper conditions. It is likely that the disagreement over North Korea was simply the last straw that led to the break between Trump and Tillerson. Let me remind you, that for a long time, Trump stated that he was going to attack Pyongyang while Tillerson was in for long negotiations and tried to establish the diplomatic contacts. Then, when this work was done, Trump pushed the Secretary of State aside and appointed a meeting with Kim Jong-un by himself. Tillerson objected due to the inadequate elaboration of the future negotiations, and this exacerbated problems in their relations. Since Trump wanted to see only like-minded people at a meeting with the North Korean delegation, he could come to the conclusion that it was necessary to dismiss Tillerson.

- In your opinion, why was CIA head Mike Pompeo chosen to this post?

- The leadership of the US intelligence is not necessarily a negative factor for the US foreign policy relations. For example, President George Bush Sr also headed the CIA but became well-known as a president. First of all, Mike Pompeo is a professional politician who was a member of the House of Representatives of the US Congress before joining the CIA. He is a well-known right-wing politician, close to the Tea Party. What is more important, he has established the long-standing contacts with the president, he is Trumps supporter who stood by him during the election campaign. Donald Trump said that they were on the same wavelength, and in this regard, it will be much easier and more convenient for the president to communicate with Pompeo as the State Secretary rather than with Tillerson.

- In this regard, what changes in the foreign policy and activities of the State Department should be expected under Secretary of State Mike Pompeo?

- On the one hand, he is a hawkish politician, more rigid in relation to Russia. But, on the other hand, unlike Tillerson, he is a true professional in politics, which means that in any case he will trim his sails to the prevailing wind and react to events, primarily as a politician, and not as an ordinary person adhering to clear and rigid ideological convictions. And in this regard, we should expect that Pompeo will take a much more flexible position. This is proved by the fact that recently, he met with the top leadership of the Russian special services. The meeting was secretly held in the US. Exactly Pompeo discussed with the Russian high-level delegation the issues of the bilateral relations. Moreover, Mike Pompeo stated that he was ready to cooperate with the Russian authorities on the issues important for the US.
A total of 437 civilians have been able to evacuate from the Syrian town of Douma along humanitarian corridors, Russias Defense Ministry said on Wednesday, TASS reports.

"The humanitarian pause, which envisions a ceasefire observed by all warring sides and humanitarian deliveries to civilians, has been observed near Douma for the third consecutive day," the Defense Ministry said.

"Along existing humanitarian corridors, 437 civilians have been able to evacuate from Douma," the ministry said. "Tomorrow, the work of humanitarian corridors will be continued."
Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev met with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim today, the presidents press service reported.

At first, Ilham Aliyev welcomed Prime Minister Yildirim and they posed for photographs.

Then, a meeting was held between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Yildirim. Following the meeting, a joint dinner was held.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped Turkeys military and its rebel allies would completely capture the northern Syrian town of Afrin by this evening.

Speaking to local administrators in Ankara, Erdogan also said civilians in Afrin town were being evacuated in cars through a special corridor, as Turkish forces made substantial advances against Kurdish fighters in their nearly two-month-old offensive, Reuters reported.
The European Union unlocked a further three billion euros ($3.7 billion) for refugees in Turkey, the second tranche of a controversial 2016 deal to curb the flow of migrants coming to Europe.

"The Commission is today launching the mobilisation for the second three billion euro tranche of the facility for refugees in Turkey," the European Commission said in a statement.

Under the deal, all new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands must be returned to Turkey. These include both refugees fleeing conflict and persecution as well as economic migrants, AFP recalls.
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili stressed that need to reduce tension in the country's relations with Russia.

"I would like to state unequivocally that our every step serves our countrys interests, of course, and when our country needs it - when we are talking about averting serious provocations and ensuring stability in the country - we the politicians must do our best to defuse tension, even though it may take a toll on our image," Kvirikashvili stressed.

"We must try, do our best, to ensure the unwavering and consistent protection of our countrys interests, fulfill the mandate granted to us by our population, and to provide stable living conditions in the country. This has been and will be our primary goal, and I reiterate that we will surely take steps in this direction", the PM noted.

Kvirikashvili once again reiterated importance of the Geneva International Discussions to achieve real progress.

He said relevant steps must be taken under this format to achieve even small progress, because "this small progress is a source of stability in Georgia and if there is anything our country needs in this unstable world today it is the ability to live in stability," Agenda.ge reported.
Detention visits by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aim at ensuring that detainees Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov are treated with dignity and humanity, the ICRC head office said.

"The ICRC's working modalities are based on confidentiality, in particular - but not exclusively - when it comes to detention visits. Our visits, aim precisely at ensuring that detainees are treated with dignity and humanity, and in full respect of international norms," the ICRC noted.

ICRC Baku Office's Public Relations Department head Ilaha Huseynova said that the committee representatives regularly visit these detainees to monitor treatment with them and conditions of their detention as well as to help to ensure that they are able to maintain contact with their families.

"The last such visit took place in February 2018. However, the ICRC does not share results of its monitoring/observations in detention places publically, but discusses them bilaterally and confidentially with the concerned authorities only," Trend cited her as saying.

The facts of torture against Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov, who were taken hostage while visiting their native lands in Azerbaijans occupied Kalbajar district, were earlier posted on the website of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights.

Dilgam Asgarovs lawyer Anar Bagirov earlier said that they are constantly tortured, and this is not something new.

"We have all the necessary information that we constantly send to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in order to speed up the process of considering the case," he stressed.
The Chechen leader has said accusations against Moscow by the UK and US in the Sergei Skripal poisoning case are an attempt to shift the blame for the incident. He said the truth would soon be uncovered by Russian intelligence, RT reports.

The West demonstrates very interesting behavior. When they are attempting to justify some of their own actions, they start accusing Russia. You can accuse everyone around of your own blunders, but it wont change anything if the facts speak for the opposite, Ramzan Kadyrov wrote in his Telegram messenger-blog on Wednesday.

Everyone knows about the [nerve] agent with which Skripal was reportedly poisoned. The formula had been declassified a long time ago. But the Kalashnikov assault rifle was also invented in Russia  if an American kills a Vietnamese with it, will it also be described as a Russian trace? the head of the Chechen Republic joked.

Kadyrov also stated that, by attempting to shift the blame on Russia, the British agencies were jeopardizing the lives of their own citizens, as the real killer would continue his activities and would not be punished.

And if it were them who eliminated Skripal, our intelligence would find this out soon. Also, this is a good lesson to traitors: No one appreciates treason, when you give up your own motherland, you will not find another, they will simply use you as expendables abroad, he concluded.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will meet with his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to discuss the contract for the purchase of S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems by Turkey.

"The implementation of the signed contract for the supply to Turkey of S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems, as well as other current and promising projects in the sphere of military-technical cooperation" will be a focal point at the talks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The two foreign ministers will meet ahead the foreign ministerial talks of Russia, Iran and Turkey on Syria in Astana on March 16. These talks will precede a summit meeting, scheduled for the start of April in Turkey., TASS recalls.
Today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks in Moscow within the sixth meeting of the Joint Group for Strategic Planning.

The meeting was dedicated to a wide range of issues on the bilateral Russian-Turkish and international agenda, and stabilization in Syria will be among the focal points at the talks, the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza reported.

"The sixth meeting of the Joint Group for Strategic Planning is primary devoted to preparing the Russian-Turkish High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) involving the Russian and Turkish presidents, which will be held in Ankara on April 3. We are interested in ensuring the effectiveness of the summit, including with regard to the economic cooperation, trade, investment and energy cooperation," Lavrov said at the talks, adding that the Turkish Stream project and the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant are important bilateral projects.

Speaking of important factors linking the two countries, the minister noted very good prospects and accumulated experience in the field of cultural and humanitarian ties. "As for international issues, we will focus on the Syrian settlement, whithin which Russia,Turkey and Iran initiated the Astana process and the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi. Traditionally we attache great importance to the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia at our meetings. Of course, we would like to share our views on the current situation between our delegations," he concluded.

Cavusoglu, in turn, said that he was glad to be in Moscow on the occasion of the 6th meeting of the Joint Group for Strategic Planning. "The Presidents firmly expressed their intention to develop our bilateral relations and strengthen cooperation in solving regional issues and problems, so we are working together with them in this direction," he stressed.

"We are implementing the key projects of historical significance - Akkuyu and Turkish Stream. I would like to note that our relations in the sphere of trade and economy are actively developing. This is preparatory meeting in the run-up to a new session of the High Level Cooperation Council in Ankara on April 3. Along with the development of bilateral relations, there is mutual interest to extend cooperation in addressing regional issues." Cavusoglu said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkmen counterpart Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov have discussed bilateral cooperation in economy and trade and multilateral cooperation in the Caspian Sea region in a telephone conversation, the Kremlin press service said.

"The parties discussed key issues of the agenda of bilateral relations, in particular, the implementation process of agreements reached following the Russian president's visit to Turkmenistan in October 2017. The importance of the continuation of coordinated work in order to consolidate the positive momentum of cooperation in trade, economy, energy, culture and humanitarian affairs was noted," the press service said.

Putin and Berdimuhamedov also addressed multilateral interaction in the Caspian Sea region.

The telephone conversation took part at the initiative of the Turkmen side.
The brightest star in the firmament of science, Stephen Hawking, whose insights shaped modern cosmology and inspired global audiences in the millions, has died aged 76, the Guardian reported.

His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday morning confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

Hawkings children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement: We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world."

Considered by many to be the world's greatest living scientist, Hawking was also a cosmologist, astronomer, mathematician and author of numerous books including the landmark "A Brief History of Time" (1988), which has sold more than 10 million copies.

With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory to suggest that space and time would begin with the Big Bang and end in black holes. Hawking also discovered that black holes are not completely black but emit radiation and will likely eventually evaporate and disappear.

Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. He suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is usually fatal within a few years. He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and doctors initially only gave him a few years to live.

The disease left Hawking wheelchair-bound and paralyzed. He was able to move only a few fingers on one hand and was completely dependent on others or on technology for virtually everything - bathing, dressing, eating, even speech.

Hawking used a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerized voice with an American accent.

Hawking was married twice. He and his first wife, Jane Wilde, wed when he was still a grad student and remained together for 30 years before divorcing in 1995. Hawking was later married for 11 years to Elaine Mason, one of his former nurses.

He had at least 12 honorary degrees and was awarded the CBE in 1982. A CBE, or Commander in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, is considered a major honor for a British citizen and is one rank below knighthood.

Despite being a British citizen he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the US's highest civilian honor, in 2009 by President Barack Obama.
iStock/Thinkstock(SEASIDE, Calif.) -- A California teacher is believed to have accidentally fired his weapon in a classroom today.



Seaside police officers were summoned to Seaside High School Tuesday after the teacher, who was teaching a public safety class, discharged the weapon, police said in a statement.



Officials said one student was injured either by a bullet fragment or ceiling debris and transported to a local hospital by his parent for treatment. No one was seriously injured.



The teacher involved was identified by police as Dennis Alexander, who is a reserve police officer for the City of Sand City as well.



The incident is under investigation.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
London has handed to Moscow a list of 23 Russian diplomats declared personae non grata, with the embassys military diplomats put on it, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in the 60 Minutes program on Rossiya24 channel, TASS reports.

"Today, the list was handed to the Russian side, we have it," she said. "They are Russian diplomats. Among them are military diplomats. Those people are ordered to leave the United Kingdom within seven days."
Russias envoy to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov commented on the appointment of Michael Pompeo as US Secretary of State, noting that he does not expect him to take a too mild approach.

Chizhov also said that the dismissal of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is not connected to the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergey Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, TASS reported.

"Im convinced that first, he [Rex Tillerson] was fired as the Secretary of State not due to this episode. Second, I have no grounds to expect his successor to take a too mild approach," Chizhov told Euronews TV channel.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump announced that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had been dismissed and Michael Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, would replace him. Later, Tillerson announced that he would step down on March 31.
The President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, on Wednesday received chairperson Konstantin Kosachev of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Russian Council of the Federation, News.am reports.

Kosachev is in Armenia within the framework of the joint meetingsin capital city Yerevanof the aforesaid committee and of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia, press office of the President informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

As per President Sargsyan, Armenian-Russian relations are distinguished by their active discourse and effective cooperation at the highest levels.

Stressing that the strengthening of strategic relations with Russia is among the priorities of Armenias foreign policy, the President added that the country wishes to collaborate with all integration associations that play an important role in the region.
US President Donald Trump said his new national security strategy recognizes that space is a theater of war, and he floated the idea of creating a Space Force, a branch of the military that would operate outside of earth's atmosphere.

"Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea," Trump told a an audience of service members at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. "We may even have a Space Force, develop another one, Space Force. We have the Air Force, we'll have the Space Force."

Trump described how he'd originally coined the term as a joke, while discussing US government spending and private investment in space. "I said, 'maybe we need a new force, we'll call it the Space Force,' and I was not really serious. Then I said, 'what a great idea,' maybe we'll have to do that," he said.

"So think of that, Space Force," CNBC cited the president as saying.
The relations between the US and Turkey do not depend on individuals, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.

"Whoever comes in, Turkeys stance is clear. It is not so important to us what the new secretary thinks about Turkey," Yildirim said, speaking to the media in Ankara.

At the same time he hopes that Rex Tillersons exit as secretary of state would improve relations between the US and Turkey.

"I hope healthier relations [with the U.S.] could be developed after that," Anadolu Agency cited Yildirim as saying.

Yesterday, US President Donald Trump announced CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his pick to be the countrys new secretary of state, ousting Rex Tillerson.
The United Kingdom has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council over the poisoning of former Russian military intelligence (GRU) Colonel Sergey Skripal, the British Foreign Office said on Twitter.

"The UK has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to update Council members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack in Salisbury," the tweet reads.

On March 4, Skripal and his daughter Yulia suffered from effects of an unknown nerve agent. They were found unconscious on a bench in a park near the Maltings shopping center in the city of Salisbury. Both are currently in hospital in critical condition.
For the first time, the Iranian flag-carrier airline, Iran Air, is set to recruit female pilots, the CEO of Iran Air Farzaneh Sharafbafi said.

The airline publishes a job vacancy advertisement to recruit new pilots annually; the main feature of this years advertisement is the possibility for female pilots to apply, PANA quoted Sharafbafi as saying.

Currently, five top managers of Iran Air are women, she said, adding, based on official figures, about 1780 women are working in Iran Air and nearly 4000 others are involved in affiliated companies and air travel agencies, Tehran Times reported.

The CEO of Iran Air added that a number of 16% of the women working for Iran Air are among the middle-ranking officials

This is highly significant for us to have female pilots among our personnel, Sharafbafi stressed.

Iran enjoys high number of female pilots, Sharafbafi noted, adding, employment of new pilots, men or women will be according to Iran Airs quality based administrative procedures.

She noted that the selected applicants will then begin to work on a certain type of plane as co-pilots.
JSC Zarubezhneft is the first Russian oil company, which will sign two IPCs (Iranian Petroleum Contract) with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), a source in the company said.

Under the contract, the company will work at the Aban and Western Peydar fields in a consortium with the local Dana Energy, TASS reported.

The terms and cost of the contract have not been disclosed.
HA NOI  Vietnam International Bank (VIB) has targeted a pre-tax profit of more than VN2 trillion (US$88 million) in 2018, surging 43 per cent against last years figure.

VIB expects its total assets to reach VN150.23 trillion, up 22 per cent year-on-year, and deposits to amount to VN100 trillion, growing by 22 per cent. The bank expects to maintain bad debts at below 3 per cent.

VIB will also propose a plan to increase its charter capital to maximum VN8.1 trillion at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Shareholders on March 29 in Ha Noi.

The additional capital will be raised from offering and issuing new shares to investors as well as issuing bonus shares using share premium reserves, investment and development reserves, capital reserves and retained earnings, the bank said in a statement.

The capital hike is aimed to provide credit to corporate and individual customers with stable financial status and potential development and to priority customers in the prioritised poduction and business sectors as instructed by the Government, the bank said.

The capital source is also planned to invest in improving facilities, technology, products and risk management capacity, and upgrading the branch network to enhance the competitiveness of VIB and expand the presence of the bank in provinces and cities across the country, the bank added.

Last year saw the strongest and highest growth of VIB in the past five years, with all business units exceeding its sales and profit plan.

The bank recorded a pre-tax profit of over VN1.4 trillion, double the previous year and reaching 187 per cent of the plan approved in the last AGM.

Total assets reached VN123.2 trillion, surpassing the plan, while credit growth reached 26 per cent and bad debts were maintained at below 3 per cent.

VIB continued to be recognised by international institutions and State management agencies as one of the best banks in terms of quality and transparency. VIB was the first bank in Viet Nam to win the Leading Vietnam Bank for Trade Finance for SMEs award granted by Asian Development Bank.

It also received Viet Nams Outstanding Innovative Banking Service Award in 2017 by IDG for MyVIB Social Keyboard, the Most Innovative Banking Brand in Vietnam 2017 award by the Global Brands magazine from the United Kingdom and the Best Customer Service Bank Viet Nam 2017 award by Global Banking & Finance Review.  VNS
HCM CITY  Vietnamese companies operating in the supporting industry need to increase competitiveness to be able to enter global supply chains, experts said at a seminar held in HCM City yesterday.

Nguyen Thi Xuan Thuy from the Institute of Industrial Policies and Strategies (IIPS), which is under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, cited the example of Viet Nams status among ASEAN nations that manufacture vehicles.

Compared to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, Viet Nam ranks third in population after Indonesia and the Philippines but its automobile production output ranks fifth among the five countries, she said.

The Vietnamese parts supply industry is still underdeveloped, she added. Domestic manufacturing and assembling enterprises in Viet Nam have to import automobile spare parts from various sources, including Korea, Japan, China, Thailand and Indonesia.

Due to the small scale of Viet Nams automobile market, the costs for producing auto parts or components are high. Therefore, demand for domestically made parts is relatively low, constraining the development of the local supporting industry.

As a result, automobile assembly firms choose to use imported parts, creating a vicious cycle that remains unsolved, she told the seminar on Supporting Industry in Industry 4.0.

In principle, the number of part suppliers must be much higher than assemblers, but the total of suppliers remains very modest in Viet Nam.

For instance, the country has 20 automobile assembly firms, while Thailand has 16, but the number of Tier-1 and Tier-2 and 3 parts suppliers are 84 and 145 in Viet Nam, compared to 690 and 1,700, respectively, in Thailand, Thuy said.

Because the number and capacity of Vietnamese firms is still modest, entering the ASEAN production chain continues to be difficult.

This year the tariff on complete-built-in (CBU) units on automobiles imported from ASEAN nations was reduced to zero per cent under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, causing competition among domestically made products.

The automobile market in Viet Nam has good prospects, she added. The potential of the countrys automotive market is assessed based on factors such as the size and structure of the population, per capita income, the number of vehicles per 1,000 people, and infrastructure development.

Viet Nam has over 90 million people and a growing middle class, with per capita income estimated to reach US$3,000 by 2020.

The countrys automobile market is expected to soon have an automotive consumption rate (known as motorisation) of 23 vehicles per 1,000 people, Thuy said.

Road traffic systems are expanding with intercity connections through a network of highways, creating more favourable conditions for private cars, she added.

Delegates at the seminar also spoke about the impact of the so-called fourth industrial revolution on the automobile industry.

New technology will help firms increase productivity, but it will also expose challenges for local firms. Because of the weak capacity of the industry, firms might lag behind others, they said.

Nguyen Duong Hieu, chairman and general manager of LIDOVIT Trading and Industrial JSC, said the impact of the fourth industrial revolution was still new to many Vietnamese.

I think local producers firstly need to invest in upgrading their technology, and integrate management systems to better manage their production and approach the market, he said.

He said that management agencies should provide local part suppliers with specific requirements of foreign firms so they can prepare to meet their standards.

Delegates also suggested that the Government set up a website for businesses in the parts industry so they can update their information, which would make it easier for downstream producers, including foreign ones, to find parts suppliers.

The seminar was held by the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade, the Board of Management of Saigon Hi-Tech Park and HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority.  VNS
The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is considering funding the Block B&52/97 project of the Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetrolVietnam) with loans without a government guarantee. Photo ptsc.com.vn

HA NOI  The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is considering funding the Block B&52/97 project of the Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetrolVietnam) with loans without a government guarantee.

General Director of PetroVietnam Nguyen Vu Truong Son recently worked with JBIC representatives on the financial arrangements for the project.

According to PetroVietnam, the project, worth nearly US$10 billion, is one of the two largest gas projects in Viet Nam. The capital arrangement for the project is one of the main concerns of foreign partners involved in the project.

The Block B&52/97 projects oilfield development report was approved by contractors and the State appraisal council, while its environmental impact assessment report was ratified by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The quantitative risk assessment report was also submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

As scheduled, the contract will be awarded in June 2018, and the signing of Engineering Procurement Construction and Installation (EPCI) contracts for the project will be done in July.

The Block B&52/97 project includes two sub-projects. The first aims to develop the Block B oilfield, with PetroVietnam owning maximum capital in the project (42.896 per cent). Other investors are PetroVietnam Exploration and Production Corporation (26.788 per cent), Mitsui Oil Exploration Company (MOECO) of Japan (22.575 per cent), and Thailands PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTTEP) (7.741 per cent).

The second is to build the Block B-O Mon gas pipeline having a total length of 430km. PetroVietnam, PetroVietnam Gas Corporation (PV Gas), MOECO and PTTEP have invested in this project.

The Block B&52/97 project is expected to bring ashore 5.06 billion cu.m of gas per year within 20 years, meeting the gas demand of power plants in the south.

It is expected to contribute some $18 billion to the State budget.  VNS
HA NOI  A huge cash flow into banking and securities shares in the final minutes of Tuesdays session on the local stock exchanges drove shares up, with the VN-Index finally exceeding the short-term peak of 1,130 points.

The benchmark VN-Index on the HCM Stock Exchange advanced 0.62 per cent to close at 1.133,31 points, totaling a two-day rise of 0.88 per cent.

According to BIDV Securities JSC (BSC), the VN-Index surpassed the peak with the dynamics from the smart cash flow.

Positive market sentiment will likely pull the index up in the next session. However, the risk still exists when the division tends to spread and liquidity has not really broke through, BSC said.

The minor HNX Index moved up 0.47 per cent to end at 129.66 points. The northern market index advanced 1.16 per cent to end at 129.06 points on Monday.

More than 289.09 million shares were traded on the two local bourses, worth VN7.9 trillion (US$348 million).

On the two stock markets, the market breadth was negative with 268 declining stocks against 214 gaining ones, while 249 other shares ended flat.

The UPCOM Index on the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM) fell 0.09 per cent to 61.31 points, totaling a two-day lost of 0.19 per cent.

Foreign investors today were net buyers of VN184.18 billion on HOSE, focusing on VRE (VN213.64 billion), VIC (VN57.45 billion) and VNM (VN28 billion). In addition, they net sold VN4.95 billion on the HNX.

The banking and securities sectors indices jumped 1.65 per cent and 1.67 per cent, respectively, data on vietstock.vn showed.

Viet Nam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (CTG) is the most noticeable among banking shares that contributed to Tuesdays gain, up 6.7 per cent, followed by Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPB) and Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MBB), up 2 and 2.7 per cent, respectively.

Blue-chips in the brokerage sector also rallied, including Sai Gon Securities Incorporation (SSI), gaining 2.86 per cent, Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation (HCM), rising 5.46 per cent and VNDirect Securities Corporation (VND), up 1.8 per cent.

According to Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC), market sentiment is forecast to stay cautious in the next sessions as investors are waiting for the review of the two ETFs this weekend. The market is likely to continue its sideways movement amid wide divergence.

Meanwhile, according to Viet Dragon Securities Co (VDSC), the VN-Index continued to fluctuate strongly within the session, which might be interesting for risk-seeking investors. As for risk-averse ones, we recommend to monitor market moves and wait for clearer opportunities.  VNS
HA NOI  The trend of foreign financial institutions withdrawing capital from their Vietnamese joint ventures has raised questions about the countrys state of financial stability, but experts claim the situation is no cause for alarm.

Since early to mid 2017, well known international institutions such as France s BNP Paribas, Hong Kongs HSBC and Australia s Commonwealth Bank have attracted media attention as they took turns withdrawing money from their Vietnamese partners.

The trend continued with ANZs sale of their retail sector in Viet Nam to Shinhan Banks Vietnamese branch in December 2017. US Standard Chartered Bank sold its entire 8.75 per cent stake in a joint venture with Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) in January 2018.

The main reason for a number of international banks narrowed operations in Viet Nam , according to some experts, is an inevitable change in their business strategy. These banks consider maintaining previous investments less profitable than withdrawing capital from their Vietnamese partners and investing elsewhere.

Banking expert Nguyen Tri Hieu drew a contrast between Western banks and Asian banks. He explained that Asian investors are quite knowledgeable about Viet Nam s market and business culture with their own native clients working here, much more so than their Western counterparts.

Hieu told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that in recent years, many Asian investors from Japan , South Korea , Malaysia and Singapore have entered Viet Nam , while investors from European countries are becoming more cautious, with some banks withdrawing capital from the country.

Talking to the VNA, financial expert Bui Quang Tin said that a divergence in business strategies is unavoidable when domestic and foreign capital investors work together for a significant length of time.

Tin shared his positive view that in the near future, foreign investors will be able to invest more in local banks, namely Vietcombank, VietinBank or BIDV, once these institutions opt for a more open cooperation policy, especially with Agribanks imminent equitisation.

He further argued that private commercial banks should expect profit in the following years to rise, while the bad debt ratio is expected to decrease thanks to the National Assemblys Decree 42 on handling bad credit institutions.

In the same vein, the National Financial Supervisory Commission quoted financial and banking expert Can Van Luc that the national banking system is better than it was a few years ago.

Luc opposed the suggestion that a high level of non-performing loans, lack of risk management and corporate governance have reduced Vietnamese banks attractiveness.

I do not think that the countrys business market is deteriorating, nor is it the reason behind decreasing banks profit, as some have commented, said Luc.

On the contrary, positive factors such as sharply increasing banking stocks, average annual growth rate of 15 to 16 per cent in the financial sector and a more open legal corridor mean Viet Nam should be seen as a potential investment destination, he added.

Here to stay

In order to attract and retain investment from foreign banks, the domestic banking system would need to be more flexible, professional and comprehensively re-structured, said Hieu.

The national banking system has begun restructuring in recent years, but still not all the way. Only when domestic banks are able to deal with bad debts, replenish their own capital to become healthier, more stable and more attractive, can foreign investors start pouring money in, he explained.

And yet, ANZ Vietnams representative told the VNA that they will not be out of Viet Nam completely, acknowledging a long and successful operation history in the country.

According to ANZ, the transfer of their retail banking business to Shinhan Bank is part of a strategy to simplify the bank and increase its capital efficiency.

This would hopefully allow ANZ to focus its resources on Asia s largest business segment - corporate clients and financial institutions - as ANZ is one of the four leading banks in trade support and capital in the region.

ANZs representative further said that the bank was committed to continuing its presence in Viet Nam , to support regional and national financial institutions and businesses.
HA NOI  Viet Nam spent some US$15 million to import nearly 2,300 tonnes of beef from Australia and the United States in the first two months of this year, according to the General Department of Customs.

Of this, some 1,349 tonnes of beef worth $8.9 million came from the United States, while 948 tonnes worth $6.6 million were imported from Australia.

Viet Nam imported 930 tonnes of boneless beef and 18 tonnes of beef ribs from Australia and 834 tonnes of boneless beef and 65 tonnes of beef ribs from the United States.

In 2017, the country had imported 210 tonnes of beef ribs and 3,901 tonnes of boneless beef from Australia, while it had imported 6,085 tonnes of boneless beef and 353 tonnes of beef ribs from the United States, reported the Phap luat Thanh pho HCM (HCM City Law) newspaper.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said in 2017, Viet Nam imported over 6,500 tonnes of pork worth $11.07 million and more than 81,000 tonnes of poultry meat, valued at over $75.7 million.

Last year, the nation imported 262,321 units of live cattle and nearly 42,000 tonnes of beef worth $410 million.  VNS
HA NOI  A photo contest on Rural Women and Sustainable Development has kicked off with the aim of recognising rural womens contributions to the growth and prosperity of Viet Nam in commemoration of International Womens Day 2018.

UN Women joined hands with the Embassies of Australia and Canada in Viet Nam to organise the event.

Photographers can send their entries to the organising board before June 8.

Participants are encouraged to submit photos under six specific topics including rural women and technology; rural women and sustainable agriculture; rural women and disaster/climate change; rural women in business and/or co-operatives; rural women in leadership and decision making; and gender equality between rural women and men.

Photography is detail-oriented and highlights specific individuals and scenes. It can be a powerful tool to raise awareness and to trigger positive development in society. This contest gives a platform to Vietnamese society to picture the positive changes they want to see regarding empowering rural women.

The winning images, in colour or black-and-white, will be selected based on the strength of their potential impact on societys perceptions of rural women and sustainable development.

The awarding ceremony and exhibition of excellent works will take place on October 20.  VNS
HA NOI  Eight art spaces and art initiatives in Ha Noi and Hue will receive grants from the Danish Culture Development and Exchange Fund (CDEF) to carry out and develop their activities during 2018.

The eight CDEF recipients are Hanoi Doclab, Heritage Space, Manzi Art Space, Matca, Nha San Studio, Rec Room, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) and Then Cafe.

Within the grants framework, these local art groups will be able to produce projects that engage the community with various types of modern arts such as painting and installation exhibitions, film-making and photography workshops, publications and performances in the years of 2018-19.

Hanoi Doclab will receive VN150 million (US$6,600) for its A Multi-Faceted Platform for Moving Image and Media Arts project which will focus on sound and visual works. It will equip local art practitioners with technical and critical knowledge to sustain their practices through a series of workshops, projects, exhibition programmes, publication initiatives and collaborations with Danish partners.

Heritage Space will receive VN180 million. This is the second time it will receive a CDEF grant for its Months of Arts Practice.

"With CDEFs grant we will continue to create an exchange platform for direct exchange between local and international artists with the special theme of minorities and vulnerable groups in society," said Heritage Spaces art director Nguyen Anh Tuan.

Manzi Art Space will use its grant of VN120 million to carry out Contemporary Art in Viet Nam : Audience Development & Roles of Art in Social Development Project. The project contains a variety of contemporary art activities with film screenings, cultural debates, a literature events, visual art exhibitions and music performances with the participation of both local and international artists.

Matca is the youngest organisation to receive the grant this year. It will get VN150 million for its Matca - A Gathering Space for Vietnamese Photography project. It is to create a community art space for Vietnamese young photographers. It expects to hold four exhibitions under the project.

Established in 1998, Nha San Studio is the oldest contemporary art centre in Ha Noi. Its grant is VN180 million to consist of a series of arts and cultural events throughout 2018, promoting the work of young artists and curators and stimulating artistic and generational dialogues in Viet Nam .

Key events will be the Emerging Artists Programme, Future in Reserve Programme and Nha San 20+ Exhibition.

Hue-based Then Cafe will aim to create a residency programme for 10 young Vietnamese artists and five others from Asian countries in Art Village , in Hue City . With the support of VN120 million, the invitees will create art-works inspired from their profound experiences and mutual collaborations.

TPD and Rec Room focus on film and music. TPD will receive VN101 million for bringing cinema to audiences whilst Rec Room will get VN80 million for its Viet Nam Tour project. An art-bus tour with a special focus on music performances is used to promote Vietnamese young artists and their underground arts across the country. The tour will kick off on May 25 and will last tentatively around 24 days.

"We are very pleased that Denmark s contributions have been instrumental in encouraging new and experimental art projects and collaborations in Viet Nam over the past 13 years," said Ane Kirsten Andersen, the embassys Cultural Counselor at the press conference held on Monday. "Arts spread beyond words and they are bridges, which can enhance our understanding of each others differences, but especially of our similarities".
HA NOI  The Pen Monument in Hoan Kiem Lake is set to go green to celebrate St. Patricks Day  Irelands National Day on March 17, as Ha Noi joins the Global Greening Initiative for the second time.

The greening ceremony will be held at 6pm and will be followed by the Ireland Day event, a fun-filled free public event of Irish cultural activities organised by the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), a partner of the Embassy.

Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture, Andrew Doyle, will represent the Government of Ireland at the St. Patricks Day Celebrations in Viet Nam, and the Traditional Irish Music Society of University College Dublin (UCD Tradsoc) will present some of the best Irish music and dance.

Every year on March 17, Ireland and its people celebrate St Patricks Day, Irelands national day. With up to 70 million people around the world claiming Irish ancestry and many more friends of Ireland, St. Patricks Day is a worldwide celebration.

Since 2010 a very special project called Irelands Global Greening Initiative has grown to become a significant worldwide campaign in which landmark sites around the world turn green to mark St. Patricks Day.

This year on St Patricks Day, over 300 of the worlds most famous landmarks (stadiums, statues, museums and towers) in over 32 countries around the world, such as the Empire State building in New York, City Hall in London, and the Great Wall of China, will turn green for the day.

Over 10,000 Irish visitors travel to Viet Nam each year, and we have a resident Irish community of about 1,000 who are particularly active in education and business. About 200 Vietnamese students are studying in Ireland.  VNS
HA NOI  The Embassy of Italy in Viet Nam, in co-operation with the IBLA Foundation, will organise a concert on March 16 at the Ha Noi Youth Theatre.

The show is being organised within the framework of celebrations for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Young, talented musicians from Italy and other countries, who have been awarded the prestigious IBLA Grand Prize, will perform a selection of iconic pieces from Italian and European classical composers, such as Rossini, Cimarosa, Schubert, Brahms, Liszt and many others.

Piano, flute, guitar and accordion will guide us along an original journey through the beauty of music in order to celebrate the Italian - Vietnamese friendship.

The artists include guitar duo Robert Guzik and Adam Woch (Poland), pianist Kai Han (the US), pianist Tamara Licheli (Georgia), accordionist Ghenadie Rotari (Moldova) and pianist Valentina Vargiu (Italy).

Ibla is the name of an ancient baroque enclave, in the hilltop UNESCO World Heritage site that sits below the more modern centre of Ragusa.

The IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition is an annual music competition open to all instruments, vocalists and composers with a focus on classical music.

The competition aims to nourish the career of the winners by offering a large international performance experience.

This competition is different from most other music competitions in a way that there are no rounds or prizes such as a first and second prize, and competitors are judged against the international standard of high quality performances rather than competing against each other. From that perspective, there could be one, or many winners, depending on the performance quality level expressed by contestants.

Free tickets can be collected at the Ha Noi Youth Theatre, 10 Ngo Thi Nham Street from today.  VNS
LONDON  Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, was Britains most famous modern day scientist, a genius who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe.

Born on January 8, 1942 - 300 years to the day after the death of the father of modern science, Galileo Galilei - he believed science was his destiny.

But fate also dealt Hawking a cruel hand.

Most of his life was spent in a wheelchair crippled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease that attacks the nerves controlling voluntary movement.

Remarkably, Hawking defied predictions he would only live for a few years, overcoming its debilitating effects on his mobility and speech that left him paralysed and able to communicate only via a computer speech synthesiser.

"I am quite often asked: how do you feel about having ALS?" he once wrote. "The answer is, not a lot.

"I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many."

Stephen William Hawking, though, was far from normal.

Inside the shell of his increasingly useless body was a razor-sharp mind, fascinated by the nature of the Universe, how it was formed and how it might end.

"My goal is simple," he once said. "It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

Much of that work centred on bringing together relativity - the nature of space and time - and quantum theory - how the smallest particles in the Universe behave -- to explain the creation of the Universe and how it is governed.

In 1974, he became one of the youngest fellows of Britains most prestigious scientific body, the Royal Society, at the age of 32.

In 1979 he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, where he had moved from Oxford University to study theoretical astronomy and cosmology.

A previous holder of the prestigious post was the 17th-century British scientist Isaac Newton.

Hawking eventually put Newtons gravitational theories to the test in 2007 when, aged 65, he went on a weightless flight in the United States as a prelude to a hoped-for sub-orbital spaceflight.

Characteristically, he did not see the trip as a mere birthday present.

Instead, he said he wanted to show that disability was no bar to achievement and to encourage interest in space, where he believed humankinds destiny lay.

"I think the human race has no future if it doesnt go into space," he said.

"I believe life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers."  AFP
HCM City always treasures and will do its utmost to preserve and promote the friendship and comprehensive co-operation with Cambodian localities, including Phnom Penh, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan said.  VNA/VNS Photo Xuan Khu

HCM CITY  HCM City always treasures and will do its utmost to preserve and promote the friendship and comprehensive co-operation with Cambodian localities, including Phnom Penh, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan said.

The official made the remarks at his meeting with Phnom Penhs Governor Khuong Sreng on Tuesday, noting that HCM City wishes to foster collaboration with Phnom Penh in tourism, industry and transport.

He congratulated the Cambodian people on their great achievements, and the Cambodian Peoples Party on its victory at the fourth senate election in February 2018.

Nhan also praised initiatives raised by Phnom Penh leaders to send young leaders of districts of Phnom Penh to HCM City to exchange experience in management and urban development.

For his part, Sreng recalled Viet Nams great support for Cambodia during its struggle for national liberation.

He highlighted Cambodian leaders responsibility for educating young generations to promote the fruitful neighbourliness and time-honoured co-operation between Cambodia and Viet Nam, as well as between Phnom Penh and HCM City.

The Governor said the Cambodian delegation comprises young leaders of Phnom Penhs districts, who understand Viet Nams support for Cambodias fight against the Pol Pot genocidal regime.  VNS
The draft amendments to the Competition Law and Law on Higher Education were discussed at the ongoing 22nd sitting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Assembly yesterday.  VNA/VNS Photo An ang

HA NOI  The draft amendments to the Competition Law and Law on Higher Education were discussed at the ongoing 22nd sitting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National Assembly yesterday.

Presenting a report reviewing the revised draft of the Competition Law, Chairman of the NA Economic Committee Vu Hong Thanh said the wider scope of the draft law, which will cover activities performed outside the territory of Viet Nam that could reduce competition in the Vietnamese market, was practically necessary and aligned with international norms.

In order to ensure the feasibility of scope expansion, the draft law stipulates that the National Competition Committee is responsible for conducting cooperation activities with foreign counterparts in the proceedings for timely detection and investigation.

In the absence of international treaties between Viet Nam and other countries and territories, the competition authority will cooperate with foreign partners through international competitive forums such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and bilateral cooperation channels.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh explained that the Competition Law 2004 did not provide a clear legal basis for regulating activities outside the countrys territory.

Meanwhile, in many countries around the world, competition authorities have conducted investigations and handled many cases of restricting cross-border competition. Therefore, the scope of the draft law is to create a legal corridor to investigate and deal with unhealthy competition wherever it occurs, but it has the potential to negatively impact the competition environment in Viet Nam, he said.

In addition, it enabled the Vietnamese competition authorities to cooperate with foreign counterparts in investigating and settling competition cases and facilitating the implementation of commitments on competition in bilateral and multilateral treaties, he said.

Regarding the responsibility of state management on competition which drew different viewpoints, the NAs Economic committee said the merger of three related agencies, namely the Competition Authority, the Competition Council and the Office of Competition Council, into a competition authority called the National Competitive Committee under the Ministry of Industry and Trade  is necessary. It will help to streamline the state apparatus while ensuring efficiency and independence in dealing with competition cases.

Earlier in the morning session, the NA Standing Committee discussed the draft amendment of the Law on Higher Education.

The draft law, written by the Ministry of Education and Training, was due to amend 39 of 73 articles and supplement two articles to the law, which was passed in 2012.

Accordingly, there are 15 major issues to be addressed, including models and structure of higher education institutions; planning the network of higher education institutions; university rankings; conditions for ensuring the quality of tertiary education; autonomy and accountability for the quality of training in higher education institutions.

Presenting a report on the draft law, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha said that after five years of implementation, the law has revealed a number of shortcomings which deter the comprehensive reform of tertiary education.

Phan Thanh Binh, chairman of the NA Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children said the majority of deputies agreed with the need to amend some articles of the Law on Higher Education to rectify the restrictions of the current regulations and meet the demand for renewing the countrys educational system.

Although the Higher Education Law has been in effect for five years, some guidelines have been issued for just a year. As a result, there has not been enough time to verify the effectiveness of the regulations.

The deputies suggested that the compiling committee should review the laws inadequacies, analysing the causes so that the content, scope and timetable for the amendments would be set forth appropriately.

They also said the amendment and supplementation of the law must create a legal framework for the development of higher education, achieving the utmost important goal of high quality human resource.

Chairman of NA Law Committee Nguyen Khac inh requested that the compiling committee review the content of the Law on Higher Education, Law on Education and other related laws to ensure the synchronisation of the legal system.  VNS
HCM CITY  More than 400 students will take part in a national science and technology contest for secondary schools and high schools in the southern region from March 17 to 20 in the Central Highlands city of a Lat.

They will present a total of 239 projects, 22 more than last year.

In the north, the contest saw 249 projects by 475 students, 30 more than last year, as it wrapped up on Tuesday in Nghe An Province.

Thirteen projects won first prizes worth VN 1.3 million (US$57) each.

Teams from Ha Noi won three first prizes, followed by teams from Nghe An Province and Hai Phong City with two each.

Second prizes were handed out to 26 projects and third prizes to 38 projects.

Participating students presented their projects and were interviewed by the jury.

The annual contest is organised by the Ministry of Education and Training to encourage science and technology research, innovation and application at the high school level. VNS
HCM CITY For nearly 30 years, researchers at the Faculty of Tissue, Embryo and Genetics under Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University have been making use of amniotic membrane, which is commonly treated as medical waste and discarded. Under their hands, it has been processed to heal wounds and corneal damage instead.

Tran Cong Toai, the facultys dean, told Thanh Nien (Young people) newspaper that the research on transplant materials was conceived in 1989, starting with the application of freeze-dried amniotic membrane into skin grafts for people who suffered serious burns or injuries.

Researchers used amniotic membranes of healthy pregnant women to create biological membranes which then would be applied onto burnt patients using the same technique as a skin graft. Those amniotic membranes had to meet high standards set by the American Association of Tissue Banks.

In 2002, they conducted the project of cell transplant onto amniotic membranes and its therapeutic application. In 2006, the research on keratinocyte cell culture was first implemented. Therein, a small piece of skin from a burnt person was separated to take its stem cell, which would be cultured in three weeks to increase its size up to 25 times. The stem cell was then embedded into an amniotic membrane and implanted on a burnt persons skin.

In the 90s, we processed about 10,000 pieces of amniotic membrane, size 10x20cm, a year, said Toai.

The cost to culture stem cells on a piece of amniotic membrane size 10x10cm was VN1.5 million (US$66). Due to the financial shortage, researchers could not mass produce the stem cells and had to prioritise burnt people with urgent demands for skin graft, according to Toai.

Besides practising stem cells culturing, they do research on the use of coral as human bone replacement with coral samples taken from Binh Thuan Province and Phu Quoc Island with the support of Viet Nam Institute of Oceanography in Nha Trang City.

Corals are washed, remodeled, implanted with stem cells and cultured in a month. Corals then will gradually turn into bones after a certain period of time. The application of corals is found in several fields including the dental implant or eyeball replacement, Toai added.

Ngo Van Hong, head of Department of Ophthalmology under Cho Ray Hospital, said that the hospital doctors only used biological membranes made by the faculty for their patients.

Nguyen Minh Khai, director of HCM City Hospital of Ophthalmology, also highly appreciated the impacts of those products on patients, saying most of their patients had eyeball surgeries using the facultys products.

However, researchers are pondering how to approach a wider range of patients and hospitals.

As we specialise in researching and teaching, it is impossible for us to mass produce skeleton replacements and biological membranes. This is the common weakness among Vietnamese universities, Toai said.

Therefore, the facultys researchers have proposed a plan to build a research centre on products clinical applications and technological transfer to the university so that more patients can benefit from these medical innovations.  VNS
HCM CITY -- Meningococcal disease is not new, but recently, drug-resistance in children with meningitis has been increasing, doctors in HCM City have warned.

Doctors fear the disease would have heavy consequences for children, while the supply of vaccines is not sufficient to meet demand.

Meningococcal disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. This bacterium can cause serious and sometimes fatal diseases, including meningitis (infection of the brain lining) and meningococcal septicemia (infection of the blood).

After falling from a set of stairs, Le Nguyen Gia Bao, 16 months, living in Binh Tan District, suffered a cracked skull. The patient was treated at HCM Citys Nhi ong 1 (Children 1) Hospital however, after a period of treatment, he fell into a high fever.

After several consultations and examinations, doctors concluded that the child had meningitis caused by pneumococcal bacteria.

Dr. Truong Huu Khanh, chairman of the Infectious and Neurological Department at Children 1 Hospital, said that because of the cracked skull, pneumococcal bacteria had attacked the patients brain.

At the Infectious and Neurological Department, about 20 children are currently being treated for meningitis. At times, the department receives and treats up to 50 children with meningococcal disease.

Since earlier this year, the Department of Emergency and Respiratory Care, at HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases has received five child patients with severe meningitis due to pneumococcal bacteria.

On average, every year, 30-40 children with pneumococcal meningitis are hospitalized at the HCM City Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The Infectious Diseases Department at the HCM City Childrens Hospital has received five child patients with meningitis, including a 13-year-old boy from Soc Trang who was in critical condition.

Doctors said that the meningococcal disease caused by the main pneumococcal bacteria include Hib, Ecoli and brain tissue.

Meningococcal meningitis and Hib were quite rare because of good immunization, while Ecoli meningitis mainly affects children under three months old.

In recent years, the number of patients with meningococcal disease caused by pneumococcal bacteria has increased steadily, accounting for 50 per cent of the total number of patients hospitalized for meningococcal disease.

In addition to the rapidly increasing incidence of pneumococcal meningitis, one of the most worrying concerns among physicians today is the resistance of pneumococcal bacteria.

Dr. Truong Huu Khanh said the current resistance is very severe, once resistant bacteria have attacked the meninges its very difficult to treat, so doctors must use a combination of antibiotics for treatment.

At the Children 1 Hospital, some child patients were treated by mechanical ventilation for a long time and the cost was very high.

Dr. Nguyen Tran Nam, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the city Childrens Hospital, said pneumococcal meningitis can cause consequences such as abscesses and infections, some of which can lead to rapid death.

As a preventive measure for pediatric patients, the doctor must use high doses of antibiotics for 21 days according to the regimen. These antibiotics must be imported at high prices, but now the rate of resistance of this bacterium in Viet Nam is very high so the treatment by drug is difficult.

In addition, antibiotics used to treat meningitis always require large amounts with long treatment. Many severe cases have to be treated for several months and the cost is very expensive, at up to over VN100 million / a case.

After treatment, Dr. Nguyen Tran Nam analysed that the resistance meant patients were responding poorly and were left with sequelae such as deafness, blindness, limb weakness, epilepsy, cognitive disorders and less awareness.

Vaccination is the main preventive measure that doctors recommend.

However, in HCM City, the manufacture of the pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumo 23 vaccine) that can prevent 23 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, is temporarily stopped.

Meanwhile, the supply of Synflorix vaccine that can prevent 10 serotypes and only for infants from 2 months to 5 years still doesnt meet the increasing demand.

If we dont have enough vaccines and many children dont get vaccinated, the risk of pneumococcal disease will be widespread and drug resistance will increase," said Dr. Truong Huu Khanh. -- VNS
AUCKLAND  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will sign the Joint Statement on establishing the Viet Nam  Australia Strategic Partnership during the formers visit to Australia, creating the political and legal framework for the two countries relations to develop in the coming time.

The information was revealed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in an interview he granted to the Fairfax Media on the occasion of his official visit to Australia and his participation in the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit from March 14-18. He has freshly wrapped up his official visit to New Zealand.

The following is the full text of the interview:

In 2015, both Viet Nam and Australia have mentioned the establishment of a Strategic Partnership. Could your Excellency Prime Minister specify the time when this event takes place? And what does this partnership mean for the two countries? Would Your Excellency Prime Minister share with us measures to promote diplomatic and defence relations between the two countries?

This is the determination shared by both Viet Nam and Australia. During my official visit to Australia this time, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and I will sign the Joint Statement on establishing the Viet Nam  Australia Strategic Partnership, creating the political and legal framework for the two countries relations to develop in the coming time.

The upgrading of the bilateral relations to Strategic Partnership is momentous, opening up a new chapter in our bilateral relations, elevating the relations to new heights as well as adding depth and substance to the bilateral co-operation for the benefits of our two peoples, and for peace, stability, co-operation and development in the region and the world. Especially, this event takes place when the two countries are celebrating 45 years of diplomatic relations and 20 years of defence relations.

In order to bring the bilateral relations to the strategic level, the two countries should continue to strengthen and expand co-operation in all areas. Regarding the political-diplomatic and defence-security co-operation pillars, the two countries will focus on the following:

First, continue to strengthen political trust and mutual understanding through visits and contacts through all channels and at all levels, especially the high-level. In this spirit, Viet Nam welcomes the Australian Governor-Generals visit to Viet Nam in May 2018 and considers this visit an important foreign affairs event of 2018. At the same time, we will continue to review and promote the effective implementation of the existing bilateral co-operation mechanisms, and on this basis, consider their upgrading or establishing new mechanisms for mutual consultation on strategic bilateral, regional and international issues.

Second, co-ordinate closely at regional and international forums, especially ASEAN, APEC, ASEM, the United Nations, among others; and work together to effectively implement the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP); and at the same time strengthen co-operation on issues related to regional security and issues of mutual concern such as poverty reduction, disaster preparedness, diseases, climate change response, and realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Third, on defence and security, the two sides should actively implement the concluded agreements as well as effectively maintain the co-operation mechanisms; expand co-operation in areas of search and rescue, counter-terrorism, anti-human trafficking, cyber security and water security; at the same time, actively consult with and support each other in regional co-operation mechanisms on national defense and security such as ADMM, ADMM+, ARF, among others. Viet Nam highly appreciates Australias support and hopes that Australia continues the exchange of experience, information sharing, and supporting Viet Nam in English language training, and training of peacekeeping forces, and war legacy remedies.

Among ASEAN countries, Viet Nam is becoming Australias fastest-growing export market. Would Your Excellency Prime Minister share your views on the opportunities for Australian businesses?

The economic, trade and investment relations between Viet Nam and Australia have seen great strides. Australia has become Viet Nams seventh largest trading partner with a turnover of nearly US$6.5 billion in 2017. However, there remains vast room for the bilateral co-operation as well as immense opportunities for Australian businesses to invest in Viet Nam.

First, Viet Nam is a vibrantly growing economy with high growth rates in the region. In 2017, Viet Nams economy expanded by 6.8 per cent, which is the highest rate in the last 10 years. Its geo-strategic location in the region, the political stability and market size of nearly 100 million consumers has made Viet Nam an attractive destination for foreign investors.

Second, with the determination to accelerate economic reform and transform the growth model, the business and investment environment in Viet Nam has significantly improved. Such economic indicators as the ease of doing business, and competitiveness earned 14 and 5 notches, respectively, thus creating an attractive, transparent and level playground for foreign enterprises.

Third, as an economy with high degree of openness, Viet Nam has been integrating deeply and comprehensively into the international arena. The country is currently implementing and negotiating 16 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), including many new-generation FTAs, opening up new opportunities for cooperation between Viet Nam and its partners, including Australia. The two countries jointly implemented the ASEAN  Australia  New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA) and signed the CPTPP agreement, which would facilitate the flows of trade and investment between the two countries.

In this context, the establishment of the Viet Nam-Australia Strategic Partnership will bring about new opportunities for businesses of both countries. With the advantage of capital, advanced technology and managerial experience, Australian businesses can take advantage of this opportunity to expand their business and investment in Viet Nam in areas where Australias strength match with Viet Nams demands such as high technology, manufacturing and processing industries, environment-friendly energy, among others.

Viet Nam is among the economies that would significantly benefit from TPP, but some of them would come from potential economic reforms implemented to satisfy the high standards of the initial agreement. However, the US has withdrawn from TPP, a fact that, generally speaking, has caused the new Agreement to have lower standards than that of TPP. Mr Prime Minister, can you tell us whether Viet Nam will continue to implement economic reform measures or not?

Economic reforms are both Viet Nams inherent needs and policy, with or without TPP.

Despite the absence of the US, CPTPP remains a comprehensive and progressive agreement of substance and quality, serving as a model of regional economic cooperation and integration amidst the rise of protectionism in places all over the world. We see our participation in FTAs, including CPTPP, as the additional driving force for reforms. Therefore, in the upcoming times, we will bolster economic restructuring, perfect legal frameworks and policies, create a level playing-field as well as a favourable business environment as part of our efforts to fully and strictly meet our commitments to trade facilitation and liberalisation, and market access.

Mr Prime Minister, on the occasion of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit, can you give us an assessment on the potential for developing the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Partnership in the time to come?

After the upgrade to Strategic Partnership in 2014, ASEAN-Australia relations have been strengthened across various areas, from politics-security, economics-trade-investment to culture-social affairs and development cooperation. However, there remains ground for further improvement and the bulk of ASEAN-Australia co-operation potential is not yet harnessed, particularly in the following areas:

Firstly, ASEAN and Australia need to further affirm their strong commitment to maintaining regional economic integration. Accordingly, the two sides need to effectively implement the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), the first comprehensive framework with a high degree of liberalisation ever signed by ASEAN with its partners and from a broader perspective, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), once completed.

Secondly, in the age of the Industrial Revolution 4.0, with innovation-based economic development playing a vital role, the two sides need to step up cooperation in areas such as supporting start-ups, connecting medium, small and micro-sized enterprises, and diversifying global and regional value chains.

Thirdly, the two sides share their views on strategic issues, so as to promote cooperation, build trust and together bring about an open, transparent, inclusive regional architecture, which includes ASEAN-led cooperation forums. Among these, the ASEAN-Australia framework is important to promote efforts in this direction.

Fourthly, cooperation to respond to non-traditional challenges such as terrorism, radicalism, natural disasters, epidemics, and climate change is of mutual interest to ASEAN and Australia. Both sides need to step up cooperation in these areas in order to bring about a peaceful and safe life to their people.

I am convinced that on the foundation of the fruitful co-operation developed over four decades, we can continue to broaden and deepen the ASEAN-Australia Strategic Partnership in the upcoming times.  VNS
HA NOI  Three heroin traffickers were caught red-handed on Tuesday by Viet Nam and Laos criminal police in a province in Laos.

The three traffickers were caught selling and buying heroin at a motel in Muong Khoa town in Phong Sa Ly Province.

Besides the 40,000 synthetic pills, 60 cakes of heroin, a K59 gun, seven bullets, two cars and eight mobile phones were confiscated. The police also collected some other evidences.

All three arrested are residents of Laos. They have been identified as Giang A Tu, 33, from Xieng Khoang Province; Bun Hoong, 53, from Vientiane City; and So Vieng Say, 49, also from Vientiane City.

They are part of a heroin trafficking ring that transported heroin from Laos Bo Keo Province to Muong Khoa Town to sell to the Vietnamese.

The ring was discovered by border guard police of Viet Nams northern province of ien Bien in January. Vietnamese policemen were sent to Laos to keep a watch on the ring.

The police began tracking Giang A Tu and Bun Hoong on Monday after receiving information that they were transporting a large amount of heroin to Muong Khoa for storage and sale.  VNS
HCM CITY  With the cold high pressure system weakening and moving east and a subtropical high pressure system crossing the south, there will be a heat wave in the south, including HCM City, until May, according to the Southern Region Hydro-Meteorological Centre.

Temperatures will rise from the current 35 degrees Celsius to 38 degrees.

HCM City has been going through a bout of hot weather since the beginning of this month with temperatures rising to 38 degrees.

Temperatures will peak between noon and 4pm for the next several days, with temperatures at the ground level being higher than forecast levels because of radiation from traffic, construction works and street surface.

Vu Quang au, deputy head of the centres forecasting division, said from March 21 the heat will become increasingly severe.

The regions average temperatures until May will be 0.5-1 degree Celsius higher than in the same period last year, he said.

This years hot spell will be caused by La Nina, a phenomenon associated with the cooling of the central Pacific Ocean, and climate change.

According to health experts, prolonged heat is conducive to the spread of bacteria and viruses, and could cause seniors to get sore throat, sinusitis and laryngitis.

Dr inh Thac of the citys Paediatrics Hospital 1 told the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Sai Gon) newspaper that common diseases during hot spells include diarrhoea, food poisoning and acute respiratory tract inflammation.

Children could also contract chicken pox, mumps, measles, and meningitis, he said.

Dehydration is also a threat, he warned.

Parents should regularly wash their childrens hands before eating to prevent infection and keep the environment clean, and be hygienic with cooking and storing food, he said.

Kids should be given plenty of water and fruit juices and vaccinated adequately, he said.  VNS
HA NOI  Young people from Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand are invited to take part in the Start-up Francophone 2018 competition, which will be open from March to September.

The University of Ha Noi and lAgence Universitaire de la Francophonie (Francophone University Association, AUF) in Asia-Pacific have jointly launched the competition targeting youth under 35, studying or having graduated from AUF member universities in Viet Nam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

The contest is also organised by the alumni network of the French Vietnamese Centre of Management and Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship-National Economics University.

The competition aims to create links between the academic world and socio-economic actors in the region as well as to reward innovative business projects by French-speaking students and young graduates. It allows young participants to benefit from experts support.

Registration is open until March 31. Online registration form is available at https://goo.gl/forms/QXn53MDBmwZNcDDK2.

In July, individuals or groups of individuals with the 20 best business ideas will get the opportunity to participate in a training workshop on business foundation to perfect their business plan. They will also have the opportunity to participate in start-up visits, seminars and discussions with professional experts who will lend their rich expertise to setting up business projects.

The top four teams will compete in a regional final in Ha Noi, scheduled for late September. They will present their business plan to a jury of entrepreneurs. The first prize of the contest is 1,000 euros (US$1,230), the second prize is 500 euros ($620) and the third 250 euros ($310). The winners will get the chance to do internships in French-speaking companies in the region and meet French and Vietnamese investors.

The competition was organised for the first time in 2017 by the Foreign Trade University (FTU) in partnership with AUF. In the 2017 final, FTUs TrueStack team beat three competitors to win the first prize with their original idea of creating a platform to help start-ups find funding and develop their products.  VNS
JERUSALEM  Israels government reached a deal on Tuesday to avoid snap elections after days of speculation over the motives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing possible indictment for corruption.

The deal comes after some coalition partners had accused Netanyahu of wanting early elections to bolster his political standing ahead of his possible indictment for bribery in the coming months.

Netanyahu repeatedly insisted that he wanted his right-wing coalition to last until the end of its term in November 2019.

After the deal was announced on Tuesday night, Netanyahu told parliament that I promised to do everything possible so that this government that has had magnificent success remain in place, and I kept my promise.

Efforts to reach a compromise had intensified throughout the day.

On Tuesday afternoon, Israeli newspaper Haaretz, citing coalition sources, reported that Netanyahu was working to resolve the crisis after estimating he could not garner enough votes to dissolve parliament.

Netanyahus legal woes were the focus of the coalition crisis throughout, with a range of politicians accusing him of allowing it to worsen to give him the option of forcing early polls.

Polls suggest he could remain prime minister after fresh elections even with corruption investigations hanging over him.

He had alternatively sought a guarantee from coalition members that they would remain in the government even if he is indicted, Israeli media have reported.

But while Netanyahus future dominated the conversation, the resolution of the crisis hinged on separate, more technical issues.

Members of the coalition have been pushing for a number of votes to occur before the end of the week.

The votes involve a budget for 2019 and legislation to exempt young ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military conscription.

The dispute centres on ultra-Orthodox parties having demanded that the conscription bill be passed before they agree to vote for the 2019 budget.

At the same time, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon wants the budget approved before parliaments current session ends this week and had threatened to quit if it does not happen.

Separately and perhaps equally as important, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman opposes the conscription bill and wants to see ultra-Orthodox men serve in the military like their secular counterparts.

Vote as one

Compromise efforts sought to balance those divergent interests.

The ultra-Orthodox parties agreed to support the budget if the conscription bill passes an initial parliament reading for now, with a final vote postponed until the summer session.

Based on that compromise, parliament could give final approval to the budget and preliminary approval to the conscription bill this week.

Regarding Liebermans opposition to the conscription bill, a ministerial committee on Tuesday night agreed that members of the coalition could vote their conscience on it.

Lieberman has stuck to his position of opposing the conscription bill throughout, but says he will not quit the government over it for now.

He has signalled he could quit if the conscription bill is given final approval, but also held out the possibility of a compromise on that if a new bill is crafted with the input of the defence establishment.

Lieberman vowed earlier Tuesday that his Yisrael Beitenu party would vote as one against the bill as it stands now.

But, Lieberman said, can elections still be prevented? Absolutely.

Netanyahu, 68, could soon face charges in at least two separate corruption affairs, while investigations are continuing into two others.

Three of his former associates have signed state witness deals with police.

Police recommended his indictment for bribery in the first two cases in February and the attorney general is considering how to proceed, a process expected to take months.

In one case, Netanyahu and his family are accused of accepting expensive gifts from wealthy supporters in exchange for financial benefits or favours.

The other alleges he sought a secret deal with the publisher of a top-selling newspaper for favourable coverage.

Netanyahu has been prime minister for a total of 12 years, from 1996 to 1999 and again since 2009.

He is not legally required to step down if indicted -- only if he is convicted with all appeals exhausted.  AFP
Register now for 'Out of the Darkness' Community Walk in October
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
The Russian Embassy in the UK presented its statements:

Moscow will not respond to Londons ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring. Britain must comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention which stipulates joint investigation into the incident, for which Moscow is ready. Without that, there can be no sense in any statements from London. The incident appears to be yet another crooked attempt by the UK authorities to discredit Russia. Any threat to take punitive measures against Russia will meet with a response. The British side should be aware of that. Today the Embassy sent a note to the Foreign Office reiterating that Russia is not involved in the Salisbury incident and outlining the above mentioned demands for joint investigation.

And that my friend is what is happening all over the western world. Accusations to push agendas and cover up fears of being found out.there are rules to follow internationally and Britain as with America time and time again, refuse to follow these rules

Russia is being pushed into a war, a war that you simply do not want to live through

Incidentally, novichok is not a specific substance but a class of new nerve agents, it is a word for many variations. Sources agree they were designed to be persistent, deadly and effective also on a degree much to a magnitude of and or stronger than sarin or a thiophosphonate. That is rather hard to equate that fact with the fact that nobody, but no one and or anything living has died from this alleged attack and those theoretically involved, just have to shower and wash their clothes.

Novichok is a series of nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 80s. Allegedly, these are the most deadly nerve agents ever made, with some variants possibly five to eight times more potent than VX. Wikipedia

That information alone is enough to counter any and all allegations against Russia

The damn stuff is deadly and there would be massive deaths involved.if no one dies and last count I have heard is 37 people affected, then there is not a nerve agent involved. Games or not by the west, will not change reality and right now there would be many body bags in the wake of any form of a novichok related nerve gases and or related forms of the substance, released into the general public

Time to wake up people.you cannot express how terrible sarin is in Syria and then act like a novichok based nerve agent is not killing anyone! Sarin is deadly, but novichok agents are worse and since they are fourth level, meaning very new and resistant to much of our antidotes to use for survival of an attack

Tidbit: VX is about 10X more powerful than sarin and a novichok agent is worse than VX

WtR
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
We have finally broken away from Christchurch, New Zealand. That was a much harder thing to do than I would have ever though. Great friends, a very nice city and lots of great birds all made our stay here very enjoyable. Neville dropped us off at the RV rental center, I got a quick refresher in left hand driving and away we went. We headed south for the small city Te Anu. Great friends Peter, Bev and their son Hayden live there and have offered to not only host us, but have arranged for a 3-day/2-night private boat tour of Doubtful Sound. It was given that name by Captain Cook, who thought it would be doubtful that he could sail his boat back out of there if he entered. Joining us on the boat would be Paul, Peters brother and our captain, Miles.

The trip to get to Doubtful Sound is a little bit complicated, as you take a ferry across Lake Manapouri, then a shuttle bus up over a huge ridge, then back down the hill to the West Arm, of Doubtful Sound where the boat was moored. Our intrepid crew, actually took their own boat, and all of gear across the lake, where we had a private SUV to carry us and all our gear over to the big boat.

Everything got ferried across, loaded up and off we went. Before we even got on the boat, I had seen a Weka, Bellbird, Tomtit, Tui and a Paradise Sheldrake. This is some of the most rugged, and beautiful country I have ever seen. It in many ways reminds me of the Desolation Sound area in British Columbia, Canada. As we made our way down the first arm of the sound, Red-billed Gulls and White-fronted Terns filled the air. The afternoon was spent fishing for Blue Cod, and diving for Lobsters, or Crayfish as they are called here in New Zealand. There was plenty of both put in the cooler for dinner!

These Tomtits are fast becoming one of my favorite New Zealand Birds.

The next morning, we were headed for sea! Miles had promised some Pelagics, and to really get a good look at those we needed to get near the entrance to the sound. Our first day in the sound was just lovely, warm, sunny with a light breeze. The second day was, well, not so much. We still had the sun, but it was a whole lot cooler, and the wind was blowing a strong 20-25 with some stronger gusts. By the time we had gotten  to  mile off shore we were in 5 meter seas, and the howling wind was blowing the tops off the wave sets. Butthere was a bunch of birds! Hundreds of Sooty Shearwaters, Fluttering Shearwaters, a couple of hundred more birds that I just did not get to look at enough, or get a photo of, with the heavily bouncing boat. We were visited by White-capped Mollymawks, Bollys Mollymawks, and at least one Gray-headed Mollymawk. Mollymawks are what many of the Albatrosss are called here in New Zealand. In fact, there are a bunch of different names for birds down here, but that is a story all by itself!

There is just no real good way to show the size of waves off show, since there is no reference for the comparison, but this Mollymawk picture was taken just outside the entrance to the sound.

This is the Bullers Mollymawk.

This is the White-capped Mollymawk.

The third day was absolutely beautiful again, with all of the same birds. The highlight of that day was a visit from some dolphins.

Jeanne gets in the action, taking some awesome pictures.

I got one or two myself, as the dolphins made it pretty easy for us.

There were a few side trips throughout the days before and after the trip to Doubtful, that got me a couple of more new birds. A small group of Gray Ducks up at Mirror Lakes, Australasian Horned Grebe, Australian Coots, and some more Black Swans were found at Lake Dunst. The latter were in the middle of a rain storm, with some more high winds, so no great photos. I wrapped up my New Zealand oystercatchers, with the South Island Oystercatcher south of lake Manapouri.

These are the Black Phase, Variable Oystercatchers.

These New Zealand Gray Ducks were a very nice bonus for one of my side trips.

It is hard to compare any bird in New Zealand, when it comes to a beautiful singing voice, when you are talking about the Bellbird. The sing all day, and with an just an amazing group of songs

At this point we are headed to the very south end of the South Island, and a ferry trip over to Stewart Island. In fact, as I write this, I am sitting waiting for said ferry. The weather forecast is for heavy rain, and gusts up to 80 KM. This was to be the crown jewel in this trip, but this weather might make this a little less fun than I had hoped. Unfortunately, we are on a bit of a schedule, so it is what it is. Check back next week for the Stewart Island Report. For those of you following along, the Year List now stands at 254 birds, with 51 new life birds here in New Zealand!
Film star and Janasena Party President Pawan Kaylan gave a spirited speech at the Janasena plenary on the occasion of the partys formation day in Guntur this evening. Pawan vehemently criticized the ruling parties and Janasenas 2014 poll partners TDP and BJP for the sad state of affairs in Andhra Pradesh.

Expressing severe angst over the non fulfillment of the Special Category Status, Pawan said that he will continue to fight until AP gets its due. The Janasena chief went on to vow that he is ready to sit for a fast-unto-death protest for AP Special Category Status anytime starting today.

Pawan further said that his party will contest the upcoming local body elections. He also announced that Janasena manifesto will be released on August 14. Tomorrow, Pawan will be interacting with several NRIs who have flown in from the US, Australia, Kuwait and other countries.









Articles that might interest you:
An expensive price tag is not always the best program for everyone, and at the same time, an inexpensive program does not necessarily indicate a poor-quality program.

OAKLAND, CA, March 14, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Poets&Quants, the definitive online publication for business education news, has released a listing of The Most Affordable Highly Ranked Online MBA Programs. Topping the list of affordable programs is Mississippi State with a tuition of $13,680. Closing out the list is the #1 ranked online MBA program from the Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business, with a tuition of $128,000.



This Poets&Quants analysis includes a look at varying missions of MBA programs serving different constituencies. Reviewing the affordability of programs like Ball State, UNC, and the University of Nebraska showcases the different kinds of programs available to students looking at an MBA delivered online.



"A deep dive into the various options available for an online MBA is vital to helping our readers understand importance of fit," says Nathan Allen, Poets&Quants staff writer. "An expensive price tag is not always the best program for everyone, and at the same time, an inexpensive program does not necessarily indicate a poor-quality program. Online MBAs can offer a wide range of options for different kinds of students."



The 10 most affordable top-ranked online MBA programs are:



1. Mississippi State



2. Ball State (Miller)



3. North Dakota



4. Arkansas State-Jonesboro



5. Wisconsin MBA Consortium



6. Kennesaw State (Coles)



7. Georgia Southern



8. Tennessee-Chattanooga



9. University of Mississippi



10. Nebraska-Lincoln



Visit https://poetsandquants.com/2018/03/13/most-affordable-highly-ranked-online-mba-programs/ to learn more about affordable online MBA programs and to locate a specific school.



Poets&Quants is the leading resource for complete coverage of graduate business education. We feature multiple tools and authoritative content, including consolidated B-school rankings, news and in-depth features, videos, podcasts, two searchable directories, and events, empowering our community with information needed to make decisions along their journey from pre- to post-MBA.



# # #
NEW YORK, NY, April 14, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- This coming Passover 2019, your journey should not be as long as our ancestors to find a decent meal. Look no farther, Talia's Steakhouse & Bar has you covered. Whether you are interested in a fabulous restaurant for the Seder or you don't belong to any local synagogue, Talia's guarantees satisfaction for ALL of your Passover needs.





Meeting the highest standards of Kosher for Pesach and Kosher in general, for over 16 years, Talia's Steakhouse & Bar has been serving Kosher foods all Passover long. With multiple menus and options available, we provide a great variety of Glatt Kosher foods.



Want to know how we make our kitchen Kosher for Pessach? See https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120403/upper-west-side/uws-restaur ... eder-menus



Who said Passover meals had to be only Matzot and potatoes? In Talia's Steakhouse & Bar you'll find assorted meat & fish dishes, house special soups and salads, and even sweet deserts. Talia's prides itself on its diverse menu of food styles including Yemenite, Mediterranean & American cuisine.



See https://taliassteakhouse.com/holidays/jewish-holidays/passover/ for more information about the menus.



Talia's Steakhouse & Bar also hosts every year 4 Seder feasts, two pre-paid feasts in each Yom-Tov! There's no need to get frustrated about organizing the house to fit the entire family, Talia's has enough room for everybody. Not only that, but you can also have pre-paid lunch on each Yom-Tov. A real life-saver if you'll ask me.



If you want to know more about meals and schedule: https://taliassteakhouse.com/holidays/jewish-holidays/passover/



But that's not all, because you can also have all this comfort in your own home. Offering a catering service, Talia's Steakhouse & Bar is a simple, Glatt Kosher, solution to all frustration of cooking for the entire holiday.



To read another opinion on our great food and catering services:

http://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Its-All-Good/NYC-has-slammin-food-for-Pass ... ear-365868



If you're looking for a Kosher for Pesach restaurant on Chol-HaMoed, keep in mind that Talia's Steakhouse & Bar is open almost 24 hours a day (11AM - 1AM the next day).



https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/passover-on-the-upper-west-side/ can tell you pretty well about our unique atmosphere.



Talia's Steakhouse and Bar, will be cooking up a traditional Passover Seders that even your grandma would approve of. The four courses Passover Seder Feast 2019 will include grilled ribeye steak, brisket, chicken marsala, Moroccan salmon, lamb shank, scrumptious desserts and other traditional food such as Matzo ball, a full Seder plate and the traditional four cups of wine.



Moreover, ***The First Glatt Kosher For Passover All-You-Can-Eat Buffet In New York *** - Enjoy a delicious lunch and dinner at Talia's Steakhouse & Bar. Talia's outdoor seating is "expanded" to Sunflower Cafe's main dining area. Only the main dining area of Sunflower Cafe will be used by Talia's. A Glatt kosher for Passover, 6 course buffet menu will be available. To view menu: https://tinyurl.com/yaewyn3g/ Furthermore, a complete kosher-for-Passover bar with all your favorite Martinis, Cosmos, Mojitos and more is also available.



Even Eat-Up-New York blog agrees that there's nothing like Talia's traditional Seder:

http://eatupnewyork.com/nyc-passover-seder-restaurant-options/ Moreover, several days ago, AM New York (stylized as amNewYork), a morning free daily newspaper that is published in New York City by Newsday, selected Talia's as the spot to go to celebrate the Passover serders. See https://www.amny.com/eat-and-drink/restaurants-for-passover-1.29641352



Whether you're looking for a lunch or a fancy dinner, a Yom-Tov meal or a Seder, a place to sit outside or a delivery to your home, Talia's Steakhouse & Bar has all the answers to your problems, you just need to enjoy:).



# # #
Mar 14, 2018 | By Tess

Researchers at MITs Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a process that enables 3D printed parts to change color after printing. The method, called ColorMod, relies on specialized and UV-responsive 3D printable inks.

MITs CSAIL researchers have been responsible for some pretty amazing advances in additive manufacturing, including a software system capable of generating 3D printable microstructures that meet certain desired properties, and 3D printed hydraulic robots capable of walking off the print bed.

The labs latest achievement is nothing short of amazing, as it enables users to 3D print color-changing objects.

Similar in concept to 4D printed objectswhich change shape post-printing when exposed to certain elementsprints made using the ColorMod process are not in their final form when they are removed from the build plate.

Using their specialized UV-responsive bioinks, the researchers were able to fully recolor a 3D printed plastic object in just over 20 minutes. As the research advances, they hope to quicken the process.

But how exactly does it work? Well, according to the CSAIL team, it simply uploads a 3D model into its ColorMod software which allows it to choose a color pattern for the object. Once the object is printed in full color, the team exposes it (or parts of it) to UV light or visible light.

The parts of the 3D printed object hit with UV light become colored, while the parts exposed to visible light (such as a projector light) lose their color and become transparent. These reactions are due to a special light-responsive ink made from a base dye, a photoinitiator (that hardens the ink during printing), and light-adaptable dyes (which bring out the base dyes color).

Samples of the color-changing inks

The researchers hope that their ColorMod technology will be adapted beyond 3D printed plastic with the eventual goal of applying it to textiles and clothing.

Largely speaking, people are consuming a lot more now than 20 years ago, and theyre creating a lot of waste, commented Stefanie Mueller, the X-Consortium Career Development Assistant Professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering. By changing an objects color, you dont have to create a whole new object every time.

Mueller, who appeared on our Womens Day post celebrating influential females in the 3D printing industry, co-authored the ColorMod paper along with postdoc Parinya Punpongsanon, undergraduate student Xin Wen, and researcher David Kim.

One specific application of the technology would be to 3D print accessories which could be matched and customized depending on what the user is wearing. CSAIL has also suggested that retail shops could use the technology to customize products on the spot. Wishing that belt came in blue not green? ColorMod could be the answer!

This is the first 3D printable photochromic system that has a complete printing and recoloring process thats relatively easy for users, added Punpongsanon. Its a big step for 3D printing to be able to dynamically update the printed object after fabrication in a cost-effective manner.

ColorMod was previously called ColorFab, which was perhaps too close to the name of Dutch filament company colorFabb

Posted in 3D Printing Technology

Maybe you also like:












Scarcely more than 100 miles north of the Golden Gate is a wild, fog-drenched land where a roiling ocean and pristine views are calling for a weekend escape.

This secluded section of the North Coast, also called the Mendonoma Coastsituated bluffside between Jenner-by-the-Sea in Sonoma County and Point Arena in Mendocino Countyhas food, architecture and adventure, whether you're a bona fide weekend warrior or just looking to chill and enjoy the beauty of the Pacific. Let our weekend itinerary do the planning for you.

Friday: Hit the Road for Sea Ranch Dinner of locally foraged produce and wild game awaits in the lovely dining room at St. Orres. (Courtesy of St. Orres) Check In You know the picturesque planned community at the tippy-top of the Sonoma Coastbut have you stayed there? Known for its bare, midcentury modern architecture that rises in perfect harmony from the coastal landscape as though it had been built by Howard Roark himself, the village is surrounded by Monterey Cyprus and rocky bluffs. On its southern side sits the Sea Ranch Lodge (rooms starting at $271/night; 60 Sea Walk Dr.), where dog-friendly guest rooms are 1970s-chic and have picture windows looking onto the ocean; some have gas fireplaces and cushy window seats so you can stay warm on foggy days without missing the view. At the lodge's restaurant, Black Point Grill, new chef Rebecca Stewart is combining fresh seasonal ingredients with international flair. Consider staying in for dinner and a massage at the cozy two-room spa. If you can sneak away from the Bay Area early in the day, take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west from the 101 to hit the coast at Olemathe drive up north promises views of the Pacific Ocean at her most dramatic. Evening: Dinner at St. Orres About 15 minutes north of Sea Ranch Lodge, the magical St. Orres (Hwy. 1, Gualala), designed to reflect the Russian heritage of the area, welcomes guests for inspired dinners in the restaurant (for those with reservations). Dubbed North Coast cuisine, the menu highlights hyper-local fare including seafood, foraged mushrooms, and wild game. If you're not a planner, the adjacent tavern serves the full dinner menu as well oysters and small platesthink wild game pate or garlic flan with black chanterellesto walk-ins.

Saturday: Get Outside Bowling Ball Beach. (Shoshi Parks) Early Morning: Stroll the Coastal Bluff Trails Wake up and step right outside the Sea Ranch Lodge to find the start of an oceanside bluff-top trail that stretches all the way to Gualala. Pass the historic barn and shepherd's shack and walk north through groves of windswept trees and open grassy meadows. The trail is flat, but adventurers can explore the rocky outcroppings that dip into the Pacific below. In the spring and fall, you may catch sight of migrating whales or sea lions and seals at play. Late Morning: Point Arena + the Lighthouse The iconic Point Arena Lighthouse (45500 Lighthouse Rd., Point Arena) was constructed in 1908 to replace an original version that was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. Standing 115 feet tall, the flashing light here once had to be hand-cranked by a lighthouse keeper every 75 minutes. Today the lighthouse is managed by the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers who have restored the structure to its former glory and keep it and a small museum open to the public daily from 10am to 3:30pm ($5/person, $7.50/person with a tour). There's beach time in your near future, so stock up on snacks on the historic Main Street in Point Arena. At Arena Market and Cafe (185 Main St.), you'll find a deli counter, lots of fresh organic fruits and veggies, and local beer and wine. If you're hankering for something sweet, stop in at Franny's Cup and Saucer (213 Main St.), an adorable bakery with cookies, confections, and home-baked breads galore. Need a pick-me up? Pop in to the Little Green Bean (240 Main St.) for freshly roasted coffee. Afternoon: Bowling Ball Beach Whether the weather is cooperating or not, you just can't come to the North Coast without setting foot on the beach. Bowling Ball Beach, about five miles south of Point Arena, is named for the curious section of sand where dozens of large, perfectly rounded rocks pop right out of the ocean tide. Check out these geological oddities then lay out your blanket for a picnic. Word to the wise: Wear layers. To get there, look for the sign on Highway 1 that reads "Park Facing South," just north of Schooner Gulch River. Walk a few minutes down the trail toward the ocean, keeping right at the fork. Descend the wooden stairs to the beach and then continue north a few minutes to the bowling balls. Dinner in Gualala After you've freshened up and had some relaxation time on the seaward facing adirondack chairs back at the lodge or by the communal fireplace inside, hop back in the car and head to Gualala for some good no-frills dinner options including the Upper Crust Pizzeria (39331 S. Hwy 1) and Antonio's Tacos (38820 S. Hwy. 1). For something a little more special, check out the brand new Vue Kitchen (39300 S. Hwy. 1), on the south side of town, which serves elevated delightsthink fried crab dim sum, mussel linguine, and pumpkin gnocchiwith an ocean view.
Eastern Goldfields Limited, formerly Swan Gold Mining Limited, is engaged in mineral exploration and evaluation, and the care and maintenance of its gold producing mines. The Company's segments include ongoing care and maintenance and mine development work segment and exploration segment. The Company holds interests in the Davyhurst Gold Project and Mt Ida Project. The Davyhurst Gold Project is located approximately 120 kilometers north-west of Kalgoorlie, and the Mt Ida Project is located over 200 kilometers north-west of Kalgoorlie.


Drilling Commences at Bottle Creek Gold Project, WA Camp Construction Completed on Budget

Canberra, Mar 14, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Alt Resources Ltd ( ASX:ARS ) ('Alt' or 'the Company') is very pleased to advise that installation and construction of the Bottle Creek Gold Project camp has been executed in 14 days. Completion of the camp construction now enables Alt to proceed with the accelerated development of the Project. The establishment of the camp in this remote location now provides the Company with capacity to accommodate staff and drillers onsite for the extended drilling programmes.HIGHLIGHTS:- Camp construction and installation of all facilities at the Bottle Creek Gold Project completed on budget in 14 days- 10,000m drilling programme commenced on schedule Monday 12th March- First assays to be delivered to ALS laboratories in Kalgoorlie with initial results anticipated end March 2018Alt CEO James Anderson commented, "It has been an outstanding effort by the Alt staff putting this camp together in such a short time frame. Bottle Creek is quite a remote location to manage an extended drill programme and the camp now gives us the capacity to run operations not only for Bottle Creek but for the newly acquired Mt Ida and Quinns projects. We consider Bottle Creek to be an emerging development project and the camp is now a key asset for the Company as it moves into the next stage of resource drilling."Alt executed a binding Option to Purchase Agreement for the Bottle Creek Gold Mine on 3rd November, 2017 (see Note below). Drilling is scheduled to commence imminently to validate historical drilling results and progressively bring the Bottle Creek resource into current JORC compliance. The Company will undertake a minimum of 8,000m of reverse circulation (RC) drilling, with a focus on the un-mined Emu, Southwark and XXXX deposits, located north of the VB and Boags pits (see figures 1 and 2 in link below). Exploration drilling will also include extensions to high grade shoots below the mined pits with the view towards future resource development.The Strike Drilling team has commenced at the first drill holes on the Emu ore body, with first assays expected to be delivered to the Kalgoorlie assay laboratories by 18th March. The initial stage of the 10,000 metre RC drill programme planned at Bottle Creek is already ahead of schedule and camp construction has been delivered on budget.Note: See ARS announcement, 8th November, 2017: http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/QCE95126 To view figures, please visit:About Aurenne Alt Resources Pty Ltd

Aurenne Alt Resources Pty Ltd is an Australian based mineral exploration company that aims to become a gold producer by exploiting historical and new gold prospects across quality assets and to build value for shareholders.


Half Yearly Financial Report - 31 December 2017

Perth, Mar 14, 2018 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Intermin Resources Limited ( ASX:IRC ) present their report on the consolidated financial statements for the half-year ended 31 December 2017.EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIESDuring the half year the Company made progress on a number of fronts. Key developments were as follows:Mine DevelopmentOpen pit mining of ore and waste continued during the Period at Teal Stage 1 with ore processing at third party processing plants in close proximity. The pre stripping of waste was completed and ore mining totalled approximately 120,000 tonnes with a mine claimed grade of 3.5g/t Au. Gold sales generated $11.8m in revenue with the project cash positive during the Period.During the period, Teal Stage 2 was approved and commenced comprising a cut back on the east wall to access additional ore. Both stages of the pit are expected to produce 18,000 - 20,000 ounces with completion of mining scheduled for the March Quarter 2018 and final ore processing in the June Quarter 2018.Development studies for the Goongarrie Lady and Teal Stage 3 gold projects advanced during the Period with Feasibility Study completion expected in the June Quarter 2018.ExplorationExploration activities continued during the period across Intermin's 100% owned tenure in the Goldfields of Western Australia. Over 20,000m of drilling was completed focussing on resource extension and new discovery targeting ahead of the large scale program planned for 2018. The drilling was highly successful and identified three key project areas, the Teal gold camp, Anthill and Blister Dam.For details on the drilling programs, we refer you to the announcements released on the ASX and on the Intermin website (www.intermin.com.au).Results from the drilling are now being compiled with resource updates expected at the Anthill gold project in the March Quarter 2018 and Teal in the June Quarter 2018.Menzies Gold Project Joint VentureIn 2016, Intermin executed a binding Heads of Agreement ("HoA") with Eastern Goldfields Limited ( ASX:EGS ) ("EGS") to form a strategic joint venture ("EGS JV") covering Intermin's projects in the Menzies and Goongarrie region (refer ASX announcement dated 5 September 2016).Further exploration activities are planned for 2018 at these prospects and will be managed and funded by EGS as part of the joint venture.Binduli North Gold Project Joint VentureDuring the Period, joint venture partner Evolution Mining Limited completed 38 holes for 4,006m testing priority geochemical and structural targets at the Coot and Crake and Honey Eater prospects. Results and follow up plans are expected in the March Quarter 2018.Janet Ivy (M26/446) Production RoyaltyIntermin owns a $0.50/t mining royalty that relates to ore mined and treated from ML26/446 currently owned by Norton Gold Fields Ltd. During the period, the prepayment threshold was reached and royalty payments are now payable with potential for $600,000 in royalties in the March and June Quarters.Nanadie Well Copper - Gold Project Joint VentureJoint Venture partner Mithril Resources Ltd announced new priority regional targets at the Nanadie Well project during the period and reported some excellent results including extensions to Cu-Ni-PGE massive sulphide mineralisation at the Stark prospect. Excellent drilling results were also returned from the Kombi gold prospect with follow up on both projects planned for the first half of 2018. For details we refer you to the Mithril Resources ASX releases for the period ( ASX: MTH ).Richmond Vanadium - Molybdenum ProjectIn December 2016, Intermin executed a binding Heads of Agreement ("HoA") with AXF Resources Pty Ltd ("AXF") to form a strategic joint venture ("AXF JV") covering Intermin's Richmond Vanadium - Molybdenum project in Queensland (refer ASX announcement dated 13 December 2016).During the period activities included data compilation and review for a Resource update accounting for changes in tenement boundaries and to ensure compliance with JORC 2012 reporting. In addition, AXF collected samples for dispatch to two research laboratories in China for initial pre-treatment metallurgical test work.The resource update and the initial results from the test work are expected in the March and June Quarters respectively.To view the full report, please visit:About Horizon Minerals Limited

Horizon Minerals Limited (ASX:HRZ) is a gold exploration and mining company focussed on the Kalgoorlie and Menzies areas of Western Australia which are host to some of Australia's richest gold deposits. The Company is developing a mining pipeline of projects to generate cash and self-fund aggressive exploration, mine developments and further acquisitions. The Teal gold mine has been recently completed.

Horizon is aiming to significantly grow its JORC-Compliant Mineral Resources, complete definitive feasibility studies on core high grade open cut and underground projects and build a sustainable development pipeline.

Horizon has a number of joint ventures in place across multiple commodities and regions of Australia providing exposure to Vanadium, Copper, PGE's, Gold and Nickel/Cobalt. Our quality joint venture partners are earning in to our project areas by spending over $20 million over 5 years enabling focus on the gold business while maintaining upside leverage.
The Town of Paradise is exploring the possibility of becoming part of the "Blue Zones Project". It's described as a "community well-being initiative". The goal is to help residents to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life.



Experts from Blue Zones Project will visit Paradise from March 1921 to see if the community is ready for the program. The assessment will include focus groups and meetings with representatives from government, health care, businesses, schools, faith-based organizations, civic organizations, nonprofits and more.



The Blue Zones Project was established in 2010. It's inspired by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five regions of the worldor Blue Zoneswith the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older. It incorporates his findings ... and works with cities to implement policies and programs that will move a community toward optimal health and well-being. Right now there are 42 communities in nine states that have joined.



A presentation about the Blue Zones Project will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 19th, at the Paradise Performing Arts Center, 777 Nunneley Road.

Then, on Tuesday March 20th there will be Focus Group discussions . The sessions are from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 to 2:30 p.m., also at the Paradise Performing Arts Center.

Finally, a Blue Zones Project "Friends @ 5" reception is planned from 5 - 6 p.m. at Chapelle de L'Artiste Chateau, 3300 Inspiration Lane, Paradise.

You can learn more and RSVP at www.go.bluezonesproject.com/paradise.
After 20 years of serving the people of Tehama County, district attorney Gregg Cohen is calling it quits.

I just felt it was time, Cohen said. I've really enjoyed doing what I do. And I just feel based on where I'm at professionally and kind of intellectually, it would be great to be able to do something else, perhaps something totally different.

Cohen began working for the Tehama County District Attorney's Office in 1996 as a deputy district attorney, before being elected to office in 1998.

Before that, he worked as a prosecutor for the San Diego City Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

I came up here originally thinking I would be up here in the area for about two years and then go back to the Bay Area which was home, Cohen said. But it's been 20 years. It's been a fantastic time for me and my family

He says he's grown fond of the people of Tehama County, which is now home for him and his family.

My plans are to stay, he said. I love it here. I particularly love Tehama county. I like very much the little city of Red Bluff. I'd like to see both grow and prosper. And I have no intentions of moving away.

During his 20 years, Cohen says he's worked some pretty high-profile cases.

But one in particular, People vs. Andrew Hampton Mickel, stands out to him.

That was a homicide where a 22-year old male came down from Burns, Oregon and assassinated a law enforcement officer here in Red Bluff, officer David Mobilio, Cohen said. His sole motivation was to make a political statement. It was a very tragic case.

And even though he says it's been a great 20 years, he's ready to pass the torch over to someone new.

So I think I've given as far as intellectually, professionally, certainly emotionally what I can to the office, he said. And I just feel that it's time.

With his term ending at the beginning of next year, Cohen still has some time left as district attorney.

He says hed like to work to make the DA's office as efficient as possible before leaving.
The transaction will result in a significant increase to Rothesay Lifes asset base to over 37bn. Following completion, Rothesay Life will be the largest specialist annuity insurer in the UK. This is Rothesay Lifes third reinsurance transaction of in-force annuities and further demonstrates the companys ability to successfully deploy capital across all areas of the wholesale annuity and pensions market. Rothesay Life delivers clients financial certainty with execution excellence, provides policyholders long-term security and offers shareholders attractive value accretion. Established in 2007, Rothesay has been insuring defined benefit pensions and annuities for over a decade and with this transaction will be paying over 2bn each year to over 750,000 policyholders including from Scottish Equitable and Zurich Assurance as well as pension schemes such as British Airways, the Post Office, General Motors and Philips. Prudential policyholders will continue to be serviced by Prudential until the effective date of a Part VII Transfer. Thereafter, they will continue to receive their benefits in the normal way from Rothesay Life. Policyholders do not need to take any action. Addy Loudiadis, Chief Executive of Rothesay Life, said: "I am delighted that Prudential, one of the UKs most respected insurance companies, has chosen Rothesay Life to secure its policyholders pensions over the long term in a landmark transaction for us and for the industry. This is a testament to the quality and strength of our business, our focus on customer service, our execution proficiency and the support we receive from our shareholders. We look forward to building on this success as we predict a very active pension buy-out pipeline ahead."
iStock/Thinkstock(PITTSBURGH) -- A closely watched and extremely expensive special congressional election in Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District remained too close to call late Tuesday.



Such a tight margin will likely be seen as a major victory for the Democrat Conor Lamb, as President Donald Trump won the area in southwest Pennsylvania by nearly 20 points during the 2016 election cycle and in the last two cycles the Republican incumbent ran unopposed.



At 11:30 P.M. eastern time, with nearly all precincts reporting and most of the votes in, Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone were separated by less than 1,000 votes, with the Democrat holding on to a narrow lead.



Despite the fact that the Associated Press did not call the race on Tuesday night, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee declared victory.



"These results should terrify Republicans," DCCC Chairman Rep. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico said in a statement.



Saccone vowed to fight on.



"We're going to fight all the way to the end. You know I never give up," Saccone said at his election headquarters on Tuesday night.



His Democratic opponent, however, declared victory.



"It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it," Lamb said at the top of his remarks early Wednesday morning.



Just a minute earlier, he was announced to the stage as "Congressman-elect Conor Lamb."



The final result may come down absentee ballots that have been returned but not tabulated yet.



There are two remaining counties in the district with absentee votes left to be tallied.



Washington County also expects to count their ballots late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.



Greene County will not count their absentee ballots until tomorrow.



With the final result still unclear, the possibility of a recount looms.



While state law stipulates that an automatic recount is triggered when the margin in a statewide race is less than half a percentage point, the rules for a special election in a congressional district remain unclear.



The results give the Democratic Party a boost in confidence and shores up their belief that their candidates can run and compete in any House district in the country  even the reddest ones. President Donald Trump took the district by 20 points in 2016.



"Democrats have now expanded the playing field, and they're going to compete in districts Republicans won by 12, 14, 16 points," ABC News contributor and political analyst Matt Dowd said Tuesday night.



Theyll also argue their base is much more motivated than the GOP voters who gave Trump the White House.



The numbers appear to back that up.



Turnout in the most Democratic county, Allegheny, was 6 percentage points higher than the other three more Republican counties that make up the 18th Congressional District.



But, a bigger part of the math that made this race so tight was that Lamb also seems to have swung votes and outperformed Hillary Clinton across the board, doing 10 percentage points better than the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.



Lamb, a 33-year old Marine Corps veteran and former assistant U.S. attorney has been locked in a tight battle with Saccone, a 60-year old, four-term state representative to represent the southwestern Pennsylvania district.



Tuesdays special election was triggered by the resignation of Republican Rep. Tim Murphy last year following a report that he allegedly asked an extramarital lover to end her pregnancy.



The republican candidate for Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District spoke to supporters Tuesday night.Play

GOP candidate Rick Saccone: 'We're still fighting the fight'



The closely-watched contest has seen close to $10 million spent by conservative groups to boost Saccone and stave off concerns that the GOP is falling out of favor with the same blue-collar voters that propelled Donald Trump to the White House.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
America Shouldn't Send Endangered Religious Minority Refugees Back to Iran

Scores of members of Iranian religious minorities left their homeland more than a year ago at Washington's invitation with the intention of coming to America. But now they may be barred from the U.S. for security reasons and could be placed in imminent danger of deportation back to the Islamic dictatorship -- where they likely would face persecution, or even imprisonment and death. Also at risk are two signature Trump administration policies: protection of religious minorities as a U.S. National Security Strategy priority and the highlighting of the Iranian regime's repression. Allowing these refugees to be sent back to ugly fates in Iran would recast the administration's noble policies as mere political propaganda. U.S. Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback rightly put the issue of the Iranian refugees at the top of his agenda at the first public briefing he hosted at the State Department Feb. 23. Resolving the issue will be his first major challenge. This crisis began in fall 2016 when 87 members of Iran's repressed religious minority communities were selected to benefit under the Lautenberg Amendment -- a process initially adopted to rescue Jews from the former Soviet Union and expanded in 2004 for Iran's religious minorities. After a preliminary review of their cases, the minority members -- ranging from Armenian and Assyrian Christians to Mandeans and Zoroastrians -- were invited to travel to Vienna, Austria for final vetting before resettlement in the U.S. Soon after arriving in Vienna, however, they were put on a security hold, and last month were finally rejected for undisclosed security reasons by the U.S. Homeland Security Department. The Vienna processing has been used in the past for Lautenberg refugees. It typically took only weeks or months and 99 percent of refugees made it through, reports HIAS, the nonprofit agency hired to facilitate the Lautenberg resettlements. But in late 2016 the Obama administration instituted a new, secret security layer. (Both the State Department and HIAS insist that these rejections aren't related to President Trump's executive order on the "travel ban.") The Homeland Security Department sent some of the 87 Iranian refugees personal rejection letters, citing security concerns. Others simply got forms giving unspecified discretionary reasons for their rejections. They have no right to appeal and their requests for review -- a perfunctory process -- failed to reverse any denial. The refugees include: a wheelchair-bound, 87-year-old grandmother; a Mandean man whose wife and 4-year-old twin daughters were admitted into the U.S. a year ago: and Armenian and Assyrian Christian, Mandean and Zoroastrian families with relatives in the U.S. Implausible as it seems, it's always possible that some of these people could pose real security threats. The U.S. points to the fact that 800 others were admitted during 2017 through this program as evidence that there is no blanket denial policy. I also learned from a government source that the security concerns arose from information volunteered by the applicants, not from unreliable Iranian government sources. Beyond that, however, nothing is known about the reasons for their rejections. U.S. law prevents public disclosure of the security details. And the Homeland Security Department hasn't answered the February request for a private briefing by Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., co-chair of Congress' Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. The State Department also seemed initially taken by surprise at the Homeland Security Department rejections and has no policy for dealing with them. In the past, the few people denied admittance to the U.S. either returned to Iran or applied for Austrian asylum. Troublingly, their outcomes were not tracked, say HIAS lawyers. At the State Department briefing Feb. 23, a spokeswoman said that "the United States will not force anyone to return to Iran," and that every case will receive "careful review." In a follow-up email to me, she added that the U.S. and Austria are "working together on protection options." She cited, as one such option, resettlement in Armenia -- a country with a 17 percent unemployment rate, virtually guaranteeing refugees a future in poverty. These statements provided little reassurance. A week earlier the 87 refugees had received their final Homeland Security Department rejections and were visited by Austrian police, who warned of their imminent deportation to Iran unless they claimed asylum in Austria. The refugees are now "scared to death," Austrian Catholic Church officials who are helping them told me. Their prospects for asylum in Austria are dim, hurt by the U.S. rejections. And as members of religious minorities who attempted to move to the United State -- the "Great Satan" in the view of the Iranian regime -- the refugees face double jeopardy back home. Iran's prisons are filled with alleged spies and traitors -- many falsely accused -- as well as persecuted religious minorities. In recent weeks, six political prisoners in those jails reportedly have died under torture. To resolve this tragic situation and salvage critical U.S. policy goals, Ambassador Brownback should:

Ensure a case-by-case security review for each of the 87 refugees barred from the U.S.

Prevent anyone's forcible return to Iran, even after rejection in an Austrian asylum adjudication.

For those denied, find a humane solution in a third country -- after all, for humanitarian reasons, Bermuda agreed to take Chinese Uighur terrorists from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo, Cuba, after the Uighurs were captured in Afghanistan. So a similar plan could be created for the 87 refugees.

Brownback should also work to preserve the Lautenberg process. Reforms are needed to avoid future debacles like this and to reassure our program partner, Austria. Far from being the "Cold War anachronism" that the New York Times has made it out to be, the Lautenberg Amendment gives life to U.S. national security strategy policies. Iran is a "Country of Particular Concern," -- that is, a State Department-designated religious persecutor of the first order. In 14 years, the Lautenberg Amendment has provided a lifeline to over 32,000 Iranians from minority religious groups. The amendment upholds the highest of American values. America should do no less.
Air France-KLM is upping its long-haul passenger capacity this summer, resulting in additional belly space on a number of routes.

Air France will begin flying from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Nairobi (three times a week by Boeing 787) and Seattle (five weekly B777-200 flights) on March 25; three times a week with a B777-200 to Taipei on 16 April; and San Jose twice a week in continuation of the 2017-18 winter season.

Subsidiary Joon will link the French capital with Fortaleza (twice-weekly Airbus 340 services) as of May 3 and with Mahe three times weekly as of May 5.

From Pointe-a-Pitre, Air France will continue to serve Atlanta, while KLM will keep flying from Amsterdam to Fortaleza three times a week with an A330 and to Mumbai (also three times a week).

The airline group will also increase its flights between Amsterdam and several destinations in the US (Minneapolis, San Francisco and New York) as well as to Argentina, Colombia, Chile and the Caribbean. There will be extra flights to South Korea and Thailand. Togo and Ghana will gain additional services from Paris.

Services to Malaysia will be reduced for the summer season, though, and flights to Kazakhstan will remain suspended.

Share this story




Daily Report Edited by Brian W. Everstine with Steve Hirsch and Amy McCullough

AFA Urges the Air Force to Quickly Complete Reset, Resume Communications with Public

The Air Force has suspended most media embeds, base visits, and a large number of interviews while its public affairs officers undergo an operational security and public engagement reset that takes into account the return to a great power competition as outlined in the National Defense Strategy. AFA leaders acknowledged the need to protect classified information, but said its also important the Air Force continue to tell its story and communicate with the public. We must keep Americas Air Force strong and ready and to do so requires frequent and consistent communications with the public, said Spencer. I hope the Air Force completes its reset training quickly so they can resume communications with those taxpayers who deserve to know how they can make their Air Force better. Read the full story by Amy McCullough.

After the Retirement, USAF Deciding What to do With Remaining Predators

While the Air Force held a ceremony officially retiring the MQ-1 Predator on Friday, there is still work to be done with the aircraft. The Air Forces transition from the MQ-1 to a predominantly MQ-9 fleet will be complete by the end of the year, and transition work deciding what will happen to the 128 remaining MQ-1s in the services total active inventory is ongoing, Air Combat Command said in a statement to Air Force Magazine. The Friday ceremony at Creech AFB, Nev., was a chance to honor the airmen who maintained and operated this platform as well as our teamwork with industry and coalition partners, ACC spokeswoman 1st Lt. Annabel Monroe said. Many of these MQ-1s have been crated and prepared for shipping, but others still need to be demilitarized. The Air Force doesnt expect the aircraft to be available to be sold to allied nations or private companies, Monroe said. Some have already gone to museums, such as the American Air Museum in England. The Air Force is still paying for operations and maintenance of the aircraft, including a March 9 contract to URS Federal Technical Services for a high level of support for the MQ-1, along with MQ-9 and RQ-4. Brian Everstine

Air Force Close to Full Operational Capability for Cyber Teams

The Air Force is on its way toward attaining full operational capability for all of its Cyber Mission Force teams by the end of the current fiscal year, the services cyber chief told Congress Tuesday. Maj. Gen. Christopher Weggeman, commander of the 24th Air Force and of Air Forces Cyber, said during a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing that as of the beginning of this month, 35 of the 39 Cyber Mission Force teams had reached full operational capacity. By comparison, he told the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, highlighting our extensive progress, at this time, at this same hearing 10 months ago, we only had 19 at FOC. The remaining four, he said, are expected reach full capability by Junethree months ahead of deadline. AFCYBER has developed a team-by-team, name-by-name plan that ensures all teams will achieve FOC on time, he said. Steve Hirsch

CENTCOM Aiming to Build Afghan Air Force into a Key Offensive Capability

US forces in Afghanistan are building up the Afghan Air Force, along with Afghan special operations forces, to serve as the key offensive capability for the government to use against the Taliban, the head of US operations in the Middle East said Tuesday. In turn, the Afghan National Army and federal police need to be more competent to hold these gains, US Central Command boss Gen. Joseph Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Read the full story by Brian Everstine.

US Aircraft Striking Al Shabaab in Somalia Quite Robustly Under New Authorities

US forces are striking al Shabaab quite robustly in Somalia where the group maintains a presence, and have moved into Mogadishu to continue the mission. USMC Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander of US Africa Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday the US mission in Somalia has two focuses: one kinetic and one in training. Kinetic strikes in the country have increased over the past year, after an April 2017 move to designate Somalia as an active area of hostilities, which gave AFRICOM more authorities to strike. Recently, US forces conducted three strikes in February and two in January, according to releases posted by AFRICOM. US forces are working with African Union Mission in Somalia forces to help train Somali forces because they need to be at a place where they can conduct their own security. As a part of this mission, an AFRICOM country team is very tight with the Somali government, and recently moved from Nairobi, Kenya, to Mogadishu to continue this mission, Waldhauser said. Brian Everstine

Trump Fires Tillerson, Replaces Him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo

President Trump on Tuesday fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, replacing him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo at a time when the US is preparing for possible direct talks with North Korea, is facing a tense relationship with Russia, and an escalating war in Afghanistan. Tillerson said he was told Tuesday he was being replaced, and has delegated all responsibilities to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan as he addresses a few administrative matters before leaving at midnight March 31. During a brief statement in Foggy Bottom, Tillerson thanked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and those in uniform who protect us as Americans and our way of life daily at home and abroad. Mattis has maintained a close relationship with Tillerson, saying in January that he has breakfast with him every week and talks two to three times per day to settle all of our issues before going to the White House. Mattis has repeatedly deferred to Tillerson on issues such as North Korea, which he said is a diplomatically led effort. Mattis was in Kabul on Tuesday, and did not speak publicly about the move as of Tuesday afternoon. Brian Everstine

_

RADAR SWEEP

TSgt. Phillip Dyer, an explosive ordnance disposal instructor at Eglin AFB, Fla., received the Airmans Medal on March 9 for saving a double amputee from hypothermia and drowning in 2015: Eglin release.

Air Forces Central Command on March 8-9 hosted a Defense Innovation Unit Experimental summit focused on innovation at the Combined Air Operations Center: AFCENT release.

C-130s and airmen with the 109th Airlift Squadron and 133rd Airlift Wing flew in Operation Snowbird, an exercise that consisted of more than 30 sorties and 44 low-level routes: 133rd AW release.

The Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute at Maxwell AFB, Ala., on March 12 unveiled a monument honoring 12 airmen who died defending a classified outpost in Laos in 1968: Maxwell AFB release.
U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim turned over a Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) to Secretary of National Defense Delfin N. Lorenzana during a transfer ceremony at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, on March 13.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim pours champagne over a Scan Eagle Unmanned Aerial Vehicle during a traditional turnover and blessing ceremony

(Credit: US Embassy to the Philippines)



Ambassador Kim and officials from the Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group delivered this PhP 687 million ($13.2 million) system to the Philippine Air Force through the Foreign Military Financing grant program in order to increase the Philippine militarys maritime domain awareness, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and counterterrorism capabilities.

The Scan Eagle UAS will provide unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) 300 Air Intelligence and Security Wing (AISW), who will operate the aircraft out of Antonio Bautista Air Base, Palawan. 300 AISW is the AFPs leading unit for air ISR operations.

The transfer of the Scan Eagle to the unmanned ISR group and the transfer of the two Cessna- 208Bs in July 2017 to the manned ISR group represent our strong commitment to enhance the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Kim said during the ceremony.

The United States, as a longstanding ally of the Philippines, continues to provide support to the AFP through both grant assistance and expedited sales of arms and munitions to assist both long-term AFP modernization goals and urgent counter-terrorism and HADR requirements.
Qatar has signed a contract for the purchase of 28 NH90 military helicopters, during DIMDEX, Qatars biennial defence exhibition. The agreement, which includes 16 NH90s in tactical transport (TTH) configuration and 12 NH90s in naval (NFH) configuration, will support the countrys plan to modernise their military helicopter fleet.

(Credit: Airbus Helicopters)

As part of the plan, Qatar will receive 16 H125 light single-engine helicopters in training configuration for operation by the Qatar Armed Forces Air Academy.



We are honoured to support the Qatar Armed Forces through this strategic partnership, said Ben Bridge, Executive Vice President Global Business at Airbus Helicopters. The NH90 is a modern and combat-proven asset that will meet Qatars demanding operational requirements for decades to come, both in troop transport and naval missions. Our partnership on the new training academy will also strengthen the relationship between our countries by enabling the exchange of expertise and know-how in helicopter operations, he added.



Leonardo will act as prime contractor for the programme management with the end customer and Airbus will be responsible for the final assembly and delivery of 16 NH90 TTH aircraft from its facility in Marignane, France while Leonardo will be responsible for final assembly and delivery of the 12 NH90 NFH helicopters from its Venice  Tessera facility in Northern Italy.



The NH90 is well suited for operations in the most demanding conditions and has been combat-proven in many theatres of operation worldwide. This contract for 28 helicopters brings the total order book to 543 aircraft. To date, 350 aircraft have been delivered to 20 customers in 13 countries and have accumulated around 170,000 flight hours.



The twin-engine, medium-size NH90 helicopter program is managed by the consortium NHIndustries, a company owned by Airbus Helicopters (62.5%), Leonardo (32%), and Fokker (5.5%).
A few weeks after having been officially presented to the press, the Saab GlobalEye AEW&C aircraft completed today its maiden flight, the Swedish aerospace and defense company announced on Twitter.

Saab's GlobalEye taking off from Linkoping airport

(Credit: Twitter/Saab)

"GlobalEye takes off on historic first flight from Linkoping, Sweden," said Saab on its Twitter account, showing a picture of the advanced AEW&C aircraft.

GlobalEye is an advanced, swing role airborne surveillance system based on a Global 6000 jet aircraft from Bombardier, which has undergone a thorough modification programme to adapt it for its role. The rollout marks a significant milestone on the programme.

Saab is currently producing the GlobalEye AEW&C, combining air, maritime and ground surveillance in one single solution. GlobalEye combines a full suite of sophisticated sensors including the powerful new extended range radar (Erieye ER), with the ultra-long range Global 6000 jet aircraft. According to Saab, the Erieye ER gives the aircraft a 70% increase of the detection range (about 650 km) compared to the previous version. The radar provides wide-area moving target indication (GMTI) as well as improved performance against small targets such as stealth aircraft, unmanned aircraft, cruise missiles or submarine periscopes.

Other major sensors include the Leonardo's Seaspray 7500E AESA search radar, providing the aircraft with a maritime surveillance role within a detection range of approximately 400 km. it also incorporates a FLIR Star Safire EO/IR gimbal, automatic identification system, IFF/ADS-B, and a wide range of communication systems, including undisclosed satcoms.

Besides the Asian and Latin-American markets, the GlobalEye will be tout for the NATO E-3A AWACS replacement program, planned to start in 2035. Existing Saab EW business line customers also shown interest in bolstering their airborne surveillance capabilities. Saab is also eyeing the Canadian market, which left then reentered the NATO AWACS fleet.

The development and production contract was awarded at the Dubai Air Show November 2015 by the United Arab Emirates with an initial order for two systems. An additional order by the UAE for a third system was announced in 2017. The GlobalEye solution brings extended detection range, endurance and the ability to perform multiple roles with one solution, including tasks such as search & rescue, border surveillance and military operations.

UAE is already flying two ex-Swedish Air Force Saab 340 AEW purchased in 2009 as an interim solution. The UAEAF selected the GlobalEye in 2015 as afinal settlement.

A global leader in airbone electronic warfare solutions, Saab already sold its platforms to eight countries: Sweden, Thailand, UAE, Mexico, Pakistan, Brazil, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and an unknown customer.
A national nonprofit organization supporting opportunities for people with disabilities ranks Alabama next to last among the states for providing jobs.

In fact, according to RespectAbility, 5,531 people with disabilities in Alabama lost jobs in 2016.

That's not the case nationally, the organization says, where data from the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire says that 343,483 more people with disabilities joined the American workforce in 2016. That's four times the number of job gains from the previous year.

The survey comes at a time when Alabama's unemployment rate is at a historic low. This week, Alabama's unemployment rate for January 2018 was down to 3.7 percent.

According to the group, there are 421,135 working-age people with disabilities living in Alabama between the ages of 18 and 64 in 2016, and only 115,799 of them had jobs. Alabama has a 27.5 percent employment rate for its people with disabilities.

The best employment rate for the disabled nationally is in North Dakota, where about 54 percent of those with some disability have jobs.

In a news release, RespectAbility said several governors nationwide are setting the policy for how their states handle employment for the disabled. The group credited Gov. Kay Ivey for her work with the Alabama Governor's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, a program of the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services.

It said Ivey has brought attention to National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which takes place in October.

The group also says states should do more to work for education and job training for the disabled. Alabama had an overall high school graduation rate of 87.1 percent in 2016, the sixteenth highest in the nation, but only 54.1 percent of the students with disabilities graduated.

"Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life," RespectAbility President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi said. "People with disabilities deserve the opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence, just like anyone else."
Gov. Kay Ivey today met with executives from Mazda and Toyota in Montgomery as the two companies prepare for their Huntsville plant.

Gov. Kay Ivey met with executives today from Mazda and Toyota as the two companies prepare for their joint venture manufacturing plant in Huntsville.

Ivey's office released a series of photos in a tweet, which stated the two companies continue to make plans to break ground later this year. Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield also took part in the talks.

Last week, Mazda Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. announced the establishment of a joint-venture company, Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA.

MTMUS says the full-scale construction of its $1.6 billion Huntsville plant will begin in 2019. When fully operational in 2021, the plant is expected to employ 4,000 people.

Both Mazda and Toyota will have a 50 percent stake in the company, with Mazda Executive Officer Masashi Aihara serving as president and Hironori Kagohashi, executive general manager of Toyota, serving as executive vice president.

Alabama continues to work alongside @Toyota & @MazdaUSA to make further preparations for Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA to break ground later this year. I was happy to welcome the two companies executives and @gregcanfield to my office this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/FGICBGk4Ec  Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) March 14, 2018

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle also met with Aihara and Kagohashi and tweeted about the meeting.
I've heard of it. I've even seen it exercised in other places. I certainly grew up on it, so I recognize it. I guess that is why it is easy to also notice when it is absent.

If you question whether your county lacks leadership, all you have to do is check where it ranks statewide and nationally. If it ranks near dead last in practically everything, has failing schools, an unskilled workforce, and has unemployment levels that are rising when the rest of the state is at an all-time low - your county likely does suffer from a lack of leadership.

Leadership in Wilcox County is a lot like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot - rumored to exist, but not seen by too many people. Or at least not by me. Not until Monday evening.

Monday, March 12, this year of our Lord, at approximately 6:00 pm, an act of leadership took place at the Wilcox County Courthouse Annex.

It was standing room only in the commission chamber. There is a whole courtroom in the same building, but they have meetings in the small commission chamber where only a limited number of people attend. Everyone has to get so close together that nobody can breathe without smelling each other's Sweet Honesty and Old Spice and the like...and the opposite. It is so cramped that a lot of people won't stay. Some will stand in the hallway because there is no place left to even stand against the wall. They can't fully hear what is happening, but it is important to them, so they stay.

There was a 5:00 pm work session between county employees and the commission to discuss the pay increases of three female employees. The annual salary increases were from $24,960 to $31,574 for a payroll clerk, $37,440 to $41,600 for the assistant county administrator, and $29,494 to $34,008 for the payroll/personnel director. All letters of notification were signed by the chairman of the commission, John R. Moton Jr. They all said, one more personable than others, that "he" appreciated their service to the commission office.

The raises took place last year in February and March. Rumors swirled all year about these pay increases, until the letters of notification from public files emerged. In reaction to the proof, another letter was written March 5 of this year. This letter was to the commission from the Tax, Accessor, Tax Collector, and Probate Judge giving the commission 10 days to adjust all of the other county employees' salaries to reflect matching increases. It went on to say these employees should be valued and appreciated for the work they do too.

Well, that didn't happen. The chairman claims the administrator gave the raises within her right as a department head at the end of probationary periods, extra projects and a review. There was no proof or description of the extra projects. There were no notes from any review. The chairman said the administrator is free to spend as she sees fit her portion of the budget, but his signature on the letters of notification did not go unnoticed by the other commissioners. He and the administrator worked in coordination. Her defense was that she had train her own self. His was that the other commissioners approved the raises when they voted to accept the budge for last year.

Commissioner Marion McIntosh disagreed with the chairman saying, "You recall things that didn't happen. Nobody at this table would have voted for anybody to receive a twenty percent pay raise when the county can't afford to patch potholes."

Commissioner Bill Albritton said he didn't vote for any such increases and would not be held responsible, that whoever made these raises would be responsible for paying them back because the raises were not legit and would be audited.

And then later, after the work session ended and the commission meeting began and went into executive session, Commissioner Albritton made a motion to rescind all three raises. The motion passed.

Leadership has happened in Wilcox County.

Amanda Walker is a blogger and contributor with AL.com, The Thomasville Times, West Alabama Watchman, Alabama Gazette and Wilcox Progressive Era. Contact her at Walkerworld77@msn.com or at https://www.facebook.com/AmandaWalker.Columnist.
A Vestavia Hills man is jailed in Georgia amid accusations he assaulted another man during a fight over a handicapped parking space.

The Barrow County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday announced four charges against 52-year-old Morris Gilmore Ellis. The incident happened about 7:10 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, in Winder, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

Authorities said deputies responded to Fatz Cafe on Atlanta Highway. Once on the scene, they learned Ellis and another man, Danny Payne, had gotten into a dispute that turned physical. The argument began, they said, because Payne had parked in a handicapped spot and Ellis did not see a handicapped placard in Payne's window. Payne's family said he is on life support following the incident.

Investigators said Ellis made physical contact with Payne, which caused Payne to fall to the ground and receive a head injury. They obtained warrants for Ellis charging him with two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of battery.

He was arrested in Vestavia Hills on Thursday, March 8, and held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond on a fugitive from justice warrant, jail records show. Georgia authorities said he was extradited to the Barrow County Sheriff's Office Detention Center on Tuesday, where he remains awaiting a bond hearing.

Authorities did not say whether Payne had a handicapped placard in his vehicle.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dozens of Huffman High School students walked out of class Wednesday morning to participate in National School Walkout Day.

Students across the country participated in the event by leaving class at 10 a.m. and standing in silence for 17 minutes to honor the 14 students and three faculty killed in the Parkland, Florida shooting last month. Huffman students, however, added an extra minute to their silence in honor of Courtlin Arrington.

Arrington, 17, was killed last week during a shooting inside a Huffman High School classroom. Another student, Michael Jerome Barber, was charged in her death with manslaughter and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm.

Wednesday morning at 10 a.m., dozens of Huffman students exited the building. According to school officials, the walkout was organized by class: Freshman walked out the back doors, sophomores to the left, juniors to the right, and seniors in front of the school under the flagpole, where the flag was positioned at half-staff.

The students stood in silence for 18 minutes, and then listened to Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin speak briefly.

DeCarlos Bates, a senior at Huffman, spoke to reporters after the walkout was over. He said he walked out of class "simply to show respect for the Florida victims."

"And, losing a member of our own. Seeing something happen like that on TV is one thing, and your heart goes out, but it really opens up your eyes when it happens close to home," he said.

Huffman High Student Walkout WATCH: Students at Birmingham's Huffman High are walking out of school to support bringing an end to gun violence: Posted by al.com on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Bates also said Woodfin and officials who were present at the walkout assured the school, and the senior class, that the city supported them in their time of grief and were proud of the students.

"As the days go by, I do feel better," he said. "With time, we'll heal."

Birmingham City Schools announced yesterday that the students who chose to walk out of class would not face disciplinary action. "As the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement," a statement said, "Birmingham understands the power of peaceful protest. That is why Birmingham City Schools is supporting students who are taking action for change."

"We commend our students for taking an active role in bringing about positive change," Superintendent Dr. Lisa Herring said. "These students are the future leaders of our country, and we want them to know the power of their voices."

Other schools across the state said their students who did walk out of school would be disciplined, while several schools organized other activities to honor the 17 slain in Florida.
The Alabama Attorney General's Office argued in filings submitted yesterday to the U.S. Supreme Court that tomorrow's scheduled execution should proceed.

The nation's highest court is yet to rule as to whether they will stay Michael Wayne Eggers' execution, which is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. Petitions for a writ of certiorari and for a stay of execution were filed earlier this week by one of Eggers' former attorneys with the Federal Public Defenders Office, John Palombi.

Eggers previously fired his attorneys and waived all appeals. A federal judge ruled he was competent to make that decision, and an appeals court upheld the ruling.

In responses submitted Tuesday afternoon to the court, the AG's Office says Eggers has consistently requested to be executed since December 2015. "While appointed counsel may speculate about the reasons Eggers wanted to discharge his counsel and waive his appeals, the fact remains that he is competent to do so," the filing states.

The state argued to the court there is not a likelihood of success on the merits of Eggers' former lawyer's claim, and that he should have filed for the stay earlier this month instead of waiting until the week of the execution.

The state's filing also quoted the inmate on one of his requests to the Alabama Supreme Court, when asking his execution date be set. "Eggers himself has made the decision to waive further appeals and proceed with his execution to 'eliminat[e] any further undue delays in my execution providing the people with justice long overdue.'"

Palombi's petitions filed Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay Eggers' execution and to review the case.

"Michael Eggers is severely mentally ill," one of the filings states. "His testimony and filings are strong evidence of the irrationality of his reasons for wanting to terminate present counsel and to abandon his appeals."

The state also mentioned Eggers' mental health in its filings, but said his "personality disorder" did not prevent him from making a rational choice to dismiss his attorneys and waive his appeals.

Eggers is set to die Thursday for the December 2000 beating death of Francis Bennie Murray. The 67-year-old Talladega woman was driving Eggers to his car in northwest Walker County, when court records state they got into an argument and Eggers beat her unconscious and choked her, leaving her body in a wooded area. After his arrest 11 days later, Eggers led police to Murray's body.

Thursday will be the third execution Alabama has set for 2018.
A young southwest Birmingham man is behind bars, accused of having sex with a teen girl.

Adonis Lucas, 20, was arrested on a second-degree rape charge by Birmingham police on Sunday, according to court records made public Tuesday. The victim in the criminal case is under the age of 16 and over the age of 12.

Few details were released, but the arrest warrant states the two had sexual intercourse on Jan. 18. Under Alabama law, a person commits the crime of second-degree rape if, being 16 years old or older, he or she engages in sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex less than 16 and more than 12 years old. The person being charged must be at least two years older than the member of the opposite sex.

Also, a person commits second-degree rape if he or she engages in sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex who is incapable of consent by reason of being mentally defective. It is a Class B felony.

Lucas has been in the Jefferson County Jail since Sunday. His bond is set at $30,000.
President Trump is floating the idea of a national "Space Force" to defend American interests on the ultimate high ground of space, and an Alabama congressman is already responding that, "The road to the Space Force runs through the Tennessee Valley."

"I applaud President Trump for calling for the Space Force, a modern military space program that would help protect America's interests in space and keep us ahead of both China and Russia," U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville) said in a Tuesday statement. "With Marshall Space Flight Center in our backyard, the Tennessee Valley proudly embraces the creation of a new Space Force. After all, the road to the Space Force runs through the Tennessee Valley."

Brooks said he has worked with Alabama Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Anniston) to include a "space military unit" in national defense plans. Authorization for a space force passed the House this year but died in the Senate.

The president said he was joking at first when he spoke of the idea, but he's warming to it. It's already serious to representatives like Rogers and Brooks. Rogers sees the Air Force, the military branch with the most space assets and potential, as being too focused on superiority closer to the Earth with airplanes.

Rogers chairs the House Armed Services Committees subcommittee on strategic forces, and he criticized the Air Force in February for not taking the space threat more seriously. Rogers' remarks at a public appearance were made even more noteworthy by the presence and agreement of Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn), the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee.

Where would the space threat come from? As Brooks said, China and Russia are the usual suspects. China is seen as Threat No. 1, because of its history and the spending power of its growing economy.

U.S. Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), who chairs the House committee that writes NASA's budget, told an October space conference in Huntsville that the Chinese "are aggressively building a navy in space, and we need to be aware that it's not friendly."

The storyline heard at more than one space conference in recent years goes like this. China was the most powerful nation in the world in the 15th century, and the Chinese emperor saw no need to go anywhere else. His country was the center of the universe and needed only a fleet of small coastal trading ships.

In Europe, however, small and scrappy Portugal did build small ships called caravels that could explore the African coast and later the Atlantic Ocean. Portugal and the European nations that followed its lead became major powers based on trade with Africa and India, while China remained isolated and technologically lagging for centuries.

China is determined that won't happen again. It is determined to dominate the new big ocean of space, leaders like Culberson say. "We need to understand with our eyes wide open that the Chinese space program is owned lock, stock and barrel by the People's Liberation Army," Culberson said in Huntsville. "And they are, of course, a communist nation that is not friendly to us."
The chief of operations for Birmingham City Schools said district officials still don't know why metal detectors at Huffman High School weren't in use last Wednesday when senior Courtlin Arrington was killed in a shooting on campus.

Troy Williams said he isn't sure how metal detectors have been used in previous years, but this year detectors have been used when they have games and when "there's an awareness or potential threat in terms of some activity that may be happening."

Williams, who has been with the district since August, oversees safety and security for the district. At Tuesday night's meeting, he gave board members an update on heightened safety and security measures in the district since Arrington's death.

The meeting was the first held since the 17-year-old senior's death.

Williams told board members officials are looking at adding walk-through and hand-held metal detectors at the district's middle and high schools to conduct proper searches for weapons like the gun used in the shooting that killed Arrington.

The board does not have any policy requiring the daily use of metal detectors, he said.

Birmingham City Schools Chief Operation Officer Troy Williams (right).

Williams said he sent instructions to principals last Friday to "make sure they are utilizing their metal detectors on a consistent basis."

Williams said for now they are focusing on making sure school staff know how to properly use the metal detectors that are currently in place. "Our priority right now is to make sure they are being used."

Security cameras may be added at Huffman, Williams said, to capture "blind spots" that aren't currently in view of cameras.

Officials are also considering installing alarms on exit doors that would sound if those doors are opened, Williams said.

Williams said he hopes to add more school resource officers, but the decision will ultimately be up to the city government who provides those officers to the district.

Superintendent Lisa Herring opened the meeting by asking for a moment of silence to honor the loss of Arrington.

"These are challenging, grieving, difficult times," Herring said.

Herring left before the end of the meeting. A district spokesperson said Herring was exhausted.

Chief of Staff Mark Sullivan told board members that numerous organizations, including Red Cross and the United Way, have provided support to students and staff at Huffman High since the shooting last Wednesday.

Grief counselors, ministers, community volunteers, and therapy dogs are among those who have been at the school to help those grieving the loss of Arrington, he said.

"Many of our students are grieving. Some of our students and teachers were first on the scene," Sullivan said.

Birmingham City School high school students will participate in the National School Walkout planned for Wednesday at 10 a.m. Students will honor Arrington along with the 17 students and staff killed in the Feb. 14 Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland, Fla.

.@BhamCitySchools is "supporting students who are taking action for change" & will allow students to participate in the March 14 National School Walkout. #aledchat #SchoolSafety pic.twitter.com/gPActXRoEB  Trisha Powell Crain (@Trish_Crain) March 13, 2018

"It has been very difficult over the past few days," Sullivan said, and ongoing support will be needed for a long time.

"We recognize this is going to be a long process."
Cold temperatures are again in the forecast for Wednesday night into Thursday morning across Alabama.

The National Weather Service has a new set of freeze warnings and frost advisories in place for tonight across parts of central and south Alabama.

Here's a look at what to expect:

Central Alabama

The weather service in Birmingham has issued a freeze warning for all of central Alabama.

(National Weather Service)

It will be in effect from midnight until 9 a.m. Thursday.

Temperatures are expected to be a bit colder than last night, falling to between 25 and 32 degrees by Thursday morning.

South Alabama

It will also be chilly in south Alabama, where a freeze warning will also be in effect overnight for most inland areas, according to the weather service in Mobile.

FREEZE WARNING for early Thursday morning for many inland areas.



FROST ADVISORY for early Thursday morning for areas closer to the coast.



Forecast: https://t.co/hyW11gkbYx pic.twitter.com/ySpd7EEKs0  NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) March 14, 2018

The freeze warning will be in effect from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. Thursday for Choctaw, Washington, Clarke, Wilcox, Monroe, Conecuh, Butler, Crenshaw, Escambia, Covington and inland Mobile and Baldwin counties.

Temperatures in those areas could bottom out anywhere from 29 to 32 degrees overnight, forecasters said.

A frost advisory will also be in effect for central and coastal Mobile and Baldwin counties from 2 a.m. until 8 a.m. Thursday.

As for southeast Alabama, a freeze warning has been issued and will be in place from 3 a.m. until 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the weather service in Tallahassee.

The counties affected are Coffee, Dale, Henry, Geneva and Houston.

Low temperatures across that area could fall to between 29 and 32 degrees overnight and could stay there for three to five hours, according to forecasters.

North Alabama

There are no freeze warnings in place for north Alabama as of Wednesday morning.

The weather service in Huntsville said a light freeze will be possible overnight for northeast Alabama.

Forecasters for now have decided to hold off on issuing freeze warnings for tonight because forecast models show many areas staying above freezing.

However, colder temperatures will be possible if winds manage to die down overnight and dew points dip.
Harper Lee's longtime attorney on Tuesday filed a lawsuit in federal court in south Alabama on behalf of Lee's estate over a planned Broadway version of "To Kill A Mockingbird."

Tonja Carter filed the suit against Rudinplay, Inc., saying the New York production company in 2015 signed an agreement with Lee, paying Lee $100,000 for the rights to produce the play and giving Lee the right to select the playwright and review the script.

Lee approved producer Scott Rudin's selection of Aaron Sorkin as the playwright that year, the complaint filed by Carter states. Lee died in 2016.

In 2017, Sorkin, the complaint states, told Vulture the play "is a different take on Mockingbird" that shows Atticus Finch, to be played by Jeff Daniels, going through an emotional journey from "apologist" for his racist neighbors to becoming by the play's end the venerable attorney known to generations of readers.

"Audiences won't encounter the morally sound Atticus Finch they know" at the beginning of the play, Sorkin also told Playbill in 2017.

Andrew Nurnberg, literary agent to Lee's estate, in September 2017 expressed his concerns to Rudin that any change to the characters must "not contradict the author's image of them," the filing states.

Rudin tried to ease the concerns of Nurnberg and Carter, the filing states, which included Carter's worries about plans to add new characters not created by Lee.

Carter and Rudin met on Feb. 16, the suit states, and "at times the conversation was heated."

Carter wrote to Rudin on March 5, saying the script alters the book's core characters and "the spirit of the novel."

"The Rudin team is arguing it does not, and that, while the producers must listen to the estate's view, they are the final arbiters of whether the production is faithful to the novel," The New York Times reported today.

That report continued:

"I can't and won't present a play that feels like it was written in the year the book was written in terms of its racial politics: It wouldn't be of interest," Mr. Rudin said in an interview. "The world has changed since then."
Legislation to expand oversight of child care centers in Alabama was delayed on Tuesday but is expected to pass on Thursday, lawmakers said.

Rep. Pebblin Warren, D-Tuskegee, said she expects the Senate to pass her Child Care Safety Act on Thursday. Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, who is handling Warren's bill in the Senate, said Sen. Shay Shelnutt, R-Trussville, who had held up the bill last week, agreed not to block it on Thursday.

Almost half of Alabama's 1,900 child care centers are exempt from licensing and minimum standards set by the Department of Human Resources. Any center that claims to be an integral part of a church ministry can claim the exemption.

Warren and advocates for the bill say the exemption allows some centers to operate without the staffing, training and physical facilities to operate safely.

Warren's bill would require licensing for church-affiliated centers that accept children whose child care payments are federally subsidized. Other church-affiliated centers would remain exempt from licensing but would be required to report more information to DHR, including criminal histories of employees.

The measure has generally enjoyed strong bipartisan support and passed the House overwhelmingly a month ago. It also passed the House last year but died on the last day of the session in the Senate.

Shelnutt said he was concerned about forcing church-affiliated centers to choose between state licensing and accepting low-income children who receive subsidies.

Dial said the plan is to pass the bill without any changes on Thursday and revisit the issue again next year if necessary.

Warren and supporters of the bill say uniform standards are the only way to ensure safety.

A 5-year-old Mobile boy was found dead in August 2017 after being left in a van by a driver for an unlicensed center who had a criminal record, authorities say.

In 2015, 86 children from an unlicensed center in Montgomery received hospital treatment for food poisoning.

If the Senate passes Warren's bill without changes on Thursday, it would go to Gov. Kay Ivey, who could sign it into law.
A north Alabama man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for stabbing his wife multiple times and trying to cut his 14-year-old son's throat.

Joel Andres Lopez has pleaded guilty to trying to his wife and teen son. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Joel Andres Lopez, a 38-year-old from Russellville, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and attempted assault, according to court records made public Tuesday. He'd been indicted on two counts of attempted murder.

The attack happened July 3, 2016 at the family's home in Russellville. The wife was covered in blood when police found her. Authorities said she was stabbed 21 times.

Lopez also was charged with trying to kill his teen son for coming to his mother's rescue. The boy told police that his father said, "Father forgive me," just before he tried to cut his son's throat, The Franklin County Times newspaper has reported.

Lopez was sentenced to 20 years on the attempted murder charge and five years on the attempted assault charge. The sentences will run concurrently, court records state.

The case was set for trial next month in Franklin County Circuit Judge Terry Dempsey's courtroom. If convicted at trial, Lopez could have faced up to life in prison.
At the start of the month, the Port of Mobile had no money lined up for a new auto-handling facility that could have an economic impact throughout the state and beyond. Two weeks later, thanks to two separate federal grants, it has more than $40 million.

Jimmy Lyons, Director and CEO of the Alabama State Port Authority (ASPA), said this week that the new docks feature will be a game-changer. His remarks also give some insight into what's ahead for the RESTORE Act process bringing hundreds of millions of dollars in Deepwater Horizon money to Mobile and Baldwin counties.

What the Port of Mobile stands to gain is a type of loading facility called "roll on-roll off," or Ro-Ro for short. It lets new cars, military vehicles and other rolling stock be driven directly onto or off of specialized ships. Lyons is eager to see those ships join the traffic using his port, and not because they're pretty.

"They're like big parking decks, if you will," he said, describing vessels that can hold from 4,000 to 8,000 new cars each. "They're ugly ships."

"I've asked for years, why aren't we shipping automobiles through the Port of Mobile," he said.

One reason was obvious: Building the facility to do it would cost about $60 million.

The first chunk of funding to come through was a $12.7 million Department of Transportation TIGER grant announced March 6. That put the Port of Mobile in select company: According to the American Association of Port Authorities, the latest round of 41 TIGER grants included only 5 project related to ports, and the Mobile project was one of only two that focused directly on shipping facilities at marine ports.

The second came amid $315 million in Mobile and Baldwin County projects recommended for RESTORE Act funding on March 7 by the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC). That's money from a trust fund created with penalties paid by the companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

Recommended grants include $28.8 million for a project to "convert a derelict former Bulk Handling Facility into a state-of-the-art Roll On-Roll Off (Ro/Ro)/Mobile Vehicle Processing Facility at the Port of Mobile."

The RESTORE Act was written to distribute money to a range of projects, including environmental recovery and preservation as well as economic development. Mobile's Ro-Ro terminal fits squarely in the latter category. According to a description provided by the AGCRC, "The development of the Facility will allow automobile and equipment manufacturers in Alabama and other neighboring states access to a more cost-effective deep-water gateway for exporting American made products, as well as importing commodities and components that support those manufacturers, creating jobs and improving the regional and national economy."

"We're able to show solid job generation," said Lyons, who figures the terminal will be able to handle 160,000 vehicles a year. It'll need 40 or more local workers, and will promote more jobs in the industry it serves -- which could include several auto plants in Alabama.

Landing two grants totaling $41.5 million in the span of a few days is eye-opening, but the ACGRC decision likely didn't come as much of a surprise to Lyons. The RESTORE Act establishes that the head of the Port Authority serves as the Recovery Council's vice chairman.

"It doesn't hurt. But it's a good project," he said of his position. "It takes a brownfield terminal and turns it into something shiny and new." (The bulk terminal was shut down in 2002, and later reopened for a few years to handle coal that mostly was bound for Mississippi Power.)

Lyons said the RESTORE Act process has been more complex than most people appreciate, and that despite the fanfare around last week's announcement, it's not as simple as the ACGRC simply handing out multimillion-dollar checks.

"It was a mind-numbing experience to go through all these projects," he said of the proposals fielded by the AGCRC. "There were over 400 of them."

Now that it has recommended which project should benefit from this round of funding, he said, the AGCRC has to draft what's called a Multi-year Implementation Plan scheduling their progress and funding. That plan will be subjected to a 45-day public comment period. After the AGCRC addresses the comments -- which are likely to include complaints from at least one city about being left out -- they submit the plans to higher authorities for review, which could involve significant changes or fine-tuning.

It's complicated. The RESTORE Act assigns money to five different pathways, often referred to as "buckets." All the money announced last week comes from Bucket 1, which is administered by the U.S. Treasury Department, and Bucket 3, administered by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council. The Ro-Ro project is in Bucket 1, so it'll be subject to Treasury review.

(Source: U.S. Treasury Department)

Assuming all that goes well, money still doesn't simply rain down.

"There's a lot of accountability in the spending of the RESTORE money," Lyons said. Much of the work done on the projects will be subject to competitive bidding requirements and there's a lot of paperwork in general. "It's all on a reimbursement basis, too," he said, "So you have to be able to manage the cash flow."

Lyons said the Port Authority may begin demolition work soon, but he doesn't expect the TIGER Grant money to be available until late this year, followed by the RESTORE Act funding. He hopes the Port Authority will be able to begin construction on the new facility before the end of the year and finish it in 2019.

Once complete, the facility will put Mobile in a competitive market. Lyons said that Jacksonville, Fla., and Brunswick, Ga., are the biggest Southeast ports for automobile shipping, though there are others on the East Coast and Gulf Coast that handle some.

One thing that will help Mobile get a piece of the business, he said, is its better-than-average rail connections, with access to five major railroads. The average person might first picture autos going from ships to the 18-wheeler car carriers they see on interstates and local roads, but "the rails carry a lot of automobiles."

"We've been looking at it for quite some time," he said. "We've had a lot of interest in the project" over the years. Now it can actively market a facility it has the money to build: Lyons said the Port Authority had representatives in California this week for an industry convention, the Finished Vehicles Logistics North America Conference.

Aside from imports, he said, "we're hoping we can serve Alabama's auto industry."

Not all of Alabama's auto factories make cars for export, he said, but the Mercedes plant outside Tuscaloosa is one that does. The potential to handle some of that business is there, he said.

Lyons said the overall cost of the project will be about $60 million. With the grants funding more than two-thirds of that, he said, the remainder will come from the Port Authority and private partners. He estimated that the Ro-Ro terminal could have a working lifespan of 70 years.
News last week that $315 million in projects have been approved for RESTORE Act funding in Mobile and Baldwin counties has left Prichard Mayor Jimmy Gardner concerned about his city's omission.

"The problem that I'm really having is ... what is more important? Is it for a city that has great needs, in terms of its infrastructure? Or whether there are private partners engaged in the project as well?" Gardner asked at a Monday morning press conference.

The head of the council overseeing the process said it's working as designed, and that Prichard may still have some opportunities.

The money comes from civil penalties paid by companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, and is being disbursed via a complex process involving multiple agencies. By design, it funds a range of projects: Some are directly related to ecological recovery and preservation, while others involve infrastructure and economic development.

Last week the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC) voted to recommend 47 projects for funding, including some pitched by city and county governments, and some classed as regional. Municipalities whose projects made the cut include Bayou La Batre, Orange Beach, Fairhope, Bayou La Batre and Mobile (which celebrated $39 million in grants).

Among those whose wishes did not make the list was Prichard. Mobile County's second-largest municipality had submitted several proposals in the early stages of the process and had one on the list considered last week. It sought $15 million to improve sewerage and runoff handling in areas on West Turner Road and Dunlap Circle. Proponents argued the work would not only ease flooding problems but would improve water quality in local tributaries and Mobile Bay itself.

Gardner said he found it "disheartening" that projects with similar infrastructure/water quality focus were approved for other cities such as Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Fairhope, Mobile and Orange Beach. He said he thought the reason was as simple as human nature.

The AGCRC's membership is topped by the governor as chairman and the director of the Alabama State Port Authority as vice chairman. It includes the chairman of the Baldwin County Commission, the president of the Mobile County Commission and mayors of six municipalities: Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Fairhope, Gulf Shores, Mobile and Orange Beach.

"Certainly they're going to fill their needs first. It only makes sense," Gardner said. "It's difficult for someone to set aside their own interests in favor of someone else's. That's just the way it is."

Gardner was careful to make clear that he respects the Recovery Council's work, and that he doesn't mean to say the selected projects are bad.

"Those places need it just like we do," he said. "[But] the city that really needs the money is not getting it."

Gardner also was critical of the fact that some "private partners" got funding when municipalities didn't. One example would be $9 million for Auburn University to build a facility in Orange Beach to do engineering research on water quality, protection of natural resources and other coastal issues.

"My concern is I find there was a number of private partners throughout this initiative that was awarded ... that took precedence over my city's needs," Gardner said. "And that concerns me greatly."

Gardner said he thinks the answer is to restructure the process, possibly giving more cities representation on the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council.

But the council's executive director, Eliska Morgan, said there's a major obstacle to that approach: The AGCRC's exact membership was specified in the RESTORE Act as signed by then-President Barack Obama in July 2012. It's literally federal law. The same goes for the entire framework within which the council operates.

"I don't know that the process will be changed" to include other membership, Morgan said. It's no accident which cities were picked, she said: They're on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico or Mobile Bay, and thus were presumed to be most directly affected by the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

As far as the issue of private partners, she said, "There's no priority given in the statute to the municipalities."

That said, Morgan added that the process isn't over and that Prichard may still have a shot. In information released last week, the AGCRC said that projects unfunded in this round might be considered in future rounds. She added that having done the work of evaluating the projects, the council hopes to find additional sources of funding.

"If we can find a source to fund it, we're going to do that," she said. "They're all good projects."

The next step in the process is for the AGCRC to come up with an implementation plan that schedules the projects and submit it to a 45-day public comment period. Gardner scoffed at the idea that the comment process might bring any relief.

"Do you really believe that?" he asked on Monday. "Do you really believe it's going to have an impact? I think not."

Morgan, however, said that the council "is required to give thoughtful consideration and address those comments."

"I would certainly encourage the mayor and the city ... to continue working with the council," she said.
Around five students are still receiving hospital care after a bus filled with high school children drove into a ravine in Baldwin County early Tuesday morning, killing one and injuring dozens more.

The driver of the bus of died, while eight victims remain in hospital. As of 7 p.m. Tuesday evening, five are at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola: two in serious condition and three stable. Two victims are in serious condition at Thomas Hospital in Fairhope. One victim is in stable condition at USA Medical Center in Mobile, said ALEA Captain John Malone. It's believed that at least three of those were released overnight, according to a WKRG report.

Channelview-based Pastor Christopher Shackelford told AL.com that while some are still in serious condition, one girl underwent surgery on a fractured arm, while the band director, who was trapped in the wreckage for more than three hours, is "no longer in critical condition."

"We are ready to bring the children and families back into the community," added Pastor Shackelford. "We know the emotional wounds will take a while to heal."

Shackelford also said that classes at the school will have counselors on hand to help victims and other people affected by the crash cope.

Families of the those hospitalized are using the Coastal Church in Daphne as a base. Most arrived at around 5 p.m. Tuesday and left immediately with their children.

The incident occurred at approximately 5.30 a.m. as two charter buses transported children from the Channelview High School band in Texas from a spring break trip at Disney World in Florida. The bus crossed the median and then fell into the 50-60 ft. ravine. It has not yet been established how the accident occurred, but Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) officers and officials from the National Transport Safety Bureau are at the site investigating.

Emergency crews at the site worked for hours Tuesday to pull the bus wreckage from the bottom of the ravine. Captain Malone said the absence of skid marks suggested the driver may have from suffered a medical emergency, fallen asleep, or suffered mechanical issue with the bus.

A vigil was held for the victims of the bus crash on Tuesday evening Channelview.
Social-media hashtags being used for the event include #enough and #nationalwalkoutday.

Schools across Alabama are responding to the call for students to walk out of their classrooms for 17 minutes to protest gun violence.

The #ENOUGH: National School Walkout will begin on Wednesday at 10 a.m. in each time zone to protest the lack of action from lawmakers in the wake of the 14 students and three staff members killed on Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Most school officials AL.com spoke with said they were trying to find ways for their students to participate, but not necessarily walk out of their classes.

Two Alabama school districts, Birmingham City and Macon County Schools, have announced plans to allow their high school students to actually walk out of class as part of the national event.

Huffman High Student Walkout WATCH: Students at Birmingham's Huffman High are walking out of school to support bringing an end to gun violence: Posted by al.com on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Between eight and 10 Alabama schools are listed on one of the two national websites (here and here) keeping track of participating schools. It's unclear how reliable the list is, though, as AL.com has found one school listed as hosting a walkout is actually on spring break this week.

Here are a few of the plans we have found. Let us know if we missed your school's plans.

Chelsea High School sophomores Kennedy Edwards and Katie Pulmano spoke with AL.com on Monday about the walkout they've helped plan for Wednesday morning.

The two students worked with Principal Wayne Trucks to plan a program where students will walk to the school's flagpole at 10 a.m. to remember, pray for, and honor the Parkland victims for 17 minutes.

Trucks told AL.com the students have been working hard. "I have been very impressed with their efforts to focus on school safety," he said.

Kennedy said she wishes she didn't have to worry about being safe at school. "It's this cloud over our head that I want to get rid of," Kennedy said.

Katie said gun safety doesn't only affect students and isn't a Democrat versus Republican issue.

"The main thing I care about is people's safety," Katie said. "I couldn't just sit back and watch a new mass shooting occur every week."

Last week, Shelby County Assistant Superintendent Lewis Brooks said they don't plan to punish students but are encouraging students to work with their principals on alternatives to a walkout.

Murphy High School sophomore Galina Sawyer said a group of students there worked with the principal to create an event where students can gather in the school and 17 students will each read the name of one of the Parkland victims.

Galina said she wanted to organize an event at her school partly because she is fearful at school. "Going to school is kind of scary," she said. "When I go into a classroom, one of my first thoughts is 'where will I hide'" if a shooting occurs. "It's always on my mind."

After a student fired shots from a gun on the school campus in January, she said she became even more fearful.

Galina wants to see action from state and federal lawmakers and has written to them to let them know she and her friends are watching what they do.

She said she doesn't want to get rid of all guns but raising the age limit to purchase a gun and providing more supports for students with mental health issues are actions that can be taken to reduce the risk.

Mobile County Public Schools spokesperson Rena Havner Philips said Superintendent Martha Peek has told students and principals that "as long as the students work with the principals on planning the event and as long as they are respectful," they can participate in events connected with the walkout.

Macon County School Superintendent Jacqueline Brooks said students there will be allowed to walk out at 10 a.m. if they want to participate. Brooks said they plan to honor Huffman High student Courtlin Arrington by adding one minute to the 17 minutes of silence for a total of 18 minutes.

In a notice sent to employees, Brooks said, "This is a great opportunity for social studies teachers to connect conversations regarding the constitution, our first amendment, historical versus modern walkouts and protests, the Voting Rights Act, the effects of voices and votes in elections, and youth advocacy."

Baldwin County School Superintendent Eddie Tyler said his district will hold a "Moment of Honor" in each of the middle and high schools. "Each school will halt classes and stand in honor of those in Parkland while the names, grades and age of those who passed are read aloud over the intercom system," a notice on the district's website states. Tyler discouraged the walkout, warning students they would be disciplined appropriately if they walked out of school.

Florence High School in Florence City Schools will host a "Walkup," according to a notice from Principal Roderick Sheppard. The notice states a Walkup is "where students will walk up to 14 students and 3 adults that they would not normally speak to and say something nice, and or spark up a conversation. In addition, there will be 17 student desks set up in the commons area. Each desk will have the name of one victim and a box to place a note or card to their family."

Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Matt Akin told WHNT schools there are planning educational activities and will not be walking out of school.

Limestone County Schools is encouraging students in all county schools to wear black for "Black Out Against School Violence" according to a flyer shared with AL.com.

An assembly will start at 10 a.m. at each school, to "observe the 17 that lost their lives on Feb 14 and discuss communications between students and teachers that are available at each school. The assembly will last 17 minutes at each school."

Birmingham City Schools, in a press release on Tuesday, said they are supporting students who want to participate in the walkout. "As the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement," the statement reads, "Birmingham understands the power of peaceful protest. That is why Birmingham City Schools is supporting students who are taking action for change."

Adults will supervise the walkout, according to the statement. Students there will add one minute to the original 17 minutes to honor Huffman High senior Courtlin Arrington, killed last week on the school's campus. Junior Michael Jerome Barber has been charged with manslaughter and a gun-related charge in Arrington's death.

"We commend our students for taking an active role in bringing about positive change," said Dr. Lisa Herring, Superintendent. "These students are the future leaders of our country, and we want them to know the power of their voices."

Leeds City Schools Superintendent John Moore said Monday that he expects 500 students at Leeds High School will participate in a remembrance program, but not a walkout, for Parkland students.

Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Craig Pouncey said Monday, "We have a board policy on that," meaning students will be disciplined according to the code of conduct. Spokesperson Whitlee Lusk said, "Principals are making that decision based on what's best for their school. We don't want our students to walk outside and be unsafe."

McAdory Middle School in Jefferson County tweeted their plans for a Walkup similar to that being held in Florence High School. They will wear purple to honor Huffman student Courtlin Arrington.

March 14th we will have a Walk-Up Day! We will wear purple to remember Courtlin Arrington, the student from Huffman that lost her life last week. We will also have 18 seconds of silence at 2:20 to remember Courtlin, and the 17 people that lost their lives in FL #mcadorystrong pic.twitter.com/jS8Lz80fmK  McAdory Middle School Official Page (@McAdoryMidSch) March 13, 2018

Trussville City Schools Superintendent Pattie Neill said Monday that she hadn't heard much about the walkout from students or teachers in her district, but is leaving it up to principals to determine how to work with students.

The Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham, enrolls students from all over Alabama. Officials there sent a notice to parents Feb. 28 announcing their intent to participate by allowing students to gather outside the building for the walkout.

Hoover City Schools students at both high schools held remembrances on Tuesday, and students at Hoover High will help students write to lawmakers during lunch on Wednesday, senior Satura Dudley said.

Eight school districts, including Tuscaloosa City, Tuscaloosa County, Madison City, Auburn City and Montgomery County, are observing spring break this week.

Sparkman High School in Madison County Schools held a walkout on Feb. 28, according to Principal Chris Shaw. Student led the event where the names of the 17 shooting victims in Parkland were read.

The Women's March Youth EMPOWER is holding a virtual walkout on social media for those who can't participate in person.

On Wednesday, while students are walking out of class, Women's March Youth is holding a virtual walkout for all those... Posted by Women's March Youth on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The Alabama Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union sent an open letter to Alabama educators addressing what the limits of punishment can be for students who walk out of class and leaving the door open for them to intervene if needed.

In part, the letter reads: "We want to remind those educators that the Constitution forbids disciplining students more harshly for politically motivated conduct than for similar, non-political behavior. The ACLU of Alabama may intervene if a student who leaves school as an act of political protest faces more severe punishment than a classmate who would, for example, leave class to meet friends or eat lunch off campus."

In addition to the National School Walkout on March 14, a National March for Our Lives will be held on Saturday, March 24 in more than 700 cities worldwide.

The March was created in the wake of the Parkland shooting. The purpose of the March, according to the website is "to demand that [students'] lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today."

Survivors of the Parkland shooting will participate in the national march being held in Washington, D.C.

Students are taking the lead in organizing the marches, with marches being held in Birmingham, Dothan, Mobile, Florence, Huntsville, Montgomery, Selma, and Jasper.
Alabama students participating in a 17-minute nationwide recognition of the Feb. 14 school massacre in Parkland, Florida, is a "noble thing," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said Wednesday.

But the governor wasn't as keen about students who may have participated in a mass protest walkout from their school buildings.

Said Ivey: "We need our children in school to learn so they can advance their own careers."

Ivey spoke to the media ahead of delivering a keynote address during the first-ever Alabama Computer Science Education Summit at the Renaissance Montgomery.

"We need everyone's interest in having school safety," she said. "There is a variety of things we need to do. We need to secure our schools, deal with students at risk and give them appropriate mental health counseling and treatment. We need to work together to find ways to address this."

The mass walkouts were scattershot events in Alabama, with some schools conducting alternative activities to the national protest occurring one month after a gunman killed 17 people inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The #ENOUGH: National School Walkout began at 10 a.m. in each time zone to protest the lack of action from lawmakers in the wake of the 14 students and three staff members killed last month.

In Alabama, state lawmakers have been debating a host of school safety initiatives and gun control measures, but nothing significant has moved on to the governor's desk.

Alabama House Democrats expressed frustration over gun control inaction Tuesday during a floor debate on re-establishing a school safety task force disbanded in 2016. None of their initiatives - banning assault weapons, increasing the age to purchase a firearm to 21 - have gone anywhere.

Ivey said she doesn't favor restrictions on restricting firearm access. Instead, the governor re-emphasized her wishes to wait on recommendations from a newly-appointed "Securing Alabama Facilities on Education" council before pursuing action.

The group will present a list of recommendations to her office by April 30.

"I got a school safety council in place and it's designed to take specific ideas people have, research them an have the right approach," Ivey said. "We don't need to knee-jerk and overreact. We need to be thorough and protect our students and school personnel."
Frustrations from a lack of movement on gun control bills surfaced Tuesday on the Alabama House floor during a hearing into restarting a school safety task force that ended its work in 2016.

Democratic lawmakers, facing the real likelihood that gun reform measures they're backing will stall this session, questioned the need for the task force and why it didn't consist of more parents or students.

Despite their concerns, HB477 was approved with an 83-6 vote. It re-establishes the Alabama Task Force on School Safety and Security, and charges the group to study educational and safety solutions on an annual basis.

It wasn't the only school-reform measure to advance. In the Senate, legislation passed that allows school systems to use money from a state technology fund to hire school resource officers and improve school building security.

Both bills were introduced in recent weeks in response to the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people. They also come after an accidental shooting last week at Huffman High School in Birmingham in which a 17-year-old girl was killed.

House Democrats, during the task force debate, questioned the need for proposals that did not address guns or mental health.

"We already know what the issues are," said state Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, sponsor of legislation that would raise the minimum age of purchasing a firearm from 18 to 21. "Ultimately, the issues boil down to guns in the hands of a person, some may be mentally ill."

Said Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham, who backs proposals to ban assault weapons in Alabama: "We got to look at gun control."

State Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, who sponsored the task force legislation and chaired the 2016 committee, said the re-established group will be charged with analyzing changes in school safety and gun-related issues to see if legislation is warranted.

The task force is different than the one set up by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey last week. The governor's "Securing Alabama Facilities on Education" council is charged with reviewing proposals on school security, and will issue a report on April 30.

Collins said her re-established task force will look at trends in school security and provide recommendations to lawmakers each year.

"It would be good to come into a (legislative) session with legislation that is well vetted through the people who are the feet on the ground in the schools," said Collins.

The 24-member committee, which will convene sometime before Aug. 1, will consist of appointees from organizations tied to mental health, school resource officers, police chiefs, emergency managers, schools and colleges, among others.

The committee last met in 2016, and was formed in response to the mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. It released a host of recommendations, including requirements that schools designate a school safety coordinator and create emergency plans. But the recommendations did not touch upon gun control.

Rep. Ralph Howard, D-Greensboro, said he wished a more "concrete" piece of legislation would be approved addressing school safety. He said he was more fearful of his own children's safety at school than inside a vehicle.

"Young people, they really depend on us," Howard said. "I think the young people depend upon us as adults. We should be acting not as legislators but as responsible adults looking to take care of our children. I think being a legislator should be secondary when it comes to these issues."

He added, "We should take a more aggressive stand."

Rep. Alan Baker, R-Brewton disputed criticism about the task force lacking teeth. He called the past action as "proactive" and "well ahead of the curve" in addressing school safety, and he applauded the 2016 recommendation requiring school safety coordinators and safety plans.

But Rep. Laura Hall, D-Huntsville, questioned why lawmakers were not presented a list of safety coordinators who have been added since the recommendations were published two years ago. Collins said she had inquired about a list, and was awaiting its release.

Moore also said she was unclear who to contact at each school system.

"We put out copies for everyone the week after the Florida shooting and emailed the recommendations to everyone," said Collins. "We've done as much as we can to get that information out. I've asked the Department of Education and hope to get a list of every school safety coordinator and which school systems they are with. I will allow legislators to hear about their plans."

Moore also questioned why Collins did not include a representative from a parents-teachers organization to the re-established group. She also suggested a student representative be included, and hinted at the student activism at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where last month's massacre occurred.

"When you listen to students, you get a lot of credible information that can be used to help the situation out," said Moore.

Collins said that about half of the members with the 2016 task force were parents. She said that that task force members will be willing to listen to student concerns.

The House vote on Collins' bill comes one day ahead of public hearings into two separate proposals, sponsored by Republican lawmakers, aimed at addressing school security. The most contentious, HB435, would allow trained teachers to carry a pistol on school property.

Another bill, HB449, would create volunteer security forces in K-12 schools.

Both proposals are slated for 9 a.m. hearings before the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.

Mike Cason contributed to this report.
State Rep. David Sessions

Alabama's chief advocacy group for low-income families is concerned at legislation sailing through Montgomery could give landlords more freedom to kick out renters.

The bill's sponsor, state Rep. David Sessions, R-Grand Bay, believes the worries from Alabama Arise are off base, and said his legislation is merely an avenue to give small-time landlords the ability to remove problematic tenants.

The split views come as HB421 heads for a final vote in the Alabama Senate. On Tuesday, it received a favorable ruling from the Senate Governmental Affairs committee less than a week after it passed the Alabama House on a 78-4 vote.

"The main focus of the bill is to help landlords who were having issues over and over with bad tenants," said Sessions. "It gives them recourse against the tenants if they are doing something totally illegal ... not only drug possession, but in today's society, you have crystal meth being manufactured in apartments and homes. If you are caught manufacturing drugs in a rental unit, you can be evicted."

The proposed legislation lessens the amount of time given to tenants to correct violations of their lease contracts, from up to four curable breaches of the contract down to two during a 12-month period.

If the lease contract is breached, landlords can provide tenants with a notice giving them seven business days to either cure it or move out.

Sessions said the idea for the legislation surfaced about four years ago from the owner of a mobile home association within his rural Mobile County district. He said the association was seeking remedies to remove "tenants who were bad actors."

Said Sessions: "They owned 10-15 acres and may have 10 or so mobile homes to rent. Of course, it took them a long time to get the tenants out and it just became a burden on them."

Dev Wakeley, policy analyst with Alabama Arise, said the consequences of HB421 would affect more than just small-time rental properties. He said "tens of thousands" of renters in Alabama could be affected, and that the bill gives landlords more authority to boot tenants on minor infractions.

"They are saying this bill is intended to protect small rental markets where the owner rents out a few rooms, but the law doesn't stop there," Wakeley said. "It allows massive abuses on the part of well-heeled and well-provisioned landlords at the expense of tenants."

He also said minor offenses, if they occur only twice, can give landlords the fuel they need to remove a tenant, if they aren't problematic.

Wakeley provided an example: A recently married couple, which for whatever reason, forgets to renew their vehicle license tag, would be subject to eviction.

"People are going to lose their ability to stay in their homes because of this bill," he said. "They will lose their ability to stay there on things that shouldn't allow them to get kicked out."

Sessions said he doesn't think the example has much merit.

"They can still resolve their issues twice within a year," he said. "Plus, we give them seven business days to remedy it."

Sessions added: "I feel bad for tenants in bad situations, and I'm willing to help legislators do something about what is perceived to be slumlords. But this legislation has nothing to do with that. We are trying to address the bad actors."

Wakeley said Alabama Arise does support provisions in the bill that give landlords more ability in removing tenants who are manufacturing drugs or illegally shooting guns.

But he said the legislation represents a change to what Alabama Arise considers a "balanced set of procedures" for both landlords and tenants spelled out the state's 2006 Landlord-Tenant Act.

In fact, Alabama is one Southern state not listed online as an example of states whose laws tilt in favor of landlords.

Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas and Florida are considered landlord-friendly states, for a variety of reasons.
Smaller than a postage note, rusty in color and with metallic scales on the wings, a new butterfly species has been named at the Florida Museum of Natural History  after a Youtuber.

The museum officially announced the discovery of the new species, Wahydra graslieae, March 8, said Andrew Warren, the senior collections manager of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The butterfly is named after Emily Graslie, Chicagos Field Museum of Natural Historys chief curiosity correspondent and Youtuber.

In 2013, Graslie started an educational YouTube channel called The Brain Scoop, she said. The channel gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at natural history museums across the country.

I am really proud and honored for this sort of recognition, she said. Its pretty exciting as someone who has spent the last five years of their life trying to advocate for the importance of natural history research and taxonomy.

Graslie, who lives in Chicago, has never seen the butterfly in person, but she said she hopes to make a visit to the museum soon.

Warren said the species, Wahydra graslieae, was first collected by Warrens collaborator Harold Greeney in Ecuador in 2004. But Warren and the team of researchers did not begin studying the butterfly until 2016, he said. The butterfly was officially announced through a scientific paper March 8.

Warren said there have been no other sighting reports of the butterfly in the wild or in any natural history museum collections.

Warren saw Graslies YouTube channel during the first year it was active and liked it so much he showed three other researchers, he said. About four years later, Warren still keeps up with Graslies videos. He said they met in 2014 at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences while skinning squirrels.

When Warren and his team had to decide on a name for the new species, they thought of Graslie to recognize the effort shes put into promoting natural history collections, Warren said.

Our goal was to honor Emily in a professional manner in recognition of her tireless efforts to promote natural history collections, he said.

Andrew Warren holds a box containing all of the McGuire Centers Wahydra specimens. Wahydra graslieae, in the bottom right corner, is distinctly darker than other Wahydra.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
Laura Botero is already planning to take her girlfriend to Gainesvilles Miami Grill when it opens in April.

Miami Grill, a South Florida-based restaurant chain, is joining the growing community of businesses at The Standard apartment complex in mid-April, said Jackie Maceda, a Miami Grill spokesperson. The location, at 50 NW 13th St., will be in a spot between Chick-Fil-A and Target.

The 2,500-square foot location will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner, but official hours have not yet been decided, Maceda said. It will also offer delivery to people living in The Standard and possibly other nearby locations.

Well definitely be catering to the community, Maceda said.

Maceda said the restaurant will hold a soft opening with discounts. A grand opening is scheduled for the Fall.

She said the restaurant will serve signature items like Philly cheesesteaks, chicken wings and pitas. It will also serve beer and wine.

Pricing for the location isnt finalized, but menu items range from $2.99 to $8.99, she said.

Botero, an 18-year-old UF management freshman from Margate, a city about 45 minutes north of Miami, said shes had wings and shrimp at a Miami Grill in South Florida.

Its actually pretty good, and the serving size is awesome, she said. Id go to Miami Grill again any day.

Miami Grill at The Standard

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
Legislation approved by Gov. Rick Scott will make the increases to Bright Futures in the 2017-2018 school year permanent.

Scott signed two sweeping education bills into law on Sunday. One will permanently expand Bright Futures for the top two tiers of award recipients and prevent public universities and colleges from restricting speech to free-speech zones. The other is an expansive bill that will provide scholarship funding for bullied students to transfer to an eligible private school and threatens to decertify teacher unions if their membership falls below 50 percent of the employees they represent.

This is an election year promise to the students of this state that we will provide every single one of you, to the best of our ability, a world-class education  the one that you deserve, said House Speaker Richard Corcoran in a press conference.

The top tier of Bright Futures, Academic Scholar, will have 100 percent of tuition and fees covered, as well as a $300 stipend for textbooks. In the 2016-2017 school year, about 15,700 UF students received the top award, according to a UF Student Financial Affairs fiscal summary. Recipients can also use their scholarship for summer enrollment beginning this summer.

During the 2016-2017 school year, about 7,500 UF students received the second-tier Medallion Scholar award, according to the fiscal summary. Following this legislation, Medallion Scholars will have 75 percent of their tuition and fees covered, including during summer term.

The bill will help boost the performance of the university as well as its students, UF spokesperson Margot Winick wrote in an email.

UF is grateful for the Florida Legislatures commitment to this important investment in state funding for higher education, she said.

Winick said funding to UF would not only directly benefit students but also could be used to hire faculty, enhance graduate and professional degree programs.

The bill also creates the Hope Scholarship, which will provide vouchers for public school students who are bullied and wish to transfer to a private school. The scholarship will be funded by motorists who opt to contribute their sales taxes on purchased vehicles to the organization.

Kailey Hart, a UF zoology sophomore, said receiving the Academic Scholar award from Bright Futures lifts a big financial burden off of herself and her family.

Its been really nice because Ive had more time to dedicate toward school, the 19-year-old said.

In the past, Hart felt that the state government didnt invest enough money in its education system. Now with the permanent expansion of Bright Futures, she feels that her hard work in high school is finally paying off.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now

It makes it feel very much worth it, she said.

Contact Jessica Giles at jgiles@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter at @jessica_giles_.

Rick Scott
Hannah Smith became so disturbed by the gruesome abortion pictures she saw on the way to class Tuesday that she pushed over four signs.

The 20-year-old shook with rage and disgust thinking about the images during class.

You go on campus, and you arent expecting to see pictures of dismembered bodies and blood, Smith, a UF political science junior, said. They are not conducive to a learning environment.

The signs she saw were put up by Created Equal, an anti-abortion training program for younger generations to debate abortion on college campuses around America, said Mark Harrington, president of the organization. The program facilitates Justice Rides, which are week-long events where activists can speak and educate about abortion.

Tuesday and today about 50 student activists with Created Equal displayed large abortion and prenatal images on Turlington Plaza and the North Lawn from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The activists spoke with students passing by and handed out flyers.

Some people believe it is controversial because it is hard to deny what you are seeing, Harrington said. Once you come to the conclusion that it is killing the child, a lot of folks that believe abortion is okay dont like that we are showing people.

The Alligator spoke to the President Mark Harrington and spokesperson Lauren Metz.

Here are five things about Created Equal:

1. Some of the photos displayed on campus were found in a dumpster and photographed years ago. Others were from a doctor who performs abortions who was paid to let a photographer take photos of an aborted fetus. Created Equal did not pay for the photographing of the photos on campus. The organization did not disclose how it obtained the pictures due to security reasons. Created Equal has possession of signed affidavits from a person who performed abortions and the photographer for its authenticity.

2. Created Equal has made stops at UF at least three times in the past five years. Harrington said Florida is a regular stopping place for Created Equal because it is a key state when it comes abortion politics. Additionally, there are many large public universities.

3. Created Equal partakes in two Justice Rides a year, in the spring and summer. Justice Ride comes to Florida every spring. The summer locations vary and have included Washington, D.C., Ohio and Alabama. The name Justice Ride was inspired by 1960s Freedom Rides.

4. Both high school and college students from any state can participate in a Justice Ride. Students have to submit an application and go through an interview process. Students are then trained to make cases against abortion.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now

5. The staff members and chaperones wear GoPros to record, mainly for safety or for notable conversations.

Alfredo Patino, 22, a UF senior political science and sociology major, and Joe Trammel, 22, a law student from Ohio State University and member of the Created Equal organization, shake hands. Patino and Trammel had a respectful conversation about the images the Created Equal organization placed on Turlington Plaza on Tuesday.
UF will be offering fellowships to eight veterinarians in the field of aquaculture with the help of a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The department awarded UF a three-year, $225,643 grant in late 2017 to provide fellowships to eight veterinarians working with aquaculture businesses and farms in rural communities across the country, said Ruth Francis-Floyd, a professor in the department of large animal clinical sciences.

Aquaculture consists of managing the production and population of fish and other aquatic species for food, said Craig Watson, director of UF Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory.

It is a growing industry in the U.S.

Those who are chosen for the fellowship will receive a $5,000 stipend, Watson said. They will work remotely around the country on farms and aquaculture businesses. Theyll also take classes at the same time and receive on-site training.

Potential candidates will have until June 1 to apply to the program. Francis-Floyd said they hope to notify the selected participants by early July and begin training in August.

Francis-Floyd said UF is looking nationally for candidates who have graduated within the last five years.

The ideal applicant will have some sort of working relationship with an aquaculture company, Francis-Floyd said. We feel like our strongest candidates will have taken the initiative to have developed those kinds of relationships already.

This grant is a collaboration among the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and USDA, Francis-Floyd said. They are developing two-year programs for practicing veterinarians to get additional training so they can better serve aquaculture businesses.

Watson said the aquaculture field is diverse, and the range of organisms farmed includes everything from alligators to shellfish to algae.

The ultimate goal would be to have eight students from eight separate regions with eight different primary commodities being grown, he said.

The University of Florida is becoming a powerhouse when it comes to aquatic animal health, he said.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
Charlotte Bronte, Henrietta Lacks and Ida B. Wells: Youve probably heard these names because of the notable contributions they gave the world during their lives. However, they were forgotten after they died. At least by one of the countrys most widely circulated newspapers.

Until less than a week ago, The New York Times never published obituaries for these three important women  and many others. In an effort to make up for overlooking these women when they died, the editors have created a new series: Overlooked. Beginning with a special section in Sundays print edition, the Times will publish obituaries for women (and in the future, men of color and deserving others) whose deaths were not documented in a timely manner.

Other influential women werent completely forgotten by the Times, but instead were laughably skimped. Frida Kahlo was first referred to as the wife of Diego Rivera in hers. Susan B. Anthony was described by her firm but pleasing face, according to the Times. Harriet Tubmans was published, too, but at just about 100 words.

The Times continues to forget women. In the last two years, just one in five obituaries were written about women, according to the Times.

William McDonald, the Times' obituaries editor for the last decade, wrote a story explaining why most of their obituaries' subjects are white men. He said it's because obituaries cover the past, rather than the present, and they largely represent the world of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, when gender and racial dynamics were several steps behind where they are now.

Scanning the pages of Sundays Overlooked special edition and reading the obituaries of the 15 featured women, its almost unbelievable that these women were bypassed by editors at the times of their deaths. How could transgender pioneer and activist Marsha P. Johnson, who at 23 was a key figure in the rebellion after the Stonewall police raid, have been left out of the obituaries? Or Emily Warren Roebling, who directed the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in the late 19th century? Or Madhubala, who became a Bollywood superstar despite a hole in her heart?

We cant go back in time, but we can all follow the Times lead and do our best to right the wrongs of our past. This month  Womens History Month  we can learn about the wrongfully neglected women in our history. Perhaps more importantly, we can make sure to amplify the voices of women who are beginning to make history now. We can all take steps to become better, more intersectional feminists. Lets become people who fight for all women to be heard, believed, supported and when the time comes, remembered.

Carly Breit is a UF journalism senior. Her column focuses on feminism.
Whether you realize it or not, you benefit from and want there to be open information laws.

When Richard Spencer came to UF, you wanted to know how much the university spent on security. When student fees increase, you want to know why. When the legislature is in session, you want to know what theyre voting on, why and how it will affect you.

Anyone can file a public records request. But its the job of reporters to fight for this information and make it public. And the reason were able to do this is because of the states open-records laws, called Sunshine Laws.

But these laws are increasingly being restricted. For example, Florida law exempts the names, addresses and telephone numbers of certain government employees. It has expanded over the years, exempting the same information plus date of birth for people who hold or used to hold any of now more than 50 job titles.

This week is Sunshine Week, a national initiative launched in 2005 by the American Society of News Editors, which celebrates open government laws by promoting conversation on the importance of it.

Even in places with open public records laws, many government offices make it extremely difficult for people to get the information they seek. Some hinder the process by citing privacy acts and other laws  even in cases that might not apply. In other cases, they provide the records with large sections blacked out, making it impossible to read.

Its not just Florida. Washington states legislature recently tried to end public access to information from the legislature, seeking to exempt elected representatives emails, calendars, receipts and all other government communication from public knowledge.

According to an article by The Seattle Times, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee received about 20,000 calls and emails from constituents asking him to veto the bill, which he did earlier this month. Thankfully, he vetoed it. But would the constituents have known of the bill if the newspaper hadnt published a story about it in the first place?

While were glad to see access to information prevail, the fact that an entire elected state legislature got as far as the governors desk to keep the public ignorant is horrific.

Florida enjoys more access to public information than most states, and as students at a public university, we have access to more information than private school students. It lets us hold people accountable. Its why we ask how much people are paid to speak; its why we send reporters to every Student Government meeting. You have a right to know what is happening in your university, city, county and state.

But it is not always simple. Last Spring, The Alligator reported on what some sources called a toxic environment at UFs Multicultural and Diversity Affairs; we received nearly all blacked-out pages after requesting public records.

Government offices can also charge thousands for requests and take months, even years to fulfill them. If a person of low income seeks information, but gets roadblocked with a large bill, is the information really accessible to the public?

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now

This is why its important to oppose laws that restrict access to this information while keeping a watchful eye on those who should be complying with them.

Support local newspapers and state organizations like the First Amendment Foundation, which advocate for open records laws. And show up to a government meeting on occasion.

Let them know youre watching.
The 25% import tariffs on steel products imposed by the United States government will have a minimal effect on exports by steelmaker CSN but could disturb the domestic market in Brazil, the flat steel producer said on Wednesday March 14.





The company exported 350,000 tonnes of steel products to the US last year, which was 6% of its total output, chief executive officer Benjamin Steinbruch said. But this volume is already being redirected to the domestic Brazilian market because of increasing demand, he added.On March 8, US President Donald Trump confirmed his previously announced tariffs of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminium imports.CSN is more concerned about the possible redirection to Brazil of steel export volumes previously destined for the US, and urged the government to position itself in terms of trade defense measures.Steinbruch cited, for instance, the decision by the Brazilian government not to impose final trade sanctions against imports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) from China and Russia, despite confirmation of dumping practices.And despite CSNs view that US import tariffs will not have a relevant effect on its sales, some market participants foresee significant consequences for the mills business strategy.The company owns a flat-rolled steel processing facility - LLC - in Terre Haute, Indiana. The plant has rolling capacity for 800,000 tonnes per year of cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coil.The LLC unit buys HRC locally and imports other materials, including from CSNs operations in Brazil, to feed its production lines.I believe it wont be worth doing [that] any more with the application of the new import tariffs, a Brazil-based steel analyst told Metal Bulletin.This operation wont be viable again, a flat steel trader said.Meanwhile, CSN believes that steel slab will be excluded from the measures because the US steel industry relies on imports of semifinished steel products.Thomaz Zanotto, head director of the department of trade and foreign affairs of Fiesp, Sao Paulos state industrial group, agreed with this, saying that many US-based companies are dependent on Brazils semi-finished steel exports.For example, [the ArcelorMittal-Nissan Steel joint venture] in Calvert, Alabama, took years to certificate its Brazilian providers, he added. They cant shift suppliers overnight.Zanotto believes that there will be negotiations to exclude slab from the US tariffs. These talks are probably occurring [already], he said.If slabs are excluded from the [US tariffs], CSN could send slabs instead of finished products to the US, another trader said.Metal Bulletins weekly price assessment for Brazil-origin slab exports increased to $560-570 per tonne fob on Friday March 9.Felipe Peroni, Sao Paulo, contributed to this report.
Posted on: March 14, 2018 8:32 AM

The senior Anglican bishop in Sri Lanka, Dhiloraj Canagasabey, has spoken out against an outbreak of violence targeting the Muslim communities in Amapara and Digana in the central district of Kandy. At least two people were killed and 232 homes destroyed in riots sparked by the death of a Sinhala Buddhist man. Mosques and shops have been set alight by rioters. The government has deployed a military task force to guard mosques and protect Muslims attending prayer services. The Bishop of Colombo, Dhiloraj Canagasabey, Presiding Bishop of the Church of Ceylon, has appealed for calm. And, in a message to Anglican Communion leaders, he wrote: Please pray for us.

Barely had the nation recovered from the aftermath of the local government election, its political fall-out and the confusion created, that violence broke out in two areas, Amapara and Digana, where from all accounts personal disputes have been deliberately twisted to inflame hatred and violence against minorities, in this case the Muslim community, he said. Both incidents demonstrate how fragile inter-communal and inter-religious harmony is in this country and how little it takes for matters to spin out of control.

The ugly pictures of rampaging mobs brandishing rods and poles setting fire to property and vehicles recalls to us the frightening images of the many riots that have torn this country apart and the irreparable damage it has caused our nation.

Social harmony is the bedrock on which all else is built. It is foolish to imagine that anyone gains by this kind of mob violence. It is the responsibility of all religious, community leaders and politicians to speak and act to ensure that we maintain understanding and peace amongst communities despite our differences.

The slow reaction of the authorities to the violence and arson has been greatly disappointing. If there has been lethargy, inaction or collusion at any level these must be investigated. The primary duty of any government is to ensure the public peace and come down strongly on anyone who attempts to take the law into their own hands.

I call on the government to take urgent steps to bring an immediate halt to these criminal acts and to take stringent action against all those who use thuggery and violence and who incite them, including those who use social media for this purpose. Those who suffered harm and damages must be compensated and minority groups reassured that they cannot be used as scapegoats and pushed to desperation.

A priest from the Anglican Church of Australia, the Revd Dr Ruwan Palapathwala, Priest in Charge of Whittlesea-Kinglake, was caught up in the violence when he stopped over in Sri Lanka while returning from the first meeting of the new Anglican Inter Faith Commission. Dr Palapathwala, who was born in Kandy, was attending the wedding of a Muslim family friend in Teldeniya when the riots spread to the township.

An armed Sinhalese mob circled the small mosque and attempted an attack on the guests and the mosque, he told ACNS. With a lot of faith, courage and determination, I intervened, and after arguing for the welfare of the wedding party and Muslim brethren, I managed to defuse the situation which would have potentially ended up in unimaginable violence.

As you could imagine, the situation was extremely tense, violent and dangerous. I am lucky to have come out of it unscathed. I thank God for placing me at the wedding as the only Kandian Sinhalese and a Christian priest.

He added: I have been involved in many inter-faith events in the past, but I think this was the very first instance I had to argue, appeal and plead for almost two hours for an interfaith understanding between a die-hard Sinhala-Buddhist mob and a group of Muslims in the midst of imminent violence and sheer danger.

This is the second time I have pleaded [with] a machete-armed mob for interfaith understanding: the first time was in a village on the India-Nepal border in 2013 when I begged a violent Hindu mob for an inter-faith understanding between them and minority Christian shanty dwellers.

He said that after reflecting on his experiences having returned to Melbourne, it made the Anglican Inter Faith Commission and all that we resolved to achieve for inter-faith more real and meaningful.
Posted on: March 14, 2018 11:30 AM

Participants at the World Council of Churches Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) have issued a Call to Discipleship. The call came in a statement from more than 1,000 people, all of whom are engaged in mission and evangelism in different Christian traditions across the world, who had gathered in Arusha, Tanzania, for the conference. Despite some glimmers of hope, we had to reckon with death-dealing forces that are shaking the world order and inflicting suffering on many, the statement reads. We observed the shocking accumulation of wealth due to one global financial system, which enriches few and impoverishes many.

The statement said that millions of people are being marginalised and excluded by the global imperial system which had made the financial market one of the idols of our time and has strengthened cultures of domination and discrimination.

In contrast, the statement says that discipleship is both a gift and a calling, to be active collaborators with God for the transforming of the world and lists a number of ways that a call to transforming discipleship may be fulfilled, saying: we are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ  the fullness of life, the repentance and forgiveness of sin, and the promise of eternal life  in word and deed, in a violent world in which many are sacrificed to the idols of death and many have not yet heard the gospel.

The statement was issued on the final day of the CWME, which ran from 8-13 March. The World Council of Churches includes many Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant denominations. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member, but Pope Francis sent a message to the conference endorsing its theme Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship, saying that it powerfully reminds us that the Lords mandate to bring the Gospel to all people is not a matter of power and influence in the world. Rather, it is a pressing call to discipleship which manifests itself in unfailing love of neighbour, whoever that may be.

By transforming people, beginning with each one of us, the Gospel transforms the world. This work of the Holy Spirit within us begins in baptism, that transforming moment which unites all Christians in Christ, a unity that needs to be ever more visible, so that the world may believe (John 17:21).

I pray that the Holy Spirit will fill your hearts with the joy of the Gospel, the Good News of salvation in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Pope said. To evangelise is to offer a convincing witness to this extraordinary truth. I pray that the Conference will remind Christians of the magnificent, unique and challenging responsibility we have to share this transforming message. Gods word is unimaginable in its power. The Gospel speaks of a seed which, once sown, grows by itself, even as the farmer sleeps.

In a video message to the CWME, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that there was no question about the importance of world mission and evangelism. He continued: Everybody is talking about transformation. . . And I know in my own life, the biggest transformation is to be born again. Thats the truth. And it is the Holy Spirit who does that. It is not us. We cant twist peoples arms to it. We cant make it happen: it is the Holy Spirit moving who does that.

The Moderator of the WCCs Central Committee, Dr Agnes Abuom, a member of the Anglican Church of Kenya, invited participants to arise up to the drum beats of a new moment and frontiers in history as we walk side by side embracing the move of the Holy Spirit; and as we accept to take on the mantle of transforming discipleship.

In a plenary session, the Bishop of Colombo, Dhiloraj Canagasabey, said that the Gospel narratives call us unequivocally to a life of discipleship and servanthood. This is made clear not only through the direct words of our Lord Jesus but also through his many parables.

That Jesus was very serious about the absolute need for self-denial  taking the path of the cross, of humiliation, rejection and death is made clear in his reference in Luke 14:26. This then is the absolute call with which Jesus beckons those who wish to follow him.

The conference ended with a sending service during which participants reflected on their call to discipleship and the significance of such a call in transforming mission in a world of pain, dislocation and turmoil, the WCC said.

Dr Colin Cowan

In a sermon, the Revd Dr Collin Cowan of the Council for World Mission said that context-laden discipleship will always call us to a life of contrast, from one pattern of living to another, always going against the grain as a deliberate choice.

He said: Jesus pushed boundaries, confronted power, challenged systems of corruption and taught his disciples to go against the grain of cultural norms and practices. Jesus was consistently challenging the disciples to appreciate that if they would be impactful and fruitful in a chaotic world, blemished by conflict, controversies and contempt, they needed to open up themselves to change their way of thinking and behaving in every situation.

During the conference, the Anglican Communions Director for Mission, the Revd Canon John Kafwanka, organised a meeting for Anglican Communion delegates, with the Archbishops of Tanzania and Kenya. Many people said that they felt a high sense hope especially that many leaders, particularly in the Anglican Communion, had realised the need to take intentional discipleship as central to being church and being Christian, he told ACNS. It has been a remarkable experience being here and sensing the moving the world of the Holy Spirit sweeping across the world calling the whole people of God to live a Jesus shaped life that transforms communities, nations and the world, and for continuous equipping of whole people of God.
National Geographic comes clean over its smutty, racist past

Its now the turn of the dentists waiting room to revisit its past with candour. Finally, the old magazines are being cast out. National Geographic has issued a mea culpa over its past. The magazine has hired University of Virginia associate professor John Edward Mason to trawl the archives and expose any and all evidence of racism he can find. Items like a 1916 photo of Australian Aborigines with the caption South Australian Blackfellows  savages who rank lowest in intelligence of all human beings.

Mason notes that until the 1970s non-white Americans were only portrayed as manual workers or domestic staff.

And there was the sex.

Teenage boys could always rely, in the 50s and 60s, on National Geographic to show them bare-breasted women as long as the women had brown or black skin, Mason tells NPR. I think the editors understood this was frankly a selling point to its male readers. Some of the bare-breasted young women are shot in a way that almost resembles glamour shots.

Through most of its history, National Geographic, in words and images, reproduced a racial hierarchy with brown and black people at the bottom, and white people at the top, says Mason..

Our April issue is devoted to exploring racehow it defines, separates and unites us. Read the story behind the cover: https://t.co/PPTVg3UpM8 pic.twitter.com/5kunxfDrHt  National Geographic (@NatGeo) March 12, 2018

The magazines Editor-in-Chief Susan Goldberg explains why the audit was needed:

Im the tenth editor of National Geographic since its founding in 1888. Im the first woman and the first Jewish persona member of two groups that also once faced discrimination here. It hurts to share the appalling stories from the magazines past. But when we decided to devote our April magazine to the topic of race, we thought we should examine our own history before turning our reportorial gaze to others.

Race is not a biological construct, as writer Elizabeth Kolbert explains in this issue, but a social one that can have devastating effects. So many of the horrors of the past few centuries can be traced to the idea that one race is inferior to another, she writes. Racial distinctions continue to shape our politics, our neighborhoods, and our sense of self. Times change. Much of the magazines photography has been incredibly good. The acid test is in whether or not people are still willing to pay for it

Paul Sorene

Posted: 14th, March 2018 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
Free expression attacked as protestors invade London University Libertarian event

Students at King College, London, never got to hear American-Israeli writer Yaron Brook, chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute, and YouTuber Carl Benjamin address the schools Libertarian Society at the Edmond J. Safra lecture theatre. Their talk was disrupted by people dressed in black masks who consider the speakers to be white supremacists and fascists.

The audience rowed with the anti-free activists. Apparently punches were thrown. Students say windows were smashed and smoke bombs let off. A safe space marshal (cost per hour: 12*) was injured. And then the whole building was cleared.

Tonight a group of student and anti-fascist activists successfully shut down an alt-right talk at Kings College. Heres alt-right mouthpiece Sargon of Akkad after he was forced to leave the building, no platform for him tonight! pic.twitter.com/ZolONTodHY  North London Antifa (@NorthLondonAF) March 5, 2018

The great irony is that the assault on free expression was reportedly arranged by the authoritarian Antifa  a self-declared anti-fascist group.

This shutting down of debate is sickness. These censors pursuit of a monocular world view is wholly reductive and palpably ignorant of what happens when individuals are intimated and become less free to speak their minds and test their own ideas, however controversial, in the arena of public discourse.

The Libertarian Soiety has made the following statement:

Last night an event organised by the KCL Libertarian Society invited controversial speakers Carl Benjamin and Yaron Brook. The event had to be cancelled after some people forced their way into Kings College London. The Police attended and we are fully co-operating with their investigation. KCLSU condemns the use of violence in any situation. Universities create environments in which debate from all sides on issues of political, scientific, moral, ethical and religious significance is possible, and Kings is no exception. Our role is to ensure that all parties feel safe and secure in expressing their views without fear of violence of intimidation. We take our responsibilities to provide a safe environment for free, peaceful and respectful dialogue very seriously. KCLSU and Kings will be reviewing the incident to decide on appropriate action to be taken. Responding to the incident, Momin Saqib, President of KCLSU said, I am appalled by the acts that were perpetrated in Kings College London yesterday evening. I strongly respect and encourage the right to freedom of speech, the right to challenge each other and the right to peaceful protest. It is unfortunate that the event was marred by violence by people who took an extreme and an unacceptable approach. My heart goes out to the guards who got physically and mentally hurt and I wish them a speedy recovery. Universities are places to facilitate intellectually stimulating discussions, environments for constructive debates, places where ideas get tested, which are all done in a bid for the advancement of human knowledge and the betterment of our society. However, any actions which contravene peaceful protest will not be accepted. Hatred: whether it is based on  race, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, trans status, socio-economic status, or ideology or culture is totally unacceptable and I strongly condemn it and I will always QUESTION it. Everyone has the right to protest peacefully but any forms of aggression and violence are completely unacceptable.

Amid the argy-bargy, someone managed to film a segment:

Anyhow. If you fancy policing free speech at Kings apply below.

Work as an Antifa free speech patroller is believed to be unpaid.

Paul Sorene

Posted: 14th, March 2018 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
ROME - The labor market for youths and women is homogenous across the Mediterranean area with high levels of unemployment, though for different reasons.

In countries on the northern shores of the Mediterranean, unemployment is due to market friction and stagnant economies, while on the southern ones - where economies have grown n recent years despite crises - it is due to demographic trends. Thid is the main focus of the 13th report on Mediterranean economies by the Italian national research center CNR's Istituto di Studi sulle Societa del Mediterraneo, presented in Rome during a conference entitled ''The Mediterranean Area Amid Unemployment, Emigration and New Opportunities for Economic Development''. The document was curated by Eugenia Ferragina, who died tragically on the eve of the presentation. All the participants stressed her qualities as a researcher and as a person.



The report analyzes important phenomenon across the Mediterranean basin: the lasting economic crisis, deep demographic transformations, high youth unemployment, the 'brain drain', emigration from countries in southern Europe and a high level of migration inflows. The report said that the high youth unemployment is especially serious in Mediterranean countries, where the rate among those between age 15 and 25 is very high. In 2015, four countries of the region had youth unemployment over 45%: Bosnia-Herzegovina (66.9%), Libya (50%), Spain (49.4%) and Greece (49.2%).

''In all Mediterranean countries, youths still have greater difficulty to get access to the labor market,'' underscored Salvatore Capasso, director of the Istituto di Studi sulle Societa del Mediterraneo (CNR-ISSM), in presenting the report. ''There are different reasons but the problems are seen everywhere'' in the region, he added, stressing that for the future, there is a need for ''three key things: water, food and energy security'', which are ''the gateway for less unequal sustainable and robust development involving the most fragile sectors, of the young and women''. Integration of area countries ''is important, and for Algeria it is a priority'', said Algerian ambassador to Italy Abdelhamid Senouci Bereksi, and the energy sector ''could be the driving force''. Moroccan ambassador to Italy Hassan Abouyoub said that, in the Mediterranean, it is clear that there has been a ''failure of shared development models''. It is necessary ''to continue neighborhood policies to build an integrated economy'', underscored Spanish Consul General Senen Florensa i Palau.

In the Mediterranean, ''multilateralism is an obligation and not a choice, since all the issues are cross-border ones,'' said Enrico Granara, coordinator for multilateral affairs in the Euro-Mediterranean area of the Italian foreign ministry. In Europe, on the theme there is a lack of ''large policies, with the means, action units and ideas'' needed, said former PM Romano Prodi and now head of the Fondazione per la Collaborazione fra i Popoli. ''I have suggested joint universities between the southern and northern shores, a Mediterranean bank, and especially wide-ranging policies like what we did with the east. No country from the southern shore will be an EU member, but close and strong political relations must be brought in,'' he added. Other initiatives ''are useful but unfortunately today the Mediterranean is a sea that separates us and does not unite us'', he said. (
Energy: Algeria to export electricity to Tunisia, Libya Energy self-sufficiency by end 2018

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, MARCH 14 - Algeria will soon be exporting electricity to Libya through Tunisia, Algerian Energy Minister Mustapha Guitoni said on the sidelines of a working visit to Khenchela, adding that the export of electrical energy is part of the program of Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika who wants to export Algerian energy once the country expects to become self-sufficient by the end of this year.



''Negotiations are ongoing with Tunisia, which will benefit from some 400 megawatts and with Libya'', the minister said. The export of electricity will go towards these two countries, starting from the cities of Batna and Khenchela. And a new power plant worth 421,5 megawatts was inaugurated yesterday in Khenchela and it was confirmed that work to build another plant in R'mila able to produce 1,266,7 megawatts, which can be extended to 1,600, has been confirmed.



Speaking about electrical energy, Guitoinu recalled that the president's plan includes the production of 22,000 megawatts of electricity starting from solar power by 2020. This program has so far enabled the production of 400 megawatts and a tender will be launched by the end of the year to introduce in the market an additional 120 megawatts by private investors through the construction and installation of solar panels, the minister said. (ANSAmed).




ROME - A team of heart surgeons from Rome's pediatric hospital Bambino Gesu have just come back to Italy but will soon be leaving again for the Jordanian capital to perform heart surgery on a total of 20 Syrian children in the Al-Zaatari refugee camp. The team is led by the head of the Pediatric heart surgery department of the hospital, Fiore Iorio.



The first eight children, including one-year-old Eman, have already been operated on. The little girl - Iorio said on coming back from the first mission of the team on the field, from March 4 to March 10 - has a serious heart malformation with only one ventricle. ''Two or more surgeries are thus needed to fix the problem, separating the systemic blood circulation from the pulmonary circulation,'' the team leader said. Despite a severe delay in the first operation, everything went well and she will have another one done after a couple of years. Twenty cases have been found in the camp of children between the ages of a few months and 10 year old who have severe heart problems and need to be operated on urgently. The team will leave soon to perform the operations in a difficult situation, since, he added, ''in Al-Zaatari, there are 120,000 Syrians and thousand are children. It is a camp that is the size of a city, where children are more fragile and at risk.'' The healthcare facilities of Amman are not able to deal with the cases alone and thus asked the Rome hospital for help. One of the aims is to develop a pediatric heart center with training courses for young Jordanians.
MADRID - Four people of sub-Saharan origin were able to storm into the Spanish enclave of Melilla as a group of migrants attempted to illegally cross into Spanish territory last night. The episode occurred in the northern area of the Spanish enclave in Morocco. Nobody was injured and no incidents were registered, according to local police.

Last January 6, over 300 sub-Saharan migrants were able to cross the double barrier of protection and enter the enclave. A total of 1,141 migrants illegally entered the autonomous city in the first two months of the year, or 115% more than in the same period last year, according to data issued by the Spanish interior ministry.

Overall, 3,700 migrants entered Spain illegally by land or sea in the first two months of 2018, up 19.5% on the same period in 2017.


BEIRUT - At least nine civilians were killed in the early hours of government and Russian air raids on Ghouta, the besieged area east of Damascus which is now only partly controlled by anti-regime militants, local civil protection sources said Wednesday.

According to the sources, a family of eight people, including five children and teens, were killed in Zamalka.

A civil protection rescuer was killed in raids attributed to Russia. The report can't be independently verified on the ground.


BRUSSELS - Since there has been a 30% drop in the number of migrants entering the EU compared to pre-crisis levels in 2014, European Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos said Wednesday, repatriations should be sped up.



He noted that the time had come to speed up and intensify EU efforts to act more quickly on repatriation procedures, border management and legal channels, especially as concerns resettlement from Africa and Turkey. He was speaking at a periodic meeting to assess the implementation of the European Agenda on Migration and noted that there were at least 205,000 irregular crossings of the Mediterranean in 2017. The EU Commission has called for tighter Schengen visa restrictions for third countries that refuse to collaborate on the repatriation of irregular migrants.



Modifications also propose quicker and simplified procedures for countries that comply with their commitments. Avramopoulos also spoke about the agreement with Turkey that led to a steep drop in arrivals on Greek coasts and the Balkan route. ''We believe that it is in the interest of both the EU and Turkey that'' the migrant agreement continues in the future, given the results achieved, he said. He added that the agreement had led to a 97% drop in arrivals in the EU and the presence of three million refugees on Turkish soil. In light of these figures, the EU has initiated procedures for another three billion euros in funds to Ankara. The EU commissioner said that he expected a productive meeting between the EU and Turkey in Varna, on the Bulgarian coast, on March 26. He said that the bilateral summit would be an opportunity to clear up some aspects of EU-Turkey cooperation and other issues in the region.



On relations with Greece, he said that the atmosphere had been tense recently but that it was in the interest of all to improve the situation.
ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said he hopes Afrin ''will fall by tonight'', commenting the siege on the Turkish enclave in Syria, which kicked off in the past few hours with Turkish forces and allied Arab militias.

Speaking from Ankara, the Turkish leader said he is convinced that the corridor in the eastern part of Afrin, used so far by Kurds for the passage of militants as well as civilians fleeing the besieged city, will soon be blocked. Other pathways will enable civilians to leave, Erdogan said.

Turkey's so-called 'Olive Branch' operation on its 54th day, Erdogan added, succeeded in taking 1,300 square kilometers of territory from Kurdish fighters ''neutralizing'' (killing, wounding or capturing) ''nearly 3,500 terrorists''.

Finally, the Turkish president stressed the intention of continuing the offensive against Kurds in northern Syria after Afrin, first in Manbij and then in areas controlled by the PYD east of the Euphrates ''until the border with northern Iraq''.


Syria: US-Turkey meeting 'postponed' after Tillerson fired Much-anticipated summit on Kurds

(ANSAmed) - ISTANBUL, MARCH 14 - The meeting on Syria scheduled next Monday in Washington between the diplomatic chiefs of Turkey and the US could be postponed in order for Mike Pompeo to take office as the new US Secretary of State, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a press conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.



The summit had been very much anticipated in Ankara, which hoped to define an agreement on the Washington-backed Kurdish YPG to be driven away from Manbij.



Rex Tillerson's firing however reportedly froze negotiations.



Cavusoglu said he hoped the incoming Secretary of State would show the same level of understanding on cooperation he enjoyed with Tillerson, warning that ''the new US Secretary of State needs to learn that Turkey must be respected''. (ANSAmed)
Air Arabia has seen a 30% increase in net profit over the past 12 months according to figures released by the Sharjah Airline today.

The regions first low-cost carrier recorded profits of $180.25million in 2017 and announced a 10% cash dividend for shareholders at its AGM in Sharjah today.

Chairman of Air Arabia, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, said: We are pleased with the performance of the company in 2017 which is reflected in the increase of dividends to our shareholders as compared to last year. Air Arabia remains committed to the growth of the aviation sector both regionally and globally and is strongly poised to overcome any future challenges. Consumer trust is key to our growth strategy as we continue to maintain a strong financial performance through the year and beyond.

The airline added 21 new routes to its global network in 2017 from its five operating hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. The carrier took delivery of four new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 50 Airbus A320 aircraft operating to 145 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
During its participation at the Careers UAE exhibition, Dubai Air Navigation Services (DANS), announced its partnership with Dubai Smart Government, which outlines the commencement of the utilisation of Dubai Careers as its official and main recruitment and selection platform.

The partnership between DANS and Dubai Smart Government comes as an important initiative that is in line with the organisations strategic objectives that aim at enhancing and developing Emaritisation efforts for UAE nationals at the work place.

Dubai Careers portal is considered the most efficient recruitment portal available as it utilises the Worlds leading talent acquisition system Taleo, in addition to integrating both LinkedIn and Government Resource Planning platforms in its applicants centre. These benefits create the best environment that facilitates for DANS the opportunity to have access to the best local and national talent available in the United Arab Emirates.

H.E. Mohammed Abdulla Ahli, the Director General of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and the CEO of Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) said: The career opportunities offered within the realm of Air Traffic Management Sector such as Air Traffic Control Officers and Air Traffic Engineers all require a certain bespoke skill set that covers personal, professional and intellectual fronts.

Acknowledging the ultimate importance of our Youth, as they are valued as our most important asset, Dubai Air Navigation Services continuously strives to implement the latest procedures, cutting edge technologies and develop successful initiatives that provide opportunities to support our youth in their career paths. In that light, the organisations partnership with Dubai Smart Government to utilise the Dubai Careers recruitment portal provides an exemplary opportunity for the organisation to gain more profound access to recruit local talent for the available career opportunities. Thus, we take great pride in extending our support to platforms that are developed locally inside the United Arab Emirates, which compete on an International level and cater to both local and international audiences.

There are more than 35 different nationalities working at Dubai Air Navigation Services from Air Traffic Control Officers, Air Traffic Engineers and various forms of specialisations within the Air Traffic Management sector. There are a total of 100 UAE Nationals working in the organisation all in senior and leadership positions, and a team comprised of 21 females who are UAE nationals as well as expats working efficiently across all operational units in the organisation Engineering and Air Control Sectors. In addition, the organisation has witnessed an overall growth of 32% in Emaratisation rates in its workforce in the span of two years only, from the period of 2015 until 2017.
Royal Jordanian (RJ) and King Hussein Cancer Foundation (KHCF) have renewed their partnership agreement regarding donations of frequent flyers miles, a partnership that started in 2014.

The agreement was signed by RJs President/CEO Stefan Pichler and Director General of KHCF Nisreen Qatamish at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC).

Under the agreement, RJ gives its frequent flyers the chance to contribute to the cause of the fight against cancer by donating their gained travel miles to the KHCF and KHCC to be used by patients and their companions to travel onboard RJ aircraft as part of KHCCs psychosocial support to patients.

Pichler toured the new, state-of-the-art cancer centre and highly admired the advanced level of services provided by the facility.

He said: We really admire KHCCs effort to provide the best medical care for the patients and give them hope. RJ is glad to continue supporting KHCFs different initiatives and missions in the fight against cancer.

RJ considers serving the community a matter of high priority, and will do its part and its best to serve the Jordanian society, inspired by the Royal Crown on our logo and on all our aircraft that roam the skies.

RJ will spare no effort to support such initiatives and missions that are in sync with the airlines goals and vision of social responsibility, which mirrors the kindness of the Jordanian people. We commend RJs frequent flyers who donate their collected travel miles to support KHCF. Since 2014, 5.7 million miles were donated to the King Hussein Cancer Foundation.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- House Democrats said Tuesday that former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price paid the U.S. Treasury nearly $60,000 to reimburse the federal government for his use of private jets as a cabinet secretary, but they raised new questions about costs associated with White House aide Kellyanne Conways air travel.



Price, who was forced out of the administration last fall over the private air travel scandal, made three separate payments to the Treasury related to travel expenses, the Treasury said in a November letter to leaders of the House Oversight Committee released by Democrats.



Price's payments amounted to just a fraction of the $400,000 Politico first estimated was spent on as many as 26 chartered flights for Price while he served in the administration. He had previously said he would reimburse the government for the cost of his seat alone.



Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Tuesday that Conway accompanied Price on four trips, costing taxpayers tens of thousands of additional dollars in airfare, citing HHS documents reviewed by committee staff.



The Maryland Democrat first raised questions about Conways travel last fall.



In a letter sent to House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., Tuesday, Cummings said that the White House has refused to provide any documents pertaining to Conway, and has not revealed whether she plans to repay taxpayers or has been disciplined by President Donald Trump.



The White House dismissed Cummings comments, but did not say if Conway would reimburse the government.



This partisan attack on Kellyanne is ridiculous. Members of the Presidents Cabinet invite relevant White House staff for official travel to events advancing the Presidents agenda. When White House staff accompany Cabinet Members their travel plans are arranged, secured and financed by the inviting agency, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said in a statement.



Democrats plan to seek votes on 13 subpoena requests at the committees markup on Thursday and have accused the White House and administration of withholding information and testimony on a range of issues, from the security clearance process at the White House, to the federal response to several hurricanes over the summer.



A spokesperson for Gowdy did not immediately return a request for comment.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
American Company Lockheed Martin come back with its JLTV 4x4 armoured vehicle during the Defense Exhibition AFED 2018 in Saudi Arabia. After losing the JLTV contract for the US Army, Lockheed Martin presents for the first time in the Middle East its JLTV as 4x4 tactical armoured vehicle.



JLTV Lockheed Martin 4x4 tactical armoured vehicle at AFED 2018 defense exhibition in Saudi Arabia, February 2018 (Picture source Defense-Arab Forum)

The Lockheed Martin JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) was developed as candidate for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program of U.S Army and Marine Corps to replace the light tactical vehicle Humvee.

The JLTV was fully designed and developed by the American Company Lockheed Martin. For the last nine years, Lockheed Martin engineers have been designing the vehicle from the ground uptaking into consideration everything from saving fuel to connecting the fleet and countering blasts.

The JLTV was designed to be lightweight, delivering outstanding gas mileage while providing crew protection similar to a giant military armored vehicle.

The JLTV Lockheed Martin design includes a basic armor package offering standard ballistic and mine protection as well as provisions to accommodate an additional add-on armor kit. he Lockheed Martin JLTV met the protection standards for IED-protected vehicles during government blast tests conducted in October 2011. The vehicle delivers improved survivability, while weighing about 40% less than other all-terrain vehicles deployed in the field.



JLTV Lockheed Martin at DVD defense exhibition in United Kingdom, June 2014 (Picture source Army Recognition)

The Lockheed Martin JLTV is motorized with a Cummins diesel engine coupled to Allison transmission. It can run at a maximum road speed of 125 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.

The standard version of the Lockheed Martin JLTV had no specific armament configuration, but could be fitted with a 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine gun.

The Lockheed Martin team has developed five test vehicles for the U.S. Army JLTV program. The original JLTV Category B variant is an infantry carrier demonstrated in October 2007. Other variants include the Utility Vehicle Light Category C variant (high payload), the General Purpose Mobility Category A logistics support vehicle, second generation Infantry Carrier Category B vehicle and the Command and Control on the Move Category B vehicle.
In 2017, without the subject being noticed as it deserved, Russia delivered Iskander-E ballistic missiles to the Algerian army. The Iskander-E is the export version of the Iskander-M, whose range has been reduced from 500 to 280km.



Algeria received Iskander-E tactical missiles (Picture source: Army Recognition)

With this delivery, Algeria became the second foreign country to use this missile system, after Armenia. It had been in question since 2013, four regiments to be equipped. A missile regiment consists of about thirty vehicles: launchers, carriers and missile loaders, plus command and maintenance vehicles.

The Iskander (NATO code: SS-26 Stone) is a Russian short range tactical missile system. The system replaces the Oka SS-23 Spider which had been terminated under the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Development of the system was undertaken by the Kolomna Engineering Design Bureau development during the 1990s under the project name "Tender".

The Iskander SS-26 Stone theatre missile system is designed to destroy enemy weapons, command posts, communications nodes, tactical aircraft parked on airfields, air and missile defense installations and other critical targets in operational depth. All the Iskander vehicles of a battery feature cross-country wheeled chassis making them very mobile. The single-stage missile uses solid-fuel, and benefits from a continuous guidance along the whole trajectory. It features a non-separable 480kg warhead with a self-contained INS coupled with an optical homing head. The warhead can house a cluster-bomb, HE-fragmentation or penetration charge.

The Iskander is noticeable by its high speed: Mach 6. Deputy head of the technical guideline to Iskander-M design, Valery Drobinogi said that, in contrast with its predecessors, this missile is guided at all the trajectory stages. Another know-how is minimal echoing area which, together with counter-missile maneuver capabilities, allows it to escape adversary air defense. The ballistic missile reaches the necessary altitude and steers during descent to avoid becoming a target for the adversary. The missile can sustain 35g-overload.
Earlier, the bank had reduced the monthly average balance (MAB) requirement to Rs 3,000 from Rs 5,000 in metro cities.

Even though the reply was furnished on February 28, 2018, SBI on Tuesday steeply reduced the penal charges on not maintaining the minimum balance.

MUMBAI: Facing backlash from its customers, the State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to substantially reduce charges for non-maintenance of average minimum balance in savings account.

The charges for non-maintenance of average minimum balance (AMB) for customers in metro and urban centres have been reduced from a maximum of Rs 50 per month plus GST to Rs 15 per month plus GST.

Similarly for semi-urban and rural centres the charges have been reduced from Rs 40 per cent plus GST to Rs 12 per month and Rs 10 per month plus GST respectively. We have reduced these charges taking into account the feedback and sentiments of our customers, said P.K. Gupta, MD, retail & digital banking, SBI adding that the move would benefit 25 crore customers.

The bank also clarified that customers always have the option of converting the regular savings bank account to Basic Savings Bank Account (BSBD account), free of charge, in case they desires to avail basic savings bank facilities without being subject to maintenance of AMB.

Between April 1 and November 2017, SBI had collected Rs 1,771 crore as penalty from customers who had failed to maintain the average monthly balance in their accounts. This was more than its September quarter profit of Rs 1,581.55 crore.

Earlier, the bank had reduced the monthly average balance (MAB) requirement to Rs 3,000 from Rs 5,000 in metro cities.

Meanwhile, an RTI query revealed that SBI has closed as many as 41.16 lakh savings accounts between April-January in the current fiscal year for not maintaining

the average monthly balance.

Last April, SBI had re-introduced the penal charges on non-maintenance of average monthly balance after a gap of five years. Later in October, it had revised down the charges.

Due to provisions of penalty on non-maintenance of minimum balance, the bank has closed 41.16 lakh savings bank accounts between April 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018, the bank replied to an RTI query filed by Chandra Shekhar Gaud.

Even though the reply was furnished on February 28, 2018, SBI on Tuesday steeply reduced the penal charges on not maintaining the minimum balance.
The 'Dangal' star, who enjoys massive social media following through Facebook and Twitter, joined the Instagram family.

Aamir Khan was last seen in 'Secret Superstar.'

New Delhi: Superstar Aamir Khan has a special gift for his fans on the occasion of his 53rd birthday.

The 'Dangal' star, who currently enjoys a massive social media following through Facebook and Twitter, on Tuesday, joined the Instagram family.

Even without a single post, Aamir, within a few hours, managed to rake in over 234k followers on the photo-sharing app.

The Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood has over 23 million followers on Twitter whereas his Facebook page is liked by 15 million people.

Aamir, who is currently in Jodhpur shooting for his upcoming film 'Thugs of Hindostan', has a career that spans over three decades.

Son of producer Tahir Hussain and Zeenat, this multi-faceted actor, who has donned the hat of a director and producer several times, has given innumerable hits.

Before making his debut with 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' in 1988, Aamir featured in several films as a child artiste.

'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin', 'Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke', 'Andaz Apna Apna', 'Rangeela', 'Raja Hindustani', 'Sarfarosh', 'Lagaan', 'Dil Chahta Hai', 'Talaash: The Answer Lies Within' and 'Dangal' are some of his blockbusters.

He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010.
Percussionists from across India will be gathering on Mumbai Drum Day for a musical extravaganza.

On the lines of the Modern Drummer Festival, which is held prominently in the US, the city too has been hosting its very own Mumbai Drum Day celebrations for three years now. Quite like the American festival brings percussionists of all genres under one roof, this special day is dedicated to all-drum sets.

Kickstarted in 2016, the event is a brainchild of musician Gino Banks, who aims to bring the magic of the drums to the fore. Gino laments that the instrument is usually relegated to the back of a band or ensemble, and to end that, he has brought on board professionals from across the country for the first time.

The drum is a visual instrument, says Gino, who is a prolific drummer himself. And from a performance point of view, drums are always at the end. Here, the idea is to put them right in the front.

This edition will include ace percussionist Taufiq Qureshi taking centre stage, besides Jai Row Kavi from Mumbai, Arun Kumar from Bengaluru, and Nishant Hagjer from Guwahati. One of the highlights of the show will be 12-year-old Steven Samuel from Kochi and Taufiqs Mumbai Stamp.

We have a good variety of age and style, grins Gino. Nishant is a metal drummer, while Arun has played with the likes of Vijay Prakash and S.P Balasubramaniam. I wanted to feature young talent this time, so I got Stephen and Taufiqs Mumbai Stamp.

The band, known for making music from trash, will be opening the proceedings. Says Taufiq, who has also curated the content for the band, We pick drums, bottles, and tin cans from people and from the municipal bins. At the event, the band will be playing on large tin cans, plastic paint cans, buckets and plastic bottles.

The renowned percussionist will himself be performing solo with instruments from Brazil and Africa. I will be playing the Berimbau from Brazil and the African Djembe, on which I will create the tabla repertoire that I have learned from my father Ustad Allarakha, exploring rhythms, he smiles.

At first look, it seems strange that a festival thats based purely on percussions could be popular. But Taufiq explains that a beat or a rhythm is enough to attract people, given that its simple to understand and sticks with the listener. Rhythm is inherent in us  we breathe, walk and even talk in rhythm. You identify with it much faster. Even when theres no melodic structure, theres a rhythm structure thats identifiable in things. Rhythm has its own identity and characteristics, and one can hold their audience for long, through rhythms, he explains.

Meanwhile, prepping for his set, Stephen, the young gun from Bengaluru is charged up, hoping the audience will enjoy his act. Ive been playing since the age of two and I love playing the drums, because it makes people happy, says an enthusiastic Stephen. For my act I will be playing genres like funk, rock, Indian and more all together!

And while solo performances are set to get the audiences grooving, a jugalbandi to end the day will be the high point. I will join all the performers on the stage for a jam, Gino says, excitedly.

Calling it an event unlike any other music festival, the drummer hopes to run it for the next 100 years. Says Gino, India is rich in its tradition of percussion, and now we have a festival only on drums. This isnt a conventional show!

 Today, 7 pm onwards, at St. Andrews Auditorium, Bandra (W)
Losing Gorakhpur and Phulpur brings down BJP tally in Lok Sabha to 272.

Mumbai: Two things are clear from the bypoll results of two key Parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh.

One, Yogi Adityanaths popularity as chief minister, the bearer of its hardline Hindutva agenda, has taken a huge hit and his ability to lead the state to 2019 is now under scrutiny.

Two, while Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati still prefers to stay mum on calling it a proper alliance, her successful support to Samjawadi Party candidates in these two seats tests the ground for a grander tie-up ahead of the 2019 general polls. But wait and watch, is all we are getting out of these camps at the moment.

Losing the two seats today  Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh  brings down BJPs tally in the Lok Sabha to 272, just enough for a simple majority. The party had won 282 seats in 2014, and had often flaunted that number before allies as good enough to run on its own.

But what went wrong for Yogi Adityanath? How did the BJP lose two seats formerly held by its chief minister and his deputy?

In Uttar Pradeshs last Assembly elections, the BJP and allies got 325 out of the 403 seats, SP 47, BSP 19 and the Congress 7.

There was a grand alliance between Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi then, but the duo completely misread the mood.

In the 2017 Panchayat elections too, the BJP had held sway, winning 14 out of the 16 mayoral posts in the state.

It is learnt both losing BJP candidates today were thrust by the high command against the wishes of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (former MP, Gorakhpur) and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya (former MP, Phulpur).

Upendra Shukla, who lost from Gorakhpur, is the son of S P Shukla, a man not much liked by Yogi Adityanath. The party high commands decision to give Upendra a ticket did cause the Yogi cadre a lot of angst though the chief minister actively campaigned in the constituency. He had confidently called the bypoll a dress rehearsal for the 2019 elections.

SPs winner Pravin Nishad benefitted from this rift in the BJP base, coupled by his popularity among the Nishad community which has a sizeable presence. The Congress, perhaps irritated with the new SP-BSP flirting, put up a weak candidate, Seema Wajahat Rizvi.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had got 28.28 per cent vote share in Gorakhpur, while the SP-BSP combine got 21.13 per cent.

But what a turnaround it has been for the BJP in Phulpur, a constituency vacated by former MP and present deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya. In 2014, Keshav Maurya had defeated BSPs Kapil Karvariya by over three lakh votes. The BJP got 26.30 per cent to the SP-BSPs 18.54.

Both the SP and BJP put up Patel candidates in this constituency since the community has a strong presence here with over three lakh voters. This coupled with disgruntled murmurs about Mauryas complete inefficiency was enough to pip the post towards SPs Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel, who won by 59,613 votes. The BJPs Kaushalendra Patel was an outsider, the former mayor of Varanasi.

Only time will tell whether the SP-BSPs loose handshake these bypolls would progress to a full-fledged marriage of convenience in 2019. Will Mayawati conquer her bitterness towards the SP after the infamous guesthouse incident of 1995?

The last time the duo came together was in 1993 to stop the BJP from coming to power after its previous chief minister Kalyan Singhs government was sacked in the aftermath of the Babri demolition.

Mulayam Singh managed to become the chief minister in that alliance. Two years on, on June 1, 1995, Mayawati pulled the plug on the coalition government and was allegedly held captive in a Lucknow guesthouse the next day by SP supporters. She had even alleged there was an attempt on her life.

At the moment, what Mayawati is getting in return is the SPs support for her Rajya Sabha candidates in elections later this month.
Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel won Phulpur Lok Sabha seat by 59,613 votes.

Samajwadi Party supporters apply 'gulal' on a photo of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav as they celebrate their lead in Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-poll election, in Allahabad. (Photo: PTI)

Gorakhpur/Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday lost two key parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh, Gorakhpur and Phulpur, which were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya after their entry into the Assembly in April, 2017.

The BJP lost its safest and most prestigious seat Gorakhpur, ruled by Yogi Adityanath since 1998.

Phulpur was won in 2014 by Keshav Prasad Maurya under whose leadership the BJP went to polls in the last Lok Sabha. He had won it by over three lakh votes in 2014.

Read: Electorate very angry with BJP: Rahul lauds SP, BSP for UP bypolls win

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) buried differences these elections to put up a united front in these two seats. Though talk of a formal alliance is still up in the air, the BSP successfully supported the SP candidates in Gorakhpur and Phulpur to see them through.

Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel won Phulpur Lok Sabha seat by 59,613 votes.

Also Read: BJPs big UP loss: Can SP-BSP enter a proper marriage of convenience?

Praveen Kumar Nishad won from Gorakhpur, beating BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla by 21,881 votes.

After the unexpected defeat  of seats formerly held by the two top administrators in the state -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "We accept the verdict of the people this result is unexpected, we will review our shortcomings. I congratulate the winning candidates."

Also Read: UP bypolls: Mamata congratulates Akhilesh, Mayawati after easy win

The third Lok Sabha seat that went to polls was Araria in Bihar which was retained by Lalu Prasad Yadavs Rashtriya Janata Dal. RJDs Sarfaraz Alam won the Araria Lok Sabha seat by 61,988 votes. Alam got 5,09,334 votes while the BJP candidate got 4,47,346.

Two Assembly seats in Bihar also went to polls. The BJP won Bhabua, while the RJD got Jehanabad.

Both Uttar Pradesh seats were prestige fights for the BJP.

Gorakhpur has been held by Yogi Adityanath since 1998  he was the youngest MP at 26  and three times before that by his mentor Avaidyanath.

Phulpur is an extremely prominent Lok Sabha seat that the BJP had wrested only in 2014. It has been represented thrice by Jawaharlal Nehru, his sister Vijayalakshmi Pandit and also former Prime Minister V P Singh.

Since there are no permanent enemies in politics, the election results will also test how far the loose alliance between the two arch-rivals -- Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party  can go bedfore the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The last time they joined hands was in 1993 -- to stop the BJP from coming to power gain after Kalyan Singhs government was sacked in the aftermath of the Babri demolition.
Last week, China unveiled its largest defence spending increase in three years, setting an 8.1 per cent growth target this year.

Rawat said the world looks at India as a country that can balance the rise of China in the region as it was showing its 'assertiveness'. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday lauded China's military prowess, saying the neighbouring country, along with its economic rise, also focused on military modernisation.

"They have arrived well before the intended time than we had thought they would arrive," Rawat said at an event organised by the Vivekanand India Foundation.

Last week, China unveiled its largest defence spending increase in three years, setting an 8.1 per cent growth target this year, fuelling an ambitious military modernisation programme and making its neighbours nervous.

Today, China is the second largest economy in the world.

"While China ensured that their economy must rise, they did not forget the rise of their military power. They ensured that while their economy was developing the military power must rise simultaneously and that is why they are strong today in the international world order challenging the might of the United States of America, which was until now the sole security provider," he said.

Rawat said the world looks at India as a country that can balance the rise of China in the region as it was showing its "assertiveness".

Rawat also said strong economic growth is only possible with a strong defence.

"We cannot become the net security provider if the economy does not keep pace with the changes," Rawat said.

The Army told a parliamentary panel that the funds allocated to it in the defence budget for the next fiscal is insufficient to deal with various security challenges facing the country including from a more assertive China along the northern border and from a hostile Pakistan on the western frontier.

Both China as well as Pakistan were carrying out modernisation of their defence forces in "full swing".

Rawat's comments were in response to a question in this regard.

To step up defence production within the country, India is looking at collaborating with other nations, he said.

Rawat added that the Request for Information (RFI) has been issued for nine types of very high quality ammunition so that they can be manufactured in our country with transfer of technology.
Congress has been campaigning against the BJP-led NDA government over the Rs 58,000 crore deal to buy 36 fighter jets.

New Delhi: French president Emmanuel Macron, who was on India visit, is learnt to have told Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh that France does not have any objection to Indian government revealing the pricing details of the Rafale fighter jets bought by New Delhi in 2016.

Quoting sources, a report in NDTV said, Macron raised the issue during his meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh on Sunday.

Congress has been campaigning against the BJP-led NDA government over the Rs 58,000 crore deal to buy 36 fighter jets made by the French company Dassault Aviation.

Congress chief has attacked the government for not making public the prices of Rafale fighter aircraft, and charged that there was a "scam" in the deal.

The Congress claims that the price of the fighter jets was higher than what was finalised by the United Progressive Alliance government which had negotiated a deal for 126 aircrafts.

According to sources, Macron gave a positive response to Rahul Gandhi and said that France had no issues with the details of pricing being disclosed in the interest of transparency and accountability.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a response to a written question Rajya Sabha last month, had refused to share the details of the deal on the grounds of security agreement signed between India and France.

Congress sources further alleged that the government is using the 2008 security pact for non-disclosure as a fig leaf as the French President has unequivocally asserted that government did not have any issues with the disclosing of the pricing details.

India and France inked the inter-government pact for buying 36 Rafale fighters, off the shelf, on September 23, 2016, after long negotiations, agreed upon during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in April 2015.
The DNA report conclusively established that one of the accused was the biological father of the aborted foetus of the girl.

As the girl was not in good health, she was taken to a hospital where the medical examination revealed that she was three to four months pregnant. (Representational Image)

Bhopal: A special court here has awarded life term to six people for raping a 12-year-old girl who later became pregnant.

The court specifically mentioned that the arrested persons will remain behind the bars for their whole life.

Special judge Savita Dube awarded the punishment on March 12 and also imposed a total fine of Rs 1.20 lakh on the six accused.

The DNA report conclusively established that one of the accused was the biological father of the aborted foetus of the girl, a release issued by police headquarters said on Wednesday.

On November 3, 2017, a member of NGO Railway Childline Service spotted the girl begging at a railway station, following which a police officer questioned her and later handed her over to a women care institution.

As the girl was not in good health, she was taken to a hospital where the medical examination revealed that she was three to four months pregnant, a police official said.

Later, due to certain complications, the foetus was aborted.

The girl later told the police that she was raped by some men in a dilapidated structure near the railway station, some weeks before she was spotted by the NGO member.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) subsequently registered a case and the accused were arrested on the basis of leads, the official said.

The samples of the girl's foetus and other body parts and that of the accused were then sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory at Sagar for DNA tests, which established the involvement of the accused in the crime.

Based on the FSL report and other investigations, the court awarded the sentence to the six accused, identified as Salman, Manish Yadav, Mangal Thakur, Rajesh Takla, Salman alias Shadab and Arjun, while pronouncing them guilty under relevant Indian Penal Code sections and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has also raised the bogey of a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front.

New Delhi: Amid talks of an anti-Congress, anti-BJP Third Front to take on the Modi juggernaut in 2019, the Congress Party on Tuesday managed to bring together a formidable 20 parties under its umbrella at a special dinner hosted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi here.

Sources said the dinner meet was attended by 32 leaders, including Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dals Tejashwi Yadav and Misa Bharti, National Conferences Omar Abdullah, CPI(M) MPs M. Salim and T.K. Rangarajan , RSPs N.K. Premachandran, Hindustan Tribal Party chief Sharad Yadav, AIDUFs Badruddin Ajmal, Bahujan Samaj Partys Satish Mishra, Samajwadi Partys Ramgopal Yadav, RLD leader Ajit Singh and DMKs Kanhomozhi, among others.

The Congress show of strength comes at a time when the ruling NDA has been hit by crisis with the resignation of two Telugu Desam Party ministers from the Union Cabinet. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has also raised the bogey of a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front.

Apart from showing off two additional parties in the Opposition kitty  Jiten Ram Manjhis Hindustan Awam Morcha and Babulal Marandis Jharkhand Vikas Morcha  the dinner meet is seen as an attempt by the Congress to project itself, or rather its president Rahul Gandhi, as the leader of any Opposition alliance before 2019 general elections.

Many Opposition parties, like the Mayawati-led BSP and Mamata Banerjees Trinamul Congress, have expressed their hesitance to be part of an alliance led by the Congress quoting the partys dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and several state elections thereafter.

In fact, the TMC chief, who was conspicuous by her absence on Tuesday, has pitched herself as the leader of any Opposition alliance and has begun talks with parties like the TRS and the DMK for a Third Front. The TMC was represented by Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandopadhyay at the dinner.

Ms Mayawati has also aligned with the JD(S) in Karnataka, virtually opening a Third Front against the incumbent Congress in the state, and has tied up with the Samajwadi Party for two crucial bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the results of which are expected on Wednesday.

Denying that there were any concrete political discussions during the dinner, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewalla said that at a time when the government is not allowing Parliament to function, it is obvious that leaders of various parties, who want to raise issues in national interest, would get together to discuss the current political situation.

This dinner was not hosted for politics, but for amity and friendship. The intention is not political, but to hold discussions in family-like setting at a time when the nation is confronted with a number of issues and thousands of crores being taken out of the country, Mr Surjewala told the media after the dinner.

He said Opposition leaders got together to discuss issues, exchange views and create bonhomie in the Opposition.

CPI leader D. Raja said only pleasantries were exchanged at the meeting.

CPI(M) leader M Salim, who represented his party, said There were only informal discussions. Only pleasantries were exchanged.

RSPs N.K. Premachandran too expressed similar views. No specific discussions took place, he said.

Interestingly, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who attended the dinner, is also likely to meet West Bengal chief minister Ms Banerjee on March 28 in the Capital. His party is also organising a student convention in Delhi at the end of this month.

Both Ms Banerjee and Mr Pawar are seen as potential contenders to lead an alliance to take on the BJP in 2019.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Stephen Hawking's grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world.

Legendary British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, died at his home in Cambridge. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the demise of cosmologist Stephen Hawking and said his grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world.

Modi described Hawking as an outstanding scientist and academic and said his demise was "anguishing".

The Prime Minister also said that his work made the world a better place.

"Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawking's pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace," Prime Minister Narendra Modi told on Twitter.

The legendary British theoretical physicist, who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, died today at his home in Cambridge. He was 76.

Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today."

Hawking contracted motor neurone disease in 1963 and was given two years to live but he went on to study at Cambridge and became one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.
Bar Council of India or the Union of India are at liberty to frame rules in this regard.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday barred foreign law firms/companies or foreign lawyers from practising legal profession in India either in the litigation or in non-litigation (rendering legal advice) side.

Disposing of a batch of appeals filed by Bar Council of India, a Bench of Justices A.K. Goel and Uday Lalit, however, held that there was no bar for the foreign law firms or foreign lawyers to visit India for a temporary period on a fly in and fly out basis for the purpose of giving legal advice to their clients in India regarding foreign law or their own system of law and on diverse international legal issues.

Writing the judgment, Justice Goel made it clear that the expression fly in and fly out will only cover a casual visit not amounting to practice. In case of a dispute whether a foreign lawyer was limiting himself to fly in and fly out on casual basis for the purpose of giving legal advice to their clients in India regarding foreign law or their own system of law and on diverse international legal issues or whether in substance he was doing practice which is prohibited can be determined by the Bar Council of India. The court empowered the Bar Council of India or Union of India to make appropriate Rules in this regard, including extending Code of Ethics being applicable even to such cases. Regarding participation of foreign lawyers in arbitration proceedings, the court said that foreign lawyers cannot be debarred completely from coming to India to conduct arbitration proceedings in respect of disputes arising out of a contract relating to international commercial arbitration, if rules of arbitration permits such appearance. However, they will be governed by code of conduct applicable to the legal profession in India. Bar Council of India or the Union of India are at liberty to frame rules in this regard.

The court held that practicing of law includes appearance in courts but also giving of opinion, drafting of instruments, participation in conferences involving legal discussion.
The Gorakhpur seat had been held by the BJP for the past 29 years.

New Delhi: BJPs Mission 2019 got a major scare as the party received a stunning blow as it lost the prestigious Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh to the Samajwadi Party, supported by the BSP, and two of the three byelections (Jehanabad Assembly and Araria Lok Sabha) to the RJD in Bihar.

The blow was crippling in Uttar Pradesh as the BJP lost Gorakhpur, the saffron citadel and home turf of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the BJPs Hindutva icon, as well as the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat held by his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya. The Lok Sabha seats were vacated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya after they took charge of the state last year. The Gorakhpur seat had been held by the BJP for the past 29 years.

In Bihar, the RJD retained the Araria Lok Sabha seat and the Jehanabad Assembly berths, while the BJP managed to hang on to the Bhabua Assembly seat. The Bihar results was also being seen as a major setback for JD(U) chief and state chief minister Nitish Kumar, who had crossed over to the saffron side.

The UP byelection results were also a major boost for BSP supremo Mayawati and SPs Akhilesh Yadav, who are struggling to stay afloat electorally in UP, which has been witnessing a saffron surge since 2014. Making it clear yet again that there are no permanent enemies in politics, bitter rivals SP and BSP joined forces after nearly 23 years. The new

slogan Bua-Bhatija zindabad finally subdued the saffron roar  UP mein rahena hoga toh Yogi Yogi kahena hoga. While Praveen Nishad of SP defeated the BJPs Upendra Dutt Shukla by 21,881 votes from Gorakhpur, SPs Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel won Phulpur by a margin of over 59,000 votes.

Shocked and embarrassed by the defeat, 45-year-old CM Yogi Adityanath, who had been winning the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat since 1998, admitted that the results were unexpected and that an overconfident BJP had underestimated the BSP-SP combination. Looking grim, the CM told the media: The BJPs performance in the two Lok Sabha byelections are a lesson for us and we need to introspect. He also described the SP-BSP move to join hands as a contradictory alliance (bemel gathbandhan).

During the campaign, the BJP, led by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, had exuded confidence about winning both the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats and had gone on record to call the elections as a dress rehearsal for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Gorakhpur has always been counted as one of the BJPs safest seats, with Yogi Aditynath in complete control of the constituency. Yogi Adityanath, who was the main face of the campaign, is also the head priest of the Gorakhnath temple. Gorakhpur has always been a stronghold. Where we went wrong and how we can counter the SP-BSP combine... we will figure it out, said deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Thrashed by the BJP in the last Assembly elections, the BSP and SP came together at the last minute. The BSP did not field candidates in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, and instead supported the SP candidates. The Samajwadi Party is now expected to support the BSP in the Rajya Sabha polls in UP later this month. In the Assembly elections last year, the BJP won 325 out of UPs 404 seats, with Akhilesh Yadavs party winning only 47 and the BSP 19 seats. The Congress tally was just seven.

Besides the BSP, the SP was also supported by the Left parties, NCP, Nishad ((Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal) Party, among other smaller outfits. Mr Akhilesh Yadavs invitation to Praveen Kumar Nishad of the Nishad Party to contest the Gorakhpur bypoll with the tactical alliance with the BSP proved to be his masterstroke. A prominent OBC caste, the Nishads form 14 per cent of the states population and reportedly voted for the BJP en bloc in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

In Bihar, the BJP clearly failed to capitalise on Nitish Kumars return to the NDA fold as it failed to wrest the Jehanabad Assembly and Araria Lok Sabha berths from the RJD. The Araria Lok Sabha berth was a prestige fight for RJD leader Tejaswhi Yadav, particularly at a time when his father Lalu Prasad Yadav is behind bars. The Bihar results yet again proved that the RJDs Muslim-Yadav combination continues to work for the outfit. Muslims and Yadavs constitute over 40 per cent of the electorates in the constituency.
Heart defects are more common at high altitudes, possibly because of the effects of low oxygen.

A team of Bolivian women are using indigenous Aymara weaving patterns to craft devices that can help repair heart defects, doctors involved in developing the device report in JAMA.

The device is woven from a nickel-titanium alloy that can be collapsed and delivered within a catheter to the heart, where its then expanded to repair a hole. Traditional Aymara weavers repeat an Andean cross or chakana symbol up to 120 times to craft the device, called Nit-Occlud ASD-R.

To my knowledge, it is the first time metal weaving is used for medical devices in Bolivia, said lead study author Dr. Alexandra Heath of Kardiozentrum in La Paz, Bolivia in email to Reuters Health. It is surprising, that these women, after a training, can assume the task brilliantly, said Heath, who has received consulting fees from the device manufacturer PFM Medical.

Heart defects are more common at high altitudes, possibly because of the effects of low oxygen, Heath and colleagues write. In La Paz, at an altitude of 12,000 feet (4,000 meters), cardiologists often encounter kids with defects that involve holes in the heart.

Many commercially available devices can be used to patch these holes, and open heart surgery is also an option. Developers sought to create an alternative device using local craftswomen in part because open heart surgery is an option in Bolivia only for the most extreme cases.

Commercial devices to repair holes in the heart are made from woven mesh discs that expand to fill the defective area. Developers of the hand-woven device thought they might be able to train local weavers to craft something similar.

Engineers teamed with weavers to identify the best pattern and materials for the device.

Now, a team of about 40 craftswomen who went through four months of training weave devices that meet specific requirements for quality control, sterilization and proper chemical treatment.

The Nit-Occlud ASD-R has been approved to repair heart defects in adults and children by regulators in Canada, Europe, and South America. It is not approved in the U.S.

This hand-crafted device essentially copies existing devices which are made in developed countries by weaving machines, said Dr. John Moore, director of cardiology at Rady Childrens Hospital in San Diego, California. Moore is involved in a study of a device by PFM Medical and has been compensated for work with two other device companies, 480 Biomedical Corporation and Transmural Systems.

In Bolivia, where the art of hand weaving is widespread and very developed and the economy is underdeveloped, it may be cost-effective to produce such devices by hand, Moore said by email.

This is certainly not the case in developed countries, Moore added. Similar machine made devices have been FDA approved for more than 15 years and are used widely in the developed and for that matter in the developing world.
It has been learnt that Pawan and the woman had been in a relationship for the last three-four years.

It is suspected that the woman was trying to end her relationship with Pawan prompting him to take the extreme step. (Photo: Representational/File)

New Delhi: A highly decomposed body of a married woman, who was allegedly killed by her paramour before he committed suicide in Shamli a couple of days ago, was found on Wednesday in a room in east Delhi's New Ashok Nagar, the police said.

The incident came to light after the landlord informed the police about a foul smell emanating from his house, they added. After the door was broke open, police found a highly decomposed body of the woman, who was in her late 20s.

During investigation, it was found that the room belonged to a man called Pawan (29). He had committed suicide on the Shamli railway tracks a couple of days ago, police said. He had left notes in which he mentioned about committing suicide after killing the woman.

It was found that the woman's family had lodged a missing complaint on March 9 in Seelampur. She stayed with her husband in Ghaziabad and had come to her maternal home in Seelampur from where she went missing, the police said.

It has been learnt that Pawan and the woman had been in a relationship for the last three -four years.

Earlier, Pawan also lived in Ghaziabad. He had shifted to New Ashok Nagar around 10 months ago. Police are probing why Pawan killed the woman.

Her husband told the police that he was not aware about his wife's extra-marital affair.

It is suspected that the woman was trying to end her relationship with Pawan prompting him to take the extreme step.
The plea claimed 25 snatching cases take place daily in Delhi due to the ineffective laws

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has told the Delhi high court that it has written to the Centre to consider amending the penal provisions to deal with the serious issue of chain snatching in the national capital.

A two-judge bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C. Hari Shankar asked the Union ministry of home affairs to positively file a status report on the action taken by it on the letter written by the government.

The Delhi governments additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan informed the bench that Haryana and Punjab have made chain snatching a separate offence after amending the law. He said the Delhi government has written a letter to the ministry to take action on it, but it has not received any response yet.

The court was hearing a petition filed by advocate Prashant Manchanda, who has alleged that chain snatchings in the city have seen a six-fold rise leading to a fear psychosis in the minds of citizens as well as tourists who are not left alone by the perpetrators.

The court, which listed the matter for next hearing on August 1, noted that the petition raised a serious concern of the offence of chain snatching in Delhi.

The petitioner told the court that the Delhi police was booking the offenders of such a crime in a routine manner under milder provisions, which entail a punishment of only up to three years. He said even without a specific offence under the law to make snatching a separate offence, the offenders could be booked under Section 390 (robbery) of the Indian Penal Code as it uses the word fear of wrongful restraint and carries a jail term of up to 10 years.

The court asked the Delhi police to examine the issue, while considering this aspect.

It had earlier issued a notice to the Delhi government, the police and the municipal corporations and sought their replies to the plea, which also contended that various parks in the city were the hubs of such crimes and the criminal elements frequented such places due to lack of vigilance.

The petition has claimed that on an average, there were 25 snatching cases daily in the national capital due to the absence of effective laws and indifference of the police, which book the offenders under trivial provisions

It said: Many incidents of chain snatching entail serious wounds and also involve use of deadly weapons, leading to fatal injuries or death of the victims.
According to reports, about 30 banks had lent funds to firms related to Mr Modi and Mr Choksi based on the LoUs issued by PNB.

Mumbai: In a major decision, the RBI on Tuesday banned banks from issuing Letters of Undertaking (LoUs)  instruments used allegedly by diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi to defraud state-owned PNB of nearly Rs 13,000 crore in conniva-nce of bank officials.

The RBI said the decision to discontinue the practice of LoUs and Letters of Comfort (LoCs) for trade finance comes into force with immediate effect.

However, the RBI has allowed banks to issue letters of credit and bank guarantee for trade credits for imports into India subject to complia-nce with the provisions.

The latest circular comes in the backdrop of the multi-billion dollar scam unearthed at one of the branches of PNB where banks official fraudulently issued LoUs on behalf of some companies belonging to Mr Modi group for availing buyers credit from overseas branches of Indian banks through Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication.

According to reports, about 30 banks had lent funds to firms related to Mr Modi and Mr Choksi based on the LoUs issued by PNB.

Though the latest decision will cause disruption in trade finance, experts said that the move would help bring such trade transactions under a more legal and structured route.

LoU was an additional route availed by Indian importers. Those who have been enjoying this facility would suddenly find themselves cut-off from this trade-financing channel. This is clearly a risk mitigating step as letter of credit are governed by Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, which has a well defined set of rules and procedures, said a senior official at one of the public sector banks.

The RBI has already started a special audit of public sector banks wherein it will closely scrutinise their trade financing activities especially with regards to the issuances of LoUs. The massive fraud, which rattled the financial markets over the past one month, has so far seen the arrest of over a dozen individual from banks and private entities associated with Mr Modi and Mr Choksi.
The nation that picked Donald Trump as President in 2016 hasnt changed all that much.

Its one of those photographs that indelibly sear themselves on to the memory. Every now and then, they pop up unbeckoned from the subconscious. I was about 10 when I first saw it, in a November 1969 issue of Life magazine. The expression of sheer anguish and despair on the face of the middle-aged woman at the forefront is unforgettable. The photographer heard gunfire soon after he began walking away from the scene.

Ron Haeberle had captured the final moments of a small bunch of civilians who were among the estimated 504 massacred 50 years ago this week when Charlie Company was deployed, on March 16, 1968, in a South Vietnamese hamlet designated My Lai 4. They found no combatants, but nonetheless decided their orders obliged them to kill everyone they found and then to burn down their huts.

The photograph shows someone trying to gently restrain the woman with hands around her waist. To her left there is a much younger woman, holding a small child wearing a look of bewilderment and fear, who can be seen buttoning up her blouse. There is another petrified child in the background, clinging on to someone we cannot clearly see. The caption makes it clear this was the last time they were seen alive. It does not explain that the older woman was being held back because she had been kicking and scratching the soldiers who were bent upon sexually violating the younger woman, possibly her daughter.

Once some of the truth about what happened in My Lai emerged about a year and a half later, the extent of the indiscriminate killings inevitably overshadowed the preceding sexual assaults. They were both par for the course, but unprovoked murder figured higher on the scale of atrocities than the degradation that preceded it.

Another of the photographs that Life published showed a large number of bodies  of all sizes, some of them very small  lying slaughtered between two verdant fields. The toll could have been worse, though, had not the US helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson inserted his flying machine between his compatriots and fleeing civilians, and ordered his two subordinates to shoot at any fellow Americans trying to kill the Vietnamese.

Thompsons alerts to the regional US military headquarters initially went unheeded, but eventually prompted a command to cease and desist. Thompson deserves credit for saving some lives. His testimony was a key factor in the prosecution of a few culprits. Charlie Companys Captain Ernest Medina was exonerated; Lt. William Calley, the only officer to be convicted of 20 or so murders, was freed from house arrest after three and a half years.

During his trial and incarceration, almost nine out of every 10 missives directed to the White House were pleas for clemency. If that comes as a shock, let us not forget that opinion polls after four young anti-war protesters were gunned down at Kent State University showed a majority of Americans welcomed their demise. The nation that picked Donald Trump as President in 2016 hasnt changed all that much.

When George H.W. Bush, before attacking Iraq in 1991, declared his nation had overcome the Vietnam syndrome, he wasnt referring to the war crimes, which only ever bothered a relatively small proportion of Americans. What he meant was that Americas defeat in Vietnam, despite its overwhelming firepower and monopoly of the skies, no longer seemed a barrier to choosing other killing fields. He foresaw a relatively brief war. Nearly three decades on, the US interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan have extended well beyond the long period of aggression and defeat in Vietnam.

The continuity is illustrated also by the fact that Seymour Hersh, the first reporter bold enough to publicise the massacre at My Lai (as well as the coordinated cover-up that followed) almost four decades later broke the story of the atrocities at Abu Ghraib, a reminder, that dehumanising the enemy remains a crucial component of the American arsenal. Of course, other military forces are perfectly capable of comparable atrocities. Not long after Life published photographic evidence of the war crime at My Lai, there were similarly appalling images to contend with from the Pakistani military operations to thwart the birth of Bangladesh.

The year 1968 stands out in modern American history for a multiplicity of domestic reasons, from riots to assassinations. But My Lai and its aftermath arguably trump much else as an illustration of what the US was all about at that juncture. The massacre wasnt so much an aberration as part of a pattern, much of which remains unrecorded. But also, in some ways, unbroken  at home in America, but mainly abroad, where there will always be scope for mass murder.

By arrangement with Dawn
In this bleak political landscape, the success of the farmers movement in Maharashtra points to a way forward.

The surrender of the Devendra Fadnavis government before the 40,000-strong farmers who marched to Mumbai holds several important lessons for the Opposition.

The Opposition parties had failed to counter Narendra Modis political narrative in the 2014 general election campaign. That story was based on creating jobs, curbing black money and economic development in the mirror-image of

Mr Modis Gujarat model. Those unrealised dreams have since been consigned to the dustbin with Mr Modi now being described by wags as Indias biggest non-performing asset.

Mr Modi may well have a newer narrative for the next general election  possibly an emotive and communally divisive one. However, the Opposition parties have yet to find a counter- narrative.

In this bleak political landscape, the success of the farmers movement in Maharashtra points to a way forward. The surrender of the Devendra Fadnavis government before the 40,000-strong farmers who marched to Mumbai holds several important lessons for the Opposition.

After a long time, political parties across the ideological spectrum supported the farmers demands  ranging from the All India Kisan Sabha of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which had organised the march, to the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena and Aam Aadmi Party. Even the Shiv Sena, an estranged ally of the ruling BJP, argued against judging the farmers movement by its ideological colour.

The support of ordinary folk was overwhelming as they greeted the farmers with open arms. Across Mumbai, civil society groups, residents welfare associations, religious organisations and ordinary individuals greeted the marching farmers with packets of food, water, free medical care and even footwear, moved by the media pictures of their calloused, blistered and bleeding feet.

Even as a BJP government given to talking tough was brought to its knees, the farmers march offered an opportunity to develop an alternative political narrative based on issues that impact the lives of ordinary people and it was effectively articulated through a mass movement. The support that the movement has received shows that it is not impossible for the Opposition parties to sink their local contradictions to stand behind peoples demands.

The tribal farmers from Thane, Palghar, Nashik and Nandurbar in Maharashtra have manifestly proven that the BJP is not invincible and that its disconnect from the ground reality is all too visible.

The very government in Mumbai which completely ignored the farmers march for five days started quaking once it saw how much public support was drawn to it. The chief minister virtually conceded the farmers demands even before he met with their representatives.

In April 2017 Mr Fadnavis, even as he announced a farm loan waiver, had criticised it as an unsustainable measure. However, he was forced to concede a condition-free loan waiver for farmers left out of the previous one by extending it to loans taken between 2001 and 2008. The earlier waiver had been given only for loans taken after 2009.

He also quickly agreed to address the bottlenecks in legalising the rights of forest-dwellers to till forest land to which they were entitled under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. A host of other demands were also conceded, included giving higher minimum support price for agricultural produce, river linking projects and even the replacement of torn and damaged ration cards!

Rights, even if granted by the State, clearly remain on paper unless people ensure their implementation  by monitoring them, seeking transparency and accountability and by shaking the system periodically through agitations. This is how a coherent narrative of their demands was developed by the Maharashtra farmers, allowing them to occupy the political centre-stage.

Those in the Opposition who want to develop an alternative political narrative should see that now more than ever before, there is a need to connect with peoples movements. Such movements, besides civil society organisations and other grassroots organisations of peasants, workers and migrants, are the most reliable way of finding out what affects the lives of the marginalised and what political agendas of change should include.

There are even today a number of organisations that have been relentlessly asserting peoples right to life, liberty and livelihood. Despite the Big State turning its mighty machinery against them, they organise protests and agitations at the local, regional and national levels. These movements and groups are the best indicators of the changes that people want.

At a time when Hindutva forces are trying to subvert the secular and democratic character of this country, the Opposition parties must unite to protect the foundations of our constitutional republic. However, a unified ideological opposition to the BJPs divisive politics also has to be combined with a programme of transforming lives.

The Opposition political parties, therefore, need to learn from the peoples movements, join them on the streets, help in mass mobilisation and organise protests. This will help them shed the creeping sense of diffidence and impotence in the face of the cleverness and organisational prowess of the BJP.

Beyond a point the public is not impressed by cleverness, especially when it conflicts with their daily experiences of the State withdrawing systematically from running quality educational institutions, communalising the curriculum, encouraging costly and privatised health services and handing over public land and other resources to corporate enterprises and reducing their access to public services. The Narendra Modi government, which had been sponsored by corporates, is busy repaying its debts to them and unwilling to regulate their loot and scoot strategies.

India has seen the emergence of new political leadership from mass movements in the past. This happened during the freedom movement, in the movement against the Emergency and during the Anna Hazare agitation over the Lokpal Bill. There is a new crop of leaders no one had ever heard of even four years ago  Jignesh Mewani, Hardik Patel, Alpesh Thakur, Kanhaiya Kumar and Shehla Rashid are among the young political leaders to reckon with today.

The national political parties critical of the BJP must connect the pockets of resistance which exist and are constantly emerging in the country. They must join hands with them. The collective wisdom emanating from below alone can help formulate a narrative to counter the BJP.
Human rights advocates said they opposed Haspels promotion to the helm of the CIA.

61-year-old Gina Haspel would become the first female head of the CIA. Shes described by colleagues as a seasoned veteran with 30-plus years of intelligence experience who would lead the agency with integrity. (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trumps pick to be the next director of the CIA is a career spymaster who oversaw torture at a secret prison during one of the darkest chapters in the agencys history.

If confirmed, 61-year-old Gina Haspel would become the first female head of the CIA. Shes described by colleagues as a seasoned veteran with 30-plus years of intelligence experience who would lead the agency with integrity.

But its the few years she spent supervising a secret black site that will be closely scrutinized at her confirmation hearing.

Trump announced on Tuesday that he had chosen Haspel to succeed Mike Pompeo, who is replacing ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

She joined the CIA in 1985 and has been deputy director of the agency since February 2017.

Between 2003 and 2005, Haspel oversaw a secret CIA prison in Thailand where terror suspects Abu Zubayadah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri were waterboarded, current and former US intelligence officials said.

Waterboarding is a process that simulates drowning and is widely considered to be a form of torture.

Haspel also helped carry out an order to destroy waterboarding videos, which prompted a lengthy Justice Department investigation that ended without charges.

Trump has said that he would reintroduce waterboarding and a lot worse, but theres no indication that his decision to pick Haspel signals a desire to restart the harsh interrogation and detention program. He would face steep legal and legislative hurdles if he tried.

Senator John McCain, R-Ariz, said Haspel must explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIAs interrogation program. Current US law is clear in banning enhanced interrogation techniques, said McCain, who was beaten as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. Any nominee for director of the CIA must pledge without reservation to uphold this prohibition.

Former CIA Director John Brennan declined to say what Haspels exact role was in the interrogation program, but he told NBC that she has a lot of integrity and has tried to carry out her agency duties when asked to do difficult things in challenging times.

Brennan predicted she would be confirmed. Gina is a very competent professional who I think deserves the chance to take the seat, he said. Senator Richard Burr, R-NC, the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, which will vote whether to confirm Haspel, said she has the right skill set, experience and judgment to lead the CIA.

Human rights advocates said they opposed Haspels promotion to the helm of the CIA. No one who had a hand in torturing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency, Human Rights Firsts Raha Wala said Tuesday. To allow someone who had a direct hand in this illegal, immoral and counterproductive program is to willingly forget our nations dark history with torture.

Also Read: Trump nominates Pompeo to replace Tillerson for tougher Pak policy

After Haspel was named deputy CIA director, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights asked German prosecutors to issue a warrant for her arrest over her role in the interrogations.

Federal prosecutors never issued the warrant because the case lacked a connection to Germany. But the rights groups allegations against Haspel remain part of a preliminary investigation that German authorities could revive if they receive evidence that any of the parties have links to Germany.

In 2017, Haspels name came up during a civil lawsuit in Spokane, Washington, filed by three men who said they suffered waterboarding, beatings and sleep deprivation in the CIA interrogation program developed by former Spokane psychologists James E Mitchell and Bruce Jessen.

Lawyers for the psychologists wanted to interview Haspel and another CIA official involved in the program, but government lawyers told the federal judge in the case that the officials and documents were protected under the state secrets privilege and making them public would threaten national security.

Haspel has been chief of station at CIA outposts abroad. In Washington, she has held several senior leadership positions, including deputy director of the National Clandestine Service.

In her current post, she worked with Pompeo to manage intelligence collection, analysis, covert action, counterintelligence and cooperation with the CIAs foreign counterparts. In a brief statement, the former undercover officer said she was humbled by Trumps confidence in her to lead the agency.
Al Farekh had helped prepare an explosive device used in a January 19, 2009 attack on a US Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan.

Washington: A US citizen was sentenced to 45 years in prison on Tuesday for supporting the militant group al Qaeda and helping to prepare a 2009 car bomb attack on a US military base in Afghanistan, less than the life sentence sought by prosecutors.

Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh, 32, was sentenced by US District Judge Brian Cogan in Brooklyn federal court. Al Farekh's lawyer, David Ruhnke, said at the court hearing that Al Farekh would be appealing his conviction.

Before Cogan imposed the sentence, Ruhnke read a letter written by Al Farekh, who did not speak himself. Al Farekh did not directly address the crimes of which he was found guilty, but asked the judge to consider that young men could be misled into violence. Al Farekh said in the letter that he was now opposed to violence.

Assistant US Attorney Richard Tucker urged the judge not to believe the letter, saying Al Farekh remained "unshakably committed to violent jihad" and was "willing to say anything."

Cogan said the letter was "not an enthusiastic acceptance of responsibility."

"I just can't draw anything from that," he said.

Still, the judge said he was giving Al Farekh some hope of life after prison because he did not believe him to be "totally devoid of humanity," citing the support of his family.

Cogan said that, with 15 percent off his sentence for good behaviour and three years time served, Al Farekh could get out when he is 67.

Al Farekh was found guilty by a jury in September of the charges of conspiring to murder Americans, using a weapon of mass destruction and supporting a foreign terrorist organisation.

US prosecutors in 2015 accused Al Farekh, who was born in Texas, of conspiring to support al Qaeda by travelling with two fellow students from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, to Pakistan with the intention of fighting US forces.

Al Farekh had helped prepare an explosive device used in a January 19, 2009 attack on a US Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said an accomplice detonated one device, injuring multiple people including a pregnant woman, while Al Farekh's fingerprints were found on packing tape for the second device, which another accomplice carried but failed to detonate.

One of the other university students with whom Al Farekh travelled in 2007, Ferid Imam, has also been indicted, though his whereabouts are unknown.
India had boycotted 2017s Belt and Road Forum organised by China.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Xi Jinping when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties. (Photo: File)

Beijing: Xi Jinpings pet Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can pose a major challenge in resetting Chinas ties with India, analysts here have said, days after the Chinese parliament backed his plan to rule indefinitely amid Sino-India rapprochement following the Dokalam standoff.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Xi when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties.

The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India had also boycotted 2017s Belt and Road Forum organised by China.

The BRI, aimed at promoting network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread Chinas influence, is now expected to vigorously pushed by Xi after the National Peoples Congress on March 11 removed the two-term limit for the president.

The historic mandate for Xi to continue in office for life came just as India and China began a high-level dialogue to put the ties back on track after the relations were bogged down by a host of issues including, the CPEC and the 73-day long standoff at Dokalam in 2017.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit to China in April which officials say will send a very strong message to the international community about efforts by both countries to improve relations.

There are very serious efforts are being made by both countries to improve relations and China attaches a lot of importance to its ties with India in the region, Hu Shisheng, Director of the official China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said.

As the two countries seek to address a number of issues like China blocking Indias efforts to list JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN as well as Indias entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides Dokalam, they need to come up with a creative solution to address differences on the BRI, Hu said.

Now Xi is set to be at the helm for a long term and he is going to pursue the BRI very seriously as this is his project, he said.

Also Read: Chinas getting a makeover: Xi's thought incorporated in constitution

China, which has been maintaining that the BRI will not have any impact on its stand that Kashmir issue should be resolve between India and Pakistan, has also offered initiatives like renaming the CPEC to address Indias reservations.

Officials say Chinese investment flows into India have been affected as China has been routing all its external investments in recent years only under the BRI.

India is also a part of the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) corridor which is also part of the BRI but has made little progress.

Officials say Chinas investments in India were just about USD 3.5 billion far less than USD 20 billion promised by Xi during his visit to India in 2015.

Hu said both countries needs to show flexibility. While China should be flexible by not pressing India to cooperate under the BRI framework for investments in India, New Delhi could make reciprocal gestures to get the investments for infrastructure projects.

Rong Ying, the vice president of China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said both the countries need to address the trust deficit.

Equally important is for both countries to find a way to address differences in a constructive and forward looking manner, he said.

He also said there was no need to worry about the long-term rule by Xi. I dont see any reason for worry. I only want to see that the two sides draw correct lessons (out of Dokalam standoff). Then we can work hard for a stable relationship, he said.

No one wants an incident like Dong Long (Dokalam). We are able to solve it through peaceful way through talks shows the maturity off the relationship, Rong, who formerly worked as a Chinese diplomat in India, said.

About what effect Xis long term rule will have on the boundary dispute, he said, the boundary dispute has to be better managed. I dont see in the near future the possibility of an early settlement in sight, he said.

The annual border talks by special representatives and other mechanism would held help to develop the trust, he said. The two sides have held 20 rounds of border talks to resolve differences over the 3,488 long Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Declared defeated in December, the Islamic State continues to strike, carrying out attacks in Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces with scores of victims in a few weeks. The most critical area is the city of Kirkuk, a cauldron of ethnic and confessional tensions. The Chaldean Church has expressed concerns.

Baghdad (AsiaNews)  In Iraq, the Islamic State (iS) is still a threat despite its military defeat that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi proclaimed last December.

For the past several weeks, the Jihadi group has been engaged in a low-intensity armed insurgency in the provinces of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk.

Scores of civilians and members of the Iraqi Security Forces have been killed along with a similar number of IS fighters, according to numerous reports.

The US-led coalition is still carrying out air strikes against IS targets, whilst diplomatic efforts continue to stabilise the country ahead of elections slated for May. But the news is grim.

In the latest incident on 11 March, at least 25 people were killed in a double attack by IS fighters in Kirkuk and Ninawa provinces.

IS lured civilians to a fake checkpoint on the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway in Diyala. They then gunned down up to ten civilians in one incident.

On 10 March, several members of the mostly Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces were injured near Kirkuk by an improvised explosive device (IED).

It is difficult to quantify all the attacks because information is not always reported factually, but the emerging picture indicates that an area between the region controlled by Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, and the territory controlled by Baghdad is slipping into lawlessness.

The most critical part seems to be oil-rich Kirkuk and its province, a territory disputed between Baghdad and Erbil.

Under Kurdish control, from 2014 to 2017, the area is now nominally under Iraqi government control. However, the multi-ethnic and multi-religious city, a reservoir of jihadi recruits in the past, today is at the centre of high tensions involving Kurds, Shias, Sunni Arabs and Turkmen.

A pro-IS media outlet recently claimed that Kirkuk saw 58 attacks in 80 days that killed or wounded more than 150 people, which IS refers to as a harvest.

This confirms that Iraq is still unstable. Indeed, Chaldean Church officials recently noted that IS still represents a threat to the country.

The Primate of the Iraqi Church Mar Louis Raphael Sako warned that if people are homeless and without jobs the IS danger remains.

Fr Samir Youssef, parish priest in the diocese of Amadiya (Kurdistan), called for a comprehensive "a unified cultural, political and economic" struggle; otherwise, the jihadi threat will return "with a new face".
On March 8, local police forces opened fire on the 400 demonstrators. The number of victims of unrest is not yet clear. United Nations Special Rapporteur Rhona Smith, on a visit to the country, has asked the government for an independent investigation into the incident.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Court of the north-eastern province of Kratie has ordered the release on bail of eight farmers, arrested last week following violent clashes over a land dispute between the villagers of Thnou, in the district of Snuol, and security agents. Although free, the accusations of violence against public officials, occupation of public land and damage to property remain pending.

On March 8, local police forces opened fire on the 400 demonstrators who had blocked the 76A highway for three hours. Previously, workers from the Memot Rubber Plantation and security forces burned down the huts and razed the farms of 300 villagers locked in a dispute over ownership of the land. Memot took the land under concession at the same time as the residents settled there and they are now subject to eviction by the authorities.

The death toll is still unclear, but the UN special rapporteur Rhona Smith, who has been visiting the country, has asked the government for an independent investigation into the incident. Based on the information provided by villagers, at first, local human rights activists reported six victims, while pro-government authorities and media insisted that there were no dead, but two wounded. Villagers, meanwhile, claimed to have witnessed at least two deaths and local hospital doctors refused to declare how many patients they had witnessed.

Eight people were arrested following the violence. One of them is still hospitalized. Court officials and local police are reluctant to discuss the detentions, allegations and release of them two days ago. However, two of those arrested confirm the release of all members of the group to the Phnom Penh Post. Before the liberation, the provincial court requested that the farmers sign a written agreement in which they commit themselves to interrupting the occupation of the land belonging to the Memot Rubber Plantation. The violation of this agreement will result in a new arrest.

On the same day, peasants from 37 communities gathered in Phnom Penh to present petitions to the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Land Management and the National Assembly, demanding that the three institutions accelerate the resolution of their land disputes. More than 300 farmers have joined the protest, representing about 7 thousand families involved in disputes totaling about 20 thousand hectares of land in the provinces of Tboung Khmum, Kandal, Svay Rieng and Preah Sihanouk. The farmers held banners and marched together, denouncing how the disputes have impoverished them and cost them farms, homes and work. They invite government officials to visit the communities to investigate their claims.

The seizure of land in the name of economic development, often without due process or fair compensation for displaced residents, is one of the main causes of protest in Cambodia. The disputes due to the expropriations go back to the regime of the Khmer Rouge of 1975-79, which imposed forced evacuations and forced transfers on a large scale. It was followed by a period of confusion over land rights and the formation of "illegal" communities when refugees returned in the 1990s, after a decade of civil war.
The government monitors 3,871 Facebook accounts, while another 800 have already been blocked. Twitter and Instagram profiles are also being monitored. 19 people are involved in the de-radicalization program launched by the government.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The Kuala Lumpur security forces have so far arrested a total of 249 people, Malaysian and foreign citizens, on charges of engaging in social media recruitment for terrorist purposes. Masir Kujat, deputy interior minister, also reported that 240 of the defendants were working on Facebook, eight on Twitter and one on Instagram.

During a parliamentary question time on the executive's commitment to the spread of jihadist ideology on the internet, Masir said yesterday that "arrests are the result of police intelligence investigations and monitoring of the Counter Messaging Centre". The centre was established in 2016 to curb the influence of the Islamic State (IS) on web users. The deputy minister added that the government is monitoring 3,871 Facebook accounts, while another 800 have been blocked. "On Twitter - continued Masir - 76 people were placed under observation and nine profiles blocked". The authorities have also investigated other 72 extremists for their activities on Instagram.

The government reports that at present 19 individuals, including a foreigner, are detained and subject to a de-radicalization program under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (Pota). "The de-radicalization of terrorists is systematically implemented through an integrated protocol that covers aspects such as religious, civic, psychological, family and moral values. The success of this program - concluded the deputy minister - will soon be public, as soon as the released prisoners return to the community and demonstrate they are no longer involved in terrorist activities ".
General Joseph Votel shares the opinion of the US Defence Secretary and Chief of Staff. The deal with Tehran settles one of the main global threats. However, Trumps sacking of the Secretary of State shows that the deal is in trouble.

Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies)  A Pentagon official has told a Senate hearing that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is in the interest of the United States. The plan, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, has been attacked by US President Donald Trump.

Speaking before the Senate committee, General Joseph Votel said he shared the opinion of Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and US Chief of Staff Joe Dunford, who consider the agreement between Iran and the 5+1 nations in the interests of the United States

"From my perspective, the JCPOA addresses one of the principal threats that we deal with from Iran. So, if [it] goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program," the general said.

During his election campaign, then candidate Donald Trump called the deal reached in 2015 by his predecessor Barack Obama "the worst ever". Since he came to office, he has repeatedly threatened to cancel it.

Differences of opinion on Iran are one of the reasons that prompted Trump to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who will be replaced at the end of the month by CIA chief Mike Pompeo.

Since he appointed to head the agency at the end of January 2017, Pompeo has been hawkish especially towards North Korea and Iran.

After years of embargo, Iran gained a partial easing of Western economic sanctions in 2015 in exchange for an agreement on its controversial nuclear programme.

Most of the international community welcomed the deal, which has allowed Iran to revive its economy and boost investment.

However, the Us and Israel remain critical. Washington has maintained a series of sanctions over Tehran's ballistic missile programme and its military support for Shia movements in the Middle East.

On 12 January, Trump signed a waver to suspend sanctions against Iran for another 120 days, but also said that this would be "the last time".

In two months time, on 12 May, the US leader is to determine the fate of the Iran deal. If sacking Tillerson is any indicator of Trump's decision on the issue, it suggests the accord is in trouble.
In the "great prayer that Jesus taught us", in which we also implore "the remission of our sins", and "to be worthy to receive God's forgiveness we commit ourselves to forgive those who have offended us. And this is not easy, It is a grace that we must ask for: Lord, teach me to forgive as you have forgiven me ".

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The Our Father, "the great prayer, the one that Jesus taught us", "is not one of the many Christian prayers, but the prayer of the children of God", prayer that "makes those who resonate in us, the same sentiments that were in Christ Jesus. When we pray the Our Father, we pray as Jesus prayed". Continuing the general audience catechesis on the Mass, Pope Francis spoke today of the "Our Father" and of the breaking of the Bread.

20 thousand people were present in Saint Peter's Square to hear the Pope recall that in the Eucharistic liturgy the "breaking of the bread" corresponds to the gesture of Jesus who at the Last Supper "broke the bread". "Thus begin the rites of Communion, prolonging the praise and supplication of the Eucharistic Prayer with the community recitation of the 'Our Father'. This is not one of the many Christian prayers, but the prayer of the children of God. Jesus taught it to us. In fact, he delivered it to us on the day of our Baptism, the 'Our Father' resounds in us those same sentiments that were in Christ Jesus. When we pray the Our Father, we pray as Jesus prayed.

"Formed to his Divine teaching, we dare to turn to God calling him 'Father', because we are reborn as His children through water and the Holy Spirit (cf. Ephesians 1: 5). No one, in truth, could call him familiarly 'Abba' without having been generated by God, without the inspiration of the Spirit, as St. Paul teaches (cf. Rom 8:15). But how often people the Our Father without really realizing what they are saying. 'But do you feel that when you say the Our Father, we are praying to the father of humanity?' Ah no, I did not think about it that way'".

"In the Lord's Prayer we ask for "our daily bread ", in which we see a particular reference to the Eucharistic Bread, which we need to live as children of God. We also implore "the forgiveness of our sins", and to be worthy to receive the forgiveness of God we commit ourselves to forgive those who have offended us. And this is not easy, it is a grace that we must ask: Lord, teach me to forgive as You have forgiven me. Thus, while it opens our hearts to God, the 'Our Father' also provides us with fraternal love. Finally, we ask God again to "free us from evil" that separates us from Him and divides us from our brothers. We understand well that these are very suitable requests to prepare us for Holy Communion (cf. General Order of the Roman Missal, 81). In fact, what we ask in the 'Our Father' is prolonged by the prayer of the priest who, in the name of all, implores: "Deliver us, O Lord, from all evil, grant peace in our day". And then he receives a sort of seal in the rite of peace: he invokes Christ for the gift of His peace (cf. Jn 14: 27) - so different from that of the world  to make the Church grow in unity and peace according to His will; then, with the concrete gesture exchanged among us, we express "ecclesial communion and mutual love, before communicating the Sacrament" (OGMR, 82). In the Roman rite the exchange of the sign of peace, placed since ancient times before Communion, is ordered to Eucharistic communion. According to the warning of St. Paul, it is not possible to communicate the One Bread that makes us One Body in Christ, without recognizing oneself pacified by fraternal love (cf. 1 Cor 10: 16-17; 11: 29). The peace of Christ cannot take root in a heart incapable of living fraternity and of rebuilding it after having wounded it. Peace is given by the Lord and the Lord also gives us the grace to forgive ".

"The sign of peace is followed by the Breaking of the Bread, which since apostolic times gave its name to the entire celebration of the Eucharist (cf. OGMR, 83; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1329). Made by Jesus during the Last Supper, breaking the Bread is the revealing gesture that allowed the disciples to recognize him after his resurrection. Let us remember the disciples of Emmaus, who, speaking of the encounter with the Risen One, told "how they had recognized him in the breaking of the bread" (cf. Lk 24,30-31.35) ".

"The breaking of the Eucharistic Bread is accompanied by the invocation of the" Lamb of God ", a figure with which John the Baptist indicated in Jesus" he who takes away the sin of the world "(Jn 1:29). The biblical image of the lamb speaks of redemption (cf. Ex 12: 1-14; Is 53,7; 1 Pt 1,19; Ap 7,14). In the Eucharistic Bread, broken for the life of the world, the prayerful assembly recognizes the true Lamb of God, that is Christ the Redeemer, and begs him: "Have mercy on us ... grant us peace". "Have mercy on us", "grant us peace" are invocations that, from the prayer of the 'Our Father' to the Breaking of the Bread, help us to dispose our mind to participate in the Eucharistic banquet, a source of communion with God and with our brothers. Let us not forget the great prayer that Jesus taught us ".
by Nirmala Carvalho

The places of worship are all located in the Madurai district. Pastors and faithful verbally assaulted with obscene language. Hindu radicals threaten to attack the homes of Christians.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - Four Pentecostal places of worship have been attacked in Tamil Nadu, reports Sajan K George, president of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). The activist has condemned "growing intolerance against the Christian faith and violating the constitutional guarantees of freedom of worship and practicing [one's own faith]".

In India, violence against the Christian minority does not even stop during Lent. The Christian leader complains that in Madurai the prayer centres "were threatened to stop all activities [related to Christian worship]. In the secular India, right-wing groups are encouraged by the absence of the administration's willingness to keep these common elements under control that carry forward their reign of terror against the tiny, vulnerable and often very poor Christian community ".

On March 11th a prayer centre of the Pentecostal church of Sikkandar Chavadi, in the district of Madurai, was vandalized and copies of the Bible were burned by members of radical Hindu groups. The Rev. M. Ravi Jacob, a pastor belonging to the Rhema Church was attacked by more than 10 people, including one who was escorted by a bodyguard. "These men used offensive language against me and my wife," he reports, adding that the attackers have took Bibles, his cell phone and other personal items and burned them in the middle of the road.

The same criminals later went to three other Pentecostal liturgical centres in the nearby areas and insulted the pastors and the faithful and threatened to target the homes of the Christians if they failed to obey the order to close the churches within a week.

Rev. Jerome Jegatheesan, pastor of Bethesda Varthaiyin Jeba Veedu Prayer Home to Koodal Pudur, reports that the attack took place about two hours after the first episode in Sikkandar Chavadi. "They verbally assaulted us with obscene words - he says - and asked us to stop our activities".

Rev. Sasi Sugathiya, a pastor of the Living God Church, said that two other prayer houses were attacked and threatened in the district of Koodal Puthur. The video of the assault on one of these was posted on Facebook by a group of self-styled Hindu Munnani members and went round the web. N. Manivannan, superintendent of the Madurai police, has registered the case against unknown persons following Rev. Jacobs filing a complaint against 10 exponents of the movement. "We have identified three people - he says - but we have not yet arrested anyone".
The amendment will allow 18- and 19-year-olds to get married and sign contracts on their own. However, they will still not be allowed to smoke, drink and gamble. For the Justice Minister, this will encourage the active social participation of young people.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The Japanese government yesterday approved a bill to lower the adulthood age from 20 to 18, which would enable 18- and 19-year-olds to sign contracts and get married without the consent of their parents.

The planned amendment, which would come into effect in April 2022, changes the definition of adulthood under the Civil Code for the first time since it was enacted in the late 19th century.

The new notion will affect wide areas, including the acquisition of licenses, but a ban on drinking, smoking and gambling will remain in place for people aged 19 and below.

With respect to marriage, currently people under 20 can only get married with parental consent, from the age of 18 in the case of men and 16 for women.

The revision would lift the legal age of marriage for women to 18 so that both men and women aged 18 and older can get married without parental consent. For the government, there was no rational reason for the difference in this day and age.

Although 18- and 19-year-olds will become able to sign contracts on their own, to protect young consumers, the bill added clauses allowing cancellations of contracts concluded in "a state of confusion" when salespeople aroused anxiety or exploited romantic feelings in customers.

The legal change holds great significance as it is part of a policy to promote active social participation of young people and raise their awareness" as adults, said Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa.

The Justice Ministry's Legislative Council is also examining whether to lower the age at which the juvenile law is applied to. The law stipulates different treatment of underage criminals or delinquents compared with adults.
Tens of thousands of jobs await Filipinos around the world, including in Canada, for the Southeast Asian nations migrant workforce affected by a total Kuwait deployment ban

The official urged would-be applicants to try their luck in the UK, Hong Kong, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the US, citing verified job offers from these countries.

He said the UK is seeking 16,000 nurses; Hong Kong wants 154,000 Filipina nannies while Canada needs hundreds of welders.

Japan and S. Korea need thousands of engineers while Taiwan, Brunei, New Zealand and the Czech Republic need over 1,000 labourers immediately.

A list of approved job offers was made available on March 9  after the entries were vetted by the country's diplomatic posts overseas and the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), the country's job regulator.

"We have alternative markets and they (OFWs) can use their experience in Kuwait to their advantage," Jocelyn Sanchez, deputy administrator of POEA, told Manila's GMA News in Tagalog.

According to the Coalition of Licensed Agencies for Domestic and Service Workers (CLADS), the deployment ban in Kuwait has affected 10,000 skilled workers.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is under pressure to better protect the countrys millions of overseas workers after the body of a Filipina was discovered dead in a freezer in a Kuwait City apartment on February 6.

Joanna Daniela Demafelis, 29, was first declared missing by her Lebanese and Syrian employers in November last year. Bearing signs of torture, Demafelis body had sustained stab wounds to her neck. Her remains were flown back to the Philippines and received by her grieving family on February 16.

Demafelis murder, however, is not in isolation. Faced with seven other deaths of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait, the Philippine Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had ordered a temporary ban on new Filipinos working in the Gulf nation on January 19.

DOLE is still investigating the circumstances of the deaths of the seven Filipino household services workers, namely Vanessa Karissha Esguerra, Devine Riche Encarnacion, Patrick Sunga, Liezl Truz Hukdong, Mira Luna Juntilla, Marie Fe Saliling Librada, and Arlene Castillo Manzano.

On February 12, Duterte responded by issuing a total ban on migrant workers being sent to Kuwait. With populist panache, he asked Gulf states broadly, Can I ask you now just to treat my countrymen as human beings with dignity? I do not want to fight with you. We need your help to improve our country.

According to official statistics, more than half of OFWs worldwide are employed in the Middle East, a rich source of the remittances that help to fuel the Philippine economy. The World Bank and Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development ranked the Philippines as the third largest recipient nation of remittances worldwide, trailing only China and India.

Duterte appealed to the countrys legions of OFWs on the campaign trail, promising to ease their processing times and tackle fraudulent agencies that often act as de facto human trafficking rackets.

Once in office, he has established an Overseas Filipino Bank dedicated to providing OFWs banking services and even promised to establish a government Department of OFWs in a speech to migrant workers during an April 2017 visit to Bahrain.

Not all of those populist promises, however, have been kept. Duterte has come under criticism for failing to protect OFWs in Southeast Asia, despite the passage of a non-mandatory consensus on the protection and promotion of migrant worker rights during his leadership of the Asean grouping last year. He had billed the measure as the centerpiece of his tenure.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a US-based rights lobby, has argued that the Philippines should instead work with Kuwait to protect workers rather than ban them from migrating, which is more likely to cause harm than to help.

HRW maintained that the Philippine government should instead focus efforts on reforming Gulf states kafala system  which requires migrant workers to have a sponsor who is responsible for their visas and legal status  to free OFWs from abusive work conditions.

HRW said the system prohibits workers from leaving or changing jobs without their employers consent. Regina Spottl, an expert at Amnesty International, another global rights group, said that through the sponsor law, they [migrant workers] are at the mercy of their employers.

Migrant-Rights.org, a cause-oriented organization that seeks to promote the rights of migrant workers in the Middle East, contends that sending countries need to fully comprehend how the kafala system works and that it often ties workers to difficult or impossible situations, including conditions that amount to forced labor.

Without reform of the kafala system, currently in operation in Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, all home to large communities of OFWs, labor rights activists view Dutertes kneejerk ban on deployments to Kuwait as more grandstanding than reform.

What is the use of a deployment ban, if this will not lead to the essential reforms in policy and practice in Kuwait and other destination countries?, said Rex Verona, East and Southeast Asia coordinator at Migrant Forum for Asia, a labor rights group.

Ellene Sana, executive director for the Center for Migrant Advocacy (CMA), echoed that view. She notes that similar temporary bans imposed on destination countries such as Lebanon, Libya and Iraq proved unsuccessful mainly because the Workers still went there. Workers will go to where the jobs are.

Duterte has not made any announcements on whether his government feels the need to reform the kafala system to guarantee OFWs security and rights in Gulf nations. It would no doubt be a tricky negotiation with rich host nations reluctant to yield the control they now hold over migrant workers.
Though not an official national holiday in America celebrated by the government or businesses with a day off with pay, Saint Patricks Day is an observance of the heritage and culture of the Irish. It is, however, officially celebrated and observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland segment), the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Lutheran Church, signifying the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.

Though of true Irish lineage, as Ive shared here before, it was never really celebrated by my family for we are Protestants. But as a kid, it was always a big deal at school. Everyone was always supposed to wear the green on Saint Patricks Day or risk getting pinched by fellow classmates. Thats the only thing I remember about the day; it was years later that I discovered my Irish heritage. And since discovering that legacy, being the history lover that I am, Ive read and studied much about the Irish, their history and my links to it.

But of great interest in my research over the years, one of the most upmost and fascinating facts is that the Irish have had great influence on the history of the United States. At least three of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were born in Ireland. Andrew Jackson was the first American president of Irish lineage, being born in South Carolina only two years after his parents left Boneybefore in the county of Antrim. Hes just one of our presidents with Irish roots, which also notably includes Theodore Roosevelt, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan.

Politics seems to have been one of the greatest Irish contributions to American history. Thomas Tip ONeil was 47th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the only congressman to hold that position for five consecutive terms, being the third longest-serving Speaker in American history. Other famous politicos are Robert Kennedy and Joseph Biden. The books Ive read about these three Irish politicians were from my wifey Lynndee, this blogs founder.

The most informative book Ive read in regard to the Irish and America is Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America, by former United States Senator Jim Webb. Webb was born in the Appalachian Mountain city of Gate City, Virginia, just roughly 90-miles from my mountain city of Asheville, NC. And in his book he shares the experience of having Scot-Irish roots and growing up in America while exploring the past and our common ancestors journey that brought us here to these mountains, just a part of all Irish folks coming to America.

But of all things Irish, the most touching thing to me is the song Danny Boy, a ballad set to an ancient Irish melody. It was a song my Mom sang a lot after her second grandson, Daniel, was born. And she was all the time calling him Danny boy, just one of those special memories Ill always have about Mama June Bug.
Australias new country of origin labels helps give NZ a free kick





The new Country of Origin (Food Labelling) Information Standard 2016 is mandatory from 1 July 2018. The effect of this Information Standard in combination with the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement could enhance a competitive trade advantage for New Zealand food companies over Australian companies globally.

The new Country of Origin (Food Labelling) Information Standard 2016

The new Country of Origin (Food Labelling) Information Standard (the CoOL Information Standard) commenced on 1 July 2016, with a transition period of two years, and is mandatory from 1 July 2018. Formerly, food products sold in Australia needed to comply with the mandatory Country of Origin labelling requirements set out in Standard 1.2.11 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (Food Standards Code). New Zealand excluded itself from Standard 1.2.11.

This article notes that the CoOL Information Standard is an Australian legislative instrument that is not even part of the bi-national Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.

The CoOL Information Standard applies to food sold in retail in Australia, packaged food for sale by wholesalers, and many unpackaged foods. The main change that the CoOL Information Standard implements is that the great majority of imported packaged foods are mandated to have a statement of their country of origin delineated in a box, on the label.

New Zealand products are not always bound to comply with the CoOL Information Standard

The Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement (TTMRA), whilst not an actual treaty, is equivalent to a free trade agreement between the Commonwealth and States and Territories of Australia, and New Zealand. The main principle of the TTMRA is that goods legally sold in one country can be sold in the other. This principle operates regardless of different standards or other sale-related regulatory requirements between New Zealand and Australia.

The CoOL Information Standard does not operate as a mandatory requirement for New Zealand food companies even if the products made by the New Zealand company in New Zealand are being sold in Australia.

Of note, New Zealand does not itself have country of origin labelling requirements. The effect of this is that New Zealand products may be able to make statements on their labels without going through more laborious labelling requirements that might cause difficulties for Australian food companies.

Do New Zealand products have a competitive advantage?

A New Zealand company does not have the kangaroo logo under any New Zealand labelling law or the ability to use the kangaroo logo voluntarily for any product made in New Zealand. However, one should bear in mind that the reputation of New Zealand for food products manufactured in New Zealand is a strongly positive one. Hence, many products of New Zealand origin is perceived to be very attractive to global food buyers (especially in Asian markets) as being clean, high quality, safe food products that are premium products no less attractive than any product made in Australia.

Moreover, the NZ dollar is cheaper than the Australian dollar, but also the extra compliance cost of the mandatory Australian Country of Origin labelling system or the inability of many Australian products to qualify for the kangaroo logo under the CoOL Information Standard may well result in some Australian food companies deciding to shift some of their production lines to New Zealand. This is a means to circumvent the technical problems that have been imposed on Australian food manufacturers and marketers by the bureaucratic interpretations under the CoOL Information Standard.

Under New Zealand law, any New Zealand country of origin claims are permitted but are voluntary. New Zealand has never made country of origin labelling mandatory. If a New Zealand company chooses to emphasize the New Zealand origin of its product, this is because of a belief in the marketplace that the claim can attract a price premium. There are no hassles to deal with such as faced by an Australian company being required to prove substantial transformation of its product in Australia to be eligible to identify the Australian-ness by a kangaroo on pack.

The New Zealanders do not seem worried. They know that they can trade off the clean, green reputation of New Zealand food products without having to meet the technical burdens that are imposed on Australian companies by the CoOL Information Standard applicable to products that are manufactured in Australia.

The upcoming FoodLegal symposium will specifically address the food marketing opportunities of using new traceability technologies and intellectual property to develop, protect and maintain brand integrity and reputation for food products in Australia and overseas. The new Intellectual Property opportunities in provenance and origin brands rather than relying on a kangaroo logo will also be addressed.

Register HERE now to attend the FoodLegals Food Fraud symposium.

This article was original published in the FoodLegal Bulletin.
Deliveroom service now at Quest Hotels



Deliveroom service is beginning its roll out across the Quest Hotel network

Visitors at select Quest Hotels across Australia are now able to order Deliveroo through room-service thanks to a new partnership.

Offered at 12 Quest hotels to begin with, Quest will provide a printed Deliveroo menu in-room and customers will be able to order by calling reception.

After placing their order, guests will have their food delivered to their room within 30 minutes and the bill can be paid at reception at the end of their stay.

The service will be rolled out to all Australian Quest Hotels where Deliveroo is in service by the end of 2018.

Food available through Deliveroo includes Zambrero, Nandos, 8Bit and Ribs & Burger.

Craig Ryan, Chief Commercial Officer at Quest, said offering Deliveroo will help Quest keep up with the demands of the modern business traveler.

As the fastest growing hotel brand in Australia, and the largest apartment hotel brand in the market, it made sense to partner with an equally fast growing brand like Deliveroo, Ryan said.

Levi Aron, Country Manager of Deliveroo, said partnerships with Deliveroo are a great option for hotels without an in-house restaurant.

Customers enjoy the convenience of at-home delivery, so its great to be able to broaden our on-demand offering and deliver amazing food straight to their hotel door, Aron said.

Related articles
Hi my fellow FMs,



I am PR holder (190 with Victorian State Sponsorship), I am living and working in regional Vic too. My question is can I sponsor my wife for a 489 family sponsored stream(I know the partner visa stream, but that's a costly option right now for me I feel :/).

My wife is here on a visitor visa which will get over in May 18 first week.

1. I am trying to see if this can be done.

2. I know she will have to get her VETASSES skill certification and do IELTS or PTE.

3. Do I have to wait for an invite similar to 180 or 190 PR visa once the EOI is lodged for 489 F/S pathway?



Thank you
Dear all,



I know this type of question has been asked several times on this and other forums, but my case is a bit specific so I would like to get advice from you all:

I am currently a PR and have been living and working full-time in Melbourne for 3 years since January 2015 with my wife (student visa) and my son (PR as well), We married in 2011 and had our son in 2016. When I apply for PR I could not include my wife in the application as she is an Australia Award Scholarship awardee and got a commitment not to change visa status. Now, she is finishing her PhD in a few months and will have to be leave Australia for 2 years as the commitment as well.

After the 2 years, we will lodge the partner visa of course but then there are two options:

1. Lodge off-shore partner visa and then lodge a tourist visa to come to Australia and wait for partner visa

2. This is a reverse of 1: lodge a tourist visa (visit family) then come here and lodge partner visa: This case, she can have bridging visa, then eligible for medicare and working right.



Our aim is to bring her back to AU as soon as possible, and thus I prefer the second option.

However, I would like to have you advice on what is the best one.



Thanks,

Phuong
I have no idea about any of this, but personally I wouldn't want to put my newborn into a germ infested aircraft or two for that long straight away. I would wait until my child had a few rounds of vaccinations and was at least a few months old before doing so.



If you applied for CBD straight away, then waited a few months to travel, then having the child enter on a tourist visa that lasts 3 or 6 months or whatever the stay period would be be a safe bet to have the citizenship approved before the visa runs out? If she has a UK passport for instance, couldn't she get an ETA which is a 3 month stay period, and if you still don't have Aussie citizenship for her by the time you near the end of that, just take a quick cheap hop to the nearest country and reenter to reset the stay period?



And of course, she'd need a passport to get a visa to come here in the first place. Otherwise you might just have to wait for the CBD to go through and then sort out an Aussie passport... I don't know how that would work. I know in the US, both parents of a minor child need to be present to apply for a passport, and if not, then one has to have the original document for notarized consent from the other parent so that would take time to mail if that's the case for this situation as well.



Like I said, I have no idea. I'm no expert. Just thought I'd brainstorm a bit for you and you can then consider professional help and see if any of those are viable options.
Starleaton has completed the acquisition of Uniscreen Australia, adding Coldenhove sublimation papers to its product line up.

Starleaton says the acquisition began with talks to Uniscreen owner, CEO Ross Clarke to take over Uniscreens Australian distribution, and that the Starleaton team has been undergoing extensive training on the new range to begin the immediate introduction to their customers.

Ben Eaton, CEO, Starleaton, says, Coldenhove are the industry leaders and inventors of digital sublimation transfer printing papers, so to be able to add their range to our current offering is a real bonus for us. With the Epson F-series, EFI FabriVu, and Georg+Otto Friedrich fabrics already covering the direct to fabric market for us, a quality transfer paper was the missing link.

Starleaton is a brand-focused business. Uniscreen have been agents for Coldenhove for many years, and we wanted to bring that into the stable. The opportunity came up to pick up the business, and negotiations went on last year and were finalised at Christmas.

We had a gap in our range for a sublimation transfer papers, and have been seeking the right fit.

For Starleaton and Uniscreen customers, the acquisition means access to sublimation papers nationally. Uniscreen only had one warehouse in Sydney, with third-party solutions in Melbourne. Starleaton has locations all across Australia for ease of access, and our colour management applications team. We are focused on improving access to good colour management in the textile space.

It is still yet to be decided whether Uniscreen Australia staff will join, as the parent company still operates in New Zealand. There are no plans to acquire the New Zealand business.

Starleaton says it will continue to supply the full range of Kiian inks and Transmatic heat presses.

Existing customers of Uniscreen Australia should see a seamless transition to Starleaton, and the range will be introduced to Starleatons existing customers over the course of the coming months.

Starleaton acquired colour solution specialist DES in 2016, increasing its workforce and turnover substantially.

Established in 2004, the Australian arm of the Uniscreen group is primarily focused on supplying sublimation papers and inks.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at [email protected]

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter
Photo via Tribes of the World/Flickr.

Saudi Arabias Ministry of Labor and Social Development is set to follow through with the Saudization of jobs in car rental offices, the Saudi Gazette reports.

All positions in car rental offices must be held by Saudi citizens by Sunday, as part of an ongoing nationalization of the countrys workforce.

The ministrys spokesperson told the news outlet that his agency has been providing job training and rehabilitation to Saudis as part of the transition; it will also provide technical and financial support to young Saudis who want to open their own businesses.

Car rental offices that employ non-citizens will be heavily fined, with increasing fines for each additional violation.
Photo via Modo Car Sharing/Wikimedia.

Residents of the Canadian town of Squamish will soon be able to participate in the city's first carsharing program, thanks to a partnership between the District and carsharing co-op Modo, the Vancouver Courier reports.

City officials told the news site that they hope carsharing will encourage families to limit themselves to one or no vehicle. If finalized, the program will see two cars introduced in the downtown area, each with designated parking spots. Vehicles will be added on as the program grows in popularity.

The programs first two vehicles, most likely a Honda Fit and Rav4 Hybrid, are expected to be introduced in late 2018 or 2019.

During the early stages of the project, residents will have to share vehicles with District employees, who will be able to use the vehicles for short trips.

Modo is active in Vancouver, Victoria, and Nanaimo and boasts close to 20,000 members.
Photo by Eric Gandarilla.

Ford Motor Co. is recalling approximately 1.4 million Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ Sedans in North America because the steering wheel bolt could loosen, potentially causing the steering wheel to detach, the company announced today.

This scenario means the driver could loose control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash and personal injury.

Ford acknowledges that two accidents and one injury are allegedly linked to this problem. In October, federal regulators began investigating those incidents.

To fix the problem, Ford dealers will inspect the steering wheels and install a longer steering-wheel bolt "with more robust thread engagement and larger nylon patch placed properly for proper torque retention."

The recall covers 2014 to 2017 model Fusions built in Flat Rock, Michigan from Aug. 6, 2013 to Feb. 29, 2016 as well as 2014 to 2018 model Fusions and MKZs built in Hermosillo, Mexico, from July 25, 2013 to March 5, 2018. According to the automaker, the majority of the vehicles were sold in the U.S., but some are in Canada and Mexico.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
It didnt look good for Bakersfield trees two years ago. The drought and state-mandated water restrictions took a hit on the city's ecosystem,
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
FBI.gov(WASHINGTON) -- Officials within the FBI have recommended that the agencys embattled former deputy director, Andy McCabe, be fired, just days before he is set to officially leave government, according to a source with knowledge of the recommendation.



The recommendation from the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility came after an internal report by the Justice Departments inspector general accused the FBI veteran of misleading investigators looking into an array of matters connected to the 2016 presidential campaign, the source said.



McCabe is worried that if he were to be fired in the next few days, before he is officially eligible for his retirement benefits, he could lose a full pension that he has built after nearly 22 years of public service, according to sources familiar with McCabes thinking.



McCabe never intentionally misled investigators and did his best to accurately address investigators questions, according to those sources.



Now, senior officials within the Justice Department, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions, will decide McCabes fate.



The Department follows a prescribed process by which an employee may be terminated, a Justice Department spokeswoman said Wednesday. That process includes recommendations from career employees and no termination decision is final until the conclusion of that process. We have no personnel announcements at this time.



For more than a year, the Justice Departments inspector general has been looking into whether McCabe should have done more to shield certain investigations from potential conflicts of interest, and the inspector generals office recently completed a draft report on McCabe.



In the draft report, internal investigators conclude McCabe went too far in trying to push back against media reports questioning whether family ties to Democrats could impact his work, particularly when he authorized FBI officials to speak with a reporter about the agencys investigation into the Clinton Foundation, according to a source familiar with the findings.



But the draft report takes particular issue with how forthcoming McCabe was when Justice Department officials asked him questions about his actions, according to the source.



Those close to McCabe insist he has been forthcoming with investigators.



McCabe tried at every juncture to be as accurate and of course truthful as he could, and he even proactively reached out to investigators to clarify any misunderstandings and make sure they had the most complete information from him, according to one source speaking in defense of McCabe.



The source insisted that McCabe never authorized a leak to a reporter and that discussions with a reporter about the Clinton Foundation probe were coordinated by an agency spokesman and an FBI attorney.



It took place over the course of several days, the source said. So to be kind of retrospectively misrepresented as sort of a clandestine secretive leak is sort of  an unfair portrayal.



President Donald Trump has not been shy about weighing in on McCabes fate. Three months ago, after McCabe announced that he would be stepping down as the FBIs deputy director but remain a government employee until retirement, President Donald Trump tweeted that McCabe was racing the clock to retire with full benefits.



So they will keep him on till then despite all this to make sure the American tax payer is stuck paying him for the rest of his life? Trump tweeted.



Federal law states that government employees can lose their pension and benefits if convicted of a federal crime  there is no indication McCabe could face any charges for his actions.



Nevertheless, even some of those who have been convicted of lying to federal authorities or other offenses were able to retain their pensions.



Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to lying to authorities about his contacts with a Russian official, has been able to retain the pension he accrued from 33 years of military service.



Similarly, in 2015, after former CIA director Gen. David Petraeus admitted to giving his mistress classified information and then lying to FBI agents about it, Petraeus was able to retain his pension, which reportedly pays him $208,000 a year.



McCabe first joined the FBI in 1996, investigating organized crime cases in New York. Over the next several years, he shifted his focus to rooting out international terrorists, and in 2012 he became the head of the FBIs counterterrorism division at headquarters in Washington.



In October 2013, McCabe took over the FBIs entire national security branch, and the next year he moved to become the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Washington Field Office. He then rejoined the ranks at FBI headquarters, becoming the deputy director in February 2016.



Over the past year, McCabe has become a frequent target of criticism from Trump and Republican lawmakers, who allege that McCabes time at the top of the FBI was emblematic of political bias in the FBIs law enforcement work.



In particular, McCabe came under fire for what Republicans claimed were conflicts of interest because his wife ran for state senate in Virginia as a Democrat in 2015 while the FBI was investigating Hillary Clintons use of a private email server as secretary of state.



At the time his wife was running for election, McCabe was the head of the FBIs Washington Field Office.



Emails and correspondence released by the FBI show McCabe recused himself from any public corruption cases tied to Virginia. And according to the FBI documents, McCabe had no oversight of the Clinton matter until he became deputy director in February 2016, three months after his wife lost her election bid.



Still, in October 2016, the Wall Street Journal published at least one article that called into question McCabes ability to fairly oversee the federal probe of the Clinton Foundation. Ahead of the storys publication, McCabe authorized an FBI spokesman to speak with the Wall Street Journal about efforts to keep the Clinton Foundation investigation moving forward, the source familiar with the inspector generals findings told ABC News.



Days after the Wall Street Journal story was published, McCabe recused himself from the Clinton matter.



In December, FBI director Chris Wray defended McCabe, telling lawmakers he would quarrel with suggestions that McCabe has expressed any sort of political bias.



I'm not aware of any senior FBI executives who are allowing improper political considerations to affect their work with me right now, Wray told the House Judiciary Committee.



Nevertheless, three months ago the FBI announced McCabe would be vacating his post as deputy director, and he would be relying on vacation days he had accumulated to carry him to his official retirement.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Advocates for stricter gun control showed up at the USF Student Center in St. Petersburg on Tuesday for the final Constitution Revision Commission meeting to urge members to allow proposal 3 -- a proposed ban on assault-style weapons -- as an amendment on the 2018 general election ballot.

Any amendments proposed by CRC will be added to 2018 general election ballot

Currently 36 active proposals before the commission

CRC will begin debating proposals next week

Im asking the commission to please do the right thing. The common sense thing. The thing that most Americans want. The thing that my peers demand, said Freedom High student Brianna Aujer. Put an assault weapons ban on the proposal list and let the people decide.

The 37 member CRC only meets once every 20 years to review Floridas Constitution and propose changes for voter consideration. Any amendments proposed by the CRC will be placed on the 2018 general election ballot. Theres currently 36 active proposals before the commission.

An amendment to proposal 3 was filed Tuesday morning by Commissioners Hank Coxe, Sherry Plymale, Arthenia Joyner and Frank Kruppenbacker. It calls for a ban on assault-style weapons, high capacity magazines and lengthens the waiting period to purchase a gun from 3-to-10 days.

The idea that we cant get our legislators to consider an assault weapons ban is both suspect and disgraceful, Aujer said. Why should we have to go to a commission that meets only every 20 years, when our legislators meet each year?

Freedom High School student Brianna Aujer speaks at a rally outside the USF Student Center in St. Petersburg, Tuesday, March 13, 2018. (Josh Rojas, staff)

The CRC will begin debating the proposals on the floor next week in Tallahassee.

There is a raging gun disease in our country and to the politicians who cant see that, you make me sick and you are sick with this disease. This is not a Second Amendment issue, said St. Pete High student Nicole Leary. To the politicians who will just sigh and continue receiving NRA money as they turn their heads away from the screams of dying children, we will vote you out.

Parkland Dad John Willis traveled to St. Petersburg to urge members to pass Proposal 3.

When we were in Tallahassee, we met with a lot of legislators who told us why assault weapons should not be banned, said Willis. Theres not a one of us here who still understand any one of the responses.

The CRC will make its final decision on which proposals will make it on the ballot by May 10.
Who is in charge of the historic Ritz Theater in downtown Winter Haven is in doubt.

Financial irregularities, poor leadership alleged at Ritz

Friends of the Ritz Theater have been pushing for change

Court motion has been filed by AG Pam Bondi



Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed a court motion about the Ritz. It alleges financial irregularities and poor leadership. It asks a judge to appoint a receiver to take control of the theater.

Ritz executive director Stella Heath said she could not comment on the allegations and referred Spectrum Bay News 9 to the theater's attorney, Danny Pilka. He was not available for comment.

Heath said that the theater had been very busy recently with events.

"Well we are grateful for Pam Bondi's office," said Michael Kingham with Friends of the Ritz Theater.

His group has been pushing for changes at the theater.

Kingham was hoping that a judge would appoint the receiver request by the attorney general.

"Someone that can come in and make sense of the finances and bring in an active and local board. People that live here in Winter Haven or Polk County and sort of resuscitate this organization," he said.
A man in charge of managing computers for the Florida Department of Citrus is accused of using those computers for his own personal gain.

Matthew McDermott accused of using state computers for personal gain

Audit detected suspicious activity, FDLE says

McDermott placed in Polk County Jail



Law enforcement officers say it came at taxpayers' expense.

Matthew McDermott worked as the information technology manager for the Department of Citrus in Bartow. The department is in charge of regulating the state's citrus industry.

Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement were tipped off after an audit showed McDermott made more than $22,000 in purchases for computer graphics cards.

Internal controls detected suspicious activity that led back to McDermott, according to investigators.

"They have a purchasing card which allows their employees to purchase certain items for their job, said Special Agent Mark Brutnell. And as any audit would go, they pulled the receipts from those purchasing cards and realized there's a lot of new purchases being made on the computer."

FDLE agents say it turns out McDermott was using multiple computers at the Department of Citrus for a virtual currency business he was doing on the side.

"Every state agency is taxpayer money, and we take that very seriously, Brutnell said.

The department of citrus issued a statement that said: "This is a breach of ethics that is far outside the character of the Florida Department of Citrus and the industry we serve. We will continue to work with FDLE and the court system through this process."

McDermott faces charges of grand theft. The State Attorney's office will be handling the case.

FDLE agents said McDermott would be booked into the Polk County Jail on $5,000 bond.


From Catherine Ponder, How To Live a Prosperous Life:

To receive your Divine Heritage acknowledge Gods presence, power and intelligence. In this way you link energies with the Creative and claim your benefits as we follow His signals.

Renew your mind through positive thinking, which is the expression of faith, confidence, certainty, optimism, the expectancy of good. Positive thought sets in motion powerful principles.

Look and dwell on the good in all persons and situations rather than wasting time and thought on lesser appearances. This renews your mind, body and affairs and attracts miracles of good. God reaches you and fills you with His power through your mind. He may be revealed to you through the signal of a still small voice of conscience. He may come through an idea that flashes across your mind or through the words of a friend or an article you read. He may be revealed to you through prayer and meditation or through wisdom gained in an outer experience. But his communication will always reach your mind and heart before you assimilate it and put it to work.

Thoughts are either positive or negative. If they are positive thoughts, usually expressed in faith and optimism, they will draw more good through channels of peace, health, prosperity and love to you. If they are negative thoughts, usually expressed in fear, doubt and pessimism, they will draw more negation to you through channels of illness, poverty, inharmony and disaster.

Daily practice of prayer and meditation is the first step. Prayer calms your outer thoughts and awakens the presence and power of Spirit within you and all around you. Prayer is the most effective method of renewal and transformation, because in prayer you associate with God and not with the problem. Release the problem to God for the solution. In doing this, you are relieved of tension and struggle and experience peace and renewal. This process makes way for the answer and solution, which is what you hope and pray for.

Daily practice of praise and acknowledgement is another step. It brings out the good in both you and other people. It produces harmony and good will. Praise is dwelling on the good in people and situations and making the most of that good. You can change your attitude and your life through daily use of prayer and praise. You can also experience unlimited good through the powerful combination of prayer and praise in high, positive thought and vision.

Prosperity Affirmations:

New doors of good now open to me. With a confident spirit, I go forth and experience Happiness, Prosperity and Abundant Living.

Everything that comes in my life is good and I have only the good. Health, Wealth and Happiness are my Divine Right and I claim and experience them now.

The spirit of success is now working in me. I am divinely guided, healed, prospered and blessed.

Have a wonderful and prosperous day!

smiles,

 Lee

The MEGA Coach

(Photos by Google)
The View host Joy Behar finally apologized for equating faith with mental illnesses like schizophrenia and psychosis. Behars offensive remarks were made weeks ago on an episode of The View when she mocked Vice President Mike Pences Christian faith. Behar ridiculed Pence for saying that he talks to Jesus. This turn of phrase is common among Christians, but Behar used it as a source of mockery. Its one thing to talk to Jesus. Its another thing when Jesus talks to you, Behar said Thats called mental illness, if Im not correct. Hearing voices.

Christians across the nation were outraged. The Media Research Center launched a campaign to hold Behar accountable for spreading anti-Christian bigotry, and offended believers took to social media in droves. Over 30,000 people also called ABC in response to Behars comments, and more than 6,000 people began putting pressure on the shows advertisers. Behar and The View, however, refused to apologize claiming that the remarks were just jokes.

Christians, however, did not find the joke funny. Media Research Center President Brent Bozell wrote an open letter calling for an apology and said, I am sure the advertisers of The View will be just as appalled as I am about the anti-Christian remarks made on the show.

Vice President Pence spoke out against the episode as well. To have ABC maintain a broadcast forum that compared Christianity to mental illness is just wrong, Pence said. It is simply wrong for ABC to have a television program that expresses that kind of religious intolerance. When the subject came up during an interview with Fox News, Pence stated that the remarks were an insult to Christians everywhere. To have ABC maintain a broadcast forum that compared Christianity to mental illness is just wrong, said Pence. And its an insult not to me, but to the vast majority of the American people who, like me, cherish their faith.

Shareholders shared Pence and Bozells opinions. In a meeting with investors, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked about the Behars remarks. What do you say to the tens of millions of Christians, and President Trump supporters, that your networks have so blatantly offended and ascribed hateful labels? shareholder Justin Danhof asked Iger directly. Specifically, do you think, like Mrs. Hostin and Mrs. Behar, that the Christian faith is akin to a dangerous mental illness?

With the pressure mounting, Behar finally offered a public apology on The View. She had apologized to Pence over a private phone call, but the Vice President continued to push for an apology to all Christians. On Tuesday, March 12, 2018, Behar said, I think Vice President Pence is right. I was raised to respect everyones religious faith. I fell short of that. I sincerely apologize for what I said.

Some Christians feel her apology was too little, too late, but others feel that it is best to forgive and forget. Which opinion will come to dominate is still unclear.
The Bible has been under attack in the western world for over 200 years but never more intensely than today. These attacks have taken different forms and have come from many different corners of the academic world, from philosophers, to scientists, to textual critics. In the specialized world of archaeology the attacks have increased dramatically in the past 50 years. Once a specialization filled with Bible believing individuals, the field of archaeology is now overrun with atheists and skeptics, agnostics and those committed to the destruction of the Bible as a source of true historical information.

These attacks on the Bible are a part of a sweeping movement in western culture. Spearheaded by academic elitists in the university and the public educational system, the news and popular media, and the entertainment industry, these revisionists cloak themselves with supposed objectivity, purity of motives, and the superiority of science over the "uninformed", "unscientific", religious community.

They regularly mock those who question their world-view and their conclusions by name-calling and the worst forms of anti-Bible and anti-Christian propaganda. They have powerfully infected the church by turning Bible believing Christians against the very Scripture which is the foundation of truth and life in this world. Instead of contending for the Bible, Christian academics, pastors, and lay-persons are making egregious accommodations to these destroyers of faith and truth.

In these days of intense spiritual battle, God has called ABR to step into the gap to contend for the truth and to assist the church in this critical hour. ABR is a non-profit ministry dedicated to demonstrating the historical reliability of the Bible and to give answers to questions being asked by believers and non-believers alike. We do this by using original archaeological fieldwork and research along with studies in other apologetic disciplines. We take on the bold claims of skeptics and critics. We challenge the bizarre anti-biblical propaganda that is purveyed upon the public as gospel through television and print media. We uphold the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is God's message for the salvation of all mankind!
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.
For Immediate Release, March 14, 2018 Contact: Abel Valdivia, (919) 932-0199, avaldivia@biologicaldiversity.org Endangered Species Act Protection Sought for Hawaii's Cauliflower Coral Climate Change, Ocean Warming Threaten Coral Reefs, Marine Biodiversity WASHINGTON The Center for Biological Diversity filed a petition today seeking Endangered Species Act protection for the cauliflower coral, a bushy species in the Hawaiian Islands that has been devastated by climate change and ocean warming. These shallow-water corals  which are typically green, pink or cream-colored  have declined significantly, including a 36 percent drop in coverage across Hawaii from 1999 to 2012. Cauliflower corals are really sensitive, so theyre among the first to bleach and die when our oceans warm, said Abel Valdivia, a marine scientist at the Center who filed the petition. Time is running out to save these corals and coral species around the globe. If we dont act quickly, 90 percent could be completely wiped out by 2050. Protecting corals ultimately requires reducing global temperature increases by drastically cutting fossil fuel emissions. The cauliflower coral is also locally threatened by land-based pollution, sedimentation, and physical disturbance as a result of human activities. The cauliflower coral has been particularly vulnerable to bleaching episodes on coral reefs worldwide. Between 2014 and 2017, a massive coral bleaching event swept across the planet killing millions of corals on hundreds of reefs from Hawaii to the Great Barrier Reefs. Scientists say it was likely the most widespread, harmful and longest mass coral bleaching ever. Endangered Species Act protection for the cauliflower coral will minimize key threats, including land-based pollution and runoff from islands in Hawaii. The Act has a 99 percent success rate in preventing extinction for species under its care. In 2006 a petition filed by the Center resulted in the protection of elkhorn and staghorn corals, which became the first species ever to be protected under the Act because of the threat of global warming. Coral reefs are remarkable engines of biodiversity, home to 25 percent of all marine species, Valdivia said. If we dont get serious about drastically cutting carbon emissions, these corals wont stand a chance.
Citoxlab Group announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Solvo Biotechnology. The closing of this operation will take place within the next month. Financial details were not disclosed.

Through this new acquisition Citoxlab reinforces its position in the non-clinical CRO field, with consolidated sales of $167 million (136M) and a staff of 1,300, spread over nine sites - France (Evreux and Saint-Nazaire), Canada (Laval and Boisbriand), the US (Kansas-City), Denmark (Copenhagen) and Hungary (Veszprem, and now Budapest and Szeged).

Dr. Jean-Francois Le Bigot, president and CEO of Citoxlab Group said: "The acquisition of Solvo Biotechnology will allow us to offer the most elaborated in vitro Drug Metabolism and PharmacoKinetics (DMPK) services to our customers. These are fully complementary with the in vivo DMPK studies we already provide from our sites in France, the US and Canada. As an example, using in vitro human hepatocytes, the assessment of transport and metabolism is possible at a very early stage of development. These investigations are increasingly included in the selection of lead candidates; in vitro inter-species comparisons now contribute significantly to the selection of the relevant species in safety studies. Naturally, the international scientific reputation of the Solvo Biotechnology team, which performs more than 50% of its projects for US customers, and the dynamism and entrepreneurship of its founder Erno Duda, also founder of the Hungarian Biotechnology Association, were also key criteria in our decision to acquire Solvo Biotechnology.

Erno Duda, president and CEO of Solvo Biotechnology said: We are very proud that a leader like Citoxlab agreed to invest in our company. We were well aware of their reputation as a science-driven CRO, in particular for strategic decisions and also the respect they have demonstrated for the team and the culture of the companies acquired in the past. I am very confident that joining Citoxlab Group is a good opportunity for the future international development of Solvo Biotechnology and its team. We have already identified several concrete short term scientific and business development opportunities which will allow us to offer our clients an even broader portfolio of assays.
Africa's smartphone market has declined despite the strong performance of the region's biggest markets. Economic recovery in two of Africa's biggest markets, namely Nigeria and South Africa, which have both dealt with challenging economic conditions in recent years, will have a positive effect on consumer confidence and spending on mobile phones.

Feature phones

4G popularity growth

Africa's smartphone market experienced a quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) decline of 6.4% during Q4 2017, according to the latest insights announced this week by International Data Corporation (IDC). The global technology research and consulting firm's Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker shows smartphone shipments were down to 20.3 million units for the quarter. Year on year (YoY), this represents an 18.0% decline, meaning the YoY improvement seen in the previous quarter did not extend to the years final  and traditionally strongest  quarter.In the feature phone space, shipments totaled 33.4 million units, up 3.1% QoQ after decreasing in the previous quarter. Year on year, the feature phone market was up 9.9%. Feature phones continue to account for a majority share (62.2%) of the regions overall mobile phone market as they adequately address the needs of consumers that have limited purchasing power and require a reliable long-lasting mode of communication, particularly in rural areas.Combining smartphones and feature phones together, the overall Africa mobile phone market saw shipments of 53.7 million units in Q4 2017, which represents downturns of 0.7% QoQ and 2.6% YoY. The continent's two biggest markets saw extremely strong growth, with shipments up 19.9% QoQ in Nigeria and 27.0% QoQ in South Africa. North Africa also experienced a slight increase, although there were declines across most other markets, which explains the regions overall decline."Major campaigns took place around Black Friday and during the lead up to Christmas, which positively impacted consumer spending in Nigeria and South Africa," says Ramazan Yavuz, a research manager at IDC."While Nigeria continues to recover from recession and consumer spending is on the rise, there are also clear signs of improvement in South Africa. The end to the political crisis means that challenging economic conditions will be addressed as a priority by the new government, which will have a positive effect on consumer confidence and spending on mobile phones."In terms of the vendor landscape, Transsion brands continued to lead the smartphone category in Q4 2017 with 30.4% share, followed closely by Samsung on 27.0%."The Transsion Group maintains its top position by designing attractively priced devices that address the specific needs of each local market  a strategy the group proudly refers to as its glocal approach," says Nabila Popal, a senior research manager at IDC."Despite the significant presence of Transsion brands in most African markets, it is important to note the increasing prevalence of local brands that are gaining considerable share in their home markets and slowly expanding to surrounding countries."In the feature phone space, Tecno and itel  both of which are Transsion brands  continued to dominate in Q4 2017 with a combined share of 57.2%.IDC's research shows that 4G phones are growing in popularity, finally accounting for a majority share of the smartphone market at 56.8%. Shipments of 4G devices were up 3.9% QoQ in Q4 2017, with a drop in prices for entry-level 4G phones and an increase in the number of 4G networks across the continent driving this growth."Despite the push of operators towards 4G, the price differential between 3G and 4G devices, together with the price sensitivity of African consumers, means that many people in Africa still prefer 3G phones," says Popal.Looking ahead, IDC expects Africa's overall mobile phone market to grow 0.7% QoQ in Q1 2018, with overall shipments to increase slightly through 2018, leading to YoY growth of 2.0% for the year as a whole.Demand for feature phones is expected to remain strong, although IDC expects vendors to drive smartphone uptake by offering more features in affordable price bands.IDCs video snapshot of the markets performance is available
Meerkat Maantuig is inspired by the youth novella Blinde Sambok by renowned South African author Riana Scheepers. Writer-director Hanneke Schutte decided to use the book as a point of departure and turn it into a cinematic story set in the majestic forests of Magoebaskloof, South Africa.

Tell me about Meerkat Maantuig, what inspired you to adapt Riana Scheepers novella Blinde Sambok for the big screen?

The title is intriguing, tell me about it?

You used the book as a point of departure and turned it into a cinematic story.

What inspired your shadowy fairytale vision?

Tell me about writing the screenplay, was it a difficult process?

Did you involve Riana Scheepers during the writing process?

Tell me more about exploring the idea of how we can transcend fear and rewrite our own personal narratives by finding the courage to face our monsters instead of running away from them?

Was it a difficult process bringing the story to the big screen? Tell me about the obstacles and how you overcame them?

Tell me more about your decision to introduce the Moonship to the story.

Did you see yourself as the director of the film from the beginning?

Tell me about translating your words into images?

How do you see the future for screenwriters in South Africa?

Any advice you want to give to aspiring writers and filmmakers who want to get their stories made?

Your views on the local film industry?

What do you hope audiences will get from watching Meerkat Maantuig?

Whats next for you?

Gideonette de la Rey is a fearful 13-year-old girl who believes in a family curse that has been passed down from generation to generation. Scared and desperate shes unable to escape this story that has shaped her identity. Ultimately, its only by facing her fears that shes able to transcend it.is an enchanting film about the stories we tell ourselves: The stories that define our lives and, more often than not, limit our lives. With elements of magic realism,is a truly unique film unlike anything weve seen in South African cinemas  its a beautifully told story that shows us how to become braver than we ever thought we could.Hanneke is a multiple award-winning South African writer and director. She completed a BA in Zulu and psychology and spent six years in advertising before embarking on a career as a filmmaker.Her first short filmdebuted at the Durban International Film Festival and won two SAFTAs (South African Film and Television Awards) for Best Short Film and Best Cinematography. The film was invited to screen at various international film festivals. In 2010, she was one of three South African filmmakers invited to the Berlin Film Festivals Talent Campus in Germany where her short film screenplaywas a semi-finalist in the Berlin Today Short Film Competition.She was the South African winner in 2013 of the prestigious Jameson First Shot Competition where she got the opportunity to go to Los Angeles to direct Willem Dafoe in her short film. The film was produced by Dana Brunetti and Kevin Spacey.In 2014, her debut feature film, which was the winner of the UK Film Council and NFVF Script competition, also won the Best Feature Film Award at the Beloit International Film Festival in the USA.(Meerkat Moonship) is her second feature film and had its North American premiere at the Austin Film Festival in Texas.I read Riana Scheepers novella about six years ago and I immediately knew I wanted to turn it into a film. Its a strange, dark and whimsical tale and the themes in the book really resonated with me.Somewhere during the adaptation of the book, I decided to add a rocket or moonship to the story. The moonship had to spring from the small boy, Bhubesis imagination and I wanted it to be childlike and magical. The moonship plays an integral part in the film and it helps Gideonette, the main character, to overcome her fears.Yes, the novella was the starting point of the film and I changed it quite a bit. Like Ive mentioned, I added the moonship and I also set the film in Magoebaskloof. I wanted to create a dark fairytale and explore the genre of magical realism.I wanted to create something we havent seen a great deal of locally  a dark, but an uplifting fairytale. It was incredibly important to me to ensure the visuals live up to this vision and thats why I worked with the talented cinematographer Willie Nel to help me bring this to life.Yes, it was! The entire process probably took about three or four years, with breaks in between. I did a few drafts and then submitted it to the NFVF. They gave me development funding and I worked with a script editor for about a year. Once that was done I made further changes after we went into production. Willie and I also changed the script quite radically during the shot listing process to try and make it even more visual and impactful.I sent Riana two drafts - the very first one and the second last one. She was incredibly supportive throughout the entire process.I was a very fearful child growing up and it took me years to rack up the courage to sleep in my own bedroom. I had a vivid imagination and my childhood was filled with monsters and creatures and colourful ghosts. Truth be told Im still a bit shy and fearful and thats why it was important to me to create a story that deals with those fears. I wrote it more as a lesson to myself  to help me face my own fears: fear of the blank page, fear of speaking in front of people, fear that my work isnt good enough, fear of putting my work out in the world. Like the saying goes: You teach best what you most need to learn.There were many challenges and obstacles. First, there was the challenge of getting the film made. It took me many years to find the funding and the right collaborators. We also faced many obstacles during the filming process. We shot for four weeks in the Magoebaskloof forest and it was constantly raining. We had to contend with snakes, spiders, tick, mosquitoes, you name it. We were perpetually wet and covered in mud, but it was also one of the most memorable and exciting things Ive ever done.The moonship is a character in the film. It helps Gideonette overcome her fears. It has a magical quality to it and it represents freedom. The kind of freedom you get when you finally find the courage to face your fears.Yes. This has been a passion project from the start and, I even during the writing process, I had a very clear picture of what I wanted it to look like. I was incredibly privileged to work with a wonderful team who helped me bring that vision to life.Ha! I had a hidden Pinterest page of about 1,000 images that I shared with our cinematographer, production designer, and wardrobe lady. Id been collecting those images throughout the writing process and they even informed my writing. It helped me to establish a tone and mood that I was able to weave into the script.As corny as it sounds, the future is what you make of it. If you keep writing script after script and if you take criticism onboard, youll improve with each draft. Ive just finished the first draft of my next screenplay and its in pretty bad shape. But Ive learned that I just have to keep at it  craft, sculpt, tweak, rewrite, problem solve, cry, rewrite. Thats the only way youll ever get anywhere. Theres no magic potion.Keep at it. Dont give up. It took me six years to getmade. It took me seven years to get my first feature film made. I wanted to give up so many times but my husband kept telling me to hang in there and to believe in my stories. Enter competitions  they give you the much-needed deadline you need to work towards.Wait until you find the perfect producer for your project, dont just work with the first person that comes along. And make sure they understand your vision for the project.I think were in new age of SA cinema. Films like, andget me excited about our film industry.I hope that theyll leave the cinema feeling proud that the film was made locally.Like Ive mentioned, Ive just finished a crappy first draft on my next project called. I wish I could say it gets easier!
The Moroccan city of Casablanca will host its first Afrikonnect event from 22-23 March 2018, bringing together startups, investors, and corporates.

The two-day event , which is organised by Moroccan NGO StartupYourLife and VC firms Outlierz Ventures and LaFactory , aims to facilitate connections for African startups and assist them in scaling.Over 200 business operators from across the continent and the Middle East are expected to attend the event.We are proud to announce the first edition of Afrikonnect. This event sees itself as a platform for collaboration to connect major African groups and startups on the one hand, and public and private key actors of the regions and the continents ecosystems on the other hand, said Kenza Lahlou, co-founder of StartupYourLife and managing partner of Outlierz Ventures.It is now time for startups and large groups to work hand-in-hand to co-innovate, reveal the future success stories of the continent, and provide large companies with the talents of new entrepreneurs to help reinvent their own industries.
Wan-Ifra in partnership with Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency has announced the launch of nominations for the 2018 Women in News Editorial Leadership Award.

 Wan-Ifra.

Uncompromising editorial integrity

Award recipients will be honoured during Wan-Ifra World News Media Congress

Eligibility and deadline for nominations

Be based in the sub-Saharan region of Africa or the Middle East and North African region.

Hold a senior editorial role as of 1 January 2018.

Work in a news media role (newspapers, magazines and digital-only).

The media house can be any size from across the regions.

This award recognises an exemplary contribution of an editor to her newsroom and under her leadership, the contribution of her newspaper to society. One outstanding editor from sub-Saharan Africa and one from Middle East and North Africa will be named laureates in 2018.The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award will be awarded to two outstanding woman editors who are first amongst their peers in inspiring and paving the way forward for the next generation of leaders. The winners will possess a proven track record of success within her newsroom, have demonstrated uncompromising editorial integrity throughout her career, and have a strong commitment to the principles of press freedom and its power to promote democracy and good governance.In 2017, the award was given to Karima Kamal, columnist and contributing editor for Al Masry Al Youm from Egypt and Kenyan journalist Pamella Sittoni, editor of the International Desk for the Nation Media Group and managing editor for The East African.This award is a strong confirmation that the world is taking notice of the important contribution that women leaders in media houses are making to the development of their countries, regions and the world. I'm confident that it will inspire other women journalists, particularly the younger ones, to aim for the top through diligence," said Sittoni.On being named a winner, Kamal said: "I am very pleased to have received the Award as I feel it is the crown of my professional journey. The Award supports those who defend the freedom of the press and is also a confirmation of the importance of promoting the presence of women equally and fairly within all strata of media.The 2018 recipients of the Women in News Leadership Award will be honoured during the Wan-Ifra World News Media Congress in Estoril, Cascais, Portugal, 6-8 June 2018. The winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to attend the World News Media Congress 2018, the premier global annual meeting of the worlds press.The Women in News Editorial Leadership Award is awarded each year to one outstanding woman editor in the sub-Saharan Africa region and in the Middle East and North Africa region (Mena) respectively. Laureates of the Award are first amongst their peers in inspiring and paving the way forward for the next generation of leaders. The Award recognises an exemplary contribution of an Editor to her newsroom, and under her leadership, the contribution of her newspaper to society.Eligible nominees in 2018 must:Anyone is free to nominate a potential candidate from their markets or indeed from other markets. However, it is strongly recommended that nominations be made by superiors, peers or colleagues in order to maintain the integrity of the nominations. Deadline for nominations is 8 April 2018. For more information contact: gro.swenninemow@ofni or click here
Google Q&A is a crowdsourced FAQ feature which allows users to ask the Google community any questions about any businesses listed on Google My Business (GMB). These questions and answers appear directly in the Google Search Results Page meaning the entire Google community can impact your search real estate, your brand's reputation and ultimately your sales.

First launched in Aug 2017 in the United States, the Q&A feature is now here in SA and quickly gaining traction. In the US, 25% of all locations already have had questions posted and here in SA, the Business Positioning Systems (BPS) team have seen the number of questions doubling month on month since launch. For marketers, Q&A is another channel to communicate with current and potential customers, customers who are often showing definite buying signals.But as it's user-generated content, and thus out of the brands hands, the Q&A feature can impact your online reputation, therefore it's critical that businesses with multiple locations manage this platform closely. BPS has developed a Q&A strategy to turn this potential minefield into a communication goldmine.Asking a question is a definite buying signal, and that makes the QA feature a major selling tool for brands. If a consumer is enquiring about an item being in stock, and the brand responds quickly this will in all likelihood lead to a sale; a slow response however may see the consumer turn to a competitor product. The length of need state depends on the product category, but even a product such as a new car can only be hurt by a slow response to a consumers questions.11% of all questions asked since Q&A launched are reputation-related. Most of these are comments on the brand. Heres a local example.Such a question, on a public platform, whether justified or not, needs to be dealt with. Brands also face the potential of consumers jumping on the brandwagon and sharing their negative thoughts. Brands and their agencies thus need constant monitoring of all their locations to ensure this doesnt happen. Something thats very difficult when you have 100-plus location pages and Google doesnt notify you of Q&A activity. (Luckily BPS have developed a product that can handle this for you.)Positive questions and responses can be optmised to outrank other less flattering content. Brands also need the official brand response to remain above the fold and in the highest traffic areas. These are two of many optimisation opportunities this new crowdsourced dialogue brings to marketers.Get in touch with BPS now to ensure that when it comes to GMB Q&A you have all the right answers.
'Online shopping blasting holes in traditional retailer profits.' 'Retailers acknowledge the threat of online retail on physical stores.' Headlines like these appear regularly in the South African business and trade press, but statistics tell a different story.

Leveraging the strengths of brick-and-mortar retail

Unifying channels

According to World Wide Worx, it was only in 2016 that online retail sales made just a 1% dent in overall retail sales. Last year, Effective Measures E-Commerce Industry report noted that more than half of respondents had still not purchased anything online. Then, just-released Statistics SA Retail Trade Sales figures show a 5,3% increase year-on-year in December 2017, with an overall increase of 3% in 2017 compared to 2016.In November last year  the month of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, neatly packaged by some as Black Friday weekend  Stats SA recorded the highest retail trade sales figures in the second half of 2017. The irony is, of course, that these massive sales originated online in the United States and have only recently seeped into local brick-and-mortar stores looking to cash in on the pre-festive-season-shopping extravaganza.By my estimation, traditional retail is as alive and well as it can be given the ongoing economic and political uncertainty that was South Africas reality last year.Still, this is no reason for brick-and-mortar retailers to be complacent. After all, a third of Effective Measures respondents shop online between once a month and once a week, and another third are shopping online more frequently than they did the previous year.My advice to brick-and-mortar retailers, the cornerstone of our WeFix footprint and therefore a cornerstone of our strategy, is to leverage the many ways that online stores will never be able to compete with real-life shops.Invest in sufficient staff on the floor, train them properly and select personnel with engaging personalities.Sure, visitors may stumble across the online store while browsing the web (and a sites design should certainly be as enticing to these users as possible), but this traffic is arguably less focused and with less volume than customers captured in a shopping mall or other retail space. Take advantage of this fact by making it easy for customers to visit you. In other words, select your store location and decor very carefully.Granted, it can cost more to invest in bricks-and-mortar store space and inventory, depending on the sophistication of a competing online store. However, it is so much easier to create a unique, holistic, creative brand and shopping experience in the physical world and this is something that retailers should take advantage of when designing their spaces, planning inventory etc.A final statistic worth reflecting on  again from Effective Measure - is that 30% of respondents report that they often browse in-store before making a purchase online. By contrast, 28% browse online, then purchase in-store. I believe this reflects the trend towards online and offline shopping becoming just shopping.A local brand that is recognising the need to unify channels, rather than separate them, is local e-commerce darling YuppieChef. In October last year, the company opened a bricks-and-mortar store in Cape Town's Willowbridge Mall.Designed by well-regarded interior design company ARRCC, this is a far fancier retail experience than the space from which one could previously collect orders ordered online.Our approach has been focusing on partnerships with mobile device brands, insurance companies and other machine manufacturers. WeFix originally worked only with Apple devices, but we have since added Samsung, LG and Huawei to the suite of mobile devices that we repair, as well as Yoco wireless card machines and DJI drones.No longer are we merely a repair shop  we operate sophisticated technician-staffed labs in Cape Town and Johannesburg, supported by a robust framework to manage large corporate trade volume for the likes of FNB and Energizer.It will be interesting to see how the imminent 1% VAT increase (South Africas first since 1993) and increased luxury goods taxes which we anticipate will affect at least some mobile devices, will affect the retail trade sales figures in the coming months. I suspect that the upward trajectory will continue, even if at a somewhat more modest pace.Ultimately, I dont believe that retailers are facing an online vs offline battle at all  were battling for consumers, period. Our challenge is to integrate the best of both worlds into our business models.
The much-anticipated signing of South Africa's renewables power purchase agreements (PPAs) has once again been delayed. This time by an application for an interdict to prevent the contracts being concluded. However, the motives of one of the parties that lodged the application are questionable, especially given its previous support of former president, Jacob Zuma, and his henchmen.

The applicants

What the renewables sector has to say

Last week, Energy Minister, Jeff Radebe, announced the agreements would be signed on 13 March 2018, but the evening prior, Transform RSA and the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) approached the High Court in Pretoria requesting a court interdict stopping Eskom from signing the 27 agreements with independent power producers.However, after arguments were concluded, the court decided not to grant the interim interdict, but postponed the matter to 27 March 2018, giving the responding parties until 20 March 2018 to file their answering papers, and until 22 March 2018 for the applicants parties to file their replying papers.Theoretically, because the interdict was not granted, nothing prevented Eskom and IPPs from concluding the agreements. But, counsel for the minister told the court that in the spirit of constitutionalism and the rule of law, the signing will be postponed until 27 March 2018.Its understandable that a trade union such as Numsa, which represents thousands of workers, believes signing these contracts would ultimately resulting in job losses as Eskom becomes less dependent on coal-powered electricity, but who or what is Transform RSA?Despite calling itself a non-governmental organisation, Transform RSA is not listed as a non-profit on the Department of Social Development website. Its president, Adil Nchabeleng, has appeared frequently on the Gupta-owned ANN7 sprouting former president, Jacob Zumas line on white monopoly capital. Ironically, hes listed as a director of 33 companies and has a taste for designer suits.In January, he threatened to take African National Congress national executive committee to court, saying it had no mandate to recall Zuma."It is not the great time to create instability, the economy is at the most stable it has ever been. Why would they start again with insinuations of creating another havoc where you could have a groundswell of violence and instability," Nchabeleng said.Transform RSA also tried to oppose a court action by the Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) and Freedom Under Law (FUL), about the appointment of National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) head, Shaun Abrahams. The organisation argued that the suspension of Abrahams would amount to political interference, and that the application brought by FUL and HSF were aimed at bringing the NPA into disrepute.So what is Transform RSAs real agenda and who is behind it? Could this be another case of behind-the-scenes rabble rousing to undermine newly-elected president, Cyril Ramaphosa's effort to clean up state capture?The delayed investment of over R59 billion, the creation of over 13,000 construction jobs and a further 2000 operations jobs was meant to be unlocked today, says Brenda Martin, CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea).Instead, the coal lobby has sought an urgent interdict to delay the conclusion of power purchase agreements, citing already-debunked arguments relating to job losses, coal power station closures and rising electricity prices.The facts are clear: renewables already cost over 50% less than new coal-fired power, government policy has for years included the closure of coal-fired power stations, the associated job losses are being planned for through numerous processes currently underway  most notably processes being undertaken by the national planning commission, electricity price increases are directly related to the extended delays and rising costs associated with Eskoms coal build programme, Martin says.
Magistrate Paul Jethro has ordered the City of Cape Town's Brett Herron and an official from the housing department to explain where it plans to house a group of Woodstock occupants facing eviction.

Cape Town mayco member Brett Herron discussing emergency housing with picketers outside his home in Newlands last week. Photo: Barbara Maregele

During the hearing at the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Tuesday, 13 March, Jethro said, They must report to court on 9 May 2018 to assist the court with information regarding alternative accommodation in the event of their eviction rendering them homeless.The occupants living in Albert Road, Woodstock, were given eviction notices in March and April 2017 after a dispute with the landlord. The city has offered the group emergency housing in Wolwerivier situated just off the N7 and in Blikkiesdorp, Delft.The families have rejected this offer. They are asking the city to temporarily erect structures for them on vacant sites in the area where they currently live. The city says it cannot as these sites are already earmarked for development.On Monday, activists from Reclaim the City along with the Woodstock tenants protested at the Civic Centre in the CBD. They demanded to speak to officials in the citys legal department.The group agreed to conduct a walk-through of Wolwerivier with city officials on Saturday.This was in response to claims made in court by the citys lawyer, Quinton Williams, at an earlier hearing. Williams claimed the temporary relocation areas of Wolwerivier and Blikkiesdorp have a number of services for residents. The residents of Wolwerivier and Woodstock disagree.The case was postponed until 9 May.
Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, (FMN Group) market leader in food and agro-allied products in Nigeria, announced that its biggest agricultural investment in Nigeria to date - The Sunti Golden Sugar Estate - will be commissioned on 15 March 2018 by Muhammadu Buhari, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Setting Nigeria on the path to self-sufficient sugar production

Located on the banks of River Niger, in Mokwa, Niger state, the Sunti Golden Sugar Estate is owned by Sunti Golden Sugar Estates (SGSE) Ltd. a subsidiary of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc.The sugar estate features 17,000 hectares of irrigable farmland and a sugar mill that process 4,500 metric tonnes of sugarcane per day. At full capacity, the estate is expected to produce 1 Million tons of Sugarcane which roughly translates into 100,000 metric tons of sugar yearly.Enclosed within a 35-kilometre dyke, the production facility area is 15,100 hectares, with a cane area that features a maximum output of 10, 000 hectares. The dyke provides flood protection from the River Niger. Over N1bn was invested in the state-of-the-art irrigation system that will ensure the efficient cultivation of sugar cane, with infrastructure that includes drain pumps, pump stations, and a power grid.The estate is the purest representation of the Federal Government's Nigerian Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) with an ambitious backward integration programme that intends to set Nigeria on the path to self-sufficient sugar production. The farm at peak production will provide direct employment for about 10,000 people yearly, and impact up to 50,000 people indirectly, including 3,000 small-scale out growers who will be cultivating sugarcane to feed the mill.The estate has brought infrastructure benefits to the surrounding community, with 28 communities in total taking advantage of a new 30-kilometre road, plus expansive road networks that provide a variety of access routes to the homes of the indigenes. Drains, culverts, and flood-protection walls have also been constructed.The project illustrates the desire to reduce sugar importation, save billions in foreign exchange, boost local capacity, and reduce unemployment by putting thousands of Nigerians to work.The FMN Group's mantra, "Feeding the Nation, Every Day," is at the heart of the company's strategic decisions on what they produce, how and where factories are set up, the level of care that is put into products, and how they interact with host communities and the wider environment.The commissioning of the Sunti Golden Sugar Estate on 15 March will be the first step towards a collective dream of agricultural progress for all in Nigeria.
The Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (Retosa) - the Southern African Development Community (SADC) body responsible for destination marketing of the region - has partnered with the African Responsible Tourism Awards (Arta) to encourage more entries from the SADC. The aim of the awards is to inspire change in the tourism sector by showcasing examples that tourism providers can learn from.

Coffee Shack Backpackers (South Africa). 2017 winner of Best Accommodation for Social Inclusion. Image Source: Better Tourism Africa

Growing responsible tourism efforts to educate, inspire

Reaching new candidates for award entries

Retosas acting chief executive officer, and a judge in the 2018 African awards, Thembi Kunene-Msimang says: "One of our objectives is to mainstream responsible practices across all Retosa member states. The African Responsible Tourism Awards not only recognises the efforts of tourism organisations to operate responsibly, it also demonstrates the difference that taking responsibility can make. It can educate and inspire others to be more responsible. Highlighting individual achievements can help SADC achieve theirs."Thus far, there have been no shortages of responsible tourism award winners from SADC. In the three years that the African Responsible Tourism Awards has been running, 46 awards have been handed to tourism organisations from SADC countries. Winners have flown flags from Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania.Tourism organisations from SADC countries have also gone on to shine against stiff competition in the global challenge  the World Responsible Tourism Awards  with SADC countries racking up 11 wins since 2015.Despite the success of tourism organisations from SADC in the African and world awards, there are still many responsible tourism champions that are yet to step into the spotlight. The partnership between Retosa and Arta aims to increase the number of candidates entering the awards from SADC countries. As a representative of 14 Southern African countries, Retosa is in a good position to publicise the awards and reach new candidates.Founder of the African awards and director of the organisers, Better Tourism Africa, Heidi van der Watt is enthusiastic about the partnership: "Some stories of responsible tourism from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana are very well-known. But there are thousands of tourism organisations in SADC, and we are sure that there are other responsible tourism champions among them."Were hoping that this partnership will help us find new responsible tourism success stories, particularly from the lesser-represented countries. We look forward to hearing of exemplary workplace practices in Malawi or innovation in energy management in Zimbabwe."Entries for the 2018 African Responsible Tourism Awards are now closed and will be reviewed by the judging team. Winners will be announced at a ceremony that will be held on Wednesday, 18 April 2018 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The ceremony is part of the responsible tourism programme at WTM Africa, which takes place from 18 to 20 April 2018.
Dale Simpson, curator, Radisson Red Cape Town

Hotels have to be experience orientated, whether that be visually, through our senses, through interactions, through IT or through our team members. They have to appeal and have an attraction that is beyond the bricks and mortar and repeat feel...

Curating the guest experience

Hotels have to be experience orientated

Millennial is simply a mindset

The changing role of the hotel general manager

...spending 50% of your week in meeting rooms away from guests and away from the guest experience isnt always helpful and creates a cycle whereby we are completely removed from and out of touch with our guests.

Africa provides diversity, experiences and opportunity

So, what is Simpson's top three tips for success in the hotel sector for the coming five years?

Simpson has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years and nine of those with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, now Radisson. I was involved in opening the first Hotel Missoni in 2009 before moving to their Radisson Blu brand in 2013 as an operations manager, he says. He landed his first GM role was at the five-star G&V Royal Mile Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland, and then in 2016 he moved to the groups head office in Brussels, Belgium, corporate director of food and drink  and it was there that he supported the opening the worlds first Radisson Red.The launch of Red brought to eight the number of hotel brands under the Carlson Rezidor umbrella, with more than 1,400 hotels in operation and under development.Radisson Red has a vision for its guests identified as united by an appreciation for unique but intelligent design, energetic social spaces, technology that makes their lives easier, and a customisable, personal experience, says Simpson. The success of the new brand in Brussels was followed by launches in Minneapolis, USA, and Campinas, Brazil. Then Dale was offered the opportunity to move from Brussels to Cape Town in January 2017 to open the first Radisson RED in Africa.A decade ago Simpson would have probably been called a general manager, but at Radisson Red all staff job definitions are wider, and his job title is curator.He says: When you consider what we are really trying to do in our hotels, it is essentially to curate the guest experience, create it thoughtfully, a unique experience that celebrates our location and comes to life through our inspirations."Life at Radisson Red should never be dull and as a brand, our inspiration is derived from three pillars, music, art and fashion.You know its special when you enter the Radisson Red on the redeveloped V&A Waterfront. Theres no lobby, you arrive in an art gallery, with a huge mural by artist Cameron Platter on one wall, and on the other are Coca-Cola crates stacked from floor to ceiling  a reference to the Porky Hefer artwork in the Waterfront.Its an energetic landscape and requires attention every day, says Simpson. It removes the traditional silos that exist in hotels which tend to over departmentalise everything by having departments for an overabundance of tasks. At Red, we simplify it, we are all on the journey to create the guest experience, especially the curator.In the world of hospitality, even the most traditional brand knows it must adapt but Radisson really does offer a unique take on the guest experience. Its an ever-changing landscape, which means we have to keep our own landscapes interesting and enticing, says Dale. As hotels, we compete on so many levels, now more than ever and with so many accommodation offerings.Hotels have to be experience orientated, whether that be visually, through our senses, through interactions, through IT or through our team members. They have to appeal and have an attraction that is beyond the bricks and mortar and repeat feel. Delivery and consistency are important but arguably an ever-changing landscape eventually can be defined as being consistent.It would be easy to slip into the current fashionable hospitality narrative, saying that Radisson Red is all about appealing to millennials - the generation that was born between the early eighties and the early 2000s. Of course, it does appeal to that generation but Simpson refuses to accept any age barrier, its the mindset he explains. A lot is made of millennials and what it means, who they are, etc. However, it is important for us that we dont age define, but rather in our world, millennial is simply a mindset and they are wonderful travellers.They are experience-focused. We know that they will take 30% of their trips alone, they are content-enthusiasts, image-conscious, more health aware and embrace a localised mindset with an attraction to shared spaces or even experiences. Naturally, they live most of their lives via mobile and instant communications.But this experience-focused guest has other expectations with regard to the effect that their travel has on the places they visit , says Simpson. Like us, they think and act responsibly, therefore, we do not serve buffets - which reduces our food waste dramatically - and we have paperless rooms. In addition, millennials are content seekers, so we ensure that we provide them with lots of creative content.Simpson is one of the panellists at this years Leadership Forum, the three-day conference at The Hotel Show Africa 2018, at a headline session which will examine the changing role of the hotel general manager.He believes in 2018 there are key priorities: Be with your guests. Be out front, be visible and most importantly always be approachable. Focus always on the guest experience and avoid creating silos in your business. Too many silos lead to guests being passed around and in a service industry, this always creates huge frustration.Some GMs may laugh at such a suggestion and point to their workload as one reason they have slipped into back rooms. But Simpson believes the benefits ultimately will be reflected in customer loyalty and return visits. Simply put, in businesses we tend to use profit and loss accounts to measure certain efficiencies within our business, he says. Payroll is usually one. Operationally, well measure against business performance indicators/benchmarks.But what we dont do is consider always how we spend our payroll and time when it comes to GM positions and those akin. For example, spending 50% of your week in meeting rooms away from guests and away from the guest experience isnt always helpful and creates a cycle whereby we are completely removed from and out of touch with our guests.And now he has brought his vision of management to Carlson Rezidor Hotel Groups first Radisson Red in Africa. This huge continent has seen the big hotel brands lining up to invest and grow over the past five years. Africa provides unique challenges, but Simpson has embraced them completely. Its a wonderful continent, full of diversity, different experiences and naturally with that, lots of opportunities, he says. For big brands, its a developing market and provides opportunities to find great locations which can be more difficult in the more mature markets.The African market is beautiful and unique, but it must be remembered: one size does not necessarily fit all. So, adapting to all the different locations and respecting them is absolutely key.In fact, you really want to embrace the location and develop with them. Brands need to be ready to do that and I think at Carlson Rezidor, this has been a critical component of our success.1. Create environments that inspire from design, feel, delivery, whatever. People want to photograph it, share it, they are content-enthusiasts2. Focus on the guest experience, this is not about design, its about feel, its vibe, its sensual3. Collaborate, dont try and be a master of all things, work with great partners and talented people
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs minister Zweli Mkhize has declared the drought and water crisis affecting parts of the country as a national state of disaster.

He was speaking at a briefing by the interministerial task team on drought and water scarcity on Tuesday, 13 March. Mkhize said that South Africa "should continue to save water as water is one of the indispensable commodities".There were no comforting signs of improvement in three of the worst affected provinces, Western Cape, parts of Northern Cape, and Eastern Cape.Mkhize said that dam levels in the Western Cape were the lowest in the country at 25,5%. Gauteng has the highest dam levels at 92,8%, followed by Mpumalanga at 77,9% and Northern Cape at 67,9%.Despite these higher dam levels, these provinces, he cautioned, were not out of the woods in terms of water scarcity.The reclassification of the drought as a national state of disaster will allow government to tackle the problem in a coordinated way with access to funding reserved for national disasters.
The SpaceStation, one of the largest digital media solutions companies in sub-Saharan Africa, has announced they are accelerating the distribution of social brand content in their web and mobile environments. This innovative solution offers more effective distribution of branded content enabling brands' social messages to be published in ad slots across the 24.com network of digital publications. In partnership with technology provider Polar, The SpaceStation can deliver campaigns faster with several workflow automation features and creative optimisation that dynamically finds the best performing headlines and thumbnails.

Says Gustav Goosen, Head of The SpaceStation: Innovation is key in this industry. We have to keep the needle moving to ensure standards are raised and global best practice is followed. By incorporating technology that allows us to seamlessly pull brands social posts into ad units in our network, across all platforms and devices, we are able to offer advertisers expanded reach in our brand-safe publisher environments without the need for additional campaign creative or messaging.The SpaceStation and 24.com tech and product teams have implemented the ads in multiple formats including Twitter images and video; Instagram posts, video and slideshows and Facebook posts and video. The social posts are pulled directly into ad units and display exactly as the users would see them if they were logged into a social network, allowing users to click on the ad to like, comment or retweet.The advantages to amplifying social media content across The SpaceStation network include: social content amplification which allows brands to use South Africas largest publishing network to grow their following, branded content companion ads to run alongside advertorials, native content or sponsored hubs or CPM advertising for brand awareness or as substitute artwork for display advertising.One of the biggest advantages to working with this new product is that we can help brands create a unified marketing message in real-time. Being a premium publisher, we afford clients brand safe environments with context, relevance and brand alignment, adds Gustav.Visit https://www.thespacestation.co.za/polar-social-cards for a demonstration of this new solution.
Global warming could place 25-50% of species in the Amazon, Madagascar and other biodiverse areas at risk of localised extinction within decades, a report said on Wednesday, 14 March.

The lower projection is based on a mercury rise of 2C over pre-Industrial Revolution levels - the warming ceiling the world's nations agreed on in 2015.The highest is for out-of-control warming of 4.5C."Global biodiversity will suffer terribly over the next century unless we do everything we can," said conservation group WWF, which commissioned the analysis published in science journal"We must keep average global temperatures down to the absolute minimum."The report focused on 33 so-called "Priority Places" which host some of the world's richest and most unusual terrestrial species, including iconic, endangered, or endemic plants and animals.They include southern Chile, the eastern Himalayas, South Africa's unique Fynbos ecoregion, Borneo, Sumatra, the Namibian desert, West Africa, southwest Australia, coastal east Africa, and southern Africa's Miombo Woodlands, home to African wild dogs.The team looked at the impact of climate change on nearly 80,000 terrestrial plant, mammal, bird, amphibian, and reptile species.At warming of 4.5C, based on a "business-as-usual" scenario of no emissions cuts, the Amazon could risk the local extinction of 69% of its plant species.The Miombo Woodlands risks losing 90% of its amphibians, 86% of birds, and 80% of mammals, according to the report.Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries made voluntary pledges to curb planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions from burning coal, oil and natural gas.But even if those pledges are met, scientists predict warming over 3C, a recipe for disastrous climate change-triggered sea level rises, superstorms, floods, and droughts.Warming of 3.2C would place about 37% of species in Priority Places at risk of local extinction, said a WWF statement."Even with the emissions cuts pledged under the Paris Agreement, temperatures that were extreme in the past are set to be the new normal in all Priority Places," it added - in some as early as 2030.Limiting warming to 2C would enable many species to continue inhabiting the areas they currently occupy, according to the report.And if animals can move freely - not constrained by roads, fences, or human settlements - the proportion of species at extinction risk at warming of 2C drops from 25-20%.The report comes ahead of a major meeting of the IPBES inter-governmental panel in Medellin, Colombia, where scientists and governments will release five assessments of the state of biodiversity.Extinction is not simply about the disappearance of species, said the WWF, "but about profound changes to ecosystems that provide vital services to hundreds of millions of people".Job- and revenue-generating tourism would suffer greatly if species disappear, and as-yet-undiscovered medicines from plants forever lost."Put simply, we have to stop burning fossil fuels," said the WWF.
SAN FRANCISCO, USA - Apple announced on Monday it is buying digital magazine subscription service Texture, adding to the side of its business aimed at making money from online content or services.

Impressive catalogue of magazines

Favourable tax rate

The iPhone maker did not disclose financial terms of the deal to buy Texture from its owners  publishers Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Rogers Media and global investment firm KKR.Texture gives subscribers unlimited access to more than 200 magazines, such asandfor a $10 monthly fee."We're excited Texture will join Apple, along with an impressive catalogue of magazines from many of the world's leading publishers," Apple senior vice president of internet software and service Eddy Cue said in a statement."We are committed to quality journalism from trusted sources and allowing magazines to keep producing beautifully designed and engaging stories for users."The Texture application launched in 2012, the product of a joint venture created two years earlier."We could not imagine a better home or future for the service," Texture chief executive John Loughlin said.Despite Apple's spectacular trajectory in the decade since the introduction of the iPhone, the California technology titan is facing challenges on whether it can continue growth.While iPhone sales are at the heart of Apple's money-making machine, the company has taken to spotlighting revenue from the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, iTunes and other content and services people tap into using its devices.Texture could add digital magazine subscription revenue to that lineup.Apple reported that it finished last year with cash reserves of $285bn  much of that stashed overseas.The company said it would bring back most of its profits from abroad to take advantage of a favourable tax rate in legislation approved by Congress last year.The repatriation will result in a tax bill of about $38bn, while also freeing up big chunks of money for investment.via I-Net Bridge.
This job expired on 12 May 2018.
This job expired on 13 May 2018.
Keith Lane/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort could spend the rest of his life in prison, according to a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, assigned to oversee the case.



The longtime political lobbyist faces an 18-count indictment in Virginia, which was handed up by a federal grand jury as part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.



U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III for the Eastern District of Virginia has set strict terms for Manafort's home confinement. In it, the judge writes that it will include "24-hour-a-day lockdown" home incarceration with location monitoring in his Alexandria condo except for medical necessities, meetings with his defense attorneys and court appearances.



Ellis explained that Manafort is "a person of great wealth" and "has the financial means and international connections to flee and remain at large, as well as every incentive to do so" in the order made public on Tuesday.



"Specifically, given the nature of the charges against the defendant and the apparent weight of the evidence against him, defendant faces the very real possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison," wrote Ellis.



"In this regard, [Manafort] poses a substantial risk of flight and the above-mentioned conditions are the least restrictive conditions that will reasonably assume defendant's appearance at trial," Ellis added in the order, which indicates it was originally filed Friday.



While Ellis did not mandate Manafort forfeit any assets, Ellis did order that the defendant agree to and sign a pledge to pay a $10 million unsecured bond if he misses a court appearance.



Manafort pleaded not guilty to the charges -- which include tax and bank fraud -- during his arraignment in Virginia last week.



Late last month, Manafort pleaded not guilty to a separate five-count revised indictment filed by the special counsel team in Washington, D.C., federal court. The judge in that case set Manaforts trial to begin on Sept. 17.



In late February, Manafort's longtime business partner, Rick Gates, pleaded guilty to a dramatically reduced set of charges in federal court in exchange for his cooperation with Muellers probe. As part of Gates plea deal, he now faces just two felony counts provided he cooperates fully with the special counsel's investigators.



During Manafort's arraignment in D.C. federal court last month, Judge Amy Berman Jackson cautioned that there could be overlap in both cases against him as they head to trial.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
BORDERLAND BEAT

The Most Extensive and Reliable Source of Information Related to the Mexican Drugs Cartels.

You will not find this level of coverage anywhere else, join us!





Send information, pictures or videos, you remain 100% anonymous.

Envia fotos, videos, notas, enlaces o informacion todo 100% Anonimo.





General Mail Box: borderlandbeat@gmail.com





Want to be a contributor or citizen reporter for

Borderland Beat?

We love to have you in our team, send us an email!





WARNING:

Posts may contain strong violent material, discretion is advised.





COMMENTS:

We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately.






Army Chief General Bipin Rawat.

NEW DELHI (PTI): India has depended on import of weapon, but it is now focusing on manufacturing weapons in the country with the transfer of technology, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat said on Tuesday.



The reliance of the armed forces has also been on ordnance factories but the picture is now changing, he said.



"We have always depended on import of equipment in our country. And therefore, what happened was, we did not allow the indigenous industry to develop," Rawat said.



The Army told a parliamentary panel that the funds allocated to it in the defence budget for the next fiscal is insufficient to deal with various security challenges facing the country including from a more assertive China along the northern border and from a hostile Pakistan on the western frontier.



Both China as well as Pakistan were carrying out modernisation of their defence forces in "full swing".



Rawat's comments were in response to a question in this regard.



To step up defence production within the country, India is looking at collaborating with other nations, he said.



Rawat added that the Request for Information (RFI) has been issued for nine types of very high quality ammunition so that they can be manufactured in our country with transfer of technology.




A Lockheed Martin photo

SCHROBENHAUSEN (BNS): MBDA Deutschland and Lockheed Martin have announced a new joint venture to pursue the next generation Integrated Air and Missile Defence System, TLVS, for the German Bundeswehr.



The joint venture is expected to become the prime contractor for the new system, which is currently being negotiated with Germany's procurement office for the Bundeswehr, BAAINBw.



TLVS will leverage the development results and experiences from the $4 billion investment of the trilateral MEADS program (US, Germany and Italy) and deepen the US  European partnership through a continued, shared commitment to local industry, safety and security.



"With this joint venture, we will have the agility and ability to successfully make timely decisions in an integrated fashion. We will also have direct access to the most advanced test and simulation facilities and the pooled expertise and resources of MBDA and Lockheed Martin. That's how we'll bring this important defence programme to fruition for Germany and NATO," said Thomas Gottschild, managing director of MBDA Germany.



"We feel responsible and committed to support the German Armed Forces, namely the German Air Force, in establishing its next generation Integrated Air and Missile Defence System."



TLVS is a modern system that will transform Germany's defence capabilities and enable this key NATO framework nation to set an important precedent in how neighbouring nations address current and evolving threats for decades to come.



"We have partnered with MBDA Germany to bring air and missile defence solutions to life for more than 15 years. This joint venture takes our partnership to the next level, and we are excited about the possibility of delivering modern missile defence technology that will help Germany defeat current and future threats," said Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control.



"We support Germany's role as the lead framework nation for air and missile defence for NATO and believe the MEADS-based TLVS system is the next-generation solution that will provide the long overdue 360-degree, mobile air and missile defence coverage they need to accurately identify and defeat threats."


Church of the Brethren Newsline

March 13, 2018

A planning team has gotten together to start working on the 2019 National Older Adult Conference (NOAC). Here are the members of the group: (back row, from left) Stan Dueck (staff), Glenn Bollinger, Karen Dillon, Rex Miller, Josh Brockway (staff); (front, from left) Pat Roberts, Christy Waltersdorff.

 Terri McDonough of Lebanon, Ohio, has been hired as financial aid and enrollment assistant at Bethany Theological Seminary in Richmond, Ind., beginning March 5. She brings experience in banking as a customer service representative, universal banker, and loan servicer to the position. In her role at the seminary, she will serve as the financial aid officer, will maintain student accounts as well as all student records, will oversee the Federal Work-Study program, and provide support for admissions, student development, and alumni relations.

 Bethany Theological Seminary is seeking a director of student development and alumni relations. This person will have primary responsibility to design, implement, and review a student development plan and a retention plan for Bethany students. The director will lead a vibrant program to engage Bethany alumni, collaborating with the Institutional Advancement Department when appropriate. This is an opportunity for a person with strengths in caring for details and supporting colleagues in the mission of the Admissions and Student Services Department. Eligible applicants will hold the minimum of a masters degree; a master of divinity is preferred. Affinity with the values and mission of the seminary is required. Qualified applicants will be personable and able to be self-directed, manage a complex workload with attention to details, offer support to colleagues, and have the ability to connect with current students as they become alumni. Multi-tasking skills are needed to manage the current student development needs while working to connect with alumni, regionally and nationally, in various ways. This position has an immediate start date. For a complete job description, visit www.bethanyseminary.edu/about/employment . Application review will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. To apply, send a letter of interest, resume, and contact information for three references to recruitment@bethanyseminary.edu or Attn: Lori Current, Bethany Theological Seminary, 615 National Road West, Richmond, IN 47374. Bethany Theological Seminarys policy prohibits discrimination in employment opportunities or practices with regard to race, gender, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, or religion. Bethany Theological Seminary equips spiritual and intellectual leaders with an Incarnational education for ministering, proclaiming, and living out Gods shalom and Christs peace in the church and world.

 The Mission Alive conference will be webcast, announces the Global Mission and Service office. We are only four weeks out from Mission Alive 2018, your chance to celebrate and explore the global Church of the Brethren! said the announcement. For those not able to attend in person, you can experience the conference via webcast. The webcast will include worships, keynote speakers, and selected workshops. Find a link on the conference website. Registrations are still being accepted at www.brethren.org/missionalive2018.

 An action alert on military involvement in Yemen has been issued by the Church of the Brethrens Office of Peacebuilding and Policy in Washington, D.C. Citing the churchs longstanding opposition to war, it calls Brethren to communicate with their senators about the nature of the US military involvement. From Afghanistan to Yemen, the United States military is actively engaging in violent conflict. Most of these military engagements have not been debated or authorized by Congress- instead, they have been justified under legislation originally meant to enable the US government to go after al-Qaeda and its affiliates, said the alert. This legislation (the Authorization to Use Military Force) has had far-reaching impactsincluding in Yemen. Using an overly-broad interpretation of the legislation, the United States has partnered with Saudi Arabia to provide military support to the Yemeni government. The US also continues to carry out drone strikes and intelligence operations within Yemeni borders. The alert noted the dire results for Yemeni civilians, citing statistics that more than 10 million people lack adequate food and water, and that the war in Yemen has killed over 10,000 civilians and injured an additional 40,000. The alert urges support for Senate Joint Resolution 54, which would require Congress to debate and vote on legislation authorizing US military involvement in Yemen. Find the full alert online at http://cob.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=37238.0&dlv_id=45294.

 Our community is lucky and I consider myself really blessed. I appreciate your friendship, your kindness, and your hard work to make life more comfortable for some local families who might be facing a few uncertainties, wrote Joe Wars, the local organizer for the Martin Luther King Day Food Drive in Elgin, Ill. The warehouse at the Church of the Brethren General Offices is the collection and distribution point for the annual food drive. Just when I thought we were not going to make our goal this year, you came through again, Wars wrote in a recent thank you to participants. He reported that the drive achieved its goal of collecting 10 tons of food for distribution to area food pantries, soup kitchens, and other outlets for those in need.

 A Lifetime Achievement Award has been presented to Bill Kostlevy, archivist and director of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives at the Church of the Brethren General Offices in Elgin, Ill., by the Wesleyan Theological Society. The presentation took place at the societys 2018 annual meeting March 8-9 in Cleveland, Tenn.

 Brethren Go Baroque was the name of a group who represented the Church of the Brethren General Offices at a Bach Around the Clock event at First United Methodist Church in Elgin, Ill. Led by flautist Emily Tyler of the Workcamp Ministry and pianist Nancy Miner of the General Secretarys Office, the group included Brethren Press publisher Wendy McFadden, Youth and Young Adult Ministry director Becky Ullom Naugle, Annual Conference assistant Jon Kobel, and News Services director Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford, with Joel and Chris Brumbaugh-Cayford filling out the bass line. One of their pieces was a hymn text written by Brethren founder Alexander Mack Sr., set to music by Bach.

 Members of Lancaster (Pa.) Church of the Brethren will be among the hundreds of thousands of people expected at the March for Our Lives rally for stricter gun laws in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 24, reports Lancaster Online. The Washington march, which is expected to attract as many as 500,000 people, is the signature event in a series of marches that are scheduled in various cities that day. When the Rev. Bob Kettering, interim associate pastor at Lancaster Church of the Brethren, 1601 Sunset Ave., heard about the march, he immediately booked a 56-seat bus to take members of the church and the community to Washington. For Kettering, the march represents a way to live out the churchs creed as a peace church, the news site reported. It quoted Kettering, Ive always said, I want to be more than a historic peace church; I want to be a living peace church. The question, he said, is How can we do what Jesus called us to do in the Sermon on the Mountto be peacemakers? Find the news report at http://lancasteronline.com/features/faith_values/lancaster-church-of-the-brethren-charters-bus-for-march-for/article_7ebc1ff8-2318-11e8-8157-6b7baf8254e7.html.

 Bridgewater (Va.) College hosts a presentation by Oscar Arias, two-time president of Costa Rica and winner of the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize, who will present an endowed lecture on March 15. He will speak on Peace and Justice in the 21st Century at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Cole Hall. Arias served as president of Costa Rica from 1986-90 and from 2006-10, said a release from the college. When he assumed office in 1986, civil wars raged in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Working with the other presidents of the region, Arias drafted a peace plan that sought to end the regional crisis by linking democracy to peace.  In that same year he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1988 Arias used the monetary award from the Nobel Peace Prize to establish the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. Under the auspices of the Foundation, and subsequently with the support of a group of Nobel laureates, Arias became a leader in the decades-long effort to establish the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, which entered into force in 2014. Sponsored by the Kline-Bowman Institute for Creative Peacebuilding, the lecture is free and open to the public.

 The 27th Annual Benefit Auction for the Childrens Aid Society will be presented by the Lehman Center Auxiliary on April 24, at the York County 4-H Center in York, Pa. The event includes a live auction and a kitchen serving home-made soup, barbecue, pies, and more. For more information, call 717-845-5771 or visit www.cassd.org.

 In the latest episode of the Dunker Punks Podcast, Manchester College student Nolan McBride shares his search for a church-going experience similar to that of the Church of the Brethren while he studies abroad in the United Kingdom. Nolan compares and contrasts his experience in the UK to his experiences being raised in the Church of the Brethren. The Dunker Punks Podcast is an audio show created by more than a dozen Brethren young adults across the country. Listen to the latest on the episode page at bit.ly/DPP_Episode52 or subscribe on iTunes at http://bit.ly/DPP_iTunes.

 Brethren Voices, the community television program produced monthly by Portland (Ore.) Peace Church of the Brethren, traveled to Kansas City to get the latest episodes story about Brethren during the WW I era. The WW I Museum in Kansas City, Mo., is dedicated to those who fought and died in that war and also to those who were opposed to participating in the destruction that war makes, said an announcement. The war effort introduced mass conscription and the US government energized it with patriotic rallies and the promotion of war bonds. For the Brethren, there were no provisions made for those opposing to participate in the war effort. The World War I Museum recently held a symposium, Remembering Muted Voices, about conscience, dissent, resistance, and civil liberties in World War l through today. Brethren Voices host, Brent Carlson met with conference organizer Andrew Bolton of the Community of Christ Church of England. Bill Kostlevy, director of the Brethren Historical Library and Archives, in this episode also shares about the reactions of the Brethren during World War I and Kirk MacGregor of McPherson College is featured with historical perspective of the US reaction to the unpopular war. DVD copies may be obtained from Ed Groff at Groffprod1@msn.com. The program will be featured on WWW.Youtube.com/Brethrenvoices in mid March.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) welcomed historic meetings on March 5-6 between a South Korean special envoy delegation and North Korean leadership in Pyongyang. These were the first high-level direct talks between the two Koreas in more than a decade, a WCC release said, welcoming them as a powerful sign of hope. The WCC release said that these developments took place while representatives of Korean churches and international partnersincluding the WCCwere gathered in a conference organized by the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) in Seoul on the 30th anniversary of the NCCK 1988 Declaration of the Churches of Korea on National Reunification and Peace. Find a communique from participants in the NCCK conference, titled Cultivating Peace, Proclaiming Hope, at www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/wcc-programmes/public-witness/peace-building-cf/cultivating-peace-proclaiming-hope.

 A series of four Bible studies prepared for the Conference on World Mission and Evangelism are available online from the World Council of Churches (WCC). Today is the last day of the conference, which has been taking place in Arusha, Tanzania, on the theme Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship. The conference committee commissioned theologians from diverse theological and cultural backgrounds to write studies related to the conference theme. Following Jesus: Becoming Disciples, studies Mark 6:1-13 and is written by Merlyn Hyde Riley of the Jamaica Baptist Union, also president of the Jamaican Council of Churches (www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/mission-and-evangelism/bible-study-1-cwme-arusha-tanzania). Transforming the World, According to Jesus Vision of the Kingdom, studies Matthew 5:1-16 and is written by Roman Catholic priest and psychologist Sahaya G. Selvam of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, Kenya (www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/mission-and-evangelism/bible-study-2-cwme-arusha-tanzania). Transforming the World: Equipping Disciples, studies 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 and is writte by Lutheran scholar Kenneth Mtata of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/mission-and-evangelism/bible-study-3-cwme-arusha-tanzania). Equipped Disciples: Embracing the Cross, studies Luke 24:1-12 and is written by Jennifer S. Leath of Illiff School of Theology in Denver, Colo., where she also pastors Campbell Chapel AME Church (www.oikoumene.org/en/resources/documents/commissions/mission-and-evangelism/bible-study-4-cwme-arusha-tanzania).

 J. Manley Garber of Woodbridge (Va.) Church of the Brethren received the Charles J. Colgan Visionary Award from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce at its annual awards banquet on Feb. 28, according to Inside Nova, a northern Virginia news site. Garber turned 93 on Jan. 26, the report said. Garber pushed to bring electricity to much of county in the 1940s when the investor-owned electric utility refused to provide service to any home or business not along a main road, the report said. Because of Garbers efforts, members of the Prince William Electric Cooperative elected him to the board of directors in 1950. He served as secretary before being elected chairman in 1974. Prince William Electric Cooperative consolidated with Tri-County Electric Cooperative in 1983 and formed Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative. The new utilitys board elected Garber chairman of NOVECs board, and he remained in that position until 2008. In recent years, he has served as a director. He has served 67 years on electric cooperative boards, more than any other co-op board member in the United States. His son, Dan, told Inside Nova that On Easter, Dad still gets up at 4:45 a.m. to make fresh sausage gravy for the entire church family. He has it ready in time for breakfast at 7 a.m., after sunrise service. Read the full report at www.insidenova.com/news/business/prince_william/j-manley-garber-hepburn-sons-competitive-edge-win-top-prince/article_78df46e2-1c82-11e8-ab09-7bbc7d7cfc65.html.

Go to www.brethren.org/Newsline to subscribe to the Church of the Brethren Newsline free e-mail news service and receive church news every week.
Too much online support can be harmful for HIV patients

Study finds support from online forums improves self-care  but excessive amounts can be overwhelming

Without a support system, many HIV patients turn to social media and online forms for emotional reassurance and health-related information. 

BUFFALO, N.Y.  For individuals living with HIV, online communities provide the support system they need to engage in positive self-care, which is critical in managing the virus and its ill effects.

However, as new University at Buffalo School of Management research finds, beyond a certain threshold, online support can become overwhelming for HIV patients, leading to negative health behaviors.

Despite advancements in research and treatment, HIV is still a devastating diagnosis and a highly stigmatized disease, says senior author Rajiv Kishore, PhD, associate professor of management science and systems in the UB School of Management. Many patients feel isolated and uncomfortable revealing their diagnosis, even to close friends and family. Without that support system, many HIV patients turn to social media and online forums for emotional reassurance and health-related information.

Forthcoming in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, the study analyzed more than 30,000 discussion threads from an online community for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS from May 2006 to March 2017, representing about 15,500 users and 330,000 individual posts.

Using text mining and linguistic analysis methods, the researchers measured the emotional support or information the posts provided, from both objective sources and personal experience, as well as the level of self-care patients expressed in response. The researchers collaborated with three HIV health specialists to ensure their methods were valid.

Initially, we found that as an individual receives more words of encouragement and health information, their self-care improves, Kishore says. They develop comforting relationships and better understand the virus and how to manage it, which encourages them to engage in positive self-care behaviors.

Above a certain level, however, too much social support negatively affects HIV patients self-care behaviors, the study found.

Self-care is about having control, feeling like you can make a difference in your own health, Kishore says. Many people perceive excessive emotional support as forced optimism and may become stressed and lose hope as a result. Similarly, patients who receive too much information may become overwhelmed and give up on reading material thats necessary for understanding and implementing appropriate health behaviors.

In both cases, we find patients cope by disengaging from productive self-care, Kishore says.

Next, the researchers plan to replicate their study with other stigmatized and nonstigmatized chronic diseases.

Kishores co-authors on the study were UB School of Management doctoral students Xunyi Wang and Srikanth Parameswaran, along with Darshan Mahendra Bagul, a masters student in the UB Computer Science and Engineering Department.
Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.



Digital Editor
With consolidation becoming a reality and the Indian telecom sector set to have just three private mobile players soon, network equipment providers such as Nokia and Ericsson are seeing it as an opportunity. They say healthy operators are good for their business.

This is because the mobile operators need to invest heavily in infrastructure to tackle the immense traffic of data, which is growing at over 40 per cent annually. "Overall I do feel that from network vendor's perspective, it is a good sign. Maybe in the short term, we will have some impact, but in the longer ...
US retail giant Walmart is close to finalising its acquisition of a significant stake in Flipkart, and the deal is likely in the next 10-15 days.

However, Walmart might not become the majority shareholder in the company as it had initially proposed. Multiple sources privy to the developments said SoftBanks initial reluctance to allow Walmart to take a controlling stake in Flipkart has been addressed, and the Japanese investor is willing to let the US firm become the largest shareholder in the Bengaluru-based company. Talks are proceeding quite positively and in ...
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed all 32 intervention petitions in the Ramjanmabhumi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Applications of Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen and Teesta Setalvad were part of the intervention applications that were rejected by the Supreme Court.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer has also directed the registry not to entertain any intervention applications in the matter, which is also popularly known as

The Supreme Court also rejected the intervention plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy.

The court, however, ordered the revival of Swamy's disposed plea that had sought enforcement of his fundamental right to worship at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

During the hearing, Swamy told the apex court that "my fundamental rights are higher than my property rights".

Ayodhya-based Nirvani Ani Akhara's Mahant Dharam Das with UP Shia Waqf Board chairperson, Waseem Rizvi, leaves after a hearing, at Supreme Court in New Delhi, on Wednesday | Photo: PTI

The Supreme Court fixed the matter for further hearing on March 23.

The court is hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad high court in four civil suits. They challenge the Allahabad high court verdict that mandated a three-way division of the disputed 2.77-acre site.

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court had ruled in favour of partitioning the land equally among three parties-the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the 'Ram Lalla' (infant Lord Ram), represented by the Hindu Mahasabha.

Ram Janambhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute is a century old point of a tussle between Hindus and Muslims.

The mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks on December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya. The country witnessed massive riots, in which over 2000 people were killed.
"We cannot become the net security provider if the economy does not keep pace with the changes," Rawat said.

When asked on whether India should militarily intervene in the Maldivian crisis amidst growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region and its proximity to the archipelago nation, he said India's decision to not intervene militarily in the on-going Maldivian crisis was a well thought out, but only time will tell whether it was a right step or not. "I am quite sure that diplomats and political entity in the country did look at the Maldives and did what they thought was the best for them. How this will pan out in future, let's wait and watch," Rawat said.

The Maldives has been witnessing political crises after an emergency was declared in the island nation by its President Abdulla Yameen.

India has expressed its displeasure over the development.

"Did we do the right thing by not stepping in? Only time will tell. I am quite sure that whoever took a decision on whether we should intervene in Maldives or not it must have been a well-thought out decision. We should wait and watch and not jump the gun," he added.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking U-turns on promises made ahead of the May 2014 Lok Sabha polls, including construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, and said his government had failed to meet people's aspirations in four years.

In a four-page letter to the Prime Minister, Togadia raised issues ranging from the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to the ban on cow slaughter, repeal of Article 370 and 35A related to Jammu and Kashmir from the Constitution, Uniform Civil Code, and issues related to farmers and labourers.

He warned the government about what he said was "rising discontent" among the people, especially those affiliated to the Sangh Parivar.

Addressing a press conference here, the VHP leader reminded Modi of promises in the run-up to the last Lok Sabha polls and said selling big dreams was not enough.

"Nation-building is based on truth of the work that has to be seen on the ground," he said.

"These questions are not just posed by an individual but lakhs of people associated with us through the ideology. They are baffled; and now they are upset because not just the government led by you is not seen doing anything on the ideological, socio-political and economic issues but also on many issues, there is a U-turn.

"It has hurt the people associated with the (Hindutva) ideology. The political power centres are seen deviating from that very ideology," Togadia said.

"The BJP came to power based on these promises as the people believed you will fulfil these promises... what happened to those promises. They are still unfulfilled."

He reminded the Prime Minister that the Bharatiya Janata Party at its conclave in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh had adopted a resolution for the construction of the Ram temple through a law made by Parliament.

He cautioned that time and tide don't wait for anybody.

"In fact, time has been changing. The election results in Gujarat and bypolls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and now Uttar Pradesh, are the indicators," he said.

Taking a dig at Modi, the VHP leader said there was no point blaming previous governments and political parties for the situation prevailing now in the country after enjoying power for nearly four years.

He, however, said it was never too late and sought time from Modi to discuss the issues he had raised, calling Modi his "Mota Bhai" (elder brother).

Togadia escaped unhurt in a road accident near Surat this month and voiced suspicion that it was an attempt to kill him.
India's economy needs to grow 8 percent and higher a year for the next three decades to join the ranks of middle-income countries, which would require major reforms in the land, labour and financial sectors, the World Bank said on Wednesday. If that did happen, it would raise the income of at least 50 percent of India's 1.3 billion people to sustain consumption expenditure of $10 a day based on the purchasing power parity of the global middle class. The government estimates India's per capita income could touch 86,689 rupees ($1,337.4), or $3.7 a day, in the current ...
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Interpol for issuance of a Red Corner Notice against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in connection with the over Rs 120 billion PNB scam.

Officials said the agency had sought issuance of the Interpol (international police) warrant against the two, based on court-issued non-bailable warrants obtained by it in a money laundering case.

The agency is understood to have sent the request to the CBI for taking it up with the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France.

A Red Corner Notice (RCN) is issued to seek the location and arrest of wanted persons with a view to extradition or similar lawful action in a criminal case probe.

Once an RCN is issued, the Interpol seeks to arrest the person concerned in any part of the world and notifies that country to take his or her custody for further action at their end.

A special court in Mumbai had issued non-bailable warrants early this month on the request of the Enforcement Directorate.

The ED had earlier issued summonses to Modi and Choksi -- the key accused in the scam -- asking them to appear before it in Mumbai. However, both of them expressed their inability to depose citing business engagements.

Both are accused on charges of money laundering (under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act) in alleged connivance with some employees of Punjab National Bank (PNB) and have been stated by probe agencies to have left India before criminal charges were pressed against them.

The CBI too is probing the case.
The Textiles Ministry should impress upon the Finance Ministry to reconsider the overall GST structure for textiles sector and impose higher anti-dumping duty to protect the domestic industry, a Parliamentary panel has said.

In its report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the Standing Committee on Labour chaired by Kirit Somaiya said it desires the Textiles Ministry to impress upon the Department of Revenue/Finance Ministry to reconsider GST structure for textiles.

The panel noted that the Textiles Ministry has also taken up the issues on inverted duties structure on man-made fibre, imposition of GST on job work, credit transfer documents issues, non refund of input tax credit, GST for weaving industry, lowering of Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates for machinery used by MSME textile units, etc.

It observed that against the Textile Ministry's proposed outlay of Rs 101.09 billion during the year 2018-19, the Ministry of Finance have approved Rs 71.47 billion only.

"The Secretary, Ministry of Textiles has deposed that though it appears that Budgeted Expenditure (BE) 2018-19 which includes Cotton Corporation of India's loss of Rs 9.21 billion is more than the BE 2017-18 by Rs 9.21 billion, in reality BE 2018-19 is Rs 30 million less than the BE of 2017-18," the Committee said in its report.

It noted that the reduction of BE would adversely impact implementation of ongoing schemes of the Ministry of Textiles, particularly those aimed at benefitting the unorganised sectors of powerloom, handloom, handicrafts, wool and sericulture.
The Union government has started working out an action plan to analyse the impact of the recently imposed US tariffs on steel and aluminium and on how to deal with it. In the first meeting on this on Tuesday, senior officials of the department of commerce and the ministries of steel and mines met the industry leaders to assess the impact of the US tariffs on Indian industry.

A senior official later said export details had been sought from industry players and a plan would be finalised by the end of the week. Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma and Mines Secretary ...
is fast-tracking an atomic energy programme to reduce its dependence on oil, but concerns over nuclear proliferation in the Middle East could put a damper on its ambitious plans.

The atomic policy, which limits nuclear activities to peaceful purposes, was approved by the cabinet on Tuesday just days before powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visits Washington.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest exporter of oil, has framed its nuclear project as driven purely by economics.

The kingdom is struggling to meet fast-rising energy demand and crude prices remain far below their peaks reached before the 2014 market crash.

Saudi Energy Minister Khaled al-Faleh said in October that the nuclear programme would start by building two reactors, each producing between 1.2 and 1.6 gigawatts of electricity.

But the atomic ambitions of the key US ally and regional power are coming under scrutiny in Washington at a time of growing tensions between the US and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme.

The Saudi cabinet says its nuclear programme will be in "full compliance with the principle of transparency" and meet nuclear safety standards "in accordance with an independent regulatory and supervisory framework".

The country has accelerated plans to build 16 nuclear reactors over the next two decades, according to officials and analysts, at a cost of around $80 billion.

The reactors are expected to generate 17.6 gigawatts of electricity -- 10 percent of the country's power needs -- by 2040.

Riyadh is expected to shortlist next month two to three firms out of five bidders from China, South Korea, Russia, France and the United States, according to Abdulmalik al-Sabery, a consultant in the business development department at King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE).

In December, one firm will be selected to build the first two nuclear reactors, Sabery told Bloomberg News in January.

Construction of the reactors will start next year although they are not expected to begin operating before 2027, Sabery said.

Energy consumption in has been rising at more than five percent per year although growth slowed in 2017 after the government cut subsidies and hiked prices.

Electricity consumption is expected to double over the next 15 years, reaching 120 gigawatts by 2032, Abdullah al-Shehri, governor of Saudi Arabia's Electricity and Co-generation Regulatory Authority, told AFP.

The kingdom draws on oil and natural gas to both generate power and desalinate its water so turning to other sources of power, including solar, would free up crude for exportation.

By 2040, 55 percent of the country's power supply will come from solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear energy combined, according to KACARE.

The projects will cost the kingdom around $67 billion over the next five years, according to energy minister Faleh.

But the Middle East Economic Digest last week estimated Riyadh had already spent over $82 billion on electricity projects in the past decade.

Riyadh has signed cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding with over a dozen countries in recent years to boost nuclear cooperation, including France, China, Russia, Hungary and South Korea.

Its plans have sparked some controversy in Washington, where tensions are high over the atomic programme of Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran, which denies seeking nuclear arms.

An American legislator, Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, has expressed concern over the efforts of US President Donald Trump administration to sign a cooperation accord with

Trump has threatened to tear up a 2015 global pact under which Riyadh's arch-rival Tehran -- facing suspicions it was working towards a nuclear bomb -- agreed to curb its atomic programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.

Analysts have also warned that capacity to produce nuclear energy could potentially open the door to military options across the Middle East.

"Concern about a nuclear arms race is fuelled by uncertainty over the future of Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement, a seeming US willingness to weaken its strict export safeguards in pursuit of economic advantage, and a willingness by suppliers such as Russia and China to ignore risks involved in weaker controls," said James Dorsey, a Middle East expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of Studies in Singapore.
Ford Motor Co said Wednesday it is recalling 1.38 million vehicles in North America for potentially loose steering wheel bolts that could detach, in an issue linked to two accidents and one injury. The second largest U.S. automaker said the recall covers 2014 through 2018 model year Ford Fusion cars and 2014-2018 Lincoln MKZ vehicles built at plants in Michigan and Mexico. Dealers will replace the steering wheel bolt with a longer bolt. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened a preliminary investigation in October into 841,000 Ford vehicles over concerns ...
CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Donald Trumps nominee for secretary of state, agrees with his bosss conviction that the 2015 accord is a disaster. The question is whether that stance makes him more or less likely to win some international backing for Americas campaign to rewrite the deal. Tillersons efforts in that direction yielded few results -- and if theres no progress by May 12, the president has ...

Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.



Digital Editor
A powerful blast tonight near the residence of Pakistan's ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif here killed at least seven persons, including three policemen.

The blast took place close to a police check post, a few kilometers from the palatial residence of the Sharif family and close to the congregation of the Tableeghi Jamaat.

"Seven persons have been killed in the blast. Some seven policemen among the 20 or so suffered injuries. The condition of four policemen is stated to be critical," Rescue 1122 spokesman Jam Sajjad told PTI.

He said the Rescue ambulances are shifting the injured to the Sharif medical complex and other nearby hospitals.

Deputy Inspector General Police Lahore Dr Haider Ashraf told reporters that three policemen were among the dead.

"The condition of some policemen is critical," he said.

"It is not confirmed yet whether it was a suicide blast or planted device," he said, adding "police personnel" were the target of the blast.

It was such a powerful blast that its sound was heard several kilometers from the site. A fire ball was seen after the blast at the Nisar Police Check Post.

No militant group has claimed the responsibility of the blast so far.

Pakistan Rangers quick response force has reached the spot and cordoned off the area.
The administration of President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, a source who had discussed the issue with the White House said on Tuesday. Politico reported earlier that Trump had rejected proposals for tariffs on $30 billion of Chinese imports. The source said that the tariffs would not be limited to technology and telecommunications equipment. China runs a $375 billion trade surplus with the United States and when President Xi Xinping's top economic adviser ...
Philippines President said he plans to withdraw his country from the Criminal Court (ICC) after it began examining the country's drugs war.

"It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines," Duterte said. He slammed "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on him and his administration by the UN, the BBC reported.

"I confirm that the President has directed the Executive Secretary to give notice that (the Philippines is) withdrawing as a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC," Duterte's spokesperson Harry Roque said.

Roque's statement came a few minutes after Duterte's office issued a draft statement on the move.

"I therefore declare and forthwith give notice that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately," Duterte said in the draft statement.

The ICC in February began examining alleged crimes committed during the controversial anti-drugs crackdown. ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the court would be looking at reports of extrajudicial killings.

She stressed that the examinations by the ICC -- based in The Hague -- were "not an investigation" but a process of examining information "in order to reach a fully informed determination on whether there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation".

A statement from the Philippines administration said the ICC inquiry was "in violation of due process".

There has been growing pressure on Duterte about his country's war on drugs, which caused the deaths of thousands.

Police claimed they killed nearly 4,000 drugs suspects, while rights groups suggest the figure could be far higher.
Even as HDFC Bank, India's largest bank by market capitalisation, banned its customers from using debit, credit and prepaid cards to purchase cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, stakeholders in the crypto universe are not unduly bothered by the move.

In an email sent out to customers on March 13, the bank noted that "the Reserve Bank of India has also cautioned the public regarding the potential economic, operational, legal and security related risks associated in dealing with such currencies".

It is important to remember that price movements in the crypto universe are led primarily by retail participation. Large institutional money is still sitting on the sidelines. Thus, not allowing customers to use their debit and credit cards for crypto transactions is a clear sign that banks and regulators in India are still discouraging investors from entering the crypto universe and maintain a negative bias.

The move has, however, been welcomed as "constructive" by Rahul Raj, Founder & CEO, Koinex, India's leading cryptocurrency exchange.

''We feel it is a fair move to discourage the use of credit cards for trading in cryptocurrency because the risk of non-payment towards the bank is a pertinent issue. Even the stock market does not allow use of credit cards to transact," Raj told IANS.

Noting that even globally banks have discouraged the use of credit cards for crypto transactions, he added: "We do not see it as a hindrance, as it is a constructive move to sustain a more amicable environment for traders.

"The banks lend money on credit cards with the intention of getting it back, but as you know the cryptocurrency ecosystem is very volatile and if prices fall, credit card users could be left with large balances that they may be unable to repay. We want to protect the interest of retail credit card holders leveraging their credit capacity to invest in cyptocurrencies in the hope of making quick money."

Indian residents can still deposit money into their accounts at local exchanges via online banking. In fact, customers can only deposit funds on Koinex via netbanking for buying cryptocurrencies. Each individual has his/her bank account linked to Koinex after a thorough KYC process.

Today, most major exchanges around the world require completion of KYC before being able to buy or sell cryptocurrencies -- this links the very first transactions of most individuals to their real-world identities.

This addresses the issue of anonymity -- it is a common belief that Bitcoin transactions are impossible to track and can aid terrorists, criminals, tax evaders, etc., in avoiding detection by government agencies.

Price volatility will, however, exist in the crypto universe as it is still a relatively new asset class. Further, Bitcoin dominance is still 40 percent and its volatility is one of the main drivers of prices of other crypto currencies.

From a money supply and money demand framework, this volatility can be attributed to the fact that the above money supply rule cannot respond fast enough to changes in money demand, leading to high price fluctuations.

Indian regulators and financial institutions must welcome the use of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies. State governments are already adopting blockchain. Andhra Pradesh has become the first state to adopt blockchain in two key departments- road transport and land registrations.

Non-believers in cryptocurrencies have a standard answer: Blockchain is the big idea. Digital currencies are a bubble. It is important to highlight the importance of decentralisation in the world of blockchain and how cryptocurrencies are a result of that since that is what incentivised the coders.

Global banking giants are already moving fast to secure competitive advantage in this space. In February, a Goldman Sachs backed start-up, Circle, acquired Poloniex, a digital token exchange, for $400 million. JP Morgan has created Quorum, an enterprise focused version of Ethereum.

Indian banks and regulators must soon adapt to the changing landscape of finance where cryptocurrencies will play a dominant role. It is high time we see a change in rhetoric from our leading banks and economic policymakers.
S. Raut, a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee, on Wednesday, acknowledged the lack of funds for the Indian Army, and likened the lack of attention paid to it by top government officials to treason.

"True that defence funds are insufficient. Army Vice-Chief said 70% of arms with Army are fit to be kept in a museum. That in itself speaks volumes. If the Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Finance Minister don't take it seriously it's betrayal with the nation," said Raut.

On Tuesday, the Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Sarath Chand reportedly told members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee that in the latest budget, funds allocated for the Indian Army was nowhere near the required amount to 'modernise' the Indian Army and its weapons.

The Indian Army, having regular exchanges of gunfire with Pakistan on the Jammu and Kashmir border front, has a weapons cache which is gravely below standards, with only eight percent falling in the state-of-the-art category, 24 percent being in the current and an alarming 68 percent being in the vintage classification.

Being the second largest army in the world in terms of personnel, the Indian Army spend 52.2 billion USD last year, the fifth highest military expenditure in the world, according to a study by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Superstar Aamir Khan has a special gift for his fans on the occasion of his 53rd birthday.

The 'Dangal' star, who currently enjoys a massive social media following through Facebook and Twitter, on Tuesday, joined the Instagram family.

Even without a single post, Aamir, within a few hours, managed to rake in over 234k followers on the photo sharing app.

The Mr. Perfectionist of Bollywood has over 23 million followers on Twitter whereas his Facebook page is liked by 15 million people.

Aamir, who is currently in Jodhpur shooting for his upcoming film 'Thugs of Hindostan', has a career that spans over three decades.

Son of producer Tahir Hussain and Zeenat, this multi faceted actor, who has donned the hat of a director and producer several times, has given innumerable hits.

Before making his debut with 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' in 1988, Aamir featured in several films as a child artiste.

'Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin', 'Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke', 'Andaz Apna Apna', 'Rangeela', 'Raja Hindustani', 'Sarfarosh', 'Lagaan', 'Dil Chahta Hai', 'Talaash: The Answer Lies Within' and 'Dangal' are some of his blockbusters.

He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed all 32 intervention petitions in the Ramjanmabhumi-Babri Masjid land dispute case.

Applications of Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen and Teesta Setalvad were part of the intervention applications that were rejected by the Supreme Court.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer has also directed the registry not to entertain any intervention applications in the matter, which is also popularly known as Ayodhya case.

The Supreme Court also rejected the intervention plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy.

The court, however, ordered the revival of Swamy's disposed plea that had sought enforcement of his fundamental right to worship at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

During the hearing, Swamy told the apex court that "my fundamental rights are higher than my property rights".

The Supreme Court fixed the matter for further hearing on March 23.

The court is hearing a total of 13 appeals filed against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad high court in four civil suits. They challenge the Allahabad high court verdict that mandated a three-way division of the disputed 2.77-acre site.

The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court had ruled in favour of partitioning the land equally among three parties-the Sunni Waqf Board, Nirmohi Akhara and the 'Ram Lalla' (infant Lord Ram), represented by the Hindu Mahasabha.

Ram Janambhoomi- Babri Masjid dispute is a century old point of a tussle between Hindus and Muslims.

The mosque was demolished by Hindu Karsevaks on December 6, 1992, in Ayodhya. The country witnessed massive riots, in which over 2000 people were killed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday will continue hearing the Ayodhya land dispute.

On February 9, the top court was likely to start 'final hearings' on a bunch of 13 petitions over the 2.7 acre land dispute that is claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. However, the date was postponed, as some documents and translations were not filed before the apex court.

The petitions before the judges relate to the 2010 verdict of the Allahabad High Court in the title suit that had been pending for nearly six decades. The dispute before the court was whether the 2.7 acres of disputed land on which the Babri Masjid was constructed belonged to the Sunni Central Waqf Board or to the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, who claimed the land to be the birthplace of Hindu Lord Ram, and thus entitled for the construction of a Ram Temple.

Thousands of Hindu karsevaks had demolished the Babri mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

Around 2,000 people were killed in the riots that followed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said that the Centre is doing 'grave injustice' with Andhra Pradesh by not addressing the problems of the state.

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president made the statement while addressing his party MPs via teleconference.

Urging the TDP MPs to intensify the fight, Naidu said that the Centre's attitude is making people of Andhra suffer a lot.

Naidu also vowed to continue his struggle for the cause till justice is done.

He said, "Centre not responding on problems of AP is grave injustice. Center's attitude is causing the people of AP suffer a lot. MPs should intensify the fight phase wise. We will not leave the issue until justice is done to the state."

The Chief Minister further cried foul and said that Union Minister Piyush Goyal denied an appointment to the TDP MPs and chose to meet YSRCP MPs.

"How can he (Piyush Goyal) chose to meet YSRCP MPs over us. By doing this you have disrespected the state. People of the state are having doubts, as to who is BJP's alliance partner, TDP or YSRCP?"

"For us, people are the high command. Their aspirations are the priority to us," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global smartphone technology brand Coolpad on Wednesday announced appointment of Nancy Zhang as its first Global Chief Intellectual Property Officer.

Zhang was previously the Minister of Intellectual Property for Coolpad Group. Her latest role entails taking up a global position to drive Coolpad's innovation in mobile technologies and counteract patent infringements.

Zhang holds a Master's degree in Engineering from South China University of Technology and possesses a patent attorney license. She has ten years of corporate management experience in intellectual property management, and is also The Vice President of China Patent Protection Association, Vice President of Shenzhen Patent Association and Vice President of Shenzhen Copyright Association.

Over the past several years, Coolpad has invested heavily in innovation and intellectual property. Zhang has been in charge of setting up the company's intellectual property team, which has doubled in size in the past few years. The company has also been hiring team members outside of China to increase the number of patent applications and awards in the US, India, and other countries.

Under Zhang's direction in 2015, Coolpad became the only enterprise in Shenzhen, China to be awarded a National Intellectual Property Certification, The State Patent Award. This is the highest government Patent Award and the only government award recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization ("WIPO"). Coolpad has received this Award seven times, with two based on Coolpad's work in 5G.

"While we have already started R&D to develop prominent technological advancements and will require patents in major markets like US and India, as it is going to be dominant part of our future business strategy. With so many brands in the technology development and technology consumption business, there is a strong requirement to keep a close watch on the patents to detect infringements and under a chief intellectual property officer, a dedicated team will serve the purpose," said CEO-Coolpad India, Syed Tajuddin.

"I am excited for the new position and the new roles. Coolpad has always heavily invested in new technologies, and I'm particularly excited about the developments that we have and will make in 5G and artificial intelligence. As we continue to invest in R&D and new innovation, my role will be to ensure that we not only secure the necessary recognition of our technologies but also vigorously defend any infringement to our patents not only in our domestic markets, but also in the US and all other countries that we operate in," said Global Chief Intellectual Property Officer, Coolpad, Nancy Zhang.

5G technologies have been a priority for innovation and Coolpad has more than 800 patents submitted and more than 300 authorized. While the company has been heavily involved in setting 5G standards with other industry leaders, Zhang will lead Coolpad's 5G Standard Patent Portfolio and work with Coolpad partners like Qualcomm and Ericsson to manage licensing of their patents for Coolpad technologies.

Jiang Chao, CEO, Coolpad Group said, "Our early investment in intellectual property has led us to own over 10,000 patents already. As we continue to invest in innovation, including setting up a dedicated R&D center for artificial intelligence in Silicon Valley, we're going to continue to secure more patents for our groundbreaking technologies. However, with innovation comes more opportunities for other companies to take advantage of our inventions for their own use. The appointment of Nancy Zhang as our first Global Chief Intellectual Property Officer indicates how seriously we take defending our innovations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
People in Muzzafarabad of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) took to the streets protesting against the Pakistan establishment and WAPDA (Water and Power Development Authority of Pakistan), which at the behest of repressive bosses in Islamabad has been giving a novercal treatment to the people of the region by forcing them to live in dark by discriminating power supply.

Residents of PoK burnt effigies, raised anti-Pakistan and anti-WAPDA slogans seeking an immediate action into the mistreatment, humiliation and biased treatment of the people of the region go through on daily basis.

Locals also issued an ultimatum to all political parties saying their appeasement won't work this time and they were firm to get their demands met.

A protester in Muzaffarabad said, "We don't have anything to do with the elections of Pakistan. Whether Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) contests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or it is Muslim-League or People's Party. We don't have anything to do with anyone. State's resources, water, and lands belong to us. These people have to contest elections in Pakistan; they are seeking Pakistani votes by giving them more power which actually belongs to our region. We categorically denounce this, and I apprise both government and the administration that any lollipop is not going to work this time."

Islamabad snatched away the lands of locals at the pretext of the development and prosperity in the region. However, not an iota of the dividends reaped out of such projects has been shared with the locals.

In more than seven decades of misrule, the socio-economic standards of the people of this region have only worsened.

"Pakistan, which is flourishing at the cost of these dams must not stay in a state of delusion and think that only pastorals are living in this region. If we are tolerating this much because there some reasons behind it because of which we are helpless," a protester said.

Not giving the rightful share to the people of the region, who gave away their land resources to a deceitful state which meets most of its electric energy requirements from the region, exposes the true face of Pakistan.

There is a Prime Minister and President in PoK but they are merely stooges who have been helping Islamabad fill its treasuries through economic depredations.

The people of the region have been denied basic fundamental rights and are meted out with severe brutalities if they demand it. However, the increasingly growing rebellion against the establishment this time has certainly pushed Islamabad on back foot and has forced them to take concrete action for their demands.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief and 26/11 attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed's newly formed Milli Muslim League (MML) has announced that it will launch its own manifesto on March 23, ahead of the Pakistan general elections later this year.

This comes after the Islamabad High Court set aside the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to reject the application of the MML for registration as a political party last week, according to local media reports.

The ECP had earlier rejected MML's application to register Saeed's political party on the Pakistan interior ministry's recommendation, saying that the "MML has links with banned militant outfits".

MML President Saifullah Khalid said on Tuesday that there were no "legal hurdles" left for the registration of the party and said that it will release the manifesto as per the scheduled date.

Commenting on the court verdict, Khalid said, "This is a victory of the Pakistan ideology. The court has allowed MML to give us a chance to play its role in national "

Khalid added that it will field its candidates in all provincial and national assembly seats in the Pakistan general elections.

In January, Saeed's entities were moved from Pakistan's watch list to the list of proscribed organisations after the government introduced a presidential ordinance by amending the country's anti-terrorism act to include UN-designated terrorist groups and individuals for terror financing, paved the way for the confiscation of JuD and FIF assets.

However, despite the ban, the entities were found to be freely operating in Pakistan.

Last month, Pakistani authorities confirmed that the country was going back on the "grey list" of the FATF, after a span of nearly four years.

In December last year, Saeed opened his political office in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's parliamentary constituency in Lahore.

India has, time and again, protested against Pakistan for harbouring Saeed, who is wanted for plotting the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which claimed 166 lives.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
LAVA International on Wednesday announced the elevation of Sunil Raina as president and head as it gears up for accelerated growth.

Sunil Raina will now take up the leadership role at LAVA International, with all the functions viz., sales and distribution, product, customer service, marketing communication and sales automation reporting to him.

He has been elevated as president and business head from his current position as chief marketing officer, to lead the company's focused growth strategy.

"The 468 billion USD mobile handset industry is a high potential industry with the highest growth rate amongst all other electronics and IT products. With our government's 'Make in India' initiative, our country is all set to become the next manufacturing powerhouse," said chairman and managing director, LAVA International, Hari Om Rai.

"World's biggest organisations and brands get formed out of opportunities when the manufacturing shift happens in the country and now is the time for India. Given the immense opportunities that we have, it is also time for us to bring deep focus in our business operations at LAVA. Sunil's rich experience and leadership track record will be of great value to us in this journey and I am pleased to have him partner me in fulfilling our company's vision. I am confident that his experience and expertise will strengthen the desired focus and steer our organization towards our envisaged future," Rai added.

Sunil Raina has been with LAVA for almost eight years, having held several leadership roles through his tenure at the company.

He is an experienced professional with over 19 years of work experience in large companies such as Tata, Airtel, Reliance and Uninor.

The company recently marked a significant milestone for the country, by launching India's first 'Design in India' initiative and India's first 'Designed in India' mobile phone 'Prime X'.

LAVA also announced its plan to invest over Rs. 2,600 crore in its manufacturing units to reach a production capacity of 21.6 crore units in next five years as part of its strategy to capture 40 percent share in the sub Rs. 12,000 mobile handset segment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Embassy in Nepal on Wednesday announced that the International Entrepreneurship Conclave- Connect-IN will be held in the capital city, Kathmandu, on March 24.

The Indian Embassy in a press meet at the Shangri-La Hotel here said the event will serve as an ideal platform for connecting the young entrepreneurial minds of the two countries.

"India and Nepal are the two youngest economies in the region, which are mainly dominated by youth and entrepreneurship. They both are also two of the closely associated societies in the region," coordinator of the Connect-IN Kapildhwaja Singh said.

"Two countries are very similar in the structural economy, with dependency in the service sector. That is the reason why most of the start-ups are coming to Nepal and India," Singh added.

A number of entrepreneurs, CEOs (Chief Executive Officer) and investors from Nepal and India will be participating in the conclave.

The registration is open for the conclave and till date over 300 applications have been received.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India on Wednesday told the United Nations that Pakistan is a major source of terrorism all over the

In exercising its second right of reply (RoR) to a Pakistani statement, India said, "It is most regrettable that Pakistan has yet again chosen to consume the Council's precious time for making claims and allegations against India when Pakistan's own deplorable record on human rights and its dubious history as a major source of terrorism in our region and beyond is already widely known."

India highlighted the atrocities carried out by Pakistani establishment and its military on the innocent civilians of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindh, "Where people are routinely abducted and unlawfully killed. More than a million people remain displaced as a result of the current and past armed conflicts in the northwest of Pakistan."

"Women and girls, especially from minority communities, are abducted and forcibly married. The minorities are persecuted, including through notorious blasphemy laws," it added.

India further highlighted that how Pakistan has continued to support cross-border terrorism and attempting to mask its territorial ambitions in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral and inseparable part of India.

"Use of terrorism as a state policy under the guise of concern for human rights. Pakistan has continued to support cross-border terrorism in India. We await credible action by the Government of Pakistan to bring all those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attack and the 2016 Pathankot and Uri attacks - to justice," it said.

India expressed its concerns that country like Pakistan, which protected Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden and sheltered Taliban founder and former leader Mullah Omar, pretending to be a victim.

"Is it not woefully farcical that the state which protected Osama Bin Laden and sheltered Mullah Omar should make the pretence of being a victim?" India said.

It added, "In gross violation of UN Security Council resolution 1267, the UN designated terrorists like Hafiz Mohammed Saeed are freely operating with State support, and the UN designated entities are being politically mainstreamed in Pakistan. Do we all need lessons on democracy and human rights from a country with such a track record, a country whose own situation is charitably described as a failed state?"

India rejected the attempts of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to raise the Kashmir issue at the United Nations, stating that it has no locus standi to comment on India's internal affairs.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Police on Wednesday detained Milind Ekbote, the prime accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence after the Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.

Ekbote was arrested from his house at Shivajinagar in Pune.

On January 1, the violence at Bhima-Koregaon village in Pune district left one dead and injured several others, including 10 policemen.

Violence erupted after some people, reportedly with saffron flags, pelted stones at cars heading towards the village for the commemoration of the 200 years of Bhima-Koregaon war on New Year's Day.

Dalit leaders and workers at the village had alleged that Hindutva activists Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide instigated the violence.

Two FIRs were registered against Ekbote for his alleged role in the violence at a time when Dalits in huge numbers had gathered at Perne village on the Pune-Ahmednagar Road to mark the 200th year of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon.

Ekbote is facing charges of inciting violence, attempt to murder and atrocities against Dalits.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced that all cases against accused booked for the violence would be withdrawn and compensation would be given to the people who suffered losses during the riot.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Raipur bound Indigo airlines flight returned to Hyderabad on Wednesday because of technical issues.

The flight number 6E 334, which was going to Raipur from Hyderabad, observed some technical problem after its take-off.

Yesterday, as many as 47 flights were cancelled by Indigo as eight of their Airbus A320s with the PW1100 engines were grounded after the DGCA directive, following recurrent occurrences of aborted take-offs and in-flight shutdowns (IFSD).

"Following the grounding of our six A320 Neo in accordance with the directive of the DGCA, we cancelled less than 5 percent of our flights today. To minimise the inconvenience of our customers, our teams swiftly re-accommodated the passengers on alternate flights and fully refunded the fares to any customer who preferred that," a statement issued by Indigo airline read.

Yesterday, a Lucknow bound Indigo flight from the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad, with 186 passengers on board, had to return and make an emergency landing because of a technical snag in the engine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the aftermath of the Naxal-led attack that killed nine CRPF personnel in Sukma on Tuesday, Chief Minister Raman Singh clarified that the improvised explosive device (IED) blast was carried out in retaliation to an encounter which took place last morning.

"The background of this blast in Sukma is that the COBRA battalion held a successful encounter in the morning in which several Naxals were injured and weapons were recovered. This has left them perplexed, as we are reaching closer to their headquarters. This attack was carried out in fury," Singh told reporters here.

The chief minister revealed that although IED detection with the present technology is difficult, the forces and state police are working together to abolish the naxal base in the region.

Echoing a similar stance, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Hansraj Ahir, assured that the government is strongly monitoring the situation along with intelligence agencies and the forces.

On Tuesday, nine personnel of the 212 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two severely injured in the IED blast.

The CRPF jawans were conducting an operation in a forest in the district when the blast took place, ripping apart their Mine-Protected Vehicle (MPV).

Meanwhile, the wreath-laying ceremony of the nine jawans was held earlier this morning, where the two ministers paid their tributes to the slain soldiers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Wednesday gave an adjournment motion notice in both the houses of the Parliament over the issue of granting 'Special Category' Status to Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier in the day, YSR Congress Party also gave an adjournment motion notice in the Lok Sabha, while in the Rajya Sabha, MP V Vijayasai Reddy gave a Calling Attention motion in connection with the same issue.

The MPs have been protesting in the Parliament since the second half of budget session began earlier this month.

The BJP and its Andhra ally TDP have been sharing a sour relationship following the announcement of the Union Budget 2018-19.

While the TDP has been alleging that the Centre neglected the state in the budget, the BJP rejected the charges and said the Centre not only fulfilled all its obligations but also went out of its way to help the state.

Yesterday, both the Houses were adjourned due to protests by the political parties over multiple issues.

The Andhra Pradesh assembly also passed a resolution urging the Centre to accord Special Category Status to the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amid the counting of votes for the bypolls, the Uttar Pradesh Assembly was adjourned for 10 minutes on Wednesday, following ruckus over the issue of media being kept out of counting centre in Gorakhpur.

The issue was raised by Samajwadi Party's (SP) Ram Govind Chaudhary.

The counting of votes for the by-elections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur constituencies began at 8:00 a.m. At the counting centre in Gorakhpur, District Magistrate (DM) Rajeev Rautela banned media's entry in the later period of the counting session.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission stated that the media has not been allowed in the area of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

"Media is inside counting campus since morning. As per ECI instructions, media cannot be allowed in the area of EVMs. There is a Media Centre inside the Campus and the media is being briefed personally by DM regarding each round's progress," the poll watchdog stated, adding that figures for three rounds of counting have been announced.

SP leader Naresh Uttam Patel also wrote to state chief election officer regarding the issue and alleged that district administration has connived with the BJP to make their candidate win.

As per latest trends, the SP is leading in both the seats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WWF and the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) are deepening their collaboration to drive global awareness and action on nature and the environment, in recognition of the enormous challenges facing our planet and the important role of young people in creating a more sustainable world.

Starting with Earth Hour, building mass awareness on the importance of nature will be a priority, with Scouts around the world taking part as a sign of the close collaboration between the two organisations.

In India, the Bharat Scouts and Guides (BSG) have entered into a partnership with WWF-India to take forward the message of conservation of the to communities across the country, through 5.6mn registered Scouts and Guides.

Being rolled out with Earth Hour 2018, 5.6mn Bharat Scouts and Guides will give up their plastic woggles, a signature element of the BSG uniform, as a part of the "#GiveUp" to Give Back initiative, replacing it with more sustainable and eco-friendly options.

Plastic is one of the biggest banes of the today. According to reports, more than 1,00,000 mammals, one million sea birds and other marine aquatic life die because of the plastic they ingest or get entangled in.

In 1950, the world's population of 2.5 billion produced 1.5 million tons of plastic; in 2016, a global population of more than 7 billion people produced over 300 million tons of plastic - with severe consequences for marine plants and animals. India contributes 60% of the plastic waste that goes into the world's oceans every year. According to an estimate, 99 per cent of all seabirds will have ingested plastic by mid-century.

Speaking about the partnership, Ravi Singh, SG & CEO, WWF-India, said, "WWF-India is very proud to be associated with the Bharat Scouts and Guides. The spirit of the Scouts movement is reflected in their passion for the outdoors and is akin to a future where humans live in harmony with nature. With more than 5mn persons associated with Bharat Scouts and Guides in India, we believe that their valued support will help us take the message of conservation forward, inspiring people across the country to adopt lifestyles that are environmentally sustainable."

Earth Hour has been a game-changer for popularizing climate and environmental action across the globe. This year, in India, Earth Hour 2018 will see the launch of the "#GiveUp" to Give Back movement, drawing the attention of individuals, organizations, communities and institutions to habits and practices that are detrimental to the and inspiring them to reduce their footprint and adopt sustainable alternatives for a better planet.

"World Scouting is proud to support Earth Hour, a movement that has inspired millions around the world to take action in support of our planet," said Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary-General, WOSM.

Krishnaswamy.R, Director, Bharat Scouts and Guides said, "Our decision to give up plastic woggles as part of Earth Hour's "#GiveUp" to Give Back movement is the first initiative of this partnership. We, at BSG, uphold the values of protecting Mother Nature as one of our core tenets of our program and we believe that the force of young minds across the country can take this message to over 50mn people in India. It is our duty to protect the home we live in and we will fervently follow this mission by adopting eco-friendly practices wherever possible in our duty to serve the country and the world."

World Scouting and WWF first worked together in 1973 on environmental education. The ongoing successful partnership aims to help achieve the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity's Aichi Biodiversity Target 1, so that hundreds of millions of people understand the values of biodiversity and the current critical condition of our planet.

Better informed and aware, people can take actions to protect biodiversity and nature, live more sustainably and expect the same of businesses and their governments. It will also include a new version of one of their earliest joint initiatives, the badge formerly known as the World Conservation Badge (Panda Badge).

As part of its commitment to the environment, WOSM has also established a network of Scout Centres of Excellence for Nature and the Environment (SCENES) around the world, to enable Scouts, the local community and other visitors to connect and engage with nature.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Company Law Board (CLB) set up under Companies Act 1956 stands dissolved with the setting up of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

As on 12.03.2018, only one case under section 55(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 is pending before the NCLT.

A total of 9,073 cases are under consideration in NCLT as on 31.01.2018, including 1,630 cases of Merger and Amalgamation, 2,511 cases of insolvency and 4,932 cases under other sections of Companies Act.

All efforts are being taken to dispose off the cases as per the time limits laid down in the Companies Act, 2013 and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016. Systems and procedures including electronic/Information Technology systems are being used on extensive basis to ensure quick disposal of cases.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 10th Wage Agreement for CIL and SCCL was finalized in the 10th Meeting of JBCCI-X, consisting representative of Management of CIL/Subsidiaries & SCCL and Representatives of Central Trade Unions (CTUs), held on 10.10.2017 at New Delhi.

The period of the 10th Wage Agreement for CIL and SCCL is from 01.07.2016 to 30.06.2021 (i.e. for 5 Years). After finalization of the 10th Wage Agreement, instructions have been issued to make payment of revised wages from the salary of October 2017, payable in November 2017. To implement other provisions of the Agreement, so far 12 Implementation instructions have been issued.

The details of estimated annual impact of 10th Wage Agreement are as under:-

Basic Pay, VDA, SDA & Attendance Bonus = Rs. 3138 crore Benefits & Allowances = Rs. 1684 crore Pension & Post-Retirement Medical Benefits = Rs. 845 crore

Total = Rs. 5667 crore

The Welfare activities of Coal India Limited for welfare of its employees and their families through the subsidiaries are given below:-

Housing facilities

:-

CIL has achieved 100% housing satisfaction of the workers.

Water Supply

To provide clean drinking water to the employees and their families, many water supply schemes have been taken up. Supply of Water through natural resource like river, tank etc. are supplemented by underground mine water after proper treatment.

FACILITIES

The subsidiary companies of CIL have been providing financial assistance and infrastructure facilities to schools operating in Mine areas like DAV, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Delhi Public School etc. and other Educational Institutions run by the State Government to provide quality to the employees' children. In addition, financial assistance and infrastructure facilities are also provided by the companies to certain privately managed schools and other educational institutions functioning around coalfield areas.

Coal India Scholarship Scheme:

For employees' children two types of scholarships, namely Merit Scholarship and General Scholarship, are being provided every year under prescribed terms and conditions.

a) In Merit Scholarship , students securing 1st to 20th position in Madhyamik/H. S. or any State Board or securing 95% and above marks in ICSE, CBSE / ISC Exam (Class-X & XII) are given scholarship as follows: Courses pursuing Rate of Merit Scholarship per month a)

Studying (XI & XII)

Rs.300/-

b)

Studying General Course B. A/ B. Sc & B. Com etc.

Rs.350/-

c)

Studying Engineering / Medical /Applied Sciences/ Professional & Technology including Management, Computer Science, Accounting, Company Secretary after class -XII

Rs.700/-

General Scholarship is admissible to Students studying Class-V onwards up to Graduation /Post- graduation level in any discipline subject to prescribed percentage of marks as follows:

Sl. No.

Class /Standard

Minimum percentage of Marks to be obtained in the last Annual Examination (in aggregate)

Rate of Scholarship per Month

i)

Class V to VIII

Minimum 80% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.60/-

ii)

Class IX & X

Minimum 75% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.75/-

iii)

Class XI & XII

Minimum 70% Marks in the last Annual Examination

Rs.100/-

iv)

Graduation and Post Graduation like BA, B. Sc, B.

Com, MA, M. Sc, M. Com, MBA, CA, ICWA, Company Secretary etc. affiliated to a Govt. recognized University/ Institute.

Minimum 60% Marks in the Last Annual Examination / or in Hons. Group.

Rs.250/-

v)

a)

Technical Education :

Industrial Technical Certificate Course (ITI) recognized by State / Central Govt (after Class-X)

Minimum 75% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.125/-

b)

Polytechnic e.g. Diploma Engineering (after X and studying in Govt. recognized Institute)

Minimum 75% Marks in the Last Annual Examination

Rs.150/-

c)

Degree Course in Engineering and Medical Colleges affiliated to a Govt. recognized University.

Minimum 70% Marks in the last Annual Examination

Rs.400/- subject to condition that the son/ Daughter will secure 60% in all subsequent Semesters.

SC or ST students may be given relaxation of 10% (Ten Percent marks to different class/ Standard of education) as prescribed for granting of General Scholarship.

Cash Award and certificate of appreciation:- Every year Cash Award of Rs.5000/- and Rs.7000/- respectively are provided to the Meritorious wards of CIL employees who secure 90% or above marks in aggregate in 10th and 12th standard Board level examination. Considering the high cost of technical and medical in the country, Coal India Limited is providing financial assistance towards meeting the cost of education of the dependent children of Wage Board Employees to the extent of tuition fees and Hostel charges who secure Admission in Engineering in such colleges viz., IITs, NITs, ISM and other Govt. Engg. and Medical colleges.

5. Medical Facilities: Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries are extending medical facilities to the employees and their families through various medical establishments from the dispensary level to the central and Apex Hospitals in different parts of the coalfields.

In addition, special emphasis has also been given on Occupational Health, HIV /AIDS awareness programme for the employees and their families.

STATUTORY WELFARE FACILITIES: In accordance with the provision of the Mines Act 1952 and Rules and Regulations framed there under, subsidiaries of Coal India Limited are maintaining various statutory welfare facilities for the employees such as Canteen, Rest shelters and Pit- Head Baths.

7. NON-STATUTORY WELFARE MEASURES: In order to supply essential commodities and consumer goods at a cheaper rate in the collieries, Central Co-operative and Primary Co-operative stores are functioning in the Coalfield Areas of CIL. In addition, Co-operative Credit Societies are also functioning in the Coal Companies.

BANKING FACILITIES: The Management of Coal companies are providing infrastructure facilities to the various Nationalised Banks for opening their Branches and Extension Counters in the Coalfields for the benefit of their workers. Workers are educated to draw their salaries from Bank/Extension Counters and they are also encouraged to practice thrift for the benefit of their families. Holiday Homes: Coal India Ltd. has maintained seven Holiday Homes for its employees & their families.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A CSR initiative

Hero MotoCorp extended its partnership with the Maharashtra State Police. The Company presented 25 new Hero Duet scooters to the women police officers of Nagpur Police Department, under the project 'Bharosa Cell'.

Launched in January 2017, Bharosa Cell is a special initiative of Nagpur Police Department to provide assistance to distressed citizens, particularly women and children in the City.

Equipped with sirens, flash lights, PA systems and other essential police accessories, the new Hero Duet scooters will help women police officers in the city perform their patrolling duties more effectively.

Hero MotoCorp through its association with state police departments of eight Indian states including - Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telengana, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh - has handed over more than 600 two-wheelers to police departments under the various projects

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bharat Financial Inclusion (BFIL) and IndusInd Bank will be watched. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has, vide its letter dated 13 March 2018, conveyed its 'no objection' for the voluntary amalgamation of BFIL with IndusInd Bank, subject to compliance with the terms and conditions specified therein. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 March 2018.

The approval of the merger by the board of directors of BFIL was intimated to the stock exchanges on 14 October 2017. The amalgamation received the approval of the Competition Commission of India on 19 December 2017.

The proposed merger still requires approval from the stock exchanges/Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the National Company Law Tribunal, the respective shareholders and creditors of BFIL and IndusInd Bank and other applicable statutory and regulatory approvals.

Punjab National Bank (PNB) will be watched. With respect to news titled, "CBI to Special Court: Fraud amount by Gitanjali group companies increases by Rs.942.18 crs; Total amount of fraud in PNB case now stands at over Rs.13,600 crs; CBI also adds Section 409(IPC), Criminal breach of trust in FIR," PNB issued a clarification after market hours yesterday, 13 March 2018.

PNB clarified that the amount of Rs 942 crore were the regular limits sanctioned to Geetanjali Group under consortium lending, and were standard credit exposure at the time of detection of the fraud. Now, this exposure is being added to the existing fraudulent amount. This amount has nothing to do with any new fraudulent letters of undertakings (LoUs)/letters of comfort (LoCs).

IT major TCS will be in spotlight. Tata Sons sold 3.12 crore shares, or 1.63% equity, of TCS in two separate bulk deals on NSE yesterday, 13 March 2018. Tata Sons offloaded 2.05 crore shares at Rs 2,876.46 each. Another 1.06 crore shares were sold at Rs 2,872.19 each. As on 31 December 2017, Tata Sons held 73.52% stake in TCS.

Shoppers Stop said it has closed its HomeStop store at LEPL Icon Mall, Vijayawada, due to lower than expected business and its low profitability. The sale from this store for the last financial year was Rs 3.18 crore, which is 0.08% of the turnover of the company. With the closure of this store, the company has now 14 HomeStop stores under its operations. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 March 2018.

Usha Martin issued a clarification to the stock exchanges with respect to media news article captioned "Enforcement Directorate, SFIO waded into Rs 54-bn loans to Usha Martin group". The company said it has not been contacted by either SFIO or Enforcement Directorate in respect of any investigation into the loans granted to the company by its lenders and therefore, to the best of its knowledge and understanding no such investigation is going on. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 13 March 2018.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reliance Communications announced an update on the recent development relating to Assets Monetisation programme of the Company by the lenders:

1. Reliance Jio Infocomm (RJIO) has received an approval of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for the sale of Tower, Optic Fibre, Spectrum and MCN assets of the Company and its subsidiaries to RJIO.

2. On 12 March 2018, the National Company Law Tribunal, Mumbai Bench has stayed the tower and Optic Fibre Assets sale to RJIO based on the petition filed by 4.26% minority investors of Reliance Infratel, a subsidiary of the Company.

The Company will appeal for vacation of such stay before National Company Law Appellate Tribunal shortly after receipt of the detailed order. There is no stay for sale of Spectrum, MCN and real estate of the Company.

3. The appeal filed by the Company before Hon'ble Bombay High Court against Interim Order for stay of assets monetization passed by Arbitration Tribunal in the matter of Ericsson Master Service Agreement has been dismissed by the High Court. The Company has just received written order of the Hon'ble High Court and will take necessary actions in the best interest of all the stakeholders of the Company.

The Company expects the Secured Lenders of the Company will also take appropriate steps for the expeditious completion of processes transparently run by the lenders for monetization of their securities and realization of their dues.

As legally advised, the claims of minority investors of Reliance Infratel, subsidiary of the Company and / or unsecured vendors cannot under any circumstances rank in higher priority than the undisputed claims of secured domestic and international lenders and any stay granted in this regard is not defensible in law and is liable to be vacated.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has apprised that it had issued two circulars to banks, related to security and operational controls in SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) environment, in the months of August and November 2016. As per RBI inputs, compliance with RBI's instructions is the bank's responsibility and the Compliance Officer in the bank monitors the same. Further, RBI monitors compliance to its instructions on an ongoing basis and during RBI inspections and, where necessary, enforcement action is also initiated.

RBI has issued instructions mandating banks to implement, within stipulated deadlines, prescribed measures for strengthening the SWIFT operating environment in banks. Further, it has constituted an Expert Committee to look into, inter alia, factors leading to increasing incidence of frauds in banks and the measures (including information technology interventions) needed to curb and prevent it, and the role and effectiveness of various types of audits conducted in banks in mitigating the incidence of such frauds.

Government has issued an advisory to Public Sector Banks to take immediate action as per extant legal/regulatory framework to ensure that fraudulent activity is not prevalent in the bank.

They have also been asked to ensure that robust systems and procedures are in place for confirming due approvals, necessary applications/documents and entry in the bank's system in respect of all Letters of Undertakings/Comfort and SWIFT messages, and ensuring scrutiny and reconciliation of Nostro accounts, and to take all necessary steps to safeguard against occurrence of such frauds. Government has further advised nationalised banks to collectively prepare a report for effective management of operational risks, including technology risk, so as to safeguard against occurrence of frauds. Government has also asked nationalised banks to examine all accounts exceeding Rs. 50 crore, if classified as Non-Performing Asset (NPA), from the angle of possible fraud.

RBI has taken a number of measures to prevent and control frauds. These include the following:

a framework for dealing with loan frauds of Rs. 50 crore and above, under which banks classify potential fraud accounts as red-flagged accounts based on observation/evaluation of early warning signals, and take time bound action;

an online searchable database of frauds reported by banks, in the form of Central Fraud Registry, as a tool of timely identification, control and mitigation of fraud risk and for carrying out due diligence during credit sanction process;

issuance of caution advices by RBI, detailing names of fraudsters and their modus operandi;

re-verification of title deeds in respect of all credit exposures of Rs. 5 crore and above by banks, as mandated by RBI;

issuance of various master circulars to banks, with a view to restricting imprudent practices and at the same time ensuring sound procedures for conduct of business;

requiring banks to put in place adequate audit and compliance mechanisms with Board-level reporting through the Audit Committee of the Board; and

subjecting the systems and procedures in banks to supervisory review by RBI as part of the Risk Based Supervisory framework for banks.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ace designers Abraham & Thakore brought Delhi's street style to the runway at the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2018.

Female models with messy tresses and colourful hair pins hit the runway on Wednesday in outfits like embroidered ivory top and sari and printed ivory skirt, black cotton palazzos, khaki gabardine trench and salwar teamed up with jutis or trainers.

Male models, one of them with an artificial braid, also sashayed down the ramp in black gabardine trench coat, black silk crepe shirt, embroidered gold chudidar, cotton pant, printed kurta with gamcha and much more.

On getting the flavour of Delhi streets to the ramp, David Abraham of Abraham & Thakore brand told IANS about the collection titled #sadaksmart: "Everybody says street wear but it never echoes our street. It's always about street of some other culture. So we thought of looking closer to our street instead of London, Paris or Moscow."

Any specific Delhi street that inspired the line?

"The streets of Delhi/NCR. While sitting in the car and getting stuck in a traffic jam, I look out of the window and get my inspiration," Abraham said.

"It is only in Delhi where you will find women wearing a sequin sari and sitting at the back of a bike," he quipped.

The footwear were either original rubber shoes from the market or were made so the models walked with ease on the runway.

The other thing that was well reflected through their show was the selfie craze among Delhiites. As the designers took the final bow, a bunch of youngsters got on stage and started taking selfies with the models who happily obliged.

"We wanted that to be a part of our show as everything is about clicking pictures and posting on Instagram. Even at the fashion week, designers' Instagram handles are given," said Abraham.

--IANS

nn/pgh/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Setting aside bitter and historic rivalry of 25 years, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday evening drove to the residence of Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati to thank her for the support to his party candidates in the Phulpur and Gorakhpur parliamentary by-elections.

While Akhilesh Yadav had thanked the BSP chief who he fondly calls 'Buaji' (aunt) at a hurriedly-called press conference in the evening, he created a flutter in political circles in Lucknow as his cavalcade drove from his Vikramaditya Marg residence to the sprawling bungalow of Mayawati at Mall Avenue, a kilometre away.

They were closeted together for about 20 minutes.

What transpired between the two is not yet known but it is understood that the two discussed the poll outcome in which their parties had together routed the ruling BJP.

Sporting the 'brand SP' red cap, Akhilesh Yadav merely waved at the waiting media on his return and said nothing.

His security personnel had a tough time clearing the route as the media wanted to know the details of one of the biggest political developments in the state in the past two decades.

In Phulpur, SP's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel trounced his BJP rival Kaushlendra Singh Patel by 59,613 votes, while in Gorakhpur, SP's Pravin Nishad defeated BJP's Upendra Shukla by 21,881 votes.

The meeting between Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav has triggered speculation about a possible tie up between the two sides on lines of a grand alliance in the run up to the crucial 2019 general elections, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeks a second term for himself.
The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday informed a city court that Al-Qaeda tried to establish a base in Delhi through its operative Samiun Rahman, who was arrested in 2017 by the Delhi Police.

The Britain-based Rahman had planned to fight for the Rohingya cause in Myanmar and entered India illegally via Beenapole border in West Bengal from Bangladesh, the NIA said in its charge sheet filed before a special court at the Patiala House on Wednesday under the Arms Act, Foreigners Act, and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA had filed an FIR against Rahman, 29, on November 8 last year after he was arrested by the Special Cell.

The anti-terror agency said that Rahman alias Hamdan, a resident of Port Pool Lane in London, was staying in India on a fake identity of Shumon Haq alias Raju Bhai. The fake ID proof mentions his residential address as House No.88, Mullabadi post office, Dhantola Thakurganj, Kishanganj, Bihar.

"At the time of his arrest, a pistol and four rounds of ammunition were seized from Rahman. Incriminating material showing his allegiance to the Al-Qaeda and regarding his chat with the associates of the terror organisation was recovered from his laptop and mobile phone," said the NIA.

His parents moved to Britain from Bangladesh in 1960s and settled in Central London. Rahman's father was a businessman in London. Aged 19, Rahman was arrested by traffic cops in London twice. He was jailed for 18 months.

"In the London prison, Rahman got radicalised, and in 2012, when he came out, he went to Mauritania. Rahman was influenced by salafi teachings. Soon he was recruited by leaders of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb."

The agency said Rahman was later told to go to Syria and fight for Al-Nusra -- an affiliate of Al-Qaeda in Syria -- fighting against the Syrian government forces. After joining the terror outfit, he got three-week training in an Al-Qaeda camp in Syria.

During questioning, Rahman allegedly told police that in Syria, his group came to know about the "atrocities" on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. As he had stayed in Bangladesh for long, he was selected to raise a fighter group there. He was in contact with his outfit members via Facebook, WhatsApp, and telegram.

In 2014, Rahman arrived in Bangladesh using a British passport to radicalise youths to join Al-Qaeda with the help of Yasin, another Al-Qaeda cadre. He visited Silhet, Nabiganj, Dhaka and other places and radicalised dozens of youths in Bangladesh for their entry into Myanmar from the Chittagong side, the NIA said.

--IANS

rak/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is aware of China's objective to become a maritime power and India is keeping a constant watch on it, Parliament was told on Wednesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said: "The government is aware of China's stated objective of becoming a 'maritime power'."

"As part of this strategy, China is undertaking maritime activities and developing ports and other infrastructure facilities in littoral countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the vicinity of India's maritime boundary.

"The government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India's security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard it," Bhamre said.

The Minister was asked by Congress's K.V. Thomas if the Naval chiefs of Quadrilateral Nations -- the United States, Japan, Australia and India -- have called China a disruptive power.

Bhamre said Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba made no such statement.

US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris had called China a "disruptive force" in the Indo-Pacific region, during an event in New Delhi in January this year, where he shared the dais with Admiral Lanba, Australian Navy chief Vice Admiral Tim Barret and Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano -- the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan Self-Defense Forces.

--IANS

ao/nir/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the parties to the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masji dispute were free to settle the contentious issue between themselves but it will not ask them take it as a way forward except for deciding the title issue.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer said this as a number of applicants including the resident of Ayodhya and Faizabad urged to court to ask parties to the dispute - Sunni Wakf Board and Nirmohi Akhara - to arrive at a compromise.

"You say that they must compromise, how can we issue notice on it," said Justice Bhushan, making it clear that it was for the parties to settle the issue but as far the court was concerned it would not get into it except for deciding the title suit.

The court also said this to former Union Minister Arif Mohammad Khan who told the court that two professors of MIT Pune have drawn a plan to convert the disputed site into a place of worship for all religions and teaching of their spiritual tenets.

"If anybody is a professor or academician, he can speak to both the parties and if he succeeds, then he can approach us," Chief Justice Misra said declining the plea for court exercising its extra-ordinary power. "Inherent power must not grow up to this. It has its own limitation," he noted.

Rejecting about 20 intervention applications including by BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, 32 eminent people including Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen, Anil Dharkar, Teesta Setalvad and others, the court said that it would hear only those parties which were before the Allahabad High Court.

However, later the court revived the writ petition by Swamy saying that it would be listed before an appropriate bench. Swamy told the court that his contention is that the right of the worshipers is on a higher pedestal than the parties to the dispute to title suit.

Having rejected all the intervention applicants, the court asked senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan to address it on his plea that all the petitions should be heard by a larger five judge constitution bench.

"Address us on the question whether these appeals needs to be referred to the five judge constitution bench. First we will decided that and then proceed further," CJI Misra said recalling an earlier submission by Dhavan.

As the other side representing Ramlala and Nirmohi Akhara resisted the plea to refer the matter to five judge bench, he said: "We have to be persuaded that principle emerging from an earlier five judged bench needs reconsideration."

Addressing the bench, Dhavan, appearing for lead petitioner M. Siddiqui represented by his legal heirs, picked holes in 1994 top court judgment which, in one of its paragraphs, had said that mosques were not an integral part of religious practice of offering prayers.

He said that the question to be decided by the court is acewhat is the meaning of mosque to the Muslims" and "Do you take it as a gospel that a mosque is not essential to Muslims and Islam".

Assailing the principle emerging from 1994 judgment, Dhavan said that if this position was to be accepted then except for Makkah, Madinah and Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, rest of the mosques will be of no consequence to the Muslims.

"We can't have a narrow view of the essential and integral practices of Islam, otherwise we would deprive (the Constitution's) Article 25 - guaranteeing freedom of conscience - of its soul," he said.

The court was told this in the course of the hearing of a batch of cross petitions challenging 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict that had divided the disputed Babri Masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi 2.77 acres site between the Nirmohi Akhara, Lord Ram deity and the Sunni Waqf Board.

The top court was moved by Siddiqui represented by his legal heirs, the Nirmohi Akhara, the UP Sunni Central Waqf Board, Bhagwan Shri Ram Virajman, All India Hindu Mahasabha's Swami Chakrapani, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, the Akhil Bharatiya Sri Ramjanam Bhoomi Punardhar Samiti and others.

The next hearing is on March 23 when Dhavan will continue his arguments.

--IANS

pk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the BJP under-estimated the SP-BSP alliance that led to its defeat in the byelections to the prestigious Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats and termed it as a lesson to the party which would do an introspection.

Reacting to the shocking defeat of the party in the seats held by him and his Deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, he, however, expressed confidence that this would have no impact on the General Elections in 2019 in which national issues will play a dominant role and it will be a vote on the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"When the parliamentary byelections were declared, all opposition parties SP, BSP, Congress were fighting separately. Towards the end... in the midst of campaigning for the byelections, the SP and BSP entered into an unnatural deal in view of the Rajya Sabha biennial elections and there was some shortcoming on our part in understanding its impact and over-confidence is a factor in this," Adityanath said.

He said local factors play a role in byelections but in the General Elections, the good performance of the Modi government and its welfare schemes will have an impact in BJP's favour.

The Chief Minister conceded that the results were unexpected and the defeat is a lesson for the BJP which will do introspection about the causes of the setback and devise strategies to defeat the opposition. "The party needs to do a serious introspection rather than remain complacent," he said.

Adityanath said he accepted the verdict in the two byelections in the state as people are supreme in democracy but he hoped that people will also understand the harm that could come on the state due to this SP-BSP alliance.

He congratulated the two winners and hoped that they will work for development of the state.

--IANS

ps-aks-vsc/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aerospace major Boeing and Tata Group company TAL Manufacturing Solutions (TAL) on Wednesday announced the signing of a new contract for the manufacture of advanced composite floor beam (ACFB) for Boeing's 787-9 and 787-10 Dreamliner airplanes.

The US aviation major said it had awarded the first contract to TAL for the floor beams in October 2011, and TAL recently delivered the 13,000 floor beam successfully to 787 fuselage suppliers.

TAL has a dedicated manufacturing facility for Boeing in the MIHAN SEZ (multi-model international passenger and cargo hub airport - special economic zone) in Nagpur, India, from where it manufactures and ships the ACFBs.

"Boeing has provided advanced technology to support this partnership, and closely worked with TAL as they trained the frontline factory workers who are now delivering world class quality," Boeing India President Pratyush Kumar said in a statement.

Boeing and various Tata group companies have established partnerships in India to manufacture aerostructures for Boeing's commercial and military aircraft.

"The collaboration between Boeing and several Tata group companies on various aerospace and defence programmes in India will drive synergies and create future opportunities for both companies in manufacturing and innovation," said Banmali Agrawala, President, Infrastructure, Defence and Aerospace, Tata Sons.

Recently, Tata Boeing Aerospace had inaugurated its state-of-the-art Apache fuselage facility in Hyderabad, the statement added.

--IANS

ppg/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has told British Prime Minister Theresa May that his administration backs Britain "all the way" over the ex-Russian-spy poisoning case, a Downing Street spokesperson has said.

May had concluded that it was "highly likely" Russia was to blame for the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

The spokesperson said in a statement May spoke to Trump on Tuesday afternoon to update him on the investigation into the Salisbury incident and set out the conclusion reached by the British government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack, Xinhua reported.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used," the spokesperson said.

The White House also released a statement earlier on Tuesday, saying that Trump stated the United States stands in solidarity with "its closest ally" and is ready to provide any assistance the United Kingdom requests for its investigation.

"President Trump agreed with Prime Minister May that the Government of the Russian Federation must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom.

"The two leaders agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms," said the White House statement.

A Downing Street spokesman said May has also called French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier to update them of the investigation, both Macron and Merkel have condemned the attack and offered their solidarity with Britain.

Former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, a Russian citizen, were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in the district of Salisbury, England, on March 5. They remain in critical condition in hospital, according to British media reports.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia, while denying any involvement in the poisoning case, was ready to cooperate with Britain in the investigation of the incident in accordance with international law,

"Russia is innocent and Russia is ready to cooperate in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention if the United Kingdom condescends to honoring its international legal obligations related to the mentioned document," Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow.

--IANS

pgh/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain has ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats believed involved in espionage-related activities, the British Prime Minister announced on Wednesday, in the first wave of measures against Moscow for a nerve-gas attack against a former double agent.

Theresa May, speaking to Parliament, also outlined a range of other steps, including a halt to high-level meetings with Russian officials and calling off a planned visit to Britain by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Washington Post reports.

May repeated the conclusion of British investigators that Russia had either deployed or lost control of dangerous nerve agents used in the attack -- targeting the former spy and his daughter -- and called Russia's defiant response has "demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events".

"Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance," she told lawmakers while announcing the reprisal measures.

She gave no further details on the Russian diplomats ordered expelled, but said they were deemed "undeclared intelligence officers". She called it the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats from Britain since Cold War-era retribution in the 1970s.

May said more counter-measures were being considered. She said Britain sought support from the US, EU and NATO, but did not outline any requests she made from allies to join in the reprisals.

Earlier, Britain's Foreign Ministry also called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to update members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack. Russia, as part of the permanent five nations on the council, holds veto power over any possible UN moves to come.

"It is not in our national interest to break off all dialogue between Britain and Russia. But in the aftermath of this appalling act against our country this relationship cannot be the same," May said in Parliament.

--IANS

ahm/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 40-year-old son of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) legislator shot himself at his home in Chinhat area here on Wednesday, police said.

Vikas Verma was the only son of Lalji Verma who is a former state minister and legislator from Katehri state assembly seat of Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh.

Family members rushed him to the trauma centre at the King George's Medical University (KGMU) here but he could not be saved, a family member told IANS.

Vikas, who was reportedly suffering from an abdominal ailment, had made a similar attempt a year back by shooting himself at a gym in Ambedkar Nagar. He was saved that time by timely medical intervention.

He worked with the Mandi Samiti but had resigned. His wife works as a drug inspector with the state government and is posted here.

He had no interest in politics, one of his relatives said.

--IANS

md/nks/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved an agreement for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income between India and Iran.

"The agreement will stimulate flow of investment, technology and personnel from India to Iran and vice versa, and will prevent double taxation. The agreement will provide for exchange of information between the two countries and improve transparency in tax matters and will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance," an official statement said.

The agreement is on similar lines as entered into by India with other countries.

--IANS

mak/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday cleared a number of MoUs with Iran in the fields of health, medicine and agriculture.

The Cabinet retrospectively gave its approval to the MoU with Iran in the field of health and medicine which covers training of doctors, regulation of pharmaceuticals, medical devices etc, medical research, new technologies and knowledge based initiatives among other things.

The MoU was signed last month during the visit of the Iranian President Hasan Rouhani to India.

The Cabinet also okayed another MoU with Iran to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine.

"This will be of immense importance to both countries considering their shared cultural heritage. India is blessed with well-developed systems of traditional medicine including medicinal plants, which hold tremendous potential in the global health scenario," said an official statement.

"India and Iran share several common features in their language, culture and traditions and also share a common legacy of using herbal medicines. Both countries are home to rare medicinal plants which are frequently used in traditional systems of medicine," it added.

Yet another MoU cleared by the Cabinet retrospectively on Wednesday pertains to agriculture and allied sectors. The MoU was also signed last month during Rouhani's visit.

"The MoU provides for cooperation in the areas of agricultural crops, agricultural extension, horticulture, machinery, post harvest technology, plant quarantine measures, credit and cooperation," said a Cabinet release.

It also provides for cooperation in soil conservation and water management, integrated nutrients management, seed technology and agricultural marketing, it added.

"Livestock improvement, dairy development, animal health and other fields as mutually agreed upon fall within the scope of this MoU. Cooperation will also be effected through exchange of experts, materials and information, exchange of trainees and scientists on study visits/training programmes, facilitation of relevant conferences and workshops and any other means as may be mutually agreed upon," the release said.

The MoU will be valid initially for a period of five years and will be automatically extended for a subsequent period of five years unless either party notifies the other party of its intent of terminating it, it said.

--IANS

mak/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China on Wednesday congratulated Bidya Devi Bhandari on being re-elected as Nepal's President.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang expressed hope that Nepal would continue to make great achievements under the leadership of Bhandari and the Nepali government.

"China attaches great importance to Sino-Nepal relations and is willing to work with Nepal to strengthen mutual cooperation," Lu was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

Bhandari was re-elected for a second term through a Parliament vote on Tuesday.

--IANS

soni/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court on Wednesday granted bail to a Chennai-based advocate B. Kumar, one of the accused in a bribery case related to poll symbol allocation.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar granted bail to Kumar, who was named as an accused in the supplementary chargesheet filed by Delhi Police last year.

Meanwhile, sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran appeared in the court in pursuance of summons against him.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on April 4.

Dinakaran, accused of trying to bribe Election Commission officials to get the "two leaves" poll symbol for an AIADMK faction led by his aunt V.K. Sasikala, was arrested on April 25. He was granted bail on June 1.

--IANS

akk/ahm/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday expressed its concern over rise of e-waste in the city and asked the civic bodies whether there is any plan on its disposal.

The court's query came while discussing status of waste management in the city but the civic bodies failed to give it a satisfactory response on management of e-waste.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to make some effective policy to control rise of e-waste in city.

The court also sought response from Centre for Science and head Sunita Narain on the issue, while asking the municipal bodies and the Delhi government whether there was any policy to deal with the disposal of electronic waste, saying that it is a critical area which has so far escaped attention.

Electronic waste is a term for electronic products that have become unwanted, non-working or obsolete, and have essentially reached the end of their useful life.

The court was hearing PILs claiming the government and civic agencies have not taken preventive steps against vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya and dengue.

The court has listed the matter for April 11 for further hearing directing the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) to apprise it whether the waste management by-laws were being implemented in the areas under its jurisdiction.

--IANS

akk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Borussia Dortmund have prematurely extended the contract with Lukasz Piszczek, the eight-time German champions confirmed in a statement.

The Poland international has put pen to paper on a new contract, which will keep him with Dortmund until June 2020, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We are glad that after Marco Reus, we were able to bind with Lukasz Piszczek, another player on the long term. He is an institution on our right wing. It is not without reason that we lost none of the 31 Bundesliga games when Piszczu was there," Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Tuesday.

Piszczek joined Dortmund in summer 2010 from fellow Bundesliga club Hertha Berlin and established himself as one of the cornerstones in the defence. Since his arrival, he has made 196 appearances and provided 14 goals.

"Although I am not a Dortmund native, this club and these fans have grown to my heart over the years. I feel for years as a real 'Borusse' and never felt the desire to leave. I would like to end my career here," the 32-year-old defender said.

Since playing for the "Black-and-Yellows" he helped clinch the Bundesliga title 2010-2011 and the German domestic double in 2011-2012.

Borussia Dortmund are currently third in the German top division standings. They will clash with newly promoted Hannover in a Bundesliga tie on Sunday.

--IANS

ajb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Union's Special Envoy to Afghanistan on Wednesday hoped that "key player" China would mediate with the Taliban for acceptance of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer for unconditional peace talks.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Roland Kobia said the EU was not in contact with the Taliban and urged those countries that were, including China, to talk to certain Taliban groups and mediate in the conflict, Efe reported.

"China and the EU believe that this is an offer that is meaningful. It is an offer that presents an opportunity and a window that should be seized by all parties across conflict lines," Kobia said.

Kobia is on an official visit to China, where he met his Chinese counterpart, Deng Xijun, and discussed, among other issues, the ongoing peace process and terrorism.

Two weeks ago, Ghani had offered the Taliban political recognition and talks without any pre-conditions in order to reopen peace negotiations and end a long-running conflict.

The Taliban are yet to respond to the proposal, that was mooted at the opening of the second Kabul Process conference and has the backing of the international community.

"In these kinds of scenarios windows open very quickly but they can also close very quickly," Kobia warned.

In recent months, China has been making efforts to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan, two neighbours with a complex relationship as the latter accuses the former of supporting the Taliban.

China has significantly increased its interest in the region with an eye to boosting economic expansion in Central and South Asia under its so-called "New Silk Road" initiative.

--IANS

ahm/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
German contractor Rheinmetall has won a $4.08 billion contract to build 211 light armoured vehicles for the Australian Army.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull while announcing the contract on Wednesday, said it was the single-largest acquisition in the Australian Army's history, with the purchase and maintenance of the vehicles to cost $12.1 billion.

"This is about lethality and survivability. This is about capability and protection," Xinhua quoted Turnbull as saying.

The vehicles will be built at a new facility in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, creating 1,450 jobs across Australia.

The federal government also considered a bid by the Britain's BAE Systems, which would have built the vehicles in Victoria, but Defence Minister Marise Payne said the chosen prototypes had been through rigorous testing.

The vehicles will have a 30-year life and will be equipped for peacekeeping and high-threat operations, the Australian Defence Force said.

The opposition Australian Labor Party has accused the government of choosing Rheinmetall's bid to appease voters in marginal electorates in Queensland, a suggestion dismissed by Defence Industry Minister Chris Pyne.

--IANS

in/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Google on Wednesday celebrated the 30th anniversary of the mathematical constant Pi -- a fundamental element of several mathematical fields -- with a doodle of actual pies.

Google asked Cronut inventor Dominique Ansell to create the doodle for Pi Day which was first recognised by physicist Larry Shaw.

The award-winning pastry chef created the doodle using actual caramel apple pies.

The Google letters in the doodle are constructed from pastry, butter, apple and orange peel.

March 14 is celebrated as Pi Day when the date lines up in the numbers of the famous constant. The day looks like 3/14 for those that write dates in the month/day format, like in the US.

Pi (Greek letter "I") is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant -- the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter -- which is approximately 3.14159.

In geometry, 'Pi' plays an important constant in finding out the area of a circle.

According to piday.org, Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits beyond its decimal point.

"As an irrational and transcendental number, it will continue infinitely without repetition or pattern. Pi's infinite nature makes it a fun challenge to memorise, and to computationally calculate more and more digits," it said.

Mathematician Archimedes used polygons with many sides to approximate circles and determined that Pi was approximately 22/7.

The symbol was first used in 1706 by William Jones.

The use of Pi became popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737.

--IANS

na/in

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The shocking defeat of the BJP in Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary bypolls has raised the morale of the opposition parties, set a successful template for them for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and sent out a message that the BJP will not find the going easy in crucial Assembly polls in four major states this year.

The Samajwadi Party's triumph in Gorakhpur and Phulpur as also Rashtriya Janata Dal's retention of the Araria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar has led to demands for a Grand Alliance of opposition parties to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next General Elections.

The results of the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh are significant as they came almost a year after the BJP's unprecedented victory in the state Assembly polls. The two Lok Sabha seats were held by present Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Gorakhpur), and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya (Phulpur).

The BJP had won the two seats in 2014 by big margins of over three lakh votes. The failure to retain the two seats has again showed the BJP's vulnerability in a contest against a combined and determined opposition.

The BJP had been defeated by the Grand Alliance of Janata Dal-United, RJD and Congress in Bihar in 2015 Assembly elections despite aggressive campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If the Congress -- like the Bahujan Samaj Party -- had not put up its candidates in Phulpur and Gorakhpur and instead decided to support SP nominees, the victory margin of the winning candidates would have been bigger.

Any alliance between the three parties in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will make the going extremely difficult for the BJP and impair its chances of returning to power at the Centre. The state has 80 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP had won 71 of these on its own in 2014, with its ally bagging another two.

The poll verdict in Phulpur and Gorakhpur also showed a remarkable transfer of votes at a relatively short notice and has a lesson for the opposition parties.

The Bahujan Samaj Party had announced its support for SP candidates only about a week before the polling after the BJP triumph in Tripura Assembly elections and its improved performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya. The BSP, with its disciplined and dedicated workers, was particularly effective in the task.

The results in Gorakhpur and Phulpur will have ramifications for national politics, with the opposition parties now expected to step up efforts to forge an electoral alliance against the BJP for 2019.

United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has been holding meetings of like-minded opposition parties to discuss ways to take on the Modi government. Some senior leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee, are also expected to make renewed efforts to emerge as the pivot of opposition unity.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has pitched for the formation of a Third Front opposed to both the BJP and the Congress.

The shocking defeats have come at a time when BJP is facing trouble from its allies. The TDP has withdrawn its two Ministers from the Modi government over its demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Shiv Sena is becoming increasingly assertive and its MPs have also protested in Parliament when the government faced disruptions from the opposition.

The BJP-led government is also under sustained attack from the Congress and other opposition parties on a range of issues, including Rs 12,600 crore PNB bank fraud and its adversaries are likely to step up their attack in the coming days.

The results of by-elections have taken some sheen off the BJP's electoral performance in the northeast earlier this month.

The by-election results have shown that the BJP has to contend with diminishing returns in the Hindi heartland states which were crucial to its success in the 2014 polls.

Apart from its stunning success in Uttar Pradesh in 2014, the BJP had swept states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh.

The BJP's tally in the Lok Sabha has come down to 274 now from 282 in 2014.

But the opposition has its set of challenges in coming together against the BJP. It entails fighting far less number of seats, curbing ambitions and conceding space to parties who were rivals not long ago.

The ruling party in each state is keen to fight all or maximum number of seats and any alliance will entail hard negotiations.

There is also the question of putting up a prime ministerial candidate against Narendra Modi with Congress keen on Rahul Gandhi. The opposition parties are expected to wait for assembly elections this year in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh before taking a call on the issue.

--IANS

ps-bns/tsb/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mourned the death of British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, terming him a "celebrity face of modern physics".

"His physical challenges notwithstanding, Professor Stephen Hawking was the celebrity face of modern physics," Gandhi tweeted.

"A torchbearer for logic, reason and scientific temper, the professor left an indelible mark on our society.

"Like millions of his fans around the world, I mourn his passing," he added.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday -- leaving millions in mourning globally. He was 76.

--IANS

sid/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Himachal Pradesh government may file a review petition in the Supreme Court against a National Green Tribunal (NGT) directive banning constructions in green belts in Shimla, a state minister informed the assembly on Wednesday.

Replying to a question, Urban Development Minister Sarveen Chaudhary said the government was considering the issue sensitively.

"We had filed the review petition in the NGT on February 20. It was listed for March 13. But, two members of the NGT, including the Chairperson, have retired. We will see if the two member bench can consider it or we may file a review petition in the Supreme Court," she said.

Earlier, Congress member Anirudh Singh asked of her about the government's intention about framing a policy for regularisation of buildings.

The minister said the high court had given directions to the government from time to time on regularisation of buildings and had asked the government not to frame any policy.

"The government can't make any policy on its own," she added.

Acting tough against ongoing construction activities in Shimla, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on March 6 ordered that no construction of any nature would be carried out in vacant lands or green belts without its consent.

"No construction of any nature shall be carried out by the Municipal Corporation of Shimla over the vacant, green and common areas without leave of the court," a division bench of acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel said.

--IANS

vg/nir/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It was January 2001 when British physicist Stephen Hawking came to India for the first time, later describing the 16-day long tour as "magnificent".

In the first leg of the tour in Mumbai, Hawking addressed an international physics seminar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

He was felicitated with the first "Sarojini Damodaran Fellowship" during the "Strings 2001" conference.

Hawking delivered several lectures during the five-day seminar, including one titled "The Universe in a Nutshell," Quartz reported on Wednesday.

Later, Hawking took a city tour in a specially designed vehicle from Mahindra & Mahindra that accommodated his wheelchair.

The physicist also celebrated his 59th birthday at the Oberoi Towers hotel where he stayed.

In New Delhi, Hawking met then President K.R. Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan who later described the 45-minute meeting with the British physicist as "an unforgettable experience".

"Indians are so good at mathematics and physics", the British theoretical physicist had told the President.

According to Narayanan, Hawking was the "symbol of human hope and inspiration for all those who are handicapped in one way or the other".

Hawking also visited Jantar Mantar and Qutab Minar.

He delivered the Albert Einstein Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on January 15.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday. He was 76.

--IANS

na/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed an order directing a CBI probe into the murder of a Youth Congress worker in Kannur on February 12.

The stay comes on a plea by the state government, exactly a week after the single bench ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of 30-year-old Shoaib Mohammed, after his father approached the High Court.

The division bench posted the case for detailed hearing on March 23.

Expressing concern, senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran said the Kannur district party committee will approach the Supreme Court against the verdict.

Young CPI-M legislator A.N. Shamseer, who represents the Thalassery assembly constituency in Kannur, welcomed the stay order.

"We (CPI-M) have nothing to fear in this case even as four of the accused belong to our party.

"We have ousted the four from the party. The one reason why we opposed the CBI probe is because the state police have done a clean job and arrested 11 accused," said Shamseer.

The murder took place on February 12 when Shoaib, along with his friends, was at an eatery near Mattanur. Four persons came in a car and hurled bombs and then fatally slashed him with a sword.

Shoaib died on the way to the hospital.

--IANS

sg/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Claiming that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) would keep on working in taking the Hindutva movement forward in West Bengal, the organisation's state leadership on Wednesday said its membership has significantly increased here in recent years.

"In the last three to four years, the membership drive of RSS in West Bengal has yielded good results. The number of young men and women who have joined the 'Shakhas (daily gathering units), are really high. In 2013, the number of Shakhas in West Bengal was 750, it has increased to 1,279 so far in 2018," RSS South Bengal General Secretary Jishnu Basu told reporters here.

"In Bengal and few other states where the condition of the Hindus is not good, RSS would to try to increase its strength by increasing the number of shakhas and through its social welfare (seva) activities, so that the Hindutva movement in West Bengal can go forward and we can fight the anti-national forces like those in Dhulagarh, Kaliachawk and Khagragarh," he said.

Referring to the prohibitory order issued by the Kolkata Police on carrying "sharp and offensive weapons" in public places, Basu said it would abide by the state law and order during the Ram Navmi celebrations this year, as long as it applies to Muharram rallies as well.

"I think the success of Ram Navmi is not dependent on brandishing weapons. The decision on how to celebrate Ram Navmi this year would be taken when the time comes. We will abide by the law and order in the state. If the state says there should be no weapons in Ram Navmi and Muharram rallies, we should follow that," he said.

He also accused the state government of wrongly jailing their activists during Ram Navmi last year and said that the state ruling Trinamool Congress' decision to celebrate Ram Navmi themselves this year, shows they are willing to come back to the mainstream.

"RSS does not aim to be a supporter or rival of any particular political party. So if the state ruling party Trinamool Congress or the left parties in Kerala celebrate Ram Navmi, it is good. This is what the Hindu society wants," the RSS leader said.

"The Bengal government imprisoned 105 innocent youths for celebrating Ram Navmi last year. This year they themselves are willing to celebrate Ram Navmi. It shows that their mindset has changed and they are willing to come back to the mainstream. We welcome this change," he added.

--IANS

mgr/ssp/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Angela Merkel was officially re-elected the German Chancellor with the majority of lawmakers in the lower parliament backing her candidacy in a vote on Wednesday.

The majority vote in the Bundestag means the Christian Democratic Union leader embarked on her fourth term at the helm of German following months of negotiations with the Social Democratic Party (SPD) that culminated in the revival of the so-called grand coalition.

In a secret ballot, 364 of the Bundestag's 709 members voted in favour of Merkel -- nine more than the 50 per cent required, CNN reported.

The former leader of the SPD, Martin Schulz, had initially ruled out a new grand coalition, vowing to take his party into opposition, but was forced to change his stance after coalition talks between the CDU, Green Party and liberal FDP collapsed in November, raising the possibility of new elections.

After weeks of negotiations, a coalition treaty was produced and later approved by SPD members who voted via postal ballot.

Merkel will first travel to the Berlin residence of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to be officially nominated before returning to the Bundestag to be sworn in as Chancellor later in the day.

--IANS

soni/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is of late involved in mediation on the Ayodhya issue, says the best solution to the festering Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute is an out-of-court settlement under which the Muslims gift the land to the Hindus for building a grand Ram Temple.

The 61-year-old spiritual leader, who met leaders of both Sunni and Shia sects of the Muslim community recently, also says that he is not in touch with the government -- and that it has nothing to do with his efforts.

Ravi Shankar, who has a global following, denies vehemently that he talked of "bloodshed" in case the Supreme Court rules the title dispute in favour of one community or the other.

"Because it's Lord Ram's birthplace, there is such a strong feeling connected with the place. And since it is not that important place for Muslims and (is) also in a place where there is conflict, namaaz is not acceptable. Anyway, it is not going to serve the purpose; and when it is not serving the purpose of the other community (Muslims), then, it should be gifted," he told IANS in an interview.

Ravi Shankar said that if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Mandir then there will be heartburn. If it rules for the Masjid, there will agian be heartburn.

"So, in either case, there will be discord in society. I want to create a win-win situation, where both communities come together and respect for each is restored, where respect of each is honoured. That is the formula we are suggesting... why not do it?" he said.

The spiritual leader said he was hopeful that an out-of-court settlement could be reached because he has been talking to people in both the communities, and they both agree that there should be a settlement.

"On that only (was) the initiative mooted. It's not that I jumped into it suddenly," he said.

Asked if there were any deadlines for finding an amicable solution ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he said, "No such deadline. I am just saying what would be the best for both communities. Nothing to do with elections, not at all. Only an amicable solution."

Ravi Shankar acknowledged that the temple dispute was a polarising factor all over India and that is why there was a need for all communities to come together.

"It is more relevant to come together and build bridges -- and this initiative will build bridges," he said.

Asked about his meetings with leaders of the Shia and Sunni sects of the Muslim community, Ravi Shankar said that both the sects agree that they should settle the matter outside court.

"There is already a Shri Ram Temple existing there (at the disputed site). They all know that it cannot be removed. So, we should sit and talk," he said.

Sunni scholar Maulana Salman Nadwi was expelled from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on February 10 after he backed Ravi Shankar's formula following a meeting with him -- along with Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board chief Zufar Farooqui -- at the Art of Living Bengaluru ashram. Ravi Shankar met Nadwi again in February in Lucknow.

On March 6, Ravi Shankar wrote to AIMPLB proposing an amicable solution where Muslims would gift the entire 2.77 acres of the disputed site to Hindus as a goodwill gesture and, in turn, Hindus would gift five acres of land near the site, to build a bigger mosque. The AIMPLB, however, had rejected Ravi Shankar's proposal.

In a letter to the president and members of AIMPLB on March 6, Ravi Shankar spoke of "four options before the country" to resolve the dispute and discussed the possible outcomes of the Supreme Court's verdict favouring one community over the other.

Referring to the first possibility of the court declaring that the site be given to the Hindus based on archaeological evidence that the temple existed long before the Masjid, Ravi Shankar said Muslims would have serious apprehensions about the legal system and lose faith in the judiciary. This could also lead to Muslim youth taking to violence.

Even though the Muslim Personal Law Board and other community leaders say that they will accept the verdict, in the long run the feeling that the court has done injustice will prevail for years.

If the Hindus lose the case and the land is gifted to Muslims for re-construction of the Babri Masjid, it would cause huge communal disturbance all over the country. "Winning this one acre of land, they would, however, permanently lose the goodwill of the majority community," he said.

Ravi Shankar talked about the Allahabad High Court judgement allowing both a temple and mosque to be built there being upheld, and the "fourth option" of a temple through legislation, and said in the letter to AIMPLB leaders that "in all the four options, whether through the court or through the government, the results will be devastating for the nation at large and the Muslim community in particular".

"The best solution, according to me, is an out-of-court settlement in which Muslim bodies come forward and gift one acre of land to the Hindus who, in turn, gift acres of land nearby to the Muslims, to build a better mosque. It is a win-win situation in which Muslims will not only gain the goodwill of 1,000 million Hindus, but it will also put this issue to rest once and for all.

"A palak nama (plaque) will recognise that this temple has been built with the cooperation of both the Hindus and Muslims. It will put to rest the issue for future generations and coming centuries," he said in the letter.

Asked about his reported remarks on bloodshed, Ravi Shankar said, "I have never said that. It's a distortion. I said that we don't want a conflict in this country like what I have seen in Syria."

(Kushagra Dixit can be reached at kushagra.d@ians.in and V.S Chandrasekar at chandru.v@ians.in)

--IANS

kd-vsc/tb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Love to gaze at the clouds and admire nature's creativity? NASA invites you to take part in a citizen science cloud observation challenge.

As a part of its GLOBE Programme -- an international science and education programme beginning March 15 through April 15 -- citizen scientists of all ages can make up to 10 cloud observations per day using the GLOBE Observer app or one of the other data entry options (for trained GLOBE members).

"The GLOBE Programme is offering this challenge to show people how important it is to NASA to have citizen scientist observations, observations from the ground up," Marile Colon Robles, from NASA's Langley Research Centre in Virginia, US, said in a statement.

"We're going from winter to spring, so the types of storms will change, which will also change the types of cloud," Robles said.

The challenge participants with the most observations will be congratulated by a NASA scientist in a video posted on the GLOBE Programme's website and on social media.

Cloud data collected by citizen scientists are highly valued and used by researchers because it helps to validate data from Earth-observing instruments.

"Looking at what an observer recorded as clouds and looking at their surface observations really helps us better understand the images that were matched from the satellite," Robles said.

One does not need to be a cloud-gazing pro to participate. For those who want to be part of the challenge but don't have a lot of experience identifying clouds, Robles offers the following advice: "Just go outside".

The more clouds you observe, she said, the more comfortable you'll be collecting data.

--IANS

rt/nks/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail petition of ruling Congress MLA N.A. Haris's son Mohammad Nalapad, who was in judicial custody for allegedly assaulting a youth at a city centre cafe on February 17.

"The bail petition has been dismissed," said Justice S. Harish Kumar in the order.

Nalapad, 24, along with six other accused in the assault case, was sent to the central jail in the city outskirts, after a city court sent them to 14-day judicial custody for investigation.

A sessions court had earlier rejected Nalapad's bail plea on March 2.

"The judge felt that the attack on the youth was ghastly and hence dismissed the bail petition after going through the evidences," special public prosecutor M.S. Shyam Sundar told media here.

Meanwhile, Nalapad's counsel C.V. Nagesh told media that he would appeal against the single order before a division bench of the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Nalapad and the six accused were arrested on February 19 after they surrendered at the Cubbon Park police station in the city centre and a kilometre away from Farzi Cafe in the upscale UB City Mall where the youth (Vidvat) was brutally assaulted following an argument.

Haris, a two-time lawmaker from the Shantinagar assembly segment in the city centre, had earlier tendered an apology in the state legislative assembly for the violent conduct of his son.

--IANS

fb-bha/ahm/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Union government on Wednesday ruled out any plan to issue a White Paper on the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, which has been questioned by opposition parties.

Congress MP K.V. Thomas, in a written question in the Lok Sabha, had asked if the government had been urged to issue a White Paper on the Rafale deal by "defence experts as well as some political leaders", and its reaction.

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre replied in the negative to both the questions. "No such proposal has been received," Bhamre said.

Opposition Congress has alleged that the deal for 36 Rafale fighter planes with the French government was finalise at a higher price than the previous deal for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA).

In a reply in the Rajya Sabha earlier, Bhamre had said that no price was arrived at in the previous deal, which never saw a conclusion.

"It had not been possible to finalise the terms and condition for acquiring the 126 aircraft even after a protracted process from the period of issue of Request for Proposal (RFP) in 2007 to the unsuccessful commercial negotiations up to 2014," the Minister had said.

The Congress has alleged "irregularities" in the agreement to buy 36 Rafale jets off-shelf from France.

The opposition party has claimed that the fighter jets are being bought at a price higher than what was negotiated in the previous MMRCA deal wherein 126 jets were to be bought -- the deal included assembly of a number of fighters in India.

The government has maintained that the price India is getting under the Inter-Government Agreement is lesser than the MMRCA deal and, citing security concerns, has refused to reveal the price arrived at.

--IANS

ao/tsb/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government is prepared to pay a higher offtake price to producers of biofuel than it does for fossil fuels in a bid to boost the use of clean energy, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Wednesday.

Addressing the Delhi Energy Dialogue conclave here organised by Ashden India, he also said that the government is prepared to loan entrepreneurs up to Rs 1 crore for setting up biofuel plants.

Noting that state-run Indian Oil Corp has agreed to give offtake guarantees to bio-gas producers, Pradhan said: "For bio-fuels, the offtake amount works out to a little more than for the traditional one which factors in the price of crude oil, refining...but we are ready to give this extra amount to promote renewable energy."

"Government is committed to any amount for green energy...entrepreneurs can get loan of up to Rs 1 crore," he said, adding that the Union Budget 2018-19, presented last month, had announced incentives for "waste-to-wealth" conversion projects, including the Gobar Dhan scheme focused on producing bio-CNG.

Pradhan announced last week that the government will soon bring out a National Biofuels Policy for a sector poised to become an economy worth Rs 1 lakh crore.

The policy would detail the architecture for India to make the move towards adopting second generation, or advanced, biofuels, from the current first generation ones being used, which are essentially sugar-based.

He also said that state-run oil marketing companies (OMCs) are preparing to set up 12 advanced biofuel refineries in various states over the coming years.

Speaking earlier on Wednesday at the curtain raiser of the upcoming 16th International Energy Forum (IEF) event, Pradhan renewed India's call for "responsible" crude oil prices, expressing confidence in the IEF's ability to create a roadmap for a new pricing mechanism.

"We all are concerned about responsible price mechanism. We do not expect low oil prices and understand the various difficulties of low prices in the long haul - decrease in exploration and production activities, low capital expenditure environment," he said.

"However, we also have to take care of the interest of the consumers especially in an aspiring country like India. We need a balance. We have to have affordable energy price," he added.

The 16th ministerial meeting of the IEF is being held in India after 22 years.

--IANS

bc/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American rock-pop band One Republic will be performing in India for the first time in April, and they are looking forward to exploring the "beautiful country" along with playing for the Indian audience.

The band, which is made up of Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Eddie Fisher, Drew Brown and Zach Filkins, will perform at MMRDA Grounds, Bandra Kurla Complex here on April 21, read a statement.

In a joint statement, the band members expressed their excitement about the gig.

"We've wanted to visit India for years, and are beyond excited to finally get the chance to not only perform a full concert but also explore your beautiful country. See you soon," they said.

India's event management company Opium Events is getting the band to India.

"We have been in talks with the management since over six months now as we realise that the band enjoys a great repertoire in the country with a significant fanbase originating out of India," said Cyrus Gorimar, Director, Opium Events And Production.

"Our pre-registrations have seen a phenomenal response with more than 10,000 registrations received in a span of 24 hours and we are anticipating close to 15,000 fans for the event.

"The production and scale of the event will be extraordinary with a multi-crore spend invested into the event," added Gorimar, who is also an avid rock musician.

The band was formed in Colorado in the year 2002, and is credited for hits likes "Apologize", "Secrets", "Good life", "Counting stars" and "Oh my my".

Apart from India, the Grammy-nominated band will also perform in Singapore, South Korea, China, Malaysia as part of their two-week Asia tour.

--IANS

sug/rb/in

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday conceded that the Samajwadi Party-BSP alliance and overconfidence by the BJP led to the party's defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats.

In his first reaction to the BJP's rout by the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath said the result will be reviewed threadbare by the party and it will brace up for the gauntlet thrown at it by the coming together of the SP and BSP.

Other than overconfidence by the BJP, the last-minute coming together of the arch rivals SP and BSP scuttled the BJP's chances, he said.

While extending his good wishes to the winning candidates, the 45-year-old said they were unable to understand the "rajnaitik saudebaazi" between the SP and BSP.

"Now that they are a winning combination, the BJP will chalk out a strategy to thwart the march of the people who are out to block the development ushered in by the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state."

State BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey attributed the loss to the low polling percentage.

"A detailed analysis will be done and we will plug in our loopholes and ensure a better showing in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections."

Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who held the Phulpur LS seat earlier, said the BJP failed to understand that the BSP voter base would shift en bloc to the SP.

--IANS

md/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Elated over the victories in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav credited the outcome to BJP's "misgovernance" and also thanked once arch foe and BSP leader Mayawati for supporting his candidates.

After Samajwadi Party candidates were declared elected from both the constituencies, Akhilesh Yadav said this was a fitting reply to the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh and that the results carried a "message and direction".

"I am thankful to the people of these two places," he told the media.

"Jo sarkaar janta ko dukh deti hai, janta usko sahi jawaab deti hai," he said. "Acche din toh aaye nahi, janta ek ho gayi aur BJP ke bure din laane ka kaam kiya." (A government which gives pain to the people gets a fitting response from the people. Good days never dawned for the people and so bad days have started for the BJP.)

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister extended his gratitude to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati for her support to his candidates.

Once bitter rivals, the two parties set aside their differences and came together in a determined bid to defeat the BJP.

Yadav also raised questions over the functioning and integrity of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and said that the margin of victory would have been "in lakhs, not in thousands" had the voting been done through ballot papers.

He took a dig at Adityanath, saying the Chief Minister had been "mocking at the Constitution of India" through his words and actions.

"Perhaps there has never been a Chief Minister who mocked at the Constitution like he has done. On the floor of the House, he said that he does not celebrate Eid because he was a Hindu.

"In the House, he instructed the police to kill criminals in 'encounters' or even to cut them into pieces if needed," Yadav said.

Celebrations broke out in many parts of the state as Samajwadi Party cadres smeared each other with Holi colours and raised slogans in favour of the BSP-SP alliance.

"Bua-Bhatija Zindabad" slogans rent the air at some places. BSP and SP flags fluttered together.

The Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Singh Patel emerged victorious in Phulpur with a margin of 59,613 votes.

Pravin Nishad beat his BJP rival in Gorakhpur, a seat held by the BJP since 1989, by 21,881 votes.

--IANS

md-mak/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite the jailing of its star campaigner Lalu Prasad, the RJD on Wednesday won the Araria Lok Sabha and the Jehanabad Assembly seats while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua Assembly seat, officials said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal's Sarfaraz Alam defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Pradeep Kumar Singh by over 60,000 votes in Araria, triggering calls for a Grand Alliance - a la Bihar - all across India to take on the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

In Jehanabad, Suday Yadav of RJD defeated Janata Dal-United candidate Abhiram Sharma by 35,036 votes.

BJP's Rinki Pandey worsted Sambhu Patel of the Congress, a RJD ally, by 15,000 votes in Bhabua. All three seats went to the polls on Sunday.

It was a direct fight between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Grand Alliance of the RJD-Congress in Bihar, a year ahead of the next Lok Sabha battle.

With the original Grand Alliance having come apart and the JD-U deserting it and joining hands with the BJP, there was a lot at stake for everyone in the by-elections: the RJD, JD-U, BJP and Congress.

"People have rejected Nitish Kumar's decision to join hands with the 'jumlebaaz' BJP as NDA was defeated in the earlier Assembly polls," RJD spokesperson Ramanujan Prasad said.

RJD leaders and workers celebrated across Bihar by distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers.

At the Bihar Assembly premises, RJD legislators played Holi, splashing each other with colour powder.

Elsewhere, RJD workers beat drums and raised slogans hailing Lalu Prasad, who has been jailed for corruption, and his son Tejashwi Yadav, who asked opposition leaders to join hands at the national level to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha battle.

The balloting in Jehanabad and Bhabua followed the death of RJD and BJP legislators respectively.

The Araria Lok Sabha seat became vacant after the death last year of Mohammad Taslimuddin, the RJD MP.

The RJD fielded Sarfaraz Alam -- son of Taslimuddin and a legislator of the ruling JD-U. Last month, he left the JD-U and quit the Assembly to join the RJD.

He is a former legislator from Jokihat in Araria district.

--IANS

ik/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Investment proposals worth over Rs 1,500 crore were received in the two-day Hill Business Summit that concluded here on Wednesday, said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"My industry friends held discussions and agreed to investment over Rs 1,500 crore in the Darjeeling region. There are so many areas like agriculture, eco-tourism, tea, transport, horticulture, medicinal plants, orchids, home stay tourism where we can work better," Banerjee said in the concluding session of the summit in this north Bengal hill town.

Describing the first ever business summit here as a "positive step", she said it would give a boost to the economy.

The Chief Minister said the hill development body Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and the state government, besides the local people have worked hand in hand to make the summit a success.

She said while Darjeeling was an international tourist spot, tourism related industries were never nurtured in the places like Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik.

Banerjee said the Luxmi Group, that owns the Makaibari Tea Estate, has agreed to pump in Rs 300 crore at Makaibari and Matigara.

She said the Keventer Group has also expressed its willingness to invest in the region.

The Confederation of Indian Industries has prepared a plan, the final version of which they would submit soon.

Banerjee said an education hub would come up in Kurseong, where the Presidency University is setting up its Himalayan Centre.

"Our target is to help the people of Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik, especially the young people, to get employment," she said.

The Chief Minister announced that a folk art centre would be built in Mirik, a future cultural hub.

"There are great opportunities for food processing, hotel, dairy and aquarium, orchids, eco-tourism, medicinal plants and agro-industries," she said.

Three hundred youths from the north Bengal hills would be recruited as state police home guard soon.

In an indirect reference to the history of violence and disruptions like strikes and shutdowns related to the movement of a separate Gorkhaland state that has impacted the economy of the northern Bengal hills for decades, the Chief Minister urged all to maintain peace.

"Don't be afraid. Let us all work together to take Darjeeling forward. Remember, the abundant resources that you have here, is enough to produce good results provided they are utilised properly. If we are on the right track, no one can pressurise us," she said.

"Remember, Delhi is far off, we are all part of Bengal," she said, perhaps alluding to the recurring instances of pro-Gorkhaland leaders turning to Delhi for support during crisis situations in the region.

Banerjee alleged that whenever the economy picks up in Darjeeling, "there is a game to push the region back. This should not happen".

"We don't want anything from Darjeeling, except peace".

--IANS

ssp/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sacked US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned of Russia's "troubling behaviour and actions" in a parting statement after being fired by President Donald Trump.

Speaking to reporters at the Department of State, Tillerson said good work had been done to have better relations with China, and rein in North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, the BBC reported.

However, the former Secretary of State also added: "Much work remains to respond to the troubling behaviour and actions on the part of the Russian government.

"Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly. Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

Sounding breathless and looking shaken, Tillerson said he had spoken to the President to ensure clarity in the days ahead. He pointedly failed to thank Trump or praise his policies.

Although Tillerson will not officially leave until March 31, his deputy John Sullivan would take over running the State Department pending the confirmation of Mike Pompeo.

Trump fired Tillerson via Twitter on Tuesday, naming CIA Director Pompeo as his replacement. He also named Gina Haspel as the first female director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil chief, had a series of public rifts with the White House after being appointed last year.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House Trump on Tuesday said his differences with Tillerson came down to personal "chemistry".

"We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible. I guess he thought it was OK."

"With Mike, Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well," Trump said.

"What is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges," Tillerson said.

Tillerson is the latest in a long list of senior officials who have either resigned or been fired since Trump took office.

The White House and Tillerson have had a series of public disagreements - and that continued until the very end, the BBC report added.

Both sides have offered different accounts of when the Secretary of State was told he was being fired.

--IANS

in/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In results that can set the tone for the 2019 general elections, the BJP on Wednesday received a severe drubbing in the Lok Sabha and assembly by-elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar losing four of the five seats, including the prestigeous Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary constituencies, after non-BJP parties teamed up in alliances against the saffron party in the two states.

The BJP also lost the Araria Lok Sabha constituency and the Jehanabad assembly seat while scoring a consolation win in Bhabhua assembly seat in Bihar. The results in both the states triggered calls for a Grand Alliance - a la Bihar - all across India to take on the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

After sweeping the Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and the assembly elections last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced formidable rivals in the form of Samajwadi Party (SP) and BSP who stitched a last minute alliance in the by-polls. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati had announced the backing of her party for SP candidates in both the constituencies in return for a SP support to her party candidate in the Rajya Sabha biennial elections.

The BJP lost Gorakhpur seat to the SP by a margin of 21,961 votes. SP candidate Pravin Kumar Nishad got 4,56,437 votes over his nearest BJP rival Upendra Dutt Shukla who secured 4,34,476 votes. Congress candidate Sureetha Kareem polled 18,844 votes.

Yogi Adityanath, who had represented Gorakhpur seat in the Lok Sabha for five times, winning the last elections in 2014 with a margin of 3.13 lakh votes, resigned from the seat after he was became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Before him, his mentor Yogi Avaidyanath was MP from the seat for two terms, in 1991 and 1993.

In the Phulpur constituency, which was once represented by first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, SP candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel defeated BJP candidate Kaushalendra Singh by a margin of 59,613 votes.

The winner polled 3,42,796 votes while BJP candidate got 2,83,183 votes. Former mafia don-turned politician Ateeq Ahmed secured 48,087 votes while the Congress's Manish Mishra polled 19,334 votes.

The SP has been the runner-up on Gorakhpur seat many times before, while it had won the Phulpur seat four times since 1996. BJP won Phulphur Lok Sabha seat for the first time in 2014 when (now) Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya won by a margin of over three lakh votes.

In 2014, BJP and its ally Apna Dal had won 73 of 80 Lok Sabha seats and 325 out of 403 seats in the 2017 Assembly elections.

In the neighbouring Bihar, the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) dealty a stunning blow to the saffron party and its ally JD-U headed by Chief Minister Nitsh Kumar when it bagged the Araria Lok Sabha seat.

The RJD's Sarfaraz Alam defeated the BJP candidate Pradeep Kumar Singh by over 60,000 votes in Araria.

In Jehanabad assembly constituency, Suday Yadav of RJD defeated Janata Dal-United candidate Abhiram Sharma by 35,036 votes while BJP's Rinki Pandey worsted Sambhu Patel of the Congress, a RJD ally, by 15,000 votes in Bhabua assembly constituency.

It was a direct fight between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Grand Alliance of the RJD-Congress in Bihar, a year ahead of the next Lok Sabha battle.

With the original Grand Alliance having come apart as the JD-U deserted it and joining hands with the BJP, there was a lot at stake for everyone in the by-elections: the RJD, JD-U, BJP and Congress.

Workers of SP and RJD celebrated across Uttar Pradesh and Bihar by distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers.

At the Bihar Assembly premises, RJD legislators played Holi, splashing each other with colour powder.

Elsewhere, RJD workers beat drums and raised slogans hailing Lalu Prasad, who has been jailed for corruption, and his son Tejashwi Yadav, who asked opposition leaders to join hands at the national level to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha battle.

The balloting in Jehanabad and Bhabua followed the death of RJD and BJP legislators respectively. The Araria Lok Sabha seat became vacant after the death last year of Mohammad Taslimuddin, the RJD MP.

The RJD fielded Sarfaraz Alam -- son of Taslimuddin and a legislator of the ruling JD-U. Last month, he left the JD-U and quit the Assembly to join the RJD.

He is a former legislator from Jokihat in Araria district.

--IANS

md-ik-aks-vsc/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a dramatic turn of events since the 2014 general election, the Samajwadi Party was on Wednesday set to wrest from the BJP the two Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh that had been vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

As the vote count moved towards the final rounds, Samajwadi Party candidate from Gorakhpur Praveen Nishad had secured 334,463 votes, with the Bharatiya Janata Party's Upendra Dutt Shukla at the second spot with 308,593 votes.

At the end of the 25th round of counting in Phulpur, Samajwadi Party candidate Nagendra Patel had bagged 271,752 votes, establishing an unassailable lead of over 38,498 votes over the BJP's Kaushlendra Singh Patel (233,254 votes).

Mafia don-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmad, contesting as an Independent from inside the jail, won 33,818 votes while Manish Mishra (Congress) got 11,934 votes.

The setback comes as a huge shocker to the year-old BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, where Adityanath, who has represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha seat for five consecutive times, vacated it after becoming the Chief Minister.

Similarly, Phulpur MP Maurya resigned from the Lok Sabha after he was named the Deputy Chief Minister in the government.

Both the Lok Sabha constituencies voted on Sunday.

"This is a rejection of both (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath)," Samajwadi Party spokesman Anurag Bhaudauria told IANS.

"They have been making tall promises but not delivering on the ground," he said, explaining why the voters appeared to have turned away against the BJP so dramatically in these two seats since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

Samajwadi Party leaders admitted that the Bahujan Samaj Party's decision to back the main opposition party so as not to split the opposition vote played a critical role in the outcome.

In 2014, the BJP stunningly won 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats while one of its allies secured two. The Samajwadi Party won from five seats. The Congress and the BSP drew a blank.

The Samajwadi Party took early lead right from the beginning of the vote count that began on Wednesday morning and steadily built up the gap with its BJP rivals as officials counted the tens of thousands of votes.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela earlier sparked a storm by barring journalists from entering the counting centre and did not announce details of counting after the first two rounds.

As it became clear that the BJP was headed for a twin rout, overjoyed Samajwadi Party activists and leaders took to the streets in Phulpur and Gorakhpur to celebrate. Sweets were distributed while party workers threw Holi colour on one another.

--IANS

md/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a significant turn of events, the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday gained critical leads in both the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh that were earlier held by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

The Samajwadi Party candidate in Gorakhpur, Pravin Nishad, led by over 1,500 votes over his nearest rival, Upendra Dutt Shukla (BJP). The BJP has held the seat for seven terms.

Earlier, District Magistrate Rajeev Routela refused entry to journalists at the counting centre and no poll leads were given out after the first round.

Following protests by political parties and the media, Routela let them in but only after many rounds of counting was over.

In Phulpur, the Samajwadi Party candidate, Nagendra Singh Patel, after nine rounds of counting, had taken an almost unassailable lead of over 10,000 votes over BJP's Kaushlendra Singh Patel.

The Samajwadi Party has polled 99,557 votes and the BJP 87,326.

Mafia don-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmad, contesting as an Independent from within the jail, has got 13,737 votes after nine rounds of voting. Manish Mishra of the Congress polled 4,443 votes.

The Bahujan Samaj Party had extended support to the SP in the by-elections.

--IANS

md/in/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a major blow to the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, backed by its otherwise bitter foe BSP, wrested the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh and was set to win in Gorakhpur, seats vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.

Samajwadi Party candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel defeated his nearest Bharatiya Janata Party rival Kaushlendra Singh Patel by 59,613 votes, leading to noisy celebrations and calls for opposition unity across the nation to defeat the BJP in next year's Lok Sabha battle.

The results were announced after 31 rounds of counting.

The Bahujan Samaj Party had extended support to the Samajwadi Party in a bid to avoid a split in opposition vote.

Amid beating of drums and distribution of sweets, the victorious Nagendra Patel not only thanked the people of Phulpur for his victory but said he also had the blessings of 'behenji' Mayawati along with his own leader Akhilesh Yadav.

Mafia don-turned-politician Ateeq Ahmad, contesting as an Independent from inside the jail, won 33,818 votes in Phulpur while Manish Mishra (Congress) got 11,934 votes.

Yogi Adityanath and Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively after being elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly.

As the vote count moved towards the final rounds, Samajwadi Party's Praveen Nishad had secured 334,463 votes in Gorakhpur, with the BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla at the second spot with 308,593 votes. One official said Nishad had won.

The setback comes as a huge shocker to the year-old BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, where Adityanath has represented Gorakhpur in the Lok Sabha seat for five consecutive times.

Both the Lok Sabha constituencies voted on Sunday.

"This is a rejection of both (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath)," Samajwadi Party spokesman Anurag Bhaudauria told IANS.

"They have been making tall promises but not delivering on the ground," he said, explaining why the voters appeared to have turned away against the BJP so dramatically in these two seats since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

In a rare show of camaraderie, Samajwadi Party leaders admitted that the BSP decision to back their party played a critical role in the outcome.

In 2014, the BJP stunningly won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats while one of its allies secured two. The Samajwadi Party won from five seats. The Congress won two seats and the BSP drew a blank.

The Samajwadi Party took early lead right from the beginning of the vote count that began on Wednesday morning and steadily built up the gap with its BJP rivals as officials counted the tens of thousands of votes.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela earlier sparked a storm by barring journalists from entering the counting centre and did not announce details of counting after the first two rounds.

--IANS

md/mr/soni

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stars paid their condolences to British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking following his death on Wednesday. While actor Eddie Redmayne remembers him as a "ladies man", the official Twitter account of "The Big Bang Theory", a TV series that witnessed appearances of the famed professor, also remembered him.

Redmayne got candid about the celebrated physicist he played in the Academy award-winning film, "The Theory of Everything" in an unearthed interview, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Speaking about meeting Hawking in the interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2015, the British actor described him as "as one of the most charistmatic men he's ever met and he's definitely a ladies man."

He also said that he reminded him of actor James Dean because he has this "kind of shabby and cool sex appeal." He also divulged that due to his nerves he kept saying "Professor Hawking" repeatedly to which Stephen said: "Call me Stephen."

Redmayne then joked that because you can't change the tone of the voice equipment that Hawking used to communicate, he wasn't sure whether he had told him to call him by his name in a really friendly gesture or in a "stop being such a sycophant" way.

However the 36-year-old concluded that he was "so, so generous."

He is not the only one who remembered Hawking as some of the stars even posted their memories on social media, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Big Bang Theory (official Twitter account of the show): In loving memory of Stephen Hawking. It was an honour to have him on 'The Big Bang Theory. Thank you for inspiring us and the world.

Katy Perry: There's a big black hole in my heart hours before Pi day. Rest In Peace

Kumail Nanjiani.: RIP Stephen Hawking. Genuinely very sad to hear that. If you haven't, read A Brief History of Time. It'll make the world feel more amazing and beautiful and strange. It'll also make you feel smart and stupid all at once.

Emmy Rossum: Just sitting here absolutely shattered about Stephen Hawking.

Tommy Chong: Stephen have a sweet journey and we will see you again soon I hope.

--IANS

nv/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Renowned British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday. He was 76.

His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," Hawking's children said in a statement.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him for ever," the statement added.

Hawking is survived by three children -- Robert, Lucy and Timothy -- from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren.

Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England.

Known the world over for his acclaimed book "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes", Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- a progressive neuro-degenerative disease -- in 1963 at age 21, The Guardian newspaper said.

Hawking's doctors gave him nearly two years to live but he defied the medical history and survived for decades.

For the rest of his life, the physicist used a wheelchair to move around and a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerised voice with an American accent.

For Hawking, the early diagnosis of his terminal disease ignited a fresh sense of purpose.

"Although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research," he once said, the paper reported.

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all," Hawking added.

With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory, suggesting that space and time began with Big Bang and end in black holes.

In 1974, Hawking proposed what is known as his most significant theory that black holes can emit sub-atomic particles.

Published for the first time in 1988, "A Brief History of Time" stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for an unprecedented 237 weeks. It sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 different languages.

Hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, Professor Hawking never won a Nobel Prize.

In India, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Science Minister Harsh Vardhan condoled the demise of Hawking.

"Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations," Kovind said in a tweet.

Modi also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Hawking and said: "Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic".

The US space agency NASA tweeted: "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014".

"We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science -- making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses," tweeted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

The physicist's inspiring story gave birth to the 2014 movie "The Theory of Everything," which was based on a memoir by Hawking's first wife Wilde.

Actor Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Hawking in the film won him an Oscar for Best Actor.

Hollywood stars paid their condolences to Hawking.

While actor Eddie Redmayne remembers him as a "ladies man", the official Twitter account of "The Big Bang Theory", a TV series that witnessed appearances of the famed professor, also remembered him.

--IANS

na-in/hs

(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.)
Sudan and the European Union (EU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on combating terrorism.

The MoU on Tuesday was signed by Sudan National Anti-terrorism Authority and the Spain-based International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), a group selected by the EU to carry out its program for supporting the rule of law and combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, Xinhua reported.

It aims to exchange experiences and tighten enforcement of Sudan's laws concerning terrorism, extremism and violence.

Sudanese Undersecretary of Foreign Abdul-Ghani al-Naeem, highlighted Sudan's support for fighting all forms of terrorism and extremism.

"Sudan has endorsed the most important legal tools regarding combating terrorism and harmonizing its local legislations accordingly," al-Naeem said.

Meanwhile, Pedro Flores, director general of FIIAPP, also underlined important role of Sudan in combating terrorism.

"Sudan is not only an effective member in the field of combating terrorism but is also part of the international strategy for confronting this phenomenon," Flores said.

--IANS

pgh/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A youth from Telangana, who was killed along with two Kashmiri militants in a gunbattle with the security forces in the border state last week, was allegedly working for international terror group Islamic State, police said.

Mohammad Taufeeq, 26, killed along with two Kashmiri youth in the gunfight on the intervening night of March 11 and 12 at Hakkora in Anantanag district, was a native of Manuguru in Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

A senior police official said he was radicalized into Islamic State (IS) ideology through social media and went to to participate in terrorist activities of IS.

"He was not wanted into any of the criminal cases in Telangana state. Further details are being verified," the official added.

The police statement came amid the claims by the IS and Ansar-ul-Gazwat-ul-Hind, an Al Qaeda franchise in Kashmir, that the third militant, who was killed along with two local militants was a resident of Hyderabad in Telangana.

According to reports, this could be the first time that a militant from outside the state died fighting in

The security agencies have voiced their concern that this could influence more Indian youth to turn to for militancy.

About a dozen youth from Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana were arrested by police over last couple of years on charges of allegedly planning to join IS in Syria and Iraq or recruiting youth for the terror outfit.

--IANS

ms/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fans of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" buying the movie for home use will also get access to a cut of the movie where the only audio is of John Williams score.

The music-only edit was revealed by the film's director Rian Johnson on Twitter, who called it his favourite special feature.

The catch, however is that to access it, customers will have to sign up for the Movies Anywhere app, the Disney-backed digital movie aggregator which is the exclusive home for the score-only of "Last Jedi".

Williams has teased a potential retirement from the franchise following next year's "Episode IX".

--IANS

ks/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has inspected prototypes for his long-promised wall along the border with Mexico in a tour that drew both supporters and protesters.

"If you don't have a wall system here, we're not gonna have a country," Trump warned while touring the eight prototypes of the wall he promised to build to keep out illegal immigrants near San Diego in the state of California.

His inspection on Tuesday, of the prototypes made of concrete, steel and other materials marks his first visit to California since assuming office, Xinhua news agency reported.

He is also the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to skip a visit to the "Golden State" during the first year in office.

Since the construction work began in September, dispute between the White House and California, a Democratic stronghold that is at the forefront of resistance to his anti-immigration policy, has been fuelling.

The President on Tuesday showed his preference to the border wall that he promised to build in the 2016 presidential election, saying the wall should can be "see-through" and tall enough so that illegal immigration can not climb over.

"You have to have see-through," Trump said when he checked the prototypes, which are each 30 feet (9.1 metres) high and 30 feet (9.1 metres) long , standing 10 metres away from the old fence. "You have to know what's on the other side of the wall."

Trump described some people who illegally cross the border "like professional mountain climbers."

"They're incredible climbers. They can't climb some of these walls." he said, adding "Some of them they can. Those are the walls we're not using."

Trump also spoke to members of the Border Patrol about the old fence and the new wall, saying the old one, even though much more effective than nothing, could only deter about 95 per cent of criminal activity, but the new wall is "going to stop 99 per cent, maybe more than that".

Trump urged Congress at the prototype construction site to fund his long-promised border wall, which will cost $18 billion according to the 10-year-period construction plan.

He claimed that the Mexican government will pay for the wall earlier and changed his words now that the wall will pay for itself since it will stop crimes from the other side.

"The border wall is truly our first line of defence," Trump said. "It will save thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud and burdens on schools and hospitals."

--IANS

pgh/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actors, filmmakers and music experts from the Indian film industry mourned the death of British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose contribution to science and humanity they will remember for a lifetime.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died in London on Wednesday. He was 76.

Here's what film celebrities from India tweeted:

Vishal Dadlani: Oh wow. This hurts. It really hurts. What a guy, what a story, what a life, what a humongous contribution to humanity, to our knowledge and understanding of the universe. Stephen Hawking, thank you for sharing your genius with us all.

Preity Zinta: Time waits for no one. Not even for Stephen Hawking. R.I.P. to one of the most iconic scientist of our time. Thank you for your contribution to our world.

Dia Mirza: RIP Stephen Hawking. Thank you for your braveheart, your curiosity, your humour, your genius. "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

Resul Pookutty: "Remember to look up at the stars not down at your feet"! A sad day for all of us. Stephen Hawking is no more! The man who overcame everything and told us the Theory Of Everything.

Satyajeet Dubey: Stephen Hawking: "No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization. There is probably no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe-and for that I am extremely grateful." RIP

Farhan Akhtar: RIP Stephen Hawking. A major loss to the scientific community and to the millions he inspired through his work and life. Condolences to the family.

Sujoy Ghosh: Goodbye Stephen Hawking. Science must be very sad today.

Nivin Pauly: Redefining what science means and smiling his way through life. The wheelchair was just an excuse to carry the burden that his brains put to this world. "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."

Manoj Bajpayee: Your life will always be celebrated for the huge contribution you made to the humanity. You will be missed.

Adnan Sami: Rest in peace dear Stephen Hawking. Thank you for enlightening us during your 'brief' journey on earth. We will always adore you here immensely.

Sudhanshu Vats: Thank you Stephen Hawking for making science fun and overcoming adversities, possible. You were, are and will be the brightest star and the biggest inspiration of the modern era. May you rest in peace.

--IANS

rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Wednesday claimed that the BJP had suffered reverses in bypolls in two parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh because of SP leader Naresh Agrawal's induction into the saffron party.

I don't consider that the SP-BSP tie up has worked I believe that Lord Ram was angry with you (BJP) the day you (BJP) rolled out the red carpet for the SP leader, who has criticised Lord Ram, he said.

In the prestigious Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat, the home turf of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla was trailing behind Praveen Nishad of the SP.

In Phulpur, SP candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel had raced ahead of his nearest BJP rival.

The election to the two constituencies were held on March 11. A day later, Agrawal quit the SP to join the BJP after he lost out to actor-turned-politician Jaya Bachchan in the race for re-nomination to the upper house.

The bypolls were necessitated after Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively, following their election to the state legislative council.
Prashant Kumar Panda, special secretary to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been transferred to Puducherry following an order of the Union Home Ministry.

The services department of Delhi government on Tuesday issued an order relieving the 2007-batch IAS officer with effect from March 19 after getting an approval from Lt Governor Anil Baijal.

Last month, the Home Ministry had issued an order transferring nine IAS officers of Delhi government, including Panda.

The relieving order of the special secretary to the Delhi chief minister came a day after V K Jain, Advisor to Kejriwal, resigned citing personal reasons. Jain had been questioned by Delhi Police in connection with the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash.

"The Lt Governor is pleased to relieve (nine) IAS officers (including Panda) from Government of NCT with effect from March 19, 2018 to enable them to join their new assignments in pursuance of Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs order..dated 12.02.2018," an official order of the service department stated.

There are around 70 IAS and 450 Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) officers working with the Delhi government.

Since the AAP government was formed, the Delhi government and bureaucracy have been at loggerheads on a range of issues.

In December 2015, DANICS officers went on mass leave for one day when two special home secretaries were suspended by Delhi Home Minister Satyender Jain.
iStock/Thinkstock(PITTSBURGH) -- The stakes are high in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District special election as both Democrats and Republicans are closely watching the results for indications of how the 2018 midterm elections may play out and for signs of which party might control the House of Representatives after November.



Polls closed at 8 p.m. ET. Check back to ABCNews.com for results.



12:05 A.M. - Absentee ballots still out



The last two remaining precincts in Westmoreland County have now reported, as well as their absentee ballots, and Conor Lambs lead has dropped to 579 votes. Now all 100 percent of precincts are reporting, but we are still waiting for absentee ballots in Greene and Washington counties and provisional ballots in all four counties. Washington County ballots are expected to be counted Tuesday night and Greene County absentee ballots are expected to be counted Wednesday.



Provisional ballots could take up a week to be counted. There are an unknown amount of provisional ballots to be counted.



12:02 A.M. - Republicans indicate they will contest a close race



The National Republican Congressional Committee said the race was too close to call and indicated they would contest a close race.



"This race is too close to call and were ready to ensure that every legal vote is counted. Once they are, were confident Rick Saccone will be the newest Republican member of Congress," said NRCC Communications Director Matt Gorman in a statement.



"The NRCC is proud of our efforts in this race to promote Ricks message, motivate Republican voters, and hold Conor Lamb accountable."



11:46 P.M. - Democrats declare victory, even though the race hasn't been called



The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has declared victory, even though the race has not been officially called.



I want to congratulate Conor Lamb and his team of grassroots supporters on an incredible victory. Im excited to have Conor as a colleague and look forward to working with him on the critical issues facing our country, DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan said in a statement.



These results should terrify Republicans. Despite their home field advantage and the millions of dollars outside groups poured into this race, Republicans found that their attacks against Conor, including their unpopular tax scam, were not believable, he said.



The key line of the night from Lujan, which shows the Democrats thinking on how tonight will affect the battle to control the House: There are more than one hundred districts more favorable for Democrats than this one and we look forward to competing hard in every single one.



11:40 P.M. - "Hang in there."



Rich Fitzgerald, the county executive for Allegheny County, spoke at Conor Lambs headquarters Tuesday night and told the crowd of supporters to hang in there.



We have a still few votes to count, he said. Conor is just so grateful for everybodys support. This campaign is really about the grassroots.



He also pleaded with the crowd to stay at the party.



Hang in there we still have a little bit of a ways to go. We dont want anyone to go home yet.



Meanwhile, Rick Saccone addressed his supporters and told them they would emerge victorious.



Were going to fight all the way to the end. You know I never give up, he said.



He thanked them for coming out to the polls and urged them to go home if they wanted as they did not know how late the night would go.



Were going to keep fighting. Dont give up, he said. Were going to win it.



11:39 P.M. - 99 percent of precincts reporting



With 99 percent of precincts in the district reporting, the two candidates are running neck and neck. Fewer than 850 votes separate the two of them.



ABC News estimates the two outstanding precincts we will only yield about 1,000 votes. Another few thousand absentee and provisional ballots are still being counted.



11:22 P.M. - The Associated Press will not make a call tonight



The Associated Press is not declaring a winner in Tuesday's special election for Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District because the race between Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone is too close to call.



Under Pennsylvania state law, supporters of the trailing candidate can request a recount.



11:19 P.M. - The excitement will continue



Washington County has decided they will count their absentee ballots tonight: 1,195 absentee ballots there need to be counted. The clerk says it will take between one and three hours to count them. Stay tuned!



10:57 P.M. - Less than 800 votes separate candidates



While the race remains a dead heat at 50-50 with less than 800 votes separating the two candidates, we are still waiting on 7 percent of precincts from Washington County and one percent of precincts in Westmoreland County plus the absentee and provisional ballots..



10:56 P.M. - Saccone and his family praying



A Saccone family friend told ABC News' Becky Perlow that Rick Saccone is upstairs, in the area above his campaign headquarters, surrounded by friends and family. Theyre all sitting around, telling stories and sharing pictures on their phones of each others kids. Earlier they stood around holding hands and praying.



10:25 P.M. - Democratic turnout is way up



Turnout in the most Democratic county, Allegheny, was 6 percentage points higher than the other three more Republican counties that make up the 18th Congressional District. But, a bigger part of the math that made this race so tight was that Conor Lamb also seems to have swung votes and outperformed Hillary Clinton across the board, doing 10 percentage points better than the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.

10:07 P.M. - Saccone and Lamb are neck and neck



With more than 95 percent of precincts reporting in PA-18, Rick Saccone and Conor Lamb are separated by just over 1,000 votes in the raw total.



About 6,000 absentee ballots have been returned in PA-18 and none have been counted so far. Allegheny and Westmoreland counties expect to count them later tonight in their final report, but Greene and Washington counties say they will not count them until tomorrow.



9:45 P.M. - Saccone inches forward in vote count



Our ABC News analysis shows this will, in fact, end up being an extremely tight race. Democratic Conor Lamb right now is tracking at the number he needs in the raw vote tabulation in each county in order to tie.



With more than 70 percent of precincts reporting in the district, Republican candidate Rick Saccone has made up ground on Lamb.



We estimate there are over 40,000 votes out in Westmoreland and Washington counties and about 18,000 votes out in Allegheny county and as a result, we expect the current five-point margin appearing in vote totals to shrink more and tighten.



Westmoreland is the second largest county in the district, which Trump won in 2016 by 34 percentage points. Saccone is currently leading Lamb by 14 percentage points, contributing to the narrowing of results.



Lamb is obviously doing better in the most Democratic of precincts, but where Lamb is outperforming Clinton the most right now is in actually the most Republican precincts.



9:31 P.M. - Saccone watching results, not TV



Several of the voters at Saccone headquarters are wearing Trump hats or pins. And a spokesperson for Saccone tells ABC News' Becky Perlow that the candidate is upstairs, above the rally with his wife, son Matt, Matts wife and his two grandkids. Theyre not watching the news. They just keep refreshing the Pennsylvania Secretary of State website, watching the results.



9:13 P.M. - Saccone making up some ground



With 35 percent of precincts reporting, Republican candidate Rick Saccone is making up ground.



Precincts are starting to report in Westmoreland, the second largest county in the district, which Trump won in 2016 by 34 percentage points. Saccone is currently leading Lamb by 10 percentage points, narrowing the gap weve seen so far in the raw vote.



9:04 P.M. - Lamb still outperforming Clinton



Lamb is also leading in the vote tabulation in Washington County and strongly outperforming Hillary Clinton in the county. In the 2016 race, Trump bested Clinton by over 25 percentage points, currently, Lamb is leading Saccone, although these are still the very first votes to come in from the county.



9:01 P.M. - Saccone voter praises candidate's support for Trump



Holden Sczerba, a 19-year-old Duquesne University College Republican vice president, told ABC News he supported Saccone because he's the best candidate to support Trump's agenda. He also mentioned the tax cuts Republicans passed, which is an issue the GOP hopes will get them traction with voters in other contests.



ABC News' Becky Perlow reports from Saccone's headquarters that the energy in the room is nervous excitement. They all expect Saccone to win, given the district's red history. Most of the voters here are personal friends of Saconne's  people who have known him for 15, 20+ years, and have shared stories about him as a friend, a military veteran, and more.



8:57 P.M. - Lamb is outpacing Clinton's 2016 performance



Lamb is currently leading in the raw vote tabulation, but most of these numbers are from Allegheny county, the largest and the most Democratic of the counties in the 18th Congressional District. Lamb is outperforming Hillary Clinton in both Allegheny, the largest county in the district, and in Greene, the smallest, despite Saccone currently leading in Greene. In 2016, President Trump won Greene count by 43 points.



8:48 P.M. - First set of numbers rolling in



The first numbers are coming in and Democrat Conor Lamb is out-performing Hillary Clinton in the first precincts to report. We should caution these are the very first results.



The first votes posted more than 45 minutes after the polls closed and the numbers are changing by the minute.



8:46 P.M. - And what is Trump doing tonight?



For those curious as the Pennsylvania 18th Congressional District results continue rolling in, President Donald Trump is currently attending a fundraiser at the Beverly Hills estate of Ed Glazer, who is the owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.



Tickets for the fundraiser range from $35k-250k per person for the Trump Victory committee, the joint fundraiser between the Trump reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee.



The committee expects the event will raise $5 million.



8:39 P.M. - The role of unions



ABC News talked to Reading, Penn. Mayor John Fetterman who argued that Lamb ran as a moderate Democrat and that fit the mold of the district. In particular, Fetterman cited Lamb's support for unions as a part of his success.



"The major miscalculation Saccone has made is talking about his right-to-work chops. I think that's really going to cost him the election," he said.



8:15 P.M. - Conor Lamb supporters hopeful



At Conor Lamb headquarters in Canonsburg, Penn., a roar went up at 8 p.m. when polls closed, a major milestone for so many of the party's attendees who have braved the western Pennsylvania cold all winter to canvass for the political novice. All election night parties begin as spirited affairs but there's a notable buzz in the air here and campaign staffers have been doing a poor job of hiding their grins.



8:00 P.M. - Polls have closed in Pennsylvania



6:25 P.M. - The sights and sounds of election day



Conor Lamb took his grandmother to the polls to vote this morning in Carnegie, Pennsylvania. Rick Saccone thanked President Trump as he exited the voting booth.



See below for a round-up of the sights and sounds of Election Day so far in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District.



5:42 P.M. - Both candidates urging last minute voters to get to the polls



With just two and a half hours left until polls close, both Republican Rick Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb are taking to Twitter to urge those last minute voters to get out and vote before 8 P.M.



Turnout is expected to be key in the special election tonight, and both candidates are obviously aware they can't leave any votes on the table.



3:51 P.M.  Candidates project aura of optimism



ABCs News "18 for 18" reporter Adam Kelsey, on the ground in the 18th Congressional District, reports that both campaigns have attempted to project an aura of optimism as voters head to the polls.



Democrat Conor Lambs campaign aides and volunteers are downright bubbly when you speak to them, clearly aware that their candidate has made major strides in this deep-red district, win or lose.



On the other side, GOP candidate Rick Saccone told ABC News on Monday that he was feeling confident.



As for voters?



Kelsey notes that are the Hillary Clinton supporters who have been horrified by the past year and are downright giddy at the chance to set off a blue wave while there are President Donald Trump supporters trying to "save the country.



Then there are the union members who want to save their jobs and think Lamb is the candidate who will look out for them because Saccone has defended "right to work" laws.



And there are union members who want to save their jobs and know that Saccone will back Trump's tariffs (although Lamb supports them too) and the "America first" agenda to do it.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said it was clear that people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win.

He also said the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but that would not happen overnight.

"Congratulations to the winners of today's by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning.

"The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight," he tweeted in Hindi.

The Samajwadi Party won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat and was poised to bag the Gorakhpur seat, the constituencies vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively.

The Bahujan Samaj Party gave its support to the SP in the two seats while the Congress put up its own candidates.

The BJP was also set to lose in the Araria Lok Sabha by-election with the RJD establishing a convincing lead.

In the two assembly by-polls in Bihar, the RJD won the Jehanabad assembly seat while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua assembly seat.
Nearly 1,680 cases of custodial deaths were registered by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in the last 10 months in the country, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said 1,530 cases of deaths in judicial custody and 144 cases of deaths under police custody were registered by the NHRC between April 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018.

During the period, 19 cases of alleged fake encounters were also registered by the NHRC, of which six had taken place in Uttar Pradesh, he said replying to a written question.

As many as 365 cases of judicial custodial deaths in Uttar Pradesh were registered by the NHRC between April 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018, as many as 127 such cases in West Bengal were registered by the NHRC, 118 cases each in Punjab and Maharashtra, 107 cases in Madhya Pradesh and 102 cases in Bihar were also registered by the NHRC, Ahir said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two persons, who were interacting with a three-member team of the UN Military Observers Mission for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) near the LoC, were injured in an alleged cross-border firing, a media report claimed today.

Dawn online reported that the incident occurred at noon in Abbaspur sector of Poonch district where the UN observers had reached in two white vehicles hoisting blue UN flags.

"The UN observers were interacting with local people in Polas village when suddenly Indian troops resorted to burst firing from across the dividing line located hardly one kilometre away from there," Qazi Arslan, a police official in Abbaspur, was quoted as saying by the paper.

The firing injured two locals.

Arslan claimed that the UN observers "barely saved their lives" and rushed to Abbaspur to inquire about the condition of the victims who had been evacuated to a health facility.

The Army or the Foreign Office has not issued any statement so far.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 270 youth from northeastern states today met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra who invited them to visit the famous cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Reasi district.

The youth, including women, from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram are here under the North East Youth Exchange Programme organised by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesperson said.

The youth visited Raj Bhavan and met the Governor, who invited them to visit the Vaishno Devi shrine.

The governor, who is also the chairman of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, directed the officials concerned to make all arrangements for their visit and to treat them as guests of the board, the spokesperson said.

Vohra said the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangthan could prepare documentaries of such cultural programmes and circulate them for viewing by school and college students in different states.

Highlighting the importance of youth exchange programmes, he said these are valuable for promoting understanding among people belonging to different areas of the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister Jitendra Singh today awarded certificates of appreciation to 34 central government ministries for implementing e-office in departments under them, according to an official statement.

The minister gave certificates of appreciation to the secretaries of these ministries and appealed to other departments and ministries to follow the same practice, and shift to e-office.

Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, appealed to the state governments to adopt the practices of good governance.

E-office is one of the projects under Digital India programme which allows 'paperless' working.

The government intends to make all its departments paper-free in the near future, the minister said.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG) is the nodal department for implementation of e-office project. National Informatics Centre (NIC) is the technical partner in this project.

Since August 2016, DAR&PG is coordinating with all central ministries through rigorous review meetings on the status of implementation of e-office.

"As a result of this continuous and proactive monitoring, the level of ministries/departments on e-office has risen from six to 34. The number of active e-files has increased from 7,848 to 7,33,374," the statement issued by the personnel ministry said.

Departments of defence production, commerce, pensions and pensioners' welfare, food and public distribution, and shipping ministry have been given the certificate of appreciation by the minister.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the "biggest ever" seizure of cannabis in the city, the Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai police today seized 500 kgs of the banned substance worth around Rs one crore from three persons, an official said.

According to a police official, the trio was arrested after the seizure.

"The cannabis was seized on the Eastern Express Highway between Kanjurmarg-Vikhroli service road by the Azad Maidan unit of ANC," Shivdeep Lande, Deputy Commissioner of Police (ANC) said.

Three members of an inter-state gang, hailing either from Nashik or Jalgaon, were arrested in this connection, he said.

The drugs was being brought into Mumbai in a pick-up jeep, he said.

"The seized cannabis is worth around Rs one crore in the international market and this is the biggest ever seizure of cannabis made by Mumbai police," he said.

A probe is on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special court here has awarded life term to six people for raping a 12-year-old girl who later became pregnant.

The court specifically mentioned that the arrested persons will remain behind the bars for their whole life.

Special judge Savita Dube awarded the punishment on March 12 and also imposed a total fine of Rs 1.20 lakh on the six accused.

The DNA report conclusively established that one of the accused was the biological father of the aborted foetus of the girl, a release issued by police headquarters said today.

On November 3, 2017, a member of NGO Railway Childline Service spotted the girl begging at a railway station, following which a police officer questioned her and later handed her over to a women care institution.

As the girl was not in good health, she was taken to a hospital where the medical examination revealed that she was three to four months pregnant, a police official said.

Later, due to certain complications, the foetus was aborted.

The girl later told the police that she was raped by some men in a dilapidated structure near the railway station, some weeks before she was spotted by the NGO member.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) subsequently registered a case and the accused were arrested on the basis of leads, the official said.

The samples of the girl's foetus and other body parts and that of the accused were then sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory at Sagar for DNA tests, which established the involvement of the accused in the crime.

Based on the FSL report and other investigations, the court awarded the sentence to the six accused, identified as Salman, Manish Yadav, Mangal Thakur, Rajesh Takla, Salman alias Shadab and Arjun, while pronouncing them guilty under relevant Indian Penal Code sections and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 60 Naxals led by local commanders are suspected to have been involved in the deadly attack on a contingent of the CRPF in Chhattisgarh's district yesterday, a senior police officer said on Wednesday.

Nine CRPF personnel were killed and two others wounded after Maoists blasted their mine-protected vehicle (MPV) using over 50 kg of explosives in the Kistaram area of the Maoist-hit district, around 500 km from the capital Raipur.

"We have received inputs that the Kistaram area committee of Maoists was involved in the attack on CRPF personnel. Some local commanders were leading the Maoist squad," Special Director General (Anti-Naxal Operations) D M Awasthi told PTI.

Four automatic weapons of CRPF jawans were reported to be missing from the attack site, he said.

Awasthi, along with Senior Security Advisor in Union Ministry of Home Affairs K Vijay Kumar and CRPF Director General Rajveev Rai Bhatnagar today visited the Palodi camp of security forces in and took stock of the situation.

According to ground inputs, at least 60 Naxals had gathered to execute the attack. They first triggered a blast targeting the MPV and then started firing, he said.

A road opening party of the state's Special Task Force (STF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG), which was patrolling on the same route in view of visit of SP Abhishek Meena, immediately launched retaliatory action after hearing the sound of the explosion, Awasthi said.

In the meantime, personnel of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a unit of the CRPF, also reached there and countered the rebels, the IPS officer said.

The distance between Kistaram and Palodi is around 5 km and the strike took place half way mark where camps of security forces are located. Therefore, reinforcement was rushed to the spot from both directions, he said.

Security personnel travelling in the blast-hit MPV were carrying eight automatic rifles, of which four were recovered after the attack, while the rest are missing, Awasthi said.

The attack took place around 12:30 pm along the 5 km under-construction Kistaram-Palodi road when the troops of the 212th battalion of the CRPF were out for an operation, said officials yesterday.

(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.)
Jammu and Kashmir has 8 per cent children, in the age group of 0-5, who are registered under Aadhaar in the state, an official spokesperson said.

A meeting of the Department Related Standing Committee (DRSC-IV) of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council was held here under the chairmanship of MLC, Ramesh Arora, to discuss the overall working of the Information Technology department.

The Committee also discussed the issues about expediting the process of the issuance of Aadhaar card and asked the concerned officials that maximum efforts be made for the age group of 0-5 age where only 8 per cent children are covered so far, the spokesperson said.

Legislators Vibodh Gupta, Saif-ud-Din Bhat and Naresh Kumar Gupta attended the meeting and highlighted the issues regarding the working of the IT department.

The Committee observed that free internet WiFi should be made available to all the employees of the Assembly secretariat including Legislatures.

The chairman of the Committee said that the nodal officers be nominated to get information for various proposals and also monitor the uploading of information, besides issuing instructions to all the concerned departments to upload the requisite information on time.

The chairman said there are approximately 42 schemes sponsored by the state and the central government in the Social Welfare Department and instructed the IT Department to upload special software so that status of the persons, who apply for widow, old age pensions, and handicapped and other categories, can see their status easily.

The Committee sought a detailed report about expenditure incurred for adopting the system in the Legislature Council and be submitted to the Council Secretariat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The AAP Government has told the Delhi High Court that it has written to the Centre to consider amending the penal provisions to deal with the serious issue of chain snatching in the national capital.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to positively file a status report on the action taken by it on the letter written by Delhi government.

Delhi government's additional standing counsel Gautam Narayan informed the bench that Haryana and Punjab have made snatching a separate offence after amending the law.

He said the Delhi government has written a letter to the MHA to take action on it but it has not received any response yet.

The court was hearing a petition by advocate Prashant Manchanda who has alleged that chain snatchings in the city have seen a six-fold rise leading to a fear psychosis in the minds of citizens as well as tourists who are also targeted by the perpetrators.

The court, which listed the matter for further hearing on August 1, noted that the petition raised a serious concern of the offence of chain snatching in Delhi.

During the hearing, the petitioner contended that the Delhi Police was booking the offenders of such a crime in a routine manner under milder provisions which entail a punishment of only up to three years.

He said even without a specific offence under the law to make snatching a separate offence, the offenders could be booked under section 390 (robbery) of the IPC as it uses the word 'fear of wrongful restraint' and carries a jail term of up to 10 years.

The court asked the Delhi Police to examine the issue while considering this aspect.

It had earlier issued notice to the Delhi government, police and the municipal corporations and sought their replies to the plea which also contended that various parks in the city were the hubs of such crimes and the criminal elements frequented such places due to lack of vigilance.

The plea has claimed that on an average, there were 25 snatching cases every day in the national capital due to the absence of effective laws and indifference of the police, which book the offenders under the trivial provisions of theft instead of robbery or dacoity, even though weapons are used to commit such crimes.

"Many incidents of snatching entail serious wounds and also involve use of deadly weapons, leading to fatal injuries or death of the victims, the petition has said.

Manchanda had earlier told the court that the state of Haryana, recognising the seriousness of the problem, has made inclusions in the penal law IPC to make it harsher against snatchings.

It had also said that in Maharashtra too, the punishment for snatching has been made stringent and in some cases, the Mumbai police has also invoked Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today dashed the hopes of activists like Shyam Benegal and Teesta Setalvad to intervene in the sensitive Babri Masjid-Ram Temple land dispute case, making it clear that only the parties to the original lawsuits would be allowed to put forth their arguments.

A special bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also said it would first decide whether the land dispute appeals be sent to a five-judge constitution bench as sought by lead petitioner M Siddiq (since deceased), who is represented by legal heirs in the case.

"Counsel for appellants, as well as, the respondents in all the appeals have raised objections for such intervention/impleadment/filing additional documents/seeking permission to render assistance.

"We are of considered opinion that these interlocutory applications do not merit any consideration and they are accordingly rejected," the bench, which also comprised Justices Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer, said.

The bench went a step further and directed its Registry "not to entertain any interlocutory applications for intervention or impleadment". It, however, said that the parties can file additional papers.

It accepted the vehement contention of both the parties, Hindu and Muslim organisations and individuals, that only original parties to the dispute be allowed to argue.

Besides Benegal and Setalvad, eminent persons like Aparna Sen and Anil Dharker wanted to intervene for using the disputed 2.77 acre disputed land for some 'secular' purposes. The intervention plea of BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, at whose instance the cases were fast-tracked by the apex court, was also rejected.

The bench, however, considered Swamy's submission that he had not sought to intervene in the matter but filed a separate writ petition seeking enforcement of his fundamental right to worship at the birth place of Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

"I had filed a writ petition saying that I have a fundamental right to worship and this is a superior right than property right," Swamy said.

"As we are not inclined to permit the intervention application, the writ petition filed by the applicant (Swamy) shall stand revived and it shall be dealt with by the appropriate Bench in accordance with law," the bench said.

The bench, after deciding the fate of the pleas for intervention, proceeded with the hearing and asked senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, appearing for M Siddiq, to argue and persuade it as to why these matters be sent to a larger bench.

Dhavan referred to the apex court judgement delivered in 1994 on a plea filed by M Ismail Faruqui and said the verdict had made an unwarranted comment that mosques are not integral to prayer offered by followers of Islam.

He said that "a mosque remains a mosque" and the land where the structure was there belongs to the 'Allah' even after the demolition.

Referring to a trial court order, he said due to some political intervention, which is known to all, the idols were placed, the locks of Babri mosque was opened and the structure was finally demolished in 1992.

He then referred to cetrain paras of the 1994 judgement and assailed the view of the apex court.

The apex court had said that while offer of prayer or worship is a "religious practice, its offering at every location where such prayers can be offered would not be an essential or integral part of such religious practice unless the place has a particular significance for that religion so as to form an essential or integral part thereof".

"We must immediately make it clear that our addressing the said issue shall singularly relate to whether this Bench should think of, that the dictum in Dr M Ismail Faruqui requires reconsideration and, in that event, we may pass appropriate orders for placing the matter before a five-Judge bench for consideration of the said judgment.

"We have heard Dhawan in part with regard to the said aspect. He will develop the propositions on the next date of hearing. Let the matter be listed on March 23", the bench said.

Meanwhile, the court allowed all interim pleas of parties for bringing additional documents on record "for setting aside abatement, for condonation of delay, for substitution, for exemption from filing official translation".

The special bench of the apex court is seized of a total of 14 appeals filed against the high court judgement delivered in four civil suits.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had in 2010 ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Agriculture and allied sectors still remain the backbone of economies of most African and Asian countries, said Wassfi Hassan El-Sreihin, Secretary General of the African Asian Rural Development Organisation said today.

He was speaking at the inaugural of the 15-day international workshop organised by Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute to train researchers and officials from 13 member countries of the AARDO here.

"Despite progress in other economic sectors, agriculture and allied areas such as fisheries are still major economic components of many African and Asian countries as these sectors contribute significantly to their employment generation, economic growth, food security and overall development", he said.

Touching upon the overall net increase of disasters, including those caused by climate change, Wassfi said one of the main global challenges today was how to ensure food and nutrition security for a growing population.

"Ensuring food and nutrition security is crucial for ensuring long-time sustainable development the people across the globe especially in many African and Asian countries", he said.

Wassfi said agriculture and allied sectors would need to produce 60 per cent more food globally by 2050, and 100 per cent more in developing countries using the same limited available natural resources.

He also said that fisheries and aquaculture would play a major role in meeting the food demand of an increased population in the coming years.

"Rapid development of fisheries and aquaculture are foreseen to generate food, nutrition,income and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of people around the world," Wassfi said.

To achieve the global transition to sustainable development, developing countries in Asia and Africa should focus on environment-based policies and governance that take into account the three dimensions of sustainability



economic, social and environmental with closely interwoven targets, he said.

Inaugurating the workshop, Prof A Ramachandran, Vice Chancellor of KUFOS said fisheries was increasingly becoming a major food commodity in our daily nutrition.

"The high quality protein in fish is helping the population to be nutritionally well fed", he said.

CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan presided.

Representatives from Taiwan, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Malaysia, Malawi, Libya, Mauritius and Bangladesh are attending the two-week long workshop.

They will be imparted training in areas such as marine fisheries assessment, fish stock estimation, marine fisheries environment, impact of climate change on fisheries,responsible fisheries and mariculture activities like cage farming, along with practical sessions.

African Asian Rural Development Organisation is an inter-governmental organisation in the field of agricultural and rural development with headquarters in New Delhi.

Currently 32 member countries from Africa and Asia are part of AARDO.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Assam Assembly today passed the bill to set up Assam Yoga Council for regulating teaching and practice of yoga in the state.

'The Assam Yoga Council Bill, 2018' was passed by the legislators, paving the way for setting up of a statutory body.

In his written statement on the bill, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "It is time Assam establishes a Yoga Council for setting up of a proper mechanism necessary for regulating Yoga and Naturopathy sector."



The Council is proposed to be set up in order to assure quality of service and to avoid misinterpretation and misuse of the system, besides ensuring Yoga institutions to offer safe, reliable and quality medical healthcare, he added.

Sarma said the Council will be empowered to grant affiliation and accreditation to institutions teaching Yoga as well as withdraw the same.

Other objectives are "to confer registration on the institutionally qualified professional practitioners, to confer registration to other yoga practitioners fulfilling the terms and conditions laid down in the draft bill," he added.

The minister further said in his statement that the Council will regulate various course curriculum of studies for registration by yoga practitioners and advise the state government as well as academic institutes in the matter of research in the subject.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal today assured representatives of six communities that he would take up with the Centre the issue of granting Scheduled Tribe status to them.

Sonowal told the representatives of the communities - Moran, Muttock, Koch Rajbongshi, Tai Ahom, Chutia and Tea Tribes - that his government has accorded importance to their demands.

"Close on the heels of the earlier stand for endorsing demands of the six communities for ST status, government is also committed to push the demand for early disposal of the issue," the CM said.

He also mooted the idea of setting up of a committee consisting of representatives of the communities to ensure seamless communication.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bengaluru-based online lending platform Avail Finance today said it raised USD 17.2 million through equity, debt and credit lines.

The amount has been raised from Matrix Partners India as well as marquee investors like Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati (Ola founders), Binny Bansal (Flipkart co-founder and Group CEO), Kunal Shah (Freecharge founder) and Manish Patel (founder and CEO of Mswipe).

The company intends to use the funds to expand its business and also build its loan book.

Founded by Ankush Aggarwal and Tushar Mehndiratta in February last year, Avail Finance focusses on lending to the country's blue-collared workforce.

"This segment is currently underserved by organised lending institutions and we want to create a seamless experience for them," Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO of Avail Finance told PTI.

"In the last one year, we have given out about 4,000 loans and the loan book is at about Rs 5 crore. We want to grow this to about Rs 100 crore by the end of the fiscal," he said.

He explained that this segment often doesn't have a credit history because of which the blue-collared workforce finds it difficult to secure loans from traditional channels.

He added that the company uses multiple data sources to offer credit ranging between Rs 5,000 and Re 60,000 for a period of up to nine months.

Aggarwal, who is the younger sibling of Ola co-founder Bhavish Aggarwal, said the company uses advanced technology, data sciences and artificial intelligence to power the algorithm of its system.

Avail Finance has previously raised about USD 200,000 from friends and family.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The beginning of the end had started, tweeted Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee today, soon after the reports of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar bypoll results started coming in.

She congratulated both Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Twitter.

"Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and @yadavakhilesh Ji for #UPByPolls. The beginning of the end has started (sic)," Banerjee tweeted.

The West Bengal chief minister also congratulated RJD chief Lalu Prasad for winning the Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly bypolls in Bihar.

"Together We are fighting. we shall fight & We will Win (sic)," Prasad replied, thanking "Didi" in his tweet.

CPI(M) MP Mohammed Salim also welcomed the outcome of the bypolls and said it would have its impact on next year's Lok Sabha polls.

"The SP and BSP coming together has helped the voters express their anger against the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre. The result is an indicator and it will have its impact in 2019. Both the SP and the BSP had age-old differences between them, but they were kept aside for the sake of democracy and to defeat the BJP and its anti-people policies," he told PTI.

CPI leader D Raja also said the results showed that the BJP was not invincible.

"These (bypoll) results would have an impact on the thinking of all the secular, democratic parties so that they evolve a proper electoral tactic, keeping in view the objective of defeating the BJP," he told PTI.

The SP, supported by the BSP, is set to win both the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. In Bihar, the RJD won the Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly seats, while the BJP won the Bhabhua Assembly seat.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opposition Congress and NCP today lambasted the Maharashtra government and the police department for the "delay" in the arrest of right-wing leader Milind Ekbote in connection with Bhima Koregaon violence.

Both the parties raised question marks over the functioning of the police department in this case.

Ekbote, a Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader and one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case, was arrested by the Pune rural police earlier today, soon after the Supreme Court turned down his anticipatory bail plea.

"There is no bravery in arresting Ekbote as he was in Pune for a long time. He had issued a video clip...he was very much in Pune, but police did nothing. He was arrested today, because the SC rejected his bail," Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said.

"It raises question marks over why the police took so long (to arrest him) and who were calling the shots," he said.

Jitendra Awhad, NCP MLA from Mumbra in Thane, said, "It is a conspiracy and Ekbote was given a free hand to take every measure to avoid his arrest. The home department is headed by CM Fadnavis. It raises questions about his department."



"The way people like Ekbote and (another pro-Hindutva leader) Sambhaji Bhide were roaming free...they were interviewed by channels. Why didn't the police step in and arrest them," he asked.

"It is highly suspicious the way time was wasted in the arrest of Ekbote," the legislator alleged.

Bhide and Ekbote are accused of inciting violence on January 1 this year during an event to commemorate the bicentenary of battle of Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader Milind Ekbote, one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case, was arrested by the Pune rural police from here today, an official said.

Ekbote was arrested soon after the Supreme Court turned down his anticipatory bail plea earlier in the day, the official added.

"We arrested Ekbote from his residence here and he will be produced before the court tomorrow," a senior Crime Branch official said.

Last month, while extending the right-wing leader's protection from arrest, the apex court had asked the Pune rural police to submit a detailed report on the case and allowed them to question Ekbote.

Following directions from the court, Ekbote had appeared before the Shikrapur police for questioning for five times.

Today, the police submitted a detailed report in the apex court and sought the "custodial interrogation" of Ekbote, while opposing his bail plea.

"The court accepted our demand for his custodial interrogation and rejected his bail application," the officer said.

Before submitting the report in the Supreme Court, a senior police officer had said, "In order to investigate the case properly, his custodial interrogation is required."



A case was registered against Ekbote and another Hindutva leader, Sambhaji Bhide, for allegedly inciting the anti-Dalit violence that left a man dead near the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in the district on January 1 during an event to commemorate the bicentenary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.

Subsequent protests had disrupted normal life in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aamir Khan today revealed that his "Thugs of Hindostan" co-star Amitabh Bachchan suffered shoulder and back injury, but is doing well now.

"I shot with him last night. He has problem in the back and shoulder as he has a lot of action sequences in the film. After a long time audience will get to see him doing action. So definitely it is a challenging film for him. But he is coping up well.

"There are times when you have physical problems. He has injury on the shoulder and back. Day before yesterday he had lot of problem but he is better now," Aamir said at a press conference here.

The superstar, who is celebrating his 53rd birthday today, has flown in from Jodhpur where he was shooting for the Vijay Krishna Acharya-directed movie.

Aamir said it was a special moment for him to get birthday wishes from Bachchan.

"I was so much lost while shooting that I forgot the time. Suddenly his booming voice come on the mic and he wished me in front of everyone. I was happy. I was wishing he should wish me first and he did," he added.

Bachchan sparked health concerns yesterday when he posted on his blog that he had called his team of doctors to Jodhpur from Mumbai.

Wife Jaya Bachchan later said he had pain in his neck and back due to the heavy costumes in the film.

Bachchan today again took to his blog to give an update on his health.

In a poetic post in Hindi, the actor said he was not feeling well and had to call his doctors for the treatment, but now he is doing fine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today congratulated candidates belonging to his ally, the BJP, as also those of the opposition RJD, who emerged victorious in the bypolls for one Lok Sabha and two Assembly seats in the state.

The chief minister, who is also the national president of the JD(U), greeted the winners through an official release.

Besides a congratulatory message he, however, did not comment further on the bypolls results which saw his party nominee defeat in the Jehanabad Assembly segment.

"Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has congratulated Rinky Rani Pandey for her victory in Bhabhua, Krishna Mohan Yadav alias Suday Yadav for his win in Jehanabad and Sarfaraz Alam for his triumph in Araria", an official release said.

The bypolls to all the three seats were necessitated by the deaths of the incumbents.

The RJD retained Araria Lok Sabha seat and the Jehanabad Assembly segment while the BJP bagged Bhabhua.

JD(U) candidate Abhiram Sharma lost to Suday Yadav of RJD at Jehanabad by over 35,000 votes.

The outcome of the bypolls was the first electoral battle in Bihar after Kumar had dumped Grand Alliance in July last year and latter joined hands with the BJP to form a coalition ministry in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a stunning blow to the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections, the party today lost bypolls to all three Lok Sabha seats it contested, including its bastion Gorakhpur, and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh, besides Araria in Bihar.

The shocker for the BJP came days after its surprise win in three northeastern states, including Tripura, where it scripted history, demolishing the Left citadel of 25 years and forming its first government in the state. Together with its regional allies, the BJP also formed its governments in Nagaland and Meghalaya.

A consolidation of OBC, Dalit and Muslim votes powered Samajwadi Party candidates to victory in Gorakhpur, a seat represented by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for five successive terms, and Phulpur, which elected his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. BJP had won Phulpur for the first time.

Both of them had won their seats by margins of over 3 lakh votes.

Samajwadi Party's Pravin Nishad defeated BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla by 21,961 votes in Gorakhpur, the seat which was with the party since 1989, while Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel of SP clinched the Phulpur seat drubbing the saffron party's Kaushalendra Singh Patel by 59,460 votes.

Lalu Prasad's RJD retained the Araria Lok Sabha seat where its nominee Sarfaraz Alam beat BJP's Pradeep Kumar Singh by over 60,000 votes, in a set back for the JD(U)-BJP alliance, which went to the hustings for the first time after Nitish Kumar returned to the NDA fold.

In small consolation for the BJP, its candidate Rinki Rani Pandey retained the Bhabhua Assembly seat for the party, defeating her Congress rival Shambhu Singh Patel by about 14,000 votes.

The RJD retained the Jehanabad Assembly seat, with its nominee Suday Yadav defeating his JD(U) rival Abhiram Sharma by more than 30,000 votes.

Buffeted by the surprise defeat, Adityanath attributed it to "overconfidence" of the party and called for an in-depth analysis of the causes.

"We failed to understand the implications of this alliance between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party that are as different as chalk and cheese in the middle of the elections as part of bargain for the Rajya Sabha elections," he said. The SP is backing BSP candidate for the coming Rajya Sabha polls in the state.

The SP's victory reminded many of the triumph of the now defunct JD(U)-RJD-Congress Grand Alliance in Bihar which had trounced the BJP-led NDA in 2015. The victory was attributed to the consolidation of OBC and Muslim voters in favour of the Grand alliance after the two major parties--JD(U) and RJD came together.

In Uttar Pradesh, besides the BJP, the SP and BSP are major protagonists in the political arena. The SP and BSP had formed a coalition government in the state in 1993 when the BJP, despite emerging as the single largest party following the demolition of the Babri mosque, failed to get a majority.

In Gorakhpur, a consolidation of OBC-Dalit-Muslim votes, which used to get split between the SP and BSP, besides the support of smaller entities like the Nishad Party and Peace Party, worked wonders for the Samajwadi Party candidates.

The Nishad Party holds considerable influence over the fisherfolk community in the belt, while the Peace Party is a force to reckon with among Muslims in the area.

Keshav Prasad Maurya said the SP's victory was the result of BSP's ability to transfer its votes to the former.

The bypoll victories may now nudge the secular parties to forge a broad alliance of anti-BJP forces at the national level before the general elections. Leaders of 20 opposition parties, including the SP and BSP, had congregated at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's residence yesterday to explore such a possibility.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi described the results as a reflection of public anger against the BJP.

"Congratulations to the winners of today's by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning. The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight," he tweeted in Hindi.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the victory as one of "social justice" and profusely thanked the BJP for it.

The BJP had scored a thumping victory in Uttar Pradesh in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, and together with ally Apna Dal, won 73 of the states 80 seats. The NDA allies had polled 43.3 per cent votes.

The SP had pocketed 22.2 per cent votes and won five seats, while the BSP failed to open its account despite polling 19.6 per cent votes. The combined percentage of votes polled by the two parties was marginally less than the NDA's at 41.8 per cent.

The NDA improved upon its performance in the 2017 Assembly polls, winning 325 seats in the 403-member Assembly, polling 48.7 per cent votes. The SP won 47 seats with 21.8 per cent votes. The BSP won 19 seats with 22.2 per cent votes. The two parties together polled 40.8 per cent votes.

As the BJP reviews the causes for the shock defeat and goes back to the drawing board to finetune its strategy for the 2019 elections, today's victory gave its rivals, beset by a string of defeats, a reason to smile, and forge closer ties to take on the NDA.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The BJP-led Goa government completed one year in office today sans any celebration due to the absence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is undergoing treatment for a pancreatic ailment in the US.

The BJP, which had failed to cross the half-way mark in last year's Assembly polls with its tally dipping to 13 from 21, had pulled off a coup by enlisting the support of the Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and two Independents, to reach the magic figure of 21 in the 40-member House.

Although the Congress had won 17 seats, only four short of the magic figure to form the government, the saffron party had outmaneuvered the Congress in its bid to power.

The GFP, MGP and Independents had agreed to support the BJP to form the government with a rider that the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar returns to the coastal state and be at the helm of affairs.

Parrikar took oath as the chief minister of Goa on March 14 along with nine other ministers, forcing the Congress into the opposition benches.

Parrikar was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital last month for the treatment of pancreatitis. He went to the US last week for further treatment.

"We complete a year in office today, but we have not planned any celebrations as the CM remains out of the country," senior BJP leader and state Urban Development Minister Francis D'Souza said.

Parrikar's absence has left the ruling party in a disoriented state.

D'Souza admitted that the administration has slowed down in the last few days due to the chief minister.

"We are currently coping with the situation and things would be normalised once Parrikar is back," he said.

When the government was formed, the BJP government had several issues to tackle, namely finalising the Regional Plan, moving out the offshore casinos, challenges before the mining sector and nationalisation of riverways, among others.

It seems to have made no headway on these fronts.

In a jolt to the mining industry in Goa, the Supreme Court last month quashed the second renewal of iron ore mining leases given to 88 companies in the state in 2015, and directed the Centre and the Goa government to grant fresh environmental clearances to them.

Stating that the government's report card was far from satisfactory, the opposition Congress said the ruling dispensation has failed to deliver on every front.

D'Souza, however, claimed, "For last one year, the state government functioned very well. There was no instability or any differences amongst the ruling camp."



The ideological rivalry between GFP and MGP mirrored several times during the year on various issues, but Parrikar mediated and saved the government from facing any crisis-like situation.

During the year, the Congress failed to be an effective opposition, except for its wings like Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress, which came out on the streets against the rising prices of coconuts and to seek abolishment of GST on sanitary napkins.

Moreover, Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar and Congress leader Digambar Kamat are being investigated by the police in different cases, which has impacted the morale of the party.

"The government's one year is nothing beyond fake and false promises. It failed in almost every front and more so on the development front. Not just in opposition, but even the constituencies represented by ruling MLAs saw no development," Kavlekar said.

Parrikar, before heading to the US for treatment, had formed a three-member Cabinet Advisory Committee comprising Vijai Sardesai (GFP), D'Souza (BJP) and Sudin Dhavalikar (MGP) to look after the day-to-day affairs of the state.

Sardesai said that the formation of government was a "positive political compromise" done by his party in the interest of the state.

"During the year, we encountered several difficult phases. These were forced on us by the forces outside the state," he said.

The GFP leader said the ban on sale of liquor along the highways and the current issue of mining shutdown after March 15 were legal verdicts.

Sardesai said the ailing chief minister was the biggest factor for the government right now.

"We are all praying for his speedy recovery and we are sure that he will be back in the state soon. Till then, I appeal all the coalition partners to help each other to keep the flock together," he added.

MGP president Deepak Dhavalikar said the party has contributed for the stability of the government and it would continue to do it till Parrikar remains the CM.

"Our commitment towards the government is till Parrikar remains the chief minister," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress today termed the passage of the Finance Bill amid din without discussion in the Lok Sabha as a "black day", an attempt at "throttling" democracy and a "blot" on it.

Congress spokesperson and chief whip in Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia accused the government of "running away" from discussion on key issues concerning the public.

He said the way the most important bill of the finance ministry was passed amid the din without any discussion "is a blot on India's democracy".

"Today is a black day for democracy," he told reporters outside Parliament.

Scindia said the entire opposition is together asking the government for a discussion on the bank scam and also met the Speaker, who organised an all-party meeting but the Parliamentary Affairs Minister did not even talk to the opposition once.

He asked whether this did not display the arrogance of the government.

The Congress leader alleged that the government's allies were coming in the well of the house and creating disruptions.

He said the Parliament had representatives of people and "muzzling" its voice was like throttling the voice of people.

During the day, the Lok Sabha passed the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year without discussion amid ruckus, which led to the adjournment of both the Houses for the eighth day.

The Finance Bill as well as the Appropriation Bill were passed in a matter of 25 minutes during which Opposition parties and ruling NDA ally TDP shouted slogans and created a din. The Lower House was adjourned for the day immediately thereafter.

The Opposition parties protested against the passage of the budget without debate, as the session is slated to continue till April 6.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The bodies returned to Turkey today of 10 of the 11 women killed when a private jet crashed in Iran while returning from a pre-wedding party in the United Arab Emirates, a tragedy that shocked Turks.

The women attended the hen party of Mina Basaran, the daughter of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran, and were returning home when the private jet crashed into the Zagros mountains.

Mina Basaran, 28, and many of her seven girlfriends who accompanied her on the trip had successful careers with some already starting families. The disaster prompted an outpouring of grief in Turkey.

The other three of the 11 killed, all women, were the two pilots and a flight attendant.

Ten bodies were flown back to Istanbul airport from Iran aboard a Turkish military jet, the Dogan agency said.

The families of the dead were meanwhile flown home on a scheduled Turkish Airlines flight, it added.

The body of co-pilot Beril Gebes has yet to be recovered, it said, after previous reports said all had been found.

Iranian Legal Medicine Organisation confirmed that 10 of the women had been identified. "One of the cadaver bags contained remains which belonged to other 10 bodies. One body is still missing," it said.

Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation said the plane crashed after a technical problem whose origin remains unknown.

Turkish media reports said Mina Basaran was to marry her fiance Murat Gezer on April 14 at the Ciragan Saray, an Ottoman-era palace by the Bosphorus and one of Turkey's most prominent wedding venues.

Photographs reprinted from social media showed the eight women lounging at a resort in the UAE and posing with the two pilots inside the plane.

The Basaran Holding company of Mina's father Huseyin is active in the energy, construction and tourism sectors. Mina had become a board member in 2013.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bombardment by the Syrian regime and its ally Russia killed 25 civilians, among them three children, in the embattled rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta today, a monitor said.

"At least 25 civilians including three children were killed on Wednesday, most of them in regime air strikes and others in Russian raids on an area controlled by Faylaq al-Rahman," a rebel group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Xi Jinping's pet Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can pose a "major challenge" in resetting China's ties with India, analysts here have said, days after the Chinese parliament backed his plan to rule indefinitely amid Sino-India rapprochement following the Dokalam standoff.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Xi when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India had also boycotted last year's Belt and Road Forum organised by China.

The BRI, aimed at promoting network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread China's influence, is now expected to vigorously pushed by Xi after the National People's Congress on March 11 removed the two-term limit for the president.

The historic mandate for Xi to continue in office for life came just as India and China began a high-level dialogue to put the ties back on track after the relations were bogged down by a host of issues including, the CPEC and the 73-day long standoff at Dokalam last year.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit to China next month which officials say will send a very strong message to the international community about efforts by both countries to improve relations.

"There are very serious efforts are being made by both countries to improve relations and China attaches a lot of importance to its ties with India in the region," Hu Shisheng, Director of the official China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told PTI here.

As the two countries seek to address a number of issues like China blocking India's efforts to list JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN as well as India's entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides Dokalam, they need to come up with a creative solution to address differences on the BRI, Hu said.

"Now Xi is set to be at the helm for a long term and he is going to pursue the BRI very seriously" as this is his project, he said.

China, which has been maintaining that the BRI will not have any impact on its stand that Kashmir issue should be resolve between India and Pakistan, has also offered initiatives like renaming the CPEC to address India's reservations.

Officials say Chinese investment flows into India have been affected as China has been routing all its external investments in recent years only under the BRI. India is also a part of the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) corridor which is also part of the BRI but has made little progress.

Officials say China's investments in India were just about $3.5 billion far less than $20 billion promised by Xi during his visit to India in 2015.

Hu said both countries needs to show flexibility.

While China should be flexible by not pressing India to cooperate under the BRI framework for investments in India, New Delhi could make reciprocal gestures to get the investments for infrastructure projects.

Rong Ying, the vice president of China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said both the countries need to address the trust deficit.

Equally important is for both countries to find a way to address differences in a constructive and forward looking manner," he told PTI.

He also said there was no need to worry about the long-term rule by Xi.

"I don't see any reason for worry. I only want to see that the two sides draw correct lessons (out of Dokalam standoff). Then we can work hard for a stable relationship," he said.

"No one wants an incident like Dong Long (Dokalam). We are able to solve it through peaceful way through talks shows the maturity off the relationship," Rong, who formerly worked as a Chinese diplomat in India, said.

About what effect Xi's long term rule will have on the boundary dispute, he said, the boundary dispute has to be better managed. I don't see in the near future the possibility of an early settlement in sight, he said.

The annual border talks by special representatives and other mechanism would held help to develop the trust, he said.

The two sides have held 20 rounds of border talks to resolve differences over the 3,488 long Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan, who ran into rough weather with his appearance in a surrogate advertisement of an Indian pan masala brand, has stated that he was "cheated" by the company which kept him in the dark about the "hazardous" nature of the product.

"In a written reply to the Delhi State Tobacco Control Cell, the actor stated that he got cheated by the company as the latter did not disclose the hazardous nature of the product and other terms and conditions of the contract of advertisement," Additional Director (Health) S K Arora told PTI.

The Delhi government had recently issued a show-cause notice to Brosnan and asked the pan masala group why appropriate punitive action be not initiated against its directors and office-bearers.

"In his reply to the legal notice, Brosnan also said that his agreement with the company was over and he was ready to extend all kinds of support and cooperation to our department against such campaigns.

"He has given an undertaking in writing that he would never assist any company with regard to promotion of such products or other such harmful products in future," Arora said.

The official appealed to all celebrities and mass media agencies to not indulge in surrogate advertisements of tobacco in the name of pan masala, tea, ilaichi or other goods as these are prohibited under section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003.

"Celebrities must realise their responsibility towards society, especially the youngsters who treat them like God and follow them blindly. Such advertisements influence the minds of youngsters adversely," he said.

The Cigarette and Other Tobacco Product Act, 2003 bans all kinds of direct and indirect advertisements of tobacco products.
Apex auditor CAG has found shortage of arms and ammunition and lack of modern security equipment in Haryana jails, while observing that it was bound to have an adverse impact on the security of prisons.

Besides, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India also found overcrowding of inmates in prisons.

A report on the non-public sector undertakings for 2016-17 was tabled here in the ongoing Haryana budget session in the state Assembly today.

While appraising the security arrangements of eight jails in Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Gurugram, Narnaul, Sirsa, the CAG found deviations from the procedure relating to the security and surveillance in prisons.

Highlighting the massive shortage of arms and ammunitions in jails as per the Punjab Jail Manual, the auditor found that as against the requirement of 72 pistol or revolver in jails, there were only 21, depicting shortage of 51 arms.

Similarly, there were only 841 rifles or guns in jail as compared to the requirement of 1,368 rifles.

"Every warder shall be provided with military breach loading fire-arms and buckshot ammunition. Further, 40 rounds balls, 50 round blank and 30 rounds of buckshot were required to be allotted to individual officials," as per the report.

As against the requirement of .410 Musket rifle round ball of 12,540, their availability in jails was 5,382. Similarly, there was also shortage of round blank and round buckshot.

"There was shortage of arms and ammunition in jails which is bound to have an adverse impact on the security of jails," report said.

The security of records of jail also revealed that out of 220 existing security equipment like mobile jammers, door frame metal detector, hand held metal detector and search lights, 151 were non-functional and jails were not equipped with modern security equipment like body scanner, night vision binocular and sensor.

As per report, 1,425 prohibited items like mobile phones, chargers, batteries, mobile sims, blades and intoxicants like opium, smack and drug tablets were recovered from prisoners during 2012-2016.

As per the report, security of records also showed that CCTV cameras in test checked jails were been installed.

As per directions of Union Home Affairs Ministry, all the prisons should have CCTV within a period of one year, but not later than two years.

Highlight that high-rise building near the boundary wall of jails could pose security threats, the report said citing an example of a jail in Kurukshetra, marriage palace was constructed adjacent to west side of jail without any permission.

The height of the building of marriage the palace was higher than the boundary and main walls of jail and scene of the jail was visible from the roof of the marriage palace, it said.

On overcrowding of prisoners in jails, the report found the average occupancy percentage of inmates in Narnaul, Hisar and Sirsa remained between 145 and 187.

Audit examination further revealed that there was insufficient space of women inmates in Sirsa, where against the capacity of eight female inmates in a barrack, 36 to 48 inmates were kept during 2013 to 2016.

In Narnaul jail, prisoners suffering from tuberculosis (TB) were kept along with other prisoners posing health hazard, while there were insufficient beds in jail hospitals, lack of medical infrastructure, non-availability of lady doctors for female inmates and non-deployment of psychiatric counsellors, as per the report.

Working of jail factories was not satisfactory as factories were operational only in nine out of 19 jails in the state, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBSE today directed examination centres to ensure safe delivery of answer books to its headquarters after an official of a private school in the national capital was found carrying answer sheets of Class XII chemistry exam in Delhi Metro.

The board, however, clarified that secrecy of the answer books in the particular case has not been compromised with and the sanctity of examination has been maintained.

"The board has issued detailed guidelines to centre superintendents, which includes safe delivery of answer books. They have been asked to personally ensure that such instances are not repeated," a senior official of the Central Board of Secondary (CBSE) said.

"It has also been verified that the secrecy of the answer books has not been compromised with and sanctity of the examination has been maintained," the official added.

A lawyer, Tarun Narang, had yesterday written to the CBSE examination controller after he spotted a private school employee with the packed answer sheets in the metro.

I was commuting from Dwarka Court Metro station to Janakpuri around 3 pm. I noticed a man carrying a sealed parcel containing answer sheets of the Class XII chemistry paper, he said in the complaint letter.

"When I asked him, he said he had been sent by the examination superintendent to drop the sheets to the CBSE headquarters in Preet Vihar," Narang had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is the standard model and the Centre supports it, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said today after the Delhi Metro sent a proposal to the AAP and the Union governments asking them to involve private entities for running trains under its phase four project.

In January, the DMRC had written to both the Centre and the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi, seeking approval for allowing private players to run trains in at least three of the six proposed corridors.

Both the Centre and the Delhi government have a 50 per cent stake in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

"PPP model is a national model. There is no other model," Puri told PTI on the sidelines of an event here.

Asked whether the central government would support this model in phase four of the Delhi Metro, the Union housing and urban affairs minister said, "Why not. The Centre is doing so everywhere. We had also implemented PPP model in Hyderabad (metro) too."



On being asked about public-private partnership model not succeeding in the Airport Metro section in Delhi, Puri said, "It is a different thing if there is problem in some individual projects. Otherwise, PPP is the standard model."



According to a DMRC official, under public-private partnership model, private entities can run trains while tracks would be laid by the DMRC.

Given an example of Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS), the official said private entities can be paid on the lines of DIMTS which operates buses of private players and pay them on kilometre basis.

The phase four project of the Delhi Metro, which would add round 70 stations to the network, is still pending with the Delhi government even after it had given in-principal approval to it in February 2016.

Under this proposed project, a total of 31.47 kilometres of new lines will be underground while 64.39 km tracks would be elevated.

Among the projects chosen under Phase-IV are Rithala-Narela (21.73km), Janakpuri West-R K Ashram (28.92km), Mukundpur-Maujpur (12.54km), Inderlok-Indraprastha (12.58km), Tughlakabad-Aerocity (20.20 km), and Lajpat Nagar-Saket G-Block (7.96 km).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China today congratulated Bidya Devi Bhandari on being re-elected as President of Nepal.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang expressed hope that Nepal would continue to make great achievements under the leadership of Bhandari and the Nepalese government.

China attaches great importance to Sino-Nepal relations and is willing to work with Nepal to strengthen mutual cooperation to benefit the two countries and peoples, Lu told a media briefing here.

Bhandari, Nepal's first woman president, was reelected for a second term in office with an overwhelming majority. She defeated Nepali Congress leader Kumari Laxmi Rai in the presidential election yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China voiced hope today Donald Trump's sudden firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will not impact bilateral relations or planned talks between the US president and North Korea's leader.

Beijing is believed to have a positive assessment of Tillerson, who was seen as a light touch in contrast to Trump's "good cop, bad cop" routine of slamming Beijing on Twitter while simultaneously flattering its leadership in person.

"We hope that this personnel change will at the least not have any effect on the development of Sino-US bilateral relations or Sino-US cooperation in some important areas," foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters at a regular press briefing.

The firing comes as Trump prepares for delicate talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.

Lu said China hopes that the US "can maintain the positive situation that has recently developed on the Korean peninsula, including the positive desire shown by both the American and North Korean sides for willing, direct talks."



Yesterday's sacking caps a tumultuous tenure for the Texas oilman.

He was repeatedly forced to deny he had fallen out with Trump - vowing to remain in his post despite a sensational report that he once dubbed the president a "moron".

Ironically, one of Trump's most public clashes with Tillerson came when the president accused his top diplomat of "wasting his time" pursuing contacts with North Korea.

Tillerson was also thought to have made a major concession to China when he publicly repeated Beijing's rhetoric about the Sino-US relationship during his first trip to the country.

"We appreciated Mr Tillerson's efforts to promote the development of Sino-US relations," Lu said, adding "we hope that Mr Tillerson will continue to care for and support the development of Sino-US relations in the future."



Lu said China is "willing to work" with Trump's nominee for the top diplomat job, CIA chief Mike Pompeo, in order to continue relations based on mutual respect and cooperation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese Consul General Ma Zhanwu today said the 50-year old Hsuan Tsang Monastery in the city will be converted into a ''most modern'' Buddhist Chinese temple in future.

The monastery in the southern fringes of the city, is named after Hsuan Tsang, the famous seventh century Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller and translator from China who travelled to India in the seventh century.

The monastery had been set up by the local Chinese community about 50 years ago.

Chinese immigrants had arrived in the city in the 18th century to work at the Calcutta port. They have contributed to the social and economic life of Kolkata through manufacturing and trade of leather products, running of restaurants and beauty parlours. Their largest population is in the Chinatown in the city.

Zhanwu, who was present at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the new complex within the compound of the old monastery building, told reporters that once completed the new temple will have the "most durable and most modern features" retaining the unique characteristics of a Buddhist temple in China.

Describing the foundation stone laying ceremony as a "good starting phase in terms of cultural exchanges between the two countries", the envoy said, it will be made an important landmark in the entire East and a tourism spot for both domestic and foreign tourists.

The temple, once it is rebuilt with modern amenities, will be another step in promoting friendly exchange and cooperation between people of two great nations, enhance their mutual trust and push for continuous development in the bilateral ties, he said.

"We hope that the monastery will be more widely known to the people of India and abroad," the Consul, whose office is participating in the renovation along with the monastery authorities, said.

Hsuan Tsang had visited India over 1400 years ago by the Silk Road and took large number of Buddhist scripts back to China. This had helped in development and spread of Buddhism in China, he said.

"The story of Hsuan Tsang is a very good example in the friendly exchange between the two nations and exemplified the Silk Road spirit featuring peaceful cooperation, inclusiveness, mutual learning," he said.

To a question about border disputes between the two countries, the Chinese Consul briefly said "There are border issues between many countries."



The foundation stone laying ceremony was preceded by an elaborate colourful ritual which was conducted by monks from Lingyin Temple at Hangzhou in China led by the Abbot Guangquan.

Monks attired in silk orange and brown robes chanted hymns amidst the beating of cymbals and moved in a procession with a Buddha idol to the spot where the foundation stone was laid. They then returned in a procession to the old monastery building.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fair trade regulator CCI today ordered an investigation against Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) for various anti-competitive provisions in its agreement with dealers.

It was alleged that HMSI had perpetuated tie-in arrangements, imposed resale price maintenance and maintained a discount control mechanism through the standard form of dealership agreement.

After finding prima-facie evidence of competition norm violations, the watchdog has decided to carry out a detailed probe against the company.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) noted that prima -facie a case of contravention of Section 3 and 4 of the Competition Act is made out against the company.

Section 3 and Section 4 pertains to anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant market position, respectively.

The CCI decision for a detailed probe by its investigation arm Director General (DG) has come on a complaint by an Aurangabad-based auto rickshaw dealer of HMSI, the opposite party.

For the case, the CCI has considered 'market for manufacture and sale of scooters in India' as the relevant one.

One of the allegations was that the company had abused its dominant position and imposed unfair conditions in the purchase or sale of goods.

Citing certain data, the regulator said that at prima-facie stage it suggests that the company enjoys a dominant position in the relevant market.

Further, the watchdog noted that it is prima-facie satisfied that the restrictions imposed by HMSI for sale of oil, lubricants and batteries are "unfair".

Among others, mandatory requirements imposed by HMSI on its dealers for purchase of oil and consumables, genuine accessories, advertising services, merchandise items, batteries, insurance and finance options, from designated sources appear to be in the nature of anti-competitive restraints.

"Nothing stated in this order shall tantamount to expression of final opinion on the merits of the case and the DG shall conduct the investigation without being swayed in any manner whatsoever by the observations made herein," the CCI said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi today condoled the demise of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, describing him as a torchbearer for logic, reason and scientific temper who left an indelible mark on society.

He said Hawking was the celebrity face of modern physics despite his physical challenges.

"His physical challenges notwithstanding, Prof Stephen Hawking was the celebrity face of modern physics. A torchbearer for logic, reason and scientific temper, the professor left an indelible mark on our society. Like millions of his fans around the world, I mourn his passing," Gandhi said on Twitter.

The legendary British theoretical physicist, Hawking, who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, died today at his home in Cambridge.

His family said that Hawking, 76, died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University, where he did much of his ground-breaking work on black holes and relativity.

Hawking suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is usually fatal within a few years. He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and doctors initially only gave him a few years to live.

But he went on to study at Cambridge and became one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

The disease left Hawking wheelchair-bound and paralysed. He was able to move only a few fingers of one hand and was completely dependent on others or on technology for virtually everything -- bathing, dressing, eating, even speech.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress and NCP in the Legislative Council today questionned the Constitutionality of membership of some law-makers, including incumbent ministers in the Devendra Fadnavis government, who do not belong to the BJP but "represent the party in the Upper House".

Shiv Sena's Anil Parab has already questionned the BJP over fielding of Congress turncoat and Maharashtra Swabhiman Party (MSP) president Narayan Rane as one of its nominees for the March 23 Rajya Sabha elections.

Soon after Question Hour, Jayant Patil (PWP-I) wanted to know from the Chairman as to whether a president or a general secretary of any registered political party can contest elections on the symbol of any other political party.

He mentioned that ministers Sadabhau Khot and Mahadev Jankar, and Vinayak Mete have registered their respective political parties with Election Commission of India (ECI) and State Election Commission of Maharashtra (SECM).

Patil said Khot, Jankar, and Mete cannot continue to be the members of the legislature as they are representing another political party (the BJP) and not their own.

Making an intervention, School Education Minister Vinod Tawde said MLC Kapil Patil though supports Sharad Yadav, is a member of the JD(U) headed by Nitish Kumar.

Saying that a Constitutional gridlock has arisen, Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde said Khot, Mete and Jankar are representing the BJP in the Upper House.

Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar said he would first speak to the legislature secretariat, seek information from the ECI officials in the state secretariat, take legal opinion from the Advocate General of Maharashtra before replying in the Council.

Meanwhile, an ECI official said article 84 (for members of parliament) and article 173 (for members of state legislature), and section 3 of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951, lay down the rules and qualifications for candidates contesting these elections.

He said a candidate could resign from his party post and can contest on the symbol of any other party, other than his own party, and there is no ban on candidates doing so.

The official pointed out that Rane's MSP is not yet registered with the poll panel.

While Khot, Minister of State for Agriculture, was a member of Swabhimani Paksha before his expulsion, Mahadev Jankar who is Animal Husbandry Minister heads Rashtriya Samaj Paksha. Mete is a member of the Shiv Sangram Party.

Khot floated Rayat Kranti Sanghtana after his expulsion from SS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Cuttack court has granted police the custody of Sushant Dhalasamant and suspended BJD corporator Ranjita Biswal for questioning them together in connection with last month's firing incident at Subhadrapur here.

A local contractor was fired at in the incident.

Rejecting the objection petitions filed by Dhalasamant and Biswal, a court here yesterday allowed the police to take them on remand. Later in the evening, police brought Dhalasamant from Jharapada jail in Bhubaneswar and Biswal was brought from Choudwar jail here. Sushant was arrested in 2016 along with his younger brother Sushil on several charges.

Cuttack city DCP Akhileswar Singh had earlier claimed that Dhalasamant had hatched a plan in jail to eliminate at least four persons, including some policemen, in the city. As part of this plan, Biswal had allegedly received some firearms from undisclosed sources and she had allegedly passed on them to contract killers. For abetting crimes, Biswal was arrested from her house here at Deulasahi on March 7.

To unearth the source of those illegal firearms and to unravel plans of Dhalasamant, custodial interrogation of both was necessary and accordingly, the police made two separate prayers to take them on remand, said a police officer.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CRPF jawan Manoranjan Lenka, who was among its nine personnel killed in an IED blast in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh yesterday, was today cremated at his native village in Puri district with state honours.

The slain jawan's body was taken to his native place in Rebana Nuagaon village in the district, and the last rites were performed with full state honours, officials said.

Odisha ministers B N Patra, B K Arukha and S B Behera paid floral tributes to the mortal remains of Lenka after it arrived at the Biju Patnaik Airport here.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, in a tweet, has condemned the attack.

"Strongly condemn the attack on @crpfindia jawans in #Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My deepest condolences to the families of Odia jawan Manoranjan Lenka and all the brave personnel who lost their lives in the blast, and wishing speedy recovery of those injured," he said.

Nine CRPF personnel were killed after suspected Naxals blew up their mine-protected vehicle in Chhattisgarh's Sukma, around a year after a dozen jawans were killed in a similar ambush in the district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal today said his government will set up a Cultural Research Centre for Gurkhas in the state capital.

A plot of land will also be provided where statues of three legendary figures of the Gurkha community - Chabilal Upadhaya, Bhakta Bahadur Pradhan and Dalbir Singh Lohar - would be installed in recognition of their role in strengthening the demographic diversities of the state.

"Gurkhas are an integral part of the larger demographic profile of Assam, and together they have contributed immensely to strengthen the socio-cultural fabric of the state," Sonowal said.

Members of three organisations representing the Gurkha community - Asom Nepali Sahitya Sabha, Gurkha Students' Union and Asom Gurkha Sammelan - met the CM today and apprised him of the problems faced by the community.

Sonowal also met a delegation of the All Assam Bengali Youth Students' Federation and assured them of appropriate steps for resolving various issues raised by them.

He said the Assam government will the extend all possible measures to people of the Bengali community for their socio-economic and cultural development.

With regard to alleged encumbrances related to the National Register of Citizens, Sonowal assured the Bengali students' delegation to take up the matter with the NRC Coordinator to remove bottlenecks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Customs has decided to invoke a stringent provision of the anti-smuggling law to ensure that habitual gold smugglers get at least one-year detention to prevent them from illegally ferrying the yellow metal, official sources said today.

Customs officials at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here have decided to use "The Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act, 1974", or COFEPOSA, against repeat offenders, they said.

Provisions under COFEPOSA allow preventive detention of one year for an offender, with slim chances of early bail, the sources said. The detention period can be extended up to two years under this law.

In most cases, a person caught smuggling gold is arrested under provisions of the Customs Act but is soon out on bail. Under COFEPOSA, bail will become difficult, a source explained.

Customs officials at the Delhi airport recently invoked COFEPOSA against two persons-- a carrier and a Delhi-based jeweller -- for their involvement in gold smuggling, sources said.

Both the accused are absconding and the state police, which will make the preventive detention under COFEPOSA, is on the look out, the sources said.

Customs officials had arrested the carrier, belonging to Uttar Pradesh, in November last year for allegedly smuggling about 845 grams gold, valued at Rs 22.93 lakh, at the airport. The accused had come from Nairobi via Muscat.

He disclosed after a detailed interrogation that a Delhi jeweller was involved in the smuggling. The carrier also claimed to have brought over two kilograms of gold on six occasion on behalf of the jeweller, they said.

Both were then arrested but later released on bail after which there has been no trace of them.

Based on the interrogation of the two, Customs officials decided to invoke COFEPOSA against them as they were habitual offenders, the sources said.

A proposal on invoking this stringent provision against seven to eight accused is pending approval from the Customs authorities. they said.

Over 110 cases of gold smuggling were registered between January and October 2017 at the Delhi airport, according to a senior customs official.

In these cases, 110kg of gold, valued at about Rs 37 crore, was seized, he said.

The demand for gold has been traditionally high in the country as people prefer to invest in it for better returns.

Customs officials maintain a high vigil at the Delhi airport, which registers a maximum number of cases of gold smuggling.

On Sunday, an Indian man was arrested by the Delhi Customs for allegedly trying to smuggle gold valuing about Rs 75 lakh into the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today reserved its order on the plea of former Haryana Chief Minister O P Chautala's son Abhay Chautala in a disproportionate assets case, seeking its nod to travel to Lahore in Pakistan.

The order was reserved after Abhay's counsel submitted an application before Special Judge Arvind Kumar seeking permission for the accused to travel to Lahore tomorrow for two days to attend a wedding.

The plea was opposed by the CBI, which had lodged the DA case against Abhay, his father and INLD chief O P Chautala and brother Ajay on the complaint of Congress leader Shamsher Singh Surjewala alleging that the three accused had amassed wealth worth several times more than their income.

Objecting to Abhay's application today, CBI special public prosecutor Ajay Gupta said there was an inexplicable delay in filing this plea as he made the request only today for travelling to the "enemy country" tomorrow.

"Why is the plea filed at the 11th hour? They are not seeking permission, they are informing the court about travel," Gupta said.

To this, Abhay's lawyer Harsh K Sharma said the wedding invitation card was received via Whatsapp only yesterday and they moved the court for its nod immediately thereafter.

The CBI has alleged that Abhay owned assets worth over five times his income of Rs 22.89 crore as per income tax records during the 2000-2005 period. It has also claimed to have found Rs 119.69 crore worth of assets.

The CBI had also alleged that Ajay possessed assets exceeding his legal income by 339.27 per cent. His legal income between May 1993 and May 2006 was Rs 8.17 crore, but had acquired assets worth Rs 27.7 crore, it had alleged.

Earlier, all the three cases, which were being heard in different courts, were transferred to a single court on CBI's plea on the ground that trials in different courts would lead to inordinate delay in concluding them. All charges have been denied by Chautala and his sons.

Chautala and Ajay were sentenced to ten years in jail early this year by the high court in the 1999-2000 junior teachers recruitment scam.

CBI had on March 26, 2010 chargesheeted Chautala indicting him for allegedly possessing assets worth Rs 6.09 crore, far exceeding his legal income between 1993 and 2006. Two such cases are going on against his sons, Ajay and Abhay. In its charge sheet, the CBI had alleged that Chautala's wealth was 189 per cent more than his income of Rs 3.22 crore during the period.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today extended by 14 days the judicial custody of an alleged middleman in the Election Commission bribery case involving AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T T V Dhinakaran.

Special judge Arvind Kumar extended the judicial custody of Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who was arrested on April 16 last year, and posted the matter for April 4 when arguments on framing of charges are likely to take place.

The court also asked Chandrashekhar to file his response by April 17 on a plea of the Income Tax Department for his interrogation for alleged possession of assets worth more than his declared income.

The I-T department, in its plea, has claimed that during its various search and enquiry in the matter, it was found that Chandrashekhar has purchased "11 luxury vehicles and one Ducati bike" and some expensive watches.

The department claimed that he had purchased these assets by paying cash in violation of provisions of the I-T Act.

Earlier in the day, the court granted bail to a Chennai-based senior advocate B Kumar, who is also an accused in the case.

The police had accused Chandrashekhar, Dhinakaran and others of hatching a criminal conspiracy to bribe some Election Commission officials.

The Delhi Police had on December 14 last year filed a supplementary charge sheet against Dhinakaran, Chandrashekhar and seven others in the matter.

In its 701-page charge sheet filed on July 14 last year, the police had claimed that money recovered from Chandrashekar was sent by Dhinakaran through unaccounted channels with the help of other accused persons.

Chandrashekhar was named in the charge sheet for alleged offences of forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating, making a false document and criminal conspiracy under the IPC and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Dhinakaran, accused of trying to bribe EC officials to get the "two leaves" poll symbol for the AIADMK faction led by V K Sasikala, was arrested on April 25 and granted bail on June 1.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court today granted bail to a senior advocate, who is an accused in the Election Commission bribery case involving AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T T V Dhinakaran.

Special judge Arvind Kumar granted bail to Chennai-based B Kumar and asked him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the like amount.

Dhinakaran was also present in the court following summons issued against him last month.

The Income Tax department has also moved an application to examine Sukesh Chandrashekhar, an alleged middleman, who is presently in judicial custody.

The Delhi police had on December 14 last year filed a supplementary charge sheet against Dhinakaran, Chandrashekhar, Mallikarjuna, a long-time friend of Dhinakaran, and six others in the case.

Dhinakaran, who was not mentioned as an accused in the charge sheet filed by the police in July last year, has now been accused of offences under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (destruction of evidence) of IPC, besides taking gratification by corrupt or illegal means to influence public servant under Prevention of Corruption Act (PC Act).

The others have been accused of criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery and destruction of evidence under the IPC and provisions of the PC Act.

In its 701-page charge sheet filed on July 14, the police had claimed that money recovered from Chandrashekar was sent by Dhinakaran through unaccounted channels with the help of other accused persons.

Chandrashekhar, who was arrested on April 16 this year, was named in the charge sheet for alleged offences of forgery of valuable security, forgery for the purpose of cheating, making a false document and criminal conspiracy under the IPC and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.

Dhinakaran, accused of trying to bribe EC officials to get the "two leaves" poll symbol for the AIADMK faction led by V K Sasikala, was arrested on April 25 and granted bail on June 1.

The police had accused Chandrashekhar, Dhinakaran and others of hatching a criminal conspiracy to bribe the Election Commission officials.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre today said the DGCA adopted a "proactive" approach in grounding the 11 aircraft of Indigo and GoAir and no other aviation regulator in the world would have taken the step.

All the grounded flights would not be allowed to fly till the faulty engines are replaced, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said as he sought to allay the collective apprehensions of passengers about flying safe.

He said that they had already figured out 17 engines which would be prone to shutdown during the course of carrying out regular monitoring and detailed analysis of all the 1,000 engines currently in operation in the country.

"We even asked airline to use only one of these identified engines in the aircraft as a precautionary step. However, after the incident on March 12 when an Indigo flight had to return to Ahmedabad because of engine failure, we decided to ground all such engines," he said at an event here.

"No other aviation regulator in the world would have taken such a proactive step we have adopted," Sinha asserted.

He said those 17 engines cannot be fitted in any other aircraft and will not be used till they are 200 per cent safe.

Domestic carriers IndiGo and GoAir cancelled around 50 flights on the third day today as almost one-third of their A320 Neo aircraft fleet remained grounded following a safety directive by aviation watchdog DGCA.

On March 12, the DGCA said that A320 neos fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 have been grounded with immediate effect as it cited safety of aircraft operations. Both IndiGo and GoAir have been told not to refit these engines, which are spare with them in their inventory.

Meanwhile, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has said that the DGCA's move to ground A320 neo aircraft with a particular series of Pratt & Whitney engines was a "unilateral decision".

"The grounding of the Indigo and Go Air A320 neo with one PW1100 engine is a unilateral decision from DGCA India. EASA has not been involved in this decision," EASA said in an e-mailed statement to PTI.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hiring activity witnessed an uptick in February, indicating optimism across industries including BFSI and insurance, even as the ITeS sector continues to reel under pressure, reports say.

The Naukri JobSpeak Index for February this year stood at 2,087, up by 6 per cent compared with February 2017, indicating a rise in online hiring activity.

Meanwhile, according to Monster Employment Index, e-recruitment activity in February this year registered a 16 per cent year-on-year growth.

"The JobSpeak index has shown an year-on-year growth of 6 per cent in February. This growth is primarily driven by non-IT sectors viz oil & gas, BFSI, insurance, industrial products, construction and automobiles," said V Suresh Chief Sales Officer Naukri.com.

Suresh further noted that the job market continues to be volatile and the IT sector remains under pressure. "We can expect this volatility to continue for a few more months before it moves north," he said.

Monster.com's city-wise data shows that among all monitored cities, Kolkata (up 45 per cent) recorded the most notable annual growth rate, followed by Baroda (up 37 per cent) and Ahmedabad (up 33 per cent).

According to Naukri.com, Mumbai witnessed a 12 per cent jump in hiring when compared to February 2017.

E-recruitment activity in Chennai saw a growth of 5 per cent down from 6 per cent in January, while Delhi-NCR (up 1 per cent) saw the least growth among all monitored cities, the Monster.com report said.

The year-on-year comparison highlights that top metros have maintained a steady growth while, the tier II markets were not far behind - signalling a healthy uptrend, said Naukri.com.

The demand to hire seasoned professionals in senior management roles with experience of over 16 years saw 16 per cent year-on-year growth. However, entry-level job seekers with 0-3 years of experience rose by 8 per cent in February this year as compared to a year-ago period, the Naukri.com report added.

"It is heartening to note that the Budget 2018 focused on the revival of rural economy and job-creation. This has provided a much-needed impetus to production and manufacturing sector, which has seen an upward growth at 59 per cent YoY for the first time since December 2015," said Abhijeet Mukherjee, CEO, Monster.com- APAC & Gulf.

Mukherjee further noted that online recruitment in retail picked up after three months, which is a significant improvement from no growth in the sector in November 2017 and negative growth in December and January.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eighty people with criminal background who were at large for years have been arrested in less than past ten weeks from Jeypore town and sadar areas of Koraput district during a special drive to execute non-bailable warrants (NBW), the police said today.

The NBWs were pending at the police stations since long. Hence, we launched a special drive to execute the NBWs with an aim to make Jeypore and its peripheral areas free from crime. The arrests are being done under the special drive, said Koraput Superintendent of Police Kanwar Vishal Singh.

While 63 persons with NBW were arrested under Jeypore town police station, the rest 17 were held from Jeypore sadar police station, the SP said.

"Still over 200 people with NBW under the jurisdiction of Jeypore town police station are at large and at no cost they will be spared. Our drive will be intensified in coming days it will continue till the last person with NBW is arrested, he said.

Singh said three special squads had been formed to track down the movement of the people with NBW and based on intelligence inputs surprise raids were being conducted.

Apart from this, the police have arrested over 100 others with crimial background, including 20 ganja smugglers, under the two police stations in the past few months.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Railway Claims Tribunal in Mumbai has granted compensation to 36 victims of the stampede at the Elphinstone Road station here in September last year.

Relatives of the 17 deceased have been granted a compensation of Rs 8 lakh each while the 19 injured have been compensated as per their disability, an official said today.

Twenty-three people lost their lives and 36 were injured in the stampede on the narrow bridge connecting the Elphinstone Road station of the Western Railway with Parel station of the Central Railway on September 29 last year.

K P Yadav, the registrar of the Railway Claims Tribunal's principal bench in New Delhi, said the tribunal's Mumbai bench awarded the compensation yesterday.

"Our Mumbai bench awarded the compensation to 36 stampede victims, including 17 deceased and 19 injured," he told PTI.

After the stampede, total 39 claims were filed, including 18 by the kin of the deceased and 21 by the injured people, before the tribunal in Mumbai.

Three cases, including one of a deceased person and two of the injured victims, could not be decided yesterday due to some technical grounds.

"These cases will also be decided soon," Yadav said, adding that a final decree will soon be issued to the Western Railway.

He said this was the first time when neither the Railways nor the ministry concerned contested the claim.

"The most important thing in the settlement of these cases is that the claimants have been awarded the compensation without engaging their advocates. The tribunal also ensured that the victims did not face any hassles," he said.

"Since neither the Railways nor the ministry contested the claims, the compensation could be awarded speedily," he said.

After the stampede, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal had visited the Elphinstone Road station and announced Rs 10 lakh compensation for the victims on behalf of the Railways.

The Maharashtra government had also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased.

BJP MP Kirit Somaiya, who has been following the issues of various railway accident victims, lauded the tribunal and expressed happiness that the order was pronounced within six months of the mishap.

"Considering the situation that the Railway Claims Tribunals have a backlog of six years, this compensation is quite appreciable, that too of up to Rs 8 lakh," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
European Union leader Donald Tusk urged US President Donald Trump today not to undermine the sides' longstanding trans-Atlantic ties by seeking economic gains through punishing trade tariffs.

"Let me be clear: instead of risking a trade war, which he seems eager to wage, we should be aiming for greater cooperation," Tusk told reporters in Helsinki, Finland.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told the EU parliament that while the 28-nation bloc would continue to seek an exemption from the US tariffs on imported steel and aluminum that could kick in next week, it will prepare countermeasures to hit US goods.

Trump has said that the tariffs are necessary on national security grounds, but Malmstrom insisted this is a ruse: "We suspect that the US move is effectively not based on security considerations but an economic safeguard measure in disguise."



Mistrust between the long-time allies has increased since Trump became president last year, and the US tariffs proposal has acerbated ill feelings.

Tusk said it was not too late to turn this around and asked Trump to come through on his promise to exempt "real friends" from the tariffs.

Harking back to two world wars and the Cold War, Tusk said: "I would like to stress today that the free world has survived the most difficult decades only thanks to the fact that Europeans and Americans have been real friends." "So let us cherish this friendship, not challenge it," Tusk said.

And, he added, instead of threatening a trade war, Trump should restart the trans-Atlantic free trade negotiations between the U.S. and the EU which began under former president Barack Obama but were never finished.

"We should go back to these talks now. Make trade, not war, President," Tusk said.

The trans-Atlantic rift over Trump's tariffs was evident in the EU legislature in Strasbourg, France, where parties of just about all persuasions lined up to criticize the US plans.

The EU says the best way forward would be for the U.S. to cooperate in trying to reduce a glut of steel and aluminum on international markets, which experts says is largely due to China's overproduction in recent years.

"That is what makes the sound bites of the current U.S. administration so disturbing," said Marietje Schaake of the parliament's ALDE liberal group.

"Right at the time we need to work together as the liberal democracies of this world to curb unfair trade practices of China and others, we are divided.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
EU Council President Donald Tusk today said Moscow was "most likely" behind the poisoning of a Russian former double agent on UK soil.

Tusk tweeted in Helsinki that he expressed his "full solidarity" with UK's Prime Minister Theresa May "in the face of the brutal attack inspired, most likely, by Moscow".

Tusk was in Helsinki on Wednesday to meet Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila for Brexit talks.

His comments came on the same day as May was expected to announce retaliatory measures against Moscow over the March 4 attack against ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in sleepy Salisbury, southwest England.

The spy saga comes at a particularly tense time for UK-EU relations, as the two sides are locked in Brexit talks, but Brussels' support is "unequivocal, unwavering and very strong" according to European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The European Union moved Wednesday to speed up the return of unauthorized migrants, announcing plans to punish countries that refuse to take back their nationals by restricting visas for their diplomats.

While the number of people entering Europe in search of better lives has dropped dramatically over the past year, EU countries only send back around half of migrants denied visas, often because the migrants have lost or destroyed their ID documents and it's difficult to establish their nationality. Fake ID is also often used.

France, for example, is angered that Mali routinely refuses to take back people that Paris insists are from there. Formalizing a threat already made to some African countries by EU member states, the EU's executive Commission announced that it has "a new mechanism to trigger stricter conditions for processing visas when a partner country does not cooperate sufficiently."



The aim is to target decision-makers by dragging out the application time for diplomatic visas, hiking costs or cutting short their stays.

At the same time, the Commission said it plans to make tourism visas more attractive. It would allow for earlier applications, electronic visas, and strictly limited stays of one week in one EU country.

But the price of visas already beyond the means of most Africans would rise from 60 to 80 euros ($74 to $99), leaving many heading to Europe in search of better lives with little incentive to apply.

"With these changes, we will keep Europe's door open for bone fide travelers but closed for those who pose security risks," said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.

Avramopoulos said he would shortly travel to Niger, a transit hub for many migrants bound for Europe via Libya, for talks with regional leaders, and that he would try to "convince these countries to take back their nationals."



"Readmission of own nationals is an obligation under international law," he said.

Also Wednesday, the Commission said it was mobilizing the second 3-billion-euro ($3.7 billion) tranche of refugee money for Turkey, even though the move was endorsed several weeks ago.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting out at opposition Congress-NCP, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar todaysaidthose who had consistently failed for 15 years while being in power, were teaching Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who has scored a distinction, about how to study.

Replying to the debate on the state budget in the Legislative Assembly presented last week, Mungantiwar said the Congress had ruled the state for 47 years and the opposition leaders were criticising the BJP-led government on the same issues, which they had failed to resolve during their rule.

"Congress-NCP had consistently failed in 15 years of them sharing power (in Maharashtra) and now they are teaching Fadnavis, who has scored a distinction, how to study...saying he was not studying properly," Mungantiwar said.

He admitted that the revenue expenditure was more than the revenue receipts and fiscal deficit had touched Rs 15,000 crore.

"In 2012, 64.72 per cent revenue expenditure was on account of salaries, pension, interest on debt. We have brought this down to 54 per cent," he said.

The fiscal deficit had touched Rs 15,000 crore, which was because of loan waiver, he said adding that his government's aim was to have "no fiscal deficit".

The minister said due to GST, there can be no additional taxes levied by the state to boost the revenues.

"Our government is on the right path and we are working for the people's welfare," he asserted.

"Unlike the Congress-NCP, we have not taken overdraft. The last overdraft was taken in 2005 and the debt stock was 25.2 per cent of GSDP. In 2008-10, it was 21.2 per cent. But we have brought the figure down to 16.6 per cent," he said.

He said the government has to work towards increasing the revenue receipts.

Mungantiwar also said that the Congress-NCP had done nothing for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial project off the Arabian Sea, despite making an announcement to this effect in 2001.

"You had proposed a 310-feet statue. We have proposed a 210-meter (statue). This is being decided by the technical experts," he said.

The minister called for the need for an all-party meeting to discuss the farmer suicides.

"This is not an issue of politics. When Prithviraj Chavan was CM, a farmer had committed suicide at his public meeting. In 2001, 62 farmers had committed suicides in the state. If serious steps were taken to stop this, the situation would not have been alarming today," he said.

He also called for changes in the agriculture sector.

Targeting the opposition, Mungantiwar also said that Shiv Sena-BJP will contest the next elections together in the interest of the people of the state, unlike the Congress-NCP, which are planning an alliance "to stay relevant" in state politics.

NCP leader Ajit Pawar alleged that the budget was disappointing and did not offer anything except empty slogans.

"When the term of the government ends next year, the total debt would beabove Rs five lakh crore. There is nothing in the budget to give boost to agriculture development.

"A separate budget on agriculture, like in Karnataka, should have been tabled," he said.

"Of the total debt, 72 per cent was taken during your (BJP-led government's) tenure...It is for the first time that fiscal deficit has touched Rs 15,000 crore. There is unrest among the farming community and they are protesting. No one is satisfied. There is lack of planning for fiscal management.

"The government can't strike a balance between payment of wages, payment of interest on debt and allocation of development programmes," Pawar alleged.

"The budget allocation for agriculture is 6.43 per cent. Four years ago, you had promisedto double the farmers' income, but you haven't taken any steps in this direction," he said.

"No one is satisfied in the state-- be it anganwadi workers, teachers or government employees," he alleged.

There is no word on the implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission. The loan waiver has not been implemented well, the former minister said.

(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 1800 hours:



FGN18 UK-3RDLD HAWKING



London: Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, dies at his home in Cambridge. By Aditi KhannaFGN19 GERMANY-2NDLD MERKELBerlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, bruised by half a year of post-election coalition haggling, narrowly confirmed by parliament to her fourth and likely final term at the helm of Europe's biggest economy. (AFP)FGN15 LANKA-GOVT-MEDIAColombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena says restrictions imposed on social media after the communal riots in the island's central hills will be lifted within the next few days, as the government faces flak for not lifting the blockage despite improvement in the situation.

FGN10 US-INDIA



Washington: The India-US two-plus-two dialogue could be among the first major bilateral engagements of Mike Pompeo as the Secretary of State next month, if the CIA Director is confirmed as America's top diplomat by the Senate in next few weeks. By Lalit K Jha



FGN12 AFGHAN-ATTACK



Kabul: Insurgents attack a security checkpoint in western Afghanistan, killing at least 10 security forces. (AFP)



FGN8 US-SENTENCE



Washington: A US citizen, trained by al Qaeda in the tribal areas of Pakistan, has been sentenced to 45 years of imprisonment for conspiring to kill Americans and providing support to the global terror outfit. By Lalit K Jha.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhle held meetings with top State Department officials here today.

Gokhle, on his maiden visit to the US as India's top diplomat, among others met Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon.

He was accompanied by the senior Indian officials including Indian Ambassador to the US Navtej Sarna.

His meetings were scheduled well in advance and was mainly meant to prepare for the first ever two-plus-two dialogue between the two countries.

Officials from the either side have not yet announced any dates of such a dialogue, but it was previously scheduled for some time in mid-April.

The launch of two-plus-two dialogue was announced last summer when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a successful meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

The dialogue involves External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and their American counterparts.

A day earlier, Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him. Pompeo needs to be confirmed by the Senate before he can occupy the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four people have been killed and thousands injured during celebrations of Iran's annual fire festival ahead of the Persian new year, an official told state TV today.

"Two people died on Tuesday night, in addition to two others killed in recent days," said Hassan Nouri, deputy director of the country's emergency services.

Nouri said some 3,450 people had been injured in this year's festivities.

The fire festival, an ancient Zoroastrian tradition, predates Islam and is celebrated on the last Wednesday of the Persian calendar, which ends this year on March 20.

The tradition remains popular among Iranians, who light and jump over bonfires while singing songs to mark the arrival of spring.

At this year's celebrations, young people set off fireworks as others lobbed gas-filled bottles into fires, causing explosions.

But following police warnings, the number of festival-related deaths and injuries fell this year in comparison to 2017, when 16 people died, Nouri said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat Assembly today witnessed ugly scenes when the ruling BJP and opposition Congress members clashed in the House, leading to the suspension of two Congress MLAs for an unprecedented three years and a one-year suspension of another lawmaker from the party.

The House plunged into chaos as the BJP and Congress members came to blows during the proceedings.

The speaker later suspended two Congress MLAs -- Pratap Dudhat and Amrish Der -- for three years, the longest ever in the state's history.

Another Congress legislator, Baldevji Thakor, was suspended for a year for an incident that allegedly took place at the lobby of the Assembly.

The three MLAs were asked not to enter the Assembly premises during their period of suspension.

Angry over the suspension of their colleagues, the other Congress MLAs walked out of the House in protest.

After the unruly scenes, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel introduced a motion to suspend Der and Dudhat for three years.

He moved a separate motion to suspend Thakor for a year.

The motions were put to vote by Speaker Rajendra Trivedi and passed by a majority vote.

Denouncing the scuffle inside the House, Trivedi said it was a "black day" in the history of the Assembly even as the Congress MLAs stormed out in protest.

Earlier, the Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes. A few Congress members hit BJP MLA Jagdish Panchal with the rod of a microphone and also punched him.

This invited a retaliation from the ruling party members, who assaulted Congress MLA Der.

The ruckus began when the speaker stopped Vikram Madam of the Congress from expressing his views during a discussion on an issue after the Question Hour.

Madam, however, insisted that he would speak.

At that time, Der asked the speaker to allow Madam to speak.

The speaker objected to his tone, following which Madam and Der rushed to the Well of the House in protest.

Trivedi suspended both the MLAs for the rest of the day and they were taken out of the Assembly by the marshals.

This enraged Congress' Dudhat, who attacked BJP's Panchal with the rod attached to a microphone.

Dudhat was angry with Panchal for asking Congress MLAs to remain silent when the speaker was making his point.

After the attack on Panchal, the speaker suspended Dudhat for the rest of the ongoing Budget Session.

He then adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, Der entered the House from the back door and attacked Panchal.

The other BJP members present in the House came to Panchal's rescue and attacked Der.

The marshals rushed in and brought the situation under control.

Later, in the lobby of the Assembly, Thakor allegedly tried to assault BJP MLA Harsh Sanghvi. The other BJP members intervened and prevented the Congress MLA from attacking Sanghvi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's new Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Tom Shannon held preparatory talks for the next first bilateral two plus two talks.

The two top diplomats held a wide range of talks on bilateral and regional issues in addition to laying the ground work for the two plus two meeting in April, sources told PTI.

While things are in a state of flux at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department, because of the firing of Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State and his replacement Mike Pompeo is yet to be confirmed, officials said that as of now there was no indication from the American side on any changes in the forthcoming major talks between the two countries.

Officials from the either side have not yet announced any dates of such a dialogue, but it was previously scheduled for some time in mid-April.

The launch of two-plus-two dialogue was announced last summer when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a successful meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House.

The dialogue involves External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and their American counterparts.

During his current visit, Gokhale is also scheduled to meet officials at the White House and US Trade Representative in addition to joining Defense Secretary Mohan Kumar for a joint meetings involving officials from the State Department and the Pentagon.

The Indian Ambassador to the US, Navtej Singh Sarna, also accompanied Gokhale at his meeting with Shannon, which was described as fruitful and result oriented.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the Supreme Court deadline for closure of mining operation in Goa closing tomorrow midnight, a Cabinet committee today decided to urge Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to file a review petition as a last-ditch effort.

In a meeting held this afternoon, the Cabinet Advisory Committee (CAC) resolved to request the chief minister, currently in the US for treatment, to consult Attorney General on filing a review petition in the apex court.

The supreme court last month quashed 88 mining leases in Goa and banned fresh extraction of ore from March 15 midnight on a petition filed by an NGO claiming that companies were carrying out mining in violation of various statutes.

"The CAC resolved that the state should file a review petition in the SC after taking legal advice from Attorney General of India or a person of that rank. State chief secretary will communicate our recommendation to the chief minister," Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar told reporters after the meeting.

Besides Dhavalikar, Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai and Urban Development Minister Francis D'Souza are members of the CAC formed by Parrikar before he left for the US earlier this month.

Dhavalikar said Sardesai had spoken to Parrikar over phone on the issue.

"Chief Minister's approval to file a review petition is expected tonight," he said.

Dhavalikar said the CAC also reviewed the situation that would arise once the ban on fresh extraction of ore comes into force.

"The committee also decided to form panels in each mining area under respective MLAs to assess the impact of the ban on the families dependent on mining," Dhavalikar said.

Meanwhile, the CAC has appealed to the banks to go slow on recovery of loans taken by the people who are dependent on mining for survival, as they are going through a financial crisis.

Sardesai said the state would face the "biggest" crisis from March 16, when the mining ban comes into force.

"This crisis is not created by the state or Central government but is created by the verdict of the Supreme Court," he said while seeking cooperation of the people.

To implement the apex court order, the state government has already directed the mines to stop fresh extraction of ore and move out the machinery. Transportation of ore has also been put on hold.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's stay at Rajasthan's Jodhpur city kept her on rest mode as she was suffering from pain in her hand.

Hillary, who is on a three-day private tour in India, yesterday slipped twice while climbing down the stone staircase at Jahaz Mahal in Mandu in Madhya Pradesh.

After landing in Jodhpur yesterday, she continuously remained with doctors due to injury in her right hand.

A team of doctors from a private hospital had attended her at Ummed Palace here yesterday providing primary treatment.

Following the advice of the doctors, she cancelled her scheduled visit of the Mehrangarh Fort yesterday evening and planned to continue with her plan on Wednesday.

But the pain intensified early morning today and Hillary was taken to a hospital here at about 5.00 a.m, an official said.

She was taken to a hospital in the morning where we administered CT Scan and X-Ray of her hand, which showed that she had a minor fracture in her right wrist, a doctor said.

According to the doctor, a check up after three days has been advised, which she could get done at any place, wherever she will be.

Considering her condition, not only the local doctors but also her doctors in the US have advised her to rest, on account of which, her Jodhpur tour proved a resting tour as she is supposed to leave for Jaipur tomorrow morning.

According to the district officials, Hillary was scheduled to visit the Mehrangarh Fort today morning after the program was cancelled yesterday. She was also scheduled to visit the carpet-making units of Salawas village here.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China paid rich tributes to Stephen Hawking who died today, saying the renowned British theoretical physicist's contribution to science will be remembered forever.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang recalled three visits made by the 76-year-old Hawking to China during which he had "joyful" exchanges with the Chinese leaders and scientists.

Besides showing interest in China's technological progress, Hawking also loved Chinese culture and visited the Great Wall, Lu said.

"We express our condolences in the passing away of Hawking. His contribution will be remembered forever," he said.

Hawking died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University, where he carried out much of his pioneering work on black holes and relativity.

Hawking was immensely popular in China and had opened an account on Chinese social media giant Weibo, known as China's Twitter, where he posted both in Chinese as well as in English.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Physically bound to the wheelchair, Stephen Hawking reached out into the depths of the universe with his mind and decoded the mysterious cosmos for the common people - that is how the British physicist was remembered by his Indian student today.

When you think about human spirit, you think about Stephen Hawking, said astrophysicist Somak Raychaudhury, director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, who was a student of Hawking at University of Cambridge.

The famous physicist Stephen Hawking - modern cosmology's brightest star - passed away today at the age of 76.

Known for his ground breaking work with black holes and relativity, Hawking was a household name for his resilient spirit to explore the expanse of the universe despite being confined to the wheel chair.

"He was my teacher, and I knew him from a time when he could speak. Personally it's a huge loss. Hawking is special because he is larger than life," Raychaudhury told PTI.

"The man in the street knows Hawking's name not because of his research on blackholes - the common person may not understand what Hawking did on blackholes," said Raychaudhury, who obtained a PhD in astrophysics from Cambridge.

"They know him because he was a brain in a bottle, he could hardly move, and yet in spite of being given two years to live at the age of 20, he lived till 76 and tackled head on every obstacle in life," he said



"That is the human spirit - you think about human spirit and you think about Stephen Hawking," he added.

Hawking suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is usually fatal within a few years.

He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and doctors initially only gave him a few years to live.

However, he went on to study at Cambridge and became one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

The disease left Hawking wheelchair-bound and paralysed. He was able to move only a few fingers on one hand and was completely dependent on others or on technology for virtually everything -- bathing, dressing, eating, even speech.

Known for his unique way of speaking while living his life in a wheelchair, Hawking became an emblem of human determination and curiosity.

"In spite of his affliction, he carried on popularising science through his books and lectures," said Raychaudhury.

"Any one who was confined to the wheelchair and was also given two years to live at the age of twenty would not take on the world in all these spheres," he said.

From denying the existence of god, to asserting his belief in the existence of alien life, Hawking did not shy away from expressing his opinions on various things.

He continued to be in for his controversial statements on the impending doom of mankind and his distrust of the ever-developing artificial intelligence systems.

His book 'A Brief History of Time' was what brought his science to the common people and rocketed Hawking to stardom.

Published for the first time in 1988, the title made the Guinness Book of Records after it stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for an unprecedented 237 weeks.

It sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 different languages.

"I attended the set of lectures that became the record breaking book "A Brief History of Time." It was given in a set of public lectures during my first year in Cambridge," said Raychaudhury.

"Even at the time, listening to those lectures every week one knew that this was something happening. He was explaining basics of cosmology in a way people hadn't done before," he said.

"It certainly the biggest science of the common people written in the last century. That turned so many people on to physics, cosmology and astrophysics," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eminent astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who passed away on Wednesday, had warned that the efforts to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and create thinking machines could spell the end of the human race.

Hawking, known for his work on black holes and relativity, was regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

He was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease since he was 20.

Despite being told that he had just two more years to live in 1963, Hawking continued to make path breaking contributions to science till the age of 76.

In the last few years, Hawking repeatedly warned about the threat of climate change, artificial intelligence, population burden and hostile aliens.

"The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," the cosmologist told BBC News in 2014.

In an interview last year with the WIRED magazine, Hawking said AI will eventually reach a level where it will essentially be a "new form of life that will outperform humans".

"I fear that AI may replace humans altogether. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans," he told the magazine.

The renowned physicist maintained that while the primitive forms of AI had proven very useful, he feared the consequences of creating something that can match or surpass humans.

"It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever-increasing rate," he had said.

Hawking also warned that due to climate change, Earth will become a sizzling fireball by 2600 and humanity will become extinct.

He declared that humans must "boldly go where no one has gone before" if we fancy continuing our species for another million years.

The astrophysicist believed that humans will need to colonise another planet within the next 100 years to survive climate change, asteroid strikes, and overpopulation.

He had also warned that the aggressive instincts of humans, coupled with the fast pace of growth in technology may destroy us all by nuclear or biological war, adding that only a 'world government' may prevent this impending doom.

Hawking believed that humans may lack the skills as a species to stay alive amidst the challenges of climate change, population burden and misuse of technology.

"Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn't compete, and would be superseded," he said.

The scientist believed a new space programme should be worked on urgently by the science community "with a view to eventually colonising suitable planets for human habitation."



"I believe we have reached the point of no return. Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing," the cosmologist said.

Hawking also warned against announcing our presence to any alien civilisations, especially to those more technologically advanced than humans.

"Our first contact from an advanced civilisation could be equivalent to when Native Americans first encountered Christopher Columbus and things 'didn't turn out so well'," Hawking said in a film.

Also performing a hypothetical flyby of Gliese 832c, a potentially habitable exoplanet located 16 light years away, Hawking noted, "One day we might receive a signal from a planet like Gliese 832c, but we should be wary of answering back."



Despite his misgivings, Hawking invested in the Breakthrough Initiative's project focusing on space exploration and the search for life in the Universe.
The Madras High Court today granted 20 days parole to a life convict in the 1998 Coimbatore serial bomb blast case to enable him conduct his daughter's marriage.

A division bench, comprising Justice CT Selvam and Justice N Sathishkumar, directed the Superintendent of Police, Central Prison, Coimbatore, to release the convict Mahamed Ansari for 20 days commencing from April 10 to April 30.

Ansari's wife had filed a plea seeking at least two months parole for her husband in connection with the marriage. She submitted that their eldest daughter's marriage has been fixed for April 16 and reception the next day.

They have to perform numerous ceremonies before and after the marriage ceremony. She also submitted that when her husband was granted parole earlier, he had abided by all the conditions imposed by the SP.

Allowing parole for 20 days, the bench directed the SP to provide security for the convict during the period and produce him at the prison on May 1 by 10 am.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today asked the AAP government about the status of a proposal to increase the monthly pension to be paid to poor people suffering from the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and suggested that at least minimum wages be given to them.

The observation by a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar came after it was told that the Delhi State Aids Control Society has forwarded a proposal to increase the pension amount from Rs 1,000 to between Rs 3,000-6,000 and it is pending for consideration of the health department.

The court, thereafter, directed the Health Secretary of the Delhi government to file a report indicating what is the status of the proposal and listed the matter for further hearing on May 2.

It said the report will also indicate the mode of payment of the amount to the poor AIDS patients.

The bench was hearing a PIL initiated by it after receiving a letter from an AIDS victim, seeking enhancement of the Rs 1,000 pension he was getting.

During the hearing, advocate Ajay Verma, appointed as amicus curiae by the court in the matter, told the bench that several states in the country are providing benefits to the poor suffering from AIDS.

He said that the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka provide free travel passes to such persons while Kerala and Gujarat had several schemes, including access to subsidised food, for them.

The court had on the last date of hearing told the Delhi government that if cannot provide pension to poor AIDS patients, then it should not provide free water and electricity to those who can afford such amenities.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed a single judge bench order for a CBI probe into the killing of Youth Congress worker Shuhaib in Kannur district, allegedly by ruling CPI(M) workers.

The division bench comprising Chief Justice Antony Dominic and Justice Dama Seshadri Naidu, granted the stay while considering an appeal filed by the state government.

The Kerala government on Monday had moved the high court against the single judge bench order.

In its appeal, the government had contended that the order was passed without taking note of the speedy forensic and fair investigation carried out by the state police and without giving them an opportunity to file a counter.

Justice B Kemal Pasha had given the direction on March 7 for the CBI probe while considering the plea by the parents of the Youth Congress worker, seeking a probe by the central agency into the killing.

The parents also submitted that since the prime accused Akash was close to those in the power, it was necessary to have a free and fair investigation in the case by the CBI.

Observing that there should be an impartial and independent probe into the killing,the judge had also directed the state police to hand over the probe to the CBI, besides the case diary and other materials to the agency's Thiruvananthapuram unit.

In its appeal, the government contended that the judgement was passed within three weeks of the incident (where the accused were unknown at the time of filing of the FIR).

The appeal said that the Special Investigation Team, set up to probe the killing, later arrested 11 persons involved in the attack and recovered the weapons and vehicles which were used in the commission of offence, it said.

No materials were there before the single judge apart from newspaper reports and FIR produced along with the writ petition, it said.

The single bench order violated the principle of natural justice and the principles settled by the Supreme Court, the government submitted.

Youth Congress worker Shuhaib, 29, was hacked to death at a tea stall, allegedly by CPI(M) workers on February 12.
Following are the top at 1700 hours:



STORIES IN THE PIPELINE:



-Updates on Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha bypolls and Bihar bypollsDEL50UP-6THLD-LS-BYPOLLSSP consolidates leads in Gorakhpur, Phulpur LS seats; BJP talks of redrawing strategyLucknow: The Samajwadi Party strengthens its grip over Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats with latest trends showing its candidates establishing sizeable leads over their nearest BJP rivals, indicating a stunning reversal for the state's ruling party.

CAL8



BH-BYPOLLS-RESULTS



Bihar bypolls: RJD retains Jehanabad, BJP holds on to Bhabhua



Patna: The RJD retains the Jehanabad Assembly seat and the BJP the Bhabhua constituency in bypolls in Bihar.

DEL52



LD PARLIAMENT



LS passes budget without debate; both Houses adjourn amid din



New Delhi: The Lok Sabha passes the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year without discussion amid ruckus, which led to the adjournment of both the Houses of Parliament for the eighth day.

DEL42



AVI-FLIGHTS-2NDLD CANCELLATION



IndiGo, GoAir cancel 50 flights



Mumbai: Domestic carriers IndiGo and GoAir cancells around 50 flights as almost one-third of their A320 Neo aircraft fleet remains grounded for the third day, following a safety directive by aviation watchdog DGCA.

DEL46



ED-NIRAVMODI-INTERPOL



ED seeks Interpol warrant against Nirav Modi, Choksi



New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) moves the Interpol for issuance of a Red Corner Notice against diamond traders Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi in connection with the over Rs 12,000 crore PNB scam.

DEL14



MHA-RAJNATH-CYBERCRIME



Cyber crime becoming industry, may occur 'very often': Rajnath



New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh says cyber crime has become an industry globally and that such offences may occur "very often" due to the availability of resources in wrong hands.

DEL28



UP-SP-COMPLAINT



Massive irregularities in vote-counting in Gorakhpur: SP to EC



Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh unit chief of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Naresh Uttam, writes to the Election Commission (EC), alleging large-scale irregularities in the ongoing counting of votes for the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat.

DEL36



CUSTOMS-GOLD-SMUGGLING



Customs for one-year detention of habitual gold smugglers



New Delhi: Delhi Customs decides to invoke a stringent provision of the anti-smuggling law to ensure that habitual gold smugglers get at least one-year detention to prevent them from illegally ferrying the yellow metal, official sources say.By Ashwini Shrivastava



DEL45



RSQ-COMMUNAL



UP tops the list of communal violence hit states in 2017: Govt



New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh tops the list of states with maximum communal violence incidents in the country last year, the Lok Sabha was informed.

DEL40



BIZ-GROWTH-WORLD BANK



World Bank projects India's FY19 GDP growth at 7.3 pc



New Delhi: The World Bank projects India's GDP growth at 7.3 per cent for the next financial year and accelerate further to 7.5 per cent in 2019-20.

DEL6



PM-HAWKING



PM Modi condoles demise of Stephen Hawking



New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoles the demise of cosmologist Stephen Hawking and says his grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world.

DEL43



HAWKING-RAHUL



Congress chief pays tributes to Stephen Hawking



New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi condoles the demise of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, describing him as a torchbearer for logic, reason and scientific temper who left an indelible mark on society.

DEL44



LSQ-LAW-WOMEN JUDGES



Out of over 600 HC judges, only 73 are women



New Delhi: Out of over 600 high court judges, only 73 are women, while there is only one woman judge in the Supreme Court, the government informs the Lok Sabha.

DEL49



RSQ-STUDENT SUICIDES



26,500 students committed suicide in 2014-16: Govt tells RS



New Delhi: Almost 26,500 students committed suicide in the country between 2014 and 2016, the Rajya Sabha was informed.

BOM6



MH-PAK NATIONAL-DEPORTATION



Pak national, who stayed in India for 27 yrs, deported



Mumbai: A 37-year-old Pakistani national, who was illegally staying in India since he was about 10 years of age, deported to the neighbouring country, a police official says.

LEGAL:



LGD11



SC-AYODHYA



SC rejects all interim pleas to intervene as parties in Ayodhya dispute



New Delhi: The Supreme Court rejects all interim pleas seeking to intervene as parties in the sensitive Babri masjid- Ram temple land dispute case.

FGN18



UK-3RDLD HAWKING



British theoretical scientist Stephen Hawking dies at 76



London: Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, dies at his home in Cambridge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency today questioned six people, including the eldest son of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, in connection with a 2011 terror funding case, officials said here.

Shakeel Yusuf, who works as a medical assistant at Srinagar's Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, appeared before the agency along with five others suspected to have received funds from Salahuddin, they said.

The NIA wanted to question him over allegations that he used to receive funds sent by his father through a US-based international wire transfer company, officials said.

The agency alleged that Yusuf was also "one of several Indian contacts" of a hawala operator based in Saudi Arabia identified as Aijaz Ahmed Bhat, and was alleged to have been in telephonic contact with him for receiving money transfer codes.

Yusuf may be quizzed again, officials said.

The case, registered by the NIA in April 2011, relates to the transfer of money from Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir through hawala channels via Delhi, which the agency believed was used in funding terrorism and secessionist activities.

The NIA has so far filed two charge sheets against six people including G M Bhat, a close aide of pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohammed Siddiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo and Farooq Ahmed Dagga. All four are in judicial custody.

Two others -- Mohammed Maqbool Pandit and Bhat -- were also charge sheeted by the NIA but are absconding. An Interpol Red Corner notice has been issued against them.

Yusuf's father Mohammed Yusuf Shah -- better known as Syed Salahuddin -- was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State in June last year.

Besides heading terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, he is the chairman of the United Jehad Council (UJC), a conglomerate of terrorist outfits operating in the Kashmir Valley.

The agency had also arrested another son of the Hizb chief Shahid in connection with the case in October last year. He is at present in judicial custody.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today said that a committee would be constituted to raise the issue of supply of "untreated water" from Okhla barrage to Yamuna river with the Delhi government.

The committee will be set up under the chairmanship of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister, O P Dhankar, Khattar informed the Haryana Assembly during Zero Hour today.

Khattar said MLAs of the effected districts would be members of this committee which would hold a meeting after the ongoing budget session of the state Assembly concludes.

"This is a serious issue and has been lingering at the inter-state level. The committee would discuss the matter with the Delhi government as well as with the Central government.

"Besides, it would also explore the possibilities of constructing a separate nullah running parallel to Yamuna river to carry dirty water so that only treated water reaches Yamuna, the chief minister said.

Also, dialogues would be held with the Uttar Pradesh government so that clean water would reach Yamuna from the neighbouring state, Khattar said.

Earlier, many MLAs, including those from the ruling BJP and the Opposition, belonging to places including Faridabad, Palwal and Nuh raised the issue of supply of "untreated water" from Okhla barrage to Yamuna river.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thirty-one aircraft of the Indian Air Force have been involved in accidents in the last four years, the government informed the Lok Sabha today.

In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said 10 accidents had taken place in 2014-15 while the number was six in 2015-16 and 10 in 2016-17.

The number of accidents reported in 2017-18 was five.

"Every aircraft accident in the Indian Air Force is investigated by a Court of Inquiry (CoI) to ascertain the cause of accident," Bhamre said.

He said phasing out of the aircraft and their replacement with new generation aircraft depends upon national security, strategic objectives and operational requirements of the defence forces.

On a question about whether some political experts have asked the government to issue a white paper on the Rafale fighter jet deal, Bhamre said no such proposal has been received.

The Congress has been attacking the government over the Rafale deal, claiming that the deal negotiated under its rule was much cheaper than the contract signed by the Modi government to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France at a cost of Rs 58,000 crore.

Replying to a separate question, Bhamre said the government bas sanctioned enhancement of production rate of the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft Tejas from eight aircraft annually to 16 aircraft.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The price band for ICICI Securities' initial public offer (IPO) has been fixed at Rs 519 to Rs 520 per equity share, ICICI Bank said on Wednesday.

The IPO will open for subscription on March 22 to raise an estimated Rs 40 billion.

ICICI Securities is a subsidiary of private sector lender ICICI Bank.

The offer will be open for subscription to public on Thursday, March 22, 2018 and would close on Monday, March 26, 2018, ICICI Bank said.

The anchor investor bid/offer period will be open for subscription on March 22, it said.

"The price band for the offer, as decided by ICICI Bank Limited (being the selling shareholder)...has been fixed on March 14, 2018 at Rs 519 to Rs 520 per equity share of ICICI Securities," it said.

The minimum bid lot for the offer has been fixed at 28 equity shares of ICICI Securities and in multiples of 28 equity shares of ICICI Securities thereafter.

The public issue comprises sale of 77,249,508 equity shares.

The filing further said that the offer includes a reservation of up to 3.8 million equity shares of ICICI Securities for purchase by ICICI Bank Shareholders -- the individuals and HUFs who are the public equity shareholders of ICICI Bank.

At the upper end of the price band, the IPO could fetch over Rs 40 billion.
India needs to further improve its ease of doing business ranking as in the next 20 years it is set to become the world's second largest economy, British lawyer and human rights campaigner Cherie Blair today said.

India is the only large country in 2017 to have achieved such a significant shift on the back of reforms in taxation, construction permits, investor protection and bankruptcy resolution.

Underlining that India's place in the world has changed for the better, Blair said there is a need for further improvements.

"It is great that India's ranking has improved for ease of doing business to 100 but given the predictions that in the next 20 years India is going to be the second largest economy in the world, the ease of doing business should be better than this," the 63-year-old lawyer said.

She also praised India's support to globalisation.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is an advocate of globalisation and is one of the few world leaders speaking against protectionism," she said.

"President (Donald) Trump is no friend of globalisation unless it puts America first. Even the UK is going down track by turning back on trading relationship with European partners but India's position has strengthened," she said while delivering a lecture on 'Elevated Aspirations for Investment into India'.

The wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair also talked about how bringing gender parity would help in development of India.

A group of senior government, military judiciary and civil society members participated in a discussion on making a favourable environment for attracting foreign direct investment into India. The event was organised by Global Dialogue Review magazine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A leading global payments and technology company will provide its Indian customers cutting-edge innovations to help them tackle rapidly growing online frauds, a top company official has said.

Mastercard's Executive Vice President for Asia Pacific Rama Sridhar said artificial intelligence, biometric, authentication were among other risk-assessing and managing solutions being used to tackle frauds across the globe including in India.

"A lot of security fraud solutions on card-based products are already available to the Indian market," Sridhar said here last night on the sidelines of Money Asia 20/20 conference on financial eco-system.

Expressing concern over frauds in rapidly growing electronic transactions, she said "Mastercard is very interested in bringing all the securities to its Indian customers".

Sridhar said that Indian financial dealings had picked up pace from cash to digital in recent years, especially with the introduction of smartphones and mobile devices.

She said the company was committed to the strategic market by investing in people, resources and creating solutions for the Indian customers.

"We are trying to upgrade our own solutions such as the use of the biometric, iris-eye recognition, or adapting smartphone to the behaviour of its owner," she said.

India is a hugely strategic market for the company. It has a global technology hub, centre of excellence for innovation and global centre of analytics in the country, Sridhar said.

"Increasingly, the Made in India is a very important theme for us to embrace," she said, pointing out that some solutions are developed in India.

Flipkart, one of India's biggest online retailers, is the first merchant in India to support the company's tokenization.

Tokenization is an alternative that uses an alterative card number, while protecting the original. It renders any fraudster's attempt useless as the original card number is protected, she said.

"Mastercard understands that safety and security are top priorities for our customers, cardholders, merchants and other partners," she added.
India's real estate sector is projected to reach USD 180 billion by 2020 from USD 126 billion in 2015, according to a joint report by CREDAI and JLL.

Investment inflows in the housing sector since 2014 have been Rs 59,000 crore, about 47 per cent of the total invested money in real estate, it said.

The report also said that the contribution of the residential segment to the GDP would almost double to 11 per cent by 2020.

Released today at CREDAI Conclave 2018, the report traces 7 trends that will change the way real estate business will happen in the future in India.

"The Indian Real Estate Sector is projected to reach a market size of USD 180 billion by 2020, a sharp rise from USD 126 billion in 2015," the report said.

JLL also projected that the housing sector's contribution to the Indian GDP is expected to almost double to more than 11% by 2020 up from estimated 5-6 per cent.

Regulatory reforms, steady demand generated through rapid urbanisation, rising household income and the emergence of affordable and nuclear housing are some of the key drivers of growth for the sector, the report said.

Listing the seven trends that would transform the real estate sector, JLL said the new law RERA is expected to consolidate the Indian Real Estate industry with elimination of unscrupulous developers.

Sales figures are projected to improve with RERA bound to rebuild the trust deficit between buyers and developers, it said.

On GST, the report said it would lead to cost savings of 3-4 per cent.

Prices would continue to remain dependent on demand and supply dynamics within micro-markets.

Apart from eight major cities, JLL said that cities like Nagpur, Kochi, Chandigarh and Patna could be growth centres.

The recent relaxation in the FDI has provided a huge boost to investment in the industry.

"Private equity and debt investments in real estate increased by 12% year-on-year across 79 transactions in 2017," the report said, adding that affordable housing and warehousing segments would attract huge investment going forward.

The affordable housing segment, which has been granted infrastructure status, would create avenues for developers.

Ramesh Nair, CEO and Country Head, JLL India said: The time for change is now, which is evident in the recent developments. Game changing developments like RERA and GST have created a strong base for the sector to grow, which coupled with India's strong economic advancement have provided a perfect spring board.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Jammu and Kashmir Police will procure micro unmanned ariel vehicles fitted with night vision equipment for security, surveillance and detection operations in the state, officials have said.

Senior police officials said that there was a need to have such UAVs for security drills including anti-terror operations, particularly in Kashmir Valley, in view of increasing militancy-related incidents.

Tendering process for the procurement of eight drones has started.

"We have invited tenders from original manufacturers or authorised dealers for supply of UAVs recently," Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Police Headquarters, Mubassir Latifi said.

The move is part of Director General S P Vaid's focus on better equipping the force and improving its infrastructure, the official said.

Latifi said these drones would be used for security, surveillance, reconnaissance and detection operations round the clock.

The drones should have autonomous take-off, landing and flight navigation modes, he said.

UAVs should have 60 minutes of endurance or more with all payloads at mean sea level and have minimum 5 kilometers of light of sight and 25 kilometers per hour cruise speed.

The army also plans this year to buy high-tech unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to strengthen its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and improve the effectiveness of its military operations in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Private carrier Jet Airways today announced expansion of its domestic network, adding 144 new weekly flights comprising both non-stop and one-stop services as part of its summer schedule, which begins later this month.

The new services include flights to north-eastern cities of Imphal and Jorhat as well as Tiruchanapalli in the south from New Delhi and Mumbai, Jet Airways said today.

As part of the new schedule, Jet Airways will strengthen connectivity to the north eastern region from the national capital with non-stop services including thrice-a-week flights to Aizawl and Jorhat and four times-a-week flights to Silchar from New Delhi, it said.

The airline will also commence four times-a-week non-stop service to Imphal from Delhi, and will launch new non-stop services to Patna, Raipur and Chandigarh.

Additionally, Jet Airways will begin a daily, non-stop service for the very first time between Mumbai and Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu's temple city and a religious centre, besides a new direct service between Tiruchirappalli and Delhi.

"Our summer schedule has been designed with a combination of new services - non-stop as well as direct flights - between emerging cities, key metros and our hubs in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru," the company's senior vice president for network planning and revenue management Raj Sivakumar said.

The airlines is also commencing direct, one-stop services between Mumbai and the north eastern cities of Jorhat and Imphal, marking its return to the Manipur capital.

Imphal will also be connected with Pune with direct flights through Guwahati and Kolkata, enhancing access and connectivity between the north-east and its hubs in Mumbai and Delhi, according to the release.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today directed early restoration of a century-old Sufi shrine which was damaged due to lightning in Baramulla district today.

The holy shrine of Baba Fareed at Garkote village of Uri was gutted in a fire caused by lightning in the wee hours today.

Expressing concern over the extensive damage to the shrine, Vohra advised the state government and all other concerned authorities to see that no time is lost in restoring the shrine to its pristine glory, an official said.

The chief minister also expressed concern over the reports of damage to the shrine and directed the Baramulla deputy commissioner and other concerned officers to visit the shrine complex and take necessary measures for restoration of the same, the spokesman said.

The 13th century shrine, also revered by Sikhs, is dedicated to the Sufi mystic Fariduddin Ganjshakar, popularly known as Baba Fareed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Judges of the Supreme Court and the 24 high courts are set to get an enhanced furnishing allowance as the government has decided to amend the rules in this regard.

Official sources said a notification in this regard will be issued in the next few days.

The furnishing allowance of Supreme Court judges will be doubled from the existing Rs 5 lakh. The furnishing allowance was last revised in 2009.

While the chief justice of India will be entitled to a furnishing allowance of Rs 10 lakh, the other judges of the apex court and the chief justice of the high courts will be entitled for Rs 8 lakh.

Till now, Supreme Court judges and chief justices of high courts were paid Rs 4 lakh for furnishing of their homes and offices.

An amendment will be made in the Supreme Court judges rules and high court judges rules through an executive order to be signed by the law minister.

For the judges of the high courts, the furnishing allowance has been raised from Rs 3 lakh at present to Rs 6 lakh. In the recently notified revision of salaries of judges of the Supreme Court and the high court, there was no provision for any allowance as all of that had been subsumed, similar to the 7th Pay Commission award given to the central government staff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Karnataka cabinet meeting that was to discuss today the contentious issue of considering Lingayat/Veerashaiva as a separate religion has been postponed, officials said.

Officials at the Chief Minister's Office confirmed the postponement, but did not cite any reason for it.

The cabinet on March 8 had discussed the issue inconclusively, amidst reports of differences between Ministers belonging to both Veerashaiva and Lingayat faiths.

Rejecting suggestions that were factions within the cabinet on it, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had yesterday said "we will discuss tomorrow (in the cabinet meeting)."



The demand for a separate religion tag to Veerashaiva/ Lingayat faiths has surfaced from the numerically strong and politically-influential community, amidst resentment from within over projecting the two communities as the same.

While one section led by Akhila Bharata Veerashaiva Mahasabha has demanded separate religion status, asserting that Veerashaiva and Lingayats are the same,the other wants it only for Lingayats as it believes that Veerashaivasare one among the seven sects of Shaivas, which is part ofHinduism.

Of late, some Lingayats have also stated that they were open to having the Veerashaivas under their umbrella, but the Lingayat nomenclature was non-negotiable.

Karnataka State Minorities Commission had formed a seven-member committee, headed by retired High Court Judge H NNagamohan Das on the issue, which submitted its report on March 2 stating that "Lingayats in Karnataka may be consideredas religious minority."



The Lingayat/Veerashaiva community that owesallegiance to the 12th century "social reform movement" initiated by Basaveshwara has a substantial population in Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the state.

The BJP and several sections of the Hindu community have maintained a cautious stance, keeping away from the move to give Veerashaiva/Lingayat separate religion status.

They have accused the Siddaramaiah government of dividing society to draw political mileage ahead of the assembly elections, due in April/May.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Karnataka High Court today dismissed the bail plea of Congress MLA N A Haris' son in a case relating to the alleged assault on a man at a pub-cum restaurant here last month.

"The bail petition is dismissed," Justice S Harish Kumar said in his order.

Mohammed Nalapad Harris, son of N A Haris, was booked for attempt to murder for allegedly assaulting L Vidwath during a brawl at a pub-cum-restaurant in U B City here on February 17 night.

During hearing of the bail plea, counsel for Vidwat submitted that the attack on his client was ghastly and hence the petition must be dismissed.

A sessions court had earlier rejected Nalapad's bail plea on March 2.

Nalapad's counsel told reporters that his client would appeal in the high court or the Supreme Court against the order.

The Congress MLA's son at present is in judicial custody.

Nalapad and six other accused were sent to Parapana Agrahara Central Jail after a city court awarded a 14-day judicial custody for further interrogation.

The MLA's son and the others were arrested on February 19 when they surrendered at the Cubbon Park police station.

The incident had created a political storm, prompting the Congress to suspend Nalapad from the party for six years.

He was Bengaluru District Youth Congress General Secretary when the incident took place.

Nalapad's father had also tendered an apology in the state legislative assembly over the issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of right-wing leader Milind Ramakant Ekbote, the prime accused in the January 1 Bhima Koregaon violence in Maharashtra in which one person was killed and a large number injured.

A bench comprising Justices M B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Deepak Gupta rejected his plea taking into account the submissions of Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for Maharashtra, that 177 person were injured in the incident and Ekbote was the "main person" instigating the mob.

"The case is pending against you. You are creating communal violence. What is this? You are spreading communal disharmony," the bench told the counsel representing Ekbote.

During the hearing, Ekbote's counsel said the state has already filed a status report before the court and the apex court had earlier granted him interim protection from arrest.

He argued that Ekbote was not arrested till date despite the fact that he had gone to the police station five times.

When the counsel claimed that the accused was not present at the spot at the time of violence, the bench said "You can create problems without sitting over there. Have you heard about social media? A person sitting in the US can do it here."



The apex court had on February 7 granted him protection from arrest till February 20 and sought a response from the state government on his plea. It had on the last date of hearing extended the interim protection till today.

The Maharashtra government, in its affidavit filed through advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar, had sought dismissal of Ekbote's anticipatory bail plea, saying "the petitioner has not been cooperating in the investigation by giving improbable or unscrupulous information which cannot be by any stretch of imagination relied upon. It is submitted that custodial interrogation is inevitable considering the peculiar circumstances of the present offence."



According to the police, a court in Pune had on February 6 issued an arrest warrant against Ekbote, who was booked for allegedly inciting violence on January 1 during an event to commemorate the bicentenary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle.

A case was registered against Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, who head the Hindu Ekta Aghadi and Shivraj Pratishthan respectively, for allegedly "inciting" violence that left a man dead near Bhima Koregaon. Subsequent protests had disrupted normal life in Mumbai.

The Bombay High Court had on February 2 rejected Ekbote's anticipatory bail plea. Before that, a Pune court had also rejected a similar plea by him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Ram Nath Kovind today reached Madagascar, on the second leg of his two-nation state visit to Africa and the Indian Ocean Region.

This is the first ever visit by a President or Prime Minister of India to this country.

Flying in from Mauritius, Kovind was received at the Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo by Prime Minister Olivier Solonandrasan and accorded a ceremonial welcome.

After the delegation-level talks, the President was conferred the Grand Cross of the Second Class by Solonandrasan. This is the highest honour Madagascar bestows on a non-citizen.

Tomorrow, the President will interact with members of the India-Madagascar Business Forum, and then address students and the academic community at the University of Antananarivo before leaving for India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman today rejected Britain's "unfounded accusations" and "ultimatums" over the poisoning of a former double agent in Britain.

"Moscow does not accept unfounded accusations that are not based on evidence and a language of ultimatums," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"We are hoping that common sense will prevail," he said in the Kremlin's first public response to British accusations that Russia was likely behind the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal.

Yesterday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May's deadline to explain how a Russian former double agent was poisoned in Britain with a highly toxic nerve agent invented by Russia.

"Moscow has nothing to do with the accident in Britain," Peskov said, reiterating Moscow was open to cooperate on the investigation.

He declined to comment on reports in the Western media on the possibility of invoking NATO's Article 5 principle of common defence, saying Moscow hopes other countries would see there was no evidence to blame Russia for the poisoning attack.

"As far as a threat of isolation is concerned, we are hoping that common sense will prevail and other countries will at least think whether there is any proof or not and just how justified the rebukes against Moscow are," Peskov said.

London is mooting possible punishment against Moscow, with British communications regulator Ofcom saying it could review the licence of the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster if Russian involvement in the poisoning was proven.

"Any illegal actions against any Russian media outlet in the United Kingdom will lead to retaliatory steps on the basis of reciprocity," Peskov said.

"What steps will it be? These would be steps that best suit Russia's interests," he added.

In a terse comment earlier this week, Putin told the BBC: "Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has said restrictions imposed on social media after the communal riots in the island's central hills will be lifted within the next few days, as the government faced flak for not lifting the blockage despite improvement in the situation.

The government imposed a state of emergency last week and blocked Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media sites following anti-Muslim violence in Kandy and Ampara districts.

The government restricted the use of social media after police claimed that they were being used to spread hatred against the minority community.

Sirisena, addressing Sri Lankan community in Japan yesterday, said that the temporary ban on Facebook following the riots will be lifted within the next few days.

He said that even though there is room for any medium for the benefit of the society, there is a need for a certain approach to control the destruction cause to the society by some vicious elements using these mediums, the Colombo Page reported.

"Mobile phones, computers, the Internet and social media were created for the benefit of the human kind and utilising these technologies we can get the knowledge of a world, but unfortunately some section of the society in Sri Lanka use these resources to destroy the country," he pointed out.

President Sirisena said it is expected to introduce a new programme on the proper usage of such resources and emphasised the imperative need for the citizens as well as the government to fulfil their responsibilities.

The Sri Lankan government is facing flak over continued shutdown of several social media sites even though anti-Muslim violence in the island's central hills has eased.

Sri Lanka's Minister of Youth Affairs and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayaka criticised the government for continuing the ban on social media saying that blocking Facebook and messaging apps in long term is not an option in present times.

Ratnayake said the social media ban makes a negative impact on a wide range of industries.

"Apart from the general frustration it creates, such blanket bans will take a heavy toll on economy and hamper IT, E-commerce and tourism sectors. What the government must promote is responsible use of social media, with necessary checks and balances," Ratnayaka said in a statement.

"Blocking Facebook and messaging platforms long term is not an option, in this day and age. Social Media must start functioning so that the economy doesn't suffer. Therefore access to Social Media must be unblocked as soon as possible and the Government must set in place a system to curtail hate speech and fake news," he added.

However, UNP, the dominant partner of the ruling coalition, said it would not fight against the social media blockage.

Telecommunications Minister Harin Fernando said although the UNP was not in agreement they have decided to keep quiet.

Fernando said the blockage through local service providers on Facebook and other social media were necessary to prevent an escalation of the anti-Muslim riots that left three people dead and arson attacks against over 200 houses and businesses in Kandy district.

Fernando said the UNP was against Sirisena's order to block the Lankaenews website since last November, but the party understands that Sirisena has reasons to do so.

"We are in a joint national coalition. So our two parties are together. Just because the other party decides (on something wrong) we are not going to be barbaric and fight each other," he said.

A state of emergency was declared in Sri Lanka on March 6 for 10 days to rein in the spread of communal violence between the majority Sinhala and minority Muslims in the country's scenic Kandy district.

Violence, triggered by the death of a Sinhalese man at the hands of a mob, erupted in the Theldeniya area of the central hill district popular with tourists.

The government deployed thousands of troops to restore peace and protect the minority Muslims and their property.

The area is currently peaceful and no attacks have been reported since Thursday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gina Haspel broke another glass ceiling in her illustrious career in the CIA running over more than three decades when US President Donald Trump announced that she would become the first woman to lead the agency.

In a surprise move, Trump yesterday announced that he was removing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replacing him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo and elevating Haspel, who was his deputy.

The Senate must vote on 61-year-old Haspel's confirmation to succeed Pompeo. If confirmed by the Senate, Haspel would be the first women to lead the Central Intelligence Agency.

However, influential lawmakers yesterday indicated that they are unlikely to give her a pass. In fact, they are gearing up to grill her over her role in torture programme.

"Gina, by the way, who I know very well, who I've worked with very closely, will be the first woman director of the CIA. She's an outstanding person who also I have gotten to know very well," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Director of National Intelligence, Daniel Coats, said Trump has made a strong choice in his nomination of Haspel to serve as the next Director of CIA.

Haspel is a career intelligence officer who joined the CIA in 1985. She has extensive overseas experience and has served as Chief of Station in several locations, he said. She is the winner of George H W Bush Award for excellence in counterterrorism and also the Intelligence Medal of Merit.

On a flip side, Haspel once reportedly ran a secret prison in Thailand where terrorism suspects were allegedly subjected to harsh interrogation techniques like waterboarding.

According to 'The Wall Street Journal', she was part of a team that oversaw the CIA's detention and interrogation of suspected terrorists, using techniques that many experts and lawmakers since have described as torture.

Top senators were yesterday quick in pointing at her role in the torture programme.

Republican Senator John McCain, Chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee said the torture of detainees in US custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history.

"During the confirmation process, Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA's interrogation programme. I know the Senate will do its job in examining Ms. Haspel's record as well as her beliefs about torture and her approach to current law," McCain said.

Senator Dianne Feinstein said Haspel has been a "good" deputy director but mentioned that she had her reservations about the CIA's torture programme.

"It's no secret I've had concerns in the past with her connection to the CIA torture programme and have spent time with her discussing this. To the best of my knowledge, she has been a good deputy director and I look forward to the opportunity to speak with her again," she said.

Senator Ron Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, opposed the nomination of Haspel and called for total transparency about her background.

"Ms. Haspel's background makes her unsuitable to serve as CIA director... If Ms. Haspel seeks to serve at the highest levels of US intelligence, the government can no longer cover up disturbing facts from her past," he said.

Senator Martin Heinrich, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said Trump's decision to nominate Haspel to serve as CIA Director is "deeply troubling".

"Her record makes her unsuitable for a leadership role at the agency, let alone to serve as the director. We should not be asked to confirm a nominee whose background cannot be publicly discussed and who cannot then be held accountable for her actions. The American public deserves to know who its leaders are," Heinrich said.

House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jerrold Nadler said the Senate owes it to the American people to take a hard look at Deputy Director Haspel, "whose career at the CIA coincides with some of the darkest moments in recent American history".

"She oversaw a black site prison in Thailand. She approved interrogation techniques that were clearly unlawful at the time, and ordered the destruction of evidence of those practices," he alleged.

"The Senate already rightly denied Deputy Director Haspel a post as head of the clandestine service because of the role she played in the Bush administration's enhanced interrogation programme. The Senate should not confirm Deputy Director Haspel to lead the CIA, Nadler said.

However, Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell got behind Haspel's nomination, calling her "an outstanding choice".

"The president has made an excellent choice in asking Gina to take on the responsibilities of leading the CIA and I look forward to working with her," he said.

Senator Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said his committe would continue its "positive relationship" with the CIA under her leadership.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Lok Sabha today passed without discussion the Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year beginning April 1, all in a matter of 25 minutes during which opposition parties shouted slogans and created the din.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's 21 amendments to the Bill, which contains taxation proposals for 2018-19, were approved by voice vote, and so was the Appropriation Bill which detailed spending plans for 99 government ministries and departments.

With this, the Parliamentary approval for the Modi government's fifth and final Budget is complete in Lok Sabha.

It is probably the first time in recent years that the Lok Sabha had not discussed and voted even a single ministry's demand for grants (spending plan). In the recent past, Union budgets were passed without discussion in 2013-14 and 2003-04 when, like today, all demands were guillotined.

The amendments approved by the Lok Sabha included the one providing for grandfathering of capital gains accrued on unlisted entities till January 31. It also provided for methodology for valuation of capital gains.

In the Budget for 2018-19 presented on February 1, Jaitley brought back a tax on long-term capital gains on listed equities.

Long-term capital gains of over Rs 1 lakh will be taxed at 10 per cent. However, all gains up to January 31, 2018 will be grandfathered, he had said in the Budget speech.

The Lok Sabha passed the appropriation bills after negating several cut motions moved by the opposition parties.

With opposition paralysing the functioning of Parliament in the second half of the Budget session over issues ranging from India's biggest bank fraud at PNB to sharing of Cauvery waters and special package for Andhra Pradesh, the government decided to bring the budget for approval even though the session is scheduled to go on till April 6.

It was taken up soon after the House met after the first adjournment of proceedings at the beginning of the day.

Opposition parties cried foul over the move with Congress, NCP and TMC staging a walkout while the Telgu parties - TDP, TRS and YSR-Congress were in the well shouting slogans.

Samajwadi Party too was in the well of the house protesting clamp down on the media during the counting of votes for Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll.

Earlier, Congress, Trinamool, DMK, RJD, SP, Left, NCP among others had submitted a memorandum to the Speaker, objecting to what it called was government's "arrogance and unilateral move to bulldoze all financial business without discussing them in the House".

The Lok Sabha also later passed, through a voice vote, the fourth batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2017-18. The fourth batch involved cash outgo of Rs 85,315 crore, mainly on compensating states for loss of revenue from implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Jaitley moved the Finance Bill 2018, which contains taxation proposals of his fifth and final budget, as well as the appropriation bill that details of spending in various departments, amid din created by slogan-shouting opposition. The bills were passed by voice vote.

Ruling BJP-led NDA has an absolute majority in the Lower House of Parliament.

The appropriation bill was approved after a guillotine was applied which essentially means that all outstanding demands for grants from various departments are put to vote at once whether they are discussed or not.

With the passage of the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill, the budget exercise is complete in the lower house.

Technically, the two Bills also have to go to Rajya Sabha but since they are money bill they would be considered approved if the Upper House of Parliament does not return them within 14 days.

The Opposition has an upper hand in the Rajya Sabha.

Neither Lok Sabha nor Rajya Sabha has transacted any substantial business in the past eight days.

Earlier this week, the BJP had issued a three-day whip to its members to be present in the House.

Budget passage is a constitutional obligation without which the government cannot spend a single penny on its functioning.

Opposition parties protested against the passing of the Budget without a debate as the session is to continue till April 6.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Lok Sabha today passed the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year without discussion amid ruckus, which led to the adjournment of both the Houses of Parliament for the eighth day.

The Finance Bill as well as the Appropriation Bill were passed in a matter of 25 minutes during which opposition parties and ruling NDA ally TDP shouted slogans and created a din. The Lower House was adjourned for the day immediately thereafter.

The opposition parties protested against the passage of the budget without debate, as the session is slated to continue till April 6.

The Rajya Sabha, which was informed of the passage of the budget by the Lok Sabha at 2 PM, was also adjourned for the day within about three minutes thereafter.

In the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved 21 amendments to the Bill containing taxation proposals for 2018-19, which were approved by voice vote. So was the Appropriation Bill which detailed spending plans for 99 government ministries and departments.

With this, the parliamentary approval for the Modi government's fifth and final budget was completed in the Lok Sabha, where the ruling BJP-led NDA enjoys absolute majority. Earlier this week, the BJP had issued a three-day whip to its members to be present in the House.

As slogan-shouting began soon after the House assembled, Speaker Sumitra Mahajan accepted Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar's proposal for advancing the time of the passage of the Finance and other bills, scheduled in the agenda at 5 PM, to noon.

Thereafter she adjourned the House till 12 PM as members of the opposition and TDP and AIADMK raised slogans on various issues including against the passage of the budget without debate, the Rs 12,700 crore banking scam, special status to Andhra Pradesh and setting up of Cauvery Management Board for river water sharing by riparian states.

Neither the Lok Sabha, nor the Rajya Sabha have transacted any substantial business in the past eight days since the second leg of the budget session began on March 5.

After passage of the finance and appropriation bills in the Lok Sabha, both these legislations have to go to Rajya Sabha for passage. However, since these are money bills, they would be considered approved, if the Upper House does not return them to the Lower House within 14 days.

The Opposition has an upper hand in the Rajya Sabha.

The proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were also washed out for the eighth straight day today, amid uproar by the opposition and NDA partner TDP over the same issues.

The House was adjourned till 2 PM soon after it had assembled for the day. The Chair called it a day after it reassembled at 2 PM as uproarious scenes continued.

When the Upper House met at 2 PM, the opposition members trooped into the Well raising slogans like "BJP Hatao, Desh Bachao" (remove BJP, save the country) and displaying placards.

Amid the din, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who was in the Chair, directed the Secretary General to read out a message from the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha Secretary General of the informed the House about the passage of the Finance Bill and the appropriation bills by the Lower House, amid din.

As the noisy protests continued, Kurien thereafter adjourned the House for the day.

Three of the SP members in the House - R S Tiwari, Chandrapal Singh Yadav and Neeraj Shekhar donned red caps as counting trends in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha bypolls showed their party candidates leading in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's constitutency.

Earlier, the proceedings were adjourned till 2 PM due to the continued protests by the members of several parties.

Before the adjournment, the House mourned the death of former member VPM Samy and Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist. It also expressed grief at the death of nine paramilitary personnel killed in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh yesterday, as well as ten trekkers killed in a recent forest fire in Tamil Nadu.

Soon after the listed papers were laid, several MPs trooped into the Well shouting slogans.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked them to return to their seats and allow the Zero Hour proceedings. "This is not the way," he said, ordering that no part of the protest would either go on record or be shown on television. He then adjourned the House till 2 PM.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan today said given the financial "indiscipline" the state is facing, the government will have to take loan even to pay salaries to its staff.

"The state has officially admitted (in the budget) its revenue deficit stood at Rs 15,000 crore which means it does not have sufficient income to make the necessary spendings.

"The necessary spendings include salaries of government employees and for that the state will need to take loan from banks," he said.

"This shows the state completely lacks financial discipline," Chavan told PTI.

Chavan, an MLA, was speaking outside the Assembly complex after Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar completed his reply over the budget he presented on March 9.

"Mungantiwar himself has admitted that the impact of the government's farm loan waiver on the state coffers is going to be felt for the next 3-4 years.

"It is an admission of his inability to increase the state income and reduce the revenue deficit," he said.

NCP leader Jayant Patil said the opposition had raised certain issues related to the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's memorial off the Arabian sea.

"We have raised the issue of the government reducing the height of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and increasing the height of the pedestal.

"We asked Mungantiwar about reasons for these changes, but he failed to give us any reply," said the former finance minister.

The Congress-NCP government had secured almost all the required clearcnes for the project, including some approvals from the Union environment ministry, Patil said.

"We had secured almost all the clearances except one or two, which the BJP-Shiv Sena government obtained once they assumed power (in 2014)," Patil said.

Still Mungantiwar failed to provide necessary figures and facts related to the project in the House, said the NCP legislator.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra government will come up with a "predictive policing policy" as part of its cyber security modernisation programme, the Legislative Council was informed today.

The digital technology-based policy will help law enforcement agencies prevent and detect cyber crimes, Minister of State for Home (Urban) Ranjit Patil told the House.

He was responding to a query by Satej Patil (Congress) over increasing instances of cyber crimes in the state.

Ranjit Patil said on the lines of Centre's Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), the state government will form a similar agency called "MH-CERT".

The agency will reduce the state's dependence on the Centre to tackle instances where social media is used to fan rumours that may lead to a law and order problem, the minister said.

"The tendering process for acquiring the hardware and software required (for "MH-CERT") has been done. PwC has been appointed as the consultant for the project," Ranjit Patil said.

A sum of Rs 650 crore has been allocated for the project. The money will be used to set up a dedicated building, recruit manpower, acquire the necessary hardware, software and equipment, the minister said.

"The government will also come up with a predictive policing policy, wherein the police will use past precedents of miscreants (through data mining and usage of high-tech tools) trying to fuel unrest through social media to ensure such incidents are not repeated," Ranjit Patil said.

A data centre is being built for the purpose, he said.

Replying to a supplementary query from Anant Gadgil (Congress), Ranjit Patil admitted the conviction rate in cyber crimes is low. This could be due to the prosecution lawyers not having sufficient knowledge of cyber laws.

He said the government will start an upgradation and sensitisation programme for prosecution lawyers to enhance the conviction rate in cyber crimes.

According to a written reply tabled by the government, in 2012, 561 cases were registered under the IT Act, of which 351 (62.57 pc) were detected.

Of these, trials in 40 cases were completed and conviction was secured in eight cases (20 pc conviction), the written reply stated.

In 2017, 4,035 cases were registered under the IT Act,of which 1,037 (25.70 pc) were detected. Of these, trials of 12 cases were completed and two resulted in conviction (16.67 pc), it added.

The written reply also stated that cyber labs have been set up at 47 places in the state and 138 officers trained in tackling cyber crimes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Dubai-bound man has been apprehended at the airport here today for allegedly trying to smuggle over Rs 10.97 lakh worth of foreign currency, CISF officials said.

Fahad Mohammed was intercepted by CISF personnel after they found that he was allegedly carrying some stuff under his clothes, they said.

A search of the passenger led to the recovery of an assortment of foreign currencies, including Riyals, Euros and Dirhams, to the tune of Rs 10.97 lakh, the officials said.

The passenger, travelling to Dubai from the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, could not furnish any valid reasons for carrying the currency and was subsequently handed over to the Customs department, a senior official of the security force said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 31-year-old man allegedly killed his sister-in-law in northeast Delhi for talking to a person over phone despite his repeated warnings against it, the police said today.

This morning, the police were informed by the family members of a woman that she was found dead in Welcome area. Meanwhile, the woman's brother-in-law, Ram Karan, called up the police to inform them that he had killed her, they said.

After six hours, he surrendered and was arrested, a police official said.

During interrogation the accused told police that he had warned his sister-in-law to not talk to the man she had recently befriended. But despite his warnings, she continued to do so, the police said.

Last night, he came to his sister-in-law's room and found that she was talking to that man over phone. He again warned her and even threatened to inform her sister, but she started arguing with him. He pressed her neck with an iron needle and strangled her, they said.

Ram Karan, had earlier served a jail term in connection with the killing of his father-in-law, the police said, adding the father-in-law was killed as he had come to know that his wife was cheating on him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 28-year-old man was arrested from suburban Goregaon last night for allegedly posing as a policeman and cheating around 25 persons by promising them government jobs, police said today.

The accused, identified as Rakesh alias Sagar Walmiki, allegedly duped 25 persons of over Rs 10 lakh by promising them jobs in various departments of the state government, according to DCP (Crime) Nisar Tamboli.

Walmiki was arrested by Unit 10 of Mumbai Crime Branch from his residence in Goregaon (East).

Tamboli said police seized Walmiki's car in which they found a police uniform and a small board with "police" written on it.

"During investigation, it came to light that Walmiki promised jobs to unemployed persons in Mantralaya, BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation), and police department. He collected more than Rs 10 lakh from around 25 persons," said the DCP.

Walmiki allegedly used to claim that his father was a police officer.

Another official said Walmiki also allegedly cheated people by promising help in obtaining important documents like PAN card, Aadhaar card, and certain licenses.

The alleged cheating came to light after a woman from suburban Oshiwara approached the police claiming Walmiki took money from her by promising a job in the state government headquarters- Mantralaya, he said.

A complaint was also lodged at MIDC police station in which the complainant said that Walmiki took money from him for securing a gumasta licence--a legal obligation for starting a business in Maharashtra, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, bruised by half a year of post-election coalition haggling, was today narrowly confirmed by parliament to her fourth and likely final term at the helm of Europe's biggest economy.

Lawmakers in Berlin's glass-domed Reichstag voted 364-315 with nine abstentions for Merkel, who was then formally appointed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before taking the oath of office.

The outcome of the secret ballot suggested 35 lawmakers of her new right-left coalition bloc voted against Merkel, giving her a thin nine-vote margin that opposition parties were quick to label a "rocky start" for a spent and joyless governing alliance.

Merkel, wearing a necklace in the national colours black-red-gold, nevertheless beamed with joy and relief as applause filled the Bundestag chamber, where her scientist husband Joachim Sauer and her 89-year-old mother Herlind Kasner were among the well-wishers.

For the veteran leader, the ceremony marked the end of a painful stretch of post-election paralysis, the deepest crisis of her 12-year career.

A right-wing populist rise in September elections weakened all mainstream parties and deprived Merkel of a majority, forcing her into another unhappy alliance with the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD).

The grand coalition, mockingly dubbed a "GroKo" in German, didn't start as a "love marriage", her designated vice chancellor and finance minister, the SPD's Olaf Scholz, drily observed this week.

All coalition partners have nonetheless sought to allay fears that their marriage of convenience could break up mid-term, insisting they plan to jointly govern until 2021.

Merkel sits down with her new cabinet, in which the SPD has wrested both the trophy posts of finance and foreign affairs to the dismay of a growing band of critics within her Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

To quieten the dissent, Merkel has named a sometimes outspoken critic, Jens Spahn, 37, as her new health minister and recently tapped a potential successor, new CDU general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

"The chancellor was, from time to time, written off in the past six months," Marianne Kneuer of Hildesheim University told Phoenix TV.

"Many in the party started thinking about the future after Angela Merkel... but at the same time Merkel has strengthened her position again."



On Friday Merkel will head to Paris to discuss EU reform plans with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a March 22-23 summit, after a lengthy stretch in which Berlin was hamstrung on the European and world stage.

Macron warned in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily that, without Germany on board, "part of my project would be doomed to failure".

"We are completely dependent on each other. I do not believe for one second that a European project without or against Germany could succeed."



Merkel's incoming coalition has broadly welcomed Macron's bold reform plans, meant to reinvigorate the bloc and counter extremists and populists who have made major gains in Western democracies.

She has argued that the EU must increasingly look after its own interests in the era of US President Donald Trump, who has questioned long-standing transatlantic defence ties and threatened a trade war.

Berlin advocates closer EU cooperation on defence, immigration and plans for a European Monetary Fund. But it is lukewarm on the idea of a joint eurozone finance minister and rejects any pooling of debt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mizoram Assembly today paid rich tributes to former members of the state legislature J Kapthianga (89) and Lalchunga Chinzah (86) who died on March seven and January 28 this year respectively.

Making obituary references on the death of the two leaders while opposition group leader Vanlalzawma and two other members also spoke in the Assembly.

One minute silence was observed to pay respect to them.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The chief seretaries of Mizoram and Assam would hold talks in Delhi on March 20 on the border dispute between the two neighbouring states in the wake of protests by students, which turned violent recently.

Mizoram Home Minister R Lalzirliana Lalzirliana informed the Assembly that the Mizoram government had suggested that the deputy commissioners of Hailakandi district in Assam and Kolasib district in Mizoram should hold talks on the border dispute before March 15, but did not receive any response.

"We again suggested talks between the chief secretaries of the two states and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh agreed to it by proposing talks between the chief secretaries of Assam and Mizoram on March 20," he said.

Tension prevailed near the interstate border when the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a student' body, tried to construct a rest house on the National Highway-154 near the border on February 27.

Lalzirliana condemned the 'excesses' committed by the Assam police personnel on Mizo students and reporters on March 8 and March 10 at the Zophai area near the Mizoram-Assam border town of Bairabi in Kolasib.

The situation along the border had turned violent after police resorted to lathi-charge to control some protesting students, where among others, a journalist was also injured.

The minister alleged that the Assam police personnel resorted to unprovoked firing at the students and reporters without giving warnings and also without using tear-gas to disperse the students.

He claimed that the district magistrates of Aizawl and Kolasib districts had issued prohibitory order under Section 144 of the CrPC to prevent the MZP from going to the Zophai area to construct a guest house called 'Zofate Chawlhbuk' without consulting him.

"The action of the district magistrates amounted to disrespect as the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting, chaired by the state chief minister, had already agreed that the guest house would be erected at that place," he said.

He also thanked the MZP leaders for agreeing to wait till March 20 for talks and withdrawing the proposed construction of the guest house today to ease the tension.

The minister's statement came after opposition Mizo National Front (MNF) member Lalruatkima made special mention, during the Zero Hour, of the 'excesses' of the Assam police personnel against unarmed students and scribes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madhya Pradesh government would hire a private agency to conduct a survey in big cities from where most cases of crime against women, especially eve- teasing, are reported, and its inputs will be used to curb the menace, the Assembly was informed today.

Home Minister Bhupendra Singh said a scientific survey would be conducted in big cities as part of efforts to curb crimes against women, especially eve-teasing.

For this, a private agency is going to be hired, he said during the Question Hour.

The agency would be asked to visit the areas from where eve-teasing cases are reported. Its officials would talk to the victims and provide suggestions on how to deal with the issue, Singh said.

Police authorities, in turn, would be asked to follow those suggestions in their crime prevention measures, said the minister.

Singh claimed the crime against women in Madhya Pradesh has come down in the last few years.

His assertion came after Jitu Patwari (Congress) said under the BJP government, the crime rate against women has shot up considerably during the last couple of years.

The minister said the government was making an all-out effort to arrest the crime graph against women. In December, the Assembly unanimously passed a bill awarding death to those found guilty of raping girls aged 12 and below.

Patwari, however, said the conviction rate in rape cases was a poor 20 per cent.

To this, Singh said they are going to appeal against the trial courts' acquittal of accused in such cases to ensure the culprits are punished.

Later, during the Zero Hour, the Congress staged a walkout from the House to protest recent incidents of crime against girls.

Last week, two girl students - one each from Jabalpur and Bhopal - committed suicide after they were allegedly stalked and harassed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
NASA has announced a global cloud observation challenge - inviting citizen scientists to observe and track clouds using their smartphones.

From March 15 through April 15, citizen scientists of all ages can make up to 10 cloud observations per day using the GLOBE Observer app.

Challenge participants with the most observations will be congratulated by a NASA scientist in a video posted on the GLOBE Program's website and on social media.

"The GLOBE Program is offering this challenge to show people how important it is to NASA to have citizen scientist observations; observations from the ground up," said Marile Colon Robles, lead for the GLOBE Clouds team at NASA's Langley Research Center in in the US.

"We're going from winter to spring, so the types of storms will change, which will also change the types of clouds," said Robbles.

Researchers use, and value, this citizen science cloud data because it helps to validate data from Earth-observing instruments.

Scientists at Langley work with a suite of six instruments known as the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES).

Even though CERES' instruments use advanced technology, it is not always easy for researchers to positively identify all types of clouds in their images.

For example, it can be difficult to differentiate thin, wispy cirrus clouds from snow since both are cold and bright; even more so when cirrus clouds are above a surface with patchy snow or snow cover.

One solution to this problem is to look at satellite images from a particular area and compare them to data submitted by citizen scientists on the ground.

"Looking at what an observer recorded as clouds and looking at their surface observations really helps us better understand the images that were matched from the satellite," said Robles.

Citizen science observations are especially needed now because scientists are starting to verify data from a new CERES instrument.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump's nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the new secretary of state has drawn the ire of a number of activist groups.



A Muslim civil rights group slammed what they called Pompeo's Islamaphobic views, including his past support of an organization they describe as a "notorious anti-Muslim hate group." A hate-group watchdog organization called his ties to that group "extremely alarming." And numerous environmental activist groups took issue with Pompeo's denial of climate change and his outspoken defense of the Koch brothers.



Pompeo, who was named as Trump's pick as a replacement for now-outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, isn't the only new nominee raising eyebrows.



Gina Haspel has been tapped to replace Pompeo in the Cabinet-level version of musical chairs, and her elevation to be Pompeo's replacement as CIA director has prompted questions about her role in the use of torture at a so-called CIA black site.



Both Pompeo and Haspel will have to be confirmed in their new roles by the Senate.



Concerns over ties to anti-Muslim group



The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) first expressed concerns about Pompeo's connections back when he was named as Trump's pick for CIA director during the transition.



They cited the now-former congressman's support from ACT for America, a group the SPLC calls "the largest anti-Muslim group in America."



When Pompeo was named as Trump's CIA pick, ACT for America's founder, Brigitte Gabriel, sent out a press release saying he had been "a steadfast ally of ours" and was given the group's highest honor, the National Security Eagle Award, for 2016.



In light of Trump's announcement of Pompeo's new role -- which, if confirmed, would make him the fourth in the presidential line of succession -- the SPLC said Trump is "playing right into the hands of the radical anti-Muslim movement in the U.S. and abroad."



"At a time when were seeing hate groups have unprecedented access to the White House, Pompeo's ties to anti-Muslim hate groups are extremely alarming. This new position gives anti-Muslim extremists another ally in a high place," said Heidi Beirich, the director of the SPLC's Intelligence Project.



"Pompeo will now be responsible for shaping American foreign policy that will likely have harmful effects on Muslim Americans and Muslims across the world," Beirich said in a statement released Tuesday.



The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement citing the same examples for Pompeo, sounding the alarm on Haspel as well.



"Those like Mr. Pompeo, who have expressed Islamophobic views and have been associated with an anti-Muslim hate group, or like Ms. Haspel, who personally oversaw the torture of detainees, should have no role in our nations government, let alone at the highest levels of policy-making," CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.



"These appointments have the potential to harm our nations image and our relations with key players in the international community," he said.



Pompeo faced two questions about the topic during his CIA confirmation hearing in January 2017, to which he responded that he planned to continue and grow the agency's relationships with Muslim partners.



He was also asked if he would commit to being an advocate for all the members of the CIA, including Muslim men and women. Pompeo replied that he would.



Challenges about climate change



When asked during the last confirmation hearing if he believed NASA's findings of climate change being caused by human activities, Pompeo demurred.



"I, frankly, as the director of CIA, would prefer today not to get into the details of climate debate and science. It seems my role is going to be so different and unique from that. It is going to be to work alongside warriors, keeping Americans safe," Pompeo said at the time.



Now, however, if confirmed as the country's top diplomat, Pompeo would have a leading role in international treaties and accords related to climate change, among other topics.



Environmental groups, such as the grassroots climate change activists 350.org, have expressed concerns about both his perceived lack of belief in the science of the issue and his ties to the Republican megadonor Koch brothers.



"Weve gone from Exxons CEO [Tillerson] to the Koch brothers most loyal lapdog. Pompeo received over a million oil and gas dollars during his political career, has deep ties to the Kochs and is a climate denier to the core," said May Boeve, the executive director of 350.org, in a statement on Tuesday.



The Center for Responsive Politics noted that throughout his political career, the industry with the most donations to Pompeo was the oil and gas industry, and the biggest individual contributor was Koch Industries.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Young Indian Pvt Ltd, whose major stakeholders are Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi, today moved the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the Rs 249.15 crore income tax proceedings against it.

Sonia, Rahul, Young Indian (YI) and others were earlier summoned as accused by a trial court in the National Herald misappropriation of assets case.

YI, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh, had acquired almost all the shareholding of the Associated Journal Ltd (AJL), which is the owner of the National Herald newspaper.

The YI's petition, which came up for hearing before a bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and A K Chawla, said the company will have to deposit some portion of the Rs 249.15 crore tax demanded before its appeal is heard by the IT authorities.

The bench asked the firm to inform it on March 19 how much of the demanded amount it was willing to deposit.

YI has approached the high court seeking a direction to stay the recovery of the demand of tax and interest of Rs 249.15 crore raised in pursuance to a notice of December 27, 2017 issued under section 156 of the I-T Act for the assessment year 2011-12.

It has also challenged the order of the income tax authorities rejecting the firm's application and sought a stay on the direction to pay Rs 49.83 crore, that is 20 per cent of the total disputed outstanding demand.

A 2017 office memorandum of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) prescribes a deposit of 20 per cent of the disputed Income Tax demand by taxpayers for obtaining a stay pending disposal of the matter by the Commissioner of I-T (Appeals).

Earlier, the aggrieved taxpayer had to deposit only 15 per cent of the disputed I-T demand before approaching the CIT (Appeals).

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, in a private criminal complaint filed before a trial court, had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh, through which the YI had obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which the AJL owed to the Congress party.

Senior advocate Arvind Datar, appearing for YI, submitted that it was a charitable company and does not have any income and the Income Tax authorities have wrongly raised a demand of Rs 249 crore for the assessment year of 2011-12.

He said the tax demand was "patently untenable" and the I-T officer had over- assessed the properties of the firm.

Advocate Ashish Jain, representing the I-T department, said the firm should have first approached the principal commissioner of Income Tax before moving the high court with its grievances and urged the court to direct the company to first deposit some amount before hearing its plea.

"Let the court pass an order for disposal of the firm's appeal before the CIT in a time bound manner and they shall be directed to first deposit some amount of the total tax demand," he said.

The firm's counsel, however, claimed that it did not have any income and it can only pledge its shares and even the land belonged to AJL.

The bench, however, made it clear that there has to be consistency, as it was asking other litigants to deposit some amount of the total tax demand before hearing their pleas.

The bench was informed that the firm's appeal before the CIT is listed for hearing on March 16.

The trial court had summoned the Gandhis and others as accused persons, besides Young Indian on June 26, 2014. The Gandhis and the other accused -- Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda -- had denied the allegations levelled against them.

On December 7, 2015 the high court had rejected their pleas for quashing the summons issued against them by the trial court in the case.

On December 19, 2015, the trial court had granted bail to Sonia, Rahul, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who had appeared before it pursuant to summons. Pitroda was granted bail on February 20, 2016 when he had appeared in the court.

Sonia, Rahul, Vora (AICC treasurer), Fernandes (AICC general secretary), Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for the alleged offences of dishonest misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating read with criminal conspiracy of the IPC.

The IT department's move to issue the notices followed its probe on Swamy's complaint alleging that the Gandhis had misappropriated AJL's assets while transferring their shares to the newly formed Young Indian.

According to IT records, 83.3 per cent of Young Indian was held by Sonia and Rahul, 15.5 per cent by Vohra and the remaining 1.2 per cent by Fernandes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
may have an unwarranted image as brutish and uncaring, say scientists who claim that the archaic humans were compassionate beings who could provide knowledgeable response to injury and illness.

The study by the University of York in the UK, shows that health care was uncalculated and highly effective - challenging our notions that they were brutish compared to modern humans.

The care provided was widespread and should be seen as a "compassionate and knowledgeable response to injury and illness," researchers said.

It is well known that Neanderthals sometimes provided care for the injured.

However, the study published in the journal World Archaeology suggests that they were genuinely caring of their peers, regardless of the level of illness or injury, rather than helping out of self-interest.

"Our findings suggest Neanderthals didn't think in terms of whether might repay their efforts, they just responded to their feelings about seeing their loved ones suffering," said Penny Spikins, senior lecturer at the University of York.

Most of the individuals archaeologists know about had a severe injury of some kind, with detailed pathologies highlighting a range of debilitating conditions and injuries.

In some cases the injuries occurred long before death and would have required monitoring, massage, fever management and hygiene care, researchers said.

Analysis of a male aged around 25-40 at time of death revealed a catalogue of poor heath, including a degenerative disease of the spine and shoulders.

His condition would have sapped his strength over the final 12 months of life and severely restricted his ability to contribute to the group.

Yet, researchers argue he remained part of the group as his articulated remains were subsequently carefully buried.

"We argue that the social significance of the broader pattern of health care has been overlooked and interpretations of a limited or calculated response to health care have been influenced by preconceptions of Neanderthals as being 'different' and even brutish," researchers said.

"However, a detailed consideration of the evidence in its social and cultural context reveals a different picture," they said.

"The very similarity of health care to that of later periods has important implications. We argue that organised, knowledgeable and caring health care is not unique to our species but rather has a long evolutionary history," they added.
Nepal's controversial Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli was today sacked by the country's Judicial Council for inconsistencies in his birth dates and remaining in office even after crossing the retirement age.

The decision came just minutes before Parajuli administered the oath of office to Bidya Bhandari, who was reelected for a second presidential term yesterday.

The Judicial Council in the removal letter to Chief Justice cited inconsistencies in the birth dates as mentioned in his citizenship and academic certificates.

The judicial council said that Parajuli should have retired seven months ago when he turned 65, the age of retirement for official positions in Nepal.

"According to a secretary level decision of March 14, 2018, we inform that respectable Gopal Prasad Parajuli no longer remains in the post of Chief Justice as he has crossed the retirement age of 65 on August 5, 20017," read the letter issued by JC Secretary Niraula.

The letter has stated that the decision was made based on Parajuli's citizenship at the secretariat, his academic qualifications, details and letter received from Examination Controller's Office in Sanothimi, Bhaktapur.

The JC's decision comes in the wake of controversy surrounding Parajuli's date of birth and widespread condemnation of his move to charge the Nepal's leading newspaper Kantipur Daily with contempt of court for a series of articles that said he had given up to five different dates of birth on various official documents.

Parajuli was under pressure from his own team of justices to either resign or stay away from the judicial process after nine justices boycotted the benches assigned to them.

A question has been raised over the legitimacy of the swearing-in of Bhandari as the Judicial Council issued the letter to sack Parajuli minutes before he administered the oath of office to her.

It is not clear if Bhandari will have to be sworn in again.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency today filed a charge sheet against an Al-Qaeda suspect who allegedly wanted to carry out terror attacks in India and had plans to fight for the Rohingya cause in Myanmar.

The charge sheet was filed in a special NIA court against Samiun Rahman alias Raju Bhai, resident of London, against various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act among other laws, according to an official statement.

Rahman was arrested from East Delhi area in September last year by the Delhi Police. He had then reportedly told interrogators that he was working for al-Qaeda, a banned terrorist organisation.

The case was later handed over to the NIA.

During the investigation, it was established that the accused had entered India via the Beenapole border, West Bengal, from Bangladesh illegally and stayed at several hideouts in the country, the NIA said in the statement.

He wanted to establish a base of the al-Qaeda in Delhi in order to carry out terrorist activities in India and he also had plans to fight for the Rohingya cause in Myanmar, it said.

At the time of arrest, a pistol and four rounds of ammunition were recovered from the possession of the accused.

Incriminating material on his allegiance to the al-Qaeda and his chat with an al-Qaeda associate was recovered his laptop and mobile phone, the NIA said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The ruling CPI(M) today rejected the allegation by Opposition that farmer suicides were on the rise in the state due to 'wrong policies' of the LDF government.

The problems reportedly faced by farmers owing to fall in price of their products and indebtedness was raised in the assembly by Kerala Congress(M) leader K M Mani, who alleged that farmer suicides were on the rise in the state due to the 'wrong policies' of the present government.

Replying to a notice for the adjournment motion on the issue, Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar explained the various steps taken by the state government in favour of farmers and said "the government is committed to ensure that no farmer ends his life in the state."



Kumar pointed out that none of them had ended their life due to issues pertaining to farming and indebtedness.

Turning the table on the Opposition, Sunil Kumar said they wereexaggerating the situation and alleged that during the previous UDF rule 61 farmers had taken the extreme step due to distress.

On the issues faced by rubber growers in the state, the minister said the Centre has set up a joint task force to study and suggest both short and long term remedies to resolve their problems.

Both the Congress-led UDF and KC(M) asked the LDF government to write off the farm loans, a demand put forward by the CPI(M) in Maharashtra during its recent 'Long March' of farmers in that state.

The CPI(M) had demanded that the farm loans be waived in Maharashtra, but "I want to know whether CPI-M led LDF government will write off farm loans in the state," Mani said.

Challenging the LDF government to write off the farm loans, Leader of Opposition in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said, "The state government's love for farmers was only in paper and not in action."



The house witnessed trade off between the CPI(M)-led LDF and Opposition members over the farmers suicide in the state.

Members of the UDF Opposition and KC-M staged a walk out in protest against the refusal for a debate on the reported crisis in the farming sector.

Later, while replying to a submission, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said both paddy and coconut, two major crops, of the state were getting reasonable price.

There was an increase in the price of natural rubber also, he said.

However, there were problems in the agriculture sector as other products were not getting price in accordance with the cost of production.

The rise in the price of fertilisers and fall in price of products due to import as part of Centre's policy have also affected the sector, he pointed out.

The Centre had taken a 'negative stand' on the demand of MP's from the state to regulate rubber import and hike duty on import of rubber, Chief Minister said.

The state government had taken several steps to increase investments in the agriculture sector.

An amount of Rs 2,908.91 crores has been earmarked for the sector this year, which was more than the Rs 1,756.24 crore allotted by the UDF during its last year in office, he noted.

Vijayan also made it clear that the government would not support any move to seize properties and destroy the lives of farmers in the name of revenue recovery proceedings.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Government continues to carefully monitor the water flow in the trans-border rivers, including Brahmaputra and Sutlej for early detection of any abnormality, the Lok Sabha was today informed.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said under the existing bilateral Memorandums of Understanding, China provides to India hydrological data information of Brahmaputra river (Yarlong Zanbo in Chinese) and Sutlej river (Langqen Zangbo in Chinese) during the flood seasons.

The Chinese side did not provide these data in 2017 and the issue was also taken up with Beijing, which had conveyed that non-provision of the information was due to technical reasons.

"Government continues to carefully monitor the water flow in trans-border rivers, including Brahmaputra and Sutlej rivers, for early detection of any abnormality so that corrective and preventive measures are taken to safeguard livelihood of the people in these regions (from where the river passes through)," Swaraj said.

In response to another question on whether China is digging a 1,000 km long tunnel to divert water of the Brahmaputra to its dry Xinjiang region, V K Singh, Minister of State in the External Affairs Ministry said the Chinese side has conveyed to India on several occasions that they are only undertaking run-of-the-river hydro-projects which do not involve diversion of waters of the river.

Replying to a question on Palestine, M J Akbar, Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs, said India hopes for early resumption of peace talks between Palestinian and Israeli sides to move towards finding a comprehensive solution.

"The government have always remained supportive of peaceful resolution of the Palestinian issue. India has been unwavering in its support for the Palestinian cause," Akbar added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China today claimed that no terror attacks took place in the restive Muslim-majority Xinjiang province last year due to heavy security crackdown but acknowledged that terrorists are still active there.

Resource rich Xinjiang, bordering Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK), and Afghanistan, is on the boil for years following unrest among Uyghur Muslims over the increasing settlements of Han Chinese from other provinces.

It has witnessed some of the deadly terrorist attacks in recent years which also spread to other parts of China. The attacks were officially blamed on the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which was linked to al-Qaeda in the past and now to the ISIS.

A large number of youth who managed to move out of Xinjiang have reportedly fought along with ISIS in Syria.

China, which has extensively deployed its security forces, apprehends that they may return and cause further violence in the province.

The Chinese military recently denied reports that it is in talks with Afghanistan to build a military base in Pakistan to counter infiltration of Uygur militants across the borders.

"There were no terror attacks in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last year," the region's chairman Shohrat Zakir told China's parliament, the National People's Congress, (NPC).

"Xinjiang will continue to enforce the comprehensive anti-terrorism measures to keep the region stable," Shohrat Zakir, chairman of Xinjiang said.

A series of new anti-terrorism measures have been introduced since Chen Quanguo was appointed as Party secretary of Xinjiang in August 2016, state-run China Daily reported.

They included setting up a network of police stations in all cities and townships to quickly react to any emergencies.

Significant results have been achieved in maintaining social stability in Xinjiang, which has always been the frontline of China's battle against terrorism, Chen said earlier in the annual NPC session.

"Fighting separatism and terrorism is our utmost priority. We will continue to strike hard against such activities and win a people's war in border control," Zhu Hailun, secretary of the Xinjiang regional Political and Law Commission told the legislature, the Daily reported.

Zhu said while Xinjiang's social situation has been stabilised, it is still in a phase in which terrorist activities are active. He warned that the fight against separatism and terrorism is a long-term one.

Maintaining social stability and long-term peace is the goal of Xinjiang, Zhu said.

"Due to the complicated international situation, Xinjiang needs to continue to strengthen its anti-terrorism efforts. There is no room for slacking off," Zhu said.

China will take strict preventive measures against terrorist activities this year and see them firmly stamped out, Premier Li Keqiang said in this year's Government Work Report.

Xinjiang will step up security measures in key areas and border areas as well as enforce internet management to maintain social stability this year.

It will further rely on technology to enhance front-line border control and improve infrastructure in border areas, such as improving road conditions, Shohrat said in January.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today said that a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative proposed by him is not a "third front", but a front that unifies the people.

"New method needs to come in India.Some have misunderstood when I said I will go to national They think it is bringing together three or four regional parties...a third front. I am not going for petty There is a big agenda," he said.

"...to unify the people of India on the basic issues that people experienced after 71 years (of Independence).Not a mere political game. I am making it clear. It is not third front or any front. The front proposed by me will come as a front of the people of India," he said.

Recalling that some people had made light of him when he started the agitation for a separate Telangana, he expressed confidence that he would be successful in his new endeavour.

Rao was speaking in the Legislative Assembly during the reply to the motion of thanks on the Governor's address by the government.

Alleging that both Congress and had BJP failed to meet the expectations of people, Rao said earlier this month, he was keen to participate in national to bring about a "change".

He had said he was in talks with others to form a platform of like-minded parties.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Chattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi were among those who had expressed solidarity with Rao, official sources said.

Rao has also announced plans to hold consultations with experts in different areas, including retired bureaucrats, defence officers and economists.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Out of over 600 high court judges, only 73 are women, while there is only one woman judge in the Supreme Court, the government informed the Lok Sabha today.

Quoting latest data, the law ministry said the working strength of the 24 high courts on March one was 673. "Thus, women constitute about 10.85 per cent of the working strength of judges in the high courts," Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary said in a written reply.

The apex court, which has a working strength of 24, has only one women judge, he said.

Out of 73 women judges, 11 each are in the Bombay and the Madras high courts respectively, while 10 are in the Delhi High Court.

He said the Constitution does not provide for reservation for any caste, class or person in the higher judiciary.

"However, the government has requested the chief justices of the high courts that while sending proposals for appointment of judges, due consideration be given to suitable candidates from among women," the minister said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cabinet was today informed about a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Sri Lanka for promoting co-operation in Information Technology (IT) and Electronics field.

The pact was signed on January 15, 2018 during the visit of Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad to Sri Lanka.

An official release said that the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been "apprised of a MoU between India and Sri Lanka for promoting co-operation in the field of Information Technology and Electronics".

The MoU aims to promote co-operation in the areas such as e-governance, m-governance, electronics-public services delivery, cyber security, software technology parks, startups ecosystem, among others.

It will be implemented by constituting a Working Group comprising representatives from both the sides, the release added.

"Bilateral co-operation in ICT domain both B2B (business to business) and G2G (government to government) will be enhanced," the statement noted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Pakistani court has handed down death sentence to a fashion model for killing a fellow model, Abeera, through poisoning over three years ago.

Lahore's additional district and sessions Judge Ayesha Rashid yesterday announced the verdict in the presence of convict Azma Rao alias Tooba (a dance event manager) and also imposed a fine of Rs 5,00,000 on her.

However, the judge acquitted two other suspects - Farooq Rehman and Hakeem Zeeshan - of the charges giving them the benefit of the doubt.

In 2014, 20-year-old Abeera's body was found from Lorry Adda bus stand in Lahore. Authorities later arrested her friend Tooba and two of her accomplices with the help of CCTV footage.

The prosecution stated that Tooba wanted to kill her former husband Babar Butt and she made her friend Abeera to help her in the plan. The deceased first agreed to join the murder plot but later stepped back which made Tooba angry, it said.

Tooba considered her former husband responsible for the death of their two-month-old daughter.

Babar and Tooba were married 10 years ago and divorced in 2012.

Tooba in her statement alleged that Babar and Yousuf Khoker, a cameraman of a local Urdu daily, whom she is thought to have murdered in early 2014 also by poisoning, were responsible for the death of their two-month-old daughter.

She claimed that Babar had refused the treatment of their two-month-old daughter who had fallen ill which lead to her death. She further claimed that Babar had asked her to accompany him to a party a day after their daughter died.

According to police, Tooba wanted her ex-husband dead as he had supplied Khoker with some inappropriate pictures of her which would have a profound impact on her reputation. This was also the alleged reason for Tooba murdering the cameraman.

Police after the interrogation also found that Tooba had filed a complaint against Babar for raping her after which he agreed to marry her.

A separate trial is underway in the murder case of cameraman Khokhar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A provincial assembly in Pakistan today created history by unanimously passing a bill that will provide legal status to Sikh marriages in the Muslim-majority country.

The Punjab Assembly unanimously passed the Punjab Sikhs Anand Karaj Marriages Act 2017. This is the first time that family matters of the community, such as marriage, will be separately regulated.

The bill was today tabled by minority member Punjab Assembly (MPA) Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora. The passage of the bill has repealed the Anand Marriage Act, 1909 that was passed under British rule.

The bill will come into force immediately after it has been approved by the governor. Once the bill has been approved, every Sikh marriage that took place before the bill came into force would also gain legal status.

MPA Arora said that Pakistan is the only country in the world that register Sikh marriages after the enactment of this bill. Previously, the records of Sikh marriages were maintained in a Gurdwara.

"The passage of the bill is a result of 'Punjabi-Sikh' friendship, Arora told reporters outside the assembly.

He said today is a historic day for the Sikh community living in Pakistan.

"It is the first time the family laws of Sikhs are regulated separately in Pakistan and all credit is given to the Punjab government. It was necessary to define the law in order to regulate solemnisation and dissolution of Sikh marriages, he said.

According to the bill, no male or female of the Sikh community who will be below the age of 18 years, could solemnise marriages under the law.

Nothing in the Act will affect the validity of any marriage duly solemnised according to any other marriage ceremony customary among the Sikhs.

It says a marriage ceremony, or Anand Karaj which is defined as "the lawful union of a Sikh male and Sikh female" will be performed in accordance with the religious practices as permitted in the Sikh religious text Guru Granth Sahib.

The ceremony would be performed by a male or female called a "Granthi" who would read out from Guru Granth Sahib.

A "marriage deed", a legal document authorising the matrimonial union, will then be issued by a registrar who will be appointed by the Punjab government.

If a marriage certificate is not issued after the ceremony has taken place, it must be "reported" to the registrar by the Granthi who "solemnised the marriage," the bill says.

Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) President Sardar Tara Singh said: There was no law for the Sikh community, but now their family matters will be dealt with through relevant legislation.

According to the bill, every marriage between Sikhs shall be registered under the Act.

For the purpose of the registration of marriages under the Act, the government, in the prescribed manner, shall grant license to one or more persons professing Sikh religion to be called Anand Karaj Registrar, authorizing him to grant Anand Karaj Certificate.

The bridegroom and the bride or a Granthi shall fill the Anand Karaj form and present it, within thirty days of the marriage, to the Anand Karaj Registrar for registration of the marriage and a copy thereof shall be sent to the chairman. Chairman means the chairman of a union council or municipal committee or any officer authorized by the government to perform the functions of the chairman under the act.

A marriage, which is not solemnised by the Anand Karaj Registrar, shall, for the purpose of registration under the Act, be reported within 30 days of the solemnisation of the marriage to him (chairman) by the Granthi or the person who solemnized the marriage.

It further says any party that wishes to dissolve the marriage shall give to the chairman notice in writing of his or her intention to do so and shall supply a copy thereof to the other party.

Within 30 days of the receipt of the notice, the chairman shall constitute an arbitration council in the prescribed manner for the purpose of bringing about reconciliation between them and the council shall take all steps necessary to that effect.

If reconciliation is not effected within 90 days from the date of the notice, the chairman shall, after the lapse of the 90 days, declare the marriage to have been dissolved and issue the certificate of the dissolution of marriage in prescribed manner.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan apprehended 1,373 fishermen during 2015-18, the government today informed the Lok Sabha.

In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, V K Singh, Minister of State in the external affairs ministry, said Iran held 252 Indian fishermen during 2015-18, mostly from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Kerala.

Sri Lanka apprehended 744 Indian fishermen and and released 708 fishermen during 2015-16.

Bangaladesh too apprehended 350 Indian fishemen in 2015 and 2016.

The Indian fishermen were apprehended, primarily, for allegedly fishing in the waters of these countries.

Qatar apprehended 108 Indian fishermen during 2015-18, but all were released.

In 2015 and 2016, the United Kingdom apprehended 42 Indian fishermen, but they were later released.

In response to another question on re-starting the dialogue process between India and Pakistan, Singh said the onus to restart the talks with Pakistan lies on it.

"Any meaningful dialogue can be held only in an atmosphere free of terror, hostility and violence. Onus is on Pakistan to create such a conducive atmosphere," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A parliamentary committee has urged the government to hike the retirement age of Supreme Court and high court judges to tide over their shortage in higher judiciary.

The parliamentary standing committee on law and personnel said that to reduce the pendency of cases, the existing vacancies for judges need to be filled up immediately. It said the vacancies arising in the future should be filled up "strictly" as per guidelines laid down by the apex court in a 1993 judgement.

It recommended that the retirement age of SC judges be raised to 67 years from the present 65 and that of HC judges to 65 from the present 62.

"... it feels that it would help in retaining the existing judges, which in turn would help in reducing both vacancy and pendency of cases in the short run," the panel said.

It expressed concern over a large number of vacancies of judges in the high courts.

"The vacancy of judges is very high in high courts of Allahabad (56), Karnataka (38), Calcutta ( 39), Punjab and Haryana (35), Telangana and Andhra Pradesh (30) and Bombay (24)," it said quoting law ministry data.

Amid an ongoing debate on vacancies in the higher judiciary, the government had last week said that there is no proposal to increase the retirement age of high court judges from 62 to 65 years.

Responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha on whether any proposal for extension of retirement age of high court judges was under consideration by the government, Minister of State for Law P P Chaudhary had said on March 9 no such proposal was under consideration.

A bill brought by the previous UPA government in 2010 to increase the retirement age of high court judges from 62 to 65 years had lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

The Constitution (114th Amendment) Bill, 2010, which provided for increasing the retirement age of high court judges from 62 to 65 years, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 25. But it could not be taken up for consideration and passage, and it lapsed.

The UPA proposal had sought to bring at par the retirement age of high court judges with that of Supreme Court judges at 65 years.

The 24 high courts face a shortage of 406 judges, according to latest law ministry data.

Nearly three crore cases are pending in courts across India.
Piramal Housing Finance, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Piramal Finance, today made a foray into the Delhi-NCR market with the opening of three offices.

The retail housing finance business will offer home loans, loan against property and smaller ticket construction finance to the developers in Delhi-NCR, Piramal Housing Finance Managing Director Khushru Jijina told reporters here.

Since the launch in September 2017 in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region alone, the housing finance business is expected to cross Rs 1,000 crore by March 2018 in disbursed loans and sanctioned amounts, he said, adding the disbursement has already crossed Rs 700 crore.

"With a dedicated team, a roll out strategy in place to target Delhi-NCR market and a sharp focus on customer centricity, we plan to replicate our Mumbai success in NCR and beyond as we look to triple our retail housing finance AUM (asset under management) by March 2019, he said.

Piramal Housing Finance will enable development partners in the NCR to target home buyers both salaried and self-employed through a range of tailor made products, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBI today told a special court that it has added the charge of 'criminal breach of trust' to the case related to diamantaire Nirav Modi's firms in the alleged multi-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.

The agency had yesterday informed the court it had added 'criminal breach of trust' charge to the case related to diamond trader Mehul Choksi's firms.

Modi's firms allegedly defrauded PNB of over Rs 6,000 crore, while Choksi's firms Rs 7,080 crore.

The maximum punishment for the offence under section 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the IPC is life imprisonment.

During the course of investigation, the CBI arrested Gokulnath Shetty, the then deputy manager (now retired) of PNB, in connection with the issuance of fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) to the firms controlled by Choksi, the promoter of Gitanjali Gems and maternal uncle of Modi.

"The acts of Shetty prima facie disclose commission of the offence punishable under section 409 of the IPC along with other offences already alleged in the FIR," the CBI stated in its submission before the special court.

Earlier, the agency had pressed the charge of cheating under the IPC and relevant charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act in both the cases.

The CBI has alleged that firms controlled by Modi and Choksi obtained fraudulent LoUs and letters of credit (LCs), worth over 13,000 crore, from PNB in connivance with some officials of the bank.

Besides Shetty, the CBI has so far arrested officials of various firms owned by Modi and Choksi besides officials of the PNB.

Modi and Choksi, besides their family members, had left the country in January before the alleged irregularities came to light.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after RBI banned banks from issuing LoUs, Finance Ministry's Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal today said no issue can be dealt in silos and policymakers have to be careful that blocking of one route does not spread to rest of the system.

The country's apex bank the RBI yesterday barred banks from issuing guarantees in the form of letters of undertaking (LoU) as it clamped down on the import financing route used by fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi for allegedly committing India's biggest bank fraud.

Besides, it also banned issuance of letters of comfort, which, like LoUs, are used by importers to fund their overseas purchases.

Asked if the RBI decision is an overreach action, Sanyal said, "I am not in a position to comment on RBI decision they have just introduced".

"But, the general point remains that you have to take a nuanced view of these things in particular because you are not dealing with a silo system. You are dealing with inter-connected ecosystem and if you block off oxygen in one part it rapidly spreads to rest of the system.

"So, you have to take care of these things. So, while I do, not wish to comment on specific decision, this is something that policy makers have to be careful about," Sanyal said at an AIMA event here.

As a trade financing measure, overseas banks usually lend to importers based on the LoUs issued by their banks. And the raised money used in making payment to offshore suppliers in foreign currency.

The change in regulations may hit import dependent businesses and trade that are often reliant on LoUs to get bank guarantees.

Sanyal, further said, the government is carrying out some very important measures to deal with bad loans by auctioning off some big companies.

He said the more immediate thing that needs to be done to fix governance in banks is by strengthening the regulation and supervision.

"We need to do something about the board of the banks," he said, adding that the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) was a step in that direction.

BBB has been tasked to improve the governance in PSBs, help them in developing strategies and capital raising plans besides recommending selection for top posts in the state-run banks.

Sanyal further said the government is not immediately considering privatising PSU banks.

With regard to protectionist measure being taken by developed countries, Sanyal said India remains committed to a globalised system.

"Our own history should more than adequately tells us that if we overdo any import substitution or isolationist policies it always ends in tears," he said.

The US had last week imposed 25 per cent and 10 per cent import duties on steel and aluminium products, respectively.

The decision is unlikely to impact exports of these items to the US, experts said, while expressing fear that such protectionist measures would impact global trade.

Sanyal said "We need to get into a multilateral system of trading... I'm a firm believing that we will have another round of globalisation".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Twitterverse today stood testament to how the British physicist Stephen Hawking touched lives of people from all walks of lives, as Indian statesmen, activists and tech giants took to the microblogging site to condole the renowned astrophysist's death.

"Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations," President Ram Nath Kovind wrote on his Twitter handle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed Stephen Hawking as an outstanding scientist and academic.

"His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawking's pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace," the prime minister wrote.

"Passing away of renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who unravelled mysteries of universe to the public, is a huge loss to the scientific world," Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said on Twitter.

Hawking, who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, died today at his home in Cambridge in the UK.

His family said that Hawking, 76, died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University, where he did much of his ground-breaking work on black holes and relativity.

"Prof. Stephen Hawking made reading & understanding science simple. He opened up complex areas for simple comprehension. His life's struggles persisted but he didn't allow that to hamper his contribution to his specialized domain. Inspirational," wrote Minister of Defence Nirmala Sitharaman.

Public interest lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan said that Hawking had "an unbelievable indomitable spirit."



"He continued to do great physics for more than 40 years after he became wheelchair bound, immobile & had lost his speech. Rest in peace Sir," Bhushan wrote.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that the world has "lost a beautiful mind and a brilliant scientist."



"We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science - making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft Corporation.

Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam hailed Hawking as an "extraordinary person", a "great scientist" and an "unforgettable" person



"Stephen Hawking's demise is an irreparable loss for mankind," he added.

Actor turned politician Kamal Haasan said people all over the world would be proud that Hawking lived among them.

"We shall forever remember his knowledge grant. His fame shall live (forever)," Haasan wrote in his Tweet.

Actor and director Rahul Bose said he was captivated by Hawking's book 'A Brief History of Time' "but never managed to finish it."



"What an interesting mind," Bose wrote.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prayer homes of Pentecostal church were attacked at two places here, allegedly by Hindu Munnani activists, police said.

Quoting pastor Ravi Jacob, who lodged a complaint, they said the group burnt some pamphlets and copies of the Bible and abused pastors and the faithful at the homes at Koodal Nagar and Sikandar Chavadi areas on Sunday.

Jacob alleged that 10 people came to his house that day, took away copies of the Bible and damaged them.

A clip of the group reportedly threatening the persons has gone viral.

A case was registered yesterday against 10 Hindu Munnani activists, of whom three have been identified.

They said some of the activists, during initial questioning, denied that they had attacked the homes and had only staged protests against persons being allegedly lured for conversion.

The activists said the complaint was a ploy so that some organisations could continue their "illegal conversions".

Police said they had received complaints from the public that some prayer homes were being running illegally and demanding that these be closed.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Latin Bishops' Council had condemned the attacks and said it was an effort to "chase away" Christians who had a fundamental right to worship.

This was not a law and order problem, but denial of right to worship and destruction of secularism, the Constitution and democracy, Council president Anthony Pappusamy said in a statement.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said radicalisation of the populace, particularly youths, is one of the most challenging problems the world is facing currently.

Addressing the fourth counter-terrorism conference -- 'Changing Contours of Global Terror' -- here, Singh, without taking Pakistan's name, said some countries are providing sponsorship and safe havens to terrorists and this has further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of terrorism globally.

"Radicalisation of populace, particularly youths, is another trend and one of the most challenging problems being faced the world over.

"Several countries in the world have identified the problem and have taken measures to check and control the process of radicalisation and I am happy to state that India has timely busted some modules that were planning to orchestrate terrorist attacks on her soil," he said.

The home minister said providing sponsorship and safe havens have further played a major role in the phenomenal growth of global terrorism.

In addition, state support has granted terrorist groups access to resources, guidance and logistics, which would normally be beyond their capabilities, Singh said.

"Any effort to counter the activities of terrorist groups carries the danger of placing the victim nation in direct confrontation with the host nation and its resources," he said.

Singh said in the recent years, perception of global terrorism has undergone a massive makeover with the rise of armed terror groups especially in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa.

"This phenomenon could be attributed to the diminishing control in the terror space of the Al-Qaeda leadership, which just a decade ago was the face of terrorism. The shift of AQ Network from the Middle East to South Asia is a phenomenon, which is of serious concern to India," he said.

The home minister said a new dimension of terrorism is the networking of terrorist groups with the criminal underworld including organised crime gangs, gunrunners, smugglers, drug peddlers, with hawala and parallel banking channels being used for global flows of finance.

"It has enabled global terrorist groups to use the infrastructure and terrain knowledge of local outfits for launching attacks in countries, despite having no presence in the area," he said.

The home minister said the government has kept a keen watch on the growth of ISIS and their ways of using social media as a key tool for ideological indoctrination, recruitment and networking by targeting young generation and intellectual Muslims.

"The potential threat posed by the ISIS are large scale radicalisation of Muslim youths throughout the world, rise in 'lone-wolf' and terror attacks by returnee foreign fighters to their home countries. The terror attacks in Australia and France are telling examples of such threat," he said.

Singh said ISIS propaganda has significantly altered jihadi discourse in India, which, so far, was rooted in grievances against the Indian state and society.

"I am, however, happy that Indian social fabric has not been affected by the emergence of the Islamic State and I am sure this will not have any further impact in our country," he said.

The home minister said India has consistently taken steps to intensify and strengthen international cooperation through various means.

Terrorism, in all forms, including, Left Wing Extremism and Insurgency, poses a challenge on the sovereignty of India and the country already faces a serious challenge due to relentless efforts of Pakistan-sponsored anti-India Islamist groups like the LeT, JeM, HUJI and Hizbul Mujahideen, he said.

Singh said emergence of India at the global level is also being challenged by the terrorist groups, due to its vibrant economy and plural character.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm today as opposition parties continued their protests over multiple issues including India's biggest banking fraud, special package to Andhra Pradesh and Cauvery water dispute.

Soon after the House mourned the death of a former member and the paramilitary personnel killed in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, and listed papers were laid on the table, MPs of opposition parties trooped into the Well shouting slogans.

While the TMC and Congress led the charge against the fraud in the Punjab National Bank, Tamil Nadu parties carried banners demanding immediate constitution of Cauvery Water Management Board to split the river water between Karanataka and Tamil Nadu.

Members of NDA constituent TDP carried placards demanding special package for Andhra Pradesh.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked the members to return to their seats and allow zero hour submissions to be taken up.

"This is not the way," he said, ordering that no part of the protests would either go on record or be shown on television.

He then adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.

Earlier, the House mourned the death of its former member VPM Samy and legendary British scientist Stephen Hawking, as well as the killing of nine CRPF personnel in a naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. It also condoled the death of 10 trekkers in a forest fire in Tamil Nadu.

Reading the obituary reference, Naidu said Samy, who represented Puducherry in the Upper House from July 1977 to July 1983, died on February 2 at the age of 83 years.

"In the passing away of Shri VPM Samy, the country has lost an able parliamentarian and a dedicated social worker," he said.

Naidu also mentioned the passing away of famous physicist and cosmologist Hawking yesterday at the age of 76.

He said the dastardly attack on CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, deserves to be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

Referring to the loss of lives in the forest fire in Kurangani hills of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, he said it was "indeed painful and tragic".

Members stood in silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing deep anguish over a spate of banking frauds, RBI Governor Urjit Patel said today that like the 'Neelakantha', the central bank will consume poison and face brickbats, but will persist with endeavour to become better with each trial.

Breaking silence over the Rs 12,967 crore scam at PNB, he said: "I have chosen to speak today to convey that we at the Reserve Bank of India also feel the anger, hurt and pain at the banking sector frauds and irregularities."



Delivering a lecture at the Gujarat National Law University here, he said: "In plain simple English, these practices amount to a looting of our country's future by some in the business community, in cahoots with some lenders."



Patel said RBI has in place asset quality review of banks and "we are doing all we can to break this unholy nexus".

Invoking mythology, he said RBI has undertaken the cleaning up of the country's credit culture as the Mandara mount or the churning rod in the Amrit Manthan or the Samudra Manthan of the modern day Indian economy.

Until the churn is complete and the nectar of stability safely secured for the country's future, someone must consume the poison that emanates along the way, he said.

"If we need to face the brickbats and be the Neelakantha consuming this poison, we will do so as our duty; we will persist with our endeavours and get better with each trial and tribulation along the way," the Governor said.

He also wished that more promoters and banks, individually or collectively through their industry bodies, would reconsider being on the side of "Devas rather than Asuras in this Amrit Manthan".

He made a pitch for "making banking regulatory powers neutral to bank ownership and leveling the playing field between public sector and private sector banks".

Observing that there has been a tendency in the pronouncements post revelation of the fraud that RBI supervision team should have caught it, Patel said no banking regulator can catch or prevent all frauds.

"While that can always be said ex post with any fraud, it is simply infeasible for a banking regulator to be in every nook and corner of banking activity to rule out frauds by 'being there'," he said.

Referring to PNB, Patel said the RBI had identified, based on cyber risk considerations, the exact source of operational hazard through which "we understand" now the fraud had been perpetrated.

In particular, he said the RBI had issued precise instructions via three circulars in 2016 to enable banks to eliminate the hazard.

"It turns out ex post the bank had simply not done so. Clearly, the internal processes at the bank failed in allowing the operational hazard to remain in place in spite of clear instructions to close it," he said.

Patel said the RBI will undertake actions against the bank that it is empowered to but this set is limited under its Banking Regulation Act powers over PSBs.

Noting that "success has many fathers; failures none", the Governor said there has been the usual blame game, passing the buck, and a tonne of honking, mostly short-term and knee-jerk reactions.

"These appear to have prevented the participants in this cacophony from deep reflection and soul searching that can help solve fundamental issues that are the root cause of such frauds and related irregularities in the banking sector," he said.

Patel also flagged the issue of rising bad loans (NPA) saying that the problems needs immediate attention.

"Its magnitude is larger than Rs 8.5 lakh crores of stressed assets on bank balancesheets and its significance stems from several practices in promoter-bank credit relationship that need immediate attention,".

The RBI has been clamping down on the failure to recognise asset quality as non-performing as per its norms by requiring that banks, whose divergence exceeds by 15 per cent of the true non performing assets (NPAs) as per the norms, disclose the divergence.

This should restore some market discipline against such practices, especially in the case of private sector banks, Patel said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Buoyed by results of Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the opposition parties today said the verdict reflected "public anger" against the BJP and it is the "beginning of the end" of the ruling party at the Centre.

In a stunning blow to the BJP ahead of the 2019 general elections, the party today lost bypolls to all three Lok Sabha seats it contested, including its bastion Gorakhpur, and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh, besides Araria in Bihar.

Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat was earlier held by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya held the Phulpur seat.

The Congress said people across the country, angered by the BJP's "arrogance and misrule", were "showing it the door", as was amply proved by the by-election results in the states.

The Congress also claimed the BJP had "lost" its simple majority in the Lok Sabha. It said the BJP now had 271 members, minus the two rebel MPs, Kirti Azad and Shatrughan Sinha.

However, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat, the BJP has 274 members and the party needs 272 MPs for a simple majority on its own.

Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the outcomes showed that the people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win.

He also said the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but added it would "not happen overnight".

The party's candidates in the state lost their deposits in recent by-polls to the two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party defeated the BJP in the two constituencies.

"Congratulations to the winners of today's by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning.

"The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight," he tweeted in Hindi.

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav termed the victory as one of "social justice" and thanked the BSP for it. In Uttar Pradesh, the SP and BSP came together after 1993 when they had formed a coalition government.

Attributing the victory of SP to the support from Dalits, farmers, labourers, women and unemployed, Yadav said, "Governments which trouble people are brought down. This government brought problems and led to fear among people. This is a mandate against both the Centre and state governments, people have come together to bring 'bad days' for the BJP."



Soon after reports of the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar bypoll results started coming in, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, "The beginning of the end has started".

She congratulated both BSP supremo Mayawati and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Twitter.

The West Bengal chief minister also congratulated RJD chief Lalu Prasad for winning the Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly bypolls in Bihar.

"Together We are fighting. we shall fight & We will Win (sic)," Prasad replied, thanking "Didi" in his tweet.

The BJP lost the Araria Lok Sabha by-election to the RJD.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said the BJP had won in Gorakhpur eight times with Adityanand winning this seat five times.

"Yet the BJP lost from this seat. The BJP even lost Phulpur which was represented by Maurya. Congratulations to SP-BSP alliance. The victory is a jolt to communal politics," AAP MP Sanjay Singh said.

CPI(M) MP Mohammed Salim also welcomed the outcome of the bypolls and said it would have its impact on next year's Lok Sabha polls.

"The SP and BSP coming together has helped the voters express their anger against the BJP governments in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre. The result is an indicator and it will have its impact in 2019," he told PTI.

Asserting that the Lok Sabha bypoll results showed that the BJP was not invincible, CPI leader D Raja said, "These (bypoll) results would have an impact on the thinking of all the secular, democratic parties so that they evolve a proper electoral tactic, keeping in view the objective of defeating the BJP."



Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the BJP had lost 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018.

"In May 2014, the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In four years, BJP government is down to 271, losing its simple majority in Lok Sabha minus its allies - considering the fact that PM Modi has suspended Kirti Azad and virtually disowned their most truthful, fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP," Surjewala tweeted.

The BJP's "2017-18 report card ... is 0/10 - BJP lost all 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018", he said.

"By-Poll results have given a clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule," the Congress leader added.

In another tweet, he named the 10 Lok Sabha seats -- Amritsar, Srinagar, Malappuram, Gurdaspur, Ajmer, Alwar, Uluberia, Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria.

"By-poll results have given clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule," he said.

Congress spokesperson Jyotiraditya Scindia said the results of the by-polls clearly indicated that across the country, people had spoken out against the "anti-farmer" rule of the Central government.

He said people had also testified against the BJP government's "anti-youth policies", "anti-women rule" and "unemployment that is rampant".

"It is very clear that the people of our great country are showing this BJP government the door,' he told reporters outside Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that a total of Rs 124.76 billion has been released as special assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 25 billion for establishment of the new capital city of the state.

Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the central and the Andhra Pradesh governments have been working together to implement the provisions made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APR Act, 2014) which include establishment of several institutions and launch of certain projects, as mentioned in Schedule XIII of the Act.

"Government of India has released a total amount of Rs 12476.76 crore (124.76 billion) as special assistance to the state of Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore (25 billion) for establishment of the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh," he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

NDA constituent TDP has pulled out its two ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Y S Chowdary -- from the central government over failure to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Ahir said the Andhra Pradesh government has also communicated to the central government on the release of development grants, resource gap and Polavaram project among other issues apart.

It has also communicated on implementation of apportionment of assets and liabilities and division of employees in respect of institutions listed in Schedule IX and X and continuity of services in respect of institutions listed in Schedule X of the APR Act.

"The 14th Finance Commission, without making a distinction amongst states, recommended an enhanced devolution of 42 per cent of the central government's tax revenues to states to cover the resource gap.

"In case of Andhra Pradesh, the Commission recommended that the central government would provide revenue deficit grant of Rs 22,113 crore for a period of five years, in addition to the enhanced tax devolution. Funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh on this account for 2015-16 and 2016-17," he said.

Work related to Schedule IX and X and XIII of the AP Reorganization Act is under progress in consultation with both the state governments, Ahir said.

The Schedule IX of the Act listed the state undertakings like the Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Agro Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd besides others.

The Schedule X of the Act lists training centres and institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology, Andhra Pradesh Study Circle for Backward Classes besides others.

The Schedule XIII of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act is related to establishment of higher education institutes.
A section of Congress leaders in West Bengal today said they were apprehensive that the high-command's decision to take the support of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in getting Abhishek Manu Singhvi elected to the Rajya Sabha might not go down well with the party's rank and file and give an advantage to the BJP.

A senior Congress MLA, on the condition of anonymity, said, "The party may have other national-level equations in mind, but there is no point in humiliating us in front of the TMC, which has tried to destroy the Congress in the state by poaching on our leaders and MLAs."



"If the views of the party's state leadership is of no importance, then why did they discuss the matter with us?" he wondered.

Political observers say the TMC extending support to Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha polls from West Bengal is a clear indication of an emerging alliance between the Mamata Banerjee-led party and the Congress, in a bid to stop the BJP's juggernaut in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Banerjee had stated on March 9 that her party would support Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha elections from the state, even before the Congress' announcement of the candidature.

The leadership of the state Congress and the CPI(M), which had fought the 2016 Assembly polls in Bengal together, were in talks regarding nominating an independent candidate for the Rajya Sabha polls.

"Both the parties were taken by surprise when the TMC announced its support to Singhvi," the Congress leader said.

The Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Abdul Mannan, however, tried to put up a brave face, saying the TMC's decision to support Singhvi would not affect the Congress' equations with the CPI(M) in Bengal.

Referring to the TMC's support to the Congress' Rajya Sabha candidate, Pradip Bhattacharya, last year, he said, "Earlier also we had taken the TMC's support to send our candidate to the Upper House (of Parliament)."



However, several Congress MLAs, who spoke to PTI on the condition of anonymity, said the high-command's decision would send a wrong message to the party cadre.

"It will give an advantage to the BJP, which is occupying the space of the main opposition in the state," they said.

The Congress leaders pointed out that state party chief Adhir Chowdhury and Mannan did not accompany Singhvi, when he filed his nomination papers in the Assembly.

Asked about the Congress' decision to take the TMC's support in the Rajya Sabha polls, CPI(M) legislature party leader Sujan Chakraborty said, "The Congress did whatever they felt was right. It is for them to decide whether they will side with the TMC or fight against its oppression.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat Assembly witnessed a ruckus today as the members of the ruling BJP and opposition Congress came to blows.

Following the incident, a Congress MLA was suspended for the entire Budget Session of the Assembly.

The Congress members hit BJP MLA Jagdish Panchal with the rod of a microphone and also punched him, following which the members of the ruling party assaulted Amrish Der of the opposition party.

The ruckus began when Speaker Rajendra Trivedi stopped Vikram Madam of the Congress from expressing his views during a discussion on an issue after the Question Hour.

Madam, however, insisted that he would speak.

At that time, Der asked the speaker to allow Madam to speak.

The speaker objected to his tone, following which Madam and Der rushed to the Well of the House in protest.

Trivedi then suspended both the Congress MLAs for the day and they were taken out of the Assembly by the marshals.

This enraged Congress MLA Pratap Dudhat, who then attacked the BJP's Jagdish Panchal with a rod attached to a microphone.

Dudhat was angry with Panchal for asking Congress MLAs to remain silent when the speaker was making his point.

After the attack on Panchal, the speaker suspended Dudhat for the rest of the Budget Session.

He then adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, Der entered the House from the back door and attacked Panchal.

The other BJP members present in the House came to Panchal's rescue and attacked Der.

The marshals rushed in and brought the situation under control.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following the defeat of BJP in three Lok Sabha bypolls seats in UP and Bihar, its NDA ally the Shiromani Akali Dal today asked the Centre to take this defeat "seriously."



SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal asked the Centre to look at the concerns of farmers who were in distress as he described the defeat in bypolls as a "setback".

"It is a major setback," he said when asked about BJP defeat in Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria bypolls.

This is the first signal and we should take it seriously, he said.

"I think government at the Centre has to revisit its strategy. Farmers are the backbone of India and we have to do something for them," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiromani Akali Dal will gherao the Punjab Vidhan Sabha premises on the opening day of the forthcoming budget session on March 20 to protest over the debt waiver issue.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the core committee of the party today.

SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said, "We want to force the government to honour its commitments to the poor and innocent farmers".

The core committee was firmly of the view that the state government had treated the farmers of the state with "criminal neglect and insensitivity, making wild excuses to go back on what they had declared as their sacred promises to the peasantry".

"First they said that they were not aware of the financial position of the state when they made the promises whereas they had been issuing white papers on the fiscal situation before the elections.

"If they were unaware of the financial position then how could they make a provision for Rs 1,500 crore in the budget for the last year? Now they are claiming to distribute just Rs 370 crore, even which has run into problems because of their inefficiency. This is worse than shedding crocodile tears," the core committee said in a resolution.

In another resolution in the meeting, the SAD "profusely and wholeheartedly" thanked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for paying obeisance at the Golden Temple.

The resolution adopted at the meeting said, "We are specially touched by the gesture of the Government of Canada in putting our Sikh brethren and sisters in positions of high honour and great responsibility, including key cabinet berths in the federal government.

"On behalf of the people of Punjab, the Sikhs in particular, we express our profound gratitude to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the love and trust.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
South African police were today probing one of their own officers who was accused of molesting young girls while investigating sexual assault of scores of primary school pupils.

The forensic investigator allegedly molested two girls aged seven and eight on Monday when he visited their school to prepare pupils for a court appearance.

The girls are among up to 87 girls allegedly sexually abused by a security guard at a school in Johannesburg's Soweto township last year. The guard is facing rape and sexual assault charges.

Police provincial commissioner Deliwe de Lange said the allegations against the officer were "receiving the necessary attention as a matter of priority".

Provincial education minister Panyaza Lesufi expressed dismay at the latest "shocking and disturbing" accusations.

"A person entrusted with protecting children has violated their trust, " Lesufi said in a statement.

"The children have now become victims of sexual assault twice."



The opposition Democratic Alliance party called for better vetting, saying that 57 police officers with criminal records are employed in units specialising in child protection.

More than 100 rapes are reported to police every day in South Africa, and police are often accused of inadequately investigating alleged assaults and failing to treat victims properly.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre today claimed in the Delhi High Court that Sasan Power Ltd, a Reliance Power subsidiary, was seeking permission to mine more coal since it wanted to divert it to another power plant which was not permissible.

The submission, however, was opposed by the company's counsel saying there was no danger of diversion and everything was on documents and inspection was also being done by the government authorities.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Maninder Kaur Acharya told a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar that it was hazardous to store more coal than the actual requirement, so they should mine coal and use it.

"We are not stingy. It's that they do not require more coal. As per the inspection, their requirement is 18 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) coal and we have granted permission for it. They should make out the case for asking one MTPA coal more, i.e. 19 MTPA," Acharya said.

The ASG was making submissions in response to the plea of the company seeking permission to mine coal from its two mines in excess of the 17 MTPA cap to enable it to run the 3,960 megawatt Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) in Madhya Pradesh.

"They (company) wants to divert the coal to another plant which is not permissible," she said.

Senior advocate Akhil Sibal, appearing for the company, contended that none of the other captive coal mines have this restriction and it was being singled out by the authorities.

He said there was no danger of diversion and everything was on documents and there was no stoppage in law. The counsel said there is oversight by the authorities on everything and questioned "why it was being squeezed like this".

The court, however, said it will monitor the situation on the coal consumption by the company and listed the matter for further hearing on March 21.

The Ministry of Coal, in its recent affidavit, told the court that through a letter of February 26, 2018, it has permitted Reliance Power, as an interim one-time measure, to produce 18 MTPA in excess of the cap of 17 MTPA.

The company was granted permission to produce additional 1 million tonne for the present financial year ending March 31.

The company, in its application, has contended that the mining of 17 MTPA of coal allowed from its two blocks Moher and Moher-Amlohri in the state was not enough to carry out operations till the end of this financial year.

Sasan Power has claimed that if it was not allowed to mine another two MTPA, that is up to 19 MTPA, in this financial year, it will not be able to meet the requirements of its UMPP that supplies electricity to 14 discoms in seven states including Delhi.

It has contended that in such a situation, the threat of a shutdown was looming large over the operation of the power project.

It has said the approved quantity of coal would not meet the requirement for running the plant for the last 10 days of March this year, severely affecting 42 crore consumers.

Such a situation will also entail a loss of around Rs 130 crore for the company, while the discoms would have to shell out more than Rs 200 crore to purchase power from other sellers, it has claimed.

The company has said it supplied electricity under a 25-year-long term power purchase agreement on a tariff of Rs 1.196 per kWh to 14 discoms across the states of Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

In its application seeking permission to mine 19 MTPA, Sasan has contended that this will also help it to maintain additional stock of coal of 1.25 million tonne for meeting any exigency which might disrupt coal production.

The application was filed in the main writ petition by Reliance Power and Sasan challenging the Centre's May 7, 2015, decision to cancel one of the three coal blocks allocated to Sasan UMPP.

The government had justified the cancellation, saying the unit's coal requirement could be met by the other two mines, Moher and Moher-Amlohri extension.

Sasan project is an integrated power plant-cum-coal mining project at a single location, involving an investment of over Rs 27,000 crore, Reliance has said in its petition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today dismissed a plea of one of the convicts in the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi assassination case seeking recall of the May 1999 verdict upholding his conviction.

The apex court said the materials brought on record before it does not inspire confidence to interfere with the May 11, 1999 verdict in which 45-year-old A G Perarivalan and three others were initially awarded death sentence which was later commuted to life term.

A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi, R Banumathi and M M Shantanagoudar, however, kept the main petition of Perarivalan pending in which he has sought suspension of his life sentence in the case till the completion of the probe by CBI-led Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA) into the larger conspiracy behind the assassination.

The bench asked the MDMA to file a status report in four weeks with regard to the status of a Letter Rogatory sent to Sri Lanka for examining one of the accused Nixon alias Suren, who is lodged in Colombo jail.

During the hearing, the CBI sought dismissal of the plea filed by Perarivalan seeking recall of the May 1999 verdict upholding his conviction, saying it was not "maintainable" and his role in the conspiracy was "clearly established".

Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for CBI, said Perarivalan's application for recall of the verdict was "devoid of merit" and is liable to be dismissed at the threshold with heavy cost.

Anand said that his role was not limited to procuring nine-volt batteries alone, which were allegedly used in the improvised explosive device (IED) that had killed Gandhi.

"He had even visited Jaffna in Sri Lanka in the first week of June 1990, besides attending a public meeting along with other conspirators which was addressed by former Prime Minister V P Singh on May 7, 1991 in Tamil Nadu," she said.

Anand said that even if the part of the confessional statement of Perarivalan recorded under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act by former CBI official V Thiagarajan is taken out, there are enough material to suggest that he was an active conspirator in the assassination.

Advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan, appearing for Perarivalan, said the knowledge and intent were the two key points attributed to his client which may not be correct and all aspects have to be looked into in entirety.

He said Perarivalan was just 19-year-old when the incident had taken place and had no knowledge of what he was doing and for what purpose batteries were purchased.

To this, the bench said "the soul of your conviction is the confessional statement which is admissable under TADA. If you have materials to suggest otherwise, then you satisfy us".

Shankarnarayanan replied he was in the know of the conspiracy but did not know for what purpose the batteries were asked to be bought.

"When we look into the entire facts and circumstances, we find that he (Prerivalan) was an engineer in electronics, knew the purpose for which batteries were used, was part of a conspiracy to attack Vellore Fort, had common hatred towards one person and had openly accepted that he was a member of LTTE. Was all this not sufficient for the court to arrive at a conclusion," the top court asked.

Shankarnarayanan said the batteries were purchased on May 7, 1991 while the incident had taken place on May 21, 1991 and "was it not odd that entire explosive belt was sent from Sri Lanka except the two batteries".

The bench was not satisfied with the answer and said that the evidence brought on record was enough to draw an inference by the court for the charge of conspiracy against Perarivalan.

Former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at a poll rally. Fourteen others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed. Gandhi's assassination was perhaps the first case of suicide bombing which had claimed the life of a high-profile leader.

In its May 1999 order, the top court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts -- Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini -- in the assassination case.

In April 2000, the Tamil Nadu governor had commuted the death sentence of Nalini on the basis of state government's recommendation and an appeal by former Congress president and Rajiv Gandhi's widow Sonia Gandhi.

On February 18, 2014, the top court had commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with that of two other prisoners - Santhan and Murugan - on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.

The MDMA, set up in 1998 on the recommendations of Justice M C Jain Commission of Inquiry which had probed the conspiracy aspect of Gandhi's assassination, is headed by a CBI official and comprises officers from IB, RAW and Revenue Intelligence and other agencies.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Russian man living in exile in the UK and a critic of President Vladimir Putin has been found dead in his London home, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a probe into the "unexplained" death.

Nikolai Glushkov was found dead by his family and friends late Monday night and the cause of death is not yet determined.

The 68-year-old was a close friend of late Russian oligarch Boris Beresovsky, an opponent of Russian President Putin.

The of his death comes as the UK has given Moscow an ultimatum to reveal what it knows regarding the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury last week.

The Metropolitan Police said there was no evidence to suggest a link between the poisoning and Glushkov's death.

Police said the death was being treated as "unexplained", adding that the counterterrorism team would lead the investigation "as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had".

Scotland Yard's Counter-Terrorism Command said it was investigating the death.

"At this stage the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had. There is no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury," the Met police statement said.

"A postmortem examination will be held in due course. The death is currently being treated as unexplained," it added.

In the 1990s, Glushkov was director of the Russian state airline Aeroflot and Berezovsky's LogoVAZ car company.

In 1999, he was charged with money laundering and fraud and spent five years in a Russian jail before being freed in 2004 and after that fled to the UK.

Glushkov was granted political asylum and lived in London in recent years.

After his friend Berezovsky was found dead in 2013, Glushkov told the 'Guardian' that he doubted that the death was as a result of natural causes.

"I'm definite Boris was killed. I have quite different information from what is being published in the media," he had said.

In 2017, during a trial in absentia in Russia, Glushkov was sentenced to eight years in prison for allegedly stealing USD 123 million from Aeroflot.

The airline went on to pursue the case in London and Glushkov was due to attend a hearing on Monday morning at London's Commercial Court but failed to appear.

According to Russian newspaper 'Kommersant', he was discovered with "signs of suffocation" by his family later on Monday.

His so-far unexplained death could add a further dimension to UK-Russian relations, which are under considerable strain after the poisoning of the 66-year-old Skripal with a deadly nerve agent.

The UK government had given the Kremlin until midnight yesterday to provide a "credible response", while Russia has denied any involvement and demanded access to the nerve agent in order to assist the investigation.

In a phone-call with British Prime Minister Theresa May today, US President Donald Trump assured the UK of support in the case.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian Government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used," a Downing Street spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia remain in a critical condition in hospital, where they have been since being discovered collapsed on a bench of a shopping centre in Salisbury on March 4.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telugu film star and Jana Sena Party president Pawan Kalyan tonight said he was ready to sit on an indefinite fast "any day from now" if the Centre did not grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

He demanded that the Centre immediately take a 'responsible decision' and come clear on the issue.

Kalyan said the kind of 'injustice' the Centre meted out to Andhra Pradesh in the last four yeas "is burning, agonising and killing us."



Stating that he was ready to make sacrficies for the cause of the state, he said 'any day from now, I am ready to sit on an indefinite fast till the Centre budges.'



Speaking at the fourth anniversary celebrations of Jana Sena here tonight, he said non-grant of SCS amounted to a violation of the Constitution.

"It is not an issue of SCS alone. It may become a precedent. Promises may be made in Parliament, but broken. We should not let it happen. So we shall fight very strongly for the cause of SCS" he said.

Targeting Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over his comments on SCS, Kalyan demanded to know why they should follow laws when the Centre does not honour it's promises.

"Are you beyond the law? No, you are very much under the purview of the law, Mr Jaitley," he said.

Jaitley had stated at a press conference in Delhi on March 7 that funds equivalent to what a special category state receives would be extended to Andhra Pradesh, but drew a line saying politics cannot increase the quantum of money.

"... Sentiment does not decide quantum of funds, it is the constitutional award of the Finance Commission which decides on the quantum of funds that states get," he had said.

Kalyan charged the Chandrababu Naidu government with converting the state into a 'corrupt Andhra Pradesh' and warned it of repercussions in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He warned TDP that the 2019 polls would not be as smooth as it was in 2014, when after the formation of his party, he supported the TDP-BJP combine in (then united) Andhra Pradesh and did not contest the elections.

Kalyan has already announced that that Jana Sena would contest the polls next year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting back at BJP MP Poonam Mahajan who blamed "urban Maoists" for recent stir by farmers in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena today asked if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis could be dubbed a "Maoism supporter" by the same logic as he has accepted the demands of the protesters.

"The Chief Minister held a meeting with the protesters and agreed to accept their demands. Does this mean that he supports Maoism and thereby has committed a sin?" the Sena questionned in an editorial published in party mouthpiece 'Saamana' today.

Mahajan, the MP from Mumbai North Central, stirred a controversy when she said that farmers were being misled by some "urban Maoists".

Thousands of farmers had taken out a Long March from Nashik to Mumbai, a distance of 180 kms, which culminated in Mumbai on Monday.

The huge support received by the protest, organised by Left-affiliated All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), forced the BJP-led state government to accept almost all demands of the agitating farmers, including a complete loan waiver and transfer of forest land rights to tribals tilling them.

Drawing an analogy between the incident of razing of Lenin's statue in Tripura and protesting farmers in Maharashtra, the Sena said, "Protesting farmers hailed the same ideology and chanted slogans in the name of Lenin. The CM praised the sons of Lenin and accepted their demands. This means that felling statues does not finish an ideology".

While Mahajan equated the march of farmers with urban Maoism, there was not a single anti-national slogan shouted during the protest, the edit said.

"Poonam Mahajan should ask Prime Minister to send Indian armed forces to Nepal for safeguarding the Hindu rashtra," it said.

In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Sena said, "At a time when China is posing a challenge in neighbouring Sri Lanka and Maldives by sowing Maoism, our prime minister is playing Holi with visiting President of France".

Taking a swipe at former SP leader Naresh Agrawal, who joined the BJP recently, the Sena said people like him are "more dangerous than Maoists".

"It does not befit a party, which laid down a red carpet for a man who insulted Lord Ram and the Indian army, to link the protest march of farmers with Maoism," the Sena said.

On a day he joined the BJP, Agrawal kicked up a storm by belittling SP leader Jaya Bachchan over her renomination to Rajya Sabha by the Akhilesh Yadav-led party.

He later expressed regret over his comments after his comments on Bachchan's Bollywood background led to a huge outrage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Trial in the case of the alleged attack on a noted South Indian actress in February last year began at a sessions court here today.

Popular Malayalam actor Dileep is the eighth accused in the case of alleged sexual assault on the actress by a gang of men in a moving car here.

Ten of the accused, including prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni and Dileep, were present in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court.

There are 12 accused in the case.

Besides the prosecution, the actress was represented by city-based criminal lawyer P G Manu.

The actress, through her counsel, moved a plea, seeking to set up a special court presided by a woman judge for hearing the case.

She also sought speedy disposal of the case through in-camera proceedings.

Meanwhile, the court said that all the evidence, barring copies of visuals of the alleged sexual assault committed on the actress by the gang, can be provided to the defence.

The case has been posted for March 28.

Dileep had last week moved a petition in the high court, seeking a copy of digital evidence of the alleged attack on the actress.

In his plea, the actor said he was denied the rights of a defendant by a trial court in Angamaly.

Last month, the Angamaly Judicial Magistrate Court dismissed a plea by Dileep, seeking copies of visuals of the alleged sexual assault.

The magistrate court had accepted the argument of the prosecution that the clippings could be misused by Dileep, affecting the privacy of the actress.

Dileep secured bail nearly three months after his arrest on July 10 last year.

Pulsar Suni is in jail since his arrest early last year.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by Suni and his accomplices, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17 last year and later escaped.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The boycott of classes and sit-in demonstration by the students of the Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya entered the third day today protesting against the rejection of their committee for organising a social function by the vice-chancellor.

The students have formed a committee consisting of 42 students for organising the annual social function, but the VC rejected it, said an agitating student of the university does not have any students' union at Mohanpur in Nadia district.

"The VC wants to make a committee consisting of students of his choice and we do not agree with it", he said.

Vice-Chancellor Dharani Dhar Patra said," while the Committee for Social will be formed by the university authority, the other demands would be fulfilled soon."



The other demands of the students include water and drainage related problems in hostels.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court today admitted appeals filed by six persons, who were awarded death sentence by a lower court in a suspected honour killing case in December last.

A Division Bench, comprising Justice CT Selvam and Justice N Sathishkumar, while admitting the appeals, directed the registry to post them along with the referred trial case sent by the lower court for confirmation of death sentence.

The case relates to the killing of one Sankar, who fell in love with Kausalya, a non-dalit girl, while they were studying in a private engineering college in Pollachi.

They got married in 2015 against the wishes of her parents.

A few months later, a three-member gang hacked Sankar, a dalit, to death in Udumalpet on March 13, 2016. Kausalya suffered injuries in the attack.

The case drew outrage as a video showing the savage attack by the gang which hacked Shankar and Kausalya near a busy road was telecast by TV channels.

The appeals in the high court were filed by Kausalya's father Chinnasamy and five others sentenced to death.

In the case relating to the incident, there were a total of 11 accused, of which three were acquitted by the lower court, including Kausalya's mother and maternal uncle.

Six, including Kausalya's father, were awarded death sentence and one person was awarded double life and another accused five years rigorous imprisonment by the Principal District and Sessions Judge at Udumalpet on December 12 last.

It is against the acquittals the state sought leave of the court on Tuesday to file an appeal, which was granted by the Division Bench.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iran's foreign minister has expressed a willingness to resolve differences with Saudi Arabia as part of Tehran's desire for stability in the region.

Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran had also expressed willingness to improve ties with Saudi Arabia when Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Iran during the Yemen crisis, but the Kingdom's response was not warm.

Zarif made his remarks in an interview with Pakistan's Geo television late yesterday.

Zarif is in Islamabad this week for a three-day visit that ends today.

Pakistan and Iran have had close ties in the past but recent regional alignments and Pakistan's tilt toward Saudi Arabia perturbed Iran, particularly the assignment of a Pakistani former army chief to head a Saudi-led 39-nation Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 26-year-old man hailing fromBhadradri-Kothagudem district of Telangana, who was allegedlyradicalised into the Islamic State ideology, was killed in an encounter with security forces inAnantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on March 12, police said.

"It is learnt that MD Toufeeq, a native of Manguru died in an encounter with security forces on the intervening night of March 11-12 inHakura area of Anantnag district along with two other Kashmiri militants," a release from Telangana police said tonight.

He (Toufeeq)was radicalised into the Islamic State ideology through social media and went to Kashmir to participate in terrorist activities of ISIS, according to the release.

It clarified that he was not wanted in any of the criminal cases in Telangana. However, further details were being verified, it added.

A J&K police spokesman had earlier said during an anti-militancy operation launched during late night of March 11that continued till pre-dawn of the next day, three militants were killed by security forces.

Two ofthe slain militants were identified as Eesa Fazli of Srinagar and Syed Owais of Kokernag in Anantnag, while the identity of the third militant was being ascertained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The RSS today said the Trinamool Congress' decision to observe Ram Navami is a moral victory for the organisation as the ruling party had opposed the celebrations last year.

The Trinamool Congress had earlier this month said that it has decided to observe Ram Navami in Birbhum district with a massive procession on March 25.

"It is a moral victory for the RSS that the ruling party is also saying that they want to celebrate Ram Navami. We welcome this decision," RSS south Bengal general secretary Jishnu Basu said.

"Last year, we had seen how activists of various Hindutva organisations were arrested for observing Ram Navami in the state. It is good that they have realised their mistake," Basu said.

On the state government's directive against armed processions during Ram Navami, he said the RSS is against any armed procession, be it for Ram Navami or Muharram.

The state BJP leadership, however see the TMC's decision as an attempt to hijack the programme from the saffron party.

"Last year, Ram Navami celebrations (of BJP) was a great success. This time too it will be a great success," West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam and MNM founder-president Kamal Haasan today condoled the death of renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.

In a tweet, Panneerselvam hailed Hawking as an "extraordinary person", a "great scientist" and an "unforgettable" person.

"Stephen Hawking's demise is an irreparable loss for mankind," he added.

Haasan, founder of the Makkal Neethi Maiam (MNM) said people all over the world would be proud that Hawking lived among them.

"We shall forever remember his knowledge grant. His fame shall live (forever)," the actor-politician said in a tweet.

Hawking, world famous British scientist and modern cosmology's brightest star known for his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity, died today at his home in Cambridge aged 76.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Telecom regulator Trai today said it hopes to finalise in about a month the recommendations on promoting telecom equipment manufacturing in the country.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) held open house discussions with industry representatives on the issue today.

"I think we will take about a month or so to firm up our views on this," Trai Chairman, R S Sharma told reporters after the open house meeting.

The deliberations revolved around short to long term policy measures that are required to boost innovation and productivity of local telecom manufacturing.

In its consultation paper issued in September last year, Trai had also asked whether patent laws as also mechanism for certification and testing in India were sufficient to address the issues of local manufacturers.

It had also sought industry's suggestions on fiscal incentives that can propel domestic manufacturing in telecom.

"While the mobile handset manufacturing industry has shown good progress in the past five years, the telecom equipment manufacturing industry has not been able to match the performance of mobile handset manufacturing industry," the consultation paper had noted.

Other aspects that were thrown up by Trai for discussion as part of the consultation paper included identification of issues under ITA (IT Agreement) which need to be addressed for making the local manufacturing more competitive, and whether an export oriented approach should be adopted in this sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish bombing raids killed 10 fighters loyal to the Syrian government today at a checkpoint they were manning near the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, a monitor said.

"The air strikes targeted a checkpoint on the only road leading from Afrin to regime-controlled territory to the southeast," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Of the 10 fighters killed, eight were from the nearby regime-held town of Nubul, the Observatory said.

Ankara and allied Syrian rebels have waged an offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), who control the Afrin enclave, since January 20.

The enclave is bordered to the north and west by Turkey but also lies adjacent to government-controlled Syrian territory.

Pro-Turkish forces have seized several border areas and have almost fully encircled the city of Afrin.

The road that was bombed on Wednesday is the only official way out of the town, and while it has not been fully captured by pro-Turkish assault, it is within firing range.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said some civilians were trying to escape from Afrin along smuggling routes avoiding the main road.

Around 350,000 people live in the city, including families displaced from other parts of the enclave.

Turkey has killed dozens of pro-Damascus fighters backing the YPG in Afrin.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ujjivan Small Finance Bank has launched 39 Unbanked Rural Centres (URCs) in the eastern states of West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tripura and Orissa.

The URCs were being set up in villages with a population above 5,000, and which do not have a brick and mortar structure of a bank, for customer-based banking transactions, a company release said.

"We have also set up seven Business Correspondents (BC) in Howrah and Hoogly district of West Bengal. The residents of these villages are reaching out to us for financial support for their agriculture, weaving and other businesses," Ittira Davis, Chief Operating Officer of Ujjivan, was quoted as saying in the release.

The aim is to get more unbanked and underbanked customers into the formal banking system, and help them become a part of Digital India, it said.

By March 31, 2018, there are plans for 187 banking outlets with 47 URCs spread across West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Jharkand, Orissa, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Britain's ambassador in Geneva has lashed out at Russia, denouncing its alleged violations of international law, its actions in war-torn Syria, its "deeply alarming" domestic human rights situation and its "highly likely" role in the poisoning of a former Russian intelligence officer in Britain.

Speaking at the UN's top human rights body, Ambassador Julian Braithwaite said Russia's "reckless behaviour is an affront to all that this body stands for."



Referring to the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in England on March 4, Braithwaite told the Human Rights Council on Wednesday that



"Either Russia has deliberately flouted the rules-based international order, or it has lost control of its own chemical weapons."Russia has denied it is responsible for the poisoning. Braithwaite also criticized Russia's "illegal annexation" of Crimea, its "continued undermining of Georgia's territorial integrity" and its role in Syria's conflict.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
British Prime Minister Theresa May today held Russia responsible for the nerve agent attack against a former Russian spy and his daughter as she expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level bilateral contact.

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found collapsed after being poisoned last week. Both remain in a serious condition along with a police officer who came in contact with the same substance.

Russia denies being involved in the attempted murder of the former spy and his daughter.

"The Russian state was culpable of the attempted murder" of spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, May told lawmakers.

She said Britain will suspend high-level bilateral contact with Russia and revoke an invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit the UK.

The Prime Minister announced that Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats, saying they have one week to leave the UK.

She identified those diplomats as "undeclared intelligence officers", BBC reported.

Moscow, which had been given an ultimatum to provide a "credible response" over how a Russian-made nerve agent came to be used on British soil, had warned of "an equal and opposite reaction" against any UK reprisals.

The reprisals follow days of diplomacy since May first informed Parliament that there was enough evidence to conclude that it is "highly likely" that Russia is behind the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury on March 4.

Russia's record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations; and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate targets for assassinations; the government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal, she had said.

"It was an indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom, putting the lives of innocent civilians at risk. And we will not tolerate such a brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil, she added, giving Moscow a Tuesday midnight deadline to respond on the circumstances surrounding the attack.

US President Donald Trump, as well as North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and European Union (EU) allies including Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, have since come out in support of the UK and offered support.

Downing Street said the British prime minister received the backing of Trump, who agreed in a phone call that Moscow "must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used".

A spokesperson added that France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had also condemned the attack and offered support to the UK, as well as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania the Baltic states bordering Russia.

Russia, however, has insisted that it is being blamed unfairly, with the Russian embassy in the UK tweeting that the ambassador, who had been summoned to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for an explanation, had branded the actions of the UK authorities as a clear provocation.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Britain of "playing politics" and ignoring an international agreement on chemical weapons. He had said Moscow would cooperate if it received a formal request for clarification from the UK under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which sets a 10-day time limit for a response.

Meanwhile, Skripal, and his daughter remain critically ill in hospital.

A former Russian military colonel, Skripal was convicted of treason in 2006 and jailed for 13 years for selling secrets to MI6, which had recruited him in the 1990s.

The senior intelligence officer with Russian military intelligence GRU, was pardoned in a spy swap in 2010 and settled in Salisbury, Wiltshire.

A week after he and his daughter were found collapsed on a bench of a shopping centre in the city, Britain's public health authorities had asked hundreds of people who were at a restaurant and pub linked with the poisoning of the Russian spy to clean up their possessions to remove any traces of the deadly nerve agent.

The poison used in the attack has been identified as belonging to a group of chemical nerve agents known as Novichok', which means newcomer and was used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War era in 1970s and 1980s.

Like most nerve agents, it has the effect of blocking messages from the nerves to the muscles in the body, which leads to a collapse of body functions and ultimately death by asphyxiation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Theresa May today paid tribute to world-renowned British scientist Stephen Hawking as "a brilliant and extraordinary mind" whose legacy "will not be forgotten" after his death at the age of 76.

May wrote on her Twitter page that Hawking was "one of the great scientists of his generation", adding that "his courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US administration has announced anti-dumping duties on imports of one kind of paper from Canada, further straining tense trade relations.

At issue is what is called uncoated groundwood paper, used in newsprint. US imports of it from Canada totaled USD 1.27 billion in 2016, the Commerce Department said.

The Americans argue that the Canadian paper has been sold in the country at less than its fair value.

The duties are preliminary pending more investigation and a final decision in August.

For now, US importers of this product will have to pay cash deposits equivalent to 22.16 per cent of the price of what they bring in from Canada.

The decision follows a complaint filed by a US firm, North Pacific Paper Company.

The United States is Canada's biggest trading partner and vice versa but relations have grown tense since Donald Trump came to power in January of last year.

He has forced a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, arguing that it was a bad deal for the US.

Last week Trump gave Canada and Mexico a temporary exemption from new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. But he said the tariffs would in fact be imposed if the NAFTA talks did not yield a deal that satisfied him.

"Enforcement of US trade law is a prime focus of the Trump administration," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.

"From January 20, 2017, through March 13, 2018, the Commerce Department has initiated 102 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations - a 96 percent increase from the same period in 2016-2017," he added.

This kind of paper was already hit by preliminary US countervailing duties announced in January.

Canada's government said it was "disappointed" by the new US measure.

"Any duties will have a direct and negative impact on US newspapers, especially those in small cities and towns, and result in job losses in the American printing sector," the foreign minister and minister of natural resources said in a statement.

The US announcement came as Canada's foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, was in Washington to discuss bilateral trade relations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bihar government has started working on formation of vegetable cooperative society at block levels to economically strengthen farmers by ensuring fair price to them, Cooperative Minister Rana Randhir said today.

The minister said this in the state legislative assembly while replying to debate on his department's budgetory allocation of Rs 806.50 crore for 2018-19.

"With a view to economically strengthen vegetable farmers and ensuring them fair price of their produce, the government has started constituting three tier vegetable cooperative society in the state," Randhir said.

"In the first phase, out of 97 blocks of five districts- Patna, Nalanda, Vaishali, Samastipur and Begusarai- the government has constituted vegetable cooperative societies in 83 blocks," he said adding that such societies will be set up across the state in future at block level.

Opposition RJD, Congress members staged a walk out from the house expressing dissatisfaction over government's reply.

Stating that Bihar, currently, ranked third in vegetable production in the country, the minister said the government is committed to make Bihar a number one vegetable producing state.

The government is committed to provide fair price to farmers of their produce, the minister said adding that in most of the districts, farmers are selling their paddy at MSP price of around Rs 1550 per quintal which is certainly an achievement for the government.

Earlier, replying to a debate on revenue and land reforms department's budgetary allocation of Rs 729.41 crore in the assembly, revenue and land reforms minister Ram Narayan Mandal announced that from April 1, 2018, people can make online payment of their land receipt for which a software is being developed with the help of NIC.

This would help common ryots (farmers) in knowing about the "dues" of their land receipt, he said.

With a view to making revenue maps easily available to the farmers, the department has made the arrangements for providing maps in 30 districts within the state and in two cities of Delhi and Mumbai outside the state, the minister said adding that farmers can avail land map by making the payment of Rs 150.

This facility will be made avaible in other remaining districts by June 30, 2018, Mandal said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vice Premier Wang Yang was today elected as the chairman of China's political advisory body - the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The CPPCC is largely a ceremonial body of over 2,100 members who included film star Jackie Chan. It meets annually once along with the rubber-stamp parliament, the National People's Congress (NPC). Both are currently under session.

Wang, 63, was elected to the powerful seven member Standing Committee of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) during the once-in-a-five-year Congress of the party last October apparently with the support of the group belonging to former Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, 64, who is ranked second in the leadership hierarchy after President Xi Jinping, too belonged to Hu's group of Chinese Communist Youth League.

Another Standing Committee member Han Zheng, 63, is reported to have been backed by another former president, Jiang Zemin, 91.

Both Hu and Jiang retired but continue to have support base in CPC.

Li, Wang and Han who were all elected to the powerful Standing Committee, which rules China, were part of what was previously stated to be collective leadership system.

However, CPC's leadership orientation has changed this month with elevation of Xi as the core leader by the CPC, making him a leader ranked above others in the party.

Xi further consolidated his hold on March 11 when the NPC ratified a constitutional amendment to remove two-term limit for the president.

This made Xi as the only leader after party founder Chairman Mao Zedong to continue as China's leader for life.

Wang's appointment to head the advisory body was seen as further consolidation of power by Xi in CPC's hierarchy.

NPC is set to ratify the names of all top positions in the next few days.

While Xi was expected to remain head of the CPC, the military and presidency, Premier Li who maintained a low profile in the last five years was expected to retain his post.

Xi's trusted lieutenant, Wang Qishan who carried the deadly anti-corruption campaign launched by Xi is now tipped to be elected for the Vice President post even though he is due to retire as he turned 69 years. All Chinese leaders retire after 68 years.

If appointed, he is also expected to remain in power for life as the constitutional amendment has removed two term rule for both the president and the vice president posts.

The names for all top posts of the government including the Foreign Minister and other cabinet ministers besides head of the central bank were expected to be announced in next few days.

The current annual session of the NPC and CPPCC were due to end on March 20.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today asked municipal bodies and the Delhi government whether there was any policy to deal with the disposal of electronic waste (e-waste), dubbing it a "critical area" which has so far escaped attention.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to Sunita Narain, who heads the Centre for Science and Environment, seeking a report from her on the issue of e-waste disposal.

It also asked the local commissioner, a journalist appointed by it earlier to inspect waste disposal in various parts of the city, to again visit various garbage dumps to ascertain whether the waste management by-laws, notified recently, were being implemented by the civic bodies.

The inspections were ordered by the bench as it was of the view that the emergence of cases of dengue, chikungunya and malaria at the start of the year was a matter of concern as in the past these diseases have attained emergency proportions.

The court had earlier noted that in the first two months of 2018, six cases of dengue, two of malaria and one of chikungunya have already been reported from Delhi.

During the hearing, a direction was also issued to the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) to inform the court on the next date on April 11, whether the waste management by-laws were being implemented in the areas under its jurisdiction.

The order came after DCB said while it has been following the waste management by-laws, it needed instructions from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in this regard.

The court was hearing two PILs filed by advocates Arpit Bhargava and Gauri Grover seeking directions to the authorities to take steps to prevent the spread of vector-borne diseases in the national capital.

While hearing the PILs, the court had looked into the issue of solid waste management as it was of the view that garbage and lack of cleanliness also contributed to the spread of the vector-borne diseases. It had, thereafter, ordered framing of waste management bye-laws.

The corporations today told the bench they have uploaded the bye-laws on their respective websites and were imposing fines on those violating these rules. They also said they have collected lakhs of rupees in fines for violation of the sanitary rules and the bye-laws.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump has made great strides in defeating ISIS and tackling the threat of terrorism around the world, the White House has said.

It cited the suspension of Pakistan's security aid as an example of Trump telling the US' allies that they cannot be America's friends while supporting or condoning terror.

"President Trump has made great strides in fulfilling his promise to defeat ISIS and tackle the threat of terror around the world," the White House said yesterday in a statement.

Terror group ISIS, the White House said, has lost nearly 100 per cent of its former caliphate while more than 50 per cent of the territory liberated from ISIS has been liberated under the Trump administration, it said.

"Trump is committed to destroying ISIS, and the global coalition will hunt these terrorists wherever they hide," the statement said.

The White House said that by suspending the security assistance to Pakistan, Trump has sent a "long overdue" message to the recipients of American foreign aid that the administration expects them to fully join the US in combating terrorism.

"In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, President Trump called on representatives of over 50 Muslim-majority nations to do more to combat terror and extremist ideology," it said.

Observing that Trump has made "strong and necessary" moves to deter threats to the US, the White House said he has led and executed an international maximum pressure campaign against North Korea to compel it to denuclearise and cease its dangerous provocations.

"The president has rallied world powers in support of increasing economic and diplomatic pressure. The global maximum pressure campaign appears to be working North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has committed to ceasing provocations and expressed willingness to denuclearise," it said.

Trump has agreed to meet with Kim Jong-Un and will use this opportunity to hold the regime to its commitment to denuclearise the Korean peninsula, the statement said.

The White House said Trump has taken aggressive action to confront Iran's "threatening behaviour", including imposing sanctions on dozens of Iran-linked entities and refusing to re-certify the Iran deal.

"The president ordered missile strikes in Syria, in opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad following his use of chemical weapons against his own people. In doing so, the president stood up for the global norms against the use of chemical weapons," the White House said.

On February 9, Trump signed a two-year budget deal raising the military's budget caps for national defense to USD 700 billion for Fiscal Year 2018 and USD 716 billion for Fiscal Year 2019.

Raising the budget caps fulfills Trump's promise to end years of harmful sequestration budget restraints on our military and will help the military rebuild.

"The The budget deal provides for funding levels that would support for thousands more troops and billions more in funding for missile defense," the White House said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after the Shiv Sena asked how Narayan Rane can be BJP's candidate for the Rajya Sabha when he is not even a member of that party, the BJP today sought to know why the Sena has become panicky over Rane's candidature.

Talking to reporters outside the Assembly building here, where the budget session is in progress, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson and MLA from Mumbai Ram Kadam asserted that Rane was now with his party.

"Rane is now with the BJP. But it seems he has given some people sleepless nights. I would like to know what has made Shiv Sena so panicky over Rane's nomination, though he had left Shiv Sena some 13 years ago," he asked.

"Is Shiv Sena considering Rane as a threat because he could make inroads into Konkan region, which is still a stronghold of Shiv Sena?" Kadam asked.

The BJP leader was speaking to reporters today outside the assembly, as the state budget session is in progress.

Kadam is the first BJP leader who came out in support of Rane after Shiv Sena MLC and whip of the party in council raised some questions against BJP fielding Rane as its RS nominee.

The Shiv Sena yesterday asked how Rane be the ally BJP's candidate for Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra when he is not a member of the saffron party.

"From which party Narayan Rane has filed his nomination? If the BJP has made him a member, when did he accept BJP's membership?" senior Sena leader Anil Parab had said.

If Rane has become a BJP member, did he resign from his own newly founded outfit first, the Sena leader had asked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's third largest software services firm on Wednesday said it has signed a definitive agreement to divest its hosted data centre services business to Ensono for $405 million.

The deal will see transition of eight data centres and over 900 employees of the hosted data centre services business to Ensono, said in a statement.

"The acquisition significantly expands Ensono's geographic footprint and global service capabilities, taking the company one step closer to achieving its vision of helping clients harness the power of hybrid IT to transform their businesses on a global scale," it added.

and Ensono have also signed a long-term partnership agreement to jointly address the hybrid IT requirements of Wipro's new and existing enterprise customers.

As part of the agreement, Wipro will make a strategic investment of $55 million in Ensono's combined entity.

The hosted data centre services business is one of the three businesses that became a part of Wipro when the Bengaluru-based firm had acquired Infocrossing Inc in 2007.

The other two businesses -- Medicare & Medicaid services in the health insurance space and ERP implementation services -- have been integrated with other Wipro businesses and are not part of this divestment, the statement said.

"This partnership will enhance the global data centre footprint and expand the available talent pool which will give us economies of scale and allow us to offer end-to-end capabilities in the infrastructure space, better than ever before," Wipro Senior Vice President (Global Infrastructure Services) Kiran Desai said.

Ensono, which provides hybrid IT services, will be able to double in size and increase its annualised revenue to be in excess of $550 million through the acquisition.

"This is the third acquisition in less than three years for Ensono... We are increasing our geographic presence by expanding our data centre operations in Germany, UK and the US, as well as establishing an operational presence in India," Ensono CEO Jeff VonDeylen said.

The acquisition, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the quarter ending June 2018.

The standalone revenue of the data centre business was $241 million for FY2016-17 -- 2.9 per cent of Wipro's consolidated revenues for FY16-17). The net worth of the business was Rs 24.25 billion (net of cash and debt), Wipro said in a BSE filing.

Ensono is a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners. The privately-held company has offices in the US, the UK, Poland and Germany, and has over 1000 employees. Its revenue stood at $285 million for the year ended December 2017.
Yuki Bhambri's stupendous run at the Indian Wells Masters came to an end following his defeat to American world number 21 Sam Querrey in the third round, here.

The Indian qualifier, ranked 110, pushed his opponent before bowing out with a 7-6(4) 4-6 4-6 loss, which came after an intense battle lasting two hours and 20 minutes.

The 25-year-old Indian saved 11 of the 15 breakpoints in the gruelling match.

The 45 points he earned by making the third round and 16 from the qualifying event, are likely to push Bhambri back to top-100 when the new rankings are issued on Monday.

It has been a great tournament for Bhambri, who knocked out players of the calibre of two-time doubles Grand Slam winner Nicolas Mahut and world number 12 Lucas Pouille en route the third round.

Bhambri said playing Frenchman Pouille and Querrey was very different.

"They were completely different opponent. Sam has bigger serve and relies a lot on it. That was the difference today. He bailed himself out on a lot of points. Losing serve early in the third set was tough as I was playing catching up after that and more difficult against a big server," Bhambri told PTI.

The Indian Davis Cupper, who also beat world number 22 Gael Monfils in August 2017, said he has got a lot of confidence from the tournament.

"I feel, I can beat anyone. I just ned to keep giving myself the opportunities to do that," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By David Lawder and Michael MartinaWASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on Tuesday.A third source who had direct knowledge of the administration's thinking said the tariffs, associated with a "Section 301" intellectual property investigation, under the 1974 U.S. Trade Act begun in August last year, could come "in the very near future". While the tariffs would be ...
By Michael ShieldsBERN (Reuters) - Swiss lawmakers are pushing the government to amend the law on how to handle ill-gotten bank profits seized by authorities and pave the way to return more than $100 million linked to scandal-hit sovereign fund 1MDB to the Malaysian people.Although the Swiss government opposes the call, saying it has no legal powers to repatriate the funds that will otherwise flow into the Swiss budget, it has not shut the door entirely."Switzerland's international reputation is at stake if it ignores the justified demands from Malaysia," said Carlo Sommaruga, a member of ...
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Phil Lyman, a rural county commissioner who became a cause celebre in the movement challenging U.S. management of Western public lands when he led an all-terrain vehicle protest ride in 2014, said Tuesday he is running for the Utah Legislature.

Lyman said he will run for the seat of Rep. Mike Noel, who is retiring after 16 years, and hopes to take over Noels role of being the outspoken voice for states rights and rural southern Utah residents.

Lyman, a Republican, said in a Facebook post announcing his candidacy that rural Utah is under attack but also has opportunities like never before under the Trump administration.

He said he plans to stand up to environmental groups and outdoor companies like Patagonia who he says are trying to push their agendas in rural Utah counties where most land is federally controlled.

If those counties cant depend on access to those lands for sustaining their economy, theyre just out of business unless they want to depend entirely on tourism, Lyman said. They just need to be able to continue to ranch and log and mine, recreate and hunt. Thats important to us, its important to the culture, its important to the economy.

So far, Lyman is the only person to announce hes running for state House District 73, which covers several rural counties in the southeastern Utah.

Lyman earned notoriety in 2014 when he led ATV riders through a closed canyon home to Native American cliff dwellings to protest federal management of the lands.

He served 10 days in jail after a jury found him guilty of illegal use of ATVs and conspiracy.

He appealed, but that was rejected last year by the 10Th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. Lyman said he wont take his appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Matthew Gross, spokesman for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, acknowledged that district voters have a right to choose their representative, but said Lyman figures to be just as bad as Noel. The conservation group declared good riddance last week when Noel announced his retirement.

Southern Utah has grown beyond the views of people like Phil Lyman and Mike Noel, who really do represent a bygone era, said Gross, spokesman for the organization.

During his time on the San Juan County commission, which he joined in 2011, Lyman defended the county against a lawsuit brought by the Navajo Nation alleging county commission districts were racially gerrymandered. A judge in December sided with the Navajo Nation, drawing new districts.

Lyman said the changes unfairly carved up the countys largest city into three districts and was done to harm his hometown of Blanding.

Lyman was also among the county and state officials who vociferously opposed President Barack Obamas designation of the Bears Ears National Monument just outside of Blanding. Lyman and others considered it another example of federal overreach.

He celebrated when President Donald Trump downsized the monument by 85 percent earlier this year.

Lyman said he would like to see the state of Utah sue to seek state control of federal public land that accounts for about two-thirds of the state. State officials have been considering the lawsuit for years, and hired outside attorneys to work on a legal argument, but have yet to move on it.

We should get to the bottom of it, Lyman said. Litigation is the means provided to do that.
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP)  Vice President Mike Pence is coming to one of the Souths biggest street parties: the sprawling St. Patricks Day parade in Savannah thats expected to draw 500,000 or more gaudy green revelers to the Georgia coast this weekend.

Mayor Eddie DeLoach plans to host Pence and members of the vice presidents family Saturday, when locals and tourists toting plastic cups of beer will cram the sidewalks and oak-shaded squares along the 2.25-mile (3.6-kilometer) parade route through Savannahs downtown historic district.

Its always fun to have a special guest come to the parade, Michelle Gavin, a city spokeswoman, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday. And what a great honor to have the vice president of the United Sates come to the parade and shine a national spotlight on this event.

The Savannah trip was also confirmed by Pences office in Washington, though details of the visit were not immediately made public.

Irish immigrants to Savannah and their descendants have been celebrating St. Patricks Day with a parade since 1824. The March 17 holiday has ballooned into the citys single largest tourist attraction, making it one of the Souths biggest street parties after Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Local officials declined to comment Tuesday on how security measures for Pences visit might disrupt the celebration for parade goers, who often arrive to the parade with party tents, full picnics and coolers packed with soft drinks and alcohol.

At least two sitting presidents  William Howard Taft in 1912 and Jimmy Carter in 1978  have visited Savannah on St. Patricks Day to address the evening banquet of the local Hibernian Society, the Irish social group that started Savannahs parade 194 years ago.

Brian Counihan, chairman of the private committee that organizes Savannahs parade, said hes unaware of any U.S. presidents or vice presidents taking part in the parade before Pence. He said he doesnt know why Pence decided to visit Savannah for the holiday.

I just know hes coming and were excited to have him here, Counihan said.

In some ways, Pence may seem out of place at a St. Patricks Day celebration where bars open at 7 a.m. and drinking on the street is perfectly legal. Pence, an evangelical Christian, has said he wont attend events where alcohol is served without his wife. Karen Pence told a crowd recently that her husband likes to unwind on Fridays with a non-alcoholic beer.

However, organizers of Savannahs parade have long stressed the holidays religious roots and celebration of Irish heritage. Pence has proudly noted in political speeches that his maternal grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, came to the U.S. from Ireland in 1923.

He got off that boat an Irish lad, Pence said in 2006, when he served in Congress. He died an American, and I am an American because of him.
Courtesy of the Cache County Jail

LOGAN Azadeen Altom has pleaded guilty to groping a woman inside a store last month. The 43-year-old convicted sex-offender waived his right to a preliminary hearing and accepted a plea deal. He will remain in jail awaiting sentencing.

Altom appeared in 1st District Court Tuesday morning. He pleaded guilty to one count of forcible sexual abuse, reduced to a third-degree felony. As part of the agreement prosecutors dropped a remaining charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

State attorney Jacob Gordon told the court, police arrested Altom in February, after a woman claimed he assaulted her, while she was shopping. The woman reported the defendant approached her and grabbed her buttocks.

Detectives also believed Altom was kicked out of his apartment and moved without updating his sex-offender registry. Public defender Bryan Galloway told the court though, there was evidence that his client was in contact with his probation officer.

Judge Kevin Allen scheduled Altom to be sentenced April 16. He also told the defendant, based on the nature of the charges he would be held in jail until sentencing.

Last March, Altom walked into Mt. Logan Middle School and was seen sitting in the schools cafeteria, watching a group of girls. A month later he was arrested, after officers were called to a store on report that he was harassing a teenage girl. The customer claimed he approached her, getting inside her personal space, and asked for a ride home.

In June, Judge Thomas Willmore sentenced Altom to serve one-year in jail. Five months later, the same judge released Altom early so immigration officers could deport him.

Police claim Altoms native country refused to readmit him so ICE agents let him go, after they couldnt deport him.

Altom has been arrested on similar crimes before. Nebraska records show he was convicted of sexually assaulting another adult individual in January 2013. He could now face up to five-years in prison.

<hr /><p style=text-align: center;>will@cvradio.com
LOGAN  After a four-week closure the Aggie Ice Cream shop on Utah State Universitys campus reopened with a new look Tuesday.

According to a USU release, the remodel of the store located inside the C. Anthon Ernstrom Nutrition and Food Sciences Building had to do both with the appearance of the buildings interior and the need to serve more customers. The store sold between 1,500 and 2,000 cones each day last summer.

USU student Morgan Hendricks went to the store with her roommate Alexis Bennett Tuesday afternoon. They knew the store had just reopened and wanted to celebrate Hendricks upcoming birthday. They were impressed by the new look.

It looks super modern, super sleek, Hendricks said.

In USUs release, Aggie Ice Cream Manager Dave Irish described the new look as modern-retro. Changes have been made to the menu as well. Made-to-order hot dogs and sandwiches will no longer be available, but there will be premade food options. Flavored sodas have also been introduced.

We will still have food, Irish said, but the food will be secondary to ice cream.

Bennett liked some of the new decorative touches she saw.

{{tncms-asset app=editorial id=fa96362e-26fe-11e8-b641-ef5adb5aaba2}}

My favorite part about it is Utah State written in ice cream, because I couldnt figure out what it said at first, she said. I backed up and I was like, Oh, thats super cool. It looks kind of like ice cream up close.

The most important part of it all, however, remained unchanged.

Same old ice cream, Hendricks said.
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

1. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/3ca2915f8a9549c6aad72a6544a53cc5/Trump-axes-Tillerson,-names-CIA%27s-Pompeo-chief-US-Diplomat>TILLERSONS TURBULENT TENURE ENDS</a>

Trump unceremoniously dumps his secretary of state  who reportedly once called the president a moron  and picks CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

2. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/f311a7e8bd5b4cdea4177ab66a04a649/Trump-views-designs-for-border-wall-while-bashing-California>PRESIDENT TAKES SHOPPING TRIP TO BORDER</a>

Trump, making his first trip to California as president, inspects eight towering prototypes for his long-sought wall at the U.S.-Mexico boundary.

3. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/78e8a2451ae144f99b1325e8157e1709/Turkish-forces-surround-Kurdish-town-in-northern-Syria>TURKS IMPERIL KURDS IN NORTHERN SYRIA</a>

Turkish forces encircle the Kurdish-held town of Afrin, putting hundreds of thousands of civilians under siege.

4. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/00f790b17b2542319cc1fa519259b86b/Student-walkouts-planned-across-US-to-protest-gun-violence>HOW STUDENT ACTIVISM IS WIDENING</a>

From Maine to Hawaii, thousands of students plan to stage walkouts to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland, Florida.

5. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/38cc3dc99cad4d059281db50e7e258cf/Ropes,-phone-lights-used-in-rescue-after-deadly-bus-plunge>BUS RUNS OFF HIGHWAY INTO DEEP RAVINE</a>

The dramatic crash in Alabama kills the driver and injures many members of a high school band returning to Texas after performing at Disney World.

6. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/e60a9bd4aa00484e881b715ccd835960/Outdoors-stores-quietly-continue-to-sell-assault-weapons>WHICH WEAPONS HAVENT DISAPPEARED</a>

Some big U.S. retailers have curbed sales of assault-style weapons after last months school shooting in Florida. But others are sticking to their guns.

7. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/554fadde1c114caa8efbfbf68f5078a7/Storm-blasts-winter-weary-Northeast;-thousands-lose-power>WERE NOT OUT OF WINTER YET'</a>

The third powerful noreaster in two weeks slams the Northeast, bringing blizzard conditions and more than a foot of snow to some communities.

8. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/d94fd49abf104207a0ccb984455396ec/Dog-dies-after-airline-worker-has-it-placed-in-overhead-bin>WHAT UNITED AIRLINES IS APOLOGIZING FOR</a>

A passengers dog dies on a flight from Houston to New York after a flight attendant orders the animal be put in the planes overhead bin.

9. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/22330157752345d0b7dc22b7e7e7d951/5-women-accuse-architect-Richard-Meier-of-sexual-harassment>PRIZE-WINNING ARCHITECT FACING HARASSMENT CLAIMS</a>

Richard Meier, who designed the Getty Center in Los Angeles, faces sexual-harassment accusations from several women.

10. <a target=blank href=https://apnews.com/20720b8d6aa143e69072ad344d6e63f8/Adrian-Peterson,-Jordy-Nelson-cut,-Brees-stays-with-Saints>PROMINENT NFL PLAYERS CUT</a>

Adrian Petersons short stint in Arizona is over. Jordy Nelsons long and productive stay in Green Bay has ended, too.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A white University of Pennsylvania law school professor who said she has never seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class has been removed from teaching required first-year law courses.

Law school dean Ted Ruger said professor Amy Wax spoke disparagingly and inaccurately about the performance of black students during an <a target=blank href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb9Ey-SsNsg>interview</a> with Brown University economics professor Glenn Loury on the downside of affirmative action last year.

I dont think Ive ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class, and rarely, rarely in the top half, Wax said at the time.

Wax also claimed that the University of Pennsylvania Law Review has a racial diversity mandate, suggesting that black students had not earned their places. Speaking about black law students at Penn and peer schools, she went on to say that some of them shouldnt even be attending college.

Ruger said it was imperative for him as dean to state that Waxs claims are false.

Black students have graduated in the top of the class at Penn Law, and the Law Review does not have a diversity mandate. Rather, its editors are selected based on a competitive process, he said. And contrary to any suggestion otherwise, black students at Penn Law are extremely successful, both inside and outside the classroom, in the job market and in their careers.

Wax has tenure at the university and will retain her salary and her seniority. She will continue to teach a full course load of electives but will not be teaching a mandatory first-year law school course.

Wax has made provocative statements before, <a target=blank href=http://www.thedp.com/article/2017/08/amy-wax-penn-law-cultural-values>claiming</a> Anglo-Protestant cultural norms are superior to others. She also claimed in a Philadelphia Inquirer <a target=blank href=http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/paying-the-price-for-breakdown-of-the-countrys-bourgeois-culture-20170809.html>op-ed</a> last year that America should return to the bourgeois culture of the 1950s. In that article, she condemned the single-parent, anti-social habits, prevalent among some working-class whites, the anti acting white rap culture of inner-city blacks and the anti-assimilation ideas gaining ground among some Hispanic immigrants and said they were not suited for a First World, 21st-century environment.

A voicemail and an email seeking comment from Wax werent immediately returned Wednesday.
CHICAGO (AP)  Federal authorities on Tuesday charged three men from rural central Illinois with the bombing of a Minnesota mosque last year and said one of the suspects told an investigator the goal of the attack was to scare Muslims out of the United States.

A statement from the U.S. attorneys office in Springfield, Illinois, says the men also are suspected in the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic. The Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, was bombed just before morning prayers on Aug. 5, causing a fire and extensive damage although no one was injured or killed. And there was an attempted bombing of the Champaign, Illinois, Womens Health Practice on Nov. 7.

One of the men, Michael B. Hari, 47, described in an April 2017 Chicago Tribune article how he drafted a $10 billion plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico, citing President Donald Trumps call for such a wall. Hari drew up the proposal after launching a security company, Crisis Resolution Security Services, the newspaper said.

Hari also filed a federal lawsuit just last month in central Illinois, naming the U.S. secretaries of agriculture and health and human services as defendants. It accuses their departments of violating his constitutional rights by doing the food-safety certification work that his firm, Equicert, does.

The People of the United States have rejected the Marxist doctrine that the government shall own the means of production, he wrote, according to the court document. He requested a court order barring federal officials from interfering with his business.

The other two men charged in the mosque bombing with Hari were identified as Joe Morris, 22, and Michael McWhorter, 29. All three are from Clarence, a rural community of less than 100 residents some 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Champaign-Urbana. A fourth man was charged with a gun offense, but he was not identified as a suspect in the bombing or attempted bombing.

A complaint said a tip in December led authorities to investigate the three men, after a person sent the local sheriff photos of guns and bomb-making material inside Haris parents home, where Hari often stayed. In January, a second informant told authorities that the three men had carried out the mosque bombing and the failed clinic bombing, according to the complaint.

McWhorter allegedly told an FBI agent during an interview that the three rented a pickup in Champaign and drove more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) to Minnesota with a plan to bomb the mosque, according to a criminal complaint. He said they wanted to let Muslims know they are not welcome in the United States and scare them out of the country, according to notes taken by the FBI.

It wasnt clear from the complaint why the men may have targeted a mosque so far from Illinois.

Morris told one informant that Hari had promised to pay him and McWhorter $18,000 for participating in the mosque bombing, according to the complaint. An affidavit says the men broke a window to the imams office and threw a pipe bomb containing black powder into the mosque. The pipe bomb exploded, causing a fire that was extinguished by sprinklers.

A witness outside the mosque heard the sound of breaking glass and saw a man get into a dark pickup truck. The truck then sped away, the affidavit said.

Minneapolis FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Bone said authorities no longer believe there is any further threat to the community in connection with this incident.

McWhorter also allegedly admitted that the three men tried to bomb the abortion clinic on Nov. 7, again renting a truck to carry out the attack. McWhorter described a PVC pipe bomb and said Morris broke a window and threw it in, where it failed to go off, according to the complaint.

The complaint also said nothing about a possible motivation for the clinic attack.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim advocacy and civil liberties group Council on American-Islamic Relations, welcomed news of the arrests.

This is definitely a relief that this case is finally to conclusion and those assailants-slash-suspects are apprehended and no longer a threat to our community, Hussein said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

The Islamic Center primarily serves Somalis in the Minneapolis area and houses a mosque and religious school for children. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community outside of east Africa, with an estimated 57,000 people, according to the most recent census estimates.

Mohamed Omar, the centers executive director, said at the time that the mosque didnt receive any threats beforehand or claims of responsibility afterward. The FBI had offered a $30,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the bombing. Its unclear if the reward money will be paid.

Officials said at the time that witnesses saw someone throw something from a truck or van before the blast and saw a vehicle speed away afterward. Mosque leaders later released security video from inside the mosque that caught the moments before the explosion, and some smoke and flying debris. The video didnt show the blast itself.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton called the bombing an act of terrorism when he and other officials visited the mosque the day after the explosion.

That bombing that took place last summer was a tragedy for all Minnesotans, U.S. Attorney Gregory Brooker said, adding that it remains a top priority for law enforcement.



Forliti reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Jeff Baenen contributed from Minneapolis.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP)  A suspected suicide bombing near a police checkpoint killed five police and four bystanders and wounded 27 others on Wednesday near the city of Lahore in eastern Pakistan, police said.

Haider Ashraf, Lahore police chief, said that evidence collected from the scene suggested it was a suicide attack. However, investigators and explosives experts were working to ascertain whether the bomb was planted near the checkpoint. He said he believes the police were targeted.

The checkpoint is located near a religious groups main congregation place in Raiwind near Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

Ashraf said evidence at the scene suggested a motorcycle was used.

Police said the blast took place after evening prayers and most members of the religious group had exited into the street, some making purchases nearby.

Ashraf said many of the wounded were police and three were hospitalized in critical condition. Other wounded included members of the Islamic preaching group known as Tablighi Jamaat.

The main countrys Taliban group Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was a suicide attack.

Lahore and its surroundings have seen many bomb and suicide attacks in recent years, killing scores.

A suicide attack near a software technology park in Lahore killed 26 people and wounded over 50 in July last year. Three months earlier, a suicide bombing targeted a Pakistani government census team, killing at least six people in the eastern city of Lahore.

In February last year, 18 people were killed, including several police officials, and more than 80 wounded in a suicide attack during a protest on a busy intersection of Lahore.

On Easter Sunday in 2016, at least 75 people were killed and hundreds other wounded in a suicide bombing that hit the main entrance of a park.



Associated Press writer Ishtiaq Mahsud in Dera Ismail Khan contributed to this report.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  A car bomb went off on Tuesday outside a supply post belonging to a Yemeni security force backed by the United Arab Emirates in the southern port city of Aden, killing at least three people in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

The attack wounded 35 others, including two children, security officials said. The officials said the blast shook Aden and sent a column of black smoke skyward. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency. It said an explosives-laden vehicle hit a supply and provision post belonging to the pro-UAE Security Belt Forces in Aden.

Aden, on the Arabian Sea, has been frequently hit by attacks blamed on Islamic militants.

It has been the seat of the government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi since 2014, when Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, seized the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.

The UAE is a key member of the coalition, but is locked in a long-running political dispute with Hadi. The two maintain separate security forces in southern Aden, which have clashed in recent months.
GENEVA (AP)  The Swiss Foreign Ministry says Carles Puigdemont, the fugitive ex-president of the restive Spanish region of Catalonia, is heading to Switzerland for a private visit.

The ministry said Wednesday that Puigdemont is due in Geneva after accepting an invitation from the International Film Festival and the Forum on Human Rights.

He is expected to participate in a debate on Sunday on self-determination.

The ministry reiterated that the question of Catalan independence is an internal matter for Spain and that Puigdemont was free to travel to Switzerland under Schengen-zone rules, which permits visa-free travel for many Europeans.

Puigdemont is wanted for questioning by Spanish authorities over his role in the regions independence drive last year.

The sister of Spanish king Felipe VI, Princess Christina, has a home in Geneva.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Irans foreign minister has wrapped up a trip to Pakistan in which he made a surprise offer to let Islamabad take part in a major port project partly funded by Pakistans archrival India.

India has helped to expand and develop Irans Arabian Sea port of Chabahar as part of efforts to set up a trade link to Afghanistan and Central Asia that would bypass Pakistan. But Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Pakistans Geo TV late Tuesday that Iran was open to participation in the project by Pakistan and China, both of which India views as rivals.

There was no immediate response from India, which has committed up to $500 million for the development of the Chabahar port along with associated roads and rail lines. In November, New Delhi shipped its first cargo of wheat to Afghanistan through the Iranian port.

Zarif, who arrived on Monday, met with senior officials and praised Pakistan for the timely sharing of intelligence, which he said allowed Iranian border guards to kill two would-be bombers. The restive area along the border has been the scene of several attacks by armed groups as well as drug smugglers.

Last year, gunmen killed 10 Iranian border guards in an attack that strained relations. Zarif said the terrorists are still holding a border guard and asked Pakistan for assistance in retrieving him. Authorities have not provided further details on who was behind the attack.

Zarif did not comment publicly on Pakistans recent deployment of 1,000 troops to Saudi Arabia, or the assignment of a former Pakistani army chief to command a Saudi-led coalition that bills itself as an Islamic alliance against terrorism but does not include Iran.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are regional rivals in the Middle East, and back opposing sides in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Zarif said Iran had made offers for dialogue with the Saudis to try to bring stability to the region, but that if the kingdom wants to engage in the politics of confrontation then it is a dead end.

Pakistani officials have said the troops will be providing training to Saudi forces, particularly in mountain warfare, and will not be taking part in the war in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been battling Iran-allied Houthi rebels since 2015.



Associated Press writer Kathy Gannon in Islamabad contributed to this report
Calgary Herald Headline News

Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Calgary Herald Headline News will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
| BY Ricki Green |

Campaign Brief can reveal that 303 MullenLowe is expanding its creative team after appointing award-winning copywriters Mike Burdick (right) and David Roberts (centre) as senior creatives, with Nicola McCooe (left) joining as copywriter.

Burdick has an amazing creative pedigree, having worked at agencies such as 180LA, Fallon Minneapolis, Saatchi LA and Publicis Mojo.

Hes spent the past 5 years at The Monkeys where he helped create some of the agencys most visible work including MLAs Operation Boomerang and UBanks The Rewards are Real, as well as major campaigns for Telstra and Bingle, among others. Over the course of his career, Burdick has created high-profile work for many international brands, including Expedia, Apple and Toyota.

Roberts joins the agency as associate creative director after four years at TBWA Sydney where he held the same title working on brands like RaboDirect, MJ Bale, Gatorade and Foxtel.

Prior to TBWA he was part of Us Sydney (now JOY) where his creative work was recognised for Nike, SBS and H&R Block  he was one of the creators behind Nikes award-winning She Runs the Night campaign.

Nicola McCooe also joins the agency as copywriter. A top 10 student at AWARD School, she interned at Ogilvy & Mather before her career took off at Clemenger BBDO, iris Worldwide and whiteGREY.

Says Richard Morgan, ECD, 303 MullenLowe: With three new writers of this calibre on board, its possible they could invent an entirely new language. Were recruiting the best talent to help us create a culture where newer talent can flourish. Mike is a globally awarded, true and proven creative whose work has even been recognised by TEDs Ads Worth Spreading. Dave has a real passion for PR-led ideas and will help us grow our capabilities in that space, while Nicola is an exciting talent with a bright future. Together, they bring an eclectic mix of interests and strengths to our team.

Says Roberts: Joining Rich and the team felt like a great decision. Plus I couldnt pass up the opportunity to watch Ibises steal food from cruise ship passengers at Circular Quay.
| BY Ricki Green |

Clemenger Group Australia and New Zealand has sent a cross-disciplined crack-team to SXSW 2018 in Austin, Texas. Together, theyre bringing daily updates for Campaign Brief readers, featuring only the very best of the conference.

Branded Cities: Can we avoid an urban dystopia?

Cities are emerging as labs of innovation. Governments are struggling to manage the rapid pace of change, while brands push to play a greater role in developing urban environments. Branded cities are unavoidable, according to Trevor Hardy from The Future Laboratory.

The question is: where will our urban environments end up? A branded utopia or commercial dystopia? There are three ways developments could go: Preferred, Probable and Potential.

The Preferred City would see brands take over entire urban communities, like the Google Sidewalk Lab  the first neighbourhood developed from the internet up as a blueprint for other cities. Citizens could vote which brand is awarded part of their infrastructure, like the Nike Run App owning the morning school run. This transparent brand/citizen collaboration could also see the city rearrange overnight as it constantly optimises to provide a better service.

The Probable City result will be more of a trade-off between brands and citizens. Data would be exchanged for better services and resources. In this scenario brands will be in charge of the infrastructure, which could mean self-preference and the charging of other brands to be part of the experience.

In the Potential City scenario, the power is weighted towards the brand. Consumers may need to pay for favourable access, such as public space. Which could mean the socio-economic divide would widen.

-

The Trade Hall: The good, the weird and the why?

The trade hall at SXSW is a hotbed of companies, start-ups, universities, cities and countries all trying to sit at the forefront of the cutting-edge. With over 300 exhibitors you could spend the whole festival trying to speak to them all. But its a bit of a gamble whether your effort will be worth it.

Some of these booths create really interesting and compelling products and sales pitches. But a good portion of them miss the mark entirely. Its a mix of the fascinating, the new and the utterly useless. Some good examples included scalable VR gaming environments by Brazilian start-up Arkave and the new 3D printing technologies being developed at the University of Texas. However, some shonky lemons included a clunky, wearable helicopter exoskeleton called Lunavity thats entire purpose was just to increase your vertical leap. Not to mention the twerking, grinding robotic arm that had a 40-inch LCD display at the top for no other reason than to display seductive anime eyes.

While theres a lot of tech for techs sake in the SXSW Trade Hall, one of the best things about it is chatting with exhibitors about their local markets and their ambitious applications for their (occasionally misguided) tech. If you want to be confused, inspired and entertained all at the same timeor just want a weird talking pointits a must see at SXSW.

-

Animation in UX: the subconscious influence of motion

55% of what we understand in a conversation is from non-verbal cues, like body language. So, what happens when we cant rely on body language, like when were engaging with others online?

Lead UX Strategist for Allstate Online Marketing, Katie Swindler, suggests that we can use motion to fill this gap. The argument is that, when online, animation subconsciously gives the user better understanding of the content, UI and brand personality. Swindler went on to clarify that a Brand is not just a logo or colours or type, but a decision-making tool. It is the promises we make to our users. A promise we are responsible for delivering on, no matter how small the interaction.

Ok, so what do we need to do?

We need to:

 Make the experience easy for the user,

 Reduce clutter.

 Make the experience (at least seem) fast through embracing the new Optimistic UI approach by assuming success. Oh, and dont make the user sit through a loading screen  its just disrespectful to your consumers.

 Tell a story  they are up to 22x more memorable than facts alone.

 Celebrate progress.

Of course, this is all dependant on whether or not we stay with interface interactions. But whatever the case, if were not leveraging interface animations, then were missing a critical component of great UX design.

-

Creating a purpose-driven brand by design

R/GA Chicago ECD AJ Hassanthe mind behind Throw Like a Girland Todd Kaplan, PepsiCo VP of Marketing spoke to us about purpose driven marketing in the context of launching WTR, a new PepsiCo water product.

LIFEWTRs #ArtByAWoman campaign is a case study of how a global brand can execute a purpose-driven strategy in an authentic, organic way. The platform came from the insight that 51% of working visual artists today are women, but they only make up 5% of permanent collections. This campaign engaged, promoted, and integrated with the product  ensuring and creating a $200MIL brand in a $16BIL (domestic) bottled water category.

This campaign, which included a Super Bowl commercial and New York City activation, forged a long-standing brand platform immediately. The US market may have scale on its side, but creating a $200 million brand in 12 months is no mean feat. Bravo.
| BY Lynchy |

If youre an insurance company, what would you do for your 70th anniversary?

Well, if youre AIA Malaysia, you would commemorate it in a manner thats as distinctive as your history.

The insurance institution teamed up with Leo Burnett KL to produce a 70th anniversary video that celebrates the companys past while looking excitedly to the future. That might seem pretty standard for a corporate history video  until you learn that it takes place entirely on an escalator.

One of AIA Malaysias many milestones is the fact that its 1965 headquarters housed one of the first escalators in Malaysia, noted Iska Hashim, Group Creative Director of Leo Burnett. So, when the team learned that fact, inspiration struck.

Copywriter Pia Dhaliwal and art director Lee Shyyi found the escalator fact a perfect encapsulation of AIA Malaysias image. AIAs message is all about looking ahead, innovating, bringing Malaysians to the next level, explains Dhaliwal. We thought it was a visual that could form a really solid basis for a film.

What resulted was a corporate video unlike any other, gamely brought to life by director Laura Low and her team at Restless Productions. While clearly depicting the broad themes and big picture of AIA Malaysia, Lows detailed touch can be seen in the multitude of props and other unexpected elements in the film: from a cat to a cardboard car to a cool marching band.

The film might be about our history, but thanks to Laura and the Leo Burnett team, it narrates our legacy in a fresh and exhilarating way, observes Eric Chang, Chief Marketing Officer of AIA Malaysia. As a company, we recognise the importance of balance. We may have been around for 70 years, but were going to be around for a lot more. And were always going to be focused on helping Malaysians live healthier, longer and better lives.

Credits 

Group Creative Director: Iska Hashim

Copywriter: Pia Dhaliwal

Art Director: Lee Shyyi

Account Director: Cheng Ie-Tsen

Senior Account Executive: Nicole Chin Agency

Producer: Amin Taib Project Manager: Elizabeth Anita

Director: Laura Low

Production House: Restless Productions Sdn Bhd

Producer: Terrance Chua

Cinematographer: Patrick Chua

Post-Production: Meccanica Efx sdn bhd
Notice for the Postmedia Network

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
news, latest-news

Two ACT Labor politicians with close ties to the CFMEU and its Tradies Club have rejected concerns of a perceived conflict of interest in their roles on a committee investigating the club's Dickson land swap audit. The two Legislative Assembly members, Michael Pettersson and Bec Cody, sit on the public accounts committee, which has launched an inquiry into an audit into the tender process surrounding the Club's Dickson land swap with the ACT government. That deal involved the Canberra Tradesmen's Union Club, which is effectively controlled by the CFMEU's ACT branch, exchanging two of its blocks of land Dickson for a government-owned carpark outside the Dickson club. The deal, The Canberra Times has previously reported, was brokered by long-time CFMEU secretary Dean Hall, who is also the club's chairman, but recently announced plans to resign from the union. The Auditor-General's report into the tender processes surrounding what was originally an open tender, found senior public servants gave the club significant concessions worth up to $2.6 million in the final deal done in late 2014. While many members hold memberships to clubs, and all ACT Labor politicians are members of one union or another, Mr Pettersson and Ms Cody are members of both the Tradies Club and they both personally thanked Mr Hall for his support in their campaigns for election in 2016. In her inaugural speech, Ms Cody thanked her campaign team, including Mr Hall, the CFMEU and Transport Workers Union, pledging to the unions to "always defend you, promote your goals, and strive to deliver for your members". Similarly, Mr Pettersson also thanked Mr Hall and other local CFMEU figures, telling the Assembly that he "will never forget what you have done", in helping his campaign. But they both rejected any suggestion they hold any actual conflict of interest in sitting on the committee's investigation into the club's land deal with the then-Land Development Agency. Mr Pettersson, a former CFMEU industrial officer who has received $170 worth of free tickets to union functions since his election, said that as soon as the audit report was tabled, he sought advice from the Assembly's Ethics and Integrity Advisor, Stephen Skehill. "He advised that there was no reason to step aside from the public accounts committee, but that it may be desirable in the interests of transparency for me to remind members of the committee that my register of interests details involvement with entities involved in the inquiry," he said. "I did so at the next available opportunity." But Ms Cody did not seek Mr Skehill's advice on her links to the union, until after receiving questions from this newspaper this week, saying she had now received that advice, which "confirmed that there is no real or potential conflict of interest". While territory politicians are able to release advice from the ethics and integrity advisor and often do, both Mr Pettersson and Ms Cody refused to release the advice, citing "standard practice" that such advice is not released. Ms Cody said she had been a CFMEU member for many years, but had not been employed by the union or held an elected position, and that the union was "not a party to the events described in the auditor-general's report". Ms Cody also said she was a member of the Tradies Club as well as the Burns Club, Vikings Club and Hellenic Club. "Conflicts of interest arise when either there is a financial benefit to be gained, or a management responsibility of two organisations at once, neither of which is the case here," she said. The code of conduct for territory politicians says that a conflict does not exist "where the member or other person benefits only as a member of the general public, or a broad class of persons". While both politicians, as members of the union and clubs, would be classified as part of a "broad class of persons" under the code, the code is silent on a threshold for such conflicts. It also says any such conflict arises when the member participates in a decision "knowing that it will improperly and dishonestly further his or her private interest or will improperly and dishonestly further the private interest of another person".

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/55245a12-a5bf-498c-b255-7ab74baa0af9/r0_115_2000_1245_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

The territory government's $600 million public housing renewal project is halfway complete, with more than 600 properties finished and handed over to Housing ACT. The huge project has so far seen 662 dwellings handed over to Housing ACT and another 287 dwellings are being built in Throsby and Taylor in Gungahlin, Monash in Tuggeranong, and Holt in Belconnen. A further 227 dwellings are being bought from the private sector in Lyneham, Turner and Dickson in the inner north and Amaroo in Gungahlin. Ninety-four dwellings are either in planning or construction is due to start on them in coming weeks. The auditor-general in June last year questioned whether the project would get its original total sales figures, after the government saw a $94 million shortfall in total sales prices by November 2016 due to lower sales values. Dr Maxine Cooper's audit also brought into question whether the taskforce running the program would meet the July 2019 deadline to complete its asset sales, to get a 15 per cent bonus from the Commonwealth. Despite lingering concerns meeting that deadline could flood an already over-supplied apartment market in Canberra, the government says it will meet the deadline, on time and on budget - including about $100 million in savings that will likely be returned to territory coffers. The four main blocks the government has already sold - Allawah Court and Currong apartments in Braddon, Karuah in Dickson, Bega Court in Reid and Owen Flats and De Burgh in Lyneham - went for a total of $134.4 million. While that was $4.9 million, or about 3.6 per cent, below the original sales forecast, the spokesman said several sites were yet to be sold, which would influence the final result. To date, he said, about 690 of the 1363 public housing tenants that were to be relocated had been moved to new homes, to 486 tenancies. But he said that all tenants were given "individual support" during the move and that many community organisations were working with Housing ACT to ensure their needs were met, a position last year's audit report largely supported. Six of the biggest public housing blocks have been emptied of tenants or demolished, including Owen Flats, Dickson Flats, Allawah Court, Currong Apartments, Karuah and the Red Hill housing precinct, while some tenants still in the Northbourne Flats were "currently being supported to relocate". "Tenants in the remaining properties which are part of the renewal program will be supported to move home from mid-2018 onwards, with these sites to be sold by 30 June 2019," the taskforce spokesman said. While the government has said tenants being relocated had been given choices about where they could move to, it seems that has not been the case for tenants at Red Hill, with that suburb among those that feature no new public housing this year in targets released a fortnight ago. Tenders also closed a fortnight ago for the sale of Red Hill to a private developer, but it is understood final decisions have not been made on the buyer, with a contract expected to be drawn up by late April. The government has also lodged development applications for all the proposed replacement sites, but it still needs to buy 18 other dwellings to replace the full 1288 dwellings that will be demolished. Completed projects include: 150 new two-bedroom units across seven sites in Coombs, 126 public housing dwellings in Moncrieff, 25 townhouses in a development Monash, 21 units in a two-storey development in Amaroo, 20 townhouses in Chisholm, and 13 dwellings in Nicholls. Work is underway in 25 dwellings in a development in Greenway, Tuggeranong, 12 two-bedroom dwellings in a development in Holt, six more townhouses in Monash, and 30 dwellings in a mix of apartments in townhouses in a separate development in Monash, and 47 units across two separate developments in Throsby. Planning is underway for 64 units in two developments near the Gungahlin town centre, 20 homes in a development in Chapman, 16 homes in a development in Holder, eight homes in Mawson, and 26 in a development in Wright, and an unspecified number across "several sites" in Denman Prospect.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/d062a81a-b5b7-4e7e-8221-79e1858cfc56/r0_46_2000_1176_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

Canberra's corrections system will come under closer scrutiny after the ACT Government installed a new prison watchdog. Neil McAllister was on Wednesday officially appointed as the territory's first Inspector of Correctional Services. ACT Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury said the announcement showed commitment to "transformational change" in the Alexander Maconochie Centre. He said the establishment of an Inspector of Correctional Services would focus reform efforts, keep a steady eye on correctional facilities and services, and support the implementation of real change. Mr McAllister has almost three decades of experience in corrections, and has conducted 100 investigations of critical incidents, including 28 deaths in custody. He started in 1990 in policy and research roles and as an inspector for the Queensland Corrective Services Commission. He was later appointed national investigations manager for Australasian Correctional Management responsible for conducting investigations in correctional facilities and immigration detention centres in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales. From 2002 to 2008, Mr McAllister worked in Victoria within the Office of Correctional Services Commissioner and as Principal Inspector in the Corrections Inspectorate which was independent of Corrections Victoria. Since 2008, Mr McAllister has worked as a private consultant conducting major reviews in New South Wales and the Northern Territory, as well as two reviews in the ACT in 2011 and 2014. The inspector will work with, but be distinct from, existing oversight mechanisms undertaken by the Human Rights Commission, ACT Ombudsman, Public Advocate and the Official Visitors program. The position will have the power to conduct unannounced visits to correctional centres and court cells, and will also undertake comprehensive and systemic inspections of corrections system every two years, review critical incidents, and particular issues referred by the responsible Minister or Director-General. The reports would then be sent to the Legislative Assembly. Mr Rattenbury said the community expected improved governance, risk management strategies, health services and models of care for detainees so that they are safe and can successfully reintegrate into the community upon release. The minister said the Inspector of Correctional Services would increase transparency and accountability, and deter mismanagement and unfairness. "The ACT's Inspector of Correctional Facilities will have special powers to investigate critical incidents. I recognise Mr McAllister's broad knowledge in this area, having conducted more than 100 investigations of critical incidents, including 28 deaths in custody," Mr Rattenbury said. Mr Rattenbury said, as minister, he was committed to transformational change at the Alexander Maconochie Centre "as a facility that is rapidly growing and adapting to many challenges which were not all predicted in its early days. "The establishment of an Inspector of Correctional Services will focus our reform efforts, keep a steady eye on correctional facilities and services and support the implementation of real change. "The Government is implementing the recommendations made in the Moss Review and continues to work to progress recommendations from a series of other reviews into operations and policies."

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/5d67e9f4-c9c0-492e-a772-37bf7977435d/r0_116_2000_1246_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

ACT Labor senator Katy Gallagher ignored the possibility her bid to renounce UK citizenship could take 74 days or longer by posting her application close to a deadline for candidates to nominate for election, the government has told the High Court. The court reserved its decision on Wednesday after the Coalition government and the barrister representing Senator Gallagher, former solicitor-general Justin Gleeson, sparred over the limits of section 44 of the Constitution that bars dual citizens from sitting in Parliament. A full bench of justices tested and queried arguments from Solicitor-General Stephen Donaghue and Mr Gleeson, and an adverse decision for Senator Gallagher could lead to a countback in Labor's ACT Senate seat finding her replacement. Mr Donaghue told the High Court the Labor senator ignored the possibility her bid to renounce UK citizenship could have remained incomplete before the nomination deadline. Mr Gleeson rejected the argument, referring to a submission the court received saying that overseas delays to applications renouncing citizenship could take up to years and - under the government's argument - require potential election candidates to act long before a poll was called without guarantee they could renounce, and then stand. Documents provided to the Senate in December showed Senator Gallagher was "at the date of her nomination for the 2016 election, a British citizen by descent" and that her moves to renounce in April 2016 took until August 16 to be completed by UK officials. Mr Donaghue said the time Senator Gallagher left before acting would have required UK officials to work four to five times faster than their average to meet the deadline for nomination. Mr Gleeson said this information wasn't available to candidates at the time of her application. Senator Gallagher also overlooked information indicating she needed to provide the UK Home Office with evidence she was a British citizen when sending off her papers, and therefore failed to take reasonable steps needed to sever her citizenship ties with Britain, Mr Donaghue said. Mr Gleeson denied this, saying Senator Gallagher had sent her Australian birth certificate establishing her father was born in Britain, and that a guide outlining documents needed to renounce citizenship did not indicate she must supply her parents' marriage certificate later requested by the UK government. He told High Court justices that the senator took all steps required under UK law to relinquish her dual citizenship before the deadline for election candidates to nominate, and that she had declared her renunciation regardless of whether the British Home Office had processed it. Unlike other parliamentarians referred to the court over dual citizenship, Senator Gallagher had renounced hers before nominations closed and elections writs were issued, Mr Gleeson said. The actions of foreign officials and delays overseas in processing papers to renounce citizenship should not stop Australian citizens from participating in representative government, a principle that applied to all Australians who had renounced their dual nationality, he said. Mr Donaghue said Senator Gallagher's arguments would mean that dual citizens could stand for and sit in Parliament. UK laws did not pose an unreasonable barrier to Senator Gallagher giving up her citizenship, he said. Senator Gallagher, the ACT's former chief minister, told the Senate in December she would stand aside from her responsibilities on Labor's frontbench until her case was resolved by the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns. Legal advice from British and Australian barristers says she took every reasonable step to renounce citizenship by descent from her English-born father Charles Gallagher before nominating, and that she meets the standard set by the High Court in recent section 44 cases. Clarification: An earlier version of this story said the High Court was expected to decide on Senator Gallagher's eligibility on Thursday, March 15. The court reserved its decision and a date for the decision has not been set.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/584bb76a-c8a9-4b1d-a5e6-2dc81b059694/r0_108_2000_1238_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

A woman was due to attend a court custody hearing on the same day she and her two young children were found dead in the remains of a suspicious blaze. The bodies of Anne Muhoro, 45, her son Ezvin, 8, and her daughter Furaha, 5, were found inside the house on Peter Coppin Street, Bonner, following the tragic fire on February 19. That morning, Ms Muhoro was listed to appear as a respondent in a child custody matter heard by Judge Tonkin. It is understood the applicant in the matter was the children's father, who was seeking an amendment to the children's custody arrangements. Court documents recorded how Ms Muhoro made "no appearance" in the matter, which was listed for around 11am. Fire crews had found the bodies of her and children earlier that morning. A spokeswoman for ACT Policing said post-mortem examinations had been completed, but police were still waiting on autopsy results and other tests before they could release further information. Police have been unable to comment so far on whether the focus of the investigation was a suspected murder, or a murder-suicide. A police spokeswoman said on Wednesday that investigators were still looking at a number of possibilities. "There are numerous avenues of investigation being pursued to determine the exact circumstances that led to this tragic outcome," she said. Fire crews arrived to find a house "well alight" on Peter Coppin Street just before 9am on February 19. At first, crews found no one inside during a preliminary search of the house, but the grim discovery followed once they had put the fire out. Detective Superintendent Scott Moller has previously said it was too early in the investigation to speculate on the circumstances surrounding the deaths, but fire accelerants had likely been used across multiple "seats of fire" in the house. "This is very early days in this investigation and I'm not going to, at this time, speculate on how it's going to be finalised," he said at the time. "This is a tragic situation and everyone gets affected by it," he added. "And everyone that we've spoken to is heartbroken." It is understood Ms Muhoro's children had been schooled at the Brindabella Christian College. Neighbours have painted a picture of a reserved family who lived a quiet life in Canberra, while others have spoken of the family's close ties to the Northside Life Church in Harrison. Northside Life Church Pastor Susan Miller has previously said the family had been remembered at a private memorial earlier in February. "Our church did have a private memorial, invite only...which brought lovely tributes to the family we loved dearly," she said. "I can say nothing else at this time, sorry," she added. The Kenyan High Commission said Ms Muhoro, an Australian citizen, had two brothers. One of her brothers lived in the United States and the other was understood to be still living in Kenya, the commission said. ACT Policing are still asking for anyone with dash cam footage from Bonner between midnight and 8.45am on the day of the fire. Anyone who might have information has been asked to contact Crime Stoppers online or via 1800 333 000.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/fde4f4a3-f1fa-40ce-984b-2f4add8b1f29/r0_117_2000_1247_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

The National Portrait Gallery has been dealing with building defects for up to six years, and the building is now out of warranty. The Finance Department - which is footing the bill for the building's repairs when the gallery closes next year for six months - has confirmed that the defect liability period for the 10-year-old $87 million building has expired. The gallery will be closed from April to September 2019 to replace the waterproof membrane underlying the concrete podium surrounding the building, the floors throughout the galleries and faulty double-glazing in the windows. The gallery has not yet announced how much the repairs will cost, as the project has yet to be put out for tender. The gallery's director, Angus Trumble, told Fairfax Media last week that water leaks in the building's underground car park were first detected by staff after torrential rains two years ago, indicating the protective membrane was perforated. But lists of documents tabled in the Senate show building defects were an issue as far back as 2012. The lists indicate the department was meeting with the gallery about defects in the building in July 2012, and requested a "building defects costing schedule" dated August 2012. The building, which officially opened in late 2008, was barely four years old at the time. In its 2015 annual report, the gallery declared $850,000 of "unforseen funding" for rectification of building defects. The Finance Department also paid almost $50,000 in 2016-17 for legal advice from law firm Clayton Utz regarding building defects at the gallery. A spokesman from the department said the need for repairs had been a long-term issue for the gallery. "The need to undertake repairs reflects issues that have emerged with the building over a long period of time, some stemming from the original construction, and others have been progressively identified since the gallery has been fully operational," he said. "The gallery approached Finance for assistance to remedy these matters. Finance and the gallery have worked closely to develop the program of rectification works which will be undertaken in 2019." The much-awarded building was designed by Sydney architects Johnson Pilton Walker, and built by John Holland. Both organisations have declined to comment. In the meantime, a gallery spokeswoman confirmed that the financial impact of the gallery's six-month closure period would be considered as part of the government's 2018-19 budget process. "There will be a reduction in own source revenue from commercial leases, venue-hire and exhibition fees. There will also be savings around security and cleaning costs," she said. "One less exhibition will be held onsite at the gallery in 2019. The savings from this will contribute to the boosted travelling exhibitions program, temporary footprint for the gallery in Canberra and other outreach programming over the closure period." The finance department has also confirmed that commonwealth building projects are subject to a "two-stage capital works approval process". "For building projects managed by finance, upon completion and before a building is accepted by finance, the builder is contractually obliged to engage an independent building certifier to provide a Certificate of Compliance that confirms the building has been designed and constructed in accordance with relevant building codes and standards," the spokesman said.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/64db0523-bbb8-41ea-870e-c43fa1fd2ff5/r156_0_1781_918_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

It's a case of so far so good after 20 Eastern quolls were released into Booderee National Park at Jervis Bay on Tuesday - marking the return of the mammal to mainland Australia for the first time in 50 years. The quolls were released in small groups at five sites along St Georges Head peninsula, a more remote part of the park, on the south coast. The World Wide Fund for Nature says it is first time in Australia that a carnivore extinct on the mainland has been re-introduced to the wild. Booderee National Park manager Dr Nick Dexter said that section of the park had been subject to heavy fox controls - through poison and shooting - to protect the fledging population. The quolls were flown to the Jervis Bay airfield from Launceston by a chartered aircraft, accompanied by a Booderee traditional owner. The small mammals came from the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program sanctuaries Devils@Cradle at Cradle Mountain and Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary at Mole Creek. The quolls have been restricted to the wild of Tasmania for the last 50 years due to the state's fox-free status after being eliminated from the mainland by the fox, their chief predator. Dr Dexter said the last recorded live Eastern Quoll on mainland Australia was at Nielsen Park in Sydney in 1963 while roadkill quolls had been recovered in the Illawarra, also in the 1960s. While the Eastern Quoll population at the Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary in Canberra is flourishing, it is behind a predator-proof fence. The difference at Booderee National Park was that the quolls were returned fully to the wild. "It's quite significant," Dr Dexter said. "It's the first free-ranging Eastern Quoll population we hope to establish back on the mainland." Dr Dexter said the quolls had been relocated now because of the work done to fox-proof the area and because of an agreement between the traditional owners and the Tasmanian government. The animals have been fitted with collars carrying a GPS and UHF radio signal so their progress in the park can be closely monitored. So far the animals had stayed close to their drop-off points. "We were somewhat concerned because other species have covered a huge distance in a short amount of time. But they have not moved too far," Dr Dexter said. The quolls did not have a long life - two to three years - but did produce a litter of about six babies once a year, the new arrivals at Jervis Bay hoped to generate a long line of animals. The quolls are the third native species to be reintroduced to the park in recent years, following the release of long-nosed potoroos in 2014 and southern brown bandicoots in 2016. WWF-Australia's head of living ecosystems, Darren Grover, said the World Wide Fund for Nature was excited to be involved in the project to return the "feisty but fragile" Eastern Quoll. "This is the first time in Australia that a carnivore extinct on the mainland has been re-introduced to the wild," Mr Grover said. "Most of the carnivores lost from the mainland are gone forever, it's not possible to bring them back, so this is a rare opportunity. "For thousands of years eastern quolls played a part in the ecosystem as primarily insect-eaters. It will be fascinating to see what happens when they return to that role at Booderee". Assistant Minister for the Environment Melissa Price said the Commonwealth had provided more than $2 million to Parks Australia through the Threatened Species Commissioner for projects like these. "What I love most about this project is the very real outcomes it has had on the ground thanks to the hard work of all involved. To see potoroos, bandicoots and quolls return to a landscape they once inhabited, thanks to excellent fox and fire management, is heartening," she said. Threatened Species Commissioner Dr Sally Box was proud to see the work come to fruition. "Species recovery is all about partnerships, and this is another fantastic example of how governments, NGOs and the science community are working together to deliver results." The Wreck Bay Community, the traditional owners of Booderee, has endorsed this project, while the Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the Australian Government's National Environmental Science Program has provided research and monitoring support.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/676c57eb-3d66-4779-9ac6-c7ad33cc0069/r0_54_952_592_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

While many Canberrans flock to the coast for a sea change when they retire, a couple in their 70s is doing the opposite and heading from the coast to see out their retirement in Canberra. Lee and Jacqui Forster bought a 437 square-metre block of land in Throsby, Gungahlin, one of Canberra's newest suburbs in January, after initially relocating to Batemans Bay to retire nearly 13 years ago. "When we decided to move to the coast we thought it was a good move, but Batemans Bay, it has very little transport and very minimal health services," Mr Forster said. "We have to come to Canberra from Batemans Bay to get health services, particularly now as we get older, we need special services." Australian Bureau of Statistics census data show the population of the south coast is older than of the ACT, with a median age of 52 compared with 35 in the capital. About 38 per cent of the population in the south coast is 60 or over, compared with 17.4 per cent in the ACT. The biggest cohort of people moving from the ACT to the south coast are at retirement age, with more than 37 per cent of people moving doing so when they are over 60. People moving from the coast to the capital were younger, the most common age group being 20-29 years, with 38.6 per cent in that age group and most likely relocating for study or work. The Forsters, who retired from working in the finance and nursing industries in Sydney, said they considered moving to Newcastle and Sydney but they couldn't find a house that suited their needs. "We thought, why not Canberra? We travel there a lot, our specialists are here and we wanted a different community because where we lived it was all older people, we wanted a place that had families and younger people," Mr Forster said. The pair bought their corner blockfor $440,000 and wanted to design a house that could cater for their motorhome and for their future needs. "We know, as older people, in about 10 years, we're likely to give our licence up so we need public transport, we need access to services, we saw the light rail was going in and we said "that's it, we want the light rail"," he said. "We plan to travel a lot in our motorhome, so we plan to have a garage big enough to fit it when we're in Canberra." The Suburban Land Agency says Throsby will house 2500 Canberrans when finished in four years. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows the population of Gungahlin grew from 47,303 in 2011 to 71,142 in 2016, making the area the second fastest growing region in the country between censuses. A government spokesman said Throsby was designed to eventually have 1000 homes. There are fewer than 40 blocks available, with the smallest a 352 square-metre block offered for $370,000 and the most expensive being $490,000 for 499 square metres. In 2016, buyers in the Throsby land auction paid an average $108,000 more than the reserve price for their blocks. Mrs Forster said many people had told them they "were going the wrong way to everyone else" when they decided to retire to Canberra. "I tell them they're wrong. If you live in Batemans Bay and need to see a doctor, it takes about four hours to drive for a four minute consultation," she said. "If anything seriously goes wrong the helicopter brings you up to Canberra. Friends of ours have had heart attacks and things like that and we thought this is ridiculous - I'm 75 and something's going to give."

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/65f4af00-d01a-4c0a-842d-fafb171e359d/r0_146_2000_1276_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

"Hey Google, turn on the coffee machine." This is one of the first things Canberrans Greg and Beth Peck say when they wake up. The pair from Gungahlin have embraced smart home technology. The Pecks transformed their home in November last year after initially looking for extra security. "We wanted to put something into the house for security because of the hours we worked, Greg leaves early in the morning and I sometimes get home late," Mrs Peck said. "So when we went to the store, the fella told us about Google Home and all the things you could do with it - so we went in with some questions about security for the house and walked out with a whole bunch of Google Home kit." The Pecks connected smart plugs to the thermostat so during winter when they are out they are able to turn on the heating and have the house warm when they arrive home. They said they were also able to check on what "mischief" their cats were up to. "We set the sensor on low, so the cats don't constantly trigger it, but if they're on the kitchen bench we'll know." Telstra area general manager ACT Chris Taylor said smart technology had helped Australians make "their day-to-day lives run a little smoother". "We see smart homes are able to benefit people of all ages and demographics and even people with disabilities," Mr Taylor said. "People with accessibility issues, perhaps are wheelchair bound can could turn on lights and appliances by voice activation, making life easier. More than 40 per cent of Australian households have at least one smart home device connected, according to Telstra.. The Pecks have four cameras, at the front and back door and in two living rooms, all accessible through their phones and other electronic devices, so they can see what's going on when they're not there. The couple's devices are linked by Telstra Smart Home technology, which also allows people to detect leaks and be notified when smoke alarm batteries are running low. Mr Peck said he could ask the smart devices to turn on the coffee machine, turn on lights or ask for the time, all while lying in bed. They have a Google Home speaker in the living room and a smaller one in the bedroom. Mr Peck demonstrated how to turn on and off devices, including the television, but the smart technology struggled to hear some requests over other noises, as well as taking time to process requests. "There are some glitches and there's going to be that sort of thing in all fairness," Mr Peck said. "I think it's about the peace of mind knowing that if we're not home and are expecting a parcel or we're away and put the "away mode" on and receive a notification we can just check the cameras to see what's happening."

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/6bd2425f-69f8-486b-b40d-a13cd2de5f55/r0_133_2000_1263_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
news, latest-news

Trinity Grammar has plunged further into crisis after three members of its school council, including its chair, resigned in the wake of their controversial decision to sack a popular deputy principal. Facing intense criticism over the council's handling of the incident, chair Rod Lyle and deputy chair David Waldren said in a statement that they could no longer continue because sections of the school community did not share their values. "We maintain that we and the council acted with integrity and in the best interests of the school  its staff, parents and, above all, its students  in taking action over the recent behaviour of the schools former deputy headmaster, Mr Rohan Brown," they said. This behaviour was, in the unanimous view of the council, unacceptable and incompatible with the values of Trinity Grammar and with contemporary community standards." The pair said they were confident the council's decision to sack Mr Brown would be vindicated and urged the community to support principal Dr Michael Davies. The council's Old Trinity Grammarians nominee John Grover also announced his resignation earlier on Wednesday. The resignations followed a heated community meeting on Tuesday night, more than 1500 parents, students and alumni voted to remove the school's principal and school council. The school community has warned of legal action if their demands are not met by Friday. Trinity Grammar has re-instated past chairman Robert Utter to lead its council. Mr Utter sang praise for Dr Davies and said he wanted to instil a "renewed sense of calm and respect with and for each other". Dr Davies said he had played no role in the decision to sack Mr Brown and would focus on leading the school. "I will not waver in my determination to enable an environment where all students can thrive," he said. But the Old Trinity Grammarian's Association said the appointment of Mr Utter was "utterly unacceptable". "Mr Utter has been on the Council for 24 years. He is the grandfather of this toxic culture of detachment and misleading representation," it said in a statement. These developments came as Victorias teaching watchdog confirmed it was investigating whether Mr Brown engaged in misconduct when he cut a student's hair when school photos were taken in February. This act led to his dismissal. "We are unable to comment further until all of the facts are reviewed and a decision achieved," chief executive Peter Corcoran said. The teaching watchdog will assess whether Mr Brown has engaged in misconduct or incompetence. It has the power to suspend, impose conditions and deregister teachers. Mr Brown's current teaching registration expires in September. The decision to dismiss Mr Brown has sparked protests at the school, and a huge public backlash among the school community. The Old Trinity Grammarians Association has repeatedly called for the principal and the school council to stand aside. "The school council and headmaster must now put aside their own personal interests in favour of the interests of the school and its current students," it said in a statement. "It is not tenable for them to remain at the helm of the school and cause further disruption to the learning of its students or the schools standing in the community." Students have been protesting the popular deputy principal's dismissal, and on Tuesday ditched their blazers for casual clothes and brown armbands. At recess and lunch, the emotional students spilled out to the oval with a megaphone and unfurled a "Bring Back Browny" banner. "We want Browny back," the boys chanted.

/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/59de874b-39b3-4914-927b-bdb325099303/r0_91_419_328_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Gutter talk Midwest Memo

When I was in grammar school the house next door to our family home sold. The new owners, Rich and...

Political Cartoon An online subscription is required to view this content. Please login below or Subscribe today to access this story. If...
The proposed punitive 2% annual speculation tax on non-resident owners of vacation or investment property in Kelowna and other identified locations is completely outrageous and unduly harsh.

The adverse impact on property prices (and the corresponding loss of property tax base for the affected communities) will massively hurt all homeowners in the designated communities as well as the communities themselves, not just non-resident owners. Most non-residents will have no viable option other than to sell their properties.

It would be one thing if the 2% annual speculation tax was imposed on and limited to offshore foreign owners that are buying and keeping vacant (rather than renting) such properties. But to impose such a discriminatory, brutal and inequitable tax on hard working Albertans and other non-resident Canadians that have in good faith invested in property in B.C. and supported B.C. communities is simply shocking and unacceptable.

Clearly little thought or study has gone into this incredibly misguided initiative. This B.C. government initiative needs to be withdrawn and rescinded immediately before permanent irreparable damage is done to the B.C. economy and elsewhere.

Bill Rosser
Photo: Nicola Valley Theatre Society

The show will go on for efforts in Merritt to build a new community theatre, thanks to provincial funding provided under "special circumstances."

The city has been awarded $500,000 to help construct the proposed Nicola Valley Community Theatre and Performing Arts Centre, the province announced on Monday.

Funding comes from the rural dividend program's special circumstances provision, which the province has provided due to the closure of the Tolko Mill late last year.

"The special circumstances provision of the rural dividend was specifically designed to assist communities undergoing economic hardship, such as the loss of a primary employer," Doug Donaldson said, Minister of Forests.

Merritt Mayor Neil Menard said the funding will "greatly assist with the economic diversification and economic recovery of our community, after the loss of one of our major employers."

The city said the theatre project is among efforts to bring more residents and visitors to the downtown core.

The Nicola Valley Theatre Society expects the theatre project to cost about $4.5 million. They began planning about two years ago.

The society has already purchased a vacant property at Coutlee Avenue and Garcia Street, where the 14,000 square-foot building will go. It's not clear when construction could begin.

A grant worth $100,000 was also given to the city by the province in 2016 to help plan the theatre project.
Talks between the province and School District 23 are underway for a new middle school in Rutland.

During a discussion in the legislature Monday concerning budget estimates at the Ministry of Education, Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick asked for an update on the status of the planned school.

"I know the lifespan of that building (Rutland Middle School) has reached the end of its usefulness," said Education Minister Rob Fleming, who toured Kelowna shortly after being sworn in as minister.

"We hear the district around the need in Rutland. We've asked them to compile a (preliminary design review), a business case, for the ministry to look at. When we get that, we will review the costs."

Fleming wouldn't provide a timeline, but did indicate the PDR is being reviewed.

"There are quite a few questions around it.... It's a complicated project. So, those questions are being discussed by the district and the ministry."

A new middle school for Rutland has been one of the top priorities for the district for several years.

With funding now in place for new middle schools in the Mission and Lake Country, Letnick and the school district are hoping an announcement for Rutland will come soon.
Photo: thespruce.com

Pouring for patrons  working in a wine shop

Youve probably noticed a plethora of job ads, social media postings, and other alerts from wineries throughout the Okanagan.

Not only is it pruning season in the vineyard, but hiring season is in full swing in the tasting rooms.

There is a strong demand for wine shop associates, winery hospitality managers, wine club coordinators and others who look after the customer experience after the wine has gone into the bottle.

Its often seasonal work (May to October), and part-time. Both parameters are a challenge for those seeking regular work, not to mention the oft talked about housing issues for employees.

As the industry matures, though, these gigs have the potential to morph into year-round roles, likely with a break in January or February. And they can offer a lot of flexibility in scheduling, plus access to numerous events, industry discounts, and educational opportunities.

Ive worked in a few tasting rooms over the last decade, and stepped behind the table for wineries at events so their staff could take a break, as long as I knew about the wines and could speak about them intelligently.

If you want to work out front in a winery, the first piece of practical advice I can give you is take a wine class.

Your application should go to the top of the pile if you have taken a WSET class or two. This is the Wine and Spirit Education Trust, and having the Level 1 certificate, usually a one-day class, will give you some basics. Getting serious about winery work?

Go for Level 2 and 3, and if youre really, really serious and wine is your new career path, start saving tuition money for the WSET diploma.

While youre at it, get your Serving It Right certificate. Its easy to do online, and teaches you the basics of serving alcohol in B.C. Its a requirement for many reasons, and believe it or not, it comes in handy for other purposes, such as when you need a special occasion licence to pour booze at a public event.

Have a look at a few classes at Okanagan College, particularly the Wine Sales Certificate program, or a few continuing studies sessions on food and wine pairing, wines of the world, as well as beer and spirits.

Well-rounded knowledge will help you direct guests to restaurants, nearby libations, or choose a wine to pair with dinner.

The second piece of advice? Get to know the wines of the establishment where youd like to spend the summer. Youre preparing for a job interview. Do your homework.

How many wines do they make?

What do they not produce?

Are the grapes all grown on the property or other parts of the valley?

Never forget, this is a sales job, and you have to be able to read people. Youre not just selling the wine, but the culinary experience of the Okanagan, looking to create repeat visits.
Photo: The Canadian Press

The former owner of a mansion in Vancouver's exclusive Shaughnessy neighbourhood must repay a $300,000 deposit after the sale of the property fell through because she didn't tell the buyer about a suspected gang-related murder of her son-in-law at the front gate of the home.

In a British Columbia Supreme Court decision issued last week, Justice Paul Pearlman says the would-be purchaser of the six-bedroom, 10 bathroom mansion was the victim of a "fraudulent misrepresentation."

Feng Yun Shao backed out of an offer to buy the 9,000-square-foot mansion in 2009, just days after she had agreed to pay about $6.1 million for the property after forwarding the deposit.

Court documents show she was told the 84-year-old owner, Mei Zhen Wang, had moved back to Guangzhou, China, and her daughter, who lived in the house, wanted to move to West Vancouver to be closer to her child's school.

But neither Wang, her daughter Gui Ying Yuan, nor their realtor told Shao about the November 2007 unsolved slaying of Yuan's husband, Raymond Huang, and Pearlman's decision says the death was a factor in the decision to sell.

He has ordered Shao's deposit be returned with interest.

Pearlman also dismissed Wang's claim that Shao breached the contract and owes, not just the deposit, but a further $338,000 to cover the difference between Shao's offer and the $5.5 million eventually paid by another purchaser.

Wang was living in China in 2003 when the judgment shows she forwarded funds to her daughter to buy the mansion, and then joined Yuan, Huang and their children in 2004.

The extended family was living in the home in 2007 when Huang was fatally shot by an unknown assailant.

Wang returned to China later that year but Yuan, her children and a sister continued to live at the home until June or July of 2008.

"(Yuan) maintained that she had no concerns for her safety, or the safety of her family following her husbands death," writes Pearlman, although he also notes that media reports linking the case to organized crime prompted the private West Point Grey Academy to request Yuan's pre-teen daughter leave the school.

The girl was accepted at another exclusive private school in West Vancouver. Yuan bought a home there and the mansion was listed for sale in June 2008 but languished in what the court was told was a soft market, before being relisted with new agents in 2009.

Yuan told the court her husband was a businessman whose enterprises included a trucking company and a restaurant. She denied he was involved in any criminal organization.

Both Wang and Yuan testified Wang's return to China and Yuan's desire to be near her daughter's school were key factors in the decision to sell, but Pearlman ruled there was more to it.

"It is entirely consistent with the probabilities of the situation that then existed, that Ms. Wang would fear for the safety of her two adult daughters and her grandchildren while they lived at the location where Raymond Huang met a violent death," he writes.

"I find that the murder of Raymond Huang was also a reason why the plaintiff wished to sell the property."
Photo: Josh Winquist Vernon RCMP continue to investigate a hit-and-run that sent two people to hospital last week.

Vernon RCMP continue to investigate a hit-and-run that sent two people to hospital last week.

Const. Kelly Brett said on March 7, police were called to a two-vehicle hit-and-run incident in the area of 39th Avenue and 36th Street.

It is alleged that a grey Hyundai van struck a grey Honda Civic with the occupants of the van fleeing the scene and leaving the van behind, said Brett.

Police responded to the area and found the grey van, registered to a 28-year-old Vernon woman, unoccupied.

The two occupants of the Honda Civic were treated for minor injuries by paramedics and taken to hospital as a precaution.

Investigators have since learned the registered owner made a report to the RCMP shortly after the incident occurred that her vehicle was allegedly taken without her consent, said Brett. The investigation into this matter is ongoing and the registered owner of the van could be facing possible motor vehicle act charges.

Witness reports also suggest the occupants of the van jumped into a Pontiac Grand Am which left the area.

Anyone with information on the collision and the occupants involved, are urged to contact Vernon North Okanagan RCMP at 250-545-7171. To remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477, or leave a tip online.
Photo: Google Maps

A First Nation is asking the Federal Court to prevent the restocking of an open-net salmon farm in its traditional territories off northern Vancouver Island.

The Namgis First Nation of Alert Bay says prior to any fish transfer to an open-net pen at nearby Swanson Island, the Atlantic salmon smolts should be tested for the blood virus piscine reovirus.

The Namgis also want a judicial review of a Fisheries and Oceans Canada policy that does not require testing for the virus before the transfer of smolts and an injunction preventing the fisheries minister from issuing a licence permitting the transfer.

Court documents say Marine Harvest Canada Inc. plans to transfer smolts from its hatchery to open-net fish farms in Namgis territory.

Namgis Chief Don Svanvik says his First Nation is in court to protect wild salmon stocks from a potentially deadly virus.

The company and Fisheries and Oceans could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Marine Harvest fish farm at Swanson Island has been the scene of recent occupations by Indigenous protesters and activists opposed to fish farms.
Photo: CTV

Conservation officers are looking into the discovery of at least 50 dead Canada geese on Vancouver Island.

The birds' carcasses were found dumped along a trail in Errington, north of Nanaimo.

A local Facebook post said a resident heard gunfire and "the screaming of the geese" before coming across the dead birds the next day.

Migratory bird hunting is legal, with a daily bag limit of 10 and possession limit of 30 on Vancouver Island.

The latest open season for Canada geese ended March 10 in the Nanaimo area.

It appears the birds may have been legally hunted, as the thighs, feet and breast appeared to be removed from the birds.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Photo: CTV

It's another sure sign of spring on Vancouver Island. Herring have returned and that means mid-island residents are getting a front row seat to watch nature's dance unfold right in front of them.

Herring bring other predators, including the apex predator in the Pacific Northwest.

A large pod of at least 20 orcas has been spotted off Campbell River, heading south for a meal on Tuesday.

"I think this is the largest gang we've seen come through this spring, yeah," said Nick Templeton of Campbell River Whale and Bear Excursions.

Templeton believes the whales are transients but they are likely not interested in the herring run, rather they are hunting the sea lions who are also following the herring.

"The transients are the mammal-hunting killer whales, so it seems like some of this group was down Denman Island about a week ago," he said. "Maybe they've come up and done a loop this way."

Templeton and other tour guides are getting inquiries from visitors anxious to see the action out on the sea, and say there have been increased orca and humpback whale viewings from land.

"We get many reports coming in from people that are just walking down, for example, along the seawalk and they just happen to see something out there," said Susan MacKay, founder of Wild Ocean Whale Society.

Walker said the main focus of the group is to educate the public about the fact that orcas live in our backyards, and to raise awareness.
Photo: CTV

Fire has struck a Surrey strip mall Wednesday morning.

CTV Vancouver is reporting that there is a flooring business and a couple of restaurants in the building.

The blaze started at 1 a.m. at 80th Ave. and 130th Street.
Photo: Contributed

The government of B.C. has issued a flood advisory warning and a call to action for residents to develop a flood plan.

Last year spring flooding forced more than 2,500 British Columbians from their homes, and Kelowna was particularly hard hit.

By the time floodwaters receded, Emergency Management BC had dispatched more than 4.4 million sandbags and deployed kilometres of temporary dike structures in the Okanagan region. Despite these and other interventions, many communities are still mopping up almost a year after the floods began.

This year's snowpack is very high prompting more flood fears.

While a high snowpack does not necessarily lead to an active flood year, it has been a long, cold winter, and the River Forecast Centre is keeping a close watch on snowmelt and water levels.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development is reviewing mitigation proposals for construction of protective earthen berms, creek channelization or debris retention basins, and ensuring bridges and culverts are ready.

The government also says Emergency Management BC is committed to improving the public safety of all British Columbians and say they are investing heavily in flood prevention and protection.

Last month, the governments of Canada and B.C. announced funding for 30 projects, valued at approximately $12.1 million (including investments from local governments and NGOs), through the National Disaster Mitigation Program. The B.C. government contributed approximately $5 million. This amount is on top of the $60 million EMBC announced in March 2017, which is earmarked for flood mitigation projects in B.C. communities most at risk.

As we approach spring the government wants to remind residents to know their risks and act accordingly. Develop a household plan, put together your emergency kit and connect with your neighbours.
Photo: CTV

A man has been seriously injured after being hit by an unmarked police vehicle in Squamish.

The Independent Investigations Office, which probes all police-involved deaths and serious injuries in B.C., says a team has been deployed after an RCMP vehicle hit a pedestrian Tuesday night.

The victim, in his late 20s, suffered critical injuries.

A news release from the office says an officer with the Lower Mainland Integrated Police Dog Services was travelling in an unmarked SUV around 10:30 p.m. when the pedestrian was hit on Highway 99.

The release says the officer, who was working but not responding to a call, called for help and administered first aid until paramedics arrived.

The highway was closed for several hours but traffic was moving again by 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Photo: Contributed Willy Lynskey, from Whistler, has been missing since April 11, 2017.

A B.C. mother has been given a glimmer of hope for her missing son.

Willy Lynskey, from Whistler, has been missing since April 11, 2017.

From the moment he disappeared, Heather Lynskey has been actively searching for her child.

Heather said she celebrated her son's 21st birthday a week before he disappeared and he did not give any indication something was wrong.

Whistler RCMP said Willy was seen on CCTV boarding a Greyhound bus to Edmonton about 7 p.m. on April 12, 2017 and checked into the Century Casino and Hotel the following day.

There was a cellphone ping around Calgary on April 14, 2017 which was enough for Vancouver police to determine he was safe but his phone has never turned on again, his family has still not heard from him and his social media and bank accounts havent been active.

Its just been a constant search and a constant worry and a constant nightmare with no answers and not one bit of information from anyone anywhere, says Heather.

Heather has now focussed her search on Banff, after spotting a Facebook post by a woman that had a picture of Willy's driver's license which had been found in the Cascade Mall in Banff.

We were super excited, but the ad was from October or November of 2017. It was the first and only sign weve had of my son being out there someplace, said Heather.

RCMP in Whistler do not suspect foul play in Willy's disappearance and the investigation remains active.

We are treating this as a serious missing person case. My gut feeling is he is travelling and we would like to get in touch with him to confirm his wellbeing, says Const. Steve LeClair.

Heather says shes gone through many back alleys just waking people up to see if its Willy and shell never stop looking for him.

What can you do when your kid goes missing? Youll do anything. I think hes a troubled individual hiding for some reason thats unknown to anyone.

A Facebook page has been set up for people to stay up to date with the search and also share any information they may have that could help the family in their search.

- with files from CTV
Photo: Peter Vinje

Pete Vinje works at the HiFi Attic in downtown Vernon. When he arrived to work this morning he found the entrance to his store littered with garbage.

It's not exactly the best way to start the day, so Vinje was understandably upset.

He posted a picture to the Vernon Rant and Rave community Facebook page and wrote: "I get to my store this morning to find this lovely mess... Vernon RCMP and city council seriously have to get their sh*t together."

Vinje says they viewed security footage and saw a guy grab a bunch of garbage from one of the bins on the street, brought it into the entrance way of his store, riffled through it, and left the mess behind.

"I'm seeing more and more of this downtown," said Vinje. "It is getting a bit frustrating."

This isn't the first time Vinje has had an issue like this at the store. He says they often have to clean up in behind the store in the parking area.

"We've had issues out back in our little parking area," says Vinje. "I feel like it is getting worse."

The issue of petty vandalism in the downtown core does not have an easy fix.

Recently, Castanet ran a story from another business owner who has been forced to deal with petty vandalism on an almost daily basis.

Executive director from the Downtown Vernon Association Susan Lehman says positive steps have been made, but being a business in the downtown core comes with certain challenges.

"Operating a street-front business in any downtown core, particularly one as condensed as Vernons, does come with delivering service in an environment that can be affected by the impacts of homelessness and the current opiate healthcare crisis."

Lehman adds, "the DVA office and many of our members work regularly with our partners in bylaw, community safety, and the RCMP to report and identify areas of concern, who can then plan their patrol resources accordingly."

There has been an increase in the daytime presence of law enforcement and bylaw in the downtown core lately, but acts of petty vandalism tend to occur overnight.

"There's a lot of people who can be irresponsible, and leave their garbage in certain places," says Vernon Mayor Akbal Mund. "I can feel for the business owner, but isolated cases will occur through any place in Vernon."

Vinje says he wants to see the downtown grow, and worries incidents like this will hurt that growth.

The DVA will be participating in a stakeholders meeting with RCMP tomorrow. They plan on discussing topics like petty vandalism in the downtown core.

*Patrols are conducted based on complaints received. The DVA urges any business owner who falls victim to petty vandalism or any other crime to contact community police, bylaw or RCMP.
Photo: NWPD

New Westminster Police busted the same driver twice in just seven minutes for distracted driving.

The driver of a Dodge Journey was ticketed for using an electronic device behind the wheel at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday  and again just a few blocks away, at 12:27 p.m.

New West PD posted images of the tickets to Twitter, Wednesday, urging drivers to put down their phones.

The tickets came with a combined fine of $736 and eight penalty points.

Along with the cost of the points, plus the driver risk premium (for those caught twice in a three-year period), the total bill will cost almost $2,000.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Contributed

Between Vernon and Kelowna, Century 21 Executives Reality and and Century 21 Assurance in Kelowna raised roughly $75,000 for BC Easter Seals.

The money will go towards the Easter Seals Summer Camp program.

"There's only one thing that is more important than kids and that is kids with disabilities that just don't get a chance," says Bill Hubbard from Century 21 Executives Realty in Vernon.

For 23 years, Hubbard and his fellow realtors in Vernon and Kelowna have been raising money for charities.

"There has always been a desire for the realtors to keep the money local, we wanted to contribute to a local campaign and we wanted to contribute to something we thought was the most substantial charity that we could."

Hubbard says the realtors donated portions of their sales, they raised money through poker tournaments and they raised money through special events.

"The idea of seeing a kid that is a quadriplegic being raised up by pullies up a climbing wall so he has the sensation that he is climbing the wall, and he is screaming and yelling and loving it and laughing, it gives you an idea of why you are doing it."

The Vernon brokerage, which consists of realtors in Enderby, Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Vernon raised a little less than $36,000. The Kelowna brokerage raised a little less than $39,000.

Hubbard says he hopes both offices will top $40,000 next year.

"You know, these kids, they live under judgement and ridicule all year long, except for one week, and that is when they are at camp."
Photo: Kinder Morgan

Social media posts suggest anti-pipeline activists are determined to continue blockades at two terminals in Burnaby as they cause more irreparable harm to the Trans Mountain project, says a lawyer seeking a permanent injunction against the protests.

Maureen Killoran told B.C. Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Affleck on Wednesday that activists have conspired to recently intensify blockades with the aim to disrupt construction projects at the Burnaby Mountain and Westbridge Marine terminals before a mid-March deadline to meet environmental standards.

Affleck granted a temporary injunction on Friday, saying it would expire Wednesday and restrict protesters from coming within 50 metres of the facilities where protests began last November.

Killoran said Trans Mountain has the permits and leases required to carry on construction but protesters have put their own safety at risk because they often show up at 5 a.m. on icy roads to block vehicles.

"It is undisputed that Trans Mountain has incurred substantial costs," she said, adding the protesters' goal has been to cause so much financial harm through delays that the company is forced to abandon the $7.4-billion project that would twin an existing pipeline from Edmonton to Burnaby.

"We have every indication based on the activities of the blockaders, based on what they're saying on Facebook and other social media sites and to the media, that this will continue," she said. "They have made a conscious choice to carry on."

Trans Mountain, a subsidiary of Kinder Morgan, listed 15 people, along with John Doe, Jane Doe, and "unnamed persons" in a notice of claim asking for an injunction for a project that the federal government approved in November 2016.

"They are individuals who say pipelines are bad, oil and gas is bad, here are all the hazards that are associated with it. And with respect that's the job of the National Energy Board and that job has been done. It took three years to do it," she said to snickers from a packed courtroom.

Protesters are causing private and public nuisance by blocking roads and jumping onto vehicles, requiring Trans Mountain to ship workers in by water but blockades have appeared at marinas as well, Killoran said.
By Pam Hersh In honor of Valentines Day, I declare my love for something that has sustained and inspired me during the darkest days of...
The Humanities and Fine Arts Division of Chattanooga State Community College will host the fifth lecture of its 4th annual Chautauqua Lecture Series on Thursday, March 22.



"Named after the lake in upstate New York where the first of its kind was held in 1874, a Chautauqua brings members of the community together to enjoy inspirational performances and lectures. The gatherings aim to bring communities together in an environment of cultural enrichment and questioning," officials said.

The Humanities and Fine Arts Division invites the public to join in this tradition with its slate of presentations and performances for the 2017-2018 academic year.



Chattanooga States Chautauqua Series features the "informative and unique research" of five ChattState Humanities & Fine Arts faculty, as well as the series finale with Writers@Work 2018 visiting author George Singleton and special guest Clyde Edgerton. Assistant Professor Rachael Falu presented the most recent of these lectures, a talk on Zora Neale Hurstons life and writing, in February.



The next Chautauqua lecture will take place on March 22 at 4 p.m. in the mobile classroom of the Augusta Kolwyck Library at Chattanooga State. Instructor of English Josh Johnson will present The Haiti You Dont Know, a lecture meant to introduce Chattanoogans to the complex history of one of our nearest neighboring countries, that, despite its proximity, remains relatively unknown to many Americans.



Mr, Johnsons lecture is based on a mixture of academic study and personal experience. Over years, Mr. Johnson has traveled to Haiti six times and has observed the growth and resilience of the island nation, seeing the country overcome natural disasters, like a major earthquake in 2010, cholera outbreaks, and hurricanes.



After leaving Haiti for the first time, I started graduate school where I took a Post-Colonial literature course, Mr. Johnson said. The class and my visits to Haiti since have forced me to grapple with the difficulties that Haitians might face and my own understanding of the country. Its important to realize that an outsider can understand a culture only so much. But I connect to the place. Other people feel a surrealness when they travel, but Ive been to Haiti enough that I feel comfortable and at home there.



Mr. Johnsons lecture will attempt to provide attendees with an overview of the countrys rich history and nuanced present. The lecture will cover Haitis founding as a country and will explore its current culture, including art, religion and other facets of Haitian life. The Haitian struggle is very noble, Mr. Johnson said. It started with the Haitian Revolution, which was quite complicated and involved two major world powers. But at its heart, the Revolution was a successful slave rebellion that founded a countrythis is unheard of. And of course, this country, Haiti, is still in existence today.



Following Mr. Johnsons March lecture, one additional lecture remains in the 2017-2018 Chautauqua Lecture season. The final installment in the series will be an event offered in partnership with the Humanities Departments Writers@Work program, entitled Writers@Work: Banter and Banjos. This event on April 5 will feature authors George Singleton and Clyde Edgerton, as they discuss writing, read from their works, swap stories and, perhaps, play some music.



Each Chautauqua lecture lasts approximately 60 minutes and includes a Q&A period. All sessions are offered free of charge to interested members of the Chattanooga community, and each presentation will start at 4 p.m. in the mobile classroom of the Augusta Kolwyck Library on the main campus of Chattanooga State Community College, 4501 Amnicola Hwy. A complete schedule, including dates, times and additional information on each lecture, can be found on Facebook as Chattanooga States Chautauqua Series, Instagram as chautauqua_series, and Twitter as @ChautauquaSeries.

Contact Associate Professor Keri Lamb for more information at keri.lamb@chattanoogastate.edu or 423-697-2546.






While many of the things done every Sunday will remain in place, including the celebration of the Lords Supper, this Sunday the First Christian Church will explore the Taize style of worship during its 11 a.m. service.

The Taize style of worship is beautiful and rich. Its our hope that it deepens our experience of the Lenten season this year, said Rev. Brandon Gilvin, senior minister of FCC.



"In 1940, Roger Schutz, also known as Brother Roger, founded an ecumenical monastic community in Taize, France, as a peaceful response to World War II. Taize, a small village in Burgundy, was in the middle of the country and perfectly suited for a safe community to shelter war refugees. Once he began to provide shelter for Jews fleeing persecution, it was necessary for Brother Roger and his sister, Genevieve, to go to Geneva, Switzerland until the war was over. While in Geneva, Brother Roger formed a community of brothers, and they returned to Taize together in 1944. By 1949, seven men had committed themselves to a life of simplicity and devotion to God and to others. The brothers lifestyle has attracted people of all ages and faiths to this place of pilgrimage for more than seventy-five years.



"The essential components of worship in Taize are silence, meditative singing, scripture, and prayer. Prayers and songs are sung as meditations, in simple forms that can be repeated as many times as the community feels is appropriate. The music, candles, incense, icons and other worship elements incorporated into Taize worship create a feast for the senses and eliminate any sense of conventional time or space," officials said.



Located at 650 McCallie Ave., across from UTC, all are welcome at First Christian Church, "a church of service, working for wholeness in a broken world." Vi

For more information, call 423-267-4506.






Changes lie ahead for the top of the Supervisory Board for the specialty chemicals company LANXESS. The Boards current Chairman, Dr. Rolf Stomberg (77) will resign from his office as a member and Chairman of the Supervisory Board after the end of the Annual Stockholders Meeting on May 15, 2018.

When I was re-elected to the Supervisory Board in 2015, I announced support for the realignment of LANXESS, but that I would not hold office the entire term. Now the company is doing well and is back on track for growth  it is the right time to leave the Chair of the Supervisory Board to someone new, said Stomberg.

Stomberg has recommended Dr. Matthias L. Wolfgruber (64) to succeed him for the position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Wolfgruber has a doctorate in chemistry, served as Chairman of the Board of Management of Altana AG, and has belonged to the supervisory body as a representative for stockholders since 2015. The new chairman will be elected by the Supervisory Board at its constituent, first meeting after the Annual Stockholders Meeting in 2018.

Pamela Knapp (60) is expected to be promoted as a new member to the Supervisory Board for LANXESS. Her election will be recommended to stockholders at the Annual Stockholders Meeting on May 15, 2018. She graduated in Economics and most recently served as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for GfK SE, the listed market research company based in Nuremberg, Germany. Prior to that, she was active in various management roles at the Siemens Group.
Merck announced changes in the leadership team of its Performance Materials business sector. Dorothea Wenzel will become the new Head of Controlling and Strategy. Hans-Joachim Neumann will take over the leadership of Integrated Supply Chain. In addition, the Group Function Environment, Health, Safety, Security, Quality will be headed by Andreas Kruse.

Albert Langenstein, to date Head of Controlling for Performance Materials, will leave the company after 25 years to pursue a new entrepreneurial challenge. Effective April 1, 2018, he will be succeeded by Dorothea Wenzel, who is currently the Head of the Fertility franchise within the Healthcare business sector of Merck and was previously Head of Controlling of the former Merck Serono division. In addition to Controlling, Wenzel will also assume responsibility for Strategy Development and the Bright Future transformation program. I am very pleased that Dorothea Wenzel will be joining our leadership team. With her experience, she will drive the strategic alignment of Performance Materials forward and further execute the Bright Future program. Her strategic expertise and business acumen are assets to actively shape the future of our business, emphasized Kai Beckmann, CEO Performance Materials and Member of the Executive Board of Merck. We thank Albert Langenstein for his many years of successful service to Performance Materials and our Finance unit and wish both him and Dorothea Wenzel the best of luck and every success in their new positions, said Marcus Kuhnert, CFO of Merck and member of the Executive Board.

A further change relates to Integrated Supply Chain of Performance Materials. With approximately 3,500 employees, it is responsible for the production and global distribution of more than 3,000 Merck products as well as for the Quality functions and Process Development. Hans-Joachim Neumann will take over the leadership of Integrated Supply Chain on October 1. To ensure a smooth transition, he will move to Performance Materials on April 1, 2018 from Mercks Life Science business. Hans-Joachim Neumann has many years of experience in production at Merck and is precisely the right person to develop our Integrated Supply Chain unit further, said Kai Beckmann.

Martin Hostalek, Head of the Group Function Environment, Health, Safety, Security, Quality will retire at the end of 2018. He will be succeeded by Andreas Kruse, previously Head of Integrated Supply Chain for Performance Materials, who will move to Environment, Health, Safety, Security, Quality on October 1, 2018 and prepare himself for his new role. I would like to thank Martin Hostalek for his long-standing commitment and dedication to Merck and sincerely hope that he will soon find time for the things that he might not have had enough time for during his professional life. I am very happy that with Andreas Kruse, we have found an experienced successor in a function that is so important to Merck, said Walter Galinat, the Executive Board member with responsibility for Environment, Health, Safety, Security, Quality.

Dorothea Wenzel has been working for Merck since 2004 and is currently responsible for the Fertility franchise within Healthcare. Previously, she served as Head of Controlling of the former Merck Serono division. Before joining Merck, Dorothea Wenzel held various leadership positions on the Rurup Commission of the German Federal Ministry of Health, at the insurance firm Winterthur Versicherung, and at McKinsey. She studied business and computer sciences and earned a doctorate in Health Economics at the Technical University of Darmstadt and at Harvard University.

Hans-Joachim Neumann is currently Head of the Technology Cluster Inorganics, Organics & Solvents within the Life Science business sector. He is a graduate chemist who received a doctorate from the Technical University of Darmstadt and joined Merck in 1995.

Andreas Kruse has been the Head of Integrated Supply Chain within Performance Materials for ten years. Before that, he served as Managing Director of Merck in Korea and also held various senior management positions throughout the company. He studied Chemistry and earned a doctorate at Heinrich-Heine University in Dusseldorf.
Supervisors, School Board pitch SRP fix, new schools Five years after a $99 million hole in the county school systems supplemental retirement plan touched off a financial tug-of-war between Chesterfields Board of Supervisors and School Board, an unexpected...

Local groups rally support for Afghan refugees Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians abandoned their homes, families and belongings to flee Taliban rule in Kabul as U.S. troops withdrew from Afghanistan last month. Under Operation Allies Welcome,...

GRTC offers direct bus line from Richmond to Chester Chesterfield County announced Monday that the GRTC Transit System is merging bus Route 111 with Route 3B, which will provide continuous bus service along U.S. Route 1 in Chesterfield to...
According to the index , the most inclusive Latin American economies are Panama , Uruguay, Chile , Costa Rica, and Peru.

Likewise, the World Economic Forum indicates income inequality has declined in 14 out of the 16 Latin American countries ranked in this year's IDI. However, the region accounts for 11 out of the 25 developing economies with the highest levels of income inequality.

The index found that returning economic growth across Latin America could mask serious economic challenges for future generations.

It must be noted the 2018 assessment was undertaken following two decades of solid economic activity.

During this time, expansion of access to education and government transfers contributed to reducing the level of income inequality in Latin America.

While these developments and measures have helped to narrow the income gap between skilled and unskilled workers, Latin America remains among the most unequal regions in the world.

The index's findings provide a fresh lens through which to examine the region's economic challenges.

While 2017 finished on a positive note with recessions ending in Brazil and Argentina , modest rises in economic activity and efficiency over the past five years and a projected growth rate of 1.7% in 2018 will be insufficient to alleviate the region's sustainability concerns and support a robust rise in median living standards.
Hogg was the budding journalist with the foresight under pressure to whip out his phone and record the stories of students locked down in a closet with him during the shooting. In these videos, a teacher can be heard asking students if theyve let their parents know theyre OK. One student tells someone on the phone that they love them and another looks into Hoggs camera and says, If you looked around this closet and saw everyone just hiding together, you would know that this shouldnt be happening anymore and that it doesnt deserve to happen to anyone.
On March 14, 1988, at 1:59 p.m. (or 3/14, 1:59), Shaw first led Exploratorium visitors on a circular procession around the museum and fed them pie. Since then, the celebration has snowballed. This Pi Day, MIT applicants find out their admission decisions, Princeton celebrates both the circle constant  and the birthday of famous resident Albert Einstein, and classrooms and libraries around the country have nerd-friendly gatherings where students eat pie and maybe have a little fun with math. I scoff at the goofy marketing gimmicks, but I have to respect the fact that Shaw started a math holiday recognized by people all over the world that has been so successful that it now has scoff-at-able marketing gimmicks.
Pocket Points debuted at Chico State in the fall of 2014 and, within a few weeks, was in use by almost a third of Chico States 17,000 students. The app has since spread to almost 400 colleges in the U.S. and boasts more than a million users. The app uses a phones location to detect when students are on campus and, once they are, offers the choice to lock the mobile and start accruing points toward discounts or gifts at shops and restaurants. The longer the app stays locked, the more rewards they get. Similar to Groupon, Pocket Points makes money by taking a small percentage of whatever students buy at the stores and websites where they get the offers.
Guthrie-Gard, an executive assistant who had private insurance through her then-employer, appealed the coverage decision and after a few months her daughter's extended-release drug was covered again. But for 10 years she has lived with the worry that it could be yanked again, and hopes that the proposed legislation would give families like hers peace of mind.
United is investigating after mistakenly flying a Kansas familys dog to Japan. This comes after the airline apologized after a dog died after a flight attendent forced its owner to put it in an overhead compartment. (Seth Wenig / AP)
We have decided it is in our customers best interests to have the option to fly pets with us, Hobart said. They can fly in the cabin if the animal is the right size, but if the animal doesnt meet that criteria, we provide another option. And the overwhelming majority of those animals travel with no issues.
LIMA- PERU- 09 ENERO. Presidente de la Republica, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, juramenta a nuevos ministros. Foto: ANDINA/Dante Zegarra.
The news comes six months after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. The company has struggled to pay down nearly $8 billion in debt - much of it dating back to a 2005 leveraged buyout - and has had trouble finding a buyer. There were reports earlier this week that Toys R Us had stopped paying its suppliers, which include the country's largest toy makers. On Wednesday, the company announced it would close all 100 of its U.K. stores. In the United States, the company told employees closures would likely occur over time, and not all at once, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.
The Aurora Election Commission was created by referendum in 1934 at a time when there was no statewide voter registration. People went to polling places and signed an affidavit that they lived where they did, and then voted. The commission was seen as a way to locally control elections that some Aurorans then thought were manipulated by the city of Elgin through the county government in Geneva.
Now let's get to the good stuff, because there's a lot to go around. It was a fantastic morning for Boka, which was nominated for outstanding service. Lee Wolen, was nominated for best chef: Great Lakes, while Meg Galus was nominated for the second time for outstanding pastry chef. Plus, Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz nabbed their well-deserved third nomination for outstanding restaurateur for their work with the Boka Restaurant Group.
First stop for Lara: Hong Kong, where she locates the same boat-for-hire, the Endurance, used by her father years earlier. Daniel Wu (Into the Badlands) adds an easy touch of gravitas as Lu Ren, the hard-luck captain whose own father is missing along with Lord Richard. He seems a fine romantic match for Lara, but Tomb Raider doesnt go there. It goes instead to the Mother of Death and the Chasm of Souls and the Island of Bug-Eyed Overacting, which brings us to Walton Goggins as the bad guy.
If that sounds harsh, it has been Youngs way from the start. In addition to the Paradox soundtrack, he has another album in the pipeline, Roxy  Tonights the Night Live, a 1973 performance at the newly opened Roxy in Los Angeles that marked the live debut of most of the tracks from the freshly recorded Tonights the Night album, which would not be officially released until two years later. Its one of Youngs darkest albums, a eulogy of sorts to a band member (Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten) and a roadie (Bruce Berry) who died of drug overdoses in the months before it was recorded. The Roxy performance occurred with the band, the Santa Monica Flyers (which included guitarist Nils Lofgren, multi-instrumentalist Ben Keith, and the Crazy Horse rhythm section of Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina), fresh off the recording sessions for the album, and Young says he barely remembers it.
"Djembe," which was created by Doug Manuel and the Cirque du Soleil alum West Hyler, is not a new show. Under its old title, "Do You Speak Djembe?," the piece has toured throughout Europe (especially in France and Switzerland) and also shown up at various corporate events in the United States  an Oprah event, a TED talk, savvy stuff like that. But the Chicago run of a show that has gone through some subsequent development is being billed as the United States premiere ("Djembe" has not yet been seen in New York). It never has been seen in a U.S. theater before.
"My opponent has resorted to a not-so-subtle anti-immigrant attack, which shamefully smears me for not being 'from here.' It's not hard to see what she really means by that. Sandoval's xenophobic attack tries to degrade me because of my history of arriving here from Mexico undocumented," Anaya said.
Levithan, who canceled an appearance to accept the award at last years festival because of an eye injury, has served as an advocate for diversity in children's literature as a senior editor at Scholastic books and has written or co-written 18 young adult books, seven featuring gay characters. His books include the best-sellers Every Day, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist (co-written with Rachel Cohn) and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with John Green). His novel Two Boys Kissing was on the long list for the 2013 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
But at the end of the day, your best bud isnt going to make you follow rules, and isnt always giving you good advice, said Casherie Bright, a Utah-based therapist focusing on kids and teens. Parents need to be able to discipline their child, and be OK if their child doesnt always like them, because parents have to make hard decisions, like making kids brush their teeth, even if they dont want to, or go to bed at a good time, even though its more fun to stay up all night.
LIMA PERU, DICIEMBRE 15. Se presenta en el pleno del Congreso la mocion de vacancia contra el Presidente de la Republica. Foto: ANDINA/Melina Mejia
In emails to Inc., Flynn Rush did not address Arroyo Jr.s allegations, but continued to insist that both Arroyo Sr. and Moseley Braun had, at one time, endorsed him. He wrote that it was political hair-splitting to argue that a campaign donation by the Illinois Restaurant Association did not constitute an endorsement.
I leave Northeastern with many great memories, along with friendships that I know will continue, Helldobler said in a statement. However, as author Daniel Quinn wrote, To each is given its moment in the blaze, its spark to be surrendered to another when it is sent, so that the blaze may go on. I pass the spark on to the next president and know the good work done here at Northeastern will continue.
Those who would be most directly affected show the least enthusiasm. Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, whose district includes 800 miles of the Mexican border, says a wall from sea to shining sea is the most expensive and least effective way to do border security. The Texas Border Coalition, made up of mayors and other officials from the area, calls it a false promise. For his Tuesday gala, Trump went to San Diego, whose City Council passed a resolution opposing the wall  which the Republican mayor declined to veto.
Lillie said one man came out, but the other remained in the crawl space. Police sent the police dog down in the crawl space and it bit the suspect on the arm, Lillie said. He was transported to Methodist Hospitals Northlake.
In Manhattan's lawsuit, the village contends Elwood and NorthPoint have discussed various issues  including water and sewer service, revenue projections, road improvements  that deals with land on the Manhattan side of the project. The lawsuit also points to emails and memos in which and an Elwood official says it would be the village's intent to serve the "entire project" for water and sewer needs. The lawsuit also points to a proposed memorandum of understanding dated May 25, 2017 in which a NorthPoint official discusses the company's intent to acquire 2,100 acres of land "immediately adjacent" to Elwood and that the "proposed acquisition of the conceptual site helps to preserve 2,300 acres +/- of land that would be annexed into the Village of Elwood at some point in the future."
The three men were fired by Sheriff Tom Darts personnel board years ago but could get their jobs back as part of a still-growing legal morass around what a higher court has said were Darts illegal appointments to his disciplinary board. The Illinois Appellate Court ruled that Dart broke state law when he appointed one of the members of his Cook County Sheriffs Merit Board  the personnel board that handles hirings, firings and all suspensions of over 30 days  to a term less than six years as the law requires. That ruling affects decisions made by the board from 2011 to 2015.
Perez enlisted before 9/11 and served until 2004, Duckworth said this week in a letter to the top official at the Chicago district of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Perez was deployed to Afghanistan and served with the 2nd battalion 3rd Special Forces Group, where he participated in numerous classified missions, Duckworth said.
Northwestern freshman Ellie Taft said she was inside her room at the East Fairchild residence hall when she got an email and a text message from the university emergency alert system at 2:39 p.m., as well as numerous messages from her friends to make sure she knew to shelter in place. She then texted her parents and stayed on the phone with her mother, who was tracking news coverage online.
"Now is the time to come together to make the change happen in our society for our future," said Nancy Chavez, a Juarez sophomore who addressed students at the Wednesday morning rally and called for them to support stricter gun control legislation. "Everyone who is here listening  whether you're black, white, brown, yellow, whatever you are or what you represent  your story is important. What I want from you is to stand with us and make a change and call 'enough.' Enough gun violence, enough bodies shot down, enough shootings, enough deaths among our old and our young people," Chavez said.
Though the On Target class, normally $225, is free to teachers, participants must have a firearm owners identification card, 100 rounds of ammunition, two magazines if using a semi-automatic handgun, a holster and belt and high-traction shoes. On Target will provide a handgun for training to participants who dont have their own, according to a promotion flier.
It won't exactly be the candidates' last chance to be seen by voters. Pritzker has bought $1 million worth of TV advertising in the Chicago market for the last week of the campaign, according to a source familiar with the purchases who was unauthorized to talk about them. Biss' buy is about $750,000, and Kennedy's is $500,000.
State Sen. Dan Harmon, D-Oak Park, said he could not call an override vote Wednesday because the governors office did not officially file veto paperwork with the Senate. He said that means the 15-day countdown to a deadline to act has yet to begin, so lawmakers can try when they return to the Capitol on April 10. The governors office, though, said it filed the veto paperwork with the Secretary of States office as it has many times before.
Meanwhile, Hardiman first gained public attention through his former position as the director of CeaseFire Illinois, a gang intervention program with the aim of reducing violence. He was abruptly removed from that job in 2013 when he was charged with domestic battery after his wife told police he beat her following an argument involving their then-teenage stepdaughter. Charges were dropped, and Hardiman maintains he never abused her.
An FBI disciplinary office recommended firing former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe over allegations that he authorized the disclosure of sensitive information to a reporter and misled investigators about it. (Alex Brandon / AP)
The Marine veteran told his crowd that voters had directed him to "do your job" in Washington. "Mission accepted," he declared. Earlier, Saccone told his own supporters, "It's not over yet, we're going to fight all the way, all the way to the end, we'll never give up."
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking died March 14, 2018, at the age of 76. (Andrew Cowie / AFP/Getty Images)
Paul said Wednesday that he also believed "Haspel's record on torture . . . should disqualify her from consideration." He added that he also had concerns about Pompeo's previously stated support for waterboarding and other interrogation techniques - despite Pompeo's promise at his CIA confirmation hearing to uphold the laws prohibiting torture - and his support for resuming the bulk collection of metadata.
"I wish him no ill will, but Sam can manically and persistently call you," Stone said, recalling that Nunberg had called him on a Friday to ask about his plans for the weekend. "I said, 'I think I will go to London for the weekend and meet with Julian Assange.' It was a joke, a throwaway line to get him off the phone. The idea that I would meet with Assange undetected is ridiculous on its face.'''
Had Hawking not lived this advice with what looked like supernatural ease, many of his quotes would read like the inspirational garbage one often finds on the social networks. He didnt need religion or any other spiritual crutches to sustain him  perhaps as big a contribution as any to millennials increasingly frequent atheism. Hawking merely appeared to enjoy what he did, including making scary predictions about an end of the world brought about by amok artificial intelligence or climate change. He enjoyed the headlines and the celebrity that had little to do with his research and everything to do with his flawless demonstration that an agile intellect didnt need arms, legs or even a working voice. The software that allowed Hawking to speak is available to anyone under an open license, a reminder that the human body can fail but that doesnt have to bring down the mind it houses.
Tillerson, now an ex-secretary of state, was right to be alarmed. Its not just that Russia appears to have used chemical weapons inside the borders of a U.S. ally. If it happened there, it could happen here. Russian dissidents and enemies of the Kremlin have found refuge in the U.S. There may come a day when one of them is strolling through a park, or down a crowded sidewalk, and the thirst for revenge comes to an American city.
The bill lawmakers sent to Rauner went too far. It would have required gun shop employees to pass background checks and take mandatory state training. Shops would have to install surveillance equipment and alarms. Owners would need a county sheriffs approval to get a license and would have to open their records to law enforcement, to name just a few of the rules. The designated state oversight agency  the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation  opposed the bill because the agency doesnt have the resources to enforce it.
While there are details of this incident to be investigated, United failed basic tenets of caring and common sense by ordering the dog to be stowed in a compartment without adequate ventilation. The airline said it takes responsibility because pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. Some observers may question the passengers decision to acquiesce, but everything about this situation put the onus on the employee. Here was a passenger traveling with children and a dog ordered to comply with a safety-related instruction or be forced to leave the plane. United allows travelers to bring small pets aboard for a $125 fee. The flight attendant assured the passenger of the dogs safety. The obvious implication was that cabin air circulated above. The airline expressed condolences and said it was committed to supporting the family.
Paul Barker is very right about the implications of asking ordinary citizens to engage and eliminate other people. I trained for two years before we actually landed in Qui Nhon, Vietnam, in May 1965. It is just not an easy thing to do, to eliminate the enemy. But the more training, the better one becomes. True, schools are soft targets, but almost every place is.
Sergio Hernandez had been convicted by a jury in the shooting death of his ex-girlfriend, Rocio Munoz-Ramos, of Elgin, in 2008 outside the Hanover Park beauty salon where she worked. But the state appellate court ruled police did not have a warrant or probable cause when Hernandez was arrested, and thus a confession he made to police after the arrest was deemed inadmissible as evidence.
When it comes to summer barbecues, a rack of ribs sizzling on the grill is a must. But how much do you really know about ribs other than, well, that theyre delicious? Theres more to ribs than you may think. There are different styles of pork ribs, including baby back ribs, spare ribs, St. Louis ribs and more  though some may be more popular than others depending on the region. When buying ribs, make sure the meat is fresh and you have enough to feed everyone at your cookout. The way you cook ribs can vary so if you dont have a grill, you can still make juicy ribs in your oven, slow cooker and more. Here's everything you need to know about choosing and cooking prok ribs along with some of our favorite rib recipes to get you started.
"In principle, if the measure is to raise those tariffs, Peru won't be affected because we rely on an FTA with the United States, on which our tariffs are anchored," Ferreyros told RPP radio and TV news station.

As is known, U.S. President Donald J. Trump last week signed an order imposing a tariff of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, which has aroused fears of a protectionism wave in global trade.

"If the measure, adopted by President Trump , is to raise the tariff involving each country, except those which rely on trade agreements, Peru won't be affected , and we will continue exporting ," he noted.
"Wiseman had the form prepared and sent it to Cook County to tell them the petitions had been receivedThat was done," he said. "Time passes, the period for filing things concludes and then the county comes in and they send notices to each of the municipal clerks and tells them that they need them do this confirmation sheet.
Regarding the hiring process of police officers, the village now works off an eligibility list for new recruits and pays for six months of training. If they were allowed to hire laterally  from another town  the village could save time and money on training, and gain greater flexibility in hiring, he said.
"This is a conversation starter," he said. "Anyone who lives in my district understands that our infrastructure is choked beyond capacity, dealing with all the growth in the last 10 to 15 years. I have been hearing from all different aspects on what we should do, but no one has come up with a solution."
Butler, an auto mechanic, said he usually wears a pendant urn containing her cremated remains on a chain around his neck. On Sunday, he said, he was working on the transmission of his girlfriend's vehicle and since he knew he'd get greasy, he hung the pendant on the rear-view mirror of his blue, 2001, four-door Chevy Blazer.
SHARE

By of the

An $8.2 million, wide-ranging effort to lower youth violence in Milwaukee over the last five years produced some positive results but suffered from a fragmented leadership, according to a recently released evaluation.

The Violence Prevention Initiative was intended to reduce violence and build local resources to prevent future violence. Created in 2008 by the Medical College of Wisconsin Consortium on Public and Community Health, it was launched in 2010 with a five-year funding cycle from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment.

The initiative ended with roughly $800,000 unspent, a portion of which paid for a Seattle-based company to do the evaluation, which the consortium's board of directors discussed Thursday.

The ending caused frustration and distrust among partner nonprofit agencies that had expected the initiative to be extended another five years. Evaluators wrote that the "disappointment was palpable."

"I do think that the point about rebuilding trust is important," Genyne L. Edwards, a local attorney and board member, said Thursday.

"I think it's important for us to figure out a way to make sure that as we move forward everyone sees us really as a partner," she said.

In all, more than $3.5 million was disbursed to dozens of local agencies and nonprofit organizations for programs to teach teens conflict resolution, connect young people to jobs and convene citywide forums on youth gun violence.

The remainder paid for Medical College staff to provide programming, evaluate practices and lead the effort.

Representatives for nonprofits and community members, however, felt the Medical College did not provide useful data to show progress, according to the report. Such measurements are important for agencies to use when they apply for grant funding.

"We have to do a better job of measuring," said Joseph E. Kerschner, dean and executive vice president of the Medical College.

Some successes

The evaluation highlighted individual initiative successes, such as reopening the Holton Youth and Family Center, which provides tutoring and after-school activities to children and teens who live in the Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods.

Crime rates around the center decreased, and the center was viewed as an anchor in the community, according to the report.

It also recommends the endowment connect with other efforts already underway in Milwaukee. Paula Lucey, consortium chairwoman, said she and another board member had set up meetings for January to learn about existing initiatives.

"For whatever reason, sometimes we don't get invited to some of these meetings, and so we invited them to come talk to us to see what are they doing and are there ways for us to collaborate," Lucey said.

One of those initiatives could be Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett's call for a plan to coordinate citywide efforts to address youth violence. Barrett placed money in the budget for two positions in the Health Department  a youth violence prevention manager and a coordinator  to lead the effort.

Those two new positions will report directly to the Health Department's Office of Violence Prevention, whose longtime director, Terry Perry, recently announced her retirement effective in January.

City health officials expect the Medical College of Wisconsin "will be an integral part of the mayor's vision, and that Milwaukee's strategies will be informed by the work and outcomes" of the Violence Prevention Initiative, Sarah DeRoo, Health Department spokeswoman, said in an email Friday.

Funding for the initiative was the largest investment in one project ever made by the Medical College's Consortium on Public and Community Health.

"We spent a lot already and this is an important problem, and I put myself in the camp of spending a lot more," Kerschner said.
Officers had been trying to persuade Clements, who was armed with a knife, to exit her SUV for more than an hour when she apparently set fire to her vehicle, Swoboda said. Police were either pulling or had pulled Clements from her car because of the fire when the shooting occurred, he said.
Clements was stopped by Elgin police about 12:35 a.m., some time after officers initially attempted to pull her over and she refused to stop, Elgin Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said in a news release issued after the shooting. On Interstate 90, Clements refused to get out of her SUV and at some point pulled out a knife, the release said.
Several hundred Glenbrook South students gathered in the courtyard behind the main entrance of the school. Two Glenview Police Department officers blocked the schools two entrances off of Pfingsten Road into the rear parking lot with their vehicles, and staff members stood in the nearby parking lot. The campus was closed to visitors and members of the media for the day.
Gary Dubofsky, who lives in The Willows neighborhood and is a member of the ACTION Committee, said he lives behind the two existing train tracks where the holding track is proposed to be built. In the 18 years he has lived in his home, freight trains went from moving quickly through the area to stopping and starting, he said.
At Deerfield, school hours will be from 8:10 a.m. to 3:14 p.m. Because Wednesday is a late-start day at Highland Park High School, the campus will be closed to visitors from 9:12 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. Both campuses also will be off limits to the media, a district statement said.
"This agreement gives us our freedom and takes away the disability of a felony conviction. Justice prevailed today when the perjury counts were dismissed," Stone said in a statement after the hearing concluded. "But the prosecutors have demanded in return that the public be deprived of Thomas Rudd's services for the next five years."
"It seems to me that all the music I listen to and especially the music I love, in some way, becomes a part of me," Corea said. "I'm able to be part of the composer's mind when I look at his score or part of the player's when I hear him or her play. I become intensely interested and want to make all that I hear that I love my own. Then I learn by trial and error  never putting too much emphasis on winning or losing  just enjoying the process."
Seventeen-year-old Justus Howell did have a handgun on him when he was being chased by Officer Eric Hill in April 2015, Megan Cunniff Church, an attorney representing Howell's family, said during closing arguments. Hill realized his error after shooting the teen and placed the gun on the ground after taking it from somewhere on the teen's body, Church argued.
Lockheed Martin recently completed a successful site acceptance test of a TPS-77 Multi-Role Radar (TPS-77 MRR) marking an on-time delivery of the first of three radars to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Latvia, and a major step forward in strengthening Latvia's national defense.



TPS-77 MRR taken in Ventspils, Latvia, during Site Acceptance Test. Courtesy 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

(Credit: Lockheed Martin)

The TPS-77 MRR plays a vital role in improving the Latvian Air Force's airspace defense by increasing its low-level flight surveillance and identification capabilities, leading to enhanced early warning and situation awareness that allows its armed forces to make more informed and efficient decisions in response to modern day threats.



This milestone is the most recent event in a 16-year partnership of radar development and training between Latvia and Lockheed Martin, including the 2015 contract for three TPS-77 MRRs.



"Acquisition of the TPS-77 MRR is a huge investment in the strengthening of combat capabilities of the National Armed Forces, enabling the Latvian army to address current security challenges with appropriate response tools. Surveillance, especially low-level flight surveillance and identification is a vital part of Latvian airspace surveillance capabilities. New MRR technology is compatible with other types of radars used by other countries," emphasizes Latvia's Minister for Defence, Raimonds Bergmanis.



The TPS-77 MRR is the latest version in Lockheed Martin's successful product line of surveillance radars and was developed in response to the evolving needs of armed forces on the battlefield. The radar's multi-role single scan technology allows operators to select multiple missions for the radar at a single time, such as long range or medium range low-level flight surveillance. As the radar rotates through each 360-degree scan, the system automatically adjusts to the selected mission. Changes can be easily made if the system is moved or mission is changed. Once set, no further operator inputs are required.



The TPS-77 MRR is designed for ultra-low power consumption and is the most transportable version of Lockheed Martin's successful TPS-77 product line. Latvia's variant of this high-performing radar can be truck mounted for operation at remote sites or dismounted for use at fixed sites.

As with current production TPS-77s and other next generation Lockheed Martin radars, the TPS-77 MRR uses Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology in its design. Utilizing GaN, the radars high power amplifiers consume much less power, ultimately increasing reliability, lowering life-cycle costs and extending the useful life of the radar.



As part of the TPS-77 MRR program, Lockheed Martin has engaged with local Latvian industry for procurement and production. These relationships will form the basis for long-term local maintenance and support of the new systems.



"The Latvian industry has been an important partner during the development and production of the Lockheed Martin TPS-77 MRRs. This support will help strengthen Latvia's Industrial Capability," said Rick Cordaro, program director, Lockheed Martin Ground Based Radar.



Lockheed Martin has produced and maintains more than 180 surveillance-range radars, all of which are operational around the world detecting targets at ranges up to 250 miles, 24 hours a day. There are three previously installed Lockheed Martin TPS-77 radars in Latvia, positioned in Calas, Lielvarde and Audrini. These radars can operate completely unmanned and many have performed for decades in remote, inhospitable areas and in a wide range of operational environments.
"If an event is going on at school that could harm a student, like a stabbing or shooting, at this point, we don't have security that can deal with problems internally at BHS," he said. "If you have a concealed carry permit, you should be able to carry concealed weapons if you're on staff."
After police arrived, a third male student was still trying to enter the fight and refused to back away when ordered by officers. Hansen said the teen bumped into an officer and pushed back when the officer tried to physically remove the boy. That teen was charged with aggravated assault and resisting a police officer.
The Minister for Defence of Australia has announced March 14, 2018, the decision to select the German Company Rheinmetall with its Boxer CRV 8x8 armoured vehicle for the purchase of 211 new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles for the Australian Defence Force. The 211 vehicles will provide improved safety to Australian soldiers on deployment and on exercises around the world. They will boost mobility and firepower on the battlefield in the decades ahead.



Rheinmetall Boxer 8x8 armoured vehicle with two-man LANCE turret (Picture source Army Recognition)

The decision to select Rheinmetall is the result of a comprehensive three-year tender and rigorous testing process, which assessed its Boxer CRV as the most capable vehicle for the Australian Defence Force. The Boxer CRVs will undertake a range of missions, from regional stability and peacekeeping through to high-threat operations.

The Government will spend $5.2 billion to acquire the 211 vehicles, which will replace the Armys current ageing Australian Light Armoured Vehicle fleet. Over the 30-year life of the vehicles, Australian industry will secure two thirds, or $10.2 billion, of the total investment in acquiring and maintaining the fleet, creating up to 1450 jobs right across Australia.

The new CRVs are part of the Turnbull Governments $200 billion investment in Australian defence capability over the next decade to ensure the Australian Defence Force is equipped to succeed in our challenging strategic environment.

The Australian Government is determined to leverage this investment to build a sovereign and sustainable defence industrial base as a national strategic asset.



Inside view of trrops compartment of Rheinmetall BOXER 8x8 armoured (Picture source Army Recognition)

For the LAND 400 program of Australian Army, German Company Rheinmetall Defence has offered the latest version of the BOXER 8x8 armoured vehicle fitted with the two-man LANCE turret. This turret is armed with one 30mm automatic and one 7.62mm coaxial machine gun. Featuring 360 armour protection, the medium-caliber LANCE modular turret system is based on a new concept and can be deployed in a wide variety of combat and security roles. Standard equipment of the turret also includes command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) architecture.

The Boxer armoured transport vehicle is being produced under a bi-national program. Highly mobile, it is a state-of-the-art wheeled vehicle whose modular design permits a wide variety of mission-specific configurations. Consisting of a uniform drive module, the Boxer vehicle family's user-specific mission modules can be quickly exchanged.

The design of the Boxer is divided in two major parts, a driving module which accommodates the driver and the automotive component and a separate mission module which mounts the national specific weapons, communications and stowage items. The driver is seated at the front right part of the hull with the power pack on its left. The rear part of the hull can accomodate 8 infantrymen.



The hull of the Boxer is made on steel armour construction with an applique layer of passive armour to provide a higher level of battlefield survivability. According to the manufacturer, it has a high level of protection against mines, artillery fragments and projectiles.
Comanche power plant shutdowns prompt civil lawsuit

A rural electric association alleges it had to pay more than $20 million to get replacement power during Pueblo Comanche power plant's shutdowns.
Konstantin Kosachev  Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly, says Russia will not continue supplying weapons to Azerbaijan with the same scale it did before the 2016 April war.

March 14, 2018, 14:01 Russia will not continue supplying weapons to Azerbaijan with the same scale it did before April 2016 - Konstantin Kosachev

STEPANAKERT, MARCH 14, ARTSAKHPRESS-ARMENPRESS:At a meeting with reporters in the Armenian Parliament, Konstantin Kosachev said Russia implements the contracts that were signed with Azerbaijan before April 2016.

We are obliged to do that in accordance with these contracts. But as far as I know it will not be with the scales that existed as of April 2016. Undoubtedly, we react to the situation which took place in April 2016, the Russian official said.

Commenting on the fact that the Russian President during his visit to China said the US supply of weapons to Ukraine, as a conflicting country, is unacceptable, but at the same time Russia supplies weapons to Azerbaijan, Konstantin Kosachev said: Vladimir Putin talked about the countries where the conflict is at the hot stage, where shots are really fired, and in Ukraine shots are really fired. Fortunately, there is no such situation in Nagorno Karabakh at the moment.
In China, Tang poet Li Bai (701-762) is an indisputable household name. Generations of Chinese artists have created works paying tribute to this great figure in the history of Chinese poetry, and China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater has made the first attempt to portray the life of this romantic genius through dance, with a drama titled Li Bai.









On March 10 and 11, the dance drama was staged twice at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Combining "the reality" and "the dream", the drama mainly unfolds two parts of Li's life  his miserable later years after the An Shi Rebellion (755-763) and the years of his life spent happily in the Hanlin Academy in Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).





Starting with the poet's exile to Yelang (in present-day Guizhou province), a remote southwestern part of the empire, the drama is told in flashback. The whole drama, comprising five themes highlighting Li's life, tries to explore the poet's inner world when he was unsure whether to pursue an official career or to be a detached hermit.









Han Baoquan, the director of the drama, said he had long been mulling over the question "What extraordinary life experiences on earth did Li Bai have that made him an immortal poet?" and it was this question that led to the creation of this drama.





"I want to cast aside all the praise he enjoys and recreate a Li Bai who is flesh and blood. He is a man struggling between sense and sensibility, aspiring to be a standout in officialdom as well as entertaining the desire to retire from it. On the one hand, he is a nonconformist rapt with wine and poetry," Han said in an interview.





"On the other, he has to conform to what he disdains so as to realize his dream as a scholar. All in all, he has lived up to the reputation as a 'Poetic Genius', always romantic and optimistic."









The production team decided to use a rhythmic and poetic body language to present the drama after deeply delving into Li's poems. Xu Ning, choreographer of Li Bai, said "by fusing Chinese classical dance with modern aesthetics, we transformed his poems into dance, giving the drama a natural contemporary feel."





The stage was decorated in gold and black, a color match inspired by the architecture style in the "golden age" of the Tang Dynasty, Li's calligraphy and the landscape painting during the period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960). The color combination is an ingenious pairing, with gold symbolizing the poet's worldly pursuits and black his poetry.





Two traditional Chinese instruments were featured heavily in the dance drama: gu qin, a seven-stringed zither and xiao, a vertical bamboo flute. The music played by gu qin stands for the shackles of society and the sound of xiao expresses the poet's wish to free himself from those shackles.




A world record for Chinese ceramics was set when a Ru brush washer from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) sold for HK $294 million (US $37.7 million) at Sotheby's in Hong Kong on October 3, 2017.









Named after its origin  the official kiln in Ruzhou, Henan Province, the Ru porcelain ware is recognized as the best of its time as well as in the entire history of Chinese ceramics. As the Northern Song production spanned a mere 20 years, less than 100 pieces have survived to date. This rarity makes Ru wares even more precious.



The Ru stoneware dates back to the later years of Northern Song, a period of political chaos but artistic resurgence. Its invention is said to be inspired by a dream of Emperor Huizong (1082-1135), an incompetent ruler but highly accomplished calligrapher and painter. One night the emperor saw in his sleep an occult shade of blue through a rift in clouds after a downpour. On waking up, he wrote about this scene in a poem, and instructed his potters to make porcelain of the color as described. The order had craftsmen across the land scratching their heads. Samples trickled in, but all were turned down by the monarch, until the kiln in Ruzhou produced the desired grayish blue glaze resembling the sky after rain.











When talking of the nuanced color of Ru ware, another oft used reference is the shell of duck egg. Neither can, however, fully depict its complexity and volatility. Under bright sunshine, the stoneware displays a golden touch on a celadon base; under dim light, the bluish tint becomes more pronounced.

Another hallmark of Ru ware is the crazing, fine lines or cracks on the glaze layer. This property comes from, among other things, ground agate as an ingredient of the glaze, which gives Ru wares exceptional crazing patterns on the surface and a myriad of tiny bubbles in the glaze, creating varying effects of reflection under light of different intensities and at different angles. Formerly deemed a defect, crazing is expertly harnessed into a kaleidoscopic glaze effect in the hands of Ru masters, further enhancing the ware's artistic value. The cracks on the Ru ware are of slightly varying depths, and intersect with each other, forming a pattern similar to fish scales.









Ru ware is also distinct for its jade-like gloss, which is owed to the semi-vitrified partially-enamelized glaze that evenly covers every inch of the surface, including the rim and curvature. Surviving Ru items are a very small number, and all of small sizes - under 30 cm in height. There are imitations from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, which are artistically sophisticated in their own right, and bear characteristics of their respective times.









Qing Emperor Yongzheng (1678-1735) was an enthusiast of Ru wares. Enthroned at the age of 44, Yongzheng dedicated his younger years to reading and meditating on Buddhism and Taoism, which shaped his restrained personality and propensity for dainty artifacts of muted, subtle glamour  a quality that defines the Ru ware.

So far there are 67 and a half pieces of verified Ru porcelain from the Song Dynasty worldwide, with 17 in the collections of the Palace Museum in Beijing, 23 with the Taipei-based Palace Museum, seven in the procession of Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art of the U.K., four in Japan, and five in the U.S. Such rarity makes the Ru ware the holy grail for antique chinaware collectors, and has pushed its price to new highs at auctions.

SONG XIAOYAN is a course planner of antique chinaware at the Ancient Porcelain Courtyard Museum.












A major Chinese digital financial services company on Tuesday invested 184.5 million U.S. dollars into Pakistan's mobile payment services platform Easypaisa to help boost the country's mobile payment and digital financial services.





China's Ant Financial Services Group reached a strategic partnership agreement and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Norwegian Telenor Group in an effort to bring mobile payment and inclusive financial services to individuals and small and micro businesses in Pakistan.





The Easypaisa, the Pakistan's first mobile financial services platform launched in 2009, belongs to Telenor Microfinance Bank (TMB), a subsidiary of Telenor group. Under the agreement, the investment by the Ant Financial will provide it 45 percent stake from the TMB.





Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi appreciated the partnership between the two companies, adding that the collaboration would help broadening access to financial services through digital payment solutions for the Pakistani consumers, according to a joint press release by the two financial companies.





"Partnering with a world leading payment provider like Ant Financial will strengthen Telenor Microfinance Bank's future payment platform and set new standards in the digital banking business in Pakistan," said Sigve Brekke, CEO of Telenor Group





Jing Xiandong, CEO of Ant Financial, said that "we are very happy to share our technology knowhow with Telenor Microfinance Bank to bring improved user experience on the Easypaisa mobile payment platform, as well as provide inclusive financial services in a transparent, safe, low cost and efficient way to the unbanked and underbanked population in Pakistan."





According to the World Bank, about 100 million Pakistanis are unbanked, accounting for 5 percent of the world's total unbanked population. The cooperation of the Ant Financial and Telenor is expected to provide micro-finance and related financial services to the less privileged and unbanked segment of the Pakistani society.




President of China's electric vehicle manufacturer BYD Motors Stella Li was honored Monday by the California Legislative Women's Caucus with their Woman of the Year award.





California Assembly member Ed Chau nominated Li, a resident of the San Gabriel Valley, California, as the Woman of the Year for the 49th Assembly District.





The Woman of the Year event was founded in 1987 by Assembly members Bev Hansen and Sally Tanner, who noticed that the California Legislature had no events planned for Women's History Month. Hansen and Tanner arranged an invitation for one woman from each Senate and Assembly district to be honored for their accomplishments at a formal ceremony at the Capitol.





"I hope to be a good example of strong leadership to women around the globe," Li told Xinhua. "Throughout my career I have supported women's health issues. It is my goal to bring more female executives to BYD and create deeper community partnerships."





Under Li's leadership, BYD has achieved exponential international market growth in Europe, North America and Latin America to become a dominant global force in electric vehicles, renewable energy and consumer electronics.





As the architect of BYD's thriving expansions in the Americas, Li established the company's North American headquarters in Los Angeles in 2011 and its manufacturing base for electric buses, trucks and energy modules in Los Angeles County in 2013. The company supports more than 800 full-time workers throughout California.





BYD is the world's largest manufacturer of electric vehicles and is an industry pioneer and leader in electrified transportation, including automobiles, buses, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, SkyRail, forklifts, energy storage, and solar power generation.




There were no terrorist attacks in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region last year, the region's chairman said on Tuesday as he discussed the regional government's determination to keep the social situation calm.



"Xinjiang will continue to enforce the comprehensive anti-terrorism measures to keep the region stable," said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of Xinjiang. He spoke during a plenary session of the Xinjiang delegation to the first session of the 13th National People's Congress, the top legislature.

A series of new anti-terrorism measures have been introduced since Chen Quanguo was appointed as Party secretary of Xinjiang in August 2016.

They included setting up a network of police stations in all cities and townships to quickly react to any emergencies.

Significant results have been achieved in maintaining social stability in Xinjiang, which has always been the front line of China's battle against terrorism, Chen said earlier in the annual NPC session.

"Fighting separatism and terrorism is our utmost priority. We will continue to strike hard against such activities and win a people's war in border control," Zhu Hailun, secretary of the Xinjiang regional Political and Law Commission, said during the session, which was open to media.

Zhu said while Xinjiang's social situation has been stabilized, it is still in a phase in which terrorist activities are active. He warned that the fight against separatism and terrorism is a long-term one.

Maintaining social stability and long-term peace is the goal of Xinjiang, Zhu said. Having a safe and stable environment is the foundation for regional social development, he added.

"Due to the complicated international situation, Xinjiang needs to continue to strengthen its anti-terrorism efforts. There is no room for slacking off," Zhu said.

China will take strict preventive measures against terrorist activities this year and see them firmly stamped out, Premier Li Keqiang said in this year's Government Work Report.

Xinjiang will step up security measures in key areas and border areas as well as enforce internet management to maintain social stability this year. It will further rely on technology to enhance front-line border control and improve infrastructure in border areas, such as improving road conditions, Shohrat said in January.
In a recent announcement by the Ministry of Science and Technology, three Beijing-based institutions were named China's International Science & Technology Cooperation Bases of 2017.

All three bases were recommended by the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission. They include the Rail Vehicle Application International Cooperation Base from Beijing Jiaotong University, the International Joint Research Center for Children's Healthy Development from Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, and the Technology Transfer and Information Service National International Science and Technology Cooperation Base from Beijing Green Word Innovative Technology Development Co., Ltd.

The International Science & Technology Cooperation Bases, identified by the Ministry of Science and Technology and its functional departments, are domestic science and technology parks, research institutes, universities, innovative enterprises and technology intermediary organizations that have made remarkable achievements in undertaking international science and technology cooperation and have the potential for further development as well as the effect of guidance and demonstration for other institutions. These bases are a collection of international innovation parks, international joint research centers, international technology transfer centers, and demonstrative international science and technology cooperation bases.

The three identified Beijing-located bases have produced outstanding results in international science and technology cooperation. The Rail Vehicle Application International Cooperation Base is a demonstration base that has cooperated with leading rail transit institutions from Europe, the United States and Japan to carry out scientific research and technical cooperation on assembly, parts design and manufacture of electric high-speed train sets, operation and maintenance of rail vehicles, and vibration and noise control. The results from these cooperations have been successfully applied to the CRH380 high-speed trains, and to the subway systems in Beijing and Guangzhou.

The International Joint Research Center for Children's Healthy Development has established good cooperative relations with children's medical institutions in many countries including the U.S., Russia and Canada. They have conducted cooperation in a variety of areas such as precision medicine, telemedicine and multicenter clinical trials.

The Technology Transfer and Information Service National International Science and Technology Cooperation Base is a technology transfer center, and it has achieved remarkable results in cooperation with institutions such as the Russian Federation's International Industrial Cooperation Center of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization on international technology transfer and establishment of technology transfer project libraries.

Relying on such international technology cooperation bases, the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission has been strengthening efforts in international science and technology innovation cooperation and technology transfer, as well as collection of global quality innovation resources in recent years. The bases aim to help strengthen Beijing's position as a global technology transfer hub and offer support to the construction of a science and technology innovation center with global influence.
The South-to-North Water Diversion Project is a multi-decade infrastructure mega project designed to divert water from China's humid south to dry north. It is the world's biggest in terms of its area of coverage, volume of water, and degree of difficulty. Here are top 10 news of the project in 2017.

By the end of 2017, the first phase of the eastern route and the central route of the project diverted 13.92 billion cubic meters of water from the Yangtze River. The project directly benefited at least 100 million people in 33 prefecture-level cities, while also notably contributing to social, economic and ecological improvements. (1/10)

In January, 80 outstanding organizations, 60 outstanding individuals and 20 model workers were awarded by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Commission of the State Council for their contributions to the water diversion project. (2/10)

The Beijing and Tianjin municipal governments issued cooperation plans in January and May respectively to invest a total of 4 billion yuan during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-20) to help the project's water source areas to protect the local water quality, improve peoples livelihood, accelerate industry upgrade and alleviate poverty. (3/10)

The "13th Five-Year Plan for the Water Pollution Prevention and Water and Soil Conservation on the Danjiangkou Reservoir Area and Upper Reaches" was issued in May. (4/10)

On May 26, the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Commission of the State Council and the Hebei provincial government jointly conducted drills on the emergency response to pollution scenarios along the central route project, marking the first time that the project operator cooperated with the local government in conducting such drills. (5/10)

On Sept. 11-15, the Office of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Commission of the State Council invited builders of the project to visit the central route and eastern route projects. E Jingping, director of the project office, exchanged views with the builder representatives. (6/10)

In October, the water level in the Danjiangkou Reservoir kept rising and reached a record of 167 meters. In response, the reservoir released floodwater twice, and the second time lasted for 24 days, marking a first in the history of the reservoir. The central route project took advantage of the overflow by diverting 335 million cubic meters of water to Henan province, turning flood to resource and improving ecological environment along the project. (7/10)

The achievements of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project was included in the "Exhibition of China's Achievements in the Past Five Years," which was held from September to December. Over 2 million people paid visits to the exhibition. (8/10)

On Nov. 2, the South-to-North Water Diversion Project Construction Commission of the State Council held the eighth plenary session in Beijing. Zhang Gaoli, vice premier and head of the construction commission, attended and spoke on the meeting. Wang Yang, vice premier and deputy head of the construction commission, also attended the meeting. (9/10)
Chris Owens award acknowledges his outstanding films on PNG traditional and contemporary culture. Ceremonies were held on 29 November and 1 December.

Its Lifetime Achievement Award is given to individuals whose body of work is recognized for its exemplary impact on the field of anthropology. Chris is only the ninth person to receive such an honour.

The Society for Visual Anthropology was founded in 1984 as a section of the AAA to promote the use of images for the description, analysis, communication, and interpretation of human behaviour.

This took place at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association (AAA) held recently in Washington, DC.

CANBERRA - For his films on Papua New Guinea over more than three and a half decades, Chris Owen has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society for Visual Anthropology.

Chris Owen - the veteran filmmaker best known for his PNG documentaries - died this month. PROFESSOR DON NILES provided this citation at a Lifetime Achievement Award made to the film maker last year

While ill health prevented him from being present, colleagues, friends, and admirers of his work spoke on his behalf and saw a video thank-you message from Chris filmed at his home in Canberra, as well as highlights he selected from some of his documentaries.

Chris was born in Birmingham, UK, in 1944 and was educated in both the UK and Australia, in particular at the Birmingham College of Art and Design, where he received a graduate diploma in visual communication.

Chris Owen with an Enga man when filming 'Tighten The Drums' in 1974

He moved to Papua New Guinea in 1973, initially employed as cinematographer by the Tourist Board, but joining the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies as resident filmmaker in 1976.

He was tasked with designing and initiating an ethnographic filmmaking programme that documented and preserved PNG cultures on film, and providing professional training for PNG filmmakers. He would be devoted to these tasks until his retirement in 2010.

In 2000 Chris became the head and later the director of the National Film Institute (formerly, Skul bilong Wokim Piksa) in Goroka, where he rebuilt the institution and its functions after it was destroyed by fire in 1996.

At the time of his retirement, he had spent 37 years working at PNG government institutions, 34 of those years at bodies under what is today called the National Cultural Commission.

Chris Owens many years of productivity, dedication, and commitment to the people of PNG have resulted in an extraordinary rich and prolific output. Many of his films document spectacular aspects of traditional culture, such as The Red Bowmen, Malangan Labadama, and Bridewealth for a Goddess.

Other films focus on the ways individuals and groups have found to deal with potential conflicts between traditional and modern value systems, such as Man without Pigs, GogodalaA Cultural Revival?, and Betelnut Bisnis.

Chris directed one of the best known and most widely seen PNG contemporary dramas written for the screen, TukanaHusat i Asua? He has also focussed on developmental issues and initiatives, such as Ramu Pawa, Re-Forestation Naturally, and the two films in the Real Options series.

Chriss films have been shown at film festivals in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, France, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Papua New Guinea, Russia, UK, USA, and Uzbekistan, and have received countless international awards.

His films have also been shown on television in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Thailand, as well as PNG. They are used as course materials at numerous universities and museums in the US, Australia, and France.

Chris Owen receives the Order of Logohu from Sir Charles Lepani, PNG High Commissioner to Australia, in 2012 (Andrew Pike)

While Chris is the filmmaker of least 16 films, he is credited in more than 33 others with various roles in the filmmaking process. Indeed, Andrew Pike, film historian and managing director of Ronin Films has noted that Chris has contributed directly or indirectly to almost every significant documentary made in Papua New Guinea over the last three decadeswhether as director, cinematographer, editor, or as adviser and trouble-shooter .

Chris has always been dedicated to teaching others about making films and has been eager to share his passion about filmmaking. Within PNG, such work has seen collaborations with Michelle Baru, Robert Buleka, John Himugu, Baik Johnston, Leonnie Kanawi, Ruth Ketau, Martin Maden, and Ignatius Talania, amongst others.

One of these collaborators, PNG filmmaker Martin Maden, has commented, I do not know of one other culture whose children will inherit a film heritage such as the one Chris Owen has given to the people of Papua New Guinea. Maden further observed that Chris is seen by some of us as the greatest documentary cinematographer ever.

Chris received PNGs 10th Anniversary of Independence medal in 1985, and was made an Officer of the Order of Logohu (OL) in 2010. PNG joins the rest of the world in congratulating Chris on his well-deserved recognition from the Society for Visual Anthropology. We must also thank him for his unending commitment to our country and its peoples, and for contributing such a magnificent legacy in film.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi [Photo/Xinhua]





China has become a leading nation in the world both in terms of its booming economy and burgeoning global influence. It achieved this status through a combination of soft and hard power. The rise of China's stature in the world has led to the coinage of "sharp power" by Western scholars.

Chinese policymakers reject Western fears regarding a hidden agenda attached to the steady increases in prestige and always put forward their preference for a just global order that can work to enhance maximum prosperity through mutual win-win cooperation at various levels.

The ongoing 13th National People's Congress (NPC) session in Beijing provided an occasion to talk about the economic and diplomatic prowess of China and its direct and indirect impact on the global economy and politics. It is also timed to dispel impression in the West over the so-called threat of sharp power.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th NPC interacted with media on China's foreign policies and foreign relations. He also answered different questions from media persons, which provided an insight into the finer parts of policy in the years to come.

What he said means that China's foreign policy is based on the concept of democratic centralism and has been led by the vision and thoughts of President Xi Jinping, who not only directly deals with the policy towards major countries but also actively pursues the objectives through head-of-state diplomacy at bilateral and multilateral levels.

It has been proved by Xi's visits to 57 countries since he rose to power after the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012. He has also received 110 foreign heads of state during this period. The personal involvement helped to uplift the softer face of China.

"President Xi's leadership and charisma has earned him and his country many good friends, among foreign leaders who represent a diverse range of cultures and social systems," Foreign Minister Wang said.

Continuing the tradition of steering the country's foreign policy, Xi will host four major events in China this year. They include the Boao Forum for Asia, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, a Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the first China International Import Expo.

To increase personal outreach, Xi will also attend the BRICS Summit in South Africa, APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Papua New Guinea and G20 Summit in Argentina this year. Thus, Xi's imprint on the contours of relations with other nations will be more pronounced.

China is trying to break the myths linked with the traditional rise of a great power that it is often embroiled in controversies and conflicts. It is trying to rise peacefully and play a positive role in international politics. That is what is called "Chinese characteristics."

China's policy is to play constructive role in settling the disputes that pose a threat to peace and stability. China is also better poised to help resolve regional and international issues as it is free of the baggage of Cold War era rivalries.

Wang said that China, as per policy, prefers political settlements through dialogue and negotiation and firmly rejects the use of force. This is possible by respecting the sovereignty of other nations and restraining from imposing the will and views onto the weaker nations.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is another plank which distinguishes China's role in the global political domain. It is the pet project of President Xi and aims to share greater economic benefits with the maximum amount of people in the world. It is an example of sharing the toils and resources for the welfare of all those who are involved in the BRI.

The participation of more than 140 countries in the first Belt and Road Forum last May exemplifies the confidence of the international community in the grand project. China is committed to keeping BRI as a transparent initiative which will continue to move forward with mutual consultation.

In the words of Wang, China's foreign policy means a positive and responsible contribution to the welfare of Chinese people, interests of China, and wellbeing of the world. Thus, China "will write a whole new chapter of major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics in the new era."

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:





http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm





Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
You are here: Travel

 Flash





A railway threading through scenic spots in east China was completed Monday.







The 265-km long railway links Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, with Huangshan City in Anhui Province.





Dubbed the "Golden Tourist Railway," the Hangzhou-Huangshan railway makes a 1.5-hour trip between Hangzhou and Mount Huangshan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.





Travelers can hop on and hop off at the railway's stops to visit the picturesque Fuchun River, Tianmu Mountain, Thousand Islands Lake and the bamboo forest in Chun'an County.





Passenger services on the railway, which has a speed up to 250 km per hour, will be opened later this year.




 Flash

A Russian exile, who was close friends with the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, has been found dead in his London home, British media reported Tuesday.

Nikolai Grushkov, 69, was found dead by his family at his home in New Malden in south London on Monday evening, Daily Mail reported.

Without disclosing the deceased man's name, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement that an investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough and formal identification has to be carried out.

The police said they were called by the London Ambulance Service on Monday night to reports of a man found deceased at a residential address.

A post-mortem examination will be held in due course and the death is currently being treated as an unexplained, the police said.

"At this stage, the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had," the police said in statement, stressing that there is no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury.

Glushkov's death came a week and a day after fellow Russian exile Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were critically injured in a nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday pointed her finger at Russia over a developing "poisoning attack" row, claiming that her government had concluded it was "highly likely" that Moscow was responsible for the attack.

May told the parliament that Russia's ambassador in London had been summoned to explain whether it was "a direct action by the Russian state" or the result of it "losing control" of its stock of nerve agents.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said police and the security services would investigate allegations of Russian state involvement in a number of deaths over recent years in Britain.

In a letter made public Tuesday, Rudd says the government takes seriously allegations that some 14 deaths may have some links to Russia.

"In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that," Rudd said. "The police and MI5 agree and will assist in that endeavor."




 Flash

China has donated 1,243 metric tons of rice to Liberia as emergency humanitarian food assistance.



A statement by the Liberian government late Sunday confirmed that all 50 containers of rice had arrived in the country and were received by officials.

"The donation was based upon a request from the Liberian government," said Liberia's acting foreign minister Elias Shoniyin.

The food assistance would help alleviate the hardship that the continuous rise in the price of rice, a staple food in Liberia, has brought on ordinary citizens, Shoniyin said.

The new administration of President George Weah has been working to stabilize the price of rice with the aim of making it affordable to most of the citizens, he said.

Fu Jijun, the Chinese ambassador in Liberia, said the donated rice would be allocated to the needy, and that China is willing to help the West African country raise grain production and strengthen its agriculture sector.




 Flash

Former President of the ROK Lee Myung-bak [File photo/VCG]

Former President of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday appeared before state prosecutors for questioning over a string of corruption charges including bribery, becoming the latest ROK leader to be investigated.

Lee, who ended his five-year presidential term in February 2013, appeared in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Wednesday morning as a "criminal suspect," local TV footage showed.

Before going inside the prosecution office, Lee read a brief statement to say sorry for worrying the people of the ROK. He hoped that he is the country's last president in history to be investigated by prosecutors.

Former conservative President Park Geun-hye, Lee's successor, was removed from office last year for an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.

Park was grilled by prosecutors in March last year and taken into custody later in the month. She is now standing trial, with prosecutors requesting 30 years in jail. A Seoul court is set to hand down a ruling next month.

Lee was reportedly being questioned at the same room of the prosecution office as the one for Park a year ago, on allegations that he had received tens of millions of U.S. dollars in bribes from the country's intelligence agency and big companies including Samsung Electronics.

Samsung is believed to have paid retaining fees, on Lee's behalf, in the United States for DAS, a ROK auto parts maker which Lee allegedly owns under the names of his relatives.

DAS is under investigation for embezzlement and creating a slush fund, which is believed to have been funneled into Lee for his presidential campaign.

In return for the legal fee offer, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee is believed to have bought a presidential pardon in 2009 when the Samsung chairman, currently in hospital, had got a suspended jail sentence for tax evasion.

The National Intelligence Service, the country's spy agency, is believed to have delivered secret operation fund to Lee's office at his behest through his closest aides, some of whom already admitted the allegation.

Prosecutors raided the offices and homes of Lee's relatives and aides, many of whom were summoned for grilling.

Lee is also suspected of dodging taxes through accounting fraud in the DAS and by owning real estate assets and bank deposits under borrowed names.

Prosecutors reportedly planned to seek an arrest warrant for Lee as early as this week. By law, one who is convicted of bribery amounting to 100 million won (about US$94,000) is subject to a minimum of 10 years in prison.

According to the Realmeter poll earlier this month, seven out of 10 South Koreans said Lee should be arrested for a criminal investigation. Lee has denied all charges levied on him.
 Flash

Local authorities confirmed Tuesday that one person was killed, and dozens more injured in a school-chartered bus accident in the U.S. state of Alabama.

The incident took place in Baldwin County, near the state of Florida, where a bus carrying dozens of students went off road on the Interstate 10 and plunged in into a 35 feet (10.6 meters) ravine.

Baldwin County Sheriff's office confirmed that the driver of the bus has died and the injured students, one of which in critical condition and five in serious condition, have been taken to nearby hospitals.

The bus was reportedly carrying a group of students back to Channelview High School near Houston, Texas after their visit to Disney World in Florida.

According to first responders, the bus, carrying 45 people, veered off road before crossing a bridge and crashed down the ravine.

The company offering the bus service was First Class Tours, a Houston-based company that runs 58 buses and employs 94 drivers.

According to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company has been inspected 276 times and has been given 20 violation warnings.

The company has saw four crashes in the past two years, causing one fatality.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration said between 2006 and 2015 there have been 1,172 "school transportation related" crashes, leading to 1,313 deaths.




 Flash

The UN World Food Program (WFP) and Ethiopia have hailed China's humanitarian support to drought-affected people and refugees in the East African country.

This came on Tuesday during a ceremony organized for the handover of China's fourth round humanitarian donation to Ethiopia at WFP office in the country's capital Addis Ababa.

The latest humanitarian contribution of China, which amounts to US$6 million, will be used to assist refugees and drought-affected people in Ethiopia.

In four rounds through bilateral and multilateral channels, China has so far provided an emergency aid to Ethiopia totaling roughly US$36.6 million, making China the third largest food aid contributor in the country.

In his remarks during the ceremony, Samir Wanmali, WFP Acting Country Director in Ethiopia, stated that the world has entered an era where Asia and Africa have become much more important players, and China is an important partner of WFP and Ethiopia.

The WFP and UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) last week appealed for US$80 million to provide food assistance to refugees in Ethiopia.

Speaking to reporters, in particular, the WFP Acting Country Director has commended China for its swift response after a call here by WFP and UNHCR last week for humanitarian support from the international community.

"China is very important partner for Ethiopian government and very important for WFP; and we are very proud to be part of a partnership, a bigger partnership between two very important countries in the world," he said.

"We believe our partnership with both the governments of Ethiopia and China is not only relevant to the humanitarian but moving ahead working on disaster risk management; working on development issues; we stand ready to support the Ethiopian government and to make sure it achieves its objectives and visions for the future," he added.

Urging all international partners to show solidarity as the Chinese have with Ethiopia, the Acting Director said, "I hope other donors and partners will take the Chinese example as a lead and step forward to support the Ethiopian government in this current time."

Speaking on his part, Mitiku Kassa, Ethiopia's Commissioner for National Disaster Risk Management, has commended China for its support to the efforts of drought response in Ethiopia.

"I would like to thank the people and government of China for your (Chinese) four round support to Ethiopia over the last years for the drought response that we are working together," he said, "Your contribution is so immense. It is not forgettable by the government of Ethiopia and the people of Ethiopia."

"I believe that China and Ethiopia are working together for their mutual interests and benefits. So, our foreign policy creates conducive and fertile environment to cooperate in a number of areas, be it development in a number of projects, and investment sectors as well as humanitarian area," he said.

The commissioner has expressed belief that the existing collaboration spirit between Ethiopia and China would continue in the future in a more strengthened manner.

Since 2015, Ethiopia has been suffering from the worst El-Nino induced drought in the past half century, Tan Jian, Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, said, adding that it also hosts the second largest number of refugees in Africa, resulting from large influx of refugees to the country due to instability and conflicts in its neighboring countries.

The ambassador said the contribution from his country is a testimony of China's solidarity with Ethiopia.

"China is a member of the international community and is ready and willing to extend our support within our ability; our support is in the framework of the south-south cooperation. China is not a developed country, but China has been very active in contacting those countries in suffer of natural disasters," he said.

Noting that China's assistance to Ethiopia is a grant aid without preconditions under the south-south cooperation, the ambassador said, "I wish to highlight this point, given the recent allegations and accusations that China's approach in Africa has aggravated Africa's debt burden."

The ambassador has also expressed China's commitment to support countries like Ethiopia to enable them to address such problem in a sustainable manner.
 Flash

The growing U.S. protectionism may trigger a trade war in the field of technology that cannot be won, a U.S. economic analyst has warned.

With digital flows of commerce and information rising enormously in the past decade, the U.S. government's attention to real commodities, as indicated by imposing tariffs or other barriers, is misplaced, according to Rana Foroohar in a column published in Financial Times Sunday.

A digital trade war is likely to surface following recent protectionist measures by Washington. The U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment's review of Singaporean chipmaker Broadcom's bid to take over leading U.S. semiconductor producer Qualcomm is one of them, Foroohar explained.

Foroohar said U.S. officials are worried that Broadcom, with heavy debts due to the acquisition, would reduce the research and development capacity of Qualcomm, and a strong competitor in the global technology race would thus vanish.

Also, in August 2017, the United States launched an investigation into China's trade practices under the obsolete 1974 Trade Act's Section 301, a trade tool focusing on enforcing intellectual property rights. It was frequently used before the World Trade Organization came into existence and allows Washington to unilaterally impose tariffs on another country's products.

Foroohar said the investigation results, due in summer, may put stricter barriers for Chinese investment in the U.S. data and IT industry, shut out some Chinese giants, like Tencent, and impose new tariffs on a wider variety of Chinese products.

However, many big U.S. technology companies have substantial interests in China, Foroohar said, citing Stacy Rasgon, a semiconductor analyst for the Berstein Research Group.

"Today's worry, of course, is that we start with tariffs on aluminum and steel and end up in a digital trade war that cannot be won," Foroohar said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has adopted several measures so far this year, saying they are meant to protect domestic industries.

Despite mounting dissension from trade partners around the world, Trump this month formally announced a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum.

In January, the U.S. administration approved tariffs of up to 50 percent on imported washers for the next three years and up to 30 percent tariffs on solar cells and modules for the next four years.
State Sen. John DeFrancisco has won the support of the Republican chair from one of the counties he represents as he continues his bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination.

Cherl Heary, chairwoman of the Cayuga County Republican Committee, announced Tuesday that she has endorsed DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, for governor. She is the 17th GOP county chair to support DeFrancisco's gubernatorial bid.

DeFrancisco represents the 50th Senate District, which includes most of the city of Auburn and the towns of Brutus, Cato, Ira and Sennett in Cayuga County.

"I'm proud to endorse John DeFrancisco for governor," Heary said in a statement. "He is the only candidate capable of defeating Andrew Cuomo in November. We need a strong leader  someone who will fight for the people of upstate New York. John DeFrancisco is that leader."

DeFrancisco launched his campaign for governor in January and appeared to be the front-runner for the Republican nomination after Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, who was the first GOP candidate in the race, dropped out last month.

More than a dozen chairs endorsed DeFrancisco, including Onondaga County Republican Chairman Tom Dadey. But some Republicans pushed for another candidate to get into the race.
You are here: World

 Flash

The Nigerian police on Tuesday confirmed 25 people were killed in an attack on Dundu, a community in the central state of Plateau.

Plateau police spokesman Terna Tyopev told reporters that the attackers invaded the community late Monday.

Two persons were severely wounded and several houses razed during the gunmen's invasion of the community, Tyopev said.

He said the police had launched an investigation to apprehend the suspects.

Plateau State is situated in Nigeria's middle belt where the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian-majority south meet.

On March 7, 2010, members of local Muslim and Christian communities fought each other in revenge for previous killings.

The state has witnessed some bomb blasts and constant rifts between Berom and Fulani herdsmen, with many, especially women and children, murdered in cold blood.
 Flash

UN officials on Tuesday highlighted the suffering of Syria's 8.5 million children, saying that in 2017 the deaths of 910 children were verified due to the conflict.

It was compared with 652 the year before, said Marixie Mercado, spokesperson for UNICEF in Geneva at a media briefing here.

"Disproportionate attacks in densely populated areas kill a growing proportion of children who now account for one-quarter of civilian deaths," said Mercado.

She said that in 2017, at least 961 children were recruited and used in the conflict -- nearly triple the number in 2015.

"An overwhelming majority of recruited children serve in combat roles, directly on the frontlines, exposing them to death and disability.

"It is important to note that these are verified numbers -- the true figures are certainly much higher," said Mercado.

Further, she said, more than 1.7 million children are out of school, and an additional 1.3 million are at risk of dropping out.

UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore told a panel on children's rights on Tuesday that the conflict in Syria is soon to enter its eighth year and the "catastrophic humanitarian situation underscores" the failure of the international community to protect civilians, "most notably children."

"Homes, ambulance bases, hospitals, schools, which under international law, should be sanctuaries for children have been ruthlessly targeted," said Gilmore.

The official said, "As the Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported last year, the targeting of schools is 'one of the most vicious patterns of the Syrian conflict, ... estimated to account for half of all attacks on schools worldwide from 2011 to 2015.'"
 Flash

The Russian Embassy in London said Tuesday that talk of cyber attacks is a "serious concern", and urged Britain to carefully consider the consequences of such attacks.

The Russian Embassy in London made the statement in response to media reports that Britain could launch a cyber attack against Russia.

Meanwhile, the embassy urged Britain to carefully weigh the consequences of such action.

The statement came as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow will ignore British Prime Minister Theresa May's ultimatum for his country to give an explanation by midnight on Tuesday over the spy-poisoning row.

Former double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were reportedly found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city center in Wiltshire on March 4. British police said they remain critically ill in hospital.

"Not only is Russia groundlessly and provocatively accused of the Salisbury incident, but apparently, plans are being developed in the UK to strike Russia with cyber weapons," the embassy said.

"Statements by a number of MPs, 'Whitehall sources' and 'experts' regarding a possible 'deployment' of 'offensive cyber-capabilities' cause serious concern," the embassy said. "We invite the British side to once again consider the consequences of such a reckless move."
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday extended condolences over the Bangladeshi airliner crash in Nepal a day earlier, in which 49 people were killed and 22 others injured.

In messages sent to President Md. Abdul Hamid of Bangladesh and President Bidya Devi Bhandari of Nepal, Xi expressed regret over the crash and the heavy casualties it had caused.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, and on his own behalf, Xi expressed deep condolences to the victims' families.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also sent condolence messages to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli of Nepal.

The privately-run U.S.-Bangla Airlines plane with 71 people aboard crashed while landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in capital Kathmandu and burst into flames. Of the 67 passengers, 32 were from Bangladesh, 33 from Nepal and one each from China and the Maldives.
You are here: World

 Flash

Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said that China is not a rival but an investor and a huge market to the Philippines, local media reported.

In an interview with a local television station on Monday, Arroyo lauded the policy of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte towards China.

"When I was president, I focused on developing closer economic and business ties with China. That is the policy of President Duterte today, very similar to mine," Arroyo said.

Arroyo, who was president of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, is a member of the House of Representatives.

She said Duterte's decision to maintain warm relations with China will benefit the Philippines.

"We see that China is not a rival. It is a market, an investor (and) a donor," Arroyo said.

In 2017, China was the Philippines' top trading partner and the second largest source of tourists.
 Flash

China's CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Ltd (CRRC Changchun) and Malaysia's Express Rail Link (ERL) unveiled the new train that will be used for the Kuala Lumpur International Airport rail link service on Tuesday, concluding a deal signed in 2014 in which ERL agreed to buy six trains from CRRC Changchun.



With the launch of the new trains, ERL's total capacity will be increased by 50 percent, said Mohd Nadzmin Mohd Salleh, executive chairman of ERL. Train departures will also be improved during morning and evening peak hours from the current 20-minute intervals to 15 minutes.

Malaysian Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, who drove the new train for a small section, said cooperation between ERL and CRRC have shown how national boundaries can be transcended to serve the needs of Malaysians.

"We hope that other companies will look to this partnership as an example of cooperative relationships that can transform lives for the better," he said.

Liow added that with the new trains, ERL is targeting a growth in its ridership of five percent this year, from 23,900 per day in last year.

Liow also highlighted China's massive achievements in building the world's largest high speed rail network, saying that Malaysia is also moving into high gear by building more railway lines, including the high speed rail connecting Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

"Hopefully we can complete by the year 2026, this first high speed rail line will connect Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, later they will connect from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok and to China using high speed rail. That will be the future," he said.

Each of the 6 trains has 4 cars and can operate at a cruising speed of 160 kilometers per hour. According to a press release, the trains have more seats onboard, longer seats pitch and higher ceiling. It also has 15 percent more air-conditioning capacity.

An Zhongyi, general manager of CRRC Changchun, expressed his hope that the train delivery can help usher in more cooperation with local partners and suppliers.
 Flash

Picture taken on June 2, 2010 shows Steven Hawking in New York. (Xinhua/Wu Kaixiang)

Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking died peacefully at home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday at the age of 76, his family spokesman said.



"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his family said. "His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world ... We will miss him forever."

Hawking, a legendary figure in the modern history of physics, is known for his work with black holes and relativity, and has authored several best-sellers on science, despite being bound to wheelchair after contracting a motor neurone disease in 1963 at the age of 21.

He broke new ground on the basic laws which govern the universe, including the revelation that black holes have a temperature and produce radiation, now known as Hawking radiation.

At the same time, he also sought to explain many of these complex scientific ideas to a wider audience through popular books, most notably his bestseller A Brief History of Time, according to an obituary posted on the University of Cambridge's website.

Professor Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009, after which he worked as director of research at the Cambridge University Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics until his death.

(Xinhua contributed to the story)
You are here: World

 Flash

The Bangladeshi government has declared one-day state mourning on Thursday for the victims of the US-Bangla Airlines plane that crashed in Kathmandu, Nepal on Monday.

Bangladeshi cabinet at an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Wednesday made the decision.

As part of marking the mourning day, special prayers will be held at all religious institutions and places of worship including mosques, temples and churches and pagodas across the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Deputy Press Secretary Ashraful Alam Khokon said.

At least 51 people were killed as the aircraft, with 71 people onboard, crashed and burst into flames while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday.
 Flash

Angela Merkel was re-elected as German chancellor by the parliament on Wednesday, kicking off her fourth term as leader of Europe's largest economy.

Among the total 709 seats of the Bundestag, the lower house of the German Parliament, Merkel won a total of 364 votes, securing an absolute majority, Bundestag Speaker Wolfgang Schauble announced.

The vote came 171 days after the federal elections, the longest time span in post-war Germany.

The Merkel-led Union Party and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) signed a government coalition agreement on Monday. It was also the third "Grand Coalition" and the second consecutive one between the two biggest parties in Germany.

The "Grand Coalition" in the Bundestag has 399 seats, 35 more than the votes Merkel received to become chancellor.

After the election, Merkel met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before returning to the Bundestag to be sworn in. Government ministers will also be sworn in later in the day.
You are here: World

 Flash

China congratulates Bidya Devi Bhandari on being re-elected as Nepal's president, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Lu Kang expressed hope that Nepal would continue to make great achievements under the leadership of Bhandari and the Nepalese government.

China attaches great importance to Sino-Nepal relations and is willing to work with Nepal to strengthen mutual cooperation to benefit the two countries and peoples, Lu said.

Bhandari was re-elected as the president of Nepal for a second term through a parliament vote on Tuesday.
State Sen. John DeFrancisco, a Republican candidate for governor, believes procurement reform should be a legislative priority after Joe Percoco, a former top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was convicted Tuesday on bribery and fraud charges.

DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, is the sponsor of a bill first proposed by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli that would restore the comptroller's authority to oversee contracts for the state Office of General Services and the city and state university systems.

The state comptroller lost this power in 2011.

The legislation would require state public authorities to abide by the same procurement rules as state agencies, prohibit not-for-profits from being used to bypass procurement laws, establish tougher penalties for procurement abuse and require all agencies and authorities to publish business opportunities in the State Contract Reporter.

DeFrancisco said the legislation would provide "checks and balances" to ensure economic development funding isn't being misappropriated. A major theme during the Percoco trial and in the case against Alain Kaloyeros, who led the State University of New York's Polytechnic Institute, is the link between state officials and developers either with business before the state or seeking to advance economic development projects in New York.
Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

There were challenges as LOCATE Finger Lakes formulated its mission. The Finger Lakes counties aren't in the same state economic development regional councils. Cayuga, for example, is in the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council. Tompkins County is part of the Southern Tier council. The Finger Lakes economic panel consists of Ontario, Seneca and other counties traditionally associated with the Finger Lakes region.

Because the regional councils are "artificially created" by New York state government, Nozzolio said, it doesn't allow the Finger Lakes to tell its complete story.

But LOCATE Finger Lakes' focus isn't solely on business development. Through its work, the initiative also wants to highlight the region as a great place to live.

"What we need to encourage is for people to think of themselves as a Finger Laker and get the Lakers together as a unit because it's certainly more strength in the promotion of our region together," Nozzolio said.

LOCATE Finger Lakes will roll out more elements of its strategy over the next 90 days, according to Nozzolio. One priority for the organization is to establish a forum for economic developers. There is also a plan for a program to encourage students in the Finger Lakes region to launch their own businesses.
"Now more than at any time in our lifetime, New Yorkers need new leadership in the Capitol, which is why I am a candidate for governor."

Molinaro entered the race after initially saying he wouldn't be a candidate for governor this year. He announced in January that he opted not to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination after a months-long exploratory effort.

When he exited the race, Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb was the only Republican candidate in the field. DeFrancisco, R-DeWitt, announced his candidacy in late January and Holland entered the race in February.

Kolb, R-Canandaigua, appeared to be the front-runner for the nomination until he dropped out of the race in February.

DeFrancisco began collecting more endorsements from Republican county chairs, but some GOP leaders wanted an alternative. A "Draft Molinaro" effort encouraged the Dutchess County executive to reconsider his decision.

After giving the race another look, Molinaro informed Republican leaders at a meeting in early March that he is a candidate for governor.
The professor explained how implicit biases differ from explicit biases: The former are preferences or beliefs that impact someone's actions and decisions, and are displayed in an automatic, reflexive way without the person realizing what they are doing, or having enough time to think about it.

Support Local Journalism Your membership makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}}

Ioanide said the session would focus on how factors like social upbringing, family, surroundings, institutions, media and more can develop those biases toward different groups of people. For example, studies have shown that most white people have an implicit preference toward other white people, she said. While some in the audience may have thought it normal to grow up in a "predominately white context" and learn a "white curriculum" in school, Ioanide continued, they may now associate white people with different qualities than people of other ethnicities.

"However, that becomes enormously consequential, right?" she said. "It means that it actually has deep impact in the way that we actually treat people."

These biases can reveal themselves without their holder consciously intending to harm anyone, Ioanide said. For example, studies have shown that people with "non-Anglo or non-European names" are often not called back for job interviews despite that person meeting the qualifications described in the organization's job application.
Legislators at a Government Operations Committee meeting Tuesday night asked county attorney Fred Westphal and county administrator J. Justin Woods for updates on where the potential sale or lease stood.

Legislator Paul Pinckney said he recalled asking for an appraisal of the building almost a year ago, and thought last fall legislators had set a deadline of October through Jan. 1 for an answer from the hospital as to what it would do concerning the property.

Westphal said he understood the cost of the renovations to the former nursing home had increased, and the hospital was not awarded state funding it had applied for last year. Jason Lesch, chief financial officer of ACH, had told The Citizen last year that upgrading the County House Road facility would cost about $4.6 million and it had applied for a $3.5 million grant through the Statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program. If the hospital was not awarded that funding, Lesch said it would apply again the following year. Westphal said Tuesday he believed ACH was doing that.

Woods said he gathered the hospital wanted to move forward with a deal, but did not have the resources. He recently talked to ACH CEO Scott Berlucchi.
If you ask what some of my takeaways are from reporting on the 13th National People's Congress, I would say it's the growing popularity of made-in-China products in many places around the world as well as a continued respect for the attributes of the real economy.

Being a frequent visitor to the United Kingdom for years, I have mixed feelings every time I pay a visit to Bicester Village, a famous luxury brands outlet close to Oxford. At almost every shop - from Gucci, Burberry and Prada to Kate Spade - there will surely be Mandarin-speaking employees, because Chinese visitors make up about half of the visitors to the mall. Even the train station at the mall has included Mandarin in its PA system.

When you check labels on goods there, it won't come as too much of a surprise to find the handbags and shoes that catch your eye are made in China. Everyone knows that China is a manufacturing powerhouse.
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday sent messages of condolence to his Bangladeshi counterpart Abdul Hamid and Nepalese counterpart Bidya Devi Bhandari after a deadly passenger plane crash a day earlier left 49 dead and 22 injured.

In his messages, Xi said he learned that the crash caused heavy casualties.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people as well as in his own name, Xi offered his condolences to the victims and sympathy to their relatives.

Family members of a plane crash victim react outside a morgue at the Teaching Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Tuesday, a day after the deadly crash of a US-Bangla Airlines plane at the international airport. Prakash Mathema / Agence France-presse

Meanwhile, Premier Li Keqiang also expressed condolences to prime ministers in both Bangladesh and Nepal over the tragedy.

The Nepalese government on Tuesday formed a probe panel to investigate the cause of the crash. A statement from the prime minister's office said a six-member team headed by a former government secretary will gather the facts to determine the cause and prevent future incidents.

The Bombardier Dash Q-400 aircraft, with 71 people onboard, crashed while landing at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday afternoon.

The UBG211 flight was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The Chinese embassy said on Tuesday that a Chinese man was among the 49 people killed in the crash.

The incident took place due to the pilot's "missed approach", authorities said.

Of the 67 passengers onboard, 33 were from Nepal, 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

The injured are receiving treatment at local hospitals in Kathmandu. Officials said that the death toll may increase.

The pilot did not follow the control tower's instructions and approached the runway from the wrong direction, the Kathmandu airport's general manager said.

But the conversations between the pilot and air traffic controllers indicated confusion over which direction the plane should land.

In the recording posted by air traffic monitoring website liveatc.net, conversation veers repeatedly about whether the pilot should land from the south or the north.

Just before landing, the pilot asks: "Are we cleared to land?"

Moments later, the controller comes back on, using a tone rarely heard in such conversations, perhaps even panic, and tells the pilot: "I say again, turn!"

Seconds later, the controller orders fire trucks onto the runway.

Zhao Ruinan, Xinhua and AP contributed to this story.

cuihaipei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/14/2018 page12)
We are in the midst of the opioid epidemic, and police officers are on the front lines. Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal drug, is a critical tool for police officers in combating overdoses. Recently, the Federal Government has decided that $6 billion dollars will be used exclusively to help combat the opioid crisis. Some of this federal funding must be allocated to a program that will educate and supply New York State law enforcement with this critical and life-saving drug.

Police officers are often the first on the scene of an overdose, arriving before EMS and other medical services. When an individual is overdosing, every second counts. Officers must have equipment available to them to be able to respond to these overdose emergencies immediately. When it comes to opioid overdoses a few minutes can be the difference between life and death. That is why it is essential for responders to carry this overdose reversing drug.

In addition to being the first to arrive on the scene, police officers are usually the last ones to leave. In the aftermath of an overdose, they are looking to help families, process and collect evidence, and talk to victims. Because of this, they are at a high risk for unintentional opioid ingestion and possible overdose.
China is fast emerging as brand leader in a wide variety of sectors and many of the leading domestic companies are gaining global recognition for quality, according to a new report from Brand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy.

In its latest 2018 China 300 league table, the consultancy ranked the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, also known as ICBC, and China Construction Bank, with brand values of $59.2 billion and $56.8 billion respectively, as the most valuable brands in the global banking sector.

Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei are leading the charge, however, as technology is poised to overtake banking as the ranking's most valuable sector.
A delegation from the Japanese chamber of commerce led by Yasuteru Hirai, Mitsubishi Corporations regional CEO for East Asia, visited East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China) in Wuhan, Hubei province, on March 12.

They visited Optics Valley Public Service Center and held a meeting with officials of the zone, to learn about its overall situation, industrial environment, and investment promotion policies, especially the measures that Wuhan East Lake Free Trade Zone has taken to attract foreign investment.

Liu Ziqing, director of the zones management committee, welcomed the delegation and introduced the business environment.

It is expected that both sides will have more exchanges and sign cooperation agreements in the future.

Officials from Optics Valley of China hold a meeting with a delegation from the Japanese chamber of commerce, March 12. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Members of the delegation visit Optics Valley Public Service Center, March 12. [Photo provided to China Daily]




Over the past decade, hundreds of Muslim migrants in Europe have encountered Christianity and embraced the gospel. In 2012, CT reported on the dozens of Iranian Muslims who had converted after moving to Germany.

David Cashin, who has worked in ministry in Sweden and Bangladesh and taught courses in Islamic history, theology, and Muslim-Christian relations, believes something similar is also happening in Sweden.

The largest revival in the last 100 years is going on right now, and its primarily Muslims becoming Christians, said Cashin, a professor of intercultural studies at Columbia Biblical Seminary.

In recent years, as refugees have arrived in Western Europe from Iraq and Syria, some members of these communities have in turn become Christians.

Yet, Christian communities in Germany and Sweden, comprising both those from the historic Middle Eastern church as well as recent converts, have been subject to abuse and harassment from radical Muslims.

In 2017, Open Doors surveyed 123 Christian asylum seekers in Sweden. According to the report:

More than half of all participants in the survey (53%) reported that they have been affected by violent assaults at least once, due to their Christian faith. Almost half of all participants (45%) in the survey reported that they have been threatened to death at least once and 6% reported that they have been a target of sexual assaults.

Cashin joined associate editor Morgan Lee and editor in chief Mark Galli to discuss why Iranian migrants, more than any others from the Middle East, are drawn to Christianity, whether or not all these conversions are bona fide, and what the Western Europen governments must do to better protect migrant religious minority communities.

What is Quick ...

1
Evangelicalism is one of the largest and most dynamic forms of Christianity in the modern world, but there is an amorphous quality to many words that end with the suffix -ism, and evangelicalism is no exception. Evangelicalism does not have the hard and crisp denotation of a concrete noun such as Jesuit. This confusion goes back to lexical roots. The English language uses the Anglo-Saxon noun gospel for the Greek evangel but retains the Greek root for the adjective evangelical and the abstract class-noun evangelicalism. There was a time when certain Protestants were called Gospellers, but the obvious link between gospel and evangelical has now been largely obscured. As an abstract noun naming things that cannot be heard, seen, or touched, evangelicalism seems always in need of more concrete definition.

Here history helps to clarify the meaning. In common use, evangelicalism deals with the doctrines, practices, and history of a class of Protestants that emerged distinctively in the early modern period, endured for three centuries, and spread to five continents. Evangelical identified the churches of the Protestant Reformation and their teaching, especially the Lutheran evangelische church, but the origins of modern evangelicalism, as understood in the English-speaking world, are found more in the popular spiritual awakening of the following centuries in the North Atlantic region. Seventeenth-century movements of devotion such as Pietism, Puritanism, and the Anglican holy living tradition fused to generate a general spiritual awakening first in central Europe and Germany, then throughout the Anglo-sphere. In the middle third of the eighteenth century a number of persons, who later would be drawn into evangelical preaching, passed through crises of personal conversion. The most famous of these in Britain were John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, but there were many others. Most were already baptized, highly observant Christians who nevertheless came to a crisis of conscience and spiritual insufficiency that seemed to demand new and more deeply personal experience of repentance and faith in Christ. They discovered in these conversions new impulses to preach, travel, organize, and campaign for widespread evangelical renewal within their own spheres, whether Anglicans, Methodists, Moravians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, or Baptists.

The American and Scots-Irish experience of corporate renewal in local communities influenced the emergent sense of a broader transatlantic evangelical awakening. Thus, when preachers witnessed large numbers of men and women experience personal conversion in a short period of time, they typically spoke of a remarkable work of God. Jonathan Edwards gave public attention to this phenomenon in a series of books, beginning with his Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737). The case studies of individual conversion that he recounted, plus his analysis of spiritual awakening as general phenomenon, established a paradigm that was applied to the wider North Atlantic region as evangelicals reflected on news of spiritual concern from places near and far. Henceforth evangelicalism would deal not only with conversion but also with revival. Local revivals in aggregate seemed to point to a wider work of God.

The new evangelicalism (though this word was not yet used) evident in this spiritual awakening was international and interdenominational, characterized by focus on true religion over against nominal affiliation to church establishments and a religion of law and custom. Moreover, the evangelical movement had the mobility and democratic appeal of its modernizing context, gaining many adherents through itinerant preaching in open public spaces. Across this whole region, evangelical devotion centered on Christs atoning death and the necessity of personal conversion, drawing laypeople into practices of Bible reading, small-group fellowship, extempore prayer, personal testimony and hymn singingall of which have remained central to evangelicalism throughout its history.

Evangelicalism emerged on Christendoms trailing edge and modernitys leading edge as a spiritual movement concerned to spread real Christianity among a populace that thought of itself as Christian even as social change was devolving more weight on individual agency in spheres such as commerce, the press, and politics. As the ancien regime was superseded by the modern world with its constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion, its democratic ideals and commercial freedoms, industry and technology, enlarged print and other public media, and efficient and long-distance communication and trade; evangelicals would increasingly appeal to women and men as personal agents and connect them in intimate small groups or larger associations that were voluntary rather than mandated by corporate hierarchies or social custom. Evangelicalism was not a church or denomination, although women and men could identify with the movement, its leaders, and its ideals in churchlike ways. But the phenomenon itself appeared more like a social movement, parallel to other social and political movements characteristic of the modern period. Evangelicalism emerged as a distinctive and dynamic form of Christian spirituality in the modern world. As evangelicals shared together in causes such as antislavery and the great missionary organizations of the nineteenth century, they increasingly made visible their transnational and transdenominational identity in new organizations.

However, one should not overly historicize evangelicalism. Despite Gods surprising work in their own times, the first generation of evangelicals saw themselves in continuity with earlier generations of Christians in their concern for true religion. The evangelical revival of the eighteenth century was not the work of one generation but rather the emergence of something that would expand through the modern period and, through the missionary movement and globalization, spread around the world. There is therefore a complex genealogy of evangelicals that can be trace back to the eighteenth century, though one could follow not just one but many lines in tracing evangelical history from the past to the present. Like a braided river, with its multiple strands, many crisscrossing streams can be followed down the generations. There is coherence to evangelicalism, but its movemental dynamic means that its history is not like that of a bounded, visible organization, such as the Salvation Army or the Dominicans.

One can discern, after the transatlantic awakening of the eighteenth century, a Methodist era on the American frontier that corresponded to the growth of evangelical Nonconformity and the mid-Victorian heyday of evangelicalism in Britain, and also a Holiness era in the mid-to-late nineteenth century in which Methodist doctrines of perfection were taken up more widely, especially through the influential Keswick Conferences, into ideals of the victorious or higher Christian life and consecration for missionary service. The early twentieth century was a fundamentalist era that merged into the neoevangelical postwar revival associated with Billy Graham. The twentieth century introduced a Pentecostal-charismatic era.

Article continues below

Over the course of the twentieth century the overwhelming preponderance of evangelicals shifted from Europe and North America to Africa, Asia, and Latin America. When in 1974 the Lausanne Congress drew together 2,700 delegates from 150 nations, it testified to the globalization and racial diversity of the evangelical movement, celebrating the many-colored wisdom of God. The congress also hastened the shift away from the old fundamentalist core toward a more inclusive center, evident already in partnerships forged by Billy Graham in his public ministry with charismatics and in evangelical engagement worldwide. The growth and globalization of evangelicalism have tested the movements coherence, not only in the relationship between charismatic and noncharismatic modes of belief and practice but also in relationship to the emergence of self-consciously postevangelical movements. Yet, even more remarkably, evangelicalism has continued to thrive far beyond its original base, and its experiential biblicism has proven dynamic in diverse settings worldwide. Evangelicalism first emerged in the eighteenth century as a movement organized around a simple gospel message rather than national frameworks. It emerged in the modern world with its bags packed, ready to go, able to move between churches, classes, countries, languages, and cultures. This liminal in-between characteristic is one key to understanding evangelicalisms continued dynamism in a modernizing and globalizing world. Because evangelicalism has been populist and concerned, as John Wesley said, with plain truth for plain people, it may only partly be compared to a school of formal theology, such as Thomism. Although it has generated some considered systematic theological reflection in every generation from Jonathan Edwards to Charles Hodge to Carl F.H. Henry, its theology has been expressed primarily in via , amid mission and proclamation. Its energies have been centrifugal, and its theology has been chiefly kerygmatic, preached in sermons, proclaimed in songs, announced in testimonies, jotted down in letters, or conveyed through the Alpha course. This seems the most natural mode of evangelical theology. The kerygmatic impulse has produced some exquisite theology in, for example, Charles Wesleys hymns, where the ancient principle of lex orandi, lex credendi (as we pray, so we believe) is vividly displayed in poetry that combines intense feeling with richness of biblical and doctrinal content.

Is there a doctrinal core to evangelicalism? Historians and theologians have sought to bring some sharper definition by trying to determine distinctive, universally shared characteristics. This can be done from inside, as it were, by an evangelical theologian such as J. I. Packer, who writes from conviction about what evangelicalism ought to be , or from outside, by a historian such as David Bebbington, who though a self-identified evangelical describes from a more empirical point of view what it seems the movement is . Packer identifies a syllabus of ten doctrinal convictions that ought to characterize evangelicals, such as Scriptures authority, Christs supremacy as Savior and Lord, humans ruined and lost state in sin, and the necessity of faith and holiness; these convictions overlap considerably with what the historian observes. In practice, Bebbington argues, four particulars have distinctively characterized evangelicals throughout their history: emphasis on personal conversion, the Bible, the cross of Christ, and active Christian service. While evangelicals are orthodox, Nicene Christians with a Protestant heritage like that of many other Christians, these four characteristics together set them apart and hold them together as a movement through time and change.

Evangelicals have thus been centrally concerned with what it means to discover a personally meaningful relationship with Christ through conversion. The Bible has been central to their lives as not only a Supreme authority belief and practice but also the object of their affections and instrument of their devotion. Christs cross has had an exalted place in evangelical worship, central to preaching of a Christ who suffered and died for me as the means of conversion and source of gratitude. Finally, assurance of sins forgiven has produced confidence and energy for Christian mission that has propelled evangelicals to the farthest reaches and darkest corners of the world in service of Christ.

A centripetal dynamic has drawn evangelicals inward toward intensive interior devotion to Christ and intensive experience of Christian community in small groups, just as a powerful centrifugal dynamic has driven them out in sacrificial service. In this sense, evangelicalism may be compared to Ignatian spirituality with its interior devotion to Christ cultivated in the Spiritual Exercises and its activist engagement with the world evidenced in its history of mission work.

Identification of these four characteristics (conversionism, crucicentrism, biblicism, and activism) has given many observers a simple way to understand this abstract idea of evangelicalism. It has allowed pollsters to operationalize the definition of evangelicalism in survey research, and it has given many a college professor a clear outline for teaching about evangelicalism to their history and religion students. But one must beware of oversimplification. In the end, these core convictions define evangelicalism more as a school of Christian living than a school of theology. Evangelicals are concerned to bring people to Christ more than to convert anyone to the category of evangelicalism. Moreover, these core convictions have never been the whole. As a robust form of Christian living that emerged with the modern world, evangelicalism has always drawn on the resources of a wider and deeper Christianity. For all their adaptations to modernity, evangelicals from earliest days drew deeply from wells of earlier Protestant and Catholic spirituality, and they have continued to identify with true religion wherever it is found, whether in the experimental godliness of the Puritans or the real Christianity of Thomas a Kempis. Whenever evangelicals break this deep connection to the churchs historic faith, they are like a stream that seeks to run on without its source. Evangelicalism at its best has always remained vitally connected to its sources in the living Word of Scripture and the churchs life, finding in these the basis for renewal and the experience of the very life of God in the soul of man. These sources remain a perennial fountainhead of dynamic spiritual life that will never run dry.

Bruce Hindmarsh is the James M. Houston professor of spiritual theology at Regent College and author most recently of The Spirit of Early Evangelicalism: True Religion in a Modern World (Oxford University Press).

Excerpted from Evangelical Dictionary of Theology , third edition, edited by Daniel J. Trier and Walter A. Elwell (Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group , 2017). Used by permission.
Turkish prosecutors demanded life imprisonment for jailed US pastor Andrew Brunson in an official indictment presented to Izmirs 2nd Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Arrested without bail since October 2016, Brunson is accused of being a member and executive of the Islamic movement led by self-exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, accused of orchestrating the failed July 2016 coup attempt to overthrow the Turkish government.

According to the semi-official news agency Anadolu Ajansi, the formal indictment also charges the pastor with establishing links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and obtaining espionage information for political and military purposes.

If the indictment is accepted by the court, formal trial proceedings are expected to be set in motion against Brunson. To date, neither the pastor nor his lawyer have been allowed any access to the legal file of investigations conducted by Turkish authorities into his case.

Commenting on the indictment, the two vice chairs of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), Sandra Jolley and Kristina Arriaga, said:

USCIRF urges President Trump and others in the administration to redouble their ongoing efforts to secure Pastor Brunsons release. No stone should be left unturned in our efforts on behalf of this unjustly imprisoned American. We call again for his immediate release and, if this is not forthcoming, for the administration and Congress to impose targeted sanctions against those involved in this miscarriage of justice.

USCIRF is appalled that Turkish officials are seeking a possible life sentence for Pastor Brunson and are accusing him of leadership in a terrorist organization, they added.

The government of Turkey has detained Pastor Brunson largely based on a purported secret witness and secret evidence, which they refuse to make public. The Turkish government should reverse course immediately and we urge the international community to condemn this indictment.

World Watch Monitor reported this week that, despite being detained for 17 months, the Turkish judiciary had failed to release any formal indictment against him.

His daughter, Jacqueline, appealed to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva last week to help secure her fathers release. Declaring that he had been falsely imprisoned for far too long, his married daughter noted that Brunson decried that he had still not been formally charged with any crime.

I know the allegations against my father are absurd, Jacqueline said, as shown in a video posted by the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).

He is not an armed terrorist trying to overthrow any government. My father is a peaceful pastor, she said.

Noting that she had grown up in Turkey, she added, My family loves and respects the Turkish people, and my father has been dedicated to serving them for over two decades.

Jacqueline said she was allowed to visit her father at his Izmir prison last August. It was hard to see him so broken, so thin, so desperate, she told the UNHRC assembly. She then read a note Brunson had written just a week ago.

Let it be clear. I am in prison not for anything I have done wrong, but because of who I ama Christian pastor, he wrote.

I desperately miss my wife and children. Yet I believe this to be true: it is an honor to suffer for Jesus Christ, as many have before me. My deepest thanks for all those around the world who are standing with and praying for me.

Last month the European affiliate of the ACLJ representing Brunsons case had filed a written statement to the UNHRC, declaring, As a founding Member State of the UN, Turkey is obligated to adhere to norms set forth in the UN Charter  By detaining and imprisoning Pastor Brunson because of his religious expression, peaceful association, and assembly of religious believers, Turkey is violating not only its obligations under the UN Charter, but its own constitution.
Fired Rex Tillerson was still shuffling strategy. Now experts are looking to Mike Pompeo to set the tone.

|

Top advocates have spent much of President Donald Trumps time in office waiting for his administrations international religious freedom efforts to fall into place.

With todays firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, theyre left once again wondering exactly how the administration will approach the issue as part of a broader strategy for foreign affairs.

The President announced this morning that Tillerson, who ran the State Department since February 2017, would be replaced by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Mike Pompeo.

Most analysts agree that Tillerson, the former ExxonMobil CEO, fell out of favor with the administration and had a hard time rallying support within the department. As Pompeo takes on his new role, hell be stepping into one of the most significant leadership positions in the US government.

He sets the tone for US foreign policy, Chris Seiple, president emeritus of the Institute for Global Engagement, told CT. The secretarys attention [to religious freedom]as with any subjectis what people inside the State Department building and foreign ministries alike watch for.

The news of the leadership transition came just over a month after Sam Brownback was finally confirmed as ambassador-at-large to head the departments Office of International Religious Freedom (IRF), after several months of delay.

During Tillersons year at the State Department, he was a few months late issuing its annual religious freedom report and had relatively brief analysis to share on the state of religious freedom abroad.

Tom Farr, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, expects that Pompeoan Army veteran and former congressmanwill engage the issue as it relates to national security.

During his political career, Pompeo has spoken out about many of the biggest areas of concern for America today, including North Korea, Russia, Israel, and Iran, which he deemed the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism.

Pompeo will have a clear understanding of the security threats the country confronts and may be more open than his predecessor to the growing evidence that religious freedom is critical for combating religion-related terrorism, maintaining political and social stability, and supporting economic growth, Farr told CT.

All of these diplomatic priorities will be enhanced by a robust IRF policy that is part of US national security strategy.

David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, which defends persecuted Christians around the world, issued a statement emphasizing the link between attacks on religious freedom and conflict and crisis in a region.

The Secretary of State is key to improving religious freedom around the world and articulating the impact of religious intolerance on American security and prosperity, he said to CT. I strongly urge the incoming Secretary of State to focus on issues of religious intolerance and hatred of religious minorities around the globe, as this is No. 1 on the agenda for extremist groups and dictators.

The Secretary of State is regarded as Americas chief diplomat: the leader who does the groundwork for the countrys foreign relations and international partnerships. In this administration, that role takes on particular significance, according to Mark Caleb Smith, director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University.

Donald Trump, in spite of his international business experience, has very little international political experience, so I think the Secretary of States position is more crucial under Trump than it would have been under previous presidents, he said.

Though critics have called out Pompeos past statements on Islam, some of Trumps evangelical advisers celebrated his appointment. Pompeo belongs to an Evangelical Presbyterian Church congregation in his home state of Kansas.

Please pray for Mike Pompeo as he becomes Sec of State. A believer who is a patriot and leader. Another great choice by @POTUS, tweeted Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Director Mike Pompeo will become the most principled and successful Secretary of State in the last 25 years. I am extremely happy about this news.

Seiple, whose father was IRFs first-ever ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, told CT that its too soon to tell how Pompeo will approach the issue or engage IRF in particular.

Just weeks before his ousting, Tillerson had dialed back plans to downsize the department. His proposal to bring the Office of Religion and Global Affairs (RGA), designed to advise staff and diplomats on faith matters, under IRF had elicited mixed reviews from advocates.

Farr would like to see Pompeo move forward with streamlining RGA and IRF.

Our hope is that Secretary Pompeo will recognize the role religious freedom plays in nearly every foreign policy issue he will confront, said Farr. He should listen to and work directly with Ambassador Brownback and his office in crafting his diplomatic strategy and engagement, including IRF diplomacy as part of American national security strategy.

Farr said that since the office was established through the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998across four administrationsno Secretary of State has seen IRF policy as a strategic priority.

While commentators say that Pompeos strong relationship Trump bodes well for the State Department going forward, advocates like Farr and Curry also want to see him work closely and directly with Brownback.

Tillerson, who will remain at the department through the end of the month, got a positive send-off from Senator James Lankford, an evangelical from Oklahoma who has pushed for several religious freedom measures in Congress.

I appreciate Rex Tillerson's excellent service at the State Department... especially his willingness to shake up the status quo & bureaucracy, he tweeted.
Just a few months ago, Britain announced the appointment of a Minister of Loneliness. The post reflects a rising epidemic thats unique to 21st-century Western society: Many of us are hyperconnected online but simultaneously disconnected from substantive community. We have dozens of followers but few true friendships. We can connect with the world with the touch of a buttonor the command of our voiceand yet we hardly know our neighbors. The net result? Loneliness. The increasingly common response: suicide.

Each year, more than 44,000 people die by suicide in the United States. It is estimated that 25 times that number attempt suicide each year. And the numbers have steadily risen since 2006. Add to that the number of individuals who have chosen physician-assisted suicidein 2015, 301 people died under Death with Dignity acts in the states of Oregon and Washington aloneand were facing a lot of people who have answered Why not die? with an empty silence.

The vast majority of suicides of elderly or terminally ill people or those with disabilities occur quietly within homes and institutions, far from the media, the courts, and the public eye. These are hurting, despondent people who never make the news and only rarely appear on your Facebook feed. These are the ones living a quiet desperation: The woman with cancer, seesawing in and out of remission. The young boy in a semi-comatose condition, making eye contact, half smiling, and then drifting away again. The carpenter who broke his neck falling from a second-story window and now, abandoned by his wife, lives in a nursing home.

I, too, have lived in this space of despondenceparticularly during the first few years after my diving accident.

Years ago, when my husband, Ken, was a high school government teacher, he asked me to speak to his classes on the subject of legalizing euthanasia. This was well before California had legalized medically assisted death, but plenty of initiatives were testing the waters. Ken wanted me to talk to his students about the implications of a right-to-die law. The classroom was crowded with kids standing along the back and leaning against the chalkboards covering the walls.

I was surprised by how interested they were as I divulged my despair of earlier days. I admitted my relief that no right-to-die law existed when I was in the hospital and hooked up to machines. I then underscored how critical it was for every student to become informed and involved in shaping societys response to the problem. Then I added, What role do you think society should play in helping people decide when it is right to die?

A few hands went up. I could tell by their answers that they felt society should take action to help hurting and dying peoplesome students insisting on life no matter how burdensome the treatment and a few wanting to help by hurrying along the death process. One student shared how his mother was getting demoralized by the burden of taking care of his sister with developmental delays. He felt society should, in his words, do something.

Like what? I challenged.

Like ... Im not sure, but society ought to get more involved in the lives of people like my mother.

I glanced at Ken. He nodded, as if to give the go-ahead to take a free rein with this young man. May I ask what you have done to get more involved?

The student smiled and shrugged.

How have you helped alleviate the burden? Have you taken your sister on an outing lately? Maybe to the beach? I teased. Have you offered to do some shopping for your mother? Maybe your mom wouldnt be so demoralized, maybe she wouldnt feel so stressed or burdened, if you rolled up your sleeves a little higher to help.

Article continues below

A couple of his friends by the chalkboard laughed and threw wads of paper at him. Okay, okay, I see your point, he chuckled.

I smiled. My point is this: Society is not a bunch of people way out there who sit around big tables and think up political trends or cultural drifts; society is you. Your actions, your decisions, matter. What you do or dont do has a ripple effect on everyone around you. And on a smaller scale, your participation can even make a huge difference in what your family decides to do with your sister. I paused, scanned the face of each student, and closed by saying, You, my friends, are society.

Years later, I still hold to this fundamental truth: that the sick and the well are inextricably connected in community. Those on the marginsthe depressed, the ill, and the dyingneed us. But the converse is also true: We need them, too.

Many of us who have experienced disability or depression (or both) tend to be private people; we would like to be able to make a life or death decision in a vacuum or even at an arms-length distance from others. But we cant.

When people maintain that their death is their own business and the business of those I love, they do not consider the significance of their decision on the wider circle of life. A decision to cut life short, even if only a few months, does not stop with those I love, but affects a whole network of relationships: friends, former colleagues, teachers, distant family members, casual acquaintances, and even nurses and doctors who occasionally stop by your bedside.

In other words, it matters to society. The cultural drift is channeled by your decision to either pull the plug or hold on to life.

Just what effect might your decision have? Your gutsy choice to face suffering head-on forces others around you to sit up and take notice. Its called strengthening the character of a helping society. When people observe perseverance, endurance, and courage, their moral fiber is reinforced. Conversely, your choice to bow out of life can and does weaken the moral resolve of that same society.

Years after my hospitalization, my mother continued to receive letters from nurses, cafeteria workers, and a family whose daughter had suffered a severe brain injury and had been hooked up to machines two beds away from me in the intensive care unit. My parents made gutsy choices that involved facing suffering head-on. And the decisions they made regarding my care had a lasting impact on these people. And who knows what ripple effects have come from the choices they have made in the years since?

As the apostle Paul writes in Romans 14:7, None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.

The life of Christ gives us an example. In the face of profound pain, even he was tempted to give in. He sought, if possible, to avoid the suffering of the cross, pleading, Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me. In Gethsemane, as the shadow of his death approached, Jesus felt alone and distressed. So he turned to his Father, the only one he could talk to. Scripture tells us that, as his anguish increased, he prayed more earnestly.

But although Jesus suffered, his decision to face the Cross squarely secured a deeper meaning for the suffering of us allmore meaning than we could possibly imagine.

More than 50 years after a 1967 diving accident left her paralyzed, Joni Eareckson Tada leads an international disability ministry (Joni and Friends) and is a best-selling author and sought-after speaker. In addition to living with quadriplegia, Joni is a breast cancer survivor and suffers from chronic pain. This adapted excerpt was taken from When Is It Right to Die?: A Comforting and Surprising Look at Death and Dying by Joni Eareckson Tada. Copyright  2018 by Joni Eareckson Tada. Used by permission of Zondervan. www.zondervan.com. All rights reserved.
Dongfeng Renault first sedan model to hit market in 2019

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- According to local media, the Sino-French joint venture Dongfeng Renault plans to roll out 9 locally-produced models by 2022, including 2 sedan models. So far, Groupe Renault owns two locally-produced models in China, Kadjar and Koleos, which are all compact SUVs.

Dongfeng Renault plans to reconstruct its Wuhan plant with a total investment of RMB 2.175 billion. The renovated plant will be added sedan production lines and is ready to be put into operation in June, 2019, according to the information released by Hubei Provincial Development and Reform Commission.

The company's first sedan model is predicted to be a C-class sedan that is scheduled to go on sale as early as next year and will compete with some sedan models at the same level like Magotan in market.

Dongfeng Renault's Wuhan plant is located in Wuhan Economic & Technological development Zone, covering a total area of 950 thousand square meters which possesses vehicle production lines and a R&D base. So far, the plant owns an annual production capacity of 150 thousand vehicles. Both two local-produced models, Kadjar and Koleos, come from the Wuhan plant.

According to relevant news, Dongfeng Renault will adjust its product structures to carry out cross-segment production project that is designed to span from June, 2017 to June, 2019.
5 minutes with David Wynnes Boy with a Dolphin

Specialist Alice Murray admires a smaller version  one sixth of the size  of an iconic sculpture that stands on the banks of the River Thames at Chelsea. It is offered on 21 March in our Modern | British and Irish Art sale in London

This is a chance to own a really sensitive and iconic piece of British sculpture, says Alice Murray, a specialist in the Modern British & Irish Art department in London. Boy with a Dolphin (1974) by David Wynne (1926-2014) is one of Londons most recognisable landmarks, standing 13 feet high and situated next to Albert Bridge on the banks of the River Thames in Chelsea. The final, monumental sculpture was unveiled in October 1975, the concept following an earlier sculpture, Girl with a Dolphin, outside the Guoman Tower Hotel at St Katharines Dock near Tower Bridge. At one sixth of the size of the Albert Bridge piece, the sculpture that Murray appraises in this film  offered in our Modern | British & Irish Art sale on 21 March  was the first and smallest iteration of the celebrated piece that Wynne conceived in 1972.

A 4ft-long (122 cm) version, which was conceived a year later, sold at Christies South Kensington in March 2017 for 353,000  more than 10 times its low estimate and a world record for the artist at auction. The largest version was completed in 1974 in an edition of three: one for the Embankment, another now in Chestnut Place Plaza in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the third outside the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. David Wynne was a self-taught sculptor who set up a studio in Campden Hill in Holland Park, London, in the 1950s. I love the idea that he was self-taught, says Murray, and that perhaps he shunned art school to focus on who he wanted to be as an artist. Soon after setting up his studio, Wynne was commissioned to sculpt the heads of the four members of the Beatles. He would become well-respected for his commissions unveiled by the Royal family, which include the central section of the Queen Elizabeth gate installed at Hyde Park Corner in commemoration of the Queen Mothers 90th birthday in 1990. He also created the much-loved sculpture Guy the Gorilla, a portrait of one of London Zoos best-loved animals, for Crystal Palace Park in south London.

Often I thought what fun it would be in the open sea, particularly for a boy such as my Roland, who would be light enough to be towed long distances  David Wynne
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
Tongji University ICV testing base to be put into operation in July, 2018

Shanghai (Gasgoo)- According to local media, Tongji University-based intelligent-connected vehicle (ICV) testing base, covering an area of 170mu (around 113 thousand square meters) has already started construction and is predicted to be put into operation in July this year. This base is co-built by Tongji University and SAIC Motor.

Yu Zhuoping, professor from School of Automotive Studies of Tongji University, introduced that different from conventional vehicle testing grounds, the ICV base located in the campus has all-new designs in such aspects as traffic conditions, traffic participation system as well as information and communication facilities. For instance, the ICV base will be equipped with 5G communication system.

Chen Junyi, lecturer from School of Automotive Studies of Tongji University who is engaged in planning of the base, stated that the base's general layout is three sections connected by one circuit. Specifically, the one circuit is a 1.3-kilometer circular road. The three sections are designed to execute different functional missions. The east section is used for low-degree autonomous vehicle tests. The west contains some simulation scenarios of structural urban roads like parking lot, straightaway, circular road as well as rampway, etc. In addition, the south section simulates rural and cross-country roads.

Chen Junyi also said that the Tongji University ICV base contains more Chinese characteristics compared to earlier testing bases. For instance, taking the Chinese's driving behaviors and the cultural differences between the western countries and China into consideration, designers will create simulation scenarios based on the data collecting from China's traffic condition analyses and past traffic accidents. Additionally, in urban simulation scenarios, all facilities are made of daily materials.

On 27 February 2018, Shanghai Municipal Economic Information Commission, Shanghai Municipal Police and Shanghai Municipal Transportation Commission jointly issued the Shanghai Regulations on Intelligent-Connected Vehicles Road Testing (Trial). After two days, Shanghai government released China's first batch of plates for public road test ICVs. Shanghai government has currently designated a 5.6-kilometer road with high security and low risk in Jading District as the first-phase testing road of ICV in Shanghai. In the future, the government will open more roads step by step for ICV test.
Posted Monday, November 13, 2017 4:06 pm

Nowadays, we have the luxury of buying goods from across the globe. Being a part of this global economy, however, comes at a pricelocal businesses.

Communities like Chehalis are built on local businesses, and when the community buys at chain stores or online, less money gets put back into the community. In fact, independent retailers return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales than chain competitors, according to the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA).

Buying local is a great way to both invest in your community and yourself. The Port of Chehalis Made in Chehalis campaign is one of many programs dedicated to helping people buy local and learn what their community has to offer.

Here are 4 reasons why buying local is incredibly beneficial to your community:

1. It Strengthens Your Local Economy

The net worth of the local economy increases when we send goods and services out of the community in exchange for money brought into the community, says Randy Mueller, CEO of the Port of Chehalis. The net worth of a community also increases when we buy goods or services from inside of the community. Each dollar you spend at independent businesses returns 3 times more money to your local economy than spending that dollar at a retail chain. In fact, in a study conducted by AMIBA, 48 percent of each purchase at local independent businesses was recirculated locally. Its called the multiplier effect  simply put, putting dollars into local businesses also puts dollars into your community.

2. It Creates Local Jobs and Opportunities

Buying local increases local wealth, which enables local businesses to hire and create more opportunities for people in the community. Most of the jobs in the community are small independent businesses. These people belong to our community, have children in our schools, and volunteer locally, says Mueller. The chance to keep those folks in business and help them prosper is directly reflected in how we as a community fare. Buying local helps set up your community for current opportunities, but also provides future opportunities for everyone.

3. It Helps the Environment

Buying local helps reduce your carbon footprint and your environmental impact. Think about it; ordering online involves shipping materials, warehousing, trucking, and delivery, all of which have a large impact on carbon emissions at scale. However, buying local both encourages buying local products that are fresh and also creates less traffic and pollution to get to you.

4. It Builds Community

Think about the last time you talked to your neighbor. Was it at a yard sale? At the supermarket? Maybe online? With all these avenues to connect with one another today, it is easy to forget how easy it is to bond with your community. Buying local helps bring together the community by building relationships with local businesses and also those around you that shop there.

The Port of Chehalis is a public port district whose mission is to grow and diversify the local economy, and to foster high quality job creation. The Made in Chehalis campaign aims to let the public know what is made here so they can buy local and benefit the community. Check out more about the Made in Chehalis campaign at https://www.facebook.com/portofchehalis/, or call them at 360-748-9365.
SMTA South East Asia Technical Conference on Electronics Assembly Program Finalized Published: 13 March 2018 by Chelsey Drysdale by Chelsey Drysdale

Minneapolis, MN - SMTA is excited to announce the technical program has been finalized and registration is now open for the South East Asia Technical Conference on Electronics Assembly. The event will be held May 8-10, 2018 at the MITEC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Professional Development Courses will be held on Tuesday, May 8. In the morning, AF Ng, Techment Consultancy Sdn. Bhd., will instruct the course, Understanding Parameters Affecting Barrel Fill in Wave Soldering Process. In the afternoon, John Lau, Ph.D., ASM, will instruct the course, Flip Chip, WLCSP, and FOWLP Assembly and Reliability.

Session topics for May 9 and 10 include: Design, Manufacturing and Assembly Rework; Conformal Coating and Product Reliability; Inspection and Quality; Big Data and Manufacturing Considerations; Paste Printing and Soldering; Cleaning Challenges for Board Assemblies and Harsh Environments; and Advanced Packaging.

The SE Asia Technical Conference on Electronics Assembly Technology is co-located with SEMICON Southeast Asia, in partnership with SEMI and supported by Persatuan Surface Mount Technology P. Pinang.

Visit the event website at https://www.smta.org/southeast-asia/ for more information or contact Jenny Ng, jenny@smta.org, with questions or comments.

SMTA  A Global Association Working at a Local Level

The SMTA membership is an international network of professionals who build skills, share practical experience and develop solutions in electronic assembly technologies, including microsystems, emerging technologies, and related business operations.
Administratorii portalului nu poarta raspundere pentru continutul postarilor si materialelor plasate de utilizatorii site-ului. Utilizati informatia din acest articol pe propriul risc.
AKRON, Ohio - Students at Firestone High School filed out the door of the school on Wednesday at 10 a.m., joining thousands of schools across the country demonstrating against gun violence in schools on National Student Walkout Day.

More than 40 Akron schools participated in walkout day activities, from anti-bullying exercises to school assemblies.

Led by the Student Coalition Against Violence, about 300 students filed out of the school chanting, "Enough is Enough," as they stepped into the frigid air. After a moment of silence honoring the 17 people killed during a mass shooting in February at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, members of the coalition addressed the crowd.

"Our drive is rooted in prevention. We have lost far too many lives already," said Megan May, the group's organizer said. "Over time we have seen school shootings shift from being shocking tragedies to common occurrences to what is now a looming threat that has manifested itself in schools across America."

The coalition members, wearing bright orange t-shirts with targets on them, gave several short speeches, and some recited original slam poetry.

Bree Chambers fiercely delivered a poem with the lines, "I think this world needs more than a hash tag, I think this world needs more than prayers without action."

Joining the students was a group of parents.

Trisha Sheridan brought her son, Braeden, a 3rd grader at The Lippman School in West Akron, which is private. Sheridan has no children in public schools, in part because of the threat of gun violence. She's also as a trauma nurse who has witnessed the aftermath of gun violence.

"It's important his generation witness what these kids are doing," she said. Braedon held his handmade sign, which read, "We should not be afraid of going to school because of guns shooting me and my friends."

A common theme in the students' messaging was that the walkout is only the beginning. They plan to advocate for stricter Ohio gun laws at the Statehouse in Columbus, and support like-minded candidates in elections.

At the school, coalition members are asking for stricter controls on people walking the halls without passes, and more rigorous Active Shooter Response Training (ALICE). They also want school counselors to be present rather than attending off-site meetings, so they are available when students need them.

Students in the coalition are now working to organize a trip to Columbus to the Statehouse on March 24 for the March for Our Lives, launched by survivors of the Florida shooting.

Want more Akron news?

, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The latest batch of acquisitions announced by the Cleveland Museum of Art is relatively small - only five objects. But several of the works involved should have an immediate impact when they go on view this week.

A new exhibition opening Saturday at the museum focusing on five years' worth of recent acquisitions will include the freshly acquired 1701 baroque-era portrait of Francesca Gommi Maratti by her husband, the artist Carlo Maratti.

Little known outside of Italy, Maratti was considered the greatest painter of late 17th Rome. He was admired for his crisp, elegant classicism, which contrasted with the boiling energy and spectacular action usually associated with the baroque style.

The museum described the portrait as an homage by Maratti to his spouse shortly after their marriage. Gommi had been the artist's mistress and model since at least the 1670s, according to the museum.

Maratti, also known as Maratta, depicted his bride swathed in shimmering lavender-blue drapery, with an elaborate coiffure. She gestures with her right hand to a drawing she holds with her left depicting of Venus in the workshop of Vulcan as he forges love darts for her adolescent son, Cupid - a clear love message according to the museum.

Two large, contemporary African sculptures acquired by the museum are also scheduled to go on view this week.

"Twilight of the Idols (Fetish) 3," by South African conceptual artist Kendell Geers, which stands 4-1/2-feet high, modifies a decommissioned ritual object, a nkisi nkondo power figure of the Kongo people, that the artist found in a Belgian flea market according to the museum.

Like traditional nail fetishes of its kind, the sculpture is pierced with nails driven during observances intended to ward off illness or evil spirits.

The artist wrapped the sculpture in red and white Chevron tape, the South African equivalent of the caution tape used by police in the U.S. to secure a crime scene.

"The tape simultaneously signals danger and acts as a shield from danger," the museum said in a news release.

The work is the largest of a series of 10 created - or appropriated and re-used by the artist - which bear the collective title "Twilight of the Idols," inspired by the late 19th-century iconoclastic text by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzche.

The second contemporary African piece, which stands just over six feet tall, is "Totem 01/01-18," the first in a new series by Herve Youmbi, an artist based in Douala, Cameroon.

Carved from a single block of wood, the work includes versions of four different canonical African masks covered with strung white, yellow, black and red beads that are glued to the sculpture's surface.

The museum's announcement said the work "confronts art historical conventions that organize African objects according to ethnic, cultural or regional styles," and critiques the idea that African art can be made easily digestible with labels that conflate "diverse regions and cultures into a generalization of African art."

Also part of the newest round of acquisitions is a pair of photographs taken in Mexico that include "Pyramid of the Sun, Teotihuacan," 1923, and "Heaped Black Ollas," 1926 by Edward Weston.

The provenance or ownership history of the works, which depict a monumental stepped pyramid and a pile of ceramic jugs, includes the collection of Anita Brenner, the scholar of Mexican culture and history. She commissioned Weston in 1925 to provide photographs to illustrate her book, "Idols Behind Altars," according to the museum.

The project encouraged Weston to investigate Mexico's pre-colonial monuments and contemporary art and crafts traditions.

As for the two newly acquired photographs, the museum said in its announcement that they provide something previously missing in its collection of photographs by Weston - images from his transition from the moody pictorialist photographic style to the more restrained and visually austere style of modernism.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office says woman and her two sons should not face felony charges after they forced teenagers who stole the woman's car into their trunk and drove them to a Cleveland police station.

Prosecutor Michael O'Malley's office on Wednesday referred the case back to Cleveland city prosecutors, who will determine whether to file misdemeanor charges against Shelia Beale and her two sons, Kenyatta Ware and George Barnes.

Beale's Chrysler 200 was stolen from a Garfield Heights gas station on March 4, and eluded Garfield Heights police during a high-speed chase.

Beale tracked down the car using its GPS, and the trio and another man whom police have not identified, found it at Anita Kennedy Drive near East 70th Street , the office said. The teens tried to drive away but crashed the car, and Ware, Burns and the other person assaulted them, forced them into the car and drove them to the Fourth District police station on East 93rd Street and Kinsman Road, the office said.

Ware admitted to attacking the teens and Beale admitted to forcing them inside the trunk, according to police reports.

Police and court records say Beale's sons fired several shots into the car at the teenagers and held them at gunpoint. O'Malley told cleveland.com that investigators now believe the fourth person was the gunman who fired the shots, and are working to identify him.

O'Malley's office on Wednesday charged the teenagers with receiving stolen property and vandalism.

O'Malley said in the release that citizen's arrests are legal, but dangerous.

"We have seen innocent citizens sustain serious injuries as a result of people taking the law into their own hands," O'Malley said. "It is always best to let law enforcement handle these matters."

To comment on this story, please visit Wednesday's crime and courts comments page.

Update: This story was updated to include information provided by Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- President Trump claimed he'd run into the Parkland mass shooting spree unarmed. Yet he was only brave enough to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via twitter.

The tough-talking president who admires strongman, authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin, who jokes about being 'President for Life' like the leader of China, didn't have the courage to tell the Eagle Scout and former CEO of Exxon/Mobile, in person, that his service to his country was no longer wanted.

The manner of Tillerson's firing follows a gutless pattern for the Coward-in-Chief. Conman Trump had sent his former bodyguard/driver to fire then-FBI Director James Comey, instead of doing it himself.

Trump's twitter-termination of Tillerson makes Donny Derferments look weak as the White House scrambles to prepare him for a meeting with Kim Jong Un.

Kim and Putin have to be laughing their butts off at the cowardly way Trump fired Tillerson.

Tillerson was doomed when he refused to either confirm or deny he spoke the truth in calling Trump a moron. National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster, who also disparaged Trump as a moron, is expected to be the next to go. His departure could be announced at any time.

While Tillerson's ouster was long expected by everyone but apparently him, the timing of Tuesday's tweeter announcement was still curious. Were Tillerson's recent critical comments on North Korea and Russia, that were out of sync with Trump, the final straw?

Hours before Trump announced his meeting with Kim, Tillerson expressed pessimism that a meeting with North Korea would be realistic.

Just prior to his being fired, Tillerson joined British Prime Minister May in condemning likely Russian involvement in the nerve gas poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter, in a U.K. park.

It would be ironic if Tillerson's criticism of Russia played a part in his firing. Recently The New Yorker ran a story reporting that a Russian source alleged Russia had vetoed Trump's choice of Mitt Romeny as Secretary of State because of his past comments about Russia being the #1 threat to U.S. security.

Tillerson became a surprise choice for Secretary of State. While Tillerson did not know Trump, he did know Putin from his dealings with Russia while CEO of Exxon. Putin even had given Tillerson a civilian medal.

However, aside from his Russian connections, it would eventually become clear that Trump and Tillerson often were not talking from the same page on many foreign policy issues.

In addition to Trump and Tillerson continually contradicting each other, Trump undercut Tillerson by making Jared Kushner de facto Secretary of State.

Tillerson didn't help his cause by being judged to be a poor manager of the State Department. His management style did not foster a staff support system when he became imperiled. Some of his problems at State were not of his own making. He was charged with task of recklessly gutting the department by Trump and Steve Bannon.

Trump, of course, has every right to have cabinet he can work with, and new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is more in sync with Trump on many foreign policy issues than Tillerson was. But Tillerson's departure deserved to be treated with more dignity than Trump showed. It's yet another example of why the administration has had a hard time attracting qualified job candidates.

Tillerson is said to have enjoyed his job. He reportedly refused to resign and said Trump would have to fire him face to face. The Eagle Scout was honored to serve his country. Someday his being fired by likely the worst president in U.S. history will also be seen as a badge of honor.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- CNN anchor Chris Cuomo is moving from the morning to prime time starting in the spring.

The "New Day" anchor will headline his own show, simply titled "Cuomo Prime Time," weeknights at 9 p.m., Variety reported. The timeslot is currently occupied by the second hour of "Anderson Cooper 360."

Cuomo, whose spirited discussions with on-air sparring partners such as Trump allies Kellyanne Conway and Anthony Scaramucci have raised his profile, will now take on the two heavyweights in the cable news battle: Sean Hannity on Fox News and Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

CNN hopes the move will turn around the network's fortunes in that time period, where it has been a distant third.

Cuomo came over to CNN in 2009 from ABC, where he had stints hosting "Good Morning America" and "20/20." He is the son of former New York governor Mario Cuomo, and the brother of the current governor, Andrew Cuomo.

CNN's John Berman will take over the anchor chair next to Alisyn Camerota on "New Day" once Cuomo begins his new assignment, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - On April 24, just 10 days after the Induction Ceremony in Cleveland, the Rock Hall will release "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: In Concert."

The DVD/Blu-ray set features 53 live performances from ceremonies that have taken place between 2010 and 2017.

That includes iconic performances from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Rush, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ring Starr, Paul McCartney, Green Day and more. The videos also include induction speeches from those years.

The Rock Hall will also release five digital albums of the ceremonies as well, with bonus performances by Tom Waits, Heart, the Hollies, Alice Cooper and others. Both the DVD/Blu-ray and digital album sets will be available through major retailers.

The 2018 Induction Ceremony takes place at Cleveland's Public Hall. The sold-out event will honor Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Trio - the new restaurant from 111 Bistro owners Meghan Pender and Anthony Scolaro - will be located in the space occupied by Bac Asian American Bistro & Bar, chef Anthony Scolaro said Wednesday.

The move is part of a recent restaurant shift, with Bac Asian announcing it is moving into the Old City Libations spot in Cleveland's Gordon Square neighborhood.

Scolaro said Trio is expected to open in "early to mid June."

Scolaro and Pender - graduates of the University of Akron's hospitality management program - have owned 111 Bistro in Medina for four years. They have envisioned a chance to stretch their culinary boundaries for some time, but the Tremont expansion came up quickly, he said.

"It was kind of something we didn't necessarily see coming," he said. "We kind of had this opportunity come up. We were involved in a whole other project when we got the phone call to check this place out."

Pender and Scolaro are looking forward to an adventurous approach in the kitchen in Tremont.

"That's absolutely going to be the goal," Scolaro said. "Trio will be our outlet for creative (cooking) and seasonality. ... With 111 we've done that in a way in Medina, but we can only go so far."

Scolaro said he expects Trio to be "more plateful and adventurous." He isn't coming at this cold; he has had experience with various menu changes for wine dinners and other events at 111 Bistro.

He already has been experimenting with options for the smaller menu, like creating Carbonara with black garlic pasta that resulted in "funky and cool flavors," he said.

Menu aside, the logistics of the move are enticing to the owners. The restaurant is nestled at Auburn Avenue and W. 14th Street, tucked in the northeast corner of interstates 71 and 490.

"I think Megan and I liked the fact it wasn't necessarily in the main drag," he said. "Being right off 14th, it's really accessible. Free parking in Tremont is next to nowhere. To have a huge parking lot across the street is a big draw for us. We saw a lot of potential with the space. The kitchen needed some love, but we really thought we could make it our own and transform it to what we had always dreamed of doing."

The business partners have been cryptically rolling out details about the expansion via Twitter, and last week Pender told us she was excited about the move.

"It was something that fell into our laps," she said. "We heard the space became available. We looked at the space, fell in love with it. We've got a good staff here to trust things are going well. It kind of worked out timing-wise."

She added "Tremont is a little more of that foodie scene. Whereas 111 is more casual, this will be a little more fine dining."

Pender lives in Medina and Scolaro resides in Wadsworth, with both having close highway access to shoot the 30 or so minutes to Tremont.

"To be in Cleveland and be part of the community of restaurants is something," Scolaro said. "I don't know if it's sunk in yet."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- University Hospitals' fertility clinic is under investigation by two accreditation organizations and the Ohio Department of Health after a storage tank malfunction potentially damaged thousands of embryos and eggs.

These groups are looking for answers as to what happened at UH's Ahuja Medical Center in Beachwood. The eggs and embryos, according to officials, could be unviable for in vitro fertilization procedures. Several lawsuits have been filed against UH in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, and more are expected. Since its initial statement, UH has declined to comment further.

A similar equipment malfunction recently hit a fertility clinic in San Francisco, but it is not clear if the two are related.

The findings may result in stricter guidelines for fertility labs across the country and could put UH's accreditation in question.

The College of American Pathologists, an international lab accreditation program based outside of Chicago, has launched an investigation into the fertility clinic equipment malfunction at UH.

CAP is drafting a letter to UH that outlines specific questions regarding the equipment malfunction, said Dr. Paul Bachner, advisor to the CAP accreditation committee. UH will have 10 days to respond and CAP may follow up with an on-site visit to the lab, Bachner said.

He declined to say whether UH had received the letter yet. CAP's findings will not be made public.

UH could lose its accreditation with CAP if it is found to be out of compliance and doesn't resolve the issues promptly, Bachner said. But, he added, "We cannot shut a lab down. We don't have the authority to do that."

Fertility labs want to keep their accreditation because patients look for that when deciding where to go for treatment, said Denise Driscoll, senior director, Accreditation & Regulatory Affairs for CAP.

The UH fertility lab passed a CAP inspection in 2016 and was due for another inspection this year. The San Francisco lab was found in compliance during its CAP inspection in 2017. Labs are inspected every two years.

In order to be accredited by CAP, labs must meet certain standards regarding the training and education of staff, facilities, equipment and other aspects.

The CAP checklist for inspecting fertility labs includes the following points:

checks of incubator function are recorded each day

written procedures for monitoring and maintaining adequate liquid nitrogen levels

alarms monitored 24 hours a day either remotely or in the lab

procedure for back-up refrigerators and freezers

It's too soon to know what caused the freezer malfunction at UH, Driscoll said. CAP will take what it learns about the malfunction at UH and use it to make other labs safer, she said.

A team from the Ohio Department of Health investigated UH on Tuesday to determine if the hospital is in compliance with federal regulations for Medicare and Medicaid programs, wrote Russ Kennedy, of the department of health's office of communications, in an email.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asked the department to conduct the investigation, Kennedy wrote. The health department's findings won't be made public until they are given to UH and the release of public records is authorized, Kennedy said. It is not clear at this time what role CMS plays in fertilization coverage.

The Joint Commission, a nonprofit accrediting organization, certified Ahuja Medical Center's fertility clinic's embryo lab as part of the hospital's overall accreditation in December 2016, according to the commission's quality report on UH. The commission last performed an on-site survey of the hospital in January 2017.

The commission's Office of Quality and Patient Safety "is aware of a patient safety concern" at Ahuja and "is currently reviewing the concern," said Katie Looze Bronk, media and communications specialist for the commission.

When reviewing a concern, the commission can:

make an unannounced or unscheduled on-site evaluation

request a response to the safety concern

review the concern during a routine accreditation survey in the near future

add information about the concern to a database that tracks patient safety, quality issues and trends.

If an organization fails to address the concern, that could "potentially adversely affect an organization's accreditation status," the commission said.

While accreditation is voluntary, Dr. Nicholas Spirtos, who runs the Northeastern Ohio Fertility Center in Akron, said it's risky for an organization not to seek accreditation.

"I guess you can get by without it but you're taking a chance. It's highly recommended you do all you can to protect the patients," Spirtos said.

Spirtos has never heard of an incident like the one at UH in his 30 years as a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist. He expects the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, a professional organization for in vitro fertilization clinics, to come up with new quality control guidelines for alarm and tank monitoring in light of the malfunction at UH.

"If there was an issue, we want to make sure other programs don't get too complacent," said Spirtos, who has volunteered as an inspector for the College of American Pathologists, which accredits embryo labs. "I'm sure UH never had a problem before last week."

More coverage:

Couples in UH fertility clinic malfunction face daunting court challenge, retired Judge McMonalge says
HINCKLEY TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- While they have been returning to Buzzard Roost in the Cleveland Metroparks Hinckley Reservation pretty much like clockwork for eons, the township's venerable turkey vultures have been treated like royalty since 1957.

"It's a fun and unique way to welcome spring in Northeast Ohio," Sharon Hosko, a naturalist for the Metroparks, said of the annual March 15 Buzzard Spotting Day.

"It's kind of a ritual; some people have been coming since 1957. And it's not just Northeast Ohio people. We have had people come from California, Michigan, Florida; it's on their bucket list," she said.

Specifically when the birds of the hour actually arrive, however, varies.

"We are here at 7 a.m., and most years the first one is spotted between 7:45 and 8:30," Hosko said. "But buzzards migrate to get food; they go to where food is available. So it really depends on the winter. They migrate to as close as Kentucky to as far as South America."

Recent mild winters have resulted in earlier returns of the Hinckley buzzards, Hosko said, with 2017 being a notable exception.

"Last year, it was 16 degrees with 25- to 35-mile-per-hour winds and (the first buzzard) was not spotted until 1:16 p.m.," she said.

Celebration continues

The 61st Annual Buzzard Day festivities continue March 18, traditionally the first Sunday following Buzzard Spotting Day, with the annual All-You-Can-Eat Pancake Breakfast from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hinckley Elementary School, 1586 Ridge Road. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children 10 and younger.

An arts and craft fair will also be held from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the elementary school gym.

The Hinckley Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Buzzard Buzz, at Hinckley Town Hall and Brongers Park, 1410 Ridge Road, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature a full schedule of buzzard-themed games, contests and activities.

For more information, visit http://www.hinckleyohchamber.com/buzzard-day/buzzard-day-2018/

Please take a moment and click here to help the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, a cleveland.com partner. Every dollar you give buys four meals for the hungry.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Proposed new language in a House bill that would reform bail practices across Ohio does not sit well with the ACLU of Ohio.

Of particular concern is the removal of language from the original House Bill 439 that prohibits a judge from "requiring monetary security as bail if the amount of the security is designed to keep the accused detained."

Bail reform advocates oppose the use of monetary security when setting bail - except as a last resort - because it often means poor suspects sit in jail simply because they cannot afford the bail amount.

"Money should never be used as a means to keep a person incarcerated," states Caitlin Hill, policy counsel with the Ohio ACLU, in a news release.

The introduction of HB 439 follows nearly two years of coverage and advocacy on the issues of bail reform by cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer in its ongoing Justice for All series.

One of the bill's Republican sponsors, Rep. Jonathan Dever of Medeira, took exception to the ACLU's characterization of the new language.

Dever said in an interview with cleveland.com that the language was removed from the bill, it was because it conflicted with other language in the bill that allows monetary security as a bail option.

Dever said he wants judges to make their own decisions "rather than have a carte blanche prohibition on any one thing." He also believes monetary security should be a judge's last option, he said.

But Hill said in an interview with cleveland.com that including the language in the original version "showed foresight and thought," and that removing it seems to condone the practice.

House Bill 439 was introduced in December by Dever and Timothy Ginter of Salem. Among other things, the bill would require courts to consider the results of a "validated risk assessment tool" when making bail-setting decisions.

Such tools are data-driven methods designed to more objectively determine whether a suspect is a flight risk or a danger to the community.

Bail reform advocates are critical of judges who set bail based on the charge rather than the likelihood that the suspect will not appear in court or be a danger to society if released pending trial.

Hill said she doesn't like that the new version of the bill allows the bail-bond industry to have a say in determining which validated risk assessment tools the courts would be allowed to use. She said she fears that the industry will try to promote the use of bail bonds.

"It's very concerning," she said.

Dever said he believes the bail industry deserves a voice in the process along with the other interested parties.

Hill also doesn't think the bill goes far enough to monitor judges to make sure they comply with bail reforms. She said rules in place in New Jersey do a good job of walking judges through procedures that will reduce their use of bail.

Dever said enforcement will be up to the Ohio Supreme Court.

One positive aspect of the substitute Bill 439, according to Hill, is that it would allow local courts to contract with the state prison system to provide pretrial services. Courts will need to rely on pretrial services, such as supervision and electronic monitoring, to a greater extent if they are releasing more suspects.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A student at Case Western Reserve University contacted the university's police department regarding a man with missing teeth mumbling to himself and approaching students.

This led a campus police officer to approach Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell, who happened to be taking his daily walk through the area.

The officer stopped Conwell and asked for his identification. Conwell said he believes that he was the target of racial profiling.

The encounter prompted the university president Barbara Snyder to reach out Friday morning to Conwell to apologize. The university also has said it would provide additional training to officers in community policing.

Case Western Reserve University apologizes after officers demanded Councilman Kevin Conwell produce ID while he walked through campus

Campus police chief Jay Hodge also agreed to meet with the 58-year-old councilman on Friday.

"The university has been reviewing the sequence of events surrounding officers' encounter with Councilman Conwell," according to a statement from the university. "Our goal is to identify areas where additional training would give members of the department more knowledge, insight and guidance regarding best practices of community policing."

The incident happened about 9:40 a.m. Friday. A student called the campus police and told a dispatcher that a man was standing near the Weatherhead School of Management at the intersection of Ford Drive and Belleflower Court.

She said in the dispatch recording that the person was "kind of weird and acting funny, like mumbling things and talking to himself," the recording says. She told the dispatcher he was standing around "really for no reason" but couldn't understand what he was saying to passing students.

"It's just a stranger," she said. "I don't know if he's necessarily suspicious but he was like mumbling."

Parts of the dispatch recording were inaudible.

The caller said the man was black, with missing teeth and wearing a blue hat and tan coat, according to the recording and a police incident report. Conwell did not immediately respond to a call and text message seeking comment after the university released information on the call.

The dispatcher then sent a police officer to check the area. She gave the officer the description, but did not include that the man had missing teeth. The dispatcher also told the officer the man was harassing students.

The officer got the area about two minutes after being dispatched. He later radioed back that he had located a suspect, presumably Conwell.

The university issued a statement saying that Conwell was wearing a blue hat and a tan coat.

Hodge, executive director of public safety Frank Demes both did not return messages seeking comment.

The university did not respond to a list of detailed questions regarding the incident.

"In every instance, we know we always can improve--and with ongoing learning opportunities, we will," the statement said.

To comment on this story, please visit cleveland.com's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Case Western Reserve University's president called to apologize to Cleveland City Councilman Kevin Conwell, who was stopped and questioned by university police Friday while Conwell was walking through campus.

The university also issued a statement Wednesday, after being contacted about the incident by cleveland.com, again expressing regret that Conwell had been questioned and promising to provide more training to campus officers.

"We deeply regret that Councilman Conwell was stopped and asked for his identification while on our campus and are taking steps -- specifically additional training to address the issues this encounter has raised," the statement said.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, Conwell, who is black, said he suspects he was a victim of racial profiling.

Case Western Reserve student called about panhandler prior to officer stopping Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell

Listen to the call that led to Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell getting stopped

Conwell, whose Ward 9 includes part of the Case campus, said the officer told him there was a report of a black man bothering students. Conwell said he intends to verify that a complaint was filed with campus police.

"I'm minding my own business," Conwell said. "If I can't walk through my own neighborhood, I'm sure they're stopping my residents."

Conwell said he later received the apology from CWRU President Barbara Snyder.

Cleveland.com sought comment from university Police Chief Jay Hodge, but did not get a response.

A member of City Council since 2001, Conwell lives on Ashbury Avenue a short distance north of University Circle. A cancer survivor, the 58-year-old councilman regularly walks for exercise, often traveling through the Case campus to Little Italy and back.

On Friday, as he was walking along Ford Drive north of Mayfield Road, the Case officer pulled up in a cruiser and stopped him, Conwell said. Other officers soon arrived, he said.

Conwell said he asked officers on what basis they were stopping him and if he was being racially profiled.

"Walking while black," he said in his interview Wednesday.

After identifying himself as a council member, Conwell said, the officers said he was free to go.

According to the university's statement, Conwell's hat and jacket matched a description given in a telephoned report complaining of an individual who appeared to be disoriented and approaching students.

Conwell, who was in Washington Wednesday for National League of Cities meetings, said he intends to talk with Snyder and Hodge when he returns to Cleveland. The university's statement said Hodge plans to meet with him on Friday.

On Wednesday, though, Conwell said he is concerned about what could have happened.

What if he had been jogging through the area and didn't realize the officer wanted him to stop, Conwell asked.

"If I wasn't a councilman, I don't know what would have happened," he said.

In its statement, the university said it intends to provide officers with more training.

"The department's police and security officers have participated in extensive training regarding the tenets of community policing and appropriate interactions with members of the community," it said. "We will be providing additional education to all officers within the next few weeks."
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland emergency room doctors saw a surge of patients suffering from suspected opioid overdoses in 2017, in a trend the Centers for Disease Control says suggests overdoses are on the rise in Ohio and in major metropolitan areas.

The CDC study released last week found that the number of Ohio emergency department visits for opioid overdoses increased by nearly 28 percent between July 2016 and September 2017. Large metropolitan areas across the nation saw an increase of about 54 percent in the same period.

The numbers suggest that the opioid epidemic is continuing to worsen across Ohio and in some Midwest states.

Dr. Mariam Diab, emergency room physician at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center in Cleveland, says that she noticed a marked increase in opioid overdose visits in her emergency room.

"The numbers are high and they definitely increased in 2017," Diab said. "At times, we have at least seven or ten (overdoses) a day and sometimes that's only what we (treat) that day."

The CDC's data shows that the largest overdose increases last year happened in Midwestern states and in large cities, which includes Cleveland. Like other major Rust Belt cities, Cleveland might be feeling the effects of this latest surge due to both its population density and location.

The country saw an overall 34.5 percent increase in opioid overdose emergency department visits last year.

Hospitals in some neighboring states saw much larger increases than Ohio and the nationwide average. Pennsylvania experienced a roughly 81 percent jump in that same one-year period, and Indiana logged a roughly 35 percent increase. Other Midwestern states saw a decline in emergency room visits -- Kentucky had a 15 percent decrease and West Virginia had a 5 percent decrease, according to the study.

The executive director of the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy attributed the declines in his state to emergency responders increasing their use of naloxone, known as Narcan, which counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose, kentucky.com reports.

Ohio is one of 32 states that received funding over the past two years to participate in the CDC's Enhanced State Opioid Overdose Surveillance Program, which provides researchers with more timely and well-rounded data about fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses on a local level.

The program can track overdose outbreaks in near real-time and provides an avenue for quicker response compared to other cumbersome data collection methods like analyzing hospital billing data.

This new data can serve as an early warning system because "spikes in emergency department overdose trends...can potentially predict future fatal overdose trends and inform a more localized response," according to the study.

A comprehensive tally of fatal opioid overdoses in Cuyahoga County last year has yet to be finalized by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, but preliminary numbers show that the death toll continued to sharply rise.

There were 353 drug overdose deaths in the county in 2014, 370 in 2015, and fatalities jumped to 666 in 2016. That number reached 822 in 2017, according to the most recent report released by the medical examiner's office.

While the CDC did not release county-by-county numbers, Cuyahoga County's continued increase in fatal overdoses is in line with the CDC's data that suggest the opioid crisis in Ohio has not yet begun to plateau.

Dr. Baruch Fertel, director of quality for Cleveland Clinic's emergency departments and a practicing emergency department physician, said his hospital "definitely saw a spike in overdoses in 2017."

He emphasized that the opioid epidemic continues to be a major public health crisis, and one that has been aggravated by the climbing potency of street drugs that are often cut with powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl and carfentanil.

Fentanyl, which is 30-to-50 times stronger than heroin, was identified in at least 477 fatal overdoses in Cuyahoga County in 2017, according to the medical examiner's office. Carfentanil, which is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, was identified in about 192 overdose deaths -- compared with 56 cases in 2016, and zero cases in 2015 and before.

"Anecdotally, patients have told me that it's good for business if a dealer has a patient that overdoses, because it shows that they're selling potent stuff. People want to be able to get high and they become more tolerant, (meaning) higher and higher doses are needed," Fertel said.

The solution, Fertel said, must be a comprehensive one. Officials must address the needs of people already dependent on opioids, and seek to prevent a new generation of people becoming dependent on the drugs.

"We need to do whatever we can to get people treatment. We need to increase access to treatment centers, but make them affordable" for the underinsured and uninsured, Fertel said.

To comment on this story, please visit cleveland.com's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The cousin of a Cleveland man who died eight days after he was shot outside a West Side bar following an argument over a game of pool said his cousin had his hands up and begged for his life before the gunman shot him.

Nicholas Russell, 24, died at MetroHealth on Sunday, according to the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. He was shot about 12:15 a.m. March 3 outside Mandy's Lounge on Pearl Road near Stickney Avenue in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood.

Russell's cousin, Robert Fairbanks, told police that he, his sister, her friend and Russell went to the bar together that night. They started a pool game, and a man and his girlfriend who they did not know asked to join them at the table, according to a police report.

An argument broke out between the groups and a man who acted like a bouncer pushed everyone outside, the report says.

One man involved in the melee pulled out a gun and pointed it at Russell outside the bar, Fairbanks told cleveland.com.

Fairbanks said that Russell was not armed. He put his hands up and asked the gunman not to shoot him, but the man fired at point-blank range, Fairbanks said.

The bullet struck Russell in his chest. Fairbanks and another member of their group rushed to help Russell as he lay in street bleeding. Police arrived to find them administering first aid, according to the report.

Paramedics took him to MetroHealth, where he remained until he died on Sunday.

Fairbanks told cleveland.com that Russell worked at a family-run factory and was a fun-loving man who put his family above all else. He left behind five children -- two biological children and three children who he raised since birth, Fairbanks said.

"He just loved his family," Fairbanks said. "He went to work at the factory everyday to pay his bills and raise his five kids."

Fairbanks said that he and other members of Russell's family are asking the community for help in tracking down the person who killed him.

No charges have been filed in his death and Cleveland police have not publicly identified any suspects in the case.

To comment on this story, please visit cleveland.com's crime and courts comments section.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's new Down syndrome abortion ban is on hold after a federal judge in Cincinnati sided with abortion providers who claimed the ban was unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Black issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking the new law from going into effect next week while the case continues. Black wrote in a 22-page order that House Bill 214, which was signed by Gov. John Kasich in December, violates Supreme Court opinions that say a state can't prohibit a woman from making the decision to end a pregnancy before the fetus is viable.

"Here, Ohio's new law wrongfully does just that: it violates the right to privacy of every woman in Ohio and is unconstitutional on its face," Black wrote.

The Ohio law bans abortions after a prenatal screening or test shows the fetus likely has Down syndrome. Doctors who perform an abortion, with knowledge of a possible Down syndrome diagnosis, could be convicted of a fourth-degree felony, punishable by up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Supporters of the law said it ended discrimination against unborn children with the genetic anomaly. Ohio does not keep statistics on reasons women seek abortion or whether aborted fetuses had been diagnosed with Down syndrome. Nationally, abortion rates after learning of a possible Down syndrome diagnosis likely range from 50 to 85 percent, according to a 2012 survey of abortion studies.

The ACLU of Ohio sued the state in February on behalf of Preterm Cleveland, Planned Parenthood of Ohio Southwest Region, Women's Med Center of Dayton, Dr. Roslyn Kade and Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio. They argued the law would force Ohio women to travel out of state for abortions or force women to continue pregnancies against their will.

"This law does absolutely nothing to support people with disabilities -- it's just another ploy to make it nearly impossible for Ohio women to get the care they need," Freda Levenson, legal director for the ACLU of Ohio, said in a statement Wednesday. "We are committed to making sure this unconstitutional law is never enforced and today's ruling brings us one step closer."

Three other states have passed similar laws, but none have taken effect. Laws are on hold in Indiana and Louisiana pending court challenges.

Black, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2010, served as an unpaid director of the Planned Parenthood Association of Cincinnati from 1986 to 1989 and as board president in 1988. He recused himself from a 2014 case involving Planned Parenthood over the objections of anti-abortion group Right to Life of Greater Cincinnati. Judges are randomly assigned district court cases.

Black cited Indiana Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, who wrote that as long as a woman has a right to choose to terminate a pregnancy, the state cannot "examine, let alone prohibit, the basis or bases upon which a woman makes her choice."

Attorneys for the state argued that Supreme Court decisions upholding a woman's right to abortion only applied to her right to choose whether to have a child, not a "particular child."

Black disagreed.

"The state cannot dictate what factors a woman is permitted to consider in making her choice," Black wrote. "The state's attempt to carve out exceptions to a categorical right where none exist fails as a matter of law... The state's argument that a woman must make this choice from behind a veil of ignorance, oblivious to the circumstances of the child she is carrying, finds no support in the law."

Black also rejected state attorneys' claim the law prevents discrimination and protects the Down syndrome community.

"The state's interest in potential life -- whether couched as anti-'discrimination' or otherwise -- does not become compelling until viability," Black wrote.

Mobile readers, click here to read the judge's order.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- High-tech startup Gyant will receive mentorship after being selected for a spot to participate in the Plug and Play Cleveland business accelerator program.

Learn more about the company in the video above.

Gyant is a chat application where a patient can receive a diagnosis. The patient answers questions from a bot where it can then gather information to prepare a detailed clinical note.

A doctor will review the patient's case and talk to them about what they need to do next. The doctor will do things such as helping the patient with a prescription, guide them to the correct care, or give them advice if they can take care of the health problem at home.

Gyant is one of 12 companies picked to receive mentoring help over the next few months before it presents plans to potential investors in June.

The company made its pitch during a March 1 event in Cleveland hosted by Plug and Play, which is headquartered in Silicon Valley, Calif. The company's goal is to connect startup businesses with corporations.

Plug and Play's three-year commitment to Cleveland makes it the only U.S. program outside of New York or California. The companies selected will be housed in downtown Cleveland's Global Center for Health Innovation.

The business accelerator is in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, JumpStart Inc. and other Ohio partners.

Learn more about the 11 other companies that won the pitch competition here.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man could now face the death penalty after being convicted Tuesday of last year's brutal murder of Reagan Tokes, a young Ohio State student from the Toledo area.

According to 10tv.com, the jury deliberated for nearly six hours before delivering guilty verdicts on nine charges and multiple specifications against Brian Golsby, which include kidnapping, robbery, rape and aggravated murder.

Tuesday would have been Tokes' 23rd birthday.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Tokes' family members bowed their heads after hearing the verdict in the courtroom. Later, Tokes' mother, Lisa McCrary-Tokes, burst into tears while embracing Reagan's younger sister, the Dispatch reports.

Golsby, 30, stared straight ahead and showed no reaction, 10tv.com reports.

Prosecutors say Golsby killed Tokes, of Maumee, Ohio, a suburb of Toledo, on Feb. 8, 2017. Police say he abducted Tokes at about 9:45 p.m., shortly after she left her work shift at a Columbus bar.

He is accused of forcing her to withdraw $60 from an ATM, then making her drive them in her car to Scioto Grove Metro Park in Grove City.

Golsby then raped Tokes before shooting her twice in the head, killing her, police say. Tokes' body was found the next day in the park.

Prosecutors made their closing arguments Tuesday morning, describing Golsby as cold and calculating, according to the Dispatch.

"He had her for two hours thinking what he's going to do to her," Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Rausch said, 10tv.com reports.

The death penalty phase of the trial begins Friday.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
OBERLIN, Ohio -- Ginger Deppman, 15, shivered in the bitter cold outside Oberlin High School this morning but said she "could stand the cold for 17 minutes" to support gun control and remember the students gunned down in Florida last month.

Deppman was among hundreds of students in the city and thousands across Northeast Ohio and the nation who protested the need for stricter gun control measures in the memory of 17 students killed by a lone gunman at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., last month.

William Baylis, high school principal, said the school would take no action against students who walked out of class at 10 a.m. to honor the Florida victims.

"I did ask them to gather in the gym instead of going outside at the flagpole," he said. "It's very cold outside and we are concerned about their welfare."

Deppman and her two friends, Sacha Brenner and Jace Comings, all 15-year-old sophomores, would not hear of it.

"We felt it was important to be visible in the community, not inside the gym," said Brenner. "So, we told the students we would be outside and we hoped they would join us."

Comings said there were a few uncomfortable minutes as the three students stood alone by the flagpole. Then it happened.

"They all started to come out," said Deppman. "Fifty to 70 students left the warm gym and stood with us in the cold for 17 minutes. It made us feel very good."

Not far away, hundreds of Oberlin College students gathered in Tappan Square to hear Meredith Raimondo, the dean of students, talk about the need to force elected officials to stand up to the National Rifle Association and enact gun legislation.

Oberlin City Council President Bryan Burgess said the time has come to not just talk about gun control, but to demand it.

"It's time to carry the message to the voting booth and demand our politicians do something about gun control," he said.

Before the demonstration started, one of the organizers worried that there would be a light turnout.

"It's mid-term exam week and it's very cold out here," said Monica Dix, of Shorewood, Wis. "And I'm from Wisconsin, I know cold."

But less than a minute later the students started to walk across the square and stand in silence waiting for the speakers.

"We need to tell our congressmen and senators that it's time to vote out those that take large contributions from the NRA and then vote for whatever the NRA wants. It's time to do the right thing, which is what most of the people in the country want."
EUCLID, Ohio --Euclid police arrested the parents of an elementary school student after a teacher discovered their child with a bag of cocaine.

Police and school district officials declined to say which school the child attended, and cleveland.com has requested a copy of a police report and dispatch logs from the incident.

A narcotics officer from the police department performed a field test on the white powder the 6-year-old student brought to school and it tested positive for cocaine, according to the Euclid Police Department Facebook page.

Authorities obtained a search warrant to search the home where the child lived and seized "a substantial amount of narcotics" and a loaded gun, the Facebook page said.

The parents were later arrested.

Euclid police spokesman Lt. Mitch Houser said the parents names are not being released until they are formally charged.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
Rich Exner, cleveland.com

Where are the fast food restaurants?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - You probably don't need this post to tell you that fast-food restaurants are everywhere, but they're more prominent in some parts of the state than others.

So where are the most fast-food restaurants in Ohio?

To answer that question, we looked to a USDA survey of restaurants and grocery stores. The agency tracks the number of fast food restaurants in every county in the United States and calculates the number of restaurants per capita in each, using census data. The department defines a fast food restaurant as any limited service restaurant in which customers pay before receiving their food. Restaurants that deliver, such as Jimmy John's or Pizza Hut, are included in USDA's fast food figures.

One imagines that enormous counties like Cuyahoga (home of Cleveland) and Franklin (home of Columbus), which have thousands of burger joints between them, would have the most per capita. But the numbers say otherwise. Rural counties, with mid-sized cities at their centers, actually top that list.

Eateries like McDonald's and Wendy's are sure bets in cities like Norwalk and Washington Court House - which both have populations under 20,000 - said Sam Oches, an Athens native and an editor of the restaurant trade publication QSR.

"These are food experiences that are familiar to all the people there," he said.

Pricier casual restaurants like Piada still tend to pick bigger cities when they open new locations, seeding the smaller cities to established brands like Burger King or Taco Bell, Oches said. Although signs suggest that trend is changing as chains like Chipotle spread, he added.

Fast-food restaurants also tend to cluster in working-class communities where customers might shy away from more expensive restaurants, said Richard Klein, a Cleveland State University urban studies professor.

"Because people (in those communities) are not necessarily affluent, they eat fast food because it's quick, convenient" and inexpensive, he said.

Families can pack their kids into a car, go to a McDonald's or a KFC and feed the entire family without spending too much money, Klein said.

College towns and suburban areas also see a large number of fast-food restaurants. Students living away from their home towns tend to gravitate toward the brands they are familiar with, at least in their first year or so, Oches said.

Parents looking for a quick meal for their children also find drive-thrus convenient, helping to explain the prevalence of eateries like McDonald's in the suburbs, he added.

"Drive-thru at most fast-food restaurants is about 70 percent of their business," Oches said. When you get to suburban communities, you think about families, and the drive-thru is enormously important to them."

Below you can read about the 25 Ohio counties with the most fast-food restaurants per capita.

By Patrick Cooley

Cleveland.com

Don't Edit

Logan County

25: Logan County

Population: 45,858

Fast food restaurants: 36

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .79

Logan County is one of the most rural counties on this list. Its county seat is Bellefontaine, which has a population is just over 13,000.

Don't Edit

Miami County

24: Miami County

Population: 102,406

Fast food restaurants: 78

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .79

Just north of Dayton, Miami County contains several suburbs of the state's fifth largest city.

Don't Edit

Richland County

23: Richland County

Population: 124,475

Fast food restaurants: 96

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .79

While Richland County is far removed from Ohio's largest metropolitan areas, it does include Mansfield, a city of roughly 47,000 people.

Don't Edit

Lake County

22: Lake County

Population: 230,041

Fast food restaurants: 180

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .79

Lake County has a median household income that is higher than the average household income in other counties on this list, coming in at just over $54,000. The county includes several large suburbs of Cleveland, including Eastlake and Willoughby.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Greene County

21: Greene County

Population: 161,573

Fast food restaurants: 132

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .81

Greene County is home to several large suburbs of Dayton, including Fairborn, Beavercreek, Kettering and Xenia. Wright State University is also here.

Don't Edit

Hancock County

20: Hancock County

Population: 74,782

Fast food restaurants: 62

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .82

Findlay, which is the home of the University of Findlay and has a population of just over 41,000, is Hancock County's county seat.

Don't Edit

Huron County

19: Huron County

Population: 59,626

Fast food restaurants: 48

Fast food restaurants per 1,000: .82

Norwalk, with its population of roughly 17,000, is the largest city in Huron County, and the county has a median household income of around $40,500.

Don't Edit

Summit County

18: Summit County

Population: 541,781

Fast food restaurants: 444

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .82

Summit County is home to Akron, which has a population of just under 200,000. With around two thirds of the county living in Akron's suburbs, Summit County is heavily suburban.

Don't Edit

Hamilton County

17: Hamilton County

Population: 802,374

Fast food restaurants: 681

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .84

Hamilton County is the third most populous county in Ohio. It's the home of Cincinnati, which has the third most populous city proper in the state. The county is also heavily suburban, with more than half the population living outside of Cincinnati.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Stark County

16: Stark County

Population: 375,586

Fast food restaurants: 316

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .84

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is in Stark County, making it a major tourist destination in Northeast Ohio.

Don't Edit

Mahoning County

15: Mahoning County

Population: 375,586

Fast food restaurants: 201

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .86

Youngstown, a city of roughly 66,000, calls Mahoning County in Western Ohio home. The county's median household income is just over $40,000.

Don't Edit

Lucas County

14: Lucas County

Population: 441,815

Fast food restaurants: 373

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .86

Lucas County is home to Toledo, the fourth largest city in Ohio. It's also home to the University of Toledo, a school with an enrollment of 23,000.

Don't Edit

Cuyahoga County

13: Cuyahoga County

Population: 1,280,122

Fast food restaurants: 1,102

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .87

With a population well in excess of 1.2 million, Cuyahoga is Ohio's most populous county. It's also a heavily suburban county, with more than two thirds of the its residents living outside of the Cleveland.

Don't Edit

Ashtabula County

12: Ashtabula County

Population: 101,497

Fast food restaurants: 86

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .87

Ashtabula, with a population of around 19,000, is the county's largest city. The Median household income is roughly equivalent of other counties on this list, at just over $42,000.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Ottawa County

11: Ottawa County

Population: 41,428

Fast food restaurants: 36

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .87

Port Clinton, a small city with around 6,000 residents, is the county seat of Ottawa County. The Median household income is actually slightly higher than other counties on this list, coming in at just over $53,000 per year.

Don't Edit

Delaware County

10: Delaware County

Population: 174,214

Fast food restaurants: 166

Fast food restaurants per 1000 people: .88

Delaware County is part of the Columbus Metropolitan Area, and is home to Ohio Wesleyan University.

Don't Edit

Montgomery County

9: Montgomery County

Population: 535,153

Fast food restaurants: 477

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .89

The sixth most populous city in Ohio (that would be Dayton) calls Montgomery County home. There's also a sizable student population in Montgomery County thanks to the University of Dayton.

Don't Edit

Franklin County

8: Franklin County

Population: 1,163,414

Fast food restaurants: 1,107

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .90

With a plethora of colleges and universities - including the Ohio State University, the largest institution of higher learning in the state - Columbus has no shortage of students coming from other regions of Ohio who are unfamiliar with the city's vibrant restaurant scene.

Don't Edit

Wood County

7: Wood County

Population: 125,488

Fast food restaurants: 117

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .90

Bowling Green State University sits at the center of Wood County. The school's enrollment of roughly 20,000 students (in a city of just over 30,000 people) likely results in the higher-than normal proportion of fast food restaurants.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Athens County

6: Athens County

Population: 64,757

Fast food restaurants: 59

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .91

Athens, the county seat and largest city in Athens County, is home to Ohio University, the second largest university - in terms of enrollment - in Ohio behind the Ohio State.

Don't Edit

Clark County

5: Clark County

Population: 138,333

Fast food restaurants: 125

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .92

Clark County is the home of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has around 130,000 people clustered in a handful of communities east of Dayton. The demographics mirror some of the counties with large proportions of fast food restaurants, with a median household income of just over $44,000 per year.

Don't Edit

Allen County

4: Allen County

Population: 106,331

Fast food restaurants: 99

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .94

Lima Ohio, a city of over 38,000, anchors Allen County, which sits around halfway between Dayton and Toledo. The median household income for Allen County is much lower than the national average, at just over $37,000 per year.

Don't Edit

Guernsey County

3: Guernsey County

Population: 40,087

Fast food restaurants: 38

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: .96

Cambridge, a city of around 11,000 people, is the county seat and largest city in Guernsey County. There's a median household income of around $37,500 per year and a poverty rate of 17.3 percent.

Don't Edit

Erie County

2: Erie County

Population: 77,079

Fast food restaurants: 78

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: 1.03.

Erie County is the home of Sandusky, which is often called the roller coaster capital of the world thanks to the Cedar Point amusement park. The high level of tourism likely contributes to the number of fast food restaurants.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Fayette County

1: Fayette County

Population: 29,030

Fast food restaurants: 32

Fast food restaurants per 1,000 people: 1.11

The home of Washington Court House, Fayette County has a median household income of around $41,000 and a poverty rate of 16 percent, according to the latest Census figures.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - The state school board voted 11-4 Tuesday to oppose a plan to wipe out 80 percent of its power in a merger of the state departments of education, higher education and workforce transformation.

The vote comes as the Ohio House considers House Bill 512, which calls for the merger in the name of better preparing students for the workforce.

Board member Nick Owens, an elected board member from Georgetown, said voters created the board in the early 1950s to oversee education with more voice from the people and without major disruptions every time the state elects a new governor.

Shifting power to a new governor-appointed director and away from the board will take away that buffer, damage the transparency of the department and eliminate a major way for schools to communicate concerns.

And he, and other board members, said they are not sure how a merger into a "super-agency" would meet the bill's goals.

"This is a compete overhaul of the state board of education and its responsilities," said Owens, who proposed the resolution.

See the full resolution below.

Other board members also objected to the bill. Member Meryl Johnson of Cleveland said it would limit advocates of the most disadvantaged students in the state. Member Pat Bruns said the state's recent plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and its just-created strategic vision for schools are examples of how it collaborates with educators and advocates across the state.

And board member Laura Kohler of New Albany, a Kasich appointee, said she had been willing to hear more testimony on HB512 but said a "frightening consequence" of the bill would be making job preparation the main goal of an education.

"The purpose is so much more than that," she said. As the board's new vision and plan spells out, schools must give students a chance to succeed, "however they define success."

"I do not believe that House Bill 512 is supportive of this definition of education." she said.

State Rep. Andrew Brenner, a Powell Republican who chairs the House Education Committee, told the board that he has his own concerns with the law. But he urged the board to hold off on a vote until they talk to Rep. Bill Reineke, the bill's sponsor, about its goals. He also said language in the bill will change as debate continues.

Board member Stephanie Dodd shot back, saying Reineke and other supporters should have talked with the board and educators across the state while crafting the bill.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - It's not exactly a protest.

It's not exactly a memorial, either, or even a student walkout. In some cases, it's really a walk-with.

Schools across the country will see student demonstrations at 10 a.m. today in response to the Parkland, Florida, school shootings exactly one month ago. As of last evening, more than 13 public and private schools in Northeast Ohio had registered as participants with national organizers, though others may join in.

All the schools and participants agree pretty clearly on the major point of the demonstrations - that events like the Feb. 14 killing of 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Feb. 14 cannot continue and that people in power should take action to prevent them.

The exact shape and goal of each demonstration, though, varies.

For some, it's a massive student-led protest against legislators who hesitate to pass gun laws that national organizers want. It is led by Women's March Youth EMPOWER, a student arm of the group that led the national women's march last year.

"We need action," the group's website states. "Students and allies are organizing the national school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship."

Other students, though, want action, but don't know exactly what will help. And for many, it's just a memorial to the 17 students that were killed.

Organizers of the demonstration at Mayfield High School tomorrow, for example, aren't taking a position on gun laws yet, though different student speakers will. They want all students to join in, even just to honor the students killed.

Letters to members of Congress, they say, will come later.

While some students will defy school rules by participating, adult leaders of other schools are encouraging, joining and helping prepare.

The Ohio School Boards Association and American Civil Liberties Union have reminded districts that they cannot hand down harsh discipline for participating in a demonstration. Law allows schools to punish students for breaking rules - like skipping or leaving class, being disruptive or doing damage to school property - but they can't be punished for taking a stand.

Districts locally do not seem likely to discipline students for participating, within limits. But while they can't punish students who take a political stance, a few administrators are watching cautiously.

"The issues related to school violence are complex, as are the solutions," said West Geauga Superintendent Richard Markwardt. "If students choose to walk out for the planned 17 minutes, I asked that they be able to articulate why they are doing so rather than merely following the crowd."

He promised not to discipline students for skipping class if they are orderly and stick to the national 17-minute goal - one minute for each person killed in Florida.

The Midview schools in Lorain County are also cautiously supportive.

"Our students are not protesting," said Superintendent Bruce Willingham. "They are showing support to stop school violence and for the students and staff tragically killed in Florida. "

His district also will not punish students for skipping class.

"We wanted to show them we agree and support what they want to do and what they stand for, but we need to make sure it was positive and not political," he said.

Parma Superintendent Carl Hilling isn't looking at the demonstrations today as protests, but as an honor to the students killed in Florida.

"We are supporting our students to bring awareness to our communities of a tragic incident," he said.

Leaders of the Independence schools have a more enthusiastic approach.

"We planned a walk-out rally together!" said Independence Superintendent Ben Hegedish. "I will be walking with the students, and our mayor and police officers will be joining as well."

Districts like Shaker Heights and Beachwood also have the blessing - and planned participation - of school and city officials. Beachwood even has a district-organized release of biodegradable balloons.

And the Citizens Leadership Academy charter school in Cleveland is also fully allowing, if not encouraging, students to take part. Being an active participant in public debate is a major focus of the school, so teachers have used the shootings and gun laws in class discussions.

On Tuesday, teachers passed out paper and markers so students could make signs for the demonstration. Students looked on the internet for examples of signs used at earlier protests about guns, then adapted ideas for their own.

"In a way, it's school-led. In a way, it's student-led," said Meghan Park, who leads curriculum and instruction at the school near University Circle. "We'll get the poster board. You decide what goes on the poster."

Some students there, who have seen violence in their city neighborhoods, had strong opinions. Seventh grader Daylin Knowlton worked Tuesday to re-create a drawing he has hanging in the school hallways showing a musket and a modern, multi-shot gun. One, he said, is supported by the Second Amendment. The modern one isn't.

"We should have guns for protection, but only one shot, so that less people get killed," he said.

And 8th grader Kiara Ransaw said she is fully behind the goals of the national organizers, including bans on assault weapons and rapid-fire guns and better background checks.

"We should have stricter gun laws," she said. "We need to make a change in how people have these guns."
SEASIDE, California -- A teacher leading a high school course in gun safety accidentally fired a shot from a handgun in a classroom, with three students suffering minor injuries.

Dennis Alexander, a reserve police officer for the Sand City Police Department and a Seaside councilman, was teaching the class Tuesday afternoon when he fired a shot into the ceiling of the classroom at Seaside High School, the Monterey Herald reports.

Fragments from the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling lodged in the neck of a 17-year-old student, KSBW Channel 8 reports.

"He's shaken up, but he's going to be OK," the boy's father, Fermin Gonzales, tells KSBW. "I'm just pretty upset that no one told us anything and we had to call the police ourselves to report it. ...

"It's the craziest thing. It could have been very bad," Gonzales says.

None of the injuries were serious and classes resumed at the school after the incident.

According to The Californian, guns and other weapons are not allowed on the school's campus but there are exceptions for law enforcement.

Alexander has been placed on administrative leave as an investigation into the incident continues.

This is the second recent incident of a teacher firing a gun in a school and it comes during a national debate on whether teachers should be armed. Earlier this month, a teacher in Georgia barricaded himself in a classroom and fired one shot from a handgun.

To comment on this story, please visit Tuesday's crime and courts comments page.
The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party has hired former County Executive Ed FitzGerald to be its fundraiser.

The party has been trying to beef up its wallet for some time. It needs money for party operations and its get-out-the vote efforts, especially in this year's key elections. (Shontel Brown, who was elected in August as chairwoman of the county party, told me during a January interview that she hopes the party will someday have enough money to even pay its chair person.)

The party recently picked FitzGerald's firm, Democracy Advisors, following a competitive process during which fundraisers pitched party leaders on their experience and plan.

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley, who is the party's executive vice chairman, said FitzGerald's firm made the best presentation by far.

"It was very impressive," said Kelley, who previously used the firm to help raise money for Cleveland City Council candidates.

As a gubernatorial candidate in 2014, FitzGerald struggled to raise money for himself. Some Ohio Democratic Party leaders groused at the time that he wasn't making enough calls to potential donors. Republican Gov. John Kasich, who was seeking re-election, handily beat FitzGerald in the polls and in the money race. Kasich grabbed nearly 64 percent of the vote and raised about $15.6 million during the campaign cycle. FitzGerald raised about $4.5 million.

In June 2014, when questioned about his fundraising, FitzGerald said: "I don't beg, ever."

Also at the time, he discounted the emphasis on fundraising.

"Money is nice," he said. "It's certainly an advantage. We've raised a few million dollars. He's certainly raised a lot more. But the advantage we have is that our campaign is speaking to issues that people care about, and I think it's speaking to them in a way that the average family in Ohio can respect."

Translation: Raising money is a soul-crushing job for any politician.

But the party would still rather have the money.

Lending a hand: Democratic Ohio Attorney General candidate Steve Dettelbach, the former U.S attorney from Northeast Ohio, asked his supporters to briefly hold off on sending him money and instead write a check to the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, a resource that helps thousands of poor people every year.

"I am going to do something politicians don't normally do," he wrote in a letter earlier to supporters this month. "I am going to ask you to give money not to me, but to someone else. People who need it more -- the disadvantaged families and people served by Legal Aid lawyers all around Ohio."

He said President Trump's proposed budget would cut funding to the Legal Services Corporation, the nonprofit established by Congress in 1974 to provide financial support to legal aid groups across the country.

This is not the first time Dettelbach has helped Legal Aid. In 2012, he helped arrange for then-U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to speak at Legal Aid's annual luncheon, which raised thousands for the organization.

But fear not, Democrats. Dettelbach is back on the money campaign trail. He's holding a big fundraiser this Sunday in his quest to defeat Dave Yost, his Republican challenger and Ohio auditor.

The featured speaker is Preet Bharara, the former United States attorney from Manhattan who was famously ousted by the Trump administration in March 2017. The event's host committee includes OverDrive Inc. CEO Steve Potash, whose home is the site of the fundraiser, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carole Rendon and Ann Rowland. (Rendon also was the top U.S. Attorney in the office, after Dettelbach.)

Defensive driving: Juanita Brent, who is running for State Representative in District 12 and has the backing of the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party, says she is the victim of a political attack, according to a statement she posted recently on Twitter.

But the statement unintentionally makes the point that Brent is a victim of her own incompetence.

Here's the backstory. A reporter from a local television station recently asked Brent if her driver's license had been suspended. Brent was appalled by the question and took to Twitter to defend herself against what she said is a "fake politically motivated charge." (She faces five opponents in the primary.)

"The fact is that my driver's license is not, was not and has never been suspended," she declared.

Brent then casually noted, "separately, it was brought to my attention that my license renewal was overdue."

Brent said she immediately went to the DMV and filled out the necessary paperwork and paid her fees and then was "notified by the hardworking DMV staff that my driver's license had been successfully updated."

Brent should have thanked the reporter for the tip.
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Philips Healthcare, which moved its nuclear medicine headquarters to Northeast Ohio from Silicon Valley and qualified for millions in state money seven years ago, has told the state it is permanently laying off at least 65 employees.

The company told the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services the layoffs are due to a business reorganization. The company didn't say who was being let go but identified positions that were being eliminated - from assemblers to technical writers.

"We anticipate that there will be further layoffs throughout 2018 and we will update this notice as appropriate," the company said in the letter dated Feb. 20.

Bret Crow, a spokesman for Job and Family Services, said the agency hasn't received any updates about more jobs going away since it sent the letter.

Last month, the company announced on its website that manufacturing would stop at its Highland Heights facility in the second half of the year. It said that in its place, the Cleveland-area location would become a research and development facility for Philips' computed tomography and advanced molecular imaging.

The company did not return a message from cleveland.com.

Manufacturing in Highland Heights temporarily stopped in 2014 after federal regulators noticed some quality-control issues, Crain's Cleveland Business reported. But by 2015, Philips resumed production of CT scanners and additional medical equipment.

In 2011, Gov. John Kasich visited Highland Heights, tried on a white lab coat and welcomed Philips to Ohio. The company qualified for a $5 million grant from the Ohio Third Frontier Commission and said it was going to create 100 jobs, each paying around $115,000.

The company never received the full amount, instead getting $2.5 million for creating 50 jobs. The full amount was only available if 100 jobs had been created, said Lisa Colbert of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission.

The state can't get the money back, she said, because the grant was for a project period between 2011 and 2016.

Kasich's spokesman didn't respond to the news of the company laying employees off, instead referring questions to the Third Frontier Commission and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
Nick Pizzi is a former assistant commissioner of operations for the Cleveland Division of Water.

AURORA, Ohio -- As Ohio citizens, we should do all we can to ensure we have safe drinking water now and for the future. We should become more informed about the treatment and distribution of our public drinking water, and we should require our regulators to protect us by requiring that those responsible for treating our drinking water are tested more rigorously than they are.

Drinking water treatment plants, whether publicly or privately owned, operate under the dictates of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act, which sets standards for the levels of contaminants in our water. The act also requires utilities to implement programs aimed at bettering the chances that these standards will be met.

One such program is the Operator Certification Rule. Water operators must be certified to ensure that systems are operated safely.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued guidelines in February 1999 specifying minimum standards for the certification and recertification of the operators of community water systems. These guidelines apply to state Operator Certification Programs.

Typically, states like Ohio create Boards of Examiners who test an operator's ability to solve operational problems using math and chemistry skills. Once an operator passes the exam, he or she must maintain the license by obtaining continuing education credits (Contact Hours) on a two-year cycle. Operators can also sit for higher classification tests which, if passed, may provide opportunities for higher pay and responsibility.

The production and content of these exams is important. The exams should be sufficiently rigorous to challenge the test-taker. As an interested public, we want our operators to be knowledgeable, to be up-to-date on techniques and regulations, and to be able to respond to water-quality variations in the source water they are treating. In short, we want them to rise to each task necessary to produce potable water for our consumption. We want nothing less than 100 percent compliance.

The state of Ohio, through the Ohio EPA, decided a few years back to partner with "third party provider" organizations to create and provide examinations for the operators of drinking water treatment plants and of wastewater plants. The Ohio EPA's Operator Certification Unit still offers the traditional exams twice each year in Columbus, but now operators can choose a more convenient way to take an exam.

That information can be found on the Ohio EPA's website here [at http://epa.ohio.gov/ddagw/opcert.aspx].

The Ohio EPA website explains that operators have a choice: Go to the state exam site in Columbus to take the traditional exam, offered once every six months, or choose to take a more frequently offered exam in a location closer to you provided by the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC). These alternative ABC exams are offered in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo in addition to Columbus.

I have spoken to several recent test-takers who took the ABC exams in lieu of the traditional state exams. They report to me a scarcity of mathematical or scientific questions on the exam. Instead, they tell me that they were questioned on safety issues, management issues, and other matters. (The actual exam content is computer-generated from a database - so what you get is variable in content and is "the luck of the draw.")

In addition, I have had conversations with other operator trainers and several drinking-water plant superintendents who have observed similar trends from the input they get from their operators. While these topics are important, exams that give short shrift to scientific and mathematical questions do little to incentivize an operator to study the technical material that they need to use when the going gets tough on shift. They are instead studying for safety and management questions.

The state of Ohio, empowered by its citizenry to downsize government, has in my opinion created an inadvertent loophole. This loophole is producing some licensed operators who aren't being challenged enough in some of these third-party examinations.

Ohio EPA should consider a closer look at the content that is possible from this random generation of test material. The ABC database of questions is large and it contains some material that does not pertain directly to water treatment. The possibility of a test-taker getting a computer-generated exam which has little or no water-treatment problems to solve is real, and is being reported.

If even one test-taker sits for an exam that is devoid of technical challenges, that is one person who may not have been able to pass the more rigorous exams that the state offers. That person may end up on a shift in a drinking-water treatment plant near you. A more informed voting public might induce the environmental regulators in Ohio to provide test-takers with exams that force them to prove that they have the baseline knowledge to protect our community water supplies and the public health.

Nick Pizzi, the former assistant commissioner of operations for the Cleveland Division of Water, is contracted to provide operator training services for several utilities including Flint, Michigan.

**************

Have something to say about this topic? Use the comments to share your thoughts. Then, stay informed when readers reply to your comments by using the "Follow" option at the top of the comments, and look for updates via the small blue bell in the lower right as you look at more stories on cleveland.com.
PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio - For the second year in a row, the city has been awarded $50,000 from the Cuyahoga County Department of Development Supplemental Grant program.

Parma Heights Mayor Michael P. Byrne

Parma Heights Director of Community & Economic Development Joseph E. Sebes said the city will be using the funds toward wayfinding and branding.

"We worked hard and tried to follow their rules and guidelines to assemble a good project," Sebes said. "To my knowledge, the city has never hired a consultant to do an actual branding plan, so this will be a first.

"The brand is our reputation as a community, and the wayfinding is the signage that matches that brand. This will allow us to hire a consultant to come out here, get the plan in motion and come up with design concepts. This could be wrapped up by the end of the year," he said.

The Cuyahoga County Community Development Supplemental Grant annually distributes $1 million in casino tax revenue to 21 community-development projects.

"This study is one of a series of proactive steps the city is taking to make ourselves more competitive from a community and economic development standpoint by increasing our attractiveness to new businesses and to prospective new residents, in addition to finding new ways to support our existing business community," Mayor Michael P. Byrne said in a press release.

The wayfinding and a branding project is tied to the city's planning study of the Pearl Road Corridor as part of the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency's Transportation for Livable Communities Initiative (TLCI).

That completed study was incorporated into the city's master plan update, which was adopted last year by City Council.

"If a community stagnates, so will its economy," Byrne said. "In the fast-paced world we live in, we need to keep abreast of new concepts and trends.

"The TLCI and updated master plan put Parma Heights at the forefront of the new community development movement. This wayfinding and branding master plan is the next logical step in the process."

Once completed, the wayfinding and branding study will give Parma Heights time to seek grants to pay for the signage upgrades. Sebes said the hope is that the city will have additional money in place when the NOACA and ODOT Pearl Road resurfacing project, scheduled for 2019 or 2020, reaches Parma Heights.

As for the city's 2017 Cuyahoga County Department of Development Supplemental Grant award, Sebes said that was put to good use.

"At that time, we were one of the first cities to get it," Sebes said. "We used that money to enhance the Cassidy Theatre. We re-sided the entire building, and we also got new curtains for the stage. It was a huge shot in the arm for this town."
CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. >> A proposal to build nearly 150 housing units at a busy intersection in the western part of town has been formally presented to the Town Board.

Local developer Scott Earls proposal would put 133 condos and 14 single family units on 27.7 acres he owns in a vacant northeast quadrant near the intersection of routes 146 and 146A.

The plan was submitted to the Planning Department late last summer. Since it is proposed as a planned development district (PDD) and require special legislation, the project must receive Town Board approval. The presentation was made to the Town Board March 5 by landscape engineer Scott Lansing.

The projects design has the two-story condo units and their garages built in a style more familiar to twin homes. One portion of the plan would have 27 buildings with four units each. Another section would have five buildings containing five condo units each.

Lansing described the units as being between 1,200-square-feet and 1,600-square-feet each, owner-occupied and having high end amenities. He added that the new neighborhood would be a maintenance-free community and be run by a condo association.

A small section of the property on the northern edge of the site, closest to the nearest single family home subdivision, is also being proposed as the site for 14 single family units. The plans note a 75-foot no cut zone between the projects northern boundary and that of the homes to the north.

The site is made up of three separate parcels that have either R-1 or business zoning designations. Pointing to the surrounding commercial areas to the east and south as well as the heavily traffic Route 146, Lansing said the design, with its sidewalks and lighting, offers a good transition from south to north.

Access to the subdivision would be from Route 146A. A possible secondary access from Route 146 is being reviewed.

We tried to create some neighborhood designs where possible, Lansing told the board. Walkability, this was a primary goal. My feel of the Planning Board is they like residential use over commercial use. They see it as a transition area.

This is not the first time Earl has tried to develop the property. In January 2015 he presented plans to put a four-building retail plaza on two of the parcels. During the presentation before the Planning Board he noted that at one time he had sought to put 192 apartments on the site but found no support from the town.

Director John Scavo noted at the presentation that when the projects amenities are combined with a planned rehabilitation of the intersection, the project offers an older population the opportunity to walk to the renovated Clifton Park Plaza and may spur renovations to North Country Commons.

When Lansing was asked why he was proposing to build condos in a town home design rather than simply town homes he said the condo designation gives the owner flexibility as to who will maintain the streets and sidewalks.

When asked what public benefits the project offered the town, Lansing noted the project itself, through its unique design and various housing options was a benefit as well as its transitional qualities between a commercial area and residential.

He noted also that each unit, as with any housing project, will contribute $1,250 per unit as a parkland fee to the town.

We like something unique, new to the town, something that represents a segment of housing lacking in the town with a residential project and I see this type of housing, condos, as lacking, said Supervisor Philip Barrett after hearing the presentation. Theres no doubt theres a pent up demand for this type of housing. I dont feel the applicant will have any problem selling them.

Barrett asked that Lansing return with estimates of the housing units prices and a list of public benefits. The board took no action on the project.


Minot AFB, N.D.-based B-52Hs fly over France during a European Reassurance Initiative deployment. B-52s may serve more than 30 more years. Photo: TSgt. Joshua Garcia

With the Fiscal 2019 budget request, the Air Force is beginning an overhaul of its bomber fleet, starting with a plan to extend the B-52s life span to nearly a century. If approved by Congress, the BUFF would remain operational until 2050, some 88 years after extant B-52Hs were delivered and 98 years after the YB-52s first flight.

As stealthy new B-21 aircraft become available in the late 2020s and early 2030s, the Air Force would retire its B-1s and B-2s, much earlier than previously planned. They would be phased out because the Air Force believes it must live with a bomber enterprise manpower footprint not much larger than it is now. That means the new B-21 must replaceand not be additive tomuch of the existing bomber fleet.

The Air Force had previously planned to operate the B-1 and B-52 until 2040 and the B-2 to 2058.

_

Read this story in our print issue:

The service is eyeing an enduring bomber fleet of roughly 175 aircraft overall, although service officials said that number could go up with more generous budgets.

In judging which older bombers to retain, USAF chose the B-52 over its younger stablemates because of the aircrafts versatile conventional payload, comparatively lower maintenance needs, and the ability to carry the new Long-Range Standoff cruise missile, or LRSO.

The B-1, meanwhile, is labor-intensive and treaty-prohibited from carrying cruise missiles. The B-2 fleet, at only 20 aircraft, is considered too expensive per airplane to retain beyond the early 2030s.

The Fiscal 2019 budget includes the first monies necessary to begin equipping the B-52 fleet with new engines that would reduce its maintenance needs, extend its range and loiter time, and allow the aircraft to climb faster to cruising altitude. It would be retained into the 2050s. The Air Force is requesting $64.5 million in Fiscal 2019 to get the engine replacement effort rolling.



A B-1B takes off from Andersen AFB, Guam. The B-1s struggles with reliability put it on the fast track to retirement. Photo: A1C Gerald Willis

GETTING READY FOR RAIDERS

The Air Force envisions retaining all existing bomber bases, swapping out B-1 and B-2 aircraft as B-21s become available. Very substantial military construction funds will be needed to accomodate the new aircraft, however.

The revelations were contained in USAFs Bomber Vector. The Vector has been in development for several years and plans the phase-in of the B-21, the phase-out of older aircraft, and the timing and scope of upgrades and new munitions needed for the bomber enterprise. A draft of the Bomber Vector (a planning document previously known as the Bomber Roadmap) was obtained by Air Force Magazine.

The Bomber Vector was to have been released last September at AFAs Air, Space & Cyber Conference. It had been briefed to members of Congress by Global Strike Command Chief Gen. Robin Rand during the summer months, and Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein announced at an AFA event in July that it would soon be released publicly. However, service leaders decided to withhold it until after release of the Nuclear Posture Review and final decisions on the Fiscal 2019 budget request.

The NPR was released in early February, validating the need for the LRSO and retaining the B-52 as its launch platform for the near future. The B-21 will also be able to carry the LRSO, and the NPR said the missile will ensure the US continues to have a means to strike any target on the globe even after adversary technological advances whittle down the B-21s stealthiness in the decades to come.

The draft version of the Vector said the B-2 would be retired no later than 2032 and the B-1 no later than 2036, although service officials said those dates may have shifted somewhat since.

Included in the decision calculus to retire the B-1 and the B-2, the service said in the draft, is the need to try to maintain a force-neutral manning structure, and to do it, it must harvest manpower billets from the retiring platforms. Even so, the service sees growth in the bomber fleet from 157 aircraft today to at least 175, in order to provide the capability required by regional commanders, and some manpower growth is inevitable.

Keeping all existing fleets and adding the B-21 to themfor a total of 257 aircraftis neither fiscally realistic nor desirable, USAF said in the Vector draft, adding that Global Strike Command must pursue the optimal bomber force mix.

Simply shaving down the numbers of each type isnt effective, the paper said, since it would require keeping all four logistical trains in place, each with its separate people, parts, and vendors. The bomber force today numbers 10,500 operations and maintenance manpower authorizations.

Enterprise-wide reallocation of money, facilities, and other resources are necessary to facilitate B-21 fielding and ensure the Air Force has a capable and effective future bomber force, USAF said in the paper. It pegged the cost of modernizing the B-1 and B-2 to keep them capable to 2050 as $38.5 billion, which is enough money to fund modernization upgrades for the B-52 and help fund bomber base modernization and nuclear infrastructure.

Upgrading the B-52 to last until 2050 would cost $22 billion, USAF said, but this figure is offset by $10 billion cost savings from re-engining, which pays for itself in fuel, depot and maintenance costs, and maintenance manpower in the 2040s.



To make way for the B-21shown here in an artists conceptUSAF is looking to divest the B-1 and B-2 in the early 2030s. Illustration: Air Force Magazine by Mike Tsukamoto and SrA. Christopher Bush

NEW/OLD MIX

After the B-1 and B-2 retirements, the Air Force would field a fleet of at least 100 B-21s and 75 B-52s.

The timing also suggests B-21 deliveries will average less than one a month during production. The Air Force has said it plans to have a usable asset when the first aircraft is delivered in the mid-2020s. Assuming that production of the new bomber continues until the last B-1B is retired, a production window of 2025-2036 is likely. Dividing 100 bombers over 11 years suggests a rate of about nine aircraft annually.

Former Air Force officials have hinted at such low numbers, explaining the service wasted a lot of money tooling up to produce B-2 bombers at a high rate but then built only 21 airplanes, instead of the planned 132. At less than one B-21 a month, large savings can be reaped in facilitization, manpower, and toolingalthough there would likely be offset costs in learning curve and economic quantity materials purchases.

Under the Air Forces proposal, the 1961/1962-vintage B-52s will receive a number of upgrades and improvements to keep them relevant in a world where they are too radar-reflective to get close to well-defended enemy airspace.

The B-52 extension depends in large part on a plan to re-engine the aircraft with modern power plants. With new engines, the B-52s would never have to stand down for engine overhauls, as the time on wing of the new power plants would exceed the planned remaining service for the old bombers.

The B-52s would also be equipped with new standoff weapons allowing them to shoot into enemy territory from well outside the range of enemy air defenses. Among these would be the LRSO, which the Vector identified as the AGM-180/181, a possible reference to the two competing versions being developed by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Goldfein, at the July event, said the new bomber force would be paired with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance assets such as the RQ-4 Global Hawk to shoot targets at long range, yet with high accuracy.

The Bomber Vector draft made no mention of hypersonic missiles or any other wonder weapons that could enhance the B-52s lethality, although it did say the venerable aircraft would be perfectly fine in operations where enemy air defenses either did not exist or had already been beaten down by other systems.

The Air Force said the decision to retire the B-1 and B-2 instead of the much-older B-52 was based largely on the maintenance track records of the three aircraft. The B-1s and B-2s have lower mission capable rates than the B-52s.

The Vector said the B-52s aircraft availability has averaged nearly 80 percent over the last five years, while the B-1 and B-2 averaged about 50 percent. In mission capable ratesmeaning the aircraft is able to exploit its full range of capabilities, without any non-working systemsthe B-52 averaged about 60 percent, while the B-1 averaged around 40 percent and the B-2 about 35 percent. The B-2s intensive stealth-maintenance requirements drive their overall low MC rate.

The bombers MC rates are driven in large part by vanishing vendor syndrome situations where componentsespecially electronicsare no longer made. In the case of the B-2, the fleet is so smallonly 20 airplanesthat vendors dont want to tool up to provide parts in such low quantities.

Other pieces of key gear, such as gyroscopes on the B-2, for example, are obsolete, the Vector reported, and maintainers are already making do by cannibalizing parts.

The B-1s maintenance man hours per flying hour are the worst of the lot, at 74, while the B-2s performance in this metric is 45. (That figure does not count the hours needed to maintain its low-observable features, coatings, and materials, which the Vector did not state.) The B-52s MMH/FH rating was 62.



USAFs bombersa B-1, B-2, and B-52fly near Barksdale AFB, La. Photo: Sagar Pathak/USAF Courtesy

NOT LIKE THE OLD DAYS

Cost per flying hour was another factor weighing against the younger bombers in USAFs thinking. Both the B-1 and B-52 averaged about $70,000 per flying hour (USAF did not call out specific numbers, and its charts were not fine-grained)while the B-2 costs between $110,000 and $150,000 per flying hour to operate. Total ownership costs followed similar curves.

As advanced air defenses proliferate, for the time being, only the B-2 can penetrate them to hold targets at risk worldwide, USAF said. However, that aircraft will see its technological advantages diminish in the not-too-distant future. By contrast, the B-21 has been designed to operate in this highly contested combat environment. The B-52, despite not having the ability to penetrate, offers a lot of capability through its high weapons carriage capacity and vast munitions diversity to be of value either as a standoff platform or in less challenging environments. The LRSO will provide a highly survivable, standoff nuclear weapon capability for the B-52 and B-21. Some money can be saved by not fitting the B-2 with the LRSO, as had been planned.

The Bomber Vector pointed out that USAFs bomber fleet has never been so small. Todays fleet of 157 bombers (76 of which are B-52s) is only a tiny fraction of the 1960 bomber fleet of 1,526 aircraft. The Air Force said its bomber fleet is also spoken for many times over, on tap to support many missions all at the same time.

In the last five years, Air Force Global Strike Command has gone from supporting one enduring COCOM [Combatant Commander] requirement to an average of 12 annually, a 1,100 percent increase. To meet this level of demand, AFGSCs operations and maintenance personnel and bomber airframes are managed at peak utilization rates, USAF said. These add-on missions include nonstop bomber action in the Middle East against ISIS targets and an increasing tempo of bomber deployments to the Pacific, both as a messaging device to China and North Korea and to conduct the now-routine forward bomber presence mission, out of Guam.

The Vector said USAFs preference is that bombers replace bombers at existing locations, since these bases are operationally and geographically best-suited to the mission. Opening up new facilities or re-activating dormant ones would bring a big cost penalty. Even so, the price tag will be several hundred million dollars per base to properly modernize and add new classified work spaces at current bomber bases to protect B-21 technology and to accommodate new weapons.

In a release accompanying the unveiling of the Fiscal 2019 budget request, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said if Congress approves the bomber plan, bases that have bombers now will have bombers in the future.

To help manage the manpower transition among the four systems, the report recommended a hybrid manpower approach while fielding the B-21, using personnel from retiring platforms as well as a Total Force (Guard and Reserve) and Contractor Logistics Support as necessary, to minimize manpower spikes and delays.

In the budget-day statement, Air Force Global Strike Command boss Gen. Robin Rand noted, at the end of Desert Storm in 91, we had 290 bombers.  Today that force has dropped to 157 bombers at five wings and 15 Total Force bomb squadrons. Thats a 46 percent decrease in our bomber force, while it has taken on continuous combat operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, in addition to continuous bomber rotations in US Central Command and Pacific Command.

If the Bomber Vector is implemented as planned, in 2050 USAF will operate at least 100 batwing B-21s and 75 venerable B-52s. The B-1 and B-2, meanwhile, will have been relegated to airparks and the boneyard.
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

North America Poultry Vaccines Market: By Vaccine Type (Inactivated Vaccines, Live Attenuated Vaccines, Recombinant Vaccines), By Formulation (Dry Form (Duct) Vaccines, Liquid Vaccines, Freeze Dried Vaccines), By Application (Mareks Disease, Newcastle Disease, Infectious Bursal Disease, Infectious Bronchitis, Others), and Geography  Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012 to 2016 and Forecast 2017 to 2023

Market Dynamics: North America Poultry Vaccines Market

Vaccines are biological preparations that provide acquired immunity to particular disease in human beings or animals. Poultry vaccines are used to prevent or cure the various diseases in poultry such as Mareks disease, Newcastle disease, and infectious diseases among others. Increase in the demand for healthy meat and poultry products, rise in R&D activities for the innovation of newer poultry vaccines, escalation in prevalence of various diseases such as avian flu in poultry, and high awareness about the poultry diseases among veterinary professionals are expected to boost the North America poultry vaccines market over the forecast period. However, stringent regulatory guidelines for vaccine approvals, adverse effects associated with vaccines, and high cost for R&D activities may restrain the growth of poultry vaccines market in future years.

A sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/north-america-poultry-vaccines-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: North America Poultry Vaccines Market

North America poultry vaccines market is segmented on the basis of vaccine type, formulation, application, and country

Based on the vaccine type, the market is segmented into the following:

 Inactivated Vaccines

 Live Attenuated Vaccines

 Recombinant Vaccines

Based on the formulation, the market is segmented into the following:

 Dry Form (Duct) Vaccines

 Liquid Vaccines

 Freeze Dried Vaccines

Based on the application, the market is segmented into the following:

 Mareks Disease

 Newcastle Disease

 Infectious Bursal Disease

 Infectious Bronchitis

 Others

Based on the country, the market is segmented into the following:

 U.S.

 Canada

To view TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/north-america-poultry-vaccines-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Poultry Vaccines Market

Geographically, North America poultry vaccines market is segmented into U.S. and Canada. U.S. poultry vaccines market is growing due to rise in population demanding for healthy meat, increase in R&D activities for the innovation of newer vaccines, and rise in prevalence of infectious diseases are bolster the market. Canada poultry vaccines market expected to exhibit significant growth rate owing to increase in the poultry production (according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada produced approximately USD 4.3 Bn poultry and egg products in 2016) and adoption of newer vaccines are fuel the market.

Competition Assessment: North America Poultry Vaccines Market

Some of the players in the North America poultry vaccines market include:

 Zoetis (Pfizer, Inc.) (U.S.)

 Merck & Co. Inc. (U.S)

 Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica (Germany)

 Elanco (U.S.)

 Bayer Animal Health (Germany)

 Ceva Sante Animale (France)

 Zydus AHL (India)

 Arko Laboratories (U.S.)

 Phibro Animal Health Corporation (U.S.)

Notable Market Developments: North America Poultry Vaccines Market

 In January 2016, Phibro Animal Health Corporation acquired MVP Laboratories, Inc. an animal vaccine and adjuvant manufacturer for the expansion of manufacturing capabilities

Need more information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/north-america-poultry-vaccines-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

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/north-america-poultry-vaccines-market/

About Precision Business Insights

Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.

Contact to Precision Business Insights,

Kemp House,

152  160 City Road,

London EC1V 2NX

Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com

Toll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553

Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market : By Category (Hand Tools, Power Tools), By Type of Machinery (Tractors, Cultivation Machinery, Ploughing Machinery, Trowel, Manure Spreaders, Irrigation Systems, Sorters, Harvesting Machinery, Others), By Application (Cultivation, Planting, Fertilizing and Pest control, Irrigation, Harvesting, Hay Making, Others), By Type of Crop (Forage crops, Grains and Cereals, Vegetable and Fruits, Others), and Geography  Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012 to 2016 and Forecast 2017 to 2023

Market Dynamics: Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market

Asia Pacific agricultural machinery market is expected to offer healthy growth opportunities due to majority of countries primary income source is agriculture, high adoption of innovative machinery, favourable government subsidies. Shrinking labor force, increased awareness among the farmers regarding advanced agricultural practices is expected to create demand for agricultural machinery. Furthermore, rise in technological advancements in agriculture equipment; increase in demand for pre-owned agriculture equipment will accelerate the revenue share. However, lack of skilled professional, high cost of the machinery is expected to dampen growth of agricultural machinery market.

A sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-agricultural-machinery-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market

Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery market is segmented on the basis of Category, Type of Machinery, Application, Type of Crop and geographical regions.

Based on the Category, Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery market is segmented into the following

 Hand Tools

 Power Tools

Based on the Type of Machinery, Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery market is segmented into the following

 Tractors

 Cultivation Machinery

 Ploughing Machinery

 Trowel

 Manure Spreaders

 Irrigation Systems

 Sorters

 Harvesting Machinery

 Others

Based on the Application, Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery market is segmented into the following:

 Cultivation

 Planting

 Fertilizing and Pest control

 Irrigation

 Harvesting

 Hay Making

 Others

Based on the Type of Crop, Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery market is segmented into the following:

 Forage crops

 Grains and Cereals

 Vegetable and Fruits

 Others

Regional Analysis: Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market

Geographically the Asia pacific Agricultural Machinery market is divided into countries, Japan, China, India, Australia & New Zealand, ASEAN (Includes Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Others), South Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific. Asia Pacific is the largest market for Agricultural Machinery huge population and high dependence on agriculture economy, growing disposable income, Governments of emerging countries in APAC region such as India, Japan, and China are focused on affordable ways for high agriculture production. Key players in the market are entering into the countries like India and China in order to strengthen their market presence and also launching new products frequently.

To view TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-agricultural-machinery-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Competition Assessment: Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market

Key players profiles in the global Asia Pacific Agricultural Machinery Market include:

 CLAAS (Germany)

 Deere & Company (U.S.)

 CNH Industrial (U.K)

 Bernard Krone Holding SE & Co.KG (Germany)

 Agrostroj Pelhrimov A.s(Czech Republic)

 AGCO (U.S)

 Mahindra Group (India)

 Valmont Industries Incorporated (U.S.)

 China National Machinery Industry Corporation (China)

 Concern Tractor Plants (Russia)

Need more information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-agricultural-machinery-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Key Features of the Report:

 The report provides granular level information about the market size, regional market share, historic market (2012-2016) and forecast (2017-2023)

 The report covers in-detail insights about the competitors overview, company share analysis, key market developments, and their key strategies

 The report outlines drivers, restraints, unmet needs, and trends that are currently affecting the market

 The report tracks recent innovations, key developments and startups details that are actively working in the market

 The report provides plethora of information about market entry strategies, regulatory framework and reimbursement scenario

 The report analyses the impact of socio-political environment through PESTLE Analysis and competition through Porters Five Force Analysis in addition to recent technology advancements and innovations in the market

Get access to full summary @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-agricultural-machinery-market/

About Precision Business Insights

Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.

Contact to Precision Business Insights,

Kemp House,

152  160 City Road,

London EC1V 2NX

Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com

Toll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553

Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market : By Type (Personal Care, Makeup, Fragrances), By Application (Hair, Skin, Body, Face, Lips, Eyes), By Usage ( Men, Women, unisex), By Distribution Channel (Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Drugstores, Online stores) and Geography  Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market Estimation, Dynamics, Regional Share, Trends, Competitor Analysis 2012 to 2016 and Forecast 2017 to 2023

Market Dynamics: Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market

Halal cosmetics market is expected to gain traction over the forecast period due to high Muslim population in Asia pacific. Surge in awareness among people, market players are focused on high investments in natural cosmetics enables enhance the revenue share in future. Favourable regulatory policies to enhance the halal cosmetics, increased inclination towards halal cosmetics are expected to widen the potential for cosmetics market. Increased trend towards the products free of alcohol, animal enzymes, and pork is expected to create healthy growth opportunities. Soaring demand for halal cosmetics in Muslim and other communities leads to market expansion over the forecast period. However, low adoption rate, strict regulatory framework is expected to restrain the growth of halal cosmetics market.

A sample of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-halal-cosmetics-market/#ulp-4H8Z4LpNMLEuOnnx

Market Scope: Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market

Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market is segmented on the basis of Type, Usage, Application, and Distribution channel and Geographical regions

Based on the Type, Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics market is segmented into the following

 Personal Care

 Makeup

 Fragrances

Based on the Application, Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics market is segmented into the following

 Hair

 Skin

 Lips

 Body

 Face

 Eyes

Based on the Usage, Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics market is segmented into the following

 Men

 Women

 Unisex

Based on the Distribution Channel, Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics market is segmented into the following

 Supermarkets

 Hypermarkets

 Drugstores

 Online stores

To view TOC of this report is available upon request @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-halal-cosmetics-market/#ulp-c654SbFYO64MsOhu

Regional Analysis: Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market

Asia pacific Halal Cosmetics market is divided into countries, Japan, China, India, Australia and New Zealand, ASEAN (Includes Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, and Others), South Korea and Rest of Asia-Pacific. Asia Pacific region is one of the dominated markets in halal cosmetics market owing to presence of large number of Muslim population, increase in disposable income, rise in living standards of the people, China and Korea are market hubs for skin care products in APAC and people are inclined towards natural cosmetic products. Large number of players entered in halal cosmetics industry, increase in marketing and distribution channels is expected to propel the growth of Asia pacific halal cosmetics market.

Competition Assessment: Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market

Key players profiles in the Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market include

 Amara Cosmetics (U.S.)

 Saaf Skin Care (UK)

 Clara International (Malaysia)

 INIKA (Australia)

 Talent Cosmetic Co., Ltd. (Korea)

 MMA Bio Lab Sdn Bhd (Malaysia)

 The Halal Cosmetics Company (UK)

 Prolab Cosmetics (Brazil)

 Martha Tilaar Group (Indonesia)

 IBA Halal Care (India)

Need more information about this report @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-halal-cosmetics-market/#ulp-14mlyhjMGhVjZqa3

Notable Market Developments: Asia Pacific Halal Cosmetics Market

 In September 2014, Indias first Halal Cosmetic Brand Iba was launched in Ahmedabad

Key Features of the Report:

 The report provides granular level information about the market size, regional market share, historic market (2012-2016) and forecast (2017-2023)

 The report covers in-detail insights about the competitors overview, company share analysis, key market developments, and their key strategies

 The report outlines drivers, restraints, unmet needs, and trends that are currently affecting the market

 The report tracks recent innovations, key developments and startups details that are actively working in the market

 The report provides plethora of information about market entry strategies, regulatory framework and reimbursement scenario

 The report analyses the impact of socio-political environment through PESTLE Analysis and competition through Porters Five Force Analysis in addition to recent technology advancements and innovations in the market

Get access to full summary @

https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com/market-reports/asia-pacific-halal-cosmetics-market/

About Precision Business Insights

Precision Business Insights is one of the leading market research and business consulting firm, which follow a holistic approach to solve needs of the clients. We adopt and implement proven research methodologies to achieve better results. We help our clients by providing actionable insights and strategies to make better decisions. We provide consulting, syndicated and customised market research services based on our client needs.

Contact to Precision Business Insights,

Kemp House,

152  160 City Road,

London EC1V 2NX

Email: sales@precisionbusinessinsights.com

Toll Free (US): +1-866-598-1553

Website @ https://www.precisionbusinessinsights.com
We are analyzing the site. Please wait a few seconds..
Continue Reading Below Advertisement

Next up on unlikely sources of help: bankers. The European Bankers Alliance recently released a toolkit that searches for red flags indicating that slavery is involved in a financial transaction. But we know what you're thinking: What about UPS drivers? Yep, them too. In a program started in January 2017, UPS freight drivers all over the country undergo training to recognize signs of human trafficking, with help from the Truckers Against Trafficking organization. (Oh right, truckers help too!)

Of course, some traffickers prefer to move their "cargo" through more luxurious means ... and that's where flight attendants come in. Since 2009, Airline Ambassadors International has been training flight attendants to look out for common signs of human trafficking, and their efforts quickly paid off. In 2011, a flight attendant on a flight to California noticed a disheveled teenage girl flying with a well-dressed older man and left a note in the bathroom for her to find. She did, and rescue swiftly followed. According to an ABC report ...

Continue Reading Below Advertisement

... 86 children were freed from a sex ring in Boston after the trafficker and two crying victims were noticed on a flight.

Yep, kids crying on a plane saved the day. Forgive us as we reconsider everything we know about life.

Nathan Kamal lives in Oregon and writes. He co-founded Asymmetry Fiction for all your fiction needs. S.S.A is also on TopBuzz. Check him out here. Look out for more mind-blowing facts on Markos' Twitter.

Support Cracked's journalism with a visit to our Contribution Page. Please and thank you.

For more, check out 6 Horrifying Ways Society Repaid Good Deeds and 5 Inspiring Acts of Kindness by Terrifying Crime Syndicates.

Also, follow us on Facebook, because you deserve the very best.
13 Mart 2018 Sal, 17:02

Debate began at midnight yesterday on the 26-article alliance bill drafted by the AKP and MHP and which enables unstamped votes to be deemed valid. Despite criticism from opposition MPs, the 26 articles were voted on individually and adopted in the General Assembly of Parliament.



CHPs CAM PENALISED WITH A THREE-SESSION BAR FOR RECALLING BAHCELI'S COMMENT



At the session at which the alliance bill was adopted, a fight also erupted between CHP and AKP-MHP MPs. From a report by Hurriyet, the fight started with CHP Izmir MP Musa Cam using the term one without progeny that MHP General Chair Devlet Bahceli had in the past used to address AKP General Chair Tayyip Erdogan. With AKP and MHP members walking up to Musa Cam, the CHP group found itself between the outraged MHP group and AKP members. CHP members and a small number of HDP members extricated Musa Cam from the General Assembly in the endeavour to prevent him from being beaten up. With a recess taken in the session, the disturbance lasted for a considerable time. After stewards and party administrators had restored order, Deputy Speaker Aysenur Bahcekapl held a vote on imposing a three-session bar on Musa Cam by way of penalty for course and injurious speech in accordance with standing orders.



CORRIDOR ENCIRCLED



The penalty on Cam was accepted with AKP and MHP members votes. A fresh fight broke out as Musa Cam was being removed from the auditorium. MHP members who wanted to corner Cam in the corridor left the auditorium before him. CHP members removed Musa Cam from the auditorium with great difficulty. The fight between the MHP and CHP members continued in the corridor. Parliamentary security officials had difficulty separating the two groups. With CHP members trying to bring Cam under protection in an enclosed section next to the tea parlour, they endeavoured to evade the MHP members blows. CHP members refrained from removing Cam from the corridor for some time as MHP MPs were waiting at the door.



SALARY ALSO DOCKED



Musa Cam was unable to avert the penalty with his defence, I said in my speech how respected and esteemed and how good a person MHP General Chair Devlet Dahceli was. I said how unfitting the term he at one time used with reference to the AKP General Chair was for such a person, and that he did not deserve this. I said this was not deserved. If a misunderstanding over this has arisen, I am distressed. There can be no possibility of me saying such a thing to Mr Devlet Bahceli. As he will be barred from the General Assembly, a 12,000 lira fine will also be deducted from Cams salary.
Amy Wax.

University of Pennsylvania Law School professor Amy Wax will no longer teach required first-year courses after a video recorded last year recently resurfaced in which she claimed black law students at Penn underperform academically.

Law Dean Ted Ruger informed law students in an email Tuesday evening that he had decided that Wax will teach only elective courses next year. (She has previously taught civil procedure in addition to upper-level courses.) Ruger said the move was not an attack on Waxs academic freedom, but a bid to ensure black law students dont face undue pressures should they be assigned to a required course she teaches.

Reached Wednesday, Wax declined to comment on Rugers decision.

ADVERTISEMENT

Law students began lobbying for Waxs removal from required courses last fall, after she co-authored an op-ed in The Philadelphia Inquirer that many found to be racist. The piece argued that a breakdown of cultural norms from the 1950 and 1960s has weakened the Unites States, and it singled out the rap culture of inner-city blacks and the growing anti-assimilation ideas among Hispanic immigrants as examples of negative trends.

But the law school took no formal action until this week, after a video interview Wax recorded last September with Brown University economics professor Glenn Loury circulated widely.

While explaining what she views as the downside of affirmative action, Wax claimed that black Penn law students nearly always land low in the class rank.

I dont think Ive ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class, and rarely rarely in the top half, she said. I can think of one or two students who scored in the top half in my required first-year course. What are we supposed to do about that? Youre putting in front of this person a real uphill battle.

Wax also claimed that Penns law review has a racial diversity mandate, which Ruger refuted along with Waxs claim that black students struggle academically at the law school.

And contrary to any suggestion otherwise, black students at Penn Law are extremely successful, both inside and outside the classroom, in the job market, and in their careers, Ruger wrote in his email to students.

Ruger said Waxs comments to Loury ran afoul of a confidentiality policy surrounding grades. Additionally, he said black law students assigned to her required classes may believe that their professor has preconceived notions of how they will perform, thus facing added pressure to succeed.

They may legitimately question whether the inaccurate and belittling statements she has made may adversely affect their learning environment and career prospects, Ruger wrote. These students may also reasonably feel an additional and unwarranted burden to perform well, so that their performance not be used or misused by their professor in public discourse about racial inequality in academic success.

Ruger said that he was exercising his authority as dean to allocate courses, and that Wax has not faced any official sanction for her comments. She remains free to express her views, he said.

But Loury, the Brown University professor who made the controversial video with Wax, called Waxs course reassignment Orwellian in an email to Wax, which he forwarded when asked for comment on the situation Wednesday. Ruger is using the schools grade confidentiality policy as an excuse to not provide any facts to refute Waxs assertions about the academic performance of black students, wrote Loury, who is black.

Moreover, you are said to be abusing your privileges as professor and to be using black students as guinea pigs for your research simply by commenting on their relatively poor academic performancewhich is clearly a tendentious stretch by your dean intended to discredit you and to justify his reprehensible actions, he added.

But a student petition calling on Ruger to take action and publicly refute Waxs claims argues that she should be removed from the schools clerkship committee in addition to a permanent removal from teaching first-year courses.

Professor Waxs public statements are false, denigrating, and completely incongruous with Penn Laws culture and values, it reads. In order to separate itself from such harmful, hurtful lies, Penn Law must respond publicly.
Anyone watching Chancellor Philip Hammond giving the Spring Statement yesterday will have observed a transformed figure.

Out of the window went the pessimism of the past, and the reservations about Brexit which led to him being disparaged as Eeyore.

Instead, we saw him reinvigorated  triumphantly extolling the fact the British economy had cheated forecasters with its sterling performance since the June 2016 referendum.

Philip Hammond, pictured yesterday leaving 11 Downing Street looked confident while delivering his Spring Statement to the House of Commons

Hammond, pictured, told the House, the British economy had defied expectations

He clearly took enormous pride in the way the Government, after long years of budgetary discipline, is finally starting to pay its way on a day-to-day basis.

But what was most impressive about the Chancellors performance was his unbridled enthusiasm for private enterprise and free market capitalism, and how effective he was at putting clear blue water between the Tories and the ardent Socialists who now populate Labours front bench.

Their vision of wholesale nationalisation and a public spending splurge would, overnight, destroy all the painstaking progress made in restoring the public finances.

Mr Hammond lauded Britain as an open and outward looking nation with a market economy that embraces talent and creates opportunity.

His remarks were straight out of the Thatcherite lexicon, the fervent belief that it is only through private enterprise and capitalism that the wealth can be created to provide better public services.

Mr Hammond and his officials at the Treasury have slimmed down the Spring Statement and done away with the tedium of spelling out in excruciating detail the minutiae of dozens of tax and spending changes.

Yesterday, the Chancellor seemed to be relishing the new freedoms this gave him. He was unfettered by the shopping lists of economic and political measures that his predecessors Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and George Osborne delighted in.

It enabled him not only to proclaim the improvements in employment figures, manufacturing and public finances, but also to make a clear political statement of intent in which he showed there was a choice between his vision of a Britain flourishing through work and enterprise, and the economic train wreck that would follow from statist Labour.

It is true that the growth forecasts for Britain in the coming few years from the independent  but cautious  Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are modest.

But instead of treating them as the Holy Grail, Hammond rightly saw them as targets to be challenged by the British people, the City of London and industry  and beaten.

And his optimistic approach is not unreasonable: after all, the growth forecast for the economy in 2017 was put at 1.5 per cent last November, but has come in at a modestly higher 1.7 per cent.

Much of the negativity in the November projections was based on the OBRs belief that, in the aftermath of the financial crisis, Britains workforce had become less productive.

Remarkably, however, in the last two quarters, productivity growth has soared.

Indeed, there is good reason to think that the UK could be on the verge of a more permanent change  that increased productivity could actually become the status quo.

Higher levels of employment, which have seen three million jobs created since 2010, mean that cheap labour is no longer as freely available. Companies will therefore be forced to invest in new plant, technology and skills training if they are to expand  and this, in turn, should result in still higher productivity.

In addition, manufacturing has been boosted by the devaluation of the pound, which makes British goods and services exports cheaper overseas.

As Mr Hammond enjoyed pointing out to the exasperated Labour front benches, the nations factories are enjoying their longest unbroken run of growth for some five decades.

With all the gloom and doom that laces the language of the Left and the Remainers, it is easy to forget that Britain has seen positive growth in every year since 2010.

Among the most important consequences of Britains better than expected growth in recent months has been a striking improvement in the public finances.

The faster the economy grows, the more taxes pour into the Exchequer, and the less money the Government has to spend on unemployment benefits and social security.

Even the cautious OBR now expects government borrowing to be 4.7 billion less for the 2017-18 financial year than it predicted in November  a total of 45.2 billion. Meanwhile, the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests it could end up even lower, at 41 billion.

What is indisputable is that, if you exclude capital spending on new programmes such as Crossrail in London, HS2 and planned new roads and infrastructure, the Government is already running a daily surplus. That is to say, for the first time since 2001/2002, it is receiving more in taxes than it spends.

That, in its own way, is a landmark moment given the 153 billion annual deficit that George Osborne inherited from Labour in 2010.

Of course, liberal commentators and Labour politicians believe this improvement in the public finances gives the country an excuse for a spending splurge to deal with underfunding of the NHS, and social care services provided by local authorities.

But this would be foolish in the extreme. For the reality is that national borrowing is still unacceptably high precisely because of spending on big capital projects like Crossrail.

As a result, the overall budget deficit is still projected to be running at an eye-watering 25.6 billion by 2022-23  which, by no stretch of the imagination, represents a balanced budget.

And a significant contributory factor to the budget deficit is the interest on the national debt  the debt accumulated through all the years of borrowing  which stands at 1.8 trillion. Thats 86.5 per cent of national output and the highest level it has ever been in peace time.

So how, under such circumstances, can we possibly countenance a spending splurge?

The better news is that the national debt has reached its peak and should come down by a smidgen in 2018-19, before dropping to 79.1 per cent of national output by the end of this Parliament.

Mr Hammond criticised his Labour opponent John McDonnell who is a Marxist

The Tories have managed to claw back 108 billion from borrowing since 2010  a sum, which Hammond noted yesterday, might just pay for the spending promises made by Labours Marxist Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

Aside from the cautious optimism on figures, what stood out in this Spring Statement was the Chancellors decision to put all his recent misgivings about leaving the EU behind him, and instead home in on Britains strengths as the country faces a post-Brexit era.

We have been desperate to hear a voice with a positive vision for the future  and Mr Hammond found the right tone. He recognises that our world- class universities are delivering breakthrough discoveries and inventions; that London is the worlds most global city and its financial and professional services capital, while the UKs tech sector is attracting skills from across the planet.

Yes, there will be money available to help government departments through the changes demanded by us leaving the EU  but Mr Hammond made it clear that the nation has the necessary creativity to ride out any storms that might follow.

In contrast, Labours proposed fix for the economy  rampant nationalisation, higher taxes and untrammelled public spending  can only lead us back into penury.

So lets hear it for Spreadsheet Phil  the man who has, at last, rediscovered the true Tory spirit of enterprise.
Modeling is often seen as glamorous and elegant but for those trying to make a career from a difficult past, it can be challenging and sometimes not even seem worth it.

But this year, South Sudanese model Shanelle Nyasiase, 21, who was born in Ethiopia and has been featured in ads for H&M and Alexander McQueen, and Sudanese models Angok Mayen, 21, who has graced the cover of Vogue Italia with her child, and George Okeny, who has walked on the runway for Philipp Plein, have all taken the fashion industry by storm despite facing seemingly insurmountable challenges along the way.

And now, in a new video shared by Vogue, the three stars offer intimate insights into the struggles they came up against while pursuing their dream of working in fashion, which range from discrimination to missing out on bookings due to green card troubles.

Scroll down for video

Sudanese stars: Models Shanelle Nyasiase (pictured), Angok Mayen and George Okeny share intimate insights into their lives in a new video detailing their rise in the fashion industry

Dream come true: South Sudanese model Shanelle, 21, said that she used to imagine becoming a model like Naomi Campbell

Shanelle

In the nearly six-minute video, Shanelle shares that she grew up in Africa surrounded by girls who wanted 'to be like Naomi Campbell' - but for her, these dreams of becoming a model actually came true.

'Imagine you are in that group and all of the sudden you jump to the people that you want to be like,' she says of her rise in the fashion industry.

However her success was not without its sacrifices.

In the video, Shanelle admits that she feels different from other people, admitting that it is hard for her to feel like she 'belongs' because she was born in Ethiopia, is from South Sudan and lives in Kenya, all while traveling around the world in order to work as a model.

Support: She wishes that governments could support the young talents and forget about the leaders

Multiple ads: Shanelle has been featured in ads for H&M and Alexander McQueen. Shanelle walking the runway during Paris Fashion Week this month

She also touched on the hurdles that she has come up against as a result of her birthplace, explaining that she has faced numerous obstacles regarding visas and work permits.

Shanelle added that she wishes governments in western countries like the US would be able to understand that the problem isn't 'me, or the other kids, but the leaders'.

'Let them forget about the leaders and at least support the young talents,' she urged.

George

George was born in a town called Juba but says he remembers when his life changed at the young age of seven. He says: 'My mother came back from a trip and said "say goodbye to your friends and relatives" and then my family moved to Egypt and from Egypt we were accepted as refugees in this country [United States]."

His career started after agencies reached out to him on Instagram. But at the time, he says he never took it seriously until he told his family members of his plans to move to New York.

He says: 'I moved to New York with $30 in my pocket. By the time I got my metro card, I had about $10 - I survived off of sipping tea and eating white bread.'

No money: George came to New York City with $30 in his pocket and survived off white bread and tea

Inspiration: Since his career took off, George has been an inspiration to other young people

Stigma: He believes there is a stigma surrounded by the Arabic language

But that wasn't the only challenge he faced. Last January, he was supposed to do a Gucci campaign but was unable to go because his green card had expired. But at the time, there was also a ban on 'certain countries that couldn't fly'.

He says: 'There's a stigma that when they see Arabic, it's automatically considered as terrorist. My birth certificate is in Arabic, all of my documents are in Arabic so it just kept getting denied - I actually wanted to quit modeling.'

But it's a good thing he didn't as since his career took off, he has been an inspiration to to others.

'People will randomly hit me on Instagram and be like "Hey Georgie, you're this kid from Sudan and I'm like you. I'm from Kenya, I'm from Uganda and you're such a huge inspiration" and I want to be that voice for those kids.'

The runway: George has walked on the runways for Philipp Plein and gotten jobs from Gucci

Angok

Angok says she lived in Kenya but because her father wanted to force her into a marriage with a man she didn't, she ran away - she was 14 years old at the time.

She hasn't told anybody in her family that she's modeling. Her family thinks 'that I have a man and I just live in a house'.

She adds: 'Sometimes I make some money and I send to them but they don't know what I'm doing.'

While Angok was living in Sudan, she feared for her life as some nights, people would come and 'kill people'.

Runaway: Angok ran away at 14 because her father tried to force her into a marriage

Secret: She hasn't told anybody in her family that she's modeling but still send them money

She says: 'I feel like they're going to come and kill me. I was scared and I just think about that and I hope one day I would go to place where people don't run away - there's no war in America.'

Angok and George are among the millions of refugees displaced by Sudans violent civil wars, which started decades before South Sudan became a nation.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011 after decades of war but in December 2013, conflict broke out.

The violence and brutality have left it one of the poorest countries in the world and unable to provide its people adequate healthcare, education and income opportunities.

Feared for her life: Angok said that sometimes people would come in the night and 'kill people'
Queen Letizia's ex-husband has written a new novel that seems to be inspired by his controversial romance with the Spanish royal.

Alonso Guerrero Perez, 55, from Alcala de Henares, Spain, has published a fictional book called El Amor De Penny Robinson, or The Love of Penny Robinson.

The novel tells the story of a man - who has the same name as the author - suddenly thrust into the spotlight due to his ex-wife becoming queen.

In the book, the main character even describes how he took a nude snap of his first love, Laura, a character believed to be based on Letizia.

Queen Letizia's ex-husband Alonso Guerrero Perez has published a new novel that seems to be inspired by his controversial relationship with the then future royal

Letizia (pictured handing out an award earlier this week) married high school teacher Alonso, nine years her senior, in 1998 following a ten-year romance

Letizia married high school teacher Alonso, nine years her senior, in 1998 following a ten-year romance - with the pair meeting when the future Spanish queen was just 16.

The couple tied the knot in a civil ceremony in the town of Almendralejo, Badajoz, but divorced the following year after just one year of marriage.

The former journalist, now 45, met husband-to-be Felipe in 2002, while she was working for popular TV channel 24 Horas, with the couple announcing their engagement just a year later.

Letizia's status as a divorcee, as well as her former relationship with the high school teacher, caused controversy in Spain ahead of the royal wedding, suddenly thrusting Alonso into the spotlight.

Following their divorce, Letizia met the then Prince Felipe - with the couple marrying in a lavish ceremony in 2004

In his novel El Amor De Penny Robinson, the protagonist falls in love with two women - Laura and Nene - who are both thought to be based on Letizia.

The book then tells the story of how the second woman, named Nene, becomes Queen - leading to the protagonist becoming a 'media character'.

The novel is entitled El Amor De Penny Robinson, or The Love of Penny Robinson

According to Royal Central, Alonso has previously told Spanish media how his relationship with Letizia 'has not benefited me or harmed me'.

Letizia married Felipe, who she has two children with, at the Almudena Cathedral in a lavish ceremony in 2004.

She was allowed to marry in the Catholic Church as she had previously only had a civil ceremony with ex-husband Alonso.

Despite her popularity today, a book published in 2005 suggested that King Carlos considered the former journalist to be a threat to the countrys royal household.

Polls have since shown that Felipe and Letizia's common touch has increased the approval ratings of the Spanish royal family.
It used to be that a bad hair day meant scrunching up your hair into a messy ponytail and trying to avoid the world.

But these days there are a whole host of glamorous ways to cover up the fact that you overslept and didn't wash your locks this morning.

From scrunchies to silk scarves, headbands and more, here FEMAIL takes a look at the five ways you can cover up your bad hair day and look good at the same time.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the various different hair accessories you can use to cover up a bad hair day (pictured: Pia Muehlenbeck and Georgia Love with silk scarves)

From scrunchies to pretty metallic clips (pictured on Gigi Hadid), they will hide your two-day-old hair with ease

A glance through Instagram will reveal countless pop stars, actresses and It girls wearing colourful silk scarves in their hair (pictured: Emily Ratajkowski)

And if you're missing hazy summer days, there's something delightfully Riviera chic about this look (pictured: Anna Heinrich and Georgia Love)

The silk scarf

A glance through Instagram will reveal countless pop stars, actresses and It girls wearing colourful silk scarves in their hair.

And if you're missing hazy summer days, there's something delightfully Riviera chic about this look.

You could make like YouTube star, Pia Muehlenbeck, or Anna Heinrich, and tie your silk headscarf around the top of your head, flaying it off to the side.

If you want to try the trend, ASOS (left) have options, while celebrity hairdresser, Anthony Nader, recommends an option from Ivana Scarves (right)

Alternatively, you could channel Georgia Love's style - and use your scarf to tie a ponytail or a chic half up, half down style.

'It's time to bring out your fun, patterned scarves and turn that negative hair day into a positive one from hereon in,' celebrity hairdresser, Anthony Nader, told FEMAIL of this style.

'A different patterned scarf will always brighten up your day.'

For those looking to emulate the look, Sportsgirl and ASOS have some pretty options around the $15 mark.

Anthony is also a fan of Ivana Scarves' emerald offering, which retails for $99.

And while those with shorter locks or others wearing a top knot should pick a handkerchief-sized scarf for balance, others with long hair could pick a long scarf - which can act as the centrepiece to your look - and allow the scarf to flow out behind you.

'It's time to bring out your fun, patterned scarves and turn that negative hair day into a positive one from hereon in,' Anthony (pictured) told FEMAIL

The scrunchie - seen on runways everywhere from Paris to Melbourne - is a firm favourite with celebrities, including Hailey Baldwin (pictured)

The scrunchie

It was the trend spotted on runways everywhere from Paris to Melbourne.

And celebrities have been quick to pick up on the scrunchie's revival, with Hailey Baldwin, Gigi Hadid and Ariana Grande all rocking the trend.

'There's no better time to embrace the fab 80s trademark scrunchie,' Anthony Nader told FEMAIL.

'Rake your strands up into a high pony and secure into one or two patterned numbers and let the hair around your face frame it - as these little flyaways will make your style more runway.'

'There's no better time to embrace the fab 80s trademark scrunchie,' Anthony Nader told FEMAIL (pictured: scrunchies from ASOS)

For those wanting to try the original Sloane Ranger look, head to ASOS to get cheap, colourful-looking scrunchies.

Then, either channel a sports-chic hairstyle or something more preppy - to be at the vanguard of fashion and hide your two-day-old locks.

For those wanting to try the original Sloane look, head to ASOS to get cheap, colourful-looking scrunchies (pictured: Ariana Grande and ASOS scrunchies)

The headband is another way you can easily cover up a bad hair day (pictured: Jodi Gordon)

Anna Heinrich (left) opted for a metallic option, while alternatively you could pick a turban-like style from Sportsgirl (right)

The headband

Blame Leighton Meester's character, Blair Waldorf, in Gossip Girl.

But ever since the iconic TV programme hit screens, we've all been going wild for headbands - which offer coverage for greasy roots and a chic alternative to an up do.

'Show off your facial features by investing in a soft gel to hold and slick your baby hairs and flyaways back into a soft style, away from your face,' Anthony told FEMAIL of this style.

'Then, place a headband on top for a pretty, different style.'

Free People offers pretty tie-back headbands for around $30 (left), while ASOS (right) has a pretty metal style reminiscent of something Jodi Gordon would wear to the Spring Races

Free People offers pretty tie-back headbands for around $30, while ASOS has a pretty metal style reminiscent of something Jodi Gordon would wear to the Spring Races.

Simply brush you hair, sweep a headband over the top of it and channel your inner fairy. Blair Waldorf would be proud.

While you might remember first wearing a ribbon when you were five years old, these days the little girl hair accessory is the next word in cool (pictured: Steph Claire Smith)

The ribbon

All that's old is new again, and while you might remember first wearing a ribbon when you were five years old, these days the little girl hair accessory is the next word in cool.

'If you're feeling romantic, take yourself for a spot of shopping at the fabric store and purchase a few long pieces of narrow ribbon,' Anthony told FEMAIL.

'Black will always be a winner and it's a staple because it goes with everything. Try weaving a piece through a loose braid or plait for winning extra points with your girl squad.'

Steph Claire Smith is one such star who pulls this look off with aplomb.

Pairing her printed ribbon with gold hoop earrings, a pretty dress and neutral make up - she looks pretty as a picture.

You should be able to pick up ribbons from any number of high street stores - but Boohoo has some pretty options, with reasonable price tags.

Clips are another good way to style your hair when you are struggling with a bad hair day (pictured: Alexa Chung and Jodi Gordon)

Anthony Nader recommends adding charms (pictured) for a pretty touch

'Take your haircut to the next level by twisting your hair up into fun coils or buns in the nape of the neck,' Anthony told FEMAIL (pictured: options from Lady Jayne and ASOS)

The clip

Last but not least, who needs kirby grips when you can use something chic, shiny and metallic instead?

Stars including Gigi Hadid, Alexa Chung and Jodi Gordon are all fans of this style.

'Take your haircut to the next level by twisting your hair up into fun coils or buns in the nape of the neck,' Anthony told FEMAIL.

'Twist a special piece or two into secure.'

Again, you can head to ASOS to shop the style or Showpo, which also has some pretty pieces.

Lady Jayne also sell a packet of metallic swirly slides for $9.99, while Anthony recommends Kela Charms's Shine on charms for a pretty, romantic look.
Many Australian shoppers have dreamed of a Zara online store and now their wishes have finally become a reality.

Often shoppers in this country are left in the cold when international retailers hit our shores, as they usually don't open a local website.

Zara's chic new site has arrived just in time for Autumn so FEMAIL has rounded up the top five online buys which are perfect for layering come the cooler months.





What many savvy shoppers have dreamed of has finally become a reality - Zara now has an online store in Australia

Another bonus to this addition to the online fashion world is that Sydney residents are able to get same day delivery thanks to the location of the warehouses location.

If you make an order between Monday and Friday before 2pm and are happy to pay $12.95, your items can be delivered between 6pm and 9pm the same day.

This means that those who find themselves needing an outfit last minute no longer need to stress.

If you're not interested in paying the extra postage fee to have your new clothing items in your hot little hands on the same day, there is also next-day delivery.

Blazers and double-breasted coats have proven to be on trend, with Zara offering a variety of them in an array of colours

Those who live in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Canberra, Brisbane or Adelaide can receive next-day delivery for free if they spend over $75.

If you spend less than that, the delivery will only set you back $7.95.

Pastel blazers and double-breasted coats have proven to be on trend this season, with Zara offering a variety of them in an array of colours.

This Zara white dress with contrasting buttons looks chic

Powdery blues, pinks and yellows have proven popular as well as splashes of bright blues and reds.

Zara is showing everyone that the colour palette of Autumn doesn't always have to be maroon and burgundy,

One of FEMAIL's favourite buys is their blush crepe blazer for $99, which proves you don't have to sacrifice style for business when in the office.

Another easy way to add a pop of colour to your wardrobe is with their double-breasted wool coat, which comes in a soft blue.

They have also released a variety of dresses that are perfect for layering.

The crossover buttoned dress is sold in an eye-catching cobalt blue, which will help buyers stand out from the crowd

Their white dress with contrasting buttons would look chic with a long-sleeved top underneath to keep you warm.

It would also work without one for when it heats up again.

The crossover buttoned dress is sold in an eye-catching cobalt blue, which will help buyers stand out from the crowd and add a pinch of colour to their Instagram feed.

For those who are even more fearless when it comes to their wardrobe, Zara's faux leather skirt with topstitching might catch your eye.

This faux leather skirt helps to add a pop of lemon to people's wardrobe, turning any colour palette from drab to fab

The lemon yellow skirt helps to add a unique twist to any outfit.

The website has an extensive women's, men's and kids range available for people to peruse with pleasure while avoiding the chaotic stores.

They also have stylists on-hand as you browse, suggesting coordinated outfits.

The web store will also offer a 'click and collect' option - where customers can pick up items they order on the internet from a physical Zara location and you can return purchases in store as well.

Stock available in Zara's Australian stores and new online site will be 'refreshed' twice a week from the company's 10 logistics centres in Spain.
An 11-year-old boy has shaved off his long blonde locks during a school assembly to raise funds for a cancer charity after his baby sister died from leukaemia five years ago.

Jesse Pannenburg, 11, of Adelaide, raised $7,266 for the Childhood Cancer Association - an organisation that helped his family when his baby sister became ill.

His kind act, not only supported the organisation, but also paid tribute to his sister Holly who would have started at Edwardstown Primary School, alongside her brothers Jesse and Max, this year.

Scroll down for video

11-year-old Jesse Pannenburg of Adelaide prior to having his long blond locks cut to raise money for a cancer charity

The moment where the boy had his hair cut, then shaved was clearly a heartfelt one - Jesse could be seen crying in remembrance of his sister - but it was revealed that his hair would be donated and used to make a wig.

The 11-year-old after his hair cut which help raise more than $7,266 for the Childhood Cancer Association

Speaking to CoastCity Weekly Messenger, the generous youngster said: 'Every time I went to school assembly I was looking at the class that would have had her and I could picture Holly there.'

Sadly, Holly Pannenburg died after a seven-month battle with the illness, just a few weeks before she was due to turn one.

Jesse, who has been raising funds through a web page, revealed how he was seven-years-old at the time his sister was diagnosed with the illness.

'Holly stayed in the Women's and Children's Hospital with Mum. She got very, very sick from the chemotherapy and her hair fell out,' he wrote on the site.

'Dad took my brother Max and I into the hospital every day to visit. We met other great kids with cancer too, all of them lost their hair.

The moment where Jesse had his hair cut, then shaved was clearly a heartfelt one but it was revealed his hair would be donated to make a wig

'The Childhood Cancer Association helped Holly and our family while she was sick and they still support us.'

Jesse Pannenburg's mother, Alice, said she has been overwhelmed by the support of the school, which is also planning on naming a new playground after her daughter.

'I was just so touched to have a little piece of Holly where the boys are every day,' she told the publication.

Jesse Pannenburg's fundraising campaign is open until August 10.


A table where former US President Barack Obama enjoyed a $6 meal at a Vietnamese restaurant has been frozen in time.

Sitting on a plastic stool in front of a bowl of pork noodles, Obama was pictured having dinner at the Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant in Hanoi with US celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in May 2016.

And nearly two years on, the same table - complete with plates, bowls, chopsticks, empty beer bottles, and plastic stools - have been encased in glass.

Former US President Barack Obama was pictured having dinner at the Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant in Hanoi with US celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain in May 2016

Nearly two years on, the same table - complete with plates, bowls, chopsticks, empty beer bottles, and plastic stools - have been encased in glass

The restaurant owners said the idea to preserve the setting sprung into mind after curious customers were constantly asking them where Obama sat and what he ate.

'The customers love it, many take photos next to the table,' co-owner of the restaurant Nguyen Thi Hang Nga told the BBC.

'For us, it is a nice memory that we will cherish forever. It is not a PR gimmick, I don't think we get more clientele.

'The display was set up just before the Lunar New Year [in mid-February] and I haven't noticed any change in the flow of diners.'

The owners have also set the table exactly how it was arranged for Obama.

'Of course, the bowls and plates on display have been washed, as well as the empty beer bottles,' the owner said.

The pair sat on plastic stools as they enjoyed a bowl of pork noodles and beer in May 2016

The former President surprised Vietnamese locals in 2016 when he visited the restaurant

Excited residents eagerly waited outside as Obama left his evening meal with Mr Bourdain

Taking to Instagram, Mr Bourdain shared a photograph of the table where he dined at with the former president, adding: 'Not sure how I feel about this.'

The honour is usually reserved for the country's top leaders - and Obama's display is said to be the first foreign dignity recognised.

The pair stopped by the restaurant in 2016 during Obama's May trip to Vietnam while filming a scene for Mr Bourdain's show 'Parts Unknown'.

Since Obama's visit, foreigners from all walks of life have been to the restaurant to order the signature dish - dubbed Obama's bun cha' - grilled pork patty and bacon in a sweet broth with rice noodles.
A fashion-forward shoe company from Melbourne has come under fire on social media after it launched a new campaign for its latest range.

Shoe creators Preston Zly Design released a series of photographs on social media captioned 'sneak peak', but they've since been accused of 'ridiculous sexualisation'.

A montage of images, uploaded to Facebook and Instagram, show a selection of the brand's current collection including boots, heels and gold-wedged shoes.

'A taster for what we have coming for winter - fingers crossed our first delivery will arrive this week - we are so excited!,' the shoe designers' post read.

Shoe creators Preston Zly Design (designers pictured) released a series of photographs on social media captioned 'sneak peak', but they've since been accused of 'ridiculous sexualisation'

One commenter posed the question: 'Why does the model have to take her pants off to sell shoes?'

'Petr is working hard over the next few days to get this on the website so you can look at it closely!

'What do you think so far? We are living (sic) this shoot by creative team @biancachristoff_stylist and @samantha_jarrett - they bring a wonderful fresh eye to our work which leaves our creative juices free to flow into the design of our next collection!'.'

But the photos have earned the ire of some social media users who say the brand has used images of nearly naked women in order to sell the shoes.

Shoe creators Preston Zly Design released a series of photographs on social media captioned 'sneak peak' but they've since been accused of 'ridiculous sexualisation

Some social media commenters have said the designers of the fashion-forward brand have used images of nearly-naked women to sell their shoes

One, Jayna, posed the question: 'Why does the model have to take her pants off to sell shoes?'.

While another, Caitlin wrote: 'Can we expect similar ads for men's footwear with headless men missing their clothing also or is it just sexual exploitation of women that sells shoes?'.

'I don't need nudes to sell me shoes. Big no here,' a third added.

'I thought a funky indie designer like you would've figured this out long ago.'

The brand's designer has responded to the criticism saying 'it all about the shoes here - she is not naked'

Johanna Preston said the campaign 'Born Free' was a celebration of women 'as a live sculptural canvas'

Designer Johanna Preston of Preston Zly Designs responded to the criticism levelled at the brand at the time, writing: 'We are not clothing designers - it's all about the shoes here - she is not naked and is not doing anything sexual.

'Have we come to a place now where the female body is completely taboo?'

The designer's remarks were met with support, with some commenters saying the shoot was both 'powerful and beautiful'.

In an email statement sent to Daily Mail Australia, Johanna Preston explained the campaign 'Born Free' was a celebration of a powerful women 'as a live sculptural canvas'.

She also added images do not objectify women, and they are 'not displayed sexually for the male gaze'.
A New York lawyer whose life is like a real life version of the movie 27 Dresses has revealed how, after being a bridesmaid 23 times, she has no interest in getting married herself.

In the romantic comedy, Katherine Heigl plays a perennial bridesmaid who has stepped into the role 27 times - four times more than Claudette Delacerna, 44, who has followed 23 brides down the aisle.

Despite witnessing almost two dozen couples say, 'I do,' Claudette, who moved permanently to the US in 2013 from her native Malaybalay City in the Philippines, where most of the weddings have been, said: 'I'm not bothered about marriage myself.

'I have a really busy life and I'm happy with it how it is.

'Of course, when you see friends getting married, you do feel something. And for a while, because I went to so many weddings, I wondered if I wanted that too. But now, I'm not bothered about marriage myself. '

Claudette (right) in 1997 at the wedding of her ex-boyfriend's parents in the Philippines

The serial bridesmaid did the honours for her university roommate Christine in 2006

Claudette wearing a navy dress as she acted as bridesmaid for her school friend Bambi in 1998

Claudette's life echoes the plot of the hit film 27 Dresses, in which Katherine Heigl plays a perennial bridesmaid

Singleton Claudette took her first turn as bridesmaid back in 1984 when she was just 10, for her aunt Inday.

Three years later, in 1987, she stepped into the role twice more for some cousins.

'The next time was in 1990, for my aunt Doris,' she recalled. 'I think that was one of my favourite weddings. Doris is like a sister to me, so it was really special.

'That was one of my favourite dresses, too. I prefer short, and it was so comfortable to wear.'

Claudette (right) was bridesmaid for family friends Candice and Coi in 2013

Claudette (right) was bridesmaid in 2012 as her law school friend Meg married Jonas

Next, in 1991, Claudette was a bridesmaid for her uncle Neal and his now-wife Terry, before performing the duty the following year, as her cousin Bong married his bride Venia.

After that, in 1997, she took up the role for the parents of an ex-boyfriend, who she does not wish to name.

'They had a church wedding with all the trimmings. The bridesmaids were a mix of their family and their son's partners,' she explained.

As the 90s drew to an end, Claudette saw her friends grow up and begin to get married themselves, meaning she was asked to step up several more times.

The lawyer (right) was back on duty at Cha and Bayan's wedding in 2008

Lady in red: In 2010, Claudette was bridesmaid for Kris, the daughter of a family friend

First came her schoolmate Bambi's wedding in 1998, followed by two childhood pals - Mayette's later that same year and Brenda's in 2001.

Then, in 2004, she walked down the aisle accompanied by groomsman Arnel, another old friend, as their mutual pals Sheila and Sam tied the knot.

'After that, I had a couple of years out, before being bridesmaid twice in 2006. Once for my friend Frances and her husband Noel, both of whom I knew from law school,' she said.

'Another time was for Christine, my old roommate from the University of the Philippines, who married her husband Marc.'

In 2013, Claudette performed bridesmaid duties for family friends Candice and Coi (left). Right: The wedding of her aunt Doris in 1990 was one of Claudette's favourites

Claudette (right) was a bridesmaid for Mayette, a childhood friend in 1998

In 2008 - her busiest year to date - Claudette donned a bridesmaid dress three times.

First was for Cha and Bayan, another couple she knew from law school.

Then came the nuptials of Grace and Oyen, Claudette's high school friends, who had a 'beautiful hippy ceremony.'

Then, towards the end of the year, she stepped up once more for Sharon and Ramil, who she grew up with in Malaybalay City.

Next, after her cousin Kim's nuptials in 2009, she attended two weddings in 2010, both times as a bridesmaid  once for her cousin Ian and then for Kris, the daughter of a family friend, who exchanged vows with husband Paul.

In 1991, Claudette was bridesmaid for her uncle Neal and aunt Terry

Claudette in 2004 with groomsman Arnel at friends Sheila and Sam's wedding

'After that, I declared retirement,' said Claudette. 'But as you can see, I went on to do more.

'I just couldn't say no, even if at times I didn't feel particularly comfortable with myself. I'm not a dressy person, so it's strange to wear these gowns, but I love looking back on the pictures.

'It's funny seeing myself through the years at varying weights and with different hair colours.'

After coming out of 'retirement,' Claudette was bridesmaid for Meg and Jonas, her law school classmates, in 2012, followed by family friends Candice and Coi, in 2013.

Pictured in 1992 with her mum Carmen at a cousin's wedding

She was then a bridesmaid twice more for some cousins in 2014.

And she is set to perform the duty once again in August this year in New York, for her former university roommate Ivy.

'I'm not really sure why I've been asked to do it so many times,' Claudette reflected. 'I think it's partly from having a really big family.

'In Filipino culture, it's common to include extended family, like cousins, in the wedding party.

'I've also got a great set of friends that I'm very close to. Plus, I don't have a family or children of my own, so I'm usually available to help.'

Another day, another wedding! Claudette in 2010 with her cousins Stan and Ian - the groom

While she is not interested in getting married herself, she never tires of going to weddings.

Describing Filipino ceremonies, she continued: 'There's not really a hen do, as such  more of a going away party the night before.

'There are also lots of different parts to each wedding, that bridesmaids usually share out between them and help with. You'll see me do things like lighting candles or putting the veil on the bride.

'It's always nice to be invited to a wedding, although, as a bridesmaid, you're a lot busier than the average guest. Doing it so many times has made me super organised, though. I know exactly what to do.'

Claudette (left) was a bridesmaid for Frances and Noel, her friends from law school, in 2006

While 'dressy gowns' are not something she would choose to wear, Claudette has enjoyed wearing so many different styles over the years.

She added: 'I'm not a dressy person at all, but they're always really nicely made. One that stands out is the one I wore to Frances and Noel's wedding.

'It was a blue frock, wrapped in pina fibre, which is a traditional material from the Philippines and really luxury.

'I haven't paid for any of the dresses. It's tradition for the bride and groom to buy them, although I've been given some lovely gifts over the years, like necklaces, handbags and little trinkets.'

Claudette came out of 'retirement' in 2012 for the wedding of her law school classmates Meg and Jonas

Claudette has fond memories of each wedding, despite them not being without their hiccups.

On one occasion, the ceremony was due to take place on an idyllic Filipino island, but a tropical storm the night before destroyed all the decorations.

She and her fellow bridesmaids had to hurriedly redress the venue on the morning of the wedding, while wearing their lavish gowns.

'Another time we had to get to the venue by ferry, but could only go so far, before transferring into this tiny little rowing boat, so as not to disturb the coral,' she laughed.

Claudette and her mum in 2009 at cousin Kim's wedding (left) and at her childhood friend Brenda's wedding in 2001

'I had all the dresses with me boxed up, so there I was, trying to balance, getting into a tiny boat, holding about 30kg (4st) of gowns above my head.

'I thought, 'It doesn't matter if I fall in  just make sure the dresses are okay.'

Following her next wedding this August, Claudette says she may finally hang up her bridesmaids' dresses for good.

'Virtually everyone I know is married now,' she said. 'I used to want that for myself, but now I have so much going on in my life without a partner that I'm really happy with how things are.'
A woman who spotted glaring errors in the sizing of Primark's jeans while on a shopping trip has slammed the high-street giant, saying the mistakes could shatter body confidence.

Danu Deva Clyne, 26, spotted the irregular sizes in the Manchester city centre branch after noticing that the original 14 she picked up looked small compared to what she usually wears.

The businesswoman believes that the rogue sizing could make women think they need to lose weight if they don't realise a sizing mistake has been made.

Danu Deva Clyne, 26, was shopping in Manchester when she noticed that three pairs of jeans were labelled the same size - but actually had inches between them

The shopper says she doesn't worry about her own body confidence but feared that others might think they had to lose weight when faced with the wrong labelling

Primark said they were investigating the complaint and say they strive for consistency.

Danu said: 'There is enough pressure on women to look like the celebrities they see on social media.

'Having sizes that differ from store to store is bad enough but it's really bad when it is in the same store with the same product.

'If someone had just picked them up without checking and then tried them on thinking they were the normal size it could set off a lot of body confidence issues.

'It would make people question why they can't fit into their normal size and make them think they need to lose weight to fit- despite the sizing not being right.

She added that not being able to fit into the size that you normally are could leave people feeling under pressure to lose weight.

Danu adds: 'Luckily I'm quite confident in myself but I know that there are people out there who are really self-conscious.

Pressure: Danu chastised Primark for not getting sizing correct, saying it piles pressure on women

The Primark store in Manchester where Danu spotted the error

'I noticed they were different after I picked a pair of 14 jeans and thought that they didn't look like a 14.

'I thought I was going to have to get a 16 instead but when I picked that size up they were about three times the size of the 14 I had in my hands.

'I picked up another pair of size 14s and noticed they weren't the same size. They were completely different.

I think the difference in sizes can make women feel really bad about themselves... Danu Deva Clyne

'Some of the 14s were the same size as the 12s. I had to hold them all up in front of me and compare them and there was a good few inches difference, I couldn't believe it.'

After noticing the difference in sizes Danu, from Blackley, Greater Manchester, wants to encourage retailers to have standard sizing across in all shops to stop women feeling bad about themselves.

Dana said: 'I think there should be standard sizing across all retailers. I think the differencing in sizing can make women feel really bad about themselves.

Primark said of the rogue sizing: 'Consistency of fit is extremely important to Primark'

'A lot of women are conscious and plenty have those sizes in their head that they don't want to have to buy.

'No matter what size you are it can really bother you, even my friends who are really slim are conscious of how they look.

'Hopefully all stores will offer the same measurements for each sizing and make it more standardised.'

A Primark spokesperson said: 'Consistency of fit is extremely important to Primark. Our products are designed in line with Size UK Data measurements and we run a robust quality assurance process which reviews the fit and fabric suitability of garments at least twice before production starts.

'We aim to deliver the highest standards across all our products and are looking into this complaint.'

It is not the first time that UK stores have been criticised by shoppers for the way it sizes its clothes.

In August, Samantha Bell shared a picture showing how a pair of size 16 jeans from H&M appeared to be significantly smaller than a Primark pair.

Taking to Twitter to vent her frustration, she wrote: 'Come on, @hm - you guys NEED to sort this out! H&M 16 (blue) vs Primark 16 (black). Not cool.'
A woman diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) has revealed how she decided to stop trying to rid her body of excessive hair.

Miranda Nodine, from Virginia, was diagnosed at 16 after being rushed to hospital with stomach pains.

Now a student, the 28-year-old suffers with irregular periods, pelvic pain, weight gain and hirsutism, the latter which has left her with hair growing all over her body.

Desperate to keep her condition a secret at first, Miranda would spend up to five hours removing her body hair in the bath before venturing out.

Putting the razor down: Miranda Nodine, 28, from Virginia, was first diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) as a teenager and battled against her body hair, often shaving for four or five hours a day

Liberation: Now 28, Miranda says she got the courage to share images of her body after coming out on Instagram and finding support from other hirsute women

Trolls: Miranda says she's learned to accept that some people don't find women with hairy bodies attractive

However, social media prompted her to finally come out about how her body looks, after she set up a Facebook group to find other women suffering with hirsutism.

She explains how she was first diagnosed: 'I found out that I had PCOS when I was a teenager when I woke up at 3AM with a stabbing pain in my lower stomach and doctors found a ruptured cyst on my ovary.'

According to the NHS, PCOS has three key features; irregular periods, excess androgen that can cause excess body hair and polycystic ovaries. It affects one in five women in the UK and more than half of these have no symptoms at all.

Her dedication to removing the body hair continued into her early twenties and she even tried laser hair removal: 'I would spend hours upon hours. Five or more in the bath shaving everything.

'It became increasingly more difficult the older I got so I decided to stop. I would wear pants during the summer and hide as much skin as I could.

'Whenever I was getting dressed for anything, I would make sure that every hairy part of me was covered and that included my shoulders.

Instagram has provided a lifeline, says Miranda, who hopes to give others the courage to put down their razors and be open about life with the condition

Miranda's Facebook group has now grown and she says she's embraced her hair, being much more concerned about the medical aspects of her condition such as being able to conceive

Miranda says her epiphany over not covering up any more came after she set up a Facebook page, after feeling dispirited by the constant stream of fitness and beauty posts on her feed.

She says: 'I saw a lot of women on Instagram sharing their weight loss journey and a lot of other life journeys and wanted their strength and courage but wasn't ready.

'Until a few years later, I was sitting in my future mother-in-law's living room and she said: "what if you make a Facebook group for women with hirsutism?" I immediately knew I had to.

'I decided to share my story via Instagram because I saw there weren't a lot of women like me who were choosing to grow it out, so I took a photo, told my story and that's it.'

Miranda with her partner Brooke: She says she focuses on the people who love her rather than those who take time to attack her on social media

Pictured as a little girl, the student says she's come to realise that body hair doesn't define beauty

For Miranda, the most difficult part of sharing her journey with others was the feeling of disgust she felt from them and coming to terms with her body hair as a young adult.

'The hardest thing about sharing my PCOS and hirsutism story with others was the constant feeling of disgust from them.Especially in past relationships.

She says previous partners had teased her about her hair after they'd broken up.

My fiancee though is very accepting and loves me with or without my body hair. She's helped me a lot in this process and I'm extremely thankful for that... Miranda Nodine

Miranda adds: 'I was bullied a lot in school because of the hair growth.

'I was still learning about my growing and developing body so getting undressed in front of other girls with an extremely hairy tummy, back, chest, and all wasn't easy.

Now engaged to Brooke, Miranda says her partner loves her 'with or without my body hair.'

'She's helped me a lot in this process and I'm extremely thankful for that. She's helped me realize that body hair is just that. Body hair. It doesn't define beauty. There's much more to beauty than that.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): Symptoms and causes CAUSES: Women with PCOS have an excess of androgens (male hormones), their ovaries tend to be larger than average, and the ovaries' outer surface have an abnormally large number of small follicles (the sacs of fluid that grows around the egg under the influence of stimulating hormones from the brain). These follicles remain immature, never growing to full development or ovulating to produce an egg capable of being fertilised. Researchers are still trying to determine the exact cause of PCOS, but it looks certain that there is a genetic link. Carrying the gene does not mean you will develop the full-blown condition, but is more likely to happen if there is a predisposition to diabetes and if the men in the family suffer early (that's before the age of 30) baldness. Women are also more at risk if they are overweight. SYMPTOMS: Sufferers have some or all of the following:  Absent periods  Increased body hair  Acne.  Infertility  Weight problems  Miscarriage (sometimes recurrent) TREATMENT: This can sometimes be difficult and is centred around controlling the symptoms, as opposed to curing the condition. If the symptoms are not severe, treatment is not always necessary. Otherwise, drugs to reduce the amount of androgens (male hormone) are usually prescribed. These can include the combined oral contraceptive pill. If you are trying to get pregnant and have PCOS, you may need fertility drugs to stimulate ovulation. Many women explore natural, herbal methods of relief from the condition. Advertisement

'As a teen and young adult, my mother would feel extreme sadness for me because she would see me crying over my body hair either because I was picked on or I just hated it and was confused as to why I had it.

Finally, Miranda shares her words of advice to others in her situation.

'Loving yourself takes work. Hard work. It's the most rewarding work you'll ever do. I'm still learning every day that I'm worth more than just my hair. Whoever is reading this, please keep pushing on.'

Her advice to other women hiding their body hair? 'One day, you'll wake up and wonder why it took so long...it's freedom to live your life without worrying one hundred percent of the time.'

Speak to a doctor: Miranda says symptoms of the condition should be checked as soon as possible

'One day, you'll wake up and wonder why it took so long. It's freedom to live your life without worrying one hundred percent of the time if anyone can see your hair. It's free to finally put your razor down and spend time with your loved ones instead of fitting society's boring way of living.

'Be you. Life is way too short, but your hair won't be.'

She adds that anyone thinking that they may be suffering with the condition should get checked straight away: 'If you can, talk to a doctor about PCOS. It's not just body hair and PCOS doesn't always equal body hair but it could be PCOS or something else entirely.

'With all of that though, that doesn't mean you aren't worthy of love or affection or will never find someone to love you for you.'
Pantene has unveiled a new advert to celebrate the launch of its new Afro hair products - after becoming the first mass market brand in the UK to offer a specially designed range.

The brand has released its new Gold Series, a range of products, available exclusively at Superdrug, that has been 15 years in the making.

Their new advert, marking the launch of the collection, features black models showing off a variety of different hair styles.

Pantene says it believes the video gives the message of just how important diversity and inclusivity is.

Pantene has unveiled a new advert designed to celebrate diversity and inclusivity as it launches a new range of hair products designed specifically for Afro hair

The advert features black models showing off a variety of different hair styles

The brand also says it wants to celebrate 'strong, beautiful hair in all women' through its Gold Series products.

The collection, priced between 4.99 and 7.99, is designed for women with relaxed, natural or transitioning hair.

Pantene said the process for creating the products specifically for Afro hair took 15 years, following in-depth research and development by a team of African American scientists and dermatologists.

Scientist Rolanda Wilkerson PhD, who was involved in the development of the range, explained: 'To create Gold Series, we studied the practices of women with afro hair - we asked them what they felt was missing from current products and what they thought their hair needed.

The new Gold Series includes a shampoo, conditioner and other products that have been 15 years in the making

Another Gold Series product currently on sale is the Repairing Mask, priced at 7.99

'This collection reflects the years of research and in-depth analysis of our unique hair type with a blend of ingredients that has been tailored to provide the right level of moisturisation; whether your hair is relaxed, natural or transitioning.'

There are currently six Gold Series products available in the UK.

These are the Moisture Boost Shampoo, the Moisture Boost Conditioner, the Hydrating Butter Creme, the Repairing Mask, the Leave-On Detangling Milk, the Intense Hydrating Oil and the Moisture Boost Shampoo.

Pantene says it wants to celebrate 'strong, beautiful hair in all women' with its new range

The new collection is designed for women with relaxed, natural or transitioning hair
As teenagers across the US march against gun violence in support of the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the school's faculty are offering their own assessment of the government's reaction.

In a video for Cosmopolitan.com, three members of the Parkland high school's staff responded to the gun laws that have been proposed since the shooting that took place exactly one month ago, and saw 17 people killed - namely, the idea that teachers should be carrying guns.

Diana Perri-Haneski, a librarian at the school, explained: 'I don't believe that arming teachers is the solution.'

Scroll down for video

Speaking out: Faculty members from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School speak out against the proposed gun laws in a new video for Cosmopolitan.com

Solidarity: Teacher Melissa Falkowski explains that she doesn't see how arming teachers 'would have helped in this scenario'

'I just don't see how it would have helped in this scenario. I don't see how it would have helped in any scenario. I think it puts more teachers' lives on the line,' added teacher Melissa Falkowski.

Amy Kenny, a physical education teacher at the school, blasted the idea of arming teachers, saying that 'the failure is above our local level.'

'Teachers teach. And now you want us to be a local law enforcement agent too?' she continued. 'I'm a yoga teacher. Where am I packing my gun? In my yoga pants? I don't think so. Am I leaving it on the corner of my mat?'

The teachers then moved on to the problem of mental health, saying that there is a lot that could be done, such as stricter laws against domestic abusers and giving police the power to remove weapons from those who are deemed to be a threat.

Questions: Amy Kenny, a physical education teacher at the school, questions where she would be keeping her gun - 'in my yoga pants? I don't think so.'

Taking note: The teachers encourage politicians to remember that they 'work for the people'

The teachers went on to blast the government for not listening to constituents and forgetting that they 'work for the people,' adding about the teens on the march: 'These young adults are going to be voters soon.'

'Emma [Gonzalez] has more followers on Twitter than the NRA. So right there, that should tell you that there is going to be more votes going in a certain area that is going to help make change in gun laws.'

The teachers' video comes soon after another clip related to the shooting, this time coming from the students themselves, satirizing the NRA with a parody commercial.

On March 4, the NRA released a minute-long video starring spokesperson Dana Loesch, in which she criticizes everyone from politicians to the media to professional athletes for their stances on gun legislation.

Soon after, several teens from Parkland created their own ad, copying Dana's style while slamming everything she stands for  and their version, starring 16-year-old Sarah Chadwick, has been liked more than three times more than the original.

Satire: 16-year-old Parkland shooting survivor Sarah Chadwick stars in a new spoof video (left) created by a group of the school's students to parody one shared by the NRA (right)

Speaking out: 'We've had enough of the lies. The sanctimony. The ignorance,' Sarah begins the clip, repeating many of Dana's own words with a few additions and tweaks of her own

Two days after the NRA's ad was released, several students who lived through the massacre in Florida released their own version on Twitter, parodying Dana's style and language to get their own message across.

In the clip, student activist Sarah stands next to an hourglass, like Dana did in her video. She wears a March for Our Lives sweater, promoting the planned protest set to take place in Washington, D.C. on March 24.

'We've had enough of the lies. The sanctimony. The ignorance,' she begins, repeating many of Dana's own words with a few additions and tweaks of her own.

'The hatred, the pettiness, the NRA. We are done with your agenda to undermine the safety of our nation's youth and the individual voices of the American people,' she goes on.

'So to every government official unwilling to take action and make change, to everyone with an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association. To every spokeswoman with an hourglass, who uses free speech to alter and undermine what our flag represents...

'To the politicians who would rather America's youth die than get assault weapon's off the shelves, to the manipulative lobbyists who think their political stances should be the only ones supported by legislation...

Joke's on them: The original video starred Dana Loesch, who calls out several groups of people that have promoted gun control measures

Opposing views: In the new clip, Sarah copies Dana's video but calls out people and groups who work against all gun control measures, instead of those who support them

Take that: Sarah mocked Dana in a tweet responding to the video

'To those who refuse to accept common stance gun safety as a bipartisan issue, to those who call high school students paid crisis actors and refuse to listen...

'Your time is running out. The clock starts now,' she says, flipping over her hourglass.

The ad closely mimicked the original commercial, which aired during the Oscars and was also shared on Twitter.

In that one, Dana stands in front of a plain black background and also has an hourglass next to her. She speaks to the camera, calling out political opponents in steady, pointed lecture.

'We've had enough of the lies. The sanctimony. The arrogance,' she said. 'The hatred, the pettiness, the fake news. We are done with your agenda to undermine voters' will and individual liberty in America.

Team: Several survivors, including Emma Gonzalez, worked on the video

Safety: Diego Pfeiffer, another survivor, was also involved in the clip, which called out the NRA

Budget: Adam Alhanti said they didn't spend any money making the video

Crew: The group came together to criticize 'every government official unwilling to take action and make change' and 'everyone with an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association'

'So to every lying member of the media, to every Hollywood phony, to the role model athletes who use their free speech to alter and undermine what our flag represents...

'To the politicians who would rather watch America burn than lose one ounce of their own personal power, to the late night hosts who think their opinions are the only opinions that matter...

'To the Julianne Reeds, the Morning Joes, the Mikas, to those who stain honest reporting with partisanship. To those who bring bias and propaganda to CNN, The Washington Post, and The New York Times...

'Your time is running out. The clock starts now,' she concludes, turning over the hourglass next to her.

Support: The teen activists' video has been liked more than 65,000 times and has support from Rosie O'Donnell

Familiar? A few commenters jokingly compared Dana to the Wicket Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz

Making change: Several students, including Emma (pictured) have become leaders of the movement

While the NRA's video earned almost 20,000 likes on Twitter, Sarah's post has been liked over 65,000 times so far  and the number is still growing.

'I told you we have our own hourglass too,' the teen wrote in a tweet to Dana.

Several of her classmates chimed in too. In a behind-the-scenes clip, at least four other people can be seen in the room with Sarah during production of the video.

Adam Alhanti, one of the student crew members, wrote that the video cost them $0 to make  presumably much less than the NRA's version.

Emma Gonzalez, who has earned international attention for a speech she made following the shooting, noted that she was the boom operator, and Diego Pfeiffer tweeted that he was the lighting director.
Shouting, slamming doors, an inability to sit still or focus on a conversation. It might sound like typical erratic teenage behaviour, but for Louise Moore these were tell-tale signs that all was not well with her daughter, Darcy.

It was the start of the school year and the formerly amiable and easygoing 17-year-old had suddenly become edgy and prone to uncharacteristic outbursts.

'I think I'm like most parents,' says Louise. 'When your teenager gets bolshy, acts up and stops telling you what they're up to, you start to worry: God, what if it's drugs?

'I'd sat through the drug talk at her school so I knew what to look for: red eyes, clothes that smelled, roll-ups or plastic bags in her bedroom. But there was nothing like that.'

Just to be sure, though, Louise, an estate agent who lives in Surrey, bought a drug test from Amazon. 'I marched Darcy into the bathroom and told her she was going to have a urine test because I suspected she was smoking cannabis.'

Xanax - from the benzodiazepine family of drugs - is not available on the NHS due to concerns over its addictive qualities and side-effects. Stock image

Darcy broke down and confessed that she had indeed been taking drugs. Not cannabis, though  nor, much to her mother's relief, cocaine. Instead, Darcy admitted she was suffering withdrawal symptoms from a tranquilliser called Xanax.

Her mother was mystified, at first. 'I'd heard of Xanax: it was a medicine taken by women my age who suffered fear of flying or panic attacks,' she says. 'But why was my teenage daughter taking it?'

The small white pill from the benzodiazepine family of drugs  which also includes diazepam, better known as Valium  is not available on the NHS, possibly due to concerns over its addictive qualities, and is legally available in the UK only with a private prescription.

But as Louise discovered, teenagers like Darcy are buying it online for as little as 89p a pill.

Indeed, there has been a sharp rise in popularity of the potent anti-anxiety drug during the past year, with some experts warning that it has become one of the top five recreational drugs used by young people. The list also includes cannabis and alcohol. Meanwhile, other youngsters are buying it online to self-medicate for anxiety.

Darcy was one of several pupils at her private school who started using it before going to parties 'because it made them feel relaxed and like nothing could faze them'.

There has been a sharp rise in popularity of Xanax during the past year, with some experts warning that it has become one of the top five recreational drugs used by young people. Stock

But she soon found she couldn't control her speech while under the influence of the drug, and her movements became clumsy or 'zombie-like'. As well as experiencing scary memory blanks, she sometimes felt nauseous.

Dr Owen Bowden-Jones, a psychiatrist with more than 20 years' experience of treating addiction problems, says: 'Xanax has tremendous appeal. It has developed a huge cultural footprint in the U.S. and now here.

'It has a different reputation from other benzodiazepines because Xanax is being glamorised  for example, in music lyrics. The drug is also associated with icons like rapper Lil Peep, who died last year of an overdose after taking a cocktail of drugs including Xanax.'

To an adult, that might sound like a very good reason to avoid the drug. But impressionable teenagers may see things differently. Indeed, young users talk of Xanax having a sort of 'decadent glamour', giving even the most self-conscious youngster an air of rebelliousness while, crucially, its powerful effect helps them forget their inhibitions.

Then there are those misguidedly using it without a prescription to counteract the pressures of modern life. Private GP Carolyn Barshall is coming across more and more teens in her West London practice who are self-medicating with the drug.

They want to stop worrying about exams, about succeeding, about what comes after school or after uni. They want everything a bit numb. There's so much pressure on teenagers today to get those A-stars, to be pretty, to be popular GP Carolyn Barshall

'They want to stop worrying about exams, about succeeding, about what comes after school or after uni,' she says. 'They want everything a bit numb. There's so much pressure on teenagers today to get those A-stars, to be pretty, to be popular.'

But users tend to underestimate the drug's effect. It sounds far less alarming than shooting up heroin or smoking crack cocaine, but Xanax is extremely dangerous when misused.

Like all benzodiazepines, it changes the way the brain works by suppressing the neurotransmitter GABA, a chemical in the brain which inhibits the activity of nerves.

'Normally, our brains are in a state that's a bit like driving with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake  the GABA neuron is the brake,' explains Dr Margaret Weis, associate professor at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Centre.

'Xanax neutralises the effect of the brake, increasing the effect of the other foot on the accelerator.'

Users feel less anxiety as a result, but suppressing GABA also has an effect on motor control, vision and many other functions. In adolescents, the brain is still developing: we can only guess what impact a drug that affects the GABA neurotransmitter could have on a young person's ability to see, move and articulate.

Worse, warns Dr Weis, after prolonged exposure to the drug, 'abrupt withdrawal leads to a syndrome that may include anything from anxiety, panic attacks and tremors to hallucinations, seizures, psychosis and suicide.'

Going 'cold turkey' from Xanax can be a truly horrifying and damaging experience.

Like all benzodiazepines, Xanax changes the way the brain works by suppressing the neurotransmitter GABA, a chemical in the brain which inhibits the activity of nerves. Stock

Only last month a group of girls from Burntwood School in Wandsworth, South London, were rushed to hospital after taking Xanax during their lunch break. Earlier this year, eight children, aged 15 and 16, in Wiltshire received hospital treatment after taking it.

While Louise's daughter Darcy escaped without such severe consequences, she was left deeply shaken by the profound effect the drug had on her.

Darcy admits that although she and her friends were using 1.5mg to 2mg of the pills a night at first, they soon increased the dose to 4mg because its effect was lessening. A standard initial dose prescribed for anxiety by doctors in the U.S., where Xanax is more common, would be just 0.25mg to 0.5mg. The usual maximum recommended dose is no more than 4mg.

Like many users, Darcy and her friends tended to take Xanax while drinking alcohol. The latter drug, of course, reduces a drinker's ability to make sensible choices  and it, too, affects the GABA neurotransmitter, meaning the two substances could interact in harmful ways.

One night Darcy and her friends decided to increase their dose to 5mg. She says: 'The next morning I couldn't remember a thing about the night before. Total blackout. So I got scared. I knew I had to stop the Xanax. It was getting out of control.'

The next morning I couldn't remember a thing about the night before. Total blackout. So I got scared. I knew I had to stop the Xanax. It was getting out of control Teenager Darcy

It had taken only four months for Darcy's use of Xanax to spiral into something dangerous.

And when she tried to stop, Darcy suffered flu-like symptoms of aching bones and headaches and felt on a permanent short fuse. 'I was almost relieved when Mum said she'd test me for drugs,' she says 'I needed help.'

Philip Wyatt, 18, an arts student from London, is another teenager who admits using Xanax. He says it became part of a cocktail of 'party drugs' including the tranquilliser ketamine, with 4mg of Xanax taken at the end of an evening to help him relax and get to sleep.

'It's pretty typical to use Xanax in combination,' he says. 'If you are buying from a dealer, he'll sell you one drug to make you high, then Xanax alongside to get you to slow down.'

To this day, Philip's parents have no idea their son was abusing a prescription drug  it was a friend at art school who warned him the impact could be serious.

Philip, a quiet young man, points to the subversive glamour of Xanax: 'It's like you're a rebel, you're edgy. If you're shy, self-conscious and worried about how people see you, Xanax is a miracle drug because it makes you forget all those inhibitions, quickly.'

After the warning from his classmate, Philip sought help from a drugs counsellor. He admits the therapy sessions worked only in part: although he was too frightened to continue with Xanax, Philip was soon drinking and smoking cannabis again.

Sophie Montgomery, pictured, said she is concerned because teenagers know all about the danger of street drugs but they seem to be ignorant of what Xanax and other 'benzos' do

It is difficult to gauge the precise volume of Xanax sales among young users because most of them buy it from the 'Dark Web'  encrypted websites that can be reached only through special browsers. Users create fake identities to browse vendors advertising their drugs, which are then sent by post, making the dealers hard to trace.

The Oxford Internet Institute found that the UK is the second-largest market after the U.S. for sales of Xanax from illegal Dark Web sites, accounting for 22 per cent of all such transactions globally.

Even more concerning is the rise during the past six months in illegal sales of Xanax over Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook. Experts say this is a 'game changer'.

'The accessibility of Xanax online has normalised its use for some young people,' says Dr Bowden-Jones, who has launched a website, the CNWL Addiction to Online Medicine Service, to try to help online users.

Not only that, but buying any pill or medicine online can be dangerous. 'People don't really know what they are getting,' says Dr Bowden-Jones. 'It might be real Xanax, it might have another chemical substituted for alprazolam  the drug in Xanax  or it might have no medicine at all.'

My own experience tells me that so much of drug-taking among the young is about searching for something that makes them feel better. I think parents' responsibility is to show there are alternatives: exercise, better nutrition, hobbies Sophie Montgomery

Counterfeit Xanax can leave gullible consumers suffering horrific side-effects, including accidental overdoses if the substitute drug is more potent than they were expecting. Yet its easy availability and low price make Xanax an appealing 'cure' for modern anxieties.

Sophie Montgomery, an integrative therapist practising in London, has witnessed at first hand the traumas of benzodiazepine withdrawal.

The daughter of Lord and Lady Birdwood, Sophie was a fixture on the party circuit in her teens and was named Deb of the Year in 1982. By her mid-30s she had developed a drink problem and spent time in rehab. There she came across two young women addicted to benzodiazepines.

She says: 'We were in the same room in the rehab clinic. Being with them was excruciating: they must have been on very high doses because their withdrawal had them shaking, sweating, shallow breathing  like the worst kind of panic attack.

'I tried to help, holding their hands and getting them to talk. It was clear they had never intended to have a "party high" but turned to benzos to keep their anxiety in check. They had thought of it as medicine.

'This is what scares me for today's Xanax users. Teenagers know all about the danger of street drugs, but they seem to be ignorant of what Xanax and other benzos do. Schools do a good job of telling them to beware of heroin and cocaine, but no one is warning them about Xanax.'

Karen Tyrell, a director of the drug and alcohol charity Addaction, agrees: 'Our recovery workers have met a significant number of young people, especially in the past year, who are buying Xanax online, either on social media or through the Dark Web. They appear to have little or no knowledge of the risks.'

Worried parents, says Dr Bowden-Jones, should step in 'before their children are likely to be exposed to drugs or people who use them'.

For most children, he says, the best time to broach the subject is at the age of 11 or 12.

'Early conversations de-stigmatise this issue and make it more likely your child will ask you for help if they do develop a problem,' he explains.

Instead of being embarrassed or scared to raise the issue, parents should recognise that they are 'an under-used resource in preventing children from developing addictions,' says Dr Bowden-Jones. 'The parent can equip the child with the skills needed to navigate exposure to drugs, peer pressure to take them, stress and so on.'

Sophie Montgomery agrees: 'My own experience tells me that so much of drug-taking among the young is about searching for something that makes them feel better. I think parents' responsibility is to show there are alternatives: exercise, better nutrition, hobbies.'

Darcy Moore is one of the lucky ones: she was saved by her mother's intervention and, with the help of her GP, has safely come off Xanax.

Thousands of other young Xanax users, however, still rely on Dr Google to make them feel better. And that, sadly, can lead to addiction and ruined lives.

Some names have been changed.

Concentrated Parenting: Seven Key Moments In The Lives Of Children, by Cristina Odone, is published by Amazon Kindle.
Pam and Armeen are enjoying lunch together and the conversation is flowing. Armeen is speculating that when Pam was young  'way back before the 1980s'  they didn't have mobile phones.

'The elderly were born many years ago and compared with now there wasn't much technology,' says Armeen. Pam agrees that life was very different when she was growing up and a pupil at a strict girls' Catholic school. 'We didn't get the cane at our school, but boys would have done,' she tells Armeen, who also wants to know if women had yet got the vote in those days.

Here, Pam's memory is a little vague. 'I'm not certain,' she says. 'Do we have the vote now?' Armeen assures her that today's women certainly do.

Pam is 71. A retired teacher, she is lively and articulate, but her occasional lapses in memory signal the early stages of dementia. Armeen, meanwhile, is eight years old. Even though more than six decades separate their births  and the gulf in their experience and cultures is wide  these two have formed a friendly alliance.

Generation game: Elderly visitors join in with pupils' lessons at Downshall school

They chat about their families. Pam lives with one of her two daughters and has a couple of grandchildren. She taught for 30 years in nearby Leytonstone before she retired.

Armeen, whose favourite subject is maths, is the youngest of three sisters. She has a granny, too. 'She's 72, only I don't call her granny. She's called Dadi, which is granny in Urdu,' she explains.

That Armeen and Pam enjoy each other's company is evident. The little girl and the pensioner have been introduced thanks to an innovative scheme pioneered by Armeen's East London school.

Six months ago, Downshall Primary School in Ilford, East London, launched the country's first long-term project bringing together old and young to improve quality of life and opportunities for both.

Similar schemes have only ever transported youngsters in to visit care homes  and have been temporary. Downshall's project is unique in that its elderly participants attend school  and even lessons with reception pupils  up to three times a week, and it is intended to be permanent.

Arts and crafts: Some of the elderly participants sit down for a Chinese calligraphy session

The scheme is already proving a success. Of the school's 616 pupils, 89 per cent do not speak English as a first language. But those who have taken part in the scheme have made faster-than-expected progress in their language skills.

Project co-ordinator Maria Zatat says: 'When one little boy started school he was completely mute, but within three weeks of coming to the project he'd bonded so well with the elderly people he'd started talking.

'We have children with social and language difficulties and this project is a perfect opportunity for them to build up these skills and interact with adults.'

Meanwhile, the elderly are discovering a fresh sense of purpose and a reason to get up in the mornings. 'They look forward to coming in,' says headteacher Ian Bennett. 'It brings them back to life. They get to know each other and the children.'

Pioneering: Headmaster Ian Bennett, of Downshall Primary School in Ilford, East London

On the day I visit, a lively song and dance session is taking place. Nine elderly participants, some with carers, join two dozen four and five-year-olds. 'One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive,' they sing. Next, there is a chorus of The Wheels On The Bus. Everyone, it seems, knows the words and the actions. You cannot help but feel uplifted.

'I'm old and doddery and I have the early stages of dementia, which is a bit frightening,' says Pam. 'But it's so nice and friendly here and the children are just lovely. They're so . . . (she searches for the right word) . . . forgiving. They don't judge you for being a bit muddled.

'I'm always trying to think of the right words now, and some of the children are just learning to talk. So if I speak to them and they say one or two words to me it's an achievement for all of us.'

'It's just wonderful here!' agrees Patricia, 74, smiley and smartly dressed. It's difficult to believe she has suffered from depression. 'The children seem to love it and we love it. I thought perhaps we'd be intruding, but the teachers are so accepting of us and the children get to know us. They're such a joy. I think they genuinely enjoy having us here.'

The scheme is the joint initiative of Mr Bennett and consultant old age psychiatrist Dr David Hinchcliffe, who works with the North East London Foundation Trust and refers patients to the school, among them those who are recovering from depression, suffering social isolation or have the early stages of dementia.

'The older adults really missed the project over the Christmas break so we've already set up 'summer school' events to bridge the holidays,' says Dr Hinchcliffe. 'People have said they can't wait to get up in the morning. Before, they didn't know what to do with their day.'

The project is cost-effective, with most of the modest funding coming from social services. Charities, including Age UK, also contribute. Moreover, because the school provides the premises, the upkeep of a costly day centre for the elderly is saved.

Learning from each other: Despite the age gap, both old and young have plenty to share

The idea is borrowed from Japan, which has the world's fastest ageing population. In Britain the number of people over 65 is projected to increase by 64 per cent in the next 14 years, when they will make up almost a quarter of the population.

There are currently 850,000 people with dementia in the UK, with numbers set to rise to over one million by 2025.

Introducing the morning's activities, project leader Ms Zatat tells the elderly participants that they will be joining reception classes to learn Chinese calligraphy and make a dragon to mark the Chinese New Year.

'Is anyone an expert in Chinese?' she asks the adults.

'Yes, of course I am!' jokes Marion, 77, whose sense of fun has not been diminished by dementia. A retired shorthand typist, she has two grown-up daughters who are keen  as she is  that she remains in her own home. She is looked after by carer Jo, who accompanies her to the school.

When I was at home on my own, I was getting quite lonely. I didn't want to watch telly all day. I recognise everything here now  it all falls into place. It's lovely. You just walk in and feel comfortable, and we have lots of laughs Marion, 77

'Marion absolutely loves it here. It makes her happy,' says Jo. 'She might not remember what she's done when she gets home, but as soon as she sees the children, her face lights up.'

'I love it a lot,' confirms Marion. 'The children are our future. If everyone is nice to them, they'll grow up being nice to others. All we want to do is make them happy, and if they are, we are, too.

'When I was at home on my own, I was getting quite lonely. I didn't want to watch telly all day. I recognise everything here now  it all falls into place. It's lovely. You just walk in and feel comfortable, and we have lots of laughs.'

Patricia, meanwhile, is with Bridget, 72, and four-year-olds Samit, Ihaya and Ishae. They sit at a little table with paintbrushes and pens, all ready to learn.

Bridget explains she joined the project initially as her husband Pat's carer. They'll have been married 50 years in April and Pat, 74, has vascular dementia.

'To begin with I intended to leave Pat here and go, but he became a bit anxious,' she says. 'Now I stay and actually I really enjoy it. At the start Pat was always on my shoulder. Now he's happy to be separated from me, even in a different room.'

Patricia and Bridget ask Samit about his birthday. He'll turn five in a couple of months. 'I'll cut my cake with my dad and you can have a slice,' he tells them. 'You can come out for a pizza, too!'

Lunchtime: Two of the elderly participants sit down for lunch in the school canteen

Samit, a high-achiever in lessons, has advanced language skills, but still benefits from the adult conversation of these sessions. 'I want to be a doctor when I grow up. Then I can check everybody; even my teacher. I can look after you, too,' he says, smiling at Bridget and Patricia.

Patricia smiles back. 'I'd like you to be my doctor,' she says.

An atmosphere of quiet industry prevails. It's hard to believe Mr Bennett, 52, who has been headteacher at Downshall for 14 years, took over a school under notice to improve. 'Behaviour was the big issue when I arrived,' he says. 'There was bullying and fighting; you'd hear teachers

shouting. Now we have a school with an entirely different feel to it. It's a nurturing school and we care about the development of the whole child.'

Academic standards have improved, too: the progress pupils make puts the school among the top 10 per cent in the country.

I've started forgetting things a bit, and I do feel low sometimes. But these children are like my grandchildren. I love the singing and I've asked to come twice a week. Since I started coming I've been so much happier Retired nurse Sara, 72

The caring ethos is pervasive. Teacher Gabriela Morar has welcomed retired nurse Sara, 72, along with Pam, into her infant class.

'I need three very sensible children to make a scary dragon using paper, string and glue,' said Ms Morar. 'And we're very fortunate in this class to have a Chinese child to help.'

Five-year-old Zishen steps forward to take his place at the dragon-making table with Laila (four) and Yasin (five).

'At home I speak English and Punjabi,' announces Laila, as she sticks and cuts with Sara. 'What are you going to do when you grow up?' Sara asks her.

'I'm going to eat my food all by myself,' comes the reasonable reply. There is laughter. Then they all remember how last week they made gingerbread men. 'And I did that all by myself, too,' adds Laila proudly.

Sara explains how the project has helped her. 'I've started forgetting things a bit, and I do feel low sometimes,' she says. 'But these children are like my grandchildren. I love the singing and I've asked to come twice a week. Since I started coming I've been so much happier.'

The school's culture of care spreads out to the wider community. 'Pupils' parents who are concerned about their own elderly parents come to us to discuss provision for them,' explains Mr Bennett, who hopes the project will become permanently 'embedded in school life'  and the first of many throughout the country.

At lunchtime there is more evidence of the scheme's success. I speak to eight-year-old Isman and seven-year-olds Zahran and Hafsa. Isman tells me: 'I've not been able to talk to old people before because my aunties and nannas are in Bangladesh. I really like talking to them about the past.

'One of the people I met was a mining engineer. I'd like to be an engineer  or an astronaut.'

Zahran, too, can see the merit of talking to 'old people who can tell you about the jobs they've done, so you can think about doing them, too.'

'They inspire us all,' puts in Hafsa. 'That's a word we hear a lot at this school.'
A Hawaii high school has come under fire after issuing a dress code for the students' prom banning 'excessive cleavage'.

Kauai High School has become the target of a Change.org petition after releasing the dress code, which critics have branded 'discriminating and insulting to girls.'

According to the petition, the dress code states that 'the slit on the dress may not expose the upper thighs,' and 'backless dresses may not fall below mid-back.'

Causing a stink: Kauai High School has sparked a protest from students after releasing a dress code banning girls from wearing dresses that show 'excessive cleavage'

Off-the-shoulder dresses cannot show cleavage and 'excessive cleavage' in general is also on the list of ban-worthy offenses, as well as any cutouts exposing flesh or bare midriffs.

The petition against the code was launched by student Annie Funaki of Lawai, who wrote: 'The facts are this is 2018, where we are told to be confident in our body, but then you create these restrictions that discriminate us and hypersexualize us to the point that we cannot feel comfortable without the assumption that we are being "provocative."'

An image posted in the petition shows a yellow poster plastered with images of prom dresses with the title 'Prom Do's and Don'ts' at the top.

Next to the title is a disclaimer that reads: 'If you do not follow these dress codes, you will not be able to enter prom and will not be refunded. Thank you.'

Annie adds that she isn't asking for the code to be entirely abolished, but rather asks for 'modifications', arguing that Kauai High School is the only one in the area with such tight restrictions.

Hot water: The school has been accused of discrimination over the rules, with critics pointing out that there are twice as many rules for boys as girls

The teenager also argued that the rules were inherently sexist, pointing to the fact that there were twice as many rules for girls than for boys.

'We ask you to please read this and hear our voice, as we try to make a change in something that should not have been done in the first place, and trust our judgment in representing ourselves and this school,' she said.

The petition has already attracted more than 400 of the 500 signatures sought and also led to many supporters offering their own thoughts.

'Students should have a right to wear whatever dress they please they should be able to feel confident and express themselves,' wrote one.

Another added: 'If youre worried about boys getting too excited over seeing a girls shoulders, you should be teaching them some self-control.'

Daily Mail Online has reached out to the school's principal Anne Kane for comment.
Prince Charles was in excellent spirits as he hosted a Buckingham Palace event to celebrate Britain's nurses.

The royal, 69, praised the 'unsung and unseen' hard work the nurses at the reception on Wednesday night.

Charles met over 350 frontline nursing staff from across the country, including first responders to last year's terror attacks and Grenfell Tower fire.

He was joined by the Countess of Wessex, 45, who looked elegant in a red dress as she chatted to guests.

Prince Charles met with nurses some of who were first responders during last year's terror attacks and Grenfell Tower fire

The Countess of Wessex looked elegant in red as she accompanied Charles at the reception

Speaking to a roomful of nurses, Charles said: 'Having spoken to a few of you here this evening, I have been astounded by some of the stories I have heard, particularly from individuals responding to harrowing incidents.'

Sophie - who was sporting a Fitbit exercise tracking device on her left arm - opted for a red cocktail dress that featured extravagant bows at the sleeves.

She accented the outfit with a gold brooch and a delicate initial 'S' necklace and tear drop earrings.

The mother-of-two had her hair swept up in a chic chignon and kept her her make-up neutral with a touch of black kohl eyeliner.

Charles - who will share his 70th birthday this year with the 70th anniversary of the National Health Service - used the evening to recount one of his first hospital memories.

He said: 'I was rushed to Great Ormond Street with a rapidly expanding appendix. I have never forgotten how wonderful I was looked after by the nurses there.

'In fact, when I went to go back home to Windsor Castle, I didn't want to leave.'

The future king took the opportunity to share his first encounter with the NHS when he was rushed in with a 'rapidly expanding appendix'

He regaled the audience with tales of his childhood while meeting members of the Royal College of Nursing

Pictured, Sophie meets Sarah Chinyanga of Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, the women looked resplendent in their evening wear

Melanie Davies, who won the Royal College of Nursing's 2017 Nurse of the Year award, said: 'I just can't believe it. I'm speechless. It is just such a privilege to be here.

'Nursing is always in the headlines for the pay, or lack of, so it's just nice to be acknowledged. We are doing a great job.'

Charles also acknowledged the recruitment crisis among young nurses.

Talking to Zoe Butler, who won Student Nurse of the Year in 2017, he brought up the issue of how fewer people are choosing to enter the profession.

Ms Butler said: 'He brought up the issue of the recruitment crisis.

'It is really nice they are bringing the younger generation into the event tonight, especially with the recruitment issues nursing is facing.'

Charles, meeting with Debbie Brown of Lewisham Clinical Commissioning Group, cracked jokes with his guests as he carried a light refreshment as he wandered the room

Guests looked delighted to be meeting royalty as they sipped champagne and chatted during the reception

The Prince of Wales meets Professor Dame Donna Kinnair of the Royal College of Nursing at a reception to celebrate frontline nursing

Ms Butler, who is actively seeking new ways to encourage young people to enter the profession, added: 'It is humbling to be here - and quite bizarre. I have only been a nurse for six months, so to be asked to come to the palace was amazing.'

One guest, Josie Barcial, a care home nurse from Oxfordshire, had a particular reason to be excited at the event.

She said: 'When I first wanted to come to the UK to be a nurse, the interviewer asked me why I wanted to come to this country and work.

'I told him it was because I wanted to see Buckingham Palace! And here I am this evening. I can't quite believe it.

'My career gave me my biggest wish. I'm so delighted.'
The alarm bells should have started ringing the day my new boyfriend insisted we go through my wardrobe so he could tell me which clothes to throw out.

'We'll have a fashion show,' said Franc. 'You try everything on and I'll tell you what to keep.' He said it would be fun, but also necessary because I had no sense of style.

Coming from a handsome and immaculately dressed Frenchman, I decided this made sense. Later, he took me shopping to replace the bohemian-style clothes I'd worn all my life with chic pieces he felt were more fitting for his girlfriend.

We had been together for just a few weeks, introduced by a mutual friend, but I'd already convinced myself it was love.

We quickly moved in together. When he said my habit of walking around barefoot disgusted him I was mortified. 'Always wear slippers,' he insisted. So I did.

The scars victims of domestic coercion receive aren't visible, even though it breaks your spirit and robs you of your sense of identity all the same. Stock image

Just as I followed the exercise regime Franc devised for me after he made me measure my thighs, hips and waist and decided they needed whittling down.

When he kept insisting I cancel on my friends because he didn't like me going out without him, it seemed easier to stop making plans with them at all.

Of course, logic should have told me how very wrong and controlling Franc's behaviour was. But I wasn't thinking logically: I loved him and thought this was his way of loving me back. You probably picture me as a weak-willed and naive girl; someone lacking worldly experience, perhaps living a lonely life that made me vulnerable to a man who wanted to govern me.

In fact, I was an intelligent 45-year-old divorcee  a slim and attractive woman with striking red hair. I was well educated, had a good job as a hospital administrator, lots of friends and a busy social life.

In other words, the last person fitting the stereotype of easy prey for an abusive man. Yet, that's what I was. And if it could happen to me, it could happen to any of us.

That's the problem with coercive control: a type of domestic abuse that had no name until three years ago, when the Serious Crimes Act 2015 made it a criminal offence.

When a woman is being bounced off the furniture three times a week the violence she suffers leaves bruises.

Three women tell how they were slowly stripped of their independence by abusive partners. Stock image

But the scars victims of domestic coercion receive aren't visible, even though it breaks your spirit and robs you of your sense of identity all the same.

And that makes it incredibly difficult to walk away. Indeed, it wasn't until 2016 that I realised I was a victim of it myself. It was listening to the now infamous storyline of a mentally abused woman unfold slowly on BBC Radio 4's The Archers; hearing my own experiences reflected back at me provoked a shocking epiphany.

Could anyone close have helped me while I was still in the relationship? Honestly, no, because I simply wouldn't have listened.

My love for Franc trapped me. I was too ashamed to admit my mistake. Denial somehow felt less humiliating.

I think it was loneliness that landed me in this position in the first place. My first marriage had broken down in terrible acrimony, and apart from one other relationship, I'd spent eight years on my own. I missed the intimacy of being in a loving relationship.

Out for dinner, he insisted a beautiful woman should allow her man to order from the menu for her  falling for that piece of flattery cost me the right to choose what I ate from there onwards

I thought that was what Franc was giving me. He was beyond charming at first  full of affection and constant flattery that from the beginning blinded me to how controlling he was.

I felt adored rather than suffocated and the drip, drip, drip of control was slow and subtle.

Out for dinner, he insisted a beautiful woman should allow her man to order from the menu for her  falling for that piece of flattery cost me the right to choose what I ate from there onwards.

At home, he dictated only protein and salads would do if I wanted to look my best  and I did, for him.

Just as I stopped talking to other men unless it was absolutely necessary after he said it was agony for him to even imagine it. I excused that as passion. It didn't take long for this to become normal  just a few weeks.

I soon malleably agreed to a long list of diktats: never leave the room when he was angry; always answer the phone by the fourth ring; go to the gym at least three times a week for 90 minutes a visit, following the exercise schedule he prescribed; never drink more than one glass of wine (always white); don't spend time with other people when I could be with him.

I did all this willingly to keep him happy, blinded by the way Franc dressed up control and coercion as adoration. He tricked me into stepping inside a world where, by the time I began to understand what was happening, I had no idea how to get out.

Helen Walmsley-Johnson, pictured, is the author of Look What You Made Me Do: A Powerful Memoir of Coercive Control

I'd become a statistic  joining the ranks of the 1.2million women who were controlled, assaulted and degraded by their partners in the last year alone.

Women like you and me, our mothers, sisters and daughters.

And like school receptionist Eleanor Michaels (we have changed names throughout this article) who never imagined she could become a victim of domestic violence herself.

Eleanor, 40, from Cambridge, says: 'I always prided myself on the fact that I was a strong person and would never stay within a physically abusive relationship. And yet I stayed with a man who constantly chipped away at my confidence, allowing me no independence. 'He would even shout at me if I tried to cross a road on my own, grabbing my hand and pulling me back.'

Eleanor's now ex-husband would go into a rage if she ever challenged him, especially when it came to wanting to spend time with her friends. 'Whenever I disagreed with him, even over the slightest thing, he'd rant about what kind of a person I was to do this to him, sometimes for hours. He'd say I was making him ill, giving him headaches, sending his blood pressure soaring.

'It was frightening, so I'd go very quiet in the hope he'd stop. But because he never physically hit me, it didn't register as abuse.

'He'd be furious if I made the slightest mistake  like the time I clipped his car on the kerb.

One time I refused to wear a skirt he'd bought me. It was hideous, but he went on about how I should wear it for so long that in the end I did as he said. I remember loathing myself for giving in. Georgia

'One day our dog ran off when I took it for a walk. I was petrified of telling him, scared to go home in case things got really nasty.

And yet I was, inexplicably, reluc-tant to leave him.' It was only when Eleanor confided in a group of girlfriends that their horror forced her to see his behaviour through their eyes and she finally left him, filing for divorce after seven years together. She adds: 'I'd spent most of my 20s convinced I was a bad person and that his behaviour was my fault. This had become my normal.'

A nasty comment here, some controlling behaviour there  coercive control happens in such an insidious way. Perhaps the best metaphor for describing how it takes hold is that of the boiling frog, used to describe tolerance of dangerous situations. If you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will immediately try to jump out.

But if you place it gently in a pot of tepid water and turn the heat on low, it will sit there placidly.

Gradually, you turn the heat up, but the frog doesn't notice, eventually allowing itself to be boiled to death. That's what it's like when you fall in love with a man who wants to control you.

And it's so easily facilitated. After all, don't most of us, in the first flush of love, cheerfully ditch our family and friends so that we can invest endless time and energy in an exciting new relationship?

The texts, emails and phone calls asking 'where are you?' seem sweet when a man can't get enough of you, or you of him. Chucking out a dress they don't like, accepting their tips on keeping in shape  what's to worry about in that?

But there's a line, and with men like Franc it gets crossed with even the savviest women not realising they were meant to be keeping an eye on it in the first place.

Look at me. I blithely placed myself in the hands of someone mercurial and possessive, whom I barely knew  and all because he made me feel wanted.

Inevitably, what started with adoration turned all too quickly into contempt.

Once I was in his thrall, Franc told me I was hopeless and chaotic; that my track record of relationships was terrible; I didn't understand money; I was a rotten cook and a shambolic housekeeper.

I'd never have the right kind of body, I was old and past it, and so who'd want me if he didn't?

Just as I'd believed him when he told me I was perfect, I also came to accept this ugly version of me.

My mother was dead, my father had moved away, I hadn't spoken to my two brothers for years and now I'd lost touch with my friends. There wasn't anyone to set me right.

I lost my job at the hospital because I was so distracted I kept making mistakes, further compounding my need for his approval.

For some women, being controlled is a pattern of behaviour they became used to in childhood.

Take Georgia, 47, a teacher who lives alone in Bristol. She says: 'My dad was a control freak so I grew up used to being shouted at and told what to do all the time. For example, he'd complain bitterly throughout supper if anything was out of place on the dining table.'

Georgia says she didn't ask friends home because of him. And, ironically, it was her attempt to get away from his controlling behaviour that put her in a relationship with the same kind of man.

'He was a guy I'd met at university. I moved in with him to get away from my parents, first as housemates then as a couple.

'He was kind at first, but soon started complaining if I wanted to leave the house without him, not wanting me to go to college or work placements.

'He'd sit up into the early hours, demanding we have long talks, even though I was exhausted. It affected my studies and stopped me getting enough sleep.

'One time I refused to wear a skirt he'd bought me. It was hideous, but he went on about how I should wear it for so long that in the end I did as he said.

'I remember loathing myself for giving in. Whenever I tried to walk out on him, he'd run after me.

'Sometimes he would have no shoes on in the street, having just got out of bed. He made for such a pitiful sight. And even though I knew I'd done nothing wrong, I felt guilty, just like I had when I made my dad angry.'

Georgia left three times, but always returned when he promised things would be different. In the end, she escaped after he had an affair. Today she doesn't trust herself to get involved with any man in case she is similarly abused.

I feel the same way. I also wish I could say that in the end I saw the light and told Franc to leave.

But I escaped him more by chance than design. His work took him back to Paris, forcing us to spend long periods of time apart.

Experiencing the normality of life away from Franc's physical and overbearing presence gave me the opportunity to think for myself.

I wanted a career again  to enjoy a social life and do everyday things, like going to the gym because I wanted to, not because it was a rule.

This space meant that when, after two months apart, a visit to see Franc ended with him becoming violent because I'd irritated him, I snapped out of my denial.

Coercive control doesn't necessarily lead to physical outbursts, though in my case it did.

Even so, there was no obvious end to the relationship. I returned home and started applying for jobs, before securing a position that meant I could move to London. There I rebuilt my life as an independent woman.

Franc still tried to control me remotely, via emails demanding to know my every move, but I stopped playing along. In the end his obsession with me began to wane; unsurprisingly, once I was no longer under his spell he didn't want me any more either.

All this happened more than a decade ago; I've been happily single ever since.

Today I have minimal contact with Franc via social media. We don't actually speak, but it means I always know where he is  still in France and far away from me.

I don't doubt that Franc has treated other women just as he did me, and I feel angry with myself  guilty even  that I wasn't able to stop him so they wouldn't have suffered as I did.

I wish he'd been punished then the way the law is able to now.

Coercive control is like cancer: everybody knows somebody who's been affected.

It's only when you start to speak openly about it, without shame, that it prompts others to start to take a closer and more honest look at their own experiences.

There are plenty of women out there who might never experience being hit by their partner, yet they're emotionally battered time and again by men who control their every move.

That makes them as much the victims of domestic violence as someone who's beaten black and blue every other weekend.

When you grasp that, you get a true understanding of how this kind of thing is happening, all the time, to women like me and to women like you. We just don't always see it for what it is.

If you need support, call the Freephone 24-Hour National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247.

Look What You Made Me Do, by Helen Walmsley-Johnson is published by Macmillan, 14.99.

Additional reporting: SAMANTHA BRICK
Starbucks has introduced a new gin-flavored coffee drink to its menu  but it's only available at one location.

This week, the chain announced the Gin Barrel-Aged Cold Brew, a cold brew coffee made in barrels originally used to age gin  meaning that coffee gets a little bit of that gin taste.

Curious coffee connoisseurs will have to visit Seattle to try it, however, since it's only on the menu at Starbucks' Reserve Roastery.

Tasty! This week, Starbucks announced the addition of the Gin Barrel-Aged Cold Brew, a cold brew coffee made in barrels originally used to age gin

Something new: Only available at Starbucks' Reserve Roastery in Seattle, it has a subtle gin flavor and is served with tonic

The new drink is made by storing coffee beans inside a barrel once used to age gin. The barrel is hand-rotated over several weeks, so those beans pick up notes of pepper, cardamom, and vanilla from the gin and barrel char.

The beans are then roasted, which burns off the alcohol but not the flavor.

'We started with the coffee, our bright and lively Rwandan beans,' Jennifer Galbraith, Starbucks manager of product development for R&D, said in a press release.

'The beans absorb the botanical essence of the gin, bringing out its bright citrus notes with a sweet caramel finish. The resulting cup is rich, nuanced and unlike anything weve tasted before.'

The Roastery will also shake that coffee with ice and lime bitters and mix it with tonic for a twist on a gin and tonic cocktail.

'When you go to take your first sip, youll smell the quinine from the tonic and the botanicals from the gin and the coffee,' Galbraith said. 'Then you taste the orange and lemon, finishing with caramel notes from the coffee and the barrel. It weaves together like a piece of fabric and leaves you with a light, refreshing flavor.'

Off-menu: The Roastery location also has a secret cocktail menu

Drink up: Customers there can order an Espresso Cloud IPA and an Espresso martini

Earlier this year, it was revealed that customers at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery can also order actual alcoholic beverages.

Baristas-cum-bartenders at the special Seattle location serve up beer, wine, and cocktails, including the off-the-menu Espresso Martini.

The cocktails are only available at the Roastery thanks to the opening of Princi, a bakery and cafe that opened inside the store in November. Princi has a fully-stocked bar, which baristas can dip into for liquor-coffee hybrids.

'Starbucks Reserve Roastery is the only Starbucks location that employs skillfully trained bartenders who craft an assortment of signature beverages and cocktails to accompany the authentic Italian cuisine at Princi,' a spokesperson told Delish.

Foamy: The Espresso Cloud IPA is made espresso, orange pieces, vanilla, and beer

Bar: The Roastery is the only location offering alcoholic drinks, thanks to its cafe, Princi

For beer drinkers, there is also the Espresso Cloud IPA, which was created by barista Justin Burns-Beach when he started working at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in 2015.

The IPA is made by shaking espresso over ice with orange pieces and a pinch of sweet vanilla, creating a foam. Once the foam is formed, it's poured on top of an IPA and served with a shot of cold espresso on the side.

The spot serves a whiskey barrel-aged coffee as well, which it debuted last year.
Thousands of women could be spared dangerous pregnancy complications thanks to a new method of screening for pre-eclampsia.

A technique developed at Kings College London doubles the rate at which the problem is detected, a major study revealed.

The screening programme, which uses data already gathered in the standard 12-week pregnancy check, could prevent nearly 3,000 cases of pre-eclampsia a year if it were rolled out on the NHS.

A technique developed at Kings College London doubles the rate at which pre-eclampsia is detected - a pregnancy complication responsible for thousands of stillbirths each year, a major study revealed (stock)

This could significantly reduce the number of babies and women killed or harmed by the condition each year, experts say.

Pre-eclampsia is one of the biggest threats to pregnant women and unborn babies, a leading cause of stillbirth and Britains second biggest cause of maternal death.

It is caused by reduced blood flow through the placenta, restricting the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the baby, which can inhibit growth.

It affects about 25,000 women in England and Wales each year, striking in the second half of the pregnancy. Severe cases of pre-eclampsia develop in about 1 to 2 per cent of pregnancies, and in extreme cases can lead to seizures, coma or death.

Giving women a low dose of aspirin every day cuts the risk by 70 per cent, but it must be given before 16 weeks of pregnancy.

Currently NHS guidelines say women should be considered at risk of pre-eclampsia if their medical profile shows any one of a list of risk factors, such as high blood pressure, previous pre-eclampsia or age. But this check-list approach only identifies 40 per cent of women with severe forms of pre-eclampsia  and only 24 per cent of women are given aspirin.

The Kings team found they could double this detection rate to 82 per cent with their new screening tool.

The screening programme, which uses data already gathered in the standard 12-week pregnancy check, could prevent nearly 3,000 cases of pre-eclampsia a year if it were rolled out on the NHS (stock)

This technique takes medical history, blood pressure readings and the results of the ultrasound scan and blood test performed at the 12-week scan. The data is entered into software, which instantly produces an accurate risk score.

The study, which involved 16,700 women at seven NHS hospitals, found the screening could identify and prevent one case of pre-eclampsia for every 303 women screened.

If rolled out across the country and all 900,000 pregnancies seen in England and Wales every year, that would mean nearly 3,000 cases of pre-eclampsia could be prevented.

Researcher Dr Liona Poon, whose findings are published in the Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology journal, called for NHS watchdog NICE to change its guidance to incorporate the screening.

She said it was time to revise guidelines and to move away from a checklist method.

Dr Basky Thilaganathan, editor-in-chief of the Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology journal, said: Poon and colleagues have demonstrated that effective early pregnancy screening for pre-eclampsia is possible in a routine NHS hospital setting.

They make a compelling case for the routine implementation of this protocol to halve the cases of early-onset severe pre-eclampsia cases in the UK.
An agonising condition has caused a man's legs to swell to almost twice their normal size.

Ashraf Ali, 24, from Sheikh Darra in Pakistan, suffers from elephantiasis, which has caused his legs and feet to balloon to such an extent he is now virtually bedridden.

He said: 'When I walk, I feel as if a weight of 4-to-5 kgs have been tied to my legs.

'I'm not able to do any work and I'm very scared.'

After raising the money to visit a hospital, where the former field labourer stayed for almost a month, Mr Ali was told by doctors they were unable to treat him.

Specialists are now telling Mr Ali's family, who earn just 2 a day, surgery could help ease his symptoms but will cost more than 3,000.

His father Ali Nawaz said: 'It's painful to see my son in pain [however] we can't afford his treatment as we don't have the resources.'

Mr Ali's family are appealing to their local government for financial support.

Scroll down for video

Ashraf Ali suffers from elephantiasis, which has caused his legs and feet to balloon

Mr Ali's foot has almost doubled in size, leaving the former field labourer virtually bedridden

When he walks, Mr Ali claims it feels as if he has a weight of 4-to-5kg tied to his legs

WHAT IS ELEPHANTIASIS? Elephantiasis is defined as an impaired lymphatic system, resulting in abnormal enlargements of the body due to by a parasite infection from a mosquito bite. Nearly 856 million people in 52 countries worldwide are at risk of developing elephantiasis, which is also known as lymphatic filariasis. In 2000 over 120 million people were infected, of which around 40 million were disfigured and incapacitated by the disease. Infection usually occurs during childhood. This can result in tissue or scrotal swelling, as well as tissue thickening, in later life, leading to permanent disability and social isolation. Elephantiasis is caused by adult parasitic worms lodging in the lymphatic system. Their larvae then further add to this problem. Preventative chemotherapy can stop the spread of the infection by reducing the number of parasites in infected people's bloodstreams. Scrotal swelling is treatable via surgery. Elephantiasis can be stopped from becoming worse by practicing good hygiene, exercising and elevating affected limbs. Source: World Health Organization Advertisement

Symptoms started at 21 years old

Speaking of the onset of his symptoms, Mr Ali said: 'I was quite normal 'til the age of 21.

'Three years ago after attending a marriage ceremony in the nearby village, I noticed that both of my legs had swollen.

'But I ignored that and kept working in fields.'

Mr Ali became concerned again in June last year when he felt pain in his legs.

He said: 'I went to a local health center in my village where I was given pain killers and some medicines.

'I was relieved from the pain but soon my legs started getting bulky and the skin got rough and tough.'

After raising the money to visit a hospital, doctors told Mr Ali they could not treat his disorder

Specialists now say surgery is an option but will cost more than 3,000

Mr Ali's family, who are also field labourers, earn just 2 a day and cannot afford the procedure

'We can't afford his treatment'

Mr Ali's family took him to a local government-run hospital, where doctors advised him to visit a bigger clinic in Karachi; 220 miles far from his home.

Initially unable to afford the journey, a local social worker gave Mr Ali's family 100 for travel expenses towards the hospital visit.

After arriving at the Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre in December last year and staying for almost a month, doctors told the family they were unable to treat Mr Ali's condition.

The family later took Mr Ali to Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, where medics said he required surgical treatment that would cost half a million Pakistani rupees (approximately 3,240).

Mr Nawaz said: 'I had taken a loan of 1,300 for my daughter's marriage from a local landlord which I'm yet to pay. Who would have given me more loan for my son's treatment?

'It's too painful to see my son in acute pain.

'We are very poor and work in fields as labourers at a mere 2 a day. We can't afford his treatment as we don't have the resources.'

Despite several people donating towards Mr Ali's treatment, the family are still a long way from raising sufficient amounts of money.

Mr Nawaz added: 'We have collected 1,300 so far and need 1,950 more for surgery.

'We appeal [to] the local government for help.'

Mr Ali first noticed his legs were swollen when he was 21 years old but initially ignored it
A man claims he woke up in the middle of a routine operation because he was given an incorrect dose of anaesthetic by a foreign nurse.

Fenn Settle, 25, from Bradford, alleges a 'language barrier' with a nurse who spoke 'little English' led to him waking up during surgery on his ruptured appendix.

He claims the agency nurse had wrongly noted down his weight, stating he was 3st lighter than he was - leading to medics giving him too little general anaesthetic.

Mr Settle said he was forced to urinate on the operating table at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary to get the attention of surgeons, who didn't know he was awake.

Speaking for the first time about his terrifying ordeal that led to him thinking he was going to die, he has branded the experience as his 'worst nightmare'.

Bosses at the trust that runs the hospital have since admitted the level of anaesthetic in the account manager's body was lower than it should have been.

Mr Settle remembers a stabbing pain in his stomach and feeling like he was 'choking to death on a bottle cap', which turned out to be a tube inserted down his throat.

Despite being awake, he claims he felt paralysed and unable to communicate - so operating staff had no idea that he could feel what was happening to him.

Fenn Settle claims he had to urinate on the operating table to gain the attention of surgeons when his general anaesthetic wore off during surgery to treat his ruptured appendix

Mr Settle said he tried blinking, wiggling his fingers and toes but nothing worked.

He then made a 'conscious decision' to urinate on the operating table, during his procedure in March 2016, before he was then put back under.

Mr Settle said he next woke up in post-op following the laparascopic appendectomy and, despite his memory of the procedure, was told it was 'all a dream'.

He said: 'I went down for surgery and everything was fine, I was put under but came round and felt like I had a bottle cap in my throat.

'I tried to spit it out but couldn't and felt like I was choking to death. Everything goes through your mind like, "are you going to see your family again"?

'I thought I was going to die and tried to hold my breath so I would pass out quicker.

'I then realised I could hear voices, the beep of the machines and a stabbing pressure on my abdomen.

'I was able to figure out what was going on and that I was still in the operation.

'I couldn't move, I was paralysed. I tried to open my eyes, scream, wiggle my fingers and toes.'

Mr Settle added: 'I was willing any part of me to do something. I made the conscious decision to urinate, it was the only thing I could do.

Speaking for the first time about his ordeal, the 25-year-old has branded the horrific experience at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as his 'worst nightmare' come true

Mr Settle, from Bradford, claims an agency nurse, who spoke 'little English', had incorrectly noted down his weight at 3st lighter just hours before the surgery

WHAT IS ANAESTHESIA AWARENESS? It's a story many of us would dismiss as urban myth  an anaesthetic dose being miscalculated so a patient wakes up during surgery. But figures suggest it happens to up to 2,000 patients in the UK every year. Known as anaesthesia awareness, this terrifying phenomenon was the subject of a Hollywood film, called Awake, that was released in 2007. In the film, a character played by Hayden Christensen wakes up during an operation as the surgeon is about to cut open his chest. He can feel everything, but cannot move or speak. Anaesthesia awareness usually occurs when muscle-relaxing drugs are used, rendering the patient paralysed. It is estimated that these are used in 10 per cent of operations. 'Anaesthesia awareness has caused some of the most severe cases of post-traumatic stress disorder I have seen,' Professor Michael Wang, a clinical psychologist at the University of Leicester said in 2006. He said it doesn't matter whether the operation is a major or minor one. Advertisement

'It was that sort of feeling when you have three beers. I thought this will get their attention. I definitely could have held it in.

'In the post-op ward I said to the nurses "I remembered that" but they said it was just a dream.

'The next morning I was seen by a doctor who said, "I'm aware you had some awareness of the operation" but said whatever you do don't google it because I would scare myself.

'Obviously, I immediately looked up what anaesthesia awareness was and found it may be down to medical negligence.'

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, has since apologised.

Bosses at the trust gave Mr Settle thousands of pounds in compensation in an out of court settlement.

Mr Settle asked the NHS to investigate what had happened during the operation and claims staff incorrectly inputted his weight three stone lighter.

The alleged mix-up came following what he claims was a miscommunication by staff because of a language barrier.

'There I was seen by a healthcare nurse who spoke very little English,' he added. 'She didn't measure my weight or height and guessed a ballpark figure.

Bosses at the trust that runs the hospital have since admitted the level of anaesthetic in the account manager's body was lower than it should have been

Mr Settle said he next woke up in post-op following the laparascopic appendectomy and, despite his memory of the procedure, was told it was 'all a dream' (pictured before the op)

Mr Settle added: 'I was willing any part of me to do something. I made the conscious decision to urinate, it was the only thing I could do'

'I weighed 18 stone at the time and she put down that I was three stone lighter.

'According to the doctor himself, that wouldn't have made a huge difference but it would have made some difference. It was enough to wake me up.

'They also said the tube became disconnected so I wasn't getting the anaesthetic. I only ended up with a portion that I was meant to have.'

Mr Settle returned to work a week after the operation but has since suffered from post-traumatic stress and flashbacks.

He continued to have trouble sleeping because of a recurring nightmare that he was choking for more than a year after the surgery.

'There was one night when my other half arrived home and I was just sobbing and didn't know who I was,' he added.

'The hospital was denying it and I knew that it had happened, I thought I was going mental.'

Mr Settle had been booked in for what should have been a routine, overnight operation to have his appendix removed.

He needed the procedure after waking up in the early hours of March 2, 2016 with a shooting pain in his abdomen.

Describing the moment he woke up with pains, Mr Settle said: 'I woke up in the early hours with agonising stomach pains.

'I called an ambulance but it was snowing and the call handler said they would send someone as soon as they could, but basically I wasn't a priority.

'An ambulance still hadn't arrived four hours later and my grandad then drove me to Calderdale Royal Hospital A&E department.

'I was told my appendix was about to burst and I was transferred to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary for the operation which was scheduled later that same day at 11pm.'

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has been contacted for comment.
Lonely adults may not be piling more pressure on over-stretched GPs, a major new study has uncovered.

Concerned health chiefs have repeatedly warned a loneliness epidemic is leading to pensioners seeing their doctor for company.

But researchers have today discovered that older adults who class themselves as lonely don't actually visit their GP more frequently.

Newcastle University scientists made the conclusion after delving into data from more than 226,000 people.

The findings, in the American Journal of Public Health, are in stark contrast to the widespread claims of health leaders across the UK.

Concerned health chiefs have repeatedly warned a loneliness epidemic is leading to pensioners seeing their doctor for company

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners, declared in October that loneliness is piling pressure on the NHS.

She pointed to research that had repeatedly shown lonely people consult their GP more often.

But the study, led by Dr Nicole Valtorta, which used data from 126 studies across 19 countries, found no such link.

It discovered lonely pensioners spend longer in hospital - and visit more often - when their health takes a turn for the worse.

Experts who weren't involved in the study believe the fact that loneliness can lead to depression may be to blame.

Dr Ben Lennox Kail, a sociologist at Georgia State University, said this then leads to poorer physical health that leads to longer hospital stays.

However, he told Reuters: 'That said, if this were the primary explanation, we might expect to see more regular doctors visit  and we dont.'

Dr Kail explained that it's likely elderly people without friends and family make the most of the extra social support in hospital.

Age UK claims 200,000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in more than a month.

And a report commissioned in 2013 estimated that one in ten patients of any age sees their GP because they are lonely rather than unwell.

PM Theresa May appointed a minister earlier this year to help tackle the loneliness suffered by an estimated nine million adults.

Tracey Crouch will lead a drive against a 'social epidemic' that experts claim can be as unhealthy as heavy smoking and is piling pressure on doctors.

Patients are finding it increasingly difficult to get a routine appointment, with many already having to wait three to four weeks before they can see a doctor.

But GP surgeries are under huge strain from the rising and ageing population, with many more patients than before having treatment for complex illnesses.

They are also in the grip of a recruitment crisis, with an exodus of family doctors who are retiring or quitting without being replaced by younger trainees.
Little Rock, Arkansas, has topped the list of Americas Fattest Cities that are almost all located in the South, according to a new report.

In honor of National Nutrition Month in March, WalletHub ranked 100 US cities from fittest to fattest based on everything from percentage of obese children to access to healthy foods.

The Arkansas capital took the title of fattest city, and on the other end of the spectrum Portland, Oregon, was ranked the healthiest city.

More than one-third of Americans have obesity and if rates continue to grow at their current pace, that number will be around 50 percent in the next decade.

Obesity racks up nearly $200 billion annually in medical costs for conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke, which are some of the leading preventable causes of death.

America is home to 13 percent of the world's obese adults despite accounting for only five percent of its population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The average American woman today weighs about 168 pounds, or roughly the same as an average man in 1960.

WalletHub evaluated 100 of the most populated metro areas in the US on three dimensions: Obesity and Overweight, Health Consequences and Food and Fitness.

Those dimensions were broken down into 18 metrics such as Share of Obese Adults, defined as having a body mass index over 30.0, Share of Adults with Low Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and 'Access to Health Food'.

The researchers then calculated each citys weighted average across all 18 metrics to determine the final rankings.

The cities fall on a scale from one to 100, with 100 being the fattest score possible.

Arkansass Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway metro area came in at number one with a score of 81.3, followed closely by Shreveport-Bossier City in Louisiana with a score of 80.72.

Almost all of the top 20 fattest cities were located in the South.

Aside from higher proportions of overweight and obese adults, the cities on the upper end of the spectrum have higher rates of high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

Residents of these cities are less likely to exercise, eat healthy or have access to healthy food.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro area in Oregon and Washington took the bottom, least-fat spot with a score of 58.63, followed by Honolulu, Hawaii at 58.65 and Salt Lake City, Utah, at 58.92.

A large number of the cities on the healthier end of the list are located in western states such as California and Utah.

These healthier cities are more friendly to an active lifestyle, have more parks and recreational facilities and better access to healthy foods.

10 fattest cities Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, Arkansas Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana McAllen-Edinburgh-Mission, Texas Memphis, Tennessee and Mississippi Mobile, Alabama Knoxville, Tennessee Jackson, Mississippi Birmingham-Hoover, Alabama Baton Rouge, Louisiana Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Advertisement

10 fittest cities Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon and Washington Honolulu, Hawaii Salt Lake City, Utah Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington Colorado Springs, Colorado Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Massachusetts and New Hampshire Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota and Wisconsin San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California Ogden-Clearfield, Utah

More than 20 percent of adults are obese in every state in America, according to 2017 CDC data.

The five most obese states are Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and West Virginia, each with more than 35 percent of adults with obesity.

Twenty other states have an obesity rate between 30 and 35 percent.

An estimated 160 million of the world's 750 million obese people live in the US.

Globally, obesity and diabetes cause around 800,000 cancers a year, with women being nearly twice as likely to suffer as men, according to a 2017 study of 175 countries.

Nearly six percent of cancer cases worldwide were a result of being overweight, having diabetes or both in 2012.

If obesity and type 2 diabetes rates continue to rise, the two conditions could be responsible for up to 30 percent of cancers around the world in 2035, researchers predict.
People with strong handshakes may be less at risk of heart disease, new research suggests.

A study released today found people with weak handshakes are more likely to have enlarged, damaged hearts.

In contrast, a stronger grip is associated with more blood being pumped per heart beat, regardless of the organ's size, a study found today.

This suggests such an individual is not suffering from heart muscle reshaping, which can occur due to high blood pressure, and is associated with cardiovascular events, the research adds.

Study author Professor Steffen Petersen, from Queen Mary University of London, said: 'Better handgrip strength is associated with having a healthier heart structure and function

'Handgrip strength is an inexpensive, reproducible and easy to implement measure, and could become an important method for identifying those at a high risk of heart disease and preventing major life-changing events, such as heart attacks.'

Heart disease, which can cause fatal attacks, is the number one killer in the UK, being responsible for around 160,000 deaths a year.

People with strong handshakes may be less at risk of heart disease, research suggests (stock)

ARE FASTING DIETS GOOD FOR THE HEART? Following a 'fashionable' fast for just one week can damage the heart, research suggested in February 2018. Obese people who suddenly lower their calorie intake to just 600-to-800 units a day, experience heart-fat level increases of 44 per cent, a trial found. Despite such dieters on average losing six per cent of their total body fat after just seven days, this fat is released into their bloodstream and absorbed by their hearts, the researchers explained. Although this excess heart fat balances out by week eight of dieting, for people with heart problems, it could leave them breathless and with an irregular beat, the Oxford University scientists added. The researchers analysed 21 obese volunteers with an average age of 52 and a BMI of 37kg/metre squared. The study's participants ate a very low-calorie diet every day for eight weeks. MRI scans were taken at the start and end of the investigation, as well as after week one. Advertisement

How the research was carried out

The researchers analysed the hand grip strength of 5,065 people who were previously involved in the UK Biobank study by asking them to grasp a device known as a dynamometer for three seconds.

Heart health was assessed via X-ray like medical images.

The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.

Vitamin D is an 'inexpensive solution' to heart drugs

This comes after research released last January suggested vitamin D is an 'inexpensive solution' to drugs as the sunshine supplement repairs and prevents damage to the heart caused by diabetes and high blood pressure.

Vitamin D stimulates the production of nitric acid, which is involved in regulating blood flow and preventing the formation of blood clots, according to the first study of its kind.

It also reduces 'internal stress' in the cardiovascular system, which could avoid heart-related incidents, the research adds.

Study author Dr Tadeusz Malinski from Ohio University, said: 'There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular cells which are already damaged, and vitamin D can do it.

'This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system.

'We don't have to develop a new drug. We already have it.'

The researchers analysed heart cells taken from a group of Caucasian and African Americans.

They used special sensors to track the impact of vitamin D in these cells.
Brazilian doctors have successfully uses smartphones to perform more than 40 surgeries.

The mobile devices are being used to help surgeons perform minimally invasive procedures like neuroendoscopy, a neurosurgical operation in which surgeons look into the brain through a small incision.

This is because smartphones are small, easy to use, and cost effective, unlike standard video systems, which are larger, more expensive and lack the data collection capabilities that a mobile device has.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo, suggests smartphones may soon become an essential medical device in operating rooms.

Surgeons are using a smartphone-endoscope system to inspect aneurysms during a minimally invasive surgical procedure

Neuroendoscopy are procedures in which doctors look inside the brain to correct hydrocephalus, remove water from the brain, extract tumors, treat vascular disease and to manage other disorders. These procedures are minimally invasive, less painful than open surgery and require shorter recovery times.

During this operation, a slender tubular instrument is inserted through a small incision in the skull, nose, or roof of the mouth and moved to the planned surgical site in the brain.

This instrument contains a light source, a lens for magnification, and a camera that sends images to a nearby video monitor so that surgeons can see where they are operating.

Doctors typically use standard video systems, which have a camera, light source, and camera control unit.

However, surgeons in the study used a new surgical tool that integrates a smartphone with an endoscope via a specially designed adapter, eliminating the need for the video system customarily used for endoscopy.

'The most interesting aspect of this project was that our initial goal was to reduce the cost of the neuroendoscopic video set, but, in the end, we came across a new, more intuitive and fluid method of performing these procedures,' said neurosurgeon Dr Mauricia Mandel, who lead the study.

They performed minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures in 42 patients with fully charged iPhones (models 4, 5 and 6) attached to the front of the neuroendoscopy.

Primary surgeons performing the operation have to focus on the iPhone screen directly in front of them as opposed to looking off to one side where the video monitor normally stands.

The mobile device also relayed images from the screen via Wi-Fi to video monitors in the operating room, just in case surgeons were uncomfortable using the iPhone to perform neuroendoscopy.

Researchers revealed that the surgeons who tested the smartphone device found images provided by the mobile phone to be sufficient and did not switch to the conventional method.

Furthermore, all of the operations performed using the iPhones were successful and did not result in any postoperative complications, according to the report.

Views of the surgical field available to the primary surgeon on the iPhone screen. The arrows are pointing to the aneurysms

'Because the smartphone allowed the surgeon to visualize the surgical field without the need for cables, freedom of movement was enhanced,' researchers wrote in a report published in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

'We found that the screen sizes of the iPhones 4, 5, and 6 did not impair the handling of instruments through working channels,' they added.

This isn't the first study to investigate the significant role smartphones can play in the medical community.

In 2016, researchers from the Wisconsin Institute of Surgical Outcomes Research developed an app called WoundCheck that helps patients monitor their surgical wounds by allowing them to remotely send images to nurses.

Research published in a 2017 issue of the Journal of Medical Internet Research found patients receiving chemotherapy can be remotely monitored using their smartphone and an algorithm that detects worsening symptoms based on objective changes in patient behavior.

Authors of the current study said there are several advantages to smartphone-assisted neuroendoscopy, including the fact that it's light-weight, portable and provide high-definition images of the surgical procedure.

Despite the small size of the smartphone screen, surgeons said its high-definition image provided an excellent view of the surgical site.

Primary surgeons also liked that the smartphone screen was placed directly in front of them - as opposed to having them look off to the side at a video monitor. They said this created a 'more dynamic and intuitive approach' to the surgical procedure.

Although the study is small, Dr Mandel said this device could provide an alternative method of performing neuroendoscopy, especially since it's cost effective.

'The relatively inexpensive costs of a smartphone and adapter could prove beneficial in underserved areas and in countries whose medical infrastructure cannot support expensive equipment,' he said.
Middle aged women who keep physically fit could be nearly 90 percent less likely to develop dementia in later life, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg tracked 191 women for 44 years, first assessing their fitness level then monitoring their cognitive health.

They found that the highly fit women were far less likely to develop the disease - and if they did, it came on a decade later than their less sporty peers.

Experts say the study, published online today by the journal Neurology, is one of the clearest pieces of evidence to date that exercise to protect heart health could be key for brain health.

Those who were the most fit in their 50s developed dementia a decade later, the study says

Lead author Dr Helena Horder, of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, said: 'These findings are exciting because it's possible that improving people's cardiovascular fitness in middle age could delay or even prevent them from developing dementia.

'However, this study does not show cause and effect between cardiovascular fitness and dementia, it only shows an association.

'More research is needed to see if improved fitness could have a positive effect on the risk of dementia and also to look at when during a lifetime a high fitness level is most important.'

For the study, 191 women with an average age of 50 took a bicycle exercise test until they were exhausted to measure their peak cardiovascular capacity. The average peak workload was measured at 103 watts.

A total of 40 women met the criteria for a high fitness level, or 120 watts or higher, while 92 women were in the medium fitness category.

A total of 59 women were in the low fitness category, defined as a peak workload of 80 watts or less, or having their exercise tests stopped because of high blood pressure, chest pain or other cardiovascular problems.

Over the next 44 years, the women were tested for dementia six times. During that time, 44 of the women developed dementia.

Five per cent of the highly fit women developed dementia, compared to 25 percent of moderately fit women and 32 percent of the women with low fitness.

The highly fit women were 88 percent less likely to develop dementia than the moderately fit women.

Among the women who had to stop the exercise test due to problems, 45 percent developed dementia decades later.

Dr Horder added: 'This indicates that negative cardiovascular processes may be happening in midlife that could increase the risk of dementia much later in life.'

She said limitations of the study included the relatively small number of women involved, all of whom were from Sweden, so the results may not be applicable to other groups.

Dr Horder also pointed out that the women's fitness level was only measured once, so any changes in fitness over time were not incorporated.
The Co-operative Bank has narrowed its losses by 336.8million in the last year, thanks to a cost-cutting drive.

Adjusted pre-tax losses came in at 140.3million in the year to 31 December, against a loss of 477.1million a year earlier.

Over the last year, the Co-op Bank reduced its staff costs by 35.1million, while saving an additional 20.6million in 'non-staff costs.'

Losses: The Co-operative Bank has narrowed its losses by 336.8million in the last year

The bank, which claims to place 'values and ethics' at the heart of its business, saw its annual income fall by 77.2million to 317.6million on a net interest basis.

Today's results are the first full set to be released since the bank completed a 700million deal that saved it from a potential collapse last year.

BRANCH CLOSURE DATES AND LOCATIONS 16 April 2018 - Longton 17 April 2018 - Tunstall 18 April 2018 - Taunton 19 April 2018 - Peterborough 23 April 2018 - Tamworth 24 April 2018 - Northampton 25 April 2018 - Holborn 26 April 2018 - Swansea 27 April 2018 - Warrington 30 April 2018 - Newton Abbot 1 May 2018 - Westbury on Trym 2 May 2018 - Wolstanton 3 May 2018 - Darlington 8 May 2018 - Kidsgrove 9 May 2018 - Gloucester 10 May 2018 - Kingswood 14 May 2018 - Enfield 15 May 2018 - Bath (Milsom Street) 16 May 2018 - Aberdare 17 May 2018 - Hull 21 May 2018 - Swindon 22 May 2018 - Reading 23 May 2018 - Consett 24 May 2018 - Lincoln 29 May 2018 - Watford 30 May 2018 - Wigan 31 May 2018 - Coventry Source: Co-op Bank

The refinancing and restructuring package, agreed to by the Co-op Bank's hedge fund investors last summer, saw the bank effectively sever its historic relationship with the Co-operative Group and separate itself from the wider mutual's pension scheme.

The Co-op Bank closed 10 branches last year and plans to shut the doors to 27 of its other sites across England and Wales by June. The closures will bring the firm's branch numbers down to 68.

Among the 27 branches being shut down by June are those in Swansea, Hull, Swindon, Reading, Watford, Wigan and Coventry.

In a previous announcement made about the forthcoming 27 branch closures online, the bank said: 'We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

'We'd like to reassure you that your account will not be affected by these changes, and would like to remind you of the alternative ways that you can manage your money safely and securely.

The group said it saw a 'reduction' in branch and telephone transactions last year, adding that it was cutting branches to 'reflect the changing way that customers are choosing to bank with us.'

Last week, the Financial Conduct Authority banned former Co-op Bank's boss Paul Flowers from working in the financial services sector, claiming he lacked the 'fitness and propriety' to work in the industry.

Mr Flowers, who was chairman of the bank between 2010 and 2013, oversaw its near collapse after revealing a 1.5billion black hole in its accounts. He was forced to step down from the helm amid allegations he purchased and used illegal drugs and claimed inappropriate expenses.

Disgraced: Last week, the Financial Conduct Authority banned former Co-op Bank's boss Paul Flowers from working in the financial services sector

Commenting on the bank's results published today, Liam Coleman, its chief executive, said: 'As is the case with other Retail banks, we are operating in a difficult marketplace and we expect increasing competition in the mortgage market, which will put pressure on our NIM.'

He added: 'As we look to the future, our key objective will be to achieve a sustainable, profitable bank that provides an ethical banking proposition for our customers.

'Whilst there are many challenges to delivering this given the legacy issues we have faced, and the difficult market conditions in which we operate, I am confident that we can build further on the progress we have made in 2017 and I look forward to continuing to create a successful Co-operative Bank.'

In February last year, the Co-op Bank put itself up for sale and was inviting companies to buy all of its shares. Virgin Money was reported to have walked away from a potential deal to buy the bank in May. The Co-op Bank eventually ditched its plans to find a buyer.
The death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson was the focus of a new episode of Vanity Fair Confidential that aired Monday night on Investigation Discovery.

McPherson was just 36 when she passed away, with the cause of death initially being declared a pulmonary embolism brought on by 'bed rest and severe dehydration.'

Her death came a little over two weeks after she was found in a daze and naked on a Clearwater street by law enforcement and EMS, who took her to a nearby hospital.

She checked herself out of the hospital however soon after some fellow Scientologists arrived, and was taken back to a nearby Church residence where she would spent the final 17 days of her life.

The Church of Scientology was charged with 'abuse and/or neglect of a disabled adult' and 'practicing medicine without a license,' but according to a 2012 lawsuit, the group was able to get the charges dropped and cause of death altered after launching a $30 million campaign headed up by leader David Miscavige and former senior executive Mark Rathbun.

Scientology has denied all these claims.

Scroll down for video

Victim: Lisa McPherson (above in annundated photo) died in December 1995 after arriving at a Florida hospital with no pulse and not breathing according to medical records

McPherson became a Scientologist at the age of 18, and in 1994 moved from her home in Texas to the epicenter of the fast-growing religion - Clearwater.

There she worked for the Scientology-owned AMC Publishing while investing heavily in classes with the hopes of becoming 'clear.'

She achieved just that in 1995, and a photo from that time shows her proudly smiling as she holds her framed certificate.

Just weeks later however she was in a minor car crash.

At the time of the accident investigation the victim walked away from the scene of the accident while removing all her clothing, wrote Officer M. Stonewall of the Clearwater Police Department in his witness statement.

Paramedic, from Sunstar, stopped her after she removed all her clothing. They brought her to their ambulance and provided her with a blanket

Officer Stonewall then described his brief interaction with McPherson at the scene.

I spoke with the victim about her behavior. She indicated that she was having a hard time at the church (Church of Scientology) because she was not concentrating. She would not go into any further detail about that, reported Officer Stonewall.

I also noticed that as I spoke with her she appeared to be in a daze. I had to ask her the same questions several times to get a response. The victim contributed the accident to her having a lot on her mind.

McPherson was then handed over to the EMS team, who filled out a patient care report after taking the victim to the nearest hospital.

I need help, I need to talk to someone, was McPhersons chief complaint according to the form.

No injuries [patient] signed refusal. As we were leaving [patient] came walking down the road naked. We guided [patient] in unit, read the report.

[Patient] stated she needs to talk, that she didn't need a body to live, stated she's an O.T., stated she took her clothes off to make people think she was crazy.

[Patient] has a fixed stare, speak in a programmed & formal manner. [Patient] stated she is a scientologist, is clear  [patient] switches topics as she speaks unable to stay focused on one topic. [Continued] to ask me to repeat the question.

A supplemental sheet that was completed by the Pinellas County EMS also noted: [Patient] stated she's having a difficult time & [patient] doing bad things in her mind & doing wrong things that she didn't know were wrong.

Leader: David Miscavige (above) reportedly had the Church spent $30 million to avoid charges

Once at the hospital a psychiatric evaluation was performed, with McPherson being joined for that by her friends from the congregation, who the registered nurse that completed the form noted were present at her bedside.

McPherson was vehemently denying any thought of self harm - also denies any thoughts or intent to harm any one else, wrote the attending nurse, adding that she had a fixed state, was terry-eyed and had a guarded frigid affect.

When asked about running down the street naked, she said: I did it for attention. I did not want to be arrested. I want to go home with my friends from the congregation. I won't do anything to harm myself.

McPherson signed a release form on November 18 declaring that she was leaving Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater of her own volition.

The form also stated that the patient had been informed it was not in her best medical interest to leave and that she was checking out against medical advice.

She spent the next 17 days kept in a room at the facility, where she was watched over by three individuals, including one teenager, who were not permitted to speak to her as she recovered from the crash.

McPherson soon began to unravel according to the indictment filed against the Church of Scientology in 1998 by the state of Florida.

'As the investigation continued, however, and the cause of death became publicly known, your Affiant became aware of and reviewed records supplied under subpoena by the Church of Scientology and was also present when numerous employees of CSFSO gave sworn testimony,' read ther indictment.

'Your Affiant, as a result, became aware that Lisa had been severely psychotic by at least the second day of her stay and continued to be psychotic until her death; she was viewed by her caretakers as someone who was unable to care for herself, talk coherently or make logical decisions; she was watched by employees on a round-the-clock basis, was intentionally isolated by employees who removed the phone from Lisa's room and avoided talking to her or in her presence, never attempted to contact Lisa's next-of-kin, repeatedly prevented Lisa from leaving the premises, and held Lisa down for periods of as much as an hour because she became violent or self-destructive.'

The court filing continued: 'Your Affiant also learned that employees attempted to treat Lisa's condition by inducing sleep and, in order to accomplish this, medicated her without her consent and without appropriate medical supervision or authorization.'

Scene: It was later revealed in court filings that prior to this she had spent 17 days kept locked in a room at the Fort Harrison (above), a Scientology residence in Clearwater

That document also detailed the alarming behaviors that McPherson was exhibiting at the time.

'After the first week, she routinely urinated and defecated on herself and rarely slept,' stated the indictment.

'She had conversations with people who were not there, claimed to be people she was not, sang and danced around the room as if giving a performance, crawled around on the floor, stood on the toilet, got in the shower fully clothed, tried to walk out of the room in a state of undress, and on at least one occasion drank her own urine.'

On the 17th day of this confinement, McPherson went into a catatonic state, at which point she was driven 45 minutes to a hospital in New Port Richey rather than the four blocks to to

The autopsy report, completed by Joan Wood, listed her immediate cause of death as 'thrombo-embolism left pulmonary artery.'

That was due to 'bed rest and severe dehydration.'

She was 5ft 9ins at the time, her weight was recorded as 108lbs and her cause of death was declared unknown in the report.

Gone: McPherson (above) had just been declared 'clear' at the time of her death

'This death was completely preventable had they acted like normal human beings,' Dandar said of the Church.

Dandar also noted that McPherson's mother was never told anything about her daughter's condition during that time, or the fact that she was even in a car crash.

Two years later, the Church was indicted on two charges, but they were never formally filed after David Miscavige headed to Clearwater and launched what Marty Rathbun said in a 2012 court filing was a $30 million campaign to avoid going to court.

Rathbun said that he headed up the efforts to minimize the impact of the McPherson case alongside Scientology leader David Miscavige.

'I spent six years and 28, 30 million dollars defending this case,' said Rathbun, who also claimed that the lawyer for the medical examiner was given Super Bowel tickets, expensive cuff links and a private meeting with John Travolta in an effort to influence his client.

That claim has been refuted by the Church of Scientology.

The group did avoid going to court however after the medical examiner, Joan Wood, changed McPherson's cause of death to accidental in 2000, five years after first listing it as unknown.

All charges were dropped soon after.

The civil suit meanwhile was settled in 2004 for an undisclosed sum.
Six-year-old Freyja Christiansen is finally heading home after she made medical history when robot technology saved her life

Six-year-old Freyja Christiansen is finally heading home after she was told she only had 12 months to live and 37 surgeons across the world refused to use a complicated technology that could save her life.

Freyja was battling a rare and aggressive cancer after she was diagnosed with clear-cell sarcoma in 2016 after specialists found two tumours positioned precariously close to a main artery at the base of her skull.

The cancerous tumours on her neck and a large malignant mass at the back of her throat needed to be removed, but surgeons were cautious to operate on someone so young.

Scroll down for video

Freyja Christiansen, 6, was diagnosed with clear-cell sarcoma in 2016 and her tumour was thought to be inoperable. Now she is finally heading home after spending weeks in hospital

Freyja was told she only had 12 months to live and 37 surgeons across the world refused to use a complicated technology that could save her life

Surgeons Ben Dixon and Matthew Magarey at Melbourne's Epworth hospital used a 'da Vinci' robot (pictured) to successfully remove part of Freyja's tumour on February 28, 2018

Freyja had cancerous tumours on her neck and a large malignant mass at the back of her throat

Freyja is believed to be the youngest of 40 cases ever recorded worldwide, and her cancer was not usually seen in someone so young.

Her only hope was a complicated operation, using a robot called da Vinci to remove the tumours.

Immunotherapy was used to reduce the size of the tumours but the little girl needed specific surgery to have the removed.

Doctors had previously told the family the large tumour was inaccessible and surgery was too dangerous.

Thirty-seven surgeons across the world refused to use the technology on Freyja.

'It was during a phone call to Boston Children's Hospital that the name of Melbourne cancer surgeon Ben Dixon came up,' Freyja's mother, Liz Christiansen said.

'It was a bit of a fluke really ... we were willing to fly anywhere in the world but the fact that we had the skills and the technology in Melbourne was amazing.'

Six-year-old Freyja Christiansen is finally heading home after spending countless weeks in hospital battling a rare and aggressive cancer not usually seen in someone so young

Dr Dixon had only used the machine on adults but agreed to take on Freyja's case.

'We knew that if Epworth (hospital) could not take the case, it would have been difficult for Freyja to have her condition managed surgically in Australia,' he said.

Dr Dixon and fellow surgeon Matthew Magarey used the robot to successfully remove part of Freyja's tumour at the end of last month.

The Australian-first robotic surgery was credited with the miracle tumour removal. Dr Dixon had only used the machine on adults but agreed to take on Freyja's case

The rest of the tumours were removed after subsequent surgery on Wednesday.

'To say this is a huge success is an understatement,' Ms Christiansen said.

'We're not out of the woods just yet but everything that's happened, every breakthrough and every surgery has just been miracle after miracle.'

Freyja will be discharged from hospital on Wednesday and is expected to continue immunotherapy in Melbourne or Sydney.

'We're not out of the woods just yet but everything that's happened, every breakthrough and every surgery has just been miracle after miracle,' Ms Christiansen said
Democrat Conor Lamb proclaimed victory early Wednesday morning in the special election for Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District seat, a race he was running against the Trump-backed Republican, Rick Saccone, in a part of the state that had been reliably right-leaning.

'It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it!' Lamb, a former federal prosecutor, said as he came onstage of his Canonsburg, Pennsylvania election night headquarters a little after 12:30 a.m.

The Associated Press still considered the race too close to call, but MSNBC declared Lamb the winner early on Wednesday. The Democrat appeared to be ahead by 641 votes, with some absentee ballots yet to be tabulated.

Lamb said Wednesday morning on CNN's 'New Day' program that he expects to officially become a congressman-elect soon.

'This is a local race run by local people. We have people all over the district following this, and they've seen a lot of elections here. And we feel confident about how it's going to turn out,' he said.

'This is my home. You call it a "red" district. I just call it western Pennsylvania,' he said.

CNN reported that 1,398 absentee ballots from two counties still had to be counted. But the results from most of those, in Washington County, were announced in the middle of the night and added 62 votes to Lamb's margin.

Scroll down for video

Future for the Dems? Democrat Conor Lamb proclaimed himself the victor early Wednesday morning in the Pennsylvania special election for the 18th District's seat in Congress

Lamb, a centrist in a Trump-friendly district, said Wednesday on 'Morning Joe' that he wants to see Democrats in the House of Representatives dump their leader Nancy Pelosi when he gets to Washington

Lamb was 579 votes ahead of his Republican rival Rick Saccone when he appeared at his election-night party to say that he'd won the contest

Supporters of Conor Lamb's hoisted of lamb-shaped signs as he delivered brief remarks early Wednesday morning, where he proclaimed victory with outstanding votes still yet to be counted in two counties

Republican hopeful Rick Saccone stopped by his election night party briefly to talk to voters as several counties still had yet to count outstanding and absentee ballots

Pennsylvania law doesn't offer an automatic recount for congressional races, but the losing candidate can request one by getting three voters from each precinct to sign a petition.

Lamb said Wednesday on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' that he wants to see Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives dump their leadership after he gets to Washington.

'I'd like to see someone besides Nancy Pelosi run, and that's who I would support,' he said. 'But I definitely would like to see a different leader other than Paul Ryan on the other side.'

'It's nothing personal,' Lamb added.

Speaking late Tuesday night, Saccone, a state House representative, said he wasn't throwing in the towel.

An hour before Democrat Conor Lamb spoke to his supporters, Republican Rick Saccone (pictured) vowed to fight on and look for every single vote

POINTS FOR CREATIVITY: A support of Democrat Conor Lamb brought a 'Lambslide' sign to the candidate's election night festivities. While Lamb led the vote totals all night, Republican Rick Saccone has made gains and is in spitting distance of winning

Supporters of Conor Lamb cheer their candidate's returns on election night in Pennsylvania. Lamb had an early lead, but the race tightened as the night went on

A Rick Saccone supporter awaits vote totals to see if the Republican candidate can pull off a win in what had been a reliably red Congressional district

Supporters await results in the special election for the House seat in Pennsylvania's 18th District. Rick Saccone supporters watch their candidate nearly catch up to Democrat Conor Lamb

Supporters of Conor Lamb hold up signs that resemlbe his face and American flags at his Canonsburg, Pennsylvania election night headquarters

A supporter of Democrat Conor Lamb holds up a Steelworkers for Lamb sign Tuesday night. If Lamb pulls off an upset over Republican Rick Saccone he's likely to attribute that to union household support

Khalid Husain (left) and Demetrios Germanos (right) cheer on Democratic Congressional candidate Conor Lamb who was up in vote totals all night, but finds himself in an extremely tight race with Republican Rick Saccone

'We're going to fight all the way to the end. You know I never give up. You know my first race went into the night and we won that. And my second race. So we're kind of used to that,' Saccone told supporters, coming down to greet his crowd in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, a little after 11:30 p.m.

'Don't give up. We're gonna keep it up! We're gonna win! God bless you all,' the Republican candidate said.

He did not call Lamb to concede the election.

Even if Lamb had narrowly lost the bellwether race, Democrats would consider it a win  and that it suggested that President Trump's brand is suffering in the run-up to the 2018 midterms, where Democrats are hungry to take back the House of Representatives. Republicans claimed control of the chamber two years into Barack Obama's presidency.

Even before Lamb took the stage at his victory party, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had called their guy a winner.

'I want to congratulate Conor Lamb and his team of grassroots supporters on an incredible victory,' said Ben Ray Lujan, the DCCC's chairman.

Lamb thanked his supporters too, who were holding signs that said 'Lambslide'  which the race wasn't  and 'Conor,' on cardboard cut-outs of white lambs.

The 33-year-old candidate talked about what he thought got his campaign over, or almost over, the line, including talking to voters about programs like Social Security and Medicare.

'They are America's way of saying we are all in this together,' Lamb said.

Our issue in this campaign is common ground. We fought to find common ground and we found it. Almost everywhere. Democrats, Republicans, independents, each of us Americans,' he said.

Noting how his job was to be a member of the House of Representatives, Lamb said he planned to look out for the interests of his constituents.

'OK, I will, mission accepted,' said Lamb, using familiar military parlance, having served his country in the Marine Corps.

In his brief speech, Lamb also spoke out against the current toxic climate and 'dark money' pouring into politics 'distorting the truth and telling lies to our children.'

'I'm proud that you helped me refuse corporate PAC money,' he said.

'This is my home. You call it a "red" district. I just call it western Pennsylvania,' Lamb said Wednesday morning

Democratic hopeful Conor Lamb arrives at his polling place Tuesday in Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, one of the richer suburbs included in District 18, which surrounds the city of Pittsburgh

Republican Rick Saccone emerges Tuesday after voting in Pennsylvania's special election, in which he firmly embraced President Trump

He finished by talking about how he belonged to the party of his grandfather.

'I'm a Pennsylvania Democrat, a proud Western Pennsylvania Democrat,' he began.

His grandfather, Lamb said, had 'believed in FDR.'

'He taught us that people have the right to know that their government walks on their side of the street,' he continued.

'What that means is I'll work on the problems that our people face, secure their jobs and pensions, protect their family and I'll work with anyone to do that,' he said, concluding his victory remarks.

Meanwhile, Republicans decided the best course of action was to just wait.

'This race is too close to call and we're ready to ensure that every legal vote is counted,' said NRCC Communications Director Matt Gorman. 'Once they are, we're confident Rick Saccone will be the newest Republican member of Congress.'

'The NRCC is proud of our efforts in this race to promote Ricks message, motivate Republican voters, and hold Conor Lamb accountable,' Gorman added.

In the morning, according to Saccone's campaign, the candidate would be at home while his campaign team met with lawyers from the Republican National Committee and the NRCC.

'No decision will be made until after the meeting,' a campaign spokesman said, according to CNN.

House Speaker Ryan tried to change the narrative mid-morning Wednesday by suggesting that Lamb was a unique candidate and had won by running as a 'conservative.'

'I don't know that there's a big surprise,' Ryan said. 'I think the candidate that's going to win in this race is the candidate that ran as a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-Nancy Pelosi conservative, that's the candidate that's going to win this race.'

Ryan suggested that had the Democrats had a competitive primary they would have chosen someone more left-wing, which wouldn't have fit the district as well as Lamb.

'So this is something that you're not going to see repeated because they didn't have a primary,' the House Speaker said.

In the days leading up to the election it looked like Saccone could lose, with Lamb running six points ahead in the final poll.

The previous person to hold the seat, disgraced Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, who resigned over a sex scandal, won by 28 points in 2012. That was the last time the Democrats even bothered to field a candidate in the western Pennsylvania district.

Saccone, and national Republicans supporting him, went on the attack early against Lamb, running wall-to-wall television ads that literally featured bleating lambs and headshots of Nancy Pelosi as they tried to connect the Democrat with the leader of his party in the House, an unabashed liberal from California.

Saccone also fully embraced the president, calling himself 'Trump before Trump was Trump.'

He campaigned with Trump in the district over the weekend, and made appearances with Donald Trump Jr. on Monday.

But the president smelled potential defeat, saying during a Saturday night rally that 'the world is watching. I hate to put this pressure on you Rick, they're all watching ... Look at all those red hats'

While Saccone had help from the White House, Lamb  who touted his bipartisan credentials and said he was not pro-Pelosi  got an assist from former Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the Massachusetts Democrat who was enlisted this year to rebut Trump's State of the Union address.

Lamb said Wednesday that Trump's intervention in the race wasn't helpful to anyone.

'There was a lot of foolishness in this election and a lot of really cartoonish campaigning,' he said on CNN. 'And I think by the time of the president's visit last weekend, people were kind of tired of that entire approach.'

Conor Lamb (left), a federal prosecutor and Marine veteran, got help on the campaign trail from former Vice President Joe Biden (right), who visited the Pittsburgh area earlier this month

Former Vice President Joe Biden (left) points his finger at his choice to represent Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, Democrat Conor Lamb (right), a 33-year-old veteran who Biden said reminded him of his late son Beau, Delaware's attorney general

Meanwhile, Republican hopeful Rick Saccone (left) , a Pennsylvania state House representative, hosted President Donald Trump (right) in the district over the weekend

Rick Saccone (right) also had help from Donald Trump Jr. (left) who campaigned with the Republican hopeful on Monday, one day before the special election

Sporting matching hair nets, Republican Rick Saccone (left) and Donald Trump Jr. (right) hit the campaign trail in Pennsylvania on Monday

Earlier this month, Biden appeared at Robert Morris University in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, and told an enthusiastic crowd that 33-year-old Lamb, a Marine veteran, reminded him of his late son Beau, who had served as Delaware's attorney general.

Biden also suggested the district was ripe for the Democrats' taking. 'The suburbs, the exurbs, the smaller towns  they got hit pretty hard,' the ex-veep said.

The current map of District 18 includes all of those things. It's a southwestern chunk of the state that horseshoes around the bottom of Pittsburgh, including both working class communities and ritzy suburbs like Mount Lebanon.

It stretches into rural areas as well, down to the south to the border of West Virginia, and east into Westmoreland County, where voters live in smaller towns like Mount Pleasant and Ligonier.

In 2016, the district went 20 points for Trump when he faced Hillary Clinton, a far more liberal contender than the pro-gun and largely anti-abortion Conor Lamb.

There are technically more registered Democratic voters than Republicans in the 18th District, and also a cultural willingness to cross party lines.

Some voters told DailyMail.com that while they liked Trump, they supported the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders  who they considered a similar political outsider when the Vermont independent ran for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

That's one reason why the district had suddenly become a toss-up. Another is labor union discontent with Saccone's legislative history.

'He's co-sponsored or voted for every single anti-labor bill that has come up during his time in Harrisburg,' Steve Mazza, an official with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, told NBC News.

Saccone, who took national heat from Republicans for weak fundraising numbers, also ended the campaign on an angry note.

On Monday, during one of his last rallies as a candidate, Saccone claimed Democrats were 'energized' by 'hate for our president.'

'And I tell you, many of them have a hatred for our country,' he said, castigating his fellow Pennsylvanians.

'I'll tell you some more my wife and I saw it again today. They have a hatred for God.'

Whichever candidate wins, he won't be in the seat for long.

Pennsylvania's new redistricting scheme chops up the district, which stretches over four counties, meaning new candidates will have to compete for the seat in November.
A New Jersey man has pleaded guilty to planning to build a pressure cooker bomb to detonate in New York City in the name of ISIS.

Gregory Lepsky, 21, admitted attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and now faces up to 20 years in prison,

The Point Pleasant man answered basic yes-or-no questions during Tuesday's appearance in federal court in Trenton.

Gregory Lepsky, 21, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, has pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to attempting to provide material support to ISIS. He now faces up to 20 years in prison

Point Pleasant is 12 miles north of Seaside Park, where a pipe bomb exploded before the start of a charity military run in 2016 (pictured)

His plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of 16 to 19 years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 19.

He could have faced up to 20 years, however.

The man had been researching ISIS and other extremest groups throughout January 2017, on his computer.

While online, he also looked up different knives used in ISIS beheadings and purchased one for himself.

Lepsky was arrested in February 2017 for allegedly stabbing the family dog.

He was taken to a local hospital, where he told personnel and attending officers that his name was Allah Abdel Rochmad and that he was 'working for ISIS,' NJ.com reports.

Documents revealed his history of searching various phrases, including terrorist attacks, beheadings and flag burnings

A search turned up a pressure cooker and digital evidence of a plan to build and detonate a bomb in support of the Islamic State group.

Matches and a timing device, ordered online, were found at the home, along with several books on jihad and suicide bombings.

Searches also reveal that he planned to detonate the bomb in New York City so that he could kill as many people as possible.

According to post online, Lepsky pledged allegiance to ISIS and was planning to travel to Syria, so that he could fight with his 'brothers.'
Mel B is a 'drug addict' and a 'narcissist' says her own mother, according to shocking emails ex-husband Stephen Belafonte claims he has in court filings.

According to newly filed court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Belafonte, 42, claims to have 'dozens of emails' from Mel's mom Andrea Brown in which she attacks her famous daughter for her alleged drug use.

He claims Mel's drug and alcohol addiction was so bad that she would be 'falling down drunk, walking into walls in the middle of the day or unable to wake up to catch a flight,' according to the legal paperwork.

And Belafonte says he even has video footage of the America's Got Talent judge trying to urinate on the couch because she was so drunk, according to the documents.

During the alleged incident, which has previously been reported, Mel apparently was unable to wake up and at times appeared to be 'near death.and being so drunk that her daughter, Phoenix, and the children's nanny had to carry petitioner upstairs to her bedroom,' the papers state.

Shots fired: Stephen Belafonte has claimed Mel B's alleged drug and alcohol addiction was so bad she would 'falling down drunk, walking into walls in the middle of the day'

The warring couple, whose divorce was finalized in November 2017, are back in court after the Spice Girl tried to block her ex from seeing daughter Angel

Belafonte made the fresh claims in response to an attack by Spice Girl Mel, 42, that alleged he showed gruesome videos of ISIS beheadings to her three daughters, two of whom are only 10 and six.

The producer vehemently denies the America's Got Talent star's shocking claim, calling it 'a blatant lie.'

Mel B's 'claim that the children are scared and frightened of me as a result of these alleged videos is truly and utterly false,' he said in a declaration to Los Angeles Superior Court.

Belafonte and Mel - real name Melanie Brown - were divorced last November after a bitter, seven-month battle in which lurid tales of threesome sex, drug and alcohol abuse and allegations of domestic violence made headlines.

He was given joint custody of his daughter with Mel, six-year-old Madison, and he has gone back to court to try to win step-parent rights to visit Angel, Mel's 10-year-old daughter by Hollywood star Eddie Murphy, whom Belafonte claims 'has called me dad since she began to speak.'

But Mel is blocking his efforts to spend time with Angel, calling him in court papers a 'bad man' and accusing him of being violent and abusive during their 10-year marriage.

Belafonte responded to Mel's filing days after she accused him of being abusive to her during their marriage and showing their daughters videos of ISIS beheadings

In court documents, Belafonte claimed Mel would pull 'her pants down' and try to 'urinate on the couch (in the presence of the children)'

Last week she even charged in a new court filing, 'When I was not present, Stephen thought it was funny or educational (I still do not know) to play videos of ISIS beheading individuals for Phoenix (Mel's oldest daughter, aged 19), Angel and even Madison.'

The warring former couple will face off over the step-parent visitation issue at a hearing scheduled in downtown LA for Wednesday.

But in the meantime, Belafonte has filed his own court response with a strong denial, calling Mel's accusation 'outlandish and alarming' and adding: I have never and would never show ISIS videos to our children.'

As for Mel's allegations that he was abusive and violent during their marriage, he claims in court documents that she was addicted to drugs and alcohol and when she claimed she was hospitalized in London because of domestic violence, the real reason she ended up in the hospital was a drug overdose, the papers claim.

Belafonte claims that he pleaded in texts with Brown's therapist, Dr Charles Sophy - the Medical Director for the LA County Children and Family Services - 'to stop medicating and prescribing medications' to Mel.

'These text messages include my statements that I will not sit by to watch my wife die and me warning Dr. Sophy that Brown would become another Michael Jackson if she continued to take his prescribed medication and drink,' Belafonte states.

The Spice Girl's ex also alleged to having 'dozens' of emails from Mel's mother Andrea Brown, in which she called her daughter a 'drug addict' and a 'narcissist.' Mel had been estranged from her mother Andrea as well as her sister Danielle for most of her ten-year marriage to Belafonte

In response to Mel's allegation that during their marriage, Belafonte 'forced' her into threesome sex with their German nanny Lorraine Gilles and others, he claims it was often she who she who 'initiated' trysts.

And he says he has video 'of threesomes recorded by Brown herself of me and another woman wherein Brown turns the camera on herself and claims "I like it" to the camera.

In another similar sexy video, Belafonte adds, Mel 'turned the camera on herself and stated for the camera "That's Hot".'

Belafonte claims to be concerned about Mel's mental health because she's 'acting erratically and illogically.'

He cites an Instagram post by the Spice Girl that said, 'The devil whispered in my ear, you're not strong enough to withstand the storm. Today I whispered in the devil's ear. I am the storm.'

He believes that Mel 'is relentless on maligning me in the public eye for no good reason.'

As an example he points to an Instagram post on February 23 in which Mel writes, 'Really? Ok when I wake up to do my school run and wow my Range Rover tires are slashed and you don't think I now (sic) who you are, haha it's laughable' with the hashtags '#iseeyou,' '#monsterdevil,' #vbutimhappywithoutyou,' #singlelifeprobles,' #fakepeople,' and #mentalabuseawareness.'

The warring former couple will face off over the step-parent visitation issue at a hearing scheduled in downtown LA for Wednesday. Pictured above is Mel and Stephen and daughter (L to R) Angel Murphy Brown, 10, Madison Brown-Belafonte, six, and Phoenix, 19

Belafonte - who also claims that Mel has been violating his joint custody of Madison (he gets her on Wednesday nights and alternate weekends) - says he's 'the only father figure Angel has known,' yet Mel refuses to let him see her.

'I strongly believe that Brown's abrupt decision to cut off all ties between Angel and I has been emotionally traumatizing and detrimental to Angel's mental health and well being,' he adds in legal papers.

Belafonte says that he gave his daughter Madison a teddy bear and other toys to give to Angel.

But 'Madison later informed me that Brown threw out the toys before they could even get to Angel.'

Mel filed for divorce from Belafonte in March last year, citing irreconcilable differences, and she took out a domestic violence restraining order against him, accusing him of years of abuse against her and of keeping her drugged during much of their marriage.

Over the following eight months lurid and intimate details were revealed about the couple's sex life during their marriage, including three-ways with German-born nanny Lorraine Gilles.

Belafonte who accused his ex-wife of being addicted to cocaine and alcohol during their marriage repeatedly denied Mel's charges against them and fought the restraining orders through 20-plus court hearings till, at last, the case was set to go to trial on November 9 2017.

But at the 11th hour the former couple reached a private settlement and Judge Juhas dissolved the domestic violence restraining order.

The divorce became final on December 15 with Mel agreeing to pay Belafonte $15,000 a month in spousal support until December 2020.

Mel had been estranged from her mother Andrea as well as her sister Danielle for most of her ten-year marriage to Belafonte.

However in May last year she shared a colorful photo of her mother and three daughters Phoenix, Angel and Madison to Instagram - marking the first time the mother-daughter duo had been pictured in over a decade.

Then in September she appeared on the red carpet with Andrea at the 2017 Face Forward Gala in LA.
Security guards at some of Sydney's busiest hospitals are fighting strict new uniform policies that will see them wearing Akubra hats, $700 suits and RM Williams boots.

Officers at Royal Prince Alfred and several other hospitals are expected to wear the compulsory new outfit, to replace the current police-style attire, from Wednesday.

But RPA guards will instead dress in union T-shirts as they protest against the 'inappropriate' uniforms imposed by management.

Health Services Union NSW branch secretary Gerard Hayes estimates the uniforms will cost the government about $1,000 each.

Security guards at some of Sydney's busiest hospitals are fighting strict new uniform policies that will see them wearing $700 suits

Officers at Royal Prince Alfred (pictured) and several other hospitals are expected to wear the compulsory new outfit from Wednesday

Mr Hayes said it 'beggars belief' the security officers are expected to wear an Akubra hat, suit and boots while interacting and caring for patients.

'It's not like you're a concierge at the Hilton,' Mr Hayes said.

'People will vomit on you, officers will be dealing with patients who may be distressed and violent, and ice addicts in the emergency department.'

Members have taken a firm stance refusing to wear the new uniform despite possible disciplinary action by management, Mr Hayes said.

'It's not a fashion statement, it needs to be a uniform,' he said.

Mr Hayes told the ABC guards at RPA who are protesting the new attire are 'simply standing up for common sense'.

RM Williams boots are among the items included in the new compulsory uniform (stock)

'RPA management seems more interested in dressing security officers up like school prefects than resourcing them to properly do their jobs,' he said.

'Our members deal with violent patients and visitors often under the effect of ice or alcohol. Forcing them to wear an ill-fitting suit while doing this is simply ridiculous,'

The new uniform also applies to security guards at Balmain, Canterbury, Concord Repatriation and Sydney Dental hospitals.
One of Australia's most respected population experts has busted the myth that immigrants are filling skills shortages.

Bob Birrell, who heads the Melbourne-based Australian Population Research Institute, said the nation was importing migrants who couldn't find work as engineers, accountants and IT technicians.

However, few skilled migrants with trades qualifications were moving to Australia despite the shortage of plumbers, builders and electricians.

Scroll down for video

Bob Birrell, who heads the Australian Population Research Institute, said the nation was importing migrants who couldn't find work as engineers, accountants and IT technicians

Few skilled migrants with trades qualifications were moving to Australia despite the shortage of plumbers, builders and electricians

'The claim that it is attracting scarce skills is a myth,' Dr Birrell said in a research paper published on Tuesday, called Scarce Skills Not Required.

'The Skill Stream could be abolished and employers would hardly notice.

'The selection system does not prioritise professional occupations where there are skill shortages in Australia.'

Dr Birrell, who previously headed Monash University's Centre for Population and Urban Research, said Coalition voters disillusioned with high immigration were turning to Pauline Hanson.

'Voter support has been bleeding and it's quite likely that One Nation's increase in support is partly due to its tough stance on immigration,' he told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday.

The sociologist, who has researched population growth since the 1960s, said both sides of politics had relied on the flawed advice of big business and public service bureaucrats, who cared more about economic growth than social harmony.

Dr Birrell, who previously headed Monash University's Centre for Population and Urban Research, said Australia was also 'awash with graduates' in oversupplied fields

Dr Birrell refuted the argument from the Housing Industry Association and big bank economists that migrants had helped alleviate skills shortages in the construction industry

'The Treasury, Reserve Bank and much of the big end of town understands that population growth is the most important overall factor in driving our GDP,' he said.

'The Coalition, Labor and Greens effectively have prioritised these ends above the concerns of Australians living in the metropolitan areas.

'They have been left to put up with the loss of urban amenity, high dwelling prices and the costs of providing the additional infrastructure needed to accommodate population growth in their cities.'

He added that Australia was also 'awash with graduates' in fields where there was already an oversupply of labour.

This included information technology and medicine, as a large number of graduates competed with overseas-trained professionals.

During the 2016/17 financial year, Australia accepted 128,550 skilled migrants, who made up more than two-thirds of the 190,000 permanent migrants accepted into the country.

'The great majority of those visaed in the skill program are professionals, an increasing share of whom hold occupations that are oversupplied,' he said.

'This is a major reason why most recently arrived degree-qualified migrants are not in professional employment.'

Professionals made up the vast bulk of those who came to Australia under the Skilled Stream program, with just 788 technicians or trade workers migrating as part of the scheme.

He pointed out that just 102 carpenters, 17 bricklayers, 114 electricians and 47 plumbers had moved to Australia.

Dr Birrell refuted the argument from the Housing Industry Association and big bank economists that migrants had helped alleviate skills shortages in the construction industry.

Dr Birrell said both sides of politics supported misguided immigration policies that pushed up house prices without even addressing genuine skills shortages

'It is delivering a negligible number of construction trade workers,' he said.

'This is despite housing industry claims that continued skilled migration is crucial to supplying the workers needed to provide the housing and infrastructure to accommodate Australias booming population.'

Australia also took in 5,502 engineers in fields that were already oversupplied, including 1,355 industrial, mechanical and production engineers and 570 chemical and materials engineers.

Australia also imported 5,204 information technology workers, despite data showing graduates were struggling to find work in this area.

Accountants and auditors were also high on the list, with 2,381 people given visas.
The mother-of-four whose rotting body was discovered hidden in a bathtub battled years of drug addiction and domestic abuse, according to a neighbour.

Police stumbled upon the corpse of Sarah Gatt, 40, in January when they noticed a foul stench coming from her Kensington home, in Melbourne's north-east.

Forensic testing revealed Ms Gatt was likely killed between April 20 and 24 the year before, eight months before her badly decomposed body was accidentally found.

Her father Victor Gatt said she was a good student and aspiring model before she turned to a life of drugs when she was just 17 years old.

Recent social media pictures of Ms Gatt capture the struggling mother's tragic descent from a starry-eyed girl to a woman hardened by years of addiction.

Sarah Gatt (pictured), 40, was left rotting inside the bathtub of her Melbourne home for more than eight months after she was bashed and murdered, police say

Sarah Gatt (pictured recently) suffered a turbulent lifestyle in the lead up to her death, according to her neighbour

Ms Gatt's next-door neighbour Phil Nelson revealed the young mother tried hard to stay on the straight and narrow but was deeply 'troubled'.

He said he often heard screaming from Ms Gatt's home and she regularly visited him wearing large sunglasses to shield her face.

Mr Nelson, who lived next door to Ms Gatt for eight years, said the mother-of-four had a turbulent lifestyle.

'She had a hard life and a hard journey,' he told The Age.

He said Ms Gatt fought hard to get sober so she could see her four children.

'She would be doing OK and all of a sudden it got too much for her. You could hear her from everywhere, screaming at the kids, screaming at the neighbours,' he said.

'She could be toxic.'

Police believe Ms Gatt (pictured in her youth) was killed in a violent assault in April last year, and her body was deliberately concealed in the apartment ever since

Police stumbled upon her corpse (pictured) in January after they noticed a foul stench coming from her home in Kensington, in Melbourne's north-east, while working an unrelated job

The Melbourne man said he watched on as Ms Gatt's health spiralled downhill.

'She got her life together, and then things would fall apart,' he told The Australian.

Police believe Ms Gatt was killed in a violent assault in April last year, and her body was deliberately concealed in the apartment ever since.

Homicide Quad Detective Inspector Tim Day said 'conscious steps' were taken in the months after her death to make it look like she was still alive.

Mr Nelson said he saw a man visit Ms Gatt's home and collect her mail in the months following her alleged murder.

Forensic testing on the badly decomposed body found Ms Gatt likely died between April 20 and 24 following a violent attack within her home (pictured)

Mr Nelson said the last time he saw Ms Gatt was in December 2016. He said he saw a man collecting the mail and visiting her home from about June last year.

'They said she died in April. The week before the Christmas just passed - that's eight months after her being murdered - he and another person were going in and out of that house three times in that week.

'He told me Sarah had been put away - she'd gone to jail before - and that she was put in for psych reasons and wasn't expected to come out too soon.'

Detective Inspector Day said a number of 'stories' about Ms Gatt's death were being circulated.

Someone is believed to have been living at the home sporadically while Ms Gatt's body decomposed in the bath tub, police said.

Police said three men and two women known to Ms Gatt - who were questioned in January - remain persons of interest, although no one has been charged over the death.

Police wouldn't draw on speculation that someone pretended to be Ms Gatt (pictured right, recent image) after her death, but said a number of 'stories' about her were being circulated

On Tuesday, the mother's family and police launched a public appeal for more information regarding her death, which has been labelled as 'suspicious'.

Mr Gatt added she was a 'great person' with no faults until she became mixed in the wrong crowd and began living in isolation from her parents.

'Nobody knows what went wrong, she just started on drugs,' he said.

'We didn't know about it and I took her to places to try and get her cleaned up but it wouldn't happen. She kept everything to herself.'

Her father Victor Gatt (pictured with stepmother Cheryl Gatt) said she was a good student and aspiring model before she turned to a life of drugs when she was about 17-years-old

Homicide Squad boss Detective Inspector Tim Day (pictured), said the cover up of Ms Gatt's death is 'disturbing and concerning'

Ms Gatt's family said they hadn't seen her in almost 18 months before her unrecognisable body was found.

'I lost my daughter in that way and I still think I should have went to see her, but when she doesn't want to see you, she won't,' Mr Gatt said.

Detective Inspector Day said the cover up of Ms Gatt's death was 'disturbing and concerning'.

He added: 'There are people out there who know what happened to Sarah and we are urging them to come forward and speak to police.'

Police said Ms Gatt's four children were not living with her at her home.

Police confirmed on Wednesday Ms Gatt was not reported missing before the discovery of her body.
A triggered fire alarm led police to uncover 60 kilograms of methamphetamine from a unit block in Sydney on Mondayu.

Fire and Rescue were called to a unit block in Hazlewood Place, Epping just before midday, where they found what police allege was a clandestine laboratory.

Specialist police officers later attended the scene to dismantle the lab before local detectives seized an estimated $30million worth of a crystal substance believed to be ice.

An alleged clandestine drug lab in a unit block (pictured) was uncovered in Epping on Monday morning

Firefighters uncovered the set up after being called out to a triggered fire alarm at Hazlewood Place

Police then attended the scene and neighbours were evacuated before the lab could be dismantled

The quiet street in Sydney's north was flooded with emergency services about midday on Monday

Neighbours were evacuated as a safety precaution before the laboratory was dismantled.

Shortly before emergency services arrived, a man aged between 20 and 30 is believed to have left the area.

Police say he has a solid build and is about 180cm tall with olive skin. The man has dark hair and may have burns to his face.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Ryde detectives on 9858 9299 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Inside the alleged drug lab was 60 kilograms of a crystalised substance

Police allege the substance was methamphetamine (pictured: neighboring residents of the unit block being evacuated. Daily Mail does not imply neighbours had any involvement )

Police are now searching for a man believed to have left the area shortly before emergency services arrived

The man, believed to be in his 20s, is solidly built with olive skin and may have facial burns
A man approached a woman who was masturbating on a train, received oral sex from her, before washing his genitals with Coca-Cola.

The train traveller was on Tuesday convicted over the bizarre incident on the 9.56am service from Port Kembla to Wollongong, south of Sydney, in December.

'I got a blow job on the train and I was rinsing my c**k off,' he told police who stopped him at Wollongong Railway Station, the Illawarra Mercury reported.

The man reportedly approached the masturbating woman, before she began performing a sex act on him after a brief interaction.

A man approached a woman who was masturbating on a busy train, received oral sex from her, before washing his genitals off with Coca-Cola (stock image)

City Rail staff discovered a 'large and disgusting' mess on the floor which they initially believed was urine.

'I wasn't having a piss, I spilled my coke... it's just coke,' he said to police, telling them he used the drink to 'clean himself up' after the sexual encounter.

The woman involved, who the paper reports is well-known to police, confirmed the man's version of events.

He pleaded guilty to charges of offensive behaviour and obscene exposure at Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.

'The facts speak for themselves... he took the opportunity that presented itself,' his solicitor told the court.

The man was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and fined $700.
A construction worker has been fired after refusing to apologise for a fiery Facebook post attacking human resources over an 'insensitive' company memo.

Ben Martin, 49, called HR a 'f***ing dog' for the memo, which was sent just hours after a worker committed suicide on the job site, just outside of Darwin.

'The site will remain open and employees will be expected to work... personal leave will not be be granted without a doctor's certificate,' the memo read.

It was the 14th worker to commit suicide on the Inpex work site, an oil and gas export and production site in Howard Springs, ABC News reported.

The company memo was sent out by HR stating that all workers would need a doctors certificate to take personal leave after the most recent suicide on the job's camp site

Mr Martin, an insulation subcontractor for Inpex, wrote a scathing comment in response to a post made on the Facebook page FIFO Construction Workers 3/1 Forum.

The comment has since been removed however Mr Martin told NT News he had no regrets about stepping up and defending the rights of workers.

When Mr Martin refused to apologise for the comments after he was asked to explain his comments to the company his employment was terminated.

Mr Martin said he knew he was being singled out for having the courage to question the memo.

'I think I was targeted for posting about contractors' lack of sensitivity regarding the fact workers have taken their own lives on the project,' he told NT News.

It was the 14th worker suicide on the Inpex work site ABC News reported

'It was not a nice thing (for me) to write  but (the) memo didn't show any sensitivity to anyone, especially considering the timing.'

Mr Martin said he regretted that he had to lose his job over the post but he had no regrets about doing what he thinks is the right thing in making the stand.

JKC project director John Bramley said that workplace health and safety was of paramount importance to the company.

'The Ichthys Project Onshore LNG Facilities maintains a zero tolerance approach to offensive or intimidating behaviour of any form,' he said.

He said they investigated the comments and deemed it an appropriate action to remove Mr Martin's access to the project site and accommodation.

Inpex said they investigated the comments and deemed it an appropriate action to remove Mr Martin's access to the project site and accommodation

Principal contractor JKC Australia LNG cancelled Mr Martin's access to the work site and accommodation facility.

Over 8,000 workers are employed on the site which has been operating since 2012, the Howard Springs site is 29km from Darwin ABC News reported.

The biggest issue taken over the letter was that it was released just hours after the work site death and made no reference to grief counselling.

A 2015 research study by the Edith Cowan University, surveyed 629 FIFO workers from 143 different resource companies and found that 28 per cent of those surveyed showed clear indicators of depression.

This is more than double the rate of the general population ABC News reported.

If you are struggling with depression or just need someone to speak to you can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.
A brother and sister in Nebraska are set to receive a $232,000 payout after they claim their home was wrongly demolished because neighbors said it smelled like a 'dead body'.

Loan and William Nguyen sued the city of Omaha after their Autumn Heights home was knocked down by a demolition crew on June 23.

The Nguyens said in a lawsuit they believe they were targeted because they are Vietnamese-Americans, the Omaha World-Herald reports.

A brother and sister sued the city of Omaha claiming their Autumn Heights home was wrongly demolished

The house was knocked down in June after neighbors complained to the city that it smelled like 'rotten meat' and a 'dead body'

The siblings said they received a letter from the city on June 9 that their 142nd Street home was going to be demolished after several complaints from neighbors that it smelled like 'rotten meat' and a 'dead body'.

William, who works as a meat inspector, said he had been storing some of his product in a freezer in the garage and was unaware that the power at the property had been shut off by Omaha Public Power District. Neither sibling had been living at the home.

When an inspector came by the house to investigate the smell he found that the garage was infested with maggots, their was blood on the floor and rotten meat had been left in a freezer. An emergency demolition was then ordered.

Loan and William said they reached an agreement with the city inspector to clean and disinfect the garage in order to keep their home.

They said they did as instructed but the city had their house knocked down anyway on June 23.

The siblings further allege that when William tried to stop the demolition crew he was arrested and cited for obstructing government operations. The misdemeanor was later dismissed.

The city denies it wrongly demolished the house saying it was 'acting in good faith and without malice' and the Nguyens never properly properly ordered for the demolition to be stopped.

Jason Bruno, the siblings' attorney, said he sent several emails to the Assistant City Planning Director pleading for the demolition to be called off because Loan and William had complied with the city's order to clean the home.

Although the city denies any wrongdoing, it agreed to pay Loan and William $232,000 to avoid a trial. Neighbors are outraged at the price of the settlement, telling KETV that houses in the area don't cost that much.

The source of the foul odor was rotten meat that had been left in a freezer in the garage by William Nguyen, the brother. He said he works as a meat inspector and nobody lives at the home so they were unaware of the smell

The siblings said they reached an agreement with the city to clean the home in order to keep it and they did, but a demolition crew was still sent out to tear down the residence

'They shouldn't be paying it out. Who they should be paying is the neighbors around here who had to put up with that,' one neighbor, identified as Karen, fumed.

Bruno told Omaha World-Herald that he was happy the city reached an agreement so quickly.

'I don't have any ill words to say other than they made a mistake and they're accounting for it the best I think they can,' he said.

The City Council still has to approve the settlement during a public hearing on Tuesday.
A grandmother suffered a nasty head wound after being set upon by a man outside the Balljura Market Place shopping centre in Perth's north.

The 59-year-old woman was violently pushed to the ground about 12.15pm Tuesday, causing her head to split open.

Her alleged attacker fled the scene in her blue BMW 390 sedan, with personalised number plates reading CASA.

A 59-year-old grandmother (pictured) suffered a nasty head wound after being set upon by a man in Perth's north

She was violently pushed to the ground outside the Balljura Market Place (pictured) shopping centre

She was captured on camera, going back into the shopping centre screaming for help.

Witnesses told Nine News the woman was losing a lot of blood and was panicked and disoriented.

Shoppers helped the grandmother calm down and cleaned up her wound before paramedics and police arrived and she was taken to Joondalup Hospital.

Shoppers helped the grandmother (middle) calm down and cleaned up her wound before paramedics and police arrived and was taken to Joondalup Hospital

She needed five staples for her head wound and is recovering.

Her attacker is still on the run and is described as fair skinned, slim build, early 30s, short dark brown hair and wearing dark clothing.

Police are calling for anyone with information to come forward.
The father of two young children who were killed by their nanny described the harrowing moment he learned of their deaths just after returning from a business trip and how he said goodbye to them.

Kevin Krim, 42, told jurors in the trial of Yoselyn Ortega on Tuesday that when he switched off the airplane mode function on his cellphone at John F. Kennedy International Airport, after returning from a trip to California, he was flooded with text messages from concerned neighbors and friends who had 'heard something had happened'.

He said he was trying to figure it out and 'fumbling around' when a flight attendant asked him to go to the cockpit.

'I started freaking out, saying, "What the f*** has happened?" Krim recalled.

Kevin Krim leaves court on Tuesday after testifying in the murder trial of his former nanny, Yoselyn Ortega

Ortega is facing murder charges for allegedly stabbing to death Krim's, right, six-year-old daughter Lucia and two-year-old son Leo in 2012

Krim spoke in court on Tuesday about how he learned of his children's deaths after returning from a business trip to California

'It's the worst thing imaginable. I was hoping it was a nightmare, and it wasn't,' he added.

While waiting for cops to come on the plane, he says he got a call from his father-in-law.

'I said Phil, what the f*** is going on? And he said, "Kevin, I dont know whats happening. Were in Chicago but Tara, Marinas sister, called and said two of your kids are dead,"' Krim said.

He said two plainclothes police officers had to pick him up off the floor, somebody grabbed him by the arm and somebody grabbed his bag. He said he kept asking 'What's going on?' and then saw there was a voicemail from his wife, Marina Krim.

'I pressed play to listen to it, and I just heard the background noise of screaming,' he testified. 'I crumbled to the ground.'

Ortega, pictured in court in January, has pleaded not guilty to murder by reason of insanity

Ortega claims the devil made her kill two-year-old Leo (left) and six-year-old Lucia Krim (right)

Kevin and Marina Krim's youngest daughter at the time, Nessie, survived the attack. They have gone on to have two more kids, two young sons

Krim said he was taken to a hospital, where he was reunited with his frantic wife, who had found six-year-old Lucia and two-year-old Leo's bodies in their blood-spattered Manhattan apartment.

'She rushed up to me and hugged me, and then she pushed me away, and said, "Were not gonna get divorced, people always get divorced when things happen to their kids. Oprah says people always get divorced when they lose kids. Were not gonna get divorced." I dont think I said anything, I was in shock,' he said.

It was in a private room of St. Luke's that a surgeon told him what had happened to his two children.

'I was crying. I was kind of flailing about because I didn't want people touching me,' he testified. 'No one seemed to know much of the details, but they said it was the baby sitter who killed them.'

Photos of two bloodied knives were shown to jurors in court this week before the evidence photos were released by the New York District Attorney on Thursday

One knife used in the stabbing murders was found in the bathroom sink just inches from a pink child's toothbrush

In this harrowing hand-written notes penned after the killings, Yoselyn Ortega said: 'I had to do everything and take care of the kids. I worked as a babysitter only and she wanted me to do everything. She wanted five hours of cleaning every week'

Marina's frantic text messages to Ortega

Ortega shook her head when he said this, and Krim glared at her. He said it was the first time he has seen Ortega since she killed his kids.

Krim's testimony Tuesday brought tears to the jurors and people seated in the courtroom gallery as he described saying goodbye to his children.

'Lulu and Leo were lying on hospital tables, sheets up to their chins. They looked beautiful and strange. They had lost a lot of blood, so they were blue. But they still had this perfect skin, the long eye lashes,' Krim said tearfully.

'Theyd had this, like, sandy brown hair, and you see [the doctors] had tried really hard to wash all the blood out, but there was still kind of an auburn tint to it that I remember to this day.

'I got down on my knees, and I said, "Im sorry." I said, "I love you," and I kissed them, and I said goodbye,' Krim said.

Photos of a bloodied knife wrapped in a towel in the hallway (top of image) and blood spattered on the floor and walls were among the images shown

One bloodied knife was found wrapped in a towel in the hallway on top of a toy refrigerator

Two kitchen knives were used in the stabbing attack. The images were taken inside the apartment roughly seven hours after mother Marina Krim found her children's bodies

Ortega, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, refused to look and stared straight ahead when the photos taken inside the apartment were shown to the court

Krim also remembered the last time he spoke to Lucia, who he called 'my little tomato'. He called her the night before her death, and she excitedly talked about an award she won at school. He never got the chance to speak to his son on that call.

Ortega has pleaded not guilty in the fatal stabbings of the two Krim children in October 2012. Her lawyers don't dispute that she killed the children but say she's too mentally ill to be responsible for what she did. They have said the slayings were an act of madness.

The Krims have stayed together after the tragedy. Their youngest daughter at the time, Nessie, was not home at the time of the fatal attack. They have gone on to have two more sons.
A registered sex offender could face the death penalty after he was convicted Tuesday of raping and killing an Ohio State University Student.

On what would have been Reagan Tokes 23rd birthday, her family members wept in court as a Franklin County jury found Brian Golsby of the then 21-year-old.

At the time she was killed, Reagan was just three months from receiving her degree in psychology from the university.

Sentencing for the 30-year-old, who pleaded not guilty, will begin on Friday. If it is ruled the murder was premeditated he could receive the death sentence.

Scroll down for video

On what would have been Reagan Tokes 23rd birthday, her family members wept in court as a Franklin County jury found Brian Golsby of the then 21-year-old

Prosecutors said Golsby kidnapped Tokes after she left work on February 8, 2017. Over a two hour period he raped her and then forced her to withdraw $60 at automated teller machines, according to the Toledo Blade

At the time she was killed, Reagan was just three months from receiving her degree in psychology from Ohio State University. She is pictured far left with her family

Reagan's family members wept in court as the verdict was announced on Tuesday

Courtesy of ABC6

The guilty verdict came after jurors in Columbus deliberated for more than five hours.

Prosecutors said Golsby kidnapped Tokes after she left work on February 8, 2017.

Tokes' body was found naked at a park in Grove City, which is about 10 miles southwest of Columbus. He is pictured in court as the verdict is announced Tuesday

Over a two hour period he raped her and then forced her to withdraw $60 at automated teller machines, according to the Toledo Blade.

Tokes' body was found naked at a park in Grove City, which is about 10 miles southwest of Columbus.

During closing arguments, Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Rausch called what happened 'every woman's nightmare.'

She told the jury he 'kidnapped her. He robbed her. He raped her, and then he executed her.'

And as she was speaking, Reagan's younger sister Makenzie placed her head in her mother's head, as if seeking comfort.

'All the puzzle pieces fit,' Rausch said during closing arguments, referring to all of the evidence that placed Golsby with Tokes' in the hours she went missing.

GPS data showed he was at the same location with Tokes for more than two hours. Tokes' DNA on the gun he used to shoot her twice in the head, and his DNA was found on her body and in her car.

GPS data showed he was at the same location with Tokes for more than two hours. Tokes' DNA on the gun he used to shoot her twice in the head, and his DNA was found on her body and in her car. Pictured is her work, where she was kidnapped

Golsby had just been released from prison, where he was being held for attempted rape. He was staying at a halfway house, and wore a GPS ankle bracelet that wasn't being tracked in real time

Golsby was also seen driving Tokes' car after her murder, and confessed to two people close to him - his six-year-old daughter's mother Jennifer Nickell and a woman he called 'sis' Brittney Stepp

Golsby was also seen driving Tokes' car after her murder, and confessed to two people close to him - his six-year-old daughter's mother Jennifer Nickell and a woman he called 'sis' Brittney Stepp.

The defense claims Golsby was scared when he decided to kill her

Golsby had just been released from prison, where he was being held for attempted rape. He was staying at a halfway house, and wore a GPS ankle bracelet that wasn't being tracked in real time.

Police later used the device's data to retrace his steps.

The Defense attorney has contended that, because he was wearing the ankle bracelet, he can't have planned her death ahead.

She admitted that Golsby shot Reagan, but said his wearing the GPS device and driving around after her murder in her car shows he wasn't smart enough for it to have been premeditated.

The defense claims he was scared when he decided to kill her.

The difference in if the murder was first or second degree will result in a different sentencing - and if it is proved he planned out the murder he could receive the death sentence.
A court has heard how a couple used money from thousands of fake accounts on Paypal, eBay and Gumtree to buy and sell non-existent goods to show off their luxurious lifestyle by posing in photos surrounded by cash and high-end items.

Michael Tozer scammed $950,000 out of unsuspecting online shoppers to feed the pair's opulent habits before a six-month police probe revealed their wrongdoing.

He and partner Angela Greer pleaded guilty to a number of varying charges for their role in the online con including dealing with identification information, the Cairns Post reported.

Michael Tozer (pictured right with partner Angela Greer) scammed $950,000 out of online shoppers to feed the couple's lifestyle

The couple used money from an online con for a life of luxury posing with cash

CIB Detective Sergeant Brad McLeish said the investigation following their arrest at the Cairns Shangri-La Hotel in August 2016 revealed a large scale fraud operation.

Police found more than 1100 bank accounts, 700 of which were in Tozer's name and the rest under alias names.

'From all those bank accounts you could just see Paypal money pouring into them,' Det Sgt McLeish said.

They used the money to splash out on lengthy stays at five-star hotels, lavish overseas trips to Indonesia and Singapore and luxury goods from labels including Louis Vuitton, Gianni Versace and Rolex.

'He (Tozer) was ultimately caught red handed in possession of all of the tainted property,' Crown Prosecutor Melanie Franklin said in court.

His lawyer claimed Tozer always had an interest in maths but the scam wasn't advanced.

They used the money to splash out on lengthy stays hotels and lavish trips (pictured: Greer with a wad of US notes)

'What's said to be sophisticated is just basic transactions. There's just so many of them,' Defence barrister Peter Feeney told the court.

Both Tozer and Greer had spent approximately 19 months behind bars.

Greer was sentenced to three months but walked free after serving more time than her term.

Tozer received eight years jail and will be eligible for parole next March.
Australian fashion fiends have rejoiced over the long-awaited launch of popular Spanish clothing brand Zara's online store.

The retail giant went live with its newest venture Wednesday morning, much to the excitement of its thousands of male and female fans across the country.

With its unique fashion previously available from 15 physical locations, shoppers can now get access to hot-ticket items at the touch of a button, and return unwanted items for free.

Deliveries can be ordered for postal delivery to home addresses, or be picked up from one of its stores, including from the triple-level Pitt Street Mall store in Sydney.

Australian style-fiends have rejoiced over the long-awaited launch of popular Spanish clothing brand, Zara's, online store

The retail giant went live with its newest venture Wednesday morning, much to the excitement of its thousands of male and female fans across the country

The Zara website was set to launch alongside a phone app offering men's, women's and children's clothing, but not its Home range.

The brand has not only become a popular choice for many people's everyday wear, it has earned the endorsement of several famous faces.

American model and actress, Emily Ratajkowski, was married in a mustard Zara suit listed online for $179 earlier this year.

A Zara dress was also worn by comedian Amy Poehler when she was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015.

The Zara website was set to launch alongside a phone app offering men's, women's and children's clothing, but not it's Home range

A Zara dress was worn by comedian Amy Poehler (pictured) when she was honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015

The brand has not only become a popular choice for many people's everyday wear, it has earned the endorsement of several famous faces

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has been seen wearing the popular brand, sporting a blue Zara dress during her 2011 honeymoon and regularly donning its jeans and jackets.

Quirky Zara pieces have routinely been incorporated into fashion models Olivia Palermo and Alexa Chung outfits, with fans previously disappointed over not being able to recreate looks by shopping online.

The online launch came just months after speculation it would break its lease on its Robina shopping centre store on the Gold Coast because of a downturn in the retail sector.

The retail giant's biggest competitor, Swedish company H & M is yet to go online with its multinational fast-fashion brand.

Kate Middleton has been seen wearing the popular brand, sporting a blue Zara dress during her 2011 honeymoon and regularly donning its jeans and jackets (pictured in Zara blazer)
Dry spells, plenty of rain and king tides have created the perfect storm for a mosquito epidemic, according to health professionals.

The salt marsh mosquito has been labelled the main culprit.

Cameron Webb, University of Sydney medical entomologist, said in the last few weeks breeding numbers had been high in 'hot-spot' areas like Hexham swamp.

A health warning has been issued as the salt marsh mosquito can carry both the Ross River and Barmah Forest viruses.

A warning has been issued as weather conditions have allowed for the perfect storm for mosquito breeding (stock image)

Symptoms include rashes, fever, swollen joints and nausea.

Sometimes aspirin or paracetamol are enough to treat the virus but a doctor will advise on the best course of treatment.

Medical professionals must also report the diagnosis to the Department of Health as they investigate all mosquito-based illnesses from and foreign to New South Wales in order to determine where the disease came from.

Health authorities are expecting 'peak numbers' between now and Easter however Dr Webb told the Newcastle Herald this was expected to die down by the end of April.

Hunter New England Health public health physician David Durrheim said this was a good time to get the warning out there.

There have only been 18 cases of ross river virus and five cases of barmah forest virus in the Hunter New England Health.

This time last year there were 141 cases of the ross river virus.

Symptoms include rashes, fever, swollen joints and nausea and diagnosis are reported to the health department (stock image)

In 2016 there were 622 cases across New South Wales, with almost a third - 202 - diagnosed in December, according to the ABC.

There were no cases of barmah forest virus in 2017 and typically the HNEH area only get between ten and 20 cases a year.

Places with shade and water are likely to attract the attention of mosquitoes but high-target areas include Shortland, Hexham, Carrington, Callaghan and Blackbutt Reserve.

However the mosquitos can be found across the state.

The only relief for the area is the fact that the Hexham grey mosquito preys on the salt marsh mosquito.
Jeremy Corbyn and his spin chief Seumas Milne were condemned by one of their own MPs last night for their long history of being on the same side as Moscow.

Russian state media yesterday praised the Labour leaders warning that retaliatory action by Britain would lead only to increased tensions.

Mr Corbyn sparked uproar in the Commons on Monday when he used his response to Theresa Mays statement on the spy poisoning scandal to take a swipe at the Tories over donations from individuals with links to Russia.

Jeremy Corbyn sparked uproar in the Commons on Monday when he used his response to Theresa May's statement on the spy poisoning scandal to attack donations to the Tory party from individuals with links to Russia

Mr Corbyn, pictured, has spent decades behaving sympathetically towards Moscow

Senior Labour figures are concerned about Corbyn's view about Russia and Vladimir Putin

But a dossier compiled by the Daily Mail today reveals how Mr Corbyns weak response in the face of Russian aggression comes after decades of behaving sympathetically towards Moscow.

His hard-Left spin doctor and director of strategy, Mr Milne, has also long supported Vladimir Putin  and even appeared at an event with the Russian president after his invasion of Ukraine in 2014.

John Woodcock, the chairman of Labours backbench foreign affairs committee, yesterday spoke out against Mr Corbyn, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: If you look at Jeremy Corbyns long history on Russia and the views of key people around him, like Seumas Milne, they have been on the wrong side of very important arguments and disagreements that Russia has had with the UK over many years.

Mr Woodcock added that Mr Corbyns Commons appearance wasnt his best day. Many of us thought Jeremy got the tone wrong, he said.

Mr Corbyn had told MPs that ministers should continue seeking a robust dialogue with Russia on all the issues, rather than simply cutting off contact and letting the tensions and divisions get worse and, potentially, even more dangerous.

David Miliband yesterday accused Mr Corbyn of behaving like Donald Trump when it comes to dealing with Russia. The former Labour foreign secretary suggested he was not standing up for British citizens with his response to the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Mr Miliband told the BBC: Some of the contents of what Jeremy Corbyn was saying, it was strangely like the kind of things President Trump says about the need to engage in dialogue, to keep on talking to them.

No one is saying that all contact is going to be cut off. The question is whether there are actions as well as words. It is only actions that show the Russians we are serious.

However, Russian state media reported Mr Corbyns comments approvingly. TV channel Zveda, which is run by the Russian ministry of defence, published an online story with the headline: The leader of the British Labour Party calls for a dialogue with Russia.

Mr Milne was pictured shaking hands with Mr Putin at a conference in Sochi in October 2014  just a year before he was appointed as Mr Corbyns director of strategy and communications.

In March 2015, Mr Milne wrote an article for The Guardian in which he complained about how Putin has now become a cartoon villain and Russia the target of almost uniformly belligerent propaganda across the western media.

He wrote: Anyone who questions the dominant narrative on Ukraine  from last years overthrow of the elected president and the role of Ukrainian far right to war crimes carried out by Kievs forces  is dismissed as a Kremlin dupe. Mr Milne said Britain and its Nato allies were guilty of anti-Russian incitement, which was a dangerous folly.

He added: There certainly has been military expansionism. But it has overwhelmingly come from Nato, not Moscow. For 20 years, despite the commitments at the end of the cold war, Nato has marched relentlessly eastwards, taking in first former east European Warsaw Pact states, then republics of the former Soviet Union itself.

Mr Corbyn has repeatedly criticised Nato, branding it the father of the Cold War.
Large cash payments to tradesmen could be banned in a crackdown on the black economy.

Plumbers, builders and even child-minders could be barred from receiving sizable payments to ensure they pay the full tax for the work they carry out.

The proposals, published in the Spring Statement yesterday, are a bid to rake in as much as 3.5billion a year in tax from the UKs hidden economy.

Any income received for work - even babysitting - should be taxed at someone's individual tax rate

Another suggestion is that receipts could be made compulsory across Britain  forcing workmen to write down any payments received.

But business experts warned that the Government must not launch measures that would see innocent businesses unable to use cash when needed.

Cash-in-hand payments are considered a scourge by tax officials, who believe some workers are flouting the system.

Any income received for work carried out should be taxed at someones individual tax rate  even babysitting.

But it is common for many tradesman to accept a cash payment for a certain amount of the work they carry out in exchange for a slightly cheaper deal. This suits the customers, as they get money off, but also the tradesman who can avoid tax.

In 2015, former shadow chancellor Ed Balls came under fire for suggesting people should get a written receipt for all transactions.

The Labour politician said he always asked for a written record because it was the right thing to do.

Ed Balls came under fire for suggesting people should get receipts for all transactions

Now the Treasury is considering whether to follow the example of other countries and introduce a maximum limit on cash transactions.

France, Belgium and Spain have imposed limits of up to 13,000. Such a limit would bar crooks from being able to move huge sums of cash without being detected.

Ministers have previously warned that businesses where transactions are regularly conducted in cash  such as scrap metal wholesalers, nail bars, takeaways and storage warehouses  represent particularly attractive opportunities for criminals.

But last night experts cautioned the Government to ensure its crackdown did not hit innocent businesses and consumers by snaring them with red tape or barring them from using cash when needed.

Chas Roy-Chowdhury, head of taxation at accountancy trade body ACCA, said: The Government should have no truck with tax avoiders but we must be cognizant that we dont want to things to become unnecessarily bureaucratic, for instance having to issue receipts for everything.
A young father has said he feels lucky to be alive after being allegedly bashed by six thugs.

Shannon, from Hampton Park, suffered a broken femur, a broken nose and six broken teeth when he was allegedly attacked in Dandenong in Melbourne's south-east.

The 32-year-old was leaving a pub about 7.30pm on Thursday when the thugs, described by his father as being 'of African appearance', allegedly assaulted him.

A young father (pictured) has said he feels lucky to be alive after being allegedly bashed by six thugs

'I'm lucky to be alive, I'm lucky to come home to my little girl at the end of the day,' Shannon, a single father-of-one, told Neil Mitchell in an emotional interview on 3AW.

'People were too scared to help, there were 30 public bystanders who did absolutely nothing because they were too scared.

'It went for six or seven minutes ... I know it went that long, the police told me it did.'

Shannon's father Cameron said a shopping trolley handle was used to deliberately shatter his son's leg during the brutal alleged attack.

Shannon, from Hampton Park, suffered a broken femur, a broken nose and six broken teeth when he was allegedly attacked in Dandenong (pictured) in Melbourne's south-east

'They broke his femur to the point where it was surgically replaced, plates and screws, and he has not had a very good time of it.'

Shannon said he was still feeling 'banged up' from the alleged attack, and said he plans to avoid Dandenong from now on.

A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia police were investigating the attack.

Police would like to speak with three men - one described as African and wearing a high visibility vest, and two described as Caucasian.

In the radio interview Shannon and his father said two men have been arrested and they plan to press charges, but police said no arrests have been made.
Russia has demanded Theresa May hands over samples of the Novichok used to poison a Russian spy before the Kremlin considers responding to her ultimatum.

The British Prime Minister issued Vladimir Putin with a deadline - midnight last night - to answer questions about the poisoning outrage in Salisbury ten days ago which has left Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fighting for their lives in hospital.

Moscow responded bluntly, and  in a coded reference to Vladimir Putins boasts about his nuclear arsenal  Russian officials warned: Any threat to take punitive measures against Russia will meet with a response. The British side should be aware of that.

The Russian Embassy in London waded in on the matter with an incredible series of tweets featuring threatening messages accompanied by pictures of what appears to be vials of poison.

The British Prime Minister issued Vladimir Putin (pictured) with a deadline - midnight last night - to answer questions about the poisoning outrage in Salisbury ten days ago which has left Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fighting for their lives in hospital

Russia has demanded Theresa May (pictured) hands over samples of the Novichok used to poison a Russian spy before the Kremlin considers responding to her ultimatum

The Russian Embassy in London waded in on the matter with an incredible series of tweets featuring threatening messages accompanied by pictures of what appears to be vials of poison

In a series of incendiary tweets last night, Russia's London embassy said: 'UK Ambassador Laurence Bristow was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, where First Deputy FM Vladimir Titov strongly protested the evidence-free accusations by the UK authorities of Russias alleged involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

'It was stated that the actions of the UK authorities are a clear provocation and that the Russian Federation was not involved in the incident that took place in Salisbury on March 4, 2018.

'Moscow will not respond to Londons ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring.

'Britain must comply with the Chemical Weapons Convention which stipulates joint investigation into the incident, for which Moscow is ready.'

The tweets continued: 'Without that, there can be no sense in any statements from London. The incident appears to be yet another crooked attempt by the UK authorities to discredit Russia.

'Any threat to take punitive measures against Russia will meet with a response. The British side should be aware of that.

'Today the Embassy sent a note to the Foreign Office reiterating that Russia is not involved in the Salisbury incident and outlining the above mentioned demands for joint investigation.'

The extraordinary episode is likely to lead to a showdown between Westminster and Moscow, which could plunge British-Russian relations to its lowest point since the Cold War.

Theresa May is now poised to issue sanctions on Russia after she claimed the country was behind the poisoning of the double agent.

Last night it emerged investigators were centring their probe around Mr Skripal's red BMW.

The police investigation into the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal is believed to be focusing on his red BMW. It is seen when it was recovered by police last week

Police officers in forensics suits and protective masks work near a playground in Salisbury tonight

Nikolai Glushkov, right, was found dead in his home in London on Monday. Forensic officers, left, were examining his home yesterday

The investigation into the poisoning has led to a series of locations around Salisbury being sealed off and decontaminated

It is thought Novichok, a lethal nerve agent developed in Russia, was smeared on the car's door handle.

On the same day, it transpired Nikolai Glushkov, the right-hand man of Vladimir Putins personal enemy number one, was found dead at his London home, reportedly with strangulation marks, adding more fuel to the fire.

Donald Trump and other world leaders threw their weight behind Britain on a tumultuous day in Washington where he sacked his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Back in London, Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed a string of deaths on UK soil are to be reinvestigated by the police and MI5 after claims of Russian involvement.
A crucified Star Wars Stormtrooper on display at a historic London church has been granted a stay of execution after it caused a stir among parishioners.

Artist Ryan Callanan created the controversial statue, which shows a fictional Star Wars soldier hanging on a life-sized cross.

It was due to be unveiled today as the centrepiece of the Art Belows Stations of the Cross exhibition held inside the London-based church.

A crucified Star Wars Stormtrooper on display at a historic London church has been granted a stay of execution after it caused a stir among parishioners at St Stephen Walbrook

A priest arrived yesterday to decide whether to tear down the statue, after parishioners attending St Stephen Walbrook church in Central London complained to the rector, Reverend Jonathan Evens.

After a 30 minute meeting, the stormtrooper statue was moved from a prominent place at the front of the church to the back of the hall.

Ben Moore, the organiser of the event, said it will now go on sale after the exhibition on March 23, for 12,000.

Mr Moore said: I explained the meaning of the piece, the way that some of them saw it is a stormtrooper is a very negative character.

I like to think of it as a New Hope - such as in the new Star Wars film, where John Boyega rebels against the dark side and fights for something good.

He explained the meaning of the piece to church members, who compromised and allowed the piece to stay.

I didnt intend to upset anyone, I like to raise awareness for my missing brother, I havent seen him since 2003.

This exhibition look to raise money in support of the Missing Tom fund, this shines a light on his case.

With respect to the parish, I didnt want to upset anyone, I aim to create awareness and debate.

A priest arrived yesterday to decide whether to tear down the statue, after parishioners attending St Stephen Walbrook church in Central London complained to the rector, Reverend Jonathan Evens. After a 30 minute meeting, the stormtrooper statue was moved from a prominent place at the front of the church to the back of the hall (pictured)

However, the Stormtrooper statue created mixed responses from local residents.

A nun, who wished to remain anonymous, said: I didnt find the big crucifixion offensive, its not my taste but there you go.

Francis McKenna, from Isleworth, west London, said: I thought the art was surprising - Ive never seen things like this in a church.

The Star Wars character was a bit weird, I didnt care for that so much.

I dont understand the reason for its removal.

Meanwhile, a St Stephen Walbrook churchgoer who wished to remain anonymous said: Its a bit silly really, why use our church.

Its plainly offensive Christians to be honest.

A woman named Elizabeth, 72, from Hertfordshire said: Im not an artist, but its unusual artwork isnt it.

I didnt feel that the Star Wars character was entirely appropriate.

Reverend Evens said: This is an exhibition of images designed to provoke thought from artists grappling with their response to the challenge and scandal of Christs cross.

Among these, Ryan Callahans Stormtrooper Crucifixion may be viewed as being among the more controversial images in the exhibition.

Rev Evens added: For me Stormtrooper Crucifixion raises similar questions to those which CS Lewis raised in his science fiction trilogy - that, were other races to exist on other planets, would Christ be incarnated among those races in order to die for their salvation?

Lewis view, which he sets out in the story running through the trilogy, is that Christ would do so.

For Christians, Ryan Callahans image can lead us a similar conclusion.

I commend these images to you as image that can open our ideas and minds to new reflections on the eternal significance of Christs sacrifice.

The exhibition also features a pastel drawing that Francis Bacon donated to his Italian lover Cristiano Lovatelli Ravarino between 1977 and 1992.

It will be the third crucifixion-themed exhibition to be curated by Ben Moore in support of the Missing Tom Fund set up to find his brother Tom Moore, who was last seen in 2003.

St Walbrook is a 500-year-old domed church that survived the Blitz.
A prostitute who made little secret about her line of work - dubbing herself 'Pretty Hoe' and advertising widely on social media - was charged Tuesday with recruiting minors to be hookers

A prostitute who made little secret about her line of work - dubbing herself 'Pretty Hoe' and advertising widely on social media - was charged Tuesday with recruiting minors to be hookers.

Melanie Denae Williams was indicted in US District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday with trafficking minors for sex and using force or fraud to coerce an adult into prostitution.

The indictment names Williams throughout by her 'Pretty Hoe' moniker that she used on an official website that described her as 'the most hated hoe in LA.'

The 22-year-old was arrested Christmas Eve after forcing a woman she recruited for prostitution through social media to strip naked and then threw bleach on her and beat her with a broomstick, according to an affidavit by FBI Agent Emily Tripp.

Scroll down for video

Melanie Denae Williams was indicted in US District Court in Los Angeles on Tuesday with trafficking minors for sex and using force or fraud to coerce an adult into prostitution

The indictment names Williams throughout by her 'Pretty Hoe' moniker that she used on an official website that described her as 'the most hated hoe in LA'

The 22-year-old was arrested Christmas Eve after forcing a woman she recruited for prostitution through social media to strip naked and then threw bleach on her and beat her with a broomstick, according to an affidavit by FBI Agent Emily Tripp

Deputy Federal Defender David Wasserman refused to comment on the case. Williams is being held in custody and faces arraignment Friday.

The victim identified only by her initials told police Williams had forced her to sell sex and took all the proceeds, Tripp said. When the woman tried to part company, Williams threatened to kill her and her family.

Williams forced the woman to tattoo 'Melanie' on her wrist and face to show she was her property, Tripp said.

A video on Williams' phone showed a gun pointed at the alleged victim and a voice, believed to be Williams, asking her if she planned to leave.

Tripp said videos on YouTube showed Williams beating unknown young women and also threatening them with a gun. Her postings on social media were replete with expletives. In these clips she can be seen beating up a man outside a home in LA

If convicted, Williams could face a minimum 10-year term and could be sentenced up to life in prison, prosecutors said

Tripp said videos on YouTube showed Williams beating unknown young women and also threatening them with a gun. Her postings on social media were replete with expletives.

One post on Snapchat stated in all caps: 'I'm not scared of jail so stop telling me anything about the MF police.'

An Instagram post under Williams' handle said: 'Who 18+ & wanna make some legit money?'

The affidavit filed with the charges does not offer details about the minors Williams allegedly recruited, though Tripp notes that she is part of a child exploitation task force.

Williams was sentenced last year to three months in jail for prostitution, Tripp said.

If convicted, Williams could face a minimum 10-year term and could be sentenced up to life in prison, prosecutors said.
Schools could be ordered to ensure their pupils mix with children from other ethnicities and religions under Government proposals.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid wants all schools without a diverse population to make sure children have exposure to families who are not like their own.

His integrated communities strategy aims to promote more tolerance among youngsters and prevent some sections of society becoming too isolated and inward-looking.

Sajid Javid, pictured, wants schools without a diverse population to make sure children have exposure to families who are not like their own to help promote integration

But the proposals are likely to prove controversial if it means schools will be penalised for failing to integrate to a high enough standard.

A number of isolated village schools have been marked down by Ofsted in the past for failing to teach children about other cultures.

And some Christian schools have lost marks because they did not raise enough awareness of tolerance of gay and transgender people.

Some head teachers already complain they have too much responsibility and would prefer to concentrate on core missions such as raising attainment in maths and English.

Under the Governments British Values agenda, first introduced to combat Islamic extremism following the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham schools, all schools must teach tolerance of minority groups and alternative lifestyles. A consultation paper released today suggests the latest plans aim to take this idea further.

Launched by Mr Javid with the backing of 50 million of Government money, it follows the 2016 Casey Review, which warned that social cohesion cannot be taken for granted in the multicultural UK.

But the proposals are likely to prove controversial if it means schools will be penalised for failing to integrate to a high enough standard

Mr Javid said: Britain can rightly claim to be one of the most successful diverse societies in the world. But we cannot ignore the fact that in too many parts of our country, communities are divided, preventing people from taking full advantage of the opportunities that living in modern Britain offers.

Successive governments have refused to deal with the integration challenges we face head on, preferring to let people ...live isolated and separated lives. We will put an end to this.

Five pilot areas  Blackburn, Bradford, Peterborough, Walsall and the London borough of Waltham Forest  will develop integration plans allowing strategies to be tested as the programme develops. Among other proposals set out in a green paper are a community-based English language programme and personalised skills training to help women from isolated communities into work.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: We want to make sure that all children learn the values that underpin our society  including fairness, tolerance and respect.

Its also important that children are taught in a safe environment and that we can act quickly if children are at risk or being encouraged to undermine these values.
A 'drug deal gone bad' in Florida has led to the shooting death of a man and the detainment of another.

Anthony J Borzell, 24, was attempting to sell three pounds of marijuana to two men at the Coney Island Restaurant in Brooksville, Florida, on January 23.

The Spring Hill native was said to have parked his car behind he restaurant to meet with De'Aundre Roberts and Napoleon Mason, who pulled in next to him.

Borzell got into the passenger seat of Masons vehicle and sat in front of Roberts, according to Brooksville Police Department.

Anthony J Borzell, 24, was attempting to sell three pounds of marijuana to two men at the Coney Island Restaurant in Brooksville, Florida, on January 23

He had planned to sell them the cannabis for $8,000 but police believe the two men set him up to rob him.

'As the drug transaction turned to a robbery, a violent altercation ensued,' a police news release, obtained by TampaBay.com, said on Monday.

The transaction had been brought together by Borzell's Arland Car Wash coworker, Abraham Dowdell IV.

Video shows the moment Borzell hops out of the vehicle and begins firing with his 9mm handgun that he pulled from his front pocket.

He can be shooting his gun - it was reportedly shot 11 times - at Mason's vehicle before the car pulls off.

De'Aundre Roberts and Napoleon Mason pulled up next to Borzell to do the deal of 3lbs of cannabis for $8000

Police report that one of the rounds hit Roberts in his back as the two drove off.

Borzell can be seen hopping back into his car and fleeing the scene.

Mason was said to have later dropped Roberts off at the Bayfront Health Brooksville where he later died from his injuries.

But Police believe they planned on robbing the man and video shows the moment the altercation escalated to a shootout

Local officials have not been able to find any cannabis or firearms.

The 24-year-old was arrested on Monday and charged with third-degree murder, criminal solicitation and possession of a firearm while committing a felony.

Borzell was booked into the Hernando County jail and has a bail set at $37,000.
Police are appealing for public assistance after a teenage girl was allegedly indecently assaulted on a train from Central to Granville.

About 12.30pm on Monday, January 1 this year, a 12-year-old girl boarded a train at Central Railway Station with her family to Granville.

The teenage girl sat next to a man on the train.

Police are looking for a man they think can help them with their investigation into a 12-year-old girl being allegedly indecently assaulted. The man has been described as being aged between 30 to 40, of Indian Sub-Continental appearance and with a clean shaven face

During the trip, the man attempted to engage in a conversation with her. He then allegedly indecently assaulted the girl. The man exited the train at Granville Railway Station.

The teenager exited the train at Parramatta Railway Station with her family and alerted police.

Officers from the Police Transport & Public Safety Command commenced inquiries and have now released a CCTV image of a man who may be able to help them.

The man depicted in the image is described as being of Indian Sub-Continental appearance, aged between 30 to 40, clean shaven with acne on his face. He is depicted wearing a long sleeved lilac shirt, and wearing white pants.

Police are urging anyone with information, or anyone who knows the identity of the man, to come forward.
Hillary Clinton sprained her hand during her visit to India, after taking a nasty spill on the stairs while out touring a palace on Monday.

It is not yet clear if the hand injury was a direct result of Monday's incident in which she fell not once but twice on the stairs and was pictured using her hand to brace her fall.

As a result of her injury she was forced to cancel a handful of visits. Doctors attended to the former presidential candidate at Umaid Bhawan Palace where she is staying.

The team of doctors from a private hospital nearby determined her injury was a sprain, and advised her to rest it, according to Times of India.

Hillary Clinton, pictured on Tuesday, cancelled her events for the day after doctors determined she had sprained her hand

On Monday, Clinton was seen on video taking a tumble down stone steps, and using her hand to brace her fall- although it is unclear if the injury was a direct result of her falling

While she cancelled her visit to the Mehrangarh Fort she might still visit there Wednesday morning.

She is also scheduled to visit the carpet-making units of Salawas village in Jodhpur, and will speak with weavers and witness the making of carpets.

After that the former Secratary of State is scheduled to go to Mihir Garh, a world renowned boutique hotel in Roeht in Pali district.

According to her official schedule she will stay over at Mihir Garh and leave for Delhi on Thursday morning.

The injury follows just five months after she broke her toe in a fall in London, but this time the cameras were rolling as she tumbled down the stone steps of the Jahaj Maha palace where aides came to assist and held her by the arms.

After the second slip, Clinton kicked off her sandals and proceeded the rest of the way down the steps without incident.

Top aide Huma Abedin was walking right behind Clinton during the incident.

Clinton lost her footing on the worn stone steps as her left leg shot from under her on Monday

After a second aide took her other arm, Clinton again lost her footing on her left leg

After the second slip, Clinton kicked off her sandals (circled) and continued without issue

Clinton is seen at the Jahaj Mahal on a personal trip to the ancient city of Mandu in India

Clinton gestures outside the remains of the Hindola Mahal monument, part of an abandoned royal palace complex, while on a personal trip to the ancient city of Mandu in India

The former Democrat presidential candidate is speaking in India to promote her book, What Happened, explaining her loss in the 2016 election.

Clinton blamed the defeat on voters who 'didn't like black people getting rights' or women getting jobs, in video of her remarks on Sunday shows.

The spill is the latest in a series of high-profile falls that have led Clinton's opponents to speculate about a possible underlying health issue.

Clinton has brushed off most of the incidents as routine mishaps or simple clumsiness.

In October 2017, she was in London promoting her book when she arrived on the set of the Graham Norton Show wearing a surgical boot.

'I was running down the stairs in heels with a cup of coffee in hand, I was talking over my shoulder and my heel caught and I fell backwards,' she explained in the interview. 'I tried to get up and it really hurt. I've broken my toe.'

In October 2017, Clinton was in London promoting her book when she arrived on the set of the Graham Norton Show wearing a surgical boot, after tripping on stairs in her hotel

During the presidential campaign, cameras caught Clinton leaving the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan and collapsing into the arms of Secret Service agents as she got into a waiting van

Clinton slipped as she walked up the stairs into a residential facility that helps former felons, substance abusers, and homeless move into self-sufficiency on February 24, 2016

During the presidential campaign, cameras caught Clinton leaving the 9/11 memorial in Manhattan and collapsing into the arms of Secret Service agents as she got into a waiting van. She later announced she'd been diagnosed with dehydration and pneumonia.

Perhaps most infamously, Clinton fell inside her home in 2013 on the eve of testimony before a Senate committee investigating Benghazi. She got a mild concussion and was treated for a blood clot near her brain.

When she appeared in Congress to testify, she was wearing special prism eyeglass lenses, which are used to assist people experiencing double vision.

Clinton has since returned to her normal contact lens eye-wear, though conspiracy theorists still delight in analyzing her sunglasses for signs of prism lenses.
Despite their reputation as brutish cavemen, Neanderthals survived for almost 300,000 years because they were compassionate, scientists at York University claim

Despite their reputation as brutish cavemen, Neanderthals survived for almost 300,000 years because they were compassionate, scientists claim.

A study of remains showed most had injuries that needed massage, fever management and good hygiene provided out of genuine feelings for others rather than self-interest.

Dr Penny Spikins, of York University, said: Neanderthals did not think in terms of whether others might repay their efforts.

'They responded to seeing their loved-ones suffering.

The study, published in the journal World Archaeology, undermines the traditional view of Neanderthals, who occupied Europe and Asia from 300,000 to 30,000 years ago, as thugs.

Neanderthals have also long had a reputation for being dimwits - too thick to paint or draw pictures of animals on caves like our later human ancestors.

But far from being feeble brained knuckledraggers, new research shows they were the worlds first artists.

Pictures of swirling dots, ladders, pictures of animals and outlines of hands- in vivid scarlet and black have been discovered to be their handiwork.

The paintings were previously thought to have been the handiwork of our modern human ancestors, Homo sapiens.

But cutting edge techniques date the oldest sketches to 64,000 years ago - 20,000 years before early humans made it to Europe.

The art was found deep inside three separate caverns in Spain some 434 miles apart: La Pasiega in the north, Maltravieso in central Spain, and Ardales in the south.

Professor Alistair Pike, from the University of Southampton, one of the authors of the research, published in Science said:

Ever since Neanderthal fossils were found in the 19th century, they have had a bad press.

In fact, the original name for Neanderthals was proposed as Homo stupidus, the stupid human.

And people have portrayed them as incapable of symbolic thought.

What we have found here is evidence of Neanderthal painting. Not just smearing something on the wall, but painting something on the wall which represents something.

Archaeologist and joint lead researcher Dr Chris Standish, from the University of Southampton, said: Our results show that the paintings we dated are, by far, the oldest known cave art in the world, and were created at least 20,000 years before modern humans arrived in Europe from Africa - therefore they must have been painted by Neanderthals.

Far from being feeble brained knuckledraggers, new research shows they were also the worlds first artists

Scientists previously thought it was an impossible coincidence that Neanderthals were making cave art at the same time when modern humans were already in or at the gates of Europe.

The Neanderthals must have copied Homo Sapiens, the thinking went.

Now study co-author Professor Paul Pettitt, from the University of Durham, said other cave art may now be found to be made by Neanderthal hands - rather than Homo sapiens.

He said: Neanderthals created meaningful symbols in meaningful places. The art is not a one-off accident.

Its in the depths of caves, where they have to be one assumes, for ritual purpose. This is outside of their normal living zone.

He added: It is quite possible that similar cave art in other caves in western Europe is of Neanderthal origin as well.

The dating method involved sampling ultra-thin carbonate deposits built up over time on top of the paintings.

Scientists used a method more accurate than carbon dating involving measuring traces of the radioactive element uranium and thorium.

By calculating the relative levels of both elements, scientists can calculate precisely how much time has passed, as uranium transforms into thorium by a process of radioactive decay at a precise rate.

As the samples were on top, it indicates that what lies beneath must be older than the deposit.

And in a separate Spanish cave, at Cueva de los Aviones, in south-east Spain scientists have found even older evidence of early decorative art.

Researchers found seashells with drilled holes stained red for use as pendants - dating to 115,000 years ago.

Again the shells can only be the work of Neanderthals, as Homo Sapiens were not present.
When it comes to romantic novels, we're most likely to turn to the likes of Jilly Cooper (above) or JoJo Moyes

When it comes to romantic novels, we're most likely to turn to the likes of Jilly Cooper or JoJo Moyes.

But it seems male authors are breaking through after two men were crowned winners at the Romantic Novel Awards for the first time since the awards were founded in 1960.

Crime writer Kerry Wilkinson and romance and mystery author Marius Gabriel are the first men to be honoured at the ceremony, which had previously been an all-female affair.

Wilkinson, 37, won the young adult category with Ten Birthdays, the story of a teenage girl dealing with the bereavement of her mother.

He is best known for his crime fiction detective series Jessica Daniel.

Gabriel, meanwhile, picked up the award for best historical novel for The Designer, a novel set in Paris, which begins in 1944 with the chance meeting between an American war correspondent and an unknown fashion designer named Christian Dior.

The 67-year-old, known for The Mask Of Time and The Original Sin, had used the female pseudonym Madeleine Ker while writing Mills and Boons novels when he began his career in the 1980's, but now uses his own name.

After picking up the award, the father of three told The Daily Telegraph: 'For a long time the conventional wisdom in publishing was that women simply wouldn't buy a romantic novel written by a man.

'So there was quite a lot of pressure from my publishers to keep quiet about who I was, in case sales suffered.

'I suppose it's love that men are not supposed to enjoy reading or writing about. But my reviews tell me that a good many of my readers are men, so there'.

Other winners at the awards, which took place earlier this month, include Jilly Cooper, who the Romantic Novel Awards described as a 'Jane Austen of our time' picked up the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Dani Atkins, meanwhile, won the overall Romantic Novel of the Year award for This Love, about a single 31-year-old translator who works from home, which the judges described as 'vibrant and captivating'.

Nicola Cornick, chair of the Romantic Novelists' Association, said women have become more comfortable reading romantic novels which are written by men.

She said: 'Women wanted to feel that they were reading stories by women for women, but these days that is an old-fashioned attitude.

But it seems male authors are breaking through after two men were crowned winners at the Romantic Novel Awards for the first time since the awards were founded in 1960

They are increasingly comfortable reading stories by men, and over the last few years there has been an increase in publishers submitting books by men.

'Writing under a female pseudonym is what used to happen in the 1970s and 1980s.

'I can think of a number of people who were members but always wrote under a female name.'

Despite Wilkinson and Gabriel being the first men to win under their names, Peter O'Donnell, creator of the Modesty Blaise comic strip, won The Romantic Novel of the Year in 1978 under his pseudonym Madeleine Brent.

It was not known at the time, however, that Madeline Brent was a pseudonym with his publisher picking up the award 'on her behalf', explaining that she was in Mexico.

The Association only discovered his true identity in 2009, a year before O'Donnell's death.

Wilkinson, after picking up his award, said: 'It was, and is, a story about growing up in a small town.

'Perhaps men have always written these types of story but they've been hidden in different genre types by publishers and editors - people who assume the books won't sell otherwise, and want a car chase thrown in to make it a bit more blokey.'
It's a common fear among men that the enforced idleness of retirement could trigger a descent into ill health and frailty.

But economists have found that quitting work actually boosts mens health.

Womens health, however, tends not to be affected by retirement.

Academics believe that retirement may help men live longer by improving their health

Earlier research believed retirement could impact someone's mental capacity

Academics said this could be due to the fact that women tend to lead healthier lives anyway, or because their careers have been disrupted by motherhood.

I really expected that peoples health would deteriorate after they retired, said Claudia Senik, professor of economics at Paris-Sorbonne University.

My reasoning would be that many people feel disaffiliated, especially if they had invested a lot of interest in their work and they lose their social integration. But the data tell another story.

The study, published by the IZA Institute of Labour Economics in Berlin, is the latest in a long-running debate over whether calling time on your career is good for you.

Earlier research had shown that retirement was often followed by accelerated cognitive decline, poorer mobility and an increased risk of chronic conditions.

It was also argued that those who carried on working after the statutory retirement age tended to be better off.

Other studies find that retirement helps people become more active and sleep better. Up until now, all research has grappled with the problem of cause and effect. For example, do people retire because they feel their health is starting to deteriorate?

Professor Senik tried to resolve this by looking not only at peoples health but at their expectations of health, The Times reported. Her team studied surveys carried out over a 14-year period involving Australian men and women aged 50 to 75.

Each year, participants gave details of eight aspects of their health. Men who retired were 5 per cent more likely to find their health was better than expected than those who did not.

There was no effect for women. Professor Senik said this didnt mean retirement was bad for them, adding: One possibility is women are more able than men to make correct judgments about their health.
Strike misery for students will continue through the exam season after lecturers rejected a deal on their pensions that would have ended the walkouts.

The University and College Union (UCU) yesterday declared strikes will continue until Friday, with a further 14 days of action planned to coincide with exams.

It had initially indicated it would accept a compromise deal offered by vice-chancellors earlier this week but faced mutiny yesterday as it was picketed by its own members and forced to back down.

The University and College Union (UCU) yesterday declared strikes will continue until Friday, with a further 14 days of action planned to coincide with exams

Hundreds of academics protested outside the UCUs London headquarters, chanting and letting off flares. As union leaders negotiated inside, the crowd shouted no ifs, no buts, no pension cuts and hey ho, this deal has got to go.

Union leader Sally Hunt, who was heckled by the crowd, said: It is right that members have the final say. The strike for this week remains on and we will now make detailed preparations for strikes over the assessment and exam period.

A spokesman for Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, said the continued strike action by lecturers was hugely disappointing.
An eerie photograph has emerged of three men with links to the Kremlin who all died in mysterious circumstances on British soil.

Nikolai Glushkov, Boris Berezovsky and Badri Patarkatsishvili appear all smiles in the undated snap, thought to be taken in the late 1990s or early 2000s, blissfully unaware of how they would come to die.

Billionaire Patarkatsishvili was the first to die in Leatherhead in 2008, followed by Berezovsky in 2013 in Sunninghill, Berkshire, and on Monday Glushkov died in New Malden, South London.

All three died in their homes with question marks over Russian involvement. And all three had ties to Andrei Lugovoy - a former KGB officer wanted in Britain as the prime suspect the murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

Nikolai Glushkov (left) with Boris Berezovsky (centre) and Badri Patarkatsishvili (right). All three died in mysterious circumstances in the UK

All three had ties to Andrei Lugovoy (pictured) - a former KGB officer wanted in Britain as the prime suspect the murder of Alexander Litvinenko

Dissident Nikolai Glushkov, 68, was discovered by his family late on Monday night at his suburban home in New Malden and his body was taken away in a private ambulance tonight.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant has reported that the 68-year-old was found by his daughter and had 'strangulation' marks on his neck. The paper also suggested the death could be suicide.

Police say his death is being treated as 'unexplained' and have taken the unusual step of putting counter-terrorism officers in charge of the investigation.

Scotland Yard stated it was because of people associated with Glushkov's past and tonight it transpired these include the anti-Putin oligarch Boris Berezovsky who was found dead in England in 2013 and Andrey Lugovoy.

Glushkov was jailed in Russia for embezzlement in the early 2000s, and Lugovoy tried to break him out of prison.

Nikolai Glushkov was found dead Monday in New Malden, London

In 2001, Lugovoy was sentenced to 14 months in jail for attempting to organise the escape from Russia of Glushkov.

It's understood Glushkov was being held in a hospital after being arrested in 2000 over allegations he embezzled 87million while in charge of Russian airline Aeroflot.

Glushkov denied that he tried to escape from the hospital, and claims that the plan was dreamt up by the FSB and Lugovoy to extend Glushkovs prison term.

At the time, the Prosecutor General was told Lugovoy was acting under the orders of Boris Berezovsky, who eventually fled to London after being convicted of fraud himself.

But Berezovsky and Glushkov were friends, having worked together at LogoVAZ, then USSR's first capitalist car dealership, which was founded by Berezovsky.

Glushkov stayed at the company for six years, eventually ending up as head of the financial department, and the two businessmen became friends.

Berezovsky, a friend of murdered spy Alexander Litvinenko and thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found hanged in the bathroom of his Berkshire home in 2013.

An inquest recorded an open verdict.

Glushkov, who was godfather to one of Berezovsky's children, did not believe his friend had taken his own life and made a number of public statements insisting the oligarch had been killed.

He said the tycoon's former wife noticed marks on his neck minutes after he was found dead, adding: 'A scarf was there. There were traces of him being strangled around the neck.'

He later told The Guardian: 'Too many deaths [of Russian emigres] have been happening.'

Boris Berezovsky (pictured), a friend of murdered spy Alexander Litvinenko and thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found hanged in the bathroom of his Berkshire home in 2013

Mr Glushkov also gave evidence in the high profile court battle between Berezovsky and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich in London in 2011. At the time it was the biggest money private court case in history.

In a witness statement, Berezovsky described Glushkov as a 'treasured friend and trusted business associate'.

He stated: 'The relationship I have with Nikolai is far more important than any amount of money.'

Berezovsky - who lost the case - claimed Abramovich had used his influence with Putin to keep Glushkov in jail while negiotiating a shares deal.

Abramovich disputed those claims.

The third piece in the puzzle is former tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili, who had feared he might be assassinated.

Mr Patarkatsishvili died unexpectedly at his 10 million home near Leatherhead.

Weeks earlier, the 52-year-old told police he feared he would be assassinated.

Sources suggested Patarkatsishvili and Lugovoy had spoken to each other on the telephone just a week ago the death.

Badri Patarkatsishvili died in 2008 in Leatherhead

Litvinenko, a critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin, was killed by radiation poisoning in London in 2006 after polonium was slipped into his tea at a London hotel.

British police say that Lugovoy administered the poison polonium 210 to Litvinenko - who died in agony a month later - before returning to Moscow.

Although post mortem results today indicated Patarkatsishvili died of natural causes, it has not quelled the conspiracy theories surrounding his sudden death on Tuesday night.

Six weeks before his death the tycoon, who had 120 bodyguards, said he believed his political enemies wanted him dead and that a four-strong team of hitmen had been activated to kill him.

Friends believe he died of a heart attack, although he had no history of coronary disease.

The tycoon, who was worth 6billion, had known Mr Lugovoy since at least 1996, when the former KGB officer became head of security for the Georgian's business partner - Boris Berezovsky.

It is said Lugovoy was 'taken under the wing' of Patarkatsishvili.

The pair remained in touch even after Scotland Yard named Lugovoy prime suspect in the murder of Litvinenko.

Glushkov's death is the latest incident involving Russia in Britain over the past 10 days.

The extraordinary poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia is likely to lead to a showdown between Westminster and Moscow, which could plunge British-Russian relations to its lowest point since the Cold War.

Theresa May is now poised to issue sanctions on Russia after she claimed the country was behind the poisoning of the double agent.

Last night it emerged investigators were centring their probe around Mr Skripal's red BMW.

It is thought Novichok, a lethal nerve agent developed in Russia, was smeared on the car's door handle.

Donald Trump and other world leaders threw their weight behind Britain on a tumultuous day in Washington where he sacked his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Back in London, Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed a string of deaths on UK soil are to be reinvestigated by the police and MI5 after claims of Russian involvement.
A Florida State University student's parent are fighting for a new federal anti-hazing law after their son died in an alleged hazing ritual while a room full of people 'just didn't care.'

Tom and Sandra Coffey sat down with CBS News' Tony Dokoupil to discuss their son's passing last year while he was allegedly being hazed for Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

'Andrew died in a room full of people that just didn't care. And he died alone,' Tom Coffey said about his son, Andrew Coffey.

Andrew, a junior, was found unresponsive at the frat house in November. He had died from alcohol poisoning after drinking an entire bottle of 101-proof bourbon, according to a lawsuit filed.

Tom and Sandra Coffey sat down with CBS News' Tony Dokoupil to discuss their son's passing last year at Florida State University

Andrew Coffey, 20, died in November after drinking an entire bottle of 101-proof bourbon allegedly for a hazing ritual at Pi Kappa Phi fraternity

'If people in the past had gotten together, maybe my son would still be here, if hazing wasn't a problem. So therefore, we have to yell as loud as we can in order to get this stopped,' father Tom Coffey said 'CBS This Morning.'

'I don't want another family going through what we go through. Crying ourselves to sleep.'

Nine students in the fraternity have pleaded not guilty to hazing charges.

Nine students in the fraternity have pleaded not guilty to hazing charges

Since 1961, one person has died each year from hazing, CBS News reports. Andrew - who was 20 at the time - is the fourth in 2017.

Andrew's family hopes to lead a movement against hazing and their lawsuit seeks justice and accountability for what happened.

'When you send your child away, it's the last thing you're thinking of. Never even crosses your mind,' Tom said.

'It's getting him into his dorm, getting his classes lined up. Getting, you know ... This never crossed my mind.'

Sandra added: 'I remember driving, going, 'This doesn't happen to us.'

According to Andrew's father, 'There were estimated 100 people at that party'

The 20-year-old had had dreams of joining the Navy after school and had been an athlete in high school.

'Great kid,' Sandra said. 'You could count on him.'

'Handsome as the day is long and a smile that'll light up a room, you know,' Tom described.

The student had been adamant on joining Pi Kappa Phi, even before enrolling at the university.

'His friends belonged and he'd joined with them at some of the fraternity functions and everything else and wanted to belong,' Tom added.

'And 99 of them didn't help my son. ... Andrew died in a room full of people that just didn't care. And he died alone,' his father added

'We just said ... grades suffer because of partying or something like that, then, you know, you're out. And he agreed to that,' Tom said.

In their lawsuit, the Coffeys claim that the fraternity 'had been hazing and having pledges abuse alcohol for years.' When he died, Andrew had been taking part in what is known as 'the family bottle' ritual.

But local authorities weren't called until the next morning.

'His lips are purple, his body is extremely stiff and... I can't wake him up and I honestly don't feel a pulse,' the person calling the 911 dispatcher said.

Sandra still doesn't understand why the fraternity waited so long to act, adding that it 'wakes us up in the middle of the night.'

According to Andrew's father, 'There were estimated 100 people at that party.'

'And 99 of them didn't help my son. ... Andrew died in a room full of people that just didn't care. And he died alone,' he added.

The family's lawyer, David Bianchi, was crucial in passing a Florida law in 2005 that made hazing a felony. It also denied defendants the chance to claim that hazing happened willingly.

Sandra still doesn't understand why the fraternity waited so long to act, adding that it 'wakes us up in the middle of the night'

'Hazing is the byproduct of peer pressure, and peer pressure gets really good young people to do things that they would otherwise never do,' Bianchi said.

'You know, every morning I see his picture, I'll talk to him about it. Sayin', 'They're still workin' on it.' So I pray,' said Carol Meredith, mother to Chad Meredith - the hazing victim from the 2005 case.

Carol and Gerry MeredithFcare have joined the Coffeys in forming PUSH, Parents United to Stop Hazing.

Also included is the Piazza family, who lost their son - Tim - last winter at Penn State.

Andrew's family hopes to lead a movement against hazing and their lawsuit seeks justice and accountability for what happened

'A federal statute has to be written that goes from the top, you know, where the national fraternity is at risk, as well as the local chapter. And then education to high school students,' Tom Coffey explained, adding that 'accountability and education' were vital for breaking the cycle of hazing.

FSU temporarily banned Greek life, following the death. But President John Thrasher still has hope that improvements can happen.

'I don't want it to happen again on our campus, and I hope other campuses are paying attention to what we're doing, because I think -- I think we are making progress. But, I will say this: I think Greek life as we know it today has to change -- has to change -- in order for us to move forward with the positive things that the Greek community does,' Thrasher said.

A spokesperson for Pi Kappa Phi said 'with the pending litigation we are unable to provide comment.'
A California teacher and reserve police officer was placed on leave after he accidentally fired a gun in the classroom, injuring one student.

Dennis Alexander was teaching students at Seaside High School about gun safety for his Administration of Justice class when his weapon went off around 1:20 pm on Tuesday.

The gun was pointed towards the ceiling when it fired causing pieces of the ceiling to fall on the ground.

Fermin Gonzales said his 17-year-old son was injured during the incident and had to be taken to the hospital for bullet fragments in his neck. He told KSBW that Alexander had told the class that he wanted to make sure the gun wasn't loaded when it accidentally discharged.

Dennis Alexander, a teacher at Seaside High School in California, accidentally fired a gun inside a classroom injuring a student

'It could have been very bad,' Gonzales said.

According to the father, school officials did not check to make sure students were uninjured after the incident. Gonzales said his son came home with blood on his shirt and fragments of the bullet in his neck.

The student's parents took him to the hospital for an x-ray.

'He's shaken up, but he's going to be OK, Gonzales said.

Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen told The Montreal County Weekly that the student was struck in the neck by 'debris or fragmentation', but said it was not a bullet.

Teachers are legally not allowed to have firearms in California classrooms, even if they have a permit. Sand City Police Chief Brian Ferrante told KSBW that he's concerned about why Alexander, a reserve officer with the department, had a loaded gun in the classroom.

'We will be looking into that,' he said. 'My first concern was that no one was hurt'.

The teacher has since been placed on administration leave from the school and the Sand City Police Department.

Alexander has been a reserve officer with the Sand City Police Department for 11 years. In 2013, he was awarded Reserve Officer of the Year. He also serves as a Seaside City Council member and a Red Cross volunteer.

Alexander was teaching a firearm safety class when the weapon discharged sending a bullet into the ceiling of the classroom

The school issued a statement regarding the incident saying counseling services will be available for students who may need it.

'We want to make you aware of an accident that occurred in the Administration of Justice class today at Seaside High School. As some of you may know, the teacher is a reserve police officer. Today, during class, the teacher accidentally discharged his firearm during a lesson while it was pointed at the ceiling. Debris from the ceiling then fell,' the school said.

'Upon learning of the incident, our Human Resources department, school site administration and the Seaside Police Department immediately began investigating the incident, including interviewing students in the class. We will also have counseling services available for students. ... The safety of your student is always our top priority, and we will continue to remain vigilant in our efforts to keep them safe while they are under our care.'
A 42-year-old man was killed in a crash between a truck carrying chickens and two other cars north of Adelaide on Wednesday.

The crash, believed to have been a head on collision, occurred about 6am on the Augusta Highway in Port Wakefield.

One man, who was driving a blue Mitsubishi sedan at the time, died at the scene, while five others involved survived the crash.

The 43-year-old man, who had been behind the wheel of the truck, was airlifted to the Royal Adelaide Hospital with serious injuries.

A man died in a fatal head on collision between two cars and a truck carrying 3000 live chickens

The man, 42, died at the scene while the truck driver remains in hospital in a serious condition

A spokeswoman for the hospital told Daily Mail Australia the man was in a 'serious but stable condition'.

All four occupants of a silver Tarago were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Pictures shared to social media show the truck appeared to burn after overturning on the side of the road following the crash.

Huge flames could be seen engulfing the truck and its contents, as thick black smoke poured out of the vehicle.

There were 3,000 chickens in the truck, 7 News reported, and all perished in the flames.

Major Crash Investigators are at the scene investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash.

South Australia's road toll is now 15, compared to 14 at the same time last year.
A woman who grabbed a police officer's radio during a wild brawl on a Sydney party boat has plead guilty to her part in the fight which saw five of her friends arrested and a 21-year-old birthday girl in hospital.

Lia Fekitoa, 25, swung her arms at police before she was capsicum sprayed and arrested.

She told a court today that she was 'upset' and 'highly intoxicated' when the fight broke out.

Lia Fekitoa, 25, swung her arms at police before she was capsicum sprayed and arrested after a brawl on a party boat in February

Theresa Ahofono, 23, left, and 23-year-old Teresa Sio, right, were also charged following the fight

Fekitoa's friend Racheal Matycz, pictured right, (Fekitoa left) plead guilty to her part of the fight

Magistrate Daniel Covington told the young woman: 'police are entitled to do their jobs without being assaulted' before handing her a 12-month good behaviour bond, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The brawl which erupted on board the Constellation Party boat on February 25 ended with six arrests  and birthday girl Lana Marie Bettaglia in hospital.

The young woman was pushed down the stairs during the wild fight and said she would 'never forget' her 21st 'for the good and unfortunately for the not so good'.

Another of the brawlers, Fekitoa's friend Racheal Matycz, 25, also plead guilty on Wednesday.

The brawl which erupted on board the Constellation Party boat on February 25 ended with six arrests  and birthday girl Lana Marie Bettaglia, pictured, in hospital.

Teresa Sio (right) leaves the Downing Centre Court in Sydney, Wednesday after she plead not guilty to her alleged role in the fight

The fight broke out at about 11pm - the guest had been on the boat since 5.30pm

The mother tried to calm down her friend as grabbed at the police radio  but was charged as her positioning blocked Fekitoa from immediate arrest.

'I was just trying to be a good friend for her to prevent her from doing anything which may affect her in the future,' Matycz said. She was also placed on a good behaviour bond but no conviction was recorded.

23-year-old Teresa Sio plead not guilty to her alleged role in the fight and will return to court to fight the charges.

The women avoided the cameras outside the Downing Centre on Wednesday - with Sio wearing dark glasses and Fekitoa hiding her face in her hood.

Fakitoa and Matycz pictured together - Matycz said she was trying to help Fakitoa in the night

In the days after the fight Ms Bettaglia and her family commented on the fight which 'ruined' the party

John Naisali, 26, Agnes Tuivailala, 24, and Theresa Ahofono, 23, are also facing charges following the brawl.

In the days after the fight Ms Bettaglia and her family commented on the fight which 'ruined' the party - the people involved in the brawl were part of a different party held on the same boat.

'Thankyou to everyone who made my night memorable,' she said.

'On a positive note I was drugged up for free. Endless endones and morphine.'

Family friend Rose Carambano, 57, said Ms Battaglia was 'still in a lot of pain' a day 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 said.
'Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli, more commonly known as the most hated man in the world, asked a judge to allow him to spend his next several years behind bars in a 'minimum security' prison.

The disgraced pharmaceutical CEO was sentenced Friday on charges of security fraud after crying to the judge and begging for mercy.

And on Tuesday Shkreli's defense asked that the 34-year-old be sent to the cushy 'minimum security' section of Camp Canaan in a letter to Brooklyn federal court judge Kiyo Matsuomo, according to the New York Post.

Camp Canaan is a high-security federal prison for men in Waymart, Pennsylvania.

'Pharma bro' Martin Shkreli, more commonly known as the most hated man in the world, asked a judge to allow him to spend his next several years behind bars in a 'minimum security' prison. He is pictured in August, 2017, just before he was convicted

On Tuesday Shkreli's defense asked that the 34-year-old be sent to the cushy 'minimum security' section of Camp Canaan, Pennsylvania, in a letter to Brooklyn federal court judge Kiyo Matsuomo, according to the New York Post

Camp Canaan is a high-security federal prison for men in Waymart, Pennsylvania

Matsumoto does not to get to have a final say in where Schkreli will serve his sentence, she can issue a recommendation to the US Bureau of Prisons.

On Friday Shkreli wept as he was sentenced to the prison time, in addition to a fine of $75,000, court-mandated therapy, community service and a forfeiture of nearly $7.3million - including a rare Wu Tang Clan recording he bought at auction for $2million and 'Tha Carter V' by Lil Wayne.

He was convicted last August on two counts of securities fraud and a single count of conspiracy, and has been in custody since September when he had his bail revoked.

The infamous former CEO's bail was revoked when he posted on Facebook that he would pay $5,000 per strand of hair, with follicle, plucked from Hillary Clinton's head.

Had he not made the post - he would likely have been sent to a white-collar prison.

But Matsumoto found that the violent bounty post constituted a solicitation of a threat against Clinton, and said he is a danger to the community - which will land him in a high-security prison.

Matsumoto does not to get to have a final say in where Schkreli will serve his sentence, she can issue a recommendation to the US Bureau of Prisons. He is pictured in February, 2016

He was convicted last August on two counts of securities fraud and a single count of conspiracy, and has been in custody since September when he had his bail revoked. He is pictured left and right in August, 2017 after being convicted

Some of Canaan's notable inmates and potential future prison-cell buddies include Abdul Kabir, an al Qaeda supporter serving a life sentence for a failed bombing plot at John F Kennedy airport in 2007.

During Friday's sentencing hearing Shkreli sobbed and told the judge he had made many mistakes.

'Referring to himself in the third person, he said: 'The only person to blame for me being here is me.

'There is no government conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli. I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions.'

Shkreli is best known for raising the prices of a lifesaving HIV drug by a disgusting 5,000 percent for his own profit - but his crimes are unrelated.

In 2015, he was arrested on securities fraud charges after using a Ponzi scheme to defraud investors in his pharmaceutical company.

An artist's sketch of 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli sniffling into a tissue at the US District Court in Brooklyn on Friday as he is sentenced to seven years behind bars

He argued that because the defrauded parties got all of their money back and then some, he should not have been jailed.

His voice cracked in court as he apologized Friday, saying: 'This is my fault.

'I am not the victim here... Please give me a chance to show what I am capable of.'

Surprisingly, he said he was 'never motivated by money,' and that his outlandish and astonishingly unlikeable public persona was an attempt to build a reputation.

During his trial hundreds jurors had to be dismissed because they all hated Shkreli so much, making it nearly impossible to find him a juror.

Shkreli has, from the beginning, been arrogant about his fate and thought he would be able to avoid jail time.
Self-serve checkouts at supermarket giant Woolworths are weighing the same products differently and charging varying prices, Daily Mail Australia can reveal.

A customer purchasing fruit at a Woolworths store in Sydney was surprised to find his fruit was weighed and priced differently depending on which checkout he used.

The man weighed a watermelon at one register which marked it as $6.42 while the same piece of fruit was priced at $6.43 at the next checkout - with a 42g weight difference.

The man weighed a watermelon at one register which marked it as $6.42 while the same piece of fruit was priced at $6.43 at the next checkout

A customer purchasing fruit at a Woolworths store in Sydney was surprised to find his fruit was weighed and priced differently depending on which checkout he used

A pink-lady apple was also weighed and priced at 84c but was then priced at 86c at another register, with a 0.05g weight difference.

It may seem like an insignificant difference in price - however if a customer is paying in cash, a one cent disparity can change to five cents in the rounding-up process.

And a bag of apples priced at 2c extra per piece could be up to 20c more expensive, while an entire trolley full of fresh produce could have significant price difference.

A spokesperson for Woolworths told Daily Mail Australia that any 'weight variance' found on self-serve checkouts is flagged immediately to the scale suppliers.

'Our store teams check the accuracy of self-serve weight scales as part of their daily routines. If they spot any weight variance, they'll report it to our scale supplier to rectify,' the statement read.

Another customer also noticed the weight disparity while shopping at a Woolworths in South Australia.

A pink-lady apple was also weighed and priced at 84c but was then priced at 86c at another register

Another customer also noticed the weight disparity while shopping for bananas at a Woolworths in South Australia (Stock image)

Robyn Kay complained to the supermarket that the same banana was weighed at different amounts four different times.

'One banana on scales at self serve. First weight - 497 grams 90 cents. Called assistant. Weighed no less than 4 different weights. Ended up being 32 cents!' she said.

'We were given the one banana at no charge (just as well). Front of store manager explained how scales are reset every day and cleaned. The filth in the front of the scales was months old and I pointed it out. Clearly the scales must be faulty.

I wonder how many other times I have been overcharged when it's been a bag of bananas or a bag of apples. Only noticed this because I though 90c was a very expensive banana.'

It follows a recent spate of theft occurring at self-serve checkouts in Woolworths and Coles stores.

The stores are targeted by thieves who 'save' money by failing to scan certain items, put through expensive goods as cheap products such as fruit or noodles, or even swapping barcodes.

Robyn Kay complained to the supermarket that the same banana was weighed at different numbers four different times

It follows a recent spate of theft occurring at self-serve checkouts in Woolworths and Coles stores

In 2016, a staggering $4.5 billion worth of retail theft occurred in Australia alone.

In February last year a mother from Ipswich, Queensland was caught red-handed after she stole $4,500 worth of groceries from Coles and Woolworths by scanning every single item as a packet of 72 cent noodles.

The woman glued the barcode of cut price fried noodles onto expensive slabs of meat, $200 coffee machines and other household products over a three-month period.

Her plot was foiled by a Woolworths employee who watched her at a checkout and she was sentenced to a nine month suspended jail sentence.

A 'poor' German backpacker was fined $100 this week after he failed to scan through expensive meat, bacon and cheese while at a self-serve register.

The man was caught after he only scanned through a portion of his groceries and attempted to bag unpaid items, a method used by many checkout thieves.
Victoria's first policewoman to wear a hijab on duty has been trolled online after being honoured for her work promoting multiculturalism.

Muslim Maha Sukkar, 42, has joined the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, 13 years after joining the state's police force by swearing on the Koran.

However, the recognition of her work as a multicultural liaison officer hasn't pleased everyone, with several critics asking Victoria Police whether the Lebanese-born leading senior constable had embraced Australian values since immigrating 18 years ago.

Scroll down for video

Victoria's first policewoman to wear a hijab on duty has been trolled online after being honoured for her work promoting multiculturalism.

Muslim Maha Sukkar joined the Victorian Honour Roll of Women, 13 years after joining the state's police force (pictured in November 2004 with then commissioner Christine Nixon)

One man asked if she had embraced Australian values since she moved to Australia in 2000

'She may be a good person and appreciate what you say she has achieved, however, it would appear that she has, herself, not truly integrated into the Australian culture by wearing a part of her uniform,' one man wrote on their Facebook page.

Another man questioned how the senior constable was allowed a uniform modification to accommodate her religion.

'For a start, the dress code is wrong,' he said.

'Imagine if I joined the police force and wanted to wear a head bandanna, what would they say?'

Her recognition as a multicultural liaison officer hasn't pleased everyone, with several critics asking Victoria Police whether the Lebanese-born constable had embraced Australian values

One woman suggested her addition to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women was a token gesture because she is a Muslim.

'Plenty of our dedicated police officers doing their job each day who will never be on the Honour Roll,' she said.

'These are the people who just get on with it without expecting or getting recognition.'

Another male critic wonder if she had done much to prevent terrorism.

One woman suggested her addition to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women was a token gesture because she is a Muslim

One man suggested he would fail to be given any exemption to wear a special head scarf

Another questioned if she had been able to prevent terrorism as a multicultural liaison officer

However one woman stood up for the Muslim officer told 'haters' to 'get over' themselves

'What evidence is there of her preventing radicalisation?,' he said.

Senior Constable Sukkar, who moved to Australia from Beirut in 2000, is described by Victoria Police as someone 'dedicated to creating a Victoria where everyone feels welcome and safe'.

'Her recent inclusion on the Honour Roll is in recognition of her groundbreaking leadership with Victoria's multicultural communities,' they announced on Facebook.

But one woman took on Constable Sukkar's critics on the Victoria Police social media page.

'Get over yourselves all you haters out there,' she wrote.

'I'm sick and tired of reading religious hatred remarks.'

Another woman described her as 'an inspiration and a ground breaker'.

The former graphic designer moved from Beirut to Australia in 2000 and has been a senior constable since November 2008.

The senior constable joined Victoria Police in November 2004 as the state's first police officer to be allowed to wear a traditional Muslim head-covering with her uniform.

In 2009, she was named Australian Muslim Women of the Year at the Australian Muslim Achievement Awards.

A year later, she was awarded the Australasian Council for Women and Policing Bravery Award in recognition of her work with multicultural communities.
After a nasty breakup prior to the beginning of his political career,Malcolm Turnbull attempted to woo his former sweetheart by writing letters to her cat.

One letter, which has been widely circulated in the past few decades, revealed his close relationship with the feline named Nessie, referring to the animal as 'my little cat'.

Former Labor Senator Sam Dastyari told Kyle and Jackie O Nessie had belonged to a former long-term girlfriend of Turnbull's, who had broken up with him in 1978.

The now-Prime Minister's correspondence with the cat was an attempt to win its owner back, Dastyari claimed.

Former Labor Senator Sam Dastyari recounted a story of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's efforts to woo a former flame before his political career took off

In 1978, Turnbull penned a letter to Nessie, the cat of his ex-girlfriend who had broken up with him (pictured)

In 2009, Crikey reported Turnbull's former girlfriend and Nessie's owner, Linda Watson, had thought the PM had been behaving irrationally after she told him she wanted to break up.

The hand-written letter asked Nessie to tell Turnbull's former girlfriend he still loved her, and that he was disappointed to be left cuddling the cat when he had come to see Ms Watson, and was signed off with 'all my love'.

'Dear Nessie,' the note read.

'Tell you [sic] miss that I love her very much, tell her that when I came to see her on Sunday and she wasnt there I cuddled you up and it broke my heart that it wasnt her.

'Tell her I know a lot about her current boyfriends will tell her not to see me, they will stroke her back and tell her to forget me.

'But, Nessie, we know she never will and you tell her, my little cat, how much we were in love.

'All my love, Malcolm.'

In the hand-written letter, Turnbull told the feline to pass on messages about his love for Nessie's 'miss', Linda Watson

Ms Watson had claimed her cat was strangled to death in 1978.

And while the Prime Minister's correspondence with his beloved's feline has been well covered, Dastyari said the story still gets under Turnbull's skin.

'There's nothing Malcolm hates more than in Parliament when he gets up to speak, you'll occasionally hear some of the Labor blokes and others start making cat "meow" sounds,' he said.
A commuter who received a criminal conviction and a $700 fine after receiving oral sex on the train wants to know 'how can you be so lucky and unlucky in the one day?'

Shane Brennan, from Wollongong, south of Sydney, pleaded guilty to willful and obscene exposure and behaving in an offensive manner in court on Tuesday.

Mr Brennan said he started speaking to the woman - who had a 'mad body' - on the train platform when she said, 'I'm horny, will you f*** me?'

He now regrets his actions that followed after he received a 'bollocking' from a magistrate, his encounter was written up in the regional newspaper and his partner may find out.

The man (pictured) who received a criminal conviction and a $700 fine after receiving oral sex on a train says he would not do it again

The woman was apparently masturbating in an empty train carriage when the encounter occurred (stock image)

'(The woman on the train) was pretty horny and ready to go. Toey as,' Mr Brennan said on Wednesday.

He declined to have sex with her - but when the woman started masturbating on the otherwise 'empty' train carriage they shared he decided he would let her perform oral sex instead.

No one was in the carriage during the late-morning service, he claimed, and the sexual encounter was over in a matter of minutes.

'As soon as the deed was done I was out of there and off,' he said.

But the crime was all captured on train CCTV and staff were waiting on the platform when the train pulled in, the court reportedly heard.

'I didn't know they had cameras all throughout the train,' he said.

The Illawarra Mercury, which first reported the story, said the court heard when staff entered his carriage at Wollongong station they believed he had urinated on the floor.

But the Mercury said he told police it was actually Coke he had poured from a bottle to rinse himself. It was for hygiene reasons, he told the Daily Mail.

'As soon as the deed was done I was out of there and off,' the commuter said

The woman was a bit younger than him, he said, but 'wasn't a good sort'.

It's unclear whether she ever got in trouble for her lewd behaviour, something he finds outrageous.

'She was the one masturbating.

'If she didn't offer me nothing I wouldn't have f***ing done it.'

A man approached a woman who was masturbating on the train, received oral sex from her, before washing his genitals off with Coca-Cola (stock image)

Meantime, the magistrate 'wasn't happy' with him in court this week.

'He said I well and truly crossed the line. And that sort of behaviour can't be tolerated, which is understandable.'

Mr Brennan pointed out there was no one in the carriage at the time and 'you'd think the train guard would've said "good on ya, mate".'

He would not do it again- and has been placed on a 12 month good behaviour bond - but asked: 'How many f***ing men would have knocked it back?'
An aircraft engineer who made international headlines for removing a man's testicle in a hotel room has been jailed for possessing child porn.

Allan George Matthews, 59, pleaded guilty in Armidale Local Court on Tuesday and was sentenced to one year behind bars.

Sexually explicit images of children under 10 were discovered on Matthews' computer by detectives investigating the botched gender reassignment surgery.

An aircraft engineer who made international headlines for removing a man's testicle in a hotel room has been jailed for possessing child porn (stock image)

Matthews claimed he inadvertently copied the images onto his computer from a USB drive given to him by a person he met online and never viewed them.

Magistrate Michael Holmes described the images as 'disgusting' and said he found it 'hard to believe' Matthews' claims, Port Macquarie News reported.

Mr Holmes said Matthews' previous court appearances had no bearing on his decision but noted the negative effects of the matter on Matthews.

'I do take into account he has suffered greatly for the commission of that offence, public disapproval and assaults,' he said.

Allan George Matthews, 59, pleaded guilty in Armidale Local Court (pictured) on Tuesday and was sentenced to one year behind bars

Defence lawyer Douglas Hannaway said media attention due to the surgery case meant Matthews needed to wear disguises and had been victimised.

'He has been vilified around Australia, sacked from numerous jobs, received broken ribs from which he still has soft tissue damage,' Mr Hannaway said.

Matthews removed a 52-year-old man's testicle in a Port Macquarie motel room in May 2016, after answering an online ad from the victim.

The victim had repeatedly posted on social media about his desire to transition gender since 2013 and began exchanging text messages with Matthews.

Matthews agreed to perform the procedure without payment, but a fortnight later the victim was told by a doctor to go to hospital for an infected wound.

Matthews pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and removing tissue from the body of another without authority and was given a five-year good behaviour bond.
Drug users who ingested what they thought was MDMA have been hospitalised after taking party pills containing a substance linked with several 'accidental' deaths.

Thirteen people, including a 15-year-old, were treated for overdoses following a New Zealand music festival, where it was understood they purchased the deadly drug.

The drugs were found to have contained N-Ethylpentylone, an ingredient known to deliver a toxic dosage three times as powerful as a regular MDMA pill.

Thirteen people were hospitalised after they ingested what they thought was MDMA but actually ended up being a potentially lethal 'party pill' bought from a music festival

New Zealand officials issued a public warning about the drug following the Electric Avenue festival, after nine people were hospitalised over the weekend and four more on that Monday.

About 13,000 people attended the festival, which was held at Hagely Park in Christchurch on February 24.

Those admitted were suffering side effects commonly associated with hard drug use including agitation, dangerously high blood pressure and elevated heart rates.

The Class C substance, known as brown sugar, often had the same appearance as MDMA but was much stronger, according to field crime manager Detective Inspector Greg Murton.

Det. Insp. Murton said on Wednesday manufactures didn't consider the potential damage the potency of their creations might have.

The drugs were found to have contained N-Ethylpentylone, known as brown sugar, which delivers a toxic dosage three times as powerful as a regular MDMA pill

Field crime manager Detective Inspector Greg Murton (pictured) said manufactures didn't consider the potential damage the potency of their creations might have

N-ETHYLPENTYLONE Easily mistaken for MDMA because of similar appearance

A dose of MDMA/ecstasy is generally 100mg

To get the same effect only 30mg of N-Ethylpentylone is required

If N-Ethylpentylone is mistaken for MDMA/ecstasy the user will be taking three times the 'prescribed' dosage Advertisement

'The importers, manufacturers and dealers of these types of drugs, in the form of MDMA, synthetics and so called 'party pills' have no scruples about what they put into them, most of which are simply chemicals in varying doses,' he said.

'Dealers have no idea of the potency of the drugs they are supplying, nor what is contained within them, or simply do not care.'

He added users had no way of knowing exactly the amount of what ingredient they were consuming.

'(They) are putting themselves at risk of serious harm or death by buying and ingesting 'party pills', MDMA/ecstasy or any kind of synthetic drug.'
John P Grazioli, 44, is accused of murdering his wife of five months

A Pennsylvania father-of-two was arrested after he allegedly confessed to a priest that he shot and killed his new wife.

John P Grazioli, 44, allegedly told Rev Michael Polinek at St Peter Cathedral in Eerie on Thursday that he murdered his wife, Amanda Grazioli, 31.

The couple wed in September 2017.

Rev Polinek told police that Grazioli showed up to the cathedral's rectory around 3pm on March 8 asking to speak to a priest.

Polinek said he sat down with Grazioli in the rectory's office and the 44-year-old confessed to shooting and killing his wife and said he was going to kill himself.

Polinek said it was not a sacramental confession, which means he was allowed to alert police to the situation.

Police said Grazioli, a financial manager, allegedly killed Amanda Grazioli in their home on March 8 and then went to a Catholic church in Eerie, Pennsylvania to confess. The couple is pictured on their wedding day in September 2017

Rev Michael Polinek told police that Grazioli, pictured above with Amanda, threatened to kill himself but he was able to get Grazioli to let him call the police

Grazioli was arrested outside St Peter Cathedral without incident, Polinek said

The 39-year-old priest told Go Eerie that after Grazioli confessed, he convinced him that it would be best to call police. Polinek was the one who made the call to 911.

He was a little distraught and, after a moment, he pretty much just said I need to tell you that I killed my wife and I am going to go home and kill myself, Polinek said. After a while, I was able to convince him for the sake of the rest of his family and other people that it would be a good idea to call the police  911.

Polinek said Grazioli was armed and told him that he had a gun in his coat pocket. The priest was able to get the coat away from Grazioli. Police later determined that the weapon was the same one used to kill Amanda Grazioli.

Polinek said Grazioli remained calm and was taken into custody without incident.

The police came and they did what they needed to do and it ended very peacefully, he said. (Grazioli) was emotional and sad. He was crying and emotional.

Authorities discovered Amanda Grazioli's body in a first-floor master bedroom at the couple's Whispering Woods home. Police said the 31-year-old died from a single gunshot to the back of the head.

The couple had been married for roughly five months, public records reveal.

Coroner Lyell Cook said it was impossible to determine how long Amanda Grazioli had been dead but police believe she was killed hours before Grazioli fled to the church to confess.

Before admitting to the murder to Rev Polinek, police said Grazioli wrote a handwritten confession and left it near his wife's body. In the note he expressed how 'profoundly sorry' he was and said he was going to commit suicide.

He also called his ex-wife, Erica Grazioli, to tell her what he had done.

Rev Polinek, 39, said Grazioli was crying and appeared very emotional as he confessed to the crime

Before confessing to Rev Polinek, Grazioli had called his ex-wife to tell her what he had done

Police also said Grazioli left a confession note next to his wife's body saying how sorry he was for the murder

Authorities learned that Grazioli and his ex-wife were involved in a bitter custody battle over their two kids and Amanda Grazioli (pictured above) had gotten dragged into the dispute

Erica called police shortly before Rev Polinek called 911.

According to Go Eerie, Grazioli was in the middle of a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, whom he shares two kids with. The outlet reports that Amanda Grazioli had been dragged into the couple's dispute and was subpoenaed to testify in a March 19 trial.

Police said they still don't have a motive for the crime.

Grazioli, a financial manager and CEO of Grazioli Asset Management, was arraigned on charges including criminal homicide, first-degree murder, aggravated assault and firearm not to be carried without a license.

He is being held at the Eerier County Jail without bond.
The first alleged member of a paedophile ring accused of terrorising vulnerable children at a western Sydney school four decades ago will remain on bail.

Prosecutors failed on Wednesday in their bid to put Queensland man Brien Peckover, 67, behind bars.

He is facing 19 historical charges including indecent assault and buggery and had his bail continued at Penrith Local Court on Wednesday.

The first alleged member of a paedophile ring accused of terrorising vulnerable children at a western Sydney school four decades ago will remain on bail

Prosecutors failed on Wednesday in their bid to put Queensland man Brien Peckover (pictured during his February arrest), 67, behind bars

Peckover allegedly molested two boys at the now-defunct government-run Daruk Training School in Berkshire Park in 1978 (pictured)

His bail conditions include not contacting any child under the age of 16 years, not attending any place where children frequent, and not going within 100 metres of any school or daycare centre.

Peckover allegedly molested two boys at the now-defunct government-run Daruk Training School in Berkshire Park in 1978.

It is understood that Peckover was not a member of staff, AAP reported.

Police earlier this week said they are circling dozens of other offenders after victims came forward with harrowing tales of genital mutilation and sadistic punishments.

He is facing 19 historical charges including indecent assault and buggery and had his bail continued at Penrith Local Court on Wednesday

Police earlier this week said they are circling dozens of other offenders after victims came forward with harrowing tales of genital mutilation and sadistic punishments (pictured is Peckover during his February arrest)

The school was given the care of young offenders and troubled teens but detectives found 80 of the boys - mostly aged 10 to 14 - endured 'significant sexual abuse'.

Victims from the school told media and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse they were beaten, placed in isolation for days and routinely subjected to sexual abuse by Daruk staff.

One teenage boy was reportedly left permanently disfigured after a staff member sedated and attempted to circumcise him.

Peckover will reappear before Penrith Local Court on May 25.
A high-ranking New Zealand diplomat is under fire after telling the American Democratic party to get their 's**t together or we will all die'.

The Kiwi government said it is taking 'appropriate action' after the country's deputy head of mission to the United States Caroline Beresford tweeted profanity in response to a story about a potential Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren presidential run in 2020.

'A Sanders-Warren ticket could win big in 2020,' the tweet from politics website The Hill read, which Beresford replied to saying 'no it couldn't'.

'Please get your s**t together or we will all die. They've learned nothing,' she said.

New Zealand diplomat Caroline Beresford is under fire after telling the American Democratic party to get their 's**t together or we will all die'

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said the ministry didn't endorse Ms Bereford's tweets

Ms Beresford has since deleted the tweets.

She told Newsroom that she was the author of the tweets, and she realised they were 'inappropriate'.

'Yes I did send those tweets and realised very quickly that they were inappropriate, which is why I deleted them,' she said.

She has since set her Twitter account to be viewed by request only.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokeswoman said the ministry didn't endorse Ms Bereford's tweets.

She said Ms Bereford failed to meet the ministry's code of conduct and social media guidelines.

'These expectations were not met in this instance. The ministry will be making this clear to the staff member concerned and taking appropriate action.'

Ms Beresford tweeted profanity in response to a story about a potential Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren presidential run in 2020

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the ministry had responded appropriately, while a spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Wellington said they hold their New Zealand counterparts in 'the highest regard'.

Ms Beresford is responsible for running much of New Zealand's day-to-day diplomatic mission in the United States, and is ranked below only Ambassador Tim Groser.

The comments were jarring in New Zealand, where politicians and diplomats have been careful to avoid making strong public statements about Trump or his policies.

New Zealand considers the U.S. a close ally, and the two nations are part of the "Five Eyes" intelligence gathering network, which also includes Australia, Canada and the U.K.
Al-Qaida's branch in Syria is in retreat for the first time since 2012 after battling both rival militant groups on several fronts, as well as President Bashar Al-Assad's forces.

Over the past three weeks, the extremist group has been driven from nearly all of the northern province of Aleppo, losing dozens of fighters in battles there and in nearby Idlib province.

The fighting poses a major challenge to the militant group, already beset by infighting and a string of assassinations that have taken out some of its top leaders.

Losing ground: al-Qaida-linked fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham or Levant Liberation Committee, in Idlib province, Syria

Unlike previous battles in which al-Qaida-linked fighters were able to quickly crush their opponents, the fighting has been particularly fierce, with the militants losing dozens of villages.

The al-Qaida-linked coalition known as the Levant Liberation Committee is still one of Syria's most powerful armed groups, with fighters numbering in the thousands.

While the U.S.-led coalition and Russian-backed Syrian troops have focused on driving the Islamic State group from the country's east, the al-Qaida-linked group has consolidated its control over Idlib, where it remains the strongest force despite its recent losses there.

After the defeat of IS, al-Qaida is seen as the main jihadi group that rejects any peace talks to try to end Syria's seven-year conflict.

Its presence in northern Syria and in the Damascus suburbs of eastern Ghouta has provided a pretext for President Bashar Assad and his Russian backers to wage war against opposition-held territory, since various de-escalation and cease-fire agreements have excluded al-Qaida.

For the first time since its meteoric rise in 2012 amid the chaos of war, al-Qaida branch in Syria is on the retreat, battling rival insurgent groups north of the country and fighting for survival in a key foothold near the capital Damascus

This 2016 photo published by the Syrian militant group Ahrar al-Sham, shows the general commander of Ahrar al-Sham, Mohannad al-Masri, center, visiting fighters in rural western Aleppo, Syria

Al-Qaida's branch in Syria has been driven from nearly all of the northern province of Aleppo, losing dozens of fighters there and in nearby Idlib province. Pictures are, allegedly, Al-Qaida-linked Ahrar al-Sham fighters holding positions in the countryside near al-Bab, Aleppo

Several hundred al-Qaida fighters holed up in eastern Ghouta have become a burden to the armed opposition battling government forces there, which has pressed the extremists to leave the area for their stronghold in Idlib in order to avoid the current crushing offensive.

The group's presence has also raised concern in nations from Turkey to the United States that fear the global network founded by Osama bin Laden could use its presence in northern Syria to launch terrorist attacks around the world.

The recent fighting appears to have been triggered by last month's assassination of a senior al-Qaida official, Abu Ayman al-Masri, who was riding in a car with his wife when members of a rival militant group, Nour el-Din el-Zinki, fired on their vehicle, killing al-Masri and wounding his wife.

The killing led to battles in Aleppo and Idlib that have raged for the past three weeks.

The shooting was preceded by the merger of Nour el-Din el-Zinki and the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham, both former al-Qaida allies now turned enemies.

Amid the recent battles, the new coalition, the Syria Liberation Front, has forced the al-Qaida fighters to retreat west to Idlib.

The insurgents say that the war against al-Qaida will not stop until the jihadi group is crushed in Syria - an ambitious goal. It is also a striking statement, considering the rival groups once turned to al-Qaida's experienced and battle-hardened fighters for support in the battle against Assad's forces.

Yazan Mohammed, a media activist based in Idlib province, said that although al-Qaida has lost some territory in the recent fighting, the group is far from being defeated.

Atank with markings of the ultraconservative Ahrar al-Sham militant group, that was captured by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, Arabic for Levant Liberation Committee, in Idlib province, Syria

This photo released this month by the al-Qaida-affiliated Ibaa News Agency, purports to show al-Qaida-linked fighters from the al-Qaida-linked coalition known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham gathering in the village of Tuwama, in Aleppo province

The al-Qaida fighters are 'not scouts. They are an organized and powerful group,' Mohammed said.

In recent years, tens of thousands of rebels and civilians from around the country have fled to Idlib or been forced there by government troops, raising concerns that the presence of al-Qaida will give the government a pretext to storm the province under the cover of Russian airstrikes as it has elsewhere, including in Aleppo in late 2016 and in the current offensive in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.

TURKEY SURROUNDS AFRIN AND BEGIN SIEGE TO DRIVE OUT KURDISH FORCES Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters have encircled the Kurdish-held town of Afrin in northern Syria, putting hundreds of thousands of civilians under siege. Turkey launched its assault on the border enclave on January 20 to drive out Syrian Kurdish forces that it views as 'terrorists' linked to Kurdish rebels fighting inside Turkey. The Turkish military said the siege of Afrin, the main town in the enclave of the same name, began Monday after the military took control of 'critical areas.' A passage out of Afrin remained partially open, and thousands of people have reportedly fled the town, heading toward nearby areas controlled by the Syrian government. Syria's Al-Ikhbariya TV showed cars, trucks and tractors loaded with civilians driving out of the town. Panic was spreading in the town as the Turkish forces approached, and some civilians came under fire when they tried to leave, according to residents and Syrian Kurdish officials. Col. Moataz Raslan, commander of one of the Turkey-allied opposition groups, said the Kurdish fighters in Afrin should surrender or leave the area. He said it was the Kurdish fighters who were preventing civilians from leaving and firing on those who do. A top Syrian Kurdish official, Fawza Yousef, described intense Turkish shelling of the town and said Turkish forces were expected to 'invade' soon. Advertisement

Brett McGurk, the top U.S. envoy for the coalition battling IS, said last year that Idlib is the largest al-Qaida haven since bin Laden's days in Afghanistan.

'This war will not stop,' said Bassam Haji Mustafa, a senior official with the Nour el-Din el-Zinki group. 'This is a real war against al-Qaida, its extremist ideas and terrorism.'

After the recent battlefield losses, a senior al-Qaida commander, Abu Yaqzan al-Masri, released an audio asserting the militant group will soon crush the offensive and the focus will again be 'to fight infidels,' an apparent reference to the West.

The commander's comments coincided with a counteroffensive in which the al-Qaida affiliate regained some villages it had lost earlier, although its presence in Aleppo province has almost ceased to exist.

Local activists said the al-Qaida counteroffensive was backed by members of the Turkistan Islamic Party, a powerful group consisting mostly of jihadis from China's Turkic-speaking Uighur minority.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks Syria's seven-year conflict, says the fighting that broke out on Feb. 20 has killed 223 fighters on both sides, including 132 from al-Qaida's affiliate.

Despite losing dozens of villages in the recent battles, it is unlikely that al-Qaida will be defeated easily in Idlib, where the militants have crushed many of their opponents in recent years.

'They will not be able to defeat the Committee,' said Abu Dardaa al-Shami, who sometimes fights with the al-Qaida affiliate but refused to take part in the current battles, saying he only fights against government forces.

'This is mission impossible,' he said.
Parents have taken to social media to raise questions about a reading resource which features a clown whose bag of 'ha-ha powder' spills into a town.

A post appeared on social media with a picture of 'The ha-ha powder' the front cover and two pages from the book.

The colleague of a woman whose six-year-old grandchild was sent home with the book in the North Island of New Zealand uploaded the three images and a brief description.

Parents have taken to social media to raise questions about a reading resource which features a clown whose bag of 'ha-ha powder' spills into a town

A post appeared on social media with a picture of 'The ha-ha powder' the front cover and two pages from the book

'So my work mate's 6-year-old grandson came home from school with this book for home work... ummm laughing powder?' the post said.

One concerned parent worried about the context being misunderstood and called for the book to be banned.

Another wrote 'That's a bit out there...'.

Other parents saw how the book might be misinterpreted in today's modern standings and stated there was not such a push on being 'P.C' back when it was written in 1987.

'I don't think (the author) has a deviant bone in her body,' one Facebook user wrote. 'What was overlooked as innocent isn't anymore call it retro shamin [sic] and what was nothing is something now in this murky world.'

The book is written by the highly-regarded New Zealand children's book writer Joy Cowley, who explained the book was written in simpler times.

'It was the days before drug problems, it was about a clown, who is going to a party, and he drops the bag of powder to make people laugh,' the popular wordsmith told Daily Mail Australia.

'This is a 1980s book we are talking about, it was a completely innocent time,' she said.

Ms Cowley understood that people had started to call the books context in to question and that some had started to complain.

One concerned parent worried about the context being misunderstood and called for the book to be banned

'Language has changed, now there is a different reality about powders.'

She said at the time the book was received innocently but had grown to have more sinister meanings.

The award-winning author, who is now 81 years old, is still writing children's stories and books of spiritual reflection.

A representative from the New Zealand Department of Education was unable to provide comment on why the book was still in circulation before deadline however directed Daily Mail Australia to the curriculum website.

In New Zealand schools have the flexibility to choose the resources they use to support students' learning.

The curriculum doesn't specify what reading resources schools should use however it is understood the list does not include The Ha-Ha Powder as a recommend text.
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte moved to quit the International Criminal Court on Wednesday after it began investigating his brutal war on drug dealers.

Duterte announced he is withdrawing the Philippines from the Rome Statute which gives the Hague-based ICC the authority to investigate crimes on its soil.

The move comes a month after the ICC announced it was launching a 'preliminary examination' of Duterte's bloody anti-drug crackdown that has seen thousands die in largely extrajudicial killings.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has begun the process of withdrawing his country from the International Criminal Court amid an investigation into his brutal drugs war

'I therefore declare and forthwith give notice... that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately,' Duterte said in a statement.

Police say they have killed nearly 4,000 drug suspects as part of the campaign, while rights groups claim the toll is around three times that number.

Many of the killings have been carried out by vigilante groups after Duterte gave them a free pass to shoot alleged drug dealers.

The outspoken Philippine leader has taken issue over the Philippines becoming the first southeast Asian nation put under a preliminary examination by the ICC.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

The Philippines, under previous President Benigno Aquino, ratified in 2011 the Rome Statute which underpins the ICC.

On Wednesday Duterte, a former lawyer, attacked the ICC's preliminary examination into his anti-narcotics campaign saying it was 'unduly and maliciously created'.

'It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines,' he said.

In his statement, Duterte cited 'baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on his person as well my administration'.

'The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operations lacked the intent to kill,' he added.

Police say 4,000 people have been killed since the crackdown started in 2016, but campaigners say the true figure is three times that number

But even as early as October 13, 2016, when Duterte had only been in office less than four months, the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement that she was 'deeply concerned' over reports of extra-judicial killings.

Adding pressure on Manila, in February, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva raised the country's human rights record.

Iceland Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson also called on the Philippines to accept the visit of a UN Special Rapporteur.

Philippine officials had initially said in February that the country was ready to cooperate but asked for fairness.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque also said they would refuse a visit by one such rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who had previously been pressing to investigate.

But Roque has also said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the case because the tribunal was intended as a 'court of last resort' and the Philippine courts were fully functioning.

The news came as Duterte ordered a review of a decision by a prosecutor to dismiss complaints against several suspected drugs kingpins, amid outrage among the public and some of his allies.

A Department of Justice panel, citing weak evidence, cleared 22 suspects in a decision they made in December but was made public only on Monday in a document leaked to media. A self-confessed drug dealer was among those cleared.

Duterte has publicly named and shamed several provincial politicians and businessmen as 'drug lords' controlling the narcotics trade in the Southeast Asian nation. Some have been killed in what police said were shootouts.

'I will invoke my power of supervision and control and will review (the) dismissal,' Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, quoted the president as saying during a joint command conference with police and military officials on Tuesday evening.

Police insisted on Wednesday they had strong cases against the suspects.
Advertisement

Parts of Britain will be hit by two inches of rain and 60mph gusts today ahead of a further chilly blast on the way that will see temperatures feel as cold as -7C (19F) this weekend.

It may be the middle of March, but cold air is sweeping in from Siberia and Scandinavia over the next few days - bringing more ice and snow along with bitter easterly winds, and Sunday is expected to be worst hit.

The Met Office is set to issue weather warnings for snow over large swathes of the UK. Forecasters are predicting further snow on hills in northern England on Friday, extending down the eastern side of the country on Saturday.

And the wintry conditions could become more widespread by Sunday, extending further west with harsh night-time frosts. The Met Office has already issued rain warnings for Northern Ireland and South West England today.

There is then a snow warning for up to 8in (20cm) in Scotland between Friday 3am and Saturday 9am, 4in (10cm) in eastern England between Friday 6pm and Saturday 9am, then for 2in (5cm) in South East England on Sunday.

Meanwhile the Environment Agency has issued 49 flood alerts and seven more serious warnings for England, with areas including North Yorkshire, Shropshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and the Midlands particularly affected.

A stunning sunrise is photographed over the New Forest in Hampshire this morning at Mogshade Pond near Lyndhurst

Snow warnings are in place for Scotland and the East on Friday and Saturday (left) and the South East on Sunday (right)

Further freezing weather would come less than a fortnight after the 'Beast from the East' brought as much as 1ft 7in of snow and cut off some villages for a week due to 20ft-deep drifts.

Met Office spokesman Nicky Maxey said: 'The cold weather is due to return because of high pressure building over Scandinavia, bringing easterly winds from the continent. The circumstances are similar to those which brought the Beast from the East but it's unlikely to be as cold because we're in the middle of March.'

Miss Maxey said the first snow could arrive on high ground in the North due to a band of rain hitting the eastern side of Britain on Friday. Saturday is expected to see wintry showers being blown in from the North Sea.

'On Sunday, the chance of snow could be more widespread, extending across the country, and temperatures could fall to 3C (37F) even in London. Wind chill will make it feel colder,' she added.

The Met Office's long-range forecast states that it will turn 'very cold through Sunday and Monday with widespread, locally severe, frosts overnight'. It adds: 'There will be quite frequent snow showers for a time across central, eastern and south-eastern parts, with a few showers reaching the West.'

The Environment Agency has issued 49 flood alerts and seven more serious warnings for parts of England today

Later next week, forecasters say 'the brightest and driest conditions (are likely) in the North West, but probably extending across other parts, with snow showers confined to the South East.'

Before then, warnings have been issued for flooding in South West England, where up to 1.6in of rain is expected. The Met Office says possible flooding and travel disruption are likely. Winds of up to 60mph are also expected.

Meanwhile wet weather is forecast for 24 hours from noon today in Northern Ireland, where up to 2in of rain could fall in the mountains and 0.6in to 0.8in elsewhere.

During the Beast from the East earlier this month, thousands of schools were closed, British Airways cancelled hundreds of short-haul flights from Heathrow, and London City Airport also scrapped many of its services.

Experts have been quick to point out, however, that although bitter easterly winds will see temperatures plunge and may herald some snow, the effects will not match the impact of two weeks ago.

Speaking to the Scottish Daily Mail, Ms Maxey added: 'The last time the snow fell, it was the Central Belt of Scotland which saw some of the heaviest snowfall. This time, it could be the South East of England.

'We are all going to feel it a lot colder, there's no doubt about that. What there is less confidence on  as our weather models are in disagreement  is where snow is going to fall and how much each area is going to get.

'Forecasters seem to be in agreement we are going to have lighter snow showers on Saturday, with heavier snow on Sunday down to even low levels.

'Temperatures in Edinburgh will be down to 3C by the weekend, when the city will suffer from wind chill due to its location on the North Sea. This means that, due to the cold air coming from the East, it will feel like -4C or -5C.'

She explained there are a number of reasons why we will not see a repeat of the conditions which triggered an unprecedented red warning for snow in Scotland.

She added: 'It is a statistical fact that you are more likely to see snow in March than you are in December. This is the second belt of air from the east this month, which is in itself unusual.

'But the reason we won't get it too bad this time round is because we are two weeks further on from the last big falls and are almost at mid March. This means the ground is warmer, daylight hours are longer and sunshine is stronger. These are conditions which are less favourable for big accumulations of snow.

'What we will see is overnight frosts in Scotland, on Friday night into Saturday, Saturday into Sunday and Sunday into Monday. Cold air will stay with us until Tuesday, when we expect to see temperatures on the rise again.'

The Beast from the East Siberian storm cost Scotland's economy an estimated 250million in lost work and sales. Hundreds of thousands of Britons faced days of blocked roads, closed airports and cancelled trains.

Police Scotland said that between 8am on February 28 and the next morning, control room staff answered 8,272 weather-related calls. Major roads such as the M80 ground to a halt, with motorists finding themselves trapped.
Jeffrey Mattox, who is held in Lackawanna County Jail in Pennsylvania, uploaded dozens of photographs in 19 Facebook posts between January 1 and February 2

An inmate has prompted a prison investigation after posting a series of selfies from inside his cell.

Jeffrey Mattox, who is held in Lackawanna County Jail in Pennsylvania, uploaded dozens of photographs in 19 Facebook posts between January 1 and February 2.

One of the pictures shows a shirtless Mattox smiling into the camera with the caption: 'This is 170 lbs of twisted steel and sex appeal.'

While some users mocked Mattox - one said he would 'be on poop watch' after taking the snap with his phone, a prohibited item in prisons - others cheered him on, with one saying: 'Looking great baby'.

Another commented: 'You go boyyy.'

Mattox, from Kentucky, was jailed in 2010 for 15 years after admitting his role in a crack cocaine drug ring, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.

He was originally serving his sentence in Wayne County, but was moved to Lackawanna while awaiting trial after being indicted for beating a fellow inmate.

His Facebook account was created in 2015 - more than four years into his sentence - and his history on the site shows he often spoke casually with his 792 friends, writing at one point: 'Feel free to text or call when you feel like it.'

Joseph D'Arienzo, spokesman for the prison, told the Times-Tribune that staff conducted a search in response to the Facebook posts and found 'contraband'.

'Several cellphones' were found, according to Times-Tribune sources.

He was originally serving his sentence in Wayne County, but was moved to Lackawanna while awaiting trial after being indicted for beating a fellow inmate. His Facebook account was created in 2015 - more than four years into his sentence

But Lackawanna County Commissioner Jerry Notarianni offered a more colorful response, admitting he did not know about the Facebook posts until told by a reporter.

He said: 'How the hell did they do that? This clearly is not a good thing. I'm in shock.'

The Federal Bureau of Prisons told the Times-Tribune it is looking into the case.
Mug: Nick Gordon was booked at 1:28am on Saturday (pictured) after his girlfriend Laura Leal claimed he hit her in the face multiple times while driving home

Nick Gordon is again being investigated by the Georgia authorities into the 2015 death of Whitney Houston's daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown.

Sources within the Fulton County District Attorney's Office told TMZ that Gordon is 'back on their radar' after his domestic violence arrest last weekend.

Gordon's new girlfriend, Laura Leal, claimed he hit her in the face multiple times during their drive home from a bar in Sanford, Florida.

The police officer at the scene said she had a swollen bottom lip with dried blood after their alleged fight, USmagazine.com reported.

Gordon denied striking Leal, telling police, 'I didn't hit her. She attacked me and ripped my shirt. She also threw a bottle at me. I just want her to leave my house.'

Leal has refused to press charges against him.

He broke down in hysterics after calling 911 in the early morning hours of Saturday, telling authorities that he was the victim of abuse.

Bobbi Kristina Brown and Nick Gordon had a turbulent relationship - Gordon said she descended into a world of drink and drugs after her mother's death

Crybaby: Nick Gordon called 911 in the early morning hours of Saturday demanding that the Seminole County Sheriff's Office remove his girlfriend Laura Leal (Gordon and Leal above)

DailyMail.com has obtained the two calls placed by Gordon just before he was arrested by police for battery of Leal, who he allegedly punched multiple times in the face and chest according to an arrest report from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.

Leal was left with a bloody lip after the attack, while Gordon, 29, had no visible injuries save for a small cut on his thumb.

Gordon was held legally accountable in a civil case for his fiancee Bobbi Kristina's death in 2015 after he didn't show up for a court hearing in a $36million suit brought against him by her family.

Bobbi Kristina, 22, was found face down in a bathtub after a night of partying and arguing.

An autopsy could not reveal the underlying cause of death because she spent more than seven months in a coma before she died.

Gordon said that he attempted to revive her in scenes that bore a chilling resemblance to the circumstances of her own mother, Whitney Houston's passing.

In October Gordon spoke out two years after Bobbi Kristina died, when he addressed rumors that he was responsible for her death. Her father Bobby Brown has repeatedly named named Gordon as his daughter's killer.

Brown's autopsy revealed she had marijuana, alcohol, a cocaine-related substance, anxiety medication, and morphine in her system, but her manner of death has been labeled 'undetermined' with the authorities baffled as to whether it was intentional or accidental.

Singer Whitney Houston (left) and her daughter Bobbi Kristina in 2011 in Beverly Hills, California

Bobby Brown and daughter Bobbi Kristina - he has long maintained that Nick Gordon is responsible for her death

For Bobbi Kristina, Gordon told DailyMailTV, her mother's death was the beginning of a descent into drug use that spiraled out of control. For him it was the end of a relationship that has long perplexed observers.

Gordon was 17 and Bobbi Kristina 14 when Houston invited him to move into their home in Georgia.

His own mother, he said, 'wasn't very good' at the time. She had left the state to be with another man. He didn't want to go with her.

He had met Bobbi Kristina at school but both dropped out to be tutored at home after he moved in to the Houston household.

Recalling Houston he said: 'It was like two or three months after I moved in she began to ask me, 'Call me mom.'

'We immediately clicked. From day one it was a really, really cool relationship so I'll miss it forever.

'It was like a mother, son relationship. It really was.'

In a bizarre twist of fate Gordon was there at the Beverly Hills Hotel back in February 2012 when Houston drowned in her bathtub. She was later found to have cocaine in her system.

As for Bobbi Kristina she was like his 'little wing man' at first. Gordon described them as 'the three musketeers.'

And while Houston's former husband Bobby Brown was 'busy creating his other family, his new family with his new wife,' Gordon claimed to have taken on the role of the man of the house - their 'protector.'

It was a role for which, in truth, he was ill equipped.

Family members have leveled the allegation that the shift of Gordon's relationship with Bobbi Kristina from siblings to romantic partners was motivated by money.

Throughout Houston's life both he and Bobbi Kristina received a monthly allowance, which, after her mother's death, Bobbi Kristina continued to pay to her then boyfriend.

But Gordon has always vehemently denied that that had anything to do with their romance.

He claimed that Houston wanted them to marry, telling them they should elope and that it was she who planted the seed of a relationship between them.

Bobbi Kristina Brown was found face down in the bathtub in her Georgia home in January 2015 - an autopsy could not reveal the underlying cause of death because she spent more than seven months in a coma before she died

Nick Gordon gave a candid interview to DailyMailTV in October about the circumstances of Bobbi Kristina's death

He said: 'Screw the money. I lost two people I loved. They could have the money; it's not even about that. Don't get me wrong, money's nice but it definitely doesn't buy you happiness. Maybe temporary happiness.'

For Bobbi Kristina there was, it seems, no true happiness after her mother's death.

Gordon said: 'Everything changed. She would cry and you know throughout all those nights I felt I couldn't do the same thing.

'So it was just all this built up emotion that I didn't get out as I'm sitting here trying to be strong for this person.'

After Houston's death Bobbi Kristina and Gordon told the family that they were married - though they were not.

Little did they know they were living on borrowed time. According to Gordon, Bobbi Kristina tried to commit suicide on two occasions - cutting deeply into her wrists.

She suffered two miscarriages and self-harmed and both became lost in a haze of drugs.

Asked if he regrets anything or if he believes now that the best thing for Bobbi Kristina might have been for him to leave he said: 'If I had somebody tell me this would be a good thing for y'all to separate I would have tried that.

'But I just know it was really just us two. Everybody knew [what was going on]. All these family members, all these family members that love and cared for hereverybody knew what was going on and they did nothing.

'People saw her struggling and nobody did anything.'

And when it all went so catastrophically wrong, Gordon said, he knew he would be blamed 'from the jump.'
A young girl was indecently assaulted on a train while her family was sitting just metres away.

Police are searching for a man they want to speak to in relation to the attack after New Year's Eve celebrations.

The young girl sat next to a man, who allegedly tried to talk to her before indecently assaulted her at about 12.30am January 1.

New South Wales Police said the young girl hopped on the Granville bound train at Central Station when the incident took place.

Scroll down for video

Police have released footage of a man they wish to speak to (pictured) in relation to an allegeded indecent assault on a 12-year-old girl after New Year's Eve celebrations

NSW Police said the 12-year-old girl hopped on the Granville bound train at Central Station at about 12.30am New Year's Day and sat next to a man

Police want to speak with a man (pictured), believed to be between 30 and 40-years-old, with inquiries relating to the alleged assault

The suspect got off the train at Granville Station while the 12-year-old and her family remained on the train until Parramatta Railway Station.

The girl reportedly told police the suspect glared at her as he left the train, 9News reported.

Police have released CCTV footage of a man, described as being of Indian Sub-Continental appearance, they wish to speak to.

Footage shows a man sitting on the train as he glances up at the security camera moments before the alleged assault.

Authorities would like the speak to the man aged between 30 and 40-years-old, who was wearing a long sleeved lilac shirt and white trousers, to help with their inquiries.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call CrimeStoppers.

Authorities would like the speak to the man aged between 30 and 40-years-old, who was wearing a long sleeved lilac shirt and white trousers, to help with their inquiries
The King and Queen of Belgium have been snubbed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during their royal visit to Canada this week.

The Belgian royals had expressed their wishes to meet with the Prime Minister during their six-day stay, but the Canadian leader is too busy touring aluminum and steel smelters this week.

King Philippe and his wife Mathilde arrived in Ottawa on Sunday for the first visit by Belgian royals since 1977, and over the coming days will also make stops in Toronto and Montreal.

Royal visit: Queen Mathilde and King Philippe of Belgium attend a State Dinner hosted by the Governor General of Canada on Monday

Rare jaunt: King Philippe and his wife Mathilde arrived in Ottawa on Sunday for the first visit by Belgian royals since 1977,

Too busy to hang: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau takes a selfie with steel workers as he visits the ArcelorMittal Dofasco steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on Tuesday

Meanwhile, Trudeau has embarked on a tour of Canadian steel and aluminum cities to show his support for these industries after the US announced tariffs on the metals.

In line with protocol, Canadian Governor General Julie Payette, who represents Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, welcomed the king and queen at her official residence on Monday.

'The essence of a state visit is a meeting of the two heads of state,' Patrick Renault, a spokesman for the royals, told AFP.

'But we're not surprised at all about not having a meeting with the prime minister. We were aware that there were agenda issues on both sides for some time.'

More on his mind: Prime Minister Trudeau is touring aluminum and steel smelters to show his support for these industries after the US announced tariffs on the metals

Experiencing culture: King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium tour the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, Ontario

Less serious side: The King and Queen of Belgium eat maple taffy at the Richelieu Park sugar shack in Ottawa

The Belgian royals were accompanied on the trip by seven government ministers, including Foreign Minister Didier Reynders, academics and business executives.

The Belgian delegation is hoping to bolster cultural and trade ties between the two nations under the Canada-EU free trade agreement that came into force in September.

Although Trudeau was unavailable, four Canadian ministers were expected to meet with the Belgian delegation, including Trade Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne.

'It is a great pleasure to deepen the long-standing relationship between our two countries,' said Trudeau's spokesman Cameron Ahmad.
Zeynep Pattie, who stepped in front of a train at Shenfield station in Essex

A teenager who stepped in front of a train had taken ketamine before her death, an inquest heard.

Zeynep Pattie, who was described as 'thriving and beautiful' by her family, jumped down onto the tracks at a Shenfield Station in Essex before she was hit.

Essex Coroners Court in Chelmsford heard she died from 'multiple injuries' and toxicology results showed she had a concentration of Class B drug Ketamine in her system.

However, experts were unable to determine exactly when she had taken the drug.

Kristina Butler, of the British Transport Police, said Zeynep, who had spent the night with friends, had been on the train with the group to Shenfield, and then got off to change onto a service to Chelmsford on November 21 last year.

Zeynep, from Ongar, Essex, had been planning on meeting her mother in Chelmsford, and had texted her in the morning.

She said she told her friends that she was looking for a charging point for her phone after arriving at the station. After heading to the station's waiting room, Zeynep walked up the platform before suddenly jumping onto the tracks.

The court heard how police were satisfied there was no third party involved and that the teenager had not had an accident which caused her to fall. No note was found at the scene.

Zeynep, from Ongar, Essex, seen her celebrating her 18th birthday (right) was described as 'beautiful and thriving' by her family in a statement released after she died

In the days after her death, her family released an emotional tribute in which they addressed her battle with mental health, and their belief she had committed suicide.

But Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray found there was not enough evidence to show the teen had deliberately taken her own life.

Mrs Beasley-Murray said: 'This is my first opportunity to express sympathy to you upon the loss of Zeynep in these very sad circumstances.'

'We will never know quite what was going through her mind at the time. She was clearly much loved.'

Zeynep, pictured centre, travelled to Mogonjet in Kenya on a school trip to help teach lessons at a local orphanage

She recorded an open verdict.

Zeynep, a pupil at King Edward VI Grammar School, wanted to be a solicitor and was said to have a 'bright future' in front of her. She planned to go to Newcastle University.

What is Ketamine? Ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic which stops you feeling pain. It puts users in a trance like state, and is used for operations on humans and animals. It was discovered in 1962 and was used in the Vietnam war as an anaesthetic. But its mind altering effects has made in a popular party drug. It is often snorted in powder form. The effects dont last long, but until they wear off, ketamine can cause a loss of feeling in the body and paralysis of the muscles. It can also lead to you experiencing a distortion of reality. This is called being 'K-holed.' Regular users can develop serious bladder problems, and the damage can be so serious, it has to be removed by surgery. It is a Class B drug, which means it is illegal to take, give away, or sell. Anyone caught with the drug faces up to five years behind bars. Advertisement

Her family raised nearly 10,000 from a Just Giving fundraiser launched shortly before her death. The donations were divided between New Hope's Children Centre in Kenya,where Zeynep had spent two weeks volunteering, and mental health charity Young Minds.

Speaking shortly after her death, her family said: 'Zeynep Pattie's online persona depicted the life of a thriving, beautiful and smart 18-year-old girl, filled with friends and a love of travelling, but behind the social media facade, we now understand that Zeynep was dealing with depression.

'She was so beautiful and it breaks our hearts to know that we will never know what she was going through.

'You never think that something like this would happen to someone who outwardly seemed so perfect.

'Zeynep - we are so sorry you had to suffer in silence. Thank you for blessing this world with your beautiful heart and soul. We are truly heartbroken.

'We love you so much and will be forever proud of you. Thank you for 18 years of pure happiness. We will cherish every memory forever.'

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116 123, or visit a local Samaritans branch - see samaritans.org for details.
A new Australian technology using product recognition cameras may stop theft at self-service checkouts.

Customers have cost Australian supermarkets billions from scamming self-service checkouts since they were introduced in Australia ten years ago.

Supermarket shoplifters commonly scan expensive products, recording them as cheaper items or even swap barcodes.

Scroll down for video

Tiliter Technology, founded by Martin Karafilis (pictured) Marcel Herz and Chris Sampson, has developed product recognition cameras at self-service checkouts to prevent theft

A new Australian technology using product recognition cameras may stop theft at self-service checkouts by using automated product recognition and removing the need for barcodes

But an Australian technology start-up has developed an automated product recognition system in order to stop customers scamming the checkouts.

Tiliter's smart checkout technology uses a camera at the self-serve area to identify a customer's product and then automatically enters the information into the supermarket's point-of-sale system.

It also removes the need for barcodes or manually entering additional information, Tiliter co-founder Chris Sampson said.

'It's based on machine learning and artificial intelligence which has been taught to recognise different types of fruit and other products,' he told news.com.au.

Mr Sampson said the technology was so sophisticated it would be able to tell the difference between a red delicious and royal gala apple, and between a truss tomato and a gourmet.

'You can't pretend an avocado is an onion,' he said.

He said the technology's benefits were two-fold: it would streamline the customer's shopping experience, cutting down time spent at the check-out and simultaneously deter theft.

Woolworths has confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the supermarket has no plans to implement the technology but other independent grocers may adopt the concept.

Tiliter's smart checkout technology uses a camera at the self-serve area to identify a customer's product

Woolworths has confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the supermarket has no plans to implement the technology but other independent grocers may adopt the concept

'Self-service checkout is an incredibly popular and convenient option for customers short on time, and we know the vast majority of shoppers do the right thing when using them,' a spokesperson said.

'Of course, we have comprehensive security measures in place for those that don't.'

Daily Mail Australia has also contacted Coles for comment.

In light of retail theft costing Australian retailers $9.3 billion per year, retailers across the country are looking into other technologies to prevent self-service theft.

Mr Sampson said the technology was so sophisticated it would be able to tell the difference between a red delicious and royal gala apple

US company Stoplift also uses camera and video technology to view customers at the checkout, with alerts sent to staff when incorrectly scanned items are captured.

Supermarkets and retailers need to embrace these new technologies, Russell Zimmerman of the Australian Retailers' Association's executive director said.

'Retailers need to up the ante to ensure they capture everything that they possibly can to eliminate the cost of retail theft in their stores,' he told news.com.au.

In February last year a mother from Ipswich, Queensland was caught red-handed after she stole $4,500 worth of groceries from Coles and Woolworths by scanning every single item as a packet of 72 cent noodles.

Poll Have you ever stolen something at a self-serve checkout? Yes No Have you ever stolen something at a self-serve checkout? Yes 179 votes

No 796 votes Now share your opinion





The woman glued the barcode of cut price fried noodles onto expensive slabs of meat, $200 coffee machines and other household products over a three-month period.

Her plot was foiled by a Woolworths employee who watched her at a checkout and she was sentenced to a nine month suspended jail sentence.

A 'poor' German backpacker was fined $100 this week after he failed to scan through expensive meat, bacon and cheese while at a self-serve register.

The man was caught after he only scanned through a portion of his groceries and attempted to bag unpaid items, a method used by many checkout thieves.
The Government's former integration tsar Dame Louise Casey has warned ministers are failing to provide enough money to 'heal the nation'

The Government's former integration tsar has warned ministers are failing to provide enough money to 'heal the nation'.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid today published a report responding to Dame Louise Casey's study of segregated communities in Britain.

But Dame Louise said his 50million over two years was not enough to ensure everyone in Britain could speak English and play a role in society.

Mr Javid's report reveals today there are around 770,000 people in Britain who speak little or no English - meaning they find it hard to work, access services or speak to their neighbours.

The Government's plans could also force registration of Sharia marriages and make schools mix children of different ethnicities and religions.

But Dame Louise warned if there was not enough money to pay for English language classes the other measures would make little difference.

She told the Today programme: 'There has been a cut to the funding of English-language classes over the last decade, I don't think that was necessarily always going to the right people in communities but it has taken a hit.

'It's really, really important as a nation we are all able to speak a common language, and that language is English.'

'One of the big difficulties the strategy will have to overcome is that you can do an awful lot of unifying  however, overall it will take more than 50m over two years and is something the whole country will have to embrace.

'The differences in the country at the moment are too great and we need something that heals the nation.'

Sajid Javid, pictured, wants schools without a diverse population to make sure children have exposure to families who are not like their own to help promote integration

Mr Javid wants all schools without a diverse population to make sure children have exposure to families who are not like their own.

What are ministers doing to heal divided Britain? Sajid Javid's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is seeking responses to proposed initiatives set out in a new green paper. Among the proposals are: A new community-based English language programme, with a network of conversation clubs and support for councils to improve provision of tuition.

Personalised skills training to help women from "isolated" communities into work.

Measures to ensure young people have the opportunity to mix and form lasting relationships with those from different backgrounds.

Promotion of British values across the school curriculum.

Increased take-up of the National Citizen Service. Advertisement

A number of isolated village schools have been marked down by Ofsted in the past for failing to teach children about other cultures.

And some Christian schools have lost marks because they did not raise enough awareness of tolerance of gay and transgender people.

Some head teachers already complain they have too much responsibility and would prefer to concentrate on core missions such as raising attainment in maths and English.

Under the Government's British Values agenda, first introduced to combat Islamic extremism following the Trojan Horse scandal in Birmingham schools, all schools must teach tolerance of minority groups and alternative lifestyles.

A consultation paper released today suggests the latest plans aim to take this idea further.

Launched by Mr Javid with the backing of 50 million of Government money, it follows the 2016 Casey Review, which warned that social cohesion cannot be taken for granted in the multicultural UK.

Mr Javid said: 'Britain can rightly claim to be one of the most successful diverse societies in the world. But we cannot ignore the fact that in too many parts of our country, communities are divided, preventing people from taking full advantage of the opportunities that living in modern Britain offers.

The proposals are likely to prove controversial if it means schools will be penalised for failing to integrate to a high enough standard

'Successive governments have refused to deal with the integration challenges we face head on, preferring to let people ...live isolated and separated lives. We will put an end to this.'

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: 'We want to make sure that all children learn the values that underpin our society  including fairness, tolerance and respect.

'It's also important that children are taught in a safe environment and that we can act quickly if children are at risk or being encouraged to undermine these values.'

Five pilot areas  Blackburn, Bradford, Peterborough, Walsall and the London borough of Waltham Forest  will develop integration plans allowing strategies to be tested as the programme develops.

Among other proposals set out in a green paper are a community-based English language programme and personalised skills training to help women from 'isolated' communities into work.

Mr Javid said today that 770,000 people in the UK had 'no or very poor English'.

'Just imagine the opportunities they have given up,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'It is not fair on them and it is not fair on society.'

Meanwhile, Muslim couples who get married under Sharia law could be required to register their marriage in an effort to protect women's rights.

Under proposals in the green paper, the imam at the Islamic wedding could be prosecuted if he does not make sure that the marriage is registered before the ceremony or on the day, the Times reported.

It means that women would have more access to the divorce courts if the marriage broke down and remove the need to petition a Sharia council, which makes rulings on Islamic law.

According to estimates around 100,000 women have had Sharia weddings in the UK but have not been legally married.

Dame Louise Casey's report on integration said that Sharia was being used to marginalise Muslim women.
Ethan Hunt, 16, had to have both of his legs amputated when it was discovered he was suffering from sepsis after he developed cold-like symptoms

A heartbroken sister has paid tribute to her 'amazing' brother who had both legs amputated before dying of sepsis.

Ethan Hunt, 16, initially thought he had flu when he began to feel sick and have cold-like symptoms last month.

However, after being rushed to hospital the teenager was found to be suffering from an acute form of sepsis.

The disease occurs when the body negatively reacts to infection and toxic chemicals are released into the blood.

Ethan had to be resuscitated after going into cardiac arrest at Blackburn A&E, where his family rushed him from their home in Burnley, Lancashire.

He was later transferred to Wythenshawe Hospital and had both legs amputated below the knee after no pulse was detected in his feet.

He remained in an induced coma and was unaware.

Tragically, his family have now confirmed that brave Ethan died overnight on Monday.

In a post on his campaign Facebook page, his sister Jodie-Leigh Hunt, 24, said: 'It is with deep regret that I have to say this, I never in a million years thought I would have to.

The brave 16-year-old was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with the condition before later being taken to Wythenshawe Hospital

Tragically, Ethan's family have now confirmed that brave Ethan died overnight on Monday

'He fought so, so hard but he was too good for this world. I will miss him and think of him every single day for the rest of my life.

'He was the most amazing boy, son, brother, friend, boyfriend that any of us could have ever wished for.

'I love you so, so, so much Ethan, until we meet again baby brother.'

In a post on his campaign Facebook page, his sister Jodie-Leigh Hunt, 24, said: 'It is with deep regret that I have to say this, I never in a million years thought I would have to. Pictured: Ethan with his sister, Jodie

Ms Hunt had previously spoken of her brother's horrific ordeal after he was first taken ill.

She told the Manchester Evening News: 'It all happened so fast - within the space of an hour.

'One minute he was still sharing things on Facebook, the next, the doctors were telling my mum and dad that he was unable to breathe on his own.'

Ms Hunt's touching tribute to her brother has been shared hundreds of times on social media, with users praising Ethan for his bravery.

Before his death, Ethan's auntie and uncle set up a crowdfunding campaign, raising more than 4,000 in just 24 hours

Linda Jane Whitaker said: 'I had hoped Ethan would recover from this terrible illness, but to learn that he has lost his brave fight, is just devastating.

'May the love Ethan shared with his family & friends wrap a round you all, giving some tiny comfort x.'

Whilst Maureen Catlow said: 'Good night and God bless, no more pain Ethan my heart prayers and love goes to you all God bless xxxxxxx'

Before his death, his auntie and uncle set up a crowdfunding campaign, raising more than 4,000 in just 24 hours.

And as tributes flood in for the popular cyclist and sportsman that figure has reached nearly 10,000.

You can view the GoFundMe page here.
A Russian exile found dead at his London home this week had received mystery visits from people in 'supercars', a neighbour said today.

Dissident Nikolai Glushkov, 69, was found by his daughter, Natalia, on Monday night - just a week after fellow exile Sergei Skripal was the victim of a nerve agent attack attributed to Russia.

Police anti-terror experts are today digging up Mr Glushkov's garden after claims he had 'strangulation' marks around his neck.

A neighbour of Mr Glushkov today told the Evening Standard: 'There was something strange about the number of supercars pulling up outside the house.

'It was all very strange, I am going to report it to the police. The activity was unusual. It makes you wonder if it was connected with what had happened. I was suspicious.'

The local resident said a Ferrari and a yellow Lamborghini were among the cars recently seen outside the property.

Exiled Russian businessman Nikolai Glushkov was found at his home in south London this week. His daughter Natalia (left) reportedly discovered his body

Police with shovels were seen entering the property today as fears over his death grow

Concerns over Mr Glushkov's death were raised in the House of Commons today as the police investigation, led by anti-terror offices, continued to work at the scene

Mr Glushkov's death came amid a tense stand-off between the UK and Russia over the chemical weapons attack in Salisbury

Russian media have suggested he may have taken his own life. Police are treating the death as 'unexplained'.

'We are still waiting for the post-mortem examination results. This death is still being considered as unexplained,' police said.

It emerged today that, like her father, Mr Glushkov's daughter Natalia, had also appeared to question the death of another exile, Boris Berezovsky.

Two days after Mr Berezovsky's death in 2013, Natalia posted: 'RIP Boris Abramovich Berezovsky... a loss... so be the truth and justice... condolences to Mother, families and friends...'

Mr Berezovsky was found dead at his Surrey mansion. A coroner recorded an open verdict and Mr Glushkov had insisted the oligarch was assassinated.

Mr Glushkov had worked for Boris Berezovsky until the billionaire fell out with Mr Putin and fled to Britain. Mr Glushkov was held at the notorious Lefortovo Prison for five years until being cleared of fraud and money laundering while working for Aeroflot.

He was instead convicted of 'abuse of authority' in a plot supposedly orchestrated by Andrei Lugovoi. Now a Russian MP, Mr Lugovoi is the prime suspect for the polonium-210 murder of Alexander Litvinenko in London.

Mr Glushkov was one of the last survivors from a circle of exiles led by Mr Berezovsky, who was described as President Putin's 'personal enemy number one'.

Like the children of Sergei Skripal, Mr Glushkova's daughter is understood to have moved freely between Russia and England despite her father's exile

His daughter appeared to share his suspicions about the death of Mr Glushkov's friend Boris Berezovsky in 2013

Nikolai Glushkov, 68, was discovered by his family late on Monday night at his suburban home in New Malden, Boris Berezovsky was found dead in England in 2013 and the death of Badri Patarkatsishvili is unexplained

Other prominent Russians now living in Britain have reportedly been given extra protection in the wake of the attack.

Like Mr Skripal's children, Mr Glushkov's son and daughter do not seem to have been affected by their father's exile, moving freely between Russia and the UK.

His daughter Natalia is understood to have studied for an MA at University of Westminster before becoming the co-owner of a boutique in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Another of Mr Glushkov's close acquaintances, Georgian billionaire Badri Patarkatsishvili, 52, also died in mysterious circumstances.

Russian newspaper Kommersant reported today that other exiles have seen police cars parked outside their houses since the attack on Mr Skripal.

Police officers in forensics suits were seen walking around the New Malden property today

A police forensics tent has been set up outside his home in the London suburb of New Malden

A private ambulance surrounded by police officers and with its back doors open arrives at the home of Nikolai Glushkov

Scotland Yard said yesterday that there was, as yet, no evidence to link Mr Glushkov's death to the nerve agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

But it sent officers from its Counter Terrorism Command, overseen by the security services MI5 and MI6. Last night, uniformed police officers expanded the cordon around the house as colleagues in forensic outfits undertook a fingertip search.

Mr Berezovsky's son-in-law Yegor Shuppe said the death was suspicious, adding: 'In my opinion the cause is not any disease. It does not correlate. He did not have a sickness to die from. We helped him get good surgery, I often visited him.

'It was not the disease that prevented him from living. I'm not an investigator, but it looks strange.'

Alexander Goldfarb, one of Mr Berezovsky's closest confidants, said the timing rang alarm bells.

He said: 'This looks very suspicious because of the recent attack on double agent Skripal.'

A police officer stands guard as two forensic investigators leave the property in New Malden with two cases

But a Glushkov family friend said: 'Nikolai was sick, he had blood disease. And even in Moscow he was already registered as disabled. He was a good family man, he loved children. His relatives don't believe that this was violent death.'

Last night, Mr Glushkov's neighbours in New Malden described being roused from their beds by detectives in the early hours.

They woke up to discover similar scenes to those in Salisbury with forensic tents covering the front of the 400,000 property.

Officers had been called shortly before 11pm on Monday to reports of a death at the address. Mr Glushkov had slipped out of public view at the anonymous rented terraced home on the outskirts of the capital. Before his arrest in Russia the businessman had been living in fear, with friends telling him 'I would be run over by a truck'.

He sought asylum in Britain in 2010 while faced with fresh claims of fraud and embezzlement in his homeland.

Last year he was handed a second eight-year sentence in his absence and a huge fine for allegedly stealing around 90million from Aeroflot.

Mr Glushkov said that he was told he would be killed shortly before he was jailed for financial crimes in Russia in 2000. He fled to England on his release and claimed political asylum

Mr Glushkov had two grown-up children, Natasha and Dima, and an ex-wife who lives in Moscow.

His daughter, aged in her 20s, attended a Swiss finishing school and lives in London. His son is based in Russia.

Neighbours said he was often seen with his dog and was up and walking again after recently undergoing an operation for arthritis.

One neighbour said: 'He was such a lovely man. He had a very bad leg and recently had a big operation.

'But he was improving and said soon he would be going round without his stick and walking properly. He was in a lot of pain with it. He told me he had heart problems too.

'I was round for dinner with him when he first moved in and he mentioned to me that we should 'appreciate democracy' more.

'He never went into any detail, we were talking about countries and he was telling me about his home in Georgia which has wonderful wildlife. I never knew what his job was.'

Mr Glushkov's death came a week after Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured in Zizzi in 2016) were attacked with a nerve agent in Salisbury

Another neighbour added: 'He never mentioned his work  he was intelligent and very well-mannered. He had very good English.

'He was very generous and friendly. At Christmas he gave us beautiful champagne. He didn't go out much because of his illnesses, he had something wrong with his heart and had a few strokes.'

Vasily Trunin, a friend and former colleague, wrote online that Mr Glushkov was responsible for rescuing Aeroflot from 'the Soviet backwater'. He said: 'A great shame. He was a good friend.'

The Metropolitan Police said a post-mortem examination would take place. A spokesman added: 'The death is being treated as an unexplained. At this stage the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had. There is no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury.'

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has ordered an official inquiry into a number of deaths in Britain that may be connected to Russia.

In a letter made public on Tuesday, Miss Rudd she said: 'In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that.'
Britain's borders are set to stay open to EU citizens until 2021 after Theresa May's war Cabinet signed off on plans for the Brexit transition period.

At next week's crucial summit of EU leaders, Britain is poised to accept EU demands that all current rules be replicated for the two years after Brexit happens in March 2019.

Separately, in a boost for the British side it emerged today that draft negotiating guidelines for the EU on future trade talks have been watered down and now promote hopes for a 'balanced, ambitious and wide-ranging deal'.

Britain's borders are set to stay open to EU citizens until 2021 after Theresa May's war Cabinet signed off on plans for the Brexit transition period

The exact end of transition is still to be finalised with the EU backing December 31, 2020 and Britain around the spring of 2021.

EU nationals who arrive in Britain during transition will be allowed to apply for the right to stay permanently under Home Office rules published last month.

The Government had promised EU free movement would end when Brexit takes place.

The Sun said today that 'high on the agenda' for the Cabinet sub committee which signed off the plan to mirror the rules was a 'communications plan' for the decision.

The meeting of 11 senior Cabinet ministers came just a day after a junior Brexit minister said London and Brussels were inching closer to a deal ahead of next week's summit.

Robin Walker said: 'We recognise how important it is to secure the deal on the implementation period as soon as possible. I want to stress that we are very close to a deal at this time.'

Separately, in a boost for the British side it emerged today that draft negotiating guidelines drawn up by Council President Donald Tusk (file image) have been watered down and now promote hopes for a 'balanced, ambitious and wide-ranging deal'

Agreeing a transition deal at next week's summit it crucial to Britain's hopes of getting talks started on the future trade deal.

In a boost for the British side, it emerged today that draft negotiating guidelines for the EU have been watered down - suggesting greater flexibility.

Politico was told the updated draft text says that a future free trade agreement should be 'balanced, ambitious and wide-ranging'.

The new language is a significant upgrade on the previous draft which only indicated a 'readiness to initiate work towards a free trade agreement.

The revised text does stress more heavily the impact of new trade tariffs and barriers after Brexit will have 'negative economic consequences, particularly for the United Kingdom.'

The Government had promised EU free movement across Britain's borders would end when Brexit takes place

In developments on another front today, Mrs May will host Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones in Downing Street to try and break a Brexit impasse on devolution.

The Scottish and Welsh first ministers have refused to sign off on flagship Brexit laws without stronger guarantees Edinburgh and Cardiff will be handed powers in areas they already control when they are returned from Brussels.

The Prime Minister faces a constitutional crisis if she is forced to push through the laws without support from the devolved assemblies.
Dr Stephen Hawking's science will leave a lasting legacy but his words of wisdom and sense of humour will also be long remembered after his death aged 76 today.

Actor Eddie Redmayne, who played the physicist in the biopic The Theory Of Everything, has led tributes describing him as a 'beautiful mind' and 'the funniest man' he has ever met.

Dr Hawking was left unable to speak because of motor neurone disease but his words spread across the world using his famous voice synthesizer and through his writing.

He spoke plainly on understanding space, the meaning of life and his own battles with adversity, telling others his life showed: 'However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do'.

And he was always willing to poke fun at himself and said famously: 'Life would be tragic, if it wasn't so funny'.

Here are some of the scientist's most memorable quotes:

Dr Stephen Hawking's words of wisdom and sense of humour will also be long remembered after his death aged 76 today

On the reason why the universe exists: 'If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason - for then we would know the mind of God' - A Brief History Of Time, published 1988.

On being diagnosed with motor neurone disease: 'My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus' - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.

On black holes: 'Einstein was wrong when he said, 'God does not play dice'. Consideration of black holes suggests, not only that God does play dice, but that he sometimes confuses us by throwing them where they can't be seen' - The Nature Of Space And Time, published 1996.

On God: 'It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going' - The Grand Design, published 2010.

On commercial success: 'I want my books sold on airport bookstalls' - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.

On fame: 'The downside of my celebrity is that I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognised. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away' - Interview on Israeli TV, December 2006.

On an imperfect world: 'Without imperfection, you or I would not exist' - In Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking, The Discovery Channel, 2010.

On euthanasia: 'The victim should have the right to end his life, if he wants. But I think it would be a great mistake. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope' - Quoted in People's Daily Online, June 2006.

On intellectual showboating: 'People who boast about their IQ are losers' - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.

On the possibility of contact between humans and aliens: 'I think it would be a disaster. The extraterrestrials would probably be far in advance of us. The history of advanced races meeting more primitive people on this planet is not very happy, and they were the same species. I think we should keep our heads low' - In Naked Science: Alien Contact, The National Geographic Channel, 2004.

On the importance of having a sense of humour: 'Life would be tragic if it weren't funny' - Interview in The New York Times, December 2004.

On death: 'I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first' - Interview in The Guardian, May 2011.'
Harrison Casey, 12, pictured at Aberdare Community School in Wales, has achieved the maximum IQ level

A schoolboy has become one of Mensa's youngest ever members after scoring a maximum IQ of 162 - higher than Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein.

Twelve-year-old Harrison Casey described the test as 'sort of difficult' but came in two points higher than the estimated result of the late cosmologist, who passed away in the early hours of this morning.

This places the youngster in the top one per cent of the population and he is now a member of the elite Mensa society, which has just 20,000 members in the UK.

Harrison, who dreams of becoming a pathologist and finding cures to diseases, said the two-hour IQ test paper, which he sat in Cardiff last month as 'sort of difficult'.

The year eight pupil, who was reading newspapers at the age of one and subtracting and dividing numbers aged three, said: 'I am happy with the result.

It was quite good. It was sort of difficult. I took the test because I thought I would get a rather high score and I was right. It took me two hours as planned.'

Harrison is in top sets for all subjects at school, but his favourite subject is maths and he aims to take maths GCSE two years early next year.

The year eight pupil was reading newspapers at the age of one and subtracting and dividing numbers aged three

'The truth is I don't really study. It just comes naturally. I quite like school,' he said modestly.

And he brushed off suggestions he might be cleverer than top brains like Einstein and Hawking, adding: 'I like Stephen Hawking. He's cool.'

Harrison's mother Amy said she and his father Lee Casey, a mechanical engineer, realised from a young age their son was gifted academically.

Diagnosed with high-functioning Asperger's syndrome at age four, Harrison could subtract and divide numbers aged three, she said.

'We always new he was clever,' said Mrs Casey.

'He will sit GCSE maths next year at the age of 14. He gets As in every subject except art.

'It was sort of difficult': Harrison showed no signs of difficulty as he aced the exam which included this question, above

'We are very proud of him. His educational psychologist suggested he sat the Mensa test when he was in primary school, but you can't sit it until you are at least 10.'

Aberdare Community School assistant head Tara Neale said she thinks Harrison is the first pupil in the school to become a Mensa member.

'We are incredibly proud of him. He's obviously going to be a future star and we hope he remembers us when he is,' she said.

'Education is about responding to the needs of the child, so we will work with his parents to come up with a plan for him. It's an amazing achievement.'
Advertisement

US teenagers from coast to coast on Wednesday joined students from the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last month in a national walkout.

The #ENOUGH National School Walkout, which began at 10am local time across the country, lasted 17 minutes, commemorating each of the students and staff killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

However, some students decided to stay out for longer than the allotted time and, in a few cases, were seen making a day out of the protest. In other scenarios, students started the walkout ahead of 10am.

The walkout is part of a burgeoning, grass-roots movement that emerged immediately after the February 14 attack.

Led by student-survivors, activists have lobbied state and federal lawmakers, and even met with President Donald Trump, to call for new restrictions on gun ownership, a right protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

'It's really amazing how much awareness we've brought to this issue and so many people are willing to participate,' said Stoneman Douglas senior Ashley Schulman on Tuesday.

SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO

US teenagers from coast to coast on Wednesday joined students from the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last month in a national walkout in support of tighter gun control (Pictured, students participate in the walkout in Parkland, Florida)

The #ENOUGH National School Walkout, which began at 10am local time across the country, will last 17 minutes, commemorating each of the students and staff killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14 (pictured)

The protest will take place a day after Florida prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, who has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the mass shooting (Pictured, a group of students pray in front of a memorial at Stoneman Douglas)

In New York City, teenagers across the five boroughs joined the protest for stricter gun laws (Pictured, Queens students participate in the rally)

At Fiorello H Laguardia High School in Manhattan, students sit and lie down and block West 62nd Street as part of the walkout

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joins the Leadership and Public Service High School student walkout at Zuccotti Park

Cuomo was seen lying down (center)at the park next to students who chanted: 'What do we want? Gun control. When do we want it? Now!'

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joins students from Edward R Murrow High School in Brooklyn for the walkout

Just before the walkout at 10am, de Blasio (left) told the teenagers: 'I admire what you're doing. I was a student activist too'

Kicking off the protests were students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School who congregated onto the campus's outdoor track as they commemorated the 14 students and three faculty members who lost their lives in the deadly shooting.

In Washington, DC, hundreds of students sat and turned their backs to the White House as they held a rally on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Thousands of Maryland high school students also marched from the suburbs to the steps of the US Capitol to rally.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont made a surprise appearance and spoke the students, telling them that 'the time is now' to pass gun legislation.

In New York City, teenagers across the five boroughs joined the protest for stricter gun laws. At Fiorello H Laguardia High School in Manhattan, students sat and lay down, blocking West 62nd Street as part of the walkout.

Elected officials also joined in to support the cause. Mayor Bill de Blasio joined students at Edward R Murrow High School in Brooklyn, while Governor Andrew Cuomo was at Leadership and Public Service High School in TriBeCa.

Just before the walkout at 10am, de Blasio told the teenagers: 'I admire what you're doing. I was a student activist too.'

Meanwhile Cuomo lay on the ground with students at Zuccotti Park who chanted: 'What do we want? Gun control. When do we want it? Now!'

In Washington, DC, hundreds of students sat and turned their backs to the White House as they held a rally on Pennsylvania Avenue (Pictured, students participate in the walkout in Washington, DC)

Around noontime, hundreds of students rallied in front of the US Capitol building to protest tighter gun control

Senator Bernie Sanders, (Independent-Vermont), speaks during a students' rally asking for gun control outside of the US Capitol building on Wednesday

Among the high schools that joined the walkout was Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where two students fatally shot 12 students and a teacher in April 1999

A 30-second moment of silence was held - 17 seconds for the Parkland victims and 13 seconds for the Columbine victims

. The Columbine students gathered on the soccer fields on campus with red, white and blue balloons and read the names of those who died in the Stoneman Douglas and Columbine shootings

Freshman Kennedi Lawson, 14, carries a sign as student walkout at Cherry Hill West High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey

In support of the walkouts, Viacom said that its networks, including MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, would suspend programming at 10am in each US time zone for the 17 minutes (Pictured, people arrive at Stoneman Douglas for the walkout)

Marjory Stoneman Douglas pupils who participated in the walkout were joined by another area school, West Lakes Middle School

Students hold a sign asking for gun violence to end during a student walkout outside Perry Hall High School in Perry Hall, Maryland

Despite frigid temperatures in some states, students braved the cold to showcase their support. Yarmouth High School in Maine and Stivers School for the Arts in Ohio were just two school where teenagers walked out in spite of the snow falling.

Among the high schools that joined the walkout was Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, where two students fatally shot 12 students and a teacher in April 1999.

A 30-second moment of silence was held - 17 seconds for the Parkland victims and 13 seconds for the Columbine victims.

The Columbine students gathered on the soccer fields on campus with red, white and blue balloons, reported The Denver Post, and read the names of those who died in the Stoneman Douglas and Columbine shootings.

In another powerful display, at Granada Hills Charter High School in Los Angeles, students marched onto the football field and lay down to spell 'ENOUGH' on the grass.

Students from more than 2,800 schools and groups will participate, many with the backing of their school districts, according to the walkout's organizers, who also coordinated the Women's March protests staged nationwide over the past two years.

Support has also come from the American Civil Liberties Union and Viacom Inc, which said all seven of its networks, including MTV, would suspend programming at 10am in each US time zone for the 17 minutes.

The protest will take place a day after Florida prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, who has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the mass shooting.

Primary school students, accompanied by their parents and guardians gather outside their school in New York to take part in a national walkout to protest gun violence

Hundreds of students walk out of Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York, as part of a nationwide protest against gun violence

Students at Fiorello H Laguardia High School in New York City carry signs protesting the sale of semi-automatic weapons

Students march in support of the National School Walkout in the Queens borough of New York City

Students from Stuyvesant High School in New York City march through lower Manhattan to protest gun violence

Robert Runcie, the Broward County school superintendent, said the district, which includes Stoneman Douglas, would respect the free speech rights of students and allow them to participate in the demonstration.

But a few school districts around the country have warned against protests during school hours.

Administrators in Sayreville, New Jersey told students that anyone who walked out of class would face punishment, according to myCentralJersey.com.

Students walked onto the football field at Granada Hills Charter High School in Los Angeles to spell 'ENOUGH'

The spelling of the world was modeled after the event which is officially titled the #ENOUGH National School Walkout

In this photo provided by ninth grader Kirsten Martin, students at Carlton J Kell High School in Cobb County, Georgia, sit in their classroom after they were asked not to leave by staff for the national walkout

A few school districts around the country have warned against protests during school hours that students could face discipline for doing so

Despite the snow, students at the Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, Ohio, gathered on the soccer field as they participated in the walkout

In another showcase of students braving cold temperatures and precipitation, pupils at Yarmouth High School in Yarmouth, Maine walk out. Yarmouth is one of the few schools in Maine that did not cancel school on Wednesday as the state digs out from the third major winter storm in two weeks

Video courtesy of Sarah Reingewirtz

Board of Education President Kevin Ciak said failure to follow the rules would result in suspensions, the news site reported. The district did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The New York City Department of Education said it would allow students to participate if they submitted a signed permission slip from their parents. It would consider the walkout an excused absence.

In Newtown, Pennsylvania, Council Rock School District will designate an area inside schools where students could gather in a 'non-political fashion' to remember the shooting victims.

Students filed out of Perry Hall High School in Perry Hall, Maryland, as they joined teenagers across the country in a walkout

A student at Philadelphia High School of Creative And Performing Arts hold a sign with 'Don't Shoot' written in multiple languages as she and others participate in the walkout

Students at Philadelphia High School of Creative And Performing Arts participate in a walkout to address school safety and gun violence

Students from more than 2,800 schools and groups will participate, many with the backing of their school districts, according to the walkout's organizers

Led by student-survivors, activists have lobbied state and federal lawmakers, and even met with President Donald Trump, to call for new restrictions on gun ownership (Pictured, students hold their lighted cellphones at a rally on Parkland High School outside Allentown, Pennsylvania

Hundreds of students gather on the track at Eastern Wayne High School in Goldsboro, North Carolina, for the walkout

A James Logan High School student holds a sign during a walkout demonstration on in Union City, California

James Logan High School students stage a die in during a walkout demonstration in Union City, California

James Logan High School students lay on the ground outside the school as they stage a die in during the walkout

Students stand together and join handss at Walla Walla High School in Walla Walla, Washington, during a walkout

Officials will block all entrance and exit points for the duration of the protest to prevent any walkout.

Robert Fraser, the Council Rock superintendent, sent a warning to parents that any student who walks out of school will face discipline.

More than 40 of US colleges and universities, including Yale, Brown and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have said their admissions offices would not penalize any applicants who are disciplined for protesting.

'I, for one, will be cheering these students on from New Haven,' wrote Hannah Mendlowitz, an admissions and recruitment official at Yale University, in a blog post in February.
The trial for the widow of the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, began on Wednesday morning with prosecutors claiming she knew what he was planning.

In his opening statement, Assistant US Attorney Jeff Mandolfo said that Noor Salman, 31, helped her husband Omar Mateen carry out the mass shooting and then lied to law enforcement afterwards.

Claiming that Salman has already admitted as much to authorities, Mandolfo told the story of Pulse survivor, Jeff Rodriguez - who survived by hiding in a bathroom despite suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Mandolfo said that Rodriguez and the other victims had no idea that an attack would be carried out that night and said, 'Only two knew, Omar Mateen and the defendant'.

The trial for Noor Salman (left), the widow of the gunman, Omar Mateen (right) who killed 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, in June 2016 is set to begin on Wednesday

Family members of Noor Salman arrive to federal court in Orlando on the morning that her trial began

If Salman, 31, found guilty of aiding and abetting Mateen in his attack on the Pulse nightclub (pictured), as well as obstructing a federal investigation, she could face life in prison

Continuing, Mandolfo told the jurors that Salman admitted to the FBI that she regretted not doing more and told the court that she said, 'I'm sorry for what happened. I wish I would've told.'

Salman has pleaded not guilty.

The case will hinge on whether Noor Salman knew that her late husband, Omar Mateen, was planning the June 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub.

If she found guilty of aiding and abetting Mateen, as well as obstructing a federal investigation, she could face life in prison.

Salman, 31, was at home with the couple's then-three-year-old son during the shooting rampage, which ended with Mateen's death in an exchange of gunfire with police.

Salman first claimed Mateen (pictured) acted without her knowledge. Later she acknowledged that she knew Mateen had bought an assault rifle and was watching ISIS recruitment videos

But prosecutors say she knew of her husband's plans and did nothing to stop him.

The trial, which is expected to last for a month, will take place at the Orlando courthouse where protesters have been gathering during jury selection to call for a guilty verdict.

Inside the courtroom, the owner of the Pulse nightclub, Barbara Poma, has been present for some of the initial proceedings.

Salman initially told investigators that her husband acted without her knowledge.

However, she later acknowledged being aware that her husband was watching Islamic State recruitment videos, had purchased an assault rifle and examined three possible attack locations, according to prosecutors.

Salman's attorneys contend the US government could not show any direct links between Mateen and Islamic State before the attack and has provided no evidence that Salman aided her husband.

In court papers filed on Tuesday, defense lawyers asked that prosecutors not be allowed to tell jurors during opening statements that the shooting rampage was intended as an attack on the gay community or that Salman took part in her husband's gun and ammunition purchases.

'It was Mateen, not Noor, who decided to attack the Pulse Night Club, Mateen who chose to drive to the club, Mateen who purchased the weapon and ammunition, and Mateen who alone carried out the attack,' the defense said in court filings.

Defense lawyers asked that prosecutors not be allowed to tell jurors during opening statements that the shooting rampage was intended as an attack on the gay community (Pictured, a memorial following the Pulse nigthclub shooting)

Salman was indicted on two charges: obstruction of justice for alleged false statements to federal investigators, and aiding and abetting Mateen in his attempt to provide material support to a terrorist organization

Salman was indicted on two charges: obstruction of justice for alleged false statements to federal investigators, and aiding and abetting Mateen in his attempt to provide material support to a terrorist organization.

Mateen, 29, opened fire shortly after the last call for drinks on the club's popular Latin night.

Holding hostages during his standoff with police, he claimed allegiance to a leader of the Islamic State militant group before being fatally shot.
Previously unseen footage has been released that shows one of the last times Martine Magnussen was seen alive

Police have released previously unseen footage showing one of last times a murdered student was seen alive.

CCTV footage shows Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, leaving Maddox Nightclub in Mayfair with her suspected killer Farouk Abdulhak ten years ago today.

Abdulhak is believed to have fled the country for Yemen after the Norwegian student's semi-naked body was discovered in a basement of a house in Great Portland Street in 2008.

A post-mortem examination revealed she had been raped and died from compression to the neck.

Despite extensive efforts and numerous appeals by detectives over the last decade, the billionaire playboy's son continues to refuse to return to the UK.

Today, Ms Magnussen's father, Petter, urged Abdulhak to leave his 'sheltered life' in Yemen and face justice in the UK.

He said: 'I would very much like to come with an appeal today on this very special day

'It's a privilege to be able to travel and do it as and when we wish.

Previously unseen footage released by the Met Police shows the Norwegian student leaving Maddox nightclub in Mayfair

Abdulhak is believed to have fled the country for Yemen after the Norwegian student's semi-naked body was discovered in a basement of a house in Great Portland Street in 2008

'Today many are blessed with the freedom to see the world, to visit different countries and explore new cultures.

'But I believe that that freedom should come with some responsibility and respect for the places we visit.

'Ten years on... my beloved daughter Martina was murdered int his town.

'The only individual wanted for her murder fled to another country and took shelter there after having resided in the UK as a student.

Despite extensive efforts and numerous appeals by detectives over the last decade, Abdulhak (left), the son of a billionaire playboy, continues to refuse to return to the UK. Right: The murdered student

'In doing so he evaded the obligation to accept the laws and legal system of the UK, going against all ethical and legal standards and running away from responsibility that comes from from the privilege of travelling.

'Today I would like to address this individual who has continued his sheltered life without any consequences, whilst my family has continued to suffer the greatest loss a family can suffer.

'I want him to know that ten years on, we continue to pursue justice for Martine.

'The police continue to investigate. We want you to know that this case will never go away until justice has prevailed.'

The father of Martine Vik Magnussen Petter Magnussen (left), Norwegian Rector and Senior Chaplain Torbjorn Holt (centre) and Head of Martine Foundation Patrick Lundevall-Unger (right), arrive at Great Portland Street in London to lay flowers

Petter Magnussen (left) and Norwegian Rector and Senior Chaplain Torbjorn Holt (right), arrive at Great Portland Street in London

Father Petter Magnussen today arrived at the scene of his daughter's death and laid flowers at Great Portland Street to mark the tenth anniversary of her passing

Mr Magnussen will also today lay flowers at the scene of her daughter's death on Great Portland Street.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, added: 'A decade on and our ambition remains the same - to obtain justice for Martine.

'With this CCTV now in the public domain, our hope is that the case will not fade from public attention, keeping the spotlight firmly focused upon Farouk Abdulhak.

'Abdulhak fled to another country in the pursuit of continuing with his life and today he remains sheltered and protected in the Yemen.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge, of the Homicide and Major Crime Command, added: 'A decade on and our ambition remains the same - to obtain justice for Martine'

'For ten years this person has been avoiding our requests to return to the UK and assist the investigation.

'We have reached an important milestone, therefore this is the right time to once again appeal personally to Abdulhak to return to the UK.

'He was a guest in our country when the murder of Martine occurred and I believe the responsible thing to do is return.

'If he thought that this case would diminish, or that his wanted status would change over time, then this year's anniversary demonstrates our resolve and that of the Magnussen family to continue to seek justice for Martine.'
The Foreign Office has waded in to the PR war with the Russians by releasing a video accusing the Kremlin of cyber attacks, incursions into other countries and election medding.

The Russian Embassy has been frantically tweeting messages since Sergei Skripal was poisoned in a bid to undermine the British case that Moscow was behind the nerve agent attack.

In a rare move, the Foreign Office hit back today, creating and posting on Twitter a video detailing Vladimir Putin's foreign interventions in recent years.

The Foreign Office listed Russia's incursion into Crimea among example of it flaunting international laws

The video starts with the 2006 attack on Alexander Litvinenko in London. It then cites the incursions into Georgia in 2008 and the annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Foreign Office officials also accuse Russia of a cyber attack on the German Parliament in 2015 and hacks on the Danish foreign and defence ministries in 2016.

The video also lists interference in the Montenegro election of 2016, 'cyber espionage' in Ukraine in 2017 and the violation of other nations airspaces in 2018.

The post signs off: 'The pattern is clear. The Kremlin wants to dismantle the international rules-based system.'

The video was released as Russia's Interfax news agency reported the Russian embassy in London planned to ask for consular access to Yulia Skripal, Sergei's daughter.

Britain today told the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday that the use of a military grade nerve agent used in an attempt to kill a former Russian spy was a flagrant breach of international law.

British Ambassador Julian Braithwaite said: 'The council and the United Nations General Assembly have decried Russia's violations of international law with alarming regularity. Its reckless behaviour is an affront to all this body stands for.'

The video was released as Theresa May and Boris Johnson attempt to build international support for retaliatory action against Russia after the poisoning of Sergei Skripal

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson meanwhile spoke to his counterparts in France and Germany, as well as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

He told them that, ff Russia is found responsible, it would be 'further reckless behaviour which threatens the international community and requires an international response'.

Theresa May is planning retaliatory action against Russia after Moscow rejected her 'unfounded accusations' over the poisoning of Mr Skripal.

The Prime Minister said on Monday it was 'highly likely' that Russia was behind the attack, either directly or because Moscow had 'lost control' of the nerve agent, demanding answers by the end of Tuesday and threatening a 'full range' of measures.

But Russia defied the deadline and Vladimir Putin's spokesman on Wednesday rejected Britain's 'unfounded accusations that are not based on evidence, and a language of ultimatums'.
A young man visiting one of China's sacred Buddhist mountains fell to his death from a handrail while playing on his mobile phone.

The tourist, said to be in his 20s, sat on a waist-high handrail for a rest and seemingly forgot there was nothing at his back as he was said to be playing games.

He leant backwards and fell almost eight metres (26 ft) from the side of the stone staircase and rolled along the stairs at the famous Rou Shen Palace.

A young man in China falls from 26 foot high as he leans backwards while resting on a handrail

He tumbles down the stairs where two female tourists are walking up to Rou Shen Palace

According to Kan Kan News, the unnamed tourist, from Lujiang, Anhui Province, had been accompanied by his father, and the pair climbed 99 steps to the Rou Shen Palace to pray to the Buddhist gods on March 13.

The victim decided to rest and sit on the waist-high handrail, which was installed to prevent tourists from accidentally falling down the cliff, and began playing on his mobile phone.

Security camera footage at the popular scenic spot at Mount Jiuhua in Qingyang county captured the moment the young man falling as his body flashed in front of the camera for a split second.

The man was said to be playing on his mobile phone and suddenly fell back from a handrail (left). He was visiting the temple with his father on March 13 (right)

A man rushed to the injured tourist and called for emergency service (left). The young man died after falling from heights (right)

Two women resting below can then be seen fleeing the area as the victim's body rolls into view.

Chinese media suggested the man was 'totally drawn' by his smartphone and forgot that he had nothing to lean his back on, shifting his weight behind him and ultimately tumbling off the cliff.

It was not clear if he was pronounced dead at scene.

Mount Jiuhua is one of China's four sacred mountains of Buddhism together with mountains Wutai, Emei and Putuo.
Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman said that 29-year-old Barbara Elizabeth Sherrill (pictured) made threats about placing explosives at East Alexander Middle School

A woman has been arrested after threatening to bomb her son's school because he was punished by teachers, cops in North Carolina have said.

Alexander County Sheriff Chris Bowman said that 29-year-old Barbara Elizabeth Sherrill made threats about placing explosives at East Alexander Middle School.

Sherrill's son reportedly got into an altercation and was being disciplined by school officials.

His mother told others about the bombs, said law enforcement 'better hope they find them before they go off' and made threatening posts on social media.

A search was conducted after the school day was called off because of bad weather, but no bombs were found.

The boy was reportedly involved in a fight and was upset about being disciplined.

Bowman's office received reports about the threats on Monday, according to The Charlotte Observer.

A statement from authorities says no threats were found after the school was searched.

Sherrill's son reportedly got into an altercation and was being disciplined by school officials. Pictured: The school

The Lenoir woman was charged with felony false report of mass violence on education property.

She has been jailed under a $20,000 secured bond.

It is unclear if Sherrill has a lawyer.
Multi-million pound plans have been unveiled to transform a Victorian water tower nicknamed Jumbo into the 'Eiffel Tower of Essex' - complete with a restaurant and sky bar.

The monolith, which is taller than the Tower of London, currently sits empty in Colchester - but new plans have emerged for the Grade-II listed building.

In a further echo of the Parisian icon the structure, developers suggested it could be illuminated at night.

The monolith, which is taller than the Tower of London, currently sits empty in Colchester - but new plans have emerged for the Grade-II listed building

In a further echo of the Parisian icon the structure, developers suggested it could be illuminated at night

And much like its Gallic inspiration it is hoped revellers would travel far and wide to climb the 110ft structure to sup on Champagne and sample fine food.

However instead of taking in the romantic sites of historic Paris visitors would gaze 12 miles across reservoirs, nature reserves and beaches to the Bradwell Nuclear Power station.

If built it'll be the second time Essex has drawn inspiration from a global icon, as nearby Basildon boasts a Hollywood-style sign that welcomes motorists.

Tory councillor Darius Laws has thrown his weight behind the scheme and believes it'll put the town on the map.

He said: 'Jumbo is iconic on our skyline and could be our Eiffel Tower.

However instead of taking in the romantic sites of historic Paris visitors would gaze 12 miles across reservoirs, nature reserves and beaches to the Bradwell Nuclear Power station

'Regardless of political colour, I know that every single Colchester councillor is committed to promoting and enhancing our unique heritage.

'Jumbo preserved with a catering facility in the sky represents a massive opportunity for Colchester.

'Who wouldn't want to have a beer up in the sky?'

It is hoped the scheme will save the building which fell out of use in 1987 and was put on English Heritage's at Risk Register in 1993.

Charity chiefs are now pressing ahead with the 3million scheme, unveiling proposals after submitting an initial bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

It is hoped Jumbo, which was made from 1.2 million bricks and opened in 1882, will become a flagship venue in the town.

Charity chiefs are now pressing ahead with the 3million scheme, unveiling proposals after submitting an initial bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant

The Colchester and North East Essex Building Trust unveiled its proposals for the town centre site which could take four years to finish.

It hopes to create a split-level restaurant, while the former water tank will become a venue hire space alongside a heritage museum area.

A new floor will be inserted above the top level of brick arches to house a reception area and gift shop and the former engineers' room at the top of the building will become a bar.

Winding steps would snake up the structure along with a lift added to ferry up elderly and disabled diners.

Trust chairman Simon Hall MBE said: 'Everything about the project is big and our Heritage Lottery Fund application is a step on what will be a long journey to save this magnificent piece of Victorian industrial heritage for Colchester and the nation.

'Clearly, Jumbo has a big place in the hearts of many people.'
The chest burster scene from the film Alien is considered one of the most iconic of all time.

But as this innocent school boy watches it for the first time he hasn't the faintest idea what he's got himself in for.

As the late John Hurt's character Executive Kane writhes around in pain, the boy in the clip is seen lying placidly on the sofa.

But as blood starts pouring from his chest, splattering his spaceship colleagues, the youngster is unable to hide his disgust.

As a young school boy from North Hempstead, New York watches the 1979 Ridley Scott film Alien for the first time, his mother films his hilarious yet adorable reaction

As the late John Hurt's character Executive Kane writhes around in pain (picured), the boy is seen lying placidly on the sofa. But as blood pours from his chest he is unable to contain his disgust

The boy, who is being filmed by his parents in North Hempstead, New York, sits up, drawing his hand to his face and fidgeting wildly with discomfort.

But as the blood-soaked alien emerges from Kane's chest, the boy cannot take it anymore, his face contorting in horror.

His adorable reaction is: 'Oh dear, I think he's dead!' as his parents chuckle away in the background.

Posting the clip on social media, his mother wrote: 'I had been looking forward to watching the Alien films with my son for a long time.

The boy, who is being filmed by his parents in North Hempstead, New York, sits up, drawing his hand to his face and fidgeting wildly with discomfort

'Since he's now the age I was when I first saw Alien and Aliens, I thought it would be a great time.

'I wondered whether the practical effects from 1979 would still hold up in the era of gratuitous CGI, so I decided to capture his reaction to the iconic chest burster scene on video. Did not disappoint!'

The 1979 science fiction film was directed by Ridley Scott and received multiple awards for its cutting edge visual effects.

But today, in an age of multi-million pound Hollywood budgets, the scenes appear dated and somewhat over-the-top.

The story still resonates with audiences, telling the tale of the spaceship Nostromo, which gets diverted on a return trip back to earth with disastrous consequences.

The 1979 science fiction film was directed by Ridley Scott and received multiple awards for its cutting edge visual effects. Pictured: John Hurt as Executive Kane

The story still resonates with audiences, telling the tale of the spaceship Nostromo, which gets diverted on a return trip back to earth with disastrous consequences
A recovery truck used to take away the car of a poisoned Russian spy was itself loaded onto an lorry today as the clean-up operation moved into a new county.

The military, police and emergency service operation rolled into Gillingham, Dorset and men in Hazmat suits visited the home of a driver thought to have towed the car of Sergei Skripal.

The recovery truck believed to have removed Mr Skripal's red BMW 320d from a Sainsbury's car park was itself taken away by the Army to be tested, decontaminated and potentially destroyed.

Residents were told to stay indoors as a cordon was put around the street and the truck was covered up and loaded onto the military vehicle.

The Army covered and removed a tow truck believed to have taken Sergei's Skripal car from Salisbury after he was poisoned with a military grade nerve agent

The residential street in Gillingham became the latest location shut down by soldiers in Hazmat suits cleaning up after the chemical weapons attack

People living in the street told of their shock after the huge operation was launched today

Soldiers oversaw the operation after police told local residents to stay indoors this morning

The clean-up operation after the Sergei Skripal descended on Gillingham, Dorset today

Whitehall sources last night suggested Mr Skripal was poisoned when he touched the door handle of his car, which had been smeared with a deadly nerve agent.

Today it was claimed prominent Russians in London are being shown a picture of a couple, thought to be Russian, seen walking in Salisbury around the time Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said today: 'The military is assisting police to remove a number of vehicles and items from areas of Dorset, following the incident in Salisbury.

'The public should not be alarmed and the public health advice remains the same. The military has the expertise and capability to respond to a range of contingencies.

'The Ministry of Defence regularly assists the emergency services and local authorities in the UK. Military assistance will continue as necessary during this investigation.'

The investigation into the poisoning has led to a series of locations around Salisbury being sealed off and decontaminated

An Army recovery truck was seen entering the town. It is understood a car belonging to a tow truck driver who removed Sergei Skripal's BMW from Salisbury was taken away by the military

The tow truck driver's house is the 11th site locked down by emergency services and the Army

Police signs have been put up at the site as the Army attempt to clear up the nerve agent

Police in breathing apparatus visited the depot of the company who towed the car last week

Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said yesterday that Mr Skripal was still in a critical condition in hospital, days after they were found slumped on a bench in the Wiltshire city.

The Met said officers are working round the clock gathering evidence to identify those responsible for the 'attempted murders' and have so far collected 380 items.

The senior officer said investigators' 'prime focus' was how the nerve agent was administered  but warned that the inquiry will take 'many weeks'.

A report in Moscow suggests a grainy picture of the suspected Russian couple aged between 35 and 40 - seemingly in love - has been shown to members of the emigre community.

'The police are saying that they are interested in them because of the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal,' reported Rosbalt news outlet, which did not publish the picture.

Salisbury residents rally to raise funds for police officer injured as a result of the nerve agent attack Residents of Salisbury are rallying to raise funds for police officer Nick Bailey (pictured) Residents of Salisbury are rallying to raise funds for police officer Nick Bailey, who suffered injures as a result of the nerve agent attack last week. The Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant, who joined the force in 2002, is conscious in Salisbury District Hospital following the attempted murder of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. A JustGiving page set up by local mother Katie Doherty has gathered 36 supporters, and nearly 400 so far. The 33-year-old from East Knoyle, said: "I don't know him myself, but I set up the page before his details had been released. 'I just really felt for him and his family. At the end of the day he was just out doing his job looking after our community. I appreciate that police are trained for all sorts of situations but I don't think anyone could have expected this," she said. 'Our emergency services and our local hospital do such a great job looking after us and I just wanted to say thank you." She added that she was aiming to raise 6,000 for the sergeant. At Wiltshire Council's Bourne Hill office, a cake sale took place to raise funds for DS Bailey. Writing on Twitter, Wiltshire Police Superintendent Chris Chammings said: 'Our amazing Wiltshire Council colleagues are running a cake sale for Nick today. This gesture is true testament to how we all get on in Bourne Hill. Thank you so much.' In a statement released after the attack, the force said DS Bailey 'did not consider himself a hero, he states he was merely doing his job'. Advertisement

The poisoning of Yulia, left, and her father Sergei Skripal, right, sparked a huge investigation and clean-up operation

The police investigation into the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal is believed to be focusing on his red BMW. It is pictured when it was recovered by police last week

Detectives are reportedly showing a CCTV of a couple in Salisbury to Russians in London. It is unclear what the image is, but a description of it matches this image which emerged last week

A source in London who claimed to have spoken to Scotland Yard detectives was reported as telling Rosbalt: 'The photo made from a surveillance camera is not the best quality.

'There is a man with dark hair on it and a blonde woman. They look around 35-to-40. They are in the street seemingly like a couple in love. Their faces cannot be seen clearly.'

CCTV which emerged in the days after the poisoning showed a blonde woman and an older man walking past a gym in Salisbury shortly before the Skripals were found collapsed.

It is not clear whether that image - originally thought to be the Skripals - is the one reportedly being shown to Russian Londoners. The Met Police denied the CCTV was being shown to Russians.

Counter-terrorism police have said there was a missing 40 minutes in the whereabouts of the former spy and his daughter Yulia in the car.

They are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the pair in the BMW 3-Series before they arrived at a Sainsbury's car park in Salisbury at around 1.40pm on Sunday, March 4. It is not known what they did, or if they met anyone, during this time.

The latest location closed off is in the town of Gillingham, 30 miles west of Salisbury

Investigators in protective suits in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent

Three investigators, heavily protected by suits and gas masks, work in Salisbury park tonight

Police officers in forensics suits and protective masks work near a playground in Salisbury tonight

Detectives said the pair arrived in the city at about 1.40pm but officers want CCTV from 1pm.

Mr Skripal's home is a ten-minute drive from where he parked, raising questions about what they were doing in the meantime.

Speaking at Scotland Yard, Mr Basu said: 'The public are going to continue to see a great deal of police activity in and around the city, including potentially more cordons being erected, but please don't be alarmed.

'It is necessary as part of this major investigation by the counter-terrorism policing network. In truth it may last many weeks.'

The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner would not identify any potential suspect, saying: 'It's a painstaking operation to identify anyone of interest to this inquiry, and eliminate them or include them, but at this stage we are not declaring a person of interest or a suspect.'

Investigators are also focusing on Mr Skripal's red BMW, registration number HD09 WAO, and appealing for any witnesses who saw the pair in the car between 1pm and 1.45pm on March 4 to come forward.

Officers help each other suit up before heading into a sealed-off area in Salisbury to carry out their work

Two police officers in gas masks and dark suits stand by in a Salisbury park as investigations continue

Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured in Zizzi in 2016) left a trail of nerve agent in the restaurant after their poisoning

World leaders throw their weight behind UK Leaders across the world have pledged to stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with Britain after Theresa May blamed Russia for the poison attack on a former spy on UK soil. Theresa May has held talks with world leaders to lay the groundwork for sanctions if the Kremlin fails to come up with an explanation as to how the nerve agent Novichok was used. She held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron last night who condemned the attack and 'offered his solidarity' with the UK. And Donald Trump - who spoke to Theresa May yesterday - backed Mrs May saying the US 'will condemn Russia' if they agree Moscow is behind the attack. And senior MEP Guy Verhofstadt said: 'We stand shoulder to shoulder with the British people.' Advertisement

Jerry Smith, a former chemical weapons inspector for the Organisation for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said the Novichok agent was 'very persistent' and could linger for a 'reasonable length of time' as a 'dusty agent'.

Public Health England was criticised for taking six days to tell locals to wash clothes and belongings. A source close to Wiltshire Council said: 'People are being kept in the dark as to long-term effects of whatever they might have come into contact with.'

Residents also expressed concern about the increasing number of cordons springing up at sites previously open to the public.

Mr Basu said this was 'nothing to be alarmed about'. He added that 38 people had been 'seen' by medical staff in relation to the attack. But only the Skripals and Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, among the first on the scene, were in hospital. A fourth person was being monitored at home but has shown no signs of poisoning.

Meanwhile, friends of Miss Skripal in Russia last night accused the British government of a cover-up. Yulia Ni told the Daily Telegraph: 'I need some undeniable proof she is actually alive, because we have suspicions that the truth about Yulia's and her father's conditions are being held from us.'

The Prime Minister told MPs yesterday that the highly dangerous substance used in the attack was a military-grade Novichok nerve agent produced by Russia.

Police at a supermarket car park in Salisbury yesterday, where a ticket machine has been put under a forensic tent

Soldiers in breathing apparatus and chemical warfare uniforms converged on a small village in Wiltshire yesterday. It is believed they removed a recovery van which towed Mr Skripal's car

Police have so far collected 380 exhibits and have been scouring hours of CCTV footage from across the city.

Detailing the timeline leading up to the pair being taken ill, Mr Basu disclosed that Yulia had arrived at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Russia the day before.

The senior officer referred to Mr Skripal as a British national and Yulia as a Russian citizen.

Experts said one theory is that the nerve agent could have been put in the car's ventilation system or dusted on the inside. Only a tiny amount would be needed.

Philip Ingram, a former intelligence and security officer who has studied chemical warfare, said: 'Using the car would explain why both Mr Skripal and his daughter got a dose.

'It is easy to break into a car and put some of the substance in there. This nerve agent Novichok would have taken hours at most to work.'

Branding the attack a 'reckless and despicable act', Mrs May said the substance used was a 'military grade' nerve agent Russia has produced and demanded answers from the Kremlin by midnight tonight

Police and MI5 to look into 14 deaths in Britain US intelligence think are linked to Russian activity The police and MI5 will study allegations a string of deaths on UK soil may be linked to Russia, Amber Rudd announced. The revelation by the Home Secretary follows reports claiming that US intelligence sources suspect as many as 14 people may have been assassinated on British soil by Russia's security services or mafia groups. In each of the cases, including the deaths of prominent Putin critic Boris Berezovsky and whistle-blower Alexander Perepilichnyy, police investigations and inquests found no evidence of foul play. Advertisement

Mrs May said the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, which also left policeman Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey seriously ill, was an 'indiscriminate and reckless act against the United Kingdom'.

Chemical warfare experts locked down a Wiltshire village on Monday amid fears that Sergei Skripal's car could contain traces of the nerve agent that's left him fighting for his life.

Army and police vehicles and ambulances rolled into West Winterslow just after lunchtime before investigators in hazardous material suits and gas masks loaded a white transit van onto a flatbed truck. The van's driver was also asked to had over his clothes, it was claimed.

Police also closed off a Sainsbury's car park where it is thought Mr Skripal's car was parked. A parking ticket machine was closed off and a police vehicle was removed from the scene by the Army.

Locations around the town, including a restaurant, a pub Mr Skripal's home, a car recovery yard and the park where the Skripals were found.

Putin has made just one comment on the scandal, saying Britain should 'get to the bottom of it'

Kremlin accuses UK of 'dirty attempt to discredit' Moscow The Kremlin has accused Britain of launching a 'dirty attempt to discredit' Moscow by blaming Russia for the nerve agent attack on spy Sergei Skripal. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov insisted Russia 'is not to blame' for the attack in Salisbury which left the former double agent and daughter Yulia in a critical condition. His department also hit out at Britain's 'baseless accusations', describing them as a 'dirty attempt to discredit' his country. He warned that threats of sanctions 'will not be left without a response'. His comments came after Vladimir Putin smirked after being asked whether Russia was responsible for the poisoning. When asked on camera if Moscow was to blame, the Russian President smiled a little before side-stepping the question. He then told Britain it needed to 'get to the bottom of things there first' before he is willing to comment on the matter. Advertisement

Theresa May has set a deadline of midnight tonight for Moscow to explain whether it was behind the attack or had lost control of its stockpile of the poison.

Failure to provide a 'credible' response would lead her to view the incident as 'an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the United Kingdom', sparking unspecified measures in reprisal.

Mrs May said the government would not accept such an attempt to 'murder innocent civilians on our soil'.

She will decide on a range of sanctions over the next 24 hours after urgent talks with Nato, the United Nations, EU and US.

The Prime Minister will also draw up a secret package of measures against Russia which will never be revealed.

This could include targeting the Kremlin's propaganda machine. Whitehall sources said yesterday they were accelerating their offensive cyber programme and could hit select targets for a specific effect.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd, speaking after a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee, said: 'The investigation is going well. It is detailed and painstaking work with over 250 police officers in the area conducting this work.

'My priority is this incident, the investigation itself, so we get the information as quickly as possible, and also the safety and security of the people in the community, which is why we have such close co-ordination with the Department of Health and Public Health England.

'The Russians have started responding.

'The Prime Minister has been very clear that they have until midnight tonight to satisfy her requests.

'Until then we will wait and see what they have put forward.

'I know that international allies have begun to rally their support and make comments publicly but at the moment what we are doing is awaiting the Russian response before stepping up and responding as the Prime Minister has said we will.'

A police car was loaded up to be removed at the weekend as the Army and emergency services continue the clean-up operation

Soldiers in Hazmat suits yesterday loaded up and removed an ambulance believed to have taken Miss Skripal to hospital

Vil Mirzayanov said the effects of the poison could amount to 'torture' - and claimed that the use of the lethal toxin on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was a 'brazen attack'.

The chemist hit the headlines in 1992 after alleging in a newspaper article that Russia had been developing a particularly lethal new nerve gas.

Mr Mirzayanov, who was later arrested but now lives in the United States, had worked in a secret laboratory which was developing the Novichok nerve agents.

He said that the toxins were 'for paralysing people', adding: 'It causes you convulsions and you can't breathe and after that you die. If you get enough of a dose of it.

'It's real torture, it's impossible to imagine. Even in low doses the pain can go on for weeks. You cannot imagine the horror, it's so bad.'

Investigators at the graves of Mr Skripal's wife, Liudmila, and his son, Alexander, last week as the investigation expanded

News agency Tass quoted Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying: 'It is a circus show in the British Parliament.

'The conclusion is obvious, it's another political information campaign, based on a provocation.'

Mr Putin dismissed questions about the Skripals when he was confronted during an election campaign visit, telling the BBC: 'Get to the bottom of things there, then we'll discuss this.'

Scientist who created lethal nerve agent Novichok reveals its effects on victims The Russian whistleblower who exposed the country's secret chemical weapons programme has revealed the horrific torturous effect of the Novichok nerve agents on their victims. Vil Mirzayanov described the use of the lethal toxins as a 'brazen' attack by Vladimir Putin, who 'thinks he can use everything to kill enemies'. Mr Mirzayanov says a large dose of Novichok 'paralyses' victims before 'it causes convulsions, you can't breathe and after that you die'. Asked how the nerve agent works, he added: 'It's for paralysing people, it causes you convulsions and you can't breathe and after that you die. If you get enough of a dose of it. 'It's real torture, it's impossible to imagine. Even in low doses the pain can go on for weeks. You cannot imagine the horror, it's so bad.' The Novichok family of nerve agents were secretly developed over two decades at a research facility 50 miles outside the Russian capital. Many times more potent than other better known chemical weapons, Novichok agents can render gas masks and protective equipment useless. Advertisement
John Worboys, seen last month, was jailed in 2009 after being found guilty of 19 offences

Black cab rapist John Worboys has been 'granted his freedom then had it taken away from him', a court heard today.

The serial sex attacker's lawyer said it was a 'unique case' and the judges should 'exercise the greatest care and anxious scrutiny' when considering whether to interfere with the Parole Board's decision over the 60-year-old.

Three of the leading judges at the High Court in London reserved their ruling to a date to be fixed following the end of the two day legal battle.

They also continued a temporary bar preventing the serial sex attacker's release, which was originally granted in January after legal action was launched against the Parole Board's decision.

Sir Brian said: 'We will reserve the decision and take time to give the case anxious scrutiny.

'It is obviously critical for everybody, but particularly the interested party (Worboys), that he knows what the result of this case is as soon as possible.'

Edward Fitzgerald QC has also argued that the board does not have to take the unproven allegations against Worboys into account when reaching its decision.

It came as the board said it should not have to decide the 'guilt or innocence' of Worboys amid concerns over further allegations surrounding him.

Worboys (left, pictured in 2008; and, right, last month) faces a challenge from two victims who say Britain's most notorious sex offender must stay behind bars

The black cab used by Worboys to pick up his victims, who were offered cut price fares and an alcoholic drink that were usually spiked so he could abuse them

Mr Fitzgerald said there were a number of 'singular and striking features' of the case and the court should consider the fact the Parole Board is a tribunal with 'specialist expertise' which heard all of the evidence.

The barrister added: 'If it is clear that this decision is unlawful, should it be interfered with?'

Mr Fitzgerald said the alternative remedy to what would be the 'drastic and unprecedented step' of taking away Worboys' freedom was for release conditions to be 'strengthened'.

He told the court: 'Mr Radford has readily accepted proposals for additional monitoring, by way of electronic tagging and lie detector tests.'

After his prosecution police released images of Worboys's 'rape kit', which he kept in his cab. It included drugs and condoms

If the complaint was that other allegations against Worboys should have been prosecuted, 'it would be wrong to try to use the Parole Board as a mechanism for finding proven those allegations'.

But victims of Worboys who are bidding to block his release from jail at the High Court say the board should have considered the 'wider allegations'.

Two women, who cannot be named for legal reasons, say something went 'badly wrong' with the Parole Board's 'irrational' decision, which should be quashed.

However, a lawyer representing the board told three leading judges in London that it was not a criminal court, but an 'independent and impartial tribunal'.

Worboys told victims he was celebrating a lottery win and asked them to toast his success with a drink so he could stupefy them. Pictured: Bottles and items seized from Worboys

Ben Collins QC said: 'The board indeed does not have to determine whether there has been a crime, or what it is, because there has been a criminal trial and a sentencing exercise.'

He also said it would be 'unfair' for the board to consider allegations of which a prisoner had not been charged, as the panel would then have to reach its conclusions about such allegations.

He added: 'We say it is impossible for the board to find that a prisoner is guilty of a crime for which he has not been charged, consistent with the requirements of fairness.'

During today's proceedings, Mr Collins will submit to Sir Brian Leveson, Mr Justice Garnham and Mr Justice Jay, that the board's position is that the decision to release 'was rational and lawful'.

Worboys's lawyer Edward Fitzgerald QC (file picture) says the Parole Board does not have to take the unproven allegations against his client into account when reaching its decision

Also today, the 'serious suffering' and 'courage' of the victims was acknowledged during the landmark High Court action.

Reasons for Worboys' release finally revealed The Parole Board's reasons for releasing John Worboys have finally been made public. The sex offender, 60, was told he could be freed in January but the reasons were kept secret. Lawyer for the victims Phillippa Kaufmann QC told the High Court the parole board accepted Worboys posed a reduced risk of reoffending because: Worboys had taken full responsibility for his offending

He had undertaken treatment

Former black cab driver had shown 'good insight' into his risk factors and triggers and how to manage them

Worboys had been open and honest with professionals and was considered likely to remain compliant following his return to the community; Details of Woyboys' release arrangements also emerged today, including a ban on him driving a taxi. Other licence conditions include: Must live at a hostel or 'approved premises';

Curfew meaning he must be at home between 8pm and 8am each day;

Worboys must share his telephone call and internet history with probation officers and cannot delete them;

Must tell authorities if he enters a relationship; Advertisement

Mr Collins QC said he wished to say something about the victims at the start of his submissions relating to the lawfulness of the board's decision to free the serial sex attacker.

As Worboys watched proceedings via video link from jail, the lawyer said: 'Can I just say this in relation to the victims at the outset of my submissions.

'We are acutely conscious that underlying this forensic and analytical debate are stories of real and serious suffering on the part of the victims.

'I wish to acknowledge that on behalf of the board at the outset, and also to acknowledge the courage of the victims in pursuing their claims.'

He added that 'it seems to us to be important to do that' before making submissions on the victims' challenge against the release decision.

Worboys, who now goes under the name John Radford, was jailed indefinitely in 2009 for at least eight years after being found guilty of 19 offences, including rape, sexual assault and drugging, committed against 12 victims.

He became known as the black cab rapist after attacking victims in his hackney carriage.

Police believe he committed crimes against 105 women between 2002 and 2008 when he was caught.

During the High Court action, which began yesterday, the court has heard that Worboys denies committing offences other than the ones he was convicted of.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and The Sun newspaper are also taking part in the legal action. Worboys has served ten years behind bars including remand time.

A temporary bar on Worboys's release, initially imposed in January by the High Court, is continuing pending the outcome of the proceedings.
Harrowing CCTV captures a desperate mother's earsplitting screams after her six-year-old daughter ran into a road and was run over by a van.

The girl was left unconscious and airlifted to hospital in a coma after the horror crash in Smithfield, west Sydney at 4pm on Tuesday.

Footage from local businesses shows a white van driving along before the girl runs into the road as her mother shrieks 'wait for us.'

Harrowing CCTV captures a desperate mother's earsplitting screams after her six-year-old daughter ran into a road and was run over by a van. Pictured: The van before the collision

Footage from local businesses shows the white van driving along when the girl runs into the road as her mother screams 'wait for us'. Pictured: The van moments before the collision

The girl was put into a coma by paramedics before being rushed to hospital by helicopter where she remains fighting for her life. Pictured: The girl is treated at the scene

There is a sickening thud before the mother's piercing screams for help ring out.

The mother, who was left in floods of tears, was crossing the road from her car to a doctors' surgery with her three children when her six-year-old ran into the traffic.

The girl was put into a coma by paramedics before being rushed to hospital by helicopter where she remains fighting for her life.

The unhurt driver of the car was taken to hospital for blood and urine testing.

Police say he is not likely to be charged because there was 'very little' he could do to avoid the girl.

Acting Superintendent Craig Ireland said the 55-year-old man was extremely upset.

'It appears the girl has stepped out straight into the traffic,' he added. 'There was nothing the driver could do.'

A witness told Seven News: 'She ran into the road and the van hit her - it was just an accident.'

A New South Wales Ambulance spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'A girl was transported to The Children's Hospital at Westmead in critical condition after suffering serious head injuries when she was hit by a van.'

Police say the van driver is not likely to be charged because there was 'very little' he could do to avoid the girl. Pictured: Paramedics treat the girl after taking her to a place where she could be airlifted

A six-year-old girl was airlifted to hospital after being run over by a car on Tuesday

Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before calling in an air ambulance to race her to hospital
A baker in France has been fined the equivalent of 2,600 for 'working too hard'.

Cedric Vaivre, 41, received the punishment for keeping his business open seven days a week during the summer of 2017.

This broke strict employment laws in a country that still views a day of rest as being essential for everybody.

Cedric Vaivre, 41 (left), has been fined 3,000 Euros (2,600) for breaching France's strict labour laws by keeping his bakery open for seven days a week last summer

But those who rely on Mr Vaivre for their baguettes and croissants said it was 'disgusting' that he was being treated so shoddily.

They include Christian Branle, the mayor of Lusigny-sur-Barse, 120 miles south-east of Paris, where Mr Vaivre's Lake Bakey is situated.

'These kind of laws are killing our businesses,' said Mr Branle. 'You have to show some common sense if you're a small rural community in an area where there is not a lot of competition.'

Referring to the influx of tourists Lusigny receives during the summer months, Mr Branle said: 'We need to allow people to work when visitors need this service.'

More than 500 people have now signed a petition supporting Mr Vaivre, who is currently refusing to pay the fine.

Local labour laws in the Aube department, in which Lusigny is situated, state that small businesses can only work six days out of seven maximum.

There are exceptions to the regulations, but the Lake bakery lost its right to ignore the law in early 2017.

France has a traditionally strict attitude towards work, upholding the 35-hour working week, and informally guaranteeing long breaks for lunch and the whole of August off.

Mr Vaivre is refusing to pay the fine and has been backed by the town mayor, who says exceptions need to be made for rural communities (file image)

Confirming Mr Vaivre's fine, an official at the Aube regional council said it was designed to protect workers from exploitation.

He said this was 'particularly important in regards to small businesses' where a handful of people could technically be working non-stop.

The source added: 'In this case, some may consider the fine is for working too hard, but in fact it's all about looking after the business.'

Bakers are part of one of the most strictly regulated industries in France, with the authorities viewing the provision of bread as a sacred right.

In 1995, legislation was passed guaranteeing bakers a minimum five weeks off every year, but town halls are still allowed to regulate opening hours.

In Paris, for example, bakeries are split into two selected groups  one that can close in July, and another that closes in August.

Such a division is, however, much harder to enforce in countryside areas such as the one around Lusigny-sur-Barse, which has a population of less than 2000.

This leads to regular convictions for bakers who ignore employment legislation.
Since its inception in 2001, the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals Gold Medal has been awarded to 27 dogs.

To date, only canines have been recipients of the prestigious award, however charity bosses say this would be extended to other animals if their bravery meets the entry criteria.

Diesel

Rescue-dog Diesel saved his owner's life when he barked at the foot of his owner's bed after a fire broke out during the night.

Josh Ash, 25, and his parents nearly died when the blaze, which started in their fridge, tore through their home on Saturday, May 28 2016.

Ozzy

Police dog Ozzy, who retired in 2015 after nine years, disarmed an armed assailant threatening to blow up a block of flats after severing a gas pipe in Falkirk, Scotland,

K9 Killer

K9 Killer helped his handler Sergeant Amos Mzimba in Kruger National Park, South Africa, arrest more than 77 people in a tireless campaign against illegal rhino poaching.

Gage

Police dog Gage took a bullet for his handler Constable Bruce Lamb when a gunman confronted them during a routine drugs search in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Ajax

Explosives search dog Ajax (pictured below) detected a hidden bomb on the island of Majorca in 2009, saving hundreds of lives in the prison.

The search dog passed away in August 2013 at the age of ten, a week after receiving his PDSA Gold Medal.

Ellie and Jones

Faithful family dogs Ellie and Jones worked a double act when owner Les collapsed on a walk due to his diabetes.

Ellie stayed by his side while Jones ran home to alert Les' wife and daughter. Les went into a coma and suffered hypothermia but thankfully recovered.

Anya

Anya had just qualified as a police dog in January 2008 when her handed PC Neil Sampson was stabbed seven times by an assailant.

Anya leapt into action to defend PC Sampson and was stabbed in the chest by the frenzied attacker. Had it not been for Anya's dedication to her duty and unstinting devotion to her handler, both the severity and number of injuries sustained would undoubtedly have been greater.

Frodo

Frodo the beagle raised the alarm after a fire broke out in owner Jenny Barwise's home in Cumbria on Friday, May 30 2008.

Oi

On Wednesday 18 June 2008, Patricia Adshead was at home in southeast London with her daughter and former husband, Frank. At around 11pm, three masked intruders burst through the front door: two were wielding machetes, the other a dagger.

They immediately confronted Patricia, who was alone in the front room. Alerted by her screams, Frank rushed downstairs where one of the gang lashed out with a machete, slicing through his hand.

At this point Oi jumped up to protect her owner, biting the man's hand. In retaliation the intruder brought the machete down twice onto Oi's head. As he made his getaway, Oi gave chase, making sure he no longer posed a danger to the family.

George

On Sunday 29 April 2007, George, a 14 year-old Jack Russell terrier from Manaia, New Zealand, was walking with his neighbour's children when they were approached from behind by two Pit Bull Terriers.

The dogs were loose and moving quickly towards one of the younger children. George, who had been walking ahead of the group, turned around and faced the Pit Bulls. The brave little Terrier ran at the dogs, barking all the time as they closed in on him. Thanks to George's intervention the children were able to escape but they could do nothing to help the dog that had saved them.

Reluctantly, due to the trauma George had suffered, George's owner, Alan Gay, agreed to have George put to sleep.

George's bravery in the face of danger and his determination to protect the safety of his young friends prevented serious injury and potentially saved the lives of all five children.

Bosnich

On Saturday 12 August 2006, 73 year-old Mark Corrie took his daughter's dog, Bosnich, for their regular walk in Gelt Woods near Brampton in Cumbria. But when he failed to return by the expected time, Mark's daughter, Lorna Farish, called the police. For two days police search dogs and volunteers from mountain rescue teams scoured the district for man and dog, but without success.

Local walkers Susan and Jim Burns and Sheila and Fred Brown decided to investigate a dog howling on the south side of Cumrew Fell, some seven miles from Brampton. At the top of the first ridge, they spotted Bos whose howl changed to a persistent bark. Bos led them to where Mark Corrie was lying.

Ghillie

On the morning of Monday December 19, 2010, devoted pet dog Ghillie was enjoying a morning stroll on the local bridle path with his owner's mother, Mary Wilson, when Mrs Wilson suddenly collapsed. Seeing her lying unconscious, Ghillie wasted no time in running for help.

His constant barking attracted the attention of a team of engineers from Scottish and Southern Energy, who realised the dog was determined to show them something. Following Ghillie along the path the men discovered Mary lying unconscious, but breathing, next to a ditch.

Mary was carefully transferred to Balfour Hospital where, happily, she made a full recovery.

Ghillie's determination to gain help for Mary after her fall secured her rescue and undoubtedly saved her life.

Vinnie

Vinnie and his handler, PC Dave Coleman, were already on duty in the City when they were urgently deployed to the terrorist explosion at Russell Square tube station on June 7, 2005.

Vinnie immediately began a search for secondary explosive devices in order to establish a clear and safe route for medical assistance to reach the many casualties.

Incredible: Vinnie and his handler, PC Dave Coleman, searched for explosives after the London terror attack on Russell Square tube station on June 7, 2005

Jake

Jake, and his handler, PC Robert Crawford, were deployed to Tavistock Square, where casualties needed urgent attention after a bomb explosion on a double-decker bus on June 7, 2005.

Jake immediately began a search of the street leading to the bus. Working through shattered glass and twisted metal, he secured a safe route for an explosives officer to investigate a suspect device on the bus and for paramedics to reach injured passengers. Jake also then secured an area close to the bus to enable a makeshift field hospital to treat casualties.

Billy

Billy and his handler, PC Rob Brydon-Brown (pictured together below), were deployed to what they believed to be a train crash at Aldgate tube station. They were met by a sea of casualties and from the nature of the injuries it was clear that there had been an explosion.

Billy was tasked to secure the scene by searching the length of the underground tunnel. Despite immense heat and poor visibility, Billy remained constant to his duties and did not falter.

Billy remained on call throughout the day and attended 21 locations in response to alerts from the public. Working tirelessly and in the face of danger, his skills and determination to protect the public and the emergency services proved invaluable throughout this tragic event.

Bamse

Bamse (Norwegian for 'teddy bear') (1937  22 July 1944) was a St. Bernard that became the heroic mascot of the Free Norwegian Forces during the Second World War. He became a symbol of Norwegian freedom during the war. He was given an award posthumously in 2005.

The dog became famous aboard the ship when in 1941, he knocked a knifeman flying into the water after Lieutenant Commander Olav August Johan Nilsen was set upon. Witnesses said the act saved his master's life.

The following year on an Autumn morning in 1942, Bamse was the only one to see a sailor fall overboard. He barked but no one picked up on the problem. The brave dog overcame his fear of heights and jumped into the see to swim towards to the distressed sailor who clung to his coat as the dog swam towards the dockside.

Dylan & Cracker

In March 1999, Dylan saved the lives of four students lost for several hours on the mountains of Mourne. Despite exceptionally poor weather conditions, Dylan located the group stranded on a ledge 250 feet above ground level. He stayed on duty until the rescue team had lifted everyone to safety.

Cracker, Dylan's brother, was also part of the 1999 Turkish earthquake search team locating bodies trapped in the debris. His ability to locate the deceased gave families the opportunity to pay their last respects to loved ones.

Cracker is the only dog in the UK trained to locate bodies in water. His skills have helped locate four people, bringing closure and peace of mind to grieving families.

Orca saved her owner Cheryl Smith's life

Orca

Orca saved her owner's life after Cheryl Smith (pictured together, right) plunged down a 15-foot embankment when her powered wheelchair hit a rock.

The golden retriever guarded Cheryl until she asked him to 'get help'. The hound dutifully did so which lead to Cheryl's rescue.

Blue

On 8 March 2005, police dog Blue was stabbed after responding to reports of a violent suspect wanted for theft in Wakefield.

Blue found the suspect but sustained two deep stab wounds. His actions resulted in the detention of an armed offender and he defused a volatile situation that could have resulted in the loss of human life.

Zoltan

Police dog Zoltan was stabbed in the chest after protecting his handler Police Constable Andrew Lawton on April 14, 2005.

During the operation he lost one-fifth of his blood. Happily, Zoltan went on to make a full recovery and soon returned to active duty.

Endal

Endal, the Canine partner of Gulf War veteran Allen Parton, became his master's aid after he suffered a brain tumour and was bound to a wheelchair.

On 24 May 2001, Allen was knocked out of his chair in a car park and left unconscious. Endal did not panic and manoeuvred Allen into the recovery position, covered him with a blanket from the wheelchair and pushed the mobile to Allen's face

Monty

Monty - a Metropolitan police dog - was rewarded with a PDSA Gold Medal for Animal Gallantry and Devotion to Duty in recognition of his gallantry following an armed siege in London.

Monty was instrumental in overpowering a man who had been wielding a knife and threatening his handler PC Stuart Judd. Monty was stabbed several times by his attacker but continued to do his duty.

Monty required emergency surgery after the event in February 2001 but just weeks later was ready to resume active duty.

Bulla

Bulla - a Leicestershire police dog - was killed in the line of duty in May 1990. He was apprehending a man brandishing a butcher's knife and threatening civilians and police officers. Sadly Bulla was stabbed through the neck and into the heart. Despite all efforts to save him, Bulla died at the scene.
A blinding, late-afternoon snow squall caused an 81-vehicle pileup on a major highway in central Ohio on Tuesday.

The crashes left vehicles crunched, tipped over and scattered at odd angles across lanes of Interstate 71.

Authorities said the mess blocked the highway for hours in Morrow County, roughly 40 miles northeast of Columbus.

The State Highway Patrol said the traffic involved included 11 commercial vehicles.

A blinding snow squall caused an 81-vehicle pileup on a major highway in central Ohio on Tuesday

The crashes left cars crunched, tipped over and scattered at across lanes of I-71

Authorities said the mess blocked the highway for hours in Morrow County, roughly 40 miles northeast of Columbus

According to the News Journal, at least six tractor-trailer rigs were involved, with one ending up on its side.

State troopers didn't immediately provide a full count of how many people were hurt, but said none of those injuries was considered life-threatening.

Weather.com meteorologist Jonathan Belles said a counter-clockwise flow on the outskirts of Winter Storm Skylar allowed the recently thawed Great Lakes to produce bursts of snow throughout areas downwind of the lakes, including Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland.

An emergency dispatcher received an initial call about two vehicles on the side of the road, but minutes later, more calls came in as cars began crashing into each other.

The State Highway Patrol said the traffic involved included 11 commercial vehicles

At least six or seven tractor-trailer rigs were involved, with one leaning ending up on its side

State troopers didn't immediately provide a full count of how many people were hurt, but said none of those injuries was considered life-threatening

Early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service for Cleveland, Ohio, warned that snow was still falling across parts of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania

The NWS expanded winter weather advisories for residents as well as winter storm warning that remain in effect until 8pm Wednesday night (above)

The Ohio Department of Transportation said the southbound lanes of 71 opened around 6pm, while the northbound lanes reopened just after 10pm.

Early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service for Cleveland, Ohio, warned that snow was still falling across parts of northeast Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania.

'Some roads are still snow covered from snow last night. Use caution on untreated roads and during snow showers/squalls,' the service wrote on Facebook.

A short time later, the NWS in Cleveland reported that heavy snow 'continues across far Northeast Ohio and Northwest Pennsylvania'.

The NWS expanded winter weather advisories for residents as well as winter storm warning that remain in effect until 8pm Wednesday night.

A cold front is also expected to swing through Ohio late Wednesday night into Thursday.

The areas that are most likely to see snow on Thursday will be Cleveland, Akron and east into the Primary Snow Belt.

For St Patrick's Day, the forecast shows a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the low 40s on Saturday and into the 50s on Sunday.

The Ohio Department of Transportation said the southbound lanes of 71 opened around 6pm, while the northbound lanes reopened just after 10pm

A cold front is also expected to swing through Ohio late Wednesday night into Thursday (above)

The areas that are most likely to see snow on Thursday will be Cleveland, Akron and east into the Primary Snow Belt

For St Patrick's Day, the forecast shows a mix of sun and clouds with highs in the low 40s on Saturday
Leslie Gibson, who is currently the only declared candidate for the 57th district in Maine, took to Twitter to attack two of the survivors of the Parkland High School shooting - calling one a 'skinhead lesbian' and the other a 'bald-face liar'

A Republican candidate for the Maine House of Representatives has apologized after insulting survivors of the Parkland High School shooting, stressing he got 'very passionate' about constitutional rights.

Leslie Gibson, who is currently the only declared candidate for the 57th district, was speaking about two of the most prominent survivors of the massacre, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg, when he made his comments.

'There's nothing about this skinhead lesbian that impresses me and there is nothing to say unless you're frothing at the mouth moonbat,' Gibson wrote in a response to a The Hill article about Gonzalez.

In a later tweet he said calling her a survivor disingenuous because 'she was in a completely different part of the school,' than where the students were gunned down.

The political hopeful also called Hogg a 'bald-faced liar' after a comment the teen made in a CNN interview in which she said NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch 'owns congressmen.'

'Dana Loesch 'owns' Congressmen?' Gibson said about Hogg's interview. 'Completely absurd. Hogg doesn't get a pass when he blatantly lies.'

The GOP candidate was speaking about two of the most prominent survivors of the massacre, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg respectively when he made his comments

'There's nothing about this skinhead lesbian that impresses me and there is nothing to say unless you're frothing at the mouth moonbat,' Gibson wrote in a response to a The Hill article about Gonzalez

After receiving backlash for the comments, he took to Twitter to 'sincerely apologize' for the remark aimed at Gonzalez and to say it was 'inappropriate to single out these students regardless of whether I agree with their message or not.'

He also added that he 'took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States' during his military career.

'To me, that oath has no expiration date. However my passion for defending our rights must be tempered with civility, and that did not happen in this instance.'

But he added: 'I stand firm in my defense of our constitutional rights.'

He later wrote: 'I would like to extend to you [Gonzalez] my most sincere apology for how I addressed you.

'It was wrong and unacceptable. You are doing work that is important to you. I would like to extend my hand in friendship and understanding to you.'

Patt Fogg, a Democratic organize in Greene, Maine, said left-wing voters are trying to find a candidate to run against Gibson for the seat.

'I with I knew someone who could get into this race,' Fogg told the Sun Journal.

'That sort of stupidity really turns people off.'

Party candidates have until Thursday to file a petition and claim a spot on the ballet, though Independent politicians can file until June 1.

In a later tweet he said calling Gonzalez (pictured after speaking about gun control at a rally on February 17) a survivor disingenuous because 'she was in a completely different part of the school,' than where the students were gunned down

The political hopeful also called Hogg a 'bald-faced liar' after a comment the teen made in a CNN interview in which he said NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch 'owns congressmen'

Gibson appears to have since deleted his personal Twitter account,though his campaign account remains active.

Gonzalez and Fogg have so far been two of the most vocal and prominent of the survivors of the shooting that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14.

Gonzales, 18, has identified herself a Cuban bisexual in a piece she wrote for Harpar's Bazaar in which she described many of her interests before saying: 'but none of this matters anymore.'

'What matters is that the majority of American people have become complacent in a senseless injustice that occurs all around them,' she wrote, referring to school shootings.

'What matters is that most American politicians have become more easily swayed by money than by the people who voted them into office.

'What matters is that my friends are dead, along with hundreds upon hundreds of others all over the United States.'

Hogg has also been incredibly vocal since the Valentine's Day tragedy, and has repeatedly called out NRA members both in person and on Twitter.

Just after the massacre he was one of a few accused of being a crisis actor and not a real student survivor.
A Tesco delivery driver has won a legal battle with the supermarket after contracting a potentially fatal disease believed to have been caused by handling items soaked in rat urine.

Darren Finn, 42, is lucky to be alive after he was hospitalised with Weil's disease which spread through his body turning his skin 'Homer Simpson yellow' as his kidneys began to fail.

Doctors believe the lorry driver contracted the disease through a minor cut on his eye after handling empty packaging and food waste while carrying out deliveries from the now-closed Harlow, Essex, depot.

The father-of-two was admitted to hospital on November 15, 2012, where doctors treated him for kidney failure, jaundice and loss of liver function while they struggled to establish what had caused his body to go into near-fatal shutdown.

It wasn't until five days later that test results finally pinpointed Weil's disease.

Mr Finn, who now works for logistics company DHL, has received a five figure settlement after Tesco ended a five-year legal battle, prior to trial.

Darren Finn, 42, from Harlow, Essex, won a five figure payout from Tesco after contracting Weil's disease from handling items soaked in rat urine

Mr Finn said it was common to come into contact with rats on a daily basis while working for Tesco. He said it wasn't uncommon for rat urine to drip on his face. Pictured: A dead rat at the now closed Tesco warehouse in Harlow, Essex

Tesco said they take health and safety issues on their sites very seriously.

Mr Finn, a former Tesco employee from Harlow, Essex, said: 'I honestly believe if I hadn't gone to hospital when I did, I wouldn't be here now.

'After two weeks of battling extreme flu-like symptoms my eyes and skin both turned a violent shade of yellow and I could barely walk.

'By the time I arrived in hospital it felt like every part of my body was bruised and my head was going to explode with the pain.

'If I had waited another day to go to hospital the disease would have spread to my heart and lungs.

'I gave a urine sample to the doctors when I got there and it was the same colour as a glass of Coca Cola.

'That's when I really started to worry and they began asking if I had been on holiday recently or on a fishing trip. Had I been anywhere where I could have come into contact with rat urine?

'I had never heard of it before and had no idea you could catch it from rats but I knew instantly it had to be from work.

'Rats were constantly urinating over everything - the waste cardboard, cages we moved things in and the floor. It wasn't uncommon for it to drip on my face.'

The father-of-two was admitted to hospital on November 15, 2012, where doctors treated him for kidney failure, jaundice and loss of liver function. Pictured: A dead rat at the now closed Tesco warehouse in Harlow, Essex

Doctors believe the lorry driver contracted the disease through a minor cut on his eye after handling empty packaging and food waste while carrying out deliveries from the now-closed Harlow depot. Pictured: Garbage soaked in rodent urine at the now closed Tesco warehouse

WHAT IS WEIL'S DISEASE AND HOW TO SPOT THE SYMPTOMS Weil's disease is a form of a bacterial infection also known as leptospirosis. It is carried by animals, most commonly in rats and cattle. It can be caught by humans through contact with rat or cattle urine, most commonly through contaminated fresh water. It attacks the kidney and liver, before making its way through the organs. The disease can be transmitted through cuts and scratches or the lining of the mouth, throat or eyes. Symptoms include a high temperature, (usually between 38 and 40C), chills, sudden headaches, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, muscle pain (particularly in the calves and lower back), conjunctivitis (irritation and redness of the eyes), a cough and a short-lived rash. Olympic rowing champion Andy Holmes died of Weil's disease in 2010 aged 51, after it is believed the bacteria entered his body through blisters on his hands. Advertisement

Mr Finn said it was common to come into contact with rats on a daily basis while working for the multinational company, which employs more than 500,000 people across 7,000 stores.

Mr Finn said: 'Around four years before this happened we were asked to start picking up food waste and damaged items which were being stored in the warehouse.

'We started handling damaged products which were kept in thin bags that often ripped.

HE continued'As you can imagine, rotting food waste was a hub for rats and our gloves would get soaked in urine.

'Once your gloves are wet they harbour disease and they would stay that way for a while.

'The same cages which were used to transport food waste were then used to transport fresh products to all the stores without being cleaned.'

While he was in hospital for the week, Mr Finn claims he wasn't contacted by his employer until he had spoken with his union representative.

Mr Finn, who has been married to his wife Carly, 42, for 12 years, said: 'One of the doctors actually said to me while I was in hospital that if I hadn't of been in good shape and health, the consequences could have been fatal.

'The ordeal has had a profound effect on my life with a real negative impact on my marriage.

'Throughout everything, I really felt as if the Tesco managers didn't care about my welfare or the rest of my colleagues.

'Although those in charge didn't provide me with support while I was in hospital, my colleagues did - grouping together to do a whip-round to cover the financial loss of being too sick to do Christmas overtime.'

Mr Finn said: 'One of the doctors actually said to me while I was in hospital that if I hadn't of been in good shape and health, the consequences could have been fatal'

Tracey Benson, specialist personal injury lawyer from Slater and Gordon, who represented Mr Finn, said: 'Darren has been through a huge ordeal which has had an extremely negative effect on his life for a number of years.

'No worker should have their life put at risk at work and be forced to work in squalid conditions.

'The employer has a duty of care to keep all their staff safe while in the work place and in this case regulations applied which were breached.

'This duty was not carried out here and we hope the company will learn from these mistakes.'

A Tesco spokesman said: 'We take any health and safety issues at our sites very seriously.

'Following Mr Finn's original allegation in December 2012, the Harlow site where he was based was thoroughly inspected by Environmental Health officers who found we had robust pest control routines in place.'
Australia is investigating what visas can be offered to white South African farmers who are facing violence and land seizures at home.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton believes the farmers deserve 'special attention' and need help from a 'civilised country' like Australia.

'If you look at the footage and read the stories, you hear the accounts, it's a horrific circumstance they face,' Mr Dutton told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

Australia is investigating what visas can be offered to white South African farmers who are facing violence and land seizures at home (stock image)

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) believes the farmers deserve 'special attention' and need help from a 'civilised country' like Australia

'We have the potential to help some of these people that are being persecuted.'

The South African parliament recently passed a motion which may lead to white farmers having their land seized and given to black owners without compensation.

'We must ensure that we restore the dignity of our people without compensating the criminals who stole our land,' Economic Freedom Fighters party leader Julius Malema said, The Independent reported.

Confiscating the land could potentially lead to food shortages and an economic crisis similar to Zimbabwe.

With an uncertain farming future and heavy drought, white South African farmers are already being pushed out of the industry.

Mr Dutton has directed the Home Affairs department to explore whether the farmers can be accepted into Australia through refugee, humanitarian or other visas, including the in-country persecution visa category.

'I do think on the information that I've seen, people do need help, and they need help from a civilised country like ours,' Mr Dutton said.

The minister said it was clear the farmers in question wanted to work hard and contribute to countries like Australia.

The South African parliament recently passed a motion which may lead to white farmers having their land seized and given to black owners without compensation (stock image)

Confiscating the land could potentially lead to food shortages and an economic crisis similar to Zimbabwe (stock image)

However people have slammed the minister for his 'racist' decision to support white South Africans instead of those on Manus Island (pictured)

'We want people who want to come here, abide by our laws, integrate into our society, work hard, not lead a life on welfare,' he said.

'And I think these people deserve special attention and we're certainly applying that special attention now.'

Mr Dutton suggested an announcement could be made soon.

'We're just looking at the moment at what might be feasible and hopefully we'll make an announcement in due course,' he said.

'So Peter Dutton considers white South Africans to have suffered 'horrific circumstances', but the refugees, including Rohingya refugees, who languished for years in the Manus Island detention centre did not. Disgraceful,' one person wrote online (pictured)

'You didn't really care about those on boats who came here .... only sporting different skin colour,' another shared (pictured)

'Peter Dutton proving once again that whit supremacy has no subtlety,' one wrote (pictured)

Many people appeared angered by Mr Dutton's comments on social media with some people calling him 'racist'

'It's very interesting that Peter Dutton talk about the white South African deserve special attention no one cares about your statements ...,' another person shared (pictured)

However, people have slammed Mr Dutton for his decision to want to help white South Africans but not the refugees on Manus Island.

'So Peter Dutton considers white South Africans to have suffered 'horrific circumstances', but the refugees, including Rohingya refugees, who languished for years in the Manus Island detention centre did not. Disgraceful,' one person wrote online.

'You didn't really care about those on boats who came here citing similar persecution only sporting different skin colour. Now all of a sudden you're a humanitarian? Just stop,' another said.

'It's very interesting that Peter Dutton talks about the white South African deserve special attention no one care about your statements while you have such a barbaric policy on Manus and Nauru. Australia considers fast-track visas for white South African farmers,' someone else shared.
Three university students are facing prison for plotting to import guns and ammunition from America - because they thought it 'was cool'.

Ringleader Shajee Buhary, along with Gabriel Addai-Brmpah and Matthew Sidhu, all 23, used WhatsApp to contact an arms dealer in Arizona.

The students, who went to Coventry University, spent three months planning to smuggle the weapons into the UK by getting them posted to them in parcels.

All three denied conspiring to evade the prohibition on the importation of prohibited weapons and conspiring to sell prohibited weapons.

Ringleader Shajee Buhary, along with Gabriel Addai-Brmpah (right) and Matthew Sidhu (left), all 23, used WhatsApp to contact an arms dealer in Arizona. They are pictured outside Warwick Crown Court

But on the first day of his trial at Warwick Crown Court, Buhary changed his pleas to guilty.

After deliberating for more than 19 hours, the jury convicted Addai-Brmpah of all three charges.

Sidhu was cleared of conspiring to import the guns, but was found guilty of the other two charges.

Judge Sally Hancox told Sidhu: 'This jury has found you guilty of your part in two conspiracies, one to import ammunition from the US into the UK, and one for your part in the criminal selling of what by then would have amounted to illegal firearms.

After deliberating for more than 19 hours, the jury convicted Addai-Brmpah (right) of all three charges. Sidhu (left) was cleared of conspiring to import the guns, but was found guilty of the other two charges. They are pictured outside Warwick Crown Court

'There can only be one type of sentence to be imposed, and that is a custodial sentence.

'These types of offences attract a minimum term of custody of five years. The sentence you receive will exceed that figure.'

Trevor Meegan, defending, said Sidhu had not even told his family about his arrest.

He said: 'It is now up to him to tell them about the outcome and the inevitable lengthy sentence he'll receive.'

Prosecutor Charles Crinion told the court: 'This case concerns three Coventry University students, intelligent young men who have willingly got themselves involved in serious criminality, the importing and selling of prohibited firearms.

'Why did they get themselves involved? Perhaps they thought it was cool, perhaps it was for the money.

A large number of text and WhatsApp messages were exchanged between the students and a young woman called Anastasia in Arizona. Pictured: The James Starley Building at Coventry University

'In this case that also means conversion kits, whereby a legal CO2 gas-powered gun can be converted into a lethal gun that fires real bullets.

'We say that over three months the defendants and others both in this country and in America agreed to import prohibited weapons and ammunition into this country and then to sell them.'

A large number of text and WhatsApp messages were exchanged between the students and a young woman called Anastasia in Arizona.

In one message in November 2015, Buhary asked her for a favour, and when she agreed, he told her: 'I need a gun.'

He said he needed 'one set of bullets and a gun,' which he told her to take apart and post to him in two parcels.

In December the same year he also asked her: 'BTW can you get hold of 22 LR [long-range] ammo?'

The court heard Addai-Brmpah helped Buhary by giving advice about how to smuggle the weapons into the UK and found safe houses for the parcels to be sent to. Pictured: The Alan Berry Building at Coventry University

In further exchanges he described having to make 200 rounds of ammunition, which he said was 'boring,' adding he had 'an incredible amount of orders.'

Mr Crinion said arrangements were made for four parcels to be sent from Arizona to the UK.

Two packages would contain 50 bullets, with the other two containing handgun components.

He said: 'Those two were stopped in California a short time after they had been posted in a UPS store.

'They had been badly wrapped, and one of them came apart, and the manager called the police.'

The two packages containing bullets were intercepted in the UK.

One was addressed to Buhary who signed for it when it was delivered by a police officer posing as a courier.

Mr Crinion said: 'Buhary was the main organiser, and it is clear he was working with a serious criminal who was in prison at the time, but had a secret mobile phone and was in contact with Buhary who would report how matters were progressing.'

The court heard Addai-Brmpah helped Buhary by giving advice about how to smuggle the weapons into the UK and found safe houses for the parcels to be sent to.

Sidhu made a Western Union payment to Anastasia for the ammunition.

All three men, of Coventry, were remanded in custody and will be sentenced together at a later date.
A dream wedding turned into a nightmare experience for a young bride after finding her hotel room allegedly riddled with 'blood-filled' bugs.

Isabel Chan was set to be married at picturesque Stradbroke Island in Queensland, and checked into a Meriton Holiday Apartments on the Gold Coast with her bridesmaids before the big day.

Describing it as the 'wedding from hell', she said her four-year-old flower girl allegedly found a number of 'blood-filled bugs' swarming around her head as she lay in bed.

Scroll down for video

Isabel Chan was set to be married at picturesque Stradbroke Island in Queensland, and checked into a Meriton Holiday Apartments on the Gold Coast

Describing it as the 'wedding from hell', she said her four-year-old flower girl allegedly found a number of 'blood-filled bugs' swarming around her head as she lay in bed

'It looked like a spider's nest had hatched on her pillow,' Ms Chan claimed to Nine News.

She claimed all three rooms her party had booked were infested with bugs.

Phone recordings show Ms Chan called the hotel manager who was made aware of the problem, but they allegedly refused to do anything about it.

'No amount of pleading for a new room... made any difference,' Ms Chan claimed.

The bridal party had no choice but to camp out on the tiled floors and leather couches.

Things then went from 'bad to worse' when they were allegedly confronted by 'extremely rude' hotel staff who didn't believe the rooms were full of bugs.

They were eventually issued a small refund and were moved to another apartment, but the hotel asked for payment for the extra beds.

Ms Chan claims the hotel also asked for a cleaning fee, but then waived it.

She claimed all three rooms her party had booked were infested with bugs

'All in our party were weary, astounded and outraged.'

She said the reaction of the hotel staff was 'appalling to say the least', and that all the help they received had to be demanded.

She eventually made it down the aisle but her mother was unable to accompany her allegedly due to the delays caused by issues with the hotel.

In a statement Meriton Holiday Apartments said the guests were given the option of a full refund so they could relocate to another hotel or another apartment at a rate of $280.

'They chose to stay at the Meriton. The rate is usually $300 to $350 for four guests, however six guests stayed at no additional charge for the two extra guests.'

She eventually made it down the aisle but her mother was unable to accompany her due to the delays caused by issues with the hotel
A mother with brain cancer trapped in hospital is desperately fighting to die at home with her children.

Kelli O'Brien has endured five operations since 2006, including one during which a quarter of her brain was removed.

Her 16 and 18-year-old children are stuck at home alone in New South Wales while she fights to get out of hospital.

Scroll down for video



Mother of two Kelli O'Brien (pictured) is stuck in hospital with brain cancer. She is pictured with daughter Meg (left) and Ryan (right)

She has endured five operations since 2006 and a quarter of her brain has been cut out

Ms O'Brien does not want to be at the hospital, just with her kids at home

The single mum just wants to spend time with her children, and she told A Current Affair she's feeling 'desperate'.

'I don't want to be here, I just want to be with my kids,' that's it,' she told the program.

'I don't care about anything else.'

Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has kept Kelli alive much longer than expected but believes her situation is demoralising.

Her daughter Meg is 16 and still at school, while Ryan, an apprentice, is 18.

The teenagers are running the household by themselves, cooking and completing the chores.

Ms O'Brien's sister Lee described how the children are putting on a brave face but they are heartbroken.

Her daughter Meg (pictured left) is 16 and still at school, while Ryan, an apprentice, is 18 (pictured right)

Kelli (pictured left) is pictured with renowned brain surgeon Charlie Teo (right), who has kept Kelli alive much longer than expected

'It's heartbreaking when the kids ring me and tell me they are crying themselves to sleep,' she told A Current Affair.

The hospital will not release Ms O'Brien until the National Disability Insurance Scheme is in place at her home.

Minister for Social Services Dan Tehan will reportedly send Department officials to be meet Ms O'Brien and the family on Friday.
Robert McDougal, 22, is facing felony vandalism charges for allegedly carving swastikas into the vehicles at Orange Coast College after he was suspended for two years

A California college student who allegedly carved swastikas and racial slurs onto campus security vehicles is now suing his own university.

Robert McDougal, 22, is facing felony vandalism charges for allegedly defacing the vehicles at Orange Coast College after he was suspended for two years.

But now McDougal, who has autism, has filed a civil lawsuit against the community college claiming that the school discriminated against him because of his disability.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court on Monday and seen by the Los Angeles Times, alleges negligence, emotional distress, battery, assault, and false imprisonment.

'OCC was grossly negligent in handling this situation,' it reads. 'OCC harassed Robert and discriminated against him because of his disabilities.'

'The damage to Robert's image and reputation is irreparable'

The issues began in February 2017, when McDougal received a B on a chemistry exam.

But now McDougal, who has autism, has filed a civil lawsuit against the community college claiming that the school discriminated against him because of his disability

McDougal began repeatedly emailing his instructor, Amy Hellman, to ask for a retake with the aid of a calculator, which he had forgotten during the test, according to college officials.

Email transcripts show that Hellman declined his request to take the test. Then, on February 27, McDougal allegedly barged into her classroom while a lesson was in session.

Costa Mesa police said McDougal was escorted out of the building by security officers but he ran back when they weren't looking and 'sprinted in circles around the classroom'.

McDougal tells the story differently. His lawsuit claims that the student became 'upset and fixated' on how the quiz would affect his 'A' grade in the class.

'He impulsively dropped the class, then immediately tried to get reinstated into the class,' the lawsuit reads.

The lawsuit claims Hellman agreed to let McDougal complete the two questions he missed without a calculator and be reinstated into the class.

It states that McDougal arrived at the classroom and was told to wait outside until Hellman's lesson was over.

McDougal's lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Super Court on Monday, alleges negligence, emotional distress, battery, assault, and false imprisonment

McDougal then claims he became confused when security officials escorted him away from the building.

'Once the class bell rang (McDougal's) sole focus was to get to class to retake the two quiz questions,' the lawsuit states.

McDougal claims he was then 'slammed to the ground' by security guards in Hellman's classroom and doused with pepper spray.

He was arrested by Costa Mesa police, who said McDougal was pepper-sprayed because he kicked the security officers and called one of them a racial slur.

Following the incident, McDougal was suspended from Orange Coast College and all Coast Community College District facilities until March 2019.

A restraining order was also granted that barred McDougal from entering school grounds or contacting Hellman.

McDougal has been suspended from Orange Coast College (pictured) and all Coast Community College District facilities until March 2019

The request, filed by college officials, also included an email from McDougal, in which he wrote: 'Haha, you guys are not doing a very good job at keeping me from going to class, are you?'

Just four days after the restraining order was approved, McDougal allegedly slashed the tires of two campus security vehicles and carved swastikas and 'the N-word' onto their hoods.

He was arrested and charged with vandalism, disturbing public school, remaining on campus without consent, resisting a public or peace officer, and disobeying a domestic relations court order.

McDougal has pleaded not guilty to the felony and misdemeanor charges and has a pretrial hearing on March 16.

John Christl, McDougal's attorney, told the Orange County Register that McDougal has since enrolled in another school and is 'emotionally distraught' over the ordeal.

McDougal's lawsuit names Orange Coast College, Coast Community College District, and several employees at the school.

He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
Bankrupt Toys 'R' Us is expected to start liquidation as soon as Thursday, a move that threatens up to 33,000 jobs at the company's 850 brick-and-mortar stores across the US.

The toy chain went into bankruptcy in September, receiving a new $3.1billion loan as part of its effort to turn its prospects around, but a lackluster holiday season failed to inspire confidence in the toy company's viability.

According to Bloomberg, the company was unable to convince creditors to refinance its more than $5billion in debt.

Bankrupt Toys 'R' Us (image of a store in Maryland) is expected to start liquidation as soon as Thursday, a move that threatens up to 33,000 jobs at the company's 850 brick-and-mortar stores across the US

The Toys 'R' Us liquidation would be the largest layoff in the retail industry since at least 2015, according to outplacement firm, Challenger, Grey & Christmas.

It will become the 12th largest job cut since 1993, right behind Circuit City, which laid off 34,000 people when it went out of business in 2009.

According to Bloomberg, it's still unclear whether employees will receive severance.

The company experienced some renewed success under CEO David Brandon (pictured), who since 2015 has sought to make Toys 'R' Us the destination for children it once was

'It would be a tough market for those folks to go into with their specific skills,' Andy Challenger, a vice president at Challenger Grey, told the news site.

The first Toys 'R' Us opened in 1957 and its inaugural CEO, Charles Lazarus, presided over the company until 1994.

Toys 'R' Us was bought out in 2005. In the process, it was saddled with major debts that it never paid off.

The company experienced some renewed success under CEO David Brandon, who since 2015 has sought to make Toys 'R' Us the destination for children that it once was.

But the changes ultimately proved futile in the face of the online retailing competition from the likes of Amazon, Walmart and Target.

This comes on the same day the company announced its plan to shut all 100 of its UK stores after administrators failed to find a buyer for the collapsed retailer, resulting in the loss of 3,000 jobs.

The toy chain appointed Moorfields Advisory to oversee an administration at the end of February.

But on Wednesday, staff were told that no buyer has been found for Toys 'R' Us and that all stores will close.

Toys 'R' Us is one of the UK's biggest toy retailers, employing more than 3,000 across its stores in the country.

Meanwhile, there is talk of selling Toys 'R' Us' Asian business, despite it being the company's most profitable area.

Toys 'R' Us in Canada filed for bankruptcy at the same time as the US division did, but the company's VP of Marketing told CBC last week: 'Our business in Canada is operating as usual.'

This comes on the same day the company announced its plan to shut all 100 of its UK stores (image of a store in London) after administrators failed to find a buyer for the collapsed retailer, resulting in the loss of 3,000 jobs

Reports that Toys 'R' Us could close all of its US stores had a big impact on toymaker stocks last week.

Mattel Inc, which makes toys including Barbie and Hot Wheels, saw its stock fall as much as 6.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, Hasbro Inc  which produces Mr. Potato Head and My Little Pony  stocks dropped 3 per cent.

It's anticipated that toy manufacturers will suffer from the Toys 'R' Us liquidation in the US, as the company accounts for about 15 per cent of American toy sales.

In addition, Toys 'R' Us was known for giving small companies and new products a chance, whereas other toy-selling retailers, such as Walmart and Target, prefer to go with tried-and-true merchandise.
Police in Gran Canaria have arrested a man accused of loading a sex tape of his British ex-girlfriend online after she broke off their relationship.

Officers in Spain acted after a request for help through Interpol from police in Humberside.

The revenge porn victim told UK detectives she was being blackmailed into continuing a relationship with her partner after he threatened to make the sex tape public.

Police in Gran Canaria have arrested a man accused of loading a sex tape of his British ex-girlfriend online after she broke off their relationship. File photo

The age and nationality of the detainee, who was held in the holiday resort of Maspalomas in the south of Gran Canaria, was not immediately made clear.

A Spanish National Police spokesman confirmed the arrest today in a statement.

He said: 'The investigation began when police were informed through Interpol that police in Humberside were asking for help to resolve a complaint filed with officers there.

'The victim, a British woman, said she had been blackmailed for the past four years by a man she got to know during a holiday in Ibiza in 2012.

'The sexual relations they engaged in around that time were taped without the woman's consent.

The age and nationality of the detainee, who was held in the holiday resort of Maspalomas (above, file photo) in the south of Gran Canaria, was not immediately made clear

'When the victim said she didn't want to continue the relationship, the detainee warned her about the recording and said he would have no hesitation publishing them if necessary.

'She continued to visit him in Ibiza and Gran Canaria every so often as a result, flying out to the islands from the United Kingdom, although she eventually ended the relationship.

'Soon afterwards she discovered the video on several pornographic websites.

'Police identified the man and arrested him in Maspalomas in Gran Canaria.

'He has now been handed over to a judge.'
Lt. Col. Joshua Kissoon, was in charge of a training battalion at Parris Island

A former Marine training commander has pleaded guilty to failing to stamp out a hazing culture linked to the suicide of a Muslim recruit.

Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Kissoon agreed to retire and forfeit $5,000 pay in a pretrial deal, after being fired from his post during the 2016 scandal.

Pakistani-American recruit Raheel Siddiqui, 20, died after jumping down a stairwell at a boot camp facility in Parris Island, South Carolina, in March 2016.

Kissoon was commander of the training battalion during the time and oversaw Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Felix, who was jailed for 10 years for abusing recruits.

Felix was accused of targeting Muslim recruits for abuse and brutal hazings and often called them 'terrorists' or 'ISIS'.

The worst allegation was that he on two occasions put a recruit in an industrial dryer in a late-night interrogation-style hazing, for which he was reported.

Other accusations included forcing recruits to choke each other, and ordering them to drink chocolate milk until they vomited.

Marine recruit Raheel Siddiqui (pictured) committed suicide in March 2016 after plummeting nearly 40 feet at boot camp

Minutes earlier his drill instructor made him run up and down the squad bay until he fell clutching his throat, then slapped him several times in the face while he was down

He also allegedly forced a Muslim recruit to conduct a mock beheading of a platoon mate while shouting 'Allahu Akbar'.

Kissoon pleaded guilty to negligent dereliction of duty for keeping Felix as a drill instructor while he was under investigation for the dryer incidents.

During this time, Felix forced Siddiqui to run back and forth in the squad bay and slapped him hard in the face when he fell down clutching his throat.

Minutes later the young recruit from Detroit was dead, having got up and run away, and not stopped running until he jumped, the investigation found.

Kissoon also pleaded guilty to willful dereliction of duty for not informing his superiors of a complaint that another instructor 'put his foot into the back of a recruit while he was in the pushup position'.

He admitted failing to convene a preliminary inquiry within 24 hours of being notified of the complaint, as was his duty.

Kissoon was commander of the training battalion during the time and oversaw Gunnery Sergeant Joseph Felix (pictured), who was jailed for 10 years for abusing recruits

Marine prosecutors argued the veteran commander took a lenient approach to discipline so his superiors wouldn't know what was going on, thus protecting himself from criticism.

'It was about doing what needed to be done, limiting what was going up to regiment,' Lieutenant Colonel Sridhar Kaza told the court, according to Military.com.

He asked for a harsher sentence saying Kissoon saw the draft investigation against Felix and knew his actions were 'full of prejudice and hate' towards Muslims.

Kissoon's defence countered that he could only do so much to change the culture of the 'Thumpin Third' Battalion overnight.

The commander of another training battalion said drill instructors would often play 'fast and loose' with the rules and were often not reported.

Kissoon also pleaded guilty to making a false official statement during an Inspector General investigation.

He told junior officers about an officer's comments in an anonymous survey that criticized his practice of using caution letters instead of stricter discipline, but denied to the investigation that he said anything.

Lastly, he pleaded guilty to conduct unbecoming an officer for giving his executive officer a copy of his statement to the investigators when he wasn't supposed to.

Meanwhile, Siddiqui's family refused to believe he committed suicide and filed a $100 million lawsuit against the federal government in October alleging 'negligence on multiple levels of command'.

Two recruits died at Parris Island, South Carolina (pictured), in an eight-month span in 2016, sparking renewed calls for congressional scrutiny

A redacted report into Siddiqui's death stated that on March 18, the recruit wrote a note to his drill instructor, Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Felix, asking to go to the infirmary for a sore throat.

But, as he didn't follow proper procedure, the recruit was forced to run back and forth in his barracks, the report said.

After several runs, he began to cry and fell to the floor clutching his throat, apparently unresponsive, the report said. He was ordered by Felix to get up and was slapped in the face.

After he was slapped three times, the recruit ran out a door and vaulted over a railing on the third floor of the barracks where he fell to his death, the report said.

At one point, the drill instructor allegedly called the recruit a 'terrorist,' according to officials.

Two recruits died at Parris Island in an eight-month span in 2016, sparking renewed calls for congressional scrutiny into the service's tough training regimen.

For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.
An 'uncontrolled' house party in Vancouver has caused about $20,000 worth of damage after a teenage girl rented the home online using her parents' credit card.

The 14-year-old rented the $6 million house online without her parents' authorization, West Vancouver police said, with about 200 teenagers flooding out of the residence when they arrived.

'We were receiving multiple calls ... reporting a large scale disturbance,' Constable Jeff Palmer of West Vancouver police, was quoted by cbc.ca as saying.

The house in West Vancouver is in one of the most sought-after areas of the Canadian city

More people attended the party that the 14-year-old intended, with revelers leaving a trail of destruction (file photo)

A massive clear-up operation is now under way - with the girl's parents escaping legal action from the home owner (file picture)

'Officers attending had basically swarms of teenagers leaving the house.'

Con Palmer said the party had quickly grown beyond its intended size and the home had been extensively damaged.

'Among all the damage, there were a number of containers indicating that alcohol had certainly been a part of the gathering,' he said.

The value of the walls, furniture and artwork damaged from the party is about $20,000 Canadian - $15,000 US - according to police.

It was a scenario that would not have been out of place in any Hollywood coming-of-age film, one commentator said.

Police said the family of the teen who organized the party has agreed to pay for the damage. The homeowner is not seeking any criminal charges against the teen or her family.

'The damage is some smashed artwork, furniture that was smashed, walls kicked in, furniture and other articles tossed off a balcony into a hot tub, very extensive damage that would take some effort to clean up, let alone repair,' Con Palmer said.

He added that everyone involved in the unfortunate incident had a lesson to learn.

'In terms of young people thinking it might be a good idea to have a party at any place where it could be difficult to control who shows up to a parent who would want to review how much access to and control of banking information their teenager has,' he was quoted by globalnews.ca as saying.

'And to anyone who has a property listed on any rental agency or online site, what steps are you taking to ensure who is actually showing up to rent your property, and what is their purpose for that?'
United Airlines is in hot water yet again following the death of a 10-month-old dog aboard a flight from Houston to LaGuardia Airport in New York.

The animal died in a Transportation Security Administration-approved pet carrier, which a flight attendant reportedly ordered bestowed in an overhead bin for the duration of the nearly four-hour flight.

The March 13, 2018 incident is just one of many times animals have died on United Airlines flights. In fact, the airline had the highest number of animal deaths in 2017, according to Market Watch.

Travelers are buzzing about United Airlines after a puppy was killed during a flight to New York

How many dogs have died on United Airlines flights?

Market Watch found that United Airlines had the highest number of airline pet deaths in 2017. Eighteen animals are thought to have died during United flights.

According to the outlet, United also had the highest number of animal deaths in the three years preceding 2017. Nine animals died in-flight on United in 2016 and 13 were injured.

By comparison, Delta Airlines had one animal death in 2017 and one animal injury. The previous year they had six deaths and five injuries.

American Airlines had two in-flight animal deaths in 2017 and one death in 2016.

Alaska Airlines had two animal deaths and one loss of an animal while Hawaiian Airlines had no deaths or injuries in 2017. Skywest Airlines also had no animal deaths or injuries that year.

About to fly @united to LAX with my best friend in a few hours.



Nervous as hell because the chances of a pet dying on United now seems as likely as not having your luggage meet you at your destination these days.



I refuse to be separated from my little guy! pic.twitter.com/WbdRkR2rVi  Melissa Chen (@MsMelChen) March 14, 2018

Traveling with pets

The Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, has a number of tips for traveling with pets. For starters, if your pet is boarding your flight with you, he or she will be required to exit their carrying case so that it may be put through the X-ray machine at the designated security check point.

Pet owners should control their pet throughout this process, keeping them on a leash. Animal Carriers will be thoroughly checked by TSA agents in addition to the X-ray scan.

Just read that this dogs death is the most recent in a string of pet deaths connected to @united. If an airline cant keep ALL of their passengers safe, Ill never fly them.  om (@oliviamunn) March 14, 2018

Human travelers may carry their pet with them as they go through the metal detector or walk them on a leash. If the animal triggers the alarm, a more thorough examination will ensue.

Animals are not screened using advanced imaging technology.

If you're pet is traveling in a kennel, a TSA agent will check the apparatus with you present. Most often this is done visually.

Who the hell would force to put a pet in the overhead bin??? Wtf? And why would you think would be ok to put your pet there! Ugggh this awful situation that happen on @united makes me so angry! Poor dog! :(  Sara Sampaio (@SaraSampaio) March 14, 2018

If the animal you're traveling with is a service animal, be sure to inform TSA agents. The process will be largely the same, with a few exceptions.

Inform TSA agents of any medications you and your service animal are traveling with and be sure to separate them.

I couldn't really sleep last night, and when I did drift off I was reliving last night. @Jezebel @BuzzFeed @BuzzFeedNews @peta @DailyMail - can you help me amplify this? It should NEVER happen again to ANYONE. pic.twitter.com/oBvVPCHCyb  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

United Airlines policy on in-cabin pets

According to United Airline policy, travelers are permitted to fly with cats, dogs, rabbits and household birds with some exceptions. In-cabin pets must be carried in addition to carry-on baggage and are subject to a $125 service charge.

An additional $125 charge may be added for any stopovers more than four hours within the United States or more than 24 hours outside the U.S.

Travelers flying with pets cannot be seated in bulkhead or emergency exit row seats. They must confirm that they are flying with an animal ahead of time. In-cabin travel with pets is booked on the basis of seating availability.

Just a reminder for those of us who follow airline rules to travel with a pet & pay fees, purchase carriers or otherwise have appropriate documentation, @JetBlue has always been the best and @united just murdered a puppy  Brooke Van Poppelen (@BVPcomedy) March 14, 2018

Two pets per flight are permitted in premium cabins on select United Airlines planes. Four pets per flight are permitted in economy on all United flights. Customers flying in economy with pets will need to be seated in window seats, according to airline policy.

Pets aren't permitted on flight to, from or through Australia, Hawaii or Micronesia. Unaccompanied minors may not travel with pets. Pets must remain in their kennels with the door secured in boarding areas and during the flight.

Nowhere in United's animal travel policy does it state that animals in kennels should be kept in overhead compartments.

TSA pet carrier requirements

Pets traveling with you in the airplane cabin must be carried in a TSA-approved pet carrier. These may be hard or soft-sided and must be able to fit completely under the seat in front of you on the plan.

The maximum dimensions for hard-sided in-flight pet carriers are 17.5 inches long by 12 inches wide and 7.5 inches high (44 centimeters x 30 centimeters x 19 centimeters).

Soft-sided pet carriers should be 18 inches long by 11 inches wide by 11 inches high (46 centimeters x 28 centimeters x 28 centimeters). They may exceed these dimensions slightly due to the collapsible nature of the carriers.

According to TSA regulations there may be one pet per carrier. Birds are the exception to this policy. Two birds may occupy one kennel.

Pets must be able to stand up and turn around comfortably inside their carrier.
Britain will demand a 'robust' response from the United Nations to Russia's nerve agent attack at an emergency security council, Theresa May revealed today.

The Prime Minister told MPs there would be an urgent meeting in New York to discuss the Kremlin-sponsored attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

The announcement came amid an outpouring of international support for Britain today, just hours after US President Donald Trump made explicit his backing for the PM's retaliation.

EU leaders rallied around Mrs May position, while support was particularly strong from Eastern European nations who share a frontier with Russia.

Any resolution at the Security Council is likely to be vetoed by Russia, another of the five permanent council members, which has ridiculed Britain over the incident.

Britain will demand a 'robust' response from the United Nations to Russia's nerve agent attack at an emergency security council, Theresa May revealed today

The Prime Minister told MPs there would be an urgent meeting in New York to discuss the Kremlin-sponsored attack on Sergei Skripal in Salisbury

In her statement to MPs, Mrs May said that the UK will deploy 'a range of tools from across the full breadth of our national security apparatus in order to counter the threats of hostile state activity'.

Law-abiding Russians living in the UK would continue to be welcome, she said.

But she added: 'We will not tolerate the threat to life of British people and others on British soil from the Russian Government. Nor will we tolerate such a flagrant breach of Russia's international obligations.'

She welcomed support from allies including the US, Nato and the EU, and said Britain would be pushing for a 'robust international response' at the UN Security Council later on Wednesday.

'This was not just an act of attempted murder in Salisbury - nor just an act against UK,' said Mrs May.

'It is an affront to the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons. And it is an affront to the rules-based system on which we and our international partners depend. '

In a positive signal for post-Brexit security cooperation, Donald Tusk, the president of the EU council, condemned the attack and called for 'transatlantic unity'

Nato Secretary Jens Stoltenberg announced all 29 members of the alliance had agreed a joint statement in support of the UK and in defiance of the Russian attack

Canada's foreign minister Chrystia Freeland said her nation 'condemned in the strongest possible terms the despicable use of a chemical agent in the UK'

The Spanish Government said it 'fervently condemns the attack' in another warm burst of support from European allies

The US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson underlined American support for the UK, backing the assessment that 'Russia was likely responsible'

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said there were Russian 'tracks' in the UK ans said hi country - which has been battling a Russian insurgency - 'stand in solidarity'.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics offered 'full support to our friend and ally United Kingdom', branding the attack a 'violation of international law'

Romania joined the campaign, tweeting 'full solidarity' and warning Russia that 'firmly condemns the use of a military grade nerve agent on an allied state's territory'

In a positive signal for post-Brexit security cooperation, Donald Tusk, the president of the EU council, condemned the attack and said that he was 'ready to put the issue on next week's [European Council] agenda.'

Nato Secretary Jens Stoltenberg announced all 29 members of the alliance had agreed a joint statement in support of the UK and in defiance of the Russian attack.

Canada's foreign minister Chrystia Freeland said her nation 'condemned in the strongest possible terms the despicable use of a chemical agent in the UK'.

The Spanish Government said it 'fervently condemns the attack' in another warm burst of support from European allies.

The US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson underlined American support for the UK, backing the assessment that 'Russia was likely responsible'.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said there were Russian 'tracks' in the UK ans said hi country - which has been battling a Russian insurgency - 'stand in solidarity'.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics offered 'full support to our friend and ally United Kingdom', branding the attack a 'violation of international law'.

Romania joined the campaign, tweeting 'full solidarity' and warning Russia that 'firmly condemns the use of a military grade nerve agent on an allied state's territory'.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined calls for international action in his widely derided response to the attack.

The Foreign Office confirmed today Britain had called an 'urgent meeting' of the UN Security Council to discuss the attack on the UK

The United Nations Security Council (pictured during an unrelated meeting on Monday) is expected to discuss the nerve agent attack later today

He said: 'We should urge our international allies to join us and call on Russia to reveal without delay full details of its chemical weapons programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.'

Mr Corbyn added: 'The events in Salisbury earlier this month are abominable and have been rightly condemned across the House.'

It was a 'dreadful, appalling act which we totally condemn' he said as he urged multilateral action.

He said it was a matter of 'huge regret' that there had been cuts of 25% to the UK's diplomatic network in the last five years - a comment which produced further barracking from the Tory benches.

Mrs May told him: 'This is not a question of our diplomacy, of what diplomatic support we have around the world.

'This is the question of the culpability of the Russian state for an act on our soil.'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn joined calls for international action in his widely derided response to the attack.

Separately, the president of the EU council, Donald Tusk, said that he was 'ready to put the issue on next week's [European Council] agenda.'

Mr Tusk expressed his 'full solidarity' with Mrs May in the face of a 'brutal attack inspired, most likely, by Moscow.'

The new developments continue a roll out of support from the international community for Britain since Mrs May first pointed the finger at Russia on Monday.

US President Donald Trump signalled his backing in a call with the Prime Minister last night, following the leaders of France and Germany.
Utah science teacher Skipper Coates' casual survey revealed the extent to which her students were participating in horrifying social media behaviors, seemingly unbeknownst to their parents

A junior high school science teacher's casual survey revealed the extent to which her students in Utah were participating in horrifying social media behaviors, seemingly unbeknownst to their parents.

Skipper Coates asked 85 of her ninth grade students at Pleasant Grove Junior High School to finish the sentence, 'What my parents don't know about social media is [fill in the blank].'

She posted the shocking responses she received on Facebook on Thursday, with the following comment:

'You guys. The answers were SICKENING. Heartbreaking. Depressing. Parents of the world, WAKE. UP. Your kids are living in a world that you are not invited to be part of. And they know how to keep you out.'

One response Coates posted came from a student who admitted to cyber bullying, excessive use of profanity, engaging in sexual messaging and creating fake personas.

One response Coates posted came from a student who admitted to cyber bullying, excessive use of profanity, engaging in sexual messaging and creating fake personas

Another student shared the late night hours associated with pervasive use of social media, with the teacher saying a common response was, 'I'm on it 'til like 2 AM every day'

'I swear so much and talk sh*t about everyone. I get nudes from boys I don't even know. I expose and make fun of everyone and I love cat-fishing,' the anonymous response card read.

Another student shared the late night hours associated with pervasive use of social media, with the teacher saying a common response was, 'I'm on it 'til like 2 AM every day.'

While this was upsetting to her, she wasn't surprised.

'Nothing shocked me,' Coates, who has been teaching for a decade, told ABC's Good Morning America.

'Nothing shocked me,' Coates, who has been teaching for a decade, told ABC's Good Morning America; Pleasant Grove Junior High School,where Coates teaches science, is shown here

Many written statements she received alluded to secret online behaviors that her students were intentionally hiding from their parents

Coates was prompted to ask her students, ages 14-15, in three of her science classes about their secret use of social media, in response to growing concerns about their overall well-being.

'With the recent school violence, the high Utah suicide rate, and the prevalence of school bullying I wanted to know more about what is happening behind the scenes,' Coates said.

'I also am a mother of three and have a pre-teen at home. He's been talking about how he needs a smartphone, but I see the damage they are doing.'

In Coates' post, she went as far as to say that teens simply don't need smart phones, seemingly equating her findings with the ease of access to, and private experience with, the internet that these devices allow.

Many written statements she received alluded to secret online behaviors that her students were intentionally hiding from their parents.

Responses included that the students thought adults didn't know 'how to find my pictures' or that 'I can delete my sent messages'

A card read: '[What my parents don't know about social media is ] the pictures that are sent or received and the things that are said over social media and disappear before anyone can see it'

Those responses included that the students thought adults didn't know 'how to find my pictures' or that 'I can delete my sent messages.'

One card read: '[What my parents don't know about social media is] the pictures that are sent or received and the things that are said over social media and disappear before anyone can see it.'

In her post on Thursday, Coates explained more about her motive for asking her students to answer the question about their social media use.

'Working in a Junior High is really interesting. I see these little people in their most awkward and most emotional stage of life. I teach them science, but when I have time I try to squeeze in some life lessons and mentoring. But it doesn't work if I'm not willing to really hear and understand their situations and problems,' she wrote.

'Lately, I've been really concerned about their mental health, bullying, and social media use.'

Several responses came back from her students that included admissions to involvement in, or at least witnessing, a wide range of dangerous behaviors

'There is a lot of cyber bullying, sexting, porn, and people that don't care about you and try to make you feel like crap,' one student wrote

Those concerns proved to be justified, when several responses came back from her students that included admissions to involvement in, or at least witnessing, a wide range of dangerous behaviors, related to drugs, sexual activity, bullying and manipulation.

'You can send nudes, receive nudes, sext, buy drugs, password [protect] pictures, delete texts, buy bongs, pipes, hookah [and] video of nudes,' one student wrote.

'There is a lot of cyber bullying, sexting, porn, and people that don't care about you and try to make you feel like crap,' another said.

'Kids really get bullied and there is a lot of inappropriate things and nudity. A lot of kids have secret accounts or send inappropriate things,' another response card stated.

'Kids really get bullied and there is a lot of inappropriate things and nudity. A lot of kids have secret accounts or send inappropriate things,' another response card stated

In a two-part answer, another student wrote: 'I'm often manipulated to think that if I stop talking to people, they'll attempt suicide or something'

In a two-part answer, another student wrote: 'I'm often manipulated to think that if I stop talking to people, they'll attempt suicide or something.'

Other responses revealed that social media is a place for some to express themselves more freely than they feel they can in every day life, but that they do so sometimes while engaging with people they know they probably shouldn't be engaging with.

One student wrote: 'I have a secret rant account [where] I talk about my mental health. I also have internet friends.'

One student wrote: 'I have a secret rant account [where] I talk about my mental health. I also have internet friends'

Responses revealed that some to express themselves more freely online than they feel they can in every day life, but that engage with people they know they probably shouldn't

Another said: 'I talk to people I'm not supposed to and I have an Instagram I'm not supposed to.'

'It keeps me connected to my extended family and my fake account lets me express my opinions and frustration,' another person wrote.

'Seeing them [the answers] in mass, and seeing how many kids were affected troubled me and I couldn't stay quiet,' Coates said, of her decision to share some of the most repeated responses in a public post of her own.

Another common response she received was, 'That I actually have one,' meaning the student writing that actually had a social media account of some kind.

Another common response she received was, 'That I actually have one,' meaning the student writing that actually had a social media account of some kind

The junior high school educator said that only five of the 85 respondents said they didn't have some form of social media account

The junior high school educator said that only five of the 85 respondents said they didn't have some form of social media account.

Coates' post sharing these candid and alarming statements quickly went viral, now having been shared nearly 30,000 times.

The attention it received compelled the science teacher to edit the original post with the following update on Wednesday:

'**EDIT: As this post is going viral it is important to me that readers know how much I LOVE these teenage people. It is easy to be critical of the kids, of the parents, and of me. If you must comment, use this as an opportunity to show my students good digital citizenship. Be kind. Have compassion. In the coming days, I will be working closely with my school, community, and local therapists to learn more about how we can help.**'

The original posting also said that 'all 85 kids [surveyed] have an average academic grade of an "A"... by all accounts they are "good kids."'
A husband and wife from Indiana have been charged with multiple counts of incest and molestation for allegedly having sex with the woman's three children for years.

Keylin Johnson, 52, and Sheila Johnson, 44, were arrested on February 27 in Ladoga and were being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $50,000 bond each as of Wednesday morning.

The Johnsons both have been charged with more than a dozen counts each of child molestation and incest.

Keylin also has been accused of possession of child pornography, while his wife faces an additional count of bestiality involving a sexual interaction with the family dog.

Vile crimes: Keylin Johnson (left), 52, and Sheila Johnson (right), 44, have been charged with more than a dozen counts each of child molestation and incest targeting the mother's son and two teen daughters

The case began unfolding on February 25 when the woman's 19-year-old son came forward about the abuse to a friend, who then went to the police.

The young man and his 17-year-old sister told investigators that the alleged sexual abuse began in 2012, a short time after Keylin Johnson came to live with Sheila and her children, and continued for the next five years as the family moved from city to city, reported the Journal Review.

According to an affidavit, the man convinced the 19-year-old boy that incest was a normal way of live and the best way to build a family bond was to have sex with your parents, particularly your mother.

He also advised it was safer to have sex with people in your own family, rather than strangers, the documents said.

Sheila Johnsons eldest son also claimed his mother was having sex with the family dog.

During the interview, the brother and sister expressed concern to the police for the well-being of their youngest sibling, aged 13, who was still living at home. The girl was removed from the Johnsons household the following days by the Department of Child Services.

According to court records, the 13-year-old told investigators that both of her parents 'would do gross things,' including showing her pornography and having sex in front of the children in the home.

The couple lived in this home in Ladoga, Indiana, with the woman's three children's until their arrest on February 27

When questioned by police, Sheila Johnson allegedly admitted to child abuse and incest with two of her children and an attempt at bestiality with the dog. Court records state that the woman said her husband was interested in sexual role playing and suggested to her 'mother-son sex scenarios,' reported WISH-TV.

During his interview with police, Keylin Johnson declared, 'I am guilty of internet porn and other stuff,' and allegedly described himself as being addicted to pornography.

The 52-year-old man also confessed to downloading and saving nude photos of one of his wifes children.

Police have seized a laptop and phone allegedly belonging to the husband, which was found to contain sexually explicit videos and still phone showing his 13-year-old stepdaughter.

The man allegedly threatened the child that if she reported him to police, he would show them the nude images and her mother would be sent to prison.

Sheila Johnson is scheduled to go to trial on July 31. Her husband's trial was set for August 14.
Some of Hillary Clinton's top allies are anonymously saying that she needs to stop talking after she said that white men pressured their wives into voting for President Trump.

'She's annoying me. She's annoying everyone, as far as I can tell,' one unnamed 2016 Clinton surrogate told the Hill Newspaper Tuesday. 'Who let's her say these things?'

During a trip to India, Clinton explained how Democrats struggle to attract white male voters and, in turn, white married women.

Hillary Clinton, on a trip to India, said that white married women were pressured to vote for President Trump by their husbands. Unnamed Clinton allies are suggesting that she keep these thoughts to herself as the Democratic Party tries to rebuild

On the same India trip, Hillary Clinton suggested that the states that voter for her were more economically advanced than those that voted for President Trump. That comment also irked Democrats who are trying to make inroads in places like Pennsylvania, which went for Trump

'And part of that is an identification with the Republican Party, and a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way that your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should,' the ex-Democratic nominee said.

Clinton allies told the Hill's Amie Parnes, who co-authored the Clinton campaign book 'Shattered,' that they found her remarks cringe-worthy.

A former Obama White House official said, 'If these statements are a form of catharsis, it would be in the Democratic Party's best interest for her to get these out of her system soon.'

'We need leaders like her to look forward to 2020 and how to unify the party, not continue to re-litigate the past,' the official said.

The comments from Democrats were published just hours after the party seemed poised to pick up a U.S. House seat that once seemed way out of reach.

In a district that had elected Republicans for years, and went for President Donald Trump by 20 points, Democrat Conor Lamb was less than 1,000 votes ahead. Even a single-digit loss by Lamb would have been considered a feat.

Democrats also experienced a big post-Clinton win in December with the election of Alabama Sen. Doug Jones over Roy Moore, an accused pedophile, in a deep red state.

Both states, Alabama and Pennsylvania, had gone for Trump in 2016.

At the same appearance in India, Clinton had dubbed those Trump-supporting states less economically advanced than the states that went for her in the 2016 race.

Clinton allies told the Hill that they thought this was counter-productive as the party rebuilds and looks to those now-red states for the gains Democrats will need to take back the House in 2018.

'She puts herself in a position where [Democrats] from states that Trump won will have to distance themselves from her even more,' one former senior Clinton aide told the newspaper.

'That's a lot of states,' the ex-aide added.

A number of endangered Democratic senators come from red states too.

Mike Reed, the deputy communications director at the Republican National Committee, pointed out to reporters Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat up for re-election in Trump-supporting Montana, 'was forced to release an ad today, 8 months before Election Day, attempting to highlight areas of agreement with President Trump.'

'The Democrat brand is isolated, elitist, and as out-of-touch as it ever has been,' Reed harped as he shared Clinton's comments with reporters.

'At the RNC, we try not to continue to focus on Hillary Clinton. We really do try very hard,' Reed snarked. 'But this one is impossible to ignore.
For years, the first time many Navy medics saw their first gunshot wound was on the battlefield. Not anymore. The Navy is now expanding a program to train medics at Chicago's Stroger Hospital.

Because Chicago has been plagued recently by a spike in violent crimes, the hospital's trauma unit sees more than its fair share of gunshot wounds, creating an environment not unlike the battlefields of the middle east.

'The experience here cant be replicated elsewhere, unless you have a major land invasion,' Dr. Faran Bokhari, who chairs the trauma & burn surgery unit at the hospital, told the Wall Street Journal in a story published Wednesday.

Since 2014, the Navy has been operating a pilot program where they train medics for the battlefield at Chicago's Stroger Hospital (the hospital pictured above)

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd class Dwight Koontz, stands inside an operating room at Stroger Hospital in Chicago, where he helped treat a man whose body was riddled with bullet holes, in August 2014

Doctors from Stroger Hospital in Chicago and medical personnel from the U.S. Navy check out a patient in the trauma unit at the hospital in August 2014

Navy Corpsman first started embedding at Stroger in 2014, but this spring, the Department of Defense plans to expand the program to make a rotation at the hospital an official part of a medic training.

Previously, medics were put through 14 weeks of training in first aid and patient care at Fort Sam Houston in Texas after boot camp, with the option for additional training.

But that training doesn't include practice in real world situations, meaning that 'the first time a corpsman got any trauma experience was when they were deployed, and some would just freeze up,' said Captain Paul Roach, a U.S. Navy surgeon.

The rotation at Stroger gives medics 'realistic, hands-on trauma training' that allows 'them to hone their skills and increase their readiness,' Defense Department spokesman Maj. Carla Gleason said.

After two days of training, the medics are thrown right into the mix, aiding doctors in the operating theater during the hospital's busiest shift - from 3pm to 3am. Medics serve in the unit for six to eight weeks. Some are fresh out of training while others are given refreshers before being sent abroad again.

The 14-bedroom unit treats 6,000 patients a year - many of them suffering from gunshot wounds.

About 30 per cent of the patients admitted to Stroger's trauma unit suffer from gunshot wounds, which is much more than the national average of 4.2 per cent, according to statistics from the National Trauma Bank.

The Defense Department plans to expand the program this spring, making it an official part of training for Navy Corpsmen. Above, Navy medics go through as battlefield simulation at Fort Sam Houston in 2017

Corpsman Konrad Poplawski, 22, is among the medics being trained at the hospital before his first deployment.

In his first week he saw multiple patients with gunshot wounds and one patient with a traumatic eye injury sustained after a motorcycle he was working on blew up in his face.

He said his rotation at the hospital 'has prepared me to deal with worse things out in the field'.

'Ill be the only one out there, so Ill have to learn from this,' he said.
Authorities in Washington state have revealed the identity of the US airman who shot dead his wife and two young children as they lay in their beds before calling 911, confessing, and then killing himself.

Clinton Field, 29, was an administrative worker for the US Air Force at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Investigators say that Field shot and killed his two-year-old son, Ashen, and his young daughter, four-year-old Ava, as they lay in their beds after midnight on Tuesday, according to The News Tribune of Tacoma.

Field then fatally shot his wife, Samantha Field, while she was also sleeping.

Clinton Field (left), 29, was an administrative worker for the US Air Force at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Field called 911 on Tuesday and told authorities he shot dead his wife, Samantha Field (seen with her husband right), and their two young kids at their home near Tacoma

Investigators say that Field shot and killed his two-year-old son, Ashen, and his young daughter, four-year-old Ava, as they lay in their beds

Field then fatally shot his wife, Samantha Field, as she, too, was sleeping in her bed

After killing his wife and their two children, Field went into the couple's bedroom and committed suicide

Clinton Field had a history of mental illness, according to investigators. He was said to be distraught over his deteriorating marriage and an imminent divorce

Ashen is seen in the photo to the left. Clinton Field is seen with his daughter, Ava, on the right

The airman then posted a message on Facebook and sent a text message to this father.

At around 1:00am on Tuesday, he called 911.

Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said Field confessed to killing his family.

'He thanked us for our time, but said by the time we got there he would be deceased as well, and he followed through with that,' said Troyer.

Dispatchers desperately tried to get Field back on the phone while a SWAT team was sent to the house, but it was too late.

Sheriff's investigators found the bodies inside the family's home near Spanaway, 45 miles south of Seattle.

Field shot himself in the couple's bedroom. His body was found just feet away from his wife.

Investigators also recovered a handgun in the bedroom.

It was later learned that Field had sought treatment for depression in years past. He had spoken of killing himself on multiple occasions.

He was also said to be upset over his deteriorating marriage. Investigators believe that a divorce was imminent.

A Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. deputy walks under crime scene tape on Tuesday in front of the family home in Spanaway, Washington

The sheriff's office said it tried to get Clinton Field back on the phone after his initial 911 call while a SWAT team was sent to the home, but it was too late

Authorities said that the family was originally from the East Coast.

Clinton Field is a native of Florida, while Samantha Field was originally from New Hampshire.

Investigators said they had moved to the Northwest region less than a year ago after the airman's deployment in Korea, according to Q13 Fox TV.

There was no record of any domestic violence complaints from the house, according to Troyer.

'This is a tragic case,' Troyer told KING-TV. 'We dont know what led up to it. We dont have any background.

'We need to try and determine why this happened, and the reason why we want to determine why is because maybe we can find something that will stop this from happening again in the future with somebody else that may be in crisis or having a problem,' Troyer said.

Daine Patton says he sold the home to the family about a year ago.

'It really breaks my heart for those kids ... to be killed by their father. That's horrible,' he said.

US Air Force personnel from JBLM have also joined in the investigation.
Indigenous Australians are still more likely to die from preventable cancers such lung, liver and cervical cancer despite overall improvements in survival.

Aboriginal people were 1.4 times more likely to die from cancer, an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report from 2009 to 2013, released Thursday, showed.

Cancer Council Australia called for indigenous leaders to talk more about cancer within Aboriginal communities.

Indigenous Australians are still more likely to die from preventable cancers such lung, liver and cervical cancer despite overall improvements in survival

Cancer Council CEO Professor Sanchia Aranda believes removing the stigma would help close the gap in cancer deaths.

'We need a much better conversation happening among indigenous communities about cancer,' Prof Aranda said.

'It still has a high degree of stigma; people believe because of the higher death rates that cancer is a death sentence and therefore the stigma and nihilism associated with a diagnosis drives down what we would consider to be good health behaviours.

'There's been good examples in various states where that's occurred in participation in breast screening where the rates have been shown to go up, so that community engagement is important.'

Aboriginal people were 1.4 times more likely to die from cancer, an Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report from 2009 to 2013, released Thursday, showed

The AIHW report showed overall five-year survival had improved, however the greatest improvement was seen among non-indigenous Australians, said AIHW spokesperson Justin Harvey.

'In 2007-2014, indigenous Australians diagnosed with cancer had a 50 per cent five-year relative survival rate, whereas for non-indigenous Australians this rate was 65 per cent,' said Mr Harvey.

There was also a disparity in the numbers of indigenous Australians being diagnosed with hard-to-treat yet preventable cancers compared to non-indigenous Australians.

Cancer Council CEO Professor Sanchia Aranda (pictured) believes removing the stigma would help close the gap in cancer deaths.

'We continue to see Aboriginal Australians disproportionately affected by smoking-related cancers, so lung and head and neck cancer, ' Prof Aranda said.

'This contributes to the reason why more indigenous people die of cancer, because they are getting these much more difficult to treat cancers with poorer prognosis.'

According to the data, lung cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in indigenous Australians (57 deaths per 100,000 persons), while it was fourth most common for non-indigenous Australians (31 deaths per 100,000 persons).

Liver cancer - mostly caused by Hepatitis B and C and alcohol consumption - was also more common, while just over two times more indigenous women were diagnosed with cervical cancer compared to non-indigenous women.
The parents of a nine-year-old girl, who was shot dead by her 10-year-old brother, have been charged with child neglect resulting in death.

Miyanna D. Jelks was at home with her five siblings, when she was accidentally shot in the neck by her older brother on Saturday at about noon, according to police. She was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead about an hour later.

Marcel Antonio Jelks, 32, and Talisha Lee, 29, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have now both been charged. Marcel, a convicted felon, faces additional charges of possession of a firearm by a felon and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. Talisha was also charged with furnishing a firearm to a felon.

Marcel Antonio Jelks, 32, and Talisha Lee, 29, face a variety of charges including child neglect resulting in death, after their 10-year-old son accidentally fatally shot their daughter, nine

Miyanna D. Jelks, nine, was accidentally shot in the neck with a handgun by her 10-year-old brother when they were home alone on Saturday. She died from her wounds an hour later

Video Courtesy WTMJ:

Miyanna's brother told police that he was left in charge of his younger siblings on Saturday, according to the criminal complaint. When he went to check on Miyanna, he said he saw her holding the gun.

The 10-year-old said he retrieved the gun from Miyanna and removed the gun's magazine. Then, while she was twirling around the room, he said he started to wave the gun around and that was when he accidentally pulled the trigger, firing a single bullet into Miyanna's neck.

He said that Miyanna then crawled around and fell down the stairs.

When Marcel and Talisha arrived home a few minutes later and realized that Miyanna had been shot, they took her to the emergency room, arriving at about 12.15pm, according to the Journal Sentinel.

An officer who was at the hospital said that he saw Marcel carrying a small child and that Talisha had cried uncontrollably saying, 'Someone please help my baby!'

Miyanna's brother told police that Miyanna (pictured) had been holding the gun. He took the gun from her and removed the magazine. But, while waving the gun around, he accidentally pulled the trigger, firing one bullet which struck her in the neck

Marcel told authorities that he and Talisha had left the children home alone for about 30 to 45 minutes while they were out shopping

Talisha (pictured in court Tuesday) told authorities that Marcel and another man initially brought the gun into the home on Friday. Marcel, however, told police that Talisha had purchased the gun on Friday, the day before Miyanna was accidentally shot

Police who searched the house where the shooting took place said they found an unusual gun lock and 160 grams of marijuana that had been divided into six bags

While being interviewed, Marcel told police that he and Talisha had left their six children at home, alone, while they had gone out shopping for about half an hour to 45 minutes.

He said that Talisha had purchased the gun  a 9mm Smith & Wesson  the day before the apparent accidental shooting.

Talisha gave police a different explanation for how the gun wound up in the home with her children, according to the criminal complaint.

She said that Marcel and another man had left the gun in her care on Friday night. At some point in the evening, Marcel retrieved the gun from her and then left the home, returning on Saturday morning to leave the gun with her again.

When police searched the home, they found an unused gun lock, as well as 160 grams of marijuana, which had been divided up into six bags.

Miyanna's 10-year-old brother was taken to the Milwaukee County Children's Court Center.

The Milwaukee County medical examiner said that if Miyanna had received medical attention earlier, it 'could have been potentially life-saving,' FOX6 reported.

However, the 10-year-old brother told authorities that he and his siblings, the youngest of whom was one-year-old, didn't have any way to contact Marcel or Talisha at the time.

Talisha was in court on Tuesday. Her cash bond was set at $15,000. She is due back in court on March 22 for a preliminary hearing.

If convicted of their charges, Talisha and Marcel could be sentenced to 25 years in prison. Due to his history of felony convictions for illegal gun and drug possession and bail jumping, Marcel's sentence could have an additional 10 years added to it.

A family friend has created a GoFundMe page to help raise money for Miyanna's funeral. Miyanna was described as having 'loved school, and helping her teachers and peers,' and being passionate about listening to and telling stories.
This the bizarre moment cleaners used a vacuum cleaner to spruce up Westminster Abbey.

Two workers were spotted using what is affectionately referred to as a 'Henry the Hoover' to suck dust from the church's arches while dangling about 100 feet in the air.

Footage shows them dangling from the building in central London using the smiley faced cleaner to freshen up the 11th Century structure two days after it hosted the Commonwealth Day ceremony.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell protested outside the event, demanding greater rights for the LGBT community in Commonwealth countries.

The 53 member states were celebrated as Queen Elizabeth II praised the diversity the Commonwealth offers at the event, which was attended by Prime Minister Theresa May.

The church has been the venue for every Royal coronation in England since that of William the Conqueror in 1066.

Though a church was founded at the site in the seventh century, it wasn't until 1042 that the current building began being constructed at the command of Edward the Confessor.

Since 1100 the site has been hosted 16 Royal weddings and in 1997 was also the setting for the funeral ceremony of Diana Spencer after her Paris car crash death.

The Henry cleaner - created by Numatic International - boasts far less history than the iconic church and was first released in 1981.

Two cleaners were spotted using a Henry the Hoover to spruce up Westminster Abbey in central London

Variations of the red Henry include the pink Hetty, green Harry and yellow James.

Manufactured in the UK since Numatic International's 1968 founding in Somerset, the bright, lightweight machines are most popular in the UK but are also used in France, Germany, the Netherlands and South Africa.
London's 'roughest' McDonald's has cut down on anti-social youths' behaviour after turning off the free WiFi - and playing classical music.

Locals labelled the fast food restaurant in Shepherd's Bush as 'awful' after there were 71 reports of crime in and around the branch in 2017.

Police were called to the location for bodily harm incidents, knife possession and suspected there were drug deals happening in the bathrooms.

But so far this year, cops have been called just twice after the location starting blasting the likes of Sergei Rachmaninoff, Beethoven and Mozart.

Playing classical music as a deterrent has often been used to stop teens hanging out outside shops and in tube stations, but this is thought to be the first McDonald's in London to use the method.

Scroll down for video

London's 'roughest' McDonald's, located in Shepherd's Bush (pictured), has stopped rowdy, antisocial behaviour by playing classical music

Police have also begun patrolling the restaurant in the west London area, and say they will be checking CCTV for bad behaviour to ban offenders.

The situation at the Shepherd's Bush location had reached such a severe point that police considered trying to shut it down, reported Get West London.

Officials also suspected there was drug dealing from the toilets and some incidents included possession of knives, as well as bodily harm against customers and security staff, the outlet reported.

In May 2017, a McDonald's near the Shepherd's Bush location banned groups of young people under the age of 18 from entering the joint in an effort to stop antisocial behaviour.

The restriction applied to groups of more than two to three people who were under the age of 18.

Franchisee Atul Pathak, Managing Director of Appt Corp, said: 'Working together with the police and the local council in Shepherd's Bush to help them with combating persistent anti-social behaviour, we thought that playing classical music at certain times of the day would help to set a different and calmer tone.'

Locals labelled the fast food restaurant in Shepherd's Bush as 'awful' after there were 71 reports of crime in and around the branch in 2017. But so far this year, cops have been called just twice after the location starting blasting the likes of Sergei Rachmaninoff (pictured)

Pathak continued: 'It is working really well and has been positively received by many customers, so much so that we are giving real consideration as to where else we might introduce it.'

Other measures that have been introduced to tackle the problem include using 'more proactive' security guards, removing free WiFi and bike racks and closing the upstairs area at night.

Locals have supported the decision and have even told the fast food mogul to extend the scheme to other restaurants.

Customer Sam Grant said: 'Do that with all of them. Good ideas and work to combat it though.'

Laura Robertson added: 'Needs to be done at the one in Hounslow, it's become awful down there now.'

Jessica Flannigan commented: 'Thank god. It was so scary walking past at night.'

Other McDonald's branches in the UK have also started blaring Mozart and Beethoven to curb violence and rowdy behaviour in its stores.

Playing classical music as a deterrent has often been used to stop teens hanging out outside shops, but this is thought to be the first McDonald's in London to use the method

The fast food joint in Glasgow started playing Bach and Brahms in July 2017 in the hopes of stopping drunken customers turn into angry diners.

The measure was introduced in Glasgow's Argyle Street branch after police were called to 200 incidents in 14 months.

In 2013, the Stockport branch had success in keeping customers calm and Gloucester and Liverpool have starting playing the refined tunes too.

The practice has reached Australia with some stores playing opera music.

A spokesperson for McDonald's said in a statement to MailOnline: 'We have tested the effects of classical music in the past and played it in some of our restaurants as it encourages more acceptable behaviour.

'Typically, classical music would be played from early evening onwards, and in some cases, on certain nights in a small number of restaurants.'
Authorities in Arizona say a police dog sniffed out bags and boxes containing 47.5 pounds of cocaine and 27.5 pounds of marijuana inside a BMW driven by a 20-year-old Texas man.

The dog named Vader was brought in after the driver refused to leave the car.

The Yavapai County Sheriffs Office said Eduardo Pedro Martinez was arrested for failure to comply with a police officer.

Authorities say the 75 pounds of drugs in his car are worth more than $1million.

Martinez, 20, was detained by Yavapai County Sheriffs deputies at around 7:00am on Tuesday.

Authorities in Arizona say a police dog (right) sniffed out bags and boxes containing nearly 50 pounds of cocaine and over 27 pounds of marijuana inside a BMW driven by a 20-year-old Texas man

Authorities say he was driving along Interstate 40 in Ash Fork when deputies pulled him over for a traffic stop due to equipment violations, according to The Arizona Republic.

The Sheriffs Office said Martinez repeatedly refused requests by a deputy to step out of his car.

The deputy then opened the drivers side door of Martinezs BMW sedan and ordered him out.

The Yavapai County Sheriffs Office said Eduardo Pedro Martinez (above), 20, was arrested for failure to comply with a police officer

Martinez aroused the deputys suspicion, so he deployed a K9 unit to search his car.

The unit discovered several packages containing cocaine and marijuana.

The cocaine packages weighed 47.5 pounds in total, while the marijuana packages weighed about 27.5 pounds.

The street value of the drugs which were allegedly found exceeds $1million.

Martinez was also found to have had a forged Social Security card, according to the Sheriffs Office.

He faces charges of possession and transportation of narcotic drugs for sale, possession and transportation of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, and forgery.

Martinez was remanded to Camp Verde Detention Center. His bond was set at $750,000.
Israel Tshikeva, 27, from Tottenham in north London, spent two weeks flirting with the 25 year-old woman on Tinder

A father-of-one raped his Tinder date after she told him she didn't want to have sex until they got to know each other better, a court heard.

Israel Tshikeva, 27, from Tottenham in north London, spent two weeks flirting with the 25 year-old woman on the app after messaging her: 'Hi you ok? You are really pretty.'

When he repeatedly brought the conversation around to sex, she told him she would not sleep with him on the first date, the Old Bailey heard.

But the pair ended up engaging in consensual sexual touching on their first date, before the alleged victim him told him to stop.

It is after this, which the woman claims Tshikeva raped her.

She text him 'get home safe x' before reporting the alleged rape to the police seven hours later.

'It is plain that Mr Tshikeva was interested in meeting her in order to have sex,' said prosecutor Paul Douglas.

'He is quite persistant. She makes it plain that she wanted to get to know him better before committing herself to a physical relationship.'

By the time of their first meeting, the alleged victim had indicated she was willing to kiss and cuddle him, the court heard.

In one exchange of messages she told him: 'I'm not looking for fun. I'm looking for someone who can hold me down. I would prefer to see how it goes and then maybe.'

When he suggests going back to her place, she wrote: 'No, not back to mine yet.'

Tshikeva replied: 'Nothing will happen, just want to cuddle and talk and spend time with you.'

She said: 'Yeah but not on the first time we see each other.'

When asked why not, she said: 'Because I just don't do that. It's not that I don't trust you, I like to respect myself. The second time maybe you can come.'

They first met in Tshikeva's car in north London at around 3pm on October 6 2016 and kissed, the court heard.

During an exchange of sexual messages later that day, Tshikeva said he would perform a sex act on her, the court heard.

Tshikeva, of Tottenham, north London, denies one count of rape. The trial continues at the Old Bailey (pictured)

She allegedly agreed to let him come round to her home in south London shortly before midnight.

The alleged victim claims she consented to sexual touching before telling him to stop, the court heard.

She said she suggested 'dry sex' with clothes on but he said that was 'gay', jurors were told.

The alleged victim said that she agreed he could perform a sex act on her.

She later told police: 'I said 'Stop, stop'. That's when he forced it in me..'

Tshikeva allegedly told her to 'shush' and kissed her to keep her quiet, it is claimed.

He carried on for four minutes before getting off and apologising because he was 'having problems with his kids and babymother', the court heard.

'It is a very old story transposed to the era of modern dating technology,' said the prosecutor.

'She was willing to have sexual contact with him up to a point. He was trying to sexually arouse her so she would consent.

'When it came down to it, she made it clear to him she did not want to have full penetrative sex and he knew this.'

Minutes after the alleged rape, at 2.03am, the woman texted Tshikeva 'Get home safe x', the court heard.

Mr Douglas told the jury that victims of sexual assault reacted in different ways and may take time to come to terms with what had happened.

The woman made a complaint to police seven-and-a-half hours later.

Tshikeva was arrested and claimed that the woman was upset he had been texting the mother of his child while in her bedroom.

He added: 'I am in total shock about the allegation.'

Tshikeva, of Tottenham, north London, denies one count of rape.

The trial continues.
Dr Nasser Kurdy arriving at Minshull Street Crown Court

A muslim surgeon was stabbed in the neck outside his local mosque by a knifeman who said later: 'I hope I have killed him,' a court heard.

Consultant Nasser Kurdy, 58, was on his way inside the building when Ian Rooke, 28, stabbed him from behind saying: 'This is for what you have done,' it is alleged.

The doctor felt a sharp pain to the back of his neck 'like a drill' and ran inside the Altrincham Islamic Centre in Hale, Greater Manchester where he grabbed a chair to defend himself.

Jurors at Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard he had not targeted the victim because of his faith, but because he was 'the first guy he had seen without kids.'

Mr Kurdy was then treated at Wythenshawe Hospital where he works as an orthopaedic surgeon for a 5cm deep wound, and escaped serious injury.

Rooke, who had been taking medication for a psychotic condition, left the scene and his brother, Daniel Chapman, was mistakenly arrested because he matched the description of the offender.

But after he was quizzed by police they made their way to a house where Rooke was, and admitted to stabbing a man and that his brother was not responsible.

When asked about the stabbing, Rooke told them: 'I'll take full responsibility - my intention was to kill the guy, it was me I did it. I wanted to kill him.

Ian Rooke, 28, who admits wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but denies attempted murder

'I saw a male with two children but thought no, that's not right. I then saw the other man and thought yeah, you're having it and I did him. I hope I have killed him. I stabbed a guy right, I did, I did.'

He added: 'I'm all right. It was either my brother or me going out intentionally to kill a person. I don't give a f**k if I have to do 20 years in a prison cell.'

Father of three Mr Kurdy, who was vice chairman of Altrincham and Hale Muslim Association was assaulted at 6pm on September 24 last year.

He had arrived late at the mosque and was forced to park further away.

In a statement he said: 'I saw someone about 30 metres away from me and I thought it would be someone visiting the mosque.

'But he didn't look like anyone I knew so I assumed he would walk by.

'I started to pass by him but without knowing I felt something on my neck - it felt like a drill and it was a sharp pain. I thought something had fallen on me and it came totally out of the blue and I had no idea what I had been hit with.

'But I turned around and saw the man. He looked aggressive and angry and he was confronting me. He was shouting at me and moving towards me.

'I was holding my neck because it was hurting but he was coming towards me. As soon as I saw him I ran into the mosque. I saw two female colleagues and I was fearful for them too and asked them to call the police.

'I armed myself with a chair and stood by the door. When I came out of the main hall there was nobody there. I sat down because I was in a lot of pain. People started to come towards where I was.

'I took my hand away from my neck and there was no blood. Someone came to have a look and told me I had been stabbed. I was taken to Wythenshawe hospital and discharged at 9pm that day. Fortunately I wasn't badly injured and there is a person in custody which helps me and my family feel safe.'

Prosecuting, Miss Louise Brandon said: 'As Mr Kurdy entered the grounds to the mosque through the gate he felt a sharp pain to the back of his neck. He quickly moved forward and turned around. The defendant was behind him. He was angry and aggressive and confronting Mr Kurdy.

'I'll take full responsibility - my intention was to kill the guy, it was me, I did it. I wanted to kill him. Ian Rooke in a statement to police

'He heard the defendant use the words 'you' and 'f***ing.' He also heard the defendant say 'this is for what you have done.' He was continuing to move towards Mr Kurdy.

'Mr Kurdy ran straight into the main hall of the mosque. He was concerned the defendant would have followed him inside and so picked up a chair and headed back outside but the defendant had already gone.

'It is not being suggested that the defendant stabbed Mr Kurdy because he was attending a mosque or because he is of Muslim faith. Mr Kurdy became the defendant's victim because he was on his own, in the street at the time the defendant decided to attack.

'Mr Kurdy received a stab wound that was about four to five centimetres in length and up to 5.3 cm deep.'

She added: 'Just across the road from the mosque was stood a male called Daniel Chapman. He is the defendant's brother. He was keen to know what had happened. Shortly after, the attending officers received a description of Mr Kurdy's description of the attacker. They thought the description was similar to that of Mr Chapman.

'They found him walking along a nearby street and he was arrested. However, he became distressed and told police officers that they had the wrong man.

Mr Kurdy was stabbed outside Altrincham Islamic Centre (pictured) in Hale, Greater Manchester

'As a result of what they were told by Mr Chapman, police officers made their way to a house where the defendant came straight out and told them he had stabbed a man and that his brother was not responsible for the stabbing.

'As the defendant waited to be taken to the police station, he made a number of statements about what had happened.'

He told police officers at the station that Mr Kurdy was 'the first guy that I've seen without kids' and 'he's having it.'

His solicitor told police that the defendant had no recollection of the incident and that everything was 'just a haze.' He also said he was 'truly sorry' for his actions.

Rooke was also captured on the officer's body camera after his arrest, and was recorded saying: 'My medication is on top of the microwave - it is an anti-psychotic, I haven't taken it today.

'I'm alright. It was either my brother or me going out intentionally to kill a person. I don't give a f**k if I have to do 20 years in a prison cell.'

Rooke admits wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm but denies attempted murder.

The hearing continues.
West Mercia Police Supt Tom Harding has 'significantly disputed' claims that 1,000-plus children and young women may have been groomed over four decades in the Shropshire town

Telford's police chief said today that the number and scale of girls sexually abused there had been 'sensationalised'.

West Mercia Police Supt Tom Harding has 'significantly disputed' claims that 1,000-plus children may have been groomed over four decades in the Shropshire town.

He said: 'I don't believe Telford is any worse than lots of places across England and Wales'.

It came as Theresa May told the Commons has said it is important that an inquiry into child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Telford gets under way as quickly as possible.

The Prime Minister said 'we have all been shocked' by the 'horrific' case, and said she was pleased that an inquiry would happen.

West Mercia Police has said that tackling child sexual exploitation remained its 'number one priority' for officers in Telford, whose approach had been 'subject to independent scrutiny' from the Home Office last year.

But Mr Harding, Superintendent for Telford and Wrekin, today disputed the scale of abuse.

He told the BBC: 'I am confident that, in the main, we do know the scale of CSE. Therefore, I significantly dispute the 1,000 plus figure and do feel it is sensationalised.

Becky Watson suffered two years of sex abuse at the hands of a grooming gang, which began when she was 11 and she died in a car incident when she was 13. Vicky Round (right), a friend of Becky's, was abused by the same gang. She was just 20 when she died of a suspected overdose.

'Read the headlines, read the reports. What are they actually discussing? They're discussing cases from 20 or 30 years ago, offending back in the 1990s.

'We've never said there aren't cases, there are always cases we are working on and seeking to prosecute.'

It is feared there are still 46 girls in Telford at risk from grooming gangs.

Lucy Lowe was 16 and pregnant with her second child when she was murdered alongside her sister Sarah, 17, and their mother Eileen, 49, in a house fire in Telford set by Lucy's boyfriend, Azhar Ali Mehmood

In Telford brutal sex gang targeted the innocent girls over a 40-year period in what may be Britain's 'worst ever' child abuse scandal.

Girls in the town of Telford in Shropshire were drugged, beaten and raped at the hands of the violent groom gang which was active since the 1980s.

Three people were murdered and two others died following incidents linked to the sickening scandal.

Lucy Lowe, 16, died alongside her mother and sister after the man who had been abusing her, 26-year-old Azhar Ali Mehmood, set fire to their house.

The taxi-driver first targeted Lucy in 1997. She gave birth to his child when she was just 14.

Mehmood was jailed for murdering Lucy, her mother Eileen and her sister Sarah, 17.

However, he was never arrested or charged with any sex abuse crimes over his involvement with the young girl.

Becky Watson, 13, was killed after a car she was in crashed. At the time the incident was reported as a 'prank'.

However, it was revealed she had suffered two years of sex abuse at the hands of a grooming gang, which began when she was 11.

Vicky Round, a friend of Becky's, was abused by the same gang.

They forced her into a crack cocaine addiction aged 12. By the age of 14 she was taking heroine regularly.

She died aged 20 after a suspected drug overdose.

Azhar Ali Mehmood was later jailed for life after being convicted of three counts of murder  but was never arrested or charged over sex abuse

Mubarek Ali, 34, (left) and his brother Ahdel Ali, 27, (right) from Telford were both jailed after sexually abusing young girls in a child sex abuse ring

A victim of a grooming gang in Telford told yesterday how she endured a 'whirlwind of rape' on a daily basis, as police, youth workers and medical staff apparently ignored tell-tale signs of her ordeal.

The woman, calling herself 'Holly', suffered four years of abuse as the ring sold her 'countless times' for sex.

Holly said she only escaped the cycle of abuse by leaving her home in the Shropshire town  where up to 1,000 children may have been abused over four decades  to live in hiding 40 miles away.

Seven members of the gang were eventually jailed in 2013 after a police investigation.

But detectives said at the time that up to 200 men from across the country had been involved in the ring  with a 'huge percentage of them' unidentified.

Telford sex scandal: Timeline of abuse 1980s Girls in Telford are targeted by groups of mainly Asian men 1996 A resident goes to police with information about a key abuser selling underage girls for sex Late 1990s Social workers learn of the problem but do little to help 2000 Lucy Lowe, 16, is killed alongside her mother and sister in an arson attack by abuser Azhar Ali Mehmood 2002 Abuse victim Becky Watson, 13, is killed in a road accident described as a 'prank' 2010-2012 Police probe Operation Chalice identifies potential 200 abusers but only nine are jailed 2016 MP Lucy Allan calls for public inquiry but police and council officials in Telford write to Home Secretary Amber Rudd saying this isn't necessary March 2018 As many as 1,000 victims are believed to have been abused Advertisement

According to Home Office figures, Telford, a town of 170,000 people, has the third highest number of child sexual offences recorded in the UK, after Blackpool and Rotherham.

Holly told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'I was abused from the ages of 14 to 18. My abuse started with boys my own age, who went on to sell my phone number to older men.

'And from there it was just a whirlwind of rape every day, basically. I was going into the doctor's and the youth sexual health clinic to get the morning-after pill, probably twice a week, and nobody even questioned anything.

'I had two abortions, still nothing was said to me. I was in cars that were stopped by the police and they asked me no questions of why I was there with a much older man...

'It got to the point where I tried to commit suicide, and still nobody asked me any questions about what was going on in my life and why I was reacting the way I was reacting.'

Holly was interviewed by police during the inquiry, known as Operation Chalice, which resulted in the 2013 prison sentences, but in the end decided she could not face her abusers in court.

She told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire she was taken to a 'rape house which was set up for the purpose of young girls being sold to men'. But the worst thing that ever happened to her during the cycle of abuse was when she was gang raped after turning 16.

She recalled: 'After that I tried to commit suicide. I genuinely wanted to die because I thought it was the only way out.'

Holly appeared to make a reference to the August 2000 murder of 16-year-old Lucy Lowe, who died in a house fire set by her 26-year-old boyfriend, and who has now been linked to the grooming epidemic.

'The only reason I kept going back [to the men] was because they were threatening me with burning my house down, which was a real threat in Telford because it had happened previously,' Holly said. 'They would [also] say to me that they would rape my mum and my sisters.'

In a U-turn yesterday, Labour-run Telford and Wrekin Council called on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to commission a public inquiry into cases of child sexual exploitation in the town.

The council, which said it has 'nothing to hide' over its handling of cases of grooming and sexual abuse of children in the town, previously insisted that the issue could be examined as part of the national ongoing Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

During PMQs, Tory Telford MP Lucy Allan said: 'Like many towns and cities across the country, Telford has had some experiences of distressing cases of child sexual exploitation.

'The authorities in Telford have now agreed to conduct an independent inquiry to find out what happened and to give victims answers'.
Advertisement

Incredible vintage photographs documenting the mysterious disappearance of an American pilot who went missing during the Second World War before being found in Britain have been unveiled in a new book.

Bud Walcott disappeared on April 20 1942, when 47 Spitfires launched from the deck of the American aircraft carrier, the USS Wasp.

His plane was the only one not to land and a signal was sent from Malta to London which stated that the pilot had 'intended to desert'.

Launching from a position just north of Algiers, the planes were headed for Malta, with the island under heavy siege by Axis forces at the time.

American pilot Bud Walcott was photographed in 1941 (left) and disappeared in 1942 when he crash-landed in North Africa. Virginia Tilotson (right, in her graduation photograph) later married the pilot after he was found in the UK

Sixteen members of 603 Squadron posed for a photograph at RAF Dyce in Scotland in the early part on 1942. Bud was part of the Squadron but is not in the photograph. Squadron leader David Douglas-Hamilton was standing on the plane's wing and flight lieutenant Bill Douglas was standing next to him

Another spectacular photograph in the fascinating collection shows the aftermath of Bud's crashed Thunderbolt at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, USA

Huge plumes of smoke from exploding bombs could be seen during a raid on Malta while it was under heavy siege by Axis forces at the time

Salvatore 'Bud' Walcott's Spitfire never made it and he crash-landed in North Africa, part of Vichy France, and was interned.

After trying to escape, he was liberated at the end of 1942 and returned to the UK, where he joined the US Army Air Corps and continued to serve as a pilot until the end of WW2.

He continued to serve with the US Air Force after the war, too, taking part in the famous Berlin airlift.

Fascinating pictures now give an insight into Bud's life and show his future-wife Virginia Tilotson posing in a traditional graduation shot.

Another shows the aftermath of the horrific crash of Bud's Thunderbolt at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Further images show pilots Ed Tobin, 'Shorty' Keough and Andy Mamedoff trying out the Eagle Squadron patch. They fought with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Battle of Britain during WW2.

The French destroyer Mogador can also be seen after being struck by Royal Navy fire during the attack at Mers-el-Kebir, while the collection also includes an old group photo of 603 Squadron pilots on the deck of the USS Wasp.

Spitfires were built in Britain and have become known as the iconic British fighter of the Second World War.

Their performance was so formidable that around 600 of them served in the US Army Air Force and Navy with the Americans using them to fight the Germans in the air during World War II.

Meanwhile, the Siege of Malta lasted two years and ended in 1942. The military campaign saw Italy and Germany take on the British Royal Air Force and Royal Navy and the Allied victory went on to play a huge role in their success in North Africa.

The unearthed pictures are featured in Bill Simpson's new book, 'Spitfire Deserters? The American Pilot Who Went Missing', which is published by Amberley Publishing.

Mr Simpson said: 'For the forty-six pilots, it all had a nightmarish quality - they had been suddenly thrust into the middle of the most vicious and unforgiving air battle of the war.

Bud Walcott grew up in Lenox, Massachusetts, (pictured) and continued to serve with the US Air Force after the Second World War and took part in the famous Berlin airlift

American airmen who were part of 71 Squadron were photographed sprinting to their hurricanes during the Second World War in 1942

This photograph shows damage in Kingsway, the main street in the Maltese capital, Valletta, following the Siege of Malta in 1942

The French destroyer Mogador was severely damaged after being hit by Royal Navy fire during the attack at Mers-el-Kebir in north west Algeria

'Some said it was worse than the desperate fighting of 1940 over the south of England, which stopped the German invasion of Britain and became known as 'the Battle of Britain'.

'Forty-six Spitfires arrived on Malta but forty-seven had set off early that morning from the deck of the USS Wasp, an American aircraft carrier that had slipped into the western end of the Mediterranean in utmost secrecy after carrying the little British fighters and their pilots from the River Clyde in Britain to make the hazardous take-off from the carrier's deck.'

He added: 'One Spitfire had failed to arrive. A signal from Malta to the Air Ministry in London stated that the pilot 'intended to desert'.

'And for some, this became a shameful incident in the RAF's now 100-year history. Long after the war was over, it was said that the pilot's fear of a death on Malta had preyed upon his mind, so he had chosen to desert rather than confront the enemy.

'There is an irony in Bud's return to North Africa and his changed circumstances - initially an internee suffering severe deprivations, he was now a member of a victorious army. Did he appreciate the irony?

'Did he harbour any thoughts of revenge like the unnamed inmate who swam ashore to take revenge on the French officer who had caused so much misery? Probably not.'

Spitfire Deserter? The American Pilot Who Went Missing is published by Amberley Publishing and is available here: https://www.amberley-books.com/spitfire-deserter.html
A family in Kentucky said a woman fatally shot her disabled granddaughter and then killed herself.

Police were called to respond to reports of possible gunshot wounds at a home in Shelbyville, Kentucky, on Monday at about 2pm, WAVE-TV reported.

Aurelia Castillo, 14, who had cerebral palsy, and Julia Cash-Owens, 65, her grandmother, were found inside the home.

Cash-Owens was declared dead at the scene, but Aurelia was taken to a local hospital, where she died the next day.

Family members said that Julia Cash-Owens, 65, fatally shot her granddaughter Aurelia Castillo, 14, who had cerebral palsy, before she turned the gun on herself

The coroner said Tuesday that Aurelia's died from a gunshot wound in the head.

Aurelia's mother, Samantha Castillo, told WAVE-TV that her own mother, Cash-Owens, shot her daughter, Aurelia, before killing herself.

Authorities have not described a motive for the shootings. The deaths are being investigated as a domestic matter and police are not seeking additional suspects.

Cash-Owens lived in the same house as Samantha, a single mom, Aurelia and Samantha's younger son, who is disabled as well, according to a neighbor who spoke with The Sentinel-News.

Cash-Owens and Aurelia were shot in the Shelbyville, Kentucky, home they lived in with Aurelia's mother, Samantha Castillo, and younger brother

Samantha Castillo (left), said to be a single mom, lived in the home with her mother, Cash-Owens, and two disable children for a year and a half, according to her neighbor

The neighbor, who did not want to be identified, also said that the family had lived in the home for about a year and a half and that Aurelia had had health issues prior to her death, 'because the ambulance has been over here three or four times to pick her up.'

In a note posted on social media, obtained by WAVE-TV, Cash-Owens' son said, 'We still don't know what actually occurred yesterday. I know that I lost my wonderful mother and beautiful niece.'

He also wrote that Cash-Owens had 'spent her entire life helping underprivileged children. She retired and took care of her mother and grandchildren. She spent everyday caring for my niece, Aurelia, who had severe Cerebral Palsy. She also was raising my nephew, w/ special needs. This is also the same woman who went to bed hungry when I was younger so her kids could eat. I'm so heartbroken that this has occurred. I never got to say to my mom. Today, I'm choose to celebrate her life.'
These haunting images of a 14-year-old Polish girl who was murdered by Nazis in Auschwitz in 1943, have come to life through the work of a Brazilian artist.

Czesawa Kwoka was photographed by a fellow prisoner as part of a project by Auschwitz-Birkenau officials to 'document' those taken to the death camp, just moments after being beaten up by a female prison guard.

Now, 75 years later, artist Marina Amaral has painstakingly colourised Miss Kwoka's portraits, down to the blood on her busted lip.

 Slide me  Victim: Czesawa Kwoka, 14, is pictured in Auschwitz shortly after being beaten up by a prison guard because she did not understand orders being barked at her in German

Miss Kwoka was deported from her home in Zamosc, southeastern Poland in December 1942, along with her mother, to make room for a German colony that the Nazis were building.

They were deemed 'political prisoners', and her categorization can be seen on her prisoner's uniform which has a red triangle with a 'P'.

The photographs show her on the verge of tears, her bottom lip sporting a cut.

Shortly before the photos were taken, she had been beaten up by a female prison guard for not understanding orders being barked at her in German.

 Slide me  Detained: Czesawa Kwoka and her mother had been deported from their homes and taken to Auschwitz as the Nazis wanted to make room for a German 'colony'

 Slide me  Murdered: The Polish teenager was categorised as a 'political prisoner' and died three months after arriving at Auschwitz, in March 1943

The man behind the lens, fellow prisoner Wilhelm Brasse, who died in 2012, later revealed that the guard had beaten Miss Kwoka across the face with a stick.

Speaking in a 2005 documentary, Mr Brasse said: 'She cried but she could do nothing. Before the photograph was taken, the girl dried her tears and the blood from the cut on her lip.'

Miss Kwoka died in March 1943, just three months after arriving at Auschwitz, weeks after her mother Katarzyna.

Her portrait is on display at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.
Anna Karimova, 26, is accused of strangling her nine-month-old son to death before dumping his body in the bin

A woman berated by her mother for having a second child without a stable job and relationship killed the boy and threw his corpse into a rubbish dump, police say.

Anna Karimova, 26, is accused of strangling her nine-month-old son to death before putting his body in a black bin liner and throwing it in a garbage container.

Karimova then went to see a friend to give the boy's pram, clothes and toys away, claiming the baby had tragically died, investigators from Russia's Volgograd region say.

The young woman had previously been married, with the ceremony taking place in 2015, but the couple separated a short time later, it is reported.

Karimova also has an older daughter, aged two, who is being raised by her mother.

The older woman did not approve of Karimova's lifestyle, police said, and argued with her about 'having a baby without the means to support the child'.

She was also angry at Karimova for failing to hold down a 'stable relationship' with a job and portrayed her as a 'bad mother', it was claimed.

Police say Karimova argued with her mother (far left) who made her feel like a bad parent because she had a second child without a serious relationship and stable job

After strangling the boy Karimova is accused of going to a local shop where she bought a 160-litre black bin liner as well as food because she was hungry.

She put the boy in the black bag and threw the corpse in the garbage before going to her friend's house, where she was described as 'composed'.

Police are still looking for the body at a municipal tip in he city of Frolovo where skips are dumped.

A video shows the search underway in freezing temperatures involving dozens of police.

Karimova has been detained and will be charged with the boy's murder.

Police are now searching for the baby's body at a frozen rubbish dump in the Volgograd region (pictured). It is believed the remains were taken here by unsuspecting binmen

After killing the boy Karimova (pictured in court) is said to have gone to a friend's house where she tried to give away her son's pram, clothes and toys

She was shown on video being escorted from the iron cage in a courtroom.

A law enforcement source said: 'Instead of raising two children, she was preoccupied with her private life.

'She mainly made acquaintances on [dating] websites. But these relationships lasted only a few weeks.'

Her mother was not named. She has not commented on police claims about a row with her daughter.
Advertisement

A 2billion plan has been unveiled which will see a working-class town in east London transformed into a 'mini-Manhattan'.

Futuristic artist impressions show Barking's run down and depressed town centre turned into a thriving new area with 6,000 homes, skyscrapers and five acres of green space dubbed 'Central Bark'.

The ambitious project is the brainchild of Darren Rodwell, the leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, who wants to revive a high street which is currently dominated by charity and discount shops.

Mr Rodwell, who once termed Barking's riverfront as 'Barcelona on Thames', hopes massive investment in the area will reverse what has been a '30-year downward trajectory'.

A 2billion plan has been unveiled which will see a working-class town in east London transformed into a 'mini-Manhattan'

'Futuristic' artist impressions show Barking's run down and depressed town centre turned into a thriving new area with 6,000 homes, skyscrapers and five acres of green space dubbed 'Central Bark'

The ambitious project is the brainchild of Darren Rodwell, the leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, who wants to revive a high street which is currently dominated by charity and discount shops

He told the Evening Standard: 'The skyline suggests a mini-Manhattan. But the new-look town centre will not be a playground for the rich  it must deliver truly affordable homes and a range of great leisure and retail facilities for ordinary Londoners.

'Local people don't want gentrification, they want ordinary Londoners to be able to live here. If we don't do that, London dies as a place. We need a mixed community.

'The fact is we led London and the country on new-build 100 years ago with the Becontree estate, which everyone else followed. That's what we are going to do again now.'

Barking and Dagenham regularly features in polls of the worst places to live in the UK, with the area topping the vote in back to back years in 2015 and 2016.

At the time, the traditionally working-class area's local council said the pollsters were 'having a giraffe', cockney rhyming slang for a laugh.

Commissioned by Rightmove, the poll asked nearly 24,000 people across the UK to rate their hometown, rating such categories as the quality of local services and the sense of community.
Madeline Marx, 24, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual battery in Ohio court on Tuesday

A substitute teacher pleaded guilty to charges of sexual battery on Tuesday for having sex with two of her students.

This comes three months after Madeline Marx's lawyers tried to enter a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

The judge ordered the 24-year-old to undergo a mental evaluation in December, and experts discovered that she was sane enough to be held responsible for her actions.

Marx was taken into custody at Kettering Fairmont High on November 8, 2017, after police started investigating the substitute teacher when students went to the administration and said she was having inappropriate relationships with students.

Prosecutors say they discovered that Marx had sexual encounters with two teens - a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy.

Marx's guilty plea comes three months after she broke down and cried in court as her defense attorneys tried to enter a not guilty plea by reason of insanity (pictured at that hearing in December). A psychological evaluation later confirmed she was sane

The younger boy said he had sex with Marx in a car parked behind a Kettering apartment building on September 21.

The other victim said Marx performed oral sex on him in a car parked in a Big Lots parking lot on July 19.

Marx also allegedly confessed to sending nude pictures to one of the students on Snapchat and Instagram.

Marx is due back in court on April 19 for sentencing. She faces up to six years in prison and will have to register as a Tier III Sex Offender.

Marx was arrested (above) at the Kettering Fairmont High School in Ohio on November 8

'We became aware (Marx) was possibly involved with inappropriate activities with a juvenile,' Kettering Superintendent Scott Inskeep said after Marx's arrest.

'When we become aware of them then we will remove those people and not have them around our students.'

Marx had been given a four year teaching license last year that enabled her to teach grades K-12, WHIO reports.

Marx graduated last year from the University of Dayton and dropped out of a fall 2013 sexual ethics class, WHIO says.

She graduated from the nearby Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in 2012.
Advertisement

A British soldier killed in World War I has finally been given a proper burial 103 years after he was killed in the trenches of Belgium.

Private Thomas Edmundson was killed in action near Ypres on April 26, 1915, just seven days after he shipped out with the Durham Light Infantry.

The 20-year-old was on Wednesday buried at Perth Cemetery in Ypres with full military honours alongside other previously unknown soldiers.

A British soldier killed in World War I has finally been given a proper burial 103 years after he was killed in the trenches of Belgium

Private Thomas Edmundson was killed in action near Ypres on April 26, 1915, just seven days after he shipped out with the Durham Light Infantry

He was on Wednesday buried at Perth Cemetery in Ypres with full military honours alongside other previously unknown soldiers with a line from Amazing Grace inscribed on his headstone

Edmundson and his battalion plugged a gap on the front line near the town of Zonnebeke where the Germans were expected to attack.

Another part of the line was attacked but Edmunson's position was hit by artillery bombardment and he and seven others were killed.

A soldier next to him in the trench said he saw what looked like 'rags flying through the air' only to realise they were actually men.

Edmunson's body was never found until it was uncovered during building works in 2014 and identified by matching DNA with members of his family.

He grew up in Sunderland, near Newcastle, and worked as a clerk at an engineering firm before enlisting a month after the outbreak of war.

Edmunson's body was never found until it was uncovered during building works in 2014 and identified by matching DNA with members of his family.

Family members from Sunderland, elsewhere in the UK, and Canada attended the burial

He grew up in Sunderland, near Newcastle, and worked as a clerk at an engineering firm before enlisting a month after the outbreak of war

The young man was the only son of his parents George and Mary after his younger brother died aged two in 1899.

They were so distraught at not recovering his body they put his name on their gravestone in Bishopwearmouth cemetery above their own.

Family members from Sunderland, elsewhere in the UK, and Canada attended the burial.

'So many people came here this morning to see this. I'm really overwhelmed. It shows that he really is part of his own real family,' relative David Hall told the BBC.

The young man was the only son of his parents George and Mary after his younger brother died aged two in 1899

'So many people came here this morning to see this. I'm really overwhelmed. It shows that he really is part of his own real family,' relative David Hall said
Ahmed Hassan, 18, pictured in a court sketch, allegedly told immigration officials he had been forced to train 'to kill' by Isis

The Parsons Green bomber was moved by 'anger and hatred' when he planted 400g of explosives on a packed Tube train, a court heard today.

Ahmed Hassan, 18, told his mentor Katie Cable that it was his 'duty to hate Britain', the country he blamed for the death of his father in Iraq, the court heard.

He had also told Home Office officials he had been 'trained to kill' by Islamic State when he claimed asylum in 2016.

But in his evidence to the Old Bailey, he said that was a lie and he only wanted to cause a fire, and not an explosion, when he planted a homemade device on the train in West London last September.

In her closing speech, prosecutor Alison Morgan said: 'He may have been troubled by events in his past. He may well be motivated by circumstances he may now not admit to you.

'What he did that day was an act of anger and hatred designed to cause death and destruction of property.'

She said Hassan 'left nothing to chance in the preparation of this attack'.

This image of Hassan with a knife taken in his bedroom was also released by Scotland Yard

The lounge at Hassan's home address is seen in this image issued by the Metropolitan Police

A sofa the in conservatory behind which a bag containing a trace of TATP was discovered

A rucksack and contents in Hassan's possession upon his arrest at the Port of Dover in Kent

'It is a matter of luck that there was not a full explosion that day, not because of any deliberate intention on the part of the defendant to cause just a fire.'

Ms Morgan replayed CCTV footage of the fireball ripping through the carriage on September 15 last year. She said passengers had been 'terrified', with some suffering serious injury.

She asked jurors to imagine what would have happened if 400g of TATP had fully exploded, sending 2.2kg of screwdrivers, knives, nuts and bolts flying at high velocity.

'Whatever story he tells you in the witness box, the fact that he was angry with this country was clear to those who met him, especially Ms Cable ... he described it as his duty or right to hate this country and he blamed this country for the death of his father.'

Hassan said that people used to make up stories in the Jungle camp in Calais (pictured in 2015)

A bedroom wardrobe with a container with traces of hydrogen peroxide found on top (left) and the door to Hassan's bedroom (right)

Pictured are packs of partially empty drill bits which were used as shrapnel in the device

A blue vase similar to one found in the device outside by the conservatory at Hassan's home

A photograph of the smoke-ridden District line carriage shortly after the device exploded

She suggested Hassan lied to the jury when he claimed it was all part of a fantasy and an act of 'boredom and attention-seeking'.

Ms Morgan said: 'He may well have lied to all those people for two years but he may well also be lying to you.

'Lying to you about the truth of his past with Islamic State for the obvious reason that if he was trained to kill by IS that would tell you something about his mindset and who he really is and where he has really come from.

'You can be sure it was not an act of attention-seeking or boredom. This was someone who wanted to cause death and damage and make good his escape.'

Hassan allegedly packed a bucket with TATP explosives and shrapnel and left it on the train

Ahmed Hassan is pictured waiting at the Port of Dover in Kent after arriving there by train

Hassan is pictured on board a Southern train to Brighton after the incident on the Tube

The kitchen timer used as an initiator mechanism, in addition to a battery and a halogen bulb

Hassan allegedly took the largest Tupperware container, pictured above, from his foster parents' kitchen to store the 300g of TATP which made up the main charge for the device

Ms Morgan said Hassan was 'calculated and clever' in all his preparations.

When he looked up the news on the BBC website afterwards, Hassan told jurors he was reassured it was a 'minor incident'.

But Ms Morgan said he will have learned that he had 'failed' in his intention.

Hassan has denied attempted murder and using the chemical compound TATP to cause an explosion that was likely to endanger life.

The contents of the 'Mother of Satan' bomb allegedly prepared by Hassan then put on the Tube

In addition to nuts and bolts, he is accused of placing knives inside the device to be shrapnel

Hassan, who was living with foster parents at the time, is pictured using a cash machine

Shrapnel would be 'ejected at high speed' to 'increase the potential for harm' the jury was told

Other items Hassan is said to have piled into the explosive included screwdrivers

The device 'has the potential to cause damage to property and or serious harm', the jury heard

The teenager's defence barrister said those who knew him saw a 'sincere, positive boy'.

Tim Moloney QC told jurors staff at Barnardo's had said he was a 'very polite' young person 'seeking help, looking forward to the future'.

Rather than setting out to commit acts of terror, Hassan went from being a 'troubled young man' to doing well at college, he said.

Even as late as June 2017, he was busy researching potential university places at Kingston and Royal Holloway.

The scene of devastation was left behind after the device partially detonated on the train

Hassan is said to have gone to a Sports Direct in Ashford where bought a backpack and clothes

Hassan had not dried out the bomb-making chemicals before use, an expert said

The suspected bomber is pictured in Dover in September after travelling from London by train

CCTV cameras caught the moment the Hassan was arrested at the Port of Dover in Kent

The suspected bomber was captured as he was placed in the back of a waiting police van

Mr Moloney said: 'It seems to me the prosecution suggest there may be truth that maybe he was with IS and it's possible we may never know.

'That's not good enough for me. We say that if he was with Isis (another name for Islamic State), would he have said that and raised that potential with the Home Office and draw attention to himself in that way?

'If he was with Isis he would have had many opportunities to do what he wanted. Making TATP is a really straightforward process that can be done in a day.

'You have to judge this case on the evidence and nothing else - not speculation, fear or emotion.'
Advertisement

Surrounded by towering apartments in bustling Manhattan, a 234-year-old Dutch-style farmhouse has gone under the radar of tourists and residents alike .

The Dyckman Farmhouse is the oldest and only farmhouse in New York City. Located at the corner of Broadway and 204th Street in whats known today as the Inwood neighborhood, the two-story Dutch Colonial Farmhouse was built on rural land in 1784.

Today, the farmhouse is a museum filled with artifacts and Dyckman family treasures that have been preserved for decades.

Scroll down for video

Surrounded by towering apartments in bustling Manhattan, a 234-year-old Dutch-style farmhouse has gone under the radar of tourist and residents alike in the Big Apple

The Dyckman Farmhouse is the oldest and only farmhouse in New York City. It's pictured above circled in red as dozens of apartment buildings surround the property

The Dyckman family came to America from the Netherlands in the 1600s,' Meredith Horsford, the Executive Director of The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum told DailyMail.com.

'They were in what's now called Harlem, but then built their first home just northeast of where the current farmhouse is located.

But the family fled the home when the Revolutionary War broke out and when they returned, the house was destroyed along with their orchards.

So William Dyckman decided to rebuild in the location where the home is now on Broadway and the family lived in that farmhouse until the mid-1800s.

The Dyckmans had cherry, apple and pear orchards growing on the property among other fruits and vegetables. They also helped to establish a library and school in the area. But in 1868, the farmhouse was sold and served as a rental property for decades.

Located at the corner of Broadway and 204th Street in whats known today as the Inwood neighborhood in the uppermost part of Manhattan. The residence is pictured above in 2010

The two-story Dutch Colonial Farmhouse was built on rural land in 1784 by the Dyckman family. It is pictured above in 1916

The Dyckman family came to America from the Netherlands in the 1600s,' Meredith Horsford, the Executive Director of The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum told DailyMail.com. 'They were in what's now called Harlem, but then built their first home just northeast of where the current farmhouse is located. Pictured above is the home in 1916

The farmhouse was out of the familys hands until 1915 when two Dyckman descendants, sisters Fannie Fredericka Dyckman Welch and Mary Alice Dyckman Dean, bought the property and completely restored it.

The pair turned it into a museum showcasing their familys rich history before turning the property over to the city of New York in 1916.

The farmhouse is made from a combination of brick, fieldstone and white painted wood. The gambrel style roof along with the porches on either side of the residence are classic Dutch features.

Inside the home are two parlors: one is full of personal archives from the family and the other operates like a front desk area for the museum.

Letters, newspapers and more can be found on top of the desk that's inside the parlor that's on display.

The farmhouse was built on original Manhattan bedrock. You can see that inside their winter kitchen, which is located in what we call the basement today, Horsford said.

Pictured above are Dyckman family descendants, sisters Fannie Fredericka Dyckman Welch and Mary Alice Dyckman Dean (pictured left in 1895 and right in the 1900s)

Horsford said the Dyckman family was forced to flee their home because the Revolutionary War broke out in 1775. When the family returned, they found the home destroyed and the orchards in ruins. Pictured above is a former bedroom inside the Dyckman farmhouse in 1916 in Inwood. It is no longer on view to the public and now serves as a staff office

'So William Dyckman decided to rebuild in the location where the home is now in Inwood. The Dyckman family lived in that farmhouse until the mid-1800s, Horsford told DailyMail.com. Pictured above is the Winter Kitchen in 1916, that's located in what's considered the basement today

The Dyckman family also helped to establish a library and school in the area near their farmhouse, since at the time they owned 234 acres of land. Pictured above is a Parlor room inside the home in 1916

The family planted cherry, apple and pear orchards on the property among other fruits and vegetables. But in 1868, they sold the farmhouse and dozens of acres of property. The Dyckman farmhouse is pictured above in 1885 showing Broadway before the street was lowered 10 to 15 feet

In 1915, sisters Fannie and Mary bought the property and completely restored it to create a museum. The Dutch-style farmhouse is pictured above in 1924

The sisters then transferred ownership of the farmhouse and the one-acre of property it sits upon to the city of New York in 1916, who still operates the property as a museum today. Pictured above is the farmhouse in 1935 among a developing Manhattan

Dozens of Dyckman family artifacts and treasures can be found on display inside glass casing in what's called the Relic Room of the home (pictured above in 1916)

The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is open to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm. Visitors are asked to pay what they can for admission.

Besides touring the farmhouse, the museum hosts several events for community members and visitors.

'Throughout the year we host public programming for the community - we do history lectures, bilingual read alouds and a summer camp for children where we talk about what its like to live on a farm,' Horsford said.

'Its a great opportunity to teach kids where their food comes from. We work with local artists and display their art inside the house. Its kind of cool to have contemporary art among historical furnishings. We also do kids art workshops and conduct a math workshop in the summer.'

The farmhouse is made from a combination of brick, fieldstone and white painted wood. The building is pictured above in 2017

The gambrel styled roof along with the porches on either side of the residence are classic Dutch features. It's pictured above in 2013

Several different types of trees can also be found planted around the farmhouse. There is also a garden on the property as well. The rear-side of the farmhouse is pictured above in 2011

Inside the home are two parlors: one operates like a front desk area for the museum and the other (pictured above) is full of personal archives from the family

Old letters, writing pens and other artifacts can be found delicately placed on the desk inside the parlor

The spacious first floor hallway inside the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is pictured above in 2009

The southeast bedroom on the second floor inside the home is pictured in 2008. Horsford said some of the furniture inside the home are original pieces

The Winter Kitchen inside the farmhouse also features old relics and treasures kept for decades by the family

Located inside what's called the basement today, hundreds of meals were cooked by the family inside the Winter Kitchen (pictured above in 2007)

The Dyckman Farmhouse Museum is open to visitors on Fridays and Saturdays from 11am to 4pm. Visitors are asked to pay what they can for admission
Theresa May has failed to convince Nicola Sturgeon to drop her threat to withhold permission for flagship Brexit laws at crunch talks in No10 today.

The Scottish First Minister has refused to give permission to sweeping legislation that copies EU laws on to the British statute book in time for Brexit.

And emerging form the meeting today the SNP leader said no agreement has been reached over the issue, which threatens to plunge the UK into a constitutional crisis.

Mrs May insists the laws are vital to deliver a smooth Brexit but because they impact on the whole UK is supposed to get a 'legislative consent motion' from the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.

Ms Sturgeon said: 'There was certainly an indication on all sides that we want to reach agreement.'

The Joint Ministerial Council met in the Downing Street Cabinet room today (pictured) pitching the Westminster Government (represented left with Theresa May centre) and the devolved administrations (right including Nicola Sturgeon) head to head

There was now 'real urgency' to reach a deal but there was an important issue of principle at stake, she said.

'We can't have our powers restricted or reduced without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.'

Ms Sturgeon, who was joined by Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones in the meeting with the PM, hinted that a deal could be struck in time for the vital legislation.

She said: 'The issues that remain between us are not insignificant but neither are they insurmountable.'

She said the UK Government's concern was that Scottish Parliaments or governments could withhold consent unreasonably 'and there is discussion to be had to give assurances that wouldn't be the case'.

Theresa May (flanked by Cabinet Secretarty Sir Jeremy Heywood, left, and her deputy David Lidington, right) is scrambling to find a way to get agreement for Brexit laws

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (pictured third left) and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones (fourth left) insist there are not enough protections for devolution in Brexit laws

'It's a matter of trust,' she said, but added: 'We are having to trust the UK Government a lot in terms of other matters associated with the Brexit discussions.

'This is about protecting our principles, it's not about compromising on the principle, it's about finding compromise that allows the UK Government to abide by that principle as I think they should but have some of the concerns that they have got about that addressed and allayed.'

The two leaders have refused to agree to sign the consent motion saying they need stronger guarantees powers in devolved areas will be sent to Edinburgh and Cardiff.

The Prime Minister could force through her laws without consent but doing so would be unprecedented since devolution.

Adding to the sense of crisis the SNP in Holyrood are pushing through alternative laws in defiance of advice about whether Scottish Parliament is allowed to do so.

Speaking after the meeting, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: 'The Prime Minister updated the First Minister on the Brexit negotiations and made clear her commitment to a deal that works for the whole of the UK and protects the security and prosperity of all our communities.

'On devolution, they discussed the tabled amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill that would ensure the vast majority of devolved powers will transfer directly to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast and committed to continuing to work together to find an agreement.
This is the bizarre moment a school of fish migrated in a linear clump as they snaked through water in a very orderly fashion.

Footage shows the suckermouth catfish swimming along the edge of the Pacuare River in Costa Rica to the amazement of passersby.

Resembling a regimented line of ants, they adopted the strange formation while performing their annual upstream migration.

Scroll down for video

This is the bizarre moment a school of fish in a river in Costa Rica migrated in a linear clump as they snaked through water in a very orderly fashion

Footage shows the suckermouth catfish swimming along the edge of the Pacuare River in Costa Rica to the amazement of passersby

Wildlife expert Luis Antonio Mogli Picado, who recorded the footage, says this is the first time he has seen the fish adopt this formation in the 20 years he has lived there.

'I have seen these fish migrate every year,' he said. 'I always watch them two months before they migrate upstream, but I have never seen them swim in a row like this.'

National University of Costa Rica researcher Rigoberto Viquez explained the phenomenon is rarely adopted during migration.

'When this phenomenon occurs it is for reproduction rather than seeking refuge or food,' she said. 'It is an uncommon migratory behaviour.'

Known locally as 'rock-suckers' because they feed on moss that grows on large stones and boulders, they are about 12 centimetres long when fully grown.

The clip comes days after a UK mother landed an enormous catch in Australia.

Resembling a regimented line of ants, they adopted the strange formation while performing their annual upstream migration

The 68-year-old tourist hooked a monster 62 kilogram fish - measuring longer than her own body - during a fishing trip with her son.

UK pensioner Sue Elcock was visiting her son Simon and his wife Michelle in Perth, Western Australia last week when she wrangled the 162cm bass.

As soon as she felt a tug on her line, Ms Elcock said she knew it was a 'fair-sized fish'.
The British former husband of Russian spy Anna Chapman died prematurely at the age of 36, MailOnline can reveal.

Alex Chapman's family have insisted there was nothing suspicious about his death two years ago from natural causes. 'It was very distressing at the time, but he died from natural causes,' said a member of the family.

'There was nothing suspicious about his death. His father dealt with everything and it was very sad but I don't want to go into any further details.'

His father Kevin confirmed to MailOnline that his son had died. 'It was two years ago and that is all I will say,' he said.

Alex Chapman, the British former husband of Russian spy Anna Chapman, has died aged 36, MailOnline can reveal

Secret agent Anna Chapman was involved in the controversial spy swap deal involving Sergei Skripal between Russia and the US in 2010

Former public schoolboy Alex (pictured) was married to Anna Chapman for four years before they divorced in 2006

Alex's last known address was in Bournemouth, Dorset, where he is believed to have passed away.

His ex wife was accused of being part of a one of the biggest Soviet spy rings ever uncovered while living in New York.

She was sent back to Moscow in 2010 as part of a spy exchange that saw Sergei Skripal jailed for spying for MI5 - sent to the UK.

The 66-year-old is now in a critical condition in a Salisbury hospital after being deliberately poisoned by Russian agents acting on the orders of the Kremlin.

Chapman, who despite her divorce in 2006 has maintained her married name, returned to Moscow a heroine and is said to be a millionaires and working a TV host and entrepreneur.

Her husband, who at the time was a trainee psychologist, found himself at the centre of biggest spy scandal for decades when it was revealed his flame haired ex-wife had been tasked with seducing power brokers in the US capital Washington DC.

Alex's family insisted there was nothing suspicious about his death two years ago from natural causes. Pictured: Alex with glamorous Russian spy Anna Chapman in their earlier years

Alex told how during the first few months of their whirlwind romance, he saw Anna in both London and Moscow.

He told how he joined the mile high club with her during a BA flight back to Moscow in January 2002. He said: 'When we were on the plane we came up with a plan to join the mile high club. I went to the toilet first and told her to follow later and knock.

'Anya was wearing a denim dress so I hitched it up and we just went for it. It was fantastic because of the thrill of doing it on a plane. We were in the toilet for about 15 minutes and then one of the cabin crew knocked on the door. I said Anya had been sick and I was helping her.'

Alex then produced a picture of Anna wielding a whip and another toy and wearing nipple clamps.

'I found her Russian accent such a turn-on, he said. 'She was the most beautiful person I had ever met, with an extraordinary body, and I was infatuated with her.'

The couple had met in 2001 at a rave in London while Anna was still a student and Alex described her as the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

They were married in Moscow in 2002 after a whirlwind romance and Alex discovered her father Vasily Kushchenko was a former senior KGB agent.

Alex wore an ill fitting dinner suit, all he could rent in Moscow. There were no rings as they couldn't afford them, nor any guests. A lonely witness confirmed the nuptials. Despite the bizarre circumstances, the marriage was a success for several passionate years.

In 2010, Chapman was part of a Cold War-style swap with Skripal

Alex said his wife changed during their four-year marriage and began to mix in different circles with wealthy Russians.

'She fell in with a group of people who had a lot of influence. She would go to film premieres and became arrogant and obnoxious, always going on about powerful people,' he said in a 2010 interview with The Daily Telegraph.

Of her marriage to Alex, Anna said in 2011: 'My marriage to Alex was based purely on mutual love, and I still remember the days we spent together with real tenderness and nostalgia. I ask you not to look for ~secret motives~ where there aren't any.

'My love story with Alex was one of them. It was love at first sight, which only grew stronger every day.

'We married secretly in Moscow, and it was very romantic. Our parents knew nothing about our relationship and plans, and most likely they would not have approved the marriage, though later I was close to Alex's mother and father.

'I had on my school graduation dress - I only wore it three times, my big day at school, the day I met Alex, and when we married.'

Anna went on: 'Alex is very sensitive, he felt music like no-one I met before, he could draw any picture as if he had studied art all his life. He somehow sensed people on a different level to other men.

'He put his soul into every action. He found strength when things went really wrong, when everything around him totally fell apart, he began his life from scratch again and again.

'Alex is an incredible, talented person, who still hasn't yet found himself in this life but I have faith things will become better and he will find his happiness because he does know how to love and care for a woman.

'He had such a tenderness in his touch, his looks, his words. When you truly love someone, you become one. This was how we were. We could not make decisions without each other.'

With a smile enveloping her face, she added: 'Everything linked to Alex was soaked with true English culture, it's unbelievable. It was so natural and beautiful to fall in love with someone representing something I was so curious about. It took me precisely one minute to fall madly in love with him.

'Every time he opened his mouth, I enjoyed his beautiful manner of speaking, I was captivated by his accent.

'Whenever he rolled his tobacco in his loose-hanging jeans with his Clark~s shoe and Liam Gallagher - style hair, it took my breath away.

'His manly beauty, I would even say his aristocratic beauty, seemed simply ideal to me. I had neither the strength, nor desire to fight this beautiful feeling, which opened up whole new fairy tale world for me.

Yet if everything was so good why did the marriage fall apart after qualifying for a UK passport?

'Alas, everything beautiful comes to an end at some point, and there is always a new stage and better road to start walking on,' she said, also declining to answer any questions of her alleged spying either in the US or Britain.

'My time in Britain has made me better in so many ways that it's hard to tell what I would be if it wasn't for London. It was certainly my honour to be part of this nation, even though for a short while.'

She is, however, furious over her nude pictures taken by Chapman and also by am earlier British lover Marcus Read being made public.

Explicit pictures taken by one-time disc-jockey Read, 38, recently appeared in Playboy. 'I don't know whether he was forced by someone to do this, or was paid for it,' she said.

'I don't want to blame anyone before I know that. Frankly speaking, I don't think I want to go into finding out.

'But it's clear whoever organised this has definitely achieved his goal.

'It made me so miserable, it actually made me cry for the first time in a very long period. So, congratulations, you have done it.'

She was 'shocked and horrified' when told by her New York lawyer that shots taken by Mr Chapman had been published while she was scared and traumatised inside a US prison, she said.

'Don't you think it's enough for one person to be embarrassed so much?,' she asks, shaking her head. 'After everything I have been through in recent months, the pictures in Playboy were like the final blow that really hit me badly. It made me really down and miserable. It keeps on damaging my reputation in such a bad way.'

After they split Chapman relocated to New York where with the aid of a $1m cash injection from the Russian Government set up an internet property business.

But according to the FBI the business was a front for her spying activities and she was part of a group known as the Illegal's Programme. As a 'sleeper agent' it was her job to infiltrate power circles in the US capital Washington DC and report back to her Kremlin paymasters.

The ex-spy now runs an antique shop in a trendy district of Moscow and works as a TV host

Chapman was arrested in 2010 along with nine other agents who had settled into seemingly ordinary lives in America. She pleaded guilty to charge of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government.

Dubbed Russia's 'most glamorous secret agent', she was one of ten Russian spies exchanged for Skripal in July 2010 in Vienna.

While she capitalized on her fame - posing in stockings and suspenders for Maxim magazine - Skirpal began a new life in the market town of Salisbury, Wiltshire.

Her ex-husband said he had lost contact with his wife, but being exposed as a female James Bond did not come as any surprise.

He said: 'Whether or not she's a spy, who can say, but when I read about her being arrested it wasn't that much of a surprise to be honest. It made sense because of all her erratic behaviour, all these high society people she was going on about. When I told my mother she said 'I knew it!'.'

Mr Chapman added in 2010: 'I don't think she was working as a spy here but I suspect she had been conditioned towards that end.'
An Emirates flight attendant has been seriously injured after she opened a plane's emergency exit and jumped out in Uganda.

It happened as the plane was preparing for passengers headed to Dubai to board at Entebbe International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, airlive.net reports.

The woman, who has not been identified, had spoken with colleagues before she jumped, witnesses said.

An Emirates flight attendant (pictured) has been seriously injured after she opened a plane's emergency exit and jumped out in Uganda

She was holding what appeared to be a glass bottle under her chin before she jumped from the Boeing 777 jet onto the tarmac.

'Her knees were shattered and her body cut with broken glass from the bottle she jumped with,' a witness said.

She was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

MailOnline has contacted Emirates for comment.
The 'racist' views of an Army trainer and alleged recruiter for banned neo-Nazi group National Action do not make him a criminal, a jury has been told.

The barrister for 33-year-old Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen told jurors today that it was 'not in dispute that he is a racist' - but his client's actions were not illegal.

Vehvilainen and fellow Royal Anglian Regiment soldier, 25-year-old Private Mark Barrett are both on trial accused of membership of the far-right organisation, which was banned by the government in December 2016.

A sketch of Mikko Vehvilainen (left) and Mark Barrett (centre) at Birmingham Crown Court

Pavlos Panayi QC said: 'It is not disputed that he has written and said things which the vast majority of people will find utterly repulsive, about black people, Jews, Muslims and lots of other minority groups.

'It is not disputed he has associated with other racists, men and women, from what might be called the Far Right, that might include neo-Nazis, and other different groups of people.'

But he added that while the 'groundbreaking case' would test the limits of free speech and freedom of association in Britain, Vehvilainen's actions were not criminal.

Facing the same charge as Vehvilainen and Barrett at Birmingham Crown Court is a 23-year-old male who cannot be named for legal reasons.

The jury heard how Vehvilainen had a host lawfully held weapons including 'guns, knives and crossbows' which he kept at his Army accommodation in Sennybridge Camp, Powys.

Jurors were also told he had pleaded guilty to unlawfully having a canister of CS spray among those weapons.

Addressing the jury after the prosecution's opening speech, Mr Panayi said: 'In many ways this case is unprecedented because you have heard that National Action was the first far-right group to be banned since the Second World War and this is the first prosecution arising out of that ban. It is a groundbreaking case.'

He added: 'This case will test the limits of free speech, the freedom to say what you think and the freedom to frighten, offend and discuss.'

Vehvilainen and Barrett are both on trial at Birmingham Crown Court (above) accused of membership of the far-right organisation, which was banned by the government in 2016

The QC said: 'You are, in the end, going to have to determine in this case where the boundary lies between L/Cpl Mikko Vehvilainen's right to speak freely, to think what he chooses to, and associate with others who share his views and where that boundary lies. Whether it crosses over into the reaches of criminal law or not.'

Vehvilainen, who is married with children, is also accused of two counts of stirring up racial hatred through posts on the US-based Christogenea.org website, where he used the name NicoChristian.

He has been further charged with possessing a document likely to be of use to terrorists - a copy of white nationalist Anders Breivik's manifesto.

Counsel for Barrett, of Dhekalia Barracks, Cyprus, where he lived with his wife and children, also told the jury the case was 'not about assessing the morality of expressing prejudicial opinions all right-minded people might recoil from'.

Colin Aylott said: 'Are the hallmarks of membership truly present in what he did, and how he expressed himself? Ask yourself - casual racist of committed fanatic? Because that is the issue you have to decide in this case.'

Addressing the court on behalf of the defendant who cannot be named, barrister Christopher Knox claimed National Action 'did not exist' as an organisation after it was banned.

Mr Knox said of the 23-year-old: 'We will submit to you that he is no terrorist. He was involved with National Action and he held views which he well understands you might find really distasteful, but those are views he was, and is, entitled to hold.'

The court heard that the male had made attempts to join the Army. The trial continues.
Pictured: Takehiko Ogihara, 40, arriving at Blackfriars Crown Court today

A Japanese investment banker repeatedly raped a woman after slapping, punching and kicking her at his Marylebone flat, a court heard.

Takehiko Ogihara, 40, is accused of forcing himself on the woman during a horrific four-day ordeal.

Prosecutor Charlotte Newell said Ogihara, a former executive director at Nomura International, wanted to control the alleged victim.

She told the court: 'He ordered her to undress. Whilst remaining on the floor she was repeatedly bowing and apologising.'

She described Ogihara as 'standing over her' repeatedly slapping, punching and kicking her.

Ms Newell said: 'She asked him to stop, but he told her that she had harmed him.'

'He pulled her to a standing position, turned her around and raped her forcefully.'

Blackfriars Crown Court today heard that the victim felt 'relieved' when he finally stopped because she believed the ordeal was over.

However when she asked to go to the bathroom Ogihara refused, prosecution said.

'She was told to urinate on the floor,' Ms Newell said.

Jurors heard the victim made a note on her phone of the time and date of the alleged rapes over the four-day period and took pictures of her injuries.

Ms Newell said that the victim went to Paddington Green police station to report the 'mental and physical' torture.

When police arrested him he said: 'What? I cannot remember if I had sex with her.'

Bespectacled and smartly dressed Ogihara sat in the dock today flanked by an interpreter as Ms Newell opened the case for the prosecution.

Ogihara, now living in Richmond, denies two counts of rape, two of sexual assault and one of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

Nomura, the largest retail financial holding company in Japan, set up a base in London in 2009 after purchasing Lehman Brothers' Asian and European operations the year before.

The trial continues.
A former millionaire who tried killing his wife with a meat cleaver had already served a 10-year stretch for killing a previous spouse, it emerged today.

Engineer Peter Horbury was handed a life sentence in 1992 after he stabbing second wife Caroline to death in front of their 10-year-old son.

But he was released on parole in 2002 - having only served a decade behind bars - and later married third spouse Patsie, whom he met at a prison fellowship group.

After 13 years of marriage Horbury, now 80, became jealous of his 78-year-old wife talking to their decorator.

The octogenarian went berserk after his wife kissed him goodnight at their retirement flat in South Lakeland town of Kirkby Lonsdale.

Peter Horbury (pictured) had previously served 10 years for murdering his second wife

Mrs Horbury was wearing her nightdress and about to get into bed when she was ambushed from behind.

Horbury used a meat cleaver to repeatedly hack at her head and stabbed her with a cooking knife.

He also battered her with a wooden item of fishing equipment which was broke during the savage assault.

As Mrs Horbury lay critically injured on her bedroom floor, her husband was seen wandering streets in his pyjamas while clutching the blood-stained cleaver and knife, saying: 'I've murdered my wife.'

Daniel Horbury arrives at Cardiff Crown court to give evidence in trial of his father Peter in 1992

She spent two months in hospital after suffering 136 different injuries.

They included a fractured eye socket, a fractured jaws and numerous cuts to her arms and hands and body - as well as a major wound to her right leg, which required a metal plate inserting.

The little finger on her right hand was partially amputated and she suffered some strangulation, plus paralysis to one side of her face during the horrific onslaught.

The violence Mrs Horbury suffered is feared to have lasted for up to four hours, which a paramedic described as the 'worst incident' he had ever attended.

Today at Preston Crown Court, Horbury, who was charged with attempted murder, was held responsible for the attack by a jury.

But he will not go to jail as he has been diagnosed with dementia and was ruled unable to understand the proceedings.

Although currently in a prison hospital wing, it is expected he will be admitted to a secure psychiatric unit until doctors decide whether he is well enough to be freed.

It is believed the ten year tariff had been decided by then Home Secretary Ken Clarke during the era when politicians set minimum terms for convicted killers.

Emergency services were called to the scene after he attacked wife Caroline with a meat cleaver at their retirement flat in Cumbrian town of Kirkby Lonsdale

During his lifetime Horbury, a father-of-three who hailed from a family of wealthy farmers, had amassed a fortune building pipelines in the Middle East but reports said he showed callous disregard to his loved ones.

First wife Della, who gave Horbury two children, was dumped by him in the early 1980s and she plunged in to a spiral of depression after being left to fend for the youngsters - one of whom had learning difficulties.

In 1991, aged 55, she was found frozen to death in a derelict building near her family home in Knottingley, West Yorkshire, after one daughter was admitted to a care home and the other forced to live in a caravan.

Horbury married second wife Caroline, a nurse, in 1982.

They moved into a luxury home in Mamhilad, near Pontypool, Gwent, South Wales and also bought a waterside flat in Westminster, London.

They had son Daniel that same year and Horbury played the proud father - even buying the youngster a silver Alfa Romeo Spider for 20,000 which he kept in storage pending his son's 17th birthday.

But by 1992 Horbury, then aged 55, wrongly convinced himself that Caroline, 47, was having an affair with a builder who was building an extension at their ranch-style property.

During a confrontation he tried to strangle her in the bathroom before stabbing her five times in the back and neck.

Daniel, then aged 10 witnessed the attack and called 999 but his mother was already dead by the time emergency services arrived.

At Cardiff Crown Court in November of that year a heartfelt recording of Daniel's 999 call was played to the jury and the youngster was forced to relieve his ordeal in the witness box.

He subsequently cut off all ties with his father, changed his name, enrolled at a boarding school and even told classmates his parents had died in a car crash.

When Horbury was sentenced to life the judge said Caroline was a devoted mother and a good wife and said any suggestion she was unfaithful was 'entirely without foundation.'

The killer as later sued by his son for 49,000.

This week's court hearing was told he met his future third wife, a prison visitor in 1997 when she attended a fellowship group he was part of.

They married in 2003 a year after his release and they set up home in Northampton where he ran his own engineering firm before retiring to the Lakes.

In a statement to police, Mrs Horbury said: 'We had a very happy relationship and we had a lot in common to talk about.

'We went everywhere, we went travelling after we got married, we did a lot of holidays - we went to France three times and also to Germany.

'He is an intelligent man and I fell in love with him. We had 13 years of happy marriage but in the last few weeks I noticed that he was struggling.

'I said "do you think you ought to see the doctor" but he said "no not yet".

'In the last few weeks he asked funny questions like "where do you come from?" and when we got to the bank I needed to help him with his PIN number.

'He was a very intelligent man and comes across as a kind, thoughtful and very considerate but he would get angry with me and shout.

'It never got physical - he said he would never hurt me and I believed him. He is always suspicious of me talking negative things about him and I don't know why.

'He just didn't like me talking about him to other people and he doesn't like me talking to men.

'There was a decorator working in our bathroom who was very good but Peter got a bit angry as he didn't like me talking to him.

'I said "why don't you like me talking to other men?" but I can't remember what he said - it made me feel angry with him.'

Recalling the alleged assault she added: 'We had watched Countryfile on television and it was a normal quiet day.

'He was already in bed and I think I must have kissed him goodnight.

'I was in the main bedroom where I sleep - he sleeps in another bedroom - when he came in and bashed me on the head twice. I screamed for help but he didn't say anything.

'I tried to defend myself and I screamed "help, help" and I held a chair against to protect myself.

'But he just came behind me and was standing next to me when he hit me. I know the four legs of the chair touched him - I think I hurt him because of his hernia.

'The next thing I remember I heard someone saying something about an ambulance.

'That was the last thing I remember. Then I was woken up in hospital. I was shocked when he hit me - I didn't understand why.'

The court heard the discovery of the grisly attack emerged after two motorists stopped when Horbury was seen in the street flagging down cars at 7am on October 26.

Hamish Keltie, 31, said: 'He was covered in blood carrying a meat cleaver and a knife and was saying "please help me I've murdered my wife".

'We went to his flat and saw what we thought was a body on the floor.

'The room was covered in blood and there was blood all over the wall, bed and the floor.

'The lady's top half was covered in blood and arms were in such a state, I've never seen anything like it.

'I couldn't even tell whether her head was attached to her body - it was that bad. It looked like a butchers scene.

'She then came around and was very cold she kept shouting 'cold, cold' I put a jacket on her. I was very surprised to see that she was still alive.

'Whilst this is going on this gentleman was asking me who was going to look after his dog.

'He was covered in blood and appeared distressed and crazed. He didn't look like he was with it.'

Preston Crown Court (pictured) heard Horbury used a meat cleaver to repeatedly hack at his wife's head and stabbed her with a cooking knife

Horbury was not in court for the hearing and his lawyer did not challenge any evidence.

A jury said he had carried out the attack after spending just 16 minutes deliberating following a 'finding of facts' hearing.

Judge Graham Knowles QC, adjourned the case until April 20 pending a report about Horbury's treatment programme.

In November 2000 politicians were stripped of the power to set minimum tariffs for child murderers following a European Court of Human Rights ruling over the murder of James Bulger.

The ruling was applied to adult killers in 2002 and now only judges can set minimum terms.
Chipotle's chief marketing and strategy officer, who was arrested in a massive cocaine sting two years ago, has stepped down just nine days after a new CEO took the reins at the troubled restaurant chain.

Mark Crumpacker, 54, will leave Chipotle effective March 15, according to a regulatory filing. The company announced his departure on Wednesday.

Chipotle in a statement thanked Crumpacker for his role in shaping and defining the brand since joining the company in January 2009, and said it would continue its marketing plans while finalizing plans for a new chief marketing officer.

Chipotle disappointed some investors in September 2016 when it reinstated Crumpacker just months after he was charged with multiple counts of cocaine possession.

Chipotle's chief marketing and strategy officer Mark Crumpacker, who was arrested in a massive cocaine sting two years ago, has stepped down just nine days after a new CEO took the reins at the troubled restaurant chain

Chipotle thanked Crumpacker for his role in shaping and defining the brand since joining the company in January 2009

Prosecutors said Crumpacker was caught on a wire ordering cocaine to be delivered 13 times to his $2.5million apartment on West 13th Street and spent $3,000 on the drug.

He pleaded guilty to drug possession charges in January 2017. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the case if he received treatment for a year and stayed out of trouble.

After sticking to the program for the full course, the cocaine charges were dropped against him in January 2018.

Crumpacker's efforts, particularly food giveaways aimed at wooing back customers after a series of reputation-crushing food safety lapses in late 2015, were costly and failed to resonate with customers amid fierce competition from rival restaurant operators.

Some campaigns left customers and rival marketers scratching their heads. For example, Chipotle's June 2017 buy-one-get-one-free advertisement for nurses showed a foil-wrapped burrito 'dressed' in blue scrubs and a stethoscope.

The text read 'Code Burrito' - leaving some viewers to think of 'Code Blue' medical emergencies.

Crumpacker (pictured in court in January 2017) pleaded guilty to cocaine possession six months after he and many other Manhattan professionals were arrested in a white collar drug bust

Chipotle disclosed in a January filing that it had signed retention agreements of $1million for Chief Financial Officer Jack Hartung and $600,000 for Crumpacker that would reward them for staying one year after a new CEO was appointed.

A Chipotle spokesman said Crumpacker will receive previously negotiated post-employment payments, including his retention bonus.

Hartung's and Crumpacker's retention agreements included several scenarios for payment upon their early departures - including reductions in duties and moving primary work locations by more than 30 miles.

Crumpacker made just shy of $4.3million in total compensation in 2015 in his role as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at the Mexican fast food chain, receiving roughly $45,000 for housing expenses and over $30,000 for a company car.

A bundled-up Mark Crumpacker was photographed outside court in January 2018

Of his total compensation, he received $530,000 as his salary as of 2015.

Former Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol took the helm from Chipotle founder Steve Ells on March 5 and is based at Chipotle's Denver headquarters.

Ells and Crumpacker work from Chipotle's New York office and Hartung is based in Chicago.

Prior to joining Chipotle, he was the founder, CEO and Creative Director at Sequence, a San Francisco-based branding and interactive agency.
Thomas Lawton Evans Jr., 37, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of kidnapping, child sexual abuse and transporting a child to engage in sexual activity

A man is facing federal charges of kidnapping and raping a four-year-old South Carolina girl whom he drove across three Southern states, authorities announced Wednesday.

A grand jury formally indicted Thomas Lawton Evans Jr. on charges of kidnapping, child sexual abuse and transporting a child to engage in sexual activity, according to U.S. Attorney Beth Drake. He could face life in prison if convicted.

Authorities have said that Evans, 37, picked the girl's mother at random and followed her to her Charleston, South Carolina, home after she dropped two of her other children off at school on February 13.

He then raped, beat and tied up the woman, 31, before escaping with her four-year-old daughter, according to police.

Riverside, Alabama's Police Chief Rick Oliver said that he found Evans and the girl sleeping in a car in the woods near a railroad track on February 14. Oliver said that Evans handed him the child when he said they needed to go to the police station, and then Evans sped off in the vehicle.

Evans was eventually arrested in Mississippi, when deputies found him walking along the side of the road, holding a gas can, after he had been given money by a church, Live 5 News reported.

Evans is set to be arraigned on March 27. He waived his right to a bond hearing while in court earlier this month on the kidnapping charge.

He also faces charges in state court, including attempted murder, armed robbery, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping.

Evans was taken into custody after Mississippi police found him walking along the side of a road with a gas can, after receiving money from a nearby church

Authorities are also looking for the woman  Sharon Hayden, 39, of Spartanburg County, South Carolina  who owns the vehicle Evans was driving when police said he kidnapped the four-year-old girl. Hayden's mother said her daughter is missing. Authorities have said little about Hayden's case.

Evans is a convicted felon who was released from prison less than two weeks prior to when the alleged rape and beating of the woman and kidnapping of her daughter occurred, federal charging documents said.

His criminal past spans over the past two decades, according to official court documents.

He was arrested in 2000 and charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor. Police said he assaulted a 15-year-old girl when he was 19. At the time he wasn't required to register as a sex offender because he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

In 2002, Evans was accused of robbery when he and another man grabbed a woman in downtown Charleston and attempted to snatch her purse. He was convicted of strong armed robbery and served two years probation.

Evans is accused of following a South Carolina woman home, beating, raping and tying her up, before kidnapping her four-year-old daughter

Evans allegedly kidnapped a four-year-old girl from South Carolina, driving her across state lines. She was recovered by police in Alabama the next day

In 2009 he and another person broke into a gas station and stole beer, cigarettes and lottery tickets. One hour later he robbed a second gas station in Charleston, this time at gunpoint. That time he was sentenced to 10 years on armed robbery and burglary charges.

Evans' projected release date was February 26, but he was set free at the beginning of February, due to state prison policies, and sent to his home in Spartanburg County, South Carolina.

After being released from prison on February 1, Evans was supposed to be living in Upstate South Carolina, but allegedly traveled down to Charleston where he carried out the attack on the unsuspecting woman and her daughter, the Post and Courier reported.

The woman sustained bleeding on her brain and facial fractures during the alleged beating.

Police were only alerted to the four-year-old's disappearance after going to her home on a welfare check, after the school reported that the girl's mother had not returned to pick up the two children that she had dropped off earlier in the day.

The attack was said to have occurred at about 10am, but police did not go to the home until after 6pm. Two other, younger children were inside the house with their mother when police arrived. They were not harmed.
Hope Hicks got an early start on Wednesday, heading off to work shortly after 8am following her midday arrival at the office on Tuesday.

The outgoing White House Communications Director was certainly not tying to blend in either, outfitting herself in a Veronica Beard blazer that called to mind Kim Cattrall's character in Mannequin with its shoulder pads, structured look and neon blue color.

She went back to black for the rest of her look meanwhile, which included her favorite Stuart Weitzmann suede boots, turtleneck, slacks and a pair of cat-eye sunglasses.

Her hair meanwhile was done up in a bun and she wore a pair of pearl studs.

Mannequin: Hope Hicks headed to work in an all-black look on Wednesday which she paired with a neon blue jacket and black sunglasses (above)

And who am I? That's one secret I'll never tell: Hicks could be seen looking over an email (above) while heading towards her waiting car

Beat-hick poet: The look was remarkably similar to the one she wore on Tuesday when she rolled into the White House at noon

The great bright Hope: Hicks' blazer called to mind Kim Cattrall's character in Mannequin with its shoulder pads, structured look and neon blue color

The look was remarkably similar to the one Hicks wore on Tuesday, when she was snapped rolling into work at noon.

The only changes were suede boots in place of suede heels, a black turtleneck instead of a white one and a different Veronica Beard blazer.

Hicks was also wearing diamond studs as opposed to pearls and her recently blown-out hair was worn down on Tuesday.

She could be seen reading an email on her phone as she exited her building on Wednesday.

It will likely be another low-key day in the office for the Trump loyalist, with her boss not expected back until later this evening.

President Trump spent the night in California after a fundraiser on Tuesday and is stopping in Missouri on Wednesday afternoon on his way back to the nation's capital.

Hicks is now starting her third week at work after announcing she would be stepping down from her post in the Trump administration, making her one of the many who has exited the team over the past month.

That mass exodus kicked off with the ousting of Hicks' boyfriend Rob Porter.

Feline herself: It will likely be another low-key day in the office for the Trump loyalist, with her boss not expected back until later this evening

Funny face: Hicks was outfitted in one of many pairs of favorite Stuart Weitzmann suede boots, a turtleneck, slacks and a pair of cat-eye sunglasses that were all in black

Lyin' when oughta be truthin': Hicks has the Weitzman boots in different lengths, heel sizes and colors

Colorblocking: Hicks' contrasting colors stood out as she made her way into the waiting car

Porter resigned from his post after DailyMail.com revealed that he had been accused of physically abusing his two ex-wives in early February, a claim that the administration tried to initially deny.

That was on February 7, and since that time there have been five additional members of President Trump's administration have left their posts, including Hicks.

She gave her notice on February 28, one day after the Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's West Wing-ally and spokesperson Josh Raffel announced he was stepping down from his post as senior communications official.

Economic adviser Gary Cohn was the next to go on March 6, and on March 12 President Trump's personal aide John McEntee was escorted out of the White House by security.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired by President Trump on Tuesday, and then hours later was followed by Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein.

That second firing was a result of the first, with reports emerging that Goldstein was let go for contradicting the administration's version of events as it pertained to Tillerson's exit.
A Chinese woman who wanted to move a table across the city chose to sit in the boot of a taxi while holding onto the large oversize item.

The dangerous stunt, which happened yesterday, was quickly spotted by the traffic police of Nanchang in south-east China.

Police have penalised the taxi driver and confiscated his vehicle pending further investigation.

The incident was filmed inside Nanchang's Yangming Tunnel by a witness from another vehicle.

The fearless furniture-mover grabbed two legs of the table by stretching her arms while using her body weight to secure the other two legs. The taxi was travelling quickly in the tunnel in the video.

Nanchang Police said they were informed of the incident after the public contacted them via the internet.

A woman sits in the open boot of a taxi while holding a table yesterday in Nanchang, China

Police officers intercepted the car after chasing it from three directions for 10 minutes

Three teams of officers were sent from three direction to chase the suspected taxi, which belongs to the local Hongyan company.

The taxi was intercepted near the Bayi Bridge after a 10-minute operation.

The driver was given a 200 yuan fine (22.68), according to Sina. He also had two points deducted from his driving licence.

The case is under investigation of the city's Donghu Police Squad. The taxi is being kept by the Honggutan Police Squad.
Six-year-old Ellie Butler had asked to speak to the judge who reunited her with her parents just weeks before she was battered to death by her father, an inquest heard.

The tragic child was placed in the care of her grandparents as a baby after her father Ben Butler - who repeatedly interrupted proceedings today - was accused of shaking her.

She was returned to the care of Butler and her mother in 2012 after a ruling by Mrs Justice Hogg in the family division of the High Court.

Ellie was battered to death by her father at their family home in Sutton, south London, in October 2013.

The girl's headteacher said she was concerned after being told that Ellie, a pupil, had expressed a wish to speak to the judge, as well as with the speed and manner of her transition to live with her parents.

Ben Butler and Jennie Gray were jailed after he brutally murdered their six-year-old daughter Ellie (pictured together)

Ben Butler (left) stormed out when he was watching his daughter's inquest in Croydon, south London, today. Ellie's mother Jennie Gray (right) was also watching via videolink

The inquest, which opened on Monday, stopped briefly to acknowledge Butler (pictured with Gray) had left and then continued

The principal said considering that Ellie, 'a five-year-old child, had asked to speak to the judge I felt I needed to do something about that' and this led her, 'rightly or wrongly' to write the letter.

Ben Butler, who was listening to proceedings via video link from prison, where he is currently serving life with a minimum term of 23 years for Ellie's murder, interrupted her by shouting out: 'Who says she asked?'

Ellie (pictured) was found with head injuries at the family home in 2013

His numerous interruptions prompted retired high court judge Dame Linda Dobbs, who is sitting as coroner for the inquest, to urge him to 'bite his tongue'.

It came a day after he caused further disruption when he stormed out of the inquest.

When given the opportunity to talk, the headteacher said she was concerned that Ellie would not be able to continue the 'loving relationships' she had formed with her grandparents and that she may be moved to another school away from her friends.

She was also wary about the plan for the 'handover' to take place at the school, which she was keen to keep neutral for Ellie.

The headteacher told South London Coroner's Court in Croydon she wrote a letter to the judge months after her ruling outlining her fears, but did not send it after coming to the view it would not change things.

Asked about her concerns, she said: 'I was aware that this girl loved her current family, I was aware that there was a concern that she might not see that current family after the move because there was a difficult relationship.

'I put myself in the child's position and I imagined losing my entire family and my dog and moving to a whole new family, and while she had by now met her mother and father a few times, that's not a relationship.

'Ellie was happy at school and I wanted to keep that as a safe space, untainted.'

The scope of the inquest will not consider the 'merits or wisdom' of the ruling.

Gray (pictured), now 38, was sentenced to 42 months for child cruelty and attempting to pervert the course of justice

Ellie's mother, Jennie Gray, was given a 42-month term after being found guilty of child cruelty.

She had admitted perverting the course of justice.

The headteacher said she had concerns raised with her about the language used in a meeting between an independent social work agency worker and Ellie, where a 'good judge' and a 'bad judge' were mentioned.

In another meeting, Ellie was put in an 'extremely difficult position' by being told that whoever she chose not to live with would be upset, she said.

Asked about what she felt the impact of the move was on Ellie, the headteacher admitted she did not observe a significant change of behaviour in the child.

But, she pointed out, she only attended the school for eight and a half days over a number of weeks after she started living with her parents  a steep fall compared to her previous attendance rate in the 90 percent range  before moving to another school.

The inquest will examine whether there were failures on the part of the authorities with regard to Ellie's murder, including the sharing of information, co-operation and communication between organisations.

It is expected to last two weeks.
A small plane has crash-landed right in the middle of a busy downtown street in Florida.

Kissimmee police spokeswoman Stacie Miller told the Orlando Sentinel that there were two men inside the aircraft but no one was injured.

City officials say the pilot and the passenger were treated at the scene.

Kissimmee police spokeswoman Stacie Miller told the Orlando Sentinel that there were two men inside the aircraft but no one was injured

Courtesy ClickOrlando

According to police, the small plane crashed on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Tuesday.

Officials say the plane was taking off from the Kissimmee Gateway Airport.

However, it is still unclear what led to the emergency landing.

Miller says the National Transportation Safety Board will take over the investigation to determine what caused the crash.

The identities of the two men on board have not yet been released.

A witness told WFTV she ran to see what had happened when the plane went down.

Tacariah Monroe added: 'And that's when we came and we came over here to make sure that nobody was hurt and see if it was more than one person.'

'Thank goodness it wasn't [sic] any cars or anything because it could have been really ugly then,' Monroe said.
A fresh-faced teenage suicide bomber proudly poses for the camera with a broad smile and dressed in an explosive belt in a picture released by Islamic State.

A further set of pictures show the dramatic moment the young man  using the nom de guerre Hamza al-Muhajir - detonates the cargo of high-explosives strapped to his body.

Islamic State bosses claimed responsibility for the attack, saying al-Muhajir was behind the bombing in Yemen's port city of Aden that killed seven people and wounded more than 30 others.

Isiamic state released pictures of a fresh-faced teenage suicide bomber using the nom de guerre Hamza al-Muhajir

Witnesses said the blast was caused by a car laden with explosives, apparently driven by a suicide bomber towards a military kitchen in al-Derain area in northern Aden.

The appalling waste of lives is captured by another ISIS fighter from less than 100 yards away.

A figure can be seen stood at the barrier in war-torn Yemen as man cycles towards the checkpoint.

The next picture shows huge ball of flames and what looks like a body cartwheeling into the air as the lone cyclist nears the scene of carnage.

A further set of pictures show the dramatic moment the young man reportedly detonated the cargo of high-explosives strapped to his body

Witnesses said the blast was caused by a car laden with explosives, apparently driven by a suicide bomber

In the third picture the blast as blown the man on the bike across the road and another man emerges from a giant cloud of dust engulfing the street in the port city of Aden.

Aden is considered Yemen's temporary capital, as the Saudi-backed Yemeni government has based itself there since 2015.

During the last two years, terrorist groups such as the Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and ISIS, have had an active presence in the southern part of Yemen.

A figure can be seen stood at the barrier in war-torn Yemen as man cycles towards the checkpoint

Yemenis inspect the site of a suicide car bombing hit UAE-trained Yemeni troops in the southern port city of Aden

The impoverished Arab country has been locked in a civil war since 2014, when the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is leading an Arab military coalition which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to support the government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi after Iran-backed Houthi rebels forced him into exile.

The UN has listed Yemen as the country facing the world's top humanitarian crisis, with seven million Yemenis on the brink of famine and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.
President Donald Trump has chosen CNBC senior contributor Larry Kudlow to succeed Gary Cohn as his top economic adviser, according to reports, and could make it official as soon as Thursday.

CNBC reported that Trump offered him the job Tuesday night. According to The Washington Post, Kudlow accepted the position on Wednesday.

The news website Axios cited a source who believes Trump thinks Kudlow 'can get him good TV coverage.'

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed the hire on Wednesday afternoon.

'Larry Kudlow was offered, and accepted, the position of Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council,' Sanders told reporters.

'We will work to have an orderly transition and will keep everyone posted on the timing of him officially assuming the role.'

President Donald Trump has settled on conservative television personality Larry Kudlow to replace top economic advisor Gary Cohn at the White House

The president had telegraphed his choice on Tuesday, saying Kudlow had 'a very good chance'

Trump had praised the 70-year-old veteran financial commentator and campaign supporter on Tuesday as he left the White House for California.

Trump told reporters then that he was 'looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly' and noted that while the two didn't agree about the president's recent decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Kudlow's views would be helpful to him in the Oval Office.

'We don't agree on everything, but in this case I think that's good,' Trump said. 'I want to have different opinions. We agree on most. He now has come around to believing in tariffs as a negotiating point.'

'I think Larry has a very good chance,' he continued  noting that Kudlow is a friend and political campaign supporter.

'Larry has been a friend of mine for a long time. He backed me very early in the campaign. I think he was one of my original backers. He's a very, very talented man.'

'I'm also speaking to many others. But I think Larry has a very good chance,' Trump added.

Kudlow is CNBC's senior contributor and was previously the host of CNBC's prime-time 'The Kudlow Report.' He served in the Office of Management and Budget during President Ronald Reagan's administration.

He also served as chief economist at the onetime investment bank Bear Stearns from 1987 to 1994.

Economic analyst Larry Kudlow is shown appearing on CNBC from the New York Stock Exchange in 2018

The White House will likely stay away from commenting on an episode that thrust Kudlow into the national spotlight in 1994: his admission of a long battle with alcohol and cocaine addiction.

Kudlow ended his time at Bear Stearns following a four-week medical leave.

'I went into drug rehab,' he would later tell The New York Times. 'I had an alcohol and substance-abuse problem that needed to be taken care of.'

Kudlow said then that he had been attending 12-step recovery meetings twice a day for more than a year.

'I am willing to share with you my problem,' he told the Times, channeling the ethos of Alcoholics Anonymous and other self-help programs. 'Anyone who blames Bear Stearns is not right. I take full personal responsibility.'

Kudlow has spoken more about that part of his life in recent years, telling The Washington Post that he decided not to run against Chuck Schumer in New York for a U.S. Senate seat because campaigning would cause him to miss too many AA meetings.

He's been sober for 24 years.

Kudlow, pictured in the 1980s during his tenure at Bear Stearns, changed careers following a stint in rehab to address drug and alcohol abuse; he has been clean and sober since 1984

Trump said Tuesday as he left the White House for California that Kudlow is 'a very, very talented man'

Trump had been considering a potential replacement for Cohn as director of the National Economic Council for more than a week.

In addition to Kudlow, the potential successors included Chris Liddell, who serves as the White House's director of strategic initiatives, and Shahira Knight, Cohn's deputy and a key architect of the president's tax overhaul law.

The president said last week that Cohn, the former top Goldman Sachs executive, was likely to return to his administration in the future.

Cohn strongly opposed the president's plan to slap tariffs on the steel and aluminum imports and worked to provide exemptions to U.S. allies such as Canada and Mexico.

But Cohn did play a central role in helping Trump enact a sweeping tax overhaul law, coordinating with members of Congress.

His departure has been worrisome for Capitol Hill Republicans and business groups who have been concerned that Trump may install more protectionist economic policies amid a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Apprentice winner Mark E Wright was attacked at a train station after he stepped in to stop an assault on a police officer on Tuesday morning.

The 28-year-old Australian native 'took a knock' while trying to break up an alleged attack at the train platform at South Woodford station in North East London.

Police were called to the location around 8am and a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and for assaulting a police officer, according to police.

One man was taken to hospital for minor injuries, officials said. It is not clear if Wright was the man taken to be treated.

Wright was praised for his 'selfless' actions by passersby who witnessed him jumping into action in order to stop the altercation.

Apprentice winner Mark E Wright was 'attacked' while stopping an assault on an officer on Tuesday morning at South Woodford station in north east London

Wright was praised for his 'selfless' actions by passersby who witnessed him jumping into action in order to stop the alleged attack

One commented: 'Strange commute in this morning. Pretty sure I saw @Mark_E_Wright trying to break up a fight at south woodford station. Took quite a knock as well, hope you're not too badly hurt'

Another added: 'Thank you for what you did this morning [at South Woodford] station. You were very brave and very few people would step in to help out. I hope you are ok'

A spokesperson for the businessman said: 'Mark stepped into a difficult situation on the morning of 13th March, where a young man was physically assaulting a platform guard at South Woodford tube station.

'The young man then turned his assault to Mark, resulting in him having to defend himself and the platform guard. Many onlookers applauded his efforts to help, concerned by the actions displayed by the young man in question.'

Locals who witnessed the selfless act took to Twitter to praise Wright.

One person tweeted to him: 'Such a selfless thing to do this morning at the station, hope you're not too banged up, but a true gentleman...not enough people in the world like you. Wish you a speedy recovery! (Fellow SW resident).'

Another added: 'Thank you for what you did this morning [at South Woodford] station. You were very brave and very few people would step in to help out. I hope you are ok.'

One commented: 'Strange commute in this morning. Pretty sure I saw @Mark_E_Wright trying to break up a fight at south woodford station. Took quite a knock as well, hope you're not too badly hurt.'

Enquires are still ongoing in the incident, according to police.

Wright appeared on the Apprentice's 10th season in 2014 and the sales manager came out victorious, going on to launch the digital marketing website Climb Online with Lord Sugar's investment

Police were called to the station (pictured) around 8am and a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and for assaulting a police officer, according to police

Wright appeared on the Apprentice's 10th season in 2014 and the sales manager came out victorious, going on to launch the digital marketing website Climb Online with Lord Sugar's investment.

He currently serves as the director of Climb Online, a digital marketing agency.

On his website bio, Wright said: 'When I came to the UK in 2012, with nothing but a passion for business and a love of digital marketing, I didnt know how I would start running my own business.

'This business is a dream that became a reality for me.

'Lord Sugar and The Apprentice, combined with 9 years experience in the industry, has created a recipe for a truly great business! I love helping companies smash their goals every day.'

According to Wright, one of the main problems he's encountered since his success is people confusing him with his TOWIE namesake.

He added: 'I'm the better looking of the two Mark Wrights! That's the one thing I've got in my favour. But I can't get my b***** Twitter verified because they think I'm a bloody account off the other geezer off TOWIE!'
Jeopardy contestants are usually more than happy to share their quirkiest anecdotes and strangest hobbies when Alex Trebek introduces them to the audience.

But Paris Themmen kept his incredible back story under wraps, only to be recognized by some Willy Wonka super fans.

Themmen, 58, played Mike Teevee in the original version of the classic 1971 Gene Wilder film.

Scroll down for video

Jeopardy! fans couldn't believe their eyes when they realized contestant Paris Themmen, 58, was in the original version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

The former child actor starred alongside Gene Wilder as the television-obsessed child Mike Teavee (pictured) in the classic 1971 film

In the movie Mike Teavee, a child obsessed with TV and Western films, ultimately shrinks himself so he can fit inside a television screen

In the movie Mike Teevee, a child obsessed with TV and Western films, ultimately shrinks himself so he can fit inside a television screen.

And on Wednesday Themmen made his character's dream come true when he appeared on an episode of Jeopardy!

But the former child actor kept quiet mum about his former career, instead telling Trebek he was an 'entrepreneur and backpacker' from North Hollywood, California.

Themmen talked about his travels during the introduction portion of the show, revealing he had been to 61 countries and six continents.

But Themmen kept his incredible history under wraps when he appeared on Wednesday's episode of the game show

Themmen started off strongly on the show, winning a Daily Double in the Ben-Hur category in the first round that put him in the lead with $8,000

The avid traveler told Trebek he had not yet been to Antarctica, and revealed his favorite place so far had been the base camp at Mount Everest.

While both Themmen and Jeopardy! failed to highlight his past, he wasn't able to sneak it past some sharp superfans.

'Pretty darn proud that I recognized @ParisThemmen on @Jeopardy tonight before Alex even did the intros,' tweeted Elizabeth Nervegna. 'You go, Mike Teevee!!'

'I recognized you pretty quickly. Willy Wonka is my favorite movie! So cool to see you on Jeopardy,' Brandy Ostrander tweeted to Themmen after the show.

Themmen managed to nab second place after getting the Final Jeopardy! question right, but lost to returning champion Zach Dark, an Alabama investment analyst

A number of Jeopardy! viewers were shocked that the show decided not to mention Themmen's famous past

'Matt was amazed that I recognized Mike Teevee from Willy Wonka on Jeopardy tonight! I love that movie!!' wrote Sarah Tilley.

Fellow fan Mallory Ziglar tweeted that she recognized Themmen's name 'immediately' and was shocked Trebek didn't ask him about the film.

'Wait, did @Jeopardy not mention that contestant @ParisThemmen was in "Willy Wonka," or did I miss it? It's not every day that Mike Teevee is on TV!' added Jonathan Padget.

Themmen started off strongly on the episode, winning a Daily Double in the Ben-Hur category in the first round that put him in the lead with $8,000.

While both Themmen and Jeopardy! failed to highlight his past, he wasn't able to sneak through some sharp superfans who excitedly discussed his appearance on Twitter

But he missed a second Daily Double in the second round, losing $5,000 and placing him at the bottom.

Themmen managed to nab second place with $6,800 after getting the Final Jeopardy! question correct, but lost out to returning champion Zach Dark.

According to his IMDB, Themmen hasn't acted since 2000. His last role was as a 'fawning fan' in the show Star Trek: Voyager.

Themmen has also appeared in the 1999 television movie Screenplay, and in a voice-over for the 1994 mini-series Macross Plus.
Stephen Unwin (pictured) and William McFall raped and murdered young mother Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, a court has heard

A killer on trial for the murder of a mother who was raped then burned alive in her abandoned car has told jurors he was in a relationship with the victim and had nothing to do with her death.

Maintenance worker Stephen Unwin had told jurors he developed a friendship with Quyen Ngoc Nguyen through doing repairs on properties she rented out and that they just 'clicked' before 'one thing led to another.'

The 40-year-old, who was out on life licence from a previous killing at the time he is claimed to have murdered the nail salon worker, said he had made 'bad choices' in the past but had then turned his life around.

Unwin and former cellmate William McFall are jointly accused of killing Miss Nguyen, who was known as 'Anna', after holding her captive at a house for four hours.

After her horror ordeal last August, she and her Audi A4 were dumped and set on fire on a dirt track near Sunderland, jurors have heard.

The 28-year-old nail salon worker's may have been still alive when the blaze was started and could only be identified through dental records.

Quyen Ngoc Nguyen, who was known as 'Anna', was a 28-year-old nail salon worker who was found dead in the back of her Audi A4. Unwin, a convicted killer, claims he was in a relationship with her

Friends and family wear mourning headbands in tribute to Quyen Ngoc Nguyen during an earlier court hearing into her murder at Newcastle Crown Court

During separate interviews, Unwin admitted the victim had been at his house that night but claimed she was 'fit and well' when she left a short time later

Unwin, 40, of Houghton, and McFall, 51, of Blackpool, both deny rape and murder.

Giving evidence from the witness box, Unwin has denied he had anything to do with Miss Nguyen's rape or murder.

He told the court he had first met Miss Nguyen in around April last year when he was asked to show her around a rental property on behalf of an agent he was working for.

Unwin told the court they kept in touch, would meet for coffee and that he started doing work on properties she was renting out after they 'built up a trust'.

He said the relationship then started to become personal in around May.

Unwin told jurors: 'She said she was having lots of issues with her ex partner. She found Englishmen were more polite, stuff like that.'

Uwin told the court Miss Nguyen started visiting his home, met his child and he met her young son.

He said it was in around June 'one thing led to another' and their friendship became physical.

Mr Hill, prosecuting, said some of the properties she was involved in had been used as cannabis farms and it is claimed the men were involved in stealing crops (pictured: Quyen Ngoc Nguyen)

The court heard it is unclear why the single mother, who was 'tiny' in stature, visited Unwin's house on August 14 but prosecutors say she walked into a 'trap' and was carried out, dying, in a plastic sheet by one of her killers

Unwin said Miss Nguyen was 'involved in the production of illegal substances' through cannabis farms which grew in some of the properties she rented out and that he found plants of the drug growing at one place he went to carry out work.

Unwin told jurors he had 'made a lot of bad choices' when he was a younger man but added: 'I have became a better man, I have turned my life around since the past.'

Prosecutor Jamie Hill QC has told jurors about the 'bad character' of the two men, which includes them, separately, setting fires and murdering people.

Jurors have been told the men met while serving their life sentences at HMP Swaleside in Kent.

The murderers wrote to each other when they were sent to separate prisons until they ended up at the same jail in East Yorkshire, while they were being prepared for release.

The nail bar worker's badly burned body was later found face down on the back seat of her Audi A4 on this dirt road

The court heard Unwin was convicted of murder after he broke into a 73-year-old man's home in Houghton Le Spring on Christmas Day in 1998 and attacked then stabbed him in the chest before starting three fires.

Unwin was sentenced to life imprisonment when he pleaded guilty to murder in 1999 and released on licence in 2012.

The court heard McFall was convicted of murder at Belfast Crown Court in April 1997.

In May 1996 he had broken into the home of 86-year-old Martha Gilmore, who had mobility problems, at Station Road, Greencastle and repeatedly hit her with a hammer.

McFall was released on licence in 2010.

Prosecutors claim the motive for Miss Nguyen's killing was a combination of 'violent, warped sexual fantasy and greed'.

The court had heard the victim, who had met the men through her involvement in rental properties, had been held captive at Unwin's house, where she was raped and 'incapacitated'

Mr Hill said a reason for the murder was 'depraved sexual lust and financial gain'.

Floral tributes left at the scene in Shiney Row, County Durham, where the body of Quyen Ngoc Nguyen was found in a burned out car

Mr Hill said some of the properties she was involved in had been used as cannabis farms and it is claimed the men were involved in stealing crops.

The court heard it is unclear why the single mum, who was 'tiny' in stature, visited Unwin's house on August 14 but prosecutors say she walked into a 'trap' and was carried out, dying, in a plastic sheet by one of her killers.

The court heard DNA, CCTV and strands of circumstantial evidence can shed some light onto the 'terrifying' ordeal the victim endured.

Mr Hill added: 'The prosecution says that she was sexually abused and raped and also threatened into providing her PIN numbers for her two bank cards.

'It may be that they were also after the whereabouts of other cannabis growers.

'When the defendants had finished abusing her, and gained access to her money, they decided to dispose of her, determined to destroy the evidence of what they had been doing.'

The court heard the victim's DNA was found inside the Marvel lounge pants Unwin had been wearing and there were traces in McFall's shorts.

Both men deny murder and rape.

The trial continues.
Theresa May's expulsion of 23 of Putin's spies will spark a huge reworking of the secret game being played out between British and Russian intelligence services.

The diplomatic action - previously used during the Cold War - has seen the names of 23 so-called 'persona non grata' handed to the Russian Embassy.

The 23 agents - who will not be named publicly - will have their diplomatic status removed, meaning they will have to leave the country within a week.

The Russian Embassy has received a list of 23 'persona non grata' from British authorities

Experts say the symbolic expulsion will likely be accompanied by an unofficial kicking out of private citizens thought to have been operating for the Russians in the UK.

The diplomatic list of Russian Embassy staff in London currently contains 59 names, including the ambassador and his wife, 23 'secretaries', 17 'attaches', nine 'counsellors' and six 'attaches assistants'.

But Mathieu Boulegue, Russia research fellow at the Chatham House think-tank, said the people Britain wants to get rid of will likely be picked from a larger network of potential agents.

Article nine of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations allows states to declare diplomatic staff 'persona non grata', in the words of convention, 'at any time and without having to explain its decision'.

The expulsion of diplomats is a time-honoured response to international disputes which was regularly used during the Cold War.

In 1971, a total of 105 Soviet intelligence officers working under diplomatic cover were ordered out of the country by Prime Minister Edward Heath, who was said to be alarmed at the 'steady increase' in the number of Russian spies operating in the UK at the time.

An expulsion of 105 Soviet spies took place in 1971 amid government alarm at the growing number of Russian spies in Britain. They were caught on covert surveillance equipment

The mass expulsion under Edward Heath came after trade attache Oleg Lyalin defected

The mass expulsion, called 'Operation Foot', came after the supposed 'knitwear representative' of the Russian trade delegation, Oleg Lyalin, defected and revealed Soviet plans in the event of World War Three.

According to Professor Christopher Andrew, author of 'The Defence of the Realm': 'Operation Foot marked the major turning point in Cold War counter-espionage operations in Britain.

'Foot made Britain a hard espionage target for Soviet intelligence for the first time. For several years most Soviet agents in Britain were put on ice and the KGB was forced to ask Soviet Bloc and Cuban agencies to help plug the intelligence gap.'

Margaret Thatcher expelled 25 Russian in 1985 after the KGB officer and MI6 agent Oleg Gordievsky escaped from Moscow. In the tit-for-tat expulsions which followed, another six officials were expelled.

And in 2007, following Alexander Litvinenko's murder, Britain expelled four Russian diplomats following Russia's decision not to send chief suspect Andrei Lugovoy to the UK to face trial.

A round of expulsions took place in 1985 after the Soviet double agent Oleg Geordievsky escaped from a KGB safe-house in Russia and escaped over the Finnish border to safety

Mr Boulegue said the expulsions being carried out today would be unlikely to have the same impact as those during the Cold War, as governments have now developed more sophisticated means of spying than agents alone.

It is likely a secret battle will also be played out in cyberspace by Britain's army of internet intelligence agents.

Whitehall sources said earlier this week they were accelerating their offensive cyber programme and could hit select targets for a specific effect.

It is understood this could see a specialist cyber unit deployed in the UK to attack Kremlin computer networks spewing Russian propaganda and trolling factories spreading fake news.
Fears were growing tonight Russia could name alleged British spies in a tit-for-tat reprisal to Theresa May ordering 23 Kremlin agents out of London.

Moscow is expected to retaliate to the Prime Minister's actions and threaten to expose the identities of members of the security services.

After being notified of Theresa May's reprisals at the Foreign Office, Russia's UK ambassador Alexander Yakovenko branded them a 'provocation' and 'unacceptable' and confirmed there would be expulsions of British diplomats.

Tory MP Nigel Evans told MailOnline Britain would not be cowed by the prospect of retaliatory action.

Fears were growing tonight Russia could name alleged British spies in a tit-for-tat reprisal to Theresa May (pictured today in the Commons) ordering 23 Kremlin agents out of London

Russia's ambassador to London Alexander Yakovenko has already signalled the likelihood of retaliatory expulsions from Moscow

The Ribble Valley MP said: 'I expect a tit for tat expulsion as we have already been warned by Moscow that that is what they will do- but we will not be cowed by Russia.

'They sent a chilling signal to the whole world by their inhuman poison attack in Salisbury and it's time for the world to send a signal to Moscow.'

Addressing Mrs May in the Commons earlier, Labour MP John Woodcock warned the situation would 'get more difficult before it gets better'.

She replied: 'We recognise that there might be further Russian provocation. If there is, we have further measures we can deploy, but it is importantand we will encourage our international allies to do this toothat we recognise that this is an important moment to stand up and say to Russia, No, you cannot do this!

Professor Malcolm Chalmers, the deputy director of security think tank RUSI, said: 'The expulsion of 23 diplomats is a very significant number.

'There are 58 Russian diplomats in their embassy now accredited on the diplomatic list - that's a high proportion of the Russian presence.

'I think everybody expects a reciprocal act in the other direction in relation to the UK presence in Moscow.'

Prof Chalmers said Mrs May had attempted a 'balancing act' between measures too small to make a difference and so large there is a major escalation.

Mrs May ordered 23 Russian diplomats linked to the Russian Embassy in Kensington (pictured) out of Britain, insisting they were spies. She said the move would degrade Russian intelligence activity in London

In the biggest diplomatic swipe for decades, the Prime Minister gave the 'undeclared intelligence agents' a week to leave the country and suspended 'all high level contact' with the country.

Mrs May also paved the way for a crackdown on cronies of Vladimir Putin, suggesting there would be no tolerance for corrupt money in London and raising the prospect of asset seizures.

As relations with Moscow reached new lows in the wake of the attack on former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, the premier also suggested that covert reprisals would be undertaken - in an apparent hint at cyber attacks.

Mrs May - who directly condemned Vladimir Putin in her statement to the Commons - said she was determined that the measures would 'fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence' capability in the UK.

'They have treated the use of this poison with sarcasm and disdain There is no other conclusion other than that the Russian state was responsible for the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter,' Mrs May said.

Mrs May said: 'Under the Vienna Convention the United kingdom will now expel 23 Russian diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers - they have just one week to leave.

'This will be the single biggest expulsion in over 30 years and it reflects the fact this is not the first time that the Russian state has acted against our country.

'Through these expulsions we will fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability in the UK for years to come. And if they seek to rebuild it we will prevent them from doing so.'

The carefully-calibrated package was widely welcomed by MPs, although some warned that the government must be ready to step up action again if necessary. The UK has also called for an urgent meeting of the UN security council.

But Russia immediately threatened to hit back in kind.
Gerald Turner, 67, suffers from a form of dementia called Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)

The heartbroken wife of a man who went missing 10 days ago has revealed he suffers from a rare form of Dementia.

Gerald Turner, 67, has not been seen since he went missing in Swanage, Dorset on March 4 despite major searches by the police, fire and coastguards.

His wife Jane has revealed he suffers from Dementia with Lewy Bodies, a condition with symptoms of both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, which has made Mr Turner's life a 'living hell'.

The disease was brought into the public eye four years ago when Oscar winning actor Robin Williams took his own life because he could no longer live with the disease.

Mrs Turner said that her husband suffers from hallucinations and visual disturbances, which have been brought by the illness.

However unlike many dementia patients, her husband is fully aware of his own deterioration.

Mrs Turner believes that her husband may feel that his condition is too much to cope with and believes the chances of him being found alive are 'very, very slim'.

An estimated 100,000 people in the UK are believed to be affected by DLB, and Mrs Turner has spoken out about the disease to help raise awareness.

At the moment there is no cure for the condition any nothing to slow down the deterioration. However there is medicines which help reduce hallucinations, confusion, drowsiness, movement problems and disturbed sleep.

Mrs Turner said: 'Not only does Gerald have Lewy Body (DLB) but he also had Type 1 diabetes and had no insulin with him.

'The chances of finding him alive are very, very slim.

'I just think it's become too much for him. He's been suffering from anxiety and depression because of Lewy Body yet there is very little that can be done to help him.

CCTV images which is believed to be Mr Turner (circled) show him walking along Swanage High Street at 6.30am on March 4

Police, Dorset Search and Rescue, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, Wessex 4x4 and HM Coastguard have carried out widespread searches across the area

'I want to raise awareness of this terrible illness so that something can be done to help other people - it is a living hell.'

Mr Turner went missing at around 3am from his home in Swanage on March 4.

There is CCTV of him walking along Swanage High Street at around 6.30am that morning although there have been no sightings since.

Police, Dorset Search and Rescue, Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue, Wessex 4x4 and HM Coastguard have carried out widespread searches across the area.

Locations searched include an area from Anvil Point to Dancing Ledge where tragic teenager Gaia Pope was found dead on November 18 last year.
Police have warned that an escaped violent prisoner should not be approached by the public.

Anthony McGinley, who was convicted of a fatal knife attack in 2012, has absconded from HMP Castle Huntly near Dundee.

The 33-year-old, believed to have connections in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, and the Castlemilk area of Glasgow, was on home leave when he went missing.

Anthony McGinley was serving a nine year sentence for killing another man in the Castlemilk area of Glasgow

Darren Gavan was involved in an altercation with the killer which led to him being stabbed

He was expected to return to prison today.

He was sentenced to nine years behind bars for stabbing 25-year-old Darren Gavan in Castlemilk in 2012.

During sentencing, McGinley was told that he was 'a danger to the public' by judge Lady Stacey at the High Court in Glasgow.

He also had previous convictions for serious assault in 2003 and was jailed for 18 months in 2008 for another attack.

It is understood that the family of Darren Gavan have been informed but they did not wish to comment.

A spokesman for Police Scotland appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

He said: 'Police Scotland is appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of 33-year-old Anthony McGinley, who is a convicted prisoner currently serving a sentence at HMP Castle Huntly, by Dundee.

'His temporary release licence has been revoked whilst away on home leave.

'McGinley is described as being 5ft 9, average build, with dark brown hair and green eyes.

'He is believed to have connections in Hamilton and the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.

'McGinley is known to be violent. If seen, he should not be approached and Police Scotland should be called on 101.

'Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can do so through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.'



McGinley was on home leave from Castle Huntly open prison and is described as 'violent' by police

The prison is near Dundee and McGinley is known to have connections in the Glasgow area

While behind still behind bars, McGinley's mother was involved in a row with Mr Gavan and contacted police, alleging he had damaged her car.

On the day of the killing, McGinley and Mr Gavan exchanged text messages leading to the accused becoming 'irate', the BBC reported at the time.

McGinley was at his brother's home in Castlemilk that night when he became aware of Mr Gavan and his friend Joseph Lee outside.

The court was told how he left the flat armed with a knife that was hidden in a pocket.

McGinley and Mr Gavan confronted each other before the accused was left bleeding after being hit on the head.

McGinley retaliated by stabbing Mr Gavan once on the body. He then said: 'I've just done him.'
James Morwood, pictured, was visiting Greece with his friend Stephen Anderson when he tragically downed in the ocean

A highly respected Oxford University lecturer and author drowned on holiday in Greece after going for a swim off a beach he visited with a friend, a coroner heard today.

James Morwood was visiting Greece with his friend and colleague Stephen Anderson, when he went for a swim in the sea.

The 73-year-old scholar in Latin Studies at Wadham College, Oxford, then encountered problems and Mr Anderson described how - to his horror - he finished had reading a chapter in his book and got up to go swimming himself, when he saw Mr Morwood being dragged out of the sea by a group of people.

In a statement read out at the inquest in Oxford Mr Anderson explained: 'We were staying at the Eagles Palace Hotel in Ouranoupoli. James had been once before and he was keen to return.

'On September 10, after breakfast, we decided to do the beach. James remembered well the mind-boggling clarity of the water, so off we went.

'We paddled a bit at first but found the water surprisingly cold. Later James decided to go for a swim a bit further out but the area by us was too rocky and stoney to enter so he went further up the beach.

'After 10 minutes I saw him swimming further out than I expected him to go. I got to the end of my chapter and I then found it was too stoney as well.

'As I walked along I knew something was going on. Some people pulled a body out and to my horror it was James. There was a nurse and a doctor from Glasgow on the beach but their efforts were to no avail as we were told he was already dead.

'James body stayed on the shore, covered in blue towels and I was whisked away off to town to make statements to the coastguard. I spent the rest of my time in Greece writing letters and informing people that needed to know.

Mr Morwood was swimming in the sea away just yards from the five-star Eagles Palace Hotel in Ouranoupoli, pictured, when he started struggling and was pulled out of the ocean

A doctor and a nurse from Glasgow were on hand to provide the Wadham College Classicist immediate first aid, but unfortunately they were unable to revive Mr Morwood.

'I met his brother at Gatwick Airport and returned his belongings.'

Mr Morwood's brother, Bryan gave evidence at the inquest. He confirmed he had been on holiday in Colorado at the time of his brother's death.

He said: 'He [Stephen Anderson] managed to track me down on my mobile. We got a plane home.'

Oxfordshire Assistant Coroner, Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, asked if it was an easy process in getting James' body repatriated from Greece.

He replied: 'That is a long story. Luckily James had travel insurance so I was able to arrange repatriation through them. Originally they [Greek authorities] told me I would have to go out there to reclaim the body.

Mr Morwood oversaw TV celebrities Benedict Cumberbatch and Richard Curtis at Harrow

'What was actually expected of me was to slip them a few Euros to make that all go better. The mortuary in Thessalonika tried it on with the insurance companies and it all took weeks.'

Mrs Rhodes-Kemp concluded a verdict of death by drowning and said afterwards: 'It is amazing how many people suddenly jump out and try to help in situations like this. Two highly qualified people were there and despite their best efforts, he sadly passed away.

'Nothing could have been done. What happened to him happened in the water. It is a form of drowning where the water hits his larynx and sends shockwaves to his heart.'

Mr Morwood, from Brook Street, Oxford, was born in Belfast and educated at Peterhouse, Cambridge, before he taught at Harrow School for 30 years. Here he was involved in school journalism and acting, overseeing TV celebrities Benedict Cumberbatch and Richard Curtis.

In 1996 he was elected to a Fellowship at Wadham College, Oxford. He became an Emeritus Fellow in 2006 and was Editor of the Wadham Gazette.

While at Oxford he authored the Oxford Latin Course textbook that gave him international standing in the classics world.
The emission-free luxury car of the future, complete with a cashmere finish, has been unveiled by Aston Martin.

The high-end British company are hoping to release two new electric models, under the Lagonda brand, in five years.

Aston Martin claim it will be the first luxury car brand to offer an electric vehicle (EV) line with autonomous technology.

Production will begin in 2021 and the vehicle will be powered by batteries under the under car with an electric motor powering all four wheels. The expected range is 400 miles.

The high-end British company are hoping to release two new electric models, under the Lagonda brand, in five years

Aston Martin President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andy Palmer said: 'We believe people associate luxury in their cars with a certain traditional and even old-fashioned approach because, to date, that is all that's been available to them.

'Lagonda exists to challenge that thinking and prove that being modern and luxurious are not mutually exclusive concepts.

'Whether by a person or a computer will be up to them. And if they want to drive themselves, the car will ensure that is a delightful and memorable experience too.'

Marek Reichman, Aston Martin EVP and Chief Creative Officer, said: 'The Lagonda Vision Concept is an incredibly bold design statement. The electrification revolution means there is no longer any need for horse and carriage design, and our new concept shows the scope of design opportunities that open up once you no longer need to provide space for a large power source directly in front of the passenger compartment.'

Both of the Lagonda vehicles were unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. Both vehicles will be shorter and lower than traditional limousines and will be able to fit in four people, the Mirror reports.

The interior of the car will be finished with silk, cashmere and carbon fibre by Savile Row tailors

The front seats will be able to turn around so they can face the passenger seats

The wheel of the vehicle can be put so it is in either a right or left hand drive, or even completely retracted

The car, which does not yet have a price tag, has been given a luxury finish

Neither vehicle has a bonnet and the front seats are designed in such a way so the passenger seats can reverse around to face the rear passengers.

Savile Row tailors have been brought in to add a luxury finish to interior of the vehicle, which features expensive materials such as carbon fibre, cashmere and silk.

Meeting four level autonomous driving standards means the car will be able to drive itself on conventional roads. The car steering can be on either the left or right hand side, or even pushed back completely if not in use.

The price for the vehicle is yet to be revealed.

Neither vehicle has a bonnet and the front seats are designed in such a way so the passenger seats can reverse around to face the rear passengers
Salvage Hunters star Drew Pritchard has reportedly been barred from every pub in his hometown after allegedly brawling with another man.

Mr Pritchard - who hosts the popular Discovery Channel show - is being probed over claims he had a fight at the Liverpool Arms in Conwy, north Wales, on February 14 - the day Wales played Ireland in the Six Nations.

Following the alleged brawl Mr Pritchard, whose show debuts tonight, had been placed on the town's pubwatch scheme meaning he is effectively banned from every one of the town's drinking establishments.

Salvage Hunters star Drew Pritchard has reportedly been barred from every pub in his hometown after allegedly brawling with another man

He has only recently opened up a business on the high street, reports the Mirror.

Mr Pritchard's barring has been confirmed by a landlord who is part of the pubwatch scheme.

It is understood the TV presenter was initially handed a temporary ban but it has now been upgraded to an indefinite one.

Mr Pritchard, who was not arrested for the alleged brawl last month, has been involved in pub violence before.

Mr Pritchard is being probed over claims he had a fight at the Liverpool Arms (pictured) in Conwy, north Wales, on February 14 - the day Wales played Ireland in the Six Nations

In October last year Janus Thomas, a crane firm boss, was fined a total of 1,440 for assaulting Mr Pritchard in the same pub as the latest alleged incident.

Llandudno Magistrates' Court heard Mr Pritchard had had an affair with Thomas' wife before tensions boiled over on July 8 last year.

The latest incident did not involve Thomas, who is also on the pubwatch banned list.

MailOnline has contacted Mr Pritchard's representatives for comment.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is reviewing a recommendation that he fire former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe just days before his forthcoming retirement.

That's according to a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an internal disciplinary process.

The recommendation was made by the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility and sent to the Justice Department and was first reported by the New York Times.

Former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe could be fired from the agency just days before his retirement over his decision to allow FBI officials to speak to reporters about a Clinton Foundation investigation in 2016

The person said McCabe is suspected of misleading internal investigators about a media leak, an allegation he denies.

The review is looking into McCabe's 2016 decision to allow FBI officials to speak to reporters about an investigation into the Clinton Foundation, according to the New York Times.

The Justice Department's inspector general said that McCabe had not been forthcoming during the review, though details about what the official failed to say were not clear.

Agents are commonly fired when they show a lack of candor, the Times report pointed out.

The report recommended that McCabe be terminated, leaving Sessions in charge of his fate.

President Trump has frequently criticized McCabe publicly, suggesting that his wife's involvement in Democratic politics had tainted the FBI official too.

In the past, the president has tried to connect the dots between McCabe and Clinton over a campaign donation his wife received from Clinton ally, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

'Problem is that the acting head of the FBI & the person in charge of the Hillary investigation, Andrew McCabe, got $700,000 from H for wife!' the president tweeted back in July.

At the same time, Trump has also complained, again and again, about Sessions, after the attorney general recused himself from the Russia investigation.

Firing McCabe could put Sessions in a better position with Trump, but the attorney general would have to act fast.

McCabe is due to retire on Sunday, and then will be eligible for his pension after spending 22 years at the bureau.

McCabe did not return an Associated Press reporter's call seeking comment.

Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said there 'are no personnel announcements at this time'
Vladimir Putin shrugged off the crisis engulfing relations between Russia and the UK when he visited the Crimea to thank residents for voting to annex the peninsula.

Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine drew international sanctions, but many Russians saw it as restoring Moscow's rule over a region they regard as being historically theirs.

Appearing in front of a crowd of cheering supporters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, Putin said that, four years ago, the people of Crimea took a historic decision to become part of Russia.

Vladimir Putin addressing supporters during the fourth anniversary of the Russian annexation in Sevastopol's Nakhimov Square

Russian forces entering Crimea in 2014. The move was condemned by the international community and resulted in sanctions against the Kremlin

The Russian president thanked Crimean voters for backing Moscow rule but did not mention the deteriorating relations with Britain

'With your decision you restored historical justice,' he told the crowd of supporters in the city of Sevastopol, home to the Black Sea Fleet's base.

'With your decision, you showed the whole world what is real, rather than sham democracy, you came to the referendum and made a decision, you voted for your future and future of your children.'

In a rallying call he said there are still things to improve in Crimea but 'we will definitely do everything, because when we are together we are a huge force that can resolve the most difficult problems.'

Putin is running for an historic fourth term in a poll all but guaranteed to hand him another mandate.

Police said about 40,000 people attended Putin's short speech, having first to wait for several hours listening to patriotic songs.

The Russian election is scheduled for March 18, the day when a treaty was signed with the Crimea making it a part of Russia

An estimated 40,000 people turned out to see Putin ahead of the March 18 presidential election

Putin also inspected the Kerch Strait Bridge which when completed will link Crimea with mainland Russia

Putin's stop at Sevastopol's main Nakhimov square is seen as his last campaign event before the country votes.

Russian authorities scheduled the election for March 18th to mark exactly four years since Putin signed a treaty with representatives from Crimea to make it a part of Russia.

His visit to Crimea also included a stop at the construction site of the massive Kerch Strait Bridge linking the peninsula to Russia and a look at a new airport terminal.

Putin inspected work on the 19-km (12-mile) road-and-rail bridge across the Kerch Strait, which some Russians have dubbed 'Putin's bridge'.

It designed to integrate Crimea with Russia's transport network, and show off Moscow's largesse.

The bridge will be the longest dual-purpose span in Europe when completed.

Putin, accompanied by officials in hard hats, was given a tour of the still-uncompleted central section of the bridge, and posted for photographs with workers.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly was so angry at the way ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's Tuesday firing played in the press that he shouted at the television on Air Force One.

The scene aboard the presidential plane as Donald Trump departed for California was described by Politico.

It capped a chaotic morning that saw the Kelly-led White House and the State Department insisting on contrradictory timelines covering when Tillerson learned he would be replaced as America's most senior diplomat.

The public and most journalists learned Trump had swung the axe on Twitter. Tillerson's chief spokesman Steven Goldstein said the secretary was blindsided and had yet to hear from the president personally.

Trump fired Goldstein, too.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly yelled at a TV aboard Air Force One on Tuesday as news coverage of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's firing turned into a sniping match over how and when the axe was swung

President Donald Trump abruptly fired Tillerson in a tweet on Tuesday, but the White House insisted Kelly had called Tillerson four days earlier while he was in Africa

White House aides have rushed to insist that Kelly had called Tillerson last Friday, interrupting a night's sleep in Africa to let him know the president planned to relieve him of duty.

Some reports describe Kelly only advising Tillerson to watch Trump's Twitter accout closely in the ensuing days. Others relate a franker conversation.

In that latter version of events, Tillerson asked Kelly to persuade the president to keep his powder dry until he returned to the U.S. on Monday.

The then-secretary cut his Africa trip short by a day, giving no reason at the time.

Goldstein attributed it vaguely to 'demands in the secretary's schedule.'

The question of when Tillerson was told to pack his things would be less explosive, if not for Kelly's dissembling over the dismissal of Rob Porter last month.

Trump reportedly decided to fire Tillerson last Friday but it's unclear how much information Kelly shared with the soon-to-be-ousted diplomat

Mike Pompeo, who had been CIA director, will lead the State Department; Gina Haspel, a career CIA officer who was deputy director, will become the first woman to run the spy agency

The former Trump staff secretary was forced out after DailyMail.com published accounts from his two ex-wives, who accused him of domestic abuse.

The FBI, it turned out, had alerted the White House several times in 2017 that the allegations were holding up Porter's security clearance.

Kelly presented a version of events two weeks ago that exonerated himself but was often at odds with the facts.

Tillerson would only say on Tuesday that he had received a lunchtime call from Trump during the president's cross-country flight, along with a separate call from Kelly  both conversations happening after the tweet heard 'round the diplomatic world.

In an apparent snub, he didn't thank Trump for his posting  or even mention him by name  during a brief statement Tuesday afternoon.

Tillerson's frustration at being sacked over social media has a precedent: Former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus found out Kelly had replaced him when Trump tweeted from Air Force One, while it idled on a tarmac and Priebus sat in a car nearby.

Kelly had another problem with a firing timeline two weeks ago when he insisted he'd done nothing wrong by allowing Staff Secretary Rob Porter (right) remain in his highly sensitive role despite warnings from the FBI that he couldn't pass a security clearance background check; Kelly gave reporters a version of events that was wildly at odds with established facts

The outgoing diplomat told reporters shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday that he had talked with Trump around lunchtime. The president's unexpected tweet came before 9:00 a.m.

'I received a call today from the President of the United States a little after noontime from Air Force One,' he said.

'I've also spoken to White House Chief of Staff Kelly to ensure we have clarity as to the days ahead.'

The shaken-sounding outgoing cabinet secretary explained that his official ending date will be March 31, and that he aims for an 'orderly and smooth transition' for his replacement, CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
Sandhya Sonawane, 24, died after undergoing a bizarre treatment at an Indian Hospital

A hospital doctor in India has been accused of using a mystic 'godman' to perform a an exorcism ritual on a patient suffering from multi-organ failure as a result of her breast cancer.

Local reports claim Sandhya Sonawane was receiving conventional treatment at the Deenanath Hospital in Pune, in the western state of Maharashtra when her condition deteriorated rapidly.

Her doctor, named in local media as Satish Chavan, asked a non-medic into the intensive care unit to perform a ritual involving a red cloth and some lemon.

The 24-year-old patient died shortly after the ritual was performed.

Ms Sonawane was said to have had a lump on her chest which was removed in a conventional fashion in the Chavan Nursing Home, however, she suffered major post-operative bleeding.

She was later transferred to the Deenanath Hospital, where she underwent the bogus procedure.

Ms Sonawane's bereaved brother Mahesh Jagtap said to local media: 'My sister was suffering from breast cancer after her second delivery.

'She went to Chavan in pain at the end of November. But, even after her first surgery with him, she suffered from the same problem and another lump was detected in her breast.

Ms Sonawane, pictured, underwent a bizarre procedure involving a 'God man' who tried to exorcise evil spirits while her body underwent major organ failure

'Chavan then advised a second surgery, but soon after that as well, her condition became even more critical, and she experienced major bleeding.

When Chavan asked us to shift her to Deenanath, we were confused.'

Calling the black-magic mystic a 'godman', the brother added: 'I was present at the hospital when Chavan came with the godman. I filmed the incident and went to Shiv Sena (far-right regional political party) leader Sachin Tawre.

'He helped me and my family with approaching the cops. This is a clear case of medical negligence and we demand a detailed inquiry into the matter.'

Dr Chavan meanwhile says he had a phone-call death threat after the case was widely reported.

A Deenenath Hospital spokesman said: 'Our hospital has nothing to do with this incident or Chavan. We do not allow such practices. Sandhya was admitted here due to some complications.

'Her condition was critical and she was under the treatment of Dr Sameer Jog.'

The spokesman confirmed her death and added: 'Our hospital is not responsible for any such superstitious practices.'

There was no comment reported from Dr Chavan.
A white University of Pennsylvania law school professor who said she has never seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class during her 17 years at the institution, has been removed from teaching a required first-year law course.

'I don't think I've ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class, and rarely, rarely in the top half,' tenured law professor Amy Wax said during an interview with Brown University economics professor Glenn Loury, which was recorded on September 10, 2017.

Penn Law school dean Ted Ruger announced on Tuesday that Wax will no longer be teaching required first-year law courses.

Ruger said through an email to students and faculty that was published by Philadelphia Magazine that Wax spoke 'disparagingly and inaccurately' about the performance of black students during the interview, which was centered on her view that there is a 'downside of affirmative action.'

Scroll down for video

University of Pennsylvania law school professor Amy Wax, a white woman who said she has never seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class during her 17 years at the institution, has been removed from teaching a required first-year law course; Wax (right) made the comment while being interviewed by Brown University professor Glenn Loury (left)

Wax, who has been teaching at Penn Law since 2001, according to the Penn Black Law Students Association (BLSA), repeatedly degraded prospective black lawyers she has taught in the past during the conversation with Loury.

'I can think of one or two students who have scored in the top half in my required first year course,' she said.

As of March 8, she was teaching Remedies, Conservative Thought, and Civil Procedure, according to an account run by Penn BLSA.

Civil Procedure is a mandatory first-year law course.

Wax also claimed that the University of Pennsylvania Law Review has a racial diversity mandate, suggesting that black students had not earned their places.

'A lot of this data is a closely guarded secret, as you can imagine,' Wax told Loury in September.

Penn Law school dean Ted Ruger (right) announced on Tuesday that Wax (left) will no longer be teaching required first-year law courses, but will remain on full salary as staff at the school

Speaking about black law students at Penn and peer schools, she went on to say that some of them shouldn't even be attending college.

Ruger said it was imperative for him as dean to state that Wax's claims are false.

'Black students have graduated in the top of the class at Penn Law, and the Law Review does not have a diversity mandate. Rather, its editors are selected based on a competitive process,' he said.

'And contrary to any suggestion otherwise, black students at Penn Law are extremely successful, both inside and outside the classroom, in the job market and in their careers.'

Wax has tenure at the university and will retain her salary and her seniority, which Ruger confirmed in his email.

She will continue to teach a full course load of electives but will not be teaching the mandatory first-year law school course of Civil Procedure.

Waxwill continue to teach a full course load of electives but will not be teaching the mandatory first-year law school course of Civil Procedure at Penn Law

'This curricular decision entails no sanction or diminution of Professor Waxs status on the faculty, which remains secure,' Ruger wrote.

Additional language from Ruger's email on Tuesday told students he was sympathetic to how Wax's statements may adversely affect the educational environment at Penn law. He wrote:

'In light of Professor Waxs statements, black students assigned to her class in their first week at Penn Law may reasonably wonder whether their professor has already come to a conclusion about their presence, performance, and potential for success in law school and thereafter. They may legitimately question whether the inaccurate and belittling statements she has made may adversely affect their learning environment and career prospects. These students may also reasonably feel an additional and unwarranted burden to perform well, so that their performance not be used or misused by their professor in public discourse about racial inequality in academic success. More broadly, this dynamic may negatively affect the classroom experience for all students regardless of race or background.

'After consulting faculty, alumni/ae, Overseers, and University officials, I have decided that Professor Wax will continue to teach elective courses in her areas of expertise, but that are outside of the mandatory first-year curriculum.

'Normally, this decision would be private, but because Professor Wax made these inaccurate public statements, and students and alumni raised their concerns publicly, sharing it with our community is important.'

Wax has made provocative statements before, claiming Anglo-Protestant cultural norms are superior to others. She also claimed in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed last year that America should return to the bourgeois culture of the 1950s.

In that article, she condemned 'the single-parent, anti-social habits, prevalent among some working-class whites,' 'the anti "acting white" rap culture of inner-city blacks' and the 'anti-assimilation ideas gaining ground among some Hispanic immigrants' and said they were not suited for a 'First World, 21st-century environment.'

Wax co-authored that piece, headlined 'Paying the price for breakdown of the country's bourgeois culture' and bannered by a photo of John Wayne, with Larry Alexander. Alexander is the Warren distinguished professor at the University of San Diego School of Law.

Loury interviewed Wax in September on a series he hosts called The Glenn Show at Bloggingheads.tv.
Republican Sen. Rand Paul has vowed to vote against President Trump's pick to lead the CIA, suggesting she's too torture-happy.

On Tuesday President Trump nominated Gina Haspel to lead the spy agency, shuffling the CIA's current head, Mike Pompeo, to the State Department on the heels of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's firing.

Because of her links to an agency prison in Thailand where terror suspects were subjected to Bush-era harsh interrogation techniques, Paul charged that she showed 'joyful glee at someone who is being tortured.'

Republican Sen. Rand Paul (left) has come out against the nomination of Gina Haspel (right) for CIA director because of her links to Bush-era enhanced interrogation techniques. Paul claims that she showed 'joyful glee at someone who is being tortured'

Simulation: Some of the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' used at the CIA 'black site' run by Trump's pick to direct it were shown on Zero Dark Thirty, the movie about the hunt for bin Laden

'Gina, by the way, who I know very well, who I've worked very closely with, will be the first woman director of the CIA,' Trump said as he departed the White House Tuesday

Real-life: Gina Haspel's clandestine career will inevitably see her compared to Claire Danes' Homeland character Carrie Mathison but it will be her oversight of the detention of Abu Zubaydah when he lost an eye and was waterboarded 83 times in a month which will dominate her confirmation hearing

'I find it just amazing that anyone would consider having this woman at the head of the CIA,' Paul said, according to the Hill newspaper.

The Kentucky Republican said he would also vote down Pompeo's nomination, complaining that the current CIA chief doesn't believe 'enhanced interrogation techniques' are torture.

Paul also didn't like how Pompeo and Haspel supported the Iraq War.

'I'm perplexed by the nomination of people who love the Iraq War so much that they would advocate for a war with Iran next,' the Republican lawmaker charged. 'I think it goes against most of the things President Trump campaigned for.'

Trump insisted throughout the 2016 campaign that he had always been against the Iraq War, though some earlier statements he made indicated that his position may have evolved.

Standing in contrast to Paul, Trump has repeatedly said he supports waterboarding.

Besides being linked to the Thailand prison, Haspel, the 61-year-old deputy director of the CIA, also helped carry out an order that the agency destroy its waterboarding videos.

Protest: CIA leaker Edward Snowden tweeted his disgust from Moscow, where he is in exile to avoid charges for stealing the agency's dark secrets

That order prompted a lengthy Justice Department investigation that ended without charges.

Beyond Paul's protest, her nomination is already drawing opposition from Democrats, due to her role overseeing the torture of two terror suspects at a secret CIA prison in Thailand.

Haspel, who has extensive overseas experience, is likely to be compared by supporters to Carrie Mathison, the CIA spy playedon hit Showtime series Homeland by Claire Danes for her clandestine career.

But the role which may dominate her future is when she briefly ran a secret CIA prison where terror suspects Abu Zubayadah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri were waterboarded in 2002, according to current and former U.S. intelligence officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

She also played a role in 'extraordinary rendition' where terror suspects were handed over to foreign governments.

Both policies were extremely controversial during the George W. Bush administration, and became issues during her confirmation.

Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 time during his interrogation.

Later, her name was on the order to carry out the destruction of videotapes of the interrogation, the New York Times reported, although the agency said her superior, Jose Rodriguez, head of the clandestine service, had made the decision.

Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden called her an 'unsuitable' nominee immediately after Trump announced his decision.

'I think with respect to Miss Haspel in particular, the Trump administration is engaged in an out-and-out cover-up to keep the American people from knowing about her professional background,' he charged, following up his initial comments with an interview Wednesday on CNN.

'As you know there are many public stories linking her to torture,' the Oregon Democrat added.

He said that he and Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico were teaming up to try and get Haspel's background declassified.

'I can tell you that there's absolutely no reason why a significant amount of her background couldn't be declassified without harming American national security,' Wyden said.

The president called her by her first name Tuesday morning in comments to reporters, and praised her.

'Gina, by the way, who I know very well, who I've worked very closely with, will be the first woman director of the CIA,' Trump said. 'She's an outstanding person.'

'I am grateful to President Trump for the opportunity, and humbled by his confidence in me, to be nominated to be the next director of the Central Intelligence agency,' Haspel said. 'If confirmed, I look forward to providing President Trump the outstanding intelligence support he has grown to expect during his first year in office.'

NSA leaker Edward Snowden also blasted the choice.

'The new CIA director was a key part of the torture program and its illegal cover-up. Her name was on the Top Secret order demanding the destruction of tapes to prevent them being seen by Congress. Incredible,' Snowden wrote on Twitter.

But former CIA director John Brennan, who served during the Obama administration, defended her integrity in carrying out the program.

'She was the acting director for operations when I arrived, and she has a wealth of experience and background, and she has more than three decades experience abroad as well as at headquarters,' said Brennan, saying she enjoyed 'tremendous respect' in the agency.

'Gina Haspel has a lot of integrity,' told MSNBC. 'She has tried to carry out her duties at the CIA to the best of her ability even when the CIA was asked to do some very difficult things in very challenging times.'

More than a decade after waterboarding was last used, the CIA is still haunted by the legacy of a tactic that the U.S. government regarded as torture before President George W. Bush's administration authorized its use against terror suspects.

There is no indication that Trump's pick signals a desire to restart the harsh interrogation and detention program.

Haspel, who joined the CIA in 1985, has been chief of station at CIA outposts abroad. In Washington, she has held several top senior leadership positions, including deputy director of the National Clandestine Service and deputy director of the National Clandestine Service for Foreign Intelligence and Covert Action.

When she was picked as deputy CIA director, her career was lauded by veteran intelligence officials, including former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who recently retired.

But it also upset the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights advocates who found it unsettling that Trump would choose someone who was involved in the harsh interrogation program.

'No one who had a hand in torturing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency,' Human Rights First's Raha Wala said Tuesday.

'To allow someone who had a direct hand in this illegal, immoral and counterproductive program is to willingly forget our nation's dark history with torture.'
Polish President Andrzej Duda has likened Poland's membership of the European Union to the successive occupations of the country by Russia, Austria and Prussia.

His nation which joined the EU in 2004, is the top beneficiary of funds from Brussels, netting some 10 billion a year (8.8 billion).

But today the president said as during the years of occupation between 1795 and 1918, 'in faraway capitals, they make decisions for us - and in reality we are working on behalf of others.'

Polish president Andrzej Duda compared the 123 of occupation by Russia, Austria and Prussia to his nation being part of the EU

Dusa was speaking at an event to mark 100 years since Polish independence was restored

Duda was speaking at an event in southwestern Poland marking 100 years since the country's sovereignty was restored following World War I.

'We have today a sovereign and independent Poland where I believe we will live better and better. Talk about it to your children.'

To people who say the European Union is more important than Poland, Duda said 'everyone should remember the 123 years of partitions' when the country answered to occupying powers.

The president said at the time people thought about being occupied 'maybe it's better, there won't be any more quarrels, uprisings - we'll finally have peace'.

But they 'soon realised that while the wars continued, we don't decide for ourselves anymore'.

He continued 'now somewhere far away, in faraway capitals they make decisions for us, they take the money we earn through our work, and in reality we work on behalf of others'.

The president is close to the rightwing Law and Justice, whose rule in Poland has seen relations with Brussels sour

Duda is a close ally of the ruling rightwing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which came to power in 2015.

Since then, relations between Warsaw and the European Union have soured, mainly over controversial justice reforms that put the courts under government control.

Critics at home and abroad believe the court reforms introduced by the PiS threaten the separation of powers, and in December the EU launched unprecedented disciplinary proceedings.

The EU's censure could ultimately lead to Poland losing its voting rights in the bloc.
The son of a well-known hotelier was arrested at Sydney airport trying to leave the country less than a day after the murder of ex-bikie boss Mick Hawi.

The 29-year-old was attempting to board a flight on February 16 when detectives from Strike Force Amirs - formed to investigate the shooting - took him into custody.

Detectives found a semi-automatic Desert Eagle handgun after executing a search warrant at a home in Hurstville, but found it was not used in the shooting.

The son of a well-known hotelier was arrested at Sydney airport less than a day after the murder of ex-bikie boss Mick Hawi (pictured)

The 29-year-old was attempting to board a flight on February 16 when detectives from Strike Force Amirs - formed to investigate the shooting - took him into custody (pictured are two men seen on CCTV after the shooting)

Detectives found a semi-automatic Desert Eagle handgun after executing a search warrant at a home in Hurstville, in Sydney's south but found it was not used in the shooting (pictured is a car set alight after the shooting)

The man was taken to a police station for questioning, and later moved to a hospital for assessment, but has not been charged over Hawi's murder.

He remains at the hospital under mental health legislation, and is the son of a prominent local hotel owner, The Daily Telegraph reported.

New South Wales Police said the arrest resulted from 'information from the community' in relation to the brazen broad daylight shooting.

Specialist ballistic officers examined the seized firearm, and determined it was not the weapon used in the February 15 murder.

The man was taken to a police station for questioning, and later moved to a hospital for assessment, but has not been charged over Hawi's murder (pictured is Hawi's 4WD)

New South Wales Police said the arrest resulted from 'information from the community' in relation to the brazen broad daylight shooting (pictured are men caught on CCTV after the shooting)

Former Comanchero national president Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi, 37, was shot multiple times as he sat in his luxury Mercedes 4WD outside a gym in Rockdale.

Two masked men in black clothing were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene after the attack, and witnesses identified a man wearing a balaclava as the gunman.

A Mercedes Benz station wagon was set on fire on a nearby street shortly afterwards, but police have yet to charge anyone over the murder.

Former Comanchero national president Mahmoud 'Mick' Hawi (left, right with his wife), 37, was shot multiple times as he sat in his luxury Mercedes 4WD outside a gym in Rockdale

Two masked men in black clothing were captured on CCTV fleeing the scene after the attack, and witnesses identified a man wearing a balaclava as the gunman (pictured is the scene of the murder)

Hawi rose to the top of the Comanchero aged just 22, and shot to prominence over his role in the infamous 2009 Sydney airport bikie brawl which left one man dead.

Hawi's murder conviction over the death of Anthony Zervas in the brawl was sensationally overturned in 2014.

He was released in 2015 after serving a three and a half year sentence for the downgraded charge of manslaughter.

Strike Force Amirs, made up of detectives from the Criminal Groups Squad, is continuing to investigate the shooting.
A fortune built on fraud.

Thats essentially what the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is alleging against Elizabeth Holmes, founder of blood testing technology company Theranos. She was charged with fraud on March 14 after years of controversies and investigations plagued the company.

She and the companys president, Ramesh Balwani, were charged with deceiving investors out of millions of dollars by lying about the validity of their companys technology and products. Its a shocking and unfortunate end for the young entrepreneur once hailed by some as the next Steve Jobs who had accumulated billions from the companys illusionary success just a few short years ago.

But just who is Elizabeth Holmes? Heres all you need to know about who she is, what her net worth is and what Theranos is.

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes was charged with fraud by the SEC on March 14, 2018

Who is Elizabeth Holmes?

Elizabeth Holmes is an entrepreneur and health technology innovator best-known as the founder of disgraced blood testing technology company Theranos.

Holmes was born on February 3, 1984 in Washington, D.C.

Long interested in business and healthcare, she attended Stanford University to study chemical engineering. Holmes soon established Theranos in 2003 as a way to democratize healthcare with revolutionary blood testing technology that promised to use just a small amount of blood from patients. She subsequently dropped out in March 2004 to focus on the company full-time, using her tuition money as seed funding for it.

Holmes incorporated Theranos in April 2004 and quickly found interest from investors in raising millions of dollars. The companys value skyrocketed from $30 million (21.4 million) in late 2004 to a staggering $9 billion (6.4 billion) by 2014.

Holmes recruited former Secretary of State George Shultz in July 2011 as a member of Theranoss board of directors and soon became the subject of great media fanfare, being hailed by Fortune, Forbes and other media outlets and even being praised as the next Steve Jobs by Inc. She was also named by Forbes as the youngest self-made woman billionaire in the world in 2014, boasting a massive net worth of $4.5 billion (3.2 billion).

However, Holmess fortune soon came crashing down after a 2015 report by the Wall Street Journal raised some serious questions about Theranoss technology. The report sparked a series of government investigations that caused her wealth to essentially vanish within a matter of months.

She was banned by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2016 and was charged with massive fraud by the SEC on March 14, 2018, forcing her to return her company shares, surrender her voting control of the company, not serve as director or officer of a public company for at least ten years and pay a $500,000 (358,000) fine in order to settle the charges.

What is Elizabeth Holmess net worth?

Even before todays SEC charges against Holmes, her net worth was believed to be $0 (0) according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Previously, Holmes boasted a fortune of about $4.5 billion (3.2 billion) and was notably the youngest self-made woman billionaire in the world on the Forbes 400 list in 2014, thanks to the supposed success of Theranos and her 50 per cent control of the companys equity.

However, in June 2016, Forbes revealed that her huge net worth was entirely gone due to several investigations that caused Theranoss valuation to plummet from about $9 billion (6.4 billion) to just $800 million (572.6 million).

BREAKING: SEC charges Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former prez Sunny Balwani with massive, years-long fraud https://t.co/OaRZc8uVtN by @Cookie pic.twitter.com/o1avkIFar0  TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) March 14, 2018

What is Theranos?

Theranos is a health technology firm known for its failed attempts to create a new blood test system using only minimal amounts of blood.

The company was founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes and headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Theranos was purportedly launched with an intent to revolutionize blood testing by utilizing only minimal amounts of blood, making blood testing more economical and more convenient for the public.

The company soon attracted great interest from investors who believed in its product and mission, obtaining $6 million (4.3 million) from investors and a market value of $30 million (21.4 million) by December 2004, figures that would grow exponentially until the companys estimated value ballooned to $1 billion (715.6 million) in 2010 and $9 billion (6.4 billion) by 2014, all the while attracting hundreds of millions in new investment annually.

Theranos partnered with Walgreens in September 2013 to offer onsite blood tests in more than 40 locations and also partnered with the Cleveland Clinic and insurances companies Capital BlueCross and AmeriHealth Caritas in 2015 for various projects.

Also in 2015, the FDA approved Theranoss new blood testing device for the herpes simplex virus. The company was also awarded the Bioscience Company of the Year Award for that year by AzBio.

However, at the height of its financial valuation and influence, the companys fortunes reversed dramatically. An investigative report in 2015 by the Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou questioned the companys technology and methods, sparking a series of government investigations. Whistleblowers like Tyler Shultz, grandson of former Theranos director and former Secretary of State George Shultz, also stepped forward to allege that the company was built on fraud.

Compounding problems, Theranoss Scottsdale research center failed a lab test from the Arizona Department of Health Services and was later sued by the states attorney general, alleging false advertising and incorrect blood testing results.

Forbes soon reported in June 2016 that Holmess fortune had all but evaporated. Theranos itself was sanctioned by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services just a month later and was reportedly near bankruptcy in 2017 according to the Wall Street Journal.

Theranoss house of cards finally came crashing down in spectacular fashion when Holmes and former Theranos President Ramesh Balwani were charged with fraud by the SEC, who alleged that they purposefully deceived investors about the success and validity of Theranoss technology to obtain $700 million (501.1 million) in funding from 2013 to 2015.
Stephen Hawking probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory.

As well as numerous best-selling books, Hawking also published several important scientific papers during an illustrious research career.

Through his groundbreaking theories, the legendary physicist examined the origins of the universe and helped explain the behaviour of black holes.

Stephen Hawking, who sought to explain some of the most complicated questions of life while working under the shadow of a likely premature death, has died at 76

1970 Space-time in black holes

One of Hawking's first key ideas was how space and time react within the brutal confines of black holes.

Black holes are regions of space with a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape.

The objects are so powerful they bend time and space in bizarre ways, and in 1970 Hawking showed how black holes alter 'space-time'.

'Space-time' is a theory used by physicists to describe the fusion of 3D space and time into a four-dimensional continuum.

Up until the '70s physicists had known Einstein's theory allowed for 'singularities' - points where space-time appeared to be infinitely curved.

But it was unclear whether or not these singularities actually existed.

Birkbeck College physicist Sir Roger Penrose showed that singularities do exist as they can form in black holes.

Alongside Sir Penrose, Hawking applied the same idea to the universe in its entirety in 1970.

They showed that Einstein's theory predicted a singularity in our distant past: The Big Bang.

1971-72 Black hole mechanics

Black holes are regions of space with a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape.

Their field is so intense that they form their own set of physical laws unlike anything else in the universe.

Hawking devised the second law of black holes, which states that the total surface area of a black hole will never get smaller.

In separate work, Hawking sparked the 'no hair' theorem of black holes.

This states that black holes can be characterised by three numbers  their mass, charge and angular momentum.

The 'hair' in Hawking's idea is other information that disappears when it falls into the black hole.

1974-75 How black holes vanish

Hawking showed that black holes emit heat and eventually vanish in an extremely slow process.

While a black hole with the mass of the sun would take longer than the age of our universe to evaporate, smaller ones disappear faster.

Near the end of their lives they release heat at a dramatic rate, with an average-sized black hole releasing the energy of a million hydrogen bombs in just a tenth of a second.

Hawking's drew on 'quantum theory' for the finding - the branch of physics concerned with how the universe works at the subatomic level.

Through his groundbreaking theories, the legendary physicist helped explain the behaviour of black holes (artist's impression) and examined the origins of the universe

1982 How galaxies arise

Many physicists believe the universe inflated rapidly shortly after the Big Bang.

Hawking was one of the first to show how galaxies may have formed during this explosion of time and space.

He found that quantum fluctuations - tiny variations in the distribution of matter - grew into the galaxies that dot the cosmos today.

This is because strong gravitational forces made matter clump together.

Hawking's theory is supported by recent observations of the faint afterglow of the Big Bang, which spotted the sort of variations Hawking worked with.

1983 How the universe began

Hawking is best known for his attempts to combine two key theories of physics: Quantum theory and Einstein's general relativity.

While quantum theory covers how tiny subatomic particles stitch together the fabric of our universe, general relativity deals with larger objects.

It describes how galaxies, stars, black holes, planets and more interact with one another via gravitational forces.

Much of Hawking;s work focussed on combining quantum theory and general relativity with Einstein's theory of gravity.

He suggested that this new theory, known as quantum gravity, could fill in many of the gaps of our current understanding of physics and the universe.

In 1983 the physicist partnered with Chicago University's Professor Jim Hartle to propose a 'wave function of the universe'.

Known as the Hartle-Hawking state, this notion is meant to figure out how the universe began through quantum mechanics.

In theory, this could be used to understand the properties of the universe around us.

1988 A brief history of time

Hawking's bestselling book A Brief History of Time has sold more than ten million copies since it was published in 1988.

The book, which described the structure, origin, development and eventual fate of the universe, was a surprise success for the relatively unknown physicist, staying in the Sunday Times bestseller list for 237 weeks.

Hawking wrote the book for readers with no knowledge of any scientific theories.

The physicist joked himself that many who owned the book struggled to understand its complexity and never finished it.

The book ultimately propelled Hawking to stardom, with the physicist publishing or co-publishing 15 books in total and writing or starring in multiple scientific documentaries, television shows, films and more.

What happened before the Big Bang?

At the time of the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, all matter in the universe erupted from a singularity to create the cosmos.

But scientists are unsure what happened before then.

In a recent TV interview, Hawking said 'nothing was around before the Big Bang'.

Instead, time and space existed in a 'bent state' that was distorted along another dimension.

The physicist believes the Big Bang was the formation of what we now regard as time because the event broke down the laws of physics.

This means that anything that preceded it cannot be applied to our understanding of time and existence.

By Harry Pettit, science and technology reporter
The White House is floating a deal where President Trump would exchange medium-term protections for DREAMers in exchange for funding for his beloved border wall.

The deal is a retreat from Trump's earlier demand for major changes to the laws governing legal immigration  including what he calls family 'chain migration'  in exchange for helping the DREAMers, having already set in motion the elimination of their protections.

One idea being floated to congressional leaders is to extend DACA protections in exchange for three years of funding for the wall Trump wants to build on the southern border.

Trump toured sample wall sections near San Diego on Tuesday.

The White House is floating a deal where President Trump would exchange medium-term protections for DREAMers in exchange for funding for his beloved border wall, but the deputy White House press secretary said a three-year DREAMer reprieve for three years of wall funding isn't something the White House would support right now

But the White House was quick to knock down the idea after the Washington Post reported it had been pitched to Republican leaders. The paper reported that Trump was open to the idea of extending DACA protections in exchange for border funding in an upcoming omnibus spending bill.

'The White House opposes a so called three-for-three deal,' said White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah, who was traveling with the President in California and Missouri.

'If there were a deal cut and that could be added to the omnibus we would welcome that. But right now what was reported as a three-for-three deal is not something the White House would support,' he said.

The Supreme Court ruled last month it won't hear an appeal of ruling that requires the feds to keep the DREAMERS' status in place.

11 undocumented youth and allies began The Walk to Stay Home, a 15-day walk from New York Citys Battery Park to Washington D.C.s Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in 2015

THIS MIGHT TAKE OFF: The idea comes after talks over helping the DREAMers have stalled

THERE ARE OBSTACLES: Any deal to help DREAMers could face GOP opposition in the House, while many Democrats are dug in against Trump's wall

Trump's tough call for ending 'chain migration' and a diversity lottery also has subjected the administration to some critical news coverage, including that his wife Melania's parents got special 'Einstein' visas and that they applied for status after she gained permanent residency.

Democrats have demanded extending Obama-era protections for DREAMers, who were brought here illegally as children. But they backed off after lawmakers helped force a government shutdown over the issue.

The latest funding staring down Congress is March 23, a compressed timeframe that has some lawmakers predicting there is not enough time to forge a deal for DREAMers.

With everything else thats going on, I just dont see ... the DACA issue being resolved in the next week, said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Tex.) told the Post.
A transgender honor roll student penned a heartbreaking letter to her parents before tragically leaping from the top floor of the family home.

Eric Peter Verbeeck, a 17-year-old male born in Tampa, Florida, was in the process of transitioning to female before committing suicide the morning of March 6.

The teen, raised by loving parents Patricia and Peter, who are now divorced, was a bright student at St. Christopher's Montessori School in Key Biscayne and later attended MCA Academy in Miami where she was set to graduate come spring.

Aside from managing to keep almost all 'A's' in school, Eric had a passion for acting, singing and dancing as way to express herself.

Transgender teen Eric (pictured center) is seen with parents Patricia McKay Verbeeck and Peter D. Verbeeck, as well as her brother, Michael, right

Eric, an honor roll student from Tampa, Florida, was preparing to transition into a girl in months leading up to her suicide on March 6

'Eric was passionate about the performing arts and performed for seven years from the age of six with Miss Angelica Torres and the Broadway Musical Theater Group,' the late teen's Legacy.com obituary reads.

The obituary states Eric 'loved every aspect' of being onstage and that her favorite role was Alice in Wonderland's Mad Hatter.

She 'also loved to attend Broadway and London musical theater shows, experimenting with new restaurants and regularly attended the Miami City Ballet' with her mom.

But Eric's mother, Patricia, had no idea her son, who was preparing to become a girl, had been suffering like she was.

Eric was a bright student at St. Christopher's Montessori School in Key Biscayne (shown above)

Eric later began attending school the MCA Academy in Miami (shown above) She was set to graduate high school in May

Eric is pictured right smiling next to fellow students and friends at MCA. She was an honor roll student and also in student council

The student, who also identified as pansexual, opened up about her gender struggles to her mother roughly 14 to 15 months ago, Patricia told the Miami Herald.

When Eric told her parents the truth, she said she felt she was 'in the wrong place' and stuck 'in a box'. From the start, she received overwhelming support from them.

'''Eric, what is the next step you would like to take on transitioning from a boy to a girl?''' Patricia told Eric, according to the Herald. '''I don't want to tell you what to do or think you should do. You tell me the journey you want to take.'''

A few months later, the teen began attending therapy sessions and taking hormone replacement.

But it wasn't enough.

Nearly one month before Eric was set to turn 18 on April 14, she wrote her parents a suicide letter before taking her own life.

Eric (upper right) was friendly to everyone she met, her mother said. One night before she committed suicide, Eric told her mom she felt 'trapped'

The goodbye letter read: 'Dear Mommy and Papa, I am so sorry to do this to you but I have killed myself by jumping off the top floor ,' Patricia shared with the Herald.

'I could no longer live my life as a lie,' the letter went on to say.

'I'm so sorry I lied to you... I was losing hope in the world and could not see my way out of the wrong body so I decided it was time for my life to end.'

The night before Eric's passing, Patricia said she laid in bed to talk with her child, when she told her mother she had been feeling 'trapped' once more.

'As far as I know, he wasn't bullied,' Patricia said, while adding she had recently started referring to Eric as a she.

'Everybody we talked with, no one would have guessed,' she added. Patricia praised Eric for her kindness and character - and said she would always lift others up.

Patricia further explained how Eric was planning to change her name to Hope after graduation. Eric had been accepted to several colleges.

The mom, who planned to move to South Carolina with Eric after graduation to start a new life, told the Herald she now has a home that is '85 percent complete' with a 'pink bedroom' for her late child who is now only a memory.

Patricia said the message she hopes others to take away from her story is: 'Do not slam the door on your son or your daughter if they come and express a sexual identity issue.

'This was an issue that he suffered with even though he was unlike many of the teens who get no support and who don't have anybody helping them. He had everything. Both of her parents supported her transition,' Patricia went on to say.

'This was going to become an ongoing passion of him going to college, to join a group, and to get the message out.'

If you or anyone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the confidential National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255.
Aimee Green and Luna, who was still born

A bereaved mother has spoken about the guilt she feels from her baby dying during a home birth.

Aimee Green gave birth to Luna Valentina's but soon after the umbilical cord ruptured and despite the new born baby being immediately rushed to hospital, nothing could be done to save her.

In a blog, she graphically talks about the heartbreak she has suffered her and partner Ryan Conroy lost their daughter.

'I kept saying sorry to everyone as I didn't know what to do to make them feel better,' Aimee wrote.

'They would come over and drown me in hugs and kisses but all I could say was I'm so sorry.

'It was my fault, why did I have a home birth, why didn't I listen to them all and have a hospital birth, why was she a happy baby for 11 hours of labour but not the last few minutes?

'What had I done? How was I going to apologise to Ryan? What if he falls out of love with me? I can't lose him as well? My family hate me'

The Plymouth Herald reported how Aimee recalled the moment how a midwife named Emma entered the hospital room where they were waiting to tell them the news about Luna.

Aimee and her partner Ryan hold baby Luna when they finally got to see her in hospital

Ryan holding Luna's tiny hand. She said her partner was a 'broken man' when they were told their baby had died

Aimee said the first time she was able to see Luna 'she instantly made us smile'

Despite her grief, Aimee said she felt 'love at first sight, true love just like the films'

Aimee said the sight of Ryan holding Luna 'broke me in two' but she will 'never lose that memory of them'

'She perched on the left side of the hospital bed with Ryan at my head and held our hands.

'The second she held our hands our fate was revealed. She need not say those dreaded words.

'Her eyes filled up and she said, "I'm sorry, they have tried everything they can".

'I felt as though I had been hit by a train, my stomach had been kicked, twisted and stamped on. I just sobbed.

'I sobbed my heart out with such might I couldn't breathe. My heart shattered into a billion pieces, and I sobbed inconsolably for what felt like a lifetime.

'The whole room was in floods and my darling Ryan was a broken man.

Aimee wasn't able to see Luna before she was taken to hospital but she recalled the first moment she saw her.

Aimee and Ryan have set up Luna's Fund and hope to be able to provide practical and financial help to other parents in a similar situation

They also hope to be able to set up two retreats where bereaved parents can go

'Swaddled to perfection with a little pink hat on waiting to see her mum and dad. Our beautiful little Luney bear.

'She instantly made us smile, time stood still, I forgot where I was, who I was, what had happened and it was just the three of us how it was always meant to be.

'It was euphoric. I just loved her, love at first sight, true love just like the films.

'Ryan held his daughter yapping away as I crumbled. Seeing them together broke me in two. Daddy's little girl in his big strong arms a beautiful sight for me to see.

'I felt sad, sad to the bone, so sad I didn't know how I would ever make him happy again. They looked amazing together. Ryan smiling at her through sad eyes, I will never lose that memory of them.'

Aimee and Ryan, who live in Saltash, Cornwall, have since set up Luna's Fund with an initial goal of raising 10,000 to offer a range of services and financial support to other bereaved parents.

But their ultimate aim is to open two safe haven retreats one in the UK - Luna's Lodge and the other abroad in the sun - Luna's Legacy.

The couple are now set up a JustGiving page to raise money to set up the charity and begin helping other bereaved parents.
An elderly man died weeks after being beaten black and blue by the only other patient on his hospital ward.

Alfred Sanderson, 86, was left frightened and in pain after the unprovoked assault by a man with apparent mental health problems, which relatives fear hastened his death from cancer seven weeks later.

His family are furious that a frail and sick old man was attacked in the sanctuary of his hospital bed and have criticised the authorities for the way they dealt with it.

Alfred Sanderson, 86, (pictured) was left frightened and in pain after the unprovoked assault by a man with apparent mental health problems

His son Mike said: A hospital is supposed to be a place of safety and solitude and you dont expect to be beaten up when you go there.

The incident follows revelations last week that two elderly patients were beaten to death in a different hospital by a paranoid schizophrenic armed with a walking stick, who had his anti-psychotic medication withheld despite warnings by his family of the consequences.

Ken Godward, 76, and Roger Lamb, 79, were attacked by Harry Bosomworth, 70, at St Jamess Hospital in Leeds in February 2015, and died within days.

Mr Bosomworth, who died from cancer four months later, had lived a happy and contented life for 50 years thanks to daily drugs that controlled his schizophrenia.

His stepdaughter Rita Martin said: As soon as he got in that hospital, they stopped his medication and he suffered and suffered and suffered a mental torture that culminated in him killing two patients.

The deaths were revealed in a leaked report highlighting failures by health professionals. No inquest has yet been held because NHS England is still investigating, but publicity about the case prompted Mr Sandersons family to speak out, fearing lessons were not being learnt.

The pensioner, known as Alf, was a retired assistant postmaster from York and married father of three, who remained relatively fit and active until his final months. He had undergone treatment for skin cancer and leukaemia over the previous decade yet soldiered on and would walk several miles a day as a member of a hiking club.

He was admitted to York District Hospital in September 2016 amid fears he may have suffered a stroke. Tests would later show his symptoms were caused by cancer spreading to his brain.

He was put on a ward with a heavily-built man, aged about 50, who was behaving strangely.

Mike Sanderson, 66, said: He was ranting and raving and wouldnt get into bed. He kept telling his wife he was going to go home.

During the night the second man  whose identity remains unknown  launched the ferocious and unprovoked assault.

Mr Sanderson said: Dad was asleep and woke up to this tremendous pain as this guy was attacking him.

He couldnt defend himself but managed to shout out and two or three nurses came in and managed to get the guy off.

The pensioner had two black eyes and cuts and bruising down the side of his face, and the entire side of his body was bruised. He also suffered acute shoulder pain for weeks.

He was black and blue, his son said. He was upset and frightened and had nightmares every night from that day on. He would see Darth Vader standing at the bedroom door.

To the familys horror, medical staff wanted to leave both men in the same ward until the attacker could be moved to another hospital. A relative angrily insisted they be kept apart. The family was later told by police that the attackers mental health problems were the reason he was not prosecuted.

Mr Sanderson said medical staff claimed not to know the man had mental health issues and an internal inquiry concluded they werent to blame.

They kept saying they had learnt lessons but I dont think they had learnt a thing, he said. The response was pathetic. The police just said we could take civil proceedings if we wanted to, but my dad just wanted an apology.

They never gave him a verbal one and as his health failed we reminded them five or six times to apologise in writing. The letter arrived the day he died in a hospice and he never saw it.

Mr Sanderson died on November 2 from the cancer, but his son believes the attack hastened his death.

A spokesman for York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: At the time of the incident immediate risk assessments were carried out in order to prevent this happening again and the incident was reported to the police and the trusts adult safeguarding team.

An internal investigation took place which found appropriate actions had been taken.

Patient safety is our highest priority and we are sorry for any distress caused to the patient and his family.
For Theresa Mays Statement, the House was utterly silent. Nary a mutter or cough in the wings. But when Jeremy Corbyn started putting the Russians side of things  Counsel for the Kremlin  the Chamber did not bother to contain its disbelief.

After his poor reviews on Monday, few expected Mr Corbyn to pull the same lavatory chain. But yesterday he was even worse. It is not a question of parliamentary inexperience or political tin ear.

It can only be a dogmatic refusal to think ill of Moscow and a determination to regard British claims through narrowed eyes. Russia good. Britain suspicious.

The Prime Minister had made a Statement just before 1pm. She announced the explusion of 23 Russian diplomats/spies. As she spoke gravely about Russias unlicensed production of chemical weapons, most MPs accorded her respect. But was there the hint of a sneer curled under the snout of Dennis Skinner (Lab, Bolsover)?

Correct. That was the word used about Mrs Mays bearing and judgment by Cheryl Gillan (Con, Chesham & Amersham) and David Hanson (Lab, Delyn). Many other Labour MPs would praise her. But first we had to hear from Agent Corbyn.

He began okay  the voice deeper, slower than on Monday  but it soon unravelled into conspiracy theory and quibbling.

Labour MP Chris Williamson had the communist leaning Morning Star on his lap as he sat behind Corbyn during the session

If he condemned President Putin, I did not hear it. Instead he wanted Mrs May to hand Moscow some of the deadly evidence from Salisbury. Im not sure theyd want to touch it if we did.

The Corbyn voice started to rise, the higher its note, the more peevish its character.

When he started to demand details of what contacts there had been with the Russians, Labour MPs reacted by closing their eyes, massaging their brows and whispering to one another  Vernon Coaker to Yvette Cooper and Rachel Reeves, Jim Cunningham to a bleak-faced Jack Dromey. Boris Johnson shook his head at Mr Corbyns antics. Mr Corbyn reacted by shouting the Foreign Secretary demeans his office!

When Mr Corbyn moaned about post-Cold War defence cuts, Chancellor Philip Hammond pulled an expression of astonishment. Did Mr Corbyn ever in his life demand more money for Defence?

Finally, the dribbling gibberish ended.

Russian president Vladimir Putin has been accused of being the mastermind of poisoning Sergei Skripal

Mrs May, chilly but fastidious, instructed Mr Corbyn that the Salisbury outrage had not been caused by British diplomacy. It was a question of the culpability of the Russian state.

Our international allies agreed with her. Labour backbenchers with her. The only person who did not was the Right Hon Gentleman.

Loud hear hears from across the House. Ben Bradshaw (Lab, Exeter) was one of several Labour MPs to nod his head.

Mr Corbyn looked isolated. But not entirely. That commissar of the Islington oblast, Emily Thornberry, dignitary of the London legal inns, possessor of a ladyship, was twitching with ire. HOW DARE YOU? she screeched at the Tories. SHAME ON YOU!

Give this to Miss Thornberry, she has a yowl on her. Her shriek carried easily over the turbulence. Shed be handy if you wanted to hail a cab in High Holborn. Not that you might want to share it with such a vixen.

Ian Blackford, Commons leader of the SNP, offered Mrs May solid support. What a contrast he cut with Corbyn. Ditto the Lib Dems Sir Vince Cable, who mentioned two London-based oligarchs, one of whom owned a flat overlooking the MoD.

Gangster! said Mr Bradshaw about one of those men.

Several MPs criticised the Russian ambassador, Chris Bryant (Lab, Rhondda) saying the diplomat had lied to MPs and had even tried to stop Commons debates on Russia.

Anna Soubry (Con, Broxtowe) spoke up for our great British democracy  she really did  and Pat McFadden (Lab, Wolverhampton SE) implored Mrs May to accept that some people in the Labour party were actually pro-Britain.

Mrs May said she quite understood that.

Mr Corbyn clutched one knee with both hands, affecting nonchalance. Beside him, like Mrs Brezhnev (look her up, Comrades), sat Miss Thornberry, by now laughing. Laughing!
Craig McLachlan's wife has spoken out about her husband's sexual assault allegations and the 'lack of humanity' shown towards him.

Speaking on 2GB Radio on Thursday, Vanessa Scammell said she never once believed there was any truth to the allegations.

'Yes he's mischievous, but one of his greatest assets is that he loves to make people happy and comfortable,' she said.

Craig McLachlan, 52, has vehemently denied allegations he 'abused, harassed or assaulted' three women who performed alongside him on the Rocky Horror Show in 2014.

Craig McLachlan's wife Vanessa Scammell (together) has spoken out about her husband's sexual assault allegations and the 'lack of humanity' shown towards him

'The lack of humanity that's been shown I've found incredibly overwhelming to be honest,' she said.

'It's been rough and savage.'

Ms Scammell, an orchestra conductor, said she never once doubted her husband's innocence.

'When it all happened, the one thing I said to my girlfriends through all of this, I never had to ask Craig of there was any truth in it,' she said.

Ms Scammell said it was hard to draw a link between her husband, and the man who stood accused of sexually harassing three women.

Craig McLachlan, 52, (pictured) has vehemently denied allegations he 'abused, harassed or assaulted' three women who performed alongside him on the Rocky Horror Show in 2014

'It's almost like a fictional character for us, this person who has suddenly been painted in this very negative way,' she said.

'It's unfathomable that could happen to a man like Craig.'

Since allegations about her husband surfaced in early January, Ms Scammell said life had been 'tough'.

'The shock was out of this world,' she said.

Ms Scammell said she would fight hard to clear her husband's name.

'We are determined and will do everything we can to move through this and clear his name,' she said.

McLachlan has maintained his innocence since the allegations surfaced in January.

Since allegations about her husband Craig McLachlan (right) surfaced in early January, Ms Scammell said life had been 'tough'

Actress Erika Heynatz, who once hosted Australias Next Top Model and had a recurring role on Home and Away, made allegations against McLachlan in January.

Heynatz alleged she experienced unwanted sexual advances from the star.

Rocky Horror co-stars Christie Whelan Browne and Angela Scundi also came forward with allegations of sexual harassment against McLachlan.

Whelan Browne alleges McLachlan 'indecently assaulted her during the show'.

While on stage and only visible to the audience from the waist up, she accused McLachlan of allegedly pulling up her underwear and kissing her buttocks while he was obscured by public view.

McLachlan refuted the incident occurred.

McLachlan (pictured) has maintained his innocence since the allegations surfaced in January

Angela Scundi alleged McLachlan made inappropriate comments about her breasts and allegedly exposed himself to her.

McLachlan has since filed defamation proceedings against Fairfax Media and the ABC after the two media outlets joined forces to report the allegations.

Whelan Browne is also named in McLachlan's defamation suit.

The claim states Whelan Browne was 'herself a notoriously foul-mouthed person who publicly distributed offensive matter and had expressed interest in deviant sexual practices', Seven News reported.
Two people have died after a United States Navy F-18 fighter jet 'bursts into flames and plummeted into the ocean' near Key West.

The Hornet fighter jet, part of Strike Fighter Squadron 213, the 'Blacklions', apparently caught fire and plummeted into the ocean near Key West at around 4.30pm, Florida Keys News reported.

The pilot and and a weapons system officer were able to parachute to safety, Commander Dave Hecht, a spokesperson for the Key West Naval Air Station toldABC 10.

Both were rescued and taken to the Lower Keys Medical Center. They later died in the hospital.

President Donald Trump offered his condolences in a tweet after their deaths were announced early Thursday morning.

'Please join me with your thoughts and prayers for both aviators, their families and our incredible @USNavy,' he wrote.

Scroll down for video

A United States Navy jet crashed in the water in the Florida Keys late on Wednesday afternoon. Pictured is the jet flipped over in the water after it landed

The Navy F-18 Hornet fighter jet apparently caught fire and plummeted into the ocean near Key West at around 4.30pm, Florida Keys News reported. Pictured is a rescue helicopter arriving to the scene

President Donald Trump offered his condolences in a tweet after their deaths were announced early Thursday morning

'We are sad to report that both aviators have been declared deceased,' the Naval Air Forces said in a tweet.

'Their families are in our prayers. Per policy, we will withhold notification pending NOK (next of kin) notification.'

President Donald Trump  has also tweeted his condolences, writing: 'Please join me with your thoughts and prayers for both aviators, their families and our incredible @USNavy.'

Witnesses said it looked like the plane had some sort of explosion in the air before crashing into the water.

'I saw the fire and then it just dropped,' Barbie Wilson told the paper.

She lives nearby and was driving when she said she saw the plane turn sideways before going up in flames.

The pilot and another person on board were able to parachute to safety, but later died in hospital

Pictured is a stock image of an F 18 Jet - the same aircraft they were flying when the jet burst into flames Wednesday

'It was like something out of a movie,' she emphasized.

Photos from the scene show a rescue helicopter hovering over the water as the jet lies upside down.

Wilson told the news outlet that divers were sent into the water to help with the rescue effort, but did not make clear if there were any people still trapped inside the plane.
Kay Coles James, the president of the Heritage Foundation, says former 'Apprentice' star Omarosa Manigualt blocked her from joining the administration during its first year.

'It was Omarosa,' she said, naming the recently departed official in the office of public liaison.

The former director of the Office of Personnel Management during the George W. Bush administration and first African American president of Heritage told Politico that Omarosa viewed her as a rival who needed to be dispensed with.

'The way it was described to me is she approached the whole thing like it was 'The Apprentice,' James told the publication. 'So she looked around Washington and said, 'OK, who do I need to get rid of first?'

'It was Omarosa': Kay Coles James, the president of the Heritage Foundation, says former 'Apprentice' star Omarosa Manigualt blocked her from joining the administration during its first year

James, an official in the Reagan and George H.W. administrations as well, expected she might get a chance to join the administration. The administration hired other people from Heritage and adopted many of its policy ideas.

The foundation even conducted a review and found the administration had embraced or carried out two-thirds of its policies, the New York Times reported in January  and James was quoted lauding the administration in a story about it.

'There is so much noise in this town that I think it obscures the real work that's being done,' said James, praising an administration that others slammed for chaos.

'This administration is doing quite well in terms of advancing a conservative agenda  clearly, quite well,' she said.

James said that with Omarosa out of the picture, things improved dramatically.

'The day she left, the doors of the White House flung open, and they said, "Come,"'she said.

Kay Coles James, president of the Heritage Foundation, listens during a discussion at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018

In this photo taken on January 14, 2009, Kay Coles James visited the home of Dr. Robert Russa Moton in Cappahosic, Gloucester County as a child. She has turned it into The Gloucester Institute, a leadership training organization for African Americans. She calls Moton's home the cradle of civil rights

White House Director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison Omarosa Manigault talks with President Donald Trump as he hands out treats as they welcome children from the Washington area and children of military families to trick-or-treat for Halloween at the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, Oct. 30, 2017

Former Director of Communications for the White House Public Liaison Office Omarosa Manigault. She blasted the Trump White House after she left

She told Politico: 'I was very looking forward to an opportunity to serve in that White House in some capacity to help maybe on domestic policy, maybe in the Office of Public Liaison  in any of those capacities to get the job done.'

Soon after she left, Manigault appeared on 'Celebrity Big Brother,' where she issued some denunciations of the White House she left.

The country is 'going to not be OK' under Trump, she said. Trump gave her her start on 'The Apprentice.'

The White House fired back after her comments.

'Omarosa was fired three times on 'The Apprentice,' and this was the fourth time we let her go,' said White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah, using 'we' to describe the 'Apprentice' period.

'She had limited contact with the president while here. She has no contact now,' Shah said, minimizing her role.
Two of the families who had package bombs left on their doorsteps in Austin were both involved in local activism in the black community and were known to each other.

As police hunt for clues behind the blasts that left two dead and two wounded in Texas over the period of ten days, investigators have a link between two of the three families who were targeted.

Draylen Mason, 17, was killed and his mother wounded when they opened the anonymous package sent to them, in their kitchen on Monday.

Draylen Mason, 17, (left) and Anthony Stephan House, 39, (right) were killed when package bombs were left at their respective homes

Anthony House, 39, died when he opened a package sent to this home on March 2. His stepfather Freddie Dixon, is friends with Mason's grandfather Norman Mason, a prominent dentist in east Austin, according to Nelson Linder, president of the Austin chapter of the NAACP, CBS reports.

'I don't believe in coincidences,' Linder said.

It is not yet clear if there was any tie to the third family who received a bomb, which left a 75-year-old Hispanic woman in critical condition. She was named by family as Esperanza Herrera.

The first victim, Draylen Mason, an honor roll student and musician, was the grandson of Norman Mason, a dentist who has mentored black students at the University of Texas at Austin and his grandmother LaVonne Mason is co-founder of the Austin Area Urban League.

Monday's first explosion: Police were called to a home in Austin at 6.45am on Monday following reports of the explosion that left the 17-year-old boy dead and a woman in her 40s seriously injured

The three explosions that have occurred in the last two weeks, two of which have been deadly, have all been within several miles of each other

Dixon was a pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church, one of the city's oldest historically black churches, and was a leader of Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District, the six square miles of east Austin originally created as the 'Negro District' in 1928.

Linder said people of color in Austin had been left feeling nervous after the bombings.

'Given the fact these people are people of color, that definitely gets people's attention,' he said. 'They feel vulnerable, and they should based on the nature of the incidents.'

Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said that they are investigating and would be looking into the fact that two of the victims were known to each other.

He said that they haven't ruled out whether the attacks were hate crimes or terror related.

Manley said: 'We're not saying that we believe terrorism or hate is in play, but we absolutely have to consider that because we don't want to limit what we are investigating, what we are considering and how we are approaching this case.'

The 17-year-old, who was an honor roll student and promising musician, was killed when the package left outside his home exploded when it was opened in his kitchen

Monday's second explosion: Police and FBI officials blocked off Galindo Street (above) after reports an elderly woman was severely injured in a blast

March 2 explosion: Police are pictured above responding to the explosion on March 2 that killed Anthony Stephan House

The Texas governor's office revealed on Monday it was offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the deadly package blasts.

Police, with the help of the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are desperately searching for the attacker.

Austin police Chief Brian Manley had initially suggested that the blasts could constitute a hate crime, but later amended that to say authorities had not settled on a motive since the intended targets weren't clear because multiple people live in the homes where explosives were placed.

'We are not ruling anything out at this point,' Manley said on Monday.

MULTIPLE BLASTS ROCK AUSTIN: Friday, March 2: The first explosion occurs 10 days ago on the 1100 block of Haverford Drive. Anthony Stephan House, 39, is killed when a package blows up at his home at 6.55am. 6.44am on Monday, March 12: The explosion on Monday morning occurs in the kitchen of a home on the 4800 block of Oldfort Hill Drive. Draylen Mason, 17, is killed and a woman is seriously injured. It occurs 12 miles from the March 2 explosion. 11.50am on Monday, March 12: The second explosion occurs about six miles from Monday's first incident at the 6700 block of Galindo Street. A 75-year-old woman is taken to hospital with serious potentially life threatening injuries. Advertisement

He added that there was no specific victimology or ideology so determining a motive was proving difficult.

Police gave little details on the exact descriptions of the devices but said they were 'box-type deliveries' of an average size.

'A device like this can be hidden in many different ways,' Manley said.

In at least the first two blasts, the packages were left overnight on the victims' doorsteps and were not mailed or sent by a delivery service.

Manley said neither the US Postal Service nor private carriers such as UPS or FedEx have any record of delivering the package to the home where Monday's explosion occurred.

The explosions happened with hundreds of thousands of visitors in the city for the South by Southwest music, film and technology festival.

The bombs did not go off near the site and authorities say the event that brings thousands of people to the city every year is not connected.
A Gold Coast father has been accused of molesting his daughter's teenage friend after she had been drinking alcohol.

The man, 51, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Maroochydore District Court on Wednesday.

He pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent treatment of a child under the age of 16, Sunshine Coast Daily reported.

The man, 51, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared in Maroochydore District Court on Wednesday

The man admitted to rubbing the 15-year-old girl's face, arms, shoulders and neck but denied allegations of groping her breasts, licking her belly button and slipping his hands down the back of her pants.

He admitted to slapping her on the bottom, but told police it was a 'silly little joke'.

The alleged offences occurred at the man's home while his wife was asleep, the court heard.

The man picked up his daughter and a friend from a party in Kawana in July 2016, Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said.

He took the teenagers, both aged 15, back to his home, where they were joined by another friend.

The man and his wife had friends over also, but they left at 10pm and his wife went to bed shortly after, the court heard.

A Gold Coast father has been accused of molesting his daughter's teenage friend after she had been drinking alcohol (stock image)

The teenagers continued to drink alcohol and dance.

When the party came to an end the man gave his daughter and her two friends foot massages to settle them down.

The court heard the man, who had previously worked in massage therapy and obtained diplomas in the field, often gave his daughter massages to ease stress in her feet from dancing.

After the massages the man suggested the girl sleep in his son's bedroom, which was empty, instead of his daughter's room with the other girls, Crown prosecutor Alex Stark said.

This was because there was no room to drag another mattress on the floor because the property was undergoing renovations, the court heard.

He brought the girl a glass of water and stared to massage her head to 'bring back colour to her face' because she did not look well, the man told the jury.

He told the court he asked the girl if she wanted him to stop but she said 'no' because it was making her feel better.

The teenager told police this was when the massage 'turned sexual'.

She turned her back on the man, then he slapped her bottom and left the room, the court heard.

The teenager left the man's house the next day and called his daughter, and explained what happened.

The matter was later reported to the police.

The trail will continue on Thursday.
The owner of a wildlife hospital in remote far north Queensland has been fined $4,500 after a snake was discovered on his property.

Harry Kunz, 70, who runs the Eagles Nest Wildlife Hospital at Millstream east of Cairns, had removed the scrub python from a neighbour's home.

Mr Kunz said he was stunned when officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection slapped him with the fine after spotting the snake during a tour.

The owner (pictured) of a wildlife hospital in remote far north Queensland has been fined $4,500 after a snake was discovered on his property

Harry Kunz, 70, who runs the Eagles Nest Wildlife Hospital (pictured) at Millstream east of Cairns, had removed the scrub python from a neighbour's home

'They came and said "We are here to help" and were all friendly so I was showing them around,' Mr Kunz said.

'Then they saw the snake and they lit up and said "What have we here?" and told me I cannot keep a snake.

'But I was not keeping it, I had done a favour for a neighbour and it was caged before I could release it.'

Mr Kunz was found guilty of keeping a protected animal in Atherton Magistrates Court, but said he will not pay the fine.

Mr Kunz (pictured) said he was stunned when officers from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection slapped him with the fine after spotting the snake during a tour

Mr Kunz (pictured) was found guilty of keeping a protected animal in Atherton Magistrates Court, but said he will not pay the fine

'I did nothing wrong, so I will not pay, it is ridiculous,' he said.

On top of the fine, the case Mr Kunz has paid $6,000 in court costs, he claimed, but he will continue to fight the fine as a matter of principle.

Mr Kunz said authorities told him he can apply for a permit to catch and handle snakes but that will cost him a further $6,000.

'This is the semi-Outback, the residents here all help each other, who can people call when they have a snake in their home?' he said,

'Even the department told me they do not have even people to go out to remote homes and catch snakes, so who should do it?'

On top of the fine, the case has cost Mr Kunz (pictured) $6,000 in court, he claimed, but he will continue to fight the fine as a matter of principle

'We have been doing it for years, they want a first aid course, and some training courses, but I am doing all the training in this region for 20 years.'

Supporters started an online petition to help Mr Kunz raise funds to pay the fine on Change.org.

Poll Do you think Mr Kunz deserved the $4,500 fine? Yes No I don't know Do you think Mr Kunz deserved the $4,500 fine? Yes 8 votes

No 258 votes

I don't know 8 votes Now share your opinion





'It's truly unfair for Harry Kunz to receive a fine or have to pay a fee for something that he has provided to the Ravenshoe and surrounding communities for 35years at absolutely no cost,' the petition states.

'His expertise in snake removal is in question by city slicker pen pushers who sit in an office all day and have no idea of the real world.

'Harry has potentially saved hundreds of lives when venomous and non venomous snakes have thought the inside premises of someone's house is a nice place to visit.'

'Harry is not only a snake removalist but he is also helping the local injured wildlife in the community rehabilitate with absolutely no help from the government and they want to fine him! They should be paying him!' wrote one supporter.

'Saving our wildlife should not be a crime. Inept government officials enforcing laws that stem from financial and ego driven policies should be,' wrote another.

Mr Kunz (pictured) founded the wildlife hospital three decades ago and has saved thousands of injured native Australian animals

Mr Kunz founded the wildlife hospital three decades ago and has saved thousands of injured native Australian animals.

Originally from Vienna, Austria, Mr Kunz incorporated the hospital as a charity in 2003, and has been offering to give the refuge away free since 2016.

The news comes a month after a central Queensland farmhand was fined $10,000 for shooting a 5.2metre crocodile he said was eating calves.

Last week a cane farmer was fined $500 for trapping a crocodile which later drowned on his property south of Cairns.

A Department of Environment and Science (DES) spokesperson said: 'DES takes offences committed against native wildlife very seriously.

'Carpet pythons are protected under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and cannot be kept without a permit under the Act.

'People need to make sure they have all the necessary permits and deal with a licensed provider when keeping native wildlife.'
Zachary Cruz broke down in tears as his brother Nikolas Cruz was arraigned Wednesday in last month's massacre at a Florida high school.

As judge Elizabeth Scherer entered a not-guilty-plea on Cruz's behalf, the 19-year-old suspected gunman stood silently with his head bowed.

Cruz's younger brother, Zachary, became emotional during the hearing and was seen wiping away tears.

Family members of nine of the victims of the attach at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School were present for the arraignment. Some started crying, while one upset relative yelled out to Cruz that he was a 'son of a b****'.

Nikolas Cruz (center) was arraigned on Wednesday in last month's shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school

The 19-year-old suspected gunman kept his head lowered and remained silent during the hearing

A Florida judge entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Cruz during Wednesday's hearing

Zachary Cruz (pictured), the younger brother of Nikolas Cruz, was seen crying during Wednesday's hearing

At one point, Zachary was seen using a tissue to wipe away tears

A Broward County grand jury indicted Cruz on 17 counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder after he opened fire inside the Parkland school on February 14, killing 17 of his former classmates and teachers.

Wednesday's plea came after Cruz's defense attorney said that the teen was standing mute on the charges, meaning he was declining to enter a plea.

Cruz, wearing a red jumpsuit and shackled at his waist and ankles, kept his head lowered during most of the hearing.

State prosecutors announced Tuesday they would be seeking the death penalty for Cruz, a decision Florida Republican Governor Rick Scott said he stands behind.

A trial date will be decided on April 27, Scherer said during Wednesday's hearing.

Cruz's court appearance coincided with a nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence and to pressure Congress to approve gun control legislation.

Zachary Cruz (pictured) appeared to get emotional during the arraignment hearing for his brother

Fred Guttenberg is seen above watching as Cruz entered the courtroom. His daughter, Jaime, was killed in the February shooting

Family members of nine people killed at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School attended the hearing. 17 students and staff members were murdered in the February 14 shooting

One family member held a photo of one of the people killed in the attack

Thousands of students at hundreds of schools in New York, Washington, Alabama, California, Georgia, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Illinois, Florida and other states left their classrooms to attend the rallies.

A larger rally is planned for March 24.

Deputy FBI Director David Bowdich also testified Wednesday before the Senate Committee that the agency could have done more to prevent Cruz's attack.

Last September, a person from Mississippi emailed the FBI warning that a person on YouTube with the name 'Nikolas Cruz' posted that he wanted to be 'a professional school shooter'.

Bowdich said it was not investigated because the YouTube poster's identity could not be determined.

The FBI also received a call in January from a woman who expressed concern over Cruz's social media posts and warned that he wanted to kill people. That tip was also not investigated/

'(The FBI) could have and should have done more,' Bowdich said. 'While we will never know if any such investigative activity would have prevented this tragedy, we clearly should have done more.'

The comments came as the House was set to vote on a measure Wednesday that authorizes $500 million over 10 years for grants to improve training and coordination between schools and local law enforcement.

Nikolas Cruz (center) was indicted on 17 counts of first-degree murder and attempted murder after he opened fire at his former high school

Fred Guttenberg stands following Nikolas Cruz's arraignment. His daughter, Jaime, was killed in the shooting
Mike Pompeo, named Tuesday to be US secretary of state, comes from a one-year stint leading the Central Intelligence Agency where he earned Donald Trump's trust delivering the president's daily national security briefings and by toeing Trump's line politically.

Pompeo, who replaces Rex Tillerson, brings the discipline of a former standout at West Point, the prestigious US military academy, as well as the political wiles of a four-term member of the House of Representatives, where he served on the controversial Intelligence Committee.

AS CIA director he cut a path into Trump's inner circle with ready praise of the president, personally delivering many of the Oval Office's crucial daily intelligence briefings.

He echoes Trump's hard line against Iran and North Korea. But, currying the president's favor, Pompeo has also avoided directly contradicting Trump's insistence that Russia did not work to support his election in 2016 -- even though that is what the CIA concludes.

'With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process,' Trump said Tuesday.

Pompeo, 54, has had a meteoric career that leaned heavily on political opportunities that ultimately led him to Trump.

Born and raised in southern California, he attended the US Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated top of his class in 1986, specializing in engineering.

He served in the military for five years - never in combat - and then left to attend Harvard Law School.

He later founded an engineering company in Wichita, Kansas, where financial backers included the conservative Koch brothers, oil industry billionaires and powerful movers and shakers in the Republican Party.

Pursuit: Pompeo made his name going after Hillary Clinton as a member of special committee formed to investigate the 2012 killing of a US ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

The Kochs backed his successful first run for Congress in 2010, and energy-related legislation he promoted in his first years in the House of Representatives was seen as very friendly to them.

He moved quickly onto the House Intelligence Committee, where, as overseer of the CIA and other agencies, he was privy to the country's deepest secrets.

But he made his name on the special committee Republicans formed to investigate the 2012 killing of a US ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, Libya.

It made him a leading voice against Trump's political nemesis, Hillary Clinton, who as secretary of state at the time was blamed by Republicans for the deaths.

As director of the CIA, Pompeo has matched the tone of Trump's foreign policy pronouncements.

'The CIA, to be successful, must be aggressive, vicious, unforgiving, relentless,' he said.

He joked about assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which raised fears of a return to the agency's penchant for backing assassinations of dictators not in US favor.

He earned the president's trust in the daily national security briefings, where he has readily accommodated the president's aversion to reading long reports by having intelligence staff prepare simple graphic presentations of global risks and threats.

When pressed in public, he has said he supports the January 2017 report by the country's top intelligence chiefs that concludes that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential race in an effort to help Trump defeat Clinton.

Meanwhile, he has also stomached the president's ugly attacks on the CIA, calling their report on Russia meddling fake news and accusing them of political bias.
Donald Trump was forced to apologise for retweeting videos posted online by Britain First and said he did it because he is a 'big believer in fighting radical Islamic terror'.

The 71-year-old was speaking to Piers Morgan in Davos, Switzerland, and eventually said he would apologise if the far-right group is seen as being 'horrible and racist'.

It comes after Trump landed himself in hot water after he retweeted three clips which purportedly showed 'anti-Muslim' material.

They were initially posted by British nationalist Jayda Fransen, who has been convicted of hate crimes, and Theresa May publicly condemned the President.

US President Donald Trump has now publicly apologised for retweeting videos which were initially posted online by far-right group Britain First

Piers Morgan landed the first international interview with Donald Trump since he took office (pictured together in New York in 2010)

Donald Trump retweeted a video which was initially posted online by far-right British nationalist Jayda Fransen, who has been convicted of hate crimes

He was asked about the controversial retweets during the interview, which was aired on Good Morning Britain, and said he did not know who Britain First were when the messages were posted last November.

Trump said that he retweeted the videos because he is a 'big believer in fighting Islamic terror' and also said he is the 'least racist person that anybody's going to meet'.

And just hours after the interview was aired on ITV this morning, Ms Fransen hit back at Morgan and demanded a sit down with him following the 'horrific accusations' he made.

Speaking outside a court in Belfast, where she faced a hate speech charge, she said: 'I have challenged Piers Morgan to sit down with me and to discuss these absolutely horrific accusations that I am a horrible nasty racist - something I wholeheartedly refute.'

But Piers quickly replied on Twitter and wrote: 'Here's my apology to her: 'Sorry I wasn't more offensive about you'.'
Seamus Milne is Jeremy Corbyn's official spokesman -but his comments defending Russia have sparked huge controversy (file pic)

Seamus Milne is Jeremy Corbyn's official spokesman - meaning he is entrusted to speak on the Labour leader's behalf.

But he is hugely controversial among Labour backbenchers and has been accused of being an apologist for Josef Stalin - the murderous Communist dictator.

Here are some of the controversial comments Corbyn's spin chief has made:

Blames Nato rather than Russia for military tensions:

This anti-Russian incitement is dangerous folly. There certainly has been military expansionism. But it has overwhelmingly come from Nato, not Moscow. (March 4, 2015)

The Labour spin chief defends Vladimir Putins annexation of Crimea as clearly defensive:

No Russian government could have acquiesced in such a threat from territory that was at the heart of both Russia and the Soviet Union. Putins absorption of Crimea and support for the rebellion in eastern Ukraine is clearly defensive. (April 30, 2014)

Mr Milne says the Soviet Union helped to drive up welfare standards:

For all its brutalities and failures, communism in the Soviet Union, eastern Europe and elsewhere delivered rapid industrialisation, mass education, job security and huge advances in social and gender equality.

'It encompassed genuine idealism... Its existence helped to drive up welfare standards in the west. (February 16, 2006)
For the full year 2017, United accounted for 18 of 24 animal deaths on flights among the 17 airlines that reported to the Department of Transportation.

Two geckos were found dead upon arriving at Raleigh-Durham airport, but no medical exam was performed. No corrective action was required.

January 28, 2017:

Hope, the nine-year-old cat died of suspected heart failure. No corrective action required.

January 21, 2017:

Rocco, the dog, died on a flight from a cardiac abnormality due to congenital heart disease, according to a necropsy examine. No corrective action required.

March 13, 2017:

Bull terrier was discovered deceased upon arrival to Denver, Colorado. Post mortem exam attributed primary cause of death to gastric dilation. No corrective action was required.

For the full year 2017, United (file image) accounted for 18 of 24 animal deaths on flights among the 17 airlines that reported to the Department of Transportation

March 21, 2017:

Riko, the three-year-old Abyssinian escaped his shipping container during the acceptance process. The dog evaded capture and was struck by an oncoming vehicle.

Corrective Action Taken: United will review existing procedures to enhance security of animal during acceptance process.

April 26, 2017:

An 11-year-old pug named Domi was discovered deceased upon arrival in Brazil. The pet owner refused a medical exam to determine the actual cause of death. No corrective action was required.

June 24, 2017:

A two-year-old Spanish Alano named Chocofan arrived deceased from Newark, New Jersey, to Orlando, Florida. An examine determined the dog died from gastric dilation volvulus and torsion (GDVT). No corrective action was required.

July 5, 2017:

A 12-year-old Labrador retriever named Tank was discovered deceased upon arrival on a flight from Delhi, India, to Newark, New Jersey.

An examine concluded that the cause of death could not be determined by pathologic examination. No corrective action was taken.

July 13, 2017:

Oliver, the 11-year-old American-shorthair cat arrived deceased to Denver, Colorado, after traveling from Guam via Honolulu.

The necropsy attributed his cause of death to be heart failure. No corrective action was required.

August 6, 2017:

Lulu, the four-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel arrived deceased to San Francisco, California. A necropsy attributed the cause of death to heat stroke.

Corrective Action Taken: Three animals were on board flight 1815; the other two animals were healthy upon arrival into San Francisco. No corrective action taken.

September 26, 2017:

An eight-year-old pug named Bella was discovered deceased upon arrival in San Francisco, California.

The preliminary diagnosis of the medical exam concluded the cause of death could not be determined, however, there was an indication of preexisting heart disease, which may have contributed to sudden heart failure. No corrective action was taken.

September 30, 2017:

Hope, a one-year-old American bully was discovered deceased upon arrival in Newark, New Jersey from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

A preliminary exam was inconclusive; pathology is still pending. Cause of death is unknown at this time. No corrective action was taken.

October 10, 2017:

Trek, the two-year-old Irish Water Spaniel, was discovered deceased upon arrival in Marshall Islands.

The dog had been transported to Oahu for a medical exam, but the cause of death was never determined. No corrective action was taken.

October 23, 2017:

Tabby, the eight-week-old Devon-Rex, was discovered deceased upon arrival in Chicago, Illinois.

An exam attributed the cause of death to anxiety, limiting the oxygen flow in the respiratory system. No corrective action was taken.

October 23, 2017:

Mambo, the Staffordshire bull terrier, appeared to be in distress during the pet's layover. He was then transported to the vet.

The dog became non-responsive by the time he arrived to the hospital. An exam determined he suffered from a cardiac dysfunction, which contributed to the death. No corrective action taken.

December 21, 2017:

One of four pet Conure birds was discovered deceased at a kenneling facility during layover. The cause of death is unknown. No corrective action was required.

December 22, 2017:

Bator, the bulldog, was discovered deceased upon arrival in Newark, New Jersey. A necropsy is still pending. No corrective action was taken.

Source: Transportation.gov
Nikki Haley told the United Nations Security Council Wednesday that the U.S. stands firmly behind the United Kingdom after the poison attack on ex spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, Wilts. Here is what she said:

No two nations enjoy a stronger bond than that of the United States and the United Kingdom.

Ours is truly a special relationship. when our friends in Great Britain face a challenge, the United States will always be there for them. Always.

Alone, Russia's crime is worthy of this council's action. But this is not an isolated incident.

The assassination attempt in Salisbury is part of an alarming increase in the use of chemical weapons.

Last year the North Korean regime used the nerve agent VX to publicly assassinate Kim Jong-Un's brother in a Malaysian airport.

In Syria, the Assad regime continues to kill its own people with chemical weapons years after this council passed resolutions 2118 to remove the threat from Syria's chemical weapons program.

Russia's crime: U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley delivers verdict

When the Security Council created a mechanism to investigate chemical weapons attacks, that mechanism was targeted when it began to shine a spotlight on Assad's role in killing his own people.

A growing concern in all of this dangerous and destabilizing activity is Russia. Russia failed to ensure Syria destroyed their chemical weapons program.

Russia killed the joint investigative mechanism when it found Assad liable for chemical attacks. Russia used its veto to shield Assad five times last year.

It has also provided cover for Syria in the Hague at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The Russians complained recently that we criticize them too much.

If the Russian government stopped using chemical weapons to assassinate its enemies, and if the Russian government stopped helping its Syrian ally to use chemical weapons to kill Syrian children, and if Russia cooperated with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons by turning over all information related to this nerve agent, we would stop talking about them.

We take no pleasure in having to constantly criticize Russia.

But we need Russia to stop giving us so many reasons to do so. Russia must fully cooperate with the UK's investigation and come clean about its own chemical weapons program.

Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council. It is entrusted in the United Nations charter with upholding international peace and security. It must account for its actions.

If we don't take immediate concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place that we see chemical weapons used. They could be used here in New York or in cities of any country that sits on this council. This is a defining moment.

Time and time again member states say they oppose the use of chemical weapons under any circumstance. Now one member stands accused of using chemical weapons on the sovereign soil of another member.

The credibility of this council will not survive if we fail to hold Russia accountable. Thank you.
A boy in east China had to rush to hospital with a freak injury after he snagged his eyelid in his jacket's zip.

The unnamed schoolboy accidentally caught his left eyelid in a zipper when he was wearing a jacket while keeping his head down.

Rescue footage shows firefighters cutting the boy's jacket before freeing him from the zipper.

A boy in east China had his eyelid caught in a zipper slider when he was wearing a jacket

According to Huanqiu.com, an affiliation to People's Daily China, the boy was sent to Affiliated Children's Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, on March 12 morning.

Dr Liu Xiang, who had over 20 years of experience specialising in ophthalmology, had to seek help from the local fire service.

Footage shows firefighters cutting the boy's jacket to speed up the rescue.

They also told the boy to remain calm as they used a pair of small pliers to expand the gap in the zipper slider.

Firefighters were called to hospital and cut the boy's jacket to speed up the rescue

Rescuers use a pair of small pliers to gently pull the zip away from the boy's eyelid

Dr Liu treated the boy's bruised and cut eyelid soon after a few minutes of rescue attempt

The child was freed in a matter of minutes, and Dr Liu was already on hand to treat the boy's bruised and cut skin.

She told the reporter that the boy's eyelid might have suffered serious tissue damage had it been left untreated for too long.

She reminded the boy's parents to keep an eye on him at all times and also teach him how to properly put on a jacket.
More snow is covering North America than scientists previously realized, according to a new study.

Researchers from Ohio State University discovered that the amount of snow covering the continent is a whopping 50 percent above the amount scientists previously believed to be blanketing North America.

The researchers discovered that about 1,200 cubic miles of snow accumulate each year.

A new report from Ohio State University says the amount of snow accumulation in North America is 50 percent higher than scientists previously believed. The analysis says North America gets about 1,500 cubic miles of snow accumulation each year (file photo)

The analysis, published in Geophysical Research Letters, said that if the snow were to be distributed evenly across North America it would be slightly over seven-and-a-half inches deep.

If the snow were to fall in Ohio only it would be 150 feet deep.

The majority of the snow accumulates on top of 11 mountain ranges, including the Canadian Rockies.

The study said: 'While these mountains compose only a quarter of the continent's land area, they hold 60 percent of the snow.

'The [new] research represents an important step toward understanding the true extent of fresh water sources on the continent.'

Study author Melissa Wrzesien said: 'Our big result was that there's a lot more snow in the mountains than we previously thought.

'That suggests that mountain snow plays a much larger role in the continental water budget than we knew.'

Ohio State Associate Professor Michael Durand said that there's no way of knowing the amount of water on the planet.

This fact amplifies the importance of the research, he explained.

Professor Durand said: 'It's extremely important to know - not just so we can make estimates of available fresh water, but also because we don't fully understand Earth's water cycle.'

But we do understand the fundamentals, according to Professor Durand. The study summarized: 'Water evaporates, condenses over mountains and falls to earth as rain or snow.

The researchers took snow water equivalent measurements for the study. These measurements allow scientists to know how much water would be left if all the snow in a certain area were to suddenly melt (file photo)

'But exactly how much water there is - or what proportion of it falls as snow or rain - isn't precisely known.

'Satellites make reasonable measurements of snow on the plains where the ground is flat, though uncertainties persist even there. But mountain terrain is too unpredictable for current satellites.'

For this reason, researchers must create regional climate models on computers to get a sense of the amount of snow that accumulates across the continent.

Wrzesien has been combining regional climate models to better estimate annual snow accumulation on 11 North American mountain ranges.

This includes the Canadian Rockies, the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada and the Appalachian Mountains.

'She stitches those results together with snow accumulation data from the plains,' according to the release. 'So far, the project has consumed 1.8 million core-hours on NASA's Pleiades supercomputer and produced about 16 terabytes of data.'

The report said that the calculations would have taken 50 years to produce on a regular laptop.

WHAT IS SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT? The snow water equivalent is a snowpack measurement commonly employed to determine the amount of water held within a portion of snow. The USDA explains: 'It can be thought of as the depth of water that would theoretically result if you melted the entire snowpack instantaneously. 'For example, say there is a swimming pool that is filled with 36 inches of new powdery snow at 10 percent snow water density. 'If you could turn all the snow into water magically, you would be left with a pool of water 3.6 inches deep.' The snow water equivalent can be used to predict streamflow forecasting. Advertisement

The research gave way to the realization that scientists had been underestimating the amount of snow on the ground.

The study said: 'Whereas scientists previously thought the continent held a little more than 750 cubic miles of snow each year, the Ohio State researchers found the total to be closer to 1,200 cubic miles.

'They actually measure snow water equivalent, the amount of water that would form if the snow melted - at about a three-to-one ratio.'

This equivalent for North America would be roughly 400 cubic miles of water.

This is enough to flood all of North America in two-and-a-half inches of water.

Researchers previously thought that about two-thirds of snow accumulation existed on the plains and one-third was found on mountains.

However, the Ohio State researchers found that the exact opposite is true.

'Around 60 percent of North American snow accumulation happens in the mountains, with the Canadian Rockies holding as much snow as the other 10 mountain ranges in the study combined,' the report said.

Professor Durand explained why the report is influential, saying: 'Each of these ranges is a huge part of the climate system, but I don't think we realized how important the Canadian Rockies really are.

'We hope that by drawing attention to the importance of the mountains, this work will help spur development in understanding how mountains fit into the large-scale picture.'

Professor Durand said scientists will require a dedicated satellite that is capable of assessing snow depth in plains as well as complex terrain to better understand the topic.
Professor Stephen Hawking passed away today at the age of 76, after battling motor neuron disease for 55 years.

He lived with the prospect of an early death for decades - and it made him confront its dark realities head on.

The physicist famously said 'there is no heaven or afterlife', describing the belief that we live on after death as a 'fairy story'.

He believed that living your best life was more important than hoping for a heaven.

Scroll down for video

One of the most brilliant minds of all-time, and the leading scholar on the topic of black holes, Professor Stephen Hawking (pictured) believed that life after death was a myth

Professor Hawking attended the University of Cambridge and became ill with the degenerative condition in 1963.

With an initial diagnosis of two years left to live, Hawking defied all odds.

'I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years,' Professor Hawking told The Guardian in 2011.

'I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.'

WHAT IS MOTOR NEURONE DISEASE? Motor neurone disease is a rare condition that mainly affects people in their 60s and 70s, but it can affect adults of all ages. It's caused by a problem with cells in the brain and nerves called motor neurones. These cells gradually stop working over time. It's not known why this happens. Having a close relative with motor neurone disease, or a related condition called frontotemporal dementia, can sometimes mean you're more likely to get it. But it doesn't run in families in most cases. Early symptoms can include weakness in your ankle or leg, like finding it hard to walk upstairs; slurred speech, finding it hard to swallow, a weak grip, and gradual weight loss If you have these sympthoms, you should see a GP. They will consider other possible conditions and can refer you to a specialist called a neurologist if necessary. If a close relative has motor neurone disease or frontotemporal dementia and you're worried you may be at risk of it  they may refer you to a genetic counsellor to talk about your risk and any tests you can have Source: NHS UK Advertisement

With such a philosophical approach to life and possessing one of the most analytical minds the world has ever seen, Professor Hawking was inspirational in his strength.

Although the man inspired millions through his books, lectures, theories and the recent biopic about his life, Professor Hawking did not believe in life after death.

In the same 2011 interview, he said: 'I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail.

'There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.'

For many, the comfort of an after life is something which offers reassurance approaching death.

In the case of Professor Hawking, he believed that living your best life was more important than hoping for a heaven.

'We should seek the greatest value of our action,' he said, when asked how we should live.

Professor Hawking founded many theories which gave birth to the modern field of quantum physics.

Arguably the person who understood the foundation of the universe better than anyone, it offered a unique perspective to him.

'Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in,' he said.

Hawking was a long-time critic of the idea of a deity and religions.

He believed that it was natural for people to believe in an all-powerful God before science offered an explanation.

In his opinion, science offered a clearer and more thorough explanation than faith.

Some religious advocates took the words that Hawking used to end his famous book A Brief History Of Time, as his belief in a God.

Professor Hawking attended the University of Cambridge and became ill with the degenerative illness in 1963. With an initial diagnosis of two years left to live, Hawking defied all odds and became a medical miracle. He married his second wife, Elaine Mason (pictured) in 1995

The final sentence read: 'It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason  for then we should know the mind of God'.

In his later publication, The Grand Design, he clarified that this comment was meant metaphorically, not literally.

He believed that it wasn't necessary for a creator to have begun the universe.

This then, put him in direct contradiction with the people who had made use of that quote.

'What I meant by "we would know the mind of God" is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God. Which there isn't. I'm an atheist,' he told El Mundo.

FROM THE BIG BANG TO BLACK HOLES: HOW STEPHEN HAWKING HELPED EXPLAIN THE UNIVERSE'S BIGGEST MYSTERIES Stephen Hawking probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory. As well as numerous best-selling books, Hawking also published several important scientific papers during an illustrious research career. Through his groundbreaking theories, the legendary physicist examined the origins of the universe and helped explain the behaviour of black holes. Stephen Hawking, who sought to explain some of the most complicated questions of life while working under the shadow of a likely premature death, has died at 76 1970 Space-time in black holes One of Hawking's first key ideas was how space and time react within the brutal confines of black holes. Black holes are regions of space with a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape. The objects are so powerful they bend time and space in bizarre ways, and in 1970 Hawking showed how black holes alter 'space-time'. 'Space-time' is a theory used by physicists to describe the fusion of 3D space and time into a four-dimensional continuum. Up until the '70s physicists had known Einstein's theory allowed for 'singularities' - points where space-time appeared to be infinitely curved. But it was unclear whether or not these singularities actually existed. Birkbeck College physicist Sir Roger Penrose showed that singularities do exist as they can form in black holes. Alongside Sir Penrose, Hawking applied the same idea to the universe in its entirety in 1970. They showed that Einstein's theory predicted a singularity in our distant past: The Big Bang. 1971-72 Black hole mechanics Black holes are regions of space with a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape. Their field is so intense that they form their own set of physical laws unlike anything else in the universe. Hawking devised the second law of black holes, which states that the total surface area of a black hole will never get smaller. In separate work, Hawking sparked the 'no hair' theorem of black holes. This states that black holes can be characterised by three numbers  their mass, charge and angular momentum. The 'hair' in Hawking's idea is other information that disappears when it falls into the black hole. 1974-75 How black holes vanish Hawking showed that black holes emit heat and eventually vanish in an extremely slow process. While a black hole with the mass of the sun would take longer than the age of our universe to evaporate, smaller ones disappear faster. Near the end of their lives they release heat at a dramatic rate, with an average-sized black hole releasing the energy of a million hydrogen bombs in just a tenth of a second. Hawking's drew on 'quantum theory' for the finding - the branch of physics concerned with how the universe works at the subatomic level. Through his groundbreaking theories, the legendary physicist helped explain the behaviour of black holes (artist's impression) and examined the origins of the universe 1982 How galaxies arise Many physicists believe the universe inflated rapidly shortly after the Big Bang. Hawking was one of the first to show how galaxies may have formed during this explosion of time and space. He found that quantum fluctuations - tiny variations in the distribution of matter - grew into the galaxies that dot the cosmos today. This is because strong gravitational forces made matter clump together. Hawking's theory is supported by recent observations of the faint afterglow of the Big Bang, which spotted the sort of variations Hawking worked with. 1983 How the universe began Hawking is best known for his attempts to combine two key theories of physics: Quantum theory and Einstein's general relativity. While quantum theory covers how tiny subatomic particles stitch together the fabric of our universe, general relativity deals with larger objects. It describes how galaxies, stars, black holes, planets and more interact with one another via gravitational forces. Much of Hawking;s work focussed on combining quantum theory and general relativity with Einstein's theory of gravity. He suggested that this new theory, known as quantum gravity, could fill in many of the gaps of our current understanding of physics and the universe. In 1983 the physicist partnered with Chicago University's Professor Jim Hartle to propose a 'wave function of the universe'. Known as the Hartle-Hawking state, this notion is meant to figure out how the universe began through quantum mechanics. In theory, this could be used to understand the properties of the universe around us. 1988 A brief history of time Hawking's bestselling book A Brief History of Time has sold more than ten million copies since it was published in 1988. The book, which described the structure, origin, development and eventual fate of the universe, was a surprise success for the relatively unknown physicist, staying in the Sunday Times bestseller list for 237 weeks. Hawking wrote the book for readers with no knowledge of any scientific theories. The physicist joked himself that many who owned the book struggled to understand its complexity and never finished it. The book ultimately propelled Hawking to stardom, with the physicist publishing or co-publishing 15 books in total and writing or starring in multiple scientific documentaries, television shows, films and more. What happened before the Big Bang? At the time of the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago, all matter in the universe erupted from a singularity to create the cosmos. But scientists are unsure what happened before then. In a recent TV interview, Hawking said 'nothing was around before the Big Bang'. Instead, time and space existed in a 'bent state' that was distorted along another dimension. The physicist believes the Big Bang was the formation of what we now regard as time because the event broke down the laws of physics. This means that anything that preceded it cannot be applied to our understanding of time and existence. By Harry Pettit, science and technology reporter Advertisement

'When people ask me if a god created the universe, I tell them that the question itself makes no sense.

'Time didnt exist before the Big Bang, so there is no time for God to make the universe in.

'Its like asking directions to the edge of the earth; The Earth is a sphere; it doesnt have an edge; so looking for it is a futile exercise.'

Professor Hawking captured the publics imagination as a trapped mind exploring the boundaries of scientific knowledge.

Stephen Hawking attended Oxford University (pictured at his graduation) between 1959 and 1962, afterwards he moved to Cambridge. Hawking did not believe in God or religion and felt that science offered a vetter explanation for life than religion

While he allowed for the potential identification of God with the laws of nature, he thoroughly rejected the idea of 'a human-like being' with whom one could have a personal relationship.

Speaking to El Mundo, he added: 'We are each free to believe what we want, and its my view that the simplest explanation is; there is no god.

'No one created our universe, and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realisation; There is probably no heaven, and no afterlife either.

'We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful.'

WHAT DOES PROFESSOR STEPHEN HAWKING THINK HAPPENED BEFORE THE BIG BANG? Professor Stephen Hawking believed that before the Big Bang 3.7 billion years ago, time and space as we know it did not exist. In the past, the esteemed theoretical physicist predicted that as the universe goes back in time, it shrinks and closes off like a sphere. His latest paper, however - submitted just weeks before his death - adds new constraints to the history of the universe that challenge his previous theories. According to earlier 'no boundaries' theory, the universe was shrunk and condensed to an incredibly dense ball of heat and energy the size of a single atom. Inside this speck, the laws of physics and time as we know them cease to function, and time as we understand it did not exist. If we move back in time from the Big Bang, the 'arrow' of time shrinks infinitely as the universe becomes smaller, never reaching a clear starting point. Professor Stephen Hawking believes that before the Big Bang 3.7 billion years ago, time and space as we know it did not exist Hawking said in a recent interview that before the Big Bang, time was bent - 'It was always reaching closer to nothing but didn't become nothing.' Essentially, 'there was never a Big Bang that produced something from nothing. It just seemed that way from mankind's point of perspective.' In a lecture on the so-called no-boundary proposal, Hawking wrote: 'Events before the Big Bang are simply not defined, because there's no way one could measure what happened at them. Since events before the Big Bang have no observational consequences, one may as well cut them out of the theory, and say that time began at the Big Bang.' But, his new work, published posthumously, challenges this earlier no boundary theory.' Borrowing points from the string theory  the concept that the universe is a complex hologram  Hawking and colleague Thomas Hertog argue that our universe and other pocket universes are not the infinite structures some have proposed. Instead, Hawking says the universe is reasonably smooth and globally finite, setting new boundaries in cosmological history that could ultimately allow the theory to be tested. Now were saying that there is a boundary in our past, Hertog added. Advertisement

In an interview with Reuters in 2007, Hawking said 'I believe the universe is governed by the laws of science', and that 'the laws may have been decreed by God, but God does not intervene to break the laws.'

Speaking in 2010, a few months before the publication of The Great Design, he told ABC News' Diane Sawyer: 'When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible.

'There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason,' he added. 'Science will win because it works.'

Distancing himself further from the idea of a universal creator in The Grand Design itself, he added: 'Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.

Before he became ill, Professor Stephen Hawking attended and worked at the University of Cambridge (pictured). After graduating and achieving academic distinction, he was based in Cambridge as an academic for the rest of his life where he developed his theories

'It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the universe going.

Hawking presented his ideas on the origin of the universe at various scientific conferences organised at the Vatican over the years, as a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

He met with Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis on a number of occasions.

In 2006, the physicist recalled Pope John Paul II discouraging scientists from studying the creation of the universe as that was God's work.

He joked about the pontiff ignoring he had presented a paper at the conference precisely on that topic.

'I didn't fancy the thought of being handed over to the Inquisition like Galileo,' Hawking quipped.

That didn't stop him from discussing his no-boundary proposal on the creation of the universe at the Vatican, a decade later.

'Asking what came before the Big Bang is meaningless because there is no notion of time available to refer to,' he said at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 2016.
An apocalyptic asteroid impact is just one of a number of doomsday scenarios that could wipe out all life on the planet.

Now, experts have found that a nuke with the power of 200 Hiroshima bombs would be needed to stop a 650 foot (200 metre) wide space rock from striking the Earth.

Russian scientists modelled the explosion necessary to destroy the asteroid by creating miniature models and blasting them with a laser.

By scaling up their results, they were able to calculate the force required to obliterate a deadly object on a collision course with our homeworld.

Scroll down for video

There are two basic options when it comes to protecting the planet from a collision with an asteroid (artist's impression). They either have to be deflected or blown into pieces most of which will miss us or burn up in the atmosphere

The finding was made by experts at Rosatom, the Russian state's atomic energy corporation, and three physicists from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).

There are two basic options when it comes to protecting the planet from a collision with an asteroid.

They either have to be deflected or blown into pieces, most of which will miss us or burn up in the atmosphere.

The authors of the paper explored the second option, by modelling the effects of a powerful shock wave released by a nuclear explosion on an asteroid's surface.

The research team showed that a brief laser pulse aimed at a miniature replica of an asteroid produces destructive effects similar to those of a nuclear explosion on an actual space rock.

An apocalyptic asteroid impact is just one of a number of doomsday scenarios that could wipe out all life on the planet. Now, experts have found that a nuke with the power of 200 Hiroshima bombs would be needed to stop a 650 foot space rock (artist's impression)

The distributions of heat and pressure predicted for the real event generally matched those measured in the scaled-down experiment.

'At the moment, there are no asteroid threats, so our team has the time to perfect this technique for use later in preventing a planetary disaster,' said study co-author Vladimir Yufa, an associate professor at MIPT, in a written statement.

'Were also looking into the possibility of deflecting an asteroid without destroying it and hope for international engagement.'

Asteroids are celestial bodies consisting of carbon, silicon, metal, and sometimes ice.

Scientists usually classify objects larger than 3.3 ft (one metre) as asteroids, although this lower limit is disputed.

On the other end of the scale, asteroids get as big as 560 miles (900 km) across.

Travelling at speeds of up to 12 miles per second (20 km/s), such giants pose a threat of obliterating all life on Earth.

WHAT COULD WE DO TO STOP AN ASTEROID COLLIDING WITH EARTH? Currently Nasa would not be able to deflect an asteroid if it were heading for Earth but it could mitigate the impact and take measures that would protect lives and property. This would include evacuating the impact area and moving key infrastructure. Finding out about the orbit trajectory, size, shape, mass, composition and rotational dynamics would help experts determine the severity of a potential impact. However, the key to mitigating damage is to find any potential threat as early as possible. Nasa is currently moving forward with a refrigerator-sized spacecraft capable of preventing asteroids from colliding with Earth. A test with a small, nonthreatening asteroid is planned for 2024. This is the first-ever mission to demonstrate an asteroid deflection technique for planetary defence. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) would use what is known as a kinetic impactor techniquestriking the asteroid to shift its orbit. The impact would change the speed of a threatening asteroid by a small fraction of its total velocity, but by doing so well before the predicted impact, this small nudge will add up over time to a big shift of the asteroid's path away from Earth. Advertisement

Agencies across the globe have programmes in places to map rocks as they move through our solar system.

For example, a 100 foot (30 metre) asteroid called 2012TC4 passed within 27,000 miles (43,000 km) of Antarctica in October 2017.

Astronomers described this distance, which is around one eighth of the distance of the moon's 239,000 mile (384,000 km) orbit, as 'damn close.'

Nasa has previously claimed that the planet is overdue a huge asteroid strike.

Professor Stephen Hawkins was among scientists who believe it is only a matter of time before the Earth is destroyed by an asteroid impact, similar to the one that killed off the dinosaurs.

Russian scientists modelled the explosion necessary by creating miniature asteroids (pictured) and blasting them with a laser

This is why it is vital that we have measures in place to deal with an asteroid that's on a collision course, if it is detected.

For their laser model to be accurate, the researchers made sure the density and rigidity of the small-scale asteroid - and even its shape - mimicked the real thing.

Thanks to this precise correspondence, they were able to directly calculate the required energy on the actual asteroid from the energy of a laser pulse destroying its miniature replica.

For example, to eliminate a 657 foot (200 metre) asteroid, the bomb needs to deliver the energy equivalent of three megatons of TNT.

This was calculated once the team worked out that it took a 500-joule laser pulse to destroy a model 0.3 to 0.4 inches (eight to ten millimetres) in diameter.

Tsar Bomba, or 'king of bombs' built by the Soviet Union in 1961, had an energy output of about 58.6 megatons, compared to the Hiroshima bomb's 15 kilotons.

The study modelled the effects of a powerful shock wave released by a nuclear explosion. They showed a brief laser pulse aimed at a miniature replica of an asteroid produces destructive effects similar to those of a nuclear explosion on an actual space rock (artist's impression)

The research team also came up with a technology for manufacturing artificial asteroid material.

Its composition corresponds to that of chondrite, or stony, meteorites which account for about 90 per cent of asteroid remains reaching the surface of the Earth.

The properties of the model asteroid, including its chemical composition, density, porosity, and rigidity, were adjusted during manufacturing.

The replicas were made using the data obtained from the chondrite meteorite recovered from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul.

This was the largest fragment of the asteroid that entered the Earths atmosphere in February 2013, exploding over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.

In some of the experiments, the laser was targeted at a cavity made in the miniature asteroids ahead of time.

Experts found that a buried nuclear bomb would be more powerful than one on the surface.

The research team plans to expand the study by experimenting with asteroids made of different materials, including iron, nickel, and ice.

They also intend to identify how the shape of the asteroid and the presence of cavities on its surface affect its destruction.

The full results of the study were published in the Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics.
It's enough to make anyone a vegetarian.

Controversial scientist, Richard Dawkins, suggests that eating human meat created in the lab may help overcome the 'taboo against cannibalism'.

He envisions human flesh becoming a form of 'clean meat' - a product created using stem cells that could help feed the world without slaughtering any creatures.

The renowned atheist made the comments on Twitter after posting an article about the benefits of clean meat.

The British biologist said creating human meat to eat could be an 'interesting test case' for 'consequentialist morality versus "yuck reaction" absolutism.'

Scroll down for video

The British biologist Richard Dawkins said the scientific breakthrough could be an 'interesting test case' for 'consequentialist morality versus "yuck reaction" absolutism'

Commenting on an article about the benefits of lab-grown 'clean meat' Dawkins, tweeted about whether the same thing could be done with human flesh

Dawkins, the former Oxford Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, is a dedicated admirer of Charles Darwin, regarding the Victorian pioneer of evolution as the man who explained everything we know about life.

He revolutionised the theory of evolution with his 1976 book The Selfish Gene.

His latest comments were made in response to a news article in which one manufacturer claimed synthetic burgers could be on sale sooner than we think.

These burgers, and other clean meats, are created using stem cells from the muscle tissue of living livestock.

The cells, which have the ability to regenerate, are then cultured in a nutrient soup of sugars and minerals.

These cells are then left to develop inside bioreactor tanks into skeletal muscle that can be harvested in just a few weeks.

Josh Tetrick, CEO of San Francisco-based 'clean meat' firm JUST, believes lab-made sausages, chicken nuggets and foie gras could be served in Asia and the US 'before the end of 2018'.

Dawkins, who has previously claimed forcing religion on children could be compared to 'child abuse', tweeted 'Ive long been looking forward to this'.

This, he explained, was because it could help humans 'overcome our taboo against cannibalism'.

But Dawkins' followers were not taken by the idea.

'Dawkins. My pal. My buddy. Taboos are generally things we do NOT want to get over for many ethical and moral reasons', wrote user @strumpetchan, who is a drama analyst based in San Luis Obispo, California.

'But considering you pride intellect over ethics, I guess I'm not exactly surprised you crossed this bridge.'

'Whats the purpose of doing this? Animal welfare? Health effects of meat consumption? Sustainability? Wouldnt it be a hell of a lot simpler and cheaper to just not eat meat??' wrote another Twitter user @jdredger.

However, as well as ethical concerns there are also health issues with eating human meat.

HOW IS 'TEST TUBE MEAT' GROWN IN A LABORATORY? 'Test tube meat' is a term used to describe meat products grown in a laboratory 'Test tube meat' is a term used to describe meat products grown in a laboratory. They are made by harvesting stem cells from the muscle tissue of living livestock. The cells, which have the ability to regenerate, are then cultured in a nutrient soup of sugars and minerals. These cells are then left to develop inside bioreactor tanks into skeletal muscle that can be harvested in just a few weeks. Lab-grown beef was first created by Dutch scientists in 2013. A test tube hamburger was served at a restaurant in London to two food critics. In March 2017, San Francisco firm Memphis Meats successfully grew poultry meat from stem cells for the first time. In March 2017, San Francisco firm Memphis Meats successfully grew poultry meat from stem cells for the first time. The company also makes lab-grown meatballs (pictured) Advertisement

Meat grown in a laboratory could be on sale in restaurants by the end of this year, according to one manufacturer. Pictured is a burger patty cultured in a laboratory

However, Dawkins' followers were not taken by the idea. 'Dawkins. My pal. My buddy. Taboos are generally things we do NOT want to get over for many ethical and moral reasons', wrote user @strumpetchan, who is a drama analyst based in San Luis Obispo, California

Potential health complications include contracting blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis or Ebola, writes Medical Daily.

Our flesh contains prions, which are versions of normal proteins that that lost their function and become infectious.

These can transform healthy proteins and cause a chain reaction of disease.

Specifically, if these proteins get in the brain they ultimately cause death.

However quite apart from producing human meat, some companies forecast that we're still a few years away from mass marketed lab-grow meat products.

Professor Mark Post, chief scientific officer of Mosa Meat, whose lab in the Netherlands produced the world's first cultured hamburger, told CNN regulatory approval processes could delay samples being distributed to suppliers by years.

Sometimes referred to as 'clean meats', the products are made by harvesting stem cells from living livestock, which are then grown in a laboratory for several weeks. Pictured is a lab-grown chicken breast created by San Francisco firm Memphis Meats

One issue to overcome is price - Memphis Meats, a clean meat firm based in San Francisco, spends around 1,800 ($2,400) to make just 450 grams (1lb) of beef.

But as techniques improve the price is falling, and the firm believes it will send its first products to market within the next three years.

Though his first hamburger in 2013 cost 240,000 ($330,000), Professor Post said lab-grow burgers will cost 'maybe $11' (8) when first offered to the public.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says meat production is projected to rise to 376 million tons by 2030 from 218 million tons annually in 1997-1999.

Demand from a growing world population is expected to rise beyond that.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF EATING HUMAN MEAT? Humans could have practised cannibalism for as long as 100,000 years. Human flesh is less calorific than the meat of large prehistoric animals including woolly rhinos, red deer and mammoths, researchers found. Scientists have previously suggested that early humans turned cannibal to get a much-needed protein boost when food was scarce. But now they believe our early ancestors may have actually feasted on human flesh as part of a cultural or social ritual. Anecdoral accounts suggest we taste between pork and veal. However, eating human meat comes with a range of potential health complications, including contracting blood borne diseases such as Hepatitis or Ebola, writes Medical Daily. Our flesh contains prions, which are versions of normal proteins that that lost their function and become infectious. These can transform healthy proteins and cause a chain reaction of disease. Specifically, if these proteins get in the brain they ultimately cause death. Unlike bacteria and fungi, these prions are not eradicated by heat. 'They could be present in any nervous tissue, including our organs and muscles. However, they are most common in the brain and spinal nerve tissues', researchers wrote in the publication. 'Eating human flesh isn't always bad for us, especially if it lacks prions, but doing so carries an exceptionally high risk that's not worth sinking your teeth into.' Advertisement

Lab-made sausages, chicken nuggets and foie gras could be served in Asia and the US 'before the end of 2018', Josh Tetrick, CEO of San Francisco firm JUST, said. Pictured is one of JUST's cultured burger products

According to a 2006 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), industrialised agriculture contributes on a 'massive scale' to climate change, air pollution, land degradation, energy use, deforestation and biodiversity decline.

The meat industry contributes about 18 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

This proportion is expected to grow as consumers in fast-developing countries such as China and India eat more meat, the report said.
If any intelligent aliens out there are attempting to send us a message, they are likely to die out before their signals reach us.

That's the conclusion of scientists in Switzerland who say the delay in picking up radio signals means we're destined to never meet ET.

Their study is based on the assumption that distant civilization will use radio signals to transmit messages, which travel at around 186,000 miles, per second.

While this may sound fast, in cosmic terms, it is extremely slow.

Our galaxy alone spans 100,000 light years across. Although humans have been sending radio waves for 80 years, they will have only travelled a maximum of 0.001 per cent of the galaxy in that time.

Scroll down for video

Alien civilisations sending radio signals to our planet will probably dead by the time their messages reach us, scientists say (stock image)

Making contact is particularly unlikely when you consider that any civilisation is unlikely to be able to survive for more than 100,000 years, researchers say.

'If the civilisation emitted from the other side of the galaxy, when the signal arrives here, the civilisation will already be gone,' Dr Claudio Grimaldi, the lead researcher from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne told Science News.

The study, currently available on the pre-publication site arXiv, looks at the Drake equation, first coined by astrophysicist and astronomer Frank Drake in 1961.

Taking into account seven variables, this is model that estimates the number of planets in our galaxy that could be home to alien life.

It takes into account factors like the rate of star formation, the amount of stars that could form planetary systems, the number potentially habitable planets in those systems.

'We develop a simple model of the galaxy that includes both the birthrate and detectable lifetime of civilisations to compute the possibility of a SETI detection at the Earth', researchers wrote in the unpublished paper.

Making contact is particularly unlikely when you consider that any civilisation is unlikely to be able to survive for more than 100,000 years. This artist's concept depicts one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of a star that is similar to our sun

'The transmissions arriving at Earth may come from distant civilisations long extinct, while civilisations still alive are sending signals yet to arrive'.

Researchers at SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute) are currently working on a world-wide network of specialised cameras, allowing scientists to detect alien signals shorter than a millisecond.

In 2016, Professor Cox said we're unlikely to discover an alien civilisation in any case.

This is because civilisations inevitably self-destruct.

According to The Sunday Times, Professor Cox's suggestion is that the rate of advances in science and engineering in any type of alien civilisation may outstrip the development of political institutions able to manage them.

WHAT IS THE DRAKE EQUATION? The Drake Equation is a seven-variable way of finding the chance of active civilisations existing beyond Earth. It takes into account factors like the rate of star formation, the amount of stars that could form planetary systems, the number potentially habitable planets in those systems. The 55-year-old equation, updated in 2016, includes recent data from Nasa's Kepler satellite on the number of exoplanets that could harbour life. Researchers also adapted the equation from being about the number of civilisations that exist now, to being about the probability of civilisation being the only one that has ever existed. Researchers found the odds of an advanced civilisation developing need to be less than one in 10 billion trillion for humans to be the only intelligent life in the universe. Unless the odds of advanced life evolving on a habitable planet are astonishingly low, then humankind is not the only advanced civilisation to have lived. But Kepler data places those odds much higher, which means technologically advanced aliens are likely to have existed at some point. Advertisement

So technology that allows the generation of power but produces greenhouse gases, or nuclear weapons, may destroy civilisations within a few thousand years of being developed, which could threaten ours too.

The problem was first posed by physicist Enrico Fermi in 1950 who claimed any life form with rocket technology could colonise the galaxy in a few million years, so why wasn't there any evidence already?

Professor Cox said: 'One solution to the Fermi paradox is that it is not possible to run a world that has the power to destroy itself and that needs global collaborative solutions to prevent that.

'It may be that the growth of science and engineering inevitably outstrips the development of political expertise, leading to disaster.'
There's a new nickname for the icy world next up for the spacecraft that explored Pluto: Ultima Thule (THOO-lee).

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is headed toward a New Year's Day encounter with this mysterious object or two, 1 billion miles beyond Pluto on the fringes of our solar system.

Its official name is 2014 MU69. The mission team wanted a less technical and more inspiring name and, late last year, sought public input.

Announced Tuesday, the nickname comes from medieval literature and refers to a distant, unknown world.

Scroll down for video

While NASA plans to choose a formal name once its true nature is uncovered, the space agency sought suggestions from the public to nickname the target in the meantime. An artist's impression is pictured

The team will choose a more formal name following the flyby.

New Horizons will fly past object 2014 MU69 on January 1, 2019 as part of its extended mission, after concluding its study of Pluto.

The Kuiper Belt object could be a single body, a binary pair, or even a system of many objects.

The space agency opened submissions late last year for nickname suggestions from the public ahead of its official naming.

Following in the footsteps of past crowd-sourcing efforts, however, many users unsurprisingly offered a slew of absurd proposals, including countless space-themed spin-offs of the Boaty McBoatface debacle.

Others tapped into science fiction, with many suggesting the object be called Hoth, for the icy planet home to the Rebel Alliance's Echo base in Star Wars.

Some suggested calling the target Kirk and Picard  if it turns out to be a pair  after the Star Trek duo.

The New Horizons spacecraft ended its years-long Pluto (pictured) mission in 2015. Now, it's on the way to an object 1 billion miles past the dwarf planet

MU69 is 4 billion miles (6.5 billion kilometers) away, and may not be just one object.

According to the space agency, it could be two objects, either stuck together or orbiting one another  or, it may be a system of many.

This, however, means two or more nicknames may be needed.

If so, two nicknames would be needed.

The nicknames, however, will be temporary, NASA says.

After the flyby, NASA will submit a formal name to the International Astronomical Union, based in part on whether the target turns out to be one, or multiple objects.

Many users suggested naming the object Hoth, for the icy planet home to the Rebel Alliance's Echo base in Star Wars. A still from the Empire Strikes Back is pictured

WHERE IS NEW HORIZONS? The spacecraft that gave us the first close-up views of Pluto now has a much smaller object in its sights. New Horizons is now track to fly past a recently discovered, less than 30-mile-wide object out on the solar system frontier. The close encounter with what's known as 2014 MU69 would occur in 2019. It orbits nearly 1 billion miles (1.6 billion kilometers) beyond Pluto. Nasa and the New Horizons team chose 2014 MU69 in August as New Horizons' next potential target, thus the nickname PT-1. Like Pluto, MU69 orbits the sun in the frozen, twilight zone known as the Kuiper Belt. This illustration provided by NASA shows the New Horizons spacecraft. The probe whipped past Pluto in 2015 and is headed to 2014 MU69 for an attempted 2019 flyby of the tiny, icy world on the edge of the solar system MU69 is thought to be 10 times larger and 1,000 times more massive than average comets, including the one being orbited right now by Europe's Rosetta spacecraft. On the other end, MU69 is barely 1 percent the size of Pluto and perhaps one-ten-thousandth the mass of the dwarf planet. So the new target is a good middle ground, according to scientists. The spacecraft was recently approved for its extended mission, allowing it to continue on its path toward the object deeper in the Kuiper Belt. It's expected that New Horizons will make its approach to the ancient object on January 1, 2019. Advertisement

While the ballot included Mjolnir (Thor's hammer), Camalor (fictional city in the Kuiper Belt), and Pluck & Persistence (traits of New Horizons).

'New Horizons has always been about pure exploration, shedding light on new worlds like we've never seen before,' said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, at the time.

'Our close encounter with MU69 adds another chapter to this mission's remarkable story.

'We're excited for the public to help us pick a nickname for our target that captures the excitement of the flyby and awe and inspiration of exploring this new and record-distant body in space.'
Hidden in a drawing by one of the world's most famous artists is a secret signature, a new study has revealed.

A self-portrait of Michelangelo Buonarroti, camouflaged for centuries in a drawing made by the artist in honour of his friend, Vittoria Colonna, has been rediscovered.

During Michelangelos time there were many restrictions on artists and their work, including the stipulation that they should not sign their creations.

The caricature, which may have been a way to get round this rule, could offer insight into the artist's body and even his health, the researcher says.

Scroll down for video

Hidden in a drawing by one of the world's most famous artists is a secret signature, a new study has revealed. A self-portrait of Michelangelo, camouflaged for centuries in a drawing made by the artist in honour of his close friend, Vittoria Colonna, has now been discovered

The findings were made by Dr Deivis Dr DeCampos, a researcher in human anatomy at the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre in Brazil.

He made the discovery thanks to extensive bibliographical research on the artist, as well as a a visit to the Casa Buonarroti museum in Florence, to investigate texts about this period of the artist's life.

In the portrait of Michelangelos friend, created by the artist in 1525, he found a small figure standing in the area immediately in front of her abdomen and between the lines that form part of her dress.

The caricature is leaning forward at an acute angle, as if he is drawing the portrait above.

Speaking to MailOnline, Dr DeCampos said: 'The results are amazing and unprecedented.

'I believe that this study can show important details of the life of the artist that until now was not known.

In the portrait of Michelangelos friend Dr Deivis de Campos found a small figure standing in the area immediately in front of her abdomen and between the lines that form part of her dress (left). Michelangelos feet can be seen at the bottom of the closeup image on the right

One of the best-known drawings by Michelangelo illustrates a sonnet intended for his close friend, Giovanni da Pistoia (left). Alongside the sonnet, written in 1509, the artist depicted himself painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (right)

'This study provides evidence that although much has already been studied in relation to the works of Michelangelo, we still have much to discover.

'In every work of the artist it is always possible to discover some surprising fact, which is usually associated with some symbol.'

Dr DeCampos has been studying the works of Michelangelo extensively for the past five years.

He has already published several articles on the new discoveries he has found within them.

One of the best-known drawings by Michelangelo illustrates a sonnet intended for his close friend, Giovanni da Pistoia, according to Dr DeCampos

During the time of Michelangelo, depicted here in Daniele da Volterra's painting, there were many restrictions on artists and their work, including the stipulation that artists should not sign their works. The caricature may have been a way to get round such restrictions

Alongside the sonnet, written in 1509, the artist depicted himself painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which took place from 1508 to 1512.

This was previously the only known self-portrait the artist had created, but Dr DeCampos' study may indicate that this practice was more widespread in his work.

This is not the first time that Dr DeCampos has revealed hidden meanings within the Renaissance master's art.

In September 2016, he hit the headlines with claims that the enormous and beautiful fresco sweeping across the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel held a feminist secret that went unnoticed by the strict religious authorities who commissioned it.

It is arguably one of the greatest works of art in the world depicting the doctrine of the Catholic Church from the creation of man to the arrival of Christ.

But Michelangelo, who spent four years creating it, may have hidden symbols of the female anatomy in the great painting, he said.

This flouted Catholic decrees at the time, which held the human body was a divine mystery and forbade representations of anatomy lest it lead to a 'return to pagan idolatry'.

Dr DeCampos and colleagues claimed to have found shapes concealed within the huge painting which bear more than a passing resemblance to the female sexual organs.

In 2016, Dr de Campos claimed to have discovered hidden symbols in Michelangelo's great fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which he says depicts female anatomy. In one example are eight rams' heads (left) that resemble the female reproductive system (right)

Researchers calculated that Eve's arms sit at the very centre of the ceiling (marked by black box) and are deliberately placed in the shape of a downward pointing triangle - the pagan female symbol

The enormous fresco in the Sistine Chapel is considered to be the height of Renaissance art. Michelangelo took four years to complete the work after being commissioned by Pope Julius II

These include eight rams skulls which are positioned at regular points around the ceiling, separating the nude figures of a male and female pair.

They appear to resemble the female reproductive organs - the uterus, ovaries and Fallopian tubes - according to the researchers.

The researchers also calculated that Eve's arms form the very centre of the ceiling.

They say Michelangelo positioned the arm of Eve in the shape of a down-ward pointing triangle.

This, they claim, resembles the chalice or vessel, which is a notorious pagan symbol for fertility and the female body.

The full findings of the new study were published in the journal Clinical Anatomy.
Google has announced a crackdown on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency adverts.

In a company post, Google said that in June 2018, it will also ban cryptocurrency initial coin offerings (ICOs), cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets and cryptocurrency trading advice.

The move comes just over a month after Facebook announced its own ban on cryptocurrency adverts, in an effort to tackle scams.

In a blog post, Scott Spencer, Googles Director of Sustainable Ads wrote: We updated several policies to address ads in unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange markets and contracts for difference (or CFDs).

Google has announced that it will ban Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency adverts in June 2018

The blog was entitled, An advertising ecosystem that works for everyone and in it Spencer discussed how the company took down 3.2 billion ads in 2017, which broke down to 100 ads per second.

This means were able to block the majority of bad ad experiences, like malvertising and phishing scams, before the scams impact people, Spencer added.

Spencer talks about cryptocurrencies at the end of the post and describes ads on them as emerging threats.

Bitcoin has hit stratospheric heights in recent years, with some predicting that its price could rise as high as $100,000 in 2018. To put it in perspective, Bitcoin only rose above $2,000 mark last year.

However, the most famous cryptocurrency has also its share of detractors, who point to its lack of regulation, incredibly volatile nature and strong connection to crime.

Google's ban will affect cryptocurrency related content such as ICOs, wallets and exchanges

At the beginning of February 2018, Bitcoins price fell 30 percent, dropping nearly $10,000 dollars on February 2 alone.

Also in February of this year, Bitcoin hackers hijacked thousands of UK government computers in order to boost how much cryptocurrency they can mine. As many as 4,700 websites were reportedly affected worldwide.

Were constantly updating our policies as we see new threats emerge. Last year, we added 28 new advertiser policies and 20 new publisher policies to combat new threats and improve the ads experience online, Spencer added.

Rumours of a cryptocurrency ad ban first surfaced at the beginning of March, after advertisers using Google Ads started to notice that it became more difficult to promote cryptocurrency products and companies began to report a drop in performance of Google ads about them.

Googles March 14 company post finally confirmed peoples suspicions that a total ban was just around the corner.

The ban comes at a time when ad revenues are still overwhelmingly the most significant source of Alphabets, Googles parent company, revenue; the ad ecosystem, it seems, has never been more important.

Our work to protect the ads ecosystem doesn't stop hereit's ongoing...Improving the ads experience across the web, whether that's removing harmful ads or intrusive ads, will continue to be a top priority for us, Spencer wrote.

Googles cryptocurrency ad ban comes just over a month after Facebook issued its own ban.

The social media giant wanted to crack down on ads for financial products that are often associated with 'deceptive promotional practices'.

'We want people to continue to discover and learn about new products and services through Facebook ads without fear of scams or deception,' Facebook product management director Rob Leathern wrote.

'That said, there are many companies who are advertising binary options, ICOs and cryptocurrencies that are not currently operating in good faith.'
Spotting a newborn gorilla in the heart of the African rainforest is an incredibly rare feat; the primate mothers typically wait around four years between each birth and maintain a low-profile far removed from humans.

Thats what makes the latest observation so remarkable.

Conservationists from the WCS Congo Program have captured footage of a western lowland gorilla named Mekome cuddling her baby, who was thought to be just a week old at the time it was recorded.

In the adorable video, the newborn gorilla can be seen suckling and sleeping sprawled out across the chest of its doting mother.

Scroll down for video

Conservationists from the WCS Congo Program have captured footage of a western lowland gorilla cuddling her baby, who was thought to be just a week old when the pair was spotted

According to the WCS team, the baby is the latest fathered by a male silverback gorilla named Kingo.

It was born on February 17th near the Mondika Research Center in the Republic of Congo, in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park.

When they first spotted it, the baby may have been no more than a few hours old.

Were very excited to be witness to the emergence of the next generation of Kingos growing clan, said Mark Gately, Director of WCSs Republic of Congo Program.

A baby gorilla represents hope for the entire species.

Mekome was already mother to four offspring before welcoming the fifth last month.

Gorilla babies spend two to three years after birth hanging onto their mother.

As seen in the video, mothers will cradle the newborn gorillas and carry them until theyre able to hold themselves up.

Then, the infants switch onto the mothers back, where they cling on their own.

But, life isnt easy for the young primates.

The experts say young gorillas often have low chances of surviving to adulthood, as a result of both natural and human-caused risks.

In the adorable video, the newborn gorilla can be seen suckling and sleeping sprawled out across the chest of its doting mother. Gorilla babies spend two to three years after birth hanging onto their mother

WHY ARE PRIMATE NUMBERS DECLINING IN THE WILD? A study published in January 2017 warned that for most of the world's 504 primate species, it is now 'the 11th hour' on earth - with nearly two thirds facing extinction and 75 per cent of populations in decline. Researchers have warned the world's primates are in danger from human activities Behind the collapse in numbers is an increase in industrial agriculture, large-scale cattle ranching, logging, oil and gas drilling, mining, dam building and road construction. The illegal trade in bushmeat  killing apes and monkeys for their flesh  is also decimating the animals, as is changing climates and diseases spread from humans to apes. Growing trees to produce palm oil  used in many popular foods  is a particular threat to primates in Indonesia, as is mining for gold and sapphires in Madagascar. With many species living in rainforests, the cutting down of millions of acres of forest to supply the increasing demand for timber or to clear land for agriculture is destroying their habitat and making populations more fragmented. Advertisement

In addition to disease and the threat of leopard attacks, the conservationists say the gorillas are often the target of poachers.

The WCS team has been monitoring Kingo and Mekome for decades, and are hopeful about the baby gorillas future.

Western lowland gorillas are listed as critically endangered, despite being the most common gorilla subspecies.

The researchers with the Mondika Gorilla Project continue to follow the lives of individual gorillas and their offspring in effort to better understand how to protect and conserve the species.
Amazon's Alexa can order you an Uber, tell you where you've parked your car and turn off your lights.

But pretty soon, the voice assistant could be getting one of its most useful skills yet.

Biometric software company Daon has developed a way for users to send money to friends using Alexa, according to CNET.

The feature could arrive on the internet giant's voice-activated speakers and devices in the next nine to 18 months.

Scroll down for video

Coming soon to an Echo near you? Amazon's Alexa voice assistant could allow people to pay friends using their voice in the next nine months or by next year, according to CNET

Daon is the company behind MasterCard's 'Selfie Pay,' which lets users send an online payment by showing their face to their smartphone's camera.

The firm says it's working with a few big financial institutions that are keen to get behind the new service.

So far, Amazon has declined to comment on the report, CNET said.

Alexa is already equipped to handle some finance-related tasks, as several banks added their own 'Skills' last year.

For example, Ally Bank lets users check what their balance is and move money, among other things, just by talking to Alexa.

Other banks including Capital One and American Express have also signed on.

However, none of them allow customers to send money to friends using Alexa, CNET noted.

Biometric software company Daon has developed a way for users to send money to friends using Alexa. It's the same firm that's behind MasterCard's 'Selfie Pay,' which scans a user's face to verify that it can send payments to other people

Amazon's Alexa is already equipped to handle some finance tasks, as several banks added their own 'Skills' last year. Institutions like Ally Bank let users check their balance via Alexa

To use Daon's skill, users first have to say 'Alexa, open Daon Bank.' From there, the user asks Alexa to 'Send money.'

After a user requests to send money, they'll be prompted to provide further authentication.

This is primarily to prevent other people from hijacking your Alexa device and sending themselves money with your permission.

In the future, if banks want to use Daon's skill, they'd likely have authentication systems in their own app, making it unnecessary to download a separate application, CNet explained.

Daon hopes that the skill can evolve to become even more advanced by recognizing who users are just based on their voice.

If Amazon decides to let people pay others using Alexa, they'll face some competition from Venmo (pictured). The app is a peer-to-peer payments platform for iOS/Android

HOW CAN ALEXA HELP YOU BUY YOUR GROCERIES? Last June, Amazon released the Dash Wand, an Alexa-powered device that's essentially a 'kitchen assistant' and is meant to complement the Echo (pictured) Amazons Echo may help around the home, but the e-commerce giant's latest device is a designated kitchen assistant. Called Dash Wand, the hand-held, Wi-Fi enabled gadget lets users add groceries to their online shopping cart via voice commands or by scanning the barcode on a specific product. The Alexa powered device can also find recipes, convert cups to ounces, find nearby restaurants and more, and it is essentially free  users pay $20 for the device and get $20 off their next purchase. Users push the button on Dash Wand and either say what they need or scan the barcode on a specific product. All items are then added to the user's online shopping cart on the platform. Besides music, the Dash Wand has access to thousands Alexas features and skills. It can turn down the lights, find recipes, recommend restaurants and more. And it is essentially free - it costs $20 and users get $20 off the first purchase made with the device. Advertisement

If Amazon is actually looking at how to let users pay others via Alexa, they'll undoubtedly face competition from other established players in mobile payments.

Their top competitor is likely to be Venmo, a peer-to-peer payments app that lets users send money using their smartphone.

The PayPal-owned platform is estimated to have about 7 million monthly users.

Venmo also processed $17.6 billion in payments in 2016.

That said, Amazon has recently demonstrated an increasing interest in the banking space.

Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon is in talks to create a checking account-like product with big banks like JPMorgan Chase.
The Defense Department will now start to move classified information to the Secret Region of Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the first time, Nextgov reports.

This cloud environment was developed to cater to the intelligence community's needs several years ago.

The US Transportation Command is the division responsible for the movement of equipment and troops around the world.

The department said in December it intended to use AWS's Classified Secret Commercial Cloud Services.

This came after AWS's capabilities were expanded and its services became available to agencies that are not part of the intelligence community.

The 'AWS Secret Region' has the capability to allow the 17 intelligence agencies to host, analyze and run applications on government data classified at the secret level (file photo)

Microsoft, which offers a number of cloud services to the government, protested the Defense Department's decision to use AWS alone.

But the firm withdrew its protest last week, allowing the US Transportation Command to start moving information to AWS's secret cloud.

Microsoft told Nextgov it did this 'because the issues were resolved' and that the firm was satisfied.

AWS's contract with the US Transportation Command could mean more business is to come, Nextgov reported.

The Transportation Command is likely to bring on its heels the business of other Defense agencies, as it is seen as the leader in the push to move classified information to the cloud.

The 'AWS Secret Region' has the capability to allow the 17 intelligence agencies to host, analyze and run applications on government data classified at the secret level.

The service is air-gappedor shut offfrom the rest of the internet.

Amazon Web Services is the most profitable division of business giant Amazon. Pictured is Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

When the service was released, Teresa Carlson, Vice President of Amazon Web Services Worldwide Public Sector, said: 'Today we mark an important milestone as we launch the AWS Secret Region.'

She continued: 'AWS now provides the US Intelligence Community a commercial cloud capability across all classification levels: Unclassified, Sensitive, Secret, and Top Secret.

'The US Intelligence Community can now execute their missions with a common set of tools, a constant flow of the latest technology and the flexibility to rapidly scale with the mission.'

Through the company's $600 million C2S contract, brokered several years ago with the CIA, Amazon already provides a region for the intelligence community's top secret data.

WHAT IS AMAZON WEB SERVICE? AWS is a cloud computing service that gives customers a way of accessing databases, storage and servers. AWS owns and operates the hardware that is required to provide these services. Customers access what they need from AWS through a web application. Amazon's cloud computing option allows users to pay for the resources they need as they go - meaning they do not have to purchase servers that might not even be used to be safe. Additionally, the service allows developers to access exactly the infrastructure capacity they need so they do not end up having purchased too much or too little. The 'AWS Secret Region' is a subset with the capability to allow the 17 intelligence agencies to host, analyze and run applications on government data classified at the secret level. The service is air-gappedor shut offfrom the rest of the internet. Advertisement

'The AWS Top Secret Region was launched three years ago as the first air-gapped commercial cloud and customers across the US Intelligence Community have made it a resounding success,' said Carlson.

'Ultimately, this capability allows more agency collaboration, helps get critical information to decision makers faster, and enables an increase in our Nation's Security.'

CIA Chief Information Officer John Edwards said the secret region is a key step in commercial cloud computing technology.

'The AWS Secret Region is a key component of the intel community's multi-fabric cloud strategy,' Edwards said.

Amazon Web Services is the most profitable division of Amazon.

The Defense Department spends some $40 billion on IT each year.
Lodz might be hard to pronounce (it's 'woodge'), but you will soon get into the swing of Poland's third largest city.

I quickly settle in, sipping chilled Polish beer on the patio of Piwoteka, a pub serving local craft brews.

The streets are filled with lively groups spilling onto the pavement. A row of grand, if faded, buildings provides a backdrop, in a hotchpotch of styles from art nouveau to baroque.

On the up: Lodz's old industrial buildings are now apartments, boutiques, bars and restaurants

The city fell into a bleak period, known as Grey Lodz, after the war.

But now street artists have gilded the grey with bold murals, while old factories have become village-style hubs featuring apartments, boutiques, bars and restaurants in a decade-long, post-industrial reinvention.

There's a buzz at the former textile mill Manufaktura. Its brick buildings surround a public square and house MS2  a gallery with works by Picasso and Warhol  a cinema, the charming Museum of the Factory, plus eateries and bars with outdoor tables.

Makeover: Former textile mill Manufaktura is now home to artworks by Warhol and Picasso

The complex is dominated by Vienna House Andel's Lodz, a stylish hotel whose guests have included Snoop Dogg, the U.S. rapper.

The hotel's restaurant, Delight, is one of the city's best for hearty local dishes such as smoked goose breast, tangy pickled herrings and pierogi (filled dumplings).

Manufaktura is steps from Piotrkowska, the country's longest street (2 miles).

A stroll takes me past Rose Passage, where the exterior of an old weaver's cottage has been encrusted with mosaics.

View from the terrace: Stop for a drink on Lodzs main street, Piotrkowska

The city's Walk of Fame, nicknamed Holly-Lodz, outside the Neo-Renaissance Grand Hotel has a star for pianist Arthur Rubinstein who was born in the city.

Further up is Off Piotrkowska with independent shops, food trucks and hip hangouts. Bearded young waiters serve burgers and cocktails in Mitmi Restobar.

Back at Vienna House I head to rooftop bar SKYFLY for a vodka-splashed drink. Sunset soaks the old factory bricks with an orange glow, while the square below hums with chatter and clinking glasses.

Lodz has come a long way  and it shows no signs of stopping.
Lisbon may be a great European destination for a food-, culture- and museum-filled getaway, but its also ideal for a sun, sand and sea break, too. Surrounded by stunning coastline and quaint fishing villages, Lisbon is the full package. Stay at one of these ocean-side hotels just a short journey from the Portuguese capital for the best Lisbon experience.

The Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho has 8 Courtyard Rooms with breath-taking beach views through a small fortress window located in the cloister

Hotel Vila Gale Collection Palacio dos Arcos

Rating:

In a beautifully bright 16th-century building that was once a royal palace, Hotel Vila Gale Collection Palacio dos Arcos is a boutique hotel ideal for indulging in both beach and city exploration. Halfway between the Cascais coastline and Lisbon city centre, it offers a relaxing haven to retreat to as well as great views of the Tagus River. Despite its main buildings traditional facade, its interiors are modern and clean with just a touch of palatial nostalgia from carefully chosen art and vintage-style furniture. A unique poetry theme runs throughout Hotel Vila Gales decor, too, with poems by celebrated Portuguese authors decorating the walls of the rooms and communal areas. The hotel has an outdoor pool, a spa and a library, and breakfast is served each morning on the picturesque terrace looking out across the Atlantic.

Price: 

Revel in the modern and clean interior design of Hotel Vila Gale Collection Palacio dos Arcos with just a touch of palatial nostalgia from carefully chosen art and vintage-style furniture

Farol Design Hotel

Rating:

If you want to wake up every morning to the sound and smell of the ocean on your holiday, Farol Design Hotel is for you. Perched above the Cascais Marina with stunning views of the Atlantic, its a hotel known for both its stylish design and five-star facilities. The extended 17th-century mansion has a remarkably contemporary feel, with unusual furnishings, sleek interiors and eye-catching artwork carefully selected for each of its 30 rooms and suites. If youve got money to spend, the incredible penthouse, with its generous proportions, glass walls, private gym and personal chef, wont disappoint. Farols communal facilities are equally as glamorous, with a spa that overlooks the sea, a Mediterranean-fusion restaurant serving up sublime sushi and its Bar on the Rocks, which is the place to go for a sundowner with an unmissable view.

Price: 

Farol Design Hotel is a hotel known for both its stylish design and five-star facilities

The Albatroz

Rating:

If you really want the beach on your doorstep, The Alabatroz, with its unrivalled outlook of Cascais beach, is a winner. Everything about it makes the most of its stunning setting, from the bars dual-aspect ocean views to its swimming pool and sundeck on the cliffs edge. Beautifully finished, its rooms are all uniquely decorated in a classic-yet-comfortable style in each of its three main buildings. If youre after a first-class experience, join a cooking class with hotel-chef Fernando Martinez or tuck into a meal in an intimate private room at The Albatroz Restaurant. But, if its some beach time youre after, its only a two-minute walk to the golden sands of Praia de Conceicao.

Price: 

Immerse yourself in oceanic luxury, in The Albatroz' swimming pool with sea views

TRYP Lisboa Caparica Mar

Rating:

A more modern option in the heart of lively Costa da Caparica is TRYP Lisboa Caparica Mar. Sitting south of Lisbon, over the 25th April Bridge, the hotels on a popular stretch of coastline lined with great beach clubs and restaurants. TRYP Lisboa Caprica itself has seven floors of stylishly decorated ocean-view rooms with neutral colour palettes and contemporary facilities, plus a relaxing outdoor pool and health spa for those more leisurely days. Its Red Dragon bar opens right out on to the beach, while an adjoining surf school gives you the opportunity to try your luck in the waves.

Price: 

Feast your eyes on views of Lisbon's most popular beach, Costa da Caparica, at TRYP Lisboa Caparica Mar

Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho

Rating:

Further round the coast from Cascais is Guincho Beach, a popular surfing destination overlooked by the majestic Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho. Built on the site of a former fort, its a secluded and luxurious place to stay, whether you want to catch the waves in the morning or simply wake up to the sight of the sea. An hours drive from Lisbon and just fifteen minutes to Cascais, its ideal if you want to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds but still fancy sightseeing in the city or lounging on a popular beach. Hotel Fortaleza do Guincho has eye-catching Medieval-style decor  think exposed brick walls and ceilings, terracotta floors, arched windows and a winding stone staircase leading to the upper floors. Enjoy an atmospheric Portuguese dinner at its Michelin-star restaurant before retreating to one of its grand suites, many of which come with balconies and ocean views.

Price: 
World-class art collections, iconic landmarks and incredible gastronomic cuisine make Paris a delightful city to visit any time of year. But for the best weather, a relaxed ambience and the rare chance to dine alfresco until late, you can't beat the French capital in summertime.

Summer in Paris is filled with festivals, such as the patriotic Bastille Day

Escape the crowds and discover Paris' hidden gems

Though many Parisian residents ditch the city in favour of rural and coastal retreats, summer is peak season for visitors. While the main attractions  the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Sacre-Coeur  attract the crowds, it's worthwhile exploring Paris's outer districts for a different take on the city. Up-and-coming Chateau d'Eau a few streets east of trendy Bonne-Nouvelle lures with bargains at the famous Les Puces de Saint-Ouen flea market and unique vintage threads at Thanx God I'm a VIP vintage boutique.

Metro: Jacques Bonsergent

Seek out unusual museums

If this is not your first trip to Paris, leave the big-league attractions to first-time visitors, as queues will be long and hot. Instead, take a rare opportunity to explore quieter arrondissements and lesser-known museums, such as Deyrolle, a fascinating collection of taxidermy and curiosities by 19th-century entomologist Emile Deyrolle. Its open MondaySaturday 10001900.

Metro: Rue du Bac

Discover a fascinating collection of taxidermy and curiosities

Walk the Parisian version of NYC's High Line

Predating the metro, La Petite Ceinture or 'Little Belt' railway served the city's commuters between 1862 and 1934. Similar to the New York High Line and overgrown with wildflowers, its now a great place for a walk. Look out for several abandoned stations hidden behind the streets. The easiest way to access the route is via a street called Villa du Bel Air.

Metro: Balard

Petite Ceinture, the old railroad of Paris

Make the most of the incredible festival season

The city comes alive with colour and music in summer. Each June, Paris Gay Pride, known in France as the Marche des Fiertes LGBT, is one of the city's most anticipated events. The parade kicks off from Montparnasse  Bienvenue metro around 1400 and winds through the Left Bank and over the Seine to Place de la Republique.

Fete de la Musique (Street Music Festival) is usually held on 21 June, the summer solstice. One of the city's most popular free summer events, it hosts live music performances from jazz to R&B all over the city. Meanwhile, top-name bands queue up to headline at Rock en Seine, a three-day outdoor rock festival at the Domaine National du Saint-Cloud each August.

Bastille Day (14 July) is the French national day and a true highlight of summer in Paris. The city holds a military parade and fly-by on the Avenue des Champs-Elysees, followed by a series of grand parties, culminating in a fireworks show from the Eiffel Tower.

Fireworks over the Hotel de Ville, during Bastille Day

Dine alfresco or catch a concert from one of Paris' rooftop venues

Summer in Paris is the time to hit the roof and hang out in some of the best rooftop bars and restaurants in the city. Most are seasonal and have magnificent views of the city.

Or catch one of the many free music concerts performed against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower and Invalides on the rooftop terrace of the Philharmonie de Paris.

Enjoy cocktails on Paris pop-up beaches

In July and August, the now-iconic urban beaches on the Left Bank and Right Bank transform a 3km (two mile) stretch of the Seine into Paris Riviera, with 5,000 tonnes of sand shipped from the beaches of Normandy, a floating swimming pool, pop-up beach bars and palm trees.
One of the most striking gothic churches in Paris has survived revolution and war for almost 800 years. A stones throw from Notre Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle was built in the 1240s by King Louis IX to store priceless Christian relics, including the Crown of Thorns and the Image of Edessa (a piece of cloth on which the face of Christ had miraculously appeared). By the time it was completed in 1248, he had added a piece of the True Cross and a fragment of the Holy Lance.

Most of these relics were lost during the French Revolution but some surviving ones are now housed at Notre-Dame nearby. The Saint-Chapelle is now best visited for its spectacular architecture.

Exterior of the Saint-Chapelle

What to see at the Saint-Chapelle

The Sainte-Chapelle is one of the greatest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture in the world. Its most remarkable features are 15 large stained-glass windows, as well as the lovely rose window added around 100 years after its initial construction.

Once youre inside, begin with a look around the lower level with its vaulted ceiling decorated with stunning fleur-de-lis and elegantly arranged Ls for Louis. Next, climb the narrow staircase to the upper level, where the royal family used to worship. Here youll be greeted by those vast stained-glass windows depicting 1,131 different Biblical scenes.

Guided tours between 1100 and 1500, lasting 45 minutes, help you get to know more about the building, or there are audio-guides for hire.

When to visit

Open every day except major public holidays, the Sainte-Chapelle can get busy, especially around sunset  the best time to view the magnificent rose window. Aim for weekday mornings, especially in the busiest summer months.

To get the full effect of its windows, try to visit on a sunny day. The sight of bright sunlight streaming through these medieval works of art makes you appreciate why so much effort went into making them in a time when glass was a rare and expensive material.

Saint-Chapelle's vast stained-glass windows depicting 1,131 different Biblical scenes

Buy tickets in advance

Tickets (10; concessions 8) can be bought on site or online in advance. Online tickets will save you queueing when you arrive.

You can also get combined tickets for the Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie (a remnant of the Capetian Palace, with dungeons you can explore) for 15/12.50. The Paris Museum Pass is also accepted at the Sainte-Chapelle but doesnt let you skip the queue like some tickets do.

How to get there

The Sainte-Chapelle is located in Palais de la Cite, the medieval royal palace on Ile de la Cite, famously home to Marie Antoinette before she went to the guillotine.

Take Metro Line 4 to Cite and walk up Rue de Lutece until you reach the Palais. The entrance to the Sainte-Chapelle is on the left but mostly hidden from the street, so look out for signs.
The Church of Our Lady before Tyn is a major stop on any tour of Pragues Old Town. Located in Pragues Old Town Square alongside a number of other major tourist attractions, its impressive Gothic architecture makes it impossible to miss. Outside, gaze upon its imposing twin towers, or take a tour to explore the breathtaking interiors, explore its fascinating collection of historical tombstones, and even learn about the oldest organ in Prague.

The Church of Our Lady before Tyn is a prominent feature of the Old Town of Prague

Why visit?

This is one of Pragues most attention-grabbing attractions, with its Old Town Square location and 260ft (80m) towers. From the perspective of the square, youll note the asymmetrical nature of these towers; the larger one is Adam, the smaller one Eve. Representation of the masculine and feminine in this manner is a common theme in Gothic architecture.

Tyn Church was constructed in 1385, to be the main church in Pragues Old Town, although the origins of religious buildings on this site actually date back to the 11th century. Its had a tumultuous history: in the 15th century the Hussites took control of it, then the ruling Roman Catholics won it back, replacing the Hussites' symbolic chalice with a large figure of Mary, and recasting the bell. A 17th-century fire in the church then led to the interiors being reworked in a Baroque fashion.

According to legend, its the Church of Our Lady before Tyn that provided Walt Disney with the inspiration for the Sleeping Beauty castle. Whether this is true or not, it certainly makes for a striking part of the Prague skyline.

There are also a number of points of interest inside the church. For instance, the building is home to the oldest organ in Prague, dating back to 1673. Visitors will also observe the large number of preserved tombstones: around 60 known within the church, and many others unknown. Among these is the tombstone of Tycho de Brahe, a Danish astronomer in the court of Rudolph II from 1601. Furthermore, legend has it that the heart of Jiri of Podebrady  King of Bohemia in the 15th century  is buried here (his body lies within the tomb of the Bohemian Kings at Prague Castle).

How to visit

If youre not already in the heart of the Old Town but want to visit, you can catch the metro to Staromestska, which is located a mere six-minute walk from the impressive building. You will find the entrance to the church on Staromestske namesti 14, while a wheelchair-accessible entrance is located on Celetna 5.

Its twin Gothic spires make the Tyn Church a distinctive landmark

When to visit

Check online before visiting as sightseeing is not possible during mass. If youre part of a large group, youll need to book ahead of time to reserve a mass or a special tour.

Its best to visit early in the morning, before the crowds begin to gather in Old Town Square  one of the major tourist areas in Prague. Its quieter on weekdays too  and this is also the best time to see nearby attractions including the extremely popular Astronomical Clock, the Old Town Hall, the Baroque Church of St Nicholas, the Rococo Kinsky Palace, the Gothic House at the Stone Bell and the monument to Jan Hus.

If youre in Prague during the festive season, youll notice a huge, twinkling Christmas tree is erected in the shadow of the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The square is also home to a section of Pragues magical Christmas market, making the church appear particularly beautiful at this time of year.

On occasion, the church also hosts classical music concerts, so its worth checking Pragues cultural event listings to see if a concert in these incredible surrounds coincides with your trip.

Whenever you visit, bring some sort of jacket with you, as the church gets cold inside.
Advertisement

Mesmerising timelapse footage showcases the sweeping beauty of Athens in all its glory.

From the city's ancient statues, to its columned buildings and modern glass high rises, the stylish film by Alexandros Maragos takes viewers on a journey by moonlight.

With darkness cast over the metropolis, its streets and roadways come alive with twinkling lights and, at one point, bolts of lightning erupting.

Scroll down for video

Mesmerising timelapse footage showcases the sweeping beauty of Athens in all its glory

From the city's ancient Greek statues, to its columned buildings and modern glass high rises, the stylish film by Alexandros Maragos takes viewers on a journey by moonlight. Above, the Acropolis is lit in yellow

With darkness cast over the metropolis, its streets and roadways come alive with twinkling lights and, at one point, bolts of lightning erupting. Above, a statue of Socrates

One sky high shot shows how the Greek capital spreads as far as the mountains, with the glow of electricity running into the foothills.

Continuing on its tour, the video cuts to the Acropolis and its surrounding monuments lit up in different colours.

The Zappeion, a building in the heart of Athens used for meetings and ceremonies, is also seen.

Gradually the footage speeds up and taking things up a gear, the camera whizzes through a highway tunnel and along city roads.

The film culminates with the orange sun coming up, marking the start of a new day.

Making it involved a painstaking process. Maragos first spent 90 days capturing Athens from different angles.

One sky high shot shows how the Greek capital spreads as far as the mountains, with the glow of electricity running into the foothills

The Zappeion, a building in the heart of Athens that's used for meetings and ceremonies, is seen in the film

Maragos spent 90 days capturing Athens from different angles. He then went about crafting a film out of the 60,000 raw images he shot in high resolution. Above, a statue of the Goddess Athena by moonlight

He then went about crafting a film out of the 60,000 raw images he shot in high resolution.

To date, it has been viewed more than 24,000 times on Facebook, with viewers applauding Maragos' artistry.

Stavros Fylladitis wrote: 'I think this is the best time-lapse video I've seen from Athens. Very well done!'

While Maria Maragoudakis Gregoriou added: 'I love the vibrant and diverse city of Athens and this wonderful film shares a glimpse of what we Athenians enjoy, but might take for granted on a daily basis!'

Maragos, aged 40, told MailOnline Travel one of his favourite shots in the film is the passage of a full moon behind the statues of Goddess Athena and Apollo, in the Academy of Athens.

He concluded: 'Both statues were masterfully sculpted by Leonidas Drosis in 1870 and they are the most iconic statues in Athens.

'These kinds of shots require precision cinematography and I'm really glad it worked out as planned.'

To date, the film has been viewed more than 24,000 times on Facebook, with viewers applauding Maragos' artistry
She is expecting her first child with boyfriend Andy Speer later this year.

And Katie Waissel has celebrated being halfway through her pregnancy with a blooming bump snap.

The 29-year-old shared an Instagram snap of her bump with fans on Tuesday as she joked about saying goodbye to her gym-toned physique.

'Abs officially gone!' Katie Waissel, 29, celebrated reaching the halfway stage of her pregnancy in a revealing bump snap, as she told fans she is about to jet off on her 'babymoon'

Katie shared a snap of her growing bump in casual leisurewear on Instagram, as she told her followers she and beau Andy are about to jet off on their 'babymoon' together.

She wrote: 'Abs officially gone, bump well on the way to full bloom! Crazy we are half way there! Not long now @andyspeer but first our BABYMOON! Only two more sleeps to Miami baby!'

Despite her excitement about welcoming her first child, Katie has also spoken candidly about struggling to copy with her changing body in preparation for motherhood.

Taking to Instagram to share a snap of her washboard abs, the beauty admitted she was starting to miss her pre-pregnancy physique.

Missing it: Katie recently revealed that she is struggling to come to terms with her changing body during her first pregnancy, opening up in a thoughtful Instagram essay

In a thoughtful essay the Celebrity Big Brother star wrote: 'Now dont get me wrong, Pregnancy is awesome and there isnt a day that goes by that I dont thank god and am so grateful to be in my position.

'HOWEVER I seriously miss my old body, lifestyle and routine that I worked just so incredibly hard for. I miss working out daily and pushing myself constantly, upping my weights and going that extra mile on my run.

'It lifted me mentally and set me up to take on my day! I am now physically and emotionally drained and exhausted. I do not have anywhere near the strength to do even half of what I used to.'

Emotional: Katie shared a snap of her gym-toned pre-pregnancy body, saying that she is feeling 'physically and emotionally drained'

She continued: 'I am incredibly self-conscious and insecure and feel at my most vulnerable. I get that all is for such a wonderful reason, however in this moment I do not feel wonderful. I feel incredibly lethargic, worn down and c**p.

'Sleepless nights and constant breathlessness are all just a small reminder that I have to slow down, and for those that know me, you know that that is an impossible task.

'AGAIN for those who will hate, please dont. Im allowed to be human and I write this for all the pregnant women out there who too feel c**p! Lets live in our honest truth right now.

'For those going through or have been through something similar please share what got you through moments like these asides from this blessing that we have created and are about to bring into the world!'

Smitten: The former X Factor star is expecting her first child with boyfriend Andy Speer, who she went public with in October 2017

Katie announced that she was expecting her first child with boyfriend Andy in January, sharing an adorable snap of her growing baby bump.

The Celebrity Big Brother star excitedly shared the couple's baby news in a sweet social media post - which saw her hold a photo of her baby scan against her growing stomach.

She wrote to her 23,000 followers: 'So today is officially the day that I get to share the greatest blessings on earth with you!

'For those who have been such a huge part of my journey over the years, you will know that life certainly hasnt always thrown me roses however it has honestly been perfectly imperfect.'

'Overwhelmed and overjoyed': The former Celebrity Big Brother star announced she was pregnant with her first child last month with an adorable social media post

Katie went on: 'You have watched me at my most vulnerable, and my most fearless, through some incredibly tough times and followed me right by my side through to the shining light at the end of some of the darkest tunnels.

'And now, you get to witness the greatest blessing life could bestow upon another human being. The gift of life!'

Unable to contain her joy, she continued: 'Andy and I are thrilled to announce that we are expecting! Overwhelmed and overjoyed, we couldnt be more excited that we have created such an incredible human being and he isnt even here yet!'

Katie and Andy are believed to have found love last summer, and confirmed their blossoming romance with their first Instagram snap together in October.
KIIS FM host Kyle Sandilands has been involved in a long-standing feud with controversial former Deputy Prime Minister Mr Barnaby Joyce.

Following a heated on-air interview in 2015, Kyle accused him of trying to get him ousted from radio.

However, on his breakfast show on Wednesday, Kyle laid the blame on Mr Joyce's girlfriend Vikki Campion and claimed: 'I believe it was maybe Vikki behind trying to get me fired, not him at all.'

Scroll down for video

Kyle Sandilands claims Vikki Campion tried to get him FIRED after his explosive on-air row with Barnaby Joyce over the Johnny Depp dog smuggling saga

'When Barnaby's new girlfriend was running his media campaign from the Government, Barnaby's office tried to get me fired from the radio,' Kyle claimed.

'They went to ACMA [Australian Communications and Media Authority] and made a formal complaint.'

Former Labor politician, Sam Dastyari, who was appearing on the Kyle and Jackie O Show chimed in: 'Well that's what happens when you have a media advisor that's probably in a bit of a relationship with you and your focus gets a bit lost.

'Doesn't that just make you a hero at the radio station when the Deputy Prime Minister is just trying to knock you off?'

So who did try and get Kyle sacked? Sandilands has been involved in a long-standing feud with Mr Barnaby Joyce but claims it may have been Mr Joyce's girlfriend Vikki Campion that tried to have him ousted from his radio job

Kyle replied: 'I don't pay any attention to what goes on with the management here,' before going on to illustrate his suspicions with a hypothetical comparison involving his co-presenter Jackie 'O' Henderson.

'If I'd have said something bad about Jackie and Lee was her media advisor I would think that Lee  her partner  would try and get me fired,' he said.

Ms Campion, who is reported to be pregnant with Mr Joyce's child, worked as his media advisor before she moved into a more senior role with Resources Minister Matt Canavan in April last year.

'When Barnaby's new girlfriend was running his media campaign...Barnaby's office tried to get me fired' Kyle Sandilands claims a campaign to have him ejected from KIIS FM followed his a heated on-air interview with Mr Joyce in 2015

Kyle's feud with Mr Joyce started after the Deputy Prime Minister made an official complaint to the media watchdog in 2015, after the radio host verbally abused him during an on-air stoush.

The heated segment, which occurred on KIIS FM in 2015, related to actor Johnny Depp's dogs Pistol and Boo being smuggled into Australia.

Kyle called the then Agriculture Minister a 'wan***', 'loser, 'absolute joke', and a 'gerbil of a thing', before Mr Joyce hung up abruptly.

Mr Joyce gave former glamour couple Johnny Depp and Amber Heard 50 hours to get the dogs out of the country or face them being put down, citing quarantine rules designed to protect Australia from animal-borne diseases.

Kyle, no stranger to controversy, was riled up before the interview with Barnaby, saying the minister's comments about the two dogs made Australians look like 'hillbilly redneck losers.'

But Sandilands' comments, while disrespectful, were part of a robust exchange of views between the pair and did not breach the industry code according to the media watchdog.

My Joyce disputed the ruling, complaining and insisting Kyle should be properly reprimanded for the incident.

The woman in question: Ms Campion (pictured), who is reported to be pregnant with Mr Joyce's child, worked as his media advisor before she moved into another role last year

Since then Mr Joyce has resigned as Deputy Prime Minister following weeks of fallout over his affair with Ms Campion.

When their relationship, and Ms Campion's pregnancy was made public, Kyle was supportive of the former Nationals leader.

When news reader Brooklyn informed Kyle that Mr Joyce's new partner is 17 years his junior, to which Kyle responded: 'Sweet! Good work, Barnaby.'

'Barnaby and I don't get on, but I tip my hat to you, my friend,' the media personality, who also has a girlfriend 20 his junior, said.
Armie Hammer isn't ashamed of his past.

The 31-year-old actor shared a throwback image on Instagram on Tuesday by posting his old mugshot from a previous incarceration in Texas.

Back in November 2011, the Call Me By Your Name star had been arrested for marijuana possession in Sierra Blanca, Texas according to TMZ.

Scroll down for video

Locked up: On Tuesday, Armie Hammer shared a throwback image on Instagram by posting his old mugshot after he was arrested in 2011 for marijuana possession in Texas

The publication reported at the time that police had found three pot cookies and one brownie during the shakedown.

The case was ultimately dropped by prosecutors as he allegedly only had .02 ounces of pot. He spent a day in jail and paid $1,000 bond.

The actor seemed bothered in the snap as he smiled in the image and included the hashtag, '#godblesstexas.'

The star's caption also read: 'It might not be Thursday, but this throwback seems worth it...'

Despite being taken in by police, Hammer appears jovial while donning a black and white striped collared shirt.

Hollywood heavyweight: The Social Network star attended the 90th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles during March

The actor's shirt is unbuttoned, revealing hair on his chest as well as his collarbone.

He stands in front of a measuring guide that shows The Social Network actor's height as being 6'3.

Despite Hammer's previous bad behavior, his followers didn't seem to care about his past and posted their support.

Many of the comments remarked on his good looks or his happy demeanor in the photo.

Positive response: Despite Hammer's previous bad behavior, his followers didn't seem to care about his past and posted their support

One user wrote: 'first he makes adidas tracksuits look cool now I'm kinda digging the prison jumpsuit look too.'

Another commented: 'best looking mug shot I ever seen!!!!!'

Hammer's latest film, Call Me By Your Name, was nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Dynamic duo: Hammer's co-star and on-screen lover, Timothee Chamalet, was nominated for Best Actor at the 90th Annual Academy Awards

The film was up against Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, Get Out, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread, The Post, The Shape Of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

His co-star and on-screen lover, Timothee Chamalet, was nominated for Best Actor.

The film went on to win an Oscar for Writing (Original Screenplay).
Malcolm Turnbull has responded to Cher apologising for a selfie with him at this month's Mardi Gras.

The Australian Prime Minister told radio hosts Hit 105's Stav, Abby & Matt on Wednesda that the criticism the pop icon faced following the photo 'was brutal and pretty nasty.'

Cher, who was the headline act for the parade's official after party, apologised following an outcry from the gay community on Twitter.

Scroll down for video

'The criticism was brutal and nasty': Malcolm Turnbull responds to pop icon Cher apologising for posing in a selfie with him at the Mardi Gras after gay supporters called her out

'I think she [Cher] was a bit baffled by some of the criticism,' Malcolm said of the 71-year-old artist.

'It was very mean I thought to her, because we had a... I mean Cher was so impressed by the big yes vote on same-sex marriage and she congratulated me on it.

'We talked about it. We talked about the high participation rate. She thought it was a great win, a great victory and a great statement... the goodwill, the affection, the love in Australia.

'So I think some of that social media commentary perhaps she had on Twitter is brutal and pretty nasty,' Malcolm, 63, went on to say.

The photo that started it: The pop queen apologised for a selfie she posed in with the Australian Prime Minister during Sydney's Mardi Gras parade, earlier this month

Cher was the highly-anticipated headline act for Sydney's Mardi Gras earlier this month.

The Believe hit-maker has long been considered an icon in the gay community and a vocal advocate for LGBTQI rights.

But the pop queen apologised for a selfie she posed in with Malcolm during the parade following an outcry from the gay community on Twitter.

'Welcome to Sydney, Cher! Lucy and I and all your fans are thrilled to be with you at the 40th Mardi Gras and first since Australia achieved marriage equality,' Prime Minister Turnbull wrote in a Twitter post along with the photo

The controversy stems from the fact that Prime Minister Turnbull was behind the gay marriage plebiscite last year.

He was criticised by members of the LGBTQI community for holding the voluntary postal vote.

'It was like the nation gave same-sex couples an enormous hug,' Malcolm said during a telecast of the Mardi Gras parade.

'It was a vote for equality, a vote for respect and what a huge vote it was.'

'Welcome to Sydney, Cher! Lucy and I and all your fans are thrilled to be with you at the 40th Mardi Gras and first since Australia achieved marriage equality,' he later wrote in a Twitter post.

However Twitter users saw Cher's involvement in the selfie as a contradiction.

Backlash: However Twitter users saw Cher's involvement in the selfie as a contradiction and Cher was forced to respond

'I wonder if Cher knows just how truly terrible his party have been to the LGBTIQ community,' one user claimed.

'Hey Cher ... I love you but did Turnbull tell you his party has a whole review being held to enshrine discrimination again the LGBTIQ community???,' another person claimed.

'I'm not sure what you mean. The man I talked to seemed proud of everyone at the parade. Am I missing something!?' Cher responded.

'He is no friend of ours. His party imposed a horrific three month postal vote on our relationships when they could have passed the law in parliament,' one Twitter user said.

'He abolished the national LGBTI anti-bullying program in schools,' they continued.

'Am so sorry. Guess that's why I have FEW friends who are politicians. He seemed very open and excited about Mardi Gras and LGBT community,' Cher responded.
Pop pixie Kylie Minogue, who turns 50 this year, seems to have lost her fashion footing having retired her bottombaring hotpants.

Appearing ahead of a concert in London, the 5ft Aussie star wore a jean jacket paired with a red bandana tied around her neck and a shapeless black denim dress resembling a binliner whose pockets and neckline were trimmed with black tinsel.

When she dumped her fiance Joshua Sasse last year after he cheated on her, did she dump her style too?

Pop pixie Kylie Minogue, who turns 50 this year, seems to have lost her fashion footing having retired her bottombaring hotpants

The Susan Scott Lookalikes agency has had a surge in demand for Vladimir Putin doppelgangers since the Salisbury spy poisoning  but is having trouble finding a reliable double. One Putin disappeared about the same time as the nerve agent attack, reveals a source at the agency. While our other Putin turned up drunk with a broken leg to his last TV booking, so we wont be using him again.

New Tricks actress Amanda Redman is the latest star to express concern about the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment and inequality.

The Me Too movement bothers me a bit, she says. In my industry, flirtation and badinage and quips make it fun and harmless  you take it with a pinch of salt. But when the woman becomes upset, then its crossed a line.

I dont think theres any woman of my age who didnt get sexually harassed at work, adds Redman, 60, whose second husband Damian Schnabel is 15 years her junior .

New Tricks actress Amanda Redman is the latest star to express concern about the #MeToo campaign against sexual harassment and inequality

It was so the norm in the Eighties and early Nineties in British theatre and TV. If you didnt give out [sexually] to a director, you got bullied on set and humiliated constantly. That really damages your confidence as a performer, and it isnt pleasant.

Without a shadow of a doubt, it hurt my career. Its about time things are changing.

But I think we have to be careful not to go too far the other way.

Poldark star Gabriella Wilde appears to be rebelling against her straitlaced image in the hit BBC drama.

Having finished filming the fourth series, in which she plays snooty beauty Caroline Penvenen, the 28-year-old showed shes ready for a new look when she posted this picture online.

Poldark star Gabriella Wilde appears to be rebelling against her straitlaced image in the hit BBC drama

The transformation sees the mother-of-two, who is married to musician Alan Pownall, ditch her natural blonde hair  worn in conservative 18th-century fashion for the show  for tousled pink locks. Despite her outlandish style choices, Gabriella insists shes incredibly shy. I still have friends who cant understand how I could be an actress because normally Im quite introverted, she says. It was never a route I had expected to go down.

You can take the girl out of Scotland, but you cant take Scotland out of the girl.

Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young, 49, reveals she has not lost her appetite for Caledonian treats. I have a terrible sweet tooth and cant wait to stuff myself silly with chocolate at Easter, say East Kilbridean Kirsty. Ive even been known to scoff that great Scots delicacy  a deep-fried Mars Bar.
They heavily promoted a 'Meet and Greet' with Ace Hood at their Melbourne store.

And Culture Kings came under fire from the rapper in a series of Instagram videos on Sunday, who told fans the retail chain was 'the worst place I've ever dealt with'.

The 29-year-old, who was in the city as part of the touring Jumanji festival, also said the goods he and his team were promised by the store weren't delivered properly.

Scroll down for video

Critical: Australian retail chain Culture Kings came under fire from Ace Hood via Instagram on Sunday, who told fans the retail chain was 'the worst place I've ever dealt with'

Culture Kings, via comments from their official YouTube account, later admitted there was miscommunication between the parties and said the issue was sorted out.

The Florida-born artist initially accused the street-wear retailer of advertising the event as something they 'never told us about it and never made us aware of'.

He described fulfilling his side of the agreement: 'I take pictures with kids, I take pictures with fans, I take pictures around the store, I shout out the store. I did it all.'

The retail chain's Melbourne location posted video of the rapper in the store to their official YouTube channel on Monday, meeting and greeting fans as he had detailed.

Vocal: He described fulfilling his side of the agreement, saying 'I take pictures with kids, I take pictures with fans, I take pictures around the store, I shout out the store. I did it all'

Born Antoine McColister, the rapper went on to claim Culture Kings 'ain't fulfill none' of what they had allegedly promised him in exchange for his appearance.

'I gave them everything they needed, they didn't give me anything I wanted. The clothes I picked out, the clothes my homies picked out, they didn't put none of them in the bag,' he described.

'At this point, my homie [is] going off. My homies are going off; they about to literally throw people through the windows,' he added.

'At this point, my homie [is] going off. My homies are going off; they about to literally throw people through the windows,' he added

Calling himself a 'man of respect and integrity', Ace Hood reiterated he was publicly admonishing the retail chain because it was 'all about the principle'.

He also revealed the 'initial budget was $10,000' for their agreement and when he went to cash in the items he had selected from the store, there was 'chaos'.

'I get to the front [and] their people start rushing bags, rushing things out to our cars, making a whole chaos about s***,' he explained.

'We get the receipt back [and] they put in all type of female shoes, Jordan handbags - s*** that we did not get or pick up!' he charged.

Heated: Calling himself a 'man of respect and integrity', Ace Hood reiterated he was publicly admonishing the retail chain because it was 'all about the principle'

Ace then criticised Culture Kings as 'a very average store' and added: 'It was tough enough to meet the budget, because it wasn't fly enough!'

The rapper claimed there was 'at least $2000 worth of things on [the receipt] we didn't order' and alleged this was done so the store could 'juice up the bill'.

'Culture Kings, man, y'all are the most unprofessional people I've ever worked with! Melbourne, Australia - Culture Kings is the worst place I've ever dealt with,' he said.

Disappointed: Ace then criticised Culture Kings as 'a very average store' and added, 'It was tough enough to meet the budget, because it wasn't fly enough!'

After gossip site What's The Tea? posted the rapper's diatribe to their YouTube channel, Culture Kings' official account responded in the video's comment section.

'We've fixed the situation with Ace Hood which started from a miscommunication between Ace's entourage, always two sides to every story,' they wrote.

'Somewhere between us and Ace there was a major confusion, we sorted it and he later deleted the instastories,' they added.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Culture Kings for further comment.
Patton Oswalt shared his daughter's writing on Tuesday during an appearance on The Late Late Show.

The 49-year-old actor said his eight-year-old daughter Alice has 'just started writing' and was taking after her deceased mother, the bestselling crime author/journalist Michelle McNamara.

'Aliceshe's very mature for her age,' Oswalt assured host James Corden, before reading the child's latest piece titled 'Fart Land'.

Proud father: Patton Oswalt shared writing by his eight-year-old daughter on Tuesday during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden

Fart Land is about a fantasy world, to which Oswalt said he would be banished for breaking too much wind.

McNamara died in April 2016 in her sleep at her family's Los Angeles home. Oswalt married Meredith Salenger in November 2017.

Oswalt also had some comments about President Donald Trump's firing of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter.

'Better Twitter than Tinder..but basically our president is like a passive aggressive boyfriendit's total Mean Girls stuff,' he smiled.

Late wife: The 49-year-old actor, shown with his late wife Michelle McNamara in December 2011, said his daughter Alice was taking after his deceased spouse who was an author

The Emmy-winning comedian currently stars in the NBC sitcom A.P. Bio, alongside Glenn Howerton from It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia.

Corden, 39, flashed up Oswalt's yearbook photo, causing much embarrassment.

'You couldn't airbrush out the mullet? Oh my god,' cringed Oswalt who described his younger self as 'insufferable' and 'a moody hard lovin' rebel' who loved Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel.

Late show: Darren Criss joined host James Corden and fellow guest Patton on the CBS show

Oswalt was joined on the show by fellow guest Darren Criss, 31, who busted out some sexy dance moves for the British talk show host.

Criss, who currently plays the murderous Andrew Cunanan in American Crime Story: The Assassination Of Gianni Versace, has become infamous for his near-naked dance scene on the show.

He recreated the scene with a few kinky ad libs directed at Corden.

Fan favorite: Darren received a warm welcome from the Los Angeles studio audience

The former Glee star wore a skintight vest and jeans for his entrance, with languid moves to the Phil Collins song Easy Lover.

'Oh my god!' squealed Corden as Criss gyrated over him.

The pair appeared to develop a bit of a bromance throughout the show, with Criss joking that he'd like to write a musical for Corden to star in.

'You delicious little sausage,' cooed Corden, while touching Criss on the nose.
Stormzy has cooled growing speculation of a split with girlfriend Maya Jama by refollowing the presenter on social media, just one day after unfollowing her on Instagram.

The grime star  real name Michael Omari Owuo, Jr  had disappeared from Mayas follower list on Monday.

But Stormzy, 24, reappeared the following day after prompting speculation of a split with his girlfriend, who he last referred to on social media two months ago as they celebrated their third anniversary.

Not a fan: Stormzy set tongues wagging on Monday, when it was revealed he had unfollowed girlfriend Maya Jama on Instagram (pictured together in December 2017)

Uploading a sweet selfie to honour the pair's anniversary, he wrote: '3 years with the love of my life.'

Maya still follows her beau on the photo-sharing app, and he most recently appeared on her page in early February when she shared a video from their trip to Los Angeles.

The pair were last seen together at the BRIT Awards in February, where Maya supported her beau as he picked up the British Male Solo Artist and British Album of the Year gongs.

MailOnline has contacted representatives of both Stormzy and Maya for comment.

Date night: The pair were last seen together at the BRIT Awards in February (above)

'The love of my life': Stormzy last posted about Maya in January when he honoured their third anniversary with a sweet selfie (above). Maya still follows her beau on the photo-sharing app

Maya has been dating Stormzy for three years - with the pair first choosing to keep their relationship private, before going public as an item in 2016.

The beauty went on to appear in his music video for Big For Your Boots, and the musician even dedicated his track Birthday Girl to Maya on her 22nd birthday - a gift she gushed would 'last forever'.

Proving the couple to be the real deal, the Shut Up star even admitted he was keen to marry the model in the future.

He told the Sunday Mirror in February: 'I'm still so young but I want to propose, it's going to happen and I will do it right. She is so sick, she is the best.'

Keeping quiet: Maya have been dating Stormzy for three years - with the pair first choosing to keep their relationship private, and going public in 2016 (pictured in June 2017)

Meanwhile Maya recently praised Stormzy for being everything 'a father should be' -with her own dad being in jail for most of her life.

She told the Daily Star: 'The man I look at will always be someone who is supportive and will give a sense of what a father should be a protective, kind, loving person.'

However, she added that she prefers to keep her love life away from the public eye, which is why the couple were reluctant to go public for so long.

'I never wanted my name to be overshadowed by a relationship,' she added. 'I try to keep it as low-key as possible, but what can you do? He's doing amazingly well.'

Stormzy is one of the biggest grime artists of the moment, with his debut Gang Signs & Prayer becoming first grime record to ever top the UK Album Chart back in February 2017.

Meanwhile Maya made her fame as a presenter, formerly appearing on MTV - where she first met her beau - and going on to front ITV game show Cannonball.
She made her runway debut for Myer last week alongside store ambassador Kris Smith.

And the male model has jumped to the defence of Elyse Knowles after an internet troll slammed her appearance.

Kris put the commenter on blast in an Instagram post, urging the detractor to 'rethink their beliefs' after they referred to Elyse as 'yuk' and a 'reno chick'.

'You should rethink your beliefs': Kris Smith SLAMS internet troll who called Elyse Knowles a 'yuk reno chick' after The Block star and model made her Myer runway debut

Elyse, an already established bikini and lingerie model, has been in high demand after appearing on The Block last year.

She has since scored a lucrative contract with retail giant Myer, appearing in their shows at Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival last week.

Sharing a photo of him and Elyse after their first show together on Friday, Kris captioned the photo: '@elyseknowlzy just dominated the first catwalk, now we onto the second @myer #myerxvamff.'

High praise: Sharing a photo of him and Elyse after their first show together on Friday, Kris captioned the photo: '@elyseknowlzy just dominated the first catwalk'

Rude: Kris quickly took to task a troll who wrote: 'Really ? Yuk , not a model at all. Reno chick'

Not happy: Kris put the commenter on blast in an Instagram post, urging the detractor to 'rethink their beliefs'

Still on a high? Fortunately the negative comment didn't appear to affect Elyse's high spirits, the blonde beauty also commenting on the photo

All smiles: Elyse couldn't stop beaming after making her Myer runway debut last week

Kris quickly took to task a troll who wrote: 'Really ? Yuk , not a model at all. Reno chick.'

Clearly unimpressed, Kris hit back: 'not a great example to set is it? You should rethink your beliefs...'

Fortunately the negative comment didn't appear to affect Elyse's high spirits, the blonde beauty also commenting on the photo.

Exciting move: Elyse's appearance at VAMFF is her first role for Myer since she was announced as the department store's ambassador last month

Double act: Both Elyse and Kris appeared together in two runway shows for VAMFF last week

'Good combo rockin those beats hahah,' she wrote, referencing Kris' dance moves on the runway.

Elyse's appearance at VAMFF is her first role for Myer since she was announced as the department store's ambassador last month.

Taking to Instagram, the beauty confirmed: 'I'm very excited to announce that I will be working alongside @myer this season.'
Alicia Vikander jet off to the east coast following the Tomb Raider premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night.

The 29-year-old Swedish actress touched down in NYC on Tuesday to attend yet another premiere for the Warner Brother's film.

She was spotted wearing a very modest outfit that included a white sweater, cropped black pants, and flats.

Scroll for video

Travel mania! Alicia Vikander jet off to the east coast following the Tomb Raider premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night

Fame is the game: The 29-year-old Swedish actress touched down in NYC on Tuesday to attend yet another premiere for the Warner Brother's film

Alicia came prepared for the chilly east coast weather in a long-line black coat.

Surrounded by a posse of people and a bodyguard, The Danish Girl actress tried to keep a low profile in a pair of large sunglasses.

But what caught many an eye was her rather large wedding ring from husband and actor Michael Fassbender.

Casually clad! She was spotted wearing a very modest outfit that included a white sweater, cropped black pants, and flats

The crew! Alicia walked through the terminal with several members of her team

Tomb Raider, set to hit the big screen on March 16, has already made its red carpet debut in London, Stockholm, and Mexico.

Alicia has some pretty big shoes to fill as she embodies Lara Croft formerly played by Angelina Jolie.

This time around, production has swapped out guns for a bow and arrow and a braid for a mere ponytail as this installment follows the adventures of a young Laura Croft.

Blockbuster! Tomb Raider, set to hit the big screen on March 16, has already made its red carpet debut in London, Stockholm, and Mexico

Action packed! Alicia has some pretty big shoes to fill as she embodies Lara Croft formerly played by Angelina Jolie

The Ex Machina actress told E News that she is desperate to meet the legendary Jolie.

'That is a woman I would love to meet,' she said. 'She made an icon out of that character. She's quite an incredible woman.'

Per Tomb Raider tradition, the film was mostly shot in a foreign location. For the multi-million-dollar reboot, the cast were temporary residents of South Africa.
She's the Real Housewives Of Sydney star who isn't afraid of ruffling feathers and telling it like it is.

And its seems that Lisa Oldfield's brief stint in the South African jungle for I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! has equipped her with a new hobby that keeps her body active and her mouth calm.

Taking to Instagram on Wednesday, Lisa shared a picture of herself at a bar with a caption that read: 'Can anyone guess what I'm doing? I did this everyday in the jungle to keep me sane and I'm sure I invented it'.

'I did this everyday in the jungle to keep me sane!' I'm A Celebrity reject Lisa Oldfield hits the bar to indulge in new hobby... and fellow Real Housewife Jackie Gillies is her biggest cheerleader

Firm friends: Jackie Gillies was quick to comment on Lisa's post and heaped praise on her fellow Real Housewife

Promising to 'post a demonstration' if she got '2000 likes' Lisa held a blue-coloured plastic circle around her waist.

The 43-year-old wrote in the caption: 'Now everyone is out of the @imacelebrity #jungle it seems some of the #celebs have resorted to #bitching and #namecalling - not me! she wrote in the caption, suggesting she now has more interest in hula hooping than gossip.

Lisa tagged her fellow campmates Jackie Gillies and Simone Holtznagel in the post.

The tag prompted Real Housewives of Melbourne star Jackie to comment: 'God I love you. You're such a p***er. You don't need the likes girl just do it.'

She also complimented Lisa on her 'rig' and described it as 'amazing'.

'God I love you' Lisa's I'm A Celeb campmate Jackie Gillie was quick to comment on her Instagram and complimented Lisa on her 'rig' and described it as 'amazing'

Spurred on by Jackie's comments, Lisa revealed exactly what the blue plastic item was - a hula hoop.

Explaining that it had cost '$3' she bemoaned the fact that it 'doesn't work as well as @moannn one' referring to Simone Holtznagel.

Lisa also revealed that she'd invested in further equipment to enable her hobby, writing: 'I bought a minimiser bra so it doesn't wobble during the demo'.

In it together: The Real Housewives Of Sydney star entered I'm A Celebrity with her politician husband David

The Real Housewives Of Sydney star entered I'm A Celebrity with her politician husband David.

Following her eviction from the I'm A Celebrity jungle, Lisa told the show's co-host Julia Morris her marriage to David was 'over'.

After calling her husband a 't**t', she confirmed she 'will be speaking to a divorce lawyer' upon returning to Sydney.

Bombshell eviction! Following her eviction from the I'm A Celebrity jungle, Lisa told the show's co-host Julia Morris her marriage to David was 'over'

'I feel like he is a boat anchor around my neck, and after 17 years I've had a revelation,' she described of her husband.

She said her 17-year marriage to David Oldfield was 'over' after they starred in the reality series I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here together.

But it appears Lisa Oldfield is standing by her husband, revealing on Saturday the tempestuous couple are indeed still getting hot and heavy with each other.

The 43-year-old shared a snap to her Instagram of her emergency contraception purchase and made a joke about coercing David, 59, into being intimate with her.
T.J. Miller has reached a settlement with his personal driver who claimed the actor 'attacked' him during an argument over Donald Trump.

TMZ reported Tuesday that the former Silicon Valley star made an agreement with Wilson Deon Thomas III last Thursday, putting the incident to rest.

Thomas had sued Miller in December 2016 alleging he was high on Whip Its and became violent after inhaling the 'laughing gas'.

Lawsuit: T.J. Miller has reached a settlement with his personal driver who claimed the actor, high on Whip Its, attacked him during an argument over Donald Trump in December 2016

The driver had been seeking money to cover medical expenses for injuries he claimed he suffered along with other damages.

Miller's attorney rebutted the claims, suggesting Thomas was trying to extort the actor.

TMZ said it's not known what the settlement terms are between the two men.

The driver had been seeking money to cover medical expenses and other damages. Miller's attorney rebutted the claims, suggesting Thomas was trying to extort the actor

Thomas was hired to drive Miller around for the day on December 8, 2016.

He said Miller was complaining about how much money he'd donated to Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and was upset that she had lost, according to TMZ.

When Thomas picked Miller up from the GQ Men of the Year party in Hollywood, he said the comedian accused him of being a Trump supporter.

As he was pulling up to Miller's home to drop him off, he claimed Miller Wilson suddenly struck him on the right side of his head and shoulder.

The driver claimed he suffered violent whiplash after slamming on the breaks.

Miller was arrested for alleged assault and later released on his recognizance. He was never charged with any offense.

Miller, pictured at a Comic-Con panel for Steven Spielberg's film Ready Player One in July 2017, was not charged with any offense relating to the incident

It's not the only incident that has been dogging the star of Steven Spielberg's new movie Ready Player One.

In December 2017, he was accused of sexual assault by a former college classmate who told the Daily Beast that she and Miller were in the same comedy group and dated. On two occasions, she says Miller beat her and sexually assaulted her - including punching her in the face during sex and raping her with a beer bottle.

Hours after the allegations were published, Comedy Central announced the cancellation of his television series The Gorburger Show.

Miller vigorously denied the claims with he and his wife Kate, whom he also met at George Washington University, issuing a joint statement on Twitter.

The couple said the accuser devised the story as a way to break them up when they started dating and 'Sadly she is now using the current climate to bandwagon and launch these false accusations again.'
The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story

Rating:

The Great Celebrity Bake Off

Rating:

The false, plummy tones of murderess Ruth Ellis, captured larking about with her lover on a reel-to-reel just weeks before she shot him, put me in mind of something  but what?

At first I couldnt place the voice. Then it became obvious: Ellis, who in 1955 was the last woman to be hanged in Britain, sounded like actress Claire Foys impersonation of the Queen in the Netflix drama, The Crown.

Her fake accent brought the woman vividly alive in The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story (BBC4). That was how a working-class single mother held down a job as nightclub hostess in the Fifties: she tried to sound like the Queen.

Her fake accent brought the woman vividly alive in The Ruth Ellis Files: A Very British Crime Story (BBC4). That was how a working-class single mother held down a job as nightclub hostess in the Fifties: she tried to sound like the Queen

After more than 60 years of news features, books and TV documentaries  as well as the 1985 film Dance With A Stranger starring Miranda Richardson as Ellis and Rupert Everett as her louche boyfriend, racing driver David Blakely  you might imagine there could be nothing new to learn about the case.

But this trenchant investigation by American film-maker Gillian Pachter uncovered enough new material to make us rethink the entire story. It wasted no time retreading old ground: Pachter assumed that, if you were interested enough to be watching, you probably already knew how Ellis ambushed Blakely outside a Hampstead pub and let fly wildly with a Smith & Wesson revolver, shooting him four times.

The documentary was far more concerned with what was missed by the original investigation  including damning evidence that linked the murder weapon to Elliss second lover, ex-RAF pilot Desmond Cussen. The revolver, Pachter revealed, had been issued during wartime in South Africa... where Cussen had served.

She also made a convincing case that Cussen drove Ellis to the murder scene. Yet he was never considered a suspect.

Pachters meticulous investigation of the police case files revealed why. Every senior police officer took one look at Elliss bleached blonde hair and heavy make-up, and immediately decided she was facing the gallows.

At first I couldnt place the voice. Then it became obvious: Ellis, who in 1955 was the last woman to be hanged in Britain, sounded like actress Claire Foys impersonation of the Queen in the Netflix drama, The Crown

Though she read the files with a forensic eye, Pachter was let down by her ignorance of English slang. She had never heard the phrase a hard case to describe a cynical woman before. And when a fellow racing driver who had known Blakely called him a poncing playboy, she didnt understand the implication that he was living off Elliss immoral earnings.

The Fifties coppers would have understood only too well  and Ruth Ellis was propelled even closer to the noose.

If bad baking were a criminal offence, Countdowns Nick Hewer would be staring at a hefty sentence after The Great Celebrity Bake Off (C4). In the second of five specials raising funds for Stand Up To Cancer, he was undoubtedly the most inept contestant ever to appear on the show.

The 74-year-old former adviser to Alan Sugar admitted he had barely attempted cookery during his entire life. If thats no exaggeration, he should be rather proud of the scrambled eggs he whipped up, even though he was attempting filling for profiteroles.

At other moments, he produced a chocolate cake that Prue compared to a cowpat, and made choux pastry explode. Little wonder Prue called this the funniest Bake Off weve had.

It also helped raise a small fortune for a good cause, while Channel Four bosses seized the chance to let their new presenters Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding build up more of a rapport. Everyones a winner.

Migrant workers of the week: Super-rich guests at the Swiss Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, seen on Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond The Lobby (BBC2), can taste the simple life by harvesting grapes in the vineyard. Who knew fruit picking was so posh?
He's been dubbed the 'villain' of Married At First Sight's fifth season.

And Dean Wells has revealed not only are fans of the reality show sending him death threats online, they have been accosting him in person.

The 39-year-old spoke with Mix 102.3's Jodie & Soda show in Adelaide on Wednesday and described one particular altercation during a recent night out.

Target: MAFS star Dean Wells has revealed not only are fans of the reality show sending him death threats online, they have been accosting him in person

Dean explained to the radio hosts he usually takes negative feedback from viewers regarding his behaviour with on-screen 'wife' Tracey Jewel 'with a grain of salt'.

'At first some of the more nasty things people were saying bothered me, but then I realised I'm not that person,' he admitted.

'I'm not as bad as people are saying. I just take it with a grain of salt now and have a bit of a laugh about it,' he continued.

'I'm not as bad as people are saying. I just take it with a grain of salt now and have a bit of a laugh about it,' he continued

The show's co-host, Jodie Oddy, asked if the couple ever received death threats.

'I've had a few death threats from people on social media. Just crazy people basically, saying "I'm going to stab you" or this or that,' he acknowledged.

'In public, everyone is really nice to me. I've had one or two incidents with people being a bit nasty but in general, everyone I see on the street is really nice,' he added.

'I've had a few death threats from people on social media. Just crazy people basically, saying "I'm going to stab you" or this or that,' he acknowledged

Mark 'Soda' Soderstrom asked for an example of one of the in-person incidents.

'I was at a bar a couple of weeks ago and some guy kinda spotted me out of nowhere and for no reason came at me and started throwing ice at me,' he explained.

'He was saying, "You're not a real man" and carrying on! Thankfully I had a couple of the boys with me and security had their eye on me and jumped in and took care of him straight away, so it wasn't a big problem,' he said.

'I was at a bar a couple of weeks ago and some guy kinda spotted me out of nowhere and for no reason came at me and started throwing ice at me,' he explained

On Tuesday's episode of Married At First Sight, Dean admitted he was falling in love with the 'amazing' Tracey.

But despite the progress the couple have made on-screen in recent weeks, it has been widely reported they are no longer together.

Tracey hinted at the split during an interview on Today on Wednesday, when she confessed to struggling to move on from Dean's past mistakes.
Brielle Biermann defended her parents for buying her a gun.

The 21-year-old received a Glock 43 from Kim Zolciak and her husband Kroy as a birthday gift in the wake of the Parkland, Florida shooting where 17 people were killed on February 14.

And the Georgia native explained to a photographer on Tuesday safety was on their mind: 'I'm moving out on my own, I don't want to live without a gun. I'm scared of my own f**king shadow.'

Scroll down for video

Trigger happy: Brielle Bierman, 21, defended her parents for buying her a gun on Tuesday

'I think its fine to have a gun as long as you're mentally stable. I think the rules and regulations need to be a little more.. than what they are now,' she added.

When asked if she thought the gift bought by Kroy was 'bad timing', Brielle offered the gun was purchased prior to the tragedy.

'He bought it before and had it custom made.. he bought it before. it took awhile,' the makeup insisted.

Kim presented the firearm to Brielle on February 27 as the birthday girl who posted a snap of it on social media with the caption: 'Rose gold gun!!!'

Scared straight: The Georgia native explained safety was on their mind as she said: 'I'm moving out on my own, I don't want to live without a gun. I'm scared of my own f**king shadow,' according to TMZ

Generous mama: Kim Zolciak gave her eldest daughter Brielle Biermann a Glock 43 handgun for her 21st birthday

It was reported that Brielle 'seemed a little nervous around the weapon at first', but her mother was adamant she carried protection, according to TMZ.

Kim explained: 'it's important for her to have it ... now that Brielle's living in her own condo.'

Although Brielle doesn't own a license for the gun, the state of Georgia 'doesn't require one if it's stored in a home, car or place of business.'

Bang bang: Brielle posted a snap of it on social media with the caption: 'Rose gold gun!!!'

Interesting: Fans took to social media and questioned the interesting purchase for the young reality television star

Thoughtful: Another Twitter follower wrote, 'You don't give a gun to ANYONE who has not requested one! What are you thinking! Turn in your Mom Card'

Fans took to social media and questioned the interesting purchase for the young reality television star.

One user commented, 'After everything that happened in Florida, this is just a disgusting choice of gift.'

Another Twitter follower wrote, 'You don't give a gun to ANYONE who has not requested one! What are you thinking! Turn in your Mom Card.'

The young business entrepreneur also received artwork featuring molds of topless breasts that 'set Kim back $5,550 each.'

Nervous: It was reported that Brielle 'seemed a little nervous around the weapon at first', but her mother was adamant she carried protection

Reasons: Kim explained: 'it's important for her to have it ... now that Brielle's living in her own condo.'

Meanwhile, Kim gifted her sons Kroy Jr., six, and Kash, five, bulletproof backpacks in wake of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed.

'I just asked Kroy what can we do as parents to protect our children everyday in this crazy sad world,' she captioned an image of a bulletproof backpack on her Instagram account.

'He said, "best thing we could do for now is get bullet proof book bags" you know I just did!'

'It's better than not having anything at all,' she boasted. 'Just thought I would share with you guys. I just found this first on Amazon so I bought it. It's certified.'

Kim and husband Kroy also share daughter Ariana, 16, and twins Kaia and Kane, four.

Rational: Meanwhile, Kim gifted her sons Kroy Jr., six, and Kash, five, bulletproof backpacks in wake of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 people were killed
The world today paid tribute to physicist Stephen Hawking, who died today at the age of 76.

The famed British theoretical physicist passed away peacefully at his home in Cambridge this morning after a long battle with motor neurone disease, his family has revealed.

And the celebrity and scientific world, including NASA, Katy Perry, and Piers Morgan, took to Twitter to pay their respects to the father of three.

Posting a video, NASA tweeted: 'Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring.

'May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014.'

Outpouring of grief after death of Stephen Hawking Social media went into meltdown today after the death of Stephen Hawking. His death emerged at around 3am today and has sparked thousands of tweets every minute from people paying tribute to the great scientist. Physicist James Hartle, whose work with Prof Hawking led to the Hartle-Hawking model of the universe's origins, said his colleague had 'inspired a lot of people'. Prof Hartle told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'What was unique about him was that he had a marvellous ability to see through all the clutter in physics and to see what the essential points are and that, of course, was a great thing for going forward.' He added: 'My memory of him would be on several fronts: first our work together, as a scientist, and second as a human being whose whole story is of triumph over adversity and who inspired a lot of people, including me.' Advertisement

British TV presenter Jonathan Ross tweeted: 'RIP Stephen Hawking. The world just dropped a lot of IQ points. And, he was a fun person. Very sad news.'

Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan wrote: 'RIP Professor Stephen Hawking, 76. The world's most brilliant man, and someone who never stopped wondering "Why?" What a life. What a genius.'

American pop star Katy Perry said: 'theres a big black hole in my heart hours before Pi day. Rest In Peace... See you in the next'.

Comedian David Walliams posted a picture of himself with Hawking on TV show Little Britain, with the caption: 'Goodbye #StephenHawking. Thank you for being - amongst everything else - a great laugh.'

British Prime Minister Theresa May tweeted: Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and extraordinary mind  one of the great scientists of his generation whose courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration.'

While fellow science educator, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, tweeted his own tribute: 'His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018.'

Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman shared a screen shot of an animated Hawking talking with Homer at a bar with the caption: 'Farewell to Stephen Hawking, the most intelligent guest star in the brief history of The Simpsons'.

Maria Shriver wrote: 'A new star is in the heavens tonight. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking. Your advice and wisdom live on.'

Kaley Cuoco, who got to work with Professor Hawking when he appeared on a 2012 episode of TV series The Big Bang Theory, Titled The Hawking Excitation, shared an image of herself and her cast members with the celebrated scientist on set.

She wrote alongside the image on Instagram: 'It was truly such an honor getting to work with the incredible Stephen Hawking.. He made us laugh and we made him laugh.

'His life and career workings have been many a subject matter on [The Big Bang Theory] and we are all better for it. You will be missed but the world is grateful for the knowledge and courage you leave in your path. Thank you for being an inspiration to everyone'.

He will be remembered: The late theoretical physicist received an outpouring of love and kind wishes from celebrities around the world

Actress Zoe Saldana wrote on Twitter: 'Farewell to a brilliant mind. Thank you for being so generous with your knowledge in the brief time you were with us.'

Kumail Nanjiani paid tribute, writing: 'RIP Stephen Hawking. Genuinely very sad to hear that. If you havent, read A Brief History of Time. Itll make the world feel more amazing and beautiful and strange. Itll also make you feel smart and stupid all at once.'

Actress Mira Sorvino shared how much the physicist influenced her thinking early in life: 'I am very saddened to hear of Stephen Hawkings passing. His book was an enormous influence on me in college and meeting and getting to talk with him was one of the great thrills of my life. You are shining in the heavens you so loved now!'

In a statement Professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said: 'We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.

'He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.'

The family praised Hawking's 'courage and persistence' that inspired people across the world.

TV actor: Kaley Cuoco who got to work with Professor Hawking when he appeared on a 2012 episode of TV series The Big Bang Theory, Titled The Hawking Excitation, shared an image of herself and her cast members with the celebrated scientist

In a statement Professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said: 'We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today

'He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever.'

The best-known theoretical physicist of his time, Hawking wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book, 'A Brief History of Time,' became an international bestseller, making him one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.

Hawking's most famous works included a mathematical model for Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and the nature of the universe such as The Big Bang and Black Holes.

Even though his body was attacked by motor neurone disease when Hawking was 21, he stunned doctors by living with the normally fatal illness for more than 50 years.

His ability to explain complex theories in everyday language made science accessible to everyone and turned his books A Brief History of Time and The Universe in A Nutshell into bestsellers.

He wrote or co-wrote 15 books overall.

Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England.

His family had moved to Oxford from north London to escape the threat of World War II rockets.

When he was 8 they moved St. Albans, a town about 20 miles north of the capital, where he would attend St Albans School and later University College, Oxford where his father attended.

His prodigious talent and unorthodox study methods meant he used few books and made no notes but could still solve problems like no other students.

He wanted to study mathematics but the subject was not available at the college so he chose physics instead.

In 1962 he went to the University of Cambridge's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics to conduct research in cosmology.

In 1965 he received his PhD with his thesis 'Properties of Expanding Universes' and would soon publish his first academic book The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time.

When he was 21 he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a nerve system disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical function.
Vanessa Hudgens can do it all.

On Tuesday, the 29-year-old showed off her dance moves in a teaser posted by TheaterMania which showed Hudgens rehearsing for the Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights.

The actress plays Vanessaprotagonist Usnavi de la Vega's love interestwho works at a salon and dreams of making her way out of Washington Heights.

Scroll down for video...

Triple threat: On Tuesday, Vanessa Hudgens showed off her dance moves in a teaser which showed her rehearsing for the Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, In The Heights

The highly-anticipated musical will screen at the Kennedy Center from March 21 to 25 in New York City.

The sneak peek showed Hudgens rocking a short chic bob as she danced in a tight black crop top tank top.

She wore black leggings with orange and white stripes as she sported a green sweatshirt tied around her waist.

The actress appeared to be in phenomenal shape as she flaunted rock solid abs and muscular biceps in the video.

Several photos further offered fans a sneak peak and showed that the star's latest venture has been keeping her in shape through difficult dance moves.

In The Heights: The highly-anticipated musical will screen at the Kennedy Center from March 21 to 25 in New York City

She's got moves! Hudgens rocked a short chic bob as she danced in a tight black crop top tank top

Good exercise: the star's latest venture has been keeping her in shape through difficult dance moves

Hip style: She wore black leggings with orange and white stripes as she sported a green sweatshirt tied around her waist

Musical: The actress plays Vanessaprotagonist Usnavi de la Vega's love interestwho works at a salon and dreams of making her way out of Washington Heights

Fit! The actress appeared to be in phenomenal shape as she flaunted rock solid abs and muscular biceps in the video

Hudgens did some promotion of her own, though it was her look from the day that she seemed to highlight.

The actress took to Instagram to post three photos from the day, which showed the star in the same facility where she spent the day rehearsing for the musical.

The High School Musical star is seen sitting on a floor in her dance outfit, while the sun shines on her.

She captioned each photo to reveal one single statement: 'Blinded By the Light @cgonzalezcuba.'

Feeling herself: Hudgens did some promotion of her own, though it was her look from the day that she seemed to highlight

Taking a break: The actress took to Instagram to post three photos from the day, which showed the star in the same facility where she spent the day rehearsing for the musical

'Blinded by the light': The High School Musical star is seen sitting on a floor in her dance outfit, while the sun shines on her

Hudgens most recently starred as Betty Rizzo in Fox's 2016 production of Grease Live!

The musical endeavor was a critical success and garnered 10 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, walking away with 5 wins, including Outstanding Special Class Program.

The star was recognized by critics for her performance, as her father Greg Hudgens passed away one day prior to the scheduled live event.

Grease is the word: Hudgens most recently starred as Betty Rizzo in Fox's 2016 production of Grease Live!

The star's upcoming releases include films Second Act and Dog Days, which are scheduled to be released this year.

Second Act, directed by 50 First Dates helmsman Peter Segal, also stars Milo Ventimiglia, Jennifer Lopez, and Leah Remini.

Directed by Ken Marinowho helmed this year's How To Be A Latin LoverDog Days also stars Finn Wolfhard, Nina Dobrev, and Eva Longoria.
Daily Mail Australia can reveal that the seaplane used by Troy Delmege on Tuesday's Married At First Sight was the same that crashed into Sydney's Hawkesbury River on New Year's eve, killing six people.

Troy took to the skies with bride Ashley Irvin to whisk her off to a romantic beach-side date.

Troy took to his Instagram story to share an image of him standing next to the plane, owned by Sydney Seaplanes..

Shock: The seaplane used by Troy Delmege on Tuesday's Married At First Sight was the same that crashed into Sydney's Hawkesbury River on New Year's eve, killing six people

The image is especially eerie considering the date it was taken, just over a month before the plane tragically went down.

Shots from last night's episode show the plane's registration to read VH-N00 - the same registration listed on an accident report published on the Aviation Safety Network website.

Drama: Troy took to his Instagram story to share an image of him standing next to the plane, owned by Sydney Seaplanes

Close call: Shots from last night's episode show the plane's registration to read VH-N00 - the same registration listed on an accident report published on the Aviation Safety Network website

Six people, including an 11-year-old boy, died after aircraft crashed into a river north of Sydney on New Year's eve,

The aircraft - a DHC Beaver, crashed into Jerusalem Bay on the Hawkesbury River, killing high-profile UK businessman Richard Cousins and his family on December 31.

Richard, the 58-year-old chief executive of FTSE 100 company Compass Group, died alongside his sons, Will and Edward, aged 25 and 23, his fiancee, Emma Bowden, 48, and her 11-year-old daughter Heather.

Lucky: The image is especially eerie considering the date it was taken, just over a month before the plane tragically went down.

Horror: Six people, including an 11-year-old boy, died after aircraft crashed into a river north of Sydney on New Year's eve

A spokesperson for Channel Nine confirmed it was the same plane however Troy's flight was not helmed by pilot Gareth Morgan who was killed in the Hawkesbury River crash.

Despite narrowly avoiding tragedy, on Tuesday night's episode, Troy surprised Ashley with a trip to a Sydney beach, where she was greeted by a musician Mitch Gardner.

Tragic: The aircraft - a DHC Beaver, crashed into Jerusalem Bay on the Hawkesbury River, killing high-profile UK businessman Richard Cousins and his family on December 31.

Romance: Despite narrowly avoiding tragedy, on Tuesday night's episode, Troy surprised Ashley with a trip to a Sydney beach, where she was greeted by a musician Mitch Gardner.

During the beach-side serenade, Ashley seemed overcome with the thoughtful gesture from Troy, with the couple appearing genuinely loved-up following a rocky few weeks.

Ashley told The Fix this week how much she enjoyed the date.

'The final date with Troy could not have been more perfect,' Ashley told the website, adding, 'I really felt relaxed and it was so lovely and romantic.'
She is rumoured to be dating hunky actor Josh Duhamel, after the hit it off at the Super Bowl.

But Eiza Gonzalez cast the swirling speculation aside on Tuesday night, to enjoy a night out at Lorraine Schwartz's Eye Bangles launch in Los Angeles.

The actress, 27, looked truly stunning in a plunging green oriental gown, complete with thigh-high split, by designer Johanna Ortiz as she posed fiercely for cameras at swanky venue Delilah.

Stunning: Eiza Gonzalez dazzled in an oriental plunging gown on Tuesday as she enjoyed a night out at Lorraine Schwartz's Eye Bangles launch in Los Angeles

The Baby Driver star certainly turned heads in the vibrant green silk gown, patterned with an oriental-inspired floral print.

While it remained demure with long sleeves, the dress also plunged into a daringly deep V neckline to give a saucy flash of her cleavage underneath.

Cinching in at her waist with a black belt, the gown then extended into a flowing full-length skirt, which cut into an eye-watering split at the front to display her leggy figure to all.

All Eiza on her! The Baby Driver star certainly turned heads in the vibrant green silk gown, patterned with an oriental-inspired floral print

Legs for days: Cinching in at her waist with a black belt, the gown then extended into a flowing full-length skirt, which cut into an eye-watering split at the front to display her leggy figure

Taking the plunge: While it remained demure with long sleeves, the dress also plunged into a daringly deep V neckline to give a saucy flash of her cleavage

Strike a pose: Eiza caught up with dancer Julianne Hough inside

Keeping all eyes on the show-stopping look, she accessorised with nude suede court shoes and stylish silver hoop earrings.

Eiza kept her hair sleek and glossy, and sported a minimal, glowing make-up look and soft pink lip, to draw attention to her naturally striking features as she posed.

The Mexican beauty appeared to attend the bash alone, while rumoured actor beau Josh Duhamel, 45, was nowhere to be seen.

According to Us Weekly, the pair met in early February after Jennifer Lopez's pre-Super Bowl concert, and hit it off.

Effortless: Eiza still looked just as glamorous as she headed home

Sophisticated: Eiza was the picture of elegance as she headed home

Love is in the air? Eiza attended the bash amid rumours she is dating Josh Duhamel (pictured last week), after the pair met and hit it off at Jennifer Lopez's pre Super Bowl bash

An insider said: 'They drank and partied together until very late. After, Josh reached out to a mutual friend and asked for Eiza's number.'

The new couple have apparently been secretly dating ever since, and have tried to keep it 'on the down-low.'

'They definitely have a connection because theyve been FaceTiming and texting nonstop while shes been in England working,' the source added. 'He's telling her hes never met anyone like her before.'

Josh, who is best known for his role in Transformers, was previously married to pop star Fergie, but the pair announced they were splitting after eight years in September 2017.

The couple share four-year-old son Axl Jack, who they continue to co-parent throughout their divorce.
She's gone back to brunette after experimenting with white blonde and pink locks.

And Kim Kardashian, 37, chose an effortlessly chic ensemble to match her natural tresses at the launch of her jewelry designer pal Lorraine Schwartz's Eye Bangles Collection.

The star chose a skintight white dress to show off her famous curves at the event held at Los Angeles hotspot Delilah on Tuesday night.

Scroll down for video

Party time: Kim Kardashian chose an effortlessly chic ensemble to match her natural locks at the launch of her jewelry designer pal Lorraine Schwartz's Eye Bangles Collection on Tuesday

Kim looked gorgeous in the sleek maxi dress which featured a low cut neckline and floor-length skirt.

Nipped in around the waist, the fitted dress was perfect for displaying the mum of three's curves.

The stylish star kept the rest of her look simple, accessorising with a chic silver bangle while her dark locks were styled in loose waves around her shoulders.

Sitting pretty: The star chose a skintight white dress to show off her famous curves at the event held at Los Angeles hotspot Delilah on Tuesday night

Party people: Kim was joined by her mum Kris Jenner and hair stylist friend Jen Atkin for the star-studded launch night

Her 15-carat diamond engagement ring, designed by Schwartz, was also on show as she partied with Heidi Klum and her mother Kris Jenner and at the star-studded bash.

Kim spoke out this week about the new addition to her family, her newborn daughter Chicago, who joins sister North, four, brother Saint, two.

In an interview with the April issue of ELLE, Kim admitted she was keen to carry her third child herself but was warned off by doctors following her previous two difficult pregnancies.

Long time friends: Kim cosied up to designer to the stars Lorraine, who created her 15-carat diamond engagement ring given to her by husband Kanye West

Mingling: Kim also caught up with a very glam Heidi Klum at the party, who looked incredible in a metallic satin jacket and thigh-high boots

Opting for a gestational carrier, who she 'immediately trusted' Kim relayed the difficulties in the process, which also included selecting the sex of the baby via an embryo.

'Its a really tricky thing. "What sex do you put in?" I just said, "Which one is the healthiest? Pick the healthiest one," and that was a girl.'

After coming to the decision alongside husband Kanye West, the star's only other request was for her third child to be born in LA 'where all my babies were delivered, and for her to use my doctor.'

Getting the party started: Kim was joined by Lorraine and her sister Ofira Sandberg (right) as scantily-clad dancers showed off their moves at the lavish bash

Glam: Ofira wowed in a sheer black gown and stacks of bangles at the jewllery launch

So good to see you! Kim and Lorraine have been friends and collaborators for years, with the star regularly wearing the designer's jewels on the red carpet

Kim also touched upon her fantastic relationship with her gestational carrier who 'ate organically' and was therefore 'a good match for us'.

However, knowing full well the needs of pregnancy, Kim admitted 'I straight-up told her, "Look, I ate doughnuts every single day. If you want doughnuts and ice cream, go for it. Do whatever you feel. Im not going to be picky like that. "'

With three happy and healthy children, Kim confessed her uncertainty over adding to her brood.

'My home and my heart feel really full right now, in the best way,' she happily confessed before revealing four children would be her absolute max.

'I dont think I could handle more than that. My time is spread really thin. And I think its important that in all couples, the mom gives the husband as much attention as the kids,' she admitted of Kanye.
They are both accustomed to red carpet appearance yet seldom make a joint venture at Hollywood parties.

Yet Blake Lively and her half-sister and fellow actress Robyn were out on the town for the launch of Lorraine Schwartz's Eye Bangles in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening as they both dazzled in complementary ensembles.

The half-sisters, whose mother Elaine Lively also joined them on the red carpet, complemented one another perfectly as they both rocked strapless gowns.

Chic: Blake Lively and her half-sister and fellow actress Robyn were out on the town for the launch of Lorraine Schwartz's Eye Bangles in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening as they both dazzled in complementary ensembles

Family matters! The half sisters were also joined by their mother, Elaine Lively

Elaine, a talent manager, couldn't have looked any happier as she held hands with Blake during arrivals.

Blake opted for a tight black midi with delicate spaghetti straps while her sibling rocked an elegant white jumpsuit with a floor-sweeping hemline.

The Gossip Girl stunner was rocking a retro beauty regimen as she dazzled with her blonde tresses in wild curls cascading over her shoulder.

She paired the ensemble with heavy hoop earrings which only enhanced the Eighties feel to the simple yet stunning red carpet look.

Sizzling: The Gossip Girl stunner was rocking a retro beauty regimen as she dazzled with her blonde tresses in wild curls cascading over her shoulder

Hot stuff: She paired the ensemble with heavy hoop earrings which only enhanced the Eighties feel to the simple yet stunning red carpet look

Smouldering: The stunner looked elegant in her chic ensemble as she wowed at the bash

Teen Witch star Robyn, 46, styled her flame-red hair into a bouncy, shoulder-skimming bob with an elegant sweeping fringe to best frame her face.

She was joined by her handsome husband Bart Johnson, who starred in the High School Musical franchise, as he put on a dashing appearance.

Proving good looks run firmly in the family, the happy duo posed together on the red carpet with matching dazzling grins and stunning figures.

Blake's also got a 35-year-old brother called Eric Lively, as well as another half-sister called Lori and a half-brother called Jason - the latter two being Robyn's full siblings.

Robyn, an actress of Teen Witch fame, has been married to Bart since 1999, and the couple have got a daughter and two sons.

Happy days: She was joined by her handsome husband Bart Johnson, who starred in the High School Musical franchise, as he put on a dashing appearance

Stunners: Proving good looks run firmly in the family, the happy duo posed together on the red carpet with matching dazzling grins and stunning figures

Beaming beauty: Blake wowed as she pulled all her best poses for the cameras while showing off a more retro look than before

On her end, Blake has been married to 40-year-old Ryan Reynolds - he's her first husband, she his second wife, following up Scarlett Johanssen - since 2012.

Ryan and Blake have themselves got two daughters: two-year-old James, born in December of 2014, and infant Ines, whom they welcomed only last September.

Blake's covered this year's September issue of Glamour, and when she'd given the accompanying interview, she'd been in her husband's hometown of Vancouver.

'My husbands shooting Deadpool 2, and Im here for the full shoot. We dont work at the same time,' said Blake, revealing her and Ryan's work-family balance. 'Were here as a family, then well pack up, and I'll go do a couple movies.'

Blonde beauty: Ryan and Blake have themselves got two daughters: two-year-old James, born in December of 2014, and infant Ines, whom they welcomed only last September
She hinted she had been dumped by model ex-boyfriend George Alsford last month.

But Georgia May Foote continued to relish life as a singleton as she joined her girl pals to celebrate Very's latest fashion launch in London on Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old actress looked gorgeous in a power pink frock as she partied alongside Lucy Mecklenburgh, Georgia Toffolo and Ashley James.

No boys allowed! Georgia May Foote continued to relish life as a singleton as she joined her girls pals to celebrate Very's latest fashion launch in London on Tuesday night

The former Coronation Street star flattered her petite frame in the floral, lace dress, which sat just above the knee.

She put an androgynous spin on the feminine design with a black, tuxedo inspired jacket that was draped coolly over her shoulders.

Georgia finished her party style with gold, barely-there stilettos, a simple cream clutch bag and coral statement earrings.

Girls' night: The 27-year-old actress looked gorgeous in a power pink frock as she partied alongside Lucy Mecklenburgh [pictured], Georgia Toffolo and Ashley James

Lovely in lace: The former Coronation Street star flattered her petite frame in the floral, lace dress, which sat just above the knee

She looked to have treated her trademark brunette looks to a glamorous blow-dry, which cascaded around her bronzed complexion.

The beauty appeared to be reveling in some time with her girlfriends as she made her way to the bash alongside pal Lucy, with whom she posed for countless snaps once inside the pink-themed event.

Georgia seems to be staying positive since her split from model George last month, with a source telling The Sun the pair had decided to go their separate ways due toc constant rowing.

Suits you! Georgia put an androgynous spin on the feminine design with a black, tuxedo inspired jacket that was draped coolly over her shoulders

The insider said: 'They tried to make it work but called it quits after a series of arguments.

'Georgia has been left devastated, as she really thought he was The One. She's been struggling.' A representative for Georgia had been contacted for comment at the time.

The actress later shared a cryptic social media message in which she vowed to 'protect her heart'.

'Sometimes you just gotta be your own hero and save your own little heart. Because sometimes the people you can't imagine living without, can actually live without you.'
She has built up a following of 26,000 Instagram fans thanks to her very racy snaps.

And Simone Ormesher was quick to show off her sensational curves once again this Wednesday.

The Bachelor rejectr, 26, showcased her peachy posterior as she ensured her rounded behind was the focus of her sizzling mirror selfie.

Cheeky side: Simone Ormesher showed off her rounded derriere in form-fitting peach leggings ahead of her gym workout on Instagram on Wednesday

Well recognised for her incredibly sexy snaps, the golden-haired beauty looked positively glowing when she went make-up free.

Simone also flaunted her toned tummy as she teamed her leggings with a tiny crop top which showed off some serious skin.

Posed in front of the mirror in the gym locker room, the television personality proved she was ready to break into a sweat for her workout. She penned in the caption, 'Bootaaayy day.' (sic)

She's bootyful: The reality star, 26, showcased her peachy posterior as she ensured her rounded behind was the focus of her sizzling mirror selfie

Busty babe: The Instagram sensation has built up a following of 26,000 Instagram fans thanks to her very racy snaps

No doubt Simone will have shocked fans with her surprise appearance on Bachelor In Paradise during a recent teaser trailer for the show.

Things get heated pretty quickly as the gorgeous blonde is seen packing on the PDA with Jarrod Woodgate.

The latest spin-off series will premiere on Sunday March 25 on Network Ten in Australia.

Spotlight: The television sensation found fame on Australia's series of The Bachelor and since then she has made an effort to plaster her racy pictures across Instagram

The television sensation found fame on Australia's series of The Bachelor and since then she has made an effort to plaster her racy pictures across Instagram.

Simone recently announced her next career goal is to become a personal trainer, currently studying to become qualified.

Surprise! Simone will get a second chance at love on Bachelor In Paradise, which premieres Sunday March 25th on Network Ten

Not long after her Bachelor stint in 2017 alongside Matty J, photos surfaced of the British-born beauty working as a topless waitress.

Her past was soon revealed on the show by fellow contestant and former topless waitress Leah Costa without Simone's permission.

The incident led to a bitter feud between the pair, which resulted in Leah being kicked off the show by Matty J.
Eddie Redmayne has honoured the late Stephen Hawking - branding the scientist 'a truly beautiful mind' in a touching tribute following his death.

The world renowned physicist passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 76, and just hours later, Eddie, who portrayed Stephen in 2014 movie The Theory of Everything, paid tribute to the star in a touching statement.

The 36-year-old actor said: 'We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.'

Happy days: Eddie Redmayne has honoured the late Stephen Hawking - branding the scientist 'a truly beautiful mind' in a touching tribute following his death

Eddie picked up the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Stephen in the movie, which followed Stephens rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane.

In a post on his Facebook page after the release of the production, the Professor himself praised Eddies work.

He wrote at the time: 'I thought Eddie Redmayne portrayed me very well in The Theory of Everything Movie. He spent time with ALS sufferers so he could be authentic. At times, I thought he was me.

'Seeing the film has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life. Although Im severely disabled, I have been successful in my scientific work.

Way back when: The world renowned physicist passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 76, and just hours later, Eddie, who portrayed Stephen in 2014 movie The Theory of Everything, has paid tribute to the star in a touching statement

Supportive: In a post on his Facebook page after the release of the production, the Professor himself praised Eddies work

'I travel widely and have been to Antarctica and Easter Island, down in a submarine and up on a zero gravity flight. One day I hope to go into space.

'Ive been privileged to gain some understanding of the way the universe operates through my work. But it would be an empty universe indeed without the people that I love.'

Stephen was told he had just two years to live at the age of 21 when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - which confined him to a wheelchair and left him unable to speak except through a voice synthesiser.

The scientist managed to live well beyond the life expectancy placed on him by the disease - which causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles - and went on to do groundbreaking scientific research on black holes and relativity.

Happy days: Eddie picked up the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Stephen in the movie, which followed Stephens rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane

Starring role: 'Ive been privileged to gain some understanding of the way the universe operates through my work. But it would be an empty universe indeed without the people that I love' (Eddie pictured with co-star Felicity Jones playing his first wife Jane Wilde)

He is perhaps most known for his best-selling book 'A Brief History of Time', which explained the mysteries of the universe in basic terms and sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Stephens family confirmed the news of his passing on Wednesday in a statement which read: 'We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

'His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said: "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love." We will miss him forever.'
She is best known as a Victoria's Secret Angel, although she retired from their annual fashion show last year.

But Alessandra Ambrosio proved to be maintaining her impressive model figure on Tuesday, when she made a head-turning arrival at the Lorraine Schwartz jewellery launch in LA.

The 36-year-old flashed her rock hard abs in a crop top and sequin trouser combo as she smouldered for cameras at the swanky Delilah venue.

Abs-olutely fabulous: Alessandra Ambrosio made a head-turning arrival at the Lorraine Schwartz jewellery launch in LA on Tuesday

The star gave a glimpse of her rippling stomach and tiny waist in a simple black cropped T-shirt, teamed with high-rise trousers.

Jazzing up the ensemble however, the joggers were embellished with dazzling blue sequins all over, and featured bold red stripes down the side in an added striking touch.

Co-ordinating the strides with a cobalt clutch bag, she effortlessly tied her look together with a sleek leather jacket, draped casually across her shoulders.

Ripped: The star gave a glimpse of her rippling stomach and tiny waist in a simple black cropped T-shirt, teamed with high-rise trousers

All that glitters: Jazzing up the ensemble however, the joggers were embellished with dazzling blue sequins all over, and featured bold red stripes down the side in an added striking touch

She swept her hair into a loose bun to draw attention to her naturally stunning features - accentuated by thick eye liner and bright scarlet lip.

While she turned heads with her toned frame at the bash, Alessandra recently admitted her body has never been the same since she welcomed her two children.

Speaking to The Edit in 2016, she explained: 'Your body will never go back to exactly what it was before pregnancy, whatever people tell you. It cant.

Chic: Co-ordinating the strides with a cobalt clutch bag, she effortlessly tied her look together with a sleek leather jacket, draped casually across her shoulders

Stunning: She swept her hair into a loose bun to draw attention to her naturally stunning features - accentuated by thick eye liner and bright scarlet lip

Model material: Alessandra posed fiercely beside cameras with fellow model Shanina Shaik

Homeward bound: She was later seen heading home from the bash by car

'I think I have a better body now than before I had kids. Its partly because I work out, whereas before I didnt, but also to do with the shape  it just looks more formed now and I feel better about it than I did.'

'After having Anja I only had three months to lose all the weight [before doing the 2008 Victorias Secret show] and I was on this 1200-calorie-a-day meal-delivery service that I hated. I couldnt do that again.'

Alessandra is one of the best-known Victoria's Secret Angels, but announced her retirement from their famous Fashion Show after almost two decades in November.

Taking to Instagram after hanging up her wings, she gushed: 'In my wildest dreams I would have never imagined doing 17 Victorias Secret Fashion Shows.

Big finish: Alessandra is one of the best-known Victoria's Secret Angels, but announced her retirement from their famous Fashion Show after almost two decades in November (above)

'Thank you Ed, and all my Victorias Secret family for making these memories unforgettable.

'Last night was so emotional to say goodbye to my angel sisters but we put on the biggest and best show ever. I could not have done this without all the love and support from my fans.'

Alessandra had hit the runway for the final time in Shanghai in front of her nine-year-old daughter and son Noah, five.

The Brazilian beauty shares her two children with fiance Jamie Mazur, who she has been with for nine years.
The movie was released in the UK and US last December and has already grossed $937million worldwide.

But on Wednesday it was Japan's turn to go wild as Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas screened their film Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle.

Doctor Who star Karen looked gorgeous in a metallic top and lace skirt as she arrived for the special screening at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku.

Back to to the jungle: Karen Gillan looked gorgeous as she arrived for the screening of Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku in Tokyo on Wednesday

Karen, 30, showed off her sense of style in the loose silver top which she tucked into a white pleated skirt.

Sparkly pumps embellished with jewels and glossy loose locks completed her quirky ensemble.

She was joined at the screening by co-star Nick Jonas who kept things casual in a brown jacket and bright turquoise sweater.

Leading lady: Karen, 30, showed off her sense of style in the loose silver top which she tucked into a white pleated skirt

Tokyo release: She was joined at the screening by co-star Nick Jonas who kept things casual in a brown jacket and bright turquoise sweater

Already a hit: The Jumanji reboot was released in the UK and US last December and has already grossed $937million worldwide

In demand: Karen became a household name after starring in three series of Doctor Who as companion Amy Pond and has since broken into Hollywood

Strike a pose: Karen and Nick were joined by director Jake Kasdan (far left)

The family flick, also starring Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jack Black and Kevin Hart, follows a group of teens who find themselves transported inside the video game world of Jumanji.

Karen became a household name after starring in three series of Doctor Who as companion Amy Pond and has since broken into Hollywood with major roles in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy alongside Chris Pratt.

She told the Guardian recently that her success comes from the fact she had a re-evaluation of herself as an actress having been over-confident about her talent for many years.

Another major role: Karen has broken into Hollywood with major roles in the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy alongside Chris Pratt

Fresh start: She told the Guardian recently that her success comes from the fact she had a re-evaluation of herself as an actress having been over-confident about her talent for many years

'Delusional': She said: 'I was delusional about my own acting abilities. When I was acting, I was really confident that I was good at it.'

New project: She also said of Doctor Who that it 'never really catapulted me anywhere'; yet she has now stepped behind the camera and directed, written and starred in her own black comedy The Party's Just Beginning

She said: '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."'

On brand! Karen dressed in a wild leopard print coat as she arrived at at Haneda International Airport on Tuesday ahead of the screening

Say cheese: Karen stopped to take selfies with some very excited fans at the airport

She also said of Doctor Who that it 'never really catapulted me anywhere'; yet she has now stepped behind the camera and directed, written and starred in her own black comedy The Party's Just Beginning.

The movie - which premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival - follows a young woman who turns to sex and alcohol to cope with her grief following the suicide of her best friend.

And despite being her directorial debut, she said it felt 'natural' to go behind the camera and direct.

Good to be here: The actress looked great in navy sweats layered under her statement coat for the long-haul flight
She is going to be competing for love once again on the upcoming Bachelor In Paradise series.

But Florence Alexandra was left pining for the sweltering sunshine as she shared a throwback to her sunny trip to Balmoral Beach, in Sydney on Wednesday.

The former Bachelor star, 28, can be seen stretched out on the golden sands drawing attention to her impressive bust in a crocheted tiny bikini top.

Sizzling hot: Former Bachelor star Florence Alexandra put her eye-popping cleavage on display in tiny bikini as she pined for sun in racy throwback picture on Wednesday

Florence ensured all eyes were well and truly on her eye-popping cleavage thanks to her trendy underboob tattoo which caught the eye.

The reality star slipped her envy-inducing physique into olive green bikini bottoms, which complemented her crimson bra top.

Feeling the heat of the sunshine, the Australian television star wore a fedora sunhat and toted a pair of sunglasses on her trip to the beach.

Gravity-defying: Florence ensured all eyes were well and truly on her eye-popping cleavage thanks to her trendy underboob tattoo which caught the eye

She penned in the caption: 'Sad 7 word story: I wore a jacket today in Melbourne. (send me back to Sydney).' (sic)

In recent days, the feisty personality was seen arriving at Sydney airport with Bachelor In Paradise star Michael Turnbull.

On Tuesday,Florence dug her heels in at former rival Leah Costa once again in a very bitter Instagram comment.

Missing the sun? She penned in the caption: 'Sad 7 word story: I wore a jacket today in Melbourne (send me back to Sydney)' (sic)

Exciting times: She is going to be competing for love once again on the upcoming Bachelor In Paradise series

No love was lost between the blonde bombshells as they are set to be seen competing live on air for love on the upcoming Bachelor In Paradise series.

Not holding back, she penned the scathing comment under a fan's Bachelor In Paradise post: 'Ffs (for fu** sake) I have to put up with Leah again.'

The feisty pair's war goes back to when they clashed on season five of The Bachelor back in 2017.
Temperatures may have reached an icy level in New York City.

But family man Liev Schreiber braved the frosty Big Apple for a stroll with his boys, Alexander 10, and Samuel, nine, on Wednesday.

The actor, 50, walked the family dog as he held hands with Alexander during their bundled up strolled.

Doting dad! Liev Schreiber braved chilly New York City for a stroll with his boys, Alexander and Samuel, on Wednesday

Liev faced the frigid day, bundled up from head-to-toe with a black beanie, fur jacket, jeans, and beige suede shoes.

His sons were also covered up, both rocking windbreaker jackets, trousers, and beanies like their father.

Liev shares sons Alexander and Samuel with his ex-partner, Naomi Watts.

The couple happily co-parent their sons and are often seen spending time together in New York, where both actors live.

Sweater weather! Liev faced the frigid day, bundled up from head-to-toe with a black beanie, fur jacket, jeans, and beige suede shoes

Family matters: Liev shares sons Alexander and Samuel with his ex-partner, Naomi Watts

They announced their split in September 2016 after 11 years together.

Naomi is rumoured to be dating her Gypsy co-star Billy Crudup, 49, and were recently spotted holding hands a Vogue party in February.

The two got close while filming the Netflix series, which centres on a married psychologist (Naomi) who becomes obsessed with one of her client's ex-girlfriends.

Liev has since been romantically linked to beauty queen Taylor Neisen.
Miranda Hart has slammed the 'archaic system' after The Crown's pay discrepancies came to light.

The British comedian, 45, took to Twitter to express her opinion after it emerged that the Netflix drama's Claire Foy earned less than her male co-star Matt Smith during the first two seasons despite boasting significantly more screen time.

'The archaic system that actors get paid more because they are more well known at start of a series has GOT to change,' Hart began her passionate call for action.

'The archaic system has GOT to change!' Miranda Hart, 45 has slammed the 'archaic system' after The Crown's pay discrepancies came to light

Shocking: It has emerged that the Netflix drama's Claire Foy earned less than her male co-star Matt Smith during the first two seasons despite boasting significantly more screen time

Continuing to have her say on Twitter, Miranda stated: 'The lesser known may carry the show, work longer hours (list goes on) & this system invariably affects women more than men. Good on the producer for saying it.

'If people want to pay that person more than their role normally would coz of that then that is fine.

'But to be paid MORE than the others around them working longer and harder. Thats the issue,' she stated.

Miranda's fury stems from British star Claire, 33, - who took on the role of Queen Elizabeth - being paid less than her co-star Matt, 35 - who takes on the role of Prince Philip - in The Crown.

'The lesser known action will carry the show': The British comedian took to Twitter to express her her passionate call for action

Outrage: Miranda's fury stems from Claire, 33, - who took on the role of Queen Elizabeth - being paid less than her co-star Matt, 35 - who takes on the role of Prince Philip - in The Crown

The Crown producers Suzanne Mackie and Andy Harries made the shocking revelation when they were asked about the stars' pay during a panel discussion about the series at the INTV Conference in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

They admitted that he did make more due to his Doctor Who fame, according to Variety. (He starred in the popular BBC series from 2010 to 2014.)

They didn't explain why Foy continued to earn less than Smith in the second season, after she eclipsed his fame with her award-winning performance.

However the Producers did tell Variety this will change as creative director Suzanne Mackie said: 'Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen.'

She earned a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actor's Guild Awards for best actress following the first season. She also received nominations at the BAFTA and Primetime Emmy Awards.

Shining star: Foy, 33, was awarded Best Actress in a TV Series for her work on season one of the show at the 2017 Golden Globes in January of last year

Eyes on the prize: The talented star was also recognised by her fellow actors in the Best Female Actor in a Drama series at the Screen Actors Guild Awards last year for the first season

For the second season of the highly-popular program Foy earned another SAG Award for outstanding actress and earned another nomination for the Golden Globes.

English actor Smith also earned numerous award nominations for his portrayal, but has not yet won a major gong for his efforts.

Despite the accolades and acclaim for Foy, he kept his higher salary in season two.

The producers insisted the pay discrepancy would be changed for future seasons - however, that will be of little consolation to Foy, who will no longer star in the show.

'No one should have been paid more than her': Fans took to social media to share their outrage

'Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen,' said Mackie.

Foy made $40,000 per episode, Variety revealed last year. It is not yet known how much Smith was paid.

Fans took to social media to share outrage over the pay discrepancy.

One social media user wrote: 'If someone is playing the title character they should be earning the most no matter what gender.'

Working relationship: Foy made $40,000 per episode, Variety revealed last year. It is not yet known how much Smith was paid - pictured together at a premiere back in November

Former National Economy Adviser to US Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama Gene Sperling even chimed in saying the show was high-quality television.

The Atlantic contributor wrote: 'Every fan knows Claire Foy was THE stand out performer that made it shine. Her portrayal as the young Queen Elizabeth is a very top tour-de-force acting performance. No one should have been paid more than her.'

The cast will change for season three of The Crown to allow for the fact the royals are getting older.

Olivia Colman will play the Queen, while the role of Philip has not yet been announced.

Where does Netflix's The Crown go from here? Watch the throne: Olivia Colman (pictured in November) will be taking over the role of Queen Elizabeth II for season three of The Crown The Crown will move forward without stars Claire Foy and Matt Smith for season three. Veteran actress Olivia Colman will be portraying Queen Elizabeth II as it will be covering the two terms of Harold Wilson as the Queen's Prime Minister. The first began in 1964 as the end of his second came in 1976. In January, Netflix announced the series will be returning. Filming for season three will begin in July. It will also touch on Princess Margaret's five-year affair with baronet and gardening expert Roddy Llewellyn which eventually leads to her divorcing Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1978. No doubt the most exciting part to viewers will be the introduction of Camilla Parker Bowles and the eventual Diana, Princess of Wales. Executive producer of the series Suzanne Mackie told Deadline that in episodes from later seasons, Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Charles 'grows up and meets Diana. Those are going to be extraordinary.' Original plans were for the series to do six seasons but the executive producers told the publication that the 'natural end 'would be when the crown passes.' Queen Elizabeth II is currently 91 years old. If the series continues through the contemporary time, no doubt Prince Harry's soon-to-be bride Meghan Markle will fit into the story. As the 36-year-old is an actress - who starred in USA drama Suits - Producer Mackie joked to Deadline: 'she could play herself.' Advertisement

Foy is yet to address the bombshell revelation.

Last year Variety revealed the salaries as several big name television actresses as she earned the same amount as Foy was in the bottom tier along with Chrissy Metz as they both earned $40K an episode. However This Is Us had 18 episodes while The Crown only had 10.

Her salary was eclipsed by Elisabeth Moss who made $200K an episode for The Handmaid's Tale as well as Game Of Thrones' five main castmembers (Emilia Clarke, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, and Kit Harington) who made $500K per episode.

The talented actress' star is still rising as she is set to star alongside Ryan Gosling in Damien Chazelle's Neil Armstrong biopic First Man and Steven Soderbergh thriller Unsane which are both set for release later this year.

Smith has four film projects coming up including Charles Manson biopic Charlie Says in which he will be playing the notorious serial killer.

Moving on: The cast will change for season three of The Crown to allow for the fact the royals are getting older

Former flame: No doubt this news comes at an interesting time as Foy announced her separation from husband Stephen Campbell Moore last month (pictured in London, May 2012)

No doubt this news comes at an interesting time as Foy announced her separation from husband Stephen Campbell Moore last month.

They have a two-year-old daughter together named Ivy Rose.

The actress and The Bank Job actor Stephen made the revelation with a statement which read: 'We have separated and have been for some time. We do however continue as great friends with the utmost respect for one another.'

Their relationship goes back seven years as they tied the knot in 2014. They began dating after meeting on set of 2011 film Season Of The Witch.

Netflix has renewed the series for a third and fourth season back in January.

It will be moving forward without Foy and Smith as it will move forward into the Camilla Parker Bowles years and will even introduce a young Princess Diana.
She uses social media to display her incredible figure.

Yet Love Island star proved Rome was not built in day on Wednesday as she took to Instagram to share a snap as she underwent a non-invasive 3D-Lipo treatment, which she confessed was merely to help sooth her 'little hang-ups'.

The 24-year-old Love Island star was seen lying on a bed with her entire posterior in display while sporting just a bra as she beamed at the camera shortly before sharing a smouldering snap from her recent trip to Dubai.

Cheeky! Love Island star proved Rome was not built in day on Wednesday as she took to Instagram to share a snap as she underwent a non-invasive 3D-Lipo treatment, which she confessed was merely to help sooth her 'little hang-ups'

Sitting on a bed in a luxurious backdrop, the stunner was struggling to contain her ample assets in a sizzling lingerie set with a bondage-inspired top.

As she looked down at her phone, the stunning star was seen to show off her voluptuous curves to perfection while pulling her very best "candid" pose.

In a nod to how she achieves her stunning frame, Jess wowed while lying on a bed in a lipo clinic while beaming from ear-to-ear.

She added a caption reading: 'Loving have my 3D lipo treatments. Im comfortable in my own body but everyone has their own little hang ups and for me I want to tone, sculpt and target certain areas which we did today!

Hot stuff: The 24-year-old Love Island star was seen lying on a bed with her entire posterior in display while sporting just a bra as she beamed at the camera shortly before sharing a smouldering snap from her recent trip to Dubai

Beach babes: The Love Island star shared a snap of her reclining on a pink flamingo with one of her friends, soaking up the sunshine in a sexy spotted bikini last week

'Big thanks to @3dlipo and @beautifulofwilmslow #3dlipo #fatmelting #fatfreezing #cellulite #smoothelegs #beachbody #radiofrequency #wilmslow #cheshire'.

Jess has been topping up her tan ahead of her wedding to Love Island co-star fiance Dom Lever later this year, about a year after they first met in the Mallorcan villa.

To the disappointment of fans, Jess and Dom's Good Morning Britain nuptials on Valentine's Day were not legally binding, and so the couple will be tying the knot in an intimate ceremony in Mykonos.

In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, Jess revealed she is still feeling the pressure to look her best on the big day.

Perky: Jess celebrated International Women's Day with her friend as she posted a topless snap flashing some serious sideboob

Sexy: The reality star flaunted her curves in another snap of her sporting some gorgeous wine coloured lingerie, showing off her tan as she enjoyed the sunny getaway

She said: 'You know those photos are going to be in your family home for however many years which is daunting.'

'Quite a lot of people are going to be judging whichever way they want. But at the end of the day, it's one of those things if I feel good then that's all that matters. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.'

Jess added that 'never in a million years' did she think she would meet Mr Right during her stint in the Love Island villa.

'I kind of joked when I met with the producers that "you need to find me a husband" and I thought I was messing around.

'Within a few weeks of meeting Dom I just knew, people can say it's rushed but I didn't get the whole "you know when you know" saying until I met him and now I do.'
Kylie Jenner has been spending time with her older sister Kendall lately.

On Tuesday the Keeping Up With The Kardashians stars were seen getting their hair done together.

And early on Wednesday morning the 20-year-old beauty posted a photo to Instagram where they were both posed up next to a Mercedes-Benz V8 while in Hidden Hills, California. The caption read, 'Day off.'

Together again: Kendall and Kylie Jenner posed on a V8 Mercedes-Benz in this photo shared to Instagram on Wednesday

Both have black robes falling off of them.

Kendall sat on the hood of the large SUV while Kylie was leaning on the driver's door.

The white picket fences gave away their location as that is a signature of the Hidden Hills community where Kylie as well as mom Kris Jenner and sister Kim Kardashian have mansions.

No photo shoot planned? The caption read, 'Day off.' It is likely they were working on a project of some sort

This comes after Kylie answered questions on Twitter on Sunday night about her pregnancy with daughter Stormi.

During the chat the TV star revealed that she gained 40 lbs while pregnant, but then she quickly deleted her post.

Also in her interview the makeup mogul confessed that she loved indulging in Eggo waffles, In N Out and donuts when she was with child.

Her size: The star answered questions on Twitter on Sunday night about her pregnancy. During the chat the 20-year-old star revealed that she gained 40 lbs while pregnant, but then she quickly deleted her post

Sweet: Kylie with her family at Khloe's baby showers last week in LA

Baby Stormi: The child seen last week

A fan on Twitter asked Kylie about her top craving when pregnant.

'Eggos!!! I never liked them before i was pregnant & haven't had one since i had her. so strange! Lol,' she tweeted.

She also admitted that she had cravings for local hamburger chain In-N-Out and donuts.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star gave birth on February 1 to her first child.

She largely kept out of the limelight during her pregnancy and officially confirmed it on February 4 after giving birth.

Also in the interview she said she thought her baby was going to be a boy.

Kylie told one fan: 'We thought we were gonna have a boy! I was soooo surprised!'

She also revealed that she told sister Khloe Kardashian, 33, first about her pregnancy and said it was a 'perfect experience'.

Junk food time: She also admitted that she had cravings for local hamburger chain In-N-Out and donuts

She kicked things off by replying to a tweet from a fan who wanted to hear the way Stormi laughs.

'She hasn't laughed yet. But she smiles A LOT,' Kylie responded.

Another fan felt that dressing up Stormi would be fun - and no doubt she will have a field day given how many clothes she has already bought her.

'Yes! Can't wait till she's a little bigger,' Kylie tweeted.

Speaking about her baby, she said: 'She hasn't laughed yet. But she smiles A LOT,' Kylie responded (Stormi, pictured with her grandmother)

Social media: The 20-year-old answered questions for her nearly 25 million followers on Twitter

Another fan asked how Kylie's rapper boyfriend Travis Scott, 25, was with Stormi.

Kylie simply responded: 'He's the best'.

They have been together for nearly one year.

New man: Kylie said that Travis (pictured) has been handling fatherhood really well

Done deal: Kylie agreed to let fans know once Stormi starts laughing

Pregnancy cravings: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians stars had cravings for Eggos

Kylie also revealed the first thing she ate after giving birth.

She tweeted: 'The bread from Craig's! I had it waiting for me lol'.

Another fan also asked about the reaction from her best friend Jordyn Woods when she told her about being pregnant.

Kylie responded: 'She said ''Ok, well i guess we're both having a baby''.'

The reality star also assured a woman a year older than her who asked if she was afraid of giving birth.

'I wasn't afraid! & you shouldn't be either. We were made for this,' Kylie tweeted.

Another fan asked Kylie what was her favorite feature of Stormi.

She responded: 'Well all of her! but her little toes get me every time'.

Kylie also was asked if Stormi was best friends with her sister Kim Kardashian's new baby Chicago.

'Yes,' Kylie responded.

She also said that she has plans to bring out a calendar for 2019.
Advertisement

Kendall Jenner has another feather in her modeling career cap.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has landed yet another US Vogue cover, this one the April 2018 edition. The catwalk queen is seen in a strapless pink dress with a Cockatoo perched on her fingers as her cover quote reads, 'I have literally nothing to hide.'

Inside the issue the beauty, 22, confirms she is dating basketball star Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons, reveals she wants to have kids at around '28 or 29' years of age and addresses rumours that she's gay.

She did it again! Kendall Jenner has landed another cover of US Vogue, this one the April 2018 edition

When the writer asks her about Blake, she at first says he's a 'friend' then says, 'I'm happy,' and then spells it out, saying it's good to have a loved one be nice to her.

The writer asks if she wants children after sister Kylie, 20, welcomed Stormi six weeks ago, and she said yes, but not until she's '28 or 29.'

As far as those gay claims, she says: 'I think its because Im not like all my other sisters, who are like, "Heres me and my boyfriend!" So it was a thing for a minute because no one ever saw me with a guy. I would always go that extra mile to be low-key with guys, sneaking around all the time. You dont want to, like, look crazy.'

She added: 'I dont think I have a bisexual or gay bone in my body, but I dont know! Who knows?! Im all down for experiencenot against it whatsoeverbut Ive never been there before.'

Kendall then pauses and continues. 'Also, I know I have kind of a . . . male energy? But I dont want to say that wrong, because Im not transgender or anything. But I have a tough energy. I move differently. But to answer your question: Im not gay. I have literally nothing to hide.' She laughs. 'I would never hide something like that.'

The top model, who also told Vogue she bought a new house in a gated community near Mulholland Drive in LA, also talked being burned out after working non-stop for almost four years.

'I made it a point at the beginning of 2017 to consciously slow down, take more time for myself, be more selective and not just do whatever my agents tell me to do,' she confessed.

Silver touch: Inside the magazine she wears outfits that sparkle. One is a silver sleeveless jumper with pockets. She has her hair down and stick straight

Ready for spring: Another shot sees her in a pink dress with fringe everywhere and a necklace of baby's breath

That extra time allowed her to ride horses again, something she began doing as a child. She now has two horses, Belle and Dylan.

'I did this my whole lifeit was my life. I didnt care for anything else, I didnt care about boys. This is what makes me really happy,' said the knockout.

Kendall and Blake seen together in LA in December

She also explains Transcendental Meditation helps calm her down. 'I had a lot of people in the industry say to me, "I know you have a busy schedulewhat do you do to stay calm, cool, and collected?"

'I was like, "Um, nothing?" And then one day, when I was having a freak-outI was having multiple freak-outsI was like, "OK, Im going to try this." So I found this lady, shes awesome, she taught me TM, and I love it.'

Donald Trump being president has also causes her anxiety: 'Its very unmotivating. There are things happening that are just so . . . horrible . . . that it makes you not want to participate in anything. Ive had days lately where I just want to sit in my bed and do nothing. It makes you scared to go out. Its a complete nightmare. And I wish I had the power to fix it all.'

She is also very aware that there are many people who are not fans of the Kardashian/Jenners.

'Its almost, like, trendy to hate on my family, Its not so much that people actually believe that we suck, but it became a thing: If you hate on us, its cool or something.'

As far as Kylie being a mom, she says it's wonderful: 'Its not that its more exciting than any other births in the familyits different exciting, because shes my baby sister who I grew up with. We all grew up in twos: Kourtney and Kim grew up together; Rob and Khloe; Brandon and Brody; Burton and Casey, and then Kylie and I. So to see my best friend growing up have a baby? Its already made us even closer.'

A dreamy floral goddess: Here the reality TV standout is seen in a lovely gown with flowers everywhere and a bouquet on her head as she reclined on an old fireplace mantle, shot at the new Annabel's club in London

Momager Kris also joined in the interview: 'Shes a good girl. She has a good heart. She is definitely getting the most out of every day. Her life with her friends makes me smile, because in high school she had a few friends, but then she was homeschooled because we were filming Keeping Up. . . . It was just she and her sisters. So when she started modeling, she made all these great new friends, and I think its so cool that she has this wonderful life now.'

On the cover, the California born stunner has on a frilly pink strapless dress with sequins, appliques and lace for the cover. A fuchsia satin ribbon is tied around her waist into a bow.

Jenner has on pink-toned makeup that is very feminine with her hair worn a bit frizzy and pinned up.

The beauty models a pretty diamond ring with a bow design on her wedding finger as she holds the large bird up to her face.

The shoot was done by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.

The caption on her Instagram post read: 'Thrilled to cover @voguemagazine's April dreamers issue!! Vogue continues to make my dreams come true.  read my full cover story in the link in my bio. shot by my babies @mertalas @macpiggott.'

Red makes a statement: Kendall looked sporty in this silk down with plastic covering

Inside the magazine she wears outfits that sparkle.

One is a silver sleeveless jumper with pockets. She has her hair down and stick straight while modeling diamond earrings as well as a necklace and bracelet.

Another shot sees her in a pink dress with fringe everywhere and a necklace of baby's breath. Jenner's makeup is pale pink and nude.

The former cheerleader has appeared on the cover of US Vogue several times before.

Her first was in April 2016 where she wore bikini bottoms, but that was only for subscribers. Her next cover came in September 2016 where she wore a matador type suit and no shirt. Another cover was a group shoot with Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham as well as others in March 2017.

This comes after she posed with sister Kylie.

And early on Wednesday morning Kylie posted a photo to Instagram where they were both posed up next to a Mercedes-Benz V8 while in Hidden Hills, California. The caption read, 'Day off.'

Her Vogue past: She was on the April and September covers of US Vogue in 2016; the one on the right was only for subscribers

All together now: In March 2017 she posed with Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham as well as others on the beach

Both have black robes falling off of them.

Kendall sat on the hood of the large SUV while Kylie was leaning on the driver's door.

The white picket fences gave away their location as that is a signature of the Hidden Hills community where Kylie as well as mom Kris Jenner and sister Kim Kardashian have mansions.

Together again: Kendall and Kylie Jenner posed on a V8 Mercedes-Benz in this photo shared to Instagram on Wednesday
She is expecting twins by her businessman husband Robert Herjavec who she cha-cha'd with on Dancing With The Stars.

And it appeared as if Kym Johnson could be decorating her nursery.

On Tuesday the 41-year-old professional dancer was seen outside the interior design establishment Exquisite Surfaces.

Swanky neighborhood: Kym Johnson draped her baby bump in a tight black V-neck top when she was pap-snapped stepping out in Beverly Hills on Tuesday

Kym, a Sydney-born hoofer who shot to fame as a pro on the Australian version of Dancing With The Stars, swept her hair back and wore little to no makeup.

Warding off the chill in a black hoodie, she slung a sleek brown purse from her right forearm and showed off her dancer's gams in skintight print leggings.

She added a bit of glitz with a pair of earrings and a gleaming necklace, and she rounded off the ensemble with black and white sneakers.

On the go: The 41-year-old ballroom dancer may be doing a bit of nesting in preparation for the birth, as she was seen outside the interior design establishment Exquisite Surfaces

Kym went down the aisle with her Croat-born husband in Los Angeles in July of 2016, kicking off her first marriage and his second.

Robert had previously spent 1990 until 2016 in holy matrimony with his first wife Diane Plese, whom he separated from in 2014.

Diane and Robert share daughters Skye and Caprice and son Brandon, whereas Kym's two upcoming children will be her first.

Laid bare: Kym, a Sydney native who shot to fame as a pro hoofer on the Australian version of Dancing With The Stars, swept her hair back and wore little to no makeup

Kym went public with her pregnancy in December, making her big reveal by posting an ultrasound picture to her Instagram page.

One of the fetuses appeared to be making a hand gesture that prompted the mother-to-be to caption: 'It's a thumbs up.'

At the end of January, E! News reported that she was six months into her pregnancy, and she dished to them: 'We are in the home-stretch now.'

Cute couple: She is expecting twins by her businessman husband Robert Herjavec; seen in 2017
She filed an emergency request for a restraining order against her ex Corey Bohan just days ago, claiming she was 'more afraid of him than ever.'

And now Audrina Patridge has spoken out for the first time since the legal filing, telling Us Weekly she is just 'trying to get through this.'

'My main focus is raising and protecting my daughter,' the reality star, 32, told the magazine. 'I'm in mom mode every day and trying to get through this.'

Staying strong: Audrina Patridge has spoken out for the first time since the legal filing, telling Us Weekly she is just 'trying to get through this' (pictured with Corey Bohan in March 2016 in Los Angeles)

Audrina previously claimed in court documents that her estranged husband ransacked their home following the split, alleging he took her wedding rings and even changed the locks to their house.

A source claimed to Us Weekly that during that same incident, Corey 'ripped out pages of her journal and left it on the nightstand. And put up prom pictures of her with other guys.'

The insider added there had 'always been jealousy' in their relationship, and that Corey had a tendency to change between being charming to 'super controlling.'

Though the former 1st Look host reportedly harbored hopes the relationship would improve, she eventually came to the realization it was time to split.

'She didn't want her daughter to be brought up in that environment': Audrina had concerns about her daughter Kirra, a source told Us (pictured in October 2017)

'She didn't want her daughter to be brought up in that environment,' a source said.

The reality star has been getting support from family and friends, including Heidi Montag and Kristin Cavallari, reported the magazine.

'Audrina's ultimate goal is to have full custody of Kirra and have Corey get the anger management classes that he needs.'

On Wednesday, Audrina filed an emergency request for a restraining order against Corey.

Back to court: Audrina has accused her ex Corey of stalking and is requesting he be denied access to their one-year-old daughter

The former Hills star also wants to strip her ex of his visitation rights with their one-year-old daughter Kirra, and says she is 'more afraid of him than ever', according to The Blast.

In court documents filed Wednesday Audrina states she's 'frightened by Coreys escalation of his anger and threats' and 'no longer feels safe' with face-to-face interactions.

She goes on to say things have got worse in recent weeks, including an incident where Corey threatened her when picking up Kirra at a police station, telling her 'You better start f***ing playing nice, Im f***ing warning you,'

Audrina alleges that Corey threatened her when picking up Kirra at a police station, telling her 'You better start f***ing playing nice, Im f***ing warning you,'

Audrina recorded the alleged encounter and also claims Corey has been 'stalking' her on social media, despite her attempts to block him.

'Corey, during our exchanges, will comment about who I was with last week or where I might have been. This tells me that he is watching me on social media,' Audrina says in the filing.

'He then uses this information to make attacks on me as a person and a mother, which comments I believe violate the DVRO.'

'I fear for the safety of our daughter,': The reality star also accuses Corey of being aggressive and emotionally abusive towards their one-year-old

Audrina also lists other examples of alleged aggressive behavior from her ex including him swerving his car 'dangerously close' to her sister Kasey.

She also accuses him of being emotionally abusive towards their daughter, claiming he's told the child, 'Mommy doesnt pick you up anymore because shes an L.A. party girl'.

The reality star also notes in the documents that Corey's attorney told her he's taking anger management and parenting courses.

'I am more afraid of him now than ever, and fear for the safety of our daughter,' Audrina said in the documents.

'I do not believe, under the current circumstance, that visitation is in Kirras best interest until Corey obtains professional individual therapy for an extended period of time.'

Audrina filed for divorce in September after an alleged domestic violence incident and then filed for a restraining order the following month

The Blast reports that Corey has denied stalking his ex and believes she is using the courts as way of 'purposely sabotaging' his parenting time with their daughter.

He claims there has been 'no domestic violence to justify' Audrinas request and that their daughter is in no immediate harm or danger.

Corey denied Audrina's initial allegations of abuse in September and accused the reality star and her family of harassing him.

In September Corey filed his response to the divorce papers which showed the professional BMX dirt bike rider is seeking spousal support along with joint legal and physical custody of the couple's daughter.

Audrina filed for divorce from her husband of just 10 months and obtained a temporary restraining order in September amid allegations he was 'emotionally abusive' (pictured

He is also demanding his legal fees are paid by his reality star ex.

Audrina filed for divorce from her husband of just 10 months and obtained a temporary restraining order in September amid allegations he was 'emotionally abusive.'

A court in Orange County, California, ruled that Kirra and the couple's Yorkshire Terrier Lady should remain in the reality star's care, and gave Corey restricted visitation rights.

Although the court did not find that Corey was abusive, the restraining order was reissued with modifications.

The biker is only allowed to meet with his child at the Irvine Police Department.
She is one of the most stunning AFL WAGs in the league.

So of course Nadia Bartel, 33, looked her best when she headed out for a glamorous night out at Nobu with her husband Jimmy, 34, and son Aston on Wednesday.

The close trio were the picture of a happy family when they posed inside the swanky restaurant together.

Perfect match! AFL WAG Nadia Bartel looked stunning in torn jeans and heels as she enjoyed night out with her husband Jimmy and son Aston at Nobu in Australia on Wednesday

Nadia showcased her envy-inducing figure in a floral blouse, featuring a high neck for the elegant feel, and torn jeans ripped at the knees.

Jimmy was every inch the doting dad as he rested their young son on his hip while he stood next to his glamorous wife.

Keen to give her 400,000 a real insight into her night out, the WAG shared a slew of snaps from the dinner table via her Instagram stories.

Looking good: Nadia showcased her envy-inducing figure in a floral blouse, featuring a high neck for the elegant feel

A beaming Aston was seen cheekily throwing edamame in front of him and smiling Jimmy enjoyed a chilled beverage.

Nadia penned in the caption: 'Always the best time at our fav Nobu! It was all about the sake, whiskey and Nobus signature dishes tonight.

'Also proud of A for being the best little boy tonight, throw edamame in front of him and he is happy.'

Fabulous fun: Keen to give her 400,000 a real insight into her night out, the WAG shared a slew of snaps from the dinner table via her Instagram stories

The Nadia and Jimmy love story goes way back as the lovebirds were married in a romantic ceremony in 2014.

They are happy than ever now as the cute couple raise their two-year-old young son Aston together at their family home.

While they are usually inseparable from their little boy, the couple come under fire for enjoying a sun-drenched getaway to the Maldives without him in November.

So cheeky! A beaming Aston was seen cheekily throwing edamame in front of him while they ate dinner at the plush eatery

Nadia hit back at online trolls claiming it was important for the lovers to spend time together on their own to ensure they kept the spark in their romance alive.

Seething, she penned: 'So you would never go on a trip without your baby? I miss him like crazy but I think it's important to have time with just us too.

'This is the first time we have left him in 2 years, but I don't need to explain myself to you as I normally don't reply to fake accounts like yours'.
Eddie Redmayne has been seen for the first time since honouring the late Stephen Hawking in a touching tribute following his death.

The British actor, 36, was seen cutting a downcast figure as he strolled in London on Wednesday.

With a parcel tucked under his arm, the star looked casually cool in a plaid shirt and jeans just hours after he penned a touching statement to Stephen - who he portrayed in the 2014 movie The Theory of Everything.

Stepping out: Eddie Redmayne, 36, has been seen for the first time since honouring the late Stephen Hawking in a touching tribute following his death

Happy days: Eddie's sighting comes just hours after he honoured the late Stephen Hawking - branding the scientist 'a truly beautiful mind'

Eddie cut a solo figure as he headed out in the British capital in his casual ensemble, which also consisted of a simple white tee.

Clearly running quick errands, the handsome star cradled a large brown parcel under his arm.

His sighting comes a few hours after he branded scientist Stephen Hawking 'a truly beautiful mind' in a touching tribute following his death.

The world renowned physicist passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 76, and just hours later, Eddie, who portrayed Stephen in 2014 movie The Theory of Everything, paid tribute to the star in a touching statement.

Solo figure: With a parcel tucked under his arm, the star looked casually cool in a plaid shirt and jeans hours after he penned a touching statement for Stephen

Way back when: The world renowned physicist passed away on Wednesday morning at the age of 76, and just hours later, Eddie, who portrayed Stephen in 2014 movie The Theory of Everything, paid tribute to the star in a touching statement

The on-screen star said: 'We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.'

Eddie picked up the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Stephen in the movie, which followed Stephens rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane.

In a post on his Facebook page after the release of the production, the Professor himself praised Eddies work.

He wrote at the time: 'I thought Eddie Redmayne portrayed me very well in The Theory of Everything Movie. He spent time with ALS sufferers so he could be authentic. At times, I thought he was me.

'Seeing the film has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life. Although Im severely disabled, I have been successful in my scientific work.

Supportive: In a post on his Facebook page after the release of the production, the Professor himself praised Eddies work

'I travel widely and have been to Antarctica and Easter Island, down in a submarine and up on a zero gravity flight. One day I hope to go into space.

'Ive been privileged to gain some understanding of the way the universe operates through my work. But it would be an empty universe indeed without the people that I love.'

Stephen was told he had just two years to live at the age of 21 when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - also known as Lou Gehrig's disease - which confined him to a wheelchair and left him unable to speak except through a voice synthesiser.

The scientist managed to live well beyond the life expectancy placed on him by the disease - which causes the death of neurons controlling voluntary muscles - and went on to do groundbreaking scientific research on black holes and relativity.

Happy days: Eddie picked up the Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards for Best Actor for his portrayal of Stephen in the movie, which followed Stephens rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane

Starring role: 'Ive been privileged to gain some understanding of the way the universe operates through my work. But it would be an empty universe indeed without the people that I love' (Eddie pictured with co-star Felicity Jones playing his first wife Jane Wilde)

He is perhaps most known for his best-selling book 'A Brief History of Time', which explained the mysteries of the universe in basic terms and sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

Stephens family confirmed the news of his passing on Wednesday in a statement which read: 'We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

'His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said: "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love." We will miss him forever.'
It was reported she was taking on the lead role in the gripping political drama.

And Keira Knightley was spotted on the first day of filming for Official Secrets in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire on Wednesday.

The Hollywood star cut a low profile in a navy wool coat and jeans as she joined a handsome male co-star on set.

On set: Keira Knightley was spotted on the first day of filming for Official Secrets in Boston Spa, West Yorkshire on Wednesday

Keira, 32, was toting a leather bag as she exited a car with her companion before heading into a house.

The star was given an understated makeover for her role in the project, which also features Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode and Matt Smith.

Official Secrets tells the true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation, designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Stepping out: The Hollywood star cut a low profile in a navy wool coat and jeans as she joined a handsome male co-star on set

Understated: The star was given an understated makeover for her role in the project, which also features Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode and Matt Smith

True story: Official Secrets tells the true story of a British whistleblower who leaked information to the press

Whistleblower: Keira plays Katharine Gun, a former Mandarin-language translator at the British intelligence agency GCHQ in Cheltenham

Keira plays Katharine Gun, a former Mandarin-language translator at the British intelligence agency GCHQ in Cheltenham.

When The Observer broke the story, Gun was arrested and charged under the Official Secrets Act, causing public backlash.

Her trial took place in early 2004, but authorities soon dropped the case.

On set: Keira, 32, was toting a leather bag as she exited a car with her companion

Public furore: Gun was arrested and charged under the Official Secrets Act, causing public backlash

Case closed: Her trial took place in early 2004, but authorities soon dropped the case

Animated: Keira was pulling a series of animated facial expressions

New project: Directed by Gavin Hood, the fill is based on the book The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Katharine Gun and the Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion

Gun was famously backed by famous faces including actor Sean Penn.

Directed by Gavin Hood, the fill is based on the book The Spy Who Tried to Stop a War: Katharine Gun and the Secret Plot to Sanction the Iraq Invasion.

Fiennes is portraying Gun's barrister Ben Emmerson and Goode is set to plat Peter Beaumont, one of the journalists who broke the story.

A-list cast: Fiennes is portraying Gun's barrister Ben Emmerson and Goode is set to plat Peter Beaumont, one of the journalists who broke the story
She was propelled into the limelight for securing five Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers in the 1980s which garnered her the nickname The Body.

And Elle Macpherson showed she still had it as she teased a glimpse at her latest fashion shoot on Instagram on Wednesday.

The cover girl, 53, put her tremendous assets well and truly on display in her incredibly tiny mini dress while she lounged on a white couch.

Putting The Body on parade! Elle Macpherson, 53, showed off her lengthy legs in tiny mini dress as she teased behind the scenes of her fashion shoot on Instagram on Wednesday

Stunning Elle didn't need to add to her statuesque height as she slipped her feet into a pair of flat flip flops.

The golden-haired beauty let her long locks down and she parted her fringe to ensure she gave the cameras a good look at her facial features.

Famed for her sensational swimsuit shoots, Elle showed her beauty had stood the test of time on the set of her latest glamorous set.

Sensational woman: She was propelled into the limelight for securing five Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue covers in the 1980s which garnered her the nickname The Body

The Instagram sensation posted on social media with her 331,000 followers: 'Behind the scenes @WelleCo shooting today.'

The model was working on her latest sizzling project with WelleCo, a company that specialises in biolive supplements.

Elle explained she remains in shape thanks to her healthy eating in an interview with magazine Pop Sugar.

She explained a typical breakfast for her includes a poached egg on sunflower or rye bread or oatmeal with half a grapefruit followed by a glass of filtered water.

During her time in the great and the good of the spotlight, Elle has also made her mark on the acting scene.

She secured supporting roles in The Mirror Has Two Faces and Batman & Robin as well as lead roles in The Edge and South Kensington.

The stunning model had a reoccurring role in soap series Friends and she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live.
She finished in an impressive fourth position on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! Australia.

And after spending weeks surrounded by creepy crawlies in the jungle, Vicky Pattison didn't pass up the opportunity to relax in an indulgent bath.

The former Geordie Shore star, 30, couldn't have looked happier as she stripped naked for the spot of pamper which provided her with a stunning view.

'Bath time with a view': After spending weeks surrounded by creepy crawlies in the jungle, Vicky Pattison, 30, didn't pass up the opportunity to relax in an indulgent bath

With her back to the camera, Vicky was seen coquettishly glancing at the tub as she de-stressed.

Bath time with a view,' the successful reality star captioned that snap.

Meanwhile, Vicky's other half John Noble has joined her in South Africa and the pair has taken to Instagram with a slew of cosy snaps.

This comes after the brunette leapt into his arms after the I'm A Celebrity jungle and proclaimed: 'I really want I have babies with you! Do you want to have babies with me as well?'

Loved-up: Meanwhile, Vicky's other half John Noble has joined her in South Africa and the pair has taken to Instagram with a slew of cosy snaps

Picking out names! Clucky Vicky revealed that if her first baby is a boy she'd like to call him Theodore

In an interview with Yahoo Be on Wednesday, Vicky revealed that if her first baby is a boy she'd like to call him Theodore.

'John thinks it's stupid,' Vicky told the site. 'He could be Theo or he could be Teddy and John was like, 'What the hell?'.'

The brunette said that John was against the name as he believed their son would be compared to a character from cartoon show Alvin and the Chipmunks if he had it.

However, Vicky's I'm A Celebrity campmate - and the show's winner - Fiona O'Loughlin had given her sage counsel on how to get around John's protestations.

'She said, 'You don't pick baby names until your 7.5cm dilated and then he'll let you have anything you want,'' Vicky told Be.

Yummy mummy! Former Geordie Shore star Vicky has her mind set on a (very upper class) name for her first born

Vicky was was greeted by John as soon as she exited the I'm A Celebrity jungle. Sharing a passionate kiss, she complimented her hunky beau: 'I forgot how handsome you were!'

John excitedly told his fiancee their wedding was all booked and all plans were set (for July 2019), but Vicky claimed the time a part felt too long, and suggested they get married sooner than expected.

'I feel like I want to get married this year!' she said.

John lives in Vicky's hometown of Newcastle UK, and is a businessman involved with clothing retailer Little And Large.

He counts Vicky's former Geordie Shore co-stars Scotty T and Gary 'Gaz' Beadle among his pals.'You don't pick baby names until your 7.5cm dilated

'You don't pick baby names until your 7.5cm dilated' Vicky's I'm A Celebrity campmate - and the show's winner - Fiona O'Loughlin gave her advice on getting around John's protestations

Vicky and John went public with their romance in November 2016, when they were pictured stepping out for lunch together for the first time on the Gold Coast.

In a TV interview a few months later she opened up about their relationship: 'I struggled with my personal life and finding someone who was supportive of my career and successful in their own right as well.

'Finally I have that with John. He's lovely and caring and strong. I've finally got a man not a fan.'
Bachelor Nation's Australian empire just got a little bigger.

Bachelor in Paradise Australia is officially coming to Channel Ten for the first time ever in mid-March.

The show will bring former Bachelor Australia and former Bachelorette Australia contestants together in a tropical paradise to plant a seed and see whether love grows.

So far seven cast members have been confirmed and that's just the tip of the iceberg. As the Bachelor in Paradise Australia premiere date draws closer, more and more details have emerged about the show.

Bachelor In Paradise Australia will bring Aussie ex Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants together in paradise to find love

Here's what you need to know:

What is Bachelor in Paradise Australia?

Like the American reality show on which it's based, Bachelor in Paradise Australia is an elimination-style reality competition series that aims to create lasting couples. It's to be hosted by Osher Gunsberg.

They must put love on hold in the name of friendly competition, with the Bachelors facing off against the Bachelorettes on @FamilyFeudAU



7.30pm on Sunday on TEN pic.twitter.com/AFYQI0zugu  Channel Ten (@channelten) March 13, 2018

Where is Bachelor in Paradise Australia filmed?

Bachelor in Paradise Australia will be filmed at Mango Bay in Fiji.

Bachelor in Paradise Australia start date

According to Channel Ten, Bachelor in Paradise Australia will premiere Sunday, March 25, 2018, at 7:30pm.

Announcing: #BachelorInParadiseAU is coming! Which of your favourites will return for another chance at love? pic.twitter.com/6BNXDZLteI  BachelorInParadiseAU (@BachParadiseAU) October 1, 2017

Bachelor in Paradise Australia cast

Several fan-favorites from seasons past of The Bachelor Australia and The Bachelorette Australia will be flying to Fiji in the hopes of finding love on Bachelor in Paradise Australia.

From Sophie Monk's season of The Bachelorette Australia, viewers can expect to see Luke McLeod, Blake Coleman, Jarrod Woodgate, Apollo Jackson and Samual Cochrane.

Joining them will be Danish beauty Florence Alexandra Sophia, Lisa Hyde, Nina Rolleston, Ali Oetjen, Megan Marx, Tara Pavlovic and Leah Costa.

Jake Ellis, who competed on Georgia Love's season of The Bachelorette Australia in 2016, will also appear on Bachelor in Paradise Australia.

Kiera Maguire was one of the first people confirmed to be joining the cast. She originally appeared on Richie Strahan's season of The Bachelor Australia.

We are thrilled to announce that Jarrod is giving love a second chance in Paradise! #BachelorInParadiseAU coming soon on Ten. pic.twitter.com/cvRwKeXipC  BachelorInParadiseAU (@BachParadiseAU) December 11, 2017

Joining her in the fight for love on Bachelor in Paradise Australia will be Laurina Fleure from the 2014 season of The Bachelor along with Davey Lloyd and Michael Turnbull, both of whom competed for Sam Frost's heart on The Bachelorette Australia in 2015.

Last, but not least, Elora Murger will round out the Bachelor In Paradise cast.

Bachelor in Paradise Australia spoilers

At present, little is known about what will unfold when Bachelor in Paradise Australia premieres. Thanks to a few clips, some fans with keen eyes, and hints from cast members, however, we do have some idea of what to expect.

For starters, Kiera Maguire and Jarrod Woodgate may already be a couple. The pair reportedly fell for one another while filming the Bachelor Nation spin-off.

Sources close to production on Bachelor in Paradise Australia told New Idea Jarrod told those close to him that Kiera's 'the one'.

The anonymous insiders added: 'Since then, it's been game on for them.

'Jarrod is completely smitten and thinks Kiera is "The One". He said they have an amazing connection and Kiera seems just as into him.'

After Bachelor in Paradise Australia completed filming, Kiera went through and liked several old Instagram posts by Jarrod, which fans took as a sign that they left Fiji as more than just friends.

Viewers also know to expect to see Megan Marx and Elora Murger heat things up during the show's first season. The trailer showed the duo sharing a steamy kiss while swimming together.

In a voice over, one of the two women gushes about their budding romance, saying: 'She's absolutely gorgeous, she's definitely my type of girl.'

Now, rumors are swirling that Megan and Elora are a couple.

When is the Bachelor In Paradise Australia finale?

With the show kicking off March 25, 2018, viewers can expect Bachelor in Paradise Australia to air its finale in May. That gives it plenty of time for the drama to play out before MasterChef Australia kicks off.
She's not your typical grandma.

Kris Jenner stepped out in West Hollywood Tuesday night with daughter Kim Kardashian for Lorraine Schwartz's launch of The Eye Bangles - a new addition to her signature Against Evil Eye collection.

The jewelry wasn't the only part of the night that was flashy. The momager dared to bare in a revealing black lace bustier under a black dress with tights.

Flashy: Kris Jenner wore a revealing black bustier alongside daughter Kim Kardashian at a Lorraine Schwartz event in West Hollywood on Tuesday

Style stars: The media mogul posed with jeweler Lorraine Schwartz at the star-studded event

The dress featured shoulder pads and was clasped at her waist with a sparkling silver button. The outfit was pulled together with pointed-toe black booties.

The 62-year-old posed alongside her daughter Kim who wore a figure hugging white dress and debuted her return to brown hair.

Known for her lavish style, the mother-of-six was also pictured alongside New York based jeweler Schwartz.

Night out: The momager wore a black dress with a sparkling silver button paired with tights and pointed toe booties

Schwartz designed the $4.5 million 20-carat engagement ring given to Kim Kardashian by husband Kanye West that was stolen in Paris. Since then, the reality TV star has been more cautious about the jewelry she wears in public.

The mother-daughter-duo were joined by other A-list celebs including Sofia Vergara, Blake Lively, and Heidi Klum to celebrate the launch.

Often seen of as the brains behind the Kardashian success, Kris has been extremely busy lately.

A-list: Jenner attended the event for the launch of Lorraine Schwartz' new line at Delilah in West Hollywood

'Silly rumors': The 62-year-old recently dismissed rumors over baby Stormi's paternity after reports surfaced that Kylie's ex Tyga wants a DNA test

She recently addressed some bizarre rumors concerning the paternity daughter Kylie Jenner's baby with Travis Scott.

On The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Tuesday, the grandmother dismissed the gossip calling it 'silly.'

This comes after reports that Tyga 'wants a DNA test' so he can be 100 percent sure of the child's paternity.

When asked by Sydney radio host Kyle Sandilands about the issue, Kris replied: 'Oh no, no no. I think that was just a bunch of silly rumors as usual.'

'Bonding and shopping': The grandmother revealed that daughter Khloe is currently her favorite. The two were seen shopping earlier this month

In the same interview, Kris also revealed that daughter Khloe Kardashian is her 'current favorite' child, but that her favorites change almost every day.

She revealed that her and Khloe have been 'bonding and shopping' for her new baby.

Kris helped celebrate Khloe's first child with beau Tristan Thompson over the weekend, organizing a lavish baby shower on Saturday.
He will make a shock return to the cobbles next week.

And Coronation Street fans will be stunned to discover that Martin Platt has two secret children.

Actor Sean Wilson told The Sun that Martin will drop the bombshell after returning to the Street to help son David through his horrific rape ordeal.

He's back! Coronation Street fans will discover that the returning Martin Platt has two secret children as actor Sean Wilson teased his reunion with son David next week

Sean revealed that fans will get a chance to see what Martin has been up to after David goes to visit him in Liverpool, where he moved with girlfriend Robyn back in 2005.

He said: 'Family wise, hes with Robyn who he left with to go to Liverpool and they have two children.'

Despite the shock revelation, a source also told the publication that there are no plans to introduce Martin's family to the soap just yet.

Old hand: Fans last saw Martin Platt on the Corrie cobbles back in 2005 (pictured above in 1991 with wife Gail)

Martin will return to Corrie in a handful of episodes after David discovers his plans to emigrate to New Zealand, and in an shock move decides he wants to go too.

Despite trying to get through to his son, David will struggle to cope next week after being horrifically raped by mystery newcomer Josh Tucker.

In Friday's double bill viewers will see David go out for a drink with Josh, unaware that he has been drugged.

Struggling: Martin's return comes as David (above) struggles to cope with the aftermath of being raped by newcomer Josh Tucker (left)

Breakdown: Fans will see David make the drastic decision to move to New Zealand with Josh, as he attempts to get away from his attacker

Viewers will not see the moment David is raped by Josh, instead seeing him wake up the following morning and discovering what he has happened to him.

In scenes set to air next week, fans will see David struggle to cope with what he has been through, especially as attacker Josh acts as if nothing untoward has happened.

Actor Jack P Shepherd told the Daily Mirror: 'David is tormented and the viewer needs to see that, so for David to break down it needs to feel real and not forced. Its very emotional and after one scene I couldnt stop crying.'
She enjoyed her honeymoon in the Utah desert with her new husband Sebastian Bear-McClard last week.

But Emily Ratajkowski was back in the urban jungle of New York City when she was seen out on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old model slid into a pair of Tabitha Simmons wine-colored high-heeled boots, slinging on a calf and Saffiano leather Prada bag that retails online for $3,350.

Post-honeymoon: Emily Ratajkowski was back in the urban jungle of New York City when she was seen out and about on Tuesday

Wrapping herself in an olive green coat, she accessorized with a gleaming drop necklace and matching watch, as well as a pair of shades.

Emily, who was born in London before being brought up in California, slipped on a summery floral dress hemmed just above the ankle.

She made a splash with her surprise courthouse marriage to Sebastian in New York City last month, wearing a $200 suit from Zara for the occasion.

Only the best: The 26-year-old model slid into a chic pair of Tabitha Simmons wine-colored high-heeled boots, slinging on a calf and Saffiano leather Prada bag that retails online for $3,350

The couple posed up a storm together on March 4 at Vanity Fair Oscar Party, hosted in Los Angeles by the magazine's new editor-in-chief Radhika Jones.

The next week the couple traveled to Amangiri, a resort in the Utah desert that can cost up to $8,800 per night for a suite.

Though they only became a couple weeks before the wedding, a source told Us Weekly that 'Emily has known Sebastian for years.'

Touches of glitz: Wrapping herself in an olive green coat, she accessorized with a gleaming drop necklace and matching watch, as well as a pair of shades

The insider said of the Gone Girl actress and the independent film producer: 'They were all in a friend group.He wasnt a stranger.'

Emily's forthcoming movie releases include the thriller Welcome Home co-starring Aaron Paul and the comedy I Feel Pretty with Amy Schumer and Michelle Williams.

Meanwhile, Sebastian's recent producing credits include Good Time, a thriller starring Robert Pattinson that competed for the Palme D'Or at Cannes last May.
She's never been afraid to use social media to connect with friends and fans.

So it came as no surprise that Kim Zolciak was quick to tell her Twitter followers that an alleged burglar was caught on camera breaking into Brielle's car on Tuesday night at the family's Georgia home.

The 39-year-old reality television star reportedly called the cops after finding out that her 21-year-old daughter's purse and wallet were stolen, according to TMZ.

Scroll down for video

Sad: Kim Zolciak was quick to tell her Twitter followers that an alleged burglar was caught on camera breaking into Brielle's car on Tuesday night at the family's Georgia home; seen in Los Angeles on Saturday

The former Real Housewives of Atlanta starlet made sure to give a stern warning to the culprit who made off with Brielle's goods.

'Hey you loser we got your a** on camera stealing our s***! You are a dumb f****,' she tweeted at 8:41 a.m.

While it's unclear if the police have nabbed the suspect, Kim was quick to point out that she had surveillance on the assailant.

Seen: While it's unclear if the police have nabbed the suspect, Kim was quick to point out that she had surveillance on the assailant

It's unclear if the vehicle involved was Brielle's beloved black Mercedes G Wagon, which she received as a gift for her 20th birthday.

Authorities reportedly responded to a call from Kim at home early in the morning, saying one of their cars had been broken into.

It's unclear if the vehicle involved was Brielle's beloved black Mercedes G Wagon, which she received as a gift for her 20th birthday.

Brielle was most recently seen on social media driving into Atlanta Tuesday night for a fancy sushi dinner.

Bonding: She enjoyed a whirlwind weekend alongside her mother at Khloe Kardashian's star-studded baby shower

She enjoyed a whirlwind weekend alongside her mother at Khloe Kardashian's star-studded baby shower.

Making sure they made the most out of their long weekend in Los Angeles, Kim and Brielle were also spotted leaving Mr Chow for Malika Haqq's birthday celebrations were Kim and husband Kroy were spotted feverishly making out.

Kroy adopted Brielle and her sister Ariana, 16, after marrying their mother. The pair also share sons Kroy Jr., six, Kash, five, and twins Kaia and Kane, four.
Michael Jackson's first born child, Prince Jackson, is officially off the market.

The 21-year-old confirmed his relationship status on Instagram, which came as a huge surprise to fans.

Prince shared a photo of himself and his lady love smiling while standing in front of the ocean. In the caption he reminisced about a recent trip to San Francisco, California, the pair had taken together.

'I had such an amazing time in San Fran celebrating our year together,' he wrote.

Prince Jackson surprise fans on Wednesday, revealing that he's been in a secret relationship

Fans were quick to flock to the comment section to join in on the celebration, congratulating Prince on his newfound happiness.

Others simply expressed their shock that he'd managed to keep such a secret for 12 long months.

Sister Paris Jackson also posted a comment on the photo, sending a sweet message to her big brother.

She wrote: 'Warms my heart to see how much joy you two bring each other. Happy anniversary love y'all.'

In another photo from his weekend away, Prince's mystery woman can be partially seen seated across from him while the pair enjoy breakfast.

Between them on the table is two massive plates of pancakes and a number of other breakfast items.

The King of Pop's heir played it coy and didn't mention the woman seated across from him in the caption of his Instagram photo.

Prince didn't reveal the identity of his girlfriend, but that hasn't stopped speculation.

According to E! News, the pair met at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Prince is majoring in business, likely in an effort to achieve his goal of giving back to the world.

Prince has had several serious girlfriends over the years.

In 2013 he dated Remi Alfalah. The following year he was linked to Nikita Bess, whom he's said to have dated for about six months. Both women were fellow classmates at The Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, California.
He has denied rumours he's 'a professional actor', but now it looks like Married At First Sight's Troy Delmege is desperate for a paycheck.

The IT manager, 35, reportedly refused to appear on KIIS FM's The Kyle And Jackie O Show this week unless he was offered payment.

During an interview with MAFS couple John and Melissa, Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson alleged Troy was the only contestant who had asked them for money.

Desperate for a paycheck? Kyle Sandilands (left) and Jackie 'O' Henderson alleged on Thursday that Married At First Sight's Troy Delmege (right) demanded money to be interviewed on-air

'Troy won't come on!' said Jackie, as the Sydney breakfast radio hosts wrapped up their interview with John and Melissa.

Kyle added: 'Troy's turned into an idiot and now wants to be paid to come on - we told him to shove it in his a**e!

'Who does he think he is? Madonna or something?'

Cheeky! The IT manager, 35, reportedly refused to appear on KIIS FM's The Kyle And Jackie O Show this week unless he was offered payment. Pictured on Today Extra earlier this week

Not impressed! Jackie (pictured) said on-air: He has been such a diva. Every one of the Married At First Sight couples are all good... but not Troy. Troy wants money'

Jackie continued: 'He has been such a diva... every one of the Married At First Sight couples are all good, they're all fine to come on.

'But not Troy. Troy wants money.'

Kyle jumped in: ' Anyone want to slap that face every time it laughs?'

It is unclear how much money Troy asked for. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kyle and Jackie's representatives and Channel Nine for comment.

They didn't ask for money! Kyle and Jackie dropped the bombshell during an interview with Married At First Sight couple John Robertson (left) and Melissa Walsh (right)

What's the deal? Troy has proven to be one of the most baffling contestants in the history of Married At First Sight - and, despite his denials, many fans remain convinced he is a paid actor

Troy has proven to be one of the most baffling contestants in the history of Married At First Sight.

Despite his denials, many fans remain convinced his strange behaviour is proof he is a paid actor.

Married At First Sight continues Sunday at 7pm on Channel Nine
She has been gushing about her romance with her new dental hygienist beau Bruce Benjamin Hills.

Yet, Lauren Harries' jilted ex boyfriend Connor Yemm has admitted the breakdown of their relationship drove him to plastic surgery while he battles depression and anxiety.

Speaking to The Sun Online, the 22-year-old, who appeared on Loose Woman in August as the 40-year-old's beau, added that although they had a strong connection, they never interacted sexually.

Claims: Lauren Harries' jilted ex boyfriend Connor Yemm has admitted the breakdown of their relationship drove him to plastic surgery while he battles depression and anxiety

Reflecting on the relationship, the aspiring actor explained that any sign of the pair continuing to form a friendship were dashed after they returned from a sun-soaked trip to Benidorm and their romance turned sour.

He told the publication: 'We were only dating at the beginning and there was never anything sexual, but now she's ruined the friendship.'

Connor, who identifies as identifies as pansexual, claimed that the transgender TV star was using him for fame and as a result caused him to undergo a number of cosmetic procedures as he grappled with insecurity.

He said: 'I just want the truth out there. It's really made me ill, I've depression, anxiety issues. I've had plastic surgery since it happened. I've had Botox, an eyebrow lift, I'm waiting to get my ears done and I've had my nose done as well.

Connection: Speaking to The Sun Online, the 22-year-old, who appeared on Loose Woman in August as the 40-year-old's beau, added that although they had a strong connection, they never interacted sexually

Reflection: Reflecting on the relationship, the aspiring actor explained that any sign of the pair continuing to form a friendship were dashed after they returned from a sun-soaked trip to Benidorm and their romance turned sour

'I was 13 stone on Loose Women and I'm 11 stone now. She's tried to ruin my relationship. I started dating a guy. She did a Harries live show, the mother was calling me on there. The family were using me for publicity.'

MailOnline have contacted Lauren Harries' rep for comment.

Lauren's former toyboy declared they were never officially an item, despite being pictured all over each other during their Spanish getaway in September.

In an unprecedented twist, her former lover revealed out-of-the-blue that they were never official. The Mirror reported at the time that Connor insisted he and Lauren were actually 'just good friends'.

The so-called couple had appeared on an edition of Loose Women earlier in the summer to reveal they were an item.

In the past: Lauren's former toyboy declared they were never officially an item, despite being pictured all over each other during their Spanish getaway in September

But in a strange revelation, Connor insisted that he didn't realise that was what they were appearing on the show to do - and that they were in fact not an item at all.

'Me and Lauren have been on dates and we were dating for about three months but it was nothing sexual,' the Nottingham-based young man explained.

'I had the intention of going on [Loose Women] to speak about how narrow-minded my town is, because obviously with me being pansexual... I've been getting quite a lot of hate for it.

'When I went on Loose Women I brought [Lauren] flowers out, but they even asked me to bring the flowers out. There's no denies there about me giving her a kiss or anything because she's such a good friend and such a good laugh, but it's just the truth I want to get out there because people think I'm in a relationship when I'm not.'

New romance: Connor's comments come in light of bubbly blonde Lauren is in a happy, new relationship with dental hygienist Bruce Benjamin Hills, who is also transgender

Connor's comments come in light of bubbly blonde Lauren is in a happy, new relationship with dental hygienist Bruce Benjamin Hills, who is also transgender.

Lauren - who lovingly calls Bruce her 'pocket rocket' - admitted that she like Bruce's 'gutsy' advances, that she 'trusted' him immediately.

She added: 'I like a gutsy man. With me and Bruce I trusted him - I learned from past experiences. I am good with my intuition.

'We talk, we are similar and we have a lot of chemistry. You have to trust or youll never trust again. You have to give it a whirl. Especially celebrities.'
Olivia Munn and Lisa Vanderpump have lead celebrity fury aimed at United Airlines over the French Bulldog puppy that died in the overhead compartment.

The dog lovers took to social media on Friday to take aim at the major airline after a ten-month-old pup died after a flight attendant had allegedly told the dog's owner to put it in the overhead compartment.

Olivia, 37, took to Twitter posted a DailyMail.com article about the ugly incident along with the caption: 'This is beyond horrific!

Scroll down for video

Hitting them where it hurts: Olivia Munn and Lisa Vanderpump have lead celebrity fury aimed at United Airlines over the French Bulldog puppy that died in the overhead compartment

Sad: 11-year-old Sophia Ceballos' French bulldog Kokito died on board of the United Airlines flight earlier this week as she was joined by mother Catalina Robledo and baby

'Already juggling traveling with a child & a pet, Im sure the owner didnt want to cause any problems so she agreed to the flight attendants demands believing her when she insisted it was safe. It wasnt. [broken heart emoji]'

It didn't stop there as she also vowed to never use United Airlines again.

The star wrote: 'Just read that this dogs death is the most recent in a string of pet deaths connected to @united. If an airline cant keep ALL of their passengers safe, Ill never fly them.'

'This is beyond horrific!' Olivia, 37, took to Twitter posted a DailyMail.com article about the ugly incident as she aired her grievances

Pawdorable: Olivia joined by her precious rescue pup Chance at the All-Star Dog Rescue Celebration in Los Angeles in 2015

Lisa Vanderpump has several dogs of her own as she also had stern words for the company.

The 57-year-old Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star took aim at the flight attendant who was allegedly responsible for this mess as she said: 'Shame on #united airlines what a disgrace,poor little guy suffocated. Fire the b**** please.'

She didn't stop there as she fired off even more tweets about the matter as she said this was all avoidable if some common sense was used.

Vanderpump wrote: 'We know now that the pressure in an airline cabin is like altitude at 8k feet. It is difficult for breeds like this. But in a bin?! Wtf?'

'Fire the b**** please': Vanderpump, 57, took aim at the flight attendant who was allegedly responsible for this mess on social media

Puppy pals: Lisa is a known dog lover as she is pictured with one of her pups on Watch What Happens Live in January

'As if we would EVER put one of our muffins in an airless bin? What on earth kind of owner is that? Both culpable. Sickening.'

Shanina Shaik, Josh Gad, and Whitney Cummings also expressed their distaste for the tragic events.

Catalina Robledo, her 11-year-old daughter Sophia Ceballos, baby, and their 10-month-old pup Kokito boarded the flight at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston en route to their home in New York.

Not backing down: Model Shanina Shaik also expressed her displeasure with the airline

Making a stand: The 27-year-old Aussie model also said she would not fly the major airline again

United Airlines say they are now investigating the animal's death and have apologized for the 'accident.'

They confirmed the puppy, which can cost upwards of $1,000, should never have been placed in the overhead bins.

'This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin,' United stated.

Banding together: Josh Gad and Whitney Cummings were also dismayed

'We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.'

The airline's policy states that all animals traveling inside the cabin should be in a carrier and 'fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times.'
Animals are all over the internet in many different forms such as cute photos, memes, news stories and so on. We love these furry hair balls SO much that...

4 years ago
His 'wife' Tracey Jewel was recently spotted in Bali with fellow Married At First Sight star Sean Thomsen, sparking speculation she had split with the creative director and moved on.

And on Thursday, Dean Wells struggled to explain the photos of the pair together on the island.

Appearing on Nova's Fitzy and Wippa, Dean tried to brush the topic off when grilled about the pictures, claiming the pair were there for 'an event.'

Scroll down for video

Awkward! Married At First Sight star Dean Wells (seen in a recent TV interview) struggles to explain THOSE pictures of 'wife' Tracey Jewel and Sean Thomsen together in Bali

'There are a few people from Married At First Sight hanging out there for an event,' he said.

'As far as I know there is nothing suspicious about those photos.'

But the radio hosts wouldn't let up, grilling the wannabe rapper about another recent sighting of Tracey and Sean in Sydney.

It was then when Dean appeared to feel the pressure, fumbling with his words.

New couple? His 'wife' Tracey Jewel was spotted in Bali recently with fellow Married At First Sight star, Sean Thomsen (seen together)

Trying to brush it off: 'As far as I know there is nothing suspicious about those photos,' Dean said

'I don't think there is anything too much going on there,' he muttered.

Wippa then cracked a joke, saying: 'Do you get nervous doing these interviews?'

'Obviously the publicist goes to you, don't ruin the show, don't ruin the show, so poor Deano is on the spot trying to give generic answers the whole time and not knowing what to say!'

Dean laughed, saying he could 'handle it.'

This week, Daily Mail Australia published exclusive images of Tracey and Sean at the same hotel in Bali, all but confirming her split with Dean.

Over? This week, Daily Mail Australia published exclusive images of Tracey and Sean at the same hotel in Bali, all but confirming her split with Dean

The pair enjoyed a holiday at the five-star Karma Kandara in Uluwatu back in February, perhaps in a bid to escape the paparazzi back home.

It's not the first time Tracy, 35, has been spotted with the 34-year-old FIFO worker.

Back in January, they were photographed looking close on two separate occasions while in Sydney.

At the time, Tracey told Daily Mail Australia they were just 'friends' and had bonded while filming the social experiment.

What's the go? Back in January, they were photographed looking close on two separate occasions while in Sydney. At the time, Tracey told Daily Mail Australia they were just 'friends'

In the photos from their Bali getaway, Tracey dresses casually in a black and white striped frock and carries a designer handbag.

Sean, who was previously paired with Blair on MAFS before they decided to split, also cuts a relaxed figure in a T-shirt and shorts.

While he is facing away from the camera, the railway technician's distinctive arm tattoos and cropped hairstyle leave no doubt as to his identity.

On Wednesday morning, Tracey declined to comment.
He is a proud father who tragically lost his mother when he was just five years old.

And Dylan McDermott says being surrounded by loved ones has given him the greatest joy in life.

'Family makes me the happiest. I fail a lot, but I'm so grateful,' the actor, 56, told People magazine.

'Family makes me the happiest': Dylan McDermott says being surrounded by loved ones has given him the greatest joy in life (pictured with daughter Colette in 2016 in Culver City)

A family man, McDermott has daughters Colette, 21, and Charlotte, 12, with his ex-wife Shiva Rose, who he divorced nearly a decade ago.

The actor briefly opened up about the split, saying it was not easy to move on.

'I really struggled,' he explained.

Family man! Dylan has daughters Colette, 21, and Charlotte, 12, with his ex-wife Shiva Rose, who he divorced nearly a decade ago (pictured with his daughters in 2009)

But that all changed after McDermott began embracing a positive new approach to life, which he says led him to his fiancee of three years, Maggie Q.

'The cool thing is if you trust life and open yourself up to good things, good things can happen. Once I tried to understand that life will always take care of me, Maggie stepped into my life.'

McDermott is currently enjoying a successful career on television now, with roles in LA to Vegas, American Horror Story, and the upcoming film Clovehitch.

'Good things can happen': McDermott says his new, positive approach to life led him to meet his fiancee Maggie Q

But the actor's childhood was marked by the tragic death of his mother, Diane McDermott.

The actor solved the mystery of his mother's violent murder 51 years after it happened.

McDermott, who won a Golden Globe for his role in The Practice and starred in the 1993 movie In the Line of Fire with Clint Eastwood, was just five years old when the death occurred.

Mystery solved: After an initial ruling of accidental death, police discovered that Diane McDermott [right] was shot and murdered by her boyfriend. Her son, actor Dylan [left] was five at the time

Diane McDermott died of a gunshot wound to the head in February 1967.

McDermott was a key witness, although he didn't actually see the shooting.

Despite the cold, he was outside the family home in Waterbury, Connecticut, at the time as he had been kicked out by his mother's boyfriend, known gangster and heroin addict John Sponza, the Republican-American reported in 2012.

He heard shouting and a gunshot.

The police and an ambulance arrived and his mother was carried out on a stretcher with a fatal gun wound to her heavily-bandaged head.

For four decades, Diane McDermott's death was classified as an accidental shooting.

However, in 2011 McDermott, whose real name is Mark, contacted the police with questions and requested that the cold case be reopened.

Superintendent Michael Gugliotti, Detective Richard Baxter and Lieutenant Gary Pelosi from the Waterbury Police Department began to re-interview sources.

Family affair: Dylan [left] was only five years old and his sister Robin Herrera [right] was just seven months old when their mother tragically died. Here they are pictured with their biological father, Richard

At first the investigation was hampered by the fact that the official files and pictures from the time were lost or had disappeared.

And their main suspect, Sponza, was not available for questioning as he was found dead in 1972.

His body was discovered in the trunk of a car in a Massachusetts grocery store parking lot.

However, by re-interviewing protected informants and reviewing press clips, Gugliotti and his co-workers began to unravel the mystery and deduced that Sponza had murdered Ms McDermott.

And , shockingly, they discovered that police covered up Sponza's involvement in the crime and ruled the death accidental.

Murderer: John Sponza was a known gangster but also the son of a local jailer and a police informer, which explains why the crime was covered up

Sources hinted that Sponza had valuable connections. His father was a jailer in New Haven and repeatedly got his son out of trouble. Another source labelled Sponza as a police informant.

Initially, the gangster told police that he'd been cleaning a .32 calibre pistol in the kitchen while Ms McDermott was preparing supper.

He then told the lead investigator, chief inspector Henry Byrnes, that Diane McDermott had committed suicide by taking the gun into the pantry with her. Although the wound was to the left-hand side of the back of her head and Ms McDermott was right-handed so such a death would have been impossible.

The inspector Henry Byrnes was fired from the department some years after the accidental death ruling, although no official reason was given for his departure.

John Sponza was said to be a violent man, who associated and worked with gangsters, and who should have been in prison long before the death of Diane McDermott.

His first offense, involving theft and drugs was when he was just 15 years old. He once pistol-whipped a man in a medical clinic and also allegedly shot someone in the face by sitting on them first to pin them down.

Sponza's ex-wife, Naomi Miller, told police that the five foot, seven inches-tall heavily tattooed man was a key player in a Goodfellas-style gangster scene.

He would count thousands in cash stolen from bank robberies, taking trips to Rhode Island to launder the loot to the tune of $200,000.

He also was frequently violent towards Ms McDermott, says her closest friend Sharon Rotella.

Deserved end: Sponza was found dead in the trunk of a rented Dodge Charger in parking lot in Massachusetts in 1972 so he can never be charged with the crime

Family home: Diane McDermott was in the kitchen pantry when she was shot. This picture was taken by Waterbury police when they reopened the case in 2011 Sponza would scream at Ms McDermott, make her lift up her dress in front of his friends and choke her when she didn't move fast enough to get his cigarettes, one witness told police. 'I think Dee Dee stayed with him because she was terrorised,' said Ms Rotella. The young Dylan McDermott was also terrified of his mother's boyfriend.

Ms Rotella told the paper that Sponza stuck a gun in the boy's face and hit and yelled at him.

But Diane McDermott did as much as she could to protect her son.

She told Sponza that the boy's father, Richard McDermott, who had served time in jail and would later become a restauranteur, would kill Sponza if he hurt their son.

Rotella said that Sponza never hit the boy again.

Rest in peace: When police reopened the files in 2011 and discovered that the murder had been covered up, they took this picture of the family home

Police Superintendent Michael Gugliotti was shocked about the abuse the family suffered.

'Sponza [told] the police that night that he very rarely, if ever, had arguments, yet everyone we spoke to, including Dylan, who was only five at the time, remembered very violent, vicious arguments,' he said.

'Dylan vividly recalls the amount of times, not only flashing the gun, but pointing it at the kid, saying "Shut up and get out of here". He's still probably traumatized by that,' he said.

Police told the newspaper how McDermott shared his reason for wanting to investigate his mother's death so long after it occurred.

'He said, "In order for me to survive and to get where I am today, I needed to bury that moment in my life deep within myself."

'He said it wasnt until recently "that Ive come to the point in my life where Im able to begin to process all of this."'

The ruling concludes decades of mystery for McDermott, who didn't find out his mother was dead for a whole year after she died.

His grandmother, Avis Marino, who he and his seven-month-old sister Robin Herrera went to live with, wanted to shelter them from the tragic event and told them their mother was in hospital.

McDermott, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for over 20 years and who briefly dated Julia Roberts after starring with her in Steel Magnolias, declined to comment to the newspaper about the investigation.

After living with his grandmother, he was adopted by Eve Ensler, the author of the Vagina Monologues and the third wife of his father, Richard, when he was 15.

Ms Ensler encouraged her charge to follow his dreams of acting, writing roles for him in her plays.
They exchanged vows in a commitment ceremony on Saturday.

And Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough appear to be enjoying their 'honeymoon', with the Today anchor noticeably absent from work all week.

Karl, 43, was conspicuously off-duty on the morning show by Thursday, with co-host Georgie Gardner paired with rising Nine Network talent Ben Fordham.

Scroll down for video

Wedded bliss? Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough appear to be enjoying their 'honeymoon', with the Today anchor noticeably absent from work all week

On Monday morning's Today show, Ben, 41, celebrated Karl and Jasmine's union and explained Karl's absence as exclusive photos from the ceremony were shown.

'A big congratulations to our very own Karl Stefanovic. You may have noticed Karl is not here today. He is on assignment for 60 Minutes this week,' he described.

'He is also celebrating the fact that he held a commitment ceremony over the weekend with his fiancee Jasmine,' he added.

Well wishes: On Monday morning's Today show, Ben, 41, celebrated Karl and Jasmine's union and explained Karl's absence as exclusive photos from the ceremony were shown

Holding it down: Karl, 43, was conspicuously off-duty on the morning show by Thursday, with co-host Georgie Gardner (pictured) paired with rising Nine Network talent Ben Fordham

The lovebirds are yet to share details of their union to social media, which was held at a $13 million mansion in Sydney's Palm Beach.

Jasmine has posted to her Instagram only twice since the weekend, promoting her Mara & Mine shoe line and uploading a tender photo of her sister and grandmother.

They also have kept any potential honeymoon snaps under wraps thus far.

'A big congratulations to our very own Karl Stefanovic. You may have noticed Karl is not here today. He is on assignment for 60 Minutes this week,' Ben described of Karl's absence

Family ties: Jasmine has posted to her Instagram only twice since the weekend, promoting her Mara & Mine shoe line and uploading a tender photo of her sister and grandmother (pictured)

Despite being absent from his morning show, Karl made headlines earlier in the week when details of a conversation he had with his younger brother Peter Stefanovic during a recent late-night taxi ride were revealed.

The Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday that while Peter was in the cab, the pair spoke on speakerphone about their Nine Network bosses and Karl allegedly complained about working with his new co-host Georgie.

A Nine spokeswoman confirmed to the publication the garrulous siblings will not have to offer a 'sincere formal' apology to Georgie for what was said on the phone.

Nine also established they had not bought the audio, which is reportedly being shopped around to the media to the highest bidder by the taxi driver.
They exchanged vows in an intimate commitment ceremony in Sydney's Palm Beach last weekend.

But speculation is growing that Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough are taking another step forward in their relationship.

According to this week's OK! magazine, several fans of the couple have suggested there could be a baby on the way.

Baby on the way? Fans are speculating Jasmine Yarbrough (left) could be pregnant after she exchanged vows with Karl Stefanovic (right) at intimate commitment ceremony in Palm Beach

The magazine reported that the ceremony prompted some people to question whether the shoe designer was expecting.

Now To Love claimed that one Facebook user simply commented: 'Preggers'.

It was a theory that seemed to be echoed over at the Today show's official Facebook page.

After sharing photos of Karl and Jasmine's special day, fans were quick to weigh in with their opinions.

'She looks pregnant?' Fans took to the comments section of the Today Facebook page to weigh in with their opinion that Jasmine could be expecting

Among the comments were several fans who thought a little bundle of joy could be set to arrive.

'She looks pregnant? Why else hold a commitment ceremony?' questioned one fan.

They added: 'Why not just wait a decent amount of time has passed from the divorce and then get married... my money's on a baby.'

Another chimed in with: 'Just waiting for the baby announcement'

Meanwhile, someone else appeared to share the same opinion, commenting with a GIF of a pregnant Beyonce.

Karl's manager Sharon Finnigan has previously denied rumours of a pregnancy, describing reports as 'absolute bulls**t' in November.

Loved-up! The couple officially announced their engagement last month

The Today show co-host already shares three children - Jackson, 18, Ava, 12, and River, 10 - with his ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn. The former couple split in July 2016.

Since moving on with Jasmine and insisting he would take their relationship 'really slow', Karl officially announced the couple's engagement last month.

The pair didn't seem to waste any time taking the next step as they had their commitment ceremony in front of friends and family over the weekend.

While it is believed they aren't legally husband and wife, Saturday's ceremony would indicate that a proper wedding is on the horizon.

Karl previously told The Fix that they will 'probably' get married later this year.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Karl's representatives for comment.
It has been two decades since 200 men, women and children gathered to have their heads shaved for the first World's Greatest Shave event.

This year, on the event's 20th anniversary, thousands of people are expected to shave, cut or colour their hair to raise awareness and money for the 35 Australians who are diagnosed with blood cancer every day.

Northern NSW resident Cathy Mooney said she started the World's Greatest Shave in 1998 to raise money for her father who was going through bone cancer treatment in Lismore.

Sadly he died a year later.

The day after Mooney and her two brothers shaved off their hair in 1998 they climbed onto the helipad outside their father's hospital room to tell him how much money they had raised.

"We rang dad, with our bald heads, to tell him to 'look out your window'," Ms Mooney told AAP.

"And we were holding signs saying 'We raised $80,000'. He got quite teary".

Ms Mooney said the support from millions of people willing to lose, cut or colour their hair for people going through cancer treatment over the past 20 years had been "overwhelming, amazing and humbling".

Mooney and her dad's haematologist partnered with the Leukaemia Foundation to turn a small town event into a nationwide campaign, to help survivors of blood cancer that claims about two Australian lives every two hours.

The public is invited to shave, colour, or have their hair cut by a team of hairdressers at Sydney's Martin Place on Wednesday.

The event runs nationally until Sunday March 18.
The sparkling Sydney harbour is a world away from the chaos of the Bangladesh tent cities hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is hosting leaders from the 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations, including Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi at a special summit in Sydney which kicks off from Friday.

Doctors Without Borders head of mission in Bangladesh Pavlo Kolovos, on the sidelines of the summit, hopes to convince officials from ASEAN countries to pressure Myanmar to put an end to the atrocities.

"This non-interference policy needs to switch to a non-indifference policy," Mr Kolovos told AAP.

More than 700,000 Rohingya people have poured across the border into Bangladesh refugee camps since last August following a military crackdown

Mr Kolovos' organisation started off with one hospital and an outpatient clinic which has since grown to six hospitals, 20 clinics including three that are 24-hour a day emergency rooms.

Doctors have been grappling with outbreaks of diptheria and measles in the camps.

Mr Kolovos said the diptheria outbreak had subsided to about 10 new patients a day compared to 180 a day back in December.

"Anywhere else in the world this would be considered alarming," he said.

The risk of whooping cough and hepatitis cases is also high.

Mr Kolovos urged Mr Turnbull to emphasise to Ms Suu Kyi that Rohingya people have a right to the land they were driven off, and the camps in Bangladesh are not a long-term solution as aid groups brace for the upcoming cyclone and monsoon seasons.

An estimated 30,000 people are expected to have their tents destroyed by landslides and 70,000 camp residents are likely to be displaced from flooding.

"You can't solve city problems with camp solutions," he said.

"It needs large-scale engineering solutions and those are not realistically available from either the Bangladesh government or even the global aid community."

Mr Kolovos said the international community needed to have a watchdog role over any returns process to Myanmar.
Leaders of South Australia's three major political parties will deliver their final pitches to voters ahead of this weekend's election at a people's forum.

Premier Jay Weatherill, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall and SA-BEST Leader Nick Xenophon will take questions on Wednesday night from 100 undecided voters selected by polling firm Galaxy.

The voters will be asked to declare a winner at the end of the debate, which will be presented by The Advertiser and Sky News.

Mr Xenophon will be particularly keen to grab last-minute votes, after a poll released on Tuesday showed he is in danger of failing to win his own seat at the March 17 election.

In an Advertiser-Galaxy poll of 590 voters in the seat of Hartley, incumbent Liberal MP Vincent Tarzia leads the SA-BEST party leader 51 to 49 per cent in the two-party preferred vote.

Mr Tarzia also polled the highest primary vote at 38 per cent, ahead of Mr Xenophon on 30 per cent and Labor candidate and former minister Grace Portolesi on 22 per cent.

Mr Xenophon called the contest a "two-horse race" and appealed to voters to consider where their preferences will be directed.

"My message to Labor and Greens voters is that if they vote for Labor or the Greens in the seat of Hartley they'll effectively be delivering the seat to the Liberals and to Mr Marshall," he said.
The formation of the United States' 7th Fleet will be commemorated in Brisbane on Wednesday, 75 years after it was founded in Queensland's capital.

Vice-Admiral Phillip G Sawyer, the current leader of the 7th Fleet, will join in the 75th anniversary commemorations of the naval fleet's foundation during the heat of World War II.

Vice-Admiral Sawyer and US Consul General Valerie Fowler will acknowledge's Brisbane's role in the US war effort by laying a wreath the Submariner's Heritage Trail in Teneriffe later on Wednesday.

The pair will then attend a civic reception with Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and a commemorative service at Albert St Uniting Church.

The US Navy 7th Fleet was formed in Brisbane in 1943 at the headquarters of General Douglas MacArthur in what is now MacArthur Chambers in the city's CBD.

MacArthur was the commander of the Allied forces in the south-west Pacific.

The 7th fleet, featuring several Australian naval ships, fought at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippines in 1944 - the largest naval battle of World War II.

The fleet has since served in the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars and is currently based in Japan.
Some brutal home truths have steeled Brisbane's pack for their NRL clash with North Queensland after Sam Thaiday claimed the Broncos forwards let their halves down against St George Illawarra.

Halfback Kodi Nikorima and pivot Anthony Milford have copped criticism for their lack of impact after the Broncos were thrashed 34-12 by the Dragons in their season-opener last week.

But veteran back-rower Thaiday says the forwards were to blame and wants to make amends against the Cowboys after some sobering honesty sessions.

"When your forwards are making mistakes like we did we didn't give them a chance to show any of their talent," ex-Broncos skipper Thaiday said.

"I put my hand up personally. We had a couple of tough conversations through the week about what we needed to do as a forward pack to help those guys.

"We let those guys down."

Thaiday, 32, admitted he was thankful to be relieved of hooker duties against the Cowboys after the No.9 experiment backfired against the Dragons.

Andrew McCullough will return as starting hooker, relegating Thaiday to the bench - not that the veteran forward had any complaints.

"It's definitely a tough position. I probably got ahead of myself playing there and actually thought I was a dummy half," Thaiday said of last week's error-riddled display.

"I should have played more like a forward and made sure I got the ball to the right people at the right time.

"I am looking forward to pushing back into the forwards and doing something I actually know."

Now into his 16th and final NRL season, off-contract Thaiday had no problem with young gun Tevita Pangai Jr grabbing a starting front-row spot ahead of him against the Cowboys.

"I am more than happy to take a step back and and promote these young guys as much as I can," Thaiday said.

"They are the future of the club.

"It might be my position going forward, trying to bring some spark off the bench - I look forward to it."
National Australia Bank paid thousands of people about $100 million in commissions to "introduce" potential customers to the bank, an inquiry has heard.

At the program's peak NAB had 8000 introducers, people outside the bank who it paid for successful lending referrals.

Senior counsel assisting the financial services royal commission Rowena Orr QC said the introducer program was extremely profitable for NAB during the 2013-2016 period when misconduct occurred, bringing in more than $24 billion in home loans.

Commissioner Kenneth Hayne QC said the bank paid out about $100 million in commissions during that time, when all the introducer was to tell a would-be borrower was that NAB was a bank.

Senior NAB executive Anthony Waldron said they would provide that information and pass the contact details to the bank so it could start a discussion with the customer about their lending requirements.

Asked by Mr Hayne if that was worth the bank outlaying $100 million, Mr Waldron said: "We believe so, in terms of the value of the mortgages that were put on the books."

Ms Orr said in the misconduct cases, there were numerous examples of introducers providing the customer's loan documentation to NAB.

The introducers are financial planners, accountants, property developers, solicitors, builders or architects.

But the inquiry heard the introducers involved in the cases of misconduct fell outside those industries, including people who ran gyms.

"We weren't as strict on ensuring they came from just those industries that we felt comfortable with during that period of time," Mr Waldron said.

The commission heard a whistleblower told NAB in 2015 about a syndicate of 11 NAB employees taking $2800 bribes for fraudulent home loans with the money exchanged in white envelopes passed over the counter.

Ms Orr said 60 bankers including branch managers were involved in varied levels of misconduct connected to the introducer program, 20 of whom were sacked or resigned.

Mr Waldron, NAB's executive general manager of broker relationships, will continue his evidence on Wednesday.
In 1989, Communism finally collapsed, writes Mihail Neamtu, a Romanian thinker and public intellectual, in this weeks Acton Commentary. On our first official post-communist Christmas holiday, my family was hoping that the political landscape of Eastern Europe would quickly be shaped by healthy democratic institutions, secure private property and free trade, economic competition, as well as a robust sense of personal responsibility.

Nearly 20 years later, the anticipated reforms have been abandoned, the economy sputters, and Romanian society remains stubbornly statist:

State monopolies still govern the transportation, healthcare, energy, and education sectors. Local governments do not embrace merit-based individual mandates for mayors, school principals, and hospital managers. Nepotism and profligacy are rampant. However, the most lethal threat to this young democracy comes from the undermining of the independent judiciary. In recent years, various courts have sentenced to jail a large number of media tycoons and Members of Parliament, including the former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase. The Socialist Party, which is currently in power, wants to reverse this trend abruptly.

Neamtu reveals the depths of Romanias hardships, and the reason hes optimistic that a free and virtuous society may yet take root in his home country, in this weeks Acton Commentary. Read his full commentary here. Subscribe to the free, weekly Acton Commentary and other publications here.

(Photo credit: An anti-corruption protester holds a sign saying, Dont legalize thieves in Bucharest in January 2017. Mihai Petre. This photo has been cropped. CC BY-SA 4.0.)
An 18-year-old man has been charged over a brawl at a Perth fast-food restaurant which has left another teenager in hospital with multiple stab wounds.

Police say two men got into an argument on Monday night with four other men at a McDonald's restaurant on Safety Bay Road in Rockingham.

When the group of four left McDonald's and walked towards Norseman Approach they were followed by the other two men.

A fight broke out which resulted in three people being rushed to different hospitals with injuries.

A 17-year-old teen remains in Royal Perth Hospital suffering multiple stab wounds while another man is also in hospital with head injuries.

The 18-year-old Baldivis man has been charged with two counts of going armed in a manner to cause fear, one count of threatening to kill and one count of possessing an article with intent.

He will appear at Rockingham Magistrates Court later on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has backed the tough security measures to be imposed on Sydney ahead of this weekend's ASEAN summit.

NSW Police Minister Troy Grant has beefed-up police powers allowing authorities to block-off parts of the city, conduct searches, remove vehicles that are causing obstructions and prevent drone flights.

Ms Bishop said she was confident the security arrangements would be "as thorough as possible".

"I'm confident the security arrangements will be appropriate," Ms Bishop told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will host Southeast Asian leaders on Saturday and Sunday for a special summit to discuss regional security, economic ties and counter-terrorism measures.

Mr Grant has not provided details as to where police will be focusing their efforts, although it's understood it would include the harbourside suburb of Kirribilli, where Mr Turnbull often hosts events at the prime minister's official Sydney residence, Kirribilli House.

The police minister said the laws were waiting for final approval and would be introduced on Wednesday.
A NSW teenager is accused of breaking into a Dubbo home in the middle of the night and threatening and a 90-year-old man and his 87-year-old wife with a knife.

Police said the knife-wielding boy threatened the elderly man in the couple's home at 1.30am on Tuesday before fleeing with their wallets and cash.

The 17-year-old boy was arrested at a home around the corner from the crime scene on Tuesday afternoon.

He's been refused bail and will appear before a children's court on Wednesday charged with aggravated break and enter, and robbery whilst armed.
A man has been charged with deprivation of liberty and assault after allegedly holding a woman for several hours against her will at a Perth home before she escaped.

Police allege a man and a woman who met on Monday, began arguing at a home in the southern suburb of Maddington on Tuesday morning.

The man allegedly assaulted the woman and threatened her with firearms while demanding she stay at the property.

The woman escaped and sought help from a neighbour before being taken to Armadale Hospital where she was treated for facial injuries.

The man was later arrested without incident and police allege replica firearms, weapons and drug paraphernalia were found during a search of the property.

A 46-year-old Maddington man is facing several charges, including deprivation of liberty, assault occasioning bodily harm, and being armed in a way that may cause fear.

He will appear in Armadale Magistrates Court later on Wednesday.
Simon Balderstone was on a six-day trek in the Himalayas, Nepal, last year when he broke a vertebrae in his back.

The former journalist and ex-media advisor to the Hawke and Keating governments had been experiencing soreness in his back prior to the injury and upon his return to Australia, MRI scans revealed he had metastasis melanoma in his spine.

The bones in his back had been weakened by the disease, which had returned six months after he was given the all clear from his original melanoma diagnosis.

A decade ago, a person diagnosed with advance stage 4 melanoma had no hope of survival.

Fortunately for Simon, who grew up on a farm spending days out in the sun without a hat or shirt on, he has been given hope thanks to research being done at the Melanoma Institute Australia.

The 64-year-old was placed on a Phase I first-in-humans clinical trial of a new immunotherapy, called MK-4166, in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda).

Only 20 melanoma patients from around the world are on the trial and principle investigator Professor Georgina Long says so far, the results have been "very promising", including for Simon.

"He had melanoma cancer cells that had spread to the bone, to the liver, to various soft tissues around the body and he has had an excellent, excellent response," Professor Long said on Wednesday.

While it is still early days, being pain free has been the best outcome for Simon.

"I'm hanging in there; so far so good. Obviously a long way to go, but initial indications are that it's having an effect," he said.

"The main thing is, I'm not in pain."

In Australia, about 30 Australians will be diagnosed with melanoma every day and more than 1,200 will die from the disease each year.

Professor Long says the prognosis for melanoma has been getting better - with a 40 to 50 per cent 'cure' rate - but there is still a lot of work to do, which is why people need to support Melanoma March, to raise vital awareness and life-saving funds for melanoma research.

"Although we are doing a lot of great work and Simon is responding beautifully on this trial, the reason we have such a massive trial program is that there are still people who, for them, nothing works and are dying in front of our eyes," Professor Long said.

"We shouldn't stop until we've got zero deaths from melanoma."

Twenty one marches will occur across the country, including major city events in Sydney and Canberra, Brisbane and Perth during the month of March.

Simon - who works for charity the Australian Himalayan Foundation - will be participating in the Manly march, on Sydney's northern beaches on Sunday.

To find more about a march near you visit www.melanomamarch.org.au.
He rates his budding left edge combination with centre Javid Bowen but Antonio Winterstein says he can understand why North Queensland want to channel their attack down the opposite side.

Winterstein will mark his 200th NRL game when the Cowboys winger runs out in Friday night's derby against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

He will renew a promising pairing with the powerful Bowen, who is looking to nail down a centre berth in the absence of the injured Kane Linnett (pectoral).

But Winterstein wouldn't be surprised if their left edge threat is again overlooked against the Broncos.

North Queensland went to the right again and again in their first round 20-14 win over Cronulla, with impressive centre Justin O'Neill and strike winger Kyle Feldt both scoring in the four tries to two result.

O'Neill and Feldt crossed in a rush of three tries in 12 minutes as Winterstein cheered them on from the other side.

He doesn't expect much to change on Friday.

"I wouldn't blame them. The attacking strike power on the right edge is unbelievable," Winterstein said.

"They work well together Feldty and Jussie (O'Neill) - you are now starting to see those combinations really gel."

Winterstein admitted he may need more time with Bowen but backed the nephew of club great Matt Bowen to nail down the centre gig in Linnett's absence.

"It's a bit different (without Linnett) but Javid has really held his own out there," Winterstein said.

"Javid's got a lot of potential. The more games he plays the better he will get, the more we will see what he has to offer.

"It's an awesome opportunity to really cement that centre spot for himself - I look forward to creating that combination."

The Cowboys are still sweating on playmaker Michael Morgan who has been given until Thursday to overcome an abdominal strain that sidelined him for round one.

Kiwi international Te Maire Martin is again waiting in the wings.

"Te Maire is a great player. It's a good problem to have," Winterstein said.
Australia will consider upgrading sanctions on Russia once the United Kingdom completes its investigation into a nerve agent attack carried out on British soil.

The UK has pushed for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council after the attempted assassination of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury earlier this month.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has spoken to her UK counterpart Boris Johnson about the issue.

"This attack is the use of chemical weapons in a civilian environment and Australia condemns, absolutely, any use of chemical weapons by anyone anywhere," she told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

"We already have sanctions on Russia. We will consider any further response once the investigation has been concluded."

Australia will also express its condemnation at a meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons at The Hague this week.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has confirmed a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia was used in the attack.

Russia has until Wednesday morning to provide a credible response or face retaliatory measures.

Skripal and his daughter have been in hospital in a critical condition since they were found unconscious on a park bench on March 4.
A man accused of infecting his gay ex-lover with HIV in Sydney six years ago has pleaded guilty to recklessly causing grievous bodily harm.

Martin Jaksic, 30, has been undergoing medical treatment in Melbourne and entered his guilty plea during a brief appearance at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday.

In January 2016, nearly four years after Surry Hills police began looking for Jaksic, Australian Federal Police officers arrested him at Sydney Airport as he was trying to board a flight out of the city.

He has now been on bail for years and was 24 at the time of the crime, which warrants a custodial sentence, crown prosecutor Paul Lynch said.

Jaksic's previous lawyer Hugo Aston has said the then 29-year-old Sydney-based victim was "well aware" of his client's condition when they had a sexual relationship between September 2011 and June 2012.

Jaksic, who the court heard was convicted for an unrelated assault 12 years ago, had previously pleaded not guilty to the offence.

A sentencing hearing for Jaksic has been set down for September 14.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has gone on a Twitter rant, accusing the federal government of snubbing Victoria by giving a multibillion-dollar defence contract to Queensland.

The $5.2 billion contract to build Boxer CRV tanks was awarded to German defence giant Rheinmetall, which is set to base itself in Ipswich, southwest of Brisbane.

"We were best placed to build these vehicles that would defend our nation - but we couldn't provide the electoral boost that would defend Malcolm Turnbull's career," Mr Andrews tweeted in response to the decision to reject BAE Systems' bid to build the tanks in Melbourne.

Mr Andrews said the decision had "broken what little remaining faith" he had in the federal government.
Fully-fit Melbourne Victory keeper Lawrence Thomas is hopeful his starring role in the stunning Asian Champions League win over Kawasaki Frontale is a sign of things to come.

Thomas kept the home side in the pivotal clash at AAMI Park on Tuesday night in the face of a blistering opening by the reigning J-League champions.

Yoshito Okubo's searing strike from just outside the penalty area 10 minutes in forced a brilliant save from Thomas, who tipped the ball onto the crossbar.

He was soon called into action again when he somehow managed to gather another Okubo shot from point-blank range.

The stopper's heroics allowed the Victory to settle into the contest that was decided in the 90th minute when Kosta Barbarouses sealed the three points with a superb strike.

The performance was just reward for Thomas, who has dealt with finger and foot injuries this season and was knocked out in a horror collision against the Newcastle Jets last month.

"Personally I'm very happy ... I think these types of things happen when you put the work in off the field," Thomas said.

"The last month is the first time this season I've been able to really push my body without having lots of little niggles, so I think (the performance) was a by-product of that."

The 1-0 win put the Victory in with a good chance of progressing to the knockout stage of the competition.

Kevin Muscat's men are third in Group F on goal difference only with two group matches left.

They have drawn level with second-placed Ulsan Hyundai on five points after the Koreans were defeated 1-0 by Chinese giants Shanghai SIPG, who top the group with 10 points.

The Victory travel to South Korea to play Ulsan before hosting Shanghai to round out the group stage.

"It's a great patch for us at the moment in the A-League and the Champions League ... we're really looking to push on," Thomas said.
On this episode of Radio Free Acton, John Couretas, Director of Communications at Acton, talks to Phil Sotok, management consultant with DPMC, examining purpose, fulfillment and ethics in the workplace. Then, on the Econ Quiz segment, Caroline Roberts speaks with Aquinas College professor of economics, Dave Hebert on the newly proposed steel and aluminum tariffs. Finally, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker discusses the beat poets with Robert Inchausti, professor of english at California State Polytechnic University.

Check out these additional resources on this weeks podcast topics:

Read the 2016 Global Report: Purpose at Work published by Imperative and Linkedin

Learn more about DPMC

Read Economic Implications of Wrong-Headed Steel and Aluminum Tariffs by Mickey D. Levy

Trump to impose steep tariffs on steel, aluminum; stokes trade war fears

Check out more books by Robert Inchausti

Do you have questions for the Radio Free Acton team that you would like answered in future podcast segments? Leave a message at 888-705-4180 or email [email protected]
WA's failure to boost international tourism spending in the past year has been partly attributed to a lack of promotional leadership and few direct flights from big markets such as Japan and China.

Figures from a federal government International Visitors' Survey show 8.1 million overseas visitors spent a record $41.3 billion in Australia for the year ending December 2017 - an increase of six per cent on 2016.

WA was the only state to not record growth, which Tourism Council of WA chief executive Evan Hall concedes is "terrifying".

"The most immediate problem is that we're just not promoting ourselves as well as other states are and that's been quite noticeable since there were major changes to Tourism WA," he told ABC radio on Wednesday.

Mr Hall said there was no longer a full-time chief executive and even the head of marketing position had been vacant.

"The government's very much made tourism a priority, but we think it's absolutely critical that we bring in a skilled leader to take that organisation forward."

But WA Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said Gwyn Dolphin was the tourism head for seven months of last year.

Tasmania's 31 per cent growth in international spending was the best of any state and Mr Hall says that's because Tasmania is good at branding itself and it allowed the industry to create attractions like MONA.

"We've got very few new attractions coming through ... it's really letting us down," he said.

"I think a classic example is the stadium rooftop walk, which the last government decided not to do."

Mr Hall said some of the potential experiences WA could create are wave parks, cable cars, zip lines across the river, and hot springs and wellness facilities by the river.

"We have this perpetual problem of saying 'no'," he said.

"We're really offering the same thing that we've been offering for years and we're not keeping up with other states that are creating great experiences."

Mr Papalia partly blamed the previous government for the figures and said he was "pretty confident that we'll get an uplift" in the next 12 months.

"While we cruised through the boom ... every other state and territory was focused on diversifying the economy through building tourism," he told 6PR radio.

"It takes time to build relationships and achieve new direct flights, which is the key to growing the market from international sources."
The Vietnamese prime minister is the first leader to arrive ahead of this week's special summit on Australia and South East Asia ties.

Nguyen Xuan Phuc touched down in Canberra on Wednesday afternoon and is expected to receive a ceremonial welcome on Thursday ahead of meetings with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The pair is expected to sign a new strategic partnership aimed at deepening trade and defence ties.

Mr Turnbull is hosting leaders from the 10-country Association of South East Asian Nations at a special summit in Sydney which kicks off from Friday.

The program has a busy agenda focused on business ties, regional security, counter-terrorism cooperation, smart cities and education links.

The Singapore and Indonesian leaders are also expected to arrive early.
Local governments must improve how they handle sexual harassment allegations following complaints upheld against former Melbourne lord mayor Robert Doyle, Victoria's peak body for local councils says.

A report led by Ian Freckelton QC for the City of Melbourne on Tuesday made four adverse findings against Mr Doyle, including that he grabbed former councillor Tessa Sullivan's breast last May.

The Municipal Association of Victoria said the findings were "deeply concerning", and praised the bravery of complainants Ms Sullivan and councillor Cathy Oke for coming forward.

But the association's president Mary Lalios said the findings highlighted shortcomings with local government laws, particularly around the councillor code of conduct.

Ms Lalios said allowing councils to manage breaches of councillor conduct through resolving them internally, was flawed in certain cases.

"Where there are rare and regrettable instances of councillor behaviour - such as sexual harassment - alternative procedures should be available so complaints can be raised without fear in a safe and supported manner," Cr Lalios said.

The City of Melbourne voted to review its councillor code of conduct, including drug and alcohol policies, before the adverse findings against Mr Doyle.

In a statement, Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz said the issues identified were a matter for the City of Melbourne.

"Every person has a right to feel safe and secure in their workplace," she said.

"The City of Melbourne will consider this report's findings and determine the next steps."

The Freckelton report found the former mayor put his hand on councillor Cathy Oke's thigh several times in 2014, and tried to kiss her in his office in late 2016 or early 2017.

All these incidents occurred after Mr Doyle consumed "substantial amounts of red wine", the investigation found.

The former mayor quit his job in February after being hospitalised for stress-related conditions, and continued to deny the allegations following the release of the findings.

Ms Lalios said it was important women were not left feeling vulnerable in their jobs because of inadequate safeguards against inappropriate behaviour.
A mini-bar in the office of the City of Melbourne's lord mayor should be among the first things to go after an investigation found former lord mayor Robert Doyle sexually harassed his colleagues.

Councillor Nicholas Reece said there was a "very long-standing practice" at Town Hall to serve alcohol after Tuesday's council meeting and there had been times when a "councillor drank more than probably their fill".

"There is a minibar, for example, in the office of the lord mayor which is straight out of the 1980s. That's gotta go," Mr Reece told 3AW radio on Wednesday.

Ian Freckelton QC's report for the City of Melbourne into claims made by former councillor Tessa Sullivan and councillor Cathy Oke found four adverse findings against the long-serving mayor.

The report, released Tuesday, found Mr Doyle grabbed Ms Sullivan's breast in May when the pair were in a chauffer-driven mayoral car.

He also found Mr Doyle put his hand on Ms Oke's thigh several times in 2014 and attempted to kiss her in his office following a meeting in late 2016 or early 2017.

The report called for a review of the council's alcohol consumption, after finding "all incidents happened after Mr Doyle had consumed "substantial amounts of red wine".

The council is now reviewing its code of conduct, including drug and alcohol policies.

Mr Reece agreed things at Town Hall needed changing, including its councillor code of conduct, which states complaints should be taken to the lord mayor.

"Under the code of conduct they had nowhere to go," he said of the two councillors who complained about Mr Doyle's behaviour.
A Melbourne man who caused a truckie's death when he drove his Chrysler V8 like a "lethal weapon" at more than 180 km/h has been jailed for at least seven years.

Michael Guseli, 44, caused the death of prime mover driver and "good man" Eddie Kocjancic at Port Melbourne in November 2014, with the 53-year-old flung from his truck cabin.

Mr Kocjancic had just started work for the day and had filled his tanker trailer with cement before starting deliveries across Victoria.

He slowly drove around a corner into Lorimer Street along Melbourne's waterfront at 10 km/h when Guseli came speeding by.

Guseli collided with Mr Kocjancic's truck just below the driver's door, with the impact taken by the fuel tank.

Mr Kocjancic was ejected from the cabin and a diesel fuel blaze nearly entirely destroyed his vehicle.

He died as a result of catastrophic head injuries.

At first Guseli claimed he had only been driving at 60 km/h, and later argued at trial that Mr Kocjancic may not have been wearing a seatbelt.

County Court Judge Damian Murphy said while the seatbelt issue was a mitigating factor, Guseli substantively contributed to the "needless death".

"Eddie was an innocent victim of your grossly negligent driving," he said on Wednesday.

"It requires a conscious and sustained act to accelerate a vehicle into what must be close to its maximum revs.

"Eddie Kocjancic did not stand a chance."

Judge Murphy said the sentence must send a signal to anyone seeking to "test the performance" of high-performance vehicles on the city's crowded roads.

"They can become lethal weapons," he said.

"A clear message should be sent that irresponsible driver behaviour leading to death and serious injury would not be tolerated."

Guseli was jailed for 11 years, with a non-parole period of seven years.
Tony Abbott has taken aim at Foreign Minister Julie Bishop's "disappointing" comments about the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The former prime minister said it was "not good enough" for Ms Bishop to argue people should wait for an investigation into how the plane was shot down to conclude before forming views on the evidence.

Mr Abbott said it was "absolutely clear" Russia was behind the 2014 attack over eastern Ukraine which killed 298 people, including 38 Australians.

"For too long, the Russians have been getting away with murder. Literally getting away with murder," he told 2GB radio on Wednesday.

"This wasn't a tragedy, it was an atrocity."

Mr Abbott said until Russia makes appropriate restitutions and shows remorse, the country should be in the "diplomatic dog box".

His comments came after New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters claimed there was no evidence Russia was involved in the attack.

It prompted Ms Bishop to state the investigation was ongoing and it was not possible to form a view about the evidence, as it has not been made public.

"We know more than enough to know who was responsible for this," Mr Abbott said.

"It's bizarre of the New Zealand foreign minister to make excuses for the Russians."

Labor foreign affairs spokeswoman Penny Wong said this week there was compelling evidence in the joint investigation team's report that Russia was involved.

"We owe it to the families of those killed in this senseless and criminal act to do everything possible to ensure those responsible for the downing of MH17 are identified, and brought to justice," she said.
Astronomers have been left scratching their heads at revelations all galaxies, no matter their size, rotate once every billion years.

On earth, the length of a day is measured against one rotation of the planet on its axis, while the time it takes to orbit the Sun gives us a year.

Lead researcher Gerhardt Meurer said the discovery was "kind of weird."

"I just thought that's kind of odd, small galaxies and big galaxies all orbiting at the same time," Professor Meurer, from the International Centre of Radio Astronomy Research, told AAP.

The WA researchers also found evidence of older stars existing at the edge of galaxies, where only newly formed stars and gas were expected to appear.

"Older theories from the 1960s and 1970s had whole galaxies forming very fast at the earliest part of the universe. That would give you the conditions for a lot of the results we've seen," Prof Meurer said.

"But the old theories, they have been replaced by theories that galaxies form over a longer time, gradually expanding outwards and with older stars closer to the centre of the disc."

He said the discovery would help astronomers understand where galaxies end and no longer waste time, and computer processing power, on data beyond their edges.

The research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
WA's attorney-general says the state won't sign up to the national redress scheme for child sexual abuse victims until the federal government takes responsibility for child migrants brought to Australia from the 1940s to the 1960s.

NSW and Victoria have signed up to the scheme, which begins on July 1, but WA wants more information from the government, specifically what responsibility it will take for the post-war Commonwealth Child Migration Scheme.

"Until there's a set of rules published that set out the Commonwealth's liability in this matter, we're very reluctant to agree to anything," John Quigley told parliament on Wednesday.
Income inequality in Australia is growing to the point where the country risks a similar situation to the US housing meltdown which led to the Global Financial Crisis.

That's the warning from former Labor prime minister Paul Keating, who argues Australia's political class on both sides needs to embrace policies which reduce the distance between the richest and poorest.

Speaking at a book launch in Brisbane on Wednesday evening, the former PM pointed to his own record as treasurer and later prime minister for 13 years between 1983 and 1991 as an example of a government which had sought to raise the standard of living for all people.

In the years since, Mr Keating argued, economic policy had been driven by short term thinking.

"If you don't have the imagination, you will never get to the destination," he told the crowd at Brisbane's Customs House.

Current liberal economic theories were "going nowhere" he said, adding that economists hadn't seen the GFC coming, but hadn't changed their thinking in the years since.

Wealth inequality in the United States had only gotten worse since the GFC, Mr Keating said, with the mega-rich disconnecting from regular society and leaving a vacuum behind them which could only be filled by political policy.

"We're not going to have that kind of managerial intelligence coming down to help us look after communities, so this is why the task will have to fall to the political system," he said.

Federal Labor has recently flagged it will abolish cash refunds for excess dividend imputation credits, where investors are currently getting a tax rebate for excess stock credits where the shareholder already pays little to no tax.

Many of these cases are self-funded retirees, but many others are wealthy individuals with complex but legal financial arrangements which minimise their taxable income.

Mr Keating introduced the original system which the current Labor government wants to go back to, and he said it was one of the ways political policy could help to bridge the inequality gap.

"There's got to be a shift, and the shift will have to come from government."

"That sort of income distribution inequality becomes a curse, a cancer on a place. It's a horror story, unless there is a set of important changes."
A Sydney woman who assaulted police, calling one male officer a "little bitch", after a boozy cruise on Darling Harbour has been placed on a good behaviour bond.

Lia Fekitoa and her friend Racheal Matycz, both 25, were among six people arrested on February 24 when a Constellation Cruises vessel was forced to return to the wharf to drop off a drunk passenger.

Police at the dock were told one member of the group assaulted staff and things became heated when the boozed-up revellers ignored orders to stand back from a walkway.

Fekitoa pleaded guilty to assaulting and resisting police when she appeared before Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.

She became "highly aggressive" and screamed at police before swinging her left hand, according to the agreed facts.

"The accused started yelling at police saying 'f***ing little bitch'," court documents say.

Fekitoa also ripped an officer's shirt, then grabbed a police radio and refused to let go before "wrestling" with them.

She was hit with OC spray and arrested but was too drunk to be interviewed.

"I was highly intoxicated," Fekitoa told the court.

"It was out of my character to do something like that."

Matycz tried to calm the situation but was charged with resisting police. She pleaded guilty.

"I was just trying to be a good friend for her to prevent her from doing anything which may affect her in the future," Matycz said.

In sentencing Fekitoa, Magistrate Daniel Covington said police were entitled to do their jobs without being assaulted.

"There is no explanation before this court other than you were upset and you were intoxicated," he said.

"That does not excuse your behaviour."

She was placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond and a conviction was recorded.

Matycz, who has a five-year-old autistic son who's undergone two open-heart surgeries, escaped without conviction.

She was also placed on a 12-month bond, however Mr Covington believed her offence was "very minor".

"If alcohol causes you to make these decisions, you may need to re-think how much you're drinking," he warned Matycz.

Teresa Sio, 23, pleaded not guilty to her role in the fight and will return to court on April 26 while John Naisali, 26, pleaded not guilty and will return in May.

Theresa Ahofono, 23, did not enter a plea and is expected to return to court on April 24 along with Agnes Tuivailala, 24, who pleaded guilty to affray but not guilty to assault.
Pat Nichols has recently been named as SPOC Automation's Operations and Logistics Manager. He will be based out of the Trussville corporate office and will be primarily responsible for management of the company's operations, supply chain, and logistics.

Pat Nichols SPOC Automation

Prior to joining SPOC, Nichols served in various roles such as a Purchasing Manager at Scholar Craft Products, Materials Manager at Southern Comfort Conversions, and Materials Manager at G.R. Manufacturing, Inc. He also previously served as a Commodity Buyer at Meadowcraft, Inc. and as an Implementation Coordinator/ Master Scheduler at Kimball Furniture Reproductions.

He has experience maintaining responsibility for multi-million dollar inventories for both domestic and international projects, as well as extensive experience leading teams with responsibilities for reporting and tracking. Additionally, Pat brings years of manufacturing and operational experience to SPOC Automation's growing business in the artificial lift controls and automation space of the oil and gas industry.

"Pat has a long history of success in the areas of material process flow and logistical issues," said Bobby Mason, President of SPOC Automation. "We look forward to the talents that he brings as we continue to grow and strive to improve every aspect of our company."

Nichols received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration - Operations Management from Auburn University in 1989. He also obtained APICS - CPIM Certification in 1994.

About SPOC Automation

SPOC Automation builds world-class variable frequency drive (VFD) solutions for the oil and gas industry. SPOC manufacturers artificial lift controls and automation equipment that increases oil and gas production, lowers lifting costs and saves electrical energy. As the leading artificial lift controls manufacturer in North America, SPOC applies decades of automation experience to equipment and processes to make products that help our customers produce more and spend less. To learn more, visit www.spocautomation.com.
The residents of a small Queensland town have banded together to bring an asylum seeker family back home.

More than 60,000 people have signed a petition to return Tamils Nadesalingam, Priya and their two Australian-born daughters to Biloela.

Border force officials removed them last week and put them in a Melbourne detention centre.

Tamil Refugee Council spokesman Ben Hillier said they were handcuffed and taken in separate vans to Melbourne Airport on Tuesday, flown to Perth and placed on a flight to Sri Lanka.

But a last-minute legal intervention resulted in them being removed from the plane before it took off.

It's understood the couple came to Australia separately by boat in 2012 and 2013, following Sri Lanka's civil war.

They settled in Biloela on a bridging visa, which has since expired.

Biloela resident Angela Fredericks started the petition, which calls on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to let the family return to the town.

The community also held a vigil for the family on Wednesday night.

A Department of Home Affairs spokesman said the family's case had been assessed over many years.

"They have consistently been found not to meet Australia's protection obligations," he said.
German defence manufacturer Rheinmetall will spend just $1.8 billion of its $5 billion dollar Land 400 defence contract in Queensland, but Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says the benefits will still be enormous.

The premier on Wednesday spruiked her government's role in securing Rheinmetall's bid for the federal government's Land 400 contract, which has now been awarded by the federal government.

Ms Palaszczuk admitted to reporters just a part of the money would actually be spent in Queensland.

"That's the direct benefit, but there's also the indirect benefit, the flow-on jobs, the thousands of suppliers in the supply chain which will be spent right into regional Queensland as well," she said.

Rheinmetall's Gary Stewart said the $5 billion figure was the total government spend on the project, with $1.8 billion spent in Queensland specifically.

Mr Stewart also thanked the state government for their efforts convincing Rheinmetall to base its Land 400 bid in Queensland, after then-State Development Minister Anthony Lynham made an eleventh-hour flight to Germany last year to convince the company.

"(Minister Lynham's) personal insight and interest into how Queensland and Rheinmetall could actually work together ... was crucial to convincing us that the Queensland government was serious and we had the confidence to partner with you," Mr Stewart said.

The Queensland-Rheinmetall bid was selected by the federal government over a rival bid from British company BAE Systems based in Victoria.

Rheinmetall will build 211 Boxer CRV tanks in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, and will use the base to market its products to defence forces overseas, holding out the promise of more lucrative contracts in future.
Accountants warn Labor's plan to end cash handouts for share investors will push more people onto the aged pension, but social groups say the change will help fund key services.

Labor wants to reform the system that allows share investors, who technically don't earn a taxable income, to get government cash refunds for share dividends.

"If millionaires are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money, that's not a welfare system I'm going to back," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told reporters on Wednesday.

But the Institute of Public Accountants says the system has helped keep retirees off the aged pension.

"Australia should be looking at every avenue possible to reduce long-term reliance on government-funded pensions," chief executive Andrew Conway said.

"This proposed measure will deter entrants from investing in their future self-funded retirement."

Labor says about 14,000 full pensioners and 200,000 part pensioners will be affected by the change.

The Australian Council of Social Services said only 16 per cent of people older than 64 pay income tax, and many who don't are quite well off.

"We have a choice. We close gaps like these in the tax system, or we charge people more for services like aged care and home care," chief executive Cassandra Goldie said.

Malcolm Turnbull said Labor's plan will hit retirees who rely on the cash payouts because they technically don't earn a taxable income on their share portfolios.

"Have a word to your parents and they'll tell you how they feel about it," the prime minister told reporters on Wednesday.

"Shorten's budget plans are completely out of control and now he's robbing pensioners to pay for his incompetence."

The original scheme was introduced under Paul Keating to make sure company profits weren't taxed twice - once with corporate tax and again via personal income tax.

But changes under John Howard in 2000 allowed investors to get a cash refund from the government if their tax imputation was more than the tax they owed.

Labor will abolish these refunds - which cost $8 billion a year - if elected.
Vietnam and Australia are set to ramp up diplomatic ties ahead of a special summit of South East Asian leaders.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc touched down in Canberra on Wednesday afternoon.

He's the first South East Asian leader to arrive ahead of the Australian-Association of South East Asian Nations special summit in Sydney which kicks off on Friday.

Mr Phuc has brought a ministerial delegation to Australia.

After a ceremonial welcome, complete with a 19-gun salute, Mr Phuc will meet with Australian dignitaries including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday.

The pair are expected to sign a new strategic partnership aimed at deepening defence, security, trade, investment, development and tourism links.

They will also ink separate deals on education and research.

Both countries last week signed up on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact.

Vietnam is the fastest-growing economy in ASEAN.
Changes by the Commonwealth Bank may push mortgage brokers into using Australia's biggest bank when it is not the best option for a consumer, a royal commission has heard.

The financial services royal commission is examining CBA's accreditation of, and relationships with, mortgage brokers.

CBA has revoked the accreditation of numerous mortgage brokers previously approved to submit home loan applications to the bank.

The Home Loan Broker director Mark Harris said he was disappointed and "a little bit shocked" when dropped by CBA with 14 days notice in February last year.

He still has accreditation with 23 lenders including Westpac and National Australia Bank.

Mr Harris said to cancel accreditation without notice represented poor customer service and could put a broker in a difficult position, in terms of putting a client into the best loan for them.

"If I believe over the last couple of years I haven't had a client that is the best fit for the Commonwealth Bank, well it doesn't really matter to the Commonwealth Bank, they require a minimum performance standard," he told the inquiry.

"The concern is that that will push brokers into using the Commonwealth Bank where they should not have done."

CBA told Mr Harris his accreditation was cancelled because he had not been active with the bank for some time.

Mr Harris only submits half a dozen loans a year to all lenders, but works alongside five other brokers.

He wrote no loans for CBA in 2015 or 2016.

A senior CBA executive will give evidence to the royal commission on Thursday before the inquiry shifts its focus to the bank's wholly-owned subsidiary Aussie Home Loans, after four of its former mortgage brokers engaged in fraud in submitting home loan applications.
Heightened security powers for this weekend's ASEAN summit have the tick of approval from the nation's top politicians and police commanders as protesters gear up to oppose one high-profile guest.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will host Southeast Asian leaders on Saturday and Sunday for a special summit to discuss regional security, economic ties and counter-terrorism measures.

But representatives of Sydney's Cambodian diaspora will stage two demonstrations in the CBD over the weekend to protest the country's visiting prime minister Hun Sen.

NSW Police Minister Troy Grant beefed up police powers to allow the force to block off parts of the city, conduct searches, remove vehicles that are causing obstructions and prevent drone flights.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Willing said the laws, which will temporarily allow traffic changes and road closures, will see ASEAN's VIPs travel safely through the city.
Pretoria has reacted with anger to a suggestion by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton that white farmers in South Africa need help from a "civilised country" like Australia.

Mr Dutton said he believed the farmers deserve "special attention" because they faced violence and land seizures.

"If you look at the footage and read the stories, you hear the accounts, it's a horrific circumstance they face," Mr Dutton told the Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

"We have the potential to help some of these people that are being persecuted."

"That threat does not exist," the South African foreign ministry in Pretoria was quoted by Reuters as saying. "There is no reason for any government in the world to suspect that a section of South Africans is under danger from their own democratically elected government.

"We regret that the Australian government chose not to use the available diplomatic channels available for them to raise concerns or to seek clarification."

AfriForum, a rights group representing primarily the white Afrikaner minority, praised Mr Dutton's comments but said it was not in favour of mass emigration, Reuters reported.

"Our future is in Africa, not elsewhere," chief executive Kallie Kriel said.

Mr Dutton said he had directed the Home Affairs department to explore whether the farmers can be accepted into Australia through refugee, humanitarian or other visas, including the in-country persecution visa category.

"I do think on the information that I've seen, people do need help, and they need help from a civilised country like ours," Mr Dutton said.

He suggested an announcement could be made soon.
Of the eleven Australians involved in the infamous Test defeat at Cape Town in 2011, none were hurting more than Shaun Marsh.

"It wasn't a great experience. I couldn't walk for about two days," Marsh recalled.

Marsh came out to bat at No.10 in Australia's second dig after suffering a serious back injury during his first innings.

The West Australian was meant to spend the day resting at the team hotel but instead rushed to Newlands, lasting two painful deliveries before he was trapped lbw by debutant Vernon Philander as the tourists crashed to 9-21.

The prospect of Australia recording the lowest-ever Test total was very much alive. Instead Nathan Lyon helped them scrap together 47, Australia's lowest Test total since 1902.

The Proteas went on to to win by eight wickets, easing any embarrassment caused by their first-innings total of 96, and Marsh returned home in much discomfort.

It is a terrible memory for Marsh, who will come face to face with Philander at the same ground in next week's third Test.

But it is a good reference point that shows how hard the 34-year-old has since worked hard on his fitness.

Chronic back injuries typically get worse with age, as Michael Clarke experienced in the twilight years of his career.

Marsh is gearing up for his eighth consecutive Test, with a minor flare-up on the eve of the Ashes his most recent concern.

"I did have a lot of injuries early on in my career and had to figure out what worked for me," the left-hander said.

"Thankfully, I got a little wiser with my body.

"We've got some really good people back home at the WACA that I've worked really hard and closely with over the last three or four years.

"It's about not trying to overdo stuff and making sure I'm fresh going into games.

"It's working at the moment."

Usman Khawaja and Pat Cummins were part of the Test squad in Cape Town six and a half years ago, but they were both on drinks duty during the carnage.

Australia also suffered game-changing collapses during their recent loss to South Africa in Port Elizabeth, losing 5-21 in their first innings then 3-24 in their second dig.

On both occasions, at least one batsman was able to stop the rot but nobody was able to kick on and reach three figures.

"We're all playing well, as a batting group we just need to make sure that once we get in we really lock ourselves in and get the hundreds we haven't got in the first two Test matches," Marsh said.
A man driving a stolen ute rammed into a police car then led police on a 45 minute car chase before hitting a tree in north Brisbane.

The vehicle was discovered parked in a driveway at Gordon Park about 1.45am on Thursday and police began a pursuit after it rammed their car.

Officers used tyre spikes about 40 minutes later and the car crashed into a tree in Balmoral about 2.30am.

A 22-year-old man ran off, but was found by the dog squad shortly afterwards in a nearby yard and he is assisting police with their inquiries.
A woman is fighting for life after suffering a serious head injury at a home on Queensland's Darling downs, west of Brisbane.

Police were called to a home at Goomburra north of Warwick around 12:50am on Thursday where they found a 47-year-old woman with a serious head wound.

She was taken to Warwick Hospital before being airlifted to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital where she remains in a critical condition.

A crime scene has been established at the house, while police say they are not searching for an assailant.
* The South Australian parliament is made up of two houses. The House of Assembly, which is also called the lower house, and the Legislative Council, or the upper house.

* There are 47 lower house seats, meaning a party must control at least 24 to secure a majority.

* There are 22 upper house seats, but only half are contested at each election.

* Each government sits for a fixed term with an election held on the third Saturday in March, every four years.

* Labor has won the last four elections in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014 but had to rely on the support of independents to form government in 2002 and 2014.

* Labor currently holds 23 lower house seats, the Liberals 19 and there are five independents.

* In the upper house, Labor and the Liberals each hold eight seats, the Greens two, the Australian Conservatives two, the Dignity Party one and there is one independent.

Source: SA Parliament website.
ENROLLED: A record 1,201,755 people are enrolled to vote on March 17, a 5.2 per cent increase compared to the 2014 election.

STANDING: 264 candidates will contest the 47 lower house seats, compared to 204 in 2014. 43 candidates have nominated for the 11 upper house seats. Only half the Legislative Council seats are contested at each election.

PARTIES: Six parties will run major tickets. Labor, Liberal and The Greens will contest all 47 seats, while Nick Xenophon's SA-BEST party will contest 36 seats, the Australian Conservatives 33 and the Dignity Party 30.

TICKETS: The seats of Kaurna, in the south, and Stuart, in the state's northeast, have the fewest candidates, with just three, while Croydon, in Adelaide's northwest, has the most with nine.

LEADERS: Labor Premier Jay Weatherill and Liberal Leader Steven Marshall both drew the top spots on the tickets for their respective seats. SA-BEST leader Nick Xenophon drew the seventh and last spot for his seat.

Source: SA Electoral Commission.
THE SEATS TO WATCH IN THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ELECTION:

HARTLEY

In Adelaide's affluent eastern suburbs the seat is shaping as a genuine three-horse race, with former senator and SA-BEST leader Nick Xenophon and former SA Labor minister Grace Portolesi challenging Liberal incumbent Vincent Tarzia. He nominally holds the seat by a 3.3 per cent margin after a recent redistribution.

FLOREY

Based in Adelaide's northeast, the seat is held by former Labor MP turned independent Frances Bedford. Labor will run their own candidate, Rik Morris, a former government staffer. Ms Bedford's return could boost Labor's chances of retaining office with her support.

MORPHETT

The electorate includes the beachside suburbs of Glenelg and West Beach. It is currently held by former Liberal MP Duncan McFetridge, who resigned from the party after losing preselection endorsement for the 2018 election. If he's returned as an independent both Labor and the Liberals will be knocking on his door for support.

MAWSON

A redistribution has turned this Labor-held seat into a nominally Liberal one, with a 3.2 per cent margin. That spells trouble for Tourism Minister Leon Bignell but he's stared down defeat in the past.

LEE

Held by Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan with a two per cent margin, if this seat falls it will be a big blow to Labor and to his political career. He has been considered a potential future Labor leader.

GILES

In this mid-north seat, Labor's Eddie Hughes was originally expected to be returned comfortably after the local Arrium steelworks at Whyalla was saved and with it, thousands of jobs. But SA-BEST's Tom Antonio, a former local government official, is polling well and could pull a surprise.

HEYSEN

Former opposition leader Isobel Redmond is retiring and Josh Teague is favoured to narrowly defend the seat for the Liberals. But he's facing a strong challenge from SA-BEST. This seat covers a similar area to the one which Nick Xenophon's group snatched at the last federal election.

MT GAMBIER

Troy Bell is the sitting member and won it for the Liberals at the last election. But since then he has quit the party and is facing serious fraud and theft charges. Despite his issues, he could still be returned. However, if he's found guilty of the charges against him, he faces being booted from the parliament and there will need to be a by-election.

Source: Electoral Districts Boundaries Commission.
A picture taken on February 26, 2018, shows the square of Arbil's international airport in the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region

Iraqi authorities said Tuesday they were lifting a nearly six-month air blockade imposed on Iraqi Kurdistan in response to its holding of an independence referendum.

Federal authorities imposed the 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 renewed in February for another possible three months.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement the airports of Kurdish regional capital Arbil and second city Sulaimaniyah would again be "open to international flights".

The decision to lift the flight ban was made "after local Kurdish authorities accepted that central authorities retake control of the two airports," the statement said.

The formal lifting of the blockade will take place in the next few days, Abadi's spokesman Saad al-Hadithi told AFP.

"This will depend on how long it takes for employees of the central government to start working in the airports," he said.

Iraqi Kurdish prime minister Nechirvan Barzani told a press conference shortly after the announcement that he "thanked Baghdad and Prime Minister Abadi because it is he who decided to reopen the airports".

United Nations special representative to Iraq Jan Kubis welcomed the move as a "significant positive step that is certain to boost the atmosphere of partnership cooperation" between the two sides.

Since the flight ban went into force, all Kurdistan-bound international flights have been rerouted to Baghdad, which also imposed entry visas on foreigners wishing to visit the Kurdish region.

The flight ban was part of a battery of penalties inflicted on the Kurds as Baghdad sought to nullify the independence poll, with federal forces also seizing disputed oil-rich regions.

Baghdad demanded to take over passport control in airports in Kurdistan as well as customs issues.

Arbil had already agreed to that and control of airport security was the last stumbling block, an official told AFP at the end of February when the blockade was extended for another three months.

Iraqi Kurds protest at Arbil international airport on September 29, 1017, after Baghdad imposed an air blockade on Iraqi Kurdistan over its independence referendum

Abadi met with a Kurdish delegation on Tuesday, a senior Kurdish official confirmed to AFP on condition of anonymity, and the two sides agreed that the issues of security and passports would be entrusted to Baghdad.

Baghdad and Arbil have been engaged in a political and territorial struggle since the September 25 independence referendum.

Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces took control of the northern province of Kirkuk, home to key oilfields, in June 2014 after federal forces withdrew in the face of an offensive by the Islamic State group.

Late last year, following the failed independence push, federal forces recaptured the oilfields, severing a key financial lifeline for the Kurds.

This month the Iraqi parliament approved the 2018 budget in the absence of Kurdish lawmakers who boycotted the meeting to protest a cut in the amount allocated to their autonomous region.
US President Donald Trump, boarding Air Force One for a flight to California, says he is "very, very happy" with a report by House Republicans that found no evidence his 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russian meddling

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a Republican report from Congress proved his claim that his 2016 election campaign did not collude with Russians.

"We're very happy with the decision by the House Intelligence Committee saying there was absolutely no collusion with respect to Russia," Trump said early Tuesday.

"We are very, very happy with that decision. It was a powerful decision that left no doubt," Trump said.

On Monday, the committee's Republicans finalized their report on their year-long investigation, saying they saw no evidence of cooperation between the campaign and Moscow.

"We have found no evidence of collusion, coordination or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians," they said in a summary of their report.

Saying they were wrapping up the probe, the panel also rejected the notion that Moscow had specifically attempted to boost Trump's White House effort, a conclusion reached by the country's top intelligence officials in January 2017.

Democrats on the polarized committee immediately objected to the findings, saying there were signs of collusion and that they still had numerous witnesses to interview.

Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the panel, said the move to end the investigation came under pressure from the White House. Committee chairman Devin Nunes has been a close supporter of Trump.

The move to end the probe is "another tragic milestone for this Congress, and represents yet another capitulation to the executive branch," Schiff said in a statement.

"We have learned a great deal about countless secret meetings, conversations and communications between Trump campaign officials and the Russians, all of which the Trump Administration initially denied," he added.

"If the Russians do have leverage over the president of the United States, the majority has simply decided it would rather not know."

The Trump campaign remains under investigation by the Senate Intelligence Committee where the two parties are cooperating more closely, and by Justice Department special prosecutor Robert Mueller.

Mueller's is the most important of the probes: he has a strong team of investigators, and has already indicted several former top Trump aides.

But he has yet to declare whether he has strong evidence of collusion.

Mueller is also investigating whether Trump has tried to obstruct the investigation, and is said to be discussing with White House lawyers whether the president himself will agree to be interviewed.
Producers admit that Claire Foy (L), whe plays Queen Elizabeth II in the Netflix drama "The Crown," earns less than Matt Smith (R) who portrays her consort

She's not known for histrionics, but Queen Elizabeth II would surely struggle to maintain her famous poise if she knew the actress playing her on "The Crown" earned less than the man portraying her husband.

Producers admitted Tuesday that Matt Smith, Prince Philip on the hit Netflix drama, negotiated a better deal than Claire Foy because of his perceived higher profile.

They did not reveal either salary -- Foy's was put at $40,000 an episode by Variety last year -- but told a panel event in Jerusalem that Smith's 2010-2013 starring role on the BBC's "Doctor Who" had been the decisive factor.

The explanation has not appeased critics who argued that the discrepancy should only have shown up in the first season, before Foy was garlanded with awards and acclaim.

Foy, 33, was already making a name for herself in British costume drama, with roles in "Upstairs Downstairs" and "Wolf Hall," when she was tapped to play the queen.

The part has earned her a host of award season nominations, including at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Emmys and Screen Actors Guild awards. She has won two SAGs and a Globe.

Suzanne Mackie, one of the show's producers, told the Jerusalem audience the discrepancy was being resolved for the third season but that will not benefit Foy.

"The Crown," which costs $7 million an episode to produce, is replacing its leads for the start of filming in July, with Olivia Colman stepping in as the queen and an actor to replace Smith not yet announced.

Helena Bonham-Carter will replace Vanessa Kirby as Elizabeth's sister, the late Princess Margaret.

The series comes from the pen of Peter Morgan, who first lifted the veil on the private world of Elizabeth II in "The Queen" (2006), which was directed by Stephen Frears and earned Helen Mirren an Oscar in the title role.
Democrat Conor Lamb, battling for a congressional seat in culturally conservative southwestern Pennsylvania, has embraced a rare campaign tactic among members of his party: avoid heavy criticism of President Donald Trump

A closely watched special congressional election in Pennsylvania remained nail-bitingly close early Wednesday -- bad news for nervous Republicans who saw President Donald Trump romp to victory there in 2016 and face mid-term elections in November.

With more than 99 percent of precincts reporting in southwestern Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, young Democratic candidate Conor Lamb declared victory in a speech to cheering supporters.

"It took a little longer than we thought but we did it!" he said.

There was no immediate response from his Republican rival Rick Saccone, a Trump ally, or any official announcement of results.

CNN said later that with all precincts reporting, Lamb was ahead by just 0.2 percentage points -- 49.8 percent to 49.6 percent.

The race was so close that the results from outstanding absentee ballots would likely decide the outcome.

A Lamb victory would not endanger Republican control of the House of Representatives -- the Republicans currently have 238 seats to 193 for the Democrats, with four vacant.

But it would be seen as a stark warning that districts which Trump won in 2016 could now be for grabs in November's vote.

The election, seen by many as a referendum on Trump and the Republican Party, was taking place in a working-class district that Trump won by about 20 points, suggesting the latest developments were good news for the opposition party.

With the race in the balance, Saccone, whose campaign drew criticism from Republican strategists for its lackluster performance in recent weeks, told his followers earlier that "It's not over yet."

"We're not giving up," Saccone added.

The National Republican Congressional Committee also refused to concede.

"This race is too close to call and were ready to ensure that every legal vote is counted. Once they are, were confident Rick Saccone will be the newest Republican member of Congress," it said in a statement.

- Alarm bells -

But the performance by Lamb provided the broader takeaway.

"It's a win for the Democrats even if they don't actually win this," Kevan Yenerall, a political science professor at Clarion University in Pennsylvania, told AFP.

For Republicans, it sets off alarm bells.

"If you're a Republican and you're in a marginal, competitive district... you're going to be concerned," he added.

The 33-year-old Lamb, a former federal prosecutor and US Marine officer, ran a surprisingly strong race against conservative state representative Saccone, 60.

His performance in a district held by Republicans for the last several elections has the potential to shake up the political landscape on a national level.

And it would reassure Democrats they can win in what has been considered Trump country, giving them a surge in enthusiasm, fundraising and grassroots activism as they head toward the all-important mid-term elections.

Veteran political analyst Stuart Rothenberg said it was notable that in a district long dominated by Republicans, the party's voters "either stayed home or flipped to Lamb."

Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone has US President Donald Trump's backing in a race that carries national implications as their party looks to maintain control of Congress

Who wins the district was immaterial, Rothenberg argued on Twitter. "The outcome is clear."

Trump had endorsed Saccone and made an 11th-hour campaign stop with the candidate.

But Lamb's strong performance underscored the challenges that Republicans face as they prepare to defend their majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives in November.

The party occupying the Oval Office tends to lose seats in the first mid-terms after winning the presidency.

With chaos swirling in the White House, Trump's approval rating under water, and a special prosecutor investigating potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, Democrats are counting on a domino effect at the polls to send them back to power in Congress.

Republican organizations have poured millions of dollars of outside money into the race in the hopes of dragging Saccone across the finish line and signaling that their position ahead of the mid-terms is not as precarious as Democrats suggest.

- Crossover support -

Democrats have noted that Lamb's blue-collar roots, support of organized labor and moderate political views were helping him win crossover support in conservative areas.

In District 18, several of Trump's campaign promises have resonated with voters -- in particular, his call for restricting immigration, supporting gun rights, and bringing back jobs in the coal and steel industries.

Lamb has worked to avoid alienating Trump supporters, and downplayed the idea that the Pennsylvania election is a referendum on the controversial commander-in-chief.

The district's voters "overwhelmingly want me to work with the president," Lamb said after casting his ballot Tuesday.

Lamb was endorsed by the main mineworkers and steelworkers unions in the region, whereas Saccone has had a tempestuous relationship with organized labor.

Democrats came close to flipping Republican seats several times in US House special elections last year, in Georgia, Kansas, Montana and South Carolina. While those Democrats ultimately fell short, they fared better than Hillary Clinton did against Trump in those districts in the 2016 presidential race.

Pennsylvania 18's previous congressman, Republican Tim Murphy, resigned last year amid an adultery scandal.
Philipos Melaku-Bello says his protest tent in front of the White House is a living demonstration of the right to freedom of expression guaranteed under the US Constitution

Ronald Reagan was America's president when Philipos Melaku-Bello first began protesting in front of the White House.

Thirty-seven years and five presidents later, Melaku-Bello is still there, quietly delivering his message from a tarpaulin-covered shelter plastered with signs advocating for peace, against the nuclear industry, and in support of human rights.

He says the site is a living demonstration of America's right to freedom of expression, guaranteed by a Constitution which the activist says is being tested under Donald Trump, a president he describes as "unlike any other."

"Our federal judges, not only the Supreme Court, have tried to keep Donald Trump in check but I tell you, he has them working very hard," Melaku-Bello says, referring to the numerous court challenges faced by Trump -- on everything from immigration to birth control to potential conflicts of interest.

Opposite the front lawn of the president's home, Melaku-Bello greets passersby with a gentle manner.

"How do you do, sir?" he asks. "Peace be with you."

Hour after hour, local residents and tourists stop to chat or to snap photographs of the orderly protest site where he sits behind a box of pamphlets about uranium and nuclear weapons, drone warfare, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Some drop donations into a plastic container which says "Free Leonard Peltier," a member of the American Indian Movement jailed for the 1975 killings of two FBI agents, and whom most people will have long forgotten.

Not Melaku-Bello.

He speaks articulately, knowledgeably -- and at length -- about Peltier's case and a range of other domestic and global political issues.

- They call this 'democracy'? -

Melaku-Bello dismisses suggestions he himself has become an attraction.

"I'd always want it to be the message more than me," he says, flanked by signs, large and small.

"Free Tibet," says one.

A California native who began protesting in the 1970s, Philipos Melaku-Bello describes his personal politics as anarchistic

"Make a peace treaty with North Korea," demands another, dwarfed by the biggest placard that calls for "wisdom and honesty."

Other signs address topical issues including the fate of hundreds of thousands of "Dreamers," immigrants brought to the country illegally as children whose protections Trump has vowed to end.

A California native in his mid-50s, who describes his personal politics as anarchistic, Melaku-Bello began protesting in the 1970s.

He belonged to a punk rock band which was touring the Washington area when he first came into contact with the protest site and "helped out."

That was in the summer of 1981.

The vigil was founded earlier that year by activist William Thomas, joined by Concepcion Picciotto who remained until her death in 2016. Thomas died in 2009.

For the first decade of his involvement, Melaku-Bello says he split his time between protesting and working for Amha Selassie, the exiled son of late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.

In the course of that work, which involved preparing human rights reports, Melaku-Bello recounts being wounded by a landmine blast in Ramallah in 1987, leaving him in a wheelchair.

For the past seven years, the protest site has been his life, taking 90 to 100 hours a week.

Melaku-Bello, who tucks his hair up Rasta-style in a red and white toque above his untrimmed sideburns and graying beard, has reliable support from only two other activists, Neil Cousins and Craig Thompson, who rotate shifts with him.

On the pedestrian mall in front of the White House, activists for various causes come and go but the peace vigil remains, unique because it is manned day and night, a right Melaku-Bello says has been won through court fights.

- Healthy debate -

Melaku-Bello's passion is undiminished.

"How dare they call this a democracy when it's not government for the people by the people but by an oligarchy government controlled by the few," he says, complaining that the wealthy are able to buy political influence in the United States.

His devotion earns praise even from those who disagree with him, such as passerby Eric Meek, 47, an Ohio school teacher who describes himself as "more right wing."

"I think that's what makes our country great," Meek says, "if two people who have different philosophies can talk in a sensible way" and listen to each other.

Melaku-Bello says he will keep talking, and listening, as long as he physically can.

"Maybe loving all the civilians of the planet, some people would call it madness," he says. "So how long will I do it? Maybe till my last breath."
German manufacturer Rheinmetall has won a Aus$5.2 (US$4.1 billion) contract to supply Australia with new armoured combat vehicles to replace the ageing Light Armoured Vehicle fleet and undertake missions from peacekeeping to "high-threat operations"

German manufacturer Rheinmetall won a Aus$5.2 (US$4.1 billion) contract Wednesday to supply Australia with new armoured combat vehicles as Canberra boosts its defence capabilities.

The deal will see Rheinmetall supply 211 of its Boxer CRV vehicles built with Australian steel by Australian workers, defeating a rival bid from BAE Systems.

"The vehicles will provide improved safety to Australian soldiers on deployment and on exercises around the world," said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

"They will boost mobility and firepower on the battlefield in the decades ahead."

The wheeled machines, which have a 30-year life, will replace the Army's current ageing Light Armoured Vehicle fleet and undertake a range of missions, from peacekeeping to "high-threat operations".

The CRVs, which can withstand direct bomb attacks and heavy machine gun fire, and are part of a Aus$200 billion government investment in strengthening its defence force over the next decade.

In 2016, French naval contractor DCNS was selected to design and build 12 new state-of-the-art submarines, beating off competition from Germany and Japan.

Australia's current ANZAC and Adelaide class frigates will also be replaced, with Britain's BAE Systems, Italy's Fincantieri, and Spain's Navantia in the running for that deal.
Explosions light the sky over the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta, which has been bombarded by air strikes during a Syrian government offensive that has reportedly left over 1,100 civilians dead

A two-pronged US push for action on Syria at the UN Security Council could prompt Russia to again use its veto, a move some diplomats see as a possible trigger for American strikes in Syria.

Russia has used its veto power 11 times to block action against its Syrian ally, shielding President Bashar al-Assad's government from sanctions, war crimes investigations and an inquiry into chemical weapons attacks.

Speculation about a 12th Russian veto on Syria is again rife after the United States on Monday put forward a draft resolution on a 30-day ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta and Damascus.

The move was in response to the failure of a UN-approved humanitarian ceasefire to take hold despite backing from Russia, which is helping Syria's offensive in Eastern Ghouta, a rebel enclave on the outskirts of the capital.

The operation has reportedly killed more than 1,100 civilians since it was launched in mid-February.

A separate US-drafted measure to set up an inquiry into chemical weapons attacks is under negotiation, but diplomats said talks with Russia had hit a wall.

With two measures on the table, US Ambassador Nikki Haley has warned that the United States is ready to act in Syria "if we must" to address the use of chemical weapons and "inhuman suffering."

"When the international community consistently fails to act, there are times when states are compelled to take their own action," Haley said on Monday.

"We also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, most especially the outlaw Syrian regime: the United States remains prepared to act if we must."

It remains unclear when the United States will put its draft resolutions up for a vote at the council, which is increasingly frustrated by its inability to change the course of the war in Syria.

- Deja vu -

Haley's threat was a repeat of the warning delivered to the council in April last year, just before President Donald Trump ordered missile strikes on a Syrian air base over the sarin gas attack on the opposition-held village of Khan Sheikhun.

UN diplomats are openly talking about "deja vu" as the United States again signals that it is considering military action in Syria.

The threats are ratcheting up pressure on Russia.

"The Russians are feeling the heat. They are afraid that the Americans might re-engage in Syria in a more robust way," a council diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

Another council diplomat pointed to the anniversary of the Khan Sheikhun attack on April 4 as a possible timeframe for US action.

"The Trump administration is resorting to a naming-and-shaming strategy on Russia at the Security Council," said Nicholas Heras, Syria expert at the Washington-based Center for a New American Security.

"This is the beginning of a larger discussion with Russia about what will happen with other areas in the country," in particular the southwest where a de-escalation zone has been set up by the United States, Jordan and Russia, said Heras.

"What the Trump team is doing now is initial posturing: It's saying: 'What you are doing in Ghouta, don't do it anywhere else. If you try to do it anywhere else, there will be consequences.'"

Haley's warning drew a strong response from Moscow on Tuesday.

After last year's US strike on the Shayrat air base, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that "if a new strike of this kind takes place, the consequences will be very serious."

Russia's head of the general staff Valery Gerasimov warned of "retaliatory measures" if any Russian serviceman is hit in a US strike.

Russia has military staff on the ground helping the Syrian offensive in Eastern Ghouta, which lies near the capital of Damascus.
MOSS POINT, Miss. -- A Moss Point man who allegedly beat and burned his 3-year-old son pleaded guilty to two counts of felony child abuse on Wednesday.

Nathan Blake McCrory, 26, confessed to abuse charges and one charge of manufacturing a controlled substance.

Judge Robert Krebs sentenced McCrory to 40 years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections -- 25 years to serve, the remaining 15 years to be served on post-release supervision -- five of those years will be reporting.

He was also assessed court costs, $2000 fine with $500 to be paid to the crime victim's compensation fund.

McCrory was originally jailed in April 2016 for causing serious bodily harm to his 3-year-old son, Zander Saucier.

On Jan. 24, 2017, McCrory was arrested for two additional counts of felony child abuse after he was indicted by a grand jury.

On Feb. 13, Krebs tacked on an additional $100,000 to McCrory's bond based on the additional charges, bringing his bond total to $200,000.

According to medics at The University of South Alabama Medical Center in Mobile, Ala., Saucier was found to have a collapsed lung, burns, a damaged liver and facial injuries.

Jackson County District Attorney Tony Lawrence and his team used the Lonnie Smith Act to prosecute McCrory.

The law bridges the gap between legal and medical definitions of child abuse and takes a stair-step approach to penalizing those found in violation of the law.

"This case is exactly why we needed the Lonnie Smith Act," Lawrence said. "That law has allowed prosecutors across the state to protect innocent children, just like Zander. The level of depravity demonstrated by this defendant and the sentence he received is proof positive that the law is serving the purpose for which it was intended."
Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearisation

Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, local media reported, as diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang ramp up.

The reports come after the surprise announcement that US President Donald Trump plans his own talks with the North Korean leader, part of fast-paced diplomatic developments following an Olympic detente.

However, there have been no public proposals of talks by either Pyongyang or Tokyo.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported a potential Abe-Kim summit late Tuesday, citing unnamed government sources who said the talks could be part of a new approach by Tokyo to dealing with the North.

Hours later, Jiji Press reported a similar story, saying Tokyo fears being left behind in dealing with the North if talks proceed between the isolated nation and South Korea and Washington without Japan's involvement.

Contacted by AFP, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit.

But she added "we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective" to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang.

Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan's leadership on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement last week of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearisation.

Suh, the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, on Tuesday met with Abe but it was unclear if he brought a message from the North Korean leader to propose a summit with Japan.

Media reports and experts say Tokyo fears it may be left out of developments around North Korea, and worries that the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is being sidelined.

But the possibility of an Abe-Kim summit also comes as the Japanese premier faces a growing scandal at home over the sale of government land to one of his supporters, and an apparent cover-up of the deal by the finance ministry.

Abe rose to political prominence on his calls for a tough line on North Korea, particularly over its abductions of Japanese citizens.

Japan, a close US ally in the region, is in the firing line of North Korean missiles and saw two fly over its territory in 2017, sparking outrage and lifting tensions to fever pitch.

The last Japanese prime minister to meet a North Korean leader was Junichiro Koizumi, who met Kim's father Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2004.
Iraqi Kurdish schoolgirls walk past a memorial of a dead Kurdish man protecting his child during the poison gas attack by Saddam Hussein's forces in 1988 in Halabja

On March 16, 1988, as many as 5,000 Iraqi Kurds, mostly women and children, were killed when deadly gas was released on the northern town of Halabja by Saddam Hussein's forces.

AFP remembers the massacre, believed to have been the worst-ever gas attack targeting civilians.

- Circling planes -

In the final months of the eight-year Iraq-Iran war, ethnic Kurdish fighters who sided with Iran capture the large farming town of Halabja in Iraq on March 15.

Home to more than 40,000 people, the town is in the Kurdistan region and just 11 kilometres (seven miles) from the Iran border, while 250 kilometres from the Iraqi capital.

Saddam's army retaliates with artillery and air strikes. The Kurdish fighters and most of the town's men withdraw to surrounding hills, leaving behind the children, women and elderly.

The following day, Iraqi fighter planes circle above the area for five hours, releasing a mixture of toxic gases.

- No obvious injury -

The slaughter is quickly revealed: the fighters who come down from the hills give the alert and foreign journalists are soon on the scene.

By March 23, the first images are broadcast on Iranian television. Corpses scatter the streets with no obvious sign of injury, although witnesses say later some had blood around their noses.

Former Iraqi General Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali", photographed during his trial in 2004

The cameras of journalists brought in by the Iranian army linger on the bodies of the children. The town is the victim of a chemical weapon attack, say the commentaries, using official Iranian explanations that accuse Iraq of responsibility.

A Belgian-Dutch team from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the first foreign medical mission to reach Halabja, confirms the use of mustard gas and probably of cyanide.

"Our conclusion is clear: the civilian population was gassed," it says.

- Nothing moves -

An AFP special envoy, Michel Leclerq, describes the horror in a story filed on April 1.

"Not the slightest stir, not a cry, not a movement: Halabja ... seems frozen, immobilised in a deep sleep, while canons thunder in the distance," the report says.

The "houses remain standing, the stores are full" but "no soul lives here since Iraqi planes released their deadly poison".

Many of the thousands who fled are in camps in Iran.

A French MSF team estimates the number of dead at 2,000-3,000. Teheran gives a toll of 5,000.

A Belgian toxicologist says in May that analysis shows that several gases were used including mustard gas and nerve agents.

He estimates that 3,800 people were killed and 10,000 poisoned.

Analysts say afterwards the attack may have been in revenge for the Kurdish fighters' support of the Iranian army in the 1980-1988 war.

- 'Chemical Ali' hanged -

Justice comes more than 20 years later when General Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali" for ordering poisonous gas attacks, is hanged in 2010.

A cousin of Saddam, he is found by the courts to have ordered the attack on Halabja.

He gets four death sentences, including for Halabja, but insists he acted in the interests of Iraqi security and expresses no remorse.

In 2012, the Iraqi government hands Halabja authorities the rope used in his hanging.

Saddam is hanged in 2006 for another atrocity, closing various investigations underway against him, including for genocide of the Kurds.

Foreign Policy magazine reveals in 2013 that the United States provided Iraq with intelligence on preparations for an Iranian offensive during the war knowing Baghdad would respond with chemical weapons.

"The Iraqis never told us that they intended to use nerve gas. They didn't have to. We already knew," said retired Air Force colonel Rick Francona, a military attache in Baghdad during the 1988 attack.
A Palestinian refugee holds a placard at a school belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in the town of Sebline in Lebanon, on March 12, 2018, during a protest against US aid cuts to the organisation.

Global powers will gather in Rome on Thursday to discuss the future of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which faces an unprecedented crisis after the US froze tens of millions of dollars in funding.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) only has enough funds to keep schools and medical services open until May, its commissioner general Pierre Krahenbuhl told AFP.

US President Donald Trump's administration has so far committed only $60 million to the agency this year, down from $360 million in 2017.

He has frozen two planned payments worth more than $100 million -- one for UNRWA's central budget and one for food aid.

Trump continues to pressure Palestinian leaders to end their boycott of his administration, sparked by his December recognition of the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

A major funding drive launched by UNRWA after the US freeze has raised little new money and diplomats are not optimistic that the Rome meeting will produce major pledges.

UN officials want European countries to step in to fill part of the gap, but are focusing their fundraising efforts on Gulf Arab countries.

Fear is rife about the future of the organisation, which employs more than 20,000 mainly Palestinian staff and relies on the United States for nearly 30 percent of its funding.

UNRWA was established after the war surrounding Israel's creation in 1948, when around 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled.

The agency offers vital support for these refugees and their descendants in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza, reaching more than three million people.

It provides education to around half a million students.

- 'Extremely disappointing' -

In January, Trump tweeted "we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect," accusing them of walking away from peace negotiations.

Two weeks later his administration confirmed it would hold back tens of millions in aid to UNRWA, saying it wanted the rest of the world to pay more.

Krahenbuhl labelled it the agency's worst ever financial crisis and launched a major funding drive, turning the front page of its website into a plea for donations.

Senior officials travelled around the world to push for funds, with UNRWA aiming to find nearly half a billion dollars in new money.

But since the launch of the "Dignity is Priceless" campaign, the only new funding was a $900,000 grant from Kuwait -- although European countries have brought forward donations planned for the summer.

Private donations ran only into the "hundreds of thousands," Krahenbuhl said, saying the amount was "not groundbreaking."

The UN Central Emergency Response Fund released $30 million to UNRWA on Tuesday to keep the agency's food aid programme afloat.

Krahenbuhl played down concerns the world was not stepping up to fill the gap.

"It takes a lot of political dialogue for these things to move forward, especially in light of the size of the shortfall," he told AFP.

"States were planning to contribute $20-25 million to UNRWA and suddenly see a shortfall that has increased by $300 million. It is quite natural you will not have one single state that will come forward and close that shortfall."

But UNRWA employees have deep concerns about the sheer size of the gap.

Nicola Jones, of the Overseas Development Institute think tank, said she expected UNRWA heads to be "really concerned" by the slow pace of new funds.

"They really did try to have a high profile public awareness campaign about the cost of withdrawing funding and I think it is clearly extremely disappointing that it hasn't been fruitful," she said.

Separately Wednesday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories called the US cuts to UNRWA a "big problem".

"Anything that is cut in terms of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza creates a bigger problem for the people of Gaza. We are struggling now to address those needs," Jamie McGoldrick said at the launch of a separate appeal for funds for Palestinians.

- 'Corner the Americans' -

The Rome conference, co-hosted by Sweden, Egypt and Jordan, will seek fresh momentum.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will attend, his office confirmed on Tuesday, while Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield is expected to represent the United States.

Sweden's ambassador to the United Nations, Olof Skoog, said it was "reasonable" the world would do more for UNRWA "but we expect the United States to stay committed."

Hugh Lovatt, Israel/Palestine analyst at the European Council of Foreign Relations think tank, said European countries were wary of being seen to bridge the funding gap for fear of vindicating Trump's attempts to cut international aid funding.

Trump is due to announce his proposal for new Israel-Palestinian peace talks and Lovatt said observers were waiting to see its vision for UNRWA.

He said he expected Europeans in Rome to make a "concerted effort to corner the Americans and convince them to reconsider."

jod-az-cml-sa/mjs/par
Emergency personnel in biohazard suits have been deployed in normally quiet Salisbury, as police and soldiers scour affected areas in the city

US President Donald Trump demanded an explanation from Moscow over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain as London's deadline for answers expired, with Russia threatening retribution if it is punished for the Cold War intrigue.

Moscow has slammed the accusations that it was behind the attempted murder of a double agent, defying the midnight Tuesday (00:00 GMT) ultimatum set by Britain to explain how a Soviet-designed nerve-agent found its way onto British streets.

The attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 sparked a deepening diplomatic row that pits Russia against Britain and its allies the United States, NATO and the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will outline London's response to the escalating crisis on Wednesday, has pointed the finger at Moscow, which she said was "highly likely" to be responsible.

In a phone call with May on Tuesday, Trump said Russia must "provide unambiguous answers" to explain what is believed to be the first nerve agent attack in Europe since World War II.

The two leaders "agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms", the White House said.

Factfile on the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok

In Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insisted "Russia is not guilty", saying it was ready to cooperate with Britain but complaining that its request for samples of the nerve agent had been rejected.

The Russian embassy said it had formally demanded Britain allow a joint investigation, saying "without that, there can be no sense in any statements from London".

In the first sign of the practical implications of the growing diplomatic crisis, Russia threatened to bar all British media from working in Russia if British authorities banned the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster.

British regulator Ofcom has warned it could review RT's licence if Russia were found to have been responsible for the attack on Skripal, who came to Britain in a 2010 spy swap.

- Allies back Britain -

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the southwestern city of Salisbury.

The British government believes a "Novichok" Russian nerve agent was used and on Monday May called on Moscow explain whether the attempted murder was a state-sponsored attack, or whether it had "lost control" of the substance.

She demanded Moscow disclose details of the development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

But addressing the OPCW, Russian ambassador Alexander Shulgin accused British officials of launching "vicious attacks" against Moscow and "fomenting hysteria".

Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union during the late stages of the Cold War, was "more dangerous and sophisticated" than sarin or VX.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was 'highly likely' Russia was behind the poisoning of a former double agent

May will gather her National Security Council on Wednesday morning "to discuss the response from Russia", and will then give a statement to MPs, her spokesman said.

The prime minister has said that her government was considering a British version of the US "Magnitsky Act", which was adopted in 2012 to punish Russian officials accused of human rights violations.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson attempted to rally support on Tuesday by calling his counterparts and vowing that if Russia was responsible, "this would be further reckless behaviour which threatens the international community and requires an international response".

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans said the EU was united in "unwavering" solidarity, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was taking the British accusation "extremely seriously" and French President Emmanuel Macron said the attack was "unacceptable".

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was "of great concern" amid reports that Britain was consulting NATO allies about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence.

- 'They will not recover' -

Vil Mirzayanov, a chemist who worked on the Novichok programme and now lives in the United States, said the nerve agent's effects were "brutal".

"These people are gone -- the man and his daughter. Even if they survive they will not recover," the 83-year-old told The Telegraph newspaper.

A policeman was also taken ill, and police revealed Tuesday that 35 people were assessed at the time, all but one of whom were swiftly released. That person is being monitored as an outpatient.

The case has prompted comparisons with the 2006 radiation poisoning of former spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, which a British public inquiry blamed on Russia.

In a further twist, former senior Russian executive Nikolai Glushkov, linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, was found dead in London in unexplained circumstances, British and Russian media reported.
Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Neill, seen here comforting villagers after the earthquake, said Australian doctors were being recruited to help manage the crisis

The death toll from a major earthquake that struck Papua New Guinea last month has risen to 125, police said Wednesday, amid concern that an outbreak of disease will see it jump further.

A 7.5-magnitude quake struck the Pacific nation's mountainous interior on February 26, burying homes and causing landslides, making it hard to reach isolated villages.

Police said the toll had now reached 125, up from 100 last week, as more news filtered in from remote communities.

"From the reports received at the command centres, 45 have died so far in the Southern Highlands and in Hela province 80 people are confirmed dead," the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary said in a statement.

"It is expected that the figure might increase once all people have been accounted for."

It added that 15,000 people had been displaced in the Southern Highlands and at least 20,000 in Hela, with many now in temporary shelters. Schools remain closed.

While aid is finally reaching remote areas, doctors warned that public health issues must also be urgently addressed, with fears disease will kill even more people.

"Food-borne and water-borne diseases are just two of the many diseases that many may die from if we don't start addressing the issues now," Sam Yockopua, head of emergency medicine at the government's Health Department, told The National newspaper.

"For example, from one of the areas that health officers recently visited, 80 people came in with injuries caused by the earthquake, while more than 100 came in to be treated for food-borne and water-borne diseases."

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill said Australian doctors were being recruited to help manage the crisis.

"In the next few days or weeks, the waterborne diseases will affect the affected population and areas, we have to lift our presence in medical support," he said.

Earthquakes are common in PNG, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.
Cathay posted the first back-to-back annual loss in its 71-year history but chairman John Slosar is upbeat about the outlook for 2018

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific on Wednesday booked the first back-to-back annual loss in its seven-decade history but said it was in the black for the second half and was upbeat about the next year.

The firm's report was its worst since 2008 during the global financial crisis, as lower-cost Chinese airlines ate into market share while it took a major hit from fuel costs.

"Increased fuel costs are increasing operating costs and adversely affecting results," chairman John Slosar said in a statement.

However, while it posted a net loss of HK$1.26 billion ($161 million), that was much better than the HK$2.26 billion forecast in a survey by Bloomberg News.

The news was greeted by a more than three percent surge in the firm's share price in afternoon Hong Kong trade, although the gains were later pared and it closed flat at HK$13.78.

Cathay suffered a HK$2.05 billion loss in the first six months of the year but that was narrowed by a healthy second-half, when it shifted into the black.

The second-half results were boosted by improved premium class demand and a strong cargo business, with Slosar saying an better global economic outlook also helped.

Fuel hedging costs fell to HK$6.38 billion in 2017 from HK$8.45 billion the previous year.

However, fuel was still the most significant outlay, accounting for 30 percent of operating costs at HK$31.11 billion, compared with HK$27.95 billion in the year before.

Huarong International Securities analyst Jackson Wong said the company still had the edge over its rivals in terms of reputation in the premium market, but needed to take a broad approach to compete with budget carriers.

"Whether they can regain the market share is really the key," Wong told AFP.

- Job cuts -

Companies such as China Eastern and China Southern Airlines are offering direct services to Europe and the United States from the mainland, while budget carriers have targeted regional travellers, undermining Cathay's position.

The airline is also under pressure from Middle East rivals, which are expanding into Asia and offering more luxury touches.

Cathay said passenger revenue decreased 3.5 percent in 2017, with passenger yield -- the average amount paid per person per mile -- dropping 3.3 percent.

The HK$575 million loss in 2016 was Cathay's first time in the red for eight years, and prompted a management shake-up and promises to slash staff costs by 30 percent.

It pledged to cut 600 staff including a quarter of its management as part of its biggest overhaul in two decades.

Chief executive Rupert Hogg took over in May 2017, replacing Ivan Chu, who had been in the job for three years.

The carrier has also been in long-running talks with pilots over compensation, housing benefits and pay freezes, with a strike targeting the year-end holidays averted in 2017.

There was no mention of further cuts in Wednesday's announcement but Slosar said the company's "transformation programme" was still a priority for 2018, promising to "better contain costs" to boost passenger business.

"We are confident of a successful outcome from these efforts," Slosar added, pledging to expand the airline's route network and buy more fuel-efficient planes.
The perils of South Korean leadership

Most former South Korean presidents of recent decades have had their retirements interrupted -- or terminated -- by legal troubles.

Wednesday's interrogation of Lee Myung-bak, who occupied the presidential Blue House from 2008 to 2013, means that every living former head of state has now been convicted, charged or investigated for criminal offences. One even killed himself after being questioned.

Here are details of their cases.

- Chun Doo-hwan -

Chun, a former army general who ruled from 1980 to 1988, served prison time in the 1990s for charges including treason and bribery.

Chun was convicted of staging a military coup in 1979 to seize power after the death of longtime army dictator, Park Chung-hee, and of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars from local businessmen.

Now 87, he was initially sentenced to death, before the penalty was commuted to life in prison by the country's highest court in 1997.

He was released eight months later when the then president Kim Young-sam pardoned him.

- Roh Tae-woo -

Roh, Chun's successor who served from 1988 to 1993 and also a former general, was convicted of similar offences, including both treason and bribery, at the same trial.

He was initially sentenced to life in prison, reduced to 17 years on appeal.

Now 85, Roh also received a presidential pardon and walked free on the same day as Chun in 1997, albeit from a different prison.

- Roh Moo-Hyun -

Roh, a liberal who served from 1998 to 2003, killed himself in 2009 while being probed over graft.

A former human rights lawyer and the mentor of current president Moon Jae-in, he enjoyed huge popularity among liberal young voters.

But the graft probe targeting him as well as his family -- described by Roh's supporters as a politically motivated move orchestrated by Lee Myung-bak, who was president at the time -- tarnished the reputation of the former leader whose role model was former US president Abraham Lincoln.

Roh threw himself off a cliff three weeks after his interrogation by prosecutors.

Moon, who had served as his chief of staff, later said that the shock suicide prompted him to seek elected office himself.

- Park Geun-hye -

Park, 66, was impeached last year amid a massive corruption scandal involving her secret confidante, Choi Soon-sil, and is currently being tried on dozens of charges ranging from abuse of power to corruption.

Park is accused of offering policy favours to top businessmen who helped enrich Choi including Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong.

Park is the daughter of the late dictator Park Chung-hee, and Choi's father, a shady religious figure, acted as her mentor until his death in 1994.

The ousted president is also accused of letting Choi, who has no title or security clearance, handle state affairs including cabinet nominations and policy and even her daily wardrobe choice.

The verdict is due in April, and prosecutors have sought a 30-year jail sentence.
The New Zealand diplomat criticised Trump in tweets that she has since deleted

A top New Zealand diplomat in Washington was reportedly censured Wednesday over social media posts expressing fears "we will all die" if US President Donald Trump is re-elected.

Caroline Beresford, Wellington's second-ranked diplomat in the US, tweeted "get your shit together" discussing Bernie Sanders-Elizabeth Warren Democratic ticket against Trump in the 2020 election.

"Please get your shit together or we will all die," she wrote in tweets, since deleted, later adding: "They've learned nothing."

Sanders and Warren are a liberal dream team but pundits would expect them to struggle against Trump's right-wing populism in the next presidential race.

New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) told stuff.co.nz it "does not in any way endorse the content or tone of the tweets."

It said Beresford's tweets were prompting "appropriate action".
Russian chemist Vil Mirzayanov first uncovered in the 1990s the existence of the nerve gas used to attack a former Russian spy in Britain

The Russian chemist who first revealed the existence of "Novichok" nerve agents says only the Russians can be behind the weapon's use in Britain against a former spy and his daughter.

Vil Mirzayanov, 83, came to the United States in 1995 after 30 years of working for the State Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology, or GNIIOKhT.

It was he who in the early 1990s revealed the existence of that class of ultra-powerful nerve agents.

He did so first in the Russian media as it opened up with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and later, with chemical formulas at hand, in his book "State Secrets," published in 2007.

Former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found slumped on a bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. Britain says it is "highly likely" that Moscow was to blame for the nerve agent attack.

Mirzayanov, speaking at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, said he is convinced Russia carried it out as a way of intimidating opponents of President Vladimir Putin.

"Only the Russians" developed this class of nerve agents, said the chemist. "They kept it and are still keeping it in secrecy."

The only other possibility, he said, would be that someone used the formulas in his book to make such a weapon.

- 'Dangerous for the Kremlin' -

He said that the Russians could argue that maybe someone had synthesized them "and they could make me guilty!"

This is the first time the nerve agents, which took 15 years to develop and were tested on animals, have been used to try to kill somebody, Mirzayanov said.

Why now? Mirzayanov said he believes the Kremlin wants to intimidate people, such as enemies of Putin.

For instance, he hypothesized, suppose someone leaves Russia with material that would compromise President Donald Trump in the US probe into whether his 2016 election campaign colluded with Russia in its alleged drive to help him beat Hillary Clinton.

"It's very dangerous for the Kremlin because it is a plot against America," said the chemist. "So they threaten this person, and they say, 'look what happened to Skripal. The same could happen to you.'"

Mirzayanov says the attack was aimed at intimidating opponents of President Vladimir Putin

Mirzayanov said Skripal could no longer cause Russia any problems but the Kremlin could have killed him anyway, and in a cruel fashion, just to intimidate potential opponents.

- No cure -

An attack with Novichok agents, which are 10 times stronger than VX, is excruciating and has no cure, he added.

He said half a gram is enough to kill a person who weighs 50 kilos (110 pounds).

Someone exposed to it first has their vision go blurry, and if no antidote is applied are then hit with violent convulsions and can no longer breathe.

"I have seen the effect on animals -- rabbits, dogs. It is awful," he said.

Even if they do not die, Skripal and his daughter will suffer for the rest of their lives, he predicted.

The nerve agents are easy to administer because they are binary, meaning they result from the mix of two substances which on their own are harmless.

So these two parts can be transported with no risk, then blended to make the weapon in a spray gun.

Mirzayanov said that as awful as it has been, the attack in Britain might lead to something good: the UK and other Western countries insisting on Novichok agents being registered in the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as he has been urging for more than 20 years.

Had these weapons been placed under control the Salisbury attack might not have happened, he said.

Now that Mirzayanov is speaking openly about Novichok, his friends on Facebook and elsewhere are urging him to be careful, lest the Russians seek reprisal against him.

"But I have lived for quite a long time. They cannot stop me. I will work until the end to have Novichok placed under international control," he said.
Duterte is infuriated the ICC has opened a preliminary investigation into his deadly drug war

President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he was pulling the Philippines out of the treaty underpinning the International Criminal Court, which is examining his deadly drug war.

The outspoken leader, who is accused of stoking the killing of drug suspects with inflammatory statements, has fiercely pushed back since the Philippines became the first southeast Asian nation put under "preliminary examination" by the court's prosecutors.

The ICC announced last month it was launching a study of the killings, which Philippine police put at 4,000 but rights groups say is actually triple that number.

Officially quitting the court requires a year's notice and experts say pulling out does not preclude an investigation of the deaths, which have drawn international concern.

"It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines," Duterte said in a statement, adding the ICC examination was "unduly and maliciously created".

"I therefore declare and forthwith give notice... that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately," he added.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

The Philippines, under previous President Benigno Aquino, ratified in 2011 the Rome Statute which underpins the ICC, giving the tribunal authority to investigate crimes on its soil.

Rights advocates and attorneys said quitting the court would not eliminate the possibility of a case before it.

"The Philippines' intention to walk away from the International Criminal Court is unfortunate, but it doesn't shut the door on the prosecutor's scrutiny of the government's horrendous track record of grave abuses," said Param-Preet Singh of Human Rights Watch.

- 'Unprecedented, outrageous attacks' -

Celeste Mallari, a professor at the Philippines College of Law, said the court can "investigate any acts that have been done from the time the Philippines became a member of the ICC... until one year after we gave our notice of withdrawal".

However, should the Philippines fully withdraw from the court it would not be the first to do so, as Burundi became the first ever nation to leave in October 2017.

In a wave of unprecedented defections, other African nations -- Zambia, South Africa, Kenya and Gambia -- have also made moves to quit or expressed interest to withdraw as they accused the court of being biased against Africans.

Russia in 2016 dealt the ICC another blow by withdrawing its signature from the Rome Statute.

Duterte, who is buoyed by high popularity ratings in the Philippines, has fiercely defended the drug war as a battle to bring safety to the nation's 100 million people.

On Wednesday he repeated that defence, citing "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on his person as well my administration".

"The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operations lacked the intent to kill," he added.

But even as early as October 13, 2016, when Duterte had only been in office less than four months, the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement that she was "deeply concerned" over reports of extra-judicial killings of over 3,000 alleged drug users and pushers.

Adding pressure on Manila, in February, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva raised the country's human rights record, with Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson calling on the Philippines to accept the visit of a UN Special Rapporteur.

Philippine officials had initially said in February that the country was ready to cooperate but asked for fairness.

Duterte's spokesman Harry Roque also said they would refuse a visit by one such rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who had previously been pressing to investigate the killings.

But Roque has also said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the case because the tribunal was intended as a "court of last resort" and the Philippine courts were fully functioning.
Book conservator Flavio Marzo explores how the experience for users of online library material surrogates could be easily improved by enhancing invisible physical features of books.

Working as a book conservator within digitisation projects has been my job for many years. I started in 2006, only one year after joining the British Library Conservation team here in London after leaving my country, Italy.

The subject of that digitisation project was the digitisation and virtual reunification of the Codex Sinaiticus, possibly one of the most known and valuable manuscripts in the Western world. The Codex was compiled in the IV century AD and is the oldest surviving and most complete version of the Old and New Testament. Many years have passed since that project and digitisation has become a common work stream within public institutions. This is especially evident within libraries which now compete in uploading material from their own collections to make them available for scholars, students and readers across the globe.

Technology has improved immensely since then and a lot of ink has been spread across physical and virtual pages about the remit, the limitations and the advantages of what is offered to the public through the surrogates uploaded onto countless web portals. This piece is just another little drop into this ocean of ink to share some considerations built upon experience and from the perspective of a book conservator who sees, because of his professional background, the limitations of this, but also the exciting challenges to overcome them.

Books are physical objects and the pleasure of opening them, turning the pages, looking at (when decorated) the illuminations and their pigments, or at the accretions of the ink strokes, even smelling them, cannot be recreated on the screen of a home desktop. This does not mean that we cannot improve the experience and possibly further close the gap between the real object and the two-dimensional images.

I now work for the British Library/Qatar Foundation Digitisation Project and for the past 5 years, with a team of two conservators, I have been repairing documents (printed and hand written) and Scientific Arabic manuscripts for the team of scholars and photographers who are doing the real magic by gifting the world with the content now available on the Qatar Digital Library website (https://www.qdl.qa/en).

I have worked with books all my life since I was a 16 year old apprentice in a Benedictine Monastery. I have to admit that I am not an avid reader but I love books as objects and I get very excited about all the different little features and materials they are made from. How is it possible to please someone like me when offering online surrogates of complex items like books?

Books are recognised as 3D items and a lot of work has been done to migrate the content of those printed and manuscript texts into online, easy to access versions, but very little has been done to capture their physicality as objects.

Photographers, like any other professional, follow strict professional standards defined by general rules and specific project boundaries. Those standards are built to assure that the best possible result is achieved consistently and the meter to measure this result is the quality of the final product i.e. the image to be uploaded. Those images are supposed to reproduce as faithfully as possible the text and the carrier of the content of a book. Very rarely attention is given to the substrate or to the physical features of the object.

Lights for digitisation are carefully positioned to avoid shadows and they help to reduce surface irregularities and anomalies. This is all to the benefit of the written text and/or of the decorations, but with much loss for the lovers of the book as an object!

Here I want to describe some very practical ways to achieve different results and show some behind the scenes of items I have been working on and how these very interesting results can be achieved with simple straight-forward techniques that do not require any high-tech equipment.

Raking light

I have mentioned the Codex Sinaiticus and I would like to start with it.

Revelation, 2:7 - 3:5, British Library folio: 326. This image: Normal light.

Revelation, 2:7 - 3:5, British Library folio: 326. This image: Raking light.

All the available remaining pages of the Codex from the different geographical sites where they are presently held (The British library, The Library of the University of Leipzig, The National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg, and the Holy Monastery of Saint Catherines) were digitised and uploaded onto the purposely created website (http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/). Contrary to common practice, all the pages were imaged both with normal and raking light.

When imaging pages of books with normal light the attention is placed primarily to achieve the full readability of the text. Lights are placed and conditioned to radiate evenly over the surface of the page making sure no shadows are created and paying great attention to colours and tones to ensure they are as close as possible to the real appearance of the object reproduced.

What raking light does is very different and the resulting image reveals a completely new landscape. Placing the source of light horizontally relative to the page results in an enhanced texture of the substrate which highlights and brings to life all the physical features present on the surface of the pages. These interesting and unique features can relate to the preparation of the writing surface or more generally to the specific material the substrate is made of e.g. papyrus, parchment or paper.

Here are some details of pages of the Codex Sinaiticus taken with raking light.



In the previous images the source of light is now helping us to appreciate this famous manuscript on a completely different level.

Horizontal and vertical lines, holes pierced through the page, and scratch marks now appear clearly. They are traced on the surface of the pages for a purpose; those are features related to the page preparation that happened before the text was traced onto it.

The bounding lines (vertical) and the writing lines (horizontal) are impressed with a blind (not too sharp) tool onto the parchment sheets. The holes, highlighted with red circles in the second image, are used as a reference. This is known as pricking holes for the ruling of the page to provide the scribes with a guide for writing.

The scratches visible on the surface of the page are most likely the marks left by the pumice stone. The pumice stone was commonly used to prepare the surface of the abraded parchment sheet to make it more absorbent and therefore improve the grasp between the grease substrate and the writing ink.

Thanks to this lighting system it is also possible to see the direction of the indentation of those lines and holes. This information can help codicologists, even from the comfort of their homes, to understand from which side of the folio they were traced and pierced and so recreate the step by step process of the creation of an ancient manuscript.



In this image we see the images of a letter sent by the Emir of Bagdad in 1899 to Lord Curzon when he was appointed Viceroy of India, first taken with normal and then with raking light. In the first image the letter is just a sheet of paper beautifully arranged and decorated with writing. In the second image the light tells us a completely different story; it shows us the use of this letter, the way it was folded and the number of folds it had.

How incredible that it is possible to see all these different insights by just slightly moving a lamp!

Transmitted light

Another technique to read paper from a different perspective is using transmitted light.

Simply by placing the same sheet of paper onto a light table (i.e. illuminating from below) it is possible to bring a completely new scenario to life. In this image for example we can clearly see the watermark impressed onto the sheet of paper of the previous letter, detail impossible to be seen only looking at the image taken under normal light.

Paper can be hand or machine made, and sheets can bear chain and wire lines or possess watermarks or not. These details can be of great interest to scholars and add valuable information to the understanding of documents in relation to their use and circulation.





Here are some more examples of sheets of laid and wove paper taken from different files from the India Office Record material, some showing again the characteristic chain and wire lines (except the last one which is actually a sheet of machine made wove paper) and some very distinctive water marks highlighted and made visible thanks to the used of transmitted light.

Visualization of the physical collation of manuscripts

Books are made of folios and pages and those folios are bound together. How the bindings are made is one of the real wonders of books. The variances are numberless and the materials and details of execution not only delight nerds like myself, but more importantly they inform researchers about the history of those books, giving insights into the objects that open doors to sometime unexpected cultural landscapes through links between different craftsmanship and cultures.

To describe a book structure is a very delicate and laborious process, but one that conservators are trained to do and that they automatically do many times when conserving those books as they record the treatments being carried out.

A lot of work has been done during recent years to create tools able to easily make this complex information sharable with the wider audiences. One I wish to mention here is VisColl, developed by Dot Porter at the Schoenberg Institute for Manuscript Studies at the University of Pennsylvania (https://github.com/leoba/VisColl) in collaboration with Alberto Campagnolo at the Library of Congress, a friend and colleague.

In this image we have, additional to the images of the digitised pages, diagrams (on the left) of the structure of the section where those pages are located and, highlighted in white, the specific pages shown on the screen.

Those diagrams, surely more easily understandable than many wordy descriptions, can help researchers to step into a completely new level of understanding for the manuscript, providing vital information about the history of those items, the way they were put together and possibly evidences of late alterations or even forgeries which may have occurred throughout the centuries.

Digitisation has opened new ways to look and make use of books and, I believe, the improvement of understanding of physical features is the next step that should be consistently and widely taken to enhance the online user experience.

One of the issues digitisation has brought to the attention of conservators and professionals involved in the care and preservation of library material is the fact that by enhancing the fame of objects we can cause an increase in how much those same objects are requested for access.

To justify restriction in handling objects, which for the most part are very fragile and extremely valuable, we need to improve the online metadata and the amount of information available with the surrogates. Those presented here are just some examples in how, quite easily, this can be done.

Obviously the smell will stay within the walls of the libraries, but those are pleasures to be experienced in situ, and alone (almost..!) at the table of the reading rooms. No surrogate can replace that for the lovers of books.
Istanbul has half a million Syrian refugees, the largest community in the country

A Turkish court has sentenced a man to life in prison for murdering a Syrian opposition activist and her journalist daughter in a crime that shocked the exile community, state media said Wednesday.

Aroubeh Barakat and her 22-year-old daughter Halla Barakat were found dead in their Istanbul apartment in September last year.

Syrian national Ahmet Barakat, believed to be a relative of the victims, was arrested after a police raid and charged with murder.

The court in Istanbul convicted him late Tuesday with premeditated murder, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The judge said in the hearing that DNA evidence collected by forensic reports had incriminated the suspect who denied the charges.

"We had no hostility between us. I did not kill them. I did not even see them," Ahmet Barakat told the court.

Turkey is home to over 3.5 million Syrian refugees -- many of them opponents of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Istanbul alone has half a million Syrian refugees, the largest community in the country.

Halla Barakat had been working for a website called Orient News and had previously worked for Turkish state broadcaster TRT.

Both mother and daughter were well known figures in the Syrian community.

Syrian opposition activists and journalists have repeatedly complained of threats to their security.

The US State Department said after the murders of the pair that it would closely follow the investigation.

Both women were believed to be opponents of Assad and reports said Aroubeh Barakat had carried out investigations into alleged torture in prisons run by Assad.

Two Syrian journalists from the city of Raqa who were opposed to the Islamic State (IS) extremist group were found beheaded in southern Turkey in 2015.

The indictment against Barakat said the killing happened because of a family row and made no mention of any political motive.
A convoy of fighters loyal to the Syrian government arrive in the northern border enclave of Afrin on February 22, 2018 to support Kurdish militia against a Turkish-backed offensive

Turkish bombing raids killed 10 fighters loyal to the Syrian government on Wednesday at a checkpoint they were manning near the Kurdish enclave of Afrin, a monitor said.

"The air strikes targeted a checkpoint on the only road leading from Afrin to regime-controlled territory to the southeast," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Of the 10 fighters killed, eight were from the nearby regime-held town of Nubul, the Observatory said.

Ankara and allied Syrian rebels have waged an offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), who control the Afrin enclave, since January 20.

The enclave is bordered to the north and west by Turkey but also lies adjacent to government-controlled Syrian territory.

Pro-Turkish forces have seized several border areas and have almost fully encircled the city of Afrin.

The road that was bombed on Wednesday is the only official way out of the town, and while it has not been fully captured by pro-Turkish assault, it is within firing range.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said some civilians were trying to escape from Afrin along smuggling routes avoiding the main road.

Around 350,000 people live in the city, including families displaced from other parts of the enclave.

Turkey has killed dozens of pro-Damascus fighters backing the YPG in Afrin.
British theoretical physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking arrives in Hong Kong in 2006

Stephen Hawking's death Wednesday generated nearly half a billion clicks in China, where fans mourned a "giant star" who was admired for rising above physical disability and for heartfelt messages to his Chinese social media followers.

Already well-known in China, the British cosmologist two years ago further endeared himself by opening an account on the Twitter-like Weibo platform, posting in both Chinese and English.

The account drew one million fans in its first few hours and now has nearly five million followers.

The infrequent posts by Hawking, who Chinese affectionately called "Hawking Dada", or "Uncle Hawking", typically generated tens of thousands of admiring comments apiece.

News of his death at age 76 quickly became the top-trending Weibo topic, with the hashtag #Hawking passed# generating more than 450 million reads and nearly 250,000 comments in the hours after his death was announced.

Many called his passing "the falling of a giant star".

"The deterioration of his body did not trap him. Today this superhuman brain has left this world, and his next journey, death, remains a mystery," one user said.

"I hope he has the strength to send us information from the next world."

Another user wrote: "Even though I can't understand Hawking Dada's books... he is the one who knows the secret of this world."

At a daily press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang called him a "fighter for science who arduously battled illness for a long time".

Lu noted that Hawking also "strongly insisted" on visiting the Great Wall on a previous visit to China despite his physical condition.

"Mr. Hawking and his contributions will be remembered forever."

Most of Hawking's life was spent in a wheelchair, crippled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neuron disease. He died at his home in England on Wednesday, his family said.

Hawking posted on Weibo about black holes and other phenomena, and wrote in one message that being on China's leading social media platform was "a source of great inspiration".

One of his more popular postings was a June 2016 message of encouragement to tens of millions of Chinese students preparing for annual national college-entrance exams, a stressful, make-or-break ordeal that can determine one's future.

"Whether you aim to be a doctor, teacher, scientist, musician, engineer, or a writer, be fearless in the pursuit of your aspirations. You are the next generation of big thinkers and thought leaders that will shape the future for generations to come," he wrote.
Captured alleged Taliban fighters being presented to the media by police in Jalalabad earlier this month

Now is the best time for the Taliban to negotiate for peace, the top US general in Afghanistan said Wednesday, warning that an increased air and ground campaign against the insurgents would only get worse.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last month unveiled a plan to open talks to end the 16-year-old war, offering to negotiate with the Taliban without any preconditions.

So far the group's response to the offer has been muted, which analysts said reflects debate among Taliban leaders over the merits of engaging with an administration it has long viewed as illegitimate.

But US officials including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that some Taliban elements are open to talking with the Afghan government.

General John Nicholson, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the Taliban have taken heavy casualties since US President Donald Trump authorised ramped-up air operations last year, pointing to increasingly effective Afghan commando and regular Afghan army units.

"In the Taliban's mind, they see what is coming and these capabilities are only going to get greater," Nicholson told reporters accompanying Mattis on a visit to Bagram Airfield, America's largest air base in Afghanistan that is located north of Kabul.

"So this really is probably their best time to attempt a negotiation, because it's only going to get worse for them," he added, as both sides prepare for the start of what is expected to be an intense spring fighting season.

Nicholson's comments come as Afghanistan deploys more troops to the western province of Farah where the Taliban have launched multiple attacks in recent weeks.

The latest assault in the province, which borders Iran, happened in the early hours of Wednesday when militants stormed a checkpoint manned by police and intelligence officers on the outskirts of the provincial capital Farah, killing seven security forces, officials said.

Ghani's peace plan includes eventually recognising the Taliban as a political party. In return, the Taliban would need to recognise the Kabul government and constitution -- a perennial sticking point in past attempts to open talks.

Despite Nicholson's tough talk, US data shows the Taliban are far from being driven off the battlefield.

In October, insurgents controlled or influenced nearly half of Afghanistan's districts -- double the percentage in 2015, the US government's office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in January.

Over the same period, the watchdog said, the number of districts under Afghan government control or influence fell to its lowest level since December 2015.

- Focus on Kabul -

"My perception of what is going on inside the Taliban is they are tired of this war as well, they'd like to return home, they'd like to rejoin society and, just like the people of this country, would like to see the end of this war as would all of us," Nicholson said.

General John Nicholson says he believes the Taliban are also tired of war

He added that there are "many Taliban who could see a way to work within this framework" but cautioned there would always be those that will never reconcile.

"It's encouraging that these offers are on the table and we would appear to be at a point where they could start having a conversation about this," he said.

Aside from military pressure, Nicholson said it is important that diplomatic pressure is strong on "those who externally enable the insurgency" and he credited the role that religious pressure from other Islamic countries is playing.

The four-star general also underscored the need to strengthen security in Kabul, where a string of devastating attacks in recent months has killed hundreds of civilians.

"Kabul is our main effort right now, to harden Kabul, to protect the people of Kabul and the international community that are here because of the strategic impact that has and the importance to the campaign," he said.
The teachers' strike has sharpened tensions in Guinea, where violent protests against President Alpha Conde have unfolded following elections

Guinea's powerful teachers' union called off a month-long strike on Wednesday after reaching an agreement with the government on pay.

The strikes have paralysed the country's education system and fractured relations between teachers, parents and the state, while President Alpha Conde has faced criticism for allowing the industrial action to drag on.

They have run in parallel to protests by the opposition Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), one of whose supporters was killed during a demonstration on Wednesday, his family told AFP.

Aboubacar Soumah, the secretary general of the SLECG teachers' union, declared the strike over after signing an agreement with the Inspector General for Work, Alya Camara.

The union has gained a guarantee of a 40-percent pay increase agreed in 2017 which was only partially implemented in February.

The two sides have also agreed to negotiations on May 2-25 for a base salary of eight million Guinean francs (717 euros, $880) and to a promise that strikers would not be punished.

"Each of us put the interests of Guinea first, through the children who should be back at school," said government mediator Mohamed Said Fofana.

President Conde's authority has been sorely tested by the strike, which followed similar industrial action last year.

Rights groups regularly criticise the heavy death tolls during protests and industrial action in Guinea.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a parliament session in Jerusalem on March 12, 2018 facing allegations from within his governing coalition that he is trying to force early elections

Israel's governing coalition has reached a deal to avoid early elections after days of tense negotiations, but politicians are now bracing for a bombshell that may lie ahead: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's possible indictment.

The deal announced on Tuesday night put to rest for now talk of a high-stakes gamble for Netanyahu, who could be indicted for bribery in the months ahead.

Some members of his coalition had accused him of wanting early elections to shore up his political standing ahead of the attorney general's decision.

Polls suggest he would remain prime minister if early elections were held, and some analysts say that would allow him to press his case that he is being hounded by the country's elites and political enemies but supported by the public.

A range of Israeli media reports said Netanyahu decided to back down and search for a deal in part after it became clear he could not garner enough votes to dissolve parliament.

As for Netanyahu himself, he maintained throughout that he wants his coalition to last its entire term, which ends in November 2019.

After Tuesday's deal, he stood before parliament and taunted opposition leaders, claiming they were afraid of early elections even though they had publicly pushed for them.

"I promised to do everything possible so that this government that has had magnificent success remain in place, and I kept my promise," he said.

On Wednesday, Regional Cooperation Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, a loyal Netanyahu ally, said "an accurate description would be to say that the prime minister was indifferent to the outcome".

"If there were elections, the polls were smiling at him... but on the other hand, who better than the prime minister knows that when you go into an election campaign, there's no way to know what the outcome will be in a few months," he told army radio.

- 'Going to crack'? -

But whether Netanyahu won, lost or drew this round may matter little in the long term.

Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on February 16, 2018 after police recommended he be indicted for bribery

Four corruption investigations looking into his affairs have led to predictions of his eventual downfall after a total of 12 years as prime minister, first from 1996 to 1999, then again beginning in 2009.

Police recommended his indictment in two of those cases in February and the attorney general is considering how to proceed, a process expected to take several months.

But since Netanyahu is not legally required to resign if indicted, his fate may be far from sealed even if he is charged.

The 68-year-old with sharp political instincts has relentlessly criticised the police investigations against him as biased and driven by his enemies.

He has carried out his work as if it is business as usual and a recent trip to the United States allowed him to remind Israelis of what supporters view as his clout and leadership.

He will surely hold up as proof of his diplomatic accomplishments President Donald Trump's plan to open a new US embassy in the disputed city of Jerusalem in May -- a move that has provoked Palestinian outrage.

"Maybe he's going to crack," said Abraham Diskin, professor emeritus of political science at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.

"But if Netanyahu is the same Netanyahu that we followed in the last few days and in recent years, he's not going to crack, and he's going to continue even if he's indicted."

- 'Bet against it' -

Still, Israeli politics are unwieldy and members of his right-wing coalition made up of six parties could easily turn against him if an opportunity arises.

The coalition crisis in recent days was an example of the complications involved in keeping it intact.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish demonstrators block a road during a protest in the town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, on March 12, 2018 against conscription into the Israeli army

It centred on legislation that may seem obscure from outside of Israel, but which holds deep importance -- a bill to exempt young ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from military conscription.

Ultra-Orthodox parties who form part of Netanyahu's government demanded the bill be passed before they support the 2019 budget.

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon of the centrist Kulanu party, who has sought to build a reputation as a practical, no-nonsense manager, threatened to resign if the budget was not approved before parliament goes into recess later this week.

Further complicating the dispute was the opposition to the conscription bill of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who says he wants the ultra-Orthodox to serve in the military like their secular counterparts.

In the end, a series of compromises allowed for a way out.

But early elections are the norm in Israel, with no government serving out its full term since 1988.

Diskin said he would not rule out Netanyahu's current government making it to November 2019, "but I would bet against it if I had to risk money."
Syrian civilians flee Afrin after Turkey said its army and allied rebels surrounded the Kurdish city in northern Syria on March 13, 2018

With Turkish-led forces nearly surrounding Syria's Afrin city, some panicked residents are attempting to flee, others are stocking food fearing a siege, and Kurdish fighters are digging in for a tough fight.

Since January 20, Ankara and allied Syrian rebels have pressed an air and ground offensive that has brought them to the edges of Afrin, held by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

Already overwhelmed by an influx of displaced families that has strained water and electricity networks, residents of Afrin are bracing for what's next.

"We're afraid of what will happen if the Turks enter Afrin," says Almas Bakr, 23, who took refuge in the city from a heavily shelled border area.

"Our hearts are crying -- Afrin doesn't deserve this."

The urban centre is now home to around 350,000 people, after its population swelled with thousands fleeing their homes since the start of the assault.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he hopes the city will be encircled within hours. The single road linking it to the rest of the northwestern region of the same name is coming under heavy fire.

Hundreds have tried to flee, with cars and buses piled high with rugs, crates, and suitcases lining up to leave the town -- to no avail.

Inside, people are rushing to purchase non-perishable food, preparing for the possibility of a Turkish siege of the city.

Water has already been cut for more than a week and electricity shortages have been rampant since pro-Ankara forces took control of a nearby dam that provides some hydroelectric power to the town.

- Stocking rice, baby milk -

Women with plastic jerrycans could be seen gathering on one Afrin thoroughfare this week to fill them from a water truck.

The United Nations' humanitarian coordination office (OCHA) warned Tuesday that residents are relying on six boreholes whose unchlorinated water is putting civilians at risk of contracting waterborne diseases.

Desperate to gather more food for her family, Midiya Mohammad, 20, ventures out of a cellar where she has been taking shelter.

An elderly Syrian woman stands near boxes of aid in the Syrian Kurdish enclave of Afrin on March 10, 2018

"We have stocked up on rice, sugar, tinned food, baby milk and medicines," says the young woman, who escaped the battered town of Jandairis, which has since been captured by Turkish forces.

"We're preparing ourselves" for a possible siege, says Mohammad.

The city has struggled to cope with the influx of displaced families, who have taken shelter in basements, unfinished buildings, and even vans and trucks.

Sultana, 57, is living with several other families in a building under construction, without water or electricity.

"They took our homes and destroyed them," says the displaced woman from the area of Rajo, to the northwest.

"What else do they want to take? Our chickens? Our children's diapers?"

Only one UN convoy has entered Afrin since the assault began, distributing aid to 50,000 people in early March.

Heve Mustafa, co-chair of Afrin's executive council, says authorities are struggling to keep up with growing needs.

- 'We fear a massacre' -

"The humanitarian situation is disastrous despite our efforts," she says.

The town's hospital is short on staff, according to Mustafa, and available medical equipment is not enough for the wounded streaming in.

"Sometimes people die from the lack of medical supplies," she adds.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, more than 200 civilians have been killed in the offensive.

Turkey rejects such claims and says it is doing all it can to avoid civilian casualties.

YPG media advisor Rezan Hedo tells AFP: "We fear a massacre if the Turkish forces enter the city."

"The local administration has not been able to deal with the crisis, perhaps because of the lack of resources or because it doesn't have enough experience," he says.

Turkish forces outnumber YPG fighters, are better armed, and have air superiority.

"What the YPG has done over the past 50 days has been notable, but in the end they are young men -- they are not Jackie Chan," Hedo adds.

The YPG has spearheaded a US-backed alliance that kicked out Islamic State group jihadists from large parts of Syria, but hundreds of fighters have since abandoned that front to defend Afrin.

Some pro-regime militiamen have even joined forces with the YPG, with Turkey bombing their positions, too.

Kurdish fighters are now reinforcing the city's defences, erecting new checkpoints all around Afrin.

A Kurdish military source told AFP that rocket systems have also been set up as makeshift air defence capabilities against Turkish planes.

Top YPG official Redur Khalil pledged to put up fierce resistance.

"The consequences for (Turkey) will be disastrous and costly," according to Khalil.

Inside the city, Ali, 28, a construction worker who lives off donations of water and food, strikes a defiant tone.

"We won't leave Afrin except as corpses," he says.

str-rh-mjg-ah/mm
The Syrian regime has been accused several times of torture and summary executions in its jails during the conflict that is entering its eighth year.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 60,000 people have died from torture or harsh conditions in regime custody since the conflict began in March 2011.

The Britain-based war monitor says half a million people have passed through regime jails.

Damascus has strongly denied the allegations against it and has pointed to gross abuses by its opponents, both jihadists and other rebels.

Several thousand people have died in prisons run by jihadists or other rebels, who have also carried out summary executions not only of government troops but also of civilians, the Observatory says.

Here is a summary of the allegations against the regime:

- 'Torture archipelago' -

In July 2012 US-based group Human Rights Watch said Syria was holding tens of thousands of detainees in a "torture archipelago".

It documented 27 detention facilities nationwide it said were used to hold people swept up in the government's crackdown on protesters.

"Almost all" described experiencing or witnessing torture, including "prolonged beatings, often with objects such as batons and wires", HRW said.

Other methods included "holding the detainees in painful stress positions for prolonged periods of time, often with the use of specially devised equipment, the use of electricity, burning with car battery acid, sexual assault and humiliation, the pulling of fingernails and mock execution."

- Photographer reveals abuses -

In 2014 a former Syrian military photographer codenamed "Caesar", who defected, revealed 55,000 photos which gave a glimpse of some of the abuses being committed in Syrian jails.

The digital images of 11,000 dead detainees showed emaciated bodies and "Caesar" described seeing corpses with "deep wounds and burns and strangulations".

"They were starved to death and their bodies looked like skeletons. These people died of starvation," Caesar said, adding he had never seen anything like it except for images taken during the Nazi regime in World War II.

- Extermination -

In February 2016, UN investigators said that "the mass scale of deaths of detainees suggests that the government of Syria is responsible for acts that amount to extermination".

A year later, human rights organisation Amnesty International said as many as 13,000 people were hanged between 2011 and 2015 at the notorious Saydnaya military-run prison near Damascus.

It said the mass hangings came on top of the 17,700 people it had already recorded as having perished in regime prisons since the start of the conflict in March 2011.

Amnesty said it had interviewed 84 witnesses, including guards, detainees and judges, and alleged a pattern of repeated summary executions, mostly of civilians.

In May 2017, Washington claimed that Damascus had built a "crematorium" at Saydnaya to cover up thousands of prisoner deaths.
The controversy over Gopal Parajuli's birthday has been brewing for months

Nepal's divisive Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli was sacked Wednesday for faking his date of birth in order to remain in office longer.

The controversy over Parajuli's date of birth has been brewing for months after he charged a prominent activist and Nepal's largest newspaper with contempt of court for raising concerns about his multiple birthdays.

A judicial council concluded that Parajuli should have retired seven months ago when he turned 65, the age of retirement for official positions in Nepal.

"He has been removed from the post after the age of retirement was found to have been crossed last August in our investigation," the council's secretary Nripdhoj Niraula told AFP.

The decision came just moments before Parajuli administered the oath of office to Nepal's President Bidya Bhandari, who was reelected for a second term on Tuesday.

He administered the oath nonetheless. It is not clear if Bhandari will have to be sworn in again.

In late February Parajuli subpoenaed the Kantipur Daily -- Nepal's largest newspaper by circulation -- on contempt of court charges for a series of articles that said he had given up to five different dates of birth on various official documents.

The charges were widely condemned as an attack on press freedom, and Parajuli attracted further outrage when he said he would preside over the case himself.

In January, Parajuli also ordered the arrest of anti-corruption activist Dr Govinda KC, an orthopedic surgeon well-loved in Nepal for his philanthropic work, for raising questions about his date of birth.

Parajuli became chief justice last June after his predecessor Sushila Karki -- the first woman to hold the position -- turned 65.
Russia claims Syrian rebels are planning a chemical attack to give the US-led coalition a pretext to strike Damascus

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday claimed that Syrian rebels were planning to stage a chemical attack to give the US-led coalition a pretext to strike Damascus.

Lavrov's claims came after he and the Russian military warned Tuesday that any such strike by the US coalition would lead to Russiam retaliatory steps in Syria and "very serious" consequences.

They spoke after US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that the United States was ready to act in Syria "if we must" to address the use of chemical weapons and "inhuman suffering".

"New provocations with the use of chemical weapons are being prepared -- performances will be organised in Eastern Ghouta, among others," Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday.

"Under this pretext there are plans to use force by the US coalition including against the Syrian capital," he said, adding that he hoped "such irresponsible plans will not be realised".

Lavrov's remarks follow a statement by the chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov who on Tuesday raised the spectre of a direct clash between Russian and US troops in Syria.

Gerasimov claimed that Moscow had "reliable information that fighters are preparing to stage the use by government troops of chemical weapons against the civilian population".

He alleged that the US plans to accuse Assad's troops of using chemical weapons against civilians and then "carry out a bombing attack" on Damascus.

He warned Russia would "take retaliatory measures" if the US targeted areas where its military are staying in the Syrian capital.

"Russian military advisers, representatives of the Centre for Reconciliation and members of military police" are currently in the Syrian capital, Gerasimov said.

The Syrian government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons and Russia, its ally in the war, has questioned UN findings that Damascus carried out sarin and chlorine attacks.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his supporters have consistently claimed that chemical and other attacks were in fact staged, and that an army of actors including children has been trained to fake injury on a massive scale.

Gerasimov's comments came after Russian President Vladimir Putin told the American network NBC in an interview released last week that "we know about fighters' plans to stage the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian army".

Putin insisted that the Syrian government has "long ago" destroyed its stockpiles of chemical weapons and dismissed accusations against Assad and Russia.
Arlington, Va.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos used a speech at the National Parent Teachers Association conference Tuesday to make a sales pitch for President Donald Trumps school safety plan, which includes helping states to arm teachers. And she did some subtle damage control after her poorly-received 60 Minutes interview, which aired Sunday and triggered hours of bad headlines and social media outrage.

The department has said the segment was highly edited and didnt capture the secretarys views . DeVos never referred directly to 60 Minutes in her speech to the PTA . But she welcomed the chance to speak unedited. And some of the lines in her speech seemed to address her biggest perceived stumbles on the show.

For instance, at one point during 60 Minutes, DeVos said that the nation hasnt seen an uptick in achievement in decades, an assertion that the journalist Lesley Stahl challenged. On Tuesday, DeVos told the parents that she is unhappy that the nation ranks in the middle of the pack on international tests like the Program for International Student Assessment.

We should never be satisfied with average. Now, as you may have seen over the past couple of days, that seems to be a controversial sentimentbut it shouldnt be, DeVos said. Now that I have the opportunity to speak unedited, Im not afraid to call out folks who defend stagnation for what it really is: failure.

DeVos biggest 60 Minutes slip-up came when she was unable to name a place in her home state of Michigan where student achievement had improved because of increased competition. Tuesday, though, she had an example at the ready. In Detroit ... students who attend charter schools perform twice as well as their traditional public school counterparts on state achievement tests, DeVos told the PTA. (She tweeted a similar stat Monday).

And she noted that school choice remains highly limited in Michigan, which has a constitutional prohibition on private school vouchers. As a result, students have suffered, DeVos said. Thats borne out in the data. Fourth grade reading and math scores are essentially a flat line, while states surrounding Michigan offer parents more choices and see improving student achievement.

While DeVos talked up Trumps school safety plan, she didnt lead off with what is arguably its centerpiece, a proposal to help states that want to arm certain teachers.

Instead, she said that policymakers and educators must first acknowledge issues of loneliness and isolation. We must find meaningful ways to help [students] reconnect, and we must address social/emotional learning.

She also called on Congress to bolster background checks for gun purchases and pass the STOP Act , a bipartisan bill that would allow states to use federal funding to help prevent school violence by beefing up training for teachers, students, and law enforcement officials. DeVos is meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill this week, in part to discuss school safety.

And she did refer to the idea of helping states arm some teachers by offering highly specialized courses toprepare school staff to respond to incidents, similar to programs in Florida, Ohio, and Texas. She added that the feds could also help military veterans and retired law enforcement make the move to careers in education. (Its not clear how that last idea would be different from Troops to Teachers, a federal program thats been in place since at least 2001.)

But some of the parents listening to DeVos speech werent sold.

Arming teachers is not the best route, said Marques Ivey, a parent and school board president from Aurora, Colo., who spoke for himself and not on behalf of the PTA. My wife is a teacher, and it freaks her out, the concept of actually having a gun and going through a potential chaotic situation where she could accidentally hurt one of her students. Even with training. There are police officers that get trained for scenarios and still make mistakes. How can we expect a teacher to do the same thing and not make mistakes?

Ivey has some personal experience with mass shootingshe was at a movie theater when one happened in Aurora back in 2012, in which 12 people were killed.



And Ivey said he didnt think DeVos acquitted herself well in the parts of the 60 Minutes interview hes seen, although he added that he didnt have the heart to watch it all the way through.

I thought there were probably questions there that she was not prepared for, but thats the job of the reporter, and thats her job to be prepared for that as well, Ivey said. Hes ready, though, to keep working with the secretary. We cant pick and choose who gets put in that position, and unfortunately, we have to accept who is in that position, but also continue to advocate on behalf of our children.

Donald Dunn, a parent from North Carolina, had a similar take. He didnt think there was anything new in DeVos speech.

She stayed on script, he said. I wish she would have talked more about funding, student achievement, what her long term goal was for schools other than just we need to challenge the system. She is the system now.

But other parents responded to DeVos pitch to rethink schools to better meet the needs of individual students.

I was very inspired, said Pamela Driggers, the president of the South Carolina PTA. Her own children, she said are the products of schools of choice"they attended a magnet school that helped them become fluent in French. I just felt, as a mom, spot on with her message.

Cant get enough of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos? Check out some of our best coverage:

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes a statement on his departure from the State Department March 13, 2018 at the State Department in Washington, DC

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's sacking shows that Washington is set on quitting the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, Iran's deputy foreign minister said Wednesday.

"The United States is determined to leave the nuclear deal, and changes at the State Department were made with that goal in mind -- or at least it was one of the reasons," Abbas Araghchi said in comments carried by state new agency ISNA.

US President Donald Trump announced Tillerson's departure in a tweet on Tuesday, saying he would be replaced by Central Intelligence Agency chief Mike Pompeo, who takes a much harder line on Iran than his predecessor.

Trump has repeatedly slammed the 2015 nuclear deal, under which Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of crippling international sanctions.

Despite Tillerson's determination to stick with the deal, Trump has threatened to scrap what he has dubbed a "terrible" agreement unless tough new restrictions were placed on Iran by May 12.

A US exit could kill the pact between Iran, Germany and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

The deal's backers have presented it as a victory for diplomacy and nuclear non-proliferation efforts.

Tehran has repeatedly ruled out changing a single comma of the text.

The UN's nuclear energy agency, the IAEA, confirmed in February that Tehran had met its obligations under the agreement.

"If the US quits the nuclear deal, we will also quit it," Araghchi said Wednesday. "We have told the Europeans that if they can't keep the US in the deal, Iran will also leave it."

His comments contrast with those of Iranian officials including President Hassan Rouhani, who has said Iran will stick with the agreement as long as it is beneficial for the country -- even if the United States leaves.

While Iran has reaped massive economic benefits from the accord, notably by being able to resume oil exports, it is still constrained by US sanctions in other areas.
Lebanese novelist Emily Nasrallah, who has died aged 87, in a picture taken on January 01, 1960

Prominent Lebanese novelist and lifelong women's rights activist Emily Nasrallah has died at the age of 87.

A distinguished author of novels, children's books and short stories, Nasrallah focused her writing on themes of family, village life and emigration, as well identity and the lasting effects of Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

A mother of four, Nasrallah grew up in the southern Lebanese town of Kfeir before moving to Beirut, where she took up journalism and gained quick acclaim for her literary talents.

She published her first novel, "Birds of September", in 1962 shortly after graduating from the American University of Beirut with a degree in education and literature.

The book earned her three Arabic literary prizes and kick-started an influential career that spanned decades of political tumult in Lebanon.

Her latest book, published just this week and entitled "The Beautiful Times", is a journey through Lebanon in the 1950s that includes encounters with leading women and activists.

"We are sad that we have lost Emily Nasrallah, the person and the writer," Emile Tyan, chairman of al-Dar publishing house, told AFP.

"There cannot be a distinction between Emily the writer and the intelligent, literate, calm and powerful person that she was."

Tyan said that Nasrallah, a pillar of his Beirut-based publishing house, "represented a beautiful period with her literature, culture, ethics, thought, and her connection to her homeland and its roots".

In her best-known children's book "What happened to Zeeko", Nasrallah depicts the impact of Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war through the eyes of a cat in Beirut abandoned by its family.

In February, Lebanese President Michel Aoun honoured Nasrallah with the Commander of the National Order of the Cedar award in recognition of her literary achievements.

"Today, Lebanon and the Arab world have lost a... literary icon, a (symbol) of Lebanese creativity, and a women's rights activist who added intellectual value to our country," Prime Minister Saad Hariri wrote on Twitter.

Culture Minister Ghattas Khoury said that Lebanon has lost "an important female face".

In a television interview two years ago, Nasrallah was humble about her literary talents.

"I do not claim that my language is superior," she said. "I like to write in simple language that is true and strong."
Hamas security personnel inspect the site of a bombing that targeted the convoy of the Palestinian prime minister in Gaza on March 13, 2018

Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas widened an investigation Wednesday into a bomb explosion that targeted Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah as he made a rare visit to the strip a day earlier.

The interior ministry in Gaza said it had launched a "high-level investigative committee" into the bomb attack, which was a further blow to faltering reconciliation talks between Hamas and president Mahmud Abbas's secular Fatah party.

It said a number of suspects were being questioned after the roadside bomb targeted Hamdallah's convoy shortly after he entered Gaza, leaving him uninjured but lightly wounding six guards.

It did not provide further details on the investigation Wednesday or release the identity of the suspects.

"The door is open to anyone who wants to participate in the investigation," Tawfeeq Abu Naim, the head of the Hamas security services in Gaza, said in a statement.

A minister in Hamdallah's government told Voice of Palestine radio that Hamas informed them there were two 15-kilogramme (33-pound) bombs, the second of which was planted 30 metres (yards) away but failed to explode.

A senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Abbas decided no members of Hamdallah's government would travel to Gaza in the short term "due to the security problems".

A number of officials have been travelling to the enclave in recent months to discuss reconciliation.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's internationally recognised government more than a decade ago but agreed in October to hand power back.

Yet the deal has all but collapsed, with the two sides accusing each other of responsibility, and Tuesday's explosion further exacerbated tensions.

Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah is escorted by his bodyguards in Gaza on March 13, 2018

After the attack, Abbas said he held Hamas responsible as the de facto power in the strip, though stopping short of directly accusing the group of carrying out the bombing.

Hamas shot back, saying such rapid accusations were unhelpful before in turn pointing the finger of blame at Israel.

Other potential suspects include smaller, more radical Islamist groups that are opposed to Hamas but operate in Gaza, or a Hamas splinter group.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

Hamdallah said the attack would not end his government's commitment to continue with reconciliation and again called on Hamas to hand over all power in Gaza.

"We are talking about internal security -- the police and the civil defence," he said. "Without security there won't be a government."

- Salafist suspects? -

Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist in Gaza, said the aim of the attack was to "sabotage any chance for reconciliation".

He said potential suspects are those who have an interest in maintaining the split.

"It could be a group that split from Hamas for ideological reasons, such as a militant Salafi group," he told AFP.

In October, Abu Naim, the Hamas security chief who issued Wednesday's statement, was wounded by a car bomb after leaving a mosque.

Hamas officials privately admit the assassination attempt was by Salafists, rather than Israel, and like Tuesday's attack the explosion was relatively small.

The UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, condemned Tuesday's attack and called on Hamas to hand over control in Gaza to the recognised government.

Mladenov has warned of the consequences of the desperate humanitarian suffering in the strip, saying in January that Gaza "risks exploding in our face again".

Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008 while the Jewish state maintains a crippling blockade of Gaza.

Hamdallah travelled to Rome Wednesday for a meeting of international donors aimed at raising funds for the United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees, which is facing desperate shortages after the US froze tens of millions of dollars in aid.

The White House held a conference on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza on Tuesday, but no Palestinian officials attended.

They have refused to meet with President Donald Trump's administration since he broke with longstanding US policy in December by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Ownership of farmland remains an explosive issue in South Africa nearly a quarter-century after the end of apartheid. At Ysterberg, near Langebaan, white crosses represent murdered white farmers

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who came to power last month, vowed on Wednesday to "escalate the pace" of redistributing land from wealthy whites to poorer blacks.

Land ownership is a sensitive subject in South Africa, 24 years after the end of apartheid rule, and Ramaphosa warned the issue would "implode" unless it was addressed quickly.

"We must -- given the history we have had -- work with urgency to significantly and sustainably escalate the pace of land reform," Ramaphosa told parliament.

"If we do not do so, this problem that has stayed with us as a nation for hundreds of years... will implode in our hands.

"This is the historic task that we have as South Africans to address this question once and for all."

Ramaphosa, an anti-apartheid trade unionist who became multi-millionaire businessman, faces growing frustration among landless blacks over lack of change since white-minority rule ended in 1994.

White people still own around 72 percent of individually-owned farms in South Africa, with the black majority owning just four percent, according to an audit cited by Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa is under pressure to act on land distribution from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led by Julius Malema

Land reform is set to be a key battleground in the 2019 general election, and the radical Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party has encouraged supporters to seize property.

But Ramaphosa warned against illegal occupation.

"We cannot have a situation where we allow land grabs because that is anarchy," he said. "We will not allow land grabs, we will not allow land invasions."

The ruling ANC party has backed expropriation of land without compensation, and lawmakers last month backed a motion that could lead to constitutional changes over land reform.

Ramaphosa is seen as a pro-business reformist after Jacob Zuma's graft-tainted rule.

But he must also boost support among ANC grassroot voters after years of declining election results for the party.

Describing land dispossession as South Africa's "original sin", Ramaphosa said he was committed "to a comprehensive land reform programme that corrects the historical injustices of land dispossession".

Botched and often violent redistribution of land in neighbouring Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe left many farms in ruins, and the drop in production triggered an economic crisis that still haunts the country.

Ramaphosa has supported land expropriation without compensation as long as it increases food production.
A protest on Tuesday in Mamoutzou, the biggest city on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte

The French government was facing fresh protests Wednesday on the French Indian Ocean island of Mayotte, after citizen groups dismissed talks on efforts to improve living standards and security problems as insufficient.

Mayotte, an island of 250,000 people that is part of the Comoros archipelago off southeast Africa, has been in turmoil since mid-February.

Violent clashes between rival gangs at a school sparked anger over spiralling crime which many residents blame on migrants from non-French Comoran islands.

Five hours of negotiations late on Tuesday between protest leaders and France's minister for overseas territories, Annick Girardin, had raised hopes that breakthrough was in sight.

But protest leaders at a rally Wednesday in the main town of Mamoudzou felt "betrayed" by Girardin's suggestion that an accord had been reached before they had consulted with demonstrators, said spokesman Said Hachim.

Organisers vowed to maintain the roadblocks that have paralysed the island, but said they were willing to hold new talks with a government delegation, following Girardin's return to Paris.

- Migration pressure -

France's overseas territories minister Annick Girardin, left, met with protesters after arriving in Mayotte this week

The island, which voted to become an integral part of France in 2009, has been plagued by strikes, demonstrations and roadblocks aimed at drawing the attention of the government in Paris to the situation.

Per capita economic output on the island is a quarter of that on the French mainland and the unemployment rate of 25.9 percent is over double that in France as a whole.

Ahead of her visit, Girardin promised to tackle the phenomenon of pregnant women arriving by boat from nearby islands to give birth on French soil, as a way of obtaining French and EU citizenship for their child.

Around 70 percent of the 10,000 babies born every year in the maternity hospital in Mamoudzou are born to illegal migrants, mainly from the nearby Comoran islands of Anjouan, Moheli and Grande Comore, according to official statistics.

Girardin has suggested giving the hospital special "extra-territorial" status so that children born there do not automatically qualify for citizenship by birth.

The Comoros, one of the world's poorest countries, was a French colony until 1975 when it declared independence.

But Mayotte opted to remain part of France. In March 2011 it became the 101st French department, or administrative area, in accordance with a referendum two years earlier.

The islands' population, who are mostly Muslim, have full French voting and citizenship rights. They have a representative in the National Assembly in Paris, 8,000 kilometres away (5,000 miles), and two in the Senate.

Mayotte is not the only French overseas department that has become a magnet for migrants while itself trying to play catch-up with mainland France on health, housing and education.

French Guiana, situated between Brazil and Suriname in South America, has experienced a surge of arrivals from Haiti and neighbouring countries in recent years that has also put pressure on under-resourced hospitals and schools.

That led to months-long protests ahead of France's presidential election last year, which prompted promises of extra security forces and funding.
Porn star Stormy Daniels (R) is suing to dissolve an agreement that prevents her from discussing an affair she claims to have had with US President Donald Trump

Porn star Stormy Daniels will go to court on July 12 in a bid to dissolve an agreement stopping her discussing an affair she says she had with President Donald Trump, according to court papers published Wednesday.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of Daniels last week seeking to toss out the confidential settlement she signed just days before the November 2016 election.

The lawsuit alleges that Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, began an "intimate relationship" with Trump in the summer of 2006 that continued well into 2007.

She has offered to return the $130,000 she received so that she can be free to "speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her."

Daniels is also asking to be allowed to publish text messages, photos and videos relating to the president, Avenatti said in a letter to Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen.

"I think it's time for her to tell her story and for the public to decide who's telling the truth," Avenatti said last week.

A copy of the settlement filed in court shows that Daniels received the $130,000 from a company known as Essential Consultants LLC in return for her silence.

Using the pseudonyms Peggy Peterson and David Dennison, Daniels and Trump were to sign the agreement, along with Essential Consultants.

But Trump never signed, providing the basis for Avenatti's attempt to have it thrown out and release Daniels from her obligations.

Daniels is asking for presiding judge Elizabeth Feffer to be replaced, arguing that she has a conflict of interest because she is seeking an appointment to a seat in federal court.

The White House has denied any sexual encounter between Trump and Daniels.
A news screen in Tokyo flashes a report of President Donald Trump's agreement to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong

As Donald Trump prepares to make a historic gamble by meeting North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, the US diplomatic corps is in disarray after the president's brutal sacking of his secretary of state.

Rex Tillerson's departure adds to the long list of senior job vacancies at the top of the State Department, and Washington is preparing for the summit without several key diplomats in place.

Trump, of course, may not mind this at all.

His view on how to deal with the threat of North Korea's nuclear arsenal is much more in tune with that of his nominee to replace Tillerson, CIA director Mike Pompeo, than with US diplomats.

Tillerson's plan followed a classic strategy. Build relationships and trust with early contacts; establish parameters for negotiation; draft a deal between senior officials; hold a leaders' summit.

"I have a lot of confidence in my ability to create the conditions for successful negotiations between two very disparate parties," Tillerson told reporters on his last plane trip as secretary.

Trump -- who bluntly informed Tillerson in a tweet last year that he was "wasting his time" operating back channels to Pyongyang -- had a different view, and one apparently shared by Pompeo.

They believe the US must show Kim that the US is ready to use crippling sanctions and even military force if he refuses to give up his nuclear arms, then get him to the table and thrash out a deal.

In January, Pompeo appeared at the conservative AEI think tank in Washington and laid out this plan to convince Kim -- who may be misreading diplomatic signals -- that Washington is serious.

- Ambitious strategy -

"We're taking the real world actions that we think will make unmistakable to Kim Jong Un that we are intent on denuclearization," said Pompeo, who meets frequently with Trump as CIA chief.

"We're counting on the fact that he'll see it. We're confident that he will. And then we will continue to have discussions about how to achieve that denuclearization."

Mike Pompeo is believed to share Donald Trump's view that the US must show North Korea's Kim Jong Un it is ready to use crippling sanctions and even military force if he refuses to give up his nuclear arms -- then get him to the negotiating table

So Trump may now have the beginnings of a team that better reflects his plan, but there is no hiding that America is embarking on an ambitious strategy with a shallow bench of talent.

Tillerson was not in the Oval Office last week when Trump abruptly decided to accept Kim's invitation, passed to him second-hand by a South Korean delegation, to denuclearization talks.

Instead, while Tillerson toured African capitals, he was represented by Deputy Secretary John Sullivan.

But, with Tillerson gone, Sullivan will not be able to devote all of his time to the North Korean dossier; he is acting secretary of state until Pompeo can be confirmed by the Senate, not before April.

- Empty desks -

The number three diplomat in the department, Undersecretary Tom Shannon, has announced his retirement and is only remaining in place until a replacement is named.

The lead diplomat for East Asia and the Pacific, acting Assistant Secretary Susan Thornton, is awaiting a date for a Senate vote to confirm that she can keep the job permanently.

The former US special representative for North Korea policy, Joseph Yun, retired two weeks ago and has yet to be replaced.

In all 91 senior positions at the State Department remain unfilled after more than a year of the Trump administration, including that of ambassador to key ally South Korea.

Trump acknowledged this as an issue Wednesday when he tweeted to blame opposition lawmakers for blocking his picks.

"Hundreds of good people, including very important Ambassadors and Judges, are being blocked and/or slow walked by the Democrats in the Senate," he wrote.

"Many important positions in Government are unfilled because of this obstruction. Worst in US history!"

But, at the State Department at least, it seems difficult to blame the Senate for holding up appointments. For 58 of the posts, including the Seoul ambassadorship, there are no nominees.
Democrat Conor Lamb, a former US Marine with blue-collar roots, has claimed victory in Pennsylvania's special congressional election -- bad news for Republicans ahead of November's midterms

US President Donald Trump's Republican Party was on course Wednesday for a stunning defeat in a key special congressional election in Pennsylvania, adding to the turmoil engulfing his administration after the sacking of his top diplomat Rex Tillerson.

Democrats exulted in the stunning performance by one of their own in the knife's edge race, insisting that their unexpectedly strong showing deep in Trump country -- unthinkable just a year ago -- bodes well for the opposition party ahead of November's midterm elections.

With Tuesday's race still officially undecided, and county officials counting provisional and absentee ballots that will likely determine the outcome, the Democratic candidate Conor Lamb declared victory shortly after midnight, in a district Trump won by nearly 20 points in the 2016 presidential contest.

Lamb's party swiftly kicked into gear to proclaim that Trump and his Republicans could face a political reckoning this year -- with control of Congress up for grabs.

"As we head into the 2018 midterms, the momentum is undeniable for Democratic candidates running up and down the ballot," Democratic National Committee head Tom Perez said.

"Pennsylvania is just the beginning."

Somber Republican leaders were forced to acknowledge that Lamb's performance had dealt a sharp blow to their prospects of maintaining control of the Senate and House of Representatives.

"This should be a wake up call," House Speaker Paul Ryan told Republican lawmakers in a closed-door conference in the US Capitol on Wednesday, according to a person in the room.

Speaking to reporters, however, Ryan sought to downplay the impact, suggesting Lamb -- a 33-year-old former federal prosecutor and US Marine officer -- was an unusual Democrat who ran a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-establishment campaign.

"Both of these candidates ran as conservatives," Ryan said. "I just don't think you're going to see that across the country" in November.

The race has not yet been officially called -- with all precincts reporting, Lamb was ahead of his Republican rival Rick Saccone by 579 votes, or 49.8 percent to 49.6 percent.

But Democrats were not masking their delight over the political ramifications of having potentially ousted a Republican in a conservative, working-class bastion.

All 435 House seats are up for election every two years. Senate terms are for six years, and 35 of the 100 seats are in play in November.

- 'No district is safe' -

Bradley Beychok, who heads the pro-Democrat political action committee American Bridge, offered a bluntly optimistic take of what might lie in store for the opposition party.

"The results in Pennsylvania spell disaster for Republicans in November; if they can't win in a longtime Republican stronghold, no district is safe," he said.

US President Donald Trump campaigned for Saccone at a Make America Great Again Rally on March 10 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania

Trump campaigned in person for Saccone, a culturally conservative state representative.

But the election was held just as the White House was whipsawed by political upheaval including a series of staff ousters.

On Tuesday, the day of the vote in Pennsylvania's 18th District, Trump sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, drawing renewed attention to the chaos in the top echelons of the administration.

Trump's own low approval rating no doubt contributed to Saccone's poor showing.

But Lamb, acutely aware of how his district voted in 2016, refused to pile on against the president during the campaign, seeking to minimize the political divisions that have set many Americans on edge.

"I know people voted for the president and voted for me," Lamb told CNN.

His performance in a conservative stronghold -- Democrats had not even fielded a candidate against the Republican incumbent in recent elections -- suggests far more congressional districts might be in play in November than the 24 seats necessary for Democrats to reclaim the House.

According to the Cook Political Report, there are 118 Republican-held House districts that are less Republican than the one to be decided in Pennsylvania.

The party in power in Washington traditionally loses seats during the midterm elections of a president's first term. But there are signals that 2018 could be a banner year for Democrats.

They over-performed in five special elections in deep-red districts last year, including in Georgia, Montana and South Carolina.

And strategists point to unprecedented Democratic grass-roots activism, strong fundraising, and competitive candidates that have combined to animate voters this year.
Ei-ichi Negishi, 82, a chemist teaching at Purdue University, and his wife Sumire Negishi, 80, were reported missing Monday

A Japanese Nobel Prize-winner was hospitalized Wednesday and his wife was dead, reportedly after driving off a road in rural Illinois.

Ei-ichi Negishi, 82, a chemist teaching at Purdue University in the neighboring state of Indiana, and his wife Sumire Negishi, 80, were reported missing Monday.

Police found them early Tuesday morning about 200 miles northeast of their home, on land belonging to the Orchard Hills Landfill operated by the company Advanced Disposal.

Police discovered Ei-ichi Negishi walking in the area, and his wife was found dead near their car.

Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Ei-ichi Negishi (pictured receiving the medal from the King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony) went missing with his wife on Monday

'Both her and the vehicle were found on the landfill property,' Lieutenant Brian Ketter of the Ogle County Sheriff's office told AFP.

The couple had been driving to a nearby airport and became disoriented, and Ei-Ichi Negishi crashed their car into a ditch, according to WTHR television.

The TV station reported that Sumire Negishi had stayed behind while her husband left looking for help.

Police would not confirm details about the incident, but did not suspect foul play.

The Rockford airport is located approximately eight miles from where the couple was discovered.

Ei-ichi Negishi and his wife Sumire were on their way to an Illinois airport when they became disoriented and crashed- he went to get help and was found walking along the road and she was dead in the car

The local coroner's office said an autopsy was pending. Ei-ichi Negishi was receiving treatment at a hospital, police said.

Negishi is a Japanese national who came to the US on a Fulbright scholarship in 1960 to study chemistry. He joined the Purdue faculty in 1979.

He, along with two other scientists, won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2010 for developing a method for creating complex chemicals. The method is widely used, including for the production of pharmaceuticals.
Larry Kudlow is known as a supporter of free markets and has criticized Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum

President Donald Trump tapped conservative TV pundit and longtime free-market advocate Larry Kudlow as his top economic advisor Wednesday at a time when White House policies are fuelling fears of a global trade war.

A longtime personality on business news station CNBC, Kudlow will succeed Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs president who quit Trump's team last week in protest at the decision to slap steep US tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.

"Larry Kudlow was offered, and accepted, the position of Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council," said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

"We will work to have an orderly transition and will keep everyone posted on the timing of him officially assuming the role."

Ludlow told CNBC Wednesday afternoon he accepted the job following a series of phone conversations with Trump.

"He and I have known each other many years and it was a terrific experience," Kudlow said, describing their recent talks.

Kudlow has strongly backed Trump's moves to cut taxes and reduce business regulations -- but he has openly criticized the president's tariffs move, arguing in a recent column that any benefits would be vastly outweighed by the costs.

"Steel and aluminum may win in the short term, but steel and aluminum users and consumers will lose. In fact, tariff hikes are really tax hikes," Kudlow said in a March 3 column for CNBC, that noted that five million jobs are tied to companies that use steel.

"Some of those five million jobs will be put in harm's way. And if they sell less to foreigners, the trade deficit goes up, not down."

Cohn's departure came a week before Rex Tillerson -- another free market advocate, or "globalist" to use the dismissive label favored by the protectionists in Trump's camp -- was pushed out as secretary of state.

Tillerson is to be replaced with current CIA chief Mike Pompeo who some on Wall Street fear may take a harsher line on trade.

- Balancing the team? -

Wall Street stocks have been under pressure since Trump first announced his decision to move ahead with the tariffs on March 1. Stocks fell again on Tuesday on news of Tillerson's sacking, and anxiety over reports that Trump was reportedly planning new tariffs on China.

"Markets are unnerved by the specter of the administration tilting more in a hard line direction on policy such as trade which could potentially trigger a global trade war," said Western Union Business Solutions analyst Joe Manimbo.

The hope for conventional free-market Republicans is that Kudlow, along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, will offset hardcore economic nationalists such as Trump advisor Peter Navarro, who seem to be in ascendancy.

Joshua Bolten, president of the Business Roundtable lobby group, sharply criticized the tariffs in a conference call with reporters Tuesday, while expressing hope that Cohn's replacement would be someone "who supports pro-growth policies and an open international trading system."

Kudlow for his part suggested on CNBC that Trump's positions are not as extreme as they are often made out to be -- and that some shifts on trade will be needed to protect US interests.

"China has not played by the rules," Kudlow told the network. "I think China has earned a tough response."
Met this afternoon to discuss ways to improve school safety with @BetsyDeVosED & @PattyMurray . pic.twitter.com/Taqn6qGwh7  Sen. Lamar Alexander (@SenAlexander) March 14, 2018

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., declared Tuesday that she is extremely disappointed with how U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is approaching her new gig as the head of a presidential commission on school safety .

Her statement came after Murray, the ranking Democrat on the Senate education committee, and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman of the panel, met with DeVos to discuss school safety and the commissions charge to make policy recommendations in the wake of the mass shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead.

I was extremely disappointed at how the meeting went, Murray said in a statement. I was hoping that Secretary DeVos would be able to talk to me about real and meaningful steps she could move quickly on as head of President Trumps new gun commission, but everything I heard from her in our conversation suggested that this is just the latest effort to delay and shift the conversation away from the gun safety reforms that people across the country are demanding.

DeVos told Murray she isnt planning to meet with the National Rifle Association, according to the statement. But the secretary couldnt or wouldnt tell me how the NRA would be allowed to influence the commissions recommendations, or even that they wouldnt have veto power, Murray said.

Murray was also miffed that she was unable to get information on the commissions timeline for completing its work.

DeVos spokeswoman though, said Murray was giving an inaccurate account of the meeting and seeking to use it as political stunt.

Secretary DeVos requested to meet with Senator Murray in hopes of having an open and honest dialogue about immediate actions that can be taken to keep our nations students safe at school and to seek her input as she works to organize the Federal School Safety Commission, said Elizabeth Hill, the DeVos spokeswoman. Unfortunately, Senator Murray was clearly more interested in relaying an inaccurate account of their meeting, squandering the opportunity and using it instead as a political stunt.

For his part, Alexander, had a productive first meeting with Secretary DeVos on the important issue of how to help keep students safe at school, said his spokeswoman, Liz Wolgemuth. He looks forward to working with the administration and colleagues in Congress on steps that the federal government can take to help our states and local communities improve the safety of our schools.

The commission, which was announced Sunday, is exploring issues related to school shootings, including restrictions for certain firearm purchases, potential repeal of Obama-era guidance designed to address racial disparities on school discipline, character education, the effects of press coverage of mass shootings, and improved access to mental health treatment.

President Donald Trump and DeVos have said theyd like to help interested states arm school personnel who are experienced with weapons . They have also called for strengthening background checks and passing the STOP Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at allowing communities to use existing federal programs to combat school violence, in part by training school staff and law enforcement.

But the Trump administration has not moved to reinstate a federal ban on military-style weapons that expired in the early 1990s or sought other restrictions that survivors of the Stoneman Douglas massacre and gun control advocates have called for. Murray said that in the meeting DeVos pushed back and asked for continued delay on policies such as universal background checks and raising the age for purchasing such weapons.

Murray said she suggested to DeVos that the commission include survivors of gun violence, families of victims, or experts on preventing gun violence. DeVos declined to commit to including those perspectives on the committee, Murray said. Instead DeVos said the commission would be made up federal officials, according to Murrays statement.

I am hoping that Secretary DeVos gets a handle on this issue and changes her tune, but based on this meeting today, I have no confidence that this commission will be anything other than a tool for continued distraction and delay, Murray said.

Hill, though, said that Murray was letting political divisions get in the way of solutions.

This is just Senator Murrays latest continuation of the tired, sad politics of division that has become standard for the Senate Democrats while refusing to seek out solutions that will make a meaningful difference for all Americans, she said.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
A file picture taken on March 10, 2018 shows African migrants rescued from a ship off the coast of Libya disembarking at a naval base

Libya has issued arrest warrants for more than 200 Libyans and foreigners suspected of involvement in a smuggling network for Europe-bound migrants, the attorney general's office said on Thursday.

"We have 205 arrest warrants for people (involved in) organising immigration operations, human trafficking, (cases) of torture, murder and rape," said Seddik al-Sour, the director of the attorney general's investigations office.

The trafficking ring is alleged to include members of security services, leaders of migrant detention camps, and embassy officials from African countries based in Libya, Sour said.

Libya has descended into chaos since the fall of Moamer Kadhafi's regime in 2011, and has become a hub for hundreds of thousands of sub-Saharan African migrants trying to reach Europe by sea.

The oil-rich country ruled by a web of militias and two rival authorities has routinely been criticised for abuses against migrants.

Sour said investigations into smuggling networks were carried out in coordination with the Italian prosecutor's office.

Rome and Tripoli agreed in December to form a joint unit to combat smugglers and human traffickers involved in the intelligence, coastguard and justice sectors of each country.

Sour said his office had established a direct link between the smugglers and Islamic State group jihadists.

The latter take advantage of trafficking networks to move from one country to another, to find refuge or to seak medical treatment, he said.

The official also said a probe was still ongoing into a CNN television report in November of African migrants being auctioned off as "slaves" in Libya.

Sour said that according to the investigation, traffickers do "sell" migrants to each other, but not as slaves.
Theranos chief executive Elizabeth Holmes -- shown here at a Wall Street Journal technology conference in Laguna Beach, California in October 2015 -- has been charged with fraud

US securities regulators on Wednesday charged the chief executive of the blood-testing company Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes, and a former president at the onetime soaring Silicon Valley startup with an "elaborate, years-long fraud."

Holmes and Theranos made a deal to settle the case against them, with the penalty including her surrendering majority voting control of the company, according to a statement by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Founded in 2003 by Holmes when she was only 19, the company had been seen as a rising star but came under scrutiny after The Wall Street Journal published articles questioning the reliability of its technology.

Theranos, which had touted a new way of testing that uses far less blood and delivers faster results at much lower cost than traditional methods in US labs, had been under civil and criminal investigation over its claims.

The SEC charged Holmes and former Theranos president Ramesh Balwani with raising more than $700 million by exaggerating or lying about the business and its technology.

''As a result of Holmes' alleged fraudulent conduct, she is being stripped of control of the company she founded, is returning millions of shares to Theranos, and is barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years,'" SEC enforcement division co-director Stephanie Avakian said in a statement.

Holmes will also pay a $500,000 fine as part of the settlement, according to the SEC.

"The company is pleased to be bringing this matter to a close and looks forward to advancing its technology," the Theranos board of directors said in a statement.

Theranos and Holmes cooperated with the SEC investigation, and she will return approximately 18.9 million shares of stock as a result of the settlement, according to the startup.

Enforcement division co-director Steven Peikin said during a conference call that the SEC intended to litigate the case against Balwani, seeking a range of sanctions against him.

Holmes was seen for a time as a rising start in Silicon Valley, appearing at events like the Women In Technology and Politics dinner hosted by Glamour and Facebook, the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit and events hosted by the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch.

- Hopes versus truths -

Elizabeth Holmes is seen with former US president Bill Clinton and Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma at the closing session of the Clinton Global Initiative 2015 in New York

The SEC is not taking aim at the startup itself, which last year was near bankruptcy and recently obtained a loan to survive, according to Peikin.

"This company was really a two-person operation, with Holmes and Balwani in exclusive control and responsible for the conduct," Peikin said

Punishing the startup would further harm investors the SEC is aiming to protect, he said.

Holmes, and Balwani pitched a tale in investor presentations, product demonstrations, and media articles about the startup's key product -- a portable blood analyzer -- which they claimed could revolutionize the industry by inexpensively conducting comprehensive tests from drops of blood from fingers.

Theranos only analyzed a small number of blood samples on its own equipment, having testing done on standard industry equipment developed by other companies, the complaint contended.

"'The Theranos story is an important lesson for Silicon Valley,'' said SEC San Francisco regional office director Jina Choi.

"Innovators who seek to revolutionize and disrupt an industry must tell investors the truth about what their technology can do today, not just what they hope it might do someday.'"

SEC complaints also charged that Theranos, Holmes, and Balwani claimed that the startup's products were deployed by the US Department of Defense on the battlefield in Afghanistan and on medevac helicopters, and that the company would generate more than $100 million in revenue in 2014.

Theranos technology was never deployed by the US Department of Defense and generated a little more than $100,000 in revenue from operations in 2014, according to the SEC.

A settlement with the SEC does not preclude criminal charges from being pursued by US prosecutors, but Peikin declined to comment whether any other agencies were investigating the case.
Dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet rehearse for an adaptation of George Gershwin's "Porgy andd Bess" in Budapest, Hungary in January

Hungary on Wednesday launched a cultural diplomacy push in New York with its prolific state-run opera planning a full two weeks of music and ballet.

The Hungarian State Opera and Hungarian National Ballet will make their US debut by sending 350 musicians and dancers to New York with support from Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government.

The October 30-November 11 performances at Lincoln Center will highlight Hungarian works including "Bank Ban," a signature opera of national anthem composer Ferenc Erkel, and "Bluebeard's Castle," the only opera of early 20th-century giant Bela Bartok.

The company will also perform the more recent "Mario and the Magician," based on the Thomas Mann novella, and "Swan Lake" in the version of late Dutch choreographer Rudi van Dantzig.

"We never had in the history of Hungarian culture anything that is this long, this big, mobilizes this much (personnel) and has a budget like this," Ferenc Kumin, Hungary's consul general in New York, told a news conference.

Szilveszter Okovacs, general director of the Hungarian State Opera, said that the government agreed to some $3 million to support the performances in New York.

The Hungarian State Opera, whose landmark building in Budapest is under renovation, has been touring widely internationally including a 19-city tour of Japan last year.

The state opera is among the world's most productive, with Okovacs putting its number of performances at more than 400 per year.

Orban has cast himself as a defender of Christian values, claiming that an influx of Muslims and Africans poses a threat to European culture.

The Hungarian State Opera raised eyebrows earlier this year by staging a predominantly white "Porgy and Bess," which composer George Gershwin intended to be played by an African American cast.
The Benin government on Wednesday suspended the country's official pharmacy body for six months and banned a key drugs supplier in a bid to clear up the pharmaceutical sector and crack down on fake drugs.

The decision follows a court ruling that jailed pharmaceutical executives on Tuesday on charges of selling illicit medicine in the West African country.

"The council of ministers has decided to suspend for a period of six months the Benin National Pharmacists' Association, the time needed to make necessary reforms in the sector," Minister of Justice Joseph Djogbenou told reporters.

"The Association was unable to fulfil its duties and the State decided to take over its responsibilities. There is evidence of complacency," he added, but said that "it is not a dissolution but a suspension".

The National Pharmacists' Association was not available to immediately comment.

The government also announced that one of the main importers, the laboratory New Cesamex, based in DR Congo, "is now banned from activity in Benin and its products will be removed from all pharmacies".

Atao Hinnouho, a member of the opposition, has worked with the laboratory and several hundred boxes of medicine were seized at his home in early December, Djogbenou said.

Hinnouho has fled and is on the run, but two of his aides were among the group sentenced Tuesday to between six months and four years in prison for being connected to the sale of illegal and false drugs.

Benin is fighting against a reputation for trafficking expired and counterfeit drugs in West Africa -- a business that has deeply alarmed health watchdogs.

President Patrice Talon, elected in 2016, has vowed a crack down.

Over the past year, dozens of people have been arrested and tonnes of fake medications seized.

A 15-nation regional body, the Economic Community of West African States, has also announced an investigation into the business.

Fake medicines are drugs that are bogus or below regulatory standards but often are outwardly indistinguishable from the genuine product.

Taking them may do nothing to tackle an illness or -- in the case of antibiotics -- worsen the problem.

In 2015, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene estimated that 122,000 children under five died after taking poor-quality antimalarial drugs in sub-Saharan Africa.
Zaubezhneft chief Segey Kudryashov (L) shakes hands with Ali Kardor, managing director of Iran's National Oil Company, after signing an oil field agreement in Tehran on March 14, 2018

Iran on Wednesday signed a $742 million (600 million euro) deal with Russian state-owned energy firm Zarubezhneft to boost production at two oil fields in the country's west.

Zarubezhneft and Dana Energy, a private Iranian company, will jointly develop the Aban and Paydar fields in Ilam province near the Iraqi border, to boost production from 36,000 to 48,000 barrels of oil per day.

Zarubezhneft will put up 80 percent of the capital, while Dana Energy will cover the rest.

"Increasing the production from these two fields will bring some four billion dollars to Iran" over the coming years, Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namadar Zanganeh said at a signing ceremony in Tehran.

National Iranian Oil Company head Ali Kardor said it was the country's first such deal with a Russian firm.

"On the political front, relations with Russia are at the highest level, but in the economic sphere they have not yet reached" the same level, he said.

Iran and Russia, both key allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have strengthened their relations in recent years.

Kardor said energy giant Russia had "great experience" in exploring and developing oil fields.

The deal comes amid heightened fears that Washington will withdraw from a historic 2015 deal to restrict Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of crippling sanctions.

That would further complicate the work of foreign companies wanting to work in Iran.

Wednesday's was Tehran's second deal with a foreign energy firm since the signing of the nuclear accord with world powers.

In July last year, a consortium headed by French energy behemoth Total defied pressure from Washington to sign a $4.8 billion agreement with Tehran.

That made it the first major western oil and gas company to return to the country since the lifting of international sanctions in January 2016.
A black French bulldog in a pet carrier died after it was put in an overhead locker on a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York

Shock over a puppy's death on a United Airlines plane has renewed scrutiny over airline handling of pets, after a flight attendant demanded the animal travel in an overhead bin where it apparently suffocated.

A string of calamities linked to pets on planes has inflamed a grim public relations nightmare for United, which in the past year has dealt with the death of a valuable giant rabbit, outrage over its refusal to allow an "emotional support" peacock to board, and now the death of a 10-month old French bulldog.

While traveling from Houston to New York Monday with two children including an infant, Catalina Robledo was told Kokito, the family's black pooch with deepset wrinkles and a squished-in nose, would need to travel in the overhead compartment, as its carrier was partially in the aisle.

The company requires travelers with pets to have a kennel that fits completely under the seat.

Speaking through tears to the network Telemundo, Robledo said she had paid appropriate fees to take her dog -- which the family affectionately dubbed "Little Pig" -- in the cabin rather than the luggage compartment.

"The puppy barked and barked but I couldn't get up," she said in Spanish, explaining she was holding her baby and there was turbulence.

After the 3.5-hour flight she opened the bin to find the puppy lifeless.

"I said, 'Kokito breathe, breathe.' But he was already dead," Robledo said.

The incident unleashed social media wrath and once again brought United -- which took "full responsibility for this tragedy" -- under the gun.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin," United said.

The embattled carrier -- which faced intense controversy last year when a male passenger was dragged kicking and screaming from an overbooked plane in Chicago -- notches the most animal incidents during air transport among US airlines allowing pets to fly.

United reported 18 animal deaths and 13 injuries in 2017, according to the Department of Transportation.

To put the numbers in perspective, the airline successfully transported 138,178 pets that year -- but ultimately 75 percent of total animal deaths occurred on United flights.

It's at least the fourth year in a row United has hit the worst in-flight animal death record.

The carrier did not respond to AFP requests for additional comment.

- 'Common sense' -

The number of animals taking flight has grown in recent years, in part due to an uptick in owners bringing what are classified as "emotional support" pets.

A brouhaha last month saw United deny boarding to a peacock despite its owner's claim to "emotional support" status.

While Dexter the peacock was merely denied permission to board, Pebbles the hamster suffered a more grisly fate -- flushed down the toilet after its owner was told her pet could not travel on Spirit Airlines.

Federal guidelines support the right of passengers with disabilities to board with a variety of emotional support or service animals, but airlines can deny boarding to some exotic or "unusual" pets.

United has cited a 75 percent jump in emotional support animals brought on board over the past year, and starting March 1 implemented more stringent documentation requirements for such critters, mirroring steps by other major US airlines including Delta.

But the most recent controversy to strike United -- which did not involve an emotional support animal -- has brought to light once more the push-pull between the mushrooming population of passengers flying with animals and airlines' struggle to accommodate them.

"As an industry, we have a duty of care to ensure that standards and best practices are in place around the world to protect the welfare of animals when they travel by air," said Perry Flint, a spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association who dubbed the latest incident "sad and regrettable."

The Association of Flight Attendants vowed to work to "make sure something like this never happens again."

France's Brigitte Bardot Foundation, an animal protection organization, urged airline crew to "show sensitivity but also common sense."

"No one would think to put a baby in a luggage compartment," it said. "There is no reason to put a dog or any other animal there."

But there were also calls for passengers to exercise their judgment.

In guidance on its website, the Humane Society of the United States warns air travel is particularly dangerous for animals with "pushed in" faces -- such as bulldogs -- since they are especially vulnerable to oxygen deprivation and heat stroke.

If you must travel with pets, urges the society, "consider all the alternatives to flying."
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (R) has held Russia responsible for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian agent in Britain; British Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen (L) said the attack was "state-sponsored"

The United States said Wednesday that Russia was "responsible" for a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in England, and urged the UN Security Council to hold Moscow accountable.

"The United States believes that Russia is responsible for the attack on two people in the United Kingdom, using a military-grade nerve agent," US Ambassador Nikki Haley told an emergency council meeting.

The March 4 attack in the English city of Salisbury left ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in critical condition.

US President Donald Trump had pressed Russia to provide answers but did not suggest that Moscow had a hand in the attempted murder.

Russia's ambassador repeated Moscow's denial at the council meeting and suggested that the attack was a provocation aimed at tarnishing Russia's image ahead of the World Cup and elections.

"Russia had nothing to do with this incident," said Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia. "We have nothing to fear, nothing to hide."

Haley said Russia "must account for its actions" as a permanent council member entrusted by the United Nations with upholding international peace and security.

"If we don't take immediate, concrete measures to address this now, Salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons use."

Russia demanded that Britain hand over samples of the nerve agent for analysis in Moscow and suggested that if Britain was able to identify the chemical, it must also be able to produce it.

Britain maintains that attack was carried out with the nerve agent Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union and later inherited by Russia.

"We demand that material proof be provided of the allegedly found Russian trace," said Nebenzia.

Britain called the emergency meeting to rally support in its standoff with Russia over the attack that British Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen said was "state-sponsored."

"We ask you today to stand by us," Allen told the council.

"This was a reckless and indiscriminate act that put at risk the lives of civilians."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier said the use of a nerve agent was "unacceptable" and called for a thorough investigation.
Israeli soldier Elor Azaria (C), who shot dead a wounded Palestinian assailant in March 2016, is embraced by his mother Oshra during a hearing at a military court in Tel Aviv, on July 30, 2017

An Israeli military court on Wednesday began examining a request for a shorter prison term by a soldier jailed for 14 months for shooting dead a wounded Palestinian, the army said.

A ruling on the request by Elor Azaria was expected in the coming days, an army spokeswoman said.

Azaria was convicted of manslaughter last year for shooting Abdul Fatah al-Sharif in the head in March 2016, as the Palestinian lay on the ground wounded after stabbing a soldier.

Azaria was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but Israel's Chief of Staff General Gadi Eisenkot later reduced the term by four months.

The shooting in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron was caught on video by a human rights group and spread widely online.

It showed 21-year-old Sharif lying wounded on the ground, shot along with another Palestinian after the stabbing attack, according to the army.

Azaria then shot him in the head without any apparent provocation.

The Israeli soldier said he feared Sharif had been wearing an explosive belt and could have blown himself up, a claim judges rejected.

In November, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday formally rejected a request to pardon Azaria.

According to media reports, the military prosecutor would not be opposed to reducing Azaria's sentence by one third, which could see him walk free on May 10.

But his lawyer Yoram Sheftel is reportedly set to plead for his immediate release based on his good behaviour.

The months-long trial of Azaria captivated Israel and highlighted deep divisions in public opinion.

His sentence was condemned by right-wing politicians as too harsh and labelled too lenient by Palestinians and rights groups.
US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer takes action at the World Trade Organization against Indian export subsidies

The United States said Wednesday it was taking action at the World Trade Organization against Indian export subsidies as Washington's intensifying trade offensive moved to encompass two of Asia's largest economies.

The action opened a new front in President Donald Trump's confrontations with major trading partners and followed his punishing new import tariffs, with officials warning that more may come soon.

Documents seen by AFP on Wednesday also revealed the United States has proposed WTO reforms that would punish members for violating basic rules, a move that appeared aimed squarely at China -- a country the Trump administration has said is not a market economy and does not deserve membership in the multilateral organization.

The White House is also considering slapping tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese imports, particularly in the tech and telecommunications sector, in response to allegedly improper practices involving American intellectual property.

In advance of the announcement on Indian exports, Trump tweeted early Wednesday that the United States could not "keep a blind eye to the rampant unfair practices against our country!"

Trump's trade moves have laid bare ideological divisions within his own administration, spurring his top economic advisor to resign last week and drawing fierce rebukes from industry and members of his own Republican party.

Fears of a trade war have seen US stocks dive in recent days and caused industrial giants like Boeing to fear higher input costs and retaliation by trading partners due to the new tariffs.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday in a statement that Indian export subsidy programs "harm American workers by creating an uneven playing field on which they must compete."

"USTR will continue to hold our trading partners accountable by vigorously enforcing US rights under our trade agreements and by promoting fair and reciprocal trade through all available tools, including the WTO."

Politico reported Tuesday that Trump had told Lighthizer to go higher after the trade representative proposed putting tariffs on $30 billion in annual imports from China.

Lighthizer's office declined to comment on proposals currently under development.

Trump's aggressive trade actions -- which hold true to views on trade and nationalism the president has held for decades -- have also left major US trading partners struggling to strike a delicate balance between opposition and appeasement in response.

According to Lighthizer's office, India offers benefits valued at $7 billion annually to domestic exporters such as duty, tax and fee exemptions -- including support for producers of steel, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, information technology products and textiles.

In 2016, the United States ran a $30.8 billion trade deficit with India in goods and services, according to Lighthizer's office.

In Wednesday's statement, the office said India had expanded its export subsidy programs, doubling the number of products eligible under one program to 8,000 in the last three years.

Trump has said publicly he does not favor resorting to dispute resolutions at the WTO, where he claims the United States is at a disadvantage. And the administration has instead focused so far on tariffs and remedies under domestic US law.

The action announced Wednesday was the first stand-alone WTO complaint lodged by the new administration. A prior case lodged in September over the sale of wine in Canadian grocery stories built on a complaint brought by the administration of former President Barack Obama.

Unlike Trump, the Obama White House had touted US successes in opening foreign markets to US exports by winning favorable WTO decisions and advertised the fact that the Obama administration had won every WTO case it brought.

Under Obama in 2013, the US won a WTO decision against India over local content rules that Washington said disadvantaged US exports of solar panels. Critics at the time said this undermined Indian efforts to develop local sources of renewable energy.
Pakistani rescue workers push a stretcher carrying an injured man to the hospital following the blast of a motorcycle bomb attack in Lahore on March 14, 2018

At least nine people were killed and 20 wounded late Wednesday when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a police check-post in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, officials said.

The attack took place in the suburb of Raiwind in Lahore, the main town of central Punjab province, near a mosque hosting a religious congregation of some 60,000 people.

"At least nine people, which included five police and four civilians, have been killed.... Circumstances show it was a suicide attack," Haider Ashraf, a senior police official in Lahore, told reporters.

At least 20 people were wounded in the attack which targeted the police check-post, he said.

Jam Sajjad, a spokesman for the emergency services, confirmed the death toll.

Punjab's chief minister Shahbaz Sharif said: "The martyred policemen are our heroes. Their sacrifices will not go in vain".

The bombing was claimed by the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group in a statement sent to AFP, in which the jihadists threatened more attacks on police in retaliation for killing their "associates" in Punjab.

The US State Department earlier this month offered a $5 million reward for help locating the leader of the TTP, which has been linked to bloody attacks in Pakistan and the 2010 attempted Times Square car bombing in New York.

The State Department posted the reward for information leading to the identification or location of Maulana Fazlullah, the head of the TTP, and said the group "demonstrated a close alliance with al-Qaeda".

According to US officials, TTP gave explosives training to Faisal Shahzad, who failed in his attempt to set off a car bomb in Times Square in May 2010.

The group was also behind the massacre of more than 150 people at a Peshawar school in December 2014 and the October 2012 shooting of Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai.
Louisianas high court has ruled that the way many of the states charter schools are funded is indeed constitutional.

The Louisiana Supreme Courts decision reverses that of a state appeals court . And its a big win for charter school advocates who have been fighting back similar legal challenges in other states.

At stake in the Louisiana case was funding for over 40 charter schools in a state that has leaned heavily on the charter school idea to turn around failing schools.

The central question in Iberville Parish School Board v. Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education was whether schools granted charters by the state board, rather than a local school districtor parishwere eligible to receive money allocated to local school systems.

The lawsuit spearheaded by the Louisiana Association of Educators argued that it was unconstitutional to fund schools overseen by the state with money intended for local parishes, regardless of where the schools themselves are located.

That argument was initially rejected by a Louisiana district judge in 2015, before being overturned a year ago by a state appeals court.

As I reported then, although charter laws have been passed in the vast majority of states, how the schools are funded has become a potential Achilles heel in some areas.

Washington states high court ruled in 2015 that the way charters were funded was unconstitutional. Lawmakers have since revised the funding system there, and charters are back up-and-running in the state. But another lawsuit seeks to strip them of their funding again.

A lawsuit filed in Mississippi in 2016 also claimed that its unconstitutional to require local districts to share property tax money with schools they dont run. A judge ruled that the funding scheme was legal in February.

But all that has been enough to spook charter school advocates, and theyve been taking the threat seriously. In particular, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools launched a legal action and defense fund last year to deal precisely with this type of litigation.

Related stories:
Democrat Conor Lamb, a former US Marine with blue-collar roots, has claimed victory in Pennsylvania's special congressional election -- bad news for Republicans ahead of November's midterms

US President Donald Trump's Republican Party was on course Wednesday for a stunning defeat in a key special congressional election in Pennsylvania, adding to the turmoil engulfing his administration after the sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Democrats exulted in the stunning performance by one of their own in a race that has taken on national implications, insisting that their unexpectedly strong showing in Trump country -- unthinkable a year ago -- bodes well for them ahead of November's midterm elections.

With all precincts reporting, and more than 240,000 ballots cast Tuesday, Democratic candidate Conor Lamb was leading Republican Rick Saccone by 579 votes, or 49.8 percent to 49.6 percent.

As county officials counted provisional and absentee ballots that will likely determine the outcome, Lamb declared victory in the wee hours of Wednesday, in a district Trump won by nearly 20 points in the 2016 presidential contest.

The New York Times later called the race for Lamb, saying his lead "appeared insurmountable."

And Lamb's party swiftly proclaimed that Trump and his Republicans could face a political reckoning this year -- with control of Congress up for grabs.

"As we head into the 2018 midterms, the momentum is undeniable for Democratic candidates running up and down the ballot," Democratic National Committee head Tom Perez said.

"Pennsylvania is just the beginning."

- 'Wake up call' -

The performance by Lamb -- a 33-year-old former federal prosecutor and US Marine officer -- was an eye-opener on multiple fronts.

Not only did it show Democrats have reconnected with organized labor, it demonstrated that moderates who fought for economic fairness could resonate with older, white, male working-class voters -- the very segment of America's electorate that swung to Trump in 2016.

Somber Republican leaders were forced to acknowledge that, regardless of the District 18 outcome, Lamb had dealt a sharp blow to their prospects of maintaining control of the Senate and House of Representatives.

"This should be a wake up call," House Speaker Paul Ryan told Republican lawmakers in a closed-door conference, according to a person in the room.

Speaking to reporters, however, Ryan sought to downplay the impact, suggesting Lamb was a Democrat unusually well-suited for his district, who ran a pro-life, pro-gun, anti-establishment campaign.

"Both of these candidates ran as conservatives," Ryan said of Lamb and Saccone. "I just don't think you're going to see that across the country" in November.

- 'No district is safe' -

Democrats exulted over the political ramifications of having potentially ousted a Republican in a conservative, working-class bastion.

"The results in Pennsylvania spell disaster for Republicans in November," said Bradley Beychok, who heads the pro-Democrat political action committee American Bridge.

"If they can't win in a longtime Republican stronghold, no district is safe."

All 435 House seats are up for election every two years. Senate terms are for six years, and 35 of the 100 seats are in play in November.

US President Donald Trump campaigned for Saccone at a Make America Great Again Rally on March 10 in Moon Township, Pennsylvania

Trump campaigned in person for Saccone, a culturally conservative state representative who had been accused of running a lacklustre campaign.

But the election was held just as the White House was whipsawed by political upheaval including a series of staff ousters, including Trump's sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday.

Trump's own low approval rating no doubt contributed to Saccone's poor showing, though White House spokesman Raj Shah put a brave face on it.

"The president's engagement in the race turned what was a deficit for the Republican candidate to what is essentially a tie," Shah said.

But Lamb, acutely aware of how his district voted in 2016, refused to pile on against the president during the campaign, seeking to minimize the political divisions that have set many Americans on edge.

"I know people voted for the president and voted for me," Lamb told CNN.

His performance in a conservative stronghold -- Democrats had not even fielded a candidate against the Republican incumbent in recent elections -- suggests far more congressional districts might be in play in November than the 24 seats necessary for Democrats to reclaim the House.

The party in power in Washington traditionally loses seats during the midterm elections of a president's first term. But there are signals that 2018 could be a banner year for Democrats.

They over-performed in five special elections in deep-red districts last year, including in Georgia, Montana and South Carolina. And in a special election last December, Doug Jones became Alabama's first Democratic senator in 25 years.

Strategists point to unprecedented Democratic grass-roots activism, strong fundraising, and competitive candidates that have combined to animate voters this year.

"We knew the midterms were going to be difficult," House Republican Tom Cole told CNN, acknowledging that "our majority is at stake."

"We're certainly not in a state of denial or complacency on our side," he said.
The United Nations has 12,500 troops and 1,500 police in its South Sudan mission, which is tasked with protecting civilians caught up in a brutal war between President Salva Kiir's forces and rebels

The UN Security Council is expected to adopt on Thursday a US-drafted resolution that threatens to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan and sanctions against those blocking efforts to end one of Africa's worst wars.

The strongly-worded text is aimed at piling pressure on South Sudan's warring sides as they head into a new round of peace talks in Ethiopia next month to end the four-year war.

The council "expresses its intention to consider all measures, including an arms embargo, as appropriate, to deprive the parties of the means to continue fighting," according to a final draft resolution.

Demanding an end to the fighting, the council will "consider all appropriate measures... against those who take actions that undermine the peace, stability, and security of South Sudan," said the text seen by AFP on Wednesday.

The draft resolution would also renew the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission for a year and maintain a regional force in Juba that was deployed after fierce fighting broke out in the capital in July 2016.

The United Nations has 12,500 troops and 1,500 police in its UNMISS mission, which is tasked with protecting civilians caught up in a brutal war between President Salva Kiir's forces and rebels.

Negotiations on the US-drafted text began last week with Russia, China and Ethiopia raising objections to the threat of an arms embargo, diplomats said.

That stance was in line with the African Union, which has backed sanctions as a way to pressure the parties but has not endorsed an arms embargo.

The United States failed in late 2016 to garner enough support for a ban on weapons sales after eight countries including Russia, China, Angola, Egypt and Senegal abstained.

Nine votes are required to adopt a resolution in the 15-member council.

Despite the defeat, the United States has continued to call for an arms embargo, with the support of Britain and France.

- Time for action ? -

Human Rights Watch's UN deputy director Akshaya Kumar said an arms embargo and sanctions are the "missing pieces of the puzzle" to shore up peace efforts in South Sudan.

"It's good that the Security Council is threatening these steps but they have made these threats many times before, and what we are waiting for is action," she said.

The measure would push the council closer to action but another draft resolution would have to be approved for the actual arms embargo to be imposed.

The war in the world's youngest nation has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted four million -- roughly a third of the population -- and raised the risk of famine.

South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011, with critical backing from the United States, which remains Juba's biggest aid donor.

With the war now in its fifth year, Ethiopia is leading a regional peace effort, hosting talks between the government and rebel groups that have yet to produce a breakthrough.

A ceasefire deal agreed in December has not taken hold, even though the level of violence has decreased.

The Ethiopia-led diplomatic effort has been billed as a last chance for peace as frustration grows over the ongoing war that has seen horrific levels of brutality.

A UN rights commission last month said there was sufficient evidence to charge at least 41 senior officers and officials with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The commission's report documented extraordinary cruelty. Some victims were beheaded, burned alive or had their throats cut, others had their eyes gouged out or were tortured.

Addressing a recent African Union summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres dropped his usual reluctance to criticize leaders and bluntly said of South Sudan's leaders that he "had never seen a political elite with so little interest in the well-being of its own people."
Toys 'R' Us plans to sell or close all of its US stores, like this one in San Rafael, California, reports say

Toys 'R' Us said late Wednesday it will liquidate all of its US stores, heralding the end of what had been an iconic player in the American toy industry.

"This is a profoundly sad day for us as well as the millions of kids and families who we have served for the past 70 years," CEO Dave Brandon said in a statement.

"I am very disappointed with the result, but we no longer have the financial support to continue the company's US operations," he added.

The statement made no mention of jobs, but news reports said the closure could hit 33,000 of them.

The debt-plagued retailer first filed for bankruptcy protection in September.

"We're putting a for sale sign on everything," Brandon said earlier on a conference call with staff, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Started in 1948 amid the postwar US economic boom, Toys 'R' US has 881 stores in US territories and nearly 65,000 employees globally, according to the company's most recent press release last month.

The New Jersey-based company was saddled with debt following a leveraged buyout in 2005 by a consortium that included the KKR Group and Bain Capital.

Much like other retailers, Toys 'R' Us has been battered by competition from Amazon and other online retailers.

A weak holiday shopping season weighed on the company's efforts to reorganize, analysts said.

Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, blamed the company's woes on poor leadership.

"As the competitive dynamics of the toy market intensified, management failed to respond and evolve. As such, the brand lost relevance, customers and ultimately sales," Saunders said in a note Wednesday.

"The main tragedy of liquidation will be the extensive loss of jobs. In our view, those on the shop-floor have been badly let down by management and those doing financial deals."

The company statement said it is exploring strategies for keeping the brand alive, including the sale of 200 US stores that could be packaged with its Canadian operations.

In February, the company's British business announced plans for an "orderly wind-down" of the company's store portfolio.

Toys 'R' Us employs 3,200 people at 100 stores in Britain.

In the statement the company also said it is pursuing a "going concern" reorganization and sale process for its Canadian and international operations in Asia and Central Europe, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

"The Companys international operations in Australia, France, Poland, Portugal and Spain are considering their options in light of this announcement," it said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump unceremoniously dumped Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by tweet on Tuesday and picked CIA Director Mike Pompeo to take his place, abruptly ending Tillerson's turbulent tenure as America's top diplomat and escalating the administration's chaotic second-year shake-up.

Tillerson was ousted barely four hours after he returned from an Africa mission and with no face-to-face conversation with the president, the latest casualty of an unruly White House that has seen multiple top officials depart in recent weeks. Citing the Iran nuclear deal and other issues, Trump said he and Tillerson were "not really thinking the same."

"We disagreed on things," Trump told reporters at the White House - a diplomatic take on a fractious relationship that included reports that Tillerson had privately called the president a "moron."

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, to travel to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday and said he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, in a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into high-stakes talks with North Korea. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

In an illustration of the gulf that has long separated Tillerson and Trump, the White House and the State Department vigorously disagreed about the circumstances of his firing.

Undersecretary of State Steve Goldstein and other State Department officials said Tuesday morning that Tillerson hadn't learned he was dismissed until he saw Trump's early-morning tweet, and hadn't discussed it directly with Trump. Goldstein said the former Exxon Mobil CEO was "unaware of the reason" he was fired and "had had every intention of staying."

Then Goldstein, hours after making those comments, was fired, too.

Multiple White House officials said that Tillerson had been informed of the decision Friday, while he was in Ethiopia. One official said chief of staff John Kelly had called Tillerson on Friday and again on Saturday to warn him that Trump was about to take imminent action if he did not resign and that a replacement had already been identified. Tillerson canceled his entire schedule that Saturday in Ethiopia, with the State Department telling reporters he was sick.

When Tillerson didn't step aside, Trump fired him, that official said.

All of the officials demanded anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly.

"I think Rex will be much happier now," Trump said before flying to California.

Trump's change puts Pompeo, an ardent foe of the Iran nuclear deal, in charge of U.S. diplomacy as the president decides whether to withdraw the U.S. from the agreement. Trump faces another deadline in May to decide whether to remain in the Obama-era nuclear agreement that he campaigned aggressively against.

Tillerson has pushed Trump to remain in the agreement and had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment it to Trump's liking. The president mentioned differences over how to handle the Iran agreement, "so we were not really thinking the same."

The reshuffle also comes amid a dramatic diplomatic opening with North Korea, with Trump set to hold a historic meeting with leader Kim Jong Un in May. Pressuring North Korea with sanctions and other isolation measures had been a top Tillerson priority, and he had been one of the administration's more vocal advocates for holding talks in some form with the North. When Trump ultimately accepted Kim's invitation for a meeting, Tillerson was in Ethiopia, though he said he spoke with Trump at 2:30 a.m., shortly before it was announced.

Tillerson's departure adds to a period of intense turnover within Trump's administration that has alarmed those both in and out of the White House. Top economic adviser Gary Cohn announced his resignation last week, not long after communications director Hope Hicks and staff secretary Rob Porter both departed near the start of Trump's second year in office.

Speculation that Tillerson would be fired grew last fall with the reports of his "moron" insult, which the secretary state never personally denied. It spiked again in November when White House officials told multiple news outlets of a plan to replace him with Pompeo. But Tillerson continued to hang on, pointing out that his doubters had yet to be proven right.

The president said he was nominating the CIA's deputy director, Gina Haspel, to take over for Pompeo at the intelligence agency. If confirmed, Haspel would be the CIA's first female director

Pompeo, a former Republican congressman from Kansas, has been one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members and quickly formed a close bond with the president, coming personally to the White House most days to deliver the President's Daily Briefing. Known for his blunt-talking style, Pompeo has already been confirmed by the Senate for his current role at the CIA, making it likely that he will be confirmed for the State Department role.

"He will do a fantastic job!" Trump tweeted.

But several Democrats quickly raised concerns about both Pompeo and Haspel, suggesting their confirmation hearings could be contentious. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, a Senate Intelligence Committee, accused Pompeo of being insufficiently tough on Russia and said he'd "demonstrated a casual relationship to truth and principle."

Pompeo said he was "deeply grateful" to be nominated and looked "forward to guiding the world's finest diplomatic corps" if confirmed. He also praised Trump.

"His leadership has made America safer, and I look forward to representing him and the American people to the rest of the world to further America's prosperity," Pompeo said.

On Tillerson's plane trip back from Africa, he had told reporters he had cut short his mission by one night because he was exhausted after working most of the night both Friday on Saturday and falling ill. He mentioned that after his 2:30 a.m. call with Trump on Friday about North Korea, the next night he "got another call at 2:30 that woke me up," but declined to say what that call was about.

"I felt like, look, I just need to get back," Tillerson said.

Dismissing Tillerson had been discussed at multiple levels for a long time, said a senior White House official, adding that the North Korea overture and invitation brought more urgency to the decision. Two officials said Trump wanted to have a new team in place ahead of an upcoming meeting with Kim, the North Korean leader.

One senior White House official said that when Trump made the decision to meet with Kim while Tillerson was in Africa, an aide asked if Tillerson should weigh in on the matter. Trump said there was no reason to consult him because no matter what the group decided, Tillerson would be against it, the official said.

It was unclear when exactly Tillerson would formally step down. Once he does, Deputy Secretary John Sullivan will take over temporarily until Pompeo is confirmed, the White House said.

The former Exxon chief had been an unlikely pick for top diplomat, with no formal experience but a lifetime's worth of personal relationships with heads of state and powerful global figures, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. He was slated to retire from Exxon in March 2017 at age 65 under the company's mandatory retirement policy when he joined the administration.

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller, Jonathan Lemire Ken Thomas contributed to this report.

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018 file photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. Tillerson is out as secretary of state. President Trump tweeted this morning that he's naming CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace him. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

In this Jan. 29, 2018, photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, to travel to Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Trump is beginning a two day trip to California and St. Louis. Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday and said he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, in a major staff reshuffle just as Trump dives into high-stakes talks with North Korea. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - The Latest on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (all times local):

4:05 p.m.

Norwegian musher Joar Ulsom has left the second-to-last checkpoint in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, with the finish line in Nome just hours away.

Ulsom left the White Mountain checkpoint shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday. That checkpoint is 77 miles (123 kilometers) from Nome.

Ulsom holds the lead in the world's most famous sled dog race. He is a native of Norway who has been living in Willow, Alaska, the dog mushing capital of the United States.

Nic Petit, a native of France who lives south of Anchorage, was in second place. Defending champion Mitch Seavey was in third. All three faced a mandatory eight-hour rest at the checkpoint before heading back out.

The race also reported that two mushers had scratched, Wade Marrs and Tom Schonberger.

___

8:17 a.m.

A Norwegian musher has taken command of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race with only a few miles to go to reach the finish line in Nome.

But first, Joar Ulsom has to take a rest.

Just before 8 a.m. AKST Tuesday, Ulsom was the first musher to reach the checkpoint in White Mountain, Alaska, where mushers and dogs are required to take an eight-hour rest. After that, it's only 77 miles (123 kilometers) across the Bering Sea ice to the famed burled arch finish line on Front Street in Nome.

Ulsom left the checkpoint in Elim for White Mountain about three hours ahead of the nearest musher, Nic Petit, a native of France now living just south of Anchorage.

Defending champion Mitch Seavey of Seward, Alaska, was in third place.

___

6:06 a.m.

A Norwegian musher continues to lead the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday.

Joar Ulsom was nearing the checkpoint in White Mountain, where mushers and dogs must take a mandatory eight-hour rest before making the final 77-mile (123-kilometer) push to the finish line in Nome.

Ulsom left the checkpoint in Elim early Tuesday morning, about three hours ahead of Nicolas Petit, a native of France.

Petit had a solid lead in the race Monday before losing the trail in a blizzard on the Bering Sea ice.

By the time he found the trail again, Ulsom had passed him.

Mitch Seavey, the defending champion of the nearly 1,000-mile (1609-kilometer) race across the Alaska wilderness, was in the third place.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A lawsuit filed by BuzzFeed has been dismissed against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach over an open records request.

BuzzFeed filed the lawsuit in October, arguing that Kobach's office had refused to release emails containing any of 30 terms that relate to immigration or elections.

BuzzFeed said Kobach's office at first asked for $1,025 for 13 hours of work and an attorney's review, but then refused to release any records when the reporter challenged the cost.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Tuesday that Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks ruled Kobach's office simply clarified that the payment for the records was needed in advance.

The judge also noted that court filings indicate BuizzFeed and Kobach's office are continuing to negotiate. The judge says nothing suggests the request was denied.

___

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

1. TILLERSON'S TURBULENT TENURE ENDS

Trump unceremoniously dumps his secretary of state - who reportedly once called the president a "moron" - and picks CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

This photo provided by Jesus Tejada shows first responders looking down at a bus that plunged into a ravine, Tuesday, March 13, 2018 on Interstate 10, Loxley, Ala. Several people were on board, and all of them were brought to 10 hospitals in Alabama and Florida, either by helicopter or ambulance, said Baldwin County Sheriff Huey Hoss Mack. (Jesus Tejada via AP)

2. PRESIDENT TAKES SHOPPING TRIP TO BORDER

Trump, making his first trip to California as president, inspects eight towering prototypes for his long-sought wall at the U.S.-Mexico boundary.

3. TURKS IMPERIL KURDS IN NORTHERN SYRIA

Turkish forces encircle the Kurdish-held town of Afrin, putting hundreds of thousands of civilians under siege.

4. HOW STUDENT ACTIVISM IS WIDENING

From Maine to Hawaii, thousands of students plan to stage walkouts to protest gun violence, one month after the deadly shooting inside a high school in Parkland, Florida.

5. BUS RUNS OFF HIGHWAY INTO DEEP RAVINE

The dramatic crash in Alabama kills the driver and injures many members of a high school band returning to Texas after performing at Disney World.

6. WHICH WEAPONS HAVEN'T DISAPPEARED

Some big U.S. retailers have curbed sales of assault-style weapons after last month's school shooting in Florida. But others are sticking to their guns.

7. 'WE'RE NOT OUT OF WINTER YET'

The third powerful nor'easter in two weeks slams the Northeast, bringing blizzard conditions and more than a foot of snow to some communities.

8. WHAT UNITED AIRLINES IS APOLOGIZING FOR

A passenger's dog dies on a flight from Houston to New York after a flight attendant orders the animal be put in the plane's overhead bin.

9. PRIZE-WINNING ARCHITECT FACING HARASSMENT CLAIMS

Richard Meier, who designed the Getty Center in Los Angeles, faces sexual-harassment accusations from several women.

10. PROMINENT NFL PLAYERS CUT

Adrian Peterson's short stint in Arizona is over. Jordy Nelson's long and productive stay in Green Bay has ended, too.

FILE - In this July 11, 2017, file photo, a United Airlines plane lands at San Francisco International Airport. A dog died on a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered its owner to put the animal in the plane's overhead bin. United said Tuesday, March 13, 2018, that it took full responsibility for the incident on the Monday night flight from Houston to New York. In a statement, United called it "a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin." (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
SPANAWAY, Wash. (AP) - A member of the U.S. Air Force in Washington state fatally shot his two young children and his wife before killing himself, authorities said Tuesday.

The Pierce County sheriff's office said they found the bodies inside a home near Spanaway, about 45 miles south of Seattle, after the man called 911 reporting that he killed his family.

The victims were identified as Samantha Field, 33, and the couple's children, 4-year-old Ava and 2-year-old Ashen, according to the county medical examiner's office. The alleged shooter was Clint Field, 29. He was originally from Florida and his wife was from New Hampshire, the News Tribune reported .

Officials carry crime scene tape, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, as they leave a home in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

The sheriff's office said the children were shot while they were sleeping and their mother also was shot in bed. It said Clint Field was stationed at nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told Seattle-area TV station KOMO that investigators have learned Clint Field had been upset and had a past incident in which he mentioned suicide. Troyer also said family members mentioned that the couple may have had a divorce proceeding about to start.

"We have not been to this house before and there's no history of domestic violence," Troyer said.

Daine Patton, who sold the home a year ago to the family, said in an interview that it was a "tragic" situation.

"It really breaks my heart for those kids ... to be killed by their father. That's horrible," Patton said.

Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. deputies talks to the occupants of a passing car, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, as they stand on a street near a home (not shown) in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. spokesman Ed Troyer, center, talks to reporters, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in front of the home, center, in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

A Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. deputy walks under crime scene tape, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in front of a home in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. spokesman Ed Troyer talks to reporters, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in front of the home in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Crime scene tape surrounds a home, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force, who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Workers, including a federal police officer, left, carry a board Tuesday, March 13, 2018, at the home in Spanaway, Wash., where authorities say a member of the U.S. Air Force who was stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord fatally shot his two young children and their mother before killing himself overnight. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
UPDATE: A spokeswoman for the U.S. Education Department said on Thursday that as of April 1, current Deputy Chief Privacy Officer Angela Arrington will become the departments interim Chief Privacy Officer. In her current capacity, Arrington leads efforts around the administration of FERPA, freedom-of-information requests, and more. She previously worked for 18 years as a computer scientist at the Defense Information System Agency.

UPDATED

The chief privacy officer position at the U.S. Education Department is about to go vacant, sources say, as part of a broader reorganization that could have big implications for how the federal government supports schools and districts in protecting student privacy.

Current Chief Privacy Officer Kathleen Styles announced at a staff meeting Monday that she was being reassigned, effective April 1, and that there are currently no plans to replace her, according to a source familiar with the announcement.

A spokeswoman for the Education Department declined to confirm the reassignment, saying the department does not comment on personnel matters.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has no plans to do away with the position of chief privacy officer, read the statement from spokeswoman Elizabeth Hill. But the statement did not offer any further details about the departments plans for the office of the chief privacy officer moving forward.

At a scheduled appearance Wednesday, the departments director of student privacy policy said the agencys work will roll on, unimpeded.

The services are not going to change, said Michael Hawes during a panel on K-12 privacy policy at the annual conference of the Consortium for School Networking in Washington.

Providing Technical Assistance on Privacy

Styles, a lawyer licensed to practice in Texas and the District of Columbia, has filled the departments chief privacy officer role since it was created in 2011.

The office she runs is currently responsible for functions including administering two of the countrys major federal student-privacy laws, developing the Education Departments privacy-related policies and guidance, and providing technical assistance to help education entities navigate student-privacy issues.

Under Styles, the office has significantly expanded the scope of the departments Privacy Technical Assistance Center, issuing guidance and best-practices documents on a wide range of privacy-related issues, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, commonly known as FERPA.

That could change as part of an impending apparent shakeup.

Asked about the future of the offices technical-assistance efforts, the department spokeswoman said in a statement that the Family Policy Compliance Office, which is currently part of the office of the chief privacy officer, will enforce FERPA compliance and provide technical assistance as required by statute.

When an attendee at the CoSN conference session asked what that might mean for the departments work with districts -and vendors-seeking guidance on how to interpret and comply with federal privacy law, Hawes said parents who believe their rights have been violated under the federal privacy law FERPA can continue to file complaints with the departments privacy compliance office.

In addition, he said, his division has not stopped accepting requests for help through the Privacy Technical Assistance Center.

Still, some privacy advocates are worried about the potential implications of any shift, saying it suggests a return to an earlier era when many schools and districts were reluctant to seek out federal help on privacy-related issues.

Under Kathleens direction, the department has provided concrete, understandable guidance on a range of [privacy] issues that are applicable to everyday school operations, said Amelia Vance, the director of education privacy at the Future of Privacy Forum, a Washington think tank.

This clarity has been immeasurably helpful to better understanding and implementing privacy protections for students, Vance said. It is crucial that this work continue.

Also unclear is what a shakeup might mean for ongoing efforts to update or overhaul FERPA , especially a broader set of 2011 regulations that have proved controversial.

The Trump administration has been engaged in broader efforts it says are aimed to make federal agencies, including the Education Department, more efficient and responsive. Last month, Education Week reported on DeVoss plan to reduce the number of political appointees and to merge or consolidate a number of offices within the Education Department.

For some, such steps are critical to undoing years of perceived federal overreach under former President Barack Obama.

But for many in the privacy-advocacy community, its a potentially ominous sign.

This is part of a larger pattern, where the administration is making poorly thought-out shifts to organizational structures, without thinking about the impact on schools and kids, said Bill Fitzgerald, the project director of Project Unicorn, an initiative to support data interoperability in K-12 education. Its irresponsible to not have an immediate plan to keep data privacy and security a priority within the department.

This post has been updated with comments from U.S. Education Department director of student privacy policy Michael Hawes, made Wednesday at the annual conference of the Consortium for School Networking.

See also:
LONDON (AP) - A glance at the life of celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking, who died Wednesday at 76.

Jan. 8, 1942 - Born in Oxford, England, the eldest of four children born to Frank Hawking, a biologist, and Isobel Hawking, a medical research secretary.

1952 - Attends St. Albans School.

FILE - In this Aug. 29, 2012 file photo, British physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking speaks during the Opening Ceremony for the 2012 Paralympics in London. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)

1959 - Receives scholarship to attend University College, Oxford, from which he graduates with a degree in Natural Science.

1962 - Begins graduate research in cosmology at Cambridge University.

1963 - Diagnosed with the degenerative nerve disorder ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, at the age of 21. He is given two years to live.

Jul. 14, 1965 - Marries his first wife, Jane Wilde, a modern languages student he met at Cambridge.

1967 - The couple's first son, Robert, is born.

1970 - Jane gives birth to a daughter, Lucy.

1974 - Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society at age 32, one of the youngest people to receive the honor.

1979 - Becomes Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a prestigious position once held by Isaac Newton. Hawking holds the post until 2009. Jane gives birth to a third child, Timothy.

1985 - Admitted to a hospital in Geneva with pneumonia. He survives after an operation, but loses what remained of his speech. The next year he begins communicating through the electronic voice synthesizer that gave him his trademark robotic "voice."

1988 - Publishes "A Brief History of Time," a book on cosmology aimed at the general public that becomes an instant best-seller.

1989 - Made a Companion of Honor by Queen Elizabeth II.

1995 - Marries his nurse, Elaine Mason.

2007 - Divorces Elaine Mason.

2014 - Hawking's life is celebrated in the Oscar-winning biopic "The Theory of Everything," based on the memoir "Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen," by Jane Hawking.
LONDON (AP) - The Latest on the death of theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease (all times local):

9:20 a.m.

The actor who played Stephen Hawking in a film about the scientist's life has described him as the funniest man he ever met.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2014 file photo actor Eddie Redmayne, right, and Professor Stephen Hawking arrive on the blue carpet for the UK premiere of The Theory Of Everything at the Odeon in Leicester Square, central London. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking "The Theory of Everything," paid tribute to Hawking on Wednesday.

Redmayne says: "We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet."

The British actor played the mathematical genius across decades of physical degeneration - all under Hawking's watchful gaze.

Redmayne said at the time of the film that Hawking wanted to live life to the full - and that he always had a glint in his eye.

___

6:05 a.m.

The vice chancellor of the University of Cambridge is praising Stephen Hawking as an inspiration to millions.

Professor Stephen Toope said the 76-year-old Hawking, who died at his home in Cambridge, England, early Wednesday, will be missed all over the world.

Toope said that Hawking's "exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge and the popularization of science and mathematics have left an indelible legacy."

Hawking was the best-known theoretical physicist of his time. His body was attacked by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, when he was 21, but he stunned doctors by living with the usually fatal illness for more than 50 years.

___

4:05 a.m.

A University of Cambridge spokesman says theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has died.

In a statement, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim called him "a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."

The best-known theoretical physicist of his time, Hawking wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book, "A Brief History of Time," became an international best-seller, making him one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.

Even though his body was attacked by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, when Hawking was 21, he stunned doctors by living with the usually fatal illness for more than 50 years.

FILE - In this March 30, 2015 file photo, Professor Stephen Hawking poses for photographers upon arrival for the Interstellar Live show at the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018.(Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this March 30, 2015 file photo, Professor Stephen Hawking arrives for the Interstellar Live show at the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this March 30, 2015 file photo, Professor Stephen Hawking arrives for the Interstellar Live show at the Royal Albert Hall in central London. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - In this March 6, 2017 file photo, Britain's Professor Stephen Hawking delivers a keynote speech as he receives the Honorary Freedom of the City of London during a ceremony at the Guildhall in the City of London. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - An 18-year-old man who is accused of using a toy gun in several armed carjackings in Louisiana has been arrested.

NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune reports that New Orleans police arrested Don Johnson on March 8 after officers said they saw him driving a car that was stolen three days earlier in an armed carjacking.

Johnson's arrest warrant states that he confessed to three armed carjackings along with other robberies while police interviewed him.

According to the arrest warrant, Johnson said he did not use a real gun in any of the robberies, but rather a toy gun that he'd painted black so that it would appear real.

Johnson was booked on several charges that include armed robbery and carjacking. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.

___

Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.nola.com
The three military fathers sat at the commander's conference table on the U.S. Army base in Germany, pleading for help.

They told the commander that their daughters were among a half-dozen girls sexually assaulted by a boy in their first-grade class at the base school. The principal had known about the boy's behavior for months, they said, but the abuse continued.

The girls' parents had already turned to Army police, military child-abuse authorities and sex-assault specialists. The response throughout the U.S. military's vast support structure was always the same, they said: Sorry this has happened; there's nothing we can do.

In this Jan. 31, 2018, photo, a mother whose daughter said she was sexually assaulted during first grade by a classmate at their elementary school on a U.S. military base in Germany stands in her daughter's bedroom at their new home in Colorado. The Associated Press is not identifying the girl's mother or father, a U.S. Army soldier, to protect the girl's identity. The family was one of several who said the principal did not tell them about allegations their daughters were sexually assaulted. An Associated Press investigation showed how student-on-student sex assault reports languish in the Pentagon's worldwide school network. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

"It gives us a sense of hopelessness," one of the fathers, a soldier, said. "We can only do so much as parents."

Tens of thousands of children and teenagers live and attend school on U.S. military bases while their parents serve the country. Yet if they are sexually violated by a classmate, a neighborhood kid or a sibling, they often get lost in a legal and bureaucratic netherworld . That's because military law doesn't apply to civilians, and the federal legal system that typically handles civilian crimes on base isn't equipped or inclined to prosecute juveniles.

The Pentagon's response to addressing this problem stands in contrast to how it cracked down on sexual assault in the ranks following congressional scrutiny more than a decade ago.

"If this would have been a soldier, things would have happened much differently," the soldier's wife said.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense said it "takes seriously any incident impacting the well-being" of soldiers and families and promised, without elaboration, "appropriate actions."

The military's school system - the Department of Defense Education Activity, or DoDEA - said it had "zero tolerance for sexual assault" and that an investigation of what happened at the German base school showed staff "took the appropriate actions to best meet the needs of all students involved."

Yet, in a military that prizes procedure and protocol, the Pentagon's school system has no specific policy to respond to student-on-student sexual violence. It doesn't accurately track the incidents and affords students fewer protections than those assaulted in U.S. public schools, an Associated Press investigation found.

Three sets of parents interviewed for this story spoke on the record. But AP does not name victims of sexual assault without consent and, to protect their daughters' identities, extended that anonymity to their parents.

"The one place you can feel safe with your child going is school," said another mother whose daughter was among those who reported being attacked, "and then you can't even trust school."

___

PROBLEM EMERGES

The Army soldier and his wife were excited when they arrived in the southern German town of Grafenwoehr (GRAF'-en-vohr) in 2014. The small outpost had housed U.S. troops since World War II, including a private named Elvis Presley.

Though isolated amid farmland and rolling hills, Grafenwoehr put the couple just a train ride away from Europe's great cities. They also liked that their 6-year-old daughter could attend an elementary school run by the military that offered advance placement classes in math and reading.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as the school year progressed, though their daughter began acting temperamental after the Christmas break. They thought she might be homesick. Then one Thursday in late July 2015, as the wife was watching a TV crime drama with her daughter playing nearby, an actor asked about the "sex" of a victim, and the girl giggled.

How she would've known that word bothered the wife. So later that night, in the girl's bedroom, the wife gently inquired: Had anyone ever inappropriately touched her?

Tearfully, the girl confided that several times a week during the school year, a boy had forced kisses on her, penetrated her with his finger in class and on the playground, and coaxed her to touch him. He told her she'd get hurt if she talked about it, she said. And, she added, other girls in her class were also abused.

The wife's discovery began a struggle that is documented in sworn statements by the soldier, law enforcement records and other documents they shared with AP, and supplemented by interviews with the couple and two other sets of parents.

The same night her daughter came forward, the soldier's wife contacted two of the other girls' mothers and learned that they hadn't known anything, either.

The next morning, the soldier and his wife went to an Army sex-assault response office, where they hit their first road block: A staffer told them their daughter didn't qualify for help because she was a minor.

Then they phoned the Family Advocacy Program, but its specialists handle child abuse reports only when allegations implicate a parent or caregiver. At the Army's Criminal Investigative Command they were told investigators lacked jurisdiction inside the military-run schools and were referred back to the offices they had already contacted. Finally, the base office for the Army inspector general suggested contacting the principal or their congressman.

"We hit everywhere you could possibly go," the wife recalled. "It just felt like, 'Oh, well, kids will be kids.'"

On the eve of a meeting with the principal they had set for Monday, the soldier and his wife talked to another set of parents and absorbed a new shock.

Those parents said the principal had called them about six months earlier, around February 2015, to report an incident at recess between the boy and their daughter. He gave the impression it wasn't serious and promised to take "every step to ensure this never happens again," according to the father, an Army officer who was among those meeting with the commander.

But it did happen again, the officer said. In May, the principal called him about a second incident and said he had removed a class couch where the boy would squeeze next to girls and touch them.

When the parents pushed their daughter for more details, the officer said, she described multiple incidents since February, including the boy reaching under her clothes to touch her genitals. She said that she'd told her teacher at least once about his misbehavior. And she named five other victims, the officer said.

Fuming, he called the principal, naming each girl, including the soldier's daughter. "You need to contact them and let their parents know that this has happened," he recalled telling the principal.

After hearing that, the soldier's wife said, she vomited.

____

SCHOOL RESPONSE

The soldier and his wife had not met Principal Matthew Kralevich before that day in early August 2015, when they recounted their daughter's story.

Kralevich had arrived at Grafenwoehr Elementary in 2012, his second posting in the Pentagon school system. Within two years, the National Parent Teacher Association recognized the school as a "true example of what can be accomplished when schools and families work together."

Armed with information from the other parents, the soldier and his wife pressed Kralevich about what he'd known when and what he'd done to stop further abuse.

Kralevich acknowledged dealing with a previous sexual assault incident involving the boy, according to the soldier's sworn statements to military police and other agencies. When they asked about the other girls, Kralevich said he contacted the families of everyone named and their daughter wasn't among them, they recalled.

Kralevich's answers upset the wife. The officer insisted he shared her daughter's name with the principal months earlier. And the other parents said she, not Kralevich, had alerted them to the assaults.

"I know that you're lying," the wife recalled telling Kralevich.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she said he replied, "because I did everything I was supposed to do, and I protected our students."

Kralevich said the boy might not return to school, but nonetheless he was thinking about offering staff training, increasing playground supervision and encouraging parents to talk to their children about proper touching. The Pentagon would not allow Kralevich to speak with reporters, and he did not respond to direct requests for comment.

Unsatisfied, the parents of the six girls began strategizing a response. They all met weeks later at a park and shared new information through a Facebook group chat.

Two of the girls, they learned, said they had told at least one teacher what was happening and were instructed not to tell their parents, according to records and interviews.

"I asked her, 'Did you ever tell anybody?' " one of those girls' mothers told the AP. "She said, 'Mom, I told (the teacher). She told me to stop tattle-telling.' "

In late August, the soldier, the officer and a third military father appealed to the base commander. Commanders can take administrative action in civilian misconduct cases, but he told them he lacked jurisdiction over the base school, according to the officer and soldier. Eventually, he said he would make a call.

"Go work it out with the principal was his bottom line answer," the officer recalled. "We said the principal is the problem."

Within a day, the commander, who now works at a different base and didn't respond to AP's messages, followed up to say the principal would be in touch. Some parents said they received a call but did not believe the principal's promises of change.

____

NO GUIDANCE

AP began investigating sex abuse among military children and teens after readers of its 2017 investigation on student assaults in U.S. public schools reported even more complicated problems on bases.

Unlike what's mandated in U.S. public schools, there is no detailed guidance when sexual assaults among kids occur in military-run schools.

The Pentagon has rules and support systems to combat sexual violence among service members, developed and refined over the last decade. Its school system has a 13-page regulation for investigating adult attacks on students. But when it comes to student-on-student assaults, officials can only point to three paragraphs of guidelines that generally prohibit sexual harassment or "physical conduct of a sexual nature."

As a result, reports of student sex assault languish.

At one base elementary school in Naples, Italy, for example, families complained in 2009 and 2010 that administrators responded too slowly to allegations that classmates were sexually assaulting their daughters. One father, in an email, accused Pentagon school officials of "acting like it is not a big deal." Administrators responded that they had added playground monitors and talked to students about "appropriate touching."

The Italy cases surfaced in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a school counselor, Manuel Losada, who was fired after he discussed the incidents with a military reporter. He told AP that school officials didn't want to hear about the assaults. "There was silence; there was no action," he said. "They were scared to deal with it."

Since 1997, U.S. public schools have operated under specific guidelines from the U.S. Education Department in handling student sexual violence. Those include separating victim from alleged attacker, allowing both sides to present evidence and sharing an investigation's outcome.

Public school students also have legal protections under Title IX, the federal law that bans gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. Court rulings have extended that law's protections to student sex assault victims.

An executive order in 2000 attempted to hold federal education programs, such as those run by the Pentagon, to Title IX's tenets but did not grant students the right to sue for damages or request outside investigations - the leverage often needed to get action.

Lacking those options, the best the Grafenwoehr parents could do was file a complaint with the Pentagon school system's Office of Investigation and Internal Review over how the incidents were handled.

The father who was an Army officer said he wasn't told anything about the outcome of the investigation. The soldier said he and his wife were told only that their complaint resulted in a finding that no policies were broken and the principal was "not at fault."

Both men recalled a regional administrator in the Pentagon school system telling them he couldn't discuss the matter because a minor was involved. The school system also declined to discuss details of the case with AP.

"We completely felt like it was a cover-up from the very beginning," the officer said.

The soldier filed a Freedom of Information Act request that December for copies of school records generated by the complaint review process after the system said it had finished its review.

The school system replied that no records could be found.

____

'SOME KIND OF JUSTICE'

The military's far-flung system of some 165 schools worldwide collects "serious incident" reports to alert headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, about possible crimes or incidents that may generate "negative media/community attention."

Sexual attacks among the system's 71,000 students are supposed to be reported. But the assaults at Grafenwoehr Elementary were among more than 150 that weren't disclosed in a serious incident report, the AP found. System officials wouldn't explain why there were no reports on Grafenwoehr in what they released to AP.

There was also no trace of the alleged assaults in a list of cases Army's Criminal Investigation Command provided AP, even though the soldier had written out a detailed, sworn statement for military investigators.

A spokesman for the Army's criminal investigators said they pursue all credible reports of sexual assault. But several former investigators told AP that agents sometimes shelve reports in a "raw data" file, which the spokesman said is later reviewed.

The mother of one of the Grafenwoehr girls filed a report with Army investigators and recalled being told, "It was a child-on-child crime and someone else would have to take over." She said she assumed it would be passed to another investigative unit, but "after that, we never heard."

The soldier learned his report had been forwarded to German authorities, who under an agreement with the U.S. military share jurisdiction over base crimes. German prosecutors sent him a letter in late November 2015, saying they couldn't help because, according to their law, children under 14 cannot form criminal intent.

"We expected some kind of justice," the soldier's wife said. "It was really discouraging and kind of disheartening to know the military kids, especially overseas, have no protection, and there was nothing we could do."

The family began trying to move elsewhere in Germany, so their daughter could attend a different school for second grade. Instead, they were stuck at Grafenwoehr.

Even though the boy didn't return to school - for reasons the girls' families never officially learned - their daughter struggled. A psychologist treating her wrote that she "has demonstrated a significant difficulty in adjusting her circumstances after being victimized by another child at this school."

In early 2016, the Army granted the family a compassionate reassignment to another base, noting that the girl "was sexually assaulted by another student during school several times this past school year" and that appeals for help to a half-dozen different agencies had failed.

In a final attempt to get answers, the soldier last fall asked his hometown congressman, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, to make inquiries to the Pentagon's school system.

Thomas M. Brady, the system director, responded in a three-page letter noting that the boy had unspecified "behavioral issues" that the principal had appropriately handled. But Brady did not make clear when the principal first learned of the boy's sexual aggression.

Brady called it a "highly unusual situation" and said he regretted that the soldier and his family left Grafenwoehr with the impression that "school officials do not have compassion for victims of sexual misconduct or their families."

Months after AP began questioning the school system's handling of student sex assaults, Pentagon school officials said they were developing new rules and guidance for reporting and responding to such violence. Officials also said the school system had appointed additional staff to advise families on their rights and available resources, among other reforms.

___

LASTING TOLL

Like the other parents who talked to AP, the soldier is reluctant to blame the military. But he noticed the disconnect of what happened to his family in an organization known for rallying around its own.

Periodically, he and other service members must attend mandatory sexual harassment and assault prevention training. "I want to stand up and walk out," he said.

He wonders whether assaults at Grafenwoehr Elementary could have been stopped had the school done more, sooner. He also wonders whether the boy got the kind of treatment that experts say can prevent a child from becoming a lifelong offender.

"You're supposed to be the ultimate protectors of your kids," the soldier said. "You just feel like you failed. All the time I feel like that."

The family lives in Colorado, in an off-base subdivision served by a public school. Their daughter, now 10, is still in therapy, they said. Her third-grade teacher last year reported she wasn't being nice to boys, so the soldier's wife had to explain what happened at Grafenwoehr, as she did to the fourth-grade teacher this year - one of the constant reminders they face.

The parents wrestled with whether to share their case publicly. They decided that they should, for the sake of their daughter and others like her.

"I do want her to know later that we did everything that we possibly could to fight for her and to fight for other people," the girl's mother said. "I don't want another family to have to deal with this."

___

News researcher Rhonda Shafner contributed from New York City.

___

If you have a tip, comment or story to share about child-on-child sexual assault on U.S. military bases, please email: schoolhousesexassault@ap.org. See AP's entire package of stories here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/HiddenVictims

___

Contact the reporters on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ReeseDunklin or https://twitter.com/lalanewsman
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has ordered an "immediate" investigation into the killing of a senior military officer by "undisciplined individuals" at a checkpoint north of Baghdad.

Brig. Gen. Shareef Ismaeel al-Murshidi, a brigade commander whose forces are tasked with protecting al-Abadi and Baghdad's Green Zone, was shot dead Tuesday at a checkpoint outside Samarra. State-sanctioned Shiite militias play a large role in securing the town, which is home to a major Shiite shrine.

The statement issued by al-Abadi's office late Tuesday did not provide further details about the incident.

Two police officers in Samarra said the three-vehicle convoy ignored orders to stop at two checkpoints. When it reached a third checkpoint an exchange of fire erupted between the convoy on one side and militiamen and Federal Police on the other. The militiamen belonged to the so-called Peace Brigades, led by Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

Two of al-Murshidi's guards were also killed, while four others were wounded, they said. A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release information.

On Wednesday, Iraqi state TV aired the official funeral in the Green Zone, which al-Abadi attended along with the slain officer's relatives. Al-Sadr has sent a delegation to Samarra to investigate the incident.

When Islamic State militants swept across northern and western Iraq in mid-2014, tens of thousands of Shiite men answered a call-to-arms by the country's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to defend the nation. They played a key role in a number of battles against IS, which has since been driven from nearly all the territory it once ruled.

Today the militias number in the tens of thousands and are deployed across the country to maintain security, alongside the army and police.

___

Associated Press writer Sinan Salaheddin contributed.
PARIS (AP) - Two Frenchmen are going on trial for allegedly stealing Emmanuel Macron's online identity last year when he was running for president.

The unusual case to be heard Wednesday in a Paris court followed a complaint filed by Macron a few days before he was elected French president in May.

The main defendant is accused of using a Gmail address purporting to belong to Macron to send a long political email titled "10 good reasons not to vote for me."

The 38-year-old has denied any intent to pose as Macron. He faces up to one year in prison and a 15,000-euro ($17,600) fine if convicted.

At the request of Macron, the French Parliament is preparing a bill aimed at allowing courts to quash false information disseminated around electoral campaigns.
BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Union moved Wednesday to speed up the return of unauthorized migrants, announcing plans to punish countries that refuse to take back their nationals by restricting visas for their diplomats.

While the number of people entering Europe in search of better lives has dropped dramatically over the past year, EU countries only send back around half of migrants denied visas, often because the migrants have lost or destroyed their ID documents and it's difficult to establish their nationality. Fake ID is also often used.

France, for example, is angered that Mali routinely refuses to take back people that Paris insists are from there.

Formalizing a threat already made to some African countries by EU member states, the EU's executive Commission announced that it has "a new mechanism to trigger stricter conditions for processing visas when a partner country does not cooperate sufficiently."

The aim is to target decision-makers by dragging out the application time for diplomatic visas, hiking costs or cutting short their stays.

At the same time, the Commission said it plans to make tourism visas more attractive. It would allow for earlier applications, electronic visas, and strictly limited stays of one week in one EU country.

But the price of visas - already beyond the means of most Africans - would rise from 60 to 80 euros ($74 to $99), leaving many heading to Europe in search of better lives with little incentive to apply.

"With these changes, we will keep Europe's door open for bone fide travelers but closed for those who pose security risks," said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.

Avramopoulos said he would shortly travel to Niger - a transit hub for many migrants bound for Europe via Libya - for talks with regional leaders, and that he would try to "convince these countries to take back their nationals."

"Readmission of own nationals is an obligation under international law," he said.

Also Wednesday, the Commission said it was mobilizing the second 3-billion-euro ($3.7 billion) tranche of refugee money for Turkey, even though the move was endorsed several weeks ago.

The money is aimed at helping Turkey cope with some 3 million Syrian refugees on its territory, and is part of a package of incentives offered to Ankara to persuade it to stop migrants trying to reach Europe.

The Commission sees the EU-Turkey agreement as a great success and wants to reproduce elements of it in pacts with other countries, mostly in northern Africa.

The announcement comes as the European Court of Auditors said in a report that billions of euros spent to help bring Turkey into line with EU standards for membership has only had a limited effect.

The court underlined that Turkey had shown little political will for reform in some sectors, notably the fight against high-level corruption and organized crime, and ensuring an independent justice system.

It said the Commission did not make best use of the leverage it has to persuade Ankara to reform.
BEIRUT (AP) - Two dozen civilians in need of medical care were evacuated on Wednesday from Syria's besieged rebel enclave near the capital, Damascus, the latest trickle of urgent cases to leave the area amid an ongoing military offensive as government forces advance.

Local authorities in Harasta, one of the towns in eastern Ghouta, meanwhile, said they have been cut off from the rest of the rebel-held enclave, isolating 20,000 residents with no access to medical aid or supplies.

A spokesman for a medical charity said the isolation meant that Harasta and another cut-off pocket have not been able to send patients out in the evacuation.

This photo released Tuesday, March 13, 2018, by the Syrian Civil Defense group known as the White Helmets, shows members of the White Hemets removing a body after airstrikes and shelling by Syrian government forces, in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, Syria. The Syrian government and the Russian military have set up a corridor outside eastern Ghouta to arrange the evacuation from the area which is home to some 400,000 people. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)

A list of least 1,034 patients, including 72 urgent cases, for evacuation from eastern Ghouta has been drawn up, said Mohamad Katoub, of the Syrian American Medical Society, which oversees a number of medical facilities there.

The evacuation is part of a deal negotiated by the United Nations to allow urgent medical cases to leave the rebel-held enclave to government-held Damascus for treatment. About 150 patients and their families left the enclave on Tuesday.

Government forces have recently split the enclave in two and cut off the towns of Douma and Harasta after their offensive intensified in February. Opposition activists say more than 1,100 civilians have been killed since mid-February.

On Wednesday, activists reported continued bombings of the enclave. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Syrian Civil Defense first responders, known as White Helmets, said Kfar Batna, a town in the southwestern corner of the enclave was particularly heavily bombed since Tuesday.

A video by the White Helmets shows rescuers rushing to a neighborhood in the town, scrambling to find survivors and unable to pick up the dead amid continuing bombing. A couple of women emerge from a cloud of smoke, walking over a pile of debris to get to the rescuers.

Meanwhile, Syrian state-run TV broadcast footage of the patients exiting eastern Ghouta. In the footage, about a dozen residents, mostly women and children, many looking haggard and carrying a few belongings, are seen walking out of the enclave through the corridor manned by Syrian soldiers that links between the rebel-held enclave and Damascus. At least two ambulances and a bus brought patients and their families to the area. The broadcaster said 25 people were evacuated.

One resident told the state-run TV that he was happy to get out of eastern Ghouta safely. "I hope all people manage to get out. They all wish to get out. But they (rebel fighters) are not letting them out," the unnamed resident said. "It is not up to us. It is up to them."

There is an estimated 400,000 residents trapped in eastern Ghouta.

Despite a U.N. cease-fire, the government's military offensive continued against the region, only miles from the Syrian capital and in rebel hands since 2012. Russia ordered a daily humanitarian pause late last month, but almost no left during the breaks. Russia and the Syrian government said rebels have prevented the residents from leaving, while rebel fighters say the Russia-ordered humanitarian corridor contravenes U.N. standards for safe and voluntary evacuation.

The largest rebel group in eastern Ghouta, the Army of Islam, negotiated the medical evacuation but vowed to continue fighting till the last man.

A member of the local council of Harasta said residents have been in underground shelters for long periods amid heavy bombardment. He said government forces have seized local cemeteries, forcing residents to bury their dead elsewhere. He spoke on condition of anonymity out of safety concerns.

FILE - In this March 4, 2018 file photo provided by the official Facebook page of the Syrian Presidency, Syrian President Bashar Assad, center, speaks with reporters, in Damascus, Syria. In comments published on the official presidency Telegram channel Wednesday, March 14, 2018, Assad said his country's war on terrorism will continue as long as there is "a single terrorist" on Syrian territories and will go side by side with his efforts to stand up to "western scenarios that aim to undermine the country's unity and sovereignty." (Syrian Presidency Facebook Page via AP, File)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows Syrian civilians, who fled fighting between the Syrian government forces and rebels, at an army checkpoint, in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, Tuesday March 13, 2018. The Syrian government and the Russian military have set up a corridor outside eastern Ghouta to arrange the evacuation from the area which is home to some 400,000 people. (SANA via AP)

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a Syrian government forces soldier, left, helping a civilian who fled from fighting between the Syrian government forces and rebels, at an army checkpoint, in eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, Tuesday March 13, 2018. The Syrian government and the Russian military have set up a corridor outside eastern Ghouta to arrange the evacuation from the area which is home to some 400,000 people. (SANA via AP)
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) - A Lithuanian lawmaker resigned Wednesday, a day after surviving an impeachment vote in the Baltic country's parliament for his reported ties to Russia.

Mindaugas Bastys, a former Social Democrat-turned-independent, announced his decision hours after Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis had urged him to step down.

Lawmakers in the 141-seat Seimas were unsuccessful Tuesday in revoking Bastys' mandate for lying about his Russian connections after failing to reach the needed 85 votes for an impeachment.

Probes had concluded Bastys, who is suspected of liaising with shady Russian lobbyists, had acted against Lithuanian interests by working with Russians and breaching the constitution of Lithuania, a former Soviet republic. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Lithuania's secret service concluded Bastys had close personal relationships with people representing Russian state nuclear monopoly Rosatom and Russian state television. The Lithuanian government has strongly objected to two nuclear power plants being built by Rosastom in Belarus, south of the Baltic country, and in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, which shares a border with Lithuania, among others.

No criminal investigation against Bastys has been opened.

In recent years, Lithuania has deported several Russian nationals suspected of espionage. Lithuanians also have been convicted for spying for Belarus, which authorities say is sharing information with Russia.

In July, a court in Lithuania found a Russian national guilty of spying and sentenced him to 10 years in prison for attempting to recruit local officials to plant listening devices in the offices of the Baltic nation's president.

In 2004, Lithuania impeached its then president Rolandas Paksas for allegedly having close links to Russian business people.
LONDON (AP) - Key developments in the nerve-agent poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia:

2010 - Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer jailed for spying for Britain, is released and flown to the U.K. as part of a swap with Russian agents caught in the United States. He settles in Salisbury, 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of London.

March 3, 2018 - Yulia Skripal arrives at Heathrow Airport from Russia to visit her father in England.

Military forces work on a van in Winterslow, England, Monday, March 12, 2018, as investigations continue into the nerve-agent poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, in Salisbury, England, on Sunday March 4, 2018. British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to update lawmakers Monday on the nerve-agent poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

March 4, 1:40 p.m. - Sergei Skripal's red BMW is parked at a lot in central Salisbury.

March 4, afternoon - Sergei and Yulia Skripal visit the Bishops Mill pub.

March 4, 2:20 p.m.-3:35 p.m. - Sergei and Yulia Skripal have lunch at the Zizzi restaurant.

March 4, 4:15 p.m. - Emergency services are called by a passer-by concerned about a man and a woman in Salisbury city center. Officers find the Skripals unconscious on a bench. They are taken to Salisbury District Hospital, where they remain in critical condition.

March 5 - Police say two people in Salisbury are being treated for suspected exposure to an unknown substance. The force does not identify them but the BBC reports the man is Sergei Skripal.

March 6 - Counterterrorism detectives take charge of the investigation. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tells lawmakers it is too early to say who was responsible but calls Russia "a malign and disruptive force."

March 7 - Police announce that the Skripals were likely poisoned with a nerve agent in a targeted murder attempt. They disclose that a police officer who responded to the incident is in serious condition in a hospital.

March 9 - About 180 troops trained in chemical warfare and decontamination are deployed to Salisbury to help with the police investigation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow might be willing to assist with the investigation but expresses resentment at suggestions the Kremlin was behind the attack.

March 11 - Public health officials tell people who visited the Zizzi restaurant or Bishops Mill pub in Salisbury on the day of the attack or the next day to wash their clothes as a precaution.

March 12 - Prime Minister Theresa May tells the House of Commons that the Skripals were poisoned with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. She says it's highly likely it came from Russia, and gives Moscow until midnight March 13 to provide an explanation or face "extensive" retaliatory measures.

March 13 - Russia says it won't respond to Britain's deadline unless it is given samples of the nerve agent. Lavrov says allegations of Russian involvement are "nonsense."

March 14 - May chairs a meeting of the National Security Council before making a statement in the House of Commons on Britain's response.
This weeks guest blogs feature Katharine Strunk and Josh Cowen of Michigan States Education Policy Innovation Collaboration (EPIC). Theyll be joined by University of Washingtons Dan Goldhaber, Browns Matt Kraft, USCs Brad Marianno, and Cornells Michael Lovenheim throughout the week as they discuss teachers unions and teacher labor market reforms.

Much has been written in recent days about the implications of Janus v. AFSCME for teachers unions should the Supreme Court overturn precedent that unions can charge non-members for their fair share of the cost of collective bargaining representation (see here , here , and here , for examples). Even while we debate what the potential loss in membership (and revenue) might mean for teachers associations nationwide, six states have implemented right-to-work laws that prohibit mandatory membership dues collection since 2012. Unions in these six states are currently navigating the waters of post-right-to-work organizing, joining a collection of 22 other states who already have such laws in place (many since the 1950s). However damaging a Janus ruling might be to union organizing, the post-Janus world is not unchartered territory for teachers unions.

In fact, the political trade winds have been blowing in opposition to teachers unions for some time and in ways that extend beyond membership dues. For example, the Obama administration was, in some ways, a chink in the armor of teachers unions traditional Democrat support. Teachers unions found a president and education secretary with an agenda squarely focused on improving teacher quality even if it meant taking policy positions that ran contrary to long-held union stances on teacher compensation and performance evaluation. Of course, they now face a Republican presidential administration more favorable to school choice and an education secretary who, at least according to the National Education Association (NEA), has made a career trying to destroy neighborhood public schools .

So whats a teachers union to do? Well, to some extent they might just need to ride out the storm until political trade winds shift again. As one union leader told me in a recent interview, The pendulum will swing back.

But we should also not discount unions ability to adapt their political strategies to find influence even when the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction. Let me give an example:

In a recent study , I used data from the 2010, 2012, and 2014 federal election cycles to explore the NEAs involvement in federal politics. I outlined how often NEA-supported candidates win federal elections and how often their favored federal policies are enacted in a time when their traditional Democrat allies ceded control of the House, Senate, and presidency.

As do many interest groups, the NEA rates lawmakers on an A-F scale, granting higher grades to congressional members whose votes are most frequently aligned with NEA priorities. I define NEA allies as those who receive A and B grades and foes as those who receive D and F grades (There were very few lukewarm C grades).

Teachers unions have long found friendship among Democrats (with the exception of some liberal education reformers who are supportive of Obama-era education policies) so we might expect that as Democrat lawmakers were ousted during the recent wave of Republican victories, so were the NEAs allies. The numbers tell a more nuanced story. During the 2009-10 congressional session, the NEA held a majority of allies in the House and Senate at 61 percent and 59 percent, respectively. After the slew of Republican victories in the 2010, 2012, and 2014 elections, the NEA still held a majority of allies (albeit by a slim margin), at 51 percent in the House and 53 percent in the Senate. NEA allies were certainly down but they were not out.

So how did the NEA hold on to a majority allied group in Congress even as Democrats lost their hold of both chambers? They adapted. They found a supportive group of Republican allies. During the 2010, 2012, and 2014 elections, the NEA lost 76 Democrat allies but successfully replaced those with 30 Republican allies, helping them stem the tide of ally-loss. And the NEA increasingly donated money to the campaigns of these Republican allies. For example, the NEA contributed twice as much in the 2014 election (at 5,000 dollars per candidate) to Republican allies than they did in the 2010 election. In short, the NEA helped bankroll the campaigns of new Republican friends, and with great success.

With an allied majority in Congress during recent legislative sessions, the NEA has, not surprisingly, won more congressional roll call votes than they lost. In the 2015-16 legislative session, for example, 63 percent of House and Senate votes aligned with NEA stances. Not perfect, but better than nothing, and it might have been worse without the new wave of Republican NEA allies.

Teachers unions are often portrayed as one-trick ponies whose political fortune is tied to their support forand as a result their influence overDemocrats. But as evidenced by recent history, like any interest group striving to survive in the face of changing political winds, they adapt to find new ways to advocate on behalf of their membershipeven if means making some unlikely allies.

I dont want to understate the difficult road ahead for teachers unions. A Republican congress and an unfavorable Janus ruling could certainly bring new (and largely unprecedented) challenges. But lets also not discount teachers unions ability to adapt and change with the shifting political tidesthis is not the first time (and likely not the last time) the political pendulum will swing away from teachers union interests. If history serves as a guide, theyll figure something out.

Brad Marianno (@BradMarianno)
HONOLULU (AP) - Zhou Qingjiang was toiling in a factory in China's rust belt when he decided to pack his bags for America. A recruiter guaranteed a job that paid $3,000 a month - more than triple the average wage in China - as long as Zhou forked over thousands of dollars for his help. The offer was too good to pass up.

Ten days later, Zhou found himself on the tiny Pacific island of Saipan, a U.S. Commonwealth, working 14-hour days with few breaks on a casino construction site. He bunked with eight men in dilapidated housing and took home less than half the promised wages. This was not the American dream he pictured.

"All those agents tricked us," said Zhou, 46. "When I arrived and saw hundreds of other Chinese workers, I realized we were all here illegally."

In this July 26, 2017, photo, Chinese laborers Jingbao Zhao, left, Xiaoli Wang, center, and Yongbo Sun, protest in front of the Imperial Pacific Casino in Saipan, the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. Foreign workers at Chinese construction firms building the casino are still waiting to be paid their wages. U.S. officials announced $14 million in settlements last week with the companies after finding workers were paid less than required by law. But hundreds of workers remain confused about what's owed and how they'll be paid. (AP Photo/Daniel Lin)

U.S. officials have been investigating and announced settlements last week with four Chinese construction firms to pay $14 million in back wages and damages to 2,400 affected workers. The companies, contracted by Hong Kong's Imperial Pacific International, brought workers on tourist visas, paid them less than required by law and failed to secure proper work authorization by exploiting a visa waiver program that allows Chinese citizens to travel to the Northern Mariana Islands.

The Associated Press interviewed six workers, all of whom recounted experiences similar to Zhou's. One recalled working 19-hour shifts, another said his passport was confiscated, and all said recruiters assured them they would enter the U.S. legally.

Job placement fees were as high as $17,000, and one worker remembers ponying up an additional $1,000 to enter the construction site.

What's playing out on Saipan, nearly 4,000 miles (6,440 kilometers) west of Hawaii, highlights challenges for both the United States and China.

For the U.S., the case comes as President Donald Trump cracks down on visa fraud and illegal immigration. Global projects, like the Saipan casino hotel, form the cornerstone of President Xi Jinping's plan to boost China's clout by splashing $1 trillion in construction and infrastructure around the world. But the initiative, dubbed "One Belt, One Road," is suffering setbacks - projects are delayed, governments are pulling out, and now, U.S. officials have linked illegal migrant labor.

After a Chinese worker in Saipan died on the job last year, the FBI raided the site and discovered illegal workers, along with hundreds of their passports locked in cabinets, and spreadsheets that listed employees as "heigong," the Chinese word for illegal laborer, according to court documents.

Construction halted, leaving workers stranded. Employees protested and demanded reparations - many suffered injuries while working. Eventually, many returned to China or took jobs in other countries, even if they hadn't recouped all funds due. A few have stayed in Saipan. Hundreds of workers remain confused about what they're owed, how they'll be paid and when they'll get the money.

"I've been waiting a year to be paid," said Xu Longcai, 51, a farmer from northeast China. "I borrowed so much money to come here. But I don't have a single cent - how can I go home? I can't pay what I owe."

The U.S. Labor Department and Saipan authorities didn't respond to requests for comment about how it would ensure money would be paid to workers. Imperial Pacific said in a statement last week it is pleased a settlement was reached. Shares of the Hong Kong-listed company are down 7.4 percent so far this year.

Construction is the second most common industry for forced labor, according to the International Labour Organization in Geneva. The group estimates nearly 25 million people were victims of forced labor in 2016, with roughly 60 percent working in private sectors.

"This is a pretty classic trafficking and forced labor scenario," said Agnieszka Fryszman, partner and chair of the human rights practice at law firm Cohen Milstein in Washington, D.C. "You have people with these debts. . They're in the middle of the ocean. The isolation of the location is ripe for exploitation."

But even with help from the authorities, "can you ever enforce the judgment, and how would you do that?" Fryszman said. "You'd have to get their assets here."

The U.S., for instance, could require Imperial Pacific and its contractors to buy wage bonds, which ensures money is available if violations are found, said Aaron Halegua, a lawyer and research fellow at New York University, who is following the Saipan case.

"In New York state, any nail salon employing even just two individuals is required to purchase a wage bond," he said. "The need is even more compelling in the case of foreign companies, which often hold all their assets in the home country and simply establish a corporate shell entity in the United States."

Without that, it can be nearly impossible to collect money, which often forces the U.S. to settle workers' claims for much less than owed. Imperial Pacific could also be mandated to hire a reputable third party to train workers about their labor rights and workplace safety, he said, especially as some of these workers, like farmer Xu, have no prior construction experience.

None of the four contractors - state-owned MCC International, Beilida New Materials System Engineering, Gold Mantis Construction and Sino Great Wall International Engineering - responded to requests for comment.

A person who answered a phone number for the agent Zhou dealt with said he was no longer dealing with Saipan, and promptly hung up.

Zhou said he received some money but claims he's still due over a month's pay, and possibly damages. He's not sure how to calculate what's due.

Despite his Saipan ordeal - his first time out of his hometown province - he decided to go back abroad and just started working as a dishwasher in Singapore to support his family.

"I'm a little old to do this kind of work overseas," he said. "But I don't have a choice. I need to make a living."

This Sept. 9, 2017 photo, shows the Imperial Pacific Resort and Hotel under construction in Saipan, the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the Western Pacific. Foreign workers at Chinese construction firms building the casino are still waiting to be paid their wages. U.S. officials announced $14 million in settlements last week with the companies after finding workers were paid less than required by law. But hundreds of workers remain confused about what's owed and how they'll be paid. (Mark Flaherty/The Pacific Daily via AP)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - "Star Wars" creator George Lucas is visiting a galaxy on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to break ground on his $1.5 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

The institution, scheduled to open in 2021, is envisioned as not just a repository for "Star Wars" memorabilia but a wide-ranging museum representing all forms of visual storytelling from paintings and drawings to comic strips and digital and traditional films.

The latter will run the gamut from 1927's futuristic masterpiece "Metropolis" to Orson Welles' groundbreaking 1941 film "Citizen Kane" to the Lucas-Steven Spielberg collaborations on the "Indiana Jones" movies.

FILE - In this Oct. 22, 2005 file photo, filmmaker George Lucas poses in front of a Stormtrooper exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston, prior to the opening of "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination." Lucas is visiting a galaxy on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to break ground on his $1.5 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The "Star Wars" creator and his wife will be joined Wednesday morning, March 14, 2018, by several city and county officials to ceremoniously begin work on turning a section of Exposition Park into the new museum. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, File)

Of course the Force will also be strong with "Star Wars" stuff, including Luke Skywalker's first lightsaber and Darth Vader's helmet.

But, Lucas emphasized when the City Council voted 14-0 to approve the project last year that the Lucas Museum for Narrative Art is hardly intended to be a vanity project.

Its wide-ranging collection will also include paintings by Norman Rockwell, Edgar Degas and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, comic strips by "Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz and underground artist Robert Crumb, animation from films such as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" and special effects from films such as "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial."

"The idea is that it's popular art, it's art that appeals to people emotionally and tells you something about who you are," he said.

The museum's construction and endowment is being funded entirely by Lucas, his wife and their foundation, which Los Angeles officials say makes it the largest public gift ever given to a municipality.

Schematic drawings show the building, with about 100,000 square feet (9,290 sq. meters) of gallery space, looking a good deal like a version of Han Solo's Millennium Falcon spacecraft as it appears to hover above a section of Exposition Park near downtown.

It will be walking distance to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, the California Science Center and the University of Southern California, which is where Lucas studied cinema before launching his career with the acclaimed 1971 science-fiction film "THX 1138."

Plans are to offer programs for schoolchildren explaining the history of narrative storytelling with the hope it will inspire them to become their own generation's storytellers.

FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2006, file photo, Star Wars director George Lucas, reviews members of the 501st Legion, a group of Star Wars fans dressed as storm troopers, as they march in a rehearsal for their entry in the 118th Rose Parade, in Pasadena, Calif. Lucas is visiting a galaxy on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to break ground on his $1.5 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The "Star Wars" creator and his wife will be joined Wednesday morning, March 14, 2018, by several city and county officials to ceremoniously begin work on turning a section of Exposition Park into the new museum. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 29, 1997 file photo, filmmaker George Lucas looks over a Chewbacca costume at the "Star Wars" exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's Air and Space Museum in Washington. Lucas is visiting a galaxy on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to break ground on his $1.5 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The "Star Wars" creator and his wife will be joined Wednesday morning, March 14, 2018, by several city and county officials to ceremoniously begin work on turning a section of Exposition Park into the new museum. (AP Photo/Ken Cedeno, File)

FILE - In this June 27, 2017, file photo, filmmaker George Lucas, left, looks on as his wife Mellody Hobson addresses reporters during a news conference outside Los Angeles City Hall in Los Angeles. Lucas is visiting a galaxy on the edge of downtown Los Angeles to break ground on his $1.5 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. The "Star Wars" creator and his wife will be joined Wednesday morning, March 14, 2018, by several city and county officials to ceremoniously begin work on turning a section of Exposition Park into the new museum. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) - The Latest on the nationwide student walkout to protest gun violence (all times local):

5:50 p.m.

The walkouts protesting gun violence at schools across the country hit close to home for students who were attending a middle school in northern Nevada when tragedy hit their campus more than four years ago.

Students from Ortiz Middle School march around their football field to commemorate the student and faculty victims of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting and to stand against gun violence in schools Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Santa Fe, N.M. (Gabriela Campos/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

Sparks High School Principal Kevin Carroll says some of his seniors were students at nearby Sparks Middle School when a seventh-grader opened fire on the school playground in October 2013.

Jose Reyes fatally shot Sparks Middle School teacher Michael Landsberry and injured two classmates before turning the gun on himself.

About 200 students at Sparks High participated in Wednesday's walkout.

Carroll told the Reno Gazette Journal he thinks the protest had the biggest impact on those who experienced the fatal shooting in 2013. He says it was "kind of heartening" to see them participate in the rally.

___

5:25 p.m.

An unspecified threat at one northern Nevada high school kept most of its students from walking out of class to participate in a nationwide protest marking the one-month anniversary of a Florida school shooting.

The Douglas County sheriff's office says a stay-put order was issued at Douglas High School in Gardnerville south of Carson City on Wednesday shortly after the threat was received at about 9:30 a.m.

Deputies and state troopers patrolled the campus and surrounding area before they determined there was no danger and the order was lifted by 11 a.m.

The Record-Courier reports three students managed to make their way out of the school and briefly joined more than a dozen adults who rallied with signs outside.

An officer escorted them back inside the school, which plans to reschedule its demonstration for another day.

___

4:35 p.m.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is commending students for speaking up on school safety during Wednesday's national student walkout.

Department spokeswoman Liz Hill said Wednesday that the secretary "gives a lot credit to the students who are raising their voices and demanding change."

Hill adds, "She hears them, and their input will be valuable."

DeVos has said arming teachers should be an option for those schools and communities who want it.

DeVos will chair a federal commission tasked with student safety. On Tuesday, she met with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the top Democrat on the committee overseeing education. Murray complained that DeVos didn't provide any specifics on the commission's work and would not discuss any role the National Rifle Association may have in its work.

___

4 p.m.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined students from a Brooklyn high school as part of the nationwide student walkout to protest gun violence.

De Blasio was with students from Edward R. Murrow High School, one of hundreds of schools around the city where students participated in the walkout.

The Democratic mayor said, "You are making so clear to this whole country that you are sick of the violence. You are sick of the madness. You are sick of the slaughter, and you won't stand for it." He told the students to "keep fighting."

Also in New York City, Gov. Andrew Cuomo took part in a "die-in" to protest gun violence.

The Democratic governor, dressed in a suit and tie, lay down on the pavement in Manhattan's Zuccotti Park along with American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten and students from Leadership and Public Service High School. Cuomo chanted "Gun control now!"

___

3:50 p.m.

Hundreds of Kentucky high school students joined a nationwide gun violence protest by traveling to the state Capitol for a rally in frigid weather.

The rally in Frankfort included a group of students from Marshall County High School, the site of a deadly school shooting in January. The students got a pass Wednesday to leave school and travel more than three hours to the Capitol.

Marshall County student Cameron King urged the demonstrators to "keep screaming, keep yelling, keep fighting until you make a change, because we are the change." King recalled fleeing the school during the Jan. 23 shooting and hiding at a car dealership.

Students huddled near the front entrance, chanting and carrying signs that said "Never Again" and "Books Not Bullets."

___

3:25 p.m.

South Carolina's largest school district says it's going to reprimand several hundred students who participated in a national walkout to protest gun violence at schools.

Greenville County Schools spokeswoman Beth Brotherton said Wednesday that students who participated in the walkout will be cited for cutting class. She said school records show that about 530 students participated at about a dozen high schools.

The high schools with the most participation were J.L. Mann Academy in Greenville, with about 200 students walking out; and Maudlin High School with about 180. Overall, the district has about 77,000 students.

District officials had said before the walkout that they were discouraging students from participating and didn't plan to allow news media to cover the activity.

Around the country, school administrators have taken varying stances toward the walkouts that were launched in the aftermath of a deadly rampage at a Florida high school last month that killed 17 people.

___

3:05 p.m.

Up to 300 students in Lawrence, Kansas, joined the nationwide walkout against gun violence, while some of their parents formed a symbolic protective ring around the school.

Sophomore Elliot Bradley read the names of the 17 people killed last month at a high school in Parkland, Florida, and said the protesters wanted legislative change.

About 200 adults joined in a "Wrap the Walkout," which urged adults to "wrap" themselves around the school to show support for the students.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the school district said students who participated would be excused.

In Topeka, about 1,000 students from Topeka High School joined the walkout and marched three blocks to the Kansas Statehouse to participate in a rally coordinated by Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.

___

2:40 p.m.

About 50 protesters supported student walkouts by gathering at the field office of a North Carolina senator to decry his connection to the National Rifle Association.

The protesters braved chilly temperatures and gusty winds outside U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's office in Winston-Salem on Wednesday. Across the nation, young people walked out of classes to demand action on gun violence.

According to watchdog group The Center for Responsive Politics, the NRA has spent nearly $7 million to support Burr's campaigns over his career.

Protesters held signs saying "Books Not Bullets" and "Is 7 Million Dollars Worth 17 People's Lives?"

Some motorists honked their car horns in support. One driver told the group to protest opioids because guns don't kill, drugs do. One protester responded, "They both do.!"

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida.

___

2:30 p.m.

In Las Vegas, home to the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, more than 350 students left classes as part of a nationwide school walkout and rallied on the steps of the city's oldest high school with signs reading "Enough is Enough" and chants like "NRA, stay away."

Tanya Abarico, a Las Vegas Academy of the Arts junior, noted the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas and said students want policies and reform, not thoughts and prayers.

Student body President Darian Fluker invoked shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut in 2012 and the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. She calls the walkouts a march for student lives.

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida.

___

1:45 p.m.

The National Rifle Association has sent out a defiant tweet that included a picture of an assault-style rifle and a comment saying: "I'll control my own guns, thank you."

The tweet was posted Wednesday morning as students around the country staged school walkouts to protest gun violence. The NRA has come under increased criticism since last month's shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people. The gunman in that shooting used an AR-15 assault rifle.

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida.

___

1:15 p.m.

Students at Columbine High School in Colorado are participating in the nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence.

About 250 students left school and gathered on a soccer field next to the building Wednesday.

They held red, white and blue balloons and released them as they read the names of the 17 people killed last month at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the worst high school shooting since the 1999 massacre at Columbine.

The names of the 13 people killed at Columbine were also read before the students observed a moment of silence.

___

1:15 p.m.

An Arizona legislator who survived a mass shooting in which then-Congresswoman Gabbie Giffords was critically wounded is saluting students participating in nationwide school walkouts over gun violence.

State Rep. Daniel Hernandez said in a Twitter post Wednesday that he stands "in solidarity with all of the young people walking to demand action on gun violence."

Hernandez also said in his Twitter post that he's reminded now that young people aren't just the future but also what he called "vital voices NOW."

The Tucson Democrat was an intern for Giffords in 2011 when he helped her immediately after she was shot in the head at a constituent event in the Tucson area.

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Florida.

___

12:50 p.m.

Hundreds of students from the Washington area are rallying at the Capitol to urge stricter gun control laws.

The rally was part of a nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence following the massacre of 17 people at a Florida high school last month.

Fifteen-year-old Chloe Appel of Gaithersburg, Maryland, held a sign that said, "Fix this before I text my mom from under a desk."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers addressed the crowd. The biggest applause by far was for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Students chanted his name and nearly drowned out his speech.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Florida.

___

12:50 p.m.

In northwestern New Mexico, where two students were gunned down by an armed intruder at their high school in December, hundreds of their classmates gathered at the Aztec High flag pole for a "walk-up" rather than a walkout.

The student council had asked school administrators for time in their schedule Wednesday so they could honor the 21 students who've been killed in school shootings in recent months -including their two classmates - and to talk about 21 pledges they can take to make their campus safer and to get involved.

Principal Warman Hall said the students wanted to feel empowered but didn't want a contentious political debate or demonstration.

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Florida.

___

12:50 p.m.

A student at Kell High School outside Atlanta says the principal there had threatened students with discipline and said they could be in danger since the time of the nationwide protest was widely known and someone could try to harm them outside the school.

Freshman Kirsten Martin said students were scared of the potential punishment, so at 10 a.m. "we just carried on like it's a normal day."

Despite the threat, three students at the Marietta, Georgia, school walked out for the 17 minutes of the protest and then went back inside.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Florida.

___

12 p.m.

A nor'easter that dropped 2 feet (0.6 meters) of snow in some places in the Northeast closed many Massachusetts schools Wednesday, thwarting plans to participate in a nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence.

But students were still taking action. Hundreds of them gathered at a Boston church before a planned march to the statehouse, where they planned to lobby lawmakers to pass legislation aimed at stemming gun violence.

Esmay Price Jones, a Somerville High School freshman, said Parkland, Florida, students started a movement she's hopeful will result in meaningful change.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Florida.

___

12 p.m.

At some schools, students didn't walk outside, but instead lined the hallways, standing in silence and wearing the school colors of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which was the site of last month's mass shooting that killed 17 people.

Others gathered in school gyms and auditorium.

In Goshen, Indiana, student's formed a heart on the football field. In Yarmouth, Maine, students walked out despite freezing temperatures and snow.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the Feb. 14 massacre in Parkland, Florida.

___

11:30 a.m.

In Washington, more than 2,000 high-school age protesters observed 17 minutes of silence outside the White House as part of a nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence.

An organizer counted down the seconds until 10 a.m. and the protesters spent the 17 minutes sitting on the ground with their backs turned to the White House as a nearby church bell chimed.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida.

___

11:05 a.m.

Some students at an Ohio high school that had a shooting last year joined the nationwide student walkouts to protest gun violence, despite being warned they could face detention or more serious discipline.

The Springfield News-Sun reports about 10 students exited West Liberty-Salem High School as a group of supporters across the street cheered Wednesday.

Superintendent Kraig Hissong says campus isn't the place for political demonstrations and it's not in the district's interest to endorse political movements.

Students at Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia, were also warned against participating in the nationwide walkout. Police even patrolled outside the school. Nonetheless, three students walked out for the 17 minutes of the protest and then went back inside.

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida.

___

10:45 a.m.

Amid a nationwide school walkout, students at the school where a gunman killed 17 people gathered on the campus football field one month after the shooting to protest gun violence.

The group of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students shouted "MSD! MSD!" and engaged in a group hug Wednesday morning.

The high school students rallied to continue putting pressure on federal lawmakers to enact gun control legislation. The rally comes less than a week after Florida Gov. Rick Scott cited the students' actions in signing a bill that placed new restrictions on guns.

___

10:35 a.m.

Police outside Atlanta patrolled Kell High School, where students were threatened with unspecified consequences if they participated in the nationwide walkout to protest gun violence.

A British couple walking their dogs went to the school to try to encourage students, but they were threatened with arrest by police officers if they didn't leave the campus in Marietta, Georgia.

The nationwide walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Florida.

___

10:35 a.m.

Hundreds of students at Parkland High School, outside Allentown, Pennsylvania, walked out of class and headed to the auditorium for a rally dubbed #parklandforparkland.

That school and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, share more than a name.

Stoneman Douglass freshman Daniel Duff, who survived the shooting by hiding in a closet but lost seven of his friends, is the cousin of Collin and Kyleigh Duff, who are brother and sister and go to Parkland High in Pennsylvania.

The Duff siblings have been selling #parklandforparkland bracelets, raising more than $10,000 for the Florida shooting victims, and Daniel Duff described what it was like to live through the shooting in a video that was shown at the rally.

Parkland High students called for stricter gun laws, read short biographies of each of the 17 shooting victims of last month's shooting and observed a moment of silence at 10 a.m.

___

10:25 a.m.

Viacom is suspending all programming on its networks for 17 minutes as students across the nation walk out of school Wednesday to protest gun violence.

The suspension coincides with the National School Walkout, which started at 10 a.m. The company's networks include MTV, BET, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, among others.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.

___

10:25 a.m.

At East Chapel Hill High School in North Carolina, students were holding a session discussing gun violence in addition to joining students around the country in a walkout.

The students were wearing orange T-shirts emblazoned with an outline of the state and "#enough."

Senior Talia Pomp was handing out the shirts. She said she was working to prevent a repeat of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month that killed 17 people.

___

10:25 a.m.

A superintendent says students at an Ohio high school that had a shooting last year could face school detention or more serious discipline for leaving class to protest gun violence in conjunction with nationwide student walkouts Wednesday.

West Liberty-Salem Superintendent Kraig Hissong tells the Springfield News-Sun that campus isn't the place for political demonstrations. Officials there warned students they could face consequences for walking out, but some teens say that didn't deter them.

The walkouts are the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that's emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.

___

10:15 a.m.

Students were pouring out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as part of the nationwide school walkout against gun violence.

The school was the site of a shooting last month that killed 17 people and spurred a protest movement calling for tighter gun control and stronger school safety.

The students walked out at 10 a.m. and planned to stay out for 17 minutes, one for each victim of the shooting.

In an online livestream, David Hogg, a senior at the school who's become one of the public faces of protests against gun violence, criticized politicians for not doing more as he walked amid a mass of people.

___

10:05 a.m.

In Washington, thousands of students gathered on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, holding colorful signs and cheering in support of gun control.

The Wednesday morning demonstration comes as students around the country stage walkouts to protest gun violence in the wake of a deadly shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.

The students in front of the White House chanted, "Hey, hey, ho, ho. The NRA has got to go!" and "What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!"

Trump was traveling in Los Angeles and was not in the White House during the demonstrations.

___

10 a.m.

At schools across the country Wednesday, students have begun a walkout to protest gun violence.

It's the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that's emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, last month.

The protests have drawn mixed reactions from school administrators. While some applaud students for taking a stand, others threatened discipline.

___

1 a.m.

Thousands of students across the U.S. are expected to put their pencils down and walk out of school to demonstrate against gun violence.

Organizers say nearly 3,000 walkouts are planned in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The protests have drawn mixed reactions from school administrators. While some applaud students for taking a stand, others threatened discipline.

Some students say they don't care about the consequences, the issue is too important to remain silent.

Kara Litwin is a senior at Pope High School in suburban Atlanta. She says change never happens without backlash.

___

Find all of AP's coverage on the walkouts and the Parkland, Florida, shooting at: https://apnews.com/tag/Floridaschoolshooting

High school students in Astoria, Ore., hold up signs during a walkout Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Students across Oregon left class Wednesday to join a call by young activists for stricter gun laws. (Colin Murphey/Daily Astorian via AP)

Evans High School student Abby Brooks, 16, left, and other students lie in the grass outside Congressman Rick Allen's office to protest gun violence Wednesday afternoon, March 14, 2018 in Augusta, Ga. As students across the nation and in Georgia staged school walkouts to protest gun violence, House and Senate Democrats held a press conference at the Capitol in solidarity. (Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP)

South Florida area high school graduate Becky Van Horn, 24, who now lives in Breckenridge, Colo., holds a sign to remember her late coach Chris Hixon, who was killed in the shooting shooting in Parkland, Florida last month, during a National School Walkout Day protest Wednesday, March 14, in Frisco, Colo. School students participated in a nationwide rally for 17-minutes, one minute for each student killed in the recent school shooting. (Hugh Carey/Summit Daily News via AP)

Students link arms around 17 desks, one for each of those killed during the Parkland, Florida, shooting, during a walkout demonstration Wednesday, March 14, 2018, at Cheyenne's East High to protest the shooting deaths of students at schools across the United States. (Jacob Byk/The Wyoming Tribune Eagle via AP)

Springfield High school students and their supporters urged Smith & Wesson leaders to help reduce gun violence during a rally at the gunmaker's Springfield-based world headquarters, Wednesday, March. 14, 2018, in Springfield, Mass. The rally took place at a public memorial directly across the street from the plant. (Don Treeger/The Republican via AP)

Owensboro High School students yell out at passing traffic as they participate in a walkout on Wednesday, March. 14, 2018 in front of the school in Owensboro, Ky. (Alan Warren/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)

People rally along Main Street for the "National Walk Out Day" Wednesday, March 14, 2018 in Frisco, Colo. The nationwide rally lasted for 17-minutes, one minute for each student killed in the shooting in Parkland, Fla. last month. (Hugh Carey/Summit Daily News via AP)
DALLAS (AP) - A Florida couple is seeking more than $1 million in damages from a group of hunting guides following a shooting at a remote Texas border camp that initially was blamed on immigrants crossing the border from Mexico.

Edwin and Carol Roberts, of Pensacola, Florida, filed the lawsuit Monday against several parties, including a New Mexico guiding company and two of its guides.

The lawsuit stems from a January 2017 incident in which deputies found Edwin Roberts and a guide, Walker Daugherty, with gunshot wounds.

According to the lawsuit, the couple was sleeping in a motor home while Daugherty and the second guide were staying nearby in a small cabin. The couple awoke to someone trying to enter the locked motor home and Edwin Roberts shouted several warnings before firing a shot toward the door. He then started driving the vehicle toward the cabin for protection but was shot twice, the lawsuit says.

An investigation by the Presidio County sheriff's office determined that Daugherty had shot Roberts and that the other guide shot Daugherty. It's not clear why either guide fired their weapons.

Roberts and Daugherty were treated for their wounds. But the couple's attorney, Kevin Glasheen, says Edwin Roberts continues to suffer physical pain and impairment.

Glasheen said it remains unclear who attempted to enter the motor home, but that he thinks it may have been one of the guides trying to pull off a prank.

"Whatever it was, it was a mind-boggling level of stupidity taking place," he said.

Sheriff's investigators were told that a band of immigrants passing through the area had attacked the group, but they say officers searched the perimeter of the ranch where the hunters were staying and didn't find signs of people approaching the camp that night or any evidence of "cross-border violence."

Daugherty and the other guide, Michael Bryant, each face charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and engaging in deadly conduct by discharging firearms in the direction of others, according to the Presidio County district attorney's office. They are due in court later this month.

A message left at a phone listing for the two men in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, was not returned Wednesday. A message left with an attorney for the guiding company named in the lawsuit, Big Rim Outfitters, also was not returned.

___

Follow David Warren on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WarrenJourno

___

Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from Texas and the Midwest at http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv .
GENEVA (AP) - The Swiss Foreign Ministry says Carles Puigdemont, the fugitive ex-president of the restive Spanish region of Catalonia, is heading to Switzerland for a private visit.

The ministry said Wednesday that Puigdemont is due in Geneva after accepting an invitation from the International Film Festival and the Forum on Human Rights.

He is expected to participate in a debate on Sunday on "self-determination."

The ministry reiterated that the question of Catalan independence is "an internal matter for Spain" and that Puigdemont was free to travel to Switzerland under Schengen-zone rules, which permits visa-free travel for many Europeans.

Puigdemont is wanted for questioning by Spanish authorities over his role in the region's independence drive last year.

The sister of Spanish king Felipe VI, Princess Christina, has a home in Geneva.
There's broad support for President Donald Trump's import tariffs in the heart of Pennsylvania's steel country, but it's tempered with a streak of realism.

Tariffs are expected to raise prices for steel and aluminum in this country. That will help domestic producers and could create several hundred new steelworker jobs.

But the tariffs aren't likely to return American steel anywhere close to its peak output in the 1970s.

FILE- In this Feb. 15, 2013, file photo, finished galvanized steel coils await shipment at ArcelorMittal Steel's hot dip galvanizing line in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. President Donald Trump's tariffs are expected to raise prices for steel and aluminum in this country. That will help domestic producers and could create several hundred new steelworker jobs. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

Some countries will be exempted, at least temporarily. And the tariffs could be temporary, like steel tariffs that former President George W. Bush imposed in 2002.

Analysts say that makes it less likely that companies will make the huge technology investments needed to make older mills competitive in today's lower-cost steel market.

FILE- In this Feb. 15, 2013, file photo, an employee looks on from behind coils of steel as acting Secretary of Labor Seth Harris speaks to workers after a tour of ArcelorMittal Steel's hot dip galvanizing line in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. President Donald Trump's tariffs are expected to raise prices for steel and aluminum in this country. That will help domestic producers and could create several hundred new steelworker jobs. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)

FILE- In this Feb. 15, 2013, file photo, a steelworker monitors ArcelorMittal Steel's hot dip galvanizing line from the quality control room in Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio. Employment in the steel industry peaked at 650,000 jobs in 1953. With lower production and more automated plants, mills don't need as many workers today. By the start of this year, there were 143,000 steelworkers. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The special counsel's office wants to talk to Donald Trump about the firings of James Comey and Michael Flynn, but as the president's lawyers negotiate the terms and scope of a possible interview, they're left with no easy options.

Balking at an interview, even a narrowly tailored one focused on obstruction of justice questions, risks perpetuating the perception that Trump has something to hide. But agreeing to discuss those matters with Robert Mueller's team is risky for Trump, whose statements can be unpredictable and inconsistent. Weeks of dialogue between the sides have yet to resolve a question of extraordinary consequence: Will Trump, like many of his aides before him, get grilled by Mueller's prosecutors?

"Obviously this is not just a legal problem, but this is also a political problem," said Robert Ray, who succeeded Kenneth Starr as the independent counsel in the Whitewater investigation. "Life is not that simple. It requires a delicate balance between weighing the important legal issues that are involved but also recognizing the important political consequences as well."

FILE - In this June 21, 2017, file photo, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, the special counsel probing Russian interference in the 2016 election, departs Capitol Hill following a closed door meeting in Washington. The special counsel's office wants to talk to Donald Trump about the firings of James Comey and Michael Flynn, but as the president's lawyers negotiate the terms and scope of a possible interview, they're left with no easy options. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The negotiations have been closely held, but a resolution could arrive soon to avert the prospect of a grand jury subpoena, as happened to President Bill Clinton during Whitewater, or a lengthy court challenge reminiscent of the Watergate era.

Mueller's interest in Trump himself has appeared focused on seminal moments of his administration even amid signs of an expanding, and intensifying, investigation. In the past month alone, Mueller secured the guilty plea of a Dutch lawyer for lying to the FBI, indicted 13 Russians accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election and secured the grand jury testimony of a well-connected Lebanese-American businessman whose statements could open a new front for investigators.

Yet Mueller's office has so far presented the president with more limited questions.

Prosecutors trying to establish whether Trump took steps to obstruct justice have conveyed interest in talking with the president about his decision to fire Comey as FBI director last May and about multiple conversations between the two men, including one in which Comey says he was encouraged to end an investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn, people familiar with the investigation say.

They're also interested in the February ouster of Flynn and the events leading up to it - the White House was warned weeks earlier that law enforcement thought he was vulnerable to blackmail - and in Trump's pressuring of Attorney General Jeff Sessions over his recusal from the Russia investigation.

Those topics may be narrow, but Trump hasn't always helped himself.

The White House initially said Trump was acting on the Justice Department's recommendation when he dismissed Comey, but Trump has said that he'd have done it anyway and was considering "this Russia thing" at the time. And though Trump has denied Comey's account of his conversation about Flynn, a tweet from his account after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI appeared to suggest for the first time that the White House knew at the time Flynn was ousted that he had misled investigators about his Russian contacts.

It's impossible to rule out that Mueller's team won't seek answers from Trump on the investigation's other tentacles, making it dangerous for Trump to be interviewed "because there are lots of things that Mueller is looking at that Trump doesn't know the answer to," said Solomon Wisenberg, the deputy independent counsel under Starr who questioned Clinton in the Whitewater probe.

"This is very dangerous. There's no question if he were a normal client, you would tell him, don't go in for an interview," Wisenberg said.

Though Trump's legal team has not said publicly what terms they would accept, "if you're Trump's lawyers, you want to limit damage. You want to limit both the time and the topics."

And "if you're Mueller," Wisenberg added, "you have to think about, it's the presidency. You have to show proper respect for the office and the demands of the presidency. You don't want to take a position that can be seen as unreasonable."

Trump's legal team has repeatedly pointed to its cooperation, noting that the White House has furnished more than 20,000 pages of documents and made more than 20 officials available for interviews without asserting executive privilege.

But though Trump, who has decades of experience with lawyers and sees himself as a street-smart talker, has declared publicly that he wants to sit for an interview, that question is more delicate for his own attorneys. His personal lawyer, John Dowd, has pointed reporters to an appeals court opinion from the 1990s that broadly interpreted presidential privilege.

There's precedent for presidents to be questioned by investigators. Ronald Reagan provided written responses to questions from an independent counsel investigating the Iran-Contra scandal. George W. Bush was interviewed about the disclosure of a CIA officer's identity. Clinton offered grand jury testimony.

If Trump and Mueller are unable to reach agreement, Mueller could theoretically subpoena Trump to compel his testimony before the grand jury. Trump might be reluctant for perception reasons to invoke a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Wisenberg said, but by the same token, "if anybody can pull off explaining to the American people why he's not going in, it's Trump.

"If he doesn't go in, I think he should make a statement. 'I'm invoking my right, and here's why.' It could be a civics lesson for the country."

If the calculus were simply a legal one, said Ray, "then you would just listen and be governed by the guidance of criminal defense counsel" not to speak.

Instead, he added, the president is probably mindful that the investigation has shadowed his administration and may conclude that speaking with Mueller may be the fastest way to resolve it.

"That is also a factor, too, and that is just as important to the administration and to the country," Ray said.

___

Associated Press writer Chad Day contributed to this report
LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) - Police raided Bolivia's notorious Palmasola prison early Wednesday in a hunt for weapons and other contraband, touching off a gunbattle with prisoners who control the jail. Seven inmates died and 25 people, including six officers, were wounded, authorities said.

Some 2,300 police officers participated in the operation and were supported by helicopters.

National police Col. Faustino Mendoza said officers seized arms, equipment to distill alcohol, marijuana plants and other drugs from the section that houses the most dangerous inmates.

"There was misrule in this prison," Mendoza said.

Bolivia's largest prison houses about 9,000 inmates outside Santa Cruz, about 335 miles (540 kilometers) east of the capital of La Paz. Inmates control the prison, where drugs are cheaper than on the street and money buys survival.

Six prisoners escaped from Palmasola last week during an inmate riot. Authorities say four have been recaptured.

In August 2013, during a struggle for control of the cellblock holding Palmasola's most violent inmates, one group attacked rival prisoners with machetes and home-made flamethrowers. Thirty-six people died, including a 1-year-old who was there visiting his inmate father.
RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A retired fraud investigator for the South Dakota Department of Revenue has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for bank fraud and money laundering.

Steven Knigge, 71, was accused of fraudulently asking banks in several states to wire money to an account belonging to him while he was working as a state official in 2015. Banks in Georgia, Arizona, Washington and Texas were targeted.

Court documents show the Rapid City resident requested a total of $146,000 from five banks between July and September 2015. Most of the transactions were blocked by banks, but about $42,000 were transferred into his account.

Knigge also wired about $30,000 of the scammed money to individuals overseas, including $9,500 to Nigeria, which constitutes money laundering.

Knigge reached a plea deal with prosecutors last fall and pleaded guilty. Charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and tampering were dismissed.

He received his prison sentence Friday. Knigge was also ordered to repay a bank in Arizona and Washington a total of about $32,000, the Rapid City Journal reported .

"You were perfectly armed not to get caught in such a scheme," U.S. District Court Chief Judge Jeffrey Viken told Knigge.

Knigge's attorney, Angela Colbath, said he committed the offenses amid marital problems and after meeting someone overseas on an online dating site.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson said Knigge first started using his own money to send money overseas in November 2014. He said Knigge ran out of funds, and then used money from his children's accounts and assets before delving into "criminal conduct."

Patterson said Knigge tried to cover up his crimes by deleting 1,800 emails off his government-issued computer while working at the state revenue department in Rapid City.

Knigge told the court that he's still trying to understand why he committed the crimes, which he said brought him heartache and lost him friendships.

___

Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - Police in Brazil say they have arrested nine people suspected of belonging to a paramilitary militia group in one of Rio de Janeiro's most violent districts. Four of the suspects are police officers.

Inspector Alexandre Herdy says the nine were taken into custody on Wednesday morning.

He says the group is suspected of forcing residents of the Baixada Fluminense district to pay monthly fees for protection against drug gangs and for services like illegal cable television connections and the sale of cooking gas.

Groups of militias operating in many of Rio's slums are said to be made up of active and former police, firefighters, private security and off-duty prison guards.

Police have said that militias often torture and murder people who refuse to pay them what they demand.
Though Katherine Posadas honors English students survived a Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School , they dont carry the scars that some of their younger peers do, she told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday.

Those older students huddled in the corner of her Parkland, Fla., classroom during the shooting, away from the view of a small window in the doorway. They learned that a gunman was in another building on campus, killing 17 people with an AR-15 rifle, from text messages as they waited for police to arrive and escort them to safety.

The affected building held mostly freshman classes, and Posada can see the effects of trauma in her freshman students who were closer to the violence that day.

Many of them saw friends die and had to step over bodies and pools of blood to get out of their classrooms, she told the committee at a hearing about school shootings. Loud noiseseven the bells between classesmake them jump.

Since the shooting, the public face of Parkland has been the vocal students organizing a national movement for tougher gun laws ; Posada spoke on a day when their influence inspired students around their country to walk out of their schools in protest . But students, especially those who were closest to the shooting that day, saw and heard things that will stay with them forever, she said.

One girl asked if she could stand with her back against the wall because she didnt feel safe sitting in a desk in the middle of the room, not knowing what was behind her, the teacher said.

When Miami Heat player Dwyane Wade, who was a hero to one of the victims of the shooting, recently paid a surprise visit to the school, the screams of excitement triggered some students, Posada told senators.

They were too similar to the screams of terror they heard just a few short weeks ago, she said. These kids will be dealing with this trauma for years to come.

Survivors of previous school shootings have carried similar scars. After the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., students didnt want to eat Chinese food, which is what the cafeteria was serving that day, their principal has said.

In Parkland, the school and the community have been mindful of the complex ways survivors process trauma . Teachers reintroduced students to classes slowly, starting on a modified schedule and filling classrooms with therapy dogs to comfort them as they adjusted. Counselors remain on site for students to process their grief and fears, and the U.S. Department of Education has provided a $1 million grant to help with ongoing emotional and psychological recovery efforts.

Posada spoke alongside the father of one of the victims, law enforcement officials, and a representative for internet companies as lawmakers probed the causes of the shooting and what could be done to prevent future violence. Read more about their discussion in this Politics K-12 post.

Photo: Katherine Posada, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about school shootings and school safety, on March 14 on Capitol Hill. --Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Related reading about Stoneman Douglas school shooting:

Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.
BERLIN (AP) - German police say they've arrested a man in the kidnapping of a billionaire businessman's son three years ago that ended with the victim released unharmed.

Police in Offenbach, next to Frankfurt, told the dpa news agency on Wednesday that the suspect was a 48-year-old resident with Serbian citizenship. Further details were to be released Thursday.

Markus Wuerth, the son of the Wuerth tool and hardware company chairman Reinhold Wuerth, was abducted in 2015 in an area northeast of Frankfurt.

The victim, who was 50 at the time, was found a day later about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southeast of where he was seized.

The kidnapping prompted a police manhunt, which authorities speculated may have prompted Wuerth's release, and a multi-million euro ransom was demanded but not paid.
Kevin Harvick is home in Bakersfield, California, to race with the minor leaguers he lobbied for after his victory Sunday in Phoenix.

The NASCAR star is racing for the first time at Kern County Raceway Park, the half-mile oval that replaced the Mesa Marin track where he got his start.

Before heading south for the weekend Cup event outside Los Angeles, Harvick will compete in the K&N Pro Series West's Bakersfield 175 on Thursday night. The event also features a Late Model race - the Happy Harvick 50 - and an all-night Happy Hour.

Kevin Harvick (4) stands during a parade lap before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race on Sunday, March 11, 2018, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

"I've been fortunate enough to have won a lot of races and do a lot of things in my career," Harvick said. "The goal here is to try to expose other drivers who just need a break."

He also drove in a K&N West race last year at Sonoma.

"I would love to build the K&N West Series back to what it needs to be - that enthusiasm, get to the right race tracks, help those kids," Harvick said. "For me it was an eye-opener last year when I went to Sonoma and saw the impact that running that race had on the competitors, the series.

"The fans will sometimes say, 'You're cherry-picking.' I would tell you, nobody would know who Will Rodgers is unless it was for us running that race, having him on the radio show, bringing him to the pit box the next day, these guys take him in."

After racing to his third straight Cup victory Sunday in Phoenix, Harvick and car owner Tony Stewart took time to promote grassroots racing - and took a jab at ISM Raceway President Bryan Sperber for dropping K&N West from the Phoenix track's schedule.

"I've been mad at Sperber here for a couple years now because he won't have the K&N cars come race here because it doesn't help his budget," Harvick said. "It's kicking those guys low on the K&N West Series that they don't get to come and race at this particular race track because of ... a budget, what is right, what is wrong, from a sanctioning fee side on Trucks and Xfinity. So they cut the K&N guys out.

"Cutting the grassroots side of things out is not the right way to do things. Those guys, they just want to race. This is a crown jewel race for those guys. The thought process for me is broken. When I look at our hardcore fans, they're all sitting at those short tracks and they're mad."

Harvick and Stewart used to race in the Copper Classic at the Phoenix track.

"Didn't matter how many people sat in the grandstands," Harvick said. "As competitors, those guys, this was their Daytona. ... This is where everybody wanted to race."

Stewart said he got a career break in the Copper Classic.

"I ran second to Mike Bliss here," Stewart said. "That one race got me a huge opportunity to drive for some really big teams. Now, you don't have things like that."

Stewart mentioned the Phoenix track's expensive redevelopment project.

"We can afford to spend $170 million to move the frontstretch from there over to there. I still have no idea what the reason for that is," Stewart said. "I guess we probably can't afford to run any support races here that cost the track some money."

___

More AP auto racing: https://racing.ap.org
YOUNTVILLE, Calif. (AP) - A California mental health program where a combat veteran killed three workers is closing.

The Pathway Home board of directors announced Wednesday it was suspending its operations indefinitely at the California Veterans Home in Yountville.

Pathway counseled veterans with post-traumatic stress syndrome and brain injuries sustained in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

Authorities say Albert Wong fatally shot two Pathway therapists and the program's director on Friday. The 36-year-old Wong had recently been expelled from the in-patient program. He was also found dead.

Pathway was housed in a building on the campus of the country's largest veteran's home. Pathway spokesman Larry Kamer said the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and local nonprofits will now help veterans enrolled in the program.
DETROIT (AP) - The state of Michigan has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit over a policy that restricts certain hepatitis C treatments in the Medicaid program.

Details of the agreement haven't been publicly disclosed, but a federal judge will get an update on March 29. Lawyers who filed the lawsuit on behalf of an Oakland County woman said the case could affect thousands of people.

The lawsuit alleged that the state has been allowing a new life-saving antiviral medicine only if a hepatitis C patient has serious liver damage. Medicaid is a federal-state health insurance program for people with low income.

"Medicaid enrollees in Michigan are therefore being unduly subjected to a second-class standard of health insurance coverage for the sole reason they are poor," lawyers at the Dickinson Wright firm said.

Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that infects the liver and can be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it becomes a chronic disease for at least 70 percent of people who have it. It can spread through the use of dirty needles by drug users.

Nearly 12,000 Michigan residents had chronic hepatitis C in 2016. In response to the lawsuit, the state last year said there were "strong reasons" to restrict the newest treatment among Medicaid recipients, including cost and side effects. The state said private health insurers have adopted limits, too.

"There is no national standard of practice to provide these medications without any restrictions. ... Contrary to plaintiff's admonition, that a drug has been approved by the FDA does not mean that it is medically necessary," said attorneys representing the Department of Health and Human Services.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwhiteap
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A Northern California man shot more than 130 hawks and other legally protected birds of prey on his land, leaving the carcasses to pile up at the foot of trees and telephone poles, wildlife officials said Wednesday.

California Department of Fish and Wildlife managers believe the discovery near the rural town of Standish in Lassen County, on the border with Nevada, marks the largest poaching case involving raptors on record for the state, spokesman Capt. Patrick Foy said.

Wildlife officers alerted by an anonymous tip from someone who reported watching a man shooting down a hawk "just started finding one bird after the next," Foy said.

In this photo taken March 11, 2018 and released by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife are some of the over 140 carcasses they collected of mostly raptors, other birds and mammals near Standish, Calif. A Northern California man illegally shot more than 130 hawks and other birds of prey on his land, leaving the carcasses to pile up at the foot of trees and telephone poles, wildlife officials said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. California Department of Fish and Wildlife managers believe the discovery near the rural town of Standish in Lassen County marks the largest poaching case involving raptors on record for California, agency spokesman Capt. Patrick Foy said. (California Department of Fish and Wildlife via AP)

Wildlife officers don't know what motivated the shootings, he said.

Authorities booked property owner Richard Parker, 67, into the Lassen County jail on charges including take of birds of prey and take of migratory non-game birds protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The website of the county jail did not show whether Parker had a lawyer to comment on the charges.

Birds of prey are broadly valued by farmers and others for helping keep down rodent populations. State law bars killing them.

All of the birds appear to have been shot, Foy said. Most were red-tailed hawks, but they also included an owl, at least one magpie songbird, and North America's largest hawk, the migratory ferruginous hawk.

David Bess, chief of law enforcement for the state wildlife agency, called the scale of the raptor killings "unprecedented" for California.

It could take years for the local raptor population to recover, Bass said in a statement.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Will the United States pull out of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico? Negotiators are working to rewrite the pact that President Donald Trump has called a job-killing "disaster." They met recently in Mexico City but couldn't reach a deal amid fears that Trump will withdraw from the agreement. Trump has also complicated matters by threatening to tax Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum if he can't get the NAFTA deal he wants. The Associated Press spoke with Republican U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, who represents a south Texas district that has a big stake in strong trade ties to Mexico. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

___

Q: How does NAFTA affect your district?

FILE- In this July 8, 2016, file photo, Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, speaks during a television news interview on Capitol Hill in Washington. North American Free Trade Agreement negotiators are working to rewrite the pact that President Donald Trump has called a job-killing "disaster.'' They met recently in Mexico City but couldn't reach a deal amid fears that Trump will withdraw from the agreement. The Associated Press spoke with Hurd, who represents a south Texas district that has a big stake in strong trade ties to Mexico. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

A: I represent 29 counties from San Antonio to El Paso: two time zones, 820 miles of the border with Mexico. It takes 10 hours to drive across my district at 80 miles an hour. It's the size of Georgia. Border trade is important. NAFTA is important. You have manufacturing on both sides of the border. You have people who live on the U.S. side and work in Mexico. The amount of trade that traverses the land ports in my district is significant, and that has an impact on the local economy. Texas' No. 1 trading partner is Mexico. So those relationships are important.

___

Q: Do people in your district want to keep NAFTA?

A: One hundred percent. There's no bigger issue right now in my district because of the impact on our economy and our jobs.

___

Q: What are the prospects that U.S., Canadian and Mexican negotiators can reach a deal on a new NAFTA?

A: I was in Mexico City. I had the chance to meet with negotiators from all three countries. They all believe we are close to a deal. They're working on some of the sticky issues and having a conversation around the sticky issues.

The reality is ... We don't have much time. The Mexican presidential elections will start getting into high gear starting late March, April. You have the midterm elections in the United States, where Congress shuts down. I think this administration is realizing the importance of NAFTA and that how pulling out could potentially impact the markets and, with the volatility that we're seeing with the markets right now, that another shock to that system is unnecessary.

____

Q: Why do you think NAFTA has such a bad reputation with the American public in general?

A: We have taken for granted the importance of international trade and how it helps our economy. For example, 17 percent of the beer that is consumed in the United States of America comes from Piedras Negras (Mexico). This is a city on the other side of Eagle Pass (Texas), which is in my district. We have to remember that imports and exports create jobs in the United States.
Republicans in the Pennsylvania House have wrapped up their investigation into allegations that a state lawmaker was violent and abusive toward another lawmaker and a second woman, but they declined on Wednesday to release their report to the public, citing House rules.

House GOP leaders said in a statement they would send their investigative file on Delaware County Republican Rep. Nick Miccarelli to the county prosecutor in Harrisburg for review. Miccarelli has not been charged and vehemently denies the allegations.

Republican Rep. Tarah Toohil filed a complaint with the House on Feb. 8 and, last week, obtained a temporary protection order against Miccarelli, a five-term Republican.

In a petition filed with the court, Toohil alleged Miccarelli pointed a gun at her, threatened to kill her and was physically abusive during a relationship that ended several years ago. She also asserted that he has been physically intimidating her at the Capitol this year.

After her Feb. 8 complaint, Toohil wrote, "I ... now fear for my safety at work."

A second accuser, a political consultant, claims that after she ended their relationship in 2014, Miccarelli came to her house and forced her to have sex.

Both women have been interviewed by the Dauphin County district attorney's office.

Miccarelli categorically rejects the allegations as lies and has resisted calls from House GOP leaders, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and others to resign, calling his accusers former girlfriends with whom he had "consensual sexual relations" before his recent marriage.

"It needs to be said that the #MeToo movement is laudable, but what about the #NotMe movement? Nick Miccarelli is an innocent man," his spokesman, Frank Keel, said in a statement on Wednesday. "This entire process has been grossly unfair."

The House GOP provided the report to Miccarelli and his lawyers. Keel declined to comment on the contents of the report itself, citing a confidentiality clause.

He has previously called the allegations part of a "smear campaign" intended to end Miccarelli's political career.

Miccarelli and Toohil are set to square off on Thursday at a hearing in Wilkes-Barre on whether to extend Toohil's temporary protection from abuse order. The order prohibits Miccarelli from being any place where Toohil lives or works, meaning he is not permitted to step foot in the Capitol when she is there.

In a weekend statement released by her lawyers, Toohil, a four-term representative from Luzerne County, said she came forward to "protect other women."

"This does not define me. It's something that happened to me," she said. "And if I - as a lawyer and a lawmaker - could be this afraid of that individual, then I can only imagine how the other victims feel, which is why I am coming out publicly."

Attorneys for the two accusers said both women came forward after Miccarelli posted comments on Facebook on the national furor over sexual misconduct allegations.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Recently released emails suggest that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his wife Candy had a hand in choosing a $31,000 dining set, despite claims from the agency and the secretary himself that he didn't play a role in making that selection.

Government watchdog group American Oversight obtained internal HUD emails through a Freedom of Information request, and posted them publicly earlier this week. Among a 163-page cache of emails is an August message sent to Carson's executive assistant and chief of staff under the subject line, "Secretary's Dining Room Furniture Needed."

In the email, department staffer Aida Rodriguez references "printouts of the furniture the Secretary and Mrs. Carson picked out." Another email shows a HUD staffer reaching out directly to Carson's wife Candy to ask if she's available to meet with a designer about redecorating her husband's office.

FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2017 file photo, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson speaks during his visit to the Vaux Big Picture High School in Philadelphia. Recently released emails suggest that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his wife had a hand in choosing a $31,000 dining set despite claims from the agency and the secretary himself that he didn't play a role in making that selection. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Rodriguez wrote in another message that the cost of the dining set, which was estimated at $24,666- just under the $25,000 budget limit_was "a very reasonable price and the funds are available."

"We also have a justification for the cost (as you know, the furniture hasn't been changed since 1988) so this should not be a problem," she wrote.

It wasn't clear from the emails why the cost jumped to $31,000.

The emails also show that Carson wanted to use the funds earmarked for furniture to instead have portraits painted of prior HUD secretaries not included in a wall of portraits in the building.

HUD has denied that Carson knew about or played any role in the dining set purchase, which prompted outrage from the public and lawmakers. In a statement provided to CNN, Carson wrote that he was as "surprised as anyone to find out that a $31,000 dining set had been ordered." Following reports of the purchase, Carson asked that the order be canceled.

Two Democratic senators urged the HUD Office of Inspector General to open an inquiry into the purchase. Carson earlier this year asked the OIG to investigate whether his family's involvement in agency matters constitutes a conflict of interest.

In a statement Wednesday, HUD spokesman Raffi Williams said, "when presented with options by professional staff, Mrs. Carson participated in the selection of specific styles."

Carson isn't the only Cabinet secretary under fire for lavish spending. Last week, The Associated Press reported that the Department of the Interior spent $139,000 to repair doors in Secretary Ryan Zinke's office.
CAMBRIDGE, Vt. (AP) - The Latest on an avalanche that injured six U.S. Army soldiers training near Vermont's highest peak. (all times local):

6:15 p.m.

Officials say injuries to the six Army soldiers caught in an avalanche during mountain-wartime training near Vermont's highest peak are not life-threatening.

The Vermont National Guard said the soldiers were evacuated Wednesday shortly after the avalanche hit around 1 p.m.

The training was taking place in Easy Gully in Smugglers Notch, a narrow pass at the edge of Mount Mansfield.

Five soldiers were taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. The sixth soldier returned to duty.

It was the second avalanche reported in the Mount Mansfield area in recent days.

Heavy snow has fallen in the area in recent weeks.

The U.S. Army's Mountain Warfare school is run by the Vermont National Guard.

___

4:50 p.m.

Six U.S. soldiers in mountain warfare training have been hit by an avalanche and injured at one of Vermont's tallest peaks.

The Vermont National Guard said the soldiers were evacuated Wednesday afternoon shortly after the avalanche hit.

The training was taking place in Easy Gully in Smugglers Notch, a narrow pass at the edge of Mount Mansfield.

Five soldiers have been taken to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. There is no word on their conditions. The sixth soldier returned to duty.

It was the second avalanche reported in the Mount Mansfield area in recent days.

Heavy snow has fallen in the area in recent weeks.

The U.S. Army's Mountain Warfare school is run by the Vermont National Guard.

____

3:45 p.m.

Six U.S. soldiers in mountain warfare training have been hit by an avalanche on one of Vermont's tallest peaks and are being evacuated.

A spokesman for the Vermont National Guard says the soldiers were participating in the advanced portion of the Guard's mountain warfare school in Easy Gully in Smugglers Notch, a narrow pass at the northern edge of Mount Mansfield. They were caught in an avalanche around 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The spokesman did not know how severely the soldiers were injured.

No further details have been released.

It was the second avalanche reported in the Mount Mansfield area in recent days.

Heavy snow has fallen in the area in recent weeks.

___

2:35 p.m.

The Vermont National Guard says six soldiers are being evacuated from a mountain training area after they were hit by an avalanche in Smugglers Notch on the north side of Vermont's tallest peak, Mount Mansfield.

Guard spokesman Lt. Mike Arcovitch says the soldiers were participating in the advanced portion of the guard's mountain warfare school when they were caught in an avalanche in Easy Gully in Smugglers Notch at about 1 p.m. Wednesday.

He did not know how severely the soldiers were injured.

Arcovitch says he had no further details about what happened.

It was the second avalanche reported in the Mount Mansfield area in recent days.

Heavy snow has fallen in the area in recent weeks.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Fighting violence against women isn't just a top priority for French President Emmanuel Macron - it's the top priority, his gender equality minister said Wednesday. And one of the first targets is street harassment.

In an interview, Marlene Schiappa said legislation that she will present to the Cabinet next week would impose stiff fines for gender-based harassment on the street or in public transport. She said the bill is important in both a practical and a symbolic sense.

"It is symbolic because we have to lead that cultural fight," Schiappa said at the United Nations, where a day earlier she addressed the annual meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women. "We have to say: 'Young men, you don't have the right - you're not allowed to follow women on the streets, to intimidate them.'"

In this March 13, 2018 photo provided by the United Nations, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, right, greets Marlene Schiappa, France's Minister for Women's Rights, at United Nations headquarters. During an interview on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, Schiappa said that fighting violence against women isn't just a top priority for French President Emmanuel Macron, it's the top priority. And one of the first targets is street harassment. (Manuel Elias/The United Nations via AP)

But she also believes the law can be effectively implemented, adding that the country's interior minister, Gerard Collomb, is planning to use 10,000 policemen and policewomen to help in the fight. Fines would start at 200 euros, and could go higher if not paid right away, she said. In some cases there also would be a training session at which a violator "will learn many things about street harassment and why you don't have the right to do that to a woman."

The proposed law also includes a provision that anyone under 15 cannot consent to sex with an adult. And it extends the statute of limitations on sex crimes, allowing prosecution for 30 years after a purported victim turns 18, rather than 20.

Schiappa said she hopes there will be "quite a consensus" in support of the law in parliament. "I think it's an important subject that deserves to (stay) out of the usual fight between political groups," she said. "But we will see."

Schiappa has become one of the most outspoken members of Macron's government. In her speech Tuesday at the commission's meeting, she declared that 2017 marked "the end of global denial on gender-based and sexual violence." She said 2018 should not be just the end of an era, but the beginning of another: "Year One after #MeToo."

She said one of the most important elements of #MeToo - France has its own version called "Balance Ton Porc" - is that people are not only speaking differently about gender violence, but finally listening.

"Women have talked about that for many generations," Schiappa said. "My mother, my grandmother, my great-grandmother talked with me about gender-based violence that they experienced or witnessed. They all have stories to tell."

She said that for a long time, women with such stories would hear a dismissive, "C'est la vie," or be told they just had to deal with it alone. But now after #MeToo, she said, "no one will be able to say to a woman: 'You have to deal with it.'"

Schiappa said she disagreed strongly with the much-discussed letter written by actress Catherine Deneuve and some 100 other French artists and academics in January saying that the "legitimate protest against sexual violence" stemming from the Harvey Weinstein scandal had gone too far and advocating against "puritanism."

"I think it's not about morality, about puritanism at all," the minister said. "It is about freedom, about how women can ... live peacefully in freedom, to walk on the street, to go to work, to share spaces with men in freedom and (have) a sexual life if they want to - but only if they want to."

Schiappa also addressed her goal of correcting the gender wage gap in France, noting that the first law aiming to address it was passed in 1983, when she was only 6 months old. "I am now 35 and it is still not being implemented," she said.

The government is proposing to "name and shame" companies not respecting the law on gender equality in the workplace. "It's not enough," Schiappa said, "but in terms of the gender pay gap, nothing is enough ... 'name and shame' is about that cultural fight. It's about changing mentalities and saying it's not acceptable that you pay women less than men."

The most immediate goal is getting her proposed law passed by parliament, Schiappa said.

"We've been working for years now to make that law," she said. "President Macron said gender equality would be his top goal before Weinstein, before #MeToo, before the election ... really, that law will be important."

Macron's government has chosen to label associations fighting violence against women as a "great national cause" this year, which means they can broadcast messages on TV and radio for free and get help from the state to organize charity campaigns.

Schiappa was also asked about gender parity in the president's own circle of advisers and staff, which includes significantly more men than women. She said Macron has worked to increase female representation in parliament and has achieved gender parity in his Cabinet.

"In terms of advisers there are more men than women," she acknowledged. "But he is working on it."

___

Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
A federal district judge has ruled that federal law protects transgender students from discrimination in schools, and that a Maryland students lawsuit may proceed against a school district that barred him from using the locker room that corresponds to his gender identity.

U.S. District Judge George L. Russell III of Baltimore ruled on Monday that bias against transgender students is a form of sex-based discrimination that is barred by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 as well as by the 14th Amendments equal-protection clause.

The ruling comes in the case of a 15-year-old student identified as M.A.B., who was born female but identifies as male. The boy attends St. Michaels Middle High School, a public school in Talbot County, Md., where administrators have barred him from using the boys locker room to change for gym class and instead require him to use a gender-neutral restroom to change.

(The district initially barred M.A.B. from using the boys restrooms as well, but relented after court rulings in the Gavin Grimm case from Virginia, which like Maryland is overseen by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.)

M.A.B. contends that using the gender-neutral restroom to change takes extra time and has caused problems when he has reported late for gym class. The school district argues that allowing M.A.B. into the boys locker room would violate the privacy rights of the other boys.

Russells March 12 opinion in M.A.B. v. Board of Education of Talbot County rejected the school districts motion to dismiss the students suit and held that the policy likely violates Title IX and the equal-protection clause.

The schools policy singles M.A.B. out, quite literally because it does not apply to anyone else at the high school, and marks him as different for being transgender.

The judge denied a preliminary injunction to allow M.A.B. to use the boys locker rooms because the student is not enrolled in physical education this school year. The student may seek such an injunction next year, when he is scheduled to have gym class again, if the case is not resolved on the merits before then, Russell said.

Russells decision on Title IX is consistent with the way most federal courts have ruled in recent years. And the judge noted that one federal appeals court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago, has ruled that discrimination against transgender students also violates the equal-protection clause.

Russell did not discuss two other recent federal appeals court rulings that have extended federal civil rights protections to gay workers and transgender workers under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Other Title VII rulings have been part of the foundation for courts analyzing transgender claims under Title IX, and the more recent Title VII decisions only bolster the conclusion that discrimination against gay students and transgender students are a form of sex-based discrimination prohibited by Title IX.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - The Latest on a U.S. Senate race in Mississippi (all times local):

5:15 p.m.

Mississippi's governor has described a state senator's announcement that he'll run for the seat of retiring U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran as "opportunistic."

Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel announced Wednesday that he will drop his primary challenge to incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and instead seek the Magnolia State's other Senate seat. Cochran is also a Republican.

Asked about McDaniel's announcement, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday that the "behavior is a sad commentary" on McDaniel.

Bryant had once been seen as close to McDaniel but has increasingly expressed irritation with the lawmaker's political efforts. A Bryant spokesman had said earlier Wednesday that the governor wouldn't be pressured into appointing McDaniel to fill the vacancy after Cochran retires April 1.

McDaniel had qualified for the Wicker primary challenge before Cochran announced his April 1 retirement. The tea party-backed state senator nearly beat Cochran in a bitter 2014 Republican primary.

4:30 p.m.

A Mississippi state lawmaker who came close to defeating U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran now says he'll run for the retiring senator's open seat.

Republican state Sen. Chris McDaniel announced Wednesday that he will drop his primary challenge to incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and instead seek the Magnolia State's other Senate seat.

McDaniel hours earlier Wednesday had told The Associated Press he remained undecided about switching. He qualified for the Wicker race before Cochran announced his April 1 retirement.

The tea party-backed state senator nearly beat Cochran in a bitter 2014 Republican primary.

McDaniel supporters rallied Wednesday at the state Capitol before the announcement, urging Gov. Phil Bryant to appoint McDaniel to the vacancy before a November nonpartisan election.

Bryant says pressure won't affect his decision on the appointment.
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) - A report of a gunman at a Northwestern University residence hall and shots fired was a hoax, a suburban Chicago police official said Wednesday.

Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew said a call to police reporting shots fired at Engelhart Hall, a graduate student residence, was a "swatting" hoax. The term describes when someone calls in a false report in the hopes of prompting a SWAT team to respond.

Heavily armed Evanston police and university police officers rushed to the dormitory, and the call prompted Northwestern to urge people in the area to "shelter in a safe place and stay until further notice."

Evanston police officers leave after an investigation at Northwestern University Engelhart graduate residence hall in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Police said the report of a gunman at Northwestern University was a hoax and "swatting incident." Police said they found no evidence after reports of shots fired on the campus. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Glew said the student who the caller reported had been shot was later located unharmed.

Police said the call came from an area southeast of Rockford, about 70 miles northwest of Evanston. The apartment that police responded to Wednesday had been vacant since around Thanksgiving.

Such "swatting" calls can be dangerous. In December, Wichita, Kansas, police officers who responded to such a hoax call fatally shot a man as he answered his door.

The alert at Northwestern came shortly after hundreds of university students participated in the National School Walkout. The students gathered to support calls for tighter regulations on guns sales in the wake of the shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school that left 17 dead.

Evanston Police Commander Ryan Glew steaks about investigation of Northwestern University Engelhart graduate residence hall in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Police said the report of a gunman at Northwestern University was a hoax and "swatting incident." Police said they found no evidence after reports of shots fired on the campus. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

An Evanston police officer looks around at Northwestern University Engelhart graduate residence hall in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Police said the report of a gunman at Northwestern University was a hoax and "swatting incident." Police said they found no evidence after reports of shots fired on the campus. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Evanston police officers on the scene of investigation in front of Northwestern University Engelhart graduate residence hall in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Police said the report of a gunman at Northwestern University was a hoax and "swatting incident." Police said they found no evidence after reports of shots fired on the campus. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Evanston police officers leave after an investigation at Northwestern University Engelhart graduate residence hall in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Police said the report of a gunman at Northwestern University was a hoax and "swatting incident." Police said they found no evidence after reports of shots fired on the campus. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - The Democratic-led Illinois Senate passed three new gun restrictions Wednesday including a ban on possessing assault-style weapons under age 21 and requiring existing underage owners to transfer the guns to someone eligible within 90 days.

The action came just after most senators briefly walked out of the chamber in solidarity with schoolchildren protesting violence nationwide and one day after Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a proposal for state licensing of gun shops.

Raising the age limit on assault-style weapon purchases was one of three pieces of legislation approved in an effort to make it harder to get high-capacity weaponry. The others would prohibit bump-stocks and trigger cranks which speed up the firing rate of semi-automatic rifles and increase the waiting period for delivery of an assault-style rifle.

Rauner said Wednesday he wanted "comprehensive" legislation to prevent crime, bolster school security and keep guns away from the mentally ill. A day earlier, he vetoed a plan for state licensing of gun shops as "burdensome," saying it would duplicate existing federal licensing.

"I've been calling for a bipartisan package," Rauner told reporters at an unrelated event in Springfield Wednesday. "It has not been delivered and it sounds like somebody is still not going to deliver any real, comprehensive package."

The votes came after most senators exited the Capitol to protest gun violence following the shooting last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida that left 17 dead.

"Young people shouldn't be afraid to go to school or the mall or to a concert," Sen. Melinda Bush, a Grayslake Democrat, told the gathering. "We can do more. We must do more to protect our children from being gunned down."

Bush read the names and some personal details of each of the Stoneman victims, while a different Senate colleague in turn held up the student's photo. When Bush became too emotional to continue, she yielded to Sen. Sue Rezin, a Morris Republican.

Only one of the three proposals goes to Rauner for action. That would impose a 72-hour waiting period, instead of 24, for delivery of a high-capacity weapon.

The other two were changed in the Senate and must return to the House for concurrence. Rauner has signaled approval for the bump stock and trigger-crank prohibition. The Senate altered the version that came from the House, adding a provision to allow local governments to regulate assault-style firearms as long as they're not less restrictive than state law.

The other would increase the age to purchase an assault-style gun from 18 to 21. Advocates contend that guns won't be confiscated, but those caught after the law takes effect would be penalized. The sponsor, Chicago Democratic Sen. Antonio Munoz, added a provision that makes it easier for those who possessed the guns before the law took effect, and under other circumstances, to avoid prosecution. But 18 of 22 Republicans opposed the measure

"You're stripping away someone's right to defend themselves simply because they aren't 21," said Sen. Neil Anderson, a Republican from Andalusia.

___

The bills are HB1465 , HB1467 , HB1468

Online: https://www.ilga.gov

___

Follow John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor and Sarah Zimmerman at https://twitter.sarahzimm95 .

___

Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas: http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana authorities say a sheriff's deputy has shot and wounded a man at an apartment building.

East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux told reporters the deputy was at the building Wednesday to serve papers on someone.

State Police Trooper Bryan Lee says the deputy was approached by a man who was bleeding. The cause and extent of the bleeding was not immediately known. The deputy fired one shot during a struggle with the man, who was taken to a hospital. The extent of his injuries wasn't known.

Gautreaux says the unidentified deputy was "mentally shook up" but not physically injured.

Gautreaux says the deputy was placed on administrative leave. Louisiana State Police took over the investigation, as is common in officer-involved shootings.

The identities of those involved have not been released.
Donald Trump has fired US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replaced him with CIA director Mike Pompeo.

The US president said Gina Haspel will become the new CIA director, the first woman chosen for the job.

Mr Trump tweeted that Mr Pompeo, will do a fantastic job! and thanked Mr Tillerson for his service.

Rex Tillerson has been fired as US Secretary of State (AP Photo/Azeez Akunleyen)

He said he made the decision to sack his secretary of state by myself and that Mr Tillerson will be much happier now .

The president said he and Mr Tillerson had been talking about this for a long time and they had disagreed on issues like the Iran deal.

A senior State Department official said Mr Trump never explained to Mr Tillerson the reason why he was fired.

The undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, Steve Goldstein, said Mr Tillerson had every intention of staying in the job because he felt he was making critical progress in national security.

Two White House officials have said Mr Tillerson was told he was out on Friday, but Mr Goldstein said he did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason.

Mr Tillerson had returned from a shortened trip to Africa hours before Mr Trumps announcement, which offered no explanation for the change.

A White House official said Mr Trump wanted to have a new team in place before upcoming talks with North Korea and various trade negotiations.

There had been rumours throughout most of Mr Tillersons tenure of friction between Mr Trump and his secretary of state, a former ExxonMobile chief executive.

In October, NBC news reported that Mr Tillerson called the president a moron, something he never actually denied.

Mr Tillerson continued to insist his relationship with the president was solid and brushed off rumours of strain between them.

He was due to retire from Exxon in March 2017 aged 65 under the companys mandatory retirement policy.

Mr Tillerson was paid 27.3 million dollars (19.5 million) last year, and has accumulated roughly 160 million dollars (115 million) in Exxon stock along with 149 million dollars (107 million) of unvested stock options.
More credence should have been given to concerns about Northern Irelands Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, the head of the civil service said.

Janette OHagan was selling a heat efficiency product in 2013 but found potential customers were not interested after they had signed up for the botched green energy scheme. She raised the alarm over potential misuse.

The overspending RHI led to the collapse of powersharing at Stormont 13 months ago after former deputy first minister Martin McGuinness resigned over the DUPs handling of the affair.

David Sterling, Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (Nick Ansell/PA)

Civil service chief David Sterling said: More credence should have been given to the concerns expressed by the concerned citizen.

Warnings were also issued by the regulator Ofgem.

The key decision-making meeting with former enterprise, trade and investment minister Arlene Foster was not minuted.

The RHI ended up massively overdrawn amid allegations of a cash-for-ash scandal.

Mr Sterling told a public inquiry at Stormont that once the RHI was up and running, there was a sense that it had developed a bit of momentum.

He said: I think that the various warning signals that had occurred in different areas, we should have drawn a link between those, paused and said hold on, I am not sure this is right  it did not happen.

As the frequency of the warning signs increased during 2013 and into 2014, it should have been escalated some time during that period.

Lucrative measures to incentivise the burning of wood fuel were aimed at businesses and were used for purposes like heating chicken houses.

They ended up paying out more than it cost to fuel the heaters and led to a spike in subscribers to a scheme partly incentivised directly from Great Britain.

Mr Sterling highlighted a variety of weaknesses and wished he had been more inquisitive.

He was permanent secretary at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment  which established the RHI  with only three core members of staff directly involved day-to-day at one stage.

Mr Sterling said he wished he had had the foresight to direct more resources towards project management as the novel and flagship RHI policy was worked up.

He gave evidence to the RHI public inquiry at Stormont, and chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin queried why such a volatile and unpredictable scheme did not attract more of his personal interest.

Mr Sterling said: I should perhaps have been more inquisitive, I should perhaps have stood back and said maybe I do need to look at this and become more closely involved.

There were a range of controls and factors which were in place at the time which I would have taken comfort that the scheme was going to be managed well.
A girl has been indecently assaulted while she was walking home alone at night in North Lanarkshire.

The 15-year-old was on Glenmore Road at Eribol Walk, Newarthill at around 8.45pm on Sunday when she was approached by a man.

He had been heading towards Newarthill Road, Carfin, when he put his arm around her and indecently assaulted her.

The girl was left `very shaken as a result of the attack (Andrew Milligan/PA)

She managed to escape uninjured but was left very shaken up by the attack.

Police Scotland is appealing for information after a teenage girl was indecently assaulted on Sunday 11 March 2018 in Newarthill. https://t.co/Mb90jDZ9se  Lanarkshire Police (@Lanarkshire_Pol) March 13, 2018

Detective Sergeant Jim Williamson, Wishaw Police Office, said: This incident has left a 15-year-old girl very shaken up and extensive enquiries are ongoing to trace the man responsible for this assault.

The incident happened in a residential area and therefore there may have been people coming and going at that time of night who may have seen something that can help us.

The man is described as white, 6ft of slim build, clean shaven with dark hair and a long fringe that was swept to the side.

At the time of the incident he was wearing a black jacket or top with white stripes on the sleeves, blue jeans and black trainers.

Officers urged anyone with information to contact them via 101 quoting incident number 3918 of Monday, March 12 or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A health board has apologised after the latest figures showed just 6% of patients suffering from chronic pain saw a specialist for help within the 18-week waiting time.

Liz Moore, the director for acute services at NHS Ayrshire and Arran, said the board sincerely apologises to any patient who has had to wait longer than is acceptable for an appointment with the pain management service.

In the last three months of 2017, 235 patients had their first appointment with the pain management service at NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Waiting times for help with chronic pain are `verging on scandalous in part of Scotland (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Of those 14 had been waiting 18 weeks or less  the target set by the Scottish Government  with 221 people waiting longer than this.

Scottish Conervatives said that was verging on scandalous while Labour has called for nationwide review of waiting times for chronic pain services.

Across Scotland these specialist services saw 2,616 new patients in the period October to December last year, with less than three quarters (72.3%) seen within the 18 week target.

Scottish Conservative health spokesman Miles Briggs said: Life can be utterly miserable for someone living with chronic pain.

To make them wait more than 18 weeks for an appointment is verging on scandalous, and its hard to see what the excuse for this could be.

The national average of 72.3 per cent is bad enough, but for one health board to be seeing just 6% of people in this time is shocking.

Labour health spokesman Anas Sarwar said: It is now time for a review on chronic pain waiting times.

The standard has not been met since the government began regularly reporting performance, and there are clearly issues in certain health boards.

Across Scotland over 7,000 patients had to wait longer than they should have to for their first appointment

Ministers now need to ask tough questions about why this is happening.

After a decade of SNP government, these figures are simply not good enough.

Liberal Democrat Alex Cole-Hamilton added: The SNP Government continues to fail chronic pain patients.

Its shocking that so many patients are waiting longer than the 18 weeks promised to receive the pain treatment they urgently need.

In some areas just a fraction of patients are being seen within the agreed time frame. This is leaving hundreds of people in pain and uncertainty and the SNP Government is letting them down.

Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell replied, saying: Nationally almost three quarters of patients referred to a pain clinic were seen within the 18 week standard.

I welcome this increase in performance on the previous quarter, but we will continue to work with relevant NHS boards to improve performance.

To support this we are also undertaking a programme of record investment and reform, backed by a health budget that will increase by almost 2 billion by the end of this parliament.

We have also made 50 million available to all boards to help drive down waiting times this year, and we are taking a range of specific actions to address this important issue.

Meanwhile Ms Moore stated NHS Aryshire and Arran had introduced a number of measures to cut waiting times in this area.

She said: We arranged for an associate specialist to receive training in the pain management speciality. They completed this and have started their clinical work.

A consultant anaesthetist is also completing the pain management speciality training and is expected to begin clinical work in August 2018.

We have introduced a patient-focussed booking system and reviewed clinic templates, which has reduced waiting times.

In this week in March 2017 there were 512 patients waiting more than 12 weeks for their first outpatient appointment.

Currently we have 185 patients waiting more than 12 weeks, while we accept this is not ideal, we anticipate this will continue to improve.
Lionel Messi will never leave Barcelona as he is perfectly at home, team-mate Sergio Busquets said on Tuesday.

Messis first goal in nine games against Chelsea in last months Champions League last-16 first leg gives Barca a slender advantage ahead of Wednesdays return at the Nou Camp.

Asked whether he can imagine Messi being prised away from Barca by a Premier League club, Busquets said the Argentina playmaker has few reasons to leave.



Lionel Messi celebrates his goal at Stamford Bridge (Nick Potts/PA)

I think he feels at home here, Busquets said. When you feel at home with all the things you have here  this is a big club, with good players next to you, you win different trophies, this is a good project, economically hes doing well.

All of this is positive. Its difficult to find this in other places.

We know the Premier League is a spectacular league. We would like to play there, but if you take all the positives and all the negatives, its very difficult to leave Barcelona.

If you feel at home and youre from Barcelona its difficult to change.

Messi last week became a father for a third time, missing the win at Malaga last Saturday as a result.

Busquets expects the Argentina playmaker will thrive against the Blues.

He said: Hes going to be OK and more motivated than he usually is. Hes going to be more relaxed.

I hope hes going to be perfect and will play as he usually plays. He always makes the difference.

Andres Iniesta could also return from a hamstring injury, which will be assessed in the hours before kick-off.

Barca boss Ernesto Valverde says Iniesta will only be selected if the Spain playmaker is fully fit.

Valverde said: Well, he played a big part of the training session yesterday without a problem. Well see how he feels today and decide.

Its a very important game. Its down to the player. Its a game you can only play if youre 100 per cent.

Busquets says Barcelona would settle for a goalless draw to advance to the last eight  and is wary of the Blues scoring.

Busquets said: We dont want to speculate, although 0-0 would be a good result. If they score we will be really suffering for that.

Valverde knows Chelseas counter-attacking ability, with players like Eden Hazard and Willian, mean Barca must capitalise on any dominant spells.



Willian scored past Barcelona in the first leg (Adam Davy/PA)

He said: We will try to find a secret formula. I dont think we have it, but just to keep working, keep pushing, keep trying.

(But) its a double-edged sword. We cannot be on top of them for the whole match, because the last season they were the team with the best counter attack in the Premier League.

Willian scored in the first leg and has five goals in five games. Valverde knows the Brazilian is a danger for Barca.

Hes been playing really great with Chelsea, he said.

Hes finding the back of the net easily. Hes a player we have to take into account. When players of that quality are on a good streak they can score easily.
Technology has opened up an array of opportunities for paedophiles, Britains most senior child protection police officer has warned.

Norfolk Chief Constable Simon Bailey said he did not believe there are more people with a sexual interest in children now than there were 20 or 30 years ago.

He told MPs: I simply believe that technology has now opened up an array of opportunities that were simply never ever afforded to would-be offenders before.

Chief Constable Simon Bailey (Norfolk Police/PA)

Mr Bailey, the national policing lead for child protection, said his greatest frustration is that so much of this abuse is preventable.

He added: It is the responsibility of the tech companies that are providing the platforms that are allowing people to abuse.

Figures indicate that forces in England and Wales recorded an average of 15 child sex offences involving the internet every day in 2016/17.

Last year Mr Bailey sparked controversy by suggesting those who view indecent images of children should not always face criminal charges.

He said lower level offenders should be dealt with through counselling and rehabilitation while officers focus on the most dangerous individuals with access to children and those looking at the most serious images.

Appearing at the Commons Home Affairs committee on Tuesday, Mr Bailey noted that most of those who view indecent images of children are not sent to prison.

He said: We need to have a debate.

Theres no rehabilitation. We need as law enforcement to be given the time and space to target those individuals who you cant block.

Mr Bailey emphasised he was absolutely not going soft on the issue.

One option could be to force offenders to attend a course to address their behaviour, the officer said.

He added: So much of this is preventable but at this moment in time the system is failing because so many people dont have to confront their offending behaviour.
Court: New York Pipeline May Go Forward

A federal appeals court turned back a New York agency's attempt to slow down a controversial natural gas pipeline, which has been tied to a state government scandal in the same courthouse.

In New York State Department of Environmental Conservation v. Federal Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals said the department waited too long to challenge the pipeline over water issues. As a result, the 442-mile Millennium Pipeline will go forward.

Meanwhile in the same building, federal prosecutors closed in on a former state official in a bribery trial involving the same pipeline company. In New York, they say, one hand washes the other.

Conservation Case

Competitive Power Ventures, which operates the Valley Energy Center, won the go-ahead for the pipeline project from the court of appeals. A three-judge panel said the state Department of Environmental Conservation waived its right to challenge a water certification.

"We conclude that the Department waived its authority to review Millennium's request for a water quality certification under the Clean Water Act by failing to act on that request within one year," the panel said.

The Second Circuit said federal regulators had the authority to approve the pipeline, even though it is located entirely in New York, because the gas will come from out-of-state.

Bribery Case

The pipeline has been a laid-down lightening rod for protests against the company and Gov. Andrew Cuomo's former deputy Joseph Percoco. Federal prosecutors say Competitive Power Ventures bribed Percoco's wife for state favors.

Former company executive Peter Galbraith Kelly allegedly paid her $270,000 in the scheme. The jury is out on that criminal case, which is legally unrelated to the conservation case.

Environmentalists, however, have literally laid down in protest against the pipeline project. They said drilling for natural gas through hydraulic fracturing, also known as "fracking," harms the environment.

Related Resources:
Theresa May is preparing to chair a meeting of the national security council after the midnight deadline she set Moscow over the spy poisoning case passed.

Russia said on Tuesday it would ignore demands for an explanation over how a nerve agent was deployed in Salisbury unless Britain agreed to send it samples of the poison.

The Federations embassy in the UK fired off a salvo of tweets warning the threat of sanctions would meet with a response.

3/7 Moscow will not respond to Londons ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring. pic.twitter.com/B5CNtimcc3  Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 13, 2018

Counter-terrorism police, meanwhile, launched an investigation into the death of a Russian exile who was a close friend of Vladimir Putin critic Boris Berezovsky.

Scotland Yard said a man in his 60s was found at a home in Clarence Avenue, New Malden, south-west London on Monday and that the cause of his death is unexplained  but there was no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury.

Mrs May has warned she will set out a full range of measures to be taken in response if there is no credible response from the Kremlin about the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

She will chair a meeting on Wednesday morning of senior intelligence officials and ministers to discuss developments in the case.

The premier is likely to make a statement in the House of Commons to update MPs after Prime Ministers Questions.

Statement from The White House about US President Donald Trumps discussion with Prime Minister Theresa May about the attack in Salisbury

Britains options are being weighed up by the Government  with a cyber counter-strike said to be among the possible measures being considered, along with economic, financial and diplomatic action.

In a series of tweets, the Russian Embassy said: Moscow will not respond to Londons ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring.

The incident appears to be yet another crooked attempt by the UK authorities to discredit Russia, it added.

The embassy said those calling for the expulsion of Russian diplomats dont care about Global Britain and its diplomats in Moscow.

World leaders, including Donald Trump and Angela Merkel, voiced their support for the UK as the deadline approached.

Mrs May said on Monday the Government had concluded it is highly likely Russia was responsible for the attack which left ex-spy Mr Skripal and his daughter in a critical condition in hospital.

She demanded that Moscow account for how a Russian-produced nerve agent could have been deployed in Salisbury and vowed to set out measures Britain would adopt if no credible response was received by the end of Tuesday.

Those calling for Russian diplomats' expulsion don't care about Global Britain and its diplomats in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/XtjAJTt7VT  Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 13, 2018

President Trump told Mrs May in a phone call the US is with the UK all the way and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she stood in full solidarity with Britain, according to Downing Street.

Police said investigations could take several weeks as they carry out a painstaking operation to identify how the Novichok nerve agent was used to poison Mr Skripal on British soil.

The former double agent, 66, and his daughter, 33, were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on March 4.

Police and MI5 are to look into allegations that a string of other deaths on UK soil may be linked to Russia.
Schools whose pupils come from a single ethnic or religious community could be required to ensure they mix with children from other backgrounds, under Government proposals to encourage social integration.

The proposed Integrated Communities Strategy also calls on schools to teach British values and sets out plans to boost English language skills and encourage women from minority communities to find jobs.

A consultation paper on the plans  launched by Communities Secretary Sajid Javid with the backing of 50 million of Government money  follows the 2016 Casey Review, which warned that social cohesion cannot be taken for granted in the multicultural UK.

Mr Javid said: Britain can rightly claim to be one of the most successful diverse societies in the world. But we cannot ignore the fact that in too many parts of our country, communities are divided, preventing people from taking full advantage of the opportunities that living in modern Britain offers.

Successive governments have refused to deal with the integration challenges we face head on, preferring to let people muddle along and live isolated and separated lives.

We will put an end to this through our new strategy which will create a country that works for everyone, whatever their background and wherever they come from.

Five pilot areas  Blackburn, Bradford, Peterborough, Walsall and the London borough of Waltham Forest  will develop local integration plans allowing new strategies to be tested as the programme develops.

Mr Javids Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is seeking responses to proposed initiatives set out in a new green paper.

Among the proposals are:

 A new community-based English language programme, with a network of conversation clubs and support for councils to improve provision of tuition

 Personalised skills training to help women from isolated communities into work

 Measures to ensure young people have the opportunity to mix and form lasting relationships with those from different backgrounds

 Promotion of British values across the school curriculum

 Increased take-up of the National Citizen Service

Damian Hinds said ministers will build on work already under way (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Education Secretary Damian Hinds said: We want to make sure that all children learn the values that underpin our society  including fairness, tolerance and respect. These are values that help knit our communities together, which is why education is at the heart of this strategy.

Its also important that children are taught in a safe environment and that we can act quickly if children are at risk or being encouraged to undermine these values. Together with Ofsted and communities across the country, we will build on the work already under way to achieve this.

Think tank British Future released polling data suggesting a majority of voters would back schools teaching pluralistic British values (76%), more support to learn English (67%) and a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and prejudice (79%).

Some 63% said the Government should use national events like St Georges Day, St Davids Day and St Andrews Day to bring people together.

British Future director Sunder Katwala said: Integration isnt just about British Muslims  its an issue for all of us.

So its welcome that this green paper moves on from the Casey Review and broadens the integration debate. It could be an important step towards the national integration strategy that weve been missing  provided its followed up by action.

:: ICM questioned 3,657 GB adults online between June 9 and 14 2017 for British Future.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the stalemate between her government and the UK will not likely be resolved during todays talks with Theresa May.

The Prime Minister will host discussions at Downing Street with both Ms Sturgeon and the First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones.

The talks are the latest bid to resolve the dispute which has developed between Westminster and the devolved governments over the the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill.

Nicola Sturgeon and her Welsh counterpart Carwyn Jones will have talks with the Prime Minister (John Linton/PA)

The legislation, which transposes EU law into UK law following Brexit, has been branded a power grab by both Scotland and Wales.

For latest on talks over Withdrawal Bill see statement from @Feorlean. The Scottish and Welsh Governments are serious about seeking an agreement that is consistent with the principles of devolution, but it increasingly feels that the UK Government is not. https://t.co/1JeZqoTFz4  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 8, 2018

Ahead of the talks, the Scottish First Minister made clear she was not expecting to reach a deal which would allow the two devolved administrations to grant formal consent to the Bill.

While a lack of agreement from Edinburgh and Cardiff would not prevent the key legislation from passing, forcing the Bill through without their consent could spark a constitutional crisis within the UK.

With Scotland also having voted to stay part of the EU in the 2016 referendum, Ms Sturgeon will also use the meeting to again press home to the Prime Minister the Scottish Governments strong stance, that the whole UK should stay within the single market and the customs union post Brexit  something Mrs May has repeatedly ruled out.

The SNP leader said: It is important that the UK Government understands the very different position of the Scottish Government and our desire to retain our place in the single market  which is around eight times bigger than the UK market alone  and the customs union.

Ms Sturgeon added: We are not expecting an agreement to be reached on the Withdrawal Bill today as there are no new proposals from the UK Government on the table.

The amendments currently proposed by the UK Government do not have the agreement of either the Scottish or Welsh governments as they do not respect devolution.

No First Minister would agree to plans that would enable the UK Government to take control of currently devolved powers without Holyroods consent  and without guaranteeing that the Scottish Parliament would have a role in future legislation in any area where these powers were used.

The list published by the UK Government last week only succeeded in underlining the threatened power grab, as it included key powers devolved to Scotland, including agricultural support, fisheries management, state aid and public procurement.

She continued: We are also concerned that unlike the rest of the EU Withdrawal Bill, the proposals on devolution are not time-limited which means the UK Government could hold this power of veto over devolved powers indefinitely.

While Ms Sturgeon said she was determined to continue talks in a bid to reach a deal, she also made clear: It is time for the UK Government to show respect for devolution and accept that no changes can be made to Scotlands devolved powers without the consent of the Scottish Parliament.

Today is an opportunity for the UK Government to demonstrate that it is genuinely committed to acting in the interests of the people of Scotland and to respect the democratically endorsed devolved settlement.
An advert for a 100% natural snack bar has been banned after a watchdog found the claim was not in line with consumers understanding of the meaning of the term.

The poster ad for the Go Ahead Goodness Bar claimed the snack was crammed with 100% natural ingredients.

A reader, who believed the product contained ingredients which would not be understood by consumers to be natural, lodged a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which agreed.

The Go Ahead Goodness Bar ad (ASA)/PA)

United Biscuits, which owns the Go Ahead brand, said the term when used in relation to food was not written into regulation, but guidance from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) said ingredients could be described as natural if they were not chemically altered or produced using new technologies.

The company accepted that sunflower oil and fat reduced cocoa powder in the bars underwent a degree of processing, but said the technology used to do this had existed for many years and both ingredients were commonly found in consumers cupboards.

While the modern-day production of sunflower oil made use of a level of solvent extraction, the company believed the average consumer would still consider it to be a natural ingredient.

It said the fat reduced cocoa powder was created by making chocolate liquor, which was then washed with a potassium carbonate solution to reduce the acidity and bitterness  a traditional Dutch process which had been used for more than 100 years.

The ASA said consumers would understand the term natural in the context of the claim to mean the product was made using ingredients that were completely natural.

It said: We considered consumers would understand that some processing may need to take place in order to make a naturally found ingredient fit for human consumption, but that such processing would be minimal, noting that the FSAs guidance stated that processes such as solvent extraction were not in line with with current consumer expectations of natural.

It added: For those reasons, we considered that neither sunflower oil nor fat reduced cocoa powder would be understood by consumers to be natural ingredients.

We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading.

It ruled that the ad must not appear again in its current form and told United Biscuits not to refer to ingredients as natural unless they were in line with consumer expectations of the term natural.

Pladis, which owns United Biscuits, said: We launched the advertising of our Goodness Bars with honest intentions as we are proud of the wholesome ingredients that go into this nutritious snack, understanding the product contained sunflower oil and cocoa powder, both of which are commonly found in consumers kitchens.

Although we still believe these can be considered as natural ingredients, we of course accept and respect the ASAs ruling, so we have removed the advert.
There is still work to do to improve safety for patients with diabetes in hospital, a charity has warned.

The comments from Diabetes UK come after an audit examined the state of care of diabetes patients in hospital in England and Wales.

It found that 18% of hospital beds in England and Wales are occupied by someone with diabetes.

Diabetes care in hospitals still needs improvement, says Diabetes UK (Peter Byrne/PA)

But data from the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit 2017 found that almost a third of inpatients (31%) with diabetes experienced a medication error during their hospital stay  though this has reduced from last year.

And 18% suffered hypoglycemia  also known as a hypo  which occurs when a persons blood sugar is too low.

Among patients with type 1 diabetes, one in 25 (4%) suffered diabetic ketoacidosis while in hospital  a serious and potentially life-threatening complication.

But the audit did show improvements in some areas  since 2010 there has been a 30% reduction in severe hypoglycemic rates, a 40% reduction in foot pressure ulcers occurring in hospital and reduction in all medication errors.

You may have heard in the news today about our analysis of the latest #diabetes stats. Read the full story here: https://t.co/GxeaNw31S3 pic.twitter.com/wSoolRTFvM  Diabetes UK (@DiabetesUK) February 27, 2018

David Jones, assistant director of improvement support and innovation at Diabetes UK, said: It is essential that people with diabetes feel safe when they stay in hospital.

We have spoken to too many people who dont, and these figures show that there is still work to do to improve safety.

We need to do more to support diabetes teams to help their colleagues provide safe and appropriate care.

The news comes as NHS England released data on its type 2 diabetes prevention programme which found that half of overweight people who attended at least eight support sessions over a nine-month period lost an average of 3.3kg.

You can lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by managing your weight and waistline. Find out more https://t.co/Dz146NV2zB pic.twitter.com/pZfBdFrDEy  West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (@west_lei_ccg) February 26, 2018

The prevention programme is designed to stop or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes  which is linked to obesity and other lifestyle factors  through a range of personalised interventions such as education on lifestyle choices, healthy eating tips and bespoke physical activity programmes.

Three years after the programme was first announced, around 66,000 people have taken up places.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, who will be addressing a Diabetes UK conference on Wednesday, said: The NHS is already leading the way in the battle against the obesity crisis by slashing the sale of sugary drinks and super-sized snacks in hospitals, and the results now coming out of our diabetes prevention programme are also positive.

Obesity is the new smoking and the scale of our response needs to match the scale of the crisis.

Last year Mr Stevens ordered hospitals to remove super-size chocolate bars and grab bags of sugary snacks from the shelves of their shops.

New figures show that one hospital retailer sold 1.1 million fewer single chocolate bars in the last year.

And 175,000 more pieces of fruit have been sold in hospital stores.

Figures released last month show the number of people living with diabetes has doubled in the last 20 years.

Diabetes UK said the condition is the fastest growing health crisis of our time as it found that the number of people diagnosed with the condition across the UK has reached almost 3.7 million  an increase of 1.9 million since 1998.
Senator George Mitchell has said a Brexit outcome that avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland must be encouraged.

And he urged those grappling with the issue to seek inspiration from the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace 20 years ago.

We must encourage a Brexit outcome that does not re-establish a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, Mr Mitchell said.

The governments of the US and the UK must avoid any economic decisions that cost jobs or create hardship in Northern Ireland.

The senator made the comments at an event at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Tuesday night to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Mitchell was instrumental in brokering the accord.

When I announced the Good Friday Agreement 20 years ago I described it as an historic achievement and it was, Mr Mitchell said.

But I also said on that day, that by itself the agreement did not guarantee peace, or political stability or genuine reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

It made them possible but achieving and sustaining those lofty goals would require of future leaders the vision and the courage that the leaders of Northern Ireland demonstrated in 1988.

Life is change, that is true of societies as it is of individuals, he said.

Senator George Mitchell and Gerry Adams at the Good Friday Agreement 20th anniversary event (Niall Carson/PA)

He added: As they today reflect on their responsibilities I hope that the current leaders of Northern Ireland, of Ireland, of the United Kingdom and of the European Union look back 20 years to what their predecessors were able to do.

The senator said President Clinton was the first American president to make peace in Northern Ireland a central objective of his administration.

He jumped in where others feared to tread and he deserves great credit, Mr Mitchell said.

But he added that the real heroes of the accord were the people of Northern Ireland and their political leaders.

In dangerous and difficult circumstances after lifetimes devoted to conflict they summoned extraordinary courage and vision and reached agreement at great risk and cost to themselves their families their political careers.

We should not hold Northern Ireland to a higher standard than we apply to ourselves and to others.

And surely as we assemble here in the Library of the United States Congress no American should be preaching to others about political dysfunction and the same caution applies to the UK at this time.

After devoting so many years to the peace process Mr Mitchell said those years changed his life.

Ive come to know and love Ireland and its people, he said.

He added: A lot of people thank me for my work in Northern Ireland.

My response to them is that it is I who should be grateful  and I am because the Irish have filled an inner void that I didnt know existed.

I am an American, very proud of it, but a large part of my heart and of my emotions will forever be with the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Professor Stephen Hawking was a vocal champion of the NHS who until his final months sparred with the Health Secretary.

The eminent physicians children announced that the beloved father and extraordinary man died at home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday at the age of 76.

Prof Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1962, had recently said he would not have had such a long life without the NHS.

Less than two months ago a campaign group backed by Prof Hawking was granted permission to challenge secretary of state Jeremy Hunt in the High Court over plans to allow private companies to play a greater role in the service.

The scientist had warned it was an attack on the fundamental principles of the NHS to allow commercial businesses to run parts of the health and social services.

The judicial review into the proposal was expected to take place as soon as possible after Wednesday, coincidentally the day he died.

Mr Hunt accused the professor of spreading a `pernicious falsehood (Peter Byrne/PA)

Mr Hunts Department of Health and Social Care had rejected claims by the JR4NHS campaign group, founded by three doctors and a university professor, as irresponsible scaremongering.

JR4NHS had argued the introduction of accountable care organisations (ACOs) will Americanise the NHS.

Prof Hawking, a lifelong Labour supporter, and Conservative Mr Hunt already had a tumultuous history.

In August, the Cambridge University scientist wrote to the Sunday Telegraph saying Mr Hunts calculations to show Britain was not moving towards a US-style system were silly.

Most pernicious falsehood from Stephen Hawking is idea govt wants US-style insurance system.Is it 2 much to ask him to look at evidence? 1/2  Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) August 19, 2017

Mr Hunt shot back writing on The Guardian website that the professor was wrong and tweeted that his claims of a US-style insurance system were a pernicious falsehood.

Is it 2 much to ask him to look at evidence? he added.

Also, in 2016, Prof Hawking and experts such as Professor Robert Winston called for an inquiry into claims made by Mr Hunt, saying he cherry-picked research, causing a devastating breakdown of trust between government and the medical profession.

Prof Hawkings children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, announced his death, saying: He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasnt home to the people you love. We will miss him forever.

Mr Hunt tweeted: Stephen Hawking was a defining force in the world of science whose loss will be felt in every corner of the globe.

I was sad that we didnt agree on everything, but he was still a hero to me as one of our greatest ever thinkers  he inspired with his courage

as well as his words.
Venus Williams continued her fine form to reach the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells with a straight-sets victory over world number 20 Anastasija Sevastova.

Williams has not dropped a single set en route to the last eight in California and backed up her victory over younger sister Serena in the third round, who was playing in her first event since having her first child last September, to secure a 7-6 (8/6) 6-4 win.

The 37-year-old edged a tight first set on a tie-break against the Latvian before racing 3-0 up in the second to seemingly ease in the next round.

The American has not dropped a set in any of her three matches at Indian Wells (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Welcome to the quarterfinals, Venus! 



Williams defeats Sevastova 7-6(6) 6-4. #BNPPO18 pic.twitter.com/DaSoYUQ0ib  BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 14, 2018

However, Sevastova reeled off the next three games to level the scores but a break in the eighth game proved enough for the 10-time grand slam champion.

Daria Kasatkina booked her place in the last eight after the Russian stunned world number two Caroline Wozniacki with a 6-4 7-5 success.

The 20-year-old fell 3-0 down in the first set but hit back to win seven of the next eight games to gain an early advantage in the second set.

Three breaks helped Wozniacki move 5-3 ahead and she came within two points of levelling the match, but Kasatkina responded once more to win four successive games to seal a straight-sets victory.

This forehand @DKasatkina curved in was fifty shades of ! pic.twitter.com/89OIhcgnYk  wta (@WTA) March 14, 2018

She will face Angelique Kerber who crushed seventh seed Caroline Garcia in a 6-1 6-1 triumph.

The two-time grand slam winner needed just 33 minutes to seal the opening set after breaking the Frenchwomans serve on four occasions.

A bagel looked on the cards in the second set as Kerber stormed into a 5-0 lead, and despite Garcia eventually getting on the scoreboard in the sixth, the German served out for love to seal a convincing victory.

Angie Advances



No. 10 seed Kerber puts on a nearly flawless display, defeating Garcia 6-1 6-1 in just 62 minutes.



Kasatkina awaits her in the #BNPPO18 quarterfinals. pic.twitter.com/gVW5ekgPmb  BNP Paribas Open (@BNPPARIBASOPEN) March 14, 2018

World number one Simona Halep secured her place in the last eight with a 7-5 6-1 win over Chinas Wang Qiang, while Czech Republics Karolina Pliskova overcame American Amanda Anisimova 6-1 7-6 (7/2).

Carla Navarro Suarez breezed past American Danielle Collins in a 6-2 6-4 victory, Naomi Osaka defeated Maria Sakkari 6-1 5-7 6-1 and Petra Martic won 6-3 7-6 (7/4) against Marketa Vondrousova.
Professor Stephen Hawking was delighted when Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for portraying him in the film The Theory Of Everything.

Prof Hawking, perhaps the galaxys most unlikely superstar celebrity, mingled with Hollywood stars ahead of the screening of the biopic, which also starred Felicity Jones as his first wife Jane Wilde.

And he wrote on Facebook: Congratulations to Eddie Redmayne for winning an Oscar for playing me in The Theory Of Everything movie.

Well done, Eddie, Im very proud of you.

The film, which is based on the memoirs of Ms Wilde, deals with their relationship, his scientific success and the onset of motor neurone disease which left him severely disabled, and was a huge hit with the critics.

The whole film was this extraordinary mixture of great privilege and great responsibility and just being able to enter the lives of these people for a few months and to hear their stories.

Even just to spend time with them was truly an honour.

Redmayne dedicated the award to all of those people around the world battling motor neurone disease, and said that the Oscar belonged to Stephen and his ex-wife Jane and the rest of their exceptional family.

The actor also won a Golden Globe, Bafta and Screen Actors Guild award for the performance, while the film won Outstanding British film at the Baftas.
Benedict Cumberbatch has paid tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking  who he played on-screen  calling the physicist a true inspiration for me and for millions.

Cumberbatch, 41, starred as Prof Hawking in the first portrayal of the scientist on-screen, before Eddie Redmayne took on the role.

The actor, who played Prof Hawking in the TV film, Hawking, in 2004, said he was so sad to hear that Stephen has died and that he will raise a margarita, which they once shared together, to the stars.

I feel so lucky to have known such a truly great man whos profundity was found both in his work and the communication of that work. Both in person and in books.

Eddie Redmayne and Professor Stephen Hawking (PA)

He virtually created the publishing genre of popular science. A heroic feat to bring the wondrous complexities of the universe to all outside of specialists in this field, he said in a statement.

But truly courageous when considering it was achieved by a man who lived a life trapped in his body from the age of 21 when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

Cumberbatch added: His support of the sciences, art, education and the NHS and charities such as the MND foundation will also live on, as will his wickedly funny sense of humour.

I will miss our margaritas but will raise one to the stars to celebrate your life and the light of understanding you shone so brightly on them for the rest of us. You were and are a true inspiration for me and for millions around the world. Thank you.

Fellow actor Redmayne called the physicist, who died aged 76, the funniest man he has ever met.

The actor, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Prof Hawking in 2014 film The Theory Of Everything, said in a statement: We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.

Prime Minister Theresa May was among others paying tribute to Prof Hawking.

"Professor Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and extraordinary mind - one of the great scientists of his generation. His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration. His legacy will not be forgotten."  PM  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) March 14, 2018

She said: Professor Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and extraordinary mind  one of the great scientists of his generation.

His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration. His legacy will not be forgotten.

Scientist and broadcaster Professor Brian Cox told BBC Radio 4s Today programme that Prof Hawking was one of the greats.

There are many good theoretical physicists who make a big contribution, but there arent that many greats, he added.

And by that I mean that I think there are physicists in a thousand years time, they will still be talking about Hawking radiation, they will be using his fundamental results on black holes.

Actually, the last time I saw him at his 75th birthday party, he was talking about the new gravitational wave experiment where weve seen the collisions of black holes, and speculating that those results might be able to prove some of his theorems once and for all.

Plus his contributions to the physics of the very early universe, so there are at least three and possibly more areas where his work will be remembered as long as there are cosmologists and thats the best you can hope for as a scientist.

Actress and neuroscientist Mayim Bialik, who met and worked with Prof Hawking when he appeared on US sitcom The Big Bang Theory, tweeted: As we near Pi day (3.14) I join the global community in mourning the loss of the greatest physicist of our era.

As we near Pi day (3.14) I join the global community in mourning the loss of the greatest physicist of our era. #StephenHawking is free from the physical constraints of this earthly condition we all exist in and he is soaring above us now marveling at it all. pic.twitter.com/o3V0TZrppj  Mayim Bialik (@missmayim) March 14, 2018

Along with a picture of Prof Hawking with the cast of the programme, she added: #StephenHawking is free from the physical constraints of this earthly condition we all exist in and he is soaring above us now marveling at it all.

The Big Bang Theorys Johnny Galecki wrote on Instagram: RIP #stephenhawking Not only your brilliance, but your sense of humor will be sorely missed by all.

Inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, tweeted: We have lost a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking.

We have lost a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking. https://t.co/ectv7r4UIm  Tim Berners-Lee (@timberners_lee) March 14, 2018

Physicist James Hartle, whose work with Prof Hawking led to the Hartle-Hawking model of the universes origins, said his colleague had inspired a lot of people.

Prof Hartle told BBC Radio 4s Today: What was unique about him was that he had a marvellous ability to see through all the clutter in physics and to see what the essential points are and that, of course, was a great thing for going forward.

He added: My memory of him would be on several fronts: first our work together, as a scientist, and second as a human being whose whole story is of triumph over adversity and who inspired a lot of people, including me.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who was among the politicians sharing tributes, said Prof Hawking had changed the way we see the universe.

RIP Stephen Hawking - you changed the way we see the universe.  Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 14, 2018

European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted: It matters if you just dont give up. Remembering Stephen Hawking.

It matters if you just dont give up. Remembering Stephen Hawking.  Charles Michel (@eucopresident) March 14, 2018

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said Prof Hawking had made the world a better place and his death was anguishing.

Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world, a tweet on his page said.

Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawkings pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 14, 2018

US astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson was one of the first to pay tribute to Prof Hawking. Sharing a photo of himself and Prof Hawking on Twitter, he said the scientists death has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake.

He added: But its not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018.

His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018. pic.twitter.com/nAanMySqkt  Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 14, 2018

Nasa described Prof Hawking as an ambassador of science, adding in a tweet: His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring.

May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014.

Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014 pic.twitter.com/FeR4fd2zZ5  NASA (@NASA) March 14, 2018

Greenpeace USA thanked Prof Hawking for helping people understand their place in the universe and for leaving us in awe and wonder.

Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May said on Instagram that Prof Hawking was one of the bravest men I ever met  optimistic and caring.

And all the way, although hampered by being able to communicate at the rate of only two words a minute, still managing to crack gentle jokes, and make incisive comments.

We at Starmus (the International Festival of Astronomy, Science, Arts and Knowledge) were privileged to spend quiet time with Stephen, and will miss him badly, he said.

He was without a doubt one of the greatest intellects the world has ever seen.

The Starmus Advisory Board, on which May sits, said: The human race has suffered an immeasurable loss. The loss of a man who was not only one of the greatest scientists of all times and one of the most influential people on the planet, but also a model and inspiration for many of us. Stephen Hawking was a man of exceptional power of spirit and a model of civic stance.

He changed the way we perceive our universe, our time and ourselves, and did it with his unique talent of communication and gentle, Hawking-style sense of humour We will miss his hilarious personality and his outstanding ability to make this world a better place, whatever he did and wherever he happened to be.

To many of us, Stephen Hawking was a symbol  a symbol of the immense capabilities of the human being, a symbol of never surrendering mind, and of science itself. It strikes us as quite symbolic that he passed away on Einsteins birthday, and, like Einstein, lived to the age of 76. We will keep this symbol in our hearts and follow the path he craved for us.
Strictly star Susan Calman put her dancing shoes back on as she launched a charity award scheme with the help of keen line dancers.

The comedian joined a lesson at the Senior Centre Castlemilk project in Glasgow and said it was tougher to learn the routine than any during her Strictly Come Dancing run last year.

Calman was launching the National Lottery Awards 2018 which recognise the work of thousands of funded projects across the UK in education, health arts and the environment.

Susan Calman visiting the facility at Castlemilk Senior Centre in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA)

The Castlemilk centre, dubbed a youth club for the over 50s was one of the first to enter the competition.

After a quick line dancing lesson, Calman said: That was the most difficult dancing Ive ever done in my entire life.

When I did Strictly we had eight hours a day for about five days to learn something but that was about 30 seconds and it was very complicated.

It was the first time the comedian had danced since she finished the Strictly tour earlier this year.

The comedian joined in with a line dancing session alongside regulars who use the facility (Jane Barlow/PA)

Im a complete convert to dancing, she said.

I didnt appreciate before I did Strictly the impact it has on physical and mental health, it was so enjoyable and even just doing some line dancing with the ladies this morning has cheered me up immensely.

Dancing is not just about the physical movement, its trying to remember  as I didnt  a host of steps, so its a wonderful thing and this place brings people together to do incredibly enjoyable activities like that and anything that gets people moving and enjoying themselves is a brilliant thing.

Centre manager Melanie ODonnell said she was excited to enter the competition to recognise the work of staff and volunteers.

She added: Its only with the funding raised by National Lottery players that we can do what we do to get older people out of their homes and back playing an active part in the community again.

Tonight @keviclifton finally won the glitterball on the Strictly tour. I danced beside him. Hes amazing. Thanks to everyone who came to the shows and voted. What a way to end my Strictly journey.  Susan Calman (@SusanCalman) February 11, 2018

Calman has been inspired to continue dancing and is looking forward to watching the next series of Strictly.

Ive got some friends who I would like to take part but I dont know if theyll do it or not, she said.

I was a super fan before and still am so Ill still be sitting waiting to see who my dance boyfriend Kevin is going to be dancing with this year.

Ill give them my full support obviously, but I will be very jealous and I think if anyone is asked to do it they should because it was the best experience of my life.
Democrat Conor Lamb has claimed victory in an election in a Republican stronghold in Pennsylvania which is seen as a key indicator of Donald Trumps popularity.

Republican Rick Saccone was just a few hundred votes behind and refused to admit defeat in the special election in the 18th Congressional District.

It was called when longtime Republican congressman Tim Murphy, who espoused strong anti-abortion views, resigned last autumn amid revelations of an extramarital affair in which he urged his mistress to get a termination.

The contest has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm elections in November when the Republican Partys House and Senate majorities are at risk.

Republican Rick Saccone heading to cast his vote in McKeesport (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

First-time candidate Mr Lamb, a marine veteran, told supporters that voters had directed him to do your job in Washington and declared: Mission accepted.

Earlier, Mr Saccone told his own supporters: Its not over yet, were going to fight all the way, all the way to the end, well never give up.

Regardless of the outcome  and a recount was possible  Mr Lambs showing in a district Mr Trump won by 20 points in the presidential race was sure to stoke anxiety among Republicans nationwide and renewed enthusiasm among Democrats.

On Wednesday morning, Mr Lambs lead stood at 641 votes out of more than 224,000 cast, according to unofficial results.

Election officials said there are about 200 absentee votes and an unknown number of provisional ballots still to be counted.

Conor Lamb voting this morning in #PA18. Make a plan to get to the polls and VOTE TODAY! #GOTV pic.twitter.com/W3cKuUDMjJ  Conor Lamb (@ConorLambPA) March 13, 2018

The four counties in the western Pennsylvania district have seven days to count provisional ballots.

In a race this close, either candidates supporters can ask for a recount. However there are tough requirements, including needing three voters in the same precinct who can attest that error or fraud was committed.

The ultimate winner will face re-election in just eight months, and the congressional district as currently shaped will likely vanish next year thanks to a court-ordered redrawing of the states district maps.

Yet the president and his chief allies invested tremendous time and resources in keeping the seat in Republican hands, mindful the contest could be used to measure his lasting appeal among white, working-class voters.

The White House scrambled to rally voters behind Mr Saccone, who cast himself as the presidents wingman, but he struggled at times to connect with the blue-collar coalition that fuelled Mr Trumps victory little more than a year ago.

Mr Lamb, a 33-year old former federal prosecutor, asserted his independence from the Democratic Party, courted labour backing and focused on local issues.

Mr Trump campaigned for Mr Saccone last weekend, urging voters not to be conned by this guy Lamb.

Democrats must take 24 Republican-held seats this autumn to seize control of the House, and months ago few had counted on the district to be in play. The seat has been in Republican hands for the past 15 years.
An energy company whose Co Antrim workers are threatened with redundancy made 9 million profit in 2016.

Around 240 posts at Kilroot coal-fired power station could go in May after the plant lost out on an all-Ireland contract to supply electricity.

Kilroot owners AES told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee of MPs no dividends had been paid from their multimillion-pound profits, and the money had been reinvested in the business.

Kilroot power station in Carrickfergus, Co Antrim (Brian Lawless/PA)

Capacity payments are made to generators which are available to generate and helps safeguard supply.

Under changes to the Single Electricity Market, generators will only get this payment if they actually provide the generation required.

Utility Regulator chief executive Jenny Pyper said: It has been described to me by business representatives as a nice little earner, it has been a top-up payment.

She said the world had changed.

Why should consumers pay, and pay a premium payment for plant that is not needed?

We need to have a best in class, modern, efficient competitive market and that is one that is needed to be based on competition, not on stable, nice little earners.

Kilroot lost its bid during the first auction of the new all-island electricity market as part of reforms intended to increase competition and lower consumer prices.

AES said the decision sent a strong signal to it to exit the market.

UK and Ireland president Ian Luney said: Capacity has not been a nice little earner, it was absolutely essential to ensure that we covered our costs.

While confirming 9 million profit in 2016, he said profit margins had diminished with the risk some costs would not be covered and warned of bankruptcy fears.

He added: That is not sustainable after May 23.

We cannot just hang on, we have not got the reserves to do it, we have not got the ability to do it and we would be bankrupting the company if we did that.

Ms Pyper said the capacity payment was there to make sure that there is sufficient capacity to allow for the rare periods without sufficient wind.

It is not any longer going to be a nice little earner, companies are going to have to work for it.

For the first time there is a competitive dynamic in it.

AES, as with all the players, make commercial decisions about which units were back in and at what price.

It is not surprising that the most expensive units were unsuccessful and those units back in at a lower price were successful.

Northern Ireland consumers have suffered from the lack of competition in the market, she added.

Ms Pyper said contracts had proved extremely lucrative for companies like AES, which were good employers but operated for commercial reasons rather than philanthropy.
The Taoiseach has indicated the UK and Irish governments might table their own proposals as a way to break the powersharing deadlock at Stormont.

Leo Varadkar, who called for redoubling of efforts to restore devolution after Easter, suggested that approach could be a means to forge a deal between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Fourteen months after powersharing collapsed, the two parties remain at loggerheads on a range of cultural, social and legacy disputes

In a wide ranging speech at an event in Washington DC to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach also moved to reassure unionists who have been angered by his governments approach to Brexit.

He acknowledged some comments might have been viewed as unwelcome or intrusive.

But he insisted he and his government did not have a hidden agenda.

Mr Varadkar said he was determined to work with the UK Government to chart a way ahead to restore powersharing at Stormont.

He said efforts to forge a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein should be intensified after Easter.

The next few weeks will rightly see a focus on Brexit, he said.

I will meet Chancellor Merkel in Berlin, and then travel to the European Council in Brussels where the EU will seek to make further progress in our discussions with the UK Government.

Ive just told the Brookings Institution in Washington that the major global challenges we face today will best be dealt with by acting together #stpatricksday pic.twitter.com/hOI9iNDzza  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 13, 2018

After that, I believe the period after Easter should see a redoubled effort on the part of both Governments and all of the parties in Northern Ireland to seek agreement on the restoration of the institutions.

It is my view that this will require very close co-operation and leadership from the British and Irish Governments.

It may be that again the Governments will have to table our own proposals to help the parties break the deadlock.

That is how we made progress in the past.

If that is the case, the Irish Government will play a full, active and balanced role in that process.

Senator George Mitchell was the keynote speaker at the event at the Library of Congress.

Issuing a direct messages to Northern Ireland unionists, Mr Varadkar said: I know that you are concerned  perhaps worried  maybe even angry, at recent political developments.

I recognise that recent statements and actions by Irish nationalists, including the Irish Government, about Brexit have been seen as unwelcome or intrusive.

If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention.

I want to repeat that we have no hidden agenda.

The Irish governments efforts to maintain a soft border, in particular its demand that Northern Ireland continues to align with many EU regulations, has angered unionists who fear it is veiled attempt to push a united Ireland agenda.

Leo Varadkar speaking at the Library of Congress in Washington DC (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Varadkar told the anniversary event that the Good Friday Agreement has come under attack from some people with narrow political agendas who do not understand Ireland and its history.

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who also addressed the event, said power sharing in Northern Ireland may not be restored in the medium term.

Mr Adams said the Good Friday Agreement was a defining moment in Irelands recent history but it was not a settlement.

It never pretended to be, Mr Adams said.

It is an agreement on a journey. Not the destination.

Last month, Sinn Fein and the DUP were locked in negotiations over the resumption of the institutions but failed to reach a deal.

The DUP leadership chose at the last minute to walk away. So, for now there is no Assembly or Executive, Mr Adams said.

He reiterated the Sinn Fein stance that there cannot be a return to British direct rule and added the best option was for the return of the political institutions.

It might well be that the power sharing institutions and all-Ireland political architecture may not be restored in the medium term, Mr Adams said.
The Parsons Green bomber was moved by anger and hatred when he planted 400g of explosives on a packed Tube train, jurors have been told.

Ahmed Hassan, 18, told his mentor Katie Cable that it was his duty to hate Britain, the country he blamed for the death of his father in Iraq, the court heard.

He had also told Home Office officials he had been trained to kill by Islamic State when he claimed asylum in 2016.

But in his evidence to the Old Bailey, he said that was a lie and he only wanted to cause a fire, and not an explosion, when he planted a homemade device last September.

In her closing speech, prosecutor Alison Morgan said: He may have been troubled by events in his past. He may well be motivated by circumstances he may now not admit to you.

What he did that day was an act of anger and hatred designed to cause death and destruction of property.

She said Hassan left nothing to chance in the preparation of this attack.

It is a matter of luck that there was not a full explosion that day, not because of any deliberate intention on the part of the defendant to cause just a fire.

Ms Morgan replayed CCTV footage of the fireball ripping through the carriage on September 15 last year.

She said passengers had been terrified, with some suffering serious injury.

She asked jurors to imagine what would have happened if 400g of TATP had fully exploded, sending 2.2kg of screwdrivers, knives, nuts and bolts flying at high velocity.

Whatever story he tells you in the witness box, the fact that he was angry with this country was clear to those who met him, especially Ms Cable  he described it as his duty or right to hate this country and he blamed this country for the death of his father.

She suggested Hassan lied to the jury when he claimed it was all part of a fantasy and an act of boredom and attention-seeking.

Ms Morgan said: He may well have lied to all those people for two years but he may well also be lying to you.

Lying to you about the truth of his past with Islamic State for the obvious reason that if he was trained to kill by IS that would tell you something about his mindset and who he really is and where he has really come from.

You can be sure it was not an act of attention-seeking or boredom. This was someone who wanted to cause death and damage and make good his escape.

Ms Morgan said Hassan was calculated and clever in all his preparations.

When he looked up the news on the BBC website afterwards, Hassan told jurors he was reassured it was a minor incident.

But Ms Morgan said he will have learned that he had failed in his intention.

Hassan has denied attempted murder and using the chemical compound TATP to cause an explosion that was likely to endanger life.

Ahmed Hassan at Wimbledon Station before the Parsons Green bomb was detonated (Met Police/PA)

The teenagers defence barrister said those who knew him saw a sincere, positive boy.

Tim Moloney QC told jurors staff at Barnardos had said he was a very polite young person seeking help, looking forward to the future.

Rather than setting out to commit acts of terror, Hassan went from being a troubled young man to doing well at college, he said.

Even as late as June 2017, he was busy researching potential university places at Kingston and Royal Holloway.

Mr Moloney said: It seems to me the prosecution suggest there may be truth that maybe he was with IS and its possible we may never know.

Thats not good enough for me. We say that if he was with Isis (another name for Islamic State), would he have said that and raised that potential with the Home Office and draw attention to himself in that way?

If he was with Isis he would have had many opportunities to do what he wanted. Making TATP is a really straightforward process that can be done in a day.

You have to judge this case on the evidence and nothing else  not speculation, fear or emotion.
Jeremy Corbyn drew upon Professor Stephen Hawkings NHS concerns as he urged the Prime Minister to get a grip on services in England.

The Labour leader and Mrs May paid tribute to the renowned British physicist, who died at the age of 76, during a Prime Ministers Questions dominated by the NHS.

Mr Corbyn accused the PM of scaremongering over services in Wales before telling the Commons: When people are dying because of overcrowding and long waits in our hospitals, I think the Prime Minister should get a grip on it and ensure the NHS now has the money it needs to deal with the patient demands.

Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons (PA)

Theresa May says people in Wales often try to get treatment in England, and says the Government are putting more money into the NHS #PMQS  Harriet Line (@HarriLine) March 14, 2018

He pressed the PM to increase pay for NHS staff and ensure proper funding for the health service.

Mr Corbyn then quoted Professor Hawkings remarks from August 2017, in which he warned there is overwhelming evidence that NHS funding and the numbers of doctors and nurses are inadequate, and its getting worse.

The Opposition leader added: Does she agree with Professor Hawking?

Mrs May defended the Governments NHS spending approach and recruitment record for doctors and nurses, adding: Why did we put an emphasis on doctors working in our wards? Because of what we saw under the Labour government in Mid Staffordshire.

Earlier, the PM focused on the Welsh Labour Governments health service record and told MPs: The latest annual data shows, when were looking at 12-hour waits in A&E, that 3.4% of patients waited over 12 hours in Wales compared to 1.3% in England.

If he wants to talk about meeting targets, he should talk to a Labour government in Wales.

Jeremy Corbyn says key NHS waiting targets are not being met, adding: The NHS is clearly in crisis so why wasnt there a penny extra in the Spring Statement #PMQs  Harriet Line (@HarriLine) March 14, 2018

Mr Corbyn replied: NHS England abandoned its A&E targets until April 2019. Its a bit rich for the Prime Minister to be scaremongering about Wales while shes abandoned the targets in England.

He also told PMQs: A recent NAO (National Audit Office) report states that NHS funding will fall by 0.3% in 2019.

Peoples lives are at stake. Is the Prime Minister really saying that A&E doctors are wrong, NHS managers are wrong, royal colleges are wrong, health unions are wrong, and actually its only she who knows best about the NHS?

Jeremy Hunt listening very attentively as Jeremy Corbyn raises a recent interview. Mr Corbyn now raises comments by Prof Hawking criticising levels of funding for the NHS #PMQs  Jon Vale (@JonValePA) March 14, 2018

The Labour leader earlier questioned why a man who has lived in the UK for 44 years is being denied cancer treatment, with Mrs May saying she looks forward to receiving the details of the case.

She went on: May I just though take this opportunity of reminding him that I think he raised a case about Georgina with me last October and hasnt written to me about that particular case.

Mr Corbyn said he understood Georginas case was resolved before the PM was needed to do anything about it after he raised it in the Commons, noting: Well if nothing else it proves the power of Parliament.
Unionists who voted to remain in the EU were not voting to leave the UK, UUP leader Robin Swann has told Michel Barnier.

Mr Swann and Ulster Unionist MEP Jim Nicholson met the EUs chief Brexit negotiator in Strasbourg on Wednesday morning.

The UUP backed the Remain campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum, in which Northern Ireland as a region voted 56% to 44% to stay within the EU.

The partys position since the vote is that the overall result should be respected and Brexit implemented.

Robin Swann and MEP Jim Nicholson (right) meeting the European Unions chief negotiator Michel Barnier (left) in Strasbourg (Ulster Unionist Party/PA)

It has reacted angrily to proposals from the EU that would see Northern Ireland treated differently to the rest of the UK in order to maintain a free-flowing border on the island of Ireland.

Mr Swann said the discussions with Mr Barnier were constructive and business-like.

We were keen to address a number of the misconceptions currently being peddled by some, he said.

For instance, despite what others say, unionists who may have voted remain, definitely did not vote to leave the UK.

It was a democratic vote which all unionists respect. Unionists are unionists for a reason.

They want to remain part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. We wanted Mr Barnier to be absolutely clear about that.

The tone of the language being used by some, more specifically the Irish government, is less than helpful.

The Irish Government in particular seem intent on using Brexit as a Trojan Horse to pursue Irish Unity by other means.

Mr Swann accused the Irish Government of undermining the key principle of the Good Friday Agreement  that it is for the people of Northern Ireland to decide their constitutional future.

He added: We also told Mr Barnier that Northern Ireland welcomed the help and assistance of the EU over the years through its peace programmes.

It is widely recognised that the EU did great work in this area, but that good work is now being undermined because there is a growing perception that the EU is now siding with nationalists against unionists.

We impressed upon Mr Barnier of the potential downside of doing so. We have a relative peace in Northern Ireland but we dont want that equilibrium being upset by Northern Ireland being used as a bargaining chip in Brexit negotiations.

We invited Mr Barnier to come to Northern Ireland and speak directly to unionists to get their views.
An aristocrat embroiled in a legal battle with his estranged wife is being represented by barristers who have agreed to work for nothing.

Charles Villiers and Emma Villiers, who are both in their 50s and lived together in Dumbarton before separating, are embroiled in a dispute about whether their arguments over money should be held in an English or Scottish divorce court.

Three Court of Appeal judges finished analysing evidence on Wednesday, after a two-day hearing in London, and are expected to deliver a ruling later in the year.

The case is being heard at the High Court (Nick Ansell/PA)

Barristers Michael Horton and Alexander Laing agreed to represent Mr Villiers for nothing at the appeal court hearing.

Mr Horton told appeal judges Lady Justice King, Lord Justice David Richards and Lord Justice Moylan that Mr Villiers had received assistance from an advocacy scheme set up by a judge.

He said Mr Villiers had represented himself at an earlier hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London, overseen by Mrs Justice Parker.

Mr Horton told appeal judges about financial difficulties after Mr and Mrs Villiers separated four years ago.

He said Barclays had begun possession proceedings and the home they had shared in Dumbarton, Milton House, had been repossessed in early 2015.

Mr Villiers had been made bankrupt in November 2013, then discharged from bankruptcy in November 2014, he added.

Mrs Justice Parker had ordered Mr Villiers to pay Mrs Villiers 2,500 a month maintenance, pending a resolution of their money fight.

She had rejected Mr Villiers jurisdictional challenges.

Mr Villiers had mounted a challenge in the appeal court, which Mrs Villiers is contesting.

Mr Horton said the couple had spent almost all their married life in Scotland after getting married in 1994.

He said Mr Villiers stayed in Dumbarton after the couple separated.

Mrs Villiers came south to England, first living near Oxford then in London, and made a cash claim in the High Court in London.

Mr Horton said Mr Villiers wanted answers to a number of questions, including:

 Could a spouse whose marriage was being dissolved in Scotland move south and apply for a maintenance order which would have effect pending divorce?

 Could such a maintenance order continue to have effect after divorce?

 Why should a spouse who moved south get better alimony payments than a spouse who stayed in Scotland and asked a judge in Scotland to make decisions?

Mr Horton said if Mrs Justice Parkers decision was allowed to stand, London could become the maintenance capital of the UK.

Timothy Scott QC, who represented Mrs Villiers, says the appeal should be dismissed.
Jim Bowen was a genial stand-up comedian and TV personality who for 14 years hosted the hugely popular ITV game show Bullseye.

The schoolmaster-turned-entertainer attracted large television audiences with his North country humour, his cheery disposition and his infectious catchphrases in a show which ran virtually non-stop from 1981 to 1995.

Bowen was born Peter Williams in Heswall, Cheshire, on August 20, 1937. He was educated at Accrington Grammar School and Chester Diocesan Training College. He became a teacher at schools in Lancashire and subsequently deputy headmaster of Caton Primary School near Lancaster.

Jim Bowen (Graham Chadwick/Empics)

While teaching, he became involved with the local dramatic society which kindled his interest in showbusiness. In the 1960s, he worked part-time as a stand-up comedian on the northern club circuit.

The advent of Granada TVs The Comedians gave him the opportunity to appear on national TV, which helped persuade him to become a full-time entertainer.

Television opportunities followed and he appeared in Granadas The Wheeltappers And Shunters Social Club as well as Thames Televisions late-night chat show Take Two.

In 1981, Bowen was appointed presenter of Bullseye, which mixed general knowledge questions with darts. The show quickly became a popular feature of ITVs schedules early on Sunday evenings, and ran for 14 years.

Several of the catchphrases he used on the programme became well-known. He would warn contestants that if they gambled and lost, all they would receive was their BFH (bus fare home).

Nothing for two in a bed referred to how contestants would win a prize by hitting the appropriate part of the dartboard, but would lose the prize if they hit it twice. His most popular phrase was super, smashing, great.

Bowen has also appeared in TV dramas and comedies. He played a crooked accountant in ITVs 1982 drama Muck and Brass, and later guest starred in BBC1s Jonathan Creek and Channel 4s Phoenix Nights.

In 1999, Bowen began presenting on BBC Radio Lancashire, but after working there for three years, resigned after referring to a guest on his show as a nig-nog. He admitted that, even though he apologised for the remark almost immediately, he believed his showbusiness career was over.

But he returned to the limelight in 2005, when he performed a solo show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe about Bullseye, called You Cant Beat A Bit Of Bully.

He returned to Edinburgh in the summer of 2006, performing at Jongleurs.

In February, 2011 he suffered two mild strokes.

Bowen died at the age of 80 on March 14. He is survived by wife Phyllis and two children.
The racist views of an Army trainer and alleged recruiter for banned neo-Nazi group National Action do not make him a criminal, a jury has been told.

The barrister for 33-year-old Lance Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen told jurors on Wednesday it was not in dispute that he is a racist.

Pavlos Panayi QC said: It is not disputed that he has written and said things which the vast majority of people will find utterly repulsive, about black people, Jews, Muslims and lots of other minority groups.

It is not disputed he has associated with other racists, men and women, from what might be called the Far Right, that might include neo-Nazis, and other different groups of people.

But he added that while the groundbreaking case would test the limits of free speech and freedom of association in Britain, Vehvilainens actions were not criminal.

Vehvilainen and fellow Royal Anglian Regiment soldier, 25-year-old Private Mark Barrett are both on trial accused of membership of the far-right organisation, which was banned by the government in December 2016.

Birmingham Crown Court, where three men, including two serving British soldiers, are on trial accused of membership of banned neo-Nazi group National Action. (Joe Giddens/PA)

Also facing the same charge at Birmingham Crown Court is a 23-year-old male who cannot be named for legal reasons, but who was described in court as a regional leader for the group.

The jury heard how Vehvilainen had a host lawfully held weapons including guns, knives and crossbows which he kept at his Army accommodation in Sennybridge Camp, Powys.

Jurors were also told he had pleaded guilty to unlawfully having a canister of CS spray among those weapons.

Addressing the jury after the prosecutions opening speech, Mr Panayi said: In many ways this case is unprecedented because you have heard that National Action was the first far-right group to be banned since the Second World War and this is the first prosecution arising out of that ban.

It is a groundbreaking case.

He added: This case will test the limits of free speech, the freedom to say what you think and the freedom to frighten, offend and discuss.

The QC said: You are, in the end, going to have to determine in this case where the boundary lies between L/Cpl Mikko Vehvilainens right to speak freely, to think what he chooses to, and associate with others who share his views and where that boundary lies.

Whether it crosses over into the reaches of criminal law or not.

Vehvilainen, who is married with children, is also accused of two counts of stirring up racial hatred through posts on the US-based Christogenea.org website, where he used the name NicoChristian.

White nationalist extremist Anders Breivik, a copy of whoms manifesto was allegedly found in L/Cpl Vehvilainens possession. (PA)

He has been further charged with possessing a document likely to be of use to terrorists  a copy of white nationalist Anders Breiviks manifesto.

Counsel for Barrett, of Dhekalia Barracks, Cyprus, where he lived with his wife and children, also told the jury the case was not about assessing the morality of expressing prejudicial opinions all right-minded people might recoil from.

Colin Aylott said: Are the hallmarks of membership truly present in what he did, and how he expressed himself?

Ask yourself  casual racist of committed fanatic?

Because that is the issue you have to decide in this case.

Addressing the court on behalf of the defendant who cannot be named, barrister Christopher Knox claimed National Action did not exist as an organisation after it was banned.

Mr Knox said of the 23-year-old: We will submit to you that he is no terrorist.

He was involved with National Action and he held views which he well understands you might find really distasteful, but those are views he was, and is, entitled to hold.

The court heard that the male had made attempts to join the Army.
Police are hunting a violent prisoner who failed to return from home leave.

Anthony McGinley, 33, had been on home leave from HMP Castle Huntly near Dundee but officers are now appealing for information on his whereabouts.

Police said he is known to be violent and should not be approached, with the public urged to call 101 if seen.

The 33-year-old is 5ft 9in with an average build, dark brown hair and green eyes.

He is believed to have connections in Hamilton and the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.

Anthony McGinley failed to return from home leave (Police Scotland/PA)

A spokesman said: Police Scotland is appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of 33-year-old Anthony McGinley, who is a convicted prisoner currently serving a sentence at HMP Castle Huntly, by Dundee.

His temporary release licence has been revoked whilst away on home leave.

McGinley is known to be violent. If seen, he should not be approached and Police Scotland should be called on 101.

Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can do so through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Devin Toner insists record-breaking Irelands feel-good factor is at an all-time high ahead of Saturdays Grand Slam decider against England.

Ireland claimed a record 11th win with last weekends 28-8 victory over Scotland that secured a third NatWest 6 Nations title in five years.

Now Joe Schmidts men will chase just a third-ever Grand Slam in Saturdays last-weekend showdown with England in London.

Devin Toner, right, and son Max, left, celebrate Irelands 28-8 win over Scotland (Brian Lawless/PA)

A first victory at Twickenham since 2010 would spark joyous St Patricks Day celebrations, and Leinster lock Toner believes Ireland head to England with the confidence to pull off what would represent a stunning triumph.

Confidence is at an all-time high, its big within the squad, said Toner.

Getting those 11 wins in a row, its huge. It definitely boosts the feeling.

And to claim another win now would be huge for the squad, absolutely huge.

Everyone knows it. But we also know what a huge challenge it is.

England have a proud record at Twickenham, its a vocal crowd and a cauldron atmosphere definitely awaits.

Were obviously aware of how tough it will be but it would be a huge feather in the cap for us as well.

Leinster stalwart Toner has faced his strongest competition for a starting Ireland shirt under boss Schmidt this term, with the rapid emergence of lock prodigy James Ryan.

The 21-year-old Leinster youngster has finally shaken off a clutch of niggling injuries to step into Irelands starting ranks  and has immediately excelled.

Toner recently admitted he shed nine kilograms in the summer in a bid to boost his impact around the field under pressure from the likes of Ryan and Ulsters Iain Henderson  and he now feels his form is peaking once again.

I think Im playing some of the best rugby Ive played in a while and thats due to the competition this year, said the 57-cap second row.

Were all quite interchangeable, Joe (Schmidt) has done his best to build that into the squad, so anyone he puts in can do a job.

James Ryan, left, and Dan Leavy, right, have been tipped to handle Irelands Grand Slam pressure (Brian Lawless/PA)

When you look at someone like James Ryan, when you have a talent like that its hard not to play him. Iain Henderson as well has been brilliant.

Hopefully I put my hand up for selection last week, but well see how it goes.

Ireland will be expected to keep changes to a minimum when announcing their line-up to face England on Thursday, with Peter OMahony and Rob Kearney backed to shake off minor niggles.

Back-rower OMahony and full-back Kearney sat out Tuesdays training session, but are both expected to be fit for Saturdays England clash.

Hailing Irelands growing depth, Toner added: Im not really surprised by how well James Ryan has gone to be honest, no.

We see youngsters behind the scenes and the talents they have and everything they put in.

Im delighted for him that hes going so good, and that hes in our squad, because hes already boosting the team.

The young lads like Ryan and Andrew Porter have old heads on their shoulders, and they just take everything in their stride. They have already shown how well they can take the pressure.
Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has warned the Taoiseach that it is not appropriate for him to chart the future of negotiations to restore Stormont powersharing.

Mrs Foster insisted that role lay firmly with the UK government.

She was reacting to a suggestion from Leo Varadkar that the UK and Irish governments might table their own joint proposals as a way to break the political deadlock in Belfast.

While she chided Mr Varadkar for his comments in relation to Stormont, Mrs Foster welcomed other remarks made by the Irish premier in which he acknowledged his governments stance on Brexit may have angered unionists.

Mr Varadkar, who in a speech in Washington DC on Tuesday called for redoubling of efforts to restore devolution after Easter, suggested such an intervention could be a means to forge a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Fourteen months after powersharing collapsed, the two parties remain at loggerheads on a range of cultural, social and legacy disputes.

Mrs Foster said it was not for the leader of the Irish Republic to suggest the next steps in efforts to restore powersharing.

In keeping with the principle of consent and the three-stranded approach (framework of the Good Friday Agreement) it is not appropriate for the Irish Prime Minister to outline future political steps relating to Northern Ireland and a resumption of talks, she said.

Whilst we will work with the Irish government on appropriate issues, the political process is an internal matter and should be taken forward by Her Majestys Government.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar speaking to the media at the US Chamber of commerce in Washington DC (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Varadkar elaborated on his suggestion as he continued his St Patricks Day tour of the US on Wednesday.

What I intend to do after Easter once this intense phase of Brexit passes with the EU summit at the end of the month, is to propose a new engagement with the British government for us to try once again after Easter to secure an agreement between the major parties and also all the parties in Northern Ireland, he said after an event at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington.

Perhaps one of the best ways we can do this is through joint proposals, a joint paper from the two governments and (Northern Ireland Secretary) Karen Bradley is here in DC and I will have chance to mention that to her today.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, who is also in Washington DC, said any renewed process had to have a real prospect of success.

We need to be sure that delivery is possible, she said.

The Taoiseach hasnt put any specifics on the table, we wait to see what he has in mind, and we will seek to meet with him.

In a wide ranging speech at an event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach moved to reassure unionists who have been angered by his governments approach to Brexit.

He acknowledged some comments might have been viewed as unwelcome or intrusive.

If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention, he said.

I want to repeat that we have no hidden agenda.

Kicking off todays #StPatricksDay events in Washington DC meeting major US companies at the US Chamber of Commerce. pic.twitter.com/55qZvlWztn  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 14, 2018

The Irish governments efforts to maintain a soft border, in particular its demand that Northern Ireland continues to align with many EU regulations, has angered unionists who fear it is veiled attempt to push a united Ireland agenda.

Mrs Foster welcomed Mr Varadkars remarks.

I recognise and welcome the acknowledgement that many unionists have felt some actions and statements from the Irish government have not been helpful, said Mrs Foster.

I recognise too the concerns which exist, particularly within the Republic of Ireland, about Brexit. It is vital however that we work together to secure the best possible outcome for all our citizens.

In the past I and other DUP ministers did build up good and productive relationships with our counterparts in the Republic which was to the benefit of both countries. I hope the Taoiseachs comments can represent a return to that more positive working relationship.

Responding to Mr Varadkars comments on powersharing, a UK Government spokeswoman said: As the Secretary of State said in her statement on Monday, the UK Government will continue to work with the Northern Ireland parties, and the Irish Government as appropriate, to restore the Executive and a fully functioning Assembly.

The UK Government remain steadfast in their commitment to the Belfast Agreement.
A group of Labour backbenchers has said it unequivocally accepts the Russian states culpability for the Salisbury attack after Jeremy Corbyns team raised doubts about who was responsible.

The Labour leaders spokesman said there was a problematic history over the use of UK intelligence and left open the possibility of the Federation being framed.

Speaking to reporters after the statement updating MPs on the poisoning in Salisbury, the spokesman indicated that Labour does not believe there is enough evidence yet to blame the Russian state for the attack.

Jeremy Corbyns spokesman Seumas Milne (right) at the Labour Party annual conference

Theresa May condemned the comments as shocking and outrageous after a Conservative MP raised them in the Commons chamber.

The spokesmans comments prompted Labour backbencher John Woodcock to table an Early Day Motion unequivocally accepting the Russian states culpability for the attack, and supporting fully the statement made by Mrs May in the Commons.

The motion was swiftly signed by a number of prominent critics of Mr Corbyn, some of whom went public with their criticism of the leaders senior aide Seumas Milne.

Labour MP Anna Turley tweeted: Im afraid Seumas doesnt speak for my Labour or British values, while Chuka Umunna said: Mr Milnes comments do not represent the views of the majority of our voters, members or MPs.

Im afraid Seumas doesnt speak for my Labour or British values. https://t.co/Rla7J2MOCw  Anna Turley  (@annaturley) March 14, 2018

The Labour leader has been given security briefings on the incident, but the spokesman said the Government may have more information.

He told reporters: The Government has access to information and intelligence on this matter which others dont.

However, also there is a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly.

So, I think the right approach is to seek the evidence to follow international treaties, particularly in relation to prohibitive chemical weapons.

Have read the comments of the Leader of the Oppositions spokesperson. Mr Milnes comments do not represent the views of the majority of our voters, members or MPs. Well get abuse for saying so but where British lives have been put at risk it is important to be clear about this.  ChukaUmunna (@ChukaUmunna) March 14, 2018

Asked if he could rule out the possibility of Russia being framed, the spokesman said the evidence pointed overwhelmingly to the two options set out by the PM.

In the meantime I think it is essential we follow the evidence and what the evidence produces, he added.

Submitted EDM 1071 with Labour colleagues making clear we unequivocally accept Russias culpability in the Salisbury attack and support UK govt action. Others will have chance to sign in coming days. pic.twitter.com/H0wMBZBcKe  Lord Walney (@LordWalney) March 14, 2018

Pressed on whether another former Soviet state, such as Ukraine, may be the origin of the substance, he replied: I think the second option Theresa May set out on Monday and again today, that the Russian government had lost control of weapons grade nerve agents which may have been produced during the Soviet period, contains within it a series of different possibilities of who then might have been directly responsible for that.

If the material is from the Soviet period, the break-up of the Soviet state led to all sorts of military material ending up in random hands.

The spokesman said that during the WMD saga there was both what was actually produced by the intelligence services, which in the end we had access to, and then there was how that was used in the public domain in politics.

So, there is a history of problems in relation to interpreting that evidence but, in this case, the Government may well have other evidence that we are not aware of. Clearly this issue has to be followed on the basis of the evidence.

The PM criticised the Opposition leaders spokesman from the despatch box.

She said: I am surprised and shocked at the statement that has been put out by the spokesman for the leader of the Opposition, and as I was going to say it is very clear I think from the remarks that have been made by backbenchers from the Labour Party that they will be equally concerned about that remark.

They stand full square behind the Government in the analysis that we have shown and the action that we have taken.

She added: What we are talking about here in the United Kingdom is the use of a chemical weapon, a nerve agent, a military grade nerve agent against people here in the United Kingdom.

That is very clear and I think it is quite wrong and outrageous that the leader of the oppositions spokesman made the comments in the relation to this that he has.

Mr Woodcock said: This is a time for the nation to speak as one so it was heartening that the overwhelming majority of MPs of all parties spoke so strongly in support of the strong package of measures outlined by the Prime Minister today.

There should be no doubt over Russias culpability and we should resist the Russian propaganda machines attempts to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of the British people. So we hope as many MPs as possible sign our early day motion making clear we hold the Russian state squarely to blame for this atrocity and support the Governments response.

Support for strong action from members of parliament of all sides is necessary to face down this threat to our nation and the international rules-based system that Putin seeks to destroy.
The Prince of Wales has made a private visit to the London home of MI5 in his role as patron of the intelligence services.

Charles trip on Tuesday was a long standing diary commitment scheduled before the major political and diplomatic incident involving the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, 33.

The Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements, stated on March 13: The Prince of Wales, Patron, the Intelligence Agencies, later visited the Headquarters of the Security Service at Thames House, Millbank, London SW1.

The MI5 building on Londons Millbank (PA)

In 2016, Charles visited British security agency GCHQ  while last year the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went to MI6 to meet the nations spies.
A sexist and misogynist culture in the Anglican Church may have contributed to failings in tackling child sex abuse, the former Archbishop of Canterbury told an inquiry.

Lord Rowan Williams, who held the post from 2002 to 2012, said the Church still has a mindset, but not a dominant ethos, of being a close-knit male body of clergy protective of their dignity and authority.

He made the comments while giving evidence in London on Wednesday afternoon to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams gave evidence to the inquiry (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Fiona Scolding QC, the lead lawyer for the Anglican strand of the inquiry, is examining how the Church of England handled allegations of sexual misconduct stretching back to the 1950s, first focusing on the Diocese of Chichester.

She questioned Lord Williams after reading a statement from retired judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss who described how she found there was a culture of denial about child abuse among police and clergy in Sussex and said the diocese had an anti-woman culture.

When asked if he felt safeguarding was affected by sexist and misogynist attitudes, Lord Williams said: I think thats possible.

But he said there was always a certain resentment and suspicion of lay expertise generally and not just women.

He added: This may not connect immediately with abusive behaviour towards children but I would see it as part of a wider mindset in which the authority of ordained ministry was beyond criticism.

Lord Williams said the Church had been naive in the past and had taken an unconscionably long time to focus on the needs of victims.

The inquiry that heard up until 2004 the Church still had no guidance in place at all on how to deal with historic abuse cases.

Lord Williams told how he was too sanguine about the success of an inquiry in 2007 and had been over optimistic after branding it the most comprehensive review of personnel files ever undertaken. He said it had in fact failed.

Retired clergy and cases where no action was taken were not included in the review. Only 390 personnel files were reviewed. Less than half had a police check, only two had DBS checks and 76 had no checks at all, the inquiry heard.

Addressing what Ms Scolding described as the thorny issue of attitudes to homosexuality, he said there was overcompensation not to judge someones sexual activities and thought this may have contributed in the case of Peter Ball  who was jailed in 2015 for offences against boys dating back to the 1970s.

Lord Williams admitted underrating the seriousness of the situation in 2003 and said he should have spotted the warning signs but did not have concrete new allegations and did not want to appear heavy handed.

But he also said he would have real qualms if obligations to breach the sanctity of the confessional were imposed.

He denied the abuse scandal was swept under the carpet by Lambeth Palace.

In an email read to the inquiry, Lord Williamss correspondence secretary Andrew Nunn told communications adviser George Pitcher that former Bishop of Chichester John Hind should be thrown to the press as a sacrifice when reporters started asking questions about the now jailed priest Colin Pritchard.

The message said: The real danger here is that these stories are used to suggest the Church is as bad as Rome both in abuse and cover up. The aim must be to distance the current Archbishop from it as much as possible.

Lord Williams said he was shocked to learn of the email and had not sanctioned it.

Other responses from the palaces chief of staff, Chris Smith, were branded wholly inadequate by Ms Scolding when he answered deep and continuing concerns over safeguarding made by the heads of childrens services in East and West Sussex in 2012.

Earlier in the hearing, current Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner told the panel the conservative diocese was described to him by Church staff as a basket-case when he took over that same year.

He said he was shocked by the hostility he experienced by Balls supporters, who claimed he had been mistreated by the church, and described a culture of thoughtless pride and arrogance.

The inquiry continues on Thursday.
Arsenal face AC Milan on Thursday night looking to defend their 2-0 lead and advance to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

The Gunners welcome their Serie A opponents to the Emirates Stadium having turned their recent poor form around.

But can Arsene Wengers side secure safe passage into the last eight? Here, Press Association Sport looks at the main talking points ahead of the clash.

Theres no place like home

Arsenals last victory at home in a European knock-out tie came against AC Milan in 2012 (Nick Potts/PA)

Arsenal have not won a European knockout game at the Emirates Stadium in over six years. March 6, 2012, in fact. Their opponents that night? AC Milan. Even then a 3-0 victory was not enough to see the Premier League outfit through as they had been trailing 4-0 following a thumping at San Siro. Swedish side Ostersund could not be bettered here last time out and, although a 1-0 defeat would still be enough to see Arsenal through, breaking their duck would be long overdue.

Bittersweet 16

Bayern Munich thrashed Arsenal 10-2 on aggregate in the Champions League last season (Nick Potts/PA)

As well as a poor home record in recent years, Arsenal have failed to get past the round of 16 stage in the Champions League since 2010. This may be a different, and lesser, competition but it is another monkey which Wenger and his players can remove from their backs if they can see off Gennaro Gattusos Milan on Thursday night. Wenger says he does not want to compare going further in the Europa League than he has managed in the Champions League of late but the Frenchman is all-too aware he needs a strong showing this season.

Start the fans, please

There were plenty of empty seats as Arsenal hosted Watford in the Premier League on Sunday (Nigel French/Empics)

Arsenal have suffered from sparse attendances at a string of home games this season  especially in the Europa League. While some stay-away supporters continue to steer clear in protest against Wenger, the number of absentees has steadily grown as apathy towards another mediocre campaign sets in. A record-low attendance for the Emirates Stadium has been recorded twice this season  against Doncaster in the Carabao Cup, then the BATE Borisov group game in the Europa League. But fans have also kept away from the last two Premier League games, against Manchester City and Watford, so it remains to be seen if there will be standing room only for what could be a defining 90 minutes in Arsenals season.

Danny needs to do Wel

Danny Welbeck has been the only senior striker available to Arsenal since the Europa League returned (Tim Goode/Empics)

With club-record signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cup-tied and fellow big-money recruit Alexandre Lacazette still nursing a knee problem, Wenger is likely to once again put his faith in England international Danny Welbeck. The former Manchester United man failed to impress when he played as a striker in both legs of the previous round against Ostersund and, despite his endeavour in Milan last time out, he has scored only once in his last 14 appearances for the Gunners. He needs to address that to give Arsenal another goal-threat and cause Milan problems as they look to put the tie to bed.

Can Gattuso ruin the party?

 Inizia la conferenza stampa da Londra di Mister Gattuso e Suso alla vigilia del ritorno degli Ottavi di #UEL

Seguila LIVE!  https://t.co/efjnZl4XXb



 Rino Gattuso and @suso30oficial's press conference begins from the Emirates Stadium ahead of #AFCACM

Live tweets here!  pic.twitter.com/T2i4J5pZsO  AC Milan (@acmilan) March 14, 2018

Milan were heavy favourites for the first leg at San Siro given Arsenal travelled to Italy on the back of four consecutive defeats and the hosts were unbeaten since December. Gattuso had taken over in late November and set out to take care of the defensive problems first, Milan going six games without conceding before Henrikh Mkhitaryan struck to give Arsenal the lead last week. Milan returned to winning ways in Serie A at the weekend, Andre Silva scoring a last-minute winner to secure a 1-0 victory at Genoa that will give Gattusos men a lift as they head to London looking for the kind of display required to turn the tie on its head.
Brexit talks between Theresa May and the Scottish and Welsh first ministers have broken up without agreement.

Nicola Sturgeon said the issues outstanding over legislation that transposes EU law into UK law once Britain leaves are not insignificant and warned there was now real urgency to reach a deal.

Lack of agreement from Edinburgh and Cardiff would not prevent the EU (Withdrawal) Bill from passing but forcing it through without consent could spark a constitutional crisis within the UK.

Theresa May chairs a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said he was hopeful a resolution would be found in the next few days.

Speaking in Downing Street, the Scottish First Minister said: There was certainly an indication on all sides that we want to reach agreement.

We cant have our powers restricted or reduced without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, she told reporters.

Ms Sturgeon said: The issues that remain between us are not insignificant but neither are they insurmountable.

Crucial talks with PM today at @10DowningStreet UK Gov moving in right direction but @WelshGovernment cant back Withdrawal Bill as currently drafted. We need changes that fully respect devolution  Mark Drakeford (@fmwales) March 14, 2018

She said the UK Governments concern was that Scottish Parliaments or governments could withhold consent unreasonably and there is discussion to be had to give assurances that wouldnt be the case.

Its a matter of trust, she said, but added: We are having to trust the UK Government a lot in terms of other matters associated with the Brexit discussions.

This is about protecting our principles, its not about compromising on the principle, its about finding compromise that allows the UK Government to abide by that principle, as I think they should, but have some of the concerns that they have got about that addressed and allayed.

Mr Jones said: We want to make sure that we come to an agreement on where powers lie and how they are dealt with in the future.

Progress has been made but I am not yet in a position to recommend to the National Assembly that we should give our consent to the Withdrawal Bill.

But he added: Im hopeful we will be in a position where that will be possible in the next few days  no more than a week or two, I would say, time is running out  but we are not there yet.

Carwyn Jones at Downing Street (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

The row centres on where devolved powers currently held by Brussels will be exercised once the UK quits the EU  with the Prime Minister stressing ahead of the talks that the vast majority of powers returning from the EU will go to Edinburgh and Cardiff.

However, the UK Government argues some powers must come first to Westminster so common frameworks can be established across the UK.

Downing Street said the leaders discussed the amendment that has been tabled that would ensure the vast majority of devolved powers will transfer directly to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

A spokesman the Prime Minister made clear her commitment to a deal that works for the whole of the UK and protects the security and prosperity of all our communities.
Sir Michael Caine has a theory for why his 60s film Alfie failed to impress French viewers.

The veteran actor rose to international fame following the movies release, earning an Oscar nomination for his portrayal as the womanising Cockney chauffeur Alfie Elkins.

During a Q&A celebrating his 85th birthday on Wednesday, Sir Michael said he was puzzled as to why the film was a hit across the world other than France.

Sir Michael Caine (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

I had a Frenchman who was a very close friend of mine and I said to him My film Alfie, it did well all over the world, I got nominated for an Oscar and everything and it did nothing in France.

He said they didnt believe an Englishman could make love to 10 women.

Sir Michael was speaking at the British Film Institute in a Q&A alongside filmmaker David Batty following a screening of the pairs new documentary My Generation which explores the cultural revolution in 60s Britain.

He labelled Alfie the film he was proudest of over his lengthy career and also revealed he would have been an architect if he had not made it as an actor.

I love buildings, he said. Im a nutcase.

I think maybe because I grew up in The Blitz and watched the whole city being bombed to dust. For six years it was bombed in my city and it all went down around me and so thats probably why.

The Q&A was screened at hundreds of cinemas across the UK as Sir Michael celebrated his latest landmark and was serenaded with Happy Birthday by audience members.

 My Generation is out in cinemas from Friday March 14.
Raipur, (Hindustan Times), Mar 13, 2018 -

Nine personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and three others were injured in an encounter with Maoists in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district on Tuesday afternoon.



The encounter took place after the Maoists triggered an IED on an anti-landmine vehicle of the 212 CRPF Battalions patrolling team was going from Kistaram to Palodi, special director general of police (anti-Naxal operations) DM Awasthi said.



Following the blast, an encounter ensued in which nine jawans were killed and three others were seriously injured.



Awasthi said reinforcements have reached the spot and the firing has stopped. We are airlifting the injured from the spot, he said.



Sukma has been one of the worst insurgency-hit regions in India, having seen decades of bloody conflict between security forces and Left-wing extremists.



Senior intelligence officers of Chhattisgarh believe the recent joint operation of Telangana and Chhattisgarh police has rattled Maoist leaders and this attack was done to avenge the a recent encounter of Maoists.
Twenty six Sri Lankans, deported by Australia and Switzerland arrived at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) this morning, BIA sources said.

The 26 Sri Lankans had gone to Australia and Switzerland illegally.

15 Sri Lankans were sent to the BIA at 6.20 this morning from a special flight from Australia, while another eleven Lankans arrived at the BIA at 9 this morning from Switzerland by special fight, an official said.

A large group of security personnel from these countries were also present on the aircraft. A spokesman from the Immigration and Emigration Department said several Sinhalese and Tamil persons were among the people who were deported.

The deportees were released after recording statements by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officers at the airport. (T.K.G. Kapila)
Looking back over its past three years in management, common belief holds that the government needs to get its priorities right. The unfortunate events of Kandy and its enduring aftermath are a culmination of mismanagement of affairs by the powers that be and it is safe to say the incumbents will leave behind a legacy of scant interest on any front.



Following a brief honeymoon, Yahapalanaya was soon fraught with personal and political power wrangling and what some considered was Sri Lankas best chance for development in the post-conflict milieu soon transformed into a feverish nightmare. The lead up to the infamous local government election last month and its long-drawn aftermath provide ample evidence of the lack of leadership and statesmanship amongst all political quarters  including the opposition.



It was an embarrassing and shameless display of leadership, as all sides clamoured within and at each other on the reins of power, whilst a nation and the economy waited and watched at a standstill.

Right from the very beginning, there were numerous instances that all parties within the fold could and should have done better. For instance, the much-publicized bond scam took place mere weeks after the new administration took office. Rumblings of misgivings involving the same personalities were heard at that very outset and both the president and prime minister along with the cabinet of ministers had every opportunity to intervene  but nothing happened.



Two years later, its an irreversible public relations nightmare. What prevented some timely action? Where was the need for governance and accountability, which formed the very platform on which this government was elected? But then again, what more can we expect from a regime that cannot get a simple Interpol warrant right, even to apprehend one of its most wanted fugitives.



With the UNP at the helm of administration, much was anticipated in terms of investments and economic expansion. But three years later, much of the corporate community is still on wait and see. Political instability dealt a telling blow to business confidence and much was left to be desired following the twin controversies involving the BOI with the US $ 26 million Volkswagen debacle of Kuliyapitiya and then the equally embarrassing tyre factory controversy in Horana. This was not what we expected from a government savvy for business.



Furthermore, these policymakers found it fit to enact short-term measures rather than sustainable policy. In 2016, the then finance minister found it fit to raise tobacco taxes by much as 43 percent impacting long-term revenues and overnight transforming Sri Lanka into a smugglers paradise amounting to over Rs.20 billion in losses. Just last month, the Health Ministry then espoused a ban on tobacco sales within a 100-metre radius from areas frequented by persons under 21.



Besides its revenue impacts and concerns over consumer rights and that of an industry from such policy, the government in contrast has chosen to drag its feet on determining policy with less glorious topics such as SAITM and private medical education. Perhaps this was because settling the SAITM issue and setting national higher education policy doesnt carry international awards and personal benefits such as those conferred by the WHO.



With regards to the recent events in Kandy and Ampara, much could have been done to prevent its occurrence. For instance, governments need to find courage to address issues upfront. That helps to build confidence and trust amongst communities, which in turn translates to confidence for business and expansion.



With regards to the incidents surrounding the alleged contraceptive pills, it is common knowledge that this contention was doing the rounds all across Sri Lanka for a considerable period of time. It was only a matter of time before the festering silence reached a breaking point and the government officials including highly-placed ministers were well aware of it.



Whilst acknowledging it can be outrageous to go before public and deny the existence of something the rest of the world knew doesnt exist  Sri Lanka needed just that! It needed its leadership to demonstrate leadership  to address the underlying issue, clarify and clear the air and pave the way for a lasting universal resolution. Instead, it chose silence and so Ampara happened and then came Kandy with little difference.



Progressive and even the not so progressive-minded Sri Lankans are tired of being tired. We are tired of the bland band of leadership we have been bestowed with for decades. Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big, averred former US President Theodore Roosevelt in the early 20th century. More than 100 years later, Sri Lanka should try take note.



Yahapalanaya has two years to go and its combined leadership needs to take serious stock. Corruption has continued unabated, business and industry are languishing along with agriculture, communal tensions are on the rise and a weary public are faced with restrictions on their rights.



The president is toiling to secure a second term in office for himself with his party at the helm and the prime minister and UNP leader is also battling to save his position in his party and its future. Both leaders have failed to deliver on much of their celebrated promises and with the continuous tussle for power the remaining two years lend little hope for the people. A country, its people and its economy must continue to wait and see what politics feels fit.



(Ajith Perera is a retired Administration, Shipping and Maritime Security Consultant in Sri Lanka and the Middle East)
Major General Amal Karunasekara, Chief of Staff and Colonel of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, relinquished his duties and retired from service with effect from yesterday.

He was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Army on July 21, 2017.

Major General Amal Karunasekara joined the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet in 1981 after the completion of his initial Officer Cadet training at the Military Academy, Diyathalawa.

He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Light Infantry Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army in 1984.

Sources said the new Chief of Staff of the Army is yet to be appointed by the Ministry of Defence.

Names of the three most senior Major Generals have been submitted to the President, who will make the appointment once he returns to the country. (Darshana Sanjeewa)
The results of Sri Lankas local government elections held on February 10, 2018 are causing unexpected political turmoil in the country. The resounding electoral performance of former president Mahinda Rajapaksas newly-formed party, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), is aggravating the already significant rift between the ruling coalition leaders President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The future of the National Unity Government coalition is now in doubt.



How did an election for the lowest level of government manage to cause tremors of such magnitude at the centre of Sri Lankan politics?

The major political parties saw the 2018 local government elections as an opportunity to compete for power before the next national election. Even the public treated the elections very much as a vote on national issues. There was a degree of enthusiasm not typical of local elections, with voter turnout as high as 80 percent in some districts.



This was the first election held under the new mixed electoral system. Sixty percent of the seats in each local government authority were filled under the first-past-the-post system, while the remaining 40 percent were filled based on the proportion of votes received by each contesting political party or independent group.



Over 57,000 candidates from 13 registered parties and several independent groups contested 13,374 seats in 341 local council bodies. Rajapaksas SLPP secured 231 local councils, with 3369 of its candidates elected as council members. The prime ministers United National Party (UNP) won 34 councils and saw 2385 of its members elected. The two parties that the president represents, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United Peoples Freedom Alliance, secured only nine councils.

As always, northern voters rallied around northern Tamil parties. Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi, a constituent party of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) (which is led by opposition leader R.

Sampanthan), had 150 of its candidates elected. The Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) and a revived Akila Ilankai Tamil Congress (AITC) had 81 and 80 of their members elected, respectively. These results indicate that the TNA, a moderate political force among the northern Tamil community, is gradually losing its electoral strength to more nationalist and radical political forces like EPDP and AITC.



The local election results cannot be understood without reference to the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2015. In January 2015, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the hero of the Sinhalese Buddhist population, suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of the SirisenaWickremesinghe coalition. His loss and the victory of the National Unity Government were widely attributed to minority voters. Sinhalese nationalists perceived the 2018 local elections as an opportunity to correct this historical mistake (as they see it) by voting for a Rajapaksa government once again.



The National Unity Governments many positive initiatives such as the 19th Amendment to the constitution, its national reconciliation programme and its constitutional reform project have been seen as detrimental to the Sinhalese majority, whose rural base in particular remains attracted to Rajapaksa three years after his defeat.



Yet, it is not Sinhalese nationalism that is responsible for the defeat of the National Unity Government but rather the coalitions chaos, corruption and ineffectiveness.



Since forming the government, the president and prime minister have pursued their own agendas. Sirisena focussed on consolidating his leadership of the SLFP and strengthening the SLFPs position within the coalition. Wickremesinghe focussed on strengthening the UNP and on his ambitions to form a government alone at the next national election by fuelling divisions within the SLFP. This tug of war made the government appear weak and inefficient. Not only did they fail to deliver on their campaign promises but they also failed to bring before the law the individuals of the Rajapaksa regime who stand accused of corruption and abuse of public office.



A pre-election opinion poll conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives reveals the extent that Sri Lankans and especially the Sinhalese are unhappy with the coalition government. Fifty-six percent of all respondents and 63 percent of Sinhalese respondents think that the coalition should not continue. Forty-one percent of all respondents and 46 percent of Sinhalese respondents believe that the economy will worsen if the coalition government continues.



Sixty-three percent of Sinhalese respondents are dissatisfied with how the government has delivered on its promise of good governance and 64 percent of Sinhalese respondents believe that the allegations of corruption and embezzlement against the coalition government are true.



The poll respondents also recognised the freedoms they enjoy under the coalition government. An overwhelming majority of all ethnic communities surveyed believe that they enjoy greater freedom under the present government to express their political opinion, to join any political association and to vote without pressure than they did under the previous regime.



Sri Lankas local elections mark the beginning of the end of the National Unity Government  a coalition introduced as an alternative to a corrupt, authoritarian and nationalist regime. This outcome reminds Sri Lanka that democracy may not always come with a prerogative to correct past mistakes.

(Courtesy East Asia Forum)

(Pradeep Peiris is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science and Public Policy, University of Colombo)
The National Chamber of Exporters (NCE) yesterday called on the government to take decisive action against the perpetrators of the recent civil unrest in order to send a strong message to the world that there will be no room for similar situations in the future.



The chamber urges that the government acts decisively to give a strong message to all and especially to the trade partners of the country overseas, that there will be no room in the future for such civil unrest, the NCE said in a statement.



It called for quick and firm punishment for all who were directly or indirectly responsible for the unrest in order to deter such action in the future and to provide full compensation for the affected to rebuild their businesses and lives to enable full integration back to society in a meaningful manner without hard feelings.



The NCE called on the government to protect the message the country had conveyed since the ending of the civil war in 2009 that Sri Lanka was peaceful and stable, since these are important when an economy seeks to accelerate its growth through public-private partnerships and international trade and economic partnership agreements with other countries.

The success of these trade deals depends upon other things, attraction of foreign investments to the country which in turn depends on peace, economic and political stability, the chamber added.



The NCE said that the selfish actions of the extremist political elements, which had backed the unrest, were threatening the future of Sri Lanka.



The chamber is strongly of the view that the actions of certain elements, which led to the recent civil unrest, would have been backed by groups with extremist political ideologies who have as their objective disruption of economic activities and the well-being of the ordinary citizens of our country, it added.
From left: Finlays Colombo Limited Director Naresh Ratwatte, Finlays Colombo Limited Chairman and Managing Director Hunter Crawford, John Keells Holdings PLC Property Group President Suresh Rajendra and John Keells Holdings PLC Property Group Sector Head Nayana Mawilmada at the signing of the joint venture agreement

Finlays Colombo Limited has entered into a joint venture agreement with two wholly-owned subsidiaries of the John Keells group for the development of its land at 186, Vauxhall Street.

The commencement of the joint venture is subject to satisfaction of conditions precedent, including approvals from or filings with relevant authorities, a Finlays Colombo media statement said.



In 2008, Finlays, JKH and the AMW group entered into a memorandum of understanding to undertake a feasibility study for a combined development of their properties situated adjacent to each other in Colombo 2.



However, the plans didnt see the light of day.

We are ready to form a joint venture with the John Keells group to embark on a very exciting development project in the heart of Colombo, Finlays Colombo Chairman/Managing Director Hunter Crawford said.

We believe that property development in Colombo 2 has significant long-term growth potential. The ultimate parent company of Finlays Colombo, the Swire Group, has a successful track record in property development in several parts of the world and Finlays will undoubtedly benefit from working with the John Keells group, which has substantial local property development experience, he added.

When the joint venture commences, Finlays Colombo Limited will hold a 39.72 percent share and the John Keells group will hold 60.28 percent.



This is a very exciting addition to our current holdings on Vauxhall Street, said John Keells Property Group President Suresh Rajendra.



While we are in the process of drawing the master plan, we will lead with the development of this property in partnership with Finlays Colombo, a reputed business group in Sri Lanka. The projects progress will be in conjunction with future developments on the adjoining properties and will tie in with our other property development projects spread across Colombo, he added.



Simultaneously with developing its land bank in Central Colombo, the Finlays group of companies in Sri Lanka is embarking upon a strategic realignment of its business focus.



This realignment will see significantly increased focus on its core tea businessboth plantations and export packingand divestment of its non-tea businessesinsurance, cold store, pest control, hygiene and courier services.



Our non-tea businesses are all well-run and profitable enterprises in their own right and have done us proud. But with our decision to focus on tea, where Finlays is a global player, we need to find new owners who can take these non-tea businesses to the next level, said Crawford.



Finlays Colombo also announced a US $ 3.0 million investment in new tea packing equipment for its factory in Welisara.



This is a significant investment in the capacity of our Sri Lankan tea packing business, Finlays Colombo Director Gihan Jayasinghe said.



We are committed to growing our Ceylon Tea business. It is already an important contributor to Finlays global product and service portfolio and we have plans for further expansion, he added.
A federal judge has released the terrifying video of a gang member defendant in a racketeering trial attacking a witness with a pen, before he is shot dead by a marshal.



The shocking footage shows the moment Siale Angilau, a member of the Tongan Crips gang, stood up, grabbed a pen or pencil, and ran towards the witness stand before launching his body over it in 2014.



The witness, another gang member who was shackled and chained, managed to sink into the corner of the courtroom and avoid the 25-year-old. He was not hurt. The video then shows a deputy US Marshal, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, pull her gun from its holster and rapidly fire four shots at Angilau.The video is muzzed to keep the judge, officers and any witnesses in the courtroom from being identified.



US District Judge John Dowdell made the video public when he dismissed a lawsuit brought by Angilaus family claiming excessive force.
It is no longer news that there was a move afoot in the recent past to offer the law and order portfolio to the politico-turned-war hero.



The news that the war hero was to be placed in charge of Police had sent several parties into jitters. Meanwhile, a number of purohitas and Diyawanna members and members of the countrys highest political family had risen in revolt against the proposed appointment.



Several top cops too had informed the big boss that they would not feel comfortable in a set-up where the war hero could have his watchful eye on them. The war hero who got worked up on hearing about the reaction of the top cops had rung them and inquired from them why they were opposed to his becoming their political authority.



Some top cops had got highly unnerved by this inquiry directed at them pointblank and had remained tongue-tied for some time before they could stammer out a suitable reply, they say.
Many politicos had deliberately kept away from the district in the hills when it was hit by communal riots, but most of them were seen later in a long queue to show their face to a very high authority when the latter visited the hill capital in a damage control bid, they say.



According to reports, only a handful of politicos from the district had taken the trouble to rush to the troubled areas to make an effort to bring the ugly situation under control.



A number of politicos representing the people in the district at both local and national levels had rushed to Kandy as soon as they had learnt about the high authoritys visit there. Only the ones who were busy in the volatile areas trying their best to defuse tensions and prevent further incidents had to give the high authoritys visit a miss, they say.
President Maithripala Sirisena while speaking on the current restrictions on the social media that have been imposed after the violence mainly in Ampara and Kandy Districts said yesterday that if something is detrimental to the society we will have to contain its effects despite it being useful in some other way.

Addressing a gathering of Sri Lankans in Japan the President, however, said that the restrictions on the social media would be lifted soon.

He lamented that many people in Sri Lanka use the social media to destroy the country in spite of the mobile phone, computer, internet, and the social media having been invented to uplift human society.

"Before the violence in Ampara and Kandy Districts, people complained that Facebook had been a social evil that destroys the family life and incites hatred among various communities. They wanted us to control these media but we did not agree with them. Yet, we were compelled to place certain restrictions temporarily on them when the violence started in these two districts. If we had not taken such a step the situation would have been aggravated," President Sirisena said.

He said that the ban on the social media brought in both good and bad effects. "Some companies have incurred losses while some others like Telecom have benefited and precious time wasted on the social media has been saved," he added. (Kanchan Dasanayake)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated that he would work towards providing grants not loans anytime possible while giving assistance to the development progammes of Sri Lanka.

He said this during the official meeting between the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Maithripala Sirisena.

The Japanese Prime Minister ensured President Sirisena that he would constantly provide assistance for the Sri Lankan infrastructure development.

Discussions were held regarding the assistance provided by the Japanese government for the development of the Colombo- Trincomalee port.

Japanese Prime Minister also stated that assistance will be provided for regenerating energy resources and would also contribute in developing the high way systems also.

Japanese Prime Minster stated that assistance of special technical programmes of Japan could also be provided to Sri Lanka.

A positive response was given to the appeal made by President Sirisena to provide technical equipment for the development of health sector in Sri Lanka.

Japanese Prime Minister agreed upon giving assistance to disaster management programmes as well as waste disposal systems in Sri Lanka.

Japanese Prime Minister who mentioned the assistance given by Japan in security and Navy activities stated that only Sri Lanka was fortunate to gain this assistance from Japan out of the countries in Indian Ocean.

President Sirisena thanked both Japanese Prime Minister as well as the government of Japan. (Kanchana Dasanayake in Tokyo)
Acting, the script, camerawork, the cameo appearances by professionals from other fields, all add up that theres hardly anything BAD about Premaya Nam

In Premaya Nam, Vishwa, played by Shyam Fernando, is disgusted by his urine and cringes at the act of passing it so much that he has to have a shower every time he goes to the lavatory. This impedes on his marriage and works so much that after he leaves his job and after his wife leaves him, he admits himself to the National Institute of Mental Health at Angoda.

The English version of the title, Dirty, Yellow, Darkness, is a sleek summing up of the fears that beset Vishwa, who is the first solidly drawn up mental patient to be depicted in a local film

Premaya Nam does not work out such a miracle, because our hero, at the instigation of his wife, has to transcend those frailties

After a few encounters with the hospital staff and the other patients, he thinks hes cured, casually dismisses the doctors concerns, procrastinates on his medication and treatments, and leaves the hospital before his term is over. But he is not cured: OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) usually is not, which is where he realises that his illness can be cured only by his free will.

The wife returns to him on condition that he tide himself over his mania, and in the end, with the two of them at a restaurant, we realise that he has tided over.

The English version of the title, Dirty, Yellow, Darkness, is a sleek summing up of the fears that beset Vishwa, who I personally think is the first solidly drawn up mental patient to be depicted in a local film.

The Sinhala original, on the other hand, emphasises on the romantic angle to the plot and the conflicts between Vishwas parents and his in-laws. When the latter realise, eventually, that Vishwa is not really mad and his illness is curable, the catharsis they reach is ours as well, since we are a part of the same audiences who treat mental illness as crudely and one-dimensionally as them.

The fact that the director of Premaya Nam himself suffered from OCD, and the fact that he researched well on the stereotypes sustained by the popular culture here with respect to those like him, thus helped in making his debut probably one of the most refreshingly novel contemporary movies Ive seen in Sri Lanka. And thats saying a lot.

In an interview with Global Press Journal, Vindana (who co-directed the movie with his brother, Kalpana) contends that when compared with the horrendous resource-deficits characteristic of the public sector in general, the budget expended on meals, medicines, and everything else on more than 1,000 patients by the NIMH is astounding.

Part of the charm of Premaya Nam is how it raises our eyebrows in this respect, how it presents us with stereotypical freaks and then demolishes the stereotypes weve built up and pasted over them. The dramatisation of mental health has been one of the most sorely lamentable points about our popular culture, because the most frequently resorted to cliches and qualities by our filmmakers and television directors  the overdrawn drawl, the deliberately wrong accent, the apish look  have accentuated our fears of the typical mental patient, who at the hands of these directors display characteristics more in line with Down syndrome patients than with actual mental patients.

The typical human interest Sinhala movie almost always tends to portray, as the hero, the gangster, the outsider, the man or woman whose only strength is his or her sanity.

By questioning whether we need even that sanity, Vandana and Kalpana have provided us with a different hero, and barring the defects of the film, which arent apparent on a single viewing (you need to see Premaya Nam twice to infer what those defects are), thats the biggest strength this film has.

It is edited and shot so rapidly, without losing track of the need to explicate, to elaborate, that its very nearly a perfect piece of work.

The acting, the script, the camerawork, even the cameo appearances by professionals from other fields, all add up so much that theres hardly anything BAD that can be said of Premaya Nam.

In that sense, the first half of the film is what parses along really well.

If Vishwas visit to Angoda seems too quickly cut and too quickly done away with, it can mean either of two things: the director wants to carelessly rush over and considers the scenes at the hospital to be peripheral, or the director wants to concentrate on Vishwa so acutely that he wants us to go beyond our heros visit to Angoda with regard to his coalescence.

Vishwa is never truly rehabilitated during his tenure at Angoda, but that is only half the story; the main purpose for which hes placed at the NIMH is for him, and us, gain an understanding of what it means to be a mental patient in the first place.

Neither the comical interludes between a hard done by a patient (Who looks aggressive, but has his reasons) and Vishwa nor the romantic interludes between Vishwa and the head nurse (played by Suranga Ranaweera) go anywhere.

Premaya Nam is realistic than idealistic, more a poignant anecdote than a mushy everyones-happy Hollywood homily

The truth is that they dont have to because, by the time they end (for the time being), we know what theyre there for: to understand that those who suffer from schizophrenia, are bipolar, and have OCD arent unredeemable freaks by any stretch of the imagination.

As Himal Kotelawala aptly puts it in his review, though, Premaya Nam cant be considered as Sri Lankas answer to Rain Man or A Beautiful Mind, because (for me, at least) in those two movies, tempered as they are by the eternal desire of the typical director to pander to popular audiences, the hero (the autistic savant in Rain Man, the schizophrenic economist in A Beautiful Mind) is redeemed by the outside worlds acceptance of his frailties.

Premaya Nam does not work out such a miracle, because our hero, at the instigation of his wife (played by Samanalee Fonseka), has to transcend those frailties by his own bootstraps.

When Samanalee tells him that she wont return to him if he reverted to his earlier habits, for instance, we are with her, because while we understand Vishwa (as she does), we also know (again, as she does) that our society has not evolved so dramatically as to expect that it will accept him for who he is if he continues to behave the way he does.

In that respect, Premaya Nam is more realistic than idealistic, more a poignant anecdote, than a mushy everyones-happy Hollywood homily about those who are (considered to be) different from us.

And so, in that last scene, when Vishwa decides to stay with his wife instead of moving to another table after dropping his cutlery (which earlier to him would have meant eating with dirty forks), Vindana and Kalpana have it both ways: a resolution for our hero, and a resolution for us.

I fervently think thats the real strength in Premaya Nam, apart from its honest, sincere, startling depiction of OCD.

Without conceding that Premaya Nam represents, and affirms, life as it actually is (its still a dramatisation, and at certain points it tends to engage in wishful thinking)  always a pitfall when it comes to reviewing movies like this, for the critic at least  I do realise and appreciate the fact that Vindana and Kalpana has done something different, with a refreshingly different cast and crew (the cameraman, Jaan Shenberger, has worked on a short film and a TV series before; Premaya Nam is his debut in film).

It is like watching a reworked Satyajit Ray or Jean Renoir movie because we identify with every character, even those who lack empathy, and when we do, theres nothing more that we really want.

The innocence that envelopes the story is the same innocence that, in the end, envelopes us. You dont feel cheated; the claps and the tears these two brothers have evinced from us are truly deserved, because they sum up just how intimate we grow, as the story progresses, with the material, the backdrop, of that story.
To make capital ratios difficult



Sri Lankas banks are expected to face a yet another challenge, this time from a new accounting standard, which came into effect on January 1, 2018.

The new International Financial Reporting Standard 9 issued on financial instruments will increase the provisions against the possible loan losses and compress margins exerting pressure on the bottom line and thereby the regulatory capital, the banks said.



Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC (ComBank), Sri Lankas largest private sector lender by assets, said the change in the accounting methodology in classification and measurement of the possible loan losses under the new standard, would lead to higher impairment provisions by banks.



Adoption of the expected loss model in place of the incurred loss model for impairment testing upon implementation of SLFRS 9 is expected to substantially increase the impairment provision of banks, ComBank said in its annual report.



Sri Lanka fully adopted IFRSs in their original form in financial reporting and thus all international accounting standards are also identified as Sri Lanka Financial Reporting Standards, in their identical form.



The provisions against possible bad loans have tended to be more subjective estimates based on management judgments and these provisions could be used to manipulate profits to show a better financial performance across different reporting periods.



There was a case in the latest financial reports of one of the leading banks where it had reported a hefty collective impairment provision reversal although its asset book had grown.



SLFRS 9 appears to have reduced these management biases as the new standard requires the bank to recognize the 12-month expected credit loss although the loan had not exhibited a significant deterioration in the asset quality.

But for other facilities of which the credit quality has significantly deteriorated since the initial recognition of the loan, the bank is required to make a life-time expected credit loss against the loan. Both cases lead to higher impairment provisions against loans leading to lower profits and direct impact on the banks Tier I ratios under Basel III, Pan Asia Bank said.



The implementation of this standard from January 1, 2018 onwards is widely expected to increase the stock of credit impairment provisions and affect profits adversely. As a result, many banks are expected to suffer a decline in regulatory capital, ComBank said.



The bank also said the new standard would dent its margins leaving it with limited profits, which could otherwise be capitalized.



The implementation of the SLFRS 9 impairment model puts extra pressure on the already dwindling NIM of banks and eventually the ability to plough back profits as capital for future expansion purposes, with the shift to the expected credit loss model, ComBank added.



The Sri Lankan banks, particularly the small and mid-sized banks, are facing a tough time to make higher profits and raise significantly higher capital  mainly equity  to meet the steeper increase in minimum capital ratios stipulated by Basel III when the new rules come into full effect by January 1, 2019.



Under Basel III, the biggest challenge faced by the banks is that a large section of those new capital raised will stay idle as shock buffers and will have a tough time in giving value to shareholders measured by the return on equity (RoE).



Unless the banks look attractive in their RoEs against their other industry players, the banks will have an uphill task in raising fresh capital from the stock owners.

Since the full adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards, Sri Lankan firms are required to change their financial reporting according to the changes in those standards.
The financial year 2017 proved to be a remarkable year for state-owned National Savings Bank (NSB) as the banking giant recorded profit before tax (PBT) of Rs.14 billion, the highest ever in its history. Profit after tax (PAT) kept abreast at Rs.9.6 billion.



The significant growth in business volumes with an interest income of Rs.103 billion along with a gain of Rs.1.1 billion from trading in government securities contributed to this performance.



Aggressive implementation of marketing plans, investments on strengthening the brand and prudent management of risk, facilitated this performance, NSB said in a statement. Demonstrating sound management of its credit portfolio, the gross non-performing loans (NPL) ratio decreased to 1.3 percent, the lowest in the banking sector.



NSBs Basel III total capital adequacy ratio stood at 13.9 percent, as at December 31, 2017 and is expected to increase further once revaluation gains are considered.

Alongside these achievements, the bank prudently managed its expenses arriving at an impressive cost-to-income ratio of 38 percent. Adding to the trailblazing performance, NSB also made history by becoming the first specialized bank to amass an asset base of Rs.1 trillion.



These achievements, as we celebrate our 46th anniversary, testify the robustness of the pragmatic strategic direction being pursued and augurs well for the future, stated NSB Chairman Aswin De Silva.



The technical expertise and commitment of our team across all areas is one of our key assets. As a specialized bank, we have a clear mandate and Im pleased that we hold true to it, whilst recording organic growth in all core business areas, he added.



Speaking of the future NSB General Manager/CEO Dammika Perera said, As we focus on 2018 and beyond, we will augment our efforts to deliver more value to our customers through innovative products such as NSB iSaver, which has caught on well with the tech-savvy generation.



Firmly rooted in the national economy, NSB makes a significant contribution to the development of the nation. The bank contributed Rs.13.4 billion, in the form of taxes, levies and dividends to the Treasury.



NSBs growing share in the remittances business bears testimony to the confidence placed in it by Sri Lankan expatriates.



The banks loans and advances portfolio in both retail and corporate sectors recorded an impressive 20 percent growth, to reach Rs.388 million.



The bank has contributed to the countrys infrastructure development by way of Rs.118 billion for the state-owned enterprises. The banks deposit base too witnessed a growth of 12 percent, to reach Rs.737 billion.



Reflecting the banks stability and reliability, NSB was reaffirmed with AAA (lka) rating by Fitch Ratings Lanka for the 16th consecutive year. As the only state guaranteed bank NSB offers 100 percent government guarantee for its customers deposits.



As part of the banks digitalization drive, NSB launched the Model Branch concept with a smart zone for digital banking. The bank said it will expand the Model Branch concept across its islandwide network in 2018.
Sri Lanka would have new laws enacted to control social media and hate speech, in a few weeks time, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday.

The Prime Minister said this during the opening of the new swimming pool at the Isipathana College, Colombo, last morning.

He said the Attorney General Department was currently studying such laws enacted by other countries.

A number of countries in the world have introduced laws to control social media and hate speech. The UK has laws in place to control hate speech. So has Kenya. There are laws to control social media in Germany, he said.

A draft pertaining to such laws has already been presented to the Senate in the Philippines. I have also advised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to look at how the other countries in our region are working on controlling social media so that we too could follow through, together with those countries, the Prime Minister said.

At the same time, the Prime Minister assured that there was no move to ban or block social media anymore.

I am the one who introduced internet to Sri Lanka in 1993 by signing an agreement with the then US Vice President Al Gore and I am fully aware of the importance of the internet and social media.

Some of the richest companies such as Uber had made money by operating via social media while even companies such as Google had also been successfully operating online.

Therefore we are fully aware of the value of it. Our objective, therefore, is to encourage positive use of social media and minimize the wrong usage, he added.

Mr Wickremesinghe said social media was blocked following the advice of defence authorities who informed the cabinet that hate speech and false information aired through social media had made things difficult.

The Defence authorities advised the cabinet to take some steps to control social media as it made the situation in Kandy worse. There would have been a worse scenario if the Government did not take steps to block social media during the riots.

Some are questioning us on this move today but they have forgotten that there were disturbances in Kandy last week, he said.

Minister of Higher Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said the Government would introduce a new school curriculum soon.

The new curriculum he said is prepared in accordance with the needs of the changing job market.

Students will not have to drop out of school if they fail the GCE Ordinary Level examination from next year, the Minister said. (Yohan Perera)
DOHA AFP March13, 2018

State-owned Qatar Petroleum announced Tuesday it has signed a deal with Abu Dhabi to operate a shared offshore oil field, despite a bitter diplomatic rift between the Gulf neighbours.



The United Arab Emirates confirmed the contract had been renewed with the Japanese operators of the Al-Bunduq field but said it had not had any contact or dealings with Qatar on the issue.



We are delighted to sign this concession agreement, which will ensure the continued development and operation of the Al-Bunduq oil field for many years to come, Qatar Petroleum president and chief executive Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said in a statement.



The company added, pointedly, that the deal showed it was a trustworthy energy provider at all times and under all conditions.



The small oil field, located on the maritime border between Qatar and Abu Dhabi, is managed by a Japanese oil consortium.
The February 10 Local Government election was one of many revelations: the dismal performance of the United National Party (UNP) being one of them.Following the peoples verdict, it came as no surprise when the crisis-ridden party announced that it would be initiating a reform process navigated by the younger UNP members. A committee headed by State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene was armed with the task of broadening the scope of reforms, appointed following a meeting held with Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe last month. The Daily Mirror approached several young members of the UNP to obtain their views on the recent developments within the party and areas of concern which should be addressed immediately.

Youth Branches Must Be Incorporated

Speaking to the Daily Mirror Chairman of the Committee State Minister Ruwan Wijewardene said the committee report was still underway and it was expected to be finalised this week.

Certain suggestions have been made by the female members of the party, while the Deputy Leader has also made several suggestions. Once all these views are taken in, the report will be compiled and we expect it to be finalised this week, he said.

Asked about the challenges the party has been faced with, the Minister said a holistic view of the party must be considered before changes are drafted.

We as a party have to look at the organisation as a whole. The UNP has experienced a decline since the 70s and in order to remedy this situation, we have to look at the organisational branches. As a party, it is imperative that we address certain areas of concern. Some of these require immediate attention while others involve structural long-term planning, the Minister said.

A number of opinions have to be taken into consideration. There are senior members of the party who have expressed their views. There are provincial councillors and local councillors who have opined on various matters. An integration of all these views will be required in addressing these long-term and short-term changes, he added. Minister Wijewardene made these comments with reference to a recent statement made by the Premier on long and short-term changes to be implemented within the party.

The younger UNP members should be granted more authority. There are various lapses in the organisation itself and these young members should be given the opportunity to work to overcome the issues. The youth branches must be incorporated in the journey forward

Commenting on the members who have challenged the present leadership of the party Minister Wijewardene said there were more important issues to be dealt with at present.

There are some people who have held this view that the party leadership needs to change, some are of the view that such a change is not necessary. There are diverse views within the UNP right now and the members are divided on the matter of taking the party forward. However, I believe there are more pressing issues in the country at hand, which require our attention. But I must note that the UNP is a democratic party and appropriate action will be taken in due course.

Once the report is tabled, the working committee will deliberate further on the next course of action, Wijewardene noted.

However the State Minister admitted that there were divisions in the party that would be addressed in due course.

There are some areas that should be addressed immediately; I believe the younger UNP members should be granted more authority. There are various lapses in the organisation itself and these young members should be given the opportunity to work to overcome the issues. The youth branches must be incorporated in the journey forward. Once the report is tabled we will be able to deliberate on the specific ways of incorporating the young members, he said.

Suggestions made by female members and Deputy Leader to be deliberated

Some changes require time

There are diverse views within the UNP right now

Working Together to Change Party Culture

Commenting on attempts to restructure the UNP, Minister Navin Dissanayake said a continuous dialogue within the party had resulted in the stakeholders understanding what areas of concern have to be addressed.

Weve had a dialogue within the party on what kinds of changes are necessary. What is clear is that whatever changes which will take place should not be artificial. It should be real and effective change so that UNP members and the country at large can feel that change.

I think Mr. Wickremesinghe is looking at a new leadership model where there is an overall change in the party leadership structure.

We have all given our recommendations to him in writing, the Minister said adding that the reforms committee will convene to deliberate matters further.

Weve had a dialogue within the party on what kinds of changes are necessary. What is clear is that whatever changes which will take place should not be artificial



There are 10 to 12 of us in the second tier leadership. We intend to go ahead with this dialogue and hope to come to a conclusion soon, Minister Dissanayake said responding to a query about when the changes would take effect.

These kinds of changes cannot be done overnight because it has to be discussed at length. In a democratic party like ours, it takes time for a team to decide on what changes people should agree upon. Everybody has to be comfortable and there should be a broad consensus on what the changes are going to be, he said.

The Minister did not fail to note that the planned transformation must cater to the collective advancement of the party.

My personal view is that more than the individual slots, there has to be a collective change for the better, for the party. All party members are working as a team to bring about a change in the culture of the party. I believe the Prime Minister is fully aware of what has to be done. He has indicated that he too wants to have an effective second level leadership change. So, let us wait and see what kind of changes will come about, Minister Dissanayake said.

Changes should not be artificial. Country should feel the change

Democratic parties take time to decide on what changes are needed

Waiting for the right time

Asked of what the reforms committee report entails Minister Fernando said that clear reforms had been drafted, however, no names had been mentioned in the report.

What we expect is a rejuvenation for the party after the drawbacks suffered recently. Our objective must be to bring back the confidence not only within the party cadre but also among the people.

Commenting on immediate and long-term reforms specified by the Premier, he said that some of the changes would be administered within 30 days.

What the Prime Minister said was noted during a group meeting we had. Certain changes are to be implemented during a 30-day period. The Premier will start talking to us over the course of this week and discuss the way forward. We had a plan of rebuilding the party, with details on which areas need to be addressed. We need image building in the face of the country. Even if the reforms are perceived to take a longer time, we will push for them to be implemented before long. It is up to the younger members to prompt necessary changes and convince our leader to address them, he said.

Commenting on the setbacks experienced by the party Minister Fernando detailed a number of reasons for the UNPs unsatisfactory performance.

One reason for the partys dismal performance recently was that we havent met the expectations of the people. We had not provided them with tangible change. The promises were not delivered. If we can fulfil the promises by at least 50% I believe there will be an improvement of the situation. We had identified several mishaps on our part, such as the provision of vouchers and we are now looking at ways to rectify them, the Minister admitted.

We also need to look at the marketing aspect. Special attention needs to be paid to the manner in which the media handled us. We want the media to portray the truth. If we segregate the evening news on television and radio only 10 minutes would be dedicated to the government and the remainder of the broadcast time is allocated for the Opposition. It is clear that media is operating on their own mandates. We need to find ways in which we can communicate with the media better, he added.

Our efforts were apparent, especially during the Local Government election. We are still not sure if this backfired on us but our stance has not changed. We will make way for a stronger female cadre in the party, the Colombo mayor being the best example

Speaking on the matter of womens representation in reforms, Minister Fernando said the UNP will continue to fight for equal opportunities for women.

Our efforts were apparent, especially during the Local Government election. We are still not sure if this backfired on us but our stance has not changed. We will make way for a stronger female cadre in the party, the Colombo mayor being the best example.

It is quite natural, in tough times to question the party leadership, especially when the party has performed poorly and when a reshuffle is around the corner, Minister Fernando said when asked of his opinion on the challenges faced by the present leadership. But Ranil Wickremesinghe I believe is the most experienced person to handle this kind of pressure, he added.

Being a younger member of the party I have always made my stance clear and I have been penalised for doing so. However, I have never spoken against the party or spoken of its issues in public. These are internal affairs which need to be resolved internally. There are some who love the attention when they speak against the party and there are also media with vested interests who will thrust such issues in the spotlight. Therefore we must be careful with our words and actions, Minister Fernando noted.

We have rallied around the party and not around a person. There are several middle-aged people who are uncomfortable with change or what is about to happen. It is a difficult situation to be faced with. Which is why we must practice caution because it will ultimately reflect upon the party, remarked the young Minister.

I believe Ranil Wickremesinghe has too realised this and he too wants to move on. The UNP has very capable second and third tiers reinforced and he will make way for change and let go of the baton at the right time, he noted.

Objective must be to bring back the confidence

We had identified several mishaps on our part

We have rallied around the party and not around a person

Leadership Should Accept Change

State Minister Vasantha Senanayake said he was unable to comment on the party reforms process as he was yet to see the report. Asked of what changes could be expected in the party, Minister Senanayake said the objective of attempting reforms was to drive change.

But it does not necessarily mean that change will take place, Minister Senanayake said.

The Leadership of the party should understand that change is required and should be able to accommodate the necessary changes.

If the leadership is stubborn and refuses change, it will be impossible to make any significant impact at the next election. The results of the previous election have to be taken into account. If not we can expect an even more dismal performance at the next election, he explained.

If the leadership is stubborn and refuses change, it will be impossible to make any significant impact at the next election. The results of the previous election have to be taken into account. If not we can expect an even more dismal performance at the next election

Minister Senanayake believes that the manner, in which the selection of leaders takes place, is an area that needs to be immediately addressed within the party structure.

The choosing of leaders should take place in a more democratic method. We should also take a closer look at the people appointed from the national list. Meanwhile, personal appointments should also be looked into. Appointments should instead be allowed for districts with no Cabinet representations. And finally, young and emerging talent should be accommodated within the party, the State Minister opined.

Personal appointments should be looked into

Choosing of leaders should take place in a more democratic fashion

Several attempts to contact State Minister Harsha de Silva failed. However, the newly appointed State Minister taking to Twitter in February said that attempts to reform the UNP would continue, while denouncing reports of him crossing over to UPFA and reports of requesting Ranil Wickremesinghe to step down as party leader. His tweet on February 18 said True, I spoke on the need of changes in the @officialunp leadership but it is not true I asked @RW_UNP to step down as PM,

On February 23 State Minister Harsha de Silva tweeted a photograph of a meeting captioned Sajith, Navin, Akila, Sujeewa and I (younger @officialunp group) tasked with a new plan going forward by @RW_UNP.
Rear Admiral (Retd.) Sarath Weerasekera speaking before the UNHRC in Geneva today urged the Council to impose a moratorium on all actions related to the resolution against Sri Lanka pending a decision on his Complaint Procedures petition.

Normally, the Complaint Procedures mechanism is used against States, but I have adduced cogent reasons why the mechanism must cover complaints against the UNHRC or the OHCHR, he said.

Rear Admiral Weerasekera further said: " In March 2017, I filed two reports which conclusively rebutted the OISL report of the High Commissioner which alleged that Sri Lankan forces committed war crimes. The OISL report is the basis for resolution 30/1.

The SL Government's Foreign Minister co-sponsored the resolution without the approval of the President and the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Continuing to implement a resolution based on a flawed report is a breach of the principles of the UN Charter, and therefore a grave violation of the human rights of all Sri Lankans. It is the people of Sri Lanka who have to ultimately suffer the consequences of ill-advised UNHRC resolutions.

The Human Rights Council is not above the law.

Having exhausted all my options in bringing this situation to the attention of the Council, I have filed a Complaint Procedures petition.

I request the Council to impose a moratorium on all actions related to resolution 30/1 pending a decision on my complaint."
The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) would help to bring back the remains of the Sri Lankan housemaid, who was shot dead in Saudi Arabia, the SLBFE said today.

The deceased had been identified as 38-year-old Jayasekara Priyantha from Galle.

The foreign media reported that the Lankan woman was killed by gunfire in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday morning, where a Saudi man, who was accused of shooting her, later committed suicide by shooting himself.

SLBFE Internal Affairs Additional General Manager W. M. V. Wansekara told the Daily Mirror that the deceased, who was reported to be a mother of two children, was a resident of Katamurawa in Galle.

The 38-year-old deceased has left for Saudi Arabia in April 2017, by registering at SLBFE through an SLBFE-approved institute, he said.

He said the Sri Lankan Embassy in Saudi Arabia had referred a brief report to them on the incident last morning and added that it was too early to provide more details on it since investigations were still being conducted by the security authorities over there.

He also said the SLBFE had contacted the deceased's family following this unfortunate incident.

The remains, which are currently at an area hospital, will be released by the Saudi Arabian Police after the investigations. The SLBFE will assist in bringing back the remains to Sri Lanka. However, the Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will initiate steps to bring back the remains, he said. (Kalathma Jayawardhane)
Tea Board survey finds 53 factories, out of suspected 80, adding substances to tea

Finds sugar and glucose; industry sources say even worse substances are added

Tea Board plans to cancel their licence; time given to them to present defence

Majority of industry stakeholders hail Tea Boards tough stance on errant factories



By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

Fifty three tea factories are facing the prospects of having their licences revoked in the near future, after getting caught adulterating tea during a regulatory survey, the Sri Lanka Tea Board said yesterday.



The survey results were very bad. We found 53 factories, as of today, adding substances to the tea and I plan to cancel the licences of those factories. They shouldnt be allowed to be in the tea business, Sri Lanka Tea Board Chairman Rohan Pethiyagoda told Mirror Business.



He said that 80 factories, which were suspected of adulterating tea, were surveyed but stressed that it was not a random sample and therefore, the results were not a representation of the total factory population.



Pethiyagoda said that the factories were found to have added sugar and glucose to their tea produce.



Adding sugar to tea during the manufacturing process gives out a more appealing colour to a brewed cup of tea but such adulterated tea becomes more susceptible to fungi, which may release potentially carcinogenic toxins, especially when stored at warehouses in humid conditions prevalent in areas such as Colombo, while the tea awaiting auctioning or export.

While some industry sources said that much worse substances are added to tea in some cases to get a particular flavour or aroma, Pethiyagoda said of the factories surveyed, only glucose and sugar were detected.



I dont believe they are using any other chemicals, he said.



Pethiyagoda said that the Tea Board would not be taking any risk on the quality of Ceylon Tea.



We are taking this very seriously because the Tea Board is responsible for ensuring the quality of tea worldwide and our international buyers have an expectation that the Tea Board will not allow factories to do anything improper; when I find someone doing something improper, my reaction is to shut them, he said.



He added that he is unwilling to identify the errant tea factories at the moment, since they have been given a short period of time to present a defence on why their licences shouldnt be cancelled.



If anybody doesnt have a defence, they will be put out of business because we dont need criminals in this industry. They bring the entire industry down, Pethiyagoda said.



Mirror Business learns that many of the tea factories found adulterating tea were in the low country areas.



Pethiyagoda, earlier this year had stated that most of the tea factories suspected of adulterating tea had political connections and had utilized these connections in the past to revive their businesses, after being slapped with temporary closures.



He had also said that he had no qualms about closing down as many as a couple of hundred tea factories out of the 700 in operation, as it would lead to a richer tea industry.



Speaking to Mirror Business yesterday, Sri Lanka Tea Factory Owners Association Chairman Harith Ranasinghe said that around 90 percent of the tea factories in Sri Lanka are running under capacity and therefore, the remaining factories would be able to handle the share of production, which was held by the 53 factories, if all of their licences are cancelled.



He called on tea factories to manufacture high-quality tea.



Foreign buyers are very much concerned about the quality of tea they buy. Foreign buyers and the locals who are purchasing for international markets are trusting (sic) the auction and buying and therefore, it is our obligation to provide good quality tea, he said.



The Tea Exporters Association (TEA) commended the Sri Lanka Tea Board for its actions, which would increase the confidence of Ceylon Tea in the international market.



It sends the right message if the people who did wrong get punished. We were consulted and we all agreed on it, TEA Chairman Jayantha Karunaratne said.

Tea is Sri Lankas second largest merchandise export, earning US $ 1.5 billion in foreign exchange in 2017, compared to US $ 1.3 billion in 2016.

Japan sounds alarm bells over high residue levels of Ceylon Tea



The Sri Lanka Tea Board has until the end of this month to comply with the residue levels for tea exports to Japan.



We have an understanding that by the end of March we should have our tea exported to Japan conform to the standards, Pethiyagoda said, after returning from Japan.



He had visited the East Asian nation to discuss with the Japanese authorities on the recent changes to the chemical residue limits in the produce shipped to Japan.

Pethiyagoda said that the changes, which took place last October, were routine.

Since then, there have been detections of excess chemical residue in Ceylon Tea shipped to Japan. Pethiyagoda said of particular concern was the level of residue of the chemical MCPA.



One of the common chemicals we use in the tea industry (MCPA) is now used more and more because of the absence of glyphosate. Glyphosate is the worlds safest weedicide and we have banned it. As a result of that, we are using less safe weedicides, he said.

Japan has stricter residue limits for MCPA.



According to the official government statistics, Japan was Sri Lankas ninth largest tea export market, accounting for 7.9 million kilogrammes of tea worth Rs.6.9 billion in 2017, up from 7.8 kilogrammes worth Rs.6.2 billion in 2016.



Based on volume, the Japanese exports amounted to 2.74 percent of Sri Lankas total tea exports in 2017.



Sri Lanka tea exports have been facing headwinds as of late, with a temporary ban on Ceylon Tea by Russia last December after a beetle specimen was detected in a tea shipment.
The Muslims of Sri Lanka, since ancient times have been in peaceful coexistence with the other communities of the Island and has proved to be an integral and inseparable component of the Sri Lankan society.

According to ancient chronicles, traders from countries like Rome, Greece, Persia( Iran ), China, India etc visited Sri Lanka on trade missions. Arab merchants having maintained friendly relationship with natives, had ventured into the interior and coastal areas of Ceylon for trading, even before the advent of Islam. Arabs were only interested in trading and commerce in Sri Lanka in an honest and a just manner The present day Muslims of Sri Lanka, could therefore be considered the descendants of many of these Arabs, Persians, Indians, and Malays etc.

During mediaeval times, foreign trade had been flourishing in Sri Lanka, in view of the islands strategic location in the Indian Ocean and the variety of goods offered to the traders like spices, cinnamon and other rare items such as precious gems, pearls, ivory etc. However, with the decline of the Roman Empire in the 3rd century A.D., trade expeditions were fading off. The Arabs and Persians made use of this opportunity to fill the void and continued to engage in inter-coastal trade. Muslim merchants had arrived in large numbers as a result of traditions associated with Adams Peak (Sri Pada) and the cordial treatment meted out by the local rulers. Most of the foreign traders visited the island for their trade benefits and left the Island after making their fortunes. But Arabs opted to settle down, making Ceylon their homeland. The majority of them lived along the coastal areas in peace and tranquility, side by side with Sinhala families.

Many of the Arab traders may not have brought their womenfolk along with them when they settled in Ceylon. Nevertheless, many of them married native women who later embraced Islam

Traders who landed in Ceylon, explored into the interior of the villages and met the local traders in search of trade opportunities. Foriegn traders are known to have taken with them for trade and barter commodities found in high demand at that time such as clothes, jewellery and foodstuffs like dried fish.( www.sailanmuslim.com:The unbreakable bond: Why Sinhala-Muslim relations have stood the test of time: Asiff Hussein).

According to travelogues of Ibn Batuta, (the renowned 14th century Arab traveller), after the conquest of Persia (Iran), Syria and Egypt, the Arabs had dominated all the salient ports and trading stations between East and West. It had been estimated that the Arabs had settled in Sri Lanka and Sumatra by the 1st century A.D. Before the end of the 7th century, a group of Muslim merchants had established themselves in Ceylon.

The first mention of Arabs in Ceylon appears to be in the Mahavamsa the Great Chronicle of Ceylon, in an account of the reign of the King Pandukabhaya, it has been stated that this king set apart lands for the `Yonas ( Arabian traders) on the side of the western gate of Anuradhapura. (Perera B.J. `Ceylon Historical Journal-Vol.1). This may indicate an Arab presence in the island even before the advent of Islam, in 7th century. (Fr. S.G. Perera in his book -History of Ceylon for Schools- Vol. 1. The Portuguese and Dutch Periods, (1505-1796), Colombo (1955),

In the 7th century, when the people of Ceylon heard of the Prophetic mission during the reign of Aggrabodhi III, a delegation had been dispatched from Ceylon on a fact-finding mission to Arabia. The mission started when the Prophet himself was living, but was able to reach Arabia only during the time of Caliph Umar (654-664), Hence it is highly probable that Arab settlements existed in Ceylon even prior to the 7th century.

The Sinhalese Kings considered the Muslim settlements favourable. Many of the Arab traders may not have brought their womenfolk along with them when they settled in Ceylon. Nevertheless, many of them married native women who later embraced Islam.

The second wave of Muslims had come from South India. They are the descendants of earlier Arab traders who had settled in South Indian ports and were married to local women. Colonies of such Indo-Arabs emerged along the coasts of Sri Lanka. These settlements were described by the Dutch and British as Coastal Moors. (Lorna Dewaraja p 41, 43).

From the Anuradhapura period to Kandyan times there was a Muslim lobby operating in the Sri Lankan court. It advised the king on overseas trade policies. They kept the king abreast of developments outside his kingdom. One Muslim envoy had been sent to the Nawab of Carnata by a King. Another had been sent to Pondicherry soliciting French assistance against the Dutch, in 1765. The Muslim trader with his navigational skills and overseas contacts coupled with their multi-lingual ability (p 135-136). became the secret channel of communication between the court and the outside world (Lorna Dewaraja p 8). The Sri Lankan kings encouraged the Muslims to maintain their links with the Islamic world as this was mutually beneficial. In the 13th century, Al Haj Abu Uthman was sent by the Sri Lankan king, Bhuvanekabahu I to the Mamluk Court of Egypt to negotiate direct trade. They were sent on important and confidential missions to South India right up to Kandyan times.

Lorna Dewaraja says that when the Portuguese tried to gain a foothold in Colombo, the Muslims gave early warning to the King, nobles and the Sanga, provided firearms, fought side by side with the Sinhalese and even used their influence with South Indian powers to get military assistance to Sinhalese rulers. Through the intervention of the Muslims, the Zamorin of Calicut who ruled Kerala at that time sent three distinguished Moors of Cochin with forces to help King Mayadunne (p 50).

Invading Portuguese grabbed the trade forcefully from the Muslims and gave an ultimatum for them to leave the territory of the Portuguese in Ceylon. The invaders then started persecuting the Muslim traders who were mainly Arabs, but they did not flee the country which had become their homeland for several centuries. They began to move towards the Kandyan Kingdom seeking refuge. Kandyan kingdom welcomed the Muslims as by this time the Muslim traders have proved their credibility as highly disciplined and honest traders. When the Dutch invaded Sri Lanka and persecuted the Muslims in their coastal settlements, the Muslims had retreated and had sought refugee from the Kandyan Kingdom. King Senerat (1604-1635) and Rajasingha II (1635-1687) had been sympathetic towards the Muslims and settled them in the Eastern coast. According to Robert Knox, King Senerat had settled approximately 4000 Muslims who escaped the wrath of the Portugese and Dutch in the district of Batticaloa to revive the paddy cultivation. ( Mahavansa.blogspot.com, The Terrible atrocities committed by the Portuguese13-06-2006) These settlers were believed to be the ancestors of the large concentration of Muslims from areas like Kathankudy in the Eastern Province.

Muslims had been funtioning as physicians, and presumably they practised Unani medicine system, which found its way to this country through Beruwela

Muslims were integrated into Kandyan society primarily by giving them duties which related to the Kings administration. They were made a part of the Madige Badda or Transport Department. They were allowed to trade in arecanut, which was a royal monopoly. The Muslims from Uva, which was near the salterns, had to bring salt as part of their obligatory service (Dewaraja p 100-101). In addition to this, selected Muslims were involved in the Maligawa rituals and were given Maligagam lands. Their duties included salt, hevisi, silversmith (acari) also the higher function of kariya karavanarala. Therefore the Muslims were involved in the administrative and ritual aspects of the Dalada Maligawa as well (Dewaraja. p 107-8, 110). In addition, Muslims also functioned as weavers, tailors, barbers, and lapidarists (p 137-138).

Muslims had been funtioning as physicians, and presumably they practised Unani medicine system, which found its way to this country through Beruwela. Tradition has it that in the 10th Century, Prince Jamal-ud-din, the son of the Sultan of Konya (in Asia Minor) arrived here and practised Unani medicine.

According to Dr. C. G. Uragoda, Unani physicians at first transmitted their medical knowledge orally to members of their own families. Later, information was written down in Tamil language in Arabic script, and kept within the family. Many of the medical plants found in the Kandyan areas and used in Ayurveda began to be employed in the Unani system too. Unani drugs were brought to the country by trading vessels coming from Arabia and the Persian Gulf. These drugs consisted of mainly syrups, which contained ingredients such as rose petals, grapes, dates and musk. Many local constituents were also made use of. Dewaraja states that at this time, Unani had been practised in its purest form in towns like Colombo, Galle and Beruwela (p 128). A Muslim physician named Sulaiman Kuttiya who was practising in Galle was invited to the Kandyan court, taken into royal service and given land near Gampola.

His descendants who lived till 1874 carried the prefix Galle Vedaralala (p 91). The most renowned of these Muslim physicians were the Gopala Moors of Gataberiya in the Kegalle District. The family traces its pedigree to a physician from Islamic Spain, whose descendants migrated to the Sind in Northern India, from where they were ordered to come to Sri Lanka to attend on King Parakramabahu II of Dambadeniya (1236-1270) (p 128). The Gopala descendants continued to function as physicians to the king, during reigns of Rajadirajasinghe (1782-1798) and Sriwickrama Rajasinghe. (1798-1815). The Dutch also appointed two Muslims as local physicians in their hospitals, and one of them, Mira Lebbe Mestriar who was later appointed as Native Superintendent of the Medical Department in 1806 by the British (p 133).

Waidyasekera Duwegoda Ranasinghe Mudiyanselage M. M. M. Irshad who is an Ayurvedic physician from Talduwa in Awissawella. claims that he is a descendant of the lineage of royal physicians who served King Rajasinghe1 of Seethawaka. According to him, he belongs to the fourteenth generation. How Irshads ancestors came to Talduwa in Avissawella during the reign of Rajasinghe 1 is a tale worth relating.

According to him Rajasinghes queen suffering from an incurable ailment had been attended to by many renowned physicians without success. When Irshads ancestor arrived the king with a desire to test his competence had tied a thread to the foot of a table and given it to the physician. He rightly recognised it as a lifeless nerve. Next the thread was tied to the foot of a cat and yet again he identified it correctly. Thirdly the thread was tied to the queens hand and the physician recognised it as the nerve of a living being. The king taken up by his cleverness assigned him the task of curing the queen. When the queen was cured completely, the king as an act of tribute settled the Muslim physician and his family in Talduwa.

Irshad claimed that all his ancestors even his father had studied under monks. He had studied for three years in a temple. Most of their medicinal recipes are written on ola leaf in Sanskrit. They are forced to learn Sanskrit to prepare the medicines. Irshad still possesses a number of ola leaf writings in Sanskrit, Sinhala and Tamil. His ancestors specialised in curing skin diseases and paralysis, and even today people arrive in their numbers from as far as Maldives to meet Irshad.(From Arabia to Thalduwa by Jennifer Paladano:Sunday times 22-09-1996). Dr. Lorna Dewaraja further states that the Muslims not only served the king as physicians, but also as traders Soldiers, Lekams and Disavas. They were often bestowed with the titles of Madige Badda Disava and Madige Badda Lekam.

Many Muslims of the Kandyan districts have had definite hereditary patronymics of the vasagam type found among the Sinhalese. This is the ge- or gedara-nama, a Sinhala term meaning house name. For instance, one could still find among the Kandyan Moors patronymics like Aracchige, Lekamge, Galgedara, Lindegedara, Kandegedara, Vedaralalage-gedara, Gurunehelage-gedara, Muhandiramla-gedara, Vidanalage-gedara, Kali Mudiyanselage-gedara, Yahakugamhala-gedara, Kotmale Adappala-gedara and Nagahadeniyagedara. This type of surname precedes ones Arabic personal name. Thus we find names like Alakoladeniya Gedara Yusuf Lebbe, Kurugoda Vidanalage Gedara Abdul Hamid Wahabdin and Kandeedara Abdul Gafur Sitti Nafiya. Such ge-names seem to have been in existence for a considerable period of time, for among the names of 17th, 18th and 19th century Kandyan Moor physicians given by Mohamed Sameer (Personages of the Past.

When the queen was cured completely, the king as an act of tribute settled the Muslim physician and his family in Talduwa

Moors, Malays and other Muslims of the past of Sri Lanka.1982) we come across names like Meegahayate gedere gurunanalage Uduma Lebbe, Liyamagaha Kotuwe Wederale Sulaiman Lebbe, Rajakaruna Behethge Mudiyanse Abdul Qadir and Palkumbure Vaidyatileke Rajakaruna Gopalana Mudiyanselage Mohamed Udayar. What is however interesting is that the Moors of the maritime districts like Alutgama, Beruwala and Maggona also formerly bore ge-names which is widely attested in the Dutch Tombs covering the period 1766-1771 where we find such names like Ibrahim Tandellage Ahamadoe Nainde, Daroebesie Lienege Oemoer Lebbe, Iratnewalli Aratjege Oedoema Lebbe, Ismail Mokedonge Oemoer Lebbe, Pawelekodige Sleman Lebbe, Kopeaediaerlage Ibrahim Lebbe, Mamina Marekelage Ahamadoe and Assena Lebbelage Potoema Natja (Sri Lanka National Archives Dutch Tombos 1/3807 & 1/ 3764).

It is possible that such names, at least in some instances, were originally borne by the Sinhalese ancestress of these Moor families who passed it down to their offspring, thus ensuring its continuity. In the alternative, it would indicate the readiness of the Moors to adopt the salient features of the host culture so as to identify themselves more closely with their Sinhalese. There is reason to believe that at least a few ge-names such as Muhandiramlage borne by a number of Moor families were acquired as a result of their ancestors being appointed to the high office of Muhandiram etc by the Kandyan kings. The same may hold true of names like Vidanalage House of the Village Head-man.Vedaralalage House of the Physician indicates that the folk bearing this name are descended from medical men.

The Muslims of the Eastern Province are also known to possess kudis or matrilineal clans among them with names of Sinhala origin, namely, Ranasinga Mudaliyar Kudi and Verrisinga Aracci Kudi , Sinhalese derived names meaning Clan of the Lion of War Chieftain and Clan of Lion Hero Headman respectively ( See Crucible of Conflict. Tamil and Muslim Society on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. Dennis Mc. Gilvray.2008). This may well suggest that the ancestors of these clans were Sinhalese, which is surprising given the overwhelming influence of the Tamil social milieu in the life of the Muslims of these parts.

( www.sailanmuslim.com: The unbreakable bond: Why Sinhala-Muslim relations have stood the test of time: Asiff Hussein).

Lorna Dewaraja vividly explains that during the time of the Sinhala kings, from the inception, right up to the Kandyan Period, there was racial amity between the Sinhalese and the Muslims. The reason for this was that the Muslim traders were economically and politically considered an asset by the Sri Lankan king.

The Muslims were received favourably in the Kandyan Kingdom, as far as can be seen. Robert Knox says that charitable Sinhala people gifted land to Muslims to live (Dewaraja p 115). Muslims adopted the outward appearance and dress and manners of the Sinhalese. It is said that even James Cordiner could not distiguish the differences between Muslims and Sinhala (p 120). In Galagedara there are yet two villages occupied only by Muslims, surrounded by Sinhala villages. These two villages had Mosques (Dewaraja p 104).

The Muslims were received favourably in the Kandyan Kingdom, as far as can be seen. Robert Knox says that charitable Sinhala people gifted land to Muslims to live (Dewaraja p 115). Muslims adopted the outward appearance and dress and manners of the Sinhalese.

Mosques were built on lands donated by the King. Present Katupalliya and Meera Makkam Mosque in Kandy were built on land gifted by the King. The architcture of the Katupalliya is Kandyan. (p114-115). Ridi Vihare in Kurunegala gave part of its land for a Mosque and allocated a portion of land for the maintenance of a Muslim priest (p 113).

In 1930, in Rambukkana many Muslim boys had received their education in Buddhist monasteries. Many of them studied Sinhala and idigenous medicine. Facilities were provided for the Muslim boys to say their prayers and attend Koranic classes, while living in the temple. In this remote village in Rambukkana, Muslims made voluntary contributions towards the vihara and they participated in the Esala Perahera. As a mark of respect the drummers voluntarily stopped beating of drums and paid obeisance when they passed the Mosque (Dewaraja p 113).

The relations that have existed between the Sinhalese and Muslims of Sri Lanka since ancient times illustrates the ethnic harmony in a pluralistic and multi-ethnic society. By and large, the Sri Lankan Muslims are peace loving and God fearing. Right from the inception they have exhibited their good will, generosity and a great degree of resilience towards all. Past history is a starked reminder to the present generation for peaceful coexistence. Of late emergence of business rivalry, rreligious intolerance, petty jealousies etc is on the rise and takes centre stage of racial tensions. Hate speech, including social media posts could easily whip up unscrupulous crowds on trivial issues into frenzy and cause anti-Muslim sentiments, turmoil and mayhem in the country.

Most of the time, these are the machinations of insignificant groups with vested interest. Yet, as a nation with a past bitter 30 year experience of ethnic unrest, an eye to an eye and a tooth to a tooth politics will get us nowhere. Today the Muslims are at the cross roads. It is crystal clear that groups espousing violence in the name of any religion have no place among peace loving citizens. Ironically, majority of the victims of racial tension in Sri Lanka and elsewhere have always been found to be Muslims. Any incident of isolated nature has to be taken up in the correct perspective of the Law of the land and timely tackled by the Police or the Security Forces.. This course of action would prevent organized gangs to take the law into their hands.

The relations that have existed between the Sinhalese and Muslims of Sri Lanka since ancient times illustrates the ethnic harmony in a pluralistic and multi-ethnic society

In this backdrop, it would be prudent to go the extra mile to train our citizens to cherish pluralism and tolerance from the childhood starting from school going days. Emphasis should be laid on the need for racial harmony through amity and coexistence. Emotional intelligence, beliefs, values and discipline may have to be instilled in the minds of people.

One must not forget the fact that united we stand and divided we fall. Let the bygones be bygones and usher in a new era of peace and harmony!: Hatred begets hatred and violence begets violence and To err is human and to forgive is divine Sabbe satta bhavanthu sukhitatta.
US President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Tuesday and replaced him with CIA director Mike Pompeo, ending an acrimonious 13-month relationship.



In an impromptu press conference on the White House lawn, Trump told reporters there was a chemistry problem between him and Tillerson.



It was different mindset. It was a different thinking, Trump said, adding: I think Rex will be much happier now.



A senior White House official said Trump wanted to orchestrate a change to his national security team ahead of planned high-stakes talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Tillerson, a Texan and the chief executive of energy company ExxonMobil for a decade before joining the administration, has long been dogged by reports that his time in office will be cut short.



Trump frequently cast Tillerson as weak and clueless. Their long-simmering tensions erupted into the public in October, after Tillerson suggested the US could engage in talks with North Korea.



I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man ... Save your energy Rex, well do what has to be done! Trump tweeted on October 1.



Days later NBC News reported that Tillerson had called the president a moron after a July meeting at the Pentagon with members of Trumps national security team and Cabinet officials. Tillerson never denied using the description, but said he would not be part of any effort to divide the administration.

Trump then challenged his top diplomat to compare IQ tests in a interview with Forbes magazine.

The 65-year-old Tillerson was at odds with a number of Trumps policies. For example, he favoured the US remaining in the Paris climate accord and has been less harsh towards Iran on questions relating to a deal to keep it from attaining nuclear weapons.

DPA, 13th MARCH, 2018
British Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 Russian diplomats today, blaming Moscow for the poisoning of a former Russian spy and sharply escalating the dispute between the two countries, the New York Times reported today.

Her statement to Parliament came after Moscow rejected a British deadline for Russia to explain itself over this months nerve-agent attack on the former spy, Sergei V. Skripal, and his daughter.

The two countries have engaged in an worsening clash in recent days, with Britain widening an investigation into the incident and courting friends and allies to increase pressure on Russia, while Moscow has threatened to retaliate over any punitive action.

This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom, Mrs. May said in an address to the House of Commons. It must therefore be met with a full and robust response.

She said she had agreed with Britains National Security Council to suspend all high-level contacts between her country and Russia, and to expel 23 Russian diplomats, who were given one week to leave. She described it as the biggest expulsion in more than 30 years.

The prime minister also said the government had agreed on new powers to crack down on the activities of foreign intelligence agents in Britain, that there was no place for serious criminals and corrupt elites in the country, and that an invitation for Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov of Russia to visit had been withdrawn.
Intended as a discussion group, the blog has evolved to be more of a reading list of current issues affecting our county, its government and people. All reasonable comments and submissions welcomed. Email us at: bill.pysson@gmail.com REMEMBER: To view our sister blog for education issues: www.district100watchdog.blogspot.com
The famous red shirt of Egyptian giants Al Ahly will witness a change next season, as a fourth star will be emblazoned on their logo.Earlier this week, Ahly grabbed their 40th Egyptian Premier League title. After beating ENPPI 1-0 on Sunday, a barren draw between El Masry and visiting El Entag El Harby 24-hours later handed Ahly the title for the third straight season.Defender Ayman Ashraf scored the only goal from a Ali Maaloul corner kick after just three minutes at Petrosport stadium, just outside Cairo, to give Ahly all three points against hosts ENPPI on Sunday (11 March 2018). Hossam El Badry's side held onto the narrow win to put their hands on the title.With six matches to spare in the 18-club league, Ahly have amassed 75 points from 28 games. Second place Ismaily has 53 points from 27 games with Ahlys eternal rivals, Zamalek third on 51 points.The feat see the Cairo-based Red Devils extended their unprecedented record in the Egyptian Premier League. In a league that started in 1948/1949, Ahly won 40 titles out of the completed 59 seasons. Their bitterest rivals Zamalek has 12 titles, Ismaily has three, while Tersana, Olimpy, Ghazl El Mahalla and Arab Contractors have a title each to their names.After completing a domestic treble last season, Ahly are looking forward to a similar feat this term. The Cairo giants are due to face El Dakhleya at the 1/8th round of the Egyptian Cup next month, with their spot in the Egyptian Super Cup guaranteed thanks to the league triumph.Their ultimate goal remains a much bigger one; the continental title. Five years after they last conquered Africa in 2013, Ahly are eager to extend their record eight titles with yet another CAF Champions League trophy.They have a foot at the mini-league stage having defeated Gabon's CF Mounana 4-0 in the first leg of the 1/16th round. The second leg is due for Libreville on Saturday.Photo: AlAhlyEgypt.com
New Delhi: The aviation ministry is targeting a five-fold increase in passenger trips to one billion per annum in 15-20 years in view of the huge growth opportunities the sector holds, Union Minister Jayant Sinha said on Wednesday.

The Minister of State for Civil Aviation said that the government is working on steps such as developing new greenfield airports and skilling manpower to achieve this target.

"A target of billion passenger trips in the next 15 to 20 yrs is very realisable and is in fact a realistic target that we should be looking for," he said here at the AIMA event.

He also said that the billion passenger trips would not come from aircraft alone but also from helicopters, sea planes and passenger drones. Many of these have still to be manufactured in the country and it provides tremendous business opportunities to start and develop these new technologies, he said.

Elaborating on passenger drones, Sinha said this is a big industry and in the coming years, it is likely to touch a trillion dollar mark.

"We in India have the opportunity to be a leader in this. We are already working on drone regulations so we can set standards, develop different drone technologies," he said.

"Like we have made air travel affordable to common people wearing 'hawai chappals, similarly we can go from auto rickshaws to air rickshaws, that is the opportunity," he added.

Further the minister said that the billion passenger trips would open tremendous opportunities for growth and investments for businesses.

"In 2013, the the total number of passenger trips was about 100 million. In 2017, we are going to get close to 200 million passenger trips," he said, adding that the total revenues of the airline industry last year was be close to Rs 2 lakh crore.

Indian railways and the telecom sector also have same level of revenues each, he said. He said that today only 5 per cent of the 1.3 billion Indians travel by air. Sinha said that this target would throw some major challenges and the government is working on it.

Safety and security is the number one concern and the ministry is working hard on this, he said, adding that "we are working on a unified security architecture with CISF" to ensure that all large or small airports have same level of high security.

To ensure safety of passengers, the ministry is investing spending on flight inspectors, air traffic controllers and engineers. He said land to build new greenfield airports is also a challenge.

New airports are coming up in Navi Mumbai, Goa, Pune and Jewar in western Uttar Pradesh. He informed that passenger trips at the Delhi airport stood at about 65 million currently and it would be doubled in the coming years.

"We think to get one billion passenger trips, we have to invest Rs 4 lakh crore. That is what experts are saying," he said.

On the job front, he said about 2 lakh people are directly employed in the aviation industry and indirectly about 1.2 million.

"This will quintuple. So we will have 6 million people working over the next few years," he said.

He added that revenues in the sector would increase significantly from Rs 2 lakh crore to Rs 8-10 trillion (Rs 8-10 lakh crore) in the next 15-20 years. Huge business opportunities will be created in areas like logistics, cargo, airlines, airports and ground handling.
The MPs from the Congress, Left and SP were seen shouting slogans over the manner in which the finance and appropriation bills were being passed.

New Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the crucial Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year without discussion amid ruckus through voice vote, which led to the adjournment of both the Houses of Parliament for the eighth day running.

The Finance Bill as well as the Appropriation Bill were passed in a matter of 25 minutes even as vociferous members from TDP, AIADMK, SP and the RJD stood in the well of the house and shouted slogans over a slew of issues.

Holding placards and shouting slogans, MPs from TDP and YRS Congress sought special assistance for AP, AIADMK members were seeking setting up of the Cauvery river tribunal.

The MPs from the Congress, Left and SP were seen shouting slogans over the manner in which the finance and appropriation bills were being passed. The Lower House was adjourned for the day immediately thereafter.

The opposition protested against the passage of the Budget without debate, as the session is slated to continue till April 6. The Rajya Sabha, which was informed of the passage of the budget at 2 PM, was also adjourned for the day thereafter.
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who turns 53 today, celebrated his special day with fans and well wishers.

Bollywood's Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan rang in his 53rd birthday with fans and close friends from the media. The superstar who is currently busy shooting for his next mega project 'Thugs of Hindostan', took a break from Rajasthan schedule to celebrate his special day with near and dear ones.

The actor cut the mandatory birthday cake along with his wife Kiran Rao and shared some moments with media people at his Carter Road residence in Mumbai. The actor said, "I'm grateful to my director Victor (Acharya) who allowed me to take a break for two days. I'm happy spending my birthday with my son Azad, Kiran and my mom, like every year."

Aamir's wife Kiran went to receive him at the airport to wish him on his birthday. He lovingly kissed his wife, a sweet gesture like never-seen-before. Kiran stood by Aamirs side throughout the birthday celebrations with the media, which is rather an unusual gesture noticing that Aamir celebrated his birthday alone over all these years. She even shared heart-warming thoughts on her beloved husband saying, The things that I like the most in him are his sensitivity and intelligence for which I married him. The deep understanding that he has of people, his love for people and his sense of caring and empathy for people, I think those are the qualities that most attracted me to him. Also his incredibly sharp mind his ability to understand ideas; I really hope he doesnt change.

It is quite interesting to note that Kiran and Aamir deliberately came in media's limelight amidst their separation rumours, and they even went on to show their intimate moments on camera for the first time in all these years that Aamir celebrated his birthday.

The separation rumours began when Aamir was rumoured to be dating his younger co-star, but the kiss might just put all speculations to rest.

Interestingly, Aamir made his Instagram debut today, by sharing a picture of his mother. He said," Kiran is quite fond of social media especially Instagram, so I thought of it too. I posted my mother's picture on my birthday because she brought me to life and that's very special to me."

On speaking about his 'Thugs of Hindostan' co-star Amitabh Bachachan, who is news for health issues, Aamir said, "I shot with him last night. He has problem in the back and shoulder as he has a lot of action sequences in the film. After a long time audience will get to see him doing action. So definitely it is a challenging film for him. But he is coping up well.

"There are times when you have physical problems. He has injury on the shoulder and back. Day before yesterday he had lot of problem but he is better now."

"I was so much lost while shooting that I forgot the time. Suddenly his booming voice come on the mic and he wished me in front of everyone. I was happy. I was wishing he should wish me first and he did," he added.

Aamir even went on to comment about Shah Rukh Khan's views on charging fees. "Main toh fees leta hi nahi. Bahot saal ho gaye maine fees lena band kiya hai. Jo film agar kam kamati hai toh main kam kamata hoon. Agar jyada kamati hai toh jyada kamata hoon. (I don't take fees. I have stopped taking fees years ago. If a film makes less collection, I take less fees; if the film makes a big collection, eventually I earn more)," said the superstar.

When asked about his competition with Salman and SRK, Aamir said, "There's no competition with anyone but myself. I feel happy seeing other people's good work."

On asked whether he would return for another season of Satyamev Jayate he promptly said, it would be great but currently the entire team of the show is working on water conservation initiative Paani Foundation. Me and Kiran are active participants of the project. It's been three years working on it. We shall put a special show on Marathi channel to highlight the issue."

Speaking of his future projects Aamir said, "I'll let you know about it at the right time."

Talking about how he wouldnt want to clash his 'Thugs Of Hindostan' with '2.0', Aamir said on Instagram live, I hope ki woh humare saath naa aaye warna humei problem ho jayegi. Rajinikanth bahot bade star hain aur mein unki izzat karta hu.

Speaking about the sequel of 'Sarfarosh', Aamir added, It is one of my favourite films. 'Sarfarosh' part 2 bane toh sabse zyaada khushi mujhe milegi. ACP Rathore ka kirdaar parde pe laana chahunga. Maine John (director) se kahaa ki aap iska part 2 banaie. Woh ab tak kahaan nahi leke aaye. But I am hopeful we will make the sequel one day.

Aamir concluded media interaction by thanking everyone for the warm wishes.
In the wee hours of Wednesday, Amitabh Bachchan confirmed on Twitter that his doctors had managed to cure him of his ailment.

Taking a leaf out of his late father Harivanshrai Bachchans poetic sense, Amitabh wrote in Hindi, Kuch kasht bada, Chikitsak ko chikitsa ke liye bulana pada, Ilaaj prabal, Swasth hua naval, Isi bahaane, apnon ko pata chala.

The veteran actor said that the team of doctors, who flew in to Jodhpur, where he was shooting for Thugs of Hindostan at the Mehrangarh Fort, had treated him and that he was back in action. Big B had earlier suffered a rib fracture on the sets of the film, and had even had to visit a hospital recently during the Film City schedule. Jaya Bachchan had confirmed that Amitabh was in pain owing to the heavy costumes he had to don for the Vijay Krishna Acharya movie.

He had also suffered from a back pain, which made him miss an event, before the medics treated him in time to attend Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus Bollywood sojurn.

No stranger to ailments, Amitabh has battled many maladies in his 49-year-long career in filmdom. From Myasthenia Gravis to tuberculosis, hepatitis B, a cracker blast that damaged his left hand, a near-fatal punch on his solar plexus, delivered by Puneet Issar on the sets of Coolie, hes been through it all.
Actress Priyamani, who has not signed any Telugu film in recent times, has filed a complaint against the producer and director of the film Angulika for using her images to promote the film.

Actress Priyamani, who has not signed any Telugu film in recent times, has filed a complaint against the producer and director of the film Angulika for using her images to promote the film.

In fact, the film started five years back but got completed only recently. I signed the film as leading lady initially, but walked out of the project for some reasons.

Later, they completed the film with another leading lady, but they are using my images in the films teaser, stated Priyamani in her complaint to Movie Artistes Association, adding, Even though I didnt do the film, the makers are using my images for the films promotion, for which they have to pay me compensation.

Further, she asked MAA to take necessary action against the makers of the film. The actress manager G Harinath confirmed that he had handed over the complaint to MAA. When we signed the film, they used the films logo with Priyamanis image and even after she walked out of the film, they are still using the same title logo, which is not correct, says Harinath.
Retirement does not help improve women's health but it does for men.(Photo: Pixabay)

When it comes to health, retirement has an impact on men, but makes not difference to women, the Daily Mail reported.

Economists say it boosts men's health but does not affect women.

"I really expected that peoples health would deteriorate after they retired," Claudia Senik, professor of economics at Paris-Sorbonne University, told the Daily Mail. Adding, "My reasoning would be that many people feel disaffiliated, especially if they had invested a lot of interest in their work and they lose their social integration. But the data tell another story."

For the study, Professor Senik examined people's health and their expectations of health, according to The Times reported. Surveys were conducted for almost 14 years in Australia. Participants were between the ages of 50 to 75.

Data showed retired men were 5% more to find their health had improved.

Academics believe the reason it may not affect women, is because they may already be leading healthier lives or their careers and motherhood could be a contributing factor. "One possibility is women are more able than men to make correct judgments about their health," Professor Senik believes.

The IZA Institute of Labour Economics in Berlin originally published the study.
London: Neanderthal may have an unwarranted image as brutish and uncaring, say scientists who claim that the archaic humans were compassionate beings who could provide knowledgeable response to injury and illness.

The study by the University of York in the UK, shows that Neanderthal health care was uncalculated and highly effective - challenging our notions that they were brutish compared to modern humans.

The care provided was widespread and should be seen as a "compassionate and knowledgeable response to injury and illness," researchers said. It is well known that Neanderthals sometimes provided care for the injured.

However, the study published in the journal World Archaeology suggests that they were genuinely caring of their peers, regardless of the level of illness or injury, rather than helping others out of self-interest.

"Our findings suggest Neanderthals didnt think in terms of whether others might repay their efforts, they just responded to their feelings about seeing their loved ones suffering," said Penny Spikins, senior lecturer at the University of York.

Most of the individuals archaeologists know about had a severe injury of some kind, with detailed pathologies highlighting a range of debilitating conditions and injuries.

In some cases the injuries occurred long before death and would have required monitoring, massage, fever management and hygiene care, researchers said. Analysis of a male aged around 25-40 at time of death revealed a catalogue of poor heath, including a degenerative disease of the spine and shoulders.

His condition would have sapped his strength over the final 12 months of life and severely restricted his ability to contribute to the group. Yet, researchers argue he remained part of the group as his articulated remains were subsequently carefully buried.

"We argue that the social significance of the broader pattern of health care has been overlooked and interpretations of a limited or calculated response to health care have been influenced by preconceptions of Neanderthals as being different and even brutish," researchers said. "However, a detailed consideration of the evidence in its social and cultural context reveals a different picture," they said.

"The very similarity of Neanderthal health care to that of later periods has important implications. We argue that organised, knowledgeable and caring health care is not unique to our species but rather has a long evolutionary history," they added.
The incident came to light when the girl started crying following which the parents of the girl along with neighbours barged into Mathews house and caught him sexually assaulting the girl. Mathew who tried to flee was caught and thrashed mercilessly.

BENGALURU: A 44-year-old lecturer received a thrashing like he never imagined after he was caught red-handed sexually assaulting a two-year-old girl at his residence. The incident took place on Monday night, in Kothanur police station limits.

The accused, Mathew, a native of Kerala and a lecturer at a private college in Avalahalli, had to face being beaten black and blue by residents before he was handed over to the Kothanur police.

According to police, Mathew was living alone in a rented house in Kothnur. On Monday late evening, he lured a two-year-old girl, daughter of a construction worker, with chocolate and took her to his house and allegedly sexually assaulted her.

The incident came to light when the girl started crying following which the parents of the girl along with neighbours barged into Mathews house and caught him sexually assaulting the girl.

Mathew who tried to flee was caught and thrashed mercilessly before he was handed over to the police. Based on the complaint filed by the parents, the Kothanur police have arrested Mathew under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and remanded him to judicial custody.
Chennai: City police have launched a hunt for a gang who travel in a truck and indulge in knifepoint robbery in parts of the city and in Tiruchy during the last few weeks.

The truck bearing registration number TN 18 S 9046, police said was a stolen one. Police sources said that the truck was stolen from Kavarapet in Tiruvallur district at the beginning of this month.

Since then, police sources said the gang had indulged in knifepoint robbery in Nemilichery, Thirunindravur, Ambattur and in Tiruchy targeting highway construction workers.

Recently, the gang had held labourers at the site of an under-construction bridge near Manali and escaped with several lakhs worth construction material in their truck.

The gang had also usurped the mobile phones and valuables from the workers.

The incident happened along the Tiruvottiyur- Manali road. One of the workers, Zamin (32) of Odisha, was also attacked by the gang while others were held at knifepoint. Preliminary investigations have suggested that the heist was carried out by an eight-member gang.

After a police complaint, police perused CCTV footages and identified the truck and found it was stolen from Tiruvallur more than a week ago. Police have also found that the gang was involved in similar robberies in other places on the city outskirts. Meanwhile, the truck was found abandoned near Sriperumbudur on Monday, police sources said.

The modus operandi is similar to the highway robbery gang featured in the recent Tamil movie Theeran based on true incidents that happened in the state a decade and a half ago. A special team has been formed to trace the suspects.
On Sunday , around 11 pm, he had knocked on the doors of his neighbour.

Chennai: Police on Monday arrested a 19-year-old college student, who in an inebriated condition, allegedly attempted to rape a home alone woman in her house in Kodungaiyur.

The accused teenager, S. Naresh Kumar. is a first year student at a private college in the city and is a resident of Kodungaiyur.

On Sunday , around 11 pm, he had knocked on the doors of his neighbour. The woman, a 27-year-old woman was with her two young children. When she opened the door assuming it to be her husband, the youth barged in and attempted to sexually abuse her, police sources said.

Neighbours rushed to the womans aid on hearing her screams after which Naresh managed to flee the scene. The woman filed a complaint with the Kodungaiyur police on Monday after which police arrested Naresh. He was produced before a magistrate and remanded to judicial custody. Police investigations revealed that the teenager was earlier warned by the womans family for making lewd remarks at her.

About a week ago, S Nirbhav Yadav (27), a security guard, was arrested for allegedly barging into an apartment and attempting to sexually abuse a college student at knifepoint.
HYDERABAD: Madhapur Police solved a five-year-old case and arrested Kammari Veerabadrappa on Tuesday for his involvement in thirteen bike theft cases reported in different police stations in the city. 39-year-old Veerabadrappa had run into debts to fund the treatment of his five-year-old daughter, who had developed severe health complications at birth. Working as an office boy in an IT firm in the city, he could not clear the debts honestly and so he started committing thefts of bikes. He gave the bikes to his creditors in exchange for the sums he owed to them.

According to the police, a scooter owned by a woman techie was stolen in the month of March 2013 and she had lodged a complaint with Madhapur Police, but the case stayed undetected. However recently, she got e-challans for various traffic violations in different parts of the city. Shocked with this, the techie kept a watch at the locations, where her scooter was challaned and one day found one unidentified person riding her scooter. She tried to intercept the vehicle, but the rider sped away. She immediately approached Madhapur Police and lodged a complaint.

ACP Madhapur Mr. N. Shyam Prasad Rao said that based on the details given by the woman, special teams nabbed the rider on Monday evening near Cyber Towers.

Inquiries revealed that Veerabadramma had married his first cousin. Their first child was born with deformities.

To treat her, he started borrowing in huge sums, but when he could not repay them, he turned to bike thefts. He was arrested and sent to remand on Tuesday.
Belagavi police arrested two people on charges of printing and distributing fake currency notes and seized Rs 82,000 in fake notes at Chikkodi on Wednesday.

Belagavi: Following an alert from the National Investigating Agency (NIA), Mumbai branch, the Belagavi police arrested two people on charges of printing and distributing fake currency notes and seized Rs 82,000 in fake notes at Chikkodi on Wednesday. A police team raided the residence of Ashok Mahadev Kumbar of Chikkodi and found the counterfeit tender. The police arrested Kumbar and his associate Rajendra Bapu Patil Desai of Raibag. The Belagavi police team is coordinating with the teams from Vijayapura to investigate the case and Sudheer Kumar Reddy, SP, Belagavi, is overseeing the operation.

According to the police, the incident came to light after Dalim Mia of Malda in West Bengal, who was smuggling fake currency from Kolkata to Maharashtra and Karnataka was arrested in Pune recently and information was obtained from him. It was followed by alerts sent from NIA officials to authorities in Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The NIA reportedly informed Belagavi police that the seized notes are of good quality and it is difficult for the common man to detect whether it is counterfeit or genuine.
Army chief Bipin Rawat said the world looks at India as a country that can balance the rise of China in the region as it was showing its 'assertiveness'. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday lauded China's military prowess, saying the neighbouring country, along with its economic rise, also focused on military modernisation.

"They have arrived well before the intended time than we had thought they would arrive," Rawat said at an event organised by the Vivekanand India Foundation.

Last week, China unveiled its largest defence spending increase in three years, setting an 8.1 per cent growth target this year, fuelling an ambitious military modernisation programme and making its neighbours nervous.

Today, China is the second largest economy in the world.

"While China ensured that their economy must rise, they did not forget the rise of their military power. They ensured that while their economy was developing the military power must rise simultaneously and that is why they are strong today in the international world order challenging the might of the United States of America, which was until now the sole security provider," he said.

Rawat said the world looks at India as a country that can balance the rise of China in the region as it was showing its "assertiveness".

Rawat also said strong economic growth is only possible with a strong defence.

"We cannot become the net security provider if the economy does not keep pace with the changes," Rawat said.

The Army told a parliamentary panel that the funds allocated to it in the defence budget for the next fiscal is insufficient to deal with various security challenges facing the country including from a more assertive China along the northern border and from a hostile Pakistan on the western frontier.

Both China as well as Pakistan were carrying out modernisation of their defence forces in "full swing".

Rawat's comments were in response to a question in this regard.

To step up defence production within the country, India is looking at collaborating with other nations, he said.

Rawat added that the Request for Information (RFI) has been issued for nine types of very high quality ammunition so that they can be manufactured in our country with transfer of technology.
Two hearts being transported to Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences, in Narayana Health City through the green corridor provided by the traffic police in Bengaluru on Tuesday. (Photo: DC)

Bengaluru: The city witnessed two heart transplants at Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences in Narayana Health City, thanks to the green corridor provided by the traffic police. The donors, a 10-year-old boy and a 41-year-old woman, gave a new lease of life to a 10-year-old girl and a 40-year-old woman respectively.

The 10-year-old donor who hails from Magadi, was admitted at Adichunchanagiri Institute of Medical Sciences following an accident at Nagamangala on March 9. He was later shifted to BGS Global Hospital, Kengeri and was declared brain dead on Monday after which the family agreed to donate their sons organs. The heart was retrieved by a team of doctors from Narayana Health City and was transported from BGS Global Hospital to Narayana Health City with the help of the green corridor.

The distance of 30 kms was covered in 26 minutes.
According to police, a verbal fight started between Haris and the victim, 24-year-old Vidvat Loganathan, at a high-end restaurant at UB City, with Haris and his friends brutally assaulted Vidvat, and later, threatened him when he was taken to a hospital for treatment. (Photo: ANI)

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of Mohammed Haris Nalapad, the son of Congress MLA NA Haris, in connection with an alleged brawl in a pub in Bengaluru.

The Bengaluru police on Tuesday had confirmed that Haris, who was booked for allegedly thrashing and threatening a man in a pub, confessed to the crime.

According to the police, a verbal altercation started between Haris and the victim, 24-year-old Vidvat Loganathan, at a high-end restaurant at UB City, with Haris and his friends brutally assaulted Vidvat, and later, threatened him when he was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Haris was soon arrested, following which he confessed to his crimes.

"A case has been registered, probe on. We have seized CCTV footage. We have arrested 7 people, including Mohammed Haris Nalapad. One of them is yet to be traced. They are in our custody for 2 days," Dr Chandragupta, DCP Central Division, Bengaluru had told media.
In an unstarred question, he had wanted the finance minister to state if 'it is a fact that government has accepted that its decision of demonetisation was the worst decision, and if so the reasons thereof.' (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Days before Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Agrawal joined the ruling BJP, he had put a rather inconvenient question to the government, asking if it has accepted that demonetisation was its "worst decision".

Denied a re-nomination to the Upper House by Samajwadi Party, Agrawal joined BJP. But days before that he had put a written question to the finance minister, the reply to which was given on Tuesday.

In an unstarred question, he had wanted the finance minister to state if "it is a fact that government has accepted that its decision of demonetisation was the worst decision, and if so the reasons thereof."

Minister of State for Finance P Radhakrishnan in a written response tabled in the House, said "No" to the first part of the question and "doesn't arise" to the second.

As per the rules and procedures of the Rajya Sabha, an MP can raise or ask a question to any minister by giving it in writing at least 15 days in advance.

A notice of a question is to be given in writing to the Secretary-General of Rajya Sabha and must contain the name of the minister it is addressed to and the date on which the query is proposed to be placed on the list of questions for answers.

In the same question, Agrawal asked if the decision was not the worst, what areas benefited from the November 8, 2016 decision to scrap old 500 and 1,000 rupee notes.

In reply, Radhakrishnan listed elimination of fake currency and strike against terrorist activities, action against generation of black money, formalisation of economy and digitisation as benefits of demonetisation.

"The fake Indian currency notes were being used by militants to fund their operations in the country. As a result of demonetisation, terrorist and naxalite financing stopped almost entirely," he said citing stoppage of stone pelting and other terrorist demonstration activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

He went on to state that as many as 17.73 lakh accounts, where Rs 3.68 lakh crore of scrapped notes were deposited post November 8, 2016, did not appear to be in line with the their tax profile. Explanation of such deposits were sought.

"Responses from 11.18 lakh persons were received giving information on 16.92 lakh accounts. 1 lakh high risk cases for enforcement actions have been identified based on responses," he said and 20,572 income tax returns have been selected for scrutiny.

More than 9.72 lakh taxpayers submitted their response providing information on 13.33 lakh accounts involving cash deposits of around Rs. 2.89 lakh crore, he added.
New Delhi: French president Emmanuel Macron, who was on India visit, is learnt to have told Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh that France does not have any objection to Indian government revealing the pricing details of the Rafale fighter jets bought by New Delhi in 2016.

Quoting sources, a report in NDTV said, Macron raised the issue during his meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Manmohan Singh on Sunday.

Congress has been campaigning against the BJP-led NDA government over the Rs 58,000 crore deal to buy 36 fighter jets made by the French company Dassault Aviation.

Congress chief has attacked the government for not making public the prices of Rafale fighter aircraft, and charged that there was a "scam" in the deal.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi calls Rafale deal a scam, says Modi personally got it done

The Congress claims that the price of the fighter jets was higher than what was finalised by the United Progressive Alliance government which had negotiated a deal for 126 aircrafts.

According to sources, Macron gave a positive response to Rahul Gandhi and said that France had no issues with the details of pricing being disclosed in the interest of transparency and accountability.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in a response to a written question Rajya Sabha last month, had refused to share the details of the deal on the grounds of security agreement signed between India and France.

Also read: Demand to disclose Rafale deal details 'unrealistic': MoD attacks Cong

Congress sources further alleged that the government is using the 2008 security pact for non-disclosure as a fig leaf as the French President has unequivocally asserted that government did not have any issues with the disclosing of the pricing details.

India and France inked the inter-government pact for buying 36 Rafale fighters, off the shelf, on September 23, 2016, after long negotiations, agreed upon during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France in April 2015.
Hyderabad: In yet another incident of kids falling victims to illicit relations of their parents, a six- year-old boy was severely beaten up by his mother's lover with an electric cable at Sanathnagar on Monday.

The suspect Ch Peddi Raju alias Chinna beat the boy after the slate pencil he was using broke. Neighbours heard the boy's cries and called the police who rescued the boy and detained Chinna. According to the police, Lakshmi lost her husband a few years ago after which she moved to Hyderabad and lived at Motinagar with her two children. She got into a relationship with Chinna about a year ago. Chinna, married and a father of two, is said to be a distant relative of her. As he was away from his family, he started living in Lakshmi house.

Chinna, who works as a driver, did not want to spend his money on Lakshmi's kids and often beat them over petty issues. On Monday while the boy was practicing writing on a slate, the slate pencil broke. As Lakshmi was away at work, Chinna took the opportunity to beat the child black and blue with an electric cable.

Neighbours, who heard the boy crying for help, found Chinna beating him and alerted the police. Sanathnagar police registered a case under Sections 324 of IPC and the Juvenile Justice Act. SI K. Krishna said that Lakshmi knew that Chinna was rude to her kids but she couldn't stop him. She was also booked for not objecting to the beating of kids.
Posted 3/14/18

Dawn Decker is the motivational speaker for the March 16 DIVAS meeting. She will be speaking about how women can support and encourage one another.All women are invited to join the DIVAS every third 
KOZHIKODE: Lack of modern firefighting equipment puts forest staff dousing blazes in dire straits. An iron rod with pieces of rubber sheet tied to it is the lone "firefighting tool" extinguish a fire that rages up to 60 feet. Activist N. Badusha says they use crude methods as the aborigines fought centuries ago. It's high time the forest department ensured water blowers, helicopters and fire extinguishers, he said.

The Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is facing the wildfire threat from the adjacent Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu. He said they should learn from the Theni tragedy. "They should avoid tourists camping in the interiors Parambikulam and Periyar Tiger Reserve, he said.

Some 60 eco-tourism centres in the forest regions should be shut during summer. Kozhikode divisional forest officer K.K. Sunilkumar said the fire beater, an iron rod with rubber sheets at the tip, was developed by WWS in 2010. But the traditional methods like counter fire and beating with the bush are the common methods, he told DC. The WWS had purchased a limited number of blowers last year. In February last year, one forest official got killed and five others injured, one of them seriously, during firefighting in the Bandipur National Park.
Chennai: The son, the hapless and innocent as he was, earned the enmity of his evil incarnate father, just because of his efforts in eroding the chances of erotic encounters of his father with his elusive life partner, whose cause and concern the son believed in espousing. Thus, the son exposed his own life to fatality, fit enough to be a sacrifice, sufficient to save his mother from her tormentor for a considerable period, but not sufficient to save his own life, said Justice S. Vimala of Madras High Court while upholding the life sentence awarded to the father by the lower court.

Dismissing the appeal filed by convict Thangavel, Justice Vimala said it is a rarest of rare case, where more severe sentence would have been appropriate. However, when the appeal is heard at this distant point of time, it may not be fair to enhance the sentence at this stage, the judge added.

According to the prosecution, the convict was an alcoholic and would sexually abuse his wife, whenever he was inebriated. Even twice or thrice in a single day, he used to have sex with his wife, in a normal way as well as in an abnormal way and also unmindful of the presence of his children. The convict was also interested in having oral sex with his wife. The midnight quarrel reached the ears of the son and daughters at home and the son used to question the conduct of the accused. The relationship was not cordial between the accused and the deceased. On September 18, 2010, when the deceased was sleeping, the accused murdered him.

On a complaint given by the wife, the police registered a case and the accused was arrested. The trial court convicted and sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment.

Justice Vimala said the evidence of witnesses, including that of his wife, show that the accused was an alcoholic and often fought with his wife. The father had animosity towards his son, as the deceased wanted to save the mother. The evidence also indicates domestic violence and marital rape suffered by the wife.

Point out that no compensation has been awarded to the victim, who has been doubly victimized on account of death of the son as well as incarceration of the husband, while the victim has to maintain two minor daughters, the judge recommended that the District Legal Services Authority, Tirunelveli to conduct an enquiry and award compensation not less than `3 lakh to the victim. Similarly, the judge also directed the District Child Protection Society to provide monthly financial assistance to each of the child for pursuing their education up to the age of 19 years.
Tamil Nadu Latin Bishops' Council had condemned the attacks and said it was an effort to 'chase away' Christians who had a fundamental right to worship. (Representational image)

Madurai: Prayer homes of Pentecostal church were attacked at two places in Madurai, allegedly by Hindu Munnani activists, police said.

Quoting pastor Ravi Jacob, who lodged a complaint, they said the group burnt some pamphlets and copies of the Bible and abused pastors and the faithful at the homes at Koodal Nagar and Sikandar Chavadi areas on Sunday.

Jacob alleged that 10 people came to his house that day, took away copies of the Bible and damaged them.

A clip of the group reportedly threatening the persons has gone viral.

A case was registered on Tuesday against 10 Hindu Munnani activists, of whom three have been identified.

They said some of the activists, during initial questioning, denied that they had attacked the homes and had only staged protests against persons being allegedly lured for conversion.

The activists said the complaint was a ploy so that some organisations could continue their "illegal conversions". Police said they had received complaints from the public that some prayer homes were being running illegally and demanding that these be closed.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Latin Bishops' Council had condemned the attacks and said it was an effort to "chase away" Christians who had a fundamental right to worship. This was not a law and order problem, but denial of right to worship and destruction of secularism, the Constitution and democracy, Council president Anthony Pappusamy said in a statement.
JP Singh was summoned after Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Pakistani officials of accusing India of harassing its diplomats and their families in the country and threatened to pull out the families if the intimidation did not stop. (Photo: Representational/AFP)

Islamabad/New Delhi: Pakistan has summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh over the alleged harassment of officials and families of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi, according to Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Pakistan also accused the Indian officials of intimidating the children of a senior diplomat while they were on their way to school.

The Pakistan high commission alleged that the children were harassed and blocked by Indian authorities while they were on their way to the British School, according to a report in The Times of India.

It said the counsellor's car with his children onboard was hit from behind by another car occupied by Indian authorities.

Singh was summoned after Pakistani newspaper Dawn quoted Pakistani officials of accusing India of harassing its diplomats and their families in the country and threatened to pull out the families if the intimidation did not stop.

He was summoned by Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Mohammad Faisal and a strong protest was lodged at the "maltreatment being meted out to the officials and families of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi", according to a statement by the Office of Spokesperson of Pakistan Foreign Affairs Ministry here.

Faisal emphasised that under the Vienna Convention, the safety and the security of Pakistani diplomats and their families is the responsibility of the Indian Government.

In reply, government sources in New Delhi said that Indian deplomats in Islamabad were being regularly tailed and intimidated.

"It's a normal affair for an Indian diplomat to get blocked in the middle of the road," a source was quoted as saying by TOI.

Sources in New Delhi said India has repeatedly requested Pakistan to mutually ensure that High Commissions are allowed to do their job in an atmosphere free of harassment and intimidation, that staff be allowed to work and that construction projects get completed on time.

Sources in India also said that on February 16, the Indian High Commissioner met the Foreign Secretary of Pakistan to lodge a strong protest against multiple acts of hooliganism against Indian properties and personnel.
The call for privatisation gathered currency after diamond jeweller Nirav Modi allegedly colluded with some officials of PNB to fraudulently obtain guarantees so as to avail of loans from Indian banks overseas. (Photo: File)

New Delhi: State Bank of India chairman Rajnish Kumar on Wednesday rejected demand for privatisation of public sector banks triggered by USD 1.77 billion (about Rs 11,400 crore) scam in Punjab National Bank involving billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi.

Speaking to NDTV, the SBI chief defended the record of public sector banks and asked if the private banks were free of scams.

However, he said that it was a "one-off incident" and the "hype and the negativity in the media is not warranted," even as he admitted that the scam has destroyed the image of banks.

"Can anyone say that 100 per cent banks of the private sector have same standards of ethics and governance? I agree that governance needs to improve. But it is not a case where only public sector banks need to improve," Kumar said.

Earlier in February, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had ruled out privatisation of banks saying the move may not be politically acceptable.

"This (privatisation) involves a large political consensus. Also, that involves an amendment to the law (Banking Regulation Act). My impression is that Indian political opinion may not find favour with this idea itself. It's a very challenging decision," he said.

FICCI president Rashesh Shah had also met the finance minister and asked him to begin the process of bank privatisation in a phased manner, leaving just 2-3 lenders in the public sector.

The call for privatisation gathered currency after diamond jeweller Nirav Modi allegedly colluded with some officials of PNB to fraudulently obtain guarantees so as to avail of loans from Indian banks overseas.

Industry body Assocham had also urged the government to reduce its stake in public sector banks to less than 50 per cent so that they can work with the sense of accountability and with the interest of stakeholders and depositors on priority.

Some industrialists too supported bank privatisation.

Adi Godrej of Godrej Group said the move would be good for the country as there are 'less or no' frauds at private banks. Bajaj Group head Rahul Bajaj too pitched for bank privatisation.
BENGALURU: A complaint has been filed against the spiritual leader and Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Indira Nagar police station for his provocative remarks about the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi controversy.

The complainant, advocate Alam Pasha, founder of an NGO The Helping Citizen and Peoples Court, wrote in the complaint that Sri Sri was creating communal disharmony by spreading hatred among different communities through speech.

Referring to the Sri Sris If the Ram Mandir issue is not solved, we will have a Syria in India remarks in an interview recently to allegedly warn Muslims to give up their claim on the Ayodhya site in Uttar Pradesh if they don't want to see Syria-like situation in India, where hundreds of Muslims killed, Mr. Pasha wrote that Sri Sri was intentionally making such speeches to create riots and disturb the peace.

Sri Sris remarks Muslims should give up their claim on Ayodhya as a goodwill gesture. Ayodhya is not a place of faith for Muslims...We cannot make Lord Ram to be born in another place... If the court rules against a temple, there will be bloodshed. Do you think the Hindu majority will allow it? They will garner resentment towards the Muslim community stoked a massive controversy throughout the country and the spiritual guru was criticized for the remarks.

Sri Sri later clarified saying that he had only used Syria as an example and that it was a point of view, and not threat.
GUNTUR: Guntur MP Galla Jayadev demanded sanction of Rs 3,00,000 crore by the Union government for establishment of new capital Amaravati. He said that the Government of India assured to build the new capital but funds were not allotted. He sought release of Rs 43,000 crore to construct essential infrastructure for the new capital. He informed that he proposed amendments to Finance Bill 2018 which is likely to be taken on Wednesday in the Parliament.

He lamented that CM N. Chandrababu Naidu is sweating it out day-in-and-day-out to build Amara-vati but that the absence of funds with the Union government is creating hurdles for the development of the state. Mr Jayadev said that special category status should be conferred on AP and that the status should be retained for 10 years to establish level playing field.

He sought implementation of Section 46(2) of AP Reorganisation Act which mandates GoI giving grants, incentives in the form of special development package for Raya-laseema and Northern AP on the lines of Bundelkhand. He sought incentives to industries in the form of tax concessions on par with Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. He claimed that the new Capital Amaravatis establishment requires Rs 3,00,000 crore hence the union government should immediately release Rs 43,000 crore to construct essential infrastructure for new Capital.
BENGALURU: Theres an election coming and clearly pandering to voters who are clamouring for community halls take precedence over young students of Siddapura who will lose not only their school but also their hostel when the local MLA green signals the demolition of the Government Primary School in Siddapura.

Around 53 young students are at the risk of losing their home as the Government Primary School in Siddapura faces the wrecking ball. If the school is bulldozed, these young kids will face double trouble as they will lose not only their temple of learning but also their home.

The Department of Social Welfare is all set to demolish the government schools building along with the hostel and to construct a community hall, an 'Ambedkar Bhavan and a Professor B Krishnappa Memorial Hall.

A non-governmental organization (NGO), Need Base India Foundation, which provides care and protection for these students, said that the children should be provided with an alternative shelter or they would be on the streets. These students are very poor and their parents beg for a living. They come to see them once in a while. If they demolish the building, we dont have any other place for them right now, said Mallikarjun, Deputy Secretary of Need Base India Foundation. Most of these students are rescued from the streets and admitted to the school and are housed in some of the rooms of the school itself.

A total of 57 students are studying in this Siddapura facility, attending Classes 1 to 7 with three teachers to teach them. The school was established in 1919 and later moved to its current location in the same area in 1993 on land owned by BBMP. The 99-year-old institution would have marked the centenary of its founding this year. Except, with polls coming, the impoverished students are clearly the first casualty.

The issue came to light after some of the former students of the school decided to oppose the demolition after they were told it was slated for the wrecker's ball. Vinay, a former student of the school said, There are more than 60 students in the school and the school is doing quite well. How can you demolish it by saying its not doing well. Thats very shocking and surprising.

According to the documents available to Deccan Chronicle, it restates that the decision was based on directions issued by the Social Welfare Minister considering a request submitted by R V Devaraj who is the MLA of the constituency citing fewer students in the school as a reason. Both the teachers and the former students said that could not be cite. What was a matter of concern, they said was that these students would be left with nothing - no home, no school.

The department of Public Instruction will be submitting an objection against the demolition. We have been running the school for the past 30-40 years and the property belongs to BBMP. They just cant demolish the building without giving any alternate land to the school where it can be run, said Ashwatha Narayana Gowda, Deputy Director of Public Instructions (DDPI). Block Education Officer (BEO), Rameshaiah also said that the issue will be discussed and taken to the higher authorities.

Ironically, this was the school that was supposed to be flagged as a heritage school as mentioned by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in his recent state budget.

The 2018 budget announcement stated that 100 Government Primary and High schools which have completed 100 years will be reorganized as Heritage Schools and renovated and protected in a phased manner. Education expert, Niranjanaradhya V.P. said, This is a 99 year old government and should not be disturbed for the purpose of these halls. I have great respect for Dr. Ambedkar and Prof. Krishnappa.
The BBMPs latest diktat after a court ruling is to ban illegal slaughterhouses, saying animals can only be butchered at the three licensed abattoirs at K.R. Market, Tannery Road and Pottery Road.

Is Bengaluru falling prey to the gau rakshaks? The BBMPs latest diktat after a court ruling is to ban illegal slaughterhouses, saying animals can only be butchered at the three licensed abattoirs at K.R. Market, Tannery Road and Pottery Road. The three abattoirs can handle around 800 slaughters a day, a mere trifling in a city that consumes over 10 times that amount. This means meat sellers will be forced to sell frozen meat, a crying shame in a city like Bengaluru, which is celebrated for its cosmopolitan, world-class cuisine. The BBMP, instead of establishing slaughterhouses, conducting checks at the shops and issuing licenses, has raided stalls and destroyed the meat. The move has resulted in a shortage of meat, a price rise and put a sizeable number of jobs at risk in potentially volatile neighbourhoods. The Palike needs to act more responsibly, reports Aknisree Karthik

In a city that sees between 8000 and 10,000 animals slaughtered every day for their meat, the BBMP's sudden decision to stop local butchers from slaughtering animals at their stalls is expected to push up the price of meat and result in a possible shortage. Is Bengaluru ready for either?

The butchers paint a horrific scenario of what is in store following the BBMPs diktat that all slaughtering of animals must be done at its three abattoirs in K R Market, Pottery Town and Tannery Road.

Says a meat shop owner near Byatarayanapura on Mysore Road, "This is a foolish move. For a city with a population of over one crore, how can only three slaughterhouses suffice? On an average, we slaughter three sheep (around five to eight on Sundays). Our day starts at around 5 am when we slaughter the animal, peel off its skin, clean the needed parts and have the meat ready for sale at 7 am. But now that the BBMP wants slaughtering to be done at its slaughterhouses, we will have to take the animals to them and stand in a long queue as there are only three and they cannot handle the rush.

Even worse, he warns they may now be forced to sell refrigerated meat. At present we never sell stale meat and maintain the necessary hygiene. We slaughter the animal and sell its meat the same day and slaughter more animals if neccessary. But with the BBMP's move, we will be forced to refrigerate the meat and sell it even if it is two or three days old, he laments.

Besides possibly being forced to buy stale meat, consumers may in future have to pay more for it as well, according to him. If we are expected to take our animals to the abattoirs, we will have no option but to charge our customers extra for the transportation cost involved, he adds helplessly.

Mr G K Iqbal, secretary of the Mutton Merchants Association, is unhappy that despite the BBMPs promise to build more slaughterhouses in the city, it still has only three. "For the past many years we have been told that model slaughterhouses will be built across the city. But till date nothing has been done and we still have only three abattoirs for the entire city, he points out.

Noting that on an average over 2,000 goats and sheep are slaughtered in the city on week days and even more on Sundays. he says the three abattoirs can handle merely 800 slaughters and even then only if they are carried out without a beak. In my view every area like K R Puram, Magadi Road, Yelahanka, Yeshwanthpur and Rajajinagar should have model slaughterhouses, he emphasises, also suggesting that the BBMP should have a vehicle to collect the waste and penalise the shops that simply throw it away.

Denying that the citys butchers are not hygienic, he says Let the BBMP officials inspect the mutton shops and penalise those who are not hygienic and sell stale meat. We too are concerned about hygiene. Just because one or two may have erred it is wrong to impose a blanket ban on slaughtering animals locally."

Clarifying that the meat vendors would not mind taking the animals to BBMP slaughterhouses if there were more of them, he adds, "We want the BBMP to quickly call for a meeting and resolve this issue. Otherwise our traders will have no option but to ignore its new rule and continue their business like always.

bbmp raids 200 shops, destroys meat in stalls without licenses

Ask Mayor Sampath Raj about the BBMPs sudden crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses in the city and he says it is acting on the orders of the High Court. While its true that the Gou Gyan Foundation, a non-profitable organisation established by like-minded young professionals, had filed a petition in court last year on the issue, its plea was only against illegal slaughtering of cows and had nothing to say against mutton shops.

But the civic body has gone overboard and is acting against all meat shops in the city, raiding over 200 and issuing notices to all of them. It also sprayed phenyl over the meat of animals, which didn't have the seal of approval from the BBMP's own abattoirs.

It was in January that the civic body issued a public notice saying that only meat bearing its abattoirs seal and a certificate could be sold in shops. It warned that selling of meat without the official seal would attract a criminal case and prosecution under section 429 of the Indian Penal Code.

Justifying the move, an official of the BBMPs animal husbandry wing claims that hundreds of animals are illegally slaughtered at the meat shops in unhygienic conditions. People will not eat the meat if they saw how the animals are slaughtered. Besides letting the blood run into drains, other waste is illegally dumped in storm water drains although the shops are expected to hand over the animal waste to the authorised BBMP garbage contractors, he says.

The BBMP's reasoning may be right, but it has clearly not thought the issue out and in the process could the city's meat eaters suffer?

We will establish slaughterhouses in all 8 bbmp zones: Sampath Raj

Why has the BBMP begun the sudden crackdown on slaughterhouses?

Mayor: We are only acting on the high court order on closure of illegal slaughterhouses.

But shouldnt the crackdown have begun after the construction of an adequate number of slaughterhouses in the city as it has only three at present?

Mayor: Yes, ideally we should have conducted the drive after the construction of sufficient slaughterhouses across the city. But a foundation has filed a contempt petition before the high court contending that illegal slaughterhouses continue to function in the city. So we had to act quickly. We will soon establish slaughterhouses in all eight BBMP zones after discussion with the animal husbandry department.

The sudden crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses could lead to a steep increase in meat price and a shortage of meat.

Mayor: Yes, we are aware of this and I have already started to look at what can be done to avoid a shortage of meat in the city. I intend to call a meeting this week with meat vendors and officials of the animal husbandry department to figure out a possible solution.
Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Uttam Patel wrote to the State Chief Election Officer stating people and media were removed from the counting center in Gorakhpur. (Photo: ANI | Twitter)

Lucknow: Media has been banned from reporting trends in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths home bastion, Gorakhpur as soon as the counting for the state bypolls commenced on Wednesday morning.

According to reports, a top official ordered the media out of the counting centre as soon as the gap started narrowing between the candidates of the ruling BJP and its main challenger, the Samajwadi Party.

Around 1 pm, Samajwadi candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad was leading with 1,33,565 votes over BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla after the ninth round of counting.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Uttam Patel wrote to the State Chief Election Officer stating people and media were removed from the counting center in Gorakhpur. He also alleged district administration is working towards making the BJP candidate win.

Also Read: UP, Bihar bypoll results: BJP trails in Adityanath's Gorakhpur, other key seats

Reports further state that District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela walked into the counting centre and stopped personnel from giving updates to the media.

Rautela also banned reporters from entering the counting area, which is unprecedented.

Denying that his move was linked to the worrying trends for the ruling BJP, Rautela said, "The counting of votes is underway. When the assistant Returning Officer sends counting figures of any round from the five assembly constituencies, it is scrutinised by the Returning Officer and two observers scrutinise the counting figures manually and digitally and then sign it. This process takes time."

He further said that the media is inside counting campus since morning. As per Election Commission of Indias instructions media can't be allowed in the area of EVMs.

Bypolls were held in Gorakhpur after five-time parliamentarian Yogi Adityanath vacated the seat after becoming Chief Minister in 2017.

The Samajwadi Party is also leading in the bypolls in Phulpur, which was vacated by his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

In both seats, the Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's BSP - heavyweights and staunch rivals - pooled resources in a rare deal that includes the Samajwadi's support for the BSP in Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh later in March.

Yogi Adityanath held an intensive campaigning in both constituencies and described the by-elections as a dress rehearsal for the 2019 general election.

(With inputs from agencies)
Three California women's lacrosse student-athletes got a firsthand experience last summer that life is very different outside of their comfortable and familiar bubble at Cal.andstudied abroad in Europe last summer, specifically studying in London, though they also traveled to Barcelona and Paris. There were some obvious adjustments like language barriers, weather, food and culture ideals, but they also experienced some potentially serious events that were in the news worldwide.They were present in London when terrorist attacks at the Finsbury Park mosque and London Bridge took place last June.While the three Bears were in no actual danger and returned to Berkeley safe and sound with a valuable experience added to their resumes, the events still made a lasting impact on their trip."I was a little uneasy about going there with everything going on, but my mom told me you can't live your life in fear and you could be missing an opportunity of a lifetime," Swenson said. "You have to be on guard and be smart, but you can't live in fear."For Wilkens, the acts actually enhanced her international journalism class because they implemented the live events into their class plan."We'd talk about what had happened the day before and what was currently going on," Wilkens said. "It was interesting to take real-time events and go about it as if we were actually reporting it. It was interesting to be at the epicenter of everything going on that had a global impact."Culture shocks and getting outside of their comfort zone in a different country were a couple reasons why they wanted to study abroad in addition to the education.As Wilkens said, they're surrounded by like-minded people with similar interests every day in Berkeley. This journey opened them up to new ways of thinking that will make them more well-rounded people."On our lacrosse team, we all have similar interests and come from similar backgrounds, so it's easy to know how we all work together," Wilkens said. "To go in this kind of environment and see how other people do things, not knowing where they come from or who they are, that will set us up for professional success in the future and how to deal with different people and team settings."Learning different perspectives on subjects they were interested in towards career paths is what made the trip so memorable for Swanson who took a marketing class with Swenson."I really wanted to utilize one summer with going abroad to get that culture change," Swanson said. "We wanted an individual adventure of roaming the streets. It's great to have that experience with adjusting to new environments, being lost and finding your place. We're going to have to do that when we're out of college. I'm happy it was an initial struggle, getting used to how things weren't just like how it is in the United States. It was fun in that sense we got to experience a new culture."As fun and memorable as the trip was, there was serious work to be done with a semester's worth of academics crammed into three weeks. The lectures were three hours long and then discussions were an hour and a half."The London School of Economics (LSE) was very different," Swanson said. "Our marketing course was very hands on. Our professor was very experienced in the whole London marketing system and a lot of brands. I haven't been in a class like that before. Learning about how markets and business work in Europe made the trip for me."The Bears went through the University Of California Education Abroad Program (UCEAP) to plan and prepare for their trip. Not only helping them prepare for the trip, but the UCEAP also had offices available in London in case the Bears needed assistance or help with anything.Director of Berkeley Study Abroad Darin Menlove said his staff is committed to creating more options for student-athletes to study abroad since they have a busier schedule compared to the general student body due to competition and training."We have serious students at Cal, and it's true that most students go abroad to expand their knowledge in a given subject and acquire numerous skills such as intercultural awareness, adaptability, respect for others and independence," Menlove said. "All of these really help set students up for success when they return to college and after graduation. One thing we do particularly well here at Berkeley Study Abroad is individual student advising, coupled with hundreds of program options. We are well prepared to assist student-athletes and other unique populations."Studying abroad is a popular way to earn course credit, so the Bears ran into some friendly faces in London who helped make the trip feel a little more like home."A lot of the students were Division I athletes, and a lot of them were lacrosse players too, so it was cool to have that in common with a lot of people there," Swenson said.The experience gained and life lessons learned while earning course credit will equip these three juniors with the leadership skills necessary for being senior leaders on the Cal lacrosse team next season, and for their professional careers after they graduate.
Bengaluru: Street vendors from across the city on Wednesday protested against the delay in distribution of ID cards to them by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The vendors, who are associated with the Bengaluru Jilla Beedhi Vyapari Sanghatanegala Okkuta, affiliated to AICCTU, protested in front of the BBMP head office against the delay by the Palike and underutilisation of funds allocated in the budget.

The city has over two lakh street vendors, while only 25,000 were identified from eight zones during the first phase of the drive, they said. Even the identified street vendors are yet to get their ID cards though the process was completed four months ago. The s urvey was not done properly. From lakhs of vendors, they have identified a few thousands. When will they conduct the survey for the rest of the street vendors, asked Vinay Sreenivasa of the Okkuta.

Earlier, the High Court, while ruling on a plea filed by Okkuta president S. Babu, had made it clear to the BBMP that ID cards should be issued before March 21.

Not even 1% of the budget allocated for the welfare of street vendors has been utilised, claimed the protesters. Vinay said the money allocated to provide facilities like toilets, pushcarts and drinking water is not being utilised.

Many street vendors from Vijayanagar said that they did not get any information on the construction of a Palika Bazaar-like market in their area, though they filed an RTI. The new Palika Bazaar can fit in only 45 shops, while we are more than 150 street vendors at the market. The authorities are not sharing any information related to the construction of the new market, said Babu.

Other street vendors from Shivajinagar, Gandhi Bazaar and Jayanagar said that they are frequently being harassed and evicted forcefully.

Ms Lakshmi Devi, Deputy Commissioner Welfare (BBMP), said, Steps will be taken to cover all the left out street vendors. ID cards will be given to identified street vendors before the poll code comes into effect.
New Delhi: In a new twist to the Ayodhya title dispute, the Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine the correctness of its 1994 verdict holding that offering namaz in a mosque is not an essential and integral part of Islam and Muslims can offer prayers anywhere.

The high court had observed that the sentiments of Hindus on offering worship should be recognised. Mr Dhawan said the 1994 verdict was binding on the three judges.

Thus, if the same logic were followed, a mosque would never be constructed on the disputed site as this finding had already prejudiced their right.

But Mr Dhawan said the issue could not be brushed aside. He argued that in 1934 the British had recognised the right of Muslims to offer prayers at the Babri Masjid and rebuilt the mosque. But this right was not recognised in 1949 after Independence.

Mr Dhawan informed the court that that on December 6, 1992 the Masjid was demolished and the idol of Lord Ram was surreptitiously placed at the disputed site. Muslims can never accept trespass by Hindus and criminality of demolition of the Babri Masjid, he said added that, Our right to offer prayers was not taken into consideration in the 1994 verdict.
Chennai: In a major relief to former Union telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his elder brother Kalanidhi Maran and five others, a special CBI court here on Wednesday discharged them from the illegal telephone exchange scam.

The verdict comes as a shot in the arm for Marans, who have already been discharged in the Aircel-Maxis case. The court cases had considerably reduced the clout of the junior Maran in the DMK and with Wednesdays verdict, he is expected to make a comeback.

When their discharge petitions came up for hearing before XIV Additional Special Court for CBI Cases in the morning, the special judge S. Natarajan posted the matter to 2.30 pm for pronouncing verdict on their plea.

Soon after the trial commenced in the afternoon, the judge said the petitions moved by former BSNL general manager K. Brahmnathan and former deputy general manager M. P. Velusamy, were allowed.

Similarly, he allowed the petitions filed by DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran and Kalanidhi Maran, Chief Technical Officer S. Kannan and electrician K. S. Ravi of Sun TV network, and Dayanidhi Marans private secretary Gowthaman. Passing the verdict in less than two minutes, the judge said that there was no prima facie case made out in the charges framed against them.
offering namaz in a mosque is not an essential and integral part of Islam and Muslims can offer prayers anywhere. (Representational image)

New Delhi: In a new twist to the Ayodhya title dispute, the Supreme Court on Wednesday decided to examine the correctness of its 1994 verdict holding that offering namaz in a mosque is not an essential and integral part of Islam and Muslims can offer prayers anywhere.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and Abdul Nazeer agreed to examine this after senior counsel Rajeev Dhawan, appearing for one of the Muslim parties, submitted that the 1994 verdict was wrong and needed to be reconsidered.

The Bench told the counsel that it would refer the matter to a larger bench that would examine the issues raised by Mr Dhawan.

The Bench asked Mr Dhawan to submit legal propositions by March 23 on why the matter required reconsideration by a larger bench of five judges.

Senior counsel K. Parasaran, C.S. Vaidyanathan and others agreed the issue raised by 1994 verdict could be examined as a preliminary issue. If it is examined by a five-judge bench as a preliminary question, then there is a possibility of delay in deciding the Ayodhya title suits.

The Bench dismissed the intervention applications filed by third parties who are not connected with the title suit.

When an applicant said that 10,523 residents of Ayodhya and Faizabad had signed a statement of compromise for the dispute, the Bench said such a compromise could be effected outside the court, as the present dispute was purely a legal issue.

Mr Dhawan pointed out that the 1994 verdict ordering status quo on installation of the Ram idol at the disputed site recognised Hindus right to worship at that place but completely ignored the rights of Muslims to offer namaz at the Babri Masjid, saying that offering namaz in a mosque is not an essential and integral part of Islam. He said the court had also taken a view that a mosque need not be rebuilt at this site.

He said the Allahabad high court, while deciding the title suit in 2010, had apportioned one-third of the land to Hindus, one-third to Muslims and one-third to Ram Lulla, relying on the status quo order of 1994.
Hyderabad: The Telangana government defended its action in conferring Cabinet status on its advisors, special representatives, chairmen and vice chairmen of government owned corporations and other statutory bodies, by claiming before the Hyderabad High Court that it had the necessary powers.

The state government told the court that the state government has the discretion to confer Cabinet status based on its requirements. Giving such functionaries the status of ministers is a common practice of state and central governments, the TS government argued.

S.K. Joshi, Chief Secretary of Telangana, filed an affidavit before the High Court after being directed to do so in the matter of a PIL by A. Revanth Reddy, MLA, questioning the action of the state government.

Mr Revanth Reddy contended that Article 164 (1A) of the Constitution has imposed a ceiling of 15 per cent of the total strength of Members of the Legislative Assembly on appointment of ministers, including the Chief Minister, who enjoy Cabinet rank status, and the Chief Minister has no power to accord Cabinet rank as he likes.

The states chief secretary Mr Joshi said in the affidavit that advisors, special representatives and chairmen and vice chairmen are not appointed as ministers by the Governor under Article 164 of the Constitution, and they are not part of the council of ministers within the meaning of the said Article, and they are not administered the oath of office and secrecy as requ-ired under Article 164(3).

He submitted that they do not carry out the duties and functions of the council of ministers and do not take part in the meetings of the council of ministers. The nature of their duties and functions are different from those performed by the council of ministers appointed under Article 164.

He brought to the notice of the court that the state of Telangana was formed on June 2, 2014 and the council of ministers is functioning from the said date.

Stating that the contention of the petitioner that there was no council of ministers on that date is incorrect, the Chief Secretary contended, the state government may appoint at any time based on its requirements and it is not necessary that the role of the advisors would arise only when there is no assembly or when the state is under President's Rule.

He told the court that the permitted strength of ministers of 15 per cent under Article 164(A) was not breached.

Mr Revanth Reddy has questioned the conferring of Cabinet rank on the fo-llowing: G. Vivekananda, R. Vidyasagar Rao, A.K. Goel, (advisors), A. Rama-krishna, B.V. Appa Rao, K.V. Ramanachary, G.R. Reddy (finance departme-nt); Devulapally Prabha-kar Rao, chairman, State Official Languages Com-mission; Pervaram Ram-ulu, Somarapu Satyana-rayana, Pidamarthi Ravi , and Prasanth Reddy, chairmen of government corporations; Koppula Eshwar, Chief Whip of the government; K.M. Sahni, Ramachandrudu Tejavath, and Dr S. Venu-gopalachary, special representatives to Telangana at New Delhi; Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, vice-chairman of the State Planning Board.
Official data reveals that around 30 of the 141 portable fogging machines have been dysfunctional since several months.

HYDERABAD: Though Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) claims to have spent lakhs of rupees to curb the mosquito menace in the city, the insects have multiplied manifold, leaving the denizens at their wits end as they find themselves at an increasing risk of getting infected with diseases like malaria, filariasis and dengue. Residents across the city complain that the Corporation has not been conducting fogging operations since the past several months.

Unfortunately, even as there is fear among the people, officials manning the Entomology Department of the GHMC appear oblivious to issue. The approach has been so pathetically sordid that a highly successful preventive measure such as fogging is not being done properly.

Officials come up with usual excuses such as staff crunch and lack of or dysfunctional portable fogging machines. Fogging has not been conducted in most areas across the city.

The official data reveals that around 30 of the 141 portable fogging machines have been dysfunctional since several months.

The department has an outsourced workforce of 2,250 people. Most of them have been deputed to collect property tax. With no efforts being made to take up fogging activity, mosquitoes have multiplied.

We face the mosquito issue in 365 days a year. We regularly complain about this to the officials concerned but no measures are being taken, rues K. Padmavathi, a resident from Nagarjuna Nagar in Tarnaka.

Even as people across the city had been complaining about the mosquito menace, the Municipal Corporation continued to be in denial and claimed that the situation was under complete control.

When queried about this, Chief Entomology Officer V. Venkatesh said that February third week to April first week was the ideal period for mosquito breeding in the city. He said that the mosquito breeding will be rampant in areas in and around water bodies, including lakes, tanks and others. He said that 30 fogging machines had to undergo minor repairs.

When asked about the fogging operations, V Venkatesh said that Corporation had been conducting them on a regular basis and gathering 25 signatures from residents for additional proof. However, he said that the Corporation will look in to the matter and initiate stringent action on the field-level staff, if they are found getting involved in misappropriation.

Meanwhile, the GHMC officials claimed that the Corporation had spent about Rs 58,46,493 from January 1 to March 31, 2017 and Rs 15,80,000 from April 1 to August 1, 2017.

The civic body had spent Rs 22, 43,750 on Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (BTI), Rs 11, 77,243 on Mosquito Larvicidal Oil (MLO), Rs 13,50,000 on Malathion technical material (MLT) and Rs 10,75,500 on Fethion from January 1 to March 31, 2017. In June 2017, it was around Rs 3, 50,000 for MLT and Rs 2, 28,000 for kerosene in July, 2017. The Corporation officials were reluctant to give the latest details.
HYDERABAD: After the expulsion of two MLAs, Telangana Congress MLAs are planning to resign en masse. After the suspension from the House, Congress MLAs held a meeting with Congress Legislature Party (CLP), under the chairmanship of Opposition leader K. Jana Reddy, to discuss the future course of action. They discussed two issues, mainly to take up an indefinite hunger strike by all expelled, suspended MLAs and MLCs and the ot-her one is mass resignation.

Mr Jana Reddy and TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had contacted the hi-gh command on this issue.

According to sources, exp-elled Congress MLA Komat-ireddy Venkata Reddy said that he will face the byelection and do not want to take legal action on this issue.

Then other MLAs said that why the only two MLAs should face the byelections, the remaining 11 MLAs sh-ould also resign and face the byelection. They expressed hope that all will win in the bypolls as people are very angry with the TRS government.

They opined that as there is more than a year left for the tenure of the House, if all of them will resign, the Election Commission will have to conduct the byelection within six months.

Sources said that Mr Utt-am Kumar Reddy and Mr Jana Reddy have contacted AICC president Rahul Gan-dhis office to inform their proposal to Mr Gandhi to ta-ke his permission to resign. But till Tuesday evening, they did not get any direction from the AICC president. A senior Congress MLA said that once the high command gives the green signal, all the Congress MLAs will resign and go for the byelections.

Congress had 13 MLAs and two of them were ex-pelled from the House and now, 11 MLAs are left with the Congress.
New Delhi: With the BJP losing prestigious Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, its tally in the lower house of Parliament has come down to 274, down from 282 that it had won in 2014. Since coming to power in 2014, the ruling party has lost six seats in bypolls.

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan's Indore parliamentary seat is not counted in the BJP's tally and the Election Commission is yet to declare a date for Kairana bypoll, where party's sitting MP Hukum Singh passed away last month. However, the party still is in a majority own its own in the lower house of Parliament, whose total strength is 543. With today's bypoll win, Samajwadi Party's strength has also increased to seven from five. In January, the BJP lost Rajasthan's Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats to the Congress in bypolls in the state where it had won all the 25 seats in the last elections. Congress tally is curently at 48.
Guntur: Jana Sena founder and actor K. Pawan Kalyan on Wednesday accused his ally, AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu of promoting corruption in the state and his son Nara Lokesh of being involved in the Sekhar Reddy case, while being careful not to attack his other ally, the BJP directly.

Addressing the gathering on the foundation day of the Jana Sena at Namburu in Guntur district, Mr Kalyan said that Mr Naidu was promoting corruption and attacks on government officials. He said that the Jana Sena will start questioning the TD government on corruption and made it clear that there was no reason to support the TD further.

Stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had vowed that he would never allow AP to turn into Scam Andhra, Mr Kalyan said that AP has now turned into the most corrupt state in the country, all due to the inefficiency of the TD.

Is Chandrababu not aware about the corruption by Lok-esh or is he supporting corruption? Contractor Sekhar Reddy was arrested with crores of currency notes during demonetisation, and Lokesh was in touch with Sekhar Reddy, Mr Kalyan alleged. He added that the PM has this information and this was the reason that Mr Naidu was afraid to fight the Centre for the SCS.
Its one of those photographs that indelibly sear themselves on to the memory. Every now and then, they pop up unbeckoned from the subconscious. I was about 10 when I first saw it, in a November 1969 issue of Life magazine. The expression of sheer anguish and despair on the face of the middle-aged woman at the forefront is unforgettable. The photographer heard gunfire soon after he began walking away from the scene. Ron Haeberle had captured the final moments of a small bunch of civilians who were among the estimated 504 massacred 50 years ago this week when Charlie Company was deployed, on March 16, 1968, in a South Vietnamese hamlet designated My Lai 4. They found no combatants, but nonetheless decided their orders obliged them to kill everyone they found and then to burn down their huts.

The photograph shows someone trying to gently restrain the woman with hands around her waist. To her left there is a much younger woman, holding a small child wearing a look of bewilderment and fear, who can be seen buttoning up her blouse. There is another petrified child in the background, clinging on to someone we cannot clearly see. The caption makes it clear this was the last time they were seen alive. It does not explain that the older woman was being held back because she had been kicking and scratching the soldiers who were bent upon sexually violating the younger woman, possibly her daughter. Once some of the truth about what happened in My Lai emerged about a year and a half later, the extent of the indiscriminate killings inevitably overshadowed the preceding sexual assaults. They were both par for the course, but unprovoked murder figured higher on the scale of atrocities than the degradation that preceded it.

Another of the photographs that Life published showed a large number of bodies  of all sizes, some of them very small  lying slaughtered between two verdant fields. The toll could have been worse, though, had not the US helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson inserted his flying machine between his compatriots and fleeing civilians, and ordered his two subordinates to shoot at any fellow Americans trying to kill the Vietnamese. Thompsons alerts to the regional US military headquarters initially went unheeded, but eventually prompted a command to cease and desist. He deserves credit for saving some lives. Charlie Companys Captain Ernest Medina was exonerated; Lt. William Calley, the only officer to be convicted of 20 or so murders, was freed from house arrest after three and a half years.

During his trial and incarceration, almost nine out of every 10 missives directed to the White House were pleas for clemency. The nation that picked Donald Trump as President in 2016 hasnt changed all that much. The continuity is illustrated also by the fact that Seymour Hersh, the first reporter bold enough to publicise the massacre at My Lai (as well as the coordinated cover-up that followed) almost four decades later broke the story of the atrocities at Abu Ghraib, a reminder, that dehumanising the enemy remains a crucial component of the American arsenal. Of course, other military forces are perfectly capable of comparable atrocities. Not long after Life published photographic evidence of the war crime at My Lai, there were similarly appalling images to contend with from the Pakistani military operations to thwart the birth of Bangladesh.

The year 1968 stands out in modern American history for a multiplicity of domestic reasons, from riots to assassinations. But My Lai and its aftermath arguably trump much else as an illustration of what the US was all about at that juncture. The massacre wasnt so much an aberration as part of a pattern, much of which remains unrecorded. But also, in some ways, unbroken  at home in America, but mainly abroad, where there will always be scope for mass murder.
India felt the sleight of Mr Trumps recent rant when he tweeted: When they (Harley Davidson) send a motorcycle to India, as an example, they have to pay 100 per cent tax  100 per cent. Now, the Prime Minister, who I think is a fantastic man, called me the other day and said we are lowering it to 50 per cent. I said okay, but so far were getting nothing. So we get nothing. He gets 50 (per cent) and they think were doing  like theyre doing us a favour. Thats not a favour.

For a motorcycle brand that accounts for less than one per cent of all motorcycles in the world, Harley Davidson commands a disproportionately large mindshare that is almost cult-like and mythical in its classic stars and stripes appeal. From Peter Fonda on a Panhead Chopper in Easy Rider and Lee Marvin on a Hydra Glide in The Wild One to Arnold Schwarzenegger on a Fat Boy in Terminator  the stereotype of a macho, devil-may-care attitude with the wind blowing through the hair has been a carefully cultivated and stereotypical imagery. The iconic guzzler is rooted in the inevitable motorcycle moment that afflicts all and subconsciously personifies the American Dream, with its politically compatible campaign line  All for freedom, freedom for all!

Along with other All-American brands like Levis and Jack Daniels, Harley Davidson is a perfect metaphor for US President Donald Trumps revivalist pitch for Made in USA globally. Mr Trump, who fancies himself as the saviour and the perfect deal-broker for all of Americas economic ailments and future deals, the backdrop setting of the trade wars with the rest of the world (including India) has witnessed the quintessential Trump-style inelegance of name-calling, mocking and bluster.

India felt the sleight of Mr Trumps recent rant when he tweeted: When they (Harley Davidson) send a motorcycle to India, as an example, they have to pay 100 per cent tax  100 per cent. Now, the Prime Minister, who I think is a fantastic man, called me the other day and said we are lowering it to 50 per cent. I said okay, but so far were getting nothing. So we get nothing. He gets 50 (per cent) and they think were doing  like theyre doing us a favour. Thats not a favour. Even the largest economic trade bloc for US trade and possibly its closest strategic ally, the European Union, was not spared the vitriol from Mr Trump as he stated that the EU was taking the US for fools with its tariff arrangements.

Analogically, like India on the tariff row, Mr Trump similarly thundered: If the EU wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on US companies doing business there, we will simply apply a tax on their cars, which freely pour into the US, adding: They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance! The retaliatory threat and no-holds-barred language was similarly deployed for Canada and Mexico. Mr Trumps penchant and frenzy for triggering trade wars has led to mega-plans for imposing punitive tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, a move that could hurt Germany, Canada and Britain  and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker reciprocated the sentiment by suggesting tariffs on Levis, Jack Daniels and Harley Davidsons to put the message across. The gloves are off, and Mr Trump truly believes that trade wars are good and easy to win. This current round of the unprovoked trade slugfest, ironically, benefits Mr Trumps bete noire China, as it remains oblivious and protected from the self-destruct bravado unleashed by him.

The temptation to play to the gallery of his core constituents and pursue a uber-nationalist agenda on trade militates against the supposed business sense that ought to accompany the billionaire businessman President. With the auto industry already reeling under cost pressure, any further increase in steel and aluminium prices would worsen the bottomline of the struggling US manufacturers. The flippant attitude of the US administration was showcased by the casual comment from the White House trade adviser, Peter Navarro, who brazenly said: I think the American people are willing to pay a cent-and-a-half more for a six-pack of beer to have an aluminum and steel industry.

The truth is usually a silent casualty in the din and emotions accompanying trade wars  such as Mr Trumps false figures on Indias exporting to the US thousands and thousands of motorcycles. On the contrary, US President Ronald Reagan had placed import tariffs on Japanese motorcycle manufacturers to protect the fledgling fortunes of Harvey Davidson from competition on American shores in the 1980s. If anything, the current Trump belligerence, apparently without the active petitioning of the US corporate honchos, can do more harm than good by dragging well-known brand names into the trade wars  first, these heritage brands would face the first wave of reciprocal tariff-treatment from irate nations; second, with the input costs of metals expected to rise, the cost structure for producing in the US would be adversely impacted; and last, these specific brands could face the angst and ire of citizens worldwide due to getting appropriated and dovetailed into the imagery of Trumpism.

As it is, Harley Davidsons worldwide retail sales were down by 6.7 per cent in 2017, compared to 2016  and the Harley Davidson has already forewarned of a significant impact owing to any potential backlash and retaliatory tariffs brewing in the trade wars. Following a series of high-profile resignations in the US administration (43 per cent according to a Brookings Institution study), President Trumps top economic adviser Gary D. Cohn (former CEO of Goldman Sachs) became yet another casualty. As a free-trade proponent, Gary D. Cohn was known as the rare grown-up voice-of-reason in the Trump administration, and was perennially at odds with the protectionist-nationalist majority.

Already the dark clouds of the forthcoming trade wars have driven up uncertainty levels, drastically. But theres still a perverse hope that like everything else in Donald Trumps style of theatrics and grandstanding, the trade wars are yet another saga of more bark than bite. For a man who authored The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump has been woefully at sea in negotiating any new deal in the Middle East, Beijing, Pyongyang, or in the till-recently calm waters of global trade and commerce. That the decidedly non-tea-drinking bikers of Bikers for Trump club may be a loyal psychographic constituency for the policies, politics and preferences of the US President  making credible and sane ground for his Made in USA pitch, is another story. The writer is a retired lieutenant-general and a former lieutenant-governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry.
HARMAN International, a Samsung based company had launched the JBL Soundgear in India. It happens to be a wearable device around the neck for a hands-free and ear-free sound experience.

JBL Soundgear is wireless and designed to connect seamlessly through Bluetooth to smartphones and tablets. Users can use mobile virtual reality headsets, such as the Samsung Gear VR, using the wearable sound device to create an audio experience with JBL Signature Sound. Additionally, the wearable sound device ensures users are always connected, packing up to 6-hours of playtime before having to recharge.

The company says that the Soundgear also features dual-microphone conferencing system with echo and noise cancelling technology to ensure sound clarity for clear conversations. The echo cancelling mic also allows users to take phone calls without interruption in the sound quality. The rubber anti-slip treatment ensures the device stays put when moving around, and soft-touch fabrics provide long-lasting comfort.

JBL Soundgear is priced at Rs 14,999 and is available at HARMANs e-commerce platform  www.HarmanAudio.in, on various online and retail channels and at 350 key Samsung brand stores across India.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
In a separate blog post, Google said it took down 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies in 2017, nearly double the number of ads it removed in 2016.

Alphabet Google said on March 14 it will ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and related content starting in June. Under the new policy, the company will ban ads for unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency and financial spread betting among others.

In a separate blog post, Google said it took down 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies in 2017, nearly double the number of ads it removed in 2016.

"Improving the ads experience across the web, whether that's removing harmful ads or intrusive ads, will continue to be a top priority for us," Scott Spencer, director of sustainable ads, said.

In January, Facebook said it will ban ads promoting financial products and services tied to cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings. The policy will be implemented across its platforms, including Facebook, Audience Network and Instagram, the company said.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Android Wear hasnt been in the market lately, and the name also doesnt actually describe that as an OS. Google might be thinking the same about the Android Wear and might also be planning to change its name to Wear OS. Or this may also be a major revamp, which the company can be planning under the hood and changing the name seems to be the initial step after all.

Even though major brands like Fossil and LG still rely on Android Wear, there isnt any substantial popularity especially in the wearable department from Android Wear. And to gain the heat and exceed in this area Google seems to follow the footsteps of Apple since WatchOS branding is the widely received OS of the company globally.

Google WearOS spotted by Reddit User

According to a Reddit user, who happened to notice this name change in Googles recently released Android P preview last week. The user actually noticed the new Google Assistant themed WearOS logo after installing the Android P preview and pairing his watch. He says that the Wear OS was mentioned in the Google Play Services package and seems to be in a beta version.

However, not much information is available right now as it is only in beta and the company also didnt mention about any revamps in the already existing Android Wear. So, we still have to wait and expect that this isnt only a re-branding but a full revamp of Google to up the wearable space. We can expect more from the Google I/O event, which is scheduled for May 8th this year.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be his next Secretary of State, is seen as an advocate of a tough policy on Pakistan. (Photo: AP)

Washington: CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be his next Secretary of State, is seen as an advocate of a tough policy on Pakistan.

Donald Trump, in a tweet, announced to fire Rex Tillerson as his top diplomat.

The US President said he personally decided to fire Mr Tillerson, because of the differences he had with the former Exxon CEO on a range of issues.

While he did not give a laundry list of such differences except for saying that they were not on the same page, his Afghan-Pakistan policy, in particularly the State Department's perceived soft approach to Pakistan was one of them, if the sources are to be believed.

The State Department under Rex Tillerson of late had been advocating for a softer approach on Pakistan in the months since President Trump announced on January 1 to suspend all aid to Islamabad till the time it eliminates terrorist safe havens from within its territory.

However, the Pentagon and the intelligence community, whose workforce are the prime victim of terrorism coming out of safe havens had been advocating from a tough approach on Pakistan.

Rex Tillerson's successor Mike Pompeo who currently is the CIA Director, National Security Advisor Lt Gen H R McMaster and the Defence Secretary Jim Mattis were seen to be on the same page when it came to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which the Trump Administration has evolved into a comprehensive South Asia Policy.

India is a central aspect of this policy.

Week's before Trump announced his decision on Pakistan through a tweet on the wee hours of January 1, Mike Pompeo had warned Pakistan.

Appearing at the Regan Defence Forum at Simi Valley in California, in the first week of December, the CIA Director said if Pakistan does not act against terrorist safe havens in the country the US will.

The Trump administration would deal with the situation if Pakistan turned down Washington's request to destroy safe havens, he then said.

"In the absence of the Pakistanis achieving that, we are going to do everything we can to make sure that that safe haven no longer exists," Mr Pompeo had said.

Mike Pompeo reiterated this a week after Donald Trump announced to freeze security assistance to Pakistan.

We see the Pakistanis continuing to provide safe harbour, havens inside of Pakistan for terrorists who present risks to the United States of America, Mr Pompeo was quoted as saying by CBS.

"We are doing our best to inform the Pakistanis that this is no longer going to be acceptable. So this conditioned aid, we have given them a chance. If they fix this problem, we are happy to continue to engage with them and be their partner. But if they don't, we are going to protect America," Mr Pompeo said.

Also Read: Thanks for your service: Trump sacks Rex Tillerson as US Secretary of State

He was responding to questions on the decision of the Trump Administration to suspend approximately USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan for its inability to take decisive actions against terrorist and militant groups operating from its soil.

"The president has made very clear that he needs Pakistan to cease being a safe haven for terrorists that threaten the United States of America, end, period, full stop," Mr Pompeo said, reflecting on the stand taken by Donald Trump.

Donald Trump told reporters that he and Mr Pompeo are on the same page. "With Mike, Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process. I think it's going to go very well," the US President said.

Mike Pompeo graduated first in his class at West Point, served with distinction in the US army, and graduated with Honors from Harvard Law School. He went on to serve in the US House of Representatives with a proven record of working across the aisle.

"As Director of the CIA, Mike has earned the praise of members in both parties by strengthening our intelligence gathering, modernizing our defensive and offensive capabilities, and building close ties with our friends and allies in the international intelligence community," Donald Trump said.

"I have gotten to know Mike very well over the past 14 months, and I am confident he is the right person for the job at this critical juncture. He will continue our program of restoring America's standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said the US president.

Donald Trump said his experience in the military, Congress, and as leader of the CIA have prepared him well for his new role. He urged the Senate for his swift confirmation.

Top American Senators were quick to respond to Donald Trump's call and promised a quick confirmation process for Mr Pompeo.

"I had a very good conversation with Director Pompeo this morning and look forward to meeting with him soon. As I shared with the president, the committee will consider his nomination as expeditiously as possible," Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said.

Senator Marco Rubio said Mike Pompeo is an excellent choice. His experience as CIA Director, an Army officer, and a congressman, and his proven leadership on national security matters give him unique qualifications to lead the State Department at this critical juncture. I will enthusiastically support his nomination and am hopeful he can be confirmed quickly," he said.
Theresa May said the biggest expulsions from London in 30 years would degrade Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years to come. (Photo: File)

London: Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday.

"Under the Vienna Convention, the United Kingdom will now expel 23 Russian diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers," May told parliament.

Also Read: Russia rejects UK order, seeks nerve agent access

"They have just one week to leave." May said the biggest expulsions from London in 30 years would degrade Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years to come. "We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents," May said.

May also said that UK is suspending high-level diplomatic contact with Russia over spy poisoning.
Four Muslim MPs in the British Parliament have been targeted with similar suspicious packages containing a mysterious sticky liquid and a letter calling for Punish a Muslim Day. (Photo: Representational/ AP)

London: Four Muslim MPs in the British Parliament have been targeted with similar suspicious packages containing a mysterious sticky liquid and a letter calling for Punish a Muslim Day.

Bangladeshi-origin MPs Rushanara Ali and Rupa Huq and their Pakistani-origin colleagues Afzal Khan and Mohammad Yasin are the four Labour party MPs to receive the same kind of package in their parliamentary offices within the Palace of Westminster over the last two days.

It is worrying that these things are getting through security screening because I know its very vigorously screened. Someone out there thinks it is open season on Muslims, said Huq, who represents Ealing central and Acton in south-west London.

One of her staff members who was hospitalised after coming in contact with the package has since been released. On Monday, two staff members from Yasins office had also been briefly hospitalised as a precautionary measure.

A parliamentary spokesperson said on Tuesday that two items of mail containing suspicious substances were investigated by the Metropolitan Police and were not found to be hazardous.

The affected areas were temporarily cordoned off but no evacuation was necessary. One person attended hospital as a precaution, the spokesperson said.

Scotland Yard confirmed that specialist officers had been sent to the scene to assess the packages, which were deemed non-hazardous.

Parliament has emailed all staff, warning them to be on the alert for suspicious items of mail.

Also Read: Shocking Punish a Muslim Day letters in UK urge physical, arson attacks

Meanwhile, Britains counter-terrorism officers continue to investigate after similar Punish a Muslim Day letters were sent to a string of locations across the country.

The letter incites verbal abuse and assaults on Muslims, as well as attacks on mosques, declaring April 3 as Punish a Muslim Day. It asks people to carry out violent acts including verbal abuse, removing a womans hijab or head-scarf, physical assault and using acid as a weapon.

The letter calling for attacks on Muslim is just the latest example of rising Islamaphobia and deplorable hate crimes in this country, said Pakistani-origin Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi, who raised an urgent question in the House of Commons yesterday calling on the UK government to do more to tackle such incitement to violence and help prevent the growth of such extreme views.

In response to the urgent question on the letters, UK Home office minister Victoria Atkins told MPs that the government condemns the content of the letters as clearly abhorrent, with no place in decent society.
Moscow: Russia on Tuesday rejected Britains demand that Moscow provide an explanation over the poisoning of an ex-double agent and said London should provide Moscow with access to the nerve agent. Before giving ultimatums its better to honour your own obligations on international law, Lavrov told reporters, referring to the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Russias top diplomat said that Britain should have sent Moscow an official request about the substance used on its soil. Lavrov said Russia had not received such a request and also demanded to be given access to the Russian-made nerve agent used to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Through an official note we had demanded access to this substance, Lavrov said, adding that Russia also asked to be informed about the investigation. Our requests have been denied. If the procedures stipulated by the convention will be implemented I assure you that Russia will fulfil its obligations, Lavrov said.

He insisted that Moscow was not to blame for the poisoning of the former agent said it was ready to cooperate with London. Russia is not guilty. It is ready to cooperate according to the Chemical Weapons Convention, if Britain takes the trouble and condescends to carry out its international obligations according to the same document, Lavrov told a press conference.
Ergievas ex-boyfriend who had decided to pay her a visit made sexual advances and upon being refused flew into a jealous rage and shot her in the head. (Representational Image)

Yet another woman falls prey to the jilted lovers wrath. 29-year-old Anna Ergievas horrified parents had the misfortune of discovering her headless body lying in a pool of blood when she failed to answer her phone.

The Ukranian woman had been chatting with an ex-boyfriend who was also a former classmate, the DailyMail reported.

Ergievas ex-boyfriend who had decided to pay her a visit made sexual advances and upon being refused flew into a jealous rage and shot her in the head.

Her severed head was later discovered buried, stuffed in a bag with some of her jewellery.

Police arrested the unnamed man in relation to Ergievas brutal murder, who after initially attacking officers and attempting to slash his own wrist gave in and confessed to the murder.

The 29-year-old said he had decapitated Ergievas body so as to abstain investigators from discovering the bullet lodged in her skull.

An alarm button was found lying beside the corpseIt seems the victim made an attempt to call for help, but was murdered before pushing the button, a police spokesman said.

Ergievas life came to an abrupt and gruesome end only because she refused to have sex with an ex-partner, who now faces life imprisonment.
International attention has been focused in recent weeks mainly on the plight of civilians in eastern Ghouta, where the United Nations believes 400,000 people have been trapped under punishing bombardment, deprived of food and medicine. (Photo: Representational/ AFP)

Beirut/Ankara: Sick and injured civilians left a rebel enclave in Syrias eastern Ghouta on Tuesday under the first medical evacuation since one of the deadliest assaults of the seven-year war began nearly a month ago.

In another sign of success in the governments mission to retake all rebel-held territory near the capital, the army also evacuated hundreds of fighters and their families from a separate small rebel-held pocket south of Damascus.

In the north of the country, on another main front, Turkeys military said it had encircled the town of Afrin, a big advance in its offensive against Kurdish fighters. Government forces also pounded a rebel-held area in the south for a second straight day, potentially reopening yet another front.

The developments show how the map of control in Syria has been changing in recent weeks, with Turkey and Russia both pressing their advantages since the self-proclaimed caliphate of the Islamic State jihadist group largely collapsed in 2017.

International attention has been focused in recent weeks mainly on the plight of civilians in eastern Ghouta, where the United Nations believes 400,000 people have been trapped under punishing bombardment, deprived of food and medicine.

Women carrying infants, men hobbling on crutches and an old man in a wheelchair waited at a school nearby, along with dozens who exited through the al-Wafideen crossing, a witness said.

During the armys offensive, more than 1,100 civilians have died, the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs says. President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces have recaptured most towns and cities in Syrias heavily populated west, has vowed to reassert his control over every inch of the country.

The government assault on eastern Ghouta has become one of the bloodiest of the war, with rebels on course for their worst defeat since the battle of Aleppo in 2016. The UN Security Council has demanded a 30-day ceasefire, but Moscow and Damascus say it does not apply to banned terrorist groups in Ghouta.

They have offered to evacuate civilians and rebels who agree to withdraw from the area, but so far the main insurgent groups have said they intend to stay and fight to the end.

Also Read: So many scared faces: Ghouta sirens distress call, death toll rises to 1000

Safe Passage

The government tactic of offering safe passage to rebels who agree to surrender territory played out on Tuesday nearby in al-Qadam, south of the capital, one of the few areas near Damascus apart from eastern Ghouta still in insurgent hands.

Military Media, a news outlet controlled by Lebanons Hezbollah group allied to Damascus, said buses had transported around 300 fighters from the Ajnad al-Sham group and their families to rebel-held Idlib province in the north. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said hundreds of fighters had left on buses over the past 24 hours.

Al-Qadam is surrounded by government-held territory on one side and Islamic State-controlled neighbourhoods on the other. The Observatory said there was fighting between government forces and Islamic State fighters in that area.

In eastern Ghouta, Russian-backed Syrian forces have captured swathes of the pocket of satellite towns and farmland, splintering it into three separate zones in recent days.

Yasser Delwan, a political official with the Jaish al-Islam rebel faction, said the patients who left the town of Douma on Tuesday were the first of several groups and were on a UN list of nearly 1,000 people needing emergency treatment.

State media said others followed the first group, which included about 35 people. They would go to a shelter nearby on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus.

State TV accompanied some evacuees and broadcast interviews in which they said rebels had blocked them from leaving.

Moscow and Damascus say their forces only target armed militants and seek to stop mortar salvoes by insurgents that killed dozens of people in the capital. They accuse the rebels of using civilians as human shields, which the fighters deny.

Troops pressed on with the assault on Tuesday and took some farmland around the town of Jisreen, Hezbollahs Military Media reported. The Civil Defence in Ghouta, a rescue service in rebel territory, said air strikes hit Jisreen, Zamalka, and Irbeen.

Also Read: Homes to rubbles: Air strikes in eastern Ghouta increase death toll to 800

Turkey closes in on Afrin town

Turkeys military and its rebel allies have encircled the northern Syrian town of Afrin, the Turkish armed forces said on Tuesday, a substantial advance in Ankaras offensive against Kurdish fighters across its southern border.

Turkey launched its operation Olive Branch in northern Syria nearly two months ago to sweep the Syrian Kurdish YPG from the Turkish border. Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist group and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

The Observatory said Turkish forces and their Syrian militia allies had encircled 700,000 people in Afrin and nearby areas.

Redur Xelil, head of foreign relations for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed bloc including the YPG, accused Turkish forces of carrying out demographic change by settling Turkmen and Arab families in Kurdish areas captured in Afrin. A senior Turkish official denied this as absolutely false.
Nathan Torgerson of The Torgerson Team at Keller Williams Realty was recently presented the honor of Most Closed Units By Agent for 2017 as well as the Diamond Award for the third year running for Most closed Production with Movement Mortgage.

Each year we recognize our top producing agents and teams for their outstanding accomplishments, said Nathan Brown, chief leadership officer for Keller Williams Realty of Greater Downtown Chattanooga. As an individual agent, Nathan Torgerson represented more closed units than any other individual agent.

I believe that is a testament to the loyalty of his clients, which I think it is a result of the phenomenal customer service that The Torgerson Team gives to their clients and customers.

With 92 units sold in 2017, Mr. Torgerson had a record-breaking year in terms of numbers, but he says the biggest honor for him is helping local families.



Being number #28 in Chattanooga for units sold means more to me than just numbers on a spreadsheet, he said. When I see that award on my desk, its a physical reminder of all of the clients Ive had the opportunity to help on their journey to homeownership.



This isnt the first time Mr. Torgerson has been recognized for excellent work in the real estate industry. This year he earned a spot for the second year in a row on Three Best Rated as one of the Top 3 Real Estate Agents in Chattanooga. The candidates for this honor are chosen through a 50-Point inspection that includes everything from checking reputation, history, complaints, local reviews, nearness, satisfaction, trust and cost to general excellence.



Mr. Torgerson was also named one of Americas most productive sales associates as a part of REAL Trends Americas Best Real Estate Agents, the newly issued ranking report produced by REAL Trends and sponsored by Zillow Group. He is now a member of the Americas Best Real Estate Agents, and ranked in the top 100 for the state of Tennessee. Torgerson is one of only a handful Chattanooga realtors to receive this recognition.

Im honored to have earned the trust of so many families to help them make one of the most important decisions of their lives, Mr. Torgerson. I look forward to coming to work every day knowing that Im making a difference.


Lahore: Milli Muslim League (MML), JuD chief and Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeeds new political party, on Tuesday said it will launch its manifesto on March 23, following a Pakistani courts decision upholding its registration as a political party ahead of polls this year. Saeed, who has kept a low profile after the government has apparently taken over all the movable and immovable assets of his Jamaat-ud-Dawah and Falah-i-Insaniyat Fou-ndation (FIF) and frozen their bank accounts in the country, is likely to unveil the manifesto of his party.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week set aside the decision of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to reject the application of the MML for registration as a political party. The ECP will decide the fate of the MML after hearing it in the coming days. Earlier, the ECP had rejected MMLs application to register it (as a political party) on the interior ministrys recommendation saying the MML has links with banned militant outfits.

In a statement on Tuesday, MML president Saifullah Khalid said after the courts decision there is no legal hurdle left in the way of its registration as a political party. Now we will launch MML manifesto on March 23 on its first founding day, he said. Referring to the court verdict, Khalid termed it a victory of the Pakistan ideology, saying the court has ordered that the MML be given a chance to play its role in national politics. The MML will select those candidates who can not only afford electioneering expenses, but also enjoy personal vote bank in the constituencies, he said and added such candidates must believe in supporting the Kashmiris freedom struggle.
Japan is considering a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, local media reported, as diplomatic efforts to engage Pyongyang ramp up.



The reports come after the surprise announcement that US President Donald Trump plans his own talks with the North Korean leader, part of fast-paced diplomatic developments following an Olympic detente.

However, there have been no public proposals of talks by either Pyongyang or Tokyo.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported a potential Abe-Kim summit late Tuesday, citing unnamed government sources who said the talks could be part of a new approach by Tokyo to dealing with the North.

Hours later, Jiji Press reported a similar story, saying Tokyo fears being left behind in dealing with the North if talks proceed between the isolated nation and South Korea and Washington without Japan's involvement.

Contacted by AFP, a foreign ministry spokeswoman said she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit.

But she added "we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective" to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang.

Earlier this week, South Korean envoy Suh Hoon visited Tokyo to brief Japan's leadership on the fast-moving diplomatic process that saw an announcement last week of a historic US-North Korea summit to discuss Pyongyang's denuclearisation.

Suh, the chief of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, on Tuesday met with Abe but it was unclear if he brought a message from the North Korean leader to propose a summit with Japan.

Media reports and experts say Tokyo fears it may be left out of developments around North Korea and worries that the issue of abducted Japanese citizens is being sidelined.

But the possibility of an Abe-Kim summit also comes as the Japanese premier faces a growing scandal at home over the sale of government land to one of his supporters, and an apparent cover-up of the deal by the finance ministry.

Abe rose to political prominence on his calls for a tough line on North Korea, particularly over its abductions of Japanese citizens.

Japan, a close US ally in the region, is in the firing line of North Korean missiles and saw two fly over its territory in 2017, sparking outrage and lifting tensions to fever pitch.

The last Japanese prime minister to meet a North Korean leader was Junichiro Koizumi, who met Kim's father Kim Jung Il in Pyongyang in 2004.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's eagerness to woo Lingayats seems to have landed the state government in deep trouble.



After Veerashaivas, minority leaders in the Congress, especially Muslims, have now flagged the move to declare Lingayats as a religious minority.

Muslim leaders, including Cabinet ministers, have warned Siddaramaiah that Lingayats, if declared a religious minority, could eat into their reservation benefits going forward since the population of Lingayats is perceived to be higher.

Urban Development Minister R Roshan Baig and Bengaluru City Development Minister K J George have, according to sources, conveyed the apprehension to Siddaramaiah. In Karnataka, minority communities - Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists and others - are entitled to a 4% reservation.

The concern is not confined to the Cabinet. "The move to accord separate religion status to Lingayats should not affect minorities. There is fear among a section of Muslim leaders that it will affect them. The party should not end up losing both - Muslims and Lingayats," Congress veteran and former Union minister

C K Jaffer Sharief told DH.

According 'religious minority' status to the Lingayat faith, as recommended by an expert committee, might have far-reaching consequences, an IAS officer pointed out.

"This would mean that a Lingayat will ask to be made Minorities Welfare Minister or chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission," he said.

Fear of backlash

To address concerns raised by the minority leaders, Siddaramaiah will have to maintain status quo for Lingayats as far as reservation is concerned. If this is done, there is a fear of backlash as Lingayats will continue to get the existing 5% reservation under Category 3B without any additional 'minority' benefits.

A member of the expert committee, on condition of anonymity, pointed out that the only discernible benefit of the minority tag will be enjoyed by Lingayat educational institutions run mostly by politicians. "All minority communities are categorised as backward classes in Karnataka. The only way reservation benefit will increase for Lingayats is when the existing categories are reorganised."

This is why minority leaders are apprehensive - Lingayats may demand reorganisation of the existing roster to claim a bigger percentage of reservation. "There's a need to make sure the existing benefits for minorities are ring fenced," an official from the Chief Minister's Office said.

Siddaramaiah is on shaky ground: He wants to recommend the Centre to accord 'religious minority' tag for the Lingayat faith, but Lingayat ministers want them declared as a minority under the Karnataka State Minorities Commission Act, 1994.
Two labourers were charred to death when a fire broke out at a printing press-cum-paper box manufacturing unit in Pune on Wednesday.



Fire brigade officials received a call about the blaze at Himalaya Estate Building in the city's Shivajinagar area around 3 am.

"Upon reaching the spot, it was found that the fire had broken out inside a printing press-cum-paper box manufacturing unit in the building," a fire brigade official said.

"Since the unit was closed, we broke open its shutters," he said.

The bodies of two labourers, who were sleeping inside the unit, were later recovered from the site, the police said.

A lot of paper materials were lying in the premises because of which the blaze spread rapidly, the fire brigade official said.

Seven fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the flames, he said, adding that the cooling work was still on.

A short-circuit possibly led to the blaze, but the exact cause was yet to be ascertained, he said.

An investigation was on into the incident.
Three CRPF jawans were today injured, one of them critically, when a shell of an Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL) accidentally exploded at a paramilitary camp in Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh, police said.



The incident took place this morning at the camp of 111th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Aranpur when the jawans were being issued arms and ammunition for the anti-Naxal operation duty, Deputy Inspector General of Police (south Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI.

"As per preliminary information, three constables identified as S Sornapalan, M Gyan Shekharan and Ram Singh, belonging to CRPF's 111th battalion sustained injuries after the shell of a UBGL (fitted with automatic rifles) accidentally exploded," he said.

Soon after the incident, the injured jawans were rushed to a local hospital, where the condition of Sornapalan was said to be critical, he said.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Union Budget for 2018-19 without any discussion on the crucial Finance Bill, which details taxation proposals of the Centre and Appropriation Bill that contains crores of rupees of spending plans by various ministries.



Both, the Finance and Appropriation bills were moved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley amid protest by slogan-shouting Opposition and later approved by a voice vote after all the demands for grants were guillotined. Jaitley had moved 21 amendments to the Finance Bill.



Guillotine is a parliamentary procedure used to set a definite debating time for a particular bill or to bring protracted debates to a close. In Budget parlance, guillotine implies putting to vote at once all outstanding demands for grants by various ministries whether they are discussed on the floor of the House or not.



This completed the process of passage of the Union Budget by the Lower House. It will now go to the Rajya Sabha, where though the Opposition has a majority, it cannot do much in terms of stalling the finance and appropriation bills which are money bills. They will be considered approved by the House if it does not return to them within 14 days.



The Opposition parties termed the passage of the Budget without discussion as "arrogance" of the government. They alleged the government had stage-managed Parliament deadlock to avoid a debate on PNB scam and other issues. BJD MP Bhartuhari Mahtab said, "it will be disastrous". He said the government should have discussed the two crucial bills.



The Congress, NCP and TMC staged a walkout during the passage of the two bills in the Lower House. Other parties shouted slogans of "stop killing democracy", "protect democracy". Samajwadi protested the restriction on media during the counting of votes for Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-poll.



The Lok Sabha also passed the fourth supplementary demands for grant of Rs 85,315 crore through a voice vote amid the din. The demand was made by the finance minister mainly for compensating states for their revenue loss due to the implementation of GST.



The entire business of voting finance and appropriation bills and the demands for grants were completed within half-an-hour after which the House was adjourned for the day.



This is not the first time that the demands for grants have been guillotined and the Budget has been passed by voice vote. Before this, in 2013-14 and 2003-04, the Union Budget had met with the same fate.
The County Commission on Wednesday honored Alvin Lee, who drove a county school bus for 52 years without having an accident.

"I loved my kids and took care of them," Mr. Lee said.

He said he decided it was time to retire with the perfect record intact.

Commissioner Chester Bankston, who honored Mr. Lee, said he was part of four generations operating the same bus. He said when he was a child that Mr. Lee's father was the driver.
Two Congress legislators were on Wednesday suspended for an unprecedented three years from the Gujarat Assembly and another for one year for assaulting other members over a demand for a discussion on the death of two children in Sabarmati's Asaram Ashram in 2008.



Assembly Speaker Rajendra Trivedi suspended Pratap Dudhat and Ambrish Der for three years, and Baldev Thakor for one year.

The Speaker, while pronouncing his order, severely reprimanded the legislators, calling their act goondaism and said that he wanted to set a precedent so that no other legislator in the future would dare commit such a crime. "I wanted to suspend the errant legislators for five years but the ruling party appears to be soft and has sought only three years' suspension," Trivedi said.

The trouble began when senior Congress legislator from Jamnagar, Vikram Madam, tried to raise a point of order on the death of two children in the Asaram Ashram. He wanted to know whether the government wanted to table the report of Justice D K Trivedi Commission, set up to probe the incident. Both the children who died hailed from Madam's constituency Jamnagar.

Speaker Trivedi barred Madam from raising the point of order and asked him to take his seat almost 26 times. However, Madam refused to give in and other legislators from his party, Ambrish Der and Virji Thumar, rushed towards the well of the House. Der even questioned the Speaker's intent. This led to a verbal duel between some BJP and Congress legislators. Suddenly, Congress legislator Pratap Dudhat rushed towards BJP legislator Jagdish Panchal with a microphone from one of the desks and tried to hit him, missing him narrowly.

Later, speaking to media persons, Dudhat alleged that he was being targetted by the treasury benches and abuses were being hurled at him for over a week. "Today, the legislator used foul language with reference to my mother and I could not tolerate it. I am sad about my behaviour in the House but not ashamed of what happened in the context of what was said about my mother," he said.

Panchal, for his part, denied using foul language. "There were women legislators and I am willing to resign as a legislator if it is proved that I used foul words," he told media persons. "In fact, outside the House, Congress legislator Baldev Thakor threatened to break my legs."

Voting in RS poll?

According to the ruling, the suspended legislators would not be allowed to enter the Assembly premises for the term of suspension. The entire Opposition staged a walkout in protest against the ruling, even as state Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki dubbed it "partisan, unparliamentary and undemocratic".

This also puts a question mark on voting by these three suspended legislators in the Rajya Sabha elections on March 23.
The claims of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind Al Qaeda cell in Kashmir  that one of the militants killed in an encounter with security forces in Anantnag district on Monday, was from Hyderabad, could give a new dimension to the militancy in Kashmir.



Three militants were killed in an encounter with security forces in Hakoora area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday morning. While two of the slain militants were identified as Eisa Fazili, of Soura in Srinagar, and Syed Owais Shafi of Kokernag in Anantnag, the identity of the third slain militant was not made.



However, a local news gathering agency GNS while quoting a statement of the Ansar, identified him as Muhammad Taufeeq from Hyderabad. "Taufeeq started his jihadi journey in 2017 after making Hijrah (migration) from India's Hyderabad city to the mountains of Kashmir and was among the first in the ranks of Ansar."



The statement said that the purported south Indian was known by two nom de guerre --Sultan Zabul Al-Hindi and Abu Zarr Al-Hindi. Ansar, which is headed by Zakir Bhat alias Zakir Musa, also released an undated picture of the purported south Indian militant along with outfit's deputy chief Rehan Khan.



Terming Taufeeq as "descendant and heir of Mujahid and conqueror of India Mehmood Ghaznavi", the Ansar in its official website Al-Nasr said, "We congratulate Islamic Ummah on the martyrdom of the mujahid and preacher Muhammad Taufeeq. His martyrdom is a cry of truth for the Muslims of India."



Though, if proven that the slain ultra was from Hyderabad, it won't be for the first time that any person from an Indian state outside J&K joined militancy here. In 2008, two militants from Kerala were killed in an encounter in frontier district of Kupwara, who were identified by their aliases Yasin and Fayaz. They reportedly belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba militant outfit.



However, this time the situation is different from what it was in 2008. Just last December the Ansar issued an audio message on the 25th anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition, calling Muslims in India to 'join jihad. "Every Indian Muslim must prepare to leave his home for jihad because the enemy is preparing for war," the speaker in that message is heard saying.



A senior police officer, involved in counter-insurgency in Kashmir, said, "Though the Ansar remains a small organisation, it appears to have won some cachet among young Kashmiri Islamists disillusioned with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Lashkar. If it (Ansar) could attract some radicalised Muslim youth from other parts of the country, it would be a huge challenge for security agencies to stop them."
Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states with maximum communal violence incidents in the country last year, the Lok Sabha was informed today.



Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said 822 communal incidents took place in the country in 2017, whereas as many as 703 such incidents occurred in 2016 and 751 incidents in 2015.

Among the states where the highest number of such cases took place in 2017 include Uttar Pradesh (195 incidents) followed by Karnataka (100), Rajasthan (91), Bihar (85), Madhya Pradesh (60) besides others, he said in reply to a written question.

In 2016 also, the highest number of communal violence cases was reported from Uttar Pradesh (162 incidents) followed by Karnataka (101), Maharashtra (68), Bihar (65), Rajasthan (63) among others.

"The incidents are reported to be attributed to religious factors, land and property disputes, gender-related offences, social media related issues and other miscellaneous factors," Ahir said.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected more than 20 applications from various sections of people, including filmmaker Shyam Benegal and activist Teesta Setalvad, to intervene in the Babri Masjid Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.



The court also declined to consider a plea for settlement of the issue as both Muslims and Hindus claimed title over 2.77 acres of disputed land at Ayodhya.

"We are not permitting any intervention. Earlier also we said no intervention would be allowed," a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer said.

Uttar Pradesh government counsel and Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and counsels reprensenting the original parties to the suit, also submitted no intervention application should be allowed.

"We are of the considered opinion that these interlocutory applications do not merit any consideration and they are accordingly rejected. We further direct the Registry not to entertain any interlocutory applications," the bench said.

The court, however, revived a writ petition filed by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy as he contended he had in 2016 withdrawn it only after the then bench allowed him to make an intervention application. "My right to worship is placed on higher pedestal than the right to property of the other parties," he contended, adding the matter came up for hearing only on his plea. The court said his writ petition would be dealt by an appropriate bench.

Counsel for an intervenor contended that a compromise formula signed by 10,523 people from Faizabad district has been worked out and the court should consider it.

World peace centre

Senior advocate Salman Khurshid, also appearing for an intervenor, contended the circumstances under which the matter was being heard was unusual. Former Cabinet Minister Arif Mohammad Khan submitted, a world peace centre should be established at the disputed site as 'Sri Ram Complex', where people from all religions can come and discuss spiritual issues.

He relied upon the suggestion once made by then CJI Justice J S Khehar for an amicable settlement.

"Without your intervention application also, you can make efforts. We can't allow it. We don't know what had then transpired but we don't find anything of that sort in records (on then CJI's suggestion). We are not saying anything. We can't say no to settlement," the bench said.
A Karnataka government project to fill several tanks with the secondary treated water from the polluted Bellandur lake here has stirred a controversy with a scientist and residents raising questions about it.



The scientific fraternity as well as, the residents of Anekal on the outskirts of the city have come out against the project, saying it would destroy their neighbourhood. They are apprehensive that even tertiary treated effluent dumped in the lake cannot remove the toxicants. Officials, however, said they would take steps to monitor toxin levels in the water every day.



Under the Rs 240 crore project, the Minor Irrigation department, the custodian of water bodies around the city, would supply the treated water from Bellandur lake to tanks in Kolar, Chikkaballapura and on the outskirts of Bengaluru urban district.



Spread over 1,000 acres near the infotech hub here, the Bellandur lake, the largest water body of Bengaluru, has been virtually reduced to the biggest septic tank receiving about 60 percent of the city's sewage. Nicknamed as "the burning lake", the Bellandur lake replete with sewage, chemical effluents and construction debris, drew national attention in January this year when a huge fire emanated from it, giving anxious moments to hundreds of residents living nearby.



It had also been in limelight earlier when the National Green Tribunal penalised two builders with a hefty penalty for encroaching its wetland and directed the state government to restore it at the earliest. The lake is in bad shape despite the tribunal pulling up the government and its various agencies for failing to prevent pollution and not doing enough to restore the lake to its pristine glory.



According to the present project, the Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) will set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) to treat the effluents dumped in the lake and the treated water would be taken to the other water bodies. It involves setting up of pump houses to lift the treated water from the STPs and lay pipelines to fill these 69 lakes. Already, one STP had started functioning. Of the 69 lakes, 64 are in Anekal Taluk of Bengaluru urban district alone. Rest are in Bengaluru East and Kanakapura Taluk of Ramanagar district.



Minor Irrigation department Executive Engineer D Dayanand, who is in charge of the project, told PTI that it would not shift raw sewage but the secondary treated water, filtered by the BWSSB at its STPs at these lakes. "BWSSB will monitor the content of toxins in the water every day. They will regularly compare the raw water and treated water.The sample of treated water will remain at the BWSSB's lab at the site," he said. The treated water would be stored in a separate tank from where it would be pumped to the water bodies, Dayanand said.



These explanations, however, have not convinced the residents and others. Renowned scientist Dr T V Ramachandra from the Centre for Ecological Sciences in the prestigious Indian Institute of Science here is critical about the project. He said he had seen the quality of treated water (from the functional STP) and it was "as good as the raw sewage". "They had written to me also about the project. When I checked the quality of water, I found it is raw sewage only.



They claim that they were transferring the treated water. Unless they remove the nitrate, phosphate and heavy metals before transferring the water, people will have a long-term problem," he said. The residents in the project areas are equally worried as they fear it will not only pollute the groundwater but also lead to felling of trees for the work.



Deepanjali Naik, a member of citizens' group "Voice of Sarjapura" said fire catches in Bellandur lake because the water had a petrochemical mix. "Even tertiary treated effluent dumped in the lake cannot remove the toxicants. Yet, the government wants to dump the secondary treated water in our lakes. It will poison the groundwater in our area," she said.
The government today informed Parliament that a total of Rs 12,476.76 crore has been released as special assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of the state.



Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the central and the Andhra Pradesh governments have been working together to implement the provisions made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APR Act, 2014) which include the establishment of several institutions and launch of certain projects, as mentioned in Schedule XIII of the Act.

"Government of India has released a total amount of Rs 12,476.76 crore as special assistant to the state of Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh," he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

NDA constituent TDP has pulled out its two ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary -- from the central government over failure to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Ahir said the Andhra Pradesh government has also communicated to the central government on the release of development grants, resource gap and Polavaram project among other issues apart.

It has also communicated on the implementation of apportionment of assets and liabilities and division of employees in respect of institutions listed in Schedule IX and X and continuity of services in respect of institutions listed in Schedule X of the APR Act.

"The 14th Finance Commission, without making a distinction amongst states, recommended an enhanced devolution of 42 percent of the central government's tax revenues to states to cover the resource gap.

"In case of Andhra Pradesh, the Commission recommended that the central government would provide revenue deficit grant of Rs 22,113 crore for a period of five years, in addition to the enhanced tax devolution. Funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh on this account for 2015-16 and 2016-17," he said.

Work related to Schedule IX and X and XIII of the AP Reorganization Act is under progress in consultation with both the state governments, Ahir said.

The Schedule IX of the Act listed the state undertakings like the Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Agro-Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd besides others.

The Schedule X of the Act lists training centres and institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology, Andhra Pradesh Study Circle for Backward Classes besides others.

The Schedule XIII of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act is related to the establishment of higher education institutes.
Amid high-volume campaigning for the elections, the Election Commission has quietly commenced mock polls to test the functioning of the electronic voting machines (EVMs).



Karnataka will require 85,650 EVMs, of which 67,650 will come from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh and the remaining 18,000 will be procured from Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand and defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). EVMs have started arriving in the state in batches. Teams from BEL, which manufactures the EVMs, are carrying out first-level checks.



District-wise mock polls have been initiated and they were done in Bengaluru Rural district on Wednesday, sources said.



"A key protocol followed during the mock poll is that 1,200 votes will be cast on an EVM that is chosen randomly," an official explained. "The functioning and fitness of an EVM can be determined only when 1,200 votes are cast."



Mock polls are being done in the presence of representatives of political parties, sources said.



The ruling Congress has asked its booth-level agents to monitor the mock polls carefully. "Once mock polls are done, the EVM has to be sealed off. If the EVM is not reset, votes cast during the mock poll will add to the actual votes, which could lead to unfair results," Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president G Parameshwara had cautioned party workers recently.



The 2018 polls will see the introduction of VVPAT, in which voters can see the votes they cast on a printout. The VVPAT prints a physical slip that is displayed for about six seconds, allowing the voter to verify the vote. The Election Commission of India will deploy 73,700 VVPATs for the polls.



Karnataka has 4.96 crore voters, including 15.42 lakh who will exercise their right for the first time. The office of the chief electoral officer has launched two public contests - to write an inspiring slogan and design an attractive poster that can encourage citizens to come out and vote.
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail petition of Mohammed Nalapad and others.

Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar dismissed the petition after completion of the arguments.

Nalapad, son of Shantinagar MLA N.A. Haris is lodged at the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison for brutally assaulting 24-year-old Vidwath with his gang. He approached the High Court after the Sessions Court denied him bail.

The Judge in the last hearing had orally observed that it was Mohammed who had assaulted the victim first as shown in the video graphic evidence provided by the special public prosecutor.



The Judge in his order stated that the petitioner is the son of a sitting MLA and granting him bail will allow him to misuse his power and tamper with the evidence. Moreover, the CCTV footage clearly shows the brutality of the crime and the horrendous atmosphere that was created by the petitioner.
The WoodSongs Concert on Saturday, March 24, will feature Pam Gadd and Kristy Cox, both known for their vocals and songwriting. Pam Gadd will be performing solo followed by Kristy and her band at the Wink Theater located at 115 W. Crawford St. in the heart of downtown Dalton. The doors will open at 6 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7 p.m.

Review for Pam Gadd and Kristy Cox:

Pam Gadd is no stranger to Dalton, having performed at WoodSongs Dalton with the New Coon Creek Girls numerous times. Pam's musical resume includes appearances on 10 albums and half-a-dozen videos, appearances on Hee Haw, Nashville Now, David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as a vocalist with Patty Loveless as well as being a Grammy and Academy of Country Music nominee with Wild Rose on Capital Records. Her considerable banjo skills, vocals, and songwriting have been part of recordings by many artists and she was nominated by SPBGMA for Song and Songwriter of the year. A gifted writer, Pam's songs have been recorded by Doyle Lawson, Rarely Herd and Carl Jackson, and in 2017 she won the Hazel Dickens Song Contest. Pam performed weekly at the Grand Ole Opry with Porter Wagoner as his singing partner until his death in 2007. She currently lives in Nashville and does music therapy for persons with cognitive disabilities, teaches banjo and conducts songwriter workshops.

Kristy Cox is the new voice in Australian bluegrass. Adored for her youthful energy infused acoustic country/bluegrass, she has been awarded with radio success and accolades for her talent. Kristy has just released her album 'Ricochet' which debuted on six different Billboard charts including #1 for Bluegrass Album. The first single from the album, the title track 'Ricochet' hit #1 on the US Bluegrass Radio Chart and #1 on the Australian Country Radio Chart. Her previous album 'Part of Me' saw her receive three nominations and brought home the Bluegrass Recording of the year at the 2017 Australian Country Music Awards. Credited for her performance and song writing capabilities, Golden Guitar winner Kristy has been getting a lot of attention in the international bluegrass scene.

The concert will benefit the DEO Clinic, which just began its 13th year of service to the community. With over 70 medical and non medical volunteers, the clinic is able to provide free medical services to qualifying low income uninsured residents of the Whitfield - Murray community. Modern Woodmen of America has agreed to match up to $2,500 in donations from the concert.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Advance tickets are recommended as seating is limited. Tickets for the event will be available in advance at the Dalton Freight Depot Gift Shop; Bigham Music; and online at www.woodsongsdalton.com.

For additional information about the event email deoclinic@yahoo.com or call 706-581-8025. To learn more about the DEO Clinic and its mission, visit www.deoclinic.org.

Sponsors for the event include The Downtown Dalton Development Authority; Arb's Insurance; Institutional Specialties; J & J Industries; Dalton Animal Care; Jevin's Ace Hardware; Hope 93.3; Donald Jones of Modern Woodmen of America; Engineered Floors; Dalton Print Shop; Little, Bates, Kelehear, & Toland; Dave and Pauli's Art Emporium; The Convention and Visitors Bureau; WDNN; Bigham Discount Music; A-1 Lock and Security; Octavio Perez - Real Living; North Georgia Surgical; Sassy Goat Milk Soap; L & M Photography; Zach Woody - Edward Jones; La Quinta Inn and Suites; Wyse Decisions; Bee Mixxx Productions; and Friends of WoodSongs.






When the early leads started trickling in on Wednesday, the ruling Janata Dal (United) preferred not to wait for the final outcome.



One of the party's spokesperson termed the people's verdict as "the one which was on predictable lines as all the three by-elections in Bihar were held after the death of the RJD and BJP sitting MP and MLAs respectively. So the sympathy factor was quite palpable. The verdict, therefore, should not be seen as a reflection of Nitish's governance."

Notwithstanding the JD(U) alibi, the by-polls are touted to be a mini-referendum by the voters for five prime reasons.

First, this was the first-ever poll which took place after Nitish Kumar switched sides and joined hands with the BJP-led NDA after dumping its original allies - the RJD and the Congress- in July 2017.

Secondly, this was the first election in recent times when the RJD president Lalu Prasad, the party's mass leader and a major crowd-puller, was not present to campaign for his nominees.

Thirdly, it was also a litmus test for Lalu's heir apparent and youngest son Tejashwi Yadav, who came out of his parents' shadows and campaigned aggressively for the RJD-led alliance thereby winning both the seats his party contested.

Fourth, the byelections were spread across the State. While Araria was in far north-east, Jehanabad was in Central Bihar while Bhabua in western Bihar, closer to UP borders. This reflected a mood of the electorate across the regions.

Fifth, the voters have apparently outrightly rejected the JD(U)'s call of 'double engine growth' ( in reference to Narendra Modi and Nitish combine) in Bihar, while at the same time infusing a new lease of life into the RJD which has been passing through bad times ever since Lalu was incarcerated in December last.

"The result shows people's faith in young leaders like Tejashwi. At the same time, the electorate have outrightly rejected Nitish's unholy alliance with the BJP against whom he fought and won in 2015 but deserted Grand Alliance midway in a classic case of crass opportunism," argued former Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwary.

"It's true that Nitish, of late, has deviated from his original agenda of good governance and shifted his focus towards social issues like prohibition, child marriage and dowry. It's high time he sets his priorities right," a former JD(U) MLA, who earlier served in Nitish Cabinet, told DH.
Buoyed by RJD's success in the Bihar by-polls, former deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, however, expressed his apprehension that there could be more misuse of the investigating agencies like the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Bihar and UP.



"I have this apprehension that with the BJP biting the dust in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, the Centre will now go the whole hog in misusing the two investigating agencies - CBI and the ED - against the Opposition leaders from these two states," Tejashwi said here on Wednesday.

Youngest son of Lalu Prasad and Rabri Devi, Tejashwi had earlier faced charges of financial irregularities by the Income Tax department, CBI and the ED.

However, nothing much came out of the raids conducted last year. Although, Nitish Kumar severed ties with the RJD saying he can't run his government in coalition with those tainted.

"With today's verdict, those who are ruling at the Centre as well as in the state should see the writing on the wall. At the same time, the Congress should lend support to regional allies and help form an umbrella of non-BJP Opposition parties," said Tejashwi who rebuked Congress for fielding its candidate in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in UP.

Tejashwi, who on Tuesday night attended the dinner hosted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, said that Congress will have to be a large-hearted party in accommodating the aspirations of regional outfits if it wants to give the BJP a run for its money.
Underlining that online promotion of sex trade is a "complex social issue", Goa Governor Mridula Sinha today appealed to various agencies to launch combined efforts to curb the menace.



The governor also said parents and teachers need to be more vigilant to ensure that girls don't fall prey to "such ills".

"Online promotion of sex trade is a complex social issue which requires response from all the stakeholders such as law enforcement agencies, social welfare department, women commission, parents, teachers, voluntary organisations and members of the society," Sinha said while addressing a special meeting on this issue at Raj Bhavan which was attended by various agencies.

The governor stressed the need to strengthen the legal mechanism for tackling the sex trade through the internet and suggested the state government take up the issue with the Centre.

"Apart from that, vigilance by parents, teachers and members of the society and creation of awareness are vital so that the girls don't fall prey to such ills," said Sinha.

Director General of Police Muktesh Chander highlighted the legal impediments, particular limitations under Section 69(A) of IT Act, in closing down the websites that offer escort services.

He said police are taking action in coordination with authorities concerned in various states and at the Centre.
The CBI will appeal in the Madras High Court the discharge of former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi by a special court in alleged "illegal" telephone exchange case, officials said here on Wednesday.



They said the probe agency is shocked at the decision as it believed that it had a very strong case on the basis of evidence gathered.

The CBI said it will seek legal opinion to file an appeal against the decision.

A special CBI court in Chennai on Wednesday discharged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother Kalanithi and other accused in the case.

Special judge S Natarajan allowed the petitions filed by the Maran brothers and others seeking their discharge, holding that there was no prima facie case against them.

The judge had on March 9 reserved orders for Wednesday in the case.

The CBI had alleged that an illegal private telephone exchange was set up at the Chennai residence of Dayanidhi Maran during 2004-06 when he was the telecom minister and it was used for the business transactions involving the Sun Network owned by his brother Kalanithi.

The central agency had alleged that Dayanidhi Maran had caused a loss of Rs 1.78 crore to the exchequer.

The other accused, who have been discharged, are former BSNL general manager K Brahmanathan, former deputy general manager M P Velusamy, Dayanidhi Maran's private secretary Gauthaman, and other Sun TV officials.
The CBI has registered a preliminary enquiry into irregularities in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination held on February 21 this year, officials said on Wednesday.



They said the agency had examined the reference received from the Centre for a CBI enquiry into the matter.

After examining the allegations, a decision was taken to initiate a preliminary enquiry into the matter, the officials said.

A preliminary enquiry is the first step of a probe by the CBI where the agency assesses whether the allegations have enough prima facie material for registering an FIR.

Students have been protesting outside the SSC office at CGO complex in the national capital since February 27, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged paper leak in the Combined Graduate-Level (CGL) exam.

The Staff Selection Commission (SSC), which conducts examination for subordinate services had recommended a CBI inquiry into the paper leaks in one of its tests held on February 21.

In a statement, SSC chairman Ashim Khurana had said that a delegation of candidates, who were protesting against the paper leaks, met him on the issue.

They demanded a CBI enquiry into the allegations of the leak of questions of the Combined Graduate Level (Tier-II) Examination (CGLE) 2017 held from February 17 to 22 this year.

The commission conducts examinations for recruitment to lower categories of posts in the central government.

In the CGLE-2017, more than 30 lakh candidates across the country had applied for just over 8,000 vacancies, Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh had said.

Of these, around 1.5 lakh candidates were shortlisted after the Tier-1 exam, he said.
Congress was prepared for a long haul to revive in Uttar Pradesh as arch-rivals BSP-SP teamed up to hand over a humiliating defeat to the BJP in the Lok Sabha by-polls in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya's constituencies.



Unsure about the SP-BSP plans to join hands, the Congress had put up candidates in both Phulpur and Gorakhpur, the Lok Sabha seats vacated by Maurya and Adityanath respectively.

The Congress had made a conscious decision to go alone in the by-polls and stuck to it even after the SP-BSP announced a pre-poll pact.

Congress leaders felt that every regional outfit would like to strengthen itself before it negotiates an alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year.

The Congress candidates lost deposits in both seats. The challenge before the Congress is to re-establish itself in Uttar Pradesh- which accounts for 80 Lok Sabha seats- if it has to make a dent in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's prospects in the 2019 general elections.

While Congress celebrated the victory of the SP in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, the party leaders were acutely aware of the challenges that lay ahead in Uttar Pradesh. The same concerns were reflected in Congress President Rahul Gandhi remarks.

"It is clear from the by-poll results that voters are angry with BJP and they will vote for the non-BJP candidate who has the strongest chance of winning," Rahul said.

"As far as, Congress is concerned, we are committed to re-building the Party in UP, and it does not happen overnight," He said.

Congress was quick to point out that the BJP had lost all the 10 Parliamentary by-polls held in 2017 and 2018, which was a clear message that the people were angry for the "arrogance and misrule" of the Modi government.

"It is clear that the people of India have now spoken against the anti-farmer rule of the BJP government, spoken against the anti-youth policies of the BJP government, the unemployment that is rampant in our country, spoken against the anti-women rule of this government and it is very clear that the people of the country will show the door to the BJP Government," Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters here.
The results of the Gorakhpur and Phulpur LS bypolls have given a fresh lease of life to BSP supremo Mayawati.



Her party was relegated to the back burner in the state following her party's dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha and 2017 Assembly polls.

Though BSP had not fielded its candidates in the two bypolls, it extended support to the SP and it was this support that helped the SP hand a humiliating defeat to the BJP at both places.

Political observers here said that Mayawati, whose party had failed to win even a single seat in 2014 and had won only 19 seats in the 2017 Assembly polls despite polling around 20% votes, played a major role in the SP victory.

''The results prove that Mayawati still has the capability to get her core votes transferred to whosoever she supports,'' said Prof. Dinesh Kumar, an ex-faculty at the Lucknow University here.

The observers also pointed out that Mayawati had declared her support to the SP barely a few days before the polling. ''She had not even mentioned SP....she had just said that she would ask her supporters to vote for the party, which was in a better position to defeat the BJP,'' said an observer.

BSP cadres and leaders were seen campaigning along with the SP though they did not share stage with them.

The result was that SP secured a large chunk of the Dalit voters in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur seats.

Even the BJP leaders admitted that they had ''underestimated'' Mayawati.

''We had not imagined that the BSP would be able to get its votes transferred to SP on such a large scale,'' said state BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey.
With parliamentary elections just a year away, the BJP's setback following the latest round of crucial Lok Sabha by-election results has set alarm bells ringing within the party.



Party leaders have begun to ask why the BJP has never been able to win a good number of Lok Sabha bypolls since it came to power in 2014.

The only saving grace is that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor BJP president Amit Shah directly campaigned for these elections.

The bypoll results, however, are likely to set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, concede BJP leaders who are now looking up to Modi and Shah to do the course section in the party's strategy.

"A single combined Opposition candidate against every BJP nominee in many LS constituencies is a distinct possibility following these results," said a key BJP functionary.

"We did not actually think that Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav will get their act together."

With losses in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the BJP's current tally in the Lok Sabha is 274, down from 282 that it had won in 2014. As many as 20 Lok Sabha bypolls have been held since 2014 General Elections, the BJP has won only three - Vadodra, Beed and Shahdol.

The Samajwadi Party won both Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the Lok Sabha seats which were vacated last year by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, with the help of Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).

BJP leaders including Adityanath have admitted that they underestimated and were "overconfident" about the impact of the BSP support for the SP candidates, which was announced only a week before the voting.

In Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) showed that it continued to have its influence in the constituencies under its sway. The RJD won the Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad assembly seat, which were held by it.

Meanwhile, the BJP has retained Bhabua Assembly seat.

People voted in Bihar for the first time after Janata Dal (U) leader and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled out of the RJD-Congress alliance and formed a new government with the support of BJP-led NDA.

In January this year, the BJP had lost two Lok Sabha bypolls in Ajmer and Alwar to the Congress in Rajasthan, where the party had won all the 25 seats in 2014 elections.

In 2017, the BJP had lost Punjab's Gurdaspur seat to Congress. The seat had fallen vacant due to the death of actor and BJP leader Vinod Khanna.

The BJP lost one MP from Maharashtra in December last year after he quit the party and resigned from the Lok Sabha seat. Bypolls for seven vacant Lok Sabha seats is yet to be notified by the Election Commission.
The Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel on Wednesday dubbed the multi-crore mega bank fraud on state-owned banks by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to be a "loot of the country's future".



"In plain simple English, these practices amount to a looting of our country's future by some in the business community, in cahoots with some lenders...I speak today to highlight some fundamental fissures that exist in the regulation of banks, in particular, public sector banks (PSBs)," Urjit Patel said, adding that RBI too felt anger, hurt and pain at the banking sector frauds and irregularities. He, however, said that it was not possible for any regulator to pre-empt or stop all the frauds or irregularities in the system.

Patel said this while delivering a lecture on 'Banking Regulatory Powers Should Be Ownership Neutral' at Centre for Law & Economics, Centre for Banking & Financial Laws, Gujarat National Law University in Gandhinagar.

Seeking greater autonomy in regulating state-owned banks, the banking regulator hinted at fundamental fissures that exist in the regulations of the banks, primarily due to dual control over PSBs. The RBI regulates all commercial banks under the Banking Regulation (BR) Act, 1949, but additionally, all public sector banks (PSBs) are regulated by the government of India under the banking companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970, the Bank Nationalisation Act, 1980 and the State Bank of India Act, 1955.

"This legislative reality has in effect led to a deep fissure in the landscape of banking regulatory terrain, a system of dual regulation, by the Finance Ministry in addition to RBI... The RBI will undertake actions against the bank that it is empowered to but this set is limited under its BR Act powers over PSBs," RBI governor stated.

He said that government as owner of the state-owned banks must contribute by making banking regulatory powers neutral to bank ownership and levelling the playing field between the public sector and private sector banks. He went on to add that government must also consider "Informing itself about what to do with the public sector banking system going forward as part of optimising over the best use of scarce national fiscal resources."

Highlighting the need to address the Rs 8.5 lakh crore stressed assets lying on the balance sheets of Indian banks, the RBI governor bat for regulator's revised framework it released last month for prompt recognition and resolution of stressed assets. "The RBI has been clamping down on the failure to recognise asset quality as non-performing as per its norms by requiring that banks, whose 'divergence' exceeds by 15% of the true NPAs as per the norms disclose the divergence," he said. "However, ultimately there also needs to be a framework in place for time-bound resolution of the underlying stress in assets that limits the discretion of banks to delay the recognition of stress, ever-green 'zombie' or living-dead borrowers, and poorly allocate credit."
Nokian Tyres has announced it is partnering with Clayco, Inc. to design and construct its new $360 million manufacturing facility to be built in Rhea County.

Were delighted to partner with Clayco, an industry leading design-builder, on the development of our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, said Tommi Heinonen, head of Nokian Tyres North America. Since the groundbreaking ceremony in September last year, our team and the local community partners have made great progress to finish the ground work and maintain our schedules. The selection of Clayco as design build partner is another great step towards our investment in North America.

Once completed, the Dayton facility will strengthen Nokian Tyres ability to serve customers throughout the U.S. and Canada by increasing the companys capacity to produce North American-specific products and reducing delivery times, said officials.

As the design build partner, Clayco will manage the manufacturing portion of the site, including managing all of the sub-contractors. The tendering process for the administration building that will also inhabit the factory site will initiate in the late spring.

We are pleased to partner with Nokian Tyres and are eager to begin designing and constructing an innovative manufacturing facility in the Dayton area, said Clayco Executive Vice President and Shareholder Anthony Johnson. Our fully integrated portfolio of capabilities, services and technology allows us to provide a turnkey design-build approach that delivers precision planning and execution which keeps our projects on schedule and on budget, and enables our clients such as Nokian Tyres to reach their production goals.

Supplier and contractor inquiries should be directed to Clayco. Further information is available at: www.nokiantires.com/daytonfactory/updates

With production launching in 2020, the new plant will service customers across the United States and Canada, concentrating on the production of North American-specific car and light truck all-season tires. The Tennessee location will increase production and warehouse capacity, allowing Nokian Tyres to meet the increasing demand throughout North America, said officials.

The new plant will be capable of producing four million tires annually with the room for expansion to meet future demand. The site will also house a distribution facility with a storage capacity of approximately 600,000 tires.

Additionally, the plant will create up to 400 new jobs in Rhea County, with about half of the total investment flowing into the local economy.

The new facility is another step forward for Finland-based Nokian Tyres in North America, as the manufacturer continues to lay the foundation for growth through investments in its people, products, customers, marketing and logistics.
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met NCP chief Sharad Pawar as part of his efforts to reach out to leaders of like-minded parties with an eye on building up an anti-BJP front ahead of the elections next year.



Rahul is also expected to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee when she visits Delhi on March 28 to underscore the need for a strong alliance to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the elections next year.

Rahul's meeting with Pawar came a day after UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's dinner for Opposition leaders that was attended by representatives of 20 political parties. The dinner took place against the backdrop of logjam in Parliament, which has witnessed continuous disruptions since the start of the second part of the Budget Session on March 5.

Rahul also had long discussions with Trinamool Congress leaders Saugata Roy and Sugata Basu during which he told them that he would start reaching out to leaders of like-minded political parties after the AICC plenary scheduled for this weekend.

The Congress president's initiative comes at a time when Mamata and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao have thrown in their hats in the ring for the leadership role of a non-Congress, non-BJP alliance for the Lok Sabha elections next year.

Pawar had also taken the lead in gathering leaders of political parties against the Modi government in Mumbai, an initiative that was received well. The NCP chief is also scheduled to have a dinner meeting with Mamata when she visits the national capital later this month.

Mamata has already held discussions with DMK leader M K Stalin, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray besides TRS' Rao on the issue of alliances.
Pakistan is yet to pay up $5.559 million (Rs 36.23 crore) of its contribution towards South Asian University, being set up by SAARC in India.



Persistent pressure by India and other SAARC member-nations over the past few years nudged Pakistan to start paying up but it has so far cleared only 28.77% of its dues.

Pakistan on December 18, 2017 handed over to India a cheque for $2.259 million, as "part payment of its overdue operational contribution", the Ministry of External Affairs informed a parliamentary panel.

The report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, presented in the Lok Sabha last week, quoted the MEA to state that Pakistan government had promised to pay up the remaining amount soon.

Till December 2017, Pakistan was the only member of the SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation), which had not contributed a penny for running the varsity which started functioning from a makeshift campus in New Delhi in 2010. India and the other SAARC members had in early 2017 read the riot act to Pakistan, asking it to immediately pay up the accumulated amount of $7.85 million as its contribution to the South Asian University.

A senior official in New Delhi told DH that Pakistan's dilly-dallying on payment was in sync with its "general policy of resisting all initiatives by the SAARC" and speaks volumes about its lack of commitment to regional cooperation in South Asia.

Pak spoil sport

Islamabad in the past blocked several other SAARC initiatives for road and rail connectivity within the region as well as for counter-terrorism cooperation among the eight member nations.

The Government of India raised the budgetary allocation for the SAU from Rs 260 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 378.30 crore in 2018-19.

India pledged to fund the cost of building the infrastructure of the university, while the April 4, 2007 intergovernmental agreement for setting up the SAU provides that the eight member nations would share the recurring costs for running the institution.
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is on a visit to Jodhpur from Tuesday, has been advised rest after she suffered a fracture in her right wrist.



Hillary, who is staying at Umaid Bhawan Palace, went to see a doctor at Goyal Hospital of Jodhpur in the wee hours on Wednesday. According to the hotel staff, Hillary complained of severe pain and was taken to hospital after doctors advised an X-ray. Anand Goyal, Hospital owner, confirmed, "We immediately told the hotel staff to send her to the hospital for medical investigation. The X-ray showed that she has a minor fracture in her right wrist and we advised her complete rest." Doctors treating her said they were not aware of the cause of the fracture. "It appears she must have lifted some heavy weight or something," doctors told DH.

Hillary arrived in Jodhpur on Tuesday afternoon on a three-day visit to Rajasthan. She reached at 2:30 pm on a chartered flight from Pali. On Wednesday, she was to visit Salavas village to witness rug weaving. But owing to the pain in her wrist, Hillary rescheduled her plan of visiting nearby villages of Jodhpur and stayed indoors.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the Cauvery V Stage project that aims to greatly augment water supply to Bengaluru.



The Rs 5,550-crore project will bring in an additional 775 million litres of water to the city. The water will be pumped in three stages: Thorekadanahalli (TK Halli), Harohalli and Tataguni. The water from this project will be supplied mainly to the 110 villages added to Bengaluru in 2007 and to improve the distribution in the city's core areas.

Siddaramaiah also laid the foundation stone for an underground drainage network for 110 villages, that would include trunk sewers, sewage pumping stations and sewage treatment plants. The Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) is funding the project.

The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has also included the construction of seven ground-level reservoirs at Gottigere, Doddakannahalli, Kadugodi, Chokkanahalli, Vasudevapura, Singapura and Lingadevarahalli with a total capacity of 460 million litres and 14 sewage treatment plants with a total capacity of 129 million litres per day (MLD). The total cost of the project is Rs 3,087 crore with the JICA providing up to 85% of the funding.

The chief minister also inaugurated a 60 MLD sewage treatment plant in Kengeri, the BWSSB's first plant with enhanced effluent discharge parameters. At this STP, the nutrient removal is part of the treatment process while environment-friendly effluents are safely discharged into the Vrishabhavathi River.

Box

'BJP misrule ruined Bengaluru'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah slammed the BJP for its 'Save Bengaluru' campaign. He said the previous BJP government's "misrule" had ruined the city. During his tenure as the Bengaluru in-charge minister, R Ashok burnt 1,400 files, invited tenders at midnight and pledged BBMP buildings to raise loans. The BJP government was the worst regime that Karnataka ever saw, Siddaramaiah added.
JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda on Wednesday said the ruling Congress was "celebrating" the recent Supreme Court ruling on the Cauvery river water dispute, though Karnataka had not got a favourable verdict.



Gowda, who took part in the Vikasa Parva Padayatra in Mahalakshmi Layout, also said that the Congress leaders were "sharing sweets" among themselves though they played no part in the Cauvery struggle.

"The Supreme Court has allocated additional water to Bengaluru based on the population size of the 2011 census. At that time, the population stood at 89 lakh. But today, the numbers have crossed 1.20 crore. The water allocated for the city is not at all sufficient," he said.

Gowda also said that the latest verdict was the result of the efforts made by the JD(S).

He also said that the BJP and the Congress have released "charge sheets" against each other, but the national parties could not do the same against the JD(S). "This is because H D Kumaraswamy had given a good administration during his 20-month stint as chief minister," he said.

Magadi incident

Gowda has also condemned the attack by Congress workers on his party workers in Magadi. The former prime minister who demanded the immediate arrest of the attackers rued that the attack on his party workers was similar to the assault on Vidhwath by Congress MLA N A Haris's son, Nalapad.
Two people were killed on the spot and four injured in a serial accident near Navayuga Nelamangala Express Toll Plaza on Tumakuru Road on Wednesday.



The deceased have been identified as Rakesh (28) and Kemparaju (35), both residents of Srinagar in Tumakuru. The accidents happened when they were heading for Bengaluru.

A senior traffic police officer said a private bus applied sudden brakes and Rakesh, who was driving the car, ramed into it from behind and was killed on the spot. Meanwhile, a truck which was coming from behind, hit another car, killing Kemparaju instantly. Three cars were damaged in the accident.

The police arrested the bus and truck drivers, booked them for rash and negligent driving and seized the vehicles.
Cracking a murder case in 24 hours, the West Division police on Wednesday arrested a 29-year-old beautician and her friend for killing a senior citizen for gain.



Vijayamma alias Vijaya, a native of Mangaluru, was residing in Chamarajapet 5th main. She was murdered on Tuesday afternoon and the crime was discovered on the same night.

A senior official said the police arrested G Sonu (29), foster daughter of Vijaya, and her friend B Kumar (21) within hours after the murder by analysing CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts.

Vijayamma was unmarried and was taking care of Sonu for the past 15 years.

Duo confess

In their confessional statement, Sonu and Kumar said they hatched the plan to murder the elderly woman to get her gold jewels, which, they hoped, would help them tide over their financial problems.

Sonu was working with

Vijayamma and was staying at a paying guest accommodation.

Kumar was an assistant at the PG accommodation in Kempegowda Nagar in South Bengaluru.

The duo strangled Vijayamma with a scarf and struck her with a blunt weapon. They then made away with her gold ornaments.

The police arrested Sonu and Kumar as they were preparing to leave for Mumbai.
The Karnataka State Reserve Police Association, an unregistered and unrecognised body of constables, has written to Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha, alleging harassment from IPS officers.



In the letter, the association's Mandya unit accused IPS officers of being "dishonest and lacking professional conduct". Senior officers "misuse" their power and "promote casteism", it added.

The letter, sent by speed post on March 12, likened the orderly system to bonded labour and pointed out that it continues to exist in the police force despite being banned by the government.

"Trained men are wasting their service in doing odd jobs at senior officers' houses. This is (a) huge loss to the state exchequer. The work culture is affecting the basic work of upholding the dignity of the police force," reads the letter, a copy of which is with DH.

The letter comes days after R P Sharma, an ADGP, wrote to the government, highlighting how the high-handedness of politicians was demoralising the police force.

Both Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy and Prabha denied receiving any such letter.
Lokayukta Justice P Vishwanath Shetty was discharged from Mallya Hospital on Wednesday.



Justice Shetty was rushed to the hospital as he sustained multiple injuries after he was stabbed allegedly by Tejraj Sharma of Tumakuru in his chamber in the Lokayukta office in M S Building here on March 7. Dr Divakar Bhat, chief cardiothoracic surgeon, Mallya Hospital, said that Justice Shetty has been advised rest and given a list of dos and don't.

"Justice Shetty will have to visit the hospital for a follow-up next week, otherwise he is doing fine. Nurses will be visiting him every three days for dressing the wounds," Dr Bhat added. Sharma is presently in police custody and is being probed.
The Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka (KAMS) and JD(S) MLC Puttanna have demanded that the state government conduct an inquiry by the CID into misuse of student data by officials in the department of Education.



Shashi Kumar D, general secretary, KAMS, alleged that data on schools and students collected by the Education department for administrative purposes was being misused. Assurances by department officials that their data is secure have not allayed their fears, Kumar said.

"Parents and students are receiving phone calls at 9 pm and 10 pm from unknown numbers. The caller knows exactly which class and school the student is enrolled in. They offer discounts to the students for shifting to a different school," he said. They are concerned about the source of the student details, Kumar said. He termed it a 'target-group marketing strategy' which may have the involvement of officials in the Education department.

Puttanna demanded that the state government should conduct an independent inquiry, from a third party agency, on all the officials from the rank of Principal Secretary to Block Education Officers.

They also questioned a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed between a private party and the Education department for a mobile application called 'SchooGlink'. Concerns regarding privacy were raised and KAMS questioned how private data could be shared with a third party.

After media reports, the MoU had been cancelled.

"Who approved that MoU? How did they decide to share the data? There has to be an investigation into this. If we don't get a response in two days on this matter, we know how to take it forward," Puttanna said.

They have already apprised the Primary and Secondary Education Minister Tanveer Sait of the matter and they will be approaching the chief minister also soon, he said.

Puttanna further questioned Principal Secretary Shalini Rajneesh for going on leave when the second year PU examinations are underway and the SSLC examinations are around the corner.
Acoustic trio Raven and Red released their new CD, We Rise Up, on Line Crossing Records in February and will be playing at the Chattanooga Brewing Company's An Evening in Scotland event on Friday, April 6, from 6-11 p.m.

Review for Raven and Red:

Acoustic trio Raven and Red are touring in support of the February release for their new CD, We Rise Up, on Line Crossing Records. Originally from Georgia and Pennsylvania and now based in Nashville, Raven and Red is comprised of Brittany Lynn Jones - lead and harmony vocals, 5-string violin, tenor guitar, mandolin and banjolin; and brothers Mitchell Lane - lead and harmony vocals, 6 and 12-string guitars; and Cole King - harmony vocals, mandolin. Special guests on We Rise Up are Paul Leech on electric, upright bass and cello; and Justin Collins on drums and percussion.

This is the first song we finished writing together and it describes the feeling of coming to a crossroads in your life and having to make difficult decisions when you dont feel ready, said Mitchell Lane. Do you make a commitment to a loved one and create a life with him or her, or do you pursue your dreams--even if it means having to leave that person behind and risk it all?

Raven and Red combines elements from all of their different musical influences into their songwriting and the songs featured on We Rise Up. We find it difficult to really narrow down our style into one particular genre, observes Lane. We have so many influences, from John Denver and Jim Croce to Tim OBrien to classic rock and back to Bach. We are still learning from each other every day and developing our signature sound. This album is one milestone in our musical journey.

So many of our musical influences seemed to flow into these songs naturally, explains Jones. We listen to so many different genres, and I think that can be heard within our music. Each song adds its own distinct sound and emotion to this album. Although We Rise Up blends Americana, folk, classic country, bluegrass, Celtic and bits of classic rock and pop, Raven and Red has created a sound of their own. We love songs that tell true stories. Many of the songs on this album are inspired by true stories, but even the fictional stories reveal human truths that are familiar to everyone, adds Jones.

This is the trios first album of original music. When we began writing, we had no idea how our music was going to progress and develop over time, admits Lane. At the end of 2014, we moved to Nashville and slowly began writing these songs between 2015 and 2017 amidst a busy touring schedule. The writing process came together quicker than we thought it would, and we discovered that we really enjoy writing and the feeling of completing songs.

Lanes lead vocals are exceptionally clear and strong, and with Kings harmony as an anchor, Jones rich, mellow voice is the perfect complement to the pure singing heard throughout the album.

Raven and Red began as a duo with Jones and Lane. King, Lanes youngest brother and currently an 11th grade student at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, soon joined the two on mandolin and helped to fill out the groups three-part harmonies. King was only 13 years old when he began performing with the band. I was so excited to be a part of Raven and Red, enthuses King. Brittany and Mitchell were very influential for me musically, and I was ready for anything.

As a group, we are very focused on our vocals, says Jones. We enjoy arranging harmonies and writing melodies that capture the lyrics in our songs.

Coles voice creates a smooth blend, accentuating the harmonies, and his learning to play violin in school translated seamlessly to the mandolin, adds Lane.

After already having many musical accomplishments individually, Jones and Lane met while attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. Not limited to one style of music, they discovered their shared interest in many different genres alongside classical music and have been collaborating musically since they first met.

Just like in classical music, there is an important historical component to folk music and we were immediately drawn to it, Lane recalls. After graduating college in 2013, forming Raven and Red was our natural calling as performing musicians.

On the CD, Jones uses the fiddle and tenor guitar to weave in and out of the musical phrases, smoothly connecting the songs transitions together. Her fiddle playing gives each song what it needs by varying between bold, innovative solo lines and sensitive, lyrical melodies. The fiddle is an important part of our sound, and it really sets the tone for the band. I think the mandolin helps to add that folk element people want to hear, and nothing sounds quite like it, said King.

We Rise Up represents a collage of musical ideas and memories that the trio shares from traveling and performing together. After writing the title track, We Rise Up, we realized that many of the songs share common themes, including love, heartbreak, admiration, and self-reflection," said Lane. "We Rise Up completed the album as the final song. We wanted it to have a positive message that anyone could relate to about overcoming obstacles and struggles and persevering--something everyone has to go through in their lives. We also wanted it to sound catchy and fun at the same time with lots of harmonies and instrumental solos throughout the song."

Another theme in the lyrics of this song is the road we all must travel, which describes how every person shares the experience of ups and downs while going through life bound to time," said Jones. "Time is always moving forward, and we are moving with it. We hope that our songs will reach fellow music-lovers and those interested in exploring the human condition."

In the four short years of performing full-time, Raven and Red has opened shows for Grammy Award-nominees Connie Smith and Dailey & Vincent, multi award-winning bluegrass groups Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out and The Claire Lynch Band, and Irish pop/Celtic rock band, Screaming Orphans. The group has joined the lineup for the 2018 Dailey & Vincent LandFest in the Mountains, held at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds in Hiawassee, Ga.






The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday dismissed the bail petition of Mohammed Nalapad Haris, prime accused in the Bengaluru pub assault case.

The court based its verdict on the grounds that the CCTV footage of the incident shows the horrendous atmosphere created by Nalapad and his aides and that there is no guarantee that such people will not tamper with the evidence if they are released.

While rejecting the bail, Justice Sreenivas Harish Kumar stated that Nalapad, being the son of MLA N A Haris (Congress), wielded his muscle power by brutally assaulting the victim, Vidwath L.

The order further states that there are prima facie materials to link Nalapad with non-bailable offences such as Section 306 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon) and Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The judge also stated in his order that the sessions court had given cogent grounds for rejecting bail and thus the high court cannot interfere with the reasons assigned by the session judge's decision.

The order further stated that the incident was not a case of a "drunken brawl" and that the injuries sustained by Vidwath are grievous in nature.

The order stated that the major aspects considered for not granting bail are character and position of the accused and reasonable apprehension of tampering with the witnesses and the evidence.

Nalapad and six of his associates surrendered a day after brutally assaulting Vidwath on February 17 at Farzi Cafe in Bengaluru.

He was charged under Section 307 of the IPC (attempt to murder), among other provisions.

Nalapad's bail plea was rejected by the City Civil and Sessions Court on March 2 following which he had approached the high court.

Nalapad's counsel Usman P told DH that they are yet to decide the next course of action.
The family members of the late farmer leader and MLA K S Puttannaiah have decided to field his son Darshan Puttannaiah from the Melkote constituency in the upcoming elections. Darshan will contest from the Swaraj India Party from Melkote, which was represented by his father in the Assembly.



Raitha Sangha district president Shambunahalli Suresh said the people of the constituency are of the view that Darshan was the right candidate to contest the polls. So, the Sangha has decided on his candidature. "The late MLA's wife Sunitha Puttannaiah and other members of his family too have given their approval. Moreover, youths should be given an opportunity to lead the farmers' movement. The late Puttannaiah too had the same opinion," Suresh said.

Raitha Sangha and Swaraj India Party leaders will hold a meeting near Puttannaiah's tomb and officially announce Darshan's candidature on Thursday.
Dockless bike sharing, the novel idea that rolled out with a rough start in San Diego in February, could spread to North County coastal communities as soon as this summer.

Led by Encinitas, the proposed one-year pilot program may also include Del Mar, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, Oceanside, Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, and North County Transit District.

The short-term bicycle rentals are based on a phone app, like Uber and other ride-sharing programs. Renters can pick up their bike in one place, such as a bus stop or train station, and leave it someplace else, maybe parked on the sidewalk outside their workplace, anywhere within the companys service area.

Bike sharing is seen as a way to get more cars off the road, reduce pollution and greenhouse gases, and encourage more people to get out of their vehicles and exercise.

One of the things we are trying to solve is that first-last mile in transit, said Crystal Najera, an Encinitas climate plan administrator leading the group project.

Studies show more people would use public transit if there was an easy, inexpensive way to travel the final short distance from a train station, for example, to a workplace or other destination.

Three companies began offering dockless bike-sharing operations last month in San Diego. But the sudden appearance of so many rental bikes, including the recent addition of electric-powered bikes and scooters, has led to problems.

The most frequent complaint seems to be about parked bikes blocking busy sidewalks. Other issues include people riding illegally on the sidewalks, vandalism, abandoned bicycles and people riding without helmets.

Some San Diego merchants, frustrated by the sudden abundance of app-rented bikes, have asked the city to set new limits on them, but so far its unclear how that might work.

North County can avoid some of those problems by making an exclusive deal with a single vendor, Najera said.

Using a single company across all the coastal region also has the advantage of making it easier for people to rent and return bikes anywhere within the cities.

As with any new business, there are kinks to be worked out, experts say. But participation is high, and the business appears to have a big future.

As a result of that optimistic outlook, entrepreneurs with deep pockets are willing to drop huge sums of money into bike-sharing startups.

The idea began a few years ago in China, where it spread rapidly to more than 200 cities. A few large markets have become saturated with the service there, and news photos from some cities show piles of hundreds of the distinctively colored bicycles, damaged and discarded in public places.

Dockless bikes rent for $1 to $2 an hour in San Diego, an artificially low price set to build a market for the brand.

Its very cheap, but its questionable whether (the price) is sustainable, said Howard LaGrange, an avid cyclist and Oceansides bicycle and pedestrian coordinator.

Oceansides City Council is scheduled to hear a report on the regional proposal April 11 and decide whether to participate.

Ive been pretty supportive, LaGrange said. The concern is the placement of bikes in the community  and whether they are bunched up and impeding people on the sidewalks.

A GPS system connected to the bikes could be one way to solve the sidewalk problem, by limiting locations where people could leave the free-standing bikes.

Overall bike-sharing appears to be a good program, LaGrange said, and one thats evolving rapidly as it adapts to the available technology and the way people use it.

If enough jurisdictions are interested, the North County partnership will seek more information and possibly approve a contract with a single vendor to operate throughout the coastal communities, Najera said.

Details of the proposal are still being ironed out, but the dockless rental system is preferred, she said.

Potential vendors will be encouraged to discuss how they would handle issues such as parking, right-of-way, training programs, the use of helmets and other safety factors, Najera said.

Weve heard a lot of interest from the public, she said.

Del Mars City Council voted unanimously on Monday, March 5, to join the cities exploring the idea. Encinitas and Solana Beach are both scheduled to hear reports and consider their participation later this month.

Del Mar Councilman Dave Druker advised caution, saying the cities should be sure that the chosen vendor is prepared to be in business for the long term and not just until the investors money is gone.

It looks like we are going to have to put a little time and effort into this just to get it off the ground, Druker said.

Other council members said they see advantages, especially for tourism, which is a significant contributor to the local economy.

As a resident, Im excited about this because it means when people come visit me they have another way to get around town, said Del Mar Councilwoman Ellie Haviland.

Three dockless bike rental companies  LimeBike, Ofo and MoBike  offer the service in San Diego.

LimeBike is a Silicon Valley startup that rents dockless bikes in dozens of U.S. cities and added National City and Imperial Beach last year. Ofo and Mobike are both Chinese companies that rent millions of bikes around the world.

DecoBike, a Florida-based company, began offering a slightly different service  dockable bikes  in San Diego in 2015.

The dockable system requires renters to return the bicycle to any of about 180 self-service stations spread across the city.

-- Phil Diehl is a writer for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
San Dieguito Union High School District teachers recently participated in National Universitys Sanford Inspire program, research-based and classroom-tested professional development designed to help educators create an inspirational learning environment and impact all students lives in a positive way.

Torrey Pines High School is in its second year of National Universitys high school pilot program, led by teacher Don Collins. TP Inspire includes seminars, monthly lunch modules and encouragement to investigate the free Sanford Inspire Training Modules on a variety of topics from classroom management to curriculum.

This school year, Collins has led a total of seven seminars with teachers from across the district. Over lunch, teachers shared ideas across curriculum about what works best for kids, focusing on helping students develop resilience and helping them thrive in the 21st century.

This workshop was just what I needed to change the tone of my year. It really reminded me of what is really important, said one 27-year teacher. Im excited to return to my classroom and incorporate some of these ideas into my math classroom.

Collins has been working as a new teacher trainer in the district for the past 17 years, but the partnership with National University and Sanford Inspire represented a new challenge.

I really had a blank slate to reflect and ask myself, What makes a teacher inspiring? Collins said. To me, an inspiring teacher is an agent of change. I know as a teacher Ive had the opportunity to literally change lives. To help a student find a passion, open their heart or forgive a parent. In the process, my students have inspired and changed me.

Two years ago, philanthropist Denny Sanford gave National University $28 million to create the Sanford Inspire program, to train and support inspirational teachers so that every student has teachers who inspire. National Universitys college of education, which has recommended more teachers for California credentials than any other in the last 15 years, is now named for Sanford.

We feel very privileged to be in this leadership role, said Judy Mantle, dean of the Sanford College of Education. Its a privilege and a responsibility because this is a gift and its an extraordinary resource that we have available to us and were very willing to share it throughout the country.

Mantle said National University has become a champion for inspiring teachers, developing practices and programs that can help impact thousands of lives throughout the country.

We live and breathe it every day, Mantle said, noting their faculty is passionate about bringing out the very best in teachers, to inspire them to go out and make magic happen in the classroom and create a life in the classroom that is rich and memorable for students.

Its one thing to know the content needs to be taught, its another thing to be able to electrify a group of students, at any age, to be motivated and to be hungry for learning, Mantle said. Its about how we engage students to attach and form relationships with peers and adults who have the capacity to influence. We have a tremendous responsibility to educate students in todays world and we take this work seriously.

Its about good teaching. But its also about caring and inspiring.

National University funded the small initiative to give one teacher, Collins, the release time to be able to spread its message to other teachers.

Mr. Collins is a special kind of teacher, he just has Inspire in his DNA. He has that light in his eye, said Mantle. He has lofty goals and worthy goals and Im anxious to check in and hear about how the training is going.

To hear the reports back from teachers, the response has been overwhelmingly positive: An overall wonderful forum in which to share experiences and innovative ideas, wrote one Inspire participant.

In a Feb. 23 session, teachers had discussions about strategies for helping reluctant learners, the challenges of social media and cell phones, and small gestures that can help foster connections with studentsfrom recognizing students positive behaviors to reaching out when a student is struggling emotionally.

Collins spoke about ways to form relationships with students: listening, developing trust and knowing something personal about them so teachers have a way to connect and talk to them.

Collins said that kids are facing a lot at home, in school and in their community. A lot of learning needs to occur to negotiate the hard parts of life and the issues that life can bring,  he said, adding that the best teachers can provide that support.

Its easy to lose touch with the humanity of the kids in all of the requirements and activity of the school year, but nobody became a teacher for paperwork and bell schedules, Collins said. Yet these are the requirements that can overwhelm our real purpose, to encourage and educate all of our students to be independent, successful and happy.

One teacher who has been an educator for 10 years said she enjoyed the opportunity to connect with colleagues by listening to their struggles and successes. As was the goal, many said they left inspired by new innovative ideas.

I most appreciated the return to the centered place where I know why I am in the classroom and what is really important, said one participant, who has been a teacher for 33 years. Love kids first. Teach them English second.
The Hamilton County Health Department reported six more coronavirus deaths on Monday, four male and two female, three black and three white, one between the ages of 41-50, one between the ages of 51-60, one between the ages of 61-70, two between the ages of 71-80 and one over the age of 81. There have been 77 new positive cases since Friday. The total cases in the county now stands ... (click for more)
KAABOO and the Del Mar Fairgrounds have come to tacit albeit tenuous terms in their fiery dispute over the music festivals concessionaire contractan agreement that was nearly derailed by the back-channel machinations of a KAABOO lobbyist in Sacramento, according to 22nd District Agricultural Association (DAA) board members. The DAA is the the state agency that runs the fairgrounds.

The now-sprawling dispute stems from KAABOOs dissatisfaction with how Premier Food Serviceswhich has supplied the fairgrounds with bartenders, waiters and hospitality workers for more than 30 yearshandled concessions over the festivals first two years. KAABOO last year gave Premier a buy-out and brought in Spectrum Staffing Services, which counts several music festivals and top-tier events among its clientele.

Impressed by Spectrums performance, KAABOO has since December been pressing the DAA to ratify Spectrums contract for the 2018 and 2019 festivals. But Premier employees have pushed back, refuting KAABOOs depiction that concessions ran smoothly under Spectrums command.

Tensions grew even more fraught after KAABOO failed to win the talent-booking contract for the fairgrounds Surfside Race Place, which is set to begin a $20 million transformation in a matter of weeks thanks to a loan from iBank. The DAA awarded the talent-booking contract to Belly Up in December. KAABOO disputed the legality of the bidding process, which led the DAA to scrap the contract and book Surfsides performers through DAA staff.

Meanwhile, the impasse over KAABOO concessions came to full froth at the DAAs February meeting, with several board members saying they had lost faith with KAABOO and one going so far as to argue that the DAA had cause to terminate the festival altogether.

In the wake of that meeting, representatives from KAABOO and Premier set themselves to working out a compromise in which Premier handles the festivals catering contracttalks that culminated last month when two DAA board members met with KAABOO leadership and believed to have buried the hatchet.

However, DAA board members said that the next day, word quickly spread from Sacramento to Del Mar that a KAABOO lobbyist was disparaging the DAA to iBanks board of directors as well as Sen. Toni Atkins and Rep. Todd Gloria.

The firestorm sent DAA board member Russ Penniman scrambling up to Sacramento to assuage the iBank board. Penniman and the DAAs financial officer have spent most of the ensuing weeks trying to undo the damage that was done up there, he said.

In response, Bryan Gordon, KAABOOs founder and CEO, came to Del Mar to apologize to DAA board members in person and sent iBank a letter clarifying that KAABOO had no intention of torpedoing the Surfside loan. DAA board president Steve Shewmaker said Gordon was adamant that the lobbyist had not been told to interfere with the loan.

She went rogue and she went off and did things she wasnt asked to go do, Shewmaker said Gordon told him.

Despite the dust-up, the DAA board on March 13 approved a Memorandum of Understanding in which Premier will handle the festivals catering contract for KAABOO staff and festival workers this year. The contract is the festivals largest catering component, with more than 14,000 meals served over 19 days, and employing 43 kitchen staff and 624 front-of-house staff for more than 2,500 hours and $55,000 in wages.

If all goes well, KAABOO and Premier will discuss expanding their relationship for 2019.

We are extremely pleased with the results, said Nathan Prenger, KAABOOs senior vice president of operations.

KAABOO had strongly preferred to go even further: to use Premiere as this years caterer, create a revenue-sharing agreement and ratify Spectrums contract for 2018 as well as 2019. But the DAA, wary of KAABOOs intentions, approved only a one-year Spectrum contract.

Still smarting from what she described as KAABOO representatives having falsified facts to government officials, DAA Director Lisa Barkett pointed out that the agreement is merely a piece of paper.

Im going to take a very critical look at next year, she said.  This went so wrong, and I really caution KAABOO to work closely with Premier, work closely with their employees. This is an MOU; it really means nothing, its not enforceable. We all know that. Its not a binding contract. Were going to be looking at what you do from now on.
Save my User ID and Password

Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site.

Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.
Elliott Bay Design Group

Coleman

In Seattle, Eric Coleman joined Elliott Bay Design Group as a naval architect. Coleman has six years of marine experience, emphasizing preliminary and detail design work of aluminum and steel vessels. He has worked on commercial vessels and charter yachts. EBDG provides naval architecture, marine engineering and production support services.




Subscriber content preview

NEW YORK (AP)  The decision by President Donald Trump to scuttle a hostile takeover by Singapore's Broadcom of the U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm could signal a shift toward stronger sector oversight.

The deal raised red flags for government officials worried about ceding control of telecom or wireless infrastructure to foreign entities in the long run.





. . .
CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging is starting a series called Matters of the Mind: A Series on Memory Loss. The first session will be held Thursday, March 22 from 6-7 p.m. at CHI Memorial Hospital Hixsons Professional Office Building, 2051 Hamill Road, third floor conference room, in Hixson.



The topic will be The Dementia Umbrella: Types of Dementia. Alycia Cleinman, M.D., geriatrician with CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging, will lead the discussion. Dementia is a general term that describes a range of symptoms associated with a decline in mental ability that severely impacts a persons daily life.



This educational series is free and open to everyone. An RSVP is requested by March 16. To sign-up, or for more information, call 423-682-8150 or email Adrian_Boyd@memorial.org.



"CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging specializes in geriatric medicine providing quality health care that helps you remain healthy and active. Providers focus on managing and treating complex age-related conditions including memory loss, fall and balance issues, and dementia-related behavioral problems," officials said.

Alycia Cleinman, M.D., is board-certified in geriatric and internal medicine. She is accepting new patients. CHI Memorial Center for Healthy Aging is located on the CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga campus, Memorial Missionary Ridge Medical Tower, 725 Glenwood Dr., Suite E-786, in Chattanooga.








The Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce announced Little Debbie snacks as the 2018 Leadercast - Cleveland title sponsor. Broadcast live from Atlantas Energy Arena on Friday, May 4, and simulcast into more than 20 countries and 125,000 locations across the globe, Leadercast is the worlds largest one-day leadership conference.

We are ecstatic to have chamber members such as Little Debbie snacks and the McKee family, willing to step up and help sponsor crucial, leadership development forums such as Leadercast for our community, Bernadette Douglas, executive vice president for the Chamber said. This years theme, Lead Yourself will challenge and inspire leaders to focus on the courage necessary to lead.

Over 300 participants attended last years local Leadercast event. Twenty-eighteen marks the sixth year the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce has been part of hosting the event. This years event will be held at First Baptist Church Cleveland, at 1275 Stuart Road.

Officials said participants that attend Leadercast will receive an array of benefits, including the opportunity to:

Be empowered by world-class speakers who will demonstrate how to become a more effective leader.

Spark creativity and determination to drive business teams to new levels of achievement.

Be surrounded by other leaders who share a passion for learning and leading.

See why leading yourself is a vital prerequisite to leading others.

Sponsorship packages remain available for Leadercast, including lead sponsorships that provide a company with onstage commercial time and exhibit space at the event along with a corporate table for eight. Limited corporate tables of eight are available for $600. Floor seats are available at $79 per seat; stadium seats are $69. Breakfast, lunch as well as networking included.

For sponsorship information call the chamber office at 472-6587. To purchase a ticket or group tickets to Leadercast Cleveland, visit www.clevelandchamber.com and refer to the May 4 calendar event.






In a clear setback for India, Iran has invited China and Pakistan to participate in the development of the strategic Chabahar port, which is being built by India for the purpose of bypassing Pakistan. On another thorny issue for India, Iran's Foreign minister Javad Zarif, on a three-day visit to Islamabad, also supported the right of self-determination for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Zarif asked Pakistan to take a role in developing the port in the Gulf of Oman while speaking on Monday at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, a think tank backed by Pakistan's foreign ministry. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported Zarif "sought to allay concerns here (in Pakistan) over Indian involvement in the Iranian port". ''We offered to participate in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). We have also offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chabahar,'' said Zarif, A statement issued by Pakistan's foreign office following a meeting between Zarif and his counterpart Khawaja Asif on Monday said both sides had ''reiterated support for the peaceful struggle of the peoples of Palestine and Kashmir for their right to self-determination''. During his meeting with Zarif, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi thanked the Iranian leadership for its ''steadfast support'' to the struggle of the Kashmiris. Zarif's invitation to Pakistan to join the development of Chabahar came less than a month after India and Iran inked an agreement to lease operation control of a part of the port to New Delhi for 18 months. India is set to start operations in this part of Chabahar with borrowed Iranian equipment by May-end. The port is a crucial part of India's plans to create a transport and trade corridor to landlocked Afghanistan bypassing Pakistan. Zarif sought to allay Pakistan's concerns about India's involvement in Chabahar by saying that the port project was not meant to ''encircle Pakistan'' or ''strangulate anybody''. He said Iran will not allow anybody to use its soil to hurt Pakistan, just as Islamabad would not allow its soil to be used against Tehran. He compared Iran's relations with India to Pakistan's ties with Saudi Arabia. ''Our relations with India, just like Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia, are not against Pakistan as we understand Pakistan's relations with Saudi Arabia are not against Iran,'' he said. Zarif also raised the issue of cooperation between the Chabahar and Gwadar ports during his meetings with foreign minister Asif and National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua. During his meeting with Janjua on Tuesday, Zarif talked about ''tapping into the potential of Gwadar and Chabahar ports'' to boost economic cooperation, according to a statement from Iran's foreign ministry. Gwadar is a key part of the multi-billion dollar CPEC, a flagship project of China's Belt and Road Initiative that has been opposed by India as it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Zarif said Gwadar and Chahbahar were important projects for developing deprived areas of eastern and southeastern Iran and southwestern Pakistan. These regions need to be linked by sea and land routes, he said. ''We are taking measures to do that and there is an open invitation to Pakistan to participate in that,'' he added. Zarif's vision for better Pakistan-Iran ties envisaged realisation of the long-delayed Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline, establishment of banking ties and signing a free trade agreement. Chabahar is said to be becoming a success story in the India-Iran relationship. The first phase of the Chabahar port in south-east Iran, which India is developing, was inaugurated in December last year. The port opened a new strategic transit route between India, Iran and Afghanistan that bypassed Pakistan. It is expected to cut transport costs and time for Indian goods by a third and likely to ramp up trade among India, Afghanistan and Iran in the wake of Pakistan denying transit access to New Delhi for trade with the two countries. In this context, India's not likely to be pleased with the Iranian foreign minister's comments.








Texas company building 3D printed houses for $10,000

A Texas-based company is using 3D printing technology to work out a solution to the problem of affordable housing around the world.

Austin startup ICON has devised a method of mass producing small homes using a massive 3D printer in a process that the company claims will take just 12 to 24 hours to build a home. The company ran a presentation at the annual film and innovation festival known as SXSW, on how it could construct a 650-square-foot house out of cement in one day.

The company has partnered with housing solutions nonprofit New Story, and hopes to achieve its vision of creating sustainable, ''quality homes accessible to everyone.'' ICON is not only focused on building homes fast, but intends to make then extremely affordable as well.

ICON, which uses an industrial sized Vulcan printer, says it can currently build a single-story home for $10,000 but is working to cut that cost to just $4,000. ''It's much cheaper than the typical American home,'' ICON co-founder Jason Ballard told The Verge.

''(ICON) believes, as do I, that 3D printing is going to be a method for all kinds of housing,'' New Story co-founder Alexandria Lafci added. The presentation at SXSW follows a report from the World Resources Institute which estimates that 1.2 billion people live in cities without affordable or secure housing.

''We have been building homes for communities in Haiti, El Salvador, and Bolivia,'' Alexandria Lafci, co-founder of New Story, told The Verge.

The massive but portable printer produces a blend of concrete that hardens as it's printed. The concrete is laid in 100 roughly one-inch-thick strands that hold their shape while they harden.

Icon cofounder Evan Loomis told Quartz the printed walls become stronger than cinderblocks after a few days of hardening, although the house is fit for occupation after it has been set up.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has initiated an investigation into a California startup over its launch of four small satellites without proper authorisation. This is the first ever unauthorised launch of commercial satellites, if it is confirmed. It is now possible for companies to develop small CubeSats cheaply and pay less than $100,000 for space on a rocket. According to commentators, Menlo Park-based Swarm Technologies, may have taken advantage of the current situation to launch its first four satellites in January aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The satellites, named SpaceBEE 1-4, were successfully deployed by the rocket, which had an Indian mapping satellite as its main payload. It however, also carried smaller satellites for Planetary Resources, Canadian telecom company Telesat, and more. Earlier this month, the FCC, in a letter to Swarm Technologies revoked its authorisation for a follow-up launch. According to the letter, the action was in response to Swarm Technologies' ''apparent unauthorized launch and operation of four satellites.'' The matter is under investigation by the FCC, and Swarm may lose its FCC license and be unable to test its communication technology. Swarm Technologies was founded by former NASA and Google researcher Sara Spangelo with the aim of supporting the so-called internet of things (IoT). According to its FCC filing this month, Swarm Technologies' tiny communications satellites measured about 4 inches long, 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall. The agency had earlier denied Swarm's application because the satellites were too small to be tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network, which is supposed to catalogue all man-made objects that orbit the earth. Their size would make it hard to ensure the satellites would not hit other spacecraft in orbit, the FCC said. Companies like SpaceX and OneWeb have proposed constellations of hundreds or thousands of small satellites, and according to analysts, thousands of satellites may be launched in the next few years.








Stephen Hawking passes on at 76; PM, President mourn death

Prof Stephen Hawking, the British theoretical physicist who overcame a devastating neurological disease to probe the greatest mysteries of the cosmos from his wheelchair and become a globally celebrated symbol of the power of the human mind, has died, at his Cambridge home. He was 76.

Prof Stephen Hawking

His family released a statement in the early hours of this morning confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said in a statement, ''We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

''He once said: 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him for ever.''

Unable to move a muscle, speechless but for a computer-synthesised voice, Dr Hawking had suffered since the age of 21 from a degenerative motor neuron disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Initially given two years to live, a diagnosis that threw him into a profound depression, he found the strength to complete his doctorate and rise to the position of Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge, the same post held by Isaac Newton 300 years earlier.

Hawking eventually became one of the planet's most renowned science popularisers, and he embraced the attention, travelling the world, meeting with presidents, visiting Antarctica and Easter Island, and flying on special "zero-gravity" jet whose parabolic flight let Hawking float through the cabin as if he were in outer space.

The death of the legendary British theoretical physicist  author of the widely popular A Brief History of Time - was widely mourned. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawking's pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace."

President Ram Nath Kovind also paid his respects to the science legend. ''His brilliant mind made the world a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations.''

Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella wrote, "We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science - making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses.

"He'll also be remembered for his spirit and unbounded pursuit to gain a complete understanding of the universe, despite the obstacles he faced. May he rest peacefully as his legacy and brilliance live on."

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai also paid his tributes.

"My goal is simple," Hawking once said. "It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all." He spent much of his career searching for a way to reconcile Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum physics and produce a "Theory of Everything."

He wrote his international best seller, A Brief History of Time, in 1988, which delved into the origin and ultimate fate of the universe. He deliberately set out to write a mass-market primer on an often incomprehensible subject.

Although the book was sometimes derided as being dense, and had a reputation for being owned more than read (this writer, for instance, found it beyond his understanding), it sold millions of copies, was translated into more than 20 languages, and inspired a mini-empire of similar books from Hawking, including The Universe in a Nutshell and A Briefer History of Time.

With his daughter, Lucy, he wrote a series of children's books about a young intergalactic traveller named George. His blunt 2013 memoir, My Brief History, explored his development in science as well as his turbulent marriages. In addition, Hawking was the subject of a 1991 documentary, A Brief History of Time, directed by Errol Morris, and countless newspaper and magazine articles.

With the aid of a voice synthesizer, controlled by his fingers on a keyboard, he gave speeches around the world, from Chile to China. He played himself on such TV programs as Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Simpsons, the latter featuring Hawking telling the show's lazy animated patriarch, "Your theory of a doughnut-shaped universe is interesting, Homer. I may have to steal it."

He insisted that his reputation as the second coming of Albert Einstein had gotten out of control through "media hype".

"I fit the part of a disabled genius," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. "At least, I'm disabled - even though I'm not a genius like Einstein ... the public wants heroes. They made Einstein a hero, and now they're making me a hero, though with much less justification."

His scientific achievements included breakthroughs in understanding the extreme conditions of black holes, objects so dense that not even light can escape their gravity.

His most famous theoretical breakthrough was to find an exception to this seemingly unforgiving law of physics: black holes are not really black, he realised, but rather can emanate thermal radiation from subatomic processes at their boundary, and can potentially evaporate. Scientists refer to such theoretical emanations as "Hawking radiation."

This revelation impressed other scientists with the way it took Einstein's general theory of relativity, which is essential for understanding the gravity of black holes, and connected it to newer theories of quantum mechanics, which cover subatomic processes.

Plus, he threw in a dash of old-fashioned thermodynamics - achieving a kind of physics trifecta.

"Black holes ain't as black as they are painted," Hawking once said in a lecture, characteristically describing complicated physics in ordinary language. "They are not the eternal prisons they were once thought. Things can get out of a black hole, both to the outside, and possibly, to another universe. So, if you feel you are in a black hole, don't give up. There's a way out."

He also hypothesised that miniature black holes, remnants of the big bang, may be strewn through space, though he noted that so far they haven't been discovered. "This is a pity, because if they had, I would have got a Nobel Prize," he joked.

Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942 - the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death, he liked to point out. His father was a physician and specialist in tropical diseases; his mother was active in the Liberal Party.

Both parents were Oxford-educated, and Stephen - the eldest of four siblings - grew up surrounded by books. But he did not show particular academic promise, despite an obvious streak of brilliance that caused his friends to nickname him "Einstein".

"I always wanted to know how everything worked," he told Omni magazine. "I would take things apart to see how they worked, but they didn't often go back together."

He was a bit lazy, and a bon vivant, as he later would admit. After being admitted to the University of Oxford, he skimped on his studies and enjoyed carousing with fellow members of the Oxford Boat Club, for which he was a tactically savvy coxswain. He graduated in 1962 and did just well enough on his final exam to earn admission to the University of Cambridge to pursue a doctorate.

"Physics was always the most boring subject at school because it was so easy and obvious. Chemistry was much more fun because unexpected things, such as explosions, kept happening," Hawking wrote in his memoir. "But physics and astronomy offered the hope of understanding where we came from and why we are here. I wanted to fathom the depths of the Universe."

Then came what he later referred to as "that terrible thing". He'd noticed at Oxford that he'd become increasingly clumsy and would sometimes stumble and fall for no obvious reason. Tests revealed motor neuron disease; he could not expect to live more than a couple of years.

After a period of despondency in which he holed up in his room and listened to Wagner, he attended a New Year's Eve party at which he met a young student named Jane Wilde. Their courtship spurred his will to live. They married in 1965.

"We had this very strong sense at the time that our generation lived anyway under this most awful nuclear cloud - that with a four-minute warning the world itself could likely end," Jane Hawking later told the British newspaper the Observer. "That made us feel above all that we had to do our bit, that we had to follow an idealistic course in life. That may seem naive now, but that was exactly the spirit in which Stephen and I set out in the Sixties - to make the most of whatever gifts were given us."

They would have three children before his condition deteriorated to near-complete paralysis.

He received a doctorate in 1966 and became a postgraduate research physicist at Cambridge, where he hoped to study under the celebrated astrophysicist Fred Hoyle. Instead, he was assigned to Dennis Sciama - a disappointment, at first.

But, as he later wrote, "This turned out to be a good thing. Hoyle was abroad a lot and I wouldn't have seen much of him. Sciama, on the other hand, was there, and was always stimulating."

A few years later, while on the staff of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, he formed a close collaboration with Cambridge colleague Roger Penrose. They developed a theorem that the universe has not always existed.

The two showed that if the theory of relativity is true, the universe must have sprung into existence, out of what appeared to be nothing, at a specific moment in the past and from a place where gravity became so strong that space and time are curved beyond recognition - what is known as a "singularity."

At the remarkably young age of 32, Hawking was named a fellow of the Royal Society. He received the Albert Einstein Award, the most prestigious in theoretical physics. He joined the Cambridge faculty in 1973 as a research assistant in the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics; he was promoted to professor of gravitational physics in 1977.

While at Cambridge, Hawking began to question the big-bang theory, which by then most people had accepted.

Perhaps, he suggested, there was never a start and would be no end, but just change - a constant transition of one "universe" giving way to another through glitches in space-time. All the while, Hawking was digging into exploding black holes, string theory and the birth of black holes in our galaxy.

Hawking was known to weigh in rather playfully on grand cosmological questions. He once suggested that if the universe stopped expanding and began to contract, time would run backwards. He later said that he'd changed his mind on that.

He gained headlines when he declared that humans should colonise other worlds to hedge their bets against the possible destruction of this one (See. Humans doomed if they don't find another liveable planet: Hawking).

In an updated, illustrated (easier to handle) version of A Brief History of Time, he added a chapter on wormholes - back-alley cosmic tunnels that might conceivably let someone travel back in time. Prancing on the edge of the plausible, he nonetheless stuck to what science can tell us.

Hawking had sought to come up with a so-called Theory of Everything that would essentially put an end to theoretical physics by answering all the outstanding questions. But whether such a theory can ever be found is unclear.

Hawking said our universe might not be the only one there is - that many more may be popping into existence all around us. He suggested that "cosmic wormholes" briefly link those universes to ours and that subatomic particles may travel from one universe to another through them, accounting for some of the strange behaviour of particles that physicists observe.

The power of Hawking's celebrity was measured at times by the tabloid coverage he drew for his complicated personal life. His wife Jane spent hours every day bathing, washing and feeding Hawking, who required constant nursing care. He developed pneumonia in 1985 on a trip to Geneva, and Jane battled doctors who wanted to turn off his life support.

But the marriage grew strained, in part because of her Christian faith and his adamant atheism, and in part because of what she called his remote and stoic temperament. She described him as an "all-powerful emperor" who seemed blind to how demanding his illness became for her as she also took care of their young children. He refused measures that would have made life easier for her, and she felt it was "too cruel" to coerce him to see it her way.

They grew apart and, in 1990, just shy of their 25th wedding anniversary, separated when Hawking left Jane for his nurse, Elaine Mason. He married Elaine five years later after his divorce from Jane became final.

Hawking called his second marriage, which also ended in divorce, "passionate and tempestuous".

Hawking's offices were filled with photographs of him standing with admirers ranging from popes (he was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences) to the late Soviet physicist and human rights campaigner Andrei Sakharov.

The theoretical physicist once described his heroes as "Galileo, Einstein, Darwin and Marilyn Monroe." The last was of particular appeal to the scientist who hung posters of her and collected Monroe-related bric a brac.

"My daughter and secretary gave me posters of her, my son gave me a Marilyn bag and my wife a Marilyn towel," he once said. "I suppose you could say she was a model of the universe."
Russian scientist claims Peru's 3-fingered mummies are ETs; others scoff

A controversial Russian scientist has claimed that strange 'alien' remains unearthed in Nazca, Peru are 'not human'.

The mummies were unearthed in 2017, and have been touted as evidence of 'ancient aliens' by UFO fans who claim that the creatures may have inhabited the earth long before people did.

While the mummies of Peru have been largely dismissed by the scientific community as being hoaxed, conspiracy theorists are still fascinated by the 'three-fingered mummies' with elongated heads.

Russian National Research University professor Konstantin Korotkov said, ''They appear human but they are not. Their anatomic structure is different.''

It should be noted that Korotkov is a noted eccentric who has previously claimed that he has invented a camera which can photograph the soul.

Korotkov, a professor of computer science and biophysics at Saint-Petersburg Federal University, said, ''Right now we are making a detailed analysis to see if the shape of the position of all the chromosomes, of all the amino acids, coincides with ours.''

Others are sceptical  pointing to the fact that the video's creators are trying to charge people to download information from their website.

The World Congress on Mummy Studies has described the find as a fraud, and calls it ''an irresponsible organized campaign of disinformation''.

Hoax debunking site Metabunk has a detailed analysis debunking the 'find'.

Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual said, ''I think the whole saga of finding these mummies is laughable and they are very probably fakes.

''The new evidence does indicate the Maria is human, the only strange thing is that she has an unusual rib structure. This is probably because she is a so-called bone montage made by fakers. Those involved in 'scientifically' examining the mummies seem to believe they are ancient aliens, but they are suffering from the wish to believe.

''If you think about it how would humanoid aliens with three long fingers survive? They would be incredibly clumsy and it seems doubtful they would be capable of making a cup of tea let alone a flying saucer.

''It also doesn't look good that this earth-shattering news was originally fed to us via a website you have to subscribe to, rather than through officially recognised scientific channels.

''At the end of the day this is fake news delivered in a slick fashion to indulge our fascination with ancient aliens and UFOs.''

Dr Korotkov said at the time of the finding that the features were not a deformity and that the find was ''another creature, another humanoid''.

Now Dr Korotkov his team claim to have undertaken genetic tests on tissue samples taken from the mummy, as well as a second individual found nearby named Vavita. According to them, the bodies date back to about the 5th century AD and could be extraterrestrials or cyborgs.

Dr Korotkov said that tomographic scans reveal that the tissue has biological nature and their chemical composition indicates that they are humans.

He further added that their DNA features 23 pairs of chromosomes just as in humans, but their anatomic structure is different.

The paranormal researcher added that the individuals' rib structure is different to that of humans as the bones are keel-shaped in the upper part and the rib cage consists of semicircular ribs.

The scientists added the team also studied the mummies' internal organs and have found several mummified internal organs.

The body was found covered in white powder, which new tests show is the antibacterial chemical cadmium chloride.
RE/MAX Renaissance Realtors of Hixson hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Tuiesday sponsored by the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. Over 100 members from the business community and public were on hand to celebrate.



Business owners Frances Vantrease and Beth Dodson welcomed the guests and thanked the community for their past support. Ms. Dodson said, We are thrilled to be adding a REMAX office and expanding services to the communities of Hixson, Soddy Daisy and Sale Creek."



The full service real estate brokerage opened with a principal broker and four realtors, and plans to add 2-3 more full-time agents within the next few months.

According to principal broker Brenda B. Purcell, Our goal will be to provide client friendly services. We realize that buying and selling a home can be both exciting and stressful for consumers. If we do our jobs correctly, we can help eliminate some of this stress. Further, by having an office near, them it is easier for our clients to reach us. Even in a high tech world, we realize that real estate is 'all about the relationships and needs of the customers.' We want to be out and about in the communities they live, work and play in. We will strive to be partners and community builders with them.



RE/MAX is seeking agents with at least 2-3 years of experience in real estate to join their growing firm. For more information, contact Brenda Purcell at 423-648-8200, or stop by for a tour of the new office located at 6204 Hixson Pike.






Employers risk missing out on the best person available for an advertised role when they fail to actively address unconscious gender bias in their job ads, warns Kathleen McCudden, Group HR Director at SEEK.

McMudden pointed to a new survey of 4800 people undertaken on SEEKs behalf by independent consultant Perspicacious. Noting that the sample was representative of the Australian working population, she told Dynamic Business that the findings prove a gender imbalance in leadership roles still exists, with 60% of those in leadership roles being male.

This is not reflective of the desire to take on leadership roles which is similar across genders, with 50% of men and 48% of women wanting to pursue leadership in the future, she said. Looking to specific levels of leadership the percentage of women holding leadership roles declines on average as the roles become more senior.

A factor contributing to this gender imbalance, McCudden explained, is that many businesses fail to comprehend that women and men have very different drivers and motivators when it comes to making career decisions. Relevantly, the study found that women seeking out leadership roles are more likely than men to be motivated by opportunities to mentor staff (43%), be respected for their knowledge and experience (38%) and expand their professional experience. Conversely, men were found to place a greater emphasis on securing a higher salary and other financial benefits (36%), feeling accomplished in their career (42%) and being responsible for achieving positive results (36%).

Understanding the differences between men and women will enable organisations to take an essential first step towards bridging the gender leadership gap and, in this way, creating a dynamic, more innovative workforce, McCudden said. On top of that, organisations that commit to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace that reflects the needs and aspirations of everyone in a team, are better able to represent the communities we operate in.

McMudden said that when organisations are advertising and recruiting for roles, they need to be aware of how they position their employee value propositions. The reason, she explained, is that unconscious bias, both in terms of how jobs are marketed and how internal promotions are organised, can limit an employers ability to find the best person available.

Due to a number of biases employers might not even be aware of, job ads can be written in a way that doesnt take into account that men and women interpret certain words differently, she said. The key, as I mentioned, is for employers to firstly recognise the differences between what motivates men and women. Secondly, this understanding needs to be reflected in the way role characteristics are communicated to candidates. This will ensure employers are appealing to the whole market.
The Dalton Board of Education announced Dr. Tim Scott as the new superintendent of Dalton Public Schools.

"Dr. Scott's vast experience, leadership ability and record of improving student achievement will add value to our district and advance our vision of preparing students to become contributing citizens of the world," said Dalton Board of Education officials. "In our selection of Dr. Scott, we are seeking to strengthen the district's long-term continuity of leadership and direction, according to board priorities and the objectives of our new strategic plan. Dr. Scott's track record and commitment to excellence indicate that he can translate the goals of this plan into an effective strategy coupled with strong execution.

"We believe that by adding Dr. Scott to our governance team, we can maximize our district's many strengths and accelerate what we are doing well, while simultaneously addressing areas where improvement and change are needed."



Dr. Scott will officially begin his duties on Monday.

Board officials said it is also excited and grateful that Don Amonett, who has served as interim superintendent since June 2017, will continue to be part of the district's leadership as deputy superintendent.

"We see a unique opportunity for Don's unparalleled knowledge of Dalton Public Schools and unwavering commitment to the 'Dalton Difference' to complement Dr. Scott's leadership and assist him in moving our district forward," said officials. "The strengths of both of these life-long educators will make the overall leadership of our district stronger and help us provide every student in our district with the best education possible."




Senator Bob Corker, a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, released the following statement after Senate passage on Wednesday of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S.2155). The bipartisan legislation, authored by Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and cosponsored by Senator Corker, is targeted toward helping community banks, credit unions, mid-sized banks and regional banks.

Since Dodd-Frank was signed into law in 2010, community banks in Tennessee and across our country have faced an overwhelming and disproportionate regulatory burden.

These reforms are long overdue and not only will help our community banks better serve hardworking Americans but also will ensure small businesses have access to the credit they need. I thank Chairman Crapo for his leadership on this legislation and many of my colleagues for coming together in this bipartisan effort.

Senator David Perdue (R-GA), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, also praised "the most significant bipartisan rollback of financial regulations since Dodd-Frank was enacted:"

He said, This regulatory relief is long overdue. Community and regional banks have been hammered by one-size-fits-all government regulations enacted by Dodd-Frank for nearly eight years. As a result, two trillion dollars are sitting on the sidelines, not at work in our economy today. This regulatory rollback, combined with all the regulatory rollbacks of last year, the historic tax cuts, and President Trumps actions on energy, will continue to revive our economy. This will make a lot more capital available to all of our job creators on Main Street.

"

Senator Perdue said he worked to secure the following provisions in the final bill "to remove burdensome regulations on regional and community banks:"

 Increase Access To Mortgages- The bill exempts community banks and credit unions that keep mortgages on their own books from the CFPBs qualified mortgage rule. Today, many small banks and credit unions lack the staff and budget to comply with the thousand page, one-size fit all CFPB qualified mortgage rule and portfolio lending will help restart mortgage lending in small town America.

 Separate Regional Banks from Hundred Billion Dollar Banks- The current asset threshold for the designation of a systemically important financial institutions (SiFi) is so low it encompasses regional banks, subjecting them to the same regulations and reporting requirements as the largest banks in the world. The bill raises SiFi threshold from $50B to $250B and enhances regulators powers to oversee banks with assets that fall between $250B and $100B.

 Improve Consumer Credit Protections- Creates a new national standard for credit protections so all consumers, regardless of where they live, have the ability to freeze their credit easily and at no cost. In addition, veterans and elderly will have increased access to more credit monitoring resources.

Senator Lamar Alexander said, In my meetings with Tennessee bankers and credit unions, I continue to hear how Washingtons overregulation has meant endless paperwork, less access to home loans for worthy borrowers, and more expensive credit. I support this important legislation to reduce these regulations and help Tennesseans turn to their local financial institution for help buying a home or investing in a small businesses.

He said the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act will:

Increase access to mortgage loans for potential homeowners.

Relieve small financial institutions from burdensome reporting requirements.

Properly tailor regulations to larger financial institutions.

Improve consumer protections for veterans, senior citizens and those who have fallen on tough financial times.

The bill is supported by the Tennessee Bankers Association, the American Bankers Association, Credit Union National Association (CUNA), the Tennessee Credit Union League, the Independent Community Bankers of America and the Chamber of Commerce, it was stated.
Voice of the People I can drive on the left lane of Ind. 49 and not have to deal with the truck traffic any more. I dont think I know you Jim Ton but apparently youre the one that made this happen. My life is a little better now....

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...

Voice of the People During the 13 years I have called Chesterton my home, there are few small-town activities I have come to enjoy quite like the high schools homecoming parade. It is always a beautiful moment of celebrating our students, gathering for an afternoon of fun and seeing...

Voice of the People I find it hard to believe that the majority of Town employees will put their self-interest over the GREATER GOOD which is, the viability of the Town of Chesterton by not getting vaccinated. Our town tried to save money by self-insuring itself. We could be...
Making our monetary union stronger and more resilient

Speech by Benoit Cure, Member of the Executive Board of the ECB, at the Finanzmarktklausur of the CDU Wirtschaftsrat, Berlin, 14 March 2018

Let me thank the organisers for inviting me here today.

Our common monetary policy has been much discussed in recent years, also here in Germany, where the highest court has been asked to examine the lawfulness of some of our measures. While the European Court of Justice has confirmed that the ECB has acted at all times within its mandate, many of the institutional failings which caused and perpetuated the crisis, and which contributed to the ECB adopting a series of unconventional policy measures, remain unresolved.

These shortcomings are well known. When theres growth and the sun is shining, euro area Member States have few incentives to pursue sound policies and keep their economies productive and flexible enough to prosper in a monetary union on a sustainable basis. This leaves them vulnerable when rainy days come.

In such an environment, where the governments of the 19 Member States have retained core responsibilities in crucial areas such as fiscal policy, business environments and labour market policies, the central bank can quickly become a scapegoat or be the focus of unrealistic expectations. Worse, there is hardly a single European public discourse in which the common monetary policy can be communicated. Take the title of this panel as an example. The connotation that people attach to the term Nullzins will likely be different from, say, geldpolitischer Impuls  although both terms in essence describe the same thing.

Worse, monetary policy can quickly become overburdened if national fiscal and economic policies fail to internalise the effects they have on the common currency. The temptation to free-ride is always present in a monetary union. It is easy to see that if fiscal policy is loosened during an expansion, or tightened during a recession, the burden on the central bank to stabilise the economy increases mechanically.

Even today, euro area growth still relies too much on monetary policy support. According to ECB staff estimates, the contribution of our easing measures to annual euro area GDP growth was half a percentage point in 2017 and will still be around one-third of a percentage point in 2018. And monetary policy can do little to lift the long-term growth rate of our region.

All of this means that our currency union needs further reform  both at Member State and euro area level. I believe there is wide agreement on this. Where we still lack agreement, however, is on how these reforms should look in practice.

I have described elsewhere the requirements of reform from the perspective of the single monetary policy.[1] As the central bank of the euro area, we have a stake in the success of the current discussion. Without further reforms, and depending on the nature of the next crisis, we may well be forced to test the limits of our mandate  a concern that has been voiced by Germany in particular.

I offered three lines of defence that any well-functioning monetary union depends on: flexible markets, adequate national fiscal buffers and a common fiscal instrument to cope with large shocks.

The logic is simple and compelling. Flexible markets for goods, services, labour and capital reduce the need for costly macroeconomic stabilisation and curb contentious debates about crisis management. They reduce both the likelihood and impact of shocks and allow economies to bounce back more quickly. And they save much of the precious political capital governments had to spend on acrimonious crisis discussions.

But flexible markets come at a price. In a downturn, they often impose economic hardship on workers through job losses or wage cuts. Governments can mitigate these effects. Unlike the United States, however, the European Union is not a federation. This means that  as a rule  stabilisation needs first to take place at Member State level. Building and maintaining adequate room for action at national level is therefore essential. This is what our fiscal rules are about. And contrary to common perceptions, this is not only about bringing general government deficits under the 3% line, but it is also about bringing them closer to balance or to surplus in the medium term so that fiscal space can be used in the event of a recession.

But even ex ante solvent governments can come under pressure in the face of very large shocks. Absent national stabilisers, such as an autonomous monetary policy and exchange rate, such shocks have already tested the cohesion of the currency union as a whole. This is why a common monetary policy needs a complement in the form of a common fiscal instrument that can support  under proper democratic control  aggregate demand if need be.

Many of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) reform proposals that are currently being discussed would help bolster these three lines of defence.

Enhancing national ownership of structural reform efforts, for example, could help make our economies more agile. A true capital markets union, leveraging the benefits of fintech innovation, would significantly boost the capacity of our financial markets to diversify and reduce risk, while the ECB has often argued that a European deposit insurance scheme is a precondition for a truly integrated banking system and safe money. And the Single Market still has a lot of untapped potential, in particular in the field of services. These should be priorities.

More credible fiscal rules and greater market discipline would strengthen the second line of defence. A nimbler European Stability Mechanism, meanwhile, together with steps towards an area-wide stabilisation budget, could effectively complement the euro areas institutional architecture.

Reforms along these lines are needed to help us create a more stable and safer currency union.

A stable, resilient and more integrated euro area is in everybodys interest, including, and maybe especially so, Germanys. That is why Germany for decades joined forces with its European partners to strengthen the European Union, including by establishing a monetary union. It is reassuring to see that the coalition agreement gives strong support to the European project. Indeed, governments and parliaments of Member States, together with the European Parliament, must be the driving force in this process.

This is particularly important at a time when the multilateral order based on cooperation is being challenged, at a time when one of Germanys long-standing partners, the United Kingdom, is about to leave the European Union, and at a time when anti-European forces, elected and unelected, in other parts of the Union are calling into question not just the EUs four freedoms but also the values of an open, free and democratic society.

In this environment, Germany, as one of the founding members of the Union, has a responsibility to promote and nurture a reform debate that is constructive and that will help to bridge differences of opinion. A strong Franco-German commitment is a necessary condition for moving forward, but all Member States have to be on board. It means that we should move beyond the north-south divide which has too often shaped past discussions on EMU. Economic fragmentation is receding on our continent, thanks to a broad cyclical recovery, the ECBs actions and the bold reforms initiated in several countries. We should be careful not to allow political fragmentation to jeopardise these achievements.

Ultimately, what matters is that we strike the right balance between solidarity and responsibility and that we embrace a vision which secures the integrity and resilience of the euro area. We all know that this is not easy. But failure to do so would leave the ECB alone at the forefront of macroeconomic stabilisation in the euro area. This is a risk not worth taking.

Thank you.
Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5)
To build the largest and most complete Amateur Radio community site on the Internet - a "portal" that hams think of as the first place to go for information, to exchange ideas, and be part of whats happening with ham radio on the Internet. eHam.net provides recognition and enjoyment to the people who use, contribute, and build the site. This project involves a management team of volunteers who each take a topic of interest and manage it with passion. The site will stand above all other ham radio sites by employing the latest technology and professional design/programming standards, developed by a team of community programmers who contribute their skills to the effort. The site will be something of which everyone involved can be proud to say they were a part. We welcome your comments. The eHam.net Team, Revision 07/2020.
Blog Archive September (62) August (120) July (122) June (82) May (82) April (76) March (100) February (106) January (143) December (132) November (92) October (72) September (65) August (80) July (68) June (89) May (92) April (75) March (87) February (85) January (86) December (74) November (67) October (60) September (60) August (59) July (64) June (51) May (63) April (53) March (59) February (70) January (68) December (70) November (78) October (98) September (77) August (71) July (68) June (60) May (68) April (54) March (61) February (55) January (69) December (61) November (53) October (48) September (40) August (47) July (56) June (56) May (71) April (55) March (43) February (3) December (15) November (48) October (46) September (39) August (27) July (18) June (33) May (44) April (38) March (31) February (34) January (34) December (26) November (57) October (43) September (81) August (66) July (77) June (85) May (70) April (56) March (49) February (32) January (39) December (42) November (25) October (16) September (36) August (34) July (40) June (55) May (45) April (63) March (56) February (57) January (60) December (58) November (50) October (55) September (31) August (77) July (65) June (27) May (52) April (53) March (77) February (75) January (36) December (24) November (31) October (31) September (29) August (30) July (49) June (53) May (61) April (65) March (96) February (35) January (53) December (56) November (52) October (51) September (109) August (94) July (70) June (65) May (85) April (80) March (96) February (74) January (79) December (75) November (104) October (105) September (108) August (86) July (101) June (106) May (100) April (97) March (103) February (92) January (95) December (137) November (122) October (173) September (111) August (178) July (168) June (184) May (193) April (161) March (149) February (121) January (131) December (120) November (97) October (137) September (105) August (133) July (120) June (103) May (111) April (72) March (48) February (58) January (27)
On the afternoon of 17 March 1982, four Dutch journalists accompanied by five or six members of FMLN, some of them armed, were ambushed by a patrol of the Atonal Battalion of the Salvadorian armed forces while on their way to territory under FMLN control. The incident occurred not far from the San Salvador-Chalatenango road, near the turn off to Santa Rita. The four journalists were killed in the ambush and only one member of FMLN survived. Having analysed the evidence available, the Commission on the Truth has reached the conclusion that the ambush was set up deliberately to surprise and kill the journalists and their escort; that the decision to ambush them was taken by Colonel Mario A. Reyes Mena, Commander of the Fourth Infantry Brigade, with the knowledge of other officers; that no major skirmish preceded or coincided with the shoot-out in which the journalists were killed; and, lastly, that the officer named above and other soldiers concealed the truth and obstructed the judicial investigation....

1. The Commission on the Truth considers that there is full evidence that Dutch journalists Koos Jacobus Andries Koster, Jan Cornelius Kuiper Joop, Hans Lodewijk ter Laag and Johannes Jan Willemsen were killed on 17 March 1982 in an ambush which was planned in advance by the Commander of the Fourth Infantry Brigade, Colonel Mario A. Reyes Mena, with the knowledge of other officers at the El Paraiso barracks, on the basis of intelligence data alerting them to the journalists' presence, and was carried out by a patrol of soldiers from the Atonal BIRI, under the command of Sergeant Mario Canizales Espinoza.

2. These same officers, the sergeant and others subsequently covered up the truth and obstructed the investigations carried out by the judiciary and other competent authorities.

The death of the journalists in El Salvador brought a storm of indignation to the Netherlands. In many obituary notices individuals and organisations spoke about their shock and support for the cause of justice. There were demonstrations in front of the American consulate in Amsterdam, where large crosses were placed with the names of the journalists. These crosses remained there for a long time. Public interest in Central America surged. The Dutch government investigated the killings, and published a report, which again caused heated discussions. With regard to journalism, the debate centered on the topic of committed journalism. Had the journalists gone too far? Were they biased? Had they deliberately taken too great a risk because of bias? Fellow journalist Gijs Wanders wrote: 'Koos and I felt it our duty to return again and again to that misery. Not just to report, but also to annoy the mighty with our presence. And to give the population the feeling that the dictatorship cannot surround a country with a curtain of silence. (cited in: 'Feiten over Midden-Amerika verzameld door de IKON, - [Facts about Central America, collected by the IKON] - Amersfoort 1982 pag.51).

The ambushed Dutch journalists.

In early 1982, El Salvador was a dangerous place for journalists covering the civil war between FMLN guerrillas and the country's armed forces. Despite the danger, four Dutch journalists,Koos Koster, Jan Kuiper, Joop Willemse and Hans ter Laag, ventured out to the Department of Chalatenango to get an interview with guerrilla fighters. The Salvadoran army ambushed their group and killed all the journalists. The 36th anniversary of the killings is this week.The ambush was one of the war crimes documented in the 1993 UN Truth Commission Report following the conclusion of El Salvador's civil war:During the war a judicial investigation of the events came to an end in 1988 when the judge on the case sought asylum outside of El Salvador after receiving death threats, and the 1993 amnesty law prevented any prosecution thereafter.From the International Institute of Social History Now with the nullification of the 1993 amnesty law, there are calls to bring those responsible for the killing of the Dutch journalists to justice. The Fundacion Comunicandonos and the Asociacion Salvadorena para los Derechos Humanos ( ASDEHU ) filed a complaint on March 13 asking for El Salvador's attorney general (FGR) to reopen the case and prosecute the military officers in command of the ambush. The complaint names Colonel Mario Adalberto Reyes Mena, ex-commander of the 4th infantry brigade based in El Paraiso, Chalatenango; Colonel Francisco Antonio Moran, ex-director of the Treasury Police, General Rafael Flores Lima, ex-chief of the Estado Mayor General of the armed forces; and General Jose Guillermo Garcia, ex-minister of Defense. The ambassador to El Salvador from the Netherlands joined the human rights attorneys as they presented the demand, and expressed his hope that the FGR would investigate and bring the guilty to justice.This complaint filed with the FGR is one of several seeking to reopen proceedings today for criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity during the civil war. To date, Attorney General Douglas Melendez has shown little interest in pursuing the cases, blaming a limited budget for his failure to advance human rights prosecutions for the time of the conflict.A 2007 video produced by the University of Central America has a summary of the Dutch journalists case (in Spanish).The attorneys and representatives of the victims held a press conference today after filing the complaint with the FGR:Later, the victim's representatives released a video from the site of the murder in Chalatenango:
US Syria policy leads to a stalemate

Appearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday, US Army General Joseph Votel answered a question about Assad regime as he didnt know what US policy is.

Russia is behind recent tensions between the US and Turkey, with Moscows role in Syria impacting relations between the two NATO allies, a high-ranking general said Tuesday.

Speaking during Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, General Joseph Votel said Russian support of Syrias Bashar al-Assad regime has not only propped it up but also increases the complexity of the defeat-Daesh campaign as Moscow plays the role of both "arsonist and firefighter", fueling tensions among various parties in the region, including the US and other coalition partners and then serving as an arbiter to resolve disputes.

Votel said Turkey's ongoing military operation in Syria has led to a "little bit of tension" between Washington and Ankara that the two sides are working through largely diplomatically but also militarily to overcome.

Turning to a question about the US stance on Syria's city of Afrin, Votel said the US has not operated there and has no intention of doing so. "The concern we have is that the activities up in Afrin are a distraction to our defeat-Daesh activities right now, and there has been an impact to that." he said, referring to Turkey's military operation to remove terror groups in Afrin.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham asked if the US policy on Syria was still to seek the removal of Assad from power. "I dont know that thats our particular policy at this particular point. Our focus remains on the defeat of Daesh." Votel said.

Senator Graham said "If you dont know what your policy is, i doubt that anyone would, because it is your duty to take care of that part of the world." in response.
Sharon Stone is not engaged to her younger boyfriend, Angelo Boffa, despite being spotted wearing a huge diamond ring on her finger.

Stone was seen wearing what appears to be an emerald cut diamond ring during the couple's beach holiday in Miami last week. Fans are intrigued, but a representative of the actress said the ring is not an engagement symbol. However, Stone's camp did not elaborate its purpose.

Stone and Boffa were first seen dating when they attended a media event in New York last January to promote the actress' HBO series Mosaic under director Steven Soderbergh.

Despite the caught-in-action kissing moments, Stone is yet to talk about her newfound love. In an interview with a magazine, the Basic Instinct actress said she is not interested in short-term love affair but rather a lifelong partnership.

"I was just not that girl who was told that a man would define me...I was told that if I wanted to have a man in my life, it wouldn't be an arrangement, it would be an actual partnership. And those are hard to find," she said.

Ditch Dating To Focus On Kids

Prior to her relationship with Boffa, Stone said she is passing up opportunities to date to focus on her children. The actress emphasized the stereotypes certain cultures have on dating single mothers.

"I have so much love with my kids," Stone said. "I have three little kids, and that's not particularly, in this town and environment, there's not a lot of men that think, 'Gee, I'd like to date her and be the baby daddy of three little kids'. So, it kind of took me out of the dating sphere."

Stone was previously married to Michael Greenburg in 1984 but ended the relationship just six years after. In 1998, she wed Phil Bronstein but the relationship only lasted until 2005.

The actress is also a mother to three adopted boys, namely Roan, Laird, and Quinn.

Sharon Stone's New Beau

Boffa is a real estate businessman who is 19 younger than Stone. Although less is known about the couple's private life, reporters spotted them celebrating Valentine's Day at the Shangri-la Hotel in Paris.

The 41-year-old boyfriend is also a fan of romantic movies. Last year, she posted a snippet of Pretty Woman showing Richard Gere and captioned it as "One of my favorite #prettywoman." As it turns out, Gere is the one who encouraged Stone into becoming a Buddhist.

The couple first met in St. Moritz, Switzerland, and they have been traveling a lot a couple of months into their relationship. Boffa is also a jet-setter himself. He spends a great deal of time in Ibiza despite living in Zurich.

Apparently, Boffa has also made connections in Hollywood long before he met Stone. In May 2017, Boffa posted a picture of him hanging out with Heidi Klum at the Fashion for Relief event.
Brandi Glanville brought major drama to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills but according to her, filming the Bravo reality series was "fluffy and easy."

Although she may not have realized it at the time, filming with her former co-stars, including Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, and Lisa Vanderpump, wasn't nearly as difficult as it has been filming other shows, including her latest projects Celebrity Big Brother and Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars Family Edition.

After doing other reality shows, I now realize how fluffy and easy it was," Glanville admitted to Us Weekly magazine on March 12.

As Glanville explained to the magazine, she took filming on the Bravo TV series quite seriously at the time she was filming and didn't hesitate to speak the truth. Unfortunately, not everyone could handle her attitude and she was frequently involved in tiffs with other cast members.

Glanville joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills in a part-time role during the series' second season and was upgraded to a full-time position the following year.

Throughout her time on the show, Glanville made a number of shocking decisions, including the decision to reveal a shocking secret about Adrienne Maloof and the decision to lightly slap Lisa Vanderpump in the face during a cast trip to Amsterdam. That said, she also established a close friendship with Kim Richards, who she remains in contact with.

Glanville explained to the magazine that she speaks to both Richards and Yolanda Hadid, who left the show amid struggles with Lyme disease, and frequently runs into her other ex-co-stars, including Kyle Richards and Lisa Rinna. That said, she prefers the antics of new cast members Dorit Kemsley and Erika Girardi more than her past co-stars, who she never truly got along with.

As for her and Richards' current relationship, Glanville said that she is on good terms with Kim, despite her strained relationship with Kyle, which was featured on the show for several seasons.

Glanville was ultimately fired from her full-time role on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills after the show's fifth season but returned in a cameo role during Season Six. Since then, Glanville hasn't been seen at all. Instead, she's been making her rounds on a number of other reality shows, including Famously Single and My Kitchen Rules.

Glanville can be seen on WEtv on Fridays at 9 p.m. in Marriage Boot Camp.
Dont plan on actress Amy Schumer changing her last name anytime soon. The star got married to chef Chris Fischer in a secret ceremony recently.

Nix The Mrs. Fischer Jokes

Still, she has decided not to change her last name. She wants people to stop calling her Amy Fischer, too.

She shared the news on none other than an Instagram story with her father. He was asking her if her last name was Schumer or Fischer.

Im not Amy Fischer! said Schumer before she explained her decision. Do you remember who Amy Fisher is? The Long Island Lolita. No, Im keeping my last name. Im keeping your last name.

The Fisher that Schumer was referring to was a woman who made headlines in the early 1990s. Fisher shot Mary Jo Buttafuoco, the wife of the man she was seeing named Joey Buttafuoco. Fisher was 17 at the time. Fisher pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated assault and spent seven years behind bars. She was granted parole in 1999.

As for Schumer, she and her husband's union was a lot more discreet than that. While they hosted A-list stars like Jennifer Aniston, Schumer's friend Jennifer Lawrence, Jake Gyllenhaal, and David Spade, the ceremony was not only said to be laid-back but was planned just days before. Schumer literally sent text messages to her guests the Sunday prior to their Tuesday ceremony.

Still, it was said to be a fun wedding.

Does Mr. Fischer Care?

Thankfully for Schumer, her husband might not care if she takes his last name. He reportedly isnt a fan of the celebrity life and all that comes with it.

Instead, hes been described as an authentic family guy.

The Secret Wedding Details

Lawrence, who is a good friend of Schumer's, gushed about the wedding. She cried during Schumers big day and said it was clear Schumer and Fischer have nothing but love for one another.

It was a beautiful ceremony and an amazing time, said Lawrence. I couldnt be happier.

Schumer was said to be her funny self at the ceremony that was a surprise to all considering that she and Fischer had only been together for a few months. She joked that she would keep their sex life interesting while others doubted she could keep it up for the long haul. Schumer gushed in her vows that she didnt want to wait to be Fischer's spouse, although shes not officially Mrs. Fischer.

Be sure to keep up with Enstars for the latest news and updates on your favorite celebrities.
If his royal status doesn't pan out for Prince George, Prince William says his son already has a back-up plan in mind: the police force.

Prince William attended the reception for the Metropolitan Police's Met Excellence Awards with brother Prince Harry last Tuesday, March 13. During the event, the Duke of Cambridge revealed his son's admiration for cops.

Young Prince 'Obsessed' With Police

When police commissioner Jayne Richardson spoke about a few districts looking for more officer volunteers, he quipped that Prince George and Princess Charlotte may be interested in signing up.

"[George] is obsessed, actually, by the police ... cars, toys, everything," William says, according to Vanity Fair.

The 4-year-old is third in line to the throne, so Prince George may not have the chance to pursue a career in Scotland Yard. For now, though, the young prince is just like any other little boy endlessly fascinated with policemen.

In December, William delivered his son's handwritten wishlist for Father Christmas in Finland. For the holidays, George is asking for only a single gift: a police car.

This is beyond cute: Prince Georges letter to Father Christmas - and the first time we have seen the future kings signature. PS hes been nice and wants a police car! pic.twitter.com/QDiwlFiGBa  Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) November 30, 2017

"I've seen you, and I had to give you this letter, " William tells Santa good-naturedly, according to E! News. "He hasn't written down many requests, so I think one request is probably okay."

Aside from a love for Scotland Yard, Prince George enjoys watching movies with his father, says the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton. Paddington, Coco, Lion King, and Octonauts are a few of his current favorites.

Meanwhile, his 2-year-old sister Princess Charlotte prefers another hobby: dancing. Hello Magazine reported that William shared his daughter's love for performing in a conversation with Malta prime minister Joseph Muscat and his family.

New Sibling On The Way

George is about to become a big brother of two with his parents expecting a new baby in April. William and Kate announced the good news last September, although very few details have been confirmed by the couple.

Both George and Princess Charlotte are excited to meet their new sibling, which hasn't been confirmed as a boy or girl so far. Their parents, on the other hand, are relaxed about their third child.

"They're taking each day as it comes," a source tells Us Weekly in October 2017. "After you've had two children, the third usually feels like somewhat of a breeze so they're just focused on Kate and the baby's health right now."
Hold everyone's wands down. The trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is here, and there are loads of things that need to be taken note of.

The trailer seemed to be overwhelming, to say the least, as it brings back a lot of Harry Potter feels. So a deconstruction is needed for this J.K. Rowling-work of art.

First, the obvious. The younger Albus Dumbledore was portrayed by Jude Law in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Of course his facial hair still wasn't long during the time, and fans should expect a great screen time for the wise professor.

Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, and Gellert Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, are seen in the trailer as well. The infamous school for wizards, the Hogwarts, made an appearance as well, though the scenes mostly took place in France.

Explanation

Now, for those missable elements of the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald trailer. The logo, which some might think is not at all significant, referenced to the magical objects that formed the Deathly Hallows. The Elder Wand hides itself in the letter "i" in the word "Crimes." The Cloak of Invisibility showcased itself as the letter "A" in the word "Grindelwald," and the Resurrection Stone masked itself in the letter "o" in the word "of."

Die-hard fans would know that these objects were given light in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. These magical articles were given to the three Peverell brothers, who utilize their items to cheat their death.

The Deluminator also seemed to show itself in the trailer, although it was not clear who was using the object. Fans believe it was Dumbledore who used it in a foggy street, reportedly to meet with Scamander. A deluminator is like a switch that can turn off light from any source nearby, and can also turn lights on. In the Harry Potter film, Dumbledore gave it to Ron Weasley, as stated in his last will.

Next, thestrals made a brief cameo on Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald's trailer. For those unfamiliar with the creatures, these are basically skeletal horses with wings and resemble reptiles. To give light on this, these creatures were first seen in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and was talked about by the eccentric Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter as creatures that can only be seen by someone who already saw death.

Yes, Hogwarts was established in one scene. Though at one point, it should be noted that some were able to Apparate on the school grounds. Fans would know well that only a few has the capability to apparate and disapparate on the place, and that includes Dumbledore. With this in mind, it could be that security 70 years ago was not on high-alert or something that has triggered the rule is yet to happen. It could also be a miss on Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald director David Yates.

A familiar yet undiscovered character also shows herself, Leta Lestrange. Many might remember her during the first installment as the girl in Scamander's picture frame, his love interest in his time at the Hogwarts. Now, it seemed her story is to be told in the second installment of the film. But fans will also see Tina Goldstein, played by Katherine Waterston, which Scamander had an adventure with in the first installment and hinted to have developed feelings toward the Magizoologist. As for another new character, a certain Maledictus is making an appearance. The role is played by Claudia Kim.

Theseus Scamander, Newt's brother and played by Callum Turner, is also set to help his sibling in his battles. In the story, he was notable for his bravery during the First World War, which made him a lauded hero. He made a brief appearance in the trailer, when he and Newt had to go hand in hand.

Additionally, there was no mention of he who shall not be named (read: Voldemort), but a person with the surname of Travers enters the scene. Torquil Travers, played by Derek Riddell, was one of those who went to interrogate Dumbledore on Scamander's whereabouts. Bearing the Travers's family name means that he delineates from the one of the 28 pure-blood families who cradled Voldemort.

Fans would have to wait and see until Nov. 16 to witness more of the hidden elements in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Shia LeBeouf has finally opened up about his 2017 arrest for disorderly conduct and public intoxication in Savannah, Georgia last year.

LeBeouf's Arrest

In July, the Transformers star was filming his upcoming movie The Peanut Butter Falcon in Savannah, Georgia, when he got into trouble with the law.

The actor got into an altercation with a police officer who denied him a cigarette. The 31-year-old actor ignored the officer's request to calm down and became combative after he was brought into the police station.

Video footage of LeBeouf's racially charged and expletive-laced tirade against the officers while resisting arrest was later released online, in which the actor told one of the officers that he was going to hell because he was black.

The actor was charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, and although the former charge was later dropped, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction in October and was placed on probation for a year.

The actor later apologized for his actions, stating that he was "deeply ashamed" of his behavior and was "actively taking steps toward securing sobriety."

LeBeouf Says Arrest Was 'Mortifying'

"What went on in Georgia was mortifying," LaBeouf told Esquire. "White privilege and desperation and disaster. It came from a place of self-centered delusion ... It was me trying to absolve myself of guilt for getting arrested. I fucked up."

The Georgia arrest was the ninth time LaBeouf has had a run-in with the law. He also revealed that he was diagnosed with PTSD after he checked into rehab in the wake of his Georgia arrest. He noted that the disorder stems from watching his mother get sexually assaulted when he was younger.

The actor added that he once heard his mother, Shayna, getting sexually assaulted and could do nothing to stop it. He also pointed out that his outbursts and violent behavior is the result of the violence he witnessed toward his mother.

"The first time I got arrested with a real charge, it stemmed from the same s--t," he said. "Some guy bumped into my mother's car with his car in a parking lot, and my head went right to 'You need to avenge your mother!' So I went after the dude with a knife."

The incidents involving his mother is also the reason the actor now sleeps with a gun. LaBeouf will next be seen in the upcoming film Borg vs. McEnroe, which is slated to hit theaters on April 13.
It appears royal children are just like their normal counterparts. Following revelations that Prince George loves the police, Prince William revealed Princess Charlotte's favorite activity.

Comparing Notes

While meeting with the leader of Malta, Joseph Muscat, and his family this past Monday, Prince William revealed that his little daughter loves to dance.

William, father to two-year-old Charlotte and four-year-old George, was discussing the prime minister's children at the time. The twin girls Etoile Ella and Soleil Sophie, both ten, joined Muscat and his wife Charlotte who were thrilled to divulge that their daughters are currently attending a stage school.

"My daughter Charlotte loves dancing," replied William.

Princess Charlotte, who turns three at the beginning of May, will be part of Prince Harry's May 19 nuptials to Meghan Markle. Charlotte will be a flower girl while George plays pageboy for the happy couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have made a habit of sharing sweet anecdotes about their two young children while out on royal engagements. They recently revealed that Charlotte loves to eat pasta, and is learning to speak Spanish from her nanny.

"Charlotte is very sweet and very confident  she's always chatting away. [She has] beautiful manners," a source recently revealed.

The couple was careful to choose an acceptable nursery for the young lady; they hand-picked Willcocks Nursery School for her.

"They chose that nursery because they thought it would be an ideal first step for Charlotte's education, and they were impressed by the team who work there," a royal source confirmed.

Sharing The Joy

The royals were attending the reception for the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey when William opened up about his daughter's favorite hobby.

He also talked about son George's well-documented love of the police. According to his father, George is completely obsessed with everything about the police.

PC Jayne Richardson even joked that the little lad should consider joining the force, possibly in the super-posh Kensington and Chelsea district. During a visit to Denmark last year, William hand-delivered a Santa letter from George who wrote that he wanted a police car for Christmas that year.

William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are expecting their third child. For the moment, though, all eyes are on Prince Harry and Meghan as they prepare for their highly-anticipated wedding in just a couple of months.

The couple pledged to get the public more involved in their wedding ceremony which will take place in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik shocked fans when they took to social media to announce their breakup after two years of dating.

Back when they were going strong, they said lots of sweet things about each other and their romance.

They Loved To Netflix And Chill Together

Malik once said that while he and Hadid were very much in love with one another, he didnt want to be a power couple. He said he and Hadid would both rather be a normal couple and cook together, binge-watch television, and have a laugh.

Hadid echoed similar sentiments and said, Were each others best friends.

As for her favorite dishes from Chef Malik, Hadid said they were curry and buttered chicken. She had no shame in admitting that his British background was influencing her taste buds. She said she was falling in love with British foods like Heinz baked beans and endless tea.

Hadid once said their date nights often consisted of going to a late movie, even though Malik was known to fall asleep halfway through. It was clear the date nights happened pretty often because even though they never moved in together, Malik said they frequented one anothers places as much as they could.

They Were BFFs

While he played coy about what they called each other in private, he did say their nicknames for each other were Gee and Zee.

Their best friend status was clear to one another, and Hadid explained why their relationship worked so well amid their fame.

For the first time, we are both in a relationship where we have very similar interests outside of work, and that is really important, said Hadid. We both feel we can talk about anything and learn a lot more from one another.

They Let The World Know

Despite their celebrity status, the couple didnt hold back from supporting each other publicly. Malik once told millions of his followers on social media how much he loved Hadid after she walked for a Tommy Hilfiger collection that she helped design for New York Fashion Week.

Hadid also commended Malik for his bravery and honesty on social media after he had to cancel a show after collapsing during his struggle with anxiety.

They once shared their secret of being able to make things work while the world was watching. Malik said his key was to simply focus on his romance with Hadid and do right by her.

He added that having a line between his career and personal life paired with her brilliance is what made them last for so long.

To the public's surprise, the two decided to go their separate ways after months of rumors that their relationship was on the decline.
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are spending time apart after a reported dispute over his recent birthday celebration in Los Angeles.

According to a new report, Gomez returned to her hometown in Texas earlier this week for some quality time with friends and family amid reports claiming her romance with Bieber may soon come to an end.

"Selena went to Texas for the weekend to be with her family. She's on a break with Justin partly because of family pressure but also because of some issues surrounding his birthday," a source explained to E! News on March 13.

As the insider alleged, Gomez hoped to celebrate her boyfriend's birthday with a quiet celebration between the two of them. However, Bieber preferred to celebrate his big day in a major way and include a number of his friends from church.

In turn, the couple reportedly engaged in a heated dispute and things between them didn't end well. In fact, when Bieber went through with his birthday plans earlier this month, Gomez was nowhere to be seen.

The E! News insider revealed that instead of a private celebration with his girlfriend, Bieber enjoyed a lunch date with friends in West Hollywood, California, followed by a visit to a go-kart raceway. That said, he and Bieber are still in touch with one another. The break that they are reportedly on is likely "not the end" of their relationship.

Although Bieber and Gomez are allegedly trying to make their romance work this time around, a second insider told the outlet that they've been feeling overwhelmed in the months since they reconciled as a couple. This is due to the fact that their relationship is so public.

"They will absolutely get back together and they are not over, but they both need some time away from each other," the source said.

Before rekindling her romance with Bieber in 2017, Gomez was involved in a 10-month romance with The Weeknd. As for Bieber, he was single for some time following brief relationships with Kourtney Kardashian and Hailey Baldwin.

Gomez and Bieber have been spending time with one another publicly since October of last year and rang in the New Year with together in Mexico with friends. Since then, they've been seen out and about in Los Angeles and also traveled to Jamaica weeks ago for the wedding of Justin's father, Jeremy Bieber.
Travis Scott has welcomed his daughter, Stormi Webster, into his life. However, it seems that fatherhood has taken the edge off the "Butterfly Effect" rapper.

Travis Versus Tory

Reports have indicated that there was a bickering match between Scott and his fellow rapper Tory Lanez that almost took a dangerous turn. According to BET, there was a video that showcased the altercation between the two men. Both Scott and Lanez stood chest-to-chest next to each other as their associates huddled around the room.

OK! Magazine stated that the duo entered an intense discussion regarding their old rivalry, including the time that Lanez called out Scott on his song, "Hate to Say." The rapper mentioned that he almost brawled at the Mala Luna Music Festival but decided against it and focused on their respective music careers.

"I said what I said...Are you going to apologize?" said one of the rappers in material obtained by OK! Magazine.

"You seem like you're trying out to come at me right now," said the other rapper.

"Everybody can get out of here. Every single person. This is man to man, bro," said the first rapper.

Allegedly, it was unknown which rapper said what to their contemporary. Also, the person recording the video decided to stop filming. However, it was reported that the disagreement did not evolve into a brawl. Also, Lorenz added that he was not thrilled with Scott's reaction to the showdown. He said that Scott should not have aggressively confronted him.

Stormi's Dad Update

Despite almost getting into a fight with a rap rival, Scott has been doing his best to be the best father possible for Stormi. Kardashian-Jenner matriarch, Kris Jenner, is especially impressed with Scott's co-parenting with Stormi's mother, Kylie. However, that does not mean that the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star and former talk show host will always continue to give him high marks in the dad department.

Gossip rumors circulated that the Kardashian-Jenner's momager was so keen on making sure that Scott stayed in her grandchild's life that she handed him over $4 million. However, Kylie called the notion ridiculous and even laughed at the false rumor. She also decided to slow down their relationship by allegedly not accepting his marriage proposal.

Vacationing With The Kardashians

Scott has spent some time getting to know the Kardashian-Jenners. He bonded with Kylie's older sister, Kim Kardashian, and fellow rapper Kanye West last weekend at a Jackson Hole, Wyoming ski resort. Scott was in the area recording music with the "Flashing Lights" rapper. Meanwhile, Scott and Jenner showcased a significant amount of affection in public on Sunday, March 4 when the duo visited Miami, Florida.
Kim Kardashian West was criticized for releasing the same beauty product as that of her youngest sister, Kylie Jenner. Fans didnt hold back when they blasted Kardashian for being a copy-cat.

KKW vs. Kylie Cosmetics

It was only a matter of time before Kardashian's brand, KKW Beauty and Jenner's line, Kylie Cosmetics, went head-to-head with their products. The time came when Kardashian announced she was coming out with concealer kits on March 23. Her mother, Kris Jenner, and her grandmother Mary Jo, who the family lovingly refers to as MJ, were in the promotional snapshots Kardashian released to support the concealer kits.

Interestingly enough, Jenner released her own concealer line that featured 30 different shades before Kardashians announcement. Kardashian didnt mention that she was working on a new line of concealers until weeks after Jenner released hers.

The Fans Speak

Fans are clearly Team Kylie despite Jenner being blasted for releasing $360 makeup brush sets. It didnt take long for fans to hop on Twitter and share their thoughts.

One fan questioned Kardashians motives and said there are other products out there Kardashian can promote.

Why is Kim Kardashian bringing out concealer kits when Kylies already got concealers out, I dont get it why copy your sister, surely theres something different you can think to release??  Mica (@mica_sky) March 13, 2018

Another said Kardashian's copy was worse than Jenner's as Kardashian released roughly half the number of options Jenner did.

Not only is Kim trynna steal Kylies hustle she only dropping 16 concealer shades when her sister dropped 30 shes about to get dragged.  Tiffany (@____TIFF_) March 13, 2018

One said both releases are proof that the sisters are beefing with one another.

I feel like theres a sister feud between kim and Kylie, now kim is about to sell concealer  verooo (@BrooklynPetite_) March 13, 2018

Another added they would do a comparison of both products to see which one really was the best.

when Kim K's concealer comes out I want to film a video testing hers and Kylie's concealer against each other  CHAO GARDEN 2018 (@rissahi) January 11, 2018

One suggested the famous sisters are actually on the same team and releasing identical products under different names.

What if Kims new concealer is literally the same as Kylies but repackaged & they just finessing us. Well see when the color range releases. I need a comparison when its released as well.  (@tavoxbeauty) January 8, 2018

Another said Kardashian should be crowned for her immaturity when it comes to competing against Jenner.

Kim K is the queen of petty. I know Im not the only one who peeped her new product which is clearly concealer on Snapchat just a month after Kylie dropped hers .  | QueenB | (@MissBrii_xO) January 7, 2018

Interestingly enough, one fan was already convinced they would choose Kardashians concealer instead of Jenners months before Kardashian even confirmed her release date.

ill buy kims could concealer over kylies any day  jamie // 7 (@impenguinjamie) January 7, 2018

A few fans said they both should have several seats because theyre competing with Rihannas cosmetic brand, Fenty.

First Kim takes out these gold highlighters , not Kylie got 30 shades of foundation & concealer They forgot THEY NOT FENTY #rirididitfirst @fentybeauty  Yomii (@yomiraco) December 7, 2017

Of course Kylie tryna come with the 30 shades of concealer. Rih got her and Kim beat and now theyll do whatever it takes, even if it means replication lol stupids  (@Taylor_Daynee) December 7, 2017

Am I the only one who thinks Kim k is copying fenty beauty with the glosses like when did she or Kylie use clear glosses !?! Dont understand  Lil $hawtyy (@_ceciliaarose) January 31, 2018

Still, Jenner has moved on and introduced yet another product for Kylie Cosmetics as the brand is inching its way to making half a billion dollars.

Are They Always Competing?

This isnt the first time the two have made major moves around the same time. Kardashian and her husband Kanye West welcomed their third child via a surrogate just before Jenner confirmed she was not only pregnant but that she delivered her daughter.

Kardashians daughter, Chicago West, was introduced to the public in Jenners video that revealed she gave birth to baby Stormi.

Despite having similar cosmetic lines, Kardashian reminded Jenner she was still the big sister.

I need to school you on what your vagina is going to feel like, said Kardashian to Jenner.

On top of that, Khloe Kardashian is pregnant with her first child and is scheduled to deliver her next month.

Be sure to keep up with Enstars for the latest news and updates on your favorite celebrities.
At almost nine months pregnant, Khloe Kardashian allegedly experienced a health scare that has left her shaken up.

According to Hollywood Life, the first time mom was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California, which is the same hospital her sisters, Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, welcomed their daughters earlier this year.

It seems that the experience was so terrifying for the Good American designer that she is actually considering giving birth in Cleveland, Ohio, where she and her boyfriend, Tristan Thompson, share a home.

"Everyone was worried she'd need an emergency C-section," a source claimed.

The source didn't explain the extent of the issues that Kardashian experienced, but she is reportedly doing okay now.

Khloe Opens Up About Her Pregnancy Woes

Fans of the reality star know that she has shared several details about her pregnancy on social media but spoke in depth about the process in season 14 of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

On a particular episode, the expecting mother told her sisters Kim and Kourtney Kardashian that she was struggling with low levels of progesterone, which plays a vital role in childbearing.

Kardashian further explained that she was taking pills to help compensate for the low numbers, but instead, they caused her pain.

"Literally, I can't walk. I just feel sick every night. I feel gross," the 33-year-old says in the clip.

Although the pills may have wreaked havoc on her body, they actually helped save her pregnancy.

The Revenge Body star further revealed that this is one of the reasons why she chose to keep her pregnancy a secret for a while.

"There's a lot of complications. A lot of things could happen. I could've had a potential to miscarry," Kardashian continued.

Khloe And Tristan's Baby Girl

Opening up about her pregnancy issues wasn't the only thing the reality star did on her family's famous series. Kardashian also found out the gender of her baby, which was revealed to her by her little sister, Kylie Jenner.

Jenner told Kardashian that she would be welcoming a baby girl with her boyfriend, Tristan Thompson.

Luckily, the mother-to-be is in good health now as she gears up to presumably give birth sometime in April.
Charlie Heaton's 2018 didn't start off on a good note and now the young actor may be facing another devastating situation. Reportedly, Heaton ended things with his girlfriend, Natalia Dyer, who is also his co-star on the hit Netflix original show, Stranger Things.

Heaton's Dramatic Year

The couple allegedly broke up in February. Though it is assumed that the split was "amicable," reports are suggesting that Heaton ended things with Dyer unexpectly.

"Charlie broke it off with Natalia. She's heartbroken. She doesn't know what went wrong," an insider stated.

The couple officially went public in October 2016. Prior to his relationship with Dyer, Heaton was involved with musician Akiko Matsuura. The former couple have a son together, Archie, who was born in 2014.

Heaton, Dyer, And 'Stranger Things'

The two entertainers are currently filming for the third season of the popular Netflix show. Heaton portrays Jonathan Byers, the elder brother of the main character, Will Byers (Noach Schnapp), and son of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder). Dyer portrays Nancy Wheeler, the elder sister of Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard).

The show's first season followed the mysterious disappearance of Will Byers amid supernatural events occurring around the town of Hawkins, Indiana, including the appearance of a girl, later named Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), who has psychokinetic abilities. Eleven helps Will's friends in their own search for him. The second season is set a year later and deals with the attempts of everyone in the story to return to normal, as well as the consequences that linger from the previous season.

Ironically enough, toward the end of the second season, Heaton and Dyer's characters began a relationship.

An Alleged Drug Possession

Heaton was detained at the Los Angeles International Airport for an alleged drug possession. The actor was not allowed back into the United States in October 2017 due to carrying cocaine in his luggage. The actor commented that the situation was "awful" and "embarrassing".

"It was hard. Everything happened so fast, and I hadn't come to terms with the fact that I was famous. When something steps in from the work you are doing and breaks into your personal life...you feel kind of vulnerable," the actor stated.

Due to his detainment, the actor was unable to attend the premiere for the second season of Stranger Things.

Dyer reportedly stood by Heaton during the whole ordeal.
Kourtney Kardashian and Younes Bendjima faced breakup rumors earlier this month but now, it appears the couple may still be together.

Although Kardashian and Bendjima unfollowed one another weeks ago, quickly sparking breakup rumors, the 38-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star seemingly gave a shoutout to her man on Instagram earlier this week after a trip to Tokyo with her sisters.

miss you A post shared by Kourtney Kardashian (@kourtneykardash) on Mar 13, 2018 at 9:44am PDT

"Miss you," she wrote in the caption of a photo of herself standing in front of the city.

Breakup Rumors

Kardashian and her sisters were recently in Japan and during their trip, they shared a number of photos of one another on Instagram. Meanwhile, because Kardashian and Bendjima unfollowed one another weeks ago, rumors regarding their possible split continued to swirl.

Although Kardashian and Bendjima have been spotted together since their odd social media activity sparked rumors about a breakup, the couple may be facing issues within their relationship due to what one report claimed was inappropriate flirting.

Kourtney and Younes had their first huge fight over this past weekend. She heard some stuff about him getting flirty with other models and she called him out on it, a source told recently Hollywood Life. He got defensive and things escalated fast. A lot of things were said that they both eventually regretted, and they almost broke up over it.

While Bendjima was reportedly flirting with other women, the source said that the boxer-turned-model doesn't want to lose his reality star girlfriend and has been very kind and sweet to her ever since he was allegedly caught acting questionably. That said, the insider noted that the fight may be a sign of what is to come between them.

Kourtney's 'Jealousy Issues'

As the Hollywood Life insider revealed, Kardashian has major jealousy issues stemming from her past relationship with Scott Disick and being with her younger boyfriend, 34, has been known to trigger those struggles. As the insider noted, dating a male model has proven to be challenging for the reality star, who has been known to feel threatened by the female attention he receives while at work.

Kardashian began dating Bendjima at the end of 2016 but didn't go public with him until last summer, when the couple was seen kissing one another while aboard a yacht in Europe. Since then, the couple has made their romance official on Instagram and is frequently spotted out and about in Los Angeles.
Snap the Whip, by Winslow Homer (Metropolitan Museum of Art)



"When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully, Dr. Johnson once quipped.

This can happen even when the person is not quite a man, or woman, but a teenager. A high school student, say, and the threat isn't the certainty of being strung up in two weeks but the possibility of being gunned down in the indeterminate future.

Never underestimate the motivational power of the prospect of being killed. Or of having your friends killed.

We saw it in the Vietnam era, when college students set down their bongo drums and picked up protest signs.

We saw it this past month  in just 30 days  as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School did not merely mourn 17 slain classmates, nor limit themselves to piling teddy bears. Instead they pushed past their inert elders and took on our country's insane gun culture and the National Rifle Association.

And we'll see it Wednesday, with the National Student Walkout, when students at thousands of schools leave class for 17 minutes, one minute for every murdered Parkland student. It a litmus test of the mental agility of school administrators whether they embraced this rare moment of youthful solidarity or fought it.

As my colleague Lauren FitzPatrick reported, "When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully, Dr. Johnson once quipped.This can happen even when the person is not quite a man, or woman, but a teenager. A high school student, say, and the threat isn't the certainty of being strung up in two weeks but the possibility of being gunned down in the indeterminate future.Never underestimate the motivational power of the prospect of being killed. Or of having your friends killed.We saw it in the Vietnam era, when college students set down their bongo drums and picked up protest signs.We saw it this past month  in just 30 days  as students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School did not merely mourn 17 slain classmates, nor limit themselves to piling teddy bears. Instead they pushed past their inert elders and took on our country's insane gun culture and the National Rifle Association.And we'll see it Wednesday, with the National Student Walkout, when students at thousands of schools leave class for 17 minutes, one minute for every murdered Parkland student. It a litmus test of the mental agility of school administrators whether they embraced this rare moment of youthful solidarity or fought it.As my colleague Lauren FitzPatrick reported, Chicago Public Schools gave tacit approval . I want to make sure our students have an opportunity to express themselves and engage thoughtfully in this national dialogue," CPS CEO Janice Jackson said.

Hundreds of area Catholic schools are holding prayer sessions, discussions and protest activities. Romeoville High School, not content with a single protest, scheduled a week's worth of activities under the rubric, "It's Not a Moment, It's a Movement."

"As educators, one of our most important tasks is providing students with the guidance of learning advocacy skills for developing policy when they become adults," wrote James Mitchem, superintendent of Valley View School District 365U.

And then there's my leafy suburban paradise.

I learned of Northbrook's cower-in-place reaction when a childhood friend of my son bolted out his house like it was on fire and buttonholed me. Had I seen the letter District 225 sent out? I had not. He sent it.

After a few paragraphs of throat-clearing, it gets down to business:

"Students who elect to participate in the demonstration will be subject to school rules and attendance procedures as outlined in the Student-Parent Handbook. Walking out of a classroom will be considered an unexcused absence for the period of time that the student is out of the classroom."

Parents howled. My neighbor, Carla Slawson wrote a letter to Glenbrook North principal John Finan:

"We all want our students to know that there is more to AP Government than getting a "5" on the AP exam ... that what they study can and should have relevance in their lives. This is a unique moment to experience student civic engagement in action. Let's not deny them this, and at the very least, let's not punish them for it."

My attitude: what's wrong with these people? Shame the protest wasn't a pep rally, because then you could pull everyone of class to have them cheer for Spartan pride. This isn't about education; it's about control.

Sunday evening, school administrators met with students who, in keeping with the entire movement, helped the grown-ups grope into the murky abyss of their souls and brush their fingers against their missing sense of moral purpose.

A second letter went out Monday that ... again working through the legalese ... says, in essence: OK, OK, we aren't going to punish you for participating in the walkout, much. The gist:

"Public schools must remain politically neutral, and it is through Board policies and school rules that we are able to ensure that the rights of all students are recognized and protected."

Viewing a desire not to be murdered at your desk as a controversial political stand is political - the politics of the NRA. Compare District 225's duck-and-cover with the warm, human letter from Loyola Academy principal Kathryn M. Baal, carefully explaining why some students are taking part, exactly what they would be doing, and why the school supports them:

"As a gesture of Ignatian solidarity with the Parkland victims, their families, classmates and friends - and a unified call for change in the way our country addresses school safety, gun violence and adolescent mental health - some Loyola Academy students are planning to participate in the National School Walkout on Wednesday, March 14. ... The faculty and staff of Loyola Academy stand behind our students as they grow in their advocacy of peacebuilding and social justice."

It is hard to run a school. An enormous bell curve of students must be accommodated. It takes rules. I get that. But if administrators aren't careful, they can get trapped within those rules and forget that rules are not an end in themselves..

Think of it this way:

You're allowed to run out of the school when a fellow student starts shooting, right? No disciplinary action there. So why not permit students to also leave (for 17 flippin' minutes!) to join a national effort to kick start the change their parents have failed so woefully to even contemplate? Once again, guns seem to be the default value. You can leave class to flee being shot. But to prevent the next shooting? That's a problem. To some.





Originally published in the Sun-Times, March 13, 2018










The CSO have today released tourism data for the full year 2017. This gives details on overseas visitors numbers, purpose of visit, nights and revenue.



Commenting on todays CSO data, Failte Ireland CEO Paul Kelly said:



Todays figures confirm that 2017 was a record year both in terms of visitor numbers and revenue - with almost 300 million in additional revenue generated for the country by overseas visitors. We also estimate that, last year, tourism employment grew by an impressive 10,000 jobs. This growth in revenue, and its ability to spur employment, underscores the vital importance of tourism for Ireland. Its importance is even greater when you consider the fact that in this growth in revenue and jobs is generated in many parts of the country where there are not many other major industries and where tourism is absolutely vital to local communities.



Last year may have been a record year, but the tourism industry will not be resting on its laurels. At Failte Ireland, we will continue to invest in and support growth within the tourism sector with particular emphasis on extending the tourism season for many operators and driving activity into those parts of the country where we believe there is potential for greater visitor capacity and growth.



% change

Visitors Nights Revenue (exc fares) Britain -5.0 0.2 -5.1 North America 16.2 11.6 14.1 Mainland Europe 5.5 -1.1 6.6 Other areas 12.5 13.0 10.3 Total 3.6 3.4 6.5 Holiday 7.3 6.7 8.3 Business -4.0 3.6 5.8 VFR 0.5 0.1 3.6 Hotels 3.6 GH/B&Bs 9.4



Source: CSO Tourism and Travel survey, 14 March 2018





Some key points to note:



 Total overseas visitors to Ireland grew by 3.6% to 9.9 million in 2017, with North America (+16.2%) and other long haul areas (+12.5%) growing particularly strongly. The decline of 5.0% in British numbers was compensated for by a growth of 5.5% in visitors from Mainland Europe.

 Total revenue excluding fares grew by 6.5% to 4.9 billion, again with North America (+14.1%) and other long haul areas (+10.3%) contributing strongly.

 Holiday visits grew by 7.3%, ahead of the growth in visitor numbers, with holiday nights and revenue up by 6.7% and 8.3% respectively.

 Overall visitor nights (+3.4%) grew in line with visitor numbers, with British nights down just marginally despite the 5% drop in visitor numbers.

 Nights in Hotels were up 3.6% up on last year; Guesthouse/B&B nights grew by 9.4%

Jump to top
The funding will help enhance certification and be used to identify risks in the industry

By Diego Flammini

News Reporter

Farms.com

The federal government is investing in Canadas seed sector to help it remain competitive in a global marketplace.

Mike Bossio, member of Parliament for Hastings  Lennox and Addington, announced an investment of over $760,000 today during the Ottawa Valley Farm Show.

The funding will be used to help Canadas $5.6 billion seed industry improve and enhance the certification of crops, identify and assess risks and opportunities facing the industry, and expand seed trade in global markets.



Mike Bossio announces a federal investment into the Canadian seed industry.

When it comes to investing in agriculture innovation, the seed industry walks the talk, Bossio said. Anything that can be done to strengthen the seed sector will pay dividends for the whole supply chain, from farmer all the way to the customer.

The funding will be divided between the Canadian Seed Growers Association (CSGA) and the Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA).

The CSGA will receive $703,214 to complete a study on the risks and opportunities in the Canadian seed sector.

This information will help the industry to minimize risk while maximizing the opportunities at home and around the world, Bossio said. For seed growers, this investment will help improve certification and traceability of your crops. This will give buyers the confidence that when they see the blue (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) tag on the bag, theyre getting top quality Canadian-certified seed.

The CSTA will receive more than $65,154 to assist with innovation and to help break down trade barriers.

The federal government has set an objective of exporting $75 billion worth of agricultural products by 2025. Seed growers are paramount to achieving that goal, Bossio said.

Well be counting on seed growers to help us get there, he said. You are the first point in the supply chain, producing safe high-quality food thats the top choice of consumers around the world.
OTTAWA - On the heels of successful missions to Tennessee and California, Minister MacAulay travelled to Boston, Massachusetts this week to attend Seafood Expo North America, the largest seafood trade exposition in North America.

This two-day mission will help to strengthen trade between Canada and the United States, driving economic growth, creating new middle-class jobs and delivering more benefits for hard-working Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Canada and the United States share deeply integrated economies and enjoy the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship in the world.

Minister MacAulay was joined by representatives from a number of provincial governments including several premiers and provincial ministers of agriculture and fisheries.

Click here to see more...
Corn farmers and Midwest landowners who want to help honey bees and Monarch butterflies have a unique opportunity to do this in a strategic fashion through The Bee & Butterfly Habitat Funds SEED A LEGACY Pollinator Habitat Program, which is being supported by the National Corn Growers Association.

The updated program, expanded in 2018 to include 11 states, seeks partnerships between landowners and beekeepers to provide cost-effective, high-quality pollinator habitat to ensure honey bee and Monarch butterfly populations thrive.

Applications for each state are being accepted online at BeeAndButterflyFund.org/habitat-programs through March 31, 2018 for spring planting. A second application period will open later in 2018 for projects to be planted in the fall.

Native pollinators, honey bees and Monarch butterflies have experienced population declines over the last two decades. The Habitat Fund offers a way for farmers to incorporate the latest innovation and technology into their stewardship efforts and do so in a way that is cost effective, establishes quickly, provides greater pollinator value and addresses weed competition.

Enrollment is open to public, private and corporate landowners in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. These states were selected based on their critical role to address National Pollinator Partnership Action Plan goals.
404

Page not found

The page you are looking for does not exist or is no longer available at the same address.

If you prefer, you can Homepage .
Alicia Vikander's friends call her "Mrs Google".

Alicia Vikander

The 'Tomb Raider' star has earned the funny nickname from her pals because she always uses the search engine to find out information.

She told Buzzfeed: "My friends call me Mrs Google. I'm really good at Googling answers on anything, and I'm very good at planning travels."

Meanwhile, Alicia previously revealed she didn't go home for nearly nine months after winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her depiction of Gerda Wegener - the wife of Danish artist Lili Elbe, one of the world's first recognised recipients of transgender surgery - in 'The Danish Girl' last year.

She said: "I went straight back to the 'Bourne' set and I haven't been home for eight or nine months. It's still a bit of a blur ... I used to watch the Oscars with my mom on our couch at 2 a.m. [when it aired live] in Gothenburg. And then I got to walk the red carpet hand in hand with my mom, cursing in Swedish - 'What the f**k.'"

And Alicia admits she has spent the last five years "living out of three suitcases" and finds it tough trying to plan anything with her friends.

She shared: "It's being out of touch with my friends and family for long periods of time. It's almost impossible to plan getting together because you never know exactly where you're going to be because new projects are constantly popping up and you're often shooting in different parts of the world. I've basically spent the last four or five years living out of three suitcases and going from one hotel to another."
Nick Gordon has been ordered to stay away from his girlfriend.

Nick Gordon

The 27 year old - who dated the late Bobbi Kristina Brown before her death in July 2015 - was arrested earlier this month in Seminole, Florida, after Laura Leal called police alleging that he struck her in the face while she was driving.

Though Laura didn't want to prosecute, Nick was arrested and charged with misdemeanour battery after a responding officer observed her face was swollen and she had tried blood on her lip, and now, as part of his release on bond, the landscaper has been told not to contact his partner.

According to The Blast, Nick has also been banned from returning to the home he shares with Laura, who he is believed to have been dating for around six months.

Nick will be arraigned on April 6.

Meanwhile, Bobby Brown - who blames Nick for the death of his daughter Bobbi Kristina - has reached out to offer support to Laura.

He said in a statement: "We have been informed that Nick Gordon was arrested for domestic violence of Laura Leal in Florida. We would like to speak with Ms. Leal and offer her services through the Bobbi Kristina Brown Serenity House, a not for profit organisation designed to assist women who have been victims of domestic violence.

"On March, 4 2018, the Bobbi Kristina Brown Serenity House held our first event to strike back at domestic violence. I personally would like to extend my hand to Ms. Leal and offer her services through our organisation. I do not want to see any more families destroyed at the hands of domestic violence."

Nick was previously ruled legally responsible for the death of Bobbi Kristina, who died in July 2015, six months after she was found unconscious in her bathtub.

He denies responsibility and no criminal charges were ever filed.
Warner Bros. Pictures have ramped up the promotional game for their upcoming magical flick Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald this week, dropping a brilliant first teaser trailer for the movie that promises a lot of action, drama, and chaos when the film makes its big screen debut. You can check out the teaser below:

Fans of the Fantastic Beasts franchise saw powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp) captured at the end of the first film in the series, with the Magical Congress of the United States of America taking him into custody. Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) was the man responsible for helping the authorities bring Grindelwald to justice, but it looks like hes followed through on his threat to escape.

Now gathering followers at a rapid pace, the magical world is truly unaware of Grindelwalds true agenda  to raise pure-blood wizards up alongside him so that they can as one almighty powerful force rule over all non-magical beings.

This year, well see Jude Law stepping into the role of a young Albus Dumbledore, who wastes no time in enlisting former student Scamander to take down Grindelwald all over again. With incredible dangers along the way, loyalties will be tested and love will be on the line, even within family and friends who would never even think about crossing one another.

Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoe Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim, William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Carmen Ejogo, and Poppy Corby-Tuech all also star in the film, which is directed by David Yates from a screenplay by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling. Rowling also produces alongside David Heyman, Steve Kloves, and Lionel Wigram.

Depp being a part of the movie has come under scrutiny by a very vocal portion of fans, who say that the actor - accused of physical and emotional abuse by ex Amber Heard - should not be a part of the franchise any more. He has since however been defended by both Rowling and Yates, and will obviously continue to play the role of Grindelwald for as long as it is available.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald is set to come to cinemas across the UK on November 16, 2018.

by Daniel Falconer for www.femalefirst.co.uk

find me on and follow me on
Final Supreme Court Briefs Filed in Newman v. NAF Seeking Cert in Gag Order Case Contact: Troy Newman, President, 316-683-6790 ext. 111; Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Vice President, 316-516-3034; Both with Operation Rescue, info.operationrescue@gmail.com



WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- A final reply brief has been filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, in a crucial case challenging an oppressive Federal Court gag order that is currently preventing the release of incriminating evidence against the National Abortion Federation and Planned Parenthood to state and Federal law enforcement.



The case, Newman v. National Abortion Federation, is seeking a Writ of Certiorari from the Supreme Court, which would open the way for arguments before the full Court challenging the constitutionality of a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals a gag order.



Representing Newman is Jay Sekulow and a team of attorneys from the American Center for Law and Justice. In an unrelated case, Seklow also represents President Donald Trump in the probe into so-called Russian collusion.



Newman v. NAF stemmed from a 2015 case, NAF v. Center for Medical Progress, in which the National Abortion Federation sued Newman in his capacity as a founding board member of the Center for Medical Progress, along with other CMP members, in an effort to block the release of additional undercover videos that showed Planned Parenthood, NAF executives, and middleman biotech companies discussing the buying and selling of aborted baby body parts for profit, which is illegal in the U.S.



An injunction blocking the release of further videos was granted, and that injunction is now the subject of Newman's Supreme Court appeal. Twenty state attorneys general have joined in the appeal after being blocked from accessing evidence needed for investigations in their own states.



The undercover videos released by the CMP beginning in July 2015, launched two Congressional investigations and a number of state investigations into the illegal trafficking in human aborted baby remains. As a result, both a Senate and House committee issued criminal referrals to local, state, and federal authorities recommending investigation and prosecution for a broad spectrum of criminal conduct related to the illicit baby parts trade.



Newman's attorneys argue that the Ninth Circuit gag order is unconstitutional since the Court erred in ruling that the undercover videos held no evidence of criminal wrongdoing. This completely ignored the two Congressional investigations that found ample evidence to issue the criminal referrals. The Ninth Circuit also ignored a $7.8 million settlement agreement reached in a lawsuit filed by the Orange County (CA) District Attorney against DaVinci Biosciences and DaVinci Biologics, which admitted it had procured aborted baby remains from Planned Parenthood for resale around the world. Those companies were forced to shut down as a result.



The Ninth Circuit further erred by enjoining individuals from voluntarily cooperating with government investigators.



The U.S. Department of Justice has confirmed that there is an ongoing investigation into Planned Parenthood, the NAF, and others involved in the profit-taking scheme.



"This case is critical and of national importance not only to our rights to Free Speech, but also to prevent corrupt or misguided courts from protecting criminals from prosecution by slapping an injunction on those who have evidence of their crimes," said Cheryl Sullenger, Senior Vice President of Operation Rescue.



A decision from the Supreme Court on Newman's petition for a Writ of Certiorari is expected to be issued by the Court on March 29, 2018.



Read Newman's Final Reply Brief



About Operation Rescue

Operation Rescue is one of the leading pro-life Christian activist organizations in the nation and has become a strong voice for the pro-life movement in America. Click here to support Operation Rescue.



Share Tweet
Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release

SubCategory Select Sub-Category
Singapore-headquartered Grab wants to attract 100 million entrepreneurs across Southeast Asia onto its ride-hailing platform by 2020.

The ambitious target outlined by co-founder and group chief executive Anthony Tan on Monday sees financial services enabled by its data-gathering platform as a key part of the enticement.

Grabs default rate on its US$737 million loan book is below 1.5%, which beats the average for similar emerging Asian markets lending to small-to-medium sized businesses, said Jason Thompson, the managing director for GrabPay across Southeast Asia.

The loans were extended across roughly two years helping its 2.6 million drivers fund such purchases...
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.
ROSELAND (dpa-AFX) - Billionaire investor William Ackman sold about $125 million worth of his holdings in Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP). Pershing Square Capital Management, the activist fund run by Ackman, sold 5 million shares and options in the company, or about 14 percent of its overall ADP holdings. The sale reduces the New York hedge fund's stake in ADP to about 7.2 percent from 8.3 percent previously. Ackman has said the average cost of his investment in Roseland, New Jersey-based ADP, which remains Pershing's largest holding, was about $105 a share. The company's shares closed Tuesday at $117.39 each. Ackman disclosed his initial stake in ADP in August and launched a proxy fight for three seats on the board, including one for himself. The billionaire investor argued the company was underperforming and needed to improve its margins and its offerings to customers. Ultimately, shareholders rejected Pershing Square's candidates in November. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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.
Public Affairs Division Global Communications Department Toyota Motor Corporation Tel: +81-3-3817-9926

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, Mar 14, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Hydrogen Council welcomes 11 new members from Asia, North America and Europe. Leading international oil & gas, energy, science & technology and automotive companies come on board, driving hydrogen innovation to support the energy transition and almost doubling Council membership one year on from its launch.3M, Bosch, China Energy, Great Wall Motor, JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation and Weichai, join as steering members alongside Hexagon Composites, Marubeni, McPhy, Nel Hydrogen and Royal Vopak at supporting level. Since its launch in early 2017, the Hydrogen Council, the first of its kind CEO-led initiative, has doubled in size, now covering all key markets with members across the value chain. In addition to their ongoing individual investments and projects, this year will see Council members join forces to drive change, accelerating the pace on a global scale."We are delighted to welcome such impressive growth and the strong CEO-level commitment to hydrogen this demonstrates. This is corporate leadership at scale--multinationals are walking the talk when it comes to building better solutions to address the Paris Agreement climate goals and hydrogen has become an integral part of our strategies," said Dr Woong-chul Yang, Co-Chair of the Hydrogen Council and Vice Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company.With increasing interest from policy makers and investors around the globe, the next five to ten years could see a decisive shift in deployment of hydrogen technologies, with scenarios suggesting that hydrogen technologies could contribute to meeting 18% of the world's final energy demands, avoiding 6 Gt of CO2 emissions, creating a market with revenues of 2.5 trillion dollars each year and providing 30 million jobs by mid-century(1).Benoit Potier, co-chair of the Hydrogen Council, Chairman and CEO of Air Liquide said, "I am pleased to see more and more leading companies around the world committing to the development of hydrogen, recognizing it as a key solution to the energy transition. Since its launch one year ago, the Council has been able to build strong momentum. Its active participation in high level international events such as the World Economic Forum, New York Climate Week, One Planet Summit and Cop23, lead to major progress engaging with policy makers and governments. Our priority in 2018 will be to continue this rapid pace working alongside global partners and international organizations to help make hydrogen an everyday reality."About the Hydrogen Council:Launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos in early 2017, the Hydrogen Council is a first-of-its-kind global CEO initiative to foster the role of hydrogen technologies in the global energy transition. Current members include 24 leading multinationals--3M, Air Liquide, Alstom, Anglo American, Audi, BMW GROUP, China Energy, Daimler, ENGIE, General Motors, Great Wall Motor, Honda, Hyundai Motor, Iwatani, JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation, Kawasaki, Plastic Omnium, Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil, The Bosch Group, The Linde Group, Total, Toyota and Weichai---as well as 15 dynamic players from across the value chain - Ballard, Faber Industries, Faurecia, First Element Fuel (True Zero), Gore, Hexagon Composites, Hydrogenics, Marubeni, McPhy, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co, Nel Hydrogen, Plug Power, Toyota Tsusho and Royal Vopak. The coalition collectively represents total revenues of over EUR 1.6 trillion and close to 2.5 million jobs around the world.(2)The Hydrogen Council has published two studies to date, How hydrogen empowers the energy transition (January 2017) exploring the role of hydrogen in the energy transition, including its potential, recent achievements, and challenges to its deployment and Hydrogen, scaling up (November 2017) presenting the first comprehensive vision of the long-term potential of hydrogen and a roadmap for deployment. To find out more: www.hydrogencouncil.com.About our new members:Steering members3M is a global science company that never stops inventing. Using 46 technology platforms, our integrated team of scientists and researchers works with customers to create breakthroughs. Our inventions have improved daily life for hundreds of millions of people all over the world.The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. Its Mobility Solutions business sector pursues a vision of mobility that is accident-free, emissions-free, and stress-free, and combines the group's expertise in the domains of automation, electrification, and connectivity. The fuel cell is a technology for further reducing CO2 emissions, especially in heavy commercial vehicles.China Energy proactively explores the full value chain of hydrogen production, distribution and application, investing in infrastructure and key R&D programmes that cover areas such as hydrogen production, storage and transport, fuelling stations, fuel cells, etc. In addition, the company also participates in drafting roadmaps for hydrogen energy development in China.Great Wall Motor Company Limited is China's largest SUV and Pickup Truck manufacturer with more than a million vehicles sold in 2017 under one of the brands Great Wall, Haval and Wey. Advancing electric propulsion including hydrogen fuel cell drive is a key focus of Great Wall Motor's R&D. Great Wall Motor is on the way to develop and roll-out high-power Fuel Cell Electric Cars and SUVs with a cost-competitive design, very low weight, high energy-efficiency and low carbon footprint. With a highly skilled R&D team and novel Hydrogen R&D facilities in Baoding, Hebei, China, Great Wall Motor is committed to advance cost-competitive technologies for Hydrogen Production, Hydrogen Refueling and Fuel Cell Electric Drive in China and worldwide.Weichai, founded in 1946, is currently one of the strongest and most comprehensive auto and equipment manufacturing groups in China. It owns six global business segments of automobile business, construction machinery, powertrain system, intelligent logistics, luxury yacht and finance & after-services. Weichai is striving to develop new energy business and has set up a new energy science and technology company. After nearly 10 years of independent R&D and strategic investment reserve, Weichai now owns a R&D team of more than 100 people and competitive products, motors, batteries, electric control systems and other businesses, and is promoting the industrialization of scale. In Weichai's 2020-2030 strategy, Weichai tries to lead the global new energy industry development by 2030. At present, Weichai undertakes the major projects of hydrogen fuel cell industrialization project of China Ministry of Science and Technology and Replacing Old Growth Drivers With New Ones of Shandong Province, for which Weichai will invest 50 billion RMB to build a new energy industrial park. In the future, Weichai will make full efforts in the field of new energy and look forward to open cooperation with the most innovative enterprises in the world through the Hydrogen Council so as to contribute more to the development of new energy industry and hydrogen energy.JXTG Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation is implementing initiatives as an energy conversion company to convert primary energies, such as crude oil, natural gas, solar and wind, into the optimal energy for delivery to consumers, such as oil products, LP gas, city gas, electricity, and hydrogen. As an energy supplier, JXTG is putting in place hydrogen refueling stations for fuel cell vehicles, working actively to apply the accumulated technologies and expertise needed for the proliferation of these vehicles. Our first commercial hydrogen station opened in December 2014, and by the end of February 2018 the number of locations had grown to 40.Supporting membersHexagon Composites delivers safe and innovative solutions for a cleaner energy future. We are adapting our leading composite pressure vessel technology for a wide range of mobility and storage applications. The energy transition towards a low-carbon society is constantly opening up exciting growth opportunities for us.Marubeni is a major integrated trading and investing business conglomerate active in a broad range of products and services globally especially in the power and energy field.McPhy "Driving clean energy forward". In the framework of the energy transition, and as a leading supplier of hydrogen production, storage and distribution equipment, McPhy contributes to the deployment of clean hydrogen throughout the world. As a designer, manufacturer and integrator of hydrogen equipment since 2008, McPhy provides turnkey solutions tailored to our client applications: renewable energy surplus storage and valorization, fuel cell car refueling, raw material for industrial sites.Nel Hydrogen is a global, dedicated hydrogen company, delivering optimal solutions to produce, store and distribute hydrogen from renewable energy. We serve industries, energy and gas companies with leading hydrogen technology. Since its foundation in 1927, Nel has a proud history of development and continual improvement of hydrogen plants. Our hydrogen solutions cover the entire value chain from hydrogen production technologies to manufacturing of hydrogen fueling stations, providing all fuel cell electric vehicles with the same fast fueling and long range as conventional vehicles today.Royal Vopak is the world's leading independent tank storage company, operating a global network of marine terminals at strategic locations. Vopak is storing vital products with care, currently enabling the delivery of oil, chemicals, gases, LNG, biofuels and vegoils. The company is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange and employs an international workforce of 5,700 people.(1) Hydrogen: Scaling Up, The Hydrogen Council, 2017(2) Company figures from financial years 2015 to 2017.About ToyotaToyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today, Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in 29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170 countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.Source: ToyotaContact:Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON, Mar 14, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Colt Technology Services and PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, have collaborated with Clear, a blockchain start-up company, to demonstrate that inter-carrier settlement times can be reduced from hours to minutes by blockchain technology.The objective of this Proof of Concept (PoC) was to ascertain if the advantages offered by blockchain technology could be applied to make inter-carrier settlements more efficient, reliable, and scalable.This PoC was specifically focused on the settlement area of wholesale voice minutes, as the majority of telecom operators have similar processes for these transactions.Today, despite the financial importance of these settlements to wholesale carriers, they still involve manual transactions which are costly for all parties. In the trial, the application of blockchain's decentralised, cryptographically enforced, immutable ledger technology resulted in tens of thousands of call records being analysed and settled in a few minutes. Using blockchain technology, hundreds of hours of manual work were reduced to seconds of automated verification and settlement.Furthermore, blockchain technology adds an extra layer of security and trust to transactions in an industry where sensitive and proprietary information is frequently exchanged, fraud is rife, and dispute resolution can be lengthy and complex.Most of today's blockchain technologies lack solutions for scalability, contract privacy and enterprise grade business logic, all critical for an industry wide settlement and clearing platform. However, through the use of proprietary technologies, this PoC demonstrated the viability of a blockchain-based wholesale trading system.Both Colt and PCCW Global are members of the ITW Global Leaders' Forum (GLF), where discussions on blockchain have featured heavily, and it was in this forum that the collaboration was cemented. GLF aims to foster an environment within the telecom industry that focuses on ubiquity and interoperability among providers. This PoC was centred around these themes by attempting to understand how a technology such as blockchain can benefit the sector as a whole.Carl Grivner, Chief Executive Officer of Colt, said, "It is our goal to create a more agile, customer oriented organisation, and one way in which we are doing this is by exploring the benefits of disruptive technologies, such as blockchain. Collaborating with PCCW Global and Clear is ground breaking, as we have demonstrated how blockchain can transform the way we conduct business in the telecom industry."Marc Halbfinger, Chief Executive Officer of PCCW Global and the Chairman of the GLF, said, "Everyone is talking about blockchain but the use cases in the telecom industry have been fairly limited until now. Whilst this deployment is currently only at the PoC stage, through our collaboration with Colt we are eager to demonstrate how the many potential uses of blockchain across our industry can deliver value by improving the ways in which we interoperate."Gal Hochberg, Chief Executive Officer of Clear, said, "It is exciting for any business to create something that has the power to truly innovate how an entire industry operates. This PoC marks the beginning of how blockchain is set to revolutionise the telecom sector."During two separate demonstrations, one of which took place at the Pacific Telecommunications Council annual conference in January 2018, the PoC showcased the use of blockchain to positively settle payments for inter-carrier voice traffic. It reduced what can take several weeks, and sometimes months, of intense manual labour down to less than a minute."This PoC could also see the beginning of a cryptocurrency model where, rather than exchanging cash to settle transactions, carriers could move to a token-based credit environment. If successful, such a model could be rolled out beyond the carrier community to other technology service providers," concluded Mr. Grivner.About ColtColt aims to be the leader in enabling customers' digital transformation through agile and on-demand, high bandwidth solutions. The Colt IQ Network connects over 800 data centres across Europe, Asia and North America's largest business hubs, with over 25,000 on net buildings and growing.Colt has built its reputation on putting customers first. Customers include data intensive organisations spanning over 200 cities in nearly 30 countries. Colt is a recognised innovator and pioneer in Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Function Virtualisation (NFV). Privately owned, Colt is one of the most financially sound companies in its industry and able to provide the best customer experience at a competitive price. For more information, please visit www.colt.net.About PCCW GlobalPCCW Global is the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong's premier telecommunications service provider, which is majority-owned by PCCW Limited. Covering more than 3,000 cities and 150 countries, the PCCW Global network supports a portfolio of integrated global communications solutions which include Ethernet, IP, fiber and satellite transmission solutions, international voice and VoIPX services, managed network & security services and our expanding "as-a-service" solutions including OTT video and Unified Communications.PCCW Global is headquartered in Hong Kong, and maintains regional centers in Belgium, China, France, Greece, Japan, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. To learn more about PCCW Global, please visit www.pccwglobal.com.About HKTHKT (SEHK: 6823) is Hong Kong's premier telecommunications service provider and leading operator in fixed-line, broadband and mobile communication services. It meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sales, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centers.HKT offers a unique quadruple-play experience in Hong Kong delivering media content on its fixed-line, broadband Internet access and mobile platforms jointly with its parent company, PCCW Limited.HKT also provides a range of innovative and smart living services beyond connectivity to make the daily lives of customers more convenient, whether they are at home, in the workplace, or on the go. For more information, please visit www.hkt.com.About ClearClear builds blockchain-based wholesale services clearing and settlement platforms for entire industries, and the economies that support them. Using smart-contracts and state-of-the-art cryptography, Clear's technology platforms enable enterprises to transition from current inefficient and manual processes to real-time trading and clearing on a global scale without compromise. By partnering with industry leaders, sustainable supporting economies are created, fostering evolution and innovation for the benefit of all participants. Clear aims to build a global infrastructure that allows organizations to leverage the opportunities and meet the challenges created by digital transformation, reduce costs and increase coordination and cooperation. Let's make it Clear. To learn more about Clear, please visit www.clearx.io.For further information, please contact:Nola PocockColtTel: +447917714377Email: nola.pocock@colt.netIvan HoPCCW GroupTel: +85228838747Email: ivan.wy.ho@pccw.comRoni ShaniClearTel: +1 6467608118Email: roni@clearx.ioIssued by Colt Technology Services.Source: ColtCopyright 2018 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
Catholic Priest Suing Church for Defamation He Suffered in Retaliation for Reporting Abuse

Press Conference Thursday Morning 3-15-2018



Contact: Father Harrington, 781-749-7681, frjpharrington@aol.com



BRAINTREE, Mass., March 14, 2018 /Christian Newswire/ -- Father John Harrington, a Catholic priest is suing his former bishop, several members of the clergy, including two other bishops and a psychologist for punishing and defaming him for reporting an abusive homosexual priest in the seminary and in the clergy.

Press Conference Details:



Date:

Thursday, March 15, 2018



Time:

10:30 am



Place:

Hyatt Place Braintree

50 Forbes Road

Braintree, MA 02184

(781) 848 - 0600

"It is well documented that there is a homosexual lobby within the Church that seeks to root out orthodox priests and seminarians who don't share their re-envisioning attitude of the Church. That I am victim of retribution by the defendants for having reported two known homosexual priests manifests the power of the homosexual lobby to impede and manipulate investigations of gay clergy accused of sexual misconduct," Harrington said.



Harrington's attempt to report sexual harassment by the academic dean of St. John's Seminary, where he was a student from 19881991, were rebuffed by Cardinal Law and auxiliary Bishop Robert Banks and seminary officials. Harrington was subsequently alienated and mistreated by the homosexual community leading to his departure from the seminary in 1991. "Even though Cardinal Law and Bishop Banks acknowledged the academic dean had committed sexual misconduct toward me and the class, they did not remove him from St. John's but kept him there as a show of support to the gay community," stated Harrington.



When, in 2002, Harrington applied for re-admission to St. John's, an on staff Church psychologist wrote a scurrilous psychological evaluation of Harrington used by seminary officials to reject his application. This form of ideological discrimination is a common practice used by the homosexual lobby to screen out orthodox men from the priesthood who don't share their agenda to redefine Church ministry. "Bishop Lennon and Msgr. Edyvean both agreed that the psychologist had distorted and seriously misrepresented me in his evaluation and yet Lennon, the rector of St. John's at the time, refused to expunge the scurrilous report from my file, knowing that it could be used to blackball me if I should apply to another diocese for admission," said Harrington.



Accepted by Bishop Sean P. O'Malley of the Fall River Diocese, six months after Harrington's ordination in 2004, Fr. William M. Costello, a known gay priest and a former student of the gay friendly academic dean who sexually harassed Harrington in the seminary, falsely accused Harrington of stalking a young parishioner. Bishop George Coleman of the Diocese of Fall River removed Harrington from St. Patrick's Parish, withdrew his priest faculties, evicted him from the diocese and, in March of 2014, stripped Harrington of his clerical garb for another false accusation made this time by the Vicar of Parish Life and Leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston. Coleman published the false allegation in his 2014 decree further injuring Harrington's reputation. All of these actions are in keeping with the homosexual lobby's agenda to weed out orthodox priests from the Catholic Church. "Bishop Coleman's decree treated Fr. Harrington with contempt," attorney Thomas Harvey said to the hearing judge last week at the Dedham Superior Court.



A copy of the Complaint will be distributed at the press conference.



For more information contact Father Harrington directly at 781  749  7681, frjpharrington@aol.com.
JZ CAPITAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCES SALE OF PARAGON WATER SYSTEMS FOR 1.8x GROSS RETURN ON INVESTMENT

~ $16.2 million in gross proceeds realised, delivering an 18.4% IRR ~

14 March 2018

JZ Capital Partners Limited (LSE:JZCP.L or "JZCP"), the London listed fund that invests in US and European microcap companies and US real estate, is pleased to announce the sale of Paragon Water Systems, Inc. ("Paragon") to Culligan Water, the world leader in residential, office, commercial and industrial water treatment.

Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Tampa, Florida, Paragon develops and produces "point-of-use" water filtration products for leading global Original Equipment Manufacturer ("OEM") clients, big brand suppliers to specialty and big box retailers, direct sales organisations and companies with national or international water filtration dealership networks.

JZCP expects to realise approximately $16.2 million in gross proceeds (including escrows) from the sale, representing an increase of approximately $3.7 million, or 29.6% on the carrying value of Paragon of approximately $12.5 million as of 31 January 2018. In addition to increasing JZCP's overall NAV as of January 31, 2018 by 0.4%,this transaction represents a gross multiple of invested capital ("MOIC") of approximately 1.8x and a gross internal rate of return ("IRR") of approximately 18.4%.

David Zalaznick, JZCP's Founder and Investment Adviser, commented: "We are pleased with this realisation above JZCP's net asset value. One of our objectives is to demonstrate to shareholders and potential new investors that our NAV is conservatively valued. We hope to continue our realisation cycle and build liquidity for our previously stated goals of making new investments, paying down debt and buying back stock."

The transaction follows the recent announcement that JZCP is to sell Bolder Healthcare Solutions ("BHS") to a subsidiary of Cognizant, one of the world's leading professional services companies, for gross proceeds of approximately $108.0 million, representing an increase in NAV of approximately 4.3%, as of 31 January 2018.

Ends

For further information:

Ed Berry / Kit Dunford

FTI Consulting

+44 (0) 20 3727 1143

David Zalaznick

Jordan/Zalaznick Advisers, Inc.

+1 212 485 9410

Paul Ford

JZ Capital Partners

+44 (0) 1481 745383

About JZCP

JZ Capital Partners ("JZCP") is one of the oldest closed-end investment companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. It seeks to provide shareholders with a return by investing selectively in US and European microcap companies and US real estate. JZCP receives investment advice from Jordan/Zalaznick Advisers, Inc. ("JZAI") which is led by David Zalaznick and Jay Jordan. They have worked together for more than 35 years and are supported by teams of investment professionals in New York, Chicago, London and Madrid. JZAI's experts work with the existing management of microcap companies to help build better businesses, create value and deliver strong returns for investors. For more information please visit www.jzcp.com.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 03/14/18 -- Novoheart ("Novoheart" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE: NVH)(FRANKFURT: 3NH) is pleased to announce the opening of its brand new Hong Kong facility consisting of 5,300 ft2 of integrated laboratory and office space. Located in the Hong Kong Science Park, the laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for stem cell production, tissue engineering and world-class research and development. The facility provides Novoheart with a new level of scalability enabling it to accommodate a significant number of additional revenue-generating commercial contracts and projects.

"Our new, state-of-the-art facility and Hong Kong location allows us to now take full advantage of the booming Asian market and build regional strategic partnerships while also accommodating an increased number of revenue-generating opportunities within North America," said Dr. Ronald Li, CEO of Novoheart. "Our location also allows us access to local government funding to support new and pioneering R&D activities. In the past few years, Novoheart has secured approximately $2 million in government support which has allowed us to accelerate the development of our market-leading technologies for commercialization."

"With the newly expanded Hong Kong facilities, operations are being streamlined to ensure its growing R&D team works seamlessly with those located in our Irvine, California location, and the two locations enable our R&D programs to operate continuously round the clock." said Dr. Kevin Costa, CSO of Novoheart. "In addition to this facility being an advantage for our global client-base, we believe we will rapidly accelerate our ability to innovate in key areas of research and ensure we continue to deliver best-in-class drug discovery tools for our pharmaceutical and biotech clients."

About Novoheart:

Novoheart is a global stem cell biotechnology company pioneering an array of next-generation human heart tissue prototypes. It is the first company in the world to have engineered miniature living human heart pumps that can revolutionize drug discovery, helping to save time and money for developing new therapeutics. Also known as 'human heart-in-a-jar', Novoheart's bio-artificial human heart constructs are created using state-of-the-art and proprietary stem cell and bioengineering approaches and are utilized by drug developers for accurate preclinical testing as to the effectiveness and safety of new drugs, maximizing the successes in drug discovery whilst minimizing costs and harm caused to patients.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about the Company's future plans, its goals and expectations, and the potential applications of its MyHeart? platform are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risks identified in the management discussion and analysis section of Novoheart Holdings Inc.'s interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Novoheart

Ronald Li

CEO

info@novoheart.com



Virtus Advisory Group

Babak Pedram

Investor Relations

416-995-8651

bpedram@virtusadvisory.com



For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Josh Stanbury

Media Relations

416-628-7441

media@novoheart.com




Clinical Data Presentations at AAT in Alzheimer's Disease Support Investigating Gantenerumab in Higher Doses in New Pivotal Phase 3 Trials

- Three abstracts will be presented at the upcoming Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease conference AAT-AD/PDTM Focus Meeting 2018, thereof one as Late Breaking Abstract.

- Gantenerumab showed greater and consistent amyloid beta reduction in the brain after one year of treatment at higher doses in open-label extension (OLE) clinical studies in patients with prodromal to mild Alzheimer's disease compared to lower dosing.

- Results from clinical OLE trials supported higher dosing up to 1200 mg in a slowup-titration regimen compared to doses of 105 mg and 225 mg previously tested in clinical studies.

PLANEGG/MUNICH, GERMANY /ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2018 / MorphoSys AG (XETRA: MOR); (FSE: MOR); Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; (OTC PINK: MPSYY) announced today that clinical data supporting the application of gantenerumab in higher doses in new pivotal phase 3 studies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease planned to start later this year will be presented at AAT-AD/PDTM. In the data presented, gantenerumab was evaluated with considerably higher doses in an open-label extension (OLE) study part than previously tested.

A total of three different abstracts for gantenerumab including one Late Breaking Abstract were accepted for presentation at the upcoming Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease conference AAT-AD/PDTM Focus Meeting 2018, which is a new joint meeting between the International Geneva/Springfield Symposium on Advances in Alzheimer Therapy and AD/PDTM, to be held from March 15-18 in Torino, Italy. Gantenerumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against amyloid beta (A) developed by Roche for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease that was generated by MorphoSys using its proprietary HuCAL technology.

"The effect of higher doses of gantenerumab on the reduction of amyloid beta in Alzheimer's patients is very encouraging to us", commented Dr. Markus Enzelberger, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG.

In the abstract accepted for presentation during the Late Breaking session at the AAT-AD/PDTM, clinical data will be presented assessing clinical effects of higher doses of gantenerumab measured by amyloid beta reduction in the brain. Eighty-one (81) patients with prodromal to mild Alzheimer's disease were enrolled in the OLE study parts and received higher doses of up to 1200 mg gantenerumab subcutaneously every 4 weeks. The dose increase, from starting levels of 105 mg or 225 mg of gantenerumab to up to 1200 mg, was administered using different titration schemes with the goal of controlling potential safety findings due to the increased doses. Fifty-one (51) patients had a brain positron emission tomography (PET) scan to determine amyloid plaques at week 52. According to the data presented, patients who received higher doses of gantenerumab showed a greater and consistent amyloid reduction compared to patients having received lower dosing (105 mg or 225 mg). At week 52, approximately one-third of the high-dose patients had amyloid levels below the threshold that classifies a patient as amyloid beta positive.

Review of the data in the OLE studies did not reveal any new or unexpected safety findings of the higher doses for this patient population. As reported previously (Andjelkovic et al., 2017, CTAD abstract), increased doses of gantenerumab led to an increase of ARIA (amyloid-related imaging abnormalities), which, however, remained manageable with the implemented dosing titration scheme. In the higher doses of up to 1200 mg, severity and seriousness of adverse events was comparable to the lower doses (105 mg or 225 mg) applied in the previous studies.

Details of the presentations about gantenerumab at the AAT-AD/PDTM 2018

Abstract / Oral (Late Breaker) - Analysis of Factors and Methodologic Considerations Affecting Plaque Reduction Measures via PET in the Gantenerumab Open-Label Extension Studies

Symposium LB1 - Clinical trials in AD, PD, and progressive supranuclear palsy

Date: Thursday, March 15, 2018

Time: 10:40 AM - 11:00 AM CET

Place: Sala 500

Presenter: Greg Klein

Abstract / Oral presentation- Optimizing the Gantenerumab Phase 3 Dosing Regimen Through PK/PD Modeling and Clinical Trial Simulations

Symposium 13 - Anti-amyloid Immunotherapies

Date: Friday, March 16, 2018

Time: 4:05 PM - 4:25 PM CET

Place: Sala 500

Presenter: Carsten Hofmann

Abstract / Oral presentation- The Effect of Speed of Injection on Pain, Tolerability, Safety and Pharmacokinetics Following SC Administration of Gantenerumab

Symposium 13 - Anti-amyloid Immunotherapies

Date: Friday, March 16, 2018

Time: 4:25 PM - 4:45 PM CET

Place: Sala 500

Presenter: Agnes Porton



About MorphoSys

MorphoSys is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company devoted to the development of innovative and differentiated therapies for patients suffering from serious diseases. Based on our proprietary technology platforms and leadership in the field of therapeutic antibodies, we, together with our partners, have participated in the development of more than 100 therapeutic product candidates currently in R&D, 28 of which in clinical development. Our broad pipeline spans two business segments: Proprietary Development, in which we invest in and develop product candidates, and Partnered Discovery, in which we generate product candidates for our partners in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries against targets identified by our partners. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR. For regular updates about MorphoSys, visit http://www.morphosys.com.

HuCAL(R), HuCAL GOLD(R), HuCAL PLATINUM(R), CysDisplay(R), RapMAT(R), arYla(R), Ylanthia(R), 100 billion high potentials(R), Slonomics(R), Lanthio Pharma(R) and LanthioPep(R) are registered trademarks of the MorphoSys Group.

MorphoSys forward looking statements

This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the MorphoSys group of companies. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of MorphoSys as of the date of this release and involve risks and uncertainties. Should actual conditions differ from the Company's assumptions, actual results and actions may differ from those anticipated. MorphoSys does not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements as far as the wording of the relevant press release is concerned.

For more information, please contact:



MorphoSys AG

Jochen Orlowski

Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR

Alexandra Goller

Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR



Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-404

investors@morphosys.com



SOURCE: MorphoSys AG
STOCKHOLM, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Electrolux Major Appliances North America has been informed by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) that it has set a final tariff rate of 72.41% on its washing machines imported into the U.S. from Mexico between February 2016 and January 2017. As previously communicated, the DOC informed Electrolux about this preliminary rate in November 2017.* Electrolux will contest this decision vigorously.

It is Electrolux's position that the DOC set this tariff rate by improperly citing, as the basis for this decision, a failure on behalf of Electrolux to submit data in a timely manner. Electrolux believes that the DOC's decision lacks legal merit, because the DOC failed to provide Electrolux actual notice of the relevant documents or the necessary timeframe for response, as required by the World Trade Organization Anti-Dumping Agreement and the DOC's own internal guidelines.

Electrolux will now appeal the DOC's decision. If the tariff rate is not significantly reduced as a result of the appeal process, it could lead to a one-time cost of up to USD 70 million. However, Electrolux believes that the company has a very strong legal case and, at this point, will not make any provision related to this potential cost.

*Press release from November 2, 2017: http://www.electroluxgroup.com/en/electrolux-to-contest-tariff-rate-set-in-antidumping-review-by-u-s-department-of-commerce-24115/

For further information, please contact:

Daniel Frykholm, Electrolux Press Hotline, +46-8-657-65-07

This is information that AB Electrolux is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 0800 CET on March 14, 2018

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/electrolux/r/electrolux-provides-update-on-u-s--antidumping-review--intends-to-contest-decision,c2471484

The following files are available for download:
SAI Global customer embeds culture of safety, accountability with real-time insights

LONDON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --SAI Global, a leading provider of integrated risk management solutions, congratulates Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology on receiving the 2018 HSE Innovation Award administered by independent research firm, Verdantix. Accepted at the Verdantix Summit in London yesterday, the award also recognized SAI Global as Sandvik's EHS technology partner.

Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology, a leading supplier of equipment and tools, service and support for the mining industry that employs 15,000, adopted SAI Global's operational risk software in 2008 to address EHS management performance. SAI Global's operational risk management capabilities include reporting and analytics tools, which Sandvik leveraged to implement a standardized set of metrics to support monitoring of leading indicators.

"Sandvik's ambition is to 'Set the Industry Standard' in all of its activities and this includes its EHS performance," said Stuart Evans, Global EHS Vice President for Sandvik Mining & Rock Technology. "Embarking on the EHS League Table project with SAI Global helped us embed a continual improvement ethos, where ongoing tracking, monitoring and reporting drives targeted, measurable action throughout the year, rather than just at the end of the year."

Ranked as a 'Leader' by Verdantix in their 2017 Green Quadrant EHS Software, SAI Global helps organizations manage hazards and risks creating a proactive safety culture with an integrated approach that looks across the complete risk picture. This is a significant advantage for EHS teams working closely with other risk functions in their organizations.

"Sandvik and SAI Global were selected for their application of an innovative EHS technology that measurably changed behavior and ensured that EHS was no longer viewed as someone else's problem," said David Metcalfe, Verdantix CEO and chair of the Innovation Awards panel. "Leveraging SAI Global's broad risk management strengths and insights capabilities, Sandvik's EHS League Table project elevated the importance and transparency of EHS performance enterprise wide and helped to embedd a strong safety culture."

The Verdantix HSE Innovation Awards recognize the people and organizations instrumental in launching successful, innovative technologies that facilitate management of the HSE function to deliver impressive results. Award winners are selected by an independent jury of corporate HSE managers.

About SAI Global

SAI Global helps organizations proactively manage risk to create trust and achieve business excellence, growth, and sustainability. Our integrated risk management solutions are a combination of leading capabilities, services and advisory offerings that operate across the entire risk lifecycle allowing businesses to focus else ware. Together, these tools and knowledge enable clients to develop an integrated view of risk. To see our tools in action, request a free demo.

We have global reach with locations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. For more information visit www.saiglobal.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/642410/SAI_Global_logo.jpg
NanoDriver Series LED drivers measure 13.5mm x 13.5mm x 1.42mm

Seoul Semiconductor, a leading global innovator of LED products and technology, has developed the industry's smallest 100V 24W LED driver for Japan lighting market. The NanoDriver Series LED drivers employ Seoul's patented Acrich technology to produce an ultra-miniature device to drive LED circuits from 8 24W with 100V input designs with low flicker requirements.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005390/en/

Seoul Semiconductor's NanoDriver Series is the industry's smallest 100V 24W LED driver for Japan lighting market. (Photo: Business Wire)

"The NanoDriver Series LED drivers will have an significant impact on lighting fixture design, enabling the smallest size luminaires while still delivering high efficacy and low flicker using our patented AC technology" explained Keith Hopwood, executive vice president at Seoul Semiconductor.

"Fixture manufacturers can significantly reduce the size, weight and volume of their luminaire designs, thus providing their end customers with a highly efficient, less bulky light fixture", Hopwood continued. "The NanoDriver Series' superior efficacy, low flicker, and small size is the result of Seoul Semiconductor's continued research and development in AC LED technology, which delivers a unique power topology that results in smaller size, increased efficiency and lower costs"

The NanoDriver Series devices are ideal for applications such as flush mount, wall sconce, vanity and downlight fixture applications. The NanoDriver Series overcomes the problem of the limited space in lighting fixtures for the electronic controls, it had previously been difficult to convert these applications to LEDs, as there was no space for conventional driver components and circuitry.

The NanoDriver Series LED drivers are designed for controlling luminaires up to 3,000 lumens, making possible the integration of the external converter with the control circuitry. The reduction in size for control circuits made possible by the NanoDriver Series facilitates mounting more light sources on the PC board or reducing the overall size of the fixture and its mounting plate. The NanoDriver Series devices are also small and lightweight enough to make airfreight practical and economical, reducing lead times and streamlining the supply chain.

The NanoDriver Series is available in two models rated for output power of 16W and 24W, for LED assemblies operating at input voltages of 100V (50 60Hz). The drivers have typical efficiencies of 85% and up to 150lm/W fixture efficiency, depending on the LEDs and configuration used. They feature power factor correction (PFC) of <0.9, with an over-temperature protection feature that limits the LED current at temperatures above 160C. Operating temperature range is -40 to +70C (ambient) and -40 to +140C (case temperature).

To download the datasheet for the NanoDriver Series LED driver, please visit: http://seoulsemicon.com/upload2/Data%20sheet%20NanoDriver%20100V%2003_10_2018_R1.pdf

About Seoul Semiconductor:

Seoul Semiconductor develops and commercializes light emitting diodes (LEDs) for automotive, general illumination, specialty lighting, and backlighting markets. As the fourth-largest LED manufacturer globally, Seoul Semiconductor holds more than 12,000 patents, offers a wide range of technologies, and mass produces innovative LED products such as SunLike delivering the world's best light quality in a next-generation LED enabling human-centric lighting optimized for circadian rhythms; WICOP a simpler structured package-free LED which provides market leading color uniformity and cost savings at the fixture level, providing high lumen density and design flexibility; NanoDriver Series the world's smallest 24W DC LED drivers; Acrich, the world's first high-voltage AC-driven LED technology developed in 2005, including all AC LED-related technologies from chip to module and circuit fabrication, as well as multi-junction technology (MJT); and nPola, a new LED product based on GaN-substrate technology that achieves more than ten times the output of conventional LEDs.

For more information about Seoul Semiconductor, please visit http://www.seoulsemicon.com

Trademarks

WICOP and Acrich are trademarks of Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005390/en/

Contacts:

Europe

Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH

Ariane Heim, +49-(0)89-450-3690-0

press.eu@seoulsemicon.com

or

North America

Seoul Semiconductor Inc.

Andrew Smith, +1-901-831-6614

andrew.smith@seoulsemicon.com

or

Asia

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd

Jake Jung, +82 070.4391.8270

pr@seoulsemicon.com
HONG KONG, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Yiguo Group's Chairman and CEO, Patrick Zhang is scheduled to present at the following investor conference in March to address the topic of "The new retail revolution - how do retailers, customers and investors stand to benefit".

Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference on Monday, March 19 at the Conrad Hotel in Hong Kong .

About Yiguo Group

Established in Shanghai in 2005, Yiguo Fresh Food is the first and the largest fresh food e-commerce retailers in China with over 10,000 employees.

In 2016, Yiguo Fresh Food became Yiguo Group with three companies: Win-Chain Supply Chain, ExFresh andYiguo New Retail.

Win-Chain Supply Chain, the partner of fresh food supply chain under Alibaba, focuses on promoting the upgrading of the fresh food industry and commodity standardization of fresh food. More than 1,500 tons of fresh food commodities are purchased from 6 continents, 39 countries and regions, 147 places of origin by Win-Chain Supply Chain every day, and more than 4,000 fresh food SKUs are supplied all year around.

ExFresh, the cold chain logistics partner of CAINIAO and the largest fresh food cold chain logistics platform in China, is devoted to building the expressway of fresh agricultural products from farm totable. At present, 24 cold chain warehouse bases are located in 15 cities in China by ExFresh to provide a complete set of fresh food cold chain logistics service of storage, quality inspection, processing, packaging, main line distribution, home delivery, system, etc for upstream agriculture, retail channel and consumers.

Yiguo new retail, the full-channel, full-scene fresh food new retail operation body, energizes B2C, O2O, supermarket, standard supermarkets, convenience stores, self-service convenience stores, self-service goods shelves in offices and various retail scenes and formats and provides fresh food category solutions. Currently, Yiguo new retail runs Tmall fresh food, Suning fresh food, Yiguo fresh food, Hami self-service cashier, Haolinju convenience store, ele.me, DingTalk and other retail terminals, more than ten types in total to provide overall fresh food solutions of commodity, logistics, quality inspection, agent operation, system, after-sale, marketing, etc for more than 50 cities and more than 20,000 terminals in China.

Yiguo Group promotes the upgrading of thefresh food industry in China and provides fresh food operation service for retail terminals with a core strategy of "creating fresh food cloud, energizing new retail". In fiscal year 2017the GMVwas approximately RMB 10 billion.
New Distribution Alliance Addresses Growing Need for Enterprises to Securely Erase Data

ATLANTA and LONDON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Blancco Technology Group (LON: BLTG), the de facto standard in data erasure and mobile device diagnostics, recently signed a distribution agreement with Ingram Micro Inc., the world's largest wholesale technology distributor. The new relationship empowers Ingram Micro and its partners to provide customers with complete data sanitization from a single platform, including a digitally signed, tamper-proof certificate to verify sensitive data has been permanently erased and cannot be recovered.

The new agreement reflects the growing need for organizations to prove compliance with strict industry regulations and standards. As a result, Ingram Micro's partners can now enable customers to mitigate security risks, provide a verifiable audit trail to comply with the growing number of data protection regulations and standards around the world, including PCI DSS, HIPAA,EU GDPR, ISO 27001 and NIST 800-53.

"Ingram Micro's partner landscape is vast and can cover every technology aspect an enterprise requires to support their information and data security processes," said Alan Bentley, President of Global Sales, Blancco Technology Group,"From focused service providers to value added resellers, our new agreement will allow Ingram Micro's ecosystem to deliver an end-to-end security solution for their customers by adding secure data erasure to their existing portfolios. This new alliance aligns perfectly with Blancco's focus on supporting enterprises at every touch point possible."

"Ingram Micro is extremely excited to be entering into this relationship with Blancco and providing a best of breed, secure data erasure solution offering to our resellers and service providers," said Donald Scott, Sr. Manager, Emerging Vendor Initiative, Advanced Solutions at Ingram Micro. "Their global leadership position in the data erasure space is a testament to their twenty years of experience and expertise of providing world class solutions to enterprise customers.By enabling our channel with the Blancco suite of products, Ingram Micro partners can fully realize the end to end security of their data lifecycle."

To learn more about how you can integrate data erasure into your existing solution or service offering, visit Blancco's Service Provider Program Page.

About Blancco Technology Group

Blancco Technology Group (AIM: BLTG) is the de facto standard in data erasure and mobile device diagnostics. The Blancco Data Eraser solutions provide thousands of organizations with an absolute line of defense against costly security breaches, as well as verification of regulatory compliance through a 100% tamper-proof audit trail. Our data erasure solutions have been tested, certified, approved and recommended by 18 governing bodies around the world. No other security firm can boast this level of compliance with the most rigorous requirements set by government agencies, legal authorities and independent testing laboratories.

The Blancco Mobile Diagnostics solutions enable mobile network operators, retailers and insurers to easily, quickly and accurately identify and resolve performance issues on their customers' mobile devices. As a result, mobile service providers can spend less time dealing with technical issues and, in turn, reduce the quantity of NTF returns, save on operational costs and increase customer satisfaction.

For more information, visit our website at www.blancco.com.

About Ingram Micro

Ingram Micro helps businesses realize the Promise of Technology'. It delivers a full spectrum of global technology and supply chain services to businesses around the world. Deep expertise in technology solutions, mobility, cloud, and supply chain solutions enables its business partners to operate efficiently and successfully in the markets they serve. Unrivalled agility, deep market insights and the trust and dependability that come from decades of proven relationships, set Ingram Micro apart and ahead. Discover how Ingram Micro can help you Realize the Promise of Technology. More at www.ingrammicro.com.

Media Contacts:

SHIFT Communications for Blancco Technology Group (US)

David Heffernan, Account Director

T: (617) 779-1839

E: blancco@shiftcomm.com

SAY Communications for Blancco Technology Group (Europe)

Robert Hickling, Senior Account Manager

T: 44 (0) 20 8971 6427

E: blancco@saycomms.co.uk

Blancco Technology Group

Liz Adams, Global Marketing Director

T: 44 (0) 7725 010 412

E: liz.adams@blancco.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/274522/blancco_Logo.jpg
International Panel Physicians Association selects QFT-Plus for its proven value in diagnosing latent TB infection

QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) announced today that its QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus), the gold standard in accurate, cost-effective testing for latent tuberculosis (TB) infection, has been endorsed for immigration medical screening by the International Panel Physicians Association (IPPA). IPPA is a not-for-profit physician education group that works with countries that receive immigrants and refugees, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. IPPA will hold its 2018 Intergovernmental Physician Training Summit from March 12-16 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In a statement the IPPA called the modern class of TB tests known as interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs) "essential to the safety and efficacy of screening programs designed for early detection of TB infection." Panel physicians, who are medically trained, licensed and experienced doctors practicing overseas and appointed by receiving country governments to handle the mandatory pre-departure medical examinations of migrants, will now be required to use IGRAs for TB screening. For the United States, more than 760 overseas panel physicians worldwide are responsible for examinations of more than one-half million migrants a year receiving permanent lawful residence in the U.S.

IPPA said it "endorses the use of QFT-Plus, which is an FDA-approved IGRA that has been rigorously studied and validated by independent peer reviewed journals." QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, the fourth generation of QIAGEN's market-leading IGRA technology, is the only IGRA endorsed by the panel physicians group. The physician group also noted that "IGRAs have notable advantages over the TST, including higher accuracy especially in BCG-vaccinated persons, a single visit to obtain a result, and quantitative electronic laboratory-reported results that are confidential and with little to no subjectivity." Many non-U.S.-born persons have been BCG-vaccinated, particularly individuals from countries with a high prevalence of TB.

The full press release can be viewed here

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005403/en/

Contacts:

QIAGEN

Investor Relations

John Gilardi, +49 2103 29 11711

e-mail: ir@QIAGEN.com

or

Public Relations

Dr. Thomas Theuringer, +49 2103 29 11826

e-mail: pr@QIAGEN.com
New Speedcast Navigation as a Service' Streamlines Vessel Technical Management

SYDNEY, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Speedcast International Limited (ASX: SDA), the world's most trusted provider of remote communication and IT solutions, is partnering with SRH Marine to provide Maritime vessels with Navigation as a Service (NaaS), a simplified electronic distribution of electronic navigational charts and updates. Speedcast NaaS is powered by Speedcast's SIGMA Gateway platform and SRH Marine's Pilot.

The Maritime world is becoming increasingly digitalized and Speedcast Navigation as a Service will simplify the delivery of electronic navigational charts and updates to assist navigation across the oceans. Speedcast Navigation as a Service, with its remote monitoring and data analytics capabilities, brings Maritime navigation into the digital age and will enable simpler eNavigation regulatory compliance.

"Speedcast Navigation as a Service is an excellent example of our increased focus on innovation that brings the benefits of leading-edge technologies to our customers," said Tim Bailey, Executive Vice President, Products, Marketing and Business Development, Speedcast. "Speedcast NaaS represents the next step in eNavigation, ensuring that vessels receive chart updates faster and with greater cost efficiency."

Commercial vessels rely on distribution of physical media across the globe to keep a vessel's electronic charts up to date. This method is time consuming and expensive, with updated chart media frequently not reaching its target vessel in a timely way. This can potentially cause regulatory and safety issues. Speedcast NaaS efficiently distributes relevant eNavigation charts and updates to a vessel via Inmarsat Fleet Xpress, Fleet Broadband or Speedcast's Ku network. NaaS is a fully managed value add solution, supplied via SIGMA Gateway or SIGMA Xtreme and is provided as part of a monthly communications service. The single invoice approach provides simplified manageability for vessel owners and operators.

"SRH Marine is excited to deliver the future of digital services with Speedcast via NaaS, with SRH Pilot and SIGMA Gateway. NaaS will revolutionise the electronic navigation world, helping vessels navigate safely and more cost effectively and ensuring customers' return on investment," said Panayiotis Giannoulis, COO SRH Marine.

Speedcast NaaS is available through Speedcast's SIGMA Gateway and SIGMA Xtreme and requires no additional hardware. This announcement furthers Speedcast's increased focus to streamline operations and provide an exceptional customer experience. With 1,300 employees, customers in more than 100 countries, more than 250 field engineers globally and four 24/7 worldwide customer support centres, plus a few regional ones, Speedcast is changing the way customers see remote communications providers.

For more information about Speedcast, visit: www.speedcast.com.

About Speedcast International Limited

Speedcast International Ltd (ASX: SDA) is the largest provider of remote communications and IT services in the world. Speedcast's fully managed service is delivered via a leading global, multi-access-technology, multi-band and multi-orbit network of 70+ satellites and an interconnecting global terrestrial network, bolstered by extensive on the ground local support from 40+ countries. This global "network of networks" allows customers to fully rely on the most robust, integrated infrastructure available in the market for their mission critical applications. Speedcast is uniquely positioned as a strategic business partner, tailoring communications, IT and digital solutions to meet unique customer needs and enable business transformation. Speedcast extends its managed services through differentiated technology offerings including cyber-security, crew welfare, content solutions, data and voice applications and network systems integration services. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 2,000 customers in over 140 countries in sectors such as Maritime, Energy, Mining, Enterprise, Media, Cruise, NGOs and Government. Learn more at www.speedcast.com. Social Media: Twitter|LinkedIn|Facebook

About SRH MARINE SAIT

SRH is a leader in marine electronics established in Greece with subsidiaries in UK, Cyprus, Middle East and Spain. SRH operations are based on sales of navigation and communication equipment, spare parts, distribution of digital services, technical services, full maintenance agreements and a global after sales service/support network for more than 20 years, 24/7 remote support and 26 service engineers along with 50 back office staff guarantees the timely and efficient delivery of SRH solutions. For more information about SRH Marine SAIT, visit www.srhmar.com.

Speedcastis a trademark and registered trademark of Speedcast International Limited. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective owners.

 2018 Speedcast International Limited. All rights reserved.

Contact Information:

Toni Lee Rudnicki

Vice President, Global Marketing

Speedcast International Ltd

ToniLee.Rudnicki@Speedcast.com

+1-832-668-2634

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/610079/Speedcast_International_Ltd_Logo.jpg
At least four people were killed in Yemen's port city of Aden on Tuesday when a auto bomb ripped through a military kitchen used by Yemeni forces trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), witnesses said.

A source of the Interior Ministry in Aden confirmed to Xinhua that the explosion was caused by a suicide auto bombing near a security center in Aden's neighborhood of Mansourah. The witnesses said the blast was caused by a vehicle laden with explosives, apparently driven by a suicide bomber towards the kitchen in al-Derain area in northern Aden.

At least four people have been killed in a Daesh suicide operation against the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed forces today, Anadolu Agency reported. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack on the group's Amaq News Agency, which says more than 30 people were killed. Both the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State (IS) group have carried out several terror attacks in Aden.

Daesh has continued its attacks in Yemen, while Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has remained silent on its open source networks since 23 March.

The fighting further intensified in 2015, when clashes broke out between the present Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's government forces and Former Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh loyalist forces.

Aden is controlled by the Yemeni government and its allies in a Saudi-led coalition, who are battling Shiite Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north.

The United Nations has listed Yemen as the country of world's number one humanitarian crisis, with 7 million Yemenis on the brink of starvation and cholera causing more than 2,000 deaths.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2018) - Icon Exploration Inc. (TSXV: IEX.H) ("Icon" or the "Company") advises that further to its news release of January 26, 2018, relating to its proposed change of business resulting from the acquisition of City View Green (the "Proposed Transaction"), the parties are in the process of completing their due diligence on each other. Assuming satisfactory due diligence, Icon hopes to be in a position to negotiate final terms to the definitive agreement by the end of the month.

As previously disclosed, City View Green is a private company incorporated under the laws of Ontario that has an exclusive 5 year lease (with an option to renew for 5 years) with a further exclusive right to lease any future buildings and has added the option to buy the building and land owned by the building owner located in Brantford, Ontario. Additional buildings can be constructed and leased totaling approximately 120,000 ft of building space. City View Green has submitted an application to Health Canada for an Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR") license and has received a file number indicating receipt of licensed producer application under the ACMPR and further correspondence that CVG is currently under security review.

About City View Green

City View Green is targeting entry into the Canadian Medical and Recreational market in 2018 as a high quality, large-scale cannabis producer. City View Green is an ACMPR applicant strategically located in Branford, Ontario, which is in close proximity to one of Canada's largest cities - Toronto, Ontario.

Upon issuance of the license, City View Green proposes to operate a 40,000 ft facility, and expects to be able to utilize 28,000 ft for cultivation. City View intends to grow pharmaceutical grade cannabis to be sold in the current medicinal market and the upcoming recreational market, upon legalization.

City View Green intends to incorporate innovative growing strategies which may be based on technological advancements in LED lighting, advanced HVAC and dehumidification technology, and automation. This progressive growing technology is expected to improve the quality, safety, output and consistency of its cannabis production.

City View Green's management believes that its strategic location in Brantford, Ontario should enable it to be able to draw on the best talent available in the market which is in close proximity to several agricultural learning centres, colleges and universities. FDi, a division of Financial Times Limited, ranked the City of Brantford at the top spot as the most business-friendly city in the micro city category in the 2017/2018 FDi report.

Further Disclosure

Icon will provide further disclosure on the Proposed Transaction as final terms are negotiated and information becomes available to it, including any concurrent financing or any changes to Icon's Board and management that may be effected on closing of the Proposed Transaction.

Cautionary Note

Completion of the Proposed Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, Exchange acceptance and if applicable, disinterested shareholder approval. Where applicable, the Proposed Transaction cannot close until the required shareholder approval is obtained. There can be no assurance that the Proposed Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the management information circular or filing statement to be prepared in connection with the transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Proposed Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of Icon, if reinstated prior to completion of the Proposed Transaction, should be considered highly speculative.

The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release.

Kingsdale Capital Markets Inc., subject to completion of satisfactory due diligence, has agreed to act as sponsor in connection with the transaction, if an exemption from sponsorship is not obtained or available. An agreement to sponsor should not be construed as any assurance with respect to the merits of the transaction or the likelihood of completion.

For further information contact:

Icon Exploration Inc.

Rob Fia, CEO & Director

Email: rfia@iconexploration.net

Tel: 416-722-4994

ABOUT ICON EXPLORATION INC.

Icon is a publicly traded company on the NEX Exchange (TSXV: IEX.H) our primary objective is to create a well-diversified company that will produce long-term returns for its shareholders and investors. Our current focus is on assessing potential acquisition targets in the cannabis industry. www.iconexploration.net

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.

Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements and information that are based on the beliefs of management and reflect Icon's current expectations. When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. The forward-looking statements and information in this press release include information relating to the business plans of Icon and City View, the status of the ACMPR license application, any financing Icon may undertake in conjunction with the closing of the Proposed Transaction, the Proposed Transaction (including Exchange approval, shareholder approval and the closing of the Proposed Transaction) and the board of directors and management of the Company upon completion of the Proposed Transaction. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Icon. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such factors include, among others, the following risks:

there is no assurance that any financing will be completed or as to the actual offering price or gross proceeds to be raised in connection with such financing. In particular, the amount raised may be significantly less than the amounts anticipated as a result of, among other things, market conditions and investor behaviour;

there is no assurance that due diligence will be satisfactory to each of Icon and City View Green or that Icon, City View Green and all of the holders of City View Green securities will be able to come to negotiated agreement on final terms of the Proposed Transaction;

there is no assurance that Icon and City View Green will obtain all requisite approvals for the Proposed Transaction, including the approval of the Exchange, or approvals of their respective shareholders, and any such approvals may be conditional upon amendments to the terms of the Proposed Transaction;

there is no assurance that City View will obtain an ACMPR license from Health Canada;

following completion of the Proposed Transaction, Icon may require additional financing from time to time in order to continue its operations. Financing may not be available when needed or on terms and conditions acceptable to it;

new laws or regulations could adversely affect Icon's business and results of operations after completion of the Proposed Transaction; and

the stock markets have experienced volatility that often has been unrelated to the performance of companies. These fluctuations may adversely affect the price of Icon's securities, regardless of its operating performance.

There are a number of important factors that could cause Icon's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: limited business history of City View Green; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; laws, rules and regulations relating to the medical marijuana industry; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses, and general market and industry conditions.

Icon cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Icon's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Icon has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors.

THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF ICON AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE ICON MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS.

This press release is not an offer of the securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.
LAS VEGAS, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Facial Recognition is a biometric application which captures picture and uses it to recognize people by applying facial investigation and contrasting it with the current database. Facial recognition systems are regularly used for security purposes, particularly in the surveillance sector but as of late the usage of facial recognition in different applications has advanced. The facial recognition market is driven by the expanding criminal activities globally. Attributable to these factors the Facial Recognition market is anticipated to reach approximately USD 8.96 billion by 2023 from USD 2.78 billion in 2014, while registering itself at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.87% during the forecast period.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/525277/Crystal_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )



Report Preview with Table of Contents and Data Tables on "Facial Recognition Market By Component, Technology And End User - Global Industry Analysis And Forecast To 2023"https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report/facial-recognition-market

Technology Outlook and Trend Analysis:

With advancements in technology, facial recognition systems are currently being composed and delivered extensively. Rising criminal activities such as theft, terrorist attacks and data breaches have brought about rising requirement for secure confirmation solutions. The expanding requirement for upgraded surveillance and observing at public spots and the expanding usage of facial recognition technologies in enterprises, for example, the government is a major growth factor for this market. As the government offices possess sensitive data, it is imperative to install potent surveillance systems to avoid data breaches and attacks. Moreover, several benefits offered by facial recognition systems, such as, being a non-contact recognition systems makes it preferable over other recognition frameworks like fingerprint scanning, voice recognition or iris recognition systems. Nonetheless, high cost of implementation and low accuracy negatively affect the development of the market.

The Facial Recognition market by component is split into software and services.

Based on technology the market is split into Databases, Facial recognition software and Software Development Kit (SDK), Analytics solutions, Solution type and Modeling and restructuring. By end user the market is split into Government and Enterprises.

Prominent Players:

The Prominent players in the market are Cognitec Systems, Ayonix Corp, Animetrics, KeyLemon, Safran Identity and Security, Techno Brain, Aware, Gemalto, NEC and Herta Security. Based on geography, the market is split into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the world.

View sample pages of this report @https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/report-sample/SE01544

Application Outlook:

Facial recognition services play a significant part in face detection and recognition, and comprise training and consulting services and cloud-based facial recognition services. Facial recognition services are useful for homeland security, governments, healthcare, retail, and military.

Regional Outlook and Trend Analysis:

Region-wise, North America will be one of the biggest revenue generators during the forecast period, owing to higher adoption rate of advanced technologies at the initial stages for defense and homeland security. Moreover, incorporating facial recognition for border security by detecting passport fraud is also a key factor impelling the market's growth in this region. Factors such as major investments from the government sector for enhancement of security and surveillance infrastructure, increased public awareness, and the development of sophisticated technologies equipped by analytics are said to be driving the facial recognition market growth in APAC significantly.

The Facial Recognition Market is segmented as follows:

By Component:

Services

Software tools

By Technology:

Solution type

Databases

Facial recognition software and Software Development Kit (SDK)

Modeling and restructuring

Analytics solutions

By End User:

Enterprises

Government

Others

Major Players

Cognitec Systems

Ayonix Corp

Animetrics

KeyLemon

Safran Identity and Security

Techno Brain

Aware

Gemalto

NEC and Herta Security

To avail discount, please click on the link - https://www.crystalmarketresearch.com/check-discount/SE01544

About Crystal Market Research:

Crystal Market Research is a market research and business intelligence company. Crystal offers one stop solution for market research, business intelligence, and consulting services to help clients make more informed decisions. It provides both syndicated as well as customized research studies for its customers spread across the globe. The company offers market intelligence reports across a broad range of industries including healthcare, chemicals & materials, technology, automotive, and energy.

Contact:

Judy S.

304 South Jones Blvd, Suite 1896,

Las Vegas NV 89107,

United States

Toll Free: +1-888-213-4282

International Number: +1-347-352-0883

Email: sales@crystalmarketresearch.com



Blog: https://blog.crystalmarketresearch.com

Website: http://www.crystalmarketresearch.com

Connect with us: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
ALBANY, New York, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The global thoracic drainage devices market was valued at US$ 555.8 Mn in 2016 and is expected to grow at a high CAGR of 6% from 2017 to 2025, to reach an estimated value of US$ 916.2 Mn in 2025 according to a new report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled "Thoracic Drainage Devices Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2017-2025" the report suggests that thoracic and pulmonological disorders are quite common and gradually increasing across the globe is driving the growth of thoracic drainage devices market in coming years (2017 to 2025).

The North America and Europe are projected to dominate the global market. The market is primarily driven by factors such as highly structured health care industry and availability of well-defined reimbursement policies from private and public health insurance firms boost the growth of the thoracic drainage devices market in the region. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to witness exponential growth rate with more than 12% during the forecast period 2017-2025. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing regions in the global thoracic drainage devices market in upcoming forecast period. The market in Asia Pacific is projected to witness exponential growth rate with more than 5.8% during the forecast period 2017-2025. The market for thoracic drainage devices market in Latin America is likely to grow at moderate growth rate during the forecast period.

Get PDF Brochure for Research Insights athttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=40529

Increasing incidences of pneumothorax and pleural effusion to fuel market expansion

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a one of the major health problems across the globe. Spontaneous pneumothorax arises due to the air in the chest cavity which can resolve itself; however, most often requires a hospital admission and urgent medical care. The overall market for thoracic drainage devices is growing under the influence of rising awareness and increasing incidences of pneumothorax, pleural effusion, and hemothorax. Effective reimbursement policy and high awareness in developed countries is also one of the reasons responsible for the thoracic drainage devices market growth. In a military warfare setting, around 13% to 15% of penetrating wounds related to the thoracic cavity require thoracic intervention including a thoracic catheter that contributes around 30% of combat deaths. Additionally, incidence of spontaneous pneumothorax is increase gradually. Various research studies estimate that more than 2 million spontaneous pneumothorax occurs globally every year. These factors are expected to increase demand for thoracic drainage devices

Thoracic drainage system is projected to be highly lucrative product segment

A thoracic drainage system is used to collect chest drainage fluids. It is a disposable and sterile system that includes a partition system with a one-way valve, with multiple or one chambers, to remove fluid or air and avoid return of the fluid or air back into the patient. Increasing adoption of thoracic drainage systems in hospital settings owing to increased demand in surgical procedures along with advanced technological benefits such as more portability and new generation of smaller user-friendly digital systems and additional safety features.

Request a Custom Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=40529

Thoracic surgery & pulmonology application of thoracic drainage devices market leads the market

Thoracic and pulmonological disorders are quite common and increasing. Thoracic drainage devices are used in the treatment of pneumothorax, pleural effusions, and empyema disorders.

The health care market is likely to witness more transactions and consolidations in the next three to four years. One of the major factors driving the market is constantly rising insured population base. Expanding health insurance coverage is expected to increase demand for thoracic drainage device procedures. Patients with private coverage are more likely to seek medical treatment at an urgent care center or hospital settings. According to a survey conducted by the Urgent Care Association of America (UCAOA), about 51% of urgent care revenue is currently reimbursed by private insurance and 14% by Medicare. According to industry experts, favorable insurance coverage would influence the thoracic drainage devices market significantly by penetrating the sub-urban areas. These factors are expected to boost the growth of the thoracic drainage devices market.

Ambulance Services and Urgent Care Segments Are Estimated to Witness Highest CAGR during the Forecast Period

The urgent care industry would continue to be a hotbed of deals in the next five years, as various strategic and financial partners compete to create strong geographical presence along with increase in market share. Several private equity firms have already put capital to work in UCCs across the developed country to exploit the high profit margin health care market. The market has already seen capital investment of around US$ 3.2 Bn from leading equity firms in the past few years. Hence, around 40% of the clinics surveyed by the UCAOA are expected to expand their facilities or open new clinics in 2017. Major factors that would drive the market during the forecast period are increasing penetration of ambulance services, presence of effective reimbursement policies, and rise in the geriatric population across the world. In addition, increasing number of accidents and rising incidence of heart diseases would also boost the market during the forecast period.

Request For Discount On This Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=40529

North America is projected to be a highly lucrative market for thoracic drainage devices during the forecast period.

The market in North America is primarily driven by factors such as highly structured health care industry and availability of well-defined reimbursement policies from private and public health insurance firms boost the growth of the thoracic drainage devices market in the region. In North America, major share held by the U.S., owing to increasing adoption of new technologies related to drainage devices along high awareness among end-users. In addition, a large number of players in the U.S. market are focusing on R&D activities to introduce new products with improved design and technology. The U.S. is an early adopter of innovative products, as most medical devices are first launched in the U.S. market. This is likely to result in high growth of the market in the country in the next few years. Thus, established rules and regulations and major innovations in product development are expected to have a positive impact on the North America thoracic drainage devices market in the near future.

Request Sample of Report: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=40529

Key trend of strategic alliance with local companies to strengthen the distribution network and increase geographic presence has been observed in last few years.

The thoracic drainage devices market is fragmented, with presence of several small scale and large scale companies. The report also provide profiles of leading players operating in global thoracic drainage devices market. The key players operating in the thoracic drainage devices market are Teleflex Incorporated, Vygon S.A., Medtronic plc., Cook Group Incorporated (Subsidiary: Cook Medical), C. R. Bard, Inc. (Becton, Dickinson and Company), MAQUET Holding B.V. & Co. KG (Getinge Group), Utah Medical Products, Inc., Smiths Medical, ATMOS MedizinTechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Sinapi Biomedical, and Medela. The global thoracic drainage devices market is fragmented with presence of many medium and small scale companies that operates global market. However, the global thoracic drainage devices market is dominated by few major players with strong geographical presence across the world.

Popular Research Reports by TMR:

Surgical Drainage Devices Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/surgical-drainage-devices-market.html

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/surgical-drainage-devices-market.html Ostomy Drainage Bags Market: https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ostomy-drainage-bags-market.html

About Us

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact



Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com



Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Research Blog: https://theglobalhealthnews.com/
FORMATION GROUP PLC

('Formation' or the 'Company')

Investment in Proton Partners International Limited

On 28 February 2017, Formation announced a profit share agreement with London (North) Properties Limited ("LNPL") and Pinnacle Developments Limited in relation to a development property at 34 Wembley Hill Road, Wembley ("Profit Share Agreement"). As part of this Profit Share Agreement, the Company advanced a loan of 5 million as finance for the development.

On 5 November 2017, LNPL agreed to sell its interest in 34 Wembley Hill Road to Peabody Enterprises Limited ("Peabody") (the "Sale Agreement") and thereafter to construct and deliver 198 finished apartments to Peabody. LNPL will also retain two commercial units on 250-year leases as part of this agreement and these will constitute part of LNPL's profit. Peabody are obliged to provide agreed levels of funding towards the development process of this site.

Sufficient deposits under the Sale Agreement have now been released to LNPL to enable it to repay its bank borrowings and the 5 million loan to the Company. Formation continues to retain its entitlement to a 40% share of the profits generated on this development as part of the Profit Share Agreement.

Formation announces that on 6 March 2018 the Company used the 5 million returned under the Profit Share Agreement to acquire 4,347,826 ordinary shares in Proton Partners International Limited ("PPI"), equivalent to 3.44% of PPI's issued share capital. Following this investment, Formation has the right to appoint a director to the Board of PPI.

PPI is a private company (www.Proton-int.com), founded in February 2015, which is presently leading the way for Proton Beam Therapy in the UK, with one operational centre in South Wales and further centres nearing completion in both North East England and the Thames Valley. A Proton treatment unit is also scheduled to be operational in Abu Dhabi by 2019. It is anticipated that these and further centres to be developed will become hubs of excellence for advanced cancer treatment.

To address the growing worldwide demand for more specialised cancer care, PPI plans to develop and operate a network of Proton Beam Therapy Cancer Centres, in the UK and international markets, so that cancer patients can receive the best possible care without needing to raise large amounts of money to obtain Proton Beam Therapy abroad.

The Directors believe that PPI has large growth potential in an undersupplied market, as the NHS and health insurance companies increasingly recognise the importance of Proton Beam Therapy in the treatment of cancer and are prepared to fund such treatments for their patients.

Since its inception in 2015, PPI has demonstrated its ability to operate effectively in a specialised market place, having successfully acquired land and built treatment centres. The Directors believe that PPI's expansion to date has been planned and delivered in an organised and efficient manner by a professional management team and operating structure, utilising the company's own cash resources and only very limited bank borrowing. They further believe that Formation's investment in PPI diversifies the focus of the Company's business, into a relatively low risk sector, with the potential for rapid and profitable growth.

The directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

--ENDS--

Enquiries:
LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

FN Media Group Presents USA News Group News Commentary

It appears that one of the last frontiers for the EV revolution is getting a boost as UPS opens its fleet to plug-in vehicles in 2018.

This news comes as demand for lithium supplies are already forecasting a shortfall as early as the end of this year.

Lithium companies are bracing for the push from global increases in demand including NRG Metals Inc. (TSX-V: NGZ) (OTC: NRGMF), LSC Lithium Corp. , Neo Lithium Corporation (TSX-V: NLC) (OTC: NTTHF), and Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF).

The electric vehicle revolution seems to kick into higher gear every day as more and more transport services adopt EVs. With Tesla having already made a foothold in the family sedan car category, new categories like mass freight and delivery services now look ripe for the taking.

No one could be more concerned about where all the lithium to power this increased demand will come from than the EV industry.

Newly developing sources for lithium like NRG Metals Inc. (TSXV: NGZ) (OTCMKTS: NRGMF) offer a potential supply. That junior miner is developing a potentially large lithium brine project in South America's well known lithium triangle.

The trend for lithium demand also has advanced lithium miners working overtime in order to bring on greater supplies of the valuable metal including Pilbara Minerals Ltd (OTC: PILBF), Neo Lithium Corporation (TSXV: NLC) (OTCQX: NTTHF), and Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF).

The lithium-focused producers are all experiencing heightened activity and wild price hikes in lithium.

UPS READY TO ADOPT EVs STATESIDE

In late 2018, UPS will introduce a fleet of 50 plug-in delivery trucks in the US with the expectation of an even larger fleet in 2019.

UPS already has a sizeable fleet of electric vehicles in service across the US and Europe, but the new fleet comes at a much lower cost that is almost similar to diesel-fueled trucks. As such, the company is able to scale up its electric fleet much faster without the need for subsidies.

UPS is working with transport company Workhorse Group to design and build the trucks from scratch.

The trucks are reportedly able to perform at four times the efficiency of combustion engine trucks while emitting lower noise and zero pollutants.

With delivery services expected to grow steadily due to online shopping, UPS's stance to turn to electric trucks is crucial in the fight against greenhouse gas emissions.

Carlton Rose, the president of global fleet maintenance and engineering at UPS sees the improving battery charging and mileage as a crucial factor in the success of the company's fleet. Rose described UPS's new trucks a "quantum leap forward" for the company's delivery fleet.

The new trucks have a range of about 100 miles on a full charge, which makes them for service in dense city areas. A number of cities including Los Angeles, Dallas and Atlanta have been selected as test zones for the trucks.

UPS currently has around 35,000 combustion-engine trucks in its fleet. While replacing that volume with fully electric trucks will be a tall order, advancements in battery technology will continue to make it progressively easier to move in that direction.

Longer range trucks will enable unrolling in rural areas and for long distance parcel delivery, making the electric fleet more suitable for the company.

JUNIORS SEE THE WRITING ON THE WALL

This unique climate has created a significant opportunity for all lithium companies.

A likely scenario that will become increasingly popular over the next few years is direct investment into junior lithium exploration companies. One of the early movers in that category is NRG Metals - A Canadian company committed to creating lithium resources.

NRG Metals, a start-up focused on the development of lithium brine assets in Argentina, has already attracted a Chinese battery material producer through closing on a $1.4 million private placement to fund ongoing exploration activities in Argentina and the potential, as an Off-Take producer, for future lithium products extracted.

The company has two projects, with the most significant project being the "Hombre Muerto North Project" or HMNP. HMNP is located in the Salta and Catamarca provinces and comprises a total property package of over 3,000 hectares encompassing six concessions.

The company has reported good surface sample collections, magnesium to lithium ratios, and is located across from Galaxy Resources' Sal de Vida lithium development project.

Most importantly, the project is within 20km of FMC Corporation's well established Fenix lithium brine project.

With an offtake agreement of this kind, it's possible that NRG Metals will sell lithium before it's even mined or at least provide a great asset value to the company.

ADOPTION OF EV FLEETS ANOTHER DRIVER

As electric vehicle technology reaches into new frontiers, the demand for batteries will most certainly grow exponentially and with it, the demand for lithium, the most vital battery metal at present.

Demand for the metal has been on a continual upward trend in the last few years and its price has equally soared. Current installed lithium production capacity is unlikely to sustain demand growth for many more years to come and it will be up to mining companies, especially juniors to explore and bring new reserves into production.

Normally with mined commodities, investors tend to wait for prices to soar to attractive levels before risking their capital in expensive mining infrastructure. These mining operations also take considerably long to set up, hence it is expected that demand will outstrip supply growth for some time.

The environment is ripe for reward. The price of lithium ore is set for massive spikes, which is an attractive prospect for investors looking to find the upside in lithium.

POTENTIAL COMPARABLES

Pilbara Minerals Ltd (OTC: PILBF)

Pilbara Minerals is an emerging lithium and tantalum producer focused on the development of its world-class 100% owned Pilgangoora Lithium-Tantalum Project, located approximately 120kms from Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Pilgangoora has been confirmed as one of the largest spodumene (lithium pyroxene) and tantalite projects in the world and is set to be developed into one of the world's largest lithium mines, also producing tantalite as a valuable by-product.

Neo Lithium Corporation (TSXV: NLC) (OTCQX: NTTHF)

Neo Lithium Corp. engages in the exploration and development of resource properties. The company explores for lithium deposits. It holds interests in the 3Q Project comprising 10 mining claims covering approximately 35,000 hectares located in Tinogasta area, Catamarca province, Argentina. The company has filed a Technical Report with Positive PEA Results on its 3Q Project Showing a Capital Cost reduction of US$98.5M. The company was incorporated in 2016 and is based in Toronto, Canada.

Galaxy Resources (OTC: GALXF)

Galaxy Resources Limited is a lithium-focused resources company, with assets spanning Australia, Canada and Argentina. Galaxy is currently advancing plans to develop the Sal de Vida Lithium and Potash Brine Project ("Sal de Vida") in Argentina, which is situated in the Lithium Triangle, a region where Chile, Argentina and Bolivia meet. Sal de Vida is a proven high quality resource has excellent promise as a future low cost production facility. Galaxy also owns the Mt Cattlin Spodumene Mine near Ravensthorpe in Western Australia and the James Bay Lithium Pegmatite Project in Quebec, Canada.

For a more in-depth look into NGZ you can view the in-depth report at USA News Group: http://usanewsgroup.com/2018/03/12/analysts-predict-lithium-sector-is-growing-faster-than-any-other-sector-in-the-past-decade/

Article Source:

USA News Group

http://usanewsgroup.com

info@usanewsgroup.com

Legal Disclaimer/Disclosure This piece is an advertorial and has been paid for. This document is not and should not be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment. No information in this Report should be construed as individualized investment advice. A licensed financial advisor should be consulted prior to making any investment decision. We make no guarantee, representation or warranty and accept no responsibility or liability as to its accuracy or completeness. Expressions of opinion are those ofUSANews Group only and are subject to change without notice.USANews Group assumes no warranty, liability or guarantee for the current relevance, correctness or completeness of any information provided within this Report and will not be held liable for the consequence of reliance upon any opinion or statement contained herein or any omission. Furthermore, we assume no liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage or, in particular, for lost profit, which you may incur as a result of the use and existence of the information, provided within this Report.



DISCLAIMER:USANews Group is Source of all content listed above. FN Media Group, LLC (FNM), is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner withUSANews Group or any company mentioned herein.The commentary, views and opinions expressed in this release byUSANews Group are solely those ofUSANews Group and are not shared by and do not reflect in any manner the views or opinions of FNM.FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers.FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination and financial marketing solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security.FNM was not compensated by any public company mentioned herein to disseminate this press release.



FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.



This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E 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. "Forward-looking statements" describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as "may", "future", "plan" or "planned", "will" or "should", "expected," "anticipates", "draft", "eventually" or "projected". You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, including the risks that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, and other risks identified in a company's annual report on Form 10-K or 10-KSB and other filings made by such company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and FNM undertakes no obligation to update such statements.



Media Contact Information:

FN Media Group, LLC

e-mail:editor@financialnewsmedia.com

U.S. Phone: +1(954)345-0611


Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2018) - Pancontinental Gold Corporation (TSXV: PUC) ("Pancontinental" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company's exploration plans for its recently acquired Montcalm West Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project, and that it is raising up to $1,500,000 to fund this initial exploration. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Montcalm West Project, which is comprised of two separate properties: Montcalm and Nova (see news release of January 10, 2018).

Layton Croft, Pancontinental President and Chief Executive Officer stated: "We are very excited that with this financing we can quickly commence work on the Montcalm West Project. Market demand for battery metals, including cobalt and nickel, is very strong. We anticipate this program, which includes the use of state-of-the-art airborne technology, will identify numerous prospective drill targets on both the Montcalm and Nova properties."

Upon completion of financing, the Company will conduct an airborne, state-of-the-art, versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEM) survey over its Montcalm Property, which is contiguous to and surrounds the western portion of the former Montcalm Mine. In addition, the Company will be conducting an airborne gravity survey. The purpose of these two surveys is to identify and define anomalies similar to those found at the adjacent former Montcalm Ni-Cu-Co Mine, which previously mined 3,931,610 tonnes of ore grading 1.25% nickel (Ni), 0.67% copper (Cu), and 0.051% cobalt (Co), producing in excess of 4 million pounds of Cobalt (Ontario Geological Survey, Atkinson, 2011). All targets identified will be prioritized for subsequent diamond drilling. Concurrent to this work, existing untested anomalies on the Montcalm Property will also be further defined and prioritized for diamond drilling. The Montcalm Property consists of 16 contiguous mining claims (3,312 hectares) and is located in the Porcupine Mining Division, approximately 65 kilometres northwest of Timmins, Ontario.

At its Nova Property, located approximately 19 kilometres southwest of the Montcalm Mine, the Company will be conducting a program designed to assess significant anomalous cobalt occurrences, and a higher-grade historical surface showing which returned 3,230 ppm Co or 6.46 lbs of cobalt per ton. More specifically the program will evaluate the extent of the known mineralization by prospecting and extensive resampling to ascertain orientation and controls of the mineralization for future exploration. The initial work program will also include a mobile metal ion (MMI) geochemical survey to determine if known mineralization extends beyond known rock exposures into areas that are overburden-covered but proximal to known mineral occurrences. Upon completion of this work, geophysics will be considered in order to outline drill targets. The Nova Property is made up of 4 contiguous mining claims (672 hectares). The reader is cautioned that the higher-grade value referenced is a select sample and not necessarily representative of the mineralization on the property.

Financing

Pancontinental is arranging a non-brokered private placement financing for up to C$1,500,000 which will be used to fund the above program at the Montcalm West Project, work at the 100%-owned Jefferson Gold Project, as well as to pursue new project acquisition opportunities and for working capital purposes.

The financing will consist of up to 15,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit and a further 12,500,000 common shares of the Company which will qualify as "flow-through shares" pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "FT Shares") at a price of $0.06 per FT Share. Each Unit will consist of a common share and one-half a common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a common share at an exercise price of $0.08 for eighteen (18) months from the date of issuance, provided that the expiry date can be accelerated in the event the common shares trade on a stock exchange at a volume weighted average trading price of $0.15, or greater, per common share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days following the expiry of the statutory four month and one day resale restriction. The Company may pay certain finder's fees with respect to gross proceeds raised.

Qualified Person

The Company and/or a Qualified Person has not yet completed the work necessary to verify the historical data and past exploration results, as they pre-date National Instrument 43-101 standards. The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by J. Kevin Filo, PGeo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and a technical advisor for Pancontinental.

About Pancontinental Gold Corporation

Pancontinental is a Canadian-based mining company focused on the exploration and development of its Montcalm West nickel-copper-cobalt project in Ontario, Canada, and its 100%-owned Jefferson gold project in South Carolina, USA. The Company continues to focus on acquiring additional prospective properties in low-risk areas in proximity to producing or former mines. In 2015, Pancontinental sold its interest in its Australian rare earth element (REE) and uranium properties, formerly held through a joint venture, and retains a 1% gross overriding royalty on 100% of future production.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Layton Croft

For further information, please contact:

Layton Croft

President and CEO

1-416-293-8437

1-980-309-8419

laytoncroft@pancongold.com

For more information and to register for email updates please visit: www.pancongold.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @PanconGold.

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.

Cautionary Language and Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
2017 turnover up +20% at constant exchange compared to 2016: strong growth trajectory continues

Furla Group closed out 2017 with decisive growth. The company saw a +20% increase in turnover compared to the previous year at constant exchange (+18,3% at current exchange rates), hitting 499 million euros. Significantly growth on last year for the EBITDA at +34,1%.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005006/en/

Furla CEO Alberto Camerlengo (Photo: Business Wire)

Comparable store sales propelled the company's success, with a high single digit, like for like increase. There was an absolute sales increase worldwide and all markets performed well. In particular, at constant exchange, the Asia Pacific region saw a remarkable +50% uptick over the previous year and now accounts for 24% of total turnover.

Sales in Japan were up +15,4% and account for 23% of total turnover. The EMEA region increased by +12.9% and accounts for 46% of company turnover. The U.S., with sales up +9,6%, represents 7% of business.

The company's unequivocal success is the result of sharp strategies, starting from major investments in marketing, with 360 projects that encompass all channels from digital to social and e-commerce, as well as store windows and media communications. In addition, Furla Group has dedicated significant resources to ensuring, more than ever, that its collections meet the demands of international clientele. Another crucial factor driving the company's growth is the expansion of the distribution network with stronger, direct oversight by Furla. In 2017 the Group took over the distribution in key markets such as Australia and Portugal.

In the first quarter of 2018, new openings are slated for the EMEA region, notably in Germany and Czech Republic as well as for the United States. Today, Furla is present in approximately 100 countries and has a worldwide distribution network of 467 point of sales (compared to 444 in 2016), 253 of which it owns directly, 177 of which are franchises and 37 of which are travel retail operations. Retail accounted for 70% of all sales in 2017.

The travel retail sector continues its growth in 2017, with a further increase of +14.5%.

Human Resources are the key factor of Furla Group's growth and success. Recently, the Company has been certified as one of the Top Employers Italy 2018 Certification, which recognizes the best companies, after a careful evaluation of their job opportunities and working conditions.

"The 500 million euros goal is something to be very proud of and motivation to keep evolving. The organic sales growth data is the most relevant, as it confirms that the company is on solid financial ground, thanks to the excellence of the brand and the quality of the product and Italian design we offer our customers. The company's widespread growth across all markets reflects our efforts in further strengthening our distribution network and investing in research and product innovation," said Alberto Camerlengo, Chief Executive Officer of Furla Group.

To learn more about Furla please visit www.Furla.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005006/en/

Contacts:

Media:

Linda Gaunt Communications

Yeana Ahn

yeana@lindagaunt.com
TORONTO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. ("First Quantum" or the "Company", TSX Symbol "FM") today reported that the Cobre Panama project is currently experiencing industrial action which has reduced the level of work being performed on the project.

This action was started by a small number of personnel and their outside union leadership on March 9, 2018. The dominant union, which represents the majority of workers, is not involved in the action. Currently, development activity is continuing in two of the four main construction areas.

The project's security team is working with the authorities to ensure the safety of its employees and assets.

Cobre Panama has received significant support from the government including visits from senior Ministers to assist in reaching a resolution. These efforts are continuing.

Further updates will be provided as warranted.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of First Quantum Minerals Ltd.

G. Clive Newall

President

For further information visit our website at http://www.first-quantum.com

North American contact: Sharon Loung, Director, Investor Relations, Tel: +1(647)346-3934, Fax: (604)688-3818, Toll Free: +1(888)688-6577, E-Mail: sharon.loung@fqml.com; United Kingdom contact: Clive Newall, President, Tel: +44-140-327-3484, Fax: +44-140-327-3494, E-Mail: clive.newall@fqml.com
MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 03/14/18 -- HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (HPQ) (TSX VENTURE: HPQ)(FRANKFURT: UGE)(OTC PINK: URAGF) is pleased to inform shareholders that PyroGenesis Canada Inc., ("PYR" or "PyroGenesis) provided a general update on the PUREVAP? Project.

Mr. P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis, provided his update on PUREVAP? in the following Q&A format. The questions, for the most part, are derived from inquiries received from investors, and analysts:

Q. For those that are new to the story, could you please describe to us what the PUREVAP? technology is and some of its many advantages?

A. Most certainly. HPQ is the owner of quartz properties. Quartz can be processed, through multiple steps, into a high purity silicon metal which is an important element in solar panels. It helps convert solar energy into useful electricity. Many in the solar panel industry consider the cost of converting Quartz into solar grade silicon metal to be a limiting factor in the growth of the solar panel industry.

PyroGenesis was first engaged by HPQ to demonstrate, on a laboratory scale, that its one-step proprietary PUREVAPTM process could produce high purity silicon metal from quartz in just one step.

PyroGenesis was taken by the prospect of using a plasma-based process to convert Quartz into solar grade silicon metal as there seemed to be a strong market need for such. A number of years ago, a company by the name of Timminco saw its stock soar from 20 cents to over $30 and its market cap increased to over 3 billion of dollars when it was perceived that they had found a way to reduce the number of steps, not eliminate all steps, just reduce the number of steps, in the processing of quartz into solar grade silicon metal(1). That is not to say that this is what we expect here, but it did give us confidence that there was a significant need for a cheaper way to make solar grade silicon metal and, on paper, at the time, it looked like plasma might be able to address issues where other processes failed (Figure 1).

Figure 1 is available at the following address: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/HPQ_Figure1.pdf

To date, we are very pleased with the results and, in fact, believe we have already demonstrated better results than the Timminco process had in its day.

Q. That is quite impressive and quick. Tell me...the project has been described in several phases; Gen 1, Gen 2, and now the Pilot Plant. Could you please explain what the targets were in each generation, what was accomplished, and what the targets are now?

A. Sure.

It goes without saying that, from a 30,000 ft level, it all has to do with purity and production rates. GEN-1's goal was simply to prove the concept on a bench test scale and, if possible, identify parameters that could affect purity and production rates. GEN-2's goal was to test the observations in GEN-1 at scale more representative of the pilot unit and was also geared towards optimizing the final pilot scale design.

GEN-1 was limited in that it was a batch system. This means that the feedstock, quartz, was fed into the system in batches...i.e. there was not a continuous feed of material. This limited the running time to batch runs of only a few hours. GEN-1's primary goal of proving out that the PUREVAP? technology could convert quartz into pure silicon metal in only one step was successful. From tests with GEN-1, we were also able to estimate the impurity removal efficiency of the PUREVAP? process which turned out to be higher than expected from bench tests.

Some of the most interesting developments with GEN-1 were the observations relating to production yield. GEN-1's thermal efficiency was very low due to certain characteristics inherent with GEN-1 (excessive cooling rate and long ramp ups for example). To make a long story short, PyroGenesis was able to conclude, by the end of GEN-1, that operating under a batch process with low thermal efficiency, lowered production yield (i.e. % conversion of silicon in quartz to elemental silicon) and in turn production rate. In other words, we concluded that by increasing production yield, we would not only generate larger amounts of output (higher production rate), but that output, by all accounts, should be at higher yields of wanted end-product. This was later proven out in GEN-2 and remains an important parameter in the final purity of silicon metal.

Another significant observation with GEN-1 spoke to the efficiency of the PUREVAPTM process. During testing with the GEN-1, we used lower quality quartz to see how the system would handle impurities. Low and behold, we managed to produce high purity silicon metal. Not the high purity metal demanded by solar panels, but high enough to be suitable for other commercial applications. We found this to be extremely significant as it opened up other markets for the PUREVAPTM process which were not identified at the outset. Remember, the original goal was to convert high purity quartz to high purity silicon metal for solar panels...now we can add to that equation the conversion of low purity quartz to high purity silicon for other applications (such as casting and chemical industries).

In short, GEN-1 accomplished the following:

-- Proof of concept: converting quartz to high purity silicon using PUREVAPTM, -- Production rates and yields move in step, -- Use of lower quality quartz for the production of high purity silicon: PUREVAP? has a very high impurity removal efficiency which enables the use of lower quality quartz for silicon production.

GEN-2 was designed and fabricated to operate semi-continuously in order to test the observations made in GEN-1. We also wanted to operate at higher temperatures and confirm the impact of thermal efficiency on production yield and ergo, purity (i.e. the more heat that goes towards the process rather than being lost to various system components should allow for a higher rate of silicon production and as such higher product purity).

GEN-2 was also made at a scale more representative of the operating mode of the pilot unit and as such was also geared towards optimizing the final pilot scale design.

GEN-2 demonstrated the following:

-- PUREVAP? can operate semi-continuously, -- A higher thermal efficiency was obtained resulting in a higher operating temperature, -- A higher production yield was achieved.

The challenges going forward relate to typical scale up issues, as well continually improving the process and focusing on removing individual impurities towards achieving solar grade silicon metal. Given the accomplishments to date and that, in many aspects, the GEN-2 is similar to the pilot plant, we are confident that at the end of the day we will have a commercial success. However, we don't know what we don't know, right? That is what development is all about. I am confident that any challenges will be met head on, as they have in the past, by arguably the best team around to do that. Together with Apollon Solar, which have signed an agreement with HPQ to provide valuable input into the process, we are well positioned to successfully complete the design and testing of the next phase.

Q. Interesting. In your press release dated January 15th, 2018, you announced that your GEN-2 process is now operating "semi-continuously under vacuum". What does that mean exactly, "under vacuum"? And what difference does it make?

A. This is a huge development. Essentially it means that rather than operate at normal pressure, the PUREVAP? process can operate at very low pressure when converting quartz into high grade silicon metal. Lowering the operating pressure favors something called volatilization of impurities. Without getting too technical, this volatilization of impurities essentially improves the purity of the end product by forcing the impurities out of the reacting system thus leaving behind a purer silicon metal. It effectively enhances the removal efficiency of impurities. Bottom line: the main advantage of being under vacuum is the fact that impurities don't accumulate in the silicon phase. This is a huge development on our road to success. To our knowledge, there is no other process that produces silicon metal directly from quartz under vacuum. Don't get me wrong, vacuum refining does exist in the market to remove certain impurities from silicon that has already been produced (i.e., silicon is produced, re-melted, then it goes under vacuum), but it is a total different animal altogether. It requires a post-treatment process which is limited and thereby adds additional costs. As far as we know, we are the only players to operate under vacuum in the production of silicon metal. As I said, this is huge, and the impact of which has not really been fully understood by the market.

Q. How transferable are the results obtained from GEN-2 to the pilot plant?

A. We believe they are very transferable. In fact, we expect the results to be even better at larger scale. By increasing the scale, we are increasing the production rate. Theoretically, this will give us a better conversion yield according to our results so far.

As you can imagine, we are already extremely excited about the results we have had with GEN-2, and we can only imagine what the results will be with the pilot plant. As mentioned, at a larger scale, the production rate is automatically higher which, we have proven with GEN-2, should lead to a higher conversion yield and better purity.

Q. Tapping tapping tapping... Everyone is asking for tapping. Why hasn't it occurred and when will it occur?

A. It is an interesting question because it reflects a belief that there is a connection between tapping and success to date. The accomplishments noted above with GEN-1 and GEN-2, in my opinion, are more reflective of success than tapping.

Tapping will come naturally. When liquid accumulates enough, tapping can occur. The purity of silicon in liquid form is expected to be very high. Tapping was not part of the GEN-2 objectives and, as such, we never operated with the goal of creating the conditions to tap. At this point, we spent our time and money on testing that had a direct impact on production, purity, and design. Tapping, as nice as it would be to see, and possibly a nice press release, has more value to our knowledge and progress in the pilot phase. As such, rest assured, that at the pilot plant phase tapping will be demonstrated as production and conversion yields should be higher.

Q. An often-asked question is, how comfortable are you with the patent application?

A. The short answer is: very comfortable. PyroGenesis has never failed in obtaining a patent when we have applied for one, and we have extensive experience over many years doing so.

It is understandable that a person unfamiliar with our history, patents in general and the patent process specifically, may get hung up or side tracked by this question.

I answered this type of question once before, in another forum, by describing the players and the process. It basically works something like this: when one applies for a patent it behooves one to try and describe in as much detail what the patent can uniquely do and, at the same time, get the best coverage surrounding the patent claims. That is the role of one who applies for a patent. The examiners role, on the other hand, is to challenge the patent and/or limit the claims. That is their role. Of note is that the examiner cannot be expected to be an expert in every field so oftentimes, the challenges are more of a "please explain why..." type of a challenge. We have faced on numerous occasions extremely negative comments from the examiner at the PCT level. This is quite common, and it has never prevented us from obtaining patents at the end of the day.

As I said, we feel very comfortable with the patent application and, without getting into specifics, we have a very well thought out and articulated patent and IP strategy regarding the PUREVAP? technology. Just remember, this is a costly and time-consuming process and we don't have either to waste. Rest assured, if we did not think we would succeed we wouldn't waste our time or money. It's not more complicated than that.

Q. Some investors/shareholders are skeptical about the whole process. Do you have any comments?

A. ...and so they should be. Seriously, we are talking about a process that potentially could be game changing beyond description. Who wouldn't be skeptical? You would have to be a fool not to be. Adding to this is the fact that the results to date are beyond our expectations which, in a weird way, fuels the skepticism, no? It's almost too good to be true...makes one think that a little bit of bad news might put people at ease. Just joking, but you get my drift.

On the other hand, how many chances do you get to invest into such potential, at 10 cents a share and market cap of under CAD$20 million? I am talking about HPQ here. Anyways, just food for thought.

Q. PyroGenesis is a shareholder of HPQ, isn't it?

A. Yes, we are. We currently hold over 5 million common shares and over 3 million warrants which are reflected on our balance sheet.

Q. Would you invest more into HPQ?

A. Yes, we would consider it if it made sense, but let me be very very clear on this point. PyroGenesis is investing each and every day into HPQ. I have said this before and I will say it again, PyroGenesis does not have time or money to waste on projects that do not have future potential. Each and every day PyroGenesis has to decide where to allocate its resources, the most important of which is its time. Plasma expertise, such as ours, does not grow on trees and we must be very discerning as to where we dedicate this valuable resource. Do we dedicate it to Additive Manufacturing (powders for 3D printers), Drosrite?, other development projects...or HPQ? The profit from the HPQ contract does not in and of itself justify dedicating such scarce resources to the project, the royalty from the success of the project, does.

Q. And that is a good segue into our last question. Some investors of HPQ have accused them of paying PyroGenesis for a project that has no risk to PyroGenesis. How would you respond to them?

A. Besides my answer above, where I describe the opportunity cost of the HPQ contract and the risk associated with that, I would have to add that PyroGenesis is not a charity and we are in the business of making money. Our expertise is unique and arguably, it is that exact expertise that has given this project, and HPQ, a life and a future. In short, you get what you pay for and we would not have done it for less...in fact, we wanted more and were negotiated to the current arrangement.

My final comment to any detractor of HPQ and HPQ management is: wake up. Wake up to the unique management you have, a management that was not only able to identify this opportunity, but also the players required to carry out the project. In fact, it took a lot of convincing by HPQ management to get PyroGenesis' interest as HPQ did not fit our client/risk profile at all. All this to say that, take it from experience, encouraging management and getting behind it goes a long way to getting management up in the morning...to do it again and again ...which, can do nothing but help the stock.... then bashing them with perverted 20/20 hindsight. Just a thought.

Q. Conclusion?

A. We believe the PUREVAP? process to be game changing and has the potential to revolutionize the solar panel industry. We don't know of any other process or technology that is able to do what we have done to date.

Not only have we progressed along the path to processing high purity quartz to solar grade silicon metal, but we have demonstrated the ability to convert low purity quartz to quality silicon metal suitable for other industries which was not contemplated when the project was initiated.

In short, PyroGenesis is happy with the progress to date and stand firmly behind the project. We are more convinced than ever before that we will be successful in having a commercially viable process at the end of the day.

Bernard J. Tourillon, Chairman and CEO of HPQ Silicon commented, "The fact that Mr. P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis took the time to provide this in-depth update on the PUREVAP? project is a testament to our working relationship and the results describe validate the fact that our methodical approach is yielding exciting results. With every milestone, we are de-risking our project for investors as we advance toward Pilot Equipment Assembly at PyroGenesis plant."

This News Release is available on the company's CEO Verified Discussion Forum, a moderated social media platform that enables civilized discussion and Q&A between Management and Shareholders.

About HPQ Silicon

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. is a TSX-V listed resource company planning to become a vertically integrated High Purity, Solar Grade Silicon Metal (SoG Si) producer and a manufacturer of multi and monocrystalline solar cells of the P and N types, required for high performance photovoltaic conversion.

HPQ's first goal is to develop, in collaboration with industry leaders Pyrogenesis (PYR.T) and Apollon Solar the innovative metallurgical PUREVAP? "Quartz Reduction Reactors (QRR)" process (patent pending), which will permit it to produce SoG Si in one step. The start of the pilot plant that will validate the commercial potential of the process is planned for second half of 2018.

Disclaimers:

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's on-going filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

1 The Globe and Mail: "Timminco: How Eric Sprott got solar burn", published Aug 31, 2012

Shares outstanding: 194,583,673

Contacts:

HPQ Silicon Resources Inc.

Bernard J. Tourillon

Chairman and CEO

(514) 907-1011



HPQ Silicon Resources Inc.

Patrick Levasseur

President and COO

(514) 262-9239

www.HPQSilicon.com




Nicaraguan police said Orlando Tercero, the 22-year-old suspect in the homicide of Binghamton University student Haley Anderson, was arrested earlier today, according to Nicaraguan newspapers El Nuevo Diario and La Prensa.

Earlier this week, Binghamton Police said they believe Tercero, Anderson's ex-boyfriend, had left on a flight from JFK in NY to Nicaragua last Friday.

Tercero flew to Nicaragua before authorities discovered the body of Anderson on Friday where he lived on Oak Street in Binghamton. Tercero allegedly "fled the United States via worldwide air to Nicaragua prior to the discovery of Haley Anderson's deceased body", according to a statement released by police. He is a US citizen. Anderson did not reside in the house. She was taken to Lourdes Hospital, where an autopsy found she was a victim of a homicide. The circumstances of what led to Anderson's death have not been revealed.

The two were students at the Decker School of Nursing and were previously in a relationship.

Further information regarding Tercero's arrest was not immediately available.

Detectives are continuing the investigation with the assistance of New York State University Police at Binghamton, the Broome County District Attorney's Office, the FBI, the Port Authority Police Department and Nassau County police.
Strategic deal to help clients of both companies innovate faster

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company has signed a definitive agreement to divest Wipro's hosted data center services business to Ensono, a leading hybrid IT services provider for USD 405 million. Wipro will unlock value by transitioning eight data centers, and over 900 employees of its hosted data center services business to Ensono. The acquisition significantly expands Ensono's geographic footprint and global service capabilities, taking the company one step closer to achieving its vision of helping clients harness the power of hybrid IT to transform their businesses on a global scale.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005577/en/

Wipro and Ensono have also signed a long-term partnership agreement to jointly address the hybrid IT requirements of Wipro's new and existing enterprise customers. As part of the agreement, Wipro will make a strategic investment of USD 55 million in Ensono's combined entity.

Wipro has been providing comprehensive IT management solutions for large and mid-size enterprises for over 25 years, and operates world-class data centers, globally. The company has expertise across multiple computing environments and platforms, including mainframes, iSeries, Unix, Windows and Linux servers, and offers an array of delivery models ranging from customized solutions delivered in Wipro's data centers to remote management and cloud computing.

Hosted Datacenter services business is one of the three businesses that became a part of Wipro when it acquired Infocrossing Inc in 2007. The other two businesses -- Medicare Medicaid services in the health insurance space and ERP implementation services -- have been integrated with other Wipro businesses and are not part of this divestment.

"As we embrace our strategy of focusing on newer digital areas of spend, our strategic investment and partnership with Ensono will enable us to remain committed to meeting the hosted data center services requirements of our customers. This partnership will enhance the global data center footprint and expand the available talent pool which will give us economies of scale and allow us to offer end-to-end capabilities in the infrastructure space, better than ever before," said Kiran Desai, Senior Vice President, Global Infrastructure Services, Wipro Limited.

Ensono provides hybrid IT services, from cloud to mainframe, that enable clients to digitally transform their business. Through the acquisition, Ensono is doubling in size, diversifying its client portfolio and increasing its annualized revenue to be in excess of USD 550 million. Beyond a growing geographic footprint and data center presence, Ensono will manage over 260K MIPS and over 30K hosted servers. Whether clients are leveraging the power of the cloud or modernizing legacy technologies, Ensono helps clients manage complex IT requirements, globally and across industries.

"This is the third acquisition in less than three years for Ensono. This particular acquisition and partnership with Wipro substantially increases our ability to scale and service our growing client portfolio. We are increasing our geographic presence by expanding our data center operations in Germany, U.K. and the U.S., as well as establishing an operational presence in India," said Jeff VonDeylen, CEO, Ensono. "These are strategic moves that bring us one step closer to our vision of being a recognized leader in true hybrid IT and a relentless ally to our clients."

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the quarter ending June 2018. Ensono is a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners and M/C Partners. Jefferies LLC acted as an exclusive financial advisor to Ensono for this transaction, and Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC acted as the sole financial advisor to Wipro. Goodwin Procter LLP and Ropes Gray LLP acted as legal advisors to Ensono, and Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP (for the US), and DLA Piper (for Europe) were legal advisors to Wipro on this transaction.

About Wipro Limited

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 160,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future.

About Ensono

For business leaders managing lots of complexity or disrupting the status quo, Ensono delivers complete Hybrid IT services, from cloud to mainframe, tailored to each client's journey. Whether you're leveraging the power of the cloud or modernizing legacy technologies, you'll be on track to operate for today and optimize for tomorrow. Named a Top 15 Sourcing Service Provider by ISG, some of the world's most successful companies rely on us to help them be great at what they do. Ensono has over 1,000 associates across North America and Europe and is ranked 21st in The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For. Our offices are headquartered in greater Chicago. Visit us at www.ensono.com.

Forward-looking and Cautionary Statements

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property, and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005577/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts:

Wipro Limited

Vipin Nair

vipin.nair1@wipro.com

or

Ensono

Beth Burghgraef

+1-630-944-0257

beth.burghgraef@ensono.com
Ringba and Natural Intelligence Both Participated in the LeadsCon West Conference, which Took Place from March 5-7, 2018 in Las Vegas

SAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2018 / The founders of Ringba, a global communications platform, are pleased to announce that Natural Intelligence was selected as the winner of the Ringba LeadsCon Giveaway which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada from March 5-7, 2018.

To meet the team from Ringba at a conference or trade show, please check out their schedule of upcoming events at https://www.ringba.com/meet-us.

As a spokesperson for Ringba noted, Natural Intelligence is a worldwide leader in the comparison space, and operates in markets throughout North America, Europe, South America, and Australia. The company has one key goal in mind: to help their valued customers to make better, more informed decisions when choosing an online service provider.

Both Ringba and Natural Intelligence attended the LeadsCon West conference, and the team from Ringba was thrilled with the number of entries that they received for their giveaway. At the end of the event, the team from Ringba was chosen as the winner of the Ringba $1000 Giveaway.

The event, which is a premiere gathering of performance marketing and lead generation specialists, attracted almost 3,000 attendees who were eager to learn in-depth insights and enjoy access to marketing leaders. The opportunities for attendees like Ringba and Natural Intelligence to network and do business at the popular Las Vegas event were greater than ever, and both companies were thrilled to make even more connections and learn valuable tips and insights.

"We also enjoyed the content agenda that was designed by LeadsCon's award-winning editorial team," the spokesperson for Ringba noted, adding that the conference featured some of the biggest names and emerging experts in the industry.

"The Ringba team is looking forward to attending next year's LeadsCon West conference, and we hope to see Natural Intelligence and other innovative companies there as well."

About Ringba:

Ringba is a global communications platform for connecting consumers with businesses in real-time with intelligence call tracking, routing, attribution and analytics for inbound calls. For more information, please visit https://www.ringba.com.

About Natural Intelligence:

Natural Intelligence is a global leader in the comparison space, operating in markets around the world to help customers make better, more informed decisions when choosing an online service provider. For more information, please visit www.naturalint.com.

About LeadsCon:

LeadsCon is the premier conference for Networking, Education, and Premium Content focused on the performance and lead generation industry. For more information, please visit www.leadscon.com.

Contact:

Darren Leigh

contact@ringba.com

(877) 944-2937

SOURCE: Ringba
Ireland's 2017 foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States was $85 billion, ranking Ireland the 9th largest foreign direct investor into the United States.

Today, Ireland's Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar, hosted a discussion bringing together top executives from Irish firms responsible for the creation of a combined 50,000 jobs in the United States. The roundtable explored business opportunities facing Irish businesses operating in the United States, how the Irish government can support investment and growth in the United States and ideas for advancing partnerships with United States business.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005647/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

The meeting was also attended by Daniel Mulhall, Ambassador of Ireland to the United States, Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, the Irish government agency for international development of Irish businesses, and Sean Davis, Regional Director, North America for Enterprise Ireland.

"Today I had the opportunity to meet with leaders from many of the most dynamic, successful Irish firms operating in the United States. These firms represent a diverse array of industries but share a strong commitment to U.S. investment. They employ thousands many in high-value positions here in the United States and are outstanding examples of the positive impact of Irish investment," stated Varadkar.

Among the executives in attendance were senior representatives of CRH Oldcastle, one of the world's leading building products and materials companies that today has over 1,700 operations across 43 states; Kerry, a global food maker with sales of over six billion USD and multiple manufacturing operations across the U.S., and Kingspan, a leading manufacturer of building materials. Also in attendance were research company Icon PLC, which employs 13,000 people globally and 4,600 high-skilled associates in 15 offices across the United States, and plans to open a new 40-person office in downtown Boston this month.

In 2017, Enterprise Ireland-supported firms opened 59 new operations in the U.S., an 18% increase over 2016. As of January 2018, there are almost 800 Irish-owned businesses operating across all 50 states employing 100,000 people. Earlier this week, Wisetek, an IT asset disposal company, announced its fourth location in Austin Texas, doubling its U.S. based work force with the creation of up to 25 new positions. Glanbia, a global nutrition company announced a new $400 million production plant which will be constructed in Michigan and is expected to be open by 2020.

According to a 2016 study by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Ireland's 2017 foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United States was $85 billion, ranking Ireland the 9th largest foreign direct investor into the United States.

"The leaders who joined us today shared ambitious plans to increase investment in the U.S. as central elements of their respective growth strategies. This gathering demonstrates what is possible when strong Irish companies invest in the U.S. market," stated Julie Sinnamon, CEO Enterprise Ireland.

Enterprise Ireland is the Irish State agency for the international development of Irish businesses. The organization operates from New York; Boston; Austin, TX; Chicago; and Mountain View, CA. and is the third largest venture capitalist in Europe by deal count. In addition to funding support, Enterprise Ireland also provides services including export assistance, assistance with research and development as well as a broad network of key global industry-specific contacts.

The organization has strong expertise in the medical technology, pharmaceutical, construction and software markets, among others. Globally, Ireland Is the second largest exporter of software products and accounts for over 60 million dollars in annual exports.

About Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland is the Irish State agency that works with Irish enterprises to help them start, grow, innovate and win export sales in global markets. Enterprise Ireland partners with entrepreneurs, Irish businesses, and the research and investment communities to develop Ireland's international trade, innovation, leadership and competitiveness. In this way, we support sustainable economic growth and regional development, and help create and sustain employment in Ireland.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005647/en/

Contacts:

Brand Definition

Daniel O'Connell, (212) 660-2555 Ext. 12

Daniel@brand-definition.com
The "Acetaldehyde Market by Process, Derivative, Application, and Region Global Forecast to 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The acetaldehyde market is estimated at USD 1.33 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach USD 1.80 billion by 2022, at a CAGR of 6.24% between 2017 and 2022.

The demand for acetaldehyde is growing in emerging economies, such as India, China, and Brazil. Acetaldehyde is mainly used as an intermediate for the synthesis of other chemicals. The major derivatives of acetaldehyde are pentaerythritol, which is used in the manufacture of synthetic resins for the paint industry; and pyridines which are used as solvents in the production of rubber and dyes.

Based on application, the water treatment segment is projected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2017 to 2022. Acetaldehyde plays a vital role in wastewater treatment owing to its disinfectant properties. Acetaldehyde is used for the treatment of wastewater from various industries and manufacturing plants. The demand for acetaldehyde from the water treatment application is gaining momentum due to rising environmental impact, such as degradation of freshwater bodies and aquatic life by untreated wastewater, increasing population, and concerns about pollution.

The acetaldehyde market in the Asia Pacific region is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, which can be attributed to the easy availability of raw materials used for the manufacture of acetaldehyde. The Asia Pacific is a strategic location for acetaldehyde manufacturers, as an overall slowdown in the global economic scenario has encouraged many established manufacturers to expand their manufacturing facilities in this region and, thus, increase their sales. The growth of the Asia Pacific market is expected to be primarily driven by China, India, and Japan. Key manufacturers of acetaldehyde are focusing on expanding their bases in the Asia Pacific region to increase their market shares and enhance profit margins.

The report provides company profiles and details of competitive strategies adopted by key market players, such as Celanese (US), Eastman (US), Merck KGaA (Germany), Sumitomo (Japan), Sekab (Sweden), Showa Denko (Japan), Jubilant Life Sciences (India), Lonza (Switzerland), LCY Chemical (Taiwan), and Ashok Alco-chem (India).

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increasing Demand From Food Beverage, Paper Pulp, Pharmaceutical, and Water Treatment Applications

Increasing Use of Acetaldehyde in Derivatives Such as Pyridines and Pentaerythritol

Restraint

Phasing Out of Acetic Acid Production From Acetaldehyde

Challenge

Environmental and Health Hazards of Acetaldehyde

Key Topics Covered

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights

5 Market Overview

6 Acetaldehyde Market, by Process

7 Acetaldehyde Market, by Derivative

8 Acetaldehyde Market, by Application

9 Acetaldehyde Market, by Region

10 Competitive Landscape

11 Company Profiles

Amadis Chemical

Ashok Alco Chem

Celanese

Chempure

China National Petroleum Corporation

Eastman

Eurochem

Finetech Industry

Fisher Scientific

Godavari Biorefineries

Jiangsu Sanmu Group

Jinyimeng Group

Jubilant Life Sciences

Kanoria Chemicals Industries

LCY Chemical

LOBA Chemie

Lonza

Merck KGaA

Nantong Jinrui Chemical

Penta Manufacturing

Sekab

Shandong Kunda Biotechnology

Showa Denko

Sumitomo Chemical

Tractus

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/vddsf4/acetaldehyde?w=4.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005669/en/

Contacts:

ResearchAndMarkets.com

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com

For E.S.T. Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

Related Topics: Fragrance, Flavor and Aroma Chemicals
Washington D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2018) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged a former chief information officer of a U.S. business unit of Equifax with insider trading in advance of the company's September 2017 announcement about a massive data breach that exposed the social security numbers and other personal information of about 148 million U.S. customers.

According to the SEC's complaint, Jun Ying, who was next in line to be the company's global CIO, allegedly used confidential information entrusted to him by the company to conclude that Equifax had suffered a serious breach. The SEC alleges that before Equifax's public disclosure of the data breach, Ying exercised all of his vested Equifax stock options and then sold the shares, reaping proceeds of nearly $1 million. According to the complaint, by selling before public disclosure of the data breach, Ying avoided more than $117,000 in losses.

"As alleged in our complaint, Ying used confidential information to conclude that his company had suffered a massive data breach, and he dumped his stock before the news went public," said Richard R. Best, Director of the SEC's Atlanta Regional Office. "Corporate insiders who learn inside information, including information about material cyber intrusions, cannot betray shareholders for their own financial benefit."

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia today announced parallel criminal charges against Ying.

The SEC's complaint charges Ying with violating the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest, penalties, and injunctive relief.

The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, has been conducted by Elizabeth Skola and Justin Jeffries. The litigation is being led by Shawn Murnahan and Graham Loomis. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A number of lawmakers have raised objection to President Donald Trump's choice to replace CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has been nominated to be the new Secretary of State.



In a surprise announcement through Twitter Tuesday, Trump fired Rex Tillerson, and revealed his intention to nominate Pompeo in his place.



Also, he promoted Deputy CIA Director Gina Haspel to the top Intelligence post.



If confirmed, she would become the first female director of the agency, but the historic significance is overshadowed by her alleged link to a black site prison in Thailand where terrorism suspects were tortured.



Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, responded sharply to the proposed leadership changes at the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency.



He demanded explanation from Haspel about the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA's interrogation program during the confirmation process.



'The torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history,' he said in a statement.



McCain called on the Senate to 'do its job in examining Haspel's record as well as her beliefs about torture and her approach to current law'.



However, he had good words for Mike Pompeo, expressing confidence that he can meet that challenge as Secretary of State.



Sen. Ron Wyden, a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, opposed the nominations of both Pompeo and Haspel.



Haspel's background makes her unsuitable to serve as CIA director, according to Wyden.



He accused Pompeo of downplaying Russia's attack on US democracy, 'at times contradicting the Intelligence Community he is supposed to lead'.



Senator Dianne Feinstein recalled concerns he expressed in the past with Haspel's connection to the CIA torture program.



Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn expressed concerns about holding confirmation hearings for both Pompeo and Haspel.



'Having the prospect of two additional confirmation fights perhaps is going to be a challenge,' according to him.



Former CIA analyst and whistleblower John Kiriakou told RT that Gina Haspel should be in the dock at The Hague, not in the CIA director's office, as she has 'blood all over her hands'.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Ninety-five outstanding projects and individual Manufacturing 4.0 leaders will be honored at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit

SANTA CLARA, California, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Frost & Sullivan's Manufacturing Leadership (ML) Council announces the world-class manufacturing companies and individual leaders set to receive recognition as winners of the 2018 Manufacturing Leadership Awards. ML Awards winners and their partners will be honored on June 13, 2018, at a gala celebration that concludes the 14th annual Manufacturing Leadership Summit in Huntington Beach, Calif. In addition, the High Achiever Award, Manufacturers of the Year, the Manufacturing Leader of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award winners will be announced at the gala.

To see the list of the 2018 Manufacturing Leadership Awards winners, click here http://frost.ly/2ay

"The companies, projects, and individual leaders being honored with 2018 ML Awards are redefining excellence by embracing the technology-driven transformation that we call Manufacturing 4.0," said Global Vice President and Editorial Director and co-founder of the Manufacturing Leadership Council David R. Brousell. "Their inspiring achievements are allowing their companies to anticipate and thrive through the dramatic changes now rippling through the global manufacturing marketplace."

The 95 projects and individuals on the list of ML Awards winners represent small and large enterprises in a wide range of manufacturing markets. They all leverage best-in-class processes, technologies, and engaged teams to set themselves apart from the competition. Winners for 2018 include Ford, IBM, Cisco Systems, Merck, The Dow Chemical Company, and Johnson Controls.

Now in its 14th year, the ML Awards program honors organizations and individuals that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. Nominations are entered into 11 categories and evaluated and scored by a panel of expert judges. Ten of the ML Awards categories are for outstanding projects by a manufacturing company. Project categories include Industrial Internet of Things Leadership, Operational Excellence Leadership, and Talent Management Leadership. One category recognizes the achievements of individual manufacturing leaders.

The ML Summit is a unique, interactive gathering of manufacturing leaders from around the world. The theme for the 2018 Summit is "Accelerating the Transformation to Manufacturing 4.0." Featured speakers include Michele D'Alessandro, vice president and CIO, Manufacturing IT, Merck & Co., Inc.; Brynn Watson, Vice President, Program Management, Corporate Engineering and Program Operations, Lockheed Martin; Alex Goryachev, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy and Innovation Group, Cisco Systems; Praveen Jonnala, Global Vice President, IT Global Busniness Solutions, Commscope.

The nomination period for the 2019 Manufacturing Leadership Awards will open in September.

Expert judges for the 2018 ML Awards were:

David R. Brousell

Global Vice President, Research, and Editorial Director

Manufacturing Leadership Council

John Gagel

Global Senior Manager, Corporate Sustainability

Lexmark International



Ronald Castro

Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain Execution

IBM

Brad Heath

CEO

VirTex Enterprises



Jeff Gallinat

Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing Operations

Cisco Systems

Michael Packer

Director, Advanced Manufacturing Programs

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Val Zanchuk

President

Graphicast Inc.



David Mongrue

Vice President, Operations

The Dow Chemical Company

Michele D'Alessandro

Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Manufacturing IT

Merck & Co., Inc.

Allison Grealis

Founder and President

Women in Manufacturing

Caralynn Collens

CEO

UI Labs

Craig Bandes

President and CEO

Pixelligent, Inc.

Praveen Jonnala

Vice President, Global Business Solutions Development

Commscope

Dennis Hoeg

Vice President

North America Chief Operating Officer

Nexteer Automotive

About the Manufacturing Leadership Council

Established in 2008, the Manufacturing Leadership Council's mission is to inspire and support manufacturing executives to achieve transformational growth for themselves, their companies, and the industry at large through enlightened leadership. With around 1,000 senior-level members from many of the world's leading manufacturing companies, the Council focuses on the intersection of advanced technologies and the business, identifying growth and improvement opportunities in the operation, organization and leadership of manufacturing enterprises as they pursue their journeys to Manufacturing 4.0. In support of its mission, the Council produces an extensive portfolio of thought-leading content, networking events, research, industry awards, and professional development products, programs, and services for its members.

For more information and MLC membership details, please visit www.manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Contact:

Jeffrey Moad

P:510.531.3456

F:510.531.3456

E:jeffrey.moad@frost.com

http://www.frost.com
Former Managing Partner Matt Bannick steps down after leading 11 years of innovation and growth

REDWOOD CITY, California, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --Pierre Omidyar, Chairman of the Board of Omidyar Network, today announced the appointment of Mike Kubzansky as the philanthropic investment firm's new managing partner. Omidyar also announced that Matt Bannick, Omidyar Network's managing partner since 2007, is stepping down from his leadership role and will continue to serve on the firm's board of directors.

Kubzansky will lead a global firm that has invested $1.2 billion in more than 600 for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations across five continents. He joined Omidyar Network in May 2013 to lead the newly-created intellectual capital function, a strategy and research practice designed to inform and set strategy, explore and seed new focus areas for the firm, and generate and publish insights gained through Omidyar Network's global work across its initiatives and with its investees.

In his new role, Kubzansky will direct the next phase of the firm's evolution, one that will: (1) continue its early-stage investing and grant-making support of sector-level initiatives; (2) launch several existing Omidyar Network initiatives as autonomous organizations; and (3) generate, develop, and share new cutting-edge ideas, insights, experiments, and lessons to drive innovation. Kubzansky's appointment is effective immediately.

"Building upon the legacy that Matt helped build, I am happy to announce that Mike Kubzansky will assume the role of managing partner at Omidyar Network. Mike's work with us the last five years has focused on developing models for impact and expanding the organization's intellectual capital practice. Mike has been a critical partner to Omidyar Network's teams around the world for strategy development; and his passion for testing new ideas will be highly leveraged as Omidyar Network continues to look for ways to bring positive social impact to the world," stated Omidyar.

Before joining Omidyar Network, Kubzansky was a partner at Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte), where he co-founded and led Monitor's Inclusive Markets practice. He also worked for the World Bank and IFC, and earlier in his career, Kubzansky held several roles at a start-up company in the telecommunications sector. He earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his bachelor's degree with honors from Brown University.

Kubzansky will follow Bannick, who oversaw more than a decade of growth and led several innovations within the field and practice of philanthropy. Bannick broadened the firm's strategy to focus on entire sectors as well as making investments in early-stage entrepreneurs, and he applied approaches more typically found in venture capital, including a horizontal partnership structure to attract top talent and providing human capital expertise to support investees. He instituted a policy of hiring local talent as the firm expanded into new geographies, and he directed the establishment of an intellectual capital function to capture and share sector insights with peers and the broader field.

Bannick's tenure will be marked most notably by his efforts in helping establish impact investing as a mainstream approach to drive positive change. He authored several pieces that framed the opportunity of the approach, co-chaired the U.S. National Advisory Board on Impact Investing, was a frequent speaker on the topic, and saw the industry reach more than $114bn in assets under management.

"Omidyar Network has benefited greatly from Matt's leadership, vision, and expertise," noted Omidyar. "He joined the organization at a critical time, quickly building a global team of world-class leaders, while also growing the field of impact investing through his advocacy. I've known Matt for 18 years and it's been a pleasure to work alongside him. Pam and I are humbled by his service, and incredibly grateful for the impact he's had at Omidyar Network, and beyond."

ABOUT OMIDYAR NETWORK

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. Omidyar Network has committed more than $1.2 billion to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple initiatives, including Education, Emerging Tech, Financial Inclusion, Governance & Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights.

To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com, and follow on Twitter @omidyarnetwork PositiveReturns

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654230/Mike_Kubzansky_Omidyar_Network.jpg
BERLIN, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The electric vehicle industry is on fire. However this is not the usual claim in relation to the automotive sector. Electric Vehicles: Everything is Changing, the dedicated electric vehicle conference at the IDTechEx Show!, goes beyond passenger cars to cover electric vehicles for land, sea and air. Whilst the event focuses on automotive, it is the only place to follow the electrification of not just cars but light electric vehicles, commercial vans, and industrial vehicles and other emerging electric vehicle segments. We also go beyond land to focus on the electrification of air vehicles by presenting some of the pioneer companies in this industry. In addition the most recent developments in key enabling technologies such as autonomous vehicle technologies, next generation battery technologies, fast charging and new materials for electric vehicles will be addressed. Join IDTechEx in Berlin on the 11th and 12th of April at the Estrel Convention Centre.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161102/435386LOGO )

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654278/Electric_Vehicles_Everything_is_Changing_Logo.jpg )

Among the leading companies speaking at Electric Vehicles: Everything is Changing you will find: Porsche Engineering, LG Chem Europe, Renault Trucks, Zero Motorcycles, Siemens AG, Enel, Umicore among others. Among the start ups and new leading players are: Samad Aerospace Limited, ZapGo and Nanoflowcell.

Porsche Engineering's Dr. Malte Jaensch will present their view of the future of electrification of cars, by presenting the results of a meta-analysis of over 120 individual forecasts, split by region, vehicle type and time horizon. LG Chem's Dr. Norbert Riegel will present the company's vision on the batteries for the future of automotive electrification. From the light electric vehicle industry the world leader Zero Motorcycles, directly from California, will present their recent developments in electric motorcycles and their view of the future of electric two wheelers. Siemens will speak about the results of their second generation ELFA drive system with 7,500 units in operation at the moment and also share with us some details of the third generation system to be launched in the near future. Characterized by high flexibility, the ELFA drive system offers vehicle manufacturers the possibility equip electric or hybrid drive drains according their specific requirements.

Whilst the main focus of electrification has been passenger cars, we tend to forget that commercial vehicles will have a key role in electrification of urban centres in which passenger cars are usually restricted. On this topic, trucks have a key role to play in electrification and IDTechEx are excited to have Renault Trucks to speak about the important role of trucks and their strategy in the future of transportation.

One of the key factor for the deployment of electric vehicles is charging infrastructure and related technologies. Managing charging will be key for the future of energy systems, Gasoline (petrol) and diesel vehicles can be refuelled in 5 minutes, and then travel 300 miles or more. ZapGo will present their new energy storage technology capable of delivering the same driver experience in a battery electric vehicle, but without the need to upgrade the national grid infrastructure. From the utility perspective we will have Narcis Vidal from Enel's eSolutions who will speak about the leading utility's perspective on Vehicle to Grid whilst sharing with the audience relevant technology insights.

Electrific, automated and connected vehicles are processes happening in parallel. That is why IDTechEx is opening a dedicated session for Autonomous and Connected vehicles. Autonomous Labs from Freie University Berlin will open the session presenting the opportunities and challenges of autonomous vehicles in the German capital.

IDTechEx's Electric Vehicles Everything is Changing brings one more year the leading players of the emerging electric vehicle industry for land, sea and air this 11th and 12th of April in Berlin. Find out more and register today at http://www.IDTechEx.com/e18-ev.





Contact:

Corinne Jennings

Event Manager

c.jennings@IDTechEx.com

+44(0)1223-810277


Overall demand totaling 14.7 million, 1.24 times the offering

The funds raised will be used to implement the strategy of creating a benchmark French group in interventional cardiology

Regulatory News:

STENTYS (Paris:STNT) (FR0010949404 STNT), a medical technology company commercializing the Xposition S self-apposing coronary stent, today announces the significant success of its rights issue of which the subscription period ran from February 27 to March 8, 2018.

The gross proceeds of the capital increase, issue premium included, totaled 11,803,823.84, leading to the creation of 8,312,552 new shares. These proceeds will principally be used to finance the acquisition and integration of MINVASYS.

Christophe Lottin, Chief Executive Officer of STENTYS, comments: "I would like to thank all our shareholders, both longstanding and new, who have contributed to the significant success of this capital increase. Thanks to their support and trust, we have the necessary financial means to finalize the acquisition of MINVASYS and create a benchmark French player in interventional cardiology. We can now fully devote ourselves to the implementation of our growth strategy based on a portfolio of innovative and complementary proprietary products, supported by the significant marketing, organizational and production synergies generated by this transformative acquisition for STENTYS.

Approximately 81% of subscription rights exercised and a total demand of 14.7 million or 1.24 times the offering

Following the subscription period, which ended on March 8, 2018, the demand for the capital increase totaled 10,333,976 shares at a price of 1.42 per share, a global subscription rate of 124% and a total amount requested of 14,674,245.92:

6,703,489 new shares were subscribed to on an irreducible basis, i.e. a high subscription rights exercise rate of 80.64%; and

a demand on an irreducible basis for 3,630,487 new shares that will therefore only be partially allocated to 1,609,063 shares.

Given the strong demand expressed within the framework of the transaction, no shares will be allocated to the qualified investors who had pledged to subscribe to any shares not subscribed to following the subscription period.

Following the capital increase, the Company will have a share capital of 786,495.36 consisting of 26,216,512 shares with a par value of 0.03 each.

The settlement-delivery of the new shares and their admission for trading on the Euronext regulated market in Paris are scheduled for March 16, 2018. The new shares will carry full rights (jouissance courante) and will be traded on the same listing line as existing shares (ISIN FR0010949404).

This operation is managed by Gilbert Dupont, Lead Manager and Bookrunner.

Shareholder structure

The following table presents the share capital distribution, to the Company's knowledge, after the capital increase and issue of 596,805 shares in exchange for the MINVASYS shares contributed.

Number of shares % of share capital % of voting rights (2)(3) Bpifrance Participations SA (1) 1,785,558 6.66% 6.62% Former MINVASYS shareholders 596,805 2.23% 2.21% Public Others 24,430,954 91.12% 91.16% TOTAL 26,813,317 100% 100%

(1) Bpifrance Participations SA is 100% held by Bpifrance SA and is represented on the Board by an observer (censeur

(2) Based on the number of double voting rights at February 5, 2018.

(3) Including the 10,995 Treasury shares held with respect to the liquidity contract at December 31, 2017.

Indicative timetable of the operation

March 16, 2018 Issue of New Shares Settlement-delivery. New Shares admitted for trading on Euronext Paris. April 20, 2018 Scheduled date of the delivery of the asset auditor's report. April 30, 2018 Scheduled date of the realization of the Divestment and of the Contribution of MINVASYS shares. By May 18, 2018, 11.59 pm CET Resumption of the ability to exercise stock options, business creator share warrants and stock warrants.

Next financial press releases

As a result of the ongoing MINVASYS acquisition process, STENTYS has altered its financial calendar as follows:

Full-Year 2017 Results will now be published on Tuesday April 3, 2018

Half-Year 2018 Results will now be published on Monday October 1st, 2018

The other dates of the 2018 financial calendar remain unchanged. Press releases will be published after markets close.

Availability of the Prospectus

Copies of the Prospectus granted a visa by the AMF French financial markets authority on February 20, 2018 under number 18-052, comprising the Document de Reference registered on November 29, 2017 under number D.17-1084 and a Note d'Operation (including a summary of the Prospectus), may be obtained free of charge and upon request from STENTYS' head offices. An online version is also available on the Company's website (www.stentys.com) and the AMF's website (www.amf-france.org).

Risk Factors

Investors are invited, before making a decision on whether to invest, to make themselves aware of the risks described in section 4 of the Document de Reference and chapter 2 of the Note d'Operation

About MINVASYS

Founded in the Paris area in 2003, MINVASYS is an independent company that specializes in Minimally INvasive VAscular SYStems. It capitalizes on the substantial expertise of its staff and medical advisors to develop and market innovative, efficient, safe and cost-effective devices. MINVASYS has a growth strategy based on market momentum and the economic factors applicable to health-sector communities. The Company has an IP portfolio that includes US patents such as the Nile concept and TwinOne technology.

About STENTYS

STENTYS develops and commercializes innovative solutions for the treatment of patients with complex artery disease. STENTYS' Self-Apposing drug-eluting stents (DES) are designed to adapt to vessels with ambiguous or fluctuating diameters in order to prevent the malapposition problems associated with conventional stents. The APPOSITION clinical trials for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction showed a very low mortality rate at one year and a faster arterial healing compared to conventional stents. The company's product portfolio also includes MiStent SES and Serpentis, two innovative coronary DES for routine interventions, and is marketed through STENTYS' commercial network in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America.

Additional information is available atwww.stentys.com

STENTYS is listed on Compartment C of Euronext Paris

ISIN: FR0010949404 Ticker: STNT

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements about the Company that are based on numerous assumptions regarding the Company's present and future business strategies and the environment in which it will operate in the future which may not be accurate. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks associated with the development and commercialization of the Company's products, market acceptance of the Company's products, its ability to manage growth, the competitive environment in relation to its business area and markets, its ability to enforce and protect its patents and proprietary rights, uncertainties related to the U.S. FDA approval process, slower than expected rates of patient recruitment for clinical trials, the outcome of clinical trials, and other factors, including those described in the Section 4 "Risk Factors" of the Company's 2016 Registration Document (document de reference) filed with the French Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF) on November 29, 2017 under number D.17-1084.

DISCLAIMER

This press release and the information it contains does not constitute and shall not be considered as constituting, an offer to sell or subscribe or the solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, shares of Stentys in any country.

The dissemination, publication or distribution of this press release in certain countries may constitute a violation of the applicable legal and regulatory provisions. Consequently, persons physically located in these countries and in which this press release is disseminated, distributed or published must obtain information regarding these possible local restrictions, and comply with them.

This press release is not a prospectus within the meaning of Directive 2003/71/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 4 November 2003, as amended, in particular by Directive 2010/73/EU to the extent such Directive has been transposed in each relevant Member State of the European Economic Area (together, the "Prospectus Directive").

This press release does not contain or constitute an invitation, inducement or solicitation to invest. The distribution of this press release is not made, and has not been approved, by an "authorized person" within the meaning of Article 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. As a consequence, this press release, and the information it contains, is addressed to and directed only at persons who (i) are located outside the United Kingdom, (ii) have professional experience in matters relating to investments within the meaning of Article 19(5) ("investment professionals") of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotions) Order 2005 as amended), (iii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) (high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or (iv) are persons to whom this press release may otherwise lawfully be communicated (the persons mentioned in (i), (ii), (ii) and (iv) together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any person other than a Relevant Person may not act or rely on this document or any provision thereof. This press release is not a prospectus which has been approved by the Financial Services Authority or any other United Kingdom regulatory authority for the purposes of Section 85 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or purchase or the solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for, any securities in the United States of America nor in any other country where such offer or solicitation may be subject to restriction. Securities may not be offered, subscribed or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). The shares of Stentys have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and Stentys does not intend to conduct a public offering of its shares in the United States of America.

The information contained in this document does not constitute an offer of securities for sale in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan and this press release may not be published, transmitted or distributed, directly or indirectly, in the United States, in Canada, in Australia or in Japan.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA OR JAPAN

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005822/en/

Contacts:

STENTYS

Andre Lerebours, Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 53 99 42

CFO

investor@stentys.com

or

NewCap

Investor Relations Strategic Communications

Dusan Oresansky Alexia Faure, Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 92

stentys@newcap.eu


Regulatory News:

Euronext (Paris:ENX) (Amsterdam:ENX) (Brussels:ENX) today announced its dividend payment schedule for 2018.

In line with the current dividend distribution policy of Euronext, it is proposed to distribute 50% of 2017 reported net profit. As a consequence, subject to shareholder approval at the company's Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 15 May 2018, the annual gross dividend on the 2017 results to be paid in 2018 amounts to 1.73 per share. This represents an increase by approximately +22% compared to the 1.42 dividend per share paid in 2017.

Payment of the annual dividend would then occur on 24 May 2018.

Belgium, France, Netherlands and Portugal Ex-dividend Date: 22 May 2018 Record Date: 23 May 2018 Payment Date: 24 May 2018

About Euronext

Euronext is the leading pan-European exchange in the Eurozone with nearly 1,300 listed issuers worth close to 3.6 trillion in market capitalisation as of end February 2018, an unmatched blue chip franchise consisting of 24 issuers in the Morningstar Eurozone 50 Index? and a strong diverse domestic and international client base. Euronext operates regulated and transparent equity and derivatives markets. Its total product offering includes Equities, Exchange Traded Funds, Warrants Certificates, Bonds, Derivatives, Commodities and Indices. Euronext also leverages its expertise in running markets by providing technology and managed services to third parties. In addition to its main regulated market, Euronext also operates Euronext GrowthTM (formerly known as Alternext) and Euronext AccessTM (formerly known as the Free Market). For the latest news, find us on Twitter (twitter.com/euronext) and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/euronext).

Disclaimer

This press release is for information purposes only and is not a recommendation to engage in investment activities. This press release is provided "as is" without representation or warranty of any kind. While all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the content, Euronext does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Euronext will not be held liable for any loss or damages of any nature ensuing from using, trusting or acting on information provided. No information set out or referred to in this publication may be regarded as creating any right or obligation. The creation of rights and obligations in respect of financial products that are traded on the exchanges operated by Euronext's subsidiaries shall depend solely on the applicable rules of the market operator. All proprietary rights and interest in or connected with this publication shall vest in Euronext.

This press release speaks only as of this date. Euronext refers to Euronext N.V. and its affiliates. Information regarding trademarks and intellectual property rights of Euronext is located at www.euronext.com/terms-use.

 2018, Euronext N.V. All rights reserved.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005637/en/

Contacts:

Euronext

Media:

Alice Jentink, +31 20 721 4488

mediateam@euronext.com

or

Investor Relations:

Aurelie Cohen, +33 1 70 48 24 17

ir@euronext.com
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2018 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against WageWorks, Inc.('WageWorks' or 'the Company') (NYSE: WAGE) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investors who purchased the Company's shares between May 6, 2016 and March 1, 2018, are encouraged to contact the firm before May 8, 2018, the lead plaintiff deadline.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss during the Class Period, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964 to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) there were material weaknesses in WageWorks' systems of internal controls and that its practices and controls were ineffective; (2) WageWorks failed to adequately manage and assess risk relating to certain complex transactions, including certain government contracts; (3) WageWorks improperly recognized revenue thereby inflating its earnings and related financial metrics; and (4) as a result, WageWorks' financial statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the truth was revealed to the investing public, shares dropped, causing shareholders harm.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world, and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.

Sherin Mahdavian, Esq.

Schallfirm.com

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
5.0% revenue growth driven by the strong international momentum

Continued active development strategy with over 3,150 beds added to the portfolio

EBITDA margin of 14.0%, up 30 basis points compared with 2016 underlying margin 1

Net profit (group share) up 24.4%

Increased financial flexibility thanks to strong cash generation and a significant decrease in restated debt ratio

Increase of over 25% in the value of the Group's wholly-owned real estate portfolio 2

2018 objectives: revenue growth of at least 5.5%; Limited decrease in operating margin (EBITDA) as a result notably of the costs associated with the plan to boost growth in France

Upward revision of the operating margin objectives of the Korian 2020 plan to take into account notably the benefits of the real estate strategy

Regulatory News:

Sophie Boissard, Chief Executive Officer of the Korian Group (Paris:KORI)), made the following comments: "The Group's performance in 2017 was solid, from both an operating and financial standpoint. Thanks to an active development policy, we now rank as the market leader in our main business activity, i.e. nursing homes, in three of our four geographies. We have accelerated our diversification into home-care services and assisted living facilities, particularly in France, in order to be able to better meet the diversity of requirements in terms of long-term care and dependency. We have also finalised the integration of our business activities in Germany. I am confident in our ability to exceed the financial targets in our Korian 2020 Plan."

In million 2016 2017 Change Revenue 2,987 3,135 5.0% EBITDAR 797 821 3.0% as a% of revenue 26.7% 26.2% EBITDA 422 440 4.3% as a% of revenue 14.1% 14.0% Net income, Group share 131 163 24.4% Operating Free Cash Flow 140 208 47.9% Net debt at 31 December 2,315 2,340 Restated debt ratio at 31 December 3.9 x 3.2 x

_____________________

1 ie restated from the non-recurring income recorded in 2016 for a total amount of 12 m

2 Compared to the value at end June 2016

Highlights

Continued active development strategy

The Group continued its active development strategy and expanded the number of beds operated by over 3,150 units, a higher number than the annual target of over 2,500 beds. The portfolio consisted of 743 facilities representing a total number of 75,060 beds in operation at 31 December 2017. This expansion was achieved through ten selective acquisitions in Belgium and Italy, and by opening eight new facilities ("greenfield"), primarily in Germany and France.

The Group has also significantly expanded its presence in the home care segment in Belgium and Germany, as part of a care pathway approach.

Furthermore, in early 2018, the Group acquired a 70% interest in Ages Vie, a young company in the Franche-Comte Region, which has developed an innovative shared housing concept for seniors with decreasing independence. This concept, which is complementary to Korian's existing offering, has strong development potential, with 200 residences planned over the next 6 years and the capacity to accommodate 3,000 people.

Launch of a plan to boost growth momentum in France

Early 2017, the Group launched a plan to boost growth momentum in France, with the objective to reach 4% revenue growth in 2020. As part of this plan, Korian has embarked on an ambitious programme to develop and modernise its network, in order to make its offers more attractive, to relocate its facilities, and particularly its healthcare facilities, closer to its main referring practitioners, and to develop additional capacity, particularly in assisted living apartments, individual rooms, and ambulatory care. In the Healthcare Division, three reconfiguration projects (Guyancourt, Martigues and Talence), replacing 5 legacy facilities, and a new facility (Troyes) were successfully commissioned in 2017). In the Senior division, a new long-term nursing home combined with an assisted living facility was opened in Saverne. The company has launched a renovation plan on 4,000 rooms, which will be rolled out by 2020.

Korian signed a partnership agreement with the Icade Group in September 2017, in order to assist with the reconfiguration and expansion of its portfolio. This non-exclusive partnership covers a first group of 15 new properties to be delivered by 2020, and includes the development, design, and construction of the facilities. Korian has a purchase option on each property prior to delivery.

Implementation of a property strategy that creates value

The Group invested 142 million in developing its wholly-owned real estate portfolio in 2017, an amount that showed a significant increase compared with 2016 (52 million). These investments, which include new projects and the purchase of existing premises, were financed on highly attractive interest-rate terms. The value of the Group's real estate portfolio has increased by over 25% over the past 18 months, and amounted to 1,240 million3 at 31 December 2017.

_____________________

3 Valuation performed by Cushman Wakefield

Finalisation of the integration plan in Germany

In Germany, the Group strengthened its management team, and finalised the plan to integrate its business activities, specifically including unifying the facility networks, harmonising the information systems, and signing an agreement with the Casa Reha Works Council, which enables the implementation of the overhead cost-cutting plan.

An active training and human resources policy

2017 was characterised by the development of the geriatric passport in France, the first geriatric medicine training course for care givers leading to certification. This innovative pathway, which emphasises care givers' specific skills in caring for the elderly, aims to improve the quality of the care and support provided to patients and residents. It was entirely designed by the Korian Academy, the Group's in-house training institute, which offered 19,000 training courses to 75% of the Group's French employees in 2017.

Furthermore, several majority agreements were signed in France, demonstrating Korian's commitment to social inclusion and well-being at work (13th month bonus agreement, the 1st agreement on well-being at work, renewal of the agreement promoting the employment of disabled people, and the signing of two charters in support of the LGBT community).

2017 annual results

Consolidated revenue for the 2017 financial year amounted to 3,135 million, an increase of 5.0% on a reported basis.

Revenue in France increased by 0.7%, and by 0.9% organically.

International revenue rose by 9.7%, and now accounts for 49.5% of consolidated revenue. The sharp increase primarily results from the bolt-on acquisitions made in Belgium and Italy. International organic growth also remained strong, and amounted to 4.0%.

The Group's EBITDAR4 (EBITDA before rental costs) amounted to 821 million. The EBITDAR margin was 26.2% compared with 26.7% in 2016. Restated from the non-recurring income recorded in 2016 which amounted to a total of around 7 million, the EBITDAR margin was down 30 basis points.

The EBITDAR margin in France was 27.5%, an increase of 30 basis points. This performance was primarily due to effective operating management, and purchasing savings.

In Germany, the EBITDAR margin stood at 25.0%, a decrease of 140 basis points compared with the 2016 underlying margin (i.e. restated for the positive impact of the non-recurring income). This decrease is partially explained by the impact of the ramp-up of the facilities opened over the past 18 months, and partially by the increase in personnel expense in a context of tight labour market conditions and increase of staff keys in nursing homes pursuant to the new pricing regulation ("PSG 2").

In Italy, the EBITDAR margin rose by 40 basis points to 23.4%, driven by the rationalisation of the network performed in 2016 with the disposal of the operation of 4 facilities, and by a sound operating performance.

The EBITDAR margin in Belgium amounted to 25.7%. The 110 basis point decrease is primarily due to the temporary dilution created by recent acquisitions, which mostly include facilities that are not yet mature, or are being reconfigured.

_______________________

4 EBITDAR is the interim management indicator selected by the Korian Group to monitor the performance of its facilities. EBITDAR represents gross earnings from operations (EBITDA) before rental costs.

EBITDAR by country

In million 2016 2017 Change France 428 436 1.8% as a% of revenue 27.2% 27.5% International 369 385 4.4% as a% of revenue 26.1% 24.8% Germany 230 221 -4.2% as a% of revenue 27.0% 25.0% Italy 69 72 3.3% as a% of revenue 23.0% 23.4% Belgium 70 93 33.9% as a% of revenue 26.8% 25.7% Group 797 821 3.0% as a% of revenue 26.7% 26.2%

EBITDA amounted to 440 million, up 4.3% compared with 2016.

EBITDA for 2016 included non-recurring income amounting to around 12 million in total, 7 million of which was recorded as other expenses (see above), and around 5 million of which was recorded as rents. EBITDA growth amounted to 7.3% when restated for this impact.

The EBITDA margin was 14.0% in 2017 compared with 14.1% in 2016. It increased by 30 basis points compared with the underlying margin for the 2016 financial year (i.e. restated for the favourable impact of the non-recurring income). This positive change results from the implementation of the "asset smart" real estate strategy and a favourable mix effect on rental charges, as the result of the acquisitions made, primarily in Belgium.

Current operating profit (EBIT) amounted to 283 million, i.e. 9% of revenue (compared with 8.9% in 2016).

Other operating income and expenses include in 2017 expenses relating to reorganisation measures, and various risk provisions, which were entirely offset by tax repayments in France.

The 2017 income tax line includes net income of 68 million linked to the positive impact on deferred tax of the expected decrease in tax rates in France, Italy, and Belgium. The Group had also recognised income of 72 million in 2016, which corresponds to the favourable impact on deferred tax of the decrease in tax rates in France to 28.92% as from 2020.

Financial expense remained stable.

Net profit Group share amounted to 163 million, an increase of 24.4% compared with 2016 (131 million). When restated for the exceptional tax income, net profit, Group share amounted to 96 million in 2017 compared with 59 million in 2016.

Financial situation

Cash generation was strong in 2017.

Operating Free Cash Flow5 increased sharply, and amounted to 208 million compared with 140 million in 2016.

Growth investments amounted to 132 million, and broke down between 25 million in development capital expenditure (not including premises) and 107 million for "bolt-on" acquisitions.

Net debt amounted to 2,340 million at 31 December 2017, up 25 million compared with 31 December 2016.

Financial debt excluding real estate debt amounted to 1,209 million, compared with 1,478 million at 31 December 2016. This decrease includes the favourable impact of the hybrid bonds issued in June 2017 and amounting to 300 million in total6. These issues have enabled Korian to diversify its sources of financing, and to increase its financial flexibility in order to accelerate its development strategy through selective acquisitions (bolt-ons).

The increase in the real estate debt to 1,131 million (compared with 838 million at 31 December 2016) results from an increase in the real estate assets ownership ratio, in accordance with the Group's strategy, as well as from the inclusion in the consolidation scope of the acquisitions in Belgium in 2017.

The restated financial debt ratio7 amounted to 3.2 x EBITDA at 31 December 2017 compared with 3.9 x EBITDA at 31 December 2016 (for an authorised maximum of 4.5 x).

The Group had unused confirmed bank facilities amounting to 650 million, and available cash of 511 million.

_________________________

5 Operating free Cash Flow: Cash flow from operations change in working capital maintenance capital expenditure

6 This breaks down into 240 million of bonds with an option for repayment in cash and/or new shares and/or existing shares ("ODIRNANE"), and 60 million in unlisted bonds, which do not grant access to equity.

7 Restated debt ratio: (net debt real estate debt)/adjusted EBITDA (6.5% real estate debt).

Dividend

Korian will propose a stable dividend of 0.60 per share, including a share-based payment option, at the next General Meeting on 14 June 2018.

Outlook

In 2018, Korian is targeting revenue growth of at least 5.5%. The growth will be driven, in particular, by stronger momentum in France due to the effect of the various measures taken in 2017, the impact of the bolt-on acquisitions made in 2017, and by the opening of 10 new facilities in Germany, France, and Belgium.

The Group expects its portfolio to increase by over 2,500 beds in total.

Margins are expected to increase in the International sector, particularly in Germany, thanks to the first benefits of the Success 2020 performance plan.

In France, the costs associated with re-launching growth and restructured facility ramp-up, as well as the decrease in the CICE tax credit and the price decreases in the healthcare business, will result in a temporary decline in margins.

In total, Korian expects a limited decline in EBITDA margin compared with 2017.

The Group revises its objectives for operating margin (EBITDA) upwards to 14.3% in 2019 and close to 15% in 2021 to take into account the increasing benefit of its new real estate strategy. It confirms all other financial objectives of the Korian 2020 strategic plan.

The Board of Directors is confident in the achievement of the Korian 2020 plan, which is primarily based on

an acceleration in the Group's growth potential via the expansion of the portfolio, the modernisation and optimisation of the network and a broader service offer,

a more dynamic management of the real estate portfolio to create long term value

improving operational performance,

an active staff training and development policy, which supports the quality of care, and

innovation in medical care and the use of digital tools.

In addition to the Korian 2020 plan, the Group will continue to look at growth opportunities, which are consistent with its strategy and contribute to value creation, in order to strengthen its European leadership.

Presentation of the 2017 financial results

The presentation of the annual results will be broadcast live at 10.00 am on Thursday 15 March on the www.korian.comwebsite, from the Investors Section. The presentation document will be available before the presentation.

A recorded version will be available online during the day.

You can also follow the presentation live by telephone:

In French: +33 (0)1 70 71 01 59 Code: 52516497

In English: +33 (0)1 72 72 74 03 Code: 82785983

ABOUT KORIAN

Korian, the expert in providing care and support services for seniors, with over 740 facilities, operates Europe's largest network of long-term care nursing homes, specialised clinics, assisted-living facilities, and home care and hospital home care services. The Korian Group's accommodation capacity amounts to over 75,000 beds in four countries (France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy) and it employs around 49,000 people.

For further information, please go to the website at: www.korian.com

Korian has been listed on Euronext Paris, Section A, since November 2006, and is included in the following indices: SBF 120, CAC Health Care, CAC Mid 60, CAC Mid Small and MSCI Global Small Cap

Euronext Ticker: KORI ISIN: FR0010386334 Reuters: KORI.PA Bloomberg: KORI.FP

APPENDICES The consolidated financial statements for 2017 (review in progress by the Statutory Auditors) were approved by the Board of Directors on 14 March 2018.

2017 CONSOLIDATED REVENUE8

In million 2016 2017 reported change Organic change9 France 1,573 1,583 0.7% 0.9% as a% of revenue 52.6% 50.5% International 1,414 1,552 9.7% 4.0% as a% of revenue 47.4% 49.5% Germany 852 882 3.5% 4.0% Italy 303 307 1.5% 0.9% Belgium 259 363 39.8% 7.7% Group Total 2,987 3,135 5.0% 2.4%

___________________________

8 Revenue and other income

9 The organic revenue growth includes: a) the change in revenue (current year (Y)) compared with the previous year (Y-1)) for the existing facilities, b) the revenue generated in Y by facilities created in Y or Y-1, c) the change in revenues (Y compared with Y-1) for restructured facilities, or facilities where the capacity has increased in Y or Y-1, and d) the change in revenues for recently acquired facilities recorded in Y compared with the equivalent period in Y -1.

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT

In million 2016 2017 Change Revenue 2,987 3,135 5.0% Personnel expenses -1,608 -1,728 7.5% Other purchases, external costs and taxes -582 -586 0.8% EBITDAR 797 821 3.0% As a of revenue 26.7% 26.2% -0.5% External rental payments -375 -381 1.5% EBITDA 422 440 4.3% As a of revenue 14.1% 14.0% -0.1% Depreciation, amortisation impairment charges -156 -157 0.7% Income from current operations 266 283 6.4% As a of revenue 8.9% 9.0% 0.1% Other operating income expenses -25 0 -100.4% Operating income 241 283 17.6% Net financial income -123 -121 -2.3% Income tax 16 4 -77.1% Minority interests -2 -3 61.2% Net profit, Group share 131 163 24.4%

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET

In million 31.12.2016 31.12.2017 Non-current assets 5,778 6,185 Intangible fixed assets 3,893 3,978 incl. Goodwill 2,175 2,219 Of which Other Intangible Assets 1,718 1,760 Property, plant and equipment 1,670 1,944 Financial assets 33 54 Deferred tax assets 183 209 Current assets 714 929 Inventory 10 10 Trade receivables and related accounts 168 191 Other receivables Currents assets 225 212 Financial instruments assets 2 5 Cash and cash equivalents 310 511 Assets held for sale 2 0 Total assets 6,494 7,115 Shareholders' equity (Group share) 2,023 2,462 Share capital 401 405 Premiums 842 860 Reserves and consolidated results 781 1,197 Minority interests 14 12 Total shareholder's equity 2,037 2,475 Non-current liabilities 3,314 3,355 Provisions for pensions 59 70 Deferred tax 673 633 Other provisions 140 154 Borrowings and financial debt 2,442 2,498 Current liabilities 1,143 1,286 Provisions for less than one year 14 12 Trade payables and related accounts 250 267 Other liabilities and accruals 678 641 Borrowings less than one year overdrafts 183 353 Derivative financial instruments 18 13 Liabilities held for sale 0 0 Total liabilities 6,494 7,115 Net debt 2,315 2,340

CHANGE IN NET DEBT

In million 31.12.2016 31.12.2017 Cash flow before cost of financial debt 303 367 Change in working capital 4 18 Maintenance capital expenditure -70 -81 Financial expense -97 -96 Operating free cash flow 140 208 Development capital expenditure -29 -25 Bolt-on acquisitions (net of disposals) -59 -107 Free cash flow 53 76 Dividends paid -29 -31 Real estate investments -52 -142 Strategic acquisitions -367 0 Capital increase 0 296 Impact of changes in the consolidation scope and other changes on net debt -276 -224 Change in net debt -670 -25 Opening net debt 1,645 2,315 Closing net debt 2,315 2,340

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005848/en/

Contacts:

INVESTOR CONTACT

Nadine Coulm

Investor Relations Director

nadine.coulm@korian.com

Tel: +33 (0)1 55 37 53 55

or

PRESS CONTACT

Caroline de Jessey

Communications Director

caroline.de-jessey@korian.com

Tel: +33 (0)6 21 80 35 63
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Swiss stock market opened slightly lower Wednesday, but then quickly climbed above the 8,900 point level and remained in positive territory until the afternoon. The market pared its gains and eventually slipped into the red after the weak open on Wall Street. The U.S. markets struggled following the release of the disappointing U.S. retail sales report. Investors also remain concerned after yesterday's announcement that Mike Pompeo will succeed Rex Tillerson as U.S. Secretary of State. The Swiss Market Index decreased by 0.13 percent Wednesday and finished at 8,869.33. The Swiss Leader Index dropped 0.23 percent and the Swiss Performance Index lost 0.11 percent. Givaudan declined 2.7 percent after some cautious statements by German competitor Symrise in connection with the rising cost of raw materials. Swatch weakened by 2.4 percent as the company held its annual press conference. Richemont also fell 1.1 percent. Aryzta tumbled 2.3 percent and Vifor Pharma surrendered 2.1 percent. Vifor will report full year results on Thursday. Dufry climbed 0.9 percent ahead of its financial report Thursday. Adecco advanced 0.8 percent, Lonza rose 0.7 percent and Logitech added 0.5 percent. Geberit also finished higher by 0.6 percent. Among the index heavyweights, Novartis increased 0.2 percent and Nestle added 0.1. Meanwhile Roche closed unchanged. Swisscom rose 0.1 percent after JPMorgan raised its price target on the stock, but maintained its 'Underweight' rating. UBS dipped 0.2 percent and Credit Suisse fell 0.5 percent. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2018 / Medical clinic and research facility Olympus Stem Cells Pty Ltd, based in Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, Australia, are pleased to announce cutting edge hair regenerative treatment with stem cell scalp injections and the use of a patented formula of Zinc Thymulin to regenerate hair lost as a result of Androgenic Alopecia.

More details can be obtained from http://www.olympusstemcells.com.au and http://www.clinicalstemcells.com.

The Director of Olympus Stem Cells, Associate Professor Russell Vickers, is an acknowledged world authority in the use of stem cells to treat neuropathic pain, dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca), dry mouth (xerostomia), symptoms of MS related to facial pain, osteoarthritis of and the Temporomandibular joint. Professor Vickers has discovered the use of a Zinc extract (in this case Zinc Thymulin used as a topical solution) and combined with stem cells to regenerate hair lost as a result of androgenic alopecia. He is pleased to offer stem cell services including consultations and treatment amongst the 5 medical centres in Sydney Australia. Associate Professor Russell Vickers, has published extensively on the use of stem cells in neuropathic facial pain, stem cell protocols and is a leader in his field. He is conducting clinical treatment of Alopecia patients with stem cells harvested from the abdomen. The results so far have been outstanding and published in the peer reviewed Hair Restoration journal, Hair Therapy and Transplantation (see references).

Associate Professor Vickers sources the abdominal fat for adipose derived stem cells. He processes the fat and obtains stem cell concentrations that are extremely generous in numbers and quality. As a consultant surgeon he then delivers the stem cells to the anatomical area requiring the specific treatment, in this case the area of hair loss. The stem cells are injected supragaleal.

Associate Professor Vickers utilises a vast array of medical scientific equipment in his quest to offer the very best of stem cell treatment. For validation he uses the Muse Cell Analyser and is achieving 100% of stem cell viability. Additionally Olympus Stem Cells Pty Ltd has the availability of its own Mass Spectrometer and cell counting technology. In many conditions Stem Cell Therapy is a highly effective means of alleviating pain and discomfort for people suffering a variety of conditions ranging from MS to neuropathic facial pain. Associate Professor Vickers has published in peer reviewed journals the efficacy of his treatment. We are proud to be one of Sydney's best Stem Cell and Hair loss providers, with a proven track record of providing safe, effective treatment and expert care for our patients. Olympus has a strong focus on research and development and is working hard to constantly further the advancement of stem cell techniques around the world. Our research has been published internationally in peer-reviewed medical and science journals, plus our laboratory boasts some of the best state-of-the-art biotechnology equipment in Australia.

Olympus Stem Cells Pty Ltd is one of the few companies undertaking ground breaking stem cell treatment in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

More information on the Olympus clinics and the work that they do can be obtained at http://www.olympushealthgroup.com.au.

Associate Professor Vickers' recent research publications pertaining to genetics, stem cells, hair loss and facial pain are extensive. These publications include Human Brain Mapping, the Australian Endodontic Journal, Hair Therapy and Transplantation, The Journal of Neuroscience, Diagnosing Dental and Orofacial Pain, the Journal of the Australian Society of Cosmetic Chemists, Medicine Today (The Journal of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners), the Open Journal of Dentistry and Oral Medicine, and the Journal of Pain Research. More information on Associate Professor Vickers' work can be obtained at http://www.clinicalstemcells.com.

Contact Olympus Stem Cells Pty Ltd:

Professor Russell Vickers

+61 4277 11 888

director@clinicalstemcells.com

Olympus Stem Cell Centre, Sydney Olympic Park, 5 Australia Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park, NSW, Australia

SOURCE: Olympus Stem Cells Pty Ltd.
AMSTERDAM, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

On March 14th, the winners of the 2018 European Press Prize are announced in Budapest. The ceremony is held at the Vera and Donald Blinken Open Society Archives, part of the Central European University, founded by George Soros. The evening is moderated by Antonia Meszaros, formerTV Presenter and Correspondent for the BBC, now Executive Director of Unicef. The keynote speaker is Miklos Haraszti, former OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and professor on global press freedom.

The European Press Prize celebrates the highest achievements of European journalism - on a culturally significant day and in a historically significant time. During the 1848 revolution, one of the key demands was the abolishment of press censure. Now, the fight for press freedom continues as Hungary prepares itself for national elections - elections in which Viktor Orban and party are challenging the independent press. In support of Hungarian journalists and in honour of all those fighting for the right to write and read independent journalism - the European Press Prize celebrates its 2018 winners.

"Budapest is right at the heart of Europe. By hosting the European Press Prize Award Ceremony and celebrating European journalism there - we'd like to emphasise the importance of an open, free and well-functioning press in a constitutional democracy."

Yoeri Albrecht (Director of cultural debate centre de Balie, board member of the European Press Prize and member of the European Advisory Board of Open Society Foundation).

For work that exemplifies exceptional reporting and tells a story in the best possible way - Michael Obert wins the Distinguished Reporting A ward for his article The Human Catcher, published by the Suddeutsche Zeitung Magazin. Obert's incredible reportage starts with the barrel of a machine gun, as he follows warlord Al Bija around the Mediterranean - fishing refugees out of the water in support of EU policy.

For a project that challenges the current boundaries of journalism - Bureau Local wins the Innovation A ward . Judges saluted the impressive work of the runner-up: the nominated Jailed for A Like by Coda Story but called Bureau Local truly innovative in convincing us that local journalists play a defining role in holding the powerful to account.

Stephane Foucart and Stephane Horel win the Investigative Reporting A ward for their remarkable research in The Monsanto Papers, published by Le Monde. Horel and Foucart uncover how Monsanto interferes with science, policy and people - to undermine the credibility of the International Agency for Research on Cancer. A special mention for runners-up Till Krause and Hannes Grassegger and their piece on horrible working conditions at facebook and the secret rules of their 'post deleters' in Behind the walls of silence.

For an original and insightful interpretation of the world we live in, Dragan Bursac wins the Opinion Award , for his heart-breaking rendition of the brutal fate of Petar, a seven-year-old Serbian boy killed in the war. Bosnian war crimes rarely make it onto the Bosnian media, especially those openly pleading to end the impunity of war crimes - making this piece, published by Al Jazeera Balkans, a remarkable and incredibly relevant exception.

For a piece which defies all categories and disciplines, the European Press Prize judges - under guidance of chairman Sir Harold Evans - single out one exceptional project to award a Special Prize . This year, in honour of the late Preparatory Committee Chairman and European Press Prize founding father Peter Preston, the judges chose to honour the article This crime requires only poverty, the internet and a buyer, written by Ida Nyegard Espersen for Jyllands-Posten. In her relentless pursuit to uncover the truth of a complex and untraceable new crime, Nyegard Espersen's work exemplifies those qualities Peter Preston strove to honour with the prize as whole.

If you want more information on the Prize or its winners or wish to publish any of the translated works - please contact Milou Dirckx, milou@europeanpressprize.com , +31(0)627006043.
DustPhotonics is a new optical communications company addressing bandwidth demand by enabling high end, first to market and cost-effective solutions.

SAN DIEGO, March 14,2018 /PRNewswire/ --DustPhotonics', the newest high performance optical transceiver company enabling revolutionary cost-effective optical communications, today formally announces it's inception to address the exponential demand for more bandwidth at lower cost in cloud, datacenters, HPC and enterprise networks. Headquartered in Modi'in, Israel, with offices in Cupertino, California, DustPhotonics is led by Ben Rubovitch, Chief Executive Officer, Kobi Hasharoni, Chief Technology Officer, and Amir Geron, Vice President of Engineering, bringing together vast experience in the optical communications industry.

DustPhotonics is partnering with data center infrastructure companies across the world to deliver the highest speed short to mid-range optical connectivity. The Company designs products for all standard optical form factors at data rates of 25Gbps to up 400Gbps and is currently ramping production of 400Gbps QSFPDD-SR8 and OSFP-SR8 modules.

"With optical transceivers now in ever increasing demand and with the limitations of copper interconnects, optical technology has clearly reached the tipping point. We are only at the beginning of ever increasing demand for high speed optical interconnect," said Ben Rubovitch, CEO. "DustPhotonics is pleased to support the world-wide optical design initiative through our commitment to manufacturing open and innovative optical networking products that enable a dynamic, reliable, bandwidth rich datacenter."

The Company's patented optical solution and system design offers a simplified, high performance scalable manufacturing process that addresses the industry's on-going challenge for low cost optical connectivity with high yield production flow.

"The optical module industry for client-side interfaces is transitioning to the next speed hike of 400Gbps while more advanced optical interconnect solutions are starting to appear," says Roy Rubenstein, editor of Gazettabyte and co-author of a book on Silicon Photonics. "This is a good time to enter the market - albeit a highly competitive one - with new technologies."

"The market for 400Gbps optics is projected to reach $2 billion by 2022...assuming that suppliers can meet cost and power consumption targets," said Vladimir Kozlov, Founder and CEO of LightCounting Market Research.

"DustPhotonics has enabled a cost effective, next generation packaging technology for 400Gbps applications that are ready to take off," said Lip-Bu Tan, Chairman of Walden International and Cadence CEO.

DustPhotonics is demonstrating the next generation of optical connectivity at 400Gbps with QSFPDD-SR8 optical transceivers at the Optical Fiber Conference (OFC) in San Diego, California. Please visit www.dustphotonics.com for more information.

ABOUT DUSTPHOTONICS

DustPhotonics' designs and supplies high-speed optical connectivity for next generation data center, cloud, HPC and enterprise networks. The Company's products enable cost-effective, short to midrange optical connectivity and supports all form factors at the industry's highest speed rates of up to 400Gbps. Founded in 2017 with venture funding from leading private technology investors, DustPhotonics is headquartered in Modi'in, Israel with business operations located in Cupertino, California. For additional information, please visitwww.dustphotonics.com

Press Contact:

Melissa Kallos

DustPhotonics, Inc.

+1 408-758-8575

melissa.kallos@dustphotonics.com

www.dustphotonics.com
Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

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.
CAMARILLO, California, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

BNK Petroleum Inc. (the "Company" or "BNK") (TSX:BKX), is providing the results of its December 31, 2017 independent reserves evaluation.

The evaluation of the Company's reserves in the Caney formation of the Tishomingo Field in the SCOOP area of Oklahoma was conducted by Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc. ("NSAI") in accordance with National Instrument 51-101 -Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities.

2017 Gross Reserves Summary

Total Proved Reserves 25.2 million Barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) an increase of 40% over the December 31, 2016 estimate

Proved plus Probable Reserves 47.6 million BOEs an increase of 13% over the December 31, 2016 estimate

Proved plus Probable plus Possible Reserves 70.6 million BOEs a increase of 6% from the December 31, 2016 estimate



Net Present Value of Reserves discounted at 10%

Total Proved Reserves before tax of U.S. $259.5 million an increase of 73% over the December 31, 2016 estimate

Proved plus Probable Reserves before tax of U.S. $486.4 million an increase of 31% over the December 31, 2016 estimate

Proved plus Probable plus Possible Reserves before tax of U.S. $764.4 million an increase of 10% over the December 31, 2016 estimate



The above total Proved reserves are attributed to 14 of the Caney wells already drilled, four Woodford wells (4.9% working interest for the Company) and the drilling of 46.35 net additional wells over the next 3 years. The Probable reserves are attributed to the drilling of 35.5 net additional wells.The wells in this report are planned at 107 acre spacing (6 wells per section) on approximately 11,653 net acres.This is approximately 66 percent of the 17,680 net acres the Company has in this project.The other 34 percent of the acreage is on the easterly side of the Company's acreage and based on data from the Company's historical drilling of the deeper Woodford formation wells, correlated with a 3D seismic survey, the Company anticipates that future wells on its easterly acreage will demonstrate that the Caney is also productive over this easterly acreage.

Wolf Regener, President and CEO commented. "We are very pleased with the substantial proved reserve increases this year which was mainly due to our 2017 drilling program. Also noteworthy, is that the estimated ultimate recovery from the existing wells increased, as the existing producing wells once again exceeded the previous year forecast. This continued year over year improvement demonstrates the favorable performance of our wells and the long life we anticipate from our wells. These increases to our reserves do not incorporate the wells in our 2018 drilling program which is in progress. The Glenn 16-2H well that is currently being fracture stimulated, is still listed as a probable location in the new reserve report and the WLC 14-2H well, that was drilled this year, is entirely outside of the acreage that is covered by the new reserve report. The Company expects these wells to further increase the Proved and Probable reserves, once the wells are brought online and a new reserve report is generated."

Summary of Oil & Gas Reserves Tight Oil Shale Gas Natural Gas Liquids MBOE's BNK BNK Gross Net Gross Net BNK Net BNK Net Reserve Category (Mbbl) (Mbbl) (MMcf) (MMcf) (Mbbl) (Mbbl (Mbbl) (Mbbl) Proved Developed Producing 2,350 1,823 3,398 2,646 735 571 3,651 2,836 Developed Non-Producing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Undeveloped 15,919 12,585 14,671 11,496 3,219 2,522 21,583 17,023 Total Proved 18,269 14,408 18,069 14,141 3,954 3,094 25,234 19,858 Probable 14,646 11,694 20,007 15,973 4,387 3,503 22,368 17,859 Total Proved Plus Probable 32,915 26,102 38,076 30,114 8,341 6,596 47,602 37,717 Possible 15,328 12,230 19,996 15,899 4,384 3,486 23,044 18,365 Total Proved Plus Probable Plus Possible 48,243 38,332 58,072 46,013 12,724 10,082 70,646 56,082

Net Present Value of Future Net Revenue As of December 31, 2017 Forecast Prices & Costs Net Present Value of Future Net Revenue ($ millions) Before Income Tax After Income Tax Reserve Category 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% United States Proved Developed Producing 107.8 77.0 59.8 49.2 42.0 107.8 77.0 59.8 49.2 42.0 Developed Non-Producing 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Undeveloped 558.7 323.0 199.7 127.5 81.6 424.8 260.4 164.3 104.6 65.7 Total Proved 666.5 400.0 259.5 176.6 123.5 532.6 337.4 224.1 153.8 107.7 Probable 636.4 357.5 226.9 155.5 112.0 472.6 274.7 174.3 118.5 84.7 Total Proved Plus Probable 1,302.9 757.5 486.4 332.1 235.5 1,005.2 612.1 398.4 272.3 192.4 Possible 873.0 447.2 278.0 193.3 143.9 648.3 347.1 214.3 147.7 110.2 Total Proved Plus Probable plus Possible 2,175.8 1,204.8 764.4 525.4 379.4 1,653.5 959.2 612.7 420.0 302.6 Note: All dollar values are expressed in U.S.dollars.

The Company's reserves are derived from non-conventional oil and gas activities. The Company's reserves are contained in a shale oil reservoir from which gas and natural gas liquids are produced as by-products."Tight oil" means crude oil (a) contained in dense organic-rich rocks, including low-permeability shales, siltstones and carbonates, in which the crude oil is primarily contained in microscopic pore spaces that are poorly connected to one another, and (b) that typically requires the use of hydraulic fracturing to achieve economic production rates. "Shale gas" means natural gas (a) contained in dense organic-rich rocks, including low-permeability shales, siltstones and carbonates, in which the natural gas is primarily adsorbed on the kerogen or clay minerals, and (b) that usually requires the use of hydraulic fracturing to achieve economic production rates.

These after income tax net present values reflect the tax burden on the Company's Tishomingo Field interests on a standalone basis, do not consider the business-entity-level tax situation, or tax planning and do not provide an estimate of the value at the level of the business entity, which may be significantly different. The financial statements and the management's discussion and analysis (MD&A) of the Company should be consulted for information at the level of the business entity.

Readers are referred to the Company's Form 51-101F1 Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil & Gas Information for the year ended December 31, 2017, which can be accessed electronically from the SEDAR website athttp://www.sedar.com, for additional information.

"BOEs" refers to barrels of oil equivalent.BOEs/boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of provided plus probable plus possible reserves. The present value of estimated future net revenues referred to herein does not represent fair market value and should not be construed as the current market value of estimated crude oil and natural gas reserves attributable to the Company's properties.

About BNK Petroleum Inc.

BNK Petroleum Inc. is an international oil and gas exploration and production company focused on finding and exploiting large, predominately unconventional oil and gas resource plays. Through various affiliates and subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates shale oil and gas properties and concessions in the United States. Additionally, the Company is utilizing its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional unconventional projects. The Company's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the stock symbol BKX and on the OTCQX under the stock symbol BNKPF.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws, including statements regardingestimates of reserves and future net revenue, expectations regarding additional reserves andstatements regardingCaneywells development, including plans, anticipated results and timing.Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information.Estimated reserves and future net revenue have been independently evaluated by NSAI with an effective date of December 31, 2017. This evaluation is based on a limited number of wells with limited production history and includes a number of assumptions relating to factors such as availability of capital to fund required infrastructure, commodity prices, production performance of the wells drilled, successful drilling of infill wells, the assumed effects of regulation by government agencies and future capital and operating costs.All of these estimates will vary from actual results. Estimates of the recoverable oil and natural gas reserves attributable to any particular group of properties, classifications of such reserves based on risk of recovery and estimates of future net revenues expected therefrom, will vary. The Company's actual production, revenues, taxes, development and operating expenditures with respect to its reserves will vary from such estimates, and such variances could be material.Estimates of after-tax net present value are dependent on a number of factors including utilization of tax-loss carry forwards.In addition to the foregoing, other significant factors or uncertainties that may affect either the Company's reserves or the future net revenue associated with such reserves includematerial changes to existing taxation or royalty rates and/or regulations, and changes to environmental laws and regulations.Forward-looking information regardingCaneywells development and expectations regarding additional reserves are based on plans and estimates of management and interpretations of exploration information by the Company's exploration team at the date the information is provided and is subject to several factors and assumptions of management, including that required regulatory approvals will be available when required, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Company's assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information, including that anticipated results and estimated costs will not be consistent with managements' expectations, the Company or its subsidiaries not being able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered and that equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes or shortages are encountered.

Information on other important economic factors or significant uncertainties that may affect components of the reserves data and the other forward looking statements in this release are contained in theCompany's Form 51-101F1 Statement of Reserves Data and Other Oil & Gas Information for the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company's Management Discussion and Analysis and the Company's Annual Information Form under "Risk Factors", which are available under the Company's profile athttp://www.SEDAR.com.The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

Wolf E. Regener, +1-(805)-484-3613, Email: investorrelations@bnkpetroleum.com, Website: http://www.bnkpetroleum.com
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - March 14, 2018) - Revelo Resources Corp. (TSXV: RVL) ("Revelo" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update for the Loro gold-silver exploration program it is operating on behalf of its joint venture partner, a subsidiary of Hochschild Mining PLC ("Hochschild").

The ~4,800-hectare Loro property is being explored for high-grade, gold-silver "bonanza"-style, low-sulphidation epithermal quartz veins, and is located along trend from one of the most important precious metals mining districts in Chile. Geological mapping has been completed, and results from a large soil/colluvium geochemical sampling grid define a series of geochemically anomalous zones and trends. A combination of results from geological mapping, geophysical surveying and geochemical grids has led to the decision with Hochschild to initiate a drilling program of at least 1,500m on the most prospective areas as soon as possible, and before the end of April.

Key observations to date include:

Soil/colluvium sampling results to date indicate a clear correlation between rhyo-dacite domes, key magnetic features, and major arsenic & antimony anomalies. Known mineralised quartz veins encountered to date also correlate well. All anomalous features are developed along a N-S trending corridor about 9 Km long.

Three rhyo-dacite dome complexes are arranged in en-echelon fashion and have been subdivided into North, Central and Southern Zones. Most anomalous features to date are focused on the Central Zone.

Arsenic (from zero to 295 ppm) and antimony (from zero to 26 ppm) are the most important pathfinder elements for the gold-silver mineralized quartz veins sought. Two sub-parallel anomalies of arsenic and antimony in the Central Zone extend over 1 to 2 kilometers of strike, with possible extensions over a further 4 to 5 kilometers. The western anomalous zone coincides with sub-cropping veins, whilst the eastern anomalous zone is obscured by thick colluvium.

Mercury (0 - 1.08 ppm), copper (0 - 233 ppm), manganese (0 - 1,690 ppm) and sporadic gold and silver anomalies from the soil/colluvium survey also correlate well.

Quartz veins encountered in sub-crop and limited trenching completed to date (results pending) in the Central Zone exhibit classical low-sulphidation epithermal textures, with multiple silicification events. Quartz veins are typically up to 0.80 cm wide, trend approximately north-south (N15W to N15E) and have easterly dips (sub-vertical to 60E).

Previous sampling results reported by Revelo from sub-cropping quartz veins have shown values from zero to 2.34g/t Au and zero to 956g/t Ag. Arsenic and antimony values in rock of1,000ppm were also reported by Revelo.

Trenching is unlikely to be effective on most of the anomalous trends defined due to the thickness of colluvial and caliche cover.

To date, the following exploration work has been completed:

Approximately 2,800 soil/colluvial samples have been collected on a detailed grid with lines spaced 250m apart covering an area of approximately 9 Km N-S x 2 to 3 Km E-W. All multi-element geochemical analyses have been received from the laboratory. The survey has been extended by approximately 200 samples to the south to cover a southern geophysical anomaly (results pending).

Approximately 470m of short (~20m - 30m each) trenches over sub cropping quartz veins on the western side of the central rhyo-dacitic dome complex, which partially outcrops, and which is reflected in the magnetics data, have been completed to date. Assay results are pending. Some trenches did not reach bedrock due to thick colluvial cover, and other important soil/colluvium geochemical anomalies are unlikely to be amenable to trenching due to the thickness of colluvial and caliche cover.

As previously reported, a detailed ground magnetics survey of the property totaling 965-line km with a 50m line spacing was completed in December 2017 (see news release dated December 14, 2017). All results have been processed, including 3-D modelling of the data.

An initial drill test of key areas of at least 1,500m and up to 3,000m, including sub-cropping veins, based on geology together with geochemical and geophysical anomalies, is being planned with Hochschild and will start before the end of April.

For information relating to previous technical advances at Loro please refer to the news releases on Revelo's website dated April 14, 2016; November 15, 2016; July 6, 2017; October 5, 2017 and December 14, 2017.

ABOUT LORO

Loro is located along the highly productive Paleocene (or Central) Mineral Belt in northern Chile that contains several important gold, silver and copper mines and projects. The project is located along trend and just 25 km due south of the multi-million-ounce gold-silver district of El Penon, owned and operated by Yamana Gold. The project also lies just a few kilometers east of Revelo's important Las Pampas project, also prospective for low-sulphidation, epithermal precious metals veins. The 4,800-hectare Loro project area is located at relatively low altitudes (1,800m to 2,000m), has subdued topography, and is easily accessed, being located within a short driving distance from the Pan-American Highway along a well-maintained dirt road, some 2.0 hours' drive from Antofagasta and 2.5 hours from Taltal.

The Loro project is currently subject to an option, sale and royalty agreement with a subsidiary of Hochschild. Under the agreement, Revelo will operate Phases 1 and 2 of the exploration program (to end Year 3). Hochschild can earn a 100% interest in the Loro project over a maximum of five (5) years in exchange for a series of in-ground investments and/or drilling commitments totalling US$13 million and/or 30,000 metres, and a series of cash payments to Revelo totalling US$5.3 million. Further payments totalling US$15 million are due once the option has been exercised by Hochschild. Revelo will be the beneficiary of a 1% NSR royalty on any future production from the property. (See Company's News Releases dated June 6, 2017and September 05, 2017). For further details of the Loro Project please refer to the Loro Project page on Revelo's website (www.reveloresources.com).

Dr. Demetrius Pohl, Ph.D., Certified Professional Geoscientist (CPG), an independent consultant, is the Company's Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosures for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators and has approved the written disclosure of the technical information contained in this news release.

ABOUT REVELO

Revelo has interests in an outstanding portfolio of projects prospective for copper, gold and silver located along proven mineral belts in one of the world's top mining jurisdictions - Chile. The Company has a combination of wholly-owned projects (available for option, JV or sale), option agreements, royalty interests (non-producing to date), and equity interests in mining and exploration companies. Revelo's total exposure to mineral tenements in northern Chile, either wholly-owned or through royalty interests, is around 200,000 hectares.

Revelo is a Canadian company and is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV: RVL). For more information, please visit Revelo's website at www.reveloresources.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Michael Winn"

Michael Winn, Chairman

INVESTOR CONTACT

Timothy J Beale | President & CEO

T: +1 604 687-5544 | info@reveloresources.com | www.reveloresources.com

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 STATEMENT

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical fact, that address events or developments that Revelo 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", "indicate" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Revelo 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 forward-looking statements.



Figure 1: Loro Project - Schematic Summary of Results to Date Showing Arsenic Anomalies in Soils



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3761/33509_a1521044149313_4[1].jpg



Figure 2: Loro Project - Schematic Summary of Results to Date Showing Antimony Anomalies in Soils



To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3761/33509_a1521044149782_53[1].jpg



Figure 3: Loro Project - Principal Lithologies



To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3761/33509_a1521044150250_78[1].jpg



Figure 4: Loro Project: Argali 2017 Ground Magnetic Survey RTP



To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3761/33509_a1521044150735_66[1].jpg
Manila (CNN Philippines Life)  At half past six in the evening, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno enters a room draped in black, standing out in a bright red dress suit. It had been an eventful day, but she settles right into her seat, only hesitating to ask before the cameras began rolling if her eyeglasses reflected the light.

Thirty-eight out of 40 members of the House Committee on Justice had just voted to find probable cause to impeach her for alleged violations of the Constitution, commission of other high crimes, corruption, and betrayal of public trust. How does she feel?

Well at last, they have made a decision. I think they have tried this case long enough, Sereno tells CNN Philippines Senior Anchor Pinky Webb. I have always made the call that if they have any basis to find probable cause, they should forthwith send it to the Senate.

It was the kind of response that would repeat itself consistently for around 30 minutes: short, sharp, not giving too much away. If this was a courtroom, and Webb a lawyer conducting a cross examination, then Sereno was a strong and fascinating witness  at least before the media  refusing to yield even if asked two, three times about the quo warranto petition filed against her.

Earlier that morning, however, she criticized the proponents of the quo warranto petition on the occasion of the Philippine Women Judges Associations (PWJA) 30 anniversary. I look at any forum to try me, other than the constitutionally exclusive form of impeachment, as an admission by the complainant and my other detractors that after 15 hearings, they have failed to come up with any evidence which I can be convicted in the Senate, she said. Sila ang nagsimula, bakit ayaw nilang tapusin?

It was a powerful speech, said her supporters, albeit tail-ended by a scolding from one of her colleagues, Associate Justice Teresita de Castro, who also chairs the PWJA. Im sorry that the Chief Justice has taken this opportunity to discuss a matter that is sub judice, de Castro said, averring that the matter is pending with the court, and therefore should not have been discussed in public.

Ideally, judges and justices must keep themselves away from the public eye. It guarantees that they will not be tempted by power or undue influence, or their decisions tainted with partiality. Nowhere is this most emphasized than in the highest court of the land.

But the last few months have seen confidential en banc sessions publicized, internal quarrels revealed in House hearings (and public celebrations), and the Chief Justice appear on television and various speaking engagements  the latter in light of her wellness leave from the Supreme Court.

Impeachment is both technical and political, says Sereno. And her detractors would seem to agree. Its a numbers game, attended with full complicity by a viewing public enthralled with the count.

***

Sereno replaced the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in Aug. 2012 after the Judicial and Bar Council included her in a shortlist of eight nominees. The list also included justices de Castro, Antonio Carpio, Roberto Abad, and Arturo Brion, as well as former congressman Ronaldo Zamora, former dean Cesar Villanueva, and former solicitor general Francis Jardeleza.

Sereno is the first female chief justice and also the second youngest, appointed when she was 52 years old. Having started her career in private practice, she thereafter served as legal counsel of various government offices, and was also a professor at the University of the Philippines for 20 years. She is an expert in international economic law, having served as counsellor of the WTO Appellate Body Secretariat, and co-counsel for the Philippines in major international litigation.

I had to clarify that this fight is larger than me, says Sereno. It has to do with judicial independence. Our judges are on the frontline every day. They get harassed, bullied, they get threats. Photo by JL JAVIER

For one case, however  involving a government contract with the Philippine International Air Transport Co. (PIATCO) to construct NAIA 3  President Duterte publicly implicated Sereno for corruption, saying the Supreme Court was headed by a corrupt official. This after the president has previously clashed with the chief justice for the latters refusal to conform to his methods in the drug war.

Lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, who filed the impeachment complaint against Sereno, said that none of her SALNs reflected the estimated 37 million she earned for representing the Department of Transportation and Communications in that case. Serenos legal team has explained her side on the issue.

Gadon, a lawyer with a pending disbarment case, has since enthusiastically filed cases not only against Sereno but all officials involved with approving her nomination to the SC. But Sereno is unfazed.

I dont even know him, she says of Gadon. Sometimes I laugh at the thought that I havent even met the guy. He must be a ghost probably, meandering the halls of the Supreme Court. But he has his accountabilities.

Ghosts or not, the spectacle of a public trial continues to haunt the Supreme Court. In the latest showing, Sereno plays the lead role, a role thrusted into her the moment talks of impeachment became louder. The audience sits in rapt attention  never mind insufficient courts, or overcrowded prisons. Or lack of access to justice, or slow-moving cases. Never mind the corruption in the bench, or the institutional cracks in the judiciary, threatening to open a gaping hole in that branch of government.

I had to clarify that this fight is larger than me, says Sereno. It has to do with judicial independence. Our judges are on the frontline every day. They get harassed, bullied, they get threats.

In the Philippines, Sereno is but the latest in a string of officials sought to be removed from office and called out to resign, joining the likes of former president and now Manila mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada (who resigned during his impeachment trial), former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (who was impeached by the House, then resigned), former chief justice Corona (who was tried by the impeachment court and later convicted), and former Commission on Elections chair Andres Bautista (who resigned, but was still impeached by the House thereafter).

But Sereno will not resign, and her case for impeachment will take its course. There will be another impeachment trial in the Senate, broadcast live on national television.

While the Aquino administration lauded the impeachment as a step towards genuine judicial reform, others saw it as a move that undermined the integrity and independence of the judiciary, with Corona seeing his removal from office as a sign of creeping dictatorship.

As this fills the publics appetite for scandal and intrigue, millions of indigent Filipinos will have little choice but to sit and seek relief inside a cramped court, their search for justice relegated to the sidelines. As it is, the Philippines, as of 2016, only has 2,000 courts to serve a population of a hundred million. (Thats one court for every 50,000 people.) The high cost of transportation to get to a courtroom, the prohibitive fees of some lawyers, as well continued court congestion all hamper the speedy administration of justice for millions of Filipinos, Sereno says herself.

There have been improvements and signs of progress in fixing the justice system, of course, although much is left to be done to improve access and efficiency in the courts. But while the chief justice hurdles her impeachment case, the quiet work of institutional judicial reform  albeit stronger and more enduring  becomes invisible.

***

Around six years ago, the late chief justice Corona also appeared in television for the first time, a historical move considering the high courts aversion to the media and publicity, which can preempt arguments and decisions made in Padre Faura. Coronas first interview was on March 2012  around the same time Sereno now appears in various forums, including television, to answer questions about impeachment.

In an uneven impeachment trial, Corona was found guilty of betraying public trust and committing culpable violation of the Constitution, for failing to accurately disclose to the public his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN), including about 183 million worth of peso and dollar deposits.

While the Aquino administration lauded the impeachment as a step towards genuine judicial reform, others saw it as a move that undermined the integrity and independence of the judiciary, with Corona seeing his removal from office as a sign of creeping dictatorship.

The late senator Joker Arroyo, then casting a losing vote to acquit Corona, issued a stern warning in 2012:

Impeachment is a political process, not a political assassination. An impeachment aspires to be a judicial proceeding that makes imperative that it stick to judicial rules. An impeachment must ever uphold the due process that no citizen, high or low, can be denied, he said.

What started in the House was not an impeachment, for an impeachment is an accusation accompanied by necessary formalities, attended by the appropriate solemnities, flanked by the liberties and guarantees that a genuine grand jury proceeding upholds.

Call it deja vu, or perhaps a precedent manifesting itself. Today Sereno is accused, among others, of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for failing to submit several of her SALNs.

The Senate is being asked to remove the chief justice from office all because he submitted an allegedly erroneous SALN, the late Arroyo said of Coronas case. I cannot imagine removing a chief justice on account of a SALN.
WEST MELBOURNE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2018 / RELM Wireless Corporation (NYSE American: RWC), today announced that today its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.02 per share of the Company's common stock, payable on April 16, 2018 to shareholders of record of the Company's common stock as of the close of business on April 2, 2018.

Kyle Cerminara, Chairman of the Board, said, "We are pleased to continue the Company's capital return program with the declaration of our eighth consecutive quarterly dividend. The capital return program also includes stock repurchases. We believe the Company has ample working capital to sustain the program while funding our development, growth and investment objectives."

About RELM Wireless Corporation

As an American manufacturer for over 70 years, RELM Wireless is deeply rooted in the public safety communications industry, manufacturing high-specification communications equipment of unsurpassed reliability and value for use by public safety professionals and government agencies. Advances include a broad new line of leading digital two-way radios compliant with APCO Project 25 specifications. RELM Wireless' products are manufactured and distributed worldwide under BK Radio and RELM brand names. The Company maintains its headquarters in West Melbourne, Florida and can be contacted through its website at www.bktechnologies.com or directly at 1-800-821-2900. The Company's common stock trades on the NYSE American market under the symbol "RWC."

Company Contact:

RELM Wireless Corporation

William Kelly, EVP & CFO

(321) 984-1414

SOURCE: RELM Wireless Corporation
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2018 / The Schall Law Firm, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against BRF S.A. ("BRF" or the "Company") (NYSE: BRFS) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.





Investors who purchased the Company's shares between April 4, 2013 and March 2, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period") are encouraged to contact the firm before May 11, 2018.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.

We also encourage you to contact Brian Schall, or Sherin Mahdavian, of the Schall Law Firm, 1880 Century Park East, Suite 404, Los Angeles, CA 90067, at 424-303-1964, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at www.schallfirm.com, or by email at brian@schallfirm.com.

The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, the Company issued false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) BRF employees paid bribes to regulators and politicians to subvert inspections in order to conceal unsanitary practices at the Company's meatpacking plants; (2) the foregoing conduct, when it came to light, would foreseeably subject BRF and its officers to heightened regulatory enforcement and/or prosecution; and (3) as a result, BRF's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the truth was revealed to the investing public, shares of BRF fell $1.83 or over 19% to close at $7.59 per share on March 5, 2018, causing shareholders harm.

The Schall Law Firm represents investors around the world and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

CONTACT:

The Schall Law Firm

Brian Schall, Esq.

Sherin Mahdavian, Esq.

Schallfirm.com

SOURCE: The Schall Law Firm
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - United Airlines accidently transported a Kansas-bound German Shepherd to Japan. According to a CBS News report, Kara Swindle and her two children flew from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday on a United flight. When they went to a cargo facility to pick up their German shepherd Irgo, they were instead given a Great Dane. Irgo had been put on a flight to Japan, where the Great Dane was supposed to go. The airline blamed the similarity of the kennels for the mix up. 'I just want to know where my dog is,' Swindle told KCTV. 'The fact that we don't have any idea is the most frustrating part. He could be in Kansas City and we have no idea because the paperwork is all messed up. They have our paperwork here saying that this is the correct dog, but we know it's not. It's just horrible.' A spokesperson for the airline released a statement to CBS, 'An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations. We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible. We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened.' The news of Irgo's mix up comes as United admitted and issued an apology for a dog's death after a flight attendant forced it to travel in an overhead bin on a Houston-to-New York flight. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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.
TwentyThree, a Copenhagen, Denmark-based video marketing platform, raised a $2.5m credit facility.

The credit facility was raised from the Danish Growth Fund owned fully by the Danish government.

The funding will enable the company to expand in the U.S market, hire talent, and continue to build the product.

Led by CEO and Founder Thomas Madsen-Mygdal, TwentyThree provides a video marketing platform that allows marketers to analyze video beyond vanity metrics, integrate with their existing tech stack, run video across every social platform, and generate leads with video.

The platform is used by hundreds of marketing teams and enterprise companies around the world, and in the past year alone, has hosted 1.5 million videos, measured 1.7 billion impressions, and tracked 650 million video plays.

The company has 40+ employees, a 13,000 square foot office in Copenhagen, and recently opened an office in San Francisco.

FinSMEs

14/03/2018
Axis Bank is working with Google, WhatsApp, Uber, Ola and Samsung pay to be able to create the ecosystem for customers to be able to make payments

Bengaluru: Indias third largest private sector bank Axis Bank on Tuesday said it would soon be able to process payments over the popular chatting application WhatsApp. The bank also termed the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) as a huge oppertunity.

UPI we are the market leaders in terms of innovation, and we do believe that UPI is a huge opportunity. We are working in terms of creating a differentiated environment for our customers, Axis Bank Executive Director-Retail Banking, Rajiv Anand told reporters here. We are also working with partners like Google, WhatsApp, Uber, Ola and Samsung pay to be able to create the ecosystem for customers to be able to make payments, he said.

According to Bank officials, Axis Bank enjoys 20 percent market share in the UPI space. Stating that Google Tez is already up and running, Anand in response to a question about the roll out said, WhatsApp, we are in the process of integration...WhatsApp is currently running the beta version, the full version should...we are hoping is, will come with in the next month or two.

Axis Bank said its mobile banking spends touched Rs 51,030 crore in Q3 FY18, increasing 71 per cent YoY, thereby reinforcing the banks commitment to accelerate the Digital India agenda. It said over 66 percent of the banks transactions were made through digital modes in Q3 FY18 as against 52 percent in Q1 FY17.

According to officials, the banks focus on cards, both credit and debit, also continues to remain high with Axis Bank continuing to be the market leader in installing card-acceptance terminals As of Q3 FY18, the number stood upwards of 479,200.
RBI said letters of comfort and bank guarantees for trade credits for imports into India may continue to be issued subject to compliance with the certain guidelines.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI), which according to the former governor Raghuram Rajan had no clue about the Punjab National Bank scam, on Tuesday barred the lenders from issuing letters of undertaking (LoU) and letters of comfort for trade credits. Rajan had expressed in a TV interview that the central bank would have prevented the scam had it known about it.

With the RBI's move, majority of the sectors which rely on imports and exports will not get affected in a big way, except for an identified few. According to this The Economic Times report, bulk importers of gold and diamond may find themselves at the receiving end of the RBIs move. The report adds that at present most of the trade finance is completed through bank guarantees and letters of credit.

The RBI while backing its ban in a statement said, On a review of the extant guidelines, it has been decided to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs/ LoCs for Trade Credits for imports into India by AD Category I banks with immediate effect.

Letters of comfort and bank guarantees for trade credits for imports into India may continue to be issued subject to compliance with the certain guidelines on guarantees and co-acceptances, the RBI added.

According to The Economic Times report which quotes industry expert who said letters of undertaking account for only 4 to 5 percent of total trade finance which is not a substantial chunk.

It must be noted that most of the trade in the gems and jewellery industry happens on bank guarantee and letter of credit, which is the fundamental reason why the sector will face the heat after the ban on LoUs and LoCs.

The Rs 13,600 crore scam was exposed on 14 February when the PNB informed the stock exchanges that its Brady House branch in South Mumbai has reported a fraudulent transaction worth over Rs 11,000 crore. The later part of the investigation unearthed an additional Rs 1,300 crore scam in which diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi of GItanjali Gems are prime accused.

The uncle-nephew duo had allegedly roped in senior PNB officials at the Brady House branch, where the scam has occurred, to get unauthorised and unmonitored LoUs to commit the Rs 13,600 crore fraud which has been touted as largest scam in Indias banking history.
Firstpost columnist seetha discusses issues agitating farmers with Dr Abhijit Sen and T Nanda Kumar

Firspost columnist Seetha in conversation with Dr Abhijit Sen, former member, agriculture, Planning Commission, and chairman Commission on Agriculture Costs and Prices, and T Nanda Kumar, former secretary agriculture and chairman National Dairy Development Board. Here, the three talk about issues that have caused farmers across the country to agitate. This is the first in a multi-part series of conversations on the economy, hosted by Firstpost.
RBI governor Urjit Patel said, we at the Reserve Bank of India also feel the anger, hurt and pain at the banking sector frauds and irregularities

RBI governor Urjit Patel on Wednesday said that no banking regulator can catch or prevent all frauds. He was giving inaugural lecture at Centre for Law & Economics, Centre for Banking & Financial Laws Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar. He further said that we at the Reserve Bank of India also feel the anger, hurt and pain at the banking sector frauds and irregularities.

Patel said, "I have chosen to speak today to convey that we at the Reserve Bank of India also feel the anger, hurt and pain at the banking sector frauds and irregularities. In plain simple English, these practices amount to a looting of our countrys future by some in the business community, in cahoots with some lenders. As safeguards of your deposits at banks, and starting with the Asset Quality Review of banks announced by the Reserve Bank in 2015  since ably conducted by our supervisory teams and as acknowledged objectively by experts of reputed multilateral agencies, we are doing all we can to break this unholy nexus."

Here is a full text of RBI governor Urjit Patel's speech in italics.

I speak today to highlight some fundamental fissures that exist in the regulation of banks, in particular, public sector banks (PSBs). It has been slightly over a month since the latest fraud in the Indian banking sector broke news.

Success has many fathers; failures none. Hence, there has been the usual blame game, passing the buck, and a tonne of honking, mostly short-term and knee-jerk reactions. These appear to have prevented the participants in this cacophony from deep reflection and soul searching that can help solve fundamental issues that are the root cause of such frauds and related irregularities in the banking sector, which as I will explain are in fact far too regular.

Let me start with what has been at the heart of some of the immediate reactions  the Reserve Banks supervision of banks.

IMF/World Bank FSAP Assessment

In its 2017 Financial Sector Assessment Programme (FSAP) of India, conducted, completed and released prior to this episode, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), made the following observations:

1. In the publicly released FSSA (Financial System Stability Assessment) report, Para 35, page 17: The RBI has made substantial progress in strengthening banking supervision: A key achievement was the introduction in 2013 of risk-based supervision through a comprehensive and forward-looking Supervisory Program for Assessment of Risk and Capital (SPARC). The Basel III framework and other international guidance were implemented or are being phased in, including stricter regulations on large exposures. Domestic and cross-border cooperation arrangements are now firmly in place. The AQR [Asset Quality Review] and the strengthening of regulations in 2015 have improved distressed asset recognition. In April 2017, the RBI established a new Enforcement Department and revised its prompt corrective action framework to incorporate more prudent risk-tolerance thresholds.

2. Further, in its specific comments on Other Regulation, Accounting, and Disclosure (Core Principles or CPs 20, 2629: Para 60, page 21): The internal control regulations issued by the RBI are adequate and are supported by the requirements of the SPARC risk-based supervision system. This system provides extensive guidelines for inspection of the internal control and audit function, and prescribes that a banks internal controls allow identification and controlling of risks. The Internal Audit Departments in banks are required to have appropriate resources and staff with the requisite skills. Tasks can be outsourced, allowing additional expertise to be brought in. The auditors reported that overall experience with the quality of internal audit of banks was satisfactory.

However, the FSAP for India laments at several points the fact that the Reserve Banks regulatory powers over banks are not neutral to bank ownership:

1. In the Detailed Assessment Report (DAR) on the Basel Core Principles (BCP) on the Effective Banking Supervision, Para 6, Page 7:Some previously observed weaknesses concerning the independence of the RBI and the inherent conflict of interest when supervising public sector banks (PSBs) remain. The RBI enjoys a large degree of operational autonomy, but amendments to several legal provisions, and formal grounding of RBI independence in the RBI Act, would provide greater legal certainty. The RBIs legal powers to supervise and regulate PSBs are also constrained it cannot remove PSB directors or management, who are appointed by the government of India (GoI), nor can it force a merger or trigger the liquidation of a PSB; it[RBI] has also limited legal authority to hold PSB Boards accountable regarding strategic direction, risk profiles, assessment of management, and compensation. Legal reforms are thus highly desirable to empower the RBI to fully exercise the same responsibilities for PSBs as now apply to private banks, and to ensure a level playing field in supervisory enforcement.

2. Specifically, on Corporate Governance (CP 14, Para 50, page 18): The appropriate rules on fitness and propriety, and banks internal governance structures, are in place with respect to private and foreign banks. Nevertheless, the influence the RBI may exercise on banks governance through section 21 BR Act, placement of RBI representatives on banks Boards, and the RBIs very limited authority under the Banking Acts, as well as the custom to hold the PSB Boards accountable has become problematic. Under the law and according to custom, the RBI cannot hold PSB Boards accountable for assessing and when necessary replacing weak and nonperforming senior management and government-appointed Board members.1

Let me elaborate.

Banking Regulatory Powers in India are NOT Ownership Neutral

All commercial banks in India are regulated by the RBI under the Banking Regulation (BR) Act of 1949. Additionally, all public sector banks are regulated by the Government of India (GoI) under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970; the Bank Nationalisation Act, 1980; and the State Bank of India Act, 1955. Section 51 of the amended BR Act explicitly states which portions of the BR Act apply to the PSBs, most common thread across the omissions being complete removal or emaciation of RBI powers on corporate governance at PSBs:

RBI cannot remove directors and management at PSBs as Section 36AA(1) of the BR Act is not applicable to the PSBs.

Section 36ACA(1) of the BR Act that provides for supersession of a Bank Board is also not applicable in the case of PSBs (and regional rural banks or RRBs) as they are not banking companies registered under the Companies Act.

Section 10B(6) of the BR Act that provides for removal of the Chairman and Managing Director (MD) of a banking company is also not applicable in the case of PSBs.2

RBI cannot force a merger in the case of PSBs as per Section 45 of the BR Act.

PSBs banking activity does not require license from RBI under Section 21 of the BR Act; hence, RBI cannot revoke a license under Section 22(4) of the BR Act as it can in the case of private sector banks.

RBI cannot trigger liquidation of PSBs as per Section 39 of the BR Act.

Furthermore, in a remarkable exception of sorts, in some cases there is duality of Managing Director and the Chairman  they are the same  implying the MD is primarily answerable only to himself or herself.

This legislative reality has in effect led to a deep fissure in the landscape of banking regulatory terrain: a system of dual regulation, by the Finance Ministry in addition to RBI.3 I will now take a few minutes to explain why this fissure or the fault line is bound to lead to tremors such as the most recent fraud.

Temptation to engage in fraud at the level of employee or employees is always present, in banks (or in corporations), be it in public sector or private sector. The question then is whether there is adequate deterrence faced by employees from undertaking frauds and enough incentives for management to put in place preventive measures to preempt frauds. In case of banks, three potentially powerful mechanisms could induce discipline against frauds:

1. Investigative/vigilance/legal deterrence: Criminal investigation of frauds and attached penalties can serve as an effective deterrence if reporting and investigation are expedient and penalties are adequately severe relative to the gains from fraudulent activity.

2. Market discipline: Fraudulent activity can be a net loss to the bottom-line; in this case, bank investors would impose deterrence, e.g., uninsured creditors might run on the bank inducing liquidity problems, or shareholders might exit, effectively raising the cost of capital and inducing solvency questions. In anticipation of such disruptive outcomes that might cause loss of control, management and board members may put in place governance mechanisms to prevent or reduce the incidence of fraud and/or hold larger buffers in the capital structure to bear losses when fraud materialises.

3. Regulatory discipline: Banks in most parts of the world, however, have a significant portion of deposit funding that is insured, and since banks serve critical payments and settlements function, they are often too big to fail or too many to fail. Hence, a part of the market discipline is weakened as a tradeoff with financial stability and is substituted by delegation of supervisory and regulatory powers to a banking regulator. Detection and punishment by the regulator then need to be effective to discipline fraud.

How do these mechanisms work in case of private and public sector banks in India?

Investigative and formal enforcement process takes in our country, perhaps for the right reasons, a fair bit of time. Indeed, RBI data on banking frauds suggests that only a handful of cases over the past five years have had closure, and cases of substantive economic significance remain open. As a result, the overall enforcement mechanism  at least until now  is not perceived to be a major deterrent to frauds relative to economic gains from fraud.

It is fair to say that in case of private sector banks, the real deterrence arises from market and regulatory discipline, and their confluence. A private bank CEOs primary concern is whether s/he will be able to raise capital when the need arises or even whether s/he will still be running the bank the next day. The point is that they could be readily cautioned through their Boards and even replaced by the RBI in case of large or persistent irregularities. Further, a private bank failing to meet bank solvency standards and under RBIs prompt corrective action (PCA) would find it hard to raise capital, whereby it would need to put the house in order at swift notice so it can raise funding from markets and get back to growth path. In turn, there are incentives to invest in governance, so as to limit frauds and regulatory violations, and to respond with alacrity when incidents do arise.

In contrast, the market discipline mechanism for public sector banks is appreciably weakercompared to that at private banks. There is implicitly a stronger perceived sovereign guarantee for all creditors of PSBs, and the principal shareholder  the government  has not so far been interested in fundamentally modifying the ownership structure. From an economic standpoint, this weakened market discipline should imply that the government would prefer stronger regulatory discipline of these banks, not weaker. However, as I explained above at length, and perhaps since the original idea behind bank nationalisation was complete government control over credit allocation to the economy, the situation in India is exactly the reverse: RBIs regulatory powers over PSBs are weaker than those over the private sector banks.

The BR Act exemptions for PSBs mean that the one agency  the regulatory  that can respond relatively quickly against banking frauds or irregularities cannot take effective action. Hence, for example, MDs at PSBs find it comfortable to tell media that business will be as usual for them under RBIs Prompt Corrective Action framework as even if they do not meet the stipulated restrictions of the framework, the ultimate authority over their tenure is with the government and not with the RBI.

It is not entirely surprising that there has been a recurring theme in report after report on financial sector reforms in the country that has suggested strengthening of PSB governance through improvement in top management and Board member appointments; or, ownership neutrality in banking regulatory powers; or improving market discipline by considering a variety of diverse ownership structures.

Will we let another opportunity to catalyse fundamental reform at PSBs pass by?

It is fully transparent what needs to be done. From the RBIs standpoint, legislative changes to the BR Act that make our banking regulatory powers fully ownership neutral  not piecemeal, but fully  is a minimum requirement. It might also be the most readily feasible of these options.4

No Banking Regulator Can Catch or Prevent All Frauds

Another point is in order before I move to the broader issue of bank stressed assets and their resolution. There has been a tendency in the pronouncements post revelation of the fraud that RBI supervision team should have caught it. While that can always be said ex post with any fraud, it is simply infeasible for a banking regulator to be in every nook and corner of banking activity to rule out frauds by being there. If a regulator could achieve such perfect outcomes, it would effectively imply that the regulator can do anything that banks can do, and by implication, can simply perform the entire banking intermediation activity itself. What is needed is that various mechanisms to deter frauds and other irregularities are in place and have bite so that fraud incidence is low and magnitudes contained. Indeed, frauds have happened at banks in regimes with varied levels of banking regulatory quality and in both public and private banks.

In the specific case at hand, the Reserve Bank had identified, based on cyber risk considerations, the exact source of operational hazard through which we understand now the fraud had been perpetrated. In particular, the RBI had issued precise instructions via three circulars in 2016 to enable banks to eliminate the hazard. It turns out ex post the bank had simply not done so. Clearly, the internal processes at the bank failed in allowing the operational hazard to remain in place in spite of clear instructions to close it. As we have stated in RBIs only press statement on this case to date, this was essentially an operational failure at our second largest public sector bank. The RBI will undertake actions against the bank that it is empowered to but this set is limited under its BR Act powers over PSBs.

Indeed, in a recent interview to the Press Trust of India, March 11 2018, the IMF Deputy Managing Director Tao Zhang has reinforced this point along with others I alluded to above:

[W]e think the PSB recapitalisation should be part of a broader package of financial reforms to speed up the resolution of NPAs, improve PSB governance, reduce the role of the public sector in the financial system, and enhance bank lending capacity and practices The experts recommended legal changes to enable the RBI to extend all the powers currently exercised over private sector banks to public sector ones; in particular, regarding Board member dismissals, mergers, and license revocation Having said that, banks operational risk management, risk culture, internal control frameworks and external audit function should typically play a central role in preventing fraud.

Need to Refocus on the Bigger Issue of Stressed Assets Resolution

Let me now turn to an issue of greater magnitude and more significance than the most recent banking fraud. Its magnitude is larger than 8 1/2 lakh crores of stressed assets on bank balance-sheets and its significance stems from several practices in promoter-bank credit relationship that need immediate attention. The RBIs Financial Stability Report of June 2017 (Section VII. Frauds, Para 3.36) clarifies that there is a link between bank frauds and this stressed assets problem:

One of the emerging risk to the financial sector is increasing trends in frauds in commercial banks and financial institutions. During the last five financial years, frauds have increased substantially both in volume and value terms. During this period, while the volume of frauds has increased by 19.6 per cent from 4235 to 5064, the value (loss incurred) has increased by 72 per cent from Rs. 97.5 billion (Rs. 9,750 crores) to Rs.167.7 billion (Rs. 16,770 crores). Share of frauds in [loan] advances portfolio continued to be high at 86 per cent of the frauds reported during 2016-17 (in terms of amount involved)In a number of large value frauds, serious gaps in credit underwriting standards were evident. Some of the often seen gaps are liberal cash flow projection at the proposal stage, lack of continuous monitoring of cash flows and cash profits (EBITDA), lack of security perfection and over valuation, gold plating of projects, diversion of funds, double financing and general credit governance issues in banks. Moreover, almost all corporate loan related fraud cases get seasoned for 2 to 3 years as NPAs before they are reported as fraud.

The broad conclusion that has been universally reached is that enterprises in India have over and over again received excessive credit during loan growth cycles, which is followed soon after with repayment problems. Rather than resolving stressed credit problems swiftly, bankseither through loan-level fudges or refusal to recognise the true asset quality of the credits  have allowed promoters in charge of enterprises to have a soft landing. This soft landing has comprised of even more bank lending so as to keep the accounts artificially in full repayment on past dues, protracted control for promoters over failed assets, and effectively granting them the ability to divert cash and assets, often outside of our jurisdictional reach.

The RBI has been clamping down on the failure to recognise asset quality as non-performing as per its norms by requiring that banks, whose divergence exceeds by 15% of the true non-performing assets as per the norms, disclose the divergence. This should restore some market discipline against such practices, especially in the case of private sector banks. However, ultimately there also needs to be a framework in place for time-bound resolution of the underlying stress in assets that limits the discretion of banks to delay the recognition of stress, ever-green zombie or living-dead borrowers, and poorly allocate credit.

To this end, I wish to present and clarify the rationale behind RBIs revised framework for prompt recognition and resolution of stressed assets. The framework that was released last month remains somewhat under-appreciated in terms of its importance. So let me lay it out.

Prompt Recognition and Resolution of Stressed Assets  Revised Framework

1. The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2017, and the subsequent authorisation given by the Government of India therein, has empowered the Reserve Bank to issue directions to the banks for resolution of stressed assets, including referring assets to the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 (IBC). The Reserve Bank has taken steps over the last year in this direction, with a focus on reference to the IBC of certain large value stressed accounts, covering approximately 40% of banking sectors overall exposure to the stressed assets.

2. The revised framework for resolution of stressed assets released by the Reserve Bank on February 12, 2018 is a step towards taking these initial steps to their natural conclusion and laying down a steady-state approach. The steady-state approach is aimed at ensuring early resolution of stressed assets in a transparent and time-bound manner so that maximum value could be realised by the lenders while also recognising the potential ongoing concern value of stressed assets. As explained below, this approach is a positive step towards strengthening the credit culture in the economy, at both borrowers and banks.

3. Various special schemes for resolution, which were introduced by the RBI in the pre-IBC context, had made the resolution process driven by asset-classification consideration of lenders. In particular, the forbearance that was embedded in the schemes to make it easier for banks to resolve assets became an end in itself with little resolution achieved through deployment of the schemes.

4. The revised framework substitutes for these pre-IBC schemes and does away with forbearance since it delayed resolution. The framework relies instead on the biggest structural reform in the credit system in the country in several decades, viz., the IBC, as an important part of resolution. By employing the IBC as its lynchpin, the framework is intended rightly to ensure that the resolution plan for stressed assets is dictated also, and in fact, primarily, by asset viability considerations.

5. It must be stressed that the revised framework would allow lenders absolute flexibility to put in place any credible resolution plan, as under the pre-IBC schemes, subject to meeting certain implementation conditions (the conditions being necessary to alleviate concerns relating to ever-greening of unviable assets).

6. In particular, in respect of accounts with aggregate exposure greater than Rs. 2,000 crores, the resolution plan would be required to be implemented within 180 days from the date of default, failing which these would be referred under the IBC. This threshold would be brought down only gradually over a period of two years to enable the IBC infrastructure to install in parallel the required capacity to handle more cases. It must be emphasised that IBC itself is a resolution framework, whereby such accounts will have sufficient time (180 days from the date of default plus up to 270 days under the IBC) for effective resolution.

7. It must also be underscored that under the revised framework:

Change of ownership is being favoured even prior to the IBC reference as it leads to asset being classified as standard (as under the earlier schemes). The defaulting promoters also risk losing control of the firm under the IBC bidding. Hence, the revised framework will engender incentives for borrowers to not over-borrow and instead to manage better the various business risks that might lead to default.

There will also be greater incentive for lenders to implement an efficient turnaround plan to get a quicker upgrade in case of restructuring. Further since there is no forbearance for assets classified as NPAs, the revised framework will encourage banks to reduce slippages to NPAs through early recognition of stress and timely action, possibly even before a borrower gets into financial difficulty.

In other words, the IBC along with RBIs revised framework will help break the promoter-bank nexus which has led to crony capitalism and attendant NPA/credit misallocation problem as ever-greening suited some borrowers and some lenders under the earlier framework. In turn, this will prevent the erosion of growth from the emergence of zombie firms and sectors.

8. Finally, the revised framework specifically excludes the revival and rehabilitation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with exposures of up to Rs. 25 crore, which shall continue to be covered under the earlier norms.

We believe this is precisely the fundamental reform needed in order to strengthen the credit culture at origination, default, asset quality recognition and resolution stages. By so doing, it should weaken in the first place opportunities for engaging in frauds relating to loan advances.

Let me now make some Concluding Remarks.

I have chosen to speak today to convey that we at the Reserve Bank of India also feel the anger, hurt and pain at the banking sector frauds and irregularities. In plain simple English, these practices amount to a looting of our countrys future by some in the business community, in cahoots with some lenders. As safeguards of your deposits at banks, and starting with the Asset Quality Review of banks announced by the Reserve Bank in 2015  since ably conducted by our supervisory teams and as acknowledged objectively by experts of reputed multilateral agencies, we are doing all we can to break this unholy nexus.

I see what we have undertaken for cleaning up the credit culture of the country  in particular, the comprehensive regulatory overhaul announced by the Reserve Bank on February 12th for prompt recognition and resolution of NPAs at banks  as the Mandara mount or the churning rod in the Amrit Manthan or the Samudra Manthan of the modern day Indian economy. Until the churn is complete and the nectar of stability safely secured for the countrys future, someone must consume the poison that emanates along the way. If we need to face the brickbats and be the Neelakantha consuming this poison, we will do so as our duty; we will persist with our endeavours and get better with each trial and tribulation along the way.

I do wish more promoters and banks, individually  or collectively through their industry bodies, would reconsider being on the side of Devas rather than Asuras in this Amrit Manthan.

The owner of our public sector banks  the government which has provided the IBC, the related ordinances and the bank recapitalisation package to get the churn going, might consider making further, equally important contributions by:

Making banking regulatory powers neutral to bank ownership and leveling the playing field between public sector and private sector banks; and,

Informing itself about what do with the public sector banking system going forward as part of optimising over the best use of scarce national fiscal resources.

It is an open issue whether centralised government control alone can be effective enough at designing and implementing governance of banking franchise comprising over 2/3rds of the sectors deposits and assets. It would be better instead to restore regulatory and market discipline.

These, and other structural reforms to the banking sector, would enable India to grow sustainably at respectable rates. Thank you.

1 It is to be noted here that the FSAP also mentions in Other Regulation, Accounting, and Disclosure (CPs 20, 2629, Para 62, page 21): Currently, the external auditor is not obliged to report immediately to the RBI regulator any issues encountered in the audited bank that are of material interest to the supervisor. This is only permitted after publication of the annual statements. Moreover, regulators need powers to access the auditors working papers when needed. This is currently not envisaged. The laws and/or regulations should explicitly authorise the external auditor to inform the RBI of any concerns at any time; also, before the annual statements have been finalised and published. The RBI should be given the explicit authority to obtain information at any time from the external auditor. This point, however, applies both for public and private sector banks.

2 The exception to this is IDBI Bank Ltd., for which the Articles of Association (Clause 120) grant the RBI the requisite authority.

3 Of course, there are several other (well documented) implications of being public sector banks: board constitution, wherein it is difficult to categorise any director as independent; significant and widening compensation differences with private sector banks, leading to the erosion of specialist skills; external vigilance enforcement though the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI); and limited applicability of the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

4 The duality of banking regulatory powers exists even in the case of co-operative banks where the RBI has to contend with several powers being vested away from it in hands of state governments. Co-operative banks are typically small and their failures are dealt adequately with through liquidation by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC) which insures some of their depositors. This duality also needs to be addressed as part of the broader banking sector reforms to improve credit culture and reduce fraudulent lending.

(Note: Firstpost has not edited the speech for grammer of stylesheet purpose)
IATA said it has signed a MoU with Ministry of Civil Aviation to enhance human resource availability in India's aviation industry

New Delhi: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Tuesday said it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the National Aviation University to enhance human resource availability in India's aviation industry.

The three parties to the MoU "formalised this partnership in the presence of Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha on the sidelines of Wings India 2018 in Hyderabad", IATA said in a statement.

The understanding among other provisions also provides for developing closer academic cooperation between IATA and National Aviation University, it said.

Under the agreement, the signatory institutions would also leverage "the existing infrastructure for training in India to expand the reach of vocational training in aviation disciplines".

Commenting on the agreement, Conrad Clifford, IATA's Regional Vice-President, Asia-Pacific, said: "India is expected to be the third largest aviation market in the world behind China and the US by 2024, and is forecast to grow to a market size of 480 million passengers in 2036. Our partnership with MoCA (Minisry of Civil Aviatioin and RGNAU (National Aviation University) will help contribute to human resource capacity building for India."
(CNN)  Most parents know the proverb, "spare the rod, spoil the child."

But in recent years, many have debated whether to practice physical discipline, such as spanking or smacking, in their own homes. To spank or not to spank has become a highly contentious issue.

Many experts have advised against using physical discipline to teach kids lessons. Others argue that the uproar surrounding spanking has been overblown.

Some parents have decided not to spank and view it as harmful to their child's development, whereas others see no harm in physical discipline and believe it teaches respect.

Though there is no clear definition of "spanking" in the scientific literature, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the act as "to strike especially on the buttocks with the open hand."

In some countries, such discipline could land a parent in jail.

Around the world, close to 300 million children aged 2 to 4 receive some type of physical discipline from their parents or caregivers on a regular basis, according to a UNICEF report published in November.

That discipline includes spanking, shaking or hitting the hands or other body parts with an instrument, said Claudia Cappa, a statistics and monitoring specialist at UNICEF and an author of the report.

Overall, simply "explaining why a behavior is wrong is the most common form of discipline used across countries," Cappa said.

"What was interesting to me as a researcher to see is that parents use a combination of methods, not just one," she said. "They use violent and nonviolent forms, and they use a combination of physical punishment and psychological aggression," such as yelling or screaming.

Here's a look at how children are disciplined around the world, including where spanking is legally allowed and where it isn't.

In these countries, it's illegal to spank your kids

Sixty countries, states and territories have adopted legislation that fully prohibits using corporal punishment against children at home, according to both UNICEF and the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children.

Globally, about 1.1 billion caregivers view physical punishment as necessary to properly raise or educate a child, according to UNICEF.

Some of the countries and territories that have bans are: Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Austria, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Kenya, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Pitcairn Islands, Poland, and Portugal.

The other countries and territories that have bans are: Moldova, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, South Sudan, Spain, St. Maarten, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Sweden, Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

In the United States, corporal punishment is still lawful in the home in all states, and legal provisions against violence and abuse are not interpreted as prohibiting all corporal punishment, like spanking, according to the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children.

"It's just in the last 10 years that more countries and a larger set of countries have decided to prohibit corporal punishment," Cappa said.

"In most of the countries with available data, children from wealthier households are equally likely to experience violent discipline as those from poorer households," she said, based on UNICEF's data.

"We tend to think sometimes that only certain categories, particularly socioeconomically deprived households, use violent disciplinary practices, but this is not confirmed by the data on the global level," even if such differences are seen in some countries, she said.

In 1979, Sweden became the first country to ban the physical punishment of children by law.

Then, "by 1996 only four more states had followed suit," Anna Henry, director of the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, wrote in an email.

"Global progress towards prohibition of all corporal punishment of children has accelerated, particularly in recent years," she wrote. "Since 2006, however, when the World Report on Violence against Children recommended prohibition as a matter of urgency, the number of states banning corporal punishment has more than tripled."

She added that a further 56 states have indicated commitment to achieving a complete legal ban.

There has been a recent move to discourage parents worldwide from spanking or physically punishing their children, led by UNICEF, the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children and other organizations calling for more laws.

"The majority of countries have actually not prohibited corporal punishment, and there are only 9% of children under the age of 5 living in countries where corporal punishment at home is fully prohibited," said Cappa, who is not involved in the Global Initiative.

In other words, "there are more than 600 million children under the age of 5" in countries where there are no such laws, Cappa said.

A study of six European countries found that the odds of having parents who reported using occasional to frequent corporal punishment were 1.7 times higher in countries where it was legal, controlling for sociodemographic factors.

The study, published in the journal PLOS One in 2015, involved data from Bulgaria, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania and Turkey. At the time of the study, all but two of those countries -- Turkey and Lithuania -- had legal bans on corporal punishment in the home.

"We also know that legislation is not sufficient when it's not accompanied by changes in individual attitudes and social norms, and that can even become dangerous, because it can push certain things into a secret sphere," said Cappa, who was not involved in the study.

Yet not all experts agree that laws should dictate how parents decide to punish their children.

Ashley Frawley, senior lecturer in sociology and social policy at Swansea University in the United Kingdom, said that such laws disproportionally impact marginalized groups -- such as the working poor or certain ethnic minorities -- regardless of whether incidences of physical punishment actually warrant such surveillance or not.

"This sort of thing happened in Canada and Australia. In Canada where I'm from it was called the 'Sixties Scoop' where large numbers of indigenous children were taken from their homes in the [incorrect] belief that indigenous women were not good parents," said Frawley, who identifies as Ojibwa.

"So I see these smacking bans, which are promoted as awareness raising, as highly suspect," she said. "There's a long history in lots of different countries of looking down on parenting styles of the ethnic minorities and working classes."

Some parents still may prefer to spank their children as, anecdotally, they notice that it might help with more immediate compliance; this preference might also be tied to how they themselves were disciplined or social norms.

What the science says about spanking

Many experts say that spanking is linked with an increased risk of negative outcomes for children -- such as aggression, adult mental health problems, and even dating violence -- while a few others warn against jumping to such conclusions.

"The clear consensus among experts is that spanking is harmful," said Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, an associate professor of social work at the University of Michigan, who has researched spanking and child outcomes.

"One plausible explanation is that spanking disrupts the emotional bond between caregiver and child," he said.

To determine how spanking might have lasting impacts on kids, Grogan-Kaylor and Elizabeth Gershoff, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin, analyzed previous studies on spanking published in the past 50 years and involving 160,927 children.

Their meta-analyses found no evidence that spanking was associated with improved child behavior and rather found spanking to be associated with increased risk of 13 detrimental outcomes.

"Across study designs, countries, and age groups, spanking has been linked with detrimental outcomes for children, a fact supported by several key methodologically strong studies that isolate the ability of spanking to predict child outcomes over time," the researchers wrote.

Their analysis was published in the Journal of Family Psychology in 2016.

Robert Larzelere, a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at Oklahoma State University, disagrees with that analysis.

"Gershoff and her colleagues have yet to identify a single alternative disciplinary tactic in their own research that would significantly reduce behavior problems in children," he said.

'Taking away privileges ... can be useful'

In a previous meta-analysis, Larzelere dealt with that issue by summarizing 26 studies since 1957 that investigated physical punishment and other alternative disciplinary tactics that parents could use instead.

He found that spanking that was used only as a "back-up" method when other discipline methods were ineffective resulted in either less defiance or less aggression in children when compared with 10 out of 13 disciplinary alternatives, such as reasoning or timeout.

"When used to back-up milder disciplinary tactics consistently, parents are able to phase it out because children learn to cooperate with the milder disciplinary tactics," Larzelere said. "The only kind of physical punishment that had worse outcomes than alternatives, was if it was used too severely like using an instrument or slapping the face, or if it was the main thing that parents did in disciplining their children."

That analysis was published in the journal Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review in 2005.

"We have to find the right balance, I think. Children need love and positive parenting ... but sometimes they also need effective negative consequences, especially when young children are defiant," he said. "It's a complex topic."

Overall, most pediatricians argue that any form of physical punishment should be avoided, and that there are non-physical ways parents can discipline their children.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a number of alternatives to spanking, including taking toys and privileges away and the age-old technique of timeout.

The Academy notes that it does not recommend spanking. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry also does not support the use of corporal punishment as a method of behavior modification.

"Before even thinking about discipline, parents need to think about creating a warm, emotionally supportive and loving connection with your children," Grogan-Kaylor said.

"You need to make clear to your children that you love them, care about their opinions and want to listen to them," he said. "When discipline is necessary, taking away privileges in a developmentally appropriate manner -- so, not too long for the age of the child -- can be useful."

This story was first published on CNN.com, These are the countries where spanking is illegal."
A CBI court discharged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran in an alleged illegal telephone exchange scam case

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Wednesday discharged former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Kalanithi Maran in an alleged illegal telephone exchange case, said media reports.

According to The Times of India, the court said it was discharging all the seven accused from the case since there was "no prima facie evidence to prove the charges against them."

According to the CBI, Dayanidhi Maran, during the check period of June 2004 to December 2006, when he was the Union minister for communication and information technology, misused his office and installed a private telephone exchange at his residences in Chennai. He then used the facility for business transactions involving the Sun Network, owned by Kalanithi.

The CBI alleged that Maran had caused a loss of Rs 1.78 crore to the exchequer. More than 700 telecom lines were installed at their residences in Boat Club and Gopalapuram in Chennai, the agency charged.

Among the accused were former BSNL general manager K Brahmanathan, former deputy general manager M P Velusamy, Dayanidhi Maran's private secretary Gauthaman, and Sun TV officials.

The counsel for the Maran brothers and others had argued that they are innocent and did not commit any irregularities as alleged by the prosecution. On the other hand, the prosecution had said there was prima facie material to proceed against them and wanted the court to dismiss the discharge petitions.

Arguing on the discharge pleas filed by the brothers, their counsel Kabil Sibal had last month contended that the case was foisted on them.

In November, the CBI strongly opposed the discharge petitions filed by the Maran brothers in the case.

When the case came up before the XIV Additional Judge for CBI cases S Natarajan, the CBI strongly opposed the discharge applications moved by the Maran brothers.

Maintaining that all charges framed against them were supported with material and documentary evidence, the CBI wanted the special court to dismiss the discharge applications moved by the duo and also filed an additional affidavit.

With inputs from PTI
Terminating LoUs altogether is no solution. On the contrary, it is counter-productive

Despite all its might, surveillance tools and unquestionable command over the banking sector, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) couldnt detect a banking fraud right under its nose, perpetrated by a smart businessman in collusion with certain low-rank bank officials; that too, for a good six to seven years. When the fraud came out in public finally and questions were raised about the regulators efficacy to do its job properly, it decided to kill a legitimate trade instrument outright, something traders have been using for long. This was done without giving much thought about its larger impact on the countrys importers and exporters. How does it help after all?

A senior banker, this writer spoke to, thus summarised the decision of the RBI to terminate the letter of undertaking (LoU) in the aftermath of the Rs 13000 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, orchestrated by billionaire diamond merchant Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi with the help of some officials at the Fort branch of the bank in Mumbai. This is nothing but throwing the baby out with water. When you ought to rectify a problem, you should do that instead of killing a useful instrument that is widely used by genuine importers all these years, said Naresh Malhotra, a former State Bank of India (SBI) official who has worked for several years at foreign branches of the bank.

Lets look at what the central bank said in the notification.

"On a review of the extant guidelines, it has been decided to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs/ LoCs for Trade Credits for imports into India by AD CategoryI banks with immediate effect," the RBI said. The RBI notification further said that Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees for trade credits for imports into India may continue to be issued subject to compliance with the provisions. But the problem here, said Malhotra, is that the alternative instruments suggested by the RBI in the place of LoUs carry bigger costs for the importer and processes are more complicated. LoUs have been a simplified form of other instruments, easier to use to get buyers credit for importers hence widely used. LoCs and bank guarantees too can do this job but not the same way, Malhotra said.

Importers have already raised an alarm about the central banks decision saying that this will impact importers and even exporters who use imported material to make goods for exports. Sourcing of trade funding has already become difficult for players in the gems and jewellery segment. It will become even more so with increasingly stringent measures being put in place, Praveen Shankar Pandya, the former chairman of the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) was quoted in this Business Standard report.

The point here is Indian traders arent responsible for one Nirav Modis fault. Even at this point, Indian traders arent having a good time fighting global restrictions (protectionist policies in developed markets/ trade wars), problems in the domestic market (demand, labour), currency imbalances across markets. Banning of LoUs will hit exporters hard since they use these instruments heavily to buy raw materials that are used to make export materials. As Manas Chakravarty points out in this Livemint column, Indian exporters are already having a tough time even without trade wars. The seriousness of the problem is best illustrated by the fact that Indian exports of goods and services, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) in the September 2017 quarter, was lower than what it was 12 years ago, in the September 2005 quarter, Chakravarty writes.

In an earlier column, this writer had argued that while a crackdown is necessary on erring bankers in the aftermath of bank frauds, it would be counter-productive to embark on a witch hunt. That can paralyse the banking sector as bankers will be scared to take even genuine business decisions fearing investigations. The same logic applies for the industry as well. The point here is that the RBI is not doing any better by punishing the industry as a whole for its failure to monitor and prevent frauds. Terminating LoUs altogether is no solution. On the contrary, it is counter-productive.
CBI told a Mumbai court that it has added charge of 'criminal breach of trust' to the case related to diamond trader Mehul Choksi's firms in PNB fraud case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has told a Mumbai court that it has added the charge of 'criminal breach of trust' to the case related to diamond trader Mehul Choksi's firms in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case.

Among others, the agency had arrested Gokulnath Shetty, a former deputy manager of PNB, in connection with the issuance of fraudulent letters of undertaking (LoUs) to Choksi-owned firms.

The maximum punishment for the offence under section 409 of the IPC (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) is life imprisonment. According to The Economic Times, Shetty and Choksi could be in prison for life if found guilty after the CBI incorporated Section 409 of the IPC in the second FIR.

"The acts of Shetty prima facie disclose commission of offence punishable under section 409 IPC along with other offences already alleged in the FIR," read the CBI's submission before a special court.

The investigative agency has said that the fraud related to Choksi-controlled firms is now found to be to the tune of Rs 7,080 crore. It had initially pegged the fraud related to Choksi's firms at Rs 4,886 crore when the FIR was registered. In Tuesday's plea before the special CBI court, the agency said it has filed another supplementary complaint about additional fraud of Rs 942 crore.

Earlier the agency had pressed the charge of cheating under the IPC and relevant charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI has alleged that firms controlled by diamond traders Nirav Modi and his uncle Choksi obtained fraudulent LoUs and letters of credit (LCs) worth $2 billion (Rs 12,636 crore) from PNB in connivance with bank officials.

Choksi, the absconding promoter of Gitanjali Gems, on 8 February, said it was impossible for him to return to India and join the investigation due to the suspension of his passport and ill-health. In a detailed e-mail reply to the CBI's notice seeking his appearance, Choksi had said that he was not in a position to travel as his passport was suspended and he was undergoing medical treatment.

"I want to assure your good office and good self that I am in no manner dictating the terms of my appearance. However, as my passport stands suspended by the Regional Passport Office under Section 10(3)(c) of the Passport Act, it is impossible for me to travel back to India," Choksi stated in his seven-page letter.

With inputs from PTI
LoU can be likened to a general character certificate an applicant in the job market is expected to obtain from referees

On 12 March 2018, this writer had said in an earlier Firstpost article that in a regime of carefully monitored borrower behavior through a CIBIL (Credit Information Bureau (India) Limited)-like mechanism, the need for a convoluted instrument like letter of undertaking (LoU) or letter of comfort (LoC) would be rendered redundant. It is gratifying to note that the banking regulator Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has stepped in the very next day and banned the issuance of LoU and LoC for financing imports though it is yet to mandate a comprehensive corporate borrower behavior monitoring regime.

By acting swiftly, the RBI has halted wannabe Nirav Modis in their tracks. What Nirav Modi did was to pull a fast one on the banking system---he obtained forged LoUs in collusion with two employees of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) and used them to get import financing from foreign branches of other Indian banks on attractive terms (around 2 percent per annum interest). LoU can be likened to a general character certificate an applicant in the job market is expected to obtain from referees. The RBI has stopped this lulling and potentially deceptive practice even while giving its thumbs up to Letters of Credit (LCs). RBI has rightly come to the conclusion that bland LoUs -- genuine or forged, are out of sync with modern banking mores and norms.

There is a well-regulated regime for LCs what with LC being governed by UCP 600 issued by International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Every LC bears a mention of the same. In case of any dispute between importers bank and exporters bank, norms given in UCP 600 needs to be referred. More fundamentally, LCs are not condescending character certificates but genuine trade transactions backed by genuine import documents and financed by banks. An importers bank can be called upon by the exporters bank to pay up in the event the importer defaults. It is a genuine bank guarantee emanating from trade documents unlike LoUs that are issued in vacuum although supposedly based on the track record of the account holder.

Normal trade credit is unlikely to be hampered though as a result of the RBI ban. However, costs would increase for importers and a profitable business avenue for foreign branches of banks would be a thing of past. Importers were raising these LoUs at a cheaper rate than what they would have done had they gone in for direct dollar financing. Another issue will be that since importers will now have to buy dollars from the market, the rupee could come under pressure. The move is likely to hurt large importers severely.

A corporate treasury official estimated that the LoU discount market, mainly frequented by the jewels and gem trade, was at about 30 percent of the countrys total imports. According to him, now the business risk for importers will increase because they will need higher finance limits from banks, which banks are anyway reluctant to provide.

It is just as well that the RBI has asked importers to transparently ask their own banks for import financing instead of hiding their true colors behind the cloak of LoUs. But genuine importers should not be faulted for aspiring for cheap credit abroad through foreign branches of Indian banks especially where the lead banker in India (PNB in Nirav Modis case) has no presence in the foreign country from where the imports are to be made. As a follow-up measure, the RBI should therefore put in place a information-sharing regime under which all banks would share through an independent intermediary like CIBIL all vital information impacting on the credit worthiness of a borrower.

Had there been such a regime, Axis Bank and Union Bank would not have been driven to relying on LoU from PNB in Laffaire Nirav Modi fraud. If the Right to Information (RTI) forms the bedrock of guaranteeing governmental transparency and keeping executive on its toes, information-sharing of borrower behavior should form the bedrock of banking lending regulations.

(The writer is a senior columnist. He tweets @SMurlidharan)
Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from the Punjab National Bank's (PNB) Brady House branch in Mumbai on 10 March 2011.

Fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from the Punjab National Bank's (PNB) Brady House branch in Mumbai on 10 March 2011 and managed to get 1,212 more such guarantees over the next 74 months, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Tuesday.

Companies linked to Nirav Modi obtained Letters of Undertaking (LoUs), which were used to get loans from overseas branches of Indian banks, up to five guarantees on a single day, with the help of rogue employees of the countrys second biggest state-run bank.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Jaitley said the last fraudulent LoU was issued on 23 May 2017. During these six years, 53 genuine (non-fraudulent) LoUs were also issued to Nirav Modi Group  the first being on 5 March 2011 and last on 6 November 2017, he said.

The fraudulent LoUs had a validity of up to one year. Payments due in January this year were against LoU issued in February last year, he said, listing date-wise the LoUs issued.

Companies linked to Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi defrauded PNB to the tune of Rs 13,600 crore. Choksis Gitanjali Group defrauded Rs 7,080.86 crore while the rest is attributed to companies of Modi.

Jaitley said PNB Head Office received a report suspicious outstanding unauthorised transactions from Circle Office, Mumbai on 23 January 2018. Immediately an investigating team was constituted which gave its preliminary report on 25 January 2018.

On 29 January 2018 (26 to 28 January being public holidays), fraud was reported to RBI and complaint lodged with CBI Mumbai, he said.

PNB informed the Department of Financial Services, under Jaitley, on 6 February.
RBI has mandated commercial banks to put in place adequate audit and compliance mechanisms with bank board-level reporting through the audit committee of the board post PNB scam.

New Delhi: The RBI had issued two circulars in 2016 to banks on strengthening the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, the misuse of which was unveiled last month in the Rs 12,600 crore fraud on state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Apart from diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, some PNB employees have been accused of misusing their access to the bank's SWIFT electronic messaging system used for overseas funds transfers. None of the fraudulent transactions were registered on the bank's internal transaction messaging system, the Core Banking Solution (CBS), enabling the fraud to go undetected for long.

"Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has apprised that it had issued two circulars to banks in the months of August and November 2016, related to security and operational controls in the SWIFT environment," Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

"As per RBI inputs, compliance with RBI's instructions is the bank's responsibility and the Compliance Officer in the bank monitors the same."

"The RBI monitors compliance to its instructions on an ongoing basis and during RBI inspections and, where necessary, enforcement action is also initiated," he said.

After the unearthing of the PNB scam, an RBI notification last month said: "The risks arising from the potential malicious use of the SWIFT infrastructure has always been a component of their operational risk profile. RBI had, therefore, confidentially cautioned and alerted banks of such possible misuse."

Noting that the RBI has instructed banks to "strengthen their SWIFT operating environment", Shukla said the central bank has also constituted an expert committee to look into factors "leading to increasing incidence of frauds in banks and the measures (including information technology interventions) needed to curb and prevent it, and the role and effectiveness of various types of audits conducted in banks in mitigating the incidence of such frauds".

The RBI has taken other fraud-control measures like bringing out a framework for dealing with loan frauds above Rs 50 crore, creating an online Central Fraud Registry, issuing caution advices detailing names of fraudsters and their modus operandi and ordering banks to re-verify the title deeds for all credit exposures above Rs 5 crore.

The central bank has also mandated commercial banks to put in place adequate audit and compliance mechanisms with bank board-level reporting through the audit committee of the board, the minister added.
Governor Patel added that RBI data on banking frauds suggests that only a handful of cases over the past five years have had closure,

The Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel on Wednesday broke his silence on the Rs 13,600 crore Punjab National Bank scam which has been touted as biggest fraud in India's banking history. Patel who was speaking at an event organised at the National Law University in Gandhinagar said that the central bank's regulatory authority over public sector banks was weaker than that over the private sector banks.

Governor Patel added that RBI data on banking frauds suggests that only a handful of cases over the past five years have had closure, and cases of substantive economic significance remain open. "As a result, the overall enforcement mechanism - at least until now  is not perceived to be a major deterrent to frauds relative to economic gains from fraud," said Patel whose full speech has been put up on the RBI's website.

Temptation to engage in fraud at the level of employee or employees is always present, in banks (or in corporations), be it in public sector or private sector. The question then is whether there is adequate deterrence faced by employees from undertaking frauds and enough incentives for management to put in place preventive measures to preempt frauds, according to Patel's speech.

Read full text for Urjit Patel's take on PNB scam here

While defending the RBI, governor Patel said, "Success has many fathers; failures none. Hence, there has been the usual blame game, passing the buck, and a tonne of honking, mostly short-term and knee-jerk reactions. These appear to have prevented the participants in this cacophony from deep reflection and soul searching that can help solve fundamental issues that are the root cause of such frauds and related irregularities in the banking sector, which as I will explain are in fact far too regular."

The central bank in a statement while giving itself a clean chit in the Rs 13,600 crore financial fraud listed out a number of reasons as to why it could not detect the PNB scam at an earlier stage.

Here are the key points:

One, all commercial banks in India are regulated by the RBI under the Banking Regulation (BR) Act of 1949. Additionally, all public sector banks are regulated by the Government of India (GoI) under the Banking Companies (Acquisition and Transfer of Undertakings) Act, 1970; the Bank Nationalisation Act, 1980; and the State Bank of India Act, 1955.

Two, Section 51 of the amended BR Act explicitly states which portions of the BR Act apply to the PSBs, most common thread across the omissions being complete removal or emaciation of RBI powers on corporate governance at PSBs.

Three, RBI cannot remove directors and management at PSBs as Section 36AA (1) of the BR Act is not applicable to the PSBs. Section 36ACA(1) of the BR Act that provides for supersession of a Bank Board is also not applicable in the case of PSBs (and regional rural banks or RRBs) as they are not banking companies registered under the Companies Act.

Fourth, the RBI cannot force a merger in the case of PSBs as per Section 45 of the BR Act.

Fifth, PSBs banking activity does not require license from RBI under Section 21 of the BR Act; hence, RBI cannot revoke a license under Section 22(4) of the BR Act as it can in the case of private sector banks.

Sixth, RBI cannot trigger liquidation of PSBs as per Section 39 of the BR Act.

Seventh, in a remarkable exception of sorts, in some cases there is duality of Managing Director and the Chairman  they are the same  implying the MD is primarily answerable only to himself or herself.
The Reserve Bank of India had issued two circulars in 2016 to banks on strengthening the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system

New Delhi: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had issued two circulars in 2016 to banks on strengthening the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) system, the misuse of which was unveiled last month in the Rs 12,600 crore fraud on state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

Apart from diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi, some PNB employees have been accused of misusing their access to the bank's SWIFT electronic messaging system used for overseas funds transfers. None of the fraudulent transactions were registered on the bank's internal transaction messaging system, the Core Banking Solution (CBS), enabling the fraud to go undetected for long.

"Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has apprised that it had issued two circulars to banks in the months of August and November 2016, related to security and operational controls in the SWIFT environment," Minister of State for Finance Shiv Pratap Shukla told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

"As per RBI inputs, compliance with RBI's instructions is the bank's responsibility and the Compliance Officer in the bank monitors the same."

"The RBI monitors compliance to its instructions on an ongoing basis and during RBI inspections and, where necessary, enforcement action is also initiated," he said.

After the unearthing of the PNB scam, an RBI notification last month said: "The risks arising from the potential malicious use of the SWIFT infrastructure has always been a component of their operational risk profile. RBI had, therefore, confidentially cautioned and alerted banks of such possible misuse."

Noting that the RBI has instructed banks to "strengthen their SWIFT operating environment", Shukla said the central bank has also constituted an expert committee to look into factors "leading to increasing incidence of frauds in banks and the measures (including information technology interventions) needed to curb and prevent it, and the role and effectiveness of various types of audits conducted in banks in mitigating the incidence of such frauds".

The RBI has taken other fraud-control measures like bringing out a framework for dealing with loan frauds above Rs 50 crore, creating an online Central Fraud Registry, issuing caution advices detailing names of fraudsters and their modus operandi and ordering banks to re-verify the title deeds for all credit exposures above Rs 5 crore.

The central bank has also mandated commercial banks to put in place adequate audit and compliance mechanisms with bank board-level reporting through the audit committee of the board, the minister added.
Trai Chairman RS Sharma on Tuesday slammed incumbent telecom operators for trying to dent the sectoral regulator's impartiality and credibility

New Delhi: Trai Chairman RS Sharma on Tuesday slammed incumbent telecom operators for trying to dent the sectoral regulator's impartiality and credibility, saying that their allegations of bias or favour in regulation are absolutely "inappropriate and uncalled for".

He said the regulator has framed the rules including that on predatory pricing following the principles of fairness, transparency and consultation.

"We are in an unenviable position... We are not here running a popularity contest," he told PTI in an interview in New Delhi.

His comments came just days after British telecom giant Vodafone termed Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai's) new rule on predatory pricing as "unfair", and said the company was fighting the competition "with hands tied at the back".

Sunil Mittal, who heads the country's biggest mobile phone firm Bharti Airtel had also recently stated that the operators had no choice but to move court against the regulator's order on predatory pricing, which prevents them from retaining customers and conducting business.

Last week, Airtel and Idea Cellular approached Telecom Dispute Settlement and Appellate Tribunal against Trai's predatory pricing norms. The TDSAT did not stay the contentious decision, but set 17 April as the next date of hearing.

Trai's predatory pricing rules have sparked off a furore as established players as well as telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) criticising the new norms.

The COAI has indicated that the order has distorted the market, placing all operators, except one, at a serious disadvantage.

The industry body had however refrained from naming newcomer Reliance Jio, whose aggressive tariffs have hit the incumbent operators hard.

Sharma said it was about time the people stopped "attributing motives without any basis".

"Allegations of bias or favour are absolutely inappropriate or uncalled for. They seek to damage or dent the reputation of regulator, without any basis," Sharma said.

He pointed out that a decision of Trai may impact different operators, differently.

"To attribute motives to those decisions is not correct. What you should do...if you feel those decisions are arbitrary, unreasonable, not legal, you should challenge them in the court of law...not have mud-slinging. That is not appropriate," Sharma said.

He said that to "create an environment to just condemn an entity is completely uncalled for".

Last month, Trai said it will impose financial disincentive of up to Rs 50 lakh per circle on operators if their service rates are found to be predatory in nature.

A tariff will be considered predatory if in a relevant market, a telecom operator with over 30 per cent market share offers services at a price which is below the average variable cost, with a view to reducing competition or eliminating the competitors in the relevant market.

The regulator has also said that telecom operators will have to provide services to all subscribers availing the same tariff plan in a non-discriminatory manner.

Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) has also flagged the revised definition of Significant Market Power (SMP) that now excludes parameters like traffic volume and switching capacity.

It said such changes will place older operators at a disadvantage and stop them from responding to what may be actual predatory tariff plans.

COAI has contended that the recent regulation has also taken away flexibility from the operators to offer benefits to customers.
The Supreme Court will continue hearing the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case over the disputed 2.7 acre land in Ayodhya on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court will continue hearing the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid land dispute case on Wednesday. The apex court was to start "final hearings" on 13 petitions filed over the disputed 2.7 acre land in Ayodhya, that has been the bone of contention between the Hindu and Muslim communities, on 9 February. However, the date was postponed as some documents and translations were not filed before the apex court, Financial Express reported.

The petitions before the judges have been pending for nearly six decades.

Wednesday's hearing assumes significance in the wake of the rejection, by a special bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, of the vehement submission by Sunni Waqf Board and others last month, that the pleas be heard after the next general elections.

The bench, also comprising justices Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer, had made it clear on 5 December last year that it would begin final hearing on the petitions in February and had asked the parties to file the requisite pleadings in the meantime.

According to NDTV, though the court was expected to hold day-to-day hearings, this was not possible as CJI Misra is already part of the Constitution Bench hearing the Aadhaar issue.

Senior lawyers, including Kapil Sibal and Rajeev Dhavan, had contended that the civil appeals be either referred to a five or seven-judge bench or posted in 2019, keeping in mind the sensitive nature of the case and its ramifications on the country's secular fabric and polity.

But the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board had spoken against deferment of the hearing in the apex court till after the 2019 general elections.

"The board is of the view that hearing in the case be held and the matter be disposed of promptly... I do not know on whose behalf the counsel for the Muslims appearing in the apex court, Kapil Sibal had stated this... No such directive had been given by the board," chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board Zafar Farooqui had said.

Sibal had also come under stinging attack from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who at that time was on the campaign trail in Gujarat, for his attempt to link the legal tangle to the next general elections, wondering if such an issue should be kept unresolved for political gains and losses.

Under attack, Sibal claimed he did not represent the Sunni Waqf Board in the Ayodhya case in the Supreme Court, and mounted a counter-offensive against Modi, saying he should have checked the facts before criticising him.

The top court had asked the advocates on records (AoRs), dealing with as many as 14 civil appeals against the 2010 judgment of the Allahabad High Court in the land dispute, to ensure that all required documents are translated, filed and numbered before the apex court registry.

The special bench of the apex court is seized of a total 14 appeals filed against the high court judgment delivered in four civil suits.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had in 2010 ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties  the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

With inputs from PTI.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  China said international organizations including the United Nations should "respect the sovereignty of the Philippines and the will of its people," amid President Duterte's campaign against terrorism and illegal drugs.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang made this remark in a press conference on March 12 after UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said Duterte may need "psychiatric evaluation."

"Relevant sides of the international community, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, shall ... view the outcomes of the Philippines' fight against drug and terrorism in a comprehensive, unbiased and objective way, and support its efforts to move forward its human rights cause in light of its national conditions," Kang said.

He also said the UN agency should "fulfill its duties within the framework set out by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

READ: UN human rights experts slam inclusion of rapporteur in DOJ 'terrorist' list

Al-Hussein had hit the Duterte administration's move to petition the court to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People's Army (NPA) as terrorist groups.

The petition included a list of more than 600 names and aliases who were proposed to be blacklisted by the Metro Manila Regional Trial Court.

On the list is UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz for her alleged links to the CPP-NPA.

READ: Palace defends 'terrorist' list: No witch-hunt on UN rapporteurs

Kang said China supports the Philippine's campaign against terrorism and illegal drugs, adding the achievements of the administration "have won great approval and extensive support" among Filipinos.

"Anyone without bias can see that President Duterte has made positive efforts since assuming office to combat drug-related crimes as well as terrorism, develop the national economy, and improve people's livelihood," Kang said.

READ: Cayetano hits UN Rights Chief: World needs more leaders like Duterte
Supreme Court rejected the anticipatory bail application of Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader Milind Ekbote, one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader Milind Ekbote, one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case. Ekbote was detained by the Pune Rural Police from his residence in Pune following the dismissal of his plea by the court.

Bhima-Koregaon violence: Supreme Court dismissed the anticipatory bail application of accused Milind Ekbote.  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018

Milind Ekbote, accused in Bhima Koregaon violence, has been detained from his house at Shivajinagar in Pune: PRO Pune Rural Police #Maharashtra  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018

According to a DNA report, Ekbote had approached the Supreme Court after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a local court as well as by the Bombay High Court. He was granted interim relief from arrest till 14 March by the apex court.

On Tuesday, responding to allegations that the Maharashtra government was not doing enough to arrest Ekbote, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said in the Maharashtra Council that Ekbote had been given conditional bail by the Supreme Court.

"Also, we have contacted the Attorney General of India in Ekbotes case. We have asked the Supreme Court for his custodial interrogation, and we will keep demanding that. There is no reason to believe that we want to spare anyone," said Fadnavis.

The police submitted before the apex court that they needed to take Ekbote into custody as he was not cooperating in the investigation.

One person was killed and several others injured in the violence which erupted on 1 January, after right-wing outfits opposed the 200th-anniversary celebration of the Bhima-Koregaon battle, in which forces of the East India Company defeated Peshwa's army.

Dalit leaders celebrate the British victory, as it is believed that soldiers from the Mahar community  then considered untouchable  were part of the East India Company's forces. This had led to widespread Dalit protests across the state.

Police had later booked Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader Milind Ekbote and another pro-Hindutva leader, Sambhaji Bhide, at the Pune rural police station for allegedly inciting the anti-Dalit violence.

With inputs from agencies.
The Appropriation Bill, contentious Finance Bill & ministry budgets were passed without any discussion in Lower House of Parliament amid Opposition cries.

The Budget Session of Parliament, which has seen little progress being made and virtually no bills being passed in seven days due to sustained protests by Opposition parties, took a bizarre turn on Wednesday, with Speaker of the House Sumitra Mahajan passing ministry budgets, the Appropriation Bill and the contentious Finance Bill 2018, one after the other, without any discussion on the floor of the House.

The government got the Budget for the fiscal year beginning 1 April passed by applying the guillotine process as the Opposition paralysed the functioning for the eighth day.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the Finance Bill 2018, which contains taxation proposals of his fifth and final budget, as well as the appropriation bill that details spendings in various departments, amid din created by the slogan-shouting Opposition. The bills were passed by voice vote.

Ruling BJP-led NDA has an absolute majority in the Lower House of Parliament. The Appropriation Bill was approved after a guillotine was applied which essentially means that all outstanding demands for grants from various departments are put to vote at once whether they are discussed or not. With the passage of the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill, the budget exercise is complete in the Lower House.

Technically, the two Bills also have to go to Rajya Sabha but since they are money bill they would be considered approved if the Upper House of Parliament does not return them within 14 days. The Opposition has an upper hand in the Rajya Sabha.

The functioning of both houses of Parliament has been stalled since the second half of the Budget session began on 5 March as Opposition parties raised issues ranging from India's biggest bank fraud to the division of Cauvery river water and special package to Andhra Pradesh.

The proposed demands for grants of all ministries were passed in a matter of minutes in what the Opposition dubbed "the death of democracy."

According to a report in Economic Times, major Opposition parties had urged Mahajan before Wednesday's proceedings to prevent the government from using the guillotine to push through the Appropriation Bill and the Finance Bill.

"They alleged the government had stagemanaged Parliament deadlock to skirt a debate on Nirav Modi-PNB fraud and Rafale fighter jet deal and was planning to bulldoze the Finance Bill and Appropriation Bill without proper discussion," the report said. Cries of "stop killing democracy" and "protect the democracy" were heard from the Opposition benches.

Following the quickfire voting on the Budget and the Bill, that lasted all but 30 minutes, the House was adjourned. On Tuesday, the Budget Session of Parliament saw a repeat of Monday's commotion as proceedings in both Houses of Parliament  Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha  were stalled for the seventh day with no let up in protests by Opposition parties.

Ministries that were to be discussed: Railways, Agriculture, Youth Affairs, Road Transport and Highways and Social Justice and Welfare. This would amount to approximately 28% of the total budget. None of the ministries were discussed. pic.twitter.com/GZeHD6MfzF  PRS Legislative (@PRSLegislative) March 14, 2018

Proceedings in the Lok Sabha were disrupted once again on Tuesday morning amid continuing protests by the Opposition over the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and other issues, forcing Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to adjourn the House till 12 pm.

The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned till 2 pm, minutes after it met for the day. Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu adjourned the House after the Opposition insisted on a discussion on the Rs 12,600 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam under Rule 168, which Naidu rejected.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy raised a point of order, saying that he had given a notice under Rule 168 for discussion on the PNB scam and had fulfilled all the conditions laid down in the rules but still his notice was rejected by the Chair. Roy said that this denial by the Chair went against the "principles of natural justice".

All Demands for Grants Guillotined. Six Ministries were to be discussed. None taken up. pic.twitter.com/xcSXbfdtiW  PRS Legislative (@PRSLegislative) March 14, 2018

Naidu said that he was ready to allow discussion on the issue under Rule 176. However, the Opposition persisted with its demand. Meanwhile, a few members stood up and moved towards the Chair's podium with placards. Naidu then adjourned the House.

Minutes earlier, he had appealed to all the members of the Upper House of Parliament not to display placards and banners as it was against the rules.

A similar situation was witnessed in the Lok Sabha as well.

Members from different parties trooped near the Speaker's podium, raising slogans on different issues, including the banking irregularities. This is the seventh consecutive day of disruptions in the Lower House.Speaker Mahajan tried to take up the Question Hour, but in the din, the House was soon adjourned.

AIADMK MPs lodged their protest over the constitution of Cauvery Management Board, while YSRCP MPs were seen holding placards and shouting slogans and demanded special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Appropriation Bill Passed. All Demands for Grants passed without discussion, i.e. guillotined. pic.twitter.com/pFMWDbmcKJ  PRS Legislative (@PRSLegislative) March 14, 2018

Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar said that the BJP has issued a three-line whip to all the MPs: "We have included all important issues in the list of business. We have also issued a three-line whip to all our MPs.

We request all the parties to let the Parliament function and discuss constructively," Kumar said. Slamming Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia, he said that it seems that they 'don't believe in democracy'.

The second half of the Parliament Budget Session, which resumed on 5 March, has been a complete washout so far, with the government unable to push through any of its legislation.

With inputs from PTI.
The NIA which has tightened the noose around the separatist leaders has also named some more Hurriyat leaders for spreading the unrest in Kashmir.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe in the Kashmir unrest has revealed that the money raised through cross-LoC trade between India and Pakistan was used to fan the support for different militant outfits including the Islamic State in Jammu and Kashmir.

The NIA which has tightened the noose around the separatist leaders has also named some more Hurriyat leaders for spreading the unrest in Kashmir. It has named the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) vice chairman, Bashir Ahmad Bhat and president of Salamabad Traders Union, Hilal Turki, for spreading the unrest. Turki, however, said that he cant talk as he was busy attending a mourning ritual.

NIA spokesman, Alok Mittal, said that the investigating agency was probing the Kashmir unrest and "we are in the process of collecting the evidence to file the charges against people in the Court".

The NIA report, which is based on the disclosure statement of some protected witnesses in the case, has also named some LoC traders including Ghulam Geelani Chhota, 50, of Lal Bazar area of Srinagar and Bashir Ahmad Kullu, 50, for taking an active part in agitations during which IS flags were also waved.

The NIA has also disclosed that it was through the official connivance that the traders were under-valuing their goods at the LoC checking point on the Srinagar-Muzafarbad road and the money that was raised through hawala transactions was paid to stone-pelters as well as the militants in Kashmir. It has noted that one of the traders Raja Zahoor Khan, who runs a shop at Parimpora Fruit Mandi, in Srinagar, would transport the California almonds of higher quantity than was allowed along the Uri-Muzaffarabad road and sell the excess quantity and pass on the money to the separatist leaders.

As per the NIA, while only eight tonnes of goods were allowed at one time from Pakistan to India, Raja would import nine tonnes from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and it was sold to traders in New Delhi. The cost of extra four-five tonnes which was transported on the crossLoC road in a week was between Rs 20- 25 lakh and since the trade was in barter, the commodities of lesser value were sent to PoK and the money thus raised was used for funding separatist activities in Kashmir.

The report has also noted that separatist leaders have been fuelling the agitation in particular areas. While it states that the JKLF leader Bhat was responsible for ensuring stone pelting in the Civil Lines areas, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, was doing it through his supporters in the Old City area of downtown. It said that in the highly volatile areas of South Kashmir including the districts of Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian, it was Hurriyat (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani, who was responsible for igniting anti-India activities. About Bhat, the report said that he is the "main supporter of JKLF and raises funds" through cross-LoC trade.

Also, the report noted that the some of the LoC traders are running multiple firms and are even visiting UAE to stay in touch with the Pakistani traders. While part of the money was allegedly used by the separatists to invest in real estate business on benami transactions, some of the LoC traders were also running proxy firms.

Hurriyat (G) spokesman, Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, however, said that the allegations against the separatist leader were baseless and "part of the ploy to defame the Kashmiri freedom struggle".

The report also notes that LoC trader, Raja, has been visiting Dubai in "every six months" and "other than the funds raised by virtue of cross LoC trade" he is continuously getting funds from Pakistan "through hawala channels". "In the year 2013 his bank account in the Jammu and Kashmir bank Parimpora branch was blocked by the bank because of the reflection of huge transactions from Dubai based firms into his account." It has been noted that he also owns two cold storage facilities in Industrial Estate Zainakote as well as three kanals of land at Hyderpora and some other real estate assets.

"JKLF is responsible for distributing money in Civil Line areas of Srinagar for funding stone pelting and demonstrations. Bashir Ahmad Bhat is the main supporter of JKLF and raises funds through Raja Zahoor Khan," the disclosure statement of a protected witness read.

It has also been found that some of the traders whose business turnover ran into crores would regularly meet the separatist leaders including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and JKLF chairman, Yaseen Malik.

Some of the separatist leaders who are already in NIA custody have also been accused of paying the stone-pelters and fanning the pro-freedom sentiment during the funerals of the militants. The NIA investigations were prompted after the agitation in 2016 which was spurred after the killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander, Burhan Wani.
Rautela, along with IAS officer Rakesh Kumar Singh, was suspended in December last year by the Allahabad High Court over promoting illegal mining during their tenures as district magistrate in Rampur

Gorakhpur: Media persons covering the by-election results in Gorakhpur on Wednesday had to face district magistrate Rajiv Rautelas diktat as he directed them to stay away from the counting centre set up at Gorakhpur University.

"The media was asked to stay away from the counting centres and come only when they are asked to, said Harikesh Singh, a journalist with a regional web portal.

Singh added that the district magistrate was rude to the media persons in general, but was encouraging only those journalists who were close to him.

"Our district magistrate's tone was not at all humble. Instead, his responses were even more rude when media queried him regarding the polling," Singh said, adding that the DM is considered to be closely associated with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Rautela, along with IAS officer Rakesh Kumar Singh, was suspended in December last year by the Allahabad High Court over promoting illegal mining during their tenures as district magistrate in Rampur. The high court had directed the UP Chief Secretary to take disciplinary action against these IAS officers, but the government hasn't shown any urgency in this regard.

In fact, while Rautela continues to be Gorakhpur district magistrate, Rakesh Kumar Singh has been posted as District Magistrate, Kanpur Dehat. It may be mentioned that in his report on deaths of more than 60 children at BRD Hospital in Gorakhpur in August, Rautela had held the oxygen supplier, Pushpa Sales, and a doctor responsible for the deaths. Pushpa Sales has denied in court the allegations in district magistrate's reports.

Sunil Kumar Pandey, another journalist who was denied entry at the counting centre, told Firstpost that it is not the first time that the district magistrate has issued such a gag against journalists.

"This (attitude of DM) was evident even during the coverage of death of children at the BRD medical college," Pandey said.

"Is time to fir bhi behtar tha, varna pichli baar DM sahab patrakaaro par lathi charge karvaye the (Journalists were relatively fortunate this time, as last time, the district magistrate had ordered lathi charge on them)," alleged Pandey.

However, Ajeet Singh, another Gorakhpur-based journalist, said the issue was baseless and manipulated by the media.

"There were more than 150 journalists covering the elections and the district magistrate said that entry inside the counting centre will not be possible. This instruction of the district magistrate was misread by media as reports of the gag started appearing in news," he said. Ajeet added that it was the district magistrate who was announcing trends after every round of counting.

A person from Gorakhpur district magistrate's office, who answered Rautela's phone, denied any media person were stopped from covering the counting process, and called these reports mere "rumours".

BJP UP spokesperson Shalabh Mani Tripathi, who is expecting a ticket from Gorakhpur for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said the Election Commission would be the right authority to comment on media gag and enquire about it.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party has written a letter to the Election Commission of India in this context, alleging that the ruling BJP government was using the administration to win the elections.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sunil Singh Sajan said that issuing diktats and suppressing the freedom of press is an old habit of the saffron party.

"These are the dirty tricks being played by the ruling government to win elections anyhow. This (BJP) party does not believe in democracy. Instead, it believes in getting work done either by hook or crook," Sajan said.

The author is a Uttar Pradesh-based journalist and a member of 101reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters.
Opposition Congress and NCP on Wednesday lambasted the Maharashtra government and the police department for the 'delay' in the arrest of right-wing leader Milind Ekbote in connection with Bhima Koregaon violence.

Mumbai: Opposition Congress and NCP on Wednesday lambasted the Maharashtra government and the police department for the "delay" in the arrest of right-wing leader Milind Ekbote in connection with Bhima Koregaon violence.

Both the parties raised question marks over the functioning of the police department in this case.

Ekbote, a Hindu Ekta Aghadi leader and one of the accused in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case, was arrested by the Pune rural police earlier on Wednesday, soon after the Supreme Court turned down his anticipatory bail plea.

"There is no bravery in arresting Ekbote as he was in Pune for a long time. He had issued a video clip...he was very much in Pune, but police did nothing. He was arrested on Wednesday, because the Supreme Court rejected his bail," Congress MLC Bhai Jagtap said.

"It raises question marks over why the police took so long (to arrest him) and who were calling the shots," he said.

Jitendra Awhad, NCP MLA from Mumbra in Thane, said, "It is a conspiracy and Ekbote was given a free hand to take every measure to avoid his arrest. The home department is headed by CM Fadnavis. It raises questions about his department."

"The way people like Ekbote and (another pro-Hindutva leader) Sambhaji Bhide were roaming free...they were interviewed by news channels. Why didn't the police step in and arrest them," he asked.

"It is highly suspicious the way time was wasted in the arrest of Ekbote," the legislator alleged.

Bhide and Ekbote are accused of inciting violence on 1 January this year during an event to commemorate the bicentenary of battle of Bhima-Koregaon in Pune district.
Firstpost spoke to Pinki Virani, whose 2009 PIL as the 'next friend' of nurse Aruna Shanbaug resulted in the passive euthanasia judgment in 2011.

On 9 May, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court gave its formal, full and final approval to passive euthanasia. Firstpost spoke to National Award-winner Pinki Virani whose 2009 PIL as the "next friend" of nurse Aruna Shanbaug  who had been sexually assaulted and left in a vegetative state for over 40 years  resulted in the landmark passive euthanasia judgment of 2011. While passive euthanasia was denied to Shanbaug, it was laid down as the law until the Parliament or a Supreme Court bench ruled on the matter. The 2018 judgment validates the earlier judgment and further adds to it.

If the earlier judgment on passive euthanasia was a landmark one, then what is the importance of the 9 March judgment?

It represents a tectonic shift in the law. Exactly seven years back, the Supreme Court's legalisation of passive euthanasia was a profound shift from the mass  caste, class, culture, religious, medical  to individual rights. The 9 March judgment not only validates it but goes beyond to add intellectual sinew and heft in a manner. Everyone reading this 500-page-plus judgement will be  I am  thankful for their superb encapsulation of how the right to life can indeed include that life which meets death with dignity as a value to be aspired for. The judgment, in context of upholding passive euthanasia for individuals with terminal illnesses, also says, mere existence does not amount to presence. Im still reading the gigantic judgment, savouring its erudition, and marvelling at how liberty, privacy, writing a medical directive (if one chooses), passive euthanasia and dying with dignity, all come under the umbrella of Article 21.

But the 2011 judgement did face some backlash, correct?

Not the outcome of the judgement but there was some debate in the manner of its arrival ergo, whether the route taken to reach the decision was constitutional or not. When I filed the PIL in 2009 as the next friend of Aruna Shanbaug  who had been in persistent vegetative state (PVS) by then for more than a quarter of a century as the worlds worst sexual assault victim  it was specifically for passive euthanasia (the turning off of her feed).

I was made aware that there were other PILs pending, which referred to broad-spectrum euthanasia (which would include active ones) and living wills as a corollary. Some time after the 2011 passive euthanasia two-judge verdict was announced  which for the first time brought PVS into medico-legal limelight as a recognisable condition  one of the earlier petitioners again approached the court to ask for expeditious hearing of their case since passive euthanasia had been legalised. The three-judge bench of that time did not disagree with the 2011 verdict though they expressed their concern on its perception, and referred it to a five-judge constitutional bench. Last week, this part has been legally settled too. I wont deny the stress of such a long journey  from 2009 to 2011 to 2018  but its nothing compared to Arunas forty-plus years. Or any other patient in PVS for even one year.

Along with this, the court granted the NGO's plea and laid down conditions for an advanced directive, which is a kind of very specific living will for specific situations. What is the relation between passive euthanasia and living will?

There isnt any connection between the two, strictly speaking. The 2011 judgment said that family and doctors can take the call on passive euthanasia if the patient is in specific situations like brain death, ventilator, persistent vegetative state. The 2018 judgement says those who do not write an advanced directive and are passive euthanasia-applicable, are to be treated on par with those who have written one.

However, what the advanced directive can do, if people choose to write it, is free their loved ones from the guilt of having to take what tend to be very difficult decisions, most so when they are cash-strapped. Passive euthanasia is about choice, writing an advanced directive is also about choice, having the liberty to do either or both is about living, and dying, with dignity.

In 2017, the court spoke about the right to privacy and alluded to passive euthanasia. How does the latter support the former?

The 2018 judgement, and I paraphrase here, states that in the case of irreversible illnesses, the persons right to privacy decreases as the degree of bodily invasion increases. Death has already set in and yet the patients being exclusively rests on the medical technology, and machines which will prolong a condition that is not in the patients best interest. On the contrary, its tantamount to destruction of his dignity which is the core value of life. For example there is  specifically for those with terminal illnesses and long-term PVS patients  the nasogastric tube which could be an invasion into the persons body and therefore into the persons privacy. Because the tube itself does not provide life in the midst of the death which has already set in. To remove the tube and retain the patients privacy, therefore, need not be seen as an act of spite or malafide intent.

The government was drafting a bill on passive euthanasia. What happened to it?

They called for public input on their draft at an email address (passiveeuthanasia@gmail.com). Since then, there has been silence on matter. That draft said it disapproved of living wills. I should add here that a living will is an umbrella term, an advanced directive is specific. They do however, have an advanced directive in the Mental Healthcare Act. They also have the decriminalisation of suicide (though, obviously, not abetment to suicide) in the same Act, thanks as much to the passive euthanasia law of 2011 which called for it.

But that draft did allow what amounted to living wills to terminally-ill teenagers. On the lines of being 16-years-old and deciding to accept or reject treatment by simply saying so? Does the 2018 judgement say the same?

The passive euthanasia law is understood as being applicable to all patients in irreversible conditions, age no-bar. Indian law states minors as being under-18. The 2018 judgement says advanced directives can be drawn up only by adults. I did submit, as Im sure did countless Indians, my suggestions at that point while opposing this ridiculous inclusion that a 16-year-old teen on their deathbed could by extension be incited into taking its parents to court if they did not agree with its decision. I do not know when we will see another, hopefully vastly improved, draft bill. Meanwhile central government still has to get the long-pending surrogacy law, and then another one to control all these fertility clinics which are mushrooming  without qualified doctors  all over the country.

Has the recent verdict made decision-making risky for practising doctors who are taking the final decision for life-support withdrawal?

They are not taking the final decision. They are merely certifying that the patient is in the condition stipulated by the 2011 and 2018 judgements. The final choice rests with the family. And if there is, as per the 2018 judgement, an advanced directive drawn up as per the prescribed rules by the patient herself/himself, the doctor has to follow it. That's the compassion of both passive euthanasia judgments isnt it  that no one person stands in judgement?

Would you like to comment on the NGO who got this advanced directive judgment alongside the upholding of passive euthanasia?

Let them too, never forget Aruna Shanbaug; its all made possible because of her.

Some people criticise the 2018 judgement as they feel its a slippery slope to active euthanasia.

Both the 2011 and 2018 judgements make painstaking points about the difference between the two. Active euthanasia is not permitted in India. Sure, there will always be someone who will feel that my right to refuse medical treatment when I am irreversibly ill  for example withholding antibiotics even though it means a mildly accelerated end  is the same as jumping off a skyscraper. Individuals now have the legal power to decide how much dignity their last breath deserves. What I have been observing for a while is that in Indian society, there are some who when diagnosed with advanced, irreversible cancers, choose to take only those minimum medicines which keep them comfortable. They spend more quality time with themselves and their families until they become, so to speak, passive euthanasia patients. They exercise their right to choose a dignified, final exit over long-drawn, medically-mediated deaths. So clearly it was time that the law caught up with society.

Dr Abantika Pal is Medical Officer, Government of Bengal, and author of the first Bengali book on euthanasia in her states contemporary context.
The strategic multi-crore Kaladan Multi Modal Transit Transport Project in Mizoram, envisaged as a key component of the Act East policy which will link Indias landlocked North East to Kolkata through Myanmar has hit a snag that could take time to resolve.

Editor's Note: This is part one of a two-part series on the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project in Mizoram envisioned to provide an outlet to and link the landlocked North East to Kolkata through Myanmar.

The strategic multi-crore Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project in Mizoram, envisaged as a key component of the Act East policy which will link Indias landlocked North East to Kolkata through Myanmar has hit a snag that could take time to resolve. Residents of some villages near the states border with Myanmar are in no mood to allow the project to be implemented unless they are compensated for a slice of land to be acquired as part of the 87-kilometre highway originating from the district headquarters Ini. The Lawngtlai District Land Owners Association has even fixed 15 March as the deadline for the government to decide on the quantum of funds to be disbursed.

The bone of contention is over a plot measuring 40 acres near a border outpost of the Assam Rifles at Zochachhuah with over 300 landowners now demanding compensation. Meanwhile, the Mizoram government has approached the Centre, asking it to release funds.

Once the Centre disburses the funds, we can give the compensation to them (landowners). Then the issue would be resolved and the project can move forward, Lawngtlai deputy commissioner Dr Arun T told Firstpost. The demand surfaced soon after the survey for the project was completed in the border region in 2012. Bandhs have been called and blockades staged on several occasions in the past couple of years as the process of land acquisition began. With the passage of time, the number of claimants and associations demanding money from the government also swelled, leaving the government in a fix.

The budget for the Indian component financed by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has been revised for the third time with the initial estimate of Rs 507 crore swelling to Rs 1011 crore. Two deadlines for the completion of the project have also been missed and it is extremely doubtful if highway can be completed ahead of the third deadline of 30 December. Only 70 percent of the project has been completed between Zorinpui and Lawngtlai as per official records.

No land records

The imbroglio at the border also stems from the dearth of land records with the government. The land is a subject administered by the Lai Autonomous District Council: One of the three such bodies in Mizoram. The council has 18 subjects under its jurisdiction with a separate set of laws as provided under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Issuing land pattas is a complex and cumbersome process that also involves the village councils. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that many landowners demanding compensation for the Kaladan project did not own even land in the region. He said many huts have suddenly sprung up near the alignment of the highway at the border.

Some landowners were compensated by the government a couple of years ago, but that only opened a can of worms with an association lodging a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau that funds were disbursed to fraudulent persons. Echoing that official is David Thawngthanga, a senior functionary of the powerful Young Lai Association (YLA), who made a case for an immediate meeting between central government officials and the elected representatives of the autonomous council. Otherwise, the problem will continue to drag and the idea should be to revamp the land administration. The district will have to be made ready for the ambitious project, he explained.

Road to Nowhere

The demand for compensation has held up work on the highway for 3 kilometres from Hmaungbuchhuah to Zorinpui at the border. But work is on at a steady pace on the stretch beyond to Lawngtlai where men and machinery are deployed late into the evening hours after sunset. So, sooner or later, this highway would be completed. But what next?

No scheme has been sanctioned so far for widening National Highway 54 from Lawngtlai to the states border with Assam, which covers a distance of 515 kilometres via Aizawl and Kolasib. Although road conditions were found to be better than other hill states such as Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, it is unlikely the highway would be able to handle a large volume of traffic in current conditions. There were patches of unmetalled roads and potholes along the entire stretch considered the lifeline of Mizoram. At some places, it was difficult for two vehicles to pass one another without caution and deft manoeuvring.

The state government has submitted a proposal to the ministry for widening the highway till Silchar in Assam, which is also the point where the East-West Corridor begins. After it is sanctioned, a new survey would have to be conducted, land acquired and tenders floated: Which certainly would take a few more years.

In Myanmar, it is not known how and when the deadlock for construction of the 109-kilometre highway from Zorinpui to the river terminal at Pale`wa. According to a recent report in The Assam Tribune, the Indian government has drastically slashed aid to Myanmar from Rs 400 crore to Rs 120 crore, citing non-awarding of works related to the road component of the Kaladan project, Trilateral Highway Project and the Kalewa-Yargi Road.

Read Part 2: Kaladan project chugs ahead on treacherous terrain at high cost to human lives, resources

The author is a senior journalist in Guwahati and author of Rendezvous With Rebels: Journey to Meet Indias Most Wanted Men
The Supreme Court, which commenced its hearing into the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case on Wednesday, has held that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramaniam Swamy cannot intervene in the case

The Supreme Court, which commenced its hearing into the Ram Temple-Babri Masjid land dispute case on Wednesday, has held that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramaniam Swamy cannot intervene in the case. The apex court also dismissed all interventions by third parties. The court has fixed the matter for further hearing on 23 March.

#Ayodhya matter: #SupremeCourt dismisses all the intervention applications filed by third parties in the case pic.twitter.com/SAbtxgagQ2  Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) March 14, 2018

Media reports said on Wednesday that there were over 30 intervention applications filed in the case, including those by filmmakers Aparna Sen and Shyam Benegal and activist Teesta Setalvad. The court's ruling came after Swamy said he had a fundamental right to pray at the controversial site, and that fundamental rights were greater than property rights.

#Ayodhya matter: Subramanian Swamy said in the Supreme Court during hearing 'my fundamental rights are higher than my property rights' pic.twitter.com/2a1BDD9nLQ  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018

The court said that Swamy's petition will now be listed separately as a writ petition alone, and not be converted into an interlocutory application. It may be filed before an appropriate court later, the court held.

The court made these observations while commencing its hearing into the dispute, three months after saying it will begin final hearings in the matter.

There are a total of 13 petitions filed over the disputed 2.7 acre land in Ayodhya which has been the bone of contention between Hindu and Muslim communities. However, the date was postponed from 9 February to 14 February, since some documents and translations were not filed before the apex court, Financial Express reported.

The petitions before the judges have been pending for nearly six decades.

According to NDTV, though the court was expected to hold day-to-day hearings, this was not possible as CJI Misra is already part of the Constitution Bench hearing the Aadhaar issue.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad High Court, in a 2:1 majority ruling, in 2010 ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties: The Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.
The Maoist bombing in Chhattisgarh's Sukma, in which 9 CRPF personnel were killed, takes the death toll to more than 1,200 over nine years to 2017.

By Chaitanya Mallapur

Nine Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were killed in a Maoist bombing in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Tuesday, adding to a death toll of more than 1,200 security personnel over nine years to 2017, or twice as much as Jammu and Kashmir over the same period, according to Ministry of Home Affairs data.

"Incidents"  as violent encounters with Maoists are officially described  attributed to Left-wing extremists have declined 60 percent over the last nine years, from 2,258 in 2009 to 908 in 2017.

Aside from the nine soldiers who died in the latest attack, six were injured, four of whom are reported to be critical.

#SpotVisuals from the site of IED blast by Naxals in Kistaram area of #Chhattisgarh's Sukma, 9 CRPF personnel have lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/iN4bQCETHH  ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2018

Deaths of security forces in Naxal-affected areas increased 27 percent over two years, from 59 in 2015 to 75 in 2017.

#SpotVisuals from the site of IED blast by Naxals in Kistaram area of #Chhattisgarh's Sukma, 9 CRPF personnel have lost their lives. pic.twitter.com/TNBUJh5en6  ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2018

On 18 February, two security force personnel were killed and six injured in a gun battle with Maoists in Sukma district, The Indian Express reported.

There were reactions on social media condemning the attack:

The Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh in which 9 CRPF jawans lost their lives is tragic. It reflects a deteriorating internal security situation due to flawed policies. My condolences to the families of those killed. To those who have been injured, I wish a speedy recovery.  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 13, 2018

My heartfelt condolences to the families of those personnel who lost their lives in Sukma blast. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured jawans. I spoke to DG @crpfindia regarding the Sukma incident and asked him to leave for Chhattisgarh.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 13, 2018

#CRPF has been repeatedly suffering big losses in this area, this means the CRPF authority is not taking remedial action, we should learn from mistakes:SK Sood,Former DG,BSF on Sukma attack pic.twitter.com/yO095OenQA  ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2018

For the first time in a decade, 2017 reported less than 1,000 Maoist incidents, The Hindu reported. The decline in these incidents is because of "attrition of various level cadres of Maoists and the other to the possibility of Maoists deliberately lying low", according to a senior official of the Union home ministry. More than 120 incidents were reported this year up to 15 February, in which nine security force personnel and 10 civilians were killed, according to government data. As many as 2,270 encounters with police and 1,356 attacks on police, including with landmines, were reported over the last nine years.

About 300 Naxals were killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh over the last two years since 2016, the states home minister, Ramsewak Paikra told the Legislative Assembly, The Times of India reported.

Chhattisgarh reported more incidents (41 percent) and deaths (49 percent) than any other state (41 percent) in 2017, according to official data.

Over nine years to 2017, 2,811 terrorist incidents were reported in Jammu and Kashmir; 497 security forces have been killed, according to home ministry data.

The number of security forces killed in Jammu and Kashmir have also doubled over the last two years to 2017.

The year 2017 was the worst year for terror-related civilian deaths in Jammu and Kashmir in five years, IndiaSpend reported.

The author is an analyst with IndiaSpend and FactChecker.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of three Central Reserve Police Force troopers hailing from the state, who were killed in a Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers, who were killed in a Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. The three CRPF personnel hailed from Uttar Pradesh.

Of this, Rs 20 lakh would be given to the widows of the deceased CRPF personnel and Rs 5 lakh to their parents, an official said on Tuesday.

Extending his sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families, the chief minister also directed his ministers, those in-charge of the districts from where these troopers hailed, to personally visit their families.

In an attack in Sukma earlier on Tuesday, Manoj Singh of Ballia, Shobhit Kumar Sharma of Ghaziabad and Dharmendra Singh of Mau district were killed along with six other CRPF personnel.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 13)  The Consultative Committee tasked to review the 1987 Constitution moved to ban political dynasties under a federal government.

After three days of intense deliberation, 18 out of the 20-member committee made the unanimous move following their decision on Monday to only regulate political dynasties.

Two members, Victor Dela Serna and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, were absent.

Under the ban, an incumbent official's relative within the second civil degree of consanguinity or affinity is not allowed to run for the same position in the immediate next election.

This covers the spouse, parents, children, in-laws, grandparents, siblings, and grandchildren of an official.

These relatives are also banned from running for more than one national and one regional or local position in the same election.

The national positions stated in the provisions cover the President, Vice President, senators, and congressmen.

However, recommendations from the Consultative Committee are still up for Congress approval.

The committee also adopted two more provisions. A ban on succesion bars a second-degree relative of an incumbent official from running for the same position in the next election. A prohibition on multiple positions prevents second-degree relatives "from running simultaneously for more than one national and one regional or local position."

Committee Chair and former Chief Justice Reynato Puno described the fight against political dynasties as "tepid." He also said the move would probably "incur the ire" of sitting legislators and officials.

"After more than 30 years, the enabling law that will come from congress has been written in invisible ink... We can no longer wink away the fact that political dynasties have putrefied our politics," said Puno.

While the 1987 Constitution is against political dynasties, it is vague about how to regulate them. Under the Article II, the state must "guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law."

However, a law providing for the ban or regulation of political dynasties has evaded passage in Congress.

Committee member Julio Teehankee, political science professor at the De La Salle University College of Liberal Arts, likened Philippine politics to a "clash of clans."

"In the Philippines, clans not parties have been the building blocks of politics," Teehankee said.

Former Senate President Nene Pimentel added political dynasties "destroy the democratic concept of government" and "inhibit the development of the people as a whole."

On January 24, President Rodrigo Duterte formed the committee to make recommendations amid its push for charter change.

READ: Duterte creates constitutional review committee, ex-CJ Puno to lead

One of Duterte's campaign promises was the shift to a federal form of government to provide more autonomy and development to each region. However, critics say a federal system could empower political dynasties or be difficult to economically sustain for poor regions.

READ: Duterte to Congress: Fast-track country's shift to federalism

CNN Philippines correspondents Makoi Popioco and Cecille Lardizabal, multi-platform writer Regine Cabato, and digital producers Ver Marcelo and Yvette Morales contributed to this report.
Though the unsuspecting trekkers were left to the fury of nature, it is now beyond doubt that it was a number of human errors that led to the Theni tragedy.

The tragedy that struck the forests of Theni in the southern district of Tamil Nadu on Sunday, which took 11 young lives, leaving a few more battling at various hospitals, is believed to be nothing short of a man-made disaster.

Though the unsuspecting trekkers were left to the fury of nature, it is now beyond doubt that it was a number of human errors that led to the tragedy.

The Tamil Nadu forest department on Tuesday suspended the Kurangani forest range officer for his inability to prevent what the government claims was an unauthorised trekking in spite of a ban on such activity on those treacherous hills.

But the big question that still remains unanswered is how did such a raging fire start in the first place? Environmentalists have completely ruled out natural causes for the fire and if locals are to be believed, the fire had been raging in the areas adjoining to Kurangani for well over three days before the trekkers ran into it.

Also, the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad has confirmed to Firstpost that since 6 March till the ill-fated trek commenced on 11 March, at least 32 active fires had been reported from the Theni forests alone and that its information had been passed on to the Forest Survey of India.

If so, why was there no early warning system that could have deterred the trekkers? Why did the forest officials not stop the trekkers from entering a protected forest area without permission, especially when a fire was raging close by? Have the reserve forests of the Western Ghats degenerated to a free for all experience?

Who started the fire?

Firstpost reached out to a few expert voices in the region who have a history of more than four decades of working in the area to help understand what could have started the blaze.

"This is not the first time that such a fire has happened. I have seen at least 100 such fires in the last seven years. There is definitely a pattern to it which means it is not just the natural forest fire that extreme heat may give rise to. There is a human hand to it no doubt," Tamil Selvan, an environmental activist who lives next to Kurangani hills told Firstpost.

While on Sunday night itself, hardly a few hours into the tragedy, the Tamil Nadu state government was quick to put the blame on the trekkers for not taking permission before entering the forests, when it came to how and where the fire originated from, they have no words.

Selvan's words are echoed more strongly by others in the area. There is an opinion forming among environmental experts in Theni that a cover-up by a section of the forest staff itself could have led to the fire's origin.

The argument goes like this. It is in summer that census of schedule timber trees like teak, sandal and rosewood is taken into account and a file is maintained as per forest circles or zones by the forest department.

If by any chance a discrepancy is found in the schedule timber list, the concerned forest guard or ranger are held responsible for the missing trees which then goes on to affect their promotion in the service or even a recovery from their salaries.

Hence, it has become a common practice for forest staff to burn tree stumps of such 'disappearing trees' to cover up their tracks, says AV Naku Muthu, a prominent blogger and an environmental expert based out of Theni.

"I am not saying that this has happened in Kurangani forests. But certainly in close by Bodimettu, I have seen this and sometimes such small fires get out of hand due to the extreme heat. See the other man-made causes like cattle grazers burning away wilted grass or firewood collectors forgetting to extinguish a fire are mostly non-existent today as cattle grazing in forests is banned and after the state government gave away gas connections to all, hardly anyone collects firewood in this area now," Muthu told Firstpost.

Bodimettu is hardly 16 kilometres away from Kurangani hills which makes Muthu's theory stand till it gets refuted and proved otherwise. With the forest department tightlipped, the suspicion only grows by the day.

VK Francis is a retired deputy conservator of forests in Kerala. During his tenure as the range officer in Devikulam, which is hardly 25 kilometres away from Bodimettu forests, Francis says he had also come across such practices which when discovered used to be dealt with an iron hand.

"There have been cases of forest staff engaging in such acts. Disgruntled guards have been found to set fire to forests. But then they are only rare incidents. I am not sure in Kurangani that could have been a possibility since Kurangani does not have any big trees. But even I don't think it's a natural fire. Certainly, it seems it was started by someone," Francis told Firstpost.

A mistaken paradise

Though a number of social media messages and advertisements would want trekkers to believe otherwise, Kurangani is far from a trekkers' paradise. Rather it is a trail that had all the potentials of meeting a tragedy anytime.

K Sabu is range officer at the Chinakkanal Forest Range in Munnar and being close to the Kurangani hills knows the terrain better than many others.

"The path from Kolukkumalai to Kurangani, which this team took, is one of the most treacherous routes which is tough for even forest people like us. So, if you have a fire in such a terrain, escape routes are minimal. On one side you have a deep gorge and on the other a steep climb. So, most of them died falling into the gorge with burn injuries which also made rescue that much difficult," Sabu told Firstpost.

What Sabu said is proved by the gruesome videos that emerged out of the place shot by people hoping to send an SOS out. Trekkers with a high degree of burns could be seen crying out for help lying in between boulders before succumbing to their injuries.

But Sabu also added that Kurangani continued to attract high adventure tourists who usually take a lot of precaution before taking tourists out for such activity. "It's good for such adventure where you can climb a lot. But for normal trekking, it's just not the terrain. But a lot of clubs somehow sneak in with people without permissions and no form of security to see the big windy plains which are a great sight," added Sabu.

The 11 who lost their lives between Sunday and Monday are the latest of such gangs hoping to enjoy the thrill.

"Having worked in this division twice, I can say that Kurangani hills are a thorny umbrella forest. I just do not understand what thrill people get by trekking in such an area where every step u take is met with thorny bushes. So, even if u want to move fast, you cannot... forget about running from a fire," added Francis.

Violations galore

The trekking in Kurangani was organised by a 10-year-old club called the Chennai Trekking Club (CTC) run by a Belgian named Peter Van Geit who, according to the Chennai police, is absconding since the accident took place.

The CTC is presently under investigation for evading registration and not having permission for most of the treks it had undertaken in the past.

Sam T Samuel, who runs Kalypso Adventures, an adventure tour company based out of Kochi, takes tourists on trekking to different parts of India. He says that such unauthorised trekking groups that have mushroomed over social media give little importance to the safety of the trekkers.

"Trekking is not a high-risk activity. But even that needs a degree of risk assessment just like what you do before crossing a road. But when people go into such activities without leadership and experience, they take it very casually," Samuel told Firstpost.

He goes on to add, "They think, 'what is going to go wrong if we trek in Kurangani? Perhaps nothing'. It's not a high-risk area. But something unexpected is what you should always worry about while trekking. That's where the risk assessment comes in. For them, a fire wasn't an expected thing that day and they were not prepared for it. They just scattered and ran. There was no one to guide them."

But those who raise their voice for the forests say that the time has come in India to make trekking rules stricter and demarcate specific routes, only which can be used for trekking inside forests.

"There should only be a legal path for trekking. Otherwise either the forest will be affected or those trekking will be in danger. What happened in Kurangani is an utter failure on the part of the forest department, which could not prevent such people from illegally entering the forest. The only solution is to ban trekking in all forests from February to June every year. Otherwise, it is suicidal," says Harish Vasudevan, a noted environmental lawyer.

That the forest officials have been hand-in-glove with such illegal entrants is no secret. Many say it is the rampant commercialisation in the name of tourism that has got the average forest guard or ranger thinking more about tourism and less about the forest itself.

"If you look at the forest department now, it functions best only at tourist locations simply because that is where the money is. This has forced forest conservation by itself to take a back seat. Now, how do you blame a forest guard who happily takes money to allow a few illegal visitors?" asks a senior forest officer in anonymity.

The Tamil Nadu government has, meanwhile, declared a detailed probe into the tragedy. It remains to be seen if some concrete action comes through to not only protect those who enter the forests but more importantly the forest itself, or whether this will be another hogwash.
Stephen Hawking's death is like a supernova, for he leaves behind a legacy of books which could be understood by even those readers who did not have an in-depth knowledge of science | #FirstCulture

Stars have always captured the imagination of humans, probably because of their bright appearances, as well as their mysterious and rapid motions in the night sky. From folklore to poetic metaphor and philosophy, they are omnipresent. Human bodies are closely connected with the life cycles of the cosmos, and tons of cosmic dust falling to the Earth affects all of us. From grains of sand to massive stars, and of course, humans themselves, everything is made of stardust. Our bodies are made of remnants of a dying star, or as Carl Sagan put it, The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.

The death of a Star, it seems, is more of a beginning, rather than an end  a transfer of the energy, at least thats what Einstein and the laws of thermodynamics tell us. However, how it dies depends on the type of star it is. Comparatively smaller stars, like our Sun, will expand to become red giants, but some massive stars die a rather explosive death  a supernova, which is the explosion of a star, the largest explosion that takes place in space. These supernovae can radiate more energy than our sun will in its entire lifetime, and they're also the primary source of heavy elements in the universe.

These astronomical events are so bright that they can be observed with the naked eye from the Earth. Stephen Hawkings death is perhaps, no less than any Supernova, for he was truly a giant star in the world of science, with his own bright, shining light. A light which uncovered the mysterious darkness of black holes and changed the way we perceive them. He never gave up despite all the challenges that he was faced with, even when life turned 180 degrees for him, when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963, at the age of 21.

His body of work on the origins of the Universe, from the Big Bang to black holes, fundamentally changed the field of cosmology. Known for his wit and sarcasm, Hawking was more than just a theoretical physicist, and his popularity was not just limited to astrophysics circles. He was a pop culture celebrity, and made appearances in Star Trek, The Simpsons, and The Big Bang Theory. Apart from being the coolest theoretical physicist, Hawking authored some of the most successful books explaining the complicated dynamics of the universe, black holes, Quantum Theory and other subjects in a manner which appealed to even those readers who may not have an in-depth understanding of science.

His first book, A Brief History of Time, was published in 1988 and became an international bestseller, making him a global star. I was introduced to the genius of Stephen Hawking through this book. Hawking showed to me the wonders of the Universe, questions for which we have no answers as of yet, and the cosmic journey through time and space. His unique style of marrying a childs wonder with a genius intellect is simply breathtaking. This book takes us through a joy ride of the cosmos, from the time when the Greeks believed that the Earth was the center of the universe and supported on the back of a giant tortoise, to the present times when we know the Greeks were wrong. He explained the nature of our universe, from the smallest particles which cannot be seen, to the biggest celestial bodies.

In his second book (a collection of scientific articles, lectures and short autobiographical sketches) titled Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays, published in 1993, Hawking explained the formation and the dynamics of black holes, as well as putting forth his understanding of other theories, like General and Special Relativity, thermodynamics and Quantum Theory. He talks about the how objects that fall into a black hole may create their own little baby universes and how these Universes exist in an imaginary time at right angles to real time, with no beginning or end. In this book, he also discusses his motor neurone disease for the first time and how life changed for him after that.

His third book, The Universe in a Nutshell, was published in 2001. It is generally considered a sequel and was created to update the developments in science since his first best-seller A Brief History of Time. In this book too, Hawking adopted a reader-friendly approach to reach out to those who had a basic understanding of science and explained complex ideas such Godel's Incompleteness Theorem and p-branes of supersymmetry and quantum mechanics. The book explored the possibility of a 'Theory of Everything' which can explain seemingly inconceivable concepts, such time travel and the unification of Einsteinian relativity and quantum theory.

Also read on Firstpost: Stephen Hawking in The Big Bang Theory, Simpsons, Star Trek: A brief history of his pop culture appearances

Hawking was a superstar physicist and admired by many, but his popularity among young kids says a lot about his innate childlike curiosity. He wrote many popular childrens science fiction books, such as George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt (2009) and George and the Big Bang (2011), which he co-authored with his daughter Lucy. In 2013, Hawking published My Brief History, a biographical account which is a collection of memories from his childhood in post-war London, up until the time when he earned worldwide praise and became a celebrity.

Hawkings body of work paved the way for some groundbreaking research and it helped us to better comprehend some of the most complex ideas and principles governing everything. The genius who thought about the stars and the origin of everything is now dead. But the stardust, as the second law of thermodynamics suggest, is back to the place where it belongs  the cosmos.

Salik Khan is the Head of Social Media Communications (Ghalib-in-Chief) at Talk Journalism. He talks about poetry, Physics and Ghalib on Instagram and Twitter at @baawraman
The RJD bagged the Araria Lok Sabha seat and retained the Jehanabad seat, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Bhabua Assembly seat in the Bihar bypolls, results for which were announced on Wednesday.

Despite the absence of its jailed leader Lalu Prasad Yadav from the campaigning in Bihar bypolls, RJD bagged the Araria Lok Sabha seat on Wednesday. The party also retained the Jehanabad Assembly seat, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Bhabhua Assembly constituency in the bypolls, voting for which was conducted on Sunday.

RJD's Kumar Krishna Mohan Alias Suday Yadav defeated Abhiram Sharma (JDU) by 35,036 votes in Jehanabad while its candidate Sarfaraz Alam won in Araria by 61,988 votes. RJD got 5,09,334 votes and BJP got 4,47,346 votes in the Araria bypoll, according to ANI.

BJP's Rinki Pandey won the Bhabhua seat by margin of 15,490 votes. Counting of votes for the three seats in Bihar began amid tight security around 8 am. Araria went to polling on Sunday along with two Assembly seats of Jehanabad and Bhabhua.

After RJD's victory was announced in Jehanabad, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly Tejashwi Yadav thanked the people of Bihar and said, "This victory is the victory of Lalu's ideology."

This was the first electoral battle in Bihar since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who also heads the JD(U), walked out of the alliance with the RJD and the Congress and joined the BJP-led NDA in 2017. The bypoll in Araria was seen as a test for the ruling JD(U)-BJP combine as well as the Opposition RJD-Congress alliance ahead of the big battle in the General Elections due next year.

Reacting to early trends, Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti had said that the results have announced the "end of Nitish Kumar's politics" as the RJD looked set to bag both the Araria Lok Sabha seat and the Jehanabad Assembly constituency.

In Jehanabad, the RJD retained the Assembly seat that fell vacant after the death of Mundrika Yadav. The party gave a ticket to Mundrika's son Kumar Krishna Mohan. The BJP retained the Bhabhua Assembly seat riding on a sympathy wave for Anand Bhushan Pandey, whose death at the age of 48, necessitated the bypoll. The saffron party had fielded Pandey's wife Rinky.

Hindustani Awam Morcha's national spokesperson, E Ajay Yadav, reacting to the results of the Bihar by-elections, said that the NDA was paying the price for underestimating their party and its leader, the former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who has a great hold on Jahanabad. "But NDA has chosen to ignore this and the result of that is in front of us today. If they had chosen Jitan Ram Manjhi as their candidate, it would have been a different day. The poor, Dalit communities consider him their leader. His joining the Mahagatbandhan has made the alliance stronger in the region. Not just in Bihar, now even the UPA will come back strong across the country. In Bihar, Nitish Kumar's countdown has begun."

The contest in Araria was mainly between RJD's Sarafaraz Alam, Taslimuddin's son, and BJP's Pradip Singh, who had won the seat in 2009 and finished runner-up in 2014.

Commenting on emerging trends in by-elections happening in Bihar, CPI state working committee member Irfan Ahmad Faatmi said these results will impact the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Voters in these constituencies have proved that they had favoured Nitish Kumar in Assembly elections to stop BJP from coming to power, Ahmad said, adding that the chief minister had pressed his ministers and MLAs to campaign in Jehanabad by-election, but the voters have given a befitting reply to him.

Ahmad said the trend in Araria is also an answer to BJP state president Nityanand Rai's comment that Sarfaraz's victory will turn Araria into a hub of ISI and Pradip's victory will turn into a citadel of nationalists. "People have rejected BJP's hate politics," he said. CPI had not fielded candidates offering support to RJD-Congress coalition in bypoll.

The current bypoll equations are also likely to reflect in the seat-sharing between the BJP and the JD(U) for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

There were reports of police resorting to the mild use of force outside the counting centre in Jehanabad as young RJD supporters indulged in boisterous jubilations over the news of their candidate Yadav establishing an unassailable lead over former MLA and JD(U) nominee Abhiram Sharma.

Fifty-seven percent votes were recorded in Araria while the voter turnout was 54.03 percent and 50.06 percent in Jehanabad and Bhabhua respectively. The polling was by and large peaceful, the election official said.

With inputs from agencies and 101Reporters
Bharatiya Janata Partys biggest ally in the southern state of Kerala is heading towards an exit from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), upsetting party president Amit Shahs strategy to repeat a Tripura in the country's lone remaining communist citadel.

Bharatiya Janata Partys biggest ally in the southern state of Kerala is heading towards an exit from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), upsetting party president Amit Shahs strategy to repeat a Tripura in the country's lone remaining communist citadel.

The Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), which served as BJPs bridge to the Ezhava community, informed BJP leadership that it will sever its three-year tie up by announcing its decision not to cooperate with the saffron party in the upcoming Assembly by-election at Chengannur in Pathanamthitta district.

The immediate reason for the decision is the denial of a Rajya Sabha seat to BDJS chief Thushar Vellappally after a section of the Kerala BJP allegedly spread rumours that he was going to be chosen by BJP national leadership.

A BDJS meeting held at Cherthala in Alappuzha district on 14 March termed it an insult to the party and the Ezhava community it represents. The party demanded action against those who are responsible for the alleged insult.

The meeting also expressed strong resentment against the BJP national leadership for its failure to fulfil its promise to accommodate BDJS leaders in government bodies. Thushar told reporters after the meeting the party would review the decision only after its demands are accepted.

BJP state spokesman JR Padmakumar said the BDJS decision was based on a mistaken assumption that the party considered Thushars name for the Rajya Sabha seat. He said the party never discussed the seat with BDJS and it had nothing to do with the rumours, dismissing them as a social media creation. He said the BJP state leadership would convey the feelings of the BDJS regarding its other demands to the partys national leadership. He added that he hoped the BDJS would review its decision and work for the party candidate at Chengannur, which is home to a large section of Ezhava votes.

The by-election  necessitated by the death of incumbent Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA KK Ramachandran Nair  is considered as a litmus test for BJPs Mission Kerala. A victory at Chengannur will be a big morale boost for party cadres ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The BJP is targeting 12 seats in the state in the general election.

However, it will be difficult for the BJP to pass the test without the support of BDJS, which is a force to be reckoned with in Chengannur, which has an equal mix of upper caste Nairs, lower caste Ezhavas and Christians. BJP candidate PS Sreedharan Pillai was able to finish a close third in the 2016 Assembly election because of the BDJS support. The partys vote share was only a measly 5 percent in the 2011 election, when the Congress won the seat. It went up to 30 percent in 2016, when the CPM bagged the seat.

The BDJS support saw the Congress lose the seat for only the second time since 1970. The poll result showed that the BDJS alliance with BJP cost the Congress more than the CPM, which is in tune with the trend seen in rest of the state. The BJP was planning to consolidate its position by renominating its 2016 candidate. The party also expected to gain from the exit of Kerala Congress (M), which represents the Christian community, from the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) after the last Assembly poll.

Pillai claimed he got a sizeable number of Christian votes in the last election. He calculated that the victory his party achieved in the eastern states would boost the confidence of the minority community in the BJP and bring him the support of a sizeable section of Christians. The BDJS move is apparently aimed at bringing down the BJP vote share in Chengannur. Thushar, who is the chairman of the NDA, is also trying to rally other smaller parties in the coalition behind its decision. He said that he will soon convene a meeting of all non-BJP parties in the NDA to discuss a common strategy.

CK Janu, chief Janathipathya Rashtreeya Sabha, a minor ally in the NDA, is also not happy with the way the BJP is leading the coalition. The prominent tribal leader, who led several struggles for the rights of the adivasis, had also alleged neglect in the NDA. Resentment has been brewing in the NDA ever since Alphonse Kannanthanam was inducted into the Narendra Modi ministry as Minister of State for Tourism. The BDJS hoped to get the berth as they claimed that promises made to the party when Amit Shah brokered the alliance included a ministerial position in New Delhi.

The party kept off several programmes organised by the NDA to protest denial of the ministerial berth. Though Amit Shah subsequently met the BDJS leader and offered to fulfil the commitments, it only remained on paper, which further fuelled resentment.

Thushars father Vellappally Natesan, who is the general secretary of Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam (SNDP), the socio-cultural organisation of the Ezhava community, has been urging party leadership to snap its ties with the BJP and join either the UDF or the Left Democratic Front (LDF). He said the alliance with the BJP had not benefitted the BDJS in any way. He opined that the BJP was giving the BDJS the cold shoulder as it was more inclined towards the forward community. Vellappally has been in touch with leaders in both the fronts for some time.

A meeting he had with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last year led to speculation that the BDJS would join the LDF. However, sources in the CPM said party leaders had not evinced any interest in bringing the BDJS in to the LDF. However, Thushar is hopeful to get a berth for his party in the ruling front. He said he did not expect any problem since the CPM had joined hands with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by the Bengaluru blast accused Abdul Nassar Madhani.

Political observers view the BDJS' latest decision as part of its pressure tactics. NM Pearson, a Left-leaning political analyst, said that Thushar and his father were aware that the party would not have a say in either the LDF or the UDF. The party is relevant only when it remains in NDA. I feel it will remain in the NDA if it is given a few positions in public sector undertakings. I am sure Amit Shah will ensure this since BDJS is important in BJPs scheme of things, Pearson told Firstpost.

BDJS, which contested 37 seats in 2016 Assembly election, ended up with 4.7 percent of votes. This is significant in the Kerala context since only few lakh votes separate the winner and loser in Assembly elections. Pearson feels that if the BJP is in a position to woo a substantial number of Ezhava voters, it will be able to win more seats. Ezhavas account for more than 50 percent of Kerala's Hindu population.
The template for the Congress is clear: Work in states where it is the main Opposition, while in the rest of the country, play a supporting role, even restrict itself to a facilitator that brings together the Opposition

A few days ago, Sonia Gandhi predicted the Opposition will not let the BJP return to power in 2019. Trends from Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria, where the SP and RJD are leading, suggest the Congress matriarch now has a workable model to ensure her prophesy comes true. She needs to remember what the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said during the campaign: We will stand by those who can defeat the BJP.

If the BJP loses in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, it would be a clear message that a combined Opposition can out up a good fight against Narendra Modi in the next election. And the Congress will have to set aside its ego, forget the dream of seeing Rahul Gandhi as the next Prime Minister of India and work as a facilitator of a united Opposition.

The predicted loss in Uttar Pradesh, or even a close contest in the backyards of the two heavy hitters of the BJP  Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya  can be a game changing event in Indian politics if the BSP and SP carry this forward to 2019. Just a year after a resounding win, if the BJP loses in two seats vacated by the chief minister and his deputy, it suggests a massive churning on the ground with. The SP-BSP had to overcome a deficit of more than 15 percent votes in both these constituencies compared to 2014. The BJP had won these seats by margins exceeding three lakh votes. In Gorakhpur, the SP had never won an election but this year the myth of the Mutt has gone phut. If the BJP is losing now, the Modi magic, the Adityanath charisma, the Amit Shah model of election management, in essence everything the BJP stands for, will be under challenge.

Trends from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh need to be seen in the right context. They come a few months after the Congress gave the BJP a tough fight in Gujarat and won bypolls in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh suggesting that the BJPs hold over the Indian voter in north India is loosening.

On paper, the BSP-SP alliance was always a winner. Even in 2014, if the two had contested together, they could have won 40 seats, pushing the BJP to less than half of its current tally in Uttar Pradesh. This electoral math has been proven effective on the ground in the bypolls. It has proven that if their workers have the right chemistry, their core vote can be transferred to each other and the BJP can be defeated.

The lesson for the Congress is this: If it wants a combined Opposition, it has to be part of it. In Uttar Pradesh, the Congress made the mistake of putting up its candidates, turning the contest triangular. But now that the BSP-SP has proved that it can take on the BJP, the Congress must remember that a Congress-SP-BSP alliance could have had a healthy showing even in 2014, at the height of the Modi wave. How effective this alliance could be in a non-wave election is something the Congress needs to consider seriously. If that happens, the BJP could be facing a big deficit in Uttar Pradesh that might be hard to fill elsewhere.

The template for the Congress is clear: Work in states where it is the main Opposition, such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. In rest of the country, play a supporting role, even restrict itself to a facilitator that brings together everyone capable of beating the BJP.

For the BJP, the possible loss in Gorakhpur and Phulpur would be a huge embarrassment and a loud call for action. Adityanath has been projected as a star campaigner in states like Karnataka and Gujarat. After losing in his own backyard, he would find it difficult to carry the hubris of the next big thing in Indian politics.

This means, the BJP would now have to depend only on Modi to win the battle of 2019. He will have to contend with a combined Opposition, lack of supporting cast from within the BJP and think of new slogans for an election that is likely to be fought on caste lines and regional dynamics. His tirade against corruption is unlikely to echo because trends from Araria seem to suggest that they are willing to back even a party whose leader has been jailed for graft.

The 2019 election is by no means a done deal for the BJP. Far from it. If the Congress manages to retain Karnataka and performs well in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, it would bring politics back to its pre-Modi era where every outcome is possible.

Sonia Gandhi could be proven right. But, she would have to absorb the message from Gorakhpur and Phulpur. That the Opposition can be a force to reckon with only if it stays together, and that theres no place for her son at the top of that grouping.
The Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, a key partner in the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, said it would not co-operate with the saffron party for the upcoming Assembly bypoll in Chengannur unless 'issues' are resolved.

Alappuzha (Kerala): The Bharat Dharma Jana Sena, a key partner in the BJP-led NDA in Kerala, on Wednesday said it would not co-operate with the saffron party for the upcoming Assembly bypoll in Chengannur unless "issues" are resolved.

BJP has not fulfilled the promises it made to NDA partners with regard to appointments in boards and corporations, BDJS president Thushar Vellapally told reporters after a meeting of the party leaders.

"In the present circumstances, it is difficult for the party to cooperate with NDA in the coming polls," he said.

However, he made it clear that the party has not taken any decision to leave the NDA. "Once issues are settled, a united NDA could face the polls," he said.

The BDJS chief took exception to reports that he was chosen as a candidate by the BJP national leadership for the Rajya Sabha polls from a northern state.

It was a propaganda unleashed by certain individuals in the saffron party's state unit to "insult" him and BDJS, he alleged.

"BDJS would file a written compliant to BJP national president Amit Shah seeking action against those responsible for spreading false reports about my Rajya Sabha candidature," he said.

"Neither I nor the party has asked for a Rajya Sabha seat," the BDJS chief added.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Kumanom Rajasekharan said the issues raised by BDJS would be brought to the BJP central leadership's notice. He also expressed confidence that a united NDA would face the Chengannur bypoll.

The relations between BJP and BDJS have not been cordial with the latter alleging that the saffron party had not given due recognition to them and posts and positions in boards and corporations as promised.

BDJS was formed in 2015 by the Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam headed by its powerful general secretary Vellapally Nateshan.

SNDP is a social organisation of the numerically strong backward Ezhava community in the state.

Even though election notification for the Chengannur bypoll has not been issued, the ruling CPM-led LDF, UDF Opposition spearheaded by the Congress and BJP have announced their candidates for the seat.

CPM Alappuzha district seretary Saji Cherian is the candidate of the LDF and Congress leader D Vijayakumar the UDF candidate. Former BJP state president PS Sreedharan Pilla is the NDA candidate.
Lalu Prasad, currently in jail following conviction in fodder scam cases, on Wednesday termed the victory of his party in Bihar bypolls as 'victory of truth over falsehood'

Patna: RJD president Lalu Prasad, currently in jail following conviction in fodder scam cases, on Wednesday termed the victory of his party in Bihar bypolls as "victory of truth over falsehood".

The RJD retained Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad assembly seats in the

by-elections for three seats in Bihar. The BJP retained Bhabhua assembly seat.

"The more you pour the fuel of conspiracy on Lalu, the brighter will his lantern burn. Millions of salutations to the people of Bihar for upholding justice. This is a victory of truth over falsehood," the RJD supremo, whose party has the lantern as its election symbol, tweeted in Hindi.

Prasad's official twitter handle is managed by close confidants. The jailed leader has been expressing himself through the social media platform ever since he went behind the bars in December last year.

The RJD supremo has been accusing the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Nitish Kumar dispensation in Bihar of entering into a conspiracy to get him implicated in cases relating to fraudulent withdrawal of money from the treasury in various districts.

Prasad also thanked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee, who congratulated him on the "great victory", saying "Thank you, didi. Together we are fighting. We shall fight and we will win".
The Gujarat Assembly witnessed a ruckus on Wednesday as the members of the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress came to blows.

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Assembly witnessed a ruckus on Wednesday as the members of the ruling BJP and Opposition Congress came to blows.

Following the incident, a Congress MLA was suspended for the entire Budget Session of the Assembly.

The Congress members hit BJP MLA Jagdish Panchal with the rod of a microphone and also punched him, following which the members of the ruling party assaulted Amrish Der of the Opposition party.

The ruckus began when Speaker Rajendra Trivedi stopped Vikram Madam of the Congress from expressing his views during a discussion on an issue after the Question Hour. Madam, however, insisted that he would speak.

At that time, Der asked the speaker to allow Madam to speak.

The speaker objected to his tone, following which Madam and Der rushed to the Well of the House in protest.

Trivedi then suspended both the Congress MLAs for the day and they were taken out of the Assembly by the marshals.

This enraged Congress MLA Pratap Dudhat, who then attacked the BJP's Jagdish Panchal with a rod attached to a microphone.

Dudhat was angry with Panchal for asking Congress MLAs to remain silent when the speaker was making his point.

After the attack on Panchal, the speaker suspended Dudhat for the rest of the Budget Session. He then adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

In the meantime, Der entered the House from the back door and attacked Panchal.

The other BJP members present in the House came to Panchal's rescue and attacked Der. The marshals rushed in and brought the situation under control.
What is needed perhaps then is a more conciliatory leadership at the Centre, that assuages the feelings of hurt and disenchantment. No one is suggesting that the peninsula wants to break away but a parting of hearts would do as much damage in the long run.

The south of the Vindhyas is angry. Or at least its politicians certainly are. What else can possibly explain a chorus of sorts, as unorchestrated as it may sound, against the hegemony of a New Delhi. Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, who calls himself the senior most politician in India, is the latest to join the bandwagon. In his latest avatar of a leader fighting for Telugu atmagauravam and against the will of New Delhi to do as it pleases, Naidu is dismissive of the nomenclature of central money and state money.

"It is people's money,'' he said. "The southern states contribute maximum tax revenues to the Centre but the latter is diverting the money to the development of northern states.'' Naidu's angst arises from the fact that when he needs the money generated by his Telugu brethren, it is subsiding those in the cow belt while he has to scrape the bottom of his exchequer.

Last year, Telangana Information Technology minister KT Rama Rao had expressed his disappointment at lack of focus on the engines of growth in south India, emphasising more on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. His father, Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao took the rhetoric a step further this month when he accused the Centre of reducing states to puppets and riding roughshod over the federal structure of India. Both Naidu and KCR were echoing what their Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah said last month. "Karnataka contributes 9 percent of the total taxes collected in India, which is the third highest. But we get only 4.65 percent from the Centre,'' Siddaramaiah pointed out.

When actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan launched his Makkal Needhi Maiam party in Madurai last month, his party flag raised eyebrows. It showed six hands that Kamal said denoted the six states of south India, holding each other. It was a visual manifestation of the need to be together as a pressure group of sorts to fight the perception  right or wrong  that south India is left out of both decision-making and financial benefits by the Centre. Important to note is that Kamal follows Periyar's Dravidian ideology that among other things, espouses the idea of a Dravida Nadu.

It would seem that an anti-north India rant is a stepping stone for newbies in the political arena. Telugu star Pawan Kalyan who is also eyeing an acting political role, has on more than one occasion slammed the "biased attitude of the north Indian leadership''. In a tweet last year, Pawan wrote: "To BJP leadership - We are in down south and we are the foundation of this nation and not your up north political leadership.'' Much before Kamal, Pawan asked for all political parties in south India to come together on a common platform and set aside political differences.

The point that many like Pawan are making is that 20 percent of India's population, living in south India, is contributing 30 percent of India's tax collection. The south also does far better on several indices, including education, health, population control, electrification and industrial development.

It is this sentiment of anger that manifests itself when Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has the gall to lecture Kerala on how to manage its health system better. Admittedly, there are problem areas in Kerala (like anywhere else) and there is scope for improvement. But when the chief minister of a state that witnessed the deaths of children in Gorakhpur reportedly due to lack of oxygen among other reasons and more recently, the terribly callous case of a man's amputated leg being used as a headrest for him at a Jhansi hospital, gets into preaching mode, it understandably raised hackles in Kerala.

Are these utterances to be taken as stray expressions of anguish or a pointer to a deep cleavage within India? Mohan Guruswamy, a policy analyst and former advisor to finance minister Yashwant Sinha said it seems to arise out of an apprehension that in due course of time, south India will have a fewer Lok Sabha seats in comparison with the cow belt states and that will translate to reduction in political power.

"The politicians are only tapping into the groundswell. These feelings have begun coming into the public domain with decisions like attempts to impose Hindi on highway milestones,'' said Guruswamy. With regional parties holding sway in most south Indian states, it also seems an attempt by party chieftains to play the identity card, possibly to protect their turf against the possibility of a BJP incursion, using its brand of nationalistic politics.

"Would the south become a pressure group? I doubt it. When two Telugu speaking states cannot be united, where is the scope for all of south India with all their squabbling over water resources?'' asked economist Gautam Pingle. "This is just a bargaining chip to get more money and the moment they get it, they will keep quiet. Besides, if you don't help Uttar Pradesh and Bihar develop, people in those states will be at your doorstep.''

What is needed perhaps then is a more conciliatory leadership at the Centre that assuages the feelings of hurt and disenchantment. No one is suggesting that the peninsula wants to break away but a parting of hearts would do as much damage in the long run.
Had it been a victory for the party, the credit would have obviously gone to the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah and to the good governance of the state by Yogi.

A year ago, when the then Gorakhpur Lok Sabha MP Yogi Adityanath assumed charge as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister on 19 March, such was the euphoria of victory in the BJP that there was almost a general belief that the Opposition of all hue and stature simply was sucked into the black hole of defeat. BJP was nearly deemed invincible: Winning a whopping 325 out of 403 Assembly seats as the hapless Opposition was reduced into a miserable state of soul-searching.

A year later it's an altogether different story. Having strayed into a complete path of disarray, the Opposition soon realised that the motto  united we stand, divided we fall  was the only way to try and stop the winning streak of the BJP.

Such was the determination to take on the BJP, that once bitter rivals  Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party  joined hands to uproot BJP from the Lok Sabha constituencies of Gorakhpur and Phulpur which were vacated by Yogi and his deputy, Keshav Prasad Maurya. As counting of votes continues in the bypolls of Gorakhpur and Phulpur, the trends decisively indicate a win for the Samajwadi Party candidates in both the seats.

In terms of arithmetic in Lok Sabha, the BJP with 273 seats is comfortably placed and even after these defeats the Narendra Modi government won't be disturbed when it comes to the majority in the House. But more than the math, it is the political message that will ring large. BJP is no longer the formidable unit of 2014 which, buoyed on the Narendra Modi wave, and Uttar Pradesh where the party created a twosome magic with spectacular victories in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly elections ceases to be a fortress for the saffron forces.

Had it been a victory for the party, the credit would have obviously gone to the duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah and to the good governance of the state by Yogi. It will be interesting to see who will take the blame for these bypoll fiascos. The failures will also reflect on the leadership qualities of Yogi who was parachuted from Lok Sabha by the BJP central leadership as the chief minister to the utter surprise of party leaders, political experts and the media. More than Romeo squads and Falgun Mahotsav, the state government needs to deliver on development and employment, at least which goes beyond mere photo opportunities and rhetoric.

Now that the defeats are inevitable there may be some excuses for sure to offer. Writing for Firstpost, Raj Silvano and Saurabh Sharma of m 101Reporters indicated earlier that the humiliation of the BJP in these seats won't be a surprise.

"While BJPs choice of Upendra Shukla in Gorakhpur was against Yogis wish, Kaushalendra Patel got the Phulpur ticket against Mauryas wish. But both leaders have campaigned vigorously for the partys candidates. More than in Gorakhpur, the party was faced with an uphill task in Phulpur with the entire leadership having diverted its energy to address rallies to woo voters, especially backwards. Yogi and Maurya have addressed several rallies. Whether the turnout at the rallies would convert into votes will be decided on 11 March, when votes are cast, indications are that a united show of strength put up by opposition parties seems to have dimmed BJPs prospects in Phulpur, where Keshav Maurya had defeated his nearest rival BSP candidate Kapil Karvariya in 2014 by more than three lakh votes. Maurya, however, is putting up a brave face by claiming that the BJP will even surpass the victory margin of 2014," Silvano and Sharma wrote.

It has to be kept in mind that Yogi won the Gorakhpur seat five times before he was brought in to the secretariat in Lucknow. Phulpur happened to be represented thrice by Jawaharlal Nehru.

With just a year left for the Lok Sabha election in 2019, it is becoming increasingly clear that there is no dream run for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh if they cannot get their house in order soon. In 2014, the party won an incredible 71 seats out of 80, which is actually more number of seats than many states combined together.

Whether the party decides to brush aside the defeats or accept what went wrong, it's a different matter altogether, but the rise of the Opposition from the dust is real and it's here. Modi knows it and so does Shah. It's time Yogi takes heed.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  Senator Leila De Lima will not need an operation for a mass found in her liver last month.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Senator dispelled concerns about her health after results from her CT scan showed the mass was "not malignant."

"I have received the results of my CT-Scan and am very grateful that the impression of a 'liver mass' detected from my check-up last February 15 is not malignant. This means that there is no need for an operation," she said in a statement.

De Lima was granted a one-day furlough on Monday for a CT scan at the Philippine Heart Center after doctors found an impression of a mass in her liver last February.

De Lima, who is detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, had requested the leave after the mass was discovered during a routine checkup at the Philippine National Police General Hospital.

Following the scan, she assured supporters there was "nothing to worry about."

READ: De Lima: 'Nothing to worry about' after physical exam

De Lima thanked God, her loved ones, and supporters for their concern after receiving the good news. She added, she is dedicated to fulfilling her duties as a Senator despite being detained.

"Hinding-hindi po ako magpapanggap na may sakit para lang makalaya, at lalo na, para magpaawa. Huwag po kayong maawa sa akin. Maawa po kayo sa bayan," she added.

[Translation: I would never pretend to be sick just so they'd allow me to leave jail or to gain people's sympathy. Don't feel bad for me. Feel bad for the country.]

De Lima, a staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, has been detained in Camp Crame for more than a year over drug charges. She has denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade.

The embattled Senator said she would continue to fight not just for her release, but for the country's freedom as well.

"Mananatili po akong naninindigan para sa katotohanan, katarungan at kapakanan ng ating mga mamamayan," she said.

[Translation: I will continue to stand up for the truth, for justice, and for the good of our countrymen.]

De Lima also took a jab at the administration's war on illegal drugs after prosecutors from the Justice Department cleared self-confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa and more than 20 others. Espinosa was one of the key witnesses against De Lima.

"Ngayon nga pong inabswelto ng DOJ sina Peter Lim, Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Co at iba pang sangkot sa ilegal na droga, lalong napapagtibay ang aking pagiging inosente, at ang aking paniniwala sa simula't sapul na peke at palpak ang War on Drugs ni Duterte," she said.

[Translation: The Department of Justice's move to absolve Peter Lim, Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Co, and other personalities involved in illegal drugs, has further proven my innocence and my belief that Duterte's war on drugs is fake and flawed.]
As results of by-elections in two Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh became clear on Wednesday, the ruling BJP held opportunism of Opposition parties responsible for the loss, and cited their last minute alliance.

Lucknow: As results of by-elections in two Lok Sabha seats of Uttar Pradesh became clear on Wednesday, the ruling BJP held opportunism of Opposition parties responsible for the loss, and cited their last minute alliance.

The victory in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur LS seats is a minuscule, yet significant achievement for both Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), who entered an election pact for the first time after 1993 Assembly polls, which were conducted after sacking of Kalyan Singhs BJP government in the aftermath of demolition of Babri Masjid.

With support from arch-rival BSP, SPs Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel won Phulpur with a margin of 59,613 votes, taking hold of the constituency represented by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in past. On Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths home turf Gorakhpur, SPs Praveen Kumar Nishad won by 21,881 votes.

In 2014 LS elections, SP had won five seats with 22.35 percent vote share, while BSP could not win a single seat despite polling 19.77 percent votes. Both, SP and BSP, were curtailed to 50 and 20 seats respectively in last Assembly elections held in 2017.

Both regional parties have tasted success because they came together, which implies that caste politics is back in the state, said senior journalist Srawan Shukla. He added that these results indicate that the Modi Wave of 2014 has vanished with the hardline rule of Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Hindu Yuva Vahini founder Yogi Adityanath.

Media reportedly gagged

Earlier on Wednesday, several journalists claimed that Gorakhpur district magistrate Rajiv Rautela stopped them from entering counting centre set up at Gorakhpur University and prevented them from reporting results of the by-election, while allowing only those mediapersons who were his cronies.

While the magistrates office denied Rautela had passed any such diktat, Harikesh Singh, a journalist covering by-election results for a regional web portal, told Firstpost: The media was asked to stay away from the counting centres and come only when they are asked to. He added that Rautelas responses turned even more rude when media queried him regarding the counting process.

Interestingly, Rautela, along with IAS officer Rakesh Kumar Singh, were suspended by Allahabad High Court in December 2017 for promoting illegal mining during his tenure in Rampur district. The court asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary to take disciplinary action against both the IAS officers, but Rautela continues to serve as district magistrate of Gorakhpur, Singh is the district magistrate of Kanpur (Dehat).

Rautela was also under scanner when in his report submitted to the court in the capacity of a district magistrate, he held an oxygen supplying agency and a doctor responsible for deaths of more than 60 children at the BRD Hospital. He is said to be a close relative of Adityanath.

Akhilesh mum on future of alliance

People have taught a lesson to the BJP, said former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav while addressing the media in Lucknow.

BJPs policies have been such that they have harassed the poor, backwards, Dalits and Muslims of the state. They promised moon to the masses, but failed in delivering anything, Yadav said, while maintaining silence on a future alliance with Mayawati-led BSP. He visited the BSP supremos residence later in the evening.

Acche din to nahi aaye lekin bure din dikhane ke liye sab ekjut hue (acche din did not arrive, but they all teamed up to show us the bad days), Yadav said, as he thanked Mayawati for extending support to the alliance.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh BJP president Mahendra Nath Pandey, said the party will introspect on this loss.

Poor polling percentage could have been the reason, Pandey added.

'SP, BSP back in race for LS polls'

RR Jha, a professor with the political science department at Banaras Hindu University, said the by-election result should not only be seen as BJPs defeat, but also as victory of an alliance between parties that were struggling for survival.

Election performances of both SP and BSP seemed to convey they had lost their political ground in recent past and were fighting for survival. Though experimental in nature, this alliance has brought them back in the race of 2019 elections, said Jha.

Jha is hopeful that the we can attitude of this alliance of regional parties can repeat what Ram Manohar Lohia, along with other leaders, did in 1963, by generating a united Opposition to counter then Congress government at Centre.

This result also reflects the problem with our country, said Jha, explaining how people of Uttar Pradesh supported BJP consecutively in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, but voted it out now as the state government, and prominently their MPs failed to stand true to their expectations.

The BHU professor said the saffron party needs to introspect on its defeat as it has lost seats previously held by its chief minister and deputy chief minister.

Losing Gorakhpur is a huge setback for BJP as it had been a saffron citadel of sorts with Adityanath representing the constituency in the Parliament five times, after three terms of his guru Avaidyanath as MP, said Jha.

This shows the return of caste politics in Uttar Pradesh. BSP and SP have shown that the vote bank of Dalits, Muslims and OBCs is much bigger than the vote bank of BJP, Jha said, adding that the same formula worked for RJD, JD-U and Congress in Bihar. While RJD won Araria LS and Jehanabad Assembly seats, victory on Bhabhua Assembly seat was the only consolation for BJP.

Saurabh Sharma is Lucknow-based freelance journalist and a member of 101reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroot journalists
The results of the Phulpur and Gorakhpur bypolls in Uttar Pradesh will be announced on Wednesday and the results can be significant in light of the 2019 general elections.

Auto refresh feeds

Votes for the crucial Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections will be counted today amid tight security arrangements. An Election Commission official said all arrangements have been made for the counting of ballots and the results are expected to the declared by Wednesday afternoon.

Till 1 pm, 30.20 percent voting had been registered in Gorakhpur. In Phulpur, the parliamentary constituency of deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, voting till 1 pm was not very impressive and only 19.20 percent votes had been cast.

Voter turnout, initially, was poor in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary constituencies in Uttar Pradesh but it picked up as voters started queuing up outside polling booths, an election official said.

ANI tweeted out images from the counting centres in Uttar Pradesh. Heavy security has been deployed at Gorakhpur university where counting will be held.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who vacated Gorakhpur seat after his elevation, had held it since 1998

The Congress is fighting on its own and has named Surahita Kareem as its candidate.

The Samajwadi Party has fielded Praveen Nishad in Gorakhpur. The Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal have extended their support to the SP candidate.

Bharatiya Janata Party's Upendra Dutt Shukla is in the fray for the Gorakhpur seat this time.

Almost 20 lakh residents were eligible to cast their vote in the Gorakhpur bypolls

The arrangement between the parties has left BJP in an uneasy position and entire BJP machinery had to do a war like campaigning on both the seats. The direct fight is between SP, BSP and BJP.

The announcement by the Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to support Samajwadi Partys candidate has made these bypolls very interesting as the results of these polls will decide on future alliance of the arch-rivals.

The Gorakhpur seat is so crucial for the BJP that the Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has dubbed these elections as a semi final of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Gorakhpur seat is significant because it is the bastion of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath who has represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Prior to him, the seat was thrice represented in Parliament by his mentor Mahant Avaidyanath.

The Phulpur seat was never a BJP bastion and the saffron party first won this seat in 2014. Experts say that BJPs Keshav Prasad Maurya won riding on the Narendra Modi wave. The Phulpur seat has also been represented by former Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru.

Upendra Shukla from the BJP, Praveen Nishad from Samajwadi Party, and Surhita Chatterjee Karim from the Congress are the main contenders for the Gorakhpur seat.

Kaushalendra Singh Patel from the BJP, Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel from SP, Manish Mishra from the Congress are contesting from the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.

A total of 19.63 lakh voters will decide the fate of 22 candidates. The BJP has fielded Kaushlendra Singh Patel who is pitted against Nagendra Singh Patel of the SP. The BSP here too is supporting the SP candidate. The Congress has fielded Manish Mishra as its candidate.

Adityanath had also called the BSP-SP partnership for the bypolls an "unholy alliance". "The voters will reject this opportunistic, unethical and unholy alliance," he had said. On the other hand, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had said polling day was a day to "change and re-write history"

After casting his vote in Gorakhpur, Adityanath had claimed that the BJP was getting a widespread support from the people, while Keshav Prasad Maurya had said his party would win both the seats.

Describing it as the dress rehearsal for 2019 General Elections, Yogi Adityanath said the BSP-SP partnership is "unholy alliance" and said that the BJP is still confident of a win in both constituencies.

For the first time in 25 years, arch-rivals  Akhilesh and Mayawati  have teamed up to take on the BJP. The saffron party had steamrolled the regional parties in last year's Assembly elections.

According to additional commissioner of the Election Commission Ved Prakash Verma BJP is leading in Rural Gorakhpur and Samajwadi Party in Piprachi.

District Magistrate Rajiv Rautela told Firstpost that everything has been done on the directions of EC. Meanwhile, BJP is leading in Gorakhpur.

Strong room is the place where postal ballots and EVMs are kept after the voting. The representative of candidates stay there till those ballots or EVMs are taken for counting.

Samajwadi Party's Praveen Nishad who is contesting from the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha has alleged that his representative was ousted from the strong room. Nishad is going to the Election Commission, Firstpost was told.

According to early trends, Samajwadi Party in Phulpur is leading with 6744 votes while the BJP is trailing with 4379 votes. Independent candidate Ateeq Ahmad gained just 88 votes so far, Election Commission said.

The BJP is leading with 3,134 votes in Campierganj Vidhan Sabha (Gorakhpur) while Samajwadi Party is trailing with 3,300 votes. Early trends showed lead for the SP-BSP combine in Phulpur.

Round four of counting in Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency is underway. The Samajwadi Party is leading with 12,383 votes, BJP is trailing with 9,906 votes. According to the Election Commission Independent candidate Ateeq Ahmad has the lowest  2,570 votes.

NDTV report quoted Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajiv Routela as saying that as per instructions from the Election Commission, there will be restriction on victory processions after the results are declared this afternoon.

According to the additional commissioner of the Election Commission, round four of counting is over in Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency. The EC said that there were delays due to "some problem" with one EVM.

Even as early trends showed the BJP leading in Gorakhpur, SP candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad expressed doubt about EVM machines. "I am confident of my victory. People are saying that SP's grand alliance will win this seat but there is a doubt in everyone's mind regarding EVM machines. The government can do anything using state administration," Nishad said.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela has stopped media from entering the counting area. Rautela also stopped counting personnel from giving updates to media.

BJP's candidate from Phulpur Lok Sabha seat Kaushlendra Singh Patel says that these numbers are just "early trends."

Samajwadi Party's lead in Phulpur constituency of Uttar Pradesh bypoll elections gives an idea of the way 'gathbandhan' politics must shape up if BJP has to be defeated. Any anti-BJP 'gathbandhan' won't do. It has to be the right mix of voter base and vote transfers for the alliance to work. This is why SP's tie-up with Congress during the Assembly polls didn't work, but its alliance with Mayawati's BSP, might. The SP candidate's lead in Phulpur is just over 3,000 votes, but there are enough indications that this coming together of bua and bhatija is inevitable if the BJP juggernaut has to be stopped. This doesn't augur well for Congress though.

Why SP's tie-up with BSP may work, but its alliance with Congress failed in Uttar Pradesh

Sources at the Gorakhpur counting centres have said the BJP is leading by just 1,900 votes in the city at the end of the eighth round of counting. However, the DM officials aren't informing details about the seat tallies.

There is no observer to sign the sheets, hence the delay, says Gorakhpur district manager Rajiv Rautela.

So far, according to a CNN-News18 report, the Congress seems to have garnered just over a thousand votes. The situation in Gorakhpur, where BJP is comfortably leading, is similar. It is to be noted that Akhilesh Yadav refused to tie up with Congress ahead of the bypoll, perhaps disillusioned with Congress' role in the 'UP ke ladke' debacle. These developments raises questions on the relevance of Congress in national politics.

Sonia Gandhi may have invited 20 Opposition leaders at her residence on Tuesday night for dinner politics, and it did make for big headlines and good optics, but things are not looking good at all for Congress. Phulpur, which used to be Jawaharlal Nehru's constituency, is showing a sizeable lead in favour of Samajwadi Party, which went into an unofficial alliance with BSP, with BJP in close pursuit. The Congress is nowhere to be seen.

Samajwadi Party candidate Praveen Kumar Nishad has secured the lead in Gorakhpur, and is leading BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla by 1,000 votes.

After eight rounds of counting, ANI reports Samajwadi Party candidate Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel leading with 99,557 votes while BJP candidate Kaushlendra Singh Patel is second with 87,326 votes after eight round of counting.

Tallies after four rounds of counting is out. District Magistrate Rajiv Rautela tells Firstpost that Samajwadi Party is ahead with 59.960 votes while the BJP is second with 56,945 votes. Congress is at abysmal 2,386 votes.

According to sources inside the counting centre, Samajwadi Party has raced past the BJP and is leading with 74,077 votes in Gorakhpur while BJP is trailing behind with 70,317 votes.

According to sources inside counting centre, Samajwadi Party is ahead with 1,11,668 votes while the BJP is trailing second with 97,369 votes. Independent candidate Ateeq has 14,454 votes while the Congress has fallen way behind with 5,130 votes.

Samajwadi Party's Praveen Kumar Nishad leading with a margin of 10,598 with 1,19,427 votes, BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla second with 1,08,829 votes after eighth round of counting.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Uttam Patel writes to State Chief Election Officer stating that people and media were removed from the counting center in Gorakhpur. Patel also alleged that the district administration is working towards making the BJP candidate win.

SP leader writes to SEC officer over the issue of media being kept out of counting centre in Gorakhpur

Dubbed as the arch-rival in the regional political arena, Mayawati and Akhilesh decided to be partners for the ongoing bypolls to counter the BJP in the state. The saffron party had steamrolled SP and BSP in last year's state Assembly election.

As Samajwadi Party raced ahead of BJP in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies, party workers of BSP and SP raised 'bua-bhateeja zindabad' slogans.

After the 10th round of counting in Phulpur, BJP's Kashlendra Singh Patel had secured 1,06,534 votes and the Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Singh Patel 122,247  a lead of 15,713 votes.

The Samajwadi Party took early lead, right from the beginning of the vote count, and steadily built up the gap with its BJP rivals as officials furiously counted the tens of thousands of votes polled in the Sunday by-elections, IANS reports.

The Lucknow Assembly was also adjourned over this issue as Opposition created ruckus in the House.

Amid all this, the man behind the unprecendented gag order on the media happens to be Rautela. Setting up a huge political controversy, officials in Gorakhpur - the home base of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath - blacked out the counting for parliamentary bypolls and banned the media allegedly as soon as trends started favouring the opposition candidate over that of the ruling BJP. Rautela reportedly walked into the counting centre and stopped personnel from giving updates to the media.

The Allahabad High Court had also directed the UP chief secretary to take disciplinary action against the two DMs and submit a report on 16 January, 2018. The High Court had given instructions to investigate the role of administrative and police officials in the case and to take departmental action. There is no word on that report.

In December 2017, the Allahabad High Court had ordered the suspension of two district magistrates  Rajiv Rautela and Rakesh Kumar Singh  in a case related to illegal mining from Kosi River in Rampur district. Rautela and Singh were accused of promoting illegal mining during their tenure as district magistrates in Rampur despite the ban on mining in Uttar Pradesh.

In a rare political coming together of old rivals, Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief Mayawati congratulated Leader of Opposition and Samajwadi Party member Ram Govind Choudhury for their win in Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypolls.

Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Uttam Patel had complained to the State Chief Election Officer in a letter stating that people and media were removed from the counting center in Gorakhpur. Patel also alleged that the district administration is working towards making the BJP candidate win.

An EC official said the commission has sought clarification from Rautela after he reportedly stopped media from entering the counting area. Rautela also stopped counting personnel from giving updates to media.

Though four decades have passed since encephalitis was first reported in the state, governments have employed little to no pre-emptive measures to contain the deadly disease. Even as the administration is accused of sustained apathy, the voters who had queued up for the bypoll on Sunday were unanimous in saying that healthcare facilities remain their prime area of concern.

According to a report by the Directorate of National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme, as many as 26,686 cases of vector-borne encephalitis were reported in Uttar Pradesh between 2010 and 2017. Most of these cases were reported in Gorakhpur

Nowhere is BJP's defeat in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh bypolls was as surprising as in Yogi Adityanath's Gorakhpur. A ground report found out that healthcare facility was the key issue in the run-up to Sunday's bypolls.

However, on the long-term future of the SP-BSP alliance, he said that it will be very difficult for both parties to work together in future given their past rivalry, and if they want to come together then they should have a formula otherwise this arrangement is not going to stay long.

According to veteran journalist JP Shukla, Samajwadi Party's lead in both seats is because of the shift of the BSP vote banks. He said that SP did a lot of ground work and party workers were camping in both the constituencies from many days.

"It is clear from the by-poll results that voters are angry with BJP&they will vote for the non-BJP candidate who has strongest chance of winning. As far as, Congress is concerned,we are committed towards re-building the Party in UP, and it does not happen overnight," Rahul tweeted in Hindi.

Speaking to Times Now, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma said, "We have learnt from every defeat. We are the party who won just two seats in Lok Sabha once upon a time and have today come back with 3/4th majority. So victory and loss are the two faces of same coin. We will sit together and analyse what went wrong."

Victory and loss two faces of same coin in democracy: UP Dy CM Dinesh Sharma

The highest number of communal incidents in 2017 were reported in Uttar Pradesh where 44 people were killed and 542 others were injured in 195 communal incidents.

According to MHA data , the country has recorded a spike in the number of communal riots in 2017 and Uttar Pradesh has topped the list. The highest number of communal incidents in 2017 were reported in Uttar Pradesh where 44 people were killed and 542 others were injured in 195 communal incidents.

As the BJP has lost both Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh bypolls, the party will analyse the causes of defeat in due course. The party has fought elections on the development plank, but a communal undertone to Indian politics cannot be denied.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, BJP UP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey said that the poor polling percentage could have affected the results in the state. "We will analyse and work on the places where we lacked and will work harder and perform better in the 2019 elections," he said.

According to Election Commission website , a defeated candidate loses his security deposit if he/she fails to secure more than one sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency.

According to ANI, Congress party candidates have not been able to even save their security deposits in Phulpur ad Gorakhpur. This would be a major set back for the party as the politically important Phulpur seat was once represented by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Adityanath also said that the BJP failed to preempt and prepare for the opportunistic and incompatible marriage of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in the elections.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conceded defeat as trends became clear in Gorakhpur, and SP won Phulpur with over 59,000 votes. Speaking to the press, he said that his party will analyse the reasons of defeat and improve its performance. He, however, conceded that overconfidence may have cost the party the two Lok Sabha seats.

Samajwadi Party's Rajya Sabha MP and Akhilesh's uncle Ram Gopal Yadav, who is credited for bringing Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party on the same table, today thanked the party's workers for ensuring the SP candidates' win. He said the people have openly rejected the BJP's divisive rule and its policies.

"Acche din to aaye nahi, kam se kam inko bure din dikhane ke liye janta ekjut ho gayi (The promised good days never came, but it reunited the people against them)," Akhilesh said.

Akhilesh Yadav said that whichever party hurts the people have to pay the price, and the BJP's policies have been such that they have harassed the poor, backward and Dalits in the state. "They came to power on big promises but they failed to deliver anything," he said.

In a major blow to the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, backed by its otherwise bitter foe BSP, wrested the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat by 59,613 votes and bagged the Gorakhpur seat with over 21,000 votes.

According to Election Commission website , a defeated candidate loses his security deposit if he/she fails to secure more than one sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency.

According to ANI, Congress party candidates have not been able to even save their security deposits in Phulpur ad Gorakhpur. This would be a major set back for the party as the politically important Phulpur seat was once represented by Jawaharlal Nehru.

Adityanath also said that the BJP failed to preempt and prepare for the opportunistic and incompatible marriage of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party in the elections.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conceded defeat as trends became clear in Gorakhpur, and SP won Phulpur with over 59,000 votes. Speaking to the press, he said that his party will analyse the reasons of defeat and improve its performance. He, however, conceded that overconfidence may have cost the party the two Lok Sabha seats.

Samajwadi Party's Rajya Sabha MP and Akhilesh's uncle Ram Gopal Yadav, who is credited for bringing Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party on the same table, today thanked the party's workers for ensuring the SP candidates' win. He said the people have openly rejected the BJP's divisive rule and its policies.

"Acche din to aaye nahi, kam se kam inko bure din dikhane ke liye janta ekjut ho gayi (The promised good days never came, but it reunited the people against them)," Akhilesh said.

Akhilesh Yadav said that whichever party hurts the people have to pay the price, and the BJP's policies have been such that they have harassed the poor, backward and Dalits in the state. "They came to power on big promises but they failed to deliver anything," he said.

In a major blow to the BJP, the Samajwadi Party, backed by its otherwise bitter foe BSP, wrested the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat by 59,613 votes and bagged the Gorakhpur seat with over 21,000 votes.

Gorakhpur and Phulpur bypoll results latest updates: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav shared the credit of his victory with Mayawati's BSP and other smaller parties that supported his party's candidates. He said that the BJP losing in chief minister's bastion and deputy chief minister's constituency is a strong political message even at the national level.

Samajwadi Party's Praveen Kumar Nishad has won the Gorakhpur seat by over 21,000 votes defeating the BJP for the first time in 26 years. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has conceded defeat and has said that the party was caught upreared in the face of last minute SP-BSP combine.

In a huge blow to the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party candidate Nagendra Patel won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat with 59,613 votes defeating BJP's Kashlendra Singh Patel.

Samajwadi Party's Praveen Kumar Nishad is ahead of the BJP with over 28,000 votes, the latest tally shows. After the 19th round of counting, SP is at 2,93,153 votes and BJP is at 2,64,416 votes.

As Samajwadi Party raced ahead of BJP in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha constituencies, party workers of BSP and SP raised 'bua-bhateeja zindabad' slogans.

Dubbed as the arch-rival in the regional political arena, Mayawati and Akhilesh decided to be partners for the ongoing bypolls to counter the BJP in the state. The saffron party had steamrolled SP and BSP in last year's state Assembly election.

In what might seem as a major upset for chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati-Akhilesh partnership in Gorakhpur has edged past the BJP. According to data given by Election Commission, the Samajwadi Party is ahead of the BJP with 11,9427 votes. The BJP is trailing behind with 10,8829 votes.

After first four rounds of counting in Gorakhpur, District Magistrate Rajiv Rautela told Firstpost that Samajwadi Party is leading with 59,960 votes. Bharatiya Janata Party is close second with 56,945 votes. Congress stands at an abysmal 2,386 votes. The BJP's lead in Gorakhpur is very slender, down to just 1,900 votes. But with no observer to sign the forms, official statistics aren't out yet.

BJP's candidate from Phulpur Kaushlendra Singh Patel spoke to the media and said that early trends do not mean much. "BJP will win with a huge mandate," Patel says.

The latest updates from the Election Commission said that the Samajwadi Party is leading with 12,383 votes in Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency while the BJP is trailing with 9,906 votes.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has taken an early lead in Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency while the Samajwadi Party is leading in Phulpur. In Gorakhpur, a seat represented by Yogi Adityanath for five consecutive terms, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Praveen Kumar Nishad, the son of Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad, as its candidate. Nishad will take on the BJPs Upendra Shukla and Congress leader Surhita Chatterjee Karim. In Phulpur, the Samajwadi Party has fielded Nagendra Singh Patel, an OBC leader. Patel will contest against BJP candidate and fellow OBC leader Kaushlendra Singh Patel, who has also been Varanasi mayor.

An official of the Election Commission told Firstpost that Akhilesh Yadav-led and backed by Mayawati Samajwadi Party is leading from Phulpur Lok Sabha constituency. According to latest updates, Upendra Dutt Sharma of BJP is leading from Gorakhpur.

Counting has begun for the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat. The main contenders from this crucial constituency are Kaushalendra Singh Patel from the BJP, Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel from SP, Manish Mishra from the Congress

The announcement by the Mayawati led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to support Samajwadi Partys candidate has made these bypolls very interesting as the results of these polls will decide on future alliance of the arch-rivals. The arrangement between the parties has left BJP in an uneasy position and entire BJP machinery had to do a war like campaigning on both the seats. The direct fight is between SP, BSP and BJP.

The elections see a triangular contest between the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP)-backed Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress which chose to fight the elections on its own. The results of the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypolls will be announced on Wednesday and the results can be significant in light of the 2019 general elections.

The bypolls were necessitated after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively, following their election to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council.

The BJP, which has an overwhelming majority in the state Assembly, has nothing to lose in terms of number, but the polls can be a precursor to the general elections next year. Moreover, it will also be interesting to see whether Adityanath and Maurya, both stalwarts in their party, can transfer their support base to the new BJP candidates.

However, the stakes are also high for the Opposition after BSP chief Mayawati went out of character and announced support to the Samajwadi Party candidates.

Low voter turnout was recorded at both the constituencies. The polling was Forty-three percent voters cast their mandate in the Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency on Sunday while Phulpur recorded an even lesser 37.39 percent turnout as the crucial bypolls to the two Lok Sabha seats were held peacefully, the state election office said.

In Phulpur, the poorest polling was reported from Allahabad (East) where only 21.65 percent voters turned up to exercise their franchise, followed by Allahabad (West) with 31 percent.

Snags in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were reported from some places. Polling was held up at Kidwai College in Allahabad (East) for some time due to a technical glitch.

In Gorakhpur, the lowest voter turnout of 33 percent was in Gorakhpur city, and the highest 47 percent in Sahjanwa and Campierganj. Both Chief Minister Adityanath and Maurya claimed victory for the BJP candidates, irrespective of the voter turnout in the two seats.

After casting his vote, a beaming Adityanath told reporters that the "BJP continues to get a groundswell of public support since they are witnessing development, peace and prosperity under its government". He also denied the influence of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party alliance on the bypoll results.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has fielded Praveen Nishad in Gorakhpur. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) have extended support to the SP candidate. The Congress is fighting on its own and has named Surahita Kareem as its candidate.

With inputs from agencies
Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said it was clear that people were angry with the BJP

New Delhi: Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said it was clear that people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win.

He also said the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but that would not happen overnight.

"Congratulations to the winners of today's by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning.

"The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight," he tweeted in Hindi.

The Samajwadi Party won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat and was poised to bag the Gorakhpur seat, the constituencies vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively.

The Bahujan Samaj Party gave its support to the SP in the two seats while the Congress put up its own candidates.

The BJP was also set to lose in the Araria Lok Sabha by-election with the RJD establishing a convincing lead.

In the two assembly by-polls in Bihar, the RJD won the Jehanabad assembly seat while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua assembly seat.

Check LIVE updates on the bypoll results here
BJP chief Amit Shah was at the party headquarters as the news of the defeat in all three Lok Sabha seats arrived.

New Delhi: A consolidation of Opposition votes leading to its defeat in three Lok Sabha bypolls, including its bastion Gorakhpur, is likely to send BJP top brass to the drawing board, as the country's most populous state besides Bihar are central to its strategy for winning the general elections in 2019.

The fact that the BJP's key plank of Hindutva was neutralised by the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party alliance in a state ruled by its saffron mascot Yogi Adityanath has exposed chinks in its armour while boosting the Opposition's efforts of putting up a united front against it in 2019.

BJP chief Amit Shah was at the party headquarters as the news of the defeat in all three Lok Sabha seats arrived. He is likely to review its performance with senior party colleagues in the coming days, sources said.

The party, however, played down its defeat, saying that people tend to vote on local factors in these elections as their results have no bearing on the stability of either the central or state governments.

BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao also claimed that voters seem to want to bring some amount of "political equilibrium" by giving encouragement to defeated parties as the saffron party has been winning Assembly elections.

He noted that the BJP has lost in bypolls held earlier as well but continues to win regular Assembly elections.

"In general elections people vote to elect a government and the BJP has always been the favourite as people want guarantee of good governance which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought in politics. Bypolls have no impact on stability of a government whether at the Centre or state," he said.

In a jolt to the party, it suffered a shock defeat in Gorakhpur, a seat vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and also Phulpur, a constituency won by Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya in 2014, and Araria in Bihar.

The results have underscored the BJP's vulnerability in Uttar Pradesh, where together with allies it had won 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014. The Samajwadi Party had won five seats and BSP failed to open its account.

Some party MPs from the state said an alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the BSP in the next Lok Sabha elections will pose a very serious challenge. The SP had polled 22.2 percent votes and BSP 19.6 percent when a BJP wave swept the state in 2014. The two parties had polled over 20 percent votes each in the 2017 Assembly polls. The BJP alliance had got over 42 percent vote share in 2014.

The presence of Bihar Chief Nitish Kumar in the NDA camp also did not help it beat RJD in Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly seats, both of which were held by the Lalu Prasad's party.

Some party leaders took consolation in the BJP's improved show in Araria, where the Muslim-Yadav combine is strong. The BJP had won the seat in 2009 and 2004 as well when Kumar was also a part of its alliance. In the last Lok Sabha polls, the NDA had won 31 of the 40 seats in Bihar.
Counting of votes for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections will be taken up on Wednesday amid tight security arrangements

Lucknow: Counting of votes for the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections will be taken up on Wednesday amid tight security arrangements. An Election Commission official said all arrangements have been made for the counting of ballots and the results are expected to the declared by Thursday afternoon.

The voter turnout was 47.45 percent in Gorakhpur and 37.39 percent in Phulpur in Sunday's polling. Ten candidates were in the fray from Gorakhpur, while 22 candidates contested from Phulpur. According to the Election Commission, there are 19.61 lakh voters in Phulpur parliamentary constituency, while the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat has a 19.49 lakh electorate.

The bypolls were necessitated after Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats respectively following their election to the state legislative council.

After casting his vote in Gorakhpur, Adityanath had claimed the BJP was getting widespread support from the people, while Maurya had said that his party will win both the seats. Adityanath had called the BSP-SP partnership an "unholy alliance".

"The voters will reject this opportunistic, unethical and unholy alliance," he said. On the other hand, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had said it (polling day) was a day to "change and re-write history".

Termed by Adityanath a "rehearsal" for the 2019 Lok Sabha election, the bye-poll saw a triangular contest involving 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.

The Congress has nominated Sureetha Kareem for Gorakhpur and Manish Mishra for Phulpur Lok Sabha seat.

Gorakhpur is significant for the BJP as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who represented the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Adityanath, the seat was represented in Parliament by his mentor Yogi Avaidyanath thrice.

Phulpur, once represented by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and Maurya won there.

Meanwhile, in Gorakhpur, district magistrate Rajiv Routela said that as per instructions of the Election Commission there will be restriction on victory procession after the result is out.

Check LIVE updates on the bypoll results here
In a huge blow to the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday took winning leads in both the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur

Lucknow: In a huge blow to the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday took winning leads in both the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur which were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

With the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) backing its bitter rival Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party appeared to be heading for a shock defeat in both the constituencies in what is seen as a major embarrassment to Adityanath in particular.

Election Commission officials said the Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Singh Patel had taken an unassailable lead of 22,848 votes over BJP's Kashlendra Singh Patel in Phulpur, which along with Gorakhpur voted on Sunday.

Pravin Nishad of the Samajwadi Party was leading by 19,201 votes in Gorakhpur, which Aditynath had won five consecutive times, over the BJP candidate Upendra Dutt Shukla.

With just 37 per cent of the votes polled in Phulpur and 42 per cent in Gorakhpur, officials admitted that the BJP was unlikely to reverse the expected result.

"This is a rejection of both (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath)," Samajwadi Party spokesman Anurag Bhaudauria told IANS.

"They have been making tall promises but not delivering on the ground," he said, explaining why the voters appeared to have turned away against the BJP so dramatically in these two seats since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

In 2014, the BJP stunningly won 73 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats while one of its allies secured two. The Samajwadi Party won from five seats. The Congress and BSP drew a blank.

The Samajwadi Party took early lead right from the beginning of the vote count that began on Wednesday morning and steadily built up the gap with its BJP rivals as officials counted the tens of thousands of votes polled in the Sunday by-elections.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela earlier sparked a storm by barring journalists from entering the counting centre and did not announce details of counting after the first two rounds.

While Samajwadi Party activists celebrated in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, the BJP was stunned into silence.

In a determined bid to avoid a split in the opposition vote, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) campaigned actively for the Samajwadi Party, otherwise its bitter foe.

Check LIVE updates on the bypoll results here
Reuters

US President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on 13 March.

A third source who had direct knowledge of the administrations thinking said the tariffs, associated with a Section 301 intellectual property investigation, under the 1974 US Trade Act begun in August 2017, could come in the very near future.

While the tariffs would be chiefly targeted at information technology, consumer electronics and telecoms, they could be much broader and the list could eventually run to 100 products, this person said.

The White House declined to comment on the size or timing of any move.

Trump is targeting Chinese high technology companies to punish China for its investment policies that effectively force US companies to give up their technology secrets in exchange for being allowed to operate in the country, as well as for other IP practices Washington considers unfair.

The Trump administration is also considering imposing investment restrictions on Chinese companies over and above the heightened national security restrictions, but details on these were not immediately known. A US Treasury spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

But lobbyists in Washington expressed concern that Trumps ambitious tariff plan would also include other labor-intensive consumer goods sectors such as apparel, footwear, and toys.

Higher tariffs on these products would hurt American families, said Hun Quach, a trade lobbyist for the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

Were not talking about fancy cashmere sweaters, were talking about cotton T-Shirts and jeans and shoes that kids wear for back-to-school, she added. Alarm bells are ringing.

China runs a $375 billion trade surplus with the United States and when President Xi Jinpings top economic adviser visited Washington recently, the administration pressed him to come up with a way of reducing that number.

Trump came to office on a promise to shield American workers from imports and his first action as president was to pull the United States out of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

His administration is in the midst of negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and last week announced the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

While the tariffs on steel and aluminium, announced last week by Trump, are viewed as relatively insignificant in terms of imports and exports, moves to target China directly risk a direct and harsh response from Beijing.

If this is serious, the Chinese will retaliate. The key question is, does the US retaliate against that retaliation, said Derek Scissors, a China trade expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a pro-business think tank.

That would spook stock markets, but Scissors said that the more serious the conflict became, the worse Chinas position would become, due to the importance of its US trade surplus.

Their incentive to negotiate is to head us off from a major trade conflict.

Not big enough

The news website Politico earlier reported that the US Trade Representatives office had presented Trump with a package of $30 billion in tariffs last week, but Trump told aides that this was not high enough.

One Washington business source who had discussed the issue with the White House said the figure had now grown to about $60 billion, with a potentially wider array of products under consideration.

A second person, who is an industry lobbyist in Washington familiar with the administrations thinking, said the process was being led by Peter Navarro, an avowed protectionist, and by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who also favours tariffs as a tool to rebalance trade.

Speaking to reporters in the Capitol, US House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady stressed that Trump was serious about addressing the issue of intellectual property theft with China.

Hes serious about calling their hand on this, and my understanding is they are looking at a broad array of options to do that, Brady said.

While complaints about Chinas abuse of intellectual property rights are not confined to the United States, Trumps global steel and aluminium tariffs announced last week complicate Washingtons efforts to recruit allies to help put pressure on China.

A China-based business source with knowledge of discussion among senior European officials said there had been a clear effort by the US government over the past six months to introduce a coordinated approach to Chinese industrial policy, but that Trumps proposed metals tariffs under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 had undermined support from Europe.

Senior Trump administration officials had directly approached European leaders at a senior level. There had been a willingness to do something together in China. Thats impossible right now. You cant cooperate when youre getting whacked around, the person told Reuters.
AFP

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US military to create a new "space force," adding to the Pentagon's current ground, navy and air forces.

Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego that the new group would be able to encapsulate the "tremendous amount" of work the military and government are doing in space-related defense.

"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea," Trump said. "We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we'll have the space force, we'll have the army, the navy. "Maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen," he said.

Since taking office, Trump has frequently touted his support for the US military and placed high-ranking generals in top White House and cabinet posts. Last year some legislators pushed a bill in Congress that included a provision to establish a new branch of the military dubbed the Space Corps. But the military itself has resisted, saying it does not need to create another force and its attendant bureaucracy.

"At a time when we are trying to integrate the department's joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congressman Michael Turner in a letter last July.

It would be "premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead," he added. The idea was finally dropped from the Pentagon's funding bill by the end of last year, but it retains some support in Congress, where advocates say the US is facing significant strategic vulnerabilities in the face of Russian and Chinese pushes into space warfare.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers told a February 28 conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that a separate space corps could be carved out from the air force within "three to five years". He said China and Russia have become "near peers" to the US in space capabilities, and the US is not pushing hard enough to stay ahead.

"That's unacceptable that we have allowed that to happen, particularly in a day and age when it is essential to have those space capabilities to fight and win wars," he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  Amid criticism from local and international groups, the Palace on Wednesday justified its pending move to withdraw the Philippines' membership from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque told CNN Philippines that the ICC has no jurisdiction over the Philippines because the country's ratification of the Rome Statute was not published on the Official Gazette.

"This is a penal law, and should be published pursuant to the ruling of the Supreme Court...What the Court says is the provisions of a penal law be published so the people will know exactly what is being punished by the treaty," Roque said.

Roque cited the Supreme Court ruling in the 1985 case of Tanada vs. Tuvera, which stated "this Court has ruled that publication in the Official Gazette is necessary in those cases where the legislation itself does not provide for its effectivity date."

The President's spokesperson came to Duterte's defense after various international groups slammed the move to pull out from the ICC.

Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Chito Gascon said government is "grossly mistaken" that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over events in the country.

"The government must show good faith by fully cooperating with ICC processes including the current preliminary examination which can not be terminated by this withdrawal," Gascon said on Wednesday.

International organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said they were not surprised by Duterte's move, as he has showed disregard for the rule of law.

"Duterte has long showed disdain for the rule of law. Last August, Duterte vowed to pardon and promote - rather than punish - any police officer who carried out an unlawful killing. His announcement to pull out of the ICC, which is designed to prosecute those most responsible for grave crimes, is a barefaced attempt to shield him and high-ranking officials from possible ICC prosecution," HRW said in a statement.

Some lawmakers from both houses of Congress also questioned the withdrawal. However, Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel said the Senate has no say on the matter, as the legislative body's concurrence on the withdrawal is not required.

"Wala [None]. That's why dito sa new treaties we are ratifying, meron kaming provision na nilalagay that withdrawal will require 2/3 (of the Senate)," Pimentel said in a message.

The Philippines signed the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2000 and ratified it in 2011, becoming its 117th State Party.

Roque was a former co-chairperson of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court, which lobbied for the Philippines to ratify the Rome Statute and become an ICC member.

The spokesperson added the country will comply with all the proper procedures in withdrawing from the ICC.

READ: Duterte: PH to withdraw from ICC 'effective immediately'

Principle of complementarity violated?

The ICC, an intergovernmental organization that investigates cases of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression, was established by the Rome Statute, which was created in 2002.

It was meant to be a court of last resort when local courts of its state parties are incapable or unwilling to act on such matters.

The ICC earlier announced it would begin preliminary examination on the administration's controversial war on drugs.

The preliminary examination is not an investigation, the ICC said, but a process to see if there is basis to proceed with an investigation.

Roque, who called the international tribunal "useless," said ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda violated the court's principle of complementarity by initiating a preliminary examination.

"Because the prosecutor herself violated the principle upon which we agreed to become a member of the court, it is justified for the country to withdraw," he said.

Roque also discredited the merits of the crime against humanity lodged against the administration's drug war before the ICC.

"On the merits, one of the elements of the crime against humanity is murder, which is the crime of unlawful killing, and that any killing in connection with the drug war could not be unlawful killing because they are valid, legitimate police action," Roque said.

He also slammed the ICC for acting on "flimsy complaints filed by politicians."

The ICC is looking into the drug war after lawyer Jude Sabio filed a communication in April 2017. Sabio is the lawyer of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, who said he killed people in Davao City upon the orders of then then-Mayor Duterte.

Sabio accused Duterte of "repeatedly, unchangingly, and continuously" committing mass murder. He said 1,400 individuals were killed by the so-called Davao Death Squad under the leadership of then Mayor Duterte, and 7,000 individuals were killed in the government's war on drugs since Duterte took office.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano also filed a supplemental complaint against Duterte at the ICC in June 2017. They are two of Duterte's strongest critics.
tech2 News Staff

Google is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Pi Day with a Google doodle depicting an actual apple Pie. The company has created a formula with the apple Pie that will give the result of a pi.

In 1988, physicist Larry Shaw first found the constant Pi which is often the most used constant in many various fields of mathematics, especially in geometry. In geometry, pie plays an important constant in finding out the area of a circle.

It is a ratio between the perimeter of the circle and diameter of the same circle. The result comes out to be 3.14 which can extend to quite a few decimal places as mathematicians say that the divisibility continues to trillions. Therefore, it is an irrational number which is less than infinity.

The doodle has been created by award-winning pastry chef, Dominique Ansel. Ansel describes the process of cooking itself as a scientific process where one has to be precise, keep in mind volume and weight in a video to celebrate the Pi day. He went on to create a caramel apple pie which according to him, it is one of the most classic forms of apple pies, therefore symbolising the mathematical constant pi which like an apple pie remains a constant favourite among the people.

Google has also added the recipe of caramel apple pie in the Google doodle blog post for those who want to try the dish. Dubbed Pi Day, this comes right after Google recognised William Henry Perkins who had first discovered a synthetic purple coloured dye used in clothing and painting.
Anirudh Regidi

Not a day goes by without news of some sort of development in the autonomous or self-driving car space. While the likes of Elon Musk have managed to make the technology mainstream, to the extent that the common man is talking about self-driving vehicles, theres a lot happeningg behind the scenes that few ever talk about.

One of the biggest concerns with autonomous cars has to be that of security. How do you trust your life to a vehicle that has a mind of its own? Whats to stop a hacker from taking over your vehicle and kidnapping you, or worse, running your car into a brick wall?

Where machines are concerned, trust doesnt come easy.

To understand this aspect of our increasingly automated world, we spoke to Sanjay Gupta, vice president and India country manager for NXP Semiconductors. NXP brushes shoulders with the best in the semiconductor space and plays a significant role in the design and development of systems for autonomous vehicles.

Safety above all else

As Gupta explains, the most important aspect of any vehicle, of any system that is to be trusted with handling human lives, is safety and security.

The biggest challenge is to ensure that devices have zero defects. Regardless of innovation, there must always be a fail-safe mechanism, says Gupta. You cannot play with human life, he adds.

With autonomous cars, the challenge is, in fact, heightened. If a chip fails, the device must still be operational, says Gupta.

Functional safety is a phrase that comes up often during our conversation. NXPs goal is to develop electronics that are functionally safe under all circumstances, be it internal or external threats and failures.

To that end, Gupta says that theres a strong need for a global standard. The biggest challenge facing companies right now is on how to develop chips that are functionally safe, chips that will ensure that the requirements of fail-operational are met.

Another challenge is that of cybersecurity, which is in some ways an even bigger challenge simply because there are literally no global standards for cybersecurity. Worse still, such threats are external, intentional and random. Its impossible to predict when or how a chip would be vulnerable. If hackers can hack a car, they can kill people, says Gupta.

Citing an example of a hack in 2015 where a Chrysler jeep was hacked into, Gupta points out that the hackers, security researchers in this case, had absolute control over the cars braking and acceleration. The hack was just a proof of concept and no real harm was done to the volunteers in the vehicle, but the demonstration starkly highlights the very real threat that hackers can pose.

In the case of the Chrysler, the researchers hacked into the vehicle via its infotainment system and from there, gained control of the vehicle.

NXPs work, says Gupta, is designed to avoid such an obvious vulnerability.

Domain segregation

Gupta likens the security of a car to the security of a house. NXP considers the car to be a system of interconnected domains, like rooms in a house. To secure your house, youll need multiple layers of security. First and most obviously, a lock on the main door. A guard posted to protect that door would also help. The next point of entry could be, say, an unsecured window. What if a thief gets in through your dining room window? Wouldnt he then have access to the rest of the house? To protect against such an eventuality, it would make sense to also have each room of your house isolated and protected from burglars, limiting the damage they can do even if they do infiltrate your security.

Applying this analogy to the systems in a car, Gupta describes a total of six domains that make up a vehicle.

The first is the powertrain, the system that generates power and delivers it to the road. This domain includes aspects like power delivery, fuel efficiency, etc.

The second and third domain are body and control. This includes the handling of mirrors and wipers and technology that keeps you comfortable and safe.

These, says Gupta, are traditional domains and have remained largely unchanged for decades.

The fourth, and possibly the most interesting domain, is what Gupta is calling the driver-replacement domain. This refers to all the sensors and technology that will help replace the driver. Sensors like radar, lidar, microphones, cameras, AI chips, etc. This domain is key to autonomous vehicles.

The fifth domain is the connectivity domain. This describes every mechanism in your car that helps connect you with the outside world. This is another aspect of a car that is integral to autonomous vehicles. You cannot have a driverless world without a connected car, says Gupta. And its not just internet connectivity that hes talking about. This domain includes human-machine interactions (using a touch panel, say), infrastructure (gathering and sharing data), etc.

In sum, these are the domains that make up a vehicle.

A cohesive approach to security

Theres also a sixth domain that NXP works on, one that theyre calling the gateway domain. Think of this as the gatekeeper that keeps outsiders at bay, the watchman patrolling your fence.

If each of these domains is a room, the security of each of these domains is the responsibility of the gatekeeper. Each of these domains are designed to be isolated from each other and from the rest of the system. These domains can communicate with each other, but only over secure channels.

As with the open window analogy, if, say, your infotainment domain is vulnerable to the world, any damage there must not spread to the rest of the vehicles systems.

NXP handles all of this security with dedicated ECUs (electronic control units) and other such chips, but more importantly, it does this with intelligent design.

Gupta notes that the Chrysler hack happened because automakers are not using systems that are designed specifically for vehicles. Theyre integrating disparate systems that may not be secure to begin with. Todays cars are clustered without any planning. Playing with a lot of consumer gadgets not designed for automotive. Theyre a quick addition, but theyre not safe.  says Gupta.

For safety, it is imperative that everyone involved is complying with safety standards, believes Gupta.

At NXP, Gupta claims that as far as possible, they adhere to the ASIL D standards (automotive safety integrity level), where D signifies the highest level of security. The standard prescribes a secure developmental methodology for chips from the early concept stage all the way to production, ensuring maximum security.

The standard challenges engineers to build a chip that is inherently, architecturally secure. Its a chip whose foundation is built on security.

Chip design for automobiles also has to deal with a vastly different physical environment. Where your phone only needs to be operational between, say -10 and +60 degrees C, a chip in a car needs to still function at temperatures below -40 and above +160 C. At these temperature ranges, semiconductors dont behave as they normally would.

A new world order

Gupta thinks that the point when machines surpass human intelligence isnt far off. In fact, he predicts that by 2020, machines will have an IQ that is a million times better than Einsteins. He also believes that within 10 years, driverless cars will be everywhere.

This future is inevitable, and its necessary to lay the groundwork for such a future right now. NXP at least, believes that it is doing just that.
tech2 News Staff

OnePlus held its second Open Ear Forum in Hamburg after starting the program back in September 2017 to help improve its products and consumer experience. The agenda for the second Open Ears Forum was to discuss the possible improvements in the camera department.

The meeting was headed by Carl Pei and was split into three groups wherein the attendees gave their opinion on the camera performance of OnePlus devices. In the morning OnePlus gathered impressions on the camera on its devices.

The discussion in the afternoon session focused on the portrait mode and how the company could make it better. A 5-round blind test was also conducted to understand everyone's taste towards a good photo with respect to proper exposure and lighting conditions. A later session involved a Q&A round with Carl Pie and image algorithm engineer Becker about the camera experience.

After the interaction was over, OnePlus listed out a bunch of changes on its online forum that it is going to make to the camera department this year. They are as follows:

A fix for compatibility issues with 3rd party camera apps. The ability for the camera to keep HDR settings from the last time the app was used. Optimisation of panorama experience. Optimisation of editing experience in Gallery collections.

The next Open Ear Forum will be held in San Francisco, USA, on 7 April. Interested users can register on OnePlus' website and 25 of them will be selected to attend the event.

Also, you can take an online survey here if you wish to voice your opinion on the camera department of the device.
President Donald Trump's sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could sound the death knell for the Iran nuclear deal and further strain US ties with key European allies

Washington: President Donald Trump's sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could sound the death knell for the Iran nuclear deal and further strain US ties with key European allies.

In explaining his decision to fire Tillerson, Trump said they had disagreed on many topics, but he specifically singled out one dispute: Whether or not to stay in the Iran pact.

"When you look at the Iran deal. I thought it was terrible. He thought it was OK," Trump said. "I wanted to either break it or do something, he felt a little differently. So we were not really thinking the same."

On 12 May, in exactly two months, the US leader is to pronounce on the fate of the Iran deal. If sacking Tillerson is any indicator of Trump's decision on the issue, it suggests the accord is in trouble.

If, as now appears likely, Trump indeed decides to drop out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), then the deal  and the hopes of a generation of European and US diplomats  will be dead.

"We're also working with allies and partners to block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon and confront its sponsorship of terror and bloodshed all around the world," Trump said later in a speech at Miramar Air Base in California.

"Everywhere we go in the Middle East it's Iran, Iran, Iran. Every problem is Iran. Well, we're dealing with it in a very serious fashion. One of the worst deals I've ever seen, was the Iran deal."

Under the JCPOA, adopted in 18 October, Iran surrendered much of its nuclear infrastructure and opened the rest to international inspection in exchange for international sanctions relief.

The deal was signed between Tehran and six world powers: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

First instinct

The other signatories still regard the accord as a landmark victory in the battle to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Iran denies it has sought such arms, but warns it could restart fuel enrichment quickly.

For his part, Trump campaigned condemning the accord as the "worst deal ever" and in office he has given ear to hawkish advisors who say it does not do enough to halt Iran's alleged quest for the bomb.

Tillerson and his cabinet ally Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have urged Trump to listen to his European allies and to preserve the deal intact, while seeking new measures to pressure Iran.

With Tillerson out of the picture  and replaced by CIA director and Iran hawk Mike Pompeo  Trump is all the more likely to follow his first instinct and blow up the entire accord.

For Thomas Countryman, who was assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation from 2011 to 2017, the reshuffle could have catastrophic consequences for US national security.

Countryman argues that Tillerson "served as a Cabinet-level check on some of President Trump's worst impulses, such as wanting to 'break' the Iran nuclear agreement."

"Mr Pompeo instead favors an aggressive Middle East policy that would undo the diplomatic progress we made on nonproliferation and potentially embroil us in a new conflict in that region."

Mark Dubowitz of the hawkish Foundation Foundation for Defense of Democracies rarely agrees with Obama-era diplomats  but he does agree that Pompeo's arrival is bad news for the deal.

"For those Europeans (and Americans) who think Trump is not serious about walking away on 12 May if there's no agreement to fix the Iran nuke deal, I give you Exhibit A: his soon-to-be Secretary of State Mike Pompeo," he tweeted.

For the moment, US diplomacy is carrying on as before.

Berlin talks

State Department officials told AFP that Tillerson's chief of strategy Brian Hook will be in Berlin on Thursday to meet British, French and German officials about efforts to reform the deal.

This "fix" would expand the agreement to include restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program and end the "sunset clauses" that allow Tehran to resume some enrichment within 10 years.

European leaders have expressed some sympathy for these ideas, if they would help bind Trump's America into a deal they regard as vital for their own national security and West Asian peace.

But they are looking at a possible "supplement" arrangement that would leave the core deal intact  and perhaps preserve Iranian support for it  while adding a separate annex to address Trump's concerns.

This in itself may not be possible, but even if it were, it might not go far enough for Trump and his new chief diplomat, Pompeo.

At the weekend, respected Israeli journalist Barak Ravid of Channel 10 news reported that, last week, Trump promised Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not accept a supplemental deal.

Israeli officials told Ravid that Trump opposes Europe's "cosmetic changes" and wants a "significant" rewriting of the Iran deal itself. This would almost certainly destroy the agreement.
President Donald Trump's motorcade, on Tuesday, zipped past demonstrators who both jeered and cheered him and his plans for a 'big beautiful border wall' after he inspected prototypes.

San Diego: President Donald Trump's motorcade, on Tuesday, zipped past demonstrators who both jeered and cheered him and his plans for a "big, beautiful border wall" after he inspected prototypes.

The president's first visit to the California border amid a contentious battle with state officials over his immigration policies was peaceful. Hundreds of people participated in scattered rallies on both sides of the border dividing San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico.

Law enforcement was out in force, and the area where Trump visited the eight prototypes was heavily cordoned off.

Rows of police kept apart supporters and opponents of the Trump administration along the avenue where his motorcade drove down. Each side booed, cheered and waved both Mexican and American flags as the president's convoy sped past them. Among the crowd, a man wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap debated policies with a woman holding a "No human is illegal" sign.

About 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the prototypes, protesters chanted, "No ban! No wall!" at the nation's busiest border crossing, San Ysidro. Tens of thousands of people enter the US daily from Tijuana, Mexico, many on their way to work or school in San Diego. Drivers honked as a show of support.

Jose Gonzalez, 21, stopped to snap a photo of the protesters holding signs, including one that read: "Wall off Putin!" "I don't think it's really fair how he has the choice to separate us," said Gonzalez, a dual citizen who lives in Tijuana and crosses daily to work at a San Diego ramen restaurant.

Army veteran Mark Prieto, 48, shook his head as he walked by the protest. "People are so narrow-minded," said the firefighter, who voted for Trump. "Finally we have someone who is putting America first."

Trump examined eight 30-foot-tall (9-meter-tall) prototypes built last year along the border in a bid to fulfill his signature campaign promise.

U.S. authorities moved semi-trailers between the prototypes and the Mexican border, offering a layer of protection. A man, woman and two children were seen climbing the border fence at the site on Monday and were immediately detained.

Trump spoke with immigration enforcement officials and with Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar before heading to a fundraiser in Beverly Hills, where a crowd of demonstrators for and against the president faced off in a park. A group of pro-immigration protesters chanted "Say it now, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here."

San Diego's mayor criticised Trump's short visit, saying the president won't get a full picture of the city. Kevin Faulconer said that if Trump had stayed more than a few hours, he would see that a strong economy and free trade aren't a contradiction but a way of life.

The mayor, a business-friendly Republican and ardent supporter of the North American Free Trade Agreement, said a popular cross-border airport terminal connecting San Diego and Tijuana shows that "building bridges has worked wonders." The terminal is a few miles from the border-wall prototypes.

Trump had campaigned against NAFTA as a job killer that he said encouraged American companies to move factories to Mexico to exploit cheap labor. Renegotiations over the deal began last summer.

Faulconer, writing in The San Diego Union-Tribune, also said San Diego police work to protect everyone regardless of immigration status, an apparent dig at Trump's push to target illegal immigration.

The issue has led to heightened tensions between California and the Trump administration. The Justice Department recently sued over state laws that limit cooperation with immigration authorities, which state officials have harshly criticised.

San Diego's City Council last year passed a resolution opposing Trump's proposed wall.
Top United States Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted President Donald Trumps stance on Russia as too soft

Washington: Top United States Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted President Donald Trumps stance on Russia as too soft and indicated that his approach to the country accused of meddling in US elections will come up when they consider his nominee for secretary of state next month.

Saying that outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was not close to tough enough on Russia, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he hoped that Mike Pompeo, nominated to head the State Department, will be a lot tougher and we hope he can persuade the president to be tougher, because the president is not serving American interests.
'For the people who say 'no wall' -- if you didn't have walls over here, you wouldn't even have a country,' Trump said near the border in San Diego.

Donald Trump -- making his first trip to California as president -- warned Tuesday there would be "bedlam" without the controversial wall he wants to build on the border with Mexico, as he inspected several prototype barriers.

The trip to the "Golden State" -- the most populous in the country and a Democratic stronghold -- was largely upstaged by his own announcement that he had sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

On the other side of the border, a small group of anti-Trump protesters vented their frustration, and announced plans to boycott US businesses over the frontier.

"For the people who say 'no wall' -- if you didn't have walls over here, you wouldn't even have a country," Trump said near the border in San Diego.

Trump repeated his insistence that law enforcement personnel should be able to see through the structure so that they could monitor criminal cartels that might be "two foot away" on the Mexican side.

"Without a wall there would be bedlam, I imagine," he added.

Trump inspected eight 30-foot high (nine-meter) full-scale models made of concrete and steel, erected side-by-side at Otay Mesa, an area in southern San Diego along the border with Tijuana, Mexico.

Each prototype cost more than $300,000 and, according to some estimates, the complete wall could carry a $20 billion price tag.

'Environmental catastrophe'

Congress has yet to approve the funding amid skepticism and Democratic opposition, but an administration official said the wall would save far more money than it cost.

California has been at the forefront of resistance to the Republican leader's anti-immigration agenda and at odds with his stance on a number of other issues, from gun control to marijuana and the environment.

Trump skewered California's Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, saying he'd done "a terrible job" of running a state where the taxes were "way out of whack" and criminals were allowed to roam free in sanctuary cities.

He said he had seen estimates that the "intolerably high" illegal immigration costs came to $100 billion a year in terms of drugs, crime, education and social services.

The hulking prototypes can be seen from across the border in Tijuana, where residents are not overly impressed with the real estate tycoon, who launched his presidential campaign calling Mexicans "criminals" and "rapists."

Ahead of the visit, a few dozen people gathered for a pro-Trump rally on the US side of the border near the prototypes, while a similar number of the president's detractors came to the San Ysidro border post.

"This is an environmental catastrophe, on top of a misallocation of government resources that could be used for health care or social services," Cody Petterson, president of the San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action, said of the wall.

Demonstrators draped themselves in US flags and waved placards emblazoned with slogans such as "Humpty Trumpty will fall off his wall," "Resist unstable idiot," and "No hate in the Golden State."

'You can get over it'

Among Trump's supporters, Kira Innis, 31, said she was backing Trump "because he doesn't give a good gosh darn about somebody's color, he cares about putting more green in their pocket."

On the Mexican side, federal police had to persuade around 50 demonstrators not to burn a yellow-haired pinata in Trump's likeness.

Pointing to one of the prototypes towering behind the corrugated metal border fence, Eladio Sanchez, 30, admitted that it might slow him down, but noted: "You can get over it anyway."

The border with Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) and about a third of it already has some type of barrier or wall.

Trump's insistence that Mexico pay for the wall has soured relations and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto recently canceled plans to visit Washington amid continuing disagreement.

Before leaving San Diego, a military port, the president congratulated troops at Miramar Marine Corps air base on the coalition's taking back "almost 100 percent" of the Islamic State group's captured territory in Syria and Iraq.

"They never got hit like this. We took off the gloves. In one year we did more damage to ISIS than other administrations, a certain other administration, did in many years," he said.

He didn't name which of his predecessors he was referring to, although the Islamist insurgency's most significant advances were made after 2013, during Barack Obama's second term.

Trump is expected to wrap up his visit with an evening of fundraising in Beverly Hills to raise money for his 2020 re-election campaign.
President Donald Trump's pick to be the next  and first female  director of the clandestine agency has conflicting public reputations. If confirmed, the 61-year-old career spymaster will succeed Mike Pompeo, who is replacing ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Gina Haspel's colleagues describe her as a seasoned veteran who would lead the CIA with integrity. Human rights advocates see her as someone who supervised torture at a secret prison.

President Donald Trump's pick to be the next  and first female  director of the clandestine agency has conflicting public reputations. If confirmed, the 61-year-old career spymaster will succeed Mike Pompeo, who is replacing ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Haspel didn't have to face a Senate confirmation hearing when she became deputy director of the agency in February 2017. To be director, she'll have to be confirmed by the Senate intelligence committee. That will likely mean questions about one of the darkest periods of the CIA's history.

Haspel had a front-row seat to the CIA's use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects. Between 2003 and 2005, she oversaw a secret CIA prison in Thailand where terror suspects Abu Zubayadah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri were waterboarded, current and former U.S. intelligence officials said. Waterboarding is a process that simulates drowning and is widely considered to be a form of torture.

Haspel, who joined the CIA in 1985, also helped carry out an order to destroy waterboarding videos. The order prompted a lengthy Justice Department investigation that ended without charges.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Haspel must explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA's interrogation program.

"Current U.S. law is clear in banning enhanced interrogation techniques," said McCain, who was beaten as a prisoner during the Vietnam War. "Any nominee for director of the CIA must pledge without reservation to uphold this prohibition."

Former CIA Director John Brennan declined to say what Haspel's exact role was in the interrogation program, but told NBC that she has a "lot of integrity" and has tried to carry out her agency duties "when asked to do difficult things in challenging times."

He said her activities during the interrogation program will be closely scrutinized during her confirmation hearing, but he predicted she would be confirmed. "Gina is a very competent professional who I think deserves the chance to take the seat," Brennan said.

Sen. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate committee that will vote whether to confirm Haspel, said she has the "right skill set, experience and judgment" to lead the CIA.

While he would face steep legal and legislative hurdles to do so, Trump has said that he would reintroduce waterboarding and "a lot worse." His position has angered human rights advocates and they opposed his decision to put Haspel at the helm of the CIA.

"No one who had a hand in torturing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency," Human Rights First's Raha Wala said Tuesday. "To allow someone who had a direct hand in this illegal, immoral and counterproductive program is to willingly forget our nation's dark history with torture."

Haspel may have to overcome some challenges with key U.S. allies.

After Haspel was named deputy CIA director, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights asked German prosecutors to issue a warrant for her arrest over her role in the interrogations. Federal prosecutors never issued the warrant because the case lacked a connection to Germany. But the rights group's allegations against Haspel remain part of a preliminary investigation that German authorities could revive at a later date if they receive evidence that any of the parties have links to Germany.

Last year, Haspel's name came up during a civil lawsuit in Spokane, Washington, filed by three men who said they suffered waterboarding, beatings and sleep deprivation in the CIA interrogation program developed by former Spokane psychologists James E. Mitchell and Bruce Jessen.

Lawyers for the psychologists wanted to interview Haspel and another CIA official involved in the program, but government lawyers told the federal judge in the case that the officials and documents were protected under the state secrets privilege and making them public would threaten national security.

Haspel has been chief of station at CIA outposts abroad. In Washington, she has held several senior leadership positions, including deputy director of the National Clandestine Service.

In her current post, she worked with Pompeo to manage intelligence collection, analysis, covert action, counterintelligence and cooperation with the CIA's foreign counterparts.

In a brief statement, the former undercover officer said she was "humbled" by Trump's confidence in her to lead the agency.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  The divorce bill hurdled the House of Representatives on second reading Wednesday.

The chamber approved the proposed Absolute Divorce Act of 2018 through a voice vote or by shouting ayes and nayes.

Under the bill, an absolute divorce is judicially pronounced after a permanently broken marital union or marriage.

Once the absolute divorce becomes effective, the marriage bonds are cut and the former spouses will have the right to marry another person either by civil or religious ceremony.

The bill also makes sure the divorce process will be affordable and inexpensive, especially for poor litigants and petitioners.

However, bill sponsor Albay Representative Edcel Lagman said the court shall not begin the trial of a petition for absolute divorce before the expiration of a mandatory six-month cooling off period after the filing of the petition.

During this period, the court shall exercise all efforts to reunite and reconcile the parties.

Meanwhile, spouses who collude or coerce their partner to file a petition for absolute divorce, will be penalized with five years imprisonment and a fine of P200,000.

Lagman said while the State protects and preserves marriages, it is also duty-bound to protect spouses of marriages beyond repair by allowing them to secure absolute divorce.

"Sa ngayon, maraming broken marriages na yung mag-asawa na hindi na pwede mareconcile ay may kanya kanya nang second, third, fourth families and they are living in sin and they are living against the law. Mabuti ata na bigyan sila ng full relief na they are bailed out from this inhospitable, intolerable relation. Parang meron bang tinatawag na second chance, second chance for marital bliss," he said.

[Translation: Right now there are many broken marriages where the spouses can no longer reconcile and have their own second, third, fourth families and are living in sin and living against the law. It seems better to give htem full relief where they are bailed out from this inhospitable, intolerable relation. It's like they'll be given a second chance, second chance for marital bliss.]

However, some groups, including the Catholic Church, have voiced opposition towards the enactment of such a legislation.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines asked lawmakers to consider the "social costs" that go with the easy dissolution of marriage.

"In a context in which divorce is presented as an easy option, marriages and families are bound to break up more easily. More children will grow up disoriented and deprived of the care of both parents," it said.

The Philippines and the Vatican are the only states that have no divorce laws.

The Family Code provides two ways for couples to separate.

There is legal separation - which allows spouses to split up, but not to remarry - and annulment, which allows spouses to remarry because the marriage is considered invalid from the beginning.

A Social Weather Stations survey released last March 10 said half or one in two Filipinos surveyed believe divorce for spouses who are "irreconcilably separated' should be legalized.

READ: Survey: 1 in 2 Filipinos agree to divorce for 'irreconcilably separated' spouses
.          ,          .                      ,     .               "     ...
Sound has the ability to impact taste and smell, rendering coffee more sweet or wine more acidic  even to trained sommeliers. These are some of the latest... Read More
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  Former Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon wants senators to be held accountable if they spread wrong information during privilege speeches.

"What I want the public to discuss is the limitation of this immunity we are granting to our legislators," Faeldon told CNN Philippines' The Source Wednesday.

He also said those accused by senators should be protected too.

"Let's come up with some provisions there that safeguard the welfare of their subjects, the innocent resource persons," he continued. "If they can just invoke their parliamentary immunity, we have privileged liars in the Senate and Congress."

Some legislators had behavior that was "not statesmanlike," Faeldon added, but he declined to drop names.

The former Customs commissioner is fresh out of six months in detention. He was cited in contempt after refusing to attend Senate hearings on the P6.4-billion drug shipment that slipped past the Bureau of Customs.

Prior to his detention, he had a verbal spat with Blue Ribbon Committee Chair Senator Richard Gordon. He accused the senator of "monologuing" and "exaggerating" claims.

He also filed an ethics complaint against Senators Ping Lacson and Antonio Trillanes, both of which have been dismissed.

Related: Senate ethics body junks Faeldon's complaints vs. Lacson, Trillanes

Lacson had accused Faeldon and other Customs officials of corruption in an August 23 privilege speech.

"When he came out with this privilege speech, our only legal means is to [go to the] Supreme Court [or] Ethics [Committee]," said Faeldon. "There's not enough safeguards [for] innocent resource persons."

Faeldon in turn accused Lacson's son Pampi of being involved in cement smuggling.

Under the privileges provided by the 1987 Constitution, a senator or congressman is "privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session."

"No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in Congress or in any committee thereof," the Constitution states.

The Supreme Court justified parliamentary immunity in the case of Osmena vs. Pendatun.

"It guarantees the legislator complete freedom of expression without fear of being made responsible in criminal or civil actions before the courts or any other forum outside of the Congressional hall," the decision read.

It added: "But it does not protect him from responsibility before the legislative body itself whenever his words and conduct are considered by the latter disorderly or unbecoming to a member thereof."

Faeldon said he did not harbor any ill feelings against the senators and he would not demand an apology from Lacson.

"If you are gentleman enough, you will know when to apologize and when not to apologize," he said.

Faeldon has since assumed a position as a deputy administrator at the Office of Civil Defense.

Related: Faeldon released from detention upon Gordon's order

CNN Philippines digital producer Amanda Lingao contributed to this story.
Titles that stand out this week go straight for your feels.

No one is safe from the cruel deft scalpel of words and pictures that slice below the well built crust of cynicism.

Feels save the day in Justice League, honest examination saves the team in Birds of Prey and in Supergirl, I the reader, was hit in the chest-space brutally with them, (why is there wet in my eye?)

Starting right on the feels train, Supermans family (Lois, Jon and Loiss dad all non-dead, thank you Booster!) is together, but the matters that kept them apart for years are upfront and loud.

Lois investigates (she does her job well), her father clandestinely protects (he does his job well) but neither can bend when their jobs conflict.

Its an old argument, but its the first time Jons seen it and cant understand.

At the same time, Supermans on a world-saving job.

Its mostly physical so it does let him collect his thoughts about the last few story-arcs.

His father Jor-El did things that were in the long run wrong (placing dangerous people in the Phantom Zone), but for the right initial reasons.

Clark used the tools Jor-El left him, but now that he knows the harm of it  he wants to do better.

No big fights, just a quiet story this time about effort. Clark had put Hank Henshaw in there when no prison on Earth could hold him. He now pulls Hank out because there is no prospect for redemption in the Phantom Zones hopeless space.

And thats not a bad warmup for facing Loiss dad.

Next time: #1000!

This issues full of fallout from Babs not being upfront with her friends.

Gus Yale, their friend is dead because of it.

Dinah and Helena arent abandoning her but emotions are high and things are still tender.

All three strike out on their own to take care of pressing problems alone.

Babs does so the most physically, trying to find the Calculator one chokehold at a time.

Helenas history intrudes with a court summons.

Dinah has the most low-key away time, but shes been through cycles of drama more than the other two.

Corruption, a cemetery and Burnrate still out there (and unsure if shes killed Oracle yet!)

This is a connective issue. It further solidifies character motivations and sets us up for the arcs conclusion.

The little blues (Guardians of the Universe) have pulled Stewart in front of them (again) to yell at him for The Corps flying off to save Hal while he was engaged in his last meeting with them! (Oh you guys almost convinced me you were going to be useful ya space Smurfs, almost)

Back on Jekuul theres fighting, fighting, fighting.

A third quarter turnabout happens to increase the stakes (Im not calling it pulled from nowhere, but Id be curious to know if there is precedent), but the other side throws a Hail Mary setting up the next issue for a larger ending next issue.

I expect itll be big loud and colorful in thirty days.

Justice League of America #26

Words  Steve Orlando

Pictures  Miguel Mendonca, Dexter Vines, Wayne Faucher, Chris Sotomayor, Clayton Cowles

On our reality, the Justice League is still rebuilding (their building physically), Lobo leaves, and it might be best not to be an Atom.

Well continue on this story thread in the next issue.

But back on Angor, Batman uses his detective and persuasion skills in defense of that planet. Black Canary uses her heart to fight for the life of this other plane.

But the Adjudicator remains unmoved.

Havok sneers at them, but in this failure Batman changes his tact. Hell use his heart to protect a world hes never known.

An unretrievable sacrifice saves that reality. (and Black Canary promises not to say I told you so!)

Plans are what this issues about; we dont have them quite yet but wed sure like to.

Almost everyone is grabbing supplies during the department store monster fight downtimes.

Cliffy and Scoob are safe in an upper room, or as safe as you can be in a mutant infested future apocalypse (spoiler: not enough)

The gang dramas at each other, but we do get a nice birds eye view of all the fallen mall monster battlers in a 2-page spread. A good moment of horrible beauty in what Im sure is transitory peace.

Secret Squirrel

Words  Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis

Pictures  Scott Kolins, Hi-Fi, Travis Lanham

I havent been the heartiest supporter of the backup story in this book, but I think I get it now.

Im suspecting Secret Squirrel is an artistic social experiment by Giffen and DeMatteis. A cross between games of exquisite corpse and telephone. When this story is done and its bound in a trade well see how well the bits with a different artist each time fits together.

(Secret and Morocco look closer to their cartoon counterparts in this chapter)

Scooby-Doo! Where Are You?

Words  Derek Fridolfs

Pictures  Randy Elliott, Silvana Brys, Saida Temofonte

Two stories here, First the gangs at a fundraiser for the Coolsville Guys and Gals Club. (So I guess A Pup Named Scooby-Doo is cannon?)

One of the acts is a hypnotist and unlike many of the foes theyve faced, he can actually perform magic! (debate me sure, but when I cant undo it because I didnt hypnotize them is used as a plot point  youve crossed over into magic spells)

He switches the brains of the gang (except Scooby). How can they defeat him if theyre tripping over someone elses feet?

Second is a Sumo story in Japan. We hit all the eating jokes youd expect with Shaggy and Scoob early on, but then its all angry Tengu shutting down the match. Whos responsible, who has more to gain, whered the trophy go?

All the answers (and feels) are in here (even in Scooby-Doo, this is a feels heavy week!).

Supergirl #19

Words  Steve Orlando, Vita Ayala

Pictures  Jamal Campbell, Carlos M. Mangual

A teen (Lee) describes to Ben their story of how Supergirl saved them, and then was their hero.

Lee was running away from everything that was too big for them when they got caught in the crossfire of a Cyborg Superman fight.

After being saved from heat vision death, Lee helps Supergirl out of the crater she just made and she follows up with Lee.

The quiet time she gives Lee helps them put words to feelings, until finally Lee can take the frightful step (first with Supergirl) of coming out as non-binary.

This is a damn sweet fully contained one off that will introduce the concept to people who were not aware of this state of being. Ive read it twice and cried both times.

Pubescence is difficult, learning what your truth entails is difficult, hell even learning how to support each other is difficult.

This issue makes its case for love, listening and patience as where we start.

Trinity #19

Words  James Robinson

Pictures  Jack Herbert, Gabe Eltaeb, Carlos M. Mangual

We continue our episode of Law & Order: Metropolis in the interrogation room. But not far into the story the camera flips and we finally see our interrogator  Steve Trevor?

Last issues surprise ending of octogenarian-ized superheroes is quickly undone by Jennifer Morgan (its okay, we knew it would happen) and after returning Wondys sight and some of Supes powers with ancient Atlantean tech she rushes them back into the battle against the gate-crashing fray. We finally get a magic holograph of the enemy wearing his best Vegas hoochie top.

Deimos never shows up on the battlefield and our heroes are eventually returned but something thats been bothering me about this storytelling style is addressed and leads to either the conclusion or the beginning of a new arc.

Well find out which next issue!

Wonder Woman #42

Words  James Robinson

Pictures  Jesus Merino, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Saida Temofonte

Oh Jason, you make it so hard to back you, dear.

Issue before last you were kidnapped. Now you appear with no memory of the time in between, dressed in a fancy new custom suit and a power upgrade.

Thoughts one through ten in your head are not Its quite suspicious, lets look into this first? Maybe theres an ancient Greek proverb about not looking a golden sheep in the mouth.

So the siblings fly off to Germany where Grails been spotted, and on the way there Jason regales Wondy with the story of how he and Grail first met.

At the time he hadnt known the whole fight and meetup had been a trap Grail had set-up and Jason does not stop and relate his own story to their present situation.

Jason, its a good thing youre pretty.

Sideways #2

Words  Dan DiDio, Justin Jordan

Pictures  Kenneth Rocafort, Daniel Brown, Carlos M. Mangual

We return to the big gold clockwork devily thing (Tempus Fuginart, though we dont know if thats his name or position) lecturing our main character Derek.

In the first 4 pages it breaks two we wont call them rules just suggestions.

1. Do not mention a better movie in your movie (I may have adapted that)

2. Dont turn your art 90 unless youve got a good reason for it (that the book is called Sideways youll argue, ha ha ha nope).

Derek made Tempus job harder, he comes with the everyone win solution of no Derek = no more space-time tears to clean up. But a severe leap off a tall building later Derek does get away.

Banged, bruised and with no good explanation for the family, good thing he got the best friend ally before issue 1.

And the big guy might have a point if not the right approach, the tears Derek makes seem to remain. Nothing too big Im sure, but something seems to be slipping through the doors Dereks leaving open.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook

LinkedIn

WhatsApp

Skype

Email


Betty Benito was riding her bike south over the Big Carlos Pass bridge early morning Friday, Feb. 16.

She remembers trying to stay on the right-hand side of the white line.

She felt a thud from behind. The next thing she knew, she was standing on the sidewalk talking to strangers. When she looked down, she was covered in blood and her shorts were shredded.

Benito had gotten hit by a dump truck, and the driver did not stop.

Someone there was a retired nurse, she said we needed to call 911, Benito said.

Its been weeks since the accident, but Benito and her husband, Ray, have hit a dead end in finding the truck driver.

Benito suffered from a concussion and a broken tooth. She said the fog caused by the concussion is just beginning to lift, but the fire department paramedics who responded told her it could have easily been a different story. One witness remembered seeing Benitos bike fly up into the air, as high as the truck.

After being hit, 911 was called and the paramedics arrived to transport her to the hospital.

Benito remembers the retired nurse, whose name is unknown, telling her to be sure to remember that the accident happened at 7:40 a.m., and that she saw it was a big construction vehicle that looked to be headed to the staging area on Lovers Key. Some of the people who helped her said the vehicle was green.

The Lee County Sheriffs Office deputy who responded came straight to the hospital, though  they didnt go to the bridge to interview anyone, Benito said. According to the traffic report, the Sheriffs Office dispatched a deputy 20 minutes after the crash was called in.

Of course, she couldnt remember any details about the accident. After she was released from the hospital, Betty and Ray waited on the bridge to try to find some of the witnesses who had helped her that day. They managed to get two witnesses to give a report to the Sheriffs Office, but unfortunately one said the truck was white with a black bed, and the other could not recall the color of the truck.

None of the witnesses could make any kind of identifying statements about the driver of the truck.

We think there has to be more witnesses, the Sheriffs Office never showed up to take their statements, Ray Benito said. We feel like weve hit a dead end.

The Benitos are hoping if anyone remembers witnessing Betty get hit, they can step up and provide a statement to the Sheriffs Office if they remember any details, as its their last option to try to find the driver of the truck. Theyve also been monitoring the bridge and taking pictures of the trucks that go by.

Ethically, youd think the driver would come forward, Ray said.
The National World War II Museum is taking apart a fire engine made for the military home front in 1943, and expects to have it rolling and ready for display in two or three years.

When the 25-foot-long Ford-American LaFrance fire truck was new, it would have carried four firefighters, two of them standing on the rear running board.

Steve Owen of Pell City, Alabama, donated it in 2009. "I can't tell you how happy I am to know they're restoring it," he said Wednesday.

It's currently a weathered red, with bits of earlier paint jobs showing through, but will be repainted olive drab. That's the color all U.S. military fire trucks were painted after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, said Tom Czekanski, the museum's restoration manager.

He said that color change was ordered because the red fire trucks were bombed first. Honolulu's civilian firefighters responded .

The museum hasn't been able to learn where its truck, made in 1943, served during World War II. It was certainly military because that was the only reason for which vehicles could be made during the war, Czekanski said. He believes it was used at an Army base in Alabama.

Owen, whose father was a firefighter, spotted the truck sitting in front of the Dallas-Selfville Volunteer Fire Department in Trafford, Alabama, in 1984 or 1985 with a "for sale" sign.

"I turned around and I bought it on the spot," he said.

He can't recall the cost. "It wasn't a terrible big amount or I wouldn't have bought it," he said.

"I sure enjoyed it. It had the sound and the smell of the fire trucks that I remember riding in when I was a little kid. You weren't supposed to ride around on the truck, but I'd sit on top of the fire hoses and they'd cover me up with a tarp, because I loved to ride in those things," Owen recalled.

"I kept it running for several years and I would take kids around on it," he said. "Then I let it set up too long in the yard and it got run down."

Owen said he'd been thinking about donating it when Pell City mailed him a notice to get the truck running or get it out of his yard.

"That was the kick in the pants I needed," Owen said.

A flatbed hauled the truck to a warehouse a few blocks from the museum  its current restoration headquarters.

Work began in January. Nearly every piece will be unbolted, inspected, repaired if necessary, cleaned, repainted and put in working order. The seats, their vinyl covers in great shape but the springs partly filled with what probably were mouse nests, lean against the front of an aircraft tractor.

Large parts are shelved or  like the fenders and pieces of the hood  piled on the warehouse floor; smaller ones are in labeled Zip-Loc bags. The engine is still on the chassis, but was replaced at some point with a model other than the original, so the museum is looking for the right model. It's a lot of work, but worth it.

"We were intrigued," Czekanski said, "at the idea of a vehicle used on the home front during World War II."
Barbara Rush knows she has worked with the best in showbiz and has always been grateful for her lasting stroke of luck.

The 91-year-old actress recently joined "Catwoman" Lee Meriwether to honor the legacy of Batman for an exhibition at the Hollywood Museum, titled Batman 66.

RANKING ALL THE JOKERS IN THE BATMAN-VERSE

The Golden Globe winner starred as evil Nora Clavicle in the hit series in 1968. The show, which featured Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as his sidekick Robin, aired from 1966 until 1968.

The beloved actress is also the mother of Fox News Channel reporter Claudia Cowan.

Rush told Fox News no one thought the series would have such a lasting impact in television history.

Oh... when youre an actress, you dont think about things like that, said Rush. You just think, I have a job! You just dont project what your future is going to be. And [Nora Clavicle] was just so funny. I just love comedy and she was very light-hearted. She was a kick.

It was far from Rushs first job in Hollywood. She has starred opposite some of the most famous men in Hollywood, including Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Richard Burton.

She still has fond memories of Rock Hudson, her co-star in Captain Lightfoot, Taza, Son of Cochise and Magnificent Obsession in the 50s.

He started off in film pretty much the same time I did, she said. He was a lot of fun to be with. He had a wonderful sense of humor. He loved to laugh. We just had the best time working.

Rush insisted Hudson was head over heels for Doris Day long before the pair bonded as close friends on and off the screen.

He loved Doris Day before he even met her, said Rush. He did, he absolutely did. He just loved her singing. We were on location [filming] and he would play some of her music. He just loved it. Doris had such a wonderful singing voice. I remember him playing her records on the jukebox. He played it a lot.

Rush also worked alongside Brando, as well as Montgomery Clift and Dean Martin in the same film, 1958s The Young Lions. She claimed there was zero rivalry among the men. Instead, the cast was eager to be in Paris shooting the film.

Of course there was no competition, said Rush. All those people were just very good friends. And their acting styles were different You dont get to be that important without having a noticeable persona They were just being themselves. I was just so happy to be working with them.

However, filming was not a completely blissful experience. Rush described how Clift was noticeably sick while on set.

Just two years prior in 1956, Clift crashed his car into a telephone pole, which resulted in extensive plastic surgery on his face that nearly ended his career. Vanity Fair previously reported the three-time Oscar-nominated star also dealt with heavy painkiller use and rampant alcohol abuse. He later died in 1966 at age 45 from a heart attack.

It was obvious [he was sick], said Rush. They had a doctor [on set] there for him. But it was obvious You could tell he was weak. It was hard for him. But he was a wonderful actor. I thought he was very lovable I knew that Monty was very, very ill and he just worked for a very short time in the picture.

Rush would later find herself sharing the screen with Kirk Douglas in 1960s Strangers When We Meet. And despite his extramarital affairs, Rush said the actor never attempted to seduce her. In fact, Rush said she has never experienced any kind of mistreatment.

Never. He never ever did that, she said. And [things like that] didnt happen to me when I was working in the 50s and 60s. I didnt hear about things like that. Either [people] kept it quiet or maybe I was just so innocent It just never happened to me.

Among the many actresses Rush befriend over the years was Marilyn Monroe, another star she has fond memories of.

Oh yes, we were friends, she said. We were in the studio club together. At least with me, when you first come to Hollywood, and I went to Paramount, they put me immediately in the studio club. Its kind of like a sorority house. And Marilyn Monroe was there. I loved her. Marilyn was such a darling lady. She was very sweet and nice. All the girls in the studio club just had a good time.

Rush said she and her husband at the time, publicity firm Rogers & Cowan co-founder Warren Cowan, were in disbelief to hear of Monroes sudden death in 1962 at age 36 from an apparent drug overdose.

It was in the middle of the night when we got the call, she recalled. My husband, who handled her, was very shocked. So shocked. I just kept hearing him go, Oh my God over and over We were all just very disturbed by it.

These days, Rush still stays busy pursuing her passion for acting. And despite her extensive body of work, she gets mostly recognized for one surprising role.

I just made a commercial thats just been all over television, she said. I play this lady who comes in and dumps a lot of coins on the counter. And I say, Thats just from my first husband. I have gotten more fan mail for that! Every time I go out [People] say, Are you that lady from the commercial? But if you saw it, you would just love it because its funny. Like Batman, it was very funny.
HBO executive Francesca Orsi has apologized after saying that the network was "raped" during the "Big Little Lies" contract renegotiations for the upcoming new season.

According to The Wrap, on Tuesday the HBO exec made a public apology for her choice of words at the INTV Conference in Israel.

Obviously, I am embarrassed by my poor choice of words, Orsi stated. We are extremely proud of Big Little Lies and excited for the second season.

Orsi said that the renegotiating of cast contracts "sort of raped" the network, since none of the A-list stars who were part of the series' first season had anticipated coming back for another.

The hit HBO show, which was based on the best-selling novel by Liane Moriarty, was initially planned out as a one-time limited series. But with the show's mega success, fans who begged for more convinced the studio to produce a second season.

"Big Little Lies," which won Emmy awards, officially announced the show's second season in December. And while fans rejoiced at the upcoming return to the show, bringing the series' A-list cast back together has come to be a bit pricey for HBO.

According to The Wrap, Reese Witherspoon is said to earn about $1 million per episode for the show and she is just one of the big names invovled in the project. Nicole Kidman is rumored to be receiving a similar payday.

In addition to working on the next chapter of "Big Little Lies," Witherspoon will also produce another limited series called Little Fires Everywhere," with "Scandal" actress Kerry Washington.

The pair will star and executive produce the series, which is based on the best-selling book by Celeste Ng. On Tuesday, Washington and Witherspoon annouced that their show will stream on Hulu as part of their Originals brand.
Reality star Kim Kardashian has opened up on why she chose to have a baby girl as her third child in a new interview.

Kardashian told Elle magazine that when picking the embryo that she opted for the healthiest one.

Its a really tricky thing. What sex do you put in? I just said, Which one is the healthiest? Pick the healthiest one, and that was a girl, she said.

Baby Chicago was born on January 15 via a surrogate, joining sister North, four, and brother Saint, two.

Kardashian said she cant get her head around having any more children at this point.

My home and my heart feel really full right now, in the best way, she said, before revealing four children would be her absolute max.

I dont think I could handle more than that. My time is spread really thin. And I think its important that in all couples, the mom gives the husband as much attention as the kids.

Kardashian also said that her surrogate ate organically through the pregnancy but that she told her she didnt care if she ate junk food.

I straight-up told her, Look, I ate doughnuts every single day. If you want doughnuts and ice cream, go for it. Do whatever you feel. Im not going to be picky like that,' she said.

Little Chi was born a few weeks before Kardashians sister, Kylie Jenner, gave birth to her daughter, Stormi Webster on Feb. 1.

Their sister, Khloe Kardashian, is also expected to give birth very soon to her first child.

This article originally appeared on News.com.au
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  The Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) has postponed the ballot recount for the vice presidential poll.

Lawyers from both Vice President Leni Robredo and former Senator Bongbong Marcos' camp confirmed this to CNN Philippines Wednesday. The PET relayed the rescheduling to their camps Tuesday afternoon.

The manual ballot recount will proceed on April 2 instead of March 19, former Senator Bong Bong Marcos' lawyer Vic Rodriguez said.

"Unfortunately for us, yes, postponed again," Rodriguez said, adding the PET said said only 42 of the 50 revisors have qualified or passed psychological examinations for the recount.

The revisons are part of a committee that will examine contested ballots in Camarines Sur, Iloilo, and Negros Oriental to determine the merits of Marcos' electoral protest.

Beng Sardillo, Robredo's lawyer, said the PET cited logistics as the reason for the delay.

Sardillo said it trusts the PET as the recount would be in their best interests.

"We trust the PET in these proceedings as it is in our best interest to finish this protest to quash any doubt about the choice of the Filipino people and the victory of Vice President Leni Robredo," she said.

Just last February the PET issued a gag order on the poll protest, ordering both camps to stop discussing it in public.

Marcos filed the electoral protest against Robredo in June 2016, after he lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes in the 2016 elections -- among the narrowest margins in the history of the country's vice presidential elections.

READ: Losing VP bet Marcos files electoral protest vs. VP-elect Robredo

To bolster his claims, Marcos recently revealed in January evidence of supposed poll fraud, pointing to square boxes found in some ballot images. Robredo, however, has denied allegations of vote padding and shaving.

READ: Marcos: New evidence shows Robredo cheated in 2016 polls
Robert De Niro is making a habit out of criticizing President Trump.

The actor felt it was appropriate to call out Trump while speaking at a charity event in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

De Niro called Trump "rich" and "spoiled" while speaking at a benefit for the Fulfillment Fund, an organization which helps underprivileged kids receive a higher education.

"A college education is important, but education without humanity is ignorance. Look at our president. He made it through the University of Pennsylvania, so he was exposed to a quality education, but hes still an idiot," De Niro said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "And he lacks any sense of humanity or compassion."

He continued, "Of course, he did have to overcome the curse of growing up rich and spoiled...and endure the heartbreak of bone spurs. Maybe that had an effect."

De Niro was referencing the reason why Trump received a medical draft deferment in the Vietnam War.

"Trump treats education as a con  a way to make a profit at the expense of the suckers. Anyone here planning to get their education at Trump University?" De Niro asked the crowd. "To be silent in the face of such villainy is to be complicit."

This is hardly the first time the 74-year-old has gone after Trump.

The Oscar-winner called Trump a "flat-out blatant racist" in August and more recently referred to Trump as a "f--king idiot", "f--king fool" and "jerkoff-in-chief" in January.
A husband celebrating his 23rd wedding anniversary gave his wife a life-saving gift: a kidney.

With it, Cesar Calle gave his wife Monica a life free of painful dialysis treatment, which she needed for polycystic kidney disease she had been fighting for a decade, the Sun Sentinel reported.

The couple spoke about the five-hour surgery during a press conference from Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., where the surgery was performed on Feb. 19.

I feel like a million dollars, Monica said, three weeks after the transplant. And I think I look like a million bucks, compared to before.

NEW JERSEY MAN RECEIVES KIDNEY TRANSPLANT AFTER VIRAL

T-SHIRT PLEA

Monica, a Memorial Regional Hospital employee who schedules patients surgeries there, described her three-year journey.

I was in a lot of pain, I was scared," she said, "and I didnt know if there was gonna be a miracle for me.

Monica added, Im sure a lot of us that are in this situation always wonder, When is our miracle happening? And I tell everybody, Just hang on tight, fight your fight, because we are warriors, and your miracle will happen.

Selflessly, her husband Cesar offered to donate one of his kidney's to his wife, and in Decembe the couple got word that her husband Cesar was a match.

Dr. Juan Arenas, a surgeon and chief of the hospitals Memorial Transplant Institute said, To find a match between spouses is very unusual but very lucky for us to be able to find that.

SELENA GOMEZ REVEALS SHE NEARLY DIED AFTER KIDNEY TRANSPLANT

According to the Sun Sentinel, Cesar said, For me to do this, it was big. I was shocked. [I thought] its not real, this is not happening.

As she celebrates her wedding anniversary, Monica reflected, Little did we know 23 years ago that this was going to be the angel to save my life.

The 39-year-old said, I felt like I just won the lottery. I started dreaming of what my future would look like, not having to do dialysis. The fact that I can actually travel now and not worry about carrying boxes with me or supplies, or worry if its gonna get lost. I felt so free.
A man survived a knife wound to the eye that missed his brain by millimeters.

During a fight, Ashok Nirmalkar of Raipur, India was stabbed so hard in the left eyebrow that the handle snapped off, leaving the three-inch blade embedded in his skull.

The 25-year-old was rushed to the Sri Narayana hospital, where a team of doctors led by Dr. Sunil Khema was able to remove the blade without causing damage to his brain.

MAN SURVIVES KNIFE IN EYE SOCKET

"The X-ray showed the knife had gone three inches deep and punctured damaged the left eye lobe, missing the brains optic nerve, Dr. Khemka told SWNS.

A special team made up of neurosurgeon, an ophthalmologist and surgeons operated on the patient for three hours and successfully removed the knife from his eye.

After the attack, I thought I won't survive, but the doctors have given me a new life," Nirmalkar said.

Dr. Khemka told SWNS, It was a critical operation. While extracting the foreign body we had to do it very carefully. A small mistake and the optic nerve that connects eyes to the brains would get damaged. We also had to operate on his eyes.

EYE DOCTORS SHARE THE CRAZIEST THINGS THEY'VE EVER SEEN AT WORK

The doctor explained his team was not able to save the patients sight because the eyeball was damaged in the attack. However, he said they are trying to save his retina and cornea. "We couldn't save his eye, but we are glad that we managed to save his life," he said.
Louis Armstrongs first cornet. Sidney Bechets soprano saxophone. Edward Kid Orys trombone. These are just some of the artifacts that fill the New Orleans Jazz Museum, highlighting the city's heyday as a cradle of American jazz.

The museum is trying to provide a more complete history by opening an exhibition dedicated to female jazz artists, who have been instrumental to the city's jazz scene but have long been overshadowed by far more celebrated male artists.

The exhibit opened last year but there are plans for a future expansion.

Located just steps away from the French Quarter, the museum has all types of artifacts from the heydays of jazz in the Crescent City. The modest Women of Note exhibit takes up just two rooms of space in the 10,000-square-foot museum, but it highlights the big contributions that female artists have made to the citys jazz landscape.

The women that we portray in this exhibit, a lot of them had a kind of underground impact, David Kunian, the music curator of the New Orleans Jazz Museum, told Fox News. They werent on the level [of] Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Kid Ory or King Oliver. They did influence a lot of people here and those people [left] to do jazz in other places [and] put their influence out there.

The gallery has over 50 artifacts from the late 20th century up to the present. Some of the featured artists include Lil Hardin, Sweet Emma Barrett and the Boswell Sisters.

Kunian says due to societal pressures and prejudice, female jazz performers did not receive the notoriety they deserved.

I hope we are at least adding to a new record of how things really were back then vs. how we all kind of thought, Kunian added.

Kunian calls the exhibit a living museum since it features artifacts from performers of the past and present. Guests have the chance to see musical scores, instruments and listen to some of the featured artist. One of the museums more unique items includes a flamboyantly decorated Van Halen cello that was loaned to the museum by New Orleans-based jazz cellist Helen Gillet.

I thought about how it would be fun to be Van Halen one Mardi Gras so its my Van Halen cello, Gillet said following a live performance in New Orleans.

Gillet has Belgian roots but shes lived all over the world. She performs a mix of French contemporary jazz, blues and Classical styles. She said she was one of the only jazz instrumentalists in New Orleans when she moved to the city in 2002. Gillet said the exhibit is timely and gives female jazz performers the credit they deserve.

Its a really big question of why its taken until now, Gillet said. I just think theres been women that have paved the way and theres been more and more prolific artists and you kind of cant deny it now. Were everywhere.

The museum will host live Women of Note-themed performances for Womens History Month in the concert hall, which is located on the third floor. Museum Director Greg Lambousy said the exhibit will remain open until August of this year and will travel to France shortly afterward.

There are also plans in the works to give the exhibit a more permanent home in an upgraded space within the same building by 2020.
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Scores of members of Iranian religious minorities left their homeland more than a year ago at Washingtons invitation with the intention of coming to America. But now they may be barred from the U.S. for security reasons and could be placed in imminent danger of deportation back to the Islamic dictatorship  where they likely would face persecution, or even imprisonment and death.

Also at risk are two signature Trump administration policies: protection of religious minorities as a U.S. National Security Strategy priority and the highlighting of the Iranian regimes repression.

Allowing these refugees to be sent back to ugly fates in Iran would recast the administrations noble policies as mere political propaganda.

U.S. Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback rightly put the issue of the Iranian refugees at the top of his agenda at the first public briefing he hosted at the State Department Feb. 23. Resolving the issue will be his first major challenge.

This crisis began in fall 2016 when 87 members of Irans repressed religious minority communities were selected to benefit under the Lautenberg Amendment  a process initially adopted to rescue Jews from the former Soviet Union and expanded in 2004 for Irans religious minorities.

After a preliminary review of their cases, the minority members  ranging from Armenian and Assyrian Christians to Mandeans and Zoroastrians  were invited to travel to Vienna, Austria for final vetting before resettlement in the U.S. Soon after arriving in Vienna, however, they were put on a security hold, and last month were finally rejected for undisclosed security reasons by the U.S. Homeland Security Department.

The Vienna processing has been used in the past for Lautenberg refugees. It typically took only weeks or months and 99 percent of refugees made it through, reports HIAS, the nonprofit agency hired to facilitate the Lautenberg resettlements.

But in late 2016 the Obama administration instituted a new, secret security layer. (Both the State Department and HIAS insist that these rejections arent related to President Trumps executive order on the travel ban.)

The Homeland Security Department sent some of the 87 Iranian refugees personal rejection letters, citing security concerns. Others simply got forms giving unspecified discretionary reasons for their rejections. They have no right to appeal and their requests for review  a perfunctory process  failed to reverse any denial.

The refugees include: a wheelchair-bound, 87-year-old grandmother; a Mandean man whose wife and 4-year-old twin daughters were admitted into the U.S. a year ago: and Armenian and Assyrian Christian, Mandean and Zoroastrian families with relatives in the U.S.

Implausible as it seems, its always possible that some of these people could pose real security threats. The U.S. points to the fact that 800 others were admitted during 2017 through this program as evidence that there is no blanket denial policy. I also learned from a government source that the security concerns arose from information volunteered by the applicants, not from unreliable Iranian government sources.

Beyond that, however, nothing is known about the reasons for their rejections. U.S. law prevents public disclosure of the security details. And the Homeland Security Department hasnt answered the February request for a private briefing by Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Ill., co-chair of Congress Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

The State Department also seemed initially taken by surprise at the Homeland Security Department rejections and has no policy for dealing with them. In the past, the few people denied admittance to the U.S. either returned to Iran or applied for Austrian asylum. Troublingly, their outcomes were not tracked, say HIAS lawyers.

At the State Department briefing Feb. 23, a spokeswoman said that "the United States will not force anyone to return to Iran," and that every case will receive careful review. In a follow-up email to me, she added that the U.S. and Austria are working together on protection options. She cited, as one such option, resettlement in Armenia  a country with a 17 percent unemployment rate, virtually guaranteeing refugees a future in poverty.

These statements provided little reassurance. A week earlier the 87 refugees had received their final Homeland Security Department rejections and were visited by Austrian police, who warned of their imminent deportation to Iran unless they claimed asylum in Austria.

The refugees are now scared to death, Austrian Catholic Church officials who are helping them told me. Their prospects for asylum in Austria are dim, hurt by the U.S. rejections.

And as members of religious minorities who attempted to move to the United State  the Great Satan in the view of the Iranian regime  the refugees face double jeopardy back home. Irans prisons are filled with alleged spies and traitors  many falsely accused  as well as persecuted religious minorities. In recent weeks, six political prisoners in those jails reportedly have died under torture.

To resolve this tragic situation and salvage critical U.S. policy goals, Ambassador Brownback should:

? Ensure a case-by-case security review for each of the 87 refugees barred from the U.S.

? Prevent anyones forcible return to Iran, even after rejection in an Austrian asylum adjudication.

? For those denied, find a humane solution in a third country  after all, for humanitarian reasons, Bermuda agreed to take Chinese Uighur terrorists from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo, Cuba, after the Uighurs were captured in Afghanistan. So a similar plan could be created for the 87 refugees.

Brownback should also work to preserve the Lautenberg process. Reforms are needed to avoid future debacles like this and to reassure our program partner, Austria.

Far from being the Cold War anachronism that the New York Times has made it out to be, the Lautenberg Amendment gives life to U.S. national security strategy policies.

Iran is a Country of Particular Concern,  that is, a State Department-designated religious persecutor of the first order. In 14 years, the Lautenberg Amendment has provided a lifeline to over 32,000 Iranians from minority religious groups.

The amendment upholds the highest of American values. America should do no less.
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

What surprised Washington foreign policy and political gurus was not Rex Tillersons dismissal as secretary of state, which had been rumored for months, but how it was done. President Trump fired his secretary of state in a tweet. It was the Washington equivalent of breaking up with your romantic partner with a Post-it.

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State, the president tweeted at 8:44 a.m. Tuesday. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!

The dismissal stunned Washington. It shouldnt have. It was obvious that President Trump and Rex Tillerson had different foreign policy views and that the president, understandably, wanted a chief foreign policy adviser like Mike Pompeo, who more closely shares his world view.

The nadir of their relationship apparently came last October, when Tillerson reportedly called his boss a f------ moron in private, after the president told national security officials he wanted to dramatically expand Americas nuclear arsenal. One senior White House official said that President Trump, accustomed to flattery and delighted by kowtowing, never forgot the insult.

Whatever the cause, the manner of Tillersons firing was mean, petty, and weak  in other words, vintage Donald Trump.

White House officials told the Washington Post that President Trump had asked Tillerson to step aside last Friday. But Steve Goldstein, the State Department under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, said that his boss had not spoken to the president about the decision in advance and was unaware of the reason for his dismissal. The White House then fired Goldstein.

The Wall Street Journals version of the chaos-du-jour was that the White House called Tillerson at 2 a.m. local time in Africa and told him to come home a day early, without telling him that he was being dismissed. The Journal said that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly repeatedly urged Mr. Tillerson to resign, but Mr. Tillerson refused, saying he wanted to hear it from president, said a senior administration official.

Tillerson learned of his firing from Tuesday mornings tweet, the Journal reported.

In truth, few tears were shed in Washington over Tillersons dismissal. Talking to reporters, President Trump said that he and his secretary of state disagreed on too many issues to work well together.

We were not really thinking the same, the president said. Really, it was a different mindset, a different thinking.

President Trump, for instance, thinks the Iran nuclear agreement is terrible, the worst deal ever. Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis lobbied hard to prevent their boss from trashing it. Tillerson wanted to work with allies on climate change. President Trump did not. But no area of disagreement was more profound than their dispute over how to handle Russia.

While Tillerson  ExxonMobils former CEO  came to office a little over a year ago eager to work with his old negotiating partner, Russian President Vladimir Putin, he gradually became convinced that Putin had little interest in working with America.

For example, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Monday that it was highly likely that the Kremlin was responsible for attacking a former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, with a Novichok nerve agent. The White House supported Britain but did not echo Mays attribution for the attack.

Later that day, Tillerson, by contrast, insisted that Skripals poisoning clearly came from Russia and would certainly trigger a response. Given this timeline, his firing seems an exceptional coincidence.

Social media and journalists drew the inevitable conclusion. Rex Tillerson Gets Fired the Day After He Criticized Russia, a New Yorker headline screamed, perhaps confusing coincidence with causation.

Good on him for backing Britain and explicitly blaming Russia for the attack, John McLaughlin, the former deputy CIA director told reporters.

Yet while praising what he called Tillersons sensible views, even McLaughlin said he was puzzled by Tillersons failure to adequately staff the State Department and understand that to engage effectively in Washington bureaucratic battle he would need a professional, highly motivated staff. Tillersons draconian budget cuts and failure to appoint people to key posts severely wounded him, McLaughlin said.

Tillerson attacked Russia in his farewell statement at the State Department. Much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government, he said.

Then the fired secretary of state thanked his staff and his colleagues. But he was silent on the man who will soon no longer be his boss  the president of the United States.
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Today we are closer than ever to sending ObamaCare to the ash heap of history and opening the door for much-needed market-based solutions to health insurance.

With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Republicans banded together to eliminate the unpopular ObamaCare individual mandate. Now the Trump administration is determined to find a better way to address our nations health-care needs.

But despite these positive developments, both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are considering policies that would not only retain ObamaCare for the indefinite future, but also expand this health-care disaster beyond even President Obamas ambitions.

These proposals would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by shoveling billions of additional dollars in deficit spending into the pockets of insurance companies, which have been losing money on ObamaCares exchanges because of the laws misguided one-size-fits-all approach.

The real solution is obvious: we need to do away with this massive, expensive and unfair government program, instead of throwing money at a handful of corporations to tolerate it. But few have accused Washington of ever recognizing the obvious.

Several competing proposals appear to be on the table. One would direct the Obama-created bailout known as cost-sharing-reduction (CSR) payments to go to ObamaCare insurance companies. Another would create an entirely new reinsurance program to funnel billions of taxpayer dollars directly to insurers in order to convince them to stick with ObamaCare.

Republicans should reject both approaches.

Before now, Republicans correctly saw CSR payments for what they were  flagrant bailouts of favored ObamaCare insurance companies  and refused to be complicit in that bailout.

Republicans also recognized that CSR payments lacked sufficient pro-life protections, allowing taxpayer funding for abortions. These problems with CSR payments still remain  but the attitude among some Republicans has strangely and suddenly changed.

The reinsurance program proposals under consideration today would create a new backdoor bailout similar to one originally found in ObamaCare.

ObamaCare created a three-year reinsurance program, tantamount to a bailout, which thankfully ended in 2016. The Obama administration mismanaged this bailout so badly that it failed to collect enough insurance slush money, and then sought to fudge its mistakes by taking money from the Treasury and redirecting it into the pockets of insurance companies.

Back in 2016, top GOP committee chairmen from both the House and Senate called this scheme the great Obamacare heist. And now some would seek to reproduce it.

This Frankenstein combination of a new Republican-created insurance bailout plus funding ObamaCares existing pro-abortion CSR bailout is exactly what we counseled against in March last year. If we ignore the years of promises we made to the people on ObamaCare, the voters would, quite rightly, distrust Republicans for years to come.

Fortunately, theres another way. We can treat health insurance as the product it is and allow the principles of choice and competition to provide cheap, effective options, as we do for almost every other purchase in our society. Consumer freedom is the most effective way to lower premiums and make health insurance more affordable.

We should expand health savings accounts so Americans get a tax-free way to pay for health expenses, allow people to purchase plans that work for them, and make these plans portable between jobs. These three simple things will go a long way toward promoting market competition that benefits consumers and reduces the cost of health care for everyday Americans.

Republicans stand at a moment of great opportunity, one weve been promising to seize for over eight years. We can listen to the American people  who delivered historic Republican majorities that promised to move our nation past broken government intrusions into the health insurance market  or we can double down on this failed system by bailing out ObamaCare. We know which one we choose.

Sen. Mike Lee represents Utah, Rep. Mark Meadows represents North Carolina and Rep. Jim Jordan represents Ohio. All are Republicans.
NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

Stephen Hawking, the brilliant physicist and author who died Wednesday at 76, was undeniably our ages most well-known scientist. But he was also a great paradox.

I first met Hawking when he came to speak at Harvard in the mid-1980s. Not yet famous to the general public, he was nevertheless a celebrity within scientific circles. So it was no surprise to me that a standing-room-only crowd of faculty and students squeezed into the Science Center to hear what he had to say.

Hawkings main claims to fame back then were crazy-sounding ideas about black holes and the origin of the universe. At the heart of both, he said, were singularities  mind-bending entities that are at once infinitely small and infinitely large. That, you could say, is the first paradox I will always associate with Hawkings long, distinguished life and career.

Back then, the young maverick was also raising eyebrows by challenging the prevailing belief that nothing could ever escape from the mortal grip of a black holes irresistible gravitational field. He claimed that under certain circumstances, light of various wavelengths  what came to be called Hawking radiation  could indeed escape. Thats paradox No. 2.

Despite my disagreements with him, however, I am deeply, deeply saddened by his passing. The universe seems a bit quieter to me this morning because of his absence. And a bit darker, as if someone has snuffed out a bright supernova.

At that time, Hawking was already wheelchair-bound, having been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (better known as Lou Gehrigs disease) in his early 20s. Doctors predicted he would not live past 25. The fact that he survived to be three times that age is nothing short of a miracle. And what I consider paradox No. 3.

In the mid-eighties, Hawking was still able to speak, although barely. The Harvard presentation consisted of Hawking mumbling strings of sentences and then pausing for his assistant, standing alongside him, to translate. It was an arduous yet unforgettable experience.

Several years later, while I was still teaching at Harvard, ABC-TV hired me to be the science editor for Good Morning America. Around that same time, Hawking published A Brief History of Time, a book explaining, among other things, his novel ideas about the creation of the universe.

Sensing a good science and human-interest story, I dared to ask Hawking if he would let me interview him on his home turf in England. He was the Lucasian professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University  the same ultra-prestigious chair once occupied by the legendary Isaac Newton  and intensely private. He had never granted a network television interview  or any television interview, to my knowledge.

Fortunately for me, Hawking remembered our cordial encounter at Harvard and accepted. It also helped, I suspect, that I was a fellow physicist.

I needed to submit my questions well ahead of time, because by then Hawking was no longer able to even mumble. He relied on a synthesizer for speech, so he needed time to pre-record his answers to my questions.

When my crew and I arrived in Cambridge, we were astonished to find that Hawking, his wife Jane, and three kids all lived in a modest apartment in the basement of a student dormitory. That was also a paradox.

When the time came for cameras to roll, I asked my questions, then listened to the machine voices answers. Throughout the interview, Hawking remained slumped in his chair with a fixed smile on his mostly paralyzed face. To his day, it ranks as the strangest yet sweetest interview Ive ever done  and Ive done thousands over the years.

On our second day with Hawking, we set off to his office and classroom to film him teaching and to speak with his students. Ill never forget Hawkings mischievous smile as he tried outracing my camera crew across the sprawling campus in his wheelchair. He was a deep thinker, yes, but also a well-known prankster. Yet another paradox.

During our time with Hawking, things went so well he did something that shocked us: he gave me permission to interview his wife and kids  including his 9-year-old son, Timmy. During all of those interviews, Hawking sat nearby listening. At the end, when I went to say goodbye, he was teary-eyed. As was I.

In the years since those early encounters, Ive taken Hawking to task on some of what I consider his zanier ideas. Most recently, I pushed back on his proclamation that the human species has less than a century to live and must colonize space in order to survive.

Ive noted that for all of his brilliance and the public comparisons of him to Isaac Newton and other great scientists of the past, Hawking never won a Nobel Prize  nor did the scientists I know generally consider him in a league to earn one. Another paradox.

Ive also pushed back on Hawkings love-hate relationship with God and religion. Early on, he allowed for the possibility that God exists, but more recently he seemed hellbent on seeking ways for the universe to have created itself.

That, to me, will always be the grandest paradox of all  that Hawking could readily believe in such far-out ideas as imaginary time and a nothingness that is actually everything, but not the idea that God could possibly exist.

Despite my disagreements with him, however, I am deeply, deeply saddened by his passing. The universe seems a bit quieter to me this morning because of his absence. And a bit darker, as if someone has snuffed out a bright supernova.

There are many new, young stars ascending in science these days  some with ideas even more daring than Hawkings ever were. But I doubt the world will see the likes of him again for a long, long time. He was that special.

Rest in peace, Stephen.
Democrat Conor Lamb declared victory early Wednesday in Pennsylvanias special House election that was officially too close to call but seen by some political observers as a clear message to Republicans prior to Novembers midterm elections.

The most recent results  with 99 percent of the precincts reporting  show Lamb up by fewer than 900 votes over Republican Rick Saccone. State officials said there were about 3,900 absentee ballots that still needed to be counted.

The final result may be determined by a recount.

Still, the unofficial results showed Lamb riding a wave of Democratic enthusiasm in a district that President Donald Trump won 16 months ago by 20 points. The result was expected to raise Democratic hopes of taking back the House in November.

It took a little longer than we thought, Lamb, a former Marine, told supporters. We followed what I learned in the Marines  leave no one behind. We went everywhere; we talked to everyone; we invited everyone in.

Saccone appeared more cautious after polls closed. He told an audience that he doesnt give up. He thanked the crowd that he called the salt of the earth and vowed that he is going to keep fighting.

To be sure, Democrats wasted little time to celebrate the outcome.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic National Committee both issued statements late Tuesday declaring victory.

This is a local race ... I don't think it has anything to do with the president.  Conor Lamb, Democratic House candidate

These results should terrify Republicans. Despite their home field advantage and the millions of dollars outside groups poured into this race, Republicans found that their attacks against Conor, including their unpopular tax scam, were not believable, Ben Ray, the DCCC chairman, said in a statement.

Tom Perez, the DNC chair, praised the victory, saying the upset was for hardworking families of Western Pennsylvania and a victory for Democrats across the country.

Lamb, a 33-year-old former federal prosecutor, ran up big margins against Saccone, 60, in wealthy Allegheny County and was holding his own in GOP-leaning Westmoreland, Washington and Greene counties.

Pennsylvania Secretary of State Wanda Murren told Fox News the race would not have a mandatory recount. Under state law, three voters in each precinct must petition for a recount and petitions must be filed five days after each county completes its tally.

Lamb insisted that Trump was not the main issue in the race. But the close margin was another setback for the president following Democratic Sen. Doug Jones' victory in Alabama's special election in December.

We were executing a plan that we came up with a long time ago that had nothing to do with the president, Lamb told reporters after voting Tuesday morning. This is a local race.  I dont think it has anything to do with the president.

By contrast, Saccone had vowed that he would be Trump's "wingman," telling Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria" that the president "needs some help down there [in Washington]."

The president visited the district twice to campaign for Saccone, once in January and again on Saturday night in a rollicking rally that recalled Trumps own 2016 campaign.

In a bid to lock up that key voting bloc, Democrats called in former Vice President Joe Biden to stump for Lamb.

You said you want your piece of the sidewalk, Biden, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, told a group of union workers last week. Hell, you own the sidewalk. Biden has also said that Lamb reminds him of his late son, Beau, an Iraq War veteran and former Delaware attorney general who died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.

Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, which stretches from the affluent Pittsburgh suburbs into deep Pennsylvania steel and coal country, had been held by Republican Tim Murphy since 2003. But Murphy was forced to resign in October amid revelations of an extramarital affair in which he urged his lover to get an abortion when they thought she was pregnant.

Lamb and Saccone could face off again in November  though they may not meet in the same district. In January, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the states congressional district boundaries were unfairly gerrymandered to aid Republicans.

The Democrat-controlled court has drawn a new map that puts Saccone and Lambs homes in separate districts. However, the matter is now in the hands of a three-judge federal panel, which is considering an appeal by Republican lawmakers.

Fox News' Bret Baier, Joseph Weber and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  President Rodrigo Duterte said the country will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) 'effective immediately.'

In an unsigned statement, the President said attacks against him and his administration which were "engineered by the officials of the United Nations," as well as the attempt by the ICC special prosecutor to put him under jurisdiction prompted him to pull the country out from the international tribunal.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo confirmed the statement came from the President on Thursday.

The President slammed efforts to use the ICC "as a political tool against the Philippines."

"Given that the ICC shows a propensity for failing to give due respect to the State Parties of the Rome Statute and that there is clear bias on the part of the UN against the Philippines, the Philippines may very well consider withdrawing from the Rome Statute," Duterte said in his statement.

The President also hit UN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard and UN High Commissioner on Human Rights Zed Ra'ad al-Hussein for their "international bias" against the Philippines' human rights situation. He added the preliminary examination of ICC prosecutor Fatou Besouda against the country's war on drugs "maliciously created" implication of culpability.

He said the actions done by the UN and ICC are in violation of due process and constitutional presumption of innocence.

In withdrawing from the ICC, Duterte also said that the Rome Statute, the ICC's founding document to which the Philippines is a signatory, is neither effective nor enforceable in the country since it has not been published in the Official Gazette as instructed by the New Civil Code.

"An international law cannot supplant, prevail over, or diminish a domestic law," he said.

But even if the ICC can have jurisdiction, Duterte said the grounds of the complaint filed against him are not grounds in which the international court can have the jurisdiction.

"The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide at war crimes. Neither is it a crime of aggression or a crime against humanity The deaths cuffing in the process of legitimate police operation lacked the intent to kill. The self-defense employed by the police officers when their lives became endangered by the violent resistance of the suspects is a justifying circumstance under our criminal law hence they do not incur criminal liability," he said.

On Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte has instructed Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to issue the notice of withdrawal, but the country has yet to file this.

The Philippines signed the Rome Statute of the ICC in 2000 and ratified it in 2011, becoming its 117th State Party.

Earlier, the ICC clarified the preliminary examination is not an investigation but a process to see if there is basis to proceed with an investigation.

READ: Int'l Criminal Court to begin preliminary examination on PH killings

The ICC is looking into the drug war after Jude Sabio filed a communication in April 2017. Sabio is the lawyer of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato, who said he killed people in Davao City upon the orders of then-Mayor Duterte.

Sabio accused Duterte of "repeatedly, unchangingly, and continuously" committing mass murder. He said 1,400 individuals were killed by the so-called Davao Death Squad under the leadership of then Mayor Duterte, and 7,000 individuals were killed in the government's war on drugs since Duterte took office.

The President's statement is also a complete turnaround from an earlier statement, when he said he welcomed the ICC probe and that he would speak to an ICC representative one-on-one.

The ICC, an intergovernmental organization that investigates cases of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression, was established by the Rome Statute, which was enforced in 2002.

It currently has eight situations under preliminary examination, including alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Iraq.

'We can withdraw from the ICC'

Contrary to claims, Duterte said the country can immediately withdraw from the Rome Statute in less than a year as there is "fraud" in the agreement both parties entered into.

"The Philippines in ratifying the Rome Statute was made to believe that the principle of complementanty shall be observed, that the principle of due process and the presumption of innocence as mandated by our Constitution and the Rome Statute shall prevail: and that the legal requirement of publication to make the Rome Statute enforceable shall be maintained," he said.

According to Article 127 of the Rome Statute, "a state may, by written notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, withdraw from this Statute. The withdrawal shall take effect one year after the date of receipt of the notification, unless the notification specifies a later date."

It added a state party's withdrawal should not affect its cooperation with the Court on criminal investigations and proceedings initiated prior to the effectivity of the state's withdrawal.

The withdrawal should also not "prejudice in any way the continued consideration of any matter which was already under consideration by the Court prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective.

In a statement, former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay said Duterte has no authority to withdraw from the ICC on his own.

"The ICC was ratified by the Senate. Withdrawal, as a constitutional matter, requires a similar concurrence," he said.

Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Ade Fajardo likewise said the withdrawal "should undergo the same scrutiny, diligent study, and debate that the country's prior decision of entering into the Rome Statute went through."
Andrew McCabe has long been under fire, specifically by Republicans who have voiced conflict-of-interest complaints over McCabe's ties to the Democratic Party. Now, a bombshell report released by the Justice Department, reveals the former FBI director misled investigators multiple times about his role in a news media leak, though McCabe denies the allegations.

"DOJ just issued the McCabe report - which is a total disaster," Trump said in an April 13 tweet. "He LIED! LIED! LIED! McCabe was totally controlled by Comey - McCabe is Comey!! No collusion, all made up by this den of thieves and lowlifes!"

McCabe says that when he believed his answers to the inspector general were misunderstood, he went back and tried to correct them. His lawyer says the inspector general unfairly tried to conclude its work before McCabe could retire with a full pension.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired McCabe on March 16 -- two days short of his retirement and receiving a full pension. The firing was followed by reports that McCabe kept personal memos detailing interactions with President Trump.

Spent very little time with Andrew McCabe, but he never took notes when he was with me, Trump tweeted on March 18. I dont believe he made memos except to help his own agenda, probably at a later date. Same with lying James Comey. Can we call them Fake Memos?

"[W]e concluded that McCabes decision to confirm the existence of the CF Investigation through an anonymously sourced quote, recounting the content of a phone call with a senior Department official in a manner designed to advance his personal interests at the expense of Department leadership, was clearly not within the public interest exception," the report says.

Here's what you need to know about McCabe's FBI career and the controversies -- including his wife's having received donations for a failed 2015 Senate run from a group tied to former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe -- that have followed.

What should I know about McCabes FBI career?

McCabe started at the FBI in 1996 as a special agent and has held leadership positions in the Counterterrorism Division, the National Security Branch and the Washington Field Office, the FBI said.

In July 2015, a press release announced that then-FBI Director James Comey had appointed McCabe associate deputy director. Comey named McCabe the bureaus deputy director in January 2016.

Andys 19 years of experience, combined with his vision, judgment and ability to communicate, make him a perfect fit for this job, Comey said in a statement at the time.

After Trump fired Comey, McCabe was acting director of the FBI from May 9, 2017, until Aug. 2, 2017. Trumps pick to replace Comey, Christopher Wray, was sworn in the same day.

What about his handling of the Clinton email probe?

The inspector general's office, which for more than a year investigated the FBI's handling of the Clinton email investigation, concluded that McCabe authorized FBI officials to speak with a journalist for an October 2016 story in The Wall Street Journal, according to The New York Times.

Though Trump has called McCabe biased, the story in question suggested that FBI officials wanted to more actively probe the Clinton Foundation but were discouraged from more aggressive steps by the Obama Justice Department.

The DOJ's April report found that McCabe authorized a leak to a Wall Street Journal reporter about the contents of a telephone call in August 2016.

"Among the purposes of the disclosure was to rebut a narrative that had been developing following a story in the WSJ on October 23, 2016, that questioned McCabes impartiality in overseeing FBI investigations involving [Clinton], and claimed that McCabe had ordered the termination of the [FBI's Clinton Foundation investigation] due to Department of Justice pressure," the report says.

In January, The Journal reported that McCabe knew of thousands of emails related to the Clinton investigation for at least a month before Comey told Congress about them.

The day he was fired, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement that "the FBI expects every employee to adhere to the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and accountability."

In response, McCabe said that his firing was a part of the Trump administration's "war on the FBI," adding that he was being singled out because of the "role I played, the actions I took, and the events I witnessed in the aftermath of the firing of James Comey."

What is the Andy text message?

FBI agent Peter Strzok was dismissed from Muellers Russia probe after being linked to a number of anti-Trump text messages, including those calling Trump a menace and a loathsome human.

An Aug. 15, 2016, text message Strzok sent to FBI lawyer Lisa Page apparently references an insurance policy against Trump winning the 2016 election.

I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andys office - that theres no way he gets elected - but Im afraid we cant take that risk, Strzok said in the text message. Its like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before youre 40.

The Andy mentioned in the text was possibly a reference to McCabe.

What about his wifes State Senate campaign?

McCabes wife, Dr. Jill McCabe, ran for a Virginia State Senate seat in 2015. The political action committee for then-Virginia Governor McAuliffe, a Democrat and Clinton ally, donated $467,500 to her campaign, while the Virginia Democratic party gave $207,788, The Journal reported. Andrew McCabe was associate deputy director of the FBI at the time.

McCabe played no role, attended no events, and did not participate in fundraising or support of any kind, the FBI told The Journal in a statement. Months after the completion of her campaign, then-Associate Deputy Director McCabe was promoted to Deputy, where, in that position, he assumed for the first time, an oversight role in the investigation into Secretary Clintons emails.

Trump has been critical of the donations.

Dr. McCabe later lost the race to her Republican opponent, incumbent Dick Black.

Fox News Jake Gibson, Barnini Chakraborty, Madeline Farber, Lukas Mikelionis, Joseph Weber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The parents of children killed by illegal immigrants are demanding that the Trump administration take a tough stance against a California mayor who thwarted a federal immigration raid this month -- urging that she face consequences and even jail time.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf sparked national outrage when she pre-empted the raid in Northern California by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials by announcing it on Twitter.

How dare you! Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a speech last week in which he also announced a lawsuit against California for its "sanctuary" policies -- which limit local law enforcement officials from complying with federal immigration authorities' access to illegal immigrants.

How dare you needlessly endanger the lives of our law enforcement officers to promote a radical, open borders agenda, Sessions said.

Striking a similar tone of outrage, President Donald Trump said in California on Tuesday, "What happened in Oakland was a disgrace to our nation.

While the raid picked up hundreds of illegal immigrants, ICE officials say hundreds more evaded capture -- including hardened criminals.

Since then, a number of California Democrats have backed Schaaf, while House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., slammed the raid as "unjust and cruel." The Department of Justice is reviewing Schaafs actions.

As for those who have lost children due to the actions of illegal immigrants -- so-called Angel Families -- they say its vital that the administration do something.

Don Rosenberg, an "Angel Dad" whose 25-year-old son, Drew, was killed in San Francisco in 2010 when an illegal-immigrant driver from Honduras hit his motorbike, says that Sessions DOJ needs to have Schaaf prosecuted.

Put her in jail, youll see this stuff stop, Rosenberg told Fox News. These people arent willing to sacrifice their lives and careers for people who are here illegally. Theyll be like cockroaches scattering when you turn the light on.

Rosenberg said his son was killed after the driver attempted to flee the scene, driving over Drew again in the process. Although the driver entered the country illegally, he had been given Temporary Protective Status (TPS).

Schaaf and other liberal Democrats have claimed that they are working to make communities safer, partly by encouraging those here illegally to cooperate with authorities about more hardened criminals.

"It is Oaklands legal right to be a sanctuary city and we have not broken any laws," Schaaf said in a statement last month. "We believe our community is safer when families stay together."

Rosenberg rejected that argument outright:

Its a great line, sounds good, but its total bull---t.

Sabine Durden, whose son Dominic was killed in Moreno Valley, Calif., in 2012 when his motorbike was hit by an illegal immigrant with priors including two DUIs, echoed Rosenberg's sentiment, saying that something must be done about rogue Democratic lawmakers.

When I first heard, I was beside myself, fuming, infuriated and completely outraged about the lawless, reckless and very dangerous behavior of that disrespectful mayor," she told Fox News. "Not only did she endanger ICE agents and law enforcement, but all the citizens not just in her community, but all over near and far."



If the mayor of Oakland would have opened the back door to a prison or jail and let out dangerous felons, she would have been immediately arrested, she added. Why not in this case?



While the loss of a child is the ultimate nightmare for any parent, in these families' cases the grief is compounded by anger at what they say are regular snubs by Democratic politicians. These politicians, the Angel Families say, ignore their stories and then push legislation that the families insist will only lead to more deaths of American citizens and residents at the hands of people who have no right to be in the country in the first place.

"I wonder if [Schaaf] would defend illegals if one of them had hurt or killed one of her loved ones," Durden said. "The self-serving, unlawful and very disturbing stance and actions of that mayor is a prime example why California is sliding down the edge of insanity."

Jamiel Shaw Sr., whose son Jamiel Jr. was murdered in 2008 in Los Angeles by a Mexican gang member living in the U.S. illegally, has repeatedly expressed his frustration with California. Last week he tweeted an image of a Democratic State Senate candidate's call to "Disobey Trump."

"This is what we have to put up with in California. The Dems' campaign platform is to disobey law and order," he tweeted.

Mary Ann Mendoza's 32-year-old son, Police Sgt. Brandon Mendoza, was killed in 2014 in Arizona by an illegal immigrant who was driving the wrong way while drunk. That driver, who was also killed in the crash, had been living illegally in the country for at least 20 years and had criminal convictions dating from 1994. She says that Democratic lawmakers have tried to ignore her advocacy.

They dont even want to look us in the face, they avoid us at all costs, Mary Ann Mendoza told Fox News. It would squash their agenda and what they are trying to achieve; they want to act like it doesnt even exist and thats why so many of us keep fighting.



Rosenberg said he was a lifelong Democrat, but was abandoned by people in his party as he says they have become increasingly focused on prioritizing illegal immigrants.

I was a Democrat my entire life, but they dont follow Democratic principles, theyre just vote hoarders, he said. What message are you sending when you will shut down the entire government to protect DACA recipients? he added, referring to the illegal immigrants brought to America as young children by their parents.

And by promoting so-called sanctuary policies, the families say they are not promoting safety, but rather allowing more threats onto the streets to put law-abiding families in danger.

Where is the sanctuary for law-abiding citizens? said Durden, herself an immigrant who arrived legally from Germany in the 1990s. Where was the safe place for my only child?



Laura Wilkerson has pushed for the U.S. to keep Americans safe from illegal immigrants after her 18-year-old son, Josh, was murdered by an illegal immigrant classmate in 2010 in Texas. Josh was tied up, tortured, strangled and beaten until he died, before his body was set on fire.

Wilkerson grilled Pelosi last year at a CNN town hall, where she asked Pelosi which one of her family members she would sacrifice for an illegal immigrant.

"If you need to go home tonight and line up your babies as you say, and your grandbabies, which one of them could you look in their eyes today, and tell them that they're expendable for another foreign person to have a nicer life? a tearful Wilkerson asked. Which one would you look to say, you, my child, are expendable for someone else to come over here and not follow the law and have a nicer life?"

Wilkerson told Fox News that Sessions and the DOJ need to act, noting that Schaafs actions also put law enforcement in danger, as well.

Jeff Sessions has been very quiet and I am hoping that he does more than a war of words; its time to do something, she said. Hes a good man but we have to take action and show that we are going to stand up to lawbreakers.

It makes me angry and its time for us to fight now, she said. If we lose to this, what else is next?

But while the families are angry at what they have seen, many of them said repeatedly that they are not motivated primarily by anger or vengeance, but instead to make sure that no mother or father has to endure the heartbreak and grief that they have had to go through.

I dont want anyone else to know what this 24/7 nightmare feels like, Durden said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren doubled down on her disputed story about a Native American heritage in a recent TV appearance, but an expert says her story just doesn't add up.

Warren appeared on "Fox News Sunday," where she was once again grilled about her long-standing claim to be Native American, and told a story about how her racist paternal grandparents objected to her parents' wedding because of her mother's Cherokee blood. The couple, she said, was forced into a Depression-era elopment.

You know, my mom and dad were born and raised out in Oklahoma, and my daddy was in his teens when he fell in love with my mother, said the Massachusetts Democrat. She was a beautiful girl who played the piano. And he was head over heels in love with her and wanted to marry her. And his family was bitterly opposed to that because she was part Native American.

"The problem with Warrens story is that none of the evidence supports it."  Twila Barnes, genealogist

As a result, eventually my parents eloped, Warren said.

But The Washington Times reported that Cherokee genealogist Twila Barnes wrote in a 2016 blog that the story doesn't make sense. Barnes, who has researched Warren's family and found no evidence of Native American ancestry, researched the marriage of Pauline Reed and Donald Herring and found it appeared to be an ordinary wedding.

The problem with Warrens story is that none of the evidence supports it, Barnes wrote. Her genealogy shows no indication of Cherokee ancestry. Her parents wedding doesnt resemble an elopement. And additional evidence doesnt show any indication of her Herring grandparents being Indian haters.

The wedding was performed by a prominent Methodist clergyman, not a justice of the peace, Barnes found. She also noted that a detailed wedding announcement was posted in the local newspaper in Wetumka, Oklahoma.

If Ms. Warrens parents eloped due to her mother being Cherokee and Delaware and it was such a disgrace, why did they rush back to Wetumka the same day they were married and proudly announce it to everyone? asked Ms. Barnes. If there was shame associated with the marriage and it caused so many problems, why was it happily announced in the local paper?

Warren touted her supposed Native American roots while becoming a tenured law professor at Harvard, but skeptics have demanded evidence. With the Massachusetts senator reportedly mulling a 2020 presidential run, The Berkshire Eagle newspaper has said she should take a DNA test to dispel or confirm the doubts once and for all.

Warren said Sunday she is neither planning to run for president nor take a DNA test.

I know who I am because of what my mother and my father told me, what my grandmother and my grandfather told me, what all my aunts and uncles told me, and my brothers, Warren said. Its a part of who I am and no ones ever going to take that away.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called Wednesday for the Security Council to take action against Russia over the poisoning of a former spy and his daughter, labeling the attack an "atrocious crime."

Haley said that the U.S. "stands in absolute solidarity with Great Britain" and supported the U.K. government's conclusion that the Russian state had targeted Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

"The Russians complained recently that we criticize them too much," Haley said. "If the Russian government stopped using chemical weapons to assassinate its enemies ... We would stop talking about them."

Haley pointed out that Moscow had repeatedly provided diplomatic cover for the use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war by the Bashar Assad regime and warned that the Security Council's credibility "will not survive if we fail to hold Russia accountable."

"If we dont take immediate, concrete measures to address this now, [Britain] will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used," Haley said. "They could be used here in New York, or in cities of any country that sits on this Council."

Earlier Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that she had expelled 23 diplomats, severed high-level contacts and vowed both open and covert action against the Kremlin in response to the March 4 attack in the city of Salisbury in southwestern England.

May told the House of Commons that the mass expulsion was the biggest in 30 years and would "fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability in the U.K. for years to come." The prime minister had previously set a midnight deadline for Russia to explain how the nerve agent Novichok, developed by the Soviet Union, was used against the Skripals -- a deadline Moscow ignored.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said May's actions were a "just response" to the attack.

"This latest action by Russia fits into a pattern of behavior in which Russia disregards the international rules-based order, undermines the sovereignty and security of countries worldwide, and attempts to subvert and discredit Western democratic institutions and processes," Sanders said. "The United States is working together with our allies and partners to ensure that this kind of abhorrent attack does not happen again."

At the U.N., Britain's deputy ambassador said the British government had asked the international chemical weapons watchdog to verify its conclusions about the attack.

"We have no choice but to conclude this was a state-sponsored act against the prohibition and use of chemical weapons and in defiance of international law," Jonathan Allen said.

Russia has repeatedly dismissed Britain's charge that it targeted the Skripals. On Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cited a lack of video footage in claiming the Kremlin is being framed.

"I will never believe that this person or group of people ... would not be seen after the commission of the crime," Zakharova told the Associated Press. "I will never believe it ... You have video cameras everywhere!"

Russia has also claimed that Britain has bucked international procedure in the case by not providing Russia information.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Democrats who typically fall into the Clinton camp are trashing the two-time failed presidential candidate for singling out white female Trump voters, blaming their ballots cast in 2016 on pressure from male figures in their lives.

From Democratic senators to even her former campaign manager, there is a seeming consensus across the board that even sugarcoating her comments this week dont make them any easier to swallow.

During former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons appearance in India over the weekend, she claimed she lost the 2016 presidential race in part because white women didnt stand up to the men in their lives pressuring them to vote for Donald Trump.

We do not do well with white men and we dont do well with married, white women, Clinton said. And part of that is an identification with the Republican Party, and a sort of ongoing pressure to vote the way your husband, your boss, your son, whoever, believes you should.

HILLARY CLINTON BLAMES 'PRESSURE' FROM MEN FOR WHY WHITE WOMEN VOTED FOR TRUMP

She added: "I won the places that represent two-thirds of America's gross domestic product. So I won the places that are optimistic, diverse, dynamic, moving forward. And his whole campaign, 'Make America Great Again,' was looking backwards."

Clintons former 2008 presidential campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle didnt defend her remarks.

Look this was bad. I cant sugarcoat it, Solis Doyle said on HLN this week. She was wrong and clearly its not helpful to Democrats going into the midterms and certainly not going into 2020.

Solis Doyle added: Shes put herself in a position where Democrats are going to have to distance themselves from these remarks and distance themselves from her, particularly those Democrats that are running in the states that Donald Trump won.

Like Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is up for re-election, come the midterms in November, in a state Trump won by 19 points.

Those are kind of fighting words for me, because Im partial to Missouri voters, McCaskill told The Washington Post. I think they were expressing their frustration with the status quo.

McCaskill added, defending voters in her state, I may not have agreed with their choice, but I certainly respect them. And I dont think thats the way you should talk about any voter, especially ones in my state.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who is up for re-election in a state Trump won, also slammed Clinton.

I dont really care what she said, Brown told the Huffington Post. I just think that thats not helpful.

"I don't really care what she said. I just think that that's not helpful,"  Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

But when asked for comment on her remarks, a Clinton spokesman simply referred Fox News to a study that supports Clinton's claim that women vote in their husband's economic interest--seemingly defending her comments.

Clinton has blamed a number of factors for her second presidential loss. Just last month, Clinton blamed misogyny and old-fashioned sexism for her loss. And in her memoir, What Happened, Clinton faulted a range of factorsincluding voter ID laws, Those Damn Emails, the unprecedented intervention in our election by former FBI director James Comey, and the audacious warfare waged from the Kremlin.

Clinton also criticized women who did not vote but supported the Womens March on Jan. 21, 2017. In her book, she called that day bittersweet.

Solis Doyle said she would like to think Clinton would not be speaking that way about voters if she were elected president.

I think she is still coming to terms with the loss, and if I were in her shoes, so would I, Solis Doyle said. I dont think the answer is to hush her up or, you know, take her away from the public view. I think she has a lot to offer.

CLINTON AGAIN BLAMES 'MISOGYNY' 'SEXISM' FOR 'WHAT HAPPENED' IN 2016

The Democratic National Committee did not respond to Fox News request for comment on whether Clintons remarks hurt the Democratic Party, and Democratic candidates up for re-election in states that Trump won in 2016.

But Clintons longtime communications adviser Philippe Reines on Saturday said he understood why that man [Trump] won in 2016.

And I understand Im not terrifiedbut I understand why he may win again in 2020, Reines told The Hill.

Fox News Alex Pappas contributed to this report.
Conservative commentator and former Reagan administration official Larry Kudlow has accepted the job of White House National Economic Council director, replacing Gary Cohn, Fox News has learned.

President Trump offered Kudlow the job just one week after Cohn resigned from his post as the presidents chief economic adviser, a senior administration official told Fox News.

Larry Kudlow was offered, and accepted, the position of Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Wednesday. "We will work to have an orderly transition and will keep everyone posted on the timing of him officially assuming the role.

Kudlows extensive career in finance includes stints working for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and serving as a chief economist and senior managing director at Bear Stearns, the defunct investment bank that failed during the 2008 financial crisis.

Kudlow served as the associate director for economics and

planning in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during former President Ronald Reagans first term.

Kudlow is now a CNBC senior contributor and was previously the host of CNBC's prime-time "The Kudlow Report."

Cohn resigned amid opposition to the presidents decision to announce tariffs on all imports of steel and aluminum. Hours before his resignation, Trump set a line in the sand asking Cohn if he would support the new policy, and Cohn did not answer, a White House official and an outside adviser to the president told Fox News.

Kudlow, who advised Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, also was against the idea of tariffs, writing an op-ed against Trumps plan, calling it a crisis of logic.

The president this week reportedly acknowledged that he and Kudlow dont agree on everything, but welcomes having a difference of opinion among his close advisers.

Just last week, the president said I like conflict.

I like having two people with different points of view. And I certainly have that, Trump said. And then I make a decision. But I like watching it. I like seeing it. And I think its the best way to go.

But Kudlow has praised the presidents work on tax reform, writing last year that, Trump and the GOP are on the side of the growth angels with the passage of powerful tax-cut legislation to boost business investment, wages, and take-home family pay. The Democrats, meanwhile, are left with stale class-warfare slogans about tax cuts for the rich.

Fox News' Blake Burman contributed to this report.


President Trump could be making more changes to his Cabinet this week in the wake of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's firing, multiple sources told Fox News on Wednesday evening.

The potential changes include the departure of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and his replacement by John Bolton, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Other departures from the administration would include Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Chief of Staff John Kelly.

The sources have cautioned that Trump will make the ultimate decision about all staff changes. However, the departure of McMaster has been described by multiple sources as "imminent."

Kelly would be replaced as chief of staff by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, the sources said, with Energy Secretary Rick Perry replacing Shulkin at the VA. Ray Washburne, the chairman of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, would replace Perry as energy secretary.

After announcing Tillerson's dismissal on Twitter Tuesday, Trump himself hinted that more changes might be forthcoming.

"I've gotten to know a lot of people very well over the last year," Trump told reporters at the White House, "and I'm really at a point where we're getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want."

Trump has had a turbulent relationship with many members of his Cabinet. Last summer he began publicly bashing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a former close adviser who was the first senator to back his campaign.

Trump has used the words "beleaguered" and "disgraceful" to describe Sessions, who only recently stood up to the president and defended his decision to recuse himself from the inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 presidential election. Earlier Wednesday, Vanity Fair reported that Trump has discussed firing Sessions and replacing him with EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

Tillerson also frequently clashed with Trump, who never forgave the outgoing secretary of state for reportedly calling him "a moron" last summer after grumbling that the president had no grasp of foreign affairs.

Trump's esteem for the Cabinet has faded in recent months, The AP reported, citing two White House officials and two outside advisers. He also told confidants that he was in the midst of making changes to improve personnel and, according to one person who spoke with him, "get rid of the dead weight"  which could put a number of embattled Cabinet secretaries on notice.

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke underwent questioning Tuesday by Senate Democrats, who accused him of spending tens of thousands of dollars on office renovations and private flights while proposing deep cuts to conservation programs. Zinke pushed back, saying he "never took a private jet anywhere"  because all three flights he had taken on private planes as secretary were on aircraft with propellers, not jet engines.

Shulkin's days at the VA may be numbered after a bruising internal report found ethics violations in connection with his trip to Europe with his wife last summer, according to senior administration officials. He also has faced a potential mutiny from his own staff: A political adviser installed by Trump at the Department of Veterans Affairs has openly mused to other VA staff about ousting the former Obama administration official.

Perry, after a Senate hearing Wednesday, said he was not interested in changing jobs, adding "I am energy secretary from now until the forseeable future. Happily."

Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Nation of Islam is lashing out at three black members of Congress who have denounced its leader, Louis Farrakhan, for making anti-Semitic and anti-white remarks in a recent speech.

In an open letter on the group's website, Representatives Gregory Meeks, Barbara Lee and Danny Davis, who have disavowed Farrakan's anti-Semitic and racist rhetoric, are accused of being sellouts to Farrakhan's critics -- derided as "Satanic Jews" -- and the Nation of Islam leader is compared to Jesus Christ.

Remember, it was the same Satanic Jews of yesterday that conspired against Jesus and had him killed by the ruling authority of the Roman Empire," the letter reads. "They hated Jesus because he told the truth. Jesus was ridiculed, falsely charged, lied on, evil spoken of and called a hater and a bigot.

On Wednesday afternoon, Farrakhan pushed the same message, tweeting: "Why do the Jews hate me with so much passion? Because Jesus, my brother, who was their last prophet, was 2,000 years too soon. I am on time."

The three Democrats disavowed the 84-year-old minister for his incendiary keynote speech at the organizations national conference in Chicago last month.

We are writing this open letter to express our deep disappointment with your published denouncement of [Louis Farrakhan]at the behest of the Republican Jewish Coalition, the anti-Defamation League and others who represent white supremacy and the continuing effort to destroy our community.  Nation of Islam, open letter to three members of Black Congressional Caucus

Before a crowd of several thousand, Farrakhan said such things as powerful Jews are my enemy and the Jews were responsible for all of this filth and degenerate behavior that Hollywood is putting out turning men into women and women into men.

The new open letter refers the three lawmakers to a previous letter that Farrakhan in 2010 directed at black leadership that warned against becoming an apologist for Jews. Farrakhan said that siding with Jews would put black leaders at risk of being seen by the masses of our people as a modern day Uncle Tom who believes you owe more to [Jews] than to the masses of our suffering people.

Shortly after Farrakhan made his Chicago speech, in which he also condemned whites and gays, the conservative publication The Daily Caller reported that seven congressional lawmakers  all Democrats and all part of the Black Caucus -- had current or past ties to the minister.

Jewish groups and others demanded that the Black Caucus members state where they stood on Farrakhan and his views. Meeks, Davis and Lee responded that they condemn anti-Semitism and denounced Farrakhans remarks. The other lawmakers either have said nothing, or have expressed intolerance for bigotry and hateful rhetoric in general, but have refused to directly speak about Farrakhan.

The seven lawmakers are Meeks, who is from New York, Davis, who is from Illinois, Lee, from California, Andre Carson of Indiana, Maxine Waters of California, Al Green of Texas, and Keith Ellison of Minnesota. Green and Waters have been silent, igoring requests for comments by news outlets.

The new open letter by the Nation of Islam said: We are writing this open letter to express our deep disappointment with your published denouncement of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhans Saviors Day 2018 Message at the behest of the Republican Jewish Coalition, the anti-Defamation League and others who represent white supremacy and the continuing effort to destroy our community.

It is abhorrent for you, as elected officials, to defend these people against the truth that uncovers the horror that has been done to black people and to serve as their mouthpiece, the open letter continued, rather than allow them to defend themselves against their record and history which proves that they are anti-black.

Farrakhan also has tweeted defiant messages in recent days that appear directed at his critics.

The more they knock me, the more I am boosted, by the Grace of God, he said in one tweet. In another he said: The Power that backs me is greater than the powers are against me.

Efforts by Fox News to reach Meeks and Lee for reaction to the Nation of Islams open letter were unsuccessful.

There are many blacks who revere him, and think that he's the only one who dares speak the truth about whites.  Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an author and political analyst

Davis spokesman, Ira Cohen, said only: The comments hes made [about Farrakhans rhetoric] are crystal clear. I dont know what else we can say at this point.

While Farrakhan long has been a polarizing figure  making wholesale blistering remarks against groups he likens to Satan, and hailing Adolph Hitler as "a very great man"  he and the Nation of Islam have commanded a strong following among African Americans. That was highlighted across the nation in 1995, when he led the Million Man March, a rally on the National Mall that stressed social and economic self-reliance.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an author and political analyst, said that before Farrakhans recent Chicago speech grabbed national headlines, the Nation of Islam leaders clout had been dimming.

Farrakhan had long since slipped from the national dialogue over race, racism, and civil rights issues, not to mention action on these issues, Hutchinson said in an email to Fox News. The CBC and other civil rights organizations have long been critical of what they see as his insular, narrow, racially inflammatory remarks and approach to the racial issue.

At the same time, long-time Farrakhan observers say they realize that the Nation of Islam leader still holds considerable sway among many blacks, and that taking him on publicly could come at cost for those who depend on support from the African-American community.

There are many blacks who revere him, Hutchinson said, and think that he's the only one who dares speak the truth about whites.
Students are marching out of their classrooms and onto the streets to demand action on gun violence exactly one month after a gunman walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, opened fire and killed 17 people.

While students may be the center of attention Wednesday, which they dubbed "National School Walkout Day," it's really the response of politicians that people are eyeing.

A handful of politicans are offering words of encouragement, some even joining the movement, while others focused their attention on legislation, such as the STOP School Violence Act.

"Tragic violence has no place in our schools. Today, the House will take concrete action to prevent this violence through the bipartisan STOP School Violence Act, which implements new training programs in our schools, updates security technology, and more," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., posted on Twitter, announcing the House would vote on the legislation Wednesday.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., pledged his support for the movement and even encouraged students to visit him at the Capitol.

"We need your energy to get Congress to take action to end the bloodshed now," he tweeted late Wednesday morning.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he will gather in front of the Capitol to join students rallying for stronger gun control.

"#Enough is enough. Its time that this country comes together to do something about gun violence," Schumer tweeted. "#NationalWalkoutDay, the students, teachers, families & friends standing up all give me hope that things will finally, finally change."

In response, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, asked Schumer to "#FixNICS," the National Instant Criminal Background Check System -- a federal law that requires licensed gun sellers to conduct background checks on all buyers.

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., praised students for driving change, but also reminded them to keep their eyes on the big picture.

"Remember, we have to convert our organizing energy into electoral gains; so that we can change the law to benefit the public good," Ellison tweeted.

Politicians react to #NationalWalkoutDay
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  The Philippine National Police on Wednesday said the flip-flopping statements of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa is not enough reason for the panel of prosecutors to junk charges against him.

The PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) questioned why government prosecutors dismissed its high-profile drug cases against Espinosa, Peter Lim, Peter Co, and several others for alleged conspiracy to sell illegal drugs.

"I am questioning the decision. That's why I filed a motion for reconsideration," PAN-CIDG Chief Director Roel Obusan said.

The CIDG chief believes they have a solid case against Espinosa and his alleged co-conspirators, despite the fact that Kerwin - during a preliminary investigation into his case - retracted his statement he worked with Lim, Co, and others.

He said the testimony of Kerwin's driver and personal bodyguard Marcelo Adorco is a solid case against the self-confessed drug personality.

Adorco claimed to be a close confidante of the Espinosa family after meeting Kerwin in prison in 2011, and said he had a notebook that contained the list of people who had illegal drug transactions with the Espinosas.

"Ang inestablish lang dito is probable cause, that is well grounded belief that a crime has been committed and directly sinasabi na dito. So sabi nga sa ibang jurisprudence its up on the court now to expound more kung ano yung talagang nangyari kasi doon na yung merit by merit na usapan," Obusan said.

The prosecution panel's resolution dismissed the charges against Espinosa, stating Adorco is not a credible witness based on inconsistencies in his testimonies.

They added the CIDG failed to present circumstantial evidence to prove the suspects' illegal drug deals.

Obusan said it's hard to keep track of every little detail especially if it happened years ago, but it does not mean the witness is not credible.

"Ang sinasabi nilang inconsistency hindi magkakatugma to dates yung mga statement ni Adorco pero that is very natural.

Ang pinag-uusapan natin dito is numerous transactions. Hindi lang iisa. Those transactions happened years past, mahirapan ka madetermine yung exact time and date but places madali," he said.

Espinosa, during a Senate hearing on November 23, admitted he sold illegal drugs and connived with Lim, Co and others.

"Sa Cebu ko po ito kinukuha, sa tao nina Lovely Impal at Jeffrey Diaz alias "Jaguar" na kay Peter Lim naman niya kinukuha. Minsan kasi nung nasa BBRC pa ako, nabanggit na sakin ni Jaguar na ang shabu na aming kinakalakal ay galing kay Peter Lim," he said in November.

The CIDG admits it did not use Espinosa's statement as it believes Adorco's statements is enough to show probable cause, adding Kerwin retracted his statements at the Senate during the preliminary investigation.

On September 27, 2017, Obusan wrote a letter to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II informing him Kerwin is not cooperating and must not be placed under the Witness Protection Program. But Obusan said they are open to use the minutes of the Senate hearing as evidence if necessary.

The prosecution panel dismissed the CIDG's case against Kerwin and others on December 20. But the CIDG only received a copy of the resolution on February 7, 2018 and filed their appeal on February 19, 2018.

Aguirre on Tuesday ordered the creation of new panels to review the decision. One panel will look into the motion for reconsideration filed by the police, while the other panel will look into the possibility of wrongful exercise of authority of the state prosecutors.

If they lose in the appeal, Obusan said they will use their recently reacquired subpoena power to gather more pieces of evidence to pin Kerwin and the others down.

Kerwin was the son of the late Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa who was killed in a police operation at a Leyte jail. The elder Albuera was an accused drug lord as well.
President Barack Obamas 2012 campaign hired controversial research group Fusion GPS to dig up dirt on then-Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, a new book claims -- raising questions about Democrats possible long-standing ties to the group.

Fusion GPS is the opposition research firm behind the Trump dossier, which contained what former FBI Director James Comey described as "salacious" and "unverified" allegations about then-candidate Donald Trump. The dossier cited Russian sources who said Russia had information that compromised Trump.

The firm was retained by Marc Elias, an attorney representing both the Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign and the Democratic National Committee. It was then that Fusion GPS hired former British spy Christopher Steele to write the dossier.

House Republicans have claimed that the FBI used the dossier to get permission from the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court to eavesdrop on Trump campaign and transition team communications and hid the partisan political backing behind it. By doing so, they secured a FISA warrant for Trump aide Carter Page.

But Russian Roulette:The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and Donald Trumps Election" written by Yahoos Michael Isikoff and Mother Jones David Corn and published Tuesday, reports that that relationship between Democrats and Fusion goes back a lot further, to at least 2012.

In 2012, Fusion GPS was hired to do opposition research on Mitt Romney for Barack Obamas re-election campaign, the book claims.

Isikoff was also behind an article in 2016 that reported on intelligence officials probing contacts between Page and the Kremlin.The House Intelligence Committee memo said that article was cited extensively in the initial FISA application.

According to the book, the 2012 Obama campaigns payments to the group were never publicly disclosed. Instead it was reported as legal bills to the campaigns law firm -- Perkins Coie.

Perkins Coie was Elias' firm, to which the Clinton campaign and DNC paid at least $9 million, and who retained Fusion GPS.

The Daily Caller, which first noted the passage in Russian Roulette, reports that Fusion GPS was paid just over $1 million for its research on Trump. The firm paid Steele just under $178,000 for his work on the dossier.
Republican congressional candidate Rick Saccone conceded the special election to Democrat Conor Lamb more than a week after the close election ended.

Lamb, who had already declared victory in the race, revealed Saccones call in a tweet on March 21. Lamb offered congratulations to his opponent for a close, hard-fought race and said he wished him the best.

Lamb won the seat by a margin of about 750 votes. Republicans considered seeking a recount request or a lawsuit to contest the result, even as vote-counting over the past week continued to pad Lamb's lead. But officials said those efforts have been dropped since Saccone conceded.

Ahead of the election, Democrats had hoped to stir up enough enthusiasm  especially among union members  to increase voter turnout and change the party representing a district that has recently been red.

The one fact that has remained the same this year  whether Democrats have won or lost [recent special elections]  is Democrats are doing better in terms of turnout and enthusiasm, Kevan Yenerall, a social sciences professor at Clarion University, told Fox News before the election.

The congressional seat opened after Republican Rep. Tim Murphy, who in public was staunchly anti-abortion, resigned in 2017 amid reports that he asked his mistress to get an abortion when he believed she was pregnant.

Here's a look at the candidates and what is unique about Pennsylvania's 18th district.

Conor Lamb

A Marine Corps captain, Conor Lamb, 33, said on his campaign website the biggest issues facing the 18th congressional district arent partisan.

My only bias is the one they taught us in the Marines: a bias for action, Lamb said on his website.

His congressional to-do list includes: battling the nations heroin epidemic, modern energy development and creating jobs.

In Pennsylvania, Lamb already worked towards ending the growing heroin crisis; as an assistant U.S. attorney, Lamb worked to make the Justice Departments Pittsburgh office a national leader in the fight, according to his campaign website.

Lamb has advocated for new leadership in the House and said he would not vote for Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as Minority Leader again  a politically astute move that could garner him the support of more moderate or independent voters, said Yenerall.

Most Democrats in the district may not dislike Pelosi, per se, but would like to shake up the status quo, Yenerall explained.

He added that Lambs background as a veteran and U.S. attorney as well as his temperament does fit the district more so than other Democrats have.

Lamb spoke out about gun control in the wake of the Parkland, Fla., high school massacre. He said he doesnt believe additional gun laws are needed to prevent mass shootings.

"The broad agreement already is that we're not doing a good enough job keeping guns out of the hands of people with mental health conditions and with criminals," Lamb said at a campaign event.

He told the Weekly Standard he would not have voted for legislation that would have prohibited abortions after 20 weeks, adding that he doesnt label himself as pro-life because its a political term.

Former Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for Lamb a week ahead of the election, comparing the candidate to his late son Beau and praising him for his dedication to unions.

Lamb will never ever stop, will never ever play a game, Biden said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Thats this guy. This guy gets it.

Rick Saccone

A longtime state representative, Rick Saccone, 60, is a conservative Republican who more embodies the policies of President Trump.

Saccone is more known for his religious conservatism as opposed to Murphy, who is a more mainstream Republican, Robert Speel, an associate professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University in Erie, told Fox News.

He was one of the lawmakers who championed Pennsylvanias Castle Doctrine, or stand your ground law, which allows law-abiding people to protect themselves, their families and others from intruders and attackers without fear of prosecution or civil action for acting in defense of themselves and others.

Saccone also sponsored a bill that would require public school buildings to bear the motto In God We Trust. Additionally, he pushed for a National Fast Day in the state to mirror President Lincolns proclamation of a national day of humiliation, fasting and prayer.

PARTY LEADERS SENDING BIG MONEY, TOP STARS TO RIGHT PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE RACE

Saccone is a retired Air Force officer with vast experience in counter-terrorism efforts, including working on task forces for two Olympic Games, according to his campaign website.

Ive got a resume that my opponent doesnt have, Saccone told Fox News.

Trump often tweeted his support of Saccone, including ahead of a January visit to the Keystone state.

Rick is a great guy. We need more Republicans to continue our already successful agenda, the president said.

Trump again traveled to western Pennsylvania the weekend before the election, urging voters to elect Saccone to advance the White House agenda.

We need our Congressman Saccone, Trump said.

Aside from Trump, Saccone also received support from Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka, the president's daughter and adviser.

But not all Republicans were happy with Saccone, Politico reported just before the election. Strategists and national GOP officials described Saccone to the publication as deeply underwhelming as a candidate and complained about his fundraising ability. Saccone told Fox News the reported friction was nonsense peddled by his opponents.

Saccone is married with two sons. He studied in Africa, visited 75 countries, authored multiple books on North Korea and earned a Ph.D. in international affairs.

The district

Pennsylvanias 18th congressional district is located in the western part of the state near Pittsburgh. It includes parts of Allegheny, Greene, Washington and Westmoreland Counties and is made up of many rural, blue-collar voters.

There are actually more registered Democrats than Republicans in the district  a result of strong organized labor in the area.

Union workers are a key demographic for the special election, although Trump made inroads with the more than 80,000 members in the district with his candidacy, Yenerall said.

But Saccones anti-union voting record in the state legislature ultimately hurt him.

Due to redistricting in the state, both Lamb and Saccone are expected to run again later this year  in what will now be separate districts.

What shaped the election

Bellwether election: Pennsylvanias 18th district overwhelmingly voted for Trump over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. The election shaped up as the next test of Democrats enthusiasm and GOP resilience in the Trump era and an early indicator of whether a midterm wave could be coming later this year.

Political activists are certainly looking at this race as an indicator of Pennsylvania and national trends, Speel said.

Lambs win could spell major trouble for Republicans in similar districts across the country, Yenerall said ahead of the election.

Both parties have a great deal at stake here. If a Democrat can win this type of district with the right type of candidate  it would mean the Democrats would do better than expected in the midterms," he had predicted.

Spending: This race was expensive. Lamb raised more than $3.3 million this year, compared to just $703,000 for Saccone, according to FEC records.

Ending Spending Inc., a super PAC founded by billionaire Joe Ricketts, was the first to hit the airwaves with a $1 million ad buy in support of Saccone.

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, announced earlier this year that it would open two field offices in the district with 50 full-time canvassers.

In Lambs first television spot, he noted that he has refused corporate PAC money.

Tim Murphy fallout: The reasoning behind Murphys decision to leave office could have an effect on voters, some politicos in the state warned ahead of election night.

Itll be interesting to see if voters turn against the Republican Party, seeing them as hypocritical, Speel said.

Lamb has already painted Republicans as the party of hypocrisy. When he was selected as the Democrats nominee, Lamb said he planned to expose Republicans public hypocrisy fully equal to the private hypocrisy of Tim Murphy, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in November.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Wednesday that he had no plans to replace David Shulkin as the next head of the Department of Veterans Affairs amid eroding White House support for the embattled Shulkin.

"I am energy secretary from now until the foreseeable future. Happily," Perry told reporters after a Senate hearing, adding that reports President Trump had floated him to replace Shulkin were "fake news."

Sources told Fox News Tuesday that Trump was considering shifting Perry to the VA. However, the former Texas governor and two-time Republican presidential candidate is said to be "very happy" at the Energy Department and has several long-term projects "on the go."

Trump and Perry met on Monday but the idea of Perry moving to the VA never came up, Fox News was told.

Shulkin, a former Obama administration official, has faced several investigations over his travel and leadership of the department. Until recently, he had received praise from President Donald Trump for his work to turn around the agency, but a raft of blistering VA watchdog reports detailing mismanagement and spending waste has weakened his standing.

In recent weeks, Shulkin has faced an insurgency within his department and now faces fresh allegations that he used a member of his security detail to run personal errands.

The uncertainty over Shulkin's status has left the government's second largest department virtually paralyzed, with members of Congress confused over who's in charge and what's being done to improve care for 9 million military veterans in more than 1,700 government-run health facilities. For the most part, Republican and Democratic lawmakers are still standing behind Shulkin, viewing him as the best guardian of VA who would fend off Trump administration efforts to privatize VA care.

"The President needs to decide whether he is going to empower Secretary Shulkin to do his job," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., the ranking member on the Veterans Affairs Committee. "We need to know who's calling the shots."

"Dysfunction in the administration has hindered our ability to move forward," he added.

Shulkin has been holding on to his job by a thread since a bruising internal report found ethics violations in connection with his trip to Europe with his wife last summer.

The VA inspector general also is looking into a complaint by a member of Shulkin's 24-7 security detail that he was asked to accompany the secretary to a Home Depot and carry furniture items into his home, according to two people familiar with the allegation who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Within the agency, a political adviser installed by Trump has openly mused to other VA staff about ousting the former Obama administration official. And a top communications aide has taken extended leave following a secret, failed attempt to turn lawmakers against him.

"The honeymoon is ending with a crash that hurts veterans most of all," said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who has been a close observer of VA for more than a decade. "VA always has bad news, but Shulkin's ethical and leadership failures are still significant  despite any internal attacks."

Senior administration officials describe a growing frustration that Shulkin repeatedly ignores their advice, only to beg for their help when he runs into ethical trouble. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to describe sensitive internal discussions, say Shulkin has been given a final warning to end the swirl of distractions. The administration is currently seeking to push Trump's agenda of aggressively expanding the Veterans Choice program, which major veterans groups worry could be an unwanted step toward privatizing VA health care.

The issue came to the fore at a White House meeting last week, when chief of staff John Kelly told Shulkin to stop talking to the news media without clearing it first with the White House and to stay focused on fixing veterans care.

Shulkin was escorted from that meeting to the Oval Office, where Trump questioned him about his efforts to push the Choice expansion, which lawmakers are now seeking to include in a massive spending bill that must be approved by next week to avert a government shutdown.

Shulkin is blaming the internal drama on a half-dozen or so political appointees whom he had considered firing, only to be blocked by Kelly.

"I regret anything that has distracted us from what we should be focusing on, which is serving veterans," Shulkin told the Associated Press shortly before release of an inspector general report that faulted the VA for "failed leadership" and an unwillingness or inability of leaders to take responsibility for accounting problems at a major VA hospital that put patients at risk.

It wasn't always this way.

Early in the administration, Shulkin was often seen at Trump's side. The president called him the "100-to-nothing man"  a reference to his unanimous Senate confirmation vote  and publicly teased that he probably would never be fired because he had successfully shepherded legislation to improve accountability at the VA and speed disability appeals.

By December, relations at the VA between Shulkin and several political appointees began to fray over philosophical differences.

Last month, the inspector general released a blistering report finding ethical violations in Shulkin's trip last July to Denmark and Britain that mixed business with pleasure. The IG found that Shulkin's chief of staff Vivieca Wright Simpson had doctored emails to justify his wife accompanying him at taxpayer expense. Wright Simpson retired after the report was issued.

Fox News' John Roberts and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump has promised to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities, signing an executive order in January 2017 that moved to strip federal grant money from towns that harbor illegal immigrants.

A federal judge permanently blocked it in November 2017, saying the Trump administration lacks the authority to impose new conditions on spending that has already been approved by Congress.

But the Justice Department has taken legal action against California, the first sanctuary state. Its designation means the nations most populous state will limit just how much local law enforcement will cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

What are sanctuary cities?

While the exact specifications can vary, sanctuary city policies overall limit how much local law enforcement officials can comply with federal immigration authorities.

San Francisco, for example, passed an ordinance in 1989 that prohibits city employees, funds or resources from assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in enforcing federal immigration law unless its required by state or federal law.

It also passed an ordinance that limits when law enforcement officials can give ICE notice that an immigrant has been released from a local jail and prohibits law enforcement officials from cooperating with detainer requests from ICE.

Berkeley, near San Francisco, is reportedly the original sanctuary city. It passed a resolution in 1971 that protected sailors who wanted to resist the Vietnam War.

Its difficult to nail down a concrete number of just how many cities are considered to be a sanctuary for illegal immigrants  some cities have an ordinance or policy in place; others do not.

What about states?

Aside from cities, five states  California, Oregon, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont  have enacted laws that limit how much police can contribute assistance to federal immigration agents, according to The New York Times.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the law that went into effect this year designating California as a sanctuary state. The law, in part, bars police from asking people about their immigration status or participating in some federal immigration enforcement activities.

How are they viewed?

The debate about sanctuary cities intensified in July 2015 when Kate Steinle, 32, was killed as she strolled along the San Francisco waterfront with her father. Steinle was shot by a man with a criminal record who had slipped into the U.S. multiple times illegally.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed a roomful of federal prosecutors and law enforcement officials last year and criticized cities, like Philadelphia, that are giving sanctuary to criminals. He asked them to reconsider the harm they are doing to their residents.

And in suing California, Sessions told Fox News that its federal law [that] determines immigration policy.

The state of California is not entitled to block that activity, he said. Somebody needs to stand up and say no, youve gone too far, you cannot do this, this is not reasonable. Its radical, really.

Not every city in The Golden State is on board with the states sanctuary policies, however. The Los Alamitos Council voted to opt out of the sanctuary policies, and other municipalities are reportedly exploring similar options.

But the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) argues that local law enforcement jurisdictions do not have a legal obligation to assist with civil immigration enforcement, which is the responsibility of the federal government.

A local decision to offer resources to federal immigration enforcement authorities is completely voluntary, the legal organization said in a 2016 report.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Senate Republican leaders are vowing to move quickly on confirmation hearings for President Trumps nominations of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state and Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo as CIA director.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday praised both of Trumps choices and has indicated the Republican-controlled chamber will begin hearings in the coming weeks.

I have every confidence in Mike. He has earned the trust of the career officers at the CIA, and I am certain he will be an excellent secretary of state, the Kentucky Republican said.

Gina Haspel has dedicated her professional life to the national security of the United States.  The president has made an excellent choice in asking her to take on the responsibilities of leading the CIA.

The nominations follow Trump's Tuesday firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who will officially leave his post as the countrys top diplomat at the end of the month.

The hearing for Pompeo will be held by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Committee chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., says the hearing will be in April.

Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which will conduct the Haspel hearing, said Tuesday that he would consider her nomination without delay.

The North Carolina Republican also said he personally knows Haspel and that she has the right skill set, experience, and judgment to lead one of our nations most critical agencies.

However, Haspel, the CIAs deputy director, is expected to face a more challenging confirmation process than Pompeo, a former Kansas GOP congressman who passed the confirmation process in January 2017 to lead the CIA.

But Pompeo and Haspel should get enough votes in their respective committee hearings because Republicans have the majority of members.

However, theyll will need 51 yeas when the entire chamber casts a final vote, which means theyll need support from Senate Democrats. And one has already suggested she will not support Haspel's nomination, over her role in the CIA's interrogation program.

I voted against Mr. Pompeos nomination to be CIA director because he failed to express moral opposition to torture, but Ms. Haspel has done much worse, said Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. Not only did she directly supervise the torture of detainees, but she also participated in covering it up by helping to destroy the video evidence.

And on Wednesday, Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul, who has for years been critical of U.S. intelligence community spying, said he opposes the Pompeo and Haspel nominations.

One of the things that I admire of President Trump is his opposition to the Iraq War, Paul said at a Capitol Hill press conference. I'm perplexed about the nomination of people who love the Iraq war so much.  Advocating for regime change is not a diplomatic. Somebody needs to advocate for diplomacy. Pompeo doesnt fit the role of chief diplomat.

Paul said he opposes Haspel because she backed a CIAs enhanced-interrogation method known as waterboarding.

The idea that we would say we're fine with torture is a terrible message, he said.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the chambers intelligence committee, on Tuesday seemed to take a more measured approach to Haspel, who joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1985 and if confirmed would be the agency's first female director.

Members have a lot of questions, he said. They deserve to have those questions answered.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Tuesday, hours after Tillersons announced firing, that he has not asked fellow Senate Democrats to oppose the nominations.

However, he said Pompeo, a West Point graduate, will face tough questions about how hell deal with Russia, amid congressional probes and special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into whether the 2016 Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia.

Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tillerson was not tough enough on Russia, which had interfered with our election to tip the scales to Trump and that he wants to know from Pompeo whether hell tougher on Moscow.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions is considering firing top FBI official Andrew McCabe before he officially retires from the bureau in a few days, a move that could deprive the outgoing deputy director of pension benefits, Fox News has confirmed.

Sources said if McCabe is terminated by close of business this Friday, that would mean McCabe would not receive a government pension.

A source told Fox News that McCabe's pension is in "jeopardy."

The Department follows a prescribed process by which an employee may be terminated, DOJ spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. That process includes recommendations from career employees and no termination decision is final until the conclusion of that process. We have no personnel announcements at this time.

FBI DEPUTY DIRECTOR ANDREW MCCABE 'REMOVED' FROM THE BUREAU

According to the New York Times, which first reported the story, the Justice Departments inspector general concluded in an upcoming report that McCabe has not been forthcoming with its investigation to how the FBI handled its probe into Hillary Clinton's email server.

The inspector generals finding sparked an FBI disciplinary process that recommended his firing, something Sessions can accept or reverse, the paper said.

Fox News has learned that the FBIs Office of Professional Responsibility made the recommendation to terminate McCabe. Sessions is reviewing that recommendation and can give it the final approval or step in to stop the process.

McCabes pension kicks in on Sunday, his 50th birthday, so the termination would have to be done by close of business on Friday to stop it.

Fox News has learned the Inspector Generals Investigation, which landed McCabe in hot water, faults the former deputy director for the way he answered questions about his approval for interactions between an FBI official and a reporter about the bureau's investigation into the Clinton Foundation.

In January, McCabe was "removed" from his post as deputy director, setting in a motion a plan to leave the bureau after months of conflict-of-interest complaints from Republicans including President Trump.

A source at the time told Fox News that McCabe is taking terminal leave  effectively taking vacation until he reaches his planned retirement in a matter of weeks.

Republicans have questioned McCabes ties to the Democratic Party, considering his wife ran as a Democrat for a Virginia Senate seat in 2015 and got financial help from a group tied to Clinton family ally Terry McAuliffe.

Trump himself has taken at McCabe, drawing attention to the FBI officials desire to serve at the bureau long enough to receive retirement benefits.

FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits, Trump tweeted in December. 90 days to go?!!!

Trump has also tweeted about ties between McCabes wife and McAuliffe.

How can FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, the man in charge, along with leakin James Comey, of the Phony Hillary Clinton investigation (including her 33,000 illegally deleted emails) be given $700,000 for wifes campaign by Clinton Puppets during investigation? Trump asked last year.

Over the last year, Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz has been conducting a review of the FBI and DOJs actions related to the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.

Horowitz's investigation is looking at a variety of allegations, including whether it was improper for former FBI Director James Comey to make a public announcement about not recommending prosecution over the email arrangement  he also faulted Clinton and her associates for being extremely careless with classified information.

Horowitz also is reviewing whether McCabe should have recused himself from the probe early because of his familys ties to the Democratic Party. (He did not do so until a week before the election.)

Horowitz told lawmakers during a November congressional hearing that he is aiming to release the report in the March, April time period.

Were moving along quite expeditiously, Horowitz said at the time.
President Trump on Wednesday accused Senate Democrats of blocking and slow-walking hundreds of nominations of ambassadors and judges, saying the resulting situation is the worst in U.S. history!

Trump has repeatedly blasted Democrats for blocking his nominees, particularly former U.S. spokesman at the U.N. Richard Grenell, whom Trump has tapped for Ambassador to Germany. Grenell was nominated in September.

On Tuesday Trump said that many important positions are unfilled because of this obstruction.

The tweet comes as the administration gears up for two potentially contentious confirmation battles after Trump ousted Rex Tillerson as secretary of state on Tuesday. He has tapped CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, and current Deputy Director Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo.

Both are likely to face a tough grilling, with Haspel certain to face significant scrutiny over the use of waterboarding against suspected terrorists at a CIA black site in Thailand during President George W. Bush's adminstration.

TRUMP'S CIA PICK IS CAREER SPYMASTER, OVERSAW SECRET PRISON

With Republicans Senate majority tightened after their defeat in the Alabama Senate election in December, getting controversial nominees through will likely be tougher in 2018.

Trump also tweeted on the topic Sunday, saying that the Senate must approve [his nominees] NOW!

Last month, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders described the situation as out of control.

[Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer's tactics have led to 73 fewer confirmations than the next closest administration, she said. Half of President Trump's nominees are still waiting for confirmation in the Senate.


On the last day of November, the New York Times ran a story headlined "White House Plans Tillerson Ouster From State Dept., to Be Replaced by Pompeo."

President Trump objected to that and other reports, tweeting:

"The media has been speculating that I fired Rex Tillerson or that he would be leaving soon  FAKE NEWS! He's not leaving and while we disagree on certain subjects, (I call the final shots) we work well together and America is highly respected again!"

Well, as we first learned yesterday from a Washington Post scoop, Tillerson has been ousted, with the president saying he'll nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

So while it may have been premature news, it wasn't fake news.

That Times piece was attributed to "senior administration officials," and said Tillerson would be out "perhaps within the next several weeks."

The president essentially confirmed this yesterday, telling reporters that "Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time. We got along, actually, quite well but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal; I think it's terrible, I guess he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently."

As recently as Monday, the Times reported, "a White House spokesman berated a reporter for suggesting there was any kind of split between Mr. Tillerson and the White House because of disparate comments on Russian responsibility for a poison attack in Britain."

It's been obvious for many months that the two men had a tenuous relationship. The former Exxon Mobil chief, who was used to calling the shots and had no government experience, also seemed not to have control of the State Department bureaucracy.

And Tillerson never really seemed at ease in a public role. He did few interviews and almost never held news conferences. The country has very little sense of him as a person or a diplomat.

And of course there was the NBC story last October, which Tillerson never denied although a spokesman did, that he had privately called Trump a "moron."

That same month, Trump tweeted that he told Tillerson "that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man ... Save your energy Rex, we'll do what has to be done!"

When the president last week announced that he would meet with Kim Jong-un-right after Tillerson said there would be no negotiationsit was clear that the secretary was in bureaucratic Siberia. And Trump wanted to make a change before the North Korea summit.

And Tillerson made no attempt to play along with some blather about a mutual agreement. Although the Post said John Kelly told him Friday that Trump wanted to make a change, Tillerson seemed unaware as he cut short his visit to Africa that the time had come. He had Steve Goldstein, his undersecretary for public diplomacy, put out a statement saying "the secretary had every intention of staying because of the critical progress made in national security and other areas" and was "unaware" of the reason for his firing.

The White House promptly fired Goldstein, who undoubtedly would have left anyway as the new secretary hires his team.

Fourteen months is a short tenure for the top Cabinet member, but the president has every right to make a change, given their disagreements on Russia, Iran and North Korea. "I think Rex will be much happier now," Trump said.

In Pompeo, Trump is getting a former congressman who seems much more aligned with his views and, more important, has far better chemistry with his boss.
A mix of protesters and supporters greeted President Donald Trump on Tuesday during his first visit to the California-Mexico border since taking office.

There he inspected prototypes for his promised big, beautiful border wall.

Hundreds of people, on both sides of the border participated in rallies  cheering, booing and waving Mexican and American flags as rows of police acted as barriers while Trumps motorcade sped down the road.

U.S. Army veteran and Trump voter Mark Prieto, 48, shook his head as he walked past protesters.

"People are so narrow-minded," the firefighter told AP. "Finally we have someone who is putting America first."

"People are so narrow-minded. Finally we have someone who is putting America first."  Mark Prieto, Army veteran and firefighter who supports President Trump

Despite the Trump administrations near-constant battles with California state officials, and the recent Department of Justice lawsuit against the state over its immigration policies, the presidents visit was, for the most part, peaceful.

A heavy law enforcement presence helped. Police officers secured the area where Trump examined eight 30-foot-tall prototypes that were built last year, with authorities using semi-trailers to separate the structures and the Mexican border to provide an extra layer of protection.

A family with two children was detained Monday after they were seen climbing a border fence at the site.

About 10 miles west of the prototypes in San Ysidro, the nations busiest border crossing, protesters chanted No ban! No wall!" while drivers honked to show their support.

"I don't think it's really fair how he has the choice to separate us," Jose Gonzalez, 21, a dual citizen who lives in Tijuana and crosses daily to work in San Diego told the Associated Press.

Trump spoke to immigration officials and with Marines at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar before heading to Beverly Hills for a fundraiser, where he was once again greeted by a combination of activists feuding over the president in a park.

A group of pro-immigration protesters chanted "Say it now, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here."

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer criticized Trumps short visit, saying the president wont get to see all the city has to offer.

Last year, the San Diego City Council passed a resolution opposing Trump's proposed wall.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
One of President Trumps biggest campaign promises was his vow to build a wall along the countrys southernmost border.

And that promise is now at the center of Trump's fight with Democratic leaders as he's insisted he's willing to let the government shut down if Congress doesn't approve funding for the wall.

Congress has yet to fund the wall, and Trumps demands that Mexico pay for it have gone nowhere. However, the president has seemingly evolved on what hes called the big, beautiful wall, as he has contended a physical structure might not be needed where you have rivers and mountains and everything else protecting the border.

Read on for a closer look at Trumps proposed border wall by the numbers.

2015

Trump first proposed the border wall when he announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015. It was then that he made the controversial remarks about the people emigrating from Mexico.

When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best, Trump said on June 16, 2015. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems  Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists.

I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, Trump said. Ill build a great, great wall on our southern border, and Ill have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.

1,954

The continental border between the U.S. and Mexico stretches for nearly 2,000 miles. The land border reaches across four states: Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas.

The entire border extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.

5 billion

Trump wants Congress to approve $5 billion for the project, but Democrats are offering only $1.3 for border security.

"If we don't have border security, we'll shut down the government," Trump said on Dec. 11.

170,000

A Department of Homeland Security report estimated that 170,000 people successfully entered the U.S. illegally from the southern border in 2015. That number is significantly less than the 1.7 million people estimated to have entered in 2005.

5.6 million

There were approximately 5.6 million "unauthorized immigrants" from Mexico by 2016, according to data from the Pew Research Center. That number has decreased from 6.4 million in 2009.

4

Four companies were selected to build concrete prototypes of the border wall, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced in August 2017.

Those companies are: the Caddell Construction Company of Montgomery, Ala.; Fisher Sand and Gravel of Tempe, Ariz.; Texas Sterling Construction Company of Houston, Texas; and WG Yates and Sons Construction of Philadelphia, Miss.

The prototypes will be 30 feet tall and 30 feet wide and will cost up to $500,000 to make.

Fox News' Alex Pappas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 14)  More than a year after President Rodrigo Duterte revealed his list of the country's drug lords, the police filed a landmark case against some of them - only to be dismissed by government prosecutors for lack of evidence.

The Duterte administration, however, vowed it will not let the "big fish" get away.

Duterte said he himself will review the dismissal of charges against Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim, Peter Co, and more than 20 others.

Lim and Co were among the country's "top three drug lords," Duterte said in July 2016, complete with a chart illustration of a purported drug trade network as part of the Chinese triad.

Espinosa, meanwhile, was named by the police as the top drug lord in the Eastern Visayas region.

His father, the late Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, landed on Duterte's list of politicians involved in the drug trade. He was killed in jail after surrendering to authorities.

In the complaint filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Major Crimes Investigation Unit (CIDG-MICU), a lone witness said the Espinosas' supply of shabu came from Lim, Co, and alleged "drug queen" Lovely Impal.

The witness, Marcelo Adorco, claimed to be a close confidante of the Espinosas after meeting Kerwin in prison in 2011, and said he had followed orders to pick up and deliver shabu.

Inconsistencies in the details he mentioned, however, led to the prosecutors dismissing his testimonies as unreliable.

READ: DOJ prosecutors drop charges vs. Kerwin Espinosa, Peter Lim

Kerwin, 'No. 1 drug lord in Eastern Visayas'

For some senators, Kerwin Espinosa's admission during Senate hearings he was a drug dealer was more than enough to pin him down.

In one of the hearings that investigated his father's killing, Espinosa said he started his involvement in the illegal drug trade in 2004. He said he learned more about the business when he was jailed on drug charges and got transferred from the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center in Cebu City to the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa in 2008.

Espinosa told senators that high-profile inmate Peter Co was the first person inside the Bilibid to supply him with drugs.

"Ako'y natuto sa kalakaran paano magnegosyo ng shabu kahit nasa loob ako ng kulungan. Natuto ako paano mag-transaksyon," Espinosa said in a November 2016 hearing.

Translation: "I learned how to do the drug business even inside prison. I learned to transact."

He was released, only to be arrested again in Abu Dhabi over drug trafficking charges. He was repatriated in November 2016, detained in Camp Crame then transferred to the national headquarters of the National Bureau of Investigation after a court order.

Espinosa in one of the Senate hearings also said he gave P8 million in drug money for then Justice Secretary Leila de Lima in exchange for protecting his business. He also alleged De Lima used the money to fund her campaign in the 2016 senatorial polls, but the detained senator has repeatedly denied the allegations.

CIDG chief Roel Obusan said on Wednesday they could not use Espinosa's testimonies at the Senate as he had them retracted during the preliminary investigation.

Obusan said Espinosa was not cooperating, prompting him to ask Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre to remove Espinosa from the Witness Protection Program.

Espinosa, meanwhile, said he never met Peter Lim, as Adorco alleged.

Peter Lim, Duterte's compadre

Cebu-based businessman Peter Lim tells President Rodrigo Duterte he is not involved in illegal drug activities in the country.

Lim is a Cebu-based businessman named by Duterte as part of a Chinese triad leading illegal drug operations in the Visayas.

It was later revealed that Lim was Duterte's compadre (co-sponsor) in a wedding. The Palace said it would be "unfair" to say it was because of this connection that Lim was cleared by prosecutors.

Lim met with Duterte in Davao City in July 2016. He denied being involved in the illegal drug trade, saying the "Peter Lim" also known as the drug lord "Jaguar" could be one of his many namesakes.

READ: Duterte meets suspected drug lord Peter Lim: Sorry I cannot save you

Adorco, however, in a video shown to him identified "Jaguar" as the bespectacled man who met with Duterte.

Adorco said he and Espinosa first met Lim in Thailand in 2014 or 2015.

When they came back to Manila, Adorco said he got 50 kilos of shabu from Lim. Espinosa had these distributed and got P2.2 million for each kilo sold, for a total of P110 million. Adorco said Espinosa and Lim had "more or less four transactions."

Lim in his counter-affidavit said he could not have met with Espinosa and Adorco in June 2015 - as Adorco alleged in an affidavit - because he was confined in a hospital due to a kidney problem.

The CIDG also disputed Lim's Filipino citizenship, saying he was born of Chinese parents. It said Lim's acquisition of a Philippine passport is proof of his "shady connections."

Peter Co, convicted drug lord

After several transactions through phone, Espinosa first met convicted drug lord Peter Co or Wu Tuan in 2014, when the latter was confined at the Metropolitan Medical Center in Manila, Adorco said.

The meeting supposedly happened through Lovely Impal, touted by police as a "drug queen" who supplied drugs to Espinosa. Adorco said Impal convinced Espinosa to go with her for fear of Co after failing to pay P10 million.

Co, however, said he never met Espinosa and was never confined at the said hospital.

During the controversial Bilibid raid in 2014, authorities said they seized documents of drugs transactions in the villa of Co. A signal booster was also found in Co's possession in July 2016, shortly after Co was named by Duterte as one of the top drug lords operating from prison.

In September 2016, Co was injured in a stabbing incident in Building 14 of the maximum security compound - where high-profile convicts are held. One inmate was killed, three others were wounded.

De Lima said the attack was meant to scare the inmates after they refused to testify against her in the House probe on alleged drug operations in the Bilibid, but the Justice Department said the violence was not politically motivated.

Meanwhile, Impal also denied ever transacting with Co or Espinosa.

Impal surrendered to authorities in September 2016 after her named was dropped by Espinosa in a Senate hearing. She said she feared for her life and denied Espinosa's allegations she was supplying shabu.

READ: 'Drug Queen' surrenders: PNP chief

Espinosa and the other respondents in the case are not off the hook as Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre has created a new panel of prosecutors to review the drug charges.

They are facing charges of trading and distribution of dangerous drugs, which is punishable by life imprisonment under Section 5 of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has fired Gayle Manchin, the state's secretary of education and the arts, after she offered to resign.

Manchin, wife of U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., released a statement Monday criticizing House Bill 4006, which would eliminate her position and department, USA Today reported. The bill passed in the state Senate on Friday.

In an obvious rush to score partisan points, the Republican state legislature passed dangerous and destructive legislation to eliminate the Office of Education and the Arts on a mostly party-line vote, Manchin wrote.

Democratic critics of the bill said it was a political ploy" targeting Manchin, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

Justice brought in Manchin when he tooik office as a Democrat in January 2017. But the governor announced his switch to the Republican Party during a rally with President Donald Trump last summer. Justice had been a Republican prior to becoming a Democrat.

Manchin had called on Justice to veto the reckless and politically motivated legislation, or work with her to dissolve the agency in a responsible and compassionate way, should he decide to move forward with the bill.

The Department of Education and the Arts agencies include Culture and History, Public Broadcasting and the Center for Professional Development, the Library Commission, the Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register reported. Under the bill, the agencies would either be absorbed by other departments or continue separately within the executive branch.

Manchin offered to resign to remove any political pressure, in an effort to preserve the programs, the report said.

Its obvious that there arent any significant financial saving here, Manchin said. We need to get the politics out of this.

However, her mention of politics reportedly crossed the line for the Republican governor.

Manchins termination came about a week after Justice agreed to a 5 percent pay raise to end a nine-day teachers strike in the state, USA Today reported.

In January 2017, Justice appointed Manchin to her position, after she served on the West Virginia State Board of Education from 2007 to 2015.
Economic analyst Larry Kudlow has accepted President Trumps offer to become White House National Economic Council director, Fox News has learned.

Kudlow, a 70-year-old conservative commentator, is replacing Gary Cohn who resigned earlier in March. Kudlow told The Associated Press that while he opposes tariffs, he is still in accord with Trumps policies.

In a tweet announcing his selection of Kudlow, Trump said: "Our Country will have many years of Great Economic & Financial Success, with low taxes, unparalleled innovation, fair trade and an ever expanding labor force leading the way."

Read on for a look at Kudlow's background and experience.

Hes a CNBC contributor and commentator

Kudlow has long been a respected business and economics commentator, getting his own CNBC show in 2011. Since then, hes hosted a variety of shows on the network, including: The Kudlow Report and Kudlow & Cramer.

Hes remained with the business news channel as a contributor, colleague and friend to many at the network.

It was on CNBC that Kudlow gained a high-profile platform for explaining, defending and  at times  faulting Trump's economic agenda.

Kudlow has also contributed to the conservative National Review.

Kudlow worked in the Reagan administration

During former President Ronald Reagans first term, Kudlow served as associate director for economics and planning in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

In a 2016 book that he co-wrote, Kudlow argued former President John F. Kennedys tax cuts had boosted the countrys economic growth. The book, "JFK and the Reagan Revolution," asserted that Reagan's 1980s tax cuts followed the same template.

When Trump's own tax cuts ran into resistance over the higher budget deficits that would result, Kudlow downplayed the risks of debt. He argued on CNBC that Reagan ran even higher deficits to finance tax cuts and military spending  a formula that Kudlow contends helped accelerate growth.

He was a chief economist for a Wall Street firm

Kudlows career began on Wall Street, where he worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Eventually, Kudlow became the chief economist for Wall Street investment firm Bear Stearns. The firm was, at the time, a small upstart, according to a profile in the Rochester Review.

During the 2016 election, Kudlow served as an informal adviser to Trump. Hes since praised Trumps tax plan and immigration reform.

Hes battled addiction

Kudlow took a month off from Bear Stearns to enter drug rehab, he told The New York Times in a 1994 interview.

I am willing to share with you my problem, Kudlow said then, adding that he takes full personal responsibility.

His commitment to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings was reportedly a contributing factor in why he ultimately ruled out a Connecticut Senate bid in 2016.

The thought that politics would interfere with my participation in AA, which is a huge part of my life, I just cant take that risk, he told the New York Post in February 2016. This is the hardest decision Ive ever had to make. It took a while, but I made the right decision.

Kudlow has a history degree

Kudlow graduated from the University of Rochester in New York in 1969 with a history degree.

While in college, Kudlow joined the Students for a Democratic Society and became an anti-war organizer, according to The Times. He even traded in his Porsche for a Volkswagen bus, the newspaper reported.

According to The Times, Kudlow avoided the Vietnam War draft because he had asthma.

Kudlow started a masters program in economics and policy at Princeton University, but ultimately never completed it.

He was a Democrat

Kudlow worked on Democratic campaigns in New York following his college graduation. But hes since evolved into a Republican.

If he had entered the Connecticut Senate race, he would have challenged Democratic incumbent Richard Blumenthal as a Republican.

Kudlow sticks to his suits

Known for often wearing pinstriped suits, Kudlow has had the same tailor for 26 years.

Savile Row-trained, New York-based tailor, Leonard Logsdail is credited with consistently styling Kudlow in his narrow-lapelled suits.

Fox News Blake Burman, John Roberts, Brooke Singman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Get ready for a slice of the action: Wednesday marks Pi Day, which pays tribute to the mathematical constant.

The 30th anniversary of the event is being celebrated this year by tech giant Google with a special doodle design created by chef Dominique Ansel.

Read on for what you should know about Pi Day.

A special event

Pi Day takes place March 14, the day each year when scientists and mathematicians celebrate the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

Physicist Larry Shaw -- also known as the Prince of Pi -- originally came up with the concept for the event, which kicked off at the San Francisco Exploratorium in 1988.

Shaw said he chose March 14 because 3.14 are the first three digits of pi, denoted by the Greek letter .

On the first Pi Day, staff brought in fruit pies and a tea urn for the celebration, the Exploratorium explains online. At 1:59the pi numbers that follow 3.14Shaw led a circular parade around the museum with his boombox blaring the digits of pi to the music of 'Pomp and Circumstance.' The parade ended at an 'accumulation point,' later named the 'Pi Shrine.'"

The special day became an annual tradition at the California museum, and eventually "the idea snowballed into something much bigger, the Exploratorium added.

Anything else?

"Though modern mathematicians have calculated more than one TRILLION decimal places beyond the standard '3.14,' pi is an irrational number that continues on to infinity!" Google explained in a post.

The CIA's birthday is also part of the digits in pi, the spy agency pointed out in a tweet.

Google also noted that "Pi Day observers often celebrate with a slice of their favorite pie in honor of the numbers delicious sounding name."

This year, hungry Pi Day fans are in luck: special deals are being offered by the likes of Whole Foods, Boston Market and Blaze Pizza. Pillsbury even created its own "Pi Day Pie", posting the recipe on its website, to mark the occasion.

Pi Day also shares connections to some famous physicists: it falls on the same date as Albert Einsteins birthday, who would be 139 years old if he was still alive today. Physicist Stephen Hawking died on Pi Day this year, at age 76.

Fox News' Amy Lieu contributed to this report.
Scientists have discovered 15 new planets, including a super-Earth that may have liquid water on its surface.

The planets are orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system that are known as Red Dwarfs.

One of the brightest Red Dwarfs, K2-155, has three super-Earths, one of which, K2-155d, could be within the stars habitable zone. K2-155d, which has a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, may harbor liquid water, according to three-dimensional global climate simulations.

MAJOR SOLAR STORMS WON'T HIT EARTH THIS WEEK, NOAA SAYS

K2-155 is about 200 light-years from Earth. A light-year, which measures distance in space, equals 6 trillion miles.

The research also indicates that planets orbiting red dwarfs may be remarkably similar to planets orbiting stars that resemble the Sun, known as solar-type stars.

"It's important to note that the number of planets around red dwarfs is much smaller than the number around solar-type stars," said Teruyuki Hirano of Tokyo Institute of Technology's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, who led the research, in a statement. "Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research."

However, Hirano voiced caution about the conditions on K2-155d. "In our simulations, the atmosphere and the composition of the planet were assumed to be Earth-like, and there's no guarantee that this is the case, he said.

ALIEN LIFE LOOMS? NEWLY DISCOVERED EXOPLANET MAY BE BEST CANDIDATE, EXPERTS SAY

More research on K2-155ds temperature and radius is needed to confirm whether the planet is indeed habitable.

Scientists based their research on data from K2, the second mission of NASAs Kepler spacecraft. Follow-up observations were made by the Subaru telescope in Hawaii and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in Spain.

The findings are published in two papers in The Astronomical Journal.

PLANETS IN GALAXIES BEYOND MILKY WAY SPOTTED FOR FIRST TIME

The find is the latest in a host of new planet discoveries. In February 2017, an international team of astronomers announced the discovery of 60 new planets orbiting stars close to Earths Solar System, including a rocky super Earth.

In the same month, NASA revealed the discovery of seven Earth-like planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 40 light years from Earth. Three of the planets are in the habitable zone where liquid water can exist, according to scientists.

Two months later, in a separate research project, scientists reported that an exoplanet 40 light-years from Earth may be the best place to look for signs of life outside our solar system.

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER 60 NEW WORLDS, FIND 'SUPER EARTH'

Earlier this year, for the first time, scientists announced the discovery of planets in galaxies beyond the Milky Way.

Using data from NASAs Chandra X-ray observatory, a team of astrophysicists from the University of Oklahoma identified the extragalactic planets about 3.8 billion light-years away. The space observatory helped scientists find about 2,000 objects with comparable mass to the Moon and Jupiter.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Tributes are pouring in for famed physicist Stephen Hawking, who died early Wednesday. He was 76 years of age.

In a tweet, NASA praised Hawkings huge contribution to science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014, it wrote. A video accompanying the tweet showed Hawking talking to astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata aboard the International Space Station in 2014.

Famed for his work on cosmology, black holes, and the basic laws of the universe, Hawking was among the most recognizable faces in science. His 1991 work A Brief History of Time became a global best seller.

STEPHEN HAWKING, FAMED PHYSICIST, DEAD AT 76

The European Space Agency also paid tribute to the theoretical physicist. "'Space, here I come'- remembering world renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who showed us there are no limits to achieving our dreams. Our thoughts are with his family," it tweeted.

Hawking owed part of his fame to his triumph over amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a degenerative disease that eats away at the nervous system. When he was diagnosed aged only 21, he was given only a few years to live.

Also known as Lou Gehrig's disease after the New York Yankee star who died of it, ALS usually kills within three to five years.

ALS is known as Motor Neurone Disease in the U.K. The Motor Neurone Disease Association lauded Hawkings huge contribution to raising awareness of the disease Wednesday. Our thoughts are with Professor Hawkings family, it wrote. Throughout his inspirational life Professor Hawking played a vital role in raising awareness of motor neurone disease around the world.

The organization saw such a surge in donations following Hawkings death that its website crashed Wednesday.

As one of Isaac Newton's successors as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Hawking was involved in the search for the great goal of physics  a "unified theory."

STEPHEN HAWKING'S DEATH CONVERGES WITH PI DAY, EINSTEIN'S BIRTHDAY

A 2014 biopic, The Theory of Everything, depicted the courtship, marriage and eventual separation of Hawking and his first wife, Jane. Directed by James Marsh, the movie starred British actor Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of the celebrated physicist.

Redmayne paid tribute to Hawking Wednesday. "We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet," he said, in a statement obtained by Mashable.

A LOOK BACK ON THE LIFE OF RENOWNED PHYSICIST STEPHEN HAWKING

In a tweet British Prime Minister Theresa May described Hawing as an inspiration to others. Professor Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and extraordinary mind - one of the great scientists of his generation. His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration. His legacy will not be forgotten, she wrote.

Hawking was inducted into the Royal Society in 1974 and received the Albert Einstein Award in 1978. In 1989, Queen Elizabeth II made him a Companion of Honor, one of the highest distinctions she can bestow. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, he was also a member of the US National Academy of Science.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
In what may be regarded as an astounding coincidence, famed theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died on Pi Day, March 14, the day each year when scientists and mathematicians celebrate the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

March 14 also marks the birthday of Albert Einstein, who would have turned 139 this year.

Almost immediately after news broke Wednesday morning about Hawking's death, people on social media were making the connection to Pi Day and Einstein. Some speculated that Hawking may have planned the coincidence.

Either way, Pi Day is now synonymous with the leading theoretical physicists in all of history.

Others noted that Hawking's birthday, Jan. 8, is the same day that famed scientist Galileo died at age 77 in 1642.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pi Day, which was created in 1988 at a celebration that physicist Larry Shaw organized.

Shaw said he chose March 14 because 3.14 are the first three digits of pi, denoted by the Greek letter .

In 2009, Congress officially recognized Pi Day, inspiring the pun pie celebrations, with people even dressing up as Einstein, Time reported.

This year, NASA held a Pi in the Sky challenge to solve interplanetary math problems, while San Franciscos Exploratorium, where Shaw hosted the first Pi Day celebration, has an annual day of pi-inspired activities, the report said.
Heads up, developers: Apple just announced that its 2018 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will take place from June 4 through June 8.

The conference will be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif. If you're interested in attending, you can apply for a ticket on the WWDC website now through March 22 at 10 a.m. PDT.

"Tickets are issued through a random selection process, and developers will be notified of application status by March 23 at 5 p.m. PDT," Apple wrote in a news release. Tickets are limited, and expensive: one will set you back $1,599.

Meanwhile, budding developers may be able to snag one for free. Apple plans to award up to 350 WWDC Student Scholarshipsincluding a ticket to the conference plus a one-year membership in the Apple Developer Programto "talented students and STEM organization members." Scholarship submissions open March 26; details on how to apply are available on the WWDC website.

If you don't secure a ticket or scholarship, you don't have to miss out completely. Apple will be livestreaming the conference on its developer website, as well as the WWDC app for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices.

WWDC is usually (though not always) a software show, with Apple showing off the newest versions of iOS and macOS. Last year at WWDC, Apple also unveiled a bunch of new hardware, including new iPad Pros, its Siri-backed HomePod speaker, the iMac Pro, and new iMacs.

As for what the company has in store this year, we'll just have to wait and see.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Using your office computer for personal use is one thing, but what about installing a cryptocurrency miner? Well, some employees might be doing just that.

In recent months, Microsoft has noticed a number of enterprise systems running coin mining software. One might think that hackers were behind the scheme, but Microsoft found that none of the systems were compromised. Instead, someonelikely an employeedecided to install a coin miner on the enterprise system and reap the rewards, the software giant said in a Tuesday blog post.

In January, Microsoft noticed over 1,800 enterprise machines running legitimate, but potentially unwanted coin mining software, up from just a few hundred systems that Microsoft encountered in October.

But it's also no surprise. The value of many cryptocurrencies has ballooned over the past year. In particular, one virtual currency known as Monero can be mined simply by harnessing the CPU power of your computer.

However, generating some digital coin can drag down the machine's performance, which can become problematic when those systems run critical business processes, Microsoft said.

The company hasn't been the only security provider to report the issue. In January, Cisco's Talos group also said it noticed a "large number" of enterprise users running coin mining software on their computers, possibly for their own personal gain.

Both companies said this mining can be trickier to block, since it's technically sanctioned by the employee. Nevertheless, businesses should be mindful of the potential costs, especially if the trend catches on. Microsoft warned that the employee-sponsored cryptocurrency mining may "exponentially" spread to more computers, which can run up an electricity bill.

To stop the activities, Microsoft's Windows Defender can block potentially unwanted programs, including coin miners. But the threat isn't merely limited to employees. The ongoing cryptocurrency craze has also sparked a rise in Trojan malware that can deliver coin miners, too. On average, about 688,000 unique computers will encounter it, according to Microsoft's latest stats.

Hackers appear to be moving from ransomware to covert cryptocurrency miners, the company added. "These developments indicate widespread cybercriminal interest in coin mining, with various attackers and cybercriminal groups launching attacks," Microsoft said.

Last week, the company's antivirus software stopped an outbreak of coin mining malware in Russia. Apparently, the malicious software may have have arrived as Trojans from file-sharing and internet download programs.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Google has open-sourced their planet-hunting AI algorithm.

In December, NASA announced they had found two exoplanets hiding in plain sight. The discovery was made by a neural network trained to sift through data collected from the agencys Kepler spacecraft.

Kepler was launched in 2009 specifically to search for exoplanets orbiting around distant stars. Astronomers detect exoplanets based on changes in the brightness of stars. If a star dims for a short period of time, its likely that a planet is passing in front of it.

In four years, Kepler observed 150,000 stars, which gave astronomers more data than they were able to sift through. So they only focused on the 30,000 strongest signals and managed to discover 2,500 exoplanets. But this left 120,000 signals ignored.

Google researchers then trained their AI to search through the 120,000 unanalyzed signals. They fed the machine 15,000 examples of NASA-confirmed exoplanet data in order to teach it how to spot the characteristics of an exoplanet.

Google has now released that code on Github, along with instructions on how to use it, so the public can try for their own celestial discovery. However, aspiring explorers will have an easier time navigating the AI if theyre familiar with coding in Python and Googles machine-learning software, TensorFlow.

We hope this release will prove a useful starting point for developing similar models for other NASA missions, like K2 (Keplers second mission) and the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite mission, Christopher Shallue, the lead engineer behind Googles exoplanet AI, wrote in a blog post.

Shallue also wrote that he hopes this will encourage further analysis of the remaining Kepler data.

This story originally appeared in the New York Post.
Facebook has banned far-right group Britain First and its leaders as the social network clamps down on hate speech.

The pages of Britain First, the groups leader Paul Golding, and deputy leader Jayda Fransen have been removed, the company confirmed Wednesday.

Content posted on the Britain First Facebook Page and the Pages of party leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen has repeatedly broken our Community Standards, Facebook explained, in a statement. We recently gave the administrators of the Pages a written final warning, and they have continued to post content that violates our Community Standards.

FACEBOOK CLAMPS DOWN ON SICK VIDEOS, BRINGS IN 3,000 ADDITIONAL REVIEWERS

Organizations and people that promote hatred are not allowed a presence on Facebook, according to the social networks Community Standards.

As a result, in accordance with our policies, we have now removed the official Britain First Facebook Page and the Pages of the two leaders with immediate effect, Facebook said, in its statement. We do not do this lightly, but they have repeatedly posted content designed to incite animosity and hatred against minority groups, which disqualifies the Pages from our service.

Fransen and Golding were jailed in the U.K. earlier this month for hate crimes against Muslims. In November 2017, Britain First was deregistered as a political party by the Electoral Commission, the U.K.s election watchdog.

TWITTER BEGINS PURGE OF FAR-RIGHT ACCOUNTS AS NEW HATE SPEECH RULES TAKE EFFECT

Last year, President Trump sparked controversy when he retweeted three anti-Muslim videos posted by Fransen.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed Facebooks move. Facebooks decision to remove Britain First content from its platform is welcome. This is a vile and hate-fuelled group whose sole purpose is to sow division, he tweeted Wednesday.

In December, Twitter suspended the accounts of Britain First, Golding and Fransen as part of a crackdown on far-right accounts designed to tackle hate speech.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Stephen Hawking, the famed theoretical physicist who defied a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to live virtually his entire adult life with the disease  in a wheelchair and paralyzed but making constant contributions to a world few could understand  has died at age 76, a family spokesman said.

Tech executives, ranging from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Google CEO Sundar Pichai weighed in on Hawking's passing, remembering his contributions to science and humanity.

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. -Stephen Hawking," Cook wrote. "We will always be inspired by his life and ideas. RIP."

STEPHEN HAWKING, FAMED PHYSICIST, DEAD AT 76

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted Hawking's contributions to science.

"We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science  making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses," Nadella wrote. "Hell also be remembered for his spirit and unbounded pursuit to gain a complete understanding of the universe, despite the obstacles he faced. May he rest peacefully as his legacy and brilliance live on."

Pichai wrote: "The world has lost a beautiful mind and a brilliant scientist. RIP Stephen Hawking."

Vala Ashfar, the chief digital evangelist at cloud computing company Salesforce.com, remembered Hawking this way:

"When we see the earth from space, the message is clear: one planet, one human race. Stephen Hawking"

Using a mathematical basis, Hawking said he was almost certain that alien life existed in other parts of the universe. "The numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational," he said. "The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."

Hawking regarded the body as a piece of technology, making a somewhat controversial statement about whether there is an afterlife. "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail," Hawking said. "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

STEPHEN HAWKING SAYS HE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE DAWN OF TIME

Although Hawking may have been incapacitated physically, he managed to write books, including the best seller "A Brief History of Time," teach physics and mathematics, deliver speeches and even float in zero gravity, all while working in the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity.

In earlier interviews, Hawking was frank about his physical restrictions. "I'm sure my disability has a bearing on why I'm well known," he said in an interview with the BBC. "People are fascinated by the contrast between my very limited physical powers, and the vast nature of the universe I deal with.

"I'm the archetype of a disabled genius, or should I say a physically challenged genius, to be politically correct. At least I'm obviously physically challenged. Whether I'm a genius is more open to doubt."

QUOTATIONS FROM STEPHEN HAWKING

Hawking was married and divorced twice. His first wife, Jane Wilde, was a fellow student at Cambridge to whom he was married for 28 years. He then married his nurse, Elaine Mason, whom he was with for 11 years before they separated.

He is survived by three children from his first marriage, Robert, Timothy and Lucy.

Fox News contributed to this report. Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @Chris_Ciaccia


Imagine having your phone taken from you, out of sight, for ten minutes or more, while you travel within the United States. It could be happening now. The Guardian reports that there are a rapidly growing number of reports that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is searching electronic devices at security checkpoints for domestic flights within the United States.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Foundation of Northern California is suing the TSA to get the government to more fully divulge its policy for searching cell phones, laptops and other devices during domestic travel.

"Weve received reports of passengers on purely domestic flights having their phones and laptops searched, and the takeaway is that TSA has been taking these items from people without providing any reason why, ACLU staff attorney Vasudha Talla said to the Guardian. "The search of an electronic device has the potential to be highly invasive and cover the most personal details about a person."

The TSA declined to comment on the lawsuit, but told the Guardian that "TSA does not search the contents of electronic devices."

On international flights this kind of search, while still invasive, has occurred from Customs and Border Patrol (and increased in frequency under President Donald Trump). But domestically, there isn't precedent or any obvious authority for the TSA.

In October 2017, the TSA announced more strict screening procedures on US-bound flights from foreign countries. But if the many anecdotes the ACLU has reported (some of which the Guardian lists in its story) are true, it leads to questions about legality and a serious invasion of privacy for any traveler, many of whom are citizens.
If third-generation wireless technology (3G) is a junior high school rock band and 4G is a high school band that plays louder and faster, AT&Ts chief technology officer Andre Fuetsch said 5G is an orchestra.

What is 5G?

Fuetsch described the fifth-generation technology as a whole new network platform that is going to deliver much higher speeds, as well as much lower latency, which is the response time between when you click on a link and when the network responds. 5G will also serve many more different types of devices.

Verizon spokesperson Christopher McCann called it a fat pipe to pass through massive amounts of data from a slew of different platforms.

Whats the big deal?

Its a technology so coveted, even President Donald Trump stepped in to block Broadcom's bid for Qualcomm, a company that will make next-generation microchips.

Think 100 times faster than your typical cellular connection  thats 5G.

McCann told Fox News latency will be as low as a millisecond. To put this in perspective, the blink of an eye is between 300 and 400 milliseconds.

5G PROMISES, FREE STUFF ON AMAZON AND MORE: TECH Q&A

But the technology is about more than enabling speedier connections; its about new connections. 4G allowed communication between basically two types of devices  smart phones and tablets  according to Fuetsch. He added that 5G will connect many different types of devices that dont necessarily use the network in the same way.

Right now, Fuetsch said a self-driving car produces a couple of terabytes of data every hour between its cameras and radar systems. Instead of processing that mass amount of data solely in the vehicle, 5G will offload a lot of the processing out of the car and put it into the network, enabling the autonomous vehicles to more easily make quick decisions and talk to each other. It goes back to McCanns fat pipe analogy, providing more bandwidth.

Dr. Ian Akyildiz, the Ken Byers Chair Professor in Telecommunications at the Georgia Institute of Technology researched 1G, 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G. He said with 5G, everything will be smart  smart traffic, smart cities, smart buildings, smart shopping centers."

Atlanta-based tech start-up Roadie is expecting to see a huge improvement in efficiency for its service: Connecting anyone with a shipping request to a driver via an app. For example, through 5G-compatible traffic sensors, Roadie can determine the most sustainable time and the fastest delivery method to get something through [its] system, according to Roadie CEO Marc Gorlin.

Furthermore, Gorlin expects to see an improvement across the entire tech industry, specifically for companies where you have multiple people doing multiple things at once. He said the more data pipes and the more data sources providing input will become more important because at the end of the day, [they will] provide faster service for consumers.

You know where the showstopper is? The handsets are not here."  Dr. Ian Akyildiz, telecommunications expert

So, when can I use it?

All four major U.S. carriers are working overdrive to roll out 5G. Verizon and AT&T announced deployments in select cities this year, though in different fashions.

CAN NET NEUTRALITY SURVIVE 5G?

Verizon will introduce fixed service in three to five cities, one of which will be in Sacramento, Calif. Its starting with residential broadband service, using radio signals instead of copper or fiber cables to provide Internet access in homes.

AT&T plans to offer mobile 5G to customers in a dozen cities, including parts of Atlanta, Dallas and Waco, Texas. The company told Fox News it will release 5G-compatible mobile devices this year but not smartphones.

For T-Mobile customers, New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas will be the first of 30 cities to experience 5G via smartphones, when the handheld devices launch early next year.

Sprint unveiled six 5G-ready cities  Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C  announcing a plan to roll out its 5G network in the first half of 2019.

But experts warn not to expect significant change this year, so much so Akyildiz called 2018 "pre-5G."

You know where the showstopper is? Akyildiz asked. The handsets are not here. All of these mobile phones we are using cannot cope with those objectives  there is a desperate need for those devices.

Even Verizons McCann acknowledged that 5G is an evolving process. But regardless, he says 2018 is big because after years of talking about 5G, it is the year its actually becoming real.
Delta Air Lines was bombarded with complaints on social media on Sunday after a flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Sioux Falls took an hour to deplane  five minutes longer than the flight itself. The airline blamed a shortage of staff and another plane landing at the same time.

Delta Flight 2048 was scheduled to land at 9:18 pm, but by the time passengers were allowed to deplane, it was 10:33 pm.

Delays when deplaning are not unusual, but its usually 5 or 10 minutes, not an hour, Dan Letellier, the airports executive director told USA Today.

I dont know the exact timing of it, but obviously it was a lot longer than normal, Letellier said.

DELAYED AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT LEAVES PASSENGERS ANGRY, SLEEPING ON AIRPORT FLOOR

The passengers onboard were frustrated with the lengthy delay and took to Twitter to voice their grievances.

A Twitter user wrote a scathing response to the delay, Just experienced the absolute worse customer service. Way to go @Delta!! Our plane had to sit for an hour in Sioux Falls due to YOUR staffing issues. How thoughtless of you!

Why can't we get off the plane in Sioux Falls? 30 min and waiting. Tell us short ground crew? Come on. Have you been here before, this is a quiet airport! one said.

Weve been waiting on the tarmac longer than the flight itself. Really unacceptable, another tweeted.

Lisa Johnson, who arrived at the airport with her husband, Steve, to pick up their 18-year-old daughter, was confused about the delay.

I dont understand. Why couldnt they put them at another gate? she said to USA Today.

The unacceptable delay, Letellier said, was due to a shortage of crew and an extensive delay of another flight. An Atlanta flight was supposed to depart at 6 am, but did not take off until 10:25 pm, USA Today reported. The late arrival took priority at the Sioux Falls airport, Delta officials said.

Delta apologizes to customers on Flight 2048 from Minneapolis who were delayed deplaning in Sioux Falls while Deltas ground crews worked to board another flight at an adjacent gate," airline representatives said in a statement.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Letellier said it is possible the airline was understaffed, also, and did not have enough ground crew working to handle the arrival of two flights simultaneously.
A jury has convicted a man accused of kidnapping, raping and killing an Ohio State University student. The Franklin County jury in Columbus found Brian Golsby guilty Tuesday.

The 30-year-old registered sex offender could face the death penalty in the slaying last year of 21-year-old Reagan Tokes.

Golsby pleaded not guilty. Messages seeking comment were left for his attorney.

Prosecutors allege the Columbus man kidnapped Tokes after she left work and then raped and killed her.

Tokes' body was found in February 2017 at a park in Grove City, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southwest of Columbus.

Investigators said they found Golsby's DNA in Tokes' her car. Golsby's attorney said the DNA was matched to an "unreliable" DNA profile.
A North Carolina county has approved a program that will place armed volunteers at schools to serve as school resource officers.

The program in Stanly County, trumpeted as the first of its kind in the nation, comes as the country grapples with a growing concern over gun violence in schools. And it comes in the wake of a fatal school shooting in Parkland, Fla., which has amped up the debate over gun control and school safety.

Several other rural counties in North Carolina are also considering arming volunteers, but Stanly County was the first to approve it. It will be overseen by the county sheriff.

"After seeing whats been going on in our nation and the states around us, we have become aware of how many lives that have been lost tragically," Stanly County Sheriff George Burris told Fox News. "I looked at other plans in other states, other sheriffs and it was time to step up and do something."

Stanly County, located 109 miles southwest of the state's capital, has eight school resource officers, or SROs, protecting 21 middle and high schools.

"If everything was great in life and we didnt have taxes to have to pay for everything, we could definitely afford to put SROs in our elementary schools," county schools superintendent Jeffrey Ray James said. "But I think the program offers us the ability to actually have boots on the ground without trying to find additional resources to pay for that."

Burris and the county school board are looking to add at least a dozen volunteers to their list of SROs by April. The goal for the Volunteer School Safety Resource Officer Program, which was passed by the school board last week, is to train community members on how to protect four out of 11 of the countys elementary schools.

Millingport, Endy, Richfield and Aquadale Elementary School were chosen specifically due to their proximity to police stations and the time it would take for officers to respond to an incident.

"As a parent, I would want to know that my child is in a safe environment," James told Fox News. "When it comes to our 11 elementary schools, we are hard pressed to try to provide that protection."

Applicants will undergo extensive and thorough background checks and drug testing. They are also required to have years of experience in law enforcement or as a military police officer.

"I think the idea of having one "volunteer" to literally die for the protection of another property or persons is noble yet foolish," the person told Fox News.  A concerned parent who asked to remain anonymous

So far, Sheriff Burris said, 12 people have applied but many were turned away because they did not qualify.

"Its difficult to tell them no when their heart is in the right place," Burris said. "Ive had a lot of county folks want to come in. Were limited to Stanly County residents  so, that knocked two or three out."

Training will consist of at least 40 hours of in-classroom, firearm and combat training per year. Volunteers will also have one-on-one training with Sheriff Burris, emergency response teams, and current school resource officers.

"We will keep the school board, superintendent and principals up to date on the training and let them have input in this course," Burris said. "Being the first one we look to do a good job for not only our county and our state, but maybe our nation."

According to North Carolina law, a person selected by the sheriff to serve as a volunteer will have the power of arrest while performing official duties as a volunteer school safety resource officer.

But not everyone is sold on the program.

"Will the families receive compensation, a concerned parent asked, if the volunteer is killed while trying to prevent harm to others?"

The parent said the idea of having volunteers put their life on the line is noble yet foolish.

"By only allowing two sources of parties to volunteer, I don't feel that a non-paid position to risks one's life will yield as big of a turn out as the sheriffs thinks it will," the parent said.

As a parent of three children currently attending schools within the county, Burris said he believes someone who is willing to work for free truly cares about the children in the community.

"When you have people that are willing to donate their time and energy and, if it comes to an active situation, risk their life  its a good program," the sheriff said.

Standard operating procedures for the program are still being finalized by the sheriff and his volunteer SRO lead advisor. They aim to have armed volunteers in the countys elementary schools by 2019.
State and federal authorities have responded to an industrial chemical manufacturing facility as part of what a Virginia official says is a criminal environmental investigation.

AdvanSix said in a statement that authorities were at the company's plant in Hopewell Tuesday to execute a search warrant. Spokeswoman Debra Lewis says the company is "still learning" about the investigation and she can't provide further details.

Ann Regn is a spokeswoman for Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality. She says the agency is taking part in a criminal environmental investigation led by the Environmental Protection Agency.

An EPA spokeswoman confirmed it had employees at the site but declined further comment.

According to AdvanSix's website, the plant southeast of Richmond is one of the world's largest single-site producers of a chemical used to make packaging, plastics and fibers.
The spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) San Francisco field office has resigned after saying he disagreed with the Trump administrations estimate that nearly 800 illegal immigrants evaded arrest after residents were warned of an impending raid.

I quit because I didnt want to perpetuate misleading facts, James Schwab, 38, told the San Francisco Chronicle on Monday. I asked them to change the information. I told them that the information was wrong, they asked me to deflect, and I didnt agree with that. Then I took some time and I quit.

Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan said in a statement last month that hundreds of people who were in violation of federal U.S. immigration laws were arrested during the agencys four-day raid of the San Francisco Bay Area. However, 864 others were able to dodge arrest after Oaklands Democratic mayor, Libby Schaaf, warned residents that ICE would be sweeping the area.

"There's over 800 significant public safety threat criminals ... that we are unable to locate because of that warning, so that community's a lot less safe than it would've been, Homan said on Fox & Friends.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also blasted Schaaf for the lack of arrests, shouting How dare you! while speaking at an event for California law enforcement last week.

ICE ARRESTS 232 PEOPLE IN FOUR-DAY RAID OF CALIFORNIA'S BAY AREA

But Schwab said that he "didn't feel like fabricating the truth to defend [ICE] against (Shaaf's) actions was the way to go about it."

We were never going to pick up that many people. To say that 100 percent are dangerous criminals on the street, or that those people werent picked up because of the misguided actions of the mayor, is just wrong," Schwab told the Chronicle.

Liz Johnson, a spokesperson for ICE in Washington, D.C., told Fox News on Tuesday that "Even one criminal alien on the street can put public safety at risk," and that "while we can't put a number on how many targets avoided arrest due to the mayor's warning, it clearly had an impact."

Schwab said that he'd "never been in a situation when I've been asked to ignore the facts because it was more convenient," adding it was his job as a spokesperson for ICE to be transparent to the American people.

Fox News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
In a new ruling, a federal appeals court has upheld most of Texas law targeting sanctuary cities in what some are calling the toughest state-level immigration measure in the country.

Tuesdays ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans allows police officers in Texas to ask people their immigration status during routine stops.

It also threatens officials with jail time for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott quickly took to Twitter to announce that the law is in effect and that allegations of discrimination were rejected.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also released a statement, applauding the decision and saying dangerous criminals shouldn't be allowed back into our communities" to potentially commit more crimes.

Tuesdays ruling came just as President Donald Trump visited California to view prototypes for a border wall to better secure the nation's southern borders.

We are going to confront dangerous sanctuary cities, Trump said during his visit. I am calling on Congress to deliver a budget that protects our homeland and properly funds all of our law enforcement needs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A former sheriff's deputy and purported ringleader in the bombing of a Minnesota mosque emerges in court documents as a sometimes-threatening figure with anti-government views who also wrote books and attracted others into his shadowy group.

Michael Hari, 47, allegedly intended for the attack to scare Muslims into leaving the U.S. He and two associates were charged Tuesday with traveling from rural Clarence, Illinois, about 120 miles south of Chicago, to carry out the Aug. 5 pipe-bomb assault on the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The explosion caused a damaging fire just as morning prayers were about to begin, but no one was hurt.

Even before his arrest, the self-described entrepreneur and watermelon farmer had a background that included working in law enforcement, floating ideas for a border wall with Mexico, fleeing with his daughters to Central America during a custody dispute and suing the federal government for allegedly cutting in on his food-safety business.

Court papers say Hari promised his accomplices $18,000 for their participation in the mosque attack. But the complaints in the case do not portray him as well off, citing an informant who said Hari frequently stayed at his parents' home because he had no running water or electricity.

Hari describes some of his political views in a federal lawsuit he filed last month against the Department of Agriculture in which he complains it was cutting in on his food-safety certification business, Equicert.

"The People of the United States have rejected the Marxist doctrine that the government shall own the means of production," he wrote.

Under the screen name "Illinois Patriot," Hari posted 19 videos to YouTube in the past two months, most of them anti-government monologues delivered in a smooth, matter-of-fact voice. He wears a balaclava that obscures all but his eyes.

In a March 11 video titled "A Cry for Liberty," Hari criticizes the Justice Department as "a political animal," and calls the government "completely illegitimate."

He spoke to the Chicago Tribune last year for a story on Illinois residents seeking contracts to help build the border wall with Mexico championed by President Donald Trump. Hari said he had drafted a $10 billion construction plan.

In addition to Hari, authorities charged Joe Morris, 22, and Michael McWhorter, 29. All three men live in Clarence, a community with a population of just a few dozen people encircled by farm fields. During a reporter's visit on Wednesday, at least four homes displayed Confederate flags  one flying high atop a flagpole in a front yard.

It isn't clear why the men targeted a mosque in Minnesota, though Al-Farooq had been in the headlines in recent years.

A group of young Minnesota men who were convicted of conspiring to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State Group had frequented the mosque. A young woman and at least one of the men who successfully got to Syria also worshipped there. Mosque leaders were never accused of any wrongdoing.

Hari fled the U.S. in the early 2000s to live in Mexico and then the small South American nation of Belize, taking his two teenage daughters with him for fear his ex-wife would gain custody, according to media reports of legal proceedings against him after he returned to the U.S. in 2006. He was convicted of child abduction and given probation.

The case put Hari on television.

Dr. Phil McGraw of the "Dr. Phil" talk show used an investigator to help track down Hari in Belize, shortly before Hari came back to face charges of abducting his kids.

He wrote a handful of self-published books, including essays on religion. One was titled "Resurgence: More than Conquerors." Another was "Beowulf: A Novel of the Norsemen," which was listed as the first in a series.

Hari belonged to the Old German Baptist Brethren, a religious sect that shares some beliefs with the Amish, although its followers do not spurn modern technology, according to 2006 coverage of his trial published in the News-Gazette in Champaign, about 30 miles south of Clarence.

Some of Hari's neighbors told Champaign television station WCIA that Hari frightened them. One neighbor said Hari gave her "the heebie-jeebies."

His criminal record includes a charge of assaulting a neighbor who entered his property in July, when he allegedly held the man down and pointed a pellet gun at his head. Then in February, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives received an anonymous tip about explosives on that neighbor's property.

Authorities found explosives, including a pipe bomb, which McWhorter said he, Hari and Morris planted to discredit the neighbor who reported the assault, according to court documents. Hari allegedly called in the phony tip.

In a March 10 video, just days before his arrest, Hari went to YouTube again and posted as "Illinois Patriot," saying FBI and local law enforcement investigators had "run wild" and were terrorizing Clarence.

He asked "freedom-loving people everywhere to come and help us."

Hari was raised near Champaign and went to graduate school in criminal justice at the University of Central Texas, now known as Texas A&M University-Central Texas, where he took courses in security-related construction, the Tribune reported.

The three men are also suspected in the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic on Nov. 7 in Champaign, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield. In that attack, a pipe bomb was thrown inside but failed to go off.

A tip in December led authorities to investigate the three men, after a person sent the local sheriff photos of guns and bomb-making material inside Hari's parents' home. In January, a second informant told authorities that the men had carried out the mosque bombing and the failed clinic attack, according to the complaints.

___

Tarm reported from Chicago. Forliti reported from Minneapolis. News researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York City also contributed to this report.

___

Follow Michael Tarm on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mtarm .
Austin police are reminding residents to remain "vigilant" after announcing a suspected "serial bomber," identified as a 24-year-old white male, died after a confrontation with police overnight Wednesday. Officials warn the suspect could have set up other explosive devices prior to his death.

Over the past three weeks, a string of package deliveries left at least two people dead and several others injured after explosions rocked their homes.



The first explosion unfolded on March 2, killing 39-year-old Anthony Stephan House after a "device" exploded on the front porch of his Austin home. The blast was investigated initially as a suspicious death, and later as a homicide.

Ten days later, a similar incident was reported just 12 miles from House's home. A 17-year-old, identified as Draylen Mason, was killed and his mother was injured after a package exploded inside their home.

Hours after the second explosion occurred, police reported a third blast, confirming that at least one elderly woman was injured.

The night of March 18, around 8:30 p.m., a fourth explosion -- possibly triggered by a trip wire -- occurred. Two men in their 20s suffered non-life threatening injuries in the blast, including one who had nails in his leg, according to KVUE-TV.

"If this explosion was the result of a bomb using trip wire technology, that is showing a different level of skill above that we were already concerned that this suspect or suspects may possess," Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 19.

Another device exploded early March 20 at a FedEx ground distribution facility in Schertz, Texas, injuring one person.

Schertz Police Lt. Manny Casas told Fox San Antonio a medium-sized package, which was heading to Austin, was on the conveyor belt when it exploded. A female employee was treated for a possible sound injury and was released.

All of the explosions are believed to be linked, according to investigators, and officials said they were not ruling out any possible motives.

Here's a timeline (in Central Daylight Time) of the deadly package explosions shaking Austin -- and what police are advising residents as they continue to investigate the incidents.

March 2

6:55 a.m.

Austin police receive reports of an explosion and find a critically-injured House. The 39-year-old victim is then transported to nearby Round Rock Hospital.

7:48 a.m

House is declared dead at the hospital nearly an hour later. Authorities announce House's death is being investigated as "suspicious."

10:45 a.m.

The Austin Police Department holds a news conference in House's neighborhood.

10:50 a.m.

Austin police say they've determined the device was inside a package, and are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to reconstruct the item and learn who may have created it.

Right now, we're trying to determine how did the package get there and who was the intended target? We do feel that this was targeted at somebody. We're still trying to figure out whether that was the individual who died or not, Assistant Chief Joseph Chacon with the Austin Police Department tells reporters at a news conference.

Police say it is "an isolated incident and that there is no continuing threat to the community," adding that there is no reason to believe it is terror-related.

Anytime we have a bomb go off like that and somebody dies, the first thing people think is terrorism. While we cannot completely rule it out at this point, we do not believe that terrorism is a motive in this death, said Chacon.

House had also faced previous charges in Travis County, according to Fox 7.

March 12

6:45 a.m.

Austin Police received a call about an explosion in a neighborhood on the northwest side of the city after a 17-year-old resident found a package on the front step, brought it inside and opened it in the kitchen, where it exploded.

9:30 a.m.

Authorities confirm a teenager is dead and a woman in her 40s is seriously injured after a package explodes at a home in Austin, marking the second such explosion in the city within two weeks.

Police say the teen died at the scene, while the woman was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The FBI offers to assist Austin police with the investigation.

10:45 a.m.

The Austin Police Department holds a press briefing in the neighborhood where the second package bombing occurred.

10:50 a.m.

Authorities say they believe the package bomb that killed the teenager and wounded the woman is linked to the deadly package sent to House's home earlier this month because they were both left on the front doorstep and not delivered by a mail service.

Manley said the U.S. Postal Service does not have a record of delivering a package to the Austin home where the explosion occurred Monday.

Police reclassify House's death as a "homicide investigation," instead of a "suspicious death," as the two incidents may be related.

Manley says investigators hope to collect surveillance video and evidence from nearby homes to identify a suspect.

"We're doing a canvas of the neighborhood right now," Manley says.

11:50 a.m.

Another explosion is reported in the Montopolis neighborhood, located southeast of downtown Austin.

The Austin Police Department confirms police are reponding to an "urgent" call.

12:08 p.m.

Austin-Travis County EMS officials declare a "trauma alert," announcing they are transporting at least one patient to the hospital following a reported explosion.

12:16 p.m.

Austin-Travis County EMS confirm in a tweet that a woman in her 70s has "serious, potentially life-threatening" injuries. A second woman from that address had an unrelated medical issue and was not taken to the hospital.

2:45 p.m.

Police hold another press briefing to update reporters on a third blast in Austin.

2:50 p.m.

Police identify the victim of the third bombing as a 75-year-old Hispanic woman, who is currently in "critical, but stable condition."

Based on evidence gathered at the scene, police say they believe the third incident is related to the two previous ones involving package bombs.

"We do not have a specific victimology ... at this point, we are willing to investigate any avenue that may be involved behind these attacks," Manley says.

Manley says it's not yet clear whether these victims were "intended targets," but asks the community to be vigilant.

"We are having innocent people getting hurt across the community," he adds.

March 18

8:32 p.m.

Austin police are dispatched to a southwest Austin neighborhood after reports of a "bomb hotshot" explosion.

9:16 p.m.

Austin police confirm two males were injured after another explosion -- possibly triggered by a trip wire -- occurred in an Austin neighborhood known as Travis Country.

10:27 p.m.

Police hold a news briefing to update residents on the latest explosion, which officials believe may be related to the three others.

"Not only do not touch any packages or anything that looks like a package -- do not even go near it at this time," Manley warns.

March 19

1:33 a.m.

Austin police hold another news briefing, with Manley at the mic.

"There have been reports in the media that this device was triggered by a trip wire, and we're here to say that's a possibility," Manley says. "So that changes things."

Manley then asks community members to have an "extra level of vigilance."

4:05 a.m.

Police ask residents in the Travis Country neighborhood to remain in their homes until the area has been properly cleared.

6:43 a.m.

Emergency alerts are sent out to residents in Travis Country, asking them to stay in place until police clear their neighborhood of "any hazards."

10:00 a.m.

During a morning press conference, Manley warns residents to look for "anything that looks out of place," including suspicious bags, backpacks or packages, especially if they notice a wire poking out.

"We [are] not willing to classify this as terrorism, as hate, because we just don't know enough," Manley says.

Manley says officials have noticed a change in the method this suspect is using, which reveals a "higher level of sophistication."

However, Manley adds, there are "similarities" between all of the recent explosions.

March 20

12:30 a.m.

A device explodes at a FedEx ground distribution facility outside of San Antonio, injuring one person. The pacakage was apparently addressed to Austin and is likely linked to a string of bombings that have rocked the state's capital this month, federal officials said.

6:07 a.m.

Officials with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) confirm they are at the scene of the explosion.

March 21

4:57 a.m.

The suspect in the bombings blew himself up during the early morning of March 21, Manley said at a news conference.

Authorities had tracked down the suspect to a hotel parking lot in Round Rock, Texas  about 20 miles north of Austin. The suspect drove away from authorities before the car stopped in a ditch on the side of the road, according to the police chief. When a SWAT team approached the vehicle, the suspect then detonated an explosive device inside of the car, he said.

One officer suffered minor injuries in the blast, while a second officer fired his weapon, Manley said.

Authorities identified the suspect as a 24-year-old white male. Officials did not say if he is from Austin or reveal a motive.

ATF agent Fred Milanowski said it was hard to say if the suspect acted alone.

Manley encouraged the community to be alert -- authorities arent sure of the suspects whereabouts before his death and he could have left behind more packages.

5:28 a.m.

In a tweet, President Trump acknowledged the suspect had died and praised law enforcement officials for tracking him down.

Great job by law enforcement and all concerned! Trump said.

Police warn residents to beware of suspicious packages

Federal law enforcement officials told Fox News the packages were made to look like mail.

Police warned residents who found any suspicious packages to call 911, and to send tips to Austin Crime Stoppers at (512) 472-8477 or Texas Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-8477.

Fox News' Nicole Darrah, Travis Fedschun, Kaitlyn Schallhorn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The purported grandson of Charles Manson revealed Tuesday what he plans to do with the cult leader's body after spending months in a bizarre court battle to retrieve the remains.

Jason Freeman, who lives in Bradenton, Florida, told FOX13 Tampa he plans to cremate Mansons body and scatter the ashes in an undisclosed location.

Freemans announcement comes after a three-way legal battle over Manson's remains, which have been on ice since he died on Nov. 19 at the age of 83. After Mansons death, three people came forward claiming they should be the one to receive the killers body.

Michael Brunner claimed he was fathered by Manson, while Michael Channels  said to be a pen pal who sold memorabilia of the man who masterminded a series of grisly murders in 1969  came forward with a will purportedly signed by the cult leader.

Freeman said he is the son of the late Charles Manson Jr., who was the child of Manson and his first wife. Charles Manson Jr. changed his name to Charles Jay White and later killed himself.

The three all tried to cast doubt on the authenticity of the competing claims. A California court ultimately ruled Monday that Freeman can retrieve Mansons remains.

"If he wasn't family, trust me I wouldn't be there," Freeman said. "Of course, I know society is looking at me going, What the heck is this kid thinking?"

Freeman said he knows he cant make up for the horrors Manson inflicted, but he said he hopes he can prevent future generations from committing the same types of atrocities.

"I just really hope that society sees and understands my heart," Freeman said.

The Manson estate, which could include lucrative rights to songs he wrote or to license his image, will be litigated in Los Angeles because that's where Manson lived when he was convicted, Superior Court Judge David Cowan earlier ruled.

The judge still has to decide who will retain the rights to the estate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Chicago Republican Party has filed a complaint with Chicago Public Schools and is considering suing over an anti-gun violence student walkout Wednesday morning it calls political and an indoctrination.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson has publicly given her approval and support for the district-wide walkout, which a Chicago GOP Chairman says has turned into an administration-organized event not a student walkout.

Chris Cleveland, chairman of the Chicago GOP, pointed to an email sent by an elementary school principal that gave parents of young students instructions on the walkout and the option of making posters.

Students across the country were holding a walkout on Wednesday to protest gun violence and to call for gun control measures on the one-month anniversary of the Parkland school shooting that left 17 people dead.

The GOP chairman said the school district seemed to be coercing students to take part in the demonstrations.

It's appalling that 10 to 14 year old kids would be coerced, by their teachers, to participate in a political demonstration," Cleveland wrote in a statement. A 10-year-old kid isn't going to have an informed opinion on these political matters, and shouldn't be expected to have the fortitude to hold a different opinion from everyone else in his or her classroom. This is political indoctrination, pure and simple."

CPS Inspector General Nicholas Schuler told Fox News the district received the complaint and is evaluating it.

The Chicago Public Schools and the CEOs office have not returned calls from Fox News seeking comment.

Last year, more than 650 people were murdered in Chicago. In 2016, nearly 800 were killed, many of whom were teens, some under the age of 12. A CPS spokesperson said they could not recall a district condoned walkout for the citys own gun violence and homicide rate.
A cold-blooded killer who gunned down two New York City police officers nearly half a century ago is set to walk free after he was granted parole.

Herman Bell, a former Black Revolutionary Army thug who lured Officers Joseph Piagentini and Waverly Jones to a housing project in 1971, was granted clemency recently  despite past parole board rejections of his earlier bids that argued freeing Bell would depreciate the severity of this crime, the New York Post reported Wednesday.

The Black Revolutionary Army was a violent offshoot of the Black Panthers that sanctioned symbolic killings of police officers regardless of their race in New York and California.

Bell, along with Anthony Bottom and another accomplice who died in prison in 2000, called themselves the New York 3.

In 1971, the trio lured Piagentini, 22, and Jones, 33, to a Harlem housing project with a fake 911 call. As the unsuspecting cops approached, the three men opened fire.

Jones died instantly while Piagentini  who had been shot more than a dozen times  begged for his life, the Associated Press reported. Bell finished him off with the cops own gun.

The three men denied killing the officers and insisted theyd been framed during their trial and after their 1975 convictions.

This parole request was the seventh time since 2004 that Bell had pleaded for his freedom.

According to the Post, Bell argued he should go free because hes been a model prisoner. While in prison, Bell earned a masters degree and learned to play the flute.

Piagentinis widow, Diane, told the Post she was in shock over the paroles decision.

I just got the news this morning. I just cant, she said, declining to comment further.

It's unclear when Bell will be released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A high school teacher in Northern California accidentally fired a gun inside a classroom Tuesday afternoon and injured at least one student.

The Mercury News reported that Dennis Alexander, a reserve police officer for Sand City, had been providing safety instructions at Seaside High School when he accidentally fired a single shot from a semi-automatic handgun into the ceiling, police said.

A student was hit in the neck by debris after the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling, but was not seriously injured, police said.

The incident was brought under control and classes resumed, but an investigation is ongoing, the Monterey County Herald reported.

Were looking into any violation of city ordinance or the penal code and well determine whether or not there are any applicable charges, Seaside police Chief Abdul D. Pridgen said.

The Monterey Peninsula Unified School district sent out a letter to notify parents of the investigation and that Alexander had been placed on administrative leave while the investigation is underway.

Seaside is about 116 miles south of San Francisco.

In Alexandria, Va., a school resource officer accidentally fired off a gun inside a middle school while students were attending classes. No injuries were reported and the officer was placed on administrative leave for the duration of an investigation.

Administrative gun use in classrooms has been a contentious subject following the mass shooting at a high school in Florida on Feb. 14. Thousands of students across the U.S. are planning to stage walkouts Wednesday to raise awareness about gun violence in schools.
One hundred years ago Wednesday morning, the USS Cyclops, a massive American World War I transport ship hailed as a floating coal mine, should have been docked in the waters off Baltimore, fresh off a journey from Brazil.

But the vessel  reported to be the Navys biggest and fastest fuel ship at the time  and the 309 men onboard it never pulled into the Chesapeake Bay on March 13, 1918, and its whereabouts to this day remain unknown.

In terms of loss of life and size of ship, its probably the last great mystery left unresolved, James Delgado, an underwater explorer, told the Baltimore Sun this week as recent discoveries of historical shipwrecks are renewing hopes amongst the scientific community of finally finding the Cyclops.

The 540-foot long and 65-foot wide ship, outfitted with 50-caliber machine guns to help transport doctors and supplies to American Expeditionary Forces in France during The Great War, was last seen in Barbados on March 4, 1918.

Built in Philadelphia eight years earlier, the USS Cyclops was capable of transporting 12,500 tons of coal and could lift two tons of it in single buckets along cables that ran along the ship, leading newspapers to call it a floating coal mine, according to the Baltimore Sun.

But on its final journey, the Cyclops was loaded up with 10,000 tons of manganese ore  a denser and heavier cargo  and stopped at the Caribbean island for nine days to resupply before vanishing into the horizon.

Those back in the U.S. began to take notice as day after day passed without any signs of the ship making its way to Maryland.

"COLLIER OVERDUE A MONTH," blared a headline in the New York Times on April 15, 1918, next to a list of the hundreds of passengers on board.

"Numerous ships sailed to locate the collier as she was thought to have been sunk by a German submarine," the Naval History and Heritage Command says on its website. "Her wreck has never been found, and the cause of her loss remains unknown."

"As a Navy veteran, I feel I have a duty to honor the crew members on the USS Cyclops who never returned home to Baltimore, and the families they left behind."  Maryland Rep. Andy Harris

Two months after the ship failed to reach Baltimore, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who then was an Assistant Navy Secretary, announced the Cyclops and all of its crew were presumed lost at sea, resulting in what remains the largest loss of life in Navy history unrelated to combat.

Nothing from the ship has been found. No wreckage, oil slicks or debris. Not even a distress call. And speculation has raged throughout history, leading some to claim wild theories involving the Bermuda Triangle, giant sea creatures and mutinies.

"One magazine, Literary Digest, speculated that a giant octopus rose from the sea, entwined the ship with its tentacles and dragged it to the bottom," the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command said. "Another theory was that the ship suddenly turned turtle in a freak storm, trapping all hands inside."

Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels at the time added that "there has been no more baffling mystery in the annals of the Navy than the disappearance last March of the U.S.S. Cyclops.

There has not been a trace of the vessel, and long-continued and vigilant search of the entire region proved utterly futile," the Baltimore Sun quoted him as saying.

But recent deep sea discoveries of American ships, such as the USS Lexington -- lost at the Battle of Coral Sea in 1942 and found last week -- and the USS Ward, found in the Philippines in December, both by an expedition crew led by Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Paul Allen, are giving explorers hope the Cyclops could be next.

The short list keeps getting shorter these days as technology steps in, Delgado told the Baltimore Sun. Things can be found. Its just a question of time and money.

Marvin Barrash, who has spent more than a decade researching the Cyclops, believes it could be sitting in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean, the Puerto Rico Trench, which extends more than 27,000 feet below the surface. He is now working with Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., to build the ships first monument.

As a Navy veteran, I feel I have a duty to honor the crew members on the USS Cyclops who never returned home to Baltimore, and the families they left behind, Harris said in a statement to Fox News, nothing that his office is "actively researching and reaching out to multiple government and private entities to help support the monument."

"With the recent discoveries of past sunken ships, I hope we can draw more attention to the USS Cyclops and bring closure to those families," he added.

Barrash, a great nephew of one of the firemen on the ship, told the Baltimore Sun that he just wants the ship to be found.

I want the 309 to be at rest, as well as the families, he said. Its something everybody needs: some resolution.
When news of the Parkland school shooting first broke, it resonated with 17-year-old Naomi Giancola.

A junior at Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York  some 1,200 miles away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the Florida high school where a gunman murdered 17 students and faculty on Feb. 14  Giancola immediately thought the tragedy could have easily happened at her own school.

It really hit home because Im in high school. That could have been my school, that could have been my friends, that could have been me that was shot or running away, Giancola told Fox News.

So along with 16-year-old Madeline Paterna, Giancola arranged for her school to participate in the National School Walkout, a protest led by students demanding action against gun violence, on March 14  one month after the Parkland school shooting.

It was really scary to think that could have been us, and I just wanted to do something because I dont want it to happen again," Giancola said.

What is the National School Walkout?

For at least 17 minutes at 10 a.m. across each time zone on March 14, students, school faculty and supporters around the world will walk out of their schools to honor those killed in the massacre at the Parkland high school earlier this year and to protest gun violence.

Those participating are encouraged to wear orange  the color used by many who support gun control. And some schools will even have featured speakers who are calling on Congress to pass gun control measures.

Those at Midwood High will gather at a nearby park to have a moment of silence as the names of the 17 Parkland victims are read aloud. There will also be an opportunity for those to share a poem, song or words of encouragement.

"All we want to do is honor these peoples lives."  Naomi Giancola

Its important for everyone to realize that although it is about guns and its political, its more to commemorate the lives lost, Giancola said. At this point  all we want to do is honor these peoples lives.

Paterna added that she wanted to speak out for all the people who died in the shooting.

Us as students have to speak out about it and try to get our voices heard because I personally cant imagine losing 17 people that I know in a school community, Paterna told Fox News.

Students at Midwood High School and Packer Collegiate Institute, also in Brooklyn, have expressed concern that a gunman could enter a school at any time. And those students have also lamented a lack of protection.

As school shootings have become more common, if a shooter, God forbid, got into the school, theres really no protection for students, Sarah Desouza, a 17-year-old senior at Packer Collegiate, told Fox News.

Her peer, Drew Myers, noted that the school has lockdown drills about three times a semester. And its in those drills that he said he feels helpless.

Theres really nothing we can do if a shooter enters the building, he told Fox News. I find that the most chilling aspect of the whole thing: Theres really nothing you can do.

Seeing school shootings happen over and over again just really drives home the point that it seems so easy for these people to commit these acts, and you feel helpless in the drills because theres nothing you can do, Myers said, adding that he does not support arming teachers, a proposal put forth by the White House.

Who organized the walkout?

Womens March Youth EMPOWER, the organizers of the March 14 demonstration, say the walkout is to protest Congress inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods.

Students and staff have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school, the event page said.

Cate Whitman, a 17-year-old student at New York Citys LaGuardia High School, partnered with the Womens March to help plan the walkout. She said she hopes the protest will shed light on the issue of gun violence in general.

Im hoping it will bring more focus to the larger issue of gun violence as a whole because gun violence is something that affects people from all walks of life, all over the country, and disproportionately black and brown communities," Whitman told Fox News. These things happen all the time in tons of communities, and Im hoping that people start talking about it in an intersectional way.

The Womens March has asked that all actions be inclusive & non-violent during the walkouts.

How many schools are participating?

More than 185,000 students are expected to participate in the walkout, according to the latest numbers provided by a Womens March spokesperson. And a map of participating schools on the events website shows the walkout has gone international  with schools in Ireland, Israel and Mexico participating.

Multiple colleges and universities have said they will not reject students who participate in the protests and walkouts, Reuters reported.

Yale will NOT be rescinding anyones admission decision for participating in peaceful walkouts for this or other causes, regardless of any high schools disciplinary policy, Hannah Mendlowitz, the senior assistant director of admissions and director of recruitment for Yale University, said in a blog post. I, for one, will be cheering these students on from New Haven.

Students at Packer Collegiate Institute, an independent college preparatory school in Brooklyn Heights, credited the survivors of the Parkland shooting for their own activism and involvement in the walkout.

Myers said the survivors immediate advocacy, including meeting face-to-face with lawmakers and participating in town halls, was truly inspirational.

Its really inspiring that theyre taking action especially after something so tragic happened, Desouza added. It makes me want to contribute any way I can.

College students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., also plan to participate in the walkout. Additionally, Students of Georgetown Inc. ("The Corp"), a student-run non-profit, will close its businesses for 17 minutes, Ricardo Mondolfi, a junior international politics major and chairman of "The Corp," told Fox News.

But some students dont plan to participate in the walkout. Will Walker, a 16-year-old sophomore at Cadillac High School in Michigan, told HuffPost he will continue with his school work  even if the teacher leaves the classroom.

I dont think were going to solve anything by walking out of the classroom, Walker told HuffPost. I am in full support of stopping school shootings, but thats not what the people are going out there [for]  Theyre trying to stop people from being able to have guns.

How are non-students showing support?

Congressional leaders and pastors are among those who will participate or show solidarity with students during the walkout.

Pastor Toure Roberts of The Potters House plans to join students at East High School in Denver for a moment of silence. He is also dedicating a Palm Sunday service to hear from students and give them an opportunity to speak to law enforcement personnel, local politicians and public school officials.

We want to encourage them and let them know we hear them. We dont want them to live in fear and literally be terrorized, Roberts told Fox News. We want [students] to know that they matter.

Additionally, congressional Democrats  including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California  plan to gather in front of the Capitol to join students rallying for more gun control.

MTV also plans to go dark for 17 minutes on March 14 at 10 am to pay tribute to the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting and honor young victims of gun violence, the station said in a statement to Fox News. Between March 14 and March 24, when the "March For Our Lives" rallies will be held, MTV also plans to change its logos across its platforms to orange.

How do I know if my school is participating?

To find out if your school is participating, plug in your zip code and check out the map on the Womens March website.

Another nationwide school walkout is scheduled for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre. A spokesperson for this walkout confirmed to Fox News that it is not directly affiliated with the March event.

And on March 24, "March for Our Lives" rallies are scheduled nationwide for demonstrators to protest gun violence.
A prisoner who escaped a New Jersey prison was captured in Florida, 23 years after he went on the run and started a new life with a wife and two children, police said.

Enrique Kiki Silva, 74, was arrested after being taken into custody Thursday by the U.S. Marshals in Orlando, the New Jersey Department of Corrections announced on Monday.

It was old-time detective work that led to his arrest, Mike Schroeder, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service in Trenton, told Philly.com on Tuesday.

On May 16, 1995, Silva escaped from Riverfront State Prison in Camden when he walked away from a prison work detail, according to Philly.com. Silva had been convicted of drug charges six years prior and was serving a 20-year sentence.

Silva vanished from authorities sight, prompting a yearslong search. Investigators followed tips that indicated he may have been hiding out in Florida and Puerto Rico, where they believe the fugitive had family.

Meanwhile, Silva got married and fathered at least two daughters during his years of freedom. He used his real name and lived about an hour away from Disney Worlds Magic Kingdom in Orlando when he was caught, Philly.com reported.

Authorities revisited the people who gave initial tips about Silva over the years and eventually received information in February that Silva was living with a "potential female acquaintance" in Florida. Law enforcement officers arrived at an Orlando house and matched a "gray-bearded man" to the 1989 mugshot of Silva.

Silva attempted to flee when he spotted police officers at his house.

It pays off when officers stay on top of these cases, Schroeder said. They sat on it [the house] and struck gold.

Its unclear if Silvas wife knew about her husbands criminal past. No one else has been charged in Silvas case. Silva is awaiting extradition to New Jersey.
Northwestern University has declared the campus "ALL CLEAR" after receiving a false report on Wednesday afternoon of a "person with a gun" at a residence hall for graduate students at the school's Evanston campus.

"Police have determined that the report of a man with a gun in Engelhart Hall was a hoax," the university tweeted. "It was made in a call to the Evanston Police Department. No danger to the community exists."

Evanston Police determined the situation was a "swatting incident" and that are "No victims or danger to the public."

The department earlier tweeted it found "no evidence" of a shooting at the university after there was a "Report of a gunman and shots fired in a residential building. Area checked no evidence of a victim, scene, or a gunman found."



Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew told reporters that at 2:17 p.m., someone called in and said he had shot his girlfriend in the area, but Glew said that officials "have not located anything at this time," the school's student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern, reported.

Northwestern University first sent out an "emergency" alert around 2:40 p.m., warning students that someone with a gun was on campus, and to "seek shelter in safe place until further notice."

Police, according to the university, are investigating the hoax emergency report.
A Pennsylvania high school honored the victims of the Florida school shooting during national walkouts by lining their backpacks up to form a shape of a heart.

Students at Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills wanted to show their solidarity with the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. On Wednesday, more than 3,000 school walkouts were planned across the U.S. and around the world.

The tribute comes a month after alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz walked into the Parkland high school and opened fire, killing 17 people. Students were encouraged Wednesday to leave class for 17 minutes  each minute representing a person who was killed.

The national walkouts were done to protest gun violence and call for new gun control measures. Students chanted, Hey, hey, ho, ho. The NRA has got to go! and "What do we want? Gun control! When do we want it? Now!"

Some schools applauded students for taking a stand on gun control, while other school officials threated discipline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A late-afternoon snow squall caused a massive 81-vehicle pileup on Interstate 71 in central Ohio on Tuesday, but no serious injuries were reported, police said.

The State Highway Patrol said the crash involved 11 commercial vehicles, including at least one semi-truck that ended up on its side in the incident in Morrow County, located about 40 miles northeast of Columbus.

"People were driving backwards on the expressway toward us to get out. It was crazy," Wendy Denton, who was traveling to Akron, told WSYX/WTTE. "I've never seen that happen in my life."

The series of crashes left cars crumpled, tipped over and scattered along the lanes of the interstate.

Several minor injuries were reported, a spokesperson from the Ohio Department of Transportation told WSYX/WTTE.

The snow squall in the area at the time caused white-out conditions for drivers.

NOR'EASTER UNCOVERS 'GHOST TRACKS' ON NEW JERSEY BEACH

"When we were coming south just patches of boom! Just crazy white snow and you can't see 20 feet in front of you and I can totally see that's what happened," Mike Smith, who was traveling to Dayton, told WSYX/WTTE.

The massive crash shut down parts of the highway for several hours, stranding motorists caught behind the carnage. Photos of the massive accident were posted on social media.

Authorities were able fully reopen the highway before midnight, after workers were able to clear the lanes from all the vehicles involved in the crash.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A former student of a Southern California college, who's facing felony charges for allegedly carving swastikas and racial slurs into the hoods of two campus security vehicles, is now suing the college, claiming it discriminated against him because of a mental disability.

The Orange Coast College student, identified as Robert McDougal, 22, allegedly vandalized the vehicles after being suspended by the college for two years for causing a disturbance in a classroom and shouting a racial slur at a security guard, the Orange County Register reported.

The college has filed a workplace-violence restraining order against McDougal, alleging that his encounters with faculty and security personnel have been erratic and aggressive, the newspaper reported.

McDougals lawsuit contends that he has been diagnosed with autism and had been excelling academically, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The lawsuit claims that the college harassed the student and discriminated against him because of his disabilities  and caused irreparable harm to his image and reputation, the Times reported.

The problems stem from an incident in which McDougal was manhandled by security guards when he tried to rush to a class to re-take an exam, the lawsuit alleges.

Names as defendants in the lawsuit are Orange Coast College, the Coast Community College District and several college employees, the report said.
A man accused of fatally shooting a Southern California police officer and wounding another has been charged with capital murder, authorities said Tuesday.

The suspect, identified as Isaias De Jesus Valencia, 38, also faces charges of murder of a peace officer and murder for the purpose of avoiding or preventing lawful arrest, Fox 11 reported.

If convicted of the charges, Valencia could face the death penalty, prosecutors said, although executions are rare in California.

Valencia is accused of killing Pomona police Officer Greggory Casillas on Friday night, and then barricading himself for hours until his arrest Saturday.

Casillas and Officer Alex Nguyen had attempted to pull over Valencia on Friday night for allegedly driving recklessly. According to police, Valencia crashed his vehicle into another vehicle and fled the scene on foot.

The officers chased Valencia into an apartment complex where he barricaded himself in a bedroom, sheriffs Capt. Chris Bergner said, adding that "officers attempted to contact him and he began firing through the door."

Casillas was killed and Nguyen was shot in the face, Fox 11 reported. Crisis negotiators reportedly tried to persuade Valencia to surrender, but he refused, police said.

Nguyen has since been released from a hospital, the Daily Bulletin reported.

Special Enforcement Bureau deputies deployed tear gas and then a police dog before Valencia finally surrendered, police said. Valencia was then taken into custody early Saturday morning. The standoff lasted more than 15 hours.

Valencia was charged with seven counts of attempted murder and a count of each of fleeing a peace officer's vehicle and possession of a firearm by a felon, Fox 11 reported.

Valencia will face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted, the Los Angeles Times reported. Prosecutors will decide at a later date if Valencia will receive the death penalty.
A man suspected in the murder of a Binghamton University student who jumped on a flight to his native Nicaragua was arrested Tuesday in the Central America country, The New York Post reported.

Orlando Tercero, 22, who holds dual citizenship, fled to Nicaragua after allegedly killing Haley Anderson, 22, a fellow student at Binghamtons Decker School of Nursing.

Nicaraguan authorities told WABC-TV that Tercero had been detained and transferred to a prison in El Chipote, 40 miles southwest of the capitol, Managua.

Anderson was discovered dead in Terceros bed last Friday in his off-campus home. Andersons death was ruled a homicide, but police havent said how or why she was killed.

Police believe Tercero left the U.S. out of New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport the same morning Andersons body was found.

By Monday, authorities named Tercero as a person of interest.

According to a classmate, Anderson and Tercero had previously dated, but Tercero never got over his obsession of her.

It is unknown if Tercero is being represented by a lawyer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A man who spent more than three decades behind bars for murder and parole violations begged police to put him back inside to avoid homelessness.

Paul H. Barroni was 17 in 1979 when he was sentenced to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing a Missouri high school student who wouldnt date him. After serving 38 years  which included several parole violations  he was released on Feb. 8.

However, not less than a month later, the 57-year-old walked into a Clayton bar that is popular among judges and lawyers and threatened to shoot an employee if she did not call the police.

Authorities said Barroni did not have a gun with him and was using his finger.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Barroni told police he wanted to get arrested.

He just came right out and said it, I want to go back to jail, said Clayton Police Capt. Stewart Glenn.

Barroni told police that he had been kicked out of one housing facility and then tried to get a bed at a homeless shelter in downtown St. Louis, but had no luck getting in.

He said he wasnt going to be homeless, Glenn said. He doesnt want to be out there.

Court papers showed that he was kicked out of the housing facility because he violated rules barring drug and alcohol use and was combative with staff.

Barroni is now facing a first-degree robbery charge and was held on $250,000 cash bail. His court-appointed attorney couldn't be reached for comment.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit filed by the father of a boy who was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to his Texas school that officials say resembled a bomb.

United States District Judge Sam Lindsay dismissed a lawsuit filed against the city of Irving, Irving Independent School District and several other defendants after finding that Ahmed Mohameds civil rights were not violated in September 2015 when he was arrested at MacArthur High School, Dallas News reported.

Mohamed, 14, was taken into custody and after bringing a device into the school that included batteries, a printed circuit board, wires, a transformer, a display panel and an alarm bell, according to The Daily Caller. School officials warned he boy about the clock before he was sent to the principals office.

TEXAS CLOCK BOY AHMED MOHAMD TO MOVE WITH FAMILY TO QATAR, FATHER SAYS

Officials announced at the time that they would not be charging the boy.

Mohameds father, Mohamed Elhassan Mohamed, filed the lawsuit in August 2016 on behalf of his son, alleging that he was discriminated against because of his race and religion.

A statement by the city said it was extremely pleased by the court's ruling, which supports the justifiable actions taken by the officers in the matter. We remain committed to ensuring the safety of all Irving residents and schoolchildren.
The three military fathers sat at the commander's conference table on the U.S. Army base in Germany, pleading for help.

They told the commander that their daughters were among a half-dozen girls sexually assaulted by a boy in their first-grade class at the base school. The principal had known about the boy's behavior for months, they said, but the abuse continued.

The girls' parents had already turned to Army police, military child-abuse authorities and sex-assault specialists. The response throughout the U.S. military's vast support structure was always the same, they said: Sorry this has happened; there's nothing we can do.

"It gives us a sense of hopelessness," one of the fathers, a soldier, said. "We can only do so much as parents."

Tens of thousands of children and teenagers live and attend school on U.S. military bases while their parents serve the country. Yet if they are sexually violated by a classmate, a neighborhood kid or a sibling, they often get lost in a legal and bureaucratic netherworld . That's because military law doesn't apply to civilians, and the federal legal system that typically handles civilian crimes on base isn't equipped or inclined to prosecute juveniles.

The Pentagon's response to addressing this problem stands in contrast to how it cracked down on sexual assault in the ranks following congressional scrutiny more than a decade ago.

"If this would have been a soldier, things would have happened much differently," the soldier's wife said.

The Office of the Secretary of Defense said it "takes seriously any incident impacting the well-being" of soldiers and families and promised, without elaboration, "appropriate actions."

The military's school system  the Department of Defense Education Activity, or DoDEA  said it had "zero tolerance for sexual assault" and that an investigation of what happened at the German base school showed staff "took the appropriate actions to best meet the needs of all students involved."

Yet, in a military that prizes procedure and protocol, the Pentagon's school system has no specific policy to respond to student-on-student sexual violence. It doesn't accurately track the incidents and affords students fewer protections than those assaulted in U.S. public schools, an Associated Press investigation found.

Three sets of parents interviewed for this story spoke on the record. But AP doesn't name victims of sexual assault without consent and, to protect their daughters' identities, extended that anonymity to their parents.

"The one place you can feel safe with your child going is school," said another mother whose daughter was among those who reported being attacked, "and then you can't even trust school."

PROBLEM EMERGES

The Army soldier and his wife were excited when they arrived in the southern German town of Grafenwoehr (GRAF'-en-vohr) in 2014. The small outpost had housed U.S. troops since World War II, including a private named Elvis Presley.

Though isolated amid farmland and rolling hills, Grafenwoehr put the couple just a train ride away from Europe's great cities. They also liked that their 6-year-old daughter could attend an elementary school run by the military that offered advance placement classes in math and reading.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as the school year progressed, though their daughter began acting temperamental after the Christmas break. They thought she might be homesick. Then one Thursday in late July 2015, as the wife was watching a TV crime drama with her daughter playing nearby, an actor asked about the "sex" of a victim, and the girl giggled.

How she would've known that word bothered the wife. So later that night, in the girl's bedroom, the wife gently inquired: Had anyone ever inappropriately touched her?

Tearfully, the girl confided that several times a week during the school year, a boy had forced kisses on her, penetrated her with his finger in class and on the playground, and coaxed her to touch him. He told her she'd get hurt if she talked about it, she said. And, she added, other girls in her class were also abused.

The wife's discovery began a struggle that is documented in sworn statements by the soldier, law enforcement records and other documents they shared with AP, and supplemented by interviews with the couple and two other sets of parents.

The same night her daughter came forward, the soldier's wife contacted two of the other girls' mothers and learned that they hadn't known anything, either.

The next morning, the soldier and his wife went to an Army sex-assault response office, where they hit their first road block: A staffer told them their daughter didn't qualify for help because she was a minor.

Then they phoned the Family Advocacy Program, but its specialists handle child abuse reports only when allegations implicate a parent or caregiver. At the Army's Criminal Investigative Command they were told investigators lacked jurisdiction inside the military-run schools and were referred back to the offices they had already contacted. Finally, the base office for the Army inspector general suggested contacting the principal or their congressman.

"We hit everywhere you could possibly go," the wife recalled. "It just felt like, 'Oh, well, kids will be kids.'"

On the eve of a meeting with the principal they had set for Monday, the soldier and his wife talked to another set of parents and absorbed a new shock.

Those parents said the principal had called them about six months earlier, around February 2015, to report an incident at recess between the boy and their daughter. He gave the impression it wasn't serious and promised to take "every step to ensure this never happens again," according to the father, an Army officer who was among those meeting with the commander.

But it did happen again, the officer said. In May, the principal called him about a second incident and said he had removed a class couch where the boy would squeeze next to girls and touch them.

When the parents pushed their daughter for more details, the officer said, she described multiple incidents since February, including the boy reaching under her clothes to touch her genitals. She said that she'd told her teacher at least once about his misbehavior. And she named five other victims, the officer said.

Fuming, he called the principal, naming each girl, including the soldier's daughter. "You need to contact them and let their parents know that this has happened," he recalled telling the principal.

After hearing that, the soldier's wife said, she vomited.

SCHOOL RESPONSE

The soldier and his wife hadn't met Principal Matthew Kralevich before that day in early August 2015, when they recounted their daughter's story.

Kralevich had arrived at Grafenwoehr Elementary in 2012, his second posting in the Pentagon school system. Within two years, the National Parent Teacher Association recognized the school as a "true example of what can be accomplished when schools and families work together."

Armed with information from the other parents, the soldier and his wife pressed Kralevich about what he'd known when and what he'd done to stop further abuse.

Kralevich acknowledged dealing with a previous sexual assault incident involving the boy, according to the soldier's sworn statements to military police and other agencies. When they asked about the other girls, Kralevich said he contacted the families of everyone named and their daughter wasn't among them, they recalled.

Kralevich's answers upset the wife. The officer insisted he shared her daughter's name with the principal months earlier. And the other parents said she, not Kralevich, had alerted them to the assaults.

"I know that you're lying," the wife recalled telling Kralevich.

"I'm sorry you feel that way," she said he replied, "because I did everything I was supposed to do, and I protected our students."

Kralevich said the boy might not return to school, but nonetheless he was thinking about offering staff training, increasing playground supervision and encouraging parents to talk to their children about proper touching. The Pentagon would not allow Kralevich to speak with reporters, and he did not respond to direct requests for comment.

Unsatisfied, the parents of the six girls began strategizing a response. They all met weeks later at a park and shared new information through a Facebook group chat.

Two of the girls, they learned, said they had told at least one teacher what was happening and were instructed not to tell their parents, according to records and interviews.

"I asked her, 'Did you ever tell anybody?' " one of those girls' mothers told the AP. "She said, 'Mom, I told (the teacher). She told me to stop tattle-telling.' "

In late August, the soldier, the officer and a third military father appealed to the base commander. Commanders can take administrative action in civilian misconduct cases, but he told them he lacked jurisdiction over the base school, according to the officer and soldier. Eventually, he said he would make a call.

"Go work it out with the principal was his bottom line answer," the officer recalled. "We said the principal is the problem."

Within a day, the commander, who now works at a different base and didn't respond to AP's messages, followed up to say the principal would be in touch. Some parents said they received a call but did not believe the principal's promises of change.

NO GUIDANCE

AP began investigating sex abuse among military children and teens after readers of its 2017 investigation on student assaults in U.S. public schools reported even more complicated problems on bases.

Unlike what's mandated in U.S. public schools, there is no detailed guidance when sexual assaults among kids occur in military-run schools.

The Pentagon has rules and support systems to combat sexual violence among service members, developed and refined over the last decade. Its school system has a 13-page regulation for investigating adult attacks on students. But when it comes to student-on-student assaults, officials can only point to three paragraphs of guidelines that generally prohibit sexual harassment or "physical conduct of a sexual nature."

As a result, reports of student sex assault languish.

At one base elementary school in Naples, Italy, for example, families complained in 2009 and 2010 that administrators responded too slowly to allegations that classmates were sexually assaulting their daughters. One father, in an email, accused Pentagon school officials of "acting like it is not a big deal." Administrators responded that they had added playground monitors and talked to students about "appropriate touching."

The Italy cases surfaced in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a school counselor, Manuel Losada, who was fired after he discussed the incidents with a military reporter. He told AP that school officials didn't want to hear about the assaults. "There was silence; there was no action," he said. "They were scared to deal with it."

Since 1997, U.S. public schools have operated under specific guidelines from the U.S. Education Department in handling student sexual violence. Those include separating victim from alleged attacker, allowing both sides to present evidence and sharing an investigation's outcome.

Public school students also have legal protections under Title IX, the federal law that bans gender discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. Court rulings have extended that law's protections to student sex assault victims.

An executive order in 2000 attempted to hold federal education programs, such as those run by the Pentagon, to Title IX's tenets but did not grant students the right to sue for damages or request outside investigations  the leverage often needed to get action.

Lacking those options, the best the Grafenwoehr parents could do was file a complaint with the Pentagon school system's Office of Investigation and Internal Review over how the incidents were handled.

The father who was an Army officer said he wasn't told anything about the outcome of the investigation. The soldier said he and his wife were told only that their complaint resulted in a finding that no policies were broken and the principal was "not at fault."

Both men recalled a regional administrator in the Pentagon school system telling them he couldn't discuss the matter because a minor was involved. The school system also declined to discuss details of the case with AP.

"We completely felt like it was a cover-up from the very beginning," the officer said.

The soldier filed a Freedom of Information Act request that December for copies of school records generated by the complaint review process after the system said it had finished its review.

The school system replied that no records could be found.

'SOME KIND OF JUSTICE'

The military's far-flung system of some 165 schools worldwide collects "serious incident" reports to alert headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, about possible crimes or incidents that may generate "negative media/community attention."

Sexual attacks among the system's 71,000 students are supposed to be reported. But the assaults at Grafenwoehr Elementary were among more than 150 that weren't disclosed in a serious incident report, the AP found. System officials wouldn't explain why there were no reports on Grafenwoehr in what they released to AP.

There was also no trace of the alleged assaults in a list of cases Army's Criminal Investigation Command provided AP, even though the soldier had written out a detailed, sworn statement for military investigators.

A spokesman for the Army's criminal investigators said they pursue all credible reports of sexual assault. But several former investigators told AP that agents sometimes shelve reports in a "raw data" file, which the spokesman said is later reviewed.

The mother of one of the Grafenwoehr girls filed a report with Army investigators and recalled being told, "It was a child-on-child crime and someone else would have to take over." She said she assumed it would be passed to another investigative unit, but "after that, we never heard."

The soldier learned his report had been forwarded to German authorities, who under an agreement with the U.S. military share jurisdiction over base crimes. German prosecutors sent him a letter in late November 2015, saying they couldn't help because, according to their law, children under 14 cannot form criminal intent.

"We expected some kind of justice," the soldier's wife said. "It was really discouraging and kind of disheartening to know the military kids, especially overseas, have no protection, and there was nothing we could do."

The family began trying to move elsewhere in Germany, so their daughter could attend a different school for second grade. Instead, they were stuck at Grafenwoehr.

Even though the boy didn't return to school  for reasons the girls' families never officially learned  their daughter struggled. A psychologist treating her wrote that she "has demonstrated a significant difficulty in adjusting her circumstances after being victimized by another child at this school."

In early 2016, the Army granted the family a compassionate reassignment to another base, noting that the girl "was sexually assaulted by another student during school several times this past school year" and that appeals for help to a half-dozen different agencies had failed.

In a final attempt to get answers, the soldier last fall asked his hometown congressman, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Texas, to make inquiries to the Pentagon's school system.

Thomas M. Brady, the system director, responded in a three-page letter noting that the boy had unspecified "behavioral issues" that the principal had appropriately handled. But Brady did not make clear when the principal first learned of the boy's sexual aggression.

Brady called it a "highly unusual situation" and said he regretted that the soldier and his family left Grafenwoehr with the impression that "school officials do not have compassion for victims of sexual misconduct or their families."

Months after AP began questioning the school system's handling of student sex assaults, Pentagon school officials said they were developing new rules and guidance for reporting and responding to such violence. Officials also said the school system had appointed additional staff to advise families on their rights and available resources, among other reforms.

LASTING TOLL

Like the other parents who talked to AP, the soldier is reluctant to blame the military. But he noticed the disconnect of what happened to his family in an organization known for rallying around its own.

Periodically, he and other service members must attend mandatory sexual harassment and assault prevention training. "I want to stand up and walk out," he said.

He wonders whether assaults at Grafenwoehr Elementary could have been stopped had the school done more, sooner. He also wonders whether the boy got the kind of treatment that experts say can prevent a child from becoming a lifelong offender.

"You're supposed to be the ultimate protectors of your kids," the soldier said. "You just feel like you failed. All the time I feel like that."

The family lives in Colorado, in an off-base subdivision served by a public school. Their daughter, now 10, is still in therapy, they said. Her third-grade teacher last year reported she wasn't being nice to boys, so the soldier's wife had to explain what happened at Grafenwoehr, as she did to the fourth-grade teacher this year  one of the constant reminders they face.

The parents wrestled with whether to share their case publicly. They decided that they should, for the sake of their daughter and others like her.

"I do want her to know later that we did everything that we possibly could to fight for her and to fight for other people," the girl's mother said. "I don't want another family to have to deal with this."
CANBERRA, Australia -Australian Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has announced he plans to examine ways to fast-track a visa program for white South African farmers.

The decision comes in the wake of newly-elected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's apparent plan to appropriate white-owned South African farms and redistribute the land to black South Africans. Ramaphosa's plan would exclude white South Africans from receiving any compensation for their appropriated land.

In addition, Sky News Australia reported that white South Africans are being murdered at a rate of more than one per week, according to News Corp Australia chief Paul Toohey, who travelled to South Africa to investigate. In the wake of such claims, Dutton suggested to the media that a humanitarian visa may be what is needed.

Australia's home affairs page states a total of 13,765 visas were granted under the annual Humanitarian Program from 2015 to 2016. Under the current system, a refugee would first need to be referred by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the Australian government.

Dutton's call for a white South African visa program is a shift away from Australia's widely criticized handling of refugees on Manus Island late last year, when hundreds of males were herded onto a small strip of land under the control of Papua New Guinea.

The Associated Press reported in November 2017 that Australia's use of the island as a male housing sector for refugees was ruled unconstitutional by the government of Papua New Guinea, thus effectively shutting it down. Refugees initially refused to leave, choosing to live in squalid conditions, without running water and adequate shelter.

The mainly South East Asian and Arab refugees only vacated the refugee center on the island when local authorities threatened force.
Outspoken Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte made the controversial decision to withdraw his country from the International Criminal Court amid a probe into alleged crimes against humanity in his brutal anti-drug crackdown that has killed thousands.

In a lengthy statement Wednesday, Duterte accused the ICC and the United Nations of a crusade against him, which he denounced as baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person.

He said that the court cannot have jurisdiction over him because the Philippine Senates ratification in 2011 of the Rome Statue that established the court was never publicized as required by law.

The ICC announced last month that it was opening a preliminary examination into possible crimes against humanity over alleged extrajudicial killings in Dutertes drug crackdown. The presidents brutal war on drugs has killed an estimated 8,000 people since he took office in May 2016.

On Wednesday, Duterte pushed back at the allegations, arguing that the killings do not amount to crimes against humanity, genocide or similar atrocities.

The so-called war against drugs is lawfully directed against drug lords and pushers who have for many years destroyed the present generation, [especially] the youth, he wrote in a 15-page statement. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operation lacked the intent to kill.

He continued: The self-defense employed by the police officers when their lives became endangered by the violent resistance of the suspects is a justifying circumstance under our criminal law, hence, they do not incur criminal liability.

Duterte initially welcomed the changed to defend his name against ICCs claims, but Wednesday said the court had shown a brazen ignorance of the law.

Duterte has acknowledged his rough ways and tough approach to crime, but suggested many Filipinos have come to accept him.

He has lashed out at European governments, saying they should "go to hell" for imposing conditions on financial aid.

On Wednesday, Duterte also invoked presidential immunity from lawsuits, which he said prevents the ICC from investigating him while he is in office. The president renewed his verbal attacks against U.N. human rights officials who have expressed alarm over the massive killings.

Last Friday, the United Nations' human rights chief, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, suggested that Duterte "needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation" over his "unacceptable" remarks about some top human rights defenders.

Critics expressed shock at Duterte's decision, saying he was trying to escape accountability and fearing it could foster an even worse human rights situation in the country. Others called the move a foreign policy blunder that could embolden China to scoff at Manila's victory in an international arbitration case against Beijing over contested territories.

Opposition Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate called Duterte's move to withdraw the country from the Rome Statute a "grave setback to human rights and accountability."

It is "intended to escape accountability by present and even future officials for crimes committed against the people and humanity," Zarate said.

Should the UN accept Dutertes withdrawal, it would make the Philippines only the second country to withdraw from the Rome statute, following Burundi in 2017. South Africa attempted to leave in 2016, but its withdrawal was revoked by the UN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An ex-Russian spy and his adult daughter were critically injured after they were poisoned by a nerve agent back in March  and now Russia is paying for the attack.

Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia were found unconscious March 4 on a bench in a shopping mall in Salisbury, about 90 miles west of London. The pair were released from the hospital two months later and moved to a private, secure location.

On Aug. 8, the U.S. announced it was imposing sanctions on Russia for using a chemical weapon in violation of international law, though the Kremlin repeatedly denied involvement. Following a 15-day congressional notification period, the sanctions took effect on or around Aug. 22, according to a statement from the State Department.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said days after the poisoning that it was highly likely Russia was responsible. And the U.S., Germany and France all appeared to back her.

2 RUSSIANS CHARGED OVER NOVICHOK POISONING OF EX-SPY, USED FAKE PERFUME BOTTLE, BRITISH OFFICIALS SAY

Since the March attack, a British couple with no ties to Russia have also been poisoned by the substance in Salisbury.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, died more than a week after authorities believe she was exposed to Novichok  the military-grade nerve agent also used in an attempt to assasinate Skripal. Charlie Rowley, 45, was also exposed to the agent and remains in critical but stable condition.

On Sept. 5, authorities in Britain charged two Russian men, identified as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter, as well as Sturgess.

The nerve agent used to poison the Skripals was smuggled to Britain in a counterfeit Nina Ricci perfume bottle and applied to the front door of their house, according to Metropolitan Police. Police believe the couple later found that same bottle, thus exposing them to the toxic nerve agent.



Heres what we know about Skripal, and the incident that nearly killed him.

His background as a spy

Skripal served with Russias military intelligence, often known by its Russian-language acronym GRU, and retired in 1999. He then worked at the Foreign Ministry until 2003, and later became involved in business.

Skripal was arrested in 2004 in Moscow and later confessed to having been recruited by British intelligence in 1995. He also said at the time that he provided information about GRU agents in Europe, receiving over $100,000 in return.

WHAT'S THE GRU, RUSSIA'S MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AGENCY? 3 THINGS TO KNOW

At the time of Skripals trial, the Russian media quoted the FSB domestic security agency as saying that the damage from his activities could be compared to harm inflicted by Oleg Penkovsky, a GRU colonel who spied for the United States and Britain. Penkovsky was executed in 1963.

In 2006, Skripal was convicted on charges of spying for Britain and sentenced to 13 years. However, he later was pardoned and released from custody in July 2010 as part of a U.S.-Russian spy swap, which followed the exposure of a ring of Russian sleeper agents in the U.S.

Skripals wife and son have both died in recent years.

Prior to his wifes death, however, she reportedly told police she feared for her husbands life, the New York Daily News reported.

How world leaders responded to the attack

On March 15, world leaders said in a joint statement they "abhor" the attack against Skripal.

"It is an assault on U.K. sovereignty and any such use by a State party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all, the statement, signed by British Prime Minister Theresa May, President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, read.

The leaders called on Russia to "live up to its responsibilities as a member of the UN Security Council to uphold international peace and security."

May had given Russia until midnight on March 13 to respond to the charges. When Moscow failed to respond, May expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the U.K. They were given a week to pack their belongings and head back to Russia.

This will be the single biggest expulsion for over 30 years and it will reflect the fact that this is not the first time the Russian state has acted against our country," May said at the time.

The U.S. also ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave and announced it would close the Russian consulate in Seattle. In response, Russia then said it would expel 60 U.S. diplomats and close the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.

Two dozen countries, including the U.S., ordered more than 150 Russian diplomats out within a one-week span in a show of solidarity with the U.K.

How Russia reacted to the allegations

On March 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would cooperate with the U.K. in an investigation of the poisonings, calling them a "tragedy." However, Putin said if the claims they were poisoned by the Soviet-designed nerve agent were true, the victims would've died instantly.

"Russia does not have such [nerve] agents," Putin said, according to The Guardian. "We destroyed all our chemical weapons under the supervision of international organizations and we did it first, unlike some of our partners who promised to do it, but unfortunately did not keep their promises.

Putin added that he thought "any sensible person would understand that it would be rubbish, drivel, nonsense, for Russia to embark on such an escapade on the eve of a presidential election."

Putin's remarks came after Russia earlier retaliated against the U.K.: Moscow announced March 17 that it also would expel 23 British diplomats, among other diplomatic measures.

Fox News' Travis Fedschun, Zoe Szathmary, Madeline Farber, Kathleen Joyce and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry says Carles Puigdemont, the fugitive ex-president of the restive Spanish region of Catalonia, is heading to Switzerland for a private visit.

The ministry said Wednesday that Puigdemont is due in Geneva after accepting an invitation from the International Film Festival and the Forum on Human Rights.

He is expected to participate in a debate on Sunday on "self-determination."

The ministry reiterated that the question of Catalan independence is "an internal matter for Spain" and that Puigdemont was free to travel to Switzerland under Schengen-zone rules, which permits visa-free travel for many Europeans.

Puigdemont is wanted for questioning by Spanish authorities over his role in the region's independence drive last year.

The sister of Spanish king Felipe VI, Princess Christina, has a home in Geneva.
A former Russian scientist who leaked Moscows secret experimentation of the nerve agent believed used in the poisoning of an ex-spy is now warning that hundreds of people in Britain could be at risk of exposure for years.

Vil Mirzayanov, 83, who now lives in the United States, said he was part of the group of chemists who helped make Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent British officials said was used to poison former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, last week.

Its the same as nerve gas but 10 times, at least 10 times, more powerful, he told Sky News from his home in New Jersey earlier this week, adding the nerve agent was designed to do irreparable damage to the human body.

23 RUSSIAN DIPLOMATS TO BE EXPELLED FROM BRITAIN AMID PROBE INTO EX-SPY'S POISONING

The people are gone  the man and his daughter. Even if they survive they will not recover, he told AFP.

Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence agent who betrayed dozens of his own agents to British intelligence, and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench in Salisbury, England on March 4. They remain hospitalized and in critical condition.

A police officer was also hospitalized after being exposed to the nerve agent amid the investigation.

Others may have been exposed, too, and symptoms can sometimes take years to develop.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Theresa May announced 23 Russian diplomats were to be expelled after an ultimatum came and went for Russia to explain how the nerve agent was used in the attack.

Even a very small dose, very small, [is] still very effective. The consequence could be years.  Vil Mirzayanov, scientist who helped develop Novichok

The Kremlin has denied any involvement and called the hostile actions by Britain to be unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted.

Novichok  which roughly translates to newcomer  is considered among the most-deadly nerve agents ever made. It is nearly 8 times more potent than VX and sarin and highly undetectable.

Novichok was first developed by the Soviet Union near the end of the Cold War.

Mirzayanov told Reuters the program produced tons of the agent, which Russia has never acknowledged.

Novichok was invented and studied and experimented and many tons were produced only in Russia. Nobody knew in the world, Mirzayanov said.

RUSSIAN EXILE FOUND DEAD IN LONDON AMID EX-SPY POISONING PROBE

According to the BBC, defense officials from the United States traveled to Uzbekistan in 1999 to help dismantle and decontaminate one of the former Soviet Unions largest chemical weapons testing facilities, a location a senior defector said that had been used to produce and test small batches of Novichok.

Mirzayanov, who revealed the existence of the nerve agent to the world when he defected to the United States in the 1990s, said there is no cure for it and that anyone exposed to it should be offered permanent medical surveillance.

Even a very small dose, very small, [is] still very effective, he said. The consequence could be years.

Mirzayanov had worked for almost three decades in the Soviet Union at the State Scientific Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology.

After he was fired in 1992, he and another scientist wrote a newspaper article revealing how the government had developed deadly chemical compounds for Novichok. He wrote that the facilities producing the substances can easily be disguised as civilian factories because they use the same chemical elements that are used to make pesticides.

NERVE AGENT NOVICHOK, USED IN EX-SPY'S POISONING, IS 5 TIMES STRONGER THAN VX OR SARIN

Mirzayanov said the nerve agent can be transported to the site of an attack in parts and once assembled, it can easily be deployed using an aerosol, spray, liquid or wipe.

He told Reuters that Novichok attacks the nervous system, making it impossible for victims to breathe and causing unimaginable pain.

Its torture, he said. Its absolutely incurable.

British health officials have insisted the public faces a low risk after the chemical attack in Salisbury.

"PHE has been working very closely with the police and national experts on chemical weapons since the start of the incident and our risk assessment is based on knowledge of the chemical used, Dr. Jenny Harries, deputy medical director at Public Health England told Sky News. "Our advice remains that the risk to the general public is low."
Pro-Kurdish demonstrators protesting against Turkey's military offensive in northern Syria have clashed with police outside the U.S. embassy in Paris.

French police tried to keep the protesters back from the embassy building on Tuesday night and used tear gas to disperse the protest. Some protesters threw projectiles at police and several of them were injured in the scuffles that followed.

The protesters were expressing anger at a perceived lack of action from the U.S. after Turkey announced that its troops and Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters had begun a siege of the Syrian Kurdish-held northern town of Afrin.
A Mexican human rights group says a Roman Catholic priest has been sentenced to 63 years in prison for abusing a boy.

The Action Group for Human Rights and Social Justice said Tuesdays the conviction and prison sentence for Carlos Lopez Valdes is the first against a priest in Mexico City. He would only have to serve 40 years, the maximum sentence applicable in Mexico City.

The Mexico City court system and prosecutors' office do not normally announce or confirm such sentences.

The 72-year-old priest had been arrested about 1  years ago. The man who filed the abuse complaint said it took years to convince prosecutors to file charges and ask for an arrest warrant.
Stephen Hawking, the famed theoretical physicist who defied a diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to live virtually his entire adult life with the disease  in a wheelchair and paralyzed but making constant contributions to a world few could understand  has died at age 76, a family spokesman said.

Although Hawking may have been incapacitated physically, he managed to write books, including the best seller "A Brief History of Time," teach physics and mathematics, deliver speeches and even float in zero gravity, all while working in the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity.

He was not modest about what he wanted to do. "My goal is simple," he once said. "It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is, and why it exists at all."  Stephen Hawking

Hawking reached his eighth decade, but was forced to miss a scientific debate to mark his 70th birthday in January 2012 because he was discharged from a hospital only two days earlier. His personal assistant told the Daily Telegraph at the time his speech was getting noticeably slower, sometimes only a word a minute.

As part of the events surrounding his birthday, Hawking gave a rare interview to New Scientist magazine and declared there was still one puzzle left for him. Asked what he thought about most during the day, Hawking replied, "Women. They are a complete mystery."

In earlier interviews, Hawking was frank about his physical restrictions. "I'm sure my disability has a bearing on why I'm well known," he said in an interview with the BBC. "People are fascinated by the contrast between my very limited physical powers, and the vast nature of the universe I deal with.

"I'm the archetype of a disabled genius, or should I say a physically challenged genius, to be politically correct. At least I'm obviously physically challenged. Whether I'm a genius is more open to doubt."

Hawking was married and divorced twice. His first wife, Jane Wilde, was a fellow student at Cambridge to whom he was married for 28 years. He then married his nurse, Elaine Mason, whom he was with for 11 years before they separated.

He is survived by three children from his first marriage, Robert, Timothy and Lucy.

Stephen William Hawking was born Jan. 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. He had two younger sisters and an adopted brother.

Hawking developed an early interest in science and mathematics, and when he was old enough his father, a medical researcher, encouraged him to apply to Oxford.

While there, Hawking began his studies in physics, and developed an interest in thermodynamics, relativity, and quantum mechanics.

After graduating from Oxford, Hawking studied at Cambridge, where he was diagnosed with ALS. Also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, ALS is a fatal, motor neuron disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and atrophy.

He later said the diagnosis prompted recurring dreams in which he would sacrifice his own life to save others.

"After all, if I were going to die anyway, it might as well do some good," he said. "But I didn't die. In fact, although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before."

Shortly after earning his PhD, Hawking became a professor at Cambridge, working as a research fellow then a professorial fellow before becoming the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. That same position, which he held from 1979 to 2009, was held by Isaac Newton in 1669.

Hawking was awarded 12 honorary degrees and was elected one of the youngest Fellows of the Royal Society in 1974. He was later made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1982 and a Companion of Honor in 1989. He is also a member of the US National Academy of Science and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Hawking's research focused on cosmology and the basic laws of the universe. Along with Roger Pemrose, he applied a new model to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. The model showed that space and time are infinite, and they would begin with the Big Bang and end with black holes.

He also concluded that black holes should emit radiation, and that the universe has no edge or boundary in imaginary time.

Hawking was never afraid to voice his opinion, even if it could be considered controversial.

Using a mathematical basis, he said he was almost certain that alien life existed in other parts of the universe. "The numbers alone make thinking about aliens perfectly rational," he said. "The real challenge is to work out what aliens might actually be like."

He also took a jab at religion, saying, "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

In 2007, Hawking became the first quadriplegic to float in zero-gravity when he took a flight in a NASA aircraft used to train astronauts. When asked why he was taking the flight, he said, "First of all, I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space."

"I believe that life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus, or other dangers. I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space."  Stephen Hawking

Hawking  or his animated lookalike -- appeared on numerous television shows, including "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "The Simpsons," "Family Guy," "The Big Bang Theory," and "Dilbert." In some instances he appeared as himself, while in others animated characters were created to resemble him.

A 2014 biopic, The Theory of Everything, examined the courtship, marriage and eventual separation of Hawking and his first wife, Jane. The movie, which was directed by James Marsh, starred British actor Eddie Redmayne as the famous physicist.

In order to communicate, Hawking used a computer system attached to his wheelchair. He used a switch to select words printed on a screen, and as he formed sentences they were sent to a speech synthesizer.

His accent was described as Scandinavian, American, or Scottish. Hawking began using the voice synthesizer in 1985, when he contracted pneumonia and had an emergency tracheotomy.
Tuaregs in northern Niger are hoping to draw tourists back to the region by putting their traditional dances, music poetry and camel races on display.

Despite concerns about Islamic extremism throughout the Sahel region in West Africa, organizers recently hosted more than 1,000 visitors to a cultural festical in Iferouane, a village in Niger's far north.

Mohamed Houma, the mayor of the town located about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of the central city of Agadez, said tourism boosts the local economy and offers opportunities for young people so they do not join the wave of migration to Europe.

The Air festival, considered one of the most important gatherings to celebrate the culture of the Tuareg people, has been held since 2001.
A 50-year-old American pastor who had already spent more than 500 days in a Turkish jail without a charge could soon face a veritable life sentence - possibly 35 years - in a case his attorneys and many supporters call a sham.

A Turkish prosecutor on Tuesday was reported to have made the request for the long prison term in the case of Andrew Brunson, who until being swept up with tens of thousands of others following a 2016 aborted coup attempt in Turkey had quietly operated a church in the coastal city of Izmir for 23 years.

But Brunson's U.S attorney, CeCe Heil, told Fox News on Thursday that Brunson's legal representative in Turkey was finally able to meet "face to face" with the prosecutor earlier that morning, and was told he has not yet turned an indictment.

Brunson is accused without formal charge of being an "executive" in the Fetullah Gulen organization, which the Turkish government of President Tayyip Erdogan blames for the coup attempt. Brunson has vigorously denied being part of the Gulen organization - which itself has aggressively fought back accusations it was involved in the coup attempt.

Brunson is specfically being investigated over accusations that he accessed covert documents with the intention of scheming to overthrow the government, according to Turkish media reports.

Turkey has pressed for the extradition of Gulen, who lives in a compound in Pennsylvania with a number of his followers. U.S. officials say Turkey has not provided enough evidence of Gulen's involvement in the attempted coup, and have declined to move forward with the extradition process.

Incredibly, no evidence has been put forth to substantiate any of the ridiculous accusations against Pastor Brunson," Heil, executive counsel for the non-profit organization the American Center of Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents Brunson in the U.S., told Fox News in an interview. "Although he has been allowed legal representation since Dec. 9, 2016, all discussions with his attorney are recorded, and his legal file has been sealed, completely destroying the ability to prepare an adequate defense, and obliterating all rights to due process."

Heil, who has started a petition for Brunson's release, sees at least some possibility of progress now. If the case now moves forward, the file should no longer be sealed, and Pastor Brunson and his attorneys should finally be able to have access to the alleged evidence and secret witness.

The accusations are reportedly centered on testimony from one undisclosed witness, who claimed Brunson received money from Gulens network for missionary work. Brunson has vehemently rebuffed those allegations, insisting he is devout Christian and peaceful pastor, and would never endeavor to fund Islamist movements.

Heil initially confirmed to Fox News the prosecutors are going for 35 years behind bars, which she noted is akin to a life sentence, but it is not yet clear when such an indictment will be made official. Brunsin has been held for more than a year-and-a-half in detainment without charge.

If the indictment is made, the court has 15 days to return a decision on the indictment. If approved, the case will proceed, and the prosecution phase will begin.

During his incarceration, Pastor Brunson has lost over 50 pounds, he has lost precious time with his family that can never be replaced, said Heil. But worst of all, he has lost hope wondering how Turkey  a NATO ally and a country he loves and served for over two decades has been able to hold him hostage.

Last September, Erdogan suggested Brunson would only be released if Washington hands over Gulen  reinforcing the belief Brunson was being used as a pastor for pastor political pawn.

But other analysts told Fox News that the spotlight on pressing charges against Brunson at this time likely has more to do with Turkeys mounting concern over the upcoming sentencing of a Turkish banker who was convicted earlier this year over a billion-dollar plot to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Deputy General Manager for international banking at Turkeys largest state bank, Halkbank, Mehmet Hakan Atilla, 47, was characterized by New York prosecutors as the go-between who helped Iran deceptively gain access to billions of dollars in petrodollar funds. Seven co-defenders in the case remain at large.

But one defendant  prominent Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab, 34  pleaded guilty late last year. He took the witness stand to chronicle the illegal enterprise, and said the scheme was endorsed by the highest levels of the Turkish government.

Atilla has denied conspiring with Zarrab or playing a part in any criminal activity.

AS KIDNAPPED AMERICAN PROFESSOR'S HEALTH DANGEROUSLY DETERIORATES, PRESSURE ON PAKISTAN AGAIN MOUNTS

TURKEY: MAN GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE FOR KILLING SYRIAN ACTIVISTS

The case has been a very sore point in an increasingly difficult relationship between the U.S and Turkey - once the closest of NATO allies. Erdogan, who was not named in the indictment despite witness testimony he himself approved of the scheme, personally raised the matter in a meeting with President Trump.

Atilla is set to be sentenced April 11 in Manhattan, and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison - giving weight to the notion Brunson may be paying the price of that case.

A U.S. State Department official told Fox News on Wednesday they are working to verify details regarding Brunsons charges, and that since his arrest, consular officers have visited him regularly, including their last visit on Feb. 27.

Pastor Andrew Brunson has been detained in Turkey on false charges since October 2016 without a trial," said the official, who asked not to be named. "As Secretary Tillerson said during his visit to Turkey on February 16, we continue to have serious concerns about cases against U.S. citizens who have been arrested under the state of emergency. We call upon Turkey to release Pastor Andrew Brunson and other U.S. citizens whom we believe are being unjustly detained.

Concerns are also being raised over Brunsons health while behind bars. He was initially held, according to Heil, with 22 people in a cell designed for just eight. He is allowed a visit from his wife once a week.

Supporters say his Christian faith is all that is left to hold him up.

Andrew has been walking by pure faith in the dark, but oh, for the Lord to break through with a sense of his presence, his shattered wife Norine Brunson wrote on Facebook, encouraging supporters to pray for her husband. May the lies  and those telling the lies  be exposed in the name of Jesus. May we have the Lord's perspective on all things  on Him, ourselves, eternity, suffering...
Free Freightnet Membership

List your company in the Freightnet directory. It's Free, it's Easy and your company can be displayed in front of potential freight buyers within 24 hours.
Council member seeks car noise limit A city council member is moving to put the brakes on excessive car noise. Gaffney City Councilwoman Steph Smith said shes asked to appear before todays Police Committee meeting at...

NEWSPAPER FUN To continue reading this article, log in or click here to subscribe. Username Password Remember Me Forgot Password

Auton named new communications manager Spartanburg County has added a new member to their team, and you may recognize her name. Scottie Kay Auton, originally from Cherokee County, is now working just across the street...

County diners could pay higher bills Diners in unincorporated parts of Cherokee County will very soon pay a little more when they go out for dinner  if, as expected, Cherokee County Council passes final reading...
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 90F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms early, then partly cloudy and windy after midnight. Low 72F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph, becoming N and increasing to 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
kacylee at 14-03-2018 08:41 AM (3 years ago) (f)

A Libyan returnee identified as James Kwarteng has made a revelation on how his wife was frolicking with married men in Nigeria while he suffered in the North African country in his search for greener pastures.

A Libyan returnee identified as James Kwarteng has made a revelation on how his wife was frolicking with married men in Nigeria while he suffered in the North African country in his search for greener pastures.

A Ghanaian journalist, David Papa Bondze-Mbir, who shared James pathetic story on the internet met with him and donated $500 to him for the treatment of the injuries he sustained while in Libya.



According to reports, Mr. James Kwarteng was legally residing in Libya. He had permits to live and work there, until his unfortunate arrest.



He was reportedly captured by a group of armed Libyans and Koreans, who would only trade you for a sum of money or harvest your kidneys.



James who said he saw death everyday  was tied and hanged in the air for seven (7) days, without water or food to eat. The only taste of liquid he ever drank was the blood that oozed from his head anytime the Libyans crushed his head with a gun  when he called for water.



James further mentioned that once a foreigner is caught in Libya, they will be killed instantly if they cant remember any phone number to call to send money to the captors:



they seize all your belongings when captured; so if you are unable to remember any phone number off-head, for the Libyans to trade with, you are killed on the spot. he said.



James had managed to save GHs 25,000 with his mother in Ghana, so when they (Libyans) contacted his mother, she wired that same money to save her sons life.



James has Three (3) kids, two in secondary school, and One (1) in primary school.

While James was in Libya, surviving for his family, his wedded wife, a nurse, and a staunch church member was busy having an affair with another married man.



James reported that the man had planned on divorcing his wife for James wife and he got proof of his wifes affair with the ex-boyfriend, and their plans to settle but couldnt do much about it.

His wife later ran away, leaving this wounded man with their three kids. A Ghanaian journalist, David Papa Bondze-Mbir, who shared James pathetic story on the internet met with him and donated $500 to him for the treatment of the injuries he sustained while in Libya.According to reports, Mr. James Kwarteng was legally residing in Libya. He had permits to live and work there, until his unfortunate arrest.He was reportedly captured by a group of armed Libyans and Koreans, who would only trade you for a sum of money or harvest your kidneys.James who said he saw death everyday  was tied and hanged in the air for seven (7) days, without water or food to eat. The only taste of liquid he ever drank was the blood that oozed from his head anytime the Libyans crushed his head with a gun  when he called for water.James further mentioned that once a foreigner is caught in Libya, they will be killed instantly if they cant remember any phone number to call to send money to the captors:they seize all your belongings when captured; so if you are unable to remember any phone number off-head, for the Libyans to trade with, you are killed on the spot. he said.James had managed to save GHs 25,000 with his mother in Ghana, so when they (Libyans) contacted his mother, she wired that same money to save her sons life.James has Three (3) kids, two in secondary school, and One (1) in primary school.While James was in Libya, surviving for his family, his wedded wife, a nurse, and a staunch church member was busy having an affair with another married man.James reported that the man had planned on divorcing his wife for James wife and he got proof of his wifes affair with the ex-boyfriend, and their plans to settle but couldnt do much about it.His wife later ran away, leaving this wounded man with their three kids.

Post Reply I have been reporting for several years now and I am very interested in visual news reportage with strong inclusion of photos and video multimedia. Posted: at 14-03-2018 08:41 AM (3 years ago) | Addicted Hero
felicilin at 14-03-2018 10:45 AM (3 years ago) (f)

A Ugandan MP has been told to apologise to victims of domestic violence after saying men should "beat" their wives, BBC Africa reports.

A Ugandan MP has been told to apologise to victims of domestic violence after saying men shouldtheir wives, BBC Africa reports. Onesimus Twinamasiko said on Ugandan television channel NTV "as a man, you need to discipline your wife. "You need to touch her a bit, you tackle her, beat her somehow to really streamline her."

His words have met with strong criticism from social media users, with one leading women's rights group in Uganda saying he should seek therapy.

"Mr Twinamasiko should make a public apology to all women who have experienced violence," Diana Kagere of the Center for Domestic Violence Prevention (CEDOVIP) told the BBC.

"He should do the honourable thing and withdraw that statement. It's really a shock that a member of parliament would justify violence in any way. This is about crime."

More than one in five women aged 15-49 have experienced domestic or sexual violence in Uganda, according to a government report published last year.

Social media users were quick to react to a short clip circulating online, originally shared by an NTV journalist:

While some people backed Mr Twinamasiko's comments, many others used the hashtag #OnesmusTwinamasikoMustResign:

In an interview with BBC Focus on Africa, Mr Twinamasiko attempted to clarify his comments with reference to his own marriage, saying:

"I don't mean beatings which cause injuries or death - but a slap - I would feel fine! Because it's calling me to order. We would sit down and sort it out.

"I was slapped once by my wife and it was OK with me, because we sorted out our differences. I also slapped her once. She had wronged me."

But Ms Kagere said that Mr Twinamasiko's attitude was damaging. "We believe there is no violent solution whatsoever. You never know how far a slap can go."

She says there are other ways to resolve conflict, including "time out, speaking out and finding amicable solutions. As a couple they can go for couple's counselling," Ms Kagere says regarding the violence the MP describes in his own marriage.

"Many men... their own inner pride stops them from seeking our services, but we want to encourage them that it's OK to reach out for support in this matter.

"But the fact is that it is usually the man [who is the one] with power and authority who beats his wife."

She added that MPs like Mr Twinamasiko were the "key bottlenecks" preventing changes to marriage and divorce laws in Uganda.

Onesimus Twinamasiko said on Ugandan television channel NTV "as a man, you need to discipline your wife.His words have met with strong criticism from social media users, with one leading women's rights group in Uganda saying he should seek therapy.More than one in five women aged 15-49 have experienced domestic or sexual violence in Uganda, according to a government report published last year.Social media users were quick to react to a short clip circulating online, originally shared by an NTV journalist:While some people backed Mr Twinamasiko's comments, many others used the hashtag #OnesmusTwinamasikoMustResign:In an interview with BBC Focus on Africa, Mr Twinamasiko attempted to clarify his comments with reference to his own marriage, saying:But Ms Kagere said that Mr Twinamasiko's attitude was damaging. "We believe there is no violent solution whatsoever. You never know how far a slap can go."She says there are other ways to resolve conflict, including "time out, speaking out and finding amicable solutions. As a couple they can go for couple's counselling," Ms Kagere says regarding the violence the MP describes in his own marriage.She added that MPs like Mr Twinamasiko were the "key bottlenecks" preventing changes to marriage and divorce laws in Uganda. Video not supported.

Post Reply Posted: at 14-03-2018 10:45 AM (3 years ago) | Hero
Valley View Nursing Home hired Navy Veteran Frank "Wes" Thompson to take over as the permanent administrator for the home. Thompson will be the first permanent administrator to fill the role at Valley View since the dismissal of Health Management Services in early 2017. Prior to the hiring of Thompson, the position was held by interim administrators Judy Melin and Kent Hanawalt.

Thompson, a native of Texas, joined the Navy out of High School as a Corpsman, or medic. After serving some time stateside and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2003 and 2004, he found himself as part of Marine Corps' Fallujah Offensive in Iraq's Al Anbar Province in. Following that tour of duty, he became an Individual Duty Corpsman and reported to Camp Hanson, Okinawa, Japan where he became the acting Medical Officer.

During his tenure at Camp Hanson, he was also deployed in support of the Joint Special Operations Task Force in the Philippines before being redeployed stateside. After returning to Camp Pendleton, Calif., Thompson was deployed to Iraq's Camp Korean Village in 2008 to 2009. He then became an instructor at Individual Duty Corpsman School in the Navy, and followed that with a tour at Joint Personnel Accounting Command where he oversaw operations to repatriate the remains of soldiers from places like Papua New Guinea and Vietnam, amongst others.

Most recently, Thompson served as a Navy Medical Officer and Clinic Manager until 2016 before leaving the Navy to study in Bozeman. Thompson has earned degrees in Health Care Management and was completing a Master's in Health Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources before moving to Glasgow.

Thompson seemed excited and confident to take on the role at Valley View Home despite the difficulties he faces with budget constraints and medicaid reimbursement, the upcoming vote to pass a hospital district, and with recent turnover in staffing. Still, when asked about his outlook he responded, "I love it," adding, "I am super confident and super comfortable here."

He backed up that confidence stating that he wants to streamline the home and focus on employee welfare and retention. "If we can make it more comfortable for the employees, that will trickle down to the residents," explained Thompson as he described his immediate goals.

Thompson also pointed out that budgeting and retention need to be his focuses going forward as well. He described the nursing apprenticeship program as being beneficial to recruiting and retaining quality nursing assistants and investing in them for the betterment of the person and the home. His long-term goal is to reduce contract nursing support permanently to eliminate the logistical support of travel and housing required for those positions.

Thompson clarified, "Retention reduces costs and increases expertise." He feels it will make the home more efficient over time, reduce logistical overhead and turnover, and help with the overall environment at Valley View.

Thompson looks forward to making his home in Glasgow, with his wife and four daughters.
In a surprise twist on Thursday, President Donald Trump agreed to a meeting with North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un. If the meeting takes place it would be the first ever between a sitting president and the leader of North Korea.

Pyongyang has long sought a summit with the US to reflect what the regime sees as its status as an equal on the geopolitical stage. This is a big gamble for our President. Between Trumps history of bungling other diplomatic relations and North Koreas history of backing out of promises, this meeting has huge risks. Huge risk may bring huge rewards, if this meeting is successful.

North Korea has been a problem for the US since the unofficial end to the Korean War (with no peace treaty, technically we are still at war). Former presidents have tried and failed to bring a working resolution for peace and denuclearization.

This is due to a long history of North Korea and its false promises. In 1994, the Agreed Framework was an agreement made to facilitate the de-nuclearization of North Korea and stop their plutonium production. This, however, fell apart in 2003 under George W. Bush when intelligence officials stated that North Korea was enriching uranium after being declared by Bush as an Axis of Evil."

This worsened relations that seemed optimistic at the time and pushed our two countries further from the table. In 2012, another agreement was made for a suspension of long range missile and nuclear weapon activity in exchange for humanitarian aid. North Korea did halt nuclear testing but launched a satellite on a powerful rocket that could be used as a missile. Since that time, tensions have been rising as the US and Japan continue their war games and North Korea continues their testing with neither side willing to back down.

Which is why this seems so bizarre. Even the announcement of the meeting is strange. First, there is no written or public declaration for the meeting from North Korea.

It is merely an oral agreement passed down from the South Korea diplomats to the president. They claim Kim Jong-un will halt all missile and nuclear tests during the meeting in an effort to bring our president to the table. In Trump-like fashion, our president immediately agreed to the meeting without any preconditions or statement from the North Korean government. Since then, the White House has taken a few steps back demanding concrete and verifiable actions to denuclearization as a precondition to these talks. Whether North Korea agrees and follows through is a different story.

If successful, this could mean a benchmark for the Trump administration. It could potentially bring peace between two countries that have been at odds for nearly 70 years. This, of course, it not without risk.

The US government has never officially recognized North Korea as a legitimate country. This meeting between the two leaders would de facto legitimize North Korea as a nation. Kim Jong-un could then use the meeting to legitimize his own regime domestically and abroad, solidifying his place on the world stage.

Donald Trump has been proven to be vulnerable to flattery and Kim Jong-un could use that to manipulate the meeting to his favor. Senator Cory Gardner (R-CO) stated, If the result of this meeting is not verifiable concrete steps to denuclearization, it will be a failure. Trump has a lot riding on this gamble. With some already trying to set the stage for war, this meeting between two unstable leaders could lead to disaster.

Nonetheless, diplomacy is vital to keeping peace. This meeting could open a new dialogue between our two nations. This could usher in a new era of foreign policy for North Korea with the potential for peace and disarmament of their nuclear weapons. The only way to achieve security for our allies in the region and the millions of lives at stake, is through diplomacy.

The White House has remarked that the meeting will happen sometime in May with the time and place yet to be determined. Plans are underway to achieve this. Only time will tell if the meeting even happens. Either way, it is imperative to speak to our enemies to achieve peace. We are truly rolling the dice here. Pray that fortune favors us.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NRG Metals Inc. (NRG or the Company) (TSX-V:NGZ) (OTCQB:NRGMF) (Frankfurt:OGPN) is pleased to announce that it has awarded a contract for the initial diamond drilling at its Hombre Muerto North lithium project (HMN) in Salta province, Argentina to AGV Falcon Drilling SRL of Salta, Argentina. The initial phase of drilling will consist of three cores holes, which will be drilled up to a maximum depth of 400 meters depending upon results obtained. The drilling is expected to commence in early-April, depending upon weather conditions.



The HMN project is located at the northern end of the prolific Hombre Muerto Salar, adjacent to FMCs producing Fenix lithium mine and Galaxy Resources Sal de Vida development stage project. The Fenix mine is the largest producing lithium mine in Argentina, and the Sal de Vida project is the largest development stage lithium project in Argentina.

The project comprises mining concessions totaling approximately 3,287 hectares (8,122 acres) and is located 170 km southeast of the provincial capital of Salta. The project concessions are shown on the map at the conclusion of this press release. Further details are available at the company website at www.nrgmetalsinc.com, including a recently completed National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report.

About NRG

NRG Metals Inc. is an exploration stage company focused on the advancement of lithium brine projects in Argentina. In addition to the Hombre Muerto Norte project, the Company is evaluating its 29,000 hectare Salar Escondido project in Catamarca province where the company recently completed a first drill hole that confirmed the Companys conceptual model of a buried lithium brine target.

NRG Metals Inc. currently has approximately 107 million shares issued and outstanding, and trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under symbol NGZ, on the OTC QB Market under symbol NRGMF, and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under symbol OGPN. The Company currently has working capital of CAD$3.1 million dollars.

On behalf of the board of directors of NRG Metals Inc.,

Adrian F. C. Hobkirk, President and C.E.O.

Investors / Shareholders Call 855-415-8100 / Direct to Adrian Hobkirk 714.316.3272 ahobkirk@nrgmetalsinc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e98c6fab-fe91-4c06-b440-c25a2c92e773

Technical Disclosure



The preparation of this press release was supervised by Mr. James K. Duff, a Licensed Professional Geologist and a Registered Member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duff approves the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this press release.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed the content of this news release and therefore does not accept responsibility or liability for the adequacy or accuracy of the contents of this news release.

This news release contains certain forward- looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Except for statements of historical fact relating to the Company, certain information contained herein constitutes forward- looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based upon opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward- looking statements. The transaction described in this news release is subject to a variety of conditions and risks which include but are not limited to: regulatory approval, shareholder approval, market conditions, legal due diligence for claim validity, financing, political risk, security risks at the property locations and other risks. As such, the reader is cautioned that there can be no guarantee that this transaction will complete as described in this news release. We seek safe harbor.




Shocking footage of Chinese officials tearing down crosses from a church during a raid in Henan Province has been captured by a priest as persecution of Christians in the country continues to escalate.



According to persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern, the incident occurred in Shangqiu Catholic Church South Cathedral on Friday. According to the report, clergy first alerted police when an unidentified group stormed into the church and shut down the electrical power. However, when police arrived, they took the priests away, confiscated their cell phones, and barred them and the nuns from entering or leaving the site.



A video of the incident was captured by Father Francis Liu, who uploaded the footage to Twitter on Friday. The video shows a large crane removing a large rooftop cross from the stately cathedral.



ICC notes that the cross removal was particularly heinous because Shangqiu Catholic Church South Cathedral is sanctioned by the government and was accredited as a "Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level" in 2002.



In 2013, the State Administration of Religious Affairs also recognized the church as one of the "Nationwide Harmony-Creating Religious Venues." It was built by Spanish Augustinian missionary Francis-Xavier Ochoa OESA in 1924 and is now attended by thousands.



Hebei Priest Yang Jianwei said on Sunday that authorities came back later and replaced some of the crosses with smaller ones.



"They claim that the local authorities had a misunderstanding so they put the crosses back!" a source familiar with the incident told ICC.



Still, ICC says the incident is just one more example of China's increasing censorship of Christianity.



Regional Manager Gina Goh said, "As President Xi Jiping moves to become China's leader for life, religious liberty continues to erode. The crackdown on churches used to be targeted mostly at underground communities, but we are now seeing increasing assaults and harassment on state-sanctioned churches as well. Please pray for the Church in China to persevere despite growing persecution."



In 2014, the government launched a campaign in Wenzhou to demolish "illegal" churches and tear down crosses. During the "beautification" campaign, as many as 360 crosses were removed from places of worship.



Hundreds of Christians, including pastors, lawyers, and activists, have been arrested for speaking out against the ongoing persecution, and many of them are still detained. Human rights attorneys who provide legal support to churches in China have also been subjected to police brutality and coerced into confessing on television that they have disturbed the peace, and jeopardized national security.



Because of this, the country is ranked 43rd on Open Door USA's World Watch List of countries where Christians face the most persecution. Still, there are now around 30 million Christians in China, while independent estimates suggest the number is about 60 million, most of whom are Protestants.


For decades, the benefit of engaging citizens in government programs has been an axiom familiar to all public managers. In theory, but often not so much in practice, early involvement of affected residents and beneficiaries should shape program design, build buy-in and smooth adjustment to changes brought by program execution.As a veteran administrator with countless advisory boards and public hearings behind me, I remember that these processes often left citizens and administrators alike frustrated and frequently still lacking the insights we sought. That's why I have welcomed a new tool of public engagement that has demonstrated its value to citizens and public managers alike, in this case in the realm of climate and weather. ISeeChange was developed in 2012 as part of a national initiative to pair independent journalists with public broadcasting stations interested in providing more local content in their communities. (The Wyncote Foundation, for which I'm a senior adviser, was one of several funders.) Piloted in Colorado's farming communities, ISeeChange is a technology-enabled, crowdsourced climate and weather journal that has proved to be an effective link among sectors studying and mitigating climate-change disruptions -- citizens, scientists, journalists and public agencies. Citizen participants place and monitor sensors and post blogs that become part of a larger story led by journalists and used by scientists and public agencies, all shared on accessible software platforms.The applications of ISeeChange in New York City and New Orleans illustrate how much value it can bring to public administrators. In the Harlem Heat project , for example, Harlem residents kept sensors in their homes to measure heat and humidity during the summer months, and the data, displayed in accessible form, was shared to with participants, journalists and public agencies. Community meetings became centers for discussion and analysis of the data, as well as a place for journalists and public officials to hear stories of what that data meant.Public officials learned what residents had long known: Heat builds up fast, dissipates more slowly and threatens more lives than previously understood. Policies on heat advisories were reconsidered. Journalists noticed things that were not working as intended. A story about underutilized cooling centers prompted better signage and outreach to affected residents. Managers of public housing, where many residents lived, rethought air-conditioning and utility policies that jeopardized the health and lives of vulnerable residents.With media and science partners as well as environmental-justice advocates, ISeeChange sees the next step as expanding into more neighborhoods with real-time sensors that will be immediately available to public agencies and residents in the throes of heat emergencies.In New Orleans, the hometown of ISeeChange founder Julia Kamari Drapkin, the tool and the engagement process have been trained on the notorious flooding problems that have plagued the city throughout its history and have been exacerbated both by climate change and, ironically, by mitigation efforts. As recent history has illustrated, today's flood maps are often poor predictors of flooding in many neighborhoods. Existing data lacks the granularity necessary to anticipate flooding patterns. "Our data doesn't tell you how severe flooding is or where the water is going to go," remarked an employee of the National Weather Service's Mississippi River Forecast Center. Flooding hot spots can be known to nearby residents for generations yet be undetectable in flood maps.ISeeChange, working with New Orleans' Office of Resilience and Sustainability and the Trust for Public Land, developed a multi-pronged, community-sourced network for monitoring flooding . The baseline and flood-condition data created through time-lapsed photographs, crowdsourced stories and rain gauges has become an important feature in refining flood maps, designing green infrastructure projects and, perhaps most importantly, evaluating whether they are performing as intended.The New Orleans experience best makes the point that ISeeChange represents an important innovation and evolution in community engagement for public agencies. As Colleen McHugh of the city's Office of Resilience observed, "We know that community meetings are not voices for everybody. We want people to have buy-in and ownership of this work.  There is some real power in how engagement can inform project design." And, as she noted, "ongoing engagement on the front end is easier." The payoff continues as changing data allows evaluation of how well an intervention is working.Citizen engagement in delivery of services has evolved very slowly, especially in fields such as infrastructure design where the issues are often highly technical. By using technology, a program like ISeeChange efficiently collects data that is trusted because it has grassroots origins and offers human-scale granularity. Together with the storytelling, the data can become a platform for shared problem-solving. In my book, that beats heated debates that rarely shed much light.
Low-spending school districts in Wisconsin will be allowed to increase property taxes without voter approval under a measure signed into law Monday by Gov. Scott Walker.Right now, the most frugal school districts can spend up to $9,100 per student from a combination of state and local funding. The law Walker signed Monday increases that to $9,400.The new law also increases what's known as "sparsity aid" for rural school districts with low enrollment from $300 to $400. That change is projected to cost state government roughly $6.5 million next year."It shouldn't matter where you live, it shouldn't matter how big or small your community is," Walker said at a bill signing ceremony at Riverdale High School in Muscoda. "Every student in this state should have access to a great education."
With the U.S. Supreme Court weeks away from hearing arguments in a landmark case on online sales taxes, several states are readying laws that would allow them to begin collecting millions of dollars almost immediately if the court rules in their favor.States across the country are salivating at a potential windfall in sales taxes  but theyll only get it if they have a law on the books that allows them to collect taxes from online sellers. For states without an income or corporate tax, the sales tax collections are even more important.Currently, taxes are not collected on billions in remote sales, though Amazon, the biggest online seller, has agreed to do so in many states. The potential is huge: E-commerce sales made up 9 percent of all retail sales in the United States last quarter, topping $119 billion, adjusting for seasonal variation, according to the Census Bureau.Its about the money, said Max Behlke, who handles budget and tax issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures, which supports allowing states to collect the taxes. Behlke pointed out that in most states, sales tax revenue never rebounded after the Great Recession, despite the fact that Americans are buying more.In part, thats because they are buying online. When Americans are buying more but the tax revenue is not rebounding, thats just a measure of where young people are shopping, he said. Revenue begets action.Putting a law on the books now will likely shorten the time frame for collecting the revenue, he said.The 45 states that have sales taxes maintain that altogether they could collect an estimated $26 billion annually in sales taxes on products sold remotely  online and via mail order  according to the National Governors Association.A November 2017 estimate from the Government Accountability Office is lower, but pegs the potential revenue for state and local governments at $8 billion to $13 billion a year  though the analysis warns that businesses will face compliance costs.Arguments are scheduled for April 17 in the case of South Dakota v. Wayfair Inc., in which the state contends that a 1992 high court ruling prohibiting collection of sales taxes from any seller that does not have a physical location in the state is outdated. South Dakota notes that the underlying case, Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, involved sales of floppy disks, symbolizing how outdated the case really is.Defendants, which include online retailers, argue that the remote tax collection violates the commerce clause of the Constitution, which gives the federal government the power to regulate commerce among the states. A ruling is expected by summer.At least nine states have bills in their legislatures this year that would facilitate the collection of sales taxes on remote purchases according to NCSL, which keeps track of such legislation. They include Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York and Oklahoma.This years legislative push follows action in about a dozen states last year, where officials enacted laws or wrote administrative rules that would allow online sellers to collect remote sales taxes and then remit the funds to state coffers.In general, lawmakers argue that extending sales taxes to the internet is not a new tax, but rather the enforcement of an existing levy. Technically, buyers already are required to remit state taxes on things they buy on the internet, but in practice, few, if any, do so.Oklahoma Sen. Tom Dugger, a Republican who identifies himself as the only certified public accountant in the states Legislature, is sponsoring legislation to make sure his state is ready. This just makes sure we get in now because we dont know when the federal government will make it active.Duggers bill would require internet sellers, if they do not collect and remit state sales taxes themselves, to report the number and amount of sales of products in Oklahoma and list the names of those who bought items. Presumably, that would allow the state to go after the buyers to send in their sales tax.Its a huge benefit to cities and towns, Dugger said, noting that many municipalities add sales taxes on top of the states 4.5 percent levy. Most counties depend on this. He estimates the state could pick up another $20 million to $40 million annually to add to its current $6.8 billion budget.Duggers bill made it out of a Senate committee by just a one-vote margin last month, but hes optimistic that the full Legislature will pass it, despite the close committee margin and that Republican Gov. Mary Fallin, who has indicated her support, will sign it. Opponents did not express concerns about the bills intent, but said they were worried about whether the collection of taxes and showing where buyers shopped would create internet privacy issues.In Kansas, legislation passed a House panel last week and now moves to the full House for a vote on whether to require sales tax collections from businesses that conduct at least 100 transactions or $50,000 annually in sales.And in Idaho, the Senate is about to consider legislation that would require online sellers to collect and remit state sales taxes if they do more than $10,000 in business in the state. Rep. Lance Clow, a Republican who sponsored the bill, which passed the House last month, estimates that it could bring in $22 million to $37 million a year.Clow said that if the Supreme Court rules in South Dakotas favor, then his bill in Idaho would be constitutional as well. The bill would take effect July 1, pending the court decision, and would give everyone time to figure out the new law before the court rules.Opponents such as Rep. Vito Barbieri, a Republican from northern Idaho, opposed the bill because he said the state doesnt need more money. In addition, he believes there should be some connection between the companies being taxed and state services."Theres got to be a nexus  theres got to be some connection  between the company and the tax," he said, noting that when local stores remit taxes they get state government services in return, unlike remote sellers. "We are trying to dissolve this statutorily because we are looking for new sources of revenue. Its too bad, but the only way to slow spending down on the state or federal level is to cut off the funding."The idea of collecting new sales taxes is wildly popular among the states. Thirty-five states filed amicus briefs on South Dakotas behalf with the Supreme Court, as did the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties and the U.S. Conference of Mayors. All argue that current law is keeping them from collecting taxes on what is rightfully theirs  sales of products coming into their state.The devastating effect on State and local economies is two-fold, the NGA and others wrote in their amicus brief.First, the physical nexus requirement results in a loss of crucial revenue from owed taxes that State and local governments depend on to fund basic government functions, the brief says. Second, it disadvantages in-state brick-and-mortar retailers, who do not have the same luxury of avoiding their sales and use tax collection and remittance responsibilities.The only major opposition among the amicus briefs, often known as friend of the court briefs, comes from NetChoice a trade group of online retailers that includes such behemoths as Google, eBay and Overstock.com as well as smaller retailers. The organization argues that assessing and collecting sales taxes from the 45 states that assess a sales tax is too complicated and would disproportionately hurt the little sellers.In Nebraska, legislation to collect state sales taxes on internet purchases is moving forward, despite opposition from GOP Gov. Pete Ricketts, who argues the state should wait for the Supreme Court to act. Undaunted, the states unicameral Legislature advanced the bill on a 35-8 vote, more than the 30 votes needed to override an anticipated veto by the governor.Ricketts, in a statement, said the bill is flawed and contains burdensome regulation and unnecessary red tape on companies doing business in Nebraska.NetChoice, in a letter to Nebraska senators, cautioned that the bill would violate the privacy expectations of Nebraska citizens  the state would know they are buying from vendors whose names reveal sensitive private information, such as medical conditions, financial problems, sexual preferences, and political beliefs.Carl Szabo, NetChoices vice president and general counsel, said his group has also been making the argument in states that taxing internet sales would burden small sellers with thousands of tax rules from 12,000 jurisdictions and subject them to audits from 45 states and the District of Columbia. He used his mother as an example, saying that her small internet jewelry company would be unable to figure it all out. The suggestion that there is software do to it, misses all the costs that come with integration, categorization and simply understanding how to do it.
Governments around the nation are working to design the best vaccine policies that keep both their employees and their residents safe. Although the latest data shows a variety of polarizing perspectives, there are clear emerging best practices that leading governments are following to put trust first: creating policies that are flexible and provide a range of options, and being in tune with the needs and sentiments of their employees so that they are able to be dynamic and accommodate the rapidly changing situation.
The U.S. Department of Justice amped up its fight last week against so-called sanctuary jurisdictions, suing California for three state immigration laws that it says violate federal statutes. It's the Trump administration's most direct challenge to sanctuary policies so far.Before the lawsuit was announced, White House officials reportedly told the media that California may just be the first state to be sued over its immigration laws.More than 300 jurisdictions -- including seven states -- have policies that qualify them to be a sanctuary for immigrants, according to the anti-immigration Center for Immigration Studies. (Several of these places, it should be noted, do not self-identify as sanctuaries, and many of their laws don't go as far as California's protections.)All of these [sanctuary] laws are written so differently, it will be hard to strike down different state laws with one California ruling, although that could happen, says Alyson Sincavage, a senior legislative associate at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.But if the Trump administration wins in California, "it may give the administration incentive to go after other parts of the country," she says.At issue in the lawsuit are three California laws that effectively protect undocumented immigrants from deportation. Two of them are unique to California, but one of them has been adopted by several other states and localities, potentially placing them in the Trump administration's legal crossfire.The laws not found in any other state are A.B.103 and A.B. 450 , which legal experts agree are also most likely to be at least partially struck down in court . The first requires state monitoring of conditions at federal immigration detention facilities and the latter instructs employers to keep federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents out of private workplaces unless they have a warrant. S.B. 54 , on the other hand, is a much more common type of sanctuary law. Among other things, S.B. 54 prevents local law enforcement from notifying ICE about an inmates release and from detaining an inmate for federal immigration authorities, unless that inmate has committed a serious crime."Its one of the most common types of sanctuary laws to restrict what law enforcement and prison officials can do to cooperate with ICE," says Mary Fan, a professor at the University of Washington Law School.But Grisel Ruiz, staff attorney at the Immigration Legal Resource Center, notes that S.B. 54 is "the most comprehensive law of its kind in the nation. There are other laws that get at portions of what S.B. 54 does, but none as comprehensive."Regardless, Fan says S.B. 54 and laws like it will be more difficult for the federal government to scrap.If [the DOJs challenge against S.B. 54] were somehow validated, it would have the largest implications across the country. But the DOJs lawsuit is also weakest on this challenge, she says.That's because Supreme Court precedent affirms that the federal government cannot commandeer state governments, meaning it cannot impose  targeted, affirmative, coercive duties upon state legislators or executive officials .What's more, federal courts across the country have upheld challenges against the practice of detaining immigrants for ICE, forcing some states and localities to institute laws that ban the practice. Massachusetts is one such state, and Rhode Island is another.Still, Fan warns, a federal victory over A.B. 103 and A.B. 450 wouldnt be without consequences for the rest of the country.Sanctuary jurisdictions are still deciding what policies to adopt. If a court rules against [these two laws], its still a keep out sign, she says.She points to "concerns that peoples friends and neighbors are being kept in facilities with very poor conditions. You could see sanctuary jurisdictions being interested in legislating this area." But, she says they would be more hesitant to if the White House wins this case.Since President Donald Trumps election in 2016, more states and localities across the country have passed laws meant to direct state resources away from immigration enforcement. The governors of Washington and New York, for instance, both signed executive orders last year that not only prevent local law enforcement from arresting people solely for immigration-related offenses but also restrict state agencies from asking about people's immigration status.But neither of these orders have the breadth of Californias S.B. 54, and they are carefully written to avoid legal trouble. Washingtons, as Fan points out, is full of savings clauses, like except as required by federal law, meant to fend off questions about federal preemption.Illinois also passed a sanctuary law last year, which prevents law enforcement from directly detaining people on behalf of ICE and prohibits local officials from asking about immigration status.Oregon has been considered a sanctuary state for more than 30 years, with policies that prohibit the use of state money for immigration enforcement when the immigrant in question has not committed a crime.Both Oregon and Illinois (as well as California) were threatened with a subpoena from the DOJ for documents proving they are not violating federal immigration laws. If S.B. 54 is struck down in court, these other state laws could be susceptible to challenges.
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that most of Texas' "sanctuary cities" law can remain in effect while the legal battle continues in a lower district court, a major victory for the state.With the exception of a statute that would punish local officials for endorsing policies that limit federal immigration enforcement, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the rest of the law to stand.The court blocked that section of the law because it deemed the word "endorse" to be too broad and risked subjecting local officials to punishment for speaking out against the law, a violation of the First Amendment guarantee to free speech. Officials who act on limiting federal immigration enforcement, however, are still subject to punishment."With one exception, SB 4's provisions do not, on their face, violate the Constitution," the court's opinion reads.Under the law Gov. Greg Abbott signed last May, police in the state can ask anyone they detain about their immigration status. Jurisdictions that violate the law are subject to fines of up to $25,000 a day and local officials who break the law can be removed.Tuesday's ruling comes after Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged a San Antonio district judge's decision to temporarily block the law in August, two days before it was supposed to go into effect. Plaintiffs in the case used the state's appeal to argue that the law should be blocked entirely.In September, a separate three-judge panel from the appeals court allowed parts of the law to proceed. Since then, the state has implemented the law on a limited basis and began accepting residents' complaints.Tuesday's decision from the traditionally conservative 5th Circuit lets most of the law remain in effect until the San Antonio district court can fully resolve the case.Texas officials celebrated the ruling."Texas Ban on Sanctuary City Policies upheld by Federal Court of Appeals," Abbott tweeted. "Allegations of discrimination were rejected. Law is in effect."Paxton praised the ruling in a prepared statement."I'm pleased the 5th Circuit recognized that Senate Bill 4 is lawful, constitutional and protects the safety of law enforcement officers and all Texans," Paxton said. "Enforcing immigration law prevents the release of individuals from custody who have been charged with serious crimes. Dangerous criminals shouldn't be allowed back into our communities to possibly commit more crimes."Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights Project, who argued the case before the appeals court, said the plaintiffs are exploring their legal options, which could include appealing the decision to the Supreme Court."The court made clear that we remain free to challenge the manner in which the law is implemented, so we will be monitoring the situation on the ground closely," he said in a written statement. "We are also pleased that the court narrowed the law in certain respects."The plaintiffs include all of Texas' largest cities, including Dallas, as well as several counties and civil rights organizations.Grand Prairie Rep. Chris Turner, the leader of the House Democratic Caucus, said the legal battle isn't over."Senate Bill 4 is unnecessary, makes Texas communities less safe and complicates law enforcement officials' already-difficult jobs," he said in a prepared statement. "Today's ruling is one step in what is likely a long legal battle and I remain hopeful that this law will eventually be ruled unconstitutional by the courts."In its opinion, the court came down hard on the plaintiffs' arguments that Texas' sanctuary cities law is preempted by federal immigration law and that it violates the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution.The court ruled that while federal statutes create a highly regulated scheme for cooperation between federal immigration authorities and local entities, they "also expressly allow[s] cooperation in immigration enforcement outside those agreements," which allows for the type of cooperation the sanctuary cities law encourages."Federal law regulates how local entities may cooperate in immigration enforcement; SB4 specifies whether they cooperate," the opinion reads.The judges also shot down the idea that the law compels local police officers to enforce immigration law without training. They pointed to a statute in the law specifying that the local assistance must occur "with a federal immigration officer as reasonable or necessary" and said it does not permit local officials to act without federal direction or supervision.The court also relied on previous rulings concerning Arizona's 'papers please' law to let stand the Texas law's provision on sharing information with federal authorities and allowing officers to ask about immigration status."If anything, the statute in Arizona seems more problematic because it mandates status inquiries where SB 4 merely forbids preventing those inquiries," the opinion reads.The judges upheld the statute that says local jails must comply with requests from immigration authorities to hold unauthorized immigrants for them and chastised plaintiffs for challenging that part of the law before it was to go into effect in September.The court ruled that it was not enough for plaintiffs to say that the requests would sometimes violate the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable search and seizure. They needed to prove it would happen every time."They have not satisfied this exacting standard," the judges wrote.The plaintiffs also lost their argument that the part of the law banning policies that "materially limit" immigration enforcement was too vague and should be invalidated because the law already prohibits interfering in enforcement."Almost any limitation could be recharacterized as a partial prohibition," the court wrote. "That is likely why SB4 includes both terms. Otherwise, supporters of the policies just described could argue that their policies limited but did not actually prohibit immigration enforcement."
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 Tuesday, in the afternoon, at Government House, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC and Mrs Kaye de Jersey hosted a Luncheon in honour of Commonwealth countries in the lead-up to the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Guests included: The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe MP, Minister for Local Government, Minister for Racing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs, representing the Premier of Queensland and Minister for Trade; The Honourable Kate Jones MP, Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development and Minister for the Commonwealth Games; Mr Peter Dowling AM, Honorary Consul, Consulate of the Republic of Botswana; Mrs Megan Hunt MBE, Vice Consul and Head of Consular Services, British Consulate in Queensland; Mrs Sandra Micallef, Honorary Consul, Consulate of Malta; Mr Jimmy Ovia, Acting Consul General, Consulate-General of Papua New Guinea; Mr Eric Quevauvilliers, Honorary Consul, Consulate of the Republic of Mauritius; Mrs Archana Singh, Honorary Consul, Consulate of India; Mr Anthony Swan, Honorary Consul, Consulate of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka; Mr Derek Brown, Queensland State Director, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Mr Brian Nourse, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC); and Ms Cecily Pearson OAM.

In the evening, at St Lucia, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey attended a dinner hosted by Consul-General of the Peoples Republic of China in Brisbane, Dr Xu Jie.
Videos

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Description

GIS  14 March 2018: Air Mauritius will start to operate direct flight to the Union of Comoros as from 06 July 2018. In this context, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed this morning by the Vice President of the Union of Comoros, Mr. Djaffar Ahmed Said Hassani, with Air Mauritius in view of reinforcing further the air connectivity between the two countries.

The Vice President of Comoros made this announcement following a courtesy call on the Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth , this morning at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

Mr. Hassani also spoke of deepening the existing bilateral relations between the two countries through the joint commission set up over more than one year for cooperation ventures in the fields of education, health, and justice among others. He expressed interest to strengthen and develop further the economic bond shared by both countries.
Description

GIS  14 March 2018: The Peoples Republic of China has expressed interest to reinforce collaboration with Mauritius and tap several avenues of cooperation for the mutual benefit of both countries.

This was at the fore of discussions during a courtesy call by Ambassador Mrs. Xu Jinghu, Special Representative of the Chinese Government on African Affairs, on Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit and Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr. Pravind Kumar Jugnauth , this morning at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.

Mrs. Xu Jinghu, also conveyed the congratulations message on behalf of the President of China, Mr. Xi Jinping, to Mauritius on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Independence of Mauritius. She further dwelt on strengthening further both bilateral and economic relations between China and Mauritius.
Description

GIS  14 March 2018: The World Hindi Secretariat (WHS), which aims at promoting Hindi language internationally and campaigning for its recognition as an official United Nations language, was inaugurated yesterday in Phoenix by the President of the Republic of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind. The Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs, External Communications and National Development Unit, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth and several eminent personalities were also present.

On that occasion the Early Digital Learning Programme and the Student Support Programme to empower students to become autonomous through self-learning and acquire 21st century skills-communication were launched. The Indian President also proceeded with the unveiling of the foundation stone of the Social Housing project.

In his keynote address the Indian President underlined the importance of Hindi language which he termed as a powerful vehicle of thoughts. According to him, language translates our thoughts to words, feelings and expressions, adding that he is confident that the Hindi language will be further promoted in Mauritius and that the citizens of Mauritius will continue to work for its upliftment. He recalled the origins of Hindi language which was brought to Mauritius by indentured labourers along with their religious and cultural heritage, which they preserved and handed over to the future generations as legacy.

Mr. Kovind outlined that the rich architectural and cultural significance of WHS is a manifestation of the strong bond that India shares with Mauritius which goes beyond diplomatic ties. The launching of WHS, the unveiling of foundation stones of the social housing project and other similar projects are clear indicators of the close relationship that India shares with Mauritius, he said.

For his part Prime Minister Jugnauth pointed out that the WHS is not only a platform to promote Hindi language worldwide but also aims to instill human values inherent in its literature. The Government of India, he recalled has financed the construction of the WHS to the tune of Rs. 178 million and contributed 50% of the operational costs of the Secretariat. On the occasion, he announced that the 11th conference of the WHS will be hosted by Mauritius in August 2018.

Mr. Jugnauth expressed his gratitude to the Indian Government for the significant role it is playing as one of the most strategic partners in development, innovation and cooperation. He further highlighted that the ties between Mauritius and India are being strengthened not only on the cultural and linguistic front but also in the field of technology. The launch of the E-Tablet project and the Student Support Programme for lower secondary students, he underscored, are indicative of this. He underlined the need for every child to develop literacy and basic competencies in IT, hence, the importance of providing students with the right technological tools.

Referring to major educational reforms being implemented, provision is being made in the next budget for the extension of the E-Tablet project to Grade 3 students. The Prime Minister is upbeat that this initiative will transform classrooms into global digital learning clusters.

Speaking of the social housing projects, the Prime Minister pointed out that the Government of India has provided financial support for the construction of some 956 housing units at Dagotiere and Mare Tabac over an extent of 26 Arpents and 10 Arpents respectively. The total project cost is estimated at 45 million USD out of which 20 million USD will be financed through a grant and the remaining 25 million USD will be met through a line of credit by the Government of India.

Moreover, Government has already planned the construction of some 6 600 housing units in the coming years which is in line with Government mission to eradicate poverty by providing a decent house to socially and economically disadvantaged families, added Mr Jugnauth.

Student Support Programme

The Student Support Programe (SSP) was conceived to support all students in their quest to achieve academic and personal success irrespective of their economic and social backgrounds. This mode of e-delivery of educational resources accessible to students on their computers, tablets or mobile phones will enable them to learn at their own place and pace. They can stop, rewind, forward and control the pace of the teaching learning through videos available on the website.

SSP is an initiative of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, in collaboration with the Open University of Mauritius, the Mauritius Institute of Education and the Mahatma Gandhi Institute. It is being developed with the assistance of India through the National Council of Educational Research and Training, New Delhi Tertiary Education and Scientific Research.

World Hindi Secretariat

The setting up the WHS in Mauritius was raised at the first World Hindi Conference in Nagpur 1975.The objective was to improve Hindi as an international language and to provide institutional arrangements for organising world Hindi conferences.

In August 1999, a memorandum of understanding on the establishment of WHS in Mauritius was signed by the Government of Mauritius and the Government of India and in November 2003 an Inter-Governmental Agreement was signed outlining the various modalities for the functioning of the Secretariat. The Government of Mauritius provided land in Phoenix for the construction of WHS headquarters whereas the Government of India took responsibility for the funding and construction of the building.

On February 11, 2008, the World Hindi Secretariat formally started functioning. The foundation stone of the building was laid in 2015 during the visit of the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi.
(TNS) - Trapped in the quickly rising waters during last months flood, a single horse stranded inside a barn on Linden Drive in Royalton Township stood in chest deep water for two days before help could reach the stranded animal.The owners of the property were at a loss as to how to get to the horse. But fortunately, the Berrien County Animal Control and coast guard were there to lend a hand, rescuing the horse and bringing it safely to a shelter, where food and warm blankets were in abundance.The horse was one of more than 60 animals rescued during the flood and brought to a shelter. While it was a trying time for officials involved, Berrien County Animal Control Director Tiffany Peterson said she was awed by the work animal control officers, their partnerships with local authorities and the community of Berrien County.We all worked together and all hands were on deck, Peterson said. I was so impressed by the community support. I really wanted to give a big thank you to the community.As the rain continuously pelted southwest Michigan last month, Peterson and her team began preparing with the Emergency Operations Center to help the countys residents and animals that would soon be trapped by rising flood waters if they did not act fast.Partnering with the countys authorities, Peterson said teams were deployed across Berrien County with the mission of warning people to evacuate and bringing the areas pets to a safe, dry location.In River Springs Estates Parks and Shamrock Park in Berrien Township, animal control officers waded through rising waters to bang on doors, ordering people to evacuate and offering to take pets to a safe shelter. They even entered some homes where no one was present, but pets were clearly trapped. Peterson said two of her officers even grabbed their own kayaks and set out to the hardest hit neighborhoods to rescue pets.Im so proud of my team, Peterson said. You dont even know. They worked great and busted their butts to work 10- to 12-hour days and no one complained.There was no room for the pets at the Berrien County Animal Shelter in Benton Harbor, so officials temporarily opened Berrien Countys former animal shelter on Huckleberry Road in Berrien Springs. The shelter building had been closed but has remained operational and had working electricity, water and heat.Peterson said they gave extra hours to about five additional part-time workers to help run the shelter in Berrien Springs.The animals rescued were mostly cats and dogs, a few Guinea pigs, the horse and one roaming pig that officers were able to capture.As the animals began to fill the shelter space so too did donations from the Berrien County community. Peterson said food, blankets, litter, dishes, towels and a number of other items were donated.Additionally, seven Berrien County restaurants hosted a Give Back Night for Our Furry Friends event to raise proceeds for the shelter. So far, Peterson said she has received about $800 from The Mark III. The other restaurants are expected to make their contributions in the days to come.Pets were kept at the shelter until residents were able to work out their living situation and could care for them again. As of Monday morning, Peterson said less than a dozen pets have yet to be reclaimed.Peterson said many residents expressed gratitude to the animal shelter for rescuing their pets.BJ Gardner, of Berrien Springs, was reunited with her eight cats after they were rescued from River Springs Estates.Gardner was so moved by the rescue that she wrote a letter to Peterson.Thank you so much. They are my family and so very important to me, Gardner stated. And your kindness and calm understanding made it possible for me to relax and corral the wildest ones safely so they could be transported to safety.Peterson herself had helped to rescue Gardners cats, two of which had become petrified and were hiding under the bed.Through the experience, Peterson said she felt Berrien County residents learned a lot more about what the animal shelter does.People that would never come in here visit the shelter now, Peterson said. I have tried to get out what we do and how much we want to do for the public and they appreciate that.  I have such a good crew. I could not be happier where I am at.2018 the Niles Daily Star, Mich.Visit the Niles Daily Star, Mich. at http://leaderpub.com/category/news/niles/Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The city of St. Louis is digging a little deeper on tech  hiring its first-ever chief technology officer and changing its overall approach to information technology.The new CTO is Robert Gaskill-Clemons, a former Washington state enterprise technology architect from the Office of the Chief Information Officer , Mayor Lyda Krewson announced on March 13. His first official day was March 5, Emily Thenhaus, the city's media and engagement strategist, toldBut Gaskill-Clemons wasnt the mayors only recent appointment. Krewson also named 23-year city hall staffer Cindy Riordan as the new chief information officer.Riordan, who has already assumed her new post, is no stranger to tech; shes handled technology upgrades at the Citizens' Service Bureau, the city's Department of Streets and elsewhere, the city said in a news release.Announced jointly, the two new hires reflect a new, somewhat unified perspective on technology, Thenhaus said.As of recently we have not had a CIO. We have had a director of IT. We have shifted into the CIO model to partner with the CTO, Thenhaus said.Among his responsibilities, Gaskill-Clemons will explore ways the city can use technology to improve the lives of its citizens. Hell also be the liaison between St. Louis and the region's tech and innovation sectors, the city said.Riordan, who was sworn in on Dec. 28, will lead the citys Information Technology Services Agency, which was established by ordinance in 2003 and leads the planning, development and implementation of tech and information services for the city, residents and businesses.With the two on board, officials will ensure that St. Louis is making the best use of 21st-century technology for our 21st-century city, Krewson said in a statement.That means improving how residents get information and assistance from city government, streamlining the way city departments and agencies work together, using tech solutions to solve public problems, and making sure that residents and businesses in all parts of our city have access to the technologies that will help them succeed, the mayor continued.
This week, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) may join the ranks of major cities with a body-worn camera (BWC) policy when the Board of Police Commissioners votes on whether to implement a proposed plan on March 20. With just over 10,000 officers, the LAPD is the second largest municipal police department in the United States, after New York City. The department serves an area of 498 square miles and a population of 4,030,904 people.The proposed policy mandates the release of critical footage within 45 days. Implementation of the new transparency guidelines would reverse the departments longstanding practice of withholding all footage unless there is a court order.Matt Johnson, vice president of the five-member, volunteer LAPD Commission, believes that the proposed transparency policy will strengthen the bonds of trust between the LAPD and the community. The public was happy that we were going to equip the police department with cameras, said Commissioner Johnson. But they didnt realize they were not going to be able to see the videos; they wanted to know why.If the LAPD Commission adopts the policy, it will join other cities with significant BWC programs. The Chicago Police Department with more than 7,000 sworn personnel, including all district-assigned CPD officers, tactical officers, and supervisors, is now equipped with body-worn cameras that were adopted following a highly publicized police shooting. The departments policy requires the release of footage from an officer-involved shooting within 60 days of the incident, with the possibility for a 30-day extension in limited circumstances.The adoption of body-worn cameras by police departments across the United States was driven by the Aug. 9, 2014, death of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old resident of Ferguson, Mo., who was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson.The shocking events in Ferguson led to the expanded use of BWCs, and in 2014 President Obama proposed that the federal government reimburse law enforcement agencies for cameras, supplying half the cost of implementing a program in cities. By September 2015, the federal government provided $23.2 million in grants to 73 agencies and 32 states.The rush to use BWCs was meant to bring transparency to interactions between the public and police. But policies about the public use of video from BWCs have been few and far between, according to Harlan Yu, executive director of Upturn, a nonprofit organization that works to ensure that technology in the criminal justice system supports civil rights and functions fairly for all people.In a nationwide investigation of officer-involved shootings in 2017, Upturn Policy Analyst Miranda Bogen found that of the 105 police killings captured by body-worn cameras last year, footage was not made public in 40 of these cases.Among the 65 cases where the footage was made public, the median time to release video was nine days after the incident. In three cases, including the fatal shooting of Eric Garrison in Baltimore, departments released footage on the same day as the incident. In a number of cases (26) the video was released over a month or more later; civil legal action slowed many of these cases.A 2017 Upturn study of police departments with BWCs found that departments across the U.S. were moving quickly to deploy the technology and were experimenting with a wide range of policies. As of November 2017, of the 69 major city departments in the U.S., 62 now have body-worn camera programs with systems in place.The LAPD Commission set out to justify enactment of its policy with a study of public attitudes towards body-worn cameras. Between March 23 and May 7, 2017, the Policy Project at the New York University School of Law conducted a study on the proposed video release policy with 3,200 members of the public (including members of the police force). Researchers also received comments from 27 national and local not-for-profit organizations (American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, National Action Network Los Angeles, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press).The survey was conducted by the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of California at Irvine, said Johnson. It included input from community organizations (in addition to the input from the community), LAPD rank and file and the Los Angeles Police Protective League.The report found broad agreement that video of critical incidents should be released, but a sharp divergence between the views of those in law enforcement and those in the public as to when that should happen.Members of the public favored relatively quick release of video  within 60 days of the incident (and many felt it should be even sooner). Those in law enforcement, on the other hand, felt that video should not be released until the district attorney decided whether to bring charges against any of the individuals involved. In Los Angeles County, this can take up to two years and sometimes longer. When the report was released publicly, it showed overwhelming support (for the policy) from the public, he said.While Commissioner Johnson believes that the agency will vote positively to pass the policy guidelines, not all members of the city want to see it passed. District Attorney Jackie Lacey and LAPD Chief Charlie Beck have expressed concerns about releasing body-cam video publicly.According to Lacey, the Police Commission policy jeopardizes the justice process by exposing witnesses to video evidence before they are interviewed by investigators.Beck said that such public footage could block investigations, exacerbate tensions between the police and the public and may offer an incomplete view of the incident, according to a Los Angeles Times article.While Johnson still thinks juries will still be able to do their job, there is an opportunity (built into the policy that would allow) a delay of the release of a video related to an investigation, he said. This would be taken on a case-by-case basis.
Trialing of the national ID card at the Port Vila Municipal Council elections last week here seen at Malapoa/Tagabe Ward Tagabe Church polling station.
ARPA-E is awarding $16 million in funding for eight projects as part of the Innovative Natural-gas Technologies for Efficiency Gain in Reliable and Affordable Thermochemical Electricity-generation (INTEGRATE) program.

INTEGRATE projects will develop advanced natural-gas-fueled, distributed electric generation systems with conversion efficiencies of more than 70%: double the delivered efficiency of average utility-scale, fossil-fueled plants. The INTEGRATE program seeks to achieve this unprecedented efficiency level at an attractive cost by developing fuel cell and engine hybrid system concepts and enabling technologies.

These systems could ultimately be used by both commercial and industrial end usersincluding hospitals, hotels, office buildings, factories, and others.

Funded projects are:

Colorado School of Mines; High Efficiency, Low Cost & Robust Hybrid SOFC/IC Engine Power Generator  $3,006,864. The Colorado School of Mines (Mines) team will develop a hybrid power generation system using a solid oxide fuel cell stack combined with an internal combustion engine. The teams project seeks to characterize and validate pressurized fuel cell stacks, design the hybrid system, and develop high-efficiency demonstration hardware. The system will use the hot air and exhaust gases it produces to keep components running at the proper temperatures to maximize efficiency. With this design, the team hopes to achieve robust operation with high efficiency and low capital costs.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Development of Next-Generation Heat Exchangers for Hybrid Power Generation  $1,000,000. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) team will design and develop a high efficiency, high temperature, ceramic/steel alloy heat exchanger. The novel and low cost heat exchanger will be designed by optimizing the heat transfer surface with advanced modeling and will be fabricated using advanced 3D printing technology. If successful, this innovation would enable high performance, compact heat exchangers with unconventional and complex geometries that cannot be manufactured using conventional techniques.

Stony Brook University; Hybrid Electrochemistry-Advanced Combustion for High-Efficiency Distributed Power (HE-ACED)  $2,325,000. The Stony Brook University team will develop a hybrid power system using a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell coupled to a novel, split-cylinder, internal combustion engine design. The combustion engine will use some cylinders as an air compressor, which will feed the pressurized fuel cell. The other cylinders will be fed with the tail gas unused by the fuel cell in the first stage, which will be ignited by high compression and burned in a lean, low temperature combustion process to produce additional power for the system.

Saint-Gobain Ceramics and Plastics, Inc.; Super High-efficiency Integrated Fuel-cell and Turbo-machinery (SHIFT)  $2,801,430. The Saint-Gobain Ceramics and Plastics team will develop a hybrid power system by pressurizing a durable all-ceramic solid oxide fuel cell stack with a specialized screw compressor/expander to boost efficiency. This sophisticated combustion engine will pressurize the fuel cell and improve its efficiency while burning the remaining tail gas left over from the cell as its fuel. The fuel cell stack will build on lessons learned during Saint-Gobains work with NASA to create more robust fuel cells assemblies. The combustion engine technology will be based off work performed in an earlier ARPA-E project.

FuelCell Energy, Inc.; Adaptive SOFC for Ultra High Efficiency Power Systems  $3,099,613. The FuelCell Energy team will develop a low-cost architecture for a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell stack for integration into a variety of hybrid energy systems with unsurpassed efficiencies greater than 70%. The team will take a modular approach, building 5kW stacks that can be grouped together in a pressurized container. These modules can be added or removed as needed to suit the scale of the hybrid system, enabling a range of power applications.

Nexceris, LLC; Advanced Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stack for Hybrid Power Systems  $2,150,356. The Nexceris team will develop a pressurized solid oxide fuel cell stack for use in hybrid power applications. The teams design improves control over the reaction of natural gas in the cell, increasing performance and durability. A novel anode current collector component provides structural support and helps define the flow of fuel gas through the stack. The 10-kW-scale cell stack building block will be housed within a hermetically sealed hotbox to reduce drastic changes in temperature and pressure during operation. These design features would allow for seamless integration with a turbine or combustion engine to maximize the overall efficiency of a hybrid system.

Washington State University; De-Coupled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine Hybrid (dFC-GT)  $678,014. The Washington State University (WSU) team will demonstrate the technical feasibility of a hybrid power system using a pressurized fuel cell stack and gas turbine. The teams innovation centers around the integration of a membrane to concentrate oxygen from air before feeding it into the fuel cell, improving performance and boosting efficiency. The system de-couples the pressurized fuel cell and turbine components, allowing it increased operating flexibility.

University of Wisconsin-Madison; Integrated High Pressure SOFC and Premixed Compression Ignition Engine System  $1,012,000. The University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison) team will develop a hybrid system using a solid oxide fuel cell stack and a plug-and-play, turbocharged internal combustion that uses premixed compression ignition (PCI) to boost efficiency. Gases that leave the fuel cell, which consumes about 75% of the fuel, are pumped into the engine to be ignited by compression of the pistons. To help combust these tail gases, the engine adds an extra burst of spark-ignited natural gas, improving engine efficiency. The UW-Madison team is targeting larger industrial applications, aiming for a 1MW system.
Together with local partner Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP), Mercedes-Benz \ will invest a total of more than 100 (US$124 million) in production operations in Bangkok until 2020. The investment will go into an extension of the existing car plant and into a new battery assembly built on the site.

Based on a standardized production and plant concept, battery production at Mercedes-Benz Cars can be scaled in such a way that various value-added stages as well as production concepts can be implemented flexibly and in line with the markets worldwide.

By 2022, Daimler will electrify the entire portfolio of Mercedes-Benz, offering customers at least one electrified alternative in all segments from compact cars to large SUVs. The company is planning to offer more than 50 electrified vehicle variants. Mercedes-Benz will be continuously supporting the development of Plug-In Hybrids and the introduction of 48-volt-systems. The first EQ series modelthe EQCwill go into production in 2019 in Bremen, Germany. The product and technology brand EQ is an integral part of CASE, which stands for the intelligent combination of the strategic pillars of connectivity (Connected), autonomous driving (Autonomous), flexible use (Shared & Services) and electric drive systems (Electric).

The battery production in Bangkok will be part of the global battery production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars for local demand and export. In total, Daimler will invest more than 1 billion in the battery production network, which will also include production facilities in Germany, the US and China. As in vehicle production, the battery production network will react flexibly and efficiently to market demand. This strategy ensures the ongoing availability of modern battery technology through local production hubs and puts Mercedes-Benz in a highly competitive position for its electric initiative. Local production of batteries in Thailand is planned to start by 2019.
He has been cited by Rush Limbaugh, quoted in the New York Times, featured at Real Clear Politics and Lucianne.com and interviewed on radio, TV and in social media.





For many years he served as a Lecturer in Corporate Communication at Penn State University. A former President of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association (PPRA) he has lectured at Rowan University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey and Arcadia University. He has conducted workshops on public relations for thousands of participants throughout the nation and has taught countless others the art of public speaking. He has also advised numerous lawyers, judges, public officials and political candidates.





Cirucci is a prolific writer and his op-ed pieces have appeared in the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier-Post and other publications.



A native of Camden NJ, Cirucci is a former President of the Philadelphia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Cirucci served as Associate Executive Director of the Philadelphia Bar Association for nearly 30 years. He served as Chair of Penn State University's Professional Advisory Board for the Corporate Communication major at Penn State Abington and on the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Judicial Selection Commission.



He received his MA degree from Rowan University and his BA from Villanova University. He has been named a Distinguished Alumnus of Rowan's public relations program and was inducted into the Philadelphia Public Relations Hall of Fame. He received the E. A. "Wally" Richter Leadership Award from the National Association of Bar Executives' Communications Section. The Award is the Section's highest honor. He has also been honored by numerous other local, state and national groups.









Cirucci's passions include politics, the popular culture, books and authors, art, communication, music, theatre, movies, dining and travel. In his hometown of Camden, Cirucci taught fifth grade at the Ulysses Wiggins Elementary School named for the founder of the Camden NAACP. He later served as editor of a local weekly newspaper, as Assistant to the Township Manager of Cherry Hill Township and as Associate Director of Communications at the New Jersey State Bar Association.

He's Dan Cirucci, the founder and editor-in chief of the Dan Cirucci Blog, Matt Rooney's sidekick on Save Jersey's weekly videocast and one of the most widely honored public relations professionals in his field. He's also been a public relations consultant to numerous organizations and individuals and hosted The Advocates on RVN-TV.
It is cultural Marxism. Watch how this is branded as a conspiracy theory even here on this very site. Look and watch those who try and sway the conversation away from this and read their other posts.



They will cry "look...it is the russians" as they espouse communist propaganda out of their other mouths. To me it is irrelevant if they are willing dissidents of liberty or just brainwashed watermelons they are threats to personal liberties. Communism and socialism are evil to the core. Very, very sad.
USAP Party Chairman Refutes Allegations Of His Dismissal

The leader of United Sudan African Party (USAP), Joseph Ukel Abango has refuted media reports that he was dismissed from the party as the Chairman.

By James Deng Dimo



WAU - March 13, 2018 [Gurtong] - Ukel who is leading the Political Parties national agenda at the South Sudan IGAD Peace Revitalization Forum in Addis Ababa said the circulated statements were mere allegations set by the South Sudan Minister of Cabinet Affairs in the Transitional Government of National Unity, Martin Elia Lomoro.



This crisis within the USAP was just created by Martin Elia Lomoro who described me as a rebel against TGONU but the political parties said this time, we the political parties are going to sit as a separate stakeholder and this was recognized by the IGAD. So when we went for the second phase, he brought Joseph Malek on the delegation of TGONU and he introduced him in the meeting that he was the chairman of USAP, said Ukel.



Joseph Ukel said howeversaid he will not respond to several allegations of Malek being the new chairperson of the USAP.



Elia Lomoro since 2005 has been a minister in South Sudans government and he called himself a chairman, the Political Alliance do not have a chairman, we are all equal and if there is any specific meeting, they select one person and they selected me in 2013 to go to the peace talk to represent them, he said.

Efforts to reach Elia Lomoro for a comment by Gurtong were unsuccesful.



Ukel said he will present his protest letter to IGAD and TCSSAM on the matter.

He described Lomoros move against his party as an attack on other stakeholders within the country.



He said though there are some challenges within his party, he will still attend the revitalization peace process as the head of Political Parties Agenda which is scheduled to take place this month in Ethiopia.






The Prime Minister of Australia, The Honourable Malcolm Turnbull MP, has announced today that Rheinmetall has been selected by the Australian Government to provide its next-generation 88 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (CRVs)The German-designed Boxer 88 wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles will replace the Piranha-based Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) currently in service under the Land 400 Phase 2 Project. The contract worth 2.1 billion (AUD3.3 billion) was formally awarded August 17, 2018. Delivery will take place between 2019 and 2026.

Rheinmetall proposal was selected as the best and final. The initial contract calls for the delivery of at least 211 Boxer in seven variants. The Australian plan calls for 225, of which 200 to be assembled in the country. This new acquisition will cost about A$5 billion  and is part of the A$20 billion Australian land vehicles modernization program  the biggest and most expensive acquisition project in Australian Armys history. This new selection further strengthens Rheinmetalls position in Australia, along with the ongoing supply of 2,500 military trucks under the Land 121 logistic vehicles modernization program.

The primary role of the CRV will be to perform ground-based reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance. The vehicle presents a highly lethal armored vehicle with the capability to neutralize enemy armor, pinning down enemy forces with suppressive fires, and preventing an enemys ability to manoeuver. This means our CRV requires the ability to operate across the entire area of operations with high mobility and endurance.

LAND 400 Phase 2 will acquire 225 CRVs.

The multi-billion dollar project will see Rheinmetall deliver at least 211 of the latest generation Boxer 88 vehicles, with Rheinmetalls advanced Lance 30mm turret fitted to the reconnaissance variants. When deployed, the Boxer will improve the mobility, survivability, and combat effects of Australian reconnaissance units, introducing a modular and agile vehicle that can be configured to match evolving requirements. The vehicle will mount Rheinmetalls Lance turret, offering the sensors, situational awareness, and firepower to automatically detect, characterize and track threats on the battlefield. The turret features a range of scalable effects, including non-lethal systems, the latest air-burst cannon technologies and a guided anti-tank missile system that allows the crew to engage the most aggressive threats on the battlefield.

To deliver the project Rheinmetall will establish a state of the art Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence (MILVEHCOE) near Brisbane in partnership with the Queensland State Government. The MILVEHCOE will serve as the focal point for the execution of the program and a base for the establishment of an export-orientated military vehicle industrial complex in Australia. The MILVEHCOE will support the Australian Governments Defence Export Strategy that was recently announced by the Australian Minister of Defence Industry, The Honourable Christopher Pyne MP.

The MILVEHCOE will allow Rheinmetall to transfer cutting-edge technologies to Australia in the areas of military vehicle design, production, turret systems, sensors, survivability, simulation and through life support. This transfer of technology, coupled with the scale of the Land 400 based Australian design and manufacturing, will underpin the establishment of an export-oriented military vehicle industry that will collaborate with academic institutions in companion technologies and see significant development in small to medium businesses around Australia that cooperate with Rheinmetall through the MILVEHCOE. As a center of excellence, the MILVEHCOE would be the focal point for the LAND 400 combat vehicles, LAND 121 logistics vehicles, and other complex defense projects.

Gary Stewart, Managing Director of Rheinmetall Defence Australia, said The Land 400 program will enable the Australian Army to receive the best CRV capability for their needs, and create a long-term, economic benefit for Australia. Rheinmetalls investment in the MILVEHCOE will enrich the economy in the high technology advanced manufacturing sector and broaden employment in defense across the nation. In doing so, we will create a strong sovereign military vehicle industry that allows Australian companies to innovate, compete and win globally.

After two years of extensive industry engagement, Rheinmetall has identified over 40 companies from around Australia that will form part of a globally competitive military vehicle industry.

Among the local partners participating in the Rheinmetall Boxer CRV program are MILSPEC and Bisalloy from New South Wales, Supashock from South Australia, Nioa and Penske from Queensland, Direct Edge from Tasmania, Supacat, Tectonica and Cablex from Victoria, and Hoffman Engineering from Western Australia.
China to squeeze bulk supply of Australian red to critical levels over next 3-5 years

By Jo Gilbert

Bulk supply of some of Australias most popular grapes are due to significantly stall buyers have been warned, as a smaller 2018 harvest and the growing Chinese market leads demand to outstrip supply.

According to bulk supplier Austwine, this years vintage has slowed to a snails pace over the past two to three weeks after very hot conditions in January and February led to inhibited sugar accumulation and left growers waiting for grapes to ripen.

Clare Valley, Barossa, McLaren Vale Riverland and Mildura have all been affected, with widespread reports of average yields and slightly lower-than-expected crops.

As a result, last years record crop of 1.980mT has been forecasted to see a deficit of between 5% and 10%.

However, this is against a picture of staggering demand from China, where imports of Australian red jumped by 63% alone last year, from an already large base.

Austwine notes that commercial and entry level Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are now all critically short thanks to rocketing demand for red in China, which is now the biggest market for Australian wine by value.

Such growth means the country is now bigger than the US and the UK  Australian wines next two largest markets  combined.







The top five export markets for Australian wine for the 12 Months to December 2017 (The Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA)





During the past couple of years, producers of commercial level reds have probably experienced more enquiries than they have wine for, said Jim Moularadellis, CEO at Austwine.

It is certainly a very different supply situation across all commercial level red wines, compared to say, three years ago. The 2018 crop is unlikely to fully satisfy current demand at current prices, and any downside in the tonnes crushed will increase supply and pricing pressures as buyers try to get their share of wine.

Premium reds and premium Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc have remained largely untouched by supply issues.

Volumes of entry level Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are drastically down however, while being incorrectly assumed by most market players to be in abundant supply.

One could easily count on one hand the number of inland wineries that have any substantial volumes of unallocated commercial Chardonnay from 2018 vintage, added Moularadellis.

I dont think this is well understood by the market, including perhaps those few wineries that have unallocated commercial Chardonnay.

Falling numbers of commercial Chardonnay crushed over the past three years has largely come about as a response to Chinas low-level consumption of white wine and a subsequent push to remove Chardonnay vineyards in Oz over the past few years.

This is on the back of dwindling supplies of the grape globally.

South Africas recent drought and the well-publicised 2017 vintage shortfall in Europe have significantly impacted the availability of Chardonnay, with limited supply choice and price increases forecasted over the next few years.

Overall, supply increases of Australian wine are likely to be muted over the next three to five years, said Moularadellis, since there are currently only modest levels of planting activity and China will drive much of the demand for Australias wine going forward.

He said: Should Chinese demand for Australian wine continue unabated, then bulk wine prices will rise in the absence of any significant new supply from Australia or alternative supply from other producing countries.

A large 2018 European wine grape crop, plus the expectation of another large European crop in 2019 will be required to take the edge off the current outlook for increasing worldwide bulk wine prices. Australias wine fortunes are likely to be impacted by these events, together with what happens with crop levels in places such as Chile and South Africa.










State of American Well-Being

2017 Community Well-Being Rankings

From Gallup-Sharecare, March, 2018

This report, part of the Gallup-Sharecare State of American Well-Being series, examines well-being across the nation, with 186 communities ranked based on their Well-Being Index scores. The report analyzes how well-being varies by community and across the five elements of well-being:

 Purpose: liking what you do each day and being motivated to achieve your goals

 Social: having supportive relationships and love in your life

 Financial: managing your economic life to reduce stress and increase security

 Community: liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community

 Physical: having good health and enough energy to get things done daily

The data and insights from this report can be used as a call to action for communities around the country, leveraging it to benchmark and identify opportunities for well-being improvement.

Overall, 2017 was a challenging year for Americans well-being. The national Well-Being Index score for the U.S. in 2017 was 61.5  a decline from 62.1 in 2016. This overall drop was characterized by declines in 21 states, easily the largest year-over-year decline in the 10-year history of the Well-Being Index. Not a single state showed statistically significant improvement compared to the previous year, which is also unprecedented in Well-Being Index measurement.

With the exception of community well-being, all of the national well-being elements suffered declines in 2017. Two key elements of well-being  social and purpose  declined particularly sharply.

However, traditional metrics of physical health, such as exercise (30+ minutes at least three days each week) and smoking, continued to improve, reaching their highest levels in 10 years of Well-Being Index measurement.

High and Low Well-Being Scores in U.S. Communities, 2016-2017

For the third consecutive period, Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida, had the highest overall well-being in the nation in 2016-2017 with a score of 67.6. It is the first time in 10 years of annual Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index reporting that the same community topped the rankings three times in a row. Barnstable Town, Massachusetts, was number two followed by Boulder, Colorado; Santa Cruz-Watsonville, California; and Charlottesville, Virginia. All five of the top communities in 2016-2017 have frequented the top 10 highest well-being lists in the past.

Likewise, a number of other 2016-2017 top well-being communities have typically ranked among the highest since 2008, including Lynchburg, Virginia; North Port-SarasotaBradenton, Florida; San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, California; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Urban Honolulu, Hawaii. 

read  Full Report

2016/2017 Community Rankings, Highest Quintile

Urban Honolulu, HI

18 2016/17 Rank

63.9 -- Well-Being Index Score

11 -- Purpose Rank

95 -- Social Rank

12 -- Financial Rank

24 -- Community Rank

3 0 -- Physical Rank
Hawaiian Electric and Amber Kinetics Begin Kinetic Energy Storage Demonstration with Support from Elemental Excelerator

News Release from HECO and Amber Kinetics 3/12/2018 (With accurate information added in indents)

(Union City, CA & Honolulu) March 12, 2018 - Hawaiian Electric, in partnership with Amber Kinetics and Elemental Excelerator, today held a traditional Hawaiian blessing ceremony to mark the launch of operations of a four-hour kinetic energy storage system powered by groundbreaking flywheel technology. The pilot project is the first commercial use of Amber Kinetics' advanced technology in the U.S.

First in US? In other words this is yet another one-off project brought to Hawaii because nobody else would waste their time on it.

March 12? Two months late: Flywheel was supposed to being operation in January.

ES Oct 2016: Hawaiian Electric to install 4-hour duration flywheel storage pilot project -- Funding of the project is jointly shared by Hawaiian Electric (ratepayers) and Energy Excelerator (Hawaii taxpayers)....

Hawaiian Electric and Amber Kinetics are testing the 8 kW / 32 kWh storage system for local grid reliability and support and aid in the integration of renewable energy. One 8 kW unit can power approximately 25 homes for one hour. Technical field data is being collected and is expected to guide planning for future utility-owned energy storage projects in Hawaii. Communications and controls Amber Kinetics is developing in collaboration with Hawaiian Electric will be tested in a real-world setting and scaled to other jurisdictions.

Future Projects in Hawaii? Heres The Real Money Plan--sell the scheme and run:

GTM 12-10-2015: Amber Kinetics: Turning Flywheels Into Multi-Hour Energy Storage Assets

GTM 11-11-2017: Why Are Storage Firms Selling Their Project Portfolios?

The five-ton flywheel stores electricity as rotational kinetic energy and is capable of charging and discharging for multiple duty cycles per day with no loss of capacity. The environmentally friendly system is 98 percent steel that can be fully recycled at the end of its 30-year design life. It was installed by American Electric, a Hawaii-based company, at Hawaiian Electric's Campbell Industrial Park generating station on Oahu.

Efficiency?

The Conversation Dec 1, 2016: "Pumped hydro ... operates at very large scales, has good round-trip efficiency and is very cheap per unit. Flywheels (or rotors) have low round-trip efficiency and dont store a lot of power....

Calif Dep't of Energy 2015: LOW-COST FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE DEMONSTRATION -- The (Amber Kinetics) flywheel described in this report is made from approximately 5,000 lbs. of solid steel. At its top speed, it stores nearly 29 kWh of kinetic energy. However, because the minimum operating speed is limited by system resonances, the available energy in the rotor is just above 25 kWh. Mechanical-to-electrical conversion losses further reduce the extractable energy.

"Hawaiian Electric is eager to test the grid stabilizing and renewable energy storing of the flywheel," noted Colton Ching, Hawaiian Electric senior vice president for planning and technology. "Our evaluation of this very promising energy storage system will help us determine how we can use flywheels to help integrate renewables at a lower cost while improving reliability and resiliency of the grid."

Notice that they never mention the Cost? That's because it is too high:

GTM 12-15-2015 :  CEO Ed Chiao ( PDF ) claims the company can halve costs compared to traditional flywheels. -- On pg 10, Chiao cites a $2200 per kw capital cost for a one-hour flywheel and shows that capital costs jump as discharge increases.

Calif DoE 2015: LOW-COST FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE DEMONSTRATION two long-standing technical challenges: 1. The traditionally high dollar per kilowatt-hour rotor cost 2. The potentially high self-discharge rate of flywheel systems due to multiple sources of electrical and mechanical loss while operating

Ed Chiao, co-founder and CEO of Amber Kinetics, said, "We are very pleased to be working with Hawaiian Electric. Our cost-effective technology has the potential to increase the Hawaiian Electric grid's renewable energy capacity - an important goal shared by the State of Hawaii, Hawaiian Electric, Elemental Excelerator and Amber Kinetics." In addition to Hawaiian Electric, Amber Kinetics is currently working with clients on four continents.

"Working with clients on four continents?" Weasel words. This is yet another one-off project brought to Hawaii because nobody else would waste their time on it.

Elemental Excelerator, a growth accelerator and catalyst for the deployment and scale of new technologies, chose Amber Kinetics to be part of its portfolio because of high levels of solar and wind on Hawaii's electrical grid. "If you are an energy storage company, Hawaii is probably one of your early markets. Solar plus storage is already at grid parity," said Dawn Lippert, CEO of Elemental Excelerator. "Amber Kinetics is one example of how companies are leveraging the economics of energy storage in Hawaii to deploy their technology for the first time in a commercial setting."

Amber Kinetics' products offer substantial benefits for a wide range of utility and commercial applications. The firm's breakthrough technology is the first to extend the duration and efficiency of flywheels from minutes to hours, resulting in safe, economical and reliable energy storage for a variety of utility-scale applications, including load shifting, peak shaving, frequency regulation, renewable firming and spinning reserve. The system is scalable and designed to allow for increased size through the addition of multiple flywheels.

The project afforded all who worked on it the opportunity to advance energy storage knowledge and experience. "Participating in this project has been an exciting opportunity to be part of the cutting-edge technology that is essential to Hawaii's energy future," added Cameron Pickle, project manager for American Electric Co., LLC, the electrical power systems contractor for the project.

About Hawaiian Electric

For 126 years, Hawaiian Electric Company has provided the energy that has fueled the islands' development from a Hawaiian kingdom to a modern American state. Hawaiian Electric Company and its subsidiaries Maui Electric Company and Hawaii Electric Light Company serve 95 percent of the state's 1.4 million residents on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Hawaii Island, Lanai and Molokai.

hawaiianelectric.com

About Amber Kinetics

Winner of pv magazine's Array Changing Technology Award 2017, Amber Kinetics began shipping pre-commercial Kinetic Energy Storage Systems in September 2016 and commercial units in 2017. To date, the company's fleet of demonstration units has accumulated over 35,000 hours of run time domestically and abroad. The firm is headquartered in Union City, CA .

amberkinetics.com

About Elemental Excelerator

Elemental Excelerator helps startups change the world, one community at a time. Each year, the organization selects a cohort of 12-15 companies that best fit its mission and funds each company up to $1 million to improve systems that impact people's lives: energy, transportation, water, agriculture, and beyond. To date, Elemental Excelerator has awarded over $22 million to 63 companies. Applications are open for their next cohort.

elementalexcelerator.com/apply

About American Electric Co.

Since 1946, Hawaii-based American Electric Co. has been involved in many of Hawaii's most important electrical infrastructure projects, including: the initial construction of the Waiau plant, major additions to the Kihei, Maui plant, construction of the Keahole CHP plant on Hawaii Island and most recently, the 110 MW biodiesel plant on Oahu.
Aloha!

Get your testimonies ready and pull out your blue shirts, its time to show up! This is just to get the ball rolling. More information on the specifics of the bill and talking points is forthcoming.

Also, tune in tomorrow at 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. to AM940 and listen to doctors, attorneys and a nurse talk about the dangers of the bill. Call in number is (808)526-0940 for listeners with questions.

COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, CONSUMER PROTECTION, AND HEALTH

Senator Rosalyn H. Baker, Chair

Senator Jill N. Tokuda, Vice Chair

NOTICE OF HEARING

DATE: Friday, March 16, 2018

TIME: 8:30  11:25 a.m.

PLACE: Conference Room 229, State Capitol, 415 South Beretania Street

HB2739 HD1 (Text, Status)

Measure Title: RELATING TO HEALTH.

Report Title:

Health; Our Care, Our Choice Act

Description:

Establishes a regulated process under which an adult resident of the State with a medically confirmed terminal disease and less than six months to live may choose to obtain a prescription for medication to end the patient's life. Imposes criminal sanctions for tampering with a patient's request for a prescription or coercing a patient to request a prescription. (HB2739 HD1)

WRITTEN TESTIMONY : All written testimony must clearly indicate to which committee the testimony is being submitted, your name, organization (if applicable), position (support/oppose/comments only), the measure number, and the date of the hearing. Anonymous comments and petitions will not be categorized as testimony by the committee. Written testimony must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 15th .

Please note: All testimony received by the Hawaii State Senate is posted on the Legislatures website, which is accessible to the public. Please do not include private information you do not want disclosed to the public.

VERBAL TESTIMONY : The committee anticipates a large volume of testimony for this hearing and would like to hear from as many individuals as possible. Therefore, those wishing to present verbal testimony will be limited to two (2) minutes each. The order of testimony of most individuals and organizations will be on a first come first served basis . However, priority will be given to individuals and organizations who submit written testimony by the deadline listed above. Please register at the table outside of conference room 229 to receive a number.

The registration table will open at 7:45 a.m.

Seating in conference room 229 will be limited to the current group of testifiers and members of the media. Viewing areas for all others will be available in other conference rooms.

If you require auxiliary aids or services to participate in the public hearing process (i.e. ASL or foreign language interpreter, or wheelchair accessibility), please contact the committee clerk at least 24 hours prior to the hearing so that arrangements can be made.
This website uses cookies primarily for visitor analytics. Certain pages will ask you to fill in contact details to receive additional information. On these pages you have the option of having the site log your details for future visits. Indicating you want the site to remember your details will place a cookie on your device. To view our full cookie policy, please click here. You can also view it at any time by going to our Contact Us page.
The regional councillors voted 5712 in favour of issuing a critical statement on the reform on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Juha Sipilas (Centre) proposal to establish a total of 18 counties as part of the social, health care and regional government reform is not in the best interests of the residents of Uusimaa, according to the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.

The newly proposed social and health care reform appears to have lost track of its original, important objectives, summarised Maria Ohisalo, a deputy chairperson of the Green League and member of the Helsinki-Uusimaa Regional Council.

Uusimaa and its 1.7 million residents account for roughly 40 per cent of the gross domestic product of Finland, the councillors highlighted. The counties that will be established to take over the responsibility for organising social and health care services, however, will slow down the growth of the burgeoning region.

Creating the county would present great operational and financial challenges, as well as increase bureaucracy. This proposal would result in a complex and difficult-to-control social and health care reform. A third of the targeted spending cuts would be assigned to the growing Uusimaa, the stated in a press release.

Bjorn Mansson (SFP), a councillor for the City of Helsinki, conceded that the statement issued by him and his fellow councillors is an exceptional measure but estimated that the situation is very critical for Uusimaa.

The entire council has pretty much been a rubber stamp. Well now take the power back, he commented.

The intention is not to sabotage the entire social and health care reform. Were drawing attention to the special circumstances and needs of Uusimaa.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Antti Aimo-Koivisto  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi




Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com





Oh, and if you see me driving my red 2010 Mustang GT convertible, please wave.

Hi, I am a retired newspaperman. I wrote 3 books on Trump and the media . I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 43 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.








Marge Doyle is running for the gigantic, sparsely-populated seat the starts in the San Bernardino suburbs and runs along the Nevada border almost as far north as Sacramento. Like Katie she is running a strong campaign tying her opponent to Trump and his policies. "We know that Paul Cook marches to the drumbeat of this administration and is nothing more than a rubber stamp for its policies that threaten our neighbors' health, jobs, and economy. We need someone with better discernment to represent our district." Yesterday, when Senor Trumpanzee arrived in California for the first time since Putin installed him in the White House, he was greeted by an open letter from the state Democratic Party. Some say it's over the top-- but, then again, so is Senor T. The Party, of course, is eager to tie congressional Trump enablers to him in the minds of independent voters, especially vulnerable incumbents like Jeff Denham, Devin Nunes, Duncan Hunter, David Valadao, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight and Paul Cook. We heard from Katie Porter, the progressive Democrat running for Mimi Walter's seat in central Orange County. She reminded us that Trump came to California "bringing with him his hateful and harmful agenda. And while Donald Trump is the big focus of the day, let's not forget that in our own backyard Rep. Mimi Walters continues to support Donald Tump, voting for his agenda 98% of the time. Mimi continues to side with the powerful special interests in Washington and forgets about her constituents here in Orange County. Just last year, Mimi voted to raise taxes on middle-class families in California. She has consistently fought to take away a woman's right to choose and voted for the AHCA where 33,700 people in CA-45 would have lost their health insurance. Mimi even sided with big oil and signed a letter to Secretary Zinke urging him to allow drilling off our beaches. Not to mention after the most recent tragedy in Parkland, Florida, all Mimi could do was offer her thoughts and prayers while she continued to hold on to the nearly $20,000 she has received from the NRA... I am running to stand up to Donald Trump and Mimi Walters, and to be the congresswoman that fights for middle-class Orange County families, not powerful special interests."Marge Doyle is running for the gigantic, sparsely-populated seat the starts in the San Bernardino suburbs and runs along the Nevada border almost as far north as Sacramento. Like Katie she is running a strong campaign tying her opponent to Trump and his policies. "We know that Paul Cook marches to the drumbeat of this administration and is nothing more than a rubber stamp for its policies that threaten our neighbors' health, jobs, and economy. We need someone with better discernment to represent our district."













Dear Mr. Trump,





We know its been a while since you visited California. Is it because were the reason you lost the popular vote?





Or the fact that the world looks to us as the leader on climate change?





Are you intimidated by our Governor who speaks Latin better than you speak, period?





Well, regardless of why you stayed away your first year in office, youre coming here today.





And since its your first trip in a couple of years, we thought you might appreciate some tips on how to have a productive and successful visit. Following these simple, easy-to-understand rules will help you navigate your way around a state that proudly lives in the 21st Century:





Tip #1  DONT PRAISE NAZIS. Seriously. Nazis are not popular anywhere, but theyre incredibly unpopular in California. We know this has been an issue for you in the past, so to be absolutely clear: DO NOT PRAISE NAZIS, WHITE SUPREMACISTS OR MEMBERS OF THE KKK WHILE YOU ARE IN CALIFORNIA.





Tip #2  Take a moment and enjoy our beautiful coastline. Its breathtaking, and were very proud of it. In particular, please notice that we have (more than) enough oil rigs on our coast. WE DONT NEED MORE OIL RIGS ON OUR COAST.





Tip #3  Dont try and divide people while youre here. Were incredibly diverse. Were one of the most diverse and inclusive places in the world. Were also a pretty chill group, but when you start attacking any of us, all of us react negatively. (Full disclosure: this isnt so much a tip on visiting California as it is a tip on being a decent human being).





Tip #4 - Do Not Come For Maxine Waters Unless She Sends For You. We know you have some issues with your fiercest critic in Congress. Resist the temptation, bite your tongue, hand your list of racist dog whistles back to Jeff Sessions, and do not insult Maxine Waters. She's a California Icon and you're not in her league. And while we're on the subject...





Tip #5 - Treat women like human beings. We know this has *also* been an issue for you over the years. California is the epicenter of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement for a reason, and we are doing the hard work of building a society where women have equal rights, equal opportunity and equal treatment. You should take this chance to learn from us.





Tip #6  Dont brag about those jobs you created this year. First off, if someone gets the credit, it's President Obama since you inherited his robust economy. Second, we dont need to hear about all those jobs since most of them were created in California, and-- GASP!-- they arent in the coal industry. Green energy, sustainable manufacturing, biotechnology, telecommunications, software development... those are the jobs were creating (that youre taking credit for). Youre welcome.





Tip # 7  Talk about your pals in Congress! Jeff Denham, Devin Nunes, David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy, Mimi Walters, Steve Knight, Tom McClintock-- theyre all your friends! Theyve all been loyal foot soldiers for you! Not a single one of them would ever dream of defying you, even if it hurt the people who elected them. Thank them loudly and publicly for their support! When a group of folks (particularly Members of Congress) abandon their morals, principles, honor and integrity to debase themselves for you, its just good manners to show them you appreciate it.





Tip #8  Brush up on the First Amendment (and the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Federalist Papers, etc). Look, we know you dont like protests. Heck, it seems like Saudi Arabia is your favorite country because they literally imprisoned anyone who dared to criticize you. But were very fond of the First Amendment, and we plan on using it vigorously while youre here. We are deeply appalled by your ICE Round-Ups, your assault on womens rights, your willful ignorance on climate change, your race baiting and LGBT bashing, your cowardly refusal to stand up to the NRA and your pathological inability to accept responsibility for anything. We love our First Amendment, and well take every opportunity we can to voice our outrage at your policies.





Bonus Tip!  Dont miss Alcatraz while youre here. You could also visit Folsom Prison, where Johnny Cash recorded one of his most iconic songs. Bottom line: We have some famous jails in California, and with the way the Mueller investigation is going, this might be a good time for you to start acquainting yourself with what prisons are like on the inside. (Take plenty of notes for Kushner).





We hope you have a safe trip, Mr. Trump. And we certainly hope you see California is thriving, and proud to be leading the National Resistance against you.





Democratically Yours,

--The CDP Team
No, that's not a scenario from; but from the. "Imagine," wrote Lee Davidson, "this years ballot with no Utah candidates listed as Republicans . Or, alternatively, the ballot listing only those Republicans who gathered signatures, while others who went through the GOP convention are shut out." Sounds good to me. And deserved

Republicans say those scenarios are a growing possibility now that the Legislature failed to pass a bill designed to fix problems caused by a recent bylaw change adopted by the Republican State Central Committee.





The fix-it bill, HB485, passed the House. It was on the Senate calendar awaiting action Thursday night when the Legislature adjourned as required at midnight-- so it died.





Now, I think theres certainly a cloud over this election, Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, sponsor of the bill, said Friday.





The questions swirling in the wake of HB485s demise include which, if any, Republicans eventually may appear on the ballot, whether the party may be listed at all-- or whether GOP hopefuls might be forced to run as unaffiliated candidates.





The turmoil stems from a recent party rule change forced through by hard-liners on the GOP State Central Committee that would kick out of the party candidates who gather signatures to qualify for the ballot in some races. Signature gathering, they argue, decreases the power of state delegates and infringes on the right of the party to choose its own nominees.





The problem is that the GOP last November filed to operate this election cycle as a qualified political party, which under state law means it would have to allow candidates to gather signatures, use the caucus-convention system, or both.





Its clear they [Central Committee members] made an effort to break the law with their bylaw change, McKell said, which could lead to lawsuits to revoke the GOPs qualified political party status. That, in turn, could decertify the party, or lead it to be declared a registered political party, which under law allows only those candidates who gather signatures to appear on the ballot.





McKells bill sought to solve problems by making clear that once a party files as a qualified political party, the party has no power to change midstream in an election cycle.





Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, Senate sponsor of the fix-it bill, said many of his colleagues lost interest in it after its narrow passage in the House, 40-31. Had it achieved 50 votes, it could have become effective immediately-- instead of in May.





Bramble said immediate implementation was important to provide clarity as people begin filing their candidate declarations.





Candidates must decide whether they go though the caucus-convention system, gather signatures or both. And without HB471, Bramble said, it remains murky whether the party actually has power to kick out those who gather signatures.





If the party tries to enforce its new rule by ousting signature-gathering candidates, McKell said, it could trigger punishment by the state.





...[Lt. Gov. Spencer] Cox (R) warned that the new party bylaw puts every Republican candidate at risk, as a judge could revoke the partys qualified political party status.





Alex Cragun, executive director of the Utah Democratic Party, said Friday that Cox cannot pick and choose which laws he can enforce, and should now move to strip the GOP of its qualified political party status. They can choose whether to violate the law, but they have to face the consequences.





Cragun said Democrats are finding it easier to recruit candidates this year with the Republicans ready to shoot themselves in the foot, and he and other party officials tell potential candidates you might not have an opponent in November.
Leaving Europe with Memorable Memories, GRAMMY Winning

Morgan Heritage Kicks Off Avrakedabra Caribbean Tour

Only 3 months into the new year and 2016 GRAMMY award winning and 2018 GRAMMY nominated Morgan Heritage have delivered reggae music vibes to the world starting with 3 continents (Africa, North America and Europe), and now to the delight of their Caribbean fans have announced selected dates for their Avrakedabra Caribbean Tour!

Known for their Rolling Stones-

reminiscent endurance, longevity and riveting performances, the royal family of reggae recently concluded the Avrakadebra Winter European tour by wowing patrons throughout Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. The jubilant crowds sang along as the siblings belted tune after tune effortlessly while encompassing soul and reggae grooves into their flexuous rhythmic patterns and melodic arrangements. Reggae music lovers danced the night away, and chanted to the group's soul-stirring songs such as their classic "Dont Haffi Dread" to their billboard hits "Wanna Be Loved" and "Pineapple Wine" and "Reggae Night" among other hit songs. Made up of people from different backgrounds, thoughts, beliefs, upbringing and social status, Morgan Heritage kept the crowd mesmerized and united as one through their gift of music.

It is those sentiments, those memorable experiences that the GRAMMY winning siblings will bring and deliver to their Caribbean fans. On

Friday March 16th, Morgan Heritage kicks off Avrakedabra Caribbean Tour 2018 in Barbados, taking them thereafter to St.Vincent, Curacao and Grenada. Get your tickets now before events are sold out

With more dates to be added, the ladder will lead to the highly anticipated Island Vibes Spring Tour alongside Fiji and Nomad (information coming soon)

GRAMMY nominated Avrakedabra album is available in North America

and Global
The Butcher, the Baker?

Ive spent a lot of time trying to decipher mid19th century orthography, and I think Ive interpreted the occupation of the Swiss immigrant whose descriptive list (1) Mike Musick wrote about in the August 2009 issue of Civil War Times (P. 15).

The first two letters (2) are obviously bu, and if you compare the odd-looking third letter to the t (3) in both Canton and Switzerland, you will see that it is also a t. The next two letters (4) are ch, although you would never guess as much unless you carefully compared them to the ch that appears at the end of his home village of Leikelbach (5).

The last visible letter is obviously an e, so Hefsi was apparently a butcher: The clerk either left off the r or ran it off the page, which the upstroke at the end suggests he did.

Bill Marvel

South Conway, N.H.

Hefti Mistake

As a researcher and writer, I completely agree with the caption for the Descriptive Roll of Company image accompanying Mike Musicks Research Room in the August issue of Civil War Times. A major challenge in reading handwritten Civil War documents or any handwritten historical document always lies in deciphering the penmanship.

However, I would like to point out the error you made in deciphering the example presented from a descriptive roll. The caption says the name of the 18-year-old enlistee is Marcus Hefsi. And the fourth letter in the last name does look like it should be an s. It is not. The name is Hefti, with a t (6).

Look at the second-to-last column, which gives Heftis birth location as Canton Glarus in Switzerland. Note the writing of the t in the words Canton and Switzerland (3) and compare them to the t in Hefti.

The Hefti family was and still is prominent in Canton Glarusa small canton or state in eastern Switzerland particu larly within the Snerf Valley, where my own ancestors came from. Hefti descendants created a prominent kosher biscuit business, as well as a dairy and a restaurant in the Glarus village of Engi.

After my own relations came to the United States, some of them enlisted and served in the Civil War. Although my great-grandfather was still a boy at the time, his older brothers and cousins joined Wisconsin regiments. They mainly spent the war doing guard duty in the Midwest.

Steve Norder

North Richland Hills, Texas

Not the VI Corps

I am in no way taking issue with the letters of Corporal Augustus Hesse, so brilliantly documented in Eric Campbells We Have Here a Great Fight, in your August 2009 issue. But I am compelled to point out that the good gunner erred when he claimed that the 6 corps had come up and took our Pieces back. The regiment that reclaimed the guns of Bigelows 9th Massachusetts Battery was the 150th New York State Volunteer Infantry of the XII Corps. The Dutchess County Regiment, alongside the 1st Maryland (Potomac Home Bri gade) of Lock  woods Independent Brigade, charged from near todays Pennsylvania Memorial to the Trostle Farm.

Im confident that a VI Corps unit did not draw off three guns of a Rhode Island battery from the area of the Trostle Farm on the evening of July 2, 1863. It appears the corporal was mistaken, but that certainly does not diminish his fine efforts on that field.

David Topps

Cornwall, N.Y.

Stop the McClellan Bashing

It seems your editors never tire of stomping on the grave of George McClellan. Even when your articles are fair and responsible, you find it necessary to use false or biased headlines such as predictable politician, refuses to win and hatred of Lincoln. Union failures have to be blamed on someone, and surely that someone cant be Lincoln, in his cosmic wisdom.

James Coulos

Geneva, Ill.

Little Mac Needed Experience

Many years after the war ended, George McClellan said, It probably would have been better for me personally had my promotion been delayed a year or more. I believe McClellan enjoyed success too early in life. His rise had been meteoric; nothing had stood in his way. He had barely commanded a division prior to assuming supreme command of Union forces in 1861.

McClellan had not faced any obstacles to his promotion. His charmed life led to his failure when he commanded the Army of the Potomac. He needed to endure a few failures, as did Ulysses S. Grant.

Naim Peress

Forest Hills, N.Y.

Does Retribution Ring a Bell?

I just read For Whom the Bell Tolled, about the burning of Chambersburg, Pa., by John McCausland in the June 2009 issue of Civil War Times. My close friend George McCausland, who died recently, was the grandson of General McCausland and owned the generals derringer, and he would say this article leaves out a very important fact: After Union Maj. Gen. David Hunter burned the Virginia Military Institute to the ground in June 1864, McCausland sought retribution for the destruction of his alma mater.

The monies that McCausland asked for in the town of Chambersburg were intended to rebuild that fine Southern institution in Lexington.

Bruce L. Downs

Palmer, Ala.

Flag That!

I thought your readers might be interested to know that the preserved flag of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry Regiment shown in Augusts Mail Call is on display at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka.

Lt. Cmdr. Orvis N. Fitts

Overland Park, Kan.

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Gary Gallaghers article in the June issue on the movie Glory was as great as the movie. There is another great Civil War film that I highly recommendThe General, starring Buster Keaton as Johnny Gray, a Confederate railroad engineer. This 1927 silent films story is based on the locomotive chase known as Andrews Raid in 1862, when Union Army volunteers commandeered a train headed for Chattanooga. This classic is a delight. I hope to see it in your review column.

Jonathon Uhlig

Plattsburg, N.Y.

Originally published in the October 2009 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
New Missouri Park to Honor 1st Kansas Colored Infantry

State officials as well as volunteers are working to establish a state park in an area of Bates County, Mo., where the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry skirmished with Confederate guerrillas in October 1862. The encounter is known today as the skirmish of Island Mound.

The 250-man 1st Kansas, believed to have been the first African-American soldiers to see fighting in the war, had fortified its position inside a farmhouse on the property of John Toothman near the Kansas-Nebraska border. The Union troops managed to keep a larger guerrilla force at bay until the Rebels drove them into a river bottom. But the Kansans, many of them former slaves from Missouri and Arkansas, then held on until the guerrillas withdrew.

In the course of that engagement, the Union force lost eight men killed and another 11 wounded. Accounts place Confederate casualties as high as 30 killed. At the time of the skirmish, the 1st Kansas had not yet been officially mustered into the Union Army; it would be redesignated the 79th U.S. Colored Troops in December 1864.

The Missouri Division of State Parks recently purchased 40 acres of farmland where the fighting took place, which will be designated as a state historical site. Although the specific site of the skirmish and the Toothman homestead are still undetermined, they are believed to lie within the designated acreage according to Brant Vollman, an archaeologist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Testing is currently underway on the property to determine what happened exactly where.

Thomas Starr King Displaced in D.C.

Though I weigh only 120 pounds, said Unitarian minister Rev. Thomas Starr King, when Im mad I weigh a ton. Fortunately the diminutive Kings fiery passion for the Union led him to weigh into a hard-fought battle against secession in California in 1861. On George Washingtons birthday, for example, he harangued a huge audience about the need to keep California in the Union. I pitched into Secession, Concession and [former U.S. Vice President John C.] Calhoun, right and left, and made the Southerners applaud, he later boasted. I pledged California to a Northern Republic and to a flag that should have no treacherous threads of cotton in its warp, and the audience came down in thunder.

Had King been less persuasive, Californias extensive resources might have been thrown to the South. He also used his persuasive powers to raise funds for the U.S. Sanitary Commission, sending $1.25 million to New York. When King died of diphtheria and pneumonia in 1864, the state legislature passed a resolution calling him a tower of strength to the cause of his country.

Today King has been replacedliterallyas an iconic figure in Californias heritage by a more recent hero, President Ronald Reagan. This past June a statue of King that had long stood in the U.S. Capitol was replaced by one representing the late president. But since 1941 the eloquent Kings legacy has taken on new life in the form of a theological school: the Starr King School for the Ministry, formerly known as the Pacific Unitarian School for the Ministry, in Berkeley, Calif.

Will One Eyesore Replace Another at Monocacy?

The Frederick County Commissioners are proposing a trade- off of sorts: Advancing plans to build a widely debated trash incinerator not far from the Monocacy National Battlefield while they advocate tearing down an unsightlyand outdatedsmokestack that is also within the battlefields view shed. The 300-foot-tall smokestack is part of the Essroc Concrete plant near Buckeystown, Md., and commissioners have been negotiating in recent months with the firm to find the cost of removing it.

As it turns out, a new 270-foot smokestack for the proposed incinerator is slated to be built even closer to the historic site. According to the Frederick News-Post, the Monocacy battlefields supervisor, Susan Trail, indicated she would be happy to see the Essroc stack go, but then said, Im still concernedabout the site itself. Are we substituting one stack for another stack? Basically, we would be.

Pension Files: Treasure by the Roomful

Row upon row of dusty boxes, each containing dozens of pension files, fill room after room of the National Archives building in downtown Washington, D.C. The same structure that safeguards the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is home to these unique records, which bring to life the soldiers, sailors and Marines who de  fended the nation.

More than any other kind of federal document, pensions chronicle the lives of their subjects from birth to death, not only summarizing military service but often disclosing when and where a veteran lived after the war, what he did, who he married, the names and birth dates of his children, and when and how he died. Ranging from a few pages to hundreds, the contents of a servicemans folder may include surprises. Photographs, war  time letters, commission documents, even marriage certificates turn up with pleasing frequency. Since injuries that occurred during service determined the amount of money given out, extensive medical testimony is particularly common.

Not everyone was awarded a pension, but even rejected applications were retained. Since Confederate veterans and their dependents were ineligible for federal benefits based on Civil War service until 1957, they are barely represented at all. Southern state archives preserve pensions granted to their residents who battled for Southern independence. Stonewall Jacksons widow has a federal file, but it is based on her husbands contributions during the Mexican War.

Not uncommonly, pension files contain painful revelations. Alcoholism, infidelity, desertion and indeed all the chicanery and frailty to which flesh is heir fill many a page of testimony. Even more frequently, wounds, sickness and sacrifice come to light in startling detail. The unparalleled richness and extent of this resource make it a fitting complement to the Founding Charters.

Mike Musick

Mike Musick worked for 35 years at the National Archives (archives. gov) as the Subject Area Expert for the Civil War.

Rhode Island to Shorten Its Name?

The state that raised 41 Union regiments has had a long association with slavery. Many Rhode Islanders built fortunes on slavery, and a reminder is still extant in its official name: The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantationsarrived at in 1636 by blending of colonies on the Isle of Rhodes and slave-owning plantations established by Roger Williams.

Joseph Almeida recently sponsored a bill to permit a referendum on eliminating the plantations reference, saying, we dont want that chapter of our history to be apart of our name. Opponents point out that when the state was founded, plantations was just a synonym for farming settlements.

Originally published in the October 2009 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
William Lorings desperate slog to avoid capture changed the course of the Vicksburg Campaign.

Where was Major General William Loring? The Battle of Champion Hill on May 16, 1863, had not gone well for the Confederate army. By dusk, the Rebels were in full retreat before Major General Ulysses S. Grants victorious force. Major General Carter Stevensons division had already retreated westward and crossed the Big Black River. Brigadier General John Bowens division was desperately trying to hold the Raymond Road open so that Lorings men, acting as the armys rear guard, could make good their escape. But Bowen was hard pressed, and several Federal units were within minutes of cutting his force off from Vicksburg. The Missourian had no choice but to retreat toward the Big Black. The one-armed Loring was on his own.

Lieutenant General John Pemberton, commander of the Confederate force, and his officers could only wonder at the fate of Lorings division: Had it been destroyed or captured? Had he marched to join General Joe Johnston at Jackson? Or even worse, had Loring purposely remained behind so hed no longer have to serve under Pemberton?

That last myth, unfortunately, has stuck around for years. One staff officer in Lorings division remarked that there is quite a feud existing between Loring and Pembertonso far as Loring is concerned, and he and another staff officer agreed Loring would be willing for Pemberton to lose a battle provided that he would be displaced. But the idea that Loring abandoned Pemberton on the battlefield seems to be a postwar construct, popularized in reminiscences. One veteran even claimed that Loring had said, you can tell General Pemberton to go to hell and that I am going through to General Johnston. Even some modern historians, most notably James R. Arnold in Grant Wins the War, have ascribed to this theory. Wartime sources, however, tell a different story.

Loring had not fallen captive, nor was he lost. His troops were still operating east of Bakers Creek and still retained a good degree of organization despite the death of a brigade commander. But Lorings men were stranded on the same side of the creek with thousands of Federals.

Loring had put up a stiff rear guard defense, and one of his detached regiments, the 12th Louisiana, had actually already crossed to the west side of Bakers Creek to join Bowen on the orders of Stevenson, who had notified Loring of his action. Loring, however, ordered the Pelicans to rejoin the division, and they countermarched to the east bank of Bakers Creek. When Bowen witnessed the countermarch, he believed that Loring had no intention of crossing at the Raymond Road bridge, and ordered his men to retreat.

But Loring did plan to cross at the bridge. After receiving a note from Bowen informing him of the dire situation in the area around the bridge, Loring immediately ordered his division westward. Brigade commanders Abraham Buford and Winfield Featherston withdrew close to the bridge, and the brigade of the deceased Lloyd Tilghman, under Colonel Arthur Reynolds, broke off contact and headed for the crossing. The Federals were right behind them. One Alabamian remembered that the enemy encircled the division in the shape of a horseshoe.

Arriving at the creek, Loring received several reports that Yankee artillery fire was raking the Raymond Road. Loring realized the enemy had boxed him in on three sides. Still intent on rejoining Pemberton, Loring began to search for other possibilities to escape. Unfortunately, the only open route was south, away from Vicksburg. But Loring had to move quickly. The general needed the services of a local guide, but Pemberton had taken Lorings only guide. Loring sent for another local who agreed to lead the march, Dr. W.B. Williamson, a native of Edwards Station.

Williamson claimed he could direct the division to another unguarded ford a few miles south of the Raymond Road. Loring accepted the proposal. Williamson led Loring southward along the east bank of Bakers Creek, slogging across plantations, swamps and marshes. But Williamson could not locate the ford, and Lorings division had to countermarch back nearly to the field of battle to find a substantial road. Marching near the Coker House, many soldiers reported seeing enemy campfires on both sides of the column. One soldier remembered passing by and even through some Union bivouacs without molestation. Some Federals, probably half asleep, frequently asked their identity, whereupon the wily Confederates would answer with ours, or 99th Rhode Island. The division made its way out of the greatest danger, using what one participant described as neighborhood roads and paths long unused.

But the going remained difficult. The division had no supplies, and each soldier carried just a few rounds of ammunition. The rough roads, ravines and gullies were playing havoc with wheeled vehicles, and Loring had his artillerymen cut their horses loose and left 12 guns spiked in a swamp.

The situation became even more desperate when the column neared a large creek. Lorings officers spread word for the infantrymen to throw their arms, ammunition and anything that would prove a hindrance into the water. Most of the guns and ammunition, one Confederate remembered, were safely deposited in the bed of the river. The division was essentially unarmed.

Lorings men made better progress unencumbered by heavy guns and small arms. Williamson, however, still could not find the ford, and the division had to march 10 miles before it came across a sufficient crossing. One disgruntled Confederate remembered, we marched twelve miles to reach that four mile ford. By that time, Loring realized he could not rejoin the army.

He could plainly see a tremendous fire in the direction of Edwards Station, indicating either that Pemberton had destroyed everything of value or the Federals had sacked the place. Either scenario meant that the Confederates no longer held Edwards Station and the Federals now lay between Loring and Pemberton. Loring would have to cross the Big Black somewhere to the south.

Williamson recommended that Loring see another local man, Andrew J. Vaughan, who was brought to the generals. Vaughan explained that high water would make the crossings difficult, and there was a massive swamp east of the river. There seemed no way the division could succeed in such a march, especially at night. To make matters worse, it seemed likely Grants men would have the Big Black crossings well covered.

After hearing Vaughans opinions, Loring met with his officers and determined that marching to Vicksburg would be suicidal. Loring reluctantly ordered his exhausted men southeast toward the New Orleans, Jackson & Great Northern Railroad. Perhaps he could escape toward Jackson and link with Johnston.

By 3 a.m. on May 17, the troops reached Dillon, their intended destination on May 15 before the battle at Champion Hill changed the course of the campaign. Loring pushed his men onward, and learned from a local citizen that the column was near the town of Utica, but about 500 Federals held the place. Loring had more than 5,000 men, but his troops were too exhausted and poorly armed for combat. From Utica, the division marched for Crystal Springs, entering the town on the night of May 17. After 24 hours of marching, the division had made 40 miles. The division marched on, crossed the Pearl River and arrived near Jackson on May 19, where Loring reported to Johnston. The forced march had played havoc with Lorings division. Straggling became the norm, and many men fell captive to roving bands of enemy soldiers. Loring lost some 3,000 troops on his march.

William Loring had his faults, to be sure. He had frequently quarreled with superiors before this, including Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson in Virginia earlier in the war. Yet only after all chance of rejoining the army had passed did Loring march away from Pemberton.

This turn of events, however, altered the campaign. Had Pemberton not waited on Loring, he likely would not have had to fight the battle at the Big Black River bridge the next day, where he took another thumping. Conversely, had Loring been trapped in Vicksburg with the rest of Pembertons army, his men would not have materially strengthened the defenses but would have meant 7,000 more mouths to feed. Lorings march away from Pemberton provided Johnston with more men to nip at Grants rear and, months later, to defend the interior of Mississippi. But when Loring marched away from Champion Hill, it was out of necessity, not by choice.

Timothy B. Smith teaches at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

Originally published in the August 2009 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
Notanee Bourassa knew that what he was seeing in the night sky was not normal. Bourassa, an IT technician in Regina, Canada, trekked outside of his home on July 25, 2016, around midnight with his two younger children to show them a beautiful moving light display in the sky -- an aurora borealis. He often sky gazes until the early hours of the morning to photograph the aurora with his Nikon camera, but this was his first expedition with his children. When a thin purple ribbon of light appeared and starting glowing, Bourassa immediately snapped pictures until the light particles disappeared 20 minutes later. Having watched the northern lights for almost 30 years since he was a teenager, he knew this wasn't an aurora. It was something else.

From 2015 to 2016, citizen scientists -- people like Bourassa who are excited about a science field but don't necessarily have a formal educational background -- shared 30 reports of these mysterious lights in online forums and with a team of scientists that run a project called Aurorasaurus. The citizen science project, funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, tracks the aurora borealis through user-submitted reports and tweets.

The Aurorasaurus team, led by Liz MacDonald, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, conferred to determine the identity of this mysterious phenomenon. MacDonald and her colleague Eric Donovan at the University of Calgary in Canada talked with the main contributors of these images, amateur photographers in a Facebook group called Alberta Aurora Chasers, which included Bourassa and lead administrator Chris Ratzlaff. Ratzlaff gave the phenomenon a fun, new name, Steve, and it stuck.

But people still didn't know what it was.

Scientists' understanding of Steve changed that night Bourassa snapped his pictures. Bourassa wasn't the only one observing Steve. Ground-based cameras called all-sky cameras, run by the University of Calgary and University of California, Berkeley, took pictures of large areas of the sky and captured Steve and the auroral display far to the north. From space, ESA's (the European Space Agency) Swarm satellite just happened to be passing over the exact area at the same time and documented Steve.

For the first time, scientists had ground and satellite views of Steve. Scientists have now learned, despite its ordinary name, that Steve may be an extraordinary puzzle piece in painting a better picture of how Earth's magnetic fields function and interact with charged particles in space. The findings are published in a study released today in Science Advances.

"This is a light display that we can observe over thousands of kilometers from the ground," said MacDonald. "It corresponds to something happening way out in space. Gathering more data points on STEVE will help us understand more about its behavior and its influence on space weather."

The study highlights one key quality of Steve: Steve is not a normal aurora. Auroras occur globally in an oval shape, last hours and appear primarily in greens, blues and reds. Citizen science reports showed Steve is purple with a green picket fence structure that waves. It is a line with a beginning and end. People have observed Steve for 20 minutes to 1 hour before it disappears.

If anything, auroras and Steve are different flavors of an ice cream, said MacDonald. They are both created in generally the same way: Charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field lines.

The uniqueness of Steve is in the details. While Steve goes through the same large-scale creation process as an aurora, it travels along different magnetic field lines than the aurora. All-sky cameras showed that Steve appears at much lower latitudes. That means the charged particles that create Steve connect to magnetic field lines that are closer to Earth's equator, hence why Steve is often seen in southern Canada.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Steve appeared in the satellite data. The data showed that Steve comprises a fast moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub auroral ion drift, or SAID. Scientists have studied SAIDs since the 1970s but never knew there was an accompanying visual effect. The Swarm satellite recorded information on the charged particles' speeds and temperatures, but does not have an imager aboard.

"People have studied a lot of SAIDs, but we never knew it had a visible light. Now our cameras are sensitive enough to pick it up and people's eyes and intellect were critical in noticing its importance," said Donovan, a co-author of the study. Donovan led the all-sky camera network and his Calgary colleagues lead the electric field instruments on the Swarm satellite.

Steve is an important discovery because of its location in the sub auroral zone, an area of lower latitude than where most auroras appear that is not well researched. For one, with this discovery, scientists now know there are unknown chemical processes taking place in the sub auroral zone that can lead to this light emission.

Second, Steve consistently appears in the presence of auroras, which usually occur at a higher latitude area called the auroral zone. That means there is something happening in near-Earth space that leads to both an aurora and Steve. Steve might be the only visual clue that exists to show a chemical or physical connection between the higher latitude auroral zone and lower latitude sub auroral zone, said MacDonald.

"Steve can help us understand how the chemical and physical processes in Earth's upper atmosphere can sometimes have local noticeable effects in lower parts of Earth's atmosphere," said MacDonald. "This provides good insight on how Earth's system works as a whole."

The team can learn a lot about Steve with additional ground and satellite reports, but recording Steve from the ground and space simultaneously is a rare occurrence. Each Swarm satellite orbits Earth every 90 minutes and Steve only lasts up to an hour in a specific area. If the satellite misses Steve as it circles Earth, Steve will probably be gone by the time that same satellite crosses the spot again.

In the end, capturing Steve becomes a game of perseverance and probability.

"It is my hope that with our timely reporting of sightings, researchers can study the data so we can together unravel the mystery of Steve's origin, creation, physics and sporadic nature," said Bourassa. "This is exciting because the more I learn about it, the more questions I have."

As for the name "Steve" given by the citizen scientists? The team is keeping it as an homage to its initial name and discoverers. But now it is STEVE, short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Macedonian Thrace Brewery (MTB) has welcomed the success in its long-running legal battle with Heineken and its 98.8%-owned Greek operating subsidiary, Athenian Brewery (AB), for anti-competitive market abuses in Greece.

This is the decision by the Greek Public Prosecutor to dismiss the allegations of perjury made by AB against MTB as fundamentally unfounded. The prosecutor concluded that the complaint by Heineken's subsidiary was "totally false and had been filed with malicious intent".

Demetri Politopoulos, one of MTBs founders said: Heineken would have you believe it is a responsible global brewer that is committed to integrity and fairness. The real Heineken experience for MTB and Greek consumers has been one of a sustained attack on fair competition, delivered via Athenian Brewery.

The unsuccessful complaint by AB was filed shortly after MTB had given its support to the Public Prosecutors criminal action in Greece against two senior Heineken executives at Athenian Brewery who were charged with competition law infringements and are due to face trial this month after several postponements. The trial was originally scheduled for July 2016.

These criminal charges were brought following a 12-year-long investigation by the Hellenic Competition Commission (HCC) which in 2015 ruled that for nearly two decades AB had systematically abused its dominant market position in violation of Greek and EU competition law.

Politopoulos added: The HCC proved that Athenian Brewery manipulated this market, restricting competition and limiting consumer choice. Through vexatious legal actions, AB has subsequently tried to bully and stifle our right to legal recourse with multiple lawsuits and appeals.

All have failed. Its now time for AB and Heineken, which has ultimate responsibility for its operating business, to hold its hands up, apologise and pay the price for this sustained market abuse.

In July 2017, an appeal by AB against the HCC findings was dismissed by the Athens Administrative Appeals Court, confirming a record 26.7m fine on Heinekens Greek subsidiary. The court endorsed a large body of evidence that AB, which sells Alfa, Amstel and Heineken in Greece, had implemented a targeted policy to exclude competitors from wholesalers, as well as on-trade and off-trade retail outlets.

Following on from the decision in Greece, MTB launched a 100m damages claim against Heineken and AB in the Court of Amsterdam, commercial division, in February 2017. The court will hear summary legal arguments on March 22.
The idea that students, who often need to repeat exams due to personal circumstances, will now have to pay a fee that is fifteen per cent of the annual college fees is ridiculous and may see many students drop out of college courses in TCD as a consequence"

He added: Trinity College need to clarify immediately what the process was in place for making this decision, and what engagement took place with the student representatives. Was the Department of Education aware that this movement was afoot?

From an institution that is capable of purchasing a 1.95 million apartment for their Provost who couldnt handle noise during the Luas Cross City works, it is scandalous that students in a vulnerable position will now see these types of charges imposed on them.
As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.
Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
This is a guest post by Michael Bosia, Associate Professor of Political Science at St. Michaels College in Colchester, Vermont. You can find him on Twitter at @VTPoliticsProf.

In December 2001  less than two months after the al-Qaeda attack on the World Trade Center and not even a month from the day US and UK forces invaded Afghanistan  I was with Act Up Paris as activists carried a banner emblazoned AIDS: The Other War to lead their annual World AIDS Day march. Behind the banner, marchers raised signs reminding that more people were dying from complications of HIV every day than were killed on 9/11 in lower Manhattan: SIDA: 10,000 morts par jour (AIDS: 10,000 Dead Each Day). It was not the first time war as metaphor had colored the activist groups rhetoric; in fact, their response to 9/11 is emblematic of how they combine as truth-telling both careful analysis and bodily provocation, often so unsettling, when confronting powerful elites and emboldened populists. While the portrait of Act Up in the United States has been presented in the 2012 documentary and 2016 book How to Survive a Plague, the stories of Act Up Paris and the challenges French activists faced are largely unknown to the English-speaking public, but that is corrected now that 120 Battements par Minute (BPM (Beats Per Minute) in English) is available to stream in the U.S. This month named the Cesar Best Picture and awarded the Grand Prix at Cannes last year, the fictionalized account depicts the early years of Act Up Paris.

Founded in 1989 after what some have called a lost decade in the French LGBT and anti-AIDS movements, Act Up faced both neoliberal economic change from the left and the rise of populism on the right in an early preview of todays politics. In response, they were compelled by the death and disease they faced every day to develop new tactics and rhetoric, queering the powerful images and ideas inherited from the 1968 generation by inserting their bodies  so terrifying as transgressive and diseased  into the political discourse at the same time they acquired scientific expertise that blindsided the establishment.

Activist-director Robin Compillo has been lauded by veteran Act Up members for BPMs exquisite evocation of the anger, pain, despair, and hope of those first years in the early 1990s, allowing us into what can only be described as a remarkably small group of friends, lovers, and comrades  not many more than a few hundred  who dedicated their lives and changed the world in which they lived. As Campillos film shows, this was not just a response to illness: activism reminds us that the body is the site of everything from lesions, blood, and semen to death, sex, intimacy, and joy, all made central to political struggle and discourse. Along with the standard tactics of political education and weapons like satire and drag, the body was as well a site where solidarity was crafted among those affected by the disease to sway a public and political leadership alternatingly hostile and indifferent. This is an important lesson for the resistance today as we seek to fuse the embodied marginalization of gender, race and sexuality with a sound analysis of the economic precarity wrought by crony capitalism and neoliberalism.

While the ravages of AIDS on the body have dominated award winning films before, even the central gay couple in Jonathan Demmes Philadelphia (1993), however loving, avoided the intimate physical contact that is central to the struggle against AIDS. The lovers and activists of BPM share an emotional, physical, sexual and political intimacy that connects their political struggle to their embodied selves and their search for knowledge. In a startling contrast, the final scene of the dying main character in the US film dissolves into home movies of his childhood, while one pivotal moment in BPM pans out from the coffin of a fallen activist to a giant political funeral march through the center of Paris, followed by the use of his ashes as part of an action targeting a pharmaceutical company.

Act Up Paris was organized in the wake of a series of unresponsive governments. Though the Socialists elected in 1981 removed the remaining vestiges of the criminalization of homosexuality soon after taking office, the governments focus on economic reform and globalization in the era of Reagan and Thatcher, coupled with the kinds of visceral homophobia that ranged from the opprobrium of the governing parties to the virulent hostility of populists, resulted in a number of stunning failures to intercede against AIDS when early action could make a difference. Political and medical leaders somehow felt France was safe, as they assumed AIDS was an American disease, and that because of this, France and French gay men were largely free of risk unless they made the mistake of cavorting in the US. With AIDS often called a Cancer Gay New Yorkaise, the newspaper Le Matin in 1983 published an early story about the disease under the headline AIDS Made In America (in English).

Chief among the extremists was the leader of the National Front, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who said in 1984 that homosexuality, if it is allowed to develop, represents the end of civilization, warning in a television interview that immigrants will move in with you, eat your soup and sleep with your wife, your daughter, and your son. AIDS provided just the right glue to bind together those sexual and foreign bodies he despised, with the emerging story of its origins in Africa and US. In 1986, without a standard term in use to describe those living with HIV/AIDS, Le Pen coined his own: Sidaique. The word combined the acronym for AIDS in French (SIDA) and Judaique, used to describe the Jewish faith or culture that Le Pen considered as oriental as Arab culture. In 1997, I found the extremist partys message reduced to a simple slogan written in graffiti on a wall in the French capital: Islam=SIDA.

Act Up Paris responded by claiming its legitimacy as a French movement, in terms that resonate broadly in French politics but that also bridged the alternative movements that began in 1968 and continued to build through the 1970s and 80s. They did this in two ways. First is the story of a young hemophiliac with HIV and his mother, victims of the governments decision to hold off on US-developed blood purification technology and instead to supply French blood products infected with HIV for the treatment of hemophilia. Turning to Act Up when they could find no other support to channel their anger and fear, and featured by Campillo in the film as Marco and Helene, their story is central to the early years of the movement by providing Act Up the ability to offer a daily account of outrage against the highest government officials. With administrators on trial in 1992 over the distribution of contaminated blood, Act Up convinced a largely hostile public that the spread of HIV resulted from neoliberal economic policies that prioritized profit and the position of French industry in a globalizing economy, establishing that the government failures at the heart of the epidemic were written on the bodies of hemophiliacs in the same way they were written on the bodies of gay men. Seizing their own credentials as more credible sources and advocates for the public interest than Socialist government officials or some of the experts in the medical establishment, they demonstrated that gay men, even as they faced ostracism and death, were more concerned about mothers and children than the populists pretended to be.

Second, Act Up Paris launched a vigorous operation to build networks among immigrant populations, an intersectional approach credited in part to Act Up theorist Philippe Mangeot who co-wrote the film with Campillo. Ultimately embedding political interventions in counseling services for HIV positive immigrants, it was designed as a reflexive political dialogue so that action would meet the needs of the populations affected. This is how Act Up became intimately knowledgeable about and involved in immigrant and anti-racism politics, with activists often rushing to the airport to form a bodily blockade in front of authorities executing a deportation order against an undocumented immigrant living with HIV in France. It was over the expulsion of one such immigrant that an Act Up president disrupted a 1996 national AIDS telethon during prime time to confront a government minister, crying in frustration, Cest quoi, ce pays du merde? (What is this f**king country?).

Though Campillo situates his film nearly 10 years before the events of 2001 with which I began, the narratives of love and anger it tells, and the details of scientific research, reflexive strategies, and embodied rhetoric it reveals, are the same ones illustrated in the Act Up Paris march on that cold World AIDS Day. AIDS activists drew from their personal experiences with death and life to tell stories of marginalization in vividly embodied terms, establishing parallels between the debates over neoliberal economic policies and populist responses to migration with the physical experiences of people with HIV. Even dressed in drag as cheerleaders for one gay pride march, they used their physical selves as part of a rhetorical arsenal that confronted neglect and loathing with the joyousness of love and solidarity. Never shy and always provocatively confrontational, their response to the events of 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan paralleled their assault on the medical, research, and political establishment throughout the 1990s.

As instruction in embodied solidarity, BPM reminds us how human experience situates marginalized, transgressive and diseased bodies at the forefront of politics, against the dominance of a privileged group of white, straight, men  both elite and populist  who distort the public good, silence the marginalized, and redefine economic policy on terms written by the privileged. It is a lesson many have learned  from the organizers of #BlackLivesMatter and the Womens March to the spontaneous demonstrators who occupied airports in response to the so-called Muslim ban and others coming forward as part of #MeToo.
How To Fix Music Modernization Acts Broken Audit Clause

The much maligned Music Modernization Act here comes under fire for its fatally flawed "audit" clause. Rather than simply cast stones however, this article form Chris Castle looks at potential solution for fixing the clause.

_______________________

Guest post by Chris Castle of Music Tech Policy

,  

The famous old Russian proverb reminds us to trust but verify. Thats been the story in the record business since the cylindrical disc. All the modernization in the world will not soothe songwriters genetic suspicion of their accounting statements.

The collective to be established by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) undertakes the obligation to handle other peoples money. It quickly follows that those whose money the collective handles need to be able to verify their royalty payments from time to time. This has been an absolutely standard part of every royalty-based agreement in the music business for a good 50 years if not longer.

But like every aspect of the MMA, one has to always remember that while all songwriters may be equal, some songwriters are more equal than others. The MMA creates a two tier systemthose who opt out of the compulsory blanket license by the mutual agreement of a rights owner and a digital service in the form of a voluntary agreement and those who do not. Those who do not have this opt-out right appear to receive payment directly from the collective instead of directly from the serviceadding another set of hands and transaction costs. (It must be said that this group receiving payment under the compulsory blanket license will presumably also include those who currently have a voluntary license with digital services that is not renewed it in future.)

The collective undertakes the responsibility of accounting should anticipate concerns of songwriters regarding verifying the accuracy of the statements and payments it renders. However, the MMA provides no supervisory oversight and in my view has a rather punitive black box clause that allows unmatched royalties to be paid on a market share basis to publishers, and then on to their lucky songwriters pro rata. This suggests that everyone who is in that lucky songwriters chain, like managers, business managers and lawyers working on a percentage basis may also get a share of these black box distributions in compensation.

So on the face of it, the MMA creates a relatively large category of people who have an economic interest in the black box. You can be cynical and think that they have an interest in the black box being as large as possible (meaning the accounting controls are as weak as possible), or you can agree with five-time Grammy winner Maria Schneider that if the lucky songwriters actually knew that they were being paid with money that belonged to the unlucky songwriters, they would be angry about that unfairness. Emphasis on the actually knew.

Or you could say, lets not go either directionlets set up transparency and controls so that the incentives are properly aligned to create the smallest black box possible. No publisher needs the writer-relations headache of suspicious minds, and the collective should do what it can to be above reproach. Here are a couple solutions to increase the trust level: Add oversight of the collective by the Office of the Inspector General (as a quasi-governmental organand at least designated by the Copyright Office and operating under the control of the Copyright Office, and also tighten up the audit clauses in the MMA to treat songwriters auditing the collective the same as the collective is treated by the digital services.

The Inspector General

One way to make sure that the collectivea quasi governmental organization in my viewis run honestly is to make it subject to oversight review by one of the U.S. Governments many Inspectors General. Rick Carnes of the Songwriters Guild of America suggested this to Rep. Doug Collins at the University of Georgia Artist Rights Symposium in a question from the floor.

For example, the Library of Congress (currently where the Copyright Office is housed) has an Inspector General. Since the Copyright Office has a lot to do with the creation and periodic review of the collective, they could save themselves a bunch of Freedom of Information Act requests from angry songwriters by having an Inspector General review the collective annually (or better yet, in real time).

My understanding is that giving an IG jurisdiction over the collective will require some enabling legislation, but I think its something well worth looking into. It would give the songwriters of the world a true-blue fiduciary to represent their interests as well as comfort that they had a line of appeal with some teeth short of expensive litigation.

Audits

The Inspector General is not in the current draft of the MMA, but audits areboth audits of the collective by songwriters and audits by the collective of digital music services. Well focus on audits of the collective in this post. It should be said that under the current compulsory license now in effect (i.e., pre-MMA), songwriters get no audit right, so the fact that there is an audit right at all is an incremental improvement.

Unfortunately, the MMAs audit right still keeps songwriters away from auditing the right partythe digital servicesand keeps that upstream data away from them. Plus, all audits under MMA appear to be subject to confidential treatment. I dont think theres a good reason to keep these secret. If a smart auditor finds a flaw in the collectives accounting systems, that flaw should be disclosed and there should be an automatic true up of everyone affected.

But first, lets realize what an audit actually is. It is a term of art in the music business and really means a royalty compliance examination which is solely focused on making sure that statements and payments rendered conform to the contract concerned, or in this case, the statutory requirements of the compulsory blanket license.

(It also must be said that as Maria notes, the MMA specifically exempts the collective from any responsibility for incompetent royalty accounting other than gross negligence, which usually means blatant indifference to a legal duty or something along those linesassuming the collectives board or employees actually have a legal duty to account correctly which it may not.)

The person conducting a royalty audit is typically not a certified public accountant as there is nothing about conducting this examination that requires a knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), financial accounting, or Sarbannes Oxley compliance. It is, in fact, quite rare for a royalty audit to be conducted by a CPA, and Ive even had lawyers conduct an audit because the analysis involved is mostly that of contractual, or statutory, interpretation. Analysis of music industry-specific contracts is typically not part of the training of CPAs. So even if an auditor is a CPA, the skills needed to conduct the audit are typically learned through on the job training.

What is very common, however, is for someone on the receiving end of the audit to try to require the auditor be a CPA, arguably to increase the cost of the audit on the person owed money. CPAs often bill at higher rates than do royalty auditors, which creates a disincentive for audits. What is also common is for lawyers to think that every time they draft a clause about anyone conducting anything having to do with accounting, that they need to limit the person doing that examination to a CPA, becausewell, because This is what I call stupid lawyer tricks, and the CPA requirement is something that is routinely negotiated away in record deals and publishing deals if you have an ounce of leverage.

Heres the preamble of the MMAs audit clause for audits of the collective:

A copyright owner entitled to receive payments of royalties for covered activities from the mechanical licensing collective may, individually or with other copyright owners, conduct an audit of the mechanical licensing collective to verify the accuracy of royalty payments and distributions by the mechanical licensing collective to such copyright owner

Remembercopyright owners under the compulsory are not allowed to audit the service, although the collective may audit the service. (And, of course, voluntary agreements are governed by their terms regarding audits and are not subject to the compulsory.)

Limiting the audit right to copyright owners entitled to receive payments means that if songwriters have an administration or co-publishing agreement, they will probably not be able to conduct an audit of the collective (even if their administrator or co-publisher is a board member of the collective). Because the audit is limited to verifying the accuracy of prior payments, the audit of the collective will not be able to look upstream to the service making the payment and may not be able to look at payments made to the collective, just the payments by the collective.

The audit shall be conducted by a qualified auditor, who shall perform the audit during the ordinary course of business by examining the books, records and systems of the mechanical licensing collective, as well as underlying data, according to generally accepted auditing standards and subject to applicable confidentiality requirements prescribed by the Register of Copyrights

Sounds good, right? A qualified auditor is a defined term, however:

QUALIFIED AUDITOR.The term qualified auditor means an independent, certified public accountant with experience performing music royalty audits.

Again, I dont think that the auditor needs to be both a CPA and have experience. Experience is enough. For example, if the auditor has performed audits for members of the collectives board of directors, perhaps that would be enough.

The qualified auditor shall determine the accuracy of royalty payments, including whether an underpayment or overpayment of royalties was made by the mechanical licensing collective to the auditing copyright owner(s); provided, however, that before providing a final audit report to such copyright owner(s), the qualified auditor shall provide a tentative draft of the report to the mechanical licensing collective and allow the mechanical licensing collective a reasonable opportunity to respond to the findings, including by clarifying issues and correcting factual errors.

This clause is a problem. First, the auditor is hiredand has a professional dutyto find underpayments of royalties. Thats what they look for. The auditor does not have a duty to do the collectives work for it and find overpayments. The auditor is not hired to find overpayments, they are hired to find underpayments.

The collective should hire its own accountants to review its royalty statements, and it surely will do so if it gets an audit notice. Otherwise the US Government is placing a heavy burden on the auditor and the copyright owners to look for overpayments as though the auditor played the role of a public financial accounting firm looking for accuracy on behalf of stockholders.

Plus, the requirement to force that auditor to give the collective the audit report before giving it to the people who hired that auditor is a bit much. Fair enough to meet and confer at the work paper stage to make sure there werent inaccuracies in the analysis, but that should not place any prohibition on whether the auditors own client can see the report first.

If this is really the role that the Government wants the auditor to play, then by all means lets make any miscalculations by the collective available to the public and publish them in the Federal Register. Lets not have the auditors findings subject to any confidential treatment. If that brings down a host of other audits or a need to restate millions of royalty payments, then so be it. Because we are not just looking for underpayments we are searching for the truth, right?

I dont think so. And the next part of the audit clause shows why:

The auditing copyright owner(s) shall bear the cost of the audit. In case of an underpayment to the copyright owner(s), the mechanical licensing collective shall pay the amounts of any such underpayment to the auditing copyright owner(s), as appropriate. In case of an overpayment by the mechanical licensing collective, the mechanical licensing collective may debit the accounts of the auditing copyright owner(s) for such overpaid amounts, or such owner(s) shall refund overpaid amounts to the mechanical licensing collective, as appropriate.

Like so many other parts of the MMA, this is essentially an ad terrorem clause, or a right coupled with a penalty if it is exercised. What I think this means is that regardless of how much the underpayment might beincluding both a material and nonmaterial amountthe songwriter bears 100% of the cost of the audit. The songwriters auditor has to look for overpayments (and bill their client for that extra review), and if the auditor finds any, the auditor has to report the overpayment. The songwriter then not only has to repay that amount (whatever as appropriate means), but also pay for the expense of finding it.

Compare this to the rights of the collective when auditing a digital music service:

The mechanical licensing collective shall pay the cost of the audit, unless the qualified auditor determines that there was an underpayment by the digital music provider of 10 percent or more, in which case the digital music provider shall bear the reasonable costs of the audit, in addition to paying the amount of any underpayment to the mechanical licensing collective. In case of an overpayment by the digital music provider, the mechanical licensing collective shall provide a credit to the digital music provider.

So whats good for the goose is not good for the gander. When the collective is auditing upstream, the collective gets the benefit of that standard underpayment penalty. That means that the service has to pay for the cost of the audit if the underpayment exceeds a fixed percentage, in this case 10%. If there is an overpayment, the collective never has to repay the overpayment, just credit the account with an offsetting amount.

There should be no obligation on the part of the songwriter to have to find overpayments and if an overpayment is found in the normal course, it should simply be credited (which is the effect of the collectives audit clause on songwriters downstream).

Songwriters should get the same underpayment protection on audit costs that the collective enjoys.

Appointing an Inspector General and cleaning up the audit clause would certainly make the MMA more fair for songwriters than it currently is.

Share on:
Commissioner Jeff McCue testified at Berkshire Community College on Monday.

DTA Commissioner Looks to Battle 'Cliff Effect' With Budget Request



State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and state Sen. Adam Hinds chaired the hearing. PITTSFIELD, Mass.  There was once an employer who hired a worker who was on public assistance.

And the employee was good.

The employer offered a promotion or more hours. But the employee refused because it jeopardized their public assistance.

This story didn't happen just once. Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Jeff McCue has heard it multiple and calls it "the cliff effect."

What happens is that worker is limited in their assets to $2,500 and if they exceed that, they are no longer eligible for assistance. It can just be too risky for the worker to take that chance.

McCue is proposing a new way to tackle that issue. His plan is to give them a "running start." For an individual working, he suggests 100 percent of their wages will be exempt from that cap for six months. For the six months following that, half of the income would be exempt from the cap. The hope is that they'll build up enough to more easily transition off of public assistance.

"It would allow them and their families to get a running start on the cliff effect," McCue said. "This is an opportunity for us to try new things."

That plan hasn't been done with DTA in the past but it is one of three the commissioner is proposing for his budget this upcoming year aimed to combat multi-generational poverty.

"We have to be disruptive in the area of multi-generational poverty," McCue said.

The first piece to that is that he wants to up the grant level for those who are qualified to work. He said 75 percent of his cases are for people who are exempted from working for one reason or another. The rest of the 25 percent are work eligible. Those who are work eligible, however, receive lesser benefits than those who don't.

"That sends a message that work isn't worth it," McCue said.

He is proposing evening out those grants to eliminate the incentive to become non-work required. His second proposal is to double the asset limit, allowing those who are eligible to work for more without jeopardizing their benefits. And thirdly, is the plan to exempt incomes for a period of time for those who start moving up the ranks.

The commissioner is also looking to allocate just short of $1 million toward partnering with transportation organizations to help those using the benefits get to and from jobs.

He outlined those highlights in his budget proposal to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means at Berkshire Community College on Monday. State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and state Sen. Adam Hinds chaired the meeting.

"I want to applaud your work on disrupting the cliff effect in increasing the asset limits and other things. It is something that I saw regularly in my work prior to coming to the Senate. I know this is just the first step toward getting this right," Hinds said.

However, Hinds joined the rest of the Berkshire delegation present in voicing concern for the end of the healthy initiatives program. That program provides additional credit for those who use the supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits at farmers markets.

McCue said the program was a success, but almost too much of a success. The funding for it was $1.3 million from 2014 and covered three years but $3.7 million worth of incentives were used. He said if the program kept its current form, it would cost the state in the tens of millions of dollars.

For that reason, the program is eyed to be cut from the offerings much to the chagrin of the Berkshire representatives because the benefits often help local farmers in the more rural Berkshires.

"This program has been highly successful. It brought not the usual suspects into our farmer's market and gives people choices for healthy food," Farley-Bouvier said, adding that not only does it help local farmers but also provides better nutrition value than the corporate boxed foods that are shipped to the county from other areas.

"We want to anything we can to give you additional support to help you grow it."

Farley-Bouvier said she would be interested in ways to change the program to make it more affordable for the state while still providing the benefits.

State Rep. John Barrett III suggested seeking private donations to subsidize the incentive for the farmer's market.

"There has to be some socially-conscience corporations that would step up to the plate," Barrett said.

McCue's testimony was just the first in a full day's worth of testimony from the state's health and human services agencies as the Legislature moves through the budgeting process. The commissioners of the Department of Children and Families, Youth Services, Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Commission for the Blind, and the Office of Refugees and Immigrants also testified.
Quentin Palfrey asks Greylock Together members for their support at the upcoming state Democratic convention and in the primary.

Dem Candidate Palfrey Sees Policy Opportunities in Lt. Gov. Post



Quentin Palfrey spoke with Greylock Together and laid out his positions and his optimism on Democratics taking the state's two top spots back. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Democrat Quentin Palfrey was drumming up support on Sunday not only for his run for lieutenant governor but for enthusiasm for an election he believes can take back the state's top spots.

"I would like to build a grassroots campaign from the Berkshires to the Cape doing the kinds of things that we know how to do," progressive Democrat said. "We know how to run successful campaigns. We know how to take back the corner office ... it's neighbor to neighbor, it's knocking on doors, it's building a campaign all across the state."

The former Obama administration official has been in Western Massachusetts fairly frequently since launching his campaign last September, including appearing with other candidates at the Pittsfield Democratic caucus just over a week ago.

On Sunday, he spoke at Greylock Together's regular meeting, held in the gallery room at the Eclipse Mill. Some three dozen people attended the meeting of the local political group and Palfrey spoke and took questions for over an hour.

"The lieutenant governor is traditionally the bridge to the cities and towns all across the state," he said. "I'd like to be an ally and advocate for towns and cities."

Palfrey said being the bridge between the governor and the state's 351 municipalities can help guide policy on issues such as housing and education, bringing local interests to the forefront.

But he also sees his background working as senior advisor in the White House  largely on jobs, technology, competitiveness and innovation  as a plus for a governor navigating federal systems. He also was chief of the Healthcare Division in the state attorney general's office.

Thirdly, Palfrey said he would take advantage of the lieutenant governor's role on the Governor's Council, a body that advises in a number of legal areas including court appointments, pardon and treasury warrants, to talk about criminal justice reform.

It's the changes he's seen at the federal level with the election of Donald Trump that really has him fired up.

"The Republican Party has been hijacked and the federal government is being dismantled brick by brick," Palfrey said. "The consumer protections and the social services that we've come to expect from the federal government are being dismantled.

"What am I going to be able to tell my kids and my grandkids what I did when our values were under attack," he added. "I want to be able to tell them that I stood up and I fought back."

Palfrey was asked about his stance on issues such as gun control, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions, education and poverty.

He thinks the Trump administration is wrong in seeing weakness in diversity. Rather that's always been a strength, he said. "We need to be more welcoming and understand the multicultural community."

Raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement disincentivizes undocumented residents from working with local police to make neighborhoods safer, Palfrey said.

He also believes that the National Rifle Association has a disproportionate political influence. Massachusetts has a "much better legislative landscape" because of gun control measures already in effect and lower levels of gun violence because of it, Palfrey said, but there are commonsense measure that can still be taken, such as if someone is seen as an extreme risk, his or her firearms should be removed temporarily.

The national Centers for Disease Control is now prohibited by Congress from researching gun control as a matter of public policy, he told the group.

"We need collaborative efforts amoung states to fund gun research," he said. "I'd like to see Massachusetts be a leader in what works in gun control so we can act on the basis of the best ideas and the best studies as opposed to be ostriches to the challenges."

Palfrey was executive director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab North America at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. While at MIT, he said, "we worked on trying to bring the concepts of science into government."

There's no silver bullet for poverty and economic development, but he said, "you can build a body of evidence that allows you to know this is a good way to use your money, this is a bad way to use your money, this is an effective intervention."

Policy should be guided by data, he said, whether it's gun violence or climate change. Poverty is a complicated issue that will require addressing factors such as housing, education, health care, substance abuse and criminal justice.

"I think our criminal justice system perpetuates cycles of violence and inequality," he said. "I think in many ways our system criminalizes poverty."

But solutions can't be used with a cookie-cutter approach. Regions may face similar challenges on the surface but their needs and resources may be very different, he said. Rather, it's about adapting the best practices.

"Insist that your elected leaders understand the issues of Western Mass and the Berkshire and treat different things in different ways," Palfrey said.

The candidate said he is for automatic voter registration that should be able to occur at any intersection with government, as well as same-day registration and early voting. He supports Chapter 70 education reform as a way to provide equity education and reduce disparities between school systems. And he supports a $15 minimum wage.

He believes a good down payment in addressing education, transportation infrastructure, substance abuse and mental health is through the so-called "millionaire's tax" that is on the November ballot. The tax would be applied to any income over $1 million, a mirror image, he said, of the new federal tax reform that largely benefits the wealthy.

But to push through these initiatives, Palfrey said, Democrats need to take back the governor and lieutenant governor spots.

People like Gov. Charlie Baker because he's a nice guy, he said, admitting that he does as well. But he said, "ask what he has led on ... what are his policy priorities, are they what you care about?"

Palfrey will face off in the Democrati primary against Jimmy Tingle, a political comedian and social activist. He said he's ready to work with any of the three Democratic gubernatorial candidates who survive the primary: former Newton Mayor Setti Warren, global sustainability advocate Bob Massie and former health system CEO and Health Connector chairman Jay Gonzalez.

"We have three really good gubernatorial candidates ... the three people who are runing for governor are really well-qualified candidates," he said, adding their differences are mostly background, style and focus. "Voters have a good choice."


More than 400 students stood in the snow to speak out against gun violence, joining marchers from schools across the nation. WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  Several hundred Mount Greylock Regional School students Wednesday morning left the warmth of the classroom and chose instead to stand in a driving snowstorm.

But the frigid temperatures paled in comparison to the cold realities they gathered to confront.

"There have been 302 school shootings since 2013," Karen McComish told the crowd of seventh- through 12th-graders. "From 2013-2015, there was an average of two shootings per month in K-through-12 schools. In those K-through-12 shootings, over half the shooters were minors.

"During the three years after Sandy Hook, there were 59 deaths and 124 gunshot injuries in schools."

And then came last month's tragedy in Parkland, Fla., the massacre that has inspired a wave of student activism across the country, including Wednesday's National Walkout Day, when students were encouraged to take part of their day to remember the victims at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and think about the problem of gun violence more generally.

Mount Greylock was one of the Berkshire County schools that participated in the event. School officials estimated about 400 students at the middle and high school took part. Mount Greylock's younger peers at Williamstown Elementary also staged a peaceful protest at 10 a.m., gathering for 17 minutes on the playground. After a short speech, moment of silence and a walk around the school, the sixth-graders returned to classes.

Principal Joelle Brookner wrote to parents and guardians of the sixth-graders that efforts were made to be respectful of other students and classes in session, including closing the blinds on the lower floors so as not to distract younger children.

"As strongly as we feel about supporting our older students' civic activities, we feel passionate about protecting our younger students' feelings of safety and their lack of knowledge of world events," Brookner wrote. "Classroom teachers have not informed younger students about Parkland (or any of the other school tragedies) and will not do so. If any of our younger students have questions, teachers will encourage them to talk to parents/guardians at home and be in touch as needed."

She said discussion about such topics as the Children's March have been aligned with curriculum standards to be teachable moments.

"When kids are passionate about an issue, it is an opportunity for educators to help students see the connection between curriculum and real life," the principal wrote. "We respect the right of our students to advocate for causes that are important to them and support their efforts to do so in an authorized and orderly manner while at school. We thank our students for the way they conducted themselves today and for respecting the opinions of their peers who chose not to participate."

The ceremony at Mount Greylock began with remembrances of the Parkland victims and a moment of silence in their honor.

Some students had tears in their eyes as their classmates read about children just like them who were gunned down by yet another child who terrorized their school with an AR-15 assault rifle one month ago to the day.

But junior Sophie Jones reminded the crowd that the gun violence in America goes beyond school shootings.

"It is also very important to not overlook how gun violence disproportionately affects minorities," Jones said, taking her turn on the megaphone. "Black men are 13 times more likely to be shot and killed than white men. Black Americans are 14 percent of the population, but more than 50 percent of all gun homicides.

"Every month, over 50 women are shot to death by intimate partners in the United States. The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of the woman getting killed by five times. In 2016, 50 were shot at the Pulse Nightclub, a gay night club in Orlando, Florida. This was a hate crime against the LGBT community."

Citing data from the non-profit group Everytown for Gun Safety, Jones noted that residents of the United States are "25 times more likely to be murdered with a gun than people in other developed countries."

But the student organizers did not leave it at that.

Instead, they encouraged their fellow students to work to end the cycle of violence. They noted that common sense gun control laws can make a difference, even in a nation where a Constitutional right to own firearms is respected.

"In Connecticut, when the Permit-to-Purchase law requiring people to obtain a permit before purchasing a gun, was enacted, gun homicides fell by 40 percent," Jones noted. "These statistics translate into lives saved."

Recognizing the age of her audience, McComish talked about the power of peaceful protest, like the 1963 Children's Crusade.

"Over 4,000 African-American students walked out of school to protest racial injustice in what was later called D Day,' " she said.

Sophomore Maddy Art offered some concrete steps that anyone  even her fellow students  could take to effect change.

"On March 24, the March for Our Lives is happening in Washington, D.C., and solidarity marches are happening in Pittsfield, Albany, and other cities nearby," Art said. "Attend a march.

"You also have the power to effect change as a consumer. Support businesses that align with your beliefs. If you are able, donate money to organizations like Everytown or Moms Demand Action. Be vocal about the cause on social media  that allows the word to be spread and shows that we are not backing down. Make it a point to have conversations with people about gun violence and reform, even the difficult conversations. Especially the difficult conversations."

And for the older students in the crowd, there was a special message.

"The Williamstown League of Women Voters will be at Block 7 lunch on Friday to register voters," Jones noted. "Any Massachusetts resident who is 18 or older may register with a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. Any Massachusetts resident who is 16 or 17 may pre-register with a driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number.

"No matter your views, every student should have the right to go to school without fearing for their lives. Ending this fear starts with student activism. Together, we can make change."
Submarines USS Hartford, USS Connecticut Surface Together in the Arctic Circle

Beaufort Sea, Arctic Circle - Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768) and Seawolf-class fast attack submarine, USS Connecticut (SSN 22) both surfaced in the Arctic Circle March 10 during the multinational maritime Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2018 in the Arctic Circle north of Alaska.

Both fast-attack submarines as well the UK Royal Navy submarine HMS Trenchant (S91), are participating in the biennial exercise in the Arctic to train and validate the warfighting capabilities of submarines in extreme cold-water conditions.



"From a military, geographic, and scientific perspective, the Arctic Ocean is truly unique, and remains one of the most challenging ocean environments on earth," said Rear Admiral James Pitts, commander, Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC).



ICEX provides the U.S. Submarine Force and partners from the Royal Navy an opportunity to test combat and weapons systems, sonar systems, communications and navigation systems in a challenging operational environment. The unique acoustic undersea environment is further compounded by the presence of a contoured, reflective ice canopy when submerged.



According to Pitts, operating in the Arctic ice alters methods and practices by which submarines operate, communicate and navigate.



"We must constantly train together with our submarine units and partners to remain proficient in this hemisphere," Pitts said. "Having both submarines on the surface is clear demonstration of our proficiency in the Arctic."



In recent years, the Arctic has been used as a transit route for submarines. The most recent ICEX was conducted in 2016 with USS Hampton (SSN 767) and USS Hartford (SSN 768).



The first Arctic under-ice operations by submarines were done in 1947-49. On August 1, 1947, the diesel submarine USS Boarfish (SS-327), with Arctic Submarine Laboratory's founder Dr. Waldo Lyon onboard serving as an Ice Pilot, conducted the first under-ice transit of an ice floe in the Chukchi Sea.



In 1958, the nuclear-powered USS NAUTILUS made the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean beneath the pack ice. The first Arctic surfacing was done by USS Skate (SSN 578) in March 1959. USS Sargo was the first submarine to conduct a winter Bering Strait transit in 1960.



The units participating in the exercise are supported by a temporary ice camp on a moving ice floe approximately 150 miles off the coast of the northern slope of Alaska in international waters. The ice camp, administered by the Arctic Submarine Laboratory (ASL), is a remote Arctic drifting ice station, built on multi-year sea-ice especially for ICEX that is logistically supported with contract aircraft from Deadhorse, Alaska. The ice camp will be de-established once the exercise is over.



ASL is an operational fleet support detachment of the Undersea Warfighting Development Center (UWDC). ASL is also the Navy Program Manager for the Submarine Arctic Warfare Program.
Energy and Homeland Security Departments Partner to Advance Federal Infrastructure Resilience

Washington, DC - Last week, leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in a strategic partnership to advance federal critical infrastructure resilience. The partnership will result in the development and implementation of a systematic approach to planning and deploying projects and measures that will help reduce DHS energy use while strengthening the resilience and security of their facilities.

The signing ceremony took place at DHS headquarter offices with Ms. Leslie Nicholls, Acting Director for DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Dr. Teresa Pohlman, DHS' Executive Director, Sustainability and Environmental Programs in the Office of the Chief Readiness Support Officer.

The federal government is the nation's largest single energy consumer with more than 350,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles. FEMP's mission includes assisting all federal agencies in achieving their energy management goals and developing an approach to planning for increased resiliency.

This partnership will address continuity of operations, energy and water efficiency in buildings, mobile/transportation assets, and information technologies and facilities. The partnership will permit the development of an agency-wide resilience framework and support implementation of the plan at DHS pilot sites. FEMP's long term goal for the partnership is to develop an integrated enterprise-wide system approach that all federal agencies can use to achieve their energy resilience and security missions by optimizing their facility operations and security, enhancing grid reliability, and conserving energy and water.

For DHS, resilience and security are inseparable from their mission to protect critical infrastructure. This strategic partnership will help enable all of their components, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Transportation Security Administration, to prepare for energy disruptions so they may adapt and withstand them at any level.
An American technology entrepreneur feted only three years ago as the worlds youngest self-made female billionaire has been charged by the US financial authorities with massive fraud.

Elizabeth Holmes, the CEO and founder of Theranos, a supposedly revolutionary manufacturer of blood testing kits, was charged by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday with deceiving investors through false and misleading statements and raising $700m fraudulently.

She has settled with the agency and has been forced to pay a $500,000 penalty and to relinquish control of Theranos.

Further, she has been banned by the SEC from serving as a director of a public company for a decade,

Ms Holmes, 34, was named by Forbes in 2015 as the worlds youngest self-made female billionaire, based on the then valuation of the start-up at $9bn, and with her 50 per cent stake in Theranos giving her a net worth of $4.5bn.

The firm was subsequently rocked by allegations that the results produced by its portable blood analyser were inaccurate and relied on analysis from other testers.

Theranos former president, Ramesh Sunny Balwani has also been charged by the SEC. Unlike Ms Holmes he has not settled and will face litigation in a California court.

The Theranos story is an important lesson for Silicon Valley, said Jina Choi, director of the SECs San Francisco office.

Innovators who seek to revolutionize and disrupt an industry must tell investors the truth about what their technology can do today, not just what they hope it might do someday.

Ms Holmes had claimed Theranos analyser could run dozens of diagnostic tests on just a single drop of blood, promising to upend the entire lucrative testing industry.

But the story began to unravel after reports by the Wall Street Journal in 2015 revealed doubts about the validity of Ms Holmes claims.
Discount retailer Poundworld has been fined nearly 1.2m after an out-of-control rodent infestation was discovered at one of its shops.

Inspectors found mouse droppings littered across the floor and food products sodden with urine at the shop in Croydon, south London.

Some packets of food had been repaired with sticky tape and placed back on shelves for sale after being gnawed by rodents.

The smell of rodents urine was discernible upon immediate approach to the food section of the store, said judge Elizabeth Smaller, who fined the company at Croydon Crown Court.

Poundworld was charged with health and safety and food hygiene offences after a customer reported seeing evidence of rodents at the shop to Croydon Council.

The local authority said its inspectors discovered an out-of-control infestation on visiting the store in February 2016.

The shop floor, storeroom and basement were all contaminated with mouse droppings.

Poundworld agreed to stop selling food in the branch and later admitted five food safety offences.

It also pleaded guilty to two breaches of workplace health and safety regulations, after inspectors found staff were forced to carry goods up to the shop floor because the lift did not work.

The store also had no hot water, inadequate heating and was poorly maintained, which the council said resulted in stock being left in a haphazard and dangerous manner.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

The degree to which this company failed to uphold cleanliness and safety standards in its premier town-centre store beggars belief, and the financial penalty imposed is  to most peoples minds, Im sure  entirely justified," said councillor Hamida Ali, the cabinet member for communities, safety and justice.

A Poundworld spokesman said: The safety and comfort of our customers and employees is of the utmost importance to us and we apologise for the unacceptable conditions found at our Croydon store in February 2016.

As soon as we learnt about the problem at the store, we worked very closely with Trading Standards and undertook immediate action to remedy all of the issues highlighted during their visit.

The store was inspected again by Trading Standards in September 2016 and was awarded a four-star rating. We have taken the necessary steps to help ensure that the unacceptable conditions found at our Croydon store never happen again.
It's Pi Day. But don't worry if you've forgotten.

The mathematical constant Pi has been a source of fascination for thousands of years, from experts who have wondered at just how important and universal the number is. But since then has come another, slightly more useless, pursuit: committing that number to memory, with as much accuracy as possible.

Remembering  and even finding out  the digits of Pi is a largely recreational endeavour, though one that people take incredibly seriously. We simply don't actually need that many: for Nasa's most high accuracy calculations, it only uses 3.141592653589793, and we could calculate the circumference of the entire universe with an accuracy equal to the diameter of a hydrogen atom using only 40 decimal places.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

It's worth remembering that for much of the history of mathematics  before modern computers arrived and changed everything  highly accurate and developed work was done by using Pi to only a few decimal places. In the 17th century, Newton wrote to a friend that he was ashamed of how much time he'd spent working out Pi to as many digits as possible  and he'd only got 15 decimal places in.

That meant that when people started memorising Pi, it wasn't all that difficult. The fascination with committing the number to memory began in the 19th century  but then, without the super-speed calculations offered by modern computers, there was only a few hundred digits and so it was relatively easy to store it away.

Recommended Why some mathematicians hate Pi Day and refuse to celebrate

But now nobody can remember the entire thing  and while people continue to carry out amazing feats of remembering with the number, computers are always finding new digits much faster than people can commit them to memory.

The best feat of memory authenticated by the Guinness Book of Records is 70,000 digits of Pi, set by Rajveer Meena in a feat that took more than ten hours in 2015, though other people claim to have remembered more. That huge number looks tiny when compared to the amount of digits we've worked out, which is now in the quadrillions.

One of the things that makes Pi such a challenge to memorise  and such a draw to people who want to demonstrate their memory  is that there is no pattern to it. At least as far as we know.

In Carl Sagan's novel Contact, for instance, an alien suggests to its main character Ellie Arroway that an unknown intelligence has hidden all sorts of important patterns inside some important numbers, one of which is Pi. Arroway checks, and hidden deep in the far along digits of Pi is a pattern that when drawn out in a certain way becomes a circle.

The discovery is fictional, but points to something very real about how people feel about important numbers like Pi. The power and importance of the constant appears to gesture towards a kind of order or neatness in the universe  of the kind that makes it not all that strange to imagine it had been plotted out in some way.

Those who memorise the number have also remarked on the way that the number seems to carry with it some profound meaning. Akira Haraguchi, a man who claims to have memorised the number to more than 100,000 digits, said that he saw something almost spiritual in the number.

"According to Zen Buddhism teachings, everything that exists in this world  the mountains, the rivers and all the living creatures  carries the spirit of the Buddha," he told The Guardian. "Ive interpreted this to mean that everything that circles around carries the spirit of the Buddha. I think pi is the ultimate example of that."

If you want to hunt for any significance  or just any set of numbers that you like  then you might want to head to this website devoted to finding the digits that are hiding within Pi.
Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, was one of the world's leading physicists who inspired generations of scientists

Hawking was one of the world's most acclaimed cosmologists, a medical miracle, and probably the galaxy's most unlikely superstar celebrity.

After being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22, he was given just a few years to live.

Recommended Stephen Hawking and leading doctors to take Jeremy Hunt to court

Yet against all odds Professor Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday nearly half a century later as one of the most brilliant and famous scientists of the modern age.

He was best known for his work on black holes, the mysterious infinitely dense regions of compressed matter where the normal laws of physics break down, which dominated the whole of his academic life.

Prof Hawking's crowning achievement was his prediction in the 1970s that black holes can emit energy, despite the classical view that nothing - not even light - can escape their gravity.

Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony Show all 13 1 /13 Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-2-para-new-pa.jpg PA Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-2-para-4-ap.jpg AP Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-team-gb-getty.jpg Getty Images Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-2-para-3-ch4.jpg Channel 4 Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-1-para-1-reuters.jpg Reuters Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-2-para-2-ap.jpg AP Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-moments-new-4-getty.jpg Getty Images Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-moments-new-3-ch4.jpg Channel 4 Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-moments-1-getty.jpg Getty Images Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-moments-2-getty.jpg Getty Images Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-moments-3-getty.jpg Getty Images Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-4-moments-4-getty.jpg Getty Images Stephen Hawking sparks a celebration of victories against all odds during the Paralympics opening ceremony pg-2-para-5-getty.jpg Getty Images

Hawking Radiation, based on mathematical concepts arising from quantum mechanics, the branch of science that deals with the weird world of sub-atomic particles, eventually causes black holes to evaporate and vanish, according to the theory.

Had the existence of Hawking Radiation been proved by astronomers or physicists, it would almost certainly have earned Prof Hawking a Nobel Prize. As it turned out, the greatest scientific accolade eluded him until the time of this death.

In the 1980s, Prof Hawking and Professor Jim Hartle, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, proposed a model of the universe which had no boundaries in space or time.

The concept was described in his best-selling popular science book A Brief History Of Time, published in 1988, which sold 25 million copies worldwide.

He later focused on the thorny question of what happens to all the information that disappears into a black hole. One of the fundamental tenets of physics is that information data can never be completely erased from the universe.

A paper co-authored by Prof Hawking and published online in Physical Review Letters in June 2016 suggests that even after a black hole has evaporated, the information it consumed during its life remains in a fuzzy halo - but not necessarily in the proper order.

Prof Hawking outlined his theories about black holes in a series of Reith Lectures broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 2016.

Press Association
Stephen Hawking, heralded as one of the finest minds in the world, has died.

The Cambridge professor passed away at 76, his family said in a statement.

Professor Hawking had lived with the expectation of an early death for much of his life. When he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 21, it was expected to take him in just a few years  but he lived for more than 50, continuing to reveal the universe's darkest secrets and becoming a medical miracle at the same time.

Recommended Iconic physicist Stephen Hawking dies at age 76

Professor Hawking said that living with the disease and the prognosis that came with it had given him a philosophical approach to his own death. But there was always plenty more he wanted to get out of the way before it happened.

"I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first," he told The Guardian in 2011.

In the same interview, Professor Hawking dismissed the comforts of belief in the afterlife, and said that he expected nothing to greet him after he died.

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail," he said. "There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

But he said that there was no need for there to be life after death to make people behave well while they were alive. "We should seek the greatest value of our action," he said, when asked how we should live.

Just the simple fact of being alive at all was unlikely, given that it relied on tiny changes in the very early universe that spawned the world around us today. "Science predicts that many different kinds of universe will be spontaneously created out of nothing. It is a matter of chance which we are in," he said.

Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking at his Oxford graduation SWNS Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist at Cambridge University in 1988 Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking navigates the narrow streets between his residence and university Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking as a young man Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking and Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London, 1992 PA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after the blessing of their wedding in 1995 Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking arriving at the Chilean Antarctic base in 1997 Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Bill Gates, accompanied by vice-chancellor Alec Broers, meets Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University in 1997 Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking celebrates his 60th birthday in 2002 at Cambridge University Brian Harris Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking holds a lecture for a symposium of cosmologists at Stockholm University in 2003 AP Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist floats in a weightless environment during a flight aboard a modified Boeing 727 in 2007 EPA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking addresses a public meeting in Cape Town, 2008. Hawking was in South Africa for a short visit, accompanied by Nobel laureates David Gross and George Smoot Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Nelson Mandela Hawking in Johannesburg, 2008 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Hawking during a ceremony at the White House, 2009 Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist enjoys the sun at the Stephen Hawking Garden for Motor Neurone Disease at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2010 Susannah Ireland Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking speaks via satellite during the Science Channel portion of the 2010 Television Critics Association Press Tour Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking speaks during a press conference in London, 2014. Intel demonstrated with the professor a new communications platform to replace his decades-old system EPA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Actors Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne pose with Hawking at the UK premiere of the The Theory of Everything in 2014 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking and Felicity Jones present the award for Special Visual Effects at the Baftas in 2015 Rex Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking takes part in a Little Britain sketch for Red Nose Day 2015, with Catherine Tate and David Walliams Rex Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Pope Francis meets with Hawking at the Vatican in 2016 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking receives his Freedom of the City of London scroll in 2017 AP Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Participants listen to a recorded speech by Hawking on artificial intelligence at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, 2017 AFP/Getty

Professor Hawking has long been a critic of ideas of the afterlife or an all-powerful god. He said it was natural to believe in the divine before we understand science  but that science had now provided a better explanation.

Before then, some religious advocates had used his own work as a suggestion of the belief in a god. Professor Hawking closed his famous A Brief History Of Time by writing "It would be the ultimate triumph of human reason  for then we should know the mind of God".

But Professor Hawking made clear, not least in his 2010 book The Grand Design, that he meant that comment only metaphorically. In that book and elsewhere, he argued that it wasn't necessary for a creator to have begun the universe, putting him in direct contradiction of many of the people who had made use of that quote.

"What I meant by 'we would know the mind of God' is, we would know everything that God would know, if there were a God. Which there isn't. I'm an atheist," he told El Mundo.
Victims of the man dubbed the "black cab rapist" have accused the Parole Board of overlooking critical evidence when reaching a decision to free him from prison.

Something went badly wrong in the process to determine whether it was safe to release John Worboys, a lawyer for two women told senior judges at the High Court in London.

They are bringing a landmark legal challenge in a bid to stop Worboys being freed.

Phillippa Kaufmann QC said the Parole Board failed to take into account wider allegations of offending against the serial sex attacker.

She told the court: It is submitted this is a case where the parole process has gone badly wrong."

She added: Had it not been for the claimants action in bringing this claim  the first time that victims have ever done so  the errors in the boards decision would never have been discovered.

Ms Kaufmann outlined the case as 60-year-old Worboys, who now goes by the name John Radford, watched proceedings through a video link from prison.

Worboys became known as the "black cab rapist" after attacking victims in his taxi.

He was jailed indefinitely in 2009 with a minimum term of eight years after being found guilty of 19 offences, including rape, sexual assault and drugging, committed against 12 victims.

Police said after the trial that they believed he committed crimes against as many as 105 women between 2002 and 2008, when he was caught.

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

Ms Kaufmann told the judges completely undermined the boards decision-making, which she said was irrational.

The QC said the Parole Boards reasons for believing Worboys no longer posed a risk to society included that he had learned to be open and honest.

She said the board also considered his risk was reduced because of the fact he took full responsibility for his crimes, had good insight into his behaviour and had undergone treatment.

She told the court: It is obvious, absolutely obvious, that this evidence of wider offending had a central bearing on all of those conclusions that formed the basis of the Parole Boards conclusion that there had been a reduction in risk.

Yet she said Worboys account that the trigger for his offending was the end of his relationship in 2005, when police believed his crimes started two years earlier.

She added: That throws into question the entire account that he has given for why his offending began. Hence the finding that he had insight into his offending is simply blown out of the water. It also blows out of the water the Parole Boards finding that he is open and honest.

Ms Kaufmann told the court Worboys denied committing offences other than the ones he was convicted of and he said the trigger for his offending was the breakdown of his relationship in 2005.

Arguing the decision to release him should be quashed, she said the board excluded critical evidence which undermined his version of events when considering him for parole.

The barrister said this included the fact he was caught with a rape kit which included sleeping tablets, condoms and a vibrator.

The court also heard Worboys settled a civil claim brought against him by 11 women  some of whom made allegations for which he was not prosecuted  for 241,000 in 2013.

He received legal assistance with that case from serial killer Levi Bellfield, who he met in prison.

A temporary bar on Worboys release, initially imposed in January by the High Court, is continuing during the proceedings.

Worboys is represented by Edward Fitzgerald QC, who will make submissions on his behalf during the hearing.

Mr Fitzgerald will argue that the Parole Board did not have to take the unproven allegations against Worboys into account when reaching its decision.

The judges are also hearing an action against the Parole Board by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. As the two-day case got under way, Mr Khan said in a statement that it was his top priority to keep Londoners safe.

He said: I am morally and duty-bound to do everything within my power to protect them from harm. John Worboys presents a significant threat to Londoners safety and on behalf of his victims and survivors, I felt I had to be involved.

The Sun newspaper is also taking part in the legal action, after judges gave proprietor News Group Newspapers permission to challenge the Parole Boards refusal to publish its decision.
A police officer has disputed fears that up to 1,000 girls may have been sexually abused by grooming gangs in Telford, calling the figure sensationalised.

The local council asked the Government to commission an inquiry into crimes dating back to the 1980s, but has been told to launch its own probe into the actions of police and authorities.

Lucy Allan, the MP for Telford, told The Independent the council has accepted the recommendation and will commission an independent chair to run the inquiry, as happened in Rotherham.

"It would not be appropriate for the council conduct its own inquiry, and they have agreed to an independent inquiry which is to be welcomed," she added.

Ms Allan told the House of Commons work should start without delay and leave no stone unturned in giving victims answers.

Theresa May said she was shocked and paid tribute to campaigner Holly Archer and the Sunday Mirror journalist who brought the story to light.

"I think we have all been shocked by the horrific case that we have seen in Telford of some of the most vulnerable in our country being preyed upon by ruthless criminals, the Prime Minister told MPs.

"Sadly, of course, this is not the first example that we have seen taking place across our country.

"I am pleased that the authorities are now going to conduct an inquiry: it is important that it begins its work in order to get to the truth and does that as quickly as possible.

An investigation by the Sunday Mirror investigation found that up to 1,000 girls in the Shropshire town may have been victims of grooming gangs since the 1980s.

Lucy Allan MP said working class girls had been abused in a 'routine way' for 40 years

The newspaper called it Britains worst known abuse scandal proportionate to Telfords size, comparing the scale to the grooming of 1,500 victims in Rotherham and saying girls as young as 11 had been drugged, beaten and raped.

Ms Allan said young white working class girls had been traded for sex in a routine way over 40 years.

These young girls are too often white working class with multiple vulnerabilities and that is why the perpetrators are targeting them, she told a Westminster Hall debate.

"It is also why so often they are miscast as bringing it on themselves, they are miscast as indulging in risky behaviour, as being promiscuous, as somehow being to blame for what is happening to them and in their own minds so often they also internalise that sense that they are somehow at fault."

Superintendent Tom Harding, of West Mercia Police, significantly disputed the figures and argued that the town was no worse than other areas of England and Wales.

He said police and local authorities were working with 46 young people who were victims of child sexual exploitation or considered at risk.

I am confident that, in the main, we do know the scale of CSE, Supt Harding told the BBC.

Therefore, I significantly dispute the 1,000 plus figure and do feel it is sensationalised.

West Mercia Police said none of the cases reported by the Sunday Mirror was new to police and called grooming its number-one priority.

 Operation Sanctuary: "We do not believe that what we have uncovered is unique to Newcastle"

Assistant Chief Constable Martin Evans said specialist officers and resources were already in place to respond to and prevent abuse, and work had been favourably reviewed by the Home Office and Ofsted.

It is really important to me that anyone who feels they are a victim of such crimes, or that they know someone who is, can come forward - knowing they will be taken seriously and will be looked after, and that we will go wherever the evidence takes us to investigate these crimes, he added.

Seven men were jailed in 2013 following Operation Chalice, a police inquiry into child prostitution in the Telford area.

Supt Harding said the prosecution happened to be a number of Asian males but added: What I would say is sexual offending across Telford and Wrekin is virtually identically proportionate to the break-down of society, so it is not one particular section over others and we will tackle it wherever it is.

Sajid Javid, the Communities Secretary, raised concern that the duration of the horrific crime indicated that many people in authority felt that they shouldn't say anything because they'd be labelled racist.

Going forward we can never, ever, have a situation that authorities feel that they can't deal with perpetrators of a crime just because they might be labelled racist or bigoted in any way, he added.

Inspections by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Ofsted found that services responded to historic failings and have improved, with Telford and Wrekin Council's scrutiny committee having previously reviewed the response to grooming.

It follows other high-profile grooming cases, including Rotherham, Rochdale, Oxford and Newcastle, where police warned similar abuse was happening in every town and city across the country.

A victim called Holly, who was abused in Telford from the age of 14, said she had travelled in cars with older men that were stopped and searched by police, but officers did not question why she was there or who she was.

Holly added that she would regularly attend a local sexual health clinic for emergency contraception, and had two abortions, but was not talked to by staff.

UK news in pictures Show all 49 1 /49 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

The woman told the BBC she was beaten with a belt and sold two or three times a night, adding: I was gang-raped just after I turned 16after that I tried to commit suicide.

I genuinely wanted to die because I thought that was the only way out. I think if they had been more proactive at points like that, things could have changed earlier.

The leader of Telford and Wrekin Council had called for the Home Secretary to launch an independent public inquiry into grooming gangs and said the authority had nothing to hide.

Shaun Davies insisted the council had been transparent throughout but acknowledged practices had changed dramatically over recent decades.

However, I feel we must do everything possible to know and learn further from what happened in the period before Operation Chalice, he added.

I will welcome any further light that an independent inquiry can help shed on this vile crime and further improve practice here and the many other places in the UK where has and continues to happen.

The Home Office said it has no plans to commission an inquiry and said Telford would be considered by the wide-ranging Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

This was a truly terrible case of some of the most vulnerable in our society being preyed upon by ruthless criminals, a spokesperson said.

This Government is working to tackle child sexual exploitation, declaring it a national threat and making significant investment to bring perpetrators to protect children, support victims, and bring perpetrators to justice.
The Russian embassy in the UK reportedly plans to ask for consular access to the poisoned daughter of Sergei Skripal, the former spy attacked using a nerve agent on British soil.

It comes as Moscow's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused Britain of attempting to mislead the international community over the case.

Mr Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, remain in critical condition in hospital after being exposed to the military-grade nerve agent Novichok last week.

Earlier on Wednesday morning, a Kremlin spokesperson said Russia was in no way connected to the incident in Salisbury, and that Moscow remained open to cooperating with a British investigation into the case.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters Russia "rejects the language of ultimatums" after Theresa May gave it until the end of Tuesday to explain how the Soviet-made nerve agent came to be used to target the former spy.

Mr Peskov said Britain has so far only offered "baseless accusations which are not backed up by any evidence".

But the US, European Union and Nato voiced support for the UK after Ms May said it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the poisoning.

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 Government's response to the expiry of the deadline is expected to be announced by Ms May in Parliament later.

Options include freezing the assets of Russian business leaders and officials, limiting their access to London's financial centre, expelling diplomats, and even launching targeted cyber attacks.

England's participation in the World Cup - which Russia is hosting in June and July - may also be cut back.

Russia is due to hold a presidential election on Sunday in which Vladimir Putin, himself a former KGB spy, is expected to coast to a fourth term.

Donald Trump told Ms May Moscow "must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom," the White House said.

The White House said Mr Trump and Ms May "agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms".

A British readout of the conversation said: "President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way."

Additional reporting by PA
Government welfare reforms will put 1.5 million more children in poverty and cause women to lose out by 13 times more than men, according to a new report.

An analysis by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reveals cuts to benefits and tax credits under the Tory government will see children hardest hit, forecasting that around one and a half million more under-18s will live in households below the relative poverty line by 2022.

Women will also be disproportionately impacted by the reforms, losing about 400 per year on average, compared with an average annual loss of just 30 for men, the findings show, prompting fears that economic inequalities facing women are only set to get worse.

Politicians and campaigners have warned the policies such as the freeze in working-age benefit rates and reductions in universal credit rates are damaging the lives of vulnerable groups, and accused the Government of refusing to properly assess the impact of the changes.

The research, which analyses the impact welfare reforms between 2010 and 2018, shows households with lone parents and children are set to lose an average of 5,250  almost one-fifth of their total net income, compared to a loss of 3,000 for couples with children. This will see the child poverty rate for those in lone parent households increase from 37 per cent to over 62 per cent.

Lone parents with the lowest household income distribution suffer the largest average losses from the reforms  equivalent to approximately 25 per cent of their net income, or one pound in every four.

Disabled people within these groups will lose out even more, with households that have at least one adult defined as core disabled and at least one disabled child facing losses of 6,500 per year on average from the reforms  equivalent to more than 13 per cent of their total net income.

Lone parents with six or more functional disabilities will meanwhile lose more than 11,000 on average from the reforms  more than 30 per cent of their net income, according to the analysis.

The report states that these negative impacts are largely driven by changes to the benefit system, in particular the freeze in working-age benefit rates, changes to disability benefits and reductions in universal credit rates.

It comes amid growing pressure on Theresa May to make changes to universal credit, which is being blamed for plunging people into debt and punishing the self-employed, people working part time and women  because payments go a single household earner, who is usually a man.

Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) in November found 400,000 more children were set to fall into poverty by 2021 if the Government pursued its planned rollout of universal credit, prompting warnings that Britains record of reducing child poverty was at risk of unravelling as a result of the changes.

Recommended Government faces High Court action over universal credit rollout

Child poverty is defined as any youngster living in a household with an income of less than 60 per cent of the national average, after housing costs are taken into account.

In light of its findings, the EHRC warned that considerable work still needed to be done to ensure that equality considerations were fully incorporated into decision making by HM Treasury, and more broadly across the UK Government.

David Isaac, chair of the commission, said it was disappointing to discover that the reforms it had examined negatively affected the most disadvantaged in society.

He added: Its even more shocking that children  the future generation  will be the hardest hit and that so many will be condemned to start life in poverty. We cannot let this continue if we want a fairer Britain.

We are keen to work together with government to achieve its vision of a Britain that works for everyone. To achieve this outcome it is essential that a full cumulative impact analysis is undertaken of all current and future tax and social security policies.

We have proved its possible and urge the Government to follow our lead and work with us to deliver it.

Dawn Butler, Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, accused the Government of refusing to properly assess polices at every stage and subsequently damaging the lives of vulnerable groups.

She told The Independent: These figures expose the true damage Tory austerity is having on women, disabled people, ethnic minorities, children and lone parents.

If they dont want to look at the damage, maybe they will listen to the women set to lose 13 times more than men or the suggested additional 1.5 million children who will be in poverty.

Sophie Walker, leader of the Womens Equality Party, meanwhile accused ministers of systematically forcing the UKs most vulnerable groups into poverty under the pretence of necessary medicine for the economy.

It is extraordinary to consider we have now arrived at the point in our broken economic model when the lives and opportunities of women and children are entirely expendable  fuel for the continued success of a small minority of privileged men while benefits and public services are slashed, she said.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said the report confirmed that the scale of the losses resulting from welfare changes was staggering.

The report confirms the findings of our analysis with Institute for Public Policy Research, which show that the very families already at greater risk of poverty  including lone parents (mostly mothers), families with very young children and those with a disability  are especially hard hit by a decade of cuts to the incomes of families with children, she said.

It is a page-by-page indictment of recent decisions on social security. Unless there is a change of direction we will jeopardise the wellbeing of a future generation.

Ms Garnham said the priorities for the short term should be ending the freeze on childrens benefits, restoring funding for universal credit and reinstating child allowances for third and subsequent children.

On the discrepancies in financial losses for women and men, Dr Carole Easton OBE, chief executive of the Young Womens Trust, said: Women  and especially young women  are falling into poverty as a result of changes to taxes and social security.

They are working hard to be financially independent but for too many the reality is insecure work, low pay and debt. Todays EHRC report shows that this is only set to get worse unless the Government takes action.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

A Government spokesperson said: Our commitment to equality and fairness has seen child poverty drop, inequality drop and female employment reach a record high.

We spend 90bn a year on welfare to support those who need it most and this report does not take into account many of the important changes that government has introduced since 2010.

Automatic enrolment pension saving and near-record employment are just two issues which contribute enormously to peoples lives, but are not reflected in the analysis.
Facebook has deleted the pages of far-right group Britain First and its leaders, days after they were jailed for anti-Muslim hate crimes.

The social media platform had been heavily criticised for allowing its official page, which had more than two million likes, to remain online after posts were linked to the Finsbury Park terror attack, murder of Jo Cox and a car ramming targeting Muslims.

Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen were jailed for religiously-aggravated harassment last week and had been banned from Twitter in December.

A spokesperson for Facebook said it did not remove pages just because some people dont like them and allowed controversial political opinions.

But political views can and should be expressed without hate, a statement added.

There are times though when legitimate political speech crosses the line and becomes hate speech designed to stir up hatred against groups in our society.

Facebook said the official Britain First page and those of Golding and Fransen had repeatedly broken its community standards, sparking a written final warning that was also violated.

As a result, in accordance with our policies, we have now removed the official Britain First Facebook page and the pages of the two leaders with immediate effect, a spokesperson added.

Britain First's official Facebook page has been deleted (Facebook)

We do not do this lightly, but they have repeatedly posted content designed to incite animosity and hatred against minority groups, which disqualifies the pages from our service.

Theresa May welcomed the announcement and said the Home Secretary was working with Facebook and other firms to ensure they do act more clearly in taking down material of an extremist nature.

Im very pleased to welcome the announcement that Facebook has made and I hope other companies will follow, the Prime Minister told MPs.

Tell Mama, which records Islamophobic hate crime in the UK, said Facebook's decision was "long overdue", adding: "We will continue to work with Facebook to remove any back-up accounts linked to Britain First and its leadership."

It came after the Britain First leaders were jailed for anti-Muslim hate crimes after targeting people they wrongly believed were involved in an ongoing rape trial.

Fransen was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment and Golding for 18 weeks after the court heard that their actions could have caused rapists who gang-raped a teenage girl to walk free.

Judge Justin Barron said their words and actions demonstrated hostility towards Muslims and Islam, adding: I have no doubt it was their joint intention to use the facts of the case for their own political ends.

It was a campaign to draw attention to the race, religion and immigrant background of the defendants.

Golding, 36, was convicted of one count of religiously aggravated harassment and acquitted on two others.

His deputy, 31-year-old Fransen, was found guilty of three counts of the same offence and cleared of one.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

The court heard how she shouted racist abuse through one of the defendants doors, when his pregnant partner was home alone with their two young children.

Prosecutors said it was one of several incidents of Fransen and Golding filming and harassing people they incorrectly believed were involved in the trial, putting the footage online and posting offensive leaflets through letterboxes in Kent.

Britain First styles itself as a patriotic political party but is not registered with the Electoral Commission.

Founded in Swanley as a splinter group of the British National Party, members became known for launching so-called Christian patrols and mosque invasions, while campaigning against immigration and Islam.

Britain First has forged links with extreme nationalist movements across Europe, with Fransen attending a march in Poland where she called Islam a cancer moving through Europe, adding: Our children are being bombed, our children are being groomed and our government does nothing.

The Finsbury Park terror attacker, Darren Osborne, read Britain First posts while planning his attempted massacre of Muslim worshippers, while neo-Nazi Thomas Mair repeatedly shouted the groups name while murdering Labour MP Jo Cox.

It is among the organisations perpetuating the idea of a cultural war against Islam, a report found, after police revealed that four far-right and 10 Islamist terror plots have been foiled in the last year.

Britain Firsts largest following was on Facebook, where its official page put out a stream of unsubstantiated videos frequently claiming to show crimes committed by Muslims, alongside photos and memes.

Three videos posted from Fransens Twitter account in November were re-tweeted by Donald Trump, giving Britain First international notoriety and sparking a diplomatic row after Ms May condemned the action.

Members of the far-right group Britain First march with flags in central London on 1 April 2017, following the Westminster attack (AFP/Getty Images) (AFP/Getty)

Weeks later, both Fransen and Golding were banned from Twitter in a crackdown on extremism and hate speech, leaving Facebook as the group's largest platform.

Britain Firsts main website remains online, as does a YouTube channel that has more than 60,000 subscribers but no videos, and an email subscription service.

Fransen and Golding are due to stand trial in Northern Ireland next month over separate allegations of inciting hatred at the Northern Ireland Against Terrorism rally in Belfast.

But their imprisonment has thrown proceedings into doubt, with Belfast Magistrates' Court contacting English authorities to establish whether they can be brought to court from prison or appear by video-link.

Security services have been sounding mounting warnings over the danger posed by the far-right amid fears of reciprocal radicalisation between the group and Islamists.

Neo-Nazi group National Action became the first far-right organisation banned as a terrorist organisation by the British Government in 2016, sparking a wave of police crackdowns.

The Border Force has refused entry to three far-right figures in recent days.

Martin Sellner, the Austrian leader of pan-European ethno-nationalist movement Generation Identity was detained upon arrival at Luton Airport on Friday and deported over a planned speech at Speakers Corner that authorities said could incite tension in local communities.

His girlfriend Brittany Pettibone, an American alt-right activist, was also detained and deported for planning to film the speech and interview Tommy Robinson, whose posts were among those that inspired the Finsbury Park attack.

A Canadian activist, Lauren Southern, was prevented from entering the UK from Calais on Monday over the distribution of racist material in Luton.
The Russian Ambassador to the UK has said that the British government's response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal has been "absolutely unacceptable" and is being considered a "provocation".

Alexander Vladimirovich Yakovenko also said that Russia was not going to respond to any ultimatums that had been issued by Theresa May, who had demanded explanations about how the former spy was poisoned in Salisbury.

Speaking after a meeting with the Foreign Office Mr Yakovenko called on the Prime Minister to "follow international law".

"Everything that has been done today by the British government is absolutely unacceptable and we consider this a provocation," Mr Yovenko told Sky News.

"We believe the UK should follow international law and under this obligation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons they have to present the request to the organisation.

"We are happy to consider this within ten days. That is the international law."

The comments came as Britain called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the attack.

Ms May has won the backing of German, French, US and other European leaders as she attempts to push for consequences for Mr Putin, after blaming him for being behind the attack in Salisbury which also left dozens of civilians needing treatment.

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 Prime Minister also announced the biggest expulsion of Russian spies from the UK for more than 30 years.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms May said Vladimir Putin had responded to her demand to explain the reckless and despicable act in Salisbury with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.

She concluded that that was "no alternative" other than the Russian state was responsible for the incident.
To look at Professor Stephen Hawking was to realise he transcended mere genius.

Cursed by physical frailty, he was blessed with almost superhuman intellect. Confined to a wheelchair, he roamed the cosmos with his mind.

As one of Isaac Newtons successors as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Hawking sought, not plodding advances in scientific knowledge, but a theory of everything that would let humankind know the mind of God.

Recommended Iconic physicist Stephen Hawking dies at age 76

Perhaps then, it would be naive to expect the personal life of such a man to have been easy or ordinary. It was neither.

The life and loves of Stephen Hawking encompassed beauty and inspirational tenderness, but also emotional pain to match the physical suffering caused by the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that caused doctors to give him two years to live  in 1963.

It could, though, also be said that if he found the will to outlive the doctors prediction, that might have had something to with a love that came to him when he was about to give up, before any of his scientific discoveries could ever be made.

After the doctors doom-laden prognosis of 1963, Hawking was said to have taken to his room at Cambridge, listening to Wagner, reading science fiction, drinking and doing very little research work.

By 1964 his personality, according to one observer, was overshadowed by a deep depression  Harsh black cynicism, aided and abetted by long hours of Wagnerian opera at full volume.

When he drove his car, the observer noted, he drove furiously, not looking at the road, as if he didnt care about the danger of losing his life.

That observer was a young undergraduate called Jane Wilde, who had known him since meeting him at a party in their home town of St Albans in 1962.

There had been meetings, laughter, a May Ball, where he had to apologise for the fact he could not dance.

But then in 1964, in the midst of his depression he had offered to teach her to play croquet on the lawn of his Cambridge college, Trinity Hall, and subjected her to a crushing defeat.

He scarcely bothered, she remembered, To veil his hostility and frustration, as if he were deliberately trying to deter me from further association with him.

But by then, as Jane also wrote in her autobiography Travelling to Infinity, It was too late I was completely under his spell, bewitched by his clear blue-grey eyes and the broad dimpled smile.

 Stephen Hawking in quotes

Their marriage was blessed in the chapel of Trinity Hall in July 1965. He was 23, his bride 21.

Perhaps it just added to the romance, that his parents  the distinguished medical researcher Frank and the Oxford graduate mother Isobel - didnt seem to approve.

Jane would later tell an interviewer how her mother-in-law one told her: We dont like you because you dont fit into our family.

Her father-in-law, meanwhile, advised her to have children quickly. Stephens life, he told the young woman, would be short.

But, Jane wrote: I did not see much point in having whatever natural optimism I could muster destroyed by a litany of doom-laden prophecies. I replied that I loved Stephen so much that nothing could deter me from wanting to marry him.

Marriage, Hawking would later admit, would give him something to live for. It also gave him a family to support, and the need for a job. He started to take his doctorate work seriously again.

Robert and Lucy arrived quite quickly in 1967 and 1970. Timothy, born 14 years into the marriage in 1979, triumphantly disproved his grandfathers advice about needing to reproduce quickly.

With all the innocence of my 21 years, Jane remembered of her wedding day, I trusted that Stephen would cherish me and encourage me to fulfil my own interests.

But of course, life isnt always like the movies.

Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking at his Oxford graduation SWNS Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist at Cambridge University in 1988 Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking navigates the narrow streets between his residence and university Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking as a young man Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking and Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London, 1992 PA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after the blessing of their wedding in 1995 Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking arriving at the Chilean Antarctic base in 1997 Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Bill Gates, accompanied by vice-chancellor Alec Broers, meets Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University in 1997 Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking celebrates his 60th birthday in 2002 at Cambridge University Brian Harris Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking holds a lecture for a symposium of cosmologists at Stockholm University in 2003 AP Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist floats in a weightless environment during a flight aboard a modified Boeing 727 in 2007 EPA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking addresses a public meeting in Cape Town, 2008. Hawking was in South Africa for a short visit, accompanied by Nobel laureates David Gross and George Smoot Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Nelson Mandela Hawking in Johannesburg, 2008 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Hawking during a ceremony at the White House, 2009 Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist enjoys the sun at the Stephen Hawking Garden for Motor Neurone Disease at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2010 Susannah Ireland Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking speaks via satellite during the Science Channel portion of the 2010 Television Critics Association Press Tour Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking speaks during a press conference in London, 2014. Intel demonstrated with the professor a new communications platform to replace his decades-old system EPA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Actors Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne pose with Hawking at the UK premiere of the The Theory of Everything in 2014 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking and Felicity Jones present the award for Special Visual Effects at the Baftas in 2015 Rex Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking takes part in a Little Britain sketch for Red Nose Day 2015, with Catherine Tate and David Walliams Rex Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Pope Francis meets with Hawking at the Vatican in 2016 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking receives his Freedom of the City of London scroll in 2017 AP Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Participants listen to a recorded speech by Hawking on artificial intelligence at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, 2017 AFP/Getty

Many years later, when she came to discuss The Theory of Everything, the film that was inevitably made of Hawkings life, Jane had to admit that the filmmakers "had to minimise the strains and struggles, because in our real life the difficulties of dealing with Stephens disease were much greater than they appear in the film.

Jane wrote of having to balance a toddler on one arm, and on the other, a husband who refused to submit to his condition and use a wheelchair.

Having to wash, clothe and feed her husband, her relationship with him became maternal rather than marital.

His heroic stoicism, she wrote, Increased my sense of guilt at even giving voice to the slightest misgivings.

And so she was left alone with the crushing responsibility, the emotional strain, the aching fatigue of bringing up two small children unaided at the same time as caring for a seriously disabled person who was wasting away before ones very eyes.

Her loneliness endured until she went carol singing with her young daughter in the Christmas of 1977. She found a kindred spirit in the choirmaster Jonathan Hellyer Jones. He too was lonely, having been widowed a couple of years earlier. He too shared her love of music.

It was a long time before they allowed their relationship to become physical but when they did a rather remarkable thing happened. Hawking still allowed Hellyer Jones to become part of the family, helping to care for him and to bring up the three children.

Hawking, Jane wrote, Generously accepted my relationship with Jonathan  provided it was discreet and posed no threat to our family, to our children, to our home or to the running of the nursing rota.

She loved Hellyer Jones, but she still loved Hawking with a deeply caring compassion.

She would later tell The Guardian: There was no alternative to just carrying on. I felt very committed to Stephen, and I didnt think he could manage without me.

I wanted him to carry on doing his amazing work, and I wanted the children to have a stable family behind them  so we just carried on.

We all lived in such harmony, and for so long.

But then in the late 1980s, along with  and possibly connected to - the fame generated by Hawkings book A Brief History of Time came first disruption, and then divorce.

The controversy around what happened endures to this day. All that can be said with certainty is that by February 1990, Hawking had left his first wife for Elaine Mason, one of his nurses.

Described as both a churchgoing mother of two and an exuberant redhead, she had been married to the man who had attached Hawkings speech synthesiser to his wheelchair.

Someone had come along who was prepared to worship at his feet, wrote Jane later. Day after day, the truth forced itself remorselessly on me that his smiles and interest were reserved for Elaine.

After divorcing Jane, Hawking married Elaine in 1995. Jane would marry Hellyer Jones in 1997.

Stephen Hawking and Elaine Mason pose for pictures after their wedding (Reuters)

As for what happened in Hawkings marriage to Elaine, there exist two irreconcilable versions of events.

They were widely publicised, but unproven allegations of abuse.

Professor Hawking denied, in the strongest possible terms, that he had been the victim of anything.

In January 2004, speaking from Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, where he was being treated for pneumonia, he said: My wife and I love each other very much, and it is only because of her that I am alive today.

"I am profoundly disappointed by the circulation of such personal and inaccurate information. I firmly and wholeheartedly reject the allegations that I have been assaulted."

And in March 2004, Cambridge police concluded what they insisted had been an extremely thorough investigation. No charges were brought. No-one was accused by the police of any wrongdoing at all.

Doubtless the whole controversy had been extremely painful for Hawking. A rift had apparently developed between him, his first wife and his children.

In April 2004 Jane admitted to The Observer: I used to go and see him in his office, and we used to have a good time, talking about the children and then about William, our grandchild. But I don't even know now whether he is in hospital or back at home. The children don't know either.

But peace returned. By the time the 2014 film The Theory of Everything came out, Hawking was living round the corner from the Cambridge house of his first wife and her second husband. Jane, Stephen, and Jonathan Hellyer Jones were meeting regularly, enjoying Sunday lunches with the Hawking children.

By that time, of course, Hawking was newly single.

The divorce from Elaine was announced in 2006. The reasons were not made clear, although a source close to the family had to deny as complete and utter libellous rubbish a tabloid claim that Hawking had enjoyed an affair.

Hawking did seem to enjoy being single, though.

He was reported to have been spotted, aged 70 in 2012, inside a Southern California swingers club.

Last time I saw him he was in the back play area laying on a bed fully clothed with two naked women gyrating all over him, was the quote from one source to Radar Online.

 Stephen Hawking roasts John Oliver

Given Hawkings defiant will to live way beyond the two years allotted to him in 1963, its hard to begrudge him his fun  if it happened.

The Cambridge University press officer insisted the lurid statements were greatly exaggerated.

The professor had, apparently, merely visited the swingers club once a few years ago with friends while on a visit to California."

There do seem, though, to have been other clubs involving women in a state of undress.

Peter Stringfellow appears to have acted on the suggestion, made by an interviewer from The Independent in 1994, that if he admired Hawking so much he should invite him to one of his clubs.

The two men were photographed together in 2008. Stringfellow later recalled: I said, Mr. Hawking, its an honour to meet you. If you could spare a minute or two, Id love to chat with you about the universe.

Then I paused for a bit and joked, Or would you rather look at the girls?

There was silence for a moment, and then he answered, The Girls.

Perhaps it was proof, again, that the late, great Professor Stephen Hawking was both supremely intelligent, and very human.
Jeremy Corbyn has challenged the Prime Minister over healthcare charges handed to people not able to prove they have the right to live in the UK.

It comes after a 63-year-old man who has lived in London for 44 years was told he must produce a British passport or pay 54,000 for cancer treatment.

Albert Thompson, who arrived in the UK from Jamaica as a teenager, worked as a mechanic and paid taxes in the UK until becoming ill in 2008.

If we believe in universal healthcare, how can it be possible that someone who lives and works in this country, pays their taxes ... is denied access to the NHS for live-saving treatment? Mr Corbyn asked during Prime Ministers Questions. Can the Prime Minister explain?

Theresa May responded saying: Of course we continue to work to ensure that the situation were putting in... that the treatments were making available are the best treatments that we can.

She added: I am not aware of the particular case that the right honourable gentleman has raised with me.

Mr Thompson told The Guardian, which first reported his case, he had surgery for prostate cancer in January 2017 and was set to begin a course of radiotherapy last November.

But, when he arrived for his treatment, he was taken into a side room where a hospital administrator said he would have to produce a British passport or pay a 54,000 fee.

He said he was turned away when he was unable to pay for the radiotherapy and now he was concerned about how the disease had progressed.

I dont know what is going on inside; it is really worrying me. It feels like they are leaving me to die, he told The Guardian.

Mr Thompson, who has not used his real name on legal advice, is one of a number of immigrants from Commonwealth countries who grew up believing themselves to be British.

But a number of anti-immigration policies have meant those from countries including Jamaica have needed to provide documents to prove they have a right to remain in the UK.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

A spokesperson for The Royal Marsden hospital said: Each NHS Trust in England is legally responsible for identifying and charging overseas visitors using NHS services where the patient cannot prove that they are ordinarily resident and legally entitled to live in the UK.

Where care is deemed urgent or immediately necessary a patient will always be treated but must also be charged for the care received. In line with Department of Health guidance, from 23 October 2017 The Royal Marsden is now legally required to charge non-eligible patients in advance of any treatment.

The Home Office said they had not been provided with enough information to investigate Mr Thompsons case.
Copper coins will not be scrapped, Theresa May has announced, in one of the fastest U-turns in the history of Budget statements.

The Government has backtracked in just 24 hours, after the surprise threat to 1p and 2p coins announced by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, was strongly criticised in some newspapers.

The Prime Ministers spokesperson acknowledged a backlash to the move, saying the current denominational mix of coins meets the publics needs.

Recommended Copper coins could be scrapped over lack of use

As part of the Spring Statement, the Treasury announced a consultation into the use of cash in the new economy, where more and more people were making digital payments.

It pointed out that around 60 per cent of 1p and 2p coins are believed to be used just once before they are put into saving jars, with around 8 per cent being thrown away.

The Royal Mint needed to produce more than 500 million 1p and 2p coins each year to replace those that fall out of circulation, it said  clearly raising the prospect that they would be phased out.

But the move was greeted with derision by several newspapers, some warning that charity collections would be hit and one branding Mr Hammond, the pennies pincher.

Phil Mussell, the director of Coin News magazine, told the Daily Mail: Its a great shame that we are getting rid of 1,000 years of history just because some politicians dont like it.

Asked about the controversy, the spokesperson killed off the idea, saying: There are no proposals to scrap one or two pence coins in the consultation.

The call for evidence is simply intended to enable the Government to better understand the role of cash and digital payments in the economy.

One thing the Treasury were seeking views on was whether the current denominational mix of coins meets the publics needs. From the early reaction, it looks as if it does.

The Government welcomes the contribution to the debate and will respond fully when the call for evidence closes.

It is the second time that an attempt to kill off 1p and 2p coins has been abandoned, after David Cameron blocked an earlier suggestion by George Osborne  fearing public opposition.

Launching its consultation on Tuesday, the Treasury argued that having large numbers of denominations did not contribute to an efficient or cost-effective cash cycle.

People are increasingly moving away from cash. In 2006, just over 60 per cent of all payments were made using cash, but this was predicted to fall to just 21 per cent by 2026.

The document also appeared to pave the way for scrapping 50 notes, noting that while there is significant overseas demand, there is a perception that they are used for money laundering, tax evasion and other criminal activities.
The new Education Secretary has been forced into an embarrassing U-turn after wrongly claiming that school spending is going up.

The official statistics watchdog rapped Damian Hinds, pointing out that funding is frozen  and that he was also wrong to claim that every school will enjoy a small cash increase.

The official Commons record has now been corrected by the Department for Education (DfE) to admit that school funding will only be maintained between 2017 and 2020.

Recommended Politicians and faith leaders call for faith cap in schools to stay

Labour seized on the ruling to criticise Mr Hinds for falling short of his own call, only this week, for honesty in our public debate.

It is deeply disappointing that he has repeated comments on school funding that have been disproven time and time again, said Angela Rayner, Labours education spokeswoman.

The Secretary of State seems to need reminding that the mere repetition of a falsehood does not turn it into the truth.

The controversy blew up after Mr Hinds was challenged in the Commons about what one Labour MP called the real crisis of funding in schools.

In reply, he said: There is more money going into our schools in this country than ever before.

We know that real-terms funding per pupil is increasing across the system and, with the national funding formula, each school will see at least a small cash increase.

But Sir David Norgrove, chairman of the UK Statistics Authority, said funding was being frozen in real terms until 2020, not increased.

Furthermore, the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies has pointed out that school budgets will decline in real terms by 4.6 per cent between 2015 and 2020, because of previous cuts.

Last July, in response to growing protests over school cuts, Theresa May handed the Department for Education an extra 1.3bn, to be spent from next month.

However, even that cash will be taken from elsewhere in the departments budget, such as spending on free schools, rather than boost overall education spending.

In a letter to Ms Rayner, Sir David wrote: Officials at the Department for Education (DfE) have told us that this was said in error and the record has now been corrected.

However, the statistics chief said it was also wrong to state that all schools will have more money  because that decision rested with local education authorities.

The Secretary of States suggestion that each school will see at least a small cash increase (our emphasis) was perhaps too strong. On average will or could would have been more precise, Sir David added.

Under the government's original plans for a new national funding formula, local authorities would have played no role in setting school budgets.

But bypassing local authorities in this way would require legislation  which the Government may be reluctant to introduce, after losing its Commons majority.

A DfE spokesman said: Per pupil funding is being maintained in real terms between 2017-18 and 2019-20 and we have updated the parliamentary records to reflect this.
The former US president Bill Clinton has urged Northern Irelands political leaders to use the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement as a stimulus to save power sharing.

The US statesman described the signing of the accord in 1998 was one of the happiest days of his presidency as he hailed the courage of everyone who made it possible.

In a video message broadcast to a commemoration event in Washington DC, Mr Clinton acknowledged that, 20 years on, there was work to be done to salvage the institutions which the agreement created.

We know the progress that has been made has been imperilled by the consequences of recent events and the uncertainties of the Brexit vote, he said.

We also know in our heart of hearts that none of these problems is an excuse not to save, strengthen and build on the peace.

This anniversary gives us all an opportunity to recommit to the spirit of courage and co-operation that made the Good Friday Agreement possible in the first place.

A number of Northern Ireland politicians attended the event, as did the former senator who brokered the deal 20 years ago, George Mitchell.

As Mr Clinton implored todays generation of political leaders to seize the moment and move into the future together, he joked: You might even want to ask Senator Mitchell to open a new round of negotiations.

Mr Clinton was a major influence in securing the 1998 political deal. After becoming the first US president to visit Northern Ireland, having a particular interest as some of his ancestors came from Fermanagh, he pressured and encourage all sides to secure it.

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. 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

He granted former Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams a US visa in the belief that it would further peace and visited victims of the Omagh bomb.

During a visit to Northern Ireland last year he met with Sinn Feins Stormont leader Michelle ONeill and DUP leader Arlene Foster.

Calling for mutual respect, he said: The Good Friday Accord basically recognised that in an interdependent world which can be good, bad or both, human nature being what it is  an interdependent world is one in which you cannot get away from the other, he said

In such a world the great trick is to own your own identity, embrace your own tribe, but form a community in which what you have in common with those you cant get away from is more important than your differences. Thats all it was.
Jeremy Corbyn has cast doubt on evidence that led the Government to blame Russia for the Salisbury attack, pointing instead to the WMD saga before the Iraq War as reason to be suspicious of Theresa Mays approach.

After the Labour leader refused to blame Moscow in the Commons, his spokesman said ministers use of intelligence on Iraqs weapons programmes in 2003 meant accepting the Governments position on Russia now is problematic.

But his position sparked a furious with Labour MPs who first stood to take an overtly different line in the Commons and then took action outside the Chamber to set themselves apart.

Mr Corby condemned the appalling act of violence on 4 March which left ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal, his daughter and a policeman in a serious condition, but then urged continued robust dialogue with Moscow.

But after being asked why Mr Corbyn would not overtly state that Russia was culpable, his spokesman said: Obviously the Government has access to information and intelligence on this matter which others dont.

"However, also, theres a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic to put it mildly.

The spokesman added: If you remember back to the WMD saga, there was both what was actually produced by the intelligence services, which in the end we had access to and then there was how that was used in the public domain in politics.

 Theresa May orders biggest expulsion of Russian spies in 30 years in response to Salisbury poisoning

So there is a history of problems in relation to interpreting that evidence, but in this case obviously the Government may well have other evidence that we are not aware of.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the UK is bound to provide a sample of the nerve agent used in the attack to Russian investigators under international treaties, something Ms May has withheld.

Theres a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic to put it mildly Jeremy Corbyns spokesman

But Mr Corbyns spokesman appeared to back the move, saying: The right approach is to seek the evidence, to follow international treaties, particularly in relation to prohibited chemical weapons. This was a chemical weapons attack carried out on British soil.

There are procedures that need to be followed in relation to that and the rule of law.

Mr Corbyns spokesman accepted that there is evidence showing that it is highly likely the weapons-grade nerve agent was manufactured in Russia or in the former Soviet Union.

 Russian Ambassador to the UK says the British Government response to Salisbury is 'absolutely unacceptable and we consider this a provocation'

He explained that senior Labour figures had attended briefings from the intelligence services, but pointed towards an alternative explanation for the incident other than direct Russian responsibility.

The spokesman said even the Prime Minister had said there may be two explanations, with one being that the chemical had fallen into the wrong hands.

He said: In relation to the second alternative explanation, in other words the loss of control of military grade nerve agent, we highlighted and have done repeatedly the dangers of mafia-like groups and Russian oligarchic interests in London and their links with elements of the Russian state and that we need to take firm action on that and Jeremy highlighted that point in his response.

Earlier in the Commons, Labour MP Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee, was among those who differentiated herself from the leaders position.

She said Russias actions must be met with unequivocal condemnation, while long-time Corbyn critic John Woodcock said: This is a day for the House to speak as one for the nation, and (Ms May) will be reassured to hear that a clear majority of Labour MPs, alongside the leaders of every other party, support the firm stance which she is taking.

 Russian MP compares Britain to Hitler over the Salisbury nerve agent attack

Labour former minister Pat McFadden earlier told the Chamber: Responding with strength and resolve when your country is under threat is an essential component of political leadership.

There is a Labour tradition that understands that and it has been understood by prime ministers of all parties who have stood at that despatch box.

That means when chemical weapons are used, we need more than words, but deeds.

Backbenchers Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie and Stephen Doughty also made comments supportive of Ms Mays stance.

Labour backbencher John Woodcock tabled an Early Day Motion, a ort of parliamentary petition, unequivocally accepting the Russian states culpability for the attack, and supporting fully the statement made by Ms May in the Commons.

The motion was swiftly signed by a number of prominent critics of Mr Corbyn, some of whom went public with their criticism of the leaders senior spokesman Seumas Milne.

Labour MP Anna Turley tweeted: Im afraid Seumas doesnt speak for my Labour or British values, while Chuka Umunna said: Mr Milnes comments do not represent the views of the majority of our voters, members or MPs.

But responding, Mr Milne was defiant, saying: In these kinds of crisis there are often initial reactions which arent necessarily later backed up by reality or fact.

I think Jeremys record in relation to judgement on internationally related crises is probably better than anyone else in the House of Commons, he has proved to make the right call time and again over the last 15 to 20 years, in particular when many others made the wrong call, and those calls have disastrous consequences.
Jeremy Corbyn has faced widespread criticism from MPs over his response to Theresa Mays statement on the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury.

The Labour leader used his parliamentary response to ask whether samples of the nerve agent used in the attack had been sent to Moscow, and criticise Government over budget cuts to the diplomatic service.

While he called the poisoning of the Skripals an appalling act of violence, Mr Corbyn angered MPs by refusing to directly condemn Moscow over its alleged responsibility for the poisoning, which involved the military grade nerve agent Novichok.

His speech was met with cries of shame from Conservative MPs and clear frustration among his own backbenchers.

The Labour leader said: "Can the Prime Minister update the House on what conversations, if any, she has had with the Russian Government and while suspending planned high-level contact does the Prime Minister agree that it is essential to maintain a robust dialogue with Russia?

"We should urge our international allies to join us and call on Russia to reveal without delay full details of its chemical weapons programme."

On the issue of diplomatic service budgets, Mr Corbyn said: "It is, as we on these benches have expressed before, a matter of huge regret that our country's diplomatic capacity has been stripped back, with cuts of 25 per cent in the last five years.

In response, Ms May called on the Labour leader to directly condemn the culpability of the Russian state.

She said: "It is clear from the conversations I have had with allies that we have a consensus with our allies, it was clear from the remarks that were made by backbenchers across the whole of this House on Monday that there is a consensus across the backbenches of this House.

"I am only sorry that the consensus does not go as far as the Right Honourable Gentleman who could have taken the opportunity - as the UK Government has done - to condemn the culpability of the Russian state.

Ms May was backed by a number of MPs from all parties, who criticised Mr Corbyn with varying degrees of subtlety.

Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Scene of attack Members of the emergency services in hazard suits fix the tent over the bench where Sergei and Yulia Skripal were found unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury in March 2018. Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Victim - Sergei Skripal The retired Russian colonel and former double agent for MI6 was in a critical condition in hospital for more than two months after being exposed to novichok in Salisbury. He was given refuge in the UK after being jailed in Moscow for treason. Mr Skripal came to Britain as part of a high-profile spy swap in 2010 in which four men were exchanged for ten Russian "sleeper agents" in the US. In this image he is speaking to his lawyer from behind bars in Moscow in 2006. AP Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Victim - Yulia Skripal Yulia Skripal was struck down by a novichok poison alongside her father Sergei. Facebook Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Scene of attack A police officer stands guard outside a branch of the Italian chain restaurant Zizzi where the pair dined at before falling ill. It was boarded off whilst investigators worked on the building and later found traces of the chemical weapon within it. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Scene of attack Large areas of central Salisbury were cordoned off by police following the discovery of the Skripals. Traces of nerve agent were also found in The Mill pub. PA Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Victim - Nick Bailey Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey, rushed to the aid of the Russian ex-spy and his daughter who were targeted with a nerve agent. He was hospitalized after aiding them and didn't leave until three weeks after the attack. Wiltshire Police/Rex Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Police investigation - Skripals home Police believe they were poisoned at home, and detectives found the highest concentration of novichok on the front door of Mr Skripals house. Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Theresa May visits scene of attack Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May spokes with Wiltshire Police's Chief Constable Kier Pritchard near where the Skripal's were found. Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the nerve agent poisoning and suspended high-level contacts, including for the World Cup on March 14. Theresa May told parliament that Russia had failed to respond to her demand for an explanation on how a Soviet-designed chemical, Novichok, was used in Salisbury. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Skripal days before attack Sergei Skripal days before he was exposed to Novichok, that has left him fighting for life. ITV News Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Police investigation - military involvement British soldiers were deployed soon after the attack to help a counter-terrorism investigation into the nerve agent attack. One of the places they were asked to help out with was Skripal's home and it's surrounding. They were asked to remove a vehicle connected to the agent attack in Salisbury, from a residential street in Gillingham. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Police investigation Personnel in protective coveralls and breathing equipment cover an ambulance with a tarpaulin at the Salisbury District Hospital. AFP/Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Police investigation The investigation extended to the grave of Sergei Skripal's son Alexander in London Road cemetery. Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Police investigation The Counter Terrorism Policing Network requested assistance from the military to remove a number of vehicles and objects from Salisbury. EPA Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Home Secretary visits scene of attack Home Secretary Amber Rudd visited the scene of the nerve agent attack at the Maltings shopping centre on 9 March. Getty Skripal attack aftermath  in pictures Yulia Skripal speaks for the first time Yulia Skripal, speaking for the first time, said she felt lucky to have survived the nerve agent attack in Salisbury which left her fighting for life. Ms Skripal said her life had been turned upside down by the assassination attempt. But the Russian national added she hoped to return to her homeland one day, despite the Kremlin being blamed for the attack. Reuters

The DUPs Sammy Wilson accused the Labour leader of a policy of appeasement.

He said: "We welcome the decisive action which has been taken by the Prime Minister today and it sits in contrast with the policy of appeasement that we have heard from the front bench of the Labour Party.

A number of Labour MPs also made thinly-disguised attacks on their party leader.

Pat McFadden said: Responding with strength and resolve when your country is under threat is an essential component of political leadership.

There is a Labour tradition that understands that and it has been understood by prime ministers of all parties who have stood at that dispatch box."

John Woodcock, a vocal critic of Mr Corbyn, said of the Prime Ministers statement: A clear majority of Labour MPs, along with the leaders of every other party, support the firm stance she is taking.

In a thinly-veiled swipe at her party leader, Yvette Cooper, the former Shadow Home Secretary, said Russias actions "must be met with unequivocal condemnation".

Mr Corbyn had already faced criticism over his initial response to the poisoning after he used a Commons statement to raise the issue of Russian donations to the Conservative Party.

 UK won't send any government or Royal representatives to Russia World Cup, says Theresa May

His latest speech provoked fury among opponents, with Tory MPs leading the attacks.

Former Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: In rising to this challenge - as others have shown, they also too in positions of leadership, have risen to the challenge - I'm only sorry that others in such positions have fallen well short.

Anna Soubry, who has herself been critical of Ms May in the past, said: "It is noticeable that the length and breadth of this place has completely supported not just the wise words and the leadership of the Prime Minister but also her firm actions, with the notable exception of the front bench of the Opposition. That is a shameful, shameful moment."

Tory MP Nick Boles wrote on Twitter: Today Jeremy Corbyn faced a simple test: would he condemn the Russian government for launching a chemical weapons attack on the UK, and back the actions of the British government? His failure to do so reveals where his loyalties lie."

Vince Cable, the Liberal Democrat leader, and Ian Blackford, the SNPs Westminster leader, gave their full backing to the Prime Minister. One Conservative MP could be heard shouting Thats how you do it as Mr Blackford finished speaking.

Mr Corbyn's spokesman said the Labour leader had not seen enough evidence to prove that Russia was responsible for the Salisbury attack and claimed UK security services' record on weapons of mass destruction was "problematic".

He said: "The Government has access to information and intelligence on this matter which others don't.

"However, also there is a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly.

"So, I think the right approach is to seek the evidence to follow international treaties, particularly in relation to prohibitive chemical weapons."
Four Muslim Labour MPs have received suspicious packages or threatening letters in the past few days, and police are probing suspected links to Islamophobic hate mail sent across the country.

A staff member for Ealing Central and Acton MP, Rupa Huq, was taken to hospital as a precaution after opening post containing an irritant substance, while the parliamentary office of Manchester Gortons MP, Afzhal Khan, was evacuated after he was sent a suspect package.

Two people were also taken to hospital as police assessed a package sent to the office of Mohammad Yasin, MP for Bedford and Kempston, on Monday.

Recommended Terror police investigating letters calling for attacks on Muslims

His colleague Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, said she opened a threatening letter on Monday calling for attacks on Muslims.

Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, Ms Ali said: "MPs are no strangers, and certainly ethnic minority and Muslim MPs, are no strangers to threats from extremist groups, but the level of far-right violent threats and far-right activity has become very worrying."

Ms Huq confirmed the same letter was delivered to her office on Tuesday morning doused in a liquid, which she said police had told her was low-level noxious.

The letters, which encourage people to punish a Muslim on a day of nationwide violence, were already under investigation by several British police forces after being sent to addresses around the country in recent days.

Officers are investigating whether there is a link between the letters  which have been raised and condemned in Parliament - and the suspicious packages sent to the Labour MPs.

Ms Huq warned of a definite pattern of Islamophobia, adding it was totally unacceptable for Muslim MPs to face this.

She said her staff had been given the all-clear but had endured a scary experience.

Clearly this is part of a pattern of Islamophobic behaviour with the Punish a Muslim Day letters being sent to members of the public and to my fellow Muslim MPs, said Mr Khan. I stand in solidarity with them against this vile abuse which has no place in our society.

The MP said the package delivered to his office was not opened by himself or his staff and was later found to pose no risk. He was not sent a racist letter.

Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said: The disgusting hate-filled letters and packages sent to Muslim fellow citizens and colleagues in Parliament are utterly contemptible.

Those that seek to divide us will find that our country is united in mutual respect, proud of our diversity and ready to protect our shared future.

Today we stand together with those facing this vile Islamophobia, to show them support, care and solidarity.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

A Parliamentary spokesman confirmed police were investigating suspicious items of mail.

He added: This is further to the two items investigated yesterday, both of which were found to be non-harmful. The police are investigating the content of the letters to identify any potential links.

Parliamentary authorities have now emailed all staff to be on the alert for suspicious items of mail.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was called to Parliament at 9.49am on Tuesday. A spokesman said specialist officers were sent to the scene and assessed a suspicious package.

He added: A man has been taken to hospital as a precaution. A second package at the same location is also being assessed.
Faith leaders will be asked to help promote British values and laws on religious marriages could be reformed as part of a new government strategy to boost integration within the UKs communities.

Ministers said the 50m Integrated Communities Strategy will focus on helping people learn English, encouraging more women to find work and promoting meaningful discussion between young people.

Sajid Javid, the Housing and Communities Secretary, said immigrants to the UK will also be given practical information to help them adapt to British culture.

The plan is the Governments response to a review of integration carried out by Dame Louise Casey in 2016.

Ministers said the findings of the review, along with other evidence, suggest too many communities are divided along racial, religious or class lines.

The new strategy was published as a green paper that will be the subject of a four-month consultation, concluding in June.

Mr Javid said: "Britain can rightly claim to be one of the most successful diverse societies in the world. But we cannot ignore the fact that in too many parts of our country, communities are divided, preventing people from taking full advantage of the opportunities that living in modern Britain offers.

Successive governments have refused to deal with the integration challenges we face head on, preferring to let people muddle along and live isolated and separated lives.

We will put an end to this through our new strategy which will create a country that works for everyone, whatever their background and wherever they come from. Integration challenges are not uniform throughout the country, with different areas and communities having varying needs.

Part of the 50m fund will be invested in new programmes to help immigrants learn English, including a network of conversation clubs. Councils will be given money to boost English language teaching.

Another part of the strategy will focus on helping women from minority communities into work. Job centres will use personalised skills training to help people find jobs.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 20 September 2021 Florist Judith Blacklock puts the finishing touches to a floral carousel installation in Halkin Arcade, which she has designed with Neill Strain for the Belgravia in Bloom festival, running from September 20-26, in London PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2021 Bubbles surround Manchester Uniteds Cristiano Ronaldo before the match against West Ham at London Stadium Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 18 September 2021 Children take part in the Settrington Cup Pedal Car Race as motoring enthusiasts attend the Goodwood Revival, a three-day historic car racing festival in Goodwood, Chichester, Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2021 Hugo, 7, from London rides past a 4x7 metre rainbow arch, made entirely of recycled aluminium cans, which has been installed by recycling initiative 'Every Can Counts', in partnership with The City of London Corporation in front of St Paul's Cathedral in London, to encourage members of the public to recycle their drinks cans ahead of recycling week, which starts on 20 September PA UK news in pictures 16 September 2021 Sheikeh MOhammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, leader of Abu Dhabi, leaves Downing Street after meeting with Boris Johnson PA UK news in pictures 15 September 2021 Children pose by ice sculptures depicting people collecting water by charity Water Aid to show the fragility of water and the threat posed by climate change in London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 14 September 2021 Heavy rain covers the A149 near Kings Lynn in Norfolk PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2021 Luke Jerram's 'Museum of the Moon' at Durham Cathedral PA UK news in pictures 12 September 2021 Inspirational young fundraiser Tobias Weller crosses the finish line, near his home in Sheffield, as he completes his latest epic feat where he swam and triked his way to the end of his awesome year-long Ironman Challenge. This is the third challenge Tobias, who has cerebral palsy and autism, has completed, raising more than 150,000 for his school and Sheffield Children Hospitals charity PA UK news in pictures 11 September 2021 British player Emma Raducanu, holds up the US Open championship trophy winning the women's singles final of the US Open in New York AP UK news in pictures 10 September 2021 People paddle board during a misty morning in Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, Cumbria PA UK news in pictures 9 September 2021 Troops from Wiltshire based 4 Armoured Close Support Battalion Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers during final inspection at Wellington Barracks in London, ahead of providing troops for the Queens Guard PA UK news in pictures 8 September 2021 Workers cross London Bridge during the morning rush hour in London Reuters UK news in pictures Mixing it up: Painting it up press view in London A gallery employee poses for photographers next to a painting entitled Prairie by British artist, Louise Giovanelli during the exhibition 'Mixing it up: Painting it up' at the Hayward Gallery in London EPA UK news in pictures 6 September 2021 Traders in the Ring at the London Metal Exchange, in the City of London, after open-outcry trading returned for the first time since March 2020, when the Ring was temporarily closed due to the pandemic PA UK news in pictures 5 September 2021 People enjoy the warm weather on Sandbanks beach, Poole PA UK news in pictures 4 September 2021 Demonstrators from Animal Rebellion and Nature Rebellion protest in Trafalgar Square in London. PA UK news in pictures 3 September 2021 South Africa's Ntando Mahlangu (centre) wins the Men's 200 metres T61 Final ahead of second placed Great Britain's Richard Whitehead at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PA UK news in pictures 2 September 2021 A young common seal on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as hundreds of pregnant grey seals come ashore ready for the start of the pupping season. PA UK news in pictures 1 September 2021 Goldfinches fighting over food in a garden in Strensham, Worcestershire PA UK news in pictures 31 August 2021 Gold Medallist Sarah Storey of Britain celebrates on the podium Reuters UK news in pictures 30 August 2021 Extinction Rebellion protesters hold a a tea party on Tower Bridge in London EPA UK news in pictures 29 August 2021 A police office tussles with a demonstrator on Cromwell Road outside the Natural History Museum during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion in London PA UK news in pictures 28 August 2021 Members of the British armed forces 16 Air Assault Brigade walk to the air terminal after disembarking a Royal Airforce Voyager aircraft at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire POOL/AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 27 August 2021 Fabio Quartararo crashes during a MotoGP practice session at the British Grand Prix, Silverstone Circuit Action Images via Reuters UK news in pictures 26 August 2021 An Extinction Rebellion activist holds a placard in a fountain surrounded by police officers, during a protest next to Buckingham Palace in London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 August 2021 Gold Medallist Great Britains cyclist, Sarah Storey, celebrates after winning the Womens C5 3000m Individual Pursuit Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. It was her 15th Paralympic gold Reuters UK news in pictures 24 August 2021 A demonstrator dressed as bee during a protest by members of Extinction Rebellion on Whitehall, in central London PA UK news in pictures 23 August 2021 Former interpreters for the British forces in Afghanistan demonstrate outside the Home Office in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 22 August 2021 Police officers form a line in front of the entrance to the Guildhall, London, where protesters have climbed onto a ledge above the entrance during an Extinction Rebellion stage a protest PA UK news in pictures 21 August 2021 People take part in a demonstration in solidarity with people of Afghanistan, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 20 August 2021 People zip wire across the sea from Bournemouth pier towards the beach. PA UK news in pictures 19 August 2021 Supporters of Geronimo the alpaca gather outside Shepherds Close Farm in Wooton Under Edge, Gloucestershire PA UK news in pictures 18 August 2021 Former Afghan interpreters and veterans hold a demonstration outside Downing Street, calling for support and protection for Afghan interpreters and their families PA UK news in pictures 17 August 2021 Military personnel board the RAF Airbus A400M at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, where evacuation flights from Afghanistan have been landing Reuters UK news in pictures 16 August 2021 Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer takes part in a minute's silence at Wolverhampton police station for the victims of the Plymouth mass shooting last week PA UK news in pictures 15 August 2021 2Storm, a ten-metre tall puppet of a mythical goddess of the sea created by Edinburgh-based visual theatre company Vision Mechanics, makes its way alongside the seafront at North Berwick, East Lothian, during a performance at the Fringe By The Sea festival PA UK news in pictures 14 August 2021 A woman and two young girls look at floral tributes in Plymouth where six people, including the offender, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident PA UK news in pictures 13 August 2021 Forensic officers in the Keyham area of Plymouth where six people, including the shooter, died of gunshot wounds in a firearms incident on Thursday evening PA UK news in pictures 12 August 2021 Children ride horses in the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, during the annual gathering of travellers for the Appleby Horse Fair PA UK news in pictures 11 August 2021 Stella Moris (left) reacts after talking to the media outside the High Court in London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal, n London, following the first hearing in the Julian Assange extradition appeal. The US government has won the latest round in its High Court bid to appeal against the decision not to extradite Julian Assange on espionage charges PA UK news in pictures 10 August 2021 Students react after they receive their A-Level results at the Ark Academy, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 9 August 2021 The final athletes from Great Britain arrive home including Jason Kenny, Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald (front left-right) at Heathrow Airport, London following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games PA UK news in pictures 8 August 2021 Great Britain's Laura Kenny during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic stadium in Japan PA UK news in pictures 7 August 2021 People from the Glasgow Southside community take part in the Govanhill Carnival, an anti-racist celebration of pride, unity and the contributions immigrants have made to the community in Govanhill, at Queen's Park, Glasgow PA UK news in pictures 6 August 2021 Chijindu Ujah of Britain, Zharnel Hughes of Britain, Richard Kilty of Britain and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake of Britain celebrate winning silver as they pose with Asha Philip of Britain, Imani Lansiquot of Britain, Dina Asher-Smith of Britain and Daryll Neita of Britain after they won bronze in the women's 4 x 100m relay during Olympic Games Day 14 Getty 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

The Government is also considering reforming laws on marriage and religious weddings, and will renew efforts to tackle hate crime. Religious leaders will be trained in promoting British culture.

At the same time, plans will be put forward to encourage young people to mix more with peers from other backgrounds, including through the National Citizen Service. British values will continue to be taught in schools.

Damian Hinds, the Education Secretary, said: We want to make sure that all children learn the values that underpin our society  including fairness, tolerance and respect. These are values that help knit our communities together, which is why education is at the heart of this strategy.

Its also important that children are taught in a safe environment and that we can act quickly if children are at risk or being encouraged to undermine these values. Together, with Ofsted and communities across the country, we will build on the work already underway to achieve this.

The strategy will initially be trialled in Blackburn, Bradford, Peterborough, Walsall and the London borough of Waltham Forest.

In a damning report published in December 2016, Dame Louise accused successive governments of having failed to effectively promote integration.

The problem has not been a lack of knowledge but a failure of collective, consistent and persistent will to do something about it or give it the priority it deserves at both a national and local level, she said.

The work that has been done has often been piecemeal and lacked a clear evidence base or programme of evaluation.

 Dame Louis Casey integration comments

She said attempts to bring communities together had suffered from spending cuts since 2010. The Coalition Government cut funding for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, resulting in budgets plummeting by 50 per cent between 2008 and 2015.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 on Sunday, Ms Casey said:I dont care how weve got here, I dont care who cant speak English, I dont care whats going on but what I do know is that everybody of working age and of school age should be able to speak the language. And I think the public in particular would feel some relief.

And I would be quite old-school about this and I would set a target that says By x date we want everybody in the country to be able to speak a common language.

It comes as the think tank British Future, which aims to boost integration, published new polling showing widespread public support for policies that are thought to help unite communities.

The poll, conducted by ICM, found 79 per cent of Conservative voters and 76 per cent of Labour supporters think British values should be taught in schools.

A similar majority believes the Government should do more to help people learn English.
European Union national leaders are set to discuss the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal using a nerve agent at a summit in Brussels next week.

European Council president Donald Tusk said he was ready to put the issue on the agenda at the planned European Council meeting on 22 and 23 March.

I express my full solidarity with PM Theresa May in the face of the brutal attack inspired, most likely, by Moscow. Im ready to put the issue on next weeks European Council agenda, he said.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday Theresa May said the Government had come to the conclusion that the Russian government was be behind the poisoning and that it amount to an unlawful use of force on British soil.

It is essential that we now come together with our allies to defend our security, to stand up for our values, and to send a clear issues to those who would seek to undermine them, she said.

The European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans has said European countries and their leaders had a collective responsibility to help their ally.

If nerve gas was actively used against civilians in one of our member states, I believe that the European Council should in clear terms express its full solidarity with the British people and the British government in addressing this issue, Mr Timmermans told the European Parliament earlier this week.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

I believe it is of the utmost importance that those who are responsible for what has happened see very clearly that there is European solidarity, unequivocal, unwavering, and very strong  so that those responsible are really punished for what they did.

We cannot have nerve gas being used in our societies. This should be addressed by all of us and not just left to Prime Minister May and the British government. It is a collective European responsibility also under the OPCW [Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] rules.
Russias state media accused the UK of using the death of ex-spy Sergei Skripal to interfere" in this weekend's Russian presidential elections  a vote that is expected to cement the power of Vladimir Putin.

The British were accused of being deliberately aggressive by some, while others suggested spies were misinforming Theresa May. Others still played up the prospect of world war.

It comes as the Kremlin made clear they would ignore Ms May's Monday ultimatum to admit to poisoning former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, or admit to losing control of an undeclared chemical weapon.

Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov said his country would not respond to the allegations without being given a sample of the nerve agent identified by British scientists.

As events unfolded, Mr Putins officials announced he would be making an urgent trip to Dagestan in southern Russia to address security matters. Unusually, journalists in the Kremlin press pool were not invited.

Mr Putins spokesman remained unavailable for comment, skipping his usual daily press conference on Tuesday.

State media nonetheless led the charge. After initial silence, the country's main news network turned to a familiar refrain. The British accusations, they suggested, were an attempt by a foreign government to interfere in presidential elections.

 Theresa May: 'highly likely' Russia was responsible for poisoning of Sergei Skripal

Looking down at a clipboard, one of the channel's anchors said the British had made "elementary" mistakes: They have got confused about the time and place. Were not in the 1990s anymore, when Russia allowed itself to be beaten. And Russia isnt a British colony to be controlled.

In the following hour, the channel presented a panel of obscure experts, who were each egged on by the presenter.

Should we tell the British where to go? the presenter asked the first participant. Of course, we dont need to prove our innocence.

Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Show all 5 1 /5 Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Russian President Vladimir Putin bathes in an ice-cold water on Epiphany near St. Nilus Stolobensky Monastery on Lake Seliger in Svetlitsa village, Russia. Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Russian President Vladimir Putin walks to take a dip in the water Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Thousands of Russian Orthodox Church followers will plunge into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. AP Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Russian President Vladimir Putin takes a dip in the ice cold water. EPA Vladimir Putin takes icy dip in lake to mark Orthodox Epiphany Vladimir Putin walks out of a hole in the ice of the freezing waters of Lake Seliger. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via Reuters

To the next expert, they asked: Is this connected to Sundays elections? Yes, it is, came the response.

To the third, they said: Why are the British so aggressive?

That expert replied that Theresa May was "getting the wrong information from her spooks", adding: "They havent had a strong record with previous prime ministers, have they?"

The expert continued: "We remember what they did with (Tony) Blair over Iraq. And (David) Cameron in Syria.

 Vladimir Putin has something on Donald Trump, claims NBC Host Megyn Kelly

Correcting them, the presenter said: "You mean Libya?"

By the end of the discussion, the experts were agreed: Russia and the West were on the verge of World War III.

This is what May said," said one. "She said the UK had been attacked. This is the British answer to Putins state-of-the-nation speech. We understand the logic. Everyone should now be ready for the very worst of developments.

Their conclusions seemed an obvious nod to the stability and security candidate in the presidential election, Mr Putin.
Theresa May is drawing up plans for an economic war with Vladimir Putin and his allies after Moscow refused to explain how a deadly Russian nerve agent came to be used in a rural British city.

The Independent understands the ground is already being prepared for economic measures such as asset freezes and seizures, alongside visa bans against Russian individuals.

Ms May is also understood to be considering expelling diplomats and pushing for joint international action with allies.

The Prime Minister is set to meet her National Security Council on Wednesday to finalise her approach which is then likely be announced to the House of Commons in the afternoon.

Action came a step closer after the Russian Foreign Minister said his country would not cooperate with the British investigation into the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury on 4 March.

But Britains allies gave early support to Ms Mays push, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel calling for unified action and US President Donald Trump saying there must be consequences for those responsible.

It came during another dramatic day on which:

On Monday Ms May delivered an ultimatum to Russia, that it would have to explain how Novichok, a Russian-made nerve agent came to be used in Salisbury.

 Salisbury city centre visibly quieter days after Russian spy attack

She warned of extensive measures if a full account was not given by midnight on Tuesday, something Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declined to do without being handed a sample of the nerve agent identified by the British investigation.

A Government minister told The Independent: What happens will be an economic war, these will be economic measures.

Russias economy is only half that of the UK, a lot of it concentrated in a few peoples hands. Well, well do our bit to make smaller if they want to carry on like this Government minister

Russias economy is only half that of the UK, a lot of it concentrated in a few peoples hands. Well, well do our bit to make it smaller if they want to carry on like this.

That doesnt give us any pleasure at all, but we need the nations of Europe to behave within the rule of law and not like gangsters. The message has to economic, political and diplomatic.

A key option open to the Government are powers under the Criminal Finances Act which could see Russian owned assets and property  worth hundreds of millions of pounds in London  thrust under the spotlight.

 Tory MP Tom Tugendhat: England fans at World Cup in Russia may be targeted as a result of reprisals for Skripal

If individuals who have ties to Mr Putin or are linked to the Salisbury attack cannot show that legitimate means have been used to purchase assets, then they could be seized, as could banked money which is of a suspicious origin.

After former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko was killed with radioactive poison in 2006, the UK also expelled diplomats, imposed visa restrictions and froze assets of two suspects, but Ms May has indicated she wants to go further this time.

The minister told The Independent the total package of measures being pursued would be greater than the sum of its parts.

They went on: The words that the Prime Minister used were that this constituted an unlawful use of force, which is important because it does justify proportionate retaliatory action.

 Vladimir Putin approached by BBC reporter to ask about Sergei Skripal poisoning

Her main pitch is that we are a country that respects international law and we are going to demonstrate by our adherence to that how much better we are than the gangsterism and lawlessness that characterised this incident.

So when measures are announced, the total will be greater than the sum of its parts, when you take the overall package of measures announced, they will have force.

The Government also hopes that the contrast between the UKs law-based approach and that of Russias, will give it credit in international forums like the UN and Nato, and with EU partners.

 Footage of Vladimir Putin threatening 'traitors' resurfaces

While ministers know Russia can use its Security Council veto to block a joint-call for sanctions at the UN, diplomats may still push the issue to make a show of isolating Moscow.

One Government insider pointed towards the case of Yvonne Fletcher, the policewoman who was shot from the Libyan embassy in London in 1984, leading to sanctions against Tripoli.

The Independent reported yesterday that ministers had already discussed expelling Russian diplomats from the UK.

Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Show all 20 1 /20 Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin is pictured with a horse during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia on August 3, 2009. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin aims at a whale with an arbalest to take a piece of its skin for analysis on the Olga Bay, some 240 kilometres north-east of Nakhodka on August 25, 2010. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin plunges into the icy waters of lake Seliger during the celebration of the Epiphany holiday in Russia's Tver region AFP/Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin (top) takes part in a judo training session at the "Moscow" sports complex in St. Petersburg, on December 22, 2010. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin works out at a gym at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi on August 30, 2015. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin fishes in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia. The picture taken between August 1 and 3, 2017. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin (L) and the leader of the Night Wolves biker group, Alexander Zaldostanov (R), also known as the Surgeon, ride motorcycles on August 29, 2011 at a bikers' festival in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, Russia. Putin described leather-clad bikers as brothers and boasted of the "indivisible Russian nation" after roaring into a biking rally on a Harley Davidson. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin wears glasses as he visits the Technology Park of the Novosibirsk Academic Town in Novosibirsk on February 17, 2012. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin rides a horse during his vacation outside the town of Kyzyl in Southern Siberia on August 3, 2009. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin holds a pistol during his visit to a newly-built headquarters of the Russian General Staff's Main Intelligence Department (GRU) in Moscow, 08 November 2006. ?Some countries are seeking to untie their hands in order to take weapons to outer space, including nuclear weapons,? Putin said at the Chief Military Intelligence Department on Wednesday. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin sits inside a T-90AM tank during a visit to an arms exhibition in the Urals town of Nizhny Tagil on September 9, 2011 Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin wears a helmet and the uniform of the Renault Formula One team before driving a F1 race car on a special track in Leningrad region outside St. Petersburg on November 7, 2010. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin guides a boat during his vacation in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia. The picture taken between August 1 and 3, 2017. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin hunts fish underwater in the remote Tuva region in southern Siberia. The picture taken between August 1 and 3, 2017. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin is seen at the Russian boxing team training club after casting his vote for the Russian Presidential election, 14 March 2004 in Moscow. Putin coasted to a landslide victory with 69.0 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, according to the first exit poll aired on Russian television moments after voting ended across the country's 11 time zones. AFP/Getty Images Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Russian President Vladimir Putin poses for a picture inside the Tupolev-160 strategic bomber jet at the Moscow's Chkalovsky military airport, 16 August 2005. President Vladimir Putin took off from Moscow for a supersonic flight in a cruise-missile carrying Tupolev-160 bomber jet, the latest in the Russian leader's action-packed public appearances. After a health check, Putin donned a flight suit and took the commander's position in the strategic bomber, which was piloted by Major General Anatoly Zhikharev, with a colonel and a lieutenant colonel in charge of navigation, Russian media reported. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? A picture released on March 6, 2010 shows Vladimir Putin look through binoculars in the Karatash area, near the town of Abakan, during his working trip to Khakassia, on February 25, 2010. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin measuring a polar bear on the island Alexandra Land, part of the Franz Josef Land archipalego in the Arctic Ocean. Putin, better known in the West for his tough-guy image, expressed concern for the fate of Arctic polar bears threatened by climate change. "The polar bear is under threat. Their population is currently only 25,000 individuals," Putin was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Vladimir Putin carries a hunting rifle during his trip in Ubsunur Hollow Biosphere Reserve in Tuva Republic in this undated picture released on October 30, 2010 by RIA Novosti news agency. Getty Vladimir Putin's Photo ops  Russia's Man of Steel? Russian President Vladimir Putin pilots a motorized hang glider while flying with cranes as he takes part in a scientific experiment as part of the "Flight of Hope", which aims to preserve a rare species of - cranes on September 5, 2012. At the helm of a motorized hang glider that the birds have taken as their leader, Putin made three flights - the first to get familiar with the process, and two others with the birds. AFP/Getty

In a diplomatic show of strength ahead of Wednesday, when the international community will watch to see whether she lives up to her threat of extensive measures, Ms May held talks with world leaders.

A Downing Street spokesman confirmed the Prime Minister had talked with Chancellor Merkel on Tuesday afternoon to update her on the on-going investigation.

He said: They discussed the pattern of aggressive Russian behaviour and agreed it would be important to act in unison with allies to counter it.

Chancellor Merkel condemned the attack and said she stood in full solidarity with the UK.

 Donald Trump sacks Rex Tillerson

They agreed that the international community should coordinate closely as the investigation developed and in the wake of Russias response.

On Monday Mr Tillerson strongly backed Ms May approach and the British governments assessment about it being highly likely that Russia ordered the attack in Salisbury.

But at the regular White House press briefing the Presidents press secretary, Sarah Sanders, refused repeatedly to assign blame to Russia.

Mr Trump then also appeared unwilling to do so as he spoke to reporters on Tuesday, but the Number 10 spokesman said that in a call Mr Trump had told Ms May the US is with the UK all the way.

Readouts of the call from both sides underlined that the two leaders agree that the Russian government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used.

The White House readout went further adding that the pair also agreed the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons.
 Close Theresa May orders biggest expulsion of Russian spies in 30 years in response to Salisbury poisoning

Theresa May has said that 23 Russian spies will be expelled from the UK as a response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury.

The move, which is the biggest expulsion in more than 30 years, has been described by the Russians as "unacceptable" and a "provocation".

The Prime Minister also confirmed that no UK dignitaries will attend the World Cup in Russia this year, and said a planned visit by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will be scrapped.

Ms May addressed MPs following Prime Ministers Questions, after Russia failed to comply with the British governments midnight demand for an explanation of the poisoning of the ex-spy.

She said Vladimir Putin had responded to her demand to explain the reckless and despicable act in Salisbury with sarcasm, contempt and defiance.

She concluded that that was "no alternative" other than the Russian state was responsible for the incident.

Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman responded to the news by saying Mr Corbyn does not yet believe he has seen enough evidence to point the finger of blame at the Russian state.

He also cast aspersions on the evidence that had been presented, raising Iraq as the reason to be suspicious over intelligence that is presented to the public.

The comments were met with several Labour MPs vocally disagreeing with Mr Corbyn tabling a motion to back Ms May's view that Russia was definitely culpable.

See below for all the updates
A teacher in California has reportedly accidentally fired a gun in a classroom, injuring three children.

Police were called to Seaside High School on Tuesday after Dennis Alexander, who was leading a class on gun safety, fired a semi-automatic weapon at the ceiling, local press reported.

The incident comes amid fierce debate about gun regulation following a shooting at a Florida High School in which 17 people were killed.

 Donald Trump says teacher could have 'shot the hell out of' Florida school shooter

Survivors of the massacre have pressed for stricter gun control measures, but Donald Trump has suggested arming teachers.

At Seaside High School, one 17-year-old student was hit in the neck by debris falling from the ceiling or by bullet fragments, Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen said.

Recommended White House pledges to train some teachers how to shoot

None of the students were seriously injured and lessons resumed after the incident, according to police.

Mr Alexander is also a councilman and reserve police officer  a typically unpaid, part-time role  for the Sand City Police Department. An investigation into the event has opened and the force is considering whether a crime was committed.

Were looking into any violation of city ordinance or the penal code and well determine whether or not there are any applicable charges, Mr Pridgen told the Monterey County Herald.

Guns are banned on school premises, but there are exceptions for member of law enforcement, Mr Pridgen said.

The father of the 17-year-old boy who was injured told KSBW Mr Alexander was planning to use the gun to demonstrate of how to disarm someone.

He had just told pupils he wanted to make sure the weapon was not loaded when he inadvertently fired it.

Its the craziest thing. It could have been very bad, he said.

The Monterey Peninsula Unified School District sent an email to the parents saying: Upon learning of the incident, our human resources department, school site administration and the Seaside Police Department immediately began investigating the incident, including interviewing students in the class.

Mr Alexander has been suspended while officials investigate, the letter said.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

After Mr Trump indicated he would legislate to introduce arming teachers, his administration has left the issue of arming teachers up to states and local communities.

The President also backed away from raising the age limit to buy assault-style weapons, saying there was not much political support for the policy.

The NRA, which spent more than $11m (7.91m) supporting Mr Trump during the 2016 election, announced it was suing the state of Florida last week over a new gun law signed by Republican Governor Rick Scott, banning the purchase of firearms by anyone under the age of 21, claiming it was unconstitutional.

The law also allows the arming and training of school staff and introduced a three-day waiting period on all gun sales and a ban on bump stocks, a device that enables semi-automatic rifles to fire hundreds of rounds a minute.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for former student, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, who has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder over the shooting.
Bolivia has accused Austria of kidnapping their president after refusing to allow a plane carrying Evo Morales into their airspace amid suggestions NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was on board.

We're talking about the president on an official trip after an official summit being kidnapped, Bolivia's ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Sacha Llorenti Soliz, told reporters in Geneva on Wednesday.

We have no doubt that it was an order from the White House. By no means should a diplomatic plane with the president be diverted from its route and forced to land in another country.

Bolivia has also accused European states of an act of aggression and an offence against the whole Latin region over the affair and has asked for a crisis meeting of South American leaders after officials expressed outrage at Mr Morales' treatment.

Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca blamed the forced stopover in Vienna on unfounded suspicions that Snowden was on the plane.

We don't know who invented this lie, Mr Choquehuanca said in La Paz. We want to express our displeasure because this has put the president's life at risk.

However, Deputy Chancellor Michael Spindelegger said that President Evo Morales had agreed to the inspection. He confirmed Snowden was not on board when Mr Morales' plane was diverted on a flight from Russia and forced to land in Austria over suspicions that the whistle-blower could have been inside.

Speaking to reporters at the airport, Mr Spindelegger said: Our colleagues from the airport had a look and can give assurances that no one is on board who is not a Bolivian citizen.

The plane carrying the Bolivian president finally took off from Vienna's airport to continue it's journey shortly before noon on Wednesday.

Bolivia claimed that France, Portugal, Spain and Italy blocked the plane from flying over their territories, forcing the unscheduled stopover in Vienna. There was no evidence that Snowden, wanted by Washington for espionage after divulging classified details of US phone and internet surveillance, had left the transit area of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport.

French officials denied on Wednesday that France refused to let the Bolivian president's plane cross over its airspace amid suspicions that Snowden was aboard. Spain, too, said the plane was free to cross its territory.

According to the anti-secrecy organisation WikiLeaks, Mr Snowden applied for asylum in 21 countries, with letters passed to Russian officials who met him at his secret location in the Moscow airport, where he has stayed since fleeing Hong Kong, where the US attempted to launch an extradition bid. The US has charged the former intelligence contractor with violating espionage laws for leaking classified information about US surveillance operations.

As Snowden, 30, prepared to spend his 10th night at the airport, he was dealing with outright rejections from Brazil and India. Finland, Ireland, Austria, Norway and Spain said requests for asylum have to be made in person on their territories to be considered. The Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski wrote on Twitter that he would not give a positive recommendation to the request.

Snowdens most likely destination had initially appeared to be Ecuador, but President Rafael Correa has sharply backtracked in recent days, describing the issue of the temporary travel pass that allowed Mr Snowden to depart Hong Kong for Moscow by Ecuadors London Consul as a mistake. He has not completely ruled out asylum for Mr Snowden, but has said the American would need to reach Ecuadorian territory before any request could be considered, which currently does not seem possible.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has said that he would consider an asylum request from Snowden, but suggestions that the Latin American leader, who is in Moscow for an international gas forum, might spirit him away on his presidential jet appeared unfounded. However, he did speak out in favour of Snowden. He deserves the worlds protection, Mr Maduro said. What has he done? Did he launch a missile and kill someone? Did he rig a bomb and kill someone? No. He is preventing war.

There have been no confirmed sightings of Snowden since he landed in Moscow on 30 June, leading many to believe he is being guarded by Russian security agents, although President Vladimir Putin has denied this. It had seemed that Russia might be preparing to offer shelter after Snowden handed an asylum application to the duty consul at Sheremetyevo on Sunday. President Vladimir Putin said Russia could offer Snowden asylum on the condition that the whistleblower stopped leaking information harmful to the US. Mr Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that this condition had been too much for the stranded American, who had then withdrawn his application.

Additional reporting by agencies
A woman in El Salvador convicted of aggravated murder after suffering a stillbirth has been released from prison.

Maira Veronica Figueroa Marroquin, 34, served nearly 15 years of her 30-year sentence before it was commuted by the ministry of justice.

The court said the sentence, handed down under the country's draconian abortion laws, was "excessive and immoral".

El Salvador, a Roman Catholic nation, has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world and women who suffer miscarriages, stillbirths or other pregnancy-related complications are routinely suspected of having an abortion.

Terminations are banned in all circumstances, even in cases of rape, incest or when a womans life is at risk.

In the most extreme cases, women are subsequently charged with homicide or aggravated homicide, which carries a penalty of up to 50 years in prison.

Medical professionals also face prosecution if they fail to report suspected abortions.

Ms Marroquin has always maintained her innocence and says she suffered a stillbirth in a house where she was working as a housekeeper in 2003.

Although her sentence has been commuted, this does not overturn the conviction or recognise her innocence.

She is the second woman this year to have had her sentence for abortion reduced.

In February, 35-year-old Teodora Vasquez was freed from prison after spending a decade behind bars.

Ms Vasquez was arrested after suffering a stillbirth in 2007 and sentenced to 30 years for aggravated homicide in what Amnesty International described as a trial marred by irregularities.

Amnesty Internationals Americas Director, Erika Guevara-Rosas, said: While its a huge relief that Maira Veronica Figueroa Marroquins sentence was reduced and she has now been released, the real story here remains a tragedy.

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 fact that Maira has spent 15 years behind bars and had almost half of her life taken from her is a harrowing illustration of everything that is wrong with the justice system in El Salvador.

El Salvador must decriminalise abortion without delay, and immediately and unconditionally release all women and girls imprisoned for having had an abortion or having suffered obstetric emergencies.
A record number of people exonerated for crimes they did not commit were put in prison because of official police, prosecutorial, or government official misconduct, according to new data.

Eighty-four of the 139 exonerations involved misconduct, the numbers released by the National Registry of Exonerations showed.

Overall, fewer wrongfully imprisoned people in the US were freed in 2017 than in years prior as well. The total number of people who have been falsely convicted is unknown, but last year 139 people were released, compared to 171 cases in 2016.

Recommended Prison workers who raised safety concerns unfairly dismissed

Other issues involved in the wrongful conviction these individuals were mistaken eyewitness testimonies, false confessions, false accusations, and perjury.

But, Ekow Yankah, a professor at the Cardozo Law School in New York, told The Independent that prosecutorial and police misconduct are the larger underlying issues.

For instance, the 2017 data showed that 96 people, in addition to the 139 individuals, were released through a group exoneration in Baltimore, Maryland and Chicago, Illinois after it was found that groups of police officers in both cities had been methodically framing them for drug crimes.

Combating it is something both groups like the Innocence Project - a group based in the Cardozo Law School which works mostly on DNA evidence-based cases to help free the wrongfully convicted - and prosecutors offices around the country are attempting.

It is a long-term problem Mr Yankah said, noting that there are political and litigation-related ways to make prosecutors live up to their obligations.

 Prison warden shoots through cell door at inmate in shocking video

Mr Yankah the key is also figuring out how willing prosecutors are to actually look back through their cases and admit to mistakes or actual misconduct, the setting of conviction integrity units that do more than just resist the work being done by groups like the Innocence Project, and taking into account how many of the convicted just plea out, suck it up and serve their time rather than going through what they perceive as a corrupt system.

Mr Yankah said that part of the underlying problem is prosecutors willingness to look back on their cases and set up conviction integrity units that will do more than just resist the work of outside groups that work to exonerate people who have been wrongly put in prison.

As NPR reported, in all, 98 of the exonerations involved violent felonies: including homicides, child sex abuse convictions and sexual assaults of adults. In 66 of the cases, no crime was actually committed. Four of the homicide exonerees had been sentenced to death.

There was also a steep decline in exonerated drug convictions - from 61 to 16 - between 2016 and 2017. The number can likely be explained by a backlog of cases being cleared in Houston, Texas where it was found that several defendants who had pleaded guilty were convicted for substances that were not actually illegal drugs.

UK prison conditions: in pictures Show all 8 1 /8 UK prison conditions: in pictures UK prison conditions: in pictures A cell covered in graffiti at HMP Liverpool. PA UK prison conditions: in pictures HMP Liverpool has some of the worst conditions inspectors have seen. HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A broken window in a cell at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A shower unit with protruding electric cable at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures Litter at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA Wire UK prison conditions: in pictures A wall damaged by damp at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A pool table at HMP Liverpool HM Inspectorate of Prisons/PA UK prison conditions: in pictures A sign for HMP Liverpool, where drones are seized at a rate of more than one a week. The prisons watchdog flagged up the impact of the remote-controlled flying devices at HMP Liverpool. PA

Ledura Watkins, 61, of Michigan spent an astonishing 40 years in prison for murder before being released and exonerated in June 2017.

The data also showed that Texas had the highest number of those exonerated last year with 23, followed by Illinois, Michigan, and New York.

Though the numbers released may appear small, it is the trend they represent that is important to examine.

For example, the largest percentage of the exonerated cases have DNA evidence at the centre of the investigation, Mr Yankah said.

The percentage of these types of cases that turn out to be wrong varies between two to ten per cent.

But, Mr Yankah said, we have no reason not to believe that the same issues that caused wrongful convictions in those cases - police and prosecutorial misconduct, false identifications, accusations, and confessions - could not also apply to cases that do not have DNA evidence at the centre of them.

That is when the numbers turn out to be stunning given that 2.3m people are currently incarcerated in the US, said Mr Yankah.

So really, the exoneration data says little about the vast number of [wrongful convinctions] we dont see, he said.
When Donald Trump made his surprise announcement naming CIA director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, he left a void at the intelligence agency that may  for the first time  be filled by a woman: former CIA deputy director Gina Haspel.

Ms Haspel's nomination earned praised from a number of former CIA leaders, but it also stirred controversy: Human rights groups and members of Congress wanted to know more about Ms Haspel's history at the agency  a secretive one, which involved several encounters with the CIA's controversial, post-9/11 interrogation programme.

Below is everything we've learned about the nominee and her contentious background.

 Gina Haspel confirmation hearing: Haspel promises not to restart CIA programme

Who is Gina Haspel?

The 33-year CIA veteran has served as deputy director of the agency since February 2017, when Mr Trump nominated her to the role. She took over as acting director from Mr Pompeo after his confirmation as Secretary of State. Little is known about career before this, as the bulk of it was spent undercover.

Materials released by the White House trumpeted her as a celebrated leader, who previously served as Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service and Chief of Staff for the CIAs Directorate of Operations. She also won the Intelligence Medal of Merit, the Presidential Rank Award, and other accolades.

In a her Senate confirmation hearing this week, the 61-year-old released more biographical information. She said she was born in Kentucky but raised as an Army brat, moving frequently throughout her childhood. She joined the CIA in 1985 as an operations officer in the clandestine service and worked her way up the ranks, serving a total of seven tours in the field  including four as chief of station.

By any standard, my life at the Agency  and it has been my life  has exceeded all of my expectations, from that January day when I took my oath to today, she said at the hearing.

Gina Haspel, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), testifies at her confirmation hearing (Andrew Harnik/AP)

Why is she a controversial choice?

Ms Hapels more than three decades at the CIA also included a dark period in American history: the post-9/11 CIA interrogation programme, which employed methods that many have deemed torture.

Its not clear the depth of Ms Haspels involvement in the programme, as much of her record is classified. (Though, as several senators pointed out in her hearing, she has the power as acting CIA director to declassify any information shed like.)

What we do know is that Ms Haspel oversaw an American black site prison in Thailand in 2002, at the same time at least one detainee was waterboarded. She also drafted a 2005 cable ordering the destruction of nearly 100 video tapes showing detainees being waterboarded by the CIA. An internal CIA review later found Ms Haspel was not at fault for the tapes' destruction.

In her committee hearing, Ms Haspel vowed to never, ever restart the controversial interrogation programme at the CIA. She also maintained that her former boss, Jose Rodriguez, had been the one to officially order the destruction of the videotapes. But she refused to say whether she had overseen the waterboarding at the black site prison, saying the information was classified.

To the frustration of several senators, Ms Haspel also refused to call the methods the CIA had used immoral. Instead, she said the CIA had done extraordinary work in the aftermath of 9/11, but should be held to a stricter moral standard now.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Who is opposed to her confirmation?

Numerous human rights groups, more than 50 members of the US House, and more than 100 former US ambassadors have spoken out against Ms Haspels nomination. But what really matters to the deputy director now is the senators: She needs 51 of them to approve her nomination.

Republicans currently hold a slim, 49-51 majority in the chamber  good news for Ms Haspel, who has so far secured the support of only one Democratic senator. But several Republicans have also said they will not vote for the controversial nominee.

Senator John McCain  a Navy veteran who was tortured as a prisoner of war in Vietnam  released a statement urging his fellow Republicans to oppose Ms Haspel after her committee hearing.

Ms. Haspels role in overseeing the use of torture by Americans is disturbing. Her refusal to acknowledge tortures immorality is disqualifying, he wrote. I believe the Senate should exercise its duty of advice and consent and reject this nomination."

A group of 109 former US diplomats expressed similar concerns in a letter sent to senators before Ms Haspels hearing. They said her nomination would undercut the work of those trying to convince foreign counterparts that torture is not only morally wrong, but strategically shortsighted and legally impermissible.

Republican Senator Rand Paul has also said he will not vote for Ms Haspel.

 Gina Haspel hearing interrupted by an anti torture protestor yelling bloody gina

Who is in favour of it?

Despite the pushback from outside groups and legislators, Ms Haspel has strong support from figures inside the agency.

Mr Pompeo, her boss at the CIA for more than a year, called her and exemplary intelligence officer  and a devoted patriot in a statement.

Several Obama-era figures, including former director of national intelligence James Clapper and former CIA director John Brennan, have also voiced their support. Michael Morell, the former CIA Deputy Director during the Obama Administration, called Ms Hapel a highly capable individual, with the best interests of the country, the Agency, and the men and women who serve it at heart.

Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr praised Ms Haspel during her committee hearing, calling her the most qualified person the president could have chosen to lead the CIA and the most prepared nominee in its 70-year history.

Whats next?

Ms Haspel appeared to have passed a Senate Intelligence Committee vote after her hearing on Wednesday. Her confirmation now advances to a full Senate vote, where she needs a simple majority to be approved.
A spokesman for Americas immigration agency has resigned over what he called misleading official statements about immigrants eluding arrest.

The departure of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesman James Schwab is the latest volley in a dispute between California and the federal government over a contested immigration raid last month.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf incurred the wrath of federal officials for warning residents of her city that a sweeping ICE action was imminent. Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the acting director of ICE were among those lambasting Ms Schaaf and saying she had allowed hundreds of dangerous criminals to evade authorities.

But Mr Schwab said those statements were disingenuous, telling the San Francisco Chronicle he resigned after refusing to advance what he called falsehoods.

I quit because I didnt want to perpetuate misleading facts, Mr Schwab told the Chronicle, which first reported the news of his exit. I asked them to change the information. I told them that the information was wrong, they asked me to deflect, and I didnt agree with that.

In an official statement after the wave of arrests, acting ICE director Thomas Homan said 864 criminal aliens remained at large and added that some of them were able to elude us thanks to the mayors irresponsible decision.

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

There's 800 we were unable to locate because of that warning, Mr Homan said in an appearance on Fox during which he likened Ms Schaff to a gang lookout.

That claim was echoed and expanded upon by other Trump officials who placed the blame squarely on Ms Schaaf. Mr Sessions said ICE failed to make 800 arrests that they would have made if the mayor had not acted as she did in announcing a federal lawsuit against California. The President subsequently blamed Ms Schaaf for ICE arresting around 150 people instead of taking in a thousand.

 US attorney general Jeff Sessions to Oakland mayor: 'how dare you' expose immigration raid

But Mr Schwab said it was misleading to attribute the lack of arrests to Ms Schaaf, telling the Chronicle that we were never going to pick up every targeted immigrant.

To say that 100 percent are dangerous criminals on the street, or that those people werent picked up because of the misguided actions of the mayor, is just wrong, he told the Chronicle.

An ICE spokeswoman said that while she could not give an exact number for how many targeted immigrants evaded arrest because of Ms Schaaf's warning, it clearly had an impact.

While we disagree with Mr. Schwab on this issue, we appreciate his service and wish him well, spokeswoman Liz Johnson said.
Democrat Conor Lamb has claimed victory over Donald Trump-backed Republican Rick Saccone in a highly anticipated special election in Pennsylvania, though officials say the result is too close to call.

Mr Lamb and Republican state Representative Mr Saccone are battling for the US House seat in Pennsylvania's 18th district  a race many billed as an indicator of the Republican Partys ability to hold its majority in Congress in midterm elections this November.

While Mr Lamb has tried to play down the idea of the race being a referendum on President Donald Trump, there is no doubt that a Republican loss in a district the president won by 20 points in 2016 would be a blow to the White House.

It took a little longer than we thought but we did it. You did it, Mr Lamb told cheering supporters. However, before his rival claimed victory Mr Saccone told his supporters: "It's not over yet... We're going to fight all the way to the end."

Mr Lamb and Mr Saccone were virtually neck-in-neck with more than 99 per cent of the votes counted on Tuesday night, and final votes likely to be tallied in the morning.

Mr Lamb started the night with a strong lead over his opponent, which narrowed significantly over the course of the evening. He pulled strength from the liberal Allegheny county, where he lead Mr Saccone by more than 10,000 votes. But with almost all precincts reporting  and some absentee ballots still unread  the Democrat lead was around 800 votes out of more than 220,000.

Democratic sources said absentee ballots were expected to show Mr Lamb winning the election by more than 400 votes, but Mr Saccone did not concede.

Two counties  Greene and Washington  said they likely would not count their absentee ballots until Wednesday. While there is no mandatory requirement for a recount, the result will likely be easily within the range where wither campaign could request, and pay for, one to be conducted.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Mr Saccone and Mr Lamb are competing for the seat vacated by Republican Representative Tim Murphy, who resigned amid a personal scandal in October. The district itself will not last past the midterms in 2018  the current Pennsylvania map was recently struck down by a court for being biased towards Republicans. But the race remains a powerful symbol for what could happen in the midterms.

Signalling the importance of the race, Mr Saccone rallied the full force of the White House to his side in the weeks before the election, making appearances with everyone from Vice President Mike Pence to Mr Trumps son, Don Jr.

Mr Trump himself praised the candidate in a last-minute rally in Pennsylvania this weekend, calling him a very fine human being. Mr Saccone said in an election-day interview that he hoped to be the presidents wingman in Washington.

 'Keep America Great': Donald Trump announces new campaign slogan

But it was unclear on Tuesday night whether tying himself to the presidents coattails would help the representative beat Mr Lamb, a Marine veteran and former prosecutor who ran an outsider campaign as a moderate Democrat.

Perhaps in an attempt to appeal to the Trump voters in Pennsylvania's 18th, Mr Lamb has repeatedly claimed the election was not about the president, but about local issues. He also steered clear of traditional Democratic issues like gun control, and expressed support for Mr Trumps tariff plan.

The candidate surged in the polls last month, after an impressive round of fundraising in which he raked in $3.3m compared to Mr Saccones $703,000. Outside Republican groups rushed to make up the difference, flooding the district with $10m in funding. It remained to be seen whether their efforts paid off.
The adult film star who is suing President Donald Trump for the right to talk about their alleged affair has started a crowdfunding campaign to pay her legal bills.

Stephanie Clifford, better known by stage name Stormy Daniels, sued Mr Trump this week over a nondisclosure agreement she claims he paid her to sign in the months before the election. Ms Daniels wants to invalidate the agreement and speak openly about the alleged affair, which she says occurred in 2006.

Mr Trump, through spokespeople, has said the affair never happened.

On a newly established Crowd Justice page, Ms Daniels asked for help paying the attorney's fees, security expenses, and out-of-pocket costs associated with the lawsuit. She also asked her funds in the event that she is ordered to pay damages for speaking out.

I am attempting to speak honestly and openly to the American people about my relationship with now President Donald Trump, as well as the intimidation and tactics that he, together with his attorney Michael Cohen, have used to silence me, Ms Daniels wrote.

She added: I am more fortunate than many, many people in this country. And for that I am grateful. But unfortunately, I do not have the vast resources to fight Mr Trump and Mr Cohen alone.

The page raised more than $10,000 on Wednesday  the same day it was started.

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

In her lawsuit, Ms Daniels claims Mr Cohen coerced her into signing a statement saying the affair never happened. The statement was issued in January, after the Wall St Journal first reported on the $130,000 payment.

In the months since, Mr Cohen has won a restraining order against Ms Daniels, preventing her from speaking out as her legal challenge continues. The actress is reportedly worried that the order will prevent CBS from airing her recent interview with Anderson Cooper.

A hearing for the suit has been set for 12 July at the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

 Stormy Daniels' lawyer says her relationship with Donald Trump was sexual

Mr Cohen has admitted to paying Ms Daniels the $130,000, but maintains that Mr Trump had no idea that he transaction occurred. Mr Trump has never admitted knowledge of the payment.

Ms Daniels offered to return the money earlier this week, in exchange for the ability to speak openly. On her Crowd Justice page, she said the president and his attorneys never responded to the offer.

The watchdog group Common Cause filed has also filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission and Department of Justice over the payment, naming both Mr Trump and Mr Cohen. The group claims the payment to Ms Daniels was an in-kind campaign contribution that was never properly reported.

Mr Cohen has called the allegations in the complaint baseless.
Donald Trump waited more than a year to visit California, a stronghold for his Democrat rivals. When he arrived, it was to tout the most enduring and divisive symbol of his presidency - his border wall with Mexico.

His arrival in Americas most populous state which is also home to the country's largest undocumented population was akin to a foray into enemy territory.

Democrats there would like to see him removed from office, while members of his own Republican Party are hoping his unpopularity doesn't drag down their re-election bids.

His tour of border wall prototypes near San Diego also reinforced the message that propelled him to the White House.

The President has long used liberal California as a reason for his hard line on immigration, vilifying its elected officials and lambasting city and state sanctuary policies that constrain law enforcement from working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Escalating the confrontation, the US Justice Department last week sued over those policies.

California meanwhile has repeatedly sued the Trump administration over a number of policy decisions.

Rather than putting that rivalry aside for his visit, the President touted it. He previewed his trip by tweeting that the state's laws put the safety and security of our entire nation at risk.

He resumed the critique upon landing in the state, dismissing California Governor Jerry Brown as having done a very poor job, repeatedly excoriating sanctuary laws and urging Congress to revoke funding for sanctuary cities, a tactic that has been rejected in court.

Capturing the fractured political landscape Mr Trump, he was met with duelling demonstrations. Rival protesters shouted both their support and antipathy for their leader at each other from across police lines.

Flag-waving supporters chanted USA at a rally near the border.

A pro-Trump group called "San Diegans for Secure Borders" organised a rally to convey that the President is absolutely welcome in San Diego.

Its founder Jeff Schwilk, who has been a prominent member of an anti-illegal immigration group called the Minutemen said Mr Trump "never wavered" from immigration reform "being his top issue".

Life on the US-Mexican border Show all 12 1 /12 Life on the US-Mexican border Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico A house stands next to a section of the border fence separating Mexico and the US Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico The border fence in Tijuana stretches all the way to beach Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Migrants can often be spotted trying to cross the rusty barrier Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Joaquin, 36, a chef from Guatemala who says he was deported from the US Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico A shack stands next to a section of the border fence Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Tourists pose for a picture at the border Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico A family burns rubbish near the fence Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Joaquin makes a living by selling rubbish Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Neither Trump nor the wall is going to stop anyone, says Pedro Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Mexicans have built homes right next to the fence Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico Mexican Carlos, 27, who says that he was deported from the United States, heats up tortillas at his house near the double fence that separates Mexico and the US Reuters Life on the US-Mexican border Tijuana, Mexico A girl climbs stairs near a section of the fence

Just as Mr Trumps immigration stance animated conservative voters, his election has galvanised elected officials and the liberal base in California. Groups representing the spectrum of the resistance to Mr Trump organised demonstrations, among them a local Womens March chapter and immigration advocates.

Some young people known as Dreamers, who entered the country illegally as children but have grown up in the US, have seen Mr Trump end a programme that offered protection from deportation, planned a vigil to highlight what they callled hateful rhetoric and xenophobic tendencies.

A Democratic member of Congress, Juan Vargas, drew applause for noting he has repeatedly voted for impeachment.

Sadly weve spent million of taxpayer dollars building prototypes that dont do a single thing to protect the country. All they do is create a backdrop for the president to come here and grandstand, said Christian Ramirez, who headed the Southern Border Communities Coalition and is running for a San Diego City Council seat whose district abuts the border.

 Donald Trump: 'if you dont have a wall system, were not going to have a country'

Democrats hold all the levers of power in the California state government, and Mr Trump lost the state by millions of votes. It is also a fulcrum on which control of Congress could turn, with the Democratic Party aiming to unseat 10 Republican members as they look to create a swing of 24 seats in the House.

That has left some vulnerable incumbents walking a delicate balance, hoping not to alienate conservative voters while casting a wary eye towards a President who is politically toxic for many moderates.

Days before his visit, the California Republican Party embraced the President with a fundraising email highlighting the Department of Justice's decision to sue the state..

It said Governor Jerry Brown and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra were bragging about defying the federal government.

But some local Republicans were absent when the President toured the border. The San Diego County Republican Party did not make any plans for Mr Trumps visit, with a representative saying they were too busy planning for an annual fundraiser.

Rocky Chavez, one of the party's congressional candidates was also conspicuous by his absence.

Republican Rep Duncan Hunter, whose San Diego-area district is among those Democrats are hoping to turn, was initially planning to return to Washington but ended up heading to the border after a last-minute call from the White House.

However Matt Rexroad, a political consultant for California Republican Party predicted Mr Trumps visit would not affect tight races. He said it did little more than offer a helping of red meat to both liberals and conservatives.

For the administration they get to go back to the East Coast or the Midwest and say were sticking it to California, said Mr Rexroad, whose clients include one of California's Republican congressmen, Steve Knight.

"And the folks that dont like President Trump get to show up and rally and say they really stuck it to the administration".
President Donald Trump is considering ousting embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, who has faced an insurgency within his department and fresh allegations that he used a member of his security detail to run personal errands.

Trump has floated the notion of moving Energy Secretary Rick Perry to the VA to right the ship, believing Mr Shulkin has become a distraction, according to two sources familiar with White House discussions. The sources were not authorised to discuss internal deliberations.

Mr Shulkin has faced several investigations over his travel and leadership of the department, but until now has received praise from the president for his work to turn it around. The news comes after Mr Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Tuesday.

Recommended Donald Trump fires Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State

Trump raised the idea with Mr Perry on Monday but did not offer the job to him, according to one White House official. Trump has been angry with Mr Shulkin, the official said, but is known to float staffing changes without always following through.

Mr Shulkin did not respond to requests for comment via phone and text message. He has been holding on to his job by a thread since a bruising internal report found ethics violations in connection with his trip to Europe with his wife last summer. A spokeswoman for Mr Perry also had no comment.

Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump acknowledges the audience after taking the oath of office as his wife Melania (L) and daughter Tiffany watch during inauguration ceremonies swearing in Trump as the 45th president of the United States on the West Front of the US capital in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jim Bourg: "This photo was shot with one of two remote cameras. The cameras were monitored and triggered remotely and the pictures were transmitted to clients worldwide within minutes of being taken." Reuters/Jim Bourg Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Obama farewell address - 10 January 2017 US President Barack Obama wipes away tears as he delivers his farewell address in Chicago on 10 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "In his final days in office, Obama made a visit home to Chicago. As he spoke from the stage to his wife and daughter in the audience, he became emotional when he talked about what they had sacrificed during his time in office. I turned from photographing the Obama women embracing to find him onstage wiping away tears." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inauguration - 20 January 2017 A combination of photos shows the crowds attending the inauguration ceremonies to swear in U.S. President Donald Trump at 12:01pm (left) on January 20, 2017 and President Barack Obama sometime between 12:07pm and 12:26pm on January 20, 2009. Reuters/ Lucas Jackson/Stelios Varias Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Liberty Ball - 20 January 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend the Liberty Ball in honour of his inauguration in Washington on 20 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "What I see when I look at this picture is the end of a very long day, not to mention weeks and months of preparation by many photographers, editors and network experts and the beginning of everything since." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception - 22 January 2017 US President Donald Trump greets Director of the FBI James Comey as Director of the Secret Service Joseph Clancy (L), watches during the Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on 22 January, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "I have covered the White House for 16 years and normally either the President or the pool is in position when an event starts. In this case the President was not where anyone expected him to be. In fact, he was almost blocking the door when the pool came in. We had to scramble to find a position without bumping him or the furniture as he greeted and thanked members of law enforcement for their security efforts during the inauguration. Luckily, he greeted FBI Director James Comey a few seconds after the pool had made its way into the room." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Private phone calls to world leaders - 28 January 2017 US President Donald Trump, is joined by his staff, as he speaks by phone with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office on 28 January, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Very early in the Trump administration, weekends were as busy as weekdays. On Trump's second Saturday the official schedule said he would be making private phone calls to a number of world leaders including Russia's Vladimir Putin. I arrived early and, before sitting down at my desk walked up to Press Secretary Sean Spicer's office. He, too, was just taking his coat off. I gingerly made the suggestion that previous administrations had sometimes allowed photos of such phone calls through the Oval Office windows on the colonnade. To my mild shock, he didn't even think about it twice. "We'll do it!" he said. In truth, I really only expected the Putin call, but we were outside the windows multiple times throughout the day as the calls went on." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway - 27 February 2017 Senior advisor Kellyanne Conway (L) attends as US President Donald Trump welcomes the leaders of dozens of historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) in the Oval Office on 27 February, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "We're often asked how much access we have to the Trump administration, and the answer is we have an awful lot. President Trump himself is very comfortable in the spotlight, and his aides are similarly unfazed by cameras. In this instance, senior advisor Kellyanne Conway was so comfortable in our presence she seemed not to consider the optics of kneeling on a Oval Office sofa to take pictures with her phone." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Angela Merkel heads to Washington - 17 March 2017 Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House on 17 March, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Chancellor Merkel made one of the earliest important visits of any US allies to meet Trump in his first months in office. When world leaders give joint news conferences they don't always tend to give each other their full attention - but Merkel watched Trump intently at several key moments, and here seemed particularly rapt." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump welcomes truckers to the White House - 23 March 2017 President Trump reacts as he sits on a truck while he welcomes truckers and CEOs to attend a meeting regarding healthcare at the White House on 23 March, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "The White House organised a listening session with truckers and CEO's of major American companies, regarding healthcare reform. An 18-wheeler tow truck was parked on the South Lawn of the White House and as Trump welcomed the truckers someone invited the him to come and sit in the driver's seat. Trump jumped into the cab and started yelling and pretending to drive - creating one of the most memorable pictures of the year. A lesson learned, always be prepared for the unexpected." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 6 April 2017 US President Donald Trump talks to journalists members of the travel pool on board the Air Force One during his trip to Palm Beach, Florida on 6 April, 2017. Carlos Barria: "During the many trips to President Trump's residence in Florida it is usual to see the president coming to the back of the plane to chat with journalists. During one of the trips to the so called 'Winter White House', Trump had a long talk with reporters while the Air Force One entertainment system was playing one of the latest Star Wars movies. As I was listening to Trump talk I was also looking at the movie waiting for a part of the movie to frame the mood of the day. Of the many scenes, I choose the one with Darth Vader." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office of the White House on 27 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "A day before President Trump's hundred days in office I was part of the team that interviewed the commander-in-chief in the Oval Office. I was only allowed to photograph Trump during the last five minutes of the interview. The time was very tight so I had to move fast as I had pictures in mind that I wanted to shoot. I walked into the Oval Office and saw that the President had printed maps of the country showing areas in red where he won. I raised my hands holding my camera as high as possible to get the best view of the scene using a 16mm wide angle lens." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures 100 Days - 27 April 2017 US President Donald Trump reacts as he arrives at Harrisburg international airport, before attending a rally marking his first 100 days in office in Pennsylvania on 29 April, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to celebrate his hundred days in office with a victory rally. He was in friendly territory as he won with a big difference over his opponent Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, during the November elections. As usual when the commander-in-chief arrives local residents gather to greet him. This time a small group of military personnel attended the arrival. Surrounded by secret service agents Trump walked from the Air Force One and raised his hand in a sign of victory as the crowd cheered him on." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 2 May 2017 White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer (L) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as US President Donald Trump presents the U.S. Air Force Academy football team with the Commander-in-Chief trophy in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington on 2 May, 2017. Photographer Joshua Roberts: "Covering the White House does not just mean covering the President. White House staffers are an important part of the story and their relationship with the President and each other is an indicator of how things are going in the West Wing. The tendency is to focus exclusively on the President once an event starts but I always try to look around to see how people are reacting as things unfold." Reuters/Joshua Roberts Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Secret Service - 4 May 2017 Secret Service agents use a presidential limousine as cover from spraying water as US President Donald Trump lands via Marine One helicopter in New York on 4 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "The best part of any trip to New York City with the sitting US President is the helicopter ride into Manhattan. The ride out at night can be stunning. Here, Secret Service agents protect themselves from the spray from the East River as Trump lands on the helipad." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures NATO Summit - 25 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump wait the arrival of French President Emmanuel Macron (unseen) before a lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels on 25 May, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "One of the best parts of travelling overseas for White House coverage is the chance to see the U.S. president in different environments and (literally) a different light. Here, Trump and his wife came out of the shadows to greet France's President Macron." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump meets Putin at G20 summit - 7 July 2017 US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany on 7 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "On July 7, I witnessed one of the most important meetings of President Trump's first year in office. Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Germany. The world's eyes were on these two leaders after speculation about Russian interference during the 2016 US elections. We entered the room for less than two minutes, where I took dozens of pictures. But there was this very interesting moment when Trump extended his hand to Putin for a handshake. Putin paused for a second and looked at Trump's hand. That was the picture that I was looking for, a little moment that seemed to say a lot." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures First lady - 8 July 2017 First lady Melania Trump chats with US President Donald Trump during their return from Germany at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on 8 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "After President Trump's trip to Germany he arrived back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. First Lady Melania Trump said goodbye to Trump as she was heading off in a different direction that day. While chatting a breeze blew Melania's hair up in the air." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Made in America product showcase - 17 July 2017 Vice President Mike Pence laughs as President Donald Trump holds a baseball bat as they attend a Made in America product showcase event at the White House on 17 July, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "This summer the White House organized an event to showcase 'Made in America' products. All kinds of exhibitors brought their products as the President and Vice President toured the event. One of the companies was Marucci Sport, a manufacturer of baseball bats based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Trump approached a table full of baseball bats, photographers at the event, including me, rushed to get a good angle hoping that he would pick up a bat. As we predicted, he did. He took one and joked around as though he was hitting something hard. The only thing closer to him right there, was the media." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House staffers - 25 July 2017 Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski says hello to reporters as he and White House advisors including Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci accompany President Trump for an event celebrating veterans at AMVETS Post 44 in Ohio, July 25, 2017. Jonathan Ernst: "The most visible person in any White House is naturally the President, followed by the press secretary. But there are also the staff who support them. For those of us covering the Trump administration, there seem to be more compelling figures in the West Wing than ever before. It's crucial to know who's who and why they're important. When I raised my camera and back-pedalled ahead of the group to take this image Lewandowski gave me a hello. I liked the photo, but had no idea it would go a little bit viral, especially since Scaramucci, who was the biggest mover and shaker that week, was hidden back in the pack. But I guess the image catches a glimpse of what it's like to be a West Wing staffer on the road." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Campaign rally - 3 August 2017 US President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in West Virginia on 3 August, 2017. Photographer Carlos Barria: "President Trump travelled to Huntington for one of his usual campaign rallies. While members of his family spoke to the crowd he was waiting under a black curtain to be introduced. Suddenly he walked onto the stage, one of the first frames that I took was of his hand. I set my exposure for the light on the stage hoping to create this dark background and it worked." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Staring into the solar eclipse - 21 August 2017 Without his protective glasses on, US President Donald Trump looks up towards the solar eclipse while viewing with his wife Melania and son Barron at the White House on 21 August, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "On a day when everyone, and I mean everyone, was told not to look at the eclipse without protective glasses, Trump, President of the United States, couldn't help himself." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Harvey - 2 September 2017 US President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he and first lady Melania Trump help volunteers hand out meals during a visit with flood survivors of Hurricane Harvey at a relief centre in Houston, Texas on 2 September, 2017. Photohrapher Kevin Lamarque: "Trump, eager to deliver the image of a hands-on response to Hurricane Harvey, made this visit to a relief centre and obliged this woman with a selfie as Melania continued to work." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures White House - 15 September 2017 Donald Trump welcomes 11-year-old Frank Giaccio as he cuts the Rose Garden grass at the White House on 15 September. Frank, who wrote a letter to Trump offering to mow the lawn, was invited to work for a day at the White House along the National Park Service staff. Frank was so focused on his task that he did not notice the President arrive to surprise him. He took his father jumping in to grab his attention and point Trump out. Photographer Carlos Barria said: The image of Trump shouting at a kid who is mowing his lawn might have many interpretations in today's politically polarized United States. But for me it was just a kid who loved what he was doing, to the point he almost appeared to ignore the President." Reuters/Carlos Barria Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Take a knee - 27 September 2017 A man kneels with a folded U.S. flag as the motorcade of U.S. President Donald Trump passes him after an event at the state fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S., September 27, 2017. In September, soon after Trump had made comments condemning NFL players who kneel during the national anthem, he made a day trip to a rally in Indianapolis. Jonathan Ernst managed to capture a man on one knee with a tri-folded flag and was able to use a portion of the sign on the building he was kneeling in front of to track the man down and tell his story in full. US Army veteran Marvin Boatright wanted to send a message against social injustice. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Hurricane Maria - 3 October 2017 President Donald Trump throws rolls of paper towels into a crowd of local residents affected by Hurricane Maria as he visits Calgary Chapel in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 3 October, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "During an afternoon visit to Puerto Rico for President Trump to survey damage from Hurricane Maria and greet some of its victims, Trump made a stop at a church where food and supplies were being distributed. Among the items were paper towels and Trump, apparently caught up in the moment, decided to distribute some of the rolls." Reuters Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Jared Kushner - 1 November 2017 White House Senior adviser Jared Kushner sits behind President Trump during a cabinet meeting in Washington on 1 November, 2017. Photographer Kevin Lamarque: "The role of Jared Kushner has gone through a series of changes. He began front and centre as a high profile adviser, but as time has passed and issues surrounding him have surfaced, he has become more of a background figure." Reuters/Kevin Lamarque Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Trump in China - 9 November 2017 Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping shake hands after making joint statements at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on 9 November, 2017. Photographer Damir Sagolj: "It's one of those "how to make a better or at least different shot when two presidents shake hands several times a day, several days in row". If I'm not mistaken in calculation, presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump shook their hands at least six times in events I covered during Trump's recent visit to China. I would imagine there were some more handshakes I haven't seen but other photographers did. And they all look similar - two big men, smiling and heartily greeting each other until everyone gets their shot. But then there is always something that can make it special - in this case the background made of US and Chinese flags. The first time it didn't work for me. The second time I positioned myself lower and centrally, and used the longest lens I have to capture only hands reaching for a handshake." Reuters/Damir Sagolj Donald Trump's first year: in pictures Air Force One - 10 November 2017 US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One to depart for Vietnam from Beijing Airport in Beijing, China, November 10, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "There is a Reuters photographer in the tight pool covering the US president for every appearance he makes 365 days a year. This was just one of 32 images of mine that were transmitted on the Reuters wire of President Trump visiting China and Vietnam that day. You never know when a sudden interaction, a gust of wind or a unique facial expression will lead to a striking image that grabs peoples' attention." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst Donald Trump's first year: in pictures ASEAN handshake - 13 November 2017 Donald Trump registers his surprise as he realises other leaders, including Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, are crossing their arms for the traditional "ASEAN handshake" as he participates in the opening ceremony of the summit in Manila on 13 November, 2017. Photographer Jonathan Ernst: "Having covered a few ASEAN summits, I knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. Not everyone in the room knew to expect the ASEAN handshake. A lot was written about this unscripted moment, and what deeper meaning it might have. The simple truth is that sometimes in life there are unscripted moments." Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

The VA inspector general also is looking into a complaint by a member of Mr Shulkin's 24-7 security detail that he was asked to accompany the secretary to a Home Depot and carry furniture items into his home, according to two people familiar with the allegation who requested anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Within the agency, a political adviser installed by Mr Trump has openly mused to other VA staff about ousting the former Obama administration official. And a top communications aide has taken extended leave following a secret, failed attempt to turn lawmakers against him.

"The honeymoon is ending with a crash that hurts veterans most of all," said Paul Rieckhoff, founder and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, who has been a close observer of VA for more than a decade. "VA always has bad news, but Shulkin's ethical and leadership failures are still significant  despite any internal attacks."

Senior administration officials describe a growing frustration that Mr Shulkin repeatedly ignores their advice, only to beg for their help when he runs into ethical trouble. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to describe sensitive internal discussions, say Mr Shulkin has been given a final warning to end the swirl of distractions. The administration is currently seeking to push Mr Trump's agenda of aggressively expanding the Veterans Choice program, which major veterans groups worry could be an unwanted step towards privatising VA health care.

 Rick Perry forgets agencies of government during debate,

The issue came to the fore at a White House meeting last week, when chief of staff John Kelly told Mr Shulkin to stop talking to the news media without clearing it first with the White House and to stay focused on fixing veterans care.

Mr Shulkin was escorted from that meeting to the Oval Office, where Mr Trump questioned him about his efforts to push the Choice expansion, which lawmakers are now seeking to include in a massive spending bill that must be approved by next week to avert a government shutdown.

With Mr Shulkin present, the president telephoned conservative Pete Hegseth, a Fox & Friends contributor who was vetted in late 2016 for VA secretary, to get his views on how to proceed with the expansion. Mr Hegseth, a former president of the conservative group Concerned Veterans for America, declined to comment for this article.

Dan Caldwell, executive director of CVA, lauded the White House focus on Choice amid the ongoing controversies involving Mr Shulkin. "Despite the internal drama going on in the VA, which has been a distraction, Congress has continued to work to a solution that everyone can rally around," he said.

Mr Shulkin is blaming the internal drama on a half-dozen or so political appointees whom he had considered firing, only to be blocked by Kelly.

"I regret anything that has distracted us from what we should be focusing on, which is serving veterans," Mr Shulkin told the AP shortly before release of an inspector general report that faulted the VA for "failed leadership" and an unwillingness or inability of leaders to take responsibility for accounting problems at a major VA hospital that put patients at risk.

David Shulkin, Under Secretary of Health for the US Department of Veterans Affairs, leaves Trump Tower in New York (AFP / Getty Images / Dominick Reuter)

It wasn't always this way.

Early in the administration, Mr Shulkin was often seen at Mr Trump's side, waving to crowds at campaign-style events in Pennsylvania or addressing reporters in a doctor's lab coat as he tutored Mr Trump on telehealth. Mr Trump called him the "100-to-nothing man"  a reference to his unanimous Senate confirmation vote  and publicly teased that he probably would never be fired because he had successfully shepherded legislation to improve accountability at the VA and speed disability appeals.

By December, relations at the VA between Mr Shulkin and several political appointees began to fray over philosophical differences.

In a 4 December internal email obtained by the AP, Jake Leinenkugel, a senior aide installed as part of a Cabinet-wide program to monitor secretaries' loyalty, said Mr Shulkin was becoming increasingly distrustful and regarded Camilo Sandoval, a senior adviser in VA's health arm, as a White House "spy."

The email to Sandoval alluded to White House efforts to gain more control, including ousting Mr Shulkin's chief of staff, and said the secretary had been "put on notice to exit" once the administration gets the Choice legislation through Congress.

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

There were other signs.

At a 17 January hearing, Senator Jerry Moran openly blamed the deadlock over Choice to Mr Shulkin's ever-shifting positions.

"I am of the opinion that our inability to reach an agreement is in significant part related to your ability to speak out of both sides of your mouth, double-talk," Mr Moran said. A grim Mr Shulkin denied the accusation, but the White House was later forced to clarify its position on the bill due to lawmaker confusion.

Last month, the inspector general released a blistering report finding ethical violations in Mr Shulkin's trip last July to Denmark and England that mixed business with pleasure. The IG found that Mr Shulkin's chief of staff Vivieca Wright Simpson had doctored emails to justify his wife accompanying him at taxpayer expense. Wright Simpson retired after the report was issued.

Seizing on the report, John Ullyot, a top communications aide, and VA spokesman Curt Cashour told the Republican staff director of the House Veterans Affairs Committee that Mr Shulkin would be out by that weekend and asked if Republicans would push for his removal.

The staff director, John Towers, told Ullyot "no," and made clear that committee Chairman Phil Roe had expressed support for Mr Shulkin, according to a House aide familiar with the phone conversation. That aide also requested anonymity in order to discuss a sensitive internal matter. In a statement, Mr Cashour and Mr Ullyot deny that account, saying the call was intended instead to warn the committee that some of Mr Shulkin's denials of wrongdoing were unfounded.

Asked this week about Mr Ullyot's current leave of absence, Mr Cashour released a statement saying, "there are no personnel changes to announce at the Department of Veterans Affairs."

For now, Mr Shulkin appears to be hanging on. At a Cabinet meeting last Thursday, Mr Shulkin took a different seat reserved for him  next to the president.

AP
A journalists name has become the most censored term on Chinese social media after her dramatic reaction to a softball question posed by a fellow reporter at a choreographed press conference.

Liang Xiangyi, from the financial outlet Yicai, was unable to hide her disdain at what was likely a vetted query at Chinas National Peoples Congress.

In a moment captured on video, she begins to scoff as the reporter asks an official a lengthy question.

Ms Liang, dressed in blue, then turns towards the questioner and looks her up and down in revulsion, before performing a spectacular eye-roll.

Captured by Chinas national broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV), the moment spread like wildfire across Chinese social media.

The question was presented by Zhang Huijun, of the US-based American Multimedia Television, which has links with Chinas state-owned CCTV.

After introducing herself, she asks a rambling question about the protection of state-owned enterprises and President Xi Jinping's infrastructure project the Belt and Road Initiative.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Reform and Opening-up Policy, and our country is going to further extend its openness to foreign countries, Ms Huijun says.

Congress press conferences are known for their highly controlled environments, in which news outlets with links to the Chinese government are called on to ask officials flattering questions, which are often agreed on in advance.

The eye-roll, a rare break from the artifice of such press conferences, has been immortalised on social media with GIFs and memes, with many users expressing support for Ms Liang.

Nicely done! You gave an eye-roll on our behalf! one Weibo user said.

Three men also recreated the moment in a parody video shared widely online.

As support for Ms Liang spread, her name became the most censored term on the Chinese social media site Weibo.

According to China Digital Times, "censorship instructions" were swiftly issued to the media by government authorities, which read: "Urgent notice: all media personnel are prohibited from discussing the Two Sessions blue-clothed reporter incident on social media. Anything already posted must be deleted. Without exception, websites must not hype the episode."

The South China Morning Post reported Ms Liangs media accreditation to cover the Congress has been revoked following the incident.

Earlier this month, the Chinese government launched a wide-ranging online censorship crackdown, which includes a ban on George Orwells Animal Farm, to suppress what it views as threats to national security.

It came just days after the Chinese Communist Party announced presidential term limits would be removed, allowing Xi Jinping to stay in office as President indefinitely. Chinas parliament passed a constitutional amendment abolishing the two-term limit this week, a move the government has said is aimed at protecting the authority of the party with Mr Xi at the centre.
Rodrigo Duterte has angrily announced he is pulling the Philippines out of the International Criminal Court (ICC) despite repeatedly daring it to charge him over his war on drugs and saying he would cooperate with its investigation.

The Philippines strongman president has overseen a crackdown on drug users and dealers that has seen thousands killed amid accusations of human rights violations. He has made a series of outlandish statements about the policy that included an exhortation to police to kill his own son if trafficking allegations against him were proven.

Paolo Duterte has denied links to a seized shipment of 93m-worth of crystal methamphetamine from China.

His father announced The Philippines withdrawal from the ICC on Wednesday and accused the court of violating due process, complaining further of outrageous attacks by UN officials.

The decision marked a stunning about-face by a leader who previously said he was willing to rot in jail or go on trial to defend his war on drugs.

The mercurial former Davao mayor had initially welcomed last months announcement by the ICC of its preliminary examination into a complaint filed by a Philippine lawyer accusing him, along with top officials of crimes against humanity.

But in a 15-page statement, dated 13 March, Mr Duterte said he was withdrawing from the ICCs founding treaty, the Rome Statute, because of baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks by UN officials, and ICC actions that he said failed to follow due process and presumption of innocence.

There appears to be a concerted effort on the part of the UN special rapporteurs to paint me as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights who allegedly caused thousands of extrajudicial killings, Mr Duterte said.

The ICCs examination was premature, he added, and effectively created the impression that I am to be charged ... for serious crimes falling under its jurisdiction.

He made no mention of the withdrawal in a speech on Wednesday.

Mr Dutertes chief critics said the move was a U-turn that showed the tough-talking leader was now in panic mode. The London-based rights group Amnesty International called the withdrawal misguided and cowardly.

An ICC spokesman referred most questions to the courts prosecutors, who could not immediately be reached.

According to ICC rules, a withdrawal is effective one year after receipt of notification. The Philippines comes under its jurisdiction because it is a member, and pulling out cannot impact jurisdiction retroactively.

Mr Dutertes bloody campaign has caused international alarm and fierce criticism from some UN representatives, including High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein, who on Friday said Mr Duterte should submit himself for a psychiatric examination.

Mr Dutertes defiance is among the traits that make him wildly popular in the Philippines, where his crackdown has broad support. He has refused to accept some police may be systematically executing suspected dealers, as activists say.

Police deny allegations of murder and cover-ups and say they killed about 4,100 drug dealers in shootouts, but have nothing to do with an estimated 2,300 largely unsolved drug-related homicides.

Last month, he indicated he would cooperate with the ICC examination and even said he would prefer a firing squad to prison.

But he soon changed his tune, telling security forces not to cooperate in any international investigation, and that not in a million years would the ICC have jurisdiction.

Jude Sabio, the lawyer who filed the ICC complaint last year, said Mr Dutertes move was predictable, futile and designed to appeal to his base.

Looks like they are really afraid. Why? They feel that this will proceed to an investigation, Sabio told Reuters, adding the withdrawal will have no binding legal effect.

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 ICC can only intervene when a member state is unable or unwilling to carry out investigations and prosecute suspected perpetrators. The Philippines says that is far from the case.

The ICCs examination seeks to establish whether crimes have taken place, and such a process typically takes years.

Mr Dutertes spokesman, Harry Roque, said the ICC was siding with the enemies of the president, while Mr Dutertes legal counsel Salvador Panelo said the accession to the Rome Statute in 2011 was never announced in the Philippines official gazette, thus did not apply.

Mr Panelo insisted Mr Duterte was not afraid, but objected to the ICC becoming a political tool to harass a particular country, like ours.

Mr Dutertes critics argued otherwise. Senator Risa Hontiveros said Mr Duterte was desperate and may have unwittingly displayed his fear of being proven guilty.

Senator Antonio Trillanes said Mr Duterte was withdrawing because he knows that there is no way out for him in the ICC.

Reuters
Angela Merkel has been re-elected by the German parliament to a fourth term as chancellor following months of political deadlock.

Lawmakers voted by 364 to 315 in favour of re-electing the 63-year-old after Germanys Social Democratic Party (SPD) decided last month to enter another coalition with Ms Merkels conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

The two are joined by the CDUs Bavaria-only sister party the Christian Social Union in another grand coalition which has 399 seats.

The same parties have governed for the past four years, but putting together the new coalition has been hard work. The Social Democrats initially planned to go into opposition.

Wednesdays parliamentary vote comes 171 days after Septembers election, in which all three parties lost significant ground.

The vote puts an end to five months of political uncertainty in Europes largest economy  the longest the country has been without a government in its post-war history.

 Angela Merkel: EU wants a 'constructive and close' relationship with the UK

Ms Merkel will head a much-changed cabinet, with the governing parties  which are traditional rivals  keen to send signals of renewal. There are new faces in the most important posts: the finance, foreign, economy and interior ministries.

Ms Merkel was able to take office only after two-thirds of the Social Democrats members, by ballot, approved the coalition deal clinched last month.

At least 35 coalition politicians did not support Ms Merkel on Wednesday, though that was in line with results at the beginning of her two previous grand coalitions of Germanys biggest parties.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

She will have to hold together what is potentially her most fragile coalition yet, in what is widely expected to be her last term, while also addressing challenges such as a potential Europe-US trade war and seeking agreement with France and others on the future of a fractious European Union.

Thorsten Faas, a political science professor at Berlins Free University, said the coalition is likely to last until 2021 as scheduled and noted that the governing parties have demonstrated they can work together.

A firm foundation, and I think this government has one, is important to be able to work in uncertain times, Mr Faas told ZDF television. So I think there is some reason for optimism.

Additional reporting by PA
Portugals rejection of austerity under a left-wing government has stopped populism from taking root in the southern European country and restored trust in the EU there, its Prime Minister has told European officials.

Speaking at the European Parliament in front of an audience including Jean-Claude Juncker and MEPs from the 28 member states, the countrys Socialist prime minister Antonio Costa said that his Governments alternative economic approach had seen Portuguese people regaining their trust in the democratic institutions and in their belief in the European Union.

Mr Costa, whose party is arguably the most successful left-of-centre group in continental Europe at a time when others are facing electoral annihilation, reeled off a list of economic achievements. He cited higher growth, reduced inequality, increasing employment, and lower budget deficits.

Unlike other EU member states, Portugal, which was once seen as among the most troubled EU economies, had refused to implement austerity measures and instead sought to put its economy back on track through state investment.

In Portugal we devised an alternative to the austerity policy: focusing on higher growth, more and better jobs, and greater equality. The rise in earnings made economic operators more confident, resulting in the fastest economic growth since the beginning of the century and it has produced a sustained rise in private investment, exports, and growth, Mr Costa said.

Of course, we did things differently, but we stuck to the rules, and today our public finances are in far better shape than they were three years ago. In 2017 we exited the excessive deficit procedure and last year we had the lowest deficit since democracy was restored. Last week the European Commission removed Portugal from the list of countries with serious macroeconomic imbalances.

However, the most important point of all is that our affirmation of sovereign democracy means that people regain the trust in the democratic institutions and in their belief in the European Union. As we can see in the last eurobarometer, the Portuguese clearly strongly support the EU: that is why we are not suffering from any existential crisis. We wish to build our future in the EU with all those who want the same thing.

While populist, nationalist, and xenophobic parties have flourished across large parts of Europe since the economic crisis, Portugal has been largely free of any such groups. Mr Costa leads a minority socialist government with the backing of the Communists, the radical Left Bloc and the Greens.

Elections in Italy earlier this month, which had a EU-backed centrist pro-austerity government all but imposed on it in 2011 under Mario Monti, have produced a huge swing to populist and far-right parties.

What sets democratic politics apart from populism is that democratic politics does not tap into fears  it does not feed on problems. Quite the opposite: democratic politics feels peoples problems, combating fears and angst and give hope back to people in their future, Mr Costa said.

We cannot confront globalisation by closing borders or building walls, nor drifting into a protectionist mindset or drifting into xenophobia. We must make it patently clear that these are not and will never be options for Europe.

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

Addressing the future of Europe the Portuguese PM said the Eurozone should have a fiscal capacity, arguing that the ability to tax and spend could help maintain stability when faced with external shocks but also that its main aim must be investment.

Mr Costa appearance in the European Parliament is part of a series of appearances by EU leaders to discuss the future of the European Union.
It was hard to foresee the scale of the war to come when protesters took to the streets of Damascus and Aleppo in a Day of Rage on 15 March 2011.

Your turn, Doctor [Bashar al-Assad], Arab Spring demonstrators chanted as they demanded the release of 15 teenagers arrested for daubing walls with anti-government graffiti.

Arrests and beatings did not deter them. They drew courage from the recent falls of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia in similar Arab Spring protests.

 Scenes of devastation in Syria after deadly shelling and airstrikes and eastern Ghouta

After three days of the exceptionally rare demonstrations, the government had had enough. On 18 March, four protesters in Deraa  most reports say they were unarmed  were shot dead by security forces which opened fire on a crowd.

The killings provided the catalyst for a revolution which has morphed into a conflict unlike any other modern war, shaken the worlds faith in the power of the United Nations, and left many questioning the sanctity of international humanitarian law.

The full repercussions of the myriad proxy wars currently being fought in Syria are yet to be understood.

What is certain is that more than 500,000 people have been killed, half of Syrias pre-war population has been forced to flee their homes, and an entire generation of Syrian children has never known anything other than war.

Syrians faith in the UN is very low at this point, says Hadi al-Bahra, a member of the Syrian Negotiation Commission and its negotiation delegation to the UN-led Geneva peace talks process, referring to the inability of the international community to implement a lasting ceasefire in the conflict.

If there are no consequences for military actions, the regime will push forward with committing crimes on a daily basis, he says. But the UN is the only option we have to work with.

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 the eve of the conflicts seventh anniversary, the violence shows no sign of stopping.

On some fronts it is becoming even more complicated  and deadly. Syria now shows dangerous signs of descending into an entrenched state of warfare such as that suffered by Iraq and Afghanistan, subject to the whims of internal warlords and proxy powers.

The fall of the eastern rebel-held side of Aleppo, thanks to Russian airpower and Iran-backed ground forces, at the end of 2016 marked a turning point in Syrias civil war, shifting the tide of the conflict in President Bashar al-Assads favour.

With Isiss caliphate dismantled after the battle for Raqqa last year, the other long-standing front in the Syrian theatre also began to wind down.

And yet 2018 has seen one of the bloodiest chapters in the war yet.

In Eastern Ghouta, more than 1,000 people have been killed in a three-week-old offensive to retake the area.

The Damascus suburb has been besieged by government forces since 2012 and was also the scene of a sarin and chlorine gas attack in 2013, one of the worst chemical incidents in modern history.

In recent months, however, Mr Assads government has tightened the siege, leaving its estimated 400,000 civilians struggling with dwindling food and medical supplies. At the same time, it has stepped up the military campaign.

 Syrian Arab militiamen threaten to massacre Kurdish population

The violence unleashed in the area since a new wave of Russian-backed bombing began on 18 February has been unprecedented. Activists on the ground report the use of illegal barrel bombs and chlorine gas  claims the Syrian army has repeatedly denied.

The rebels  among them a small number of al-Qaeda-linked militants  are now facing a ground assault that has retaken more than half the area and are facing the prospect of bussed evacuations to the last rebel stronghold of Idlib in the north-west.

I dont want to leave Eastern Ghouta. My children grew up here, its my home, this is the place they know, says American citizen Deana Lynn, who has been trapped in Ghouta for several years.

I think people in general, they dont want to leave or become displaced. What would they do in Idlib? They would have to look for a home or theyd have to leave for Turkey or Europe.

We hope it wont happen to us I just hope well be safe.

Turkey opened a new front in the already messy conflict in January, invading the Kurdish-held canton of Afrin in the north-west.

Scores of civilians have been killed during Ankaras curiously named Operation Olive Branch, designed to oust Kurdish YPG fighters it sees as the Syrian extension of its own outlawed PKK movement.

The US state department, rudderless and understaffed in the Trump administration, has not yet been able to balance the conflicting interests of the YPG, its ground allies against Isis, and its Nato ally Turkey.

[Russias repeated vetoes on action] has caused real damage to the Security Councils reputation, a European diplomat says on the condition of anonymity.

Last month Russia agreed to a ceasefire in Ghouta  a rare unanimous UN decision on Syria. But the cessation in hostilities has largely gone ignored.

Its even more damaging for the Security Council to agree something and then not to see it executed than it is to see it deadlocked, says the diplomat.

The risk is that the Security Council looks impotent and irrelevant, and other countries start to operate outside of the Security Council. It looks like you dont need it anymore, that it doesnt matter.

In diplomatic circles, once-strident calls that Assad must go are no longer very loud.

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

Despite round after round of failed peace talks in Geneva, the UN is adamant a diplomatic solution to the crisis must be agreed, even as Russian and Iranian intervention on the battlefield has once again put a military victory within the Assad governments reach.

The Syrian government was not receptive to Russian diplomatic efforts during a separate peace process in Astana and Sochi in 2017 and January this year.

The European diplomat says the international community is now hopeful Russia, wishing to limit reputational damage, can be pressured to bring Mr Assad to the negotiating table  but others are not so optimistic.

Russia does not have enough leverage on the regime to change anything, says Hadi al-Bahra.

Irans militias are the ones that have really propped up Assad, and they are the main financiers of the regime. They have advanced billions of dollars in lines of credit to the government. They are the ones more in control.

The beginning of the end of the war is still at least five years away, Mr Bahra says. Even if serious attempts at reconciliation and reconstruction are made, Syria has undergone vast demographic changes in the last seven years, with entire communities emptied out of neighbourhoods and bussed elsewhere at the end of battles.

 Boris Johnson suggests the UK could strike Syria in response to Assad's attack on eastern Ghouta

The fate of hundreds of thousands of people detained or disappeared in Mr Assads prisons is another painful issue that could well derail any fledgling attempts at dialogue.

At this point in the conflict, the opposition has no choice but to keep going, Mr Bahra says.

We have paid a huge price in this war. When we have sacrificed so much, we cannot stop now.
For the second time in 48 hours, Jeremy Corbyn stood at the despatch box and called for a robust dialogue with Russia.

The meaning of the phrase robust dialogue is not immediately clear, but that within seconds Tory Minister Claire Perry had shouted Youre a disgrace to your party! at him is as good a starting place as any.

Theresa May had just told the House that Russias 36 hour deadline to give a credible account of what happened in Salisbury had expired. And that they had treated the question with sarcasm and disdain and that action would be taken.

That action, naturally, will be the expulsion of 23 diplomats identified as intelligence officers. It marks the traditional first return of fire in a tit-for-tat war that has the potential for wild escalation.

To silence from his own benches and derision from the ones opposite, Jeremy Corbyn said it had not yet been ruled out that Sergei Skripal had been poisoned as a result of Russia losing control of its chemical weapons, rather than the attempted killing having been ordered directly from the Kremlin.

Directly after, and directly outside the House of Commons chamber, where Mr Corbyns media team take questions from journalists on such occasions, an already bizarre afternoon took a turn for the even more bizarre, but well come on to that later.

What does Jeremy Corbyn think a robust dialogue with Russia is?

 Pat McFadden makes veiled criticism of Jeremy Corbyn's response to Russia spy poisoning

A British citizen and his daughter has been attacked in an unimaginably ghastly way, a policeman injured in the process and many innocent lives put at risk, and all the intelligence indicates it is highly likely it was carried out by agents of the Russian state.

A robust dialogue, in such circumstances, might be to give the Russian state a short timeframe to explain what has happened or face consequences. They have not done so, and action is being taken.

And yet the leader of the Labour Party was unable to commend or offer his support for the Prime Ministers actions.

The robust dialogue continued afterwards, when Mr Corbyns official spokesperson told journalists that the governments analysis could not be relied upon, because the history of information from UK intelligence agencies is problematic to say the least. The glib reference to the Iraq War has long been the go-to basement dwelling keyboard warriors response to any criticism of Jeremy Corbyn, and it should arguably come as no surprise that it is a voice that now resonates throughout the party leadership.

Labour backbencher after backbencher stood up to disown their leader, and offer their support for both the Prime Ministers words and actions.

While they did so, Ken Livingstone popped up on RT to repeat the suggestion the poisoning may have occurred through Russia losing control of its chemical weapons. It is the same propaganda that has been consistently trotted out on Russian state TV by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and by all of Russias traditional propagandists.

The question therefore has to be asked: what does that make Ken Livingstone? And indeed, what does that make Jeremy Corbyn? At one point, Jeremy Corbyn asked why samples of the poison from Salisbury had not been sent to Russia so they could carry out their own analysis. This, again, is Mr Lavrov's line. How robust is a "robust dialogue" going to be, when all of your public comments are exactly the same as theirs? There is no strict definition to the term "robust dialogue", not least as it has been invented by Jeremy Corbyn, but it does intimate an aspect of disagreement.

Its taken nine months, since Corbyn confounded his critics by losing a general election by a much narrower margin than had been expected, but we have returned to a familiar situation. Jeremy Corbyn disowned by his own MPs, widely considered a joke, but what happens next? Another leadership challenge? Another election for him to win by miles?

When he was elected leader of the Labour Party in September 2015 it was widely pointed out at the time that it would herald a return of ideology to British politics. Not anymore could voters claim theyre all the same. There was a clear choice. Left vs right. Private enterprise versus the state. Even capitalism versus socialism.

What was not made so clear however, is that it would also leave British voters with an altogether more different choice: between Britain and its enemies. Its a hard sell, that.
Stephen Hawking was a great scientist who helped in our understanding of the universe  even if most people couldnt understand his work. He was also a very successful author.

His work included Black Holes which may be symbolic as he did not wallow in a personal black hole when he became ill, but rather fought it and showed that disabilities do not stop you.

His humour and wit was shown through his cameos on The Big Bang Theory. A piece of trivia: he was the only person to appear on Star Trek as themselves.

A great role model for all.

Dennis Fitzgerald

Melbourne

I was not lucky enough to meet Professor Hawking. Im not sure how this man changed my life but I know he did, and Im just a regular guy. I was in tears this morning when I heard the news; I mean this guy will be irreplaceable. I hope his family will accept my condolences as they deal with this terrible loss. This is one of those deaths thats just not right.

Steve Mumby

Bournemouth

Physicist Stephen Hawking has made enormous contributions to physics, mathematics, our understanding of the cosmos and humanity at large. However, his biggest asset was the fact that he not only overcame his disability, but proved unequivocally that physical and mental impairments should never become a hurdle in the way to leadership and success.

15 per cent of the population live with such disabilities, and it is pitiful that despite the clamour for good governance, transparency, accountability and efficiency, the quest for an inclusive and cohesive society and equal opportunities, many disabled people remain in the shadow or on the sidelines.

It is time to surmount our prejudices and bigotries and allow our members of society to fulfil their potential aspirations.

Dr Munjed Farid al Qutob

London NW2

A gentle agnostic

Unlike some of his fellow scientists, Stephen Hawking went fairly gently on believers. Probably best styled as an agnostic rather than a hardline atheist, Hawking was memorable for his mention of the mind of God in A Brief History of Time.

This was a phrase which spawned a considerable amount of helpful thinking on the relationship between religion and science.

As he grew older, Hawking clearly became increasingly doubtful in the traditional view of God. However, his tone was always courteous.

The Rev Andrew McLuskey

Staines

Why isnt Alex Salmon protesting against Russia Today?

As France, Germany and the USA support Downing Street in its stance vis-a-vis Russia and the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripol and his daughter in Salisbury, Alex Salmond shows no sign of standing down from his show on Russia Today.

Why? Does his ego or financial greed prevent him? Or will he stop at nothing to adopt a position contrary to the UK?

Martin Redfern

Edinburgh

You dont need qualifications to have predicted Brexit would be a disaster

Will Dry says of his voting to leave the EU: How an earth could the people have known what it meant 18 months ago?

As a British-born resident of Wales with Irish citizenship, I had a very good idea what Brexit would mean for the Irish border and for the regional grants that we in Wales receive from the EU. I have no qualifications in politics or economics, but one did not need them to work out what many of the implications of Brexit could be when the referendum was held.

All one needed to do was to read a decent newspaper, like this one. It is a pity he and many of his fellow Brexiteers did not do the same before they landed us in this mess.

Terence Carr

Prestatyn

Monetary solutions

If the 1p coin is abolished, and given the pricing policies of most shops, can we look forward to the introduction of a 99p coin?

Dr John Doherty

Stratford-Upon-Avon
If President Donald Trump is trying to project an image of strength ahead of a proposed meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong-un, his firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is clear proof that he is failing.

After months of denials from both the White House and the State Department that Trump and Tillersons relationship was in any way fragile, the President announced in a tweet that the former Exxon CEO was finished at the White House. He is to be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who Trump praised as thinking along similar lines to himself.

While we have become used to Trumps spur-of-the-moment firings, with State Department officials briefing that Tillerson had been caught completely unaware, this one has implications far beyond making the White House look chaotic.

Rex Tillerson disagreed with the President on a number of things  the nuclear deal with Iran was one in particular which Trump himself cited. Dealing with North Korea was another, with Tillerson having been caught more than once offering statements on Pyongyangs nuclear threat and the US response that were subsequently walked back by the White House.

Trump can clearly see a possible boon for his legacy in the unprecedented talks with Kim Jong-un. Therefore the fact that some officials were briefing that Trump was looking to push Tillerson  who he clearly no longer trusts  out before the North Korea meeting makes some sense, but the timing is terrible.

All aspects of that meeting, where Trump could potentially be discussing nuclear disarmament for Pyongyang, are extremely delicate and it is difficult to think that the upheaval caused by Tillersons dismissal will do anything but harm that process.

Critics also say  with some justification  that the meeting will likely achieve nothing other than an easy PR win for Kim. The sacking of Tillerson already plays into the North Korean leaders hands, with Pyongyang sure to be delighted that the offer of a meeting has contributed to more dysfunction in the Trump administration.

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

However, the most alarming thing about Trumps actions is that he has selected a new adviser who seemingly offers him no challenge. If Pompeo does indeed think like Trump, then that is dangerous in the context of North Korea. A meeting with Kim Jong-un is uncharted territory and, given Donald Trumps propensity for saying one thing when the cameras are rolling and another when they are not, the parameters for any summit must be carefully controlled.

With the meeting apparently coming at such short notice (sometime in April has been suggested), Trump does not just need people who think like him. He needs to be challenged, whether he likes it or not, and he needs to be faced with rigorous questions about what the US wants to achieve from a sit-down with Kim Jong-un. Trump has a reputation for dealing with issues on the fly, changing his mind quickly and acting impulsively. This episode with Tillerson has proven that, as have a number of other actions. But that won't fly with an issue like North Korea.

The bottom line is that the more disparate voices the President hears, the better. Dealing with North Korea is a matter of global safety and requires more options, not less. With Rex Tillerson gone, another voice has been removed from a very important conversation.
Union Minister for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences and Environment, Forest and Climate Change Dr. Harsh Vardhan (left) addresses the launch of the Clean Air Campaign in New Delhi on Feb. 10, 2018. Also seen Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Environment and Forest Minister Imran Hussain and other dignitaries. (IANS/PIB photo)
Ashvin Vibhakar, Indian American chair of finance at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been named among the 15 new members of the Arkansas District Export Council. (ualr.edu photo)
Wesley Mathews (left), charged with the murder of his adopted daughter Sherin Mathews, will next appear in court March 20 with his wife Sini Mathews (right), who has been charged with child endangerment. The Indian American couple are being held in Dallas County Jail. (Dallas County Jail photos)
The newly named curator of Indian and South Asian art at Peabody Essex Museum, Indian American Siddhartha V. Shah, will develop exhibitions that tell the stories of the artists, communities and traditions of South Asia, as well as important moments in the history of the region. (photo provided)
The first international workshop organized to explore the potential for lithium production in Bolivia started on Tuesday March 6 when various industry experts met in La Paz.

The initiative, known as the Lithium Scientific British Mission, was promoted by the British ambassador to Bolivia, James Thornton, jointly with state-owned lithium...
What Secretary of State Tillersons Firing Means

By Paul Craig Roberts

March 13, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Senator Chuck Schumer (D, NY) says Tillersons firing indicates that the Trump administration is disintegrating. I understand why Senator Schumer sees it that way, expecially following all the other dismissals and resignations.

I see it differently. The firing of Secretary of State Tillerson, the movement of CIA Director Pompeo to Secretary of State, and the promotion of Gina Haspel, who oversaw the secret CIA torture prisons in Thailand ( https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/us/politics/cia-deputy-director-gina-haspel-torture-thailand.html ), indicate that the military/security complex has closed its grip on the Trump regime. There will be no more talk of normalizing relations with Russia.

The combination of the Israel Lobby, the neoconservatives, and the military/security complex have proven to be too powerful for peace to be established between the two nuclear powers. If you look at Trumps administration, the above three forces are those in charge.

Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

Israel remains determined to use the US military to destabilize Syria and Iran in order to isolate Hezbollah and cut off the militas support and supplies. The neoconservatives both support Israels interest and their own desire for Washingtons hegemony over the world. The military/security complex intends to hold on to the Russia threat as a justification of its budget and power.

The presstitutes are in complete harmony with the scheme. Although Russiagate has been proven to be false charges orchestrated by the DNC, FBI, and CIA, the presstitutes continue to repeat the charges as if evidence exists that proves the charges to be true. The stolen election is fiction turned into fact. And now we have a new charge, that Putin ordered a former British spy in England to be eliminated while sitting on a park bench with the use of a highly unlikely form of military poison. The charge is preposterous, but that is not preventing the fiction from becoming fact.

Having served in Washington for a quarter century and having known members of the British government, I do not believe that any of them believe the Russiagate and Skripal poisoning stories. What is happening is that an agenda has taken precedence over truth.

This is an extremely dangerous agenda. Russias new weapons easily give Russia military superiority over the US. As China and Iran see the situation similarly to the Russians, the US is greatly out-classed. Yet, Washington and its vassals persist in making violent and false charges and threats against Russia, Iran, and on occasion China. Russia, Iran, and China know that these charges are false. Confronting an endless string of false and hostile charges, they prepare for war.

The world is being driven to war, which would be nuclear, by a tiny minority: Israeli Zionists, neoconservatives, and the US military/security complex. We are witnessing the most reckless and irresponsible behavior in world history. Where are the voices against it?

Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
Home Search ICH Why the West Cannot Stomach Russians



By Andre Vltchek March 13, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - When it comes to Russia or the Soviet Union, reports and historical accounts do get blurry; in the West they do, and consequently in all of its client states. Fairytales get intermingled with reality, while fabrications are masterfully injected into sub consciousness of billions of people worldwide. Russia is an enormous country, in fact the largest country on Earth in terms of territory. It is scarcely inhabited. It is deep, and as a classic once wrote: It is impossible to understand Russia with ones brain. One could only believe in it. The Western mind generally doesnt like things unknown, spiritual and complex. Since the old days, especially since the crusades and monstrous colonialist expeditions to all corners of the world, the Westerners were told fables about their own noble deedsperformed in the plundered lands. Everything had to be clear and simple: Virtuous Europeans were civilizing savages and spreading Christianity, therefore, in fact, saving those dark poor primitive souls. Of course, tens of millions were dying in the process, while further tens of millions were shackled and brought to the New World as slaves. Gold, silver, and other loot, as well as slave labor had been (and still are) paying for all those European palaces, railroads, universities and theatres, but that did not matter, as the bloodshed was most of the time something abstract and far away from those over-sensitive eyes of the Western public. Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter Westerners like simplicity, particularly when it comes to moral definitions of good and evil. It matters nothing if the truth gets systematically massaged, or even if the reality is fully fabricated.What matters is that there is no deep guilt and no soul-searching. Western rulers and their opinion makers know their people  their subjects  perfectly well, and most of the time, they give them what they are asking for. The rulers and the reigned are generally living in symbiosis. They keep bitching about each other, but mostly they have similar goals: to live well, to live extremely well, as long as the others are forced to pay for it; with their riches, with their labor and often with their blood. Culturally, most of the citizens of Europe and North America hate to pay the bill for their highlife; they even detest to admit that their life is extremely high. They like to feel like victims. They like to feel that they are used. They like to imagine that they are sacrificing themselves for the rest of the world. And above all, they hate real victims: those they have been murdering, raping, plundering and insulting, for decades and centuries. Recent refugee crises showed the spite Europeans feel for their prey. People who made them rich and who lost everything in the process are humiliated, despised and insulted. Be they Afghans or Africans, the Middle Easterners or South Asians. Or Russians, although Russians are falling to its own, unique category. Many Russians look white. Most of them eat with knife and fork, they drink alcohol, excel at Western classical music, poetry, literature, science and philosophy. To Western eyes they look normal, but actually, they are not. Russians always want something else; they refuse to play by Western rules. They are stubbornly demanding to remain different, and to be left alone. When confronted, when attacked, they fight. They rarely strike first, almost never invade. But when threatened, when assaulted, they fight with tremendous determination and force, and they never lose. Villages and cities get converted into invaders graves. Millions die while defending their Motherland, but the country survives. And it happens again and again and again, as the Western hordes have been, for centuries, assaulting and burning Russian lands, never learning the lesson and never giving up on their sinister dream of conquering and controlling that proud and determined colossus. In the West, they dont like those who defend themselves, who fight against them, and especially those who win It gets much worse than that. Russia has this terrible habit not only it defends itself and its people, but it also fights for the others, protecting colonized and pillaged nations, as well as those that are unjustly assaulted. It saved the world from Nazism. It did it at a horrific price of 25 million men, women and children, but it did it; courageously, proudly and altruistically. The West never forgave the Soviet Union for this epic victory either, because all that is unselfish and self-sacrificing, is always in direct conflict with its own principles, and therefore extremely dangerous. The Russian people had risen; had fought and won in the 1917 Revolution; an event which terrified the West more than anything else in history, as it had attempted to create a fully egalitarian, classless and racially color-blind society. It also gave birth to Internationalism, an occurrence that I recently described in my book The Great October Socialist Revolution: Impact on the World and the Birth of Internationalism. Soviet Internationalism, right after the victory in WWII, helped greatly, directly and indirectly, dozens of countries on all continents, to stand up and to confront the European colonialism and the North American imperialism. The West and especially Europe never forgave the Soviet people in general and Russians in particular, for helping to liberate its slaves. That is when the greatest wave of propaganda in human history really began to roll. From London to New York, from Paris to Toronto, an elaborate web of anti-Soviet and covertly anti-Russian hysteria was unleashed with monstrously destructive force. Tens of thousands of journalists, intelligence officers, psychologists, historians, as well as academics, were employed. Nothing Soviet, nothing Russian (except those glorified and often manufactured Russian dissidents) was spared. The excesses of the Great October Socialist Revolution and the pre-WWII era were systematically fabricated, exaggerated, and then engraved into the Western history textbooks and mass media narrative. In those tales, there was nothing about the vicious invasions and attacks coming from the West, aimed at destroying young Bolshevik state. Naturally, there was no space for mentioning the British, French, U.S., Czech, Polish, Japanese, German and others monstrous cruelties. Soviet and Russian views were hardly ever allowed to penetrate the monolithic and one-sided Western propaganda narrative. Like obedient sheep, the Western public accepted the disinformation it was fed with. Eventually, many people living in the Western colonies and client states, did the same. A great number of colonized people were taught how to blame themselves for their misery. The most absurd but somehow logical occurrence then took place: many men, women and even children living in the USSR, succumbed to Western propaganda. Instead of trying to reform their imperfect but still greatly progressive country, they gave up, became cynical, aggressively disillusioned, corrupt and naively but staunchly pro-Western. It was the first and most likely the last time in the history, Russia got defeated by the West. It happened through deceit, through shameless lies, through Western propaganda. What followed could be easily described as genocide. The Soviet Union was first lulled into Afghanistan, then it was mortally injured by the war there, by an arms race with the United States, and by the final stage of propaganda that was literally flowing like lava from various hostile Western state-sponsored radio stations. Of course, local dissidents also played an important role. Under Gorbachev, a useful idiot of the West, things got extremely bizarre. I dont believe that he was paid to ruin his own country, but he did almost everything to run it into the ground; precisely what Washington wanted him to do. Then, in front of the entire world, a mighty and proud Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics suddenly shook in agony, then uttered a loud cry, and collapsed; died painfully but swiftly. A new turbo-capitalist, bandit, pro-oligarch and confusedly pro-Western Russia was born. Russia which was governed by an alcoholic Boris Yeltsin; a man loved and supported by Washington, London and other Western centers of power. a man loved and supported by Washington, London and other Western centers of power. It was a totally unnatural, sick Russia  cynical and compassionless, built with someone elses ideas  Russia of Radio Liberty and Voice of America, of the BBC, of black marketers, of oligarchs and multi-national corporations. Is the West now daring to say that Russians are interfering in something in Washington? Are they out of their minds? Washington and other Western capitals did not only interfere, they openly broke the Soviet Union into pieces and then they began kicking Russia which was at that point half-alive. Is it all forgotten, or is Western public again fully unaware of what took place during those dark days? The West kept spitting at the impoverished and injured country, refused to honor international agreements and treaties. It offered no help. Multi-nationals were unleashed, and began privatizing Russian state companies, basically stealing what was built by the sweat and blood of Soviet workers, during long decades. Interference? Let me repeat: it was direct intervention, invasion, a grab of resources, shameless theft! I want to read and write about it, but we dont hear much about it, anymore, do we? Now we are told that Russia is paranoid, that its President is paranoid! With straight face, the West is lying; pretending that it has not been trying to murder Russia. Those years Those pro-Western years when Russia became a semi-client state of the West, or call it a semi-colony! There was no mercy, no compassion coming from abroad. Many of those idiots  kitchen intellectuals from Moscow and provinces  suddenly woke up but it was too late. Many of them had suddenly nothing to eat. They got what they were told to ask for: their Western freedom and democracy, and Western-style capitalism or in summary: total collapse. I remember well how it was then. I began returning to Russia, horrified, working in Moscow, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Leningrad. Academics from Akadem Gorodok outside Novosibirsk were selling their libraries in the bitter cold, in dark metro underpasses of Novosibirsk Runs on the banks Old retired people dying from hunger and cold behind massive doors of concrete blocks unpaid salaries and starving miners, teachers Russia under the deadly embrace of the West, for the first and hopefully last time! Russia whose life expectancy suddenly dropped to African Sub-Saharan levels. Russia humiliated, wild, in terrible pain. But that nightmare did not last long. And what happened  those short but horrible years under both Gorbachev and Yeltsin, but above all under the Western diktat  will never be forgotten, not forgiven. Russians know perfectly well what they do not want, anymore! Russia stood up again. Huge, indignant and determined to live its own life, its own way. From an impoverished, humiliated and robbed nation, subservient to the West, the country evolved and within a few years, the free and independent Russia once again joined ranks of the most developed and powerful countries on Earth. And as before Gorbachev, Russia is once again able to help those nations which are under unjust and vicious attacks of the Western empire. A man who is leading this renaissance, President Vladimir Putin, is tough, but Russia is under great threat and so is the world  this is no time for weaklings. President Putin is not perfect (who is, really?), but he is a true patriot, and I dare say, an internationalist. Now the West, once again, hates both Russia and its leader. No wonder; undefeated, strong and free Russia is the worst imaginable foe of Washington and its lieutenants. Thats how the West feels, not Russia. Despite all that was done to it, despite tens of millions of lost and ruined lives, Russia has always been ready to compromise, even to forgive, if not forget. There is something deeply pathological in the psyche of the West. It cannot accept anything less than full and unconditional submission. It has to control, to be in charge, and on top of everything; it has to feel exceptional. Even when it murders and ruins the entire Planet, it insists on feeling superior to the rest of the world. This faith in exceptionalism is the true Western religion, much more than even Christianity, which for decades has not really played any important role there. Exceptionalism is fanatical, it is fundamentalist and unquestionable. It also insists that its narrative is the only one available anywhere in the World. That the West is seen as a moral leader, as a beacon of progress, as the only competent judge and guru. Lies are piling on top of lies. As in all religions, the more absurd the pseudo-reality is, the more brutal and extreme are the methods used to uphold it. The more laughable the fabrications are, the more powerful the techniques used to suppress the truth are. Today, hundreds of thousands of academics, teachers, journalists, artists, psychologists and other highly paid professionals, in all parts of the world, are employed by the Empire, for two goals only  to glorify the Western narrative and to discredit all that is standing in its way; daring to challenge it. Russia is the most hated adversary of the West, with China, Russias close ally being near second. The propaganda war unleashed by the West is so insane, so intense, that even some of the European and North American citizens are beginning to question tales coming from Washington, London and elsewhere. Wherever one turns, there is a tremendous medley of lies, of semi-lies, half-truths; a complex and unnavigable swamp of conspiracy theories. Russia is being attacked for interfering in U.S. domestic affairs, for defending Syria, for standing by defenseless and intimidated nations, for having its own powerful media, for doping its athletes, for still being Communist, for not being socialist anymore;in brief: for everything imaginable and unimaginable. Criticism of the country is so thorough and ludicrous, that one begins to ask very legitimate questions: what about the past? What about the Western narrative regarding the Soviet past, particularly the post-Revolutionary period, and the period between two world wars? The more I analyze this present-day Western anti-Russian and anti-Chinese propaganda, the more determined I am to study and write about the Western narrative regarding Soviet history. Im definitely planning to investigate these matters in the future, together with my friends  Russian and Ukrainian historians. In the eyes of the West, Russians are traitors. Instead of joining the looters, they have been standing by the wretched of the world, in the past, as well as now.They refused to sell their Motherland, and to enslave their own people. Their government is doing all it can to make Russia self-sufficient, fully independent, prosperous, proud and free. Remember that freedom, democracy and many other terms, mean totally different things in distinctive parts of the world. What is happening in the West could never be described as freedom in Russia or in China, and vice versa. Frustrated, collapsing, atomized and egotistic societies of Europe and North America do not inspire even their own people, anymore. They are escaping by millions annually, to Asia, Latin America, and even to Africa. Escaping from emptiness, meaninglessness and emotional cold. But it is not Russias or Chinas business to tell them how to live or not to live! In the meantime, great cultures like Russia and China do not need, and do not want to be told by the Westerners, what freedom is, and what democracy is. They do not attack the West, and expect the same in return. It is truly embarrassing that the countries responsible for hundreds of genocides, for hundreds of millions of murdered people on all continents, still dare to lecture others. Many victims are too scared to speak. Russia is not. It is composed, gracious, but fully determined to defend itself if necessary; itself as well as many other human beings living on this beautiful but deeply scarred Planet. Russian culture is enormous: from poetry and literature, to music, ballet, philosophy Russian hearts are soft, they easily melt when approached with love and kindness. But when millions of lives of innocent people are threatened, both the hearts and muscles of Russians quickly turn to stone and steel. During such moments, when only victory could save the world, Russian fists are hard, and the same is true about the Russian armor. There is no match to Russian courage in the sadistic but cowardly West. Irreversibly, both hope and future are moving towards the east. And that is why Russia is desperately hated by the West. Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are his tribute to The Great October Socialist Revolution a revolutionary novel Aurora and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: Exposing Lies Of The Empire. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky On Western Terrorism. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter. This article was originally published on New Eastern Outlook. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of Information Clearing House. ===== Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
Home Search ICH Trumps Trade War  or De-Globalization? By Peter Koenig March 14, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - President Trumps bold protectionist move of introducing import duties of 25% and 10% for steel and aluminum, respectively  and possibly more to come  may be more than just populism and fulfilling a campaign promise. And why is the term populism always used with a derogative slant? As if it was way below the intellect of those who deride it as addressing the thoughtless and primitive behavior by the people? Arent politicians supposed to work for the people? Educate them with the truth instead of ridiculing them; giving them real news instead of fake news  and giving them jobs and decent livelihood?  Is that addressing populism? President Trump, or whoever directs him, may have noticed the steady decline of the American economy into a hollow war and service machine, with rising unemployment at the tune of more than 20% (though the fake statistics pretend otherwise, putting git below 5%); a country gradually choking on junk consumption, anti-Russia propaganda and a rapidly deterioration physical infrastructure and civil society. This unexpected protectionist decision may also be a genuine move against globalization  which, as we know, is controlled by neoliberal economics and has in fact nothing to do with real economics. It is sheer criminalizing of economics. It has done enormous harm to the 99.9 % and benefitted only the 0.1% (or less). Make America Great Again is supposed to address this fallacy. Bring production and jobs back, primarily for the domestic market and second only, for international trade, for trade that doesnt harm the local economy. This is a recipe which would also suit many European countries  Greece is a case in point, but Spain, Italy, Ireland and even France would fall into the same category. Local production for local markets is indeed the model that helped rescuing the US from the depression of the 30s and Europe, in particular Germany, after WWII. The so-called Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and multi country Trade Agreements like, NAFTA, TTIP, and TPP  the former being renegotiated and the latter two suspended  are quite different from local production for local markets. They all, without fault, favor US corporations maximizing profit objective, but not the United States local economy. Insofar Trump is right, when he says that all these trade deals have been bad for his countries. They were and are a bonanza for US corporations, but indeed bad for the US national economy, because they are incentives for more and more outsourcing of production and services into low labor cost countries. By granting corporations tax breaks and incentives to invest at home rather than in low-wage countries, and by levying import duties, President Trump is taking a decisive step  maybe willy-nilly  to rehabilitate a faltering US economy. Will it work? It might. Its too early to say. Economy is no precise science, but rather the result of the dynamic interaction between different at times unpredictable elements. True economics are certainly not based on a set of blueprints; they are not black and white, as neoliberal theories would like us to believe. Real economics do not fit todays most popular teachings of modelling  a complex linear approach of algorithm which produces desired results for propagating neoliberal ideas  that depart from reality by a long shot. The fact of reestablishing trust in local labor, may have power way beyond that of capital investments. Trump capitalizes on this momentum and, simultaneously, may set a signal for the rest of the world to follow  and for the end of globalization. Interestingly, he said at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos in January this year, that all the American partner countries should think, Make my country great again. Isnt this a slap in the face of globalization? Of course, there will be noises of retaliation by Europe, China, Japan  so what?  Steps of retaliation may actually trigger a political rethinking of globalized WTO propagated trade. It may reveal who are the winners and losers. It may have taken 30 years to realize that the winners are an ever-smaller corporate elite, while the bedrock of national economies, local labor, is the big loser. That is precisely the direction into which the neofascist West is moving  towards selling the national economy out to corporate profits. The people are understandably unhappy. Todays economists are in shock, whenever somebody dares questioning the mainstream globalized economic models, depicting a linear right or wrong vision of the world. Remember George Bush  you are either for us or against us; the phrase that set the eternal war on terror in motion; the war that brought death to millions, intimidation to hundreds of millions and billions of profits to the war industry. Yet, we were and are still indoctrinated with the neoliberal norm, which consists of open-border trade, limitless cross-border transfer of capital  but very restricted transfer of labor. And worst of all, today and for the last 100 years, is our (western) dollar-based monetary system (born from the Federal Reserve Act of 1913) that shapes and manipulates the western boom  bust economy. Logic would rather dictate a reverse monetary system, where a nations economic output is the basis for its monetary system, not the other way around. This monetary anomality has been driven to extremes with the US-dollars offspring, the euro, which has zero connection with the European economy, let alone with the economy of each member country. The western monetary system on which international trade is based is a fraud, a mere house of cards, a Ponzi scheme, the collapse of which is inevitable. The Donald is a largely unpredictable character. As a war monger, he screams fire and fury at North Korea, threatening to wipe out the entire country; yet is willing to sit down to negotiate with Kim Jong-un  under certain conditions  debating whose Red Button is bigger, Kims or the Donalds. At the same time, driven by Netanyahu, the same Donald has only slander and insults left for Iran, threatening the country with annihilating war and imposing more sanctions, knowing quite well that Europe, mainly France and Germany, has established billion euros worth of trade relations since the lifting of the original sanctions after the signing of the nuclear deal in July 2015. So, lets not get this wrong. Trump is no panacea for the good of the world. By a very long shot. He is a loose cannon, shooting from the hips, he may have hit the target by declaring unilateral import tariffs on steel and aluminum. This may be just the beginning, a trial balloon so to speak, for more protection measures to follow. His neocolonial trained chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn , cant see the logic and quit. Trump is unmoved and stays the course. He knows these tariffs wont affect consumer prices at home, but they may be a boost for the US rust-belt  reviving investments, including the local car industry, a key economic indicator, creating thousands of much needed jobs and reestablishing labors trust in Washingtons leadership  to Make America Great Again. Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for Global Research; ICH; RT; Sputnik; PressTV; The 21st Century; TeleSUR; The Vineyard of The Saker Blog; and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion  An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed  fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution!  Essays from the Resistance. The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of Information Clearing House. ===== Join the Discussion It is not necessary for ICH readers to register before placing a comment. We ask that you treat others with respect. Take a moment to read the following - Comment Policy - What Or Who is Information Clearing House and Purpose and Intent of this website: It is unacceptable to slander, smear or engage in personal attacks on authors of articles posted on ICH. Those engaging in that behavior will be banned from the comment section. Search Information Clearing House === Click Here To Support Information Clearing House Your support has kept ICH free on the Web since 2002. Click for Spanish , German , Dutch , Danish , French , translation- Note- Translation may take a moment to load.
March 14, 2018 "

Information Clearing House

-

Valery Gerasimov, head of Russias General Staff, said Moscow had information that rebels in the enclave of eastern Ghouta were planning to fake a chemical weapons attack against civilians and blame it on the Syrian army.

He said the United States intended to use the fake attack as a pretext to bomb the government quarter in nearby Damascus where he said Russian military advisers, Russian military police and Russian ceasefire monitors were based.

In the event of a threat to the lives of our servicemen, Russias armed forces will take retaliatory measures against the missiles and launchers used, Gerasimov said in a statement.

He did not say when the alleged attack would take place or provide detailed evidence to back his assertions.

In Washington, the Pentagon said Russia should focus on stopping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from targeting innocent civilians.

We urge Russia to stop creating distractions and compel the Assad regime to stop brutalizing innocent Syrian citizens and allow much-needed aid to reach the people of East Ghouta and other remote areas, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said.

By enabling the Assad regimes brutality, Russia is morally complicit and responsible for Assads atrocities, Pahon added.

Syrian Army finds plant used by terrorists to manufacture toxic chemicals in al-Shefounieh town

During the Syrian armys offensive in eastern Ghouta, more than 1,100 civilians have died, the U.N. Office of Humanitarian Affairs said. Assads forces, backed by Russia and Iran, say they are targeting terrorist groups shelling the capital.

The head of Russias military General Staff and chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke by phone on Tuesday and discussed the situation in Syria, the Pentagon and Russian defense ministry said.

Russia has previously accused rebels in Syria of preparing to use toxic agents in eastern Ghouta so they could later accuse Damascus of employing chemical weapons.

Damascus denies Western allegations that government forces have used chemical weapons.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned on Monday that Washington remains prepared to act if we must, if the U.N. Security Council failed to act on Syria, as the Syrian armys onslaught in eastern Ghouta continued unabated. (Reporting by Andrew Osborn in Moscow and Idrees Ali in Washington. Editing by Andrey Ostroukh and Lisa Shumaker)

This article was originally published by "Reuters" -
March 14, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - Last Sunday, the largest joint military exercise between the United States and Israel began with little fanfare. The war game, dubbed Operation Juniper Cobra, has been a regular occurrence for years, though it has consistently grown in size and scope. Now, however, this years 12-day exercise brings a portent of conflict unlike those of its predecessors.



Previous reports on the operation suggested that, like prior incarnations of the same exercise, the focus would be on improving Israeli defenses. Juniper Cobra 2018 is another step in improving the readiness of the IDF [Israeli Defense Forces] and the IAF [Israeli Air Force] in particular to enhance their operational capabilities in facing the threat posed by high-trajectory missiles, Brig. Gen. Zvika Haimovitch, the IDFs Aerial Defense Division head, told the Jerusalem Post.



However, this years Juniper Cobra is unique for several reasons. The Post reported on Thursday that the drill, set to end on March 15, was not only the largest joint US-Israeli air defense exercise to ever happen but it was also simulating a battle on three fronts. In other words, Israel and the US are jointly simulating a war with Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine  namely, the Gaza strip  simultaneously.

Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

What makes this last part so concerning are Israels recent statements and other preparations for war with all three nations, making Juniper Cobra anything but a routine drill. It is instead yet another preparation for a massive regional conflict, suggesting that such a conflict could be only a matter of months away.



As MintPress recently reported, Israeli officials recently told a bipartisan pair of US Senators that it needed ammunition, ammunition, ammunition for a war against Hezbollah in Lebanon  a war that will expressly target Lebanese civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings. The alleged motive for the invasion is the presence of Iranian rocket factories. However, this allegation is based solely on the claims of an anonymous deputy serving in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and was first reported on by a Kuwaiti newspaper known to publish stories planted by the Israeli government.



In addition, Israel has been laying the groundwork for an invasion of Syria since last year and is largely responsible for the current conflict in Syria that has raged on for seven years. Israels current push to invade Syria is also based on flimsy evidence suggesting that Iran is establishing bases in Syria to target Israel.



Israel has also been preparing for a conflict on the embattled Gaza strip, which  owing to the effects of Israels illegal blockade and the devastation wrought by past wars  is set to be entirely uninhabitable by 2020. Reports have quoted officials of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas, which governs the Gaza strip, as saying that they place the chances of a new war with Israel in 2018 at 95 percent and that war games, like Operation Juniper Cobra, were likely to be used to plan or even initiate such a conflict. This concern was echoed by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot, who stated that another Israeli invasion of Gaza, home to 1.8 million people, was likely to occur this year. Eizenkot ironically framed the imminent invasion as a way to prevent a humanitarian collapse in Gaza.



Such a war is likely to be ignited by the unrest destined to follow the US imminent move of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move, set to take place in May, led Hamas to call for a third intifada, or uprising, in response to the US unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in defiance of the international consensus.



Beyond the fact that Israel is preparing to go to war with several countries simultaneously is the fact that US ground troops are now prepared to die for the Jewish state, according to US Third Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Richard Clark. We are ready to commit to the defense of Israel and anytime we get involved in a kinetic fight there is always the risk that there will be casualties. But we accept that, as in every conflict we train for and enter, there is always that possibility, Clark told thePost.



However, more troubling than the fact that US troops stand ready to die at Israels behest was Clarks assertion that Haimovitch would probably have the last word as to whether US forces would join the IDF during war time. In other words, the IDF will decide whether or not US troops become embroiled in the regional war for which Israel is preparing, not the United States. Indeed, Haimovitch buoyed Clarks words, stating that: I am sure once the order comes we will find here US troops on the ground to be part of our deployment and team to defend the state of Israel.



Operation Juniper Cobra is not a routine exercise; it is a portent of a potentially devastating war for which Israel is actively preparing, a war likely to erupt within the coming months. In addition to overtly targeting civilians, these preparations for war  as Juniper Cobra shows  directly involve the United States military and give the war-bent Israeli government the power to decide whether or not American troops will be involved and to what extent. This is a devastating giveaway of national sovereignty by US President Donald Trump.



While the potential involvement of the US forces in such a war is being framed as limited in scope, there is no indication that such a war will be so in practice. Indeed, the US is currently occupying 25 percent of Syria and the Trump administration has economically attacked Palestinians living in Gaza by withdrawing crucial aid, as well as Hezbollah by enforcing new sanctions against the group. Furthermore, Israels nuclear arsenal and the fact that Iran  and even Russia  could become involved in such a conflict means that it could quickly spiral out of control.

Whitney Webb
March 14, 2018 " Information Clearing House " - On March 12, US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley actually threatened that the US will strike Syrian government forces if they dont halt their operation against terrorists in Eastern Ghouta.

We also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, most especially the outlaw Syrian regime, the United States remains prepared to act if we must, Haley said.

The US diplomat proposed a new UN ceasefire resolution that will take effect immediately upon adoption by this Council. It contains no counterterrorism loopholes for Assad, Iran and the Russians to hide behind.

Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

According to Haley, the previous resolution failed because it had allowed the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies to conduct operation in Eastern Ghouta against Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda) and other militant groups.

Russian ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia reacted by saying that Syria has all the legal right to fight terrorism near its capital. The US-drafted document was not put to the vote on March 12.

On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that infighting had erupted among militant groups in Eastern Ghouta following a Russian proposal of safe passage out of the region for militants and their families which also demanded that Faylaq al-Rahman separate from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

The SAA liberated the village of Aftris where it found a militant chemical weapons workshop and advanced on Jisrin, Saqba and Hamuriyah.

Jaish al-Islam, which is the key group in the area of Douma, also claimed that no negotiations are ongoing between it and the government over a surrender or withdrawal agreement.

Reports are circulating that the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) have started handing over checkpoints near Tell Rifaat, the Menagh airbase and nearby villages to the governments National Defense Forces. However, the situation remains unclear.

Even if the reports are true, this may be too late for the YPG to reach any wide-scale deal with Damascus because the YPG-held city of Afrin is almost cut off from the government-held area by Turkish forces.
So, the House Intelligence Committee Republican majority, which has been pouring over the same evidence used by the handpicked analysts from just the CIA, FBI, and NSA to prepare the rump Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) of Jan. 6, 2017, finds the major premise of the ICA unpersuasive. The committees Initial Findings released on Monday specifically reject the assumption that Putin favored Trump.

This puts the committee directly at odds with handpicked analysts from only the FBI, CIA, and NSA, who assessed that Putin favored Trump  using this as their major premise and then straining to prove it by cobbling together unconvincing facts and theories.

Those of us with experience in intelligence analysis strongly criticized the evidence-impoverished ICA as soon as it was released, but it went on to achieve Gospel-like respect, with penance assigned to anyone who might claim it was not divinely inspired.

Until now.

Rep. K. Michael Conway (R-Texas), who led the House Committee investigation, has told the media that the committee is preparing a separate, in-depth analysis of the ICA itself. Good.

The committee should also take names  not only of the handpicked analysts, but the hand-pickers. There is ample precedent for this. For example, those who shepherded the fraudulent National Intelligence Estimate on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq 15 years ago were named in the NIE. Without names, it is hard to know whom to hold accountable.

Heres the key ICA judgment with which the House committee does not concur: We assess Putin, his advisers, and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump over Secretary Clinton. Not to be picky, but if House investigators have been unable to find enough persuasive evidence to convince them that Putins supposed preference was Trump, there is little reason to take seriously the ICAs adolescent observations  like Putin held a grudge against Clinton because she called him nasty names  and other tortured reasoning in an Intelligence Community Assessment that, frankly, is an embarrassment to the profession of intelligence analysis.

I recall reading the ICA as soon as it was published. I concluded that no special expertise in intelligence analysis was needed to see how the assessment had been cobbled together around the given that Putin had a distinct preference for Trump. That was a premise with which I always had serious trouble, since it assumed that a Russian President would prefer to have an unpredictable, mercurial, lash-out-at-any-grievance-real-or-perceived President with his fingers on the nuclear codes. This  not name-calling  is precisely what Russian leaders fear the most.

Be that as it may, the ICAs evidence adduced to demonstrate Russian interference to help Trump win the election never passed the smell test. Worse still, it was not difficult to see powerful political agendas in play. While those agendas, together with the media which shared them, conferred on the ICA the status of Holy Writ, it had clearly been writ to promote those agendas and, as such, amounted to rank corruption of intelligence by those analysts handpicked by National Intelligence Director James Clapper to come up with the right answer.

Traces of the bizarre ideological  even racial  views of Intelligence Dean Clapper can also be discerned between the lines of the ICA. It is a safe bet that the handpicked authors of the ICA were well aware of  and perhaps even shared  the views Clapper later expressed to NBCs Chuck Todd on May 28, 2017 about Russians: [P]ut that in context with everything else we knew the Russians were doing to interfere with the election, he said. And just the historical practices of the Russians, who typically, are almost genetically driven to co-opt, penetrate, gain favor, whatever, which is a typical Russian technique. So, we were concerned.

Always Read the Fine Print

What readers of the intelligence assessment might have taken more seriously was the CYA in the ICA, so to speak, the truth-in-advertising cautions wedged into its final page. The transition from the lead paragraph to the final page  from high confidence to the actual definition of high confidence is remarkable. As a reminder, heres how ICA starts:

Putin Ordered Campaign To Influence US Election: We assess with high confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election, the consistent goals of which were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. 

But wait, the fair warning on page 13 explains: High confidence  does not imply that the assessment is a fact or a certainty; such judgments might be wrong.  Judgments are not intended to imply that we have proof that show something to be a fact. Assessments are based on collected information, which is often incomplete or fragmentary, as well as logic, argumentation, and precedents.

Questionable Logic

The logic referred to rests primarily on assumptions related to Trumps supposed friendliness with Putin, what Clinton Campaign Manager John Podesta called in 2015 a bromance. It assumes that Trump has been more than willing to do the Kremlins bidding from the White House, whether due to financial relationships Trump has with the Russians, or because he owes them for helping him get elected, or whether he is being blackmailed by the pee tape that Christopher Steele alluded to in his dodgy dossier.

This is the crux of the whole treason aspect of the Russiagate conspiracy theory  the idea that Trump is a Manchurian (or as some clever wags among Russiagaters claim, a Siberian) candidate who is directly under the influence of the Kremlin.

Even as U.S.-Russian relations drop to historic lows  with tensions approaching Cuban Missile Crisis levels  amazingly, there are still those promoting this theory, including some in the supposedly progressive alternative media like The Young Turks (TYT). Following Putins announcement on developments in Russias nuclear program earlier this month, TYTs Cenk Uygur slammed Trump for not being more forceful in denouncing Putin, complaining that Trump never criticizes Putin. Uygur even speculated: Im not sure that Trump represents our interests above Putins.

This line of thinking ignores a preponderance of evidence that the U.S posture against Russian interests has only hardened over the past year-plus of the Trump administration  perhaps in part as a result of Trumps perceived need to demonstrate that he is not in Putins pocket.

The U.S. has intensified its engagement in Syria, for one thing, reportedly killing several Russians in recent airstrikes  a dangerous escalation that could lead to all-out military confrontation with Moscow and hardly the stuff of an alleged bromance between Trump and Putin. Then there was the Trump administrations recent decision to provide new lethal weapons to the Ukrainian military  a major reversal of the Obama administrations more cautious approach and an intensification of U.S. involvement in a proxy war on Russias border. The Russian foreign ministry angrily denounced this decision, saying the U.S. had crossed the line in the Ukraine conflict and accused Washington of fomenting bloodshed.

On other major policy issues, the Trump administration has also been pushing a hard anti-Russian line, reiterating recently that it would never recognize Crimea as part of Russia, criticizing Russia for allegedly enabling chemical attacks in Syria, and identifying Moscow as one of the U.S.s major adversaries in the global struggle for power and influence.

China and Russia, the administration stated in its recent National Security Strategy, challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity. In the recently issued Nuclear Posture Review, the U.S. identifies Russia as a contemporary threat, and has a chapter outlining A Tailored Strategy for Russia. The document warns that Russia has decided to return to Great Power competition.

How does this in any way indicate that Trump is representing Putins interests above ours, as Uygur claims?

In short, there is no evidence to back up the theory that Putin helped Trump become president in order to do the Kremlins bidding, and no one pushing this idea should be taken seriously. In this respect, the Republicans Initial Findings  particularly the rejection of Putins supposed preference for candidate Trump have more credibility than most of the analysis put out so far, including the Jan. 6, 2017 ICA that has been held up as sacrosanct.

Democrats Angry

The irrepressible Congressman Adam Schiff, Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, and his fellow Democrats are in high dudgeon over the release of the Committees Initial Findings after only one year of investigation. So, of course, is NBCs Rachel Maddow and other Russiagate aficionados. They may even feel a need to come up with real evidence  rather than Clapperisms like But everyone knows about the Russians, and how, for example, they just really hated it when Mrs. Clinton called Putin Hitler.

I had the opportunity to confront Schiff personally at a think tank in Washington, DC on January 25, 2017. President Obama, on his way out of office, had said something quite curious at his last press conference just one week earlier about inconclusive conclusions: The conclusions of the intelligence community with respect to the Russian hacking were not conclusive regarding WikiLeaks. In other words, the intelligence community had no idea how the DNC emails reached WikiLeaks.

Schiff had just claimed as flat fact that the Russians hacked the DNC and Podesta emails and gave them to WikiLeaks to publish. So I asked him if he knew more than President Obama about how Russian hacking had managed to get to WikiLeaks.

Schiff used the old, I cant share the evidence with you; its classified. OK, Im no longer cleared for classified information, but Schiff is; and so are all his colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee. The Republican majority has taken issue with the cornerstone assumption of those who explain Russian hacking and other meddling as springing from the obvious fact that Putin favored Trump. The ball is in Schiffs court.

Last but not least, the committees Initial Finding that caught most of the media attention was that there is no evidence of collusion, coordination, or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians. This, of course, poured cold water on what everyone listening to mainstream media knows about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. But, in the lack of persuasive evidence that President Putin preferred candidate Trump, why should we expect Russian collusion, coordination, conspiracy with the Trump campaign?

Ah, but the Russians want to sow discord. Sounds to me like a Clapperism.

Ray McGovern works with Tell the Word, a publishing arm of the ecumenical Church of the Saviour in inner-city Washington. During his 27-year career at CIA, he was Chief of the Soviet Foreign Policy Branch and preparer/briefer of the Presidents Daily Brief under Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. He is co-founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS).
The Strange Case of the UK/Russian Spy Poisoning Allegations

As with the Mueller investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election there are accusations with varying degrees of wildness, but little or no actual evidence that would get past first base in any independent court of law.

First, what are the known facts, only some of which have been accurately reported in the western mainstream media? The victim (assuming it was a deliberate attack upon him and his daughter) was formerly a Colonel in the Russian military intelligence service (the GRU). This is the largest of the Russian intelligence agencies and, as with its western equivalents, has a wide variety of functions, of which spying is only one.

Never Miss Another Story Get Your FREE Daily Newsletter

In the early 1990s Skripal was recruited by an MI6 agent Pablo Miller, whom the British media declined to name. Miller was an MI6 agent in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Millers main task was recruiting Russians to provide information about their country to the British. An interesting fact, possibly coincidental, was that the MI6 officer under diplomatic cover in Moscow at this time was Christopher Steele. Steele was later to become better known as the principal author of the infamous Trump dossier.

When Steele returned to London, he ran MI6s Russia desk between the 2006 and 2009. The information that Skripal disclosed would have been given to Steele, first in Moscow and later in London.

Skripal was arrested in 2004. In 2006 he was convicted of treason and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. In 2010 he was released as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Russian spies in U.S. jails. He went to live in the United Kingdom where he has lived in supposed retirement ever since. Another interesting fact, although again possibly coincidental, is that Salisbury, where Skripal lived, is only about 12 kilometres from Porton Down, the U.K.s principal research centre for nerve agents.

If the Russians had wanted to kill him, they had ample opportunity to do so during the years when he was imprisoned or the eight years he lived in retirement in Salisbury. If they did wish to kill him, it is not a very credible that they would do so very publicly and by a means that could not be bought off the shelf in the local pharmacy. The handling and the administering of these very dangerous substances require professional expertise. The obvious candidates for the attempted murder are therefore government agencies, but which government is the unanswered question.

This is where the facts become thinner, but the interesting connections of Skripal offer scope for some tentative hypotheses. While living in Salisbury, Skripal became friendly, according to a report in the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph, with none other than the aforementioned Pablo Miller  whom the Telegraph declined to name but has since been identified on the web.

Miller is now working with a British security consultancy named Orbis Business Intelligence. Again according to the Telegraph, Millers association with this company has now been removed from Millers LinkedIn profile.

The obvious question again is: why do so now?

Orbis is the same private intelligence agency as that of Christopher Steele. It seems more than a mere coincidence that the same three men who had personal and professional links going back to the 1990s should have a continuing association at the same time as the Steele dossier was being compiled and later as the so-called Russiagate inquiry was imploding. Former FBI Director James Comey described the Steele dossier as salacious and unverified in a Senate hearing.

The former British ambassador Craig Murray has suggested on his blog that a motive for the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter was to further promote the anti-Russian hysteria that inflicts the Western media and the body politic.

That is certainly plausible, and it has certainly been one of the consequences, as the abysmal coverage of the ABC among other outlets makes clear. But an alternative hypothesis presents itself in the light of the above facts, and this hypothesis has not even been mentioned, let alone discussed by our major media.

My admittedly speculative hypothesis (but I would argue, not an unreasonable one) is that Skripal was likely involved in the production of the Steele dossier. He was therefore in a position to offer potentially very damaging information into the circumstances of the Steele dossier. As noted above, that particular narrative has not only spectacularly collapsed, but the revelations reflect very badly on, among others, the U.S. intelligence community, the FBI, the Democratic National Committee, the Obama White House and the Clinton campaign.

In any major criminal enquiry one of the basic questions the investigation asks is: who had the means, the motive and the opportunity? Framed in that light, the Russians come a distant fourth behind the other prime suspects; the U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies themselves, and those elements of the deep state that sought to prevent Trump winning, and subsequently to undermine his presidency. The primary motive being ascribed to the Russians is revenge for Skripals treachery more than a decade ago.

A second major question asked in any criminal investigation is cui bono  who benefits? It is difficult to perceive a credible argument that Russia is a beneficiary of Skripals poisoning.

Further support for the hypothesis that this was a false flag operation comes in this statement that British Prime Minister to Theresa May made to the UK Parliament. The statement was frankly absurd and could only have been made when the intention was to further demonize and punish Russia, rather than any attempt to establish the truth and apply ordinary principles of evidence and factual analysis.

Mays argument is thoroughly deconstructed on the Moon of Alabama website, which pointed out that Russia had destroyed all left over stocks from the Soviet Unions chemical weapon program and does not currently produce chemical weapons. Further, there are any number of governments capable of carrying out the Salisbury attack. If someone is run-over by a BMW is it highly likely that the German government is responsible for it? the Moon of Alabama asks.

The obfuscations of the British reinforce in the view that Skripal was dangerous to the anti-Trump forces and the authorities therefore sought to have them removed. There is ample precedent for such actions and those familiar with the suicide of Dr. David Kelly will recognize the parallels.

The chances of the truth emerging have become vanishingly small at the same time as a serious conflict with Russia becomes correspondingly greater.

James ONeill is a Barrister at Law and geopolitical analyst. He can be reached at joneill@qldbar.asn.au.
A mathematics teacher in a secondary school in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Chiadikobi Ezeibekwe, has married his 16-year-old biological sister.

He claimed that God told him to do so.

Ezeibekwe told Punch that he had a revelation where God told him to marry his sibling.

He further quoted Bible passages in Deuteronomy to illustrate that siblings could marry each other.

He said, One advantage of doing this is that it discourages divorce. It also retains family values and norms.

The teacher said he did not pay any bride price to anybody in respect of the marriage.

I dont feel guilty. I don t feel ashamed. I don t feel intimidated in any way. Only God can stop us, he said.

According to Punch, the wedding was conducted by Chiadikobis elder brother, Chijioke Ezeibekwe, who is the priest of Dwelling Fullness of God Church, Agba, Ekwulobia.

However, the youth of the village had set ablaze the church, Dwelling Fullness of God Church, where the wedding was conducted.

Reacting to the issue, the traditional prime minister of Ekwulobia, Gabriel Ezeukwu, said, Agba village youths, who saw the marriage as an abomination, set ablaze the church where the wedding took place.

I restrained them from further action against the man and his family. If it were in the past, the entire family would be burnt down because this is a grave abomination and sin.

The eldest son of the family, Emeka Ezeibekwe vowed to resist their union.

He said, It s over my dead body that they will call themselves husband and wife. It cant happen.

The Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer, Nkeiruka Nwide, told the newspaper that she heard the story unofficially.

Source  GossipMill
Ali Nuhu and his wife, Maimuna are celebrating their 15th anniversary.

The beautiful couple got married on the 14th of March 15years ago, in a chat with JoelsBlog, when he was asked if his love for his Wife is still thesame or has depreciated over the years, Ali Nuhu said:

Our love grews more tremendously full, swift, poignant, as the years multiply

The 44yrs old Actor took to social media platform to wish his beautiful,

Happy 15th wedding Anniversary my love
Nigerian Nollywood actress, Angela Okorie has decided to change her looks from what everyone is familiar with. The actress has just cut her hair low and decides to bleach the hair blonde to further add swag to her style.

In Nigeria when a lady decides to hit the barbing saloon to cut down her hairs, it is believed that such a person is broke and cannot afford to take care of the hair anymore as it is known that the cost of maintaining hair is very expensive.

Well in the case of the actress we cannot say for certain as she is considered one of the biggest actresses in Nollywood or could it be the money is drying up?

https://www.informationng.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/angela-okorie-shares-her-newly-bleached-blonde-haircut-1.jpg

Angela Okorie was accused of being in a romantic relationship with Yahya Jammeh president of Gambia who always showered her with lots of money and gifts.

She recently shared a photo of her jetting out in an aircraft without sharing the location and a fan was quick to point out that she was only going to see Yahya Jammeh, she blew hot on this and fired back saying she is going to see the posters father.
A mathematics teacher identified as Madam Enyonam has set the internet agog with her determination, selflessness and ability to empower children despite her disability.

A hashtag that was started on Twitter, has led to the discovery of a female mathematics teacher, teaching her students by writing with her teeth because apparently, she had no arms.

A photo showed the picture of the teacher, believed to be called Madam Enyonam, teaching math without her arms  because she had none. It is reported that she is a teacher at R/C Addo-Agyiri School.

It cannot be however ascertained if she is still a teacher in the school.

A hashtag which was started on Twitter, #GhanaTrueHero sought to celebrate Ghanaians who were in one way or another, doing things for the greater good without considering the lengths they had to go to achieve their aim.

The photo, ever since it was posted, has won the hearts of many Ghanaians who were in awe and were amazed at the selflessness of the female teacher.

It can be recalled that just a few weeks ago, an ICT teacher, Owura Kwadwo Hottish, teaching his students without a computer went viral on social media and his heroism was shared around the world on many international news sites.

The ICT teacher, not too long ago, received the very first donation of a laptop from Leeds University. ICT giant, Microsoft has also promised to kit out the ICT teacher to help him teacher better.

Source  Naijaloaded
OAP Daddy Freeze and leader of Free The Sheeple Movement who recently unveiled the official logo for the online church has come again.

He has come to talk about his church which he calls he calls Free Nation In Christ Online Church on his his social media page to explain how his church is different from others.

Read Daddy Freeze post below.

I got a lot of backlash from people who said we shouldnt have included the word Church in our logo well here is why.



If we read from 1st Corinthians the church was not a building, rather the gathering of the brethren. Each time we gather online, whether you agree or not, WE ARE A CHURCH!



 1 Corinthians 11 

[17] In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it.



We need to rise above mediocrity and make things align with their true meaning. Church is the gathering of the brethren and by definition pastor comes from shepherd.



as a surname), shepherd, also spiritual guide, shepherd of souls, from Old French pastor, pastur herdsman, shepherd (12c.), from Latin pastorem (nominative pastor) shepherd, from pastus, past participle of pascere to lead to pasture, set to grazing



Its our duty to align words with their true meaning and not allow the world to define us. Because these words mean other things, doesnt mean we are conforming to their acquired delineation, rather, we are reverting them to their true meaning.



We are TOTALLY different from other churches in the following aspects:



1: We do not and will NEVER have a geographical location. The #FreeNation is located in Christ not in any temple.



2: We absolutely do not collect TITHES, FIRST FRUIT, OFFERING AND WE NEVER SOW SEEDS! However, we receive donations towards specific causes and gifts to support the ministry which I have singlehandedly funded since inception.



Jesus and his apostles were supported by the Mary and Herods manager so giving financial support at your convenience is not a bad thing.



 Luke 8:3 

NLT

Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herods business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.



By gifts I mean things like smartphones for transmission, laptops, WiFi modems etc! NOT CARS, HOUSES OR DESIGNER CLOTHES.



3: We teach the WORD of God not motivation/prosperity.
Controversial Nollywood actor Uche Madaugwu is at it again and this time he has just shared a prophesy concerning musician Davido and his current girlfriend Chioma.

The actor who who also doubles as a prophet from time to time has declared that Davido will be the father of twins. Lolsread his post below;

I hear the cry of Twins in chiomas womb, @davidoofficial congrats in advance,(Baba Ibeji) my prophecy never fails I really dont know why this prophecy is coming right now, but i guess God has decided to make @davidoofficial the latest baba Ibeji in town. Ask @iambangalee he would tell you that i am not just the biggest actor in Nigeria, but also my prophecy works. @davidoofficial please dont listen to what haters are saying about Chioma, they are enemies of progress, Chioma is like a younger sister to me, and she is very God fearing a lady, you made the right choice, and God is about to make you Baba Ibeji in a few months time, go and mark the date of this prophecy on your calendar, but you must avoid eating egg or anything that contains egg for a period of ten months, please this is very important, obedience is better than sacrifice, God is with you bro.
A man named Agoro Patrick, has caused stir on social media after he went online to celebrate his wife on their anniversary by calling her different names.

Mr Patrick who is apparently head over heels in love with his wife, took to his Facebook page to celebrate her in a special way on their 9th wedding anniversary.

To celebrate their wedding anniversary, the man called his wife by the names of several kinds of food found around different parts of Nigeria, including foods primarily eaten by the Idomas, Hausas, Niger-Deltan, Igbos, Yorubas and many more.

Still filled in the spirit he called her his Benin Witch plus his Money bag.

See below,
The main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, and former Minister of State for Defence, Dr. Olu Agunloye, have tackled President Muhammadu Buhari over his remarks on Monday in Makurdi that he was unaware that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, did not relocate to Benue State in the heat of the killings as ordered by him.

Daily Trust

The Senate yesterday said no date has been fixed for passage of the 2018 budget.

Leadership

The federal government has said that laying of tracks for standard gauge railway line from Lagos to Ibadan would commence in April this year.

Tribune

GOVERNOR Rochas Okorocha of Imo on Tuesday cleared the air on why he is endorsing his son-in-law, Mr Uche Nwosu, to take over from him as governor.
Veteran Nollywood actor, Victor Osuagwu has revealed his retirement plans. According to the actor, he intends to relocate to his hometown so as to fully concentrate on farming.

The comic actor stated this at the African Farmers and Cultural Organisation event, tagged Job Creation/Empowerment for the Unemployed held at Zion Event Hall in Isolo, Lagos.

In his words;

I am preparing myself for retirement because a time will come when we(actors) will all go back to our various hometowns to go and relax, eat fresh foods away from the hustle and bustle of the urban city. Im presently the President General of my Community. And Im also a farmer.

He continued;

Im planning to expand my farming enterprise because I want to begin exporting my produce outside Nigeria. What I do now is that I give it out to people. I dont buy bags of rice for people because I produce rice in my farm. That is the reason why I attended this event and I have learned a lot from this programme.

The actor further implored Nigerians to embrace agriculture, If you travel to Europe, you will realise that a lot of people are into farming and that is why they dont lack food. They have varieties of farm produce to eat but the case here in Nigeria is different.

Everybody wants to work in a bank or an oil company and the other areas are being neglected. So, I give kudos to AFCO empowerment initiative which has partnered with the federal government to improve agricultural production in Nigeria.

The actor also advised the federal government to invest and expand the agricultural sector so as to make the sector more attractive to the youth.

Source: Naijaloaded
A popular actress who was arrested for wire wire fraud in the United States a while back has been deported to Nigeria.

According to a Nollywood insider, the actress whose star was shinning brightly before she relocated to the United States was caught in a fraud mess in Georgia and was arrested and charged.

She reportedly regained her freedom months later only to be sent home because of her criminal record.

Our source said the actress who has maintained a very low profile since her shameful arrival in Nigeria is yet to attend any public function.

The actress who needs no introduction was based in Lagos before she relocated to the US but since her arrival she has moved to Ibadan to stay away from preying eyes.

Though the source who requested anonymity asked us not to mention the actresss name, she needs no introduction as her story was so popular then even a Primary school kid will know what happened to her.
Former governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to arrest and prosecute former President Olusegun Obasanjo to prove the seriousness of his anti-corruption war.

The AProgressives Congress, APC, stalwart said President Buhari should be bold enough to prove that he has gotten the guts expected of him to salvage Nigeria from bad governance by arresting former President Olusegun Obasanjo for taking away $16 billion fund meant for power under his regime, insisting that unless Obasanjo is arrested, the administration will not be considered to be fighting corruption.

Can this EVER happen???
BALTIMORE, ON  He was one of the most successful Mini Stock racers in the field over the final seasons of weekly racing at Kawartha Speedway and logged some solid efforts in a full season with the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup Series and ran a few Late Model events at Kawartha and a made a pair of Sportsman Cup starts in 2014.

Other than making his first and only Thunder Car start at Peterborough Speedway just a couple of years ago, the 2018 campaign will see Brad Martin return to the short-track wars with the OSCAAR Hot Rod Series.

Originally from Plainville, the 31-year-old  who currently resides in Baltimore, Ontario with his wife Melissa and his stepdaughter Taylor  is looking forward to getting back on the track. His family-owned race team put their talents together to craft a unique creation, reminiscent of the winged Superbird Mopar machines made famous on the NASCAR circuit by Petty Enterprises in 1970. A long-time Dodge supporter, the driver says putting the car together was an easy decision.

My family has been Dodge fans since before I was born, said Brad Martin, while talking with fans at the recent Motorama Custom Car and Motorsports Expo in Toronto. The Mini Stock I ran during my seasons at Kawartha was a Neon. My Sportsman Cup Series ride began its life as an Avenger, but we upgraded the bodywork to a Challenger for the second season.

OSCAARs Hot Rod Series has a flexible rules package that encourages racers to explore their creative side and think outside the box. With several different tracks on the schedule  including a return to the familiar confines of Kawartha Speedway Friday, June 1st and Friday, July 13th  Brad Martin says that his team  consisting of the driver himself, along with his father Chuck, his brother Craig, Mike Nelson and Mike Clohecy  wanted a car that would stand out from the crowd and judging by the comments they received recently at the car show, the potent piece theyve crafted did exactly that.

It should be a lot of fun and Im really looking forward to it, Brad Martin said, who works part-time for the family business and has a full-time job with a local home builder, working on houses around the Cobourg area. Itll be great to see some old friends around the race track again and exciting to get to places where Ive never raced before. There is an event at Brighton Speedway on the schedule and running on a dirt track for the first time will be a brand-new experience. Things get underway with the Saturday, April 28th season opener at Sunset Speedway, so well unload and hope for the best as our team kicks off this exciting chapter in my racing career.

For the 2018 season, Brad Martins OSCAAR Hot Rod schedule is proudly supported by Xtreme Motorsports, Bio 2000 Pressure Wash, J.J. Stewart Chrysler and Fisher Construction. Potential marketing partners interested in joining the team can contact bradmotorsports53@gmail.com.

Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/clarkemotorsports

613.968.6410
Jeremy D. Morley concentrates on International Family Law. The firm works with clients around the world from its New York office, with a global network of local counsel. Mr Morley is the author of "International Family Law Practice", the leading treatise on international family law in the U.S., and "The Hague Abduction Convention", published by the American Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers and a former law professor.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - March 14, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Novoheart ("Novoheart" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:NVH)(FRANKFURT:3NH) is pleased to announce the opening of its brand new Hong Kong facility consisting of 5,300 ft of integrated laboratory and office space. Located in the Hong Kong Science Park, the laboratory is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for stem cell production, tissue engineering and world-class research and development. The facility provides Novoheart with a new level of scalability enabling it to accommodate a significant number of additional revenue-generating commercial contracts and projects.

"Our new, state-of-the-art facility and Hong Kong location allows us to now take full advantage of the booming Asian market and build regional strategic partnerships while also accommodating an increased number of revenue-generating opportunities within North America," said Dr. Ronald Li, CEO of Novoheart. "Our location also allows us access to local government funding to support new and pioneering R&D activities. In the past few years, Novoheart has secured approximately $2 million in government support which has allowed us to accelerate the development of our market-leading technologies for commercialization."

"With the newly expanded Hong Kong facilities, operations are being streamlined to ensure its growing R&D team works seamlessly with those located in our Irvine, California location, and the two locations enable our R&D programs to operate continuously round the clock." said Dr. Kevin Costa, CSO of Novoheart. "In addition to this facility being an advantage for our global client-base, we believe we will rapidly accelerate our ability to innovate in key areas of research and ensure we continue to deliver best-in-class drug discovery tools for our pharmaceutical and biotech clients."

About Novoheart:

Novoheart is a global stem cell biotechnology company pioneering an array of next-generation human heart tissue prototypes. It is the first company in the world to have engineered miniature living human heart pumps that can revolutionize drug discovery, helping to save time and money for developing new therapeutics. Also known as 'human heart-in-a-jar', Novoheart's bio-artificial human heart constructs are created using state-of-the-art and proprietary stem cell and bioengineering approaches and are utilized by drug developers for accurate preclinical testing as to the effectiveness and safety of new drugs, maximizing the successes in drug discovery whilst minimizing costs and harm caused to patients.

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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation; statements about the Company's future plans, its goals and expectations, and the potential applications of its MyHeart platform are forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the risks identified in the management discussion and analysis section of Novoheart Holdings Inc.'s interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the respective companies undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Contact Information

Novoheart

Ronald Li

CEO

info@novoheart.com

Virtus Advisory Group

Babak Pedram

Investor Relations

416-995-8651

bpedram@virtusadvisory.com

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Josh Stanbury

Media Relations

416-628-7441

media@novoheart.com

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

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 investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. 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. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com

Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp
March 14, 2018 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Davivienda released 4Q17 results. Net profits for the quarter were COP 359.9 bn, equivalent to a 32.7% y/y decline but 16.6% above our expectations. Profitability, measured in terms of ROAE, was 13.6%, compared to our estimate of 11.7%. Operating income and provision expenses came in line with our expectations. It is worth mentioning that cost of credit was 2.6% in 4Q17, slightly lower than the previous quarter (2.7%). Meanwhile, total NPL ratio declined 11 bps compared to 3Q17 to 2.76%, mainly driven by the corporate and consumer segment. OPEX presented a mild negative surprise. Despite this negative surprise, we believe that the positive surprise on the banks bottom line was mainly driven by a lower-than-expected effective tax rate. In fact, Davivienda reported an unusual tax rate of 12.6%, compared to our forecast of 27.2% (similar to previous quarters). According to the bank, non-constitutive income derived from the merger between Deceval and the Colombian Stock Exchange and a lower rate as a result of the tax gain due to the sale of fixed assets recorded in 4Q17 explained this behavior.

All in all, we believe that results were neutral as the positive surprise on the bottom line was driven by extraordinary effects. We reiterate our HOLD rating, and we remain focused on additional improvements in asset quality indicators.

Loan growth maintained a downward trend. In 4Q17, loan growth was 7.3% y/y, compared to 9.2% y/y and 13.8% y/y reported in 3Q17 and 4Q16, respectively. A slower pace of growth continued to be mainly explained by the commercial segment, which advanced 3.3% y/y, compared to 12.4% y/y in 4Q16.

Provision expenses remained high, but other asset quality indicators showed positive improvements. The commercial NPL ratio declined 26 bps compared to 3Q17, while the consumer segment fell 5 bps compared to the same period. This was the first time since 4Q16 that NPLs in these segments exhibited a quarterly decline. Despite improvements, the bank was cautious in the conference call regarding the outlook for 2018.

Capital ratios were higher than in 4Q16, but remained below main peers in Colombia. The banks solvency ratio reached 12.3% with a Tier 1 ratio of 7.5%. The latter was higher than the level reported one year ago (6.5%) but still lower than the levels (above 10.0%) reported by peers in Colombia.

For charts, tables and the full report, see the pdf file

Sebastian Gallego

+(571) 3394400 ext 1594

sgallego@credicorpcapital.com

Juan Camilo Dauder

+(574) 2042525 ext 4155

jdauder@credicorpcapital.com

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

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 investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. 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. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com

Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp
Toronto, Ontario - March 14, 2018 (Newsfile Corp.) (Investorideas.com Newswire) Pancontinental Gold Corporation (TSXV: PUC) ("Pancontinental" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company's exploration plans for its recently acquired Montcalm West Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project, and that it is raising up to $1,500,000 to fund this initial exploration. The Company has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Montcalm West Project, which is comprised of two separate properties: Montcalm and Nova (see news release of January 10, 2018).

Layton Croft, Pancontinental President and Chief Executive Officer stated: "We are very excited that with this financing we can quickly commence work on the Montcalm West Project. Market demand for battery metals, including cobalt and nickel, is very strong. We anticipate this program, which includes the use of state-of-the-art airborne technology, will identify numerous prospective drill targets on both the Montcalm and Nova properties."

Upon completion of financing, the Company will conduct an airborne, state-of-the-art, versatile time domain electromagnetic (VTEM) survey over its Montcalm Property, which is contiguous to and surrounds the western portion of the former Montcalm Mine. In addition, the Company will be conducting an airborne gravity survey. The purpose of these two surveys is to identify and define anomalies similar to those found at the adjacent former Montcalm Ni-Cu-Co Mine, which previously mined 3,931,610 tonnes of ore grading 1.25% nickel (Ni), 0.67% copper (Cu), and 0.051% cobalt (Co), producing in excess of 4 million pounds of Cobalt (Ontario Geological Survey, Atkinson, 2011). All targets identified will be prioritized for subsequent diamond drilling. Concurrent to this work, existing untested anomalies on the Montcalm Property will also be further defined and prioritized for diamond drilling. The Montcalm Property consists of 16 contiguous mining claims (3,312 hectares) and is located in the Porcupine Mining Division, approximately 65 kilometres northwest of Timmins, Ontario.

At its Nova Property, located approximately 19 kilometres southwest of the Montcalm Mine, the Company will be conducting a program designed to assess significant anomalous cobalt occurrences, and a higher-grade historical surface showing which returned 3,230 ppm Co or 6.46 lbs of cobalt per ton. More specifically the program will evaluate the extent of the known mineralization by prospecting and extensive resampling to ascertain orientation and controls of the mineralization for future exploration. The initial work program will also include a mobile metal ion (MMI) geochemical survey to determine if known mineralization extends beyond known rock exposures into areas that are overburden-covered but proximal to known mineral occurrences. Upon completion of this work, geophysics will be considered in order to outline drill targets. The Nova Property is made up of 4 contiguous mining claims (672 hectares). The reader is cautioned that the higher-grade value referenced is a select sample and not necessarily representative of the mineralization on the property.

Financing

Pancontinental is arranging a non-brokered private placement financing for up to C$1,500,000 which will be used to fund the above program at the Montcalm West Project, work at the 100%-owned Jefferson Gold Project, as well as to pursue new project acquisition opportunities and for working capital purposes.

The financing will consist of up to 15,000,000 units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit and a further 12,500,000 common shares of the Company which will qualify as "flow-through shares" pursuant to the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "FT Shares") at a price of $0.06 per FT Share. Each Unit will consist of a common share and one-half a common share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a common share at an exercise price of $0.08 for eighteen (18) months from the date of issuance, provided that the expiry date can be accelerated in the event the common shares trade on a stock exchange at a volume weighted average trading price of $0.15, or greater, per common share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days following the expiry of the statutory four month and one day resale restriction. The Company may pay certain finder's fees with respect to gross proceeds raised.

Qualified Person

The Company and/or a Qualified Person has not yet completed the work necessary to verify the historical data and past exploration results, as they pre-date National Instrument 43-101 standards. The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by J. Kevin Filo, PGeo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and a technical advisor for Pancontinental.

About Pancontinental Gold Corporation

Pancontinental is a Canadian-based mining company focused on the exploration and development of its Montcalm West nickel-copper-cobalt project in Ontario, Canada, and its 100%-owned Jefferson gold project in South Carolina, USA. The Company continues to focus on acquiring additional prospective properties in low-risk areas in proximity to producing or former mines. In 2015, Pancontinental sold its interest in its Australian rare earth element (REE) and uranium properties, formerly held through a joint venture, and retains a 1% gross overriding royalty on 100% of future production.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Layton Croft

For further information, please contact:

Layton Croft

President and CEO

1-416-293-8437

1-980-309-8419

laytoncroft@pancongold.com

For more information and to register for email updates please visit: www.pancongold.com.

Follow us on Twitter: @PanconGold.

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.

Cautionary Language and Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking information which is not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking information is characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, changes in the state of equity and debt markets, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in obtaining required regulatory or governmental approvals, and other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks set out in the Company's management's discussion and analysis as filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including that all necessary governmental and regulatory approvals will be received as and when expected. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable securities laws.

More Info:

This news is published on the Investorideas.com Newswire - a global digital news source for investors and business leaders

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 investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. 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. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

More disclaimer info: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp Learn more about publishing your news release and our other news services on the Investorideas.com newswire https://www.investorideas.com/News-Upload/ and tickertagstocknews.com

Global investors must adhere to regulations of each country. Please read Investorideas.com privacy policy: https://www.investorideas.com/About/Private_Policy.asp
A Mac App Store app called Calendar 2 was allowing users to mine cryptocurrency on their Macs in exchange for unlocking the full version of the app. The option was listed under the Upgrade section of the app and was offered as an in-app upgrade option. This led to speculation that Apple was allowing apps to offer crypto-mining options.

The app was mining Monero, and despite the news being covered by tech media and Apple being informed of it, the Cupertino company did not respond to emails. But after 24 hours, Apple simply removed the app from the App Store. Even in such a small timespan though, Calendar2 was able to generate Monero of worth around $2,000. This money will be used by the developers of the app, Qbix Apps, for improving various features of the app down the line.

Qbix Apps did not have any malicious intent as the crypto-mining script only worked after it was explicitly enabled by the user from under the Upgrade option. And even when actively mining, the developers limited the resources taken to only around 10-20 percent of a Macs processing power. However, a bug in the mining script led to the CPU usage jumping to 200 percent which did not go down well with Calendar2 users. Due to this, the developers behind Calendar2 were already working on an update without the crypto-mining code baked in when Apple removed the app from the App Store.

A few days ago we added an alternate way to upgrade Calendar 2 for Mac by mining Monero. After hearing from many of our users, we are removing it! Full story here:https://t.co/IIcO7uIytR  Qbix (@QbixApps) March 12, 2018

Nonetheless, Apple took down Calendar2 from the App Store yesterday citing the violation of section 2.4.2 which states that apps should be designed to use resources efficiently. This essentially confirmed that the Cupertino company will now allow any form of cryptocurrency mining app on the Mac App Store.

Thankfully, since Qbix Apps was already working on an update to Calendar2 without the mining script, it was able to quickly work with Apple to upload a new version of the app on the App Store. The change-log of the update in the Mac App Store also mentions the removal of the crypto-mining feature. And to make up for all the trouble caused to its users, Qbix Apps is offering all the features of Calendar2 for free to its existing and new users for a year.

Do you want apps to offer a way to unlock their full version by using your Macs resources to mine cryptocurrencies? Drop a comment and let us know!

Download: Calendar2
My name is Matt, I am photographer and "BTS search Guru".On ISO 1200 Magazine we have the best team searching brand new behind the scenes videos around the world to learn all the secrets of the best photographers
Those who commit crimes in the army are also victims - Avetik Ishkhanyan (video)

In the Criminal Code, the minimum old for life imprisonment should be 21 years. Human rights activist Avetik Ishkhanyan mentions that the labor group initially mentioned the age of 21, but in the final version, it was mentioned 18. "Our regular offer back to the age of 21 was rejected by the Ministry of Justice saying that we are in a state of war. This is completely unclear to me. We, human rights organizations, are always fighting against crime in the army, but let's take into account that those who commit crimes in the army are also victims. They are juveniles and they should not be treated cruelly," said Avetik Ishkhanyan, chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Committee. Mr. Ishkhanyan today participated in a round-table discussion on the draft Criminal Code. Avetik Ishkhanyan's other concern is justification for criminalizing or propagating terrorism in the criminal code. According to the Article, public calls for terrorism, terrorism financing and international terrorism, as well as publicly justifying or promoting terrorism, are punished with a fine in the amount of 500 to 1000 or with arrest for the term of 2 to 3 months or with imprisonment for the term of up to 3 years.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience  the local community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Close
Focus on Lisa Netz, co-owner of The Lavish Loft

Submitted by Haleh Rabizadeh Resnick, Federation Business and Community Development Director For the Voice What was your path to South Jersey? I grew up in...

Focus on Peter Hecht Partner at Magna Legal Services

Tell me about your connection to the South Jersey Jewish Community? I actually grew up in East Brunswick, Exit 9 off the Turnpike. But weve...

Focus on Abigail Dahan: Owner of the Bake School

Tell me a bit about your life in South Jersey. I grew up in Cherry Hill. We moved here from Paris when I was six...
The Azerbaijani military exercise differs from the previous ones - Azerbaijani expert (video)

Azerbaijani expert Ashot Movsisyan stated this today at the press conference that this time Azerbaijan's military exercises differ from previous exercises. "This year's exercises have been held earlier, usually they are held in April. There are several reasons for this. The first thing to do is to be ready to get out of the internal forces as a result of the political upheavals, if necessary, and the second is the issue of the army's efficiency. " According to the Azerbaijani expert, the strategy of Azerbaijan's exercises is also changed, and he believes that the goal of this is to show the international community that they do not incite military action. Ashot Movsisyan does not exclude that Azerbaijan may start military actions. Talking about the visit of Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan to Washington, Ashot Movsisyan positively assessed it. "We always try to present our opinions through the officials of the Republic of Armenia and it is a diplomatic victory that it is the Artsakh Republic official who presents to the US Congress."
Emily Mieure covers criminal justice and emergency news. She also leads the News&Guides investigative efforts. She has reported for WDRB TV in Louisville, Ky., WFIE TV in Evansville, Ind., and WEIU TV in Charleston, Ill.
Mike has reported on the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife, wildlands and the agencies that manage them since 2012. A native Minnesotan, he arrived in the West to study environmental journalism at the University of Colorado.
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.
According to Bahraini activist Ebtisam al-Sayegh, 55-year-old Mashallah, who was transferred to the Al Qalaa Clinic for treatment, is on the brink of death.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Bahrains oldest female prisoner Fawzia Mashallah reportedly suffered a heart attack on Sunday.



According to Bahraini activist Ebtisam al-Sayegh, 55-year-old Mashallah, who was transferred to the Al Qalaa Clinic for treatment, is on the brink of death.



This is the second time that Mashallah is purported to have suffered a heart attack since the start of the year. In January, she was denied proper medical treatment after a similar incident.



Mashallah was arrested on December 15 of last year and accused of harboring a fugitive. She vehemently denies the allegations.





/257
You are the owner of this article.
Roger Hayden, a 25-year resident of Jackson Hole, is the conservation director of Wyoming Wildlife Advocates. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
Scene Editor Billy Arnold covers arts and entertainment. He apprenticed as a sound engineer at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio before making his way to Jackson, where he has become a low-key fan of country music.
Instructors Technicians Job in Qatar Security Forces

Latest Saif Manpower Services Industrial Posts Qatar 2021 Instructors Technicians are required in Qatar Security Forces in Qatar Through Saif Manpower Service. Candidate retired from Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy, Police, Ranger experience can also contact.

How to Apply on Saif Manpower Services Job Advertisement

Apply as per details in job advertisement. In some cases, you may apply online at vacancies after registering at https://www.jobz.pk online.

Note: Beware of Fraudulent Recruiting Activities. If the employer asks you to pay money for any purpose including processing to shortlisting, do not pay at all and report us using our contact us form. Apply as per instuctions & dates mentioned in official job ad. Govt jobs cannot be applied online here. Error & omissions excepted.
Sheikh Maytham Al-Salman, prominent figure of the Human Rights movement in Bahrain, shared a statement on the current Human Rights situation in his country as part of a side event to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - Sheikh Maytham Al-Salman, prominent figure of the Human Rights movement in Bahrain, shared a statement on the current Human Rights situation in his country as part of a side event to the 37th session of the Human Rights Council:



"Dear Moderator, panelists and respected audience.



I was scheduled to join you on the panel but a medical emergency has forced me to cancel all my prior obligations and commitments.



The use of judiciary in Bahrain to target peaceful activists and human rights defenders has witnessed a clear increase in 2017.



The Government of Bahrain continues to use judicial assaults against political activists and judicial harassments against human rights defenders. It has clearly failed in respecting its international obligation in upholding fair trials and providing equal protection of the law. Imprisoning hundreds of peaceful dissidents for doing no more than exercising their fundamental rights highlights the continuing abuse of the justice system to repress all forms of peaceful dissent in Bahrain.



In 2011, the Bahrain Independent Commission Inquiry report concluded that Bahraini courts had convicted hundreds of people on political charges relating to the exercise of the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly.



BICI recommended that all persons charged with offenses involving political expression, not consisting of advocacy of violence, have their convictions reviewed and sentences commuted or, as the case may be, outstanding charges against them dropped.



Even though, King Hamad accepted BICIs recommendations in 2011 and stated that the government is committed to implement all the recommendations , 2017 witnessed the return of military courts. Human rights organizations have documented tens of cases where judges convict defendants of crimes based solely on the peaceful expression of political views or the exercise of the rights to freedom of association and peaceful assembly. The case of Nabeel Rajab represents a clear example that the judicial system of Bahrain has been employed to punish, silent and intimidate those who practice their fundamental right in freedom of expression.



In my personnel experience in 2011, I was imprisoned for more than 6 months and denied the right to communicate or meet my lawyers in that period. I faced beatings, electric shocks, torture, and degrading insults as a retaliation for demanding to meet my lawyers.



The first meeting with my lawyer was at the doorstep of my house on the day of my release after attending 5 hearings in military and civil courts.



My worse experience was after attending a military court in May 2011. I informed the judge I was severely tortured, denied the right to speak to my lawyer, deprived from bathing and placed in a confined cell whilst being handcuffed with a black cloth mask on my face (24/7) for more than 30 days.



Instead of upholding an investigation in my claims, I was dragged from the court room, beaten in the corridor and taken to the torture yard in Qiran prison for a torture meal. I recall standing in a row with fellow prisoners in-front of masked military men. They ordered us to crawl forward on our stomachs and to lay our hands on the ground. We heard their military steps advancing toward us, and we were lying on the ground. Once they arrived they hammered our fingers with iron bars.



The assaults committed by military courts in 2011 are undoubtedly the worse in the history of Bahrain.



The militarization of the justice system by the King of Bahrain in 2017 subjects citizens to massive human rights violations and is regarded as a knock down to BICIs recommendations which clearly opposed trying civilians in military courts.



The recent death sentences and unfair trials by military courts serve as further evidence of the failure of the judicial system in Bahrain to uphold its obligations to the Convention Against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the International Covenant on Economic and Cultural Rights."









/129
In a statement, the UN agency said some 1,294 suspected cases of diphtheria have been recorded in 20 of Yemens 23 provinces.



(AhlulBayt News Agency) - A diphtheria outbreak has killed 73 people in war-torn Yemen since August, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday.



In a statement, the UN agency said some 1,294 suspected cases of diphtheria have been recorded in 20 of Yemens 23 provinces.



It listed Ibb and al-Hodeidah provinces in central and western Yemen as the hardest-hit by the disease.



Diphtheria spreads as easily as the common cold through sneezing, coughing or even talking, according to health officials.



Mainly affecting children, diphtheria can cause devastating epidemics if left unchecked.



The Yemen war has devastated basic services, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation in Yemen as one of the worlds worst humanitarian disasters in modern times.





/257
JURIST Guest Columnist John Buckleton of New Zealands Institute of Environmental Science and Research, discusses the future of DNA software in the courtroom

As anyone who has ever watched CSI can tell you, DNA is well established as the gold standard when it comes to crime solving. Linking the tiniest shreds of DNA evidence together, forensic investigators are able to provide indisputable proof that ties bad guys to the crime or frees the good guys who were in the wrong place at the wrong timeall within an hour so that the CSI team can get ready for next weeks episode.

If only real life was that easy. While theres no denying the importance of DNA in successfully identifying criminals or clearing suspects, the actual process of gathering and deciphering DNA evidence is considerably more complicated. Poor-quality samples or partial profiles containing degraded DNA can present huge challenges in reconstructing a crime scene and identifying who was (and wasnt) there. So too can complex DNA mixtures containing genetic data from more than two individuals, especially if any of the individuals are related.

Beyond the issues inherent in trying to decipher and interpret challenging DNA samples, you have to consider the human factor. Mislabeling DNA samples, misinterpreting test results, or accidentally transferring cellular material or DNA from one sample to another can all lead to false reports of a DNA match.

The bottom line is that while forensic DNA testing is overwhelmingly reliable, it has occasional shortcomings. Like any process that involves human interaction and some degree of subjective decision-making, DNA tests are not nownor have they ever beencompletely error-free.

So where does that leave us when it comes to the relatively recent introduction of sophisticated forensic DNA software that employs sophisticated biological modeling and algorithms to interpret DNA profiles?

Forensic DNA software has greatly improved the ability to interpret low-level, degraded, or mixed DNA samples with a significantly higher degree of speed and accuracy than previously possible. Data from DNA testing can now be uploaded and run through an array of probability models, using more information from a DNA profile. The results can then be compared against a person or persons of interest and a likelihood ratio can be calculated, weighed against coincidence. This is ultimately used to resolve highly complex DNA mixtures previously considered too complex to interpret with a high degree of confidence in its validity.

Not surprisingly, some attorneys are voicing concerns that DNA software is simply too new to be able to rely on the results it produces. Pointing to the Daubert or Frye-Mack Standards, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike have charged that forensic software fails to meets the general acceptance test. They also raise questions about whether it has been validated independently and subject to peer review.

To date, the courts generally have rejected such claims. Two 2017 Michigan cases (Michigan v. Burns and Michigan v. Smith) ruled that one such sophisticated forensic DNA software, STRmix, satisfies all Daubert considerationsi.e., it has been subjected to rigorous testing, validated subject to peer review, and is generally accepted in the scientific community, as well as federal and state courts.

Similarly, the court ruled in Minnesota v. Edwards that the same software is generally accepted in the relevant scientific community and, therefore, admissible in Minnesota courtrooms, while a U.S. District Court judge in New Mexico determined, in U.S. v. Russell, that STRmix has been tested for the purpose relevant here, that such tests have been peer-reviewed and published in scientific journals, and that its analyses are based on calculations recognized as reliable in the field.

Those calculations use probability models and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods employed since World War II, and currently used in everything from computational biology and weather prediction to physics, engineering, and the stock market.

Similarly, as the court decisions note, numerous scientific papers about sophisticated DNA software have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, internal validations have been carried out by all labs in current casework, as required by their accreditation, while both the International Society for Forensic Genetics and the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) have produced guidelines for validating probabilistic genotyping software.

Another charge leveled by some attorneys revolves around the refusal of some developers to reveal the source code and algorithms used in their software. Attorneys contend that it is impossible to review and challenge the solutions provided by forensic DNA software when there is no explanation or understanding of how the software functions.

To a large extent, the courts have been divided on this issue. In People v. Chubbs, a cold murder case in California dating from the 1970s, the trial court determined that Chubbs was entitled to examine the source code under protective order. That decision was overturned on appeal in 2015, however, with the court ruling that Chubbs stated reasons to access the source code, even under protective order, did not outweigh trade secret protections.

Similarly, the court in Washington v. Fair, a Seattle homicide case, ruled in January 2017 that it was not persuaded that a review of the source code is necessary to determine whether TrueAllele [the forensic DNA software used in the case] is reliable  Testimony in this case from both state and defense experts establishes that scientists can confirm the reliability of TrueAllele without access to the source code.

In New York, however, a federal judge unsealed the source code for the same software program in U.S. v. Johnson after the investigative journalism organization ProPublica filed a motion arguing that there was a public interest in the code.

While there remains no consensus among the courts, some software developers now disclose their code under non-disclosure agreements. Other DNA software is open source, making its code and algorithms readily available for other users to explore and alter. In either instance, however, reputable developers suggest users take part in an extensive user training to ensure that they not only understand how the software works, but also how to correctly represent the results it generates in court.

Almost certainly, these and other legal questions will continue to be raised about forensic DNA software. Its the nature of anything new that is introduced into the courts. The bottom line, though, is that sophisticated forensic DNA software represents a tremendous breakthrough which, when properly used, can identify criminal activity and be presented in court proceedings with a high degree of confidence in the validity of its findings.

John Buckleton is a noted forensic scientist who has worked extensively in the DNA field as a member of New Zealands Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR). Dr. Buckleton is one of the developers of STRmix, a sophisticated forensic software used to resolve mixed DNA profiles previously considered too complex to interpret.

Suggested citation: John Buckleton, DNA Software in the Courts and the Future, JURIST  Professional Commentary, Mar. 13, 2018, http://jurist.org/forum/2018/03/john-buckleton-dna-software.php.

This article was prepared for publication by Kelly Cullen, a JURIST Section Editor. Please direct any questions or comments to him at commentary@jurist.org
KLAMATH, Calif.  The Yurok Tribe of the Klamath River basin in California has filed suit in federal court against 20 major pharmaceutical companies. The case alleges corrupt practices by drug companies which contributed to widespread misuse of opioid painkillers in communitiessuch as the tribe itself.

According to the lawsuit, the 20 defendants violated a 1970 law known as the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The tribe claims that drug companies systematically concealed the dangers of opioid drugsengaging in false advertising, public nuisance, and unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices.

CDC Data on the Opioid Epidemic: The majority of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. involve an opioid66 percent.

In 2016, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids was 5 times higher than in 1999.

From 2000 to 2016, more than 600,000 people died from drug overdoses.

On average, 115 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose. CLICK HERE for more info from the CDC, including addiction/overdose prevention steps, and information on what patients prescribed opiates can do to reduce the possible risks.

"It is clear that we as a nation have been sold a bill of goods as it relates to opiate painkillers. These drugs have caused so much unnecessary heartache as well as the untimely deaths of many Native American and non-Indian people. The companies that produce, marker and distribute them need to be held accountable," said Amy Cordalis, the Yurok Tribe's General Counsel. Cordalis is a member of the tribe herself.

The defendants of the lawsuit include Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson, among other notable drug manufacturers and distributors.



Humboldt and Del Norte counties in California were hit early and hard by opioid addiction, according to a statement from the tribe. The tribe has seen overdose rates and inquiries for addiction treatment skyrocket over the last decade.

"There is not a single Yurok family that has not either directly or indirectly experienced the horrors of opiate addiction," said Cordalis.

The Yurok Tribe is not alone in suing drug companies for the explosion in opiate addiction. Cities, counties, and municipalities across the country have filed individual lawsuits against drug companiesincluding New York City, the New York Times reports.

Representatives of the Healthcare Distribution Alliance (HDA), a national trade association representing pharmaceutical distributorsincluding AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, all named in the lawsuitreached out to NewsWatch 12 with their take on the issue.

"The misuse and abuse of prescription opioids is a complex public health challenge that requires a collaborative and systemic response that engages all stakeholders," said John Parker, Senior Vice President of HDA. "Given our role, the idea that distributors are responsible for the number of opioid prescriptions written defies common sense and lacks understanding of how the pharmaceutical supply chain actually works and is regulated."

Medical distributors do not manufacture, prescribe, or drive demand in drugs, according to an HDA spokesperson. Moreover, the distribution of pharmaceuticals falls under the strict regulation of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Only the DEA has the authority to set the annual production of controlled substances in the market.

"Those bringing lawsuits would be better served addressing the root causes, rather than trying to redirect blame through litigation," said Parker.

According to the HDA spokesperson, part of the answer may be greater communication and coordination with the DEA. This would support more rapid response against abuse and diversion of prescription drugs.

In Oregon, both Governor Kate Brown and Representative Greg Walden (R-Hood River) have spearheaded efforts to combat the opioid crisis.

Governor Brown championed House Bill 4143, which passed in the first week of March, 2018 to unanimous bipartisan support. The bill would requisition the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services to study barriers to effective treatment and recovery from substance use. HB 4143 now awaits only Governor Browns signature.

Representative Walden led a hearing in Washington D.C. at the end of February, 2018, attempting to address means for combating the opioid crisis, primarily from a law enforcement standpoint.



The Yurok Tribe made news recently after reacquiring lands around the Blue Creek Watershed, a vital salmon habitat within the Klamath River Basin. They are the largest federally recognized Indian tribe in California.

(Article updated 3/14/18 with a response from the Healthcare Distribution Alliance)
GRANTS PASS, Ore.-- The City of Grants Pass is working toward solutions to their housing shortage.

The city is surveying the public to identify what barriers they face to live in Grants Pass.

ECONorthwest Consultant Beth Goodman says, "Grants Pass like a lot of other communities in Oregon is having trouble having multi-family housing built in part because there's not enough land zoned for it and in part because some of the regulations may create barriers to development of affordable housing."

City of Grants Pass Senior Planner Tom Schauer says, "There's been a shortage of rental housing and owner-occupied housing, the lack of supply is driving up the cost of housing. Rents aren't keeping up with housing prices."

Which is why they're looking into different housing types. And other short-term solutions.

Tom Schauer says, "We know is a significant issue is increasing the build able land supply with appropriate zoning to accommodate single family and multi family."

And it helps to hear from stakeholders.

Tom Schauer says, "I think it is important we hear from everyone like people who are building the housing and deal with the day to day issues and knowing what some of the barriers are."

Like Tony Alvarez, a local developer, he says he only turned into a developer after he realized there wasn't a lot to invest in because of the lack of stock-- so he decided to build.

Tony Alvarez says, "Besides the difficulty in finding lots to build and dealing with development costs, you have a lot people moving in, pushing rents up, and then people buying properties like myself increasing rent, and then a displacement of tenants."

The city and county amended the urban growth boundary in 2014, and since then the city has been working to rezone those areas to make them available for housing.

The city says in addition to rezoning land- they will also be looking at other code amendments that can make the permitting process more efficient.

The city is conducting a housing survey. Find it HERE.
MEDFORD, Ore.-- The US Food and Drug Administration is recalling chia seeds given to food banks and pantries across Oregon. The FDA said the chia seeds could be contaminated with rodent droppings. The ACCESS warehouse is just one food bank in Oregon dealing with this chia seed recall.

We've since reached out to our local food pantries to see if there are still chia seeds left on the shelves and then sent out to clients. We've identified which clients received it and made follow up phone calls as wide spread as possible," said ACCESS Nutrition Programs Director Philip Yates.

The FDA said donated bags of chia seeds distributed between November 2017 and March 9th, 2018 could have rodent droppings inside. Yates said ACCESS got about 12 cases of chia seeds, each case had 10 bags inside.

"I would say probably no more than half went out during that period of time and so there would be probably about 6 cases, about 60 bags," said Yates.

NewsWatch 12 has reached out to other food banks in our area.

The Klamath Falls foodbank said they have some tainted seeds. The Josephine County food bank said it received 39 cases of tainted seeds. It has 17 remaining, which they say will be returned.

If you may have gotten any chia seeds, destroy them immediately.
MEDFORD, Ore. -- The City of Medford said the proposal for the Medford IHOP hasn't been approved yet so technically IHOP is still not guaranteed to come to Medford. If all goes well, however, it will go right across the street from the South Medford Walmart.

The recommended proposal is still in the planning mode. It could get approved by Medfords Site Plan and Architectural Commission on Friday, March 16th. If that's voted on and approved then the architect can submit a building permit.

Since that proposal hasnt been approved yet, theres no word on when construction will begin and when youll be able to dine at the International House of Pancakes.

The two closest IHOPs are two and a half hour drives away, one up north in Springfield, Oregon AND the other in Redding, California.
A woman looks through the "Kouzina" app on smartphone in Toronto on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Apps that allow home chefs to sell dishes prepared in their personal kitchens have been cropping up across the GTA, but are far from a piece a cake for public health units to monitor and business owners to profit from. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
Cape Breton musician Maxim Cormier, who self-identifies as being of Acadian and Metis ancestry, has been withdrawn from consideration for Indigenous artist of the year at the East Coast Music Awards due to questions surrounding his claims to Indigenous heritage. Cormier is seen in an undated publicity handout image. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Alyssa Gallant, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Democrat Connor Lamb, right, and Republican Rick Saccone speak before the taping of their first debate in the special election in the Pennsylvania 18th Congressional District at the KDKA TV studios in Pittsburgh, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Keith Srakocic
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley speaks to media before the Speech from the Throne, in Edmonton on March 8, 2018. Alberta politicians are struggling to find consensus and speak with one voice in the Trans Mountain pipeline fight with British Columbia.Politicians continued their second day of debate Tuesday without resolution on a motion to back the government???s fight for progress on the already-approved expansion of the Trans Mountain line from Edmonton to Burnaby. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Investigators in Montreal are asking the public to look out for a missing child. Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou, 10, is seen in this undated police handout image. He is described as 10 years old, 140cm tall and was last seen wearing a black coat with a hood, grey pants and yellow shoes. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Service de police de la Ville de Montreal, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
FILE - In this Dec. 2012 file photo, the last rays of sunlight catch the Mendenhall Towers as seen from Brotherhood Bridge Park in Juneau, Alaska. Two experienced mountain climbers trying to tackle a new route in Alaska were presumed dead after climbing ropes that matched their gear were found in a crevasse, authorities said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. George "Ryan" Johnson, 34, of Juneau, and Marc-Andre Leclerc, 25, of Squamish, British Columbia, were reported missing after they failed to return from a climb March 7 on the Mendenhall Towers, a seven-peaked mountain not far from Alaska's capital city. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire via AP, File)
FILE - In this July 11, 2017, file photo, a United Airlines plane lands at San Francisco International Airport. A dog died on a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered its owner to put the animal in the plane's overhead bin. United said Tuesday, March 13, 2018, that it took full responsibility for the incident on the Monday night flight from Houston to New York. In a statement, United called it "a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin." (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Berikut beberapa tips bermain togel singapore.. Jika Anda adalah pemain lotre pertama yang menemukan trik untuk melakukan lotre di Singapura, berikut adalah beberapa trik paling populer. Karena ada bandar taruhan online, bermain game lotere jauh lebih berpengalaman. Taruhan taruhan online adalah layanan perjudian virtual.

Bermain permainan togel melalui layanan taruhan online memiliki banyak fitur. Ini dimulai dengan mudah, nyaman, mudah, nyaman, dan nyaman. Jadi, pemain Indonesia sekarang bermain lotere secara online.

Anda dapat mendengar suara bermain lotere dengan kontrak online. Yang harus Anda lakukan adalah mendaftar dan setoran Anda akan dimulai. Tentu saja, dalam proses yang sederhana dan mengganggu, Anda dapat langsung menggandakan dana Anda dalam taruhan lotere dengan taruhan online.

Dengan sistem taruhan online. Kenyamanan berarti dalam hal ini, tetapi tidak ada hubungannya dengan kenyamanan. Meskipun demikian, gamer dapat melakukan hal-hal lain seperti lelucon untuk ditangani.

Trik bertaruh Togel Singapura menggunakan teknik diversifikasi taruhan

Tentunya, inilah impian setiap pemain lotere di dunia. Untuk menggunakan permainan lotere online ini, Anda harus mahir dalam lotere. Salah satu teknik yang dapat digunakan adalah penggunaan teknik diversifikasi taruhan.

Diversifikasi taruhan berarti Anda telah terdaftar untuk berbagai jenis taruhan. Alasan menelepon adalah karena jenis perjudian ini memengaruhi peluang Anda untuk menang. Apakah ada peluang kehilangan semua modal Anda saat bermain lotere dengan bandar taruhan online?

Trik lotere Singapura untuk menunda diversifikasi taruhan juga sangat sederhana. Misalnya, Anda sudah menjadi anggota taruhan online dan Anda memiliki saldo 100.000 di akun perjudian online Anda. Dengan modal yang Anda pegang, Anda bisa membaginya menjadi beberapa jenis taruhan.

Pada musim gugur, dia bermain di pasar lotere Singapura. Musim gugur ini, permainan lotere online menawarkan satu atau dua suguhan steak besar. Misalnya, saya pernah mendengar taruhan dalam kategori umum, yang menempati urutan kedua di pasar lotere Singapura.

Saya tidak mengelola semua ibu kota dalam 2d musim gugur ini. Karena ini adalah taruhan utama, Anda bisa kehilangan setengah dari jumlah taruhan Anda di Jenis Taruhan 2d Lotere Singapura. Bandar judi lotere online memungkinkan Anda untuk memasang taruhan yang sama pada jenis taruhan yang berbeda.

Maksimalkan keuntungan Anda dengan memilih taruhan yang tepat

Anda dapat mendengar tentang taruhan tertentu melalui Trik Lotere Singapura di atas. Bahkan jika Anda tidak beruntung, kemungkinan kehilangan semua modal Anda dijual. Jadi teknik ini bekerja dengan sangat baik saat bermain game online.

Teknik ini juga harus digunakan oleh bandar taruhan online yang baik. Bahkan jika Anda bermain lotere online di Singapura, pastikan Anda mendapatkan layanan taruhan terbaik. Jangan tertipu oleh bandar judi lotere online atau bandar judi lotere online yang tidak memenuhi syarat.

Ini termasuk dealer lotere online yang menawarkan hubungan dan kesepakatan terbaik. Tentunya hal tersebut menjamin kenyamanan dalam hal pelayanan yang terbaik. Anda pasti bisa melihat lebih banyak dan bermain dengan lebih tenang. Bagaimana Anda bisa lebih tertarik dengan pengangguran?

Penawaran langsung dalam bentuk bonus atau diskon dari partisipasi dealer lotere online. Ketika datang ke taruhan online, berbagai hak alami telah muncul. Karena bonus adalah salah satu pengaturan publik saat bermain.

Sebagian, topik diskon kurang menguntungkan. Semakin banyak diskon yang Anda perhatikan, semakin banyak prinsip yang ada daripada Anda. Anda dapat melakukan trik, bermain, bermain, dan berdagang lotere di Singapura.
The driver of a bus carrying Texas high school band students has died and several people are injured after the bus crashed down a steep embankment off the side of an Alabama interstate, authorities said.

At 5:33 a.m., the tour bus, which was headed west on Interstate 10 toward Houston, careened near the highway median and ended up in a 50-foot ravine, Lt. Joe Piggott of the Alabama Highway Patrol said in a statement.

Baldwin County Sheriff Mack said emergency units were dispatched to evacuate and extricate the passengers. Some were carried out by police deputies, others were brought to the surface by firefighters who rappeled down the ravine.

About 48 passengers were on the bus at the time of crash, authorities said.

The crash was in the dark of night, and we are down in a ravine next to a creek," Mack said, so "it was a large scale effort.

Dewayne Benson, 15, was on one of two buses traveling home from Walt Disney World, according to his sister, Sydney Benson.

He was asleep until the band director started screaming," Sydney Benson, 19, told ABC News.

She said her brother called the family from a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, and does not seem to be injured.

Injured passengers were taken to hospitals in Baldwin County as well as Sacred Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, Piggott said.

First Class Tours, which owns the bus, identified the deceased driver as one of its employees, Harry Caligone.

"Harry was a long-time driver for our company and we are deeply saddened for this loss. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family," First Class Tours said in a statement.

"Our prayers are with the injured and their families at this time," the statement added. "We pledge our assistance in cooperating with local authorities in the investigation."

The students are from Channelview High School, said Mark Kramer, spokesman for the Channelview Independent School District.

"At this time, details are limited," Kramer said in a statement. "We are in contact with law enforcement in Alabama trying to obtain further information."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted, "Please join Cecilia & me in prayer and support for the Channelview students harmed by this bus crash."

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are headed to the accident.

ABC News' Rachel Katz and Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Thousands of students across the country are planning to take part in a walkout on Wednesday, as part of a national demonstration to end gun violence.

That walkout comes exactly one month after the shooting at a Florida High School.

School officials in western Oregon said they respect their student's rights to free speech, but at the same time they said the safest place for students is in the classroom.

Students said they're pushing for safer schools everywhere: "I like how we're all coming together as one," said Collier Campbell, a student at Sheldon High School.

"I think gun violence right now is a big issue in America and I think the government kind of needs to do something about it...I think the walkout is a good protest," said Collier.

The walkout is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. Students said this demonstration is not only to push for safer schools, but it's a tribute to those lives lost in Florida last month. The walkout will last 17 minutes, one for each victim.

"I think it's important to remember the people that were killed in Florida," said Riley O'Conell.

Local school districts have prepared for the walkout and have sent letters home to parents. None of them condone students leaving class, but some are making accommodations so that it's safe.

"Because it was student-driven...we wanted to make sure they were going to be supervised, and conduct themselves in an organized and safe manner," said Jose da Silva, Principal of Springfield High School.

He said they'll have staff on hand to supervise students during the walkout. He said students won't be marked tardy, as long as they return to class within 10 minutes after the walkout.

That's not the case elsewhere. Students who walk out in the Roseburg, Bethel or 4J Districts could get an unexcused absence or may be marked tardy if they choose to participate.

"We respect our students' right to express their personal views, but during the school day, students should be in school," said Kerry Delf, 4J Spokesperson.

In letters to parents, both the Roseburg and Bethel districts said they will have staff supervise students if a walkout occurs.
EUGENE, Ore.  Instead of participating in the walkout, students at Monroe Middle School in Eugene showed support for the victims of the Parkland, Florida school shooting in a different way.

On Tuesday, students and staff wrote messages on 17 giant white ribbons, one for each of the victims of the shooting. Everyone will have a chance to sign them before putting them on display.

The principal said theres a lot of confusion about the walkout with some even thinking it was a school activity. He said he thinks the safest place for students is in the classroom. But, they wanted to give them a way to express themselves.

On Wednesday, they will hang the ribbons up in the courtyard of the school.

At the end of the week, the signs will be taken down and mailed to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

The middle school is also holding stand up on Wednesday. Students are encouraged to walk up to others and stand up for them, promoting kindness.
ROSEBURG, OR.  With recent changes and controversies surrounding the Roseburg VA Hospital, its new interim director is hoping to start making changes starting with their town hall format.

At the town hall held on Tuesday evening, Interim Director David Whitmer briefly discussed the recent staff changes and resignations and laid out his plan for his time as the interim director.

RELATED: Roseburg VA director resigns

That process change will include how well gather input from the community, the data-driven decision making that well have. Then, ultimately, how well communicate those changes through our media representatives, said Whitmer.

As part of that plan, the town hall format changed from having an open question and answer period to a more personal one-on-one interaction with booths set up by departments at the VA.

READ MORE: ROSEBURG VA RESPONDS TO NEGATIVE REPORT ON PATIENT CARE

Whitmer said he hopes this helps with communication between veterans and the departments.

Vietnam Veteran Bob Miller, who couldnt go on camera, said hes all for trying new things and thinks it could help as long as their questions and concerns dont fall on deaf ears.

Whitmer said he has already started working on the 28 recommendations by the Office of the Medical Investigator and will continue to follow those guidelines to help him facilitate change at the Roseburg VA while hes interim director.

The next VA Town Hall will take place in Eugene in April.
EUGENE, Ore. -- More than 700 flags have been planted on the University of Oregon campus, representing each person who's been killed or injured in a school shooting.

The University of Oregon College Democrats organized the display.

The group placed more than 700 red and yellow flags on the lawn just outside of the Knight Library. The nearly 300 red flags represent gun-related deaths in U.S. school shootings since the Thurston High School shooting in Springfield in May 1998. The nearly 450 yellow flags represent those who have been injured.

"So we decided to do a flag display to demonstrate the actual number of tragedies that have happened in the United States due to the senseless gun violence in schools, said Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy, with UO College Democrats. We believe that seeing a number has very little meaning for us. So seeing a number quite literally on the ground actually does have a very emotional response that it provokes."

The group plans on keeping the flags out on the lawn through the end of the week. They are also holding a student walkout Wednesday at 10 a.m. outside the Erb Memorial Building to stand in solidarity with the Parkland, Florida, shooting victims.
1 of 4

Google Maps gets Plus Codes, address search easier with 3 new features



Google Maps in India is getting Plus codes and other new features in order to make address search simpler across the country. Google Maps will also support voice navigation search in six additional Indian languages - Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam - on the Android app.



While Plus codes feature has been rolled for Android version of Google Maps, the iOS version of the app will get the feature later. The Plus codes feature - also known as the Open Location code, which has been live since 2014 - is open-source and available to third-party apps and services to use as well. Maps in India has supported Plus codes for some months now, and these will now be reflected in addresses for homes and businesses.



Google Plus codes are based on the concept that the world can be divided into small grids, each of which gets assigned a unique code to ensure a more consistent address system. On Google Maps, Plus codes assign six characters to a location plus the city name. Each Plus code represents a unique geographical location, says Google.



Read More...


ROCHESTER, Minn.  A second person is being charged in connection to a December robbery at Sun Tan City.

Police say 25-year-old Byron Rush, originally from Illinois, is being charged with first-degree aggravated robbery.

Rush has been in custody since January for failure to register as a predatory offender and has been a suspect in the robbery since it happened. Dushawn Minor has already been charged in the case.

According to police, the store employee was pistol-whipped by one of the men and suffered minor head injuries after she didn't open the safe fast enough. She was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester for a head injury.
FLOYD, Iowa (AP)  A northeast Iowa prosecutor says the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis man by officers was justified.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jihad Merrick was killed the night of Jan. 17 alongside U.S. Highway 218 in Bremer County. Merrick's car was stopped for speeding after he'd been reported pointing a gun at his own head at a Floyd truck stop. Deputies say that after the stop he got in and out of his vehicle with a handgun to his head.

Officers approached his car after he fired a shot inside it and then struggled to remove him. He was able to put the car in gear and accelerate. An officer fearful of being run over yelled for other officers to shoot, and two of them did.

County Attorney Kasey Wedding said in a news release Tuesday the shooting was justified because of the threat Merrick posed.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A man accused of two robberies is going to prison for one.

Police say 29-year-old Zachary Michael Russell of Mason City robbed someone after lying in wait for them in the early morning hours of November 27, 2017. He was charged with 2nd degree robbery for following the victim, punching them in the face, and then running off with the victims bag.

A 1st degree robbery charge was also filed against Russell for a December 1, 2017, incident where police say he held a knife to someones throat and took their cell phone and money.

Russell has now pleaded guilty to assault while participating in a felony for the November crime and charges have been dropped for the December robbery. Hes been ordered to spend five years in prison and pay $652 in restitution.
MASON CITY, Iowa  An arrest is made in an incident that led to increased security at Mercy Medical Center  North Iowa for two days, but those living near the hospital say they had no idea what was going on.

"I didn't see anybody," said Linda Schumaker of Mason City.

Alonzo Hill Alonzo Hill

"I saw something on Facebook Tuesday afternoon," said Jessi Rozen.

Police were called to the hospital around 9:46 pm Tuesday on a report of a disorderly male. Hospital officials said the man threatened Mercy staff. Mason City police could not locate immediately locate the man and officers worked with Mercy  North Iowa overnight and through Wednesday to ensure the safety of staff and patients something that is giving Rozen some piece of mind.

"I have a lot of faith in the Mason City Police Department," she said. "If they felt like we needed to know more information they would let us know. I just trust that they know what they're doing and will takecare of us."

The Mason City Police Department identified the man as 49-year-old Alonzo Hill of Steamboat Rock. A warrant was issued for his arrest and Hill and picked up around 2:30 pm Wednesday by the Hardin County Sheriffs Office.

Hill is facing a charge of 1st degree harassment, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Previous story below

MASON CITY, Iowa - Security concerns over the past two days are a result of an individual who "made verbal threats against Mercy hospital," Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.

Mercy said Mason City police were contacted immediately Tuesday when the threat was made and worked with the individual to de-escalate the situation but continued to monitor the individual until he left the area.

Mercy says it doesnt believe the person is in Cerro Gordo County anymore but are taking extra security precautions for the safety of our employees, patients and visitors.

Mason City police said Wednesday afternoon that no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  An account has been established through the Rochester Muslim Community Circle for the family of Ahmed Naddf, a refugee from Iraq who was shot and killed Monday night.

Naddf had two kids and a wife who recently underwent heart surgery.

To donate to the family, click here.

Four people have been arrested in connection to Naddfs murder.

Eric Tyler Lee, 25, Sao Yim Jr., 24, Traequan Bamlounghong, 23 and Deante Stanifer, 24, are all facing second-degree murder charges.

Capt. John Sherwin called the murder, which happened Monday night in the 2800 block of Charles Ct. NW., a tragedy.

The murder left a community in shock this week.
Wasioja, Minn. - A couple years ago, Dodge County received a grant to evaluate Wasioja Seminary Ruins. Historical and architectural firm MacDonald and Mack Architects evaluated the structure and found that the ruins should be stabilized to prevent more decay. On Tuesday, the Dodge County Board of Commissioners held a meeting. One of the topics was discussion of whether the county wants to continue to preserve the site or not.

According to the Dodge County website, Wasioja Seminary was established as a college in 1857. Prior to the Civil War, the school had 300 students. When the war broke out, many students and members of faculty formed the Company C of the 2nd Minnesota. By 1868, the Seminary was struggling, and it was passed along to different groups and renamed several times before permanently closing in 1894. A fire damaged the building in 1905, leaving the ruins visible today.

As stated on the website, since the fire, "just one modest effort at stabilization has occurred. In 1994, a security fence was erected, window headers reinforced, and some stabilization of the walls conducted. Remarkably, due to this effort and some good luck, each of the four walls is still erect. However, without significant treatment, the ruins are in danger of further deterioration."

Wasioja resident Dori Greene says that maintaining hisoric structures is valuable because it is important to preserve what we have.

A further evaluation would be needed to determine how to stabilize the structure. The further evaluation and design plan would cost around $50,000, and the construction would cost an additional approximate $600,000. Dodge County's grant writing consultant estimates the county could obtain $525,000 to $575,000 in grant money. The county would need to fund around $50,000-$100,000 in local money.

The ruins are maintained by the Dodge County Highway and Parks Department, with guidance from the Dodge County Historical Society and assistance from the Friends of Wasioja.

The ruins were named a State Historic District in 1971, and added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1975.
ROCHESTER, Minn.  The Stewartville School Board unanimously approved two resolutions urging state and federal governments to fully fund special education services, something the government promised they would do.

Were asking the state and federal government to meet the obligations they set forthto step up to the plate, Belinda Selfors, Superintendent of Stewartville School District said.

The obligations shes talking about are part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) enacted in 1975. Selfors said the government is not providing the amount of funding for special education it said it would in IDEA, and the burden falls on the district.

For the 2015-2016 school year Stewartvilles special education expenses totaled over $3 million, and the district paid about $1.2 million of these expenses.

So we receive funding for about $2 million of our costs, however that $1.2 million comes out of our general fund which then impacts other programs, Selfors said. If we want to make sure we provide programs for all students, we have to ask more from our taxpayers.

And Stewartville is not alone. Other area school districts like Kasson-Mantorville internally spend over one million dollars to pay for their total special education expenses of $2.1 million.

Its a statewide issue, we are one of many school districts, Selfors said. Were educators, we want to help kids be successful no matter what their backgrounds are and what their needs are. 

Selfors said special education services help students be successful and can include everything from communication devices, extra staffing, and special transportation.

She said theyre fighting for kids that cannot fight for themselves.

Things happen outside of the school setting that are established by legislators or elected officials that affect the work me we do yet the ones without the voice end up getting or not getting the services they need, she said.

The resolutions were sent to state and federal legislators. They also urged representatives to support bill HF2846, which in part creates a workforce to address Special education funding issues.

Selfors said shes received feedback from legislators and will continue to advocate.

Its really just communicating what the needs are and hoping legislators find a way to meet those needs, she said.
FLOYD COUNTY, Iowa- Floyd County residents could be seeing a property tax increase of $1.08 per $1,000 valuation if a bond referendum passes for a proposed jail project.

Floyd County Sheriff, Jeff Crooks, and members of the Floyd County Board of Supervisors are holding several town hall meetings to discuss the new jail. They say the jail is only licensed to hold 14 beds, but at times they have had up to 26 inmates. Sheriff Crooks also says the old-fashioned bars that the jail has can be dangerous to inmates who want to harm themselves. Another issue is their ability to separate inmates especially those who are suffering from mental illness.

Harry White, of Rockford, sat in on the meeting Tuesday, saying the project is needed, but what will it cost the tax payers?

Its a major change for the law enforcement end of the county, but what is it all going to cost and what is it going to do to my taxes? he said.

Residents will be asked to head to the polls May 1 to vote on the county being able to use general obligation bonds of up to $13,500,000 for the project.

Follow the link below to find some of the answers to the most asked questions.

https://www.floydcoia.org/faq.aspx?TID=28
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says he's concerned about a report showing Latinos seeking home loans in Iowa City were far more likely to be denied than whites.

Miller says the findings by Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting seem consistent with an earlier University of Iowa study that documented home loan denial rates for Latinos.

The analysis published last month found that Latinos applying for conventional mortgages in the Iowa City metropolitan area were nearly four times more likely to be denied than non-Hispanic whites in 2016, the widest disparity in the nation in 2016.

Miller says his office will look into the issue and "consider our options." A spokesman declined to elaborate on what those options might be.

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission has said the findings are noteworthy, but that it doesn't have the funding to investigate.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowa House Republicans are advancing a legislative effort to ban most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected by adding the measure to a separate bill.

A Republican-led panel agreed Wednesday to approve legislation that would ban the sale of fetal tissue. The heartbeat provision, which would ban abortions as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy, was tacked on during the meeting.

The bill heads to the House Human Resources Committee, which is expected to take up the measure Thursday.

Rep. Shannon Lundgren, a Peosta Republican who led the panel, defended the bill's change in scope. She argued the Iowa Senate passed a similar heartbeat bill earlier this year.

The House's heartbeat provision would remove proposed penalties against a doctor who performs an abortion after a heartbeat is detected.
ROCHESTER, Minn.- A new report from the Minnesota department of revenue that was analyzed by the University of Minnesota shows that farmland prices dropped last year. That was a 5.4 percent decrease from 2016.

KIMT spoke to farmers at the Argi News Farm Show in Rochester about the new report.

Randy Hoffman is a farmer in Rochester. He tells us that the industry has changed in the last 10 years.

He said that although he doesnt know anyone who has had trouble selling their land recently that the big problem is that consumers doesnt understand what it takes to farm goods.

For someone who doesnt know about farming and they see the price of their goods increase, theyre upset, but we have to make a profit to pay taxes and keep the equipment up and running, he said.

Hoffman said while he thinks the future of farming is uncertain, he thinks farmers are the fabric of the Midwest.

I think there will always be a need for farming, there will still be a niche market for people that want to buy organic milk and that's where the small farmer might find a profitable avenue there.
MASON CITY, Iowa  An accused snowmobile thief is pleading not guilty.

Mason City police arrested 26-year-old Levi Robert Shackleton of Rudd on February 24. They say he is one of three people who stole two snowmobiles from a parking lot in the 100 block of 7th Street SE.

Shackleton is charged with two counts of 1st degree theft of a motor vehicle, conspiracy to commit a non-forcible felony, and 3rd degree burglary. His trial is scheduled for April 17.

Police have not identified the other two suspects in this case.
ALBERT LEA, Minn.  Selling meth near a park gets a Hartland man probation.

38-year-old David Frank Nolan was arrested in March 2017 and charged with 2nd degree sale of drugs in a park zone. The South Central Drug Task Force says a confidential information bought some methamphetamine from Nolan at a city parking lot within 300 feet of Morin Park.

Nolan was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years of supervised probation and 40 hours of public service.
MASON CITY, Iowa  A Clear Lake man will stand trial in a case of drunk driving and joy riding.

29-year-old Rusty Shane Rogers is charged with OWI  2nd offense and operating a motor vehicle without the owners consent. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Office says Rogers crashed a car he did not own in the early morning hours of January 19, leaving the road in the 4000 block of South Shore Drive in Clear Lake and hitting several trees.

Rogers was taken to Mercy Medical Center  North Iowa for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

He entered not guilty pleas on Monday and a trial has been scheduled for May 22.
MASON CITY, Iowa  The man arrested after a series of burglaries in Clear Lake is pleading not guilty.

Police say a garage and seven vehicles were illegally entered on January 21. Officers say a computer stolen from one of the vehicles was found in the Clear Lake home of 24-year-old Taylor James Wigant.

He is charged with one count of 3rd degree burglary and four counts of 3rd degree burglary of a motorized vehicle. Wigant is scheduled to stand trial on April 17.
(Kitco News) - Bitcoins main challenges remain regulation and lack of legitimacy, which is where gold comes in, according to one major European digital currency exchange.

Regulation provides us with more legitimacy, Austria-based Bitpanda GmbH co-CEO Eric Demuth told Bloomberg on Monday. Weve wanted to be regulated, but so far have been told that we cannot be.

Financial regulators are yet to figure out the best way to oversee bitcoin transactions. In the meantime, bitcoin exchanges like Bitpanda are trying to come up with their own rules to boost credibility.

One of the solutions Australian government is looking at is applying golds trading rules to cryptocurrencies.

The big worry with digital currencies is money laundering, Austrian Finance Minister Hartwig Loeger said in February.

Cryptocurrencies are significantly gaining importance in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing, Loeger said. Thats an important aspect for the changes we support. We need more trust and more security.

One of the suggestions is to use similar rules as with precious metals trading, which require bitcoin traders to identify their counterparties and to report all transactions above 10,000 euros ($12,300) to the financial intelligence unit, Loeger specified.

And bitcoin exchanges seem to be all for it. More than that, Bitpanda is working on establishing even closer ties with the government to improve transparency and credibility of bitcoin trading.

But, Bitpanda wants to see regulation come from the EU level, said the other co-CEO Paul Klanschek.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union lawmakers on Wednesday passed a non-binding resolution calling for an association agreement with Britain after it leaves the bloc.

The European Parliament, which will have a yes-no vote on any Brexit deal between the EU and London, backed a broad-based association agreement with Britain for the future that goes beyond a narrow focus on trade. The vote was 544 to 110.

That is in sync with the 27 EU states that will remain members. They offered Britain a free-trade agreement that could also cover services and security cooperation but have rejected Londons calls for a broader, bespoke deal.

EU leaders will meet in Brussels next week, where they will discuss Brexit with British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will seek a deal on a transition period after her country leaves the union, as is due in March, 2019.

Germanys Brexit point man on Wednesday said a lot of progress has been made in negotiations between London and the bloc in recent days.
(Kitco News) - While companies are racing into the future to create the latest digital currency, one company has looked to the past for the ultimate global currency.

U.K.-Based fintech start-up Glint Pay continues to grow in popularity throughout Britain and Europe as the company has breathed new life into the gold market, monetizing the precious metal for the 21 century.

The company made international headlines in late 2017 after it announced a partnership with Mastercard and Lloyds Banking Group to create a gold-backed debit card. Through its online app, consumers can load money into their account and then convert that money to gold. Consumers can then use the debit card to make everyday purchases.

In an interview with Kitco News, co-creator of Glint Pay, Ben Davies, said that his firm has no intention of moving into the frenzied cryptocurrency sector because the world already has the perfect international payment system.

He added that bitcoins volatility, and short history, makes it unsuitable as a global currency. Kitco.com aggregated markets show bitcoin is currently trading around $8,400, down more than 57% from its record highs in mid-December.

It will take decades before cryptocurrencies are truly accepted universally, he said. The reality is that we already have a currency that is universally accepted and understood. And we have made it accessible to everyone.

Davies added that golds attraction as a global currency is growing as consumers worry about the purchasing power of their fiat money. He said that the explosive growth in credit over the years has created massive wealth inequality, which is fueling geopolitical uncertainty.

There has been a rupture in the social fabric throughout Europe and it goes back to 2008 when we saw a massive decay in financial markets, he said. What we are suggesting is that people should think about gold as a better currency.

Looking at the U.K. in particular, Davies said that he expects gold demand to rise in the next few years as consumers protect themselves against a weakening pound. He added that he sees gold as the ultimate equalizer for consumers

Lets be frank, the sterling is going to be under pressure for a long time, he said. We have huge current account deficits. We have real fiscal issues with twin deficits and the premium in equities markets and gilts are being undermined.

But its not just the U.K that is dealing with currency problems. Currency analysts have warned that the U.S. dollar could be facing a long-term bear market as the nation deals with growing government debt and potentially higher interest rates.

While Glint has rolled out in Britain and Europe, Davies said that his firm is looking to introduce its gold-backed debit card in North American and Asian in 2018.

The value of gold in an account will be based on interbank exchange rates and there are no hidden charges for users, according to Glint.

Glint is a fully regulated financial company and regulated by the U.K.s Financial Conduct Authority, with clients money stored in segregated bank accounts. Physical gold holdings are legally allocated to each client and held in a London Bullion Market Association-accredited Brinks bank vault in Switzerland.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is pressing China to cut its trade surplus with the United States by $100 billion, a White House spokeswoman said on Wednesday, clarifying a tweet last week from President Donald Trump.

Last Wednesday, Trump tweeted that China had been asked to develop a plan to reduce its trade imbalance with the United States by $1 billion, but the spokeswoman said Trump had meant to say $100 billion.

The White House spokeswoman declined to provide further details on how the administration would like China to accomplish this goal  whether increased purchases of U.S. products such as soybeans or aircraft would suffice, or whether it wants China to make major changes to its industrial policies, cut subsidies to state-owned enterprises or further reduce steel and aluminum capacity.

The request comes as the Trump administration is said to be preparing tariffs on imports of up to $60 billion worth of Chinese information technology, telecoms and consumer products as part of a U.S. investigation into Chinas intellectual property practices.

It is also unclear if the requested $100 billion reduction would address U.S. complaints about Chinas investment policies that effectively require U.S. firms to transfer technology to Chinese joint venture partners in order to gain market access.

The issue is a core part of the probe being conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Writing by Tim Ahmann; Editing by Susan Heavey and Tom Brown
BERLIN (Reuters) - German lawmakers on Wednesday re-elected Angela Merkel as chancellor for a fourth, and likely final, term that may prove her most challenging yet as she takes charge of a fragile coalition with her personal standing diminished.

Lawmakers voted by 364 to 315, with nine abstentions, in favor of re-electing Merkel, a humbling start as the coalition of her conservatives and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) has 399 votes in the Bundestag lower house of parliament.

I accept the vote, a beaming Merkel, 63, told lawmakers before being sworn in by Bundestag President Wolfgang Schaeuble.

She later told broadcaster the ruling parties would focus on taking support away from far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which hurt them in last Septembers national election.

That is our aim - that we make them (AfD) smaller and get them out of the Bundestag again insofar as is possible, she said. We want a coalition that appeals to all people in the country.

In office since 2005, Merkel has dominated Germanys political landscape and steered the European Union through economic crisis.

But her authority was dented by her decision in 2015 to commit Germany to an open-door policy on refugees, resulting in an influx of more than one million people that laid bare deep divisions within the EU over migration and fueled the AfD.

While also being locked in a trade stand-off with the United States, Merkel must now juggle competing domestic demands from within her coalition.

Her conservative CDU/CSU alliance only turned to the SPD to prolong the grand coalition that has governed Germany since 2013 out of desperation, after talks on a three-way alliance with two smaller parties collapsed in November.

It will not be an easy coalition, we have some difficult tasks ahead, said Volker Kauder, parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc.

Ministers, younger and more diverse than the last cabinet, take up their posts almost six months after last Septembers national election.

I have the feeling that nothing good is going to be done for the country in this legislature period, said Alice Weidel, the AfDs leader in parliament. It will probably be Angela Merkels last term and at some point it will be enough.

FULL INBOX

Merkel starts work with a full inbox.

Abroad she faces the trade tensions with Washington, pressure from France to reform Europe, and from Britain to stand up to Russia.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said it was high time for a new government to go to work.

Merkels spokesman said she would head to France on Friday to discuss bilateral, European and international topics with President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron congratulated Merkel in a tweet, adding: Lets act together to take Europe forward, faster and more strongly.

On Tuesday, Merkels spokesman said she spoke by phone with British Prime Minister Theresa May and condemned a nerve agent attack on an ex-Russian spy in England for which May held Moscow responsible.

Merkel later said the EU would present a common stance on Russia, adding: Nonetheless, I say we cant break off all contacts now.

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Merkel on her re-election in a telegram and emphasized the importance of further developing bilateral ties, the Kremlin said.

At home, the pressure is on both sides of the coalition to deliver for their rank and file. Their deal includes a clause that envisages a review of the governments progress after two years, giving each the opportunity to pull out then if it is not working for them.

Fault lines have emerged in the new government even before its first cabinet meeting, with tensions evident over the sequencing and extent of reforms.
FTC says Tennessee has 10th highest rate per capita in U.S. for fraud, other reports



NASHVILLE  The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurances (TDCI) Division of Consumer Affairs reminds Tennesseans to remain diligent when it comes to reporting fraud and other scams. A newly released report from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) shows Tennessee now has the 10th highest rate per capita in the U.S. for reports of fraud as well as other complaints. The cost of fraud was steep: Tennessees total consumer losses topped $13.7 million last year.



According to the report, the top three complaint areas for Tennesseans are debt collection, imposter scams and identity theft. When it comes to reports of identity theft, Tennessee now ranks 24th in the country. The top three forms of Identity theft in Tennessee are credit card fraud, employment or tax-related fraud, and bank fraud.



The FTCs report shines a light on the hurtful impact of scam artists on hard-working Tennessee consumers, said TDCI Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak. We hope Tennesseans will use the findings in this report as an opportunity to renew their efforts to protect their families from fraud. If consumers believe they have been the victim of fraud, they should contact local law enforcement agencies and report the incident. Additionally, they can file a complaint through the Division of Consumer Affairs.



The FTCs report was compiled from complaints to the FTCs call center or online as well as complaints filed with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and other organizations. Other Tennessee-related details from the report include:



 Memphis is listed at No. 18 and Chattanooga at No. 37 on the FTCs top 50 metropolitan areas for fraud reports;

 Memphis is No. 14 for top 15 metro areas for fraud reports in the southeast region;

 Memphis is No. 3 in the southwest region for fraud reports.



With complaints about debt collectors as Tennesseans top complaint area, the Division of Consumer Affairs and the state Collections Board reminds Tennesseans to be wary of unscrupulous and illegal practices of debt collection agencies. Debt collectors may not harass, oppress, or abuse consumers or any third parties they contact. For example, debt collectors may not:



 Use threats of violence or harm.

 Publish a list of names of people who refuse to pay their debts (but they can give this information to the credit reporting companies).

 Use obscene or profane language.

 Repeatedly use phone communication to annoy you.

 Contact you at inconvenient or unusual time periods (Between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. is considered acceptable).

 Contact you at work if the collector knows, or has reason to know, the employer prohibits such communication.

 Contact you after you provided a notice in writing that you wish the communication to cease.

 Debt collectors may not lie when they are trying to collect a debt. For example, they may not:

- Falsely claim that they are attorneys or government representatives;

- Falsely claim that you have committed a crime;

- Falsely represent that they operate or work for a credit reporting company;

- Misrepresent the amount you owe.



To check the status of a collection agencys license, visit verify.tn.gov or file a complaint related to a licensee here.

Published March 13, 2018
By Kim Yoo-chul



Does Hana Financial Group Chairman Kim Jung-tae still think the way he is being treated by the financial authorities these days is unfair?



This is a question that the group chairman is sure to respond to as the country's top two financial authorities have begun investigating the group and flagship affiliates of KEB Hana Bank over growing allegations of group-wide involvement in hiring irregularities.



Kim is the leader of Hana Financial, the country's top-tier banking group with total assets reaching over 363 trillion won by the third quarter of last year.



President Moon Jae-in accepted an offer of resignation submitted by the head of the Financial Supervisory Services (FSS) Choe Heung-sik after Choe was alleged to have asked Hana Financial to illegally hire the son of a colleague in 2013.



Choe said it was his responsibility to step down to ensure the impartiality of the FSS, which has the full authority to investigate employment irregularities in the financial sector.



This could be the biggest blow for the Hana chairman whose controversial third-term as head of the banking group just came into effect a few months earlier.



Hana chairman Kim won his bid for the top position for the third time, extending his term to 2021, despite repeated objections from the Financial Services Commission, one of the two financial regulators here.



At that time, the FSC questioned the qualifications of Kim as the regulator didn't think he was the right person to carry out corporate governance restructuring within the banking group given his involvement in decisions to extend loans for a local startup via KEB Hana Bank, which was also controversial.



"But as far as I know, the former FSS chief Choe backed up the Hana chairman's ambitious bid, unsettling FSC," said an official at the bank. From 2012 until 2014, Choe was the president of Hana Financial Group, which owns KEB Hana Bank, Korea's biggest lender.



Now, the FSC Chairman Choi Jong-ku is eyeing Kim, again, as the FSC will be teaming up with the FSS to uncover any hiring irregularities in the banking group.



"Our position is very simple. We will investigate. No timeframe has been set. We will continue until the investigation is over," Choi said, adding the regulator expects to get off-the-record reports from Hana insiders.



In a statement, the FSS said it will investigate Hana Financial over the issue for about two weeks from March 13 targeting employees who were hired in 2013.



"The results of the findings will be reported to auditors only. The FSC and FSS plan to partner with prosecutors, if necessary," the FSS said in the statement without elaborating.



Earlier, the two regulators had gone back on their threats to Hana Financial by temporarily halting their inspection of KEB Hana as its new leadership had been picked and put into place.




By Yoon Ja-young



The nation's finance minister hinted that the government may form a supplementary budget within the first half of this year to tackle chronic youth unemployment. He also stressed that the market and businesses are the main job creators.



"We have not excluded the extra budget from our policy option and there are diverse measures being prepared in terms of taxation and others. If a decision is made about the supplementary budget, it should be set as early as possible," Strategy and Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon said at a meeting with reporters, Tuesday.



He pointed out that an effective solution is needed as the echo-boom generation, or the children of the nation's second baby-boomers born between 1991 and 1996, are entering the job market, worsening the chronic problem of jobless youths. He estimated the potential number of jobless people might reach 140,000 as the young population grows by 390,000 between 2017 and 2021.



"If we ignore this problem, it could be disastrous. We are considering any reasonable policy options," he said, adding that the final decision on the extra budget will be made during the youth job policy meeting to be presided over by President Moon Jae-in Thursday.



According to Statistics Korea, Wednesday, the number of employed individuals was recorded at 26.08 million in February, up 104,000 from a year ago. That is the smallest year-on-year increase since 2010 January when the number of jobs contracted by 10,000.



The overall unemployment rate stood at 4.6 percent, marking a 0.3 percentage point fall from a year ago, while the youth unemployment rate stood at 9.8 percent. However, the de-facto jobless rate of young people, which includes those preparing for jobs, was 22.8 percent.



Kim expected signs of improving relations between South Korea and North Korea as well as between North Korea and the United States to have a positive impact on the economy, citing falling credit default swap (CDS) premiums and rising stock prices. According to financial information provider Markit, Korea's CDS premium fell to the lowest level in 17 months, following easing tension with the North.



"It will definitely be positive for the economy. The government will stress this to credit rating agencies and international organizations to enhance the country's credibility overseas," the minister said.



Kim also had a meeting with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won Wednesday, where he stressed the role of conglomerates in the Moon Jae-in administration's main agenda "innovative growth" as well as in job creation.



He said that youth unemployment is worsening due to the nation's social and economic structure, and added that the government is making efforts to tackle problems such as changes in industrial structure, sagging job creation potential in manufacturing and export industries, structural problems in education and the labor market.



"In the end, it is the market and businesses that create jobs. While the government makes diverse policy efforts and takes short-term measures, jobs should fundamentally be created in the market," he said.



He also said that conglomerates are the main pillars of innovative growth. "The administration focuses on innovative growth for sustainable development of the economy and society," he said, adding that conglomerates should join the efforts.



Chey said that SK Group will help with job creation and support start-ups, pursuing both economic and social values.


Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse responds to a question during a news conference held at the CONRAD Hotel, Yeouido, northern Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Access Communication



By Kim Yoo-chul



Chief executive at Ripple said Wednesday that the Korean government needs to implement policy measures to regulate cryptocurrency trading, but "properly."



"Having thoughtful regulations will help the industry mature," Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said in a news conference at Yeouido, northern Seoul.



He said volatility in prices for cryptocurrencies is still being seen, globally. "This is a reflection of earlier stages of market growth," said the top executive.



"I have no doubt in my mind that we will be continuing to need regulations to protect consumers and businesses," the executive told reporters.



Garlinghouse said Korea has been a very "exciting market" in terms of its activity and volume growth and added the market for digital assets is now at a stage to seriously think about the following question, "What is real versus what is hype?"



Garlinghouse said he had meetings with existing and potential customers here and that the visiting Ripple team is having meetings with policymakers. He declined to elaborate further on his reasons for visiting Korea.



He said Ripple was planning to invest in startups and technology companies to develop more users for XRP, its popular crypto-asset; however, he declined to name any of the companies Ripple has in mind.



During the conference, Garlinghouse insisted that crypto-assets are solving real-world banking and remittance problems, and that future generations of what he calls "digital assets" will continue to improve the ability of making payments, especially cross-border payments.



"The (blockchain) industry still needs to mature because transforming the industry takes time. Ripple is focused on solving issues for cross-border payments. I think today's legacy system is low and shockingly unreliable. The error rate is 6 percent," he said.



Garlinghouse said Ripple is keen to see more XRP liquidity by expanding its partnership with cryptocurrency exchanges. "We will continue to invest lots of exchanges around the world to ensure lots of XRP liquidity," he said.

There was a rumor about XRP being added to Coinbase, which Ripple would not comment further on.



In a related note, Financial Services Commission (FSC) Chairman Choi Jong-ku told reporters that the country's top financial policy regulator was opposing moves by domestic firms to raise funds via overseas initial coin offerings (ICOs), which the FSC banned last year.



"Reports say Kakao, the operator of the country's dominant messaging app of Kakao Talk, was planning to raise money via overseas ICOs; however, our internal checkup showed that Kakao has no plan about it," Choi said in a media briefing house before the Ripple news conference.



Kakao, which in January raised over $1 billion for artificial intelligence (AI) investment, is reported to have interested in raising funds by pursuing an overseas ICO.



Korea didn't enforce its ICO ban and Koreans still remained eligible to invest in foreign ICOs. FSC earlier said it has developed interest in the emerging blockchain-based technologies that support crypto transactions, prompting measures to turn earlier policies back from the crackdown on cryptocurrencies.



Korea is the world's No. 3 cryptocurrency market in volume.




CEO Seo Bun-rye of Seoil Farm, maker of traditional Korean pastes including 'cheonggukjang' / Courtesy of Seoil Farm



By Kim Ji-soo



ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province  "Cheonggukjang," or thick soybean paste, may be an acquired taste for some, especially young Koreans. But over the years, this often smelly, once expedient source of protein, has become popular for many reasons.

First, packaged cheonggukjang is readily available for today's consumers, but small-batch cheonggukjang is also growing visibly. One artisanal cheonggukjang brand comes from Seoil Farm, which has operated since the mid-1980s and whose CEO, Seo Bun-rye, is also the nation's sole government-designated master of the food.

The well-kept farm is expansive with an area of 30,000 "pyeong" or 99,000 square meters, and is home to an upscale, country-club-style edifice. While the farm's cheonggukjang has been well-known among some consumers for a while, it has reached a broader market recently and is selling out through home shopping channels. Whenever the product sells out, Seo, 71, said she bursts into tears of joy.

"I promised myself I would not cry, but when it sells well, I feel overwhelmed thinking of the work we put into making this product, which is healthy and based on a traditional art form passed down to us by our ancestors," Seo explained.

Seoil Farm's cheonggukjang is made using the traditional Korean method of natural fermentation using straws or open air for starters to grow Bacillus subtillis contained in the food product.

It is beneficial for helping blood circulation, easing constipation and boost immunity. The health benefits and more efficient manufacturing process of cheonggukjang (compared to "doenjang," another type of soybean paste made using a longer manufacturing process) are the reasons Seo actively promotes it to all Koreans.

"I want to make everyone, from children to youths to adults, to eat this health food that mothers are now afraid of making.," Seo said.

The key to making cheonggukjang lies in controlling the temperature and humidity, which is why most people are not up for the task. For her cheonggukjang, Seo uses quality beans from the year's first harvest.

She adheres to the traditional process of making cheonggukjang for her products. When making it at home, she would boil about 5kg of beans for a long time and steam them for some time until they are almost mushy. Then, she lines a basket with cotton cloth, fills the basket with up to 10 centimeters of the boiled beans, sticks some straw over the beans to promote Bacillus subtillis, and finally, places a bath towel on top of that and then a blanket over the towel. Next, she performs an important step  she places an electric blanket, set to medium temperature, underneath the basket. Then, the beans are fermented for three to four days. She suggests for the beans an average temperature of 36 to 40. She advises packaging it in smaller portions in the freezer, and taking it out when needed. This homemade cheonggukjang can be eaten raw or made into a Korean-style soup known as "jjigae" by adding water, vegetables and some kimchi.





Employees boil the beans used to make such traditional paste as 'cheonggukjang' / Courtesy of Seoil Farm



Similar to Japanese "natto," this thick soybean paste is well-regarded for its health benefits. "For 100 grams of natto, there is about 150 miligrams of zymoprotein. For 100 grams of naturally fermented cheonggukjang, there is about 250 miligrams of zymoprotein." These health benefits of cheonggukjang are an added appeal to 21st century consumers.





Seo Bun-rye, right, working on the beans. / Courtesy of Seoil Farm



Seoil Farm has earned U.S. FDA approval for its non-smelly cheonggukjang. She said the key is to maintain an even temperature and humidity. Seo also makes doenjang, "gochujang" or red chili paste, and soy sauce.

"I used to make doenjang better, but I realized how much faster it was to make cheonggukjang and how good its health effects were without being as salty as doenjang," Seo said.

Seo, a native of Yeongdeok County in South Gyeongsang Province, worked at Korea's first designer shop, Nora Noh, in Seoul, where she met her husband, a journalist-turned-travel agency CEO. With her business sense, she turned around her husband's poorly operated travel agency. "I finish what I start, and I don't get swayed by other people's opinions. I am a little obstinate in that way," she said.

She bought the farmland in Anseong in 1978, with initial plans to build an elderly care facility. She volunteered at a senior home facility in Seoul in her free time. In 1983, however, one of the patients at the facility died while she was at the center.

The patient's death made her realize her volunteer work may have been for her benefit more than for the patients, and it was around that time she came to Anseong, letting her husband run the travel agency. She started to grow her own beans which she made into paste, after which people asked if they could buy them. Her business was doing well until the Asian financial crisis in 1998. She said she learned her lesson during that crisis when she had to sell her commercial 11-floor building in Gangnam to pay off debts incurred by her husband's travel agency and her farm. "I realized one should not exceed his or her own capacity," she said.

Now she and her daughter, who is designated to succeed her as a cheonggukjang master, aim to operate the family business at its current scale of 30 employees.

Seoil Farm posts around 7 billion won to 8 billion won in annual sales for its cheonggukjang, doenjang and gochujang. Its restaurant, Solee, is also highly popular, with lines of customers waiting on weekends.

"We will not grow it any larger; that will be excessive ambition, greed. I am happy at this level," Seo said.

Seoil Farm together with Anseong city government advanced into Pyongyang, North Korea, around 2008, where they built a factory; but since inter-Korean relations started to sour, she has not been back. She hopes amid the fast-pace reconciliation between the two Koreas, she will get the chance to reopen it.
By Park Si-soo







Japan is moving to hold a meeting between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, local media reported on Wednesday.







The Japanese government did not confirm this. If true, it reflects Tokyo's increasing fears of being left behind in dealing with the North, with the leaders of South Korea and the United States set to meet Kim in April and May, respectively.







A spokeswoman for Japan's foreign ministry told AFP that she could not confirm any concrete plans for a summit.







But she added, "we will be studying our policies from the viewpoint of what is most effective" to resolve the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs as well as the abduction of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang.


By Kim Se-jeong



The recent #MeToo movement resonates with many women in Korea, giving them a sense of social justice. But it doesn't fully do so with immigrant wives in Korea who often fall victim to sexual assault at home.



Tens of thousands of young Asian women have moved to Korea after marrying Korean men  their population outnumbers female migrant workers.



Many experience hardships in their marriages, often including sexual violence and mistreatment, but they choose to stay quiet because they have too much to lose by speaking up about their spouses' behavior.



Their silence was also reflected at a press conference held in the National Assembly last Friday.



Stories of their horrendous experiences were told but not by the victim themselves. Their stories were told by activists and interpreters helping them through the ordeals.



"These women have a lot to lose if they speak out," said Kim Hye-sook, co-chairwoman of the Korea Women Migrants Human Rights Center who organized the press conference. "They're aware of the movement and somehow hope it will save them."



As an activist, Kim added the #MeToo movement gives little hope to the migrant women. "There has been much momentum to address this issue before, but nothing happened eventually."



The stories recounted at the press conference were upsetting.



In one case, a Vietnamese immigrant had her younger sister fly in to live with her in Korea, as she had three children and needed help with childcare. The tragedy began when her husband raped her sister.



In fear of repeated rape, she left home with her three children and her sister. At a shelter, she faced a hard choice: to either raise her three children alone as an illegal alien or return home to stay with her husband as if nothing happened. She chose the latter _ she needed a husband to stay in Korea legally and get Korean citizenship and feared becoming a single mother.



In a separate case, a Vietnamese woman had her mother fly into Korea to help her with childbirth. Her younger sister also lived in Korea with her own family. Her mother went to help her sister and was raped by a friend of her son-in-law's father. The mother learned the son-in-law's father even assisted his friend in the assault.



The mother sued him but the suffering continued because the offender's family pressured her to settle the case.



The mother's family back in Vietnam also got to know what happened to her, and when she was ready to go back she was unwelcome at her old village due to opposition from her family and had to find another place to live.



Kim said the migrants need policy support to speak up.



"If they need an abusive husband around to stay legal in Korea, how can they speak up against him?"


By Kim Rahn





Rex Tillerson

The U.S.'s North Korea policy may get tougher following President Donald Trump's sacking of dovish Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and replacing him with the hawkish CIA Director Mike Pompeo.



Some experts forecast confusion in the U.S.'s foreign and security policies during the transition period ahead of possible historic Washington-Pyongyang talks, while others predict no major changes as Pompeo has been working to create the current conciliatory mood along with his South Korean counterparts.



Trump made the surprise announcement of Tillerson's ouster via Twitter, Tuesday. Tillerson has been one of the representative dovish figures in the administration, and has often clashed with Trump over North Korea issues. When he sought dialogue with Pyongyang, Trump said he was "wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man" (North Korean leader Kim Jong-un).



Pompeo, on the contrary, has been tough on Pyongyang, often mentioning regime change there and the use of military options, being skeptical of achieving denuclearization of the North through dialogue.









"Without nuclear envoy Joseph Yun and Secretary Tillerson, there's no one in the Trump administration who would talk with the North," Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said.



"The personnel change may not hinder the planned Washington-Pyongyang talks from being held. But removing those advocating dialogue with North Korea could cause instability in U.S.-North Korea relations."





Mike Pompeo
Justin Chang



By Justin Chang



It is almost the three-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that ripped through Nepal in 2015 and the wounds are still fresh. I've been to Nepal twice since the earthquake, and during each visit I am appalled by how evident the destruction still is.



Half-crumbling buildings stand crooked and bent. People who have lost their homes go about their business in makeshift tent villages. The earthquake seems like it occurred in the distant past but the road to recovery is still long for the Nepali people.



The world is abundant with tragedies like the earthquake in Nepal. At the Balukhali refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, 600,000 Rohingya people continue to struggle with issues of rights, dignity, and sanitation. In Bangladesh and Kenya, clean water is a commodity.



Who do we look toward to combat these issues?



Just a few months ago, we relied on NGOs like Oxfam to be the frontline against poverty, inequality, and tragedy. But in light of recent scandals that have brought forth allegations of sexual misconduct of some Oxfam employees in Haiti in 2011 and Chad in 2006, our trust is understandably shaken.



How can an organization whose cornerstone is to fight for equality and women's rights be embroiled in such a scandal?

Many responded with a campaign against Oxfam and other NGOs _ Minnie Driver has stepped down from her position as an ambassador for Oxfam, 7,000 regular donors suspended their support for the organization, and the NGO has been under the scrutiny of the public, the media, and even governments.



Yet, we must still remember the good Oxfam has done.



It is right to be angry and right to lose faith. But we must also remember the 76 year fight against poverty Oxfam has been waging and that the organization has had a generally good _ not perfect, but still admirable _ track record regarding women's rights.



Last year, nearly 1 million women were supported to advocate for their rights and campaign against gender inequality and more than 500,000 women around the world increased their ownership of land and other assets thanks to Oxfam's support.



This, of course, does not, should not, and cannot excuse Oxfam, but it is hasty and rash to rescind support for an organization with a history of providing help wherever it is needed.



We must be reminded again that poverty still exists.



A while ago, I visited Cambodia. There, I was approached by two girls no more than 10 years old that were desperately trying to sell handmade bracelets to passing tourists.



This isn't a special encounter in any sense _ most people have either witnessed poverty or are currently living in poverty _ but it sure is a telling one. I was reminded, yet again, that poverty exists. And, these past few weeks, I continue to look back to that moment to remind myself that poverty still exists.



We must realize that people out there need the good work Oxfam and other NGOs have been doing.



I currently live in South Korea and we are a very rich nation. The standards of living are high, education is nearly impeccable, and I don't need to worry about things like clean water and food. Compared to much of the world, the life I currently live is a blessing. But to those not fortunate enough to have won the lottery of birth, life is a struggle. Humanitarian aid may be tangential to our lives but it is central to those who desperately need Oxfam's help.



We can't help on our own.



Us donors don't have the capability to mount a large-scale project for humanitarian aid nor the motivation to risk our lives to the betterment of the lives of others.



Large NGOs have the resources, the expertise, and the support to make help available to all who need it. Currently, over 12,000 Oxfam employees around world work directly with 19.2 million people worldwide to fight against poverty and save lives.



Still, we must not let Oxfam and other NGOs off the hook so easily.



Punishing Oxfam by rescinding support will also punish those who Oxfam helps. Then, the more prudent course of action would be to advocate for reform, strengthened safeguards, and thorough investigation of both allegations in the past and any that may arise in the future.



Oxfam has taken a step in the right direction with its new independent High-Level Commission on Sexual Misconduct but must continue to walk along that same path.



But it's up to us to support them along the way.




By Park Si-soo







A Korean man was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping the sister of his Filipino wife. The man, 39, surnamed Jeon, was also ordered to receive 120 hours of sex-crime prevention education.







An appellate court in Gwangju handed down the ruling on Wednesday, overturning a lower court's acquittal.







"The accused raped his sister-in-law who came from the Philippines to attend his wedding ceremony. It's really a bad crime," wrote Judge Lee Jae-kwon in a ruling statement. "The victim experienced a great deal of humiliation, shame and mental shock, which caused serious depression, stress-driven emotional disorder and chronic insomnia."







According to court documents, the incident happened on Feb. 15 last year, three days before the wedding ceremony. The groom-to-be raped his sister-in-law after they went out together to buy gifts for wedding guests.







A lower court acquitted him based on circumstantial and tangible evidence, with which it presumed the two to be in a romantic relationship.


Shin Yeon-hee

By Kim Se-jeong



Gangnam-gu Office has been grappling with a leadership vacuum since its head was arrested on charges of embezzlement and abuse of power.



Compounded by the upcoming May 13 local elections, many officials have virtually abandoned their duties, while paying attention to who will become the next district chief.



Incumbent head Shin Yeon-hee was arrested on Feb. 27 over allegations of embezzlement and abuse of power. According to the prosecution, she allegedly embezzled taxpayers' money worth 93 million won to cover her personal expenses. The money was supposed to go to district office employees as a bonus.



Shin, who was serving her second term as district head, also faces an allegation she abused her power in selecting a nursing home operator to get one of her family members a job.

Shin has reportedly denied all allegations and is also attempting to influence district affairs from jail.



After her arrest, the district government has faced pressure from the Seoul Metropolitan Government which filed a criminal complaint against Shin's four colleagues for refusing to comply with the city government's recommendations.



In 2016, the city's periodical audit found four the district officials guilty of dereliction of duty and recommended they be demoted, but the district office rejected the recommendation.



The district office's public relations official surnamed Kim downplayed the consequences of the leadership vacuum.



"Despite her absence, employees are working as usual under the leadership of the deputy head," Kim said.



But, not all agreed. One anonymous employee said, "It's so disappointing to learn the chief did what she did. I totally lost my trust in her."



The resentment was also felt among 550,000 district residents.



A district resident in his 50s said, "I feel sad we had such a corrupt person as a leader for almost eight years. Voters should be more conscious of the politicians they vote for, but more importantly, each party must be more careful when they choose a candidate."



Another female Gangnam resident in her 30s said, "Is this the Gangnam Style we once proudly heralded?"



Another resident said, "When people talk about my district head, I feel guilty. Gangnam already carried a sense of guilt because it's the main culprit for skyrocketing property prices in the country. I am sad we have other things to feel guilty about."

The local elections to replace Shin are less than two months away. As local elections are slated for June 13, according to the Seoul Election Commission, five candidates have expressed their bids for the district chief race.



Shin was elected in 2010 to lead one of Seoul's wealthiest districts.



Her political victory was largely thanks to then President Lee Myung-bak, with whom she had worked at the Seoul Metropolitan Government when Lee was mayor.



With Shin as district chief, Gangnam-gu's relationship with the city government has been rocky. She pushed to gain more autonomy from City Hall.



The district has almost 550,000 residents on 39 square kilometers of land. It houses major tourist attractions, COEX and nearby financial institutions which make it one of the most coveted places to live for Seoul residents.












By Kang Aa-young, Park Si-soo







Seoul's Mapo-gu district has launched an English news program for foreign residents, officials said Wednesday.





The program, "Mapo Right Now," covers the gamut of issues related to Mapo and is updated monthly. People can watch the program using the "Mapo news app" on their smartphone or on the district's news

.







Mapo-gu is the first of 24 districts in Seoul to produce an English news program for foreigners.







The program's hosts are Lee Min-young from Arirang TV and Lee Sunny from tbs eFM.




Former president denies charges of bribery, power abuse





By Lee Kyung-min





Former President Lee Myung-bak, denied involvement Wednesday in a wide range of alleged wrongdoings sanctioned under his administration. Lee appeared before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office at 9:22 a.m. to undergo questioning on 20 charges including bribery, abuse of power, embezzlement, breach of trust, tax evasion, and violations of the election and presidential records laws.



Lee said he was devastated, but fell short of clarifying his stance on the various allegations. "I stand here with a heavy heart. I offer my deep apology for causing concern to the people amid increasing tension surrounding the Korean Peninsula over security threats, as well as the hardship experienced by regular people," he said before hundreds of journalists. "I also would like to apologize to my supporters and those who continue to experience difficulties related to the investigation. As a former president, I have a lot to say, but I promised myself that I would refrain from speaking too much. I hope this (the questioning) will be the last in the country's history."



Bribery in the amount of 11 billion won ($10.5 million) is the gravest charge Lee faces, a claim he flatly denied. Taking 100 million won or over in bribes is punishable by a minimum prison term of ten years. The Supreme Court sentencing guidelines stipulate that a minimum of an 11-year sentence be imposed on those who received 500 million won or more.



Lee is suspected of receiving around 1.75 billion in bribes from the National Intelligence Service through his closest aides many of whom have recently confessed to their roles in delivering the money to him. He is also suspected of having received 2.2 billion won from former Woori Financial CEO Lee Pal-sung in return for helping him assume the post by exerting undue influence on the financial institution that the government was the largest shareholder at the time. This allegation was substantiated after prosecutors questioned Lee Myung-bak's son-in-law, Samsung Electronics senior executive Lee Sang-joo who admitted to delivering 800 million won to Lee Sang-deuk, an elder brother of the former president, after he received it from a close aide of Lee Pal-sung. The son-in-law is also suspected of having received an additional 1.4 billion won from Lee Pal-sung, a claim he denies.




By Kim Jae-heun







With former President Lee Myung-bak undergoing questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Wednesday, over corruption allegations, most citizens are calling for heavy punishment against him.





A 38-year-old citizen, identified only by his surname Park, said Lee's denial of all corruption allegations angers him.





"The investigations are still ongoing, but I think Lee, as an ex-president of our country, should at least be embarrassed by the situation he faces and apologize for disappointing the people," Park said.





"I voted for him in 2008 with the hope he would improve Korea's economy and now I feel betrayed for supporting him back then."





The People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Democratic Society, a progressive civic group, issued a statement urging for the imprisonment of the ex-president over the possibility he would coordinate his stories with others connected to the alleged wrongdoings and attempt to destroy evidence.













"The prosecution has been dropping charges against the former president and his close aides as the investigation proceeds, and controversy over the prosecution's poor investigation has flared up," the lawyers said. "They have to start a proper probe into Lee's alleged involvement in illegal acts and impose strict punishment in the cases that turn out to be true."





The Korean Federation for Environmental Movement has pointed out the investigation has excluded corruption allegations against Lee regarding the Four Rivers Restoration Project.





"Summoning ex-President Lee Myung-bak is the beginning to restoring the four rivers. Not only will we ask Lee to take legal responsibility for his corruption related to the project, but also he will have to pay the cost for undoing the damage to the rivers," official said.





Liberal groups including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions also held a joint press conference to criticize Lee, saying he abused his power during his presidency.





"Lee should've never become our president. His corruption has been known for a long time and, at least, we are satisfied it has rose to the surface and now he is judged by the law," the group's official said.





"He is the fifth president to come to the prosecution, but we must say he is the worst. If prosecutors need more time, because the suspicions over his alleged corruptions are so vast, Lee should be called again for questioning one more time."


By Kim Bo-eun



Foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha will depart for Washington as planned Thursday for talks with U.S. officials, despite her U.S. counterpart Rex Tillerson's sudden dismissal.



"The minister will leave with plans to meet John Sullivan, the acting secretary of state," ministry spokesman Noh Kyu-duk said Wednesday.



"South Korea and the U.S. agreed that it is critical to maintain strong cooperation through close communication between foreign affairs authorities despite the U.S. replacement of personnel, as the two countries face pressing issues including the North Korea nuclear matter and trade affairs," he said, adding Washington expressed wishes for Kang to make the visit as planned.



U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tillerson's ouster via Twitter, late Tuesday, stating he will be replaced by Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo.



Kang's visit to Washington from Thursday through Saturday had been finalized before the changes were announced. She had been set to meet with Tillerson to discuss the latest developments surrounding Pyongyang, including a slated summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Trump in May.



Kang told reporters Wednesday the dismissal was a "sudden change."






Rep. Park Sung-joong, PR chairman of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, criticizes Gallup Korea at a press conference, Tuesday.



By Choi Ha-young



The largest conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) has sent a letter to U.S. consulting firm Gallup to protest what it called Gallup Korea's "biased" opinion polls.



But Gallup Korea is not a subsidiary of Gallup, and has no business ties with the U.S. firm. Gallup Korea is a member of Gallup International, based in Switzerland since 1979. The U.S. firm withdrew from the association in 1993.



Company officials said the LKP is fully aware of this but is using the U.S. firm for a malicious campaign against Gallup Korea.



Rep. Park Sung-joong, LKP's PR chief, said: "I think Gallup could have some leverage on Gallup Korea, since the latter has used Gallup's reputation for its business."



In the protest letter, the LKP claimed Gallup Korea uses biased methods for its surveys, unlike other pollsters. For example, the LKP gained a 12 percent popularity rating in Gallup Korea's survey issued March 8. In a poll released by Realmeter on the same day, the LKP received 18.6 percent support.



The LKP claimed Gallup Korea discriminated against parties by arranging their names according to the Korean alphabet, not in order of Assembly seats.



"The order of names of parties may affect respondents choices for the survey and it can be favorable to a certain party and unfavorable to others," Park said in the letter.



The party also took issue with the pollster's survey methods, claiming it intentionally uses biased questions.



But Gallup Korea said it conducts surveys in consultation with the National Election Commission. "Such conspiracies have been raised always, since we began the survey service in 1987," said Jung Ji-yeon, director of Gallup Korea. "If our surveys are really biased, the LKP could file a lawsuit rather than appeal to the public."



According to experts, such gaps between polling agencies originate from differing survey methods. Gallup Korea hires interviewers who are charged with asking questions via phone, while other pollsters usually use an automated response system (ARS).



Experts view conservatives, a political minority amid the overwhelming popularity of liberal President Moon Jae-in, as being less likely to reveal their political inclinations in phone interviews, as shown in the term "shy conservatives." However, they are less burdened in revealing their orientation using the ARS.



But Jung backed the company's methodology. "In ARS, respondents without strong loyalty to certain parties easily skip polls. On the other hand, by doing interviews, our interviewers can persuade swing voters' participation," she said.



"It is more accurate to say Gallup Korea's polls represent more nonpartisan citizens compared to other agencies. Without such benefits, the company has no reason to adopt the method which is more burdensome and expensive."


The Korea Times appointed Shim Jae-yun, 53, as its managing editor, Thursday.



Shim joined the newspaper in 1990 and has served as editor of the business, politics and city desks, and deputy managing editor.



Regarding his role in the new post, Shim said he would put a priority on strengthening the company spirit and creating an environment so that the journalists can produce quality articles deserving of the nation's oldest and most influential English newspaper.



The paper also tapped Cho Jae-hyon to be in charge of its planning department while naming Kim Ji-soo as deputy managing editor. Lee Hyo-sik and Park Hyong-ki will serve as business and city desk editors, respectively.
By Arthur I. Cyr





"Highly likely" is how Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May describes involvement of Russia's government in a shocking poison incident. She fiercely denounced a "brazen attempt to murder innocent civilians on our soil."



The poisoning March 4 of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia provides a grim reminder that the Cold War may be over, but features of that long bitter struggle remain.



A police officer found the father and daughter unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, a city near London. They remain hospitalized in intensive care. The nerve agent also affected the officer, now hospitalized.



They were the victims of an extremely rare chemical not readily available to the public, or even the criminal underworld. The military nerve agent is a product of Russia.



Skripal worked for the GRU, the military intelligence arm of Russia's government, until he retired in 1999. Later he confessed to working as a double agent for British intelligence from 1995.



In 2006, a Russia court convicted him and imposed a prison sentence of thirteen years. In 2010, authorities freed him as part of a U.S.-Russian spy swap, following the exposure of a ring of Russian espionage agents in the United States.



During Skripal's trial, Russian media compared the damage done to state security to that of Oleg Penkovsky. That double agent provided important secret data to United States agents regarding Soviet military and intelligence resources. Information he provided is credited with helping President John F. Kennedy and associates maneuver successfully through the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.



The Soviet state executed Penkovsky in 1963. According to one report, executioners burned him alive in a crematorium, a warning to deter others.



Also in 2006, Russian intelligence defector Alexander Litvinenko mysteriously suffered poisoning in London. On his deathbed, he blamed the Russian government.



Russian domestic politics also has involved gruesome violence. In early 2009, near the Kremlin on a sunny day on a public street, activist attorney Stanislav Markelov was murdered. The hitman also murdered journalist Anastasia Baburova as she tried to help Markelov. The killer was a pro, his pistol equipped with a silencer.



Markelov had publicly denounced the early release from prison of Colonel Yuri Budanov, sentenced to ten years for strangling a woman during the war in Chechnya. Budanov claimed she was a partisan sniper, but the court rejected his defense. Granting him freedom stoked controversy. Budanov in turn was murdered gangland-style in Moscow in June 2011.



Baburova worked for "Novaya Gazeta," an opposition newspaper. Journalist Anna Politkovskaya of that paper was very prominent in investigation of human-rights abuses in Chechnya. She was murdered in 2006.



In a dramatic interview with Voice of America, after the killings of Baburova and Markelov, "Novaya Gazeta" representative Nadezhda Prosenkova stated that the newspaper's staff literally risked their lives simply by endeavoring to do their jobs.



How should British, American and others deal with Kremlin killers? Winston Churchill observed "the key" to Russia is national interest. During World War II, our interests joined.



Today, as during the Cold War, consistency and firmness are essential in dealing with Moscow. Russia's economy remains fragile, dangerously dependent on petroleum and other natural resources, hostage to declines in the price of oil, plagued by corruption.



NATO must resist Russia's expansion efforts in Europe. Middle East engagement by both Russia and the U.S. may bring cooperation, but also confrontation, notably in Syria.



Weighing Russian crimes should be only one component of policy.





Arthur I. Cyr (acyr@carthage.edu) is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War."




Lee should be subject to thorough probe



Nothing could be more shameful than seeing a former president appear for questioning at a prosecutors' office. This was all the more so when Lee Myung-bak became the fifth former head of state to be summoned as a criminal suspect Wednesday. He faces 20-plus charges, including bribery, embezzlement, abuse of power and tax evasion.



What Lee should do now is tell the truth about irregularities he allegedly committed while in office from 2008 to 2013. He should be subject to a thorough investigation. If he tries to hide the truth and cover up the facts, he could end up further disgracing himself and humiliating the people and the nation.



Lee is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, just as every citizen is. He needs to bear in mind that all humans are equal before the law, with no exceptions. It would be nonsense if he believes he is above the law only because he is a former leader.



He should have spared no effort to ensure the rule of law during his term before shouting the empty slogan of ushering in a clean and transparent society. It is a pity he failed to remain free from any suspicious acts. Lee may claim he had done nothing wrong. He may also accuse the liberal Moon Jae-in government of mobilizing the prosecution to press groundless charges against him.



But Lee went too far in defending himself. Earlier this year he denounced the investigation as political revenge. He must have believed Moon has a grudge against him as the latter's own political mentor, former President Roh Moo-hyun, committed suicide in 2009 amid a bribery investigation under the Lee government.



Before making a case for a political vendetta, Lee should have asked himself: Was there anything wrong with him and his presidency? If not, he can refute any allegations against him during the inquiry.



Lee is suspected of having taken about 11 billion won ($10 million) in bribes from Samsung Group, the National Intelligence Service and private individuals. The sum included 6 billion won Samsung paid in litigation fees for auto parts maker DAS, whose real owner is widely seen as Lee although his brother runs it. Another 2.2 billion won allegedly came from a former president of Woori Financial Group.



The charges Lee faces appear no less serious than those against his successor Park Geun-hye. Park is waiting for a verdict next month in a massive corruption and influence-peddling case that led to her impeachment and indictment last year. Other disgraced former presidents included Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo who were convicted of treason, bribery and other charges.



We hope Lee is the last former president to face criminal charges. If the country fails to end such shameful and tragic episodes, we cannot avoid a repetition of past mistakes nor create a better future.










By Kang Seung-woo







LG Electronics is beefing up its efforts to appeal to the high growth potential Middle East with its lucrative premium products.







According to the Korean tech giant, Wednesday, it launched a premium brand shop at Rozana Mall in Kuwait on Sunday, at which products of the company's ultra-premium brand Signature are on display.







The shopping mall is one of the largest commercial districts in the Arab country.







The opening ceremony of the brand shop included Yoo Yeon-chu, the Korean ambassador to Kuwait, Kevin Cha, president of LG Electronics Middle East and Africa, and Choi Yong-geun, president of LG Gulf.







According to LG, the brand shop is a two-story, 433-square-meter flagship store, featuring organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TVs, washing machines, and refrigerators from the Signature line.







Also, the store allows visitors to pre-test those home appliances at the tryout zone before purchasing them.







Along with Kuwait, LG has been running 12 brand shops in other key Middle East countries such as Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.







It also plans to expand in key shopping districts of the region.







All 12 stores feature Signature products, boosting the company's brand recognition, according to LG.







"LG plans to continuously expand the brand shops in the Middle East with strong growth potential in order to bolster the company's presence in the region's premium market," Cha said.







Starting at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2016, the company began rebranding itself as a premium-oriented company. Two years ago in Las Vegas, LG wowed the global media and clients with its LG Signature "super premium" sub-brand.







LG's premium-quality strategy has borne fruit in recent years, as LG Signature and Signature Kitchen Suite have drawn favorable responses and successfully landed on the global market.







Last August, LG opened a showroom for ultra-premium built-in kitchen appliances in Seoul -- the SIGNATURE Kitchen Suite -- at which the company displays its high-end appliances, ranging from refrigerators and microwaves to dishwashers.







LG has set its sights on making it to the top five of the global ultra-premium built-in kitchen market, worth $45 billion (48 trillion won), by 2020.


President Moon Jae-in charges Kia Motors' electric car model Soul EV during his visit to the southwestern city of Gwangju in this file photo taken Sept. 11, 2016. At the time, he was the former chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye



POSCO ICT seeks to set up a joint venture with a potential partner to expand its business in electric vehicle (EV) charging, the company said Wednesday.



The affiliate of steelmaking giant POSCO has retained Samil PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as its financial adviser to attract strategic investors and develop an EV business model.



"We are open to possibilities in setting up a joint venture," a POSCO ICT official said.



The company is one of the country's five EV charger providers licensed by the government.



The four others are KT, GNTEL, Korea Electric Vehicle Charge Service and EVERON. These companies have set up EV chargers in parking lots for apartments and public facilities nationwide.



Industry sources said POSCO ICT has experienced difficulties in its business-to-consumer (B2C) EV-charging business as the firm's business system is mostly focused on the business-to-business (B2B) sector. This led POSCO to review various methods of reorganizing relevant divisions.



As well as the establishment of a joint venture, the firm is also considering starting an additional business that uses its charging infrastructure.



Sources said companies can expand their EV-charging businesses in diverse ways by making use of chargers set up at key points nationwide.



POSCO ICT has secured automotive customers including Hyundai Motor, BMW Korea and GM Korea.



The firm has also made its foray into the EV-charging markets of Central and South America.



Last year, the company installed 1,621 charging facilities among 8,457 nationwide, taking the No.2 position after KT, according to a report the Ministry of Environment issued in February.



KT, the nation's biggest fixed-line internet operator and its second-largest mobile carrier, set up 3,656 chargers for electric cars, while GNTEL made 1,273, Korea Electric Vehicle Charge Service 1,240 and EVERON 667.



The ministry said the figures were tallied based on government subsidies offered to the five firms by the end of December.



The ministry noted it will reflect performances of the five companies as well as the results of its on-the-spot surveys of the chargers in its evaluation to select EV charger providers for this year. In field surveys, ministry officials looked into the quality of charging facilities as well as their accessibility and operational state.


James Thurman, left, and Edward Royce / Korea Times file



By Zhenhua Lu, US correspondent





A retired US Army general and the chairman of the US house foreign affairs committee have emerged as candidates to become US President Donald Trump's ambassador to Seoul.

Retired US Army General James Thurman and outgoing Republican Representative Edward Royce are under consideration for the ambassadorship, two sources with knowledge of the matter told the South China Morning Post.

The pair emerged as candidates after the White House rejected presumptive nominee Victor Cha, a veteran Korean expert and former National Security Council official, because of his unwillingness to endorse a preliminary strike strategy on North Korea.

Thurman, 64, was a member of US Vice President Mike Pence's delegation to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in early February. His presence was "a pretty good sign he is under consideration [for the ambassadorship]," according to one of the sources.

The general served in South Korea as commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea from 2011 to 2013.

Previously, he was a former commanding general at US Army Forces Command and deputy chief of staff at the US Defence Department.

The 66-year-old Royce, chairman of the US house foreign affairs committee, was also among Pence's delegation to Pyeongchang. He announced in January that he would not seek reelection in the US congressional midterm election in November.

White House officials are "talking about" the pair, although no decision has been made yet, the other source said.

After Trump on Thursday announced he would accept an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet by May, the US Korean policy circle began moving with greater urgency to fill important diplomatic vacancies to support communication with Pyongyang.

The Seoul US ambassador's post has been vacant for more than a year. Joseph Yun, the US State Department's top diplomat in charge of North Korean policy, also announced his retirement in late February.

The Heritage Foundation's senior research fellow, Bruce Klingner, has urged the US government to "move quickly" to fill vacancies related to policymaking.

"Trump should also appoint a senior envoy to coordinate US policy on North Korea and serve as a high-level interlocutor," Klingner said.

Gary Samore, executive director at Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said Trump should appoint a senior envoy to represent him in negotiations with Pyongyang.

"That will be one of the most important next steps toward thwarting the global threat of a nuclearised North Korea," said Samore, who was a senior adviser on weapons of mass destruction to former US president Barack Obama.

"At this point," Samore told the Post, "it looks like Trump has decided to be his own special envoy."

"We recognise the importance of designating an US ambassador to the Republic of Korea," a spokesman at the State Department said in an email.

"We are working closely with the White House team to expedite this nomination process."

Thurman told Newsweek magazine in December that the need for a US ambassador was "very critical" to US forces in South Korea.

"The linkage that the commander has with that ambassador is absolutely essential," Thurman was quoted. "When something happened over there, the first guy I'd call was the ambassador."

That Thurman is under consideration shows Trump's administration appears to prefer to designate former or current military officers as civilian diplomats.

Trump in February nominated the current US Pacific commander, Admiral Harry Harris, to fill the role of US ambassador to Australia, which has been empty since September 2016.

Having an ambassador who understands both the Korean and US militaries would be very useful, one of the sources said, particularly if diplomacy proves ineffective and the US again has to consider taking military action against Pyongyang.

"I'm sure Secretary of Defence James Mattis knows [Thurman] as well," the source said.
(ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) High school students from the St. Joseph public high schools took part in a walkout protest towards gun violence Wednesday morning.

Protests were scheduled to last 17 minutes for the 17 victims of last month's school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

The St. Joseph School District said in a statement that "students who choose to participate will be provided a safe space on campus and will be supervised by staff members throughout. Student safety is our top priority. We have made our district security team and local law enforcement aware in case additional support is needed."

The release added that while the district respects the sensitive nature of the event, "we appreciate the importance of keeping students in class. It is important to find a balance between the sensitive subject matter and instructional time."

A different gathering of around 10 students did not participate in the walkout stayed near Central High School, carrying a large American flag.
[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The exhibition "Perfumes of China: The culture of incense in imperial times" at the Cernuschi Museum in Paris, France, is presenting a novel take on Chinese civilization through the exploration of its incense and perfumes.

The exhibition, which is jointly curated by the Shanghai Museum and Cernuschi Museum, kicked off on March 9 and brings together 110 art and archaeology objects dating from the 3rd century BC to the 19th century.

Shanghai Museum has brought a selection of ceramics, drawings, bronzes and paintings to be shown in Europe for the first time, alongside about 20 pieces from the Cernuschi Museum collection, according to Eric Lefebvre, curator of the Cernuschi Museum.

The Cernuschi Museum is one of the first European institutions to collaborate with Shanghai Museum. Yang Zhigang, director of Shanghai Museum, said at the opening ceremony for the exhibition that the culture of incense is "an epitome of the Chinese civilization."

Incense was at first used for religious purposes and later became an intrinsic part of the lifestyle of the literati. "Perfume has often been a catalyst for Chinese art," Yang said.

"The French people, who are internationally renowned for their perfumes, shared with Chinese this love and appreciation for fragrance. That has given this exhibition a richer narrative," Yang added.

The pieces on display will provide visitors with a broad overview of Chinese craftsmanship, from bronze smiths to lacquer painters. A collection of works by great painters such as Chen Hongshou and Qiu Ying that depict elegant ladies, hermits and scholars and their relationship to incense is also on show.

The exhibition will take place at the Cernuschi Museum at 7 Avenue Velasquez, Paris, till Aug 26.
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover
Rome, March 13 - Italian State-controlled defence and aerospace giant Leonardo said Tuesday that it has reached an agreement with trade unions for 1,000 workers to take voluntary early retirement in the coming years. A statement said the workers taking early retirement would be those maturing the necessary requirements in the four years after the exits planned in the 2018-2019 plan. It said the operation would increase the company's "competitiveness and profitability".
COLUMN: Recent streak of crime, rancor, complicity spell doom for decency What in the hell is going on? Granted, in the last 18 months  with the pandemic as a reason or an excuse, depending on your perspective  life has taken...

This Sept. 11, will revisiting the past reset our present? Two decades after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, there are distinct perspectives for those looking back on a day that stopped a nation in its tracks. Many of those who...
Theres not a choice to be quiet about certain things, said Amber Tamblyn from the stage at the Mark Taper Auditorium at the Los Angeles Central Library on Tuesday night. The poet, actress and Times Up activist said that the election felt like a catalyst for me an intensified catapult that unleashed a flood of new writing. In the last two years, she said, Ive felt much more connected to my rage space.

Tamblyn, who appeared as Joan in the television series Joan of Arcadia joined author Lidia Yuknavitch, who retold the Joan of Arc story in her science fiction novel The Book of Joan, as part of the librarys ALOUD series.

The theme of the evening was Misfits Unite, a riff on Yuknavitchs TED talk, The Beauty of Being a Misfit, which has more than 2 million views and led to her TED book The Misfits Manifesto. The evenings readings and conversation, moderated by journalist Ann Friedman, touched on the patriarchy, the resistance, the necessity for outsider voices and how to dismantle  and rebuild  cultural narratives.

Advertisement

Tamblyn read from her poetry collection Dark Sparkler, about the lives of actresses who died young (think a young Carol Lombard meets a younger Anna Nicole, she read, recasting the insidiousness of the casting call) and closed with a new poem titled Letter to My Childhood Dream, which referenced Tom Brokaw, Beyonce, water and wolves.

Wolves felt apropos, she said, considering the fact that a certain gentleman is here in Los Angeles this evening. (Streets adjacent to the library had closed for President Trumps motorcade.) Her reading drew vigorous applause; Yuknavitch kissed her hand on bended knee.

Amber Tamblyn (Agatha French / Los Angeles Times )

People are forever thinking that the unthinkable cant happen, read Yuknavitch, an excerpt from the beginning of The Book of Joan, in which a celebrity-turned-dictator rules a suborbital complex in the year 2049. Yet another case of something shiny that entertained us and then devoured us, she read, pausing for effect.

When the writers took the stage together, Yuknavitch described her ambition in The Book of Joan to deconstruct the war story, the love story, and the god story.

Lidia Yuknavitch (Agatha French / Los Angeles Times )

Its a beautiful failure, she said, with genuine pride. Some of us just missed, and continue to miss, she said of the idea of a misfit, but what does matter if the endeavor is worthwhile? For her next project, Ive got my sights on deconstructing nations, she said, asking, what if we loved the planet the way we claim we love lovers?

Advertisement

Tamblyn, who said she felt radicalized after the 2016 presidential election, is also writing  as well as mobilizing the movement Times Up. Its goals are equally ambitious: ending workplace discrimination and harassment across all industries, she said, adding that we really need men to step up and be allies we just need men to be quiet, to listen.

The question of whose stories get told, and who gets to tell them, concerns both writers. Part of the labor is to get more voices, the voices that are disappeared, into the cultural narrative, said Yuknavitch. The patriarchy seems to be breaking down, she said, allowing greater diversity to enter the critical space and form critical mass. Tamblyn agreed. I feel alive with the possibility of it, she said.

agatha.french@latimes.com

@agathafrenchy
Lyfts driverless car strategy became much clearer Wednesday. The ride-hailing service announced it will partner with major automobile industry supplier Magna to develop driverless vehicle systems and make them available to any automaker that wants to buy them.

That could give Lyft a lot more choice when deciding what car brands to buy when it begins shedding labor costs by replacing human drivers with robots.

Canada-based Magna International is one of the worlds largest auto suppliers, with about $39 billion in revenue, offering a wide array of products, including powertrains and car seats.

Magna will invest $200 million in Lyft and collaborate on driverless system development. Lyft will lead the effort. Magna will manufacture the systems and sell them to automakers.

Advertisement

Magna now becomes a one-stop shop for brands which want to deploy autonomous vehicles, said driverless vehicle industry consultant Grayson Brulte.

Last year, another major parts supplier, Delphi, bought Nutonomy, a driverless car company based in Boston, for $400 million.

Lyfts larger competitor, Uber, is developing its own driverless systems for cars and trucks. Googles Waymo will begin a driverless ride-hailing system in and around Phoenix this spring.

russ.mitchell@latimes.com

Twitter: @russ1mitchell
Two titans  the U.S. Justice Department and telecommunications giant AT&T Inc.  are locked in a high-stakes showdown to decide who controls some of the nations most popular television channels.

The Justice Department sued to block AT&Ts planned $85-billion purchase of Time Warner Inc., the New York media company that owns HBO, CNN, TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network and Hollywoods largest movie and TV studio, Warner Bros. The dispute  a rare standoff in an antitrust case  will be decided by a federal judge after a trial that begins Monday in Washington, barring a last-minute settlement.

The government alleges that AT&T, which already owns the nations largest pay-TV provider, DirecTV, would use its added clout to bully others, freeze out new entrants in the TV industry and increase rates for consumers. The Dallas phone company scoffs at such concerns, saying the prices for TV service should go down  not up  if AT&T wins its prize.

The trials outcome will go far beyond who produces the next Batman movie. Experts say that if AT&T prevails, the trend of media consolidation probably will accelerate. A loss by AT&T could chill the market for blockbuster media mergers.

Advertisement

The case also could help shape how traditional television is incorporated into mobile phone offerings. AT&T wants to use CNN, HBO and other networks as incentives to keep customers on their mobile phones. The company also has said it could produce bigger profits by weaving advertising messages relevant to consumers into content streamed on phones.

This is an important case in the fast-evolving industry of video distribution, said Douglas Melamed, a Stanford Law School professor. But these are difficult cases, and thats why we dont see too many of them.

AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson, left, speaks as President Trump looks on at a White House event in June 2017. (Pool / Getty Images )

In the run-up to the trial, there has been much speculation over whether President Trump is behind the governments effort to scuttle the AT&T-Time Warner deal. Trump has long been opposed to the merger, first denouncing it in October 2016, when the deal was announced. Since arriving in Washington, Trump has threatened to use the Justice Department to punish political rivals, such as Hillary Clinton, and he has long groused about CNNs unflattering coverage of him. During a campaign rally last weekend in Pennsylvania, the president again belittled the channel, calling it fake as hell  the worst.

Last week, a group of prominent former Justice Department officials, including former Nixon White House Counsel John Dean, former U.S. Atty. Preet Bharara of New York and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah R. Saldana, sounded an alarm. In a court document, they said White House meddling would amount to selective law enforcement, which is unconstitutional. Both Bharara and Dean are paid CNN analysts, but they said they were speaking for themselves, not the cable network.

Theres been a lot of suspicion about whether the trial has anything to do with the presidents well-publicized distaste for CNN, said Scott Martin, a partner and antitrust expert with law firm Hausfeld in New York. But I dont think thats what is driving this case.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon also seemed skeptical. Last month, the presiding judge denied AT&Ts request to review White House call logs to see whether there had been communications with the Justice Department. AT&T failed to prove it was a victim of selective enforcement, the judge ruled.

Martin said the case instead illustrates how government regulators have become more aggressive in challenging mergers that might be anti-competitive. Weve got a Justice Department that, in recent years, has been unafraid to take a case to trial, he said, citing a federal trial in 2014 over whether American Express had violated antitrust laws by steering customers to certain credit cards.

Advertisement

He said the Justice Department has bolstered its ranks with established litigators from private practice. And in late September, Trumps new antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, took office. Delrahim, who now serves as assistant attorney general, immigrated with his family to the U.S. from Iran when he was a boy, and they settled in Los Angeles.

He has expressed opposition to the Justice Departments previous tactic of adding a long list of remedies as conditions for a merger approval. Such behavioral remedies, Delrahim has said, are difficult to enforce, and thus, largely ineffective. Instead, he prefers divestitures.

In this case, AT&T refused the governments demand that it divest some of the Time Warner networks or DirecTV.

Prominent Los Angeles attorney Daniel Petrocelli is on the other side, leading AT&Ts and Time Warners large legal team. Petrocelli won a wrongful death civil verdict against O.J. Simpson when he represented the families of Ronald Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. He also successfully defended Walt Disney Co. more than a decade ago in a case over Winnie the Pooh royalties.

Advertisement

AT&T Chief Executive Randall Stephenson has said the company has been preparing its case for nearly 18 months.

Since the day weve announced this, weve been preparing to litigate this deal, and we have been working very diligently on a litigation strategy and a litigation plan, Stephenson said at a November investor conference.

President Trump has long groused about CNNs unflattering coverage of him. (David S. Holloway / Getty Images )

The burden is on the government to prove that AT&T would use HBO, TBS, CNN and other networks as weapons to harm competitors.

Advertisement

AT&T is the nations largest pay-TV provider with more than 25 million customer homes through its DirecTV and U-Verse television services. It also boasts more than 100 million customers for mobile phone service, which is increasingly important as phones have become screens of choice for younger consumers.

But the company has been struggling to remain dominant amid dramatic changes in consumer behavior. Three years ago, AT&T spent $67 billion, including debt, to buy DirecTV. Since then, the El Segundo satellite TV service has been bleeding customers. AT&T, in court filings, acknowledged that DirecTV and U-Verse combined lost 1.2 million subscribers in 2017.

Consumers are ditching satellite dishes in favor of less-expensive streaming options, known in the industry as over-the-top services, which are delivered via internet connections.

In only a few years, this phenomenon of over the top premium video has irreversibly reshaped the landscape for the creation and delivery of television content, pushing all players in the market to respond in numerous ways that benefit consumers, AT&T and Time Warner said in their pretrial filing.

Advertisement

The government, however, doubts that AT&T will play nice given the intense pressure on its business. It argues that AT&T has an incentive to coordinate with the nations other major pay-TV operator, Comcast Corp., to thwart competitors that might try to muscle onto their turf.

Prior instances have shown that the industry is vulnerable to coordination, the government said.

It pointed to the rocky rollout of the Los Angeles Dodgers television channel, SportsNet LA, in 2014. Two years later, the Justice Department sued DirecTV and AT&T, alleging collusion among pay-TV operators in Los Angeles. In that case, the government argued that a high-level DirecTV executive shared information with rival executives at other pay-TV companies, which all declined to carry the channel.

That case was eventually settled, but DirecTV still does not offer the Dodgers channel, citing its price tag.

Advertisement

These incidents are irrelevant, yet the government persists in pursuing them, AT&T and Time Warner said in their filing.

AT&T has refused the U.S. governments demand that it divest some of the Time Warner networks or DirecTV. Above, AT&T offices in El Segundo. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times )

Some of the same antitrust lawyers who prepared the Dodgers channel lawsuit are now working to block AT&Ts merger with Time Warner.

But not everybody believes the governments effort will be successful.

Advertisement

The Justice Department has a tremendous uphill climb, said David A. Balto, an antitrust expert in Washington. They are going to have to bring some compelling evidence or else it will be like batting against the Dodgers Clayton Kershaw when you have two strikes against you.

Balto and other experts said the government typically does not challenge so-called vertical mergers  combinations of different parts of the supply chain. Historically, those deals have not been viewed as anti-competitive, unlike horizontal mergers, which are tie-ups of direct rivals.

In fact, the Justice Department allowed a similar vertical merger in 2011 when it approved Comcasts acquisition of media giant NBCUniversal.

I think the government has had some sellers remorse on that one, said Martin, the attorney.

Advertisement

Before it was owned by AT&T, DirecTV protested the marriage of Comcast and NBCUniversal. DirecTV told the government that Comcast would become too powerful if it owned TV channels as well as the distribution system.

Leon, the judge, also was involved with that Comcast case. He made headlines when he threw out an initial agreement between the Justice Department and Comcast. Leon demanded the government strengthen the Comcast merger conditions, which expire later this year.

This will be a very interesting trial to watch, Martin said.

meg.james@latimes.com

Advertisement

@MegJamesLAT
CNBC stock analyst Jim Cramer is excitable by nature, but the former hedge fund manager was really frazzled after hearing who was hired as Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.s chief executive.

Chipotle  the fast-growing burrito chain that became the anti-Taco Bell with food steeped with fresh ingredients, then was rocked by highly publicized outbreaks of E. coli and other food-borne illnesses in late 2015  had recruited, of all people, Taco Bell chief Brian Niccol as its next CEO.

Niccol was the most opposite guy you could possibly find and Chipotle promptly had set up a culture clash, an exasperated Cramer told viewers when Niccols appointment was announced Feb. 13. Its like naming a guy from the Army to run the Air Force.

But others thought Niccol was a strong choice, based on his track record at Taco Bell, and Wall Street cheered. Chipotles battered stock, which had plunged 67% from its record high reached in mid-2015, soared 15% that day amid hopes that Niccol could restore Chipotles sales growth and reputation among consumers.

Chris Keller

Were hard-pressed to find a better fit for Chipotles CEO position than Brian Niccol, Morningstar analyst R.J. Hottovy said in a note to clients. Under Niccols leadership, Taco Bell has been one of the bright spots in U.S. quick-service restaurants.

Niccol, 44, succeeded Steve Ells, Chipotles founder, who remains executive chairman. Niccol has his work cut out. In one of his first moves, Chipotle announced Wednesday that Chief Marketing Officer Mark Crumpacker is stepping down. Crumpacker, a high school friend of Ells, was responsible for such efforts as recruiting rapper RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan to promote Chipotles new menu.

The food-safety woes not only damaged Chipotles reputation, they soiled the Food with Integrity narrative that the Denver-based chain and Ells carefully had crafted for two decades to fuel its growth. It was branding that portrayed Chipotle as a cut above its rivals with fresh, organic ingredients, strong customer service and pleasing in-store furnishings.

Chipotles burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads found a sweet spot amid Americans growing demand for healthier food. The chain was once the benchmark by which fast-casual restaurant chains measured themselves, Hottovy said.

Chris Keller

Chipotle rapidly expanded, initially with a major investment from McDonalds Corp., which eventually took over ownership of the chain. McDonalds then began unwinding its position in 2006 when Chipotle went public at $22 a share. In early August 2015, the stock hit a peak of $757.77 a share  a 34-fold increase.

Then the food-safety scare hit. Diners stayed away, the stock tumbled and activist investor William Ackman swooped in, amassing a 10% stake in Chipotle. He secured two seats on its board in late 2016 in exchange for agreeing not to lift his stake above 12.9% or to make any disparaging public comments about the company for two years.

The chain fundamentally changed the way it sources some ingredients, including preparing some of it earlier and in central kitchens, away from restaurants. Ells acknowledged in late 2016 that because Chipotles employees were so focused on implementing food-safety changes in the aftermath of the disease breakouts, its basic customer service  such as cleanliness and the speed at which customers get through the ordering line  had begun to falter at some restaurants.

When we invite new or lapsed customers into restaurants that are less than perfect, we believe those customers will return less frequently, Ells said at an investor conference.

All of which occurred as Chipotle faced increasing competition in the fast-casual sector from the likes of Qdoba Mexican Eats and Panera Bread, and while overall restaurant sales are sluggish.

We have too many restaurants, said Nicole Miller Regan, an analyst with the investment firm Piper Jaffray Cos. Chipotles woes couldnt have happened at a worst time, frankly, she said.

Nonetheless, Niccol  who, with Ells, declined comment for this article because he had just begun his tenure  arrived after Chipotle at least had stopped the decline caused by the food scare.

Chipotles same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, rose 6.4% last year after they plummeted 20.4% in 2016. The chains revenue rose to $4.5 billion from $3.9 billion in 2016, and profit rose to $176.3 million from $22.9 million, in part because Chipotle kept opening new stores. It had 2,408 locations  including 409 in California  at the start of this year.

But last years profit was less than half the $476 million that Chipotle earned in 2015, when it had 300 fewer restaurants. And Chipotles stock had dropped to $251 a share before Niccol was hired; it closed Tuesday at $326.80.

The chain remains in good financial health, with no long-term debt and $509 million in cash and equivalents as of Dec. 31. That gives Niccol some flexibility as he retools Chipotles strategy.

Chris Keller

A key challenge for Chipotle is theres just nothing new to talk about in terms of its menu or innovation, Hottovy said. Thats what Niccol has to take care of right off the bat, he said. The perception is that he can start bringing some excitement to the brand that hasnt been there for some time.

In fact, Niccol has built a reputation for food service innovation. He worked at Procter & Gamble in brand management  and earned an MBA from the University of Chicago  before joining Yum Brands Inc., which owns Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, in 2005.

He eventually rose to general manager for Pizza Hut USA before shifting to Irvine-based Taco Bell in 2011 as its chief marketing and innovation officer. He became Taco Bells CEO in early 2015.

Niccol was credited for turning Taco Bell into a thriving, youthful brand  he changed the companys slogan from Think outside the bun to Live mas  and vastly improved Taco Bells digital marketing effort, which appealed to tech-savvy millennials.

If you let the brand get old, you will die, he told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. Chipotle also noted that Niccol also transformed Taco Bell into a social media leader and revolutionized its digital approach through mobile ordering and payment across their 7,000 restaurants.

During Niccols stint, Taco Bell expanded its menu to include items such as Doritos Locos Tacos, the Quesarito and Nacho Fries. We have been impressed by Taco Bells approach to menu innovation, marketing creativity and consistent operations, analyst Miller Regan said in a note to clients.

Ells, 51, signaled that he expects Niccol to act decisively to improve the chain.

Brians passion and skill-set ideally position him to make the bold moves needed to improve operations and take the company to the next level, Ells said in a statement when Niccol was hired.

Ells, in turn, deserves praise for showing he wasnt too proud to find the best available CEO, even at a competitor, Miller Regan said.

The question now is how loose will those reins be? under Ells for Niccol to manage, she said, adding: They need to be loose so Brian can do his job.

Chipotle milestones

1993 : Steve Ells, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, opens his first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver with an $80,000 loan from his father.

: Steve Ells, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, opens his first Chipotle Mexican Grill in Denver with an $80,000 loan from his father. 1998 : McDonald's Corp. invests in Chipotle, which eventually becomes a McDonald's subsidiary, and Chipotle aggressively expands.

: McDonald's Corp. invests in Chipotle, which eventually becomes a McDonald's subsidiary, and Chipotle aggressively expands. 2006 : Now with nearly 500 stores, Chipotle goes public at $22 a share as McDonald's begins to unwind its ownership of the chain.

: Now with nearly 500 stores, Chipotle goes public at $22 a share as McDonald's begins to unwind its ownership of the chain. 2014 : Chipotle's annual revenue reaches $4.1 billion as its same-store sales, or sales of stores open at least one year, soar 16.8% from the prior year.

: Chipotle's annual revenue reaches $4.1 billion as its same-store sales, or sales of stores open at least one year, soar 16.8% from the prior year. 2015 : Chipotle's stock hits record high $757.77 a share on Aug. 5. Three months later, reports start to surface of E. coli and other food-borne illnesses at Chipotle restaurants that eventually spread to 15 states, notably in Washington and Oregon. Sales and customer traffic plunge.

: Chipotle's stock hits record high $757.77 a share on Aug. 5. Three months later, reports start to surface of E. coli and other food-borne illnesses at Chipotle restaurants that eventually spread to 15 states, notably in Washington and Oregon. Sales and customer traffic plunge. 2016 : The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closes its probe of the Chipotle outbreaks without determining a food or ingredient responsible. Chipotle overhauls its food-safety procedures and offers discounts to regain lost customers.

: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closes its probe of the Chipotle outbreaks without determining a food or ingredient responsible. Chipotle overhauls its food-safety procedures and offers discounts to regain lost customers. 2017 : Chipotle keeps expanding and ends the year with 2,408 restaurants.

: Chipotle keeps expanding and ends the year with 2,408 restaurants. 2018: Chipotle hires Brian Niccol, head of the Taco Bell fast-food chain, as its chief executive while Ells remains executive chairman.

james.peltz@latimes.com

Twitter: @PeltzLATimes

UPDATES:

10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with news that Chipotles marketing head is stepping down.

This article was originally published at 5 a.m.
Nearly eight years after Congress dramatically toughened banking regulations after the financial crisis, the Senate took a rare bipartisan step and voted Wednesday to ease some rules on small and midsize banks.

But larger banks also get some breaks in the legislation, which led to strong opposition from liberal Democrats who warned those moves increased the risk of another financial meltdown.

Still, a group of moderate Democrats  several of whom face reelection this fall in states handily won by President Trump  joined with Republicans in voting 67 to 31 to enact the first major rollback of the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial overhaul law.

This bill  is designed to protect community banks and credit unions, and thats why we have such bipartisan support for it, said Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), the legislations lead sponsor. At a time of intense political polarization, we have proven we can work together to get things done.

Advertisement

Sixteen Democrats and one independent, Angus King of Maine, who usually votes with the party joined all but one Republican in supporting the bill. That one Republican, Sen. John McCain of Arizona, was absent.

The bill faces an uncertain future in the House, where Republicans last year passed a more sweeping financial deregulation bill. But House Republican leaders could decide the Senates more modest changes are the best Congress can do at this point and pass the Senate bill.

President Trump commended the Senate on the bills passage and would sign it into law, the White House said.

But Trump also looks forward to discussing any further revisions the House is interested in making, with the goal of bipartisan, pro-growth Dodd-Frank relief reaching his desk as soon as possible, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Most of the Senate bills provisions are designed to ease regulatory burdens on small banks and enjoy broad support.

Those banks would see new mortgage rules reduced if they make fewer than 500 loans a year. And banks with less than $10 billion in assets would be exempted from the Volcker Rule, which prohibits institutions from stock trading for their own profit and limits ownership of risky investments.

We needed reform because of all the abuses that occurred, Bill Trezza, chief executive of BAC Community Bank in Stockton, said of Dodd-Frank. But it needed to be targeted, and now theyre targeting it and making sense out of it.

The legislation also would add new consumer protections after Equifax Inc.s massive data breach last year. Credit reporting companies would be required to let consumers freeze and unfreeze their files for free. Active-duy members of the military would also get free credit monitoring.

Advertisement

If thats all the bill did, it would have received near unanimous support.

But the bill takes other more controversial steps to help larger banks that have drawn opposition from liberals such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former regulators and the now-retired authors of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

We start off wanting to help the small banks  but then Wall Street gets involved, said Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who helped lead opposition to the bill.

The legislation would remove Dodd-Franks mandatory stricter oversight for about two dozen larger banks, those with assets of as much as $250 billion. The bill would give Federal Reserve regulators more flexibility in how they oversee large banks.

Advertisement

New Fed Chairman Jerome H. Powell promised to remain vigilant for threats to the financial system. But critics pointed to the Feds failure to act on subprime mortgages before the 2008 financial crisis and raised concerns about the desire of regulators appointed by Trump to be tough on banks.

The bill would weaken regulators ability to enforce fair-lending requirements by exempting 85% of banks and credit unions from Dodd-Frank data-reporting requirements designed to help identify discriminatory practices.

The bill even includes some benefits for Equifax and other credit-reporting companies. They would get immunity from lawsuits over credit monitoring for active-duty service members, and an arcane provision could make it easier for the firms to expand their businesses into providing credit scores for mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would add $671 million to the federal budget deficit over the next decade, largely because the changes would slightly increase the small chance that a systemically important financial institution would fail or a financial crisis would take place.

Advertisement

But the CBO admitted its estimate is subject to considerable uncertainty because of the difficulty of predicting a major bank failure or crisis.

The former lawmakers who shepherded Dodd-Frank into law  Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.)  said they opposed the new bill in part because it raises the asset threshold for mandatory tough bank oversight to $250 billion from $50 billion.

Although there is broad agreement that the current level was set too low, they said the bill pushes it too high.

Frank described the bills changes as modest and said its passage would still leave 90% of Dodd-Frank unchanged  including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau created by the law  while removing opposition from popular community bankers.

Advertisement

Once this bill becomes law  thats the end of it, he said of Republican efforts to dismantle Dodd-Frank.

But Sen. Patrick Toomey (R-Pa.), said Wednesday that much more needs to be done.

This is a constructive step in the right direction, but it is a modest step forward, he said.

jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com

Advertisement

Twitter: @JimPuzzanghera

UPDATES:

3:50 p.m.: This article was updated with details on the Senate vote and a White House statement.

Advertisement

This article originally was published at 3:40 p.m.
A former Equifax executive who was in line to become global chief information officer has been accused of insider trading by federal authorities for allegedly dumping thousands of shares of the companys stock after a massive data breach at the credit reporting firm last year.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Jun Ying  at the time chief information officer of a U.S. unit  sold about 6,800 Equifax shares after he learned of the breach, but before the company had announced it publicly, amounting to an illegal trade based on insider information.

In addition to the civil suit brought by the SEC, Ying is facing criminal fraud charges from the Department of Justice. He was indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday and is set to be arraigned this week.

Yings attorneys declined to comment.

Advertisement

Ying sold his Equifax shares Aug. 28 for about $950,000. The SEC estimated that had he sold those shares after the breach was made public in September, he would have made $117,000 less. It also alleged that Ying sold shares shortly after researching how a smaller data breach in 2015 affected the stock price of Experian, an Equifax competitor.

Ying, 42, an Atlanta resident, resigned from the company in October after Equifax found he had violated its internal insider-trading policy and threatened him with termination, according to the SEC lawsuit.

The Equifax breach, announced Sept. 7, is one of the largest ever corporate data breaches and caused the Atlanta-based companys share to plunge in value.

The credit-reporting company said that the personal information of 145.5 million consumers had been compromised, including names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and  in some cases  drivers license numbers and credit card numbers. It also said the personal information from thousands of dispute documents was accessed.

However, earlier this year, the company told the Senate Banking Committee that a forensic investigation found criminals accessed other information. That included tax identification numbers, email addresses and phone numbers. Details, such as the expiration dates for credit cards or issuing states for drivers licenses, were also included in the list.

Also, just this month, the company said 2.4 million more people were affected by the breach, though the additional identified victims did not have their Social Security numbers compromised.

Paulino Do Rego Barros Jr., the companys interim chief executive, issued a statement Wednesday that the company launched a review of Yings sales on its own, separated him from the company and reported its findings to authorities.

We are fully cooperating with the DOJ and the SEC, and will continue to do so. We take corporate governance and compliance very seriously, and will not tolerate violations of our policies, the statement said.

Advertisement

Ying, who began working for Equifax in 2013, was considered a potential successor to the companys global chief information officer, and was offered the job a week after the breach was disclosed publicly, according to the SECs complaint.

On Aug. 25  more than a week before Equifax publicly announced the breach  Ying deduced that the company had been the target of a breach, the SEC alleges.

Equifax had not yet made clear to Ying that it itself had been breached, but told him it was responding to a VERY large breach opportunity at an unnamed company, the SEC lawsuit says. The suit details a string of phone calls, meetings and text messages that day, in which Ying said he was starting to put 2 and 2 together.

The following Monday, Aug. 28, Ying exercised options to buy 6,815 shares of Equifax stock, then immediately sold those shares. Just before selling those shares, the SEC alleged, Ying reviewed stock information that showed Experian shares had dipped 4% after that companys data breach.

Advertisement

The next day, Aug. 29, Ying was officially informed that Equifax had been the target of the breach, according to the SEC suit.

The SEC wants Ying to pay back the $117,000 in illegal gains it says he made by selling shares before the breach was publicly announced. It also wants him to pay an unspecified fine and to be prohibited from serving as an officer of a publicly traded company.

Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said the SECs lawsuit against Ying paints a picture of slapdash procedures at Equifax that likely allowed other employees to know of the data breach before it was publicly announced.

Theyll throw him under the bus, but their practices in attempting to prevent insider trading dont seem that good, he said. It just goes to show that the company had a really sloppy culture. Its clear you didnt have to be super smart or super sophisticated to figure this out.

Advertisement

In September, the U.S. Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into whether top officials at Equifax had violated insider trading laws in connection with the breach.

Three Equifax Inc. senior executives  Chief Financial Officer John Gamble, and Presidents Joseph Loughran and Rodolfo Ploder  sold shares worth almost $1.8 million in the days after the company discovered the breach. Equifax has said those three executives had not been informed of the incident when they initiated the sales.

Richard Smith, then chief executive, stepped down a few weeks after the breach was disclosed. He was later dragged before congressional hearings in October, during which he blamed the breach on human errors and technology errors and was berated by angry lawmakers, who indicated a desire to tighten cybersecurity laws.

In response to the breach, Equifax has offered free credit freezes through June 30. A credit freeze allows consumers to block access to their credit reports from new lenders, making it more difficult for identity thieves to open accounts using stolen data.

Advertisement

This month, a congressional hearing was held on a draft bill to create national standards for breach notifications, but consumer advocates have attacked the legislation as a move backward, at least in part because it would preempt tougher standards already in place in some states.

One guy has been indicted for insider trading, but they havent been held accountable, Mierzwinski said. Meanwhile, theyre getting Congress to eat from their hand.

The Associated Press and Times columnist David Lazarus contributed to this report.

Equifax could get surprising benefits in Senate banking deregulation bill 

Advertisement

james.koren@latimes.com

Twitter: @jrkoren

Bloomberg contributed to this report.

UPDATES:

Advertisement

2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with Ying being charged with fraud, according to the criminal indictment.

12:15 p.m.: This article was updated with more details about the data breach, a statement from Equifax and comments from Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director for U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

9 a.m.: This article was updated with more information from the SEC lawsuit and information about criminal charges.

8:20 a.m.: This article was updated with Los Angeles Times staff reporting.

Advertisement

7:55 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details about the allegations against Jun Ying and background information about Equifax.

This article was originally published at 7:50 a.m.
The company that provides the vast majority of interpreters in immigration courts nationwide illegally retaliated against some of them for organizing and must offer them reinstatement and back pay, a judge for the National Labor Relations Board ruled Monday.

SOS International, which is under contract with the Department of Justice to provide immigration court interpreters, misclassified those interpreters as contractors instead of employees and violated the National Labor Relations Act by terminating interpreters who organized, said administrative law judge Michael A. Rosas in Washington, D.C.

Rosas ordered the company, also known as SOSi, to offer workers who suffered retaliation full reinstatement and back pay, and to reclassify its interpreters who work in immigration courts as employees.

Im very happy. I was crying for hours, said Patricia Rivadeneira, one of the interpreters who lost her job after organizing.

Advertisement

In a statement, the company said it disagreed with the judges decision and planned to appeal.

We follow industry practice of drawing from a large number of independent, sub-contracted interpreters to meet our DOJ contract requirements, the statement said. We continue to feel that our position is consistent with past legal precedent and that the contractual arrangements between the contracted interpreters and SOSi remain consistent with the mutual intent of both parties.

A spokeswoman for the Justice Department said the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration courts, does not comment on federal agency decisions.

The judges ruling, if upheld, will affect hundreds of interpreters who have been contracted by SOSi to work in immigration courts across the country. Those courts are facing a growing backlog of nearly 700,000 cases. The majority of the cases are conducted in a language other than English, and their outcomes can sometimes hinge on accurate interpretation.

The order also comes at a time of debate about the use of independent contractors in many sectors of the economy, from truckers at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to ride-hailing drivers.

This is an important issue nationwide, said attorney Lorrie Bradley, who represented the interpreters union and whose firm primarily handles labor cases. Misclassification is one of those things that happens everywhere, literally from high tech to agriculture.

The interpreters case stems from a series of disputes between the interpreters and SOSi dating back to 2015, when the company was first awarded the Justice Department contract and offered some longtime interpreters a wage of $35 an hour  significantly lower than what they had previously earned. That didnt include payment for time spent traveling between assignments or waiting in line at courthouses, compensation for parking or other work-related expenses, or any minimum guarantee of hours.

Many interpreters, including Rivadeneira, balked and instead organized to negotiate a higher rate. They were ultimately successful, securing rates of $225 for a half-day and $425 for a full day, plus additional compensation for travel cases. But the company later refused to renew their contracts, an action that formed the basis of charges they filed with the labor board.

Advertisement

After investigating those charges, the board filed a formal complaint against SOSi last spring. A trial was held in Los Angeles and Washington in September.

In Rosas decision, he said the overriding issue was the interpreters status as employees or independent contractors.

The distinction determines whether workers receive certain protections and benefits from their employers  such as being able to organize and seek remedy from discrimination, receive workers compensation, and be paid minimum wage and overtime.

After considering the extent of control that SOSi maintains over the interpreters working conditions, Rosas found that they are indeed employees. For example, he wrote, the SOSi interpreters wear company-branded name badges, are prevented from soliciting outside business and conduct an essential part of the companys business. They also have little choice but to accept the assignments and rates that SOSi offers.

Advertisement

Rosas ordered SOSi to reinstate six of the eight interpreters named in the case and to compensate them for any loss of earnings and other benefits. (He did not conclude that the other two interpreters had been unfairly let go.) He also ordered the company to post notices of the interpreters rights to organize.

For Rivadeneira, who started working in immigration court in 2002, the day she returns to work cant come soon enough.

Since her contract with SOSi was terminated by the company in 2016, she and her husband have had to rely on his Social Security check and on their adult son, who moved in with them and pays for almost everything besides the rent.

Going back to work will mean a return to independence, Rivadeneira said. Its also a matter of pride.

Advertisement

I love my work, Rivadeneira said. I love my job and I do it well.

nina.agrawal@latimes.com

Twitter: @AgrawalNina
A little more than a week after President Trumps chief economic advisor, Gary Cohn, quit in response to Trumps sweeping tariffs on imported metals, the White House announced a replacement who is similarly a staunch free-trader with experience on Wall Street and known for his hard-charging style.

Whats different about Larry Kudlow, named Wednesday to be the new director of the National Economic Council, is that he shares the presidents penchant for media promotion and, perhaps most important, has proved to be a loyal supporter and informal advisor from Trumps early days in the campaign.

Kudlow, a familiar commentator on CNBC who worked in the Reagan administrations budget office, enters an administration revolving door that on Tuesday saw the abrupt firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The 70-year-old Kudlow joins a Trump trade and economics team that includes chief trade official Robert Lighthizer, who is renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the recently ascendant China hawk Peter Navarro, a top trade advisor.

Advertisement

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed Kudlows appointment, which does not need Senate confirmation. We will work to have an orderly transition and will keep everyone posted on the timing of him officially assuming the role, she said Wednesday.

Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive, announced his resignation March 6 after he lost a pitched battle with Navarro and other nationalists in the administration who had backed Trumps desire to protect domestic metals manufacturers by levying duties of 25% on imported steel and 10% on aluminum. Canada and Mexico have been exempted, for now, but the measures have angered the European Union and other trading partners, which are contemplating retaliation. The tariffs take effect March 23.

Kudlow, in a recent article for the National Review co-written with the famed supply-side economist Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore of the conservative Heritage Foundation, called the metals tariffs a tax on American consumers, a crisis of logic.

Even if tariffs save every one of the 140,000 or so steel jobs in America, they put at risk 5 million jobs in industries that use steel, they wrote. Steel and aluminum may win in the short term, but steel-and-aluminum users and consumers lose.

Laffer, in an interview Wednesday, said the tariffs were not as bad as they look because they are more of a negotiating tactic for Trump. Moore argued that Kudlow and other advisors were able to persuade Trump to better target what were originally blanket tariffs. Now I think Trump is in a place where we can all live with it, Moore said of the tariffs.

Trump announced the tariffs on the grounds of national security and said he would be open to hearing offers from trading partners that could address U.S. security interests in lieu of the duties. The administration has not yet spelled out on what basis countries could be exempt from the tariffs.

Hell give straight advice, Laffer said of Kudlow, adding that he had talked with Trump about Kudlow last weekend.

If Trump were to go against Larrys views, hed be a loyal soldier, which is just what you need on the White House staff, Laffer added.

Advertisement

A native of New Jersey, Kudlow graduated from the University of Rochester with a degree in history and did graduate work at Princeton Universitys Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Despite lacking an economics degree, Kudlow worked as a staff economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York under Paul Volcker and then became an economist at two well-known Wall Street firms, Paine Webber and Bear Stearns.

In the Reagan administration in the 1980s, Kudlow served as an associate director of economics and planning in the Office of Management and Budget under David Stockman, who said recently that Kudlow would not be a good choice to head the National Economic Council.

Larry Kudlow has been off the very (deep) deep-end for years on the more important matters of deficits, tax cut magic, Fed money-printing, wild-eyed economic growth rates, and, above all else, incorrigible cheerleading for Wall Streets serial financial bubbles, Stockman wrote on his website.

Advertisement

Other economists had a more favorable view of Kudlow. Larry is a good choice, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Analytics.

He is very much in the Republican mainstream regarding economic policy, he said. The NEC directors main function is around process and making sure everyone in the administration with economic expertise in an area is working together. Given that Larry is smart, articulate, very collegial and such a nice guy, I think he will do the job admirably.

At the same time, Zandi and other experts wondered how Kudlows free-trade stance will square with Trumps anti-globalization sentiments, not to mention with strident protectionists like Navarro.

In an interview on CNN last week, Navarro criticized Kudlow on trade, along with Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin, who worked with Kudlow on Trumps tax policy in 2016.

Advertisement

Larry and Steve have never, ever supported the president on trade, Navarro said, adding that they are dead wrong on the economics.

don.lee@latimes.com

Follow me at @dleelatimes
Self-driving cars. Internet-connected homes. Smart cities.

Innovations like these are expected to reshape the technology industry and society at large  but none will take off without stronger wireless infrastructure, known as 5G.

The fifth-generation mobile network will vastly expand the speed and volume of data that can be shared wirelessly, bringing the world closer to the autonomous age and generating enormous wealth and power for the companies that supply the equipment.

Thats what made the Trump administration and other federal agencies so skittish about a hostile takeover of Qualcomm by Singapore-based Broadcom  leading to the White Houses unprecedented move Monday to block the proposed $117-billion deal because of national security concerns.

Advertisement

Broadcom officialy withdrew its bid for Qualcomm on Wednesday.

Qualcomm, the Trump administration argues, is needed to boost Americas lead in 5G research and development. Should the San Diego chipmaker fall behind, Chinese manufacturers could fill the void in U.S. and global markets.

That would be a blow for U.S. innovation, as the mass market could be beholden to foreign hardware. Worse, Beijing could have an advantage in discovering vulnerabilities in the technology that it could turn into so-called backdoors used for spying.

Having a well-known and trusted company hold the dominant role that Qualcomm does in the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure provides significant confidence in the integrity of such infrastructure as it relates to national security, said the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, a panel of federal agencies charged with scrutinizing foreign deals that raised major concerns about Broadcoms bid.

What makes the introduction of 5G so sensitive is that its chips will be included in anything that requires access to the internet. That makes it a bigger source of risk than software. The discovery of security flaws called Spectre and Meltdown this year affected virtually all computers because of the ubiquity of the compromised chips made by Intel, AMD and Arm.

Once adopted, 5G stands to revolutionize communications. If 4Gs breakthrough was enabling people to stream high-definition video on handheld devices, then 5G might be remembered for ushering in an age when we can power the most intricate technologies like drones, robots and city grids from devices we carry in our pockets.

The new standard is 10 times faster than 4G and is expected to make buffering video a thing of the past. Its connectivity is also superior, resulting in less aggravation for people seeking a cell signal.

A rollout of 5G probably wont gain momentum until next year, though providers have recently been teasing the technology. Samsung and Intel showcased the new standard at last months Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (The technology was used to direct a fleet of 1,200 LED-affixed drones that put on a light show during the opening ceremony.)

Advertisement

Whether any Chinese telecommunications companies will get to wow U.S. audiences remains to be seen. Tensions are rising between Washington and Beijing over trade and protection of intellectual property rights.

Though some Chinese firms have made inroads in Europe, they have failed to gain traction in the U.S. because of national security concerns. A bill was even introduced in Congress that would ban the U.S. government from doing business with two of Chinas market leaders, Huawei and ZTE.

ZTE was fined $1.19 billion by the U.S. Department of Commerce a year ago after pleading guilty to breaching sanctions by selling equipment to Iran and North Korea. Huawei, meanwhile, has been hitting roadblocks in the U.S. for years, most recently with American cell carriers that refuse to sell its phones.

Huawei and ZTE say they are independent of the Chinese government. But Chinese companies, particularly those in strategically important sectors like telecommunications, have to work closely with Chinese authorities because they also supply equipment to Chinas mobile network. Those close ties have raised red flags given Chinas history of corporate espionage.

Advertisement

Last month, U.S. lawmakers and spy chiefs warned a Senate hearing that China was trying to steal U.S. technology and intellectual property through contact with universities, business joint ventures and telecommunications firms such as Huawei and ZTE.

The reality is that the Chinese have turned more and more to more creative avenues using nontraditional collectors, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the panel.

Still, some analysts say the threat posed by the Qualcomm takeover bid, which would have been the biggest-ever tech acquisition, has been overstated  suggesting Mondays executive order was driven by protectionism, one of Trumps signature campaign platforms, as much as it was by national security.

A chief point of disagreement is the assertion by CFIUS that Broadcom wasnt interested in long-term investment in 5G.

Advertisement

The narrative that Broadcom was not investing in [research and development] is a gross oversimplification, said Mark Hung, an analyst for Gartner. Theyve been very diligent in terms of investing in technology and products that have profitable commercial applications. 5G fits that bill. To say it would acquire Qualcomm and not invest in 5G is ludicrous.

Broadcom was in the process of redomiciling to San Jose when the deal was shot down  a move that would have made it an American company again (it was founded in Westwood) and free of CFIUS jurisdiction. The company also pledged it would continue Qualcomms investment in 5G if the deal went through. It also promised a $1.5-billion fund to train U.S. engineers with the goal of making the country the leading innovator in wireless technology.

Qualcomm isnt the only U.S. company that can be counted on to advance 5G technology. Its much larger rival Intel is also working on 5G chips, though its playing catch-up to Qualcomm, which has focused on mobile equipment longer. Qualcomm chips can be found in most leading Android phones and many iPhones.

Patent filings loosely suggest Chinese brands are working just as hard, if not harder.

Advertisement

The most recent statistics available through the World Intellectual Property Organization show ZTE led the world in patent applications in 2016 with 4,123, a 91% increase from the year before. Huawei was second with 3,692 applications and Qualcomm was third with 2,466.

A massive effort is needed to upgrade the worlds wireless network to 5G, which will be a global standard. Thats unlike its predecessors, which often varied from country to country. That means all 5G devices will be able to communicate with one another seamlessly. The standard is set by an international body called 3GPP.

It will eventually be a game-changer, Hung of Gartner said of 5G. But the amount of investment required means it wont happen overnight. It will take many years of development in infrastructure.

david.pierson@latimes.com

Advertisement

Follow me @dhpierson on Twitter

UPDATES:

11:20 a.m.: This article was updated with news Broadcom officially withdrew its bid for Qualcomm.
Stephen Hawking may have pondered exalted regions  explaining the heavens and exploring black holes  but he also slipped into the public imagination, a mathematical genius whose humor and fierce wit ran through, and inspired, books, films, essays, music and even the strange, satirical constellation that is The Simpsons.

Hawking, who died Wednesday of complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease  from which he had suffered since he was 20  wasnt an Everyman. But like Albert Einstein before him, he understood and heightened our fascination with the cosmos and how, if at all, we mattered amid countless galaxies. Sitting in a wheelchair, neck askew and peering from behind thick glasses, he became an impish yet towering pop culture hero; invoking his name or mimicking his electronic voice, was shorthand for brilliance and resolve.

His image and theories were emblazoned on T-shirts and posters. His comic inclinations were often evident, including in a 1993 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation when, while playing poker with a pompous Isaac Newton, he scoffed, Not the apple story again. But Hawkings first flash across our psyches came in 1988, when he published A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, which sold more than 10 million copies and broke down the complexities of space and existence for the layperson.

Challenging theologians, he wrote that he was intrigued by the possibility that space time was finite but had no boundary, which means that it had no beginning, no moment of Creation.

Advertisement

Hawking had the rare opportunity of seeing various interpretations of his life. Benedict Cumberbatch played him in the 2004 made-for-TV film Hawking; 11 years later, Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for his portrayal in The Theory of Everything, which traced Hawkings physical decline, tenacious intellect, infectious sense of invention and the technological marvel of his computer-generated voice.

Seeing the film has given me the opportunity to reflect on my life, Hawking wrote on his Facebook page after the movies release. Although Im severely disabled, I have been successful in my scientific work. I travel widely and have been to Antarctica and Easter Island, down in a submarine and up on a zero gravity flight. One day I hope to go into space.

Images of Hawking floating in air had already gone viral, when, in 2007 at 65, he boarded a zero-gravity flight test on a specially-fitted Boeing 727. His opinions on more earthbound topics were also frequently sought. When asked by BBC Radio what music he would want if stranded on a desert island, his picks included Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner and Please Please Me by the Beatles. His favorite tracks, however, were from Mozart, Puccini and Edith Piaf. He chose creme brulee for his meal.

Hawkings impact on the wider culture was mystical and mythical. He was a man who understood not only numbers and strands of equations but also our shared inquisitive nature about everything beyond.

He engaged and debated other great minds in his field, but he also hung out with Duran Duran. I was fortunate enough to meet one of my great idols, Simon Le Bon tweeted on Wednesday, somebody who really changed the world for the better, Professor Stephen Hawking. I will never forget meeting him  he was funny and engaging. He helped the entire human race understand the place we live a little better.

The physicist appeared a number of times on The Simpsons. In the episode They Saved Lisas Brain, Hawking rolls onto a gazebo where townspeople are bragging about their IQs. He says, My IQ is 280. Everyone gasps. Someone quips: The worlds smartest man. Hawking smugly responds: I wanted to see your utopia, but now I see it is more of a Fruitopia.  You have clearly been corrupted by power. A fight ensues.

He told the British media that The Simpsons is the best thing on American television.

Advertisement

His cameo on The Big Bang Theory in 2012, one of many, featured the shows prodigy Sheldon (Jim Parsons) becoming rapt at the prospect of discussing his paper on Higgs boson particle physics with Hawking. Too bad its wrong, Hawking tells him. You made an arithmetic mistake on page two. It was quite the boner. Sheldon collapses with embarrassment. Hawking says, Great, another fainter.

Humor mixed with almost incomparable brain power turned Hawking into an accessible curiosity, a man who could toy with the calculus of the cosmos but also resonate in prime time. His cross-over appeal opened possibilities for art and culture to examine universes both personal and those unfolding across light years.

In a 2014 interview with John Oliver for HBOs Last Week Tonight, Hawking played along with the hosts questions but bested him when things got a little out of hand. Youre an idiot, Hawking told Oliver, after the host asked how he could know that a sentient robot wasnt posing as Hawking using his voice.

Yeah, but whos saying that, Stephen? You or the machine? Oliver replied.

Advertisement

Both of us, Hawking shot back, deadpan.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, himself a pop icon, said Hawkings importance was to make us see and think more deeply about the essence of space-time and existence. His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake, Tyson tweeted. But its not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure.

Errol Morris 1991 documentary on Hawking, A Brief History of Time, lays out the physicists theories. The films most moving moments show Hawking in his wheelchair, chin thrust forward and ever patient. His voice echoes through a computer speaker, sounding robotic and artificial, but it resounds with the wonder and compassion of a man who as an infant survived the bombings of England in World War II to become one of historys greatest thinkers.

Did the universe have a beginning and if so what happened before then? Where did the universe come from and where is it going? he asked, adding later: If we do discover a complete theory of the universe, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists and just ordinary people be able to take part in the discussion of why it is that we and the universe exist.

Advertisement

Staff writer Libby Hill contributed to this report.

See the most-read stories this hour 

Twitter: @JeffreyLAT

jeffrey.fleishman@latimes.com
Though he was deliberately not a household name, the music that the producer and DJ Matt Dike created, sampled and spun helped define underground Los Angeles in the 1980s.

Dike, whose death was announced on Tuesday via the label he co-founded with Michael Ross, Delicious Vinyl, produced or co-produced some of the biggest rap hits to come out of the West Coast in the late 1980s, including Tone Locs Wild Thing and Young MCs Bust a Move. Dike was a key figure in the creation of the Beastie Boys seminal 1989 album, Pauls Boutique, and helped define the sample-heavy mash-up style that connected rap, punk, arena rock, pop and disco.



For the record: The original version of this post wrongly identified Matt Dike as the producer of Beach Boy Brian Wilsons only known rap song. In fact, according to an interview with Dike chronicler Peter Relic, Dike declined Wilsons invitation to collaborate on a rap song. The text has been updated with this information. In addition, Dike died at age 55 -- not, as relayed by his family in the original post, 56.

Dikes death, which was confirmed by Dikes brother Lane, occurred in mid-January and followed a battle with salivary gland cancer. He was 55.

A singular figure, Dike at various points in his life was artist Jean-Michel Basquiats roommate, L.A. club-lands hottest DJ, and a record, cassette and VHS collector who documented the early New York and Los Angeles art, hip-hop and post-disco scenes.

Advertisement

Across a whirlwind decade that began when he moved from New York to Los Angeles in 1980, Dikes contributions were as diverse as remixing Aerosmith and collaborating with former Public Image Limited guitarist Keith Levene. He co-produced the first-ever track to diss N.W.A (Romeo and Master Rhymes Crackerjack) and served as a club DJ to Ice-T as the rapper-turned-actor was trying to bust into the scene.

Then, at the peak of his success after earning millions from Delicious Vinyl, Dike bought a mansion atop a hill in Echo Park and retreated completely from public life. For the next quarter-century, he led a nearly hermitic existence, surrounded by his record, tape and art collections, reaching out to friends via text message and telephone, cruising down the hill in his VW Beetle to Trader Joes for supplies and returning home.

He remained a virtual recluse until he died, but Dike packed a lot of action into his years on the L.A. scene. While in his early 20s, he co-founded the crucial L.A. club Power Tools, where he deejayed massive gatherings, mixing disco, rock and rap records, injecting his own rhythms into the tracks, in the process becoming a charismatic king of L.A. nightlife.

He was a guy who really immersed himself in whatever he was interested in, says writer Dan LeRoy, whose book on Pauls Boutique remains a definitive resource on the albums creation. LeRoy remembers Dike as a striking conversationalist during his years of solitude, one who could recall in vivid detail his experiences.

Ive seen him drop God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols into a heated dance floor at midnight and 2,000 people go completely nuts. The guy was uncanny. Jon Sidel, co-founder of Power Tools

After Dike moved to L.A., he and a few other promoters helped define the underground English-language club scene in the 1980s, says LeRoy. They did it, I think, by bringing a lot of what Matt brought with him from New York, which is this attitude that, Were going to mix everything up.

When the late photographer Brad Branson, who had a mid-Wilshire studio in a former power tools shop, suggested a one-off party at his spot, business partner Jon Sidel and Dike said yes, and Power Tools was born. It proved so successful  Andy Warhol showed up  that the trio decided to make it a word-of-mouth weekly. With a capacity of 150, it turned into a weekly sellout.

Matt was at the center, and Matt was the coolest guy, recalls Sidel. The two had befriended each other at an early 80s weekly club called the Rhythm Lounge, held each Thursday at the Grandia Room on Melrose Avenue (near Larchmont). The event counted as its master of ceremonies Ice-T. Sidel describes the party as the first hip hop club in L.A.

Advertisement

Power Tools was forced to move after the police shut it down and, after a period of rootlessness, went legit at the Park Plaza Hotel. (For his part, Branson relocated to Europe  through an invite from pop star George Michael.) At its peak in 1986, the event took over the spot on Saturdays and became a hub that connected revelers including David Bowie, Annie Lennox, David Geffen and members of bands including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Janes Addiction and Thelonious Monster.

He was the first stop on the vibe line when I touched down in L.A. back in the day, wrote Dante Ross, senior vice president of A&R for Asylum Records, who earned his early reputation at Tommy Boy Records, in an Instagram post. Ross added via email, He was a brilliant cat. I thought he was the next Rick Rubin.

If he could drop Ventura Highway by America into a dance set and make it work, he would, Sidel says of Dikes skills as a DJ. Ive seen him drop God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols into a heated dance floor at midnight and 2,000 people go completely nuts. The guy was uncanny. He was like a DJ savant. One friend estimated that Dikes collection contained at least 40,000 albums and 12-inch singles.

Dike was among the first West Coast DJs to spin rising New York rap label Def Jams early releases, a relationship forged early on through a night on the town with a visiting Rick Rubin.

Advertisement

It wasnt just music: Wed have projections and go-go dancers and bands and theme nights, Sidel says. They had a party for visual artist Keith Haring and another for the director John Waters, all through resources that Sidel describes as a $500 budget and duct tape.

Dike was also an assistant at art dealer Larry Gogosians Los Angeles gallery, where Dike forged a friendship with the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat after an early interaction in New York.

Sound engineer and producer Mario Caldato Jr. recalls both the painter and Yo! MTV Raps connector Fab Five Freddy crashing at Dikes place whenever they were in town. Dike ended up with a number of Basquiat paintings through that friendship, works that were spread among the mess of his Echo Park belongings after he retired from music.

These were well-respected New York cats  artists and poets, guys who had some flavor, and obviously everybody into music, Caldato says.

Advertisement

Caldato, who went on to become a frequent collaborator and touring member of the Beastie Boys, met Dike and Sidel at Power Tools on the night in 1986 that the Beastie Boys first performed in L.A. He didnt know the group, but as they were going into their second song, the sound system crashed.

Mike D stopped by, I presumed because of Power Tools, and because everyone seemed to get in touch with Matt to find out what was going down in town. John King of the Dust Bros., on an early Beastie Boys encounter

Im a sound guy, so Im in the audience and Im like, Whoa, thats lame. These guys are onstage throwing mikes around, cursing, Caldato says.

As a young engineer, Caldato was baffled at how such an enterprise expected to throw parties with home stereo system. He pitched Sidel and Dike and came on as the Power Tools sound guy, and eventually joined Dike on his next adventure.

Advertisement

Dike and friend, production partner and business partner Ross, formed Delicious Vinyl in 1987, and by the late-80s theyd earned their first national hit through a collaboration with rapper Tone Loc. Called Wild Thing, it sold 2 million copies and set the stage for the labels quick rise. Dike and Ross, along with a young production team consisting of John King and Michael Simpson, who shared a radio show at Claremont College, produced the tracks on the album.

Through those hits, Dike, King and Simpson hooked up with the Beastie Boys, who were trying to figure out how to follow up their smash debut album, Licensed to Ill. Accounts differ on the genesis of the Pauls Boutique collaboration.

Caldato Jr. recalls sending a few demos in the mail, the band loving them and heading west.

In an email, the Dust Brothers John King cites a moment when he, Dike and fellow Brother Michael Simpson ensnared a visiting Beastie Boy Mike Diamond as the key.

Advertisement

Mike D stopped by, I presumed because of Power Tools, and because everyone seemed to get in touch with Matt to find out what was going down in town, King writes. Matt had a tape of songs Mike Simpson and I (and sometimes Matt) had been working on to be a Dust Brothers Album, which he slyly started playing as background music on a ghetto blaster.

Diamond noticed the music and asked what it was. According to King, they told him it was just something we were working on, [and] Mike D asked Can I buy this? The trio, King adds, busted our asses to do a little more work and get a worthy instrumental demo tape to the Beastie Boys.

The Beastie Boys holed up with Dike, Caldato and the Dust Brothers, mostly in Dikes studio, and came out with Pauls Boutique.

The smooth opening sample on the album, of jazz drummer Idris Muhammads Lorans Dance, came from Dikes collection, and the humming tones suggested a new direction forward.

Advertisement

Matt was like the Howard Hughes of hip hop. Where did he go? This guy invented something that is now a mainstream part of entertainment. Bob Forrest, addict advocate and singer for Thelonious Monster

It was the perfect point of departure for hip-hop at that juncture -- a moment where sampling styles were changing, and the bombast of Public Enemys production team the Bomb Squadwas giving way to something more minimal, said music historian, collector and Madlibs manager Eothen Alapatt of Now-Again Records. Matt was part of that mission statement, and for that alone hell always be an important member of the hip-hop canon.

Dike, however, was uninterested in chasing mainstream success. Friends say that while he was never the party animal of the crowd, his alienation with the music business was peaking as he started experimenting with drugs. By 1991, hed pretty much checked out of the scene.

His friend Bob Forrest, best known as singer for Thelonious Monster and addiction advocate on the series Celebrity Rehab, recalled Dike and he becoming so frustrated by the scene that they started spreading a rumor about a better, more exclusive  but nonexistent  club called Framptons Loft. Soon hipsters were abuzz and looking for an in.

Advertisement

In this alienation, Dike developed a heroin addiction that would tether him for the rest of his life.

At one point Sidel, who was also experimenting with drugs, confronted Dike about his choices. I was like, Dude, what are you doing? Youve got all these hit records and youve got this house you dont even live in  he had bought this killer house, he never fixed it up and he was still in his apartment.

Eventually Dike moved in and stayed. Over the years, Dikes family and friends repeatedly tried to get Dike into rehab, but, according to Forrest, his desire for isolation fueled his addiction. Forrest notes that even during these efforts, anything he put his mind on he would have an interesting take on.

At one point Dike asked Forrest a rhetorical question: Do you know whats the worst thing for a drug addict?

Advertisement

Forrest said he could think of a few, and asked for Dikes answer.

Replied Dike: Unlimited resources.

In fact, more than one of his friends compared Dikes long goodbye to a more famous recluse, says Forrest. Matt was like the Howard Hughes of hip hop. Where did he go? This guy invented something that is now a mainstream part of entertainment.

For tips, records, snapshots and stories on Los Angeles music culture, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter and Instagram: @liledit. Email: randall.roberts@latimes.com.

Advertisement

ALSO

California Sounds: New underground work from If I Die in Mississippi, Sam Gendel and Michael Seyer

Goldenvoices Paul Tollett on why the promoter opted to continue FYF Fest

California Sounds: E Ruscha V video premiere, and new songs by Alice Bag, the Marias and Lord Huron

Advertisement

UPDATES:

March 15, 7:35 a.m.: This article has been updated to include new quotes and information from Dikes friends, family and collaborators.

March 15, 7:57 a.m.: This article has been updated to include new comments from record executive Dante Ross.

Advertisement

March 16, 12:38 p.m. Updated with new information from Delicious Vinyl owner and co-founder Michael Ross.

This article was originally published on March 13 at 5:05 p.m.
Donald Trump made his first visit to California as president on Tuesday, and Jimmy Kimmel had plenty to say about the arrival of his top Twitter nemesis.

Kimmel told his Jimmy Kimmel Live audience about Trumps fundraising dinner, where tickets ranged from $35,000 to $250,000.

Could you imagine paying that much money to have dinner  not even with Donald Trump  in a room while Donald Trump has his head lodged in a bucket of chicken? Kimmel asked.

If you want to give Trump money that youre never going to see again, you might as well invest in one of his businesses. You dont have to give to the campaign, the host said in a particularly scathing observation.

Advertisement

But Kimmel was most taken by the presidents trip earlier to San Diego where Trump looked at prototypes of his proposed border wall.

Kimmel played a video of Trump explaining that some walls are very tall, a deterrent from getting over the top, while also warning that those immigrating from Mexico were like professional mountain climbers.

Wait, were going to spend $70 billion dollars to keep the Mexican mountain climbers out of the country? Kimmel marveled. It seems excessive.

Watch the segment above.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

libby.hill@latimes.com

@midwestspitfire
The James Beard Foundation has named its finalists for its 2018 chef, restaurant and media awards, and among them, a crop of this citys most talented chefs. The finalists were announced this morning at a ceremony in Philadelphia.

Sqirl chef Jessica Koslow, Gjelinas Travis Lett, Providences Michael Cimarusti and Rustic Canyons Jeremy Fox (who is also a finalist for the Restaurant and Professional cookbook award) are all finalists for the Best Chef West award. Joining them in the category is Dominique Crenn of Atelier Crenn in San Francisco.

Last year, the foundation named Cimarusti, Fox, Ludo Lefebvre (Trois Mec, Petit Trois, Trois Familia) and Lett as finalists, but gave the award to Corey Lee of Benu in San Francisco.

Miles Thompson, chef at Michaels in Santa Monica, is a finalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year (given to chefs ages 30 or younger).

I am unbelievably excited and humbled to have been chosen as a finalist for the James Beard Awards, Thompson said this morning. It has always been a dream of mine to be considered for this honor, and it is absolutely amazing and surreal that this is happening.

Evan Funkes Felix Trattoria in Venice and Sarah Hymanson and Sara Kramers Kismet in Los Feliz are both finalists for the Best New Restaurant award.

Republiques Margarita Manzke is once again a finalist for the Best Pastry Chef award, and Lance Winters of St. George Spirits in Alameda is up for the Outstanding Wine, Spirits or Beer Professional award.

Other local finalists include A.O.C., part of Suzanne Goins Lucques Group, which is a finalist for the Outstanding Wine Program award. Caroline Styne of the Lucques Group is also a finalist for the Outstanding Restaurateur award.

Jose Andres, who has multiple restaurants at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills, was named Humanitarian of the Year for his efforts in Puerto Rico, California and beyond.

And in the media awards, Times restaurant critic Jonathan Gold was named a finalist for the Craig Claiborne Distinguished Restaurant Review award.

For a full list of finalists, visit www.jamesbeard.org.

This year's winners will be announced at the Lyric Opera in Chicago on May 7.

Jenn.Harris@latimes.com

@Jenn_Harris_
Joe Mozingo is a projects reporter for the Los Angeles Times. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for covering the earthquake in Haiti and the ASNE Punch Sulzberger Award for Online Storytelling for his in-depth look at a federal investigation into relic poaching in rural Utah that led to three suicides. Mozingo helped lead The Times coverage of the Isla Vista killings in 2014 and a Miami Herald investigation into the space shuttle Columbia crash in 2003; both were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize. His book, The Fiddler on Pantico Run: An African Warrior, His White Descendants, a Search for Family was a 2012 Discover Great New Writers pick by Barnes and Noble.
Melody Petersen is an investigative reporter covering healthcare and business for the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she wrote about the pharmaceutical industry for the New York Times. She won a Loeb award for reporting on Pacific Gas & Electric at the San Jose Mercury News. She has also written for the Orange County Register and the Philadelphia Inquirer. Shes the author of Our Daily Meds, a book about the drug industry. Shes a former certified public accountant and grew up on an Iowa farm. Send her tips securely on Signal at (213) 327-8634.
The Kmart in Los Angeles where Noemi Castro works often doesnt post her schedule until a few days before the week begins, she said. Days off frequently change, as do her hours. Last week, she got 26 hours; this week only eight.

Sometimes, Castro said, a last-minute change is made to an online scheduling document without her knowledge. The manager calls and says, Why arent you here?  she said.

Erratic scheduling is common in retailing, worker advocates say. Now, on the heels of a successful push to raise the minimum wage in Los Angeles, advocates are setting their sights on making work hours in the city more predictable for retail employees.

In coming weeks, advocates led by the influential labor-aligned group Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, or LAANE, plan to start lobbying city officials for a retail worker policy that would include advanced notice of schedules, pay for canceled shifts and consent to last-minute additions.

Advertisement

In conjunction with the effort, the UCLA Labor Center and LAANE released a report Wednesday that finds unstable hours and last-minute shift changes have amped up stress among workers, caused bills to go unpaid and made it extremely difficult for those holding down a retail job to handle schoolwork or care for children.

For us, it is a call to policymakers to pick this up and think about this as an important issue, said Saba Waheed, research director for the UCLA Labor Center.

The unpredictability is fueled by the growing popularity of just-in-time scheduling software that predicts consumer demand to generate shifts. That helps stores efficiently match work hours to busy and slow periods, but can make it difficult for workers to plan their lives or attain full-time employment.

Workers are not prepared to shoulder that risk, said Jonathan Morduch, a professor of public policy and economics at NYU, who was not involved in the report. That is kind of the fundamental unfairness of how the economy has shifted.

Businesses worry that new regulations would make it even harder for bricks-and-mortar stores to compete with e-commerce.

Adding yet another costly, draconian regulation onto an industry that is facing the challenge of survival not only hurts the employer, it hurts the employees, said Ruben Gonzalez, a senior advisor for the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gonzalez maintains that the groups behind the study are biased in favor of the labor movement. He predicted that LAANE would push for an exemption to a scheduling law for unionized shops, to make employers more receptive to organizing.

LAANE didnt deny that was a possibility, but said the chamber was simply fighting pro-worker reforms. The group and UCLA stood by their report and survey, which they funded.

Advertisement

Our research and findings are in line with other national studies on the issue, the UCLA Labor Center said, noting that it had academic advisors on those studies and others review the methodology and report draft.

The survey was conducted with 818 Los Angeles frontline floor workers  those who have the most direct interaction with retail sales, including salespeople, cashiers, stockers and food workers.

Among the findings in the report:

Of those surveyed, 84% said they lack a set schedule.

Workers get little notice of when they will be working; nearly 80% said they receive schedules a week or less before their shifts.

More than 60% said managers later change those schedules, with half of individuals reporting changes saying they can come only a day  even hours  before they have to show up for work.

16 percent have had a shift canceled with less than a days notice.

Just over half the workers said they were part time, with most of them wanting more hours.

Most frontline retail workers in L.A. County are age 25 or older, according to Census Bureau data included in the report. Of those surveyed, 62% support at least one family member.

There are nearly 182,500 frontline retail workers in L.A. County and 64% earn $13.63 an hour or less, according to the Census Bureau data.

In a statement, Kmart said it schedules workers based off of anticipated store sales and workload, so hours and days do vary week to week. But the company said it posts schedules at the store and online a minimum of 11 days before shifts start and if changes are made, someone must contact the worker.

Advertisement

Castro, who lives in a Westlake apartment with her parents and younger brother, said that typically has not been the case since she started working at Kmart nearly three years ago. She took the job so she could help her family with groceries and rent, while saving to go back to school.

At times, Castro said, shes has to do clopening shifts in which she gets off at 10 p.m., only to have to be back at 7 a.m.

Sometimes theres too much work, other times theres not enough. At $12 an hour, if she doesnt get more hours this week, shell have made only $96 before taxes. I dont think people realize working for retail can be this difficult, said Castro, whose sister is an organizer for LAANE. I would like to go back to school  but its not possible with the hours I get.

Morduch, the NYU professor, said erratic hours became more common nationwide as the economy shifted from manufacturing to service work and technology enabled employers to better predict consumer demand.

Advertisement

It helps us explain why unemployment can be so low  and yet so many households feel economic anxiety, said Morduch, who co-wrote Financial Diaries, a book that followed the financial decisions of 235 low- and moderate-income households for a year.

It is not all about whether you have a job or not. Its also about the quality of that job.

In 2014, San Francisco became the first city to pass a so-called predictive scheduling law. Among other things, it requires large retailers to provide schedules two weeks in advance and, in the event of last minute changes, pay a penalty that goes to the worker. Seattle, New York and the state of Oregon have passed similar requirements.

A spokeswoman for LAANE said 80% of the funding for its Fair Workweek LA campaign comes from foundations, mostly the Marguerite Casey and Liberty Hill foundations that help low-income individuals. Ten percent is being provided by a local of the United Food and Commercial Workers.

Advertisement

Nelson Motto, director of LAANEs Fair Workweek LA campaign, said the campaign expects to start asking city officials to address retail scheduling in April or May.

andrew.khouri@latimes.com

Follow me @khouriandrew on Twitter
Thousands of students across Los Angeles walked out of their classes on Wednesday to call attention to the effects of gun violence and push for stricter gun control laws.

The walkouts were expected to last 17 minutes to pay homage to the 17 people who were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., exactly one month ago.

At Granada Hills Charter High School, students gathered on their field to spell out the word Enough. Venice High School students held up a banner with the names of the Stoneman Douglas High School victims.

At 10 a.m., about half of Venice Highs 2,000 students made their way to the schools front lawn, where organizers had set up a display of 14 empty student desks and three teachers desks, for the 17 Parkland victims.

Advertisement

Students signed petitions calling for the federal government to resume research into the effects of gun violence and for common sense gun laws. At various tables, students registered to vote, wrote to Parkland families and to lawmakers, asking them to take action on gun control.

I am here to stand with Parkland, said Jesse Fabian, a sophomore at Venice High School. Me and my fellow peers are here with you guys. Im here to see that change can happen, because I know that it can happen. Im fighting along with my generation so that future generations dont have to.

At Miguel Contreras Learning Complex, a chant rose up among students outside the school: No more deaths.

1 / 27 Hamilton High student Sofia Mosqueda, 15, holds a sign while sitting on the shoulders of friend, Christopher Cetrulo,16, during walkout in support of Parkland shooting victims on National Walkout Day in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 27 Students at Hamilton High listen to speakers during their walkout in support of Parkland shooting victims on National Walkout Day in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 27 Students at Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies shout slogans during walkout in support of Parkland shooting victims on National Walkout Day in Los Angeles. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 27 17 chairs stand as a memorial to the victims in the Stoneman Douglas High School shootings during a national walkout in support of gun control and safe schools in Venice. An orange carnation was left on each desk in memory of the fallen. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 27 Ingrid Lopez rallies her fellow students as they chant, No More Guns, during the National School Walkout for Gun Control, at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in Los Angeles. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 27 Students rally inside the school compound for the National School Walkout for Gun Control, at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in Los Angeles. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 27 Venice High School students participate in a nationwide walkout declaring a day of action to raise awareness about the effects of gun violence and push for lawmakers to take action to reduce it in Venice. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 27 World Arts and Culture students at UCLA observe 17 minutes of silence in front of Kaufman Hall on the UCLA campus Wednesday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 27 World Arts and Culture students at UCLA observe 17 minutes of silence in front of Kaufman Hall on the UCLA campus Wednesday morning. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 27 Students head to the U.S. Capitol after walking out of class to protest gun violence in Washington, D.C. (Olivier Douliery / TNS) 11 / 27 Thousands of students march down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House to the U.S. Capitol during a nationwide student walkout protesting gun violence. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images) 12 / 27 Students walk out of class at Druid Hills High School in Atlanta. (Erik S. Lesser / EPA/Shutterstock) 13 / 27 Pat Gibson holds a drawing of Meadow Pollack, a victim of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, outside the school in Parkland, Fla., where she and others gathered in support of students walking out of class to protest gun violence. (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press) 14 / 27 Students walk out of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., to protest gun violence a month after a gunman killed 17 people on their campus. (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press) 15 / 27 Students and their supporters join Wednesdays walkout at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) 16 / 27 Middle Township High School senior Sophie Ellis, left, and assistant principal Nancy Loteck listen as the names of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting victims are readaloud during a walkout to protest gun violence in Cape May Court House, N.J. (Dale Gerhard / Associated Press) 17 / 27 Students gather outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington to protest gun violence. (Olivier Douliery / TNS) 18 / 27 Students from Harvest Collegiate High School form a circle around the fountain in Washington Square Park in New York as part of a national walkout to protest gun violence. (Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images) 19 / 27 Students from area schools join in the walkout protesting gun violence in Brooklyn, New York. (Justin Lane / EPA/Shutterstock) 20 / 27 Students at Eastern High School in Washington, D.C., assemble on their football field after walking out of class to protest gun violence. (Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA/Shutterstock) 21 / 27 Diamond Bryant, center, a freshman at James Ferris High School, joins classmates who walked out of class in Jersey City, N.J. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press) 22 / 27 Students walk out of class at Cherry Hill West High School in Cherry Hill, N.J.. (David Maialetti / Associated Press) 23 / 27 Students participating in a national school walkout over gun violence turn their backs on the White House at a rally on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. (Michael Reynolds / EPA/Shutterstock) 24 / 27 Students at the Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton, Ohio, join hands on their soccer field during a walkout to protest gun violence. (John Minchillo / Associated Press) 25 / 27 Students at the Philadelphia High School of Creative and Performing Arts, including one holding a sign reading No guns in schools in Spanish, participate in a walkout to protest gun violence. (Jessica Kourkounis / Getty Images) 26 / 27 Students at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., join a national walkout to protest gun violence, one month after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla. (Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images) 27 / 27 Students gather at Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan during a walkout to protest gun violence. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

At 10:06 a.m., students in Juan L. Garcias A.P. U.S. history class at Garfield High School stood up. Five of them, all wearing orange, led the group past a photo of Sal Castro at the 1968 walkouts, past a poster announcing the districts celebration of the 1968 East Los Angeles walkouts, past a black-and-white poster of Malcolm X with a quote, By any means necessary.

Garcia was wearing a white shirt bearing two footprints and #Enough in orange. The footprints represented a student who should have been standing but had been lost to gun violence.

Hundreds of students walked out of Garfield High and filed into bleachers alongside the schools field, where some had made orange hearts, each with the name of a Parkland shooting victim. Each time a student read the name of a victim, an orange balloon was cut off the fence and a moment of silence was held.

Student speakers called on lawmakers to pass stricter gun control laws and on their school to find more effective ways than random searches to keep students safe. Many students say they are targeted in those searches, which make them feel more unwelcome than secure.

Advertisement

Kimberly Robles, 17, said she walked out not only for stricter gun control laws and better mental health resources nationwide but because she thinks Garfield should better prepare students for an active-shooter scenario.

If we dont speak out about how we feel  there will be no change on our campus, Robles said.

The LAPD stated in a tweet early Wednesday that it understood the need for students to participate in peaceful dialogue, but asked that they remain on campus under the protection of the Los Angeles Unified School Police Department.

While the Los Angeles Police Department encourages young adults to express themselves, it is imperative students do it in a manner that is respectful to fellow classmates and Los Angeles residents, as well as remain on their respective campuses during the demonstration, the statement said.

Advertisement

The LAPD said it would support L.A. Unified, as well as independent schools within city limits, with extra patrols.

Students are hoping their show of unity will encourage lawmakers to take action to stop the steady drum of gun violence on campus after campus.

They are demanding a ban on assault weapons, universal background checks and laws that would disarm people who show signs of violent behavior.

Youth across the country including myself are tired of gun violence and the fact that our elected officials  arent listening to us, said Winter Minisee, a 17-year-old student at Encore High School for the Arts in Riverside.

Advertisement

Winter is one of about 14 high school and college students who coordinated the walkouts. Shes an organizer with Empower, a youth activism arm of the Womens March.

Walkouts and other actions are expected at nearly 3,000 schools nationwide. They are likely to look different in different spots around the country.

Some students will leave their campuses to gather outside, while others will hold rallies in campus common areas. There will be speakers, poem recitals, voter registration drives and moments of silence. Some students will wear orange in the spirit of the Wear Orange campaign associated with National Gun Violence Awareness Day. Others will wear white to symbolize peace and love.

Some kids will skip school altogether, and some parents will keep their children at home  worried about possible threats from the attention of the day.

Advertisement

Brandon Najera, a 17-year-old student at Wilson High School in Los Angeles, says he is heartened to see young people like him so galvanized. Back in 2016, he was one of the student activists who organized the postelection walkouts.

But this time, he is planning to stay in math class.

Im already doing bad in that, he said.

Rather than walk out on Wednesday, Najera planned to join thousands of students nationwide at a separate event, March for Our Lives, on March 24 in Washington. The march is being organized by the survivors of the Parkland shooting and has sparked plans for protest events on that day across the country.

Advertisement

The focus on March 24 also will be gun control legislation.

I think it is a better place for me, Najera said.

Times special correspondent Jenny Jarvie contributed to this report.

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

Advertisement

@LATBermudez

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

@Brittny_Mejia

UPDATES:

Advertisement

12:35 p.m.: This article was updated with details from Venice High School.

11:45 a.m.: This article was updated with details of the walkout at Garfield High School.

10:35 a.m.: This article was updated with details of students walking out.

8:10 a.m.: This article was updated with a statement from the LAPD.

Advertisement

6:50 a.m.: This article was updated with details from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

This article was originally published at 4 a.m.
At Garfield, a focus on student choice and remembering the dead

In Juan Garcia's A.P. U.S. History class at Garfield High, students are reading these cards to each other, about school shootings in the U.S. They just learned about their rights when it comes to walkouts pic.twitter.com/6OcbEXRzfQ  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) March 14, 2018

At 10:06 a.m. Wednesday, students in Juan L. Garcias AP U.S. history class at Garfield High School stood up.

Led by five students wearing orange, the group walked past a photo of Sal Castro at the 1968 East Los Angeles walkouts, a poster announcing the school districts celebration of those protests and a black-and-white poster of Malcolm X embellished with the quote, By any means necessary.

Garcia himself wore a white shirt emblazoned with two orange footprints and "#Enough, the hashtag for the student-led gun control march, which started at 10 a.m. local time across the country. The footprints represented a student who should have been standing but whose life had been lost to gun violence.

Before they walked out, Garcias students studied their rights and read cards that detailed school shootings. Then they wrote messages of solidarity with victims of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting, as well as their ideas for tackling gun violence, on orange slips of paper. They stapled them together into a linked chain. Garcia said he would hang the chain from his classroom ceiling.

Mister, its already 10, one student said, as students were writing their messages.

Well leave in a few minutes, Garcia said. As they stapled the links, Garcia told them he supported their choices to walk out or stay in class.

I respect all of your decisions, he said. You guys have a voice and your voice cannot be ignored.  If somebody does not agree with you, listen to them.

The ASB president is speaking, and there are orange hearts on the fence with the names of the people killed in Parkland pic.twitter.com/H68tRextJr  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) March 14, 2018

Every student left class. So did hundreds of others at Garfield. But they did not walk off campus. Instead, they filed into bleachers in front of the schools field, where students had cut orange poster paper in the shape of hearts, adorning each with the name of a Parkland shooting victim. As students read each one out loud, they cut an orange balloon off the fence and held a moment of silence.

Student speakers called on lawmakers to pass stricter gun control laws, and called on their own school to find more effective ways to keep students safe, instead of relying on random searches, which many students say are targeted and make them feel unwelcome at school.

It's been more than 17 minutes, but the Garfield assembly is still happening. Students are reading out the names of each person killed in Parkland, and then having a moment of silence and releasing a balloon for each pic.twitter.com/7Aumt08SKb  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) March 14, 2018

Kimberly Robles, 17, was in Garcias class and helped lead her peers outside. She said she considered leaving campus but that after hearing that adults were guarding the closed entrance gate, she went to the field instead.

The junior said she is used to the sound of the school fire alarm  students pull it often, sometimes twice a week. Before Parkland, she said, she and other students would ignore the alarm.

Not anymore.

Every time I hear the fire alarm now in the school, I feel like this inner fear where you dont know [whether] this ones going to be for real, she said.

She said she walked out not just to advocate for gun control and improved preventative mental health resources: She felt her school should better prepare students about what to do in case of an active shooter, she said.

If we dont speak out about how we feel  there will be no change on our campus, she said.

School administrators attended the assembly, many wearing orange ribbons to support the movement.

Mario Cantu, Garfields principal, was a freshman at Wilson High School in 1968 when he and his peers walked out of class to demand better treatment for Mexican American students.

I walked out to the street but I had no idea what I was walking out for, Cantu said before the walkout.

I wish Id have been more informed .. .we absolutely didnt have a voice, he said.

Before the walkouts Wednesday morning, Cantu said he would not stop students from walking out of class or campus, but that no matter what they did, I want to make sure our students are informed.
University of California students from across the state plan to converge on the Board of Regents meeting Wednesday at UCLA to protest a proposal to raise tuition on out-of-state students.

In their shut down the vote campaign, they will ask the regents to reject a proposed 3.5% increase in the extra tuition that nonresident students pay. If approved, that supplemental tuition would rise to $28,992 for the 2018-19 school year from $28,014.

The 3.5% increase would raise $34.8 million. UC officials say nonresident tuition dollars have helped pay for more courses at UCLA, academic support and advising at UC Berkeley and programs to raise graduation rates at UC San Diego.

Regents will not vote on a proposed 2.7% increase in tuition and fees for California students until May. In their January meeting, they postponed that vote to allow more time to lobby the Legislature for additional funding.

Advertisement

Chloe Pan, a UCLA student government leader, said many students were infuriated by the regents decision to vote separately on tuition increases for California and nonresident students.

Its an attempt to pit communities against each other, said Pan, a senior from Michigan majoring in international development and Asian American studies.

Pan said nonresident students such as her have contributed to the community. She said she has worked as a campus organizer on sexual misconduct and college affordability, helped found UCLAs first residential community focused on public service and served on a student advisory board to a campus vice chancellor.

She said many more students than usual plan to attend the meeting Wednesday because it will be held at UCLA, which is far more accessible to them than UC San Francisco, a graduate campus where most regents meetings are held. Students also plan to speak about other pressing needs, she said, including housing, financial aid and higher pay for student workers.

Board Chairman George Kieffer said the Legislature was unlikely to provide more funding to avoid a tuition increase for nonresident students. State policymakers, along with UC officials, absolutely favor California students, he said, adding that the extra nonresident tuition dollars help all students. The full board will vote on the proposal Thursday.

After state officials cut UC funding by one-third following the 2008 recession, campuses began enrolling more students from other states and countries to replace the lost revenue. From fall 2009 to fall 2017, the number of nonresident undergraduates nearly quadrupled, to 37,217 from 9,552, while the number of Californians rose from 167,900 to 179,530, according to UC data.

To avoid a tuition increase for California students next year, UC students, faculty, administrators, alumni and regents have launched a unified effort to lobby for more state funding.

They are asking legislators for an extra $140 million: $70 million in lieu of a tuition increase, $10 million to add California students, $25 million to ease overcrowding and a one-time $35 million in aid to cover maintenance of classrooms, labs and other facilities that had been deferred.

Advertisement

The extra money is needed especially, they argue, because Gov. Jerry Brown reduced his proposed increase to 3% this year from 4% in recent years. Brown, who opposes a tuition increase, said UC officials should cut spending rather than get more money.

To persuade legislators otherwise, UC students have made three trips to Sacramento this week and plan a major phone banking effort Wednesday at UC Berkeley. Sarah Abdeshahian, a Berkeley sophomore and student activist, said they will be luring students into calling their legislators.

The No. 1 way to get students to phone bank is free pizza, and thats exactly what well be offering them, she said.

Kieffer and others said the lobbying seems to be making a difference. A bipartisan coalition of legislators, flanked by university students and officials, unveiled a proposal this week to give the UC system $197 million more this year. Thats more than double Browns proposed funding increase.

Advertisement

The regents also plan to examine the universitys costs and financial aid operations, as well as UC President Janet Napolitanos office budget and program initiatives. A state audit last year called on the regents to strengthen their oversight of her office.
When Betsy DeVos spoke to a group of education leaders in Washington last week about her dissatisfaction with states efforts to satisfy a major education law, she gave California a subtle shout-out.

One state, the Education secretary said, took a simple concept like a color-coded dashboard and managed to make it nearly indecipherable.

She was referring to the California School Dashboard, the color-coded school rating tool at the heart of the states plan to satisfy the Every Student Succeeds Act. California and DeVos U.S. Department of Education have been in a months-long argument over how to satisfy the law.

Every Student Succeeds, known as ESSA, is the Obama administrations 2015 replacement for the No Child Left Behind Act. The law is supposed to hold states accountable for educating all groups of students adequately. Where No Child took a prescriptive, test score-based approach to evaluating the quality of schools, ESSA gives states more agency to design their own systems.

Advertisement

Californias answer was the Dashboard, which aimed to shift the focus of school ratings from test scores alone to a greater variety of measures, including graduation rates, suspensions and preparedness for college and careers.

State officials have insisted on pursuing their own course, which they call the California Way. But they are learning that DeVos, despite her much-stated support for local control of schools  for which she recently praised Gov. Jerry Brown  is giving California less wiggle room than expected.

State officials say following the California Way means finding the best way to help Californias uniquely diverse group of students. Thats why they focused on aligning the plan for satisfying ESSA with a state law, the Local Control Funding Formula. But while the funding formula requires the state to identify and help entire low-performing school districts, ESSA requires states to step in and aid individual failing schools.

In December, federal education officials told state officials that their plan to satisfy ESSA had significant flaws. In January, the California State Board of Education voted to send a revised plan to Washington, even though it still was missing a key component.

State officials flew to D.C. in February and met with DeVos deputy Jason Botel to figure out a way forward. Botel sent them back to the drawing board on some issues.

The state board had planned to vote on submitting yet another draft of the plan in this weeks meeting. But late Tuesday, less than 24 hours before the meetings start, board staff recommended waiting until April to vote on some of the biggest changes. Still, ESSAs fall deadline for states to begin identifying failing schools is approaching.

The states new proposals include devising clearer metrics for rating the annual performance of specific student groups and giving greater weight to test scores in 11th grade.

As for the Dashboard, the plan is to use some metrics in two ways  to satisfy state and federal requirements.

Advertisement

We will maintain the approach we have for the Dashboard, but were describing it differently in the federal plan, David Sapp, the state boards assistant counsel and deputy policy director, said on a call with education leaders last week. Performance and growth on test scores, for example, are combined on the Dashboard; but for federal purposes, the state will report them separately.

It sounds to me like they are trying to make changes to the plan without making changes to the system, said Carrie Hahnel, deputy director of research and policy at the Education Trust-West, an Oakland-based advocacy group focused on educational equity. What that communicates to me is theyre building a bifurcated system again, which is exactly what they [the State Board of Education] said they didnt want to do.

The state still hasnt told federal officials how it will identify Californias bottom 5% of schools before stepping in to help them. State officials had hoped to start by looking at low-achieving districts but Botel nixed the idea, Sapp said.

Late Tuesday, state officials finally posted a new proposal to address the problem  too late to be studied for a vote this week  that would use different combinations of colors on the Dashboard to find the worst-performing schools.

Advertisement

Joy.Resmovits@LATimes.com

@Joy_Resmovits

UPDATES:

7:12 a.m.: This article was updated with DeVos praise of Gov. Brown for his support of local control of schools.

Advertisement

This article was originally published at 5:00 a.m.
Los Angeles Unifieds first all-girls school has been renamed in honor of one of the women who pushed for its founding.

The Girls Academic Leadership Academy, which eventually will serve grades six through 12, used to be known as GALA but will now have a much longer name. Officially, it will be the Girls Academic Leadership Academy, Dr. Michelle King School for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The superintendent announced in January that she had cancer. She will remain on medical leave until her retirement in June.

The board was planning to name a school after her, and King recommended the academy.

Advertisement

The name may be hard to say, but the school is a fitting choice for the namesake of the first black woman to lead Los Angeles Unified School District.

King became superintendent in January 2016, the school boards unanimous insider choice. She sent one of her own daughters to an all-girls private school and pushed for single-gender schools. In 2016, both GALA and an all-girls charter school opened in the district.

Those schools had been approved in 2015, before King took the top job. But school leaders say she pushed for an all-girls school as a high-level district administrator.

King was not at the meeting Tuesday when the school board voted to rename the school, but her three daughters were there to hear district leaders and students talk about her impact.

This is what happens when you trust in women, when you believe in women, when you support women, her daughter Brittney King said.

LAUSD Supt. Michelle King's daughters listen as Jakari Jones, 17, sings before the school board votes on renaming GALA, the district's all-girls school, after the retiring superintendent pic.twitter.com/hmiDkCGaCs  Sonali Kohli  (@Sonali_Kohli) March 13, 2018

King was an L.A. Unified graduate and parent, and worked in the district for more than three decades.

Board President Monica Garcia had a message for current students: We name schools for kids just like you. We name schools for young people who are willing to love and lead despite any circumstance.

Advertisement

Board member George McKenna said he found the new school name a bit too long, but he expressed his support for and gratitude to King and voted to approve the naming.

We miss you, we care about you, we care about what you left us with and we will continue your legacy, McKenna said.

Student leaders also spoke at the meeting, saying they were glad their all-girls school now has a powerful woman in its name.

Its cool because before we were strong  but now were adding a role model, said Mehrin Ashraf, 15, the schools student body president. So were even stronger now.

Advertisement

Reach Sonali Kohli at Sonali.Kohli@latimes.com or on Twitter @Sonali_Kohli.
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Wednesday, March 14, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

President Trump finally made it to California but had few nice things to say about the state. He castigated Californias Democratic state government, saying that Gov. Jerry Brown is doing a terrible job running the state. The attention Trump wanted to bring to his signature issue, the border wall and related immigration crackdowns, was overshadowed by his abrupt firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. But Trump still had plenty of time to keep up his feud with the resistance. Los Angeles Times

 Trump finally faced the state he loves to hate, and for the most part California went on with life. There were protests, traffic jams and the usual social media storm. But more rhetoric than action. Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

 In Newport Beach, Trump backers liked what they heard. Los Angeles Times

 Besides the wall, Trump promised new aircraft and pay raises to the military. San Diego Union-Tribune

 Oh, and the creation of a U.S. military space force. San Diego Union-Tribune

 During the campaign, Trump said he was so rich he didnt need donors. So why is he now on the familiar Beverly Hills fundraising circuit? The Atlantic

 All of Trumps tweets about California. Los Angeles Times

 This might be a reason why Trump visited L.A. and San Diego but not Orange County. Los Angeles Times

 Many Republican congressional hopefuls stayed away from President Trump. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Advertisement

A little off the top: African American men successfully lowered their high blood pressure to healthy levels when aided by a pharmacist and their local barber, according to a study of patrons of 52 barbershops in the Los Angeles area. Los Angeles Times

Adventures in catering: When Hollywood star power comes to a humble Eastside taco truck. L.A. Taco

In the works: Teslas Elon Musk recently mused about creating an old school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant in the Los Angeles area where people could eat while charging up their electric cars. That dream is now a step closer to reality: Tesla has applied for permits in Santa Monica. Los Angeles Times

Cinematic history: The Valley tract house where a gruesome cleaning occurred in Pulp Fiction is for sale  for more than $1 million. Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

Drill, baby, drill: L.A.s history in oil. Curbed Los Angeles

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Adding it up: Can single-payer healthcare really work in California? Some are skeptical. Sacramento Bee

First ladys project: Melania Trump plans to meet with tech giants over cyberbullying. Mercury News

Advertisement

Now available: UCLA has posted video of U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin being heckled by an audience at the university, footage that Mnuchin previously had demanded be kept under wraps. Los Angeles Times

Tech tale: A behind-the-scenes look at how Trump killed the takeover of Qualcomm. Wall Street Journal

CRIME AND COURTS

On second thought: ICE is changing its tune on a Bay Area immigration sweep after a spokesman resigned in anger over what he said were false claims by the agency. San Francisco Chronicle

Advertisement

Making its case: An Irvine-based website known as the Craigslist of pot for linking consumers with marijuana providers is pushing back against allegations that it is violating state law, arguing that its a technology company and not a marijuana business. Los Angeles Times

Manson ruling: The remains of cult leader Charles Manson were awarded to his grandson from Florida, court records show. Kern County Superior Court Commissioner Alisa R. Knight authorized coroners officials to release Mansons body to Jason Freeman. Los Angeles Times

Charged: A man accused of killing a Pomona police officer was charged with capital murder and could face the death penalty. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Advertisement

Art world shocker: Helen Molesworth, the chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art whose exhibitions included the critically acclaimed 2017 Kerry James Marshall retrospective that was also a rare popular hit, has been fired. Some say its a big mistake. Los Angeles Times

Ooof: UCLAs trip to the NCAA tournament didnt last long. Beset by turnovers and poor shooting, the Bruins lost to St. Bonaventure 65-58 on Tuesday in a play-in game at the University of Dayton Arena. Los Angeles Times

Just what she needed: One story of facial feminization surgery. The New Yorker

The artist: Damien Hirsts new vision of Venice. New York Times

Advertisement

Solid opening: Even China loves Black Panther. Los Angeles Times

El Pollo  hmmm: The beloved Mexican Southern California chicken chain has a new logo. Some might find it a bit creepy. Orange County Register

Epic: Stephen Curry had quite the 30th birthday. SF Gate

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Advertisement

Los Angeles area: scattered showers and 65. San Diego: scattered showers and 64. San Francisco area: scattered showers and 54. Sacramento: showers and 53. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Kerry Traylor:

I remember growing up in a Solana Beach home with full views of the ocean that my father bought for $16,000 on a starting engineers salary. The I-5 in San Diego was empty all the time, and I walked to elementary school through fields of yellow mustard. By the time I was in college, my dad had broken ground on the first office building in a town that didnt even exist then but now has tens of thousands of homes, offices and retail space. When I was a teenager, that now-bustling town of Carmel Valley was just a big field where I rode horses. And now I sit in massive traffic on the I-5 every night.

Advertisement

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
The SUV had pulled over after a car activated its emergency lights behind it. But when federal immigration agents got out of the car, the undocumented couple in the SUV drove away, police said. They would end up dying in a fatal crash in the city of Delano.

Officers dispatched to the scene shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday found the SUV on its roof with two people inside, the Delano Police Department said in a statement.

Authorities said the vehicle was heading west on Cecil Avenue at a high rate of speed when it drifted onto the dirt shoulder and the driver lost control. The SUV then struck a utility pole and overturned before coming to rest.

Santos Hilario Garcia, 35, and Marcelina Garcia Profecto, 33, were declared dead at the scene.

Advertisement

The Police Department said it was investigating the crash and had no further comment.

According to ICE, Hilario was not the person the agency was looking for, though he matched the targets description.

ICE spokeswoman Lori Haley said late Wednesday that deportation officers arrived at the home and saw a man get into a car. When they stopped the car and tried to contact the driver, the driver sped off, she said. Officers later came across the overturned vehicle and called local authorities.

Hilario, who was convicted in 2014 of driving under the influence, was voluntarily returned to Mexico three times between 2008 and 2017, Haley said. Garcia had no prior encounters with ICE.

The couple had been in the U.S since 2003, and were in the country illegally, according to the United Farm Workers of America. The farmworkers leave behind six children  the oldest 18 and youngest 8. The oldest daughter has a 1-year-old baby.

Yesterday was an extremely sad day. We express our sincerest condolences to the family, said Arturo Rodriguez, UFW president.

The couple had been looking for work earlier in the day, Rodriguez said. At some point ICE tried to detain them. Once the family realized it was ICE, they got scared, more than likely, and took off.... Now the six children are left without any parents as a result of these aggressive actions by ICE.

At least 26 Kern County farmworkers were detained earlier this month as part of a mass sweep across Central and Northern California that immigration officials said targeted convicted criminals.

Advertisement

Many of the farmworkers appeared to have no serious criminal background and were stopped on their way to work by immigration officers in unmarked vehicles, said Armando Elenes, a vice president of UFW, which has been trying to document how many people have been detained.

A total of 232 people were arrested in the statewide operation targeting individuals who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security, according to a statement from ICE. The four-day sweep stretched from Bakersfield to the Oregon border.

Of those arrested, 180 were either convicted criminals, had been issued a final order of removal or had been previously removed from the United States and returned illegally, ICE authorities said. One hundred fifteen had prior felony convictions for serious offenses  such as child sex crimes, weapons charges and assault  or had past convictions for significant or multiple misdemeanors, ICE said.

Following Tuesdays fatal crash, the ACLU of Southern California said in a statement that in recent weeks it had received numerous reports from Kern County and other parts of the Central Valley of ICE staking out the roads farmworkers travel to get to work and pulling them over during early morning hours without any lawful basis, resulting in numerous unlawful arrests of residents.

Advertisement

The ACLU says ICE would often pull farmworkers over in unmarked vehicles and that drivers and passengers believed the officers were local police, according to Jennie Pasquarella, director of immigrants rights at the ACLU of Southern California.

This incident demonstrates just how dangerous ICEs unlawful practices are to our communities, Pasquarella said. This horrible tragedy is the direct result of ICEs inhumane tactics and the fear it provokes in hardworking people who stand to lose everything if they are deported.

To read this article in Spanish, click here

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Advertisement

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

UPDATES:

9:55 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from ICE.

Advertisement

4:55 p.m.: This article was updated throughout.

2:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Rodriguez.

2:15 p.m.: This article was updated with details on sweeps conducted in Kern County earlier this month.

This article was originally published at 1 p.m.
Californias seismic construction requirements are designed to protect the lives of those inside. But even with the most modern codes, building to the states minimum requirements would leave even new buildings severely damaged in a major earthquake  to the point of being a complete loss.

Earthquake experts have become increasingly concerned about this, noting that a massive temblor would leave many without homes and offices for months if not years.

When a magnitude 6.3 earthquake directly hit Christchurch, New Zealands third largest city, in 2011, 70% of the buildings in the central business district were damaged, but all were completely closed because it was too dangerous to be anywhere downtown.

Now, a Los Angeles lawmaker is proposing two bills that would toughen rules on how strong new buildings should be and require cities to identify existing buildings at risk of collapse.

Advertisement

Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian (D-North Hollywood) said the bills are important for keeping California functioning after a major earthquake.

If new buildings need to be demolished and rebuilt, you can imagine that, in a place like downtown L.A., what a standstill the economy will come to, and how many years it will take to rebuild and how daunting and taxing it will be, Nazarian said.

The proposals are expected to spark a familiar debate in earthquake country over the cost and effectiveness of boosting seismic regulations. Some in the construction industry defend the current minimum building standard as appropriate.

The first bill, AB 1857, would instruct the California Building Standards Commission to increase minimum mandatory standards for most types of buildings in the state, such as apartments, office buildings and commercial spaces, but would exempt single-family houses and duplexes.

The goal is to keep new buildings usable after a major earthquake. Even if people are forced to temporarily move out, the aim is to keep damage limited so repairs can be made within days or weeks, rather than a year or more.

Nazarian said he wants the new building regulations to become effective in 2023 as part of a scheduled update of the California Building Standards Code.

Seismologist Lucy Jones, formerly a science advisor for risk reduction with the U.S. Geological Survey, has been a big advocate of increasing Californias minimum building standards. Construction costs would only rise 1% to 2%, Jones said, citing an estimate from Keith Porter, a University of Colorado Boulder research professor.

Under existing building rules, a large earthquake could render unusable so many housing units that it would trigger a mass exodus much like New Orleans suffered after Hurricane Katrina, Porter wrote in a report.

Advertisement

We want a resilient society. But we cant have that if our buildings are not operational after an earthquake, Porter said in an interview. If you cant go back into your building after an earthquake, its a disposable building.

The states building codes allow for as much as a 10% chance that a new building will collapse in the maximum credible earthquake, Jones said.

When you look at the economic disruption...it means tenants cant go to work, it means neighbors who cant use their buildings, it potentially means people dont have a home, and it leaves businesses who dont have workers, Jones said. The financial consequences land on all of society.

Representatives of the California Building Industry Assn., which represents construction companies, cast doubt on whether tougher mandatory minimum building rules were needed for the entire state.

Advertisement

Although making residential buildings more earthquake resilient is a noble endeavor, it has to be balanced with addressing the challenge of making new housing and apartments as affordable as possible, Dan Dunmoyer, president of the California Building Industry Assn., said by email. We are in active discussions with the author in hopes of finding that needed balance.

The groups senior engineer, Bob Raymer, said he did not think the states minimum building codes are too weak. Raymer suggested having an expert committee write standards for tougher building codes would allow individual cities and counties the choice of adopting more stringent rules.

I think there is very good merit to having a more stringent standard available for use on a voluntary basis, Raymer said. A one-size-fits-all [approach] is probably not appropriate for California.

The Building Owners and Managers Assn.s Greater Los Angeles chapter has not taken a formal position on the bill, but its vice president for public policy, Martha Cox-Nitikman, said its worth discussing. We as a society place a value on having construction stay standing longer, she said.

Advertisement

The board of the Structural Engineers Assn. of California unanimously voted in January to favor stronger minimum building standards.

Historically, we have had life safety as the code minimum [in which] people would be able to exit and people shouldnt die in new buildings, said Janah Risha, president of the association. But if we look at economic survivability, it is not enough.  What happens to our whole regional economy when residential buildings cannot be reoccupied, when people cannot go into offices for an extended period of time?

Nazarians second bill, AB 2681, would require cities and counties to create an inventory of potentially vulnerable buildings.

Potentially vulnerable buildings include those approved by building officials under the 1976 code or earlier, as well as newer buildings built up to the 1995 code that may still be vulnerable, such as steel-frame buildings, and structures with a flimsy ground floor. Single-family houses, duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes would be exempt.

Advertisement

The bill calls on building departments to create an inventory by 2020 and notify owners. Owners would then need to hire an engineer to evaluate the building to determine if the structure is actually vulnerable in an earthquake.

Cities and counties would then be required to send their building inventory to the state Governors Office of Emergency Services; the office would be instructed to keep that information available as a searchable database on its web site.

One important open question remains: how this bill would be funded.

Were trying to work through that. Weve had some conversations with some state agencies to see if they can help with this effort, see if theres federal funding for this program, Nazarian said.

Advertisement

Cities have launched their own inventories of seismically hazardous buildings before. A 1986 state law required local governments in Californias most seismically active zone to create an inventory of old brick buildings that can be deadly in earthquakes.

More recently, some cities in California have expanded inventories to other types of buildings. San Francisco has an inventory of wood-frame apartments with flimsy ground floors, known as soft-story buildings; Los Angeles has gone further and also has an inventory of brittle concrete buildings; Santa Monicas list also includes steel-frame buildings.

Raymer of the California Building Industry Assn. said Nazarians second bill should first go to a committee of experts. Lets come up with a pilot program and come up with a model ordinance that we input into our code, and local jurisdictions can grab into it.

David Khorram, Long Beachs superintendent of Building & Safety who is also president of the California Building Officials organization, said he personally supports both bills. The second bill, he said, would help local elected officials understand where their vulnerable buildings are located, and leave it up to them to figure out what to do.

Advertisement

One saves buildings, the other one will actually save lives, Khorram said of the bills. As a building official, Im in support of both.

ron.lin@latimes.com

@ronlin

UPDATES:

Advertisement

3 p.m., March 15: This article was updated with a new top.

5:20 p.m.: This article was updated with a quote from David Khorram, Long Beachs superintendent of Building & Safety.

This article was originally published at 2:30 p.m. on March 14, 2018.
A teacher at a Monterey County high school accidentally fired a gun into the ceiling of a classroom Tuesday afternoon during a lecture on public safety awareness, injuring three students, authorities said.

Dennis Alexander, who also serves as a reserve police officer with Sand City and is on the Seaside City Council, was attempting to ensure a weapon was safe and free of any bullets when he pointed it toward the ceiling and inadvertently fired a round, Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen said Wednesday.

Officers were called to Seaside High School about 1:20 p.m.

Three students, 16 and 17 years old, sustained minor injuries  cuts and scrapes  after they were struck by bullet fragments or ceiling debris, Pridgen said. Seaside police said in a news release that no one was seriously injured.

Advertisement

One student had a cut near his eye, while another had a cut on his neck. A third student had redness on her arm.

In at least one case, the students parents took the teen to a hospital. School resumed after the incident.

Alexander, who Pridgen said has taught this safety class in the past, did not respond to a request for comment.

Its unclear if he will face charges in the incident. Pridgen said detectives will present the results of their investigation to the Monterey County district attorneys office, which will decide if charges are appropriate.

The incident came a day before tens of thousands of students across the country staged a historic national walkout to push political leaders to take action to prevent gun violence on and off campuses. The walkout came a month after a gunman stormed a Parkland, Fla., school and killed 17 people.

To read this article in Spanish click here

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

Advertisement

UPDATES:

March 14, 9:30 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the Seaside police chief.

This article was originally published on March 13 at 10:30 p.m.
As an overcast day ended in the heart of the resistance, President Trumps motorcade tucked into the Francisco Street entrance of the Wilshire Grand skyscraper.

There was no grand entry, or at least I missed it, standing behind Secret Service agents awaiting his arrival. Still, the hotel inside  the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown  had all the charming excesses that our 45th president might desire.



For the record: An earlier version of this story stated that President Trump entered the Wilshire Grand on 7th Street. He actually used the Francisco Street entrance.

The buildings interior decorator told this to my colleague Thomas Curwen about his inspiration for the steakhouse: We wanted French opulence and good taste to meet with a gritty California scene. That same spot  La Boucherie  has a bar in the shape of Marie Antoinettes slipper.

Police wait at the entrance to the InterContinental hotel for the arrival of President Trump. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes )

Advertisement

But as I set out to spend a night with Donald, I wanted to dig deeper. Trump isnt just the leader of the free world. Hes a hotelier connoisseur  infamous for dwelling over the smallest details at his properties.

So why, I wondered, of all the hotels in our fair city did he decide on this one? It was neither convenient nor a place he had stayed before. The president once wined and dined porn actress Stormy Daniels in a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, according to Daniels. And, in choosing this fine establishment, he also exposed himself to a rush-hour commute from Beverly Hills  where he had been raising big bucks Tuesday evening. (Yes, this journey is made easier when streets can be closed on his account.)

A phalanx of Secret Service and LAPD officers surrounded the building with gates and checkpoints transforming this tower into a fortress. They scanned my bags and hustled me through a metal detector.

But when I checked in around 3:30 p.m. in the 70th-floor hotel lobby, high in the clouds, there was no outward indication that this day was any different.

I stared out the floor-to-ceiling windows alongside Paul Saxton  a retired New Yorker who was tagging along on his wifes business trip. A dense fog gave way to an angelic sunset and a picturesque view of the Hollywood sign.

A visitor looks out over downtown Los Angeles from the the 70th floor of the InterContinental hotel. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times )

Its the highest hotel on the West Coast, Saxton told me. He must like that.

Then, as Trump hobnobbed in Beverly Hills and snarled traffic, I wandered this recently opened colossus.

Advertisement

On the seventh floor, I met Davis, 13, and Mila, 9, who had the pool to themselves and were unfazed by the crush of sirens and helicopters overhead.

They didnt care about the rain either  even if it made the pool kind of cold.

Their father, Moses Luevano, sat in the hot tub nearby, on his phone as the kids splashed each other and swam laps. Luevano told me he voted for Trump and was pleased with the tax cut the president enacted, but was turned off by the personal stuff.

He also told me his InterContinental rewards card meant the family always gets upgraded to a suite when they travel. This one was on the 64th floor, he said, and the views were great. So it made sense to him that Trump would want to stay here as well.

Advertisement

Hes staying in the newest, biggest, tallest hotel in Los Angeles. He has to sit on the top of the tower.

Later in the evening, business executives mingled at the Lobby Lounge, where a burger costs $29. Out the windows, the city had taken on a Blade Runner vibe and was really glowing. A convention about intellectual property was taking place in the hotel, and attendees relaxed with adult beverages.

I overheard excited conversations about Trump and how his stay affected the days of hotelgoers. Still, I never caught a glimpse of El Jefe or any of his recognizable cadre  just a multitude of armed suits ambling around outside the building.

At the bar, Giuseppe Van Oordt nursed a $17 old-fashioned. The 32-year-old had only recently moved to downtown Los Angeles, and his friend had snuck him in that evening. He marveled at the vibrancy of the area and said Trump must have felt that energy as well.

Advertisement

Its the tallest building, Van Oordt told me. Hes not going to stay at some second-tallest building.

The hotels 2,500-square-foot presidential suite sits on the 66th floor, and the sweeping views of the Los Angeles skyline serve as the backdrop to a relaxing lounge complete with a piano, according to the hotels website.

Im not sure if Trump stayed in that suite  or if he can tickle the ivories. But with its LED light shows and a display resembling a curved sail affixed to the top, the building is as Trumpian as you can get in this city  albeit with less gold and more glass.

A lone visitor, reflected in a mirror, makes his way to the pool area of the InterContinental hotel. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes )

Advertisement

Tammy Jow of AC Martin architects was one of the lead designers of the building. She worked for years with its owner, Yang Ho Cho, the chairman of Hanjin International Corp. and Korean Air, and his daughter Heather Cho to create something special.

I think its an honor, Jow told me upon hearing Trump would be staying here.

I think it fulfills a vision that the chairman had from the beginning  that we would provide a hotel of a caliber that would be able to host dignitaries, even presidents.

She demurred when I was asked whether it was ironic that Trump was staying at this beacon of Korean wealth in one the countrys most diverse cities even as he spent Tuesday marveling at prototypes for his big beautiful wall and spent last week promoting trade tariffs.

Advertisement

Guests of the InterContinental hotel walk through a screening area before entering the hotel. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes )

But Jows mention of Yang Ho Cho led me to an equally intriguing theory for why Trump chose this hotel  one that several guests posited to me as well.

Its the newest five-star hotel or maybe its because of the business interests. That Korean money, said a woman I met who was wearing a black hat with the Jaguar car logo on it and carrying a small terrier.

Trump staying here would certainly be a feather in Chos cap, said Richard Gowan, a foreign policy expert who has been closely following the crisis on the Korean peninsula. Maybe it will help Trump endear himself to a country whose help hell need in any number of upcoming geopolitical crises.

Advertisement

So Trumps team have to be aware that he cant lay his head on a pillow anywhere without sending a political message, Gowan said in an email.

It is rather like the King in some medieval realm announcing that he is coming to stay in some remote barons castle. It is a signal of friendship to the host. But the host had better get the details right.

Overwhelmed by the days events, I forgot to close the shades in my room on the 45th floor. So I was roused bright and early by a clear sunrise. The highlight of the room was the softest terrycloth robe I ever did wear.

I heard from my colleagues in the office that the president would be leaving around 8:30 a.m. So I stood with my nose pressed against the glass hoping to see the motorcade while contemplating whether to order a $28 omelette. But there was no sign of the motorcade  just a clear view of the parking lot that was the 110 Freeway.

Advertisement

Dejected, I trekked back to the 70th-floor lobby, my ears popping as I rode the elevator upward.

After checking out, I got one of the few signs that Trump had even been in Los Angeles. From the resplendent lobby, I watched the presidents fleet of helicopters take off from the Dodger Stadium parking lot and make the crosstown journey to LAX.

Then Trump was off to Missouri.

A visitor enjoys the pool for one at the InterContinental hotel. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes )

Advertisement

Protesters shout and rally at the corner of 7th and Figueroa streets waiting for the arrival of President Trump to the InterContinental hotel. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles TImes )

benjamin.oreskes@latimes.com

Twitter: @boreskes

UPDATES:

Advertisement

4:50 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes from other hotel guests and additional details.

This article was originally published at 8:25 a.m.
Can you guess which Southern California city has a John Wayne Day on the birthday of the late actor and staunch conservative?

Clue: Its the same city that has a statue of former President Ronald Reagan.

Youre disqualified if you live in Newport Beach, which I visited Tuesday to test the water on how locals feel about President Trump. The president had just arrived at the Mexican border to inspect the prototypes for his big beautiful wall, and he wasnt on the ground long before he poked a stick in California Gov. Jerry Browns eye.

I think Governor Brown has done a very poor job running California, said Trump, who made a crack about high taxes and said once again that we are totally out of control here.

Advertisement

I can think of a dozen things Id like to say about Trump judging anyone elses job performance, but Im not going to. California literally rained on Trumps parade Tuesday, relieving me of the need to mark turf.

Instead, Im going to remind myself that while almost 9 million Californians voted for Hillary Clinton in a blowout, nearly 4.5 million voted for Trump. In Newport Beach, Trump had dissenters. But in most neighborhoods of the affluent community, Trump prevailed by a comfortable margin, even though Clinton won Orange County  which is much bluer than it once was  and became the first Democrat to do so since the Great Depression.

On Balboa Island, under skies as gray as the shrunken California Republican Party, I found a 94-year-old gent strolling near the water. Sy Kimball said he once owned a convalescent home where John Waynes mother was a resident.

Reagan was a good man, Kimball said.

I asked what he thought Reagan would make of Trump, and Kimball didnt have to think for long.

Trumps more like Reagan than any president weve had, said Kimball, who told me exactly what he likes about the man who currently calls the White House home.

If he says hes going to do it, hell do it, he said.

Well, thats not true. But Kimball was such a genial guy, I wasnt going to argue with him.

Advertisement

Its gotta be tough for older Californians to adapt to the kind of changes that have transformed the state. Between 1952 and 1988, Republicans won all but one presidential election. And we used to have Republican governors and statewide office holders rather than Democratic domination, so on tough issues, there was a healthy back and forth.

Were too polarized now, with extreme and inflexible views on both sides of the aisle. President Reagan, for instance, signed a bill that made nearly 3 million illegal immigrants eligible for amnesty, and as governor, he signed an abortion rights bill.

Fox News would ridicule and destroy a man like that.

So let me repeat the question, this time for Patti Stern, president of the Newport Harbor Republican Women:

Advertisement

What would Reagan make of Trump?

I have no idea, and its a very different country, said Stern.

Shes right about that. The country is much more diverse, for one thing, and Trump used that as a wedge from the first day of his campaign.

Immigration is the primary topic of discussion this month, said the February newsletter for Sterns group. Stern, in her message to members, advocated for Trumps wall and his immigration policies.

Advertisement

If we elect Republican officials who refuse to acquiesce to the Democrats kowtowing to their base, many of whom are here illegally and are breaking our laws, it will slow down illegal crossings, Stern wrote.

That same newsletter carried a warning about a report that millennials are increasingly turning away from capitalism and toward socialism  and even communism as a viable alternative.

Hey, its Trump who seems to be in love with Vladimir Putin. Why no mention of that?

On March 22, the Republican Women will host a visit from Juanita Broaddrick, who has alleged that President Bill Clinton raped her in 1977, when he was Arkansas attorney general.

Advertisement

If its true, theres no defending Clinton.

But what does Stern have to say about allegations against Trump, who was heard on tape talking about how he grabs women, and who has given rise to the career of stripper Stormy Daniels, who says they had an affair?

Im not going to be discussing that, said Stern.

Getting back to immigration for a moment, I spotted three landscapers working in a Balboa Island yard and asked the crew chief what he thought about Trumps visit.

Advertisement

Its not good, he said, telling me that he and the other two are all undocumented, and the idea of Trump being in the state was a little unsettling.

He didnt want to get in trouble with his boss, but he said he and his buddies get $11 an hour, or $16 if they drive the company truck. Legal residents make a few dollars an hour more, but complaining means losing your job.

California has exploited immigrant labor throughout its history, which is why immigration policy operates on a wink and a nod. Too many people benefit from it, including agri-business, the hospitality industry and homeowners who like cheap goods and low wages, otherwise we would have stopped sending mixed messages long ago.

A couple of miles away, I stopped at a house with an American flag and a sign that said Buy American. I called to see if anyone was home, but there was no answer. A woman named Nancy came by, walking her dog, and when I told her about the landscapers Id spoken to, she agreed that immigration can be complicated.

Advertisement

Thats one reason she and her husband are big supporters. Its an issue crying out for someone to take charge.

Yes, she said, she thinks Trump had an affair with Stormy Daniels and is trying to cover it up, and yes he says stupid things, and yes he has issues of moral character.

But she still likes what she sees.

As taxpayers, we feel like our economy is going down, she said, which is a curious argument from a physical therapist married to a physician and living near the beach in one of the most expensive ZIP Codes in California.

Advertisement

So many people are here that arent part of the system. They get free schooling, they get free food. Somebody has to stand up to them.

Thats basically why were Trump supporters. We feel like everybody should have to pay their taxes and abide by the law, and its not fair that our kids, when they apply to schools  a white male has no prayer of getting into any California school because its all illegals who get first dibs, and then its out-of-state students.

Some readers, Im sure, will cheer those sentiments.

For those who were depressed by them, I met a woman in her 20s two blocks away. She said she and the young people she knows, for the most part, dont hold those views.

Advertisement

The past cant hold.

The future is theirs.
A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the bulk of Texas crackdown on sanctuary cities in a victory for the Trump administration as part of its aggressive fight against measures seen as protecting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

The ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans allows Texas to enforce what many consider the toughest state-level immigration measure since Arizona passed what critics called a show your papers law in 2010.

The Texas law allows police officers to ask people during routine stops whether theyre in the U.S. legally and threatens sheriffs with jail time for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

The ruling came a week after the U.S. Justice Department  which had joined Texas in defending the law known as Senate Bill 4  sued California over state laws aimed at protecting immigrants.

Advertisement

Dangerous criminals shouldnt be allowed back into our communities to possibly commit more crimes, Republican Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton said in response to the ruling.

Leading the lawsuit were Texas largest cities  including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin  in a state where the Latino population has grown at a pace three times that of white residents since 2010.

Under the Texas law, local authorities can be fined for failing to honor federal requests to hold for possible deportation people jailed on offenses that arent immigration-related. Police chiefs, sheriffs and constables could also now face removal from office and even criminal charges for failing to comply with such federal detainer requests.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said the organization was disappointed in the ruling and will closely monitor how the law is implemented. The only part of the law removed by the court was a portion prohibiting local officials from endorsing policies that limit immigration enforcement.
In 2004, Congress delivered what seemed to be an unmistakable message about ownership limits in the TV broadcasting industry. It ordered the Federal Communications Commission to institute a new cap: No company could own stations that collectively broadcast into more than 39% of U.S. homes.

So why hasnt the FCC summarily rejected Sinclair Broadcast Groups proposed purchase of Tribune Media, which would allow Sinclair-owned stations to beam their programs to more than 70% of U.S. TV viewers? Because by the deliberately skewed calculations of the FCCs current Republican majority, those stations broadcasts dont reach the households they really do reach.

The real issue is whether any company should be able to amass control over so much of the public airwaves.

Media mergers are routinely opposed by consumer groups concerned about the consolidation of power among a relatively small number of giant Hollywood studios and communications companies. This deal has drawn extra fire from left-of-center critics because Sinclairs owners have used their stations to advance their own (conservative) agenda  for example, by requiring local broadcasters to run political commentaries by a former aide to President Trump and promotions that echo Trumps fake news attacks on the media.

Advertisement

But Sinclairs political leanings are not the problem here. The real issue is whether any company  regardless of its politics  should be able to amass control over so much of the public airwaves.

For more than 80 years, Congress has offered broadcasters an incredibly sweet deal: They could obtain the exclusive rights to a slice of prime airwaves in exchange for operating in the public interest. Lawmakers left it to the FCC to define what that meant, and the definition has changed over time. Still, from the early days of TV, a key element has been offering programming of local interest. That local focus informs the TV ownership limits, which also promote diversity in programming and viewpoints.

After initially capping the number of stations a company could own, Congress shifted to capping the percentage of Americans that a companys TV stations could reach. But during the analog TV era, stations using Channel 14 and higher  those in the UHF band  had a more limited range than those on or below Channel 13  the VHF band. So in 1985, the FCC declared that UHF stations would receive a discount: Their signals would be deemed to reach only half the viewers in their market.

That discount should have been phased out by 2009, once broadcasters had completely shifted to digital transmissions that are just as far-reaching in UHF as in VHF. Instead, the commission didnt eliminate the UHF discount until September 2016, after a lengthy rule-making process.

The repeal, which prohibited any further mergers and acquisitions that would circumvent the 39% cap, was a much needed corrective. But shortly after Republicans took over the commission in 2017, they restored the UHF discount  even as they were tossing out other regulations right and left. Less than three weeks later, Sinclair  the largest broadcast group, owning or operating more than 170 stations in 81 markets  announced its $3.9 billion purchase of Tribune, which owns or operates 42 stations in 33 markets.

The transaction wont go through unless the Justice Departments antitrust division signs off on it and the FCC agrees to transfer the licenses held by Tribunes stations to Sinclair. To bring itself down to the 39% cap with the UHF discount, Sinclair has said it would sell stations in San Diego, New York City and Chicago. But it also plans to continue to operate the New York and Chicago stations after the sale, while maintaining an option to buy the stations back. So much for diversity and localism.

Top Republicans on the commission concede that the discount is technically indefensible. They decided to restore it, however, on the argument that it cannot be changed without altering the 39% cap. The commission is now formally exploring whether it has the authority to change the cap, despite Congress instructions in 2004 not to do so. Rather than let Sinclair own stations reaching almost three-quarters of the U.S. audience, the commission needs to close the door it opened and respect the law as it was written.

Advertisement

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
One of the things that motivated my old friend Andrew Breitbart was his righteous indignation at being called a racist. Thats a running theme in his book, Righteous Indignation.

His friend Ben Shapiro told me: Andrew Breitbart despised racism. He took pride in rejecting racism and fighting it tooth and nail. He saw it as a form of bullying. Nothing devastated him more personally than being maligned as racist.

He would also advise conservatives not to be deterred if their opponents on the left unfairly called them racists  something he rightly believed happened all the time. Indeed, one of the things that got him out of bed in the morning was fighting the media-Democratic narrative that conservatives are all a bunch of racists.

Bannons un-American schtick has no place here.

Advertisement

In one famous episode, members of the Congressional Black Caucus walked through a crowd of tea party protesters seeking a provocation. Subsequently they claimed the attendants screamed the N-word and other epithets at them. The press reported it all as fact. Andrew, noting the sea of cameras and iPhones at the event, offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could provide proof of the CBCs claims. No one came forward.

That was the Andrew Breitbart I was proud to call my friend.

Last week, just after the sixth anniversary of Andrews demise, the man who replaced him at Breitbart News, Steve Bannon, launched his blood and soil tour of Europe. The climax was a speech to the ultra-right French National Front in which he perverted Andrews defiant message, preferring to embrace the caricatures Andrew dedicated himself to fighting.

Bannon told the crowd: Let them call you racists. Let them call you xenophobes. Let them call you nativists. Wear it as a badge of honor.

He continued: The tide of history is with us, and it will compel us to victory after victory after victory.

Theres something darkly comic about a guy who in the last year was fired from the White House, fired from his website and defenestrated by the patrons who supported him, speaking to a sparse crowd of Vichy nostalgists, claiming that the tide of history is with him.

If Andrew were still around, I bet hed tell Bannon to stay in Europe  and not just because his tendency to wear several shirts seems more consistent with European fashion. Bannons understanding of conservatism is entirely European.

In a famous  and famously misunderstood  essay, Why I Am Not a Conservative, Friedrich Hayek, the Nobel prize-winning economist and political theorist wrote: Conservatism proper is a legitimate, probably necessary, and certainly widespread attitude of opposition to drastic change. It has, since the French Revolution, for a century and a half played an important role in European politics. Until the rise of socialism, its opposite was liberalism.

Advertisement

What Hayek meant by liberalism is the laissez faire, limited government, philosophy that defined the best parts of the French and Scottish Enlightenments. These classical liberals fought with conservatives of all stripes, arguing for inalienable and universal human rights. They were opposed by theocrats, aristocrats, monarchists and arch-traditionalists who argued for the rule of altar and throne, caste and guild.

There is nothing corresponding to this conflict in the history of the United States, Hayek observed, because what in Europe was called liberalism was here the common tradition on which the American polity had been built: thus the defender of the American tradition was a liberal in the European sense.

Conservatism in America has always been deeply traditionalist, sometimes too much so. But at the core of the modern conservative movement has been the effort to protect, defend and conserve the traditions of a liberal revolution, grounded in the best arguments of the enlightenment (slavery notwithstanding).

Advertisement

Bannons potted blood and soil nationalism and racially tinged populism runs counter to that project and the best and highest ideals of conservatism and America itself. He turned Andrews Breitbart.com into a platform (his word) for the alt-right seeking to inject European swill into the American body politic.

Let him stay in Europe and hand out torches for the marchers. His un-American schtick has no place here. Im sure Andrew would agree.

jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook.
The mystery isnt why Rex Tillerson was fired this week. Its why he lasted so long.

Tillerson, a thoroughly conventional conservative who became secretary of State on the strength of a career negotiating oil deals for Exxon, was out of step with his boss from the start.

He was a George W. Bush Republican in a Donald Trump world. His chief sponsors were Bush aides, Condoleezza Rice and Robert M. Gates. He was the embodiment of the theory that Trump would pivot toward traditional GOP policies after his inauguration. But the pivot never happened.

Tillerson was simply bad at his job.

Advertisement

That left Trump and Tillerson at odds on major issues. Trumps version of America First views international alliances as costly encumbrances; Tillerson wanted to preserve them. Trump wanted to tear up Barack Obamas 2015 nuclear deal with Iran; Tillerson wanted to keep it. Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris agreement on climate change; Tillerson wanted to stay in.

If that werent enough, Tillerson was simply bad at his job. Instead of focusing on diplomacy, he spent much of his time redesigning the State Department bureaucracy and offering to cut his own budget.

Tillersons defenders said he was a voice for moderation, and he was  but an ineffective one. Trump undercut him relentlessly, dismissed his attempts to negotiate a deal with North Korea as useless, and finally took over the effort himself.

Nor did Tillerson ever sincerely attempt to win over his boss on a personal level. When NBC reported that Tillerson had privately called Trump a moron, the secretary of State denounced the report  but never quite denied it.

Rumors began circulating almost six months ago that Trump was ready to fire his ill-fitting secretary of State. The reports even named the most likely successor: CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

So Tillersons dismissal came as the least surprising, and least graceful, firing in recent political history  the first time a president has ever fired a Cabinet member on Twitter.

The clumsy episode revived a perennial question: Can anyone who agrees to serve Trump escape without serious damage to his reputation?

Pompeo is about to find out.

Advertisement

On the surface, the former tea party congressman from Kansas looks like the anti-Tillerson. Tillerson is taciturn, understated and imperious. Pompeo is swaggering, loquacious and brashly hard line.

The CIA, he said last year, must be aggressive, vicious  [and] focused on crushing our enemies.

Hes won Trumps heart the same way Defense Secretary James N. Mad Dog Mattis did, by sounding like a take-no-prisoners tough guy.

Pompeo is clearly more hawkish than Tillerson, especially on Iran. After Trumps election, then-Congressman Pompeo said he looked forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the worlds largest state sponsor of terrorism. He has accused American Muslim leaders of being potentially complicit in domestic terrorism.

Advertisement

But Pompeo, who learned international politics at West Point and graduated from Harvard Law School, is also quite capable of nuance and revision.

Once installed at the CIA, he acknowledged that the Iran deal had put the United States in a marginally better place because it allowed international inspections of nuclear facilities.

On North Korea, he believes it may be impossible to force Kim Jong Un to dismantle his nuclear force immediately, and that the United States should pursue the secondary goal of stopping nuclear tests.

Advertisement

And he has endorsed the intelligence communitys view that Russias Vladimir Putin meddled in the 2016 election and is trying to meddle again  an unusual break from the president. He has consistently argued that Russia is a bigger threat than Trump seems to think.

So its not clear that Pompeos ascent means a major shift in foreign policy. Instead, it likely means a more effective Trump foreign policy  one with the State Department inside the circle of decision-makers, instead of outside.

Long before this week, Trump wasnt listening to Tillerson; he was listening to Pompeo, who often delivered the presidents morning intelligence briefing in person.

The question for Pompeo, now that he is getting the most important job in the Cabinet, is how he will define his role. Will he be Trumps enabler  or will he try to restrain the presidents undiplomatic impulses, as Tillerson tried to do? Will he submit to Trumps worst instincts? Or will he tell the president when hes wrong?

Advertisement

And will Trump listen?

Doyle McManus is a contributing writer to Opinion.

mcmanus.columns@gmail.com.

Twitter: @doylemcmanus

Advertisement

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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 most dangerous outcome for Republicans in Tuesdays special House election was not the prospect of a Democrat taking over one of their seats.

It was the shrugging off by voters of the partys biggest legislative achievement: the tax cut measure that Republicans hoped would be their major campaign message as they head toward a turbulent midterm election.

Though the popularity of Trumps tax plan has grown since it was passed last year, it stalled as an election issue in Pennsylvania, leading Republicans to shift away from it late in the campaign in search of another topic to energize supporters of state legislator Rick Saccone.

It looks like it just petered out, pollster Patrick Murray of the nonpartisan Monmouth University Polling Institute said of the tax plans impact on the election.

Advertisement

Democrat Conor Lamb held a narrow lead over Saccone on Wednesday, although the ballot count was not final. Win or lose, Lambs showing marked a dramatic improvement for Democrats in a district Trump seized by almost 20 percentage points in 2016.

Although one well-connected Republican characterized the private response by his party as a freak-out, party leaders publicly did not question whether they had overestimated the impact of the issue that is almost certain to be the GOPs biggest calling card as it tries to retain control of Congress in November.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) played down Lambs showing on the grounds that he ran as a conservative Democrat. Unmentioned by the speaker: Lamb campaigned against the tax plan.

We need to execute, we need to get our message, we need to make sure that our candidates arent massively out-raised and outspent on TV as was the case between these two candidates, Ryan added.

Counting outside spending, however, Republicans actually dumped more resources into the race, leading some to blame Saccone rather than the difficulties facing the party.

Campaigns and candidates matter, said Matt Gorman, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect GOP House members.

If you cant get your message out, Gorman said, then you dont have a message.

The election in the Pittsburgh area, to replace a Republican incumbent who resigned in disgrace, was of limited utility; the district has already been gutted in a redrawing of congressional lines by the state Supreme Court, so the winner will have to run elsewhere in November.

Advertisement

But coming in the spring of an election year that already appears to be a stiff climb for Republicans, the race offered another look at the political potency of a nationally unpopular president whose presence in the White House has fanned unprecedented levels of Democratic enthusiasm.

Democrats already were riding successful efforts at the end of 2017 in a host of Virginia races and the contest for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama.

Several Republicans fiercely disputed the notion that Tuesdays results showed that there were limits to the political impact of the tax cut plan.

Corry Bliss directed an outside effort working on Saccones behalf that ran multiple ads citing the tax cut plan and trying to link Lamb to Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco. He said that regardless of Tuesdays results, he sees both topics as beneficial to Republican candidates.

Advertisement

If I could sign a deal  with Democrats that the only two things we talk about are the tax plan and Nancy Pelosi, I would do that in a second, Bliss said.

The closing days of the Pennsylvania campaign, however, showed evidence of ambivalence. Saccone continued to talk about taxes; on Monday he and Donald Trump Jr. arrived at a candy shop in the district to tout fiscal benefits to the store and its workers as a result of the tax measure.

During a Fox News appearance Tuesday morning, Saccone returned to the topic.

Every day it seems people are still coming up to me, telling me how its benefiting them  single moms and small businesses that are expanding, he said.

Advertisement

But groups airing ads to benefit Saccone steered many of their pitches onto more visceral turf in the closing weeks of the campaign, a sign that they were searching for more-potent messages.

Typical was a National Republican Congressional Committee ad that struck at Lambs tenure as an assistant U.S. attorney.

Liberal Conor Lamb cut multiple plea deals and the gunrunners walked back on the streets, the narrator intoned. They placed firearms into the hands of criminals and Conor Lamb let them run free. We just cant trust Conor Lamb to keep our families safe.

Neither preelection polls nor Tuesdays results showed the tax plan to have a magnetic hold on voters.

Advertisement

Murray noted that in a Monmouth poll published last week  after respondents would have begun seeing the impact of the tax cut bill on their paychecks  only 23% of Americans surveyed expected their taxes would drop as a result of the law. Even among Republicans polled, only 35% expected to see a tax break emanating from a measure pushed by their own partys lawmakers and president.

Those numbers, Murray said, spoke to the skepticism of voters who, even if they might see some benefit themselves, were disgruntled by the fact that corporations and the wealthy benefited more.

The public doesnt look at its absolute return, he said. It looks at relative return  not just Am I getting my fair share? but Is someone else getting more?

Republicans in Washington have been relentless about touting the tax measure. At their weekly meetings with reporters, GOP leaders have marched one by one to the microphone to tell of their district visits to giant home improvement stores and small businesses, recounting stories of voters who said their prospects had been boosted as a result of the new law.

Advertisement

Last week, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) ticked off a series of optimistic indicators of business growth and boosts in jobs, crediting the tax plan.

She introduced Rep. Karen Handel, the Republican winner in a hard-fought Georgia race last year, who talked of her conversations with women in the construction industry who had attested to the benefits of the tax plan. One woman, Handel said, was bringing home an extra $260 a month.

That is meaningful and real for a single mom making sure that her daughter gets through college, Handel said. This is working for Americans, its working for women, its working for most working families across this country. And I look forward to seeing more positive results in the months to come.

But several people looking at the 2018 races suggested that several factors weighed against the GOP tax cuts developing enough strength to cut into the Democratic advantage this year.

Advertisement

Trump is the elections animating force, for one thing, overshadowing any specific issue and even the candidates. The president held a Saturday night rally in Pennsylvania that was ostensibly to boost Saccone, although the candidate was only minimally mentioned.

Even before Trumps election, the political environment had grown bracingly partisan; the antagonism between the sides is believed by many to limit the impact of any one issue in turning public opinion among voters who side with their self-selected partisans.

Trump won in places such as Pennsylvania in 2016 with a sharp message playing to voters anxiety about being displaced in modern-day America. Robert Jones, chief executive of PRRI, which conducts regular polls on national politics, said it was not clear that a more prosaic message about tax savings would have the same heft.

Something like an extra 100 bucks in my tax return  I dont think its going to stand up very well against The immigrants are coming for my job and ISIS is coming for my children, he said. Those messages are much more powerful.

Advertisement

For more on politics from Cathleen Decker 

cathleen.decker@latimes.com

Twitter: @cathleendecker

Advertisement

UPDATES:

9 a.m.: This article updated with comments from House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

Advertisement

This article was originally published at 3:20 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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch Live: White House holds surprise news briefing amid government shutdown Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch live: Vice President Pence and lawmakers honor George H.W. Bush at the U.S. Capitol before he lies in state Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch live: White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds a media briefing amid tensions at the border By Los Angeles Times Staff Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Its going to be tough out there Democratic candidate Katie Porter speaks to volunteers in Mission Viejo. Jon Bauman, Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na, is in the background. (Victoria Kim / Los Angeles Times ) Judging from the cheers in the crowd, about half those assembled at Katie Porters campaign headquarters in Mission Viejo Sunday morning were old enough to remember 70s rock n roll star Bowzer from the band Sha Na Na. Jon Bauman, as Bowzer is known off stage, said it was her position on senior issues including retirement and social security that has him out supporting Porter over her opponent, incumbent Rep. Mimi Walters. I want you to make sure every phone is called and every door is knocked, he told the crowd of about 80 volunteers. There has never been a more important election. Both Bauman and his nephew, California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman, were interrupted by yells from Trump supporters coming from an adjoining hillside. We love Trump, the voice cried out. We love him too, he makes great fodder, the younger Bauman retorted, before introducing Porter. Porter, a UC Irvine law professor and first-time candidate, acknowledged the uphill battle some of her canvassers might face in this more conservative end of the long-red Orange County district. I know its going to be tough out there, she said, motioning to the hillside. But she said the attacks meant the other side viewed her campaign as a significant threat. This election is going to be close, she said. If we dont fight all the way to the finish line, until 8 oclock on Tuesday, this could slip away. Bowzer then took to a keyboard piano to lead the crowd in a reworded rendition of the song Good Night Sweetheart: Good night, Mimi Walters, he crooned. A woman in a black tank top, jeans and flip flops holding a cup of coffee later joined the crowd with her two sons, 17 and 14, the younger one wearing a Trump 2016 T-shirt. She declined to give her name, saying she was concerned about being attacked, but said she lived up the hill and said she had been the one yelling. She said she was encouraging her sons to talk to people on both sides and make up their own minds. We need to have a government that runs the way government teachers are telling kids its supposed to be run, said the woman, a retired registered dental assistant who voted early for Mimi Walters. Referring to Democrats, she said: Theyve had control over all these years and Californias gone to crap. Among those canvassing was Stacie Campbell, 37, who was at the launch with her husband Jerome and three children, the youngest of whom was 2 months old. Campbell, a Mission Viejo resident who runs a business, had never canvassed or volunteered for campaigns before, and her husband is a French citizen and unable to vote. She said they had been talking to their children  the older ones are 5 and 2  about the presidency and the government since Trumps election. Together, they worked on homemade Katie Porter lawn signs and put them up around town. This is the first time its felt like a big deal and there isnt a president up for election, she said. Because her city is a mix of conservatives and liberals  her next-door neighbor is an NRA-supporting Republican  she the race felt m
The FBI office that handles employee discipline has recommended firing the bureaus former deputy director over allegations that he authorized the disclosure of sensitive information to a reporter and misled investigators when asked about it  though Justice Department officials are still reviewing the matter and have not come to a final decision, a person familiar with the case said.

The recommendation from the FBIs Office of Professional Responsibility is likely to add fuel to the political fire surrounding former deputy director Andrew McCabe, who abruptly stepped down from his post earlier this year but technically remained an FBI employee.

McCabe was hoping to retire in days, when he becomes eligible for his full benefits. If he is fired, he could lose his retirement benefits. President Trump has long made McCabe a particular target of his ire, and the recommendation to fire the former No. 2 FBI official could give him new ammunition.

Through a representative, McCabe declined to comment. A Justice Department spokeswoman said in a statement: The Department follows a prescribed process by which an employee may be terminated. That process includes recommendations from career employees, and no termination decision is final until the conclusion of that process. We have no personnel announcements at this time.

Advertisement

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz has for some time been working on a report that blasts McCabe for allowing two high-ranking bureau officials to sit down with the Wall Street Journal as the news outlet prepared a story in 2016 on an investigation into Hillary Clintons family foundation, then misleading the inspector generals team about his actions. A person familiar with the matter said Horowitzs findings are what sparked the Office of Professional Responsibilitys recommendation, which was first reported by The New York Times. Horowitzs report has not yet been released.

McCabe, 49, had long been expected to retire March 18, though he abruptly left his post earlier this year after his boss, FBI Director Christopher Wray, was told of what the inspector general had found.

The situation now seems fraught for all involved. If the Justice Department does not move on the recommendation, conservatives might view officials there as unfairly protecting McCabe. Trump  who already has a strained relationship with Justice Department leaders  might be particularly displeased.

But if the FBI fires McCabe with just days to go before his retirement, it could be viewed as bending to the will of a vindictive president. Trump has previously suggested McCabe was biased in favor of Clinton, pointing out that McCabes wife, who ran as a Democrat for a seat in the Virginia Legislature, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations from the political action committee of Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of Virginia and a noted Clinton ally. The president remarked in December that McCabe was racing the clock to retire with full benefits.

The inspector general has since last January been investigating the FBI and Justice Departments handling of the politically charged probe into Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of State, which is separate from the foundation inquiry. McCabe represents but a piece of that work.

Horowitz is also examining broad allegations of misconduct involving former FBI Director James Comey, including the public statement he made recommending that the Clinton email case be closed without charges and his decision 11 days before the election to reveal to Congress that the FBI had resumed its work. McCabe briefly took over as the FBIs acting director after Trump fired Comey in May.

The story for which McCabe authorized FBI officials to discuss came just as the bureau announced it was resuming its look at Clintons use of a private email server while she was secretary of State, though it focused more on a different case involving her familys foundation.

Advertisement

The story presented McCabe as a complicated figure  one who lower-level officials felt was stymieing their work, even though it detailed McCabe pushing back against Justice Department officials so the case could move forward.

The inspector general was interested in McCabes role in authorizing officials to talk about the matter, people familiar with the case said, because the story detailed ongoing criminal investigative work, which law enforcement officials are not normally allowed to discuss.

The Wall Street Journal story was written by Devlin Barrett, who is now a reporter at the Washington Post. Recently released text messages show that Barrett had talked with the FBIs top spokesman, Michael Kortan, and FBI lawyer Lisa Page, who worked for McCabe, two days before it was published.

Background briefings with reporters are common in Washington, particularly when reporters have information that officials feel compelled to respond to or add context. In this instance, though, it might have been viewed as inappropriate because the discussion was focused on an ongoing criminal investigation.
Students in Parkland, Fla., gather at a memorial in honor of the victims of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

As students walked out of schools across the country Wednesday to protest gun violence, a Senate hearing examined law enforcement agencies failure to heed multiple warnings about the Parkland, Fla., man accused of killing 17 people at a high school, as well as the long record of failed gun control measures in Congress.

For the record: An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified acting FBI deputy director David Bowdich, giving his first name as Bill and misspelling his name as Bowditch on second reference. The story also incorrectly said Bowdich sought to spread the blame for FBI errors by disclosing that local law enforcement had made 30 to 40 visits to the alleged shooters home. Bowdich gave the number in response to a question from a lawmaker.

The Senate Judiciary Committee hearing took place as the accused gunman, Nikolas Cruz, 19, appeared in court in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and was arraigned on a 34-count indictment in connection with the shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.

Cruz did not speak and a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf after state prosecutors filed notice that they would seek the death penalty in the case.

Advertisement

David Bowdich, the FBIs acting deputy director, told the Senate panel that the agency obviously erred when it failed to follow up on a long, detailed warning on a tip line that Cruz was going to explode.

We made mistakes here, no question about it, Bowdich said. That said, even if we had done everything right, Im not sure we could have stopped the attack.

He acknowledged that FBI agents missed an opportunity to find and quiz Cruz and to alert local law enforcement in Florida that he posed a possible danger. Cruz had been expelled from high school for disciplinary reasons and had been the subject of dozens of complaints to local police.

Bowdich said a close friend of the Cruz family had called the FBIs tip center on Jan. 8 with a very explicit warning, saying Cruz had purchased weapons, was mutilating small animals, had threatened his mother with a rifle and talked about the terrorist group Islamic State.

The tip center employee discussed the report with a supervisor but both agreed to close the matter without forwarding the report to FBI agents or to local police, Bowdich said.

He said the two had different recollections about their conversation and that an internal investigation is underway.

An FBI agent also failed to follow up after Cruz posted an ominous video on YouTube last September in which he vowed, Im going to be a professional school shooter. Bowdich said the agent could not identify the person who posted the video, although Cruz had used his real name.

Bowdich said the agent looked at social media and other computer sources but did not try to trace the posters internet address.

Advertisement

None of the FBI agents or employees has been disciplined for what Bowdich described as judgment calls. He added, These employees have due process like anyone else.

In response to a question, Bowdich said local law enforcement had made 30 to 40 visits to Cruzs home after receiving reports of threats or other problems.

Lawmakers made clear their dismay, although they offered no clear solutions.

Its my impression that the man did everything but take out an ad in the paper saying, Im going to kill someone, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, (R-S.C.)

Advertisement

Throughout the hearing, Democratic senators said new laws are urgently needed to improve background checks for gun purchases, and to ban the sale of assault-style semiautomatic weapons, even as they conceded that the proposals faced long odds of winning approval.

Several angrily cited the long record of gun control bills that have died in Congress, including measures that were proposed after 26 students and teachers were massacred in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012.

We cannot continue to sit in this room and other rooms week after week and simply do nothing, said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), noting that she has again proposed reimposing a ban on the assault-style rifle that Cruz used. She said mass shootings have steadily increased since an earlier ban expired in 2004.

Under existing law, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, known as the ATF, is barred from computerizing its gun ownership records. They are kept on paper instead, a move heavily promoted by gun-rights activists who seek to limit gun regulations.

Advertisement

Congress has forced you to go back to the 19th century, said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) told Thomas Brandon, acting director of the ATF.

I am not going to lie, Senator, Brandon responded. Its not the optimum, but its the law and we comply with the law.

The hearing was packed with gun-control activists who cheered calls for stiffer gun laws and expressed frustration that none appeared likely to pass.

A lot of talk and not a lot of action, said Trish Petty, who wore a red T-shirt from the group Moms Demand Action. The National Rifle Assn. still has a huge stranglehold on the people up there asking questions.

Advertisement

The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill that provides grants to states to train teachers to be alert to threats of gun violence  but has no gun control provisions. The White House said it would work with the Senate to pass the bill.

This administration is pleased with the progress we have made toward securing our schools over the last few weeks alone, and looks forward to working with the Senate to protect Americas students, the White House said in a statement.

After the Parkland school shooting, President Trump vowed to defy the NRA and push for a comprehensive gun control bill that would raise the age limit to purchase rifles, impose near universal background checks and renew a ban on assault-style rifles.

Trump abandoned those promises on Monday, offering a far more modest plan that would provide weapons training for teachers and create a commission to study other responses to school shootings.

Advertisement

At the hearing Wednesday, Katherine Posada, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas teacher, recounted how students in her honors class were discussing Shakespeares Macbeth when the shooting erupted. They huddled in terror as she fought her panic.

She said bluntly that Congress needed to act to control weapons  and that arming teachers was not the answer.

The fact that a 19-year-old can go into a gun store and buy a semiautomatic weapon and a high-capacity magazine  that is insane to me, she said.

This is not a partisan issue, she said. The children of Republicans are not immune to bullets.

Advertisement

joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Twitter: @jtanfani

UPDATES:

1:20 p.m.: This story was updated with House vote on a bill to train teachers.

Advertisement

This story was originally posted at 12:45 p.m.
He came, he saw, he raised money, he tweeted.

And less than 24 hours later, President Trump is headed back East  after leaving Los Angeles smack dab in the middle of the morning commute.

Trumps first visit to California was equal parts bravado and stagecraft, with a dash of campaign fundraising and a few jabs at the Golden State thrown in for good measure.

Yes, theres also huge political news on the other side of the country for him to respond to once hes back in Washington: a Cabinet member whos gotten the ax and a too-close-to-call special election in a Pennsylvania House district thats been solidly Republican for a very long time.

Advertisement

Sign up for the Essential Politics newsletter 

But lets start in our own backyard, shall we? After all, our Times team of reporters and photographers were with Trump every step of the way  providing a lively news feed on all of Tuesdays presidential events.

TRUMP TOUTS THE WALL

The unique nature of Trumps trip to California was evident from the very moment Air Force One landed near San Diego. There was no big welcoming party from state leaders, all Democrats. But even Republicans  both Californian Republicans who are holding office and GOP candidates  were absent from their party leaders visit.

Reps. Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa were some of the only elected officials or candidates spotted with Trump throughout the day.

Not that the president was deterred on a trip primarily for him to get an up-close look at proposals for perhaps the centerpiece of his 2016 election: a massive new wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

And lest anyone think there wouldnt be anything unexpected during his visit to the site near San Diego where prototypes of new walls have been built, Trump offered a new rationale for the project  one without any proof.

It will save thousands and thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud and burdens on schools and hospitals, he said. The wall will save hundreds of billions of dollars  many, many times what its going to cost.

Advertisement

Yes, the president offered a little criticism of Gov. Jerry Brown, saying the Democrat is doing a terrible job of leading California. (Naturally, Brown responded with a slightly different take on how things are going in the state.)

TRUMPS CASH GRAB

After his speech to Marines at Miramar, the president was off to Beverly Hills for a private fundraising dinner benefiting the Republican National Committee. His hosts for the evening were Edward Glazer, the co-chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and wife Sheri Glazer.

It was clear there would be no leaked video of the closed press event. Absolutely no cell phones, read a sign outside of the venue.

Advertisement

And yes, not everyone in the exclusive gated Beverly Park neighborhood was thrilled with the security impacts of a presidential visit.

Trump spent the night at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles Wilshire Grand Building.

THE PROTESTERS

The arrival of a president with a 26% approval rating among California adults in the most recent statewide poll undoubtedly was going to draw protesters, and plenty of people showed up to jeer Trump throughout the day.

Advertisement

Near the border, protesters decided to cheer people who were crossing through the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The presidents supporters were outnumbered.

(There were protesters on the Mexican side of the border, too.)

In Beverly Hills, the scene was as much a party as it was a protest. Street vendors sold hot dogs, a live band played music, and a stage was set up for speakers.

And as many as 300 people were waiting for the nations 45th president as his motorcade pulled into the downtown L.A. hotel Tuesday night, where their anti-Trump message was displayed in lights.

Advertisement

Be sure to check out the best of Trumps California day in photos. And peruse Trumps history of tweets about California, a list that grew even on the day of the trip.

TILLERSON IS OUT: THE REXIT

For much of the nation, the Trump news of Tuesday that stood out was his decision to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The long-simmering conflict between the commander-in-chief and his top diplomat finally came to a head, as the president confirmed the news via Twitter, about four hours after Tillerson cut short a weeklong trip to Africa and rushed back to Washington. The former CEO of Exxon Mobil will leave his post at months end.

Advertisement

It is the latest in the long list  one you can see here  of notable departures from an administration that is still just 14 months old.

Once confirmed, the new secretary will be Mike Pompeo, currently serving as CIA director. And in Pompeo, the president gets someone on his wavelength who has political skills Tillerson lacked. That could help the former Kansas congressman, since foreign governments are likely to view him as speaking directly for Trump on Iran, North Korea and other key issues.

Pompeos elevation means Trump needs a new CIA director, and hes chosen Deputy Director Gina Haspel, who would be the first woman to run the nations premier spy agency. But her confirmation hearings may focus more on her role in the agencys torture of terrorism suspects and the destruction of key evidence more than a decade ago.

PENNSYLVANIAS 18TH: DOWN TO THE WIRE

Advertisement

Everyone who follows politics has an opinion about what happened in the Pennsylvania special election held on Tuesday. The only thing anyone can safely say is that the House seat in play has long been safely ensconced in GOP territory  but not any longer.

Democrat Conor Lamb held on to a razor-thin lead as the night ended, but it was unclear whether it will be enough to hold off state lawmaker Rick Saccone.

Still, many saw it as another example of a troubling trend for Republicans with regular midterm elections right around the corner.

NATIONAL POLITICS LIGHTNING ROUND

Advertisement

-- Is Veteran Affairs Secretary David Shulkin the next one to be shown the door in the Trump White House?

-- A previously withheld video has been released showing the heckling of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin during a recent speech about the economy at UCLA.

-- A federal appeals court Tuesday upheld the bulk of Texas crackdown on sanctuary cities in a victory for the Trump administration as part of its aggressive fight against measures seen as protecting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally.

-- Is the NRA right when it says that Floridas new law raising the age limit on buying guns is unconstitutional?

Advertisement

DEADLINE DAY FOR THE LAST CALIFORNIA HOPEFULS

California election law makes today the last day for candidates to file in races where theres no incumbent. And all eyes are on a pair of Southern California House districts where Democrats think they have a chance to flip the map from red to blue.

That is, if a plethora of Democratic candidates dont split the vote so thinly that Republicans advance to Novembers election. On Tuesday, Democrat Jay Chen dropped out of the crowded race to replace retiring Rep. Ed Royce. National Democrats praised his decision.

Well keep a close eye on developments all day on our Essential Politics news feed.

Advertisement

TODAYS ESSENTIALS

-- Two prominent California Democrats quickly seized on the presidential visit Tuesday in hopes of generating a little buzz.

-- The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to explore regulations on firearms, including restricting sales to anyone under 21, banning .50-caliber handguns, strengthening safe storage laws and prohibiting gun sales near schools.

-- An Irvine-based website that links patients and consumers with marijuana providers has responded to a cease-and-desist letter from state cannabis regulators by arguing it is protected by federal law.

Advertisement

-- A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco resigned his post, disillusioned by what he called falsehoods spread by Trump administration officials after a four-day sweep last month, according to reports.

-- Californians who buy guns or ammunition would have to pay a new fee to fund more counselors and safety officers at schools under a state Assembly bill proposed in response to the recent mass shooting at a Florida high school.

-- Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has endorsed Republican John Cox in the race for governor.

LOGISTICS

Advertisement

Essential Politics is published Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

You can keep up with breaking news on our politics page throughout the day. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?

Miss Mondays newsletter? Here you go.

Please send thoughts, concerns and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

Advertisement

Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox.
This is what it looks like when the president holds a fundraiser in a gated community

Police are shutting down Mulholland in anticipation of the presidential motorcade moving. These officers are from San Pedro, including one who is practically my neighbor in Long Beach. pic.twitter.com/ynfXgGRabD  Seema (@LATSeema) March 14, 2018

President Trump has left the Beverly Park mansion of Shari and Edward Glazer after spending several hours talking to Republican donors.

The Glazer residence  a brick home painted tan with a slate-colored roof  sits at the end of a cul-de-sac. Beverly Park is a gated community east of the Beverly Glen neighborhood. Current and former residents include media magnates Sumner Redstone and Haim Saban and celebrities Denzel Washington, Sylvester Stallone, Gene Simmons and Rod Stewart. The community is part of Los Angeles but carries Beverly Hills 90210 ZIP Code.

Donors who paid a minimum of $35,000 and up to $250,000 per ticket arrived at a staging area down the hill from the house in the early evening. They were brought up to the fundraiser in golf carts, passing a row of magnolia trees along the way. Edward Glazer is co-chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A large white tent could be seen in the backyard of the house, lined with tall trees.

During the event, a faint smell of marijuana seemed to waft from a property a few doors down.

Mulholland closed at Coldwater Canyon, traffic backed up for miles. pic.twitter.com/j3yubt0d23  Seema (@LATSeema) March 13, 2018

The fundraiser and its high-profile headliner prompted many street closures, and police shut down Mulholland Drive so that the Trump motorcade could swiftly leave the area.

It also forced residents to change their daily routines.

Valerie Price Simon, 55, had to park her car down the road and hike up Beverly Glen carrying her groceries (steaks and mozzarella).

Steve Wazeji, 38, was late to relieve the nanny, who was watching his two-year-old daughter.

Wazeji said he voted for Trump in 2016 because he believed the billionaire cant be bought. Asked about the fundraiser still underway where donors were ponying up as much as a quarter million dollars to spend time with the president, Wazeji paused and then said, If its for the RNC, its okay.

Valerie Price Simon parked her car at temple and hiked up Beverly Glen carrying steaks and mozzarella only to find she couldnt make it home bc of Mulholland shutdown. Shes not pleased. We had the fire, and then we had the floods after the rains. Its a narrow little street. pic.twitter.com/NOYMB2VQjl  Seema (@LATSeema) March 14, 2018

Steve Wazeji, a Trump supporter, is frustrated because he cant get home to relieve his nanny because of Mulholland shutdown. At least give us one way to get home, he said. pic.twitter.com/m5zJ0HgUVH  Seema (@LATSeema) March 14, 2018

Simmons, the lead singer of KISS, offered a nuanced take on Trump disrupting his neighborhood as he sat down Tuesday evening for dinner with wife Shannon Tweed and other family members at an Italian restaurant in Beverly Glen.

I have a very American point of view. Im totally supportive of anyone who wants to demonstrate  thats the American way, he said. Whats being lost is civility and class. Were acting like animals on both sides of the aisle.

Whether [Trump] is the president they voted for, he won in the Electoral College, Simmons added. If you dont like reality, vote and change it.

Simmons, wearing trademark all-black with his long hair tied in a ponytail, demurred when asked who he voted for in the 2016 presidential election. Never ask a woman her age, and never ask anyone who they voted for, he said.

He wasnt too worried about the street closures, saying, The police like me.

Back at the fundraiser, expected to raise $5 million for Trumps reelection and the Republican National Committee, it was difficult to discern who was in attendance.

Glazer, 48, is the son of the late billionaire Malcolm Glazer. In addition to the Bucs, his family owns the Manchester United soccer team. Glazer is also president of First Allied Corp., the familys real estate company.

Glazer donated $98,000 to Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and $250,000 to his inauguration. But he has also supported Democrats. In 2016, he gave $5,400 to Hillary Clintons presidential campaign on the same day he donated $33,400 to the RNC.

10 p.m.: This post has been updated with additional details.
Those severe winter storms that have been plaguing the East Coast might be linked to a rapidly warming Arctic, according to a new study on Arctic temperatures and extreme weather in a dozen U.S. cities.

While the findings published in the journal Nature Communications build on earlier studies that have looked into this connection, they drew criticism from other researchers who questioned some aspects of the work.

The basic findings are sound, but I would take issue with some of the interpretation in the study, Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Pennsylvania State University who was not involved in the study, said in an email.

The Arctic has been warming fast in recent decades, causing sea ice to shrink to record lows. This temperature rise comes as global warming, fueled by the greenhouse gases released by decades of human activity, shows little sign of slowing.

Advertisement

At the same time, scientists have begun to wonder whether the flurry of winter storms in the last few years might somehow be related to Arctic warming. Some work had already suggested there was a connection, but lead author Judah Cohen, an MIT climatologist with Atmospheric and Environmental Research in Lexington, Mass., wanted to see whether there was a more quantifiable, consistent link.

Cohen and his colleagues compared three different sources of data: an index of Arctic temperatures, an index that combined Arctic temperatures and surface pressures, and the Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index  which tracks extreme winter weather events by looking at such factors as maximum and minimum temperatures, snowfall and snow depth.

For this study, the researchers looked at 12 areas either in or around these cities: Seattle; Helena, Mont.; Salt Lake City; Bismarck, N.D.; Duluth, Minn.; Des Moines; Detroit; Chicago; Milton, Mass.; New York; Washington and Atlanta.

After comparing the three indices for these areas from the years 1950 to 2016, Cohen and his colleagues found a strong link between Arctic warmth and nasty winter weather, from record-breaking cold snaps to intense snowstorms. In fact, in the Eastern United States, extreme winter weather was 2 to 4 times more likely when Arctic temperatures were unusually high.

In the Western U.S., the trend was more mixed and sometimes even the opposite, reflecting somewhat milder winter weather in general.

For the paper, the scientists did not try to pin down exactly how and why this happens, and they stressed that correlation did not equal causation. Still, they did suggest that the Arctic warming could potentially contribute to rougher winter weather.

These findings suggest that the continuation of rapid Arctic warming and melting contribute to more frequent episodes of severe winter across the [Northern Hemispheres] mid-latitude continents, the authors wrote.

That suggestion of correlation was one of the reasons the paper came under fire from other climate scientists.

Advertisement

Mann pointed out that increased snowfall in the Northeastern U.S. and mid-Atlantic partly reflect warmer ocean temperatures and stronger coastal storms, which can produce stronger noreasters with larger snowfall totals  like many of the storms seen this season.

This is an entirely separate mechanism from Arctic warming, Mann said. This example points to the limitations in purely observationally-based studies such as this one, and the importance of investigating dynamical mechanisms with physically-based models. There isnt just one factor at work, but many.

Kevin Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., said that many parts of the paper were not new and others were not right.

The link between the warm Arctic and cold in [the mid-latitudes] is an obvious one: the cold air has to go somewhere, Trenberth said in an email. The question is where and what is the cause. This study reaffirms the relationship but not its cause. The Arctic likely plays a modest role in terms of feedbacks but it is unlikely it is a cause.

Advertisement

Something else might be responsible for both the Arctic warming and the extreme winter weather, he added.

The study comes as some Republican politicians have in recent years used winter weather to attempt to disprove the existence of climate change. Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) memorably brought a snowball into the Senate in February 2015 to suggest that climate change was not real. President Trump has also suggested in the past that record-setting snowstorms and freezing temperatures contradict global warming.

But in an interview, Trenberth pointed out that the opposite is true. In the middle of winter, the temperature over the continent is usually too cold, and the air is too dry, for snow to form. But rising ocean temperatures (thanks to global warming) could inject just enough warm moisture to bring those frigid temperatures high enough (around 28 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit) for a lot of snow to fall.

If you warm things up a bit with global warming, you actually create conditions ripe for bigger snowfalls, he said.

Advertisement

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

MORE IN SCIENCE

This is nanowood, a new invention that could greatly reduce humanitys carbon footprint

Advertisement

Take a little off the top: How visits to the barbershop helped reduce blood pressure in African American men

On Twitter, fake news spreads faster and further than real news  and bots arent to blame
With a narrow 3-2 vote on Tuesday, Burbank became the most recent city in California to recognize the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Council members decided to replace Columbus Day, a federal holiday that celebrates Christopher Columbus arrival in the Americas, with a holiday that commemorates the indigenous and native people in North America. Council members Jess Talamantes and Bob Frutos did not support the change.

Burbank joins Berkeley, San Fernando and, most recently, Los Angeles as the only cities in the state that have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. Berkeley made the change in 1992, San Fernando in 2015 and Los Angeles on Aug. 30 of this year.

The Los Angeles City Council spent about 18 months discussing whether it should make the switch.

Unlike Los Angeles, Burbank will not be declaring Indigenous Peoples Day as an official city holiday.

Elizabeth Goldman, Burbanks library services director, told council members that Columbus Day has not been observed by the city as an official holiday for more than 20 years and that it is not an official state holiday. Also, the Burbank Unified School District does not observe Columbus Day during its school year.

Goldman added that, unlike other cities in the region, there are not a large number of Native Americans living in Burbank. She said about 0.5% of the citys population identified themselves as Native American, according to the 2010 census.

Its a righting of something thats been overlooked for decades. Burbank Councilwoman Emily Gabel-Luddy

Talamantes said he was confused as to why the holiday switch needed to be made if Native American Day, a state holiday observed on the fourth Friday in September, already exists.

Frutos voted against the change because he felt he did not have enough information as to why the switch should be made, adding that council members were being hasty with the decision.

If the city of L.A. took a whole year [to make a decision], then were rushing to this, Frutos said. I think its important to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day, but I think were rushing into this.

Vice Mayor Emily Gabel-Luddy said the decision for the city to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day is a much-belated tribute she thinks could have only been made during this generation.

As a child, Gabel-Luddy said she remembers her parents working with Native Americans in Southern California and helped address the issues they were facing, which included being recognized.

The vice mayor added that more than enough proof has been published documenting the poor treatment of indigenous peoples who lived in the United States before it was repopulated by settlers to warrant the new holiday.

Its a righting of something thats been overlooked for decades, Gabel-Luddy said.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
The Burbank Transportation Management Organization has teamed up with a ride-sharing service to help reduce the number of vehicles driving through Burbank.

Since November, the transportation nonprofit has been working with Waze Carpool to offer those who work in Burbank a $2 ride to and from their job.

Julia Wean, interim director of the organization, said using the service usually costs the passenger up to 54 cents per mile and caps the trip at about $15.

To encourage Burbanks workforce to consider using the ride-sharing service, trips taken by those who work in the Media City are being subsidized by the transportation nonprofit.

Those who want to take advantage of the program, which expires on April 30, do not have to live in Burbank. The deal works, without using a special code, as long as the rides final destination or starting point is in Burbank.

The program also benefits Waze Carpool, which is a relatively new ride-sharing app that operates in a different manner than Lyft or Uber, by attracting new users and drivers to the service.

Were hoping this incentive will encourage more people to download the app, check it out and hopefully encourage riders that are attracted to the $2 rides [and] also bring in more drivers that havent heard about the program before, Wean said.

Waze Carpool differs from its competitors in one important way. Instead of having a fleet of drivers who can be hailed by anyone to be driven anywhere, Waze Carpool has drivers who are on a route that would have been taken by them even if they didnt have a passenger with them, Wean said.

She added that Wazes drivers are limited to two trips a day  one to their work destination and one back home, which means there will be fewer vehicles going into and from Burbank.

It has been the Burbank Transportation Management Organizations goal to help reduce the number of vehicles commuting into and from Burbank.

David Kriske, assistant community development director of transportation for Burbank, said the citys resident nighttime population is around 105,000 to 108,000 people.

However, the daytime population swells to more than 200,000 people because of those who commute to and from work in Burbank.

Were a very jobs-rich city with a lot of commuting in and out of the city as a result, Kriske said. Weve always had that pattern, but I think because of either the economy or the activity of our employment of the last few years, at least anecdotally, is on the rise again, it brings challenges to deal with traffic coming into the city.

Finding a solution to traffic is something that Burbank and most other cities in Southern California face, Kriske said.

Meeting the needs of the residents and those who work in Burbank is a difficult task. Kriske said the city has been looking to revamp the Burbank Bus program, which has not been as widely used as before. City officials have also been encouraging residents and the workforce to use Metrolink for their commuting needs.

He added that transportation agencies have a difficult time providing the same level of convenience that Waze Carpool, Lyft and Uber provide.

As a region, were still having a hard time making sure that were putting our transit where people want to go, Kriske said.

anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio
A 26-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to a felony grand theft charge and was immediately sentenced to about six months in jail for his role in jewelry thefts from four Laguna Beach businesses last summer.

Alexander Kenneth Joe Aguirre also was sentenced to three years formal probation.

A felony second-degree burglary charge was dropped as part of a deal with prosecutors, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Laguna Beach police launched an investigation into the burglaries July 26, when employees reported that more than $200,000 in merchandise had been stolen from four businesses at the Shops at the Cliffs center on South Coast Highway, authorities said.

Surveillance video from the shopping center showed two well-dressed men leaving the scene.

Detectives identified one of them through DNA on a tool used in the burglaries, police said.

Edward Torrison of Oceanside was arrested in September and pleaded guilty a month later to four counts of second-degree burglary, two counts of grand theft and one count of receiving stolen property. He also admitted to a sentencing enhancement allegation of causing property damage in excess of $65,000, according to court records. He was sentenced to 32 months in state prison.

Based on interviews and cellphone records, Laguna Beach detectives identified Aguirre as the second suspect and arrested him Feb. 28 in Oceanside, police said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
A Huntington Beach man is facing dozens of felony charges in Los Angeles County in connection with what authorities allege was a years-long scheme in which he and another man created fake engineering documents and used the name and logo of a real engineering firm to appear legitimate.

Authorities allege that between 2003 and 2014, Ruben Gutierrez, 44, and Wilfrido Rodriguez, 46, of Downey prepared fraudulent structural engineering plans, reports and other documents that used Palos Verdes Engineering Co.s name and logo to make them appear as though they had been prepared, reviewed and approved by a licensed civil engineer.

The plans were prepared for construction projects throughout Southern California, including residential room additions, new single-family homes and two-story duplexes, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Gutierrez and Rodriguez were arrested Tuesday at their homes and are being held in Los Angeles County Jail. Gutierrezs bail was set at $7.16 million.

Gutierrez and Rodriguez, who previously were architectural and engineering drafters for Palos Verdes Engineering, are accused of using software stolen from the Rolling Hills Estates-based company to carry out the scheme, police said.

Due to the fact Rodriguez and Gutierrez are not licensed professional civil engineers, structures built based on their engineering calculations and specifications may be unsafe and not suitable for habitation, the Sheriffs Department wrote in a 2016 news release.

Gutierrez and Rodriguez have been charged with multiple counts of grand theft, forgery and identity theft, according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records.

The Sheriffs Departments fraud and cyber crimes bureau served 65 search warrants and identified more than 735 potential victims as part of the investigation, according to the department.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
The Newport Beach City Council approved a policy Tuesday barring the use of public funds to advocate for local tax hikes.

State and federal laws already prohibit public agencies from spending public funds to support or oppose ballot measures, but they leave some room for the use of public dollars to provide information to voters about tax measures. Mayor Pro Tem Will ONeill said cities have essentially driven a Mack truck through this tiny little exception.

As examples of how public education can be more advocacy than information, ONeill cited the extensive use of political consultants to push a tax increase in Tracy, and the finance director of Stanton reflecting after a sales tax measure that the city should have better suppressed the opposition.

ONeills original policy language would have banned publicly funded informational campaigns from taking a position on either side of a tax question on a city or county ballot, but Councilwoman Diane Dixon dialed it back to restrict advocacy only in favor of tax measures.

She also wanted a suggested ban on publicly funded public education reworded as a ban on publicly funded policy consultants to allow education without the use of outside consultants.

Overall, I just dont want to silence or gag ourselves or future councils, keeping us from opposing a proposed tax increase, she said.

Councilman Jeff Herdman worried about possible unintended consequences of blocking council input on taxes such as for roads or disaster relief or preventing council members from taking a stance without spending public money.

Councilman Kevin Muldoon said ONeill was creating a hurdle for the businesses that profit on tax hikes up and down the state with the misuse of public funds essentially to sell the idea to the public. The policy would be an internal guideline that couldnt supersede state law or free speech, Muldoon said.

Dixon suggested delaying a vote until the councils next meeting to allow more public input, but the council eventually voted 6-1, with Herdman dissenting, to approve her version of the policy.

I would really be interested in hearing more community input on this particular action before I vote, Herdman said.

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD
About 150 students at Marina High School in Huntington Beach were among thousands locally and nationwide who demonstrated Wednesday morning against gun violence in schools and for stricter gun control.

The event, part of a coordinated series of school walkouts around the country, started during a break around 10 a.m. and lasted about 20 minutes. It came one month after a shooting at a Florida high school left 17 people dead.

The Marina students, mostly juniors and seniors, converged on a grassy space in front of their campus, facing Springdale Street. School officials restricted media and other public access to the campus throughout the demonstration, with some stationed on streets and blocking cars from coming in.

The students chanted phrases including This is what democracy looks like, Enough is enough and March for our lives as school administrators and Huntington Beach police officers watched nearby. Some onlookers peered at the scene from the Springdale Street sidewalk across from the campus.

Daniel McKenzie, an 18-year-old senior who was one of the student organizers of the walkout, spoke on the sidewalk just outside the school. He said many of his classmates are afraid to go to school considering the weapons available in the United States.

About a week after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., a fire alarm went off on the Marina campus, he said.

I think the first thought of me and many other students is that there was a shooter on the campus, McKenzie said. I dont believe that should be the case. If a fire alarm goes off, that should mean theres a fire going on at school, not the possibility of a shooter.

I believe that the whole mentality has got to change, and I believe this is the first step to trying to make that change.

McKenzie wore a shirt bearing the name Scott Beigel, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman who was killed in the shooting. Other students also wore shirts with names of victims from the massacre.

Elsewhere in Huntington Beach, about 70 Ocean View High School students participated in the walkouts, some lying on the grass in front of the campus to symbolize the 17 killed in the Parkland shooting.

According to photos and videos posted on Facebook, the students chanted Love not hate. Make America great and displayed signs reading Protect kids, not guns and Never again! Enough is enough.

A similar demonstration was held in the quad at the Corona del Mar High and Middle School campus, but the public was barred and it was not immediately clear how many students participated.

Newport-Mesa Unified School District spokeswoman Annette Franco said in a statement that a few hundred students at each of our high schools walked out of classes and returned after 17 minutes, honoring the 17 Florida victims.

Everything appears to have been done appropriately and respectfully. Students at some schools held a moment of silence, made a few speeches, released balloons with the names of the Parkland victims and held signs in support of victims and stronger gun control, Franco said.

Huntington Beach High School students also demonstrated Wednesday following a report that a shooting might be planned at the campus during the walkout.

On Tuesday evening, a parent of a Huntington Beach High student posted on a community Facebook group about the possible threat.

She wrote that her son and his friends heard from other students that two boys were showing pictures of guns on Instagram and saying that 17 minutes tomorrow would be like shooting fish in a barrel. The post gathered a lot of attention on social media, police said.

Huntington Beach officers investigated and determined the threat was not credible, police said.

We take every one of those tips seriously and investigate until we can determine whether or not we have a credible threat, Officer Angela Bennett said. It was a rumor and, unfortunately, it was kind of reckless.

Huntington Beach Union High School District administrators heard about the social media post Tuesday, district spokeswoman Cheryl McKenzie said, and police were present at all the districts campuses Wednesday, including Fountain Valley and Westminster high schools.

Student safety is our highest priority, and we will continue to work closely with the HBPD and the other local police departments to address any and all threats that we become aware of, McKenzie said in an email.

Soon after the protests, some people took to the Huntington Beach Community Forum, a Facebook group with more than 26,000 members, to debate the walkouts.

While some parents disliked the political nature of the demonstrations  one Marina High mother called the children participating political pawns  others said they were proud that they exercised their First Amendment rights in a respectful manner.

Staff writers Hannah Fry and Hillary Davis contributed to this report.

bradley.zint@latimes.com

Twitter: @BradleyZint

UPDATES:

3:45 p.m.: This article was updated with details about a report of a threat against Huntington Beach High School, which also participated in Wednesdays demonstrations.

This article was originally published at 12:10 p.m.
A political insider goes rogue, challenges powerful friends and a core principle of his party: Thou shall not run against an incumbent.

An intriguing pitch for a TV pilot, sure, but this drama is actually the new reality facing the Orange County Republican Party.

Republicans have a renegade in the 48th Congressional District race with former O.C. Republican Chairman Scott Baugh challenging incumbent Rep. Dana Rohrabacher of Costa Mesa.

In 2016 Baugh told me Rohrabacher made it clear to him that he was looking for a departure in 2016 or 2018. This prompted Baugh to file a statement of candidacy and start fundraising to the tune of about half a million dollars.

Baugh said he wouldnt run for the seat unless Rohrabacher retired.

When that didnt happen, Baugh backed off.

That was until last week, when he pulled papers to run against his pal and challenge his partys principle.

Was his original strategy not to have a two-year fight with Rohrabacher, but rather a three-month primary battle now?

Baugh chuckles at that suggestion, saying that certainly wasnt his long-term game plan, and tells me he didnt make the decision to run lightly.

We have big issues facing the country  from the debt, dysfunctional heath care, open borders  and we need everyone pulling together, working on solutions, he says.

Baugh points to his work as party chairman, managing opposing viewpoints and coming to consensus.

I have a record of reaching across the aisle with the Democrats and solving problems, he says. If youre in public office and not doing that then youre not doing your job.

Baugh explains its not enough to vote the right way, but more important to create the voting opportunities with coalition building, to get things accomplished.

Squarely in Baughs corner is state Sen. John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), who understands his party wont be happy with him supporting Baugh, but there are bigger issues at stake.

Both Baugh and Moorlach feel Rohrabacher has been in this seat too long, 34 years, accomplishing nothing monumental, and its time for a change.

Considering the current fractured state of the party, disenchanted Republican voters might welcome this shake-up, offering someone other than Rohrabacher to support.

Couple that with the fact Baugh and Rohrabacher have been long-time friends (who knows your strengths and weaknesses better than a close friend?), this is going to be an interesting battle.

As party chairman, Baugh was a maverick of political strategy and fundraising, using these skills to support his candidates, including Rohrabachers past reelection bids.

Hell certainly be a force to reckon with.

I wondered how Rohrabacher felt about all of this, but he wasnt available for comment, according to his press person.

Rohrabachers already facing a crowded field of Democratic opponents. If this herd doesnt thin, they risk splitting the opposing vote, because of Californias open primary, which means the top-two vote-getters face off in the general election.

In this scenario Rohrabacher could win, unless he faces another strong Republican, which Baugh is.

The county party isnt happy with the prospect of this Clash of the Republican Titans.

On March 12, OCGOP Chairman Fred Whitaker sent out an email statement saying hes fielded dozens, if not a hundred emails and phone calls, asking why the Republican Party would allow Scott Baughs challenge to Congressman Rohrabacher in the 48th Congressional District.

Let me reiterate, we are a republic, not a dictatorship, he wrote. We can persuade, but we cannot prevent, nor should we want anyone to have that type of power. Party leadership actively communicated with Scott Baugh and others that challenging an endorsed Republican incumbent in good standing would not be well held.

Whitaker acknowledges he holds the chairmanship in part because of Baugh.

I would not be chairman, but for him asking me to run to succeed him, he says. I consider Scott to be my friend. I hope to work with him for our cause in the future. However, this path hes taken is pitting Republican against Republican, taking dollars, donors and volunteers from our efforts to fight Democrats.

Attached to Whitakers email notice was the letter sent to Baugh urging him not to run.

Proceeding on your current path is destructive to the Republican Party of Orange County, which you helped build, the letter warns. It is divisive and presents an unnecessary distraction.

As I read the release and the letter, nowhere did Whitaker call out specific accomplishments of Rohrabacher over the past three decades, but rather hung on to the principle that Republicans shouldnt challenge incumbents.

Baughs reaction to Whitakers letter?

It was very immature, and dropped at his doorstep at 10:30 at night, Baugh says.

Baugh questions an attached list of names, including Orange County-area elected officials, supposedly endorsing the letter.

About half the people either never heard of the letter or called to apologize for the letter, he says. I also received several calls from people who were being pressured to sign it but declined. The party has some well-meaning people but they are following dogma that protects all incumbents, even those that have been there for 30 years and should retire. Its time for a change. My campaign is focused on voters, not back rooms where schemes are hatched.

Feet to the Fire plans to explore this interesting race, giving all parties an opportunity to face each other, with a candidates forum at 6 p.m. May 30 at the Orange Coast College Robert B. Moore Theater.

BARBARA VENEZIA is an opinion columnist writing political and social commentary since 2007. She can be reached at bvontv1@gmail.com
Yasmin Beers, the new city manager for the city of Glendale, was honored as Woman of the Year for the 25th District of the state Senate recently.

State Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Canada Flintridge) presented the honor to Beers in Sacramento.

It is such an honor to be able to recognize Yasmin Beers as the 2018 Woman of the Year. She is an outstanding administrator, citizen and leader, and I want to thank her for all the work she has done for our great community, Portantino said in a statement.

It has been my pleasure to serve the Glendale community for the past 31 years. Glendale is not only the community that I serve, it is also my home, Beers said in a statement.

mark.kellam@latimes.com

Twitter: @lamarkkellam
From a hands-free rolling backpack to a motor-powered fan attachment for a smartphone during those hot summer days, students took a step further in the La Canada Unified School Districts expanding science curriculum on Tuesday at the inaugural Invention Convention.

Held in the cafeteria at La Canada High, students in fifth through eighth grade were challenged to think creatively and invent something that aims to solve an everyday problem. Parents and faculty milled in and out of the cafeteria for four hours viewing about 50 entries on display.

It was fun inventing something new, said Sarina Parks. Parks and her project partner, Stephanie Cheung, both fifth-grade students at La Canada Elementary, invented the Avo-Scoop. As people are prone to injure themselves while trying to get the pit out of an avocado, the girls had an idea to attach a corkscrew to an ice cream scoop and create a holder for the avocado. The holder is in place in case the screw punctures through the avocado. The girls took home a certificate from the judges who graded the inventions.

James Cartnal, the districts executive director of student and personnel services, said the hope is the Invention Convention becomes an annual event. Cartnal said his job, under Assistant Supt. Anais Wenn, is to support the implementation of the districts Next Generation Science Standards by collaborating with its community science liaison, Amy Nespor.

Judges viewed the students inventions and awarded points based on creativity, presentation and workability, visual appeal and aligning to the convention rules. According to Nespor, three certificates per grade were given out to the best inventions. There were more than a dozen judges who came from the community, including those with backgrounds at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Los Angeles Unified School District.

We had to make sure it solved a problem, and [the students] had to show receipts she said, for those inventions that went beyond proof of concept.

Fifth-grade students Oliva Cha and Gayane Khachaturian work together to put dog food into their invention called the K-9 Kanteen which dispenses measured amount of food so pets get a consistent amount every time. (Tim Berger / La Canada Valley Sun )

Nespor added that her job is to make sure the district is implementing more hands on science and engineering enrichment opportunities.

According to Cartnal, the Invention Convention, like the LCHS Science Fair, is open to any fifth- through eighth-grade student interested in dreaming about an idea to make the world a better place and bring that dream to life. In addition to other science enrichment nights throughout the year, high school students who are part of the districts new Science National Honors Society volunteered their time to help set up, support and clean up.

Other science and engineering-related events scheduled include STEAM Night and the School Maker Fair, which comes up in April.

Seventh-grade students Bianca Cugno and Ria Mandal were all smiles while demonstrating their I-Fan, which showed a 9-volt Duracell battery and a switch button connected to a motor connected to a small blue plastic fan clipped to a protective case for a smartphone. The girls took a water bottle to prop up the motor. When it gets really hot in Southern California, the girls said, the fan is powerful, and it is a wind source for great pictures. The toughest item to find and purchase was the motor, they said.

It is a prototype they hope can catch the interest of investors, and the Invention Convention judges awarded the two with certificates.

Its the only thing Apple hasnt invented, Cugno said.

Matt Sanderson is a contributing writer to Times Community News.
Egypt wants its citizens to report on the news media.

Escalating a preelection crackdown on independent or critical reporting, Egyptian authorities have published a list of telephone numbers for citizens to alert them to reports they view as undermining security or spreading false news.

President Abdel Fattah Sisi, who led the 2013 overthrow of an elected Islamist president, has waged a massive crackdown on dissent in recent years, and authorities have ratcheted up pressure ahead of the March 26-28 election, in which he faces no real challenge.

All potentially serious competitors either withdrew under pressure or were arrested, leaving only Sisi and a little-known politician who supports him.

Advertisement

Authorities have already silenced virtually all independent or critical media in the country, and in recent weeks Sisi and others have warned the media against publishing anything that could be construed as false news or defamation of the security forces.

By offering the telephone numbers  in a statement issued late Monday by Egypts chief prosecutor  the government appears to be enlisting ordinary Egyptians in its efforts to stamp out any criticism or negative coverage.

The statement advises citizens to send complaints on WhatsApp or as text messages along with their personal details. It referred to a statement last week by chief prosecutor Nabil Sadeq in which he told his staff to monitor the media and take action against any that are hurting national interests.

With the outcome of the vote a foregone conclusion, the governments worst fear is an embarrassingly low turnout that would raise further questions about the elections legitimacy. To prevent that, the government and local media  which are dominated by Sisi supporters  are urging people to head to the polls.

The margin of freedom is steadily narrowing and there is a state of fear-mongering, said Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University. There is genuine fear that social media networks will be used to urge people to boycott the election.

The government has already sought to exert heavy control over reporting on the election, issuing guidelines barring journalists from conducting any polls, or even asking individual Egyptians whom they plan to vote for.

Critical TV personalities have been pushed off the air and dozens of independent and Islamist news websites have been blocked. Around 20 journalists have been detained, including two who were arrested this month while preparing a report on a historic tramway in Alexandria. In a separate case, the government demanded an apology from the BBC and called on officials to boycott the network after it reported on torture and disappearances.

Pro-government media frequently portray negative coverage as part of foreign plots to sow chaos, and sometimes accuse foreign media of promoting a negative image of the country. Camera crews or even reporters with notebooks attempting to conduct interviews in public can face harassment from crowds or police.
Russia on Tuesday dismissed accusations of any involvement in the poisoning of an ex-spy and his daughter as nonsense, saying it will only cooperate with a British investigation if it receives samples of the nerve agent believed to have been used.

Police, meanwhile, said the investigation of who poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, will last many weeks and that they are not ready to identify any people of interest in the inquiry. The father and daughter remain in critical condition in a Salisbury hospital.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Russias involvement is highly likely, and she gave the country a deadline of midnight Tuesday to explain its actions in the case. She is reviewing a range of economic and diplomatic measures in retaliation for the assault with what she identified as the military-grade nerve agent Novichok.

U.S. and European officials were quick to offer words of support for Britain, which will need the backing of its allies if any new sanctions are to have any impact.

Advertisement

Her Downing Street office said that she discussed the Salisbury incident with President Trump, and that the U.S. was with the U.K. all the way in agreeing that Russia must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used.

They also agreed on the need for consequences for those who use heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms, the White House said.

Earlier, Trump had said: It sounds to me that they believe it was Russia and I would certainly take that finding as fact.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow that his countrys requests to see samples of the nerve agent have been turned down. He insisted that Russia is not to blame for the poisoning.

We have already made a statement to say this is nonsense, he said. We have nothing to do with this.

The Russian Embassy in London tweeted that it will not respond to the ultimatum without the samples.

Russian officials and media have responded with a variety of accusations against Britain in recent days, including suggestions that it was seeking to influence Sundays election, which President Vladimir Putin is expected to win easily.

James Nixey, head of the Russia program at the Chatham House think tank, said Mays response must be more than symbolic.

Advertisement

Will actions meet with responses which have real-world effects? he said. Or are we going to have more fudge?

Conservative lawmaker Tom Tugendhat, who chairs the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said financial sanctions would be keys to a strong response.

Given that the regime is built on money  its effectively a flow of money from the Russian people to Putin and from Putin to his acolytes  money matters, he said.

We have enormous amounts of control of a lot of peoples assets through various means, and I think its important we exercise that, Tugendhat said. If you get the right people and you freeze their assets, it can make a lot of difference.

Advertisement

The cases of other Russians who have died under mysterious circumstances also are being raised. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said police and the domestic security service will look into 14 deaths in Britain that might be linked to Russia.

In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that, Rudd said. The police and MI5 agree and will assist in that endeavor.

BuzzFeed News reported in 2017 that 14 deaths in Britain and the U.S. dating to 2006 may have been linked to Russia. Among them are prominent Putin critics, including oligarch Boris Berezovsky and whistleblower Alexander Perepilichny.

The chief of the worlds chemical weapons watchdog also said that those responsible must be held accountable.

Advertisement

Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer, was convicted of spying for Britain and then released in a spy swap. He had been living under his own name in Salisbury for eight years before the attack without attracting any public attention.
Germanys Parliament elected Angela Merkel for her fourth term as chancellor on Wednesday, putting an end to nearly six months of political drift in Europes biggest economy.

Lawmakers voted 364-315 to reelect Merkel, Germanys leader since 2005, who ran unopposed. The coalition of Merkels conservative Christian Democratic Union, its Bavaria-only sister party the Christian Social Union, and the center-left Social Democrats has 399 of the 709 seats in parliament.

Merkel will head a much-changed Cabinet, with the governing parties  which are traditional rivals  keen to send signals of renewal after a September election in which all lost significant ground. There are new faces in the most important posts: the finance, foreign, economy and interior ministries.

The same parties have governed for the past four years but putting together the new administration has been unprecedentedly hard work.

Advertisement

Wednesdays parliamentary vote came 171 days after the election, nearly double the previous record. The Social Democrats initially planned to go into opposition after crashing to their worst result since World War II, but Germanys president nudged them into a reluctant about-turn after Merkels talks with two smaller parties collapsed in November.

Merkel was able to take office only after two-thirds of the Social Democrats members approved in a ballot the coalition deal clinched last month. At least 35 coalition lawmakers didnt support her Wednesday, though that was in line with results at the beginning of her two previous grand coalitions of Germanys biggest parties.

She will have to hold together what is potentially her most fragile coalition yet in what is widely expected to be her last term, while also addressing challenges such as a potential Europe-U.S. trade war and seeking agreement with France and others on the future of a fractious European Union.
News that a former Russian spy and his daughter were likely poisoned by a military-grade nerve agent in the British city of Salisbury has spread fears over possible secondary contamination and piqued curiosity about a toxic substance that is as mysterious as it is potentially lethal.

Former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter, Yulia, are hospitalized in critical condition after what British authorities said was an attempted murder using a substance from a group of nerve agents known as Novichok, which in Russian means novice or newcomer.

So what exactly is Novichok?

The former Soviet Union invented Novichok agents and pioneered their manufacturing techniques, said Dan Kaszeta, an expert in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense with Strongpoint Security, a defense and security consultancy in London.

Advertisement

In a series of key takeaways posted on Twitter on Monday, Kaszeta said the agents were specifically developed to evade the West/NATOs detection capabilities and foil efforts to collect intelligence. Experts believe that Novichok, considered to be among the deadliest chemical agents, was manufactured specifically to kill people.

The Soviets, and subsequently Russian authorities, went to great lengths to keep the program secret at a point when the USSR had already agreed in principle to chemical arms control, Kaszeta tweeted.

The 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, to which Russia was a signatory, aimed to eliminate the production, acquisition and stockpiling of chemical weapons, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

The Novichok class of agents were reportedly first developed in the 1980s and then refined to circumvent the international chemical weapons treaty, which restricts the development and possession of chemical weapons, according to ScienceDirect, a database of medical and scientific research. The treaty bans weapons on the basis of their chemical structure and Novichok, as a relatively new agent, was not subject to the treaty, according to ScienceDirect.

Are nerve agents easy to make?

Difficult but not impossible, says Victor Madeira, a senior fellow at the Institute for Statecraft headquartered in the United Kingdom.

Nerve agents are rare, tightly controlled synthetic substances that do require specialized knowledge to manufacture, store and use safely, the Business Insider website quoted Madeira as saying.

Andrea Sella, a chemistry professor at University College London, told the Guardian newspaper that the level of toxicity of nerve agents is such that they are only to be manufactured in specialized facilities.

Advertisement

They are not materials that can be made at home, she said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May pointed the finger squarely at Russia, saying the nerve agent used to poison the ex-spy and his daughter in Salisbury was of a type developed by Russia.

May said Russia has a long history of state-sponsored assassinations and British intelligence reports have established that it has produced Novichok and is capable of doing so again.

The prime minister said because of the complexities of manufacturing and even handling Novichok, it was impossible not to conclude that the attack in Salisbury was either carried out by the Russians or that the Russians had lost control of its stockpile of nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.

Advertisement

Shopkeepers in Salisbury, England, say business has slumped near the spot where a Russian ex-spy and his daughter were found unconscious on a park bench. (Gerry Penny / EPA/Shuttersock )

How can nerve agents, such as Novichok, enter the body?

They are easily dispersed and can be absorbed through the skin, ingested and inhaled, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Kaszeta said at least one Novichok agent is a solid at normal temperatures and could be deployed as a dust or powder, allowing for slower absorption. And powder would be harder to detect with normal chemical warfare detection means.

Advertisement

Sophisticated and potentially deadly, Novichok is reported to be five to eights times more lethal than VX, the nerve agent reportedly used in the slaying of Kim Jong Uns half brother in Malaysia last year. Novichok acts rapidly, according to ScienceDirect, and those affected generally feel the full impact of its side effects within 30 seconds to two minutes

It is unclear how and when the Skripals were exposed to the poison. They were reported to have visited a local restaurant and pub before being found slumped unconscious on a park bench.

What are the symptoms and impact of exposure to nerve agents?

Nerve agents are the most toxic of the known chemical warfare agents, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Advertisement

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported that a low dose of nerve agent could cause minor poisoning, with symptoms such as increased production of saliva, a running nose and a feeling of pressure on the chest. Additional warning signs include impaired night vision, headaches, fatigue, slurred speech, hallucinations and nausea.

Exposure to a higher dose of nerve agent causes more dramatic and pronounced symptoms, the agency reported. These include difficulty in breathing leading to coughing; discomfort in the gastrointestinal tract causing cramps and vomiting; involuntary discharge of urine and defecation; running eyes; sweating; muscular weakness; and tremors or convulsions. Victims can lose consciousness and, in some cases, suffer a rapid collapse of body functions and die.

Consequently, death caused by nerve agents is a kind of death by suffocation, the organization reported.

Is there a chance of secondhand contamination?

Advertisement

The short answer is yes. Because of the versatility of the nerve agent  it can be dispersed as an ultrafine powder, for instance  it can cause secondary contamination.

Though waited for days before issuing a public health warning, British authorities ultimately cautioned anyone who had visited the restaurant or pub where the ex-spy and his daughter had dined and drank to wash their clothes, wipe down their cellphones and jewelry and double-bag items for dry cleaning.

Sam Peters, who lives outside the town center in Salisbury, was more puzzled than worried by the governments sluggish response to possible secondhand contamination.

Why it took them so long to release that advice is really strange.

Advertisement

ann.simmons@latimes.com

For more on global development news, see our Global Development Watch page, and follow me @AMSimmons1 on Twitter

UPDATES:

March 14, 12:19 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details on the suspected nerve agent and its toxicity.

Advertisement

This article was originally published on March 13 at 1:50 p.m.
The United Nations advisor on genocide prevention said Tuesday that all information he has received indicates Myanmars government intended to get rid of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state and possibly even destroy them, which, if proven, would constitute the crime of genocide.

Adama Dieng visited Bangladesh March 7-13 to assess the situation of the Rohingya and called what he heard and witnessed a human tragedy with the fingerprints of the Myanmar government and of the international community.

The scorched-earth campaign carried out by the Myanmar security forces since August 2017 against the Rohingya population was predictable and preventable, Dieng said in a statement. Despite the numerous warnings I have made of the risk of atrocity crimes, the international community has buried its head in the sand.

This has cost the Rohingya population of Myanmar their lives, their dignity and their homes, he said.

Advertisement

Buddhist-majority Myanmar doesnt recognize the Rohingya as an ethnic group, insisting they are Bengali migrants from Bangladesh living illegally in the country. It has denied them citizenship, leaving them stateless.

The recent spasm of violence began when Rohingya insurgents launched a series of attacks on Aug. 25 against about 30 security outposts and other targets.

Myanmar security forces then began a scorched-earth campaign against Rohingya villages that the U.N. and human rights groups have called a campaign of ethnic cleansing. About 700,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh, but several hundred thousand remain in northern Rakhine state.

Dieng said the Rohingya have endured what no human beings should have to endure.

Let us be clear: International crimes were committed in Myanmar, Dieng said. Rohingya Muslims have been killed, tortured, raped, burned alive and humiliated solely because of who they are.

He said the solution lies first and foremost with Myanmars government, which must create conditions for their safe return, with the same rights as any other citizen of Myanmar.

Dieng also stressed that the international community must not fail the Rohingya population again.

It has a responsibility to protect the population from the risk of further atrocity crimes, he said.

Advertisement

Whether or not we consider that the crimes committed amount to crimes against humanity or genocide, this should not delay our resolve to act and to act immediately, Dieng said.

The special advisor on the prevention of genocide also warned that returning the Rohingya to Myanmar now would put them at risk of new atrocity crimes.

Dieng said he was encouraged by the commitment of Bangladeshi authorities he met that Rohingya refugees will not be repatriated against their will.

While in Bangladesh, he said, it is imperative that the Rohingya have more chances for education and work, which will help them as refugees and when they eventually return to Myanmar.
The Vatican admitted Wednesday that it altered a photo sent to the media of a letter from retired Pope Benedict XVI about Pope Francis. The manipulation changed the meaning of the image in a way that violated photojournalist industry standards.

The Vaticans communications office released the photo of the letter on Monday, the eve of the fifth anniversary of Francis election. The letter was cited by Msgr. Dario Vigano, chief of communications, to rebut critics of Francis who question his theological and philosophical heft and say he represents a rupture from Benedicts doctrine-minded papacy.

In the part of the letter that is legible in the photo, Benedict praised a new volume of books on the theology of Francis as evidence of the foolish prejudice of his critics. The book project, Benedict wrote, helps to see the interior continuity between the two pontificates, with all the differences in style and temperament.

The Vatican admitted to the Associated Press on Wednesday that it blurred the two final lines of the first page where Benedict begins to explain that he didnt actually read the books in question. He wrote that he cannot contribute a theological assessment of Francis as requested by Vigano because he has other projects to do.

Advertisement

A Vatican spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, didnt explain why the Holy See blurred the lines other than to say it never intended for the full letter to be released. In fact, the entire second page of the letter is covered in the photo by a stack of books, with just Benedicts tiny signature showing, to prove its authenticity.

The missing content significantly altered the meaning of the quotes the Vatican chose to highlight, which were widely picked up by the media. Those quotes suggested that Benedict had read the volume, agreed with it and given it his full endorsement and assessment. The doctoring of the photo is significant because news media rely on Vatican photographers for images of the pope at events that are otherwise closed to independent media.

Vigano read parts of the letter during a news conference launching the volume, including the lines that were blurred out. A journalist who attended the presentation, Sandro Magister, transcribed Viganos comments and posted them on his blog. But Vigano didnt read the whole letter. The Vatican didnt respond to a request to see the full text.

Most independent news media, including the Associated Press, follow strict standards that forbid digital manipulation of photos.

No element should be digitally added to or subtracted from any photograph, read the AP norms, which are considered to be the industry standard among news agencies.

Vigano heads the Vaticans new Secretariat for Communications, which has brought all Vatican media under one umbrella in a bid to reduce costs and improve efficiency, part of Francis reform efforts. The offices recent message for the churchs World Day of Social Communications denounced fake news as evil and urged media to seek the truth.
Iranians braced Wednesday for further turmoil in their countrys relationship with the United States, and the possible unraveling of the 2015 nuclear agreement, following President Trumps nomination of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as secretary of State.

The hawks overcame the doves in the American administration, a former diplomat, Ali Khorram, wrote in a column in Arman, a daily newspaper aligned with reformists.

Khorram described Pompeo  who once called for military strikes on Iranian nuclear targets  as cowboyish in character and eager to start a war similar to the war with Iraq.

Pompeo, whom Trump chose to replace Rex Tillerson, is a harsh critic of Iran and has called for the United States to leave the landmark nuclear deal, in which Iran agreed to shelve its uranium enrichment program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.

Advertisement

Trump has called it the worst deal ever and cited it on Tuesday in explaining why he fired Tillerson.

When you look at the Iran deal, I think its terrible. I guess he thought it was OK, Trump said. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently.

With Mike  we have a very similar thought process, Trump added.

Tillerson, senior Pentagon and military officials, and European allies have argued that the U.S. should not withdraw from the pact, which has granted international inspectors unprecedented access to Irans nuclear facilities.

But Trump had asked Tillerson to work with European countries to fix what Trump said were terrible flaws in the deal, a task that now would appear to fall to Pompeo.

Trump has until May 12 to issue fresh waivers on sanctions against Iran, or the penalties will be renewed, threatening the agreement. Russia, another signatory to the pact, has said it will unravel if one party withdraws.

Iranian hard-liners were defiant, with Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a former member of Irans nuclear negotiating team, saying that if America withdraws from the nuclear deal, Iran will follow suit, the website Khabar Online reported.

But analysts said the Iranian leadership does not want to see the deal fall apart because it has helped end its economic isolation.

Advertisement

Iran will never withdraw under any circumstances because there is no better option for Iran, and above all there is no international consensus against the nuclear deal, said Nader Karimi Juni, an independent analyst.

But the replacement of Tillerson with Pompeo shows that Trump is ready to pay the highest price to damage Irans interests in the nuclear deal and elsewhere, and that is really a danger for Iran.

Pompeo has been one of the strongest voices against Iran in Washington.

In 2014, when nuclear negotiations were going on, Pompeo, then a Republican congressman from Kansas, called for the U.S. and its allies to conduct airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, saying it would take under 2,000 sorties to destroy the Iranian nuclear capacity.

Advertisement

This is not an insurmountable task for the coalition forces, Pompeo said.

Trumps choice of Pompeo was hailed by Iran hawks in Washington, D.C.

Now there will no daylight between the president and his new secretary of State in demanding a transatlantic deal that fixes the nuclear deal by May 12 or sees the United States walking away and reimposing the most powerful economic sanctions, said Mark Dubowitz, chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.

Special correspondent Mostaghim reported from Tehran and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

Advertisement

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Shashank Bengali covers Iran for The Times. Follow him on Twitter at @SBengali
A multi-generational visit via a road trip all the way from Alaska has made a Lehigh Acres woman happy.

Sitting on her chair surrounded by many pictures of family, 20-year Lehigh resident Imogene Louis was amazed by the length of the trip made by her granddaughter Virginia Bells family.

Their journey took them to New York, Pennsylvania, and cities like Philadelphia and Jamestown.

We flew to New York City and we drove down, Virginia Bell said.

They stopped at many historical locations en route.

We tell everyone it is a nerd tour because we were hitting museums, Bell said.

Besides her husband, neither she nor the children had been to these locations.

(My child said), Mom, they replaced the mountains with buildings,' Bell said.

I got to see a lot of the United States in the Army, I just wanted to take the kids to see them, Daniel Bell said. Show them all the stuff I got to see.

Alaska is an odd state surrounded by the ocean and bordering Canada.

Being in Alaska, you dont get out much, Virginia Bell said.

In Philadelphia, they saw the Liberty Bell and the stairs the character Rocky ran up during the name-sake movie. In New York they went to Yankee Stadium and Staten Island.

We slept in a parking lot because we were so tired of traveling, Virginia Bell said.

They also made trips to Gettysburg and Washington D.C.

We got to see the White House and all the monuments, Daniel Bell said. We were there long enough to see the Smithsonian, we went out and walked the National Mall and came back. It was cool to see the White House at night.

There was a rain storm during venture in the northeast but that actually made things a little easier.

Its been so rainy that weve had a lot of stuff to ourselves, Virginia Bell said.

They organized their days for this trip.

We did two days in New York, two days Philadelphia, Virginia Bell said.

Its crazy all we have done.

They do enjoy Alaska, which is the polar opposite of Florida, but a change of scenery may be in the future.

We plan on moving when our kids graduate, Virginia Bell said.

We are hoping (my children) see other cool stuff and they want to leave Alaska, she added.

Alaska may have one thing in common with the Sunshine State  there are only two seasons

(In Alaska) there is winter, and there is not winter, Daniel Bell said.

Louiss husband was from Florida and he just recently passed away. The family visit was a comfort.

The trip was worth it for both venturing to new places and the family time.

Shes never met my sons or my husband before, Virginia Bell said.

Virginia was born in Alaska but spent some time in Florida.

My dad was in the Army, Virginia Bell said. Then they brought us down here til we were about six, They just drove us up in a motorhome. We spent the next 10 years hauling wood and water.

Before they return home, the family has one more stop-off in mind, the one everyone makes when they visit Florida with kids  Disney World.
1ST UPDATE: A razor's edge separated Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone early Wednesday in their closely watched special election in Pennsylvania, where a surprisingly strong bid by first-time candidate Lamb severely tested Donald Trump's sway in a GOP stronghold.

Lamb claimed victory before exuberant supporters after midnight, though many absentee ballots were still to be counted in the contest that has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm elections in November when the Republican Party's House and Senate majorities are at risk.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Working-class voters across western Pennsylvania weighed in Tuesday a surprisingly tight congressional contest that has pit the strength of President Donald Trump's grasp on blue-collar America against the energy and anger of the political left.

The fight between Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone and Democrat Conor Lamb has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm election in November.

In a region President Donald Trump carried by 20 points, the White House has scrambled to rally voters behind Saccone, who cast himself as the president's "wingman," but has struggled at times to connect with the blue-collar coalition that fueled Trump's victory little more than a year ago.

Democrat Conor Lamb, a 33-year old Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor, downplayed his opposition to the Republican president on Tuesday and insisted instead that the race hinged on local issues.

"This didn't have much to do with President Trump," Lamb said after casting his vote in suburban Pittsburgh.

Polls closed at 8 p.m.

Here are the unofficial results, compiled by the Associated Press.

Vote totals in each county

For a breakdown of votes in each of the four counties that are part of District 18, go to this AP election link.

Tuesday's winner will face a re-election test in just eight months and a redistricting battle all-but ensures the district is likely to be redrawn by then. Despite the short-term stakes on Capitol Hill, the election has far greater political consequences as each party prepares for the November midterm elections.

For the White House and its Republican allies, a Tuesday loss would represent both a profound embarrassment and major cause for concern in the broader push to defend its House and Senate majorities.

The president has campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf. Other recent visitors include the vice president, the president's eldest son, the president's daughter and the president's chief counselor. Outside groups aligned with Republicans have also poured millions of dollars into the contest.

For Democrats, a win would reverberate nationwide, while even a narrow loss would be viewed as a sign of increased Democratic enthusiasm just as the midterm season begins.

Democratic voter Brian Konick supported Trump in 2016. On Tuesday he voted for Lamb.

"He's a little more my style, a little more moderate," Konick, a 51-year-old Jefferson Hills resident, said of the Democratic candidate.

Registered Republican Brett Gelb voted for Saccone, largely because the Republican candidate promised to support the president.

"Saccone backs a lot of President Trump's plans for the country," said Gelb, a 48-year-old fire technician who lives in Mt. Lebanon. He added, "I do think Trump is doing a good job. I think he needs backup."

Democrats must flip 24 GOP-held seats this fall to seize control of the House, and few counted on this Pittsburgh-area district to be in play. The seat has been in Republican hands for the last 15 years.

It's open now only because longtime Republican congressman Tim Murphy, who espoused strong anti-abortion views, resigned last fall amid revelations of an extramarital affair in which he urged his mistress to get an abortion.

After voting Tuesday in Allegheny County, Saccone downplayed the significance of the unusually close race.

"The Democrats ... they're throwing everything they can at this race," he said. "There hasn't been an open seat for a long time."

Besides bruising the president, a Lamb defeat also could shake Republican self-assurance that their new tax law can shield them from other political woes.

With polls showing a tight race for months, Saccone has implored the GOP-leaning electorate that their choice is about "making America great again," just as the president says.

The 60-year-old Air Force veteran turned state lawmaker and college instructor enjoys enthusiastic backing from social conservatives who've anchored his state career, and he's perhaps at his most animated when he touts his opposition to abortion rights.

Yet Saccone struggled to raise money and stir the same passions that helped Trump sweep the industrial Midwest on his way to the White House. The consistent fundraising deficit has left him with limited resources to air the message he delivers one-on-one: His four decades of experience in the private sector, international business and now the legislature make voters' choice a no-brainer.

Lamb, meanwhile, has excited core Democrats and aimed for independents and moderate Republicans.

"We worked really hard for it," Lamb said after voting.

He did it as national Republican groups filled airwaves and social media with depictions of the first-time candidate as little more than a lemming for Nancy Pelosi -- the California Democrat, House minority leader.

Lamb answered the critique by saying he won't support Pelosi as floor leader, much less a return to the speaker's rostrum. He also says he opposes major new gun restrictions -- though he backs expanded background checks -- and declared himself personally opposed to abortion, despite his support for its legality.

Lamb has largely avoided mentioning Trump, who remains generally popular in the district even if slightly diminished from his 2016 dominance.

He pairs those tacks with Democratic Party orthodoxy on the new GOP tax law, hammering it as a giveaway to corporations at the certain future expense of Social Security, Medicare and the nation's fiscal security. And he embraces unions, highlighting Saccone's anti-labor record at the statehouse -- a noticeable deviation from Murphy's status as a union-friendly Republican.

The AFL-CIO counts 87,000 votes from union households -- around a fifth of the electorate.

In a final-hours message on Fox Business Network, Saccone said that he's ready and willing to help Trump.

"He's getting beat up in Washington as you see, from the media, from the bureaucracy and from Hollywood," Saccone said. "He needs a good wingman."

Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Johnny Depp is coming to the Lehigh Valley, but it's not for a movie role.

He'll be performing with The Hollywood Vampires, the supergroup he formed with rockstar Alice Cooper and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry.

The group will play at Sands Bethlehem Event Center on Monday, May 21, at 9 p.m., the venue announced Tuesday. Tickets, on sale Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m., cost $49.50 to $109.50. A presale for Sands' Music Insider Members will take place Thursday, March 15 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Cooper and Depp formed the Vampires in 2015 as a tribute to classic rock 'n' roll. The group is named after a drinking club that Cooper created in Los Angeles in the 1970s that included rock stars like John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon and many others.

The supergroup's self-titled first record, released in 2015, featured a handful of original compositions mixed in with covers of classic rock favorites like The Who's "My Generation," Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," T. Rex's "Jeepster" and many others. The record saw guest appearances from legends like Paul McCartney, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, Nirvana drummer and Foo Fights frontman Dave Grohl, Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Ferrell and several others.

The Hollywood Vampires appeared at Sands Bethlehem Event Center in 2016. Cooper handles lead vocals while Depp and Perry contribute guitar and back vocals. The group's touring members in the past have included Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo.

Cooper has teased the possibility of a new Hollywood Vampires record, telling Billboard that the group's members have been writing and could start recording in the summer.

Andrew Doerfler may be reached at adoerfler@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @adoerfler or on Facebook.
Catasauqua firefighters on Monday afternoon not only contained a fire to a home's kitchen and dining areas but then bought balloons, flowers and cake for a 16-year-old resident whose birthday could have been spoiled, according to the borough department's Facebook page.

A woman who was home at 732 Second St. when the fire started got out safely, according to a report from the scene. Children who live in the home were in school.

The call came in at 3:10 p.m. and the fire was under control at 3:43 p.m., fire Chief Richard Hertzog said. It took some time after that for overhaul and the investigation, he said.

The fire began due to an electrical malfunction in the kitchen and was ruled accidental, he said.

The kitchen and the dining room were heavily damaged, as was the rear of the home, Hertzog said. There was smoke damage to the second floor as well as other parts of the first, he said. No one was taken to a hospital but people were evaluated by medical personnel at the scene, he added.

The family was allowed to return to the home to gather some belongings, but they can't live there at the moment, Hertzog said. The American Red Cross is assisting them, he said.

But as the firefighting effort was winding down, firefighters weren't yet done serving the community.

Fires are tragic events no one should ever have to deal with unfortunately they do happen . At todays fire department... Posted by Catasauqua Fire Department District 2 on Monday, March 12, 2018

"Fires are tragic events no one should ever have to deal with unfortunately they do happen," the department said on Facebook. "At today's fire department members learned one of the residents also had a birthday today. Not just any birthday but a sweet sixteen.

"Without hesitation guys left and went to the store returning with balloons, flowers and cake to help bring a little joy on a sad day. Strong work gentlemen."

Numerous commenters praised the effort, including Tammy Jodry Kurtz.

"That's going above and beyond the call of duty," she said. "Nice selfless act right there. The world could use more people like you guys. There you just fought a fire and did your best for the family to save their home and belongings and then do all of that. Well done! It really is heartwarming. Just amazing."

Freelance photographer Mike Nester contributed to this report.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
President Donald Trump pulled the plug on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Tuesday, nominating CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him. Trump nominated deputy CIA Director to Gina Haspel to lead the spy agency.

The differences in policy and style between Trump and Tillerson, former CEO of Exxon Mobil, were no secret. They clashed on several issues, notably the Iranian nuclear agreement. Tillerson didn't deny calling his boss as a "moron" a few months ago, and acknowledged disagreements with the White House on the U.S. approach toward Russia. Trump's decision to meet with North Korean director Kim Jong Un might have been the snapping point in the relationship.

Pompeo, a former U.S. House member from Kansas, has widespread support in Congress. However, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has said he'll vote against Pompeo and Haspel. Others say the former Tea Party congressman is unfit for a job of diplomacy, mentioning his previous positions and words about Muslim-majority nations. Trump expressed confidence in his selection, tweeting that Pompeo will do a "fantastic job."

If confirmed by the Senate, Pompeo will take over a State Department plagued by vacancies, and he will have three immediate problems to tackle -- Syria, North Korea and Iran.

What do you think? Is Pompeo the right choice for Secretary of State? Register your opinion in our informal poll, and feel free to elaborate in the comment section.
Business Office space in Bangalore



14.03.2018 10:13:12 - As we know Bangalore fast growing area in industrial sector. Commercial Office Bangalore company proving Office Space services for Lease/rent at Bangalore with the number of years experience made us to build good customer relationship by providing worthy services



(live-PR.com) - About CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com , the team of budding professionals ,we endeavor to provide specialized services in Project Management, Investment & Transaction Management ,Property Management, Online Property Services, Corporate Leasing, and much more.



CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com is one of the preeminent commercial property management website that offers you a wide range of options for commercial office spaces in Bangalore for IT and ITeS sectors. The - About CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com , the team of budding professionals ,we endeavor to provide specialized services in Project Management, Investment & Transaction Management ,Property Management, Online Property Services, Corporate Leasing, and much more.CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com is one of the preeminent commercial property management website that offers you a wide range of options for commercial office spaces in Bangalore for IT and ITeS sectors. The team members at CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com are qualified and competent professionals in Property, Technology, Finance and Hospitality with experience in major cities in India and abroad including Bangalore, Mumbai, New Jersey and New York. We deliver customized solutions for our clients -- multinational corporate tenants, international retail brands, IT & ITeS companies to individual property owners and developers.



Why CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com?

CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com has played an instrumental role in establishing facilities for premiere companies in India. We at CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com goal at fortifying our relationship with clients, associates and employees. Our rate of repeat business accounts to more than 45% per annum reflecting the poised growth rate of our endeavors



We simplify the real estate process according to the corporate and developers requisites. We are committed to make the best of all aspects of your transactions. Our potent research and strong local presence in the emerging markets all across the country makes us frontrunners in this field.

CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com services include well - furnished commercial spaces rental at Tech Parks and SEZ for multinational corporate tenants and IT & ITeS companies. The other activities we cater to include property management, corporate office leasing, online property services, plug & play office spaces, investment and transaction Management.



Looking into the various aspects of competitive market where various factors come into picture like geographical market, competition placement, benefits of the property and expansion objectives, we aim at your specific business requires and simplifying your processes.



An association of proficient specialists in Property, Technology, Finance And Hospitality , the team tailors yours needs , the clientele list which includes -- multinational corporate tenants, international retail brands, IT & ITeS companies to individual property owners and developers



We provide custom-made solutions for all kinds of spaces: mall, high street and corporate district. Our specialized consultancy verticals are:



Corporate Leasing

Retail Leasing

Investment Advisory

Transaction Management

Exclusive Representation

We put in our best effort to establish strong and unending goodwill with our clients, employees and associates.



Corporate office Space Lease in Bangalore

Searching Properties in Bangalore, here ends your search!, login to CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com to have a look at the office spaces available in Bangalore. The comprehensive property list in our website includes plug and play offices, furnished offices in IT campuses plus the most recent activities in the current market to lease and lease out properties. We update the daily list to ensure the latest available assets.



We value your decision and our experience in this area will ensure you a safe property. We will analyze the best for you and maintain your trust in us.



CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com is genuinely inclined to adeptly handle your processes under the guidance of industry whizzes.



Overview

The domineering process for the budding venture goes side by side with expansion and relocation. The various dynamics that come into picture include property benefits, geographical market, expansion goals and competition placements.



CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com guides you through the various tedious processes with much ease supervised by experts in these areas. Wehave designed our services catering towards your business model and its unique requisites.



The competent team of CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com is true professionals with work experience in major Indian cities and abroad which includes Bangalore, Mumbai, New Jersey and New York. These professionals are experts from field of Property, Technology, Finance and Hospitality. We provide customized solutions per the client requirement and our list of clientele include -- multinational corporate tenants, global retail brands, IT & ITeS corporations to discrete property owners and developers.

team members at CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com are qualified and competent professionals in Property, Technology, Finance and Hospitality with experience in major cities in India and abroad including Bangalore, Mumbai, New Jersey and New York. We deliver customized solutions for our clients -- multinational corporate tenants, international retail brands, IT & ITeS companies to individual property owners and developers.Why CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com?CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com has played an instrumental role in establishing facilities for premiere companies in India. We at CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com goal at fortifying our relationship with clients, associates and employees. Our rate of repeat business accounts to more than 45% per annum reflecting the poised growth rate of our endeavorsWe simplify the real estate process according to the corporate and developers requisites. We are committed to make the best of all aspects of your transactions. Our potent research and strong local presence in the emerging markets all across the country makes us frontrunners in this field.CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com services include well - furnished commercial spaces rental at Tech Parks and SEZ for multinational corporate tenants and IT & ITeS companies. The other activities we cater to include property management, corporate office leasing, online property services, plug & play office spaces, investment and transaction Management.Looking into the various aspects of competitive market where various factors come into picture like geographical market, competition placement, benefits of the property and expansion objectives, we aim at your specific business requires and simplifying your processes.An association of proficient specialists in Property, Technology, Finance And Hospitality , the team tailors yours needs , the clientele list which includes -- multinational corporate tenants, international retail brands, IT & ITeS companies to individual property owners and developersWe provide custom-made solutions for all kinds of spaces: mall, high street and corporate district. Our specialized consultancy verticals are:Corporate LeasingRetail LeasingInvestment AdvisoryTransaction ManagementExclusive RepresentationWe put in our best effort to establish strong and unending goodwill with our clients, employees and associates.Corporate office Space Lease in BangaloreSearching Properties in Bangalore, here ends your search!, login to CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com to have a look at the office spaces available in Bangalore. The comprehensive property list in our website includes plug and play offices, furnished offices in IT campuses plus the most recent activities in the current market to lease and lease out properties. We update the daily list to ensure the latest available assets.We value your decision and our experience in this area will ensure you a safe property. We will analyze the best for you and maintain your trust in us.CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com is genuinely inclined to adeptly handle your processes under the guidance of industry whizzes.OverviewThe domineering process for the budding venture goes side by side with expansion and relocation. The various dynamics that come into picture include property benefits, geographical market, expansion goals and competition placements.CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com guides you through the various tedious processes with much ease supervised by experts in these areas. Wehave designed our services catering towards your business model and its unique requisites.The competent team of CommercialOfficeBangalore.Com is true professionals with work experience in major Indian cities and abroad which includes Bangalore, Mumbai, New Jersey and New York. These professionals are experts from field of Property, Technology, Finance and Hospitality. We provide customized solutions per the client requirement and our list of clientele include -- multinational corporate tenants, global retail brands, IT & ITeS corporations to discrete property owners and developers. Press Information:

Commercial Office Bangalore







Contact Person:

Deepu

Founder

Phone: 7022306925

eMail: eMail



Web: http://www.commercialofficebangalore.com/





14.03.2018 10:13:12 -

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in this article please contact the author. Please do not contact Live-PR.com. We are not able to assist you. Live-PR.com disclaims content contained in this article. Live-PR.com is not authorized to give any information about content and not responsible for content posted by third party.
Stock Market News

Cora Gold begins drilling on 'promising targets' at Malian project 14-03-2018 09:42



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Stock Market News

Dana could list in London as part of GKN deal 14-03-2018 11:08



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Stock Market News

Europe close: Stocks drift lower despite dovish ECB 14-03-2018 18:43



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Stock Market News

Melrose proposes binding GKN undertakings to MPs 14-03-2018 12:12



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Stock Market News

Toys R' Us set to shut all UK stores, 3,000 employees to lose their jobs 14-03-2018 12:30



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Stock Market News

UK expels 23 Russian diplomats over Salisbury nerve agent poisoning 14-03-2018 12:16



Stock News headlines are gathered from financial news sources around the web. Views and opinions on each item are from their respective authors and website. They are not opinions of LiveCharts.co.uk
Pirelli has released F1 teams' tyre selection for next week's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, and choices are heavily weighted towards the Ultrasoft tyre.

Formula 1's exclusive tyre supplier has gone one step softer across its entire range after adding two compounds - the Hypersoft and Superhard - to its selection.

For Australia however, drivers devised their allocation from the nominated Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft rubber, with teams allowed a free choice for 10 of their 13 sets.

The Ultrasoft appears as the overwhelming compound for Mercedes, Williams and McLaren, which have chosen nine sets each, while the bulk of the teams have selected either eight or seven sets of the purple-rimmed tyre.

Ferrari in particular, and Renault, have opted for a more conservative approach, choosing just seven sets of the Ultrasoft rubber.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Photo taken on March 13, 2018 shows the scene of a plenary meeting of deputies from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress in Beijing, capital of China. The meeting was opened to media. (Xinhua/Liu Jinhai)

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday unveiled a major cabinet reshuffle, to make the government better-structured, more efficient, and service-oriented.

The institutional reform plan of the State Council was submitted to the ongoing first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations.

State Councilor Wang Yong briefed the lawmakers on the plan.

After merging, restructuring, creating and dissolving, there will be 26 ministries and commissions. Among the new entities are ministries for natural resources, veterans affairs, and emergency management.

There will also be new administrations under the State Council, such as an international development cooperation agency, a state immigration administration, and a banking and insurance regulatory commission.

Compared with the current cabinet setup, the number of ministerial-level entities is reduced by eight and that of vice-ministerial-level entities by seven.

Wang said the reform, focusing on institutional restructuring in key areas, would strengthen the government's functions on economic management, market supervision, social management, public service, and ecological and environmental protection.

"It focuses on the needs of development and meets the people's expectations," Wang said, adding that the restructuring formed part of a broader plan by the Communist Party of China to deepen the reform of the Party and state institutions.

He said the cabinet reshuffle dealt with the institutional obstacles to make the market play a decisive role in resource allocation. The reshuffle will also help China build a modern economy with high quality growth.

In a big change, a banking and insurance regulatory commission will be formed to replace the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission.

The move is aimed at solving existing problems such as unclear responsibilities, cross-regulation and absence of supervision, Wang said.

The new body will enhance oversight of both banking and insurance industries and be more effective to forestall risks in the financial sector.

The international development cooperation agency, to be formed by merging parts of the functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce, will "give full play to foreign aid as a key means of major-country diplomacy," Wang said.

A state immigration administration is to be set up under the Ministry of Public Security to formulate and enforce immigration rules, as "the number of foreigners working and living in China has been increasing, raising new requirements on immigration administration and services," according to Wang.

People's welfare will be better protected, with the establishment of two new ministerial departments devoted to healthcare and veterans affairs.

The ministry of veterans affairs will protect the rights and interests of military personnel and their families, improve the service and management system of demobilized military personnel, and make military service an occupation that enjoys public respect.

If passed, the cabinet reshuffle will be the eighth such move in more than three decades.

Cutting bureaucracy has been a common pursuit of governments around the world. Begining 1982, amid its reform and opening-up push, China began downsizing the central government about every five years.

Ma Liang, a public administration professor of Renmin University of China, said cabinet reshuffles throughout the years aimed to develop a sound, service-oriented administration able to satisfy the people's needs.

Related:

Proposed list of ministries, commissions of China's cabinet after reform

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The State Council, or China's cabinet, submitted a plan on institutional restructuring to the first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations on Tuesday.Full story

[ Editor: Zhang Zhou ]
National joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy and the gas transport system of Ukraine (GTS) are ready to work without limits in the conditions of coming cold weather, the company's press service has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Yes, Naftogaz is ready. This time Ukraine is not waiting for supplies from Gazrom and working with reliable suppliers," the press service said.

According to weather forecasts, on Sunday the air temperature in Kyiv will drop to nine degrees below zero, the cold weather will last all next week. On March 22, when Orthodox Christians honor 40 Holy Martyrs of Sebaste, the temperature in Kyiv could reach 18 degrees below zero, near the city of Sumy - 20 degrees below zero.
The Ukrainian Cabinet has decided to place imports of Russian mineral fertilizers under temporary ban.

"We are issuing two instructions to the Economic Development and Ttrade Ministry; to the First Deputy Prime Minister: to prepare the necessary decisions for the next government [meeting], and regarding temporary restrictions, an instruction to make a decision now on the introduction of temporary restrictions and, correspondingly, to instruct the Economy Ministry jointly with the Justice Ministry and other ministries to draw up this decision," Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said at a government meeting on Wednesday.
The new program of European Commission (EC) macro-financial assistance for Ukraine is designed for one year and provides for two tranches, Finance Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Danyliuk has said.

"The macro-financial assistance program is really designed for a year. From the very beginning it is tied to the IMF program, so it is until April next year. And it includes two tranches totaling EUR1 billion," the minister said at a press briefing.

As reported, on February 28 the EC initiated a new program of macro-financial assistance to Ukraine.
The town of Gilbert in Mingo County and the town of Man in Logan County have benefited from 
NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy has confirmed that agreement has been reached to hold a meeting with Russia's Gazprom.

"Naftogaz and Gazprom will meet to discuss the situation. Naftogaz sees no need to cancel contracts and expects Gazprom to implement the Stockholm Arbitration rulings. The parties will discuss Naftogaz's proposal on revising the transit tariff," the Ukrainian company's press service said.

The relevant negotiations should be held this month.

Earlier Russian gas giant's Deputy Chairman Alexander Medvedev told journalists Naftogaz Ukrainy had confirmed its readiness to start talks on the termination of gas supply and transit contracts with Gazprom.

As reported, in late February a long dispute between Naftogaz Ukrainy and Gazprom in the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce ended. The tribunal obliged Gazprom to pay $4.63 billion to Naftogaz for the shortfall in supplies of the agreed volumes of gas for transit. Thus, according to the results of two arbitration litigations between the companies regarding gas supply and transit, Gazprom is to pay $2.56 billion to Naftogaz.
Culture / Art Republik

Mar 14, 2018 | By Mary Ann Lim

What is the history of Thai photography? Who are the masters and what are the criteria to ascertain who they are? The resounding lack of answers to these questions formed the impetus for renowned Thai photographer Manit Sriwanichpooms research project, Rediscovering Forgotten Thai Masters of Photography. Running from 15 March to July 2018 at the NX1 Gallery of the NUS Museum, the exhibition presents the works of seven Thai photographers through a display of 247 remastered prints.

The project, first exhibited at the Bangkok University Gallery in September 2015, was conceived in 2010 with the aims of filling in the gaps in academic research on Thai photography. Often regarded through the lenses of the West, the history of Thai photography that traces its genealogy back to the Siam kingdom circa 1845 has been largely ignored. Manit explains that as a result, his project is an attempt to wrestle with the problem of breathing air through the white mans nose. By furnishing historical Thai photographic narratives with specifically Thai axioms of the art form, Manit shifts the prevailing Western dominance over such narratives to the local photographic community.

Manits approach to selecting the masters goes beyond conventional frameworks of what characterises good photography. Almost as a response to the lack of historical records, the works are culled together to form a comprehensive education on the complexity that is Thai culture. An approximate set of both technical and substantial factors were examined by Manit in his search. As he states, amongst these were outstanding content, the perspective, the camera angle, the photographic technique, the courageousness of the creativity in the social context of their lifetime; as well as each persons understanding and use of the medium of photography in their self-expression, and the works anthropological and sociological relevance and value. By setting the time frame from 1932 onwards as well, Manit delves explicitly into a modern past, marked by the Siamese revolution which witnessed Thailands movement into democracy and greater technological advancement, and which continues to linger in the nations consciousness today.

A cursory glance at the seven photographers chosen as the Thai masters reveals each photographers clear dedication to establishing his craft in his own personal corner of Thai culture. Here, they are displayed with stunning contrasts in subject matter. A prominent highlight in the selection is the unconventional Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, who captured contemplative scenes composed alongside dharma-teaching poems that attempted to encapsulate the essence of Buddhist teachings. Juxtaposed against this is ML Toy Xoomsai, whose focus on nude photography posed a defiant stricture against the then-fascist state and its imposed social order while exploring the depths of Thai female beauty.

Even in the realm of portraiture, each master photographer stands within his own formidable and distinct creative processes. S. H. Lim, a photographer for many well-known Thai publications, captured the glory-days of Thai cinema and beauty contests post-1957 by directing a gaze of admiration towards the iconic women of the screen. Liang Ewe on the other hand, provides the modern audience with a treasure trove of invaluable social and cultural heritage: the plethora of individual portraits taken clue modern viewers into the diverse lives of the inhabitants of Phuket in the 60s, along with their various customs and practices. Pornsak Sakdaenprai brought portraiture to new heights as well. His fantastical shots of rural villagers in garb that harken towards the romanticised appeal of Luk Thung (Thai country music), reflects with amusing accuracy the transitions that rural Thailand took towards modernisation in the 60s.

Documenting scenes of common everyday life are Rong Wong-Savun and Saengjun Limlohakul. Rongs modern, experimental style challenged the convention on compositional rules at the time, while making extraordinary the ordinary lives of the Thai peoples both in the cities and villages. Heading off in a divergent tangent, Saengjuns photography was driven by a desire to record everything in Phuket. As such, he devoted his photography practice to immortalising his hometown of Phuket in the 60s, from the colourful lives of its citizens to the hectic events that constituted their days.

A significant highlight of the exhibition is the engaging and unassuming nature of photography which is the sole medium introduced in the display. In fact, coupled with Manits emphasis on the democratic aspect of photography in his curatorial processes, the enduring relevance of the project is secured in Thai history. As he says, Photography is very close to people. It is a medium that they feel comfortable and familiar with. They dont feel like this is high art, but instead, feel that this is popular art that they feel close to, especially because they dont need a lot of knowledge to understand it. I want people to look beyond the photograph and connect themselves to the contexts of the photographs. By recommending these seven photographers as the masters of Thai photography to the public, Manit does not hope to set in stone who and what constitutes the authorities on the medium. Rather, he hopes to kickstart a national conversation on Thai photography, and compel his people to take ownership of their art and history.

Rediscovering Forgotten Thai Masters of Photography is thus, both an act of empowerment and a historical investigation. By piecing together an assortment of varied perspectives in photography, Manit invites the audiences to grasp at the core of a deeper and richer understanding of present society through its collective past composed of diverse and fluid subjectivities. With a history that is constantly in flux and intimately shaping the future, the foundation for Manits ultimate goal of continuing official and scholarly work into Thai photographic history beyond the current exhibition is laid out with the hopes of more stimulating material to come.

More information at museum.nus.edu.sg.
Russia's hybrid military forces have mounted four attacks on Ukrainian army positions in Donbas in the past 24 hours, with one Ukrainian soldier reported as suffered a combat trauma, the press center of the headquarters of Ukraine's military operations has reported.

"Over the past day, Russian-occupation forces have repeatedly violated the conditions for a complete ceasefire regime mounting four shelling attacks on positions of Ukrainian defenders," the staff of the Ukrainian army operation in Donbas reported on Facebook.

Grenade launchers and heavy machineguns fired on Ukrainian strongholds near Luhanske, and grenade launchers and small arms were used in the vicinity of Artemivsk in the Luhansk sector, the staff said.

The enemy fired 82mm mortars, heavy machineguns, and small arms on Ukrainian army strongholds near Pisky, and small arms were used against positions at the Butovka mine in the Donetsk sector, it said.
Militants again fire on car with employees of Donetsk water filtration station with no casualties reported  JCCC

The Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Coordination and Control (JCCC) has reported about the next firing of the vehicles of the employees of the Donetsk Water Filtration Station, the second in a row.

"This is the second time in the last two days. Fortunately, none of the filtration station's employees suffered," the staff of the Ukrainian army operation in Donbas reported on Facebook.

According to the Ukrainian side of the JCCC, the second shelling took place near the city of Avdiyivka in Donetsk region.

"Taking into account the results of the investigative assessment of the terrain violation of the ceasefire regime, the Ukrainian side of the JCCC informed the OSCE SMM that the use of small arms by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on this section of the road is absolutely impossible," the report says.

The Ukrainian side of the JCCC views these cases as a clear provocation aimed at discrediting the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and notes that its units comply with the Minsk agreements and ensure all measures to maintain the ceasefire throughout the disengagement line in the east of Ukraine.

As reported, on March 12, the Ukrainian side of the JCCC reported that the car was attacked by the militants, who transported the shifted personnel to the filtration station. However, the casualties were not reported.
Ukraine is ready to increase its presence in the UN peacekeeping missions in a number of regions of the world, if necessary, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has said.

"We've discussed with the president [of Austria] the situation in the occupied Donbas. The Austrian president once again assured Vienna's readiness to make its own feasible contribution to the deployment of the United Nations peacekeeping mission according to the decision of the UN Security Council. And I suggested that if this is necessary, Ukraine is ready to increase its presence in the peacekeeping forces of other regions and territories," Poroshenko said at a joint meeting with Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen with media representatives in Kyiv on Wednesday.

According to him, the implementation of this initiative will create an atmosphere conducive to the resumption of peace on Ukrainian land.
This content is from: Patents

The Hague System will come into effect in the UK, which becomes the 54th member of the 1999 Act, in June
Elections of the Russian president on the territory of the annexed Crimea cannot be legitimate, Federal President of the Republic of Austria Alexander Van der Bellen has said.

"From the Austrian point of view, it is clear that the annexation of Crimea was, is and will be illegal. And this is also the European Union's stance. Therefore, there cannot be legitimate elections to the Russian parliament or president in this territory," Alexander Van der Bellen said in a joint meeting with President Ukraine Petro Poroshenko with media representatives in Kyiv on Wednesday.

At the same time he stressed: "This is not only my point of view. It is the unequivocal point of view of the whole Austrian government."
Normally during May supporters of the International Marxist Tendency (IMT) in Canada and Quebec organize an annual congress. Last year over 160 attended. The COVID lockdown forced us to cancel this face-to-face meeting, but the struggle continues. In its place, we organized an online Marxist school which was a resounding success. This bilingual event united Marxists from across the country and was the largest meeting the IMT has ever organized in Canada! More than 300 participated over three days, with approximately 250 attending at any one time. Faced with the greatest crisis of capitalism, the forces of Marxism are on the march!
The UK is freezing high-level contacts with Russia, expelling 23 Russian diplomats believed involved in espionage-related activities and cancelling the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to London, British Prime Minister Theresa May said in the Parliament on Wednesday.

May repeated the conclusion of British investigators that Russia had either deployed or lost control of dangerous nerve agent used in the attack. She added Russia's defiant response has "demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events."

"Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance," she told lawmakers while announcing the reprisal measures.

May said Russia has provided no convincing explanation about the deadly chemical attack against a former double agent in Salisbury last week. She said the UK government has concluded Russia "bears responsibility" for poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.
This month's Best Of Mass competition is focused on finding the best pizza shop in all of Massachusetts.

Sound familiar? That's because we originally held this competition in 2015, before we included nominations from all over the state. So, we're ready to try it again.

Which Massachusetts-based pizza shop do you think serves the best slice of cheese pizza? What about the pizza shop that has the coolest toppings selection? Or the largest pie you've ever seen?

We're counting on you to let us know who makes the best pizza in Massachusetts; national chain restaurants that have more than 200 locations are excluded from this contest. You can nominate your favorite spot the state until Wednesday, March 21 at 11:59 p.m.

After the nominations round end, readers can come back to vote for their favorites starting on Thursday, March 22 and up until Thursday, March 29.

Once the poll closes, our judges will visit the top 10-voted Massachusetts pizza shops to crown one as the best.

Have a favorite place in mind? Let us know who serves the best pizza in the comments section or on MassLive's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
SPRINGFIELD -- Toys "R" Us told its 33,000 U.S. employees Wednesday that it will likely liquidate and either sell or shut down its stores across the country.

Workers at the Toys "R" Us on Boston Road in Springfield said they should know by the end of the week when their last day will be.

In Massachusetts, liquidation would also close stores in Auburn, Everett, Saugus, Braintree, Peabody and Woburn.

News of the company's message to employees was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Toys "R" Us is down to 700 U.S. locations.

Earlier Wednesday, Toys "R" Us announced that is was shutting down all of its stores in Great Britain.

The company announced in February that it would close locations in Dedham, Millbury, Bellingham, Northborough and Framingham and a Babies "R" Us in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside.

Wednesday, Toys "R" Us executives blamed lackluster holiday sales for their decision. But the company has been laboring under the twin burdens of debt and changing consumer habits for some time.

The Bloomberg news service reported Tuesday that Toys "R" Us is missing payments to suppliers. The New Jersey-based chain is struggling under $5 billion in debt stemming from a $7.5 billion buyout in 2005 by investment firms KKR, Bain Capital and Vornado Realty Trust.

That debt became impossible for Toys "R" Us to manage as consumer spending shifted to online retailers like Amazon and to big box department stores like Target and Walmart.

Industry insiders say that without a dedicated toy retailer pushing the segment year-round and not just at Christmas, toy makers will have trouble introducing new products instead of the old standbys.

This is bad for Lego, which has its U.S. headquarters in Enfield, Connecticut, and for Rhode Island-based Hasbro which has its board games manufactured by Cartamundi in East Longmeadow.
A hip-hop artist named Niz Ramos doesn't necessarily sound like an act you'd see in an Irish bar for a St. Patrick's Day event.

But for the past five years, Ramos has been as big a part of the Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race festivities at The Clover Pub as pulling a pint of Guinness.

Ramos, a Holyoke native who has been performing hip-hop all over New England for years, kicks off the Celtic festivities at The Clover Pub, opening up for the live bands that follow.

"Every year The Clover has a block party during the road race, and I open up with a hip-hop performance. I'm well known in the area for putting on hip-hop shows every Friday at The Clover," he said. "I start off with "The Paper City Anthem," which is a song I wrote that is all about Holyoke."

Although he doesn't perform an Irish music, Ramos believes his act fits in as well as any other for the Irish-themed block party.

"It's not really so different because I have music everyone can relate to, especially if you're from Holyoke, he said. "I've performed and have songs with local legends like the Frankie Hill Band, who is a classic R&B band, to Bad Habit Band which is a classic rock band.

In fact, after Ramos gets the party started, he later makes a special appearance with the Bad Habit Band on an original song they do together called "Leave Me Be."

"A lot of people say right away, 'What does hip hop have to do with St. Patrick's Day?' and after I'm done performing, they say "that's Holyoke," so it has everything to do with it," Ramos said.

Along with The Clover Pub, there are plenty of other Irish bars in Holyoke and elsewhere celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

Located near the end of the parade route in Holyoke, Brennan's Place pours Guinness with the best of them. Likewise, Francie's Tavern, located at the start of the St. Patrick's Road Race, is a traditional pub where everyone is welcome. A few miles away, Slainte, an eatery whose name means "health" in Irish, is another great spot.

Outside of Holyoke, McLadden's Irish Publick House in Northampton is a great replication of a traditional Irish pub. The Harp in Amherst has a long reputation as a great Irish bar with an array of Irish whiskeys.

Springfield's John Boyle O'Reilly Club, an Irish-American institution has been around since 1880, has a been a bastion of preserving Irish tradition and history. Also in Springfield, Donovan's Irish Pub usually has some great Irish music on tap.

Last but not least, Sons of Erin in Westfield provides a perfect pint for folks in that city.
Richard Michelson and Leslea Newman, both former Northampton Poets Laureate, and Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Gold Medal recipients, are among 20 children's book authors traveling to Israel Sunday in search of sources of inspiration and to develop relationships with colleagues.

The week-long trip is sponsored by PJ Library, PJ Our Way and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Michelson is the author of numerous award-winning children's books including As Good As Anybody: Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Towards Freedom; Fascinating: The Life of Leonard Nimoy; and Too Young For Yiddish. His newest children's book, The Language of Angels, received the 2017 National Jewish Book Award and the 2018 Sydney Taylor Gold Medal. Michelson is the host of Northampton Poetry Radio, and owner of R. Michelson Galleries.

"I couldn't ask for better traveling companions," said Michelson, whose only prior visit to Israel was in 1979. "The PJ Library has been a great support. I am honored that five of my titles are PJ books, the most recent of which, about Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and the reinvention of Modern Hebrew, is set in Jerusalem. I look forward to strolling down Ben-Yehuda Street, and returning home with my head full of new story ideas."

Newman is the author of 70 books for readers of all ages including the children's books, A Sweet Passover; Matzo Ball Moon; Runaway Dreidel; and Here Is The World: A Year of Jewish Holidays. Her picture book, Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed received the Massachusetts Book Award and the Sydney Taylor Gold Medal. Gittel's Journey: An Ellis Island Story and Welcoming Elijah: A Passover Tale with a Tail are forthcoming.

"I'm thrilled to be going to Israel with the PJ Library and such a stellar group of children's book authors," said Newman, who visited Israel only once before, in 1977. "I am eager to meet Israeli authors, see the country, and learn as much as I can. And then come home and put pen to paper and see what comes out."

Other authors participating in the trip include Marla Frazee, author-illustrator of The Boss Baby, now a DreamWorks animated feature film, Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of The War That Saved My Life, which was a Newbery Honor book in 2016 and topped The New York Times Best Sellers list.



While in Israel, the authors will travel to famous historical sites and meet Israeli authors including best-selling writer Meir Shalev. Shalev is the author of multiple picture books including Michael and the Monster of Jerusalem and My Father Always Embarrasses Me and novels including A Pigeon and a Boy and Two She-Bears.

Each month, PJ Library sends 180,000 free Jewish children's books and music CDs subscribers throughout the United States and Canada. Books are sent to children ages six months through eight years.



"Whether about values and tradition, hard subjects, or relationships, books are important to how parents teach their children about how the world works. But the books must be both high-quality and enjoyable," said Winnie Sandler Grinspoon, president of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. "We are continually looking for new children's books that equip families to discuss their Jewish values and become among the favorites on their shelves."








Boston students joined young Americans across the country on Wednesday to demand stricter gun laws in the United States.

As part of the nationwide student walkout event, which commemorates the one-month anniversary of the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida, students flocked to Boston on their snow days to march to Beacon Hill and demand Massachusetts legislators pass legislation that would allow a family member, law enforcement officer or health care provider to petition a court to temporarily prohibit a person from owning a gun.

Students from nearby colleges - including Emerson College and Berklee College of Music - joined forces with high school students from Greater Boston, including Somerville, Arlington, Lexington and elsewhere. The teens organized first at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston to discuss "advocacy training," or what students should say to legislators while lobbying for stricter gun control.

The group lobbied on behalf of bills sponsored by Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, and Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge. If passed, Linsky's bill would enact "Extreme Risk Protective Order," allowing a person to petition a court to prohibit a person from owning a gun. Advocates say the law would help prevent guns from falling into the wrong hands, and would be especially helpful in preventing suicides. Similar laws have been passed in other states.

While their mission included the passage of a specific red flag bill, individual Boston-area students shared their vision of a safer America. Many said future gun control measures should include tighter background checks, raising the gun-purchasing age limit to 21, preventing teachers from having guns in school, and a review of the second amendment.

"I understand people's need to feel that they are protected, that they can defend themselves, but the founding fathers did not imagine the weapons we have today," said Emerson College student and protest organizer Matt Mogavero, 22.

"We have to ask what does the second amendment mean in the context of the 21st century? That doesn't mean we have to get rid of it, but let's just talk about what it means."

Mogavero and others organized Wednesday's event, which took place in tandem with more than 2,000 similar "walkout" events across the country. The nationwide protests were organized by "Youth EMPOWER," the group that helped plan the Women's March.

In Boston, local high schools and colleges had student representatives who contacted "EMPOWER" prior to the March 14 event. Advocates who are currently planning the upcoming March 24 "Boston March for Our Lives" gun violence protest also played a part in organizing the student walkout this week.

Mogavero said Tuesday's blizzard threw several wrenches into the walkout plans but that no students were deterred by the snow heaps Wednesday morning. "Students who had school canceled today, they're still coming into Boston, they're still coming to the State House," he added.

That was true for Lexington High School students Eliza Stokes, 15, and Emily Weinberg, 16. The two traveled into Boston on their snow day to join in the movement. The two had a list of goals they wanted to accomplish regarding gun control, including keeping guns out of schools and away from domestic violence abusers.

"By using social media we're actually using it as a platform to make a difference and I hope that the adults in our lives can see that, and that we're not self-absorbed," Weinberg said.

Rep. Linsky spoke before students, telling them the gun violence in American streets is "unacceptable."

"We unfortunately are the world leader in gun violence and we should be ashamed of that," Linsky said. "You are heroes here today. It is not the politicians that are going to make changes. It is going to be 15-year-olds, 16-year-olds and 17-year-olds," he said to thunderous applause.

Toddlers, elementary school students and middle school students also attended the protest, many accompanied by their parents or guardians.

Rebecca Brown, of Somerville, said her 10-year-old daughter Isadora Brown decided she wanted to attend Wednesday's rally. Rebecca Brown said that though it is difficult, she tries to have an "open dialogue" about issues like gun violence with her daughter, who is a fourth-grader at Kennedy Elementary School.

"I feel sad that it's happening," Isadora Brown said about school shootings. "I want to actually feel safe in my school. And home. And everywhere."
Prosecutor general to seek MP Savchenko's arrest if she fails to come to SBU for interrogation

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said that if unaffiliated Ukrainian MP Nadia Savchenko fails to come to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for interrogation, he will be obliged to submit a motion to the Verkhovna Rada on the removal of parliamentary immunity from her, criminal prosecution and arrest.

"I directly appeal to her [Savchenko] with the request to arrive tomorrow at 11.00 for interrogation to the SBU investigator and give explanations on the case. If she does not do so, I, as Ukraine's prosecutor general, have sufficient grounds and authority to table in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine a motion idea on removing parliamentary immunity from her, detaining and arresting this people's deputy," Lutsenko told journalists in the Ukrainian parliament on Wednesday.

At the same time, he added: "I understand that she is abroad, but modern vehicles allow you to arrive tomorrow for questioning in a case that is very important to the whole state."

According to Lutsenko, Savchenko is currently in Spain.

He did not specify what the essence of suspicions that could be put forward against Savchenko.

"In fact, the SBU did a very serious job by thwarting a large-scale terrorist act in the Ukrainian parliament," Lutsenko said.

According to him, the investigation has a rather large amount of evidence, including court-authorized audio and video recordings, "which reveal the picture of a planned and well plotted terrorist act inside the Verkhovna Rada."

He noted that in this connection, not only Volodymyr Ruban, the head of the Officer Corps Center for Prisoner Release, was arrested, but also the investigation asked Savchenko to come for interrogation to the investigator.

The SBU said earlier that it had handed summonses to the Verkhovna Rada secretariat on Monday for Savchenko to be questioned on March 13 and 15 in the criminal case of Volodymyr Ruban, the head of the Officer Corps POW Liberation Center.

Savchenko said that she had not received a summons to the SBU but promised to appear if one was delivered to her personally.

Savchenko said she was "on a planned working trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg [from March 12 to 16], where EU parliamentary sessions are under way."

The SBU expects Savchenko to come for interrogation on March 15.

As reported, on March 8, Ruban was detained at a checkpoint in Donbas with an arsenal of weapons. He was bringing these weapons from the occupied territory to the government-controlled part of Donbas.

Ruban is suspected of preparing armed attacks on the highest state officials, preparing a terrorist act with the use of weapons and explosions that could pose a threat to life and health of people.

In addition, Ruban planned "to use mortars, grenade launchers, small arms and explosive devices to carry out an armed attack on the residences of statesmen, political leaders, in particular: Petro Poroshenko, Arsen Avakov, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Oleksandr Turchynov and others with the purpose of their murder."

According to the suspicion note, Ruban decided to commit a terrorist act to assassinate the president of Ukraine and other top officials, as well as a large number of people in Kyiv to create a "state of chaos, destabilize the internal situation in the state, paint Ukraine to the world community as a state where there is virtually no government power; create conditions under which the forces involved in conducting the anti-terrorist operation will be moved from the Ukraine's east to Kyiv, which "will enable Russia to launch a full-scale offensive and introduce into the territory of Ukraine under the guise of armed 'peacekeeping forces' units of the Russian Armed Forces and illegal armed formations of terrorist organizations "DPR" and "LPR", to continue the military occupation of Ukraine."

Ruban is suspected of committing crimes under Part 1, Article 14, Part 3, Article 258 (preparation of a terrorist attack), Part 1, Article 263 (carrying, possession, acquisition, manufacturing, repair, transfer or sale of firearms, except hunting weapons), ammunition, explosives or explosive devices without statutory permission) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

On March 9, Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv ruled to arrest Ruban for two months.
EASTHAMPTON -- After three months of work, a search committee has announced three finalists for superintendent of schools.

The finalists are Andrew Berrios, principal of Smith Academy in Hatfield; Allison LeClair, assistant superintendent of Agawam public schools, and Sergio Paez, an independent educational consultant and former superintendent in Holyoke.

The names were revealed to the School Committee Tuesday night. Now the elected officials will conduct final interviews and choose a candidate to replace Superintendent Nancy Follansbee, who is retiring at the end of June.

The goal is to have a new superintendent hired by April 5 to start work July 1, said School Committee Chairwoman Cynthia Kwiecinski. The job was posted Jan. 17 with a salary range of $140,000 to $150,000.

Each finalist will undergo daylong interviews in Easthampton on April 2, 3 or 4. Each day will conclude with an open house where members of the public may meet the candidates. Details of the schedule will be announced soon, officials said.

The School Committee will hold public interviews and deliberations, said Liz Lafond, field director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, the entity hired by Easthampton to guide the search process.

School Committee members will also conduct site visits at the the applicants' home districts. Interviews are planned with teachers, parents, students, school staff members and others who would be familiar with the administrators' work.

While field visits for Berrios and LeClair will be conducted in Hatfield and Agawam, Paez requested that his field visit take place in Holyoke, said Lafond. In 2015, Paez was to start his third year as Holyoke superintendent when the state placed the school system into receivership.

Of 19 applicants, nine were offered interviews, then three withdrew for personal reasons. Of six semi-finalists interviewed, three candidates distinguished themselves, said Ed Zuchowski, chairman of the 14-member Superintendent Search Committee.

Candidates were evaluated against a set of metrics developed by the School Committee. The metrics emphasized academic rigor, cultural proficiency, long-range vision, budgetary proficiency, respectful leadership and effective communication.

A superintendent should also be able to lead during a school building project, the School Committee said. A special election is set for May 22 when voters will decide whether to raise taxes to build a new school for prekindergarten through eighth-grade students.

The school district consists of Easthampton High School, White Brook Middle School, and three downtown elementary schools.

The search committee was chosen by the School Committee in December. Committee members pledged to maintain strict confidentiality to ensure a fair and consistent hiring process, and conducted their semi-finalist interviews behind closed doors.

Full application packages for the three finalists will be made available to the School Committee, and will be on file at the superintendent's office for public viewing, said Follansbee.

Note: This article originally stated that Sergio Paez is human resources director at the Leominster schools. Paez is instead an independent educational consultant, said Pat Correia of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees, who ascribed the mistake to a clerical error on her part.

School Superintendent Finalists in Easthampton, Mass. by Mary Serreze on Scribd
SPRINGFIELD -- Hundreds of high school students and their supporters, including a contingent from the Episcopal church and other religious groups, protested gun violence Wednesday outside Smith & Wesson in Springfield.

They called for CEO P. James Debney to meet with students and for the company to help solve gun violence.

The kids didn't mince words.

"Did you think of the young people when you sold those guns?" said Valentina Pedroza, 17, a senior at John D. O'Bryant school in Boston.

Smith & Wesson made the semi-automatic rifle a deranged gunman used in the Feb. 14 killing of 17 youths and adults at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Killers also used Smith & Wesson firearms in the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, that killed 12 and the 2015 holiday party shooting in San Bernandino, California, where 14 people died.

Brittany Ayinde, a senior at Springfield Central High School, said Smith & Wesson makes firearms here that aren't legal to sell or own in Massachusetts because of their design and the number of bullets they can carry.

"If they can't be sold here, it's not right for them to pump them out here and send them all over the country to put kids in danger," she said. "They just make the country less safe."

Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson and its parent company, American Outdoor Brands Corp., has 1,600 employees at its headquarters and plant on Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield.

According to financial disclosures, Smith & Wesson in fiscal 2016 shipped 309,000 rifles, up 46.4 percent from the 211,000 shipped the previous fiscal year. That compares with its higher-volume, but slower-growing, handgun business. Smith & Wesson shipped 1.5 million handguns in fiscal 2016, up 27.3 percent from the 1.2 million it shipped in fiscal 2015. The company has not released updated versions of those numbers.

Smith & Wesson has not returned calls from The Republican seeking comment on the protest, and had no outward reaction Wednesday.

After hearing from speakers and gathering on the steps of a nearby World War I memorial, students took a letter to the Smith & Wesson guardhouse and left it with a security employee there. The guardhouse is in a separate building, hundreds of yards from the factory and offices.

Passing motorists honked horns in support of the demonstration, which drew media attention from around the country, including The Washington Post and New York Times.

Wednesday was a day of protests and student walkouts all over the country. At Central High School, faculty and administrators tired to channel the protest into a school assembly.

"But there were 10 of us who didn't think that was enough," Ayinde said. "Se we walked out of the school and stood outside for 17 minutes. Now we might be punished for it."

Gun control debates have raged for decades, said Bishop Douglas J. Fisher of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts. But teens, inspired by survivors of the Parkland shooting, are keeping the issue from fading in the news cycle.

"I think this is a real turning point for this nation," Fisher told the crowd outside Smith & Wesson. "These youth are going to move us into a whole new day."

Jay Gonzalez, a Democrat running for governor, attended the rally and announced his plan to ban the manufacture of military-style assault rifles in Massachusetts.

Smith & Wesson's only manufacturing facilities are in Springfield and in Houlton, Maine. It also has a plastics plant in Deep River, Connecticut.

Now a staunch supporter of the National Rife Association and its opposition to firearms restrictions, back in the 1990s Smith & Wesson started to cooperate with Clinton-administration gun reforms. Those rules would have included "smart gun" technology, or guns that could only be fired by their owner. Boycotts and outrage followed, and the backlash was nearly enough to destroy the company.

Smith & Wesson changed the name of its parent company in 2016 to American Outdoor Brands Corp., reflecting a diversification strategy into camping equipment, knives and gun accessories such as scopes.
Immigration advocates are rallying support ahead of a crucial decision in the deportation case of Lucio Perez, a Guatemalan immigrant who has spent the last five months living in an Amherst church beyond the reach of immigration authorities.

The Pioneer Valley Workers Center has launched a letter-writing campaign, with the goal of sending 1,000 letters in support of Perez to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"Now is the time to show community support for his case, and we're hopeful that everyone who has been moved by history and wants to see him back home with his family can write a letter of support," Pioneer Valley Workers Center organizer Margaret Sawyer said.

Perez is currently awaiting decisions on two legal petitions: A motion to reopen his case before the Bureau of Immigration Appeals and a request for a stay of deportation before ICE.

The Pioneer Valley Workers Center, which has helped organize political actions in support of Perez as well as his relocation into Amherst's First Congregational Church, is asking supporters to send letters asking immigration officials to approve Perez's appeals. The group has posted detailed instructions on its Facebook page, including a request that letter-writers include a copy of their photo identification.

Perez has lived in Amherst's First Congregational Church since October, when he entered the building on the eve of his scheduled deportation to seek sanctuary from immigration authorities. ICE considers Perez a fugitive but has abided by a 2011 policy that bars enforcement actions at houses of worship without the personal approval of a high-level official or other exigent circumstances

Perez entered the U.S. without authorization in 1999 to flee violence in Guatemala and seek economic opportunity, the Pioneer Valley Workers Center said in a press release. He married and had children, three of whom are U.S. citizens, and works as a landscaper.

In 2009, he and his wife were stopped by West Hartford police after they briefly left their children in the car to pick up drinks at a Dunkin' Donuts, according to the Pioneer Valley Workers Center. The child abandonment charges were dropped, but ICE was notified of the arrest and opened a case against Perez.

For the next eight years, Perez lived under an order of removal but was allowed to stay in the country as long as he regularly checked in with immigration authorities, under an Obama-era prioritization system that granted reprieves to many immigrants who had entered the U.S. illegally but did not otherwise have criminal records.

But President Donald Trump's administration ended that system, and in September Perez was told to buy a plane ticket to Guatemala for Oct. 19 and fitted with an ankle bracelet.

Perez' case has received support from both Western Massachusetts advocates and statewide elected officials. Sen. Ed Markey, who has written two letters to the Trump administration on Perez' behalf, visited Perez at the First Congregational Church in January.

Letter writers are asked to email their letters to lettersforlucio@gmail.com or send them to the Pioneer Valley Workers Center's headquarters at 20 Hampton Ave. in Northampton. The center intends to deliver the letters to an ICE office in April.
A 24-year-old Lynn woman has been convicted of reckless endangerment of a child following with the 2015 death of her infant son, who prosecutors said was left unattended for hours in a homeless shelter.

Laci Kirk was sentenced to two and a half years in jail by Salem Superior Court Judge Thomas Dreschler, though she will not serve any additional time if she complies with court-ordered conditions, the Essex County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Eight and half months of her sentence were served while she was awaiting trial, and the remaining sentence will be suspended for three years if she completes a mandatory parenting class, seeks employment or a GED, receives mental health and substance abuse evaluations and necessary treatment, remains drug and alcohol free and has no unsupervised contact with children under 16.

Kirk and her four-month-old son Charles Brand III were staying at the Independence House shelter in Lynn on Sept. 26, 2015, when Kirk left Brand unsupervised for much of the day, prosecutors said.

"Ms. Kirk spent the majority of the day with a friend at the shelter, talking, listening to music and drinking," the DA's office said in a statement. "During this time, her infant was left largely unattended in a cluttered portable crib filled with multiple blankets, an adult bathrobe and a stuffed animal."

When Kirk returned in the evening to check on her son, she found him unresponsive with a "small amount of blood" coming from his nose, prosecutors said. Officers who responded to the scene reported that Kirk's speech was slurred and that she smelled of alcohol.

Brand was taken to North Shore Medical Center and transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy found that Brand died of natural causes, but Dreschler agreed with the prosecution's claim that Kirk had displayed a pattern of "wanton and reckless conduct," frequently leaving her son alone for hours. Staff at the shelter had already filed a report with the Department of Children and Families before Brand's death, the DA's office said.
LONGMEADOW - Kim Ketcham clapped her hands and cheered on students at Longmeadow High School when they walked out of the school building for a brief rally supporting gun control on Wednesday.

"I think it's important to support the kids," said Ketcham, a 37-year-old mother of a Longmeadow High graduate and two elementary school students in the district. "I agree with increased gun control, and I definitely don't want a weaponized school system."

Ketcham was one of about 35 people who stood on the sidewalk just beyond school property lines holding signs and cheering the students who, with school approval, left the building between 9:53 and 10:13 a.m., as part of a nationwide school walkout day in the wake of last month's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Passing by supporters on the sidewalk, Longmeadow Superintendent Martin O'Shea praised the protest as "a very good civics lesson," and "a teachable moment."

The fact that students organized the walkout and the national attention recently paid to Parkland students advocating for increased gun control measures gives hope to Ronnie Leavitt, 70, a self-described child of the 1960's who has long supported gun control groups including the Brady Campaign.

Leavitt plans to attend a gun control rally in Washington on March 24, and said the energy and activism currently surrounding calls for increased gun control legislation feels different than past efforts in the wake of previous shooting, like the 2012 massacre in Newtown, Conn. in which a shooter killed 20 schoolchildren and six teachers.

"I think when Sandy Hook happened and no (legislation) happened, it was so unbelievably discouraging," Leavitt said.

Following speeches outside the school building, several student organizers walked up to the sidewalk supporters, thanking them for coming out.

"We need everyone to stand up," 16-year-old sophomore Madeline Choiniere Barr said.

In an interview following the walkout, sophomore Sarah Reyes, 16, said the group supports a reinstatement of a national assault weapons ban, a ban on bump socks and raising the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21.

"We are standing with the Parkland students," Choiniere Barr said.
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.

_________________

Days after he was arrested at his North Carolina home, Michael Hand was arraigned on a murder charge tied to the 1986 disappearance and death of a Massachusetts teenager.

Hand, 61, appeared at a Brockton District Court while family members of Tracy Gilpin and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz looked on. Kerry Gilpin, Tracy's sister, is the the head of the Massachusetts State Police.

Hand's attorney, Craig Tavares, entered a not guilty plea.

Prosecutor Jennifer Sprague said Tracy Gilpin's body was found on the Plymouth side of the Myles Standish State Forest.

Both Gilpin and Hand lived in Kingston at the time of her murder.

Troopers with Cruz's office traveled to North Carolina earlier this month and spoke to Hand several times. He gave them a story that shifted each time they inquired about Tracy Gilpin's murder, according to Sprague.

"His statement puts him at the scene, puts his hands on a rock, and allegedly, bleeding on a rock, which he subsequently states that he dropped on the head of Miss Gilpin," Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz told reporters after the arraignment.

Investigators went to North Carolina to interview Hand in order to follow up on a lead, according to Cruz, who declined to offer further details.

Hand allegedly attempted to lay blame on the late Henry Meinholz, the man who was convicted of killing 13-year-old Melissa Benoit in an unrelated case. Investigators have ruled out Meinholz as a suspect in the Gilpin murder.

After Sprague spoke, Judge John Julian ordered Hand held without bail.

The next court date is April 13.

This post was updated with additional details from the arraignment. This post was further updated with DA Cruz's comments.
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.

_________________

Michael Hand, the man charged in the 1986 murder and disappearance of 15-year-old Tracy Gilpin, offered a shifting story when Massachusetts investigators spoke with him this month about the unsolved case, according to Plymouth County prosecutors.

In those interviews, Hand sought to cast blame on the late Henry Meinholz, a man who was convicted of the unrelated killing 13-year-old Melissa Benoit.

Jennifer Sprague, an assistant district attorney with the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office, told a judge in Brockton District Court that troopers assigned to the office acted on a tip and headed to North Carolina, where Hand lived.

Police also obtained DNA from Hand, though the sample is still being processed.

Hand and Gilpin both lived in Kingston at the time of Gilpin's murder. Prosecutors did not detail their relationship at the time, and declined to say how the lead on the cold case came about.

Tracy Gilpin is the sister of Massachusetts State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin.

Hand has pleaded not guilty to the murder charge.

Sprague said the body of Gilpin, a high school freshman, was found in October 1986 partially buried under debris in Myles Standish State Forest. She had a "massive" skull fracture, no pants and her underwear was pulled down, according to Sprague.

At the scene, police seized a 73-pound boulder.

When Massachusetts troopers in North Carolina interviewed Michael Hand, who said he knew Gilpin from the neighborhood, his story changed several times, Sprague said.

He told police that he saw Gilpin the night she disappeared and spotted her inside an Orange Ford Escort with an older man driving, according to Sprague.

Sprague told Judge John Julian that Hand said to investigators the older man was Henry Meinholz, but further investigation by police showed that DNA testing had already excluded Meinholz, and he was believed to be out of state at the time of Gilpin's death.

But Hand claimed that Gilpin and Meinholz took off down Route 3, and then said a friend of his showed up with a motorcycle, and they took off after the Ford Escort, Sprague said.

They later found the Ford Escort on the side of a road, and Hand said his friend took off before Meinholz came out with a shovel and tarp, Sprague told the judge.

Hand said he touched the boulder found with Gilpin's body after Meinholz instructed him to do so, according to Sprague. Hand told investigators he scratched the rock and his blood would be on it.

His friend then came back on a motorcycle and they rode away, never getting Gilpin any help, he stated, according to investigators.

When investigators interviewed him again on March 9, Hand allegedly said he moved the rock, identified the boulder police found as the rock he touched, and said he was next to Gilpin's head and moved the rock about a foot.

The defendant was interviewed again on March 9 and given his Miranda rights. During that interview, Hand's story again changed. He said he moved the rock. He identified that rock as the rock he touched. He said he was next to Gilpin's head and said he moved the rock about a foot.

He also stated that he and Gilpin were at his home weeks before the murder, and she kissed him, and he declined her "sexual advances," Sprague said.

Hand then again allegedly blamed Meinholz for the murder.

"His statement puts him at the scene, puts his hands on a rock, and allegedly, bleeding on a rock, which he subsequently states that he dropped on the head of Miss Gilpin," Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said after Hand's arraignment.

This post was updated with additional information from prosecutors.
SPRINGFIELD - Francisco Flores allegedly packed a lot of action into his last few minutes behind the wheel on Feb. 25.

Sparks were shooting from his shredded tires and smoke billowed from his engine as Flores' pickup truck rumbled at low speed along State Street just after midnight, according to the arrest report.

Two police cruisers, with lights and sirens activated, followed Flores as he swerved from lane to lane and eventually crashed into two oncoming vehicles near the Club Aquarius, the report said.

He was shaking, sweating and "speaking in an unintelligible language" as police attempted to arrest him, according to the report, which said a large hunting knife and a single Oxycontin pill were found in Flores' damaged vehicle.

Police also found a bag "with a large amount of white crushed up solids" that the suspect allegedly tossed from his vehicle before the crash, the report said.

Flores, 41, of Springfield, was booked on six charges, including driving under the influence of drugs, driving with a revoked license and failing to stop for police.

On Feb. 28, after two days at Baystate Medical Center, Flores was arraigned in Springfield District Court and released on $1,500 cash bail, with orders not to drive.

No explanation for his alleged behavior is listed in the arrest report, but police have asked the Hampden District Attorney's Office to subpoena Flores' medical records. Before colliding with the oncoming vehicles, Flores was driving at between 10 and 20 mph; no injuries to passengers in other vehicles are mentioned in the report.

In court records, Flores is listed as a New York City native and self-employed carpenter. He has a history of driving without a license, and fleeing from police, according to the arrest report.

As city police pursued him on Feb. 25, Flores called 911 to complain that someone was following "and shooting at him ... and to scream that he will not stop the vehicle for police," the report said.

Flores is due back in court on March 22.
CHICOPEE- Students from Chicopee and Comprehensive high schools and Chicopee Academy joined the National Student Walkout Day to protest gun violence, one month after a gunman walked into a Florida school and killed 17 people and injured 17 others.

In Chicopee, organizers said they felt it was important to stand in solidarity with the more than 2,000 other schools participating because without unity and the strength that comes in numbers, change is unlikely to come.

After the 17-minute walkout, those who participated will discuss the issues in student advisories, which are small groups of students of different ages who meet regularly with the same staff member at the two large high schools.

The groups talk about social or academic issues and it gives each teen in the school a small group of peers and an adult to go to if they have a problem.

This is a developing story which will be updated.
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.

_________________

Prosecutors said they sought to treat State Police Col. Kerry Gilpin, the sister of slain Massachusetts teen Tracy Gilpin, as a victim and a family member while they followed up on a lead in North Carolina and arrested a 61-year-old man in connection with Tracy's 1986 murder.

Michael Hand, formerly of Kingston, Mass., waived rendition and returned to the Bay State to face a murder charge on Wednesday. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charge at Brockton District Court.

Kerry Gilpin, tapped to take over as head of the Massachusetts State Police in November, sat in the courtroom with other family members as an assistant district attorney said Hand placed himself at the crime scene in Myles Standish State Forest and referenced the boulder allegedly used as the murder weapon 30 years ago.

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said state troopers assigned to his office handled the investigation.

"She was not involved in the investigation, per se," Cruz told reporters after Hand's arraignment.

Cruz notified Col. Gilpin of the break in the case over the weekend through a phone call.

"She may be the colonel of State Police, but she's also the sister of Tracy Gilpin," Cruz said. "It was important for us to treat her like a victim in this case rather than the colonel of the State Police."

Cruz added: "Like we do in every case, we want to make sure we're on solid ground before we tell family members. We never want to be in a position to give false hope."

Cruz was a young assistant district attorney in 1986 when Tracy Gilpin disappeared and was later found dead.

He credited the Gilpin family for keeping the case in the news.

"Perseverance is great and I love getting the word out about these cases so maybe we can solve some more," Cruz said. "Because there are other family members out there on other cases, and their cases haven't been solved yet, and they need to understand that we haven't forgotten them either."
>>> Vietnams steel and aluminium pose no threat to US manufacturers: MOIT

>>> Vietnams steel exports increase more than 38%

Concerning the US Department of Commerce (DOC)s report, released on February 16 and submitted to the US President for consideration and decision on the application of measures to restrict the imports of steel and aluminium products, the Department of Trade Defence stated that it has coordinated with the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA) and with the businesses and units concerned, both at home and abroad, to discuss, share information, and respond to the case.

The department stated that steel and aluminium imports from Vietnam only account for a negligible share of the US total steel and aluminium imports. So, the MOIT asks that the US Government carefully consider the application of restrictions on Vietnam-originated steel and aluminium imports, aiming to ensure compliance with regulations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and international practises, and to avoid affecting the sound development of trade ties between the two countries.

After receiving the DOCs report, the US President will consider it and issue his final decision on whether or not to follow through with the tariffs, as well as on the level of restriction measures to be applied on steel (before April 11, 2018) and aluminium (before April 19) imports.

Regarding this issue, the VSA can possibly recommend reporting the case to the WTO (when necessary). The association is currently working with the agencies and businesses concerned to work out a timely response, aiming to mitigate the risks for Vietnams steel firms.

Currently, the association and enterprises still hope that through the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two countries, the Vietnamese Government can ask the US side not to apply the aforementioned import restriction measures.
SPRINGFIELD -- The new CRRC MA rail car manufacturing complex in East Springfield is the state's engineering accomplishment of the year, according to the American Council of Engineering Companies of Massachusetts.

The group honored CRRC at its annual meeting Wednesday.

That honor comes as CRRC nears the start of production. The Chinese-owned company will start building new cars for the MBTA Orange Line in April.

CRRC will host an outreach event for minority and women-owned business March 29. That will be the last event in the 204,000-square-foot factory floor before production begins. The company needs to line up diverse businesses as vendors and suppliers.

CRRC has invited 35 vendors, transportation leaders and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

The $95 million factory is CRRC's first in North America. The company is the world's largest maker of railway rolling stock.

Technicians have been testing prototype CRRC-built Orange Line cars in Boston for the past few months.

In 2014, CRRC received a $566 million contract from the MBTA to build 152 Orange Line cars and 252 Red Line cars at the Page Boulevard site in Springfield.

The state went without federal money for the cars in exchange for the right to mandate that the cars be assembled in Massachusetts.

Red Line car production will begin later this year.

In December 2016, the state upped the order with another 120 new Red Line cars, with production set to begin in June 2022 at a cost of $277 million.

CRRC also has contracts to build cars for out-of-state transit systems.

Los Angeles has ordered 64 new subway cars at a cost of $178.4 million, with an option for 218 more beginning in 2021.

CRRC will build 45 double-decker train cars for SEPTA, Greater Philadelphia's transit system, for $137.5 million beginning in 2019. Two-level cars like those SEPTA ordered are used by transit systems all over the country, including New Jersey Transit and the MBTA.

For the MBTA, production of each $2.43 million car will take 22 days. The Springfield complex has a 2,240-foot track where cars off the production line will be tested.

CRRC has said it has enough orders now to keep the factory busy past the year 2025.

CRRC plans to have a staff of 150 when production begins.
After a nine-day strike, teachers in West Virginia finally got the pay raise they wanted and now teachers in other states may follow suit. Teacher salaries across the country have been stagnant or falling for years, and many educators are fed up with the status quo. If striking is the only way teachers can be fairly compensated, then so be it. But others argue teachers shouldn't strike because it deprives students of their education. Would you support a teacher strike in your state?

PERSPECTIVES

After West Virginia teachers successfully got themselves a 5 percent pay raise, teachers in other states -- like Oklahoma, Arizona, and Kentucky -- have begun talking about striking in their own state. Public school teachers are historically underpaid, and the erosion of organized labor coupled with tax cuts that slash funding for education have only exacerbated the problem.

Meanwhile, in the Oklahoma teachers strike Facebook group: pic.twitter.com/KeJzxMbM6G  Matt Pearce  (@mattdpearce) March 8, 2018

Can't imagine why Oklahoma teachers are pissed off enough to go on strike pic.twitter.com/4LnaIeaoUI  Dave Jamieson (@jamieson) March 8, 2018

But not everyone is happy that teachers are planning to strike in other states. Shutting down schools means parents and students will have no place to go. Is striking really the best way to go about asking for a raise?

So Oklahoma teachers are taking a day to strike against low pay... They do get way underpaid but what about the kids & their parents that youre leaving high and dry who probably cant get a sitter for that day or maybe more after that...?  lauren  (@_inspirelauren) March 9, 2018

I sympathize with parents who depend on schools while they are at work. That will be a problem.  Judy Burns (@JudyBurns) March 5, 2018

The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Digital, Inc. property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.
ProPublica had published an article about the person President Trump has picked to be the new Director of the CIA, Gina Haspel. That article appeared in Feb. 2017. Haspel almost certainly played a vital part in the torture of an accused top al-Qaida leader, Abu Zubaydah, in a Thailand prison in 2002: "As the CIA's video cameras rolled, security guards shackled Abu Zubaydah to a gurney, and interrogators poured water over his mouth and nose until he began to suffocate."

His torturer confined him for hours in a box and deprived him of sleep. "The 31-year-old Zubaydah begged for mercy, saying that he knew nothing about the terror group's future plans. The CIA official in charge, known in agency lingo as the 'chief of base,' mocked his complaints, accusing Zubaydah of faking symptoms of psychological breakdown. The torture continued."

Haspel was that chief of base and began to get worried when the news of the torture of Zubaydah started to leak out to the public. Abu Zubaydah was hardly perfect, but he turned out not to be a leader or even a member of al-Qaida. All the torture had been for nothing, and Haspel spent a long time trying to get permission to destroy the tapes that arose from the torture. Her boss finally signed off on using an "industrial shredder" in order to do the job right. Haspel also wanted to make sure that Zubaydah would never be freed so that he could not tell his story. He is still in prison to this day and is not able to communicate with the public.

Our probable new CIA Director is a person who pushed to torture an innocent man and then keep him in jail for life so that he could not reveal her actions. She also got evidence of her criminal activity destroyed. It is worthwhile to note that we consider waterboarding to be illegal and prosecuted Japanese soldiers in the Second World War and American military in Vietnam for engaging in that practice. During his campaign, Trump said he wanted to do much worse than waterboard prisoners. He must just love Haspel.



Paul Halbach, Agawam


Whenever students walk out of school to promote a social or political cause, it's fair to say a portion care deeply but many others just want to skip class.

The National School Walkout was different. Students are watching their elders trade insults and engage in polarized, dead-ended political arguments that accomplish nothing. They're tired of trusting their adults will get something done, and they are taking matters into their own hands.

They're right. This time, the walkout can be defended as an act of conscience, not an act of truancy.

School administrators had to walk a fine line on this one. The better ones made sure kids were not bullied or pressured into walking out if they chose to stay in school. Attending class was every bit as legitimate a response as joining the protest.

The better officials spoke with students and student governments beforehand and did what they could to produce a safe environment. Some protests were kept indoors because kids were frankly afraid that walking out en masse would make them sitting ducks for some lunatic with a gun.

It's horrible that young people must even consider that. But can you blame them?

Most walkouts lasted 17 minutes, in recognition of the 17 students killed in last month's Florida massacre. That lends credibility and legitimacy to their statement. Nobody skips school to "goof off" for only 17 minutes - less than half a class period.

This was not some obscure special-interest cause. It's not a trendy "fad" issue that captures headlines and dominates social media until the next trend replaces it.

This crisis directly affects the student generation and drives their decision to become personally involved. They're fed up with non-action from a nation of bickering adults over gun regulations, and disappointed in the infantile, counterproductive tenor of that debate.

Students are not, as a rule, persuaded by shopworn political arguments or influenced by special interest lobbies. They have not had time to grow stale in their thinking and philosophy. They see students being murdered and ask why nothing is being done to reduce the availability of guns that makes this possible.

To some of their elders, it's a simplistic argument to a complicated problem. The students' response can be summed up thusly: our leaders are doing nothing, and doing nothing is no solution to a crisis.

More than most people, students know the foolishness in thinking every teacher with shooting skill will be comfortable carrying weapons around the hallways, or that their colleagues without weapons backgrounds will accept it, let alone applaud it. They've had it with lame arguments and narrow-minded thinking.

That impatience by students is fed at least partly by the fear that their city, town or school may be next. To them, this isn't a civics lesson on the Second Amendment. This is personal.

Some school systems around the country have threatened harsh penalties for students who walked out. Many colleges are responding that when these teens apply for admission, their actions on National School Walkout Day will not be held against them.

Whether a student walked out or not should have been left to each individual student, hopefully after serious discussion with family. Neither decision is wrong. Neither should be criticized.

That's because this walkout differs from similar actions that some kids use as a free hallway pass disguised as social conscience. Teenagers are watching the older generation that offer nothing but cliches in response to a crisis.

The adults have failed to produce action or even responsible dialogue at a time it's needed. The kids should not be blamed for deciding it's their turn, and they should not be penalized, either.
BOSTON -- The Massachusetts House on Thursday plans to vote on whether to change its rules in response to House Counsel James Kennedy's review of sexual harassment policies.

Kennedy, who worked with outside lawyers including former Attorney General Martha Coakley, recommended hiring an equal employment opportunity officer, who would be in charge of investigating complaints and providing additional training for members and staff. Under his proposal, the human resources office would be expanded, and there would be a new director of employee engagement.

The attorneys recommended a process that offers both public and private methods for disciplining a House member, depending on the situation. It also recommends instituting mandatory annual training for members, staff and interns and commissioning a multi-year survey on sexual harassment.

Amendments that will be considered include barring the House from requiring a complainant to sign a nondisclosure agreement, requiring a House member to reimburse the House for any financial settlement, setting a time frame by which a complaint must be investigated, allowing interim measures to be taken during an investigation and encouraging bystander reporting.

Meanwhile, a state Senate committee is considering a separate bill, S.2318, sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton, to create an independent commission to investigate and report on incidents of workplace harassment in the Legislature.

Eldridge said as a lawmaker he has seen instances of sexual harassment, generally a male legislator or staff speaking in ways that objectify a woman.

"I really think we need to create an independent place for people to complain because they don't feel comfortable talking to their boss or Senate or House leadership," Eldridge said.

As envisioned by Eldridge, the nine-member commission would be appointed by legislative leaders from both parties, the governor, attorney general and auditor. They would include a sexual assault counselor, an attorney specializing in workplace harassment, a social worker and a human resources professional. The commission would hire a general counsel to conduct investigations, who would have subpoena power.

The commission would investigate complaints made by and about employees and interns of the Legislature and people whose jobs are "substantially related" to the Legislature.

The commission would submit a report to both parties and to the employer of the person about whom the complaint was made, and potentially to law enforcement, if the complainant agrees. Complaints would be confidential, and employers would be barred from retaliation.

The commission would also establish model policies, training programs and an annual survey to address workplace harassment and assault. It would issue an annual report on incidents.

The Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, which is considering the bill, held a public hearing on the bill Wednesday, but no one showed up to testify.

Eldridge said he thinks part of the problem is that legislators and staff fear that House or Senate leadership will be upset if they speak up. "There's still that fear, and that speaks to the need for my legislation," Eldridge said.

Rep. Jennifer Benson, D-Lunenburg, House chairwoman of the committee, said it is "way too early" to know the feeling of the committee on the bill. "Since it's newly filed and this was our hearing, we haven't gotten any supportive information yet, so it's hard to say," Benson said.

The Senate also has its own working group looking at whether policy changes need to be made to address sexual harassment.

Eldridge said he commends the House for its changes, but he questions whether the person hired as an equal opportunity officer could be truly independent if they report to the House speaker. He said any policy should be codified in law and applied to the House and the Senate, rather than each branch developing its own rules.
WILBRAHAM -- Sid Starks, a financial adviser and former TV news personality from East Longmeadow, has defeated Dave Sanders, chairman of the Wilbraham Republican Town Committee, for a seat on the Massachusetts Republican State Committee, the governing body of the GOP in Massachusetts.

Starks said he is excited to get to work on the state committee, which plays a key role in building the Republican Party's base by recruiting candidates, helping with fundraising, registering new voters, and growing city and town committees across the commonwealth.

"It's a great move," Starks said Tuesday, after defeating Sanders by a vote of 34-25 in Monday's special election to fill the First Hampden & Hampshire District seat vacated by Tom McCarthy, of Springfield.

McCarthy stepped down with two years remaining in his term with the Republican State Committee. One state committeeman and one state committeewoman are elected from each state Senate district every four years.

"We've got some well-established Republican Town Committees," said Starks, who two years ago mounted an unsuccessful write-in campaign to unseat state Rep. Brian Ashe, a Democrat from Longmeadow.

Some local Republicans reacted positively to Starks' victory, calling it a win for moderation in a conservative district controlled by far-right Republicans.

"This seat was held by Tom McCarthy, a Sanders supporter and far-right activist," Robert Grove, a member of the Wilbraham Republican Town Committee, said Tuesday. "Now we have a more mainstream Republican -- a pragmatic conservative -- on the Republican State Committee."

Sanders is an "activist" Republican, said Grove, whereas Starks will represent "all Republicans" in the First Hampden & Hampshire District.

"Sid will work with anyone in the party who sincerely wants to strengthen and grow the GOP," Grove said. "He likes the party to win."

Some Wilbraham Republicans have been put off by the right-leaning leadership of the town committee, which last week hosted anti-LGBT pastor Scott Lively, who is challenging Charlie Baker, the most popular governor in America, in the September GOP primary.

Sanders, who has contributed to Lively's gubernatorial campaign but not to Baker's, said the town committee does not endorse candidates during the primary phase of the race.

Grove, meanwhile, has run afoul of some of his Republican brothers and sisters in the Wilbraham committee.

After Grove was quoted in a February article by The Republican / MassLive.com about Lively coming to Wilbraham to seek support from the local GOP, Rich Howell, a member of the Republican Town Committee and co-administrator with Sanders of the Wilbraham-Hampden Tea Party Facebook page, took an indirect swipe at Grove, questioning his Republican credentials. Howell also took a direct swipe at the "left-wing media."

"Strange how left-wing media types only work with 'Republicans' who refer to their own platform as zealous," Howell said in an email forwarded to members of the town committee.

"One of the men interviewed was merely giving his opinion," Howell said, referring to Mark Manolakis, who preceded Sanders as chairman of the local Republican committee and still belongs to the panel. "Though I disagree with it, there is no impression of undermining the committee nor pushing an agenda," Howell said of Manolakis.

"The other (Grove) clearly demonstrates the opposite, was on the attack, (and) even worse (was) speaking for the committee indirectly and the town directly," Howell said in the email.

Howell was referring to the following comments by Grove in The Republican article:

"In this state, it is impossible to get people with 'Scott Lively positions' elected, so the question is why is he doing it?" said Grove, who believes the majority of Massachusetts Republicans are moderates who are concerned about fiscal issues, not right-wing zealots obsessed with social conservatism.

"The bottom line is Wilbraham, as a town, does not support the kinds of policies ... of a Scott Lively," Grove said. "The town does not support him."

Democrats continue to hold a 3-to-1 advantage over Republicans in Massachusetts, but Bay State voters have a history of electing moderate or even liberal Republican governors. By most accounts, Baker, raised by a Republican father and a Democrat mother, falls into the former category.

For Starks, who during his write-in campaign against Ashe called Baker a "terrific governor," it comes down to adhering to the party's principles and allowing Republicans of every stripe to vote their conscience.

"Everybody has the privilege of supporting who they want," Starks said. "It's all about less government and more local control."
The city of Bozeman is looking to hire its first-ever Communications Coordinator.

Applications are being accepted on the citys website https://www.bozeman.net/government/human-resources/apply-for-jobs for this position. Responsibilities include: keeping communication flowing throughout the departments, announcing major changes and responding to the media.

City Manager Andrea Surratt says this position is necessary given all of the projects and development in the city due to growth.

"Making sure that the citizens know in advance when they can participate in projects and hearing about things before they happen, not only just after they happen," said Surratt.

Applications can be submitted until March 18.

http://www.kbzk.com/story/37718143/city-of-bozeman-seeks-to-hire-communications-coordinator
Q: Labour rights are among the key issues in the final negotiating round of the CPTPP before its official singing. How and why is the issue of labour rights important?

A: In my opinion, the signing of the CPTPP, together with the EVFTA, will bring significant economic benefits to Vietnam, by increasing the price competitiveness of Vietnams export items in key markets, accelerating foreign direct investment (FDI) into Vietnam, promoting economic development, and creating millions of jobs, including those in SMEs. More importantly, the CPTPP will help to facilitate domestic reforms across all areas and help build the environment for a competitive economy, especially as the Vietnamese Government is actively pursuing the agenda on international economic integration.

The CPTTP and EVFTA are called new-generation FTAs, with a strong emphasis on labour rights, and the protection of environmental sustainability, in order to ensure that free trade contributes to sustainable development, whilst helping employees and businesses to equally enjoy the economic benefits.

Assume that country A - a more developed country  has trade relations with country B  a less developed one. That the wage level of workers in country A is higher than that of country B is quite understandable, because it reflects their productivity and development level. This is not unfair competition. However, if country B allows under-age labourers to participate in manufacturing export goods in unsecured working conditions at unacceptably low wages, while country A prohibits such labour conditions, this can be considered unfair competition, as it is contrary to the rules agreed globally. The world has reached consensus on the fundamental rights that all nations should respect, regardless of their level of economic development. This agreement is explicitly stated in the 1998 ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work. The labour-related chapters of the CPTPP and EVFTA aim to enforce these rights.

Q: What is the significance of the CPTPP chapter on labour for Vietnam?

A: The new-generation FTAs require all participating countries to adopt and maintain the rights set out in the 1998 ILO Declaration in their legislations, institutions, and practises. These rights are governed by ILOs eight fundamental conventions, with the basis of freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining (as stipulated in ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98); the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour (ILO Convention No. 29 and 105); the abolition of child labour (ILO Conventions No. 138 and 182); and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation (ILO Conventions No. 100 and 111).

All ILO member states, including Vietnam, must respect these rights. These are globally recognised rights in modern society. However, Vietnam has yet to ratify three basic conventions (Conventions No. 87, 98 and 105) related to the freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, and the elimination of forced labour.

The labour chapter of the CPTPP is based on the 1998 ILO Declaration. It provides a link between the implementation of the 1998 ILO Declaration and the commercial conditions within a certain time frame, including possible sanctions.

In addition to the significance of the trade aspect, I would like to emphasise that Vietnam should use this as an opportunity to modernise its labour legislation and labour relations system within the given time frame.

Q: In the ILOs view, what progress has been made by Vietnam in its preparations for the implementation of the CPTPPs labour chapter?

A: Vietnam has recognised this obligation and taken steps to meet the requirements of the CPTPP through the ongoing institutional and labour legislation reforms. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has reaffirmed the need for reforms at a meeting held on January 17 by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs to deploy its tasks for 2018.

In fact, Vietnam has made significant improvements in its labour law framework in the process of advancing towards a socialist-oriented market economy since the Doi Moi (Reform) period. In recent years, the coverage of legal protection has been extended to workers in the informal economic sector. At the same time, the adjustment of the minimum wage has become a tripartite process involving representatives of the Government, workers, and employers, through the National Wages Council.

Communicating the voice of workers through collective bargaining and social dialogue, trade unions and the labour relations system, will contribute to political and social stability, whilst promoting a common prosperity. That is the experience that other countries have shown in the market economy.

I believe that the revision of the Labour Code and the renovation of the labour relations system in line with the 1998 ILO Declaration and in the context of Vietnam will certainly work for this issue.

In addition, as I have mentioned, Vietnam needs to move forward in ratifying the three remaining fundamental conventions: Convention No. 87 on freedom of association, Convention No. 98 on the right to collective bargaining, and Convention No. 105 on the abolition of forced labour. Vietnam has already committed itself to implementing this through the sustainable development chapter of the EVFTA.

Q: What will the ILO do to help Vietnam achieve the aforementioned goal?

A: The ILO will step up its efforts to support Vietnams labour legislation and labour relations reforms, aiming to help Vietnam to fully fulfill the labour obligations of the CPTPP and EVFTA, and to build and complete the legal framework and the labour relations system, in service of the needs of workers, businesses and society, towards political stability and common prosperity. I believe that Vietnam will fulfill this mission for the future development of the country, which is built on a basis of productivity growth, innovation, equitable sharing of economic interests, recognition of the voices of both workers and employers, and socio-political stability.

* The CPTPP was signed by 11 countries on March 8, covering a large market of 500 million people, accounting for 13.5% of the global economy and 15% of its trade.
This is a sharing from Meritorious Artist Nguyen Ho Thuy Tien, who has a great passion for and creativity in puppetry. She is the first female in Vietnam who created her own solo puppet show.

For those lucky enough to enjoy a show staged by Tien, there is an interesting experience to see eye-catching marionettes performing the King of Pop Michael Jacksons rhythmic dances, elegantly moving to the beat of drums, and gracefully performing a beautiful song.

Although the entire show is staged by one artist only, performances are harmoniously connected to each other during the show with the support of light and music. The outcome is the fruit of a hardworking and immensely skilled puppeteer.

Born in a family with a rich tradition of arts, her father is a puppetry director and her mother is a puppeteer, Thuy Tien has developed a fondness for this art genre at a very young age. Despite graduating from the teaching faculty, she then decided to embark on a career in puppetry. Tien is currently a performer in the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre with 25-years of working experience.

In 2008, she was among seven participants from five countries to be selected to attend a training course on Asian arts held in the Republic of Korea by UNESCOs International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People.

When the course concluded, her puppetry script stood out from the others and was chosen for performance at the graduation ceremony. The appraisal of the audiences and fellow professionals fuelled her courage to develop a solo puppetry show in Vietnam.

She then started to make marionettes by herself. As she has support during her solo puppetry, the baggage for the show should be lightweight and neat. Therefore, instead of making traditional wooden puppets, Tien tried making her marionettes from Styrofoam, which not only allowed the puppets to be lightweight but also made it easier for her to create the forms of the puppets.

However, the materials posed a difficulty for the artist to control the puppets on the stage. To fix the problem, Tien add pieces of lead to weigh down the Styrofoam marionettes. She also made puppets from bamboo and rattan.

"While performing abroad, many international audiences were surprised to see that my puppets were made from such materials", Tien said.

Thuy Tien controlling her marionettes during a solo performance (Photo: Nguyen Ho Thuy Tien)

By choosing to develop string puppetry, Tien spent a lot of time making the marionettes and designing the control bars for them. I had to make four or five prototypes before completing a marionette, Tien said.

Tien has also invested much time in developing her skills, writing scripts, and choosing musical themes and lighting for her solo shows to ensure that her performances can blend the modernity and traditional features in a harmonious fashion.

Most recently, her Vietnam in Puppets solo performance, which is composed of several sections of performance, using various skills and forms of puppetry, such as rod puppets, marionettes, hand puppets, among others, helped her to earn the Best Female Artist at the International Theatre Festival for Young Audiences, held in Romania in October 2017.

Earlier, the show also brought Tien accolades at the International Puppetry Festivals in Indonesia in 2013 and in Thailand in 2014.

Tien now possesses a collection of dozens of self-made string and rod marionettes, which she considers a heritage to be handed down to her beloved son, who has been inspired with a passionate love for puppetry.

Although puppetry has not attracted a large audience in Vietnam, Tien believes that the arts will grab the attention of the youth in the near future and establish itself as a way to effectively promote Vietnams traditional culture to the world.
NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan made the request at a conference held in Hanoi to review the 15 years of the implementation of their coordination regulations, on March 14.

The event was co-chaired by the NA Chairwoman and VFF President Tran Thanh Man.

Speaking at the conference, NA Chairwoman Ngan emphasised that, over the past 15 years, the two agencies have coordinated effectively, thereby contributing to promoting the activities of the entire political system.

She asked the two bodies to focus on several important issues in 2018, including building laws related to human rights, fundamental rights and the obligations of citizens, as well as the organisation of State apparatus and the regulations on the NA deputies meeting with voters.

The VFFCCs President Tran Thanh Man also noted that the two agencies should continue to collaborate in order to improve the mechanisms and policies on patriotic emulation movements, build laws and ordinances, and join several monitoring activities under the programme of the NA and NASC.

At the conference, NA Chairwoman Ngan and VFFCC President Man signed a coordination regulation (amendment) between the two bodies.
The chefs are members of the World Association of Chefs' Societies (WACS) and hail from numerous countries including Germany, Sweden, Russia, Portugal, Greece, the US, Malaysia, India, and Vietnam. Among of them are Chef David Sosson from France; Wan-Chung or Bill Sy as known to some, who served as the Culinary Director of Culinary Arts and Management at the Art Institute for the last twenty years; and Mauricio Armendaris Carrasco, Director of the Organization of Gastronomic Associations of the Americas and the Caribbean.

The only representative of Vietnam participating in the festival is Trinh Diem Vy, who is regarded as the culinary soul of Hoi An for the past 20 years. He will directly exchange, show, guide, and introduce foods of Vietnam, and Hoi An cuisine with 12 international chefs.

They will cook many delicious dishes from the available local ingredients found in Hoi An and every night one of the chefs will introduce a typical dish at the Big dish area.

The event aims to promote the image of the culture and tourism in the ancient city, to both domestic and foreign visitors. The festival will also offer an opportunity for local chefs to gain experiences from leading global culinary experts.

A highlight of the festival is Thomas Gugler, President of the World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS), officially awarding a certificate of honour to recognize Hoi An as the Food Capital of Vietnam.
HINDSIGHT 2021 Audio Article 10 Years Ago (2011)  Three members of Waterfords FFA joined students from across the nation in Washington D.C. for the 2011 Washington Leadership Conference. Allison Adams, Katrina Ford and James Whalin spent a week in the nations capital developing leadership skills through workshops, seminars and other hands-on activities. The...

THE VFW POST 4713 DONATED $100 TO THE WASHINGTON-MORGAN COMMUNITY ACTION Audio Article The VFW Post 4713 donated $100 to the Washington-Morgan Community Action to purchase backpacks and school supplies for Morgan County families. Combined with our agency and their generous donation, we were able to purchase 50 backpacks filled with school supplies. Front row from left: Sherry Hill, VFW; Jane Blackburn, VFW;...

Morgan County Sheriffs Office Daily Call Reports Audio Article Editors Note: The following are initial incident reports from callers to a Morgan County Sheriffs Office Dispatcher. Any details, charges or situations may have been distorted by the caller, or perhaps may have been found to be different after the officer further investigated the incident. Monday, June 21, 2021 ...

Prevent Blindness Supports National Falls Prevention Awareness Day on September 22 Audio Article Marking the beginning of fall, the Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness (PBO) and Ohios Aging Eye Public Private Partnership are supporting National Falls Prevention Awareness Day on September 22. The goal is to bring attention to this serious issue that is the leading cause of injury-related hospitalization and death among...

Caleb Fogarty Audio Article Caleb Fogarty, a senior 3rd baseman for the Troy Trojans in Troy, Ohio, was named 1st Team All-Ohio in Division I Ohio High School Baseball this past June. Caleb is the son of Neil and Kerry White-Fogarty of Troy and the grandson of Don and Lynn White here in East...

Morgan County Sheriffs Office Daily Call Reports Audio Article Editors Note: The following are initial incident reports from callers to a Morgan County Sheriffs Office Dispatcher. Any details, charges or situations may have been distorted by the caller, or perhaps may have been found to be different after the officer further investigated the incident. Thursday, June 24, 2021 ...
Nearly two months after Turkeys launch of the Olive Branch campaign against the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, Turkish forces, in coordination with Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels, have reclaimed 850 square kilometres in Afrin. With the goal of gaining control of 2,000 square kilometres in this region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared his plan to expand the campaign against the force, which he has alleged to be terrorists. Erdogan reported that since Ankara launched the Olive Branch campaign in Afrin, more than 3,200 terrorists had been disabled. Turkish troops have besieged Afrin and are poised to enter the city, he said, stating that the eastern part of the Euphrates River to the Iraqi border will be cleared of terrorist groups following Ankaras military campaigns in Syria.

Turkey always asserted that its military campaign in Afrin was aimed at Kurdish fighters in Syria, who are regarded by Ankara as terrorists and a threat to Turkeys security and territorial integrity. However, Turkeys deployment of large-scale military campaigns deep inside Syrian territory has come up against with strong opposition from the Damascus administration, triggering concerns about affecting the national reconciliation process in Syria. This campaign has also caused tensions between Turkey and its Western allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), especially the United States, which supports the YPG and considers the force as their most effective counterpart in the war against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). NATO allies are concerned that Ankaras military campaign could affect the fight against extremist Islamic terrorists in Syria.

The fierce conflicts between Syrian government troops and rebel gunmen in eastern Ghouta, on the outskirts of Damascus, have also raised concerns among the international community about a catastrophic humanitarian disaster. The UN Security Council has called on involved parties to comply with the ceasefire under the adopted resolution. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), more than 1,000 people have died since the Syrian government launched an offensive on the rebel-held enclave of eastern Ghouta three weeks ago. After days of intense fighting, Syrian government forces cut off contact between the largest town in eastern Ghouta and the rest of the region, almost breaking the unstable area in the outskirts of Damascus into three parts. More than 400,000 people in eastern Ghouta are living with a shortage of food, fuel, medicine, and drinking water, being entirely dependent on the sources supplied by humanitarian relief organisations.

The Syrian Army has captured about 52% of eastern Ghouta. This is a chance for the Syrian Army to step up a large-scale offensive to expel rebel gunmen from the key area, which lies on the eastern belt of Damascus. Rebel gunmen began to drop their weapons and evacuate from this region to a government-controlled junction. Russia ordered a daily five-hour humanitarian pause in eastern Ghouta to facilitate humanitarian relief activities. The Syrian government also opened a humanitarian corridor outside the area to allow civilians to leave the encirclement. However, the international community remains concerned about the risk of conflicts dragging many people into a bloody tragedy.

Over the past seven years, the Syrian civil war has been inherently complicated due to conflicts between the various factions. The involvement of world and regional powers in this war, on the grounds of counter-terrorism, has incidentally transformed the Syrian battlefield into an arena for a proxy war. For whatever reason, the ongoing military actions are in danger of spreading the flames of conflict, hindering diplomatic efforts, and stalling the negotiations needed to reach a political agreement for Syria to resolve the crisis.
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's decision and plan on deepening reform of Party and state institutions are revolutionary, a senior Chinese economic and financial official wrote in an article published by the People's Daily on Tuesday.

"The reform is revolutionary in integrating existing vested interests and reshaping new interest patterns," wrote Liu He, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Central Leading Group for Financial and Economic Affairs.

The decision and plan were reviewed and adopted at the third plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, according to a communique issued at the end of the session late last month.

Faced with new requirements for various tasks in the "new era," the current function and structure of Party and state institutions are not completely suitable for coordinately implementing the five-sphere integrated plan and the four-pronged comprehensive strategy, nor for modernizing China's system and capacity for governance, the document said.

China on Tuesday unveiled a massive cabinet reshuffle plan to make the government better-structured, more efficient and service-oriented.

The institutional reform plan of the State Council was submitted to the on-going first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations.

Liu wrote that strengthening the overall leadership of the Party was a core issue in deepening the reform of Party and state institutions.

"The Party exercises overall leadership over all Party, government, military, and people's organizations as well as academic bodies in every part of the country," he wrote.

A primary task of deepening reform of the Party and state institutions is to strengthen the CPC's leadership in every sector, Liu cited the communique as saying.

Efforts should be made to establish and improve the institutions and mechanisms by which the Party exercises leadership over major tasks, according to the CPC Central Committee decision.

Liu also urged Party committees and governments across the country to shoulder the main responsibilities for implementing the tasks of deepening reform of Party and state institutions and ensure that work on every front progresses in a stable, orderly and effective manner.
U.S. under state secretary fired after speaking for Tillerson

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steve Goldstein. [File Photo: 163.com]

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Steve Goldstein was fired on Tuesday after he said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson "did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason" for being sacked.

The White House then fired Goldstein just hours after Tillerson was let go on Tuesday morning.

The White House called Goldstein to tell him that he is no longer needed.

Before the news of dismissal broke out, Goldstein told the media on behalf of the State Department via email that Tillerson "had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues."

"He established and enjoyed relationships with his counterparts. He will miss his colleagues at the Department of State and enjoyed working together with the Department of Defense in an uncommonly robust relationship," he added.

He noted that Tillerson "is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling and not to be regretted."

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump announced to sack Tillerson and nominate Mike Pompeo, director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), to replace him. The nomination was waiting for the confirmation of the Senate.
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China's draft supervision law was submitted for its third reading at the national legislature Tuesday, aiming at a centralized, unified, authoritative and efficient supervisory network under the Party's leadership.

The new law, an essential part of China's reform of supervisory institutions, is expected to serve as a fundamental and guiding law against corruption and for state supervision, said Li Jianguo, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC), when explaining the bill to the 13th NPC.

The law is aimed at enhancing the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on anti-corruption campaigns, he said.

According to the bill, new supervisory commissions will be established at the national, provincial, city and county levels. Tasked to handle job-related crimes, they will independently exercise supervisory power, and not be subject to interference from the government, social organizations and individuals.

The commissions are entrusted to oversee state functionaries, investigate corruption cases such as bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power, impose administrative penalty on corrupt officials, and hand over criminal cases to prosecutors, according to the bill.

"In face of a tough and complicated situation, our existing supervisory institutions were clearly unable to meet the demands of the battle against corruption and the campaign to clean up the Party," Li said.

Under the old supervisory system, the Party disciplinary network oversaw all Party members and the administrative supervisory agencies governed civil servants, which left a considerable number of state functionaries unsupervised.

The supervisory power was also divided among three agencies, with the Party disciplinary agencies regulating Party members according to Party rules, administrative supervisory agencies watching civil servants according to the administrative supervision law, and procuratorates prosecuting state functionaries suspected of corruption according to the criminal procedure law.

"The agencies, with their power divided and overlapping, did not function in harmony," Li said, adding that procuratorates, which not only investigate but also prosecute, were not under effective supervision.

Under the reform, supervision, corruption control and prevention divisions under the government and procuratorates are merged, pooling anti-graft resources together.

The new law also aims to legalize a unified system between state supervision and Party disciplinary inspection.

"Since 80 percent of civil servants and 95 percent of leading officials are Party members, the tasks of Party internal inspection and state supervision highly overlap, requiring a more unified supervisory system," Li said.

New supervisory commissions will share staff and offices with the Party disciplinary inspection agencies.

The draft law has incorporated practices of the pilot reform of supervisory system, which began in Beijing, Shanxi and Zhejiang in December 2016, and then was expanded nationwide in November 2017, Li said.

Among the new practices in the pilot reform, a new detention system has been tested to replace the practice of "shuanggui," an intra-party disciplinary practice, exercised by Party disciplinary officials, where a Party member under investigation must cooperate with questioning at a set time and place.

"Replacing shuanggui with rigorously-regulated detention will help settle a long-lingering legal problem," Li said. "This has displayed our resolve and confidence to realize a full law-based governance."

As of now, supervisory commissions have been founded at the provincial, city and county levels across the country.

The constitutional amendment, adopted by the NPC Sunday, listed supervisory commissions as a new state organ.

WHO TO SUPERVISE

The national supervisory commission will be made up of one director, several deputy directors and a few members. The director will be elected by the NPC, serve the same term as that of the NPC and for no more than two consecutive terms.

Deputy directors and members will be appointed and removed by the NPC Standing Committee upon the request of the director.

Local supervisory commissions will follow a similar setup to the national agency.

Under the bill, supervision commissions will be entitled to oversee staff of Party organs, legislatures, governments, courts, procuratorates, political advisory bodies, as well as their own staff, executives of state-owned enterprises, managing staff of public institutions and mass organizations, among others in public office.

Supervisory commissions will be supervised by the people's congresses at the same level and their standing committees, to which they report their work and answer inquiries.

HOW TO SUPERVISE

Supervisory commissions will have the power to question witnesses, interrogate suspects, search properties, freeze bank accounts, seize and identify suspicious assets, among other means.

A suspect implicated in graft offenses could be detained at a designated location if further investigation is necessary, and if the suspect is likely to flee, commit suicide, collude with accomplices or tamper with evidence. The detention must be approved by the supervisory commissions.

The supervisory commissions will authorize relevant agencies, following strict approval procedures, to take technical investigation measures, issue fugitive notices, or block suspects from traveling abroad.

SUPERVISORS TO BE SUPERVISED

Rigorous restriction will be introduced upon the power of supervisory commissions.

According to the bill, clear protocols will be set up for supervision and investigation procedures and provisions will be added to better protect personal and property rights of those under investigation.

To detain a suspect, city and county supervisory commissions must ask for permission from their superior commissions, while provincial commissions shall inform the national commission.

Detention shall last no longer than three months, and the family and work unit of the detained suspect shall be notified within 24 hours, except those who might hinder investigations. The detention can be extended for another three months only once, under "special circumstances" and with approval from the higher-level supervisory commission.

Food, rest and safety should be guaranteed and medical care provided for those in custody.
Jiuzhaigou, a scenic area in southwest Chinas Sichuan province, partially reopened for the first time on March 8 since the devastating earthquake last year. On the first day of reopening, it received more than 700 tourists.

The Jiuzhaigou scenic area welcomes the first group of tourists on March 8, 2018. (Photo from CFP)

The scenic area was closed the second day after a magnitude-7.0 quake hit Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang autonomous prefecture in the province on Aug. 8, 2017, causing five deaths. It remained closed to tourists during the 7 months of renovation.

Since some of the scenic spots are still under reconstruction, only part of the spots is opened and the number of tourists is limited to 2,000 each day, according to the administrative bureau of Jiuzhaigou.

The bureau disclosed that the scenic area is only open to tourist groups instead of individual tourists for the moment, and the tourist areas, number of tourist, travel time and travel modes will continue to be limited in the next period to come.

Arial view of the Jiuzhaigou scenic area after the magnitude-7.0 quake hit the area. (Photo from CFP)

The Jiuzhaigou scenic area is located in the northwest of Sichuan province and about 400 kilometers away from Chengdu, capital city of the province.

As a national 5A-class tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jiuzhaigou scenic area is home to spectacular natural sceneries of lakes, mountains, waterfalls and verdant forests, and Tibetan customs, attracting a large number of tourists from home and abroad every year. Statistics show the scenic area received over 5 million travelers in 2016.

A lake at the Jiuzhaigou scenic area. (Photo from the official website of the Jiuzhaigou scenic area)

The scenery of the Wuhuahai of the Jiuzhaigou scenic area. (Photo from the official website of the Jiuzhaigou scenic area)
Sharing economy, social platforms, and other new business formats have proved to be effective tools for Chinas poverty alleviation campaign in rural areas. E-commerce ,in certain degree,is helping revitalize China's rural areas.

Impoverished households in Wuyi county, north Chinas Hebei province, join the Running Chicken program, a pilot project launched by JD.com to help poor rural residents earn money by selling chickens. (Photo from CFP)

Chinas Ministry of Commerce said it has allocated 4.14 billion yuan ($654.25 million) in 2017 to encourage e-businesses in 499 poverty-stricken counties, covering 60 percent of the total poor counties across the country.

A total of 237 counties on Chinas poorest list were selected as pilot areas to cast off poverty by developing e-business.

Online retail sales in Chinas most impoverished counties grew 52.1 percent from a year ago to stand at 120.79 billion yuan (or 19 billion US dollars) in 2017. The growth was 13 percentage points higher than the overall rate in rural areas.

E-commerce is providing a platform to sell agricultural produce with regional features online. JD.com, one of the countrys e-commerce giants, has helped sold more than 3 million agricultural products for 832 poor counties, with online sales surpassing 20 billion yuan. More than 25,000 rural residents got a job thanks to the online business.

Many agricultural products even went popular online, such as Running Chicken, a pilot project to help poor rural households in Hebei province earn money by selling chickens, kiwi fruit in Cangxi, southwest Sichuan province and black bee honey in northeastern Chinas Heilongjiang province.

Farmers at Shilibu Town, Miyun District of Beijing, pick hot-sale strawberries for online

pre-order. (Photo by He Yong from Peoples Daily)

As a result, an increasing number of poverty-stricken areas have shaken off poverty and stridden to prosperity.

A prickly pear producer in southwest Chinas Guizhou province, for instance, registered an online sale of 8.19 million yuan in 2017. The business provided jobs for 1,394 people from 367 poor households and increased their annual income by 2,000 yuan on average.

The same effect took place in remote Wenshan of southwest Chinas Yunnan province. An extra 8,000 yuan on average has been created for each of the 840 rural families taking part in e-commerce, since the new business form was introduced to the border county.

A staff of a poverty alleviation park in central Chinas Henan province print online orders of iron stick yams. (Photo by Xu Hongxing from CFP)
Chinas BeiDou navigation application expected to be launched this May

A navigation application based on Chinas home-grown BeiDou Navigation Satellite System is expected to be launched on May 1, Chinese media reported.

Design sketch on global constellation of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System. (Photo: beidou.gov.cn)

The application will provide users with explicit route guidance system, clear voice prompt, and a notification system that reports real-time information including road signs of major or side lanes, roundabouts and expressways even in complex road conditions.

It can also help improve traffic efficiency by offering smart suggestions based on real-time traffic conditions.

With lane-level accuracy, the error of the BeiDou application is reduced to within 1 meter, while that of the traditional navigation applications depending on GPS is about 10 meters.

In addition, the BeiDou map will offer more accurate location-based services for unmanned driving in future.

It is reported that the worlds first Internet of Things module based on BeiDou communication technology has been developed by a branch company of the BeiDou Aerospace Group, narrowing the accuracy of positioning services to centimeter-level.

A BeiDou navigation satellite was launching. (Photo: beidou.gov.cn)

The construction of the BeiDou system has, up to now, come to the third stage. By the end of this year, a total of 18 BeiDou-3 satellites are expected to be put into space to complete basic constellation deployment.

The system will be made up of 35 satellites by the end of 2020, forming an orbiting satellite network that can offer navigation and positioning services to users worldwide.
From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey02@outlook.com > Sent: Thursday, March 1, 2018, 5:27:26 AM GMT-5 Subject: Failing to comply & Delays which will warrant you 2years jail sentence.



Attention My Dear Good Friend?



We have been watching every single transaction you made since last year until this 2015 and you have to know that we are also working to make sure your funds which are suppose to be delivered to you and also bear in mind that whatever you send to us will be forward to the court. Also we are hereby to notified by the federal bureau of investigation Cotonou department for the insult you imposed on them by failing to comply by their requirements.



Your full residential address has been forwarded to us for your immediate arrest to face your charge but I decided to give you one more chance to save your self from this mess. We have been told that you have failed to dance by the rule of the FBI which will warrant 2 years jail sentence. Now I Mr. Christopher A. Wray the special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Department, I am giving you 24 working hours to effect the payment of the $79.9Usd usd through WESTERN UNION OR MONEY GRAM ONLY with the information below.



Name. . . . AKA JOHN

Address. . .1 Red Star Express street, Red Star Road, Cotonou.

Country. . . Benin Republic

Question. . For?

Answer. . . Package.

Amount. . . $79.9Usd



Once funds is sent, please send the below information:

Full names of sender. . . . . .

Full Address of sender. . . . .



You have to try as much as you can and make this payment so that your funds will be delivered immediately to your destination. You have to stop every transaction you are communicating with other organization to avoid delay on the processing of your funds.



Note that if you fail to stick with my advice or any delay will lead us coming directly to your home address at any time, so try and dance by the rule and get back to me with good understanding ASAP.

Special Agent in Charge,

Best Regards.

Mr. Christopher A. Wray.

(Code: 371)

Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey007@outlook.com > Sent: Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 5:54:50 AM GMT-5 Subject: The charge for shipping the ATM VISA CARD



Anti-Terrorist And Monetary Crimes Division

FBI Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

Federal Bureau Of Investigation

J.Edgar Hoover Building

935 Pennsylvania Avenue, Nw Washington, D.C. 20535-0001

www.fbi.gov



ATTENTION: BENEFICIARY.



This e-mail has been issued to you in order to Officially inform you that we have completed an investigation on an International Payment in which was issued to you by an International Lottery Company. With the help of our newly developed technology (International Monitoring Network System) we discovered that your e-mail address was automatically selected by an Online Balloting System, this has legally won you the sum of $1.2 million USD from a Lottery Company outside the United States of America. During our investigation we discovered that your e-mail won the money from an Online Balloting System and we have authorized this winning to be paid to you via INTERNATIONAL ATM VISA CARD.



Normally, it will take up to 5 business days for an INTERNATIONAL ATM VISA CARD by your local bank. We have successfully notified this company on your behalf that funds are to be drawn from a registered bank within the world winded, so as to enable you cash the check instantly without any delay, henceforth the stated amount of $1.2 million USD has been deposited with IMF.



We have completed this investigation and you are hereby approved to receive the winning prize as we have verified the entire transaction to be Safe and 100% risk free, due to the fact that the funds have been deposited with IMF you will be required to settle the following bills directly to the Lottery Agent in-charge of this transaction whom is located in Cotonou, Benin Republic. According to our discoveries, you were

required to pay for the following,



(1) Deposit Fee's ( IMF INTERNATIONAL Bank CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE )

(3) Shipping Fee's ( This is the charge for shipping the ATM VISA CARD to your home address)



The total amount for everything is $79.9Usd We have tried our possible best to indicate that this $79.9Usd should be deducted from your winning prize but we found out that the funds have already been deposited IMF and cannot be accessed by anyone apart from you the winner, therefore you will be required to pay the required fee's to the Agent in-charge of this transaction



In order to proceed with this transaction, you will be required to contact the agent in-charge ( Mr.Ken Jackson ) via e-mail. Kindly look below to find appropriate contact information:



CONTACT AGENT NAME: Mr. Christopher A. Wray, Acting FBI Director & Mr.Ken Jackson

E-MAIL: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com

PHONE NUMBER: +229-912548



You will be required to e-mail him with the following information:



FULL NAME:_ _ _

ADDRESS:_ _

CITY:_ _

STATE:_ _

ZIP CODE:_ _

DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER:_ _

OCCUPATION:_ _



You are advice to send us the fee by Western Union or Money Gram with the below details in order to immediately ship your prize of $1.2 million USD via INTERNATIONAL ATM VISA CARD from IMF, also include the following transaction code in order for him to immediately identify this transaction : EA2948-910:



Receivers name= = = AKA JOHN.

Country= = = = = = Benin Republic

City= = = = = = = =Cotonou

Text question= = = = When

Text answers= = = = Today

Amount= = = = = = $79.9Usd

Mtcn number= = = =?



You must send us the details provided by Western Union Or Money Gram immediately you made the payment of $79.9Usd

Senders name= = = =

Sender address= = =

Sender country= = =

Mtcn= = = = = = =



Please do forward us the MTCN/ your home address.



This letter will serve as proof that the Federal Bureau Of Investigation is authorizing you to pay the required $79.9Usd ONLY.

Waiting to hear from you soon.

Thanks,

Mr. Christopher A. Wray.

Federal Bureau of Investigation F B I

Yours in Service,Photograph of Director

Director Office of Public Affairs From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey007@outlook.com > Sent: Thursday, March 8, 2018, 6:38:04 AM GMT-5 Subject: Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA.



Attention Please,( Code: 371 ).

Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA, Please make sure you send the fee of $79.9Usd for Tag, Please make sure you call the agent to release your ATM card this morning before 9am, Please Call The Delivery Agent, AGENT NAME: Mr. Richard Egobiah, Tele #: +1 (207)-494-5834, Email: hr.expressbj01@gmail.com

Below is the payment information you will use to send the $79.9Usd to our cashier name through Western Union Or Money Gram Money Transfer:



Receivers name= = = AKA JOHN

Country= = = = = = Benin republic

City= = = = = = = =Cotonou

Text question= = = = When

Text answers= = = = Today

Amount= = = = = = $79.9Usd

mtcn number= = = =?



You must send us the details provided by Western Union Or Money Gram immediately you made the payment of $79.9Usd.



senders name= = = =

sender address= = =

sender country= = =

As soon as the fee is sent, please do send us the MTCN numbers now.

Waiting to hear from you soon.

Thanks,

mR. Christopher A. Wray.

(Code: 371)

Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey jamescomey008@outlook.com >

Date: 2018-03-09 3:47 GMT-03:00

Subject: Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA. .

To:





Attention Please,( Code: 371 ).

Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA, Please make sure you send the fee of $79.9Usd for Tag, Please make sure you call the agent to release your ATM card this morning before 9am, Please Call The Delivery Agent, AGENT NAME: Mr. Richard Egobiah, Tele #: +1 (207)-494-5834, Email: hr.expressbj01@gmail.com Below is the payment information you will use to send the $79.9Usd to our cashier name through Western Union Or Money Gram Money Transfer:

Receivers name= = = AKA JOHN Country= = = = = = Benin republic City= = = = = = = =Cotonou Text question= = = = When Text answers= = = = Today Amount= = = = = = $79.9Usd mtcn number= = = =?

You must send us the details provided by Western Union Or Money Gram immediately you made the payment of $79.9Usd.

senders name= = = = sender address= = = sender country= = = As soon as the fee is sent, please do send us the MTCN numbers now. Waiting to hear from you soon. Thanks, mR. Christopher A. Wray. (Code: 371) Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com From:Date: 2018-03-09 3:47 GMT-03:00Subject: Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA. .To: From: Barrister Jack Williams < louis.william21@yahoo.pt > Sent: Monday, March 12, 2018, 4:09:28 AM CST Subject: Attention Beneficiary,





Federal Bureau of Investigation Counter-terrorism Division and Cyber Crime Division J. Edgar. Hoover Building Washington DC Christopher A. Wray.



Attention Beneficiary,



Records show that you are among one of the individuals and organizations who are yet to receive their overdue payment from overseas which includes those of Lottery/Gambling, Contract and Inheritance. Through our Fraud Monitory Unit we have noticed that you have been transacting with some impostors and fraudsters who have been impersonating the likes of Prof. Soludo/Mr.Lamido Sanusi of the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Aziza, Bode Williams, Frank, Anderson, none officials of Oceanic Bank, Zenith Banks, Kelvin Young of HSBC, Ben of FedEx, Ibrahim Sule, Dr. Usman Shamsuddeen and some impostors claiming to be The Federal Bureau of Investigation.



The Cyber Crime Division of the FBI gathered information from the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) on how some people have lost outrageous sums of money to these Impostors. As a result of this, we hereby advise you to stop communication with any one not referred to you by us. We have negotiated with the Federal Ministry of Finance that your payment totaling $5,500,000.00(Five Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars). Will be released to you via a custom pin based ATM card with a maximum Withdrawal limit of $15,000 a day which is powered by Visa Card and can be used anywhere in the world where you see a Visa Card Logo on the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).



We guarantee receipt of your payment. This is as a result of the mandate from US Government to make sure all debts owed to citizens of American and also Asia and

Europe which includes Inheritance, Contract, Gambling/Lottery etc are been cleared.



To redeem your funds, you are hereby advised to contact the ATM Card Center via email for their requirement to proceed and procure your Approval of Payment Warrant and Endorsement of your ATM Release Order on your behalf which will cost you $105 Usd only and nothing more as everything else has been taken care of by the Federal Government including taxes, custom paper and clearance duty so all you will ever need to pay is $105.00 only.



Barrister Jack Williams(ATM Card Center Director)

Central Bank of Benin Republic

Central Business District,

Cad astral Zone, federal

Capital Territory, Benin.

ATM Card Center Director Barrister Jack Williams

Phone Number +229-96356260



Do contact Mr. barr.williams.dossou of the ATM Card Center via his contact details above and furnish him with your details as listed below:



FULL NAMES: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

DELIVERY ADDRESS FOR ATM CARD: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

SEX: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

DATE OF BIRTH: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

OCCUPATION: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

TELEPHONE NUMBER: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

EMAIL ADDRESS: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _



On contacting him with your details your file would be updated and below is the payment information in which you will use in making payment of $105.00 via Money Gram Or Western Union Money Transfer for the procurement of your Approval of Payment Warrant and Endorsement of your ATM Release Order, after which the delivery of your ATM Card will be affected to your designated home address without any further delay, No extra fee.



Receiver's Name: Chris Hunter

Country: Benin Republic

City: Cotonou

Amount: $105 USD



Send to me the following info once you send the payment.

Senders Name:

Location:

MTCN / Reference #:



Christopher A. Wray DIRECTOR FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535.



Note: Disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming to be in possession of your ATM card, you are hereby advice only to be in contact with Barrister Jack Williams of the ATM card center who is the rightful person to deal with in regards to your payment and forward any emails you get from impostors to this office so we Could act upon it immediately. Help stop cyber crime. FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey jamescomey008@outlook.com >

Date: 2018-03-13 7:16 GMT-03:00

Subject: ATM Account # 520087621345/

To:





Attention Please,( Code: 371)

Well, I am Hon. James B. Comey, From FBI Director, Washington Headquarters & Investigation Department, I wish to acknowledge the receipt of your mail, the content is well understood. Sorry for the late reply, Your US$1,200,000.00 is presently lodge here in your ATM Account # 520087621345. so before login to the account or use it online to do any transfer, you must obtain the Access PIN from FMF as non residential customer, so that you can login to the account and make online-transfer into any account of your choice. In light of the above, to obtain the Access PIN will cost you the total of $79.9Usd only, the reason s that we have fined out that to received your ATM card will take too long that is why i have been in the bank since Monday at BENIN REPUBLIC & I am back to Usa last week friday at my office place washington. Please Call The Delivery Agent, AGENT NAME: Mr. Richard Egobiah, Tele #: +1 (207)-494-5834, Email: hr.expressbj01@gmail.com , Please Use Western Union Or Money Gram only with the information below : INFORMATION _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Receivers name= = = AKA JOHN Country= = = = = = Benin republic City= = = = = = = =Cotonou Text question= = = = When Text answers= = = = Today Amount= = = = = = $79.9Usd mtcn number= = = =?

You must send us the details provided by Western Union Or Money Gram immediately you made the payment of $79.9Usd.

senders name= = = = sender address= = = sender country= = =

You are expected to forward the MTCN, sender' s name and address to me immediately after making the payment today, so that I will forward to you every details which will enable you to login to the account or use your ATM card online to transfer to any account.

Please do forward us the MTCN/ Your home address/ Direct Telephone numbers Waiting to hear from you soon. Thanks, Mr. Christopher A. Wray. (Code: 371) Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com From:Date: 2018-03-13 7:16 GMT-03:00Subject: ATM Account # 520087621345/To:

From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey007@outlook.com > Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2018, 4:23:18 AM GMT-5 Subject: DEAD OR ALIVE????O FIND POUT IF YOU ARE DEAD OR NOT,

Attention Please,( Code: 371 ).

I am writing to confirm the K OF BENIN fact if you are (Dead) Or (Alive)? Because Mr. Jude Betsy come to our office stated that you are dead and failure to reply back in the next 24hrs simply means what Mr. Jude Betsy said was right that you are dead. And Mr. Jude Betsy has agreed to pay the needed charge fee valued of $79.9Usd required for the bond stamp duty fee of your ATM Card , but we have not gotten the money from him yet as we want to find out if you are dead or not, so if you are still (alive) you are advice in your own best interest to reply back,

the only money you will pay to our office here is just $79.9Usd for the paper works, take note of this now, so we can stop further communication with Mr. Jude Betsy and deliver the (ATM Card) to your door step being the original benefactor of the $1.2million us dollars.

Below is the payment information you will use to send the $79.9Usd to our cashier name through Western Union Or Money Gram Money Transfer:

Name. . . . AKA JOHN Address. . .1 Red Star Express street, Red Star Road, Cotonou. Country. . . Benin Republic Question. . For? Answer. . . Package. Amount. . . $79.9Usd

Once funds is sent, please send the below information: Full names of sender. . . . . . Full Address of sender. . . . . MTCN/Reference Number. .

beside if you fail to comply with the needed $79.9Usd required there's no way we can deliver the ATM Card to your country. Looking forward to hear from you if you are still alive, reply back for fast action so that your delivery will commence upon receipt of your payment.

Waiting to hear from you soon. Best Regards, Mr. Christopher A. Wray. (Code: 371) Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey007@outlook.com > Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2018, 7:13:01 AM GMT-5 Subject: DEAD OR ALIVE???

Attention Please,( Code: 371 ).

I am writing to confirm the fact if you are (Dead) Or (Alive)? Because Mr. Jude Betsy come to our office stated that you are dead and failure to reply back in the next 24hrs simply means what Mr. Jude Betsy said was right that you are dead. And Mr. Jude Betsy has agreed to pay the needed charge fee valued of $79.9Usd required for the bond stamp duty fee of your ATM Card , but we have not gotten the money from him yet as we want to find out if you are dead or not, so if you are still (alive) you are advice in your own best interest to reply back,

the only money you will pay to our office here is just $79.9Usd for the paper works, take note of this now, so we can stop further communication with Mr. Jude Betsy and deliver the (ATM Card) to your door step being the original benefactor of the $1.2million us dollars.

Below is the payment information you will use to send the $79.9Usd to our cashier name through Western Union Or Money Gram Money Transfer:

Name. . . . AKA JOHN Address. . .1 Red Star Express street, Red Star Road, Cotonou. Country. . . Benin Republic Question. . For? Answer. . . Package. Amount. . . $79.9Usd

Once funds is sent, please send the below information: Full names of sender. . . . . . Full Address of sender. . . . . MTCN/Reference Number. .

beside if you fail to comply with the needed $79.9Usd required there's no way we can deliver the ATM Card to your country. Looking forward to hear from you if you are still alive, reply back for fast action so that your delivery will commence upon receipt of your payment.

Waiting to hear from you soon. Best Regards, Mr. Christopher A. Wray. (Code: 371) Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey007@outlook.com > Sent: Friday, March 16, 2018, 7:19:45 AM GMT-5 Subject: Dead Or Alive ?Do We pay Them?/Fee $79.9Usd/ Say the turth??,,Code: 371. . .

Attention Please,( Code: 371)



Your Atm card $1.2 Million Usd is in Roseville, Michigan, USA, the fee to claim is $79.9Usd only and note that 2 ladies came to our office this morning from USA, Mrs Jane Edward & Mrs Linder Micheal, claim that you are dead, just view the attachement of the picture the gave us. If this is not turth, Please response nowPlease Call The Delivery Agent, Mr. David John, Tele: +1 (747)-248-7095. Email: hr.expressbj01@gmail.com, Please Use Western Union Or Money Gram only with the information below :

Name. . . . AKA JOHN Address. . .1 Red Star Express street, Red Star Road, Cotonou. Country. . . Benin Republic Question. . For? Answer. . . Package. Amount. . . $79.9Usd

Once funds is sent, please send the below information: Full names of sender. . . . . . Full Address of sender. . . . . MTCN/Reference Number. .

Please do forward us the MTCN/ Your home address/ Direct Telephone numbers Waiting to hear from you soon. Thanks, Mr. Christopher A. Wray. (Code: 371) Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com

Date: Mar 18, 2018 9:44 PM

Subject: ATTN: ATM CARD PAYMENT BENEFICIARY,

To:

Cc:







ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONETARY CRIMES DIVISION

FBI HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING

935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001





DATE: 03/17/2018, Website: washingtondc.fbi.gov .



ATTN: ATM CARD PAYMENT BENEFICIARY,



(FBI) PAYMENT MEMO TO PAYMENT BENEFICIARIES.



GOOD NEWS FOR YOU FROM THE FBI UNITED STATES. WE HAD A MEETING WITH

INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA/ BENIN OVER

YOUR LONG OVERDUE CONTRACT PAYMENT AND WE AGREED WITH THEM THAT YOUR FUND

SHOULD NOT COST YOU ANYTHING BECAUSE IS YOUR MONEY, WHICH WE FINALLY

REACHED AN AGREEMENT YESTERDAY THAT ALL THE PAYMENT WILL BE PAID VIA ATM

SMART CARD WHICH IS THE SIMPLEST WAY TO TRANSFER HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO

AVOID COST OF TRANSFER AND OTHER STATUTORY DOCUMENTS, WHICH WE STRETCHED

TO HAVE A STRONG AGREEMENT OVER THE PAYMENT THAT WILL COST YOU ONLY $235 USD

FOR DELIVERY OF YOUR ATM SMART CARD VIA UPS OR FEDEX DELIVERY COMPANY

DEPENDING ON YOUR CHOICE.



HOWEVER, YOU HAVE ONLY TWO WORKING DAYS TO SEND THIS REQUIRED DELIVERY FEE

OF $235 USD TO FEDEX OR UPS COURIER COMPANY FOR DELIVERING OF YOUR CARD

BECAUSE YOUR CARD WILL BE DISPATCH TO THEM IMMEDIATELY. AND IF WE DON' T

HEAR FROM YOU WITH THE PAYMENT INFORMATION; THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF

INVESTIGATION WILL NOT HESITATE BY GIVING INSTRUCTION TO FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TO

CANCEL YOUR PAYMENT THAT HAS BEEN ALREADY APPROVED AND PROGRAMMED IN AN

ATM SMART CARD.



I WANT YOU TO READ BELOW CAREFULLY, THE NOTICE BELOW STAND AS CAUTION

BEFORE IT IS LATE. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, YOU MUST BE CONSCIOUS OF THIS

PROJECT, AS I WILL SOON CONCLUDE THIS TRANSACTION WITH YOU, LET THIS STAND

AS A WARNING BEFORE YOU IN CASE YOU RECEIVED ANY E-MAILS OR CALLS

REGARDING TO THIS FROM ANY INDIVIDUAL, OFFICE, ORGANIZATION AND BANKS

CLAIMING TO BE ME.



BE INFORMED THAT YOU MAY ALSO RECEIVE SEVERAL E-MAILS AND TELEPHONE CALLS

FROM ANY ORGANIZATION, SUCH MUST BE FORWARDED TO US IMMEDIATELY FOR

VERIFICATION.IT MIGHT COME TO YOU WITH DIFFERENT PROPOSALS WITH DIFFERENT

NAMES INCLUDING MY NAME ASKING YOU TO COME AND PUT CLAIM ON YOUR ESTATE OR

EVEN FUNDS BELONGING TO YOU OR TO SOMEBODY YOU DO NOT KNOW, I URGE YOU TO

IGNORE SUCH E-MAILS OR CALLS, WHILE YOU FORWARD IT TO US. I WANT YOU TO

UNDERSTAND THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ME IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING AND

CO-OPERATION. WHILE RESPONDING TO THE ATM CARD PAYMENT OFFICER YOU MUST

CONFIRM THIS CODE (03/17/2018) FOR IDENTIFICATION.



HOWEVER, BE INFORMED THAT THE PART PAYMENT, WHICH IS 3,000,000.00 MILLION

U.S. DOLLARS HAS BEEN LOADED IN YOUR ATM SMART CARD AND YOUR FUND WHICH IS

IN TUNE OF 10,500.000.00 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS WILL COME IN BATCHES OF

3,000.000.00 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS AND THIS IS THE FIRST BATCH OF YOUR

PART PAYMENT.YOUR PAYMENT WOULD BE SENT TO YOU VIA UPS OR FEDEX, BECAUSE

WE HAVE SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THEM WHICH SHOULD EXPIRED BY 03/19/2018.

BELOW ARE FEW LIST OF TRACKING NUMBERS YOU CAN TRACK FROM UPS

WEBSITE( WWW.UPS.COM ) TO CONFIRM PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO HAVE RECEIVED THEIR

PAYMENT SUCCESSFULLY.



JOHNNY ALMANTE = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394198080570

GARY METZGER = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394195952759

GLEN PAPANIKAS = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394198690947

CAROL R BUCZYNSKI = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394197862530

KARIMA EMELIA TAYLOR = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394198591527

LISA LAIRD = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394196641913

POLLY SHAYKIN = = = = = = = 1Z2X59394198817702



MOREOVER, THIS IS ANOTHER PEOPLE THAT RECEIVED THEIR PAYMENT THROUGH FEDEX

WEBSITE (WWW.FEDEX.COM ).



RICHARD AUTRY = = = = = = = 869713119185

GARY METZGER = = = = = = = 871363130860

MARK STUBBS = = = = = = = 871363116168



HOWEVER,BE ADVISED BASED ON OUR RECOMMENDATION/INSTRUCTIONS THAT YOUR

COMPLETE CONTRACT/INHERITANCE OVER-DUE FUNDS WILL BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY

UPON YOUR CONTACT TO THE NEWLY APPOINTED PAYMENT OFFICER THAT WILL CARRY

OUT THE DISPATCH OF YOUR ATM SMART CARD TO FEDEX COURIER COMPANY WITH THE

PAYMENT FOR DELIVERY OF YOUR PACKAGED. YOU ARE THEREFORE ADVISED TO

CONTACT REV JAMES WILLIAMS IMMEDIATELY AS STATED BELOW AS THE APPOINTED

DIRECTOR OF ATM SMART CARD/FOREIGN OPERATION DEPT AND ASK HIM ON HOW AND

WHERE TO SEND THE PAYMENT OF $235.00 ONLY TO FEDEX COURIER COMPANY.



CONTACT PERSON: Rev. AUSTIN MUDI

PRIVATE DIRECT TELL +229-99454708



YOU ' RE ADVISED TO CONTACT HIM IMMEDIATELY SO AS TO ENABLE HIM FACILITATE A

SPEEDY PROCESSING AND RELEASE OF YOUR DELIVERY SINCE IS THE ONLY $85.00

USD THAT IS KEEPING YOUR ATM SMART CARD. CONTACT HIM WITH THE FOLLOWING

INFORMATION AS BELOW:



1.FULL NAME:. . . . . . . . .

2.DELIVERY ADDRESS:.

3.PHONE:. . . . . . . . . . .

4.FAX NUMBER:. . . . . . . . .

5.A COPY OF YOUR IDENTITY:.:

6.AGE:. . . . . . . . . . . .

7.MARITAL STATUS:. . . .

8.COUNTRY:. . . . . . . . . .

9.CITY:. . . . . . . . . . . .

10.OCCUPATION:. . . . . . . .



NOTE: YOU' RE ADVISED TO FURNISH YOUR INFORMATION TO INTERNATIONAL

REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR REV AUSTIN MUDI WITH YOUR CORRECT AND VALID

DETAILS TO ENABLE HIM EXPEDITE SPEEDY ACTION ON THE PROCESSING OF YOUR

PAYMENT. WE EXPECT YOUR SWIFT RESPONSE TO THIS EMAIL TO ENABLE US MONITOR

THIS PAYMENT AND THE DELIVERY OF YOUR ATM SMART CARD EFFECTIVELY THEREBY

MAKING CONTACT WITH THE INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT AS DIRECTED TO

AVOID FURTHER DELAY.



YOUR ALSO EXPECTED TO FOLLOW HIS ADVICE AND DIRECTIVES TO AVOID DELAY IN

RELEASING YOUR PAYMENT BECAUSE YOUR PAYMENT FILE HAS ALREADY BEEN MOVED TO

IMF OFFICE FOR PROCESSING AND VERIFICATION.



CONGRATULATIONS.



YOURS IN SERVICE,

DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER A. WRAY

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535



Note: Disregard any email you get from any impostors or offices claiming

to be in possession of your ATM card, you are hereby advice only to be in

contact with Rev. AUSTIN MUDI who is the rightful person to deal with in

regards to your payment and forward any emails you get from impostors to

this office so we could act upon it immediately. Help stop cyber crime. From: " FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONS" < federalbureauofinvestigations.@movie.ocn.ne.jp Date: Mar 18, 2018 9:44 PMSubject: ATTN: ATM CARD PAYMENT BENEFICIARY,To:Cc:ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONETARY CRIMES DIVISIONFBI HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONJ. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NWWASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001DATE: 03/17/2018, Website: washingtondc.fbi.gov .ATTN: ATM CARD PAYMENT BENEFICIARY,(FBI) PAYMENT MEMO TO PAYMENT BENEFICIARIES.GOOD NEWS FOR YOU FROM THE FBI UNITED STATES. WE HAD A MEETING WITHINTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA/ BENIN OVERYOUR LONG OVERDUE CONTRACT PAYMENT AND WE AGREED WITH THEM THAT YOUR FUNDSHOULD NOT COST YOU ANYTHING BECAUSE IS YOUR MONEY, WHICH WE FINALLYREACHED AN AGREEMENT YESTERDAY THAT ALL THE PAYMENT WILL BE PAID VIA ATMSMART CARD WHICH IS THE SIMPLEST WAY TO TRANSFER HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TOAVOID COST OF TRANSFER AND OTHER STATUTORY DOCUMENTS, WHICH WE STRETCHEDTO HAVE A STRONG AGREEMENT OVER THE PAYMENT THAT WILL COST YOU ONLY $235 USDFOR DELIVERY OF YOUR ATM SMART CARD VIA UPS OR FEDEX DELIVERY COMPANYDEPENDING ON YOUR CHOICE.HOWEVER, YOU HAVE ONLY TWO WORKING DAYS TO SEND THIS REQUIRED DELIVERY FEEOF $235 USD TO FEDEX OR UPS COURIER COMPANY FOR DELIVERING OF YOUR CARDBECAUSE YOUR CARD WILL BE DISPATCH TO THEM IMMEDIATELY. AND IF WE DON' THEAR FROM YOU WITH THE PAYMENT INFORMATION; THE FEDERAL BUREAU OFINVESTIGATION WILL NOT HESITATE BY GIVING INSTRUCTION TO FEDERALGOVERNMENT OF NIGERIA AND THE INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCE DEPARTMENT TOCANCEL YOUR PAYMENT THAT HAS BEEN ALREADY APPROVED AND PROGRAMMED IN ANATM SMART CARD.I WANT YOU TO READ BELOW CAREFULLY, THE NOTICE BELOW STAND AS CAUTIONBEFORE IT IS LATE. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, YOU MUST BE CONSCIOUS OF THISPROJECT, AS I WILL SOON CONCLUDE THIS TRANSACTION WITH YOU, LET THIS STANDAS A WARNING BEFORE YOU IN CASE YOU RECEIVED ANY E-MAILS OR CALLSREGARDING TO THIS FROM ANY INDIVIDUAL, OFFICE, ORGANIZATION AND BANKSCLAIMING TO BE ME.BE INFORMED THAT YOU MAY ALSO RECEIVE SEVERAL E-MAILS AND TELEPHONE CALLSFROM ANY ORGANIZATION, SUCH MUST BE FORWARDED TO US IMMEDIATELY FORVERIFICATION.IT MIGHT COME TO YOU WITH DIFFERENT PROPOSALS WITH DIFFERENTNAMES INCLUDING MY NAME ASKING YOU TO COME AND PUT CLAIM ON YOUR ESTATE OREVEN FUNDS BELONGING TO YOU OR TO SOMEBODY YOU DO NOT KNOW, I URGE YOU TOIGNORE SUCH E-MAILS OR CALLS, WHILE YOU FORWARD IT TO US. I WANT YOU TOUNDERSTAND THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ME IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING ANDCO-OPERATION. WHILE RESPONDING TO THE ATM CARD PAYMENT OFFICER YOU MUSTCONFIRM THIS CODE (03/17/2018) FOR IDENTIFICATION.HOWEVER, BE INFORMED THAT THE PART PAYMENT, WHICH IS 3,000,000.00 MILLIONU.S. DOLLARS HAS BEEN LOADED IN YOUR ATM SMART CARD AND YOUR FUND WHICH ISIN TUNE OF 10,500.000.00 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS WILL COME IN BATCHES OF3,000.000.00 MILLION U.S. DOLLARS AND THIS IS THE FIRST BATCH OF YOURPART PAYMENT.YOUR PAYMENT WOULD BE SENT TO YOU VIA UPS OR FEDEX, BECAUSEWE HAVE SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THEM WHICH SHOULD EXPIRED BY 03/19/2018.BELOW ARE FEW LIST OF TRACKING NUMBERS YOU CAN TRACK FROM UPSWEBSITE( WWW.UPS.COM ) TO CONFIRM PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO HAVE RECEIVED THEIRPAYMENT SUCCESSFULLY.JOHNNY ALMANTE = = = = = = = From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey007@outlook.com > Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 4:43:46 AM GMT-5 Subject: Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA.



Attention Please,( Code: 371 ).

Your ATM Card is right now in Roseville,Michigan ,USA, Please make sure you send the fee of $79.9Usd for Tag, Please make sure you call the agent to release your ATM card this morning before 9am, Please Call The Delivery Agent, AGENT NAME: Mr. Richard Egobiah, Tele #: +1 (207)-494-5834, Email: hr.expressbj01@gmail.com

Below is the payment information you will use to send the $79.9Usd to our cashier name through Western Union Or Money Gram Money Transfer:



Receivers name= = = AKA JOHN

Country= = = = = = Benin republic

City= = = = = = = =Cotonou

Text question= = = = When

Text answers= = = = Today

Amount= = = = = = $79.9Usd

Mtcn number= = = =?



You must send us the details provided by Western Union Or Money Gram immediately you made the payment of $79.9Usd.



senders name= = = =

sender address= = =

sender country= = =

As soon as the fee is sent, please do send us the MTCN numbers now.

Waiting to hear from you soon.

Thanks,

Mr. Christopher A. Wray.

(Code: 371)

Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com From: "Christopher A. Wray"<

Date: March 22, 2018 at 11:58:08 PM CDT

Subject: FBI Executive Director

Reply-To: < christopherwrayfbi01@yahoo.com >



"Christopher A. Wray"< awrayfbidirector@clicktoclient.com March 22, 2018 at 11:58:08 PM CDT Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)Anti-Terrorist And Monitory Crime Division. Federal Bureau Of Investigation. J.Edgar.Hoover Building Washington Dc Customers Service Hours / Monday To Saturday Office Hours Monday To Saturday: Dear Beneficiary, We hope this notification arrives meeting your good health and mind.Series of meetings have been held over the past 7 months with the secretary general of the United Nations Organization. This ended 3 days ago. This meeting was scheduled and arranged by the former acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is obvious that you have not received your fund which is to the tune of $10.3M) million due to past corrupt Governmental Officials who almost held the fund to themselves for their selfish reason and some individuals who have taken advantage of your fund all in an attempt to swindle your fund which has led to so many losses from your end and unnecessary delay in the receipt of your fund.for more information do get back to us. The National Central Bureau of Interpol enhanced by the United Nations and Federal Bureau of Investigation have successfully passed a mandate to the government of the states the exercise of clearing all foreign debts owed to you and other individuals and organizations who have been found not to have receive their Contract Sum, Lottery/, Inheritance. we are happy to inform you that based on our recommendation your outstanding contract inheritance funds of over-due payment in tone of USD $10.3M) has been credited in your favor in SunTrust Bank. Having said all this, we will further advise that you go ahead in dealing with the SunTrust Bank, AL accordingly as we will be monitoring all their activities with you as well as your correspondence at all levels. NOTE: There are numerous scam emails on the internet, imposters impersonating names and images. We therefore warn our dear citizens to be very careful with any claim email you receive prior to these irregularities so that they do not fall victim to this ugly circumstance anymore. And should in case you are already dealing with anybody or office claiming that you have a payment with them, you are to STOP further contact with them immediately in your best interest and contact the real bank (SunTrust Bank ) only where your fund is laying, with the below information: Bank Name: SunTrust Bank Address: 402 Cox Creek Pkwy, Florence, AL 35630, USA Attn:Lambert CressWell (Remittance Director) E-mail: lambertcresswell01@aol.com Department Code:63804 Contact the bank today and furnish them with this information below for processing of your payment/funds accordingly. FULL NAME: CURRENT ADDRESS: CITY: STATE: ZIP CODE: DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER: NOTE: In your best interest, any message that does not come from the above email address should be Nullify and avoided immediately for security reasons. Meanwhile, we will advise that you contact the SunTrust Bankk office in Alabama immediately with the above email address and request that they attend to your payment file as directed so as to enable you receive your payment/fund accordingly. Ensure you follow all directives from SunTrust Bank as this will further help hasten up the whole payment process in regards to the transfer of your fund to you as designated. Also have in mind that the SunTrust Bank equally has their own protocol of operation as stipulated on their banking terms. All modalities has already been worked out before you were contacted and note that we will be monitoring all your dealings with them as you proceed so you don't have anything to worry about. All we require from you henceforth is an update so as to enable us be on track with you and the SunTrust Bank . Without wasting much time, we will want you to contact them immediately with the above email address and phone number so as to enable them attend to your case accordingly without any further delay as time is already running out. Should in case you need any more information in regards to this notification, feel free to get back to us via email so that we can brief you more as we are here to guide you during and after this project has been completely perfected and you have received your payment/fund as stated. Thank you very much for your anticipated co-operation. BEST REGARDS Christopher A. Wray Director Federal Bureau on Investigation J. Edgar Hoover Building 601,4th Street, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001, USA Email: christopherawray@fbidirctor.com



On Mar 23, 2018, at 8:33 AM, lambertcresswell01@aol.com wrote: SunTrust: Interest Payment Notification

From: Head of Audit Department.

REF/BN/DFR/2017/63804

Management Mr. Lambert CressWell

Email : lambertcresswellstb@suntrust oline.com

tell +256) 808-0780

Address: 402 Cox Creek Pkwy, Florence, AL 35630, USA



Attention:



Good day to you On behalf of SunTrust Bank I am in receipt of your message and your information.

Meanwhile We got the mandate and instructions from the Director of the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI), Mr. Christopher A. Wray regarding your delayed funds being collected from the US Government and some other relevant investigation agencies here in the United STATES of America. You are to receive this fund through: (i) Telex Wire Transfer which is the preferred option. (ii) ATM Card (iii) Cash Delivery at your Address

Note: that every arrangement of your fund transfer is concluded, consequentlyyou will be oblige to provide your existing Banking details for immediate transfer of your fund as recommend below or Choose any of the above Options which you want to receive your fund with. To Furtherance to payment notification order (RELEASE#XX-YBF) We wish to inform you, We have programmed your funds via our swift wire transfer diskette system (SWTDS) and we having carried out our investigation viz-viz. It is imperative you re-send immediately your account information to avoid error on transmission, quoting the above payment notification order to enable us Suntrust Bank to release your fund $10,300,000.00USD only into your account being the official bank Authorized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). 1) Your full Name:_ _ _ _ _ 2) Your full Address:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ 3) Your Contact Telephone and Fax No:_ _ _ _ _ _ 3) Your Profession, Age and Marital Status: 4) Any valid form of your Identification/Driven License:_ _ _ _ _ 5) Bank Name:_ _ _ _ _ 6) Bank Address:_ _ _ _ _ _ 7) Account Name:_ _ _ _ _ _ 8) Account Number:_ _ _ _ _ _ 9) Routing Number:_ _ _ _ _ _ Based on the reports we have received, any office/person informing you that your fund is in any other bank outside Suntrust Bank is nothing but a scammer beware!!.

N.B: Due to the mix up of some numbers and names, we ask that you keep this strictly confidential from public notice until your claim has been processed and your money has been deliver to you.

This is part of our security protocol to avoid double claiming or unscrupulous acts by unknown entrant.

Meanwhile, I have attached to this email a copy of my working ID.

I am waiting to hear from you.

Mr. Lambert Cresswell

Operations Manager Remittance Dept.,

SunTrust Bank, AL

Phone:(256) 808-0780 <admin@suntrustoline.com> From: FBI DIRECTOR BUREAU Hon. James B. Comey < jamescomey02@outlook.com > Sent: FridaHIM OTHER NEW TRANSFER y, March 23, 2018, 8:48:24 AM GMT-5 Subject: Do We Pay Mrs. Joanna Partimos???



Attention Beneficiary

Following the instruction from the World Bank your contract inheritance fund has been realised for immediate transfer via ATM Master Card. However, there has been a new development, a woman by name Joanna Parthimos from Canada came to my Office a few days ago and presented some documents stating that she is your representative with authority to claim the contractual/inheritance funds totalling USD $ 1.2 Million being full-payment of your total sum. Here is her information for you to confirm if this woman is acting with your authority:



CLAIMERS NAME: JOANNA PARTHIMOS

ADDRESS: 4215 BOULEVARD POIRRIER, SAINT-LAURENT

MONTREAL a CANADA H4R 2A4

CLAIMANTS BANK: HSBC BANK CANADA

70 YORK ST.TORONTO, ON M5J 1S9, CANADA

ACCOUNTS NUMBER: 6503809428.



This is not in consonance with the normal rules and regulations governing financial transactions in our banking system. However, certain documents were tendered to this Bank on your behalf:



1. LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION.

2. HIGH COURT INJUNCTION.

3. ORDER TO RELEASE.



These Documents which she tendered to this Noble Bank is clear proof that you sent her. Due to the urgency involved and coupled with litigations that may arise over wrongful transfer of funds, I will not want to make any mistake in releasing this fund to anyone except you who is the recognized and bonafide beneficiary of the Funds according to records available to us. Kindly clarify with us and reconfirm your details on this issue within 5 working hours before we make this payment to Mrs. Joanna Partimos and you have to pay $79.9Usd for the cleariufication papers. You are advice to send the fee with the below details by Western Union Or Money Gram only as state Below:



Receivers Name= = = AKA JOHN

Country= = = = = = Benin Republic

City= = = = = = = =Cotonou

Text question= = = = GOD

Text answers= = = = BLESS

Amount= = = = = = $79.9Usd

MTCN Number= = = =?



You must send us the details provided by Western Union Or Money Gram immediately you made the payment of $79.9Usd.



Senders Name= = = =

Sender Address= = =

Sender Country= = =

MTCN/REFERENCE= =

Amount sent= = = =



Beside if you fail to comply with the needed $79.9Usd required you have to pay the fee before we can deliver the ATM Card Package to you call the agent right now he is on the way going to delay the Fund Box to him call him on this tell phone number: +1 (747)-248-7095, Names : Paul Favour.



In receipt of this confidential Letter we appreciate your urgent co-operation.



Yours Faithfully,

Mr. Christopher A. Wray.

(Code: 371)

Email: info.fbiofficebj012@gmail.com



On Mar 26, 2018, at 10:06 AM, lambertcresswell01@aol.com wrote: SunTrust: Interest Payment Notification

From: Head of Audit Department.

REF/BN/DFR/2017/63804

Management Mr. Lambert CressWell

Email : lambertcresswellstb@suntrust oline.com

tell +256) 808-0780

Address: 402 Cox Creek Pkwy, Florence, AL 35630, USA



Attention:



Good day to you On behalf of SunTrust Bank I am in receipt of your message. However Attached is the account opening form you have to fill and return back to us so that we can set up anonline account for you.

I am waiting to hear from you with the form . . Mr. Lambert Cresswell

Operations Manager Remittance Dept.,

SunTrust Bank, AL

Phone:(256) 808-0780



On Mar 26, 2018, at 12:08 PM, lambertcresswell01@aol.com wrote: SunTrust: Interest Payment Notification

From: Head of Audit Department.

REF/BN/DFR/2017/63804

Management Mr. Lambert CressWell

Email : lambertcresswellstb@suntrust oline.com

tell +256) 808-0780

Address: 402 Cox Creek Pkwy, Florence, AL 35630, USA



Attention:



Good day to you On behalf of SunTrust Bank I am in receipt of your message. Please look for a printer and fill the information and get back to us.

to hear from you with the form . . Mr. Lambert Cresswell

Operations Manager Remittance Dept.,

SunTrust Bank, AL

Phone:(256) 808-0780



On Mar 27, 2018, at 8:22 AM, lambertcresswell01@aol.com wrote: SunTrust: Interest Payment Notification

From: Head of Audit Department.

REF/BN/DFR/2017/63804

Management Mr. Lambert CressWell

Email : lambertcresswellstb@suntrust oline.com

tell +256) 808-0780

Address: 402 Cox Creek Pkwy, Florence, AL 35630, USA



Attention:



Good day to you On behalf of SunTrust Bank I am in receipt of your message. However Attached is the form. Kindly fill it and get back to me.

I am waiting to hear from you with the form . . Mr. Lambert Cresswell

Operations Manager Remittance Dept.,

SunTrust Bank, AL

Phone:(256) 808-0780

file4994@yahoo.com >





FBI Director Christopher wray and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe

IIIAnti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division Fbi Headquarters In

Washington, D.C. Federal Bureau Of Investigation.

FBI-Washington Field Office 601 Street, NW Washington, DC 20535

Website: www.fbi.gov Email (file@oimail.com )



Attention: Dear,



Am writing to make you understand that this is FBI Director Christopher wray i head has been informed about your refusal to comply with the directives from the FBI and we are going ahead with the arrest by today and tomorrow.



We monitored your contact with this co-men through our global tracking device that detect all the incoming and outgoing e-mails and tele phone calls globally from all the countries of the world, We have your e-mail address under our monitoring device set-up any more e-mails to the fraudsters from you will be automatically detected.



Our concern in this issue is for your name to be cleared from the scammers list which has already been submitted to all the crimes agencies in Benin, India, Germany, Canada ,London and United States Of America, We make sure that the laws are followed to the core and this is why the India Government which its citizen carried out the fraudulent activities with your information' s which you sent to them have to compensate you with the amount as regards the FBI Laws of Sub-Section 05/16 Of the United Nations Anti-crimes laws.



We have in our file your details which you sent to them and we have checked and found out that you are a honest and hard working person and by this regards we decided to persuade the India Government to compensate you for the evil deeds that was carried out with your name.



The German man knows that you are the person because he was duped with your identity and this fraudulent activities was carried out by the same people who you have been forwarding your information' s/details to all this while with the pretense of dealing with the right offices in Asia and other countries of the world.



You will have to get the CLEARANCE FORM from the office of the High Court of Justice in India at the sum of $250 Usd. This certificate will enable you to get access to the compensation funds of $4.5Million Usd which was offered to you by the India Government and don' t forget that you need to get the document within 3days from now as you already know the deadline given to you to secure the document.



If not for the fact that we checked your data before acting towards this directives given to us, you would have been arrested by now and jailed because of your association with criminals in the internet and don' t forget our warnings to you.



You will have to forward your bank account details to us where you want this $4.5Million Usd to be transferred into as soon as you secure the CLEARANCE FORM.



The German business man who was duped with your identity has reported this case to the world court and it will involve the Government of both countries which are Germany and Yours that is the reason why you must get this document immediately so as to avoid anybody calling your name as being among the fraudsters.



With the Certificate, you are free from any form of crimes as your data shows that you are a honest and respectable person in the society, You will have to send the fees to the High Court of Justice over there in India within 3days from now so that our local agent can be able to apply our modalities with the High Court of Justice to issue the CLEARANCE FORM to you.



Then, when all this requirements are in place, the Certificate will be issued to you and then the compensation funds of $4.5Million Usd will be transferred into your bank account immediately.



To avoid the wrath of the law on you and your entire family, we have been pleased to allow you secure the document from the High Court of Justice India so that your name will be cleared off the fraudulent list in India and we also argued with the India Government about your compensations and that was the reason why you were compensated with the sum of 4.5 million usd



Thanks as I wait for your response



Respectively

FBI Director Christopher wray



CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail message, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information or otherwise be protected by law. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original.

2018-03-28 14:22 GMT-04:00 FBI Director Christopher wray





2018-03-29 16:23 GMT-04:00 Mr Christopher Wray .www.@alto.ocn.ne.jp >

Urgent Attention



We have this morning discovered that you have been making foreign illegal transactions with Western Unions, Money Grams, Diplomatic Agents and Banks with West African Countries (Benin, Nigeria, Ghana etc.). We went further with the investigations and found out that you don' t have Money Laundering Clearance Certificate,



which is a major Federal Offense. You have violated the Federal Law, which constituted against smuggling of large amount of money and trafficking of drug e.t.c, without having Money Laundering Clearance Certificate before you commenced the transaction. You want to receive such huge amount of money from Western Union Headquarter Benin Republic which is a foreign transaction. Meanwhile we have stopped the transaction, not only the $5,000 US Dollars was stopped but the total ($2.5 million US Dollars)



Furthermore, be advised that according to the FEDERAL Law Enforcement Agency together with the FBI rules and regulations, you are to obtain the document from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Hampshire Here in Benin which is the origin of the fund in question. Also Note that you are to take care of the document to be issued to you right away,



because due to the contents of the document and how importance and secured the document is, you are to take care of the document by sending the sum of $109 US Dollars only to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC Agent, To Mr BELLO AKUMU for issuing of the document right away and your payment will be release to you by the legally recognized office. That is the only way the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,will issue you the document, because they are going to issue you the Authentic and Original copy of the documents. Note that your rights are limited; anything you SAY or DO will be used as evidence against you in the court of Law.



You have the full rights to remain silent and obey the Law. Don' t think we don' t know you or your address. We will get you arrested if you fail to provide the document or pay for it to be obtained from The Origin. The Arrest Warrant can only be withdrawn once the document is obtained. There are three charges against you, which are:



1. Smuggling of a huge amount of money without Money Laundering

Clearance Certificate is a violation to Federal Law.



2. Smuggling of a huge amount of money without a proper documentation

is a violation 2003 Federal Constitution, otherwise, called illegal

transaction.



3. it' s a Conspiracy, a Criminal Attempt and Disobedience to the

Federal Law, which will eventually lead you to 3-year imprisonment.



You Should Send The Money Direct Through Western Union or Money Gram To The Country Of Origin Of The Fund In Question:



Receivers Name:BELLO AKUMU

Location Address: Benin Republic

City; Cotonou

Test Question: Urgent?

Answer: Today

Amount . $109

Sender ' s Name:

Sender Address:

MTCN:



WARNING: Failure to pay for this documentation is a confirmation that you wanted to smuggle the funds is a federal offense and a gross violation of the Patriot Act and legal action will be taken immediately by arresting and detaining you and if found guilty, you will be jailed. . . As terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering is a serious problem in our community today. The F.B.I will not stop at any length in tracing down and prosecuting any criminal who indulge in this criminal act.



Terrorist WASHINGTON Dc-anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division FBI Headquarters In Washington, D.C. Federal Bureau Of Investigation Fishier: US-FBI-Shaded Seal.svg



fb1cyberse02@gmail.com

Cell: 202 524-2070

FBI Headquarters In Washington



Your Faithfully,

Mr. Christopher A. Wray , Director of Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI.CC.

TO: FBI WEB SITE Supreme Court of the United States

U. S. Courts of Appeals

U. S. District Courts

U. S. Circuit Courts

Courts of Special Jurisdiction:

Bankruptcy Courts

Court of Claims, 1855 - 1982

U. S. Court of Federal Claims, 1982 -

Customs Court, 1890 a 1980 If you received a similar letter, please ignore it. Do not answer it. If you do, you will end up on more of the mailing lists used by the criminals behind this fraud. Read more....
During the period of the two meetings, many representatives from the space field said that there was a "super plan" for China's space missions in the next couple of decades including moon landings, a Mars probe and a space shuttle.

Mars rover. (photo: Peoples Daily online)

The Science and Technology Daily reported on March 10th that China was planning to launch a Mars probe that would be able to orbit, land on and roam the red planet around 2020.

Yang Mengfeithe Academician of the China Academy of Space Technology told the reporter that a second mission would have the probe bring back sam-ples from Mars. Without any doubt, the exploration of Mars has significance for understanding the evolution of the universe, the structure of matter, and the origins of life.

Apart from that, the academy has also initiated research on a new manned spacecraft that can serve multi purposes including sending people to the Moon.

Mars probe landing platform. (photo: Peoples Daily online)

China's Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation is working on a new-generation space shuttle that will make space travel possible. Meanwhile, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology is trying to lower space travel costs with reusable carriers.

It is said that a heavy rocket that is designed for cargo and human transporta-tion is expected to make its first flight in around 2030.

Chinese Mars probe. (photo: Peoples Daily online)
Chinas constitutional revision is of significance for ensuring prosperity and lasting security of the Party and the country, and better embodies the aspirations of the people, said delegates to the ongoing national legislative and political advisory sessions when deliberating and discussing the draft amendment to the Constitution.

Representatives of overseas Chinese nationals discuss the draft constitutional amendment at the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), March 7, 2018. (Photo by Lei Sheng from Peoples Daily)

It is a major decision made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core from the overall and strategic height of upholding and developing socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era, they stressed.

As an important event in the countrys political life, the constitutional amendment is also a major move to advance law-based governance and modernize China's system and capacity for governance, the delegates added.

The draft constitutional revision, proposed by the CPC Central Committee, was adopted by the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee at its 32nd session convened from January 29 to 30, and was submitted to the first session of 13th NPC for deliberation on March 5.

The draft amendment reads that 11 of the 21 proposals are about supervisory commissions.

The bill suggests giving Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era constitutional authority by enshrining it as a new guiding theory for the country.

Facts have proven that the timely translation of the Party's guiding ideology into that of the country by amending Constitution is of great significance for the development of the Party and the country, said Xu Wenguang, a deputy to the 13th NPC.

The move is able to ensure a high-level unity of the Party and the country as well as the aspiration of the people, added Xu, also Secretary of the CPC Quzhou Municipal Committee from east Chinas Zhejiang province.

It is a must to incorporate Xi Jinping thought, which is CPCs secret to success in governance, into the revised Constitution, Xu stressed.

Making the Partys guiding thought that of the country through constitutional revision also accords with the requirement of improving the Constitution to adapt to new situations, agreed Chen Jiadong, a deputy to the 13th NPC and also director of the Standing Committee of the Xiamen Municipal Peoples Congress from southeast Chinas Fujian province.

The revisions include a series of clauses concerning the CPC leadership, the system of peoples congresses and united front, oath of allegiance to the Constitution, the presidential term of office, function and power of the State Council, legislative power as well as supervisory commissions.

A sentence reading "The leadership of the Communist Party of China is the defining feature of socialism with Chinese characteristics" was also added into the Constitution.

The addition, an important finding of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, represents a portrayal of both the historic facts and reality, noted Li Baoping, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The inclusion, which accords with the basic principles of the Constitution, also embodies the laws that underlie governance by the Party and the development of socialism, added Li, who is also director of the Institute of Law and Social Sciences at the Ningxia Academy of Social Sciences.

The revision to the Presidents term of office is an institutional arrangement aiming to improve the leadership system of the Party and the country, commented Zhang Hongzhi, a member of the 13th CPPCC National Committee.

"Such a revision doesn't mean there will be a change in the retirement system of the Party and state leaders or a lifelong tenure for these officials," explained Zhang, also vice director of the Party Literature Research Center of the CPC Central Committee.

The lawmakers and political advisors pointed out that the constitutional revision has pooled public opinions and wisdom, fully represented the aspiration of people and won the support of the people.

The wide participation of the public always matters in the Constitution formulation and amendments, said delegate Zhang Tianren, who is also Party secretary of a village in east Chinas Zhejiang province.

The amendment was proposed after soliciting opinions of all walks of life, he said, adding that it reflects the wisdom and wishes of Chinese people of all ethnic groups, gathers consensus of all social sectors and demonstrates the features of socialist democracy.
Descent of Chinas Tiangong-1 will not cause damage to earth: expert

The descent of China's first space lab Tiangong-1 will not cause damage to the ground, a Chinese scientist assured the public in a recent interview.

A schematic drawing of the Tiangong-1 space lab. (Photo: official website of China Manned Space)

The space lab is expected to fall into the Earth's atmosphere in the first half of 2018 after it stopped sending data back to Earth in March 2016, officially ending its mission, according to Zhu Congpeng, a top engineer at the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Zhus statement came as an article to bid farewell and pay tribute to the space lab drew the aerospace fans attention to the veteran.

Tiangong-1 was considered as a mark of Chinas entry to the second phase of three-step strategy for manned space program when it was sent to orbit on Sept. 29, 2011.

In other words, the launch of the Tiangong-1 signified Chinas ability to establish space lab and realize short-term unattended operation of the space station.

In the three years after its launch, the orbiting space lab docked with Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-10 spacecraft, verifying key technologies such as automated and manually controlled rendezvous and docking. It marked China as the worlds third country to complete space rendezvous and docking procedures.

Many international aerospace organizations have predicted the time of the labs fall. European Space Agency estimated that the station will likely come down sometime between Mar. 29 and Apr. 9.

Tiangong-1 space lab is launched on Sept. 29, 2011. (Photo: Peoples Daily Online)

According to the latest information issued by Chinas manned space engineering office, since Feb. 25 to Mar. 4, 2018, Tiangong-1 was orbiting in stable condition and good shape at an average height of about 251.5 kilometers (perigee height: 238.6 km; apogee height: 264.4 km; orbital inclination: 42.79 degrees).

China has been monitoring Tiangong-1, Zhu said, adding that the space lab will burn up after entering the atmosphere and the remaining wreckage will fall into a designated area of the sea, without endangering the Earths surface.

Aerospace expert Pang Zhihao explained that an international tradition to handle retired large spacecrafts operated at near-earth orbits is to let them fall to an abyssal zone in southern Pacific Ocean far away from the continents.

Being called the graveyard of spacecraft, the water was the falling location for Mir space station and Progress spacecraft of Russia, and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory of the US, Pang added.

Children experience a simulated cabin of Tiangong-1 space lab at a virtual reality education base of military science in Qinhuangdao, northern Chinas Hebei province on Aug. 15, 2017. (Photo: CFP)
China is working on a new type of bullet trains with autopilot system to better facilitate the 2022 Winter Olympics, Zhao Hongwei, a member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) disclosed.

On-board machinists attend a training. (Photo from the official website of China Railway Corporation)

The new bullet trains are expected to be operated on the high speed rail between Beijing and Zhangjiakou, two host cities of the 2022 Winter Olympics, added Zhao, also chief researcher at the China Academy of Railway Sciences.

From accelerating to stopping, everything can be done with only a pressclick on the button of the train, the chief researcher noted on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee on March 3.

Apart from autonomous driving, energy-saving and environment-friendly technologies and materials will also be used, the researcher introducedsaid.

A high-speed train runs on a grand bridgeviaduct in Shangrao section of Hefei-Fuzhou high-speed railway. (Photo from the official website of China Railway Corporation)

Zhao disclosed that the research team is developing a new platform based on the 350 kph Fuxing model. Trains under the new platform will be able to run at speeds of 250 kph and 160 kph to suit differentmore operation environments and geological conditions.

Fuxing trains were first put into operation last year, making China the country that operates the world's fastest train service.

Holding complete intellectual property rights of the Fuxing model, Chins has filed more than 4,000 patent applications for the train.
Chinas foreign trade embraced a larger-than-expected increase in the first two months of 2018, with a total value of 4.52 trillion yuan ($714 billion) for goods imports and exports, up 16.7 percent compared to the same period last year.

China-produced passenger vehicles are waiting to be shipped at the port of Lianyungang, eastern Chinas Jiangsu province on March 5, 2018. The port handled a cargo capacity of nearly 40 million tons in the first two months of 2018, up 4 percent year on year. (Photo by Economic Daily)

Exports stood at 2.44 trillion yuan($386 billion), up 18 percent, while imports came in at 2.08 trillion yuan, for a rise of 15.2 percent, according to the data released by China Customs on Thursday, adding that trade surplus of the country was 362.2 billion yuan($57 billion), expanding by 37.2 percent.

The figures were better than the previous market prediction for a possible fall in the February statistics.

The EU, the US, the ASEAN and Japan were all key engines to Chinas impressive exports and imports in January and February. The countrys total trade with Belt and Road nations stood at 1.26 trillion yuan ($199 billion), 5.2 percentage points higher than the general growth of its foreign trade.

Analysts believe that Chinas better-than-expected performance came from the recovery of global economy, as well as its growing economic vitality and continuous efforts to open market wider.

The foreign trade structure has been optimized as well. The private sector contributed 1.77 trillion yuan ($280 billion) to the total imports and exports in the first two months, up 26.3 percent. It accounted for 39.3 percent of the total value, edging up 3 percentage points compared with the same period last year.

The rise can be attributed to the priority the country gives to real economy, experts said, explaining that the government has created a better trade environment for the business, while the latter also focuses more on innovation to upgrade industries.

Chinese enterprises are exporting more and more high-end equipment and commodities rather than merely simple processed products, which in return spur the overall competence of its trade, the analysts pointed out.

A containership of China COSCO Shipping Group is loading cargos at a port of Qingdao, eastern Chinas Shandong province on Jan. 12, 2018. (Photo by CFP)

The simplified customs clearance procedures also contributed a lot to the growth of Chinas foreign trade.

Southwestern municipality of Chongqing has launched proactive customs cooperation with Belt and Road countries by promoting its reform of pilot free trade zone, and eliminating repetitive custom inspections, said Liu Weiwei, a member of the 13th National Committee of Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

The municipality has also encouraged development of new business formats such as cross-border e-commerce, market purchasing, foreign trade services, and intermediary trade, added Liu, also director general of Chongqing Customs, furthering that correspondent supervision systems have been established as well.

Chinese Minister of Commerce Zhong Shan said in previous interview that Chinas trade value in 2017 rose 14.2 percent from a year ago, registering the highest growth in six years. China has become the worlds largest trader, according to him.

In 2018, the country will put into practice a new development philosophy, seek high-quality growth, and build new images of Chinese foreign trade, in a bid to enhance its strength in trade, he promised.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Forget the pie and opt for pizza on National Pi Day at Blaze Pizza locations across Michigan.

Pick up a pizza for $3.14 during regular business hours Wednesday, March 14 at nine Blaze Pizza locations in Michigan:

Royal Oak at 112 S. Main St.

Novi at 26401 Novi Road

Kalamazoo at 5015 W. Main St.

Allen Park at 3129 Fairlane Drive

Lansing at 300 N. Clippert St. Suite 118

Ann Arbor at 3500 Washtenaw Ave. Suite D

Ann Arbor at 980A W. Eisenhower Parkway

East Lansing at 437 E. Grand River Ave.

Auburn Hills at 2031 N. Squirrel Road

Whether you plan to celebrate Albert Einstein's birthday, which also falls on March 14, or the irrational number, Blaze Pizza has celebrated Pi Day for the past five years with artisanal pizzas for $3.14.

Pizza is best on any day ending in a "Y." http://bit.ly/2iodJU6 Posted by Blaze Pizza on Friday, March 9, 2018

"Pi Day is a great way for us to connect with guests and 'celebrate the circle' with our clean food and fast-fire'd pizzas," said Jim Mizes, president and CEO, in a statement.

Typically, customers can customize a signature pizza or create their own pizza pie for around $8. Pizza options also include gluten-free dough and vegan cheese.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Efforts to restore the rapids to the Grand River depend on a few key dates in the next two weeks, Richard Bishop, executive director of Grand Rapids Whitewater told the Downtown Development Authority on Wednesday, March 14.

Congress needs to adopt a new federal budget by March 23 if the restoration effort is going to get $1.8 million set aside for the project in the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's budget, Bishop said.

That $1.8 million will be part of the money needed for a $10 million adjustable dam that will be built across the Grand River before the existing Sixth Street Dam is removed and the rapids are restored, Bishop said.

If Congress fails to meet the March 23 deadline to pass the new budget, it will probably adopt a "continuing resolution" to keep the current spending programs in place. Bishop said they will have to start over and attempt to add the money for the dam in next year's budget.

The adjustable hydraulic dam, which would be built between Ann Street and Leonard, will be used to keep sea lamprey from moving upstream during their spawning season. Sea lamprey are a parasitic invasive species that kill other fish in Michigan rivers.

In addition to restoring the city's namesake rapids to the downtown area, the project also will expose new spawning beds in the river for the sturgeon, an endangered fish species.

Bishop said Grand Rapids Whitewater is "well on its way" in raising the funds from other government agencies and private sources that are needed to build the adjustable hydraulic structure.

Grand Rapids Whitewater also is looking forward to April 16, when it hopes to complete a "memorandum of understanding" that will be signed by all the federal, state and local authorities that govern the river and the river edges, Bishop said.

The memorandum will allow them to formally apply for the state and federal permits that will be needed for them to take out the dams and restore the rapids, he said.

Bishop said they also need to begin making plans to spend a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to remove four "beautification" dams that were built in the downtown area below the Sixth Street Dam, Bishop said. The federal grant expires in June, 2022, he said.

Grand Rapids Whitewater hopes to raise a total of $9.7 million from the state, $15.2 million from the federal government and $19.7 million from private sources for the $44.7 million project.

Meanwhile, city parks officials are making plans to re-develop the "dry" areas of the riverbank into areas that can bring residents and visitors closer to the river. The conceptual plans include several parks and access points between Fulton Street and Ann Street.

Members of the Downtown Development Authority said they want to make sure any redevelopment plans include funding and a mechanism to maintain the new parks.

Bishop said they have set a goal of completing the river restoration project in 2024 and 2025.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor officials are making budget plans for next year and beyond with the expectation that $2.2 million in new annual revenue is coming to the city from a new countywide tax.

That includes $880,000 for affordable housing, $880,000 for efforts to address climate change and $440,000 for pedestrian safety in the first year, according to budget information presented during a City Council work session Monday night, March 12.

Washtenaw County voters approved a new county mental health and public safety millage in November by a 2-to-1 margin.

The tax is scheduled be levied for the first time in December and is estimated to raise about $15.4 million in the first year.

Roughly three-quarters of the new revenue is to be split between Washtenaw County Community Mental Health and the Sheriff's Office, while nearly a quarter of the money is to go to seven municipalities that have their own police forces to use as they see fit.

The Ann Arbor City Council, as it publicly communicated last year ahead of the vote, is planning to use its share for pedestrian safety, affordable housing and efforts to address climate change, or what the city calls "climate action."

As it's an eight-year millage, the city expects to receive many millions of dollars from the tax over the next eight years.

A group of Ann Arbor residents is now urging the city to change its plan and instead put the city's share toward public safety and mental health, the two primary purposes of the county millage.

Meanwhile, Dexter Township Supervisor Harley Rider is arguing the tax is illegal and he's threatening to sue.

Rider confirmed on Tuesday, March 13, that he has contacted an attorney who specializes in election law and he's considering filing a lawsuit against the county to stop the tax from being levied.

"The state law, as I understand it, requires that if you're going to have an assessment for additional taxes, then the ballot proposal has to say how those taxes are going to be used," he said, noting there were no restrictions placed on the portion going to Ann Arbor and six other municipalities in the county that fund their own police forces.

"That portion of the millage is illegal, which therefore makes the entire ballot question illegal," Rider argued.

If he decides to file a lawsuit, Rider said it would be as a private citizen and would not involve any use of township funds.

Since the tax isn't scheduled to be levied until December and the funds have to pass through the county first, Ann Arbor isn't expected to see its first-year share until sometime between April and June of 2019, said Tom Crawford, the city's chief financial officer.

Crawford discussed the matter during Monday night's budget session, telling council members the plan is to minimize use of the new proceeds in the 2018-19 fiscal year, since the money won't be coming until near the end of the fiscal year. But he expects the new funds will be fully available for use in the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2019.

Crawford said the plan for the $880,000 in new annual funding for affordable housing is to put 25 percent toward the Ann Arbor Housing Commission's support services and operating shortfalls to help the commission remain sustainable, while the other 75 percent would go into the city's affordable housing fund. That money potentially could be used to fund new affordable housing projects and other efforts.

Crawford said the plan for the $880,000 in new annual funding for climate action is to use $165,000 to fund two full-time positions related to climate action, transferring that cost from the general fund to the new millage funds, while putting $75,000 toward developing a plan for how to use the remaining funds.

"There's a significant amount of money that we'd really like to have a tight plan around," he said of the proposed $75,000 plan.

For the $440,000 in new annual funding for pedestrian safety, Crawford proposed putting $115,000 toward new streetlights and $200,000 for electronic speed-limit signs in front of schools on major corridors. Other projects and uses are still being explored.

He said the city is assuming installation of 30 new streetlights per year and the city could fund half those with the $115,000, while private developers could include the other half in their projects.

Council Member Chuck Warpehoski, D-5th Ward, mentioned the threat of a potential lawsuit against the county to stop the new tax.

He said that's a risk and he asked Crawford how that has affected the city's budgeting process. Crawford said it hasn't at this point.

Council Member Zachary Ackerman, D-3rd Ward, asked how the proposed $75,000 plan for how to use new climate-action dollars would differ from the city's existing Climate Action Plan.

City Administrator Howard Lazarus said that's based on conversations he's had with members of the city's Energy and Environmental commissions to develop a plan to effectively use the money.

Some residents who want the city to put the new money toward mental health and public safety showed up to city hall Monday night. In interviews before the meeting, they said they believe a good number of voters last November didn't realize they were voting to fund pedestrian safety, affordable housing and climate action efforts since those weren't spelled out on the ballot.

Before Ann Arbor council members take action to approve the city's next annual budget in May, the group of residents argues the council should form an advisory group of experts to help them figure out how to efficiently spend the money from the new countywide tax to improve mental health and public safety services.

"Our hypothesis is -- and who knows for sure -- that most people thought they were voting for mental health and public safety services, and we need to respect the will of the public," said Glenn Nelson, a former Ann Arbor school board member and retired economic consultant. "So, let's explore what the will of the public is."

Ann Arbor resident Alice Carter, another member of the group, suggested the city should hold public forums to allow residents to weigh in on how the money should be used over the next eight years.

Though residents will have a chance to do that at upcoming council meetings, including a public hearing on the budget on May 7, Carter said she wants the city to do more to get input from residents on putting the new millage money to use.

Ann Arbor resident Elizabeth Koschmann, a University of Michigan psychologist and director of the TRAILS program at UM, is another member of the group. Her program provides clinical training to school professionals on serving students with mental health issues, though she emphasized she's only speaking for herself.

As a city resident, Koschmann said she voted for the tax last November to provide needed mental health funds. She said she had no idea Ann Arbor would use $2.2 million for other things.

"So, I feel misled as a citizen," she said, arguing there's a need to reach students with mental health issues in schools because many of them never end up at Community Mental Health.

"The don't," agreed Carter, who said she worked nearly 20 years at the Huron Valley Child Guidance Clinic as a child psychotherapist and director of infant mental health. She said many children coming through the clinic had a parent who was incarcerated.

"And I had wanted to develop some kind of program for them, and I was excited for this millage that there may be some creative opportunities, so that's where I think the millage could be helpful is to either expand something that's already there or start to do something creative between the city and the county," she said.

Mayor Christopher Taylor said he believes the City Council has a moral obligation to use its share of the millage money as the council told voters it would ahead of the November election.

"We promised by resolution on two occasions before the November vote to use Ann Arbor's rebate monies for climate action, affordable housing and pedestrian safety," he said. "I myself emailed that information to thousands of Ann Arbor residents. This action received substantial press and public comment, both inside Ann Arbor and outside of Ann Arbor. It was not a secret. The millage was entirely clear that rebate monies would be suitable for any purpose."

The county board adopted a policy ordinance on Sept. 20 outlining specifically how the county's share of the funds would be used if the tax was approved, covering four broad areas of mental health services: (1) crisis funding; (2) stabilization funding; (3) prevention funding; and (4) jail services for inmates with mental health issues.

In addition, funds would support the Sheriff Office's efforts to provide countywide police services "with an emphasis on criminal justice system diversion along with collaborative efforts involving mental health and substance abuse disorder treatment partners."

The broad spending categories are described this way in the county's policy ordinance:

Crisis: Funding will be used to address mental health and substance abuse crises, which include immediate crisis assessment, referral, treatment and diversion from jail or emergency departments. Additionally, funds will be used for supportive services post crisis engagement, including supportive housing services.

Stabilization: Funding will be used to provide mental health treatment services to adults and children with the severe mental illness and developmental disabilities who do not currently qualify for services due to insurance status or unaffordable deductibles and to those individuals for whom traditional outpatient treatment is not adequate.

Prevention: Funding will be used to support mental health awareness, prevention, and early intervention programming for use in working with community partners such as schools, law enforcement and other first responders, and heath care providers.

Jail services: Jail service expansion will include mental health and substance abuse assessment and treatment inclusive of counseling and psychiatric services and prisoner re-entry with a focus on case management.

In terms of the issue of teen suicide in particular, Community Mental Health Director Trish Cortes has said the county has a crisis on its hands and needs to double down on efforts to do early identification of mental health issues among young people. She also has said expanded resources would allow the county to do more to educate and inform the community, reduce the stigma around behavioral health issues, and treat mental health more like physical health.

Warpehoski said he sees the $2.2 million annual "rebate" the city is getting from the tax as simply making the city whole for the Sheriff's Office portion of the millage since Ann Arbor already has a police department of its own.

"I think a conversation about how the AAPD can pursue the same goals as the WCSO has spelled out in the county millage use ordinance is a good conversation," he said.

"There has been discussion about establishing a crisis response team for people in mental health crisis and providing mental health first aid training to all officers. I think these should move forward."

Warpehoski said the specialty courts such as the mental health and substance abuse courts that Ann Arbor helps fund through its 15th District Court also are good examples of addressing the needs of people with mental health issues.
YPSILANTI, MI - Shortly after walking out of class in protest of gun violence Wednesday, March 14, hundreds of Washtenaw County students united in a rally to call for gun control legislation at Riverside Park in Ypsilanti.

Paying tribute to the 17 people killed in the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students from across the county gathered following the National School Walkout in an effort organized by the Washtenaw Youth Initiative, which includes student representatives from a dozen local high schools.

Ann Arbor Pioneer High School senior Henry Taylor, who spoke at the rally, recited sobering statistics about school shootings that have caused many students to fear for their safety in the classroom since the Parkland shooting.

"Since Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, there have been 239 school shootings," Taylor said. "There have been 439 students who have been attending school that have been shot. In addition to that, 138 students have lost their lives in school as a result of guns since 2012.

"We students should not spend time in the classroom when we should be learning; when we should be receiving our education, being nervous that we will be the next victims," he added.

Pioneer High School student Clara Nunez-Regueiro recognized the lives lost in Parkland, Florida, as a wake-up call for teenagers to advocate for better gun control.

"If there is one thing we can unequivocally agree on, it is we have to demand safety in our schools, because we are sick of watching child after innocent child die in the classroom," she said. "We're here today because we should not be scared to go to school every single day, and because we are done with thoughts and prayers from complacent politicians who do not value human life over the price of a firearm."

In addition to providing a platform for students to speak, the rally also included an appearance from the League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area, who were invited by the youth initiative to help students register to vote.

League of Women Voters representative Lois Kramer said she was impressed with the initiative shown by students to be engaged in the gun control debate.

"When these kids tell us they want their voices heard, how could we not show up and help them register to vote?" Kramer said. "I think it's absolutely wonderful and I think we've got to support them in every possible way that we can because these kids are the future."

The youth initiative has outlined a six-point platform for fighting gun violence in schools and the broader community:

Ban guns in schools, in all circumstances.

Raise the legal age for purchasing a gun to 21.

Ban the sale of assault weapons or high capacity ammunition magazines to the general public.

Require a gun safety class and certification before the purchase of a gun.

Require implicit bias training and psychological certification for police officers before they can carry guns.

While Pioneer High School senior Marquan Kane sees better gun control legislation as a step in the right direction, he felt the rally served as a unifying moment for students to come together.

"I think this is exactly what we needed because, the fact of the matter is, even if politicians do step up and change some laws, this issue will not be fixed just through legislation," Kane said. "What we need is unity within our community. What we need is brotherhood in this time. You can't legislate that brotherhood."

Since the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Pioneer High School sophomore Saima Harrison said threats of violence at school districts across the state have been prevalent, causing students a great deal of anxiety in wondering if they are going to be safe.

"I don't like being afraid that my friends are going to die in school," she said. "I was raised being told that education is how you get places in life. There are underpriviledged areas where the only way they can get out is through school and learning. We can't even go to school without being afraid."

Taylor said responsibility rests with lawmakers to bring about change.

"The majority of Americans believe in a complete ban on assault weapons," Taylor said. "The majority of Americans believe that those who are not mentally capable of owning a gun should not own a gun. This will change, and we are here stronger than ever before demanding change."
Its time to lay China threat theory to rest, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told a press conference on Chinas foreign policies and external relations on 8th March.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets the press at a press conference of the first session of the 13th National Peoples Congress, March 8, 2018. (Photo by Weng Qiyu form Peoples Daily Online)

For decades, the West has made all kinds of assessments and predictions about China. To some Westerners, China is either collapsing or threatening, added Wang during the press conference on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th National Peoples Congress.

As China continues to grow, the first theory has collapsed and become an international laughing stock. Meanwhile, proponents of the second theory have conjured up new versions, which find dwindling support because facts speak louder than words, the minister pointed out.

His remarks came as new versions of China threat theory emerged one after another, encompassing the topics ranging from nuclear strength to space program at all kinds of occasions including the Munich Security Conference and the US Congressional hearing.

Some countries even pointed fingers at China and fabricated so-called China threat, but turned a blind eye to their own soaring military expenditure.

China has reaffirmed on many occasions that the fundamental goal of its development is to seek happiness for the Chinese people and rejuvenation for the Chinese nation, and contribute to world peace and development.

It has also repeated its hope that some countries can abandon the outdated Cold War mentality, and view todays world and Chinas development in an objective and rational manner.

For years, China has been the leading engine of global growth, Wang illustrated Chinas contribution, elaborating that at more than 30 percent, Chinas annual contribution is bigger than that of America, Japan and the Eurozone combined. China accounts for more than 70 percent of poverty reduction worldwide, a miracle in human history.

As the largest source of peacekeeping personnel among the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the second largest contributor to the UN peacekeeping budget, China is bearing a weighty responsibility for maintaining world peace, said the minister.

He added that in the last five years, with its Belt and Road Initiative and other major proposals, China has come to the fore in championing global governance, free trade and an open global economy.

From these solid facts, those who do not have bias or practice double standards will see in China not a threat, but plenty of opportunities, Wang concluded.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Students across the country will exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly on Wednesday, March 14, as they participate in a National School Walkout to advocate for more gun control.

In many ways, they'll be following in the footsteps of Ann Arbor resident Paul Tinkerhess and his siblings who paved the way for student protests 52 years ago. That's when their at-school protest against the Vietnam War eventually led to a landmark Supreme Court decision.

"Students don't shed their constitutional rights at the school house gates," states the 1969 Supreme Court decision in the case of Tinker vs. Des Moines Independent Community School District.

The Tinker case is still cited as the definitive decision protecting students' ability to exercise their First Amendments rights in school.

"I don't know if we realized how long into the future it would remain a big deal, that here these many years later, it would still be cited as students speak out," said Tinkerhess, an Ann Arbor resident of 33 years. "But it was pretty obvious to everybody on that day that the court had made a historic decision for the rights of students."

Tinkerhess, the owner of Fourth Avenue Birkenstock in Ann Arbor, changed his last name from Tinker to Tinkerhess when he married his wife Claire Hess.

Tinkerhess said he's grateful to the high school students who have taken a stand on gun control since the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead. He sees a boldness in the students that he knows comes from the protections affirmed by the legal battle his family fought.

Emma Gonzalez, an 18-year-old survivor of the Parkland school shooting, even mentioned the Tinker case in a call to action she gave at a gun control rally three days after the shooting.

"We are going to be the kids you read about in textbooks," Gonzalez said at the rally. "Not because we're going to be another statistic about mass shooting in America, but because ... we are going to be the last mass shooting. Just like Tinker v. Des Moines, we are going to change the law."

It all started with some black armbands in December of 1965.

Tinkerhess is the youngest of six children, raised by parents who were outspoken on issues of peace and justice.

His father was a Methodist minister who advocated for the Civil Rights movement and opposed the Vietnam War in the 1960s. When Paul was 5, his father took an appointment with the Quakers because they were more receptive to his message of peace.

Tinkerhess was only 8 years old when his sister Mary Beth Tinker, then 13; brother John Tinker, then 15, and sister Hope, then 11; along with some other students decided to wear black armbands to school one day in December of 1965 as a sign of opposition to the Vietnam War.

The school board heard about the students' plan ahead of time and quickly passed a policy banning the black armbands.

A group of students wore the armbands to school anyway over the course of two days, which resulted in John, Mary Beth and two other students being suspended. Tinkerhess said he was too young to be suspended.

"We felt good about doing even a small part to try to act for peace, but we didn't know what would happen," he said, adding that people who opposed the war at that time were regarded as unpatriotic. "We knew that a rule had been made and we were breaking that rule, so we expected there was a good chance we would suffer some consequences as result of that."

The American Civil Liberties Union soon approached the Tinker family to offer legal support if they wanted to sue the school district for violating their children's First Amendment rights. His father was reluctant at first to endorse his children breaking school rules, but eventually he decided to move forward with the lawsuit, Tinkerhess said.

Tinkerhess recalled meeting with an attorney to prepare in case he was called to testify in the lawsuit. He never took the stand for the trial, but he watched his siblings testify and was proud to read transcripts of their testimony years later.

"Even as an 8 year old, I had already been involved in many picket lines and protests and was learning all the songs that became the soundtrack of our lives in that period of the '60s," Tinkerhess said. "So it wasn't surprising to me that we were acting against the grain of the culture."

Still, pursuing the lawsuit made life difficult for his family, Tinkerhess said. People in the community were angry, and the Tinkers received death threats. His father designated a large cupboard in their basement as a good hiding place for the children if anyone hostile showed up at their house, Tinkerhess said.

After the lower courts ruled against the Tinker family, the case eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The family had moved from Iowa to University City, Missouri, by the time the Supreme Court issued its decision in the case on Feb. 24, 1969.

Tinkerhess was in fifth grade at the time, and he remembers his mother calling the school to have him sent home early that day. Reporters and photographers were already at the Tinkers' house when he arrived.

"My family had been involved in a lot of actions in support of peace in Vietnam, and we were accustomed to kind of knocking on that door of peace and just seeing it slammed in our faces. So the experience of seeing it open a crack (with the Supreme Court decision) was something new and very gratifying," Tinkerhess said.

In the decades after the Supreme Court decision, Tinkerhess moved across the country - first with his parents, and then with his wife Claire - before settling in Ann Arbor in 1985.

He's thinks the stand on gun control students take today has the potential to be as powerful as the stand students took against the Vietnam War in 1965.

"Unlike many of the other actors that shape the nation's policies, students are relatively innocent and don't have much to be gained by speaking up and challenging the status quo," Tinkerhess said. "When children speak honestly in reaction to their emotions, it can pierce through - if we're lucky. People can take notice and think again about the way we've been doing things."
BAY CITY, MI -- A federal lawsuit filed by a former teacher against a Mount Pleasant charter school on the ground of First Amendment violation and racial discrimination has been settled in unique fashion.

Rather than the plaintiff receiving a sum of money, she had the funds donated to organizations focused on curtailing domestic violence.

Mika Yamamoto on Jan. 10 signed a settlement agreement in her suit against Renaissance Public School Academy, Principal Lisa Bergman, and Michigan Educational Personnel Services. In the agreement, the defendants agreed to pay $45,000 to Yamamoto's attorney, Frankenmuth-based Julie A. Gafkay, and that Gafkay would then donate "all amounts beyond attorney fees ... to an appropriate and federally acknowledged charitable organization."

Speaking with The Bay City Times-MLive, Yamamoto said she had Gafkay donate $30,000 of that initial amount to A Safe Place, a Zion, Illinois-based organization that seeks to address domestic violence. Yamam

"This donation is being made in honor of Mika Yamamoto in recognition of her students at Renaissance Public School Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan," Gafkay wrote in a letter sent to A Safe Place. "Mika is a remarkable woman. She has persevered through difficult times and now wants to give back to help others do the same."

It was Yamamoto's decision to have the donation made in honor of her former students.

"Children always pay the price for injustice, and yet are so often forgotten," she said, adding she misses them.

In addition, Gafkay donated $5,000 to Saginaw's Underground Railroad. She did so in December, before the settlement had gone through, in order to donate during an initiative when the sum could be tripled, said Christi Birchmeier, president and chief executive officer of the Underground Railroad.

"We're honored to be one of the two recipients," Birchmeier said. "It's going to continue to help us in our crucial work to empower women throughout Saginaw County that we're already doing. That money is going to go to good use."

Yamamoto, who now lives in Chicago, said she approached Gafkay with the idea for the unorthodox settlement.

"My goal was that some good had to come out of this situation, because it was so heartbreaking," Yamamoto said. "When I suggested this to my lawyer, she was really excited.

"This goes to the greater good," she continued. The defendants "can't really do things to make me whole and money doesn't really fix that. But if we could do something that helps lives of actual people then there is a return to wholeness. That was our vision -- we can make a better world together."

Yamamoto filed the suit in January 2017. Renaissance Public School Academy is a K-8 charter school located at 2792 S. Isabella Road in Mount Pleasant.

Yamamoto, an Asian American, was employed by Renaissance in August 2016 as a fifth-grade teacher. Yamamoto gave a speech on Nov. 9 -- the day after Election Day -- to about 100 middle school students regarding domestic violence and discrimination against women.

Her suit alleged that on Nov. 30, Principal Bergman told Yamamoto to leave the school and come back in two days "for a meeting to discuss 'diversity and tolerance' issues with her and the curriculum director," the suit stated. "Defendant Bergman spoke to Plaintiff before and indicated she couldn't keep Plaintiff 'safe' after Plaintiff spoke out on matters of public concern."

The suit went on to state Bergman told Yamamoto the community wasn't ready for her.

On Dec. 2, 2016, the school's Human Resources department contacted Yamamoto and told her there would be a meeting the following week, though she still did not know why she had been suspended. The meeting did not take place and on Dec. 7, Renaissance terminated Yamamoto's employment.

Yamamoto contended she was fired as an act of retaliation because of her speech, thus violating her First Amendment rights.

Her suit also argued that the school she worked at "maintained a policy and practice of refusing to employ or retain individuals of color."

"Defendants' actions in discharging Plaintiff from her employment because of or on the basis of her race or color abridges her right to equal protection of the laws in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

In a Feb. 12, 2017, interview published on the website of Mary Maynard, Yamamoto said she was the only teacher of color at Renaissance and that other teachers had asked her to speak on horror story writing prior to Election Day.

"I said that, on that particular day, I felt less safe than ever, because our country had just elected a president who had openly spoken out against women, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and other people he felt were different than him," Yamamoto told Maynard. "I told the students that I saw this as a call to arms to share our stories honestly in order to make a safe space. In the speech, I said, 'I will share with you my darkness so you feel safe to share your darkness with me, such that we can vanquish the darkness together.'"

Yamamoto went on to tell Maynard her speech had the desired effect of empowering students to advocate for themselves and others, as several students approached her about concerns in their lives. She passed the information on to the principal, she said.

Later that month, Principal Bergman and Renaissance's curriculum coordinator met with Yamamoto. Bergman told Yamamoto the community was not ready for her voice and she would be suited in a place like Chicago or New York, Yamamoto told Maynard.

Yamamoto maintained she was not given a reason for her suspension and eventual termination.

The lawsuit was officially dismissed on Feb. 14, 2018. In the settlement agreement, the defendants deny any and all claims of wrongdoing.
Sometimes, instead of practicing math, science or reading, Cass Technical High School students in Detroit practice hiding under their desks.

This is the reality of the modern-day, America education system, say organizers of a walkout that took place Wednesday, March 14.

They are demanding lawmakers take action and pass gun reform as part of a nationwide school walkout that took place exactly one month after 17 people were killed during a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

"What do we want? Gun control, When do we want it? Now" and "Hey, hey, no way, say no to the NRA," more than 2,000 Cass Technical High School students chanted after walking out of the school in protest.

"For the last couple weeks, after the Parkland shooting, a lot of students were quite upset at the silence from Congress, so a student named Brooke Solomon ... formed a group to plan this walkout," said Hazen Leon, a 17-year-old sophomore who spoke at a rally that followed the march. "The goal is to have our voice be hears and kind of kick Congress into action, because we're tired of living in a country where nothing is done about violence, especially violence in schools."

Leon would like to see a ban on military-style weapons, like the AR-15, and more resources devoted toward mental health resources for students.

"There is too much death in our neighborhoods," said Solomon, the organizer who also spoke. "That's why I am here, to make sure that we don't forget about the thousands of Detroit youth that have become the victims of senseless gun violence, the Trayvon Martins, the Michael Browns and Philando Castiles.

" ... I am tired of crying, I'm tired of being scared to go to school, but most of all I'm tired of hoping for change from politicians who routinely put profits over people."

Students gathered for an assembly about 9:30 a.m., which some described as a sort of a pep rally, poured out the doors about 10 a.m., marched north and then in a circle around Cass Park. There were so many students participating in the school-sanctioned walkout that those in the front had to stop at one point in order for the tail of the procession to pass.

Teachers and other wore orange ribbons to signify their support of the protest. A Detroit police reserve officer had an orange ribbon sticker attached to the butt of his handgun.

The protest drew politicians, Cass Technical alumni and gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed.

El-Sayed, of Detroit, spoke out against calls for some teachers to be armed, a stance Detroit Police Chief James Craig has supported, for qualified teachers, such as ex-law enforcement or military.

"There should be no guns in schools," El-Sayed said. "That should be really clear ... We also need to stand up and say that guns that were made for a theater of war shouldn't be allowed on peaceful streets."

El-Sayed also called for stricter screening of those allowed to possess guns, especially those who have been involved in past domestic violence situations.

Sophomore Zoe Ruffin, 15, said she doesn't believe her school is as safe as it could be.

"We feel like the only way to get (legislators) to do something is to march, to protest," she said. "We need more protection in the schools.

"When I see stuff like (Parkland) it makes me feel really unprotected ... The metal detectors are broke, there're rushed bag checks."

When asked if she worried about the chances a would-be shooter could breach the security at Cass Technical High School, Ruffin said "It wouldn't be that difficult."

As the march concluded, students amassed near the south entrance. State Rep. Sherry Gay-Dagnogo, D-Detroit, facing the Downton Detroit skyline, called for a 17-second moment of silence to commemorate the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting.

"We demand gun control," she led crowd to chant in unison as the moment of silence concluded.

Not everyone in the political realm, however, supports the stance that more gun control is necessary.

Janine Kateff, chairwoman of Michigan's 14th District Republican Commitee and a former principal in Rochester Hills and Ypsilanti, called the national marches "one-sided rhetoric" and a "disservice to students."

"This protest organized by a national radical group of adults -- not by a local group of high school students -- is designed to restrict one of America's basic freedoms," Kateff said in a statement issued before Wednesday's marches. "An anti-gun ownership event, held during normal school hours and using taxpayer resources, is a misuse of taxpayer dollars."says that the planned national student walk out will not add anything to the debate about school safety. Rather, it is a protest of the legal ownership of guns, a right set out in our Constitution.

The overwhelming theme of the Detroit protest was a demand that leaders do more to curb gun violence and mass shootings, especially in schools.

"When children begin to act like leaders, and leaders begin to act like children," said Solomon, "know that change is not coming, change is here."
A 39-year-old Rochester Hills man is suspected of fatally shooting his wife, whose body was discovered by her brother-in-law on a bloody couch Monday morning, Oakland County sheriff's officials say.

Shaun Wheeler, accused of killing 41-year-old Cory Ann Ehlers, is now charged with first-degree murder, a crime punishable by mandatory life in prison, and felony firearm.

The brother-in-law who discovered Ehlers told Oakland County sheriff's deputies the couple was going through a "bad divorce."

While detectives were still on scene, the husband walked into the Oakland County Sheriff's Office Rochester Hills station "and told the front desk deputy that he just killed his wife," the sheriff's office said.

The shooting occurred at a home on 3400 block of Emmons in Rochester Hills.

Wheeler has been jailed without bond and is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary examination at 8:30 a.m. March 29.
DETROIT - Wayne County Executive Warren C. Evans is planning to present a new mass transportation proposal to the Regional Transit Authority (RTA) board on Thursday, he announced Tuesday at his State of the County address.

There has long been talk of Wayne and Washtenaw counties going it alone, without Oakland and Macomb counties, but Evans said his proposal will be "a full, four-county plan that is less reliant on capital investment and more focused on increasing bus rapid transit service."

"I will make a simple request: review the plan and then let's present it for public comment," Evans said. "I believe that there is enough support for transit in the region to pass the right plan. If they vote it down, they vote it down. But I do think voters deserve a chance to let their voices be heard."

The RTA of Southeast Michigan asked voters to support a $4.6 billion millage proposal on the November 2016 election ballot to enhance public transit across Oakland, Macomb, Wayne and Washtenaw counties. But the millage was rejected by a margin of 18,000, with 1.8 million votes cast. Opposition in Oakland and Macomb counties made the difference.

During his speech, Evans theorized that the region's lack of mobility appeared to be a deal-breaker for Amazon when it turned down Detroit's proposal to become home to the E-commerce giant's second headquarters.

Metro Detroit's lack of "adequate regional transit has been apparent for years," Evans said.

"We don't spend on transit like other regions. Metro Detroit spends $67 per capita on transit. Compare that to Seattle, which spends $409, or Boston at $380. And it's not just a coastal thing. Cleveland spends $158," Evans said.

He also pointed out that there is "no national debate" over public transit, but "only a Southeast Michigan debate."

Metro Detroit's "Big Four" leaders, which includes Evans, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, noted during a January meeting that they did not have a consensus transit plan or strategy going forward.

"What is abundantly clear is that transit benefits everyone, regardless of age, color, creed, religion and income level," he said during the State of the County address. "Whether it is decreased congestion, higher property values, better air quality or enhanced productivity, the benefits of transit impact us all."

In Patterson's State of Oakland County address last month, he said that communities who have sought to opt out of regional transit systems in the past should not be forced to become part of any proposed mass transportation plan.

The nine opt-out communities in Oakland County include: Novi, Waterford, Lake Angelus, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Orchard Lake, Bloomfield Hills.

He noted that between 1996 and 2017, opt-in communities have paid roughly $352 million in taxes to support regional transit.

Evans said that mobility technology is stimulating change across the region, and that transit is necessary across the board.

"If we are going to rebuild Wayne County and position this region for prosperity, it's going to take a fully coordinated regional transit system on good roads," Evans said.

"The wealth disparity in this country and state is very real, and it's widening due in no small part to lack of transit. If we fail to address this issue of economic inclusion and equity, it will be at our own peril."
FLINT, MI - Eighteen people have been indicted by a Flint federal grand jury for a scam involving the use of Walmart prepaid cards to wire money from the retail giant for their personal funds.

Unsealed on Monday, March 12, the federal indictment alleges that the 18 named defendants and "others known and unknown to the grand jury" conspired in the scheme to scam Walmart into wiring funds to illegitimate prepaid cards.

Two of the defendants, Latoriya Brown and Latrina Davis, were each arraigned Tuesday, March 13, on a single count of wire fraud conspiracy and released on $10,000 unsecured bond.

MLive-The Flint Journal is not naming the other defendants as they have not yet been arraigned.

All 18 are indicted on a single count of wire fraud conspiracy, punishable by up to a $250,000 fine and 20 years behind bars.

The U.S. Attorney's office declined comment on the case, and neither defense for Brown nor Davis could immediately be reached for comment on the matter on Wednesday, March 14.

According to the indictment, the scam began in January 2016 when members of the conspiracy would travel to Walmart stores in the Eastern District of Michigan and elsewhere to acquire prepaid cards.

When the checkout cashier would scan the barcode on the falsified prepaid card, a wire transmission from Walmart's corporate office in Missouri would activate the account number assigned to the card, the indictment claims.

When the cashier was instructed to load a dollar value onto the card, a member of the alleged conspiracy would either slide an illegitimate credit or debit card or pretend to slide a card through the reader as if they were paying for the transaction, the indictment said.

A member of the conspiracy would then instruct the cashier to manually complete the transaction by pressing various sequences involving the cash tender key, which would fraudulently show that the card was paid for and wire funds from Walmart ePay databases in Colorado or Arkansas to the card, the indictment said.

After the transaction was complete, the conspirators would then allegedly convert funds on the prepaid cards to their own personal use, according to the indictment.

Additional details on the scam, including how much money the group was allegedly able to obtain, was not included in the indictment.

According to reporting from the Sentinel-Tribune in Wood County, Ohio, three of the defendants were also indicted in Ohio last year on various charges involving a scam with Walmart counterfeit cash credit cards.
A number of Flint-area students are set to take part in events on Wednesday, March 14 honoring the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Lapeer Community Schools in Lapeer County, Owosso Public Schools in Shiawassee County, and St. Pius X Catholic School in Genesee County have organized gatherings on their campuses.

An organized walkout is set at Rolland-Warner Middle School and Lapeer High School in Lapeer. Middle school students will be given the option to take part in a 17-minute moment of silence, one minute for each of the 17 victims.

Fourteen students and three staff members were killed Feb. 14 at the Florida high school. Nicolas Cruz, 19, a former student at the high school has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder.

National Walk Out: Tomorrow morning on March 14th at 9:30am we will be participating in a national walkout to remember... Posted by Rolland-Warner 6/7 Campus on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Fifth- through eighth-grade students at St. Pius X Catholic School in Flint will hold a prayer service beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday morning.

R.J. Kaplan, principal of St. Pius X, said the service is "to not only remember the victims in Parkland, Florida, but to also pray for the souls of all students, teachers, and staff who have died through acts of violence."

"We believe prayer and peaceful actions are the best way to model for our young students what we expect of them in the future," he commented.

A sit-in has been organized by a student group at Carman-Ainsworth High School -- also working on April 20 walkout as part of a nationwide protest on gun violence and push for gun reform -- that's asking those interested to sit in the hallway for the 17 minutes and then head back to class.

Small group discussions at Owosso Middle School will take place in each class, following a moment of silence at 10 a.m. March 14, to develop 17 ideas on making the building safer, according to a district Facebook post.

Please look in your student's backpack today for this important letter regarding March 14 events. Posted by Owosso Public Schools on Friday, March 9, 2018

Lincoln High School is hosting a community breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning with Owosso police Chief Kevin Lenkart and school liaison officer Mike Wheeler serving as guest speakers to educate students on being mindful of threats in school and their school culture.

The events come around one month ahead of a nationwide protest on gun violence and push for gun reform set for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre.

Students in Grand Blanc Community Schools, Flushing Community Schools, Lake Fenton Community Schools, and Davison Community Schools have organized Twitter pages and pledged to take part in a walkout on that day.
FLINT, MI - Four months after Flint Mayor Karen Weaver beat out over a dozen challengers to secure her job in the November 2017 recall election, the city's police are still investigating the methods used to gather signatures to oust the mayor from office.

On Tuesday, March 13, Flint police confirmed that a now eight-month-long investigation into whether petitioners tricked some residents into signing a petition to recall Weaver is still ongoing.

However, the details on the matter remain scant as police say discussing it may compromise the probe.

"This is still an ongoing investigation," said Det. Tyrone Booth in a statement. "Due to the ongoing investigation, we can not make any additional comments."

The City of Flint cited the ongoing investigation on March 8 when it denied a Freedom of Information Act request from MLive-The Flint Journal seeking details of the case.

In late July, the department submitted a request for an arrest warrant to Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton against mayoral recall leader-turned-mayoral candidate Arthur Woodson but it was returned to the department without charges, Leyton previously said.

The prosecutor said he has not been presented with any current requests regarding the recall.

"We review every warrant that's presented to us," Leyton said. "Some are issued, some are not."

Woodson, who remains active in Flint's political scene after losing his mayoral bid, called the long-standing criminal investigation "nothing more than an abuse of power."

"They haven't even spoken to me and I was the one getting the signatures," Woodson said. "OK, what can they investigate and why is taking that long? My freedoms are being restricted because they say 'we can issue a warrant tomorrow. By being under investigation, they can tap my phone ... this is political right here."

Woodson likened the investigation to an instance in March 2017 when a judge denied the mayor's request for a personal protection order against Woodson after he filed language to recall her from office.

The criminal investigation into the recall was initiated in July, about a month after efforts to collect petition signatures to recall Weaver began.

Police have previously cited the investigation as its basis for using the state's Law Enforcement Information Network to conduct a criminal background check on Woodson

The Flint Police Department distributed a press release in July 2017 announcing an investigation into a criminal complaint claiming residents were tricked into signing the recall petitions. Officers were then spotted knocking on doors in the community to question voters on whether they signed to remove the mayor.

But, despite publicly announcing the probe, the city has repeatedly refused to release a copy of the criminal complaint to MLive-The Flint Journal - requested through the Freedom of Information Act - citing the open case's active investigation.

The police department's involvement in the mayoral recall election came into question in August after Weaver took the recall attempts to court, alleging "grossly illegal behavior by the petition circulators" in attempts to call off the election to oust her.

However, the tables were turned when four of the mayor's own witnesses testified they had been summoned to court by police officers through house visits and phone calls, raising concerns from the judge who questioned the department's involvement in a civil lawsuit.

Records obtained by MLive-The Flint Journal via Freedom of Information Act request also showed a Flint police officer using a check from Weaver's campaign funds to purchase copies of the recall petitions his department was actively investigating.

In October, Fourth Ward City Councilwoman Kate Fields filed a complaint with the Michigan Bureau of Elections after Flint Police Chief Tim Johnson and off-duty officers were spotted going door-to-door in the city passing out literature supporting Weaver - something Johnson has repeatedly said he and his officers have "every right" to do.

Later in the month, Michigan State Police questioned Flint police on running a LEIN criminal background check on Woodson. However, MSP later said Flint police's background check was legitimate, as Deputy Chief Devon Bernritter indicated the check was done as part of obtaining an arrest warrant for Woodson in the ongoing recall petition criminal investigation.

In a landslide victory, Weaver beat 17 opponents to keep her job on Nov. 7, pulling nearly 53 percent of the city's vote.

The recall looked to oust Weaver for agreeing to an emergency waste collection contract with Rizzo Environmental Services.
UPDATE:

Former emergency manager named interim Flint schools superintendent

FLINT, MI -- Change is in store at Flint Community Schools as Superintendent Bilal Tawwab and assistant superintendent Shawn Merriweather are on their way out from the district.

Tawwab, Merriweather and general counsel Gwendolyn A. de Jongh have been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, according to a March 13 statement from board president Diana Wright.

The school board is expected to hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday night to appoint an interim superintendent.

"The Flint Community Schools Board of Education has decided to move forward immediately in the process of identifying the next leader for the District," Wright said in her statement.

Wright added the district will take "appropriate steps" to begin the search process for a permanent replacement, but she could not be immediately reached Tuesday afternoon for further comment on why the officials were placed on leave.

Other board members contacted by MLive-The Flint Journal directed questions to Wright.

Tawwab had alerted the district he was stepping down following the 2018-19 school year. He's been the superintendent at Flint schools since July 2015 after serving an assistant superintendent at Detroit Public Schools.

Security was on-site at the district's administration building Tuesday as standard human resources protocol, but it was not engaged in escorting anyone from the facility, according to Wright.

The district was able to dig out of a nearly $22 million deficit in two years under Tawwab's leadership, but the school district continues to lose students, falling to the fourth-largest district in the county by fall 2017 count figures -- behind Grand Blanc, Davison, and Carman-Ainsworth.
FLINT, MI -- A former state epidemiologist may have done little to advance the criminal case against Michigan's chief medical executive Wednesday, March 14, but she offered up a fresh dose of criticism for a different Flint water crisis defendant.

Corinne Miller, who retired from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in 2016, testified that she felt former DHHS Director Nick Lyon was wrong to ask employees to develop a "strong statement" discrediting Flint water research by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha in 2015.

Miller's testimony came during the eleventh day of the preliminary examination of Dr. Eden Wells, state medical executive, who is charged with obstruction of justice and lying to a peace officer in relation to the Flint water crisis.

Special prosecutor Todd Flood has said he also intends to ask Genesee District Court Judge William Crawford to bind over Wells on an additional charge of involuntary manslaughter at the conclusion of the preliminary exam.

Miller was charged with criminal wrongdoing in relation to the water crisis but struck a deal with prosecutors, allowing her to plead no contest to just one count -- neglect of duty.

During her testimony Wednesday, Miller told Crawford she felt "terrible" testifying against Wells, whom she considered a friend and she recommended for a position in state government.

Miller said Wells told DHHS employees working to confirm Hanna-Attisha's study on rising blood lead levels in Flint children that she had seen enough to support the Hurley Medical Center doctor, carrying information "upstairs" to Lyon "very quickly at the time.

Lyon said in an email in advance of a news conference by Hanna-Attisha in September 2015, "I would like to make a strong statement with a demonstration of proof that the lead blood levels seen are not out of the ordinary and are attributable to seasonal fluctuations."

Miller said the director was "upside down" in his thinking because he appeared to want to build a strong statement in opposition to Hanna-Attisha's work before evidence supported such a position.

"My impression at the time was that it was upside down. It's a backwards question. With the director I wouldn't have expected him to say, 'Make up some information that (the water is) not a problem, and that's what it (seemed) like," she said.

Flood asked Miller if she was aware of Wells ever objecting to the email from Lyon by telling him "that's not how we do our job."

Miller said she was not.

She testified previously during Lyon's preliminary exam that there was a special sensitivity among DHHS employees about sharing information about Flint water as early as January 2015 -- a time when a state-appointed emergency manager was in charge of city business.

By that time, employees in the department were aware of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Genesee County and of suspicions the outbreak was tied to a change in the city of Flint's water source but never informed the public.

It wasn't until 2016 that Gov. Rick Snyder told residents of the Legionnaires' outbreaks.

Wells' preliminary exam is scheduled to continue March 27.
Few brands can boast of such longstanding partnerships. This year, Chopard will be an official partner of the Mille Miglia for the thirtieth consecutive year. The brands co-president Karl-Friedrich Scheufele is a regular participant in the race, making it a point of honour to be one of the drivers in the Porsche 550 Spyder RS. The brand also has a second team participating this year, with Albert Carreras, son of the world-famous tenor Jose Carreras, and his friend Jordi Pascula behind the wheel. As title sponsor, Chopard traditionally brings out a watch dedicated to the event every year (see below).



Timekeeping has an important role in the race, since the aim is not to be the fastest but to be the closest possible to a reference time. In this regularity race, competitors need to stick as closely as possible to predetermined times for passing through different checkpoints along the 1,000-mile route from Brescia to Rome and back. Arriving just a minute too early or too late can incur penalty points. For average trials the differences are measured in seconds (with one penalty point per second) and in time trials the penalties are even calculated by the 1/100th of a second  beyond even the capacity of a Chopard mechanical chronograph to measure.



To win the Mille Miglia, therefore, total concentration is required throughout the four days of the race, which starts and finishes a day earlier than usual this year to allow for an all-night party in Brescia on Saturday 19th May. Each year, the distance of the race remains the same but the course varies. This year it will pass through the centre of Milan (where there will be a time control post in the square in front of the citys cathedral) for the first time and make a stop at the Alfa Romeo museum. Some 450 cars, representing 72 different marques, will cross through some of Italys most beautiful scenery, passing through bucolic villages on the race that Enzo Ferrari described as a travelling museum.

Celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, the Mille Miglia is looking ahead to the next decade in the run-up to its centennial year. Its organisers, the automobile club of Brescia, have their sights set on growing their brand at international level. As a result, there will be two new events bearing the emblematic red arrow of the race this year: the Coppa delle Alpi by 1000 Miglia, which will cross the Alps and four different countries, and the 1000 Miglia Green, which will be open to electric vehicles.
GRAND BLANC, MI - While thousands of students across the nation walked out of their schools today in a protest of gun violence, Grand Blanc High School locked its classroom doors to bar its students from taking part.

Instead, the district encouraged students to write letters to elected officials in support of gun reform.

Marking the one-month anniversary of the fatal school shooting in Parkland, Florida, the #Enough! National Walk Out took place in schools across Michigan and the country at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14. Organized by Women's March Youth Empower, many protests lasted 17 minutes - one minute for each of the victims in the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

But at 9:55 a.m. at Grand Blanc High School, administrators put the school in "secure mode." Students said all classroom doors were locked until the end of third period at 10:23 a.m.

In an email to students and parents, GBHS Principal Michael Fray said he and the school's resource officer decided on the security provision "in the interest of maintaining a safe school environment."

MLive-The Flint Journal could not immediately reach Fray nor Superintendent Clarence Garner for comment on the matter.

According to a statement from Grand Blanc City Police, the decision to put the school in "secure mode" was made after the school's resource officer received information from student that "someone would get hurt" if the walkout took place.

Please feel free to post your opinions about the actions taken today to secure the students and the school, but please do not post any personal attacks against someone who may have a differing opinion. Posted by City of Grand Blanc Police Department on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

"We maintain a belief that our students should be allowed the opportunity to have their voices heard on the topic of school safety," Fray's email said. "With that said, we remain steadfast in our belief that maintaining a safe and orderly school environment is our number one responsibility."

At 10 a.m., the high school emailed a list of elected officials for students to contact to "advocate a solution to the school safety debate."

"As many of you know, there is a nationally advertised Student Walkout for today, March 14 at 10:00am. We are NOT supporting participation in this walkout and any attempt to walkout will be considered skipping class," Fray's message to students read. "We do believe in your right to assemble and are working with a group of students to provide an organized and safe walkout event on April 20th."

After the secure mode was lifted, around 100 students filled the hallway in front of the school's main office for a 17-minute sit-in, instead.

at first a 17 min peaceful protest was supposed to take place at 10am then we got put in secure mode to stop the students who wanted to be part of this movement. pic.twitter.com/3cikMD7Qje  lena! (@lenakk21) March 14, 2018

However, some Grand Blanc students say they feel their rights were violated by the school's decision to lock them into their classrooms during the protest period.

"Going into secure mode like that, everyone went into fear because we thought there was an actual threat," said junior Lena Kas-Mikha, who had planned to participate in the walkout. "Me, personally, and my friends, we were upset because we felt like we were lied to ... when we found out it was just to stop the walkout."

Senior Caroline Lostutter said she hadn't planned to participate in the school protest, but took to Twitter after the lock-in was announced to voice her frustration with the school's handling of the matter.

"It felt like an abuse of power, not to give the choice to people who wanted to participate," Lostutter said. "I think their intentions were good in trying to keep students safe, but they should have sent out hall monitors or something if they were worried about it They didn't handle things in the best way and it kind of spiraled."

I wasnt planning on participating in the walk-in HOWEVER I think it is ridiculous that a school would put their students in SECURE MODE to keep them from assembling and taking a part in something they feel strongly about. #traditionofexcellence  Caroline Lostutter (@c_lostutter) March 14, 2018

In a post that has since been removed from Facebook, Grand Blanc Community Schools took to social media in the afternoon to announce its decision to put the high school into secure mode "in the interest of maintaining a safe school environment."

Other students have taken to Twitter to criticize and comment on the decision:

Regardless of my opinion on guns & issue in the US right now. Citizens of the United States have a right to assemble. Locking students in class does not do anything but infringe on that right and show kids that when they want to make change. They cant trust authority for help.  Max (@MaxJPattillo) March 14, 2018

Literally Grand Blanc high school just continues to disappoint me and I dont even go there anymore. How are you about to stop the students from a peaceful protest by holding them in a lockdown illegally? Saying theres a threat when theres not!  Abbey (@AbbeyBarnhart1) March 14, 2018

They shut the school down in secure mode so we couldnt walk out today even though they applaud those that are organizing events and believe in your right to assemble #gbhs #walkout  Kassi Perez (@kassiperez_) March 14, 2018

does the school not realize the assembly would have been smaller but since they stopped our voice all we did was spread it more  hadley (@Hadleyep) March 14, 2018

Im sure youre all asking; Why are we in secure mode? One of two reasons:

1) The administrators have acknowledged the rumors of threats and want to keep us SAFE

2) GBHS wants to keep us SILENT. If this is the case, WE WILL NOT BE SILENT. WE WILL STAND TOGETHER.  dev (@softgoththot) March 14, 2018
FLINT, MI -- City residents are using bottled water not just to drink but for everything from bathing to flushing their toilets, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 people.

"It is evident that the state-supported bottled water programs are still a critical resource for a large number of Flint residents, with bottled water being used for a variety of daily tasks," says the survey report titled, "From Crisis to Recovery: Household Resources."

"Given the ongoing risk to public health, the widespread infrastructure damage both internal and external to households, and the work that still must be done in order to restore trust and confidence in government, the free bottled water supported by the state is an essential resource that should continue as one of many efforts to move Flint forward from crisis to recovery."

The future of state-funded bottled water in the city is shaping up as a potential battleground issue as officials from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality are expected to consider the need for the program in coming weeks.

Bottled water for Flint is costing the state more than $22,000 a day so far this year and lead levels in unfiltered tap water have improved, registering below the federal action level for the past 18 months in sampling around the city.

On the other hand, Mayor Karen Weaver is among those who want the state to continue funding for the program until all lead and galvanized service lines have been replaced in the city -- something that might not happen until 2019.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has warned of the potential for particulate lead releases from transmission pipes into the water supply in Flint because of the widespread underground digging for service lines.

The Rev. Monica M. Villarreal, who was involved in work groups and teams that published the survey results, said it's not time for the state to walk away from supplying bottled water here.

Too many people have come to rely on bottled water and too few feel comfortable changing water faucet filters, don't have a filter installed, or don't have running water at all, Villarreal said.

Of those surveyed, 15 percent did not have a faucet filter in their homes and another 5 percent who have a filter either wait six months or longer to change the cartridge or don't change it at all.

When asked how confident they were in replacing filter cartridges, about 36 percent ranked their confidence level between "not at all" confident to "somewhat confident," according to the survey.

Laura Sullivan, a Kettering University professor, member of the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee and a survey task force member, said a key takeaway of the new report is that many residents either don't use a filter or don't feel confident in changing theirs.

"From what I know, the MDEQ hasn't done any assessment of the extent to which the residents of Flint are confident with filter use, even though individuals on FWICC have suggested it," Sullivan said in an email to MLive-The Flint Journal. "The only information collected has been the number of door knocks and the number of conversations, suggesting that resident confidence in filter use isn't a priority."

Slightly less than 10 percent of respondents said they are using bottled water to flush their toilets, an indication that they might not have any running water in their home, Villarreal said.

Taken in December, the survey was proposed and developed by work groups and service providers that operate as a part of the Flint Action Coordination Team, a group organized by Weaver with guidance from the Greater Flint Health Coalition.

FACT convenes various working groups in developing an organized long-term response to issues created by the water crisis, according to the report.

The survey was administered by program staff at the four primary water distribution points; help centers, which offer water and food, mental and physical health referrals; and Access & Functional Needs, a group providing home water deliveries to the homebound.

Among the other findings of the survey:

Respondents used an average of 14.7 cases of bottled water weekly.

Households with pregnant women and/or children under the age of six used more -- an average of 19.3 cases per week.

70 percent of those who answered the survey reported not knowing the composition of their service line.

40 percent of participants reported never having had their water tested for lead. Among those whose homes had been tested, only 29 percent said the test occurred in the last six months.

"Not knowing the level of lead in their own water, residents may err on the side of caution, choosing to trust bottled water more than filtered tap water," the report says.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - A judge ordered Michigan Auto Dealers Association to turn over documents sought by Tesla Motors over the state's so-called "Anti-Tesla Amendment" that prevents the electric-car maker from selling directly to customers.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Ellen Carmody ordered MADA to provide subpoenaed documents within two weeks of her Tuesday, March 13, order.

The documents will be filed under a protective order that allows viewing only by attorneys and the judge. The association also has to provide a log of any documents withheld under attorney-client privilege.

Tesla will then have seven days to object to such claims.

MADA says the law, amended in 2014, has been in effect for decades. Tesla just wants to be another Apple: selling directly to consumers, and keeping sales and service proceeds for itself, it says.

Tesla sued Gov. Rick Snyder, Secretary of State Ruth Johnson and Attorney General Bill Schuette, alleging constitutional violations for prohibiting car manufacturers from selling directly to consumers in Michigan.

Tesla attorney John Bursch, who earlier won limited access to records of state Sen Joe Hune, R-Gregory, and state Rep. Jason Sheppard, R-Temperance, said three auto dealers who volunteered to testify, the dealers association and its lobbyist have blocked access to relevant materials during the discovery process.

"As the Court is aware from previous motion practice, there is growing evidence that the 'Anti-Tesla Amendment' - the unconstitutional law challenged in this lawsuit - was drafted by the Michigan Auto Dealers Association for protectionist purposes and pushed through the legislature in 24 hours to avoid public scrutiny," Bursch said in court documents.

He said that both Carmody and District Judge Janet Neff have rejected withholding documents under "associational privilege, and recognized that such discovery is highly relevant to Tesla's claims.

"Yet nearly eighteen months into the litigation, Tesla has yet to receive a single document from the Dealers, MADA, or their lobbyist, who have blocked this highly relevant discovery through objections, protracted motion practice, and unauthorized appeals. By now it is apparent that they are attempting to run out the discovery clock, in the hopes that their documents - and their role in the Anti-Tesla Amendment - never see the light of day," Bursch wrote.

He said documents provided by the state show MADA's "direct role in the Anti-Tesla Amendment."

A state worker's email in early 2014 referenced a memorandum analyzing whether a vehicle could be sold directly to consumers under the law in effect at the time: "This is what (MADA Executive Vice President) Terry Burns was talking about as it relates to Tesla."

The state says the change in the law simply "clarified an existing requirement in Michigan law" that said anufacturers without their own franchised dealers had to sell through another manufacturer's franchised dealers.

MADA also disputed Tesla's contentions.

Tesla's case is "built only on hyperbole," MADA attorneys Michael Smith and Eric Bowden wrote in court documents.

"There was no 'anti-Tesla amendment ... pushed through the legislature in 24 hours to avoid public scrutiny,'" the MADA attorneys wrote. "There was a valid statutory revision enacted via substitute, through routine, permissible legislative rules and processes, and approved overwhelmingly by a 144-1 vote of election lawmakers."

Rather than serving as a "protectionist purpose," the amendment "aimed to foreclose the erroneous legal interpretation with which Tesla alone sought to end-run the licensed-dealer system through which every other automaker, foreign and domestic, has sold vehicles in Michigan since before Tesla existed," Smith and Bowden wrote.

MADA "freely admits" it backed the amendment to protect Michigan's dealer system, but said it only suggested a minor change.

"The curtain thus pulled back, Tesla nonetheless continues pulling levers and pumping valves, hoping like the Wizard to distract and confound. Its MADA subpoena is the latest belch of smoke."

MADA said that Michigan for decades has required all automakers to sell vehicles through independent, state-licensed franchised dealerships.

The amendment had no legal impact on Tesla's ability to sell directly in Michigan. It couldn't before, and can't now, the attorneys said.

MADA said it should be no surprise that a group with an economic interest in an issue taking a stance.

But it said there are no documents that support Tesla's claims. Even if there were, it would not make the law unconstitutional, MADA says.

"Tesla is an automaker. Its electric vehicles use some cutting-edge technology - along with mundane things like tires, doors and seatbelts - so it portrays itself as revolutionary. It does so because it wants to sell directly to consumers, dictating prices and keeping all sales and service proceeds for itself. In short, Tesla wants to be Apple," Smith and Bowden wrote.

"But Michigan law treats autos and smartphones differently."

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce and multiple trade and labor organizations were allowed to file briefs objecting to a ruling that MADA did not have associational privilege with its members.

The groups need "free, full, and frank communications with and among its members. And each sees that ability as being severely threatened by the subpoena through which Tesla seeks to compel production of privileged communications between those three auto dealers and their state association, the Michigan Automobile Dealers Association," attorney Gary Gordon wrote.

Tesla calls the information "highly relevant" to its case.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Around 700 City High Middle School students joined others across Michigan in a National School Walkout Wednesday, March 14, to mark the one-month anniversary of the fatal school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

Since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead -- 14 students and three educators -- the teen survivors have galvanized students nationwide to lobby for safer learning environments.

At 10 a.m., City students gathered on the hillside behind the cafeteria for 17 minutes. That's one minute for each of the victims of the Valentine's Day massacre.

"In my opinion, for the first time ever, people are listening primarily to the students and to the victims,'' said Elizabeth Lancaster, a senior at City who helped organize the event.

"This is our space to talk and open a dialogue and actually enact change. We grew up in a post-Columbine society that has tried to normalize school shootings and that's not OK, and we need people to realize that is not OK and we won't be complacent.''

Fighting through tears, Lancaster encouraged her classmates to stay engaged and to write state and federal representatives.

Prior to her remarks, there was a moment of silence after students displayed a photo of each Parkland victim.

Another student leader, senior Gabby Rabon, spoke to her classmates about the importance of voting.

She told her classmates that for true change to happen they need to vote, not only make their voices heard at walkouts, rallies and by writing letters in support of the Parkland students to their representatives.

"We need to make real change and policy happen by voting,'' said Rabon, who added that the current administration and politicians are not going to do anything without them standing up.

"It's the most direct and efficient way to voice your opinion and get legislation passed that will make schools a safer place.''

Students held up signs during the walkout including, "Stop Gun Violence," "Protect Kids Not Guns," and "#ENOUGH."

Before and after the event, Rabon and other students provided voter registration information at a table.

City High Middle School is an International Baccalaureate program within Grand Rapids Public Schools, located at 1720 Plainfield Ave. NE. The school serves 870 students in grades seven through 12.

The group that called for the walkout, Women's March Youth EMPOWER, has been clear that while this walkout was meant to honor the victims in Parkland, it was also a political call to action. Their demands are online, including an assault weapons ban and expanded background checks.

Lancaster also informed her classmates about the March for Our Lives rally on March 24. The noon rally against gun violence is being organized by the Parkland shooting survivors and will be in Washington, DC.

Local rallies are being held across Michigan, including downtown at Rosa Parks Circle.

Grand Rapids students district-wide, except preschoolers, could walk out provided permission slips were turned in by Friday, March 9.

"This just shows their level of commitment to social justice and making a change in this world,'' said Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal. "I think they have a message that we need to listen to.''

Most Kent and Ottawa county public school districts anticipated some student participation, including the largest schools in the region. Faith-based schools also planned to pray for the victims. The walkouts were voluntary and took many forms at public schools with programs in and outside.

Below is what some other schools had planned:

East Kentwood High School planned to go outside and lock arms creating a human chain of unity around the school to symbolize safety at the school.

Zeeland East and West high school students planned to meet on a pathway separating the buildings. Around 480 students participated districtwide.

Northview High School students "Honor the 17" program was held in the gymnasium.

Forest Hills Public Schools students in grades seven through 12 were expected to participate in student-organized events.

Rockford Public Schools had more than 600 students participate in the walkout. High school students are planning a separate event April 20.

Holland High School/HVRT could walk out in order to sign a banner of support for Parkland. Students could also take a moment of silent reflection in the memorial courtyard area and sign memorial banners for Parkland victims. The banners will be sent to the school.

Catholic Central High Scholl students were planning to read the 17 students' names while the Cathedral of Saint Andrew's bell was rung. West Catholic High School students could leave class to pray in one of three designated areas.

Grand Rapids Christian Schools middle and high school students could participate in a voluntary 17 minutes of prayer for the families and friends of students affected by school shootings.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student, is the alleged shooter who went on the rampage. He has been indicted by a grand jury.
HOLLAND, MI -- A Grand Rapids man wanted on a weapons charge was arrested in Holland after a standoff that lasted more than two hours.

Holland police said they were called to assist a U.S. Marshal Fugitive Team about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14 in the 200 block of West 11th Street.

Police said the federal fugitive team initially planned to arrest the man near Washington Avenue and 11th Street, but he ran from them and went inside a house in the 200 block of West 11th Street

After atwo-and-a-half hour standoff, police convinced the man to come out of the house. He was arrested without incident.

The weapons warrant is out of Grand Rapids.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Williamston Community Schools says a lawsuit challenging gender-identity provisions of its anti-bullying policy, designed to protect gay and transgender students, should be dismissed.

Williamston High School Gay-Straight Alliance and Stand with Trans, both represented by American Civil Liberties Union attorneys, are seeking to intervene in the federal lawsuit, and also sought dismissal.

Five parents and three students alleged that the schools prevent their children from sharing sincerely held Christian beliefs that conflict with the policy.

The school district said it wanted to protect all students, including lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender students, when it approved the policy in November.

The plaintiffs have not suffered injury because of the policy. Any harm is merely hypothetical, and may never happen, the school district said.

"Even a cursory review of the policies reveals that they do not effectuate the inflammatory results that Plaintiffs claim," district attorney Timothy Mullins wrote.

"The policies do not facially state that bathrooms and locker rooms will be shared by males and females. Not one of these policies compels Plaintiffs, or anyone, to express a belief or statement. And the words 'affirm' and 'promote' are not in the language of the policies."

The policy involving gender identity says the district "fosters an educational environment for all students that is safe, welcoming and free from stigma and discrimination."

Mullins said that "the district will accept the gender identify that each student asserts based on the student's legitimately held belief, and that the district will customize support to allow the student equal access to the district's educational programs and activities."

Parents of transgender students, he said, "are key determinants of their health, counseling and support services could be provided, and the district will keep the parents informed."

Mullins cited a federal court ruling in Illinois that said a transgender student in a bathroom "'poses no more of a risk to other students' privacy rights than the presence of an overly curious student of the same biological sex who decides to sneak glances at his or her classmates performing bodily functions. Or for that matter, any other student who uses the bathroom at the same time. Common sense tells us that the communal restroom is a place where individuals act in a discreet manner to protect their privacy and those who have true privacy concerns are able to utilize a stall.'"

Mullins said: "Similarly, in (the Williamston) case, Plaintiffs have not identified a specific injury that occurred, and their anticipated 'damages' may never occur."

Attorney Deborah Kovsky-Apap, joined by three ACLU attorneys seeking to intervene for the advocacy groups, agreed.

"Here, Plaintiffs have not alleged they are forced to shower or completely undress at school. Nor have they alleged they have exposed themselves, or been exposed to, any other student, let alone a transgender student. ... Plaintiffs allege that their right to privacy is violated by the mere risk of being in the presence of boys who are transgender in the boys' facilities or girls who are transgender in the girls' facilities."

The plaintiffs say the school district "promotes the agenda of alternative sexual lifestyle activists while creating an environment that is hostile toward and disfavors students and families that oppose these policies based upon their sincerely held moral and religious beliefs, and who object to the close interaction of males and females together in intimate settings such as showers, locker rooms and bathroom," attorney David Kallman wrote in the lawsuit.

Edward and Erin Reynolds, Monica Schafer and Christopher Johnecheck, filed suit on behalf of their children and others against the school district and its board members.

The Reynolds took their two children out of the district, which is about about 20 miles east of Lansing.

Their attorney said the policy is an attempt to silence students' "sincerely held religious beliefs and viewpoint."

The plaintiffs "sincerely believe the Bible teaches that human beings were created male and female and that gender is neither fluid nor a social construct. Plaintiffs sincerely believe that a person's sex is established by the Creator with its own nature, essential properties, and purpose."

The school district said it did not decide to let boys and girls shower together or share locker rooms but allowed all students to ask for alternative arrangements for bathrooms and locker rooms.
Anna Molloy, a senior at Lakeshore High School in Berrien County, has a message about the gun violence that continues to shake America's schools: enough is enough.

And at 10 a.m. today, she and her fellow students plan to make their voices heard.

They're joining thousands of K-12 students across Michigan who are expected to walk out of class this morning to protest gun violence and honor the 17 students killed in a school shooting last month in Parkland, Florida.

"These are our peers that are dying," said Molloy, 18, of St. Joseph, in southwest Michigan. "We don't want anyone else to go through the experience in Florida that these students are suffering from."

The exact number of Michigan schools where walkouts are expected is unclear, but one website shows upwards of 80 walkouts - from Grand Rapids to Detroit to Traverse City - are scheduled throughout the state. Several colleges and universities also are participating, including Michigan State University, Central Michigan University and Alma College.

Youth Empower, a group connected to the national Women's March, is promoting and keeping a tally of the walkouts. The group is pushing for lawmakers to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, expand background checks and declare gun violence a public health crisis. They want lawmakers to fund violence intervention programs.

Nationally, more than 2,800 walkouts are planned, according to the group's website.

In an effort to unite students at Lakeshore High School, some of whom hold differing opinions on gun control, Molloy said her event is not advocating for a specific solution to reduce school shootings.

Rather, her mission is to show compassion and support for the victims of school violence and their families, she said.

"The goal for now is just to be in support of these victims, showing that we are here with you, we agree with you and we don't ever want this to happen," Molloy said.

As news of the walkouts began to build, educators across the nation have grappled with how to respond.

Throughout Michigan, most school walkout events that have received publicity are being accommodated by school administrators without threat of punishment. Some, such as Grand Rapids Public Schools, which is planning district-wide participation in the walkouts, is using the event as a "teachable moment" on school safety.

"Students do have the constitutional right to expression, and the school, for all practical purposes, is their town square,'' Grand Rapids Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal said in a letter to parents.

The American Civil Liberties Union says students can be disciplined for participating in a walkout for missing class, but not because of the of the "political nature of or the message behind your action."

Molloy says participants in Lakeshore's walkout will gather at the intersection of John Beers Road and Cleveland Avenue, where they will wave signs bearing messages such as "#Never Again" and "We Refuse to be Next." Others are expected to sport t-shirts Molloy ordered for the event (by Monday afternoon, 97 people had placed an order for one) emblazoned with the statement, "Enough is Enough."

Lakeshore's walkout, like others across the county, is expected to last 17 minutes - one minute for each victim of the Parkland shooting.

"Schools are meant to be teaching us, yes that means teaching us history and math, but they're also meant to teach us to be strong and vocal individuals to stand up for what we believe in," she said.
JONESVILLE, MI - An 18-foot-wide alley in downtown Jonesville has been tabbed for a new brewery - the first in the city and one of the first in Hillsdale County.

Homebrewers Zack Bigelow and Joe Kesselring are co-founding Ramshackle Brewing Company on E. Chicago Street, between Olivia's Chop House and Jonesville True Value Hardware. Olivia's owned the alley and sold it to Ramshackle for the business, Bigelow said.

Nearly 47 percent of the capital for the project comes from 22 local investors, who provided a total of $200,000.

"Everyone is saying they've went someplace else to go get their craft beer," Kesselring said. "They're ready for something in their hometown."

Residents have been buzzing about the new business, asking when the brewery will officially open its doors, Kesselring said - while adding their concerns about the size of the space.

"Everyone's like, 'How are you going to fit all of your stuff in there?'" Kesselring said. "Don't worry, it's bigger than it looks from the road."

Ramshackle Co-founders Zack Bigelow and Joe Kesselring stand next to the alley they plan to build their brewery at.

Bigelow admits the space - which is less than 1,000 square feet - is unconventional. But it's fitting, he said.

"We're unconventional people, too," Bigelow said. "You don't go into the brewing world as a conventional person. You want to take chances and try striving to be different."

The plan is to start construction in April and open the doors this fall, Bigelow said.

The process started in 2010 with the pair brewing from home. When they decided they wanted to make beer for a living, they paired up with the Brewers Professional Alliance in Grand Rapids for help getting the business going.

They'll brew onsite, with five to eight beers and may distribute to local bars and restaurants.

"The goal is to have a couple beers and something to eat for under $20," Bigelow said.

Ramshackle will join the Hillsdale Brewing Company - which opened in January - as one of the county's only breweries. Having multiple breweries and restaurants in the area isn't a bad thing, Jonesville City Manager Jeff Gray said, it helps bring people to the area.

"People think because we've got multiple restaurants, that that's competition," Gray said. "But it really creates destination."

As brewers, Bigelow and Kesselring specialize in historic beers with natural ingredients. They've combed through everything from historical accounts to obituaries to learn more about the brewing world.

Ramshackle will specialize in pre-colonial beers, Bigelow said.

"Beer has been around for thousands of years," Bigelow said. "Until the recent addition (of options) like Budweiser, beer wasn't crystal clear. Beer had flavor. Beer had local ingredients. That's what we want to strive to do - and utilize as much of Hillsdale County in our beers (as we can)."

Beers include a Kentucky common-style beer and a French farmhouse ale. They've connected with local residents to provide ingredients like berries, apples, mushrooms, hops and barley.

Why the name Ramshackle? It came from an observer in the brewers' early days, Kesselring said.

"Our homebrewing system was always built from things we had available to us," Kesselring said. "Someone said, 'That's a ramshackle rig, you got there.' Everything was pieced together from what we had. (We thought) 'that's kind of a cool word, let's run with that.'"
BLACKMAN TWP., MI - Open minds. Open ears. Open hearts.

Northwest High School students' message Wednesday wasn't political. In fact, their vibrant orange T-shirts read, "It's About People Not Politics."

These students used the March 14 National School Walkout not just to pay tribute to students and teachers killed in a shooting a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., but to encourage caring and unity in creating a climate and culture that promotes school safety.

"It's kids our age," 17-year-old junior Eve Vicary said. "It's our peers and we need to advocate for ourselves and stand up and have our voices heard and make a change."

It wasn't about yelling at each other, the students said. It wasn't about arguing about guns.

"It's about how can we make students the safest we can," Vicary said. "Who do we need to talk to about what to make change happen."

Students at Northwest High School speak about National School Walkout Day and what students did during he event. Posted by Jackson Citizen Patriot on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Like those across the country, students in Jackson County districts participated in the national event that featured a 17-minute demonstration to pay tribute to the 17 students and teachers killed in Florida, and to stand in solidarity with survivors.

"They are inspiring," 18-year-old Northwest senior Meredith Berry said. "Everyone has a voice, go ahead and use it."

In all of Jackson County's public school districts, student participation in any activity related to the national event was optional. Activities were student initiated, organized and led, with district officials remaining neutral and providing a safe place in which students could or could not participate.

In most cases, that meant the "walkouts" were inside designated areas or hallways in their buildings, due to safety concerns of being in large groups in open spaces outside.

Most had a moment of silence and read aloud the names of those who died in the Florida school shooting. The demonstrations were designed to last 17 minutes to mark the 17 people killed.

Those choosing not to participate went to other supervised designated areas inside their schools.

In Michigan Center, student council and leadership classes organized a weeklong "Kindness Campaign" to provide examples and encourage students to find positive ways to impact their school.

A weeklong Unite Western Week at Western High School included a demonstration, as well as student-led informational meetings, student forums on safety and voter registration initiatives.

"Unification Week is meant to bring safety to the halls of Western High School and encourage students to stand up and interact with each other, and to make sure no one feels alone enough that they have to resort to violence to be heard," senior Alexzandria McCrum wrote in an email. "This week is meant to do something locally to prevent tragedies from striking if nothing more, but we want our voices to be heard everywhere, and for everyone to know we are with them."

Jackson High School's program, students said, was a memorial with political undertones About 1,000 students attended an uncharacteristically quiet ceremony in the school auditorium in which candles were lit to honor the Parkland victims.

"It was a very moving assembly with people taking into consideration the lives lost and the importance of school safety," 16-year-old junior Saneer Ahmed said.

More than 300 students signed a petition being sent to state and federal legislators asking for further action on gun control and protection of students and faculty.

"They think kids aren't mature enough to understand things," 16-year-old junior Emmah Bashir said.

"They think we have no clue about politics or what government is doing," added 16-year-old junior Emily Baird. "We want them to know that kids are more aware than many adults. And we have a voice and are speaking out and asking for action."

About 30 students bypassed the program in the auditorium and demonstrated along Wildwood Avenue in front of the high school. The demonstration was orderly and all students returned to classes afterward, Principal Barbara Baird-Pauli said.
JACKSON, MI - The trophy was nice, but Saagar Dubey had a little extra motivation to claim victory in this year's spelling bee.

"We told him, 'You make it to nationals and you get a cell phone,'" Saagar's mother, Renu Dubey, said.

The cell phone, Dubey said, is on its way.

Saagar, a Battle Creek Lakeview Middle School eighth-grader, out-spelled 59 others to win the 2018 MLive/Jackson Citizen Patriot Spelling Bee Tuesday, March 13, in the Western Community Arts Center.

"I've been in this three out of four years," Saagar said. "I've been practicing since fifth grade. I like the competition."

For his win, Saagar earned a paid trip to the 2018 Scripps National Spelling Bee May 29 to June 1 in Washington, D.C.

His winning words were "agave" and "Mongol." The battle came down to Saagar and Lakeview schoolmate Leila Overbeek, a seventh-grader who also won the spelling bee as a fifth-grader in 2016.

One of the keys to his win, Saagar said, was drilling spelling words with his father, Shailesh Dubey.

"I'd practice one to two hours a day and sometimes four or five hours on the weekend," Saagar said.

Saagar's excitement at winning the spelling bee was equally matched by his parents.

"I'm not going to sleep all night," his mother said. "This totally rocked my world."

Participants in this year's spelling bee were fifth- through eighth-graders from 26 elementary and middle schools in Jackson, Lenawee, Hillsdale, Calhoun and Ingham counties.

Final rounds of the Jackson Citizen Patriot Spelling Bee from the Western Community Arts Center. Posted by Jackson Citizen Patriot on Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The 2018 top 10 spellers are:

10th place - Carter Martin, Western Middle School, eighth grade.

9th place - Riley Gordon, Western Warner Elementary School, fifth grade.

8th place - Abby Losey, Springport Middle School, seventh grade.

7th place - Michael Ouoba, Paragon Charter Academy, eighth grade.

6th place - Adam Huang, Battle Creek Lakeview Middle School, fifth grade.

5th place - David Williams, Paragon Charter Academy, sixth grade.

4th place - Lily Taraskiewicz, Napoleon Middle School, seventh grade.

3rd place - Thomas Hays, Napoleon Middle School, sixth grade.

2nd place - Leila Overbeek, Battle Creek Lakeview Middle School, seventh grade.

1st place - Saagar Dubey, Battle Creek Lakeview Middle School, eighth grade.
Here are the winners! Here are the winners!

Thousands of people entered our big summer competition from 1 July to 31 August this year. Were you one of the winners? Find out below! Thousands of people entered our big...
BERTRAND TOWNSHIP, MI -- A man was seriously injured Tuesday when his vehicle was hit by a garbage truck while he was stopped for another garbage truck.

The crash happened about 3 p.m. March 13 on US Highway 12 near Sage Road in Berrien County's Bertrand Township, according to Berrien County Sheriff's deputies.

Police said upon arrival, first responders found 56-year-old Arnold Lancaster of South Bend, Ind. pinned in his Dodge mini-van.

Lancaster was extricated from his vehicle by the Niles Township Fire Jaws of Life. Once out, Lancaster was attended to by Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Service.

He was then taken by Medflight ambulance service to Memorial Hospital in South Bend with serious, but non-life threatening injuries.

Investigators determined Lancaster had stopped behind a semi-truck on U.S. 12 heading westbound. The truck was also stopped for a garbage truck that was conducting roadside pickup service.

A second garbage truck, driven by Justin Hardt of St. Joseph, was also traveling westbound and did not see the other vehicles stopped.

Police said Hardt could not stop in time and swerved to avoid collision. He struck the driver's side rear of Lancaster's vehicle.

The force of the crash pushed Lancaster's vehicle into the rear of the semi-truck, causing extensive damage.

Police said the crash is still under investigation. Speed, alcohol and drugs are not believed to be factors in the collision.
KALAMAZOO, MI - Police were searching for two men involved in the robbery of the Lake Michigan Credit Union branch at 3326 Gull Road on Tuesday afternoon.

Kalamazoo Public Safety officers had the financial institution cordoned off following the incident, which occurred shorty before 5 p.m. on March 13.

Lt. Michael Treu said there were no injuries and no shots were fired. He would not say if a gun (or guns) were seen during the course of the robbery. And, while he acknowledged that money was stolen, he said the amount that was stolen had not yet been determined.

Treu said the suspects escaped on foot. Officers set up a perimeter of several blocks to try to catch the thieves.

They were described as black males in their late teens or early 20s. One was described as about 5'7" to 5'8", about 120-125 lbs. and wearing a dark-colored winter coat. The other was described as 5'10" to 6' tall. His weight was not provided. He was also said to be wearing dark-colored winter clothing.

"Nobody's hurt," Treu said. "It was quick. Everybody's OK."

Referring to credit union employees, he said, "They were scared. Of course when something like that happens, obviously, you're scared."

A man who said he wife worked for the credit union and was inside at the time, said no shots were fired and no one was injured. A clerk at a nearby restaurant said officers were asking adjacent businesses whether any young males visited their establishments around the time of the robbery.

Treu said officers were called to the scene at about 4:55 p.m.
PORTAGE, MI -- It took an estimated 500 hours, but the city of Portage reached a decision on whether medical marijuana facilities can open.

Tuesday, the City Council voted 4-2 to approve two ordinances allowing five types of state-licensed medical marijuana facilities to operate within Portage. The decision came after months of rewrites and thorough debate.

"(We) have been working on this for many, many months," said Mayor Pro Tem Jim Pearson. "This council (has not been) unanimous, and those who opposed contributed to the betterment of (the ordinances)."

Councilman Terry Urban and Councilmember Claudette Reid voted against the ordinances. Mayor Patricia Randall was not present at the meeting.

A first reading of the ordinances sparked a long discussion and a few revisions on Jan. 24. A series of changes followed and the council delayed a vote scheduled for Feb. 27 after deciding more time was needed to review holes in the documents.

The ordinances authorize medical marijuana growers, processors, secure transporters, provisioning centers and safety compliance facilities to open. They do not set a limit on the number, instead using zoning and buffers to set a soft cap.

Urban thanked city staff for clearing up confusion that arose from a previous version of the ordinances, which had a hand in delaying the February vote.

However, he could not support the ordinances as written.

Urban said he feels that only four facilities should be allowed, based on his interpretation of a fall city survey and concerns expressed by others about having no limit on the number of medical marijuana operations.

"There is an ordinance I would support," Urban said. "It is obvious that our citizens do want some access for this and I am more than willing to go along with that. This is not the one (I would support)."

Reid agreed that the four-facility limit is appropriate. She felt the city was moving too fast and could not foresee unintended consequences that could follow.

More changes were written into the ordinances passed Tuesday in order to clarify definitions and address concerns. Much of the documents mirror state regulations.

A section which would have prevented facilities from opening within a 250-foot buffer zone along the city's border was removed. A 1,000-foot buffer area from a protected facilities identified in the ordinance was extended to neighboring jurisdictions.

A facility will not be in violation of spacing requirements if a protected use locates near a medical marijuana facility after it was issued a permit.

Language was been added to state the boundary lines of the zoning lot are those which existed as of Dec. 31, 2017 to ensure location requirements are fulfilled as intended.

Growers are able to stack multiple class C licenses at one location. Each class C license allows up to 1,500 plants at one location.

Provisioning centers would be allowed to operate in B-3 general business districts. Growers, processors, secure processors and safety compliance facilities would be permitted to operate in I-1 light industrial districts and I-2 heavy industrial districts.

Three types of licenses are available for growers, which allow different numbers of plants; class A - up to 500 plants; class B - up to 1,000 plants; and class C - up to 1,500 plants.

The council held a public hearing before the vote. Medical marijuana advocates applauded the long-awaited ordinances.

Jevin Weyenberg, representing Lake Effect, Portage's only medical marijuana dispensary, said they serve 750 patients who have only one option within 80 miles.

"This is about the health for our community, this is about dignity for patients," Weyenberg said. "It's the right thing to do for many other reasons than that. (It's) very conservative; we won't be innudated with medical canabis failities in my opnioin."

David Benac, a Democratic candidate for the 6th Congressional District, said medical marijuana is a key issue for Southwest Michigan.

"The things we are consistenly hearing is public opinon is drastically in favor of moving on this," Benac said. "This is a really important econmic development opportunity for the district."

Entrepreneurs must first receive a permit from the Portage city clerk and a license from the state's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. Provisional permits can be issued, which give applicants six months to obtain a state license.

Permits would be issued during a specific part of the year, to be designated by the city manager. An applicant would pay a nonrefundable fee and have proof that they own or will have possession of the property where a facility is proposed.

Facilities are subject to inspection by the city and public safety staff before opening and periodically afterward.

Applications are quite thorough. They require detailed information including plans regarding background checks, security, how marijuana product will be handled, waste water, plant waste disposal, air quality, and pest prevention, among others.

Facilities, except secure transporters and safety compliance facilities, must stay 1,000 feet away from each other.

If applicants are seeking to place facilities too close to each other, the city manager would conduct a lottery to determine which receives a permit.

All facilities cannot be located adjacent to or abutting a residential zoning district.

They must stay 1,000 feet from public housing, schools, playgrounds, pools, recreation areas and parks, religious institutions, vocational schools, colleges or universities, state-licensed child care or preschool centers, rehabilitation facilities, public or private youth centers and public swimming pools.

Permits cannot be transferred or sold without approval from the city.

In 2011, the city adopted an ordinance that allows primary caregivers to grow and distribute medical marijuana on behalf of registered patients.

Caregivers will still be allowed to continue providing marijuana.
KALAMAZOO, MI -- Choosing to remove the Fountain of the Pioneers from Bronson Park wasn't meant to erase history or destroy art, city officials said in a statement addressing critics of the move.

Mayor Bobby Hopewell and Commissioner Don Cooney released the joint statement Wednesday, March 14. Deputy City Manager Jeff Chamberlain said it was meant to address concerns expressed by community members since the City Commission voted 5-1 to remove the Fountain of the Pioneers last week.

The fountain, the third to make its home in Bronson Park, will be dismantled and put into storage in either the spring or summer. The city hasn't decided what will replace it.

Historians believe the divisive statue, located in the city's flagship park, has great intellectual and artistic value.

Kalamazoo leaders said those considerations are outweighed by ongoing maintenance costs and the feelings of residents who say the fountain is inappropriate, hurtful and unwelcoming.

The vote was not meant to erase history, destroy art or deprive the community of a beloved feature of Bronson Park, the statement said.

"It is important to remember and learn from our past, and there are places all over the world where we can reflect on the darker moments of human history," Hopewell and Cooney said.

"That is why we didn't vote to destroy the fountain, but to preserve the artistic elements for display elsewhere. This vote recognizes that there is a place for this type of reflection, but one of our most public areas is not that place."

READ MORE: Kalamazoo report on history of Fountain of the Pioneers controversy

The controversial monument pits a Native American in headdress head-to-head with a westward-facing settler. This charged imagery sustained a long debate about what Alfonso Iannelli intended to convey since the fountain was finished in 1940.

The March 5 vote was the culmination of recent activism to remove the fountain, but public debate has persisted since the monument was established.

In the Wednesday statement, Hopewell and Cooney said the city's decision aligns with the larger goals toward creating shared prosperity. This is consistent with a recently-completed master plan and the City Charter, which is enacted in part to "to conserve and utilize public values for public benefit and to promote our common welfare."

"This vote will not immediately resolve all of the racial issues that we face in our City and our region, but it is a recognition that symbols matter," they said. "It is a step towards healing."

Hopewell and Cooney acknowledged that the fountain holds different meaning, depending who you ask.

"It is the basis of fond memories, a painful reminder, an artistic achievement, a place to cool off, or a lesson in history, depending on who you ask," the statement said.

In one camp, art historians and academics believe the fountain is a necessary reminder of the harsh forced removal of indigenous people. They said taking it down amounts to erasing parts of the nation's ugly past, while also lamenting the loss of a significant piece of American art history.

Indigenous people who spoke in public meetings said the fountain is a symbol of white supremacy that causes them daily pain. It is a physical reminder of genocide, they said, and of the systematic destruction of indigenous culture that persists today.

Tribal Council Chairperson Jamie Stuck said the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi supports Kalamazoo's decision to remove the fountain.

Stuck suggested the city take advantage of a fund created in 2016 to defray the cost of removing the fountain, expected to cost $200,000, according to the city.

Native American Hertiage Fund was an amendment added to its tribal gaming compact. Up to $500,000 per year is put into the fund from the tribe's revenue sharing to the state, supporting projects that build positive relationships with Michigan's Native American tribe.

Chamberlain said the city was not aware of the fund until this week. Staff are learning more about applying for the fund, he said.

A spokesperson for the Gun Lake Band of Pottawatomi declined to comment on the Tribe's opinion on the fountain removal.

A letter sent to the city last fall made it clear that the Tribe supported the master plan, but didn't comment on the fountain itself.

"History cannot be revised or erased by simply tearing down controversial artwork because of interpretations," the letter said. "Removing theIannelli sculpture will not change the fact that many of our Pottawatomi relatives were in fact 'forcibly removed' west of theMississippi River. In spite of this action, we still remain, live, and thrive as one of the three Pottawatomi Indian Nations in Southwest Michigan."

A spokesperson for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi also declined to comment. Although Pokagon citizens may have a "range of opinions" on the issue, she said the Tribal government won't be taking a position on it.

Ultimately, Hopewell and Cooney said the City Commission is elected to represent all of Kalamazoo, a diverse city with diverse viewpoints. The fountain has been a source of controversy its entire existence and no decisoin would have been unanimous.

"We made a difficult choice, but it was the best choice for our City as a whole," they said.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Over 150 West Michigan schools will benefit from a literacy improvement project thanks to a $12.5 million federal grant awarded to Western Michigan University faculty.

A pair of WMU researchers from the Department of Educational Leadership, Research and Technology were awarded the grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help increase the leadership skills of K-12 educators and the literacy of elementary students from 152 West Michigan schools.

High-Impact Leadership for School Renewal Project is headed by Patricia Reeves, associate professor and Jianping Shen, professor of education, Reeves told the WMU Board of Trustees on Wednesday, March 14 during a meeting held at the WMU-Grand Rapids Beltline Campus.

The goal of the project is "making sure every student who goes to school in the state of Michigan learns to read and learns to read well," Reeves said during her presentation.

The project will work with 152 elementary schools in West Michigan, beginning with 76 schools in its first three years, which includes 12 Kalamazoo County schools, Reeves said. Within those first 76 schools, the project will work with two Allegan County schools, three Van Buren County schools and eight Calhoun County Schools.

The first 76 schools chosen will be given on-site support including visits from facilitators and leadership collaboration summits. The schools will also receive professional development opportunities for their principals and training for teachers with the hope of becoming future principals. According to a press release, each of the schools will also receive $20,000 over a 30-month period to help with school renewal efforts.

WMU will provide project management and coordinate the trainings, development and support work. University researchers will be tracking the schools for progress in school leadership.

"We're hoping to see impressive enough results in student achievement in the initial three years that we will be funded for two additional years," Reeves said in the release.

Additionally, the project will reach Barry, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mescosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceano, Osceola, Ottawa, Berrien, Branch, Cass, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties, according to a press release.

Reeves said the literacy rates of K-12 students in the state are "not where they need to be." The project hopes to move Michigan to "being a model for other states," she said.

The project was gifted nearly $13 million for its first three years of operation, she said. But there is an additional $9 million available for the project's fourth and fifth years, if successful. The project is also being funded by support of local foundations and organizations including Talent 2025 and $240,000 from Calhoun County's Binda Foundation.

Reeves said partnerships with the General Education Leadership Network and the Reading Now Network make up the "massive collaboration" that is this project.

Along with Reeves and Shen, Pete Haines, superintendent with the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District, Kyle Mayer, assistant superintendent for instructional services and Douglas Greer, director of school improvement with OAISD will help lead the project.

"Because of their major efforts to help write the grant and launch the balloon, we've made the progress we have made with this project," Reeves said.

The project is intended to "break the code and overpower poverty," Reeves told the board.

"Poverty is not an excuse. Poverty is not a factor that closes the door of opportunity because children are not literate ... I want to make sure all kids connect to the world," Reeves said after outlining her own diverse upbringing. "One way to do that is to make sure all kids are literate."

During its meeting in Grand Rapids, the WMU Board of Trustees also approved changes to 23 degree programs. They include the creation of one graduate certificate program, six accelerated master's degree programs and three new master's degree programs in high-demand areas like computer information security, university spokeswoman Cheryl Roland said in an email.
NORTH MUSKEGON, MI - Students all over the United States walked out of class today, March 14, but at North Muskegon Public Schools student organizers thought more was needed to effect change.

About 75 percent of North Muskegon High School and middle school students poured out of the building before 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14 - the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that resulted in 17 deaths.

"My teacher was talking about how the walkout was strange that we would congregate in a big group in front of the school because it would make us a target," said Corrine Nedeau, senior class vice president and event organizer. "To have any concern of us being the target of a shooting while protesting a shooting, would be all the more reason to do it."

While the Women's March Youth Empower #EnoughIsEnough movement called for students to walk out from 10-10:17 a.m. - one minute for each life lost - North Muskegon students didn't think that was enough.

The ceremony included the singing of the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the school alma mater along with 17 chimes of church bells from 10:15-10:17 a.m. There were also lanterns to represent each school shooting since the one in Columbine, Colo. in 1999.

Co-organizer and senior student Stella Branch read gun violence statistics during the outdoor portion of the event, which was followed up with student speeches inside the neighboring community center.

On an average day in the United States, seven children and teens are killed using guns, Branch said. There have been at least 14 school shootings in 2018 alone. About 1,300 children die in gun violence annually in this country.

"As a student body, we walk out of school to send a message to our district and Congress that we do not feel safe behind those doors," Branch said. "We all have the right to live free from fear and violence in our community."

When the event moved inside for speeches from five students, students also signed letters to U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, inviting him to host a townhall on gun violence. Those who will turn 18 prior to the Novemeber election had to opportunity to register to vote.

Branch comes from a family of hunters, and said she understands the tradition of gun ownership in the United States.

"It shouldn't be a radical idea when I say I support sensible gun legislation," she said. "Don't get this twisted. I am not an anti-gun rights person. I simply want everyone's lives safer by getting real about the rules for gun ownership."

Branch suggested limiting rifle capacities to five rounds and not allowing "anyone with $400 and a pulse" to own a gun. She also spoke about the Second Amendment, saying it does not grant the personal right to bear arms, but the right of an organized militia to do so, she said, citing the U.S. Supreme Court case United States vs. Cruikshank.

However, the 2008 U.S. Supreme Court case of District of Columbia vs. Heller overturned that ruling in a 5-4 decision that said the Second Amendment does protect an individual's right to bear arms.

Earlier this month, there was a shooting threat at Palatine High School in Illinois, which two of Nedeau's friends attend, Nedeau said during her speech. One stayed home, along with 90 percent of the student body, while the other attended school and texted Nedeau updates throughout the day.

"How close to home does gun violence have to get before we can take a stand and realize that students from Palatine High Schools, kids from Stoneman Douglas High School are our classmates too?" Nedeau said.

Other Muskegon-area schools to participate in honoring the victims of the Parkland shooting on March 14 were the Career Tech Center, Whitehall High School, Muskegon Community College, Reeths-Puffer High School and Mona Shores District Schools.

Mona Shores will hold an event, West Michigan Unites, at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, the high school's Sailor Center, 1121 Seminole Road.
NORTON SHORES, MI - A proposed non-motorized trail would connect Muskegon's Laketon Trail to Mona Lake Park, twisting through a portion of Muskegon, Muskegon Heights and Norton Shores in the process.

The $8 million Mona Lake Trail project is being spearheaded by the Michigan Department of Transportation and would be broken up into six phases of construction, creating six individual but connected trail segments.

Construction is dependent on each municipality raising the funds for its portion of the trail.

The first segment - one of four segments in Norton Shores - would begin construction in 2019, said Jim Murphy, city engineer for Norton Shores.

Overall, the trail would stretch from Grand Haven Road and Seaway Drive to Roberts Street, connecting the new trail with the Lakeshore Trail at Laketon Avenue. It would also connect with another network of trails located in northern Ottawa County.

Early designs show the trail would consist of a combination of a 10-foot-wide asphalt path, 12-foot-wide boardwalk, non-motorized travel shoulders and lanes shared by cars and bicycles.

The $8 million Mona Lake Trail project is being spearheaded by the Michigan Department of Transportation and will be broken up into six construction phases, creating eight individual but connected trail segments.

The proposed trail path includes:

South along Roberts Street from Laketon Avenue to Sherman Boulevard,

West on Sherman to Vulcan Street,

South on Vulcan to East Broadway Avenue,

West along Broadway to Getty Street,

South on Getty to Summit Avenue,

West along Summit to Peck Street,

And south on Peck to East Lincoln Avenue and then along Hoyt Street south to Seaway Drive.

At Seaway, the trail would head west to Seminole Road and east to Grand Haven Road.

Phase one, labeled as Segment A, is expected to cost $970,000, Murphy said. This portion would stretch along Sherman Boulevard, Vulcan Street, Broadway Avenue and Getty Street.

The city of Norton Shores is seeking an MDOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant and a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant to help fund the project, Murphy said. Each city will be responsible for funding their legs of the trail.

Norton Shores plans to hold a meeting to gain community input on the project at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 19, at the Norton Branch Library, 705 Seminole Road.

The Muskegon Heights City Council was briefed on the trail on Monday at its regular meeting. City Manager Jake Eckholm said Muskegon Heights would seek the TAP grant, along with another MDOT grant to help reduce the amount of upfront match dollars.

Eckholm said he expects Muskegon Heights to have the project funded and budgeted for construction starting in 2020.

Muskegon City Manager Frank Peterson said he had not yet been briefed on Muskegon's portion of the trail, which would stretch north from Sherman Boulevard on Roberts Street to Laketon Avenue.

Thus far, Muskegon has issued a letter of support for the project, along with Mona Shores Public Schools and State Rep. Holly Hughes. Hughes chairs the Michigan House of Representatives' Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee.
WHITEHALL, MI - A safety threat at Whitehall High School was quickly determined "not credible" on Tuesday, March 13, but that didn't stop it from spreading on social media.

Whitehall District Schools administration learned from students of a possible internal threat on Tuesday. Working with Whitehall Police Department, it was quickly determined not credible, said Superintendent Jerry McDowell on Wednesday.

A short post informing parents and the community of the situation was posted on Facebook in the early afternoon, but was later removed because of inaccuracies in the comments, he said.

"It's in our best interest to be as transparent, as open and communicative as we can," McDowell said. "But information has to be correct. Accurate information is very critical to the safety and security of our students."

Around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the district posted an update on Facebook. The original post had already been removed.

The post states that after it was determined there was no credible threat, "the story continued to spread and escalate." Commenters on the original post were naming students as potential offenders, and students were continuing to post on Snapchat.

"This was not accurate and innocent individuals were being made to appear guilty of something they did not do," the post reads. "This resulted in our removal of the post."

Snapchat posts by students also perpetuated false information, the post said. Many of those students were addressed and the posts removed.

"Social media ended up being more of an issue than the original threat," McDowell said.

While school was not cancelled, attendance was down on Wednesday, he said. He credited the absenteeism to both the perceived threat and the National School Walkout that was meant to protest gun violence and honor the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Whitehall students participated in the national protest by gathering in the high school gym for a discussion about kindness and school safety, McDowell said. They also spoke about the importance of not spreading rumors.

The district is planning a question and answer session on school safety for 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, March 15, at the high school media center, 3100 W. White Lake Drive.
SEVILLE TWP, MI -- More is being learned about a man who was found by hunters, dead inside a bag in a ditch in Gratiot County.

Robert Jack Counterman Jr., 67, was identified with the assistance of Sparrow Hospital and the Michigan State Police latent print division on Tuesday, March 13.

Police initially released pictures to the media of unique tattoos on Counterman's body in hopes that someone would recognize who they belonged to.

Counterman was found by hunters on Warner Road near Olive in Seville Township about 10:30 a.m. on March 11.

Lt. Roy McCollum of the Gratiot County Sheriff's Department said that his detectives are learning more information about Counterman as tips come into the department.

For instance, Counterman had several Facebook pages, according to McCollum.

On one of those Facebook pages, Counterman listed his place of work as Counterman's Collectibles, which had a business page itself. However, when MLive/The Saginaw News placed a call to the phone number listed, the person on the other end of the phone said that it was not the correct phone number.

Counterman also frequently traveled Michigan and the Eastern United States, McCollum said.

McCollum did not say if Counterman had a criminal record, but a search of the Federal Bureau of Prison shows that he was released on Oct. 22, 2015.

A tattoo of an eagle that police in Isabella County released to ask the public to help identify a man found dead in a trash bag in a ditch.

According to a federal criminal complaint, Counterman and a co-defendant stole a mobile home and began traveling the country burglarizing homes and buildings and then selling the items to flea markets across the country.

The duo stole another mobile home in Ohio and on June 25, 2003, Counterman was pulled over by police in Marquette County. Counterman confessed to the crimes and was arrested. His co-defendant escaped into the woods but was arrested in Georgia in November 2003, according to the complaint.

Counterman's death is being investigated as suspicious at this point, McCollum said.

McCollum said that detectives have a lot of work to do in order to figure out what happened to Counterman and what led to his death.

The sheriff's office is receiving at least one call per hour since the discovery of Counterman, according to McCollum.

Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call 989-875-5214.
[March 14, 2018] Calpine Wireless, in Partnership with FiSci Technologies, to Expand High-Speed Internet Services in Northern California Using LTE Technology MADISON, Wis., March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Calpine Wireless, a WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) is utilizing FiSci Technologies LTEaaS Program to expand its fixed wireless LTE network to underserved residents in several counties in Northern California. Calpine Wireless has built an extensive LTE network across Northern California. To continue building their network and expand current internet capacity, Calpine Wireless has decided to leverage FiSci Technologies' unique LTEaaS Program. The LTEaaS Program will give Calpine the ability to acquire Baicells LTE equipment for a low, monthly cost allowing the internet provider to expand its wireless internet services at a much faster rate than previously possible. Baicells LTE equipment uses cloud-based core architecture, has superior NLOS performance and a plug-and-play nature that gives organizations the ability to build LTE networks quickly and affordably. FiSci Technolgies LTEaaS program allows operators to pay for the equipment as they grow, and comes with training and network buildout assistance to ensure optimum equipment use. Using LTE technology, Calpine Wireless will be able to deliver reliable broadband connectivity and increase its coverage area to underserved residents in Northern California. "Calpine Wireless has been providing top of the line wireless internet services across an ever expanding network in Northern California," said Daniel Suster, FiSci's Director of Sales Engineering. "We are thrilled to support their efforts and ease Calpine's ever growing resource demands through our LTEaaS program. This enables Calpine to reach new customers with an innovative solution." About FiSci Technologies

FiSci Technologies is a Madison-based company that partners with educational organizations, municipalities, service providers, public safety entities, and private enterprises to provide LTE infrastructure as a service. In cooperation with Baicells Technologies, FiSci will provide the full turnkey end-to-end LTE infrastructure, 100% financed through our LTEaaS subscription program, along with the proper training. The plug-and-play nature of the Baicells all-IP LTE solution allows for quicker installations and expansion of network coverage area at a disruptive price point which is unique to the market. FiSci makes it possible for organizations and communities to quickly deploy and expand LTE networks to provide internet where it may not be readily available. About Calpine Wireless

Calpine Wireless is a fast-growing WISP located in Oroville, California. Founded in 2015, they provide Carrier Grade Internet service. Their 4G LTE Internet equipment operates in a licensed frequency, unlike competitors that use WiFi equipment. Calpine's equipment is backed by the industry leader in LTE equipment and are constantly expanding coverage areas to provide a fast and reliable Internet experience. To learn more visit: http://www.calpinewireless.com. Contact:

FiSci Technologies, LLC

608-960-9888 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/calpine-wireless-in-partnership-with-fisci-technologies-to-expand-high-speed-internet-services-in-northern-california-using-lte-technology-300613425.html SOURCE FiSci Technologies

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\broadband-stimulus's Homepage ]
[March 13, 2018] United States Department of Justice Supports Tech Start-Up TIKD's Antitrust Lawsuit Against The Florida Bar MIAMI, March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday filed a Statement of Interest supporting TIKD, a Florida-based technology start-up, in its federal antitrust lawsuit against The Florida Bar and a private law firm. In November 2017, TIKD sued The Florida Bar, alleging that the Bar and a private law firm are unlawfully obstructing TIKD's entry into the Florida market, in violation of federal and state antitrust laws. The lawsuit is pending in Miami federal court. In December, The Florida Bar asked the court to dismiss TIKD's lawsuit, claiming the Bar does not have to comply with federal antitrust laws because it is an "arm of the state"  even though it is funded, controlled and staffed entirely by Florida attorneys, not government officials. Department of Justice Says The Florida Bar Is Not Immune from Antitrust Laws In an extraordinary step, lawyers in the DOJ's Antitrust Division have filed a 13-page Statement of Interest on behalf of the United States of America. The filing supports TIKD's position that the Florida Bar cannot claim "state action immunity" from federal antitrust laws without proving that it was following a "'clearly articulated and affirmatively expressed' state policy to displace competition" and that its conduct was "actively supervised by the state itself." The government's brief argues: The Florida Bar defendants assert, as one ground for their motion to dismiss, that they are entitled to protection against Sherman Act claims by the state-action doctrine of Parker v. Brown, 317 U.S. 341 (1943) without having to satisfy either the "clear articulation" or "active supervision" requirements of that doctrine. That position is incorrect. Courts have long recognized that vigorous competition is a crucial factor that fuels innovation. Likewise, technoogical innovations often have enormous pro-competitive benefits. This reinforcing cycle of competition and innovation generates "dynamic efficiency" in the marketplace, which ultimately allows consumers to reap the rewards of new and exciting products.  There are few modern technologies that exemplify dynamic efficiency and innovation better than the mobile device revolution and the "app" business culture it enabled.  To be sure, new and innovative mobile device apps can be disruptive. Business models entrenched for decades have witnessed new competition from mobile platforms that can profoundly change an industry. But almost invariably, the winners from the process of innovation and competition are consumers.  "This is a big deal," says Pete Kennedy, who represents TIKD in the antitrust lawsuit. "The federal government rarely joins a lawsuit to support one side over the other. I am very pleased to see that the DOJ's Antitrust Division recognizes the significance of this lawsuit and supports TIKD's efforts to increase competition, reduce prices, and improve access to legal services for consumers." Background on TIKD's position TIKD's lawsuit relies on a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision, FTC v. North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners, that removed immunity from federal antitrust law from regulatory agencies, like the Florida Bar, that are controlled by members of the profession they regulate, unless the agency's actions are actively supervised and authorized by a true government agency. TIKD alleges the Bar's actions on which the lawsuit is based  issuing a negative staff opinion targeting TIKD's business model and making oral statements to Florida lawyers that TIKD was violating Florida law  were unsupervised and unauthorized by any government agency. Others in the legal profession are applauding the DOJ's position. "This is exactly the type of anticompetitive conduct that North Carolina Dental case aims to rein in, by subjecting self-interested licensing boards to 'active supervision' by the state. The North Carolina Dental ruling made clear that practicing lawyers can no longer patrol their own markets free from political accountability," said Elizabeth Chambliss, professor of law and director, NMRS Center on Professionalism, University of South Carolina School of Law. "TIKD is delighted to welcome the Department of Justice's support in its effort to improve consumers' access to affordable legal services," said Tom Spahn, TIKD's President and COO. "The DOJ emphasizes why this case matters: the 'winners from the process of innovation and competition are consumers.' TIKD is good for drivers, good for lawyers, and is operating within the rules defined by law. We are looking forward to resolving this case so we can continue to help consumers save time and money when they get a traffic ticket." About TIKD TIKD is a Florida startup providing drivers with a simpler, more cost-effective way to handle traffic tickets directly from their smartphones and computers. TIKD uses technology, big data and the law of large numbers to offer customers a multitude of benefits including convenience, cost savings on the face value of their traffic ticket, affordable access to legal services and the opportunity to minimize the negative financial impact of getting a traffic ticket. TIKD is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. It is available in select counties across Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Washington DC and California. In other locations, customers can simply pay their traffic ticket fine using BetterPay by TIKD, the first of its kind online payment plan for traffic tickets. More than 8,000 customers have used TIKD since it launched in February 2017. Find out more at TIKD.com and on our fact sheet. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-states-department-of-justice-supports-tech-start-up-tikds-antitrust-lawsuit-against-the-florida-bar-300613475.html SOURCE TIKD

[ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ]
The ministers of irrigation, foreign affairs and the heads of the intelligence services in Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia are going to meet next 4 and 5 April in Khartoum to discuss the latest developments concerning the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Sudan's ambassador to Cairo announced on Tuesday.

Ambassador Abdel-Mahmoud Abdel-Halim said in media statements that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry recieved an invitation from Sudan officially.

The meeting is aimed at breaking the deadlock in negotiations over disputes in the construction of the GERD and its impact on downstream Nile basin countries.

Ethiopia and Sudan have not accepted the results of a report issued in March 2017 by a European consultancy firm on the potential impact of the dam on downstream countries, which concluded that the speed of construction could negatively affect Egypt's water share.

Ethiopia has so far opposed a recent proposal by Cairo to involve the World Bank in the stalled technical negotiations.

That meeting was originally planned in late February but it was adjourned due to the political developments in Ethiopia and the resignation of Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in mid-February.

The dam, situated near Ethiopia's border with Sudan, is slated for completion this year and expected to generate 6,000 megawatts of electricity.



Ethiopia hopes to be able to export electricity generated by the dam, which will be the largest hydroelectric power plant in Africa.

Short link:


Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry is set to fly to Rome on Wednesday to co-chair a conference of international partners in support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) as the agency awaits a crisis in its ability to provide humanitarian services following large budget cuts by the United States.

Foreign Minister Shoukry will co-chair the conference along with the foreign ministers of Jordan and Sweden.

Wednesdays meeting follows UNRWA media statements last week saying that the agency was facing an "unprecedented financial crisis," calling for global mobilization to find a solution to the crisis that will disrupt food, health care and educational aid to millions of Palestinians.



The fiscal crisis was triggered by a January decision by US President Donald Trump to cut the agency's funding by more than half, holding an estimated $65 million of a planned $125 million aid package from the organization.

The US is the UNRWA's largest donor, contributing nearly a third of its budget.

In an official statement on Wednesday, Egypts foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that Egypt, which currently chairs the agency's advisory committee, continues to oppose the "politicization of humanitarian issues" through the importance of not linking financial contributions for humanitarian purposes with demands of a political nature."

Abu Zeid also called for the abstention from any further decisions that may jeopardize humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, especially as the time window of opportunity to secure donor funding is closing.

Egypt's continued support for the agency's work as one of the tools in dealing with the refugee question, being a pivotal final-status issue, affirms the need to preserve the work of UNRWA and to maintain incoming contributions until the cause is definitively settled, the statement read.



Abu Zeid stressed that continuing the UNRWA's mandate in such a volatile time for the region is considered a necessity rather than a luxury."

According to the spokesman, Egypt's participation in Wednesdays meeting emphasizes the priority the country attaches to solving the Palestinian refugee question as part of its historical responsibilities towards the Palestinian cause.

Short link:


March 14, 2018 Are 'Novichok' Poisons Real? - May's Claims Fall Apart The British government claims that 'Novichok' poisons, developed 30 years ago in the Soviet Union, affected a British double agent. But such substances may not exist at all. The British government further says that the Russian government is responsible for the incident and has announced penalties against the country. A comparable incidents happened in 2001 in the United States. Envelopes with Anthrax spores were sent to various politicians. Some people died. The White House told the FBI to blame al-Qaeda but the Anthrax turned out to be from a U.S. chemical-biological weapon laboratory. The case is still unsolved. The 'whistle-blower' Vil Mirzayanov who 'revealed' the 'Novichok' program and its poisons published chemical formulas that should enable any decent laboratory to reproduce them. But neither the existence of the claimed program nor the existence of the alleged substances were ever accepted by the scientific community. The Russian government says it does not know the program nor the alleged poisons. The highly constructed drama around the alleged poisoning of a British double agent Skripal and his daughter has thus turned into a surreal play. The British government has so far given no evidence that the Skripal's were poisoned at all, or that they were poisoned by someone else. No detailed medical bulletin was published. The British accusations against Russia lets one assume that a suicide attempt has been excluded. Why? There is no independent evaluation of the alleged poison. The British government claims that its own chemical weapon laboratory at Porton Down, only a few miles from where the incident happened, has identified the poison as one of the 'Novichok' chemicals. But in 2016 a leading chemist at Porton Down had doubts that such chemicals exist. ( and the former British Ambassador Craig Murray point this out): As recently as 2016 Dr Robin Black, Head of the Detection Laboratory at the UKs only chemical weapons facility at Porton Down, a former colleague of Dr David Kelly, published in an extremely prestigious scientific journal that the evidence for the existence of Novichoks was scant and their composition unknown. In recent years, there has been much speculation that a fourth generation of nerve agents, Novichoks (newcomer), was developed in Russia, beginning in the 1970s as part of the Foliant programme, with the aim of finding agents that would compromise defensive countermeasures. Information on these compounds has been sparse in the public domain, mostly originating from a dissident Russian military chemist, Vil Mirzayanov. No independent confirmation of the structures or the properties of such compounds has been published. (Black, 2016) Robin Black. (2016) Development, Historical Use and Properties of Chemical Warfare Agents. Royal Society of Chemistry The Scientific Advisory Board of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has not recognized Novichoks as chemical weapons because it found scant evidence that they exist at all. The U.S. and the UK are both part of the organization and both agreed with this evaluation: [The SAB] emphasised that the definition of toxic chemicals in the Convention would cover all potential candidate chemicals that might be utilised as chemical weapons. Regarding new toxic chemicals not listed in the Annex on Chemicals but which may nevertheless pose a risk to the Convention, the SAB makes reference to Novichoks. The name Novichok is used in a publication of a former Soviet scientist who reported investigating a new class of nerve agents suitable for use as binary chemical weapons. The SAB states that it has insufficient information to comment on the existence or properties of Novichoks. (OPCW, 2013) The former Soviet scientist, Vil Mirzayanov, who 'blew the whistle' and wrote about the 'Novichoks', now lives in a $1 million home in the United States. The AFP news agency just interviewed him about the recent incident: Mirzayanov, speaking at his home in Princeton, New Jersey, said he is convinced Russia carried it out as a way of intimidating opponents of President Vladimir Putin. "Only the Russians" developed this class of nerve agents, said the chemist. "They kept it and are still keeping it in secrecy." The only other possibility, he said, would be that someone used the formulas in his book to make such a weapon. "Russia did it", says Mirzayanov, "OR SOMEONE WHO READ MY BOOK".

1, 2 The book was published in 2008 and is available as hardcover, paperback or for $8.16 as an electronic file. It includes a number of formulas which, Mirzayanov says, could be used to produce those chemical agents. But neither Porton Down nor the OPCW seem convinced that this is possible. They may believe that Mirzayanov is just full of it. One customer reviewing Mirzayanov's book remarked: [Needs] an editor to throttle back his epic "i'm an epic awesome martyr" stuff and stick to the science. Another reviewer wrote: State secrets is by far the most long winded and painfully slow novel on chemical weapons written by a disgruntled defected scientist from Russia I have ever read! If you want to hear an employ with delusions of grandeur moan about every person he ever worked with then this is the book for you, otherwise don't waste your sweet time. Seriously! Nothing happens except Vil somethingkov helps make things that kill people for 30 years, gets a (sort of) conscience, defects, and constantly whinges about.....everything. Vil Mirzayanov promoted his book in a 2009 video. Shortly after he published his book he blogged an explanation why he included formulas in it: While I was writing my book State Secrets: An Insiders Chronicle of the Russian Chemical Weapons Program, some people from Washington persistently advised me not to include the formulas of the chemical agents of the Novichok series in my book.

...

I asked why it would be a bad idea to publish this information, since it would be for the safety of all people. Then the governments would work to have those chemical agents and their precursors included into the Control List. They responded, Terrorists could use them for their criminal actions. This kind of reasoning is used all the time now to scare people and prevent any discussion. We are already used to ignoring a lot of real problems thanks to that. Mirzayanov further points out that experienced personal in well equipped laboratories would be able to use his formulas. State actors have such laboratories, like the British Porton Down, but terrorists do not have such capabilities. Mirzayanov urged to included the substances he described into the OPCW list of controlled material. But the OPCW, as seen above, rejected that. Neither its scientific board nor the head of the Porton Down detection laboratory were convinced that these substances or the Soviet program Mirzayanov described existed at all. The Soviet chemical weapon laboratory in which Mirzayanov had worked was in Uzbekistan, not in Russia as Theresa May falsely claims. The laboratory was dismantled with the active help of the United States. Theresa's May claims that the Skripals were poisoned with 'Novichok' agents is highly questionable. Her claim that only Russia could be responsible for the Skripal incident is obviously bollocks. The existence of the substances as described by Vil Mirzayanov is in serious doubt. But if he is right then any state or company with a decent laboratory and competent personal can produce these substances from the formulas and descriptions he provides in his book. That is at least what Mirzayanov himself says. But most disturbing about the case are not the false claims Theresa May makes. She is in deep political trouble over the Brexit negotiations and other issues and needs any political diversion that she can get. Blaming Russia for 'something' is en vogue and might help her for a while. No, the most troubling issue is the behavior of the media who fail to point out that May's claims are bluster and that there is no evidence at all that supports her claims. The only paper that is somewhat skeptical is the Irish Times which finds it highly unlikely that the Russian government is behind the poisoning. May demanded and got a NATO meeting on the case. But the statement NATO issued afterwards was extremely weak. It only offered support in conducting the British investigation and it asked Russia to respond to the British questions. Neither did it support the claims May made, nor did it take any measures against Russia. A French spokesperson said "We dont do fantasy politics" and demanded 'definite conclusions' on the case before deciding anything. No support was given to May by the Trump administration (Update: U.S. ambassador to the UN Nick Haley has now jumped to May's aid.) The story May wants to tell has way too much holes to be sustainable. The involvement of the British double agent Skripal in the fake Steele dossier about Trump is likely the real story behind the incident. No international support is coming for May. The British opposition leader Corbyn was right today when he demanded that she produces evidence for her claims. A few more pushes and her house of cards will surely come down. Posted by b on March 14, 2018 at 19:17 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
Pop superstar Katy Perry is one of the judges on this season of American Idol, and while many have found her to be entertaining, others have taken to social media to slam her behaviour towards male contestants.



The 'Firework' hitmaker has openly flirted with many of the hopefuls vying for their chance at stardom, and some have said she's being disrespectful, especially in light of the sexual harassment allegations in Hollywood and the 'Me too' movement.

One recent audition is being touted as the main example; that of 19-year-old Benjamin Glaze from Oklahoma. When he was coyly discussing his job as a cashier and how he uses it to meet "cute girls", one of the other judges playfully asked "have you ever kissed a girl and liked it?" Glaze then admitted he'd never kissed a girl, as "I have never been in a relationship and I can't kiss a girl without being in a relationship".

Perry then forced him to come over and kiss her on the cheek, then unsatisfied with that, turned her head quickly for a second one on the lips. Glaze, shocked, exclaimed "Katy!" as she threw her arms in the air victoriously.

"I was a tad bit uncomfortable," Glaze told the New York Times. "I wanted to save [kissing] for my first relationship."



"Would I have done it if she said, 'would you kiss me?' No, I would have said no," he said. "I know a lot of guys would be like, 'Heck yeah!' But for me, I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately. I wanted my first kiss to be special."

It's not the only moment Perry has expressed her open affection for a contestant. When 27-year-old construction worker Trevor Holmes walked into the California audition, Perry started flirting and called him a "dreamboat".

She added that "only hot guys are named Trevor." When Holmes said he called Perry "ma'am" because he respects her, she told him: "Don't respect me."

Newshub.
Morgan Hill Police arrested an Ann Sobrato High School student in connection with a suspicious note found on campus March 13.

MHPD, along with assistance from Morgan Hill Unified School District officials, immediately responded to the school to investigate a written message located a day after it was written, according to MHPD Sgt. Troy Hoefling. A team of officers were on site throughout the investigation. A student was identified, arrested and booked into the Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall.

MHPD did not identify the student in a March 14 press release announcing an arrest had been made.

MHPD will not tolerate any threats that jeopardize the safety of our children and schools, Hoefling said. We will investigate all threats immediately and methodically and hold the offenders accountable for their actions. The safety of our Students and Staff is our top concern.

Immediately following the March 13 incident, MHUSD sent an email out to parents notifying them of what occurred and that there was no credible threat to Sobrato student.

This morning , one of our students found a note indicating a possible threat to campus. MHPD was called and quick to respond as well as the District Office team, said Sobrato Principal Courtney Macko in that March 13 email. After a comprehensive investigation, MHPD determined that there is no credible threat against Sobrato High School.

Hoefling later confirmed that local officers determined the note did not indicate a credible threat.

Mackos message asks parents to work with us in stressing to children the seriousness of making threats and also stresses that law enforcement and the district take safety concerns and threats very seriously. There are also school and legal consequences for those who make such threats, the email warns.

Even the act of repeating or reposting a threat or possible threat may result in that individual facing school, state or federal consequences and legal prosecution, wrote Macko, noting that there have been similar non-credible threats made throughout the country since the Feb. 14 mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Unfortunately, these events are needlessly interrupting the education environment of our schools and distracting law enforcement from their core responsibilities of protecting our students and keeping our campus community safe, she said.

In her message to parents, Macko also thanked the courageous student who alerted Sobrato staff to the note that had been circulating among peers.

The bravery it takes to tell an adult when a fellow student is not acting in the communities best interest is commendable and should not be lost in the significance of the situation, Macko said.

The incident at Sobrato High School was unrelated to a March 13 police investigation of a home for possible bomb-making materials on McLaughlin Court, according to authorities.
An Egyptian man has reported being robbed and injured by attackers who had posted a fake camera advert on a popular peer-to-peer shopping website to engineer a meeting, days after a student was stabbed to death during a similar robbery.

Islam Hatem, who describes himself as a photographer on his Facebook page, said he was robbed and severely injured when he went to buy a camera lens after seeing ads on the OLX website.

I saw a camera lens advert on OLX and I went to the place that we agreed to meet in 10 Ramadan city, he wrote on his Facebook page, where he also published pictures of his injuries.

I rode with the seller and two other people in a microbus heading to his home to get the lens, as I was told, Hatem said.

Minutes later, two other people told the driver to stop the vehicle and they started hitting me with sticks and knives and then robbed me of my camera, my money and other personal items, he said.

He wrote that he needed 29 stitches to his head and face, and had other injuries to his hands and body.

Hatem, who also studies aviation engineering, said he reported the incident to the police along with a medical report documenting his injuries.

Last week, Mohamed Abdel-Aziz, also an engineering student, was reported missing; his body was later located by police in an abandoned area in Al-Nozha neighbourhood in Cairo.

The victims father said that his son had been searching days before for a used laptop online and found one through an advertisement on OLX.

The police arrested two of four people accused of killing Abdel-Aziz and stealing EGP 25,000, the price of the used laptop they agreed upon with the victim.

The suspects confessed to posting a fake laptop ad online to rob the victim.

Short link:


Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk!

You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on Egyptians to participate in large numbers in the upcoming presidential elections in order to continue building the nation, speaking at a meeting with top security officials at the interior ministry on Wednesday.

Citizens should participate in the upcoming vote, scheduled for 26 to 28 March, to express their free will, regardless of political orientation, and to contribute to the building of the nation and to maintaining its freedom, safety and stability, the president said.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar, Defence Minister Sedqi Sobhi and acting Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, as well as top armed forces and interior ministry officials, and took place at the interior ministrys headquarters in New Cairo.

During the meeting, which was partially televised, the president reviewed a detailed report on security measures over the last four years.

He also reviewed the interior ministrys role in Operation Sinai 2018, a military operation launched last month to tackle terrorism in north and central Sinai, as well as other areas of the country.

A report presented by security by Interior Minister Magdy Abdel-Ghaffar stated that the countrys security situation is improving following years of instability, chaos and weak security.

On counter-terrorism efforts, the ministry launched a large number of precautionary operations, eliminating 992 terrorist hideouts and arresting 19,108 terrorist elements.

The ministrys security operations prevented a large number of terrorist attacks during the last four years, the minister said.

According to Abdel-Ghaffar, terrorist attacks were down 85 percent in 2017 compared to the previous four years.

The number of terrorist attacks registered in 2017 was 22, in comparison to 481 attacks in 2014, the minister said, praising the efforts and sacrifices of the security forces.

The ministry also carried out efforts on pursuing economic entities and establishments that financially assist terrorist organisations.

On countering criminal activity in the country, the ministry eliminated 205 dangerous criminal hideouts and arrested 134,681 criminal suspects, as well as 5,157 criminal gangs, the minister said.

Interior ministry forces also foiled 615 illegal migration attempts during the past four years.

Short link:


The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday an air strike killed 12 members of the Failaq al-Rahman rebel group in eastern Ghouta, including two of its commanders.

The group's spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Observatory said the strike took place on Tuesday evening and that, based on activist reports, it was conducted by Russia. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Britain-based war monitor, named the two commanders as Abu Mohammad Saif and Abu Mohammed Jobar.



Short link:


Related Britain and Russia brace for showdown as deadline expires for nerve attack explanation

The U.N. Security Council will meet on Wednesday afternoon to be briefed on the investigation into the nerve agent attack in Britain, United Nations diplomats and the British Foreign Office said.

Britain earlier called for an urgent meeting to update members on its investigation into the attack.

Short link:


Egypts shift to renewable energy has helped create many job opportunities, experts say, with the industry expected to grow further over the next few years.

Renewable energy is more job-intensive compared to traditional energy projects, said Axel Ceglie-Swoboda, chief technical officer of Solar Al-Shams Company for New and Renewable Energies, which operates in Egypt.

More people are needed to install, operate and maintain renewable energy projects, he said, speaking at the the 51st Cairo Climate Talks which were held on Tuesday.

Germanys ambassador to Egypt, Julius Georg Luy, also highlighted during the Cairo Climate Talks how the development of the renewables sector could benefit the economy and the labour market in Egypt.

The sector has vast growth potential in Egypt with ambitious plans to increase renewable energy projects, he said, adding that the sector is growing exponentially worldwide due to newer technologies, lower costs and supportive government policies.

To give an idea about how developing the renewables market can create jobs, Luy said that employment in the sector in Germany has doubled over the last 10 years, and that there are around 10 million people around the world working currently in the renewable energy sector.

He also stressed the importance of education and capacity building to the development of the sector, adding that Germany and Egypt are strongly cooperating in this area.

Ceglie-Swoboda believes that the Egyptian governments plan to lift subsidies on electricity will boost growth in the renewable energy market, because it will be more attractive for new investors .

In 2015, electricity prices were scheduled by the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy to increase gradually until they reached the real cost of production, at which point there will be no more government subsidies of electricity.

The plan is to reach that goal by 2022, which is also a target year by the ministry for 20 percent of electricity to come rom renewables; that rises to a target of 42 percent by the year 2035.

There were about 8,800 people working in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Egypt as of the end of 2016, according to Maged Mahmoud, technical director and renewable energy expert at the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

There are more than 200 companies working in Egypt in the field of renewable energy, mainly solar, he added.

Based on assessments of the 2035 plan, there will be 28,000 direct and indirect jobs expected to be created, with the right regulatory framework and policies, Mahmoud said, adding that new and modified regulations like the new net metering system has made more companies interested in investing in renewable energy projects.

Net-metering is a billing system in which individuals or businesses generate their own electricity using solar cells and feed the excess power to the national grid at fixed prices. These prices are now more appealing with the rising prices of traditional electricity sold by the ministry.

The benefits of decentralisation achieved by renewable energy installations also include creating sustainable jobs for people in villages and rural areas, according to Ceglie-Swoboda. They can stay at their villages for operation and maintenance jobs without thinking about moving to the capital to find work, he said.

Another major benefit of renewable energy as a new market is that it has a higher share of people who are really convinced of renewables and can see the importance of these green energy sources, said Nikolaus Supersberger, program coordinator at the Egyptian-German Joint Committee for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.

People who work with renewables understand how they shape the future of energy, he added.

However, experts agreed that there is still a gap between theoretical and practical work in the renewable energy field in Egypt that can make it hard sometimes to find technicians and workers for certain tasks.

Graduates spend a long time on job training when their education should make them more ready, said Yassein Abdel-Ghaffar, co-founder of Solarize Egypt.

Many entities provide training workshops to try to fill that gap, but they all need to be coherent and fitting to the local industry, said Mahmoud.

There are 28 courses related to renewable energy projects and technologies available in universities across Egypt for engineering students, Mahmoud stated. There are also high technical schools and specific curricula like the ones established in Aswan and Hurghada.

A new curriculum developed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in partnership with the Egyptian Ministry of Education will help over 300 technical school students in Aswan and Hurghada specialise in renewable energy and prepare them for employment in solar and wind power sectors.

Minister of Electricity Mohamed Shaker inaugurated on Tuesday the first phase of Egypt's Benban solar park in Aswan, set to be one of the largest in the world upon completion at 1465 megawatts of total capacity, and with investments worth $2 billion.

Still, Supersberger believes there should be more focus on vocational training in Egypt. Vocational training is the beginning and end of everything to get the renewable energy market going, he said.

Short link:


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.
Exhibitions by two renowned artists will open in parallel at Picasso Gallery on 16 March, one by Helmy El-Toni and another by Gamal Meleka.

In Hall 1, El-Tonis exhibition Leh Ya Banafseg will revisit his signature folkloric style in a series of paintings inspired by the eponymous song written by Beiram El-Tonsi.

A prolific painter and graphic designer, El-Touni celebrates Egyptian heritage and identity with music, frequently infusing his paintings with lyrics from a variety of traditional Egyptian songs.

He is best known for his career illustrating countless story books, including "The Most Beautiful Folk Tales" (2001) and "The Oppressed Princess" (1982).

El-Touni was nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 2004. In 2011, the African Writers' Association nominated him for the Swedish Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for his entire body of work.

Melekas exhibition, titled The Legend, in Hall 2 deals with memories and the personal stories the artist lives with, intertwined with the history of Egypt, which together take on the form of legends.

The exhibition features over 30 recent works by Meleka.

He is the recipient of several international awards, including seven medals from the president of the Italian Republic and three medals from his holiness Pope Paul II, as well as several national art awards in Italy.

Both artists have distinctly different styles, and yet the exhibitions share an aspect of storytelling, and a link to heritage.

Programme:

Both exhibitions open on 16 March and run till 24 March.

From 10.30am to 9pm, except Sundays.

Picasso Gallery, 30 Hassan Assem Street, off Brazil Street, Zamalek, Cairo

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Short link:


The Polk County School Board took up the issue of school safety at a work session Tuesday.

Parkland mass shooting major topic of school board meeting

Sheriff discusses, pushes for 'Guardian' program usage

School board member Townsend opposed to arming teachers



Polk Sheriff Grady Judd spoke to the board about the costs of providing upgraded security and the potential for training and arming school employees.

Judd told board members that it would cost up to $16 million a year to provide school resource officers at all public and charter schools that don't already have them.

He also advocated for the school district to use the new state school safety law that would allow for training school workers who volunteered to be armed with a gun. Under the "Guardian" program, the employees would have to go through a background check and get 140 hours of training.

"If some crazed killer has gotten through all our prevention, all our security and is walking down a hallway with a gun towards your child's classroom, do you want someone there with a gun that is well trained and knows how to use it," said Judd.

The Parkland mass shooting a month ago was a major topic during the meeting. Parkland parent Andy Pollock spoke to the board.

His daughter, Meadow, was shot to death. He was in favor of the "Guardian" program.

"And if I could give advice to a school board to save a child's life, I thought it would be worth driving up here three hours to tell them about my experience," he said.



Board member Billy Townsend speaks during Tuesday's meeting. (Rick Elmhorst, staff)

Some board members seemed to favor arming school workers with guns or at least open to the idea, but board member Bill Townsend opposed the idea and was critical of sheriff Judd for promoting it.

"Fifteen hundred guns in our schools would kill kids at scale over time by accident," said Townsend.

The school board hasn't set a date to make a decision on the school safety proposals.
Clearwater High School students joined others across the nation remembering Parkland one month after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Bell rings at Clearwater HS for each Parkland victim



About 2,000 students took part

RELATED: Not guilty plea in Parkland school shootings



With every ring of the bell at Clearwater High School Wednesday morning, the name of a school shooting victim was read.

The bell rang seventeen times. One of ring of the bell was for 18-year-old Meadow Pollack.

"My heart is broken that I was around when she was born and had to be around when she was taken out of this world," said Caitlin Gumiela. Caitlin and Meadow's fathers are best friends, and the girls considered each other family.



Clearwater HS students end walkout with moment of silence to honor victims of Parkland school shooting. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/srtA2QQlpl  Melissa Eichman (@MEbn9) March 14, 2018

"I don't think any of us who have ever been touched by Meadow will ever be the same because she was just the light of our lives, she was our princess," said the CHS intern pushing for change.

"Focus on school safety, that every student is affected by this because they are students, that our fight needs to be categorized as school safety and not guns."

During a program at their school, CHS students read letters written to Parkland students.

"I pray things get better and may your friends rest in peace," read one CHS student leader.

The choir sang songs to honor Parkland students and families.

Some 2,000 students came together in support of those who lost their lives and those who survived.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;

"Having the teen-to-teen relationship, having them be able to relate to one another I definitely think that speaks a lot of volume," said CHS senior Keenan Murray.

Students also wore T-shirts with a design they created showing the CHS mascot and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mascot hugging.

All CHS students had the chance to write a message on a chain of support that will be sent to Parkland students.
Thousands of students walked out of classrooms across Central Florida on Wednesday to honor the 17 lives lost at a South Florida high school one month ago.

Some school districts are helping with walkouts

Students did a walkout against gun violence, honor those who died

At 10 a.m., from Orange to Seminole to Lake to Brevard counties, students stood in circles, hugged and held up signs in support of the victims and to protest gun violence as part of a grass-roots "National Walkout Day."

Wekiva High School students, like so many throughout the state, are doing a walkout on Wednesday against gun violence and to honor those who died in the Parkland shooting last month.https://t.co/MZOTHP8jgv pic.twitter.com/PXsoyeT5Vu  News 13 (@MyNews13) March 14, 2018 Students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland did a walkout. The high school was the scene of a shooting that left 17 people dead.



Read more: https://t.co/MZOTHP8jgv pic.twitter.com/0E69cTSxqP  News 13 (@MyNews13) March 14, 2018

Some school districts even helped students in the walkouts, encouraging them to go to a school's courtyard for a special ceremony.

Each of the 17 desks has a white rose and photo of one of the 17 killed at #MarjoryStonemanDouglas. @MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/ewdmpQnIow  Jerry Hume (@JerryHume) March 14, 2018

Many students were are pushing for more gun control and school safety measures.

Students in Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties, who left class, were not be punished for leaving, as long as they did so peacefully.

Orange County

School administrators said every high school in Orange County planned some type of walkout event.

"It's a student-led effort through the student government associations at each of the schools. They've really come forward with what their plans are going to be, and what we wanted to do is just really create an environment which the students could express themselves (as long as) it was safe, it was orderly," Orange County Public Schools spokesman Scott Howat said.

In Osceola County, administrators say this will be the last walk out permitted this school year.

Seminole County

In the middle of what is usually fourth period, more than two thousand students left their teachers, backpacks and desks behind and walked out, a sign of solidarity and a push for change.

I wanted to educate the students here that this could happen to us at any time. It could also happen anywhere," Wekiva High School senior class president Maddie Weldon said. "I dont think a lot of the kids here take it seriously when we do fire drills or we do our lock downs.

In the courtyard of the school sat 17 empty desks, each with a picture of the one of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High victims.

Devan Burton said one of his friends was at that school on Valentine's Day, when the massacre occurred. The friend escaped the shooting physically unharmed.

Burton said he's proud of his student body's actions.

"(We want) to actually show that we do care and we want the violence to stop," Burton said.

Students sang, recited a poem and were called to register to vote.

"I think we have to start from inside the school and work our way out. We have to make sure our whole student population is together on this, and from what you can see here, yes, we are together on this," Wekiva High senior Clayvon James said. "Now, its time for us to bring it out there and let the whole world know and let them hear, 'Look, it's time for us to stop this.

Testing was going on before spring break and so the walk out may have impacted a student's decision about leaving class.

Flagler, Marion and Volusia county schools are on spring break this week.

The next big event to push for change in gun policies is a big protest in Washington, called March for Our Lives, that is set for Saturday, March 24.

Brevard County

An estimated 900 students gathered on the Viera High School practice field to honor the victims of the south Florida shooting.

Several student speakers addressed their fellow students, this as they called on local, state and national leaders to address gun control and mental health issues.

The peaceful protest lasted around 25 minutes.

Students said they were especially affected by the Parkland shooting, as the school is just a couple hour drive away.

The Viera area they call home mirrors that community now shattered by violence.

This isn't a partisan issue, and the first step in this process would be to create the social change that we saw here today, said Nivetha Aravind, Viera High School senior class president.

Lake County

At Umatilla High School, all 800 students were encouraged to attend a ceremony in the courtyard.

Students read the names of all 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, read a poem, sang amazing grace, and held a moment of silence.

Lake County officials say they wanted the events to be student planned and student led.

"We're all going through the same problems even though we might not admit it to each other, we might speak about it, said Crystal Casandra Harris, a senior. I think its important to recognize that and say there's people here, we saw what happened and we want to make a change, a difference, and help improve the lives of everyone we see around us."

Umatilla High is also collecting donations to send to a support fund during their annual seniors versus teachers volleyball game Wednesday afternoon.
A temporary exhibition highlighting 120 years of archaeological excavations in Deir el-Barsha in Minya will open Thursday evening at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square.

Under the title Life in Death: The Middle Kingdom at Deir el-Bersha, the exhibition will be officially inaugurated by Minister of Antiquities Khaled El-Enany, Belgiun Ambassador to Egypt Sibille de Cartier and German Ambassador Julius Georg Loew.

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, KU Leuven University in Belgium and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany.

The event will be attended by the head of the Belgium-Germany Archaeological Mission, a number of ambassadors to Egypt from foreign counties, Egyptian members of parliament and top officials at the antiquities ministry.

Elham Salah, Head of the Museums Sector at the ministry, told Ahram Online that the exhibition will be on display for 30 days and will showcase 70 artifacts from the discoveries at Deir Al-Bersha, which were previously spread throught the museums various galleries or concealed in its basement.

The artefacts will for the first time be displayed together, she pointed out, revealing that the objects include the distinguished funerary collection from the tomb of Sepi III.

Among Sepi III's artefacts are the rectangular box coffins, inscribed with religious funerary texts, known as coffin texts, which helped the deceased to travel through the afterlife.

Also among the displaed items are wooden models found in the tomb, which often depicting activities from daily life such as making food and drink.

The aim of such models was so that the deceased could enjoy these activities in eternity.

Trays found in the tombs of Sepi I, Sepi III and Nehri I will also be on display. These trays, Salah said, are unique as they are made of painted cartonnage, consisting of a layer of gypsum.

The individual offerings on these trays are also made of cartonnage, painted in intricate detail, allowing for the easy identification of objects.

Sabah Abdel-Razek, General-Director of the Egyptian Museum, said that the site at Deir Al-Bersha is located 280 km south of Cairo and is best known as the burial place of the Middle Kingdom governors of el-Ashmunein (c. 2055-1650 BCE).

The governors built elaborately decorated tombs high on the North Hill of the Eastern Desert cliffs, while important officials were buried in tomb shafts in the vicinity of their lords.

The earliest excavations at Deir el-Bersha began in 1897 when the French Egyptologist Georges Daressy began exploring the site on behalf of the Egyptian Antiquities Service. His most spectacular find was the intact burial chamber of Sepi III.

The first Egyptian Egyptologist, Ahmed Kamal, continued to work at Deir el-Bersha from 1900-1902. He excavated several of the elite shaft tombs on the North Hill, including those of Amenemhat and Nehri I.

During their expeditions, she explains, Daressy and Kamal discovered an impressive collection of exemplary Middle Kingdom funerary equipment, such as wooden tomb models and decorated coffins.

The majority of these objects are kept in the Egyptian Museum and many will be on display in this exhibit.

In 1915, American Egyptologist George Andrew Reisner excavated for two months at Deir el-Bersha. His most important discovery was the nearly intact tomb of governor Djehutinakht IV or V.

Since 2002 KU Leuven University has resumed excavations at this site, reinvestigating several of the areas where these prior excavations took place.

KU Leuven University has also collaborated with the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz since 2009 on excavations of five large tomb shafts in front of the tomb of governor Djehutihotep, most of the contents of which are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Short link:


Despite not being one of those who surrender easily to the craze for international days or other special days to commemorate various events, I find myself fascinated by the International and Egyptian Womens Days on 8 and 16 March, respectively.

However, my fascination comes from untold stories rather than from those that occupy the pages of the newspapers and the TV and radio programmes. It also derives from faces different from those that find their way onto the covers of glossy magazine or widely watched talk shows.

This is because in fact womens days are every day of the year. We all know this instinctively, even if we may not care to admit it, take it for granted, or even ignore it.

There is a long list of prejudged ideas that colour how women are viewed in the Egyptian context, ranging from traditions that can view women as inferior to men and therefore treat them as such to the current invasion of fanatical religious ideas and a love-hate relationship towards women that expresses itself in its crudest form when it is protected by traditions and crooked religious interpretations.

Women in Egypt have seen and endured a lot.

Much is said when women are celebrated about what they have achieved, lost, fought for, been subjected to, or are dreaming of. And much of this revolves around sexual dynamics, and with the #me_too breakthrough in the West, Womens Day has become even more about sexuality this year.

However, for women in Egypt there is nothing new about such sexual dynamics.

The status of women in Egypt has been becoming more and more sexualised, divided along social lines, and expected to carry the burdens of present upheavals. It is often said that in times of change women manage to shape new landscapes.

Along with the differences in their bodies, women tend to be more creative and resilient than men, especially in times of turmoil and disruption.

A recent UN Women study entitled Understanding Masculinities looked at ideas of gender among men and women in the Middle East and North Africa and found that both men and women in the region see women as being tangled up in traditions, extremist religious ideas, and the male interest in maintaining the inferior status of women.

According to a 36-year-old truck driver from Minya in Upper Egypt quoted in the study (a man), femininity is a woman at home. She is queen of the home and of food and drink. She cares for her husband and children. This is what we are told.

A 41-year-old gas salesperson from Cairo (a woman) said a man is someone who does not abuse or humiliate his wife or children.

He is someone who earns an income even when things are tough, and not from illicit activities. A man is clear and sticks to his word. Yes means yes, and no means no. This is masculinity to me.

If we applied the teachings of our religion correctly, men would have a status and women would have a status. But as long as men and women do not follow their religion properly, everything is a mess, said a 37-year-old man from Minya.

The new laws that support women have made them very hard to control. They can argue and fight with you, because you know that they are protected. Right now, if you talk to a woman she could go to the police and say you are harassing her and then you would get into trouble, said a 64-year-old man from Cairo.

The study sheds light on how men and women view womens participation in politics and leadership positions.

Asked if there should be more women in positions of political authority, 29 per cent of men and women agreed there should, and 68 per cent disagreed.

74 per cent said women were too emotional to be leaders, while 53 per cent said that women who participate in politics or leadership positions cannot be good wives and mothers.

35 per cent said they could be both. 57 per cent said that women should leave politics to men, while 40 per cent said women could be involved in politics.

Many of these opinions referred to religious interpretations for justification or for references that could not be questioned. To a lesser extent, some men and women looked for authority on gender matters to tradition.

In 2018 it seems strange that many of us are still discussing whether women should leave their homes to work, whether their faces should be uncovered, and even whether they can think rationally or not.

My own view is that when 14 per cent of families in Egypt, some 3.3 million families, are supported by women as the main wage-earner, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, this is enough evidence that women can think. I also think that when the government includes six female ministers, this is also evidence that women can think.

Men cause more car accidents than women. They cause more traffic violations and are responsible for a greater proportion of car accidents in the US, according to the US Census Bureau.

Such statistics are not available in Egypt, but judging by the many road accidents we witness daily on our roads, the majority of them caused by male drivers, it is strange, to say the least, to complain about womens driving.

The idea of the femme fatale is another strange phenomenon marking Egypt. Women became the victims of it in the aftermath of the invasion of extremist ideas that started in the early 1980s, and they are still sometimes regarded as untrustworthy or overly sexualised.

Does being covered in layers and layers of clothing, but still being viewed as sexual creatures, seem a paradox?

Yes, because it seems to mark a clear contradiction, and no because a great deal of imported versions of religious interpretation in fact revolve around sex and temptation. It is this imported extremist socio-religious discourse that can be held responsible for much of Egyptian womens subordinate status.

As we celebrate Egyptian Womens Day, we should remember that our six beautiful, hard-working, high-achiever female ministers are at one end of the Egyptian women spectrum and that there are millions of other Egyptian women at the other end.

Our six ministers look and act like many other Egyptian women, perhaps most other Egyptian women, did until the late 1970s when extremist ideas began to enter the country. But many younger Egyptian women may not realise this.

They may not know that Egypt, which some might have seen as not religious enough or not conservative enough in the 1970s, was a better and safer place then than it is today when an atmosphere of frantic religiosity and extreme conservatism rules.

Sexual harassment then was not as current as it is today. Ethics and manners were not as poor as they are today. Women were not viewed or treated as sexual objects under layers of dark cloth as they are by some religious extremists today.

To all the women of Egypt, Happy Womens Day. Good luck with your attempts to rediscover yourselves. Let us hope our male counterparts can leave aside their sexual obsessions for long enough to join us in our attempts to rediscover our common humanity.

The writer is a journalist at Al-Hayat newspapaer.

*This article was first published in Al-Ahram Weekly

Short link:


In case you missed it probably youve been living under a rock or something incredibly heavy, a major global announcement was passed on couple hours ago which could well determine what value our lives still hold here on Earth

Naahh, definitely not another wave of Coronavirus but

Research nerd and Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musks neuroscience startup Neuralink on Friday unveiled a coin-sized computer chip that could provide the age-old solution to treating brain and neuro-ailments.

The move is regarded as another giant stride though early step taken toward the goal of curing human diseases with the same type of implant.

Co-founded by Elon Musks Tesla Inc and SpaceX CEO Musk in 2016, San Francisco Bay Area-based Neuralink aims to implant wireless brain-machine interfaces that include thousands of electrodes in the most complex human organ to help cure neurological conditions like Alzheimers, dementia and spinal cord injuries and ultimately fuse humankind with artificial intelligence.

Though the mighty risks of artificial intelligence cant be understated, Neuralink implants most important achievement beyond medical applications would be some kind of AI symbiosis where you have an AI extension of yourself.

This practically would mean having small-smart devices that electronically stimulate nerves and brain areas to treat hearing loss and Parkinsons disease have been implanted in humans for decades.

Brain implant trials have also been conducted with a small number of people who have lost control of bodily functions due to spiral cord injuries or neurological conditions like strokes.

An implantable device can actually solve these problems, Musk said on a webcast Friday, mentioning ailments such as memory loss, hearing loss, depression and insomnia.

Musk did not provide a timeline for those treatments, appearing to retreat from earlier statements that human trials would begin by the end of this year. Neuralinks first clinical trials with a small number of human patients would be aimed at treating paralysis or paraplegia, the companys head surgeon Dr. Matthew MacDougall said.

For the Friday Neuralink webcast, Musk presented what he described as the three little pigs demo.

Gertrude, the pig with a Neuralink implant in the part of its brain that controls the snout, required some coaxing by Musk to appear on camera, but eventually began eating off of a stool and sniffing straw, triggering spikes on a graph tracking the animals neural activity.

Musk said the company had three pigs each implanted with the chip for the past couple months, and also revealed a pig that previously had an implant. They were healthy, happy and indistinguishable from a normal pig, Musk said. Musk said the company predicted a pigs limb movement during a treadmill run at high accuracy using implant data.

Furthermore, the Neuralinks chip, is roughly 23 millimeters (0.9 inch) in diameter which Musk described as a Fitbit in your skull with tiny wires making it relatively minute in size.

I could have a Neuralink right now and you wouldnt know, Musk said.  Maybe I do.

We hope you dont for now though Mr Musk!

Stanford University neuroscientist Sergey Stavisky said the company had made substantial and impressive progress since an initial demonstration of an earlier chip in July 2019.

Going from that to the fully implanted system in several pigs they showed is impressive and, I think, really highlights the strengths of having a large multidisciplinary team focused on this problem, Stavisky said.

Neuralinks chip could also improve the understanding of neurological diseases by reading brain waves, one of the companys scientists said during the presentation.

Though some researchers however opined longer studies would be required to determine the longevity and lifespan of the device.

Also, Startups such as Kernel, Paradromics and NeuroPace are trying to exploit advancements in material, wireless and signaling technology to create devices similar to Neuralink making it really a race in time to create an actual feasible device.

Though another question which albeit could be on the lips of users will be about personalization of data. We are not envisaging a Google Ad kind of scenario here, but with the extent user data is been mined and misused, you can only prepare for the worst nowadays.
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.
NP Posted

Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
At DIMDEX 2018, the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference currently held in Qatar, Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri is showcasing for the first time the multi-role air defence corvettes for the Qatari Navy.

At DIMDEX 2018, the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition & Conference currently held in Qatar, Italian shipbuilding group Fincantieri is showcasing for the first time the multi-role air defence corvettes for the Qatari Navy.

The future multi-role air defence corvette of the Qatar Emiri Naval Forces. Fincantieri image.



Qatar confirmed in August 2017 its order for seven vessels from Fincantieri following the signing of a preliminary contract in June 2016. The deal consists in four air defence corvettes of over 100 meters in length, one amphibious vessel (LPD - Landing Platform Dock acting as mobile radar station for the corvettes), and two patrol vessels (OPV - Offshore Patrol Vessel).

Fincantieri is showcasing for the very first time a scale model of the future corvette on its stand at DIMDEX 2018



The corvette design selected by the Qatari Navy has a length of 107 meters, a maximum breadth of 14.70 meters, a draft of 4.20 meters for a full load displacement of 3250 tons.

Its maximum speed is set to be 28 knots, its range 3500 nautical miles (at 15 knots). The propulsion system will be CODAD type. It will have an endurance of 21 days.

The crew complement will be 98 sailors with accommodations for a total of 112 persons. The flight deck and hangar are sized for one NH90 helicopter.

A scale model of the corvette is also present on the Qatari Navy booth



In terms of weapon systems, the corvettes will be fitted with a 76mm main gun by Leonardo, 16x VLS cells for ASTER 30 surface to air missiles (by MBDA), two Marlins 30mm remote weapon stations (Leonardo), 8x Exocet MM40 Block III (MBDA) and RAM launcher (21 missiles) by Raytheon for short range air defense.



Leonardo is responsible for the integrated supply of the new naval units combat system (Athena), main radar system (Kronos) and on-board sensors and defence sub-systems, including the anti-torpedo protection system and the Thesan mine avoidance sonar.

A total of four Sylena Mk2 decoy launchers by Lacroix will protect the vessels against anti-ship missile threats.

These corvettes will become the backbone and the most potent surface combatants of the Qatari Navy fleet.



First steel cutting is set to take place in June 2018 while delivery of first of class vessel is expected in 2021.

These corvettes will become the backbone and the most potent surface combatants of the Qatari Navy fleet.



The contract also includes support services in Qatar for 15 years after the delivery of the vessels. All the units will be entirely built in Fincantieri Italian shipyards starting from 2018, ensuring 6 years of work and an important impact on the main Italian defense companies.

Fincantieri and the Qatari Navy are also showcasing for the first time the designs of the OPV and LPD. Stay tuned for Navy Recognition's coverage of these two new vessels.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Facing flak over the nearly Rs 12,700 crore scam, Punjab National Bank today said it has put in place a three-tier authentication system for SWIFT transaction and is in the process of installing a "superior" software system.

The fraud, the biggest in the Indian banking sector, is alleged to have been perpetrated by way of fraudulent Letters of Understanding (LoUs) and misuse of authentication for SWIFT transactions by some bank officials.

In a detailed filing to the NSE, the state-owned lender said the Audit Committee of the Board (ACB) has suggested external audit of all branches at regular intervals.

Lapses at multiple fronts, including supervisory and audit, are among the factors being blamed for the scam.

READ: Punjab National Bank has taken a series of measures to check misuse of SWIFT message platform, says Finance Ministry

However, the bank today said, "the way these fraudulent transactions were committed by some employees in connivance of beneficiary was not within the scope of overall direct supervision of the ACB".

Appropriate directions have been given to urgently integrate SWIFT with CBS (Core Banking System) and other remedial measures connected to overall audit functions of the bank, it added.

"A three-level authentication has been implemented in the bank regarding SWIFT authentication and terminal at Head Office/ Zonal Office would be provided to monitor transactions immediately.

"A third level re-authorisation of all financial messages by putting an additional tier at SWIFT Centre, Mumbai, has been implemented wherein payment messages are re-authorised only after cross checking authentication of transactions in CBS and thereafter allowed to pass through SWIFT Gateway server with effect from February 12, 2018," the filing said.

The bank made an announcement about the fraud on February 13.

Besides, the bank said a "superior" software system has been installed and is in testing phase.

This would enable the bank at mid-office and head office to view transactions of all branches through one administration.

"The core banking system earlier in Finacle 7 has now been upgraded to Finacle 10 on January 29, 2018.

Need based access is available for authorised users at various levels based on user profile, to view transactions of a required branch or a group of branches", the filing said.

In the wake of the scam, accounting firm BDO was appointed on February 27 to carry out a forensic audit and its report is expected in three months.
By Associated Press

LONDON: Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.

The best-known theoretical physicist of his time, Hawking wrote so lucidly of the mysteries of space, time and black holes that his book, "A Brief History of Time," became an international best seller, making him one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein.

IN PICS | One of the most celebrated theoretical physicist and author of 'A Brief History of Time' dies at 76

Even though his body was attacked by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, when Hawking was 21, he stunned doctors by living with the normally fatal illness for more than 50 years. A severe attack of pneumonia in 1985 left him breathing through a tube, forcing him to communicate through an electronic voice synthesizer that gave him his distinctive robotic monotone.

But he continued his scientific work, appeared on television and married for a second time.

READ | Stephen Hawking: A brief history of genius

As one of Isaac Newton's successors as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, Hawking was involved in the search for the great goal of physics  a "unified theory."

Such a theory would resolve the contradictions between Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which describes the laws of gravity that govern the motion of large objects like planets, and the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, which deals with the world of subatomic particles.

Hawking's achievements helped prove to many that even the most severe disabilities need not stop patients from living. (File Photo | AP)

For Hawking, the search was almost a religious quest  he said finding a "theory of everything" would allow mankind to "know the mind of God."

"A complete, consistent unified theory is only the first step: our goal is a complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence," he wrote in "A Brief History of Time."

In later years, though, he suggested a unified theory might not exist.

He followed up "A Brief History of Time" in 2001 with the more accessible sequel "The Universe in a Nutshell," updating readers on concepts like super gravity, naked singularities and the possibility of an 11-dimensional universe.

ALSO READ | Here's how the world is reacting to British physicist Stephen Hawking's death

Hawking said belief in a God who intervenes in the universe "to make sure the good guys win or get rewarded in the next life" was wishful thinking.

"But one can't help asking the question: Why does the universe exist?" he said in 1991. "I don't know an operational way to give the question or the answer, if there is one, a meaning. But it bothers me."

The combination of his best-selling book and his almost total disability  for a while he could use a few fingers, later he could only tighten the muscles on his face  made him one of science's most recognizable faces.

He made cameo television appearances in "The Simpsons" and "Star Trek" and counted among his fans U2 guitarist The Edge, who attended a January 2002 celebration of Hawking's 60th birthday.

His early life was chronicled in the 2014 film "The Theory of Everything," with Eddie Redmayne winning the best actor Academy Award for his portrayal of the scientist. The film focused still more attention on Hawking's remarkable achievements.

Some colleagues credited that celebrity with generating new enthusiasm for science.

His achievements, and his longevity, also helped prove to many that even the most severe disabilities need not stop patients from living.
What voters need to know about $21.44 million school bond in Portsmouth

The town could be eligible to be reimbursed to the tune of 40% through a statewide program.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to steady rain this afternoon. High 67F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low around 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong (centre-left) gives his support to the UN Women gender equality programme "HeForShe" in New York.

Secretary for Labour & Welfare Dr Law Chi-kwong started his New York trip yesterday.

He met Deputy Consul General of the People's Republic of China in New York Zhao Yumin to discuss recent developments in Hong Kong.

Dr Law later talked about poverty alleviation policies and learned how data sharing can help co-ordinate welfare services with Executive Director of the Mayor's Office for Economic Opportunity Matthew Klein.

He then spoke at a luncheon held by the Hong Kong Association of New York, Asian Women in Business and the International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation.

There, he said Hong Kong women are playing an increasingly vital role in various professions, adding the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has taken initiatives to further unleash the potential of women in the labour force.

Dr Law, as part of the Chinese delegation, also attended a meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women to promote the implementation of the Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action, a comprehensive policy framework to realise gender equality and the human rights of women.
Government has warned absentee farmers that they risk losing their farms after an assessment on farms is completed in two months.



Speaking at the inaugural tobacco conference that was organised by Cardinal Chartered Accountants, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Davis Marapira said farmers should take farming as a serious business, and this included employing professional managers.



When we allocated people land, you are all aware that we wanted the beneficiaries to be on the land or employ good managers who can deliver. But some farmers are either not on the land or they do not have good managers, said Deputy Minister Marapira.



We are going to visit farms in the next two months for assessment. Some farmers are always on the land and they produce good yields; for instance, four tonnes per hectare in tobacco.







Farmers should perform and not always complain. Under the new dispensation, it is not business as usual, he said.





Tobacco farmers, he said, should take farming seriously as agriculture was the mainstay of the economy, contributing significantly to both the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) and providing employment to a large portion of the Zimbabwean population.





Zimbabwe economy should start with a revival of the agricultural sector.

Zimbabwe is blessed with good soils upon which a variety of crops can be grown, favourable climatic conditions, good infrastructure and a well-developed labour force.

What is now required is to harness all these positive factors to spur the growth of the agricultural sector.





However, it is critical that stakeholders in the agriculture sector come up with innovative ideas to mobilise funding for this critical sector.





I am happy that at this juncture, international investors are warming up to Zimbabwe under the new dispensation. This will help in our endeavours, he said.





He applauded tobacco farmers for recording high yields during trying times.

It is encouraging that tobacco has shown signs of recovery. However, there is still scope for growth to surpass the production levels of 200 million kilogrammes of the pre-2000 era.





I would like to salute and congratulate all tobacco farmers for their resilience and contribution towards the growth in production against a myriad of challenges.

Deputy Minister said Government was ready to provide an enabling environment for both farmers and other stakeholders through providing inputs and knowledge, among other things.





We have supplied farmers with machinery  500 tractors from Belarus  and more than 500 tractors from India. We received 80 centre pivots from Spain and we expect 1 000 more centre pivots.





Deputy Minister Marapira said there was need to strengthen measures that cushion tobacco farmers from expensive inputs and unviable prices.





The conference was held under the theme Harnessing the tobacco farming business for economic turnaround and economic growth. Herald
ZANU-PF Mashonaland West Province has served the former Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa with a 14 day prohibition order barring him from carrying out any party activities. In a letter to Cde Chidhakwa dated March 12, 2018, Mashonaland West Province Disciplinary Committee chairperson Cde Keith Guzah said Cde Chidhakwa was engaging the G40 cabal and working to undermine the President Mnangagwa led administration.



You are hereby served with a prohibition order for 14 days. You should cease forthwith carrying out any party activities. A list of charges related to your misconduct are attached herewith.



The charges include plotting to oust President Mnangagwa from office as President and First Secretary of Zanu-PF.



Cde Chidhakwa is also accused of corruption at party and Government levels, abuse of office and aiding and abating criminal elements around the former president, Mr Mugabe, with the view to tarnish President Mnangagwas image.







Cde Guzah said all other ancillary charges would be availed to Cde Chidhakwa in the hearing.





Cde Chidhakwa was relieved of his duties in November last year when President Mnangagwa announced a new Cabinet. Cde Chidhakwa was arrested in December last year on charges of corruption by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

He was arrested again last month together with his former permanent secretary Professor Francis Gudyanga on a separate charges of abuse of office. Herald
The Zimbabwe Republic Police has set up a National Elections Command as it gears up for the forthcoming harmonised elections. The election date is yet to be announced. The Herald has it on good authority that Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Mukodza has been appointed by the ZRP to head the National Elections Command.



He will be based at the Police General Headquarters and his team will assess the situation on the ground countrywide before, during and after the harmonised elections. The team will soon tour all the countrys 10 provinces to assess the ZRPs state of preparedness for the elections.



The setting up of the National Elections Command comes after President Mnangagwa urged the police to play a pivotal role in ensuring that the elections were held in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere characterised by effective policing.



President Mnangagwa made the call while officially opening the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) New Headquarters and Forensic Science Laboratory in Harare last month. Allow me to reiterate that we are going to have free, fair and credible elections, he said.



As the countrys law enforcement agency, we, therefore, expect you to play a pivotal role by contributing to the building of a conducive atmosphere that begets such a desired outcome, through efficient and effective policing. Government would thus do everything in its power to ensure that you are ready to adequately police the forthcoming plebiscite.







President Mnangagwa urged the police to deal diligently and decisively with all forms of political violence.





Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga is on record saying the ZRP will not tolerate any form of violence whether intra-party or inter-party.





So far the country has witnessed gruesome acts of violence within the MDC-T, which have left some officials in the opposition party seriously injured. The fights were over who takes over from the late MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who died last month. Herald
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga got back to work last week on Thursday, a day after he was rushed to hospital, after suffering a dramatic fall at the Zanu PF headquarters - forcing him to cancel his politburo attendance.







The 61-year-old was released from a hospital with minor injuries and bruises, presidential spokesperson George Charamba told the Daily News. A smiling Chiwenga showed up alongside President Emmerson Mnangagwa at an engagement with the private sector last Thursday.





Charamba said Zimbabweans need not worry about the health of Chiwenga as he was in high spirits.

Worry? Never! He was back at work by Thursday. You would have seen him with His Excellency at the Lavrov meeting, Charamba said, referring to Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrovs meetings with Mnangagwa and senior government officials, where they signed an agreement to establish a special economic zone for Russian firms to manufacture goods for export.





You may know he (Chiwenga) is driving investment projects in the presidency.

Charamba said the VP was fine and there was no need for further observation by doctors.

The ex-rays showed no serious injury, only bruised tissue on his arm which needed a little application of balm, Charamba told the Daily News.





Chiwenga tripped and fell and hurt his hand just after arriving for last Wednesdays conclave, whose agenda included election preparations, mobilisation of voters, party regalia and the threat of defections ahead of the crucial mid-year general election.





The former commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces reportedly missed a step and slipped, before injuring his hand.





He sustained a mild sprain. Chiwenga was mobbed by concerned staffers and colleagues at the Zanu PF headquarters foyer, who commiserated with him as he was being rushed to hospital.

He was whisked away in his Range Rover, escorted by the police. Daily News
Government is considering waiving fees on identity particulars issued by the Registrar-Generals Office for the second time in order to cater for potential registrants for the forthcoming harmonised elections.



It is envisaged that the waiver is expected to last until the close of the nomination courts before the elections.



This will be the second time following the 90-day waiver that was implemented by Government in September last year to coincide with the voter registration blitz by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).



In a recent interview, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said while the majority of the targeted seven million voters have been registered, there still remain some who do not have identity particulars.







We are noticing that we have incidences where we still have people who do not have identity documents and the concern that was raised is that the majority of our people are being required to pay $10 to get the documents for them to register, he said.





We are going to engage the Registrar-Generals Office, as well as ZEC, to ensure that our people get the requisite documents for them to register.





We want a lot of our people to register and exercise their right to vote.

Minister Ziyambi added: We want to extend the period when people can be given identity documents until when nomination closes and then we return to the normal schedule of the Registrar-General.





ZEC conducted a mobile biometric voter registration (BVR) blitz across the country, which was complemented by the free issuance of national IDs by the RGs Office.





However, by the time the mop-up registration exercise was conducted by the election management body, the issuance of free IDs had been discontinued.





A High Court ruling also gave a lifeline to Zimbabweans considered to be aliens to participate in the polls. So far, more than 5,3 million people have been registered to vote in the elections set for later this year.





The majority of our people have been registered and the few that are remaining can be catered for by the district offices that are still offering the biometric voter registration. The more than 5,3 million people that have been registered so far represent a good number, Minister Ziyambi said.





Government, he said, was mobilising funds for the successful holding of the elections.

Mashonaland West Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Webster Shamu had earlier told a Zanu-PF provincial coordinating committee that some people were failing to raise the $10 required to get IDs.

There are challenges we have been getting of people failing to raise money to get identity documents and also meet transport costs.





We hope that these issues are given due attention at all levels so that as many of our people are registered to vote, he said. Herald
A SOUTH African haulage company whose truck was impounded by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) after it was intercepted at the Plumtree Border Post with R26 million worth of smuggled sea snail, has approached the court seeking the release of the vehicle.



The driver, Santos Lourenco Nhamache (45) and a passenger, Carlose Lourenco (43), both Mozambicans, were accused of concealing the snails, also known as abalone, in secret compartments of the truck.





A third unnamed accomplice believed to be the owner of the contraband escaped after pretending he was going to buy airtime to call the owner of the truck they were using.





A scanner at the Plumtree Border Post detected the presence of the sea snails leading to their arrest. The sea snails, a variety of shell fish, are a delicacy in most parts of the world.

Fouries Poultry Farm (Pvt) Ltd, the owners of the truck used in smuggling the snails, through their lawyers, Masawi and Partners, filed an application for review at the Bulawayo High Court citing Zimra Commissioner-General Ms Faith Mazani and Mr Nicholas Nkomo, a Zimra regional manager in charge of Plumtree Border Post, as respondents.





The company is seeking an order nullifying the respondents decision to forfeit its truck. They want Zimra to release the truck.

The firm also wants Zimra to be barred from charging storage fees as at November 27 last year when they made their representations.

Fouries Poultry Farm said the decision by the respondents to forfeit its truck, a South African registered Hino Super F, to the State was not justifiable and baseless, arguing that there was no evidence that the purpose of the compartments found in the truck were specifically meant to conceal the contraband.

The decision to order forfeiture of the truck (registration number JFW 101 NW) to the State was made capriciously without any justification. The decision to forfeit the truck was done on the ground that an offence was committed premised on malice as it was never proved that the purpose of the compartments were to conceal smuggled goods, argued Fouries Poultry Farms lawyers.





The lawyers said the company should be exonerated from any wrongdoing following the acquittal of its driver.





Santos and Carlose were acquitted by Plumtree magistrate, Mr Taurai Manwere, on charges of using a vehicle with a secret compartment adapted for the purpose of concealing goods.

According to State papers, on September 4 last year, Santos and Carlose and a third person, who is still at large, arrived at the Plumtree Border Post from Botswana in the South African registered Hino Super F truck that was being driven by Santos.





They later drove to the Zimra scanning shed at the border post and Santos surrendered his passport and an empty manifesto to a Zimra official and proceeded for scanning of the vehicle.





During the scanning process, an image analyst noticed some small balls in the vehicle and alerted Mr Lewis Sibanda who is a Zimra scanner.





Zimra officials conducted a physical check of the vehicle in the presence of the two men and their accomplice and discovered a secret compartment.





The pairs accomplice, whose identity is unknown, told the Zimra scanner that he wanted to make a call to the owner of the vehicle so that he could verify what was in the car.

He went away under the pretence of buying airtime but he didnt come back. Zimra officials found 72 cartons of abalone weighing 1 672 kilogrammes. They were seized by Zimra officials and Santos and Carlose were arrested. The abalone was valued at R26 752 000. Chronicle
Six more Chitungwiza Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) councillors were acquitted on Monday after a Tribunal found them not guilty.



According to Marufu Mandevere, the city fathers lawyer, the Tribunal failed to prove that Chido Mangana, Darlington Musonza, Mavis Mazenge, Francis Mutambakutongwa, Musekiwa Ruzvidzo and Tichaona Muchakwa were guilty of any offence.



This comes as three other councillors Tendai Saimoni, Betty Jason Dokora and Wilfred Gwekwete were also acquitted last week.



Chitungwizas 25 suspended councillors were facing charges of abusing council funds, allocating themselves hefty allowances and unlawfully borrowing money from the councils Estates Account without ministerial approval.









In the ruling that acquitted the councillors, the tribunal blamed former town clerk George Makunde for giving wrong advice to council during a meeting held on March 24, 2016. The questions related to the legality of borrowing from the Estates account.





The statement by the town clerk to the councillors during the meeting of March 24, 2016 was clearly wrong. Such a borrowing is prohibited by law, unless there is ministerial approval, reads the ruling.





During Tribunal hearings, Mandevere accused acting chamber secretary Mary Mukonyori of ill-advising councillors to borrow from the account.





Mandevere said because the issue of allowances was to benefit the councillors, management did not approve yet they allowed councillors to borrow money from the account with former Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuweres approval.





In respect to the Estates account, you went ahead without ministerial approval because you benefitted yet with the allowances you did not process them because they were not sanctioned. You cannot say councillors increased their allowances if the minister did not approve  they were not paid.





I will forgive you because you said you are not a lawyer but if you were one I would tell you that you are an immoral and unprofessional lawyer who abandons a client who has followed their legal advice. This is an offence that you as management committed, Mandevere said. Daily News
The board of directors of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) exerted undue pressure on a recruitment agency to interview executive managers who failed the first set of job interviews and later employed them.



Documents seen by the Daily News show the ZBC board recruited substandard candidates for the top jobs in a blatant breach of recommendations of the recruitment agency, and seemingly engaged in a sham recruiting exercise, posting executive positions that, for all intents and purposes, seemed filled already.



It seems ZBC wanted to meet legal requirements, such as equal employment opportunity by engaging a recruitment agency, Industrial Psychology Consultants (IPC), to conduct interviews then disregard its recommendations by resorting to a dismal practice to promote someone from within.



IPC, which was contracted by ZBC to assist with the recruitment for a new executive team, came under withering pressure to interview candidates who failed to make the cut.



The aim of the exercise was to recruit a team that would be able to deliver viability and self-sustenance to the State broadcaster.



This comes as the State broadcaster is in a deep financial crisis due to dwindling advertising and licence revenue as well as poor management, use of archaic equipment, and is coming under increasing pressure from opposition parties over its biased news coverage, in particular during this election season.



The recruitment was for eight executive positions and was conducted in November 2015.

After the interviews, the recruitment effort went for over two years with no substantial visible activity, until June last year when most of the top posts were eventually substantively filled by candidates, most of whom failed in job interviews.



The positions recruited for were chief executive officer (CEO); corporate secretary; director (radio services); director (television services); director (news and current affairs); director (finance, human resources and administration); director (broadcast technology) and director (marketing).



The recruitment was touted as part of an organisational restructuring that ZBC is currently undertaking.



The 131-page report, produced by the recruitment agency, contains a litany of professional recruitment pitfalls, but the most glaring example is how the ZBC board helped a former soldier, Patrick Mavhura, get a job as substantive CEO of the State broadcaster.



Mavhura, who was acting CEO in November 2015 when the interviews were conducted, dismally flunked interviews conducted by IPC.



A former Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) workshop manager, Mavhura came out number nine and seven in psychometric tests and assessment centre tests, respectively, but still got the job.





Mavhura, who had been acting after former ZBC boss Happyson Muchechetere was sent home for misconduct and financial mismanagement, was appointed substantive CEO in June last year even after performing dismally and against the recommendations of the recruitment agency.



The 18 shortlisted candidates for the CEO job were Christopher Chivinge, Shadreck Tanyanyiwa, Lovemore Mandima, Webster Muzariri, Mavhura, Collins Chihuri, Trevor Chigwanda, Justin Mutasa, Nanette Silukuni, Albert Mandizha, David Machingaidze, Sylvester Zumbika, Tendai Kapumha, Peter Mujaya, Godfrey Mawarura, Wonder Nyakudya, Lucky Maurukira and Misheck Masaiti.

Out of the 18 shortlisted candidates, 15 were tested and only four who topped the psychometric tests were recommended to proceed to interviews  Kapumha, Machingaidze, Maurukira and Zumbika.

The ZBC board then unduly instructed the recruitment agency to interview Mavhura even after flunking the tests and not making the cut for interviews.



After reviewing our report, the board made some adjustments to our recommendations, the recruitment agency said in its damning report.



The adjustments are listed below (taken verbatim from the email sent by ZBC to us): Patrick Mavhura, the current acting CEO is interviewed in respect of the position of managing director, in view of the fact that he is the current CEO. Assessment centres be administered on . . . Mavhura for the position of director finance, H/R and administration, and interviews held for the same; . . . Mavhura, the acting CEO should be interviewed first, ahead of the other candidates for both the position of MD and director  finance, H/R and admin.



... Silukuni should also be interviewed in view of the need for gender balance.



Even after the interviews, Mavhura  who has an Executive Master of Business Administration degree and is also a holder of the internationally-acclaimed Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe qualification  again failed, scoring far below the recommended total score of at least 50 percent.



The recruitment agency recommended that only candidates with the total score of 50 percent and above be considered for placement.



Only two candidates made the cut, Kapumha who scored 70 percent and Machingaidze who scored 68 percent.



The third candidate, Zumbika scored 46 percent, which was below the 50 percent average required in the cognitive and interview scores.



Mavhura was not even listed among the three eligible candidates for the job.

But ZBC board chairperson Father Gibson Munyoro, gave Mavhura the job claiming that after observing and critically assessing the performance, conduct, competencies, qualifications and commitment of Mavhura to the ZBC and its operations in a full board meeting ...resolved to appoint him as the substantive CEO.



His appointment was for a fixed term of five years and is performance-based, benchmarked against the ZBCs business transformation strategic plan 2017-2019 and the companys annual budget.

Reached for comment yesterday, Munyoro told the Daily News there were many considerations in the recruitment of the CEO, including security considerations.



As the board responsible for recruiting the CEO, when you engage private consultants, they present a final report recommending people to recruit. But for security purposes, the nation has an interest in the security of the ZBC, so people are sent for vetting. So its possible, you could perform very well during interviews, but fail the vetting process, he told the Daily News.



The situation advised us to head-hunt. We started by using a recruitment agency but because of difficulties of the process, we head-hunted.



Its not that the board disregarded the recommendations, we followed procedures, but the situation advised us to rethink.



The process involved interviews, vetting and then offering a job to an individual, who can either accept it, reject it on the basis of the package or the conditions.



At the end of the day, it can happen that everyone that is targeted qualifies, thats a possible scenario, or you get someone else. The process has a lot of options.



Asked why they hired a CEO who flunked in interviews, Munyoro said the ZBC board was impressed with how Mavhura was steering the ship when they were hunting for a substantive CEO.



ZBC in the meantime was going on. How is the person managing? Lets consider this person. The board took some time observing, looking at the acting CEO. He showed he had the capacity. He was running the institution during all this time. So, we made a decision that we have capacity that we can mentor and develop in the interest of the corporation, Munyoro said.



In 2016, Mavhura was acquitted on allegations of criminal abuse of office after he allegedly bought 35 vehicles without following due process, prejudicing ZBC of about $700 000 and government of $20 000.



Asked if the ZBC board was happy with how Mavhura was running the State broadcaster, Munyoro retorted: If we were not happy, we could have fired him. He has a performance-based contract.

IPC said: The recruitment exercise overall was a challenge.



The agency said in its executive summary, generally, the CVs we received from candidates for some positions such as the managing director and core broadcasting positions were not up to standard.

This may be a sign that the broadcasting sector in Zimbabwe does not have enough skilled people locally. Candidates from outside Zimbabwe were hesitant to apply due to low remuneration in the country, the damning report says.



The recruitment agency said people were hesitant to apply and be considered for recruitment due to ZBCs past problems. Daily News
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has appointed Mr Utloile Silaigwana as the acting chief elections officer taking over from Mrs Constance Chigwamba who has since returned to the Public Service Commission. The appointment of Mr Silaigwana is effective from the beginning of this month.

In a statement yesterday, Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba confirmed the appointment.

The Zec is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Utloile Silaigwana as the acting chief elections officer with effect from 1st of March 2018.





Mr Silaigwana possesses a wealth of experience in election management and administration spurning over 15 years, she said.





Mr Silaigwana worked in the then Electoral Supervisory Commission as a director civic and voter education, public relations and international liaison and joined Zec in deputy chief elections officer responsible for operations in 2007.





Mr Silaigwana is a holder of several qualifications in elections administration including a Masters in Electoral Policy and Administration, a Certificate in Election Observation, a Certificate in Elections and Violence and Conflict Resoultion and a Certificate in Leadership and Dialogue for Electoral Stakeholders, Justice Chigumba said.





Mr Silaigwana is also a Building Resources in Democracy Governance and Elections accredited facilitator and has facilitated training in several countries in the Sadc region.

Mr Silaigwana has also observed elections under the AU Election Observation Mission, ECF-Sadc and Association of Africa Electoral Authorities in the following countries, Rwanda, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana and Namibia.





Mr Silaigwanas diverse administration experience at senior level management levels makes him invaluable to Zec, Justice Chigumba added. Chronicle
Vaccinated Foreigners Will

Soon Have Access to the US
(Newser)  When Keith Strawn was told he had to spend 120 days in jail, the sentencing judge advised the Idaho man to use the time to "think about the 120 days your daughter was married to a rapist because of you." How his daughter Heather came to marry her rapist is one of the stories told by the Kansas City Star in a much larger piece on Missouri's child brides. Yes, Missouri, and yes, Strawn lives 1,100 miles away. But upon finding out his daughter was pregnant by 24-year-old Aaron Seaton in 2015, he loaded them into his car on her 15th birthday and the group made the 17-hour journey to Kansas City so the two could be married. It could be achieved with just Strawn's signature; in Idaho, however, a judge would have to be involved, and the pregnancylegally the result of statutory rapemay have led to the young man's arrest.

story continues below

The Star calls Missouri "the easiest place in America for a 15-year-old to wed," and it analyzed data that found roughly a third of the 1,000 15-year-olds who married in the state between 1999 and 2015 wed men 21 or older. "Assuming they had premarital sex, those grooms would be considered rapists," it observes, with Missouri's definition applying to people over 21 and younger than 17 having premarital sex. In Heather Strawn's case, her mom called Idaho police after learning what her ex-husband had done. Heather lost the baby, the marriage was annulled, and Seaton ended up sentenced to 15 years. The Star piece tracks the case of other young brides, including a 15-year-old who uttered "I guess" instead of "I do." The marriage fell apart, but, now 24, she can't yet afford a divorce. Read the piece in full. (Read more Longform stories.)
(Newser)  A Vancouver woman backed out of her agreement to buy a $6.1 million mansion after finding out an alleged Chinese mob leader had been shot to death at its front gate, and on Friday, a judge ruled in her favor in the ensuing court case. The house's previous owner, Mei Zhen Wang, used "fraudulent representation" to sell it, the judge ruled, since would-be buyer Feng Yun Shao was not informed of the murder before paying her $300,000 deposit. Only after the deposit had been paid in 2009 did Shao hear rumors of the mansion's history; she and her husband searched online and found out what had happened, the CBC reports. After Shao pulled out of the sale, Wang sued her for breach of contract, arguing she should be able to keep the deposit and should also be paid $338,000 in damages since the house ultimately sold to someone else for just $5.5 million.

story continues below

Wang's daughter and son-in-law had lived in the 9,018-square-foot mansion; her son-in-law, Raymond Huang, was an alleged leader of a gang with roots in China and was killed in an apparent targeted hit in 2007. Media reports about his death led to his young daughter being removed from her school, and the family moved so that she could attend a new school. When Shao asked why Wang was selling, though, all she was told was that the family needed to switch schools so the girl could improve her English. "That representation, while true on its face, was incomplete," the judge ruled, noting that Wang was also likely concerned for the safety of any family still living there. "Ms. Shao was entitled to an accurate answer." Shao's lawyer had argued when pulling out of the sale that since Huang's murderer had not been apprehended, anyone living in the home would be at risk. Wang was ordered to return Shao's deposit, plus interest, CTV News reports. (Read more murder stories.)
(Newser)  A dog died on a United Airlines plane after a flight attendant ordered its owner to put the animal in the plane's overhead bin, the AP reports. United said Tuesday that it took full responsibility for the incident on the Monday night flight from Houston to New York. In a statement, United called it "a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin." The dog was in a small pet carrier designed to fit under an airline seat. Passengers reported that they heard barking during the flight and didn't know that the dog had died until the plane landed at LaGuardia Airport. Passenger Maggie Gremminger posted a photo on Twitter of the dog's owner and children after the flight. "I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken," she wrote.

story continues below

United spokesman Charles Hobart said the flight attendant told the dog's owner to put the pet carrier in the overhead bin because the bag was partly obstructing the aisle. It is unclear why the carrier was not placed under a seat, he said. Hobart said United is investigating the incident and talking to the flight attendant, whom he declined to identify. He said the airline refunded the tickets purchased for the dog owner and her two children and the fee that they paid to bring a pet on boardtypically $200. The cause of the dog's death was not immediately known. The spokesman said Chicago-based United offered to pay for a necropsy. Last year, 18 animals died while being transported on Unitedthere were six cases on all other US carriers combined, according to the Department of Transportation.

(Read more United Airlines stories.)
(Newser)  President Donald Trump is considering ousting embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, who has faced an insurgency within his department and fresh allegations that he used a member of his security detail to run personal errands, the AP reports. Trump has floated the notion of moving Energy Secretary Rick Perry to the VA to right the ship, believing Shulkin has become a distraction, according to two sources familiar with White House discussions. Trump raised the idea with Perry on Monday but did not offer the job to him, according to one White House official. Trump has been angry with Shulkin, the official said, but is known to float staffing changes without always following through.

story continues below

Shulkin has faced several investigations over his travel and leadership of the department, but until now has received praise from the president for his work to turn it around. Shulkin has been holding on to his job by a thread since a bruising internal report found ethics violations in connection with his trip to Europe with his wife last summer. The VA inspector general also is looking into a complaint by a member of Shulkin's 24-7 security detail that he was asked to accompany the secretary to a Home Depot and carry furniture items into his home, according to two people familiar with the allegation. No comment yet from either Shulkin's or Perry's camp. The report comes after Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Tuesday. (Read more President Trump stories.)
(Newser)  "God brought Jonathan in with a storm and took him back in a storm." That's how the family of 19-year-old Jonathan Brussow describe his death earlier this month in the Bahamas, just after he'd asked the family of his girlfriend for permission to marry her. Athena Williams tells People and FOX 17 that the Michigan man she met at a party in middle school was vacationing on the island of Eleuthera with her and her family when, on March 4, he secretly asked her family if he could marry her. Early the next day, Brussow and Williams' brother went for a hike, and as they were resting on a cliff, a wave came out of nowhere and swept the two men into the water below. Williams' brother was badly hurt but managed to get to shore, where he ran for help. Brussow, however, was nowhere to be found, and his family flew out from the US to help Williams, her family, and the locals search for him.

story continues below

On March 9, an 8-foot-deep depression filled with water near where the men were swept away dried up, and Brussow's body was found, MLive.com reports. The $21,000 raised on GoFundMe to help in the search for Brussowdescribed as the "most beloved kid" on his high school swim team before he graduated in 2016, per WZZMwill now be put toward bringing his body home, offering funds to those who helped look for him, and putting warning signs and safety gear near where the wave took his life. In a statement, his family notes how Brussow had been born in a wild storm on May 31, 1998, and that "those that knew him well knew he lived his life with a storm of passion." As for Williams, she tells People: "I would give anything to be able to have him here and be able to marry him and spend the rest of my life with him.  I wish we had more time." (A rogue wave killed twin sisters in Cabo.)
(Newser)  Rex Tillerson didn't thank President Trump in his parting statement after being fired Tuesdaybut he didn't call him a moron again, either. Instead, the departing secretary of state praised progress on relations with China and moving toward North Korean denuclearization, but warned of Russia's "troubling behavior and actions," the BBC reports. "Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly," Tillerson told reporters. "Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest." He is being replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

story continues below

Tillerson, who said "much work remains" to be done in responding to Russia's behavior, thanked his colleagues for their "honesty and integrity." The departure follows many months of clashes with Trump and had been predicted so often that DC insiders called it "Rexit," reports the Washington Post. Insiders say Trump considered Tillerson "weak" and mocked the Texan's drawl and mannerisms. The secretary of state reportedly learned of his firing at the same time the news media did, though Trump claimed that he had been discussing it with him for a long time. CNN reports that Steve Goldstein, undersecretary of public affairs at the State Department, was fired by the White House Tuesday after contradicting Trump's version of events. (Read more Rex Tillerson stories.)
(Newser)  At a cost of $7 million per episode, The Crown is one of the most expensive TV series ever made. But while its star's wardrobe has benefited from such a hefty budget, she hasn't. Claire Foy, who won a Golden Globe and two Screen Actor Guild awards for best actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of the Netflix show, was paid less than male co-star Matt Smith, who played husband Prince Phillip, executive producers revealed Tuesday, per USA Today. Foy, 33, whose only major acting credit prior to The Crown was a role in BBC mini series Wolf Hall, pulled in $40,000 per episode, according to Variety.

story continues below

Smith, 35, who rose to fame on the BBC's Doctor Who, received more (the amount hasn't been disclosed) because he was seen as a more established actor, reports the New York Times. However, show runners say the issue will be rectified as The Crown moves into its third season with an entirely new cast, with 44-year-old Olivia Colman taking over for Foy. "Going forward, no one gets paid more than the queen," says Suzanne Mackie, creative director of Left Bank Pictures, which produces The Crown. USA Today notes Netflix only purchased rights to air The Crown and wasn't involved in salary decisions. (Michelle Williams might have some advice for Foy.)
(Newser)  One of the world's greatest scientific minds has now left this dimension. British cosmologist and physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76, some 55 years after he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at 21 and given two years to live. Family members say Hawking died peacefully early Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, England, the BBC reports. "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," children Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement, per Sky. "He once said: 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever."

story continues below

Hawking, born in 1942, was known for his groundbreaking research on black holes and the origins of the universe. Books like best-seller A Brief History of Time made him what the AP calls "one of science's biggest celebrities since Albert Einstein," appearing on shows including The Simpsons and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Signs of his illnessalso known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's diseaseappeared during his first year of graduate school. He lost what remained of his voice in 1985. "I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years," he told the Guardian in a 2010 interview. "I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first." (Last year, he warned that humans are becoming "cosmic sloths.")
(Newser)  Ten days before a massive rally against gun violence in Washington, DC, students across the country will walk out of school Wednesday to mark one month since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Students at elementary schools, high schools, and universities will walk out at 10am local time for 17 minutes to honor the 17 victims killed and to call for stricter gun laws, reports USA Today. A website for Empower, the youth branch of the Women's March, shows more than 3,100 walkouts planned (NBC News has an interactive map to help you find those near you), and not only in the US. Students in Germany, Israel, and Australia, are taking part. Non-students are also encouraged to participate by wearing orange or walking out of their jobs.

story continues below

Democrats in Congress will do so. They're expected to join students following a march from the White House to the Capitol, where a haunting memorial was seen Tuesday. Some students will face suspension, per the Los Angeles Times. But "my peers and I feel there is no time more critical than this to make clear that we have had enough of gun violence," says a senior at University High School in Tucson, Ariz., where students plan to call lawmakers, per USA Today. "For far too long, it has made us feel unsafe in our communities and in our classrooms." The walkouts are a precursor to the March For Our Lives, expected to draw 500,000 people to Washington on March 24. Thousands more will participate in sister marches. Another walkout is planned for April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine shooting. (Read more gun violence stories.)
(Newser)  El Salvador is one of a few countries where abortion is banned outright, with no exceptions for women raped or at risk of death. Activists, however, are calling attention to a "pivotal moment for El Salvador's abortion law reform" after a welcome move Tuesday. After serving 15 years of a 30-year sentence for the aggravated murder of her child, who she says was stillborn, Maira Veronica Figueroa Marroquin had her sentence commuted by the Supreme Court and was released from prison, reports Reuters. The 34-year-old maintains she suffered a late-term miscarriage in 2003 while working as a maid, per the BBC. "I'm going to start again and make up for lost time," she's quoted as saying. "I want to study law to understand what happened to me and help other women."

story continues below

And there are many more to be helped. Figueroa's release follows that of 34-year-old Teodora del Carmen Vasquez, whose own 30-year sentence for aggravated murder was commuted a month ago after she served 10 years for what she claimed was a stillbirth experienced while working as a school cafeteria cook in the last month of her pregnancy, reports the New York Times. But at least 27 women remain in prison in El Salvador for violating the abortion ban, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. In an op-ed at Reuters, CRR rep Catalina Martinez Coral notes El Salvador is now "at a pivot point," with Congress entertaining two bills that would allow abortion in limited cases, including where pregnancy poses a risk to a woman's health or results from rape. (Read more abortion stories.)
(Newser)  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has had a bumpy relationship with the International Criminal Court. He once described it as "bulls---," then in February said he welcomed its preliminary investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity during Duterte's war on drugs. Now, he says he'll pull the Philippines from the court altogether, "effective immediately," though the BBC reports that formally withdrawing from the ICC is a year-long process. "It is apparent that the ICC is being utilized as a political tool against the Philippines," he said, while blasting the "baseless, unprecedented, and outrageous attacks" directed at him by the UN. The Guardian looks at the recent-most bad blood between the two that apparently spurred those comments.

story continues below

Duterte's government put a UN special rapporteur on a list of communist terrorists, leading the body's commissioner for human rights to say last week that Duterte needs "some sort of psychiatric examination." Should the Philippines successfully withdraw its ratification of the treaty that created the ICC, it would be only the second country to do so, after Burundi. But that wouldn't protect Duterte from a potential trial, as the treaty states "withdrawal shall not affect any cooperation with the court in connection with criminal investigations." Still, the BBC notes it could make the Philippines less cooperative. Speaking of cooperation, the country's Senate on Monday flagged the constitutional provision that requires the Senate to agree to the revocation of any international treaty. Duterte contends the Senate failed to publicize its 2011 ratification of the treaty as required by law, reports the AP. (Read more Rodrigo Duterte stories.)
(Newser)  As a controversial idea to arm teachers is pushed, and students gear up for gun control demonstrations across the nation, a California story lends unsettling context. Per KSBW, a teacher at Seaside High School in Monterey County (also 2013's reserve officer of the year for the Sand City PD and trained in firearms, per the Washington Post) was demonstrating "public safety" Tuesday for his administration of justice class with a semiautomatic handgun. But as Dennis Alexander was handling the weapon, it fired while pointed upward, sending the bullet ricocheting off the ceiling, Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen tells the Monterey Herald. Pridgen says one student suffered non-life-threatening wounds to his neck from either falling debris or "fragmentation"not from a bullet, per the Monterey County Weeklyand that class went on after the dust literally settled.

story continues below

KSBW reports two other students also had minor injuries. "It's the craziest thing. It could have been very bad," the dad of the 17-year-old student with the hurt neck says, adding school officials never checked to see if any students were injured, and that he and his son's mother were the ones who noticed his bloody shirt and neck injuries when he got home. Alexander, meanwhile, who's been a reserve officer for 11 years, has been placed on leave from both the school and the Sand City PD. "I have concerns about why he was displaying a loaded firearm in a classroom," that department's chief says. Seaside's Pridgen tells the Herald: "We're looking into any violation of city ordinance or the penal code and we'll determine whether or not there are any applicable charges." KSBW notes California teachers aren't allowed to bring firearms into classrooms, even with concealed carry permits. (Read more school shooting stories.)
(Newser)  Joar Ulsom of Norway won the world's most famous sled dog race Wednesday after a grueling dash across Alaska's rough terrain, but he earned tens of thousands of dollars less than last year's top musher at the struggling Iditarod. "It's pretty unreal I pulled it off," Ulsom told reporters at the finish line in Nome, Alaska. After nearly 1,000 miles, Ulsom and the eight dogs on his team came off the Bering Sea ice onto Nome's main street. He slapped hands with fans who lined the streets and went under the finish line at 3am local time Wednesday. "It's out of this world," he said before hugging each of his dogs, reports the AP. Ulsom's victory generated heavy media attention in Norway, which is still basking in the glory of winning the most medals at Pyeongchang.

story continues below

The 31-year-old, who took the lead Monday when Nicolas Petit got off course in a blizzard, became the third person born outside the US to claim the title. Ulsom said he had no idea he had taken the lead when Petit got off course. He saw a sled track ahead of him, and figured he would find someone resting at the checkpoint. It was a pleasant surprise when he found out he was the first musher to arrive, and figured he had "a good shot at taking it home then." Ulsom picks up about $50,000, a drop from the 2017 winner's earnings of more than $71,000. The race, which began March 4, has been suffering financially and lost Wells Fargo as a major sponsor over the last year. Organizers have blamed animal rights activists for putting pressure on sponsors.

(Read more Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race stories.)
(Newser)  An ex-boyfriend has been arrested in Nicaragua over the killing of college student Haley Anderson in New York. Anderson, 22, who hails from Long Island, was found dead in an off-campus house at the State University of New York at Binghamton in upstate New York Friday, WABC reports. The exact circumstances of the nursing student's death have not been revealed, but police consider it a homicide. Police said the suspect, Orlando Tercero, fled to Nicaragua before Anderson's body was found. He was arrested Tuesday and, for now, remains in Nicaragua.

story continues below

Tercero, also 22 and a nursing student, is reportedly from Nicaragua and apparently holds dual citizenship, per CBS New York; ABC News reports he still has family there. "The victim and male student had a previous domestic/romantic relationship," police said in a statement prior to his arrest. A friend of Anderson's tells the New York Post Tercero was "obsessive and crazy." "She was such a bubbly person, opened up to anyone," a co-worker says of Anderson, per CBS. "She was literally like the greatest person ever. She never didn't have a smile on her face." (Read more murder stories.)
(Newser)  Todd Entrekin makes just under $95,000 a year as the sheriff of Alabama's Etowah County, but somehow he and his wife Karen (an ex-probation officer) have $1.7 million in property spread over two counties. AL.com reports that how he paid for all of this is now being called into question due to some ethics disclosure paperwork he recently filed with the state, in which he noted he has received more than $750,000 in "compensation" over the past three years from a "Food Provisions" accountnamely, funds offered by federal, state, and municipal governments to feed prisoners in the Etowah County Jail. And Entrekin says it's completely legal, based on an antiquated state law passed before World War II that apparently allows sheriffs to keep "excess" funds meant to feed prisoners. AL.com says the state law is "likely" being exploited by other Alabama sheriffs as well.

story continues below

However, other counties that end up with a surplus give the money to the county government so it can be put to use elsewhere instead of lining the sheriffs' pockets. "I believe the funds belong to the taxpayers and any excess funds should go toward things that benefit the taxpayer," the police chief of Rainbow City, who used to work under the former Etowah County sheriff, says. "There's been a tremendous amount of money left over that shouldn't be used as a bonus check." Two advocacy groups filed suit in January against 49 Alabama sheriffs who won't show financials around their prison feeding programs. In Etowah County's case, AL.com is also probing county contracts awarded to companies that have donated to Entrekin campaigns. Meanwhile, Entrekin says he's "getting beat up" for sticking to the law and that attacks against him are "politically motivated," the Gadsden Times reports. (Read more Alabama stories.)
(Newser)  United Airlines says it's investigating after mistakenly flying a Kansas family's dog to Japan, the AP reports. KCTV reports that Kara Swindle and her two children flew from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday on a United flight. They went to a cargo facility to pick up 10-year-old Irgo, a German shepherd, but were instead given a Great Dane. Swindle, of Wichita, Kansas, learned Irgo had been put on a flight to Japan, where the Great Dane was supposed to go. Airline officials in Japan put Irgo on a flight back to Kansas City. It isn't clear when the dog will arrive. The news of Irgo's unplanned odyssey comes as United admits another dog died after a flight attendant forced it to travel in an overhead bin on a Houston-to-New York flight. (Read more United Airlines stories.)
(Newser)  Katy Perry is in hot water for forcing a kiss on an American Idol contestantand not just any kiss, but his first ever. Benjamin Glaze of Oklahoma, now 20, was 19 when he auditioned for Idol last October and revealed to judges before starting in on his song that he had never been kissed: "I've never been in a relationship. I can't kiss a girl without being in a relationship." Perry told him to come over to the judges' table, where a hesitant Glaze said, "One on the cheek?" before kissing Perry on the cheek. She convinced him to try again, but as he went for her cheek, she turned and pecked him on the lips, causing him to fall to the ground still holding his guitar while shouting, "Katy! You didn't!" Before starting his song, he asked for water, noting, "It's just that I, I kinda wasn't expecting that." He made it little more than 30 seconds into his audition song before Perry stopped him; she and fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Ritchie ultimately rejected him.

story continues below

While rendering her verdict (video of the entire incident here), Perry acknowledged his shaky performance was "a bit rushed, and maybe that was because I sped up your BPM of the heartbeat." She and Richie urged him to practice more and "kiss a couple more girls" before auditioning again. After the audition aired during Sunday night's season premiere, some started calling Perry out; on Twitter, Mike Cernovich referred to her behavior as "predatory." The New York Times reached out to Glaze, who acknowledged he was "a tad bit uncomfortable" and that he wanted to "save" his first kiss for his first relationship: "I wanted it to be special." But, he says, he doesn't think it was sexual harassment, and he's grateful for the extra attention being brought to his music (Perry even tweeted about him). Indeed, on Twitter Monday, Glaze called Idol "the best experience." (Read more American Idol stories.)
(Newser)  Gary Cohn resigned as President Trump's top economic adviser earlier this month over his opposition to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. So it stands to reason that the president's choice to replace Cohn ... also opposes those tariffs. Sources tell CNN that Trump has offered the top position at the White House National Economic Council to Larry Kudlow and Kudlow has accepted. Trump could make the official announcement as soon as Thursday, CNBC reports. "I'm looking at Larry Kudlow very strongly," the president said Tuesday. "I've known him a long time. We don't agree on everything, but in this case I think that's good. I want to have a divergent opinionwe agree on most."

story continues below

Kudlow, 70, is a former Democrat who worked for the Reagan administration, Politico reports. He served Trump as an informal economic adviser during the presidential campaign and appears on TV as a conservative media analyst. It's that last role that was partly responsible for Trump offering him the gig, a senior White House official says. Trump wants more people on TV advocating for his policies and reportedly told Kudlow over the phone Tuesday that he has been "looking handsome" on TV. While the anti-tariff Kudlow could clash with protectionists inside Trump's White House, he's a popular choice with Republican lawmakers. "Couldn't be more pleased," Rep. Tom Cole tells CNN. "He is somebody that House Republicans are extraordinarily comfortable with." (Read more Larry Kudlow stories.)
(Newser)  A member of the US Air Force in Washington state fatally shot his two young children and his wife before killing himself, authorities said Tuesday. The Pierce County sheriff's office said they found the bodies inside a home near Spanaway, about 45 miles south of Seattle, after the man called 911 reporting that he killed his family. The victims were identified as Samantha Field, 33, and the couple's children, 4-year-old Ava and 2-year-old Ashen, according to the county medical examiner's office. The alleged shooter was Clint Field, 29, the AP reports. He was originally from Florida and his wife was from New Hampshire, the News Tribune reported. The sheriff's office said the children were shot while they were sleeping and their mother also was shot in bed. It said Clint Field was stationed at nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

story continues below

Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told Seattle-area TV station KOMO that investigators have learned Clint Field had been upset and had a past incident in which he mentioned suicide. Troyer also said family members mentioned that the couple may have had a divorce proceeding about to start. "We have not been to this house before and there's no history of domestic violence," Troyer said. Daine Patton, who sold the home a year ago to the family, said in an interview that it was a "tragic" situation. "It really breaks my heart for those kids ... to be killed by their father. That's horrible," Patton said.

(Read more murder-suicide stories.)
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
Let us know what you're seeing and hearing around the community.

Submit here
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.

Community Perspective

Send Community Perspective submissions by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Submissions must be 500 to 750 words. Columns are welcome on a wide range of issues and should be well-written and well-researched with attribution of sources. Include a full name, email address, daytime telephone number and headshot photograph suitable for publication (email jpg or tiff files at 150 dpi.) You may also schedule a photo to be taken at the News-Miner office. The News-Miner reserves the right to edit submissions or to reject those of poor quality or taste without consulting the writer.

Letters to the editor

Send letters to the editor by mail (P.O. Box 70710, Fairbanks AK 99707), by fax (907-452-7917) or via email (letters@newsminer.com). Writers are limited to one letter every two weeks (14 days.) All letters must contain no more than 350 words and include a full name (no abbreviation), daytime and evening phone numbers and physical address. (If no phone, then provide a mailing address or email address.) The Daily News-Miner reserves the right to edit or reject letters without consulting the writer.
New Delhi:

Private lender IndusInd Bank on Tuesday said the Reserve Bank has approved the merger of Bharat Financial Inclusion Limited with the bank.

The Reserve Bank of India has, vide its letter dated March 13, 2018, conveyed its "no objection" for the voluntary amalgamation of BFIL with the Bank, subject to compliance with certain terms and conditions, IndusInd Bank said in a filing to BSE.

The scheme remains subject to the receipt of approval from the stock exchanges, Sebi, the National Company Law Tribunal, the respective shareholders and creditors of BFIL and the Bank and other applicable statutory and regulatory approvals, it added.

IndusInd Bank in October last year decided to acquire the country's leading micro-finance player Bharat Financial Inclusion Ltd (BFIL).

The merger will be effected through an all-stock transaction of BFIL into IndusInd through a Composite Scheme of Arrangement.

Post merger, the new entity will have 4,000 branches and outlets and 16 million customers.

For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Ranbir Kapoor's love life recently hogged the headlines after he was linked with Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt. It was reported that the two are the new couple of B-town and are seen spending quality time together.

And while the reports of their budding relationship are rife, the recent buzz states that Alia will now be celebrating her 25th birthday with Ranbir in Bulgaria.

Reportedly, the two are shooting for Ayaan Mukherjee's Brahmastra there. In fact, the media reports also suggest that Ranbir Kapoor is also planning a special surprise for the Highway actress.

As per a DNA report, a source was quoted saying, "It's Alia's 25th birthday, so it's a landmark year in that sense. Ranbir and Ayan want to make the day special for her, especially since she is away from home. So, they have planned a huge surprise party on the sets for the actress. To add to the fun, they have a particular theme for the bash."

Indeed, it is going to be a special surprise for the birthday girl.

Talking about Brahmastra, the movie is a fantasy adventure which is slated for a 2019 release.

Well, we wonder what all surprises will be coming up for Alia Bhatt this birthday.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Bollywood actor Narendra Jha, who was seen in the role of a police officer in Hrithik Roshan starrer Kaabil breathed his last on Wednesday.

The actor died of cardiac arrest. He was 55.

According to sources, it was the third heart attack Jha had over the years.

Jha's demise has come as a grave shock to the entire industry and celebs have took it to micro-blogging site Twitter to pay their condolences.

What a shocker! Narendra Jha? This profession is truly a killer. a Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) March 14, 2018

From captain house to ithihass he was one of@d first actors I worked with #RipNarendrajha https://t.co/pmRUdO4ZFE a Ekta Kapoor (@ektaravikapoor) March 14, 2018

From captain house to ithihass he was one of@d first actors I worked with #RipNarendrajha https://t.co/pmRUdO4ZFE a Ekta Kapoor (@ektaravikapoor) March 14, 2018

We lose yet another fabulous Actor Y Rest in Peace #NarendraJha God Bless his Soul. My prayers Y I have no

words #pankajathakur

Y pic.twitter.com/Li7aIbJ50x a Neetu N Chandra (@Neetu_Chandra) March 14, 2018





Narendra, who started his showbiz journey with modeling became a popular face in television industry.

He later ventured into Bollywood with the movie Funtoosh which wasA released in 2002. Thereafter, he was seen playing vital roles in several movies like Shahid Kapoor's Haider, Shah Rukh Khan's Raees,A Hrithik Roshan's Mohenjodaro etc.

Narendra will be next seen in Salman Khan's Race 3 which will turn out to be his last appearance on the silver screen.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Congress candidates contesting in Uttar Pradesh bypolls lost their deposits but their party president Rahul Gandhi seemed happy with the Wednesday results.

Expressing himself on Twitter, Congress president Rahul Gandhi wrote, The results prove that voters are angry with BJP and they will vote for the non-BJP candidate who is most likely to win.

The Samajwadi Party registered stunning victories in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha bypolls, which were held by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. In both seats, Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party supported the SP candidates.











For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

World-renowned physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawkings died on Wednesday at the age of 76. In his life he has was busy hypothesising about how the world will end and has forewarned that humans must leave Earth within 100 years in order to sustain their survival.

According to the physicist the life on Earth is at an alarming risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as asteroid strikes, epidemics, over-population or climate change.

1. Death by fireball



Were all going to die in less than 600 years when the Earth is so overpopulated our energy consumption will make the planet burn red.Prof Hawking was speaking at a Tencent WE Summit Beijing in November, where scientists meet from all over the world to share ideas.

He was reported as saying By the year 2600, the worlds population would be standing shoulder to shoulder, and the electricity consumption would make the Earth glow red-hot.2. Robots will take over the world.

Also Read: Doomsday asteroid to CRUSH earth and wipe us all? NASA plans HAMMER to deflect giant space rock (Watch Video)

2. Robots will take over the world

Professor Hawking expressed his fear that artificial intelligence will replace humans.

Speaking in an interview to Wired.co.uk he said: We need to move forward on artificial intelligence development but we also need to be mindful of its very real dangers.

I fear that AI may replace humans altogether. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that replicates itself.

This will be a new form of life that will outperform humans.

3. Human aggression and nuclear technology will kill us in the end

Speaking to the BBC as part of his 75th birthday celebrations he said: I fear evolution has inbuilt greed and aggression to the human genome.

There is no sign of conflict lessening, and the development of militarised technology and weapons of mass destruction could make that disastrous.

The best hope for the survival of the human race might be independent colonies in space.

4. We need to find another planet to live on within 100 years

Professor Hawking says we need to explore our technological capabilities to the fullest in order to avoid extinction.

If we do not find another planet to live on climate change, over population, pandemics and our warring ways will get us in the end.

This was explored in this years BBC Two documentary Expedition New Earth, in which the professor enlisted engineering expert Christophe Galfard to explore the feasibility to interplanetary travel.

5. Donald Trump

The professor has not shied away from criticising US president Donald Trump.

When the president announced in May he would not be signing the Paris climate change agreement, which aims to tackle the threat of global warming Hawking was among his most vocal opponents.

Speaking to the BBC during his birthday celebrations in July Hawking warned Trumps decision to withdraw would push the Earth over the brink.

He said: We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible. Trumps action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of two hundred and fifty degrees, and raining sulphuric acid.

Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and its one we can prevent if we act now.

By denying the evidence for climate change, and pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Donald Trump will cause avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children.

6. Threats to human survival likely from new science:

Physicist Stephen Hawking has warned that new technologies will likely bring about new ways things can go wrong for human survival.

When asked how the world will end, Hawking said that increasingly, most of the threats humanity faces come from progress made in science and technology. He says they include nuclear war, catastrophic global warming and genetically engineered viruses.

Robots will take over the world

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Iran has created quite the stir in the Indian diplomatic circles with its foreign minister Javad Zarif on Tuesday offering Pakistan and China participation in its strategic Chabahar port, which India is developing.

The invitation extended to Pakistan by the Iranian foreign minister comes at the back of Indian officials repeatedly stating that the port is of strategic importance to India as it will allow India to bypass Pakistan in accessing Afghanistan and central Asia.

We offered to participate in the China-Pakistan economic corridor. We have also offered Pakistan and China to participate in Chahbahar, Zarif, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan, said while delivering a lecture at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) on Monday, according to Pakistan daily Dawn.

There was no formal reaction from the Indian side but officials here said that they will wait to hear directly from Iran over the issue. The move may be seen as Zarif's bid to allay concerns here over the Indian involvement in the Iranian port, Dawn online reported.

Also worrying for India was the Pakistan official statement after the meeting between Zarif and his counterpart Khawaja Asif which claimed that the two countries had reiterated support for the peaceful struggle of the peoples of Palestine and Kashmir for their right to self-determination'. India is likely to seek a clarification from the Iranians over the issue.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A Maldivian minister on Tuesday asked India to 'stay away' from their countrys political crisis, as it was an internal matter for the nation just like the Kashmir issue is for India.

Maldives does not interfere in Indias internal matters, and India should also trust Maldives to solve its problems on its own, the minister said.

Maldives slipped into a political crisis when on February 5, President Abdulla Yameen imposed a state of emergency in defiance of a Supreme Court order to release political prisoners. Two Supreme Court judges and a former president were arrested soon after.

India called it unconstitutional, which got a rebuke from Maldives.

Why havent we gone into the Kashmir issue and asked to be an intermediary? said Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture Mohamed Shainee, according to The Times of India. Because they are internal matters. India should stay away from our issue. We are independent and capable of dealing with the situation. If we need help, we will let India know.

Shainee heads the all-party talks in Maldives to resolve the crisis.

Maldives may be a small country but is independent and patriotic, he said. He said a third party has started negotiations to resolve the political crisis in Maldives. He did not say who the third party is, except that it is neither India nor China.

He, however, said Male would continue its India First policy. India, not China, is the big brother in the region, he said. India is a very strong country. We will never sound like a threat to India.

New Delhis relations with Male had suffered a setback after the island nation signed a free trade agreement with China in 2017, which prompted India to remind Maldives of its India First policy.

After India criticised the state of emergency, Chinese state media reacted, saying New Delhi should not interfere in the affairs of the Maldives.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
London:

Russia's embassy to London called on Tuesday for a joint investigation into a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy living in Britain and warned the British government against taking any punitive measures.

"Today the Embassy sent a note to @ForeignOffice reiterating that Russia is not involved in the Salisbury incident and outlining... demands for joint investigation," the embassy said on Twitter.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

The Trump administration is adopting a multi-pronged strategy to 'force' the Taliban to reconciliation, a top Pentagon commander told lawmakers on Tuesday.

The multi-pronged strategy includes military pressure, political pressure and those applied through regional partners like Pakistan, US Central Command Commander Gen Joseph Votel told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing.

"I think the key strategy; the big idea here is to force the Taliban to reconciliation. The way we do that is by focusing on military pressure, by focusing on political pressure working with the regional partners such as Pakistan, and it's through social pressure," Votel said in response to a question.

This also includes ensuring that the government of Afghanistan continues to make the necessary reforms that its President Ashraf Ghani has already committed to and that he is moving out on.

"This includes not only addressing endemic problems with corruption, but also ensuring that fair elections are conducted in the country, and that they are addressing some of the leadership challenges they have," he said.

This will help build confidence in the government of Afghanistan for the people, Votel said.

Responding to a question, Votel described Taliban as a narco-terror group.

"They take on many of the characteristics of a mob-Mafia type group. This is not a popular insurgency. I think that's an important thing for people to understand. Over 90 percent of the people in Afghanistan do not want the Taliban to be in charge of their country. It's not a popular insurgency," he said.

Senator Joni Earnest said that the Taliban, it seems, is now transitioning from an ideologically inspired group into a narco-terror group which is using ideology as a veil.

According to Senator Reed said that the Trump administration has yet to articulate the political governance or economic aspects of the strategy, much less the associated staffing and resources that will be required to implement it.

Votel said one of his top priories is to implement the South Asia strategy in Afghanistan, reaffirming its enduring commitment to Afghanistan by reinforcing the two complementary military missions: the NATO-led train, advise and assist mission and the US counterterrorism mission.

"With our support, the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces are well-postured to begin operations to seize the initiative to expand population control and secure credible elections," he said.

"Part and parcel of this effort is our regionalized approach to engage all countries with a stake in Afghanistan's stability, especially Pakistan, where we seek a more productive and trustful relationship that benefits our mutual objectives in the region," Votel said.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Students may no longer need blackboards and notebooks. Starting in April, a junior high school in Tokyo will feature a digital classroom.

The University of Tokyo and IT firm Fujitsu are running the yearlong test project. This comes as the Japanese government promotes education using digital technology.

Students use digital pens to take notes. A ceiling camera captures what they've written, and projects it on their desks and on a whiteboard. The whole class can share the information.

One student says, "I can explain the process of my thinking better when I can show my notes to the whole class."

Another student says, "I can communicate more effectively than using paper when I want to share my notes with my classmates across the room."

The system records notes and comments made by students. That could also make evaluation by teachers easier. - NHK
Japan's infrastructure ministry is studying a system that will allow people to discard used diapers in the sewage system.

The study is aimed at helping parents and caregivers for the elderly to solve the problem of keeping soiled diapers until a designated garbage collection day.

Ministry officials say one possible way would be to develop a special type of garbage disposal that shreds diapers to allow them to pass through sewage pipes.

At a meeting of an expert panel on Tuesday, the ministry discussed desirable diaper materials and shredding methods.

The ministry presented plans to develop a prototype disposal device, and to install larger machines at elderly care facilities and condominiums to dispose of large amounts of diapers.

The ministry is aiming to begin demonstration tests with prototype machines during fiscal 2018.

Experts are expected to study such details as how to prevent sewers from clogging and covering the related costs. They are expected to make a decision by fiscal 2021.

Professor Hiroaki Morita of Nihon University heads the panel. He said that as Japan's population ages, the burden of disposing of diapers increases. He said the challenge is a big one and that the panel will address problems one by one. - NHK
Unions of three Toyota Motor's group firms have decided to accept a 14-dollar monthly base wage increase proposed by management.

Executives at Denso, Aisin Seiki and Toyota Industries also said they will fully accept unions' requests for bonuses.

The decisions came as the automaker and other major Japanese businesses prepare to answer union requests in annual spring wage negotiations on Wednesday.

The All Toyota Workers' Unions, made up of labor unions of the parent and group companies, requested a 28-dollar-or-more base pay raise for a 3rd straight year.

This year's negotiations are unusual because the three group firms ended their wage talks before the parent company. - NHK
The operator of Narita airport agreed Tuesday with the Chiba Prefectural Government, surrounding municipalities and the transport ministry on a plan to expand the hours for landings and takeoffs in bid to enhance the functions of the international gateway - but some nearby residents are concerned about increased noise.

It would mark the first time the airport will extend the time allowed for incoming and outgoing flights since its opening in 1978. On top of the 2A hour extension, the parties also agreed to build a third runway at the airport.

The new flight hours will increase the annual number of takeoff and landing slots from the current 300,000 to 500,000. The new schedule will see flights from 5 a.m. at the earliest to 12:30 a.m. at the latest.

The agreement was reached during a meeting in the city of Chiba by representatives from the prefectural government, nine municipalities including Narita, the transport ministry and Narita International Airport Corp.

With the new plan, the ministry hopes to increase the number of flights, expand routes and improve the airport's competitiveness. The ministry also aims to allow aircraft to fly over central Tokyo around Haneda airport, the country's other international gateway.

Designating the tourism industry as a key growth strategy, the government aims to attract 40 million overseas visitors annually by 2020, when Tokyo hosts the Olympics and Paralympics. The goal by 2030 is 60 million visitors. - Japan Times
An unemployed 46-year-old man and a 16-year-old high school girl were found dead in the room of a love hotel in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, in what police believe was a joint suicide.

According to police, the bodies were found at around 5:50 p.m. Sunday, Fuji TV reported. Police said the girl lived in Saitama Prefecture, and the man was from Azumino in Nagano Prefecture.

The two checked in at the hotel at 5 p.m. on Saturday. When they hadn't checked out by Sunday afternoon, the hotel contacted police. When police entered the room, they found the two occupants hanging from the ceiling with ropes used for mountain climbing. Police said a note was left in the room but did not divulge its contents.

No visible signs of trauma were found on their bodies, and their clothing was not disheveled.

Police said the girl's family had filed a missing persons report with them.

Police are investigating how the girl and the man became acquaintances and believe they may have met through an online chat site. - Japan Today
Tokyo Metropolitan Police are hunting for the male perpetrator who attacked a teenage girl with a hammer at a rail station in Koto Ward on Monday, reports Jiji Press

At around 12:30 p.m., a staff member at JR Kameido Station alerted emergency services after the assailant wielded the hammer in bashing the girl, a 16-year-old high school student, in the head at a bathroom inside the station. The victim was transported to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.

According to the Joto Police Station, perpetrator attacked the girl after she exited a stall of the bathroom, located near the North Exit of the station. He then fled the scene.

The perpetrator is believed to be aged in his 30s or 40s. Standing around 160 centimeters tall, he was wearing blue work clothes and a blue towel over his head, police said.

The girl told police that she was not acquainted with the man. Police are seeking his whereabouts on suspicion of inflicting injury. - tokyoreporter.com
Police in Nicaragua have arrested Orlando Tercero, the 22-year-old boyfriend of Binghamton University nursing student Haley Anderson, and the suspect in her murder.

Tercero was arrested Tuesday afternoon and transferred to a prison in El Chipote, ABC News reported. Police suspected that Tercero had fled the United States by plane before Anderson's body was found on Friday afternoon, and believed he was likely to be in Nicaragua because he had family there.

Haley Anderson Murder: Person of Interest Orlando Tercero Believed to Have Fled to Nicaragua https://t.co/JiP3HQ8Kps pic.twitter.com/NxVcy4BuAB  Rodolfo TIM BETA (@RodolfoLemoss) March 13, 2018

Police found Anderson's body after they were sent to conduct a wellness check at her home near the Binghamton campus. The circumstances surrounding her death have not been revealed, but it was ruled a homicide after an autopsy.

Tercero was initially a person of interest in the case, but his identity was revealed on Monday.

"Our entire university community extends our deepest condolences to Haley's family and friends, both here in Binghamton and in her hometown of Westbury," the university said in a statement.
Competition to light up Kiwi homes is high, with new energy companies bringing their offerings to the table. Across New Zealand there are more than 30, together spending over $33 million on advertising in 2017.

Solar companies are also contributing to the competitive environment  an option that is becoming more popular as Kiwis are increasingly concerned with their impact on a clean, green New Zealand. In the last two years, theres been an 18% increase in the number of New Zealanders who say theres not enough done to protect the environment. Now, more than two million Kiwis agree with this sentiment, and it is also being reflected in an increase in homes installing solar power. 161,000 Kiwis have or are intending to install solar power in the next 12 months.

161,000 Kiwis have or are intending to install solar power in the next 12 months.

With so much competition for energy suppliers in New Zealand, its imperative to understand: who are the unsatisfied customers? Who are the at-risk customers? And where do we find them?

The Satisfied: New Zealanders are generally satisfied with the level of service they receive from their power company. Six-in-10 (63%) of people are currently satisfied with their energy provider, 30% are indifferent, and 7% are dissatisfied. The top three energy providers based on satisfaction are Energy Online, Just Energy and TrustPower, all with a satisfied customer base of over 65%.

The dissatisfied: Every energy provider has a chunk of clients that are dissatisfied; ranging from 4-8% of their customer base. Customers dissatisfied with their current energy provider are more likely to be households with kids, often larger households; they also tend to be in tougher financial circumstances. Just one third of people who are dissatisfied with their current provider are willing to switch soon though.

The difference between the two: There are a few key differences between those who are dissatisfied and intending to switch and those who are dissatisfied but not switching  the key one being age. Customers who are older are less likely to remain with an energy company that theyre dissatisfied with. These customers tend to be more organised with their money and in more comfortable financial circumstances.

The status quo is no longer enough though, and satisfaction and switching are not necessarily linked. Energy providers need to look at the switchers behaviour, because a whopping 44% of people who are intending to switch provider in the next 12 months are actually reasonably satisfied with their current provider. With competitive advertising in the market, and alternatives like solar power, the option; the ease and the benefits of switching are regularly being communicated to consumers.

Understanding which consumers to engage with  who is primed to switch, who is satisfied or not, and where to reach them is incredibly important in driving loyalty and enticing new customers.

Sources: Nielsen Consumer & Media Insights 2017 (15+) and Nielsen Ad Intel 2017

ABOUT NIELSEN CONSUMER AND MEDIA INSIGHTS (CMI)

In this environment, breadth of understanding of consumer attitudes, media consumption and their day to day behaviours is essential. Nielsen Consumer and Media Insights provides views of consumers you want to identify, understand and then reach. Meaning you dont rely on too narrow a view of a customer. The data is gathered via an independently audited survey of 11,000 New Zealanders aged 10+. It uses mixed methodology of face-to-face (75%) and online (25%) interviews, combined with a self-completion diary. The sample is then weighted to Statistics NZ population data for national representation.
President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday disclosed the withholding of assent to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018, heightening tension in the political drama that could determine the outcome of next years general election.The National Assembly had on February 14, 2018 passed the amendment, which re-ordered the sequence of the election, making the National Assembly first and the presidential last. It argued that the move was done to boost democracy.Buharis letter, which was read on the floor of the upper chamber by Senate President Bukola Saraki, noted that the sequence is contrary to the constitutional provision that accords full autonomy to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).Some legislators who criticised the bill, as passed by the Senate, are currently facing disciplinary action before the chambers ethics committee for imputing false motives to the chambers intention.The Senate, however, has not dropped any hint on its next line of action. Its spokesman, Aliu Sabi Abdullahi, told The Guardian that since the letter has been read to senators, it would form part of votes and proceedings to be approved today (Wednesday). The Senate will subsequently decide on how to handle the letter and other related matters, he said.Captioned, Presidential Decision To Withhold Assent To The Electoral Amendment Bill 2018, Buharis letter states: The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the Principal Act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission to organise, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15 (A) of the third statute to the constitution.It notes: The amendment to Section 138 of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process.The third reason for rejecting the bill reads: The amendment to Section 152 (3)-(5) of the Principal Act may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections.It remains to be seen whether the two chambers of the National Assembly would be able to muster the required votes to override the presidents veto.Section 58(5) of the constitution states: Where the president withholds his assent and the bill is again passed by each House by two-thirds majority, the bill shall become law and the assent of the president shall not be required.The last time a veto was quashed was in 2000 when the National Assembly established the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Bill as an Act.When the Senate approved the sequence last month, its chamber turned rowdy, as senators, perceived to be Buhari loyalists, protested. Abdullahi Adamu (APC, Nasarawa), a former Nasarawa State governor and Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, led the dissenters.Faulting the adoption of the controversial election sequence clause, they claimed the inclusion of Section 25 (1) was targeted at President Buhari. They contended that the action of the National Assembly breached the constitution, which they claimed empowered only INEC to fix dates for elections. They also alleged that the process was rushed to achieve predetermined motives.Considering the strategic importance of the bill, it does not need to be rushed. So many members of the committee did not sign. We need to know why they did not. I believe that the content of the bill is not fair. We need to be fair. Why the rush? I will not be part of it, Adamu said.But in a separate briefing, Senator Suleiman Nazif (APC, Bauchi), alongside Senate spokesman, Aliu Sabi Abdullahi, countered the dissenters. He displayed a copy of the report bearing his signature. He also dismissed the insinuation that the report targeted Buhari.Nazif said: The sequence of election came from the House of Representatives. The Senate only adopted what the House passed. I signed my signature on the report. I am not aware if the sequence of the election is targeted at somebody. I did my job as chairman of the committee on INEC.Abdullahi said: As spokesman of the Senate, I will not say something bad about the procedure adopted by the House of Representatives. I am not in the House of Representatives. I can only speak for the Senate. I cannot answer the question on who and who are against the bill we passed. The senators who said that are entitled to their own opinion.The conference committee had explained that the new election sequence would ensure every candidate is elected on merit, disallowing a bandwagon effect.Nazif said: For the avoidance of doubt, this bill with the inclusion of section 25 (1), which makes provision for a sequence of election different from the one earlier rolled out by INEC, has not in any way violated any provisions of the laws governing the operations of the electoral body. Opposition political parties, however, expressed support for the National Assembly, yesterday, urging it to override the presidents veto.The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned Buharis refusal to give assent to the legislation, stressing: As a party, we are not afraid of the 2019 general elections because we know that Nigerians have already rejected President Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress.We know that with the support of Nigerians, any candidate that emerges on our platform ahead of 2019 will clinically defeat President Buhari at the polls and lead our nation back to the path of progress, national cohesion and a vibrant economy.The National Chairman, United Progressive Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, said: Withholding assent to this bill smacks of fear of losing the 2019 presidential election as well as the fear of his (Buhari) party not benefiting from the bandwagon effect of a possible early victory if the presidential election came first.If the APC and President Buhari were confident that the record of their performance was impressive as they have often claimed, there should be no reason his fear should be expressed in the manner of withholding assent to a bill that holds very strong promise to deepen and develop our democracy.In a statement yesterday, Adamu warned of the consequences of a strained relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government. Unless they act in tandem, good governance would become unattainable. And, of course, the welfare of the people would suffer grievously, he said.According to him, My only crime considered heinous by the leadership of the Senate is that I cautioned against the increasing show of disrespect to the person and the office of the president of the federal republic.On alleged plan to suspend him, he said: I would not be surprised if such an extreme form of punishment is being contemplated. In the history of mankind, dissent, as a matter of principle, has always been punished rather than rewarded.He added: If the intention is to gag or intimidate me, I am afraid it would not be worth the effort. Neither adversary nor adversity can force me to abandon my resolve, as a matter of personal honour and principle, to always speak the truth and defend the truth.
The Ghanaian Police have finally arrested a young Nigerian man, Kess Billions, at his hideout in Tema after being declared wanted for multiple robberies with his gang in the country. He is the leader of a vicious robbery gang terrorizing residents of the Accra area of Ghana, was declared wanted after he led his gang to rob a bureau de change on the 31st of January, 2018, and carted away a huge sum of money.

According to a new report, Ghana Police Service, have finally arrested Kesiena Blessing Kagi, alias Kess Billions, at his hideout at Community 20 in Tema.

Kess Billions, as he was popularly known among his fellow criminals, was on the police wanted list for the robbery of a forex bureau at Teshie on Wednesday, January 31, 2018.

He was also said to have led a gang of robbers to attack a company at Community Nine Light Industrial Area, Tema.

The IG of Police in the country said other suspects in the forex bureaux robbery gang - Prince Wanganga, Gift Wanganga alias Festus; John Ani, Prince Yfuah and Okoro Amulley - had been arrested earlier.

He said Kess Billions and the other five suspects were all Nigerians, adding that a check on Kess Billionss passport, number A07598838, revealed that he was a native of Warri.

Kess Billions frequently comes to Ghana, with his last being on January 19, 2018, with a 90-day stay permit.
Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has pleaded with the Senate to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).Akeredolu, represented by his Deputy, Mr Agboola Ajayi, made the plea on Wednesday in Akure, while playing host to a team from the commissions zonal headquarters, Benin Office.According to him, the senate should resolve the lingering issue of confirming the appointment of Magu as EFCC chairman for the benefit of the country.The governor said that Magu had been in acting capacity as chairman of the commission for more than two years.Akeredolu said that EFCC, under the President Muhammadu Buharis All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government, had achieved a lot in fighting corruption more than the previous governments in the country.To fight corruption is more difficult than the fight against Boko Haram in the northern part of the country.With the record of billions recovered by the commission in the country, it means God is with this country.With the level of massive looting in the country in the past, I believe there is hope for Nigeria to get to the greater height, he said.While commending the commission for its achievements in the last two years, he urged the team to extend its offices to states.This, he said, would enable the commission to recruit staff with apparatus to aid it to fight corruption at the state and local government levels.Earlier, the EFCC Zonal Head, Benin Office, Mr Mallafia Yakubu, called for the support of the state government in the fight against corruption.Yakubu said that corruption had led to underdevelopment and employment.We want to join hands with the state government to fight corruption as the commission cannot do it alone, he said.Yakubu also solicited for the support of the state government on the need to sponsor programmes at the grassroots to highlight the damage corruption had caused in the country.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday reacted to President Muhammadu Buharis comment that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, I...

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday reacted to President Muhammadu Buharis comment that the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris flouted his order.





PDP said that by Buharis remark that he was unaware that Idris refused relocating to Benue State, following the killings in the state, he had directly admitted running an incompetent, disorganized and uncoordinated administration.





A statement by its spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan said Buharis explanation on the IGP is also an admission that he has handed over power to a cabal that neither sought for votes nor elected by Nigerians.





The party said Buhari had irredeemably indicted himself, adding that such unpardonable slipshod attitude to governance is directly responsible for his governments wrecking of the nations once robust economy as well as other woes that have befallen our nation in his almost three years in office.





Ologbondiyan said the All Progressives Congress (APC) and supporters of the President should take their minds off the Aso Villa ahead of 2019 election now that their leader and sole candidate has practically admitted his incompetence to run an effective government as desired by Nigerians.





The statement reads, Nigerians have completely lost hope in President Muhammadu Buhari and his incompetent administration. By stating that he was unaware that the IGP only spent 24 hours in Benue state, Mr President has confirmed that he has not been effectively monitoring the handling of the security situation of our nation.









This places a huge question mark on the regular assurances issued from the Presidency on security.





For our party, PDP, the expression of President Buhari has once again vindicated our position that our nation has been placed on autopilot cruise with a cabal pretending to be managing our affairs.





Indeed, Nigerians need to know; what exactly did President Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief, do when he realized that the IGP did not carry out his orders? We demand a direct answer from the Presidency.





The fact is that there is no sense of remorse by the Government as the President himself spent only two hours in Benue state without visiting the victims or even making any direct policy statement on those behind the killings and how to forestall future bloodletting. Rather, in the character of this government, Mr. President engaged in yet another blame game instead of facing issues.









If the Presidency is not committed to monitoring critical issues such as security, then Nigerians are no longer in doubt as to why other sectors, particularly our once robust economy, had gone comatose under the Buhari administration.





Moreover, Nigerians are miffed that while the wailings over these daily bloodletting are yet to abate, President Buhari is busy announcing his plans to return to Benue to seek for another round of votes.





This shows clinically that Mr. President is truly not aware that Nigerians have since abandoned him in his state of unawareness.





Nigerians can no longer bear with a government that cannot give directions to officials and monitor it through; a government that is so inept that it lacks the elementary proficiencies to initiate and implement effective policies and programmes for national cohesion and development; a government that lacks the basic skills to internationally engage and run a virile economy.





We have a government that was so careless, that it even had names of dead persons in the list of appointees to federal boards. What a tragedy!





Again, we maintain that our nation has been on auto-drive under the APC and Nigerians cannot wait to end this nightmare come 2019.




The Peoples Democratic Party, National Council of Tiv Youths and Middle Belt Youth Council have said that President Muhammadu Buhari has ...

The Peoples Democratic Party, National Council of Tiv Youths and Middle Belt Youth Council have said that President Muhammadu Buhari has not been effectively monitoring security problems in the country.The groups stated this on Tuesday, when they commented on the Presidents remark in Benue State, that he was not aware that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, did not obey his order.Buhari had in January ordered the IGP to relocate to Benue State following the killings by herdsmen in the state.On Monday, stakeholders, at a meeting in Makurdi, told the President that the police boss did not spend 24 hours in the state.The PDP, in a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, criticised the President for trying to pass the buck to the IGP.The party stated that the development had exposed Buharis lack of direct commitment to the security of Nigerians.He said, Nigerians have completely lost hope in President Muhammadu Buhari and his incompetent administration.By stating that he was unaware that the IGP only spent 24 hours in Benue State, Mr. President has confirmed that he has not been effectively monitoring the handling of the security situation of our nation.This places a huge question mark on the regular assurances issued from the Presidency on security. For our party, the PDP, the expression of President Buhari has once again vindicated our position that our nation has been placed on autopilot with a cabal pretending to be managing our affairs.The party said Buhari had indicted himself, adding that such an unpardonable attitude to governance was directly responsible for the Buhari governments below average performance on the economy.The main opposition party asked the President to tell Nigerians how he reprimanded Idris in the past.It stated, Indeed, Nigerians need to know; what exactly did President Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief, do when he realised that the IGP did not carry out his orders? We demand a direct answer from the Presidency.The fact is that there is no sense of remorse by the government as the President himself spent only two hours in Benue State without visiting the victims or even making any direct policy statement on those behind the killings and how to forestall future bloodletting. Rather, in the character of this government, Mr. President engaged in yet another blame game instead of facing issues.If the Presidency is not committed to monitoring critical issues such as security, then Nigerians are no longer in doubt as to why other sectors, particularly our once robust economy, had gone comatose under the Buhari administration.The party added that Nigerians were miffed that while the killings had yet to abate, the President announced his plans to return to Benue State to seek for another round of votes.The action, he said, showed clinically that the President was truly not aware that Nigerians had since abandoned him in his state of unawareness.On his part, the President of the National Council of Tiv Youths, Chief John Akperashi, said Buharis statement was highly regrettable.He stated, If indeed he was sincere about that statement, it then goes to expose the Presidents colossal shortcomings and apparent security failure.It should indeed be worrisome and Nigerians should be concerned collectively that the security of their nation which should be paramount is brazenly undermined under this administration of President Buhari.Also, the President of the Middle Belt Youth Council, Emma Zopmal, said the visit was to test Buharis popularity.He said, Sensitive issues like this should not be taken with levity by Mr. President. In another case, it also means he does not really care about the whole dastardly situation that claimed lives and property of these innocent citizens.This levity on the side of Mr. President could be responsible for his absence at the mass burial of our people and without any representation.
Senator Dino Melaye on Wednesday raised the alarm that the Kogi state government has arbitrarily passed a law to run an illegally armed vig...

Senator Dino Melaye on Wednesday raised the alarm that the Kogi state government has arbitrarily passed a law to run an illegally armed vigilante with the mandate to take over the police responsibility of protecting lives and property in the state.





This law said to be illegally enacted was also considered to have contravened the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, in effect, undermined the constitutionally assigned security functions of the Nigeria Police Force.





The upper chamber, therefore, has mandated its committees on security and intelligence and the judiciary to meet with the National Security Adviser to disband the group.





These resolutions followed a point of order 42 and 52 raised by Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi West wherein he reported that the Kogi state government has a plan to introduce state police through the back door.





In his explanation, he brought to the attention of the Senate that there was a law passed by the Kogi state government and signed by Governor Yahaya Bello.





He said the law talks about the establishment of the vigilante service group.





In his words, Mr. President, I have a copy of the law here which is already a law of the Kogi State government. By the time I perused this law, this law is in conflict with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.





This law, Mr. President alters the function of the Nigeria Police as stipulated in section 214 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.





Mr. President, it is a fact that states can make laws through the state houses of Assembly as enshrined in section 4 of the1999 constitution as amended. But the laws they must make must not be in conflict with the provision of the constitution.





Mr. President, I seek your indulgence to read a section of the law passed by Kogi state government. It says, the vigilante group will be involved in the detection and prevention of crime, the apprehension of criminal, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property, will assist other security and para-military agencies in the discharge of their duty, to assist other security agencies in government installation, to assist other security agencies in maintaining law and order in any economic, political and social gathering.





There shall be a comptroller-general of vigilante services and, deputy comptroller-general of vigilante services.





Melaye said the most affront on the constitution was in section 15 of that law. The vigilante service group shall carry den guns, other guns and other light weapons that are commensurate with their duties and responsibilities.





Melaye further reminded the hallowed chamber that this is how Boko Haram started. He said the group was being equipped to wreck havoc on innocent citizens.





He added that the group was already killing in many parts of the state.





He said, there is record of killings in Okene, Adavi, Lokoja and that this group are already carrying Ak-47 and pump action guns in broad daylight.





aker said this development has justified the reason why the state recently imported military uniforms and hardware. And also justified why military gadgets were imported by the state as sporting equipment. The lawm




Lere Olayinka, the Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, has mocked Presiden...

Lere Olayinka, the Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, has mocked President Muhammadu Buhari for sacking Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (Rtd) as Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme for Niger Delta militants instead of the IG of police, Ibrahim Idris.

Buhari replaced Boroh with Professor Charles Quaker Dokubo.





Reacting, however, Olayinka wondered if the President wanted to sack the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, before he mistakenly announced the removal of Boroh.





He tweeted, Did Buhari mistakenly sack the Amnesty International boss thinking it was the IGP that he sacked?





Idris has been a trending topic in Nigeria since Monday after President Buhari during his visit to Benue claimed the police boss disobeyed his instruction.





Earlier, Leres principal, had mocked President Buhari over his claim that IGP Idris flouted his order over the lingering crisis in Benue.








President Muhammadu Buhari wil today meet with parents of the 110 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram on February 19 in Dapchi, Yobe State...

President Muhammadu Buhari wil today meet with parents of the 110 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram on February 19 in Dapchi, Yobe State.They will be among the stakeholders at the parley in the Yobe State Government House in Damaturu during a one-day presidential visit.Buhari has visited Taraba, Plateau and Benue states, where killings by herdsmen took place. He is also due to visit Niger State tomorrow.Yobe government officials said yesterday that the President is not likely to visit Dapchi, unless there is a last-minute change in plans.Some of the parents confirmed to our source yesterday that they had been invited to the Government House in Damaturu for the meeting.For us the parents of the missing girls, Our message to him is very clear; he should ensure that our daughters return safe and on time to us, one of the parents said.President Buhari on Monday told outgoing United State Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, that he preferred to negotiate the release of the girls rather than a military option.The chairman of the Forum of Dapchi Abducted School Girls Parents, Bashir Manzo, said yesterday.Yes, we have been contacted to meet with the President tomorrow in Damaturu. I am leaving Dapchi today to sleep in Damaturu.He also urged the president to work fast in trying to rescue their daughters and reunite them with their parents.There was heavy security in Damaturu yesterday ahead of the visit.A detachment of security personnel including army, police and Civil Defence Corps were deployed in strategic locations.The August 27 Stadium where the president is expected to land from an Air force helicopter enroute Maiduguri International Airport had been taken over by security with Armored Carriers mounted at the front of the stadium.Some of the parents spoke on their expectations in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.Manzo the chairman said to negotiate the release is a welcome development and we are happy about it.Use of force, as the only option, will result in death of many of the girls while negotiation provides for their safe return.The chairman, who encouraged government to go for dialogue to hasten return of the girls, said the fact that the insurgents provide room for negotiation gives us hope for safe return of our daughters.Alhaji Baba Shehu, Secretary Dapchi Youth Development Association, also described the negotiation option as a healthy development.Government should deploy resources at its disposal to take this advantage and ensure safe return of the girls he said.Alhaji Ali Mohammed, a father of eight of the students, described negotiation as the only safe option for the insurgents to release the girls, saying he was happy government had considered this option of negotiation.Maryam Alkali, a mother, said every mother would appreciate the option that will bring the girls back home safely.Let me state without fear of contradiction that every mother of the abducted girls will now have a strong hope for reunion with these girls she said.Malam Mustapha Imam, another parent, said If government had resorted to military option alone, it may jeopardize the safety of the girls, so the option of negotiation is a welcome development.He however called on government to take strong precautionary measures in safeguarding every school in the country, especially those in the Northeast.Government has to invest heavily on security, especially in equipment, manpower and intelligence gathering for improved security, Imam said
The boast by the Nasir El-Rufai led Kaduna State Government that it would replace about 22,000 teachers with qualified ones has been put t...

The boast by the Nasir El-Rufai led Kaduna State Government that it would replace about 22,000 teachers with qualified ones has been put to test.





This is as one of the new recruits posted an error-filled message on Facebook.





Usman Kabiru, in a post he shared, expressed joy that he had been employed by the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB).





I been offer a teacher in subeb as a primary teacher, (sic) he wrote.





His statement has sparked debate on social media, with many questioning how he got the job.





Recall that Saidu Adamu, Counsellor on Information to El-Rufai, had stressed that the administration was sanitising the civil service and injecting new blood as part of the reform process to make the service responsive, efficient and sustainable.





On the 22,000 teachers sacked by the government, Adamu said the administration would replace them with 25, 000 qualified ones.





The teachers sacked have no business in the classroom, he stressed, adding that the government was focused on laying a solid foundation at the primary level for children of the poor to acquire sound education.





By sanitizing our primary schools, children of the poor would acquire the right education that would add value to their lives and the society and become something worthwhile in the future.





No any sensible government will allow the way things are going in the education sector to continue.









A situation where a primary school teacher and graduate of geography cant even spell geography correctly, and you expect the government to allow such person to continue teaching, is not possible.





It is high time to change the situation and we have screened those who applied for teaching jobs to get suitable replacements.





We are also going to conduct physical and oral tests to confirm that we have the right persons, we want to have functional and qualified teachers in our schools.





I want to also assure that what Kaduna state governor is doing is the best that any right-thinking leader should do.




The senate on Tuesday said there is no date yet for the passage of the 2018 budget.

The senate on Tuesday said there is no date yet for the passage of the 2018 budget.





Saabi Abdullahi, senates spokesman, said this while addressing reporters in Abuja.





He said: The budget process is on and I cant tell you this is the specific date it is going to end.





We are working very hard on it and we want to assure Nigerians that at the end of the day, we will have a budget that will serve the purpose of Nigerians.





On the upper chambers resolution to lift embargo on confirmation of presidential nominees, the lawmaker said there was an existing impasse between the executive and the legislature with respect to confirmation hearing of appointees of the executive.





We had a resolution that since the executive is claiming we dont have the powers to make those confirmations we are not going to consider the nominees they are forwarding to us. This happened since last year.





The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate, after a Point of Order by Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim (APC-Kwara), lifted the embargo.





According to Abdullahi, the senate made the resolution not that they have any iron to grind with anybody.





But because we believe we must defend the sanctity of democracy and ensure the institutions of democracy, for which the senate is the apex, must be respected and we believe in doing so, it is in the overall interest of the people, he said.





He also spoke on the resolution of the upper chamber to consider the confirmation of members of the monetary policy committee (MPC).





We will also consider the nomination of the two deputy governors of Central Bank (CBN) who are also members of the MPC so that the Nigerian economy will receive the necessary technical input to ensure that we sustain the growth of our economy, he said.




President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday arrived in Maiduguri as part of the nationwide visit to troubled areas in the country.The President is billed to visit Yobe to meet with families of 110 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at Government Girls Science and Technical School, Dapchi, on February 19.The presidential jet landed at Maiduguri International Airport at about 11.01 am.The President was received by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno; Chief of Defence Staff, General Obayomi Olonishakin; National Security Adviser, Retired Major General Babagana Monguno and other service chiefs.Others were the ministers of Education; Youth and Sports, Interior and Information and Culture, Mr. Adamu Adamu; Solomon Dalong, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Alhaji Lai Mohammed.The President, accompanied by top government functionaries, was expected to board a chopper to Damaturu, the Yobe capital later in the day.
The Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives are consulting on whether to override President Muhammadu Buhari's veto to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which seeks to re-order the sequence of polls in 2019.The president in a March 8, 2018, letter written to both chambers of the National Assembly said the amendments by the lawmakers were in conflict with existing laws.President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, have both read the letters to the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively.After receiving the letter, members of the House and senators began consulting on the next line of action, The Punch reports.Lawmakers had hinted before now that they would override the presidents veto."The President has played his own part, a member of the House of Representatives who spoke on condition of anonymity told the newspaper.He kept to the constitutional provision of within 30 days by writing to the National Assembly.On our part, we have to consult. This is not the type of issue you rush to take decisions.The consultations will cut across party and zonal caucuses for members to take a position on the next line of action.Another source said Buharis letter was discussed by the Senate at a 25-minute closed-door session but that the lawmakers did not reach a conclusion.The source, who is in the PDP caucus, said the 43 members of the PDP are supporting the move to override Buhari, in addition to the over 20 APC senators backing the move.Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for withholding his assent to a proposed legislation by the national assembly to change the sequence of 2019 general elections in the country.Premium Times reports that the party in a statement on Tuesday, March 13, signed by Kola Ologbodiyan, its national publicity secretary, said it believes in the power of the legislature to make necessary amendments to strengthen democracy.It was gathered that Buhari rejected the proposed amendments to Nigerias electoral act in a letter addressed to the speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and to the Senate President Bukola Saraki.The president stated among other reasons that the amendments infringe on the rights of INEC.
The Washington, D.C. area man wanted for punching a Bordentown Township gas station employee in the neck with brass knuckles this past weekend was the man shot dead by police in Long Island, New York Monday morning.

He was still on a crime spree, police said.

A Nassau County police officer shot Michael Ward dead Monday morning in Great Neck. The 46-year-old was from Fort Washington, Maryland.

Michael Ward

According to ABC7NY, before he was killed, Ward knocked a 77-year-old man to the ground in the Bronx and robbed him of $20. Then he ran over a pedestrian in Brooklyn, killing him.

And then, just before 4 a.m. Monday, he carjacked a woman on Manhattan's Lower East Side and minutes later, carjacked a driver in New York's Tribeca neighborhood with a punch to the face.

He was fatally wounded by police shortly after motorists honked at his stopped vehicle and he responded by emerging with a bat, smashing their windows and striking one, ABC7NY reported.

Nassau County police said Ward went after an arriving police officer with the bat, who first attempted to Taser the suspect, but was unsuccessful. When Ward refused to drop the bat, the officer fired twice.

Ward was pronounced dead at a hospital.

In Bordentown Township, police had charged him via warrant with aggravated assault for the Saturday, 6 p.m. assault of an employee of the Delta gas station on Route 206.

Ward arrived in a Mitsubishi, slugged the attendant, then jumped into an Acura that was getting gas - a vehicle with Delaware license plates. Bordentown police suspected Ward was headed to New York.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
The Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with linebacker Corey Nelson, a person familiar with the negotiations told NJ Advance Media.

The person requested anonymity, because the one-year, $2.25 million contract, first reported by ESPN, will not become official until the new league year begins on Wednesday.

Nelson, 6-foot-1, 226 pounds, is 25 years old and has spent the past four seasons with the Denver Broncos.

Here are five takeaways from the decision to sign Nelson:

1. Didn't play much for Denver: Nelson was a depth player for the Broncos, and started only five games in four seasons with the team. He totaled 71 tackles and one sack with six passes defended. The Broncos, however, reportedly matched the money the Eagles offered, a clear sign that they valued him.

2. Special teams: Nelson played 115 special teams snaps for the Broncos last season. The Eagles might be losing Najee Goode, and it is possible they are bringing in Nelson to replace Goode on special teams.

3. Outside linebacker: It is unlikely this signing will have any impact on whether the Eagles bring back Nigel Bradham, which was unlikely anyway. Nelson turning down the money from Denver to come to Philadelphia, however, could be a sign that he expects to see a decent amount of playing time on defense.

4. Starter? Is it possible that the Eagles view Nelson as a potential starter next to middle linebacker Jordan Hicks? Giving Nelson $2.25 million, especially with the team strapped for cash, could be a precursor to trading linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

5. Injured: Nelson went on the injured reserve with a torn bicep on Oct. 21, 2017.

Eliot Shorr-Parks may be reached at eshorrpa@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @EliotShorrParks. Find NJ.com Eagles on Facebook.
Less than two years after a man was shot to death and his child kidnapped in Salem County, a jury convicted his killer.

Hakeem O. Williams, 32, of Philadelphia shot Jakaiye Ingram, 24, of Pennsville Township, following a confrontation on a Saturday afternoon in July 2016, prosecutors had alleged.

Ingram was driving a Volkswagen Jetta with his girlfriend, Yasmine Taylor, in the passenger seat and the couple's 1-year-old son in the backseat when they passed Williams, who was walking on South Broad Street in Penns Grove.

Words were exchanged and Ingram stopped the car. Williams and Ingram, who didn't know each other prior to the encounter, began arguing and Williams pulled a gun, firing multiple rounds, authorities said.

As Taylor ran from the car to help her wounded boyfriend, Williams jumped into the vehicle and took off with the couple's 1-year-old son still in the back.

The car was found abandoned in Philadelphia hours later with the child unharmed and still strapped in his seat. Williams surrendered to Philly police the next day.

Following a trial that lasted several days, the jury deliberated for a day and a half before returning Wednesday afternoon with guilty verdicts on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and four related crimes.

"We are happy with the verdict," Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said. "Although (Taylor) is happy with the verdict, it was a tragic event for her and one that will stay with her for the rest of her life."

Lenahan praised Assistant Prosecutors William Holmes and Jon Flynn for their work on the case.

Sentencing is set for April 20.

Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
A regional high school and middle school in Gloucester County will be closed on Wednesday after an anonymous threat was made against it on a planned national walk-out day, officials said.

Administrators from the Clearview Regional School District in the Mullica Hill section of Harrison Township were told by police of a non-specific threat, according to a letter posted on the district's website.

The walkouts are part of a national movement on the one-month anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that left 17 people dead in Parkland, Florida. The 17-minute walkout is meant as both a memorial to the lives lost and as a protest to demand safer gun laws.

The Gloucester County Sheriff's Department and State Police swept the Harrison Township schools but found no weapons, the letter said.

The district consists of Clearview Regional High School and Clearview Middle School. The buildings are adjacent to each other.

Meanwhile, students at Hackensack High School in Bergen County will not take part in a planned national school walkout due to security concerns, officials there said.

In place of walking out, student leaders will deliver a presentation that will be streamed to all classrooms via the school's television studio.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JeffSGoldman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A 20-year-old Bayonne driver was taken to a local hospital Tuesday night after crashing into a ditch along a road in Jersey City, authorities said.

A North Bergen man in a Nissan Rogue told police he was driving south on Caven Point Road just before midnight when a Honda Accord veered into the southbound lane, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said.

The man said the Honda struck the rear driver-side bump on his vehicle and continued on, crashing into a ditch on the west side of the street. Wallace-Scalcione said.

The Honda, which sustained heavy front-end damage, was deemed hazardous and impounded. It's 20-year-old driver was issued three summonses and taken to Jersey City Medical Center and has since been discharged, Wallace-Scalcione added.
JERSEY CITY  The Middlesex County man involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash early Saturday morning in Kearny was released from custody during his first court appearance.

The state did not file to detain 21-year-old Niraji Patel, of Edison, which would have kept him in custody for the duration of his prosecution. He is accused of hitting Naphtali Dykes, 30, on Routes 1 and 9 early Saturday morning.

Dykes, of East Orange, was released from the Hudson County jail before the crash. He had been housed at the facility since Feb. 22, 2018 for violating parole on a criminal trespassing charge, officials said.

Police arrived at the scene at about 1:55 a.m. and found Dykes' lifeless body in the middle of the roadway. Patel allegedly struck Dykes in the southbound lane, left the scene, and a second vehicle struck the 30-year-old while he was lying in the street, authorities said.

Patel was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office on Duncan Avenue around 10 a.m. on the day of the crash. His Toyota Camry was recovered and authorities seized his iPhone 6s, according to court records.

He is charged with one count of knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal crash, a second-degree crime. Patel faces up to 10 years in jail if convicted. He's due back in court on April 9.

Dykes is the sixth person to die on Hudson County roads this year. Of the five crashes that resulted in death, four drivers fled the scene.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
New Jersey Transit is investigating car fires that damaged a total of six vehicles parked at a maintenance facility in Kearny on Tuesday afternoon.

Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit, said the fires were reported around 4:30 p.m. at the agency's Meadows Maintenance Complex. The vehicles were all privately owned by NJ Transit employees, Snyder said.

No one was injured in the incident, during which three vehicles caught fire and three others were damaged, Kearny fire Chief Steve Dyl said.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at 4:26 p.m. and had the fires under control by 5:19 p.m., Dyl said, adding the cause remains under investigation but that arson is not suspected at this time.

"We do not suspect arson but we're still investigating," he said.

The NJ Transit facility, located along the Newark-Jersey City Turnpike, is the site where rail cars are serviced and maintained.
Officials at the State Police say they've dismantled a million-dollar cargo theft ring operating up and down the New Jersey Turnpike, arresting 11 men and recovering 16 loads of stolen cargo.

"They took everything they could get their hands on," Col. Patrick Callahan, the head of the State Police, said Wednesday announcing the results of the investigation.

Dubbed "Operation Botany Strike," the investigation centered on a warehouse facility located within the Botany Worsted Mills Historic District in the city of Passaic.

It began in October of last year, when members of a State Police interstate theft unit were investigating the theft of a tractor-trailer containing more than $100,000 worth of meat from a trucking lot in South Amboy, according to a statement from police.

The troopers found the truck abandoned later that day at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the turnpike and launched an investigation that led them to the Passaic warehouse complex, authorities said.

Authorities said the group used four different locations on the property as an "off-loading point" where stolen cargo was stored and fenced.

The stolen goods included granite, landscaping equipment, home goods, clothing and groceries, police said. Police said the stolen cargo came from as far south as Lakewood in Ocean County and as far north as Carlstadt in Bergen County. Authorities estimate the recovered haul was worth more than $1 million.

Police charged Ambiorix Canela-Rodriguez, 26, of Paterson, with fencing, receiving stolen goods and conspiracy. Ten others were charged with receiving stolen goods and conspiracy, including:

Adiel Acevedo-Ortiz, 26, of Paterson

Carlos Alcantara, 60, of Passaic

Bassim Fardos, 38, North Bergen

Elvis Valerio, 34, of Passaic

Wilfredo Valle, 38, of Passaic

Milton Vargas, 48, of Paterson

Nelson Pena-Restituyo, 51, of Union City

Luis Lourido, 50, of Union City

Eduardo Ramos, 32, of Union

Angel DeLeon, 35, of Hawthorne

A spokesman for the state Division of Criminal Justice, which is handling the case, said prosecutors "did not have a basis" to seek detention under New Jersey bail rules and the defendants were released pending trial.

None of the men could immediately be reached for comment and authorities did not have information on whether they had retained attorneys.

Callahan said the investigation is ongoing.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see additional cargo seized, additional suspects arrested and certainly charged," the colonel said.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A family's French bulldog apparently suffocated during a flight from Houston to New York on Monday when a United Airlines flight attendant forced them to place the pet in an overhead compartment for the three-hour trip.

United confirmed the incident in an email to NJ Advance Media, saying the company is investigating.

"I witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a woman to put her dog carrier with live dog in an overhead bin," Maggie Gremminger of New York City, wrote on Facebook.

At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog, deceased. She sat in the airplane aisle on the floor crying, and all of surrounding passengers were utterly stunned. (3)  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

The dog's owners were a woman, her teenage daughter and an infant who were traveling from Texas to LaGuardia Airport, Gremminger told Buzzfeed.

They were on United 1284, which arrived at LaGuardia shortly before 11 p.m. Monday.

The passenger had the black French bulldog in a standard pet carrier, which she initially placed under the seat in front of her, according to Gremminger.

When the flight attendant came by, she told the woman needed to place the carrier in the overhead bin.

"It was clearly a dog and while the customer was adamant about leaving it under the seat, the attendant pushed her to do so," Gremminger said in a tweet.

"At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog deceased. She sat in the airplane aisle on the floor crying, and all of surrounding passengers were utterly stunned," Gremminger tweeted.

When the woman was forced to place the dog in the overhead bin, Gremminger exchanged glances with the man next to her.

"We both knew it didn't feel right," Gremminger said. "I wish I had followed my gut and done something. I am just broken right now. And sleep deprived. And so, so, so sad for those lovely people who never knew what was happening right above them."

Gremminger said on Twitter she wants to find out the name of the dog's owners so she can help them. She added that United offered her and another passenger who witnessed the incident a $75 voucher each but they turned it down.

I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of an @united flight attendant. My heart is broken. pic.twitter.com/mjXYAhxsAq  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

Gremminger, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday, wrote on Facebook the woman and those around her must have thought there was air flow in the overhead bins.

"I'm sure the owner is going through the worst guilt," Gremminger wrote. "She made sure the flight attendant understood there was her dog and when the flight attendant still pushed her. I think maybe she assumed it surely was safe. The rationality in that moment must have so confusing."

United released a statement Tuesday apologizing for the incident.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin," United said. "We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."

On Tuesday evening, a man named Brayan Castano told BuzzFeed his puppy Kokito was the dog on the flight. He said the puppy was traveling with his wife Catalina and their two kids back home to New York from a visit with him in Houston, where he is currently working.

Brayan Castano tells BuzzFeed News his puppy Kokito is the dog that died on the United flight yesterday. The pup was traveling with his wife Catalina and their two kids back home to NYC from a visit with him in Houston, where he is currently working. pic.twitter.com/5WimXkuf5N  Stephanie McNeal (@stephemcneal) March 13, 2018

@united United Airlines IS responsible and how could they ever justify this or compensate for the loss of one's loving pet? I am stunned that this took place on a commercial airline. @MaggieGrem your twitter message is getting this horrific story out. Thank you for this.  Jacqueline Loughran (@JackieLoughran) March 13, 2018

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Michael Sol Warren | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

By Michael Sol Warren | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

More than 10,000 public comments were submitted online about the Trump administration's plan to greatly expand offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters. At least 400 of the comments submitted to the Bureau of Offshore Energy Management related specifically to New Jersey.

Here are some of the highlights about drilling off the Jersey Shore.

Don't Edit

Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media

Tourism, tourism, tourism

"As a business person with a family business directly on the Wildwood Crest, NJ beach, a potential spill would be devastating to our seasonal hotel business and surely lead to bankruptcy," wrote Nazareno Regalbuto, the president of the Regal Plaza Beach Resort in Wildwood Crest.

Many of the comments opposing the drilling proposal cited concerns that an oil spill could close beaches along the Shore, harming the multi-billion dollar tourism industry. Gov. Murphy stated in a letter opposing drilling that the Shore's tourism industry supports about 20 percent of New Jersey's workforce. The Cape May County Chamber of Commerce submitted a comment in opposition of the drilling plan, noting that Cape May's tourism industry alone is worth $6.2 billion.

Don't Edit

Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media

What about the fishing industry

"A potential oil spill would eliminate all our significant revenue sources as a county and would force people to leave the place they currently call home," wrote Cape May County Freeholder Gerald Thornton, who commented on behalf of his fellow freeholders.

Thornton noted that Cape May and Wildwood combine to form a fishing port worth $71.6 billion, the second most valuable port on the Atlantic Coast. Worries that offshore drilling would harm New Jersey's fishing industry were common in the opposition comments.

Don't Edit

Gov. Murphy just FaceTimed into a rally against offshore drilling. Here's a clip. pic.twitter.com/PM8iu6oRFP  Michael Sol Warren (@MSolDub) February 14, 2018

An oil spill could be devastating

"I know firsthand the environmental damage that human mistakes create," wrote Jay Stephens, a 65-year-old resident of Toms River who drew on personal experience cleaning up oil spills along the Atlantic Coast in his early 20s. "Please do not move forward in allowing the coast to be opened up for this unnecessary proposal."

Mary Carroll Johansen, a Monmouth County resident, wrote about her childhood memories of a polluted shore.

"Now the sands are pristine and the waters are clear," Johansen wrote. "We don't want to go back to the polluted waters of the 1970s and 1980s when it has taken decades to clean up New Jersey's beaches."

Don't Edit

Saed Hindash | The Star-Ledger

Ane what about our health

"I take my dog with me as I paddle board and the thought of the chance of contamination from oil or any related chemicals affecting my health and that of my precious animal is more than I can bear," wrote Peggy Houle wrote, a Barnegat resident who is concerned about the public health consequences of a potential oil spill.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

What about ocean life versus seismic testing

"Our oceans are already heavily polluted and deeply [affected] by acidification," wrote Nandini Checko, a staffer for the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions. "The additional stress will be the tipping point from which we can never recover."

Checko was expressing concerns over the seismic testing that would be required to map oil and gas deposits beneath the sea floor. Checko fears that the process will have irreparable damage on ocean life.

Worries about how oil and gas drilling would affect ocean life was a common point in the opposition comments. Thomas Marrero, a New Jersey resident and member of the Philly Surf Crew, called use of the beaches and oceans a privilege in his comments and described his own personal, cherished experiences with wildlife.

Don't Edit

Is there even oil out there?

"It is extremely illogical to risk the entire region's marine life, ocean health, and economy for so little gain," wrote Danielle Salerno, commenting that the federal government's own estimates of the amount of oil and gas in the Atlantic is small and scattered.

Don't Edit

Would oil spills harm N.J.

"We also catch and observe tropical fish native to Florida's waters in seine nets and pots that accidently migrate toward New Jersey via the Gulf Stream," Jeff Martin, a high school science teacher in Cape May, wrote in his comments. "Oil could just as easily reach any eastern seaboard state from a spill in southern waters."

Martin fears that oil from a spill in southern waters could be carried north on the same currents that bring the tropical fish. The Mayor and Borough Council of Point Pleasant also highlighted this concern in their opposition to the drilling plan.

Don't Edit

Tony Kurdzuk | The Star-Ledger

Focus on renewables instead to fight climate change

"Burning the extracted oil and gas exacerbates climate change and increases levels of pollution, putting all of us at risk," the Monmouth County Audubon Society wrote in its comments. "Rather than lead the world to address climate change, this administration is pushing us backwards."

The comments from the group were one of many that called for the Trump administration to invest in renewable energy, rather than fossil fuel development, as a way to cut carbon emissions and fight climate change.

Don't Edit

Bring it on!

"The modern technology used today to drill makes a so-called disaster nearly impossible. We need jobs and oil tax revenue in this corrupt and bankrupt State Of New Jersey," wrote Mat Toenniessen, who did not include a place of residence or personal connection to New Jersey. "Ignore the environmental and anti-capitalist extremists and approve oil drilling off New Jersey coasts."

There were at least 440 submitted comments about the drilling plan specifically mentioning New Jersey.

Toenniessen's comment was the only one in favor of drilling off the Jersey Shore.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Jersey politicians are unified in opposing drilling

Governor Phil Murphy and the entire 14-member New Jersey congressional delegation have been unified in their opposition to the drilling plan. On March 9, Murphy and the congressmen sent two separate letters to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke as a public comment against the plan.

New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal joined attorneys general from 11 other states in opposing the drilling plan; the group submitted a letter as a public comment in February. Grewal highlighted his concerns about economic impacts on New Jersey's tourism and fishing industries, as well as concerns that drilling threaten endangered wildlife in Garden State waters.

Don't Edit

Other news about the offshore drilling proposal

The plan itself: Trump has proposed offshore drilling in the Atlantic. Here's what it means for N.J.

A heated hearing: Outrage, name-calling fuel drama at a hearing about offshore drilling

Murphy vs. Trump: Murphy, other N.J. politicians make last pitch against Trump oil drilling proposal

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Democrat Conor Lamb and Republican Rick Saccone battled to the wire Tuesday night in a tighter-than-tight congressional election that pitted the strength of President Donald Trump in blue-collar America against the energy and anger of the political left.

The contest in the Pittsburgh-area district has drawn national attention as a bellwether for the midterm elections in November for control of Congress.

Whatever the final outcome, the showing by Lamb in a district Trump won by 20 points in the presidential race is sure to stoke anxiety among Republicans nationwide and renewed enthusiasm among Democrats.

LATEST: The closely watched and extremely expensive special election in Pennsylvania remains too close to call. Pres. Trump won the district by double digits in 2016. https://t.co/6O3mEnNeky #PA18 pic.twitter.com/nzd3pcYSB1  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 14, 2018

Nearly three hours after polls closed and with 99 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial results had Lamb leading Saccone by 847 votes. Some absentee ballots were not expected to be counted until Wednesday morning, and the final result could be decided by a recount.

Conor Lamb, the Democratic candidate for the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. (AP Photo)

The White House had scrambled to rally voters behind Saccone, who cast himself as the president's "wingman," but he struggled at times to connect with the blue-collar coalition that fueled Trump's victory little more than a year ago.

According to state election officials, there are two methods for seeking a recount under state law.

Voters can ask a county board of elections for a recount before all returns are counted, or they can ask the county court for a recount. However, to win a court-ordered recount, there are stiff requirements, including requiring three voters in the same precinct who can attest that error or fraud was committed in the count.

Lamb, a 33-year old Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor, downplayed his opposition to the Republican president on Tuesday and insisted instead that the race hinged on local issues.

"This didn't have much to do with President Trump," Lamb said after casting his vote in suburban Pittsburgh.

Because of a state court decision redrawing Pennsylvania's congressional boundaries, the winner will have to start campaigning for re-election almost immediately in a different district.

Still, the election has far greater political consequences as each party prepares for the November midterm elections.

For the White House and its Republican allies, a Tuesday loss would represent both a profound embarrassment and major cause for concern in the broader push to defend majorities in the U.S. House and Senate.

The president has campaigned in the district twice and sent several tweets on Saccone's behalf. Other recent visitors include the vice president, the president's eldest son, the president's daughter and the president's chief counselor. Outside groups aligned with Republicans have also poured millions of dollars into the contest.

For Democrats, a win would reverberate nationwide, while even a narrow loss would be viewed as a sign of increased Democratic enthusiasm just as the midterm season begins.

Democrats must flip 24 GOP-held seats this fall to seize control of the House, and months ago few had counted on this Pittsburgh-area district to be in play. The seat has been in Republican hands for the past 15 years.

Rick Saccone, the Republican candidate for the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District, on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. (AP Photo)

It was open now only because longtime Republican congressman Tim Murphy, who espoused strong anti-abortion views, resigned last fall amid revelations of an extramarital affair in which he urged his mistress to get an abortion.

After voting Tuesday in Allegheny County, Republican Saccone downplayed the significance of the unusually close race.

"The Democrats ... they're throwing everything they can at this race," he said. "There hasn't been an open seat for a long time."

Besides bruising the president, a Lamb defeat also could shake Republican self-assurance that their new tax law can shield them from other political woes.

With polls showing a tight race for months, Saccone tried to persuade the GOP-leaning electorate that their choice was about "making America great again," as the president repeatedly says.

Saccone, a 60-year-old Air Force veteran turned state lawmaker and college instructor, enjoyed enthusiastic backing from the social conservatives who've anchored his state career. He's been perhaps at his most animated when emphasizing his opposition to abortion rights.

Yet Saccone struggled to raise money and stir the same passions that helped Trump on his way to the White House. The consistent fundraising deficit left him with limited resources to air the message he delivered one-on-one: His four decades of experience in the private sector, international business and now the Legislature should make voters' choice a no-brainer.

Lamb, meanwhile, excited core Democrats and aimed for independents and moderate Republicans.

"We worked really hard for it," Lamb said after voting.
One of three fugitives named in a massive drug bust in Ocean County that led to 29 arrests in seven different counties surrendered Monday.

Akera Lewis, 27, of Newark.

Akera Lewis, 27, of Newark, was arrested after she turned herself in and was charged with heroin possession and distribution.

Her attorney, Adrienne Edward, was not immediately available to comment.

Lewis is one of 28 others arrested in "Operation Heading Back," which led to the seizure of 90,000 doses of heroin, 191 pounds of cocaine, 20 guns, 27 vehicles and $850,000 in cash, Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato announced at a press conference on Friday.

The massive bust received its name because it started with a drug transaction on a street in Lakewood and continued to work its way up north. The investigation encompassed seven New Jersey counties and New York.

Coronato said it was the biggest bust in the history of the Ocean County's Special Operations Group, which formed in 1988. Capt. Jack Sramaty currently heads the team.

There were no so-called "kingpins" of the drug ring, Coronato said. He said the "sophisticated" drug network utilized multiple lines of suppliers.

Authorities also dismantled nine drug-making facilities in Bloomfield, Jackson, Parlin, Paterson, Plainfield and Piscataway (4).

In one of the raids, authorities arrested Rasheed Sanders of East Orange after they found 8 kilos of cocaine and a loaded AK-47.

At a detention hearing for Sanders, Judge Wendel Daniels in Ocean County Superior Court initially ruled for him to be released from jail with high-level monitoring.

Prosecutors filed a motion to appeal the ruling, and also filed additional charges in the case -- certain persons not to have a weapon and unlawful possession of an assault rifled. Daniels ordered Sanders to remain jailed pending the outcome of his case at a second detention hearing on Tuesday.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
Our country's most prominent evangelicals - those arbiters of godliness who tell us who to love, how to pray, and how to live - continue to show robust support for a serial adulterer who has been divorced twice, fathered at least one child out of wedlock, paid hush money to a girlfriend, and has, shall we say, a tenuous grasp of virtuous behavior.

The preachers still venerate President Trump, even after Stormy Daniels blasted a hole in their moral code and tested how far they can stretch their hypocrisy.

As it turned out, they go as far as any other Trump apologist in this burlesque comic opera.

L'Affaire Stormy would be a five-alarm inferno for any other president, but in the Trump White House it is routine sleaze, leaving the porn factor aside. And it would have been forgotten were it not for a Wall Street Journal report that revealed a $130,000 payoff by Trump's attorney to Daniels in October 2016, which may have violated election law.

But it didn't register on the moral barometers of evangelical leaders.

Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said, "We kind of gave him an, 'All right, you get a mulligan. You get a do-over here.'"

Robert Jeffress, pastor of the powerful First Baptist Church in Dallas, assured Fox News that "Evangelicals know they are not compromising their beliefs in order to support this great president."

Franklin Graham affirmed that "while he is not President Perfect," Trump does have "a concern for Christian values."

Jerry Falwell Jr. said, "We all need Christ's forgiveness, and that's why evangelicals are so quick to forgive Donald Trump when he asked for forgiveness for things that happened 10, 15 years ago."

All that must be of great comfort to Melania Trump.

No one said there wouldn't be moral ambiguity in the Age of Trump, but these men lost their gag reflex long ago.

When Trump showed moral cowardice after Charlottesville by refusing to condemn Neo-Nazis, Falwell called the president's words "bold" and "truthful."

When Trump flaunted his racism in his characterization of Haiti and African nations, Jeffress said, "President Trump is right on target in his sentiment."

When Trump gave his support of an accused pedophile's candidacy in Alabama, they all fell in line, as Roy Jones had 80 percent white evangelical support.

Then came Stormy.

And Jesus Wept.

Michael Gerson of The Atlantic, an evangelical conservative, believes the term 'evangelical' has been defiled, and that party identity has obliterated moral conviction.

"This is not mere gullibility; it is utter corruption," he wrote. "Blinded by political tribalism and hatred for their political opponents, these leaders can't see how they are undermining the causes to which they once dedicated their lives."

Peter Wehner, who served three GOP presidents, wrote: "What bothers me is that to a watching world, they see these self-proclaimed evangelical leaders speaking and they think, 'Is this what it represents? Is this what it means?' There is so much hypocrisy here."

This is not to condemn all evangelicals, notably those who believe moral values must instruct the positions we embrace, such as economic justice or human rights. Some are horrified by their preachers' capitulation; their overall support of Trump has fallen from 78 to 61 since Feb. 2017.

But they have fallen behind faith leaders who pretend their values are under attack by the menace of amoral secular elitists, and that has been exploited to great effect by Trump.

Once again, their authority has been reduced to a great moral mush of sophistry and rationalizations, immortalizing them as political mercenaries who buttressed a presidential parody every time he was caught with his pants down. Sad.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
By Margo Greenbaum

In 2003, my name was Margarita Velichkova Kamenova. I was 4 and lived in a Bulgarian orphanage. When I think of that 4-year-old girl, tears form. Tears form because she had little opportunity for an education.

She would likely never be a senior in high school with a love of learning and a dream of attending college. No. That little girl would likely be living on the streets, working or possibly dead.

Fortunately, I was adopted on Aug. 7 of that year by Gail and Leonard Greenbaum, whom I now call Mom and Dad. They named me Margo Alexandra, and today I'm an 18 year-old senior attending Marlboro High School.

School has always been a place I love, and my safe haven. I will attend college next year to pursue a career in education. My dream is to become a teacher and to share my love of learning and to create safe havens for children.

Immigrants come to America to escape poverty, persecution and terrorism; to avoid the fear of possibly being shot once they leave their homes -- or their orphanages.

They also come for the opportunity and the dreams that our schools provide. Tragically, the fear I escaped as an immigrant is now revisiting me as an American.

For the first time in my educational career I was afraid to go to school -- my safe haven. On Feb. 14, 2018, 17 children and teachers walked out of their houses in Parkland, Florida to never return because they were shot dead. They were shot dead by an American citizen -- not an ISIS terrorist. That thought will not leave my mind as I sit in my class, looking outside the window worrying if another American would walk into my school and start shooting.

On that day, my principal called for a moment of silence. My administrators stood in the halls to calm everyone's nerves. My civics teacher and classmates spent all of class talking about an attack on high schoolers who look and sound like us. My classmates repeatedly asked, "How do we stop this?" "What do we do?" "What if this happened in our school?"

I write to today not as a Democrat, not as a Republican, but as an American citizen -- as one who never again wants to get the notification that a school shooting happened; as one who never again wants to hear that notification that 17 innocent people died at a school -- at a safe haven.

I call for all politicians to put their petty differences aside and to stop playing the blame game, to stop being so one sided, and to start putting action into your words.

I ask that you, in honor of all the people who died by a gun at a school, to make meaningful changes to our guns laws.

As a student, I look to our political leaders of this country to keep me and my classmates and teachers safe. As a future educator, I ask that you to make my fear of possibly seeing my students get shot to go away, so I can worry about lesson plans that inspire.

As an American citizen, I ask our lawmakers to keep America a safe haven, where immigrants come to flee terror. Please do not allow it to degenerate into a country that accepts terror as an unavoidable condition of education.

Do not let it become a country that people flee from.

Margo Greenbaum, a high school senior, is a resident of Marlboro. A version of this piece was first published by the Newspaper Media Group in Manalapan.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Two men were just exonerated by compelling new DNA evidence in an old murder in Paterson, discovered by the Innocence Project. The new DNA implicates an ex-con who committed a strikingly similar knifepoint attack, in the very same city.



Yet not only is the Passaic county prosecutor's office still refusing to drop its case against these wrongfully convicted men, it's also refusing to even interview the ex-con who matches the DNA found at the crime scene. He's walking free.



That's wildly irresponsible and a threat to public safety. Will Gov. Murphy's administration stop this outrage?

New DNA evidence 'seriously undermined' murder case against 2 N.J. men, court rules



A spokesman for his Attorney General, Gurbir Grewal, said Tuesday that the AG is reviewing this week's appellate decision that confirmed the new DNA is very significant, "and evaluating possible options." Good.



A prosecutor has an ethical obligation to seek justice, not just defend convictions. And the AG has the responsibility to prevent dangerous abuses of power like this.



Grewal should also create a special unit under his office to deal with other wrongful convictions and prevent this kind of malpractice. It's putting us all at risk.



If he doesn't intervene in Passaic, not only will authorities squander even more taxpayer dollars on fruitless litigation, they may lose their best chance to nab a murder suspect. And what if, in the meantime, he reoffends?



All four judges who have looked at this debacle - one in the trial court, three in the appellate division - agree: Given the new evidence, the men who did 24 years in prison, Eric Kelley and Ralph Lee, would likely have been acquitted.



Almost any other prosecutor would have simply dismissed this case. But not Camelia Valdes, the Passaic prosecutor. Incredibly, her office still insists the DNA evidence is not significant, and is fighting to keep them behind bars. And it gets worse.



The appellate judges also rejected her office's shameless argument that a new jury shouldn't be told a crucial fact: that Eric Dixon, whose DNA was found on a hat just feet from the body, is an ex-con who was convicted of a similar attack.



Prosecutors may be letting him go free in order to protect a detective on the original case, Richard Reyes, who has since risen in the ranks. Past allegations against him are also troubling, given that Kelley and Lee are black men.



While serving as head of internal affairs for Paterson police, Reyes was accused by a black police lieutenant of mishandling an investigation of racial discrimination. When the lieutenant publicly complained, he was suspended for insubordination. The department just settled his lawsuit for $300,000.



More recently, Reyes was asked if he would have investigated Dixon at the time of the 1993 murder if he knew his DNA matched the hat. The detective ducked the question - which the lower court judge called "tunnel vision."



The appeals court agreed: "We cannot turn a blind eye," it said, "to the revelation and the probability that the defendants, who have been incarcerated since 1996, would have been acquitted."



The courts cannot turn a blind eye. The Attorney General shouldn't either.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
A corporate attorney for Dow Chemical who has devoted much of his professional life to fighting against the cleanup of toxic waste sites in the nation is Donald Trump's choice to keep watch over the remediation of the nation's Superfund sites.

This is no surprise from a president who has appointed to his cabinet the men and women most likely to overturn the mission of agencies they're assigned to lead.

Think Betsy DeVos at the Department of Education, or Ben Carson at the Housing Department, for example. And they're just two of the members of Trump's Cabinet of the Absurd.

But the man who would Make America Great Again has outdone himself with the nomination of Peter Wright to head up the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Land and Emergency Management, the arm of the EPA charged with cleaning up the most contaminated sites in the country.

And that's horrible, horrible news for New Jersey, which has more of those sites than any other state.

Dow, the multinational chemical conglomerate, is widely understood to be responsible for more than 100 Superfund sites throughout the nation.

If you live anywhere near Berry's Creek, which flows through Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Lyndhurst, Moonachie, Rutherford, Teterboro and Wood-Ridge on its way to the Hackensack River, you're sickeningly familiar with damage inflicted by a mercury-processing plant purchased run by a Dow subsidiary.

The creek is adjacent to the Ventron/Velsicol Superfund site in Wood-Ridge, which Dow has described as one of its "largest potential environmental liabilities."

The megacorporation was responsible for $80 million worth of remediation on the site as of Dec. 31. It laid out a measly $7 million for those efforts last year. This is chump change compared with the $48.16 billion the company is reported to have made in 2016.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, didn't mince words in blasting Trump's move.

"This is one of the worst nominations ever made, by even this president," Tittel said in a news release. "Wright spent his career fighting to prevent cleanup of toxic sites as a corporate lawyer for Dow Chemical Company. His nomination is a risk to public health and the environment."

The corporation Wright has donated his life to defending donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee last year, ABC-News reported. In legal terms, res ipsa loquitur: the thing speaks for itself.

With Senate Republicans having perfected the role of Trump toadies, the high-powered lawyer will likely be confirmed, no matter how egregious his conflicts of interests, no matter how loudly our two New Jersey senators call foul.

And Trump's unholy mission of choosing industry insiders to head the regulatory agencies designed to oversee those industries grinds maddeningly on.

Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.
Nine members of a major cocaine ring operating out of Paterson have been indicted following an eight-month investigation that turned up cocaine, opiates, guns and cash, authorities said Tuesday.

Eight suspects have been identified and investigators continue to look for a ninth who cut and packaged cocaine with other suspects.

Police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania seized nearly eight kilos of cocaine, 82 fentanyl pills, a small amount of heroin, three handguns and more than $76,000 cash, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a statement.

Officers with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and the Passaic County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation.

Grewal said three alleged top suppliers in the network are each charged with promoting organized street crime, a first-degree charge that carries a sentence of 15 to 30 years in state prison.

The three suspects, all from Paterson, were identified as:

Jose Encarnacion, 35, who was allegedly the primary supplier in the network. He allegedly obtained cocaine in New York City and supplied it to other individuals in the network. He also faces a first-degree charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Adrian Mena-Acevedo, 25, allegedly obtained large quantities of cocaine from Encarnacion, which he distributed to other suppliers in the network. He also faces a first-degree charge of maintaining or operating a narcotics production facility.

Luis Peguero-Nin, 27, allegedly obtained large quantities of cocaine from Mena-Acevedo, which he distributed to another supplier in the network and street-level dealers. He also faces first-degree charges of distributing cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and maintaining or operating a narcotics production facility.

Peguero-Nin, an alleged member of the Trinitarios, or 3NI, street gang, allegedly supplied cocaine to another alleged gang member, Jeffrey Jaquez, 27, of Passaic, who in turn allegedly supplied street-level dealers. Jaquez at times allegedly obtained cocaine directly from Mena-Acevedo.

Jaquez faces multiple first-degree counts of distribution of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

"By dismantling this supply network and locking up its members, we cut off a major source of cocaine for drug dealers in and around New Jersey's third-largest city," Grewal said in a statement.

"Rather than just locking up street-level dealers or low-level members of this network, we cut deep into the supply line, which is the best way to stop the flow of these destructive drugs into our communities," Grewal said.

Others charged in the indictment were identified as:

Juan Ruiz-Montano, 37, of Bronx, N.Y., who was arrested on Dec. 12, 2017. Investigators executed a search warrant and found six kilos of cocaine, a scale, and $4,500 in a hidden compartment. Ruiz-Montano is charged with first-degree possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Two people who allegedly worked directly for Mena-Acevedo, identified as his girlfriend, Emily Aracena-Freijomil, 24, of Paterson, and Juan Duran, 23, of Paterson. The two allegedly cut and packaged cocaine and sold drugs at the direction of Mena-Acevedo. Mena-Acevedo and Aracena-Freijomil, who lived together on 20th Avenue in Paterson, are each charged with first-degree maintaining or operating a narcotics production facility. Duran faces one count of second-degree conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He is the only defendant who does not face a first-degree charge.

Two people who allegedly worked for Peguero-Nin and allegedly sold drugs at his direction: Chamil Polanco, 24 of Paterson, N.J., and a second man known by the nickname "Gingo" who remains unidentified. Peguero-Nin, Polanco and Gingo allegedly cut and packaged narcotics for distribution at an apartment they shared on Pearl Street in Paterson. When investigators executed a search warrant at the apartment on December 12, 2017, they seized three handguns, an illegal large-capacity magazine, hollow point bullets, other ammunition, a small quantity of cocaine, 82 pills containing fentanyl, and heroin in various stages of packaging. Peguero-Nin, Polanco and Gingo are each charged with first-degree maintaining or operating a narcotics production facility, various second- and third-degree drug offenses, and second-degree possession of a firearm during commission of a drug offense, among other charges.

The indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson in Mercer County.

The judge assigned the case to Passaic County, where the defendants will be ordered to appear in court at a later date for arraignment on the charges.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- Another Democrat has withdrawn from the race to take on Rep. Leonard Lance, strengthening the candidacy of former Assistant Secretary of State Tom Malinowski.

Banking executive Linda Weber said Wednesday that she would no longer seek the Democratic nomination after losing the Union County Democratic line to Malinowski. Weber had the party line in Somerset and Essex counties.

"I will continue standing up for progressive values and causes," Weber said "I will continue fighting for gun safety, stronger environmental protections, a woman's right to choose, equal access to economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer] rights, public education, and so much more."

"Additionally, I will continue to work hard to help flip the 7th District and to elect more Democrats, and in particular, more women," she said.

Weber had been one of two women who initially sought the Democratic nomination in what was one of only 23 Republican-held congressional districts nationwide that supported Hillary Clinton in 2016.

She had been a prolific fundraiser, raising $318,584 last year, second only to Malinowski, who had brought in $517,471 and had $446,082 to spend, less than $200,000 behind Lance.

"We share the same values and must be a unified party to win in November," Malinowski said. "We will need the support, guidance, and expertise of all those who have seen Linda through the last year of her campaign."

Last month, two Democratic candidates, teacher Lisa Mandelblatt and lawyer Scott Salmon, withdrew from the race and endorsed Malinowski.

Goutam Jois, a lawyer and businessman; social worker Peter Jacob, Lance's 2016 Democratic opponent; and environmental advocate David Pringle all have filed with the Federal Election Commission to run in the Democratic primary to take on Lance, rated just a slight favorite for re-election by the Cook Political Report.

Jacob, who was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in 2016, received the backing Wednesday of Our Revolution, the advocacy group run by supporters of his Democratic presidential campaign.

"His experience serving his community has prepared him to represent the people of New Jersey in Congress," said former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, president of Our Revolution.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Gov. Phil Murphy unveiled an ambitious progressive agenda Tuesday when he pulled back the curtain on his $37.4 billion state budget proposal.

The spending plan is a $2.7 billion jump over the state's last budget signed by former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican.

Murphy, a Democrat, wants to, among other things, fully fund schools and the state's ailing pension system. Other items include free community college for some residents and boost funding for NJ Transit.

Of course, all of that takes money.

Murphy's blueprint includes some $1.6 billion in new taxes to fund his ambitious agenda.

Here's a closer look at what New Jerseyans could spend more on if the new governor has his way:

MILLIONAIRES TAX

Murphy wants a 10.75 percent marginal tax rate on income over $1 million. His office estimates the state would get about $765 million in new revenue from the tax hike, which is about $100 million higher than previous estimates have pegged the tax increase at.

SALES TAX

Murphy wants to restore the sales tax to 7 percent.

In 2016, Democrats struck a deal with Christie to cut the sales tax in exchange for an increase in the state's tax on gasoline to fund an exhausted Transportation Trust Fund. The sales tax decreased from 7 percent to 6.875 percent on Jan. 1, 2017, and to 6.625 percent this January.

Murphy wants to roll the cut back to 7 percent.

UBER, LYFT and AIRBNB

Right now when you take a trip on a ridesharing service like Uber or Lyft, or book a night at someone's house or apartment with Airbnb, you don't pay any sales tax. Murphy proposes the state get rid of that exemption.

ONLINE SALES

The state would also close a loophole for certain online sales where the seller has no nexus in New Jersey.

RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA

Murphy included $60 million in excise and sales tax revenue collection from the sale of recreational marijuana in his budget. Of course, the state Legislature first needs to send him a bill to legalize it.

But if that happens, it'll get taxed: a 25 percent excise tax, plus the sales tax. If Murphy's sales tax increase goes through, that would be 32 percent.

CLOSE CORPORATE LOOPHOLES

It's not a new tax as much as stricter enforcement of a tax on the books.

Murphy wants to thwart businesses trying to dodge their state corporation business taxes. He also wants to tax the performance fees earned by private equity and hedge fund managers. Taxing carried interest, according to the budget, will generate $100 million, according to the administration.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Samantha Marcus contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
Gov. Phil Murphy played defense Wednesday in his first public interview after he unveiled a $37.4 billion state budget proposal that calls for more than $1.6 billion in new taxes in New Jersey and maneuvers to close loopholes.

Speaking on public radio station WNYC, Murphy said he feels "very good about what we presented" in his first budget speech on Tuesday.

The interview, with host Brian Lehrer, kicked off with the host pressing Murphy on whether the proposed taxes to pay for an ambitious list of progressive campaign promises would bog down budget negotiations.

"We're digging out of an eight-year narrative that was all about gutting government spending," Murphy, a Democrat, said in a not-so-veiled swipe at former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican.

"We used to be a state that was never a low-cost state to live in, but it was good value for money," Murphy said. "People came here for a public education, higher education, infrastructure (and) our values."

"It was a fair equation and we have had eight years of that equation where the premium to live here has gone up, up and up ... and the basket of things that a middle-class family got back in New Jersey shrunk by the day," he said.

Murphy's spending plan is a $2.7 billion jump over the state's last budget signed by Christie, a Republican. Murphy, a Democrat, wants to, among other things, eventually fully fund schools and the state's ailing pension system. Other items include free community college for some residents and boost funding for NJ Transit.

Of course, all of that takes money.

Murphy's blueprint includes more than $1.6 billion in new taxes to fund his ambitious agenda.

With the lukewarm reception of the budget from members of his own party in the Legislature, it's now up to the new governor to sell it to voters.

Murphy will host his first town-hall meeting tonight since he took office nearly 60 days ago. It'll be held at Paramus High School.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
In a major concession, the state's new attorney general said he will not stand in the way of rapidly advancing legislation that would strip his office of authority over the state's troubled medical examiner system and move it to the health department, NJ Advance Media has learned.

In a letter dated March 2 and recently obtained by the news organization, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal -- who took office in January -- said that while he was confident in the work of the men and women in the Office of the State Medical Examiner, he supported the change.

"Although the legislation requires my department to relinquish control over one of our component agencies, I recognize the sound policy justifications for the change," Grewal wrote in the letter, which was sent to Sen. Joseph Vitale, D-Middlesex, who's leading the reform effort.

Grewal added, "It will allow (the state medical examiner office) to function without risking even the perception of prosecutorial influence -- a step forward for the medical examiner system, the criminal justice system, and the people of New Jersey."

Aside from relocating the medical examiner's office, the bill -- which was advanced Tuesday by the Senate budget committee and now goes to the full chamber for a vote -- would give the state medical examiner more power over local and regional offices.

The legislation comes in direct response to an 18-month NJ Advance Media investigation published in December that detailed how decades of underfunding and poor oversight had left New Jersey's system for investigating sudden and suspicious deaths in shambles.

Among the concerns, state and national experts said New Jersey's system creates a conflict of interest by putting oversight of forensic pathologists under the attorney general, who serves as the top law enforcement officer.

Such conflicts can arise in investigations into deaths in police custody and in court cases where the doctors determining the cause or manner of death effectively work for the same office as state prosecutors, experts said.

In his letter, Grewal said he was "absolutely confident" that the setup had not undermined death investigations, but acknowledged "the need to maintain the public's confidence" in the system.

The bill before the Legislature would consolidate control of New Jersey's medical examiner offices, many of which are run by county governments and lack uniform standards.

The New Jersey Association of Counties has expressed concerns with the measure, noting that several county offices currently operate at standards exceeding those at the state's office and arguing that an overhaul would be too costly.

The state Office of Legislative Services has yet to release a cost assessment of the proposal. Experts have told NJ Advance Media an effective statewide system could be run for about $31.5 million a year. The current system costs about $26 million.

S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao ratcheted up the rhetoric over the Gateway Tunnel project, accusing proponents of waging a campaign to "bully the department" to approve funding.

Chao made her comments at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday in response to a question from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who asked if she would support Gateway, which he called a project of "the upmost urgency."

"A campaign is being waged in the public arena to bully the department, to pressure the federal government, to fund these projects," Chao said.

Chao's comments represented the latest administration broadside against the project. which includes construction of a new train tunnel under the Hudson River so the original tubes, more than 100 years old, can be closed to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

Earlier this month, she told the House Transportation Committee that President Donald Trump was lobbying to keep the project out of legislation funding the government through Sept. 30, which now includes $900 million for Gateway. The president later threatened to shut down the federal government rather than fund Gateway.

"I urge you to advise the president, in fact, urge the president, to back off his threat to shut down the government over the Gateway project," Blumenthal told Chao.

The administration's turnaround has stunned lawmakers, who left a White House meeting with the president last September under the impression that he would support the project, which would be funded half by Washington and half by the states of New Jersey and New York under an agreement reached before Trump took office.

"I haven't bullied anybody," said Rep. Albio Sires, D-8th Dist., a member of the House Transportation Committee. "I am fighting for New Jersey, I am fighting for the Gateway Tunnel, and I was at the White House when the president showed a lot of support for this project."

Chao insisted at the House hearing earlier this month that Trump was only being "cordial" at the meeting, which Sires said he interpreted as "the president maybe was BSing us, which I think is wrong."

The secretary told the Senate committee that New Jersey and New York were refusing "to follow the process like other states" and "did not come in with a realistic financing plan."

Chao has said in the past that New Jersey and New York were offering to pay less than 5 percent of the cost, even though the funding agreement called for the two states to cover half of it.

The states had planned to fund their share in part by federal loans, which they would pay back over 35 years.

"Making the case for constituents you represent and being vociferous about it? I look at that as the job," said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist. "If anything, I invite her to come to see the tunnel with me and look at how it's falling down."

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

You can call it the very model of a modern progressive budget.

From tax hikes on New Jersey's wealthiest to tax credits for the working poor and legalization of marijuana, Gov. Phil Murphy's first state budget proposal leaves virtually no progressive stone unturned.

There are new taxes on hedge fund managers and multi-state corporations, more money for schools, a bump in the minimum wage and a record-high public pension payment.

Murphy, a Democrat, introduced his spending blueprint Tuesday, with a message that New Jersey's neglected working families will find their fortunes reversed after eight years of conservative leadership under former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican.

"It represents a sharp break from the direction we had been taken over the past eight years and turns our state's trajectory to one of opportunity and fairness for all," Murphy said Tuesday.

The inaugural budget is a rite of passage for the governor's young administration that has so far made its mark with a series of executive orders but has yet to face a real test from the legislative leaders who share the D after his name but not all of his policy priorities.

Now the Democratic governor has to fill in the contours of his call for a "stronger and fairer" New Jersey.

It won't be easy.

Don't Edit

Photo by Mel Evans | The Associated Press

Success is not guaranteed, even with Democrats in control

New Jersey's political system has been boiled down to three politicians in a room. Murphy can't get anything done without the help of state Senate President Stephen Sweeney and state Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin.

And as of now, Murphy's alone in his call for increasing taxes on the state's millionaires.

He's a fervent supporter of the millionaires tax, a 10.75 percent rate on gross income over $1 million. The take for the budget: $765 million in new revenue.

Along with a small increase in the sales tax and tax increases on multi-state corporations and hedge fund managers, the millionaires tax is the backbone of his spending plan.

"A millionaires tax is the right thing to do  and now is the time to do it," Murphy said. "The irrefutable fact is that we have a thousand more millionaires today than we did at our pre-recession peak, and I'm sure none of them are here for the low taxes. They are here because we can offer an unmatched quality of life."

The proposal puts him at loggerheads not only with Republican lawmakers who've long warned it'll prompt a mass exodus of the very rich, but also with the Democratic counterparts who have more recently come around to that conclusion.

Sweeney, D-Gloucester, was once a leading advocate for the millionaires tax and forced Christie to veto it five times. But since President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans capped the valuable state and local tax deduction at $10,000, Sweeney has said the tax hike would be "too much" to pile on the state's wealthiest residents.

He's introduced his own plan to raise the corporation business tax rate from 9 percent to 12 percent on businesses with more than $1 million in net income, effectively challenging Murphy's foremost proposal.

What has been a simmering conflict between the two Democrats and their tax plans could become truly animated in the coming months.

Famously, Sweeney's relationship with Christie, a Republican, oscillated between collaboration and expletive-laced tirades.

Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, said he doesn't expect Murphy to back down.

"He's really the happy warrior," Caputo said. "He's going to fight for what he believes in. This is his vision for the state."

Don't Edit

And then he went and tried to raise the sales tax

Perhaps the biggest shocker in the governor's budget, at least at first blush, is the restoration of a 7 percent state sales tax.

Murphy the candidate said raising the sales tax wasn't in his plans.

It likely isn't in anyone else's either.

Democrats teamed up with Christie in 2016 to lower the sales tax as part of a deal to raise the gasoline tax and replenish the exhausted state Transportation Trust Fund.

Up to that point, Christie prided himself on never having signed a tax increase. And in exchange for the 23-cent-per-gallon increase, he wanted a cut to a tax paid by pretty much everyone.

Taxpayers weren't wildly impressed by the three-eighths cut in the sales tax, which was projected to save households with between $79,000 and $132,000 in income about $116 a year.

Democrats argued it wasn't worth the hit to the budget, $575 million, but they signed on after a road construction freeze dragged on through the busy summer months.

Don't Edit

The trouble with legalization

Murphy campaigned heavily on legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana in New Jersey. His budget assumes about $60 million sales and excise taxes plus $20 million from an expansion of the state's medical marijuana program.

In January Murphy launched a 60-day audit of the program, after which his administration is expected to announce an increase in the number of dispensaries  there are currently five  new qualifying medical conditions and even home delivery.

Murphy can do a lot of that on his own. But he'll need the Legislature to back a legalization, and right now he doesn't have the votes.

Coughlin has said he's undecided but notably didn't applaud when others did at the call for legalization in Murphy's address.

Acting state Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio said sales would be subject to a 25 percent excise tax and the sales tax. Projections are low for the next fiscal year, since it would take time to pass the legislation, promulgate rules and regulations and actually get the industry up and running.

Don't Edit

All told, he's raising about $1.5 billion in taxes

While the big money is in the millionaires tax and the sales tax, Murphy is counting on some additional cash by closing corporate tax loopholes and taxing hedge fund managers.

The first is meant to counteract multi-state corporations that shift their profits to states with no or lower corporate income taxes.

He also wants to impose sales and use taxes on ride sharing services, like Uber and Lyft, and home sharing services, like Airbnb.

The state Legislature would have to pass new legislation to make it happen, a spokeswoman for the Treasury Department said.

Christie killed efforts to tax such online marketplaces as Airbnb, saying it would drive up costs for renters.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

What's he going to do with all that money?

There's actually $2.7 billion in new spending, since the state also gets some help from natural growth in tax collections. Murphy's budget proposal is about 7.8 percent higher than the one Christie signed last July.

Here's where he tries to fulfill all those campaign promises.

A big chunk will go to the pension fund for public workers. Murphy announced he'll contribute $3.2 billion to the system, a record sum, and nearly $700 million higher than last year.

He's going to send $283 million in additional aid to New Jersey's school districts and use $50 million to send 15,000 students from low-income families to community college tuition-free as part of his three-year build-up to tuition free community college for all New Jerseyans.

"From the new high school graduate to the adult returning to school for a new skill, we will make sure that cost is not a roadblock to a good, or better, job," Murphy said.

He'll use about $80 million to raise the cap on gross income tax deductions for property tax payments. This cap came under new scrutiny after a $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions for federal income taxes came into play.

The federal cap sent New Jersey's Democratic lawmakers reeling and looking for ways to undercut the tax reform. Meanwhile, others argued it was the height of hypocrisy to bash the federal cap when New Jersey imposes one of its own.

Murphy wants to raise Jersey's cap to $15,000.

He announced his push for a $15 per hour minimum wage will begin with $11 an hour for state employees and contractors.

His first budget also kicks off a three-year increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor, costing $27 million in its first year.

Murphy would also create a child and dependent care tax credit, which his administration said would save 74,000 families about $12 million.

Don't Edit

$283 million for schools is more, but it's not full funding

One of those big campaign pledges was a promise to fully fund the school funding formula. And Murphy told The Associated Press he wanted this funding in place "immediately."

But even with $1.5 billion in new taxes, $1 billion in additional school aid would be tough to accomplish. Murphy expects it'll take four years to get there, with $283 million in new aid in year one.

Muoio said 94 percent of districts will see an increase. It's also important to note that no district will see a decrease.

His budget includes nearly $58 million to expand the state's pre-k offerings.

Education groups praised Murphy for the boost in school aid, with the Education Law Center saying it "represents a sharp turn from the eight years of underfunding by the previous administration."

About half of the overall increase in education spending is dedicated to things like pensions, health care and Social Security.

Don't Edit

He mentioned his mantra "stronger and fairer" about a half dozen times

The governor struck a positive tone throughout his hour-long budget address and showed confidence in rolling ahead despite uncertainty over legislative support for several of his big ideas.

And perhaps as frequently as he said "stronger and fairer," he made the sales pitch that New Jersey isn't an inexpensive place to live but should at least be a good value.

"Everything in this budget is built around restoring New Jersey as the 'good value for money' state we had been for decades," Murphy said.

"Whether you were born here or moved here later in life, you knew New Jersey was never an inexpensive place," he added. "But you knew that by living here, or putting your business here, you had a better shot to make it than if you had gone anywhere else."

He also made clear that New Jersey's comeback wouldn't come cheap.

"Here is our inescapable reality: We need this revenue to get things right," Murphy said. "We cannot afford to remain stuck, uncompetitive and unfair."

Republicans such as state Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr., R-Union, and Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick, R-Union, bristled at Murphy's message.

"You kept hearing the same word: investment, investment, investment," said Bramnick, who moonlights as standup comedian. "Let me interpret that for you: taxes, taxes, taxes."

Don't Edit

Photo by Tanya Manthey | The Jersey Journal

So on a scale of Scott Walker to Jerry Brown, Murphy is?

Matthew Hale, a political science professor at Seton Hall University, said Tuesday that the freshman governor's budget lands him on the "A-team" of progressive governors.

"He is as progressive as any governor in the United States," Hale said, "though I think he tends to talk a little bit more about the need to grow the economy than particularly Jerry Brown, because California's economy kind of grows on its own."

Don't Edit

Read more on New Jersey's budget

10 things you absolutely need to know about Murphy's budget

Murphy proposes $242M more for NJ Transit. Will it avoid a fare hike?

Phil Murphy wants legal weed law in N.J. by end of year

Top Democrat reveals how he'd spend money from plan to raise business taxes

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.

Samantha Marcus may be reached at smarcus@njadvancemedia.com . Follow her on Twitter @samanthamarcus.
The natural order around this time of the year for the sitting New Jersey governor is simple.

Step 1: Introduce a budget. Step 2: Sell it.

With the first item off his plate, Gov. Phil Murphy will hit the road Wednesday to pitch residents on his $37.4 billion state budget proposal, which calls for some $1.6 billion in new taxes to pay for an ambitious list of progressive campaign promises.

Murphy will host his first town-hall meeting since he took office nearly 60 days ago. It'll be held at Paramus High School.

"Doors open at 5:30 p.m.," Murphy said in a conference call he hosted Tuesday shortly after his inaugural address to a joint legislative session.

Between now and June 30 -- when the state's constitution requires the governor to sign a balanced budget -- Murphy will continue to sell his plan. He'll wrangle with lawmakers over the details and budget hearings will be sprinkled in between inside the Statehouse.

Murphy's budget proposal spends $2.7 billion more than the spending plan former Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, signed into law last year. And Murphy, a Democrat, is making some bold moves in both revenue and spending.

Some of the proposals, like boosting a well-regarded tax credit for the working poor, will land applause from the Democrats who control the state Legislature, while others, like the millionaires tax, will put him toe-to-toe with the Democratic leadership.

Democrats waited eight years to retake control of the governor's office. Now that they have it back, it remains to be seen if they'll get along.

The top lawmaker in the New Jersey Legislature, state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, and his counterpart in the state Assembly, Speaker Craig Coughlin, held court with reporters for eight years after each of Christie's budget addresses. It was always a moment to offer a counter message.

Republican state legislators would also speak, throwing their support behind Christie.

But a very different scene played out in the Assembly chambers Tuesday after Murphy gave his 54-minute speech.

Sweeney, D-Gloucester, bolted out a back door and ignored questions from reporters. Meanwhile, Coughlin, D-Middlesex, gave brief remarks before he disappeared off the floor.

While the Republican response was expected (they blasted Murphy and his colleagues for being the party that taxes New Jerseyans), Democrats' reaction to Murphy's speech was lukewarm at best.

"We're going to have a thorough and thoughtful process," Coughlin, D-Middlesex, told reporters.

"(It) will require thorough review and consideration," a statement from Sweeney and Senate Democratic leadership read.

The governor's budget goes nowhere without agreement with Sweeney and Coughlin. Murphy showed his cards Tuesday and the battle lines have been drawn.

Here's what happens next:

The budget hearings: From March till May, every department head goes before the Assembly and Senate budget committees. The public also gets a crack at telling lawmakers which program needs to be restored.

April: April is the Super Bowl of months in counting up state revenues because it's when the lion's share of income tax revenues come in.

May revenue projections: In late May, the treasurer reveals how much money is projected for the budget. Sometimes, this can cause huge headaches, like the year Christie was forced to turn his back on his own pension law when income tax revenues tanked.

Behind closed doors: June features the wheeling and dealing that is built into an actual state budget bill crafted by lawmakers.

The votes and the vetoes: The Legislature usually presents the governor with a budget bill by mid-June. Then it's up to the governor to sign it or slice out millions with his line-item veto pen.

And if they don't agree? See last year, when a fight between Christie and then-Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto forced that famous state shutdown.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Samantha Marcus contributed to this report.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
Ella Lange in the watermelon eating contest during the Morris County 4H fair at Chubb Park Sunday in Chester last summer. Morris County was ranked the healthiest county in New Jersey this year in a report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media

Where are New Jersey's healthiest people?

Leafy, affluent Morris displaced equally prosperous and rural Hunterdon as the healthiest county in New Jersey, according to interviews and data measuring personal habits, educational and financial achievement and access to medical care.

Hardscrabble and sparsely populated Cumberland County ranked at the bottom, as it has in previous reports. This is the ninth report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

The goal is for government, business and community leaders to use the information to advocate for positive changes, such as adding clinic programs for uninsured or under-insured people or building a park or recreation center.

"No one should have less of an opportunity to be a healthy because of where they live," Marjorie Paloma, the foundation's program director said during a morning press conference announcing the latest report at the Statehouse in Trenton.

Analysts created the rankings by collecting the most recent data on 35 factors that measure quality of life and "quantity" of life  the percent of the population that lives to 75 and older. From last to first, here is a quick snapshot of each county's health profile.

Don't Edit

This 2015 file photo shows houses that were destroyed in Hurricane Sandy in Bay Point, Downe Township in Cumberland County. It once again ranks last in healthiest counties in New Jersey. (David Gard / For NJ Advance Media)

21. Cumberland County

Largely rural and economically disadvantaged Cumberland County has ranked at the bottom of the health county report card since it began nine years ago.

Household income is a driving factor behind a lot of health outcomes, and once again, Cumberland reported the lowest median household income at $49,110, according to Census data. New Jersey's median household income was $76,126.

The child poverty rate is 25 percent, compared to New Jersey's 15 percent rate. It's even higher among black children (30 percent) and Hispanic children (36 percent).

In the plus column, the percent of uninsured citizens declined, and the percentage of people with diabetes who are monitored is up. High school graduation rates improved, too.

Don't Edit

20. Salem County

Salem slid from 19th last year, but has always hovered toward or at the bottom.

Blame the county's 21 percent child poverty rate, compared to New Jersey's 15 percent. And 34 percent of Salem County residents are obese compared to 26 percent statewide.

Salem bests the state in some areas, however. Only 8 percent of its residents lack health coverage, compared to 10 percent statewide. Salem's violent crime rate is lower, too.

Don't Edit

Camden County is home to the beloved Adventure Aquarium. But it's also home to high obesity rates, as well as higher-than state average child poverty and unemployment rates. (Aristide Economopoulos | NJ Advance Media)

19. Camden County

Down from 18th healthiest in 2017, Camden County suffers because it has slightly higher child poverty and unemployment rate than the rest of New Jersey, and more of its citizens are obese. But drunken-driving deaths are down and its high school graduation rate is up.

Don't Edit

18. Essex County

Essex County improved its rank from 20th last year, as hospitals reduced the number of avoidable admissions and increased the number of people monitored for diabetes. But the child poverty rate is 21 percent compared to the state's 15 percent, and obesity is rising.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

17. Atlantic County

Atlantic County stayed the same from last year  near the bottom of the rankings largely because of economic instability.

Unemployment in 2016 was 7.4 percent compared to 5 percent statewide; child poverty was at 23 percent compared to 15 percent in New Jersey.

But there are reasons for optimism. Premature deaths are on the decline. So are preventable hospital admissions. And high school graduation rates are up.

Don't Edit

16. Cape May County

This sparsely populated seaside county maintained its rank from last year. Economic troubles offset the gains in clinical care.

Unemployment and child poverty rates in 2016, 9.8 percent and 19 percent, respectively, far exceeded the statewide average. Obesity also rose.

But Cape May made progress, with fewer people getting admitted to the hospital, and more people screened for diabetes and breast cancer.

Don't Edit

15. Gloucester County

Slipping from 14th healthiest last year, Gloucester saw its child poverty and unemployment rates rise slightly. Nearly one-third of its population is obese. But violent crime is way below the state average and the high school graduation rate is at 92 percent, besting the state's 90 percent rate.

Don't Edit

14. Mercer County

Mercer County slipped two notches from last year's report to 14th healthiest county.

Obesity and sexually transmitted diseases rose and mammography screenings declined. But Mercer still showed progress. Fewer people died before their 75th birthday and more people are being monitored for diabetes.

Don't Edit

Passaic County ranked 13th healthiest, an improvement from 15th place out of 21 last year. Deaths related to intentional injuries, like suicide and homicide, declined. In this 2012 file photo, the Passaic County Medical Examiner's investigates a suicide on the banks of the Passaic River.

(Sciarrino, Robert | The Star-Ledger)

13. Passaic County

Passaic County was one of three counties that improved by two rungs in this year's rankings.

Deaths related to intentional injuries (like suicide and homicide) and unintentional injuries (poisoning and traffic accidents) are lower than the state average.

Passaic residents also enjoy shorter commutes.

Its premature death rate is in line with the state average, too.

Still, there are far fewer dentists, primary care doctors and mental health professionals than the population needs.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

12. Hudson County

This urban county is home to wide income disparities. It shows in the data.

Unemployment in 2016 was 4.7 percent here, below the statewide 5 percent. But 23 percent of its children lived in poverty compared to 15 percent in the rest of the state.

The rate of uninsured people was 15 percent, a drop from previous years, yet it remains higher than the state at 10 percent.

Violent crime is down, but remains higher than the state average.

Don't Edit

11. Warren County

Warren County fell from 9th healthiest last year.

More people in Warren County smoke, drink to excess, and weigh too much than the rest of New Jersey.

People in this rural county also have less exposure to air pollution, and are less likely to be admitted to the hospital unnecessarily.

Don't Edit

10. Ocean County

Ocean County is 10th healthiest, the same as in last year's report.

Child poverty and unemployment rose, but violent crime dropped. Ocean County performed better in air pollution tests compared to the rest of the Garden State.

Don't Edit

9. Burlington County

Up from 11th place last year, Burlington County is measurably healthier based on medical data.

The percent of uninsured people declined to 6 percent, better than New Jersey at 10 percent. Mammograms and diabetes screenings rose. There were far more mental health providers than the state average.

Don't Edit

8. Union County

The eighth-healthiest county in New Jersey, Union residents lived longer, were more likely to report being physically active, and spent fewer days in the hospital than people statewide.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

7. Monmouth County

Monmouth County maintained its 7th-place standing from last year. Access to medical care likely played a big role.

Here, primary care doctors, dentists and mental health providers are plentiful. The number of people who have had breast cancer screenings and undergo diabetes monitoring is at or higher than the statewide average.

Obesity is rising, although still below the 26 percent statewide average, at 23 percent.

Don't Edit

File photos from Edison High School commencement services at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway last year. (Russ DeSantis | NJ Advance Media)

6. Middlesex County

Middlesex County maintained its 6th-place ranking from previous surveys. But that belies the progress it made: high school graduation rates rose, as did the percentage of people who were screened for diabetes and breast cancer. The premature death rate was lower than the state average, too.

Don't Edit

5. Sussex County

Sussex County maintained its fifth-best position this year because it scored well on the socio-economic indicators and responses to questions about residents quality of life.

Only 12 percent of county residents surveyed described their health as either fair or poor, compared to 17 percent statewide.

High school graduation rates, an indicator of economic stability, reached 93 percent in the 2014-15 school year compared to 90 percent statewide. The number of children raised in single-parent households and the unemployment rate was markedly lower than the state average.

Don't Edit

4. Bergen County

Bergen County is the fourth-healthiest county in part because of its low crime rate, its high school graduation rate and its far better than average access to dentists, primary care doctors and mental health professionals.

Don't Edit

People gather for the 4th of July Fireworks at North Branch Park in Bridgewater on July 4, 2017. (Alexandra Pais | For NJ Advance Media)

3. Somerset County

Somerset County residents embrace healthy habits. Only 11 percent smoke compared to 14 percent statewide, and only 17 percent reported no leisure-time activity or exercise. Obesity rates rose somewhat since the last report but at 22 percent, then remain below the 26 percent statewide average.

Residents of this affluent county are more likely to have attended at least some college, have wider access to an array of medical professionals, and regularly undergo breast cancer screenings and monitoring for diabetes.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

2. Hunterdon County

Usually the perennial top dog, Hunterdon with its rolling hills, farms and large homes, saw a slight rise in child poverty, obesity and sexually-transmitted diseases since the 2017 report. Yet Hunterdon's standings were still far better than the state average in all of these measures.

Hunterdon reported the highest median income in 2016, at $113,684, according to recently released Census data.

Nobody has a higher high school graduation rate than Hunterdon, at 96 percent.

The number of alcohol-related driving deaths were nearly half of the state average, a decline from last year's report.

Don't Edit

1. Morris County

Morris County outperformed the rest of the state in a variety of categories: from high school graduation rates, to lower levels of premature death, to a reduction in the number of preventable hospital admissions.

Morris is also one of affluent New Jersey's wealthiest counties, and wealth translates into good health. Only 6 percent of its residents were uninsured and 3.9 percent were unemployed.

Don't Edit

Michellene Davis, RWJBarnabas Health executive vice president and chief corporate officer, waits to speak at the press conference at the Statehouse in Trenton Wednesday announcing the latest "County Health Rankings & Roadmaps" report.

(Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

What's new this year

The annual report this year delves more deeply into racially disparities, said Toni Lewis, the foundation's community coach for New Jersey. African Americans in New Jersey have worse health outcomes than the people living in the lowest-performing county, she said.

"In addressing this we need to go beyond making sure people see a doctor," Lewis said. "We need to fix the things that stand in the way of good health, like residential segregation, discrimination and not having enough good paying jobs."

Michellene Davis, executive vice president and chief corporate affairs office for RWJBarnabas Health, one of the state's largest hospital and medical provider networks, called the annual reports "a game changer and a paradigm shifter."

The data showing health, race and income are so intertwined that they have helped plan a year-old project to close Newark's unemployment gap with that of New Jersey by 2020, Davis said. The hospital system is collaborating with city officials, corporations like Audible.com and Panasonic, and Rutgers University and NJIT, she said.

"Our system has pledged to hire 350 Newark residents by 2020," Davis said; to date 169 city residents have jobs. Rutgers has committed to hiring 220 city residents, and Audible.com, 125.

"Please note these are not mere per diem jobs, or come without benefits," Davis added.

Newark's unemployment rate was 11.9 percent when the project began, she said.

New Jersey's unemployment rate was 5 percent in December, according to state data.

Following the press conference, Acting Health Commissioner Shereef Elnahal said in a prepared statement that focusing on racial health disparities was among his top priorities.

"Communities of color are exposed to many public health risks at rates that far exceed the general population: lead exposure, infant mortality and maternal mortality are just a few of these risks," he said.

Don't Edit

How Jersey fared last year

Read this year's full report here

Check out how your county fared last year

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
Toys 'R' Us has told employees it will sell or close all of its U.S. stores, marking what will be one of the largest retail liquidations in recent years, The Wall Street Journal reports. More than 700 stores and 33,000 jobs across the country are threatened.

The report says CEO David Brandon on Wednesday (March 14) told Toys 'R' Us workers at the company's New Jersey headquarters of the likely closures, which will extend to more than 800 stores overseas in addition to U.S. locations. The company is expected to file liquidation paperwork Wednesday night ahead of a Thursday bankruptcy hearing.

"We're putting a for sale sign on everything," Brandon told employees, according to The Wall Street Journal report.

Toys 'R' Us Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection in September as it grappled with more than $5 billion in debt and the rise of online shopping.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Brandon told employees he believes the Toys 'R' Us brand still has value and toy vendors watching the company crumble "will all live to regret what's happening here."
Three men were arrested at a New Orleans East hotel Monday (March 12) in connection with an "elaborate" interstate theft ring dealing in Yeti coolers, according to New Orleans police.

Demetrius Johnson, 19, Anthony Jackson, 20, and Leon Gamble, 18, are suspected in two thefts in Louisiana and more than a dozen thefts in Texas, police said.

Detectives believe the trio was in the process of hitting another New Orleans area business when captured at a hotel in the 8400 block of the I-10 Service Road.

NOPD detectives recovered more than $16,000 in stolen property during the arrests, including 52 "high-end" coolers, 32 of them stolen in Louisiana, the NOPD said. The other 20 Yeti coolers were stolen in Texas.

Johnson, Jackson and Gamble were arrested after NOPD 7th District detectives learned from the Houston Police Department that the trio, suspected in more than a dozen thefts in Texas, were in New Orleans East.

While searching the area, detectives spotted a stack of Yeti coolers next to a vehicle at a hotel on the I-10 Service Road, near Crowder and Lake Forest boulevards.

As detectives approached, they saw Johnson placing a cooler into the vehicle, police said. Investigators found more than 40 Yeti coolers packed into the vehicle, the NOPD said.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

As the investigation continued, police identified Jackson and Gamble as suspects in the theft ring--and learned the trio is suspected in a pair of Louisiana thefts that occurred Sunday night in Baton Rouge and Slidell.

Investigators also found more Yeti coolers along with stolen Adidas clothing inside of the trio's hotel room.

Johnson, Jackson and Gamble were booked into the Orleans Justice Center jail with possession of stolen property. Jackson and Gamble were also booked on warrants out of Texas, according to jail records.

The trio remained in jail Tuesday night, with Jackson's bond set at a total $1,006,000, including $1 million on the Texas warrant and $6,000 on charges of possession of stolen property, according to court records.

Gamble's bond was set at a total $16,000, including $10,000 on his Texas warrant and $6,000 on the stolen property charges.

Bond for Johnson was set at $6,000, court records show.

The stolen items were returned to the retailers, police said.
The two candidates running for sheriff in Jefferson Parish each got a boost in a pair of dueling polls released within days of one another.

Retired Col. John Fortunato led by 16 percentage points over interim Sheriff Joseph Lopinto according to a poll conducted March 4 and 5 by the University of New Orleans for WDSU-TV.

But a third-party poll from JMC Analytics and Polling conducted March 10 reveals a much-tighter race, with Lopinto ahead of Fortunato by just 2 percentage points.

Neither poll shows what, if any, consequence has come from Fortunato's disclosure that he would support Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni should Yenni decide to run for re-election despite a sexting scandal involving a 17-year-old boy. The topic came up during WDSU's televised sheriff's race debate Sunday night (March 11).

The UNO poll was authored by Ed Chervenak, director of the university's Survey Research Center. His team reached out to 767 registered voters in Jefferson Parish and found that 48 percent backed Fortunato compared to 32 percent for Lopinto. About 20 percent were undecided.

But the JMC poll, conducted by political consultant John Couvillon and taken about a week later, showed Lopinto in the lead with 41 percent compared to 39 percent for Fortunato. About 19 percent of the respondents were undecided. The poll was commissioned by local businessman Henry Shane.

The biggest difference between the two polls is the populations surveyed, according to Chervenak and Couvillon. The UNO poll randomly selected registered voters in Jefferson Parish and called only landlines, according to Chervenak.

But Couvillon randomly targeted 880 Jefferson Parish voters who cast ballots on Dec. 10, 2016 - the U.S. Senate runoff between John Kennedy and Foster Campbell - and the state's Oct. 14 primary.

Special elections like the March 24 sheriff's ballot historically have low turnout, he said. Couvillon wanted to survey voters who had previously come out for similar special elections.

"A combination of either or both of those elections indicates a voter who would show up in this race," Couvillon said.

Chervenak noted Couvillon's poll also called both landlines and cell phones. The UNO poll is an interactive voice response survey or "robo-poll," which is prohibited by FCC rules from calling cell phones.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

"Like everything else, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle," Chervenak said.

Fortunato's political consultant, Greg Buisson, placed confidence in the UNO poll and noted that his client was ahead by 10 points in an internal poll conducted by the campaign.

"John's message is resonating with voters," he said. "We feel good heading into the last two days of early voting.

But Fortunato created a buzz Sunday night during the rapid-fire question and answer portion of the WDSU debate when he expressed support for Yenni. Fortunato said he did not believe Yenni should have resigned after it was revealed that Yenni sent sexually explicit text messages to a student at Jesuit High School.

Yenni apologized for sending the improper texts but ignored calls to step down from several Jefferson Parish politicians. He survived a recall attempt, but the Jefferson Parish Public School System banned him from campuses.

In a follow-up question, Fortunato said he would support Yenni if the latter decided to run for re-election in 2019. Buisson is also Yenni's political consultant.

"Obviously, (Fortunato's) tied himself to that camp over this election period," Lopinto said. "But what's troubling for me is we have numerous issues that we always have to deal with in regard to our schools. To align yourself with a person who's not allowed into the schools is troubling. It inhibits your ability to solve problems."

In a text message sent Monday, Fortunato said the debate questions regarding Yenni had no relevance to crime fighting.

"I don't condone what Mike Yenni said or did. But I also believe the administration is managing the parish well," he said, later noting, "(The council) all called for his resignation, but they are working with him because the business of the parish comes first."

Fortunato vowed to work with every official. But if any politician, including Yenni, is involved in a crime, "I will be the first to put handcuffs on that politician," Fortunato said.
A man accused of killing his grandmother on Sunday (March 11) at her Little Woods home is now also accused of trying to kill a juvenile girl who was at his grandmother's house the same day the grandmother was shot dead.

A new warrant for Ernest Richardson, 32, which charges him with suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, states he pinned down a juvenile girl, covered her mouth and nose with his hands, and then squeezed her neck, all while threatening to kill her. The warrant states the girl was attacked by Richardson before he fatally shot his own grandmother, who the Orleans Parish Coroner's Office has identified as 73-year-old Beverly Wilkerson.

The warrant, sworn by NOPD Homicide Detective Clinton Givens, does not say what, if any, relationship Richardson had with the juvenile girl. It also does not list the girl's age.

Police have said Richardson at some point on Sunday confessed to killing his grandmother and then wrapping her body in plastic in the early hours of that morning. Police were called to a church in Uptown's Milan neighborhood about 11:40 a.m., the earlier murder warrant stated, in reference to a man who had been saying he killed his grandmother. The church's pastor, the Rev. Robert Jackson, said Richardson came to a church service that morning "distraught," and police later showed up at Second Historic Baptist Church and took him into custody.

The attempted murder warrant, obtained by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on Wednesday, states that as Richardson told the juvenile "he was going to kill her," he "pinned the juvenile down on a bed inside the home, and with applied pressure, placed his hands over her nose and mouth, as to restrict her breathing." He then repeatedly warned her "of eminent death," Givens wrote, citing an interview with the victim.

Richardson then "placed his hands around the juvenile's neck and proceeded to squeeze, causing the victim to choke while gasping for air," the warrant states.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Richardson had the juvenile girl taken from his grandmother's house on Brookfield Drive to another relative's home before he fled the scene of the crime, the warrant states. The warrant does not say if Richardson himself took the juvenile to another location or if someone else took her there. It also does not say if the girl witnessed the shooting of Wilkerson.

Police have said that as they responded to the church to speak to Richardson, other officers were sent to the grandmother's house in the 10200 block of Brookfield Drive to check on her. After forcing entry inside, officers discovered her dead, wrapped in plastic. Officers also learned that Richardson had taken his grandmother's Toyota Camry from her home to the church.

Once in police custody, after he was read his Miranda Rights, the murder warrant states, Richardson "confessed to shooting Beverly Wilkerson, and subsequently wrapping her body in plastic inside her residence during the early morning hours of Sunday."

Orleans Parish Magistrate Judge Harry Cantrell set Richardson's bond at $350,000 for the murder charge during his first appearance hearing Monday in Orleans Criminal Court. Assistant District Attorney Michael Henn read the warrant aloud in court, and Cantrell appointed the Orleans Public Defender's Office to represent Richardson.

His first appearance in the attempted murder charge is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

2018 New Orleans murder map
Elmer Rogers, 50, was arrested last weekend on suspicion that he robbed a victim at gunpoint after the victim accused Rogers of selling him "bad Roxies," according to an arrest warrant affidavit. "Roxy" is a nickname for Roxicodone, a brand name for the opioid painkiller oxycodone.

Rogers also threatened to kill the victim, the affidavit alleges, during the Thursday afternoon (March 8) crime in Algiers.

The robbery occurred about 4:20 p.m. in the 4600 block of MacArthur Boulevard, police said. Two days later, Rogers was arrested at his Jefferson Parish home by NOPD officers and members of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's SWAT team.

He was then booked into the Jefferson Parish jail with a fugitive attachment and later transferred to the Orleans Justice Center jail, where he was booked Monday with armed robbery with a firearm. According to Orleans Parish court records, Rogers' bond was set at $50,000.

Court records show no prior felony convictions for Rogers in Orleans, but in Jefferson Parish, he pleaded guilty in August 2016 to an amended charge of attempted possession of a firearm by a felon. He was sentenced to time he had already served since his arrest in the case.

According to Jefferson Parish court records, Rogers' conviction stemmed from his possession of "a Tech 9 machine pistol" in 2014. He was not legally allowed to have the gun due to a 1999 felony conviction in Plaquemines Parish for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, court records show.

Anyone with additional information on Elmer Rogers is asked to call NOPD 4th District detectives at 504-658-6040 or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free 1-877-903-STOP.

NOLA.com|The Times-Picayune's Marie Simoneaux contributed to this report.
The Louisiana Supreme Court has re-affirmed its ruling that a man convicted in a triple murder at the Kim Anh restaurant in New Orleans East in 1995 should not get a new trial, affirming his conviction and life sentence.

Rogers LaCaze and former NOPD officer Antoinette Frank were convicted of three counts of first-degree murder for killing NOPD Officer Ronnie Williams and siblings Ha and Cuong Vu during an armed robbery at the restaurant.

LaCaze was sentenced to life in prison. Frank is on death row.

LaCaze's attorneys in January argued he should get a new trial, citing possible bias by state District Judge Frank Marullo, who presided over the trial.

Months before the killings, Frank had obtained a handgun from NOPD's evidence room, using a release purportedly signed by Marullo. The judge told an investigator he never signed it and that it was possibly forged, the Supreme Court filing shows.

Court records show authorities believe the weapon may have been used in the restaurant killings, although that is not certain.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Initially, the state's high court rejected the defense argument. But the U.S. Supreme Court ordered it take another look.

"After carefully considering all the facts, we find the defendant has not shown that the circumstances created an unconstitutionally high risk of bias, and the original denial of the defendant's recusal claim ... is correct," Justice John L. Weimer wrote in the opinion.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro praised the state Supreme Court's ruling.

"We are pleased that after a second round of careful consideration of this issue, the justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court have again reached the proper conclusion: That the post-conviction relief claims of Rogers Lacaze are without merit, and that this brutal killer's conviction was and still is just," Cannizzaro said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Note: Due to a technical error, this story was mistakenly Tweeted on the NOLA.com account on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019. This story is actually from 2018.

Each year, the James Beard Awards honors the countrys best chefs, restaurants and bartenders. On Wednesday (March 13), the nominees for the 2018 awards were announced live from Philadelphia, and New Orleans received nine nominations.

In the national categories, five New Orleanians were nominated.

Donald Link of Herbsaint, Cochon and Peche was nominated for Outstanding Chef, which honors the top chef in the country. Link has been nominated for this award four times in the past.

In 2010, Link's cookbook "Real Cajun" won a James Beard Award and in 2007 he was named Best Chef: South.

JoAnn Clevenger, owner of Upperline, received a nomination for Outstanding Restaurateur. Clevenger was also nominated for this honor in 2017 and 2015.

Kelly Fields of Willa Jean is a finalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef. She was also a nominee in 2017.

Bacchanal, the laid-back Bywater gathering place, is a finalist for Outstanding Wine Program. Joe Briand, who had previously been the manager and sommelier at Herbsaint, is Bacchanal's wine director.

Cure, the Freret Street bar that helped revive quality cocktails in New Orleans, is a finalist for Outstanding Bar Program. The bar was also a finalist in 2017 and 2016.

Last year, Arnaud's French 75, led by bartender Chris Hannah, won the award for the country's top bar.

Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

In the regional chef competition, Nina Compton of Compere Lapin, Slade Rushing of Brennan's and Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus of Coquette were nominated for Best Chef: South, which recognizes chefs in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida and Puerto Rico. New Orleans typically dominates this category.

Compton, who on Thursday will open her second restaurant called Bywater American Bistro, was a nominee last year for this award. Rushing has been nominated for the past three years in this category. This is the first nomination for Essig and Stoltzfus.

In January, the James Beard Foundation announced that Dong Phuong, the Vietnamese bakery in New Orleans East, would receive an America's Classics Award, which celebrates long-running, family owned restaurants.

Brett Anderson's investigation of sexual harassment at the Besh Restaurant Group is a finalist for investigative journalism in the James Beard Media Awards. The other two nominees in that category are from the New York Times and the New Republic.

Anderson has twice won James Beard Awards for his work at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune.

The foundation also inducted Lally Brennan and Ti Adelaide Martin, who run Commander's Palace, into its Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America.

The winners of the restaurant and bar awards will be announced at a ceremony in Chicago on May 7.

(Full disclosure: The author is a voting member of the James Beard Foundation)

Correction: The original version of this story named the wrong bartender for Arnauds French 75 and the month that Dong Phuongs award was announced.
Carey Danna, a senior at New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School stood at the corner of Loyola and Nashville avenues Wednesday morning (March 14), watching as dozens of students poured from the doors of his school.

Determined to bring awareness to the issue of gun violence, Danna was carrying documents that displayed contact information for lawmakers ranging from U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La, New Orleans Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell, and even President Donald Trump. The papers also displayed in bold black statements such as "I stand with Carmen Schentrup," a 16-year-old senior and National Merit Finalist who was among the 17 killed last month in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Danna passed the documents to his peers as they passed the Uptown intersection, where he and other students could be seen with a sign displaying "Student Activist Committee" on the back of their blue school uniforms. A New Orleans Police vehicle and officer could be seen several feet away as Dana lamented over the prevalence of school shootings in the nation.

"17 were killed, and 14 were injured and that really struck me. It could have been here or anywhere else," said 18-year-old Danna.

Danna was among the dozens of students who formed a human chain around the block of Sci High and Lusher Charter School around 10 a.m., as thousands of students across the United States walked out of their classrooms and schools in solidarity and protest to end gun violence. Danna said he and his cousin, who attends Lusher, met up weeks ago with other students to discuss how the two schools could come together to show the rest of the nation that New Orleans students are also concerned about the issue.

Sci High principal Chana Benenson could also be seen outside at the intersection, a smile on her face as the student-led activism filled the sidewalk along Nashville Avenue. Benenson called the demonstration "great."

Benenson also said it is important for the students to speak out because they each have "varying forms of exposure" to the issue of gun violence.

Not all Sci High students participated, though, Benenson said. She said some students' parents urged them to stay in class.

"There's a study hall going on right now, and some kids said they didn't want to miss the class time," Benenson said.

Sci High Civics teacher Sarah Straight was also outside overseeing the student demonstration. Straight said it is easy to have students read about democracy in their textbooks, so she expressed appreciation for the opportunity for students to understand how to participate in their government in a practical sense.

Lusher students in orange T-shirts stood alongside Sci High students along Nashville, including one student who carried a sign saying "Make a Change." Lusher sophomore Lillian Villere said they are encouraging their peers to contact their senators to bring awareness to how gun violence impacts students.

"There's a lot of students that feel this way. We've been planning this for two and a half weeks," said Villere, 15.

Sci High and Lusher students returned to class at 10:29 a.m., when students in other parts of the New Orleans metropolitan area began to end their actions of solidarity with their peers nationwide. The entire student body at Benjamin Franklin High School in Gentilly walked into the school's courtyard, where students listened to speeches about gun violence and signed gun reform petitions. A video of the demonstration was uploaded to the school's Facebook page.

Ben Franklin senior Phillip Youmans said by phone Wednesday that he hopes lawmakers realize that "as a people we're together," and that students realize that the National Rifle Association is "keeping their pockets thick."

"We are likeminded as a country in that the majority of us recognize the need for gun control and know that the lawmakers that impede any sort of progress on this issue are on the wrong side of history," Youmans said.

During the nationwide protests, the NRA posted a video of a representative who urges better school security as opposed to gun control.

"Blaming good, honest people for the acts of murderers is wrong, divisive and not the answer," he says in the video. "Passing new gun control laws will not protect our kids because criminals willing to commit murder will never obey the law."

The organization also tweeted an image of an AR-style rifle with the text "I'll control my own guns, thank you."

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

In Jefferson Parish, students at John Ehret High School in Marrero staged a protest Wednesday as part of the National Student Walkout demonstrations around the country. At Ehret, the 17-minute walkout was contained to an interior school courtyard.

Because the news media was not allowed inside the fenced courtyard it was difficult to tell just how many students participated. Dozens could be seen outside during the event, and dispersing when a bell rang, signaling the start of third period and the end of the walkout.

Students were not allowed to speak to the media and administrators declined to comment.

The high school, whose mascot is the red, white, and blue Patriot, enrolls around 2,300 students according to its website. A Jefferson Parish public school system spokeswoman said that students would not face disciplinary actions related to the walkout as long as it remained respectful. In a statement issued by the district, school officials said the protest would be used "as a teachable moment."

Some students in St. Tammany Parish public schools took part in the walkout but a school district spokeswoman said Wednesday she did not know how many.

"I will say that at the majority of the schools there were none,'' district spokeswoman Meredith Mendez said.

Mendez said the district did not have a uniform policy on how it would handle the student walkouts, but instead will allow each school principal to determine if any students who walked out would face discipinary action.

At Mandeville High, eight to 10 students walked out and sat under the flagpole in front of the school for about 10 minutes, one police officer said. "It was a non-event," he said.

Reporters were not allowed close to the school, but several police officers could be seen standing in front of the main campus building.

A parent who had dropped something off to her daughter stood with reporters around 10 a.m. to see if anything would come of the walkout. She said her daughter, a senior, was not going to participate.

The parent said Principal Bruce Bundy told the students they could hold a memorial assembly on Friday morning before school to honor those slain in Florida.

Of the police presence, the parent, who declined to give her name, said she was glad to see the officers on campus. "I saw it as a positive," she said. "They're here to keep the kids safe. That's all that matters."

At Fontainebleau High School near Mandeville, some students gathered at 10 a.m. in a courtyard, three parents there said. School principal Johnny Vitrano told a reporter that students had observed a moment of silence earlier but asked a reporter and the parents to leave the campus.

Efforts to reach St. Tammany Parish school district officials were not immediately successful.

NOLA.com The Times-Picayune reporters Littice Bacon-Blood, Bob Warren and Robert Rhoden contributed to this story.

. . . . . . .

Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.
It's a part-time political job that pays more than $120,000 a year, yet only two people are running for it and one third of voters don't know which to choose. That leaves incumbent Allen Leone Jr. and business owner Jack Rizzuto scraping for votes in hopes of being elected constable of Jefferson Parish's 5th Justice Court.

A new poll says Leone has a "substantial but not unsurmountable" lead in the race with 36 percent of registered voters favoring him over Rizzuto with 26 percent. Another 38 percent were undecided.

The poll of 343 voters was commissioned by businessman Henry Shane and conducted Saturday (March 10) by JMC Analytics and Polling. It has a margin of error of 5.3 percent.

The 5th Justice Court covers most of Metairie plus Old Jefferson and Elmwood. Election day is March 24, and early voting ends March 17.

Constables serve papers such as eviction notices and enforce orders of justices of the peace in small-claims court. They are paid a base salary plus a portion of fees collected by the court.

As chief deputy constable, Leone took over the top job when Constable Raymond Waguespack died July 12. In 2015, the last year for which he filed a personal finance report, Waguespack said he made $121,180 for constable work, in addition to more than $100,000 as a full-time business manager for UPS.

Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Rizzuto served seven months in 2017 on the Parish Council, having been appointed to the 4th District seat after incumbent Ben Zahn was elected Kenner's mayor. He owns a restaurant and bar management company.

And he's trying to make compensation an issue in the race:

The race has split Jefferson's political establishment along clear lines: Those backing interim Sheriff Joe Lopinto III generally favor Rizzuto, and those endorsing retired Col. John Fortunato for sheriff generally support Leone. And considering the obscurity of the seat, both candidates are spending heavily:

Leone --

. . . . . . .

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.
The BUKU fest added a big new stage area to accommodate an extra 3,000 fans per day in 2018. Apparently, the expansion was a success. According to a BUKU spokesman, the March 9-10 festival sold out at 17,500 attendees per day.

The EDM-forward event wasn't without it's hiccups, of course. On Friday (March 9), Philadelphia rapper Lil Uzi Vert failed to appear, and the much anticipated set by the hiphop ensemble Migos reportedly started late and stopped early.

My favorite Buku 2018 act was the North Carolina duo Sylvan Esso, who combine aggressive DJing by Nick Sanborn with poppy, folky vocals by Amelia Meath.

Here's the funny thing, I first saw Sylvan Esso at the "Live From Here" broadcast at the Saenger Theatre in January (the new replacement for NPR's long-running "A Prairie Home Companion"). It seems odd to have discovered such a youthful combo at a variety show that basically drew a, shall we say, mature audience. Bravo to SE for being able to bridge the age gap.

I also dug the Buku performances by SZA, Alison Wonderland and Bassnectar (the sonic scourge of Algiers).

Were you there? What did you think?

Doug MacCash, whose hearing has almost returned, has the best job in the world, covering art, music, and culture in New Orleans. Contact him via email at dmaccash@nola.com. Follow him on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash. As always, please add your point of view to the comment stream.
Droves of students, including many in New Orleans, marched out of their schools Wednesday morning (March 14) to mark National School Walkout Day, a nationwide protest against gun violence. The protesters stood outside -- some in the snow -- for 17 minutes to honor the 17 victims killed in Feb. 14 shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school.

Organizers behind the movement say it is intended to pressure Congress to approve gun control legislation. The walkouts come 10 days before the March for Our Lives, a student led gun control rally, is scheduled to take place in Washington D.C. and sites across the nation.

Here is a look at demonstrations at schools across the nation.
U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, nine months after being gravely wounded by a gunman, is hitting the campaign trail. But not necessarily for his own re-election race on the Nov. 6 ballot.

As the No. 3 Republican in the House, the Old Jefferson congressman is moving $1 million into the chamber's GOP campaign account and traveling the country to help members of his party in their races, Politico reports. House Republicans are working to hold their 238-193 majority (four seats are vacant), and Scalise, as the majority whip, hopes to bolster those efforts.

He's just finished a seven-day campaign trip through Florida, Louisiana, Texas and the Midwest. And colleagues have asked him to help them in the coming months in Texas, Florida, New York, California, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Illinois, Politico says.

Read Politico's full story.

. . . . . . .

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.
Frustrated by the number of students accused in recent weeks of making threats to schools or other students, the St. Tammany Parish school district is trying to drive this point home to students and their parents: Make a threat and you'll be arrested.

The district this week unveiled a video it created to help make the point. It features schools Superintendent Trey Folse, as well as St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith and State Police Senior Trooper Dustin Dwight.

"This is a serious felony offense,'' Smith says in the video.

The video can be found on the school district's website: www.stpsb.org.

Across the region, school and law enforcement officials have been pressed to track down threats, often on social media, made by students in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass shooting at a Florida high school that claimed the lives of 17 people.

In a news release this week, the FBI said Louisiana law enforcement officers have investigated 106 reports of violence being threatened in or near schools. The FBI said 62 people have been arrested across the state in the past four weeks in connection with school threats.

St. Tammany top stories in your inbox A weekly guide to the biggest news in St. Tammany. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

At least seven students in St. Tammany Parish schools have been arrested and booked with terrorizing -- including a 10-year-old boy.

"We have zero tolerance for threats,'' Folse said in the video, which has been posted to the school district's website, as well as its social media accounts.

That includes jokes, Folse and the others say. Jokes will be treated the same as threats.

In addition to facing arrest, students caught making threats are recommended for expulsion. Numerous reminders have gone out to students, Folse said.

"That's what's confusing to us,'' Folse said in a recent interview when asked why kids continue making threats or joke about threats.

Another point the school district hopes to drive home is for students and parents to report rumors and suspicious activity to school or law enforcement authorities -- not share it on social media.
In 1969, when Sherry Johnson was 9 years old and in the fifth grade, the adults at her Florida school became suspicious of her ballooning figure. She was summoned to the office, and a doctor confirmed school officials' suspicions. "They said my mother's coming to pick me up because I'm sick," Johnson said by phone from Tallahassee, Fla., Tuesday, but she wondered why they'd say that. She felt fine. When her mother arrived, those officials told her Sherry was pregnant.

Though she was 7 months pregnant at the time, "I had no idea," Johnson, now 58, said. "I didn't even know what pregnancy was."

Almost 50 years have passed since Johnson was unceremoniously kicked out of fifth grade. In the meantime, we have learned to label every child pregnancy suspicious, criminal even. But in Johnson's case, the rape that led to her giving birth at 10 didn't lead to jail. It led to marriage.

"My mother decided she should marry me off to my rapist at the age of 11," Johnson said. Her rapist, she said, was a 20-year-old deacon of the church. When her mother told a judge in Tampa (Hillsborough County) that Sherry would marry the adult who had fathered her child, the judge said no, not at that courthouse. So her mother took her next door to Pinellas County where she found a judge who was willing.

She finally broke free of that man when she was 17. By then they had had a total of six children. She kept trying to return to school, but every time she got pregnant, they'd kick her out again, Johnson said. She didn't complete her education until she was 55.

Johnson was instrumental in getting a law through the Florida House and Senate that removes almost all the exceptions that allow people younger than 18 to get married. This week, she'll be at a conference in Mamou hoping to create enthusiasm for legislation in Louisiana.

Karen Carter Peterson said in an email Tuesday that she is drafting a bill that would remove the loopholes that allow children to be married in Louisiana.

Valerie Cahill, who is organizing the Conference to End Child Marriage, owns Hotel Cazan, the venue for the conference. But Mamou's a good location for reasons other than her ownership of the host hotel, Cahill said Tuesday. Children forced into marriage is a bigger problem in the rural areas, she said.

The two day conference will be held Friday March 16 and Saturday March 17 from 1:30 to 5:00 each day. Registration is free but limited to 100 people.

Cahill said law enforcement officials have told her that drugs are behind some of the marriages; strung-out parents are essentially selling their children to people who can supply them drugs. But then there are those cases like Johnson's, Cahill said, where "pedophiles are impregnating kids and self-identified Christians are making them get married."

"At least he put a ring on it," Cahill said, mocking the adults who send girls back into the clutches of their rapists.

It is sickening to contemplate.

And it's upsetting to hear the excuses state lawmakers are coming up with to avoid wiping the books clean of exceptions to the marriage-age restrictions.

The Family Foundation of Kentucky opposed a reform bill in that state. A leader of the conservative group made the ridiculous argument that the proposed bill, which would allow judges to approve the marriages of 17-year-olds, could lead to judges hitching up teenagers whose parents didn't want them to be hitched.

But the problem isn't teenagers looking for judges who will overrule their parents. It's parents shopping for judges who will cosign their retrograde idea.

After people in Kentucky exploded in outrage at opposition to the proposed law, state senators agreed on a new version of the bill that would let judges approve the marriages of 17-year-olds after input from their parents. But three senators - all Republicans - dissented, arguing that a pregnant 16-year-old girl ought to be allowed to marry her baby's father.

But Republican Sen. Ralph Alvarado, a pediatrician who co-sponsored the Kentucky bill, said he's seen way too many pregnant girls in his practice. "I would argue they need more of a father than a husband at that age."

A bill to set a minimum age in Tennessee was temporarily derailed by the Family Action Council of Tennessee, which is working to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed same-sex marriages. The Family Action Council now believes Tennessee shouldn't regulate marriage, and feared that by the age restriction being proposed would make it harder for them to oppose the gay marriage ruling.

"Basically, what has happened is the Family Action Council wants to continue to let 13-year-olds get married in the state at the sake of their court case against same-sex couples," Rep. Darren Jernigan, a Democrat, said. "It's disgraceful. I'm embarrassed for the State of Tennessee."

After conservative opposition, the bill had been sent to "summer study session," from which few bills return. But just like in Kentucky, it seems that public outrage rescued and revived it.

Let us hope that Peterson's bill moves through the Legislature without opponents, without embarrassing counterarguments for the rights of children to marry.

When Johnson was trying to extricate herself from her marriage, an attorney told her she was too young to get divorced.

"The attorney said I was not at the age where I could sign a contract." She was eventually allowed to get out of the marriage when she was 17, but imagine the paradox of somebody who's not too young to be forced into marriage but is too young to get herself out of one.

It makes no sense. And that's the message that the Conference to End Child Marriage is bringing to Louisiana.

To register, call or text 337-831-2040 or email flerufont70-@gmail.com.

Jarvis DeBerry is deputy opinions editor for NOLA.COM | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at jdeberry@nola.com or at twitter.com/jarvisdeberry.
Whenever Rep. Steve Scalise and I are in the same room, there's a game that we play. I ask him a question that aims to make him depart from a hardline Republican or conservative talking point, and he takes my question and still manages to respond with a hardline Republican or conservative talking point. Though I mean for my questions to be challenging, I try not to interrupt him when he's answering. But I couldn't help myself Monday when at a meeting at NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune, Scalise was listing the reasons he believes Donald Trump has been a good president and included the claim that Trump has been "aggressive on Russia."

Wait, what?

I expect Scalise, the House Majority Whip, to give the Republican spin on things. It's what he does. It's what he's always done. But when asked to assess Trump's tenure, I didn't imagine that even Scalise would volunteer that Trump's been tough on Moscow.

"How's he been aggressive on Russia?" I asked, interrupting his laundry list of alleged Trump successes. Honestly, I can't convey to you - in a way that makes sense - Scalise's full argument in support of Trump's supposed toughness on Russia. He did make a point of saying that Trump has been "supporting our allies" who oppose Russia, that he has been "very open to helping our allies."

(PLEASE NOTE: After this column was published, Scalise's communications director Chris Bond sent this list of Trump actions, which Scalise believes validates his claim that Trump's been tough on the Kremlin. As I had already written, most of them involve the United States' support of our allies in that region.)

In July 2017, Congress approved sanctions against Russia, North Korea and Iran. Of the 522 members of both chambers who voted, only five of them total voted against the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. But what did the Trump administration say in January? It said the sanctions weren't needed because, get this, the legislation authorizing the sanctions was its own deterrent.

I reminded Scalise that the legislative branch of government was clear that sanctions were needed to punish Russia. The legislation says the sanctions are "in response to the crisis in eastern Ukraine, cyber intrusions and attacks, and human rights violators in the Russian Federation."

Scalise nodded in a way that acknowledged that yes, Congress did pass sanctions against Russia and that, yes, the Trump administration has refused to implement them but that, no, he wasn't going to budge from his assertion that Trump has been aggressive on Russia.

(Included on Bond's list is Trump signing of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. But what good is Trump signing the act when his administration announced later that it wouldn't impose the Russia sanctions Congress overwhelmingly passed? Putting on the list a bill that Trump signed but won't enforce suggests that Scalise is really grasping at straws to make his argument.)

On the same day that Scalise said Trump had been tough on Russia, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the president's press secretary, couldn't bring herself to implicate Russia when the poisoning of a spy on British soil came up.

Here's the verbatim exchange. Read it and take note of how aggressive the Trump administration is on Russia.

Reporter: "Sarah, I was hoping you could comment on news out of Great Britain today. Theresa May saying that the British government believes that Russia was behind the attempted murder and poisoning of a former spy with a nerve agent that has a Russian manufacturer. Is that the assessment of the United States government, number one? Does the United States government plan on designating Russia as -- like it did North Korea, earlier this year, regarding the murder of Kim Jong-un's half-brother -- of Russia using chemical weapons? And, three, will there be any repercussions for Russia from the United States, in coordination with its British allies?"

Sanders: "Look, we've been monitoring the incident closely, take it very seriously. The use of a highly lethal nerve agent against UK citizens on UK soil is an outrage. The attack was reckless, indiscriminate, and irresponsible. We offer the fullest condemnation, and we extend our sympathy to the victims and their families, and our support to the UK government. We stand by our closest ally and the special relationship that we have."

Reporter: " So you're not saying that Russia was behind this act?"

Sanders: "Right now, we are standing with our UK ally. I think they're still working through even some of the details of that. And we're going to continue to work with the UK, and we certainly stand with them throughout this process."

Reporter: "Theresa May said it was either Russia using it themselves or that it had given its chemical weapons to a third party to murder a British citizen, the latter being highly unlikely, given the nature of this weapon. So --"

Sanders: "Like I just said...we stand with our ally. And we certainly fully support them, and are ready if we can be of any assistance to them."

Monday night, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the attack on the spy "a really egregious act" that he said "clearly" came from Russia.

Tuesday morning, Tillerson got fired.

Late Wednesday afternoon, Nikki Haley, the United States' ambassador to the United Nations implicated Russia in the attack on British soil. "We take no pleasure" in pointing the finger at Russia, she said. You better believe she doesn't take pleasure in it. And if Trump himself ever says something bad about Russia, you can be sure it'll be through gritted teeth.

Jarvis DeBerry is deputy opinions editor for NOLA.COM | The Times-Picayune. He can be reached at jdeberry@nola.com or at twitter.com/jarvisdeberry.
No school should ever shame a child who owes money for school lunches. But they do, as examples from New Mexico to Michigan to Kentucky have shown in recent years. Children have had their lunches thrown away in front of other students, their hands stamped to show they owe money and other punishments.

New Mexico disallowed those practices last year, and Gov. John Bel Edwards wants Louisiana to do the same.

"This session, we will ensure that students are not stigmatized when they cannot afford to pay for a meal," he told lawmakers in his speech opening the regular session Monday (March 12). Making sure children are fed is not only the humane thing to do, it is vital to their ability to learn.

House Bill 284, sponsored by Baton Rouge Democrat Rep. Patricia Smith, would forbid Louisiana public school systems from stigmatizing children by requiring them to wear a wristband, hand stamp or other marks to show they are in debt or to do chores to pay for meals. Schools also would be prohibited from withholding privileges from a child, scolding them verbally or in writing or requiring them to throw a meal away after it has been served.

That all seems like basic decency.

Schools would be required to provide a meal to a child regardless of whether he or she can pay for it or owes money for previous meals. The legislation calls for schools to notify parents directly about what is owed for meals, not to send messages through children. There still could be consequences. A parent who fails to pay for 10 or more meals during a school year could be reported to the state Department of Children and Family Services.

The bill also outlines a process for schools to encourage parents to apply for free school meals and requires a report on how many meals are provided to students who didn't pay.

For some school districts, there will be no unpaid costs. In 2010, Congress approved a program to allow schools with at least 40 percent low-income students to serve every child breakfast and lunch at no cost without having to do individual paperwork. School districts have to opt in to the program.

As of the 2016-17 school year, 78 percent of eligible Louisiana school districts were participating, according to the Food Research & Action Center. That was the seventh-highest rate in the nation and far higher than the national average of 46.5 percent.

The percentage of individual schools participating is a little lower, at 72.6 percent, which may indicate a lack of awareness that the state or school systems need to address.

Louisiana is moving the right direction, though. The state added more than 100,000 students to the program between 2016 and 2017, the Food Research & Action Center report said.

Not every Louisiana school is eligible, but those that are ought to participate. This program makes sure every child at a school can be fed and eliminates the "free lunch" stigma. Even families who may not have qualified in the past for free or reduced-cost school meals may have trouble paying for breakfast and lunch on a regular basis.

Gov. Edwards reminded legislators Monday that 1 in 4 children in Louisiana live in poverty. Last year, he and his wife, Donna, launched Louisiana's No Kid Hungry Initiative to increase the number of children eating breakfast at school. More than 300 schools participated, providing more than 147,000 additional meals to students.

"When we are able to give students a well-balanced meal at the start of the day, they perform better, they are less likely to act out, which allows our teachers to focus their efforts on teaching," Gov. Edwards said Monday.

This is an important effort. Every student needs to be well fed to succeed, and no child should feel ashamed for not having the money to pay for a meal at school.
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.
To the editor:

All I could do reading Susan McGuires letter was smack my head!

First of all, the disrespect shown Representative Rooney is blatant. Please note, his title is Representative, not Mr.

The writer cites statistics of support or opposition to several policies but, as liberals are wont to do, doesnt cite her sources.

Eighty percent support Net Neutrality? Ummmwho in their right mind would support the federal government running anything given their abysmal history of running programs from Social Security to education? But, contrary to the assertion, a Washington Post poll found 48 percent of all voters found the argument to repeal the rules convincing and 51 percent found it unconvincing.

Only 28 percent oppose the Meuller investigation? Fifty one percent of those polled by NPR/PBS (hardly fans of conservatism) dont think or dont know if the investigation has been fair. Do most want it to continue? You betcha since we now know the Clintons and their dupes were up to their eyeballs in spreading lies about President Trump to influence the outcome of the election (yes, President Trump, not Trump.) When you have Democrats, who needs Russians?! Just ask Bernie Sanders.

Oh, and then of course, the letter has to bring up guns and claims no one wants to talk about that. Really? While I did not hear Representative Rooneys thoughts on this admittedly volatile topic, I would like to hear the writers idea of how to protect schools and churches from lunatics and keep freedoms balanced? Its likely those killed and wounded in the S.C. and Texas church shootings wish someone in the church had a gun. And what if the law enforcement on the scene in Parkland had not been told to stand down and actually were allowed to use their weapons to take down the shooter sooner? We dont need more gun laws but rather enforcement of those currently on the books. But liberals wont be happy until there are no guns needing legislation. Knowledge that weapons may be present provides a deterrent, unlike gun free zones such as that in which the Parkland school was located. I can tell you I sleep very well at night knowing there is an NRA sticker on my front door and a Lady Smith in my nightstand.

Ms. McGuire is a member of ROAR-Rise Up, Organize, Agitate and Resist. That is not the American way nor is it in the best interests of American citizens. Please ignore such blatant propaganda as was set forth in this letter to the editor. Denying the truth doesnt change the facts!

Kathy Jones

Saint James City
Gen Ith Sarath briefs media yesterday. KT/Chor Sokunthea

The Chinese government is picking up the majority of the tab for the joint military exercise between China and Cambodia from March 17 to 30 in Kampong Speu provinces Samroang Tong district.

General Ith Sarath, deputy commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, said yesterday that the joint military exercise would include 307 Cambodian troops and 216 Chinese troops.

A total of 574 people, including other labour forces and translators, will join in the exercise.

Gen Sarath said that Cambodia would be responsible for some of the costs, but would not say how much.

The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army is paying for most of the expenses for the joint military exercise. They are paying for the bulk of it and we are supporting a little, he said.

Gen Sarath said some topics of the exercise included road repairs, mine and UXO clearance, bridge construction, and resettlement of disaster victims.

There would also be machine-gun fire from helicopters onto terrorist camps and the shooting of rockets and heavy artillery.

He said China was bringing three helicopters, eight tanks and other vehicles and weapons to use in the joint military exercise while Cambodia had six helicopters, eight tanks and other vehicles.

Gen Sarath noted that last year Cambodia cancelled joint military exercises with the United States and China because RCAF was busy with a campaign against drugs, and the commune elections.

We are holding this exercise to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China, he said. There is no other reason.

Gen Sarath added that Cambodia held joint military exercises with other countries such as Thailand and Vietnam.

Defence Minister Tea Banh yesterday said at the National Defence University that the joint military exercise between Cambodia and China was not being held to threaten other countries or individuals, but only to exchange experiences and celebrate the anniversary of diplomatic relations.

We join each other to improve the ability to exchange experiences, he said. It is not organised to threaten anyone.

Gen Sarath said in a statement last week that Cambodia and China would hold a Counter Terrorism and Humanity Work exercise from March 15 to 30.

Please all the people and all local level authorities be informed and dont be surprised to hear the sound of explosions and movement of military vehicles within the district, he said.

To guarantee security during the military exercise, RCAF has asked the secretariat of civil aviation and local authorities to help disseminate information in order to prevent civilians from entering the exercise area and any planes or drones from flying over it.
Mar 14, 2018 JB

Arya, the popular Tamil actor is participating in a reality show for a Tamil TV channel where he is searching for a suitable bride for himself. As a part of this, he and the TV crew went to Kumbakonam where he was to meet a prospective bride.

The entire crew was lodged in a hotel when there was a lot of commotion in front of the hotel. Upon enquiring, it was found out that there were a few womens groups who were protesting against the program and also Arya. There were slogans which asked Arya to get out of Kumbakonam.

Not wanting to take a chance, Arya and the crew returned to Chennai without meeting the bride. The entire shooting schedule has been disrupted because of this. It is not clear if this specific bride will be met by Arya later.

Arya Pictures
Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who was appointed to the post in February, won a historic vote of confidence with a three-quarters majority in the House of Representatives at Nepal's Federal Parliament on Sunday, according to The Kathmandu Post. Such overwhelming support will guarantee the nation's political stability. For a country which has run through 11 prime ministers since 2006, this is without doubt good news. Collaboration between China and Nepal will also have more opportunities.

Reports show that implementing the agreements signed with Beijing during Oli's first tenure as prime minister between 2015 and 2016 will be top on his agenda and include extending the Qinghai-Tibet railway to Lumbini, Nepal, through Shigatse city of Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

The planning was not designed on a whim.

In 2005, the last King of Nepal Gyanendra Shah raised his vision of Nepal as a "transit economy," bridging China and India. He hoped to take a ride with China's development. Connecting the country to China's railway routes was thus an effective approach. Former Nepalese ambassador to China, Mahesh Kumar Maskey, once said that if Nepal could attract one-tenth of the 23 million tourists who visited Tibet in 2016, the nation's economy would benefit greatly.

Extending the railway will also help promote the Beijing-led Belt and Road initiative. When Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Nepal in 2014, he expressed China's willingness to explore the possibility of trilateral cooperation between China, Nepal and India. But New Delhi shelved the suggestion.

Now Nepal is in great need of development to break away from poverty. Oli's agenda will lay a political agenda for the country to realize the goal through getting involved in the Belt and Road initiative.

Meanwhile China is making efforts in the same direction. During the ongoing two sessions, legislators from Tibet suggested that the region should keep opening up, simultaneously and vigorously promoting the development of Lhasa and Shigatse. The approach can accelerate the pace of opening up China to South Asian countries, activating the economic development of the entire peripheral region.

But New Delhi displayed a sour-grapes mind-set with its media asking "Is it the end of India's special relationship with Nepal?" Just like two years ago when Oli visited China in March 2016, many Indian netizens worried that "Modi has lost Nepal."

China is not fighting India for sphere of influence. Neither will Beijing block New Delhi's effort to establish equal relations with other nations. Quite a few South Asian countries are marred by difficulties with infrastructure construction, but India alone cannot provide ample assistance. Therefore South Asian nations generally treat the Belt and Road initiative as a chance to boost their region's economic growth and maintain peace in the area, which in the long run will benefit India's neighboring diplomacy and peripheral stability as well.
TRIPOLI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Libyan coast guard patrols on Tuesday rescued 119 illegal immigrants in western Libya in two separate operations, a navy spokesman said.

"The first operation was carried out by a coast guard patrol, rescuing 98 illegal immigrants on a broken rubber boat amid turbulent sea," Ayob Qassem, navy spokesman, told Xinhua.

"The operation was carried out 21 miles off Abu-Kammash town (near the Tunisian border), in conditions that almost caused the boat of the immigrants to sink," Qassem said.

The second operation rescued 21 migrants off the coast of the city of Sabratha, some 75 km west of the capital Tripoli. The rescued immigrants include Bangladeshis and Egyptians, Qassem added.

The navy spokesman said the rescued migrants were taken to Tripoli naval base and then handed over to the anti-illegal immigration department of Tajura in eastern Tripoli.

More than 600 migrants have been rescued by the Libyan navy since the beginning of March, according to the anti-illegal immigration department.

Libya has become the preferred departure point for illegal immigrants hoping to cross the Mediterranean into Europe, because of insecurity and chaos in the North African country following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Improved weather conditions have increased the flow of migrant boats from Libya towards Europe, particularly off the country's western coast.
By Zhang Qiang

BEIJING, March 14 (ChinaMil) -- New progress has recently been made on conversion of the Izumo, Japans Maritime Self-Defense Force's (JMSDF) largest helicopter destroyer, into an aircraft carrier. Shinzo Abe said that all discussions on the expansion of defense capabilities are reasonable when responding to relevant developments. His remark is believed to be a confirmation that the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer will be converted to an aircraft carrier.

The Izumo is the latest destroyer of the JMSDF. Its standard displacement is 19,500 tons and its full-load displacement is 27,000 tons. "If Japan really implements the refitting, this will be a major breakthrough in the development of JMSDF's military preparations," said military observer Zhang Haixiong.

"Japan has made adequate preparations in advance. The Izumo was designed to meet the aircraft carrier level from the beginning. It has a displacement of about 20,000 tons, and it has a large direct flight deck, an island-style control tower, and a huge hangar and a large lift that provide enough room for the aircraft carrier conversion. At the same time, the conversion work is relatively less difficult and does not require any major movement. With Japan's technical capabilities, the conversion is expected to be completed soon," said Zhang.

Zhang pointed out that "Generally speaking, large ships with a displacement of more than 10,000 tons have the potential to be converted into aircraft carriers. The world's first aircraft carrier was converted from a coal carrier." The worlds first truly modern aircraft carrier, Argus, was converted from a passenger liner.

"This is because they have large displacement and ample space for the deployment of flight decks and hangars, and they can also carry sufficient aviation fuel. At the same time, the conversion is cheap and has a short construction period. It is easy to quickly expand the size of the fleet during war. However, after the World War II, designated aircraft carriers that were designed and built directly became the mainstream, and converted aircraft carriers were no longer favored," said Zhang.

What needs to be done if the Japanese Izumo-class helicopter destroyer is to be converted to an aircraft carrier? Zhang said that "The first thing is to refit the flight deck and replace the current straight flight deck with a ski-jump deck to facilitate the short-range take-off of the F-35B carrier-borne aircraft and increase the take-off weight. It is also necessary to lay high-temperature materials at the take-off and landing points, otherwise the high-temperature tail flame of the carrier-borne aircraft will easily ablate the deck."

Then, it is necessary to add fixed-wing carrier-based take-off and landing commanding systems and signal systems and enhance the operational capabilities of aviation personnel. Heavy weights will be added to the ship's tail to balance the shift in the center of gravity caused by the installation of the ski-jump deck. At the same time, the ammunition depot and ammunition elevator must be modified to accommodate the storage and transportation capabilities of the diverse carrier-based aircraft weapons," said Zhang.

Japan has not provided a clear answer to the possible aircraft to be carried by the Izumo, but public opinion is that the US F-35B stealth aircraft is the most likely option.

"This is because the deck length of the Izumo is limited. Even if they install a ski-jump deck in the future, they can only use a short-range fixed-wing aircraft like the F-35B. Currently, there are only two types of fixed-wing aircraft with short-range take-off and vertical landing capability. The first is the F-35B of the US and the second is the UK's Sea Harrier ship-borne aircraft. However, the Sea Harrier was discharged and discontinued. Of course, many drones with short-range take-off capability are also important options that the JMSDF may consider in the future," said Zhang.

It is also difficult for the Izumo-class helicopter destroyer to become an attack aircraft carrier after the completion of the conversion. "Because the deck length of the Izumo is limited and it cannot carry fixed-wing ship-borne early warning aircraft, only helicopters can be used. However, Japan does not have appropriate equipment at present," Zhang explained.

Russia and the UK are the worlds only providers of ship-borne early warning helicopters. They are unlikely to sell such key equipment to Japan based on diplomatic relations, stagnation of the production line, and the attitudes of the neighboring countries. Zhang believes that even if the Izumo has a strong aviation strike capability, the lack of an early warning capability at sea will greatly reduce its comprehensive combat role.

Zhang said, "Of course, its aerial strike capability is also relatively limited. The Izumo's hangar has limited capacity as it can only carry about 10 F-35B fighter jets and the necessary maritime search and rescue equipment and anti-submarine helicopters. This number is undoubtedly very low in high-intensity naval battles. The Izumos combat effectiveness is lower than that of professional light aircraft carriers."
Yogi, a one-year-old brown Shih Tzu- poodle mix, has become a social media sensation due to his uncanny, almost human-like facial expression.

Photos of this dog with a mans face have been doing the rounds online, and people cant stop talking about him. It all started when Chantal Desjardins, from Massachusetts, posted a photo of her freshly groomed pooch Yogi, on Facebook. It wasnt long before her friends started pointing out that his face looked uncannily human-like, and some even asked her if she used editing software like Photoshop or one of those popular face swap apps to create the eerie effect. Chantal insisted that she had not manipulated the photo at all, but after examining the photo again, she understood why people were asking her that.

Photo: Chantal Desjardins

With his striking soulful eyes, detailed brow, close cut mustache and a snout that closely resembles a pair of lips, Yogi does have a strange, almost human-like visage. And while some people think he looks adorable, to others this uncanny valley effect is just disturbing.

I feel really sad for the pup, because hes probably really cute, but hes also horrifying. I feel like a brown-eyed, bearded man is trapped in there, one person commented on Reddit, where a photo of Yogi garnered over 19,000 upvotes, after being posted by an acquaintance of Chantals.

WTF he has the most human eyes Ive seen on a dog, another user commented.

And the comments kept pouring in:

Photo: Chantal Desjardins

I laughed, then I got uncomfortable, now Im rocking back and forth desperately trying to convince myself its just a face swap, someone wrote.

The more I stare at the dog the more Im seeing my own face.this is creeping me out like looking into my soul weird, another person commented.

After freaking out Reddit users, photos of Yogis uncanny face went viral on Twitter, where people started comparing him to various human celebrities, with the most popular choices being Nicholas Cage (obviously), Jake Gyllenhaal and Ed Sheeran.

As for what makes Yogi look so human-like, his eyes are definitely special, but its also his grooming. One Reddit user explains: Probably has a lot to do with close-cut hair around the eyes, especially the brow and snout. Eyebrows are actually one of the most identifiable parts of the human face.

Photo: Chantal Desjardins

Thats probably correct, as a photo of Yogi taken before his grooming shows him looking like an ordinary pooch. Its actually amazing what an effect a haircut can have even on a canine.

Talking about her dogs newfound internet fame, Chantal Desjardins told People Magazine that she is kinda turning into Yogis manager.
A 70-year-old woman from Salt Lake City, Utah, was recently found guilty of conspiring to have her ex-husband killed two years ago. But whats really interesting about this case is that on the day of her trial she was also charged with repeatedly trying to have the hitman who ratted her out killed, while she was in prison.

In December of 2016 Linda Gillman was arrested and accused of trying to hire someone to murder her ex-husband and make it look like an accident or a break-in gone wrong. She had hired a man named Christian Olsen to do some work on her property, and at one point asked him to arrange the murder of her ex-husband and his new wife. She gave him a $5,000 down-payment, but also promised him a $7,000 diamond ring and $18,000 from the victims life insurance policy, which she would collect after his death.

Olsen couldnt go through with the murder, though, and instead contacted Gillmans husband to warn him about the plot. Police then asked the would-be assassin to wear a wire and record Linda Gillman, which he agreed to do. According to court documents, during Gillmans talks with Olsen, she talks about the murder of [her ex-husband]. She is then overheard talking about including [her ex-husbands] current wife for an additional $10,000. Linda sums up the payment as $25,000 total.

After getting all this recorded evidence of Linda Gillmans plot to kill her ex-husband, police arrested her and she was placed in the Salt Lake County Jail. Soon after that, the woman was charged with attempted obstruction of justice for approaching another inmate she thought was part of a white supremacist gang about arranging the murder of the man whom she had hired to kill her ex.

Gillman allegedly told this inmate that if Olsen were to disappear, she would walk out a free woman and that it would make all her dreams come true. The charges against Linda in this matter were ultimately dropped, due to problems with witnesses, but she just kept trying to hire people to kill those she felt had wronged her.

Photo: Good4Utah

Last Friday, during a trial that saw her convicted of trying to have her ex-husband killed, Linda Gillman was charged with yet another attempt to hire a hitman, this time to kill both Christian Olsen and an attorney who had won a civil case against her.

According to Good4Utah, while in jail, Linda Gillman befriended another inmate, who she tried to use to reach a hitman on the outside. After posting this persons $5,000 bail, she then handed her lawyer a check for $155,000 issued to the former inmate, along with a confess letter. Gillman instructed former the inmate to contact Olsen and have him sign the confess letter that would absolve her of charges. If he refused to sign, Lindas accomplice would hire a hitman who would then take Christian out.'

In her letter, Gillman also told the former inmate to ask the hitman if he was willing to kill a certain B.G., who turned out to be a lawyer who had sued her civilly.



Unfortunately for Linda Gillman, the check and letter never reached her partner in crime, as it was confiscated from the lawyer by police for violating jail policy.

In light of these new accusations, the 70-year-old womans sentencing has been scheduled for April 23rd. She faces life in prison. But theres still time to have everyone killed and walk free
Public affairs shop the Fratelli Group has inked a two-year contract to provide media and PR consultancy services for the government of the Republic of Singapore.

Fratelli Groups activities for Singapore will focus on media monitoring and counsel, as well as raising awareness and a deepening understanding of Singapore as a longstanding and strategic partner of the United States among key stakeholder groups, including the U.S. government and its agencies, Congress, media and thought leaders, according to Foreign Agents Registration Acts documents filed in March.

Scope of the work will include media monitoring, strategic counsel, message and materials development, public outreach support and contact with members of various media relating to recent congressional activities, as well as recent actions by the executive branch.

The two-year campaign, which Fratelli will be performing on behalf of Singapores Embassy in Washington, began on March 1. It brings the agency a total of $432,000 payable on a monthly basis, with an option available for the Embassy to extend the contract for an additional year at a cost of $216,000, or $18,000 a month.

The Fratelli Group was founded by Francis OBrien, who was press secretary to former Congresswoman and VP candidate Geraldine Ferraro.
An increase in the number of foreign migrant workers could cause the minimum wage offered for low-skilled jobs to drop, according to a recent study.

"Most foreign laborers who come to Korea work in low-skilled positions that mostly require the use of physical labor," Choi Kyung-soo, a senior researcher at the Korea Development Institute, said in a report issued on Thursday. "This effectively lowers the wages of low-skilled Korean workers, while slightly raising the salaries earned by more skilled workers."

According to the report, the 700,000 foreign laborers in Korea account for three percent of all employment in the country. If half of this group were to replace Korean workers at low-skilled jobs who only posses an elementary or junior high school education, the latter's hourly wage would drop by 1.4 percent.

"There has been an influx of foreign laborers for the last 20 years. Considering the changing pattern and trends in wages over that period, they are deemed to have lowered wages for low-skilled workers by around five to 10 percent," Choi said.

Foreign laborers have tended to dominate low-skilled jobs in the construction and hospitality sectors, which has apparently diluted the presence of Koreans in those fields.

Meanwhile, if immigrants including foreign workers continue to flood into the country, it would have the effect of increasing the supply of low-skilled workers in the job market, according to the report.

The majority of immigrants are foreign brides who marry Korean men, and 81.4 percent of them have only high school diplomas, compared to 39.1 percent of Korean citizens. Furthermore, only 70 percent of the children of migrant brides enter high school, whereas almost 100 percent of the children of Korean couples do so.

The report said that a failure to improve the education level of children born to mixed couples would lead to most low-skilled jobs being filled by these second-generation kids, who are projected to account for five percent of Korea's population by 2050.

If half of these children land low-skilled jobs that are mostly filled by Korean jobseekers lacking a high-school diploma, it would lower the wages in the job sector by 2.1 percent, the report said.
His secretary Kim Ji-eun alleges that he raped her four times on business trips abroad and sexually harassed her numerous times.

An presented himself voluntarily at the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office on Friday afternoon. His lawyer told the Chosun Ilbo on Sunday, "He delivered truthful testimony and will faithfully cooperate with the investigation."

Ex-South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung on Friday admitted that he had sex with his secretary but denied forcing her.

An was questioned for some nine-and-a-half hours. After emerging from the prosecutors' office on Saturday morning, he told reporters Kim "was a member of my staff who supported me and worked hard. I am sorry. I apologize for the sense of loss and betrayal."

Prosecutors plan to question him again.

Kim has now filed charges against An and was questioned by prosecutors on Friday morning. She told prosecutors that she said no but was unable to resist him forcefully since he was her superior.

Prosecutors also questioned people close to An and Kim to discover whether force was involved and are scrutinizing records of their business trips to Russia and Switzerland.

A second woman who worked for a political think tank An set up has since also come forward to accuse him of raping and sexually harassed her repeatedly since October 2015. She plans to file charges this week.


Trump told reporters Tuesday morning he and Tillerson "have been talking about this for a long time," and they "got along quite well," but they have a different mindset and different thinking.

Hours later, Tillerson appeared at the State Department and said "effective at the end of the day" he is delegating all authority to Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. Tillerson said he is formally stepping down at the end of the month and stressed the importance of a smooth transition to his successor.

President Donald Trump has fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and picked CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace him. Trump has also nominated Gina Haspel, the current deputy director at the Central Intelligence Agency, to replace Pompeo at the CIA.

 Departure Messaging

Trump's differences with Tillerson appeared to extend to the logistics of his announced departure, with the State Department and White House issuing contradictory accounts over when the secretary was fired.

A senior administration official tells VOA News that "it's not true" that Tillerson learned of his firing via Twitter, insisting that the secretary of state, while in Africa, was informed by the White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, last Friday that he was being removed from the Cabinet post he has held for 14 months.

Kelly "followed up" with another phone call on Saturday, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of not being identified.

Tillerson cut short his five-nation trip by one day and reporters who traveled with him on his plane say the secretary spoke of continuing his diplomatic work, giving no indication he was being fired.

The undersecretary for public affairs at the State Department, Steve Goldstein, offered a different account of Tillerson's departure. "The Secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason (for his firing), but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve," Goldstein said.

Goldstein was fired by the White House shortly after issuing the statement. Tillerson announced he was handing over his duties at the end of the day to Sullivan and would be formally stepping down at the end of the month. He stressed the importance of a smooth transition to Pompeo.

 Impact on North Korea, Iran?

In remarks to reporters Tuesday, Trump highlighted his differences with Tillerson on Iran and North Korea. Trump pointed out he did not discuss much with Tillerson regarding his decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. "I made that decision by myself, Rex wasn't, as you know, in the country. I made the North Korea decision with consultations from many people, but I made that decision by myself," he said.

A senior White House official also said Tuesday Tillerson's ouster occurred at this time because Trump wanted to "have his new team in place in advance of the upcoming talks with North Korea and various ongoing trade negotiations."

The president said they also disagreed on the 2015 Iran nuclear accord. "When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible, I guess he thought it's okay. I want to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently, so we were not really thinking the same."

During the Obama administration, the U.S. and other major powers struck the deal in which Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of international economic sanctions. President Trump has repeatedly criticized the agreement as a bad deal and threatened to dismantle it.


Bali's annual Day of Silence is so sacred that even reaching for a smartphone to send a tweet or upload a selfie to social media could cause offense. This year it will be nearly impossible to do that anyway.

The head of the Bali office of Indonesia's Ministry of Communications, Nyoman Sujaya, said Tuesday that all phone companies have agreed to shut down the mobile internet for 24 hours during "Nyepi," a day marking New Year on the predominantly Hindu island.

That means smartphones won't connect to the internet, shutting off access to social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram and instant messaging apps.

"Let's rest a day, free from the internet to feel the calm of the mind," said Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, head of the Indonesian Hinduism Society. "Many Hindu people are addicted to gadgets," he said. "I hope during Nyepi they can be introspective."
Ex-President Lee Myung-bak appeared for questioning at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on Wednesday morning on a slew of corruption charges. Lee read out a brief statement on arrival. "I am deeply sorry for causing concern to the public at a time of economic woes and when national security is at stake," he said. "I have lots of things to say as the former president, but I know I need to restrain myself and hold back my words," he added, ending his statement with the hope that this would be "the last time" in Korean history that a president has departed in disgrace.



People gather in front of former President Lee Myung-bak's home in Seoul on Wednesday. /Newsis

Lee claims the probe is "political retaliation" for the suicide of former President Roh Moo-hyun, who was investigated for corruption after Lee took office, but prosecutors have about 120 pages of questions for him about what they believe was a systematic campaign to squirrel away slush funds and amass bribes. They will question him about allegations that he pushed Samsung to pay U.S. legal fees for DAS, an auto parts company nominally owned by his brother on his behalf, and if he received illicit money from the National Intelligence Service while in office.

Former President Lee Myung-bak reads out a statement at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' office in Seoul on Wednesday. /Yonhap

Lee has agreed for the interviews to be videotaped, which his successor Park Geun-hye, who is also on trial for corruption, refused a year ago. A prosecutor said, "We'd prefer to interview him just once for security reasons, but the overall probe could take a while." On Tuesday, Lee and his legal team put their heads together at his home in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul to prepare for interrogation. Lee is expected to deny that he was the real owner of DAS, but prosecutors say they have ample evidence that he was.
A weekly collection of new hires, transitions, promotions and award winners in Oregon and southwest Washington:

AWARDS:

Johnson Johnson Lucas & Middleton of Eugene announces that partner Jennifer Middleton has received the 2018 Justice Hans A. Linde Award from the Oregon Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society. The award honors Oregonians who promote the values of human dignity, individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice.

The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association has honored Dr. Emilio DeBess with the 2018 President's Award for various work he has done over the years including providing veterinarians and certified veterinary technicians with helpful updates on the canine influenza virus outbreak that has been spreading in California and Nevada during 2017-2018, with one confirmed case reported in Southern Oregon.

The award is given at the discretion of the president to an individual who has made an exceptional contribution to the OVMA and veterinary medicine. Read more about the 2018 awards here.

MOVES/HIRES:

SERA Architects has named eight new principals:

Matthew Arnold

Suzanne Blair

Becky Epstein

Gary Golla

George Hager

Jeff Roberts

Scott Shumaker

David Stephenson

Riverview Bancorp has announced the promotion of Steven Plambeck to executive vice president and chief lending officer. In his new capacity, Plambeck will oversee the management and development of the commercial banking teams and all related lending products.

Plambeck had been senior vice president and commercial team leader for the Oregon market since April 2016.

Northwest Natural Gas Company welcomes Kathryn Williams as director of government and community affairs. Williams will take over the position from Gary Bauer who is retiring after 18 years at the company.

Williams joins NW Natural from the Port of Portland, where she most recently was state affairs manager overseeing the Port's state government relations efforts.

Sharon Juenemann has joined The Shadow Project, a Portland nonprofit that teams with teachers to close the achievement gap for students in special education, as its program manager. Juenemann will oversee the organization's partner schools, including service development, delivery, and evaluation.

She was the program director for Mt. Hood Community College's federal prep and access grant program for low-income students seeking higher education. Most recently, she was interim director of TRIO at Portland Community College.

Have a new hire, promotion or business award to share? Email us at business@oregonian.com, and put Attention: Business Movers in the subject line.
Toy store chain Toys R Us is planning to sell or close all 800 of its U.S. stores, affecting as many as 33,000 jobs as the company winds down its operations after six decades, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Toys R Us and an affiliate, Babies R Us, have eight stores in Oregon  five of them in the Portland area.

The news comes six months after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. The company has struggled to pay down nearly $8 billion in debt - much of it dating back to a 2005 leveraged buyout - and has had trouble finding a buyer.

There were reports earlier this week that Toys R Us had stopped paying its suppliers, which include the country's largest toy makers.

On Wednesday, the company announced it would close all 100 of its U.K. stores.

In the United States, the company told employees closures would occur over time, and not all at once, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.

Toys R Us, once the country's preeminent toy retailer, has been unable to keep up with big-box and online competitors. The recent holiday season dealt another blow to the embattled company, which struggled to find its footing even as the retail industry racked up its largest gains in years. In January, Toys R Us announced it would close 182 U.S. stores, or about one-fifth of its remaining locations.

Despite turnaround efforts at Toys R Us, which included adding more hands-on "play labs," retail experts say the 60-year-old company has been unable to get customers back into its stores. It doesn't offer the low prices or convenience of some of its larger competitors, nor the fun-filled experience that many smaller outfits do, some analysts have said.

Toys R Us, based in Wayne, New Jersey, has been struggling for years to pay down billions of dollars in debt as competitors like Amazon, Walmart and Target win over an increasingly larger piece of the toy market. Its bankruptcy filing cited $7.9 billion in debt against $6.6 billion in assets. The company said it has more than 100,000 creditors, the largest of which are Bank of New York (owed $208 million), Mattel ($136 million) and Hasbro ($59 million). (Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)

"The liquidation of Toys R Us is the unfortunate but inevitable conclusion of a retailer that lost its way," Neil Saunders, managing director of the research firm GlobalData Retail, wrote in an email. "Even during recent store closeouts, Toys R Us failed to create any sense of excitement. The brand lost relevance, customers and ultimately sales."

At its heyday, Toys R Us had a towering flagship store in New York's Times Square (now closed and home to Old Navy) and a ubiquitous icon, Geoffrey the Giraffe.

"We know that customers are willing to pay more for an enjoyable experience - just look at the lines at Starbucks every day - but Toys R Us has failed to give us anything special or unique," said O'Keefe, the Virginia Commonwealth University professor. "You can find more zest for life in a Walgreens."

-- The Washington Post
Alex Lovell nearly lost his fingers, his life and he appears to have lost the woman he loved.

Otherwise, the Camas man is feeling pretty good.

"I was just so proud for beating this samurai wannabe crazy lady with hate in her heart," Lovell, 29, told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a Facebook message exchange Wednesday. "I've been preparing my whole life for something like this."

The woman? Emily Javier, 30, his girlfriend of two years. Javier faces attempted murder charges after she told police and a 911 dispatcher she attacked and repeatedly slashed Lovell with a samurai sword during the wee hours of March 3.

The incident has drawn national and international headlines. It's also landed Lovell in the hospital, where he remains recovering from multiple wounds and lacerations.

In an interview with police after the attack, Javier claimed she found a Tinder dating app on Lovell's phone and also fumed over his penchant for playing too many video games.

Lovell admits he may spend a bit too much time in front of a computer screen. But he insists he never cheated.

"I barely had time to hang out with my girlfriend, let alone another girl," he said.

In recent months, Lovell said he had spent 12 to 13 hours a day playing and training for "PlayerUnknown's Battleground," a computer game where players parachute onto an island, gather weapons and blow each other to bits.

The long hours also required him to spend time doing exercises for his hands, wrists and shoulders and also practicing mouse moves and techniques to maximize performance.

"I wasn't a sweaty nerd, more of an Ethlete," Lovell said, describing a person who has an intensive online gaming regimen.

Javier told police she hatched the assault on Lovell after she found evidence he had been unfaithful.

First, there was the Tinder dating app, she said. Then she, she said, saw sexually suggestive scratches on his back. Finally, Javier found red hair in the couple's shower drain, according to the police report.

Her hair, on the other hand, is dyed green.

Lovell said he had Tinder on his phone when he first met Javier but later deleted the dating app.

As for her other allegations? "Basically, she was delusional," he said.

In her interview with police, Javier said she had suspected he had cheated on her before, an accusation she said he always denied. She also mentioned she had grown increasingly incensed by the limited attention he paid her.

Javier told police she grew enraged, went to a shopping mall and purchased a samurai sword.

She spent the next week stewing and plotting her violent revenge, she said.

Her anger peaked the night of March 2 when Lovell returned home and ignored her, Javier said. About 9 p.m., she went into the couple's bedroom, where she had taped the samurai sword and two knives to her side of the bed, the police report shows.

Lovell later joined her and drifted off to sleep. Javier told police she hid her boyfriend's phone so he couldn't call for help.

After the lights went out, Javier said she retrieved he samurai sword - then brought it down on her boyfriend, according to a probable cause affidavit.

Lovell said he woke up to being attacked by Javier. His instincts kicked in, and he drew on a lifetime of Kung Fu films and martial arts training.

"I was able to wing chun my way to survival," Lovell said referring to a traditional form of Chinese martial art that focuses on close-range combat.

Eventually he got her into a bear hug.

"I saw the look in her eyes, and it scared the living poop out of me," he said. "I told her I loved her, and she was killing me. She needed to call police, or I was going to die."

A 911 call obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive reveals a woman who appears to be stricken with grief and horror over the violent outburst.

The distraught woman, who identifies herself as Emily Javier, tells a dispatcher she just stabbed her boyfriend repeatedly with a sword.

She tells the dispatcher she couldn't go into the bedroom because there was too much blood.

"I think he's dead. You need to hurry," the woman tells the dispatcher.

Officers arrived at the couple's Northeast Garfield Street home minutes after the 1:54 a.m. call. Officers entered the bedroom and found the walls splattered with blood and Lovell curled up in ball, the police report shows.



He was rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Lovell's index, middle and ring fingers were nearly lopped off at the base though doctors have been able to reattach them, he said.

He has deep lacerations on his feet and legs and may have fractured his right wrist, which is in a cast, Lovell said. There are various other wounds to his torso, neck and left side of his head.

"Obviously, I got some gnarly injuries," he said.

Members of the "PlayerUnknown's Battleground" gaming community have launched a GoFundMe campaign for Lovell. As of Wednesday, it had raised $8,000.

Lovell said he anticipates a long road to recovery. It could be six months until he's walking again, and he will require extensive physical therapy to regain the full use of his hands.

Until then, Lovell is savoring the small victories.

"The feeling I had when I won the fight with my bare hands is just absolutely the best feeling," he said. "I've played all the sports, won big games, landed some decent tricks on my snowboard. This was better."

Asked if he and Javier were still an item, he wrote: "I haven't spoken with her if that's what you mean lol."

"She called the authorities and saved my life, I hope that counts for something," he said. "It's a bit complicated. Regardless, I assume she needs some serious help."

Javier's trial is set for May 7. She remains detained in the Clark County jail. Her bail is set at $350,000.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 II @shanedkavanaugh
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke expressed doubt Tuesday that oil and gas exploration will happen off the Pacific coast as part of the Trump administration's proposal to dramatically expand offshore leasing, saying California, Oregon and Washington have "no known resources of any weight" for energy companies to extract.

Discussing the Atlantic coast while testifying before the Senate Energy Committee, the secretary similarly described Maine as a state with little recoverable oil and gas.

Zinke stopped short of saying that the three Pacific states would be exempted from the president's plan to offer leases on 95 percent of the outer continental shelf. But in his reply to a question from Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., he acknowledged her state's deep opposition.

"I think I'm going to mark down Washington as opposed to drilling," Zinke said after Cantwell asked him to extend the public comment period for the drilling proposal. It is clear "the state of Washington is deeply, passionately opposed to oil and gas drilling off the coast," he continued, promising that will be reflected in the next draft of the plan.

California and Oregon also are strongly against drilling off their shores, as are virtually all states along the Atlantic coast.

The secretary's comments came near the end of a two-hour hearing on the Trump administration's fiscal 2019 budget and its effect on the Interior Department. The president has proposed a cut of $2 billion to the department's nearly $13.5 billion budget.

Among the budget's highlights, Zinke said, is a proposal to use revenue from new energy production projects for an infrastructure fund to deal with the National Park Service's nearly $12 billion maintenance backlog. But doing so relies on congressional approval of legislation.

Zinke was warmly received by Republicans on the committee, starting with Chairman Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who welcomed his efforts to open the Arctic Ocean to leases and exploration. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, congratulated the secretary for shrinking two national monuments in his state, Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears.

"You and I have worked closely to chart a path to greater energy security, which, as you have noted, runs right through Alaska," Murkowski said in her opening statement. "So I'd like to thank you for all that you've done to help Alaska and the nation this past year."

But Democrats ripped into Zinke, deriding his spending for travel on military planes and private aircraft while proposing to raise entrance fees at the most popular national parks, virtually eliminating the Land and Water Conservation Fund, shrinking several national monuments and risking beach economies with drilling expansion.

"During your confirmation hearing, you mentioned Teddy Roosevelt nine times," recalled Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. "Teddy Roosevelt understood that when you sell off or exploit public lands, you don't get them back. Mr. Secretary, you don't seem to understand that at all." Wyden pointed to the nearly 2 million acres stripped from Grand Staircase and Bears Ears, and the drilling expansion.

Zinke fired back that the land carved away from the monuments is still under various federal protections, as wilderness areas, for example. Wyden wasn't swayed. "We talked a lot during your nomination process," the senator said. "I said I would support your nomination, and I did. I will tell you right now, as of today, it is one of the biggest regrets in my public service."

Although budget cuts targeted for several Interior Department programs also came up in questions, offshore drilling took center stage. In another brief but heated exchange, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., asked Zinke why renewable-energy projects are the only ones being cut when he has said he supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy.

Zinke responded that solar energy requires hundreds of thousands of acres of land that lock out potential hunting and other uses and that wind "chops up birds," explaining that windmill blades kill nearly 1.5 million birds and bats annually.

Cortez Masto then pressed him on why he doesn't have similar reservations about offshore drilling exploration, given its risk and cost. "Didn't I just hear you say offshore has a low demand?" she asked.

Zinke has exempted only Florida from the drilling proposal, saying the risk to beach tourism revenue driving the state's economy is too great. He repeated that Florida also has a federal moratorium against oil and gas exploration that protects its coast until 2024.

That hasn't satisfied a bipartisan group of governors, lawmakers and attorneys general of Atlantic- and Pacific-coast states who are firmly opposed to potential drilling and the seismic testing that would precede it. Such testing, some studies say, harms mammals that rely on echolocation to associate and feed and could frighten away fish that commercial and recreation fisheries need to survive.

Even if offshore oil and gas reserves prove to be low, a lease could lead to the exploratory seismic testing. The testing could also figure in efforts to map coastal geology.

Zinke said seismic testing is also needed for cultivating wind energy, which conservationists prefer, and suggested that it should move forward for offshore oil and gas development. "I'm pretty confident we have oil and gas onshore to meet our country's needs," he said. "But we should know where oil and gas reserves are as a country."

--The Associated Press
As strange as it may seem, the alarming size of the $25 billion unfunded liability for the Public Employees Retirement System hasn't been alarming enough. Despite more and more tax dollars going to feed the shortfall rather than schools, health care and other public services, leaders have shown little interest in tackling the PERS puzzle.

It could be that the sheer size of the $25 billion liability - the gap between how much public employers will collectively owe retirees and how much the pension fund will have to pay them - is so large it seems unreal. Or perhaps, it's that no single entity is responsible for it. With more than 900 cities, state agencies, school districts and other public employers participating in PERS, there's a shared - and dispersed - sense of responsibility that makes it all too easy to ignore the big picture.

Finally, however, state leaders are beginning to look at the big picture, by helping public employers focus on their small piece of it.

At Gov. Kate Brown's urging, the state recently published a tool that allows the 925 public entities offering benefits through PERS to calculate how much they individually will have to contribute for the next 20 years to cover their share of the liability. The idea, which grew out of Brown's PERS task force last year, is to help public employers get specific information about what they should expect to pay to PERS in coming years, Elana Pirtle-Guiney, the governor's workforce and labor policy advisor, told The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board. Many employers, particularly smaller entities that lack their own finance department, had little insight into what the coming years would mean for their budgets and so have few strategies prepared for absorbing the hit.

A few caveats: The tool isn't exact. It's based on estimates and doesn't include existing "side accounts" that some public employers established to help offset their required contributions. But it still provides some stark clarity for employers about the mountain of obligations ahead of them. It's much harder for employers to dismiss the importance of addressing the PERS shortfall when they're staring at their own eye-popping bills.

For example, the calculator shows that the Eugene School District will have to pay close to $63 million in the 2021-2023 biennium for PERS - representing 29 percent of its payroll - a big jump from the $35 million and 19 percent of payroll that it's contributing in the current two-year budget cycle. The city of Ashland will see its PERS bill rise to $11.9 million in the 21-23 biennium, from its current $7.0 million. Clackamas County will see its PERS contributions jump to $94 million in that same period, up from $57 million currently. And the state will shell out about $1.6 billion in PERS contributions on behalf of its state agencies, almost double the $853 million in PERS payments it's making in the current biennium.

That's not even the worst of it. The overall trend continues to climb for more than a decade.

Editorial Agenda 2018

Press for a student-focused education system

Help defuse Oregon's ticking time bombs

Focus attention on the root causes of homelessness

________________________

This kind of information should prompt some deeper questions both by the people who lead these entities and the people who are served by them: What's the strategy for paying those higher contributions? Will school districts, county health departments and city bureaus simply slash jobs and services? What can the employer do now to help pay down the liability and reserve more of its future dollars for serving the public?

On that last question, credit Brown and her PERS task force for another idea that can potentially be part of a solution for public employers. With the passage of SB 1566, the Legislature established the Employer Incentive Fund, which will offer public employers a 25 percent state match on revenue they raise to pay down their individual liability. While the fund won't likely have any money in it for another two years, it's another step forward that wisely encourages public employers to make the responsible, though unsexy, decision to use one-time funds to pay down their PERS liability.

These achievements are modest in the face of the crisis facing Oregon. But they signal an important change in attitude from Brown. Reluctant to alienate her public-employee union base, she has spent most of her time as governor denying that anything of significance could be done to address PERS. It appears that she is finally acknowledging the possibility of action. The real test however, is if she shows leadership on the necessity of action.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

Oregonian editorials

Editorials reflect the collective opinion of The Oregonian/OregonLive editorial board, which operates independently of the newsroom. Members of the editorial board are Laura Gunderson, Helen Jung, Mark Katches and John Maher.

To respond to this editorial, post your comment below, submit an OpEd or a letter to the editor.

If you have questions about the opinion section, email Laura Gunderson, editorial pages editor, or call 503-221-8378.
The president is seizing our public lands for private profit. In the largest elimination of protected public land in our country's history, President Trump recently slashed the size of the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, and the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon is next on the chopping block. This attack on America's public lands is unwarranted and unwanted.

Perhaps the most frustrating part of all this is that these decisions are being made when the vast majority of Americans support the continued protection of our cherished national monuments. A recent analysis found that 99.2 percent of the 2.8 million public comments received in response to Trump's monument review were opposed to any reductions.

And yet, the Trump administration continues to ignore the voices of the American people. The president instead chooses to listen to the corporate interests that seek greater control of our public lands to drill, mine and clear cut for extractive profit.

In the coming days, the Trump administration will take action to eliminate parts of the Cascade-Siskiyou, opening up old-growth forests and vulnerable wildlife habitat to aggressive logging.

When the president ignores our voice, we must speak louder and demand our public lands are preserved and protected for future generations. I applaud Gov. Kate Brown and Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley for their strong leadership in support of the monument, and I urge them to show that same leadership for the rest of Oregon's threatened public lands.

Shirley Stageberg, Milwaukie
(In this Feb. 19 photo, students participate in a vigil at Tualatin High School to remember the 17 people shot and killed in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day. Photo by Samantha Swindler/Staff)

Don't Edit

By EDER CAMPUZANO

The Oregonian/OregonLive

Students across the state will participate in a national walkout Wednesday to protest gun violence and honor the victims of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead and several wounded. It's the first of three protest events planned nationally by and for students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Oregon students will leave their classrooms at 10 a.m. and observe a 17-minute moment of silence in honor of those who lost their lives. After that, they'll return to school and resume their day.

Administrators and district officials across Oregon have reacted in strikingly different ways. But student organizers and participants tell The Oregonian/OregonLive they want something to change, whether it's new laws on the books that limit clip and magazine capacities for firearms or a universal and comprehensive background check system for gun sales.

These are their words, edited for brevity and clarity.

If you're a student organizing a protest or participating in one of Wednesday's many demonstrations, email us your answer, in 250 words or fewer, to the question: "Why are you walking out of class on March 14, 2018?" Include your name and year in school and send it to ecampuzano@oregonian.com.

Follow @edercampuzano

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.com

Don't Edit

Meghan Turley, Tigard High School sophomore

"The reason I'm walking out Wednesday is to show Parkland that students in Portland, Oregon, stand with them and for them.

"I'm also walking out to show legislators and lawmakers that I as a student feel there are measures that can be taken to help prevent things like this from happening in the future. The purpose of our school walkout is to show that we stand in solidarity with Parkland, and that we are calling for action and change on a local and national level.

"Teenagers and kids across the country are realizing that they can and will continue to be affected by this issue. For years, adults have been telling children and teens that they can be the change they want to see in the world, and now we have a chance to do that."

Don't Edit

Grace Hancock, Rex Putnam High School senior

"I am walking out because I feel that now is a time for change.

"After seeing so many school shootings fade into the background of the publics eye after just days or weeks, this movement has given me and so many of my peers hope in bringing attention to the problem of gun violence. It has shown us that adolescents are influential and powerful enough to bring much needed change to our current gun regulations.

"It was obvious to me that l needed to participate. How can I expect change if Im not willing to work for it? Our generation is the generation most affected by these shootings, and it is our generation that is rising up to make a change. Its time for the public to recognize that our right to live is a priority.

"Enough."

Don't Edit

Brady Shields, McMinnville High School senior

"Somebody needed to organize this or else it wouldnt happen, so I took it upon myself. A lot of people are too afraid to organize  or they dont know how.

"Im passionate about these issues, and I believe that its my civic duty to speak out against the issue of gun violence and the fact that just about anyone can get their hands on a gun. Were really allowing people who shouldnt have a gun to have guns.

"Im fighting for universal criminal background checks of all gun sales, a ban on assault weapons and a ban on high-capacity magazines.

"Otherwise, if no one speaks up, its not democracy. Its not a government by the people. Its a government by the government, and thats not what I want it to be."

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Elijah Rakha-Sheketoff, Silverton High School senior

"There are a lot of reasons why the plethora and ease of access to killing machines in this country make us feel unsafe in our schools and everyday lives, but Im sure those reasons have already been spoken for by my comrades at other schools.

"Instead, Id like to focus on why this walkout is important in Silverton, Oregon.

"We are a rural town, and as such we have faced heavy pushback from our community  a community of gun owners that have had some leaders ask for guns to be brought to the school.

"This has made it so that our protest, one that is outside, in view of a public street, has caused many to fear for their safety  a fear that shows exactly why such gun control is necessary. Nobody should have to go to school scared of being killed, nor have that fear when exercising their First Amendment rights and conducting a peaceful protest. This walkout has given us the chance to be a part of our national conversation about gun control and be a part of this national movement for reform.

"The 17 dead in Parkland are just the latest fatalities as a result of our lawmakers failing to do anything hundreds have been shot in schools since Sandy Hook.

Enough is enough."

Jason Orr, Sarah Allanach and Orion White contributed to this response.

Don't Edit

Meghan Gibson, Sam Barlow High School senior

"I am walking out of my school on March 14 because students' lives matter. No federal gun-related laws have passed since 1993. If the adults dont protect their own children, its up to us, the generation who grew up having drills that consisted of hiding in a dark corner of a classroom, to change the country.

No student deserves to get shot while at school."

Don't Edit

Sophia O'Neal, Pacific University sophomore

"I am walking out of my school on March 14 because since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, there have been nearly 300 school shootings.

In 2014, my high school almost became one of them. All this time, there has been virtually zero legislation passed at the federal level that adequately addresses America's gun violence epidemic. I am sick and tired of seeing my generation be killed by senseless and preventable gun violence.

I want action. I want universal background checks. I want the age limit to purchase a firearm raised to 21. I want an assault weapons ban.

I want my generation to survive and today I am demanding action be taken to let us live."
Schools across Oregon are bracing themselves for a series of protests Wednesday morning meant to honor the 17 victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, last month.

The events are also designed to pressure politicians at the state and national level to enact laws to curb gun violence.

But just as the sagebrush-laden slopes of the Blue Mountains differ from the concrete and steel that litter Portland's West Hills, Oregon schools and their districts are taking strikingly different approaches to demonstrations that call for students to leave class at 10 a.m. and hold a 17-minute vigil.

In Grants Pass and rural Josephine County, sheriff's deputies will visit participating campuses "in a show of solidarity," reports The Daily Courier. In Sweet Home, students may face discipline for leaving class, according to The Albany Democrat-Herald. And in Silverton, there's even talk of a student-led counter-demonstration, guest columnist Naseem Rakha wrote Monday in The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero, in a note to parents, said students won't be disciplined for participating. They will, however, receive unexcused absences even if with signed permission from a parent.

The Beaverton and Hillsboro school districts will take a similar approach, offering staff for supervision but handing out unexcused absences to students who leave campus. A spokeswoman for the Reynolds School District, which is home to the last K-12 school in Oregon to experience a shooting, said administrators were not aware of any planned demonstrations but were prepared to support and supervise students who walk out.

Districts in Oregon and southwest Washington have adopted similar approaches. In Camas, The Columbian reports, school officials say peaceful protest events have their backing.

The Hermiston School District is taking its support a step further. Interim Superintendent Tricia Mooney said in a note to parents that students will have supervision during planned demonstrations even as classes continue inside.

"Students have a constitutional right to free speech at school, so long as it does not disrupt the learning environment for others," she wrote.

And although staff won't participate in the walkout, Mooney writes that faculty at each school will accompany students as long as they stay on campus. The Hermiston events, much like many others across the state, are not open to the general public.

Portland students even have the backing of the mayor's office. In a letter posted online to those planning to attend Wednesday's protests, Mayor Ted Wheeler said they "have my full support as you participate in the March 14 School Walkout to End Gun Violence and the March 24 March for Our Lives."

The Portland City Council will recess for 17 minutes at 10 a.m. as well, Wheeler wrote.

Demonstrations aren't limited to K-12 institutions.

Portland State University students will rally and hold a vigil in the Urban Plaza as classes continue. The university, along with other institutions like the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, has also issued statements or otherwise posted on social media that participating in high school walkouts won't negatively affect incoming admissions.

"With a long tradition of standing for what we believe in, we are proud to support students who participate in peaceful walkouts for gun control. This will not jeopardize your admissions process in any way," the UO tweeted in late February as news of walkouts began to spread.

With a long tradition of standing for what we believe in, we are proud to support students who participate in peaceful walkouts for gun control. This will not jeopardize your admissions process in any way.  University of Oregon (@uoregon) February 27, 2018

The Wednesday event is the first of three national demonstrations planned for March and April. On March 24, students in Portland have organized a local iteration of the National March for Our Lives. It will start a rally at Terry Schrunk Plaza, followed by a protest walk to Pioneer Courthouse Square where Portugal. The Man is scheduled to perform.

And on April 20, students will walk out of classes yet again. This time, however, the national protest calls for participants to schedule open mics and demonstrate for the duration of the school day.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.com
National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon on Tuesday briefed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on his recent meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

"Japan's basic stance is that the nuclear and missile issues and the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea must be solved," Abe told Suh. "It's important for the North to take concrete action to realize denuclearization and put words into practice."

"We will certainly cooperate with South Korea in the future," Abe added. "South Korea, the U.S., and Japan should do their best to solve the North Korean nuclear and abduction issues."
LAKESIDE  Authorities arrested an Oregon woman accused of assaulting her husband with canned goods.

The Coos Bay World reports that sheriff's deputies responding to a report of domestic violence found evidence that 53-year-old Katherine Lavigne of Lakeside beat her husband with a can of tomato sauce and threw other cans at him.

Deputies say other occupants of the home witnessed Friday's attack, and the husband suffered bruising.

The Coos County Sheriff's Office says the couple had been arguing that day after Lavigne returned home at 3 a.m. and her husband asked where she had been.

Lavigne was booked into jail on an assault charge. The sheriff's office says deputies also found methamphetamine in her possession, and a drug charge is pending.

It's unknown if Lavigne has a lawyer.

-- The Associated Press
President Donald Trump signed off Tuesday on Billy J. Williams remaining Oregon's top federal prosecutor.

The decision comes after the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to approve Williams as U.S. Attorney in Oregon. He replaced former U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall in April 2015 after she resigned amid a sexual harassment investigation.

Williams began working for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon in October 2000. He previously worked as a senior deputy district attorney for the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.

Williams said in a statement that he was honored and humbled to receive support from the president, the U.S. Attorney General, state legislators and state law enforcement leaders.

"It is a privilege to serve the citizens of Oregon and the United States alongside my colleagues at the U.S. Attorney's Office," he said.

U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden urged President Trump in an August letter to retain Williams, noting his integrity as a prosecutor and his bipartisan support. Trump nominated Williams to remain U.S. Attorney in November.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com

503-221-8343; @EvertonBailey
A Multnomah County jury Tuesday found a 27-year-old man guilty of murder for ambushing a Northeast Portland marijuana grower and dealer on his front porch nearly six years ago.

Another jury in 2014 found Marcellus Ramon Allen guilty of killing Kenny Ray Henry Jr., but the Oregon Court of Appeals overturned the conviction.

Investigators suspected one possible motive: Henry had angered rivals because he was selling marijuana at considerably lower prices than gang-affiliated dealers.

Allen faces sentencing in April on the latest verdict. Under Oregon law, he will receive a prison sentence of life with a 25-year minimum.

Two other defendants, Xabian Robert Riley and Tracey Christopher Lomax, are expected to be tried at later dates.

A jury previously found all three men guilty of murder after a joint trial. But the Appeals Court reversed those convictions in 2017, in part because jurors weren't asked to specify whether each defendant fired a gun at Henry or whether one or more of them "aided and abetted" in the crime.

(From left to right) Xabian Robert Riley,Tracey Christopher Lomax, Marcellus C. Allen were convicted in 2014 of murdering Kenny Henry Jr. But the Oregon Court of Appeals reversed their convictions. Allen was found guilty again on Tuesday, March 13, 2018. (Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

Prosecutors contended all three men fired at Henry, riddling the 29-year-olds body with nine or 10 bullets or bullet fragments.

Henry was shot on his front porch, in the 14800 block of Northeast Fremont Court, while his two children slept inside.

Henry's family said he served in the U.S. Army in Iraq, and he returned home with post traumatic stress disorder. He was a full-time student at Portland Community College -- and a licensed medical marijuana dealer, according to his family.

Investigators said he supported his young family by growing and selling marijuana -- mostly to medical marijuana patients, but also to a few customers.

The Appeals Court said all three defendants had gang ties.

The jury found Tuesday that Allen killed Henry by firing at him and aiding and abetting the others in killing him.

-- Aimee Green
Regan Wylie

Robert Gray Middle School student body on Wednesday spelling out SAFE on their field.

By LIZZY ACKER

One month after 17 people died in an attack on a Florida high school, students in Portland and across the state will join their peers around the country in a 17-minute student walkout at 10 a.m. to honor those who died in Florida and demand stricter gun laws.

Follow this post for live updates of the walkouts in Oregon.

Don't Edit

Amber Nelson Wagner

Students at Glencoe Elementary form a peace sign.

Don't Edit

Stories from Oregon

Don't Edit

so incredibly proud to be a part of this movement and this school!!! pic.twitter.com/eJ1uR0Mnja  bay (@baileymeives) March 14, 2018

March 14th 2018 is a day that Ill remember forever! I turned 18 and I also got to see people stand up for what they believe in, today was very impactful and I hope change happens #weneedchange #neveragain pic.twitter.com/e6bjgTfBzz  Hunt (@hunterkenn_) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Nine hundred Ashland High School students were pin-drop silent throughout the brief but poignant gathering inside the gym as they listened to classmates tell stories about each of the 17 Parkland shooting victims.



One student leader said the event was not political, but to honor those killed "who could have been our classmates."



Humanities teacher Jaquelyn Case spoke toward the end of the 20-minute event, reminding everyone that they can have the most impact on campus and in their communities.



"It's really important that we practice compassion. The health of an individual on this campus affects all of us," she said.



"There is hope," she said, looking at the packed bleachers. "I'm staring hope in the face."



About 25 students gathered in a circle for 17 minutes of silence at Crater High School in Central Point. There were "no demonstrations, no issues, very peaceful," said school resource officer Jeff Britton. -- Janet Eastman

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Mark Graves/The Oregonian

For 100 minutes in September, Kassandra Ferrusca thought she'd become a statistic. The Roosevelt High School senior feared she'd join the now-familiar tally anchoring news stories covering the casualties of mass shootings.

At 9:20 a.m. Sept. 21, Roosevelt went into lockdown when a Snapchat message featuring a gun made the rounds, prompting school officials and police to investigate.

By 11 a.m., students were told there was no threat.

But that false alarm, plus that of a bomb threat later in the school year, had Ferrusca and her classmates thinking, "Enough."

On Wednesday, they joined the national wave of walkouts planned in the wake of the latest mass shooting, this one 3,000 miles away at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Student survivors like Emma Gonzalez and David David Hogg called on their peers across the country to participate in a series of demonstrations meant to pressure Congress into passing laws to curb gun violence.

Roosevelt senior Anna Mills answered that call, recruiting Ferrusca and several others for the morning's demonstration. Seventeen students, one to represent each of the people killed in Parkland, stood on the Roosevelt High School track as a series of speakers took the microphone to address gun violence.

"We, like schools across the nation, know there's a problem with our gun policies and gun regulation and how it's affected our student lives deeply," Mills told The Oregonian/OregonLive. Read the whole story from Eder Campuzano here.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Samantha Tipler

None of Medford School District students walked out today, according to spokeswoman Natalie Hurd. A forum at South Medford High School was well attended on Tuesday, and another opportunity to talk will be held at the Medford Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 15.

High school students in the Klamath County School District attended assemblies focused on ways to help one another.

At the Henley High School assembly, white balloons floated over desks with the names of the 17 victims who lost their lives a month ago at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Students made a banner they signed and will send it to the Florida school.

Mazama High School students posed for a group photo after their assembly. They will enlarge and sign the photo and send it to Parkland. Each student was given a small card to record 17 acts of kindness they are encouraged to complete today, says district spokeswoman Samantha Tipler.

Gilchrist High School in the Klamath County School District also paid tribute to the Parkland victims at a morning assembly.

After the events, Klamath County District Attorney Eve Costello met with a small group of Henley students to talk about the dangers of violence, bullying and drugs. -- Janet Eastman

Don't Edit

Samantha Tipler

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

A group of students from Churchill and Arts & Technology Academy march towards downtown Eugene  some yelling F*ck the NRA! pic.twitter.com/5yOgkRR918  Meerah Powell (@meerahpowell) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Student led walkout at Grant High School. #enough. Posted by PPS Grant High School on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Seventeen minutes of silence, a community of individuals sharing a common thread with others around the country. Posted by Southridge High School on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler opened Wednesday's City Council meeting with several words about the Lincoln High School walkout he attended earlier in the day.

"Students at Lincoln honored 17 minutes of silence," Wheeler said. "They had set up 17 school desks with the name of each of the victims."

He called the event a "very very powerful and moving moment."

"Hundreds of young adults together on the field and you could hear a pin drop," Wheeler said. "The young people of this city did us all proud today." -- Lizzy Acker and Betsy Hammond

Don't Edit

Putting our faith in action as part of #NationalWalkoutDay, honoring the lives lost in Parkland, FL. We are all brothers and sisters. @JoeHeim @SusanSvrluga pic.twitter.com/fQsr9bZ76O  De La Salle North (@delasallenorth) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

#NationalWalkoutDay supporting students, teachers and support staff for safer schools. Benson Polytechnic High School pic.twitter.com/YaVKBJMfvX  Will Layng (@WillLayng) March 14, 2018

Student body president Katie Lightcap 18 spoke at the campus walkout this morning, and shared her personal connection to the issue of gun violence. #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/L3Sq6v4LNA  Pacific University (@pacificu) March 14, 2018

The names of each person who lost their life in Parkland, Florida was read aloud and a bell was rung during our #NationalWalkoutDay event. #WeAreCC pic.twitter.com/UA7ZoxFIjo  Central Catholic PDX (@CCRams) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Portland community college cascade campus walkout pic.twitter.com/KuCElcLjpz  sierra marshman (@smarshmallow18) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Students at Cleveland High School in SE Portland just staged a powerful protest in front of their school. #NationalWalkoutDay #FirstAmendment pic.twitter.com/WkHBZwkCDv  ACLU of Oregon (@ACLU_OR) March 14, 2018

Pin drop silence as 900 #Ashland High students listen to solemn stories about the 17 victims #NationalWalkoutDay 900 #NeverAgainIsNow #Oregonian pic.twitter.com/2tvMa8V1Vz  Janet Eastman (@janeteastman) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

That was one of the coolest things of my life, not to be dramatic or anything. NO ONE talked, 99% of people werent on their phone & people walking by said they supported us. I truly believe we have the power to change our country, if only people would listen#NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/V2in5d5w13  jenna (@pnwjenna) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

School walkouts flooding the sidewalks in my Portland, Oregon neighborhood. #nationalwalkoutday pic.twitter.com/5uLzcjYYQr  Robby Russell  (@robbyrussell) March 14, 2018

Students at Astoria High School protest gun violence as part of #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/lPKHeqieAO  The Daily Astorian (@DailyAstorian) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem/Gervais/Woodburn) said in a news release Wednesday, Our schools should be safe havens that foster learning and understanding.

Courtney statement offered support to students in the mid-valley participating in school walkouts on Wednesday.

Students should be able to focus on their studies," Courtney said. "Educators should be able to focus on instruction. Parents should have the peace of mind that comes with knowing their children are safe. -- Lizzy Acker

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Pleased to see the kids outside at South Eugene High School for #NationalWalkoutDay. Do this well! And then ace your finals at 10:30! pic.twitter.com/88bL5DCeus  Paul Ruscher  (@paul_ruscher) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

AMAZING!! hundreds of students walked out of Lincoln HS, all completely silent for 17 minutes. Puts a big lump in your throat.... #LiveOnK2 #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/FrdSJayW0n  Mike Warner (@MikeKATU) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Students at @CatlinGabel School in Portland, OR #Walkout to pressure Congress to act on #GunViolence https://t.co/2olFuecnvy  Cliff H. Mason II (@TheMasonReport) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Student Walkout-Portland State University pic.twitter.com/DkiD6Az78r  kerribeth elliott (@kerribethelliot) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

#NationalWalkoutDay #Ashland students gathering in gym rather than football field because of 40 degree weather #NeverAgainIsNow pic.twitter.com/HOLNV73hJt  Janet Eastman (@janeteastman) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Portland State Walk Out https://t.co/UICaQRH2Tl  ASPSU (@ASPSU) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Students at Lincoln high school in Portland starting to walk out. @OPB pic.twitter.com/prp2zEkmN2  Ericka Cruz Guevarra (@NotoriousECG) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Students at Portlands Lincoln High School preparing for the 10am #enough walkout with 17 empty desks to represent the 17 people killed a month ago in Florida. They demand gun violence be declared a public health crisis and are pushing for stricter laws pic.twitter.com/s2Mr9mtisX  Nina Mehlhaf (@NinaMehlhaf) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Were live at Roosevelt High School where students are walking out in protest of gun violence for Enough: National School Walkout. Posted by The Oregonian on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

For every student who has lost their life to #gunviolence at school, I am reppin' my armband this morning for our #NationalSchoolWalkout. Thank you Tinker v. Des Moines & the @USSupremeCourt @AMarch4OurLives @GOP @realDonaldTrump #marchforourlivescorvallis #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/iABvRDuksj  March For Our Lives Corvallis (@CorvallisMarch) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Stories from around the country

Don't Edit

WATCH: California students spell out #Enough during protest against gun violence#NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/YQUGcqdhQs  NBC News (@NBCNews) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Among the hundreds of schools taking part in #NationalWalkoutDay, the demonstration hits home for Columbine High School in Colorado, where two students opened fire in April 1999, killing 12 of their fellow students and a teacher. https://t.co/s0oJYB9f2l pic.twitter.com/dL9IceX8dH  ABC News (@ABC) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Wow. Want to feel optimistic about the future of our country? Watch every single second of this incredible speech. pic.twitter.com/HLGnrdyzDH  Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) March 14, 2018

Proud to be with my school on this day #nationalwalkoutday #walkoutsnoco pic.twitter.com/NLRbhpYxX2  Cheyenne Jenee Coe (@cheycoe99) March 14, 2018

standing in solidarity with every student participating in #NationalWalkoutDay. when the adults won't rise to the challenge, be sure there's another generation who will. #enough is enough. demand gun control now. (shout out to #oaklandtech for pics) pic.twitter.com/lNw3YozhAH  Brett Schneider (@BrettSchneid) March 14, 2018

Across the U.S. students are gathering to make

a unified statement about gun violence and our country.



Here Vancouver WA.#NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/Sad1aUuk5L  Deke Bridges (@dekebridges) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Students at Ballard High School joining #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/qrUk5bLxO1  Graham Johnson (@GrahamKIRO7) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

They started at the White House. They're here on Capitol grounds demanding action on gun violenceand we stand with them. Don't miss this powerful national moment. Speakers will start soon. LIVE here: Posted by U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Students at Davenport Central High School walkout of classes to protest gun violence and remember the victims of 17 high school students killed in a shooting in Parkland, Florida, @DCstudents_ , #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/3pXJ2yT6P8  Jeff Cook (@jeffcook58) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Under threat of suspension just one student walked out of Sayreville HS this morning #1010wins. Administrators warned students not to walk out pic.twitter.com/AEEFiThf7O  glenn schuck (@glennschuck) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Viacom networks suspend programming in solidarity with student walkouts on #NationalWalkoutDay https://t.co/PNPnzIpQNe  The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Students chant "Hey hey, NRA, how many kids did you kill today?" outside Trump International Hotel in Manhattan. https://t.co/P7JIQITIaE #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/Cg22tVDwB7  ABC News (@ABC) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Students at a high school here in Atlanta were threatened with severe punishment if they participated in the walk out. So they took a knee in solidarity with the rest of the nation. Georgia is with you. #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/DYXLdKH8gO  Mickey D (@Urza83) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

great sign my little sister sent me from todays #nationalschoolwalkout pic.twitter.com/i0WqRMdaDF  rachel handler (@rachel_handler) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Students' voices

Don't Edit

Samantha Swindler/The Oregonian

Oregon students shared their motivation for participating in the walkout with The Oregonian/OregonLive.

"I am walking out because I feel that now is a time for change," said Grace Hancock, a senior at Rex Putnam High School.

"Somebody needed to organize this or else it wouldnt happen, so I took it upon myself," said Brady Shields a senior at McMinnville High School senior. "A lot of people are too afraid to organize  or they dont know how."

"No student deserves to get shot while at school," said Meghan Gibson, a senior at Sam Barlow High School.

Read more of the students' perspectives here.

In this Feb. 19 photo, students participate in a vigil at Tualatin High School to remember the 17 people shot and killed in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day.

Don't Edit

Who is marching?

Don't Edit

Enough: National School Walkout is being embraced by some school districts in the state. Here's a map of schools participating in the walkout, as of March 2 at 1 p.m.:

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

You wont hear an announcement dismissing you from class, but you can dismiss yourself at 9:55. See you there! pic.twitter.com/LwMVN4VvUa  Tigard High School Walkout (@TigardWalkout) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Today at 10 in the Urban Plaza, join @ASPSU for #NationalWalkoutDay in memory of the students of Stoneman Douglas High School pic.twitter.com/XAwih6WSZU  ASPSU (@ASPSU) March 14, 2018

Don't Edit

Mayor Wheeler addresses students

Don't Edit

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wrote an open letter to students on Tuesday, saying:

As students, you already know more about mass gun violence than anybody should. You have practiced mass shooter drills and you have lived life under threat as if this is how life in America is supposed to be.

The Parkland shooting was the ninth deadliest mass shooting in modern day American history. Think about that. A shooting that took the lives of 17 people ranks ninth. Less than six months ago, 58 people were killed at a music festival in Las Vegas; 422 were injured. Less than five months ago, 26 people were killed at a church in Texas. According to the New York Times, more than 438 students and teachers have been shot in at least 239 school shootings since Sandy Hook in 2012.

Every time theres a mass shooting, we go through the same cycle. A horrific shooting. Thoughts and prayers. Calls for action that fade away. We forget. Another horrific shooting. The same gun. The same cycle.

The truth is it doesnt have to be this way.

This time feels different. People are waking up because students like you have taken bold and direct action. You have reminded us that because this issue impacts you more than anyone, your voice should matter as much as anyones. You have not let us get away with thoughts and prayers alone. You will no longer be silent as your peers die and the adults elected to protect you do nothing. You are standing up for what you believe in and holding adults accountable.

Don't Edit

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker

Follow @lizzzyacker

Don't Edit
Portland protest leader Micah Rhodes gave up his legal fight Tuesday by pleading guilty to a second round of sexual abuse charges against him, this time for having sexual contact multiple times with a 17-year-old boy.

The victim couldnt consent to the contact because he was a minor. Rhodes -- then 20 or 21 -- was more than three years older than the teenager at the time of the 2014 or 2015 encounters. He met the boy on a gay dating app.

Oregon law says its a crime for an adult to have sexual contact with a minor if theres three or more years in age difference between the two.

Age of consent laws vary from state to state, with most states allowing 16- or 17- year-olds to have sexual contact with adults. Oregon is one of about a dozen states that sets the age of consent at 18. Washington state sets the age at 16.

Rhodes, now 24, was a leader of the protest group Portlands Resistance, which rose to prominence after Donald Trump won the presidential election in November 2016 and the group helped organize day after day of marches and rallies.

But Rhodes had long been a part of Portlands activist scene before that and a familiar face at Portland City Council meetings. Among his notable achievements was helping stage a camp-out in front of then-Mayor Charlie Hales home in 2016.

Rhodes pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree sexual abuse in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

He declined to comment after the sentencing on the advice of his attorney. He said he plans to comment after his sentencing in the case.

Thats scheduled for June, about two weeks after he's sentenced in Washington County for one count of second-degree sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl in 2014.

A Washington County jury found Rhodes guilty 10-2 on Friday. Rhodes said he was about three years older than the girl in that case.

State sentencing guidelines recommend a prison sentence of about two to two-and-a-half years in prison.

Its unclear how much time Rhodes faces in the Multnomah County case.

The Oregon Youth Authority began supervising Rhodes when he was 14, for sexual abuse and sodomy, authorities said. According to court records, Rhodes was 13 or 14 years old in 2007 when he sexually abused a boy who was 9 or 10 years old.

Washington County Deputy District Attorney Andy Pulver argued in court papers that Rhodes has a "sexual predisposition toward minor children."

Rhodes had been required to register as a sex offender at the time he was charged in the Multnomah and Washington county cases.

-- Aimee Green
UPDATED 3:40 p.m.: Tinder has responded, stating that it is not banning users based on gender identity.

A Portland transgender woman filed a lawsuit Wednesday claiming that the popular dating app Tinder is discriminating against transgender people by deleting their dating profiles.

Ariel Hawkins, 25, claims Tinder deleted her profile on Saturday shortly after she updated it to identify herself as a preop trans woman. Hawkins suit says she has asked Tinder why it deleted her account but the Southern California company has refused to identify a specific reason.

Tinder has said only that it deleted Hawkins' account because she violated our terms of service, according to the suit.

Tinder offered the following statement Wednesday, saying it has not been discriminating:

While we do not comment on pending litigation, we can say, categorically, that we do not ban users from Tinder due to gender identity. At Tinder, we fundamentally believe that gender is not binary and we support inclusivity and acceptance of all people, which is why we offer more than 37 gender identity options for our users in the United States.

Hawkins' lawsuit points to other transgender Tinder users who say their profiles also were deleted and that they suspect discrimination because they dont identify as the gender designated at birth.

Hawkins lawsuit asks a Multnomah County Circuit judge to assign it class-action status on behalf of all Oregon Tinder users who had their profiles deleted because they're transgender.

In November 2016, The New York Times published an article about Tinder updating its options to allow users to identify themselves as transgender. Some advocates praised the move, saying they hoped it would reduce harassment of transgender people by users who encountered their profiles unexpectedly.

The 6-year-old company claims to have made 20 billion matches to date.

Hawkins profile also said she is a Lyft driver and a camgirl on the side, someone who poses for a webcam.

One of Hawkins Portland attorneys, Michael Fuller, said its likely that an algorithm for the site automatically deleted her profile after bigoted users who target transgender people reported her profile as inappropriate. Fuller said its easy for those users to flag profiles as inappropriate and that Tinder protects them by promising not to release their names.

Tinder is obligated to ensure that transgender people arent subject to such discrimination, he said.

-- Aimee Green

o_aimee
For 100 minutes in September, Kassandra Ferrusca thought she'd become a statistic. The Roosevelt High School senior feared she'd join the now-familiar tally anchoring news stories covering the casualties of mass shootings.

At 9:20 a.m. Sept. 21, Roosevelt went into lockdown when a Snapchat message featuring a gun made the rounds, prompting school officials and police to investigate.

By 11 a.m., students were told there was no threat.

But that false alarm, plus that of a bomb threat later in the school year, had Ferrusca and her classmates thinking, "Enough."

On Wednesday, they joined the national wave of walkouts planned in the wake of the latest mass shooting, this one 3,000 miles away at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Student survivors like Emma Gonzalez and David David Hogg called on their peers across the country to participate in a series of demonstrations meant to pressure Congress into passing laws to curb gun violence.

Roosevelt senior Anna Mills answered that call, recruiting Ferrusca and several others for the morning's demonstration. Seventeen students, one to represent each of the people killed in Parkland, stood on the Roosevelt High School track as a series of speakers took the microphone to address gun violence.

"We, like schools across the nation, know there's a problem with our gun policies and gun regulation and how it's affected our student lives deeply," Mills told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The Roosevelt demonstration was just one of many staged in Portland and across the state. At Glencoe Elementary School, students assembled a peace sign and had staff photograph the formation.

Throngs of students also poured out of other Portland high schools, including Grant, Benson Polytechnic and Central Catholic. Southridge High School in Beaverton and Tigard High School staged just a couple of the demonstrations in metro-area suburbs.

On the coast, hundreds of students from Seaside and Astoria gathered on their respective school tracks to hold vigils as well, reports The Daily Astorian. Astoria High School Principal Lynn Jackson gathered students for an assembly after the walkout to celebrate them exercising their First Amendment rights.

In Eugene, Churchill High School students marched and decried the National Rifle Association's influence on politicians on Capitol Hill, posting about it on social media along the way. And in Ashland, 900 students assembled to hear stories about the 17 Parkland victims, The Oregonian/OregonLive's Janet Eastman reports.

Even university students in Eugene, Corvallis, Portland and elsewhere rallied in support of the Florida survivors.

Mills says she and her peers across the state have never known life without active shooter drills. Since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, 32 states have enacted laws requiring schools to conduct some kind of lockdown drill during the year.

In Oregon, public schools are required to conduct at least two "safety threat" drills every year.

Were live at Roosevelt High School where students are walking out in protest of gun violence for Enough: National School Walkout. Posted by The Oregonian on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

"We're all normalized into (thinking) that these are just routines and things we have to deal with when that shouldn't be the situation," Mills said. "We shouldn't have to deal with these circumstances. This is something that we want to end."

They stood together as Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Portland Public Schools Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero stood on the sidelines. Other school officials also stood by as students read prepared remarks.

The students called for stricter gun control at the federal level, such as a limit on magazine and clip capacities and a ban on assault weapons. Mills thanked Brown for signing an Oregon law closing the so-called "boyfriend loophole" that allowed convicted domestic abusers to purchase firearms if they weren't married to their victims.

But none of the invited adults spoke, with one exception.

Tracie Talerico, an English teacher who graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 1996, took the mic 16 minutes into the event. She emphasized the assembled students' roles as current and future voters in between anecdotes about her nearly 20 years as an educator.

"You have to put people in place and in power that share the same values you have. Or you have to get in there and you have to get active," she said. "We can take it to the streets. We can scream and yell. We can protest and march. But you have to make lasting change and nobody is going to do that for you."

But Roosevelt senior Kenia Claros Martinez said waiting on politicians to act fell short of what she'd like to see.

"It's something, but it's not enough," she told The Oregonian/OregonLive of efforts to introduce gun control legislation. "A new law isn't going to bring anyone back. It's literally like saying, 'Sorry, not sorry.'"

Even as students began to cluster and head back to class, they murmured about next Saturday, when a larger protest is planned in downtown Portland. That morning, thousands are expected to show up at Terry Schrunk Plaza for a rally and march, another national event organized by student survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

The Feb. 14 tragedy happened across the country, but Roosevelt senior Carolina Sanchez said that doesn't matter. There's a reason she and her classmates feel a strong tie to victims and survivors in Florida and to peers in Oregon planning to attend the March 24 rally.

"We're connected by one thing: We're all students," she said.

Janet Eastman and Lizzy Acker of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report.

--Eder Campuzano | 503.221.4344

ecampuzano@oregonian.com
Irgo never expressed any desire to see Japan, but the 10-year-old German Shepherd found himself on an unexpected flight from Denver to the Tokyo area thanks to a United Airlines screwup Tuesday.

The family dog was supposed to be eating kibble in Kansas City, but when Kara Swindle, whose family was moving from Oregon to Wichita, Kansas, showed up in the airport cargo facility Tuesday night, a beautiful Great Dane puppy popped his head out of Irgo's kennel instead.

"I burst into tears," Swindle said.

"To see this dog instead of my dog was just the ultimate nightmare for a dog owner," she said.

United Airlines didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on this story but issued a statement to a Kansas City TV station. "An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations. We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible. We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened."

The Swindle family was in the process of moving from Salem to Wichita, this week. Irgo, the beloved German Shepherd, was a key ingredient.

But Swindle said something went wrong at the dog resort in the Denver International Airport.

The Great Dane, she said, was bound for a military family stationed overseas. Instead the giant puppy was bewildered in the Great Plains. "I would love to know what they are thinking," she said of the other family.

The Swindles lived in Oregon for the past 21/2 years and were ready to move into a new home in Wichita.

Kara's husband, Joseph, got a job transfer. He was out of the country this week, so Kara was traveling with the couple's two young children. Irgo and his ear infection were supposed to be there, too.

She's been assured that the dog is doing just fine in the Narita International Airport.

He was checked by a veterinarian, Swindle said, and they've been sending the family photos of the dog in good spirits. He's being fed and walked.

He also will be flying in the main cabin on the way back, hopefully, to Wichita.

"Someone from Japan is flying back with him personally," Swindle said.

Irgo is expected to arrive by 8 p.m. Thursday.

Swindle said this was the first time she'd ever brought the beloved dog on an airplane.

She won't be doing it again.

She also has no desire to go to Japan.

UPDATE: As of 7:43 p.m., Joseph Swindle said the company was flying Irgo home to Wichita on a private charter.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
A Portland hearings officer won't decide whether to uphold a $3.5 million fine levied against Uber until May 15 after a hearing scheduled for Tuesday was postponed.

Portland transportation leaders on Jan. 29 fined the ride-sharing giant $3.5 million for failing to notify city or state leaders about an October 2016 security breach that affected more than 1,000 drivers in Oregon and tens of millions of accounts worldwide.

The city said it wasn't informed until November 2017 that 1,391 Oregon drivers had personal information disclosed in the breach. That notice came more than a year after about 60 million accounts were hacked.

In the letter to the company, which operates in Portland under a subsidiary known as Raiser LLC, Portland said it has had a "difficult relationship" with the company since December 2014. It later became known that Uber used a tactic called Greyballing that allowed the company to identify and reject hails from city code enforcers at a time when Uber was operating illegally in Portland.

"The failure to report the data breach to those affected and the state and City as required by state law and City Code shows a continuing disregard for Portland laws and regulatory structure for private for-hire operators," the city said in its letter.

In its appeal to the hearings officer, the company described Portland's fine as a "breathtaking overreach to fill its coffers" and argued the city doesn't have the authority to fine the company for data security incidents.

Dylan Rivera, Portland transportation spokesman, said the city has sued and fined Uber in the past. In 2015, the company paid $67,750 in fines, and in 2016 it levied fines for violating city lobbying rules. Lyft, Uber's chief ride-sharing rival, was also fined $52,000 in 2016 for underreporting the number of drivers.

Portland also recently revised its contract with Uber to six months rather than one-year contracts.

Rivera said in an email that the city will continue to hold Uber accountable. "We continue to do what it takes to make sure that all taxi and transportation network companies are competing on a level playing field and providing safe service and timely service to people with disabilities," Rivera said.

Nathan Hambley, a spokesman for Uber in Oregon, said the company investigated the 2016 hack and shared those details with the city.

"While we disagree with the City's basis to pursue a civil penalty, we do not minimize what occurred," he said in an email.

But Hambley said Social Security numbers and credit card numbers were not hacked, adding that driver's license numbers pose less of a risk.

The company believes it's taken strides in the past year to reform its image in Portland, and it feels it is being judged by past behavior.

"Uber's new leadership has taken a series of steps to be accountable and respond responsibly," he said. "We will continue working with the City to try to engage in a constructive dialogue and resolve this matter fairly."

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
Jive Software's new owner says it will close its Portland site rather than move to new offices when Jive's current lease expires at the end of September.

That marks the definitive end of a vital era in Portland tech.

Jive, which uses social networking technology to encourage business collaboration, was among the first of a new generation of Oregon tech companies focused on internet technologies rather than computer hardware, which had been the mainstay of the state's tech sector.

Jive struggled after going public in 2011, however. The company's growth slowed considerably, and it was unable to attract large organizations to its technology.

Under investor pressure, Jive sold last year to a little-known Texas company called Aurea for $462 million. Aurea then broke up the business, selling part of the company to a San Francisco firm called Lithium Technologies.

Jive once employed 300 or more on four stories of The Reserve building downtown, but many employees left after the company's sale. A former Jiver who had recently been in the office said no more than a few dozen remain.

After a "For Lease" sign went up outside the property, privately held Aurea confirmed it's closing up shop in Portland for good. Remaining Portland employees will work from home, the company said.

"Aurea subscribes to a 'future of work' philosophy, meaning we are a distributed, global, virtual organization that hires the best talent regardless of where they are," Aurea said in a statement Wednesday. "Given this organizational model, we do not plan to lease another office space in Portland."

Aurea said it will use Jive technology to encourage employees to collaborate while working from home. It declined to say how many employees remain in Portland.

Al Kennedy, with commercial real estate firm CBRE, said the four floors Jive occupies in a five-story office building called The Reserve are up for lease and will be available to new tenants Oct. 1.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699
If the amendments do pass, they will be put to a referendum ahead of the regional elections on June 13.

The draft requires amending the Constitution and will be submitted to the National Assembly. Once it is tabled, it must be put to vote before May 20. Although chances of it passing are low, it will put pressure on lawmakers to find ways of cleaning out the Augean stable of Korean politics in later drafts.

But the draft fails to respond to widespread calls to curb presidents' near-regal powers and buffer them with more parliamentary checks and balances. The draft aims to remove some of the moral hazard that has spurred every previous president to amass as much illicit money as possible in the short span allotted them.

President Moon Jae-in approved the preliminary draft of a plan on Tuesday to shorten the terms of Korean presidents and make them re-electable for another term.

Moon said he is tabling the bill now because the National Assembly "was given more than a year to discuss the plan, but there has been no progress, so we can't to delay it any longer."

Enthusiasm for constitutional change was at its peak among lawmakers amid the massive corruption scandal that brought down ex-President Park Geun-hye last year. But since then the National Assembly has descended into its usual squabbling over scraps.

The draft envisions reducing the current five-year, one-term presidential tenure to a four-year one with a possibility of re-election, but is soft on curbing the president's powers in favor of parliament.

Moon said the public does not support giving more power to lawmakers in order to keep the president in check. "The parliamentary or two-chamber government system does not fit the Korean political structure, at least at this stage," he claimed.

Park's old party, now renamed the Liberty Korea Party, was quick to call Moon out on the lack of checks and balances in the proposal. But Moon rejected its criticism. "The opposition party is criticizing the president's preparations for a constitutional amendment, which was a promise made to the public, and I believe this is not a responsible attitude for politicians to take," Moon said.

A key Cheong Wa Dae official said Moon "will table the bill on March 21 to give the National Assembly 60 days to review it." That means the vote will be held before May 20.

A constitutional amendment requires a two-thirds majority, which given the slim margin Moon's Minjoo Party has in the National Assembly is unlikely to materialize.


Britain ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats believed involved in espionage-related activities, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Wednesday, in the first wave of measures against Moscow for a nerve-gas attack against a former double agent.

May, speaking to Parliament, also outlined a range of other steps, including a halt to high-level meetings with Russian officials and calling off a planned visit to Britain by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

May repeated the conclusion of British investigators that Russia had either deployed or lost control of dangerous nerve agents used in the attack - targeting the former spy and his daughter - and called Russia's defiant response has "demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events."

"Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance," she told lawmakers while announcing the reprisal measures.

She gave no further details on the Russian diplomats ordered expelled, but said they were deemed "undeclared intelligence officers." She called it the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats from Britain since Cold War-era retribution in the 1970s.

May said more countermeasures were being considered. She said Britain sought support from the United States, European Union and NATO, but did not outline any requests she made from allies to join in the reprisals.

Lawmakers in Parliament asked May pointedly what Britain's allies were willing to do - and she mostly evaded the question, except to say that they had offered Britain support.

Earlier, Britain's Foreign Ministry also called for an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council to update members on the investigation into the nerve agent attack. Russia, as part of the permanent five nations on the council, holds veto power over any possible U.N. moves to come.

"It is not in our national interest to break off all dialogue between the United Kingdom and the Russian federation. But in the aftermath of this appalling act against our country this relationship cannot be the same," May said in Parliament.

On Monday, May asserted that it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind a poison attack and gave the Russian government a deadline to explain itself and where the rare and powerful "weapons-grade" nerve agent came from.

As expected, May's deadline passed on Wednesday and Russia did not respond - or did not respond with the details or explanations that Britain sought.

Instead, Russian officials and state media assailed the British for whipping up "anti-Russia hysteria." The Kremlin rejected the "unfounded accusations" and shrugged off British demands.

British politicians and commentators said May could employ a range of diplomatic and financial sanctions - from clamping down on Russian oligarchs' property-buying binge in London to tossing out embassy staff.

May could also ask the European Union, or even NATO, to join in a response to what she described as a "reckless" and "indiscriminate" attack, which not only endangered the lives of its two principal victims, the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter, Yulia, 33, but also potentially exposed scores of others to the nerve agent, including a police officer who remains hospitalized.

Skripal was jailed in Russia in 2006 for selling state secrets to British intelligence for 10 years, but he was released in 2010 as part of a high-profile spy swap. He and his daughter remain in critical condition at a Salisbury hospital.

A spokesperson for 10 Downing Street said the British leader discussed the attack with President Donald Trump, who said Washington was "with the U.K. all the way" that Russia "must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used."

In his last remarks, just hours after being fired by Trump via Twitter, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned, "much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government."

Tillerson warned, "Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly. Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

May also spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "They agreed that the international community should coordinate closely as the investigation developed and in the wake of Russia's response," said her spokesman.

Russia essentially blew off May's midnight deadline for an explanation of how deadly Novichok nerve gas appeared on the streets of the quiet medieval town of Salisbury, famous for its nearby ruins of Stonehenge.

Various officials and commentators made it clear that Moscow would call her bluff.

After Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov told Britain on Tuesday that Moscow had no intention of responding to May's ultimatum, the ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, dialed up the heat on an evening talk show on one of the leading state-run channels.

"No one can come before their national parliament and say: I give Russia 24 hours," said Zakharova, "What kind of conversation is that in principle?" She then appeared to chastise London for not behaving like a nuclear power, and took a shot at Boris Johnson.

"When a country's Foreign Ministry is led by people who have absolutely nothing to do with foreign policy, who have built their career around populism, they have no idea either about the organization for the prohibition of nuclear weapons or the relevant [chemical weapons convention]."

"To them, it is normal to go out and start intimidating," Zakharova said. "Don't. There is no need."

In a conference call with journalists in Moscow Wednesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that theories surrounding Skripal's poisoning are not the Kremlin's problem. He reiterated that Moscow's official position, that it was not involved and demands proof, has been delivered through diplomatic channels.

Peskov said that Moscow does not accept London's accusations and hopes the West will come to their senses and engage Russia in a joint investigation into the poisoning of Skripal.

Regarding possible British actions against Russia today, Peskov said that "any unlawful actions against any Russian media outlets in the UK will, of course, lead to reciprocal measures backed the principle of reciprocity." So far, no one in Russia has specified which outlets a response would apply to, thought they have suggested that every British outlet could be targeted.

So far, Foreign Minister Lavrov is the most senior Russian official to comment on May's ultimatum. President Vladimir Putin, according to his press service, was traveling to Russia's southern Dagestan Republic.
It is a heavy gamble. The American carmaker has already threatened to pull out of Korea completely unless the government infuses vast amounts of money and workers accept a pay cut. GM headquarters could simply exclude the Korean subsidiary from production orders for new cars.

GM Korea's union is bent on sticking to the Korean Metal Workers' Union demand of a 5.3-percent wage hike in this year's pay negotiations or W117,418 more per month on average (US$1=W1,067).

Unionized workers at ailing GM Korea are widely expected to clash with management over wages and other cost-cutting measures.

GM Korea's cumulative losses over the last four years reached almost W3 trillion, and it decided to shut down the assembly plant in Gunsan by late May because it has been running at less than 20 percent capacity.

It wants staff to accept a wage cap and forfeit bonuses and other incentive payments this year while demanding W1 billion in subsidies from the government if it is to keep its other two factories here open.

Unionized workers may eventually come round, but clearly not without a fight. A GM Korea staffer said, "Cutting personnel and other fixed costs in agreement with the union is a major portion of self-rescue measures. If unionized workers demand a wage hike at this point, GM headquarters could scrap any plans to invest in GM Korea."

GM Korea has submitted a request to the provincial governments of Incheon and South Gyeongsang Province to designate the automaker's Bupyeong and Changwon manufacturing plants as foreign-investment zones eligible for tax breaks and other incentives.

Meanwhile, the Financial Supervisory Service will give financial assistance to subcontractors and other workers in Gunsan and Tongyeong, which were hit hard by the announced closure of the GM plant and the bankruptcy of mid-sized Sungdong Shipbuilding.
Prosecutors on Tuesday raided ex-South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung's office and official residence to look for evidence of allegations that An repeatedly raped his secretary.

Prosecutors said they will summon An for questioning again now that another woman has come forward alleging that he sexually assaulted her. The second woman worked for a political think tank An set up and plans to file charges this week.

Meanwhile, a rape-victim support group held a press conference in front of the National Assembly on Tuesday and said that more women have alleged that An sexually assaulted them.

It vowed to file charges against individuals who attack the victims online by "doxing" or other means.

Some trolls have accused the secretary, Kim Ji-eun, of being partially responsible for the rapes, which she said took place over a period of more than a year.
Wednesday 14 March 2018 2:59pm



New packaging of cigarettes sold in New Zealand is a step forward in reaching the Smokefree New Zealand goal of 2025.

Today marks the introduction of standardised packaging for tobacco products sold in New Zealand.



Attractive brand imagery will be out, replaced by standardised brand names, and large pictorial warnings, set against a muddy-green background.



Co-Director of ASPIRE2025, Professor Janet Hoek, from the University of Otago, says the plain packaging policy represents a major step forward in protecting young people from smoking initiation, but calls on the Government to ensure standardised packs maintain their impact on smokers.



On-pack warnings are very important because they allow us to reach all smokers, but we must recognise that people who have smoked for 30 years differ from young people who are experimenting or who regard themselves as social smokers, she says.



Concerned by evidence from their earlier work which revealed young people rationalise warnings about long-term harms caused by smoking, Professor Hoek and her team developed and tested a range of new warnings.



The front of the new cigarette packaging.

In two Health Research Council of New Zealand-funded studies, recently published in Tobacco Control and the Journal of Health Communication, the researchers examined how young adults responded to different warning themes.



We found that warnings illustrating the social risks of smoking and the harm smoking inflicts on innocent third parties, such as children and animals, as well as exposing the tobacco industrys practices, elicited strong negative emotions and were significantly less likely to be selected in choice tasks, Emeritus Professor Phil Gendall, lead author of both studies, says.



Professors Hoek and Gendall argue it is time to apply basic communications principles to on-pack warnings.



No marketing manager would consider using a single communications theme for more than a decade, yet this has been the approach taken to date in New Zealand where the pictorial warnings introduced in 2008 have been used for ten years, says Professor Hoek



The researchers call on the Government to undertake an on-going programme of warning development and implementation.



On-pack warnings need to resonate with diverse groups of smokers, and be refreshed regularly so smokers are exposed to multiple reasons for quitting.



The Government also needs to run an intensive, complementary, mass media campaign to channel dissonance caused by the new packs into quit attempts, as well as develop a thoughtful evaluation plan of the impact of plain packaging.



We are only seven years from the Smokefree 2025 goal so we need to make sure that the policies introduced achieve maximum impact over a sustained period, Professor Hoek says.



Research papers cited:



Estimating the effects of novel on-pack warnings on young adult smokers and susceptible non-smokers



Evaluating the Emotional Impact of Warning Images on Young Adult Smokers and Susceptible Non-Smokers

For more information, please contact:



Professor Janet Hoek

Co-Director ASPIRE2025, Professor of Public Health and Marketing

University of Otago

Tel +64 3 479 7692

Mob +64 21 150 6934

Email janet.hoek@otago.ac.nz
Sign up to receive daily headline news from Ottawa Citizen, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

Thanks for signing up!

A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.

The next issue of Ottawa Citizen Headline News will soon be in your inbox.
Trump replaces Tillerson with CIA chief

From:Xinhua | 2018-03-13 22:09

Video PlayerClose

File photo taken on May 3, 2017 shows Rex Tillerson delivering a speech to State Department employees in Washington D.C., capital of the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday on his Twitter that Rex Tillerson will no longer serve as Secretary of State, and he will be replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo. (Xinhua/Bao Dandan)

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that he was replacing his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, chief of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

"Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!" Trump tweeted, adding that Gina Haspel, Pompeo's deputy, would be the new director of the CIA as "the first woman so chosen."

The abrupt announcement came as Tillerson had just wrapped up his visit to Africa.


Morning Briefing: All the Hopeful News for Democrats to Come Out of the Pennsylvania Special Election

By Dustin Rowles | Politics | March 14, 2018 |

 As of this writing, Democrat Connor Lamb is claiming victory in the Pennsylvania special election, although with the race as close as it is, no one else has called it a victory for him, and there will likely be a recount.

Democratic #PA18 candidate Conor Lamb declares victory: It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it https://t.co/UaL9pCcksi  CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 14, 2018

Regardless of who ultimately wins, let me reiterate what we said in last nights Pajiba Love about the special election last night. By tomorrow, it wont matter who won. This is a district that will be ghosted in eight months once PA gets new maps. But whats more telling is that this is a House district where there was a 20 point swing in favor of the Democrats. This, on top of Roy Moores loss in Alabama and the nearly 40 state congressional districts that have flipped from red to blue is a very promising sign for the Democrats in November. My favorite stat, however, is that there are 114 more competitive districts than the Pennsylvania 18th. Im not saying that the Democrats are going to win all 114, but they dont have to. They only need an additional 24.

Big picture: At this point, it doesnt matter who pulls it out in #PA18.



Message already sent: D voters are motivated & R vote is depressed.  Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 14, 2018

Excellent point CNN analyst just noted: If youre a Republican in a +10 Trump district, youre gonna start freaking out about your re-election now that a guy in a Trump +20 district is on the verge of losing.  John Aravosis (@aravosis) March 14, 2018

Context for todays GOP spin.



This is an R+11 district in terms of partisan lead.



There are over 100 GOP-held seats that are R+10 or less plus 15 more R+11 ones.  Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) March 14, 2018

In the seven special elections held in 2017, the average shift from 2016 results was D+16. Tonight, it's D+20. 2018 will be very, very ugly unless something cataclysmic happens for GOP.  Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) March 14, 2018

These guys might want to commence boot shaking:

#PA18 is a R+11 district



By contrast



Paul Ryan: R+4

Pete Sessions: R+5

Devin Nunes: R+8

Steve King: R+11

Mark Meadows: R+14  Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 14, 2018

Heres a sort of funny adendum from the Libertarian candidate who scored more votes than the margin of victory:

We're only a few hours away from me being the most hated man in America #PA18  Drew Gray Miller (@DrewGrayMiller) March 14, 2018

 I should add here that yesterday morning, I collected a lot of news to write about, mostly about the GOP House Intelligence Report, and right before I was scheduled to publish, it all became moot by the firing of Rex Tillerson. Im on a plane this morning, so Ive actually scheduled this at 5:30 a.m., so by the time you ultimately wake up and see all of this, Trump may have fired three more cabinet members. Last nights news probably means nothing to West Coasters these days.

 The reason why Im mostly nervous that this post will be meaningless by 9 EST is that Donald Trump is already hinting at more staff shakeups (anything to keep Stormy Daniels out of the news, right?). Hes apparently eying Energy Secretary Rick Dumbest Man on the Planet Perry to replace David Shulkin, the embattled head of Veterans Affairs. Shulkin was an Obama holdover who was popular within the White House and was doing a lot of good work until a report surfaced that suggested some ethical improprieties with one trip. But mostly, Trump seems fed up with him because he talks about internal politics publicly.

Oh, and theres also speculation that H.R. McMaster will be out soon.

 In news that wont be stale later today, the family of Seth Rich is suing Fox News  and Sean Hannity is mentioned numerous times in the complaint  for fueling a conspiracy theory that Rich was murdered by Hillary Clinton and for depicting him as a criminal and traitor to the United States. Good. If places like Fox News are going to make up shit, I hope they get their asses sued into oblivion.

 Speaking of retiring House Republicans, Trey Gowdy is one of them, and he announced that he disagrees with his colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee about one of its findings: That Putin was trying to rig the election against Hillary. [Russia was] motivated in whole or in part by a desire to harm her candidacy or undermine her Presidency had she prevailed. Wanting Clinton to lose is the same as wanting Trump to win.

 Yet another foe of Putin has been found dead in London. Abramson tilts way too conspiracy theory for me, but hes not wrong about this:

Putin is killing his critics in Western countriesanother one tonight, it seemsand he's doing it because he knows Trump won't lift a finger against him or issue a single complaint. Trump being in Putin's pocket comes at a cost we can't imagine and we *must* start registering it.  Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) March 13, 2018

 This guy, am I right?

Trump: We should have a new force called the Space Force. Its like the Army and the Navy, but for space, because were spending a lot of money on space. pic.twitter.com/p7YVX6gecz  Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) March 13, 2018

 Ya boy Paul Manafort is facing 305 years in prison, a federal judge told him yesterday. Maybe that will get him talking:

Given the nature of the charges against the defendant and the apparent weight of the evidence against him, defendant faces the very real possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.

Header Image of Tina Fey because shes from the 18th District in PA.

 Hollywood Dude Bros Ben and Matty Try To Salvage Their Reputations | Why Was Christopher Eccleston Blacklisted by the BBC After 'Doctor Who'? 

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.
First dose COVID vaccine given to nearly 100% eligible in 5 Kerala districts

The minister said that the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine has been administered to over 90 per cent of the people eligible for vaccination in Kerala.
U.S. Department of Commerce Issues Affirmative Preliminary Antidumping Duty Determination on Uncoated Groundwood Paper from Canada The U.S. Commerce Department determined that exporters from Canada have sold uncoated groundwood paper in the United States between 0.00 and 22.16 percent less than fair value. March 13, 2018 - Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada. "President Trump made it clear from the beginning that we will vigorously administer our trade laws to provide U.S. industry with relief from unfair trade practices," said Secretary Ross. "Today's decision follows an open and transparent investigation in accordance with the applicable laws, regulations, and administrative practices that ensured a full and fair review of the facts." The Commerce Department determined that exporters from Canada have sold uncoated groundwood paper in the United States between 0.00 and 22.16 percent less than fair value  down from the estimated dumping margins alleged by the petitioner of 23.45 to 54.97 percent. This reduction in margins represents the Department's commitment to a process that is fair for all parties involved. Commerce calculated a preliminary dumping rate of 22.16 percent for Catalyst Pulp and Paper Sales, Inc./Catalyst Paper General Partnership (collectively, Catalyst).

Commerce calculated preliminary dumping rates of 0.00 percent for Resolute FP Canada Inc./Donohue Malbaie Inc. (collectively, Resolute) and White Birch Paper Canada Company/Papier Masson WB LP/FF Soucy WB LP/Stadacona WB LP (collectively, White Birch Paper).

Commerce determined a preliminary dumping rate of 22.16 percent for all other producers and exporters of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada. As a result of today's decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada based on these preliminary rates. In 2016, imports of uncoated groundwood paper from Canada were valued at an estimated $1.27 billion. The petitioner is North Pacific Paper Company (WA). Enforcement of U.S. trade law is a prime focus of the Trump administration. From January 20, 2017, through March 13, 2018, the Commerce Department has initiated 102 antidumping and countervailing duty investigations  a 96 percent increase from the same period in 2016-2017. The AD law provides U.S. businesses and workers with an internationally accepted mechanism to seek relief from the harmful effects of unfair pricing of imports into the United States. Commerce currently maintains 424 antidumping and countervailing duty orders which provide relief to American companies and industries impacted by unfair trade. Commerce is scheduled to announce the final determination in this investigation on or about August 2, 2018. If Commerce makes affirmative final determinations of dumping and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes an affirmative final injury determination, Commerce will issue an AD order. If Commerce makes a negative final determination of dumping or the ITC makes a negative final determination of injury, the investigation will be terminated and no order will be issued. Click HERE for a fact sheet on today's decision. The U.S. Department of Commerce's Enforcement and Compliance unit within the International Trade Administration is responsible for vigorously enforcing U.S. trade laws and does so through an impartial, transparent process that abides by international law and is based solely on factual evidence. Foreign companies that price their products in the U.S. market below the cost of production or below prices in their home markets are subject to antidumping duties. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce
Visionary physicist Stephen Hawking died early this morning at 76 years old. The Cambridge University scientist was also a best-selling author who led us on journeys through the cosmos with books like the 1988 classic A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.

The 2014 film about his life, The Theory of Everything, was nominated for several Academy Awards, and Eddie Redmayne won the Oscar for best actor for portraying Hawking. "Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world," Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, told the New York Times.

As everyone from the scientific community to celebrities to the public at large sends out tributes online to the late great physicist, it shouldn't be forgotten that in addition to his intellectual achievements and unmatched ability to inspire, Hawking advocated for the LGBTQ community through his efforts to have British mathematician, logician and philosopher Alan Turing pardoned.

Turing, considered by many to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, famously played a pivotal role in cracking German codes during World War II, leading the Allies to defeat the Nazis and for the war to end sooner, saving an estimated 14 million lives. His life was ruined, however, when he was prosecuted in 1952 for (then illegal) homosexual acts and "gross indecency." Turing accepted chemical castration as punishment rather than jail time, an died just two years later from cyanide poisoning in a possible suicide.

In 2012, Hawking and 10 other scientists signed a letter to the Daily Telegraph urging former British Prime Minister David Cameron to "formally forgive" the mathematician. The letter described Turing as "one of the most brilliant mathematicians of the modern era" and acknowledges his "astonishing achievement" in breaking German code.

"Yet successive governments seem incapable of forgiving his conviction for the then crime of being a homosexual," the letter said. "We urge the prime minister to exercise his authority and formally forgive the iconic British hero." (In 2009 former PM Gordon Brown made a posthumous apology to Turing, but he was not officially pardoned).

The following year, in 2013, Turing was given an official royal pardon. Though Hawkings was not the only person in his field to campaign for the pardon, he was one of the most well-known. In 2017, the Alan Turing Law came into effect in the UK, which granted official pardons to thousands of other men convicted of offenses when homosexuality was illegal. The law extends to those who had died, expunging their past criminal records.

While Hawking wasn't solely responsible for the overturning of decades of cruel and homophobic convictions, his letter of support undoubtedly helped spur the movement along. His philosophy of compassion and empathy was an example for us all. As he once said, "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

Image via Youtube/Monty Python


In the wake of famous male photographers being exposed as alleged predators, and the rise of Internet call out accounts like @shitmodelmgmt, models are becoming more open about addressing the systemic assault that exists in today's fashion industry. The latest to come forward about her experience is Teddy Quinlivan, who's fresh off a successful fashion month where she walked for everyone from Dior to Maison Margiela.

Related | @shitmodelmgmt on its Running List of Accused Abusers

Speaking to an audience at this weekend's Gurl Talk festival, Quinlivan said she's been sexually assaulted "at work, outside of work by people I work with and on a date." She went on to say that models are considered by higher-ups to have "signed up" for harassment, especially given the intimacy of the job. This environment has subsequently facilitated a culture of silence, where no model feels like they can out their abusers.

"The fashion industry is a perfect place to commit sexual assault," Quinlivan said. "If a stylist touches you inappropriately, the casting director isn't going to say anything, because the casting director needs a stylist for a paycheck. The other model won't corroborate your story even though she was touched by the same person, because without that stylist, she's not shooting with that photographer anymore. I'm saying stylist but it could be anybody. In my case, it was a photographer."

Related | 5 More Models Accuse Bruce Weber of Sexual Abuse

She continued: "I let it happen to me. I let him touch me inappropriately. I did it, first and foremost, because I was on a closed set. And second of all, I thought it would lead to more opportunity. I convinced myself that it was okay that he had done that to me, because I was going to get something out of it."

Quinlivan added that she hopes that her taking her "power back" will inspire others to do the same.

"I'm telling this story because we can't let it happen anymore," Quinlivan explained. "Touching people inappropriately, saying inappropriate things to them, making people feel useless, making them feel like their body is the only thing they have to offer someone, it has to stop. And the way that we stop it is we change the culture. We have this conversation. We demand better."

We do.

Image via Getty
If you've recently seen an influx of layered, delicate necklaces on your feeds, you're not alone. Before Kim Kardashian piled on a host gold Yeezy neck candy at the 2016 VMAS, and prior to every fashion girl and her sister loading her neck with one chain after another, there was jeweler Vanessa Mooney, quietly brokering the trend.

Now, Mooney operates one of the most popular jewelry brands on Instagram, not to mention the fact the eponymous label has been tapped for collaborations with the likes of Urban Outfitters as well as scooped up by major stockists, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. In the nine years Mooney has been in business, she's effectively blended and bottled Parisian romance and California carefree-chic  which means it was only a matter of time before she expanded into apparel.

"We made clothes!" is emblazoned across the Vanessa Mooney website  an understatement to say the least. The designer did much more than expand to capitalize on her former success in her first clothing capsule. For Spring '18, she meets edgy and girly: pairing florals with pinstripes and scoop backs with business-like silhouettes. These styles will take you from the beach to the boardroom and back again, and they're already selling out.

PAPER caught up with Mooney and check out the full capsule collection, below.

Vanessa Mooney really conquered the Instagram demographic. How do you ensure your designs connect with consumers?



I always try to think a year in advance of the general consumer to make sure the girls I am designing for feel like they are getting something special that everyone else hasn't quite caught onto yet. Like they are seeing something nobody has their hands on yet. I also try to show images that I personally think feel real and beautiful in some way. I am not just "selling" them on something. We all want to see authenticity and real personality.

What prompted the expansion into apparel? Are there other avenues you'd like to explore?



I've always wanted to venture into this territory. I've had a passion for vintage clothing my whole life, and I have never thought of myself as just a jewelry designer. I feel like the brand has always been more of a lifestyle brand in the sense of how we style and show our pieces worn. We have designed handbags, shoes, handmade moccasins, graphic tees, home goods, belts, all super fun to work on, but this capsule collection of clothing has been beyond exciting and a special one for us to release. Would love to continue to do more capsule collections of clothing yearly and then possibly shoes and sunglasses.

What's the concept for this capsule?

I wanted to make a few styles that were classic, well-fitting clothing  something you'd wear and have in your closet for years to come, using limited, recycled fabrics with a vintage vibe. Designed and made in the United States. Pieces that felt hard to find anywhere else. The market is so saturated with the same looking, easily accessible pieces. I wanted to create something that felt unique but totally wearable, and sold exclusively on our site.

The affordable jewelry landscape is also oversaturated. Why do you think Vanessa Mooney stands out?

I try to make products that a girl can wear which make her feel authentic and creative  a little against what mainstream is doing. I want our pieces to give a feeling of originality, carefree-ness and sexiness. We are a small company of all females that work really hard to make the experience of our brand feel different than what everyone else is doing to the consumer. Nothing is mass-produced and so much thought is put into everything.

What does femininity mean to the Vanessa Mooney woman?



She is creative, intelligent, wild and sensitive. Femininity is completely her own feeling and nothing similar to anyone else's. She could feel feminine and strong in a masculine collared jumper and then put on a short ruffled dress and feel a completely different sense of femininity and girlie-ness. I think femininity is strength, beauty and confidence.

Is there a particular metal or material (even fabric now) that you would love to work with?

Silks, tulle, velvet, jersey, silver, wood, lucite... man the list goes on. [I] would love to learn and work with so many different types.

Brands are moving away from definitive seasons and favoring capsule collections. Is that something your brand is embracing?

We are fully embracing it. I find it exciting to drop collections immediately and see all of our hard work, sweat, love and tears show itself in our products to our customers without waiting. It is exciting to be still inspired by our creations and relay that to our girl so quickly. We have been focusing on our own direct to consumer business this last year and to be honest I feel so much more connected to my costumer than I ever have. They feel like my best friends and family. It's such a wonderful feeling.

Photos Courtesy of Vanessa Mooney
At an assembly on Martin Luther King Jr. day this year, students at Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin were asked to take and discuss a "privilege aptitude test" that made them aware of the various social advantages or disadvantages that affected them on a daily basis. After a conservative radio show reported that white children wereshockingly being asked to think critically about their privilege, parents complained that the conversation was inappropriate.

The school's principal, Joseph Moylan, resigned in February, following a decision by the school board that future discussions about white privilege would not be allowed except in specific classroom lessons. Though it has not been explicitly stated that the assembly was the reason for Moylan's departure, many speculate that the two events are linked. The Journal Sentinel reports that Steven Zimmer, a board member and friend of Moylan, resigned in protest, saying he, "disagreed with the way board members used the MLK Day assembly to push (Moylan) out."

School board president Donald Wiemer has not discussed Moylan's resignation, but did say, "Our board is fine with discussions about diversity but white privilege is a lightening rod for some parents," upholding a long tradition of white people using vague language to avoid actually talking about race, power, and how they benefit from our nation's history of systemic oppression. Given that the school's student population is 90% white, it remains unclear exactly what discussions about "diversity" the school anticipates occurring organically in classrooms.

Some parents are critical of the school board's decision, however. There is a petition circulating to keep a focus on diversity in the school's programming, and to teach students empathy and tolerance. The petition currently has over 1,600 signatures.

I'm not sure how many times I'm going to have to repeat this, but I have a strong feeling this won't be the last time: Acknowledging the existence of white privilege is not an attack on white people. It is not a subject that young white children are too fragile to learn about, as children of color realize and live the realities of racial oppression every day of their lives. And, conversations about "diversity" are not complete without frank discussions about why so many spaces lack it and what can be done to encourage people of color to excel in historically white spaces.

Photo via Getty
According to France's Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that his country will take legal action against Apple and Google for 'abusive business practices.' Le Maire said on RTL radio: "I believe in an economy based on justice and I will take Google and Apple before the Paris Commercial Court for abusive business practices" against French start-ups. Le Maire further noted that start-ups face conditions imposed on them when selling their apps on Google and Apple which 'also gather data' and 'both can unilaterally modify contracts.' The minister added that the situation was simply unacceptable. "I consider that Google and Apple, as powerful as they are, shouldn't treat our start-ups and our developers in the way they do today."



Tech start-ups are a favorite of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought to overhaul the nation's laws and regulations to allow entrepreneurs to flourish. "My responsibility is to ensure economic law and order," said Le Maire. "There are rules. There is justice. It should be respected."

Beyond it being an abusive money grab, the report noted that with Trump having singled out the EU as treating the United States badly in trade ties and threatening to tax European cars and impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, there isn't much doubt that Macron is sending out his Finance Minister to rattle the market with a threatening retaliatory message.

Yet let us not forget that this has been brewing for some time and the possible tarriff war is simply a convenient moment for the French Government. Back in October the French President read Apple's CEO the riot act on the issue of taxes.

In the bigger picture, any country that is in the tariff cross-hairs of the U.S. administration is likely to counter by hitting popular U.S. economic targets like Apple and Google.

We may even hear China retaliate against Apple, even though Tim Cook supports China's President Xi Jinping's closed internet policies and recently handed over their keys to iCloud to the Chinese. While it's highly unlikely that Apple will be spared, only time will tell how this may play out. So stay tuned.

.





About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
I am so disheartened by where so much of the current conversation on immigration seems to be. I recently read an article about a seven-year-old Congolese girl in who is being held in a detention facility in Chicago thousands of miles from her mother, who is being detained in a separate facility in California. The pair came to the U.S. and immediately identified themselves as asylum seekers, and here is where they find themselves. Theyve been separated for months. The little girl is alone.

If I was shocked by what I read, I was horrified by the comments in the comment section. I know, I knownever read the comments. But I was curious how people were reacting to the story. And it turns out that many were reacting like this:

Text: Asylum requires that the person is in grave danger in their home country. In that case, there are at least 60 countries closer to Congo than the U.S. in which she could have sought asylum. Were not the dumping ground for the worlds problemsat least not anymore.

In 1883, to raise money for the construction of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, American poet Emma Lazerus wrote a poemThe New Colossus. The poem was quickly associated with the project, and was added to the statues foundation in 1903.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! cries she

With silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

How far we have come from this sentiment.

Out of everything that has frustrated me about the directions our country has taken in the last few years, the rampant and open xenophobia in comments like the one above has upset me perhaps the most. Maybe that is because it is an upset of what I thought this country was fundamentally about. I grew up in a conservative evangelical family that had photos of Reagan on the wallbut you know what? I grew up hearing only positive things said about immigration.

Immigration was what had made this country strong, I was told. We are a nation of immigrants (that portrayal, of course, leaves out all Native Americans and most African Americans, which is a conversation we need to have). I grew up in a family where we talked about ancestry and genealogy. I knew where my ancestors came from. All of my grandparents were born in the U.S., but not all of their grandparents were. I have ancestors who came on the Mayflower, and everywhere in between.

Reagan, by the way, passed amnesty. I have a friend whose parents came to the U.S. without documents, before she was born, and gained legal status only when Reagan passed amnesty. Reagan made her parents legal. Would conservatives today recognize that Regan, I wonder?

I live in a diverse area. Immigrants come from everywhere. My children go to school with the children of immigrants from Mexico, Columbia, Guatemala, Brazil, Spain, Germany, Nigeria, Haiti, Jamaica, French Guiana, and more. I suppose that may be one reason the xenophobia gets to meand one reason I fundamentally dont understand it. I see immigrants and the children of immigrants every day, I live among them, I work among them. Theyre all simply people just like you and me.

Text: Theres more to this story. In addition, the mother could easily fix this problem by just simply asking to leave. If I was separated from my daughter I would rather be with her, than let my own personal motivations create psychological chaos for her. Thats why this doesnt pass the smell test. We are supposed to care for her daughter more than she does? There is something more going on here. The government must feel that she is not really an asylum seeker, but an economic refugee, or this wouldnt be happening. As another commenter said, there are many countries closer to Congo than the U.S., so why did she come here?

Because God forbid we accept an economic refugeelike my great-great-grandfather, who came here looking for work.

Do we want to be a country of closed doors? Or a country that offer some beacon of hope for those in bad situations around the world? There is so much about this country that we have done wrongimperialist wars and international arms dealings, for startersagainst all of that, could we at least do this one thing right? Is that really so hard?

I have a Patreon! Please support my writing!
Paxton, IL (60957)

Today

Thunderstorms this morning, overcast during the afternoon with occasional rain. High 67F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional showers overnight. Low around 55F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Iran Considers Lifting Its Nine-Year Ban on Twitter

03/13/18

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

State Body Calls Social Media an Effective Means of Public Diplomacy



A meeting of Irans Supreme Council of Cyberspace.

The Iranian governments top internet policy body is currently debating whether it should lift the states nine-year ban on Twitter.

The issue regarding un-filtering Twitter is being followed up by the minister of telecommunications who has presented it to the SCC with a positive view, said Saeed Mahdiyoun, the deputy director in charge of drafting regulations for Irans Supreme Cyberspace Council (SCC), on March 8, 2018.

Currently, the un-filtering of Twitter is being looked into by the SCCs security division as a fundamental and important step, he added.

Mahdiyoun continued: Its important to settle the issues regarding filtered social media networks and it should be looked into in a fundamental way. Twitter has many Iranian and foreign users. Military and state officials, as well as people, are interacting there and as a result, this social media has become an effective means of public diplomacy and international dialogue.

Amelis comments were a response to Telecommunication Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, who said on February 25, 2018, We have referred this issue to the SCCs secretariat, where its under final deliberation.

Twitter and Facebook have been banned in Iran since 2009 when they were used to spread information about the massive protests that broke out in Tehran against the disputed result of the countrys presidential election that year.

The ban on Twitter has been partially lifted and then totally re-imposed over the years.

D

Filtering of twitter in Iran

(cartoon by Keyvan Varessi, Iranian daily Ghanoon)



espite the ban, dozens of Iranian officials maintain accounts on the social media networks-some in English and Farsi-including the supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

Thousands of people in Iran with access to virtual private networks and other circumvention tools that enable users to bypass state bans also use the apps.

Khamenei and many other hardline Iranian officials fear internet freedom and view the internet as a Western ploy to undermine the Islamic Republic. Their attempts to entice Iranians to exclusively use the state-created National Information Network-which the government can more easily monitor, censor and control than the worldwide web-are ongoing.

President Hassan Rouhani has on a few occasions thwarted the blocking of messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Telegram, but has been silent on state-sponsored hacking attacks on Iranians.

The SCC, chaired by Rouhani, is the Islamic Republic of Irans highest decision-making body on issues regarding the internet. It would not act without the approval of the supreme leader.
Iran: End Persecution of Families Seeking Truth and Justice For Detainees Who Died in Detention

03/14/18

JOINT PUBLIC STATEMENT (source: Center for Human Rights in Iran)

The Iranian authorities should end their cruel campaign of harassment and intimidation against the families of detainees who have died in detention under suspicious circumstances, Amnesty International, the Centre for Human Rights in Iran, Human Rights Watch and Justice for Iran said today. The human rights organizations expressed concerns that the bereaved families are facing reprisals for seeking truth and justice and renewed their calls on the authorities to establish an independent commission of inquiry and invite the UN Special Rapporteurs on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions to visit. The authorities should ensure that if there is sufficient evidence of unlawful deaths in detention, the perpetrators responsible will be prosecuted and punished.

The authorities should also immediately lift the travel ban against Maryam Mombeini, the wife of Iranian-Canadian environmentalist Kavous Seyed-Emami who died in detention in early 2018, and allow her to reunite with her family in Canada.

Since December 2017, there have been at least five known deaths incurred by state security officials, with at least four of these deaths occurring during detention. In three of the cases - those of Sina Ghanbari, Vahid Heydari and Kavous Seyed-Emami - the authorities announced immediately that the deaths were the result of suicide - claims which family members and human rights groups strongly disputed. In the case of the fourth individual, Saro Ghahremani, the authorities claimed that he was shot during the course of an armed confrontation with security forces. His family also disputed the official claim, saying that he died in custody after he was arrested during the nationwide protests of December 2017 and his body bore marks of torture.

The most recent case concerns Mohammad Raji, a member of Irans persecuted Gonabadi Dervishes community, who was arrested on 20 February, following the violent dispersal of a peaceful protest by Gonabadi Dervishes in Tehran. His family were informed by the police 15 days later on 4 March that he had died from the injuries caused by repeated blows to his head.

The details concerning the exact manner, place and time of death and all of the surrounding circumstances remain unclear. The authorities have only stated that he was fatally injured during the clashes that occurred between protesting Dervishes and security forces on 19 February and he died either during his transfer to Baqiyatallah Hospital or after his admission to hospital. His family have emphasized that Mohammad Raji was injured but alive at the time of the arrest and expressed outrage at the concealment of his fate and whereabouts for 15 days following his arrest, and the authorities refusal to clarify the sequence and timing of events that led to his death.

In all five cases, Irans judicial and security authorities have threatened the bereaved families in a bid to silence their pleas for truth and justice. They have also engaged in what seems to be an orchestrated campaign to cover up any evidence of torture, other ill-treatment, and unlawful deaths while defaming the deceased publicly.

Systematic harassment and intimidation of families and lawyers and smear campaigns

Family members have been subjected to various forms of harassment and intimidation, including before being informed of the death of their loved ones. Their lawyers have also received threats for pursuing legal action, faced pressure to withdraw their representation, and, in at least one case, a lawyer has been detained for speaking to the media.

Maryam Mombeini, the wife of Kavous Seyed-Emami, was kept in the dark about the fate and whereabouts of her husband for two weeks following his arrest on 24 January 2018. On 9 February, the Office of the Prosecutor in Tehran called her to visit him in Evin prison. Once there, she was taken to an interrogation room and interrogated for about three hours. She has said that during the session, an official from the prosecutors office and three agents from the Intelligence Unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) bombarded her with questions about her husbands environmental work and his various personal and professional associations. She was put under pressure to sign a statement confessing that her husband was a spy, which she refused to do. In response, she said the authorities yelled and swore at her, threatened her with imprisonment, and claimed that her resistance indicated that she too was a trained spy.

The manner in which the authorities ultimately informed her of the death of her husband was sudden and cruel. According to the family, once the interrogation finished, the authorities told her, You can now see your husband, but there is just one thing - he is dead, having committed suicide in his cell.

The authorities then forced her to sign a paper undertaking not to speak to the media, before taking her to the coroners office to see her husbands body. She was threatened that, if she spoke to the media, her family would be in danger and anything could happen to them. Crucially, Maryam Mombeini said that the prosecution and Revolutionary Guards officials made threatening remarks that could be perceived as implying their complicity in Kavous Seyed-Emamis death and contradicting the claim that the death resulted from suicide. She said this included a specific remark that, if the family talked to the media, They would be taken to the same place as her husband.

In the days that followed and as the news of Kavous Seyed-Emamis death sparked a public outcry, the harassment escalated. His son, Ramin Seyed-Emami, said that in the course of a week, he received over 100 text messages on his phone and social messaging accounts containing death threats and demands that he stop pursuing and publicizing his fathers case.

IRGC officials raided the familys home twice, on 24 and 26 January, seized many of their belongings, including their title deeds, electronic devices and photo albums, as well as their cars, and threatened that they would be stripped of their assets if they pursued legal action. The authorities harassment also extended to the two neighbors living on other floors; the Revolutionary Guards entered their flats and confiscated a computer from one home and damaged a computer in the other one.

On 12 or 13 February, several IRGC officials went to the home of Kavous Seyed-Emamis brother, and forced him to make a video-recorded statement saying that he had seen the body of his brother and believed that he had committed suicide.

The statement was aired on Iranian state TV on 15 February, as part of a programme which falsely accused Kavous Seyed-Emami of using surveys of endangered Asiatic cheetahs as a pretext for spying in strategically sensitive areas. The programme failed to present any evidence and violated the presumption of innocence and other due process guarantees. Kavous Seyed-Emamis family subsequently stated that the video statement had been made under coercion and that Kavous Seyed-Emamis brother was not in a position to determine the cause of death. In fact, all he could confirm was that there were bruises on the body of the deceased, which he was not allowed to state in front of the camera.

The authorities also created a climate of intimidation around the memorial ceremony that was held for Kavous Seyed-Emami on 21 February. The family reported that there was heavy police security at the memorial ceremony and the IRGC officials who had conducted the raids on their home were noticeably present.

On 7 March, when Kavous Seyed-Emamis family attempted to leave the country, authorities prevented Maryam Mombeini from accompanying her two sons and imposed a travel ban on her. According to a statement the family issued, Maryam Mombeini has been suffering from serious medical issues since her husbands death and has had to receive hospital care regularly for panic attacks.

The families of other detainees whose deaths were incurred by state forces have suffered similar treatment at the hands of prosecution officials and intelligence and security bodies. In the case of Saro Ghahremani, whose family said he died in a Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province in early January, the authorities released a programme on state media outlets on 14 January in which Saro Ghahremanis father admitted to his sons involvement in an armed anti-revolutionary group. His family later retracted the video statement, saying that it was made under coercion. Ministry of Intelligence officials also repeatedly threatened the family to refrain from registering a legal complaint and speaking to the media.

Authorities coerced Mohammad Rajis family to bury his body at 2 am on 6 March with police forces present at a cemetery in the city of Aligudarz in Lorestan province. They also threatened to arrest Mohammad Rajis family members if they continue to speak to the media.

In the case of Vahid Heydari, who died in early January under suspicious circumstances in Arak prison in Markazi province, the authorities did not stop at harassing his family to remain silent. They also arrested human rights lawyer Mohammad Najafi in reprisal for exposing Heydaris death in custody and reporting that his body bore marks of torture and other ill-treatment, including cuts and bruises. Mohammad Najafi has remained in detention in Arak prison since his arrest on 16 January and faces several spurious national security-related charges.

In the case of Sina Ghanbari, the authorities exploited the taboos surrounding drug addiction to defame his character. Officials said that he was a drug addict without elaborating on how this claim, even if true, was relevant to the circumstances of his death. His family were warned against speaking to the media and human rights groups and put under pressure to cancel the arrangements for a memorial ceremony that would be open to the public.

Suppression of potentially incriminating evidence

The repeated harassment and intimidation of families has been accompanied by official conduct that appears to be aimed at suppressing incriminating evidence of torture, ill-treatment, and unlawful death in detention. The authorities have consistently denied families requests to receive the bodies of their loved ones unless they agree to bury the deceased immediately and make no attempt to secure an independent autopsy.

In the case of Mohammad Raji, the family was informed of his death on 4 March and told that they should bury him the same night. When the family disagreed, the authorities threatened not to return the body. On 6 March, reports surfaced that the family was compelled to quietly bury the body the night before in the presence of security and intelligence forces. The authorities told the family that the state forensic institute, which operates under the supervision of the judiciary, had conducted an autopsy and the results would come through within two months.

In the case of Kavous Seyed-Emami, the family were similarly informed on 12 February that the state forensic institute had conducted an autopsy and it would take between four to six weeks for the results to come through.

In neither case did the authorities inform the families about the autopsy in advance or allow their legal representatives to be present during the autopsy or access relevant documents. This has raised serious concerns that the authorities might unlawfully intervene with the process and unduly alter or withhold some findings of the autopsy. The Iranian authorities have also refused to allow the families, lawyers and other concerned parties to access CCTV footage showing the moments that preceded and followed the deaths of the detainees in their cells.

In the case of Kavous Seyed-Emami, one of his sons, Ramin, and their two lawyers were allowed to see a segment of the footage on 12 February. However, in a statement issued on 14 February, the son said that the segment shown to him did not include the moment of death: All I could see is that my dad is nervous and restless. He is not himself. He paces the cell to and fro... [and then] goes into a different room, which we were told was the bathroom... Seven hours later a body is carried out of that room. The authorities have rejected the lawyers request to access the full footage and visit and inspect the room where the death allegedly occurred. The same partial footage was apparently shown to several parliamentarians on 12 February and they similarly remarked that it did not provide any conclusive evidence of suicide.

In the case of Sina Ghanbari, who died under suspicious circumstances in early January in Tehrans Evin prison, a segment of the CCTV footage has been shown only to a parliamentary delegation which visited Evin prison on 30 January. Members of the delegation have provided conflicting information about the content of the footage and whether it provides any evidence of Sina Ghanbaris alleged suicide.

Allahyar Malekshahi, the head of the parliamentary judiciary commission, told IRNA news agency on 30 January that they were shown the video of Sina Ghanbaris suicide. However, another member of parliament, Alireza Rahimi, wrote on his Telegram channel that the footage only showed Sina Ghanbari walking into the bathroom, where his body was discovered two hours later.

Failure to conduct independent and transparent investigations

On 14 February, President Rouhani appointed a committee comprised of a legal deputy to the president and Interior, Intelligence and Justice Ministers to investigate what the president called recent regrettable incidents at detention centres in Iran.

However, this committee does not meet the requirements of impartiality and independence provided under international law and standards. According to the UN Principles on the Effective Prevention and Investigation of Extra-legal, Arbitrary and Summary Executions, members of a commission of inquiry shall be chosen for their recognized impartiality, competence and independence as individuals. In particular, they shall be independent of any institution, agency or person that may be the subject of the inquiry (Principle 11).

The committee President Rouhani established neither meets the standards of transparency and effectiveness. The terms of reference guiding the committees investigation and the procedures to be followed in the investigation are not known. The committee is not open to the scrutiny of the general public and is not bound to ensure the participation and protection of family members during the investigation. There is also no known order requiring the committee to make its findings, including their factual and legal basis, public.

The Iranian authorities failure to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into the recent cases of deaths in custody fits into a long-standing pattern of impunity in the country.

International law and standards

The right not to be arbitrarily deprived of life is a fundamental and universally recognized right. The duty to investigate potentially unlawful deaths is an essential part of upholding the right to life. The duty gives practical effect to the duties to respect and protect the right to life, and it promotes accountability and remedy where the substantive right may have been violated. A failure to respect the duty to investigate is a breach of the right to life. Investigations and prosecutions are essential to deter future violations and to promote accountability, justice, the rights to remedy and to the truth, and the rule of law.

According to the UN Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death (Minnesota Protocol), investigations must, at a minimum, take all reasonable steps to: a) identify the victims; b) recover and preserve all material probative of the cause of death, the identity of perpetrators and the circumstances surrounding death; c) identify possible witnesses and obtain their evidence in relation to the death and the circumstances surrounding the death; d) determine the cause, manner, place and time of death, and all of the surrounding circumstances; and e) determine who was involved in the death and their individual responsibility for the death (Paragraph 25).

The protocol provides that participation of the family members is an important element of an effective investigation: The state must enable all close relatives to participate effectively in the investigation, though without compromising its integrity. The relatives of the deceased must be sought ... and informed of the progress of the investigation, during all its phases, in a timely manner... Family members should be protected from any ill-treatment, intimidation or sanction as a result of their participation in an investigation or their search for information concerning a deceased (Paragraphs 35-6).

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:

Amnesty International

Philip Luther, Research and Advocacy Director, Middle East and North Africa

Email: philip.luther@amnesty.org Tel: +44 (0) 20 7413 511 Mobile: +44 (0) 7831640170

Raha Bahreini, Iran Researcher, Middle East and North Africa

Email: raha.bahreini@amnesty.org Tel: +44 (0) 20 7413 511 Mobile: +44 (0) 7831640170

Centre for Human Rights in Iran

Hadi Ghaemi, Executive Director

Email: hadighaemi@iranhumanrights.org Tel: +1-917-669-5996

Human Rights Watch

Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director, Middle East and North Africa Division

Email: whitsos@hrw.org Tel: +1-718-213-7342

Tara Sepehri Far, Researcher, Middle East and North Africa Division

Email: sepehrt@hrw.org Tel: +1-617-893-0375

Justice for Iran

Shadi Sadr, Executive Director

Email: shadis@jfingo.org Tel: +44 (0) 20 7281 9940


Pentagon Voices Support For Iran Nuclear Deal Amid Tillerson Exit

03/14/18

Source: RFE/RL

A top U.S. military commander expressed the Pentagon's continued support for Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, hours after the announced departure of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, a top defender of the deal in the U.S. administration. U.S. Central Command chief General Joseph Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 13 that he shares the views of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joe Dunford that the deal is still in the best interests of the United States.

#Quote of the day from U.S. Central Command chief General Joseph Votel, on the status of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal: pic.twitter.com/7uJXrRXSol  CFR (@CFR_org) March 14, 2018

"From my perspective, the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] addresses one of the principal threats that we deal with from Iran. So, if [it] goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program," he said.

"There would be some concern, I think, about how we intended to address that particular threat if it was not being addressed through the JCPOA," Votel said.

"Right now, I think it is in our interest" to stay in the deal, he said.

Votel's remarks came after President Donald Trump once again criticized the 2015 agreement as "terrible" and cited disagreement with Tillerson over the deal as a reason he decided to fire the top diplomat.



Trump and Tillerson on front page of Iranian daily Sobhe No with headline:

"Madness of Palace Resident"



"We got along, actually, quite well, but we disagreed on things," Trump said. "Look at the Iran deal. I think it's terrible; I guess he felt it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something, and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same."

Trump said that he and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who he is naming to replace Tillerson, think more alike.

"We are always on the same wavelength," he said.

Pompeo, 54, is a strong critic of Iran and the nuclear deal. Trump has vowed to pull the United States out of the deal if substantial changes are not made by May 12.

Media reports last week said that Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would withdraw from the deal if European powers that also signed the agreement do not agree to modifications he is demanding.

The deal, which imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions, was designed to constrain Iran's ability to make nuclear weapons for at least 15 years.

Despite Trump's strong opposition to the deal, Tillerson, Mattis, and other members of his administration have defended it, arguing that the United States is better off with it than without it.

It remains to be seen whether Pompeo will continue Tillerson's efforts to try to save the deal by working out side deals with European allies Britain, Germany, and France.

Trump delivered an ultimatum to the European signatories on January 12, saying they must agree to "fix the terrible flaws" in the deal or he would refuse to extend U.S. sanctions relief for Iran.

U.S. sanctions will resume unless Trump issues fresh "waivers" to suspend them under a statutory deadline on May 12. Iran has said it will stop complying with the deal if the U.S. withdraws and resumes sanctions.

U.S., British, French, and German officials are due to meet on the deal in Berlin on March 15. The European countries all continue to express support for the nuclear deal while also showing willingness to try to address Trump's concerns.

Trump has said he sees three defects in the deal: its failure to address Iran's ballistic-missile program; the restrictive terms under which international inspectors are allowed to visit suspected Iranian nuclear sites; and its "sunset" clauses under which the deal's limits on Iranian nuclear activities such as uranium enrichment start to expire after 10 years.

Trump has said he wants all three strengthened if the United States is to stay in the deal.

"We're working with allies and partners to block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon and confront its sponsorship of terror and bloodshed all around the world," Trump said in a speech at Miramar Air Base in California on March 13.

"Everywhere we go in the Middle East, it's Iran, Iran, Iran. Every problem is Iran. Well, we're dealing with it in a very serious fashion. One of the worst deals I've ever seen, was the Iran deal."

With reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters
My Vegas 5: World Champions Davis and Lockwood offer their favorite spots in Las Vegas ahead of the 2021 PBR World Finals

Cooper Davis and Jess Lockwood recommend their favorite restaurants, entertainment and activities in Sin City.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), a fiscal policy think-tank has painted a gloomy picture of the economy as it has projected the countrys interest payment on public debt to hit GH69 billion by end of this year.



Attributing the tendency to governments consistent borrowing, the institute indicated that interest costs on public debts were now higher than domestic-financed capital expenditure threatening to equal or even overtake wages and salaries if not slowed down.



In 2017, a provisional amount of GH13.3 billion was recorded as interest payment on public debt. Interest payment is projected to increase to GH14.9 billion this year, implying that by end of 2018, total interest payment by the government on its debt since 2006 will be equal to GH 68.4 billion, the Executive Director of IFS, Professor Newman Kusi said.



He was making a presentation on Ghanas growing public debt  Implications for the economy at a roundtable discussion in Accra yesterday.



The meeting drew participants from the government machinery, parliament, civil society, development partnering institutions and academia.



According to the economist, interest payment on public debt increased sharply from GH393.4 million in 2006 to GH679.1 million in 2008, GH2.4 billion in 2012, and then to GH10.7 billion in 2016.



This means that the government paid a total of GH1.5 billion between 2006 and 2008 as interest on public debt, GH6.5 billion during 2009 to 2012, and rising to GH31.5 billion between 2013 and 2016.



As of 2017, our public debt had hit about GH138 billion and in 2018, government has hinted of borrowing GH10 billion. If you add the ESLA bond and the bond issued in November last year, it will take us to more than 150 billion so you can imagine the servicing cost, he lamented.



Expatiating on the worrying situation, Prof. Kusi said, in 2017, interest payment accounted for 25.8 per cent of government expenditure, becoming a major factor behind the countrys fiscal deterioration, besides wages and salaries.



This was the fifth successive year that total interest payment was larger than total domestic-financed capital expenditure, suggesting that interest payments will probably be financed through additions to public debt or at the expense of other key government expenditures, he stated.



The Executive Director among others recommended that government adopts a comprehensive debt management strategy that puts a cap on the levels of gross concessional and non-concessional borrowing adding that, limits should also be placed on contracting non-concessional loans that can become liabilities to the government.



Professor Kusi further called for the establishment of a debt audit commission to undertake surveillance on monies borrowed and how it was expended to generate the needed revenue for the country.



He was of the view that it was high time that government enhanced its domestic revenue mobilisation strategies saying, we need to get to the point where the loans taken can be well invested to generate the needed revenue in the country so we do not have to borrow much for other projects.



The establishment of an autonomous debt agency, such as ESLA Plc. is justified on the grounds that the agency will have clearly defined performance objectives and a degree of independence to manage the countrys debt, leaving the Ministry of Finance to formulate the strategy for debt management and also manage the daily risk exposure of the countrys debt portfolio, he urged.



A group of panelists including the Former Second Deputy, Governor of Bank of Ghana, Dr. Johnson Asiama and member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo who further dissected the topic unanimously bemoaned the countrys borrowing levels calling for restraint to save the economy from external shocks.



Most Reverend Prof. Emmanuel Asante, President of the National Peace Council and Former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Ghana, who chaired the meeting called on Ghanaians to pay their taxes as government put in place the right mechanisms to widen the tax net.

Source: Ghanaian Times









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Supreme Court has dismissed a review application brought against the National Investment Bank (NIB) by the Standard Bank Offshore Company Limited.



According to the seven-member panel of Justices presided over by the Chief Justice, Ms. Justice Sophia Akuffo the review application files to meet the criteria set by the court.



In the view of the court, the application did not meet the criteria for review.



Justice Jones Dotse reading the judgement on behalf of the judges held that the plaintiffs failed to prove that there was miscarriage of justice.



He said the ordinary bench did not misapply the facts of the case.



Justice Dotse noted that the only condition the plaintiff met was that they filed their application within time.



The apex court by its latest position has not departed from its decision to dismiss a $60 million judgement debt entered against the NIB by the Commercial Division of the Accra High Court in February 2013.



The dismissal followed an appeal by the bank, challenging the decision of the High Court, which was upheld by the Court of Appeal in October 2015



Interest on the amount, per the High Court judgement, was 11 per cent, with effect from January 29, 2009 till the date of final payment.



The High Courts decision was a result of a legal action against NIB by Standard Bank Offshore Company Limited (substituted later by Dominion Corporate Trustees Limited) on behalf of certain investors who purchased promissory notes issued by Eland Ghana Limited and allegedly guaranteed by NIB.



But in a unanimous decision, the five-member panel of judges held that both Standard Bank Offshore Company Limited and Dominion Corporate Trustees Limited had no capacity to initiate the action which resulted in the $60 million judgement.



Ruling



Justice A.A Benin, who read the Supreme Courts decision, explained that both Standard Bank Offshore and Dominion Trustees failed to disclose the requisite details of the investors who they represented during the lawsuit.



According to the court, the two companies breached court rules by failing to disclose the identities and jurisdictional addresses of the investors who bought the promissory notes.



The rule, it explained, was essential in the identification of real plaintiffs and also prevented an imposter from initiating a legal action and benefiting from that action.



The apex court, among others, held that failure by the two entities to comply by the rule meant that they lacked the locus to initiate the action and, therefore, their writ which led to the judgement debt was void.



The Supreme Court was also of the view that Dominion Trustees or Standard Bank Offshore acted as trustees or registrants of the investors, which was not the same as owners of the promissory notes.



The court, therefore, nullified all proceedings in relation to the case that took place at the High Court and the Court of Appeal, as well as the judgements given by the two courts and awarded cost of GH500,000 against Dominion Corporate Trustees Limited.



Review



Unenthused by the decision of the court, Standard Bank Offshore Company Limited are back in court seeking to overturn the ruling of the court.



Nene Amegatcher, lawyer for the applicants- (substituted by Dominion Corporate Trustees Limited) moving the motion for the court to review its earlier decision stated that the application before the court was pursuant to Article 133 of the 1992 constitution.



He said clients did not err in not providing their names indicating that when one was acting under trustees, one was obligated to provide the names of beneficiaries.



Mr. Amegatcher said all through the trial the respondents (NIB) ought to have raised the issue of capacity if it mattered to them.



He stated that the court ought to do in his words substantial justice in the case and that the court must to close the window to his clients stressing we are talking about $60 Million transaction which the respondent has not denied.



Mr. Amegatcher argued that the ruling of the court was contrary to its previous decisions on similar matters.



In the view of the lawyer, when ones capacity was challenged, it does not mean the person does not have any capacity.



Benson Nutsukpui representing NIB said he relied on all the processes filed in the matter.



He said the lawyer for the applicants had only sought to reargue the issues he raised during the appeal of the case.



The NIB lawyer said the applicants have not raised any different case apart from the issues they raised during their appeal which in his view the court had already ruled on.



Mr. Nutsukpui who is also the president of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) contended that the court ought not to go into the merits of the case because the matter lacked the requirement for review.



Background



In March 2010, Standard Bank Offshore sued NIB at the Accra High Court on behalf of certain investors who purchased promissory notes issued by Eland Ghana Limited and allegedly guaranteed by NIB.



Under the terms of the transaction, the investors had to pay a discounted total sum of US$45 million in May 2007, and upon maturity of the promissory notes on January 29, 2009, reap US$60 million, thereby earning US$15 million in profit.



During the trial, NIB led evidence to show that its Managing Director at the time, Mr Daniel Charles Gyimah, signed the guarantee without any authorisation from the board and said, indeed, the transaction was known only to Mr Gyimah.



The bank also led evidence to show that the US$45 million was not utilised for the advertised purpose but was rather distributed by Mr Gyimah to Eland Ghana Limited and companies connected to it.



But the court, presided over by Mr Justice Amadu Tanko, in its February 21, 2013 judgement, held a contrary view; declared NIB liable and ordered it to pay the $60 million, with 11 per cent interest, with effect from January 2009 till the day of final payment.



Not satisfied with the decision, NIB appealed to the Court of Appeal, but on October 15, 2015, the court dismissed the appeal and upheld the decision of the High Court.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Audio Attachment: Listen to Kwesi Pratt Jnr.

President Akufo-Addo on Sunday pledged his governments commitment to increase the contribution of the solar energy to the countrys energy-mix.



Delivering a speech at the Founding Conference of the International Solar Alliance held in New Delhi, India, the President was concerned that despite the abundance of sunshine in Ghana, solar energy only contributes 1% to the energy mix, as opposed to 59% from fossil fuels and 40% from hydro.



He therefore assured that on the basis of my countrys specific needs, Government is keen on developing utility-scale solar energy projects, as well as accelerating the development of mini-grid solutions in off-grid and island communities for lighting, irrigation and other economic activities.



Addressing the governments pledge to supplement the national grid with solar energy, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper Kwesi Pratt noted on Peace FMs "Kokrokoo" that the initiative is long overdue.



According to him, Ghana should have by now installed solar panels to harvest the sun and exploit it to the benefit of Ghanaians in order to resolve the energy challenges.



He wondered how foreign countries where the consumption of sun is unavailable are utilizing solar energy but Ghana, with over 75% of sunshine, didnt come to the realization of the significance of solar energy till date.



In supporting the Presidents call for the introduction of solar energy to augment the national grid, Mr. Pratt, in an openly unpleasant and carping remark, took a swipe at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).



He questioned the Universitys authorities and students' research capabilities asking what happened to the Science and Technology?



To him, KNUST should have been able to make solar panels and proposed the use of solar energy to government by now, but it appears they are not making their research in the field of Science and Technology useful to the growth of the energy sector.



We have a University of Science and Technology which is more than 50 years but in the entire nation, we cant construct a battery and solar panelThis is extremely disturbingWhat happened to the Science and Technology? the Senior Journalist barbed.



Mr. Pratt however tasked President Akufo-Addo and his government not to renege on their decision to use solar energy.

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.

Featured Video
More than 200 Ghanaians are currently studying medicine in Cuba and are due to become fully fledged doctors in about a years time.



With Cuba globally acclaimed for its robust health system, their return home is expected to strengthen the countrys health care system.



Mr Pedro Luis Gonzalez Despaign, Cuban Ambassador to Ghana, disclosed these when he, accompanied by first Secretary of the embassy, Julio Sanchez, paid a visit to the New Times Corporation (NTC), yesterday.



They were received by Martin Adu-Owusu, Acting Managing Director, David Agbenu, Editor of the Ghanaian Times, NTCs flagship newspaper and Matthew Ayoo, the News Editor.



Aside medical training, Cuban doctors have been invited to work in Ghanas health sector several times.



Mr Despaign said currently, there were about 20 Cuban doctors in Ghana providing health care in Upper East, Northern, Volta, Eastern, and Greater Accra regions with most of them in the northern part of the country.



He said the figure was about 180 less of the number of Cuban doctors that used to serve in the country due to the governments request for that number adding, that, they would bring more if requested.



Commenting on Ghanas population hitting 29.6 million, he said his countrys population was rather reducing with the current figure being about 11.2 million adding that it has been predicted to reduce further.



Reasons for the declining population, Mr Despaign said, included the involvement of women in the countrys development process thereby reducing the number of children they had.



He said the country would consider a policy to encourage more birth to soar up their population and replace its workforce



On politics, he said following last Sundays election of new National Assembly they were continuing the process of election of new president  the first in nearly 60 years from outside the Castro family.



Earlier, Mr Despaign praised Ghanaian Times for its insightful stories particularly 25 stories published about Cuba since 2016, stating that his visit was to strengthen the relationship between the newspaper and the embassy.



Mr Adu-Owusu, for his part thanked the ambassador for the recognition, stating that the doors of the corporation were always opened for any collaboration.



Mr Agbenu, welcoming the guests said Ghanaian Times would continue to inform and educate the public through responsible journalism and facilitate national development.



He said the commendation from the ambassador would spur the newspaper on to do more in that respect.



On the high population, he said there was the need for a policy to check the increase as it had dire consequences for the country.

Source: Ghanaian Times









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
Sierra Leonean voters will be called upon again to cast ballots to elect a new president.



The March 27 runoff date was announced by the National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Tuesday evening after declaring final results from the March 7 vote.



According to the results, the main opposition Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) won by close to 1.1 million votes followed by the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC). Given that none of the top two candidates got the 55% mark, a runoff was required by law within two weeks of the final declaration.



Julius Maada Bio of the SLPP is taking his second shot at the presidency as a civilian. He lost the last polls to outgoing Ernest Bai Koroma in 2011. He has also previously served as a military Head of State. Samura Kamara, on the other hand, is the immediate past Foreign Affairs minister of the country.



Final Results 100% of the national votes processed (13 March 2018)



Julius Maada Bio (SLPP)  1,097,482 (43%)



Samura Kamara (APC)  1,082,748 (42%)



Yumkella Kandeh (NGC)  174,014 (6.9%)



Samuel Sam-Sumana (C4C)  87,720 (3.4%)

Source: africanews.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has jumped to the defence of its sniffer dogs at the cargo section of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), denying vehemently that the dogs were tired and did not work on February 26, this year.



This follows an allegation leveled against officials of NACOB by the firebrand Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central in the Central Region, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, to the effect that they (dogs) were being controlled by elements that have sinister motives against the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.



The MP had alleged on Oman FMs Boiling Point programme last Thursday that NACOB officials had said their sniffer dogs were tired when a disagreement ensued between National Security operatives and a private company, GH-Swissport Ghana Ltd.  a cargo handling entity headed by a Lebanese  at the airport.



According to the MP, the disagreement was over some cars that former President John Mahamas younger brother Ibrahim Mahama sent to the cargo section to be shipped abroad for servicing on February 26, 2018.



Can you believe that during the stalemate between National Security officials and Swissport Limited over Ibrahims cars, NACOB was brought in but they said their dogs were tired? the MP queried.



NACOB Statement



Following Mr Kennedy Agyapongs assertion, NACOB issued a statement through its Communication Media Relations & Protocol Unit yesterday saying, NACOBs sniffer dogs did work at the Swissport.



The statement narrated, On Monday, 26 February and Wednesday, 28 February, 2018, the Narcotics Control Board was called upon to assist in a search operation at Swissport at the Kotoka International Airport. In both instances, NACOB consequently deployed four (4) narcotic detective dogs; namely IRIS, CORA, VIKA and KEA, with their technical handlers from the Canine Unit of NACOB to conduct the search operation.



Canine Team



It said, The Canine Team on Monday, 26 February, arrived at the Swissport at 08:39 hours for the exercise. Two (2) vehicles, a Nissan GT and a Mercedes Benz AMG, were the objects of interest. The search team had to wait for some time for the vehicles to be driven from their location to the scene of the examination.



The statement said the vehicles were made available over three hours later.



NACOBs Canine Team at 11:42 hours made the two (2) vehicles available for search. The vehicles, on arrival at the examination scene, had to cool down for some few minutes before the security agencies took turns to conduct their examination, the statement indicated.



It said NACOB was the first to conduct its search, followed by BNI and the National Security, adding, Present at the scene for the examination, apart from the security agencies, was the clearing agent for the consignment.



The statement pointed out that the four (4) narcotic detective dogs; IRIS, CORA, VIKA and KEA were deployed for the search one at a time, till all four (4) had taken turns for the exercise. The detective dogs diligently searched all the two (2) vehicles, but found no illicit narcotic substance. At the end of the entire search operation, the search parties were debriefed and dismissed accordingly.



February 28



It further stated, For the search operation on Wednesday, February 28, three (3) vehicles were the objects of interest: a Brabus AMG 850, a Bentley Mulsanne and a Brabus Mercedes AMG.



NACOBs detective dogs, IRIS, CORA, VIKA and KEA arrived at the Swissport at 11:00 hours for the search operation. The three (3) vehicles were opened for examination a few minutes upon the arrival of the Canine Team.



NACOB was the first to conduct its search, followed by BNI and National Security. The clearing agent was again present for the examination.



The four (4) narcotic detective dogs were again deployed for the search one at a time, till all four (4) had taken turns for the exercise. Each dog diligently searched all the three (3) vehicles but found no illicit narcotic substance. At the end of the entire search operation, the search parties were debriefed and dismissed accordingly.



Ibrahims Reaction



Meanwhile, Mr Ibrahim Mahama has reacted to the allegations by the MP through his aide, Sammy Gyamfi, saying, Mr Ibrahim Mahama is a law abiding citizen and a responsible businessman who always adheres to the laws of Ghana in all his dealings. The practice of shipping vehicles abroad for servicing is a normal practice which does not violate any Ghanaian or international law.



Claiming he was setting the records straight, Ibrahims boy said in a statement, On 30th October, 2017, one (1) S Class Mercedes Brabus Benz belonging to Mr. Ibrahim Mahama and two (2) other cars (1 Bentley Mulsanne and 1 S Class Mercedes Benz) belonging to other prominent persons, were sent by agents of Mr. Ibrahim Mahama through the KIA to Germany for repairs. These cars were subjected to all the requisite security checks at both the departure and arrival points at the KIA and the Luxembourg Airport respectively.



Germany Repairs



According to him, These three (3) cars, after undergoing repairs in Germany, were brought back into the country by agents of Mr. Ibrahim Mahama on Tuesday, the 27th of February, 2017, after they had been subjected to the necessary security checks at the Luxembourg Airport in Germany.



Mr Sammy Gyamfi stated, The cars, upon their arrival at the Cargo section of the KIA, were thoroughly checked and cleared by the Customs Division at the KIA on the 27th of February, 2018, and a clearance document was issued to that effect. In spite of this fact, the three (3) cars were not released to us on the 27th of February, 2018 because National Security and NACOB officials at the KIA had insisted on conducting additional security checks on the cars.



Proper Checks



The aide contradicted NACOB by saying that eight instead of the four sniffer dogs mentioned by the anti-drug agency Ibrahims did the check.



Ibrahims boy said and so on the following day, the NACOB division at the KIA together with National Security operatives at the KIA subjected all the 3 cars to another round of rigorous security checks during which eight (8) sniffer dogs checked each of the three (3) cars. After this process, the three (3) cars were cleared and released to agents of Mr. Ibrahim Mahama on Wednesday the 28th of February 2018.



Also, the claim that four (4) other cars had been brought to the KIA by Mr. Ibrahim Mahama for shipment abroad at the time the three (3) cars arrived in Ghana is false. The two cars in question do not belong to Mr. Ibrahim Mahama and were not being transported abroad by him. In short, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama had nothing to do with those two (2) cars.



The statement further indicated, The claim that all the three (3) cars that came had wrong identification documentations, except one that was registered in the name of Engineers and Planners, is palpably false. On the contrary, all the three (3) cars had all the proper documentations and were duly cleared by the Customs Division and all the security agencies at KIA, led by the Coordinator of Airport security, Colonel Gaisie.





Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Members of the Grand Masonry Lodge were fully represented at the funeral of respected statesman, K.B Asante, who was a member of the lodge to pay him their last respect.



Perhaps to provide further proof to the statement by former President John Agyekum Kufuor, an acclaimed Freemason- that there was nothing secret about Freemasonry except a shared passion to help- the Freemasons allowed cameras to capture them freely as they paid their last respect to the late diplomat who gave his all in service to mother Ghana over 70 years, from the classroom as a mathematics teacher to Ghanas Cabinet and to world of diplomacy.



Among those captured by cameras at the ceremony as part of the funeral Prof V.R.A.C. Crabbe, Aggrey-Orleans among others.



A Masonic Funeral rite is a rite afforded to all Master Masons in good standing within their respective lodge. It is a ceremony whereby a Master Mason may have the Masonic funeral rites performed by his lodge for the pleasure of those who have known him and his works. A Masonic funeral is done at the request of a Master Mason himself before his death or his family and the service may be held in a chapel, home, church, synagogue or Lodge room with committal at graveside.



Prominent Freemasons in Ghana



Some prominent personalities and Masonic Leaders in Ghana, include His Royal Majesty, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene, who is a Grand Patron of the Grand Lodge of Ghana; and Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, a Freemason and Senior Grand Warden of the United Grand Lodge of England. They have both spoken and encouraged people to have an open mind about Freemasonry



His Royal Majesty the Otumfuo said:

I am a proud Freemason and I confirm that the principles and tenets of Freemasonry that we are taught in the Lodge, especially in the areas of governance and accountability have always stood me in good stead in my daily functions as Asantehene.



Former President John Kufuor, who is the First Black African to be elevated to the highest rank of Freemasonry, said Freemasonry was an ancient craft and hitherto, it was almost a taboo to talk about it publicly because the High-and Mighty and the Powers-that-be in society at that time, wanted to expunge it, because they did not understand the principles underpinning it.



K.B Asante: a profile



He was born Kwame Baprui Asante on March 1, 1924 somewhere in the Greater Accra Region as the second of seven children.



He attended OReilly Educational Institute, Tudu, Government Junior Boys School, Adabraka, and Government Senior Boys School, Kinbu, from 1927 to 1937. He also attended Achimota College Upper Primary and Secondary School from 1938-1942 and later obtained a degree in Mathematics at the University College, Durham University.

He was once a senior mathematics teacher at the Achimota College where he taught for three years after changing an initial plan of pursuing engineering.



Mr Asante worked as a secretary to Ghanas first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah at the Flagstaff House for six years where he doubled as Principal Secretary at African Affairs Secretariat from 1960 to 1966. And he was the only member of Nkrumahs government still living.



He served as Ghanas Ambassador to Switzerland with concurrent accreditation as Ambassador to Australia from 1967-72. He also served as Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Economic Community from 1976-1978. He served as a senior statesman until his death.



He passed on in January 2018 and is survived by his wife for six full decades and five (5) children.





Source: dailyviewgh.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
Begoro, a farming community in the Fanteakwa District of the Eastern Region, is now becoming an end-user and peddler hub for illicit drugs trade.



Findings revealed that Begoro has been seriously plagued by all manner of social-vices, which include minors engaged in prostitution, stealing, alcoholism and armed robbery.



A high sale of wee and some deadly concoction believed to be alcoholic beverages mixed with Indian hemp was also recorded.



These notorious ghettos are popularly known amongst the drug peddlers, users and addicts as Bolar and cemetery ghettos.



About 80 per cent of the youth in Begoro are alleged to be involved in smoking marijuana (wee), a worrying development which has become a grave concern to the assembly members of the area, who have raised an alarm over this pressing issue.



The discussion on the upsurge of wee smoking by youth in Begoro came to light during the 7th Begoro District Assembly meeting when Assembly member for Bontrase Electoral area, Hon Rev George Opoku Acheampong, expressed disappointment in the Begoro District Police Command for failing to respond to an earlier complain regarding young men of the area who were normally found smoking wee and its related drugs.



He disclosed that some time ago, he and some residents reported the drug peddlers to the Begoro District Police Command, but no arrests were effected.



To their surprise however, the drug peddlers soon returned to their ghettos to continue their nefarious activities.



In this regard, Mr Acheampong appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, put in place lasting measures that would stop the trade in illicit drugs in the area.



Residents, who spoke to Today bitterly lamented the situation and the kind of dangers associated with practice.



Visibly worried, the residents called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. David Asante-Apeatu, to order for the immediate arrest of the drug peddlers.



However, the Begoro District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr. Asiwome Abgemenyale, responding to the issue, said his outfit was doing its possible best to ensure all drug peddlers as well as users were flushed out from the community.



He, however, called for a collaborative effort and support to enable them deliver effectively.

Source: Today Newspaper









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community in Ghana has put out a proposition to Parliament to consider opening a referendum for the public to vote in order to decide whether rights of members of their group should be recognized or otherwise in the country.



Spokesperson for the LGBT Community in Ghana, Philcollins Agbedanu Kroger hailed US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson for enlightening the Ghanaian populace on the state of the group in the country on GhanaWebs 21 Minutes with KKB.



The Ambassador hinted in the interview that there are far more gays in Ghana than Ghanaians realise, but because of societal attitudes they keep their sexuality very private.



In an interview with BBC Reporter Favour Nunoo, the group noted that they are poised to prove there more Ghanaians who are gay than anticipated, most of whom are hiding following fear of arrest, medical abuse, discrimination and torture, thus affirming Mr. Jacksons observation.



Philcollins Agbedanu Kroger further accused Speaker of Parliament Prof. Mike Oquaye of being unfair towards the group while reacting to a statement the latter had made stressing that Ghana would not legalise homosexuality.



 hes not being fair to the gay and lesbian community in Ghana because when it comes to human rights, one person does not speak for the whole nation. Gay and lesbian rights legalization is not an individual issue he can bring it on board for them to discuss it in Parliament, he can also call for a referendum and then people will vote, he stated.



The posture of the LGBT Community is borne out of the US Ambassadors statements in a recent interview with GhanaWeb. Touching on the subject of homosexuality on the show 21 Minutes with KKB, Mr. Robert P. Jackson said though it was a tough subject to discuss and was met with a lot of opposition initially in the United States, people, leaders have to accept and eventually embrace the practice with time after better appreciating the issues and science.



He believes Ghana will get to that point eventually where they better appreciate the subject, understand the sciences surrounding it and accept the fact that homosexuality is not a choice of lifestyle as many perceive it, on the contrary, is scientific, people are born as such.

This is a long process and it was a long process in my country. Homosexual marriage has only become law in recent years and prior to that when I was growing up, nobody talked about homosexuality. Everyone who was gay suffered enormous discrimination and that has changed in the United States because people have a better understanding of the science and issues. I think that as Ghanaians gain a greater understanding of the science and issues, theyll also be very tolerant because this is a very tolerant country and this is one area where Ghanas tolerance seems very limited.

Source: ghanaweb.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
Former President Jerry John Rawlings has asked the state security to confront the armed robbery incidents that have saddled the nation lately with utmost confidence and professionalism.



On Wednesday, 28 February 2018, a Lebanese businessman was shot and killed by robbers after he had withdrawn GHS200,000 from the bank. The robbers bolted with the money.



A day before that some armed robbers stormed Royal Motors in Accra in broad day light and made away with some GHS8000. It followed the arrest of nine suspected robbers in connection with raids at several forex bureaus at Spintex in Accra.



In a tweet on Thursday, 1 March, Mr Rawlings said: Confront this menace with utmost confidence and professionalism while ensuring that no one, high or low takes advantage of our vulnerabilities.



Let us hope the recent robbery and killings is downright plain robbery and not a politically motivated action from within or without, calculated to undermine those in charge of the security machinery in order to pave the way for certain parochial ambitions.



Meanwhile, the government has said it will deploy some military personnel to help the police fight robbers in the capital.



This was disclosed by the Minister of State in charge of National Security, Bryan Acheampong on the EBS.



Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery, has also indicated that government will acquire helicopters and drones to assist in fighting crime.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Minority in Parliament has called on Ghanaians to "sack" the Akufo-Addo government instead of the persistent calls for the sacking or resignation of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu, in the wake of increased crime in the country.



At a press conference on Friday, 2 March 2018, the Minority spokesperson on Interior, James Agalga, said after a series of daring daylight robberies, President Nana Akufo-Addo's government should be held to task.



"...Those of you calling for the IGP to be sacked, you should be calling for the NPP as a whole to be sacked including the Vice-President," he said.



Mr Agalga emphasised that Ghana is not safe under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.



Ghana under President Akufo-Addo is not a safe place to be. The president appears to care less about the unlawful activities of pro-NPP vigilante groups. He failed to act at the very outset of his administration when a police officer was assaulted at the presidency.



In the midst of these extremely frightening security situations, the president prefers to globetrot and rub shoulders with world leaders and deliver speeches of doubtful importance and is yet to utter a word of comfort to scared Ghanaians.



It is almost as if Ghana has no leader. All this is happening at a time President Akufo-Addo has set up the most heavily populated security architecture comprising National Security Minister, Minister in charge of National Security, Minister of Interior, Minister of Defence, National Security Advisor, National Security Coordinator, Director of Presidential Security, Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Defence Staff, Director of BNI, Director of Defence Intelligence, Director of Research amongst others, he stated.



Meanwhile, government says the country is safe.









Source: classfmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The recent jail sentence handed former lawmaker for Chiana-Paga, Abuga Pele, for allegedly causing financial loss to the state has prompted massive street protests in the Upper East region with the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, coming under intense fire.



A crowd of constituents, armed with pointed placards, spilled into a highway on Sunday in the busy border town of Paga, chanting justice slogans as women wept openly and some angry-looking men could be heard saying the veteran politician had been unfairly reduced from a statesman to a scapegoat.



A scapegoat because there are big personalities who squandered monies. We all know for a fact that Humado was indeed the one who signed [those contracts]. And why is Humado roaming? Hes free out there and Abuga Pele is languishing in prison. This is not justice. It is absolutely unacceptable, ranted Maxwell Akanuwe, Assemblyman for the Longo Electoral Area, at the afternoon rally.



Asked by Starr News the reason she was in tears in the street, an inconsolable woman wearing an Islamic veil, Bimata Nurudeen, replied as she held a placard above the milling crowd: Im not crying for myself. Im not crying for Abuga Pele. Im crying for the orphans in this constituency whose school fees, feeding and hospital bills Abuga Pele was taking care of before February 23, 2018.



February 23, 2018, is the date an Accra High Court convicted Mr. Pele, who is a former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) now renamed the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), together with Philip Assibit, an industrialist, of willfully causing financial loss to the state. The two men were passed a combined jail term of 18 years  6 years for the former legislator and 12 years for Mr. Assibit.



We are so disappointed in the NDC  Protesters snarl



Observers say Sundays public protests were registered by constituents from the various political shades in a constituency known to be a stronghold of the countrys biggest opposition party today, the NDC, who lost power just 16 months ago.



But the gathering clearly drew more notable faces from the NDC, the party to which Mr. Pele belongs. Those NDC supporters appeared to have been desperately searching for a fitting channel to pour out their venom on some big shots they believed scapegoated Mr. Pele from within the party.



A news conference that climaxed the street protests, held not too far from the road that links Ghana to Burkina Faso, finally gave them that golden chance. And the NDCs General Secretary was dragged over a bed of burning coals in a coordinated verbal attack.



So much was the wrath that if there had been a statue of Johnson Asiedu Nketia in the constituency, a mob of protesters would have pulled it down yesterday in the manner Saddam Husseins effigy came down apart after the Battle of Baghdad in 2003.



We are so disappointed in the NDC because this case started in the NDC regime. They didnt take the matter serious. Apart from that, during the primaries, some strong people were against him especially Asiedu Nketia. Those people were even praying that Abuga Pele should be sentenced. They envied him because of his popularity and plotted to bring him down, fumed Sulemana B. Kukuje, an old member of the umbrella party.



In the words of Karim Kumoriwo, another elderly staunch NDC constituent, Mr. Peles problems began when he became the right-hand man of the late President John Evans Atta Mills. Abuga, he said, was being groomed as a presidential candidate by Mills until the Mahama Administration took over following Millss death in 2012.



When Atta Mills was out, things started to change. The Mahama Administration sidelined Abuga Pele. That is where Abuga Peles problems started. If you had a bag and you didnt like it and you dumped it in a dustbin and Zoomlion came and picked the bag and burnt it, would you blame Zoomlion? You wouldnt blame Zoomlion. You should blame yourself because you put your bag in the dustbin.



It was NDC who put Abuga Pele inside the dustbin. So, if NPP government came and burnt Abuga Pele, its not their fault. We are in a dilemma as to whether we should support the NDC again in this constituency, explained Mr. Kumoriwo as an enraged woman shouted in the background, No, its over for the NDC in Chiana-Paga!



Why protesters believe Abuga Pele is innocent



The Sundays sun was so frying mobile phones were shutting down on their own at the rally ground. The red bands on the heads of the protesters dripped freely with warm sweat like heavy raindrops from eaves that are very steep.



If even old men and women were spotted in the gathering, carrying placards which some used to block the blazing sun from microwaving their already-wrinkled faces, the irrepressible zeal displayed for justice by the heartbroken youths as they paid no attention to the wrathful sun is, perhaps, needless to say.



The only moment they took shelter from the sun was when time was due for a 3-page press statement to be delivered at the news conference. The statement, read by Donald Tumyeridam, highlighted some reasons the protesters, who identified themselves as The People of Chiana-Paga, are of a strong conviction that Abuga Pele deserves an acquittal, not a verdict.



The then sector minister, Clement Kofi Humado, gave a ceiling to Honourable Abuga Pele as to how much he could authorise for disbursement, not exceeding Gh20,000. What baffles us is how an amount of 4.1 million Ghana cedis could be released without recourse to the directives of the same minister and the procurement procedure as required by law.



In his handover notes, Honourable Abuga Pele wrote that some of the contracts were not going to inure to the benefit of the nation and, so, such contracts should be cancelled. Abuga Peles resistance was to prevent the state from losing so much money. However, Clement Kofi Humado paid no heed and went ahead and signed the contracts. Rather interestingly today, the advocate of such an excellent idea is languishing in prison whilst the [wrongdoers are] walking freely, the statement said.



Whilst making it known at the presser that Abuga Peles sympathisers would initiate a court appeal anytime soon against the verdict, the protesters also appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take a relook into the case to help settle the misdemeanour that has characterised this very case.



The judge made it clear that Honourable Abuga Pele never benefited from any of the payments, meaning he did not steal anything from the state, but was rather reckless in signing the document. We want to see the full contract document, those who were involved in the payment and signing, starting from the Finance Minister to the Auditor General, the sector minister and all those who played leading roles in the payment of the money to the Goodwill International Group (GIG).



Until this is done, we will believe that in the court of the fowls, the cockroaches have no say. We the people of Chiana-Paga believe that the law should not be wielded as a big stick by powerful invisible hands to pummel the weak ones. The conviction of Honourable Abuga Pele, notwithstanding the compelling evidence exonerating him, clearly confirms the selective justice system in the country. We believe that selective justice is injustice. We must say that we believe in the fair-minded judges of our country and trust that the impartial panel that will sit on the appeal will, indeed, show that our justice system still carries a lot of credibility, the disappointed constituents affirmed in that press statement.









Source: starrfmonline.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
Audio Attachment: Listen to Kwesi Pratt Jnr.

Seasoned journalist, Kwesi Pratt has chided President Akufo-Addo over the relocation of traders and artisans around his private residence at Nima.



The traders and artisans have been asked to vacate the premises for security reasons.



Though the people have traded at the Presidents Nima residence for years and before Nana Akufo-Addo was elected as Head of State, it appears it is now crucial for them to be relocated, and according to a statement by Presidency; an agreement is locked on the issue between government and the residents.



But speaking on "Kokrokoo" on Peace FM, Kwesi Pratt expressed disgust over the move by the government.



According to him, the traders and artisans have been engaging in their daily business routines without causing any problems to the President.



He further added that the President, on his part, won the hearts of the people to vote for him because of their relationship with him.



He therefore wondered when the traders became a threat to the President that their stay around his private residence is deemed to be of security concern; hence a reason for their relocation.



What are you protecting the Head of State against? Mr. Pratt asked, expounding further that prior to the election, I saw my brother Nana Akufo-Addo joining queues; what trotro did he not board in Ghana? Which chop bar didnt he go to? As for his Vice President Bawumia, when he goes to the chop bar; he doesnt only eat the food but also takes the pestle to pound the fufu? The people were then not threats. So, it means change has come. When you become a President, then it means chop bar operators and workshop operators turn into threats?.



He also sought to find out if the President is no more the man of the people as he was acclaimed before his election as President of the Republic.



Also registering his displeasure with the treatment meted out to the traders and artisans, Mr. Pratt asked why only the traders and artisans are requested to vacate the residence, saying are the squatters, chop bar operators and the like the only people who can threaten the President? What of the very rich and wealthy people in the area? The people having a good life and owning beautiful houses around the Presidents residence, are they not also threats?

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.

Featured Video
A teacher who is also a reserve police officer trained in firearm use accidentally discharged a gun Tuesday at Seaside High School in Monterey County, Calif., during a class devoted to public safety. A male student was reported to have sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The weapon, which was not described, was pointed at the ceiling, according to a statement from the school, and debris fell from the ceiling.

Seaside Police Chief Abdul Pridgen told the Monterey County Weekly that a male student was "struck in the neck by 'debris or fragmentation' from something overhead.'" Pridgen said whatever hit the student was not a bullet.

Dennis Alexander is on leave from his jobs as teacher and police officer after a shooting during a classroom safety demonstration.

However, the student's father, Fermin Gonzales, told KSBW 8 that it was his understanding that fragments from the bullet ricocheted off the ceiling and lodged in the boy's neck. The father said the teacher told the class before pointing the gun at the ceiling that he was doing so to make sure his gun wasn't loaded, something that can be determined visually.

"It's the craziest thing," Gonzales told the station. "It could have been very bad."

Gonzales said he learned about the incident when his 17-year-old son came home with blood on his shirt and bullet fragments in his neck.

"He's shaken up, but he's going to be OK. I'm just pretty upset that no one told us anything and we had to call the police ourselves to report it," the father told the TV station.

The teen was treated at a hospital.

The teacher was identified by police as Dennis Alexander, who teaches math as well as a course in the administration of justice. Alexander is a reserve police officer for Sand City and a Seaside city councilman.

The Monterey County Weekly, quoting Sand City Police Chief Brian Ferrante, reported that Alexander had his last gun safety training less than a year ago. "I have concerns about why he was displaying a loaded firearm in a classroom," Ferrante told KSBW. "We will be looking into that."

Exactly why the teacher was displaying the weapon at all was not entirely clear. Police said he was "providing instruction related to public safety."

The father told KSBW that the teacher was preparing to use the gun to show how to disarm someone.

Daniel "PK" Diffenbaugh, superintendent of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, told the Weekly that the incident occurred during the administration of justice class, a career track course offered by the school. "Clearly, we will revisit this incident to ensure that something like this would never happen again."

Diffenbaugh noted that state law and school policy forbids carrying firearms on campus without authorization. Alexander, he said, was not authorized.

"I think a lot of questions are on parents' minds are, why a teacher would be pointing a loaded firearm at the ceiling in front of students," Diffenbaugh told KSBW. "Clearly in this incident protocols were not followed."

The teacher has been placed on administrative leave while an investigation takes place, according to the school. The Sand City Police Department also placed Alexander on administrative leave.

The incident comes amid a national debate on how to protect students from mass shootings like the one that took the lives of 17 students in Parkland, Fla., on Feb. 14. Among the proposals advanced is training and arming teachers, an approach favored by President Trump, among others but opposed by a majority of the teachers in the National Education Association, including many who said in an NEA survey that it would make them feel less safe.
A $2.7 million paving and repair project on East Chocolate Avenue (Route 422) is set to begin Friday.

The two-mile section of East Chocolate Avenue set for repair is between Ceylon Avenue and North Lingle Avenue in Derry Township at the Dauphin-Lebanon County Line, according to a PennDOT news release. New Enterprise Stone & Lime was contracted to do the work, which includes bridge repair to the structure over Spring Creek, curb cut work to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, roadway base repair, concrete patching, replacement of the top layer of asphalt, guiderail replacement, new signs, pavement markings, and other cosmetic repairs and improvements.

Traffic lanes will not be restricted during commute hours, from 6 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., PennDOT said. There may be lane shifts and single-lane restrictions during daylight hours for tree trimming, draining pipe replacement and bridge repair work.

PennDOT officials urged drivers allow for additional time in their plans or to seek an alternate route. Drivers are also asked to obey signs and be aware of workers and equipment. More than 15,000 vehicles travel that section of East Chocolate avenue each day.
Update: "Change needs to happen"

Students across central Pennsylvania joined those around the nation in a walkout at 10 a.m. Wednesday to send a message ranging from unity to the need for school safety and gun law reforms.

The walkout is one month after 17 students and staff were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Most central Pa. schools allowed students to take part in the walkouts or in some form of protest.

Student walkout at Pa. Capitol Posted by PennLive.com on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

In Derry Township School District, for example, middle and high school students linked arms in unity in hallways at 10 a.m. to form a continuous chain around the theme of "hope, unity and standing together."

And at Middletown Area High School, students stood in solidarity for 17 minutes in memory of victims of the Parkland tragedy.

Other area schools hosting events were in Susquehanna Township, Camp Hill, Carlisle, Mechanicsburg, Cumberland Valley, East Pennsboro, Annville-Cleona and Cedar Crest.

Live coverage:
(Editor's note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Rep. Nick Miccarelli's spokesman. The story has updated in a separate post with comments from one of the women's attorneys and a further statement from Miccarelli's spokesman.)

State House Republican leadership has turned over to the Dauphin County District Attorney's office a copy of a report of its findings and related materials from an internal investigation into whether Delaware County Rep. Nick Miccarelli violated the chamber's workplace harassment policy.

Details of the findings were not made public in accordance with House policies, according to a statement issued by the caucus on Wednesday.

The statement indicates that witnesses were interviewed and materials reviewed as part of the caucus' investigation into a joint complaint against the Republican lawmaker filed on Feb. 8 by two women.

One of women has publicly identified herself as state Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Luzerne County, who broke her silence saying that she felt as a public official she had a duty to step forward to protect other women.

The other woman, who has not chosen to make her name public, is a Harrisburg political consultant.

Both women had separate dating relationships with Miccarelli between 2012 and 2014, according to the complaint filed with the House.

Miccarelli's spokesman Frank Keel issued a statement on Miccarelli's behalf.

"Rep. Miccarelli's legal team is in the process of reviewing the State Republican Caucus report. Upon an in-depth analysis of the findings in the report, we will issue an additional statement sometime later today," the statement said.

Attempts to reach the women's lawyers for comment about the internal caucus investigation's completion were unsuccessful on Wednesday afternoon.

Through his own earlier statements as well as through a spokesman, Miccarelli has vehemently maintained his innocence of the allegations raised against him.

The women accused Miccarelli, a five-term incumbent, of sexual or physical assault, intimidation, and harassment.

Toohil, who on Friday obtained a temporary protection from abuse order against Miccarelli, said in court papers filed in support of the order that he threatened her with a gun and drove 100 mph in 2012 while threatening to crash and kill them both, among other allegations. A hearing to make the PFA permanent is scheduled for Thursday.

The other woman alleged in the complaint and also has told the Dauphin County DA's office and PennLive that she was sexually assaulted by Miccarelli as well as drugged. PennLive does not identify people who say they are victims of sex crimes without their authorization.

Miccarelli has admitted to having consensual relationships with both women and previously said, "At no time was I violent or threatening to any woman I dated nor have I drugged any person."

All eight House Republican leaders have called on Miccarelli, 35, to resign. Gov. Tom Wolf and some House Democrats also have urged him to step down.

The Dauphin County District Attorney's office already had begun an investigation into allegations raised in the complaint and has interviewed both women who filed the complaint with the House.

The House Republicans also have stripped Miccarelli of his security clearances. When he returns to the Capitol -- he was barred from doing so this week by the temporary PFA -- he will be required to enter the Capitol and be screened just as any member of the general public. The PFA also barred him from contacting Toohil and required that his firearms be confiscated.

The full statement released by the House Republican Caucus follows.

Following an investigation of allegations against Rep. Nick Miccarelli (R-Delaware), conducted as part of the long-standing caucus harassment procedures, House Republican leaders today ordered a copy of the investigative report and related files be sent to the Dauphin County district attorney for his review.

The complaint was filed on Feb. 8 by two individuals regarding Miccarelli's possible violations of the Republican Caucus General and Sexual Harassment and Workplace Violence Policies. In accordance with the policy, a thorough investigation was conducted, witnesses interviewed and materials reviewed. Following completion of the investigation, a report was issued to House Republican Leadership, the complainants through their counsel, and Miccarelli through his counsel.

Additionally, throughout the course of the investigation, the Caucus has taken seriously any possible safety concerns and enacted, in concert with Capitol Police, additional safety measures for the benefit of all participants and the general public.

Additional details on the results of the investigation are prohibited from being made public under House policies. Additionally, confidentiality will be maintained, to the extent reasonably possible, consistent with the obligation to investigate and respond to the complaint and cooperate with law enforcement on the criminal investigation of this matter.

All parties and participants in the investigation were reminded that the Republican Caucus of the House of Representatives does not tolerate retaliation against any individual who reports or complains about harassment or improper conduct, or who assists in an investigation of harassment.

Anyone who witnesses or experiences behavior they believe to be retaliation, or if they are aware of such behavior, can report such behavior to the House Republican Human Resources Department at (717) 787-9833.

The investigators, and the leadership team, understand the delicate nature of this investigation and have appreciated the cooperation of all participants throughout this process.

On March 1, the eight members of the House Republican Leadership team called for Miccarelli to resign from the House.

If anyone believes they are a victim of harassment, or a crime, or knows a possible victim, they can contact the Pennsylvania Office of Victim Advocate toll-free for assistance at 800-563-6399. Individuals may also visit www.ova.pa.gov to locate a victim service agency in any of the state's 67 counties to assist with various resources.
Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler, accused in a lawsuit of sexually harassing one of his employees, speaks at a press conference on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in Baton Rouge, La. Schedler announced he won't resign from his position, but won't run for re-election next year. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte)
FILE - In this June 12, 2016 file photo, law enforcement officials work at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla., following a mass shooting. The widow of the gunman who killed dozens of people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando is going on trial Wednesday, March 14, 2018, in federal court. Thirty-one-year-old Noor Salman is charged with aiding and abetting her deceased husband Omar Mateen in planning the 2016 attack on the Pulse nightclub. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)
Perryville football coach Brent Roth is already trying to erase the game from his memory. It is probably for a good reason, too.Perryville struggled to do anything well as Park Hills Central handed 

The Pirates finally put together what Perryville softball coach Lilly Pecaut called a complete game.Everything came together as Perryville got the offense and pitching to come away with 

The Perryville boys soccer team was able to show its resiliency in multiple ways as it got back into the win column. The Pirates bounced back from a lopsided loss to Notre Dame the week before, to 

St. Vincent makes Valle Catholic play in loss St. Vincent football coach Tim Schumer didnt want his team to look at the scoreboard following the game. The score may have said that the Valle Catholic Warriors won in a lopsided game, but 

Indians take advantage of miscues to claim first victory St. Vincent found itself down two scores midway through the third quarter, and despite the deficit, coach Tim Schumer was calm.The game was not over at that point, you have to play four 

Rushing attack leads Pirates to win over Owls The Perryville football team is quickly turning into a M.A.S.H. unit. With several players already nursing injuries from the previous week, they also threw in other players who were in quarantine. 

Click Here For Our Local Sports Page
Guyana need to execise extreme caution with future oil blocks-Goolsarran

By Kaieter News



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 03 14 2018 The Coalition Government has signalled its intention to consider competitive bidding for the remaining oil blocks, but a dose of extreme caution, is what critics like Chartered Accountant, Anand Goolsarran, are recommending.



The former Auditor General made his sentiments known in his recent writings.



The columnist reminded of the government's announcement that nine companies are interested in the allocation of the remaining oil blocks and that it is exploring options for both direct engagement and selective bidding.



Goolsarran reminded, too, that the Petroleum Advisor to the Government, Dr. Jan Mangal, had advocated the application of competitive bidding procedures to avoid the risk of corruption. Goolsarran said that he fully supports this approach, which includes conducting detailed background checks of companies bidding for the oil blocks.



On this note, Goolsarran stated that one of the interested companies is Petrobras, a Brazilian State-controlled company, which was embroiled in the largest corruption scandal in the history of that country that led to nation-wide protests in 2016 and contributed to the impeachment and subsequent removal of the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.



Goolsarran noted that the scandal, uncovered during a money laundering investigation nicknamed Operation Carwash, involved inflating contracts for construction and service works and kicking-back the difference, estimated at US$3 billion, into the personal bank accounts of senior executives of Petrobras, certain political figures, and the ruling party to fund its election campaigns.



The Chartered Accountant said, We must therefore be extremely careful in our selection process and ensure that the terms and conditions of any new agreement represent the best interest of the country.



In addition, Goolsarran said that in going forward, the Government should endeavour to not repeat the mistakes made in relation to the Production Sharing Agreement with ExxonMobil.



We must also ensure that the related legislation and regulations, including our Procurement Act, are revised or amended so that any decision on the allocation of the remaining oil blocks is supported by legislation.

Story from Kaieter News



Kaieteurnewsonline.com 03 14 2018

Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved.



We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source.



Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated.



Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us

their views and comments about this article.

Write to editor@petroleumworld.com



By using this link, you agree to allow PW

to publish your comments on our letters page.



Any question or suggestions,

please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95,

'98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels
Guyana Bar Association condemns editorial attack on Oil and Gas presenter

By Kaieter News



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 03 13 2018 The Editorial published in the Kaieteur News of Sunday March 11 contained a number of inaccuracies according to the Guyana Bar Association.



If the author had sought information from the offices of the Honourable Chancellor of the Judiciary or the Honourable Chief Justice or a member of the planning committee of the Guyana Bar Association, such comments would have been clarified.



At issue was the contribution of Ms Alicia Elias-Roberts to the recent Oil and Gas Law training Development Conference. The forum was held at the Ramada Princess Hotel, Providence. Ms Elias-Roberts is the Deputy Dean in the faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies St. Augustine Campus.



In that capacity, she had specific responsibility for the oil and gas programme, which she developed in 2011.



A highly qualified woman, Ms Elias-Roberts is a specialist in Energy and Environmental Law. She is pursuing a doctorate in that field.



The Guyana Bar Association said that she has been the convenor of two highly acclaimed international conferences on oil and gas hosted by UWI.

Ms Elias-Roberts was at a conference in Scotland immediately prior to coming to Guyana on this occasion, the association noted. Due to her expertise, she was recruited to facilitate a session at the Annual Judges' Conference in 2017.



Because of her excellent presentations at the Judges' Conference and her experience in planning large conferences, it was considered by Chancellor Yonette Cummings-Edwards, that it would be fitting that she plan a conference in Guyana for the Bench and Bar so that it would benefit a larger number of judicial officers and lawyers, who may not find it possible to travel overseas for such a conference.



It does appear that the informant or the editor (of Kaieteur News) was only present at the conference in its last hour of the second day for it is noted that the comments about Mrs. Elias-Roberts's presentation spoke only to this session.



The editor clearly drew conclusions without reference to the programme content, which was as a result of a collaborative effort of not only the conference training facilitator, Mrs. Elias-Roberts, but of the judiciary through the Hon Chancellor and the Hon Chief Justice and the Bar Council of the Guyana Bar Association.



The member of the Guyana Bar Association said that excellent presentations on areas related to the legal and regulatory framework, geology, engineering, taxation, petroleum contracts, Guyana's petroleum sharing agreement, sovereign wealth fund, local content and good governance related to the oil and gas industry were made by Mrs. Elias-Roberts, Ms. Indira Rampaul-Cheddie, MBA, LLM, Senior State Counsel in the Ministry of Energy and Energy Industries of Trinidad and Tobago, Ms. Helena Griffith Geologist and Upstream Energy Expert and Executive Director and Consultant, Kronus Geological Services Ltd., Mr. Trevor James, C.Eng., MIChemE, Engineer and SeniorConsultant, Oil and Gas Project Development, CADPEC Limited UWI, St Augustine, Mr. Roderick Edinboro, LLM, Attorney-at-Law, Senior Tax Attorney, EY Guyana, Mr. Nigel Hughes, LLM, Attorney-at-law, Director, Guyana Oil and Gas Association, Mr. Sanjeev Datadin, LLM (Aberdeen), Attorney-at-law and Mr. Charles Ramson, MSc., Attorney-at-Law, Oil & Gas Consultant, Partner  Abercal Guyana Energy Agency.



Most of these facilitators came at absolutely no cost to the Bench or Bar, he said.



Over 125 lawyers and judicial officers attended the two-day conference, which was deemed a success by participants.



Benjamin Franklin, former American Statesman, is quoted as saying that an investment in knowledge pays the best interest. The conference can only be described as having been a sound investment and the feedback received confirms this.

Story from Kaieter News



Kaieteurnewsonline.com 03 14 2018

Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved.



We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source.



Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated.



Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us

their views and comments about this article.

Write to editor@petroleumworld.com



By using this link, you agree to allow PW

to publish your comments on our letters page.



Any question or suggestions,

please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95,

'98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels
Guyana's local contend must be free from political influence, corruption to be effective -Requires watchdog body to enforce it

By Kaieter News



GEORGETOWN

Petroleumworld 03 14 2018 The very point of a Local Content Policy is to ensure that the oil and gas sector of a nation significantly benefits native businesses and citizens. But in order for this desirable and attractive Policy to work, certain conditions must be present.



In order for Local Content to work, Attorney-at-law, Sanjeev Datadin, says that it must be free from political influence and corruption. He said, too, that there must be a watchdog body to ensure that the policy is enforced.



The lawyer made these statements, among others, during an oil and gas seminar that was held at the Ramada Princess Hotel last weekend.



There, Datadin said that Local Content is desirable and attractive because it has the potential of facilitating the oil sector wealth to permeate through a nation. He said that this is mind blowing in its promise.



He said, The challenge with Local Content is that it requires a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework and then it must have watchdog body to enforce it. It must be free from political influence and corruption to be effective.



It may create bottlenecks because of poor local capacity and may chase away potential investors. However, with the oil finds off the Guyana coast it is unlikely any operator would be scared off Our potential is simply too large.



The Attorney-at-law said that Local Content has worked in Guyana before with Omai Gold Mines and Barama Company Limited to a lesser extent.



Datadin stressed that the concept is not new to Guyana and with some wise choices; it may be the vehicle by which every sector benefits from the oil wealth.



Datadin also cited several countries where Local Content Policy was able to provide extensive benefits due to a comprehensive legal and regulatory framework.



In the case of Norway, the lawyer said that there exists a combination of legislation, regulations and contract clauses.



He noted that Norway created a compliance office by law and it enforces the Local Content Policy and law efficiently and speedily with imposition of penalties if necessary.



Datadin said that the Policy there ensures Norwegian companies are chosen based on several factors, one of which includes prior use of local companies in licensing awards.



The Guyana Bar Association Member said Norway had legislation that requires substantial monies to be spent on Research and Development and further requires that half of all that money be spent in Norway.



Datadin asserted that Local Content in Trinidad and Tobago is supported by the nation's Petroleum Act, its Regulations and their Production Sharing Agreements.



Additionally, Datadin said that since 2004, a permanent Local Content Committee was created in Trinidad and Tobago for the specific purpose of developing policies, ensuring compliance and reporting back to the Energy Minister.



The CARICOM Member said it has regulations, which state that under the general obligations of licensees', foreign personnel can only be employed if local employees cannot be found after reasonable advertisement of the position in the country.



It also mandates that salaries and benefits of foreign employees shall be the same as local employees of the same category. Further, Trinidad ensures through its regulations that operators are required to prepare training in the industrial and technical fields with the approval of the Minister.

Story from Kaieter News



Kaieteurnewsonline.com 03 14 2018

Copyright 1999-2018 Petroleumworld or respective author or news agency. All rights reserved.



We welcome the use of Petroleumworld (PW) stories by anyone provided it mentions Petroleumworld.com as the source.



Other stories you have to get authorization by its authors. Internet web links to http://www.petroleumworld.com are appreciated.



Petroleumworld welcomes your feedback and comments, share your thoughts on this article, your feedback is important to us! We invite all our readers to share with us

their views and comments about this article.

Write to editor@petroleumworld.com



By using this link, you agree to allow PW

to publish your comments on our letters page.



Any question or suggestions,

please write to: editor@petroleumworld.com Best Viewed with IE 5.01+ Windows NT 4.0, '95,

'98,ME,XP, Vista, Windows 7,8,10 +/ 800x600 pixels
U.S. disrupting the markets with shale oil and now the new shale oil LNG -Russell





By Clyde Russell



LAUNCESTON, Australia

Petroleumworld 03 14 2018

Crude oil is likely to spring to mind if one is asked to name a commodity where the United States is disrupting the market by becoming a swing producer and challenging traditional trade flows, especially in fast-growing Asian markets.

But it's increasingly likely that the United States is about to play the same role in liquefied natural gas (LNG), as it ramps up production in an already well-supplied market.

Much has been written recently about how the expected glut in LNG supply is unlikely to materialise, given the rapid growth of demand for the super-chilled fuel in Asia, especially in China, which is now second only to Japan as an importer.

Major producer Royal Dutch Shell warned last month of an impending supply gap that will need more than $200 billion of investment by 2030 as the natural gas market grows faster than that for any other source of energy.

There is nothing wrong with Shell's bullish forecast, and there is certainly renewed interest around the world in developing LNG projects to meet forecast demand.

Investment in LNG projects fell off a cliff in recent years as the industry dealt with the ramifications of rapid supply growth, which has seen Australia add eight new large-scale plants, while the United States is busy commissioning the second of its new export projects, with five more to come by 2019.

While Shell and others may well be correct about the need for new plants to meet demand by 2030, it's the next couple of years that could prove challenging for the LNG industry.

Most of the new capacity built in Australia was done under the old industry model where long-term offtake contracts, often linked to crude oil prices, allowed for the financing of billions of dollars of capital investment with extended payback terms.

The model has been somewhat different in the United States, with far less of the upcoming production committed to buyers, meaning more will be sold at spot prices linked to U.S. benchmark Henry Hub natural gas.

This is where the role of the United States in LNG starts to look eerily similar to the role its shale oil producers are playing in crude oil markets.

Traditional exporters, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, have found it tougher than expected to push crude oil prices higher, mainly because customers, especially in Asia have been able to turn to alternative suppliers.

While the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, including Russia, have met some success in draining excess global crude inventories, it's come at the expense of market share in the fast-growing Asian demand region.

SHALE OIL TEMPLATE

This can be seen in the customs data for China, the world's largest crude importer.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia's share of China's imports was 12.4 percent, a drop from 13.4 percent the prior year. The share enjoyed by the United States, meanwhile, rose from 0.13 percent to 1.84 percent.

While the United States is far from a major threat to Saudi Arabia in Asia, when you add in gains by other smaller exporters not part of the OPEC and allies output-cutting deal, it starts to add up.

Brazil's share of China's crude imports rose from 5 percent in 2016 to 5.5 percent last year. Shipments from Britain went from 1.3 percent to 2 percent in 2017.

Just as shale as roiled crude oil markets, it's likely that U.S. shale gas will have the same effect, at least until demand growth eliminates the coming supply surplus.

The United States will add about 50 million tonnes of annual capacity by 2020, assuming all the projects currently under construction are delivered on schedule.

China sourced 45.4 percent of its LNG from Australia and 19.7 percent from Qatar in 2017, and just 3.9 percent from the United States.

But China's imports of 1.5 million tonnes of LNG from the United States in 2017 was 661 percent higher than for the previous year, and the risk is that as new U.S. output comes online, it will aggressively compete in Asia.

While Chinese demand for LNG has surprised to the upside, with growth of 46.4 percent to 38.1 million tonnes in 2017, it still may be a challenge for the market to absorb all the additional tonnes, not just from the United States but also from smaller projects, mainly in Africa.

Like the rise of shale oil as an export force, the coming U.S. LNG wave will disrupt traditional flows across the globe.

Similar to shale oil, U.S. LNG is being produced and exported from the Atlantic Basin, but the overwhelming growth in demand is in Asia.

While U.S. LNG will be competitive in Latin America, it also will likely displace cargoes from Qatar in Europe, meaning the world's top producer of LNG will be forced to sell more in Asia, just as Australia is snapping at its heels for bragging rights at the biggest exporter.

A buyer-led shift to more flexible contracts will see traditional relationships stretched, as will the increasing activities of trading houses keen to get in on the market.

Seasonal demand volatility, particularly from China, will also serve to test the market, with the likelihood that the winter peak will be bigger than before, with the attendant risk that the shoulder seasons either side of cold weather will be weaker.

Overall, the LNG market is going to have to adapt to the arrival of U.S. production, but where liquefied gas differs from crude oil is in not having an established producer group that can coordinate a response.




What Rex Tillerson exit really means for oil

Drew Angerer



A harder line on Iran may help Saudi Arabia for now, but rising nationalism threatens long-term demand.

By Liam Denning



NEW YORK

Petroleumworld 03 14 2018

Score (another) one for Russia?

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's firing -- delivered via the now-traditional medium of Twitter , apparently -- is being linked by some to his comments Monday night echoing the British government's position that the poison used in an attack on a former Russian spy in the U.K came from Russia. As you may know, Russia a country with which President Donald Trump has an interesting relationship.

On the other hand, the president on Tuesday morning cited differences over Iran as the trigger. So maybe the winner here is actually Saudi Arabia -- but only in the narrowest sense.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are the Middle East's prime antagonists, and Riyadh would welcome a harder line from Washington against Tehran. And in Tillerson's designated successor, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, they would appear to have their man .

In January, the president extended sanctions waivers as per U.S. obligations under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (to give the Iran nuclear bargain its formal name). But he made clear he wasn't happy about it and essentially said the deal would have to be fixed or nixed.

With another deadline for waiving sanctions coming in May, and (pending Senate confirmation) a newly-installed Iran hawk at the State Department, it's possible the nuclear deal could begin to unravel this summer.

Yet if the clock is now ticking loudly on this linchpin of Middle Eastern diplomacy, the oil market seemed not to hear it on Tuesday morning:

Oh No! Oh Well ...

Brent crude oil had a brief, small spike on the news of Tillerson's firing but then dropped





Data: Bloomberg; graphic by Bloomberg Gadfly

Note: Intra-day pricing in ET.

There are several possible reasons for such apparent insouciance, the most likely being that, in the near term, surging non-OPEC oil supply smothers any geopolitical angst. Another is that while Tillerson's ouster elevates an Iran hawk, it also demonstrates the chaotic nature of the Trump administration, making it tough to draw any conclusions about the direction of policy, much less wager money on it.

It's also unclear whether U.S. abrogation of the deal would actually cut off Iranian barrels. Europe has been a big buyer of these since the deal went into effect, and China's imports of Iranian oil have jumped too:

Taking Tankers

Europe and China have taken virtually all of the extra oil Iran has exported since the nuclear deal came into effect

China

India

EU

Other/unknown

Data: Bloomberg Intelligence; graphic by Bloomberg Gadfly

Note: Trailing 12-month averages.

Europe, currently digesting President Trump's proposed steel and aluminum tariffs and formulating retaliatory ones of its own, may well choose not to go along with Washington's line. In that case, while the ultimate destination of Iran's barrels might change if America withdraws, the absolute volume may stay the same.

That said, America pulling out of the deal might cause foreign oil companies such as Total SA of France to think twice about committing more investment in Iran (ironically, Russian oil companies might well step in if others step back). This matters because Iran is projected by the International Energy Agency to increase its capacity for oil production by 330,000 barrels a day through 2023, almost half the net increase expected for OPEC as a whole.

Blunting that would count as an extra win for Saudi Arabia, not merely denying dollars to its mortal enemy but also raising the prospect of oil supply tightening by the end of the decade.

The kicker for Saudi Arabia would be if this also brings forward harder U.S. sanctions against Venezuela, another country whose regime is in Pompeo's cross-hairs. As I wrote here , the success of OPEC's supply cuts to date owes much to Venezuela's collapse. While Riyadh would never say so publicly, further pressure on Caracas would be a boon for Saudi coffers and a certain oil company's planned IPO .

Such wins, if they can be called that, mask more insidious risks to the oil market on which Saudi Arabia, Russia and other petro-states depend.

First, any geopolitical premium in oil will also accrue to U.S. producers, whose enthusiasm tends to act as a brake on prices overall. This would be especially the case if that premium works its way into longer-dated oil futures, supporting hedging .

The second, and bigger, issue is how Tuesday's news fits with a broader escalation of the administration's economic nationalism. It comes soon after the announcement of tariffs and the resignation of Gary Cohn as the president's top economic advisor. If Tillerson's firing did have anything to do with his comments about Russia's role in that poisoning in the U.K., then it would underline the fractures widening between the U.S. and its traditional allies; certainly, the White House's response to that incident has been far more ambivalent than anything out of Foggy Bottom. And let's not forget Trump's continued push for U.S. energy dominance .

As Kevin Book of ClearView Energy Partners put it to me on Tuesday morning:

The Trump administration has made a priority of closing trade gaps even as they are also opening rifts on foreign affairs.

Ultimately, the global oil market is a creature of free trade , as are many of the Asian economies, China included , that underpin demand growth. The geopolitical implications of Rexit may seem supportive of oil prices; the economic sub-plot is assuredly not.

Original story




Entercom Communications, the radio station operator now based in Bala Cynwyd, is negotiating to lease a floor at 2400 Market Street for its new headquarters, sources say. Aramark will relocate its Philadelphia employees there in late 2018. Read more

Entercom Communications Corp., the nation's No. 2 radio station group owner, plans to relocate its corporate headquarters from suburban Bala Cynwyd to a refurbished and modernized industrial building on the Schuylkill waterfront, according to multiple sources in radio and real estate.

The company is expected to take space at the new Aramark headquarters at 2400 Market St. Aramark announced in 2016 its plans to relocate there from 1101 Market.

Entercom is expected to take a floor in the office building, or about 60,000 square feet, sources say. They describe the lease signing as close but not completed. They did not want to be identified, for business reasons. Entercom spokeswoman Esther-Mireya Tejeda declined to comment.

If Entercom makes the move into Philadelphia, the city will be the headquarters for the nation's second-largest radio group and the nation's largest cable-TV and residential-internet provider, Comcast Corp.

Entercom now leases 14,000 square feet in Bala Cynwyd, according to private industry data. The company also operates six former CBS Radio stations in Philadelphia: KYW, WPHT-AM, WXTU, WOGL-FM, WTDY-FM (Today's 96.5), and WIP-FM. It was unclear whether the six stations would locate to 2400 Market.

Entercom closed on its deal to merge with CBS Radio in November, vastly expanding its national radio reach to more than 100 million listeners. The company has been consolidating CBS Radio operations around the country, even selling a parcel of land in Chicago for $46 million. It has changed station formats at former CBS Radio stations to boost ratings and replaced general mangers in many of its radio clusters.

Entercom and other companies based their operations in Bala Cynwyd over the years to avoid the city wage tax. Entercom has been located at 401 E. City Ave., Bala Cynwyd. But in recent years there has been some migration by companies with suburban operations back into the city to tap into the region's younger labor pool and the urban vibe.

Comcast will relocate the NBC10 and Telemundo 62 studios on Monument Road in Bala Cynwyd to its new tower under construction near the Comcast Center in Center City.

Aramark spokeswoman Karen Cutler said that its 1,200 employees are expected to relocate to the Schuylkill waterfront later this year. The building will be topped with the Aramark logo. Aramark is expected to occupy about 300,000 square feet on the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth floors of the building, which has unusually large floors.

Aramark announced in September 2016 that it would relocate to the 1920s Hudson Car Co. building. Gov. Wolf and Mayor Kenney participated in the news conference announcing Aramark's cross-town relocation. Aramark was enticed with $20.5 million in state incentives to stay in Philadelphia, according to published reports.
The interior auditorium space of the Boyd Theatre in Center City, which underwent demolition starting in 2015 after a developer was able to qualify for a financial hardship, allowing for most of it to be razed. Read more

When working at its best, local preservationists say, Philadelphia's historic preservation system can produce development feats as fairy tale-esque as the Divine Lorraine, the hulking, 1890s-era Victorian building that towers over North Broad Street. Abandoned and decaying as recently as a decade ago, the newly renovated apartment building is one of Philadelphia's preeminent preservation successes, having leveraged federal, state, and local grants and tax credits, as well as government and public support, to save the prominent structure.

But at its worst, those same preservationists argue, Philadelphia's system can leave the city with holes as deep and large as the one on the 1900 block of Sansom Street, where the Boyd Theatre's auditorium once stood. Its exterior listed on the city's historic register in 2008, the Art Deco theater just a few years later succumbed to development pressure anyway, when the Philadelphia Historical Commission granted the developer a hardship exception, greenlighting the razing of everything but the theater's facade.

Yet somewhere in the middle of those far-from-ordinary cases is where Philadelphia's preservation system most typically operates today. Indeed, there have been other recent victories for preservationists: Graduate Hospital's First African Baptist Church and Fishtown's St. Laurentius, for example. And developers have had plenty of wins, too: the rowhouses near Wills Eye Hospital, or Jewelers Row.

Behind the scenes of such high-profile dustups is a city still trying to figure out its preservation strategy  especially amid a period of rapid real estate change. Despite staking its claim as America's birthplace, or having the second-highest number of properties nationwide built before 1945, Philadelphia drastically underperforms its peers when it comes to historic preservation.

Compared with a 50-city nationwide average of 4.3 percent, Philadelphia has placed just 2.2 percent of its buildings on its local historic register, saving them from demolition, the National Trust for Historic Preservation estimates. In 2015, according to the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, the city provided the least amount of financial support to its historical commission, compared with eight other cities with similar entities. Meanwhile, just 51 properties, including one district, were designated as historic last year  a good start, advocates say, but a modest number compared with the nearly 350 demolition permits issued to private developers that same year.

The combination of those issues has led to what preservationists have called a near-crisis  one that has often sent many of them scrambling to save buildings after it's far too late.

"When 97 percent of the city is unprotected, you are left in a position of playing 'Whac-A-Mole,' trying to predict where the next threat will be to try to get in front of it," said Paul Steinke, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, a nonprofit agency that advocates for historic preservation and works on historic nominations. "It's a Sisyphean task."

The problems that Philadelphia faces have forced officials to acknowledge that the city can no longer let its current process shake out  especially as historic buildings and modern towers both must exist. As a start, Mayor Kenney, honoring a campaign promise, convened a 33-member task force last year to confront these delicate challenges. Comprising planners, preservationists, politicians, and developers, the group is charged with identifying specific problems, reviewing possible solutions, and, ultimately, recommending to the mayor and City Council a road map to a better-protected future.

On Wednesday, the task force will release its findings so far, with two more reports expected before the year's end.

The 18-page report, the culmination of more than six months of neighborhood listening sessions and research, evaluates how Philadelphia's historic preservation landscape stacks up in four key areas: preservation policies and regulations, property surveying, incentives, and outreach.

Philadelphia's biggest strength lies in its preservation regulations, the report says. Unlike many other cities', Philadelphia's preservation ordinance is "easy to locate, well-organized, contains relevant portions of the city's zoning code  and is supported by a searchable database of historic landmarks and districts," the report says.

To bolster the ordinance, a regulations subcommittee is reviewing, among other things, the required documentation for historic nominations and "a potential demolition delay process." Other cities have such an option, with Chicago, for example, mandating a 90-day hold on the demolition of certain buildings to explore preservation or alternatives.

Philadelphia does have a strong ordinance, said Harris Steinberg, the chair of the task force and the executive director of Drexel University's Lindy Institute of Urban Innovation. "I sat on the Historical Commission in the early 2000s  it is a deliberative body that enables anyone to participate. If you or I think a building is important and meets the criteria, we can submit an application without the owner's consent. It's a fairly unique and important part of Philadelphia's rules and regulations."

Despite that strength, the report finds, Philadelphia still falls short in many places. The Philadelphia Historical Commission, the report notes, for years has seen its workload swell  in 2016, the commission processed double the number of permits that it did in 2000  while its resources have largely stayed the same, limiting its capacity for nominating properties or boosting educational outreach. (The commission did, however, bring on two more staff members in December.)

Meanwhile, the task force's survey subcommittee found that "while Philadelphia is an old city, it lags behind its peers in the number of designated properties"  and currently lacks any kind of survey or inventory of the city's buildings, making it difficult to know which properties are worth saving.

Even more, the report finds, there are no zoning, process, or tax-credit incentives on the local level specifically designed to encourage owners to preserve historic properties. Developers can currently receive either competitive state or federal tax credits  though the federal tax bill signed into law last year diminishes the credits' value, some have argued, by forcing developers to spread the write-off over five years, rather than allowing it to be used all at once.

According to Seri Worden, a task force member and a senior field officer for the National Trust, other cities have bolstered preservation incentive packages with tax credits or abatements. Whether Philadelphia's task force will advocate for instituting such a tax credit or amending the 10-year tax abatement to incentivize more preservation has not been decided, Worden said.

Beyond considering technical policies that may require legislative changes or increased funding, the task force also is focusing, simply, on how to include more Philadelphians in the preservation process.

"The hope of this group is that preservation is not seen as something for a prominent, elite group," Steinberg said. "It's everybody's tool, it's everybody's responsibility, it's everybody's birthright."

"This is something that we all own collectively," Steinberg continued. "Let's figure out how we can incentivize people to participate."

The task force's next report will identify best practices from other cities and Philadelphia's priorities. The third and final paper, expected to be released in December, will contain specific recommendations for Philadelphia and proposed strategies for carrying them out.

The National Trust is providing technical assistance to the task force, and the William Penn Foundation is supporting the project with a $183,750 grant.
City council member Helen Gym speaking in support of "Fair Workweek" legislation at City hall, Philadelphia on February 13th, 2018. Gym is considering legislation to require more employers to set regular schedules for workers, a move bound to upset some business leaders. Read more

As if poverty-skirting wages don't cause enough stress, most service workers in the Philadelphia region labor under unpredictable schedules that trigger a host of ailments and insecurities, according to a study.

About 100,000 people, most of them in part-time jobs, toil in the retail and food service sectors in the region.

Irregular hours cause many who work for hourly wages to suffer financial hardship, according to an ongoing national study, called the Shift Project, conducted by two California researchers. Workers' weekly take-home pay, already low, fluctuates dramatically. They are less likely to pay their bills. Planning for child care and other family responsibilities becomes much harder. They report more psychological distress and poor sleep quality.

"Just in time" scheduling represents a huge trend with many retail stores and restaurants now using it to match staffing with consumer demand, said Kristen Harknett, a researcher at the University of California-San Francisco who conducted the study with her research partner, Daniel Schneider, of UC-Berkeley.

Employees receive schedules a few days in advance and may have their shifts changed or added at the last minute. About 30 percent of the Philadelphia service workers surveyed said they were expected to keep their schedules open and remain available for work.

"Companies are already under a lot of pressure to back away from some of these practices, to not rely on on-call workers and give more notice," Harknett said. "Several cities are contemplating changes."

Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, and the state of Oregon have passed legislation that requires companies to give employees advance notice of their work schedules. Some require larger retailers and restaurants to offer some payment to their hourly workers when shifts are eliminated on shorter notice.

Philadelphia City Council member Helen Gym and others in City Hall are reviewing those ordinances and considering whether to propose legislation that would require employers to give their workers more consistent schedules and more advance warning if their shifts change.

"We're actively looking at that, but there is not a specific timeline," said Gym's spokeswoman, Melissa McCleery.

Harknett, formerly a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania, returned to Philadelphia this week to meet with members of City Council.

Businesses, however, typically don't want additional regulations. And several business groups are poised to oppose such legislation, arguing that it will tie employers' hands and lead to lost jobs.

In many ways, the experience of workers in Philadelphia resembles those in other cities, Harknett said. "The same aspects of instability play out all over the country," she said.

Harknett and her research partner, Schneider, say they have surveyed more than 40,000 shift workers nationwide in big-box stores, the big retail apparel chains, and fast-food chains.

Harknett's Shift Project collected survey data by placing ads on Facebook between August 2016 and June 2017. Ads were targeted at people who identified themselves as working for large retail and food employers.

Of the 687 workers surveyed in the region, the median hourly wage was $10.71. About 40 percent made less than $9, far under the living wage estimated to be $24.90 for a single parent with one child.

According to the study, the majority of retail and restaurant workers in the Philadelphia region  77 percent  would like to have a more stable and predictable work schedule. Having more regular shifts, Harknett said, would make it easier for respondents to hold a second job.

An irregular work schedule sometimes causes extra stress and makes it hard to meet caregiving responsibilities for more than 70 percent of the shift workers, according to the study.
Elizabeth Holmes ,the discredited CEO of Theranos speaks at the AACC conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Read more

NEW YORK  Elizabeth Holmes, a Stanford University dropout once billed as the "next Steve Jobs," has forfeited control of Theranos, the blood-testing startup she founded, and will pay $500,000 to settle charges that she oversaw a "massive

fraud."

Under an agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Holmes is barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years. The SEC said Wednesday that it will pursue its case against the president of the company, Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, in federal court.

The settlement comes two years after the SEC, prompted by a Wall Street Journal investigation, began looking into claims Theranos had made about its potentially revolutionary blood-testing technology.

The Journal quoted former employees that suspected the technology was a fraud, and it found that the company was using routine blood-testing equipment for the vast majority of its tests. The story raised concerns about the accuracy of Theranos' blood-testing technology, which put patients at risk of having conditions either misdiagnosed or ignored.

Holmes, 34, founded Theranos in Palo Alto, California, in 2003, pitching the company's technology as a cheaper way to run dozens of blood tests. Once considered the nation's youngest female billionaire, Holmes said she was inspired to start the

company in response to her fear of needles.

Theranos raised millions in startup funding by promoting its tests as costing a "fraction" of what other labs charge.

At the center of Theranos' mystique was its "Edison" machine, which the company claimed could test for a variety of diseases through only a few drops of blood from a person's finger. Despite the hype and company claims, Theranos shared few details on how its Edison machine  named after the inventor  worked.

Theranos attracted extraordinary interest and loaded its board with huge names, mainly elder Washington statesmen, including two former U.S. secretaries of state: Henry Kissinger and George Schultz. The group was criticized for lacking expertise in science or medicine.

Holmes kept strict control over her image, wearing only black turtleneck sweaters in public, much like Steve Jobs, was subject of several fawning profiles in business magazines and tech-focused news outlets.

Theranos' intrigue went beyond just investors and the media. In 2015, Holmes was able to convince the Arizona State Legislature and Gov. Doug Ducey to pass a law allowing patients to get blood tests without a doctor's order, for the direct benefit of Theranos. The company got Walgreens to open store-within-a-store concepts where customers could get their blood tested by Theranos.

After the Journal's investigation, Theranos and Holmes pushed back hard, and for months refused to acknowledge that its machines were effectively a sham. State and federal authorities started investigations into the accuracy of the company's blood testing work. In 2016 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees blood testing labs in the U.S., banned Holmes from operating a lab and revoked Theranos' blood testing license.

In late 2016, Theranos began shutting down its clinical labs and wellness centers and laid off more than 40 percent of its full-time employees. The company has been on life support ever since, and is rumored to be close to bankruptcy.

Along with the fine announced Wednesday, Holmes agreed to return 18.9 million shares of Theranos that she obtained during the fraud. If the company is sold or liquidated in bankruptcy, Holmes will not profit from any remaining ownership in the company until at least $750 million in proceeds are returned to investors, the SEC said.

Theranos said Wednesday that neither the company nor Holmes admitted or denied wrongdoing.

"The company is pleased to be bringing this matter to a close and looks forward to advancing its technology," Theranos said in a prepared statement.
A spokesman for Gov. Tom Wolf (left) says members of the School Reform Commission cant run for any political office. Commissioner Bill Green (right) disagrees. Read more

Gov. Wolf says the law is clear: School Reform Commissioner Bill Green can't run for Congress.

But Wolf, who has locked horns with Green in the past, doesn't intend to oust him from the state-created SRC anytime soon, even as he campaigns for Pennsylvania's Second District seat in the U.S. House.

The reason? The Wolf administration said it doesn't want another costly lawsuit over Green.

"At this time, we have no plans to try to remove Mr. Green," said Wolf spokesman J.J. Abbott. "We do not believe it is worthwhile for the commonwealth to risk spending another cent on litigation over Mr. Green's unpaid position that will be abolished in a few months."

Wolf demoted Green, who had been appointed by his 2014 Republican opponent Gov. Tom Corbett, from his position as SRC chairman in 2015. Green sued to get his job back, and lost.

In a sharply worded statement, Abbott said that Green "retained a conservative special interest group to foot his legal bills" in that suit. The Fairness Center, an organization that says it provides "free legal services to those hurt by public employee union officials," represented Green. Abbott said he could not provide an estimate of the suit's cost to taxpayers because lawyers employed by the state handled the case.

Green, a Democrat, is challenging U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle in the primary. Green and the School District's Office of the General Counsel have maintained that he can do so while sitting on the SRC.

Pennsylvania law states that "no commission member may, while in the service of the School Reform Commission, seek or hold a position as any other public official within this commonwealth."

Miles Shore, the Philadelphia School District's deputy legal counsel, said previously that "the definition of 'public official' in the Ethics Act does not include any federal positions," adding that the Ethics Act is the "most pertinent legal authority" on the issue.

Abbott said "our interpretation of the law is that no SRC commissioner can run for any political office." Three election lawyers who examined the issue at the request of the Inquirer and Daily News agreed with that position.

Asked for comment, Green reiterated that "the district's lawyers were consulted in advance" of his decision to run for Congress "and their advice is being followed."

The Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, an education advocacy group that has been critical of Green, sent a letter to Wolf last week urging him to "immediately remove" Green from the SRC.

"No one, including Mr. Green, can serve on the SRC while seeking public office. There is no question that a person serving in the U.S.Congress is a public official," the organization wrote.

The SRC will cease to exist in June, when local officials take back control of the city's schools. For Green and Wolf, the standoff seems the perfect coda to their relationship.

Green is a former City Councilman whose father, a former mayor, and grandfather were both congressmen.
Chris Hatton (left) and his son Charlie, 8, stand with Sam Soldan and her husband, Jonathan Fingerut, and sons Xander, 5, and James, 8. Both families have been told they did not win after-school-care slots for their elementary school children this fall. Read more

It shouldn't be this hard keeping your kids alive while you and your spouse try to work.

Not in 2018, when two-income households are the necessary norm in even modestly middle-class communities. Not when you consider how today's parents are steeped in stagnant wages and less economic security than their own parents were a generation ago, when Mom could stay home with the kids without sacrificing the mortgage along the way.

And yet, there they were last month, biologist Samantha Soldan and advertising guy Christoper Hatton, mildly panicking on a Haverford Township train platform as the Center City-bound friends compared notes about news that had just been dumped into their respective families' laps.

Their 8-year-old sons, third-grade buddies at Chatham Park Elementary School, would no longer be welcome to spend afternoons there in the fall. The parents had paid thousands of dollars up till now to have their boys stay before or after school. But money would not fix this problem. Next fall, every after-hours child-care slot at nearly all of Haverford Township's elementary schools had filled up just a few hours after registration began.

About 100 kids in the 11-and-under age range would be kicked to the curb at 3:30 p.m.

Parents would have to figure this out themselves. A daunting task in a densely built, older Delaware County suburb where families are flocking in big numbers to the scarcity that is a relatively affordable home in a strong public school district. Society, in other words, was happily throwing yet another burden onto the shoulders of a generation already buckling under the pressures of a merciless economy.

Hatton, Soldan, and their other anguished parent friends are constantly juggling jobs, kids, and all the frenetic craziness of parenting with no social safety net. But they swarmed this problem immediately with advocacy. They emailed the agency that runs the child-care program, the principal at the school where it is held, and top officials with the school district itself. Can someone please help? they asked.

What they got instead was a rude wake-up call: Being middle class in 21st-century America is like being the B student in high school.

You're invisible unless you start making trouble.

My hope with this column is that policymakers will start giving a damn about these obedient lambs. And not just the ones who run the Haverford school board and township, but anyone who dares to campaign in any election this year as a champion of the middle class.

"The infrastructure is not there to support families with two incomes," said Soldan, 44, whose family of four occupies a 1,400-square-foot home because that is what it can afford.

These are not entitled slacker-elites, if I may co-opt some of the nasty language the hard right uses to describe people who go to school and try to improve their lives near big cities. Between third grader James and 5-year-old Xander, Soldan and her husband shell out about $25,000 a year just for child care so that Mom and Dad can work to support the family.

"Everybody's just at a loss," Hatton, 42, told me after finding my email address on the web a few weeks back to rant. "I just feel like we're at a dead end."

Desperation had driven him to find me. And thank God he did.

You don't get heard sometimes if you don't scream.

What I must make absolutely clear here, for starters, is that the school district has done nothing legally wrong.

Districts are under no obligation whatsoever to provide child care, on or off their premises. Those that do, however, have done so in response to emerging needs. Most who do make this amenity available to parents hire contractors to use school grounds. Those contractors run the programs themselves.

Such is the case with Family Support Services in Haverford. And FSS director Jennifer Dorn says demand has surged in just the last three years.

"The need for it has expanded exponentially," Dorn told me. "I just think that there's more families where both parents are working."

FSS can't expand without more space. The district says it has no more space to give.

And when parents emailed both, all they got in return were emailed versions of hand-wringing and lukewarm condolences.

Neil Evans, a four-decade public schools veteran who recently joined Haverford as the head of pupil services, told me the crush of demand in Haverford is unlike anything he's observed at other suburban districts, including Upper Dublin and Hatboro-Horsham.

"I've never seen it to this level," he said.

Why, I kept asking, isn't this a policy priority?

The school district sees fit to help provide the amenity  but washes its hands of the matter once it gets sticky. Parents say there are few other options in town, and the few that do exist appear equally difficult to get into due to extraordinary demand. It's just not a sign of a healthy society to put these kinds of pressures entirely on parents or to expect solutions from a free market that clearly isn't adjusting to meet demand.

Even School Board President Larry Feinberg was initially a tough sell when I asked what the district could do to help.

"I know it's a problem," Feinberg told me. "I don't have a solution."

The world has changed, I told him, since your college-age kids were in school. You and your wife watched them after school because you worked from home, I added. Most parents just don't have that wiggle room.

Feinberg came around.

Maybe the township could find a building, he said. Maybe the district, the township, the school board, and the agency could brainstorm a way out of this tough situation.

"As a policymaker," Feinberg said, "if the demand is there and parents want to come and raise the issue at the township level and at the district level, perhaps we can jointly look at the problem."

Perhaps, in other words, a little noise from the middle class is now in order.
British Prime Minister Theresa May needs U.S. and NATO support to push back against alleged Kremlin murders on British soil. Read more

In 2005, I interviewed a foreign leader who believed he had been poisoned by the Kremlin.

The newly elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko  hero of the Orange Revolution that defeated a candidate backed by Russia  nearly died after drinking soup laced with dioxin. His once-handsome face was discolored and pockmarked by the poison. Yushchenko told me the would-be assassin was his chef, who had fled to Moscow, where the Kremlin rejected any investigation.

Fast-forward to now. Britain just accused Russia of responsibility for the poisoning of an ex-spy, Sergei Skripal, and his daughter, who were found near death in the city of Salisbury. The poison used was a rare Soviet-era nerve agent, Novichuk, which is more lethal than sarin or VX; it was invented by Russian scientists for use against NATO troops. Moscow brazenly denies involvement.

This outrageous attack is the latest in a long string of killings or attempted murders of Kremlin opponents, many in Britain. Some victims were felled by other rare poisons traceable to Russia.

Prime Minister Theresa May has finally pushed back, stating the attack "represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom." Britain has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and taken other punitive measures.

But May needs firm backing from NATO and Washington to confront Moscow's blatant attacks on British soil. What she needs most is strong, public support from President Trump.

So far the president is hewing to his never-criticize-Putin policy. Instead, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, made a tough speech Wednesday calling the poisoning "Russia's crime" and denouncing Moscow's use of chemical weapons.

But given the way this White House operates, no one can assume any cabinet official reflects the president's thinking. Unless Trump openly backs May, and endorses retaliation against Moscow, Putin will assume he can murder at will.

Consider the boldness of the attack on Skripal. He was a former double agent who worked secretly for British intelligence, was unmasked by Russia and imprisoned, then freed in a prisoner exchange in which the United States returned eight spies to Moscow. He lived quietly in Salisbury; in the old Cold War days exchanged spies weren't attacked by Moscow.

Times have changed. The Kremlin now seems determined to hunt down its opponents living in Britain and elsewhere. British experts believe professionals managed to expose Skripal to Novichuk, perhaps in a pub or a restaurant or his car, leading to muscle spasms and organ failure. A policeman and nearly two dozen civilians were also affected.

The Skripal attack revives memories of the 2006 death of Alexander Litvinenko, a Putin opponent and naturalized Briton; he died of polonium-210 poisoning in London. British authorities traced the source of this rare element to Russia. Again, the Kremlin denied all.

The British response to Litvinenko's death was cautious, which critics claim encouraged more murders. British authorities now intend to investigate 14 other suspicious deaths in Britain of Kremlin opponents.

Of course this doesn't touch on the use of poisons that have felled several domestic Kremlin opponents and journalists. Or the outright murder of political opposition activists such as Boris Nemtsov in front of the Kremlin's walls.

However, the Skripal affair is acutely important. It illustrates Putin's utter contempt for NATO and Western democracies. He is clearly testing, trying to show that post-Brexit Britain and NATO are too weak to counter such murders. Several NATO governments are now pro-Putin and unwilling to consider new economic sanctions.

No wonder Putin appears unworried about reprisals. Most important, he appears confident Trump will refuse to back May.

No doubt the Russian leader recalls Trump's shocking interview with Bill O'Reilly last year when O'Reilly snapped, "Putin's a killer." Trump retorted: "You got a lot of killers.  What, you think our country's so innocent?"

Candidate Trump made his feelings even clearer in December 2015 in an interview on Morning Joe. After an effusive round of Putin praise from Trump, Joe Scarborough noted the Russian leader was "also a person that kills journalists and political opponents and invades countries." Trump responded: "At least he's a leader."

That kind of thinking seems to underlie Trump's reluctance so far to join in May's strong critique of Russia over Skripal. When asked by journalists about the case, Trump waffled and refused to be drawn in. (Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took a much stronger stand on the case, giving heart to British officials, but that was just before he was fired.)

Putin respects strength. Trump's waffling will only convince the Russian he can pursue vendettas in the West with impunity. It will further fracture NATO and undercut relations with Britain. No wonder the Kremlin dismisses the Skripal case as "a circus show."

"They [the Kremlin] have treated the use of a military-grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt, and defiance," said May on Wednesday.

Does Donald Trump even care?

trubin@phillynews.com; @trudyrubin
Student walkout at Cherry Hill West High School in remembrance of those killed in Parkland shooting in Cherry Hill, NJ on March 14, 2018. Read more

A national school walkout protesting gun violence took place in cities and suburbs around the United States early Wednesday.

Schools in the Philadelphia region were no exception  students are making their voices heard one month after a gunman opened fire on his classmates at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., killing 17 and sparking a nationwide movement calling for legislative action.

The calls were first sparked by the shooting survivors at Marjory Stoneman, but inspired many around the country. Students and faculty pledged to leave their classrooms for 17 minutes beginning at 10 a.m. Wednesday, a minute for each person killed last month.

While the movement has sparked a debate on a "disconnect" between city and suburban schools, hundreds of high schoolers still participated, taking to social media to share some of their experiences.

Students at Cherry Hill High West organized signs like "Fear Has No Place in Our School" and "Unite 4 Parkland" to hold up during the walkout, which started shortly after 9:30 a.m. Wednesday.

"Finished the walkout but this is only the beginning," a Twitter account documenting the protest at the school reported.

The signs seen in Cherry Hill demanding change were prevalent at walkouts around the region. Students who gathered at Temple University's Bell Tower as part of the group Philly Students Demand Action held flyers marked #enough. Students from Science Leadership Academy voiced "That Could've Been Us" during their rally in Center City, where Councilman Kenyatta Johnson also spoke.

Walkout participants at Penn Alexander School on 42nd and Spruce Streets formed a human "peace" sign to voice their message, while a large group gather at the School District of Philadelphia's headquarters along Broad Street Wednesday afternoon before marching to City Hall.

"I honestly don't know what I'm more afraid of, if there could occur another school shooting or knowing that my teachers might be armed in school," said Cindy Perez-Nieto, a Science Leadership Academy student and youth leader at Juntos, a nonprofit fighting for the rights of immigrants, at City Hall. "As a student, I believe that arming our teachers is not the right solution."

The movement was also felt in Philadelphia's suburbs, where phrases like "we are tired of living in fear in our own schools" and "protect kids not guns" could be heard at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr. Those walking out at Cheltenham High School asked, "am I next?"

Abington Senior and Junior High School students shared a powerful video Wednesday called Rise Up that encouraged peers to "be the change."

Wednesday's movement comes ahead of "March for Our Lives," a rally against mass shootings taking place in D.C. that's inspired hundreds of other "sibling marches" happening around the country, including in Philadelphia.
Kayla Brooks, center, from the Multicultural Academy Charter School in Philadelphia, walks with other students on the one-month anniversary of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting that killed 17 people. Read more

The student walkouts across Pennsylvania and New Jersey to protest gun violence Wednesday drew a variety of reactions from school administrators, ranging from support to warnings of disciplinary consequences.

Some school districts, like Council Rock in Bucks County, said they were worried about student safety outside and tried to hold events indoors. But students walked out anyway.

At Council Rock High School North, more than 400 students left the building to protest. Some parents lauded the children and criticized the district, whose superintendent, Robert Fraser, had warned that students would be disciplined for walking out. (Fraser backed away from that position Wednesday afternoon, saying in a statement that students will not be disciplined).

Rumors that staff tried to block doorways with desks and chairs were false, a district spokeswoman said, explaining that tables were set up to take attendance of students as they re-entered the building, not to stop them from walking out.

At William Allen High School in Allentown, administrators said students who left the building would be marked tardy or absent. The school instead held a discussion inside the auditorium on school violence. Similarly, more than 200 students at Pennridge High School in Bucks County who opted to participate in the walkout instead of attend an assembly will be issued detentions.

In the North Jersey community of Sayreville, administrators had threatened to suspend students who walked out. Only one student walked at the high school.

In Toms River, students at Donovan Catholic High School attended a prayer service instead of a walkout.

In Philadelphia, students were allowed to walk out, and some administrators voiced support for the students.

At Greene Street Friends School in Philadelphia, administrator Ryan Kimmet said he was "incredibly proud" to stand with students.

In the Upper Merion School District, college counselor Erik Enters also commended students.

At Delaware Valley Friends School in Paoli, administrators allowed some students to walk through town carrying signs.
Freshman Kennedi Lawson, 14, carries a sign as students walk out at Cherry Hill West High School on the one-month anniversary of the Parkland, Fla., high school shooting that killed 17 people. Read more

Thousands of students around the Philadelphia region joined counterparts nationwide in a walkout to protest gun violence Wednesday morning, a month to the day 17 people were killed in a shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

The #NationalSchoolWalkout officially began at 10 a.m. Organizers had called for the protests to last 17 minutes in honor of the Parkland victims, but some lasted longer, including a march by students on Philadelphia's City Hall.

At Philadelphia's Central High School, the second largest school on the city, students chanted "No guns!" and "Enough is enough!"

After speeches, many of the students headed to the Philadelphia School District's offices at 440 N. Broad St. for a rally followed by a march to City Hall.

"The NRA is not ok!" and "Books, not bullets!" the students chanted as they marched down Broad Street to City Hall.

At City Hall, they chanted, "Hold hands, not guns" and "We stand together! We stand forever!"

Hundreds of students earlier took part in the Central High protest.

Students at Cherry Hill West High School walked out about 9:30 a.m. and later returned to classes.

At Lower Merion High School, the walkout started at 10 a.m. After a period of silence the students gathered for speeches.

This was the scene at the Workshop School in West Philadelphia, where the motto is "Teaching students to change the world."

The walkout at Atlantic City High School was called off after the school was locked down for what was described as an "active police investigation."

Hours before the protest was set to begin, another South Jersey school district canceled classes for the day after Harrison Township reported an anonymous potential threat against Clearview Regional High School.

>> READ MORE: 'This is only the beginning': Students' views of the National School Walkout

>> READ MORE: How school districts responded to the walkout

The Clearview Regional School District, which has about 2,500 students in grades seven through 12 from rural Harrison and Mantua Townships, said in a statement that county sheriff's department and New Jersey State Police canine units conducted a sweep of the school building overnight but found no weapons.

Still, the district said, the school would be closed Wednesday "due to the lack of specificity to the threat."

Meanwhile, Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old charged in the Parkland mass killing, also is due in court Wednesday for a hearing after prosecutors announced they would seek the death penalty against him.

You can follow our reporters and columnists covering the protest on Twitter:
This May 13, 2015, file photo shows the contents of a drug overdose rescue kit at a training session on how to administer naloxone, which reverses the effects of heroin and prescription painkillers, in Buffalo, N.Y. Read more

City health officials are encouraging residents  especially those who know or work with people who use opioids  to carry the overdose-reversing drug naloxone in an effort to save lives.

The city Department of Public Health on Tuesday announced a $100,000 ad campaign that features images of a person being revived with naloxone nasal spray with the caption "Saving a Life Can Be This Easy."

Officials said the city, since July 1, has handed out 25,000 doses of Narcan, and 7,000 people were saved by police officers, firefighters and medics last year  on top of those revived by community organizations and private citizens. But despite such efforts, they said, overdoses last year hit an unprecedented high, the highest death rate among major U.S. cities: About 1,200 people died of overdoses in the city in 2017.

"More widespread use of naloxone has the potential to save many more lives," the department said in a news release. The campaign will emphasize how easy it is to use Narcan - which, thanks to a standing order, can be obtained at Pennsylvania pharmacies without a prescription.
Due to repeated attempts at sabotage by the Trump Administration, the Affordable Care Act's individual marketplace has seen rising prices over the past year. The average premium cost rose by 30.6% between 2017 and 2018 in Pennsylvania. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as health policy experts, have called for the passage of a stabilization package that would shore up the marketplace and prevent prices from rising further in 2019.

While a bipartisan group of Senators works on the stabilization package, the Trump administration is pushing to include plans that do not cover all the essential health benefits nor provide protections for pre-existing conditions in the package. These plans  including short-term, limited duration plans  were prohibited by the Affordable Care Act because they left many enrollees without adequate coverage and would seriously undermine efforts to stabilize the marketplace.

Short-term plans are currently allowed for precisely that, a short gap. The Affordable Care Act allows these limited short-term plans to cover someone for up to three months, but requires that individuals have full coverage for the majority of the year. The Administration, however, wants to lengthen the amount of time that people can be covered by these plans, possibly extending them beyond a year.

Here's why short-term, limited-duration plans are problematic, especially over a long period of time:

They are not required to cover pre-existing conditions.

They are allowed to charge individuals more based on their health history.

They are not required to cover essential health benefits (e.g. prescription medications).

They do not cap out-of-pocket expenses.

They may have benefits limits after which the coverage stops paying.

They do not qualify for federal financial assistance.

The proposed rules to expand short-term plans allow states to specifically regulate how these plans operate in each state. According to a Princeton study, states have several options. They could require short-term plans to comply with all or some of the Affordable Care Act's consumer protections and market regulations. States could also limit the duration of those plans or impose stronger consumer protections. States like New York and New Jersey require plans to cover all consumer protections and regulations. Rhode Island requires plans to cover pre-existing conditions. Arizona and Minnesota limit plans to six months, while Oregon limits plans to three months. Pennsylvania has none of these requirements or protections.

Without any protections, the impact of short-term plans on Pennsylvania is significant, according to a new report by the Urban Institute. Importantly, the effect is cumulative when combined with the repeal of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate last fall as part of the tax package as both policies encourage younger and healthier individuals to leave the marketplace.

According to this report, 209,000 people are expected to lose coverage in Pennsylvania as a result of the repeal of the individual mandate. Because of the resulting increase in premiums, expanding short-term plans would add an additional 87,000  or 18.2% of those who currently have marketplace coverage to the ranks of the uninsured. The 165,000 people expected to be covered under short-term plans will be technically insured, but their coverage will be inadequate. Combining the effects of this exodus from the marketplace, we will see roughly a 19.2% increase in individual marketplace plan premiums in 2019.

State lawmakers can take action to stop this. Pennsylvania could limit the plans' length, limit the number of renewals, or require plans to cover pre-existing conditions. The Commonwealth currently does not have these protections. At the end of 2017, Senator Vincent Hughes introduced Senate Bill 958, which would require all health insurance policies to cover pre-existing conditions. Pennsylvania needs strong state action now to protect consumers from short-term plans.

Furthermore, lawmakers in Washington should ensure that any market stabilization package does just that: stabilize insurance markets. Including increased usage of short-term plans in the package is unacceptable and would undermine their efforts.
For most of my 46 years, I have battled mild to severe depression and anxiety. Mood disorders run like a sticky red tape through my family, so it wasn't a surprise that I needed a psychiatrist's care starting as a young child. He helped me push on through middle and high school.

But when I went to college  away from my support system  I started thinking about suicide. Hearing this, a campus psychiatrist had me hospitalized, which only increased my despair. I attempted suicide and was institutionalized even longer.

With time and intensive therapy, along with an early form of antidepressant called a tricyclic, I managed to pull myself back into life. I finished college, worked in journalism, got married, had three children.

However, my depression never entirely left me alone. Dysthymia, a persistent, mild depression that insidiously eats away at self esteem, meant I couldn't feel sustained pleasure or pride in the accomplishments for which I had fought so hard.

But that was nothing compared with what happened a few months ago. Without warning, I slid back down into the dark hole of severe depression, complete with thoughts of suicide.

Major depression strikes both sexes, but is more common in women, in part, it is thought, due to hormonal differences. Its incidence is on the rise, but it already is the leading cause of disease burden  a measure of both health and financial impact  in women worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

As my case illustrates, major depression affects the entire family. My husband and in-laws took care of the children. Friends brought dinners. And I dragged myself through the days, desperate to stay out of the hospital, leaning on my psychoanalyst and the psychiatrist who prescribed my medications.

It wasn't enough.

After many grueling weeks, my psychiatrist suggested that I consider transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)  a treatment I had never heard of.

Like an electronic woodpecker

TMS is a noninvasive treatment administered by a physician in an outpatient setting daily for approximately six weeks. A magnetic coil that produces pulsing energy is placed on selected parts of the scalp, carefully set to the level of energy needed to stimulate a patient's brain cells. You remain lying down, wearing earplugs because the machine makes a loud clicking sound like an MRI. In my experience, TMS feels like an electronic woodpecker hammering on my head. But oddly enough, it isn't painful, and I sometimes even drift off to sleep during treatment.

The magnetic stimulation has been shown to change neuron activity in parts of the brain involved in mood regulation. Estimates for the success of TMS in patients who haven't been helped by medication or other therapies vary between 50 percent and 75 percent.

It sounded so promising  and I was so desperate  that I quickly scheduled an appointment with John O'Reardon, a Voorhees psychiatrist who has long seen patients close to giving up.

During our 1-hour consultation, O'Reardon confirmed my severe depression, accompanied by high anxiety levels. He thought I might not be on the right combination of psychiatric medicines but also recognized I was in no condition for the agonizing process of recalibrating them. Since age 18, I've tried roughly 15 different drugs, without lasting success.

My experience is not uncommon. Statistics about the efficacy of antidepressants vary and indicate that those with moderate to severe depression benefit the most. Studies of adults with moderate to severe depression showed that about 40 to 60 out of 100 people who took an antidepressant noticed an improvement in their symptoms within six to eight weeks, though research also indicates that some of this gain may be due to a placebo effect.

Putting any major shifts in my medications on hold, O'Reardon recommended a full course of TMS, which the Food and Drug Administration approved in 2008 for the treatment of depression and migraines. I live in Bala Cynwyd but chose to drive every day to see O'Reardon because of his 21 years of experience, first at the University of Pennsylvania in a clinical research setting and now in private practice. I also took heart in his telling me that although I might feel "hopeless," I was not a "hopeless case."

"The amount of patients who have severe, what we call treatment-resistant depression, is about four million at any one time in the U.S.," O'Reardon said later in an interview. "These are patients who do not respond to medications, who may not respond to therapy, and really need something else. And for those patients, in particular, TMS is very useful."

The treatments stimulate connections of nerves or neurons called circuits to restore their normal activity.

"These circuits are disabled, or if you like, off-line in depression," O'Reardon said. "And because they're not working as normal, the patient has many things like depressed mood, low energy, poor sleep, and can, of course, even feel suicidal. By stimulating these circuits with magnetic energy, we can restore them to normal activity."

A typical course of TMS is five days a week for a total of 30 to 36 sessions. The treatment is very safe and, unlike psychiatric medications, has few side effects. The most serious issue is a risk of seizure in about one out of every 1,000 patients. People can drive themselves to and from appointments and conduct normal conversation during treatments.

Expanding TMSs reach

Approximately 1,000 TMS centers have popped up across the country since 2008. Clinicians around the world are studying TMS to treat conditions from post-traumatic stress disorder to autism spectrum disorder.

Deborah Kim and Susan Rushing, psychiatrists who jointly run TMS Associates of Pennsylvania in Haverford, do what is known as deep TMS.

"Really, the main difference is that it works on a larger part of the brain so it gets more of the circuit that we think is involved in depression," said Kim, who is also an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "This is as close as we can get without doing deep brain stimulation," she said of the surgical procedure used most often to help address some symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

She notes that TMS is especially useful for treating depression in women who don't want to use medication while pregnant or nursing.

Yvette Sheline, director of the Center for Neuromodulation in Depression and Stress at Perelman, and her colleague Desmond Oathes are researching using MRIs of people's brains to better pinpoint where the magnetic energy should be applied to maximize benefits. Showing brain activity on an MRI while the device is in use enables "the correct target to be identified at the outset and keeps the stimulation on target during treatment," Sheline said.

Roy Hamilton, a Penn neurologist, is looking at TMS for improving language development and motor skills after brain injuries such as stroke. "Plenty of patients who've been through physical therapy still have pretty dense motor deficits," Hamilton said, adding that a goal of his research is to "accelerate the course of recovery and to extend the overall level of recovery."

O'Reardon has used TMS "off-label" to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, auditory hallucinations caused by schizophrenia, and chronic pain.

Up out of the hole

I had 30 sessions at $300 a pop, which I paid for out-of-pocket and then submitted to my insurance company  after receiving prior authorization  for out-of-network reimbursement.

The sensation over time was like climbing up a staircase out of the hole, back into my daily life. I began working and parenting again and ultimately feeling brighter, more hopeful, and more resilient than I had in as long as I could remember.

"Some people really just feel like a light is turned on in a way that it never felt like when they were on medications," Kim said. "The world looks colorful again."

O'Reardon and I are now discussing how to maintain my gains, most likely through once or twice monthly session of TMS for the indefinite future. He will also continue to manage my medications.

As remarkable as my recovery feels, what may be more astonishing to me is discovering that depression may no longer be a life sentence for me.

"I had never had somebody tell me before that I could get fully well," I recently told O'Reardon. "That was really an eye-opener when I came in here, and you talked about remission."

"I think it speaks to some degree to under-treatment in the community  that [depression is] not always treated intensely enough, and then I guess maybe people don't think about it the way we should think about it: as a reversible illness," O'Reardon said.

"We should be treating depression more like treating hypertension or diabetes. If you had the right tools, you should be able to reverse things fully and get back to a normal balance. Now we don't always achieve that, but you've got to start with that goal in mind."
Natalia Orlovsky, a senior at Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, won $175,000 in a national science contest for her study of the effects of vaping Read more

While one-third of high school seniors say they have tried electronic cigarettes or other "vaping" devices, Chadds Ford-area teenager Natalia Orlovsky has been busy studying whether they are bad for you.

Smart move. On Tuesday night, Orlovsky, 18, a senior at Garnet Valley High School in Glen Mills, won the $175,000 second prize in the national Regeneron Science Talent Search.

She was among 40 finalists honored at a ceremony in Washington where the biotechnology company doled out more than $1.8 million in prize money. The $250,000 first prize went to New York City's Benjy Firester, who studied how weather patterns can spread spores of "late blight" fungus  the disease that caused the Irish potato famine of the 1840s.

"Incredibly surprised," Orlovsky said by phone moments after walking off the stage.

Her honor marks the second year in a row that a Philadelphia-area student has claimed second place in the prestigious competition for high school seniors, which dates to 1942 and is run by the nonprofit Society for Science and the Public. Last year, Conestoga High School's Aaron J. Yeiser won the $175,000 prize for his mathematical analysis of turbulent air flow.

Conestoga did well again this year, as senior Reese Caldwell was also among the 40 finalists. He and other finalists who were not among the top 10 finishers each earned $25,000 for their projects  in Caldwell's case, using pulses of light to stimulate the activity of enzymes in synthetic cells.

With vaping, Orlovsky waded into a hot topic where much remains unknown. The primary concern is that the user inhales vapors that usually contain nicotine, an addictive substance. Evidence suggests that users of vaping devices may be at risk of moving on to regular cigarettes  what physicians refer to as a "gateway" effect. On the flip side, the devices may also be useful for adults who are trying to quit traditional cigarettes.

Rather than look at the addictive potential of vaping, Orlovsky studied whether it could damage the lungs. Her conclusion: possibly.

She conducted her research in a University of Pennsylvania lab as part of a tuition-free summer program called Teen Research and Education in Environmental Science (TREES) in which students learn laboratory skills then pursue an independent project under the guidance of a mentor.

She found no evidence that the vapors altered the DNA of human lung cells in lab dishes, but she found that they triggered a chemical "stress response" inside the cell.

Some students in the TREES program need guidance in coming up with a research idea, said Jeffrey Field, a professor in the department of systems pharmacology and translational therapeutics at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine.

Not Orlovsky. She had a clear vision of what she wanted to accomplish, and pursued it with dogged intellectual curiosity, said Field, her mentor.

"My goal with the program is to expose students to science and expose them to academia in a way that doesn't involve just preparing for the next exam," Field said. "It's trying to ask questions that no one really knows the answers to. She certainly got the spirit."

Orlovsky is also unusual in her willingness to help others, said Hillary Lockard, a biology and chemistry teacher at Garnet Valley who served as the teenager's sponsor in various science competitions.

Case in point: After spending many hours online in search of various scholarships and research opportunities, Orlovsky felt as if a centralized list would be useful. So she compiled one, and made it available to others at her school, Lockard said.

"She's just humble and grateful for all of these opportunities," Lockard said.

The teenager said she thought of studying vaping after hearing from a friend who had studied a related topic in Penn's TREES program. She said she had never tried vaping herself, and was concerned that the practice was so widespread in teens.

Science smarts run in the family. Orlovsky's mother, Yevgeniya, is a researcher in the pharmaceutical industry, and her father, Dmitry, is a software engineer, she said.

Though skilled in the sciences, the teenager also has a passion for history, poetry, and math, among other subjects, describing herself as "an everything nerd." When she started the vaping study the summer before her junior year, she also volunteered on weekends at the University of Pennsylvania Museum, which houses the university's acclaimed archaeology collection.

The teenager subscribes to the notion that the humanities can provide insight to the study of science, and vice versa.

"Some of the most exciting work currently underway exists in the grey spaces between subject areas," she wrote. "If there's one thing I've come to see in my time as an 'everything nerd,' it's that there are many ways to look at big questions."
Add Philadelphia to the list of cities visited by Amazon scouts in connection with the company's planned second headquarters.

An Amazon.com Inc. site-selection team recently spent about a day and a half in Philadelphia, where they met with officials involved with the city's proposal to the company, Mayor Kenney said in an interview Wednesday after a presentation to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's real estate membership group.

No elected leaders, including Kenney, met directly with the Amazon team, he said. He declined to share any other details that he knew about the visit, including its timing.

Other cities to have confirmed visits from the technology and e-commerce giant concerning its headquarters project, nicknamed HQ2, include Denver, Washington, Dallas and Austin.

Jessica Calter, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp., which has been managing the Philadelphia's interactions with the Seattle company since the city was named among 20 finalists for the second corporate campus, declined to comment on the selection process.

"We continue to be excited to be one of the 20 cities moving forward in the Amazon HQ2 selection process, which continues to benefit the city and region," Calter said in an email.

Amazon declined in an email to comment beyond a standard statement concerning site visits: "Amazon is working with each HQ2 candidate city to dive deeper on their proposals and share additional information about the company's plans. We're excited to visit each location and talk about how HQ2 could benefit our employees and the local community."

The visits are part of the second phase of Amazon's site search that began with its selection, announced in January, of the 20 locations it planned to consider for the headquarters project after reviewing 238 proposals from throughout North America. It has said it will choose in 2018.

The company's plans call for spending more than $5 billion on the new corporate campus, where up to 50,000 people will be employed. It has said it could eventually put 8 million square feet of offices at the site, an amount of space equal to almost 6 Comcast Center towers.

Philadelphia's bid to Amazon centers on sites in University City and the South Philadelphia Navy Yard. All could satisfy its need for 500,000 square feet of space in 2019, the city said in its bid to the company.

Bill Luff, founder of the commercial property consultancy CRE Visions, said data on educational attainment and business climate can go a long way toward helping a company vet potential sites for relocation or expansion, but on-the-ground visits such as the ones now being paid by Amazon to candidate cities can be a deciding factor.

"There's a familiarization that takes place that goes way beyond any of the submitted information and goes way beyond the real estate transaction aspect," he said. "It becomes, 'Hey, what's the feel of this city like?' "
In a highly-watched special election in western Pennsylvania, Democrat Conor Lamb (right) is maintaining a slim lead over Republican Rick Saccone. Read more

In a highly watched special election in western Pennsylvania, Democrat Conor Lamb repeated his declaration of victory Wednesday afternoon as Republican Rick Saccone vowed to keep fighting.

With all precincts fully reporting and absentee ballots counted, Lamb held a 627-vote lead over Saccone in Pennsylvania's 18th district, a GOP stronghold that President Trump won by nearly 20 percentage points during the 2016 election. NBC News declared Lamb the "apparent winner" and the New York Times has called the race for the Democrat, while the Associated Press said the race was too close to call.

Some Republicans, fearing a loss, were scrambling for a new playbook. As my colleague Jonathan Tamari wrote, the fact that Lamb was even close in a district that didn't even have a Democratic candidate the previous two cycles provides "another daunting data point for Republican incumbents wondering if they might be better off retiring, including those in tougher Pennsylvania districts."

>> READ MORE: Republicans seek answer to Trump drag after special-election setback in Pa.

And all this for a district that likely won't even exist in November, thanks to a new congressional map drawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. In fact, even if Lamb's declarations of victory are correct, he could be running for reelection in a different district against Republican incumbent Rep. Keith Rothfus, due to the location of his house.

Here is a recap of reactions to the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th district:

5:30 p.m.: New York Times declares Lamb the winner

The Times said Lamb had an "insurmountable lead."

4:40 p.m.: Saccone seeks donations, says race is far from over

Saccone's campaign has emailed supporters to ask for donations, saying Lamb's claim of victory is "complete nonsense."

3:18 p.m.: Lamb tweets we did it

1:40 p.m.: Strong turnout for an off-year special election

Turnout for Tuesday night's special election was strong, especially considering there wasn't a president on the ballot (thought Trump was certainly on the mind of voters) and the winner will face another re-election in just a few months.

All told, 224,254 ballots were cast in the election, a 35 percent increase from the 166,076 votes that were cast in 2014 for former Rep. Tim Murphy, who ran unopposed during the last midterm election. It even exceeded the 214,912 votes the 18th District cast during Pennsylvania's 2014 gubernatorial election.

The number crunchers at ESPN's FiveThirtyEight dug even deeper into the numbers:

"The number of votes Lamb received was 80 percent of the number of votes Clinton received in this district in 2016 but Saccone got just 53 percent of the number of votes Trump got. Anecdotally, turnout was also  much higher

1 p.m.: Officials dont expect provisional, military ballots to change outcome

With all precincts reporting and all absentee ballots counted, election officials said the number of provisional and military ballots are typically small and would not chance the outcome of the race.

Westmoreland County elections director Beth Lechman told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that the county has about 20 provisional ballots to count and had received 23 military ballots. Nearly 72,000 ballots were cast in Westmoreland County, a little less than a third of the 228,000 votes cast in the special election.

Lechman also told the Associated Press that she hadn't heard any complaints from the Saccone campaign or Republican officials about voting or counting irregularities in Westmoreland county.

12:09 p.m.: Trump is a weight around the GOPs neck

That's the headline on a new piece by conservative Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin, summing up the worst fears of Republicans heading into the 2018 midterm elections:

"The race should be a blaring wake-up call to Republicans ("Commence panicking!"). This blue-collar district in the Rust Belt, ideally designed for President Trump, gave him a 20-point margin of victory 16 months ago. Moreover, the district has consistently voted Republican over the past few election cycles, and to top it off, Trump personally visited there twice, most recently on Saturday. Trump even announced tariffs designed to placate steel workers. And yet that 20-point advantage disappeared, thanks to massive Democratic turnout."

11:29 a.m.: All absentee votes are counted, and Lamb still leads

Greene County has finished counting its absentee ballots, and Lamb remains ahead of Saccone by a razor-thin margin of just 627 votes.

Here are the current vote totals, with 100 percent of precincts reporting:

Conor Lamb, Democrat: 113,813  49.8 percent

Rick Saccone, Republican: 113,186  49.6 percent

Miller, Libertarian: 1,379  0.6 percent

11:06 a.m.: GOP reportedly looking to impound voting machines

Republican officials are investigating a number of "purported Election Day irregularities" and plan to ask a court to impound all voting machines used in Tuesday's election, pending a recount, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette politics reporter Chris Potter.

According to the Post-Gazette, Republicans are looking at claims there were problems with voting machines and voters being told to go to the wrong polling places.

>> READ MORE: GOP officials claim voting irregularities in special Pa. election

The GOP also is looking into Republican attorneys being barred from overseeing the counting of absentee ballots in Allegheny County, but county spokeswoman Amie Downs told the Post-Gazette that under the state's Election Code, the observers didn't provide the required paperwork until the end of the evening, after the ballots had already been scanned.

10:52 a.m.: Republicans not ruling out a recount

With about 200 absentee ballots to be recounted in Greene County, as well as additional provisional and military ballots still outstanding, the national Republican Party isn't ruling out calling for a recount.

"We are waiting for provisional ballots to be counted," Jesse Hunt, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. "We are not ruling out a recount."

According to Pennsylvania state law, an automatic recount is triggered if a candidate wins an election by less than 0.5 percentage points. But that law doesn't apply to elections in individual districts, meaning petitions to have a recount would have to be filed by voters within five days, according to CNN political reporter. David Wright.

10:42 a.m.: Dent says Republicans facing a hurricane force wind

During an appearance on CNN Wednesday morning, retiring Rep. Charlie Dent (R., Pa.) didn't mince words about the trouble his party faces in the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.

"I think most Republicans realize we're running into a very serious headwind  a hurricane force wind. It's coming and we have to be ready for it," Dent said while discussing the results of the 18th district's special election. He also told CNN to keep its ears open to more retirements in the wake of last night's special election.

Dent, a seven-term centrist Republican and one of Pennsylvania's most prominent representatives in Congress, announced back in September he would not seek reelection.

"I've always come to accept a certain amount of dysfunction in government, but I guess they've taken it to a new level," Dent said of the instability coming from the White House. "They've taken the 'fun' out of dysfunction."

10:30 a.m.: GOP campaign chief: Results a wake-up call

Rep. Steve Stivers (R., Ohio), the campaign chief for House Republicans, called the results of Tuesday's special election a "wake-up call" for his party.

"This is a wake-up call. If you're getting outraised, this is a wake-up call," Stivers told Republicans during a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning, according to The Hill. "Prepare to bear down."

9:40 a.m.: Fox & Friends hosts call Lamb cute

There are many reasons why Lamb could end up winning the special election in the 18th district, but the host of Fox & Friends cited one major one Wednesday morning  he's cute.

"Brit Hume said he was cute a couple a nights ago," host Steve Doocy declared. Ainsley Earhardy called Lamb "very handsome" and Brian Kilmeade concluded "sometimes cuteness counts."

6:38 a.m.: NBC says Lamb the apparent winner

Early Wednesday morning, NBC News declared Lamb the "apparent winner" over Saccone.

"We waited all night to see could Rick Saccone beat that trend we've been seeing and really get a big number out of Washington County in the absentee ballots. He completely did not do that," NBC News national political correspondent Steve Kornacki reported. "And so, Connor Lamb is the apparent winner."

Staff writer Michael Boren contributed to this article.
THE PARENTS: Jaimie Polsz, 27, and Dennis Polsz, 31, of Mount Airy

THE CHILD: Lila June, born December 23, 2017

HOW PARENTHOOD HAS CHANGED THEM: "I underestimate what I'm capable of," Jaimie says, while Dennis notes that "I'm less easily fazed, more stoic, in dealing with the baby. It's making me a better overall human."

He liked video games, anime, and comedy. She preferred horror films and tearjerker dramas. She chatted easily with strangers; he was a confirmed introvert. She styled hair for a living. He worked in construction.

But their differences were key to his come-on line. "I think it's nice when two people in a relationship don't have their interests 100 percent aligned, so they can always show the other person something to be interested in," Dennis told Jaimie. "So  what are you interested in?"

"Nothing that you like," she answered. Then it clicked: "You're hitting on me!"

They'd met two years earlier through a mutual friend at a 2009 Halloween party  he was dressed as Clyde, with his then-girlfriend as Bonnie, and Jaimie was a Moulin Rouge cancan dancer.

"I never thought of him as anything other than a good friend, but whenever I was dating someone, I always would think: Is this how Dennis would treat somebody?" Jaimie says.

Halloween 2011 was their first official date. Gradually, Dennis' belongings migrated from his University City apartment to her place in Northern Liberties. "Before I realized it, he was there five out of seven days a week."

Cohabitation amplified some other differences "I'm a huge mess, and Jaimie is the opposite of a mess," Dennis says  but also taught them to be direct about conflict. "I'd tell him: These are the things that bother me," Jaimie recalls.

For a few years, while saving for a house, they lived in a cramped Southwest Philly rowhouse they'd inherited from Dennis' family. That's when they adopted Beullo, a half-pit bull, half-Spanish mastiff rescue dog Jaimie spotted on the Delaware County SPCA website.

Beullo had a history of abandonment and dogfighting; he awoke every four hours, whimpered all day when the couple left for work, and urinated every time they left the room, anxious that they might not return.

"He'd never learned how to play. He wouldn't follow us upstairs. But he came out of it after six months. Now, he's like a throw rug, the easiest dog I've ever had in my life," Jaimie says.

They married in 2014: a spontaneous escape to Jamaica, with a proposal that was typically Dennis. He climbed into bed one night, handed Jaimie a printout from an all-inclusive resort, and said, "I booked us a trip to Jamaica, and, just so you know, they do weddings."

"Are you saying you want us to do a wedding?" Jaimie asked.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The resort overlooked the ocean, each room came with its own butler, and the on-site French restaurant served a five-course dinner with live piano music. A rainbow swelled over the pier-side gazebo after their exchange of vows.

When she was younger, Jaimie imagined fostering or adopting children  her father was raised in the foster care system, and erratic menstrual cycles made her worry she might have a hard time conceiving  but an unplanned pregnancy at 21 with Dennis had made her think differently.

At 10 weeks, her doctor couldn't detect a heartbeat. "The whole time I was pregnant, I felt like something was wrong," Jaimie says. But after that loss, "I could see myself having a baby. I got more comfortable with the idea of being pregnant."

"I wavered back and forth for a while," Dennis recalls. "Then I realized: I do want a child. It was time."

Jaimie had been off birth control pills for just a month when she felt an almost electrical sensation one night before sleep. "It was this weird sense of life and cells connecting. I thought: I'm pregnant."

Within weeks, there was no mistaking her condition: Jaimie suffered extreme pregnancy-related nausea; she vomited three times a day for 36 weeks, sometimes needing to excuse herself from clients in the midst of cutting their hair.

"There were times when I felt like a bad mother for not being able to give [the baby] food," Jaimie says. "But I would always feel strangely fortunate that I had been heavy; my body was able to break down reserves and give them to her." She dropped 35 pounds over the course of her pregnancy.

Jaimie was working with midwives and hoping for an unmedicated birth  watching the documentary The Business of Being Born had confirmed her natural aversion to hospitals  but at 41 weeks, after several weeks of intermittent, hard contractions, a doctor advised induction.

She labored for 15 hours at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, with some low-dose Ativan for anxiety and Pitocin to boost contractions. Then the real pain began; with every contraction, the baby jolted against Jaimie's pelvic bones. Even an epidural didn't ease the anguish.

The baby wasn't in distress. But she wasn't moving, either. "I'd been awake for 40 hours when we went in for the C-section," Jamie says. "My whole body was shaking."

Dennis held Jaimie's hand until the moment doctors pulled their daughter out. "The first thing I said was, 'She has my earlobes,' " he recalls. "She immediately started crying on her own, without having to be suctioned. She was ready to go. She was done being pushed around."

They'd already decided on a name, the one they'd been saying in faux-Southern accents for months: "Lila June, I do declare!"

For Jaimie and Dennis, their daughter's arrival was an indelible moment. But it meant something different to each of them. For Dennis, it was a lurch from the vague imaginings of parenthood he'd entertained for nine months.

"It was instantly a click: This is life now. This is real. Not in a negative sense  it was like, your life has purpose in a different way."

"For him, it felt like the beginning," Jaimie says. "For me, it felt like the most glorious end," the grateful conclusion of a nausea-wracked pregnancy and an arduous labor. "She's here, she didn't die, and I'm OK again. Everything that was terrible was finally over. Everything was good to go."
PITTSBURGH  Republican officials are alleging voting irregularities in the District 18 special election, and say they plan to go to court seeking to impound all the voting machines used Tuesday.

Democrat Conor Lamb of Mt. Lebanon holds a slim lead over Republican state Rep. Rick Saccone of Elizabeth Township. With a few absentee and provisional ballots still out, his lead is a few hundred votes out of more than 200,000 cast in the congressional district formerly held by Republican Tim Murphy.

The seat had been safely Republican for more than a decade and national Republican organization spent millions supporting Saccone. But Lamb mounted a strong challenge and remained ahead in the vote count Wednesday morning.

A Republican source familiar with the campaign said that the GOP planned to petition for the voting machines used in all four counties to be impounded, pending a recount.

>> READ MORE: Pa. 18 congressional district results and updates: Democrat Conor Lamb maintains lead with absentee votes counted

It is not yet clear where such a petition would be filed. But Republicans are investigating a number of purported Election Day irregularities including problems with the machines, voters being told to go to the wrong polling places, and Republican attorneys being barred from overseeing the counting of absentee ballots in Allegheny County.

County spokeswoman Amie Downs said that on Election Day there had been discussions with Republican attorneys about their ability to oversee the vote-counting process. Under the state Election Code, she said, such observers must have a signed authorization from the chair of the county committee. "They didn't produce that until the very end of the evening, when the ballots had already been scanned," she said.

Mark Wolosik, who directs the county's elections office, said that late Tuesday morning, "a call came in asking about people being able to observe the [counting] process on Election Night."

Usually, he said, "people ask ahead of time" rather than on Election Day itself.

>> READ MORE: Why the tight House race in Western Pa. should worry Trump and the GOP

Phone messages were exchanged over the following hours, and eventually two Republican attorneys arrived at the central tabulation center, located in Pittsburgh. Wolosik said that an attorney identified himself as being "from the Saccone campaign" but the Election Code only allows political parties, not candidates, to deputize observers. A lawyer later produced an email purporting to show such authorization, but Wolosik said he couldn't accept that because "there was no signature." He swore in the observer after receiving a signed authorization.

The absentee ballots themselves are run through an optical scanner that records the vote, and the ballots are preserved afterward, meaning a recount is possible should one be ordered. Ordinarily, for both absentee and in-person voters, election workers compare the number of votes cast to the number of voters logged in by poll workers on Election Day, to make sure the numbers correspond. Court challenges could of course complicate that process, but otherwise, "if there's no discrepancy on the face, then we accept the count as accurate," Wolosik said

Ultimately, the count is certified by the Board of Elections, which consists of Allegheny County Exeuctive Rich Fitzgerald and the two at-large members of Allegheny County Council: Democrat John DeFazio and Republican Sam DeMarco. The board is slated to meet April 2.

D. Raja, the chair of the Republican Committee of Allegheny County, did not immediately return a call for comment Wednesday morning.

Downs added that prior to providing the authorization, the Republican observer was allowed to watch from the doorway, and that the Democrats had no observers on hand for the ballot counting in Washington County.

There were numerous reports Tuesday of voters being confused about whether they lived within the 18th Congressional District, whether as a result of a saturation-bombing TV campaign or of confusion stemming from a court battle over whether district lines should be redrawn later this year.

But Allegheny County reported only a couple isolated problems with voting machines, including low battery power and a blank screen on one machine. There were no reports of "calibration errors," Downs said, in which touching the screen in one place results in a box elsewhere being checked.
A thief proficient at stealing confidential bank information received a three-year prison sentence for his part in a 2011 conspiracy that netted more than $420,000 by using the information taken from customers who used ATM and credit cards at Michaels craft stores in various states, including New Jersey.

Angel Angulo, 27, of Riverside, Calif., appeared Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Joseph H. Rodriguez in Camden for sentencing. In June, Angulo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft for his role in stealing account information for approximately 94,000 credit and debit cards, according to court records.

Angulo and Crystal Banuelos of Bloomington, Calif., who also pleaded guilty in the case, surreptitiously installed 88 electronic devices that recorded bank account information and PINs from terminals at stores operated by Michaels in New Jersey and 18 other states, according to court documents. Each device was equipped with wireless technology that allowed Angulo, Banuelos, and others to retrieve bank information.

The information then was used to produce counterfeit bank cards and withdraw money from the compromised bank accounts from February 2011 to April 2011. At the time they were caught in May 2011, the two had 179 counterfeit cards in New Jersey, according to court records.

Had he not entered a plea agreement, Angulo could have faced 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. In addition to the three-year prison term, the judge sentenced Angulo to five years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay restitution of $480,300.

Banuelos is scheduled for sentencing on Sept. 5.
HARRISBURG  House Republican leaders on Wednesday said they had completed their investigation into allegations that State Rep. Nick Miccarelli sexually or physically assaulted two women, including a fellow legislator, but they declined to publicize the findings.

Instead, they said, they will hand off their work to criminal investigators.

In a statement, House GOP spokesman Steve Miskin said that the inquiry by the chamber's lawyers into the allegations against Miccarelli was complete, and that copies had been sent to the Dauphin County District Attorney's Office, which earlier this month launched its own investigation into the matter.

Miskin said the report itself, which also was given to lawyers for Miccarelli and for the women, will not be released because House policies prohibit details from internal investigations from being made public. House lawyers were examining whether the allegations by the women included violations of the House GOP Caucus' sexual harassment and workplace violence policies.

In essence, said Miskin, "it's a personnel matter."

The House report is based on an investigation that began Feb. 8, when Rep. Tarah Toohil (R., Luzerne) and a second woman, a private consultant, filed a confidential complaint with House lawyers. The District Attorney's Office has been investigating the allegations for at least two weeks and has interviewed both women.

House Republican leaders have called on Miccarelli, 35, a Republican from Delaware County, to resign.

An Army veteran of the Iraq War, Miccarelli has vigorously denied the allegations and said he will not resign. In an interview with the Inquirer and Daily News and the Caucus, the Republican lawmaker referred to the allegations as "absolute lies, one thousand percent lies," and said that he "never laid a hand on a woman." The Inquirer and Daily News and the Caucus first reported the accusations by the women last month.

Through a spokesman, Miccarelli said Wednesday that his legal team was reviewing the House's findings, but said that because of a confidentiality clause in the House's report, they could not comment.

Terry Mutchler, the lawyer representing Toohil and the second woman, would not discuss the report's findings, but said, "The most important thing is that the House concluded that these serious allegations of sexual assault and domestic violence were credible. In short, the House believed these women."

Late last week, Toohil, 38, obtained a protection-from-abuse order against Miccarelli, whom she has accused of having a fascination with guns. A hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Wilkes-Barre on whether to extend or lift the protection order.

In the complaint with the House, Toohil claimed she was hit, pinched, and kicked by Miccarelli when they dated in 2012. She also said he threatened to kill her with a gun. The other woman said she was sexually assaulted by Miccarelli in 2014 after they stopped dating.

An attorney for newspapers and media companies said Wednesday that House GOP lawyers should have released more details about their inquiry.

"Pennsylvanians have a right to know what's happening in the halls of the legislature and how the House responds to allegations of inappropriate behavior," said Melissa Melewsky, media law general counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. "The report deals with serious allegations of misconduct by a public official.  The House's report would provide insight into the allegations, evidence that may (or may not) dispute them, and the recommendations and actions taken by the House in response."

Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky (D., Delaware), one of the legislature's most outspoken advocates for strengthening sexual harassment policies, questioned why it took so long to refer the case to law enforcement. "This is exactly why we need an independent process to review complaints of sexual harassment, separate from caucus politics," she said.
The Chester-Upland School District has the highest concentration of charter-school enrollment  54 percent of students  among school districts in Philadelphias collar counties, a new report says. Read more

While charter-school enrollments  and costs  are growing in Philadelphia's collar counties, their academic results constitute a "mixed bag," with cyber-charter pupils in particular performing worse than those in similarly situated traditional public schools, according to a report released Thursday.

Recommendations in the study by the Public Citizens for Children and Youth, a Philadelphia-based advocacy organization, include tighter financial controls and better oversight for charter operations.

The report found that half the suburban charter schools in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties fared worse on state tests in the 2015-16 school year than districts with similar shares of disadvantaged students.

Nearly all cyber charter schools  which are drawing an increasing share of suburban students  did worse than districts with similar demographics, according to the report.

At the same time, charter schools are receiving a greater portion of school district budgets. Suburban districts sent charters $217 million in 2016, up $73 million from five years earlier, according to the report.

"In most of these school districts, it's a very modest portion of their budget, but they're seeing that grow," said Donna Cooper, executive director of PCCY. Combined with other costs to districts, like pension and special-education obligations, "all of that's eating into the ability to deliver quality instruction," Cooper said.

In addition to analyzing charter-school performance, which Cooper called a "mixed bag," the report identified a number of issues involving funding and spending.

Districts sent $46 million to charters in 2016 for special education  yet the charters spent just $27 million on special education, according to the PCCY report. It also found that administrative costs were significantly higher in charters enrolling suburban students than in the districts, with 17 percent of the charter budgets on average going toward administration, vs. 5 percent of suburban district budgets.

Pennsylvania's "weak and outdated" charter-school law "has created a public-charter system that is driving up costs with little to show performance-wise in southeast Pennsylvania," the report said. It recommended a series of changes at the state level, including reinstating money cut from the state budget in 2011 that had reimbursed school districts for some of the costs of students enrolled in charters.

The report also called for implementing a standardized rate for payments to cyber charter schools, which receive the same level of funding from districts as brick-and-mortar charters, although their operating costs are lower.

School districts pay charter schools based on how much each district spends per student  an amount that varies, since districts are funded at different levels and raise differing amounts of taxes.

For suburban students receiving regular education services, districts send charters $8,000 to $18,000 per student, depending on the district, according to the report.

On special-education services, the report calls for changing how charter schools are funded. As with other students, districts pay charter schools for special-education pupils based on what each district spends on its own special-education students.

But charter schools tend to enroll students with less severe needs than those receiving special-education services in district schools, according to the report, citing findings by a state commission in 2013.

Thus, as charter enrollment grows, the concentration of higher-needs special-education students in district schools increases. Charter schools benefit because they stand to be reimbursed at the higher rates, even as the traditional schools are left to accommodate students with more severe needs, the report said.

The state's special-education funding formula for district schools should take that into account, the report said.

Tim Eller, executive director of the Keystone Alliance for Public Charter Schools, which advocates for brick-and-mortar charter schools in Pennsylvania, said such a change would "bankrupt" the schools, "due to how public charter schools are funded."

Overall, Eller said, charter-school students statewide receive 25 percent less funding on average than their peers in traditional public schools.

"While the Keystone Alliance believes public charter school funding must be reviewed to ensure fairness for all public school students (charter and traditional), it must be a comprehensive approach that ensures that public charter school students receive equitable funding," Eller said.

"All aspects of public charter school funding, including non-special education, special education, transportation, facility, and capital, must be reviewed."

He said charter schools "exist in communities where the traditional public schools are failing their students."

More than 15,000 students in the Philadelphia suburbs attend charter schools, up 3,800 over the last five years, according to the PCCY report. But enrollment varies widely. While most of the 61 suburban school districts have fewer than 2 percent of students enrolled in charters, 13 districts have more than 5 percent of students enrolled. Chester-Upland tops the list, with 54 percent. Next is the Coatesville Area School District, with nearly 23 percent of students in charters, followed by Bensalem Township and Avon Grove, which each have a little more than 14 percent in charters.

And enrollment goes beyond the 12 brick-and-mortar charter schools, which account for 75 percent of suburban charter enrollment. Every suburban district has students enrolled in cyber charters, according to the report.

Performance at those schools is "consistently poor," it said, adding that of the 13 cyber schools enrolling suburban students, 11 have worse scores on the state's School Performance Profile than 90 percent of suburban districts.

Cooper said there was "an extraordinary problem associated with the oversight of cyber charters. This is not something that is just an urban issue now."
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said Wednesday that it would not oppose Meek Mill's release from prison on bail because it has questions about whether the rapper's conviction from a decade ago would withstand his most recent appeal efforts.

In a motion filed in Common Pleas Court, prosecutors said, "There is a strong showing of likelihood of [Mill's] conviction being reversed," based on allegations that the 2008 conviction was secured thanks to false testimony by arresting officer Reginald V. Graham. Prosecutors also cited the fact that Graham  the sole government witness at Mill's trial  was included on a recently disclosed list of police whom the District Attorney's Office had deemed too untrustworthy to testify.

"In the event [Mill's] conviction is reversed  the risk of an unjust or disproportionate sentence having been served exists," said the motion, filed in response to an appeal by Mill's attorneys. "That risk increases as long as [Mill] remains in custody."

The filing delivered Mill the most tangible reason for optimism yet in his four-month quest to secure his release, and it offered the first indication that he may have a powerful new ally in District Attorney Larry Krasner, a self-styled reformer who was sworn into office in January.

Still, Mill's freedom is by no means assured. The decision lies with the judge who imprisoned him, Common Pleas Court Judge Genece E. Brinkley, whom the rapper's backers have spent months attacking with accusations of ethical improprieties while petitioning the court to have her removed from the case.

Mill's attorneys, Joe Tacopina and Brian McMonagle, said they were pleased with Krasner's motion and hoped it might soon trigger Mill's release.

Mill's mother, Kathy Williams, who had spoken tearfully at an event supporting Mill the previous day at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a statement Wednesday: "I pray that God gives Judge Brinkley the wisdom to make the right decision and allow my son to return home to his family."

Mill, whose legal name is Robert Rihmeek Williams, has been incarcerated since Brinkley sentenced him in November to two to four years for violating the terms of his probation from the 2008 drug and gun conviction. The judge's decision ran counter to recommendations from prosecutors and the rapper's probation officer at the time  and it immediately sparked a wave of public backlash, with athletes and celebrities joining fans and activists in calling the sentence overly harsh.

In the four months since Mill, 30, was sentenced, the District Attorney's Office has taken no position on repeated requests from his lawyers to free him while he appeals the sentence. Krasner's filing Wednesday took a slightly stronger stance, saying prosecutors would not oppose Mill's bail request.

In efforts in and out of court to secure his release, Mill's legal team has targeted Brinkley, the probation sentence, and the legality of his original conviction.

The focus has shifted in the last month toward his 2008 trial, as lawyers have accused Graham of lying under oath to ensure that Mill was put behind bars. They also lined up another retired narcotics officer, Jerold Gibson, who in sworn statements has said he can back up that claim. Gibson also has agreed with Mill's contention that Graham and other officers beat him during his arrest.

Mill's lawyers also included a sworn statement from another ex-officer, Jeffrey Walker, who has accused Graham of stealing money during unrelated drug arrests in 2005.

Both Gibson and Walker face potential credibility issues of their own  a situation prosecutors highlighted in their filing Wednesday while discussing the difficulty of evaluating their claims.

Gibson, former son-in-law of former Gov. Tom Corbett, was fired from the Police Department in 2013 and later sentenced to six months to a year in jail, after he was caught in an FBI sting stealing from suspected drug dealers.

Walker pleaded guilty to similar federal theft charges in 2014 and later served as the government's star witness in a case against six of his former colleagues on a police narcotics field unit. The jury, in acquitting those officers in 2015, largely rejected his testimony.

Still, federal prosecutors stand by Walker's account. His past testimony has also factored into court rulings overturning hundreds of convictions tied to the unit's past arrests as well as the city's decision to dole out millions to settle lawsuits stemming from the officers' conduct  a fact that prosecutors noted in their motion Wednesday.

While saying they were "not in a position to accept or reject the allegations" made by Gibson or Walker, prosecutors said the officers' claims represented "new and important information relating to the integrity of the original conviction"  information that was not known at the time of Mill's trial or subsequent court proceedings, including his sentencing in the fall.

They also cited the fact that Graham later was placed on a list of so-called untrustworthy cops  a list developed under former District Attorney Seth Williams but not disclosed to defense attorneys until last month.

Graham's inclusion on the list did not relate to Mill's case  it was over unrelated corruption allegations  but prosecutors noted that once he was added to it, the District Attorney's Office did not notify Mill's lawyers during any of the several probation hearings in the months after.

It was not immediately clear how Brinkley might react to the filing. Due to judicial conduct rules, she is barred from commenting on cases in which she is presiding.

A hearing is scheduled for April 16 to consider Mill's latest appeal. He remains incarcerated at a state prison in Chester.
These ads for the Philadelphia branch of the Cochran Firm appear in at least three different neighborhoods in the city. Read more

Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. has been dead since 2005, but his face looms large over Philadelphia neighborhoods, thanks to billboards advertising the law firm he founded 40 years ago.

Cochran was best known for successfully defending O.J. Simpson against homicide charges and saying the now-famous phrase: "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit." But his Los Angeles-based firm specializes in medical malpractice and personal injury law, and it now operates two dozen branches across the country, one of which is in Center City.

Over the last several months, at least three billboards have popped up in Philadelphia neighborhoods advertising the Cochran Firm's services, but with a notable distinction. Each billboard is neighborhood-specific. For example, an ad that appears in Logan reads, "Fighting for Logan."

Experts in advertising said the hyper-local nature of these ads could represent a broader strategy: appealing to a consumer's neighborhood allegiance through "geotargeting." While geotargeting  the idea of delivering different content based on location  is often used in reference to digital advertising, companies are applying the same principle to physical advertising, like billboards.

"It's become more prevalent in traditional because of the digital targeting," said Cory Lorenz, vice president of media for the Philadelphia-based communications firm DDCworks, "because people are thinking more that way."

Cochran also has billboards in Grays Ferry and Nicetown (though the "Nicetown" billboard stands on Wissahickon Avenue above the Roosevelt Expressway, which some might consider Fernhill or Germantown). The Cochran Firm didn't respond to interview requests, so it's unclear whether there are additional billboards in other neighborhoods.

Joseph Glennon, an assistant professor in the department of advertising at Temple University, said the firm likely made a conscious decision to target those neighborhoods based on demographic research. Glennon, whose background is in ad copy writing, said calling out the name of the neighborhood in the billboard makes sense.

"You have an out-of-towner trying to establish themselves as their local ally," he said. "It makes it sound like Johnnie Cochran's going to be walking up and down the avenue."

The response might be different, he said, if what the firm was selling was unhealthy or detrimental to the community. For example, tobacco companies have long been criticized for targeting their advertising at low-income neighborhoods. Fast-food restaurants and companies that sell sugary beverages have faced similar criticism.

But a law firm isn't selling cigarettes or candy bars, and so, Glennon said, the neighborhood-level targeting, based on demographics or not, is no different from targeting a New Jersey audience with a billboard near the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. It comes from the same principle as engaging higher-income consumers with commercials during the Oscars.

This specific targeting has gone on for decades in physical advertising, though Lorenz said it's possible some advertisers are thinking about it more today because of the ease with which it can be done in digital spaces. For example, Facebook allows advertisers to woo certain demographics in neighborhoods or smaller locales, while Snapchat allows for "geofencing," in which advertisers can draw a line around a specific area and target only that spot. Lorenz said his firm has used this feature to go after areas as distinct as the location of a single conference.

He said 90 percent of what the firm puts out is hyper-targeted by locale or demographic, "especially on the digital side, because it can be."

"The tagline we're using is, 'We want to hit the right person at the right time with the right message,'" Lorenz said. "This type of strategy really feeds into that philosophy."

David Neff, president of the Old City-based communications firm Neff Associates, said technology has allowed for more geotargeting options, and a law firm using the same principle in an outdoor ad  even if it isn't called geotargeting  is more likely to resonate than a more generic ad because "the advertiser is showing sensibility toward the local community."

"It wouldn't surprise me if its derivation was from digital advertising, but geotargeting is geotargeting," Neff said. "Outdoor advertising in a specific neighborhood, that's geotargeting, just like I'm serving up ads to find people online in a specific zip code."
An arbitration panel on Tuesday awarded a new three-year contract that includes annual pay raises to more than 300 employees of the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office and Register of Wills, city officials said.

The Sheriff's Office employees will receive a wage increase of 3 percent retroactive to July 2017, the starting month of the new contract, a 3.25 percent increase effective July 2018, and another 3.25 increase effective July 2019. Register of Wills employees will receive a retroactive wage increase of 3 percent effective July 2017, and wage increases of 2.5 percent effective July 2018, and 3 percent effective July 2019. The employees in both units are represented by the Fraternal Order of Police.

The arbitration award also includes pension-contribution changes.

Employees represented by the police union cannot strike under state law and are subject to arbitration.
A former political strategist for U.S. Rep. Bob Brady was targeted in a murder-for-hire plot to stop him from cooperating with an ongoing corruption probe in Arkansas and Missouri, federal authorities said.

Prosecutors detailed the previously undisclosed scheme to silence Donald "D.A." Jones, 62, of Willingboro, in federal court filings late Monday in Missouri. They say Milton Russel "Rusty" Cranford, a prominent Arkansas lobbyist, tried to set up Jones' slaying earlier this year.

Cranford, 56, was arrested last month in Bentonville, Ark., carrying a .45-caliber, derringer-style pistol and $17,700 in cash that authorities say he intended to pay to a contract killer.

"He needs to go away," the lobbyist purportedly said in a caught-on-tape conversation with Jones' would-be killer. Miming a shooting motion with his hands, a transcript states, Cranford added: "He needs to be gone."

Jones  a fixture in the world of Philadelphia Democratic politics  has developed a reputation over decades as an expert in get-out-the-vote efforts for local campaigns. Aside from Brady, his past clients include former City Controller Jonathan Saidel and Sheriff Jewell Williams.

More recently, his status as a key FBI informant has pushed Jones back into public view. In December, he admitted that he had played a role in a scheme to cover up $90,000 that Brady's campaign paid in 2012 to persuade a Democratic primary challenger to drop out of the race.

But it was Jones' cooperation in an unrelated investigation involving political work he did for a Springfield, Mo.-based substance-abuse nonprofit, Preferred Family Healthcare, that allegedly drew Cranford's ire.

Days after pleading guilty in the Brady case, Jones told a federal judge in Missouri that he had been illegally paid nearly $1 million of the charity's money to lobby lawmakers in Washington. He also admitted to kicking back nearly a third of that sum to Cranford and a former Arkansas state representative.

Cranford  who had previously worked as an executive for Preferred Family and served as Jones' primary liaison with the charity  worried that Jones might implicate him in the kickback scheme. So, according to court filings, he contacted a convicted felon with whom he was friendly in a bid to ensure Jones never got the chance.

Their first conversation allegedly occurred just hours after Jones' Dec. 18 guilty plea in Springfield. Prosecutors did not name the would-be killer in their court filings Monday but described him as a man who had spent years in prison for violent crimes.

Unfortunately for Cranford, the man had also become an FBI informant. He told agents about the lobbyist's alleged murder plot and agreed to record future conversations.

Prosecutors shared transcripts of those recordings with a judge this week in a bid to keep Cranford imprisoned until his trial.

They sketch a vivid portrait of a man at loose ends  one with a penchant for hasty decisions, colorful language, and larger-than-life appetites for gambling, graft, and drugs.

On the tapes, Cranford referenced his impending divorce, discussed his attempts to buy hydrocodone on the streets of Texarkana, Ark., and boasted of the role he says he played in securing the early release of a convicted murderer from prison last year.

He worried that it might have been that latest feat that first drew the scrutiny of investigators. As he put it, they had to suspect that there was "no way that [he] could have accomplished all this st without being dirty."

But the conversations between Cranford and the man he allegedly hoped to hire for murder always came back to Jones.

Court documents describe a Jan. 9 meeting in which Cranford handed the unnamed FBI cooperator $500 as a down payment and offered to provide him with "the piece" to use for the murder.

In subsequent talks, Cranford railed against Jones, referring to him as a "snitching motherfer" who had just "rolled on" Brady and "cut himself a deal" to do the same on others in Arkansas and Missouri. (Brady was not ultimately charged in connection with the investigation of his 2012 campaign.)

Yet even as Cranford allegedly plotted Jones' murder, he seemed desperate to convince his contact that the political strategist could not connect him to any of the allegations at the heart of the Preferred Family Healthcare case.

"Show me where I'm dirty," Cranford said, according to one transcript included in the Monday filing. "Yeah, have I paid a hell of a lot of politicians? I sure have over the years  a stload of money. But I've wrote them all checks.  If mothefers trying to buy somebody, they ain't going to write 'em a check for it."

Armed with those recordings, FBI agents arrested Cranford on Feb. 21. He has remained in custody since then, accused, for now, only of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from Preferred Family. Prosecutors have said that his alleged attempt to have Jones murdered remains under investigation and is likely to result in additional charges.

A lawyer for Cranford, Nathan Garrett, adamantly denied the accusations Tuesday, calling them "untested and unreliable aspersions" and "mischaracterizations" from "highly questionable sources."

Jones, who has kept a low profile since he began cooperating in the Preferred Family Healthcare and Brady cases, declined to comment through his lawyer. He is scheduled to be sentenced in both cases next month.
WASHINGTON  Plan A apparently failed Republicans on Tuesday in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

As they try to regroup from what looks like an embarrassing special-election loss, however, it's not clear what they have for Plan B  especially since Pennsylvania's leading Republican candidates for governor and U.S. Senate have so far taken the kind of Trump-like approach that just failed State Rep. Rick Saccone in the congressional contest.

Running in deep red rural and suburban territory outside Pittsburgh, Saccone pledged his loyalty to President Trump, had help from two of Trump's famous rallies, and saw the GOP spend millions of dollars on his behalf, much of it centering on the president's signature tax bill. But none of that seemed to work against Democrat Conor Lamb, who appeared to have won the race in a district that previously backed Trump by 20 percentage points.

Similarly, the GOP's leading gubernatorial hopeful, State Sen. Scott Wagner, and its top U.S. Senate candidate, U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, have also campaigned on their stylistic and policy ties to the president.

But with some members of both parties now arguing that Trump's poor approval ratings are dragging down the GOP and energizing Democrats, the results Tuesday and in other special elections across the country have left Republicans in tough battleground races groping for a playbook that can work.

Some Republicans urged candidates to start developing independent messages to survive  especially in the Pennsylvania and South Jersey suburbs, where GOP incumbents face difficult races in much more moderate, competitive districts than their party lost Tuesday.

"You have to establish a certain identity and independence," said Rep. Charlie Dent (R., Pa.). "No one ever wants to be seen as a rubber stamp."

Earlier, the centrist from Allentown, who is retiring, told CNN: "Most Republicans realize they're running into a very serious headwind  hurricane-force wind."

The GOP's Pennsylvania state chairman, Val DiGiorgio, said that simply linking a campaign to Trump "is not enough to win."

"It's got to be about support for what works for Pennsylvania," DiGiorgio said, arguing that Barletta and Wagner can both provide their own platforms.

Despite strong Democratic showings in a range of elections across several states, Barletta downplayed the Pennsylvania contest as a one-off event that turned on a strong Democratic candidate and weak Republican. He said he would not change his message, which has largely centered on his close ties to Trump and support for the president's agenda.

"I don't believe that President Trump was the reason for this race being so close," Barletta said. "Conor Lamb was a different type of Democrat than the Democrats here in Washington."

Republicans previously argued that their tax cuts would be a political salve, but heavy advertising on the issue didn't dent Lamb in the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th District. It's unclear what else congressional incumbents might be able to offer. There is no major legislation that appears close to passage in Washington, and it's likely to get harder to move big bills as elections creep closer.

"Republicans promised that these voters would applaud their tax plan, but after $10 million in advertising on it, these voters were appalled by it, not applauding it," said Jesse Ferguson, a strategist who previously worked for Democrats' national congressional campaign arm.

The idea of Republicans atop the Pennsylvania ticket continuing to campaign as Trump allies, he added, is "a pretty toxic brew, especially in the more competitive battlegrounds that will make up the midterms in Pennsylvania."

Midterm elections are usually referendums on the president, and polling has shown Trump struggling badly among suburban voters. A Monmouth University poll this month found that likely voters in the special election were evenly split on Trump's job performance, despite the major support he had there in 2016.

"Clearly the biggest thing hurting Republican candidates the past year and two months has been Donald Trump," said Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Philadelphia Democrat. In a string of special elections across several states, Democrats have averaged a 17- to 18-percentage point increase over their previous showings, he said  a sign of their party's enthusiasm and some voters turning against Trump. "Given that historically high number, it amazes that you haven't seen more Republicans attempt to distance themselves from Trump."

Other Democrats may not be as moderate as Lamb, but they won't have to run in such conservative turf. In suburban districts around Philadelphia and other cities, they start with far better odds, and the special election provided another example of those communities moving away from the GOP.

Lamb captured 172 precincts that backed Trump, according to a breakdown from the election analysts at DecisionDeskHQ  mostly in affluent suburbs just outside Pittsburgh. Those are the kind of places, similar to Chester County or parts of South Jersey, that Democrats are targeting as they try to take control of the House this fall.

Among those facing a difficult challenge is Rep. Ryan Costello, who represents a Chester County-based swing district that Trump lost and that moved left in the recent redistricting imposed by the state Supreme Court.

Costello has told GOP officials that he was uncertain if he would seek reelection, given the shifting map and brutal political environment, according to four Republican sources. Costello is still circulating petitions to campaign but has not definitively said if he will run, leaving Republican leaders worried about having to scramble to find a replacement if he bows out.

Asked Wednesday about his plans, Costello pointed to his petition drive but did not say if he is definitely running.

Ohio Rep. Steve Stivers, the head of the GOP congressional campaign committee, warned his colleagues Wednesday morning that the Pennsylvania race should serve as "a wake-up call."

Others, however, downplayed the result as a fluky upset. "Better campaigns are going to produce better results," said Charlie Gerow, a GOP analyst based in Harrisburg.

He joined those, however, in warning that Republicans cannot simply hitch their efforts to Trump.

"I believe that a significant number of rank-and-file Republicans are now looking at a different approach," Gerow said.
WASHINGTON  The leader of the House Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation seemed to back off Tuesday from the most surprising finding in the GOP's report  that Russia was not trying to help President Trump  as the panel's top Democrat trashed the product as a political gift to the White House.

Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R., Texas) told reporters Tuesday that "it's clear [Russian officials] were trying to hurt Hillary [Clinton]" by interfering in the 2016 election, and that "everybody gets to make up their own mind whether they were trying to hurt Hillary, help Trump, it's kind of glass half-full, glass half-empty."

That equivalence stands in sharp contrast to the conclusions of a 150-page, GOP-drafted report Conaway that announced to the news media on Monday that concludes that the intelligence community "didn't meet the standards" of proof necessary to determine that Russia had meddled in the 2016 election with the aim of helping Trump.

When it comes to determining whether Russia interfered to hurt Clinton or help Trump, "you can pitch that either way," Conaway said Tuesday.

His comments came after other panel Republicans, including Reps. Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.) and Thomas Rooney (R., Fla.), gave interviews in which they stressed that there was evidence that Russia had tried to damage Clinton's candidacy.

The report's findings on Russia's intentions in interfering is just one area of the document with which Democrats on the panel took issue Tuesday after being presented with it in the morning.

The panel's ranking Democrat, Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), who called the report "not a serious work," said the document was proof that Republicans were willing only to "go through the motions of an investigation . . . to give the pretense of trying to find the truth."

Schiff added that the report was "little more than another Nunes memo in long form," likening it to the four-page document that the panel's GOP members, led by Rep. Devin Nunes (R., Calif.) put out this year alleging that the FBI and Department of Justice engaged in "surveillance abuses" to monitor the activities of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Democrats accused Republicans of using the Nunes memo to undermine the Russia investigation  a charge they also applied to Tuesday's GOP report.

Schiff and other Democrats on the committee released a 22-page "status update" Tuesday night, listing the various witnesses, firms and documents that the panel had declined to subpoena or otherwise examine, and the reasons that each would be relevant to the investigation. It also lays out areas of inquiry that the minority members say the GOP abandoned by terminating the probe earlier than they would have liked.

"There were leads and investigative paths on, from my perspective, three different and major significant areas: first, on collusion, second, on money laundering, and third, on obstruction of justice," said panel member Rep. Joaquin Castro (D., Texas). "At this point the majority has chosen to ignore those."

Democratic committee members pledged to forge ahead with the investigation and eventually issue their own report, although they do not have the ability to subpoena witnesses and other information without the panel chairman's buy-in.

They reserved special vitriol for the GOP's decision not to go harder after uncooperative witnesses like former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, whom Conaway had previously considered holding in contempt.

"The majority has decided they would rather shut down the investigation than find out the answers to the questions we had for Stephen K. Bannon," Schiff said. "This majority doesn't want to know the answers and it has set a precedent now that will affect future Congress' ability to get answers from the executive."
In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens as President Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. Read more

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was asleep in his Nairobi hotel room early Saturday morning fighting a stomach bug when White House Chief of Staff John Kelly called to wake him around 2 a.m. to relay a terse message from President Trump: The boss was not happy.

The president was so eager to fire Tillerson that he wanted to do so in a tweet on Friday, but Kelly persuaded Trump to wait until his secretary of state was back in the United States from Africa, two people familiar with the conversation said. It was Tillerson's first trip there since Trump disparaged parts of the continent as "shithole countries."

But Kelly had also warned Tillerson to possibly expect a pejorative tweet from Trump over the weekend, a State Department official said. Tillerson failed to fully understand that the chief of staff was gently signaling to him that he was about to be fired.

And so, just over four hours after Tillerson's government plane touched down at Joint Base Andrews on Tuesday morning, the secretary of state learned of his dismissal from a tweet Trump issued just minutes after the Washington Post first reported the news.

"Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!" Trump tweeted, in a message that began with congratulations for CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Trump's pick to become secretary of state. The president also nominated Gina Haspel to lead the CIA, making her the first woman to run the spy agency, if confirmed. Both she and Pompeo are subject to Senate confirmation.

More than three hours after his tweet, Trump finally called Tillerson from Air Force One. For Tillerson, it was a humiliating end to a 14-month relationship defined by mutual animosity and frustration. In his departure statement Tuesday afternoon, Tillerson thanked career diplomats for their "honesty and integrity" and the American people for "acts of kindness"  but pointedly did not thank Trump or praise his leadership.

Tillerson's firing was long-anticipated, yet the way it played out stunned official Washington and was classic Trump. The man who made his name by declaring "You're fired!" on reality television is loath to actually fire people in person, outsourcing Tillerson's dismissal to Twitter.

Officials at the White House and the State Department, who have been at loggerheads since the beginning of the administration, offered conflicting accounts of just how the departure occurred. And the chaotic aftermath led to collateral damage  this time in the form of Steve Goldstein, the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, who was swiftly fired for contradicting the White House's version of events.

But Tillerson perhaps should not have been surprised by his ouster, which has been so long in the making that recurring rumors of his demise took on a nickname: Rexit.

"Rex and I have been talking about this for a long time," Trump told reporters Tuesday morning. "I actually got along well with Rex, but really it was a different mind-set, a different thinking."

Trump and Tillerson have disagreed over strategy in key areas of foreign policy, such as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the approach to North Korea, and the overall tone of U.S. diplomacy. The president was disdainful of his secretary of state for being "too establishment" in his thinking and for disagreeing with him in meetings.

In a sign of the tension, Trump made one of his biggest foreign-policy gambles without so much as consulting his secretary of state. The president decided Thursday to accept North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's invitation for a face-to-face meeting, but Tillerson was traveling in Africa and was frustrated to have been excluded from the internal deliberations, administration officials said.

Tillerson had long expressed interest in a diplomatic solution to the nuclear standoff with North Korea, but Trump until recently had largely dismissed such talks as a waste of time and opted instead for a campaign of "maximum pressure" that included bellicose rhetoric from the president.

In the fall, Trump publicly undermined Tillerson after the secretary said he was reaching out to Pyongyang to try to open a diplomatic channel. In a pair of tweets, Trump wrote that Tillerson was "wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man . . . Save your energy Rex."

Yet last week, when Trump shifted strategy to meet with Kim, Tillerson was left out of the loop. If that angered Tillerson, it pleased Trump, who boasted to advisers that he enjoyed the process more without Tillerson involved, officials said.

Tillerson initially was regarded by some as too cozy to Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he knew from his days as an oil executive, but over time he developed a more hard-line posture toward Moscow than Trump.

On Monday, flying home from Nigeria, Tillerson appeared to break with the White House in his assessment of the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain. He singled out Russia as responsible for the attack, echoing the finger-pointing of the British government  something White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to say earlier that day.

And the deposed Tillerson made a clear statement about Russian aggression in his departure remarks Tuesday. "Much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government," he said.

Trump for months has stewed over what he perceived as Tillerson's arrogance and condescension  a grievance exacerbated by an NBC News report, which Tillerson did not directly deny, that he had referred to Trump as a "moron" following a strategy meeting at the Pentagon.

"They fought all the time," said one Trump adviser, who like others interviewed for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity to candidly describe the relationship.

By contrast, Trump has enjoyed a far warmer relationship with Pompeo, who got to know the president by personally delivering his intelligence briefings. The two men have chemistry, though critics of Pompeo say he is too supplicating toward Trump.

The president had seriously entertained the idea of firing Tillerson numerous times over the past year  including in November, when the White House readied a plan to replace him with Pompeo. But Trump ultimately held off on removing his top diplomat in part, according to one adviser, because he wanted to defy the news reports saying that he planned to do so. "FAKE NEWS!" Trump tweeted regarding those reports.

The president revived speculation in recent days about firing Tillerson, and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., began telling friends Friday that he expected his father to oust the secretary after the weekend, according to someone familiar with the conversations.

Trump initially was drawn to Tillerson because of his stature as chief executive of ExxonMobil, one of the world's largest companies, and his work as a global dealmaker. He told friends that the broad-shouldered, silver-haired Tillerson could be a diplomat out of Central Casting.

Yet Trump quickly soured on Tillerson and made no secret of his dislike. He mocked his mannerisms and Texas drawl, saying his secretary of state talked too slowly. In conversations with advisers and friends, the president would often list others he said would do a better job than Tillerson, whom he frequently labeled "weak."

One source of weakness, the president felt, was Tillerson's media profile. Trump told one adviser he was "amazed" at how much negative press Tillerson received. "This guy never gets a good story about him," Trump said, according to this adviser.

Tillerson isolated himself from the thousands of career diplomats working for the State Department; maintained a distant and at times frosty relationship with his press corps for most of his tenure; and struggled to gain stature on the world stage, as many diplomats and foreign leaders correctly concluded that the secretary did not speak for the president.

Inside the White House, Tillerson had few allies. He was routinely undermined by Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser who took charge of the Middle East and Mexico diplomatic portfolios. Tillerson resented appearing subservient to the 37-year-old, who had no foreign-policy experience. He sometimes took days to return Kushner's phone calls and griped that he felt the White House was keeping the State Department out of the loop.

Tillerson also clashed frequently with national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who he thought did not always follow protocol, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, whom he viewed as an internal rival, according to administration officials.

State Department officials took notice  and were chagrined  that Pompeo did not cite Tillerson when he appeared on television shows Sunday to explain the North Korea developments.

Tillerson frequently complained to colleagues that Trump was too mercurial and impulsive, and voiced frustration that the president struggled to focus during meandering conversation. But he was determined to stay in his job. Tillerson's stance, according to one official who has discussed these concerns with him, was: "If he wants me gone, he'll fire me."

Tillerson also was put off by Trump's vulgarity. An Eagle Scout and former national president of the Boy Scouts of America, Tillerson told confidants he was appalled by Trump's freewheeling political speech at the National Scout Jamboree in West Virginia over the summer.

White House staffers, meanwhile, were particularly unhappy with Margaret Peterlin, Tillerson's chief of staff, who kept tight control of the secretary's schedule and sparred with other administration officials. Peterlin, along with her deputy, resigned Tuesday, a State Department official said.

The gulf between the White House and Foggy Bottom was apparent Tuesday morning, as officials in both buildings offered conflicting accounts of Tillerson's removal.

White House officials said that Kelly's call to Tillerson last week was a clear message that Trump believed it was time for the secretary to leave his post, and suggested he return to Washington as soon as possible.

Tillerson cut his trip short by a day, departing Monday. But Goldstein said Tuesday morning that the secretary had intended to stay on the job for some time to come and was "unaware of the reason" for his firing. He added that Kelly told Tillerson only that "he could expect a tweet" from the president but that the chief of staff did not convey that the decision to fire him was final.

"He found out that he was terminated today," Goldstein said.

Goldstein was soon fired himself  just before he was scheduled to brief reporters about the shake-up at Foggy Bottom  for having publicly contradicted the White House account.

West Wing officials had accused him in recent weeks of privately criticizing White House decisions to reporters. Asked Tuesday about the accusation, Goldstein said: "I spoke for the secretary of state. That was part of my role as the undersecretary."

On Monday night, as news of Tillerson's likely departure began to leak, State Department officials dismissed the chatter as simply not true. But the secretary may have had at least a subconscious inkling that all was not well back in Washington.

"I felt like, look, I just need to get back," Tillerson told reporters aboard his flight home. "I just felt like I need to get back."

The Washington Post's Robert Costa, Anne Gearan, John Hudson and Greg Jaffe contributed to this article.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson waves goodbye after speaking at a news conference at the State Department. Read more

Rex Tillerson's biggest mistake was that he didn't retire with dignity on his own terms before his boss unceremoniously sacked him and named CIA chief Mike Pompeo as his successor.

The crude way it was done  Tillerson only learned of his firing via a presidential tweet  confirms that President Trump loves to reprise his role as star of The Apprentice.

But, of course, the bigger issue is what the switch will mean for an erratic foreign policy at a time when Trump faces critical decisions about the Iran nuclear deal, Russian aggression, and a possible summit with North Korea's leader.

Tillerson's close relationship with Defense Secretary James Mattis appeared to act as a brake on some of Trump's most bellicose instincts. The big question now: Has that brake been removed?

Of course, the president often displayed disdain for his then-secretary of state, contradicting him and not consulting him on key decisions. Foreign governments understood that Tillerson didn't have the president's ear, and the secretary's exit was long expected. Not to mention that Tillerson had gone far toward wrecking his own department, working in isolation while failing to defend its budget or top staff, who have left in droves.

But Tillerson persevered in presenting the president with differing opinions. "We disagreed on things," Trump said of the former oil executive. "With Mike Pompeo, we have a very similar thought process."

That "similar thought process" means former GOP congressman Pompeo will probably become a "yes man" to the president. Nowhere is that more worrying than on the nuclear agreement with Iran, at a time when the president is mulling whether to yank the United States out of the deal.

On Tuesday, Trump cited Iran as an issue on which he differed sharply with Tillerson: "When you look at the Iran deal, I think it's terrible. I guess he [Tillerson] thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something."

Tillerson repeatedly advised the president not to rip up the deal. In this, he was correct. Walking away from this pact, at a time when Trump is seeking a nuclear accord with North Korea, would be senseless.

Leaving Iran free to resume nuclear development at a time when its behavior threatens Arab neighbors and Israel would be worse than senseless. All the more so when Trump has failed to develop any coherent policy toward Iranian advances in Syria and Lebanon.

Abrogating the deal could put Israel on a certain path to war with a nuclear-armed Iran, dragging the United States along.

Instead, Tillerson's State Department was leading talks with Britain, France, and Germany in an effort to forge a common front on pressing Iran to change the terms of the deal  or forge a follow-on pact to end Iran's ballistic missile testing and make the limits on Iran's nuclear program permanent.

Pompeo, on the other hand, declared just after the 2016 election: "I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism." His stance could confirm Trump's worst instincts on Iran.

Then there is Russia. Tillerson was willing to call out Russia for election interference and other aggressive behavior. Just this week, he attributed the poisoning of an ex-Russian spy in Britain to Russia and said it would "certainly trigger a response."

Pompeo has concurred that "Russians" [not Vladimir Putin] attempted to interfere in the 2016 election and will likely do so again in 2018. But he has consistently downplayed the importance of the attacks. "It's true, yeah, of course," he said, but added, "They've been at this a hell of a long time. And I don't think they have any intention of backing off."

If Pompeo continues to display such diffidence about Russia's cyber attacks, he will bolster Trump's refusal to order a strong U.S. government response.

And finally, North Korea. Tillerson long advocated back-channel diplomacy with Pyongyang and was publicly chastised by Trump for so doing. The one-on-one meeting with Kim Jong Un, even if it comes off, won't produce a magic deal, but will require long follow-up talks  which Trump says he opposes.

Moreover, Kim is not going to give up his nuclear program, so any deal would have to revolve around limiting his program and ending nuclear and missile testing  a stronger version of the Iran deal. Both Trump and Pompeo insist this would be a nonstarter.

So the arrival of Pompeo will likely bolster Trump's most hawkish instincts on Iran and North Korea as well as his strange reluctance to combat Russian machinations. And it will probably undercut Mattis' leavening influence.

In the end, the only one to gain may be Tillerson himself, who was clearly unhappy in his post and seemed distraught in brief farewell remarks to journalists.

"I think Rex will be much happier now," Trump said. In that, he may be correct.

trubin@phillynews.com; @trudyrubin
WASHINGTON  White House officials have told key Republican leaders on Capitol Hill that President Trump is open to cutting a deal in a forthcoming spending bill to protect young immigrants from deportation in exchange for border wall funding, according to four GOP officials briefed on the talks.

The offer could represent a significant shift for Trump, who in January insisted on much broader immigration restrictions in exchange for any protections for "dreamers"  the young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, some of whom have been protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that Trump canceled in September.

Now, with the DACA cancellation tied up in the courts and no clear path for stand-alone immigration legislation, the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations, said Trump is warming to a simpler deal that would allow his administration to quickly start work on a U.S.-Mexico border wall  a centerpiece of his 2016 presidential campaign.

One idea under consideration is a three-year extension of the DACA program in exchange for three years of wall funding, a GOP official said. This official said the talks, which are being led by senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and legislative affairs head Marc Short, were fluid.

White House spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement later Wednesday that the administration opposes a "three for three" deal, which some moderate Republicans already have floated.

Instead, Shah said, Congress ought to include wall funding in the upcoming spending bill as a matter of course.

"Separately, we have never stopped working to negotiate an immigration reform package that addresses DACA, stops illegal immigration, and secures and modernizes our legal immigration system," he said.

But Democrats have made clear that they are unwilling to agree to any wall funding absent protections for dreamers, and the upcoming spending bill is probably the last chance for Trump to lock in a deal ahead of the November midterm elections. And if Democrats retake the House, it will be even more difficult for Trump to demand wall funding.

A deal could come together quickly: Congress must pass a spending bill before a March 23 deadline, and congressional negotiators hope to release draft legislation as soon as this week.

Democratic aides familiar with the ongoing spending talks said that Republicans have not yet formally proposed any immigration deal and that they are skeptical about whether lawmakers of either party would warm to the idea before the deadline.

News of the White House offer generated mixed reactions Wednesday.

"With everything else that's going on, I just don't see . . . the DACA issue being resolved in the next week," said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R., Texas) who has backed broader immigration cutbacks. A key Senate Democrat, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, was similarly skeptical: "I'm not thrilled about including anything for a temporary fix."

But Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wisc.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said he is open to a short-term deal: "If the president supports that, I certainly won't object."

Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D., Ill.) said a Trump offer could not be discounted entirely: "He's totally unreliable, but I am grasping at straws to find something to help 780,000 DACA people who run the risk of deportation."

On Tuesday, Trump looked at prototypes for a border wall that have been erected in San Diego and, in remarks there, repeated bold and unproved claims about the plan's benefits.

"It will save thousands and thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud, and burdens on schools and hospitals," he said. "The wall will save hundreds of billions of dollars  many, many times what it's going to cost."

Trump's willingness to make a deal comes as congressional leaders had all but given up on acting to protect dreamers before November's midterm elections. Democrats, who forced a three-day government shutdown in January over the issue, have moved on to other fights, while Republicans have shown little urgency to finding a solution  especially since the Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's bid to accelerate the pending judicial review of DACA's cancellation.

But Trump's desire to build a wall could get talks moving again.

The immigration framework he issued in January called for $25 billion in wall funding, alongside changes to immigration law that would curtail two key pathways for legal immigrants by ending the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which distributes 50,000 visas a year through a lottery system, and by scaling back family-based immigration rules. In exchange, Trump proposed offering legal status and an eventual path to citizenship for up to 1.8 million dreamers, going well beyond those protected under DACA.

But the White House proposal never gained bipartisan momentum  with Democrats rejecting the legal immigration cutbacks even as they conceded funding for a border wall  and it won only 39 votes in a Feb. 15 Senate test vote. A bill that would preserve the $25 billion in wall funding but set aside most of the legal immigration cutbacks won 54 votes, short of the 60 necessary for passage.

The outlines of the deal that Trump is now willing to explore are much narrower, said the officials familiar with the offer: a two- or three-year extension of the DACA program, which now protects about 690,000 immigrants, coupled with an unspecified amount of border wall funding  hewing to a framework that some GOP moderates explored in the aftermath of February's failed Senate votes.

A three-year DACA extension could essentially take immigration off the congressional agenda until after the 2020 presidential election by removing the threat of deportation for the young immigrants covered by the program.

AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) declined to address the discussions. "We aren't negotiating the [spending bill] through the press," she said.

Ryan told reporters Wednesday that he would not discuss specific aspects of the spending bill but said: "Our goal is to get this done as fast as possible. Stay tuned."

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday morning.

The cutbacks on legal immigration emerged as key elements for some Republicans on Capitol Hill, where Trump allies such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and members of the House Freedom Caucus called the restrictions a key element in moving toward a "merit-based" immigration system  a term Trump has frequently repeated in his tweets and at public appearances.

It is unclear whether House conservatives would back a narrower deal. But it may not matter: congressional leaders do not expect many conservative hard-liners to vote for any spending bill, let alone one that would extend protections for dreamers without major new immigration restrictions.

One prominent bloc of House conservatives opposed any short-term deal Wednesday: The Republican Study Committee said in a tweet that its members "are united behind" a much broader immigration bill written by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R., Va.) and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R., Texas).
A view of The Wiedemann Center on the campus of United Lutheran Seminary in Mount Airy, formerly the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Read more

Students and faculty at United Lutheran Seminary are demanding administrative changes following the revelation that the divinity school's new president once headed a group that equated homosexuality with "brokenness" and promoted ministries purporting to turn gay men and women straight.

The disclosure that the Rev. Theresa F. Latini once served as director of OneByOne, a Pittsford, N.Y.-based advocate of so-called conversion therapy, is roiling the usually placid seminary, an LGBTQ-affirming school with 325 students on campuses in Philadelphia and Gettysburg. One member of the board of trustees has quit in protest, and the chairman  who knew about Latini's past but told no others on the committee that selected her  has stepped down from the post.

Conversion or reparative therapy is a treatment program that attempts to change a person's same-sex orientation. It has been repudiated by major mental health organizations as not only ineffective but also psychologically harmful, potentially leading to depression and even suicide. Several states and municipalities, including Philadelphia and New Jersey, have banned the practice for minors.

Latini, 47, was involved with OneByOne for five years beginning in 1996. Afterward, she disavowed conversion therapy, and in a blog posted in February, she apologized to those who had been hurt by her previous work and explained the transformation of her views  that she no longer believes sexual orientation should be changed or can be.

She referred requests for comment to her lawyer, Kevin Toth, who wrote in an email that she has never denied her affiliation with OneByOne, and had disclosed it to a seminary board member before the vote. He also said she has in recent years actively promoted inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people in the church.

Latini's former leadership of OneByOne is not the only source of anger for many in the seminary community. They've also made clear their displeasure with the administration's handling of the presidential selection process in 2017 and the secrecy shrouding it. Students, faculty and alumni first heard rumors of Latini's past earlier this year, and the story circulated without an official statement from the school until last month.

"I was devastated" by the news, student leader Carla Christopher, 39, said. Christopher, who identifies as lesbian, underwent reparative therapy. The seminary's reputation as a welcoming institution for LGBTQ people allayed her initial fears about entering divinity school. But learning of Latini's background brought back every wound the church has inflicted, she said.

Within the last three weeks, seminary officials have held meetings on both campuses to discuss the matter with the school community. The board of trustees issued an apology last Wednesday and is scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider further action and future leadership of the seminary.

The Rev. Lisa Leber, pastor of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Carlisle, Pa., and a board member, resigned, citing her disgust with conversion therapy. In a letter dated March 2, she called for Latini's resignation and an acknowledgement of what she described as the board's failures during the selection process and subsequent handling of the issue. Leber also urged the Rev. J. Elise Brown, trustee chairman during the hiring process and a member of the selection committee, to quit.

Last April, Latini told Brown about her connection to OneByOne, which began when she was fresh from college and attending a conservative Presbyterian church that had "an ex-gay support group." During the recent campus meetings, Brown said she had attempted to learn more about OneByOne but came up empty. Brown did not share her knowledge of Latini's past with the rest of the selection committee, which subsequently recommended her for the job. She took the helm in July.

Brown has apologized for what she described as an "error in judgment that ultimately caused pain for LGBTQIA+ and other members of the [United Lutheran Seminary] community." She has stepped down as board chair.

The Rev. Charles Miller, head of the selection committee, acknowledged that the panel did not sufficiently research Latini's background.

Jeff Winter, chairman of OneByOne, wrote in an email that the group is aware of the seminary controversy but declined further comment.

Students, alumni, faculty, and staff have organized as the United Lutheran Seminary Action Group in response to the controversy and are expected to submit a letter outlining their demands for personnel and policy changes. They say that administrators' apologies and explanations have little meaning unless such changes are made and that they understand the deep pain caused by conversion therapy.

Christopher remembers the feeling all too well. She describes the experience as "soul-devastating."

As a freshman at Columbia University in the mid-1990s, she was invited to a Christian retreat without being told she would be subjected to conversion therapy.

She said she was sequestered from friends, and for a day was deprived of food, water and use of a bathroom, all the while being berated with nonstop "prayers" about her identity as a lesbian. She wasn't allowed back into her cabin until she denounced her sexuality. The encounter, she said, left her spiritually broken, depressed, and suicidal. She turned away from the church for 10 years.

"I wasn't worthy of God's attention," she said. "That experience confirmed my feelings that I was despised by God. I was unworthy of God's grace, healing, and redemption."

United Lutheran Seminary's board and selection community didn't understand the deleterious effects of conversion therapy, said the Rev. John M. Longworth, an adviser to the student group and a graduate of the former Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. Longworth sent a letter to school officials about his concerns and recounted the suicide of a high school friend after being subjected to reparative therapy.

Christopher decided to return to the church and enter the ministry after caring for a friend with terminal cancer. Her friend's faith in the face of death helped her realize that there was a place for her in the church.

"Right before she died, she had this expression of peace on her face," Christopher said. "Seeing that, it hit me. God was not about abuse or pain or disgust. That woman's peaceful expression knowing that without a doubt she was loved, that was God." .

Christopher then realized she was "made by God," she said. "If I'm gay, it's because God made me this way, and there are things I'm supposed to do, and people I'm supposed to help."
Claude Charles Scarborough Jr., 70, of Wyncote, an educator who helped students get GEDs and prepare for college admission, died Saturday, March 3, of heart failure at his home.

Mr. Scarborough's dream was to help underprivileged young adults improve their basic education and literacy. He prepared for that role by immersing himself in reading-education skills, social studies, and African American history.

He earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Lincoln University and went on to teach in the 1980s at the Philadelphia Job Corps, an education and job training center.

While working full-time, Mr. Scarborough earned a master of education degree at Cheyney University, and then was hired by Community College of Philadelphia. His role was to help students with low test scores improve their learning skills so they could be admitted to the college and succeed.

"Claude had the patience, knowledge, and commitment to work with this population," said his wife, Rhonda. "He was commended for the results that his students achieved, not only academically, but for the level of confidence they demonstrated."

He remained in the job until health issues forced his retirement in 2007. Even in retirement, as health allowed, Mr. Scarborough tutored and mentored young people who were having academic trouble or needed help pursuing a GED, the high-school equivalency degree.

"He was always the respectful, knowledgeable man who loved to give back to his community," his wife said.

Born to Claude C. Scarborough Sr. and Alice "Jackie" Johnson, Mr. Scarborough was raised in a blended family in North Philadelphia.

As a youth, he attended Emmanuel United Methodist Church, serving as president of the Methodist Youth and Young Adult Fellowships. He represented his church at many conferences and gatherings.

He also played the French and baritone horns and accompanied the Salvation Army Band, along with his younger brother, John, now a professional musician.

He graduated from Thomas Edison High School in 1965 and immediately enlisted in the Air Force. Mr. Scarborough was honorably discharged with the the rank of sergeant (E-5) in 1969.

Mr. Scarborough married Ida Jamison in the 1960s. They had three children before her death at age 42. In 1989, he married Rhonda Fleming at St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Germantown. She has a son from a previous marriage.

After his second marriage, Mr. Scarborough became active at St. Luke's as a choir member, and on the Arts Guild within the church. In later years, Mr. Scarborough received an invitation from Jane M. Gilmore, a family friend and director of the Winston Memorial Choir at Mount. Zion Baptist Church of Germantown. She hoped he would sing in her choir, and he accepted.

A baritone with a mellow sound, Mr. Scarborough rarely missed a Sunday or rehearsal at Mount Zion until his health began to fail, Gilmore said. His favorite hymn was "Blessed Assurance."

"He was a wonderful person," Gilmore said. "He's singing in the heavenly choir now."

Mr. Scarborough enjoyed following the Eagles, traveling with his wife, watching TV, seeing movies, and spending time with friends.

"He was a voracious reader and conversationalist, always in pursuit of improving himself and his skills, because of his humble beginnings in North Philadelphia," his wife said. "Therefore, he became a lifelong learner."

In addition to his brother and wife of 28 years, he is survived by her son, Khary "Shi'ar" Fleming, and his children Rachel C. Scarborough, Angela Scarborough Dixon, and Matthew Scarborough; three grandchildren; four brothers; a sister; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, March 15, at Mount Zion Baptist Church of Germantown, 41 W. Rittenhouse St. A viewing at 8 a.m. will be followed by a funeral service at 10 a.m. Interment will be at 2:30 p.m. with full military honors at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, Newtown Township, Bucks County.
Similar walkouts have already happened in cities like Pittsburgh, where high school students marched Feb. 21 to show support for Parkland, Fla., students. Read more

More than 40 schools in Philadelphia and South Jersey have students planning to walk out of class Wednesday to protest mass shootings like the Parkland, Fla., tragedy. Not all of the schools are supporting their students in this action. But they should.

It's a shame when children feel compelled to speak up because adults have failed them, but sometimes that's the only way to ignite groundbreaking change. Think of the children's marches in Birmingham, Ala., organized by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., which brought the national attention he needed to fight segregation in the 1960s.

The Valentine's Day slaying of 14 children and three adults by an apparently deranged former student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School should have brought immediate and dramatic changes in America's gun laws. Instead, Congress and President Trump have discussed a variety of meager reforms without passing anything.

No one should be surprised. If the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., couldn't shake Congress out of its NRA-induced lethargy to pass stronger gun laws, perhaps nothing will. Not even another preventable travesty like Parkland.

So, students are taking matters in their own hands, as best they can since most aren't old enough to vote the lawmakers sitting on their hands out of office. The 17-minute walkout, first proposed by two high school girls in Brooklyn, N.Y., will be their way of saying they have had enough. Adults need to do more than listen to their protest; they need to act.

Their first action should be to follow the lead of Philadelphia Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. and make clear that no disciplinary action will be taken against students who walk out. "This can be a learning opportunity that helps our students apply lessons that they are learning in school," said Hite in a letter to parents and guardians.

He also stressed that students participating in the demonstration should be respectful of students who don't. That's a very important point, especially in Philadelphia, where daily gun violence takes a huge toll without getting anything close to the attention that Parkland has received.

"When something happens in the white community, the black community is expected to support them," Tatiana Amaya, a Mastery Charter School student told an Inquirer reporter. "The focus isn't 'What can we do to make black and brown kids feel safe in school?'"

She's right; not enough attention is paid to the murders that touch the many more children and their families who live in neighborhoods held hostage to gun violence. But the walkout Wednesday isn't the culmination of the battle to get tougher gun laws; it's another beginning. And, unfortunately, many more beginnings may be needed before significant change occurs.

That's OK. The children who marched and went to jail in Birmingham didn't see significant change for years. But when change came, they knew they had played a role in achieving it.

So, too, will the students who walk out in protest Wednesday, if lawmakers in state legislatures across the country and Congress finally take some common-sense steps to reduce the too-easy access that allows mass murderers to get their hands on high-powered, rapid-fire weapons.
At the University of Missouri, the whole student government election was called off, and will have to be rescheduled, over some of theracist, homophobic and ableist online comments three student politicians made years ago. Read more

In 2012 and 2013, when she was 14 years old, Claire Jacobs seemed to think that "nigga" was a really cool word. "First boyfriend was a scrawny lil nigga," she tweeted, along with a photo of her also-white, also-gawky baby friend.

Now, as a result of that and other, similar posts, she's been shamed out of the race for University of Missouri student body president, as have two other candidates for student leadership positions.

In fact, the whole student government election was called off and will have to be rescheduled over some of the "racist" "homophobic," and "ableist" online comments the three made years ago. When they decided to run for campus office, a student journalist found and circulated the offensive tweets, and all three issued mortified, abject apologies.

The chairman of the Board of Elections Commissioners said this "created issues and concerns about the legitimacy of them running," especially given the history of "marginalized communities around campus." The board suspended the election while it looked into potential infractions under the handbook, but found nothing regulating past behavior.

Current Missouri Student Association president Nathan Willett, who returned my call to his faculty adviser, says he called the three candidates in and told them that they hadn't lived up to the high standards required of school leaders. Willett urged them to put the university first and think about whether staying in the race was really the right thing to do. "It was a learning experience," he said.

But is the lesson that holding wrong ideas as a kid is disqualifying as a young adult and beyond? The school has referred the students' past comments to its civil rights and Title IX office.

We parents warn our kids that they should be careful about what they post, because it might be held against them some day. But we didn't know that the online record of where they started out could be turned into a brickbat by their own peers.

You'd think their fellow students would understand better than anyone that no one wants his test-run trying on of various personas to represent his grown-up, or at least growing-up self.

Judging the posing postings of young teenagers so harshly is so counterproductive that one wishes there were one or two adults on the case in Columbia.

If there were, they'd surely check the Maoist tendencies of those junior inquisitors who will one day look back on this chapter and wish they'd been a little more generous.

Student journalist Brett Stover found that Blaine Thomas, who had been running for student body president, tweeted five years ago that, "Japanese pitchers shouldn't be allowed" because "they are on  weird ass, oriental herbal shit."

Four years ago, Thomas tweeted to a friend that she was "SO gay," and said that "All this talk about Michael Brown is pointless. White or Black, if you try to grab a cops gonna get shot  Stop being so sensitive."

Caius Gillen, who'd been running for vice president, tweeted two years ago, as a freshman, that he was "about to watch a black man swim for the first time. College truly is the best place for new experiences."

The black friend he and some others had given his first swimming lesson that day wrote about that backstory this week.

But just as Gillen's friend didn't know how to swim until someone taught him, Gillen didn't know better than to revert to stereotypes until someone taught him.

It's to our shame that these ancient ideas about race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation endure. But if not knowing any better until we get out into the world and meet others unlike ourselves makes even teenagers irredeemable, then we might as well give up on America.

Some students also sneered at the candidates' apologies. "Imagine Richard Nixon to the Washington Post: 'Watergate was who I was in the past,' " tweeted another student journalist, mocking Jacobs for saying she'd changed.

But she isn't Nixon, and offensive tweets from children aren't a constitutional crisis. In fact, Jacobs made a lot more sense than her attackers did when she said that "today, I do not tolerate speech like this  This is a lesson of allowing those around you to have room to learn and grow."

That these students aren't being given that room is a disservice that I hope doesn't make them bitter. Especially as they can't help but notice that they're being held to a higher standard than our current commander in chief.

Melinda Henneberger is an editorial writer and columnist for the Kansas City Star. @MelindaKCMO
Despite significant growth in production in January, UK pork exports were less than 1% higher than year earlier levels during the month, totalling 17,000 tonnes.

However, even with lower farmgate prices, the average unit price of these exports was 3% higher. As such, the value of the pork export market was 4% above January 2017, at 22.5 million. The increase partially reflects a shift towards exporting more, higher value, boneless cuts. These export volumes reached almost 3,800 tonnes, 18% above year earlier levels.

In contrast to December, exports to China failed to match year earlier levels, recording a 29% decline to stand at 2,600 tonnes. This was the main cause of the drop in bone-in shipments, as China is the UKs primary destination for these cuts. Nonetheless, rising pork shipments to the EU countered the decline in Chinese volumes, with particularly strong growth recorded to Ireland and Denmark. Interestingly, while fresh/chilled shipments continued to make up the majority of exports to the EU, exports of frozen pork increased by more than half.

Offal exports were slower month, declining 16% year-on-year to 5,900 tonnes. Shipments to both China and Hong Kong declined by 34% (1,200 tonnes) and 42% (700 tonnes) respectively, which drove the overall fall. Although, increasing trade with the Netherlands and the Philippines minimised the overall drop.

Continuing the trend from the latter half of 2017, UK pork imports were recorded behind year earlier levels in January. At 33,000 tonnes, volumes were 17% below January 2017, but this was still 17% above the month in 2016. As in previous months, the decline was particularly driven by a sharp fall in shipments from Denmark, although again at 12,000 tonnes these volumes remain elevated above historic levels. However, shipments from the UKs other key suppliers were also recorded as behind 2017 levels, likely reflecting the increase in domestic supplies.

Bacon imports were 29% lower than year earlier levels at 14,700 tonnes, continuing the recent trend, as imports from the top three suppliers (Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany) all fell. However, there was some modest increase in imports of sausages and other processed products. Growth for sausages was particularly driven by German shipments (+800 tonnes), whereas more processed pig meat was imported from Poland (+900 tonnes) and Denmark (+700 tonnes).

Get Our E-Newsletter - Pig World's best stories in your in-box twice a week See e-newsletter example Will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy
This past week did not bring ideal fishing conditions around Southwest Florida. Sure, we had a couple decent days, but back-to-back cool fronts brought plenty of wind and dropped inshore water temperatures back down to the low to mid-60s. Thats a 12 to 15 degree drop in water temperature from the previous week.

With the drop in water temperature, many anglers targeted sheepshead. They dont mind the cool down, actually they thrive in it. Sheepshead to 4 pounds were hooked around Punta Rassa docks, docks inside Blind and Redfish passes and either side of Boca Grande Pass. Mangrove snapper, black drum and pompano were also hooked from these areas. Shrimp was the bait of choice, either rigged on a small circle hook or threaded on a jig head. Make sure you use just enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom.

Sea trout reports werent great by any means over the week, but there was still plenty of good fish caught. Casting shad tail plastics in a new penny color fooled trout up to 17 inches in south Matlacha Pass between the powerlines and the entrance to Manatee Bay. In Pine Island Sound trout were caught while drifting shrimp under popping corks west of the fish shacks and southwest of Demere Key. Further to the north trout were caught north of Cabbage Key and off the Bokeelia Shoal. Most fish were caught while drifting over grassy bottom in 3 to 5-foot depths.

Nothing puts a halt to the snook bite like a sudden drop in water temperature. They were hungry a short time back when the water temperatures were in the mid-70s, but its a whole different story when the temperature fell back into the 60s. The smaller guys were aggressive at times over the week jumping on freelined pilchards, but the bigger girls were a different story. It looks like we have more cool weather this week, so odds are it will be another week or so until snook fishing gets back on track.

The few redfish reported were either oversized or in the 20-inch range. The larger fish were hooked in north Matlacha Pass and in the Sound off the east side of Cayo Costa Island. Smaller reds were hooked random while targeting snook along shorelines in Buzzard Bay off Matlacha Pass and in the Sound south of Pineland. The big reds went for cut bait while the smaller fish were taken on live shrimp or gold spoons.

Not too much to report offshore as there were maybe one or two fishable days. The larger red grouper are coming from a good distance out, generally 90 feet and deeper.

Lane and Vermilion snapper were found together in 70 to 80-foot depths west of Boca Grande. A blackfin tuna catch was also reported west of Boca Grande Pass in 550 feet of water.

With the up and down weather, it was a frustrating week for anglers. Lets hope we get past the cooler weather forecasted for this week and put a string of mild days with light winds together and get the fishing back on track.

If you have a fishing report of for charter information, please contact us at: Gulf Coast Guide Service, phone: 239-283-7960, Website: www.fishpineisland.com or email: gcl2fish@live.com

Have a safe week and good fishin.

As a native of Pine Island, Bill Russell has spent his entire life fishing and learning the waters surrounding Pine Island and as a professional fishing guide for the past 18 years.
To the editor:

This letter to the editor is in response to one published on March 6 in the Pine Island Eagle regarding an earlier letter by Ms. McGuire on behalf of Pine Island ROAR on the recent town hall held in Fort Myers by U.S. Congressman Francis Rooney.

I am a proud member and an organizer of Pine Island ROAR. Members of ROAR believe that everyone should have an opportunity to be well educated, earn a living wage and live a healthy life. These opportunities can only be realized when there are equal rights for all, and when everyone has clean air to breathe, clean water to drink and clean land to live on. These opportunities cannot be realized when power and wealth is concentrated in the hands of the very few. We believe it is our civic duty to support our values through the democratic process.

While the target of the original town hall letter was Congressman Rooney and his response to questions from those in attendance, the letter I reference generally disparaged Ms. McGuire and the many Americans who agree with her sentiments. This includes members of PI ROAR.

Ms. Jones highlighted several topics (net neutrality, the Russia investigation and guns) where she suggests that PI ROAR had no sources for voter views were presented. Sources include polls conducted by the University of Marylands Program for Public Consultation, Morning Consult/Politico, NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll, Quinnipiac and CNN. Of particular note, is a Quinnipiac poll of 2/28/18 which shows that Florida voters oppose 56  40 percent allowing teachers and school officials to carry guns on school grounds and voters with children under 18 years old in public schools oppose arming school personnel 53  43 percent.

PI ROAR stands by the assertions that the majority of American voters are against repealing net neutrality rules, are concerned about Russian interference in our election process and the interactions between members of the current administration and Russian interests, and seek to have sensible measures with respect to access to high powered semi-automatic rifles be implemented.

As for the notion that rising up, organizing, agitating and resisting for causes of common good for all Americans is somehow un-American and unpatriotic, history shows that this is not true. The Boston Tea Party helped spark the American Revolution  the effort that resulted in the founding of the United States. The Suffragettes of the early 1900s demonstrated and worked for voting rights for women  eventually leading to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. The Civil Rights movement built support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which made discrimination based on race, gender, religion or ethnicity and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which prohibits racial discrimination in voting.

Pine Island ROAR and other like minded groups around the country are actively participating in the democratic processes (set in place by the Constitution) to counter actions by those in power, who in our view, do not work for the best interests of the majority of Americans.

This is the American way.

Valarie Hoff

St. James City
Escalier Biosciences Raises $19 Million to Develop its Topical and Systemic RORt Therapies for Psoriasis and other Autoimmune Diseases

Details Category: More News Published on Wednesday, 14 March 2018 08:45 Hits: 3492

Advancing Escalier's drug candidates through human proof-of-concept studies

NIJMEGEN, Netherlands and ENCINITAS, CA, USA I March 13, 2018 I Escalier Biosciences BV, a privately held biopharmaceutical company, today announced the closing of a $19 million Series B financing. The round was led by Forbion with existing investors New Science Ventures and BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) completing the round. Escalier is developing both topical and oral RORt drug candidates for psoriasis and expects to be in the clinic with its topical compound in mid 2018.

"RORt is a validated target for psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders and our drug candidates have the potential to provide the desired efficacy and safety in psoriasis patients that is currently unavailable with other topical or oral drugs," said Raju Mohan, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Escalier. "We are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive syndicate of investors that share our passion in developing novel therapies for challenging targets such as RORt."

"Escalier's team has an impressive track record of developing novel compounds targeting diseases with significant unmet medical need," stated Marco Boorsma, General Partner at Forbion who will join Escalier's Board of Directors. "We are excited to participate in this financing with New Science Ventures and BioGeneration Ventures and in supporting Escalier's efforts to develop best-in-class drugs for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases."

"We are delighted to have Forbion join us in the current round," added Somu Subramaniam, Managing Partner at New Science Ventures. "The Escalier team made tremendous progress last year and we look forward to moving rapidly towards human clinical trials for our lead RORt topical and oral drug candidates."

About Escalier

Escalier Biosciences BV is a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule therapeutics that target RORt for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders. Escalier's lead topical and oral drug candidates are currently in late stage preclinical studies. Escalier is registered in The Netherlands with offices in Nijmegen, The Netherlands and Encinitas, California. www.escalierbio.com

About Psoriasis

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that results in raised, red, scaly patches on the skin. It is estimated that 7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide have psoriasis. Between 10-30% of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis.

Patients are categorized into mild, moderate or severe with the National Psoriasis Foundation. The majority of psoriasis patients are in the mild to moderate category.

About RORt

The nuclear hormone receptor RORt has emerged as the "master" regulator of Th17 cell differentiation and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17A and IL17F. Increased production of these cytokines has been linked to the pathophysiology of psoriasis. Small molecule inhibitors of RORt have been shown to reduce production of IL-17 in immune cells and are promising therapies for psoriasis and other autoimmune conditions.

About Forbion

Forbion Capital Partners is a dedicated life sciences venture capital firm with offices in The Netherlands and Germany. Forbion invests in life sciences companies that are active in the pharmaceutical, as well as the medical device space. Forbion's investment team has built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in over 50 companies. Forbion manages well over 800M across nine funds. Its investors include the EIF, through its European Recovery Programme (ERP), LfA and Dutch Venture Initiative (DVI) facilities and the KFW through the ERP  Venture Capital Fondsfinanzierung facility. Forbion also operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early stage funds focused on Benelux and Germany. www.forbion.com

About New Science Ventures

New Science Ventures, LLC (NSV) is a New York-based venture capital firm that invests in companies using novel scientific approaches in the life sciences sector (biotech, pharma and medical devices) and the information technology sector (semiconductors, photonics and advanced materials). NSV was founded in 2004 by Somu Subramaniam, Managing Partner, and Tom Lavin, Partner, and has invested approximately $600M in both early and late stage companies located in the United States and Europe. www.newscienceventures.com

About BGV

BGV is a venture capital company with a focus on early stage European biotech, medtech, and diagnostics companies. BGV has a strong track record of significant financial returns through investing in innovations in healthcare and providing the expertise to build worldclass teams. BGV manages over 120M of funds investing in areas where true scientific innovations, the unmet medical need, and the potential to demonstrate a significant proof of concept all come together. BGV is based in Naarden, The Netherlands.

www.biogenerationventures.com

SOURCE: Escalier Biosciences
Throughout all these interactions, the message was clear: Canada needs a vision for space.

In the wake of the 2018 federal budget announcement, it is tremendously important to communicate this message. After more than a decade of stagnancy, Canadas space program is in urgent need of strategic direction, as well as sufficient and predictable funding, regulatory reform, and education and outreach initiatives.

Bill emphasized that ambitious activities in space are a source of national pride and inspiration, and engage and nurture the countrys talented minds. Planetary science in particular is an avenue for ambitious projects on modest budgets. A country with a small population like Canadas doesnt need to commit funding on the same scale as the United States to accomplish great things in space.

To wrap up the day in Ottawa, Bill was invited to make an appearance in an Introduction to Biology class at the University, taking the students by surprise. He urged the students to continue their studies so that they might, someday, be the ones to discover the signs of life on another planet.
The latest front in the controversy over the underrepresentation of female choreographers in ballet is at Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal. Theyre facing a petition and choreographer resignation that forced them to rebrand a season and publicly defend their programming.

On February 26, artistic director Ivan Cavallari, who started the job in the summer of 2017, announced the 2018-2019 season, which included a program titled Femmes. The program announcement said the evening would have woman as its theme, and that Cavallari had chosen three distinctive voices, rising stars of choreography, to undertake this great subject.

The three voices Cavallari chose to create on the theme of women, however, were all men.

This was just too much for me, it was the last straw, says Kathleen Rea, a former member of National Ballet of Canada who now freelances, choreographs and teaches in Toronto. Rea says shes been bothered by the dearth of women choreographers throughout her career. But referring to women as subjects and excluding them from choreographing on a program about them compelled her to take action.

She started a petition, which currently has almost 3,000 signatures, calling for a female voice to be added to the program and for the marketing language to be more sensitive to women. Press attention, both local and international, immediately followed.

Then, one of the programs choreographers, Medhi Walerski, pulled out in protest.

I am aware of the pervasive misrepresentation and lack of predominance they (women) have been often subjected to in their own careers, and I do not stand for that, he said in a statement. Its time to question and revert the pervasive gender imbalance.

Cavallari responded by changing the name of the program to Parlami dAmore, an Italian phrase that means lets talk about love, saying I didnt want to talk about women as objects, but from a broader perspective: in relation to life, to love and to the Earth.

Cavallari will replace Walerski with a different choreographer, but will not budge on the gender issue here, saying the replacement will be male.

In a statement, the company pointed out that they have two women choreographers on the program this year: American Bridget Breiner (whose Firebird premieres March 15) and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, who is creating the full-evening narrative Vendetta: Storie de Mafia. They also said that another full-evening work, Lady Chatterleys Lover, will be created by choreographer Cathy Marston next year. An all-female triple bill is planned in two years, for the 2020-2021 season.

Cavallari invited Rea to Montreal to meet with him, at her own expense, on Monday. Rea says that Cavallari listened to her concerns but did not change his mind on replacing Walerski with a male choreographer. According to Rea, he shared that hes exploring a symposium to discuss gender issues in the dance world that could include both ballet and modern dance companies from across Canada.

Maurice Brandon Curry, artistic director of Eglevsky Ballet, says that Cavallari has a right to hire whomever he wishes.

Curry says that he finds the situation alarming. Cavallari was lambasted before he was able to reveal his plans to produce a similar program for men choreographed by women, Curry said. He added that directors are free to make artistic choices and should not be subjected to pressure from a mob mentality. Is this the world we now live in? he asked.

Dancers at Les Grands are represented by Canadian Actors Equity Union, which reminded company members that their contract requires them to obtain written permission for any public appearances or statements. Their contract states: A Dancer has an obligation of loyalty towards the Company and shall refrain from making any statements or behaving in a manner that could be detrimental to the reputation or business relations of the Company.

In light of this, two dancers, one male and one female, agreed to comment on the situation anonymously.

The female dancer says that she was disappointed that Les Grands wasnt leading the way on gender. Montreal is a progressive city with a woman mayorgender equality is important here, she says. The art in the city should reflect that.

To the male dancer, the situation is mainly a marketing failure. It was tone deaf in our current times to present this program and describe it this way, he says. But Ivan has invited women to create full-evening works, and hes featuring them on other programs. Hes not ignoring women choreographers.

On Tuesday, Cavallari held a company meeting with the dancers and encouraged them to speak freely, promising no retribution and stating that he respects their opinions. The female dancer says he seemed open to their feedback, but she was disappointed that he referred multiple times to the press attention as a bomb, when she sees it as a plea for sensitivity. He didnt offer a clear explanation of why he wanted the program to be an all-male perspective.

The dancers say that company morale has taken a hit from the controversy. The mood was already tense they say, as most companies are when a new director implements changes. The Femme program disrupted what they say has otherwise been a steadily improving situation.

I feel positive about Ivan overall, the female dancer said. Its unfortunate he made this error in judgement.
As of 5 a.m. Tuesday, Austin police have received 150 calls about suspicious packages after a string of deadly package explosions this month that have left two dead and two injured across the city, interim Police Chief Brian Manley said.

Nothing suspicious was found after any of the calls, police told the Austin American-Statesman.

The chief is continuing to urge people to remain vigilant and not to open any unexpected or suspicious packages.

If you see something suspicious, call 911, he said via Twitter.

On Monday, Austin police responded to two package explosions within hours of each other. One person was killed, two others were injured. Earlier this month a man was killed in a package bombing. Police believe all of the bombings are related.
The last NYPD officers assigned full-time to New York City public schools are being moved out  despite nationwide calls for heightened security in the wake of last months Florida shootings.

The once-common practice of putting an armed officer in New York City schools waned in the 1990s. All were gradually eliminated, but some of the biggest high schools kept their officers.

My colleagues think its outrageous  and really stupid, teacher Arthur Goldstein said. Were not enthusiastic about arming teachers, but we liked having a cop around.

Police are being removed from schools because officers in Mayor Bill de Blasios new community policing units will visit schools while patrolling the neighborhood, according to the NYPD. School safety agents are stationed at all schools, but are not armed, the New York Post reports.
San Francisco Police Officer Chris Samayoa has been fired for shooting a carjacking suspect last year. He was four days on the job working with a training officer at the time of the Dec. 1 shooting.

Police Chief Bill Scott fired the officer for killing 42-year-old Keita ONeil, sparking outrage from the citys police union and its president, Marty Halloran.

Chris was fired for doing what he was trained to do by the SFPD Academy, and for what happened on his fourth day on the job under extremely stressful and difficult circumstances, Halloran wrote in a statement. This was a needless action as any taken by someone wearing the uniform of our chief.

On Dec. 1, ONeil allegedly assaulted a state lottery worker in the Potrero Hill neighborhood and stole her minivan before leading police on a winding chase through the Alice Griffith public housing complex in the citys Bayview neighborhood.

After the brief pursuit with police, ONeil abandoned the stolen vehicle and started running toward the patrol car occupied by Samayoa and his training officer.

Samayoas body camera footage shows the officer drawing his pistol while sitting in the passenger seat of a still moving patrol vehicle. The video then shows him open the side door and fire a single shot.

The shooting remains under investigation by the departments internal affairs division, the homicide bureau and the San Francisco district attorneys office, SF Gate reports.
A Salt Lake City police officer searching for a missing 3-year-old boy acted reasonably when he entered a fenced yard and fatally shot a large barking dog running toward him, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

In a 3-0 decision, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that Officer Brett Olsen did not violate the constitutional rights of Sean Kendall by entering his yard on June 18, 2014, without a warrant and shooting Geist the dog.

Salt Lake City police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said Tuesday that the officers were concerned about the missing child and that the ruling shows they were there doing what they needed to do. Paul Murphy, a spokesman for Salt Lake City, said the situation was highly critical.

A missing child is a child who is in danger until they are found, Murphy said. What happened to Geist was an unfortunate situation, but we believe the court ruled correctly the officer acted in a reasonable manner when he was faced with a dog that was about to attack him.

Kendalls attorney, Rocky Anderson, said they intend to appeal the decision, possibly to the entire 10th Circuit, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Kendall sued the city and five of its officers in Utahs 3rd District Court in October 2015. The lawsuit, which involved state and federal defendants, sought about $2 million for the loss of Geist, a 2-year-old Weimaraner. The lawsuit says that police were not trained to deal with dogs and that Olsen violated Kendalls Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights against illegal search and seizure and due process when entering the yard without sufficient cause.
Readers may recall how Amy Wax, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, incurred the wrath of the left, including black law students at Penn, by saying that which must not be said  the social practices at the heart of middle class America from the late 1940s through the 1960s are a recipe for success, personal and societal, and their rejection is a recipe for dysfunction and decline.

Wax and her co-author Larry Alexander found themselves under fire for normalizing white supremacy. For Waxs critics on the left, thats what pointing out the positive effects of stable families, obtaining a good education, working hard, and eschewing substance abuse and crime amounts to.

I dont know whether Wax ever got out of hot water for her common sense statements, but if she did it wasnt for long. The law school has just barred her from teaching a first year course required of first year students. It did so because she commented on the the poor performance of African-American law students in her classroom.

At a forum, Wax said I dont think Ive ever seen a black student graduate in the top quarter of the class and rarely, rarely in the top half. Wax made it clear that she was speaking of a class she teaches to around 90 first-year students each year. How African-American students fare in the student body as a whole is a closely guarded secret, Wax explained.

Waxs comment resulted in a petition demanding that the law school take action against her false and deeply offensive claims. (Emphasis added) The petition demanded that the law school reject Waxs claims and take action against her, ideally including her removal from teaching first year courses and from committees involving the direction of the law school.

The administration complied with the demand that Wax not be allowed to teach a mandatory first year course. Law school dean Ted Ruger said:

As a scholar [Wax] is free to advocate her views, no matter how dramatically those views diverge from our institutional ethos and our considered practices. As a teacher, however, she is not free to transgress the policy that student grades are confidential, or to use her access to those Penn Law students who are required to be in her class to further her scholarly ends without students permission.

So black law students wont ever have to take a course from Wax. But in the absence of affirmative action grading, black grades in the mandatory first year course presumably will remain the same.

What about those grades? Did Wax lie about them, as the petition alleges?

Dean Ruger said this: [B]lack students have graduated in the top of the class at Penn Law. He added, contrary to any suggestion otherwise, black students at Penn Law are extremely successful, both inside and outside the classroom, in the job market, and in their careers.

This isnt a declaration that Waxs statement is wrong. Nor does it dispute the burden of what she said  that black academic performance lags significant behind that of other law students at Penn.

The fact that black students, i.e. more than one, have finished in the top of the class isnt inconsistent with Waxs statement that she hasnt had a black student in the top quarter of her classes (or doesnt recall having one). The claim that black students are extremely successful both inside and outside the classroom. . . is too vague to carry meaning.

The issue is how the performance of Penn Laws black students stacks up against the performance of its other students. Despite being pressured by the anti-Wax petition, the administration apparently is unable to deny that it doesnt stack up well.
In todays installment of California Crazy, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (better known as Governor Girly-Man) has announced that he, too, intends to sue major major oil companies for knowingly killing people all over the world.

Lets see: this would be the same Schwarzenegger who agitated to have a mass-market consumer version of the Humvee after Gulf War 1? The same Schwarzenegger who used to fly back and forth from his LA home to the state capitol on his private jet every day??

Yup, same guy. Actually, Schwarzenegger is a fitting metaphor of the decline and fall of California:

Chaser:
With 427 of 593 precincts reporting, Democrat Conor Lamb leads Republican Rick Saccone in a special election in Pennsylvanias 18 Congressional District. The district went strongly for President Trump and should be Republican, but Lamb attracted an enormous amount of money and Saccone is generally viewed as a lackluster campaigner. The elections significance is questionable, notwithstanding the national attention it has attracted, since the current 18th will go out of existence in November as part of the current redistricting.

Still, if Lamb wins the Democrats will claim it as a major moral victory, especially since President Trump visited the district to campaign for Saccone. The problem with the Democrats narrative is that Lamb ran as a Republican. He vows not to vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House (a vow he almost certainly will break, I think), and he is a Marine veteran and rabidly pro-gun. In other words, the sort of candidate that Democrats normally would turn out to vote against.

UPDATE: With 514 precincts reporting, Lambs lead is down to fewer than 3,000 votes.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Saccone is closing strongly. With 563 of 593 precincts in, Lambs lead is less than 1,000 votes. A cliffhanger!

FINAL UPDATE: With all precincts reporting, but (I believe) a few absentee ballots to be counted, Lamb is up by fewer than 600 votes.
I have always admired Mona Charen. I continue to admire her even though I dont agree with her Never Trump position.

I admire Mona for speaking out at CPAC against the invitation it issued to Marion Marechal-Le Pen. I admire her for warning a CPAC audience not to look the other way at sexual harassment when conservatives commit it.

Now that Mona is a Never Trumper who has spoken out at CPAC, the liberal media admires her too. It has a strange new respect for her.

Mona is the subject of an admiring piece in the Washington Posts Style section, and in a CSPAN interview she mentioned recent appearances on MSNBC. In response to a question from the host, she added that she hasnt appeared on Fox News in a while.

That Fox News isnt interested in Monas point of view tells us plenty about that outlet. Kookie leftists are welcome on Tucker Carlsons show, but theres no room on the network for a thoughtful, conservative Never-Trumper.

I wonder, though. Did Joe Scarborough or others at MSNBC ever invite Mona to express her point of view during the Obama years? If not, this tells us plenty about that outlet, and the use it now wishes to make of Mona Charen.

Mona told the Post that the only way forward for people like her in the Republican Party is to reach out to Democrats. She says she doesnt want to sound Kumbaya, but the poisonous polarization weve seen is so dangerous.

If Mona believes that reaching out to members of a party firmly committed to remaking America along hard-left lines is going to reduce polarization, then, yes, she sounds Kumbaya. At best.

During her CSPAN appearance, one caller asked Mona to acknowledge the conservative accomplishments of the Trump administration and to explain why, in view of these accomplishments, she remains a Never Trumper. Mona acknowledged the conservative accomplishments, but argued that they are outweighed by the damage Trump will do to Republicans and conservatives. In her view, young Americans wont forgive Republicans for backing Trump, and the political fallout will last for many years.

There are problems with this argument. First, the conservative gains being made through the Trump administration are real; the future damage Mona expects is speculative.

Five years ago, no one expected that Donald Trump would ever be elected president. Six months before he was nominated, few expected he would be the GOP nominee. One day before the election, few expected he would win.

Why, then, should we have confidence in predictions about what the political landscape will look like ten years from now?

Its certainly true that young voters are turned off by Trump. But pre-Trump, young voters were turned off by George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney. Had Trump not emerged, would, say, a President Cruz be appreciably more popular with young Americans than Trump is? I doubt it.

The main problem Republicans have with young voters (beyond leftisms inherent appeal to the infantile) is that the conservative message, particularly the rejection of identity politics, runs counter to what young people are being taught to believe. Conservatives can either pander to the young with an unconvincing me-too approach or they can fight back against the institutions that indoctrinate the young with political correctness, identity politics, and the rest of the toxic cocktail.

One thing I like about Trump is that he has opted for the latter response.

However, the most (and probably the only) promising way to make conservatism palatable to the young is the Reagan model  implement conservative, pro-growth policies; hope (and expect) them to produce positive results; and rely on young voters, as they become older, to appreciate and reward politicians who advocate these policies. Reagans successes didnt translate into permanent conservative governance, but they staved off left-liberal governance for 20 years.

Anyway, even if Mona is right about the probable effects of Trumpism on the ability of conservatives to appeal to younger voters in the future, what, pragmatically, is gained by Never Trumpism? Will these voters be so impressed by the independence of Mona, Bill Kristol, et al. that they will forgive conservatives for the sins of Trump? No.

If Mona, Bill, et al. somehow persuade Republicans to repudiate Trump and nominate a conservative whose policies, by definition, will be similar to Trumps, will the future be made safe for conservatives? Not likely.

Realistically, Never Trumpism isnt about saving conservatism from the stain of association with Trump. Its about saving Never Trumpers from that stain. I dont condemn Never Trumpers from wishing to save themselves, as they see it. But they shouldnt imagine they are doing conservatism a favor.

Indeed, it is possible that hatred of Trump will cause some Never Trumpers to abandon conservatism, in part or in whole. Theres evidence that this is already happening. In my view, its a more realistic prospect than Never Trumpers saving conservatism by relentlessly opposing a president who is implementing a mainly conservative agenda.

The best way to promote conservatism is to support vigorously President Trumps efforts to implement conservative agenda items. This means encouraging Republican Senators and Congressmen to stick with the president to the extent he pushes such items.

It means supporting Trump when, as seems certain, the Democrats nominate a liberal (or worse) to run against him in 2020. Not to support Trump in such a race is preemptive surrender. It would tend to render self-fulfilling Monas prediction that Trump will produce the demise of conservatism. So would reaching an alliance with Democrats, for there are no conservative Democrats to speak of.

Im not urging anyone to abstain from criticizing Trump. He should be criticized when he promotes non-conservative policies (in the eye of the beholder) and for outrageous behavior, of which there will be plenty.

However, not every foible or bit of obnoxiousness should be treated as an outrage. Lets leave that to the left-wing resistance, which encompasses Mona Charens new admirers at the Washington Post Style section and at MSNBC.
We want to keep up with the serious journalism that helps us understand the synthetic Trump-Russia collusion scandal that is the subject of the unending Mueller project. The synthetic scandal is of course the sign of a true Obama administration scandal. Drawing on the work of Andrew McCarthy and Lee Smith, Michael Doran now gives us The real collusion story. It is necessary reading.

Dorans essay provides a marked contrast with Jane Mayers dewy-eyed profile of Christopher Steele to which I have been attending. Dorans essay gives us sense in place of nonsense. Yet Doran will not be invited on to National Public Radio or offered a platform on MSNBC to expound on his essay. We will have to pass it on and give it the good word of mouth it deserves.

Doran is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute in Washington. He served in the White House as a senior director in the National Security Council under President Bush (43). His 2016 Mosaic essay Obamas secret Iran strategy provides a comparable example of Dorans analytic prowess.

Lee Smiths current Tablet column is Robert Muellers beltway cover-up. It is the perfect companion to Dorans essay.
I was deeply concerned to learn about the brutal and shocking assault on the Skripal family, in which also a British police officer suffered harm.

On behalf of all Polish people and of the Polish authorities, I would like to express my solidarity with the actions taken by the Government of Prime Minister Theresa May. The use of chemical weapons on the territory of our strategic ally cannot be left unanswered.

Perpetrators should be identified and punished. We will work closely with the United Kingdom on this matter within the UN Security Council, NATO, EU, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Ninety-five outstanding projects and individual Manufacturing 4.0 leaders will be honored at the Manufacturing Leadership Summit

SANTA CLARA, California, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan's Manufacturing Leadership (ML) Council announces the world-class manufacturing companies and individual leaders set to receive recognition as winners of the 2018 Manufacturing Leadership Awards. ML Awards winners and their partners will be honored on June 13, 2018, at a gala celebration that concludes the 14th annual Manufacturing Leadership Summit in Huntington Beach, Calif. In addition, the High Achiever Award, Manufacturers of the Year, the Manufacturing Leader of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award winners will be announced at the gala.

To see the list of the 2018 Manufacturing Leadership Awards winners, click here http://frost.ly/2ay

"The companies, projects, and individual leaders being honored with 2018 ML Awards are redefining excellence by embracing the technology-driven transformation that we call Manufacturing 4.0," said Global Vice President and Editorial Director and co-founder of the Manufacturing Leadership Council David R. Brousell. "Their inspiring achievements are allowing their companies to anticipate and thrive through the dramatic changes now rippling through the global manufacturing marketplace."

The 95 projects and individuals on the list of ML Awards winners represent small and large enterprises in a wide range of manufacturing markets. They all leverage best-in-class processes, technologies, and engaged teams to set themselves apart from the competition. Winners for 2018 include Ford, IBM, Cisco Systems, Merck, The Dow Chemical Company, and Johnson Controls.

Now in its 14th year, the ML Awards program honors organizations and individuals that are shaping the future of global manufacturing. Nominations are entered into 11 categories and evaluated and scored by a panel of expert judges. Ten of the ML Awards categories are for outstanding projects by a manufacturing company. Project categories include Industrial Internet of Things Leadership, Operational Excellence Leadership, and Talent Management Leadership. One category recognizes the achievements of individual manufacturing leaders.

The ML Summit is a unique, interactive gathering of manufacturing leaders from around the world. The theme for the 2018 Summit is "Accelerating the Transformation to Manufacturing 4.0." Featured speakers include Michele D'Alessandro, vice president and CIO, Manufacturing IT, Merck & Co., Inc.; Brynn Watson, Vice President, Program Management, Corporate Engineering and Program Operations, Lockheed Martin; Alex Goryachev, Senior Director, Corporate Strategy and Innovation Group, Cisco Systems; Praveen Jonnala, Global Vice President, IT Global Busniness Solutions, Commscope.

The nomination period for the 2019 Manufacturing Leadership Awards will open in September.

Expert judges for the 2018 ML Awards were:

David R. Brousell

Global Vice President, Research, and Editorial Director

Manufacturing Leadership Council

John Gagel

Global Senior Manager, Corporate Sustainability

Lexmark International



Ronald Castro

Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain Execution

IBM

Brad Heath

CEO

VirTex Enterprises



Jeff Gallinat

Senior Vice President, Global Manufacturing Operations

Cisco Systems

Michael Packer

Director, Advanced Manufacturing Programs

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works

Val Zanchuk

President

Graphicast Inc.



David Mongrue

Vice President, Operations

The Dow Chemical Company

Michele D'Alessandro

Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Manufacturing IT

Merck & Co., Inc.

Allison Grealis

Founder and President

Women in Manufacturing

Caralynn Collens

CEO

UI Labs

Craig Bandes

President and CEO

Pixelligent, Inc.

Praveen Jonnala

Vice President, Global Business Solutions Development

Commscope

Dennis Hoeg

Vice President

North America Chief Operating Officer

Nexteer Automotive

About the Manufacturing Leadership Council

Established in 2008, the Manufacturing Leadership Council's mission is to inspire and support manufacturing executives to achieve transformational growth for themselves, their companies, and the industry at large through enlightened leadership. With around 1,000 senior-level members from many of the world's leading manufacturing companies, the Council focuses on the intersection of advanced technologies and the business, identifying growth and improvement opportunities in the operation, organization and leadership of manufacturing enterprises as they pursue their journeys to Manufacturing 4.0. In support of its mission, the Council produces an extensive portfolio of thought-leading content, networking events, research, industry awards, and professional development products, programs, and services for its members.

For more information and MLC membership details, please visit www.manufacturingleadershipcouncil.com

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Contact:

Jeffrey Moad

P: 510.531.3456

F: 510.531.3456

E: [email protected]

http://www.frost.com

Related Links

http://www.frost.com



SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
The report " Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market by Type (EPDM, Fluoroelastomers, Silicone Elastomers), Application (O-Rings & Gaskets, Seals, Profiles, Hoses), and Region (North America, Europe, South America, Rest of the World) - Global Forecast to 2022" published by MarketsandMarkets, is projected to grow from USD 54.3 Million in 2017 to USD 70.8 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 5.5% from 2017 to 2022. The growth of the Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market can be attributed to the increased demand for aerospace & defense elastomers from the aviation industry across the globe. In addition, the increased demand for new aircraft from emerging economies such as India and China is also expected to boost the growth of the aerospace & defense elastomers across the globe.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 48 tables and 24 figures spread through 103 pages and in-depth TOC on "Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market"

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/aerospace-defense-elastomer-market-207777971.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report

The silicone elastomers type segment of the Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period, in terms of value.

Based on type, the silicone elastomers segment of the Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market is projected to grow at the highest CAGR between 2017 and 2022, in terms of value. The growth of this segment of the market can be attributed to the industry-wide acceptance of silicone elastomers due to their excellent performance and improved general characteristics. These elastomers are generally used for sealing applications in various industries as they can withstand difficult operating conditions. In addition, they offer good resistance to oils and chemicals.

Get PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=207777971

The O-rings & gaskets application segment accounted for the largest share of the Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market in 2017, in terms of value.

Based on application, the O-rings & gaskets segment accounted for the largest share of the Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market in 2017, in terms of value. O-rings can be manufactured using various types of aerospace elastomers and are available in all internationally recognized standard sizes. Some of the commonly used elastomers for manufacturing O-rings & gaskets are Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomers (EPDMs), Nitriles, and fluoroelastomers.

Gaskets are mechanical seals that completely plug the empty space between two surfaces. The type of elastomers used for manufacturing gaskets depends on a broad range of variables such as working temperature range that gaskets have to withstand, mechanical properties required by them, and their chemical resistance to acids.

The North American region is projected to be the largest market for aerospace & defense elastomers during the forecast period, in terms of volume.

The North American region is projected to be the largest market for aerospace & defense elastomers between 2017 and 2022, in terms of volume. The US is a key consumer of aerospace & defense elastomers in the North American region. The presence of manufacturing units of large aerospace firms in the North American region and increased use of new and lightweight aerospace & defense elastomers in the aviation industry of the region have contributed to the growth of the North America Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market. New product launches and expansions are the key growth strategies adopted by the leading manufacturers of aerospace & defense elastomers in the North American region.

Trelleborg (Sweden), Shin-Etsu Chemical (Japan), Dow Corning (US), Greene, Tweed (US), Chemours (US), Wacker Chemie (Germany), Momentive (US), Saint-Gobain (France), and Solvay (Belgium), among others are the key players operating in the Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market.

Know more about Aerospace & Defense Elastomers Market:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/aerospace-defense-elastomer-market-207777971.html



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Salgarkar

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]



Visit Our Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Growth opportunities supported by renewed focus on metering, evolving business models, and market consolidation

SINGAPORE, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest Frost & Sullivan analysis of the Asia-Pacific water meter market finds that the market is undergoing rapid transformation due to renewed focus on metering and sub-metering, evolving business models, and market consolidation. Growth will be augmented by the need to reduce non-revenue water (NRW), lower operational expenditure, improve billing efficiency, and bring about better demand management.

Frost & Sullivan's research expects the Asia-Pacific region to achieve 25 percent smart meter penetration by 2025 as a result of the increasing use of disruptive business models such as Metering-as-a-Service (MaaS) and static metering technology, which are set to subsidize overall meter costs significantly. Water Meter Market in Asia-Pacific, Forecast to 2022 analyzes key market dynamics, drivers, restraints, forecast and trends, meter type, and market growth opportunities. Competitive profiles for key players such as Iltron, Elster, Sensus, and Kamstrup are also provided.

Click here for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders.

"As interest and adoption of static metering and MaaS increase in the Asia-Pacific region, operational and maintenance costs associated with water networks will decrease. Taking steps toward consumer engagement will also improve customer service and manage demand," said Frost & Sullivan Environment and Water Senior Industry Analyst Hari Raamanathan.

In a nascent and highly fragmented market, Raamanathan recommends that companies focus their efforts on unexplored markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. These markets offer high growth potential and are expected to reap immense benefits when smart water network improvements occur.

Further strategic imperatives for growth in the Asia-Pacific water meter market include:

Companies prioritizing flexibility of meter configuration and payment models for increased penetration;

Integrating data processing and analytics packages with meter products;

Meeting smart city visions by designing and delivering entire Internet of Things networks; and

Developing capabilities to offer scalable, end-to-end metering solutions and services.

"Despite notable growth opportunities, metering adoption will be restrained by a lack of capital. Many water utilities in the region, especially in South East Asia, are experiencing an acute financial crisis due to chronic underfunding and low water tariffs," observes Raamanathan.

"This weak financial state has led to poor maintenance and infrequent rehabilitation of network infrastructure, resulting in further losses due to increasing NRW levels. Given this situation, externally-financed installations and retrofits of existing water networks with advanced metering devices could be just what is required to stop this loss spiral," he added.

Water Meter Market in Asia-Pacific, Forecast to 2022 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Environment and Water Growth Partnership Services Program.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion .

Water Meter Market in Asia-Pacific, Forecast to 2022

P98F_15

Contact:

Melissa Tan

Corporate Communications  Asia Pacific

P: +65 6890 0926

F: +65 6890 0999

E: [email protected]

http://ww2.frost.com

Related Links

http://www.frost.com



SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
STAMFORD, Connecticut and HAMBURG, Germany, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

Speaking at Shipping 2018, the Connecticut Maritime Association's (CMA) annual conference, Knut rbeck-Nilssen, IACS Chairman and CEO of DNV GL - Maritime, looked at some of the initiatives taken at the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) that were changing the organisation.

- Cross reference: Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com) -

"It is my duty and honour to encourage the world's biggest classification societies to pull together to adapt to this rapid pace of change and create a strong foundation for IACS as the leading maritime technical association," said Knut rbeck-Nilssen. The changes at IACS were not a "sudden revolution, where we throw everything we know overboard and start back at one", he said, but rather "an evolution, a gradual transformation to becoming more advanced, more transparent and more efficient in serving our industry."

IACS was embracing the challenges of the digital transformation of shipping and had already launched several projects to help the industry adapt to recent shifts in markets, regulations and technologies, rbeck-Nilssen noted. In a dedicated working group, IACS has examined all the relevant resolutions, to identify which standards present potential regulatory barriers to autonomous ship operations. In addition, IACS is supporting the industry by leading the work on the development of a common terminology for different levels of autonomy.

To help the maritime community ensure the cyber-resilience of their assets, IACS established and is taking the lead in an industry working group focused on cyber safety. The working group addresses common safety issues with interconnected systems, sharing best practices and keeping up to date with new developments. To facilitate the use of modern survey technology, IACS is also taking a fresh look at its survey requirements. Potential revisions could cover advanced non-destructive testing and remote inspection techniques.

IACS itself was a focus of the changes as well, added rbeck-Nilssen: "As our way of working changes, the Association has taken a fresh look at its internal procedures. Our focus is to ensure that the services delivered by both new and existing members keep up with regulatory developments and meet the highest quality standards."

But even in a rapidly changing world, IACS and the classification societies would stay true to their ideals, said rbeck-Nilssen: "And when everything around us is in motion, class aspires to be a beacon of light setting the course ahead - with modern requirements, transparent processes and the highest quality of service. The industry is changing. Our ways of working may be changing. But the purpose of classification remains the same: To protect life, property and the environment."

Media contact DNV GL:

Nikos Spath, Head of Media and Public Relations

DNV GL Maritime Communications

Tel.: +49-(0)40-36149-4856

E-Mail: [email protected]

SOURCE DNV GL
BENGALURU, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

DataWeave, a provider of Competitive Intelligence as a Service, announced today the launch of a powerful new version of its SaaS-based competitive intelligence product suite that helps retailers and consumer brands leverage public data on the Web to make smarter decisions and compete profitably.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486774/DataWeave_Logo.jpg )



"Since our inception, we have led the large-scale transformation of how enterprises consume and derive benefits from rich sources of data publicly available on the Web," said Karthik Bettadapura, Co-founder and CEO at DataWeave. "With the launch of our new, state-of-the-art product suite, we bring more power to our customers' fingertips through unmatched access to key and relevant competitive insights that drive strategic decision-making."

DataWeave's AI-powered data aggregation and analysis platform harnesses billions of data points from diverse Web sources to provide retailers with unified price, promotion and markdown optimization, and product assortment insights, and consumer brands with brand governance, share of voice (SOV) analyses, and shelf space optimization in e-commerce. These insights are typically accessed through a SaaS-based web portal or directly consumed via APIs to augment the customer's internal analytics systems.

With DataWeave's advanced SaaS-based products, retailers and brands can:

View near-real-time insights and historical trends at greater granularity, enabling them to effect faster and more precise actions on pricing, promotions, merchandising, and other areas of revenue optimization

Customize their experience based on functions relevant to their profile and act on personalized recommendations

Integrate seamlessly with internal data systems and models to generate predictive insights and measure ROI

"While conventional competitive intelligence systems are still mostly limited to providing descriptive insights, our new product suite, with deeper data integration capabilities, lets us deliver prescriptive insights to our customers, so they can instantly solve clearly defined and actionable business problems at scale. As we explore further innovations, we will progress from providing recommendations to enabling actions directly through our products," said Karthik.

Click here to request a demo of DataWeave's advanced SaaS-based competitive intelligence product suite.

About DataWeave:

DataWeave provides Competitive Intelligence as a Service to retailers and consumer brands by aggregating and analyzing billions of unstructured data points across multiple data sources on the Web. Powered by AI and machine-learning, the company's data products enable enterprises to better understand their competitive environment, optimize customer experience, and drive profitable growth.

For more information, visit http://www.dataweave.com.

Contact information

Sumanth Suri

Vice President, Partnerships & Marketing

DataWeave

[email protected]



SOURCE DataWeave
Data Monetization is Expected to Unravel $33 Billion in Opportunity for OEMs by 2025

LONDON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan, the growth partnership company, announced today that it will host a live, complimentary Growth Innovation Leadership (GIL) briefing titled, "5 Ways To Monetize Data in the Auto Industry," on Wednesday, 21st March 2018 at 1:00PM EDT. The webinar will offer Frost & Sullivan's expert insight from Archana Vidyasekar, Global Research Manager, and Niranjan Manohar, Program Manager, Global Automotive & Transportation Research Team at Frost & Sullivan.

The connected car of today generates data from at least 200 different sensors within the vehicle and can profile everything from your location to driving habits. It can also monitor the use of vehicle features such as the temperature in your car and the weather in your surroundings. These data points can typically provide more than 140 viable use cases, but only 15% of these use cases are monetized. If all the connected vehicles with the ability to capture certain data types were monetized, the overall opportunity would amount to $33 billion by 2025. Though use cases can be grouped under usage-based insurance (UBI), autonomous vehicles (AVs), crash reconstruction, and location and mapping services, there are several untapped dark horses.

"Data monetization business models are still in the nascent stage," said Niranjan Manohar, Program Manager at Frost & Sullivan. "Willingness to pay will become the key variable that will determine pricing benchmarks for data products as data-led transformations are inevitable considering the increasing number of digital touchpoints and evolving use cases."

Join us to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the different data monetization business models being discussed in the automotive industry and the different pricing models being evaluated in order to tap into growth opportunities.

Expert Insight You Don't Want to Miss:

UBI hold the highest potential with an opportunity of $25 - $40 per car per year. This could range from pay as you drive (PAYD) to pay how you drive (PHYD) business models, which are the most preferred types of metrics to calculate insurance premiums. The idea here is to provide real-time data services to support a full digital transformation of the policyholder experience.

hold the highest potential with an opportunity of per car per year. This could range from pay as you drive (PAYD) to pay how you drive (PHYD) business models, which are the most preferred types of metrics to calculate insurance premiums. The idea here is to provide real-time data services to support a full digital transformation of the policyholder experience. The most popular model today is data bartering as most car companies and suppliers don't know what to do with the data they have. This model typically involves information-based exchangesdata exchanges between Waze and city municipalities for example. However, some car companies are ahead of the curve. For example, BMW launched its own data brokering marketplace model in Germany as a pilot called BMW CarData. In partnership with IBM, BMW follows a white-label service business model where 8.5 million BMW vehicles have built-in telematics systems that operate using the open-source CarData Platform.

as a pilot called BMW CarData. In partnership with IBM, BMW follows a white-label service business model where vehicles have built-in telematics systems that operate using the open-source CarData Platform. Car data customers can range from energy companies and fleet operators to retailers like Starbucks and McDonald's that want to know when you are likely to purchase your next coffee or burger. Frost & Sullivan identified over 50 different organizational types that want to profit from your vehicle, driving behavior and location data.

For more information and to register for the webinar, please click here.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Press Contact:

Kristi Cekani

Corporate Communications - Frost & Sullivan, Europe

P: +39 (0)2 4851 6133

E: [email protected]

http://www.frost.com

Related Links

http://www.frost.com



SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
PORTLAND, Oregon and PUNE, India, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, "Hernia Repair Devices and Consumables Market, by Product, Surgery Type, and Hernia Type: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023," the global hernia repair devices and consumables market was valued at $4,156 million in 2016, and is projected to reach $5,554 million in 2023, registering a CAGR of 4.2% from 2017 to 2023.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg )



Hernia is a medical condition in which the internal organs of the body protrude due to weakened abdominal wall. It is classified in five different types, inguinal hernia, incisional hernia, femoral hernia, umbilical hernia, and others (hiatal hernia and epigastric hernia). Hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures, requiring hernia fixation devices such as tacks or staples and consumables.

Request for Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/353

The factors that drive the growth of the hernia repair devices and consumables market include increase in the number of hernia surgical procedures, rise in prevalence of hernia, surge in adoption of advanced meshes as compared to conventional mesh, and technological advancements in hernia surgeries such as use of robotic surgeries. However, high cost of hernia surgical procedures and inconsistent reimbursement policies hamper the market growth. Conversely, the development of advanced hernia repair devices and high market potential in untapped emerging economies provide lucrative growth opportunities for the key players.

The consumables segment accounted for the largest share in 2016, owing to high usage & applicability of hernia repair devices and increase in number of hernia surgeries. Furthermore, the fixation devices segment is expected to grow at the highest CAGR from 2017 to 2023, and is anticipated to continue its dominance during the forecast period.

The utilization rate of hernia repair devices and consumables in open tension-free repair surgeries is high. However, laparoscopic surgeries segment is expected to grow at a highest CAGR during the forecast period, due to technological advancements in hernia repair surgeries. On the basis of hernia type, the inguinal hernia segment occupied the largest share in 2016. On the contrary, the incisional hernia segment is expected to provide lucrative market opportunities during the forecast period.

For Purchase Enquiry: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/353

Key findings of the Hernia Repair Devices and Consumables Market:

The consumables segment accounted for more than three-fourths share of the global hernia repair devices and consumables market in 2016.

The laparoscopic surgery segment is expected to grow at highest CAGR from 2017 to 2023.

The inguinal hernia segment accounted for around two-thirds share of the global hernia repair devices and consumables market in 2016.

Europe accounted for around one-third share of the global market in 2016.

accounted for around one-third share of the global market in 2016. LAMEA is expected to provide lucrative market growth opportunities from 2017 to 2023

North America was the leading revenue contributor to the global hernia repair devices and consumables market in 2016, and is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. This is attributed to the early approval of hernia repair devices and increased number of hernia procedures. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the study period, due to increase in affordability, surge in healthcare expenditure, and rise in awareness towards hernia repair surgeries

Access KNOWLEDGE TREE (Premium on-demand, subscription-based pricing model) at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/knowledgetree

Knowledge tree is a cloud-based intelligence platform that offers more than 2,000 selective, off-the-shelf reports on niche markets to enable our clients gain deep insights on the latest trends, dynamic technologies, and emerging application areas.

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.



Contact:

Shriram Dighe

5933 NE Win Sivers Drive

#205, Portland, OR 97220

United States

Toll Free: +1-800-792-5285

UK: +44-845-528-1300

Hong Kong: +852-301-84916

India (Pune): +91-20-66346060

Fax: 1855550-5975

[email protected]



Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com

SOURCE Allied Market Research
NEW DELHI, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

CREDAI, in association with their knowledge partner JLL, India's largest real estate service firm, today jointly unveiled a report titled 'TRAVERSING THROUGH THE EPIC, PREDICTING THE CURVE' at CREDAI Conclave 2018 in New Delhi. The report, that traces 7 trends that will change the way real estate business will happen in the future in India, highlights that the Indian Real Estate Sector is projected to reach a market size of US$ 180bn by 2020, a sharp rise from $126 Bn in 2015. The report also reveals that the housing sector's contribution to the Indian GDP is expected to almost double to more than 11% by 2020 up from estimated 5%-6%. Regulatory reforms, steady demand generated through rapid urbanization, rising household income and the emergence of affordable housing and nuclear housing are some of the key drivers of growth for the sector.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160316/10142243 )

According to the report, the 'architects of changes' in the form of various revolutionary policies and reforms have paved the way for a highly conducive environment for industry stakeholders which has weaved a new and improved environment for Indian realty, with certain policy based implications expected in the future.

The 7 Future Altering Trends That Will Transform The Indian Real Estate Sector:

Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA) - (Key Findings and Projections)

RERA is expected to consolidate the Indian Real Estate industry with unscrupulous developers to be shunted out

Smaller developers in Tier 2 and 3 cities could tap into institutional funding, if they follow higher disclosure norms and efficient financial management

Sales figures projected to improve with RERA bound to rebuild the trust deficit between buyers and developers.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) - (Key Findings and Projections)

The cost savings on account of GST is expected to between 3 to 4% in the near future as estimated by development community. Prices will continue to remain dependent on demand and supply dynamics within micro-markets.

The report identifies select cities (other than the top eight cities) and evaluated their potential to become the next growth centre of logistics post GST Implementation. Some of them include Nagpur, Kochi, Chandigarh, Patna, amongst others.

FDI Policy - (Key Findings and Projections)

The recent relaxation in the FDI Policy by the Government of India has also provided a huge boost to the industry in the past, with the report revealing the following findings:

Private equity and debt investments in real estate increased by 12% year-on-year across 79 transactions in 2017

Investments in retail projects in Tier 1 & 2 cities reached$6.19 bn in the period of 2006-17

Investment inflows in the residential sector since 2014 have been INR 59,000 cr; approximately 47% of the total invested money in real estate over the same period

Private equity inflows in office & IT /ITeS segment for 2014-2017 YTD are 150% higher than the previous seven years' inflows combined

Key FDI trends which are likely to dominate the future of Indian realty -

Affordable housing is a major theme among investors. With ample policy support, numerous projects are being launched in this sector and FDI will find its way here.

Warehousing and logistics destinations in the country will also be attractive to foreign investors as post GST the sector is getting more organized.

The office segment is likely to remain active in terms of attracting investments.

Affordable Housing:

Create avenue for developers to make strong presence in real estate as demand for this segment

Being granted infrastructure status, allows developers to borrow capital at preferred rates as well as utilised secured funding routes for growth

Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs):

Over 20 Bn worth REIT- able office stock in India with potential rental yield up to 7.5% make Indian real estate very attractive

with potential rental yield up to 7.5% make Indian real estate very attractive Office REITs may pave the way for Retail asset REITs in the second phase. Higher private equity investment interest in alternative assets such as senior living, student housing. Create a long-term strategy to strengthen development portfolios in those asset classes.

Technology and Use of Prop - Tech

Tech- enablement of the sector is expected to increase efficiency in building construction, sales and marketing management and property management aspects

Four big technological revolution that will have lasting change include - Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) and Block Chain

Alternative Asset Classes

The real estate sector will benefit greatly from specialisations that are seeing the dawn now. These are expected to pick pace in the next decade

High growth asset classes for the next decade will be Senior Living, Student Housing and Healthcare

Ramesh Nair, CEO and Country Head, JLL India, said, "The time for change in now, which is evident in the recent developments. Game changing developments like RERA and GST have created a strong base for the sector to grow, which coupled with India's strong economic advancement have provided a perfect spring board. Our report 'Traversing through the epic, predicting the curve' is focused on providing a sneak peek at the future of the sector, identifying 7 trends as mentioned."

CREDAI Chairman, Mr. Getamber Anand, shares his opinion, "CREDAI National has consistently maintained its stance of looking ahead into the future and we continue this trend with the unveiling of the CREDAI - JLL report titled 'Traversing through the epic, predicting the curve'. The report looks forward in regards to the revolutionary reforms and policy changes that have and will still continue to have a substantial bearing on proceedings. The report reveals some exciting findings pertaining to the growth of the real estate sector which is ought to encourage all industry stakeholders."

CREDAI President, Mr. Jaxay Shah, comments, "As a leading industry body, CREDAI National fully comprehends the prevalent and upcoming industry trends which are bound to have significant implications for Indian realty. Having displayed extreme resilience throughout the course of the past 18 months, the Indian real estate sector is now quite evidently on an upward trajectory backed by the efforts of industry stakeholders and the Government of India. The CREDAI - JLL report 'Predicting the Curve' happens to be extremely enlightening and speaks in length of the new era of the Indian real estate sector."

About CREDAI

Established in 1999, The Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Association of India, is the apex body for private real estate developers in India, representing 11,940 developers through 23 states and 178 city chapters across the country. CREDAI has worked hard to make the industry more organized and progressive by networking closely with government representatives, policy makers, investors. CREDAI works towards improvement of ethical standards & business practices in real estate. CREDAI is well-recognized by the Central and State Governments in all its endeavours.

About JLL India:

JLL is India's premier and largest professional services firm specializing in real estate. With estimated revenue for FY 2017-18 expected to be ~INR 3,200 crores, the firm is growing from strength to strength in India for over the past 20 years. JLL has an extensive geographic footprint across 10 cities (Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi and Coimbatore) and staff strength of over 9,500. The firm provides investors, developers, local corporates and multinational companies with a comprehensive range of services. This includes research, strategic advisory and consultancy, capital markets, transaction management, project and development services, integrated facilities management, property and asset management. These services cover various asset classes such as commercial, residential, industrial, retail, warehouse and logistics, hospitality, healthcare, senior living and education.

JLL was recognised as one of the Best Places to Work in India 2017 in the annual survey of 'India's Best Companies to Work For' - a joint study conducted by Great Place to Work and The Economic Times. The firm has also been acknowledged as 'Property Consultant of the Decade' at the 10th CNBC-Awaaz Real Estate Awards 2015 and the Best Property Consultancy in India at the International Property Awards Asia Pacific 2016-17. For further information, please visit http://www.jll.co.in.

Media Contact:

Piyali Dasgupta

[email protected]

+91-9833571204

Associate Director, PR & Media Relations

JLL India



SOURCE JLL India
Kubzansky will lead a global firm that has invested $1.2 billion in more than 600 for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations across five continents. He joined Omidyar Network in May 2013 to lead the newly-created intellectual capital function, a strategy and research practice designed to inform and set strategy, explore and seed new focus areas for the firm, and generate and publish insights gained through Omidyar Network's global work across its initiatives and with its investees.

In his new role, Kubzansky will direct the next phase of the firm's evolution, one that will: (1) continue its early-stage investing and grant-making support of sector-level initiatives; (2) launch several existing Omidyar Network initiatives as autonomous organizations; and (3) generate, develop, and share new cutting-edge ideas, insights, experiments, and lessons to drive innovation. Kubzansky's appointment is effective immediately.

"Building upon the legacy that Matt helped build, I am happy to announce that Mike Kubzansky will assume the role of managing partner at Omidyar Network. Mike's work with us the last five years has focused on developing models for impact and expanding the organization's intellectual capital practice. Mike has been a critical partner to Omidyar Network's teams around the world for strategy development; and his passion for testing new ideas will be highly leveraged as Omidyar Network continues to look for ways to bring positive social impact to the world," stated Omidyar.

Before joining Omidyar Network, Kubzansky was a partner at Monitor Group (now Monitor Deloitte), where he co-founded and led Monitor's Inclusive Markets practice. He also worked for the World Bank and IFC, and earlier in his career, Kubzansky held several roles at a start-up company in the telecommunications sector. He earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and his bachelor's degree with honors from Brown University.

Kubzansky will follow Bannick, who oversaw more than a decade of growth and led several innovations within the field and practice of philanthropy. Bannick broadened the firm's strategy to focus on entire sectors as well as making investments in early-stage entrepreneurs, and he applied approaches more typically found in venture capital, including a horizontal partnership structure to attract top talent and providing human capital expertise to support investees. He instituted a policy of hiring local talent as the firm expanded into new geographies, and he directed the establishment of an intellectual capital function to capture and share sector insights with peers and the broader field.

Bannick's tenure will be marked most notably by his efforts in helping establish impact investing as a mainstream approach to drive positive change. He authored several pieces that framed the opportunity of the approach, co-chaired the U.S. National Advisory Board on Impact Investing, was a frequent speaker on the topic, and saw the industry reach more than $114bn in assets under management.

"Omidyar Network has benefited greatly from Matt's leadership, vision, and expertise," noted Omidyar. "He joined the organization at a critical time, quickly building a global team of world-class leaders, while also growing the field of impact investing through his advocacy. I've known Matt for 18 years and it's been a pleasure to work alongside him. Pam and I are humbled by his service, and incredibly grateful for the impact he's had at Omidyar Network, and beyond."

ABOUT OMIDYAR NETWORK

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm dedicated to harnessing the power of markets to create opportunity for people to improve their lives. Established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam, the organization invests in and helps scale innovative organizations to catalyze economic and social change. Omidyar Network has committed more than $1.2 billion to for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations that foster economic advancement and encourage individual participation across multiple initiatives, including Education, Emerging Tech, Financial Inclusion, Governance & Citizen Engagement, and Property Rights.

To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com, and follow on Twitter @omidyarnetwork #PositiveReturns

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654230/Mike_Kubzansky_Omidyar_Network.jpg

Related Links

http://www.omidyar.com



SOURCE Omidyar Network
PUNE, India, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The report "Silicone Surfactants Market by Application (Emulsifiers, Foaming Agents, Defoaming Agents, Wetting Agents, Dispersants), End-Use Industry (Personal Care, Construction, Textile, Paints & Coatings, Agriculture), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022" published by MarketsandMarkets, is estimated to be USD 151.7 Million in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 207.5 Million by 2022, at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2017 to 2022. The growth of the Silicone Surfactants Market can be attributed to increasing demand for silicone surfactants from the personal care and other end-use industries. Stringent environmental regulations against the use of conventional surfactants provide a prospect for growth to the Silicone Surfactants Market.

792302

Browse 89 market data Tables and 39 Figures spread through 131 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Silicone Surfactants Market"

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/silicone-surfactant-market-192476281.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report

Based on application, the emulsifiers segment is projected to lead the Silicone Surfactants Market during the forecast period

The emulsifiers application segment is estimated to lead the Silicone Surfactants Market in 2017, and this trend is expected to continue during the forecast period as well. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the increasing use of silicone surfactants in the personal care, construction, and paints & coatings industries. Features such as spreadability and softness make silicone surfactants preferable for use as emulsifiers in personal care products, polyurethane foams, and coatings, among other applications.

Get PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=192476281

Based on end-use industry, the personal care segment is projected to lead the Silicone Surfactants Market during the forecast period

Based on end-use industry, the personal care segment is estimated to lead the Silicone Surfactants Market in 2017, and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years. The growth of the personal care segment can be attributed to the increasing use of silicone surfactants in skincare, haircare, and personal hygiene products. Growing demand for personal care products from the emerging economies, such as China and India, is fueling the growth of the personal care industry.

Asia Pacific is the largest market for silicone surfactants

The Asia Pacific region is estimated to lead the Silicone Surfactants Market in 2017 and is expected to continue its dominance in the near future. The upsurge in the number of working women and increasing e-commerce activities have led to the rise in demand for personal care products in this region. The high demand for silicone surfactants from the personal care industry in countries, such as China and India, is a key factor driving the growth of the Asia Pacific Silicone Surfactants Market.

Key players operating in the Silicone Surfactants Market include Evonik Industries (Germany), Dow Corning (US), Momentive Performance Materials (US), Wacker Chemie (Germany), Innospec (US), Shin-Etsu Chemical (Japan), Siltech (Canada), Ele (US), Elkem (France), Supreme Silicones (India), Silibase Silicone (China), Jiangsu Maysta Chemical (China), Elkay Chemicals (India), Hangzhou Ruijiang Performance Material Science (China), Harcros Chemicals (US), and SST Australia (Australia).

Know more about Silicone Surfactants Market:

https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/silicone-surfactant-market-192476281.html



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model  GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Salgarkar

MarketsandMarkets INC.

630 Dundee Road

Suite 430

Northbrook, IL 60062

USA: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]

Visit Our Blog @ http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/chemical

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

Related Links

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com



SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
BANGALORE, India, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The patented Unified Enterprise Mobile Platform has found favour with customers seeking to execute scalable mobile strategies

Sonata Software has announced that its Unified Enterprise Mobility Platform, Halosys, has been enhanced with additional features that boost optimization and usability. Some of the new features include support for bulk CURD operations, calling service function from service, distributed cache Redis, data source usage logging and analytics, OAuth/SAML authentication for admin console, custom authentication for apps, Mongo DB connector and Microservice SDK.

(Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654282/Sonata_Software_Logo.jpg )



A few months ago, Halosys was granted a patent (USPTO# 9,491,125) for its innovation on rule based notifications. The patent was granted for key technology innovations in the Halosys platform that enable users to be notified across web, SMS, email and in-app push notifications based on events matching a pre-configured set of filters, including, the user's location, time of day, along with the data from the event's object graph.

The Mobile-First Platform includes an Enterprise Mobile Backend as a Service (mBAAS), an app lifecycle management solution and an internal app store. The Platform has APIs & SDKs for iOS, Android, Windows, Xamarin & JavaScript and supports both mobile and web applications. The platform enables businesses to rapidly build, integrate, secure, manage, deploy and analyze enterprise-mobile application portfolio. The platform, also available on Microsoft AppSource, has received positive evaluation from technology research analysts for its integrations to enterprise applications, including into SAP Hybris, NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce and common databases. Availability of connectors for legacy and custom developed systems, with key authentication and notification provisions have been found very valuable.

The Halosys platform has seen significant enterprise adoption. A leading global marketing and media company has built a timesheet mobile app for its 10000+ employees, spread across various locations and partner companies on Halosys for scalable mobile program execution, enabling the company to save millions of dollars with accurate billing and payroll. Similarly, a top general contractor in the US used an 'App Factory' framework based on the Halosys platform to quickly deploy custom apps. Each app was developed in an average time frame of just five weeks - from requirements gathering to production deployment.

Sonata Software acquired Halosys, headquartered in California, in August 2015. Since then, it has continued to invest in developing the Halosys platform to be a world-class enterprise mobility platform, for the execution of Mobility strategies of B2B, B2E and B2C enterprises.

*The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners

About Sonata Software

Sonata is a global technology company that enables successful platform based digital transformation initiatives for enterprises, to create businesses that are connected, open, intelligent and scalable. Sonata's Platformation methodology brings together industry expertise, platform technology excellence, design thinking led innovation and strategic engagement models to deliver sustained long term value to customers. A trusted partner of world leaders in the Retail, Distribution, Travel and Software industries, Sonata's solution portfolio includes its own digital platform such as Brick & Click Retail Platform, Modern Distribution Platform, Rezopia Digital Travel Platform, RAPID DevOps Platform and Halosys Mobility Platform, best in class capabilities on ISV digital technology platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Azure, SAP Hybris, Cloud Engineering and Managed Services, as well as new digital technologies like ADC (Application Development Centre), cloud engineering and managed services. Sonata's people and systems are nurtured to bring together the depth of thought leadership, customer commitment and execution excellence to make a difference to business with technology.

SOURCE Sonata Software
KANSAS CITY, Missouri, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Jet Midwest, Inc., of Kansas City, MO is proud to announce the addition of over 15,000 new expendables as a result of an inventory acquisition.

"Our supply of expendables offers unique services that provide our customers substantial cost-saving potential and exceptional component availability," says Ashley Santee, Inside Sales Manager.

Over the past six years, Jet Midwest, Inc. has dismantled over 100 commercial aircraft, including Boeing 757 and 767, Airbus A310, A320, A321, A330, and Fokker 100 aircraft and associated engines.

About Jet Midwest

Jet Midwest, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is a diverse aircraft parts supplier based in Kansas City, MO with over 500,000 feet of warehouse space and with 300,000 rotable parts in stock supporting Boeing 767, 757, 737, 777, and Airbus A320, A330 series aircraft. Contact [email protected] or visit us at www.jetmidwest.com for further information.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/649859/JetMidwest_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.jetmidwest.com



SOURCE Jet Midwest, Inc.
MUMBAI, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

~To launch the '0% home, 100% joy' offer~

Xrbia, in an exclusive partnership with L&T Housing Finance Ltd., has announced an exciting Gudi Padwa offer from March 15th-18th that will be hosted at Xrbia's Chembur Central site. On this auspicious occasion, Xrbia brings about a unique '0% home, 100% joy' offer where one can buy a fantastic home for an incredible deal.

During this time, a Xrbia home with all its township amenities comes with an offer of 0% for Stamp Duty, 0% Registration fees and 0% GST, zero furniture cost, 0% pre-EMI till possession, 0% maintenance charges for one year and a unique zero document loan scheme. All of these benefits put together, constitute minimum guaranteed savings of a whopping 50%. To reserve an apartment, a homebuyer has to pay just 2% down payment to minimize their possession risk.

Xrbia's unique 'Zero Document Scheme' offers, homebuyers an opportunity to avail a home loan with basic identity documents, such as an Aadhaar card. More importantly, income proof documents are not mandatory. Earlier, extensive documentation was a major stumbling block to many homebuyers trying to access home loans. This Xrbia Developer initiative is being financed partly through their internal accruals, and supported through an exclusive partnership with L&T Housing Finance Ltd. The offer is expected to see an increase in demand from this untapped market segment and expand opportunities for individuals and families aspiring to own a home.

More than a 1,000 apartments, villas and plots will be available across six projects on offer including Chembur Central, Xrbia Neral in Mumbai, Eiffel City in Chakan and Xrbia Ambi in Talegaon in Pune. All the properties are registered under Real Estate Regulatory Act (RERA).

About Xrbia Developers Ltd.:

Xrbia understands Indias need for smarter, efficient and sustainable cities which offer a higher quality of life to its people. Superior living experiences being priority, brand Xrbia delivers end-to-end urban infrastructure services to its inhabitants. With a goal and vision of building '100 future ready cities by 2030', Xrbia is embarking on a new journey that lays the benchmark for quality and modern urban development in the country. The brand is driven by technology in all they do from construction & operations to enabling customers to measure, manage and pay for services that they use. Xrbia matches the global trend of increasing affordability by designing compact homes and offering standard amenities of free car park, community center with swimming pool and commercial complexes. This year alone they built cities across 18 locations in India and launched 40,000 houses spread across Maharashtra. At Xrbia, the aim is not to build only houses, but cities that are environmentally friendly, technologically advanced, committed to education, dedicated to health, and that foster community spirit.

For further information, please visit http://www.xrbia.com .

Media Contact:

Sushil Panigrahi

[email protected]

+91-9930634197

Manager - PR, ITW Playworx



SOURCE Xrbia
A. Bruce Crawley and Patricia Marshall Harris, the board chair and executive director, respectively, of ABCF, joined Bernice Dapaah, CEO of Ghana Bamboo Bikes Initiative (GBBI), the manufacturer of the iconic, Ghanaian-made Eco-Ride bamboo bicycle; Ms. Ama Pomaah Andoh, member of parliament, Juabeng Constituency; Mr. Edward Adams, Ejisu-Juabeng Municipal Director of Education; Duampopo Chief Nana Adjei Bieni; Nana Abanquah Ababio, Boama Dumase Traditional Area; and other distinguished Ghanaian leaders, at the event, which saw the 240th ABCF-funded, free bamboo bicycle distributed to under-resourced students, teachers, small farmers and healthcare workers, in rural Ghana.

In addition to 39 bicycles that were distributed, today, to students and teachers in Ejisu, GBBI officials, in a separate event, next week, will also distribute an additional 11 of the ABCF-funded bikes, at Kumbungu Senior High School.

In Ejisu, the student-recipients will range in age from 10-17 years old, and the distance of their commutes to and from school, by foot, have averaged about 4.7Km (2.9 miles) per day, or 14.5 miles weekly.

In Kumbungu, the median recipient's age will be 17 years, and the median distance traveled, on foot, to and from school, daily, has been 24Km (14.9 miles) or about 74.5 miles per week.

Ms. Dapaah, who recently returned from a visit to London where she joined, with several other young Ghanaian entrepreneurs, in an international trade presentation with President Addo, provided a brief progress report on GBBI and its partnership with ABCF, to date.

Solomon Amankwaah Owusu, development director, GBBI, also presented a broad overview of the efforts being made to make the company more customer- and technologically driven, including its work with the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre and the World Bank.

In his remarks, Mr. Crawley noted how pleased ABCF has been with its partnership with GBBI and Bright Generation Community Foundation, over the past 18 months. He also re-affirmed ABCF's commitment to distribute 2500 free bamboo bicycles in Ghana over its first five years of operation. "Nothing quite compares, however, to actually being here, in West Africa, where our own families originated, and from where they were sold into slavery, so many years ago, to participate in these bike distributions," Crawley said. "Being able to meet with all of you, and to actually speak to the students, today, inspires us to return home, work harder, and create more supporters for the important work being done on the ground, every day, by Bernice Dapaah and her team at GBBI."

During the time they'll spend in Ghana, this week, the ABCF leaders will also join with Ms. Dapaah, GBBI officials and previous recipients of the ABCF bicycles in producing a video documentary about the ways in which the Eco-Ride bicycles have affected their lives, over the past 18 months.

Established in July 2016, the African Bicycle Contribution Foundation is a U.S.-based 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to generate funding to underwrite the free distribution of bicycles to under-resourced students, small farmers, and healthcare workers in West Africa. The Corporation has made a commitment to finance the distribution of 2500 bicycles, in Ghana, over its first five years of operation.

For additional information, please contact:

A. Bruce Crawley

African Bicycle Contribution Foundation

215-751-0140

abcrawley@m3mpr.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654060/ABCF___Executive_Director.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654061/ABCF_Board_Chair.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654062/39_of_the_50_Ghanaian_made_bamboo_bikes.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654063/Bamboo_Bikes.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654064/African_Bicycle_Contribution_Foundation.jpg

Related Links

http://www.africanbike.org



SOURCE African Bicycle Contribution Foundation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-

Fedora Update Notification

FEDORA-2017-8d369659cb

2018-03-13 17:14:38.069777

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-



Name : x2goserver

Product : Fedora 26

Version : 4.0.1.22

Release : 2.fc26

URL : http://www.x2go.org

Summary : X2Go Server

Description :

X2Go is a server based computing environment with

- session resuming

- low bandwidth support

- session brokerage support

- client side mass storage mounting support

- audio support

- authentication by smartcard and USB stick



This package contains the main daemon and tools for X2Go server-side session

administrations.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-

Update Information:



nx-libs 3.5.0.33: - Don't allow overriding of X.Org Server UNIX sockets

via

TEMP/NX_TEMP environment variables. Fixes problems on machines that use

pam_tempdir.so. - Fix CVE-2017-2624 (timingsafe_memcmp) by Ulrich Sibiller. -

Potentially improve LAN- and WAN-type connection speed settings scenarios.

Includes a regression fix for VPN connections by Simon Matter. - Fix problems

in

mate-color-picker and potentially also other applications that make heavy use

of

RENDER trapezoids. x2goserver 4.0.1.22: - Fixed overzealous nxagent socket

removal. - Keyboard mapping fixes, including preparation for usage with

Arctica's nx-libs version (not supported in this version of X2Go Server,

yet). -

Support for Devuan and RT OS full desktop session spawning. - Always use short

host name, don't rely on ${HOSTNAME} variable. Compatibility with non-bash

login shells. - Spawn full desktop sessions with a new dbus user session

instance. - Finnish translation update. - Added support for LXQt full desktop

sessions. - New command: x2golistshadowsessions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-

References:



[ 1 ] Bug #1478974 - x2go killed by systemd

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1478974

[ 2 ] Bug #1510900 - nx-libs-3.5.0.33 is available

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1510900

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-



This update can be installed with the "dnf" update program. Use

su -c 'dnf upgrade x2goserver' at the command line.

For more information, refer to the dnf documentation available at

http://dnf.readthedocs.io/en/latest/command_ref.html#upgrade-command-label



All packages are signed with the Fedora Project GPG key. More details on the

GPG keys used by the Fedora Project can be found at

https://fedoraproject.org/keys

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-

_______________________________________________

package-announce mailing list -- package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org

To unsubscribe send an email to package-announce-leave@lists.fedoraproject.org


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Chennai, March 12 : Ten trekkers have died and 14 seriously injured in a massive forest fire on the Kurangani Hills here in Tamil Nadu, an official said on Monday. Chief Minister K. Palaniswami ordered a probe into the incident.

The hill is located in Theni district, around 520 km from here.

Speaking to IANS on phone, a Revenue Department official in Madurai said: "The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Madurai. As per our information, they have suffered burn injuries of up to 40 per cent."

The Chief Minister has ordered a solatium of Rs 400,000 each to the families of the dead, Rs 100,000 each to the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 each to those who suffered minor injuries.

According to the official, one person after getting admitted to the Government Hospital in Madurai got himself transferred to a private hospital and another person left for Chennai.

"Of the 27 rescued from the hills, 10 persons did not suffer any injuries and others suffered burn injuries," Theni District Collector Pallavi Baldev told reporters.

Nine persons lost their lives in the hills and one in the hospital.

Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopters brought the remains of eight of the killed from the hills. The bodies have been sent for identification and would be handed over to the relatives after autopsy.

Speaking to reporters, Palaniswami said the trekking expedition had been done without getting the necessary permission from the Forest Department.

Independent legislator and sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran said the careless attitude of the Forest Department was the main reason for the deaths.

He said the forest fire was reported in the Kurangani Hills for the past 15 days but the Forest Department had not issued any prior warning notice.

DMK leader M.K. Stalin expressed grief over the death of the trekkers while PMK founder S. Ramadoss demanded streamlining of trekking activity.

The IAF mounted a search and rescue operation on Sunday. Apart from its 15 commandos, the IAF pressed three of its helicopters in the rescue mission.

The commandos flew from the Sulur Air Base near Coimbatore late on Sunday and climbed the hills.

What had started as an adventure trip for the trekking group of eight men, 25 women and three children turned into a nightmare on Sunday afternoon as they were caught up in the massive blaze.

The group had camped at a place up in the hills on Saturday night. They were supposed to return on Sunday.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, Baldev had said more than 20 trekkers were from the Chennai Trekking Club (CTC) and the others from Erode and Tiruppur.

According to the website, the CTC is a non-profit, volunteer group which organises outdoor sports, environmental conservation and social activities throughout the year on weekends and weekday mornings.

"Founded in 2008 the group has grown to one of the most active and largest in South India with over 40,000 members and hundreds of activities throughout the year.

"All activities are free -- expenses are shared equally among participants," says the website www.chennaitrekkers.org A Fire and Rescue Services department official told IANS that the Kurangani terrain was tough and the approach to the disaster spot was not motorable.
Kochi, March 12 : The CPI(M)-led LDF government on Monday filed an appeal before a division bench of the Kerala high court challenging a single bench verdict directing a probe by the central bureau of investigation (CBI) into the murder of youth congress activist S P Shuhaib at Edayannur in Kannur district.

The state government in the appeal contended that the single bench verdict was legally untenable.

Arguing that the single bench showed undue haste in ordering a CBI probe in the case, the appeal pointed out that the single judge failed to take into account the fact that the state police had already arrested 11 persons in connection with the murder, besides recovering the weapons used for committing the crime.

The single bench verdict fell afoul of judicial precedents set by various supreme court verdicts. The single judge did not even afford the state government an opportunity to file a counter affidavit, the appeal stated.

The state government also argued that the single bench ordered the CBI probe without even perusing the case diary or other relevant documents but relied merely on media reports and arguments advanced by the petitioners seeking a probe by the central agency in the case.

The appeal prayed for the single bench verdict to be set aside so as to enable the state police to resume its probe into the murder case.

A single bench of the Kerala high court had on March 7 ordered a probe by the central bureau of investigation into the murder of Shuhaib on a petition filed by his parents.

Considering the petition, Justice Kemal Pasha had expressed reservations about the probe conducted by the state police.

Ordering the CBI probe, Justice Kemal Pasha had orally observed that the conspiracy angle behind the case, including the possible involvement of any top CPI(M) leaders, could be ferreted out only through a probe by the central agency.
New Delhi, March 12 : The CBI on Monday told the Supreme Court that the plea by Rajiv Gandhi assassination conspiracy convict A.G. Perarivalan for recall of the 1999 judgment should be dismissed as it seeks to re-open the entire issue that has attained finality after a gap of 17 years and also because it was devoid of both merit and law.

The top court had upheld the conviction of Perarivalan and others on May 11, 1998 and their review plea was dismissed on October 8, 1999.

Perarivalan is one of the seven convicts undergoing life imprisonment for his role in the conspiracy leading to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was convicted for supplying two 9 Volts batteries that were used in the 1991 killing.

Perarivalan has sought the recall of the 1999 judgement after Superintendent of Police V. Thiyagarajan, who recorded his confessional statement under TADA, said in an affidavit that the investigating agency suppressed the part of Perarivalan's statement that he was not aware the conspiracy and the purpose for which two 9 Volts batteries supplied by him would be used.

"... The investigation on the role of the petitioner (Perarivalan) was scrutinised at various levels of judiciary, legislative and executive authority and no fault was noticed on the investigation," the CBI told the top court on Monday.

The agency also told the court that the response was being filed by the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency - looking into the larger conspiracy angle - as the Special Investigating Team that had probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination had ceased to exist.

The top court had on January 24 sought the CBI's response on a plea seeking the recall of its 1998 and 1999 judgement upholding the conviction of seven accused in the case.

The CBI argued that the application by Perarivalan was not maintainable and warrants "rejection on merits as well as law".

Gandhi was killed by a suicide bomber at an election rally at Sriperumbudur near Chennai on May 21, 1991. The now vanquished Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka were blamed for the killing.
Ghaziabad, March 13 : Four persons died and one took ill on Tuesday after consuming illicit liquor following which four policemen, including the area SHO, were suspended in Khora locality here, police said.

Police received an anonymous call on Tuesday morning informing about the victims, SP City Akash Tomar said, adding that the caller said that several persons consumed liquor, which they bought from an unauthorised vendor, in a park here till midnight.

After the call, senior police and other officers, including the District Magistrate, rushed to the spot. The victims were taken to Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital in Delhi.

The deceased were identified as Sandeep (18), Avneesh (25), Ashok Kumar (45) and Ravendra (36). The condition of Shriniwas is critical, Tomar said.

Taking punitive action, SSP H.N. Singh suspended four policemen -- SHO Dhruv Bhushan Dubey, the area police post in-charge Ram Samajh Rana and two beat constables Rajvir Singh and Mohd Asgari.

A door-to-door search was being conducted by the police to find if there are more victims.

District Magistrate Ritu Maheswari has recommended action against some officers of the excise department.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inquired about the case and sought a detailed report from the District Magistrate.
Moscow, March 13 : Moscow will not respond to UK's demand for information on a "Russian-made" nerve agent used in a suspected assassination attempt on a former double agent in England, until the country is provided access to a sample of the substance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

Lavrov was responding to British leader Theresa May's ultimatum to hand over information regarding a supposedly Russian-made Novichok nerve agent that the UK believed was used to poison Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, who remained in a critical condition after they were found slumped over a park bench in Salisbury on March 4.

"We have certainly heard the ultimatum from London," Lavrov told press in Moscow. "As soon as the rumours arose that the poisoning of Skripal involved a Russian-produced agent, which are being fanned by the British leadership, we immediately requested a sample in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention," he said.

So far, the UK government has denied Russia access to the nerve agent, he was quoted as saying by Tass News agency.

Russia has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the Skripal case but, on Monday, British Prime Minister May told members of Parliament that it was "highly likely" that Russia was behind the attack.

The attack also left a policeman in a serious condition and forced authorities to cordon off the area around the restaurant and pub where police suspect the alleged poisoning took place.

"Either this was a direct action by the Russian state against our country, or the Russian government lost control of its potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others," May said.

Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU stood by the UK in the case. The commissioner for economic and financial affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said the issue was being followed closely by the bloc.

Amid the ongoing investigation, the UK's foreign office summoned Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko while the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said it too had summoned UK Ambassador Laurie Bristow.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US supported the UK's assessment that "Russia was likely responsible".

Novichok is a series a group of military-grade nerve agents known to have been developed by the Soviet Union.

Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the Skripal case and had put it down to anti-Russian sentiment in the UK.

Skripal was a retired Russian Colonel who went on to to work as a double agent, supplying state secrets to British intelligence agencies. He was convicted of high treason in Moscow in 2004 but released in a prisoner swap in 2010 and granted asylum in the UK.

The Skripal case has brought UK-Russia relations to its lowest ebb in years.
Washington, March 14 : US President Donald Trump has inspected prototypes for his long-promised wall along the border with Mexico in a tour that drew both supporters and protesters.

"If you don't have a wall system here, we're not gonna have a country," Trump warned while touring the eight prototypes of the wall he promised to build to keep out illegal immigrants near San Diego in the state of California.

His inspection on Tuesday, of the prototypes made of concrete, steel and other materials marks his first visit to California since assuming office, Xinhua news agency reported.

He is also the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to skip a visit to the "Golden State" during the first year in office.

Since the construction work began in September, dispute between the White House and California, a Democratic stronghold that is at the forefront of resistance to his anti-immigration policy, has been fuelling.

The President on Tuesday showed his preference to the border wall that he promised to build in the 2016 presidential election, saying the wall should can be "see-through" and tall enough so that illegal immigration can not climb over.

"You have to have see-through," Trump said when he checked the prototypes, which are each 30 feet (9.1 metres) high and 30 feet (9.1 metres) long , standing 10 metres away from the old fence. "You have to know what's on the other side of the wall."

Trump described some people who illegally cross the border "like professional mountain climbers."

"They're incredible climbers. They can't climb some of these walls." he said, adding "Some of them they can. Those are the walls we're not using."

Trump also spoke to members of the Border Patrol about the old fence and the new wall, saying the old one, even though much more effective than nothing, could only deter about 95 per cent of criminal activity, but the new wall is "going to stop 99 per cent, maybe more than that".

Trump urged Congress at the prototype construction site to fund his long-promised border wall, which will cost $18 billion according to the 10-year-period construction plan.

He claimed that the Mexican government will pay for the wall earlier and changed his words now that the wall will pay for itself since it will stop crimes from the other side.

"The border wall is truly our first line of defence," Trump said. "It will save thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud and burdens on schools and hospitals."
London, March 14 : The deadline set by the UK government for Moscow to explain how a Russian-made nerve agent was used to poison a former double agent has passed.

Focus now shifts to what steps Theresa May will take against Russia following the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, BBC reported on Tuesday.

Russia denies involvement in their poisoning and has demanded access to a sample of the substance used.

It said the UK's threat of "punitive" measures would "meet with a response".

Downing Street says the Prime Minister has received the backing of US President Donald Trump, who agreed in a phone call that Moscow "must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used".

A spokesman also said France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - Baltic states bordering Russia - have all condemned the attack and offered support to the UK.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said if the attack was shown to be a "direct act" by the Russian state it would be a "clear violation of the chemical weapons convention, a breach of international law and a threat to those who abide by the rules-based international order".

The Foreign Office is set to brief a session of the North Atlantic Council - Nato's political decision-making body - on the Skripal incident later.

The UK government has not publicly disclosed the measures it is considering against Moscow.

But ahead of the expiry of the deadline, Russia's UK embassy posted a series of tweets saying it would not issue a response without being given access to samples of the nerve agent.

It also contended international obligations required a joint investigation take place into the incident.

Another tweet said it had sought an "explanation" from the Foreign Office, amid speculation the UK could mount a cyber-attack, as it "takes a serious view on cyber security breaches".

Moscow has already threatened to expel British media outlets from Russia if the Kremlin-funded TV channel RT is stripped of its licence to broadcast in the UK.

Britain could expel Russian diplomats, as it did after the poisoning of former Russian Federal Security Service operative Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 with radioactive polonium.
London, March 14 : US President Donald Trump has told British Prime Minister Theresa May that his administration backs Britain "all the way" over the ex-Russian-spy poisoning case, a Downing Street spokesperson has said.

May had concluded that it was "highly likely" Russia was to blame for the poisoning of ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury.

The spokesperson said in a statement May spoke to Trump on Tuesday afternoon to update him on the investigation into the Salisbury incident and set out the conclusion reached by the British government that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack, Xinhua reported.

"President Trump said the US was with the UK all the way, agreeing that the Russian government must provide unambiguous answers as to how this nerve agent came to be used," the spokesperson said.

The White House also released a statement earlier on Tuesday, saying that Trump stated the United States stands in solidarity with "its closest ally" and is ready to provide any assistance the United Kingdom requests for its investigation.

"President Trump agreed with Prime Minister May that the Government of the Russian Federation must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom.

"The two leaders agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms," said the White House statement.

A Downing Street spokesman said May has also called French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier to update them of the investigation, both Macron and Merkel have condemned the attack and offered their solidarity with Britain.

Former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia, a Russian citizen, were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in the district of Salisbury, England, on March 5. They remain in critical condition in hospital, according to British media reports.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia, while denying any involvement in the poisoning case, was ready to cooperate with Britain in the investigation of the incident in accordance with international law, "Russia is innocent and Russia is ready to cooperate in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention if the United Kingdom condescends to honoring its international legal obligations related to the mentioned document," Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow.
Khartoum, March 14 : Sudan and the European Union (EU) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on combating terrorism.

The MoU on Tuesday was signed by Sudan National Anti-terrorism Authority and the Spain-based International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), a group selected by the EU to carry out its program for supporting the rule of law and combating terrorism in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, Xinhua reported.

It aims to exchange experiences and tighten enforcement of Sudan's laws concerning terrorism, extremism and violence.

Sudanese Undersecretary of Foreign Abdul-Ghani al-Naeem, highlighted Sudan's support for fighting all forms of terrorism and extremism.

"Sudan has endorsed the most important legal tools regarding combating terrorism and harmonizing its local legislations accordingly," al-Naeem said.

Meanwhile, Pedro Flores, director general of FIIAPP, also underlined important role of Sudan in combating terrorism.

"Sudan is not only an effective member in the field of combating terrorism but is also part of the international strategy for confronting this phenomenon," Flores said.
Canberra, March 14 : German contractor Rheinmetall has won a $4.08 billion contract to build 211 light armoured vehicles for the Australian Army.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull while announcing the contract on Wednesday, said it was the single-largest acquisition in the Australian Army's history, with the purchase and maintenance of the vehicles to cost $12.1 billion.

"This is about lethality and survivability. This is about capability and protection," Xinhua quoted Turnbull as saying.

The vehicles will be built at a new facility in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, creating 1,450 jobs across Australia.

The federal government also considered a bid by the Britain's BAE Systems, which would have built the vehicles in Victoria, but Defence Minister Marise Payne said the chosen prototypes had been through rigorous testing.

The vehicles will have a 30-year life and will be equipped for peacekeeping and high-threat operations, the Australian Defence Force said.

The opposition Australian Labor Party has accused the government of choosing Rheinmetall's bid to appease voters in marginal electorates in Queensland, a suggestion dismissed by Defence Industry Minister Chris Pyne.
Canberra, March 14 : The rare Australian humpback dolphin needs urgent protection to be saved from extinction, a study released on Wednesday said.

Researchers from Flinders University discovered new information about the population genetics of the Sousa sahulensis, commonly known as the humpback dolphin.

Scientists studied the Australian humpback dolphin, endemic to northern Australia and southern New Guinea, for 17 years before coming to the conclusion that it was a separate species within the Sousa family.

The study concluded that the deaths of even a few mature individuals per year could be detrimental for the viability of the humpback dolphin populations, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Our results show that Australian humpback dolphin populations along the east coast of Queensland are characterized by low levels of genetic diversity, limited gene flow, and small effective population size," lead author Guido Parra told the media on Wednesday.

They are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species.

Co-author Daniele Cagnazzi said the results should "raise important conservation concerns and emphasise the vulnerability of this species to random natural and human disturbances."
New Delhi : Title: Prussian Blue (Bernie Gunther Series); Author: Philip Kerr; Publisher: Quercus; Pages: 546; Price: Rs 399 Some men can never outrun their past. It is not that their wrongdoings cannot be forgotten, but rather that their unique abilities which even their enemies, spanning the spectrum from Nazism to Communism, recognise and seek to utilise for their own ends. As with this outspoken, irreverent but capable German ex-policeman.

Bernie Gunther has survived over over two decades of Nazi rule, World War II's Russian front, Soviet captivity, the Cold War's lethal attentions -- from all its sides -- service to Juan Peron and the American mafia in Battista's Cuba, and now just wants a quiet life.

But his eccentric fate hasn't yet finished with him, even in 1956. And in his latest appearance, Gunther learns -- yet again -- that the pathology of power remains the same, though the name, uniforms and even ideology may change, and today's oppressed can easily become -- and inevitably do -- tomorrow's oppressors.

Fleeing Berlin after a complex intelligence operation where he got even with those kicking him around -- with the help of a dangerous figure from his pre-war past -- Gunther tries to live obscurely as concierge in a small hotel on the French Riviera. But soon, his unlikely helper -- Erich Mielke, the dreaded second-in-command of East Germany's Stasi -- personally appears and threatens him to undertake a mission.

This entails going over to Britain and poisoning -- by thallium no less -- a covert woman agent, whom Gunther had deftly outsmarted in his previous outing ("The Other Side of Silence", 2016). And just to keep him on his toes, Mielke has his men arrange a near-fatal hanging for him.

But our hero is not one to give in tamely. While he goes along with Mielke's assignment knowing the men wished upon him to "help" will eventually be his executioners, he escapes from the train taking them towards the English Channel. The Stasi men are soon on his trail and since their leader is someone who knows Gunther too well -- a former pre-war Berlin police colleague who was his aide in investigating a crime in Adolf Hitler's hilltop Bavarian retreat in 1939 -- keeping ahead will not be too simple.

As Gunther flees across France with the French police too on his trail, his mind travels back to April 1939 when another dreaded boss sent him to solve a serious crime in Hitler's holiday home, just before the Fuhrer visited it for his 50th birthday.

A top engineer overseeing construction and renovations has been shot dead right on the terrace of special tea house planned as a surprise for Hitler and now his close aide Martin Bormann wants the matter to be solved expeditiously without any fuss, so there is no threat to the Fuhrer's life.

But as Gunther finds out, there is no shortage of suspects given the greed, graft, jealousy, turf fights and more going on between Nazi bigwigs in this Nazi citadel and a mass of resentful local residents, dispossessed of home or property for the Hitler retreat.

Given the high stakes involved, will he be allowed to investigate the case to its logical conclusion and identify the truly guilty or will any scapegoat do?

Flipping between the hazardous 1939 investigation and the nervous 1956 flight, Philip Kerr, in the 12th installment of his most captivating series, brings our wise-cracking, sardonic but resourceful hero back to life in all his tarnished, tired but still irrepressible form.

While it is a thriller twice over, the real worth is the uncompromising light it shows totalitarianism in -- especially Nazism, which despite its much touted high ideals, could not advance from the ambition, greed and conceit of its principal leaders. Stalinist Communism, with its readiness to employ former Nazis and be as violent, doesn't come far behind.

Kerr also scores in his vivid but unflattering portraits of top Nazis -- from the boorish Bormann to the devious Heydrich and their system of violent loot or just violence. Apart from the insight into workings of Nazism, there is an unforgettable insight into normalisation of terror and casual brutality to gain and keep personal power.

But as there are a couple of Nazis who are not so bad, our hero also shows that anyone with some dignity and honour can keep his mooring amid the direst evil. That is why Bernie Gunther's exploits are a must read.

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)
Actor Narendra Jha during the promotion of the upcoming film "My Father Iqbal" in New Delhi on Oct 17, 2016. Image Source: IANS

Hindi film actor Narendra Jha passed away due to a heart attack on March 14, 2018. He was 55. (Image Source: IANS) Image Source: IANS

Mumbai, March 14 : Hindi film actor Narendra Jha, seen in films like "Haider" and "Raees", died early on Wednesday due to a heart attack. He was 55.

Narendra was at his farmhouse in Nanegaon, Maharashtra, when he complained of chest pain, the actor's driver told IANS.

"He had no health issues and last night (Tuesday) he was fine. He ate properly and spoke to us... Things were fine. Around 4 a.m. today, he felt a chest pain so we took him to a nearby hospital, but everything was over by then," Lakshman Singh, the driver told IANS.

Born and brought up in Delhi, Narendra also featured in films like "Mohenjo Daro" and "Kaabil". He worked with iconic filmmakers like Shyam Benegal in the film "Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero".

He also featured in a play "Samvidhaan", in which he played Mohammed Ali Jinnah, as well as did shows on television.

Narendra was also signed up for the upcoming Salman Khan starrer "Race 3", as well as another movie.

The actor was married to former Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) CEO Pankaja Thakur.
Los Angeles, March 14 : Stars paid their condolences to British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking following his death on Wednesday. While actor Eddie Redmayne remembers him as a "ladies man", the official Twitter account of "The Big Bang Theory", a TV series that witnessed appearances of the famed professor, also remembered him.

Redmayne got candid about the celebrated physicist he played in the Academy award-winning film, "The Theory of Everything" in an unearthed interview, reports dailystar.co.uk.

Speaking about meeting Hawking in the interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2015, the British actor described him as "as one of the most charistmatic men he's ever met and he's definitely a ladies man."

He also said that he reminded him of actor James Dean because he has this "kind of shabby and cool sex appeal." He also divulged that due to his nerves he kept saying "Professor Hawking" repeatedly to which Stephen said: "Call me Stephen."

Redmayne then joked that because you can't change the tone of the voice equipment that Hawking used to communicate, he wasn't sure whether he had told him to call him by his name in a really friendly gesture or in a "stop being such a sycophant" way.

However the 36-year-old concluded that he was "so, so generous."

He is not the only one who remembered Hawking as some of the stars even posted their memories on social media, reports hollywoodreporter.com.

Big Bang Theory (official Twitter account of the show): In loving memory of Stephen Hawking. It was an honour to have him on 'The Big Bang Theory. Thank you for inspiring us and the world.

Katy Perry: There's a big black hole in my heart hours before Pi day. Rest In Peace Kumail Nanjiani.: RIP Stephen Hawking. Genuinely very sad to hear that. If you haven't, read A Brief History of Time. It'll make the world feel more amazing and beautiful and strange. It'll also make you feel smart and stupid all at once.

Emmy Rossum: Just sitting here absolutely shattered about Stephen Hawking.

Tommy Chong: Stephen have a sweet journey and we will see you again soon I hope.
: File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. ... Image Source: Xinhua/Yang Lei/IANS

BEIJING, March 14, 2018 - File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. Renowned British ... Image Source: Xinhua/Yang Lei/IANS

New Delhi, March 14 : Hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, Professor Stephen Hawking never won a Nobel Prize.

This is because his theories about the Black Hole and the Big Bang -- though accepted in theoretical physics -- were never verified.

According to Timothy Ferris, author of 'The Science of Liberty' in National Geographic magazine, "The problem was that there was no way to verify the idea. Black holes are too long-lived to be observed today in their death throes".

The Nobel Foundation excludes posthumous nominees.

Professor Hawking has over a dozen honorary degrees and was awarded the CBE in 1982 and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1985.

He was a fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the US National Academy of Science.

The US space agency tweeted: "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014," NASA said.

Astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Koichi Wakata aboard the International Space Station (ISS) spoke with Professor Hawking during their mission in 2014.
London/New Delhi, March 14 : Renowned British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday. He was 76.

His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," Hawking's children said in a statement.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him for ever," the statement added.

Hawking is survived by three children -- Robert, Lucy and Timothy -- from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren.

Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England.

Known the world over for his acclaimed book "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes", Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- a progressive neuro-degenerative disease -- in 1963 at age 21, The Guardian newspaper said.

Hawking's doctors gave him nearly two years to live but he defied the medical history and survived for decades.

For the rest of his life, the physicist used a wheelchair to move around and a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerised voice with an American accent.

For Hawking, the early diagnosis of his terminal disease ignited a fresh sense of purpose.

"Although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research," he once said, the paper reported.

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all," Hawking added.

With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory, suggesting that space and time began with Big Bang and end in black holes.

In 1974, Hawking proposed what is known as his most significant theory that black holes can emit sub-atomic particles.

Published for the first time in 1988, "A Brief History of Time" stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for an unprecedented 237 weeks. It sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 different languages.

Hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, Professor Hawking never won a Nobel Prize.

In India, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Science Minister Harsh Vardhan condoled the demise of Hawking.

"Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations," Kovind said in a tweet.

Modi also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Hawking and said: "Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic".

The US space agency NASA tweeted: "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014".

"We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science -- making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses," tweeted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

The physicist's inspiring story gave birth to the 2014 movie "The Theory of Everything," which was based on a memoir by Hawking's first wife Wilde.

Actor Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Hawking in the film won him an Oscar for Best Actor.

Hollywood stars paid their condolences to Hawking.

While actor Eddie Redmayne remembers him as a "ladies man", the official Twitter account of "The Big Bang Theory", a TV series that witnessed appearances of the famed professor, also remembered him.
Kochi, March 14 : A division bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed an order directing a CBI probe into the murder of a Youth Congress worker in Kannur on February 12.

The stay comes on a plea by the state government, exactly a week after the single bench ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the murder of 30-year-old Shoaib Mohammed, after his father approached the High Court.

The division bench posted the case for detailed hearing on March 23.

Expressing concern, senior Congress leader K. Sudhakaran said the Kannur district party committee will approach the Supreme Court against the verdict.

Young CPI-M legislator A.N. Shamseer, who represents the Thalassery assembly constituency in Kannur, welcomed the stay order.

"We (CPI-M) have nothing to fear in this case even as four of the accused belong to our party.

"We have ousted the four from the party. The one reason why we opposed the CBI probe is because the state police have done a clean job and arrested 11 accused," said Shamseer.

The murder took place on February 12 when Shoaib, along with his friends, was at an eatery near Mattanur. Four persons came in a car and hurled bombs and then fatally slashed him with a sword.

Shoaib died on the way to the hospital.
Lucknow, March 14 : In a huge blow to the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party on Wednesday took what it said were winning leads in both the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur that were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

With the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) backing its bitter rival Samajwadi Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party appeared to be heading for a shock defeat in both the constituencies.

The Samajwadi Party took early lead right from the beginning of the vote count and steadily built up the gap with its BJP rivals as officials furiously counted the tens of thousands of votes polled in the Sunday by-elections.

After the 10th round of counting in Phulpur, BJP's Kashlendra Singh Patel had secured 106,534 votes and the Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Singh Patel 122,247 -- a lead of 15,713 votes.

In Gorakhpur, which Adityanath represented for five straight terms since 1998, BJP candidate Upendra Dutt Shukla was trailing to the Samajwadi Party by 7,139 votes, an Election Commission official told IANS.

Gorakhpur District Magistrate Rajeev Rautela, who earlier sparked a storm by barring journalists from entering the counting centre and did not announce details of counting after the first two rounds, said Pravin Nishad of the Samajwadi Party was leading by 10,598 votes after eight rounds of vote count.

While the Samajwadi Party activists started celebrating what now looks like a sure and morale-boosting victory, the BJP was stunned into silence.
New Delhi, March 14 : Dubai based designer Shilpi Gupta is making her India debut with her line Surkhab, a poetic ode to the wondrous world of art and design.

The brand will be launching with the "Royal Heritage" collection, with a one of a kind "Fashion Experience" specially curated for the launch.

"We are excited about debuting in India with our 'Royal Heritage' collection. Craftsmanship plays a vital role for us, and every garment has an artisinal touch. We have taken inspiration from the royal 'Gharanas' of India and have chosen techniques and fabrics which inspire us to create fresh, idealistic garments with a story behind them," Gupta told IANS.

A special dance performance will be held by Birju Maharaj's grand-daughter Shinjini Kulkarni, followed by a musical evening with a Fusion of classical and folk music by Salil Bhatt, a Grammy award winner, during the launch on March 16 at Bikaner House.

Asked why is she making a move now?

"After exploring the international market for 2 years, I felt Indian embroidery and heritage is appreciated so much globally, it would be natural for us to launch in India. My label was highly appreciated in Dubai by both Indian and Middle East people and I felt this was the right time to enter the Indian market," said the designer.

So is Dubai still the focus ?

"Dubai will always be a focus since we are a well established bespoke brand in the Dubai market and have a loyal client base for our customized trunk services," she said.
BEIJING, March 14, 2018 - File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. Renowned British ... Image Source: IANS

: File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. ... Image Source: IANS

New Delhi, March 14 : It was January 2001 when British physicist Stephen Hawking came to India for the first time, later describing the 16-day long tour as "magnificent".

In the first leg of the tour in Mumbai, Hawking addressed an international physics seminar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

He was felicitated with the first "Sarojini Damodaran Fellowship" during the "Strings 2001" conference.

Hawking delivered several lectures during the five-day seminar, including one titled "The Universe in a Nutshell," Quartz reported on Wednesday.

Later, Hawking took a city tour in a specially designed vehicle from Mahindra & Mahindra that accommodated his wheelchair.

The physicist also celebrated his 59th birthday at the Oberoi Towers hotel where he stayed.

In New Delhi, Hawking met then President K.R. Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan who later described the 45-minute meeting with the British physicist as "an unforgettable experience".

"Indians are so good at mathematics and physics", the British theoretical physicist had told the President.

According to Narayanan, Hawking was the "symbol of human hope and inspiration for all those who are handicapped in one way or the other".

Hawking also visited Jantar Mantar and Qutab Minar.

He delivered the Albert Einstein Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on January 15.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday. He was 76.
Dhaka, March 14 : Bangladesh will observe Thursday as a day of mourning for the victims of the US-Bangla Airlines plane crash in Nepal, officials said.

The Bangladesh Cabinet at an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Wednesday made the decision, bdnews24.com reported. She cut short her Singapore visit following the aviation disaster that killed 51 people including 28 Bangladeshis.

As part of marking the mourning day, special prayers will be held at mosques, temples and churches and pagodas across the country.

The aircraft with 71 people on board crashed and burst into flames while landing at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Union Budget without any debate amid din, leading to a walkout by members of the Congress and Trinamool, while the TDP, YSR Congress, AIADMK and SP protested near the Speaker's podium.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the Finance Bill 2018, as well as the Appropriation Bill amid the din, which were passed by voice vote.

The Lower House has been witnessing protests over a number of issues, including the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, special economic status to Andhra Pradesh and setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Board.

The same issues rocked the House on Wednesday right from the moment it met.

Amid protests, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to take up the financial business at 12 p.m., to which she agreed.
Mumbai, March 14 : Actors, filmmakers and music experts from the Indian film industry mourned the death of British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose contribution to science and humanity they will remember for a lifetime.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died in London on Wednesday. He was 76.

Here's what film celebrities from India tweeted:

Vishal Dadlani: Oh wow. This hurts. It really hurts. What a guy, what a story, what a life, what a humongous contribution to humanity, to our knowledge and understanding of the universe. Stephen Hawking, thank you for sharing your genius with us all.

Preity Zinta: Time waits for no one. Not even for Stephen Hawking. R.I.P. to one of the most iconic scientist of our time. Thank you for your contribution to our world.

Dia Mirza: RIP Stephen Hawking. Thank you for your braveheart, your curiosity, your humour, your genius. "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love."

Resul Pookutty: "Remember to look up at the stars not down at your feet"! A sad day for all of us. Stephen Hawking is no more! The man who overcame everything and told us the Theory Of Everything.

Satyajeet Dubey: Stephen Hawking: "No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. This leads me to a profound realization. There is probably no heaven and no afterlife either. We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe-and for that I am extremely grateful." RIP

Farhan Akhtar: RIP Stephen Hawking. A major loss to the scientific community and to the millions he inspired through his work and life. Condolences to the family.

Sujoy Ghosh: Goodbye Stephen Hawking. Science must be very sad today.

Nivin Pauly: Redefining what science means and smiling his way through life. The wheelchair was just an excuse to carry the burden that his brains put to this world. "Life would be tragic if it weren't funny."

Manoj Bajpayee: Your life will always be celebrated for the huge contribution you made to the humanity. You will be missed.

Adnan Sami: Rest in peace dear Stephen Hawking. Thank you for enlightening us during your 'brief' journey on earth. We will always adore you here immensely.

Sudhanshu Vats: Thank you Stephen Hawking for making science fun and overcoming adversities, possible. You were, are and will be the brightest star and the biggest inspiration of the modern era. May you rest in peace.
Varanasi, March 14 : A young man has been arrested here for posting on Facebook the minute-to-minute programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to his parliamentary constituency, an official said on Wednesday.

Anup Pandey was arrested after the Special Protection Group (SPG), which guards the Prime Minister, lodged a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh government.

The SPG protested against the leak of the detailed programme which eventually found way to the social media.

Pandey's father is a retired Ayurvedic government practitioner and his family told the police that he worked for the Prime Minister's social media team two years back but returned to Varanasi due to poor health.

Pandey is one of the 1,932 people followed by Modi on Twitter. Pandey has posted a picture shaking hands with Modi on July 2, 2015.
London/New Delhi, March 14 : Renowned British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday -- leaving millions in mourning globally. He was 76.

His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," Hawking's children said in a statement.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him for ever," the statement added.

Hawking is survived by three children -- Robert, Lucy and Timothy -- from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren.

The physicist was born on January 8, 1942 in Oxford, England.

Known the world over for his acclaimed book "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes", Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- a progressive neuro-degenerative disease -- in 1963 at age 21, The Guardian newspaper said.

Hawking's doctors gave him nearly two years to live but he defied medical history and survived for decades.

For the rest of his life, the physicist used a wheelchair to move around and a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerised voice with an American accent.

For Hawking, the early diagnosis of his terminal disease ignited a fresh sense of purpose.

"Although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research," he once said, the paper reported.

"My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all," Hawking added.

With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory, suggesting that space and time began with the Big Bang and end in black holes.

In 1974, Hawking proposed what is known as his most significant theory that black holes can emit sub-atomic particles.

Published for the first time in 1988, "A Brief History of Time" stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for an unprecedented 237 weeks. It sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 different languages.

Hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, Hawking never won a Nobel Prize.

In India, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Science Minister Harsh Vardhan condoled the demise of Hawking.

"Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations," Kovind said in a tweet.

Modi also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Hawking and said: "Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic".

It was January 2001 when Hawking came to India for the first time, later describing the 16-day long tour as "magnificent".

In the first leg of the tour in Mumbai, Hawking addressed an international physics seminar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). The physicist also celebrated his 59th birthday at the Oberoi Towers hotel where he stayed.

In New Delhi, Hawking met then President K.R. Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan who later described the 45-minute meeting with the British physicist as "an unforgettable experience".

The US space agency NASA tweeted: "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014".

"We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science -- making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses," tweeted Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Astrophysicist Dr Karan Jani, who works for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO), wrote: "The courage for a career in astrophysics happened due to Brief History of Time - a used copy that I got from a street vendor in my small town of [India] 12 yrs ago."

"A loss for all humanity. RIP Stephen Hawking," tweeted American astronaut Scott Kelly.

The physicist's inspiring story gave birth to the 2014 movie "The Theory of Everything," which was based on a memoir by Hawking's first wife Wilde. Actor Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Hawking in the film won him an Oscar for Best Actor.

From Hollywood to Bollywood, condolences poured in for Hawking.

While actor Eddie Redmayne remembered him as a "ladies man", the official Twitter account of "The Big Bang Theory", a TV series that witnessed appearances of the famed professor, also remembered him.

"RIP Stephen Hawking. A major loss to the scientific community and to the millions he inspired through his work and life. Condolences to the family," tweeted actor-producer Farhan Akhtar.

Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty said: "Remember to look up at the stars not down at your feet"! A sad day for all of us".
Hyderabad, March 14 : Belfrics Global, one of the fastest growing blockchain development start-ups in India, has signed an MoU with the government of Andhra Pradesh to develop blockchain-based solutions.

Belfrics Global will develop blockchain-based solutions, which will help the state government run its day-to-day affairs in a smooth and systematic manner, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

The agreement is in line with the vision of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to develop Andhra Pradesh as a fintech hub of India.

"We are expecting a 300 per cent growth in our blockchain vertical in 2018, thanks to this MoU. In fact, we are signing similar MoUs with other state government, banking organisations and educational institutes for developing similar solutions for them," said Praveenkumar Vijayakumar, Founder and CEO of Belfrics Global.

J.A. Chowdary, Special Chief Secretary and IT Advisor to Chief Minister, said the state government welcomes Belfrics Global to set up their development centre in Fintech Valley, Vizag.

"We will work in association with Belfrics in creating the critical manpower required for the blockchain technology industry. The government will also be more than happy to proivde the Proof of Concept for implementing blockchain technology in supply chain logistics, tender issuance and bidding. We are also excited for the launch of Belfrics Academy in association with Gitam University located in Vizag," he said.
San Francisco, March 14 : Taking a cue from Facebook, Google has announced that it will ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and other "speculative financial products" across its ad platforms.

The ban on such advertisements will come into force from June.

"We updated several policies to address ads in unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange markets and contracts for difference (or CFDs)," Scott Spencer, Google's Director of Sustainable Ads, said in a blog post on Tuesday.

"In June 2018, Google will update the financial services policy to restrict the advertisement of contracts for difference, rolling spot forex and financial spread betting," Google said.

Updating its financial services-related ad policies to ban any advertising about cryptocurrency-related content, including initial coin offerings (ICOs), wallets and trading advice, the Alphabet-owned company said that this policy will apply globally to all accounts that advertise these financial products.

In 2017, Google took down more than 3.2 billion ads that violated its advertising policies.

"That's more than 100 bad ads per second! This means we're able to block the majority of bad ad experiences, like malvertising and phishing scams, before the scams impact people," Spencer added.

Google also blocked 79 million ads in its network for attempting to send people to malware-laden sites and removed 400,000 of these unsafe sites last year.

"We removed 66 million "trick-to-click" ads as well as 48 million ads that were attempting to get users to install unwanted software," the company said.

Last year, Google removed 320,000 publishers from its ad network for violating its publisher policies and blacklisted nearly 90,000 websites and 700,000 mobile apps.

Scammers are using "crypto-jacking" or putting lines of code in websites or ads to surreptitiously harness the computing power of the web surfers who look at them.

The power is used to mine cryptocurrency -- a digital form of money that has no government or central-bank printing it or standing behind it.

In January, social media giant Facebook banned all ads promoting cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and ICOs.

The new policy prohibits ads that promote financial products and services that are frequently associated with misleading or deceptive promotional practices, Facebook said in a statement.

"We want people to continue to discover and learn about new products and services through Facebook ads without fear of scams or deception.

"That said, there are many companies who are advertising binary options, ICOs and cryptocurrencies that are not currently operating in good faith," said Rob Leathern, Product Management Director at Facebook.

However, according to DD Mishra, Research Director, Gartner, there have been instances of fraudulent advertisement from some of the bitcoin-based financial products, like the cryptocurrency-based investment funds which are banned in some countries.

"There are also lots of misleading speculations around cryptocurrencies. The concern Google or Facebook may have at this point in time for its customers may be genuine. But such policies to blanket ban certain products will have an adverse impact on its adoption as well," Mishra told IANS.

"A blanket ban for a longer or indefinite period can be counter-productive and may not be a sustainable option," he added.
Pune, March 14 : Pune Rural police on Wednesday arrested prominent Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote, who is accused of instigating the Bhima-Koregaon caste violence of January 1, shortly after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected by the Supreme Court, officials said.

He was to be presented in a local court later on Wednesday afternoon for remand, they added.

Significantly, the development came a day after Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that all police cases pertaining to the caste riots (of January 1 and later) -- barring serious offences -- would be withdrawn.

A team of Pune Rural police picked up Ekbote, 60, from his home in Shivajinagar amidst tight security around noon.

The arrest came in the wake of two FIRs lodged by Dalit activists Sushma Andhare and Anita Salve against Ekbote and another rightist leader from Sangli, Sambhaji Bhide alias Guruji.

The FIRs, lodged with the Pune city police in early January, were later transferred to the Pune Rural police for investigation and further action.

The complainants had accused them of instigating, planning and orchestrating the violence during the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Anglo-Maratha War between the army of Peshwa Bajirao II, which was conquered by a small force of the East India Company that comprised a large number of Dalits.

Earlier, the Pune Rural police had summoned Ekbote on at least five occasions, but he appeared only once and then allegedly did not cooperate in the probe.

He had applied for anticipatory bail in the Pune Sessions Court, which was rejected on January 22 and again dismissed by Bombay High Court on February 2.

Thereafter, the Pune court issued an arrest warrant against Ekbote who moved the Supreme Court for interim bail which was granted, but only after the apex court rapped the state government for tardy progress in the investigations.
Bengaluru, March 14 : The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday rejected the bail petition of ruling Congress MLA N.A. Haris's son Mohammad Nalapad, who was in judicial custody for allegedly assaulting a youth at a city centre cafe on February 17.

"The bail petition has been dismissed," said Justice S. Harish Kumar in the order.

Nalapad, 24, along with six other accused in the assault case, was sent to the central jail in the city outskirts, after a city court sent them to 14-day judicial custody for investigation.

A sessions court had earlier rejected Nalapad's bail plea on March 2.

"The judge felt that the attack on the youth was ghastly and hence dismissed the bail petition after going through the evidences," special public prosecutor M.S. Shyam Sundar told media here.

Meanwhile, Nalapad's counsel C.V. Nagesh told media that he would appeal against the single order before a division bench of the High Court or the Supreme Court.

Nalapad and the six accused were arrested on February 19 after they surrendered at the Cubbon Park police station in the city centre and a kilometre away from Farzi Cafe in the upscale UB City Mall where the youth (Vidvat) was brutally assaulted following an argument.

Haris, a two-time lawmaker from the Shantinagar assembly segment in the city centre, had earlier tendered an apology in the state legislative assembly for the violent conduct of his son.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea by A.G. Perarivalan, convicted in the conspiracy leading to the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, for recall of the 1999 judgement upholding life imprisonment to him.

A bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi refused to recall its order while hearing Perarivalan's plea, who supplied two 9-volt batteries used in the explosive device that killed Gandhi at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

"We are satisfied that the order of this court doesn't required to be reconsidered. We dismiss the plea for recall of the order," said the court.

The top court had upheld the conviction of Perarivalan and six others on May 11, 1998, and their review plea was dismissed on October 8, 1999.

Perarivalan is one of the seven convicts undergoing life imprisonment in the assassination case.

Perarivalan had approached the apex court after Superintendent of Police V. Thiyagarajan, who had recorded his (Perarivalan) confessional statement under TADA, said in an affidavit that the Central Bureau of Investigation suppressed a part of Perarivalan's statement that he was not aware of the conspiracy and the purpose for which the two 9-volt batteries supplied by him would be used.

Perarivalan had been convicted on the basis of his confessional statement.

The CBI sought dismissal of his plea for order recall as it sought to re-open the entire issue, that has attained a finality, after a gap of 17 years and also because it was devoid of both merit and law.

The CBI said: "... the investigation into the role of the petitioner (Perarivalan) was scrutinised at various levels of judiciary, legislative and executive authority and no fault was noticed on the investigation."

The central agency also told the court that the response was being filed by the Multi Disciplinary Monitoring Agency -- looking into the larger conspiracy angle -- as the Special Investigating Team that probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination had ceased to exist.

The now-vanquished Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka were blamed for the Congress leader's killing by a suicide bomber at an election rally near Chennai in 1991.
New Delhi, March 14 : Reacting to RBI's decision to scrap the system of issuing Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Letters of Comfort (LoC) by banks in the wake of the Rs 12,600 crore fraud on state-run Punjab National Bank (PNB), industry body CII said on Wednesday it would have a disruptive impact on the buyers credit market, The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday discontinued the system of issuing LoUs and LoCs by banks for availing trade credits for imports into India following last month's unveiling of the PNB fraud by accused diamantaire Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi.

"The decision of RBI to discontinue Letters of Understanding and Letters of Comfort for trade credit would have a disruptive impact on the buyers' credit market, in the immediate term," CII President Shobana Kamineni said in a statement here.

"The traders who have been conducting business through these two instruments will now have to necessarily shift their transactions to Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees. The result would be that cost of credit may go up, especially for the SMEs."

CII feels that RBI could have strengthened and tightened the existing regulations on LoUs and LoCs, or could have announced a phasing out mechanism, rather than completely discontinuing a legitimate and established product.

As per the RBI's latest notification, Letters of Credit and bank guarantees for trade credits can continue to be issued.

LoUs are bank guarantees through which a bank allows customers to raise money from another Indian bank's foreign branch as short-term credit.

The PNB scam involved using LoUs issued in favour of the accused by bank employees who misused their access to PNB's SWIFT -- the electronic messaging system employed for overseas funds transfers.
Lahore, March 14 : The Punjab Assembly in Pakistan on Wednesday unanimously passed the 'Punjab Sikhs Anand Karaj Marriages Act 2017', a legislation that will provide legal status to Sikh marriages in the province.

The bill was tabled by provincial minister Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora in 2017 and was signed by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif last week, Dawn News reports.

The legislation will come into force immediately after it has been approved by the Governor.

According to the legislation, a marriage ceremony, or Anand Karaj -- which is defined as "the lawful union of a Sikh male and Sikh female" -- will be performed in accordance with the religious practices as permitted in the Sikh religious text Guru Granth Sahib.

A "marriage deed", a legal document authorising the matrimonial union, will then be issued by a registrar who will be appointed by the Punjab government.

Arora, while presenting the bill in the assembly, observed that "Pakistan (will be) the only country in the world that would register Sikh marriages" once the measure is adopted.

Hitherto, the records of Sikh marriages were only maintained in a Gurdwara.
New Delhi, March 14 : A five-year-old boy abducted from Delhi by an engineering graduate has been rescued from Dadri in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh and the kidnapper arrested, police said on Wednesday.

Police said the 27-year-old accused Asif Saifi, a resident of Brahampuri Dadri, had kidnapped the boy on Monday, following which the latter's father lodged a missing complaint at Bhajanpura police station.

The accused, an M.Tech student preparing for the civil services examination, had demanded Rs 20 lakh as ransom, police said.

"With the help of local intelligence, a special team rescued the minor after the accused made the ransom call to the family by using a phone borrowed from a passer-by," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North East) A.K. Singla told reporters.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Samajwadi Party on Wednesday acknowledged the significant role played by the BSP in the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats but adopted a cautious approach on whether there will be an alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

"Wait and watch," Samajwadi Party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said when asked if his party and the BSP would come together in the next Lok Sabha polls.

"BSP workers have backed us, they eworked hard. They have contributed well. We express our thanks to the leaders and workers of BSP," Yadav said.

The BSP had decided to back Samajwadi Party nominees in Phulpur and Gorakhpur against the BJP, which held both the seats.
New Delhi, March 14 : The BJP's shocking performance in the three Lok Sabha by-elections in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar prove the "electorate is very angry against the BJP and will vote for the non-BJP candidate most likely to win".

"Congratulations to the winning candidates in today's by-election," Gandhi tweeted, as it became clear that the Samajwadi Party was set to defeat the BJP in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. The RJD won the Araria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

"The Congress will look forward to 'Navnirman' in Uttar Pradesh, it won't happen overnight," he added.

Latest updates on Gandhi Jayanti 2019
Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia addresses during the India-Africa Agribusiness Forum at FICCI in New Delhi, on Feb 10, 2016. Image Source: IANS

Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia addresses during the launch of "Advantage Healthcare India 2017" in New Delhi on Aug 11, 2017. Image Source: IANS

New Delhi, March 14 : Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia on Wednesday called for a comprehensive national e-commerce policy to tap the huge opportunities in this segment, saying the country is not entirely ready to tap the opportunities offered by e-commerce.

According to the official, there is a crying need to ensure that various arms of the government like the Department of IT, Finance and Department of Posts are on the same page to capitalise on the business prospects offered by the digital space.

Teaotia said since the B2C (business-to-consumer) commerce transactions in India are growing rapidly at a compounded annual growth rate of 34 per cent, there is a need for pegging aspirations realistically as the growth had taken place on a low base.

The Commerce Secretary was speaking at a workshop on "Going global through E-commerce Marketplace for B2C Product Manufacturers, Exporters, Retailers and Online Sellers", organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) together with Amazon India.

Sanjay Bhatia, President, Ficci-Confederation of MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), said e-commerce shopping is a thriving market, with people increasingly choosing this option to order products and services at their convenience.

"Global e-commerce transactions in 2016 were $1.9 trillion accounting for 8.7 per cent of the total retail spending worldwide," he said.

Bhatia added that the transactions are expected to grow to above $4 trillion by 2020 -- making up to nearly 15 per cent of the total retail spending -- and Ficci-CMSME has partnered with Amazon India to create awareness about the potential.

A report by Amazon India -- which was launched at the same event -- said Indian exporters on the e-commerce platform saw a massive 224 per cent growth in their global exports business in 2017.

"Amazon's international marketplace saw a staggering rise of 500 per cent in Indian products offered globally and 310 per cent growth in Indian exporters using Amazon Global Fulfilment channel," said the first edition of Amazon Exports Digest 2017.

The insights of the report revealed phenomenal increase in demand for Indian products abroad, growth of Indian exporters selling globally, and most popular product categories offered by Indian exporters abroad.

According to the report, exporters from 2,047 pin codes across India, Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh emerged as the leading states with most international exporters on Amazon.

"Since its launch in 2015 in India, Amazon's Global Selling Program has opened e-commerce markets to Indian businesses allowing them to go global and showcase the 'Made in India' creations to the world, and supporting government's vision of establishing India as a global manufacturing hub," said Gopal Pillai, General Manager and Director, Seller Services, Amazon India.
Ranchi, March 14 : Maoist guerrillas shot dead two people in a village in Jharkhand's Seraikela-Kharsawa district on Wednesday, police said.

According to the police, Maoists dragged Geeta Munda, a former Panchayat Samiti member, and Etwa Munda from their houses in Mairamjanga village of Seraikela-Kharsawa district to a jungle where they were shot.

The Maoists left a pamphlet terming the two as police informers and also torched their two-wheeler.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, police said.

Police has termed the incident as an act of desperation by the Maoists. Several Maoists have been arrested from different parts of the state.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of Jharkhand.
New Delhi, March 14 : A month after filmmaker Karan Johar hit the ramp sporting grey spikes, designer Samant Chauhan picked men aged over 40 as his showstoppers for the opening show of the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Autumn-Winter 2018 here on Wednesday.

The designer switched to reverse gear to present his line. He attempted to look beyond the rainbow and took the attendees to a black world.

"Maybe I am colour blind and I don't have the colour sense. All my workers and weavers were tired of doing off-white. So this was a change. We tried to change everything and do things on reverse.

"The best garment came first and the light garments later in the show," said the designer, whose first model wore a black net fabric high neck gown with zari and glass embroidery.

Apart from female models, who wore black fused silk fabric jacket, pleated tube gown, cotton silk dress and more, nine men in their 40s, 50s and 60s also hit the ramp.

"I didn't want regular and conventional models to walk the ramp. The salt-and-pepper look is in fashion. Some of them are retired IAS officers and army officers," Chauhan told IANS.

Former photographer Manpreet Romana was also one of the nine men who walked for Chauhan.

"Samant is a very good friend. I somehow got dragged into it. It was my first time on the ramp. It was very awkward but also fun," said the 43-year-old.

The collection also complemented the black and white decor of the venue.
Ranchi, March 14 : The judgement in the fourth fodder scam case involving former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad will be delivered on Thursday by a special CBI court here.

The hearing in the fodder case -- relating to fraudulent withdrawals of Rs 3.13 crore from December 1995 to January 1996 from the Dumka treasury -- was completed on March 5.

Besides Lalu Prasad, another former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra and 30 others are accused in this case.

Lalu Prasad was convicted in the first fodder scam case in 2013 and awarded five years in jail.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief was convicted by a special CBI court in the second case on December 23, 2017, and awarded three-and-half years' imprisonment on January 6.

He was convicted in the third case on January 24, related to fraudulent withdrawals from the Chaibasa treasury, and awarded a five-year jail term.

He now faces two other cases -- one in Ranchi and one in Patna.

The multi-million-rupee fodder scam surfaced in the 1990s when Lalu Yadav was Chief Minister of undivided Bihar. The probe was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation on Patna High Court's order.

The bulk of the cases were transferred to Ranchi after Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000.
New Delhi, March 14 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will here on Saturday inaugurate a three-day annual 'Krishi Unnati Mela' aimed at creating awareness about the latest technological developments in the agriculture sector among farmers, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Wednesday.

Singh told reporters here that Modi will also launch the 'Jaivik Kheti' portal and lay foundation stone of 25 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs).

The Mela, starting from Friday, will be held at Pusa campus here. It will display the latest agriculture and allied sector technologies. Pavilions on seeds, fertilisers and pesticides will also be set up in the Mela.

The minister said there will be over 600 stalls, including those from Ministries of Textile, Food Processing, Commerce and North East Council.

Live demonstrations on micro-irrigation, waste water utilisation, animal husbandry and fisheries, besides theme pavilions on doubling farmers income are major highlights of the fair.

Despite record production of foodgrain in past few years, the government has been facing difficulties on the agrarian front as farmers are in distress over the substantial fall in the remuneration for their crop.

Last month, the Agriculture Ministry had organised a conference here to hold consultations with the stakeholders to find solution and ways for doubling farm income by 2022.
New Delhi, March 14 : A court on Wednesday granted bail to a Chennai-based advocate B. Kumar, one of the accused in a bribery case related to poll symbol allocation.

Special Judge Arvind Kumar granted bail to Kumar, who was named as an accused in the supplementary chargesheet filed by Delhi Police last year.

Meanwhile, sidelined AIADMK leader T.T.V. Dinakaran appeared in the court in pursuance of summons against him.

The court has listed the matter for further hearing on April 4.

Dinakaran, accused of trying to bribe Election Commission officials to get the "two leaves" poll symbol for an AIADMK faction led by his aunt V.K. Sasikala, was arrested on April 25. He was granted bail on June 1.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Union government on Wednesday ruled out any plan to issue a White Paper on the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, which has been questioned by opposition parties.

Congress MP K.V. Thomas, in a written question in the Lok Sabha, had asked if the government had been urged to issue a White Paper on the Rafale deal by "defence experts as well as some political leaders", and its reaction.

Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre replied in the negative to both the questions. "No such proposal has been received," Bhamre said.

Opposition Congress has alleged that the deal for 36 Rafale fighter planes with the French government was finalise at a higher price than the previous deal for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA).

In a reply in the Rajya Sabha earlier, Bhamre had said that no price was arrived at in the previous deal, which never saw a conclusion.

"It had not been possible to finalise the terms and condition for acquiring the 126 aircraft even after a protracted process from the period of issue of Request for Proposal (RFP) in 2007 to the unsuccessful commercial negotiations up to 2014," the Minister had said.

The Congress has alleged "irregularities" in the agreement to buy 36 Rafale jets off-shelf from France.

The opposition party has claimed that the fighter jets are being bought at a price higher than what was negotiated in the previous MMRCA deal wherein 126 jets were to be bought -- the deal included assembly of a number of fighters in India.

The government has maintained that the price India is getting under the Inter-Government Agreement is lesser than the MMRCA deal and, citing security concerns, has refused to reveal the price arrived at.
Agartala, March 14 : Two senior students have been academically suspended and punitive action has been taken against four other students of National Institute of Technology (NIT), Agartala, on charge of ragging, an official said here on Wednesday.

"Two senior NIT-Agartala students of 8th semester have been suspended academically on charges of ragging junior students. Four other students have been fined Rs 5,000 and three among them have been asked to quit the institute hostels," NIT-Agartala, Dean of Students' Welfare Rajsekhar Panua told IANS.

The anti-ragging committee of NIT-Agartala, headed by Panua took these punitive actions after an inquiry on a complaint of ragging.

Another NIT-Agartala official said that on March 9 around midnight, some senior students had called a number of junior students to a meeting outside the hostel and physically tortured them in the name of ragging.

"In the ragging, a student from Arunachal Pradesh, Dui Duji, sustained serious injuries but he was not even taken to hospital. Duji informed his parents and it was only after their arrival that the victim was hospitalised," the official added.

Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju had earlier spoken to Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Director General of Tripura Police Akhil Kumar Shukla and requested them to take action against the guilty students.

Some guardians of the ragged students had also filed FIRs with the police and it was only after that the NIT-Agartala authorities began proceedings against the errant students.

Various student bodies, including the Tribal Student Federation (TSF), have also launched and agitation to call for action against the guilty students.

TSF sources said that student bodies in Arunachal Pradesh had also protested the incident of ragging in NIT-Agartala.

The NIT-Agartala, official said that those involved in the ragging all belonged to the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Patna, March 14 : Despite the jailing of its star campaigner Lalu Prasad, the RJD on Wednesday won the Araria Lok Sabha and the Jehanabad Assembly seats while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua Assembly seat, officials said.

The Rashtriya Janata Dal's Sarfaraz Alam defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate Pradeep Kumar Singh by over 60,000 votes in Araria, triggering calls for a Grand Alliance - a la Bihar - all across India to take on the BJP in the next Lok Sabha polls.

In Jehanabad, Suday Yadav of RJD defeated Janata Dal-United candidate Abhiram Sharma by 35,036 votes.

BJP's Rinki Pandey worsted Sambhu Patel of the Congress, a RJD ally, by 15,000 votes in Bhabua. All three seats went to the polls on Sunday.

It was a direct fight between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and the Grand Alliance of the RJD-Congress in Bihar, a year ahead of the next Lok Sabha battle.

With the original Grand Alliance having come apart and the JD-U deserting it and joining hands with the BJP, there was a lot at stake for everyone in the by-elections: the RJD, JD-U, BJP and Congress.

"People have rejected Nitish Kumar's decision to join hands with the 'jumlebaaz' BJP as NDA was defeated in the earlier Assembly polls," RJD spokesperson Ramanujan Prasad said.

RJD leaders and workers celebrated across Bihar by distributing sweets and bursting firecrackers.

At the Bihar Assembly premises, RJD legislators played Holi, splashing each other with colour powder.

Elsewhere, RJD workers beat drums and raised slogans hailing Lalu Prasad, who has been jailed for corruption, and his son Tejashwi Yadav, who asked opposition leaders to join hands at the national level to take on the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha battle.

The balloting in Jehanabad and Bhabua followed the death of RJD and BJP legislators respectively.

The Araria Lok Sabha seat became vacant after the death last year of Mohammad Taslimuddin, the RJD MP.

The RJD fielded Sarfaraz Alam -- son of Taslimuddin and a legislator of the ruling JD-U. Last month, he left the JD-U and quit the Assembly to join the RJD.

He is a former legislator from Jokihat in Araria district.
New Delhi, March 14 : The government is aware of China's objective to become a maritime power and India is keeping a constant watch on it, Parliament was told on Wednesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said: "The government is aware of China's stated objective of becoming a 'maritime power'."

"As part of this strategy, China is undertaking maritime activities and developing ports and other infrastructure facilities in littoral countries in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the vicinity of India's maritime boundary.

"The government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India's security and takes all necessary measures to safeguard it," Bhamre said.

The Minister was asked by Congress's K.V. Thomas if the Naval chiefs of Quadrilateral Nations -- the United States, Japan, Australia and India -- have called China a disruptive power.

Bhamre said Indian Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba made no such statement.

US Pacific Commander Admiral Harry Harris had called China a "disruptive force" in the Indo-Pacific region, during an event in New Delhi in January this year, where he shared the dais with Admiral Lanba, Australian Navy chief Vice Admiral Tim Barret and Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano -- the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff of Japan Self-Defense Forces.
New Delhi, March 14 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday mourned the death of British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, terming him a "celebrity face of modern physics".

"His physical challenges notwithstanding, Professor Stephen Hawking was the celebrity face of modern physics," Gandhi tweeted.

"A torchbearer for logic, reason and scientific temper, the professor left an indelible mark on our society.

"Like millions of his fans around the world, I mourn his passing," he added.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday -- leaving millions in mourning globally. He was 76.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 14 : Leader of the opposition Ramesh Chennithala has called out the hypocrisy of the CPI(M) in trying to suppress a popular protest at Keezhattur in Kannur district by local residents to protect paddy fields on the one hand while on the other singing paeans to the long march of farmers in Mumbai.

The CPI(M), which praises the Kisan march in Mumbai, is trying to suppress with force the stir by farmers at Keezhattur in Kannur, Ramesh Chennithala wrote on his official facebook page on Wednesday.

Vayalkilikal were protesting by putting their lives on the line in order to protect their paddy fields and sources of drinking water, Chennithala reminded the CPI(M)-led LDF government and called on the state government to refrain from the move to snuff out the protest using the police and by burning down their protest tent.

He warned the CPI(M) that Keezhattur could turn out to be Keralas Singur, the venue of the popular farmers uprising in West Bengal against forcible land acquisition in 2006 by the then CPI(M) government for the construction of a Tata Nano plant.

Pointing out that the police action against the protestors at Keezhattur coincided with the 11th anniversary of the Nandigram agitation, which had spelled the downfall of the CPI(M)-led government in West Bengal, Chennithala shot off a warning to the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government in Kerala that a similar fate awaited them.

A tense situation prevailed at Keezhattur on Wednesday morning after members of Vayalkilikal - the collective of local residents and farmers in Keezhattur protesting against the alignment of the proposed NH bypass - threatened to self-immolate should the revenue and NHAI (national highway authority of India) authorities entered the paddy fields to measure the surveyed land for the proposed bypass.

The protestors were later arrested by the police and removed from the protest venue. Afterwards, the CPI(M) workers, triggering a major controversy, allegedly burned down the protest tent at Keezhattur using the diesel and kerosene cans kept in the tent by the protestors.

The CPI(M) leadership in Kannur and the Vayalkilikal have been at loggerheads with each other over the issue of the proposed bypass.

The LDF government had vowed to go ahead with the NH bypass project saying that 56 of the 60 people whose land were to be acquired for the project had given concurrence letters for land acquisition. However, members of Vayalkilikal have refuted this claim of the state government.
Kochi, March 14 : A division bench of the Kerala high court led by chief justice Antony Dominic on Wednesday issued an interim order staying the single bench verdict directing a CBI probe into the murder of youth congress activist S P Shuhaib at Mattannur in Kannur district on February 12.

The order came while considering a writ appeal filed by the CPI(M)-led LDF government challenging the single bench order for a CBI probe in the case.

Media reports suggest that the court issued the stay even before the counsel for the state government prayed for the same.

The division bench reportedly decided to stay the CBI probe after T Asaf Ali, counsel for Shuhaibs parents, brought to the attention of the court that the state governments criminal writ appeal was not maintainable.

Citing a 1992 high court verdict, Mr. Asaf Ali reportedly argued that a writ criminal appeal pertaining to an incident which took place in the erstwhile Madras presidency could be entertained only by the supreme court.

Shuhaibs murder took place in Mattannur town, which used to be part of Malabar district, an administrative district of the erstwhile Madras presidency. As such, a criminal writ appeal pertaining to the murder could be heard only by the supreme court, Mr. Ali contended.

Following this, the division bench stayed the single bench verdict, observing that Asaf Alis contention needed to be examined in detail.

Even though Mr. Ali requested the division bench not to issue an interim order on a writ appeal that was not legally maintainable, the court turned down his request.

The stay on CBI probe into the murder would pave the way for the state police to resume its investigation in the case, which has already yielded 11 arrests, all of them either CPI(M) workers or sympathisers.

Shuhaibs parents and the congress party said that they would challenge the stay on the CBI probe in the case before the supreme court.

A single bench of the Kerala high court had on March 7 ordered a probe by the CBI into the murder of Shuhaib on a petition filed by his parents.
Ghaziabad, March 14 : Following the death of four persons due to consumption of illicit liquor in Khoda area of Ghaziabad district, three Excise Department officials have been suspended even as a man suspected of supplying the illegal brew was arrested, an official said on Wednesday.

District Magistrate Ritu Maheswari had recommended the suspension of Excise Inspector Seelam Mishra and Constables Jagdish Chandra and Bhopal Chand.

Circle Officer (Indirapuram) Dharmendra Chauhan said main supplier Sudhir has been arrested in the case.

Sandeep (18), Avneesh (25), Ashok Kumar (45) and Ravendra (36) died in the hooch tragedy on Tuesday, while the condition of Shriniwas was critical.

SSP H.N. Singh had earlier suspended SHO Dhruv Bhushan Dubey, area police post incharge Ram Samajh Rana and two beat Constables Rajvir Singh and Mohammad Asgari following the tragedy.
New Delhi, March 14 : Union Ministers from Bihar on Wednesday held discussion with NITI Ayog officials for transformation of 13 districts in the state, which were among 115 classified districts in the country lagging in specific social parameters.

The Central government has appointed 13 officials, who will in consultation with officials from the state will prepare a roadmap for development of the 13 districts, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here.

R.K Singh, Giriraj Singh, and Ram Kripal Yadav are other Union Ministers from the state, who have been tasked with the transformation project.

The sectors where we have to bring transformation are health, education besides basic infrastructure, said R.K. Singh, who holds power portfolio.

These minister will hold discussion with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for development of these 13 districts, Paswan added.
New Delhi, March 14 : Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking U-turns on promises made ahead of the May 2014 Lok Sabha polls, including construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, and said his government had failed to meet people's aspirations in four years.

In a four-page letter to the Prime Minister, Togadia raised issues ranging from the Ram temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh to the ban on cow slaughter, repeal of Article 370 and 35A related to Jammu and Kashmir from the Constitution, Uniform Civil Code, and issues related to farmers and labourers.

He warned the government about what he said was "rising discontent" among the people, especially those affiliated to the Sangh Parivar.

Addressing a press conference here, the VHP leader reminded Modi of promises in the run-up to the last Lok Sabha polls and said selling big dreams was not enough.

"Nation-building is based on truth of the work that has to be seen on the ground," he said.

"These questions are not just posed by an individual but lakhs of people associated with us through the ideology. They are baffled; and now they are upset because not just the government led by you is not seen doing anything on the ideological, socio-political and economic issues but also on many issues, there is a U-turn.

"It has hurt the people associated with the (Hindutva) ideology. The political power centres are seen deviating from that very ideology," Togadia said.

"The BJP came to power based on these promises as the people believed you will fulfil these promises... what happened to those promises. They are still unfulfilled."

He reminded the Prime Minister that the Bharatiya Janata Party at its conclave in Palampur in Himachal Pradesh had adopted a resolution for the construction of the Ram temple through a law made by Parliament.

He cautioned that time and tide don't wait for anybody.

"In fact, time has been changing. The election results in Gujarat and bypolls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and now Uttar Pradesh, are the indicators," he said.

Taking a dig at Modi, the VHP leader said there was no point blaming previous governments and political parties for the situation prevailing now in the country after enjoying power for nearly four years.

He, however, said it was never too late and sought time from Modi to discuss the issues he had raised, calling Modi his "Mota Bhai" (elder brother).

Togadia escaped unhurt in a road accident near Surat this month and voiced suspicion that it was an attempt to kill him.
Lucknow, March 14 : Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the results of Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-polls give a "message and a direction" to national politics but refused to go into the issue of alliances for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

He said the results were a rejection of the policies of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh and the divisive agenda followed by them as he pointed out that one of the seats (Gorakhpur) belonged to the Chief Minister (Adityanath) while the other one (Phulpur) was vacated by the Deputy Chief Minister (Keshav Prasad Maurya).

Addressing a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav profusely thanked Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati and her party workers for his party's victory in the by-polls.

Ignoring Congress, which contested in the two seats, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister thanked other parties and leaders including the Nationalist Congress Party, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh, Nishad Party, Peace Party and the Left parties for their contribution in his party's victory.

Yadav brushed aside a question as to what the Samajwadi Pary would do on the alliance with the Congress. When pressed further on what are his party's plans for the 2019 elections, he said there was "still a lot of time" for that.

He also raised questions over the functioning and integrity of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and said that the margin of victory would have been "in lakhs, not in thousands" had the voting been done through paper ballots.

Yadav also took digs at Yogi Adityanath, saying that the Chief Minister had been "mocking at the Constitution of India" through his words and actions.

"Perhaps there has never been a Chief Minister who mocked at the Constitution like he (Adityanath) has done. On the floor of the House he said that he does not celebrate Eid because he was a Hindu. In the House (legislative assembly) he instructed the police to kill criminals in encounters or even to cut them into pieces if needed," Yadav said.

"To our alliance with BSP, they said it was an unholy alliance. They even went to the extent of calling me Aurangzeb," he added.
Rabat, March 14 : The Moroccan authorities have decided to ban demonstrations in the restive eastern province of Jerada, which has been witnessing protests since last December.

The eastern province has seen a wave of protests since last December following the death of three miners while they were digging in abandoned mines.

The protestors called for justice for the dead and demanded job opportunities and "economic alternatives".

"The Interior Ministry stressed its right to enforce the law in the city of Jerada by banning illegal demonstrations on public roads and responding firmly to irresponsible acts and behaviours, with a view to preserving security and protecting the interests of citizens," the Moroccan Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Ministry said that despite efforts to address the problems raised in the province of Jerada, some parties persist in undermining these efforts by trying to exploit the legitimate demands expressed and inciting the population to protest without any respect for established laws, which disrupts normal life in the region.

In its efforts to address the problems raised in the province of Jerada, the government has showed a positive interaction with all social and economic demands expressed by all local stakeholders, the statement said.

It added that dialogue with them has led to the operational and concrete measures in several priority sectors.

Jerada had been growing during flourishing mining activities since 1920s, but it suffered a major blow in late 1990s after state-owned coal mines that employed thousands of local people were forced to close down due to rising digging costs and declining coal prices.

However, many local residents continued illegal mining in the abandoned mines.
Patna, March 14 : Opposition leaders on Wednesday advocated, with renewed vigour, for a grand alliance to defeat the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections after it was crushed in the by-polls to three Lok Sabha seats, especially in Uttar Pradesh where an alliance of arch rivals SP and BSP sealed the BJPs fate.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was defeated on the Gorakhpur, and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh by Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party combine while the Lalu Prasad's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) defeated the Janata Dal United (JD-U) - an NDA ally -- on Araria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar.

The RJD had the backing of the Congress in Bihar though in Uttar Pradesh the Congress fielded its candidates on both seats.

Buoyed by the victory, a number of opposition leaders including RJD's Tejashwi Yadav and veteran socialist leader Sharad Yadav on Wednesday called for a Grand Alliance at the national level to defeat the BJP.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee were quick to congratulate the victorious candidates of the opposition camp.

Although Samajwadi Party President and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav avoided a direct reply to the chances of his party forging an alliance with BSP and others for the next year's Lok Sabha polls, saying there was still time, but emphasised that the by-polls results did give a "message and a direction" to the national politics.

Gandhi, while congratulating the victorious candidates, said that the results showed the "electorate is very angry against the BJP and will vote for the non-BJP candidate most likely to win".

Tejashwi Yadav said the Samajwadi Party and the BSP should fight the 2019 Lok Sabha polls together and urged the Congress to join them.

"A Grand Alliance is the demand of time, it is the demand of the people. Keep your ego away. There is a need to teach a lesson to those who have destroyed the country," he said.

Sharad Yadav said even "a partial unity" among opposition parties was enough to defeat the BJP.

"The (BJP-led) government will go even if there is a partial unity among the opposition parties," he said.

Asked if the opposition parties were chalking out unity plans ahead of the 2019 general election, he said the "process is on" and added that the opposition unity was a "big challenge" and would take "time and honest efforts" to materialise.

Banerjee congratulated Akhilesh Yadav, BSP chief Mayawati and Lalu Prasad as the opposition took big leads over the BJP in Lok Sabha by-elections.

"Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawatiji and Akhileshji... The beginning of the end has started," the Trinamool Congress leader tweeted.

"Congratulations to Lalu Prasadji for winning Araria and Jehanabad. This is a great victory," she said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the BJP under-estimated the SP-BSP alliance that led to its defeat in the by-elections to the prestigious Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats and termed it as a lesson to the party which would do an introspection.

Reacting to the shocking defeat of the party in the seats held by him and his Deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya, he, however, expressed confidence that this would have no impact on the general elections in 2019 in which national issues will play a dominant role and it will be a vote on the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He said local factors play a role in by-elections but in the general elections, the good performance of the Modi government and its welfare schemes will have an impact in BJP's favour.

In Bihar, BJP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi downplayed the RJD's victory, saying it was the result of sympathy votes in Lalu Prasad's favour.
Damascus, March 14 : Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday said the US aims to fragment regional countries through supporting the terror groups.

Assad made the remarks during his meeting with Faleh Fayad, Iraq's national security advisor, during which both sides discussed political and security issues in light of the situation in the region, SANA reported.

Assad said the US plans in the region aim at undermining and weakening the countries in the region through continuing its support to the terror groups.

Such plans need to be faced by unified stances from the countries that seek to preserve their unity, Assad said.

His remarks come just days after the United States threatened to strike Syria, following the advance of the Syrian army in the war against the rebels in Eastern Ghouta.

US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley recently threatened that the United States will strike Syrian government forces if they don't halt their operation in Eastern Ghouta amid US accusations that the Syrian forces are using chemical weapons in their attack, a claim that has been repeatedly denied by the Syrian government.

"We also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, most especially the outlaw Syrian regime, the United States remains prepared to act if we must," Haley said.

The remarks raised the ire of Russia, Syria's main ally, with Russian officials threatening retaliation.

Russia's Army General Valery Gerasimov warned on Tuesday that the United States was preparing to launch raids against the Syrian government.

"In the event of a threat to our military servicemen's lives, Russia's armed forces will take retaliatory measures to target both the missiles and their delivery vehicles," Gerasimov said, according to the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.

Last April, the United States struck the Shairat military base in the central Homs province, marking the U.S. response to the alleged chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in the countryside of Idlib province in northwestern Syria.

At the time, the Syrian government denied using chemical weapons, saying it didn't possess such weapons, calling the US attack "an American aggression".
New Delhi, March 14 : The shocking defeat of the BJP in Gorakhpur and Phulpur parliamentary bypolls has raised the morale of the opposition parties, set a successful template for them for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and sent out a message that the BJP will not find the going easy in crucial Assembly polls in four major states this year.

The Samajwadi Party's triumph in Gorakhpur and Phulpur as also Rashtriya Janata Dal's retention of the Araria Lok Sabha seat in Bihar has led to demands for a Grand Alliance of opposition parties to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party in the next General Elections.

The results of the by-elections in Uttar Pradesh are significant as they came almost a year after the BJP's unprecedented victory in the state Assembly polls. The two Lok Sabha seats were held by present Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath (Gorakhpur), and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya (Phulpur).

The BJP had won the two seats in 2014 by big margins of over three lakh votes. The failure to retain the two seats has again showed the BJP's vulnerability in a contest against a combined and determined opposition.

The BJP had been defeated by the Grand Alliance of Janata Dal-United, RJD and Congress in Bihar in 2015 Assembly elections despite aggressive campaigning by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

If the Congress -- like the Bahujan Samaj Party -- had not put up its candidates in Phulpur and Gorakhpur and instead decided to support SP nominees, the victory margin of the winning candidates would have been bigger.

Any alliance between the three parties in Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections will make the going extremely difficult for the BJP and impair its chances of returning to power at the Centre. The state has 80 Lok Sabha seats and the BJP had won 71 of these on its own in 2014, with its ally bagging another two.

The poll verdict in Phulpur and Gorakhpur also showed a remarkable transfer of votes at a relatively short notice and has a lesson for the opposition parties.

The Bahujan Samaj Party had announced its support for SP candidates only about a week before the polling after the BJP triumph in Tripura Assembly elections and its improved performance in Nagaland and Meghalaya. The BSP, with its disciplined and dedicated workers, was particularly effective in the task.

The results in Gorakhpur and Phulpur will have ramifications for national politics, with the opposition parties now expected to step up efforts to forge an electoral alliance against the BJP for 2019.

United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has been holding meetings of like-minded opposition parties to discuss ways to take on the Modi government. Some senior leaders, including Sharad Pawar and Mamata Banerjee, are also expected to make renewed efforts to emerge as the pivot of opposition unity.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi leader and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao has pitched for the formation of a Third Front opposed to both the BJP and the Congress.

The shocking defeats have come at a time when BJP is facing trouble from its allies. The TDP has withdrawn its two Ministers from the Modi government over its demand for special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Shiv Sena is becoming increasingly assertive and its MPs have also protested in Parliament when the government faced disruptions from the opposition.

The BJP-led government is also under sustained attack from the Congress and other opposition parties on a range of issues, including Rs 12,600 crore PNB bank fraud and its adversaries are likely to step up their attack in the coming days.

The results of by-elections have taken some sheen off the BJP's electoral performance in the northeast earlier this month.

The by-election results have shown that the BJP has to contend with diminishing returns in the Hindi heartland states which were crucial to its success in the 2014 polls.

Apart from its stunning success in Uttar Pradesh in 2014, the BJP had swept states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Himachal Pradesh.

The BJP's tally in the Lok Sabha has come down to 274 now from 282 in 2014.

But the opposition has its set of challenges in coming together against the BJP. It entails fighting far less number of seats, curbing ambitions and conceding space to parties who were rivals not long ago.

The ruling party in each state is keen to fight all or maximum number of seats and any alliance will entail hard negotiations.

There is also the question of putting up a prime ministerial candidate against Narendra Modi with Congress keen on Rahul Gandhi. The opposition parties are expected to wait for assembly elections this year in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh before taking a call on the issue.
New Delhi, March 14 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday questioned Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's eldest son and five others in connection with the 2011 terror funding case.

Shakeel Yusuf, a Medical Assistant at Srinagar's Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, was questioned along with the five others at the NIA's headquarters in south Delhi.

The NIA wanted to question Yusuf on receipt of funds sent by his father through a US-based international wire transfer company, an official said.

Yusuf was also "one of several Indian contacts" of hawala operator Aijaz Ahmed Bhat based in Saudi Arabia, and was said to have been in telephonic contact with him for receiving money transfer codes, said the NIA official.

The case, registered by the NIA in April 2011, relates to the transfer of money from Pakistan to Jammu and Kashmir through hawala channels via Delhi, which the agency believed was used in funding terror and secessionist activities.

The NIA has so far filed two charge sheets against six persons, including G.M. Bhat, a close aide of pro-Pakistan separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mohammed Siddiq Ganai, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo, and Farooq Ahmed Dagga. All four are in judicial custody.

Two others -- Mohammed Maqbool Pandit and Bhat -- were also charge-sheeted by the NIA but are absconding. An Interpol Red Corner notice has been issued against them.

Yusuf's father Mohammed Yusuf Shah -- better known as Syed Salahuddin -- was declared a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US Department of State in June last year.

Salahuddin also heads the United Jehad Council (UJC), a conglomerate of terrorist outfits operating in the Kashmir Valley.

The agency had last year arrested Salahuddin's another son Shahid in connection with the case. He is in judicial custody.
Colombo, March 14 : Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with a fluent half century and teenaged off-spinner Washington Sundar scalped three wickets to help India beat Bangladesh by 17 runs at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday and guide the men-in-blue to the final of the Nidahas Trophy T20 tri-series.

Chasing a healthy 177, Bangladesh were off to a forgettable start, thanks to Sundar's (3/22) exploits with the new ball as opener Liton Das (7) and one-down Soumya Sarkar (1) perished to the tweaker cheaply.

Stumper Mushfiqur Rahim raged a lone battle with a 55-ball unbeaten 72, comprising eight fours and a six but that was not enough for his team as Bangladesh could only muster 159/6 in the end.

Sundar came back to pack back the other opener Tamim Iqbal (27), who looked threatening with his four boundaries and a six off Shardul Thakur's first over before losing his leg stick to the 18-year-old tweaker.

Tottering at 40/3, Bangladesh's hopes were further dented when leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (1/21) saw the back of skipper Mahmudullah (11) caught by Lokesh Rahul.

Despite losing his partners at the other end, Rahim, who came in at No.4 started well, occasionally dispatching the odd balls to the boundary until Sabbir Rahman (27) joined him to add 65 runs for the fifth wicket.

But the joy was shortlived as Thakur came back to shatter the defences of Rahman, reducing Bangladesh to 126/5 even as the Indian bowlers tightened the flow of runs towards the later part of the innings.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj, who came into the playing XI replacing left-armer Jaydev Unadkat, was at the receiving end of Rahim's aggression but managed to contain the Bangladeshis towards the end.

Earlier, the Indian openers Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (35) clicked at the right time with a 70-run stand after being put in to bat.

Skipper Rohit, who was out of form for quite a long time, returned to form and slammed his 13th T20 fifty (off 42 balls).

Aiming to cement his place in the T20 side, veteran Suresh Raina (47) also contributed handsomely to the cause.

The last four overs saw some brilliant hammering from Rohit and Raina before the southpaw, who was three short of his 50 at that point, was caught by Sarkar off Rubel Hossain. His 30-ball knock comprised five boundaries and two sixes.

The last ball of the innings saw Rohit, who played 61 balls, getting run out while going for a single and thus India posted 176 runs in their allotted 20 overs.

Brief Scores: India 176/3 (Rohit Sharma 89, Suresh Raina 47; Rubel Hossain 2/27) beat Bangladesh 159/6 (Mushfiqur Rahim 72 not out, Tamim Iqbal 27, Sabbir Rahman 27; Washington Sundar 3/22, Yuzvendra Chahal 1/21) by 17 runs.
New Delhi, March 14 : A man gunned down his elder brother's wife after his family refused to get him married to a young woman living in his neighbourhood in east Delhi, police said on Wednesday.

Police said accused Sikander absconded after shooting his sister-in-law Jeeva in the head on Tuesday night in Ganesh Nagar. Jeeva was declared brought dead in a nearby hospital.

Sikander's elder brother Sonu and Jeeva did not like the woman he wanted to marry and thus there were heated arguments on the issue in the family in the last couple of weeks, police added.
New Delhi, March 14 : The Congress on Wednesday accused the Narendra Modi government of "strangling democracy" and said it was the BJP's conspiracy to pass all important bills including the Finance Bill without debate and discussion.

"It is a black day for democracy. The most important bill of the Finance Ministry was passed but there was no discussion, no consultation and no exchange of ideas.

"Democracy is being strangled and the bill has been passed in the din," said senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia.

"We have always said that we want debate and discussion. The entire opposition is united on this. All opposition parties also met the Speaker yesterday (Tuesday) and said that we wanted discussion on the issue.

"But the allied parties of the government come to the well of the House, make noise and disrupt the proceedings. This is a conspiracy of the government to pass bills without discussion," he added.

He stressed that all opposition parties were ready for discussions on the bill but the government did not take any step to enable debate.

"On the most important issue of the budget session i.e. the Finance Bill, there was no discussion for even a second. It has been the DNA of the BJP government to strangle democracy. We have seen the example of this today," he added.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Union Budget without any debate, leading to a walkout by members of the Congress and Trinamool Congress, while the TDP, YSR Congress, and AIADMK protested near the Speaker's podium.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley moved the Finance Bill 2018, as well as the Appropriation Bill amid the din, and they were passed by voice vote.

The lower House has been witnessing protests over a number of issues, including the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud, special economic status to Andhra Pradesh, and setting up of the Cauvery Water Management Board.
United Nations, March 14 : UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday paid tribute to world-renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who died earlier in the day his home in Cambridge at the age of 76.

"The United Nations has lost a friend and the world a strong advocate of science for the common good," Guterres tweeted.

"Stephen Hawking was a cosmic force and an inspiration. He taught us the mysteries of outer space and the potential of our inner selves" he said.
Kolkata, March 14 : The West Bengal government on Wednesday said it will approach the management of a city school to ascertain whether it had obtained admission from 10 students that they had indulged in lesbianism.

Kamala Girls School's acting headmistress had said two days back that following a complaint by classmates, the school had called the 10 students who admitted that they had indulged in lesbian behaviour. The school then asked them to admit it in writing, which these students did.

But when the school summoned the guardians of the ten students, they rubbished the allegations and staged a noisy protest, against the school "getting the written admissions forcibly".

State Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said the government was not treating the issue lightly, as it was unprecedented in the educational institutions of the state.

"In the past, we had never received reports of such incidents in the state's educational institutions. If such an incident (lesbianism) had indeed happened, it would be against the ethos of our state.

"I will ascertain from the school management what prompted them to secure the written admission from the students," said Chatterjee.
Mumbai, March 14 : Acclaimed Assamese language film "Rainbow Fields", based on the 1983 Nellie Massacre, is all set to release on March 30.

Announcing the release date, film director Bidyut Kotoky, in a statement, said: "In the film, a famous film director, on hearing the news of his childhood friend's death, goes back on a soul-searching journey to his native village and has to confront the unresolved vestiges of a terrible childhood accident, before he loses his last chance for redemption and closure."

"It's been thirty-five years since Nellie in Assam saw one of independent India's worst acts of violence, leaving about 1,800 people dead in a single day. Our film deals with the underlying effects of the violence witnessed in the state since that incident and how it has severely impacted the minds of children who have grown up with it," he added.

Starring legendary actor Victor Banerjeee in a significant role, the film features actress Dipannita Sharma making it her first ever Assamese feature film. It further comprises an ensemble cast of well-known names like Nakul Vaid (of "Ab Tak Chappan" fame), Naved Aslam, Nipon Goswami and Nikumoni Barua.

The film also features a bunch of talented child actors which include Maharnav Mahanta, Rishiraj Baruah, Mrinmoy Medhi, Krish Talukdar, Mihir Pegu, Hiya Kotoky and Jiya Baruah.

"Rainbow Fields" won the 'Best Foreign Film' award at the prestigious Hollywood CineFest Film Festival 2017 and was one among the many to be shortlisted in the Clinik Kathmandu Film Lab (2015) along with eight other projects from five South Asian countries.

It premiered in the Indian Panorama category of the 48th International Film Festival of India, 2017 in Goa.
Printer supplier Starleaton is expanding its business, having completed its acquisition of screen printer supplier Uniscreen Australia.

Early this year Starleaton completed talks with Uniscreen owner and CEO Ross Clarke to take over their Australian distribution. Starleaton says for the last few weeks its team have been undergoing extensive training on the new range to begin the immediate introduction to their customers. The company says existing customers of Uniscreen should see a seamless transition to Starleaton.

Ben Eaton, CEO of Starleaton says, Starleaton has always been brand focused. We needed a transfer paper and they offered a high quality product so we decided to take it on and entered discussions with Uniscreen.

[Related: Starleaton adds eco-solvent printer to arsenal]

We have completely absorbed them, the stock and sites have already been transitioned. It can only be a positive. We are growing the business and are excited about introducing a new range to our customers.

Coldenhove are the industry leaders and inventors of digital sublimation transfer printing papers, so to be able to add their range to our current offering is a real bonus for us. With the Epson F-series, EFI FabriVu, and Georg+Otto Friedrich fabrics already covering the direct to fabric market for us, a quality transfer paper was the missing link.

Any exisiting customers should expect their transition to be seamless. We have been working on the move since February 1 and it has all gone smoothly.

Starleaton says it will also continue to supply the full range of Kiian inks and Transmatic heat presses and the new range will be introduced to Starleatons customers during the coming months.

Starleaton merged with print and signage rival DES around two years ago.

Comment below to have your say on this story.

If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at [email protected]

Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter
The Spartan Legionella Detection System is the worlds first on-site Legionella DNA test. PSPC is a leader in Legionella testing and management. This is the first scientific study of weekly Legionella DNA testing and we are grateful for PSPCs support. It is an excellent example of how the Canadian government supports innovation. - Paul Lem, M.D., CEO of Spartan Bioscience.

Spartan Bioscience today announced scientific results from a Legionella testing study of Canadian federal government buildings. The 12-week study tested 51 cooling towers in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal and compared weekly on-site Legionella DNA testing vs. monthly Legionella culture testing. Legionella DNA testing was performed with the Spartan Legionella Detection System, the worlds first on-site Legionella DNA test for buildings.

The study was designed and performed in collaboration with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). PSPC was one of the worlds first organizations to adopt rigorous Legionella testing standards and has been at the forefront of proactively protecting public health by incorporating new technologies and standards. Funding for the study was provided by the Build in Canada Innovation Program (BCIP).

PSPC is a leader in Legionella testing and management, said Paul Lem, M.D., CEO of Spartan Bioscience. This is the first scientific study of weekly Legionella DNA testing and we are grateful for PSPCs support. It is an excellent example of how the Canadian government supports innovation.

The studys main finding was that 39% of cooling towers tested positive for Legionella DNA levels greater than 10 bacteria per milliliter and 8% of cooling towers tested positive for Legionella DNA levels greater than 100 bacteria per milliliter during the study period. To put this in perspective, Quebec regulations call for cooling towers to be disinfected when the Legionella level is greater than 10 bacteria per milliliter. Similarly, the action level is 20 bacteria per milliliter in New York State.

There were two other key findings. First, on-site Legionella DNA testing was significantly more accurate than shipping water samples to a laboratory for Legionella culture testing. This finding was consistent with previous research. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Legionella culture underestimated actual levels by a factor of 10 or more. The CDC also found culture incorrectly reported that water samples were negative for Legionella when in fact they were positive an average of 11.5 percent of the time.(1)

Second, weekly on-site Legionella DNA testing was able to rapidly detect when Legionella bacteria grew to a higher action level. The doubling time of Legionella bacteria is typically between 2272 hours in water systems and the natural environment.(2) However, the doubling time at an amplifier site (such as a cooling tower) can be as few as 2.5 hours.(3) Overall, weekly testing is important because Legionella can reach high levels within days. Spartan plans to publish more detailed findings from the study in upcoming peer-reviewed scientific publications.

About Legionella and Legionnaires disease

Legionella is a common environmental bacterium that can infect the cooling towers of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems of large buildings. Infected cooling towers release aerosolized water droplets contaminated with Legionella into the surrounding air. Building occupants who breathe in these water droplets can develop Legionnaires disease, a potentially fatal pneumonia. Legionnaires disease symptoms can include coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and nausea.

Legionnaires is fatal in about one in ten people.(4) Each year in the United States, 8,000-18,000 patients are hospitalized with Legionnaires and the CDC estimates it costs $101321 million to the healthcare system.(5,6)

About the Spartan Legionella Detection System

The Spartan Legionella Detection System is the worlds first on-site Legionella DNA test and it can detect and quantify Legionella bacteria in 45 minutes from a water sample. The system consists of a coffee-cup-sized, portable DNA analyzer called the Spartan Cube and a single-use disposable test cartridge. The technology is based on a highly-accurate Nobel-Prize winning chemistry called quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) and it is designed to meet the objectives of ISO/Technical Standard 12869:2012. Spartans system is the winner of the 2018 AHR Expo Innovation Award for Indoor Air Quality, as judged by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

About Spartan Bioscience

Spartan Bioscience is the leader in on-demand DNA testing.(7) Spartans technology fully integrates DNA collection, extraction, and analysis, with an intuitive interface that is easy to operate. The Spartan Cube, the worlds smallest DNA analyzer, enables unprecedented portability and convenience in applications such as infectious disease, pharmacogenetics, and food and water safety testing.

References

1. French Ministry of the Environment. (2006). ARIA. No. 19456.

2. Marshall AG, Bellucci EC. (1986). Hospitality Review. 1(4): Article 2.

3. Lucas CE, Taylor TH, Fields BS. (2011). Water Res. 45(15): 44284436.

4. Benin AL, Benson RF, Besser RE. (2002). Clin Infect Dis. 35(9): 10391046.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2011). Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 60(32): 10831086.

6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2010). Waterborne diseases could cost over $500 million annually in U.S. July 14.

7. Roberts JD et al. (2012). Lancet. 379:170511.
Digital Tools for Modern Investigations With Phantom and SocialNet together investigators ...can turn forensic dead ends into actionable intelligence by identifying the people or groups around an artifact for context and for evidence.

ShadowDragon, a U.S.-based cyber threat intelligence solutions company, today announced that its SocialNet App is the first Social Media Forensics & OSINT mapping app available on the community-powered platform. SocialNet allows users to uncover identities, correlations, networks of associates, and available geographical information in minutes.

Social Media can reveal pivotal information about a cyber adversary, associates and their lifestyles, providing clues that can attribute attacks and enable a more targeted strategy for risk analysis and business intelligence, said Daniel Clemens, Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of ShadowDragon. Often, cyber investigators need to investigate social media manually, outside of an automated workflow. With Phantom and SocialNet together, investigators can automate this task within an investigative process to make intelligence actionable by identifying the people or groups around an artifact for context and for evidence. The repeatability the partnership enables is paramount.

We are excited to partner with ShadowDragon to introduce a leading social media investigation app to the Phantom platform, said Rich Hlavka, Vice President of Business Development for Phantom. ShadowDragon adds value for our customers by enabling them to leverage social media forensics, often expanding upon dead-end clues to clear a potential path to attribution.

The ShadowDragon SocialNet App enables users to uncover identities, emails and aliases associated with investigations into:

 Phishing

 IOC

 Incident response

 Insider threats

 Data Breaches

Users can incorporate queries and email lookups against the SocialNet service within Phantom Playbooks, or as ad-hoc actions within Phantom Mission Control, to speed up forensic and investigation workflows.

According to Phantom, the platform automates and orchestrates key stages of security operations and can deliver dramatic increases in productivity and effectiveness. With more than 200 security apps, it allows users to create their own security automation techniques and playbooks.

We are honored that Phantom added SocialNet, Clemens continued. Phantom was recognized as the most innovative company at the 2016 RSA and is the first company to provide an open, extensible, community-powered security automation and orchestration platform. Presence on Phantom will introduce ShadowDragon and SocialNet to new audiences of highly interested security professionals, who understand the value of real, actionable insight into bad actors on Social Media platforms.

About ShadowDragon

ShadowDragon architects cyber intelligence solutions that enable organizations to detect, stop and attribute the actions of malicious actors in the physical or digital world. These solutions monitor and analyze threat data from partner and proprietary databases, as well as hundreds of sources on the internet and the dark web. ShadowDragon is a privately-owned company located in the United States. For more information visit http://www.shadowdragon.io
An airy and ethereal living room at the Ritz Carlton Residences Bal Harbour, overlooks Miami Beach. "I prefer not to rush, but our client's deadlines were exponentially higher than usual..." BNO

BNOdesign and Delano Production Design are combining decades of renowned expertise and resources to form EPHEMERAmiami, which offers custom design and installation services for busy, active clients who need high-end immediate living or work environments.

This new venture, conceived by individually acclaimed partners Benjamin Noriega Ortiz and Devin Delano, is the result of a demanding and time-constrained project that brought the two designers together. Services offered by EPHEMERAmiami are available throughout the United States, Europe, and Latin/South America.

A couple that owns homes in Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia had trusted BNOdesign with those upscale projects and again called on the firm to help with a new, temporary residence in Bal Harbour, FL. This Ritz Carlton property, just minutes from the heart of Miami Beach, and offering panoramic aquamarine views of the Atlantic Ocean, would be their temporary home while they waited to begin a new chapter in their lives. They didnt know how long they would stay in the three-bedroom, four-bath space. But they did know the BNO trademark style in their other properties would help make this one feel like home too. And they needed it immediately.

I prefer not to rush, but our clients deadlines for designing and installing were exponentially higher than usual, said interior designer Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz of BNOdesign. The only way to meet these goals was to work with a partner whose team I knew was accustomed to bringing the impossible to life.

BNO enlisted Devin Delano and Delano Production Design, a design veteran with 25 years of special events and television experience in NY, LA, and Miami. Delano's vast background includes Television Renovation Shows, Fashion Shows, Broadway Openings, and other demanding Live Events, that usually require an installation in less than 24 hours.

With live events and television shows, our budgets and installation demands are much higher than regular design projects, Delano said. After working together to design and produce a high end residence in record time, we decided to launch EPHEMERAmiami, a new business that will offer clients our combined expertise and resources for any interior design need. The business is based out of Miami, while we keep our headquarters in Manhattan, so we work and travel everywhere in and out of the United States.

BNO capitalized on the clients temporary use of the condo space and developed a Tent Concept featuring free-flowing fabrics and other soft, whimsical elements. The teams reliance on local vendors to secure furnishings helped accommodate the urgency their deadlines demanded. Accessories from Restoration Hardware, Kartell, Modani, West Elm, CB2, and local stores in Miamis design district complemented more substantive pieces from Clima Home, Jalan Jalan, Living in Art, and Nisi B Home, among others. In addition, some of the clients unique pieces were flown in from California and Australia, adding a more complete and personal touch. These included BNO custom-designed floor lamps, a set of rare Billy Haines elbow chairs and re-purposed organza drapes.

Noriega-Ortiz drew inspiration for the apartments open and flowing design from his view outside BNOdesigns Manhattan office of Santiago Calatravas stunning Oculus at the World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

Were fortunate to be able to meet with clients, work with our staff and design our many residential and commercial hotel projects overlooking such an inspirational and unique structure, Noriega-Ortiz said. And, really, the environments we find ourselves in are often the best source of ideas and inspiration when we take the time to notice and appreciate them.

For more information on EPHEMERAmiami, the new design company founded by Benjamin Noriega Ortiz and Devin Delano, contact 212-343-9709, or email benjamin(at)bnodesign(dot)com, or devindelano(at)gmail(dot)com.
Becker's Hospital Review is pleased to welcome Thomas Price, MD, as a celebrity keynote for its Health IT + Clinical Leadership Conference, which will be held May 10 and 11 at the Swissotel in Chicago.

Dr. Price is an orthopedic surgeon who most recently served as the 23rd secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A third-generation physician, Dr. Price spent more than 20 years in medicine, eventually serving as medical director of the orthopedic clinic at Grady Memorial Hospital and as an assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine.

His time dedicated to patient care went on to inform his role as a policymaker at both the state and federal levels. He was elected to four terms in the Georgia Senate before he was elected U.S. representative of Georgia's sixth congressional district. Dr. Price held office from 2005 until 2017, during which time he took on a number of leadership roles, such as chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Dr. Price joins more than 130 speakers that make up an agenda packed with more than 80 sessions on topics like population health and data analytics; telehealth and remote care; EHRs, cybersecurity and clinician burnout; and many more.

Becker's thanks its corporate partner, BE Smith, Inc., for its title sponsor support of the event.

To hear Dr. Price and other great keynotes and speakers, join Becker's Hospital Review at its Health IT + Clinical Leadership 2018 Conference May 10-11 by registering here: https://www.regonline.com/registration/Checkin.aspx?EventID=2082181 or contact Jess Cole by email at jcole(at)beckershealthcare(dot)com or by phone at 312-929-3675

For the complete conference brochure, click here: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/health-it-cmo-cno-roundtable/

About Becker's Hospital Review

Becker's Hospital Review is a monthly publication offering up-to-date business and legal news and analysis relating to hospitals and health systems. Articles are geared toward high-level hospital leaders, and we work to provide valuable information, including hospital and health system news, best practices and legal guidance specifically for these decision-makers. Each issue of Becker's Hospital Review reaches more than 18,000 people, primarily acute care hospital CEOs, CFOs and CIOs.
The God of Jesus Christ: a revealing look into who Jesus Christ of Nazareth truly is. The God of Jesus Christ is the creation of published author, Bishop Vaughn DeVaughn Sr. Vaughn graduated from Frederick Douglass Senior High School in Baltimore, Maryland in 1972, then entered the United States Marine Corps. He was honorably discharged in 1974. He attended Morgan State University from 1975 to 1977. In February of 1979, he married his teenage companion Jeanette Jackson. They have a total of fourteen children together. On May 1, 1979, he became a Christian when he was baptized and reborn at Christ Temple Apostolic Faith Church. In 1984, he was called to the ministry. In 1992, he lost his oldest son to illness. In 1995, Jeanette died of cancer. In 1996, Bishop Vaughn DeVaughn Sr was blessed to marry his present wife, Yvonne, which added three more stepchildren to his family. In 1999, the Lord called him to start and pastor the Holy Ground Apostolic Faith Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Resuming his studies, he received his bachelors and masters degree in theology in 2009 from the International Apostolic University of Grace and Truth. He is the author of two books, The DeVaughn Code, For the Truth Sake and now The God of Jesus Christ.

As I accept my calling on behalf of writing this book and in which there will be much controversy from Jew and Gentile alike, I will not be in dereliction for what God has for me to do. For my purpose first of all is not to write because I want to write but that I have to write on that which God has for me to say as a preacher of truth and righteousness, in which will be revealed in this book, to both Jew and Gentile alike, for the truths sake. --Bishop Vaughn DeVaughn Sr

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Bishop Vaughn DeVaughn Srs new book offers proper understanding to Christians and Jews alike.

And he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of the book: For the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (Revelation 22:1011)

No one can escape Gods truth. Whether someone is a Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, intelligent or ignorant, he cannot escape Gods truth. The God of Jesus Christ gives an additional light to the messianic, a helping crossover for the orthodox, and a better understanding to the Christian believer.

Through divine intervention, The God of Jesus Christ was given to Bishop DeVaughn. God tasked Bishop DeVaugh with a mission to help Jews and Christians alike understand the true identity of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The God of Jesus Christ reveals the church and its gentile dispensation are coming to an end. What was spoken of is now fully at hand, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in (Rom. 11:25).

View a synopsis of The God of Jesus Christ on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase The God of Jesus Christ at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about The God of Jesus Christ, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
Mainstream Technologies is pleased to announce the hiring of Ben Meadors as a software developer. His responsibilities will include the design, development, and deployment of data and web solutions using .Net technologies.

Ben has over eight years experience, most recently with Lindsey Software as a senior software engineer, where he was dedicated to the companys Housing Manager.com product. Prior to that, he was with Metova for two years, working exclusively on special-education software and eventually rose to director of technology. Ben was also a web developer with the Arkansas Department of Transportation for five years.

He has a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science from UALR, with a minor in Information Assurance, which concerns information security. Ben lives in Maumelle with his wife and one-year-old son. In his spare time, he likes to contribute to open source software projects whenever possible.

Steve Althoff, Director of Software Development, added: Ben brings a lot of energy to our development team. His enthusiasm and dedication to the art of software development is contagious. I am excited to see how this energy will infect our development teams and our clients.

Since 1996, Mainstream has evolved into one of the most established IT services companies in the Mid-South, serving clients from its headquarters in Little Rock and its second operations facility in Conway, as well as a sales office in Bentonville. Their staff of information technology professionals serves business and government customers across the nation with Managed IT Services, Custom Software Development Services, and Hosting.
Ms. Pauls thorough knowledge and experience in regulatory strategy and managing regulatory submissions, in addition to her experience at FDA CDER and IQVIA, are a welcome addition to our team of regulatory experts.

NDA Partners Chairman Carl Peck, MD, announced today that Lana L. Pauls, a regulatory affairs expert with extensive project management experience at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and at IQVIA (formerly QuintilesIMS), has joined the firm as an Expert Consultant.

While at the FDA, Ms. Pauls served as Director, Executive Operations and Strategic Planning, Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology (OSE); Senior Advisor for Quality, Office of Planning and Analysis (OPA); Director, Quality Management Staff, Office of Executive Programs (OEP); Associate Director, Office of the Center Director, Review Standards Staff; Associate Director, Office of New Drugs, Division of Reproductive and Urologic Products (DRUP); and Director, Drug Review Program, Office of Review Management.

Following her successful 26-year career at the FDA, Ms. Pauls served as Director, Global Regulatory Affairs at IQVIA, where she provided regulatory advice to clients and served as project manager for regulatory submissions to the FDA.

Ms. Pauls thorough knowledge and experience in regulatory strategy and managing regulatory submissions, in addition to her experience at FDA CDER and IQVIA, are a welcome addition to our team of regulatory experts. We are very pleased that she has joined our team of Expert Consultants, said Dr. Peck.

Ms. Pauls earned her Masters of Public Health degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland and a bachelors degree in animal bioscience from Pennsylvania State University. She is also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, FDA Pharmacoepidemiology Certificate Program.

About NDA Partners

NDA Partners is a life sciences management consulting firm focused on providing product development and regulatory services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. The highly experienced Principals and Premier Experts of NDA Partners include three former FDA Center Directors; the former Chairman of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the UK; an international team of more than 100 former pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agency senior executives; and an extensive roster of highly proficient experts in specialized areas including nonclinical development, toxicology, pharmacokinetics, CMC, medical device design control and quality systems, clinical development, regulatory submissions, and development program management. Services include product development and regulatory strategy, expert consulting, high-impact project teams, and management of client product development programs.

Contact

Earle Martin, Chief Executive Officer

Office: 540-738-2550

MartinEarle(at)ndapartners(dot)com
3LAB Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Aging I feel that our Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Aging are creating a benchmark for future skin innovation.

3LAB, the award-winning innovator in luxury skincare, is proud to announce the launch of Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Aging. Four years in the making, this marks 3LABs first foray into a new, intensive treatment category. The Super Ampoules provide powerful anti-aging results for deep, inset lines, like the elevens and marionettes, that previously only injectables could address. This month-long ultimate brightening treatment also illuminates while targeting skin discoloration and texture issues. The Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Aging will launch exclusively at Barneys New York this March.

The Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Agings exclusive formula utilizes the highest percentage of active ingredients available to target and treat deep set wrinkles and increase cellular turnover, yielding healthier, brighter and firmer looking skin. Each set contains four vials of Super Ampoules, along with a Super Activator Solution. The treatment is designed to be mixed each week, ensuring the active ingredients are at optimal levels. Each vial lasts for one week of nightly application; after four weeks of consecutive use, skin looks and feels noticeably brighter, even toned and younger.

Continuously at the forefront of cutting-edge ingredients, 3LABs team of elite chemists created this efficacious formulation which features:



Renaissance  a bioengineered peptide that regenerates and redensifies the skin

PhytocellTec Symphytum  boosts the regenerative power of epidermal stem cells

Exfo-Bio  an extract from tropical fruits that stimulates biological exfoliation through cell renewal

Superox C  derived from an Australian plum that holds ten times the amount of vitamin C as an orange to illuminate and brighten skin

Jeju Jori  a plant from Jeju Island of South Korea used to lighten and brighten the skin

Melavoid  a natural, active lightening ingredient that reduces uneven skin tone and hyperpigmentation

Ascorbic Acid  a form of vitamin C, essential for brightening

Niacinamide  known as vitamin B3, evens skin tone, makes skin brighter and diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

3LAB is known for creating the most efficacious skincare products, adding this treatment category to our repertoire puts us at the forefront of a new market, says founder and creator, Erica Chung. Customers know to look to us for advancements in beauty, and I feel that our Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Aging are creating a benchmark for future skin innovation. The Super Ampoules Brightening & Anti-Aging will debut exclusively at Barneys New York this March and will retail for $1,200.

About 3LAB

Founded in 2003 by Erica Chung, 3LAB is renowned for being innovators in skincare and is reputed for numerous industry breakthroughs. 3LAB is consistently first to market with state-of-the-art ingredients, setting industry standards for brands to follow suit. 3LAB was one of the first to introduce apple stem cell technology to skincare, utilize a smart technology delivery system, develop a marine repair and formulate with a new super antioxidant, Ephemer. The brand continues to discover and utilize the highest-grade botanical ingredients and innovative scientific technology to contest the forces of nature and time. This unique process allows for the availability of the highest percentages of active ingredients in the industry.

For more information, please visit http://www.3LAB.com
Desmond hopes to encourage the campers to express themselves, love themselves, and accept themselves,

10-year-old drag kid Desmond is Amazing will participate in Camp Lightbulbs first-ever Spring Camp for LGBTQ teens Saturday, March 31 in New York City. Known for his gender fluid fashion sense and advocacy work supporting LGBTQ youth, Desmond hopes to encourage the campers to express themselves, love themselves, and accept themselves, said his mother and manager Wendy Nopales. His message is Be yourself, always.

Camp Lightbulbs Spring Camp will explore gender identity via this itinerary: a discussion of gender identity, a screening of seminal drag documentary Paris Is Burning, a kid-friendly vogue ball (with voguing workshop), attending the citys world famous Easter Parade along Fifth Avenue (bonnet-making workshop prior) and a matinee performance of Broadway smash Kinky Boots. A cast meet-and-greet backstage is in the works.

The 2-day, overnight camp begins the morning of Saturday, March 31, continuing into the evening of Sunday, April 1. The $450 cost to attend includes meals, accommodation and activities, but excludes transportation and pocket money. Financial aid is always available. Licensed counselors will be onsite with accommodations at a facility with 24-hour round-the-clock security.

To register their child, parents of LGBTQ teens aged 14-18 can visit camplightbulb.org/register/. With only a few spots left, registration deadline has been extended to March 15.

ABOUT CAMP LIGHTBULB

Founded in 2011, Camp Lightbulb provides LGBTQ youth, ages 14 to 18, with magical overnight camp experiences creating lifelong memories. With a Summer Camp in Provincetown, MA, a Winter Camp in Los Angeles and a new Spring Camp in New York City, campers attend from across the U.S. and identify along the entire LGBTQ spectrum. Connect with us at camplightbulb.org or 310-294-4606.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES, CONTACT:

Mr. Puck Markham

Founder

Camp Lightbulb

310-294-4606

camplightbulb@gmail.com
Built on AdSpruce's creative studio technology and ad server via a proprietary, made-for-mobile delivery platform, the updated ad line-up provides new features and functions based on industry research and consumer feedback in order to provide a truly user-first advertising experience.

The improvements come as many in the ad industry battle against the growing adoption of ad blocking technology, with consumers citing low quality and intrusive ad experiences as the primary reason for using ad blockers. This in turn creates a massive problem for publishers and content owners who, according to a 2016 report by Juniper Research, are predicted to lose $27 billion in ad revenue by 2020 globally.

Bad adverts can be a problem for users, if an ad had been poorly created, poorly optimised or poorly delivered, then users face unwelcome and bad experiences. With ads that have slow load times and high data usage because they have not been optimised for the mobile web and ads that have been so badly designed they leave an unpleasant experience with the user. This is potentially damaging for both the publisher and advertising brand's image.

Ian Mullins, AdSpruce CEO, said, Delivering engaging ad experiences across 15,000 different mobile devices in low bandwidth environments has been our philosophy since day 1. New standards from IAB and the Better Ads Coalition are a good thing for the industry. We focus on emerging markets where ad experiences and brand love varies wildly across countries. Better ads globally that engage users and deliver better value to all parts of the value chain is the ultimate goal.

AdSpruce looks to solve these problems of poor ads by offering better ads, for the publisher and user. The AdSpruce HTML5 Ad studio only creates ad types of the highest quality standards, and are delivered with the users experience in mind. Every advert that is served is optimised for the device it is shown on.

For more information on Mobile Advertising please visit http://www.adspruce.com.

About AdSpruce

AdSpruce provides software and services for publishers to maximize the value of their mobile inventory by getting advertisers videos watched, tracked and programmatically executed. Positioned at the intersection of programmatic advertising, mobile video and HTML5 dynamic creative, AdSpruce uses its in-house developed ad serving technology, audience data and user-friendly video formats to increase viewer ad engagement, brand performance and publisher revenues. The worlds leading brands already trust AdSpruce to target, track, measure and deliver performance at speed and scale across the mobile web.

Differentiated by direct agency partnerships and proprietary rich-media programmatic technology and an ad serving platform that can deliver interactive video ads to more than twice as many mobile devices as its nearest competitor enables AdSpruce to connect with audiences that no other ad tech company can reach. From low bandwidth feature phones in emerging markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India and Brazil to 4G smartphones in New York, London and Singapore, AdSpruce delivers the highest possible video quality and beautiful rich-media advertising experiences.

AdSpruce delivers the best-quality user experience on any device, anywhere.

With the mobile web audiences more than twice as large as in-app audiences and growing faster (Morgan Stanley https://goo.gl/vv1e39) AdSpruce focuses on delivering the best possible ad experience across all mobile browsers, operating systems, screens and bandwidths. The technical challenges are significantly more complex than apps but AdSpruce pivoted out of Yamgo TV, a pioneer in streaming ad funded content to feature phones in Asia. This 10-year track record in delivering video to phones places the company in a strong position to continuing delivering value to advertisers, publishers and most importantly users.
In Her Threads: A collection of short stories depicting how cultural struggles and a pure will to survive has led to countless Refugees being introduced to a wholly unknown world, America with compassion and language being their only currency for advancement: insights into the refugee experience from an advocate for those trying to rebuild their lives. In Her Threads is the creation of published author, Deni Kidd. Deni was born in America but grew up in North Africa where her father worked in the oil fields. She learned to appreciate different cultures and different customs at an early age. She returned to America to attend college and eventually settled in East Tennessee. She is married with five children. Her many grandchildren are the love of her life. She has worked as an art therapist, a Children and Youth Specialist, and a Psychiatric Rehabilitation Specialist. She has always been an advocate for those who are less fortunate. For the past ten years, she has been an advocate for human trafficking victims and refugees who are trying to assimilate into the American culture. She teaches English and helps provide basic necessities to refugees who come to America with nothing but the clothes on their backs. She also provides essentials like friendship, hope, laughter, and love.

...among these short stories of their true life experiences there is great joy and many a humorous story. Each class I teach gives me insight into a world I never knew before. I am writing about what I continue to encounter in hopes that the community will become more involved in understanding the plight of so many displaced people in the world today. --Deni Kidd

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Deni Kidds new book chronicles what she has learned as an advocate for refugees.

Refugees flee their homes in search of security and safety in a foreign land, but the coping process alone is nearly too much to withstand. Almost all refugees have seen a loved one die because of war. One saw a loved one burned to death. One set of parents are missing a daughter that was stolen in the night. The more Deni Kidd gets to know them and the more they communicate, the more she hears of the terrible horrors they endured. Many are still hoping to find that lost daughter or son. So many of her students have health issues because of abuse.

She witnesses the aftermath of war in her classroom. The refugees she teaches have often told her that they pray, pray, and pray. She has seen them pray for hours. This is their comfort and their strength. They know firsthand of not being able to control what happens in their life during wartime, so they are quick to place their lives into the hands of a loving God. They never blame God. They are quick to thank Him for answered prayers. They know evil is evil and God is good. They never doubt it. They have been in hell, and they are sure of Heaven. It is as simple as that.

View a synopsis of In Her Threads: A collection of short stories depicting how cultural struggles and a pure will to survive has led to countless Refugees being introduced to a wholly unknown world, America with compassion and language being their only currency for advancement on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase In Her Threads: A collection of short stories depicting how cultural struggles and a pure will to survive has led to countless Refugees being introduced to a wholly unknown world, America with compassion and language being their only currency for advancement at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about In Her Threads: A collection of short stories depicting how cultural struggles and a pure will to survive has led to countless Refugees being introduced to a wholly unknown world, America with compassion and language being their only currency for advancement, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
New products are constantly being introduced in the pet industry, but its rare you find a manufacturer dedicated to supporting animals both in their product development and social commitment.

Petix, manufacturer of WizSmart Dog Pads, announces their receipt of the Hamptons Pet Editor's Choice Award for Smartest New Dog Care Product. Petix was honored with this award at New York Pet Fashion Week 2018 given the companys innovative dog pee pads that are designed to provide pets and their owners with a smarter, healthier disposable dog pad solution.

WizSmart dog pads provide an all-in-one, premium dog and puppy pad option for dog owners requiring either a short or long term indoor potty solution that keeps both dog and home clean. These pads combine all of the desired features of a dog pad, offering an eco-friendly, super absorbent, quick drying and leak proof alternative to other products. WizSmart pads also feature patented stay put adhesive tabs that can be used to secure the pad to the floor and the wall at a 90 angle, creating a perfectly placed target for male dogs.

New products are constantly being introduced in the pet industry, but its rare you find a manufacturer dedicated to supporting animals both in their product development and social commitment. I was excited to award Petix with the "Smartest New Dog Care Product" at the 2018 New York Pet Fashion Show Presented by TropiClean. Not only do these premium dog pads support a smarter way to train, live and travel with your pet, but the companys manufacturing process offers an eco-friendly alternative for a disposable dog pad, commented Gregg Oehler, Publisher of Hamptons Pet "The Global Luxury Pet magazine" and Chairman of the New York Pet Fashion Show.

Petixs attendance at the New York Pet Fashion Show supported the Mayors Alliance for New York City Animals, a non-profit charity that works with more than 150 partner rescue groups and shelters to offer important programs and services that save the lives of NYC's homeless animals. We greatly appreciate the support of Petix, and its commitment to help improve the lives of New York Citys homeless animals. We thank Petix for its support at the New York Pet Fashion show fundraiser and for its generous product donation to participating rescue organizations within the Mayors Alliance for NYCs Animals, stated Steve Gruber, Director of Communications for the Mayors Alliance for NYC Animals.

Now until March 31, 2018, Petix will donate $1 to the Mayors Alliance for every package of WizSmart Dog Pads sold. While we are excited to receive the Smartest New Dog Care Product award, we are most proud that were able to support the well-being of pets and their owners, and now with our work with the Mayors Alliance, the rescue animals in New York City, commented Krister Holm, General Manager, N.A., Petix.

Petix will exhibit at the American Pet Products Association (APPA) and Pet Industry Distributors Association (PIDA) industry event, Global Pet Expo, March 21-23, 2018. Attendees can see a demonstration of WizSmart Dog Pads and receive information on becoming a WizSmart retail partner.

About Petix

Petix, a family-owned company, manufactures quality pet care products and accessories that promote the well-being of pets and their families. The company has distinguished itself within the industry through its dedication to operating more environmentally friendly manufacturing processes, utilizing ecologically correct raw materials and minimizing waste. Staying true to its founders commitment to quality and purpose, the company has achieved 40% market share in Brazil with hundreds of thousands of well-trained and confident pets utilizing their products. Continuing the companys mission to improve the life of pets and their owners, in 2017 Petix launched its innovative WizSmart Dog Pads in the United States. For more information about Petix, visit the companys website at http://www.petixco.com.
TwentyThree This funding will allow us to further our growth and ambition to bring video marketing platforms to all marketers. I am frequently asked about what funding stage we are in, and I often flip the question to how sustainable our business is, said TwentyThree CEO and Co-Founder, Thomas Madsen-Mygdal.

As an organically grown European SaaS company, TwentyThree has 40+ employees, a 13,000 square foot office in Copenhagen, recently opened an office in San Francisco, is challenging North American competitors, partnered and integrated with market-leaders such as HubSpot, and seen rapid market adoption since its breakthrough video marketing platform launched in 2016.

This funding will allow us to further our growth and ambition to bring video marketing platforms to all marketers. I am frequently asked about what funding stage we are in, and I often flip the question to how sustainable our business is, said TwentyThree CEO and Co-Founder, Thomas Madsen-Mygdal. For me, it is about building a long-term business that focuses on its customers and employees.

Video marketing platforms are seeing adoption in 2018, but overall, still trail compared to other MarTech categories. TwentyThree aims to change that - as the only European video marketing platform - by offering a product that empowers marketers to analyze video beyond vanity metrics, integrate with their existing tech stack, run video across every social platform, and generate leads with video.

As a serial entrepreneur, I look at the current tech industry, which is full of young talent, and I do think it is important to relay the message that founders can build a business organically to fit the market youre serving, added Thomas, who previous to TwentyThree, built and sold collaboration platform Podio to Citrix. We believe its important to showcase this type of growth, that there is a different way.

TwentyThrees platform is used by hundreds of marketing teams and enterprise companies around the world, and in the past year alone, has hosted 1.5 million videos, measured 1.7 billion impressions, and tracked 650 million video plays.

"You see other companies like Mailchimp and Basecamp that have turned into enterprise-size SaaS companies without VC funding, and thats what were modelling, said TwentyThree CTO and Co-Founder Steffen Christensen. Were excited to continue building TwentyThree and solving video for marketing departments around the world.

The $2.5 million credit facility will enable TwentyThree to expand in the U.S market, hire top-talent, and continue to build the best product for its customers.

About TwentyThree

Video is the best way to tell stories and connect with your customers. At TwentyThree, we empower marketing teams to finally integrate and add video to their marketing stack to successfully run video with inbound, social, and demand generation.

The world's best marketers need a video marketing platform to make better-informed decisions about video across the entire marketing funnel.

Thousands of marketers are using TwentyThree to significantly increase their results and gain the missing 50% of website data through video marketing.
CWO4 Hershel "Woody" Williams, USMC, Retired, Medal of Honor Recipient, Iwo Jima, and Co-Founder of HWWMOHF This is not about me, it is about them!

Dedicating the 33rd Gold Star Families Memorial Monument:

On March 17, 2018, Williams will be in Hawaii for the dedication of the 33rd Gold Star Families Memorial Monument http://hwwmohf.org/kaneohe-hi.html. A local committee, led by Pastor Wayne Surface has been working on the project since 2017 to bring this dream to fruition. This Monument is part of a national effort started by Williams and his foundation to honor, recognize, and serve Gold Star Families and their fallen Heroes. Though the 94-year-old Williams energy and commitment to this mission is quite extraordinary, he is quick to point out, This is not about me, it is about them!

Them being Gold Star Families and their Loved Ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The dedication ceremony is set for:

March 17, 2018 at 10:00am

45-425 Kamehameha Highway

Kaneohe, HI 96744. Public welcome.

Help from Partners and Supporters:

The success of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument initiative has been largely driven by countless volunteers, organizations, individuals, and companies. UPS graciously agreed to transport the 15,000 lb. monument from Elberton, Georgia, where it was created, to Honolulu. A UPS Freight truck moved it across the country to Ontario, California, where it was loaded onto a UPS Airlines cargo jet for the final leg across the Pacific. UPS has now moved eight monuments for the foundation including sites in West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Texas, and now Hawaii.

UPS strongly supports military veterans and their families, particularly those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. We are pleased to join with the hundreds of Hawaiians who have donated both money and time to make this monument in Honolulu possible, UPS Freight President Rich McArdle said.

The help and support of our partners and supporters is essential to us accomplishing our mission. This monument is a great example of that", commented Chad Graham, Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation President.

Following the dedication of the Gold Star Families Memorial Monument in Hawaii, Williams, along with featured guests and historians, will lead The National WWII Museums Victory in the Pacific Tour (March 16  26, 2018) as they retrace the grueling military trail through locations including Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima and Tokyo Bay. In 2017, Woody's foundation partnered The National WWII Museum and the Gary Sinise Foundation to install a Gold Star mural on the side of the institutions Louisiana Memorial Pavilion. The 26x14-foot painting acts as a lasting tribute to Gold Star Families, those who have lost a Loved One in the service of the nations military. This is yet another example of partners and supporters joining the mission.

The Hershel Woody Williams Medal of Honor Foundation is a charitable 501c(3) nonprofit organization that pursues specific endeavors and goals through the vision of Medal of Honor Recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams. The Foundation encourages, with the assistance of the American public and community leaders, establishing permanent Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments in communities throughout the country, providing Living Legacy scholarships to Gold Star Children, and sponsoring & hosting Gold Star Families Outreach across the country. Our mission is aimed at honoring, recognizing, and serving Gold Star Families and their fallen Heroes.

To get involved and to support this cause please visit: http://www.hwwmohf.org

"The Cause is Greater than I.."

-Woody Williams

The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the worldwhy it was fought, how it was won, and what it means todayso that future generations will know the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn. Dedicated in 2000 as The National D-Day Museum and now designated by Congress as Americas National WWII Museum, it celebrates the American spirit, the teamwork, optimism, courage and sacrifices of the men and women who fought on the battlefront and served on the Home Front. The 2017 TripAdvisor Travelers Choice Awards ranks the Museum No. 2 in the world and No. 2 in the nation. For more information, call 877-813-3329 or 504-528-1944 or visit nationalww2museum.org.

About UPS

UPS is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the web at ups.com or pressroom.ups.com and its corporate blog can be found at longitudes.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, follow @UPS_News on Twitter.
We are incredibly proud of the growth and dedication of Solmaz, Christa and all of our 8,000 Franchised Business Owners.

Coverall North America, one of the leading franchisors in the commercial cleaning business, today recognizes its female entrepreneurs for their hard work and dedication to growing their independently owned cleaning businesses. From Christa Vinson in Atlanta, GA to Solmaz Davis in San Francisco, CA, female Franchised Business Owners are taking control of their careers and are a growing percentage of Coveralls Franchised Business Owners.

I always dreamed of being an entrepreneur and opening my own business, said Solmaz Davis, owner of Golden City Commercial Cleaning, LLC. Owning a business and all the pressure that comes with it is intimidating; Coveralls support and structure helped reduce that stress.

Davis was a housekeeping manager at a San Francisco hotel with aspirations of owning her own business. She was attracted to a Coverall franchise because of the financing opportunities, operational structure and pipeline of business Coverall offered.

I have peace of mind owning my own business and more self-confidence, said Davis. Its important to educate yourself, ask a lot of questions and know that a franchise has your back so youre not alone.

Christa Vinson of Reussi Group Cleaning, LLC shares a similar story. After relocating to Atlanta, and determined to start her own business in 2015, she has grown her business to now include 10 employees and has added multiple accounts to her portfolio.

The biggest benefit of being a franchisee is the support we receive from Coverall, said Vinson. They allowed us to learn while helping to secure new contracts, teaching us their efficient cleaning methods, how to bid for new business and provided the added confidence I wouldnt have had to take this leap into business ownership.

Vinson and Davis recommend doing research before jumping into any business. Their tip for new business owners: Take advantage of all the training programs a franchisor offers and ask a lot of questions.

We are incredibly proud of the growth and dedication of Solmaz, Christa and all of our 8,000 Franchised Business Owners, said Shirley Klein, COO, Coverall. We are dedicated to helping our entrepreneurs succeed and make their dreams of business ownership a reality and are proud to recognize our female entrepreneurs every day, especially during National Womens History Month.

To explore Coverall franchised business opportunities, please visit coverall.com/franchise-opportunities.

About Coverall North America, Inc.

Since its inception in 1985, Coverall North America, Inc. has grown into a leading franchised brand, licensing thousands of entrepreneurs to operate independent commercial cleaning businesses using the Coverall brand and system. In 2008, Coverall launched its proprietary Health-Based Cleaning System Program and in 2014, introduced the Coverall Core 4 Process, demonstrating its dedication to continuous innovation and leadership on behalf of its franchisees. Coveralls unique system combines advanced cleaning technologies and tools, hospital-grade disinfectants, professional training programs, business support services, and a passion for healthy cleaning. System-wide, more than 8,000 Franchised Businesses provide Coverall Program services across 90 markets to over 50,000 customers. For more information, visit http://www.coverall.com.
We feel the Jiffy brand is uniquely positioned to impact this market, given the value price and the higher end services available. Jiffy Airport Parking is ready to change the JFK airport parking game.

Propark America announced today that it is opening its latest Jiffy Airport Parking location, servicing John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York.

We are really excited to bring the Jiffy Airport Parking experience to JFK airport travelers, said Propark Americas Regional Manager, Alexander Piech. Our brand is synonymous with value and convenience, which were looking forward to bringing to the New York market. Our Newark location is wildly popular and we feel JFK travelers will love the Jiffy Airport Parking experience, just as much as our guests in New Jersey.

Managed with pride by Propark America, Jiffy Airport Parking is conveniently located at 130-24 South Conduit Avenue in Jamaica, New York and features hundreds of spaces of premium outdoor valet parking. The facility will offer the Jiffy Rewards frequent parker loyalty program, which will allow John F. Kennedy International Airport travelers the opportunity to earn free parking and the ability to cash in points on the Jiffy Airport Parking mobile app. As part of the facilitys grand opening, the first one thousand people to enroll in the Jiffy Rewards program will receive a free day of parking.

We know people have a choice of where to park when flying out of JFK, explained Kristen Sokich, executive vice president for Propark. We feel the Jiffy brand is uniquely positioned to impact this market, given the value price and the higher end services available. Jiffy Airport Parking is ready to change the JFK airport parking game.

Located at the former Parking Spot location, the new Jiffy Airport Parking at JFK is the closest and most convenient near airport location, with quick drop-off to all terminals in brand new, fast and free shuttle buses. Jiffy also features complimentary WiFi, as well as water and coffee, on the house. Car wash and detailing services will also be available to guests. A 50% off grand opening special for the new JFK location can be found online at jiffyjfk.com. For additional details, interested parties may contact the facility directly at 718-332-2221.

In addition to the flagship location in Newark, New Jersey, Propark America also operates a Jiffy Airport Parking facility servicing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

About Propark America

Propark America is one of the countrys largest privately-owned parking companies, providing full-service parking solutions and mobility services for all business types, in over 60 cities across the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.propark.com.
"Ultimate Survival Knife to Help In Any Situation" I venture into the wild for extended trips every year. I always trust the craft and quality of DKC Kives

Survival knives, are knives made for people to survive in crucial situations. Survival knives must be made of the most durable quality to perform many functions such as cutting, digging, hammering, fire making, and other key survival techniques. Choosing the wrong survival knife could literally be life or death. DKC Knives is your one stop shop for survival knives. With a variety of knives from hunting bowie knives to foldable pocket knives, DKC Knives has the solution for ever survivalists needs. The Damascus steel is one of the highest quality blades. Each knife comes with a sheath and sharpening stone to ensure that your survival knife is always ready for the unexpected.

DKC Knives has a variety of unique engraved Damascus steel knives that are sleek, elegant, and durable. DKC Knives is a USA based custom handmade knife manufacturer that has a variety of knives that make perfect gifts for men as well as women. Damascus steel knives are coveted by knife collectors around the world for its distinct patterns. Even if youre not a knife collector, most people appreciate the beautiful craft of a handmade knife. Its truly a piece to admire. So if youre looking for a gift for a special occasion, DKC Knives provides a unique service of helping you find the right knives for your group or loved one. Owner of DKC Knives, Paul Gordon, explains, One of the great things about finding a company like DKC Knives is that we have over 350 models. Once you see how much he likes the first knife, you will now know what to buy for him for birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas, and other occasions for the rest of his life. Many customers own over 50 pieces of our collection...its that nice.

Today Damascus steel knives are coveted by knife collectors around the globe. DKC Knives are affordable and of high quality. Gordon reiterates that, "DKC Knives was founded with a mandate to bring reasonably priced handmade Damascus folding pocket knives, and fixed blade hunting knives to the public at very reasonable costs. Today DKC Knives can be purchased for a relatively modest cost of $60 to $300." DKC Knives has a growing list of collectors that own many of the company's models.

DKC Knives makes it full knife collection available direct to the public through it's on line web site http://www.dkcknives.com. While both men and women buy and collect knives, the DKC line up has been a tremendous hit with women wanting an incredible gift for their husband, boyfriend, or a special loved one. "Knives are a guy thing, no doubt about it," said Gordon. "But we see more and more women building up large collections of knives. Its not uncommon to see many customers coming back and purchasing multiple sets of knives because of the unique characteristics each knife brings. Knives are works of art and can be enjoyed for a lifetime and be handed down to younger generations. So dont stress any further for the perfect gift, DKC knives is your answer.

DKC Knives is based in Castro Valley California. The company website is http://www.dkcknives.com. DKC Knives can be followed on Facebook as well as Instagram. Interested parties can sign up for the company newsletter at http://www.dkcknives.com and receive updates on new knife releases.
Ill be headquartered in a truly elegant, fully restored building, originally built in 1900. This new location is more accessible to my clients and offers free parking.

Attorney Eric T. Kirk will have a new address in June, 1001 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD. The new office is has onsite free parking available and is conveniently located near Baltimore Citys Free Circulator bus, Purple Line, stop 308.

Ill be headquartered in a truly elegant, fully restored building, originally built in 1900. This new location is more accessible to my clients and offers free parking, said Kirk.

Kirk focuses on personal injury, workers compensation and criminal defense. During the course of his career he has secured millions of dollars in compensation for victims of negligence by obtaining the benefits to which they were rightfully entitled but wrongfully denied.

Kirk has handled thousands of cases in Maryland, New York, and Florida. He has also authored several published texts containing analysis and commentary on criminal procedure and our constitutional rights granted by the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments.

I cannot say enough about Eric. Hands down one of the best lawyers. I would highly recommend him to anyone, said client A.S. I had a complex personal injury suit that he handled very quickly and efficiently. Throughout the entire process he took his time to explain everything to me and was very receptive when I called.

About Eric T. Kirk

Eric T. Kirk focuses his practice on personal injury, workers compensation and criminal defense. For more information, call (410) 591-2835, or visit http://www.thekirklawfirm.com.

For media inquiries, please call 805.650.6121, ext. 361.
NLYMs Mid Valley Chapter President, Gretchen McCourt shares "We are thrilled with the response to the launch of the Mid-Valley Chapter of NLYM. I hope that the organization offers a place for these young men to build friendships, learn in areas outside of school and give back to their community."

The National League of Young Men is the vision of founders Diane Edmonton and Mary Pat Lucas of Newport Beach, CA. From its 2007 start, the programs growth will now support 20 chapters nationally. Through a structured curriculum, NLYM promotes the development of young men into community leaders with charitable and community service, cultural experiences, protocol education, and leadership involvement.

The new Mid Valley chapter is comprised of 25-30 sponsored founding young men per grade class, who live or go to school in the communities of Encino, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake and Burbank, CA. NLYMs Mid Valley Chapter President, Gretchen McCourt shares "We are thrilled with the response to the launch of the Mid-Valley Chapter of NLYM. I hope that the organization offers a place for these young men to build friendships, learn in areas outside of school and give back to their community. The enthusiasm for our initial meetings, fall philanthropy events and upcoming cultural events is terrific and there is so much more to come!

With NLYMs foundation of Leadership, Philanthropy, Culture and Protocol in young men grades 9-12, the Mid Valley Chapter will hold its first Compass Awards Event for the young men and their parents in honor of its inaugural year this coming May at Lakeside Country Club. The annual Compass Awards event is a respected tradition of NLYM, Inc. It is considered a significant event of the Young Men's Leadership, Service and Protocol component of NLYM, Inc. The Young Men receive awards and recognition for their accomplishments.

ABOUT NATIONAL LEAGUE OF YOUNG MEN, INC.

National League of Young Men, Inc. (NLYM), initially named Beach City Service League, was founded in 2007 in Newport Beach, California by Diane Edmonton and Mary Pat Lucas. Their goal was to provide a unique program of leadership, service, culture and protocol opportunities, for the young men in their community, while at same time strengthening the mother-son relationship. Today there are twenty chapters with over 2,000 Mothers, Young Men and Sustainers as members of the National League of Young Men, Inc.

NLYM is committed to providing a quality program for young men in grades 9-12 and developing long-term partnerships that will provide benefits to not only the young men but also their surrounding communities. National League of Young Men, Inc. aspires to offer gratifying experiences for their young men and to help them learn that the greatest joy in life truly comes from serving others and discovering the confidence and courage to do so.

For more Mid Valley Chapter information, please visit: http://www.nlymmidvalley.org/.

Please follow us on Social Media:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/nationalleagueofyoungmen

Instagram: @nlyminc

Twitter: @nlyminc

National website: http://www.nationalleagueofyoungmen.org

National Mailing address: PO Box 3403, Newport Beach, CA

NLYM Mid Valley Chapter Media Contact: Allyson Arons

Public Relations officer

1+(818) 522-6009
Sheba Vine, First Healthcare Compliance Vice President & General Counsel, will be one of the four Symposium speakers. Thought leaders will provide meaningful insight on time-sensitive topics including: elements of a compliance program, HIPAA Privacy and Security, OSHA, and human resources for compliance.

The Healthcare Compliance Symposium is a joint effort of Delaware Law School and First Healthcare Compliance to provide resources for professionals facing the challenges of the fast growing and highly regulated healthcare industry. The full day event will be held on April 12, 2018 in Ruby R. Vale Moot Courtroom at the Delaware Law School and will include continental breakfast, lunch, and an evening networking reception. Registration is open to the public, but availability is limited.

This is an opportunity for professionals from the healthcare and legal communities to come together for a day of discussion and learning. Attendees are eligible to receive 4 CLE credits in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and PAHCOM CEUs while networking with industry peers. The Medical Society of Delaware designates this live continuing medical education activity for a maximum of 6 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Thought leaders will provide meaningful insight on time-sensitive topics including: elements of a compliance program, HIPAA Privacy and Security, OSHA, and human resources for compliance. Four speakers will provide instruction and lead discussions among panelists and attendees to cover recent cases and practical scenarios.

Four expert attorneys will lead the presentations and panels:

Shauna Itri is a shareholder at the firm Berger & Montague where she concentrates her practice on complex litigation, specifically representing whistleblowers in qui tam or False Claims Act law suits in state and federal courts throughout the United States and tax and securities whistleblowers with claims under the IRS and SEC whistleblower programs. She received a B.A. and M.A. from Stanford University and earned her Juris Doctor from the Villanova University School of Law.

William Mundy is an attorney at the firm of Burns White and is a member of the Executive Committee and Co-Chair of its HealthCare and Long-Term Care Group. Mr. Mundys practice is focused on the representation of long-term healthcare providers and the defense of medical malpractice and professional liability claims. He received a B.A. from the Pennsylvania State University and earned his Juris Doctor from the Villanova University School of Law.

Catherine Walters is a partner at Saul Ewing Arnstein and Lehr where she is a labor and employment attorney who provides exclusive management-side representation and compliance services for large, mid-sized and small employers with national and international reach, including both federal and state government contractors. She received her J.D. from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and earned a B.A. from C.W. Post College of Long Island University, magna cum laude.

Sheba Vine is Vice President and General Counsel at First Healthcare Compliance where she oversees all company operations related to contracts, content offerings, legal affairs, human resources and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining the company, Sheba was in private practice, concentrating in litigation and employment law. She received her Juris Doctorate from Widener University School of Law and her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Drexel University and is a Certified Professional Compliance Officer.

Several other experts will participate as panelists during the sessions to share valuable advice through conversations centered around real-world scenarios that occur at the intersection of healthcare and legal matters.

About Delaware Law School: The only law school in the state, Delaware Law School is enmeshed in Delaware's unique legal culture which prizes civility and respect within the bench and bar. Delaware's preeminence in corporate law, bankruptcy, and intellectual property, combined with the Law School's influential presence in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, give students abundant opportunities for clerkships, externships, pro bono experiences, and permanent employment after graduation. Delaware Law School leads the way in formalized compliance education and offers both a Masters of Jurisprudence in Heath Law and Graduate Level Health Law Certificate in Regulatory Analysis & Compliance online for compliance and legal professionals.

About First Healthcare Compliance: Founded in 2012 in Wilmington, DE by Julie Sheppard, the cloud-based First Healthcare Compliance software is the most comprehensive solution available to address the compliance program management needs of private practices, hospital networks, healthcare billing companies, and long-term care facilities.
States with the Highest Job Openings There are no immediate signs that the demand for workers is going to let up. Its yet another reminder that government and business leaders alike need to find ways to get more people off the sidelines and focus on strategies that expand the labor pool in America. - Bob Funk, Express CEO

Kelly Carpenter, an Express Employment Professionals franchise owner in Columbus, Ohio, has never seen a time like this.

What we are experiencing is different from any other year, she said, talking about the high number of job openings available through her office. Recruiting is a huge challenge in the Columbus area. Good talent is very hard to find, and employers dont have the time and resources to recruit for their positions. Unemployment is very low in Columbus, and the talent pool is very small.

According to a new analysis released today by Express, Carpenters office has the most job openings of any Express office in the United States. And Ohio is one of four states, along with Texas, California and Illinois, boasting more than 1,000 openings.

Rounding out the top 10 states are Indiana (914 openings), Washington (813), Georgia (726), Pennsylvania (713), Florida (639) and Minnesota (616).

The sharp increase in economic growth has many businesses in our community adding staffspecifically in the skilled labor industry, according to Richard Yoerk, an Express franchise owner in Champaign, Illinois.

We saw an increase of 147 percent in the demand for skilled labor, he said. Im pretty optimistic that well see solid growth in 2018.

Janis Petrini, an Express franchise owner in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is optimistic about the economy, but doesnt expect employment to grow further.

We are predicting flat employment growth over the next yearnot because there wont be jobs, but because there wont be people to fill the positions, she said. Currently, its estimated there are two open jobs for every one unemployed person in the Greater Grand Rapids area.

Jan Riggins, an Express general manager in Fort Worth, Texas, sees continued good news for job seekers and workers in her region.

We have enough companies growing that the demand for workers will be so intense that we expect the recruiting crunch we are in to become even tighter, she said.

She predicts the demand for talent will mean improvements in compensation.

We see pay rates increasing across the board in most industries, and an increased focus on providing benefits and other incentives like a flexible work schedule, she said.

In so many communities, it is a job-seekers economyespecially for job seekers with in-demand talents and skills, according to Bob Funk, CEO of Express, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

As were hearing across the country, there are no immediate signs that the demand for workers is going to let up, he said. Its yet another reminder that government and business leaders alike need to find ways to get more people off the sidelines and focus on strategies that expand the labor pool in America.

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bob Funk to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Karami, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Robert A. Funk

Robert A. "Bob" Funk is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, the international staffing company has more than 800 franchises in the U.S., Canada and South Africa. Under his leadership, Express has put more than 6 million people to work worldwide. Funk served as Chairman of the Conference of Chairmen of the Federal Reserve and was also the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Awards abound in the red-carpet world of Hollywood, but none can hold a candle to the The Loyal Companion Award, a recognition Stella the Pitbull aka IncredibullStella, an Arizona-based rescue dog, received from The Arizona Pet Project.

The Loyal Companion Award is one of the highest recognitions bestowed upon an animal by The Arizona Pet Project. Recognized for her loyalty to her human family, Stella the Pitbull is being honored for providing comfort and happiness to the family who was affected by cancer and depression.

On March 10th, The Arizona Pet Project hosted the 15th Annual HERO Awards, a fundraising event to save even more lives through the shelter prevention programs in Maricopa County. The event is also an opportunity to recognize local animals who have proved their courage, ability to overcome the greatest of challenges and their will to live.

More than just another pretty face Stella builds collaborative relationships with pet centric organizations to raise awareness and funds to support spay and neutering initiatives, as well as food and supplies for low income families.

These partnerships are designed to benefit as many animal causes as possible. Thanks to a partnership between Halo Pets and Stella the Pitbull, The Arizona Pet Project will receive 5,000 bowls of Halo Pets food courtesy of Freekibble.com and GreaterGood.org.

We are so appreciative to Halo Pets and the IncredibullStella for this amazing donation. Thanks to Halos generosity, many dogs and their families, who may be facing difficult times, will benefit, ensuring full bellies and fewer animals surrendered to local shelters. And Stella is sure to get her fair share of treats!, comments Leanna Taylor, Executive Director AZ Pet Project.

For more information on The Arizona Pet Project and the 2018 HERO Awards, visit http://www.azpetproject.org/

About The Arizona Pet Project

The Arizona Pet Projects primary goal is preventing pet homelessness by keeping families with pets together. Oftentimes, pet owners cant afford to care for their animals and they surrender them at shelters. The reasons are manyowners may have lost their jobs or their homes, suffered an illness, or had a divorce or death in the family. Or their pet may have gotten sick and they cant pay the veterinary bills. Surrendering a pet to a shelter where they are frequently euthanized is a tragedy we want to avoid. The Arizona Pet project is here to support families by keeping their pets healthy and safe. Animals bring comfort, joy, healing and health, and we believe those benefits shouldnt be restricted to a very small percentage of owners who can afford the best care and resources pets deserve.

About Stella the Pitbull http://www.incredibullstella.com

Stella the Pitbull is an Arizona-based pet celebrity and rescue dog who advocates animal fostering & adoption, in addition to spay & neuter initiatives, through a worldwide social media following. With a strong following on Instagram and Facebook, Stella was recently announced as the winner of the 2018 Pet Hero Award through the Arizona Pet Project.

In 2017, Marika and Stella, published their first book, The IncrediBullStella Coloring Book & Story, available now on Amazon.

Marika Hamilton Meeks and her family adopted Stella while Marika battled a Stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis. The love and happiness Stella brought to Marika and her family have helped alleviate the anxiety and stress of the illness and treatment.
HR Uncubed, Brooklyn, NY Were bringing together innovation execs from the biggest global brands, talent leaders from startups, and then some of the smartest thoughts leader out there."

Uncubed has announced the addition of several high-profile speakers to its HR Uncubed conference, including Beth Comstock, the former Vice-Chair of GE, and current member of the board at Nike.

Comstock was named to the Forbes List of the 100 Most Powerful Women in both 2015 and 2016, and has built a career driving innovation and leading teams for some of the worlds most storied brands. She previously was Chief Marketing Officer of GE, led GEs Business Innovations unit, and was President of Integrated Media at NBC, where she oversaw the companys digital efforts including the early development of Hulu.com and the acquisition of ivillage.com.

Uncubed announced that Shane Snow, co-founder of Contently, and author of the newly-release Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart has also joined the lineup. Snows work has appeared in the New Yorker, Wired, Fast Company, Inc., and other publications. Also appearing will be Gina Waldorn, President of Quirky, Jessica Williams, Founder of The Superwoman Project, and Michael Parrish Dudell, a globally-renowned millennial talent expert, and author of the official business book of ABCs show Shark Tank, among others.

HR Uncubed takes place on May 1st and 2nd, in Williamsburg, the creative heart of Brooklyn, at the newly-opened Williamsburg Hotel, the Wythe Hotel, and other nearby venues. The core themes of the 2018 event cover the most pressing HR and talent acquisition issues for companies today including: leveraging AI and data, diversity, equity, & inclusion, building a winning employer brand, and candidate experience for next-gen talent.

Were bringing together innovation execs from the biggest global brands, talent leaders from startups, and then some of the smartest writers and other thoughts leader out there, said Tarek Pertew, Chief Creative Officer of Uncubed, adding combined with the contributions of our attendees, we think it generates maximum takeaway value for our community.

Additional content around diversity, equity, and inclusion and digital transformation has also been added, Pertew noted, reflecting the increasing focus of these topics among HR leaders.

The considerations for attracting top people, building efficient teams, and retaining key contributors have been completely overhauled in just the last few years, said Pertew, which is why we believe so strongly in getting people together for idea exchange and tactical knowledge-share.

Uncubed now maintains both SHRM and HRCI accreditation and attendees will be eligible for qualifying professional development credits in accordance with their standards.

Participants can expect to increase their understanding of how to build and maintain world-class teams in an environment where AI and data, candidate experience, employer brand, and diversity, equity, and inclusion represent both todays biggest opportunities and challenges.

Uncubed encourages anyone who plays a significant part in the hiring, recruiting, or employer branding process for their company to attend HR Uncubed. Its a highly-relevant learning and network opportunity for both growth stage companies and established corporations executing digital transformation strategies. Conference passes start at $999 per attendee and include access to two days of content including keynote addresses, along with food and other refreshments. The headline sponsor partner for HR Uncubed 2018 is IBM. To view the full speaker list and conference schedule, or to purchase conference passes, please visit http://hr.uncubed.com.

For bulk ticket rates (3 or more), or to inquire about conference sponsorship, please reach out to sales(at)uncubed(dot)com.

###

ABOUT UNCUBED

Uncubed is a next-gen talent platform, offering a video-first job board along with a full range of tech-enabled services for building employer brand, attracting top talent, and digital transformation. The Uncubed software platform delivers pioneering content and talent acquisition analytics and access to high-quality candidates across skillsets. Uncubed works with both growth stage startups and innovative Fortune 500 companies including IBM, United Technologies, Peloton, Letgo, and more. To learn more about Uncubed, please visit http://www.uncubed.com.
XDCE Token We are really excited to collaborate with KoinOK and we believe that our offerings will positively serve our users. With this partnership, our growing community that has an ever-growing demand for XinFin tokens will be able to trade without addressing drastic price changes because of volatility.

Singapore based Blockchain Technology XinFin recently announced its association with KoinOK. KoinOK is proudly building the most customer-focused cryptocurrency platform in India and XinFin aims to solve a critical problem of bridging infrastructure deficit using blockchain technology. As a part of this collaboration, KoinOK and XinFin are planning to airdrop over 5 million XCDE tokens for free as a part of their referral program with an aim to bring more Indians to participate in the blockchain revolution.

KoinOK allows its users to trade and invest in many cryptocurrencies. KoinOK has created a general and flexible blockchain infrastructure which makes it quick and easy to add new cryptocurrencies. KoinOK is always looking out for innovative currencies exhibiting great potential and follow a strict process of carefully selecting the tokens to be traded on their exchange. After Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple and Neo, XDCE will be the 5th token to be listed on KoinOK. Other equivalent exchanges like Zebpay, Koinex and UnoCoin in India provides similar services.

XinFin had launched its utility token XDCE on Feb 5, 2018, and has recently finished its XDCE Crowd Token Contribution. XDCE token will primarily help traders to contest against other ERC20 tokens across several exchanges. XDCE is an ERC20 utility token based on a decentralized Ethereum Ecosystem which will enable global enterprises to work with XDC Protocol. It will increase the liquidity of XDC tokens to enable many business use cases. The association with KoinOK will allow Indian users to effortlessly buy, sell and trade XDCE using Indian currency INR.

KoinOK Co-founder Vivek Agarwal said, We are proud to associate with XinFin as this will bring the first airdrop event of such magnitude in India where functional tokens are distributed for free. Till now, all airdrops by other players took place with non-functional tokens which provided no utility.

XinFins Co-Founder, Peter Yeo also mentioned the recent tie-up with KoinOK as revolutionary and said, Run by a young and dynamic team, KoinOK is one of the fastest growing digital exchanges in India. We are really excited to collaborate with KoinOK and we believe that our offerings will positively serve our users. With this partnership, our growing community that has an ever-growing demand for XinFin tokens will be able to trade without addressing drastic price changes because of volatility.

XinFin launched its utility token XDCE on Feb 5, 2018. XDCE is an ERC20 token which will have multifold benefits for traders, private investors and institutional level partners. All the details regarding ongoing XDCE Crowd Token Contribution (ICO) can be found on their Utility Token Contribution Page: http://www.xinfin.io

XinFin launched the TradeFinex platform at the Digital Asset summit organized by Asias largest trade and commerce bodiesAssocham (http://www.assocham.org) and extended the platform to over 450,000 participating enterprise members. Ramco systems (http://www.ramco.com), Asias biggest company and part of global $1 Billion conglomerates has chosen XinFin Hybrid Blockchain to deploy blockchain solutions for 500+ of its clients in Aviation, Supply Chain and HR. XinFin is already working with leading global fortune 500 clients across USA, Europe, Asia and India. It has successfully demonstrated over 10+ pilot projects in Travel, Banking, Supply Chain, Finance, Trade and Aviation. The upcoming major global expansion includes Canada, USA, Middle East and Sri Lanka, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.

Recently, Bitcoin Jesus and CEO of Bitcoin, Roger Ver joined XinFin team as advisors along with Mate Tokay (COO of Bitcoin.com), Jason Butcher (Co-Founder - BlockChain Hub, COO - Coinpayments), David Freuden (Blockchain Advisor & Consultant) & Sydney Ifergan (CMO, Crypto & ICO Expert).

About XinFin

XinFin (http://www.xinfin.io) is a Singapore based Blockchain Technology Company that is focused on Business Process Efficiency improvement and has deployed Blockchain solutions for international trade and finance. XinFin had recently launched XDCE utility tokens which were available through its public ICO and these tokens can help people to get access to the XDC protocol and its sub-networks by hosting XDC master nodes. XinFins XDCE tokens allow users to trade at stable prices on regulated exchanges avoiding unstable market where price changes drastically due to lower liquidity.

XinFin has developed a highly capable, secure, permissioned and commercial grade Hybrid Blockchain architecture by forking JP Morgan's Quorum. With an aim to bridge the global infrastructural deficit with the marketplace platform  TradeFinex (http://www.tradefinex.org), XinFin offers tools to undertake Blockchain powered peer-to-peer trade and finance contracts between governments, institutions, buyers and suppliers. This helps in an efficient deployment of capital and undertaking infrastructure projects without burdening the government treasury.

XinFin has four lines of solutions namely TradeFinex, Business Efficiency solutions, E-Wallets & Remittance and Private Sub-networks. You can follow XinFin on Twitter (@XinFinF), on Telegram (https://t.me/xinfintalk) and on Slack (https://xinfin-public.slack.com/) Also, check out our latest video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-tHZkV6zAs) and know What is XinFin.

About KoinOK

KoinOK (http://www.koinok.com) is Indians most customer-focused cryptocurrency exchange which enables users to trade and invest in popular digital assets in an open order book system. KoinOK exchange is a one-stop solution for quick, easy and secure trading in cryptocurrencies in India.

While offering a deeper understanding of the significance of the exchange downtimes particularly in the case of cryptocurrencies where the prices are highly unpredictable KoinOK has also solved problems related to security and support which are few of the chief challenges in the cryptocurrency exchanges existing in India and overseas. For more information, please visit the website. You can get KoinOK updates through social mediaTwitter (@Koinoktrade) and Telegram ( https://t.me/koinokforum).
Uberflip is thrilled to announce that Startupong will be returning for its fourth year, on April 25 at SPiN Ping Pong Social Club in Toronto

Uberflip is thrilled to announce that Startupong will be returning for its fourth year, on April 25 at SPiN Ping Pong Social Club in Toronto. This years ping pong tournament, which is expected to draw over 800 participants, is aimed at bringing together Torontos tech startups in the spirit of community, giving back, and friendly competition. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the SickKids Foundation, with the goal of raising $50,000.

Were proud of what Startupong has become and the impact that its had in connecting the tech startup community here in Toronto, said Yoav Schwartz, Uberflip Co-Founder and CEO. As our company continues to grow, we recognize that we have a responsibility to our community and we are committed to giving back.

Since it launched in 2014, Startupong has doubled in size each year and has brought together hundreds of attendees from local startups, including WealthSimple, Shopify, Loopio, and League.

At Uberflip, our companys core values have guided us to give back to our communities, including a commitment to donate 1% of annual revenue growth to charities, said Randy Frisch, Uberflip Co-Founder and CMO. Building off of these values, were excited to donate all proceeds from Startupong to the SickKids Foundation as weve done in the past and commit to doing so in the future.

Participants in the tournament are invited to register their teams starting on March 26. General admission tickets are available now, free of charge, and include two complimentary drinks, as well as appetizers. Uberflip is also seeking corporate sponsors to help reach their goal of $50,000 for the SickKids Foundation. Startupong sponsor packages include a complimentary team of two for the tournament and other promotional opportunities. To learn more about sponsorship, contact startupong(at)uberfllip(dot)com. Learn more about Startupong at http://www.startupong.com.

30

About Uberflip

Uberflip is a cloud-based content experience platform that empowers B2B marketers to create personalized content experiences at scale. By providing marketers with the tools they need to boost engagement, generate leads, and fuel demand generation, they can better leverage content to meet their goals. For more information, visit http://www.uberflip.com.
ABACs focus on engaged learning and its groundbreaking interdisciplinary rural studies degree are exemplars of the growth the institution has seen since its transition from a two-year college over the past ten years," said Society Executive Director Dr. Mary Todd.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will install its 346th chapter at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College today, March 14. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nations oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is located in Tifton, Georgia.

The installation of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College chapter comes after a thorough chartering process and approval from the Societys board of directors. To be eligible, an institution must be a regionally accredited four-year college or university with an established reputation of excellence and an expressed commitment to upholding the values of the Society.

The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is pleased to welcome Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College to its community of scholars, said Society Executive Director Dr. Mary Todd. ABACs focus on engaged learning and its groundbreaking interdisciplinary rural studies degree are exemplars of the growth the institution has seen since its transition from a two-year college over the past ten years.

Officers elected by the chartering group to serve the newly installed chapter include President Beth Morehead-Thornton, President-Elect Johnny Folsom, Secretary Dr. Joseph Falcone, Treasurer Vonda Doss Fenn and Primary Contact Dr. Jerome Baker.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor societyone that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States and the Philippines and inducts approximately 30,000 new members each year. Membership is by invitation only to the top 7.5 percent of juniors and the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students, along with faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

About Phi Kappa Phi

The Societys mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others." Since its founding, more than 1.5 million members have been initiated into Phi Kappa Phi. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist John Grisham and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. The Society has awarded more than $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, $1.4 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards, and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information about Phi Kappa Phi, visit http://www.PhiKappaPhi.org.
Thinkmax accepting Episerver Partner of the Year award The native integration between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Episerver Commerce in Azure Cloud allow us to enable our clients to thrive in a very competitive e-commerce environment and provide their customers with best-of-breed unified experiences.

Thinkmax, a North American leader in digital transformation and member of the prestigious Microsoft Inner Circle, has been named the 2017 Episerver Dynamics Ecosystem Partner of the Year in North America. This award recognizes top-performing partners for their success in driving joint opportunities and the strategic delivery of Episerver solutions in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics 365 to solve customer business scenarios. Thinkmax was honored at the annual Episerver Ascend conference, which was held this week in Las Vegas.

We are proud to congratulate Thinkmax for the Dynamics Ecosystem Partner of the Year achievement, said James Norwood, Executive Vice President of Strategy and CMO at Episerver. The award speaks to Thinkmaxs commitment to our mutual customers, meeting their expectations and achieving business performance goals. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership and sharing the incredible customer journeys this relationship creates for consumers who crave better online interactions with brands and reward the companies that provide them.

To identify the partner recipients of its annual awards, Episerver looked at its network of qualified regional partners and considered the business value generated for customers by each and their success in implementing best practices for guiding digital strategy. Thinkmax stood out for these reasons as well as its proven ability to improve business processes and develop innovative solutions.

We are honored to receive this award recognizing our efforts in building end-to-end solutions helping our clients succeed in their digital transformation, said Patrick Guedj, Executive Vice President at Thinkmax. Our strong partnership with Microsoft and Episerver has allowed us to better position our expertise and grow our Digital practice. Kais Makhlouf, Vice President Digital Solutions added The native integration between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Episerver Commerce in Azure Cloud allow us to enable our clients to thrive in a very competitive e-commerce environment and provide their customers with best-of-breed unified experiences.

Thinkmax designs and implements end-to-end solutions ranging from ERP to digital commerce. Leveraging its extensive knowledge in enterprise systems integration and digital commerce, Thinkmax creates optimal unified experiences across all customer touchpoints that meet organizations expectations and achieve business performance growth. Named to the prestigious Microsoft Inner Circle for the last three years, which honors the top one percent of Microsoft partners, Thinkmax has developed unmatched expertise in consulting and implementation services that help organizations achieve their goals.

About Thinkmax

Thinkmax is a leading North American digital transformation expert that brings powerful change within organizations with the tools, the expertise and methodology to bring positive and lasting change. We implement enterprise business solutions that unify ERP, CRM, BI, Retail and e-commerce solutions through Microsoft-centric technology. Founded in 2009, Thinkmax has offices in Montreal, Toronto and Austin. http://www.thinkmax.com

About Episerver

Episerver empowers digital leaders to easily create standout experiences for customerseverywhere they engage, and always with measurable business results. The Episerver Digital Experience Cloud unifies digital content, commerce and marketing in one platform, including omnichannel solutions for smart personalization and intelligent campaigns. Founded in 1994, Episerver has offices in the US, UK, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam and the UAE.
Carla Hayden, PhD, 14th Librarian of Congress Both personally and professionally, Dr. Hayden truly embodies the core values of our community by valuing the librarys role as a place for learning and opportunity and a cornerstone of democracy. Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., Provost, Hood College

The first woman and first African American to be Librarian of Congress will be the speaker for Hood Colleges combined undergraduate and graduate Commencement ceremony on May 19.

Carla Hayden, Ph.D., is the 14th Librarian of Congress, and she is the first professional librarian appointed to the post in more than 60 years.

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Hayden to Hood College as our May Commencement speaker, said Debbie Ricker, Ph.D., Hoods provost and vice president for academic affairs. Both personally and professionally, Dr. Hayden truly embodies the core values of our community by valuing the librarys role as a place for learning and opportunity and a cornerstone of democracy.

Haydens three decades of library experience have included positions with the Chicago Public Library, Chicagos Museum of Science and Industry, the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore and the Library of Congress. She was confirmed to be Librarian of Congress by the U.S. Senate in July 2016 and sworn in on Sept. 14, 2016.

In 1995, while working for the Enoch Pratt Library, Hayden was awarded the Library Journals Librarian of the Year Award for developing an after-school center for teens, which offered homework assistance and college and career counseling.

As a leader, scholar and educator, she is a role model for our students, said Ricker. I know she will inspire our graduates to continue using their hearts, minds and hands as they follow their passion and fearlessly embrace every opportunity for which Hood College has prepared them.

Hood College will also award Hayden with an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

Hayden earned her doctoral and masters degrees in library science from the University of Chicago Graduate Library School. Her passion for reading was inspired by Marguerite de Angels Bright April, a 1946 book about an African-American girl in the Brownies.

About Hood College:

Hood College is an independent, liberal arts college, offering 32 undergraduate majors, four pre-professional programs, 19 graduate programs, two doctorates and 10 post-baccalaureate certificates. Located in historic Frederick, near Washington, D.C., Baltimore and the I-270 technology corridor, Hood gives students access to countless internships and research opportunities.
At PrideStaff, our goal is to provide Strategic-Partners with the infrastructure, processes and support to lay a solid foundation for success in our industry.

Gerrit Salinas, Owner/Strategic-Partner of PrideStaffs Dallas Metro office, is proud to announce that his office is one of only three in the nation to receive the 5 Star Award for performance in 2017 from PrideStaff, Inc., a national, franchised staffing organization.

Honoring new offices with outstanding revenue growth during their first six months of operation, the 5 Star Award was presented at the PrideStaff Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Each year, PrideStaff Strategic-Partners from across the country meet at the conference to review results, share best practices, listen to world-renowned speakers, and improve their proficiency at owning and operating a full-service staffing firm.

"At PrideStaff, our goal is to provide Strategic-Partners with the infrastructure, processes and support to lay a solid foundation for success in our industry," said PrideStaff COO Tammi Heaton. "Gerrit has done an amazing job leveraging those resources, as well as his executive management experience in staffing, to quickly gain momentum in his market. We are thrilled to present this award in recognition of his accomplishments."

Gerrit joined the PrideStaff team in 2014 as a Vice President Field Consultant, relying on 17 years of staffing industry experience to help ensure new Strategic-Partners' success. When the opportunity became available to purchase his own PrideStaff franchise, he seized it. Gerrit credits PrideStaff's consistent processes, focus on client and talent experience, and his team's attention to detail for the early success the Dallas Metro office has achieved.

For more information about PrideStaff, please contact Gerrit Salinas at 214.599.9500.

About PrideStaff

PrideStaff was founded in the 1970s as 100 percent company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 80 offices in North America to serve over 5,000 clients. With over 40 years in the staffing business, headquartered in Fresno, CA, PrideStaff offers the resources and expertise of a national firm with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. PrideStaff is the only nationwide, commercial staffing firm in the U.S. and Canada with over $100 million in annual revenue to earn Inaveros prestigious Best of Staffing Diamond Award five years in a row highlighting exceptional client and talent service quality.

For more information on our services or for staffing franchise information, visit http://www.pridestaff.com.
March 11, 2018 marks the 25th anniversary for Merchant Link, a leading provider of payment gateway and data security solutions, removing the risk and hassle of payments. Merchant Link has grown from a small Technical Support Center in Bethesda, Maryland, to an international provider of payment security solutions. The landscape is much different today than it was in 1993 when Merchant Link got its start.

Today, Merchant Link serves over 500,000 customers that process over 6 billion transactions annually. Identifying new ways to securely manage transactions is core to Merchant Links business. Operating in a 24x7x365 manner, Merchant Link provides semi-integrated data and payment card security solutions, allowing merchants to focus on their businesses.

Dan Lane, CEO shared, Ive been with Merchant Link since its inception. Ive seen the industry change dramatically in the last 25 years. First to market with tokenization and P2PE, Merchant Link strives to bring merchants solid solutions for payment card security. Weve grown exponentially, from a handful of people in a single small office to over 250 employees in 4 locations across North America. While weve grown to meet the needs of the industry, we continue to live by our values.

We truly appreciate all of our merchants and partners in the restaurant, retail and lodging industries that have been with us along the way. We have learned from you and have appreciated your collaboration and challenging us to strive to provide more by way of solutions and service, Lane continued.

Financial technology continues to change every day  and Merchant Link continues to lead the way toward the payments of tomorrow.

Today, Merchant Link provides a full suite of payment card security solutions, including omni-channel tokenization, point-to-point encryption, and EMV. Wrapped around its product and solution set is Merchant Links One Call Solves All service commitment.

For more, visit Merchant Link at http://www.merchantlink.com

About Merchant Link

Merchant Link is a leading provider of cloud-based payment gateway and data security solutions, removing the risk and hassle of payments for more than 500,000 restaurant, hotel, and retail locations. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, Merchant Link currently enables more than 6 billion transactions annually for some of the world's best-known merchants, providing connectivity to the major U.S. payment card processors. TransactionVault, our tokenization solution, TransactionShield, our point-to-point encryption solution, and TransactionLink, our EMV solution, mitigate the risk of a data compromise while lowering the cost and effort of PCI compliance. For more information, please visit http://www.merchantlink.com.

EMV is a registered trademark or trademark of EMVCo LLC in the United States and other countries.
Fairmont Chicago Deluxe Guest Room

Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, 200 N. Columbus Dr. is unveiling its newly-updated and elegantly decorated guest rooms and suites following a multi-million-dollar refresh that is on cue with the citys first signs of spring. To celebrate the updated spaces, guests can enjoy Fairmont Chicagos Rooms in Bloom Package available for booking now through Sat., June 30, 2018. Starting at $200 per night, the Rooms in Bloom Package includes overnight accommodations for two at a discounted rate of 15 percent off, a delicious in-room breakfast in bed for two and a bouquet of fresh tulips.

The room upgrade successfully refreshed the hotels 687 guest rooms into new, luxurious spaces, with 50-inch HDTVs and Chicago-inspired decor in each room, and additional infrastructural updates. The hotel revamped its interior with fresh and vibrant decor accents to complement the outdoor parks surrounding the property. For those looking for a more exclusive experience, the Fairmont Chicago offers Fairmont Gold or 60 one-bedroom suites for a luxurious trip. These rooms are 700 square feet and feature a spacious seating area, a 65-inch HDTV and a wet bar perfect for relaxing alone or entertaining guests. In tribute to the citys pristine natural views, the hotels new design is meant to reinvigorate the space, focusing on bringing the park space indoors for guests by incorporating fresh and vibrant tones in all aspects of the decor.

Centrally located in the heart of downtown Chicago, Fairmont Chicago offers easy access to a variety of transportation options for guests to visit family and friends. Fairmont Chicago is just a quick drive to Lake Shore Drive, a six-minute walk to the Millennium Metra train station and an eight-minute walk to the L station at Randolph and Wabash. The Fairmont Chicago is also anchored by more than 400 acres of protected park space with magnificent views of Lake Michigan and the famous Chicago skyline. Millennium, Grant and Maggie Daley parks are just a short walk from the hotel. Additionally, the propertys location provides easy to access local attractions such as popular Chicago museums, Navy Pier and shopping on the Magnificent Mile.

For more information on Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, the recent refresh, or to book a group, visit http://www.fairmont.com/chicago/promotions/bloom.

###

About Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park

Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park is an AAA Four Diamond luxury hotel located in downtown Chicago. With 687 guestrooms and 63,000 square feet of meeting space, the hotel provides contemporary elegance and gracious hospitality. Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park is also home to THE BAR in the Lobby and Columbus Tap, providing guests with a quintessential tap house experience. In addition to uniquely inspired dining and stylish accommodations, the hotel features an exclusive lifestyle spa. mySpa affords eight treatment rooms and provides the perfect urban sanctuary from the busy and bustling Chicago streets. For more information on Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, call 312-565-8000 or visit fairmont.com/Chicago.

About Fairmont

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts connects guests to the very best of its destinations worldwide, providing travelers with memorable travel experiences, thoughtful and attentive service and luxury hotels that are truly unforgettable. Each Fairmont property reflects the locales energy, culture and history through locally inspired cuisine, spirited bars and lounges and distinctive design and decor. With more than 70 hotels globally, and many more in development, the Fairmont collection boasts some of the most iconic and distinctive hotels in the world. This extraordinary collection includes The Plaza in New York, The Savoy in London, Fairmont Grand Del Mar, Dubais Fairmont The Palm, Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, Fairmont San Francisco and Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City. Fairmont is part of AccorHotels, a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,100 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 3000 of the finest private homes around the globe. For more information or reservations, please visit fairmont.com.

Become a fan of Fairmont. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Fairmont Moments. For career information and opportunities, please visit fairmontcareers.com.
Sexism and abuse are everyday occurrences for many female politicians who are active online...However, despite the pitfalls, digital campaigning still offers significant benefits for female candidates, which should not be overlooked.

A new report released by Atalanta, a social enterprise dedicated to increasing womens representation in government, has revealed significant differences in the way that female and male political leaders are discussed online. The report  (Anti)Social Media: The Benefits and Pitfalls of Digital for Female Politicians  is based on social media analysis from BrandsEye, a leader in sentiment analysis, and interviews with prominent female politicians and campaign strategists.

Speaking about the release of the report, Atalanta Founder & CEO Eva Barboni said: Sexism and abuse are everyday occurrences for many female politicians who are active online. This takes a heavy toll on both the politicians themselves and on our broader democratic debate, particularly when it escalates from harassment to threats. However, despite the pitfalls, digital campaigning still offers significant benefits for female candidates, which should not be overlooked.

BrandsEye CEO Jean Pierre Kloppers added, "Social media is a rich source of volunteered public opinion data that has until now proven challenging to organise into decipherable insights. By combining AI and human intelligence, we are able to gather accurate insights that empower leaders of the world to understand and engage with the key issues driving public sentiment.

Key findings include:



Women were 3.4 times more likely than men to experience gender-related derogatory comments.

74.1% of comments related to political leaders appearance and 71.8% of comments related to their marital status were directed towards women. Such comments were also more negative towards women than towards their male counterparts.

In gendered conversations about political leaders, male authors dominated the conversation, contributing at least twice as many comments as female authors.

The report also includes insights about the benefits and pitfalls of social media from female politicians and campaign strategists, including: Baroness Anne Jenkin, Conservative Member of the UK House of Lords and Co-Founder of Women2Win; Jess Phillips, Labour Member of the UK Parliament; Amy Dacey, former CEO of the Democratic National Committee and former Executive Director of EMILYs List; Jenna Lowenstein, former Digital Director for Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign; and Andrea Bozek, former Communications Director for both the House and Senate Republican campaign committees.

The report provides in-depth analysis of tweets about three high-profile pairs of female and male political leaders in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Chile. It then assesses the tools and strategies currently available to mitigate online abuse, and puts forward a collaborative approach to addressing it, with recommendations for a range of actors. Finally, in a chapter contributed by communications strategist and former Digital Director for the UK Conservative Party, Bethany Wheatley, the report illustrates why digital campaigning is still worthwhile for female candidates, despite the drawbacks.

Alongside the report, Atalanta launched a new digital campaign solution for female candidates, developed in collaboration with leading digital agency Tectonica. The solution aims to help female candidates harness powerful digital tools to overcome barriers to electoral success: http://www.tectonica.co/atalanta

Notes for Editors:

About Atalanta

Atalanta is a social enterprise whose mission is to increase the number of women holding senior government positions worldwide and accelerate programmes that tackle the root causes of gender inequality. Founder & CEO Eva Barboni is available for interviews about the report and its findings. She is based in London. (http://www.atalanta.co)

About BrandsEye

BrandsEye is an opinion mining company. They use a proprietary mix of artificial intelligence and crowdsourcing to mine online conversations for sentiment. In 2016, they used this technology to predict the outcomes of the Brexit referendum and US presidential election. Today, they provide accurate and granular opinion data to governments and businesses around the world. CEO Jean Pierre Kloppers, Managing Director Melanie Malherbe and CMO Nic Ray are available for interviews about the methodology behind the social media analysis. (http://www.brandseye.com)

About Tectonica

Tectonica Studios creates digital solutions for progressive candidates, nonprofit organisations and socially-conscious companies. It has built award-winning brands, strategies, and online organising tools for hundreds of clients from across the globe. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tectonicas team is led by its LGBT-identified founders Mariana Spada and Ned Howey. (http://www.tectonica.co)
Dr. Spencer Richlin, surgical director at RMACT says: Our goal is to help patients find success through whole patient care... [they] are improving their health, which in turn improves their chances of having a full-term, healthy pregnancy.

Based on their exceptional patient care and stand-out results, all five partners at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) have earned the accolade Top Doctor. The list, which is determined by peers in the medical field and published by Moffly Media, includes Dr. Mark Leondires, Dr. Spencer Richlin, Dr. Joshua M. Hurwitz, Dr. Cynthia Murdock and Dr. Shaun Williams. Mofflys 2018 Top Doctors in Fairfield County list is in the current issue of Fairfield Living, Greenwich, New Canaan-Darien, Westport and Stamford magazines.

Moffly Medias list is compiled by the renowned healthcare research firm Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., which conducts a rigorous, peer-reviewed assessment of local doctors by their peers. RMACT partners, each of which has been named to the list for multiple years, are Board Certified reproductive endocrinologist who help patients when they are struggling to build a family.

This recognition validates what we feel everyday: our practice has something special to offer Fairfield County, says Dr. Spencer Richlin, surgical director at RMACT. Our goal is to help patients find success through whole patient care, which is a slightly different approach than most fertility practices. And it is working; our patients are improving their health, which in turn improves their chances of having a full-term, healthy pregnancy.

Unlike most fertility practices, RMACT approaches fertility care by treating the whole patient. Before embarking on medically advanced assisted reproductive technologies such as genetic screening and in vitro fertilization (IVF), the RMACT team encourages patients to improve their overall health. Factors such as body mass index (BMI), blood sugar levels and stress or anxiety can affect hormone production and reproductive health. RMACT offers a robust nutrition program, support groups, acupuncture, yoga, emotional support, complimentary classes and counseling  for individuals and couples  through its Integrated Fertility and Wellness Program.

About Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT)

RMACT specializes in the treatment of infertility, including assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS). RMACT, Fairfield Countys largest fertility clinic and egg donation center, is one of 11 leading In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) centers nationwide chosen by In Vitro Sciences to participate in its Centers of Excellence program. RMACT has been named to the Health Equality Index in 2017 and 2018. RMACT has offices in Norwalk, Danbury, Stamford and Trumbull, and an affiliate office now in Poughkeepsie, NY. RMACT also offers infertility treatment financing and support services, such as nutrition counseling, individual and couples psychological counseling, acupuncture and yoga, through RMACTs Integrated Fertility and Wellness Center.

The RMACT team includes lead physicians Drs. Mark P. Leondires, Joshua M. Hurwitz, Cynthia M. Murdock, Spencer S. Richlin, Shaun C. Williams, as well as fertility specialist Dr. Ilana B. Ressler. All six physicians are Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologists and are members of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Five of the doctors are Castle Connolly "Top Doctors" and members of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), the Fairfield County and Connecticut Medical Societies. RMACTs IVF laboratory is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and CLIA; other accreditations include the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and the American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM). For more information visit http://www.RMACT.com or find us on Facebook.
Oklahoma's newest transitional care facility ranks in top 15% nationally We are aware that individual nutritional needs and the healing process go hand in hand. This award truly expresses that we are fulfilling that need.

Accel at Crystal Park, a StoneGate Senior Living award winning property, announces it is the recipient of Pinnacle Quality Insights 2018 Customer Experience Award.

Qualifying for the award in the Dining Services category, Accel at Crystal Park is recognized by Pinnacle Quality Insight for continued dedication to provide Best in Class healthcare and customer services. The facility scored in the top 15% across the nation over the past 12 months, securing a Best in Class distinction based on average ranking of patient experience.

What an honor, says Julie Kuiper, Administrator with Accel at Crystal Park. Crystal Park offers a unique dining experience to all of our patients. We are aware that individual nutritional needs and the healing process go hand in hand. This award truly expresses that we are fulfilling that need."

Just one year after opening and serving the community, Accel at Crystal Park staff aims to place a strong emphasis on ensuring the individual needs of every patient are met. Over the course of 2017, a sampling of Accel at Crystal Parks patients and their families participated in monthly telephone interviews that included open-ended questions, as well as the opportunity to rate Accel at Crystal Park in specific categories.

From the monthly feedback, Accel at Crystal Park gathered real-time survey results which led to a better understanding of the patients needs which in turn allowed them to adjust and make improvements when necessary.

For more information, visit: http://accelcrystalpark.com/.

About Accel at Crystal Park

Accel at Crystal Park opened in February 2017, and features 59 private transitional care suites designed for patients recovering from an acute care event. Accel delivers modern amenities and technology, with a rehabilitation gym offering modern equipment and technologies that help patients complete post-acute rehabilitation as quickly as possible and return to their lifestyle. Learn more: http://accelcrystalpark.com/.

About StoneGate Senior Living:

StoneGate Senior Living is an award-winning full-spectrum senior care and housing company with 44 properties across Texas, Oklahoma and Colorado. Recently ranked as the nations 31st largest transitional and long-term care company by Provider magazine, StoneGate is a fully-integrated post-acute health care company, with service-lines and business units that offer transitional care, long-term care, assisted living, memory care, rehabilitation, wellness, pharmacy, care navigation and post-acute analytical services.

Learn more at http://www.stonegatesl.com/.

About Pinnacle Quality Insight

A customer satisfaction measurement firm with 22 years of experience in post-acute healthcare, Pinnacle conducts over 150,000 phone surveys each year and works with more than 2,500 care providers in all 50 US states, Canada and Puerto Rico.
The Vessel Group came to us highly recommended from other executives in the energy industry.

Spotlight Energy, LLC, a wholesale natural gas marketing company, announced they have begun the process of CTRM system selection and have chosen The Vessel Group as their advisor for this process. Spotlight Energy seeks to implement an end-to-end system of record, encompassing deal capture, risk management, cash management, audit trail, billing / invoicing and physical gas tracking, management and accounting.

Founded in 2015, Spotlight Energys operations include gas trading, asset management, storage services and financial hedging. They have realized the need for a CTRM system to replace current platforms they have outgrown.

The Vessel Groups system selection process will evaluate usability, scalability for future expansion and adaptability for changing business needs. The Vessel Groups methodology ensures that the system is a match with the company culture, processes and commercial business metrics.

After discussing with several advisory firms, Spotlight Energy chose The Vessel Group, an energy consulting and talent sourcing firm based in Houston, to kick off the CTRM system selection process. The Vessel Group was chosen because of their executive teams unique expertise, with each member having 20+ years experience in the same energy space at Spotlight Energy. In addition to the expertise of the executive team, Spotlight Energy noted the proximity  with both firms located in Houston  and the Vessel Groups alignment with the startup culture at Spotlight Energy.

Jacob Field, President, Spotlight Energy, LLC

The Vessel Group came to us highly recommended from other executives in the energy industry. While theyve officially been around about as long as Spotlight, The Vessel Groups consulting team is comprised of some of the most highly-regarded professionals in this space.

Dennis Hatchett, CEO, The Vessel Group

Spotlight Energys core values are centered around bringing value to customers, the strength of long-lasting relationships and commitment to exceptional service. These values align closely with the values of The Vessel Group. Were thrilled to be part of the CTRM selection process and confident that this will be the start of a great partnership between two growing companies.

About The Vessel Group

The Vessel Group is a Houston-based energy consulting and talent sourcing firm, with deep industry experience. Leveraging their relationship-based model, The Vessel Group provides leadership and guidance to energy companies as they make crucial business decisions connected to people, process and technology. Multi-year implementations and their extensive costs require companies to seek technology solution firms with comprehensive industry knowledge, resourcefulness and experience  learn more about our companys dedication to those traits at https://www.thevesselgrp.com.
ACG Denver proudly announces the winners of the 2018 Corporate Growth Awards. The awards were delivered to the winners during ACG Denvers annual Rocky Mountain Corporate Growth Conference on March 6, 2018 at the Hyatt Regency Denver. Each year, the awards are given to two companies headquartered in Colorado for their excellence in growth strategies.

The Outstanding Corporate Growth Award celebrating companies with revenues in excess of $100 million went to BluSky Restoration Contractors. The Outstanding Emerging Company Award honoring a company with revenues between $10 million and $100 million went to Accucode, Inc.

These winning companies are dedicated to innovation and have cultures built on character and integrity, said Joanne Baginski, Partner at EKS&H and chair of the corporate growth awards committee.

Winners must be headquartered in Colorado and show sustained profitability over the past three years. Other qualifying characteristics considered include unique strategies surrounding their people, market, customers, products, industry leadership, and social responsibility.

These companies are leading examples of how to grow a middle market business, said David Roberts, Managing Director of Newport Board Group and ACG Denver Chapter President. They are very deserving of recognition for all their outstanding accomplishments.

About Accucode

Accucode is a software developer and technology integrator specializing in the application of mobile computing, wireless infrastructure, and automated data collection technologies. Accucode pioneered the Hardware-as-a-Service model under which fully managed tablets, software, and other technologies are delivered at a fixed subscription rate, removing capital barriers and mitigating maintenance and other life-cycle risks for customers. Accucode provides cost-effective solutions for warehousing, retail, manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, government, and education. Accucode has built a reputation of excellence by providing its clients with turnkey, best-of-breed solutions backed by the company's proven expertise and world-class service.

About ACG

Founded in 1954, the Association for Corporate Growth has chapters worldwide representing 14,500 members. ACG serves 90,000 investors, executives, lenders and advisers to growing middle-market companies. ACG's mission is to drive middle market growth. The Denver Chapter of ACG was established over 20 years ago and provides access to the people and ideas to help grow companies.
Building upon the value of these conferences in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific, HSMAI is proud to extend the reach of ROCs programming to South America and the Middle East.

For the first time in its history, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) will host its Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC) in a total of five major cities around the world in 2018: Amsterdam, Singapore, Houston, Sao Paolo, and Dubai. The conference convenes hotel revenue executives for education, collaboration, and innovation.

Each year, ROC delivers the most compelling and comprehensive revenue management event for the hotel industry.

Building upon the value of continuing to offer these conferences in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific, HSMAI is proud to be able to extend the reach of ROCs programming to South America and the Middle East, said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CHA, president and CEO of HSMAI. While there will of course be common threads throughout all of the conferences, were eager to see what unique insights into revenue management come out of the conferences in each region.

HSMAI ROC Europe  April 10, 2018, Amsterdam

HSMAI Region Europe ROC & DOC (Digital & Distribution Optimization Conference) is the continents number one annual event offering the latest trends and news in revenue optimization, digital marketing, and distribution for the hospitality industry, bringing together 300 executives in Amsterdam. Thought leaders and inspirational speakers will share their insights on revenue management strategies and trends, digital marketing, and distribution, followed by the HSMAI Awards event. See the program and register here.

HSMAI ROC Asia Pacific  May 89, 2018, Singapore

The Revenue Optimization Conference for the Asia Pacific region is held in Singapore every year. The format is a full-day conference on day 1, followed by the HSMAI Academy on day 2. Attendees at this event are responsible for leading revenue optimization and pricing for hotel brands, management companies, ownership groups, hotels, and resorts. HSMAI ROC Asia Pacific will draw more than 150 attendees representing 30 hotel brands. All conference programs are organized by HSMAI Asia Pacifics Revenue and Digital Advisory Boards. The one-day program includes scheduled networking time in the Partner Showcase. https://hsmaiasia.org/hotel-revenue-optimization-conference/

HSMAI ROC Americas  June 1920, 2018, Houston, TX

For fifteen years, HSMAIs Revenue Optimization Conference (ROC) Americas has brought together key stakeholders to address the most critical trends affecting revenue management in hotels today. This year, 600 senior leaders in hotel revenue management will connect and engage in meaningful, thought-provoking conversations about the most important strategic issues facing the business today. Attendees at this event are responsible for leading revenue optimization and pricing for brands, management companies, ownership groups, hotels, and resorts. ROC also showcases partner companies serving the revenue management industry, including consultants, technology vendors, and companies providing products and services in revenue management, execution, and reporting. Last year, 115 unique hotel companies were represented at ROC Americas.

Additional networking and education opportunities will include HSMAI Helps, a volunteer opportunity benefitting Houston; peer-reviewed faculty research presentations; and a review course for those pursuing the Certified Revenue Management Executive (CRME) certification. HSMAI will also host an awards ceremony presenting the Vanguard Award for Lifetime Achievement in Revenue Management, and the Revenue Management Professional of the Year Awards. Event details: https://www.hsmai.org/events/eventdetail.cfm?eventid=55070.

HSMAI ROC Brazil  August 10, 2018, Sao Paulo

ROC Brazil is a half day conference bringing together nearly 100 attendees responsible for leading revenue optimization and pricing for brands, management companies, ownership groups, hotels, and resorts.

HSMAI ROC Middle East  December 4, 2018, Dubai

Co-located with HITEC Dubai, which debuted in November of 2017, this inaugural event is anticipated to attract 100150 hotel revenue management executives from the Middle East. The one-day general session strategy conference includes a partner showcase.

Registration is now open for HSMAI ROC via each region at http://www.hsmai.org.

About HSMAI

HSMAI is a global organization of sales, marketing, and revenue management professionals representing all segments of the hospitality industry. With a strong focus on education, HSMAI leads the way in identifying and communicating trends in the hospitality industry. Operating as a leading voice for both hospitality and for sales, marketing, and revenue management disciplines, HSMAI connects its members with customers. Founded in the United States in 1927, HSMAI is membership organization comprising 5,000 members from 35 countries and chapters worldwide.

HSMAI operates regionally around the globe via Regional boards of directors and staff. There are three regions: the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe, and a chapter in the Middle East. Each region has geographic chapters and signature programs and services for association members. HSMAI has a Global board which is made up of delegates from each Region.

###
Folio:, the magazine and digital publishing industrys go-to source for news, business intelligence and peer-to-peer networking, is pleased to open entries for the annual Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards. The prestigious awards program celebrates excellence in editorial and design across multiple markets, and is the only one of its kind to honor both magazine and digital design and journalism in the association, b2b, consumer, regional, and non-profit sectors.

Entries are due Friday, May 4, with a late entry deadline of May 18. Winners and honorable mentions will be recognized in New York City on October 9, 2018 during a celebratory dinner at The Folio: Show.

We take a lot of pride in putting together the Eddie & Ozzie Awards every year, says Folios Content Director, Caysey Welton. Theres no other program like ours in magazine media. Where else can you celebrate the outstanding editorial and design work in our industry, and across every sectorfrom trade publications with closed circulations to mass consumer brands that reach millions of readers? And this year we are especially excited because weve introduced new categories, including Immersive/Interactive Storytelling, Editorial Use of Data, Art Direction, Digital Visual Storytelling, Graphic Art, Investigative Journalism and more.

More Information

Categories Include:

EDDIES



Advertorial/Sponsored Content

Analysis

App/Digital Edition

Breaking News Coverage

Column or Blog

Editorial Use of Data

Essays/Criticism

Full Issue

Immersive/Interactive Storytelling

Instructional/How-To

Investigative Journalism

Launch

Long-Form Feature Content

Magazine Section

Newsletter

Overall Editorial Excellence

Planned or On Location Coverage

Podcast

Profile or Q&A

Range of Work by a Single Author

Single Article/Feature

Series of Articles

Video

Website

OZZIES



App/Digital Edition

Cover

Data Visualization

Design, New Magazine

Graphic Art (Print)

Graphic Art (Digital)

Illustration (Print)

Illustration (Digital)

Media Kit

Overall Art Direction

Overall Design (Single Magazine Issue)

Overall Design Excellence

Photography (Print)

Photography (Digital)

Redesign

Section Design

Site Design

Supplemental Annual or One-Shot

Table of Contents

Typography

Visual Digital Storytelling

INDIVIDUAL/TEAM



Editor of the Year

Editorial Director of the Year

Editorial Team of the Year

Designer of the Year

Art Director of the Year

Design Team of the Year

To view a full list of categories, please visit http://www.FolioAwards.com.

For questions about entering or attending the Folio: Eddie and Ozzie Awards, contact Jessica Coonan at jcoonan(at)accessintel.com. To become an event sponsor, contact Tania Babiuk at tbabiuk(at)accessintel.com.

About Folio:

Folio: is the information resource publishing executives turn to for news analysis, commentary, and thought leadership in driving business strategy, value creation and revenue growth. Folio: delivers this insight across several newsletters, social media communities, special reports and live events, including the annual Folio: Show being held October 9-10 in New York city. For more information, visit http://www.Foliomag.com.
With this type of prediction tool, we are able to provide additional breast cancer risk information, which is needed to further the understanding of the clinical impact of this data, stated Katharine Yao, MD, breast surgeon and Chief of Surgical Oncology at NorthShore University HealthSystem

(Ambry Genetics Corporation (Ambry), a Konica Minolta company, leader in comprehensive genetic testing, announced today the launch of AmbryScore, a precision risk tool that provides lifetime breast cancer risk information to health care providers for eligible patients who pursue hereditary cancer testing.

AmbryScore is a new cancer risk prediction tool, ordered through an individuals health care provider that can be added to select hereditary cancer panels at no additional cost. It combines genetic information from 100-breast cancer-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in what is termed as a polygenic risk score, with clinical and family history information to calculate lifetime breast cancer risk.

Ambry is also leading a multi-site five-year clinical study to assess the impact of patient care when including AmbryScore with standard hereditary cancer testing for high-risk genes. Ambry is collaborating with NorthShore University HealthSystem as well as other institutions for continued development and validation of AmbryScore in additional cohorts.

With this type of prediction tool, we are able to provide additional breast cancer risk information, which is needed to further the understanding of the clinical impact of this data, stated Katharine Yao, MD, breast surgeon and Chief of Surgical Oncology at NorthShore University HealthSystem, a principal investigator in this clinical study. This tool, combined with our continued research aimed at advancing genetic risk assessment and precision medicine as a whole, is a vital step in advancing our understanding of hereditary breast cancer that could ultimately prevent disease.

AmbryScore allows us to provide individualized risk information to health care providers for the many women who test negative for a mutation in a breast cancer susceptibility gene yet still face an increased risk to develop breast cancer, based on additional factors, stated Brigette Tippin Davis, Ph.D., Vice President, Research and Development at Ambry. Additionally, women who opt into AmbryScore will contribute to important longitudinal data to support the use of polygenic risk assessment in identifying more individuals who may benefit from increased screening and early detection.

Due to the population-specific nature of SNPs and its association of disease, a patient must meet the following criteria to be eligible for testing: non-Ashkenazi Jewish, Caucasian female between the ages of 18-84, with no personal history of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer), atypical hyperplasia, LCIS, and no personal or family history of a mutation in a known breast cancer susceptibility gene. For more detailed information about AmbryScore, visit ambrygen.com/ambryscore.

About Ambry

Ambry is both College of American Pathologists (CAP)-accredited and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-certified. Ambry is an established leader in clinical genetic diagnostics and genetics software solutions, combining both to offer the most comprehensive testing menu in the industry. Ambry has established a reputation for sharing data while safeguarding patient privacy, unparalleled service, and responsibly applying new technologies to the clinical molecular diagnostics market. For more information about Ambry, visit https://www.ambrygen.com/

PR Contact

Dina Scaglione

Director, Marketing

949.457.4355

dscaglione(at)ambrygen(dot)com
Comoncy Cafe, a colorfully modern and fast-casual cafe in Los Angeles opened its fifth location in February at 10900 Wilshire Blvd. #170A in the Tishman Speyer building on the corner of Westwood Boulevard, providing Wilshire Corridor with a newly built space to enjoy third-wave coffee beverages, as well as a healthy New American-style breakfast and lunch. Comoncy will provide Westwoods business community with a brand-new communal space to serve as a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of city life, where patrons can enjoy a fresh meal, or a latte or cappuccino accompanied by their house-made pastries.

At the forefront of Comoncys unique third-wave coffee program lies their skilled baristas who utilize a customize Comoncy organic Equator Coffee blend, brewed using their custom-built La Marzocco coffee machine. The coffee program also incorporates organic milk sourced from Clover Farms, house-made vanilla syrup made with beans from Madagascar, and a wide array of espresso drinks such as the Gibraltar or Cubano. Chef Joseph Gillard, fueled by his passion for farm-to-table cuisine, has curated a menu focused on innovative items from sandwiches including their popular savory Chicken Panini, to innovative salads like the Thai, with distinguishing ingredients such as housemade chili-roasted peanuts, crispy garlic and peppadew peppers. Comoncys breakfast options not only include organic egg dishes, but also contemporary spins on breakfast classics like their French Toast featuring Greek yogurt and agave syrup.

We are excited to provide a fresh face to coffee and food on Wilshire Boulevard, as well as serve the community with both reliable and fresh corporate catering options for local businesses, says CEO Kevin Khalili on the new location.

To bring the vision of their new location to life, the group hired LA-based designer William Emmerson to design the new restaurant space. The cafe boasts a contemporary design mixing bright whites with splashes of their signature orange hue, floating silver travertine countertops, fresh flower arrangements, a beautiful spacious patio, high ceilings, and luminous copper tables with antique Bentwood chairs.

Born out of the need for a new level of coffee and sustainable fresh food options in residential and business communities alike, Comoncy opened the doors of its first location in February of 2014 in the City of Beverly Hills. The first location was so well-received that they have since expanded to include cafe locations in Studio City, Phoenix, and most recently, Westwood. Sister concepts to Comoncy include the iconic community restaurant, Coral Tree Cafe, the cozy hideaway Red Room Food & Wine Bar, and the re-imagined steakhouse Baltaire. For more information, e-mail Comoncy at amber@coraltreecafe.com, visit http://www.comoncy.com, or follow Comoncy on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
I am overwhelmed and humbled by the vast outpouring of support to my candidacy for State Representative by my fellow residents, neighbors and friends. This outstanding expression of support is a reflection of the great confidence this community has in my potential to represent all of District 115

I am overwhelmed and humbled by the vast outpouring of support to my candidacy for State Representative by my fellow residents, neighbors and friends. This outstanding expression of support is a reflection of the great confidence this community has in my potential to represent all of District 115 with honor and distinction, declared Mrs. Lopez.

Our district and our community face many difficulties and challenges; from formulating effective solutions to our acute traffic problems, including toll relief; to ensuring that our children are safe and secure in our schools, as well as championing job creation, public education and healthcare. I pledge that I will tackle these issues head-on and strive to become our community's voice in Tallahassee," added Mrs. Lopez.

Mrs. Lopez is a small business owner committed to making a difference in people's lives. She has dedicated her time and expertise to a number of community organizations and institutions over the past 25 years including the American Cancer Society, the League Against Cancer, Miami Coalition to Support Americas Heroes, the Cuban-American Veterans Association, the Jackson Hospital Foundation, Holtz Childrens Hospital, Live Like Bella Foundation, sustaining member of the Junior League of Miami, Kinder Vision and Paws4You, among many others.

Mrs. Lopez is a graduate of the University of Alabama where she majored in Mass Communications and English. She and her husband, Jorge, are the proud parents of two sons who are graduates of Miamis Christopher Columbus High School. Jorge Benjamin, attends Texas Christian University, while Noah Christopher attends Johns Hopkins University. Rhonda and Jorge currently reside in their Miami-Dade home of nearly 25 years with their rescue dogs, Spot and Lola.
Todays engineers dont have the time or the desire to do the tedious work of creating library parts. By providing free access to the worlds largest library of verified EDA component models, we can help them maintain focus on their primary task of designing circuits.

EMA Design Automation (http://www.ema-eda.com), a full-service provider and innovator of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) solutions, today announced that access for its more than 14 million component library is now free, allowing downloads from the worlds largest collection of verified symbols, footprints, and 3D STEP models through http://www.ultralibrarian.com. Todays engineers dont have the time or the desire to do the tedious work of creating library parts, said Manny Marcano, president and CEO of EMA. By providing free access to the worlds largest library of verified EDA component models, we can help them maintain focus on their primary task of designing circuits.

Ultra Librarian contains symbols, footprints, and 3D models for over 14 million electronic components, making it the largest EDA model library in the world. Working closely with component manufacturers, EMA has doubled the size of the library from seven million to over 14 million parts in less than two years. The Ultra Librarian team can achieve this rate of growth by using the Ultra Librarian Desktop software, which uses a sophisticated combination of templates, pdf extraction, and verification algorithms to quickly capture all important component information necessary to create the unique library components required for over 20 CAD model formats, including Altium, Eagle, KiCad, OrCAD, and PADS. To ensure the highest accuracy, consistency, and adherence to IPC standards, models undergo more than 30 different verification checks.

Ultra Librarian also helps with the mechanical side of PCB design by offering 3D STEP models for the vast majority of the parts in the library. Many electrical engineers and PCB designers do not have the tools or the mechanical expertise to create 3D models, said Marcano. Their primary focus is the electrical side of the problem, so being able to download a 3D model together with the symbol and footprint saves a lot of time and eliminates many errors. Ultra Librarian 3D component models are available in STEP format providing superior compatibility with virtually all 3D CAD systems, including SOLIDWORKS and Autodesk Inventor.

By removing the barrier of cost, were making EDA library components far more accessible, allowing every designer to create designs faster and with fewer errors, added Marcano. This is just the next step in our quest for us to build the Gold Standard of EDA libraries.

For more information about Ultra Librarian, go to http://www.ultralibrarian.com or call 585.334.6001.

About EMA Design Automation, Inc.

EMA Design Automation is a trailblazer in product development solutions offering a complete range of EDA tools, PLM integrations, services, training, and technical support. EMA is a Cadence Channel Partner serving all of North America. EMA develops Ultra Librarian, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, CIP, EDABuilder, and a host of custom solutions to enhance the OrCAD products, and all are distributed through a worldwide network of value added resellers. EMA is a privately held corporation headquartered in Rochester, New York. Visit EMA at http://www.ema-eda.com for more information.

EMA Design Automation, TimingDesigner, CircuitSpace, EDABuilder, Ultra Librarian and the EMA and Ultra Librarian logos are registered trademarks, and Component Information Portal is a trademark of EMA Design Automation, Inc.

Cadence, Allegro, and OrCAD are registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc.

All other trademarks in this release are the property of their respective owners.
Opex and RapidScale helped us implement a proven and tested disaster recovery plan for data and mission-critical business applications.

RapidScale, a leader in managed cloud services, today announced a strategic partnership with Opex Technologies, a hybrid technology brokerage and advisor for cloud, data center, security and network solutions located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The partnership enables the companies to offer a full portfolio of managed cloud services, including Desktop as a Service (DaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS), to the small to mid-size enterprise market in North Carolina and greater southeast region. Businesses have access to cloud services delivered by IT and technology experts with 24x7x365 support, management and enterprise-grade infrastructure, regardless of size or industry. In addition to managed cloud services, companies also have the unique opportunity for representation during critical technology decisions for greater efficiency, accountability and value.

The two companies have already demonstrated success, recently serving the North Carolina Sheriffs Association, a local organization operating from a building they had to vacate due to a historic five-alarm fire that occurred in downtown Raleigh in March 2017. At that time, NCSA hosted its servers on-site and, as a result of the fire, its entire IT environment, including core applications and internal data center, was taken offline. The organizations backup platform was not optimally configured, so the full recovery process took months, causing a major disruption to business and affecting all of their employees.

Opex and RapidScale helped us implement a proven and tested disaster recovery plan for data and mission-critical business applications, said Edmond Caldwell, Jr., executive vice president and general counsel, NCSA. The companies have become trusted advisors through this process as they have worked to analyze our unique needs and determine the right solution to help us recover from this event and develop a more strategic, long-term IT strategy.

Opex analyzed potential solutions, providers and costs to help NCSA stabilize and implement next-generation technology to recover and drive its business forward. Together, Opex and RapidScale designed and executed a fully-managed cloud solution to address the points of failure often found in traditional on-site infrastructure, and now provide day-to-day IT support and resources for critical IT decisions.

With todays simpler and more affordable cloud and DRaaS solutions and providers, every business should invest in a DR plan before its too late, commented Rich Nowalk, COO, Opex Technologies. Partnering with RapidScale allows us to expand our expertise and improve our value model to help clients fully maximize their technology investments.

In collaboration with Opex, were able to serve the North Carolina and southeastern markets with our signature reliable and trustworthy managed cloud computing services, now with a local presence in their own backyard, noted Bob Buchanan, executive vice president, sales and marketing, RapidScale. Were excited to be working with a company that embodies our same passion for helping clients meet their long-term strategic technology goals.

About RapidScale

RapidScale, a managed cloud services provider, delivers world-class, secure, and reliable cloud computing solutions to companies of all sizes across the globe. Its state-of-the-art managed CloudDesktop platform and market-leading cloud solutions are the reasons why RapidScale is the provider of choice for leading MSOs, VARs, MSPs, Carriers and Master Agents throughout the United States. RapidScale is not only delivering a service but also innovating advanced solutions and applications for the cloud computing space. RapidScales innovative solutions include CloudServer, CloudDesktop, CloudOffice, CloudMail, CloudRecovery, CloudApps, and more. For more information on RapidScale, visit http://www.rapidscale.net.

About Opex Technologies

Opex Technologies is a trusted technology advisor for all things cloud, data center, security and network. We advise, research, negotiate, implement and support operating expense technology solutions every day. We take what is a very complex, time consuming process and simplify it. We do the research daily and analyze the providers. We know how to lower technology solution costs. Since 2004, we have provided over 800 clients with the market knowledge and data to simplify technology decisions and implement these solutions. As the technology industry changes, were on the front lines. Your business should be too. For more information, please visit http://www.opextechnologies.com.

Media Contact

Sommer Figone | Marketing Manager

Marketing(at)rapidscale(dot)net
The University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) announced today the launch of the Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review program to recognize colleges and universities that demonstrate consistent excellence throughout their online programs. Through the program, UPCEA's National Council for Online Education will evaluate online education programs using a rigorous seven-part review process and, in partnership with Credly's pioneering digital credential platform, issue digital badges to qualifying colleges and universities to mark their achievement.

"In order to keep pace with rapid changes in technology and resulting in-demand skills, learners need access to education. To meet this need, it is more important than ever that institutions provide quality online education programs," said Julie Uranis, Vice President for Online and Strategic Initiatives, UPCEA and Managing Director, National Council for Online Leadership. "With the launch of our Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review program, UPCEA is committing to working closely with institutions to identify and recognize high-quality online offerings, and partnering with Credly extends that commitment in the way we publicly acknowledge institutions that demonstrate excellence through the review process."

The Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review evaluates seven key aspects of online education programs, including internal advocacy, entrepreneurial initiative, and faculty support. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is the first institution to successfully complete this review process and receive a digital badge in recognition of its high quality online education models and techniques.

"The UPCEA Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review was an incredibly valuable, comprehensive, and robust process that all institutions aspiring to take their online education units to the next level should seriously consider undertaking. From the self-assessment submission to the personalized committee interviews, the information gleaned was invaluable," said Jason Ruckert, Vice Chancellor of Online Education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Worldwide Campus. "We're very proud to be the first to successfully complete the review process, receive our badge, and have the hard work of our faculty and administrators be recognized."

Credly Founder and CEO Jonathan Finkelstein commented: "Credly is dedicated to making it easy to award, share, and recognize achievements. We're proud to power the digital credentials for UPCEA and the Hallmarks of Excellence in Online Leadership Review program, and to be part of celebrating the success of universities like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University that provide exceptional online learning opportunities."

###

About Credly

Credly is a leading digital credential service provider, helping the world recognize lifelong achievement with the most popular platforms for verifying, sharing, and managing digital credentials and badges. The enterprise-class system allows organizations to officially verify skills and competencies; distribute portable and secure digital credentials and open badges; and gain actionable data and insights. Thousands of education institutions, industry associations, employers, and workforce development programs use Credly to make achievements visible. https://credly.com.

About UPCEA

UPCEA is the leading association for professional, continuing, and online education. Founded in 1915, UPCEA now serves most of the leading public and private colleges and universities in North America. For 100 years, the association has served its members with innovative conferences and specialty seminars, research and benchmarking information, professional networking opportunities, and timely publications. UPCEA launched the National Council for Online Education in 2017. Learn more at upcea.edu.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation, aerospace, engineering, and related degree programs. The university is also a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities, and government agencies. A nonprofit, independent institution, Embry-Riddle offers more than 80 baccalaureate, master's, and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering, and Security & Intelligence. The university educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and through online programs. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
Windstar Cruises' 212-passenger Star Legend anchors off Patong Bay in Phuket, Thailand. Windstar is able to do so many things in Asia that only small ships can do, we can sail up rivers and dock in the central areas of Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok. We can anchor off Patong Bay in Phuket and visit the world's best beaches like Palawan. ~ President John Delaney

Windstar Cruises second season for the 212-passenger Star Legend in Asia kicks off in the fall of 2018 after her inaugural Alaska season this summer. The return to Asia for Windstar in 2018/19 will bring four new cruises, as well as the recurrence of four of the companys most popular cruises from its 2017/18 season sailing in the region for a total of 27 sailings for travelers to choose from. Windstar has increased departures for popular Japan cruises timed with its famous cherry blossom season and spectacular fall foliage. New Asia itineraries include a comprehensive exploration of greater China; an Asian pop culture journey from Tokyo to South Korea and Beijing; a Thailand and Malaysia cruise big on beaches and big cities; and a new itinerary discovering Indonesia, including magical Bali.

Windstar is able to do so many things in Asia that only small ships can do, says Windstar President John Delaney. We can sail up rivers and dock in the central areas of Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, and Bangkok. We can anchor off Patong Bay in Phuket, Thailand and small islands in Indonesia like Pulau Bawean on the Java Sea. We visit small ports in the Philippines giving our guests access to places found at the top of Conde Nast Travelers Best Islands and Best Beaches lists. Places like Palawan, home to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, one of the new seven natural world wonders, and beautiful Boracay with white sand beaches perfect for snorkeling. All of our itineraries are carefully crafted by knowledgeable experts with scenic cruising and active exploration in mind. Our new Star Collector sailings have been extremely popular, they combine in-depth itineraries into longer back-to-back sailings, meaning real time for travelers to discover ancient traditions and contemporary cultures.

Windstar also offers a variety of pre- and post-cruise packages in Asia, including a foray to Angkor Wat from Bangkok and a visit to Beijings Great Wall. In addition, Windstar offers more than 200 shore excursions in Asia in 2018/19, including experiences like visiting a traditional Malay home, exploring Komodo National Park on foot, and participating in a night tour of Shanghai with dinner on The Bund (Asia's most famous street).

The following new 2018-19 Asia cruises are now open for booking:

Comprehensive Indonesia Exploration

The 11-day Singapore to Bali (Benoa) (or reverse) cruise includes notable stops in Jakarta and Semarang in Indonesia, where guests can explore Dutch trading buildings in the Old Quarter or a day trip to Borobudur, the Buddhist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to the 8th century. Guests can take a stroll along alabaster-sand beaches on Bali or check out the steaming vents on restless Mount Bromo, one of Indonesias most spectacular volcanoes. This cruise is the best way to dive in-depth to the culture, breathtaking landscapes, and Komodo dragons of Indonesia. And for relaxing, Windstar offers two beach days on two small islands  Pulau Bawean and Pulau Menyawakan, remote locations where only small ships and ferries go

unless you charter a flight. The cruise occurs over the Christmas and New Years holidays, with Christmas Day in Jakarta and New Years Eve in Komodo National Park.

Thai Temples, Malaysian Monarchs

The 11-day Bangkok to Singapore cruise sails along the coasts of Thailand, Malaysia, and China and is perfect for those big on beaches and natural beauty as well as contemporary urban wonders. Ports alternate between relaxing and exploring in off the beaten path beaches and buzzing metropolises, and an overnight in Phuket means time for dining, dancing, or watching nightlife beneath the neon glow of a thriving waterfront along Patong Bay. Guests can dine on pungent durian or warm naan bread paired with spicy tandoori chicken among the varied and distinct aromas of the Jonkers Walk street food and restaurant fare in Malacca. Vault skyward in a double-decker elevator to the breathtaking observation deck on the 86th floor of Petronas Towers high above Kuala Lumpur. Snorkel or swim off the quiet shores of an isolated beach near Langkawi. This cruise concludes among the buzzing scooters and towering skyscrapers in thriving Singapore.

Comprehensive China Exploration

The 11-day cruise from Hong Kong to Beijing (or reverse) visits the four major cities in greater China, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei, with overnights in both Shanghai and Hong Kong for extra exploration. The cruise also stops at Ishigaki Island, Japan, known for clear waters and coral reefs and Qingdao, China  the home of Tsingtao Beer and a former German outpost/colony. Soak in powder blue hot springs and taste the umami of oyster pancakes and stinky tofu offered by Taiwanese street vendors. Climb the Great Wall for an unparalleled view of Chinas past and to the Star Bar for an unparalleled view of your yacht in the present.

Pop Culture Kings of Asia

The 11-day cruise from Tokyo to Beijing (or reverse) is a balance of big, modern cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul (via Busan), and Beijing in addition to smaller and more off-the-beaten path places like Karatsu, Japan and Tamano/Uno port in the Inland Sea of Japan. J-pop, Harajuku culture, and Korean dramas are born from the center of Asian pop culture  Japan and South Korea, and on this sailing, Windstar guests can shop up a storm in the largest underground mall in Seoul and admire the lasting grace of geishas with overnights in Busan and Osaka. But perhaps the most stunning experience is taking in the view cruising the Inland Sea and mixing equal parts pop culture and cultural heritage throughout the journey.

Longer sailings such as the returning Star Collector: The Grandeur of Southeast Asia, a 26-day cruise from Singapore to Bangkok (or reverse) combine Windstars most popular itineraries for an even more in-depth exploration of each region and multiple country visits. Star Collector Voyages in Asia range from 14- to 47-days, feature few repeat ports to hidden harbors and classic cities, guest speakers, free daily laundry and unpacking once, the ultimate in convenience allowing more time to get closer to the diverse places the ship will visit.

New for 2018/19 in Asia for Windstar are Star Collector: Shrines and Cities of Asia, a 22-day cruise from Tokyo to Hong Kong; and Star Collector: Epic East Asia, a 47-day cruise from Bangkok to Tokyo departing Feb. 8, 2019.

Four itineraries in Asia that Windstar is offering again include Grand Japan, a 10-day voyage perfectly timed for fall colors and cherry blossom seasons  arguably the two best times to be in Japan; Icons of Southeast Asia, a slightly shortened 12-day cruise from Hong Kong to Bangkok (and reverse); The Best of the Philippines & Borneo, a 14-day cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong; and Malay & Singapore Sojourn, a seven-day Singapore round-trip cruise that now features an overnight in Phuket (new for 2018).

To learn more about authentic small ship cruising with Windstar, contact a travel professional or Windstar Cruises by phone at 877-958-7718, or visit http://www.windstarcruises.com.

###

Editors note: Imagery available for download here: https://windstarcruises.webdamdb.com/bp/#/assets

About Windstar Cruises:

Windstar Cruises operates a six-ship fleet of small sailing and all-suite ships visiting hundreds global ports in 2018 and 2019 sailing throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, Asia, Alaska, Canada and New England, and cruising year-round in Tahiti. Windstars fleet is the market leader in small ship cruising with a total of 1,242 passenger berths calling on off-the-beaten-path and popular ports in over 60 countries. The boutique cruise line carries fewer than 310 passengers on its small ships and takes travelers on cruises that are 180 degrees from ordinary. They are known for their immersive and authentic experiences, unique, port-intensive itineraries, exceptional award-winning service, and innovative culinary program as the Official Cruise Line of the James Beard Foundation. Windstar Cruises is a part of Xanterra Travel Collection, an award-winning, globally diversified travel company offering once in a lifetime experiences in some of the most beautiful and iconic places on earth.
The Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge Team We are honored by this recognition and are using it to inspire us to do even more for our customers each day.

Every year, Dealer Raters Dealer of the Year Award program recognizes a select number of car dealerships in the US and Canada. The award is meant to recognize dealerships for outstanding customer service. Locally, this award has gone to Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge. Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge has won the Dealer of the Year award for 3 years in a row.

Dealer Rater awards each dealership a Power Score based on customer reviews as posted on the Dealer Rater website. Dealers who have the highest Power Rating  in their brand category, both at national levels and at state or provincial levels, are eligible to win the award. To be considered for a Dealer of the Year award the dealership must also receive a minimum of 25 reviews on Dealer Rater for the calendar year, receive an average minimum star rating of 4 out of 5 on Dealer Rater, and receive at least one new review on Dealer Rater per quarter. They must not be a blacklisted dealership.

Dealer Rater calculates each dealers Power Rating with the help of a Bayesian algorithm which considers both the dealerships star rating and the number of reviews customers have written about the dealership during the calendar year.

Dealer Rater has run the Dealer of the Year Award program since 2009. Theyve also expanded the program to include the Dealer Rater Customer Satisfaction Awards. Customer Satisfaction award winners must meet all the requirements from the Dealer of the Year program, as well as three others: they must also be one of the top 10% US franchise dealers based on their Power Score, one of the top 10% used car dealerships in the US or one of the top 10% car dealerships in Canada.

Current Dealer of the Year recipients are also eligible to receive the Consumer Satisfaction Award.

Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge also won a Consumer Satisfaction Award for the past three years. Our customers are critical. Were pleased they feel inspired enough to leave the reviews on Dealer Rater that have made us eligible for this award, says Nick Pentas, Co-owner and General Manager of Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge. We are honored by this recognition and are using it to inspire us to do even more for our customers each day.

For more information, visit https://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Mercedes-Benz-of-Baton-Rouge or contact Nick Pentas at (225) 490-3133, or visit http://www.mbobr.com.

About Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge

Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge continues to offer outstanding customer service and fine Mercedes-Benz vehicles to drivers in South Louisiana.

Contact:

Nick Pentas

General Manager/Co-Owner

Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge

(225) 490-3133

http://www.mbobr.com

MBOBR Facebook Page
Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(ST. LOUIS) -- President Donald Trump on Wednesday visited workers at a Boeing facility in St. Louis, just weeks after reaching an "informal" $3.9 billion agreement with the company for two new planes to serve as Air Force One.



The president is set to tour Boeing's testing and finishing facility, and afterward participate in a roundtable with local business owners and several Boeing mechanics.



The trip comes two weeks after the White House announced the president had reached an "informal deal with Boeing on a fixed-price contract for the new Air Force One Program." The White House claimed the president saved "more than $1.4 billion" in his negotiations with Boeing executives -- from what it said was Boeing's $5 billion price tag -- although the president had previously said the estimate for the two planes was "more than $4 billion."



A month after his election, the president threatened to cancel the order due to what he said was the excessive price tag.



The president's visit also comes following his announcement last week imposing steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which has set off fears among U.S. trading partners of a potential trade war. Some economists have pointed out that Boeing could be one of many U.S. companies particularly vulnerable in the event of a trade war, because it sells 80 percent of its commercial planes abroad.



The company is also one of many that announced hundreds of millions in bonuses for workers following passage of the GOP tax plan.



After his stop at the Boeing facility, the president will attend a joint fundraiser nearby, after spending Tuesday evening at a fundraiser in Los Angeles estimated to have raised $5 million.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
#Chuseok Seoul-bound traffic jammed as S. Koreans return after Chuseok Long lines of vehicles formed on South Korea's major highways Tuesday as millions of people headed back to Seoul after celebrating the Chuseok holiday with their families in their ...

#Chuseok S. Korean troops on overseas missions celebrate Chuseok South Korean soldiers deployed overseas celebrated the Chuseok holiday with various activities but without events inviting guests due to coronavirus concerns, the Joint Chiefs of S...
Unanimous AI is a Silicon Valley company that has pioneered Swarm AI technology, a new form of AI that combines real-time human insights and AI algorithms modeled after natural swarms. At Unanimous AI, were working very hard to build super-intelligent systems that are not just remarkably smart, they incorporate human values, emotions, and sensibilities as an inherent part of the system.

The SXSW Innovation Awards celebrate the most forward-thinking developments in the connected world. These prestigious honors are given out in 13 categories each year from Medical and Media, to Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence, as well as an overall Best in Show award given to the most impactful innovation.

This year, the Best in Show award went to Unanimous AI, which also won top honors in the AI and Machine Learning category. The company has pioneered a new form of AI known as Artificial Swarm Intelligence or Swarm AI. Modeled after swarms in nature, the technology connects groups of people into real-time closed-loop systems, amplifying human intelligence. Sometimes referred to as an artificial Hive Mind, the technology developed by Unanimous has the potential to create super-intelligent systems that inherently maintains human values, emotions, and interests.

Unanimous AI is well known for taking on high-profile challenges from journalists to demonstrate the power of its Swarm AI technology. From accurately predicting Kentucky Derby Superfecta, to perfectly forecasting Trumps 100-day approval rating before he even took office, Unanimous regularly makes headlines for its predictive intelligence. Just last week Unanimous forecast the winners of the 90th Academy Awards with 94% accuracy, out-performing all major movie experts. Unanimous achieved this stunning accuracy by connecting 40 average movie fans into a real-time swarm intelligence, moderated by AI algorithms, harnessing their combined knowledge, wisdom, insights, and intuition into a unified optimized output.

Swarm Intelligence, the science behind this technology, goes back to the birds and the bees. In fact, it goes to all creatures that amplify their group intelligence by forming flocks, schools, colonies, and swarms. Across countless species, nature show us that by forming closed-loop systems, groups can produce insights that greatly exceed the abilities of any individual member. While humans have not evolved this ability naturally, Swarm AI technology enables it artificially, allowing groups to amplify their intelligence by forming real-time swarms.

At Unanimous AI, were working very hard to build super-intelligent systems that are not just remarkably smart, they incorporate human values, emotions, and sensibilities as an inherent part of the system, said Dr. Louis Rosenberg, CEO and Chief Scientist. We believe thats the safest path forward for the world of AI, and we honored that the judges at SXSW recognize the importance.

In addition to being the top winner of the Innovation Awards, Unanimous AI held a live session at SXSW where it built a real-time Swarm AI system comprised of SXSW conference attendees. The swarm generated optimized insights, answering questions suggested by luminaries across many fields including Katie Couric, Matt Damon and Gary White, and the MIT Media Lab.

About Unanimous AI

Unanimous AI is a Silicon Valley company that has pioneered Swarm AI technology, a new form of AI that combines real-time human insights and AI algorithms modeled after natural swarms. Unanimous has generated an impressive track record of predictions, forecasts and insights. The companys technology has outperformed traditional AI systems and human experts in many high-profile challenges. Learn more here: unanimous.ai

Unanimous works with corporate clients and leading organizations through its Swarm Insight business intelligence service. Swarm Insight helps clients amplify the intelligence of consumer groups as well as amplify the intelligence of business teams to help make better decisions. Learn more here: unanimous.ai/swarm-insight



###
From left, seniors Marissa Bennett, Ken Quartuccio, and Jeff Tolbert with the Action Trackchair they are using as the base for their security robot For this challenge, there are so many aspects to the functioning of a security robot that there are multiple goals in this one problem." James Gilland, research team manager, Ohio Aerospace Institute

A team of undergraduates at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has taken on a challenge to turn a wheelchair into an autonomous security robot that could help protect unmanned installations, like missile silos, for the United States Air Force.

With just a tracked all-terrain wheelchair, or trackchair, and about $8,000 for supplies, the three students are building the proof-of-concept robot with the goal of demonstrating technology the Air Force one day could use to safeguard thousands of unmanned bases, such as missile silos, around the world. The military wants to have robots at these bases that can respond to and investigate intrusion alarms and other warnings within two minutes.

The Air Force, which has been offering student-based, high-tech competitions for about 10 years, ran the autonomous security robot challenge for the first time in 2017, when three teams competed against each other. Each made advances, but ultimately ran into an obstacle they couldnt overcome. No winner was named.

This year, the WPI team was the only one to accept this particular challenge. While that removes the competitive aspect of the event, the Air Force is still looking forward to seeing what kinds of innovations the WPI students can develop, according to James Gilland, a research team manager at Ohio Aerospace Institute, which is running the challenge for the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The path for the program is not necessarily for the students to hand over a finished product that the Air Force will use as is, Gilland said. For this challenge, there are so many aspects to the functioning of a security robot that there are multiple goals in this one problem. Even if youre the only one in the challenge, youre winning if youre advancing the technology in a new and unique way.

Equipped with off-the-shelf sensors, cameras, and video equipment, the robot must be able to unplug itself from a charging base station, then quickly and autonomously navigate to the spot where the intrusion was detected. Once at the site, the robot must be able to transmit photos and video of whats happening therewhether it is an actual human intrusion or another issue, such as a tree down on a fenceto an Air Force base, where humans will decide if security guards need to be dispatched.

To achieve these goals, the WPI team is building algorithms for autonomy, machine learningbased vision processing, and navigation, while also fabricating a sensor suite, a base charging station, and a communication network. The team has installed sensors and cameras, has set up a controller, and has been working on teleoperation controls. The students are expected to demonstrate their security robot this spring at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio.

The WPI team taking on the challenge consists of seniors Marissa Bennett, who is pursuing a major in robotics engineering and a minor in computer science; Ken Quartuccio, a robotics engineering major; and Jeff Tolbert, who is double-majoring in robotics engineering and electrical and computer engineering. The students are participating in the challenge as their Major Qualifying Project, MQP, a team-based, professional-level design and research experience that all WPI undergraduates must complete.

Kenneth Stafford a teaching professor and director of the universitys Robotics Resource Center, and Alexander Wyglinski, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, are advisors for the project.

Bennett said one of the challenges the team is facing is how to keep the robot moving at its top speed, given the added weight of the sensors and cameras and the extra power those componts will consume. The most significant challenge may be equipping the robot to work in a wide range of temperatures and environments.

The robot itself has to be thermally equipped to maintain a lot of different electronics onboard, she explained. It needs to keep them at a stable operating temperature, whether its below zero or in extreme heat, so the robot can function no matter where it is. For instance, were coming up with a way for the robot to cool itself by pushing air through itself as its moving.

Gilland added he is hopeful the WPI team will find innovative ways to make the robot see, sense its surroundings, maneuver, and guide itself. Hes even eager to see how they will make sure the robot simply does not tip over in difficult terrain. The part that will be useful for us is to see which algorithms work better than what the Air Force has been working on, he said.

Action Trackchair Inc., a Minnesota-based company that builds all-terrain mobility chairs, provided a trackchair for the students to use in the challenge. The device is designed to move over dirt, grass, and snow, as well as through water.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nations first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees. WPI's talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Projects Program. There are more than 40 WPI project centers throughout the Americas, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe.

Contact:

Andy Baron

Associate Director of Public Relations

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

508-831-5916, ajbaron(at)wpi(dot)edu
"Accepting bitcoin is a no brainer. Its simply another way to realize the benefits of new technology, and Im an advocate of staying ahead of the curve versus behind it. said candidate Michael Allman.

Michael Allman, a Congressional candidate for Californias 52nd District, is now accepting bitcoin donations. You can donate to Allman using bitcoin here:

https://allmanforcongress.com/bitcoin/

Bitcoin is a digital cryptocurrency based on an innovative peer-to-peer network called a blockchain.

Allmans Digital Democracy platform empowers constituents to vote on issues via an online voting system secured through blockchain technology. He pledges to vote with the people issue-by-issue.

Accepting bitcoin is a no brainer. Its simply another way to realize the benefits of new technology, and Im an advocate of staying ahead of the curve versus behind it said candidate Michael Allman.

Allman joins only a handful of other candidates that have accepted bitcoin, including Rand Paul in his 2016 Presidential bid, and Austin Petersen, Republican candidate for Senate from Missouri.

About Michael Allman

Michael Allman, a Congressional Candidate for Californias 52nd District, is a long-time San Diego County resident. Hes an experienced businessman with a distinguished career spanning technology, energy, and international businesses. His platform advocates for the adoption of the principles of Digital Direct Democracy to hold elected officials accountable to their constituents. Michael currently resides in North San Diego with his wife, Lee Ann Allman.
A rendering of the new Inductee exhibit inside of the Hall of Fame The Hall of Fame completely reimagines how inductees are presented in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is getting ready to shine in the spotlight when its induction ceremony returns to Cleveland next month. Adding to the Rock Week excitement, the new Hall of Fame, an entire floor celebrating Inductees, opens April 7 during Celebration Day at the Museum with free admission. It cranks up the fan engagement and gives Rock Hall visitors a chance to voice their choice for who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The new experiences cap off the latest phase of the Rock Halls multi-year, multi-million-dollar transformation, which included the opening of the Power of Rock Experience in the Connor Theatre this past summer.

The Hall of Fame completely reimagines how inductees are presented in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The items are brought to life through storytelling, dramatic new displays, floor-to-ceiling video screens, interactive presentations of fan-favorite inductee moments, an artist signature wall, directional audio, a real-time LED news ticker and an In Memoriam dedication. The new floor also features the 2018 Inductee exhibit that shares stories about the impact and influence of this years class, which honors Bon Jovi, The Cars, Dire Straits, The Moody Blues, Nina Simone and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

The Rock Hall is also giving visitors new ways to have their voices heard. Over the summer, the new Say It Loud! story booths, powered by PNC Bank, gave fans the unprecedented opportunity to be interviewed about their favorite rock moments by inductees including Smokey Robinson, Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & The Papas, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Alice Cooper and others.



Now, using new interactive voting stations, visitors can voice their choice and submit suggestions about which artists should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. A digital leaderboard will show fans which artists are receiving the most fan votes throughout the year.

The Power of Rock Experience in the Connor Theatre, which is a part of the new Hall of Fame, hosts an epic signature experience featuring concert-quality sound, larger-than-life video screens and fan interactivity. Visitors feel every beat, hear every chord and are wowed by a powerful film of incredible induction moments directed by Academy Award winner Jonathan Demme.

Also, on March 16, a new exhibit occupying the space previously held by the Inductee exhibit in the Ahmet Ertegun main exhibition hall, called Shine a Light: New Acquisitions and Spotlight Artifacts, will be opened to the public. It showcases many of the Rock Halls newest acquisitions, many of which were donated by the artists themselves. Some of the first items on display include Jerry Lee Lewiss piano, an outfit worn by P!nk, drumheads from Tre Cool, and a guitar donated by Robert Lamm of Chicago. The space will be updated frequently to highlight touring artists, national holidays, important dates in music history and inductee birthdays.

For more information about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the 2018 Rock Hall Induction Ceremony and other upcoming events, visit rockhall.com.

About the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:

Rock connects us. Our mission is clear: To engage, teach and inspire through the power of rock and roll. We share stories of the people, events and songs that shape our world through exhibits, innovative programs and concerts. Join the millions who love it as much as you do. Experience us live or online  Visit rockhall.com or Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@rockhall). Long Live Rock!

###
We understand that the discoveries made in the lab are only as effective as our ability to communicate these developments to patients and their loved ones, said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer of the Lymphoma Research Foundation.

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF)  the nations largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding the most promising young lymphoma investigators and serving the lymphoma community through exceptional education  has announced the launch of its redesigned website, lymphoma.org. The new online platform was designed based on the feedback of lymphoma patients, caregivers, and physicians, in order to better address the needs of this diverse population.

Each year, more than one million people access the Lymphoma Research Foundations digital resources. The fully responsive lymphoma.org is designed to give patients access to todays most comprehensive lymphoma-specific information in any format, from anywhere. Whether newly diagnosed, in remission, or a long-term survivor, the Lymphoma Research Foundation created the new lymphoma.org to help guide patients and their loved ones through their journey with lymphoma.

We understand that the discoveries made in the lab are only as effective as our ability to communicate these developments to patients and their loved ones, said Meghan Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer of the Lymphoma Research Foundation. The Lymphoma Research Foundation has always been the trusted source for scientifically reviewed, up-to-date information, but the robust features and simplified navigation of this website will allow patients, caregivers, and physicians more direct access to the information they need at their fingertips.

The mobile-friendly website features updated disease-specific information for patients and their loved ones, grant opportunities for researchers, and fundraising platforms for supporters. LRF used key website analytics to redesign critical features with the patient-perspective in mind, including simplified navigation to help them learn about various lymphoma subtypes, quick links to answer: what is lymphoma, what resources are available and what can I do to help, and options to easily connect with the LRF Helpline.

A lymphoma diagnosis can be overwhelming for patients and their loved ones but having access to comprehensive and current information about their disease can be empowering. That is why the Lymphoma Research Foundation has redesigned our website  to make it easier for our visitors to find what they need when they need it, said Peggy Ann Torney, LRF Chief Strategy, Communications and Engagement Officer. LRFs patient- and caregiver-centered approach was central to developing this new site. We hope visitors find the new lymphoma.org informative and, perhaps most importantly, hopeful.

The new website also features enables lymphoma researchers to stay abreast of grant opportunities and makes it easier for healthcare professionals to register for CME programs and bulk order LRFs materials for their offices. In support of its dual mission of eradicating lymphoma and serving those touched by this disease, the new lymphoma.org focuses on helping the entire lymphoma community navigate the intricacies of a blood cancer diagnosis by delivering the most exceptional resources to those impacted by lymphoma.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nations largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded more than $60 million in lymphoma-specific research. For additional information on LRFs research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org.

###
Beverly Hills is often regarded as the hub of plastic surgery due to its proximity to the movie and television stars of Los Angeles and Hollywood. - Senior Editor of Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town, an online plastic surgery and information community based in Los Angeles, is helping patients looking to make a youthful change in their facial appearance. As part of this effort, they recently published a list of the Best Facelift Doctors in Beverly Hills on their website.

According to the senior editor of Cosmetic Town, Beverly Hills is often regarded as the hub of plastic surgery due to its proximity to the movie and television stars of Los Angeles and Hollywood. Because of this reputation, patients travel from all over the country to refresh and rejuvenate their facial appearance with a facelift.

The senior editor added, A facelift reduces wrinkles as well as other signs of aging on a patient. The plastic surgeon lifts and tightens the underlying facial muscles to create a more contoured appearance that is also aesthetically pleasing. There are multiple facelift techniques available to patients so it is important to find a board-certified doctor who can examine a person and determine the best facelift option to achieve the desired results.

When it came time to choose the doctors on the list, the senior editor described the process used by Cosmetic Town. He said, The field of cosmetic surgery was the focus of our research staff. They also used an intelligent algorithm to choose the doctors. Besides the skill level of the doctors, consumer research was also performed to determine the amount of satisfaction patients have with their doctors. Plus, the number of articles written by the doctors in their continuing efforts to educate the public regarding their medical specialty was also examined.

According to the senior editor, none of the doctors exerted any influence on the final decision of which doctors made the list. The senior editor said Cosmetic Town does not accept any form of compensation from the doctors who appear on the list. Our lists are designed to help patients more easily locate doctors who specialize in providing natural looking, and medically superior results, in the city of Beverly Hills.

About Cosmetic Town

Cosmetic Town is an online cosmetic medicine publication that also features doctors who were endorsed and highly recommended by their peers. This reliable and streamlined database allows users to easily navigate the website and access the information they need with just a click of a button. Users can also stay informed and get the latest news on plastic surgery by reading the regularly updated news section. Visiting the forum page is also another way for users to stay engaged and keep each other up to date.
Azanechiller 2.0 Azane's low charge ammonia packaged systems are ideal for projects where the customer wishes to benefit from the efficiency of ammonia while avoiding the complexity and regulatory requirements often associated with central ammonia systems or other synthetic refrigerant based alternatives.

Low charge ammonia chiller and freezer manufacturer, Azane Inc, is gearing up to exhibit at the IIAR 2018 Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo on 18th-21st March. Hosted at the Broadmoor Hotel and Resort in Colorado Springs, the conference is set to showcase groundbreaking industry trends from across the globe. With over 150 exhibitors, the event is the largest exhibition for natural refrigeration and ammonia professionals, attracting over 1,000 attendees.

Azane Inc will be showcasing its Azanefreezer and its brand new and state of the art Azanechiller 2.0 which has doubled the part load efficiency of its predecessor and improved the simplicity and flexibility for ammonia in a number of new applications.

Caleb Nelson, Vice President Business Development of Azane Inc said, Were excited to be sharing with the industry the benefits of our new products. The Azanechiller 2.0 and Azanefreezer are gaining more momentum in the hvac, food manufacturing, beverage production and cold storage warehouse industries, especially in California, where natural, efficient, and low-risk options are sorely needed."

"The IIAR Natural Refrigeration Conference attracts a huge mix of delegates and we enjoy talking to contractors, consultants, end users, and other friends in the industry.

At the IIAR booth Azane's parent company Star Refrigeration will be represented by David Blackhurst, Director of the companys technical consultancy group, Star Technical Solutions, who has worked on the IIAR Board of Directors. Blackhurst said,Everyone involved in cooling projects needs to understand the business case for every part of the jobincluding what equipment they purchase and what the impact is on the ownership costs.

With global efforts to phase down the use of HFC refrigerants, there is an opportunity for natural refrigerants such as ammonia and CO2 to take centre stage. There has been progress made in the US as energy efficiency and safe, long term refrigerant use drives more and more business decisions. A more holistic view is now being taken, which is continuing to drive interest in low charge ammonia options such as those offered by Azane Inc.

Nelson added, Azane's low charge ammonia packaged systems are ideal for projects where the client wishes to benefit from the efficiency of ammonia while avoiding the complexity and regulatory requirements often associated with central ammonia systems or other synthetic refrigerant based alternatives.

In addition to promoting its low charge ammonia solutions, Azane will also be hosting an Apple watch giveaway at its booth. The company are asking delegates to fill out a short survey to assess general awareness of the R22 phaseout, restrictions on the use of HFCs and low charge ammonia technology.

If youd like to enter the prize draw but cannot attend the conference, take the survey online: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/G33XX5X

The IIAR 2018 Natural Refrigeration Conference & Expo takes place March 18-21 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visit the Azane at booth number 120.

To find out more about the event go to: https://www.iiar.org/IIAR/WCM/Events/Annual_Conference/WCM/Events/2018_Conference/2018_Annual%20Conference.aspx?hkey=294e9a3c-1dbe-4c95-9afd-837dcfa7b43c

To find out more about Azane Inc and the companys innovative ammonia Azanechillers and Azanefreezers go to: http://www.azane-inc.com/

About Azane Inc

Azane is a world-leading manufacturer specializing in low charge ammonia refrigeration solutions.Azanes range of packaged systems all operate using ammonia  a naturally occurring refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential and zero global warming potential.Azane are part of the Star Refrigeration Group and manufacture for the US market in Chambersburg, PA.

Azane Inc has recently unveiled Controlled Azane Inc (CAz) which is their new vehicle based out of Tustin, California bringing the Azanefreezer to market in the cold-storage industry nation-wide. CAz has just returned from the AFFI (American Frozen Food Institute) conference in Las Vegas, Nevada where the interest in new cooling solutions to reduce operating costs and improve risk management was overwhelmingly prevalent.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

When Christian Coxens camera bit the dust in Mexico this past September, he felt like hed lost a limb.

But as the 25-year-old would say, Its not really an adventure until something goes wrong. Unfortunately, this particular adventure involved losing that constant companion.

The Port Townsend native has spent several years capturing his excursions to mountains and forests, and oceans and rivers. He plans to talk about how hes merged his two passions, photography and being out of doors, in a 7 p.m. presentation at the Port Townsend Public Library on Thursday, March 15.

The talk is part of the 2018 Community Read, which this year centers on My Old Man and the Mountain by another born-and-bred young local, Leif Whittaker.

I think [Coxens work] very much speaks to what the book is trying to capture, said Keith Darrock, who manages public and technical services at the library, and has known Coxen for many years through their shared interests in surfing and carpentry. He does a lot of really great photography. It takes kind of a special person to get out into those settings.

Coxen first encountered photography in high school. He recalls the first time he watched a picture appear under a chemical bath.

That was when it clicked  he wanted to be a photographer. I just totally fell for it. I knew that was what I wanted to do forever, he said. Its what I do that keeps me alive.

All of his work is outdoor-oriented, documenting his wilderness excursions, including surfing, fly fishing, backpacking, free diving and more. Im trying to create a true grit moment, he said of his photography, which he hopes will connect the viewer to the moment in which the photo was taken.

Darrock commented that Coxens photos are not like the so perfect, theyre unreal shots you often see on Instagram and on the pages of calendars. I think his photography is still kind of raw; he has a real edge.

In his work, Coxen also strives to show his respect for nature. Someday he hopes to use photography as a vehicle to raise funds and awareness of the environment and its preservation.

He also hopes his photos will inspire others to get outside. When I get messages from someone I know, or dont know, that my photos inspired them to go out and do things  thats kind of the best thing, he said. Its truly meditative going [outside], he said, and its important that we take a step away from the everyday.

To see more of Coxens work, visit him online at christiancoxen.com or follow him on Instagram at @christiancoxen. And for those who would like to help Coxen raise money for a new camera, copies of all his photographs are available to order online.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

A Jefferson County resident recently stopped by the Jefferson Museum of Art & History downtown with a piece of pottery, hoping to identify its maker.

They didnt know who had done it, said Jefferson County Historical Society executive director Bill Tennent.

It turned out to be a piece by Port Townsend ceramist Anne Hirondelle.

Some of her very early works look nothing like what she does today, said Tennent.

To help other residents identify and learn more about the local art in their collections, the historical society is hosting a free event, Get Smart About Your Art, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, March 17 at the Cotton Building, 607 Water St., downtown.

The goal of the event is to help community members identify historic local works, educate them on how to care for those works and increase awareness of local art.

Anyone can come, said Tennent. If you do have a piece that youd like identified and you think its local, bring it. These folks are pretty sharp about who has been working here from the very beginning.

Tennent said that pieces he expects to see could include works by Sarah Willoughby, an artist from the 1800s; her daughter, Adeline McCormick; and Harriet Foster Beecher, who ran an art school here.

And plenty of people may have paintings by 1970s artist Tom Wilson. He did portraits of almost everyone in town, just to earn his room and board, Tennent said.

Local art historians are to be on hand to help identify pieces, provide more information about specific pieces of art or artists and answer general questions about Jefferson County art. Examples of art from different eras in Jefferson County from the JCHS collection, spanning the mid-1800s to the present, are on display, and other works can be accessed via JCHSs digital collection.

Conservator Laura Reuter is to be in attendance to offer advice about the condition of any prints, paintings and ceramics brought in. She also plans to demonstrate how to care for art pieces, Tennent said.

A photography booth is to be set up, with art photographer Ann Welch taking photographs of art, copies of which are to be emailed to the owners. With the owners permission, the Jefferson County Historical Society would add the photographs to a database.

Theres so much wonderful art in Jefferson County scattered around peoples homes that I feel were all caretakers of this large collection of art  it just happens to be on our walls, said Jenny Westdal, JCHS president, in a press release.

Those who attend the event receive a free pass to the museum for that day, March 17, so they can see the work of area artists that is currently on display in the Palouse to the Peninsula: Five Northwest Artists Celebrate Painting exhibit.

The six-month exhibit features the art of internationally known Eastern Washington painter Gaylen Hansen, who recently relocated to Whidbey Island; his wife, Heidi Oberbeide; and three of Hansens former graduate students at Washington State University at Pullman in the 1970s. Also displayed is art by husband and wife Frank Samuelson and Susan Lamon, and Linda Okazaki, all of whom live in the Port Townsend area.

PRESERVATION AWARDS

The Jefferson County Historical Society is seeking nominations for its Historic Preservation Awards. These awards honor individuals and organizations that restore original structures or preserve traditions that form the historic fabric of Jefferson County, Tennent said. Nominations for the Historic Preservation Awards are due March 31.

The Mary P. Johnson Award is given to historic structure projects that meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interiors standards for restoration. Certificates of appreciation are given for a variety of preservation and restoration projects and are not limited to physical structures.

Non-structure awards, for example, have been presented to authors of local histories, museum exhibits, cemetery stewards, oral history projects and individuals who have contributed to the preservation of Jefferson County history.

In 2017, awards were presented to Anne Ricker and Scott Abbott for restoration and adaptive use of the Quilcene Friends Church; the Nordland General Store for maintaining a historic neighborhood business; Building 202 at Fort Worden for restoration and adaptive reuse as Peninsula College; and Steve Chapin for carrying on the traditional skill of building Pocock racing shells.

Nomination forms can be found on line at jchsmuseum.com or may be picked up at the JCHS headquarters in City Hall, 540 Water St., Port Townsend.

TOUR GUIDES

JCHS is also seeking tour guides. Tennent welcomes anyone who is interested in local history and likes to share their knowledge with others to join.

We are particularly looking for guides to assist with the downtown walking tours for the upcoming cruise ship shore excursions and for assisting at the Rothschild House Museum during the summer.

Potential guides are encouraged to join the downtown walking tours organized by the Port Townsend Main Street Program and the historical society on March 17 and March 31.

Tour guides can also dress in historic garb. All of our tour guides dress up except for me, said Tennent. He tells visitors hes dressed as a recent retiree, as, he said, history only ended yesterday. The historical society does on occasion have costumes to loan, and can give advice to those looking to make their own costume. For more information, visit jchsmuseum.com or call 360-385-1003.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

Happy Pi Day, the annual celebration created by relating at least two unrelated subjects, like a Porsche engine in a Prius.

Sure, you can do it, but why? Well, they all start with the letter p, thats why.

There is the number pi, which is defined as the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter. This irrational number has been represented by the Greek letter pi since the mid-18th century. Lacking any notable date to celebrate something nerdy, the mathematically knowledgeable members of our society, justifiably needing something to party about, commandeered March 14 as astonishingly appropriate. You see, when rounded to two decimal places, pi is 3.14, and today is March 14, a date you can represent as 3.14.

This ratio has been calculated out to roughly 1 trillion places with no end in sight, making the number pretty special and deserving of a day of its own. So, it is reasonable for most of us to stand up and cheer for good old pi. Naturally, there are also those who want to take it a couple of steps further by going further into the number and celebrating at 1:59 p.m.

You see, as it turns out, pi may go on forever. The number continues on to 3.14159 and much farther. So, why not celebrate at 1:59 p.m. on March 14? Then the question becomes, why not get up at 1:59 a.m. since 1:59 p.m. is actually 13:59 military time, almost 14 hours into the day? Yes, it obviously becomes a party looking for a reason to happen.

You must know the key element of the party. Of course, it is pie. Forget the spelling issue, lets just have a party and eat pie! Blueberry, apple, peach, meat, bacon and egg, banana cream, etc. As far as I know, there are not rules on the kind of pie, just that it is a pie. And then there are T-shirts whose only common denominator is the Greek letter pi. The good news is that the T-shirt makes the mathematically obsessed easy to pick out of a crowd. Watch out for them.

If you dont care to buy either a pie or a T-shirt, why not consider at least one dozen roses from your favorite East Jefferson Rotarian? The details: $20, four colors, free delivery on April 26, support for community, international and scholarship programs! Easy peasy, as they say. If you dont have a favorite Rotarian, contact me, I will find you one.

Big Saint Patricks Day LMC potluck at the Beach Club this Saturday. Be sure to sign up if you have not already. The corned beef, cabbage and potatoes are provided. Jokes from Steve Gross are painful but provided free of charge. To celebrate the day, I offer this observation from William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. Being Irish, he had an abiding sense of tragedy, which sustained him through temporary periods of joy. Of course, he is referring to the joy he experienced whilst celebrating Pi Day!

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week.

Ned Luce writes this column monthly from his home in Port Ludlow, where he is active in the community. He can be reached at nedluce@sbcglobal.net.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

When in conversation and I say the word Rotary, people who dont know me will ask what I mean. Well, I certainly dont mean that old-style phone with the dial that you would spin a number of times with your index finger in order to phone a neighbor or friend. And I certainly dont mean the revolutionary Wankel rotary internal combustion engine.

What Im referring to is Rotary International, a service organization with local branches all over the world. We have at least three Rotary clubs here in East Jefferson County alone.

I belong to The Port Townsend Rotary Club, which meets every Tuesday at noon at The Commons at Fort Worden State Park. Our meetings include cafeteria lunches and some sort of informative presentation by someone outside of our club (it could be a slate of people running for office or the head of Olympic Community Action Programs  you never know). Meetings last about one and a half hours.

Our primary purpose is to serve Rotary International by raising money or serving physically on projects in nations all over the world wherever needed. Did you know that since 1985, Rotary International has contributed more than $1.7 billion toward the eradication of polio? Were almost there, with just a few cases reported last year.

LOCAL CAUSES

We also raise money to support local nonprofits, like Jumping Mouse Childrens Center, JC MASH, the homeless shelter down at the American Legion and many, many others. We raise the funds for these diverse projects and causes through various fundraisers over the course of the year.

Our big event is our gala auction party, held this year on April 7. (Look for large notices in The Leader in the next two issues and on the Rotary bulletin downtown on Taylor Street.) One part of the evenings festivities is something called The Fund-a-Cause, which typically raises $25,000. This years recipient is The Boiler Room, located downtown on Water Street, with the money going for much needed improvements to the building and replacement of outdated appliances. Local hands-on projects include, among others, maintaining and painting the tables and benches at Rotary Park, down by the ferry dock, and along the shoreline path at Point Hudson; and cleaning up roadside trash along part of Jacob Miller Road twice a year.

We are a diverse group of men and women, some working, some retired, with diverse backgrounds and occupations. Our members include Jefferson County Sheriff Dave Stanko and Port Townsend Police Chief Mike Evans, a school superintendent, Realtors, contractors, a documentary filmmaker, lawyers, social workers, a printer and many other occupations represented among them. This diversity leads to new friendships and new points of view as we share with each other over lunch or working side by side on some project. With various club committees to work on, theres some way for everyone to contribute.

If this sounds like something you might be interested in, go online to our website, porttownsendrotary.org, and check us out.

Jonathan Langdon is a three-year member of Port Townsend Rotary. Hes a California transplant and retired general contractor.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

There will be a memorial celebration of life service for Jeanette Best, who died November 30, 2017 at her home in Port Ludlow. The service will be held at the Quimper Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (QUUF) at 2333 San Juan Ave in Port Townsend, on Saturday March 17 at 3 p.m., and is presented in conjunction with Northwind Arts Center, Unity Spiritual Enrichment Center and the QUUF.

Jeanette was born to Swedish immigrant parents, obtained a BA from the University of Wisconsin and an MA in Creative Arts from San Francisco State University. She studied art at the Art Institute of Chicago, UCLA, College of the Americas in Mexico City, and Timo Pajunen College of Marin, as well as with Janet Brown on Whidbey Island, and Melissa Newell at Edmonds Community College. She taught Water Media and Studio Arts at Peninsula College, Sculpture with Quimper Arts in Port Townsend, and Ceramics at the Port Ludlow Bay Club. Her work has been exhibited in Washington and Oregon.

Jeanette was a mentor of artists and participated in the founding of organizations that support local artists, such as Port Townsend (renamed Jefferson) Arts Alliance, which eventually became Northwind Arts Center, Art Port Townsend, and the Port Ludlow Art League. The Port Townsend Arts Commission named her Angel of the Arts in 2004 and Patron of the Arts posthumously in 2017.

Jeanette devoted countless hours to our community. I think Im doing my own work less because of my community involvement, said Best. But theres a definite reward in being part of making things happen in an area that you feel is important. She served on the boards of many of the organizations she help found, as well as other charitable organizations throughout the West Coast. She was Northwinds board president for 12 years before stepping down from that position in 2016.

Jeanette bequeathed her art to Northwind. Some of the pieces will be offered to the Jefferson County Historical Society, and others will be sold to continue Jeanettes work at the Arts Center.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

Three meetings addressing the pros and cons of annexing the city of Port Townsend into Jefferson County Fire Protection District No. 1 are to be held on three consecutive Thursdays: March 22, March 29 and April 5. The public is invited to attend and asked to provide feedback on various options using a touch-pad voting system.

Jefferson County Fire Protection District No. 1 is more commonly known as East Jefferson Fire Rescue (EJFR). EJFR provides all fire and emergency medical services to the city via an interlocal agreement, as the city government no longer provides fire service or EMS of its own.

If voters approve annexation, taxes on a $300,000 home in Port Townsend, for example, would increase by somewhere between a low of $32 and a high of $205. The exact amount of that tax increase depends on what choices city residents and the City Council make. Property outside city limits would see no change.

The question of annexing the city into the fire district is to be put to voters in either August or November of this year.

Through annexation, EJFRs boundaries would be expanded to include the city and its residents, and the interlocal agreement would be dissolved.

Residents who attend the meetings may use electronic voting tablets and smartphones with the appropriate app to voice their opinions and choices.

MEETINGS AT FORT WORDEN

The first of the three meetings, scheduled for March 22, is to focus on community needs and priorities; identify and discuss the challenges facing the city; and include a review of the citys comprehensive plan. Mayor Deborah Stinson leads this meeting.

The second meeting, planned for March 29, is to center on finance and government services, exploring how state, county, city and special-purpose districts interact, financially and in other ways. City finances  including the services funding process, sources of revenue, allocation of funds for various expenses and how annexation would impact the citys finances and taxpayers  are also a topic of discussion at this meeting.

The third and final meeting, set for April 5, considers the choices and options for the general-fund dollars in the citys budget that are currently allocated for fire service. Those funds could be either reserved or redirected to address community priorities and needs, such as to pay for improved parks, improved streets, affordable housing or other projects.

All three meetings take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Fort Worden Commons.

Since 2007, the city has provided fire service and EMS to its residents through the interlocal agreement with EJFR. The city continues to collect fire and EMS taxes, which are dedicated to EJFR to pay for those services.

In the past decade, EJFR purchased the Uptown fire station on Lawrence Street. It also owns the fire engines and ambulances, and employs all fire and emergency medical personnel. Functionally, the city and EJFR have been consolidated for more than 10 years.

Benefits of annexation include expanding the fire board to include voting representation from the city, consolidating the city and EJFRs fire and EMS budget processes into one, eliminating the risk associated with negotiated contracted services, and ensuring tax levy parity between city and EJFR taxpayers.

City Manager David Timmons said the town hall meetings are designed to give residents an in-depth education on the complex issue of fire annexation, information that otherwise would be difficult to obtain.

Our current funding process is complicated, and city residents dont have easy access to information about how it works. Our goal is that these town halls clear the picture up so citizens can make an informed decision, Timmons said.

QUESTIONS TIMING

At the March 5 City Council meeting, Timmons described how the town hall meetings would take place.

I asked the mayor to help with the presentation on the first. Ill be doing the second, and then the fire chief and I will be doing the third, Timmons said of the three meetings.

We do have the touch-pads voting system, so well be able to survey the audience, Timmons said.

There are to be 18 tables at the meeting, which can accommodate as many as 160 people. Each table is to have a city representative to help facilitate the meeting, Timmons said.

City Council member Robert Gray said he was concerned the timing of the fire annexation vote was not ideal.

One thing Im hearing a lot from the public is concerns about their recent property tax increases  15 percent and higher, Gray said. The reason for the increase in property taxes is the result of decisions made by the state Legislature on how to fund schools adequately, as required by the McCleary decision.

Theres also a lot of concern about the timing of the request for a higher property tax due to the fire annexation. And so I know its planned to go forward now, but I just wanted to let you know that the people I talked to, theyre just questioning the timing of it and maybe it should be delayed, Gray said.

Thats actually one of the choices and options well discuss at the third meeting, Timmons said of a possible delay. Timmons said the state House and Senate had proposals which actually will reduce the school property tax permanently. But each one does it in a different way.

Annexation, if voters approve it, would go into effect in 2020.

Were hoping the Legislature corrects the current situation, which will give us the ability to soften that impact, Timmons said.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

The Jefferson County Public Utility Districts Board of Commissioners has put a halt to the PUDs meter-replacement project, following the recommendation of PUD Assistant General Manager Kevin Streett during the boards March 6 meeting.

Streett told the commissioners and members of the public attending the meeting that the project was just too much, with a new general manager coming on board and the PUD looking for a new chief financial officer.

After the meeting, Streett issued a statement, through Will ODonnell, PUD communications manager, saying, I believe in this project. I think we need this project, and I think its a good project. I just dont feel it is in the PUDs best interest to push forward right now.

Jeff Randall, District 1 commissioner and PUD board president, stated during the meeting that the current priority for the PUD is to hire the next general manager, and to give that person the best chance to succeed once hired.

The PUD has offered its general manager position to Larry Dunbar, a former Port Angeles utility manager and the current utility manager for the City of Ellensburg. Dunbars contract terms were the subject of an executive session prior to the PUD commissions regular meeting. Negotiations continued; as of Monday, March 12, an agreement had not been signed.

Randall told attendees at the regular meeting that initial discussions with Dunbar had gone well, and that Dunbar had requested an April 23 start, if contract negotiations prove successful.

Ken Collins, District 2 commissioner and PUD secretary, concurred with Randall and Streett, saying that the meter replacement project does not constitute an emergency and adding that stopping the meter project makes very good sense to me.

PROJECT CAN WAIT

While Randall noted that the meter issue would still need to be revisited, he credited Streett with assuring him that the project could wait.

The next general manager will have plenty of issues to deal with without also dealing with the meters, Randall said.

As such, Randall and Collins voted to direct staff to put the meter project on hold, until the new general manager is in place and can determine the priority level of this project against other projects.

Wayne King, District 3 commissioner and board vice president, was absent.

According to ODonnell, Randall and Collins shared intention was to allow the new general manager to set the timetable for addressing the PUDs issues with its meters, based on the GMs own determination of what would be best for the PUD and its customers.

Once the PUD had finished the interview process and selected [Larry Dunbar as its] general manager candidate, it became clear to everyone involved that the meter project, and the controversies attributed to it, would likely hinder the PUDs ability to give the new GM the best transition into the job, ODonnell said. The PUD needs new meters, but it needs a new general manager and a permanent chief financial officer first, and it needs to give those key individuals the time they need to settle into the job, and work with the board to best determine our strategic path forward.

ODonnell confirmed it would be up to Dunbar, if hired, to determine how and when he wants to address the issues the PUD is facing with its aging and hodgepodge meter system.

When an attendee at the March 6 meeting asked if the PUD would abandon the request for proposal it had awarded to smart meter manufacturer Itron, Streett said that things have to be worked through, and stipulated that the PUD has not signed a master sales agreement with Itron.

Streett pledged to speak with not only Itron, but also Landis & Gyr, with whom the PUD currently has a contract to read the majority of its meters, and to report his findings back to the board at later meetings.

ODonnell expects that Streett could be able to report on the new status of its relationships with Itron and Landis & Gyr possibly as soon as the next board meeting on March 20, and likely again on April 3.

SMOG OPPOSITION

Asked what they thought after the meeting, Smart Meters Objectors Group (SMOG) members Ana Wolpin and Annette Huenke suggested that it was not the end to the smart meter discussion. Both pointed to the statement issued by Streett indicating his continued support for the meter replacement project.

Fellow SMOG member Alby Baker agreed.

If Kevin Streett had had his way, Jefferson County residents would already be seeing these so-called smart meters installed on their own homes, Baker said.

Huenke complimented Collins for bringing up a study on the accuracy of analog meters, and Randall for questioning the estimated savings from switching out the supposedly under-reporting current meters.

We look forward to meeting with Larry Dunbar, and intend to remain vigilant by continuing to educate the public and the commissioners, asking for rigorous and transparent analysis of costs and risks, and supporting meter choice, Wolpin said.

Wolpin said SMOG is still collecting signatures for its We Want Analogs. No Smart Meters petition.

There are many customers who are asking to replace their current one-way transmitting meters with safer analogs, and currently, there is no option for those county residents, Wolpin said, touting the measure as a means of reducing costs for meter readers. Both Jeff Randall and Ken Collins have told us that they support this pilot idea.

More than 800 PUD customer signatures have been gathered for SMOGs petition, according to Wolpin, who said ratepayers want the option to reduce their radio frequency exposure from not only smart meters, but also the PUDs current transmitting meters.

Huenke is still calling for a bona fide public dialogue about metering options, which she says Collins promised last September.

If the new manager decides to reboot the AMI project, then SMOG will act swiftly to gather experts and community leaders who have fought this battle elsewhere, in the interest of providing an educational forum that isnt lopsided by the influence of industry, Huenke said.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:00 pm

The need for adequate training of our military personnel is obvious, and most people recognize and appreciate the service and sacrifice of generations of men and women in uniform. But its also good citizenship to point out when those training activities conflict with environmental laws and public health and safety.

For decades Naval Air Station Whidbey Island has been a reasonable neighbor, but not since the 160 Growler jets arrived. Flights of all Navy aircraft will increase 47 percent, to 130,000. Of those, Growler flights will number 73,900; they are already conducting electronic warfare training 260 days per year, 8-16 hours per day. There will be up to 35,500 touch-and-go operations on a runway in a residential neighborhood thats 3,000 feet too short for safety.

When those student pilots are conducting field carrier landing practice, you can hear the roar 20 miles away. Serious mechanical problems with Growlers have made the news recently. A hospital and two schools sit near the end of that short runway. What could go wrong?

Besides the hearing loss that a few seconds of Growler noise can inflict, impacts include sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease and impairment of cognitive function in children. The Navy has never measured the noise; it uses an outdated modeling software called NoiseMap, which the Department of Defenses Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) labeled inadequate for the low-frequency signature of Growlers; in fact, SERDP said it may not produce legally defensible assessments.

AIR QUALITY

The Navy admitted in an environmental impact statement (EIS) that it cannot guarantee our regions air quality will meet federal standards. One hour of Growler flight emits 23 percent more carbon dioxide than a Washington resident emits in an entire year. With the Navys EIS analyzing only the exhaust emissions from takeoffs and landings but not flight operations, its hard to predict impacts. So, I did some math: The Navys increased air traffic will produce as much CO2 as the combined average annual emissions of 2.7 coal-fired power plants.

The Navy owns 46 miles of shoreline and 151,975 acres of land here, but they want to conduct realistic combat training along 265 miles of western Puget Sound shoreline, using private lands and state parks. Training includes mock gun battles at Fort Worden and Fort Flagler, and in Port Ludlow, among 65-plus sites. Navy officials confirmed that civilians will be proxies for the enemy. At an open house, these officials told shocked listeners that they  will not be shown boundaries or shut out when the Navy is conducting an exercise, so you may wander unawares into a secret military exercise, uninformed that by doing so, you are a participant. Another added, The point is to be able to watch and track whoever comes through, you, the public, the enemy, without your awareness, whether youre walking, fishing, enjoying nature or otherwise going about your business. Also: Gunfire will supposedly be distinguishable by civilians as the sound of air rifles, not real weapons.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS

The dismal regularity of school shootings and the fact that so many shooters wear military-style clothing make the sight of, or even the thought of, encountering armed combatants who may appear unexpectedly, or who may be hiding in state parks or on private land adjacent to properties that have children and pets, a big concern. Its not just about physical safety but also psychological effects, especially on children.

And what happens if a civilian who is armed encounters an exercise and initiates gunfire with real bullets? The Navy has been silent about this possibility, and also this: In North Carolina, a sheriffs deputy shot two trainees during Operation Robin Sage, killing one. A lawsuit ended with the community forfeiting $750,000 in damages.

The Navys environmental assessment says 84 personnel will train annually, but Navy officials later said its 504. An email from the governors office worried about the possibility of 2,000.

Physical risks aside, trainees will use aerial and surface drones carrying payloads of technical equipment with data-capture and recording capability.

Fourth Amendment concerns about random electronic surveillance of people who are not the subject of a warrant or not suspected of terrorism have not been addressed. The Navy has dismissed any chilling effects on enjoyment of our wonderful state park system and potential declines in private property values near where combat training is occurring. Federal and state laws as well as zoning restrictions that conflict with using state parks and private lands for military training have not been addressed. Normalizing military combat training in our communities sets a dangerous precedent.

A former naval officer whom the Navy hires for outreach told a live radio audience on KSER 90.7 and KXIR 88.9 in Everett on June 19, 2015, The citizens of the area are collateral damage in the war on terror. As bad as that sounds, he wasnt exaggerating.

Karen Sullivan is a retired U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist who cofounded the West Coast Action Alliance in response to recent expansions of military activities on public lands and in civilian communities. See westcoastactionalliance.org.
LONDON  Google plans to ban all cryptocurrencies and binary options adverts, and is cracking down on ads for other speculative financial instruments.

Scott Spencer, Google's Director of Sustainable Ads, said in a blog post on Wednesday that the company has "updated several policies to address ads in unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency, foreign exchange markets and contracts for difference (or CFDs)."

The new policies, which come into force in June, ban adverts for binary options and "cryptocurrencies and related content (including but not limited to initial coin offerings, cryptocurrency exchanges, cryptocurrency wallets, and cryptocurrency trading advice)."

Google follows Facebook in banning cryptocurrency related advertising on its platform. Spencer said in his blog post that the crackdown is part of Google's efforts to protect consumers from "online scams."

Cryptocurrencies have exploded in popularity over the last year thanks to a surge in the price of bitcoin at the end of 2017. This coincided with a boom in so-called initial coin offerings (ICOs), where startups issue their own cryptocurrency in exchange for money to build their business.

But the entire space is unregulated in most markets and has attracted scammers looking to make quick money. Business Insider reported last year on the proliferation of "pump and dump" scams in the market, while sham ICO projects have become commonplace.

CFD crackdown

Google is also cracking down on ads for contracts for difference (CFD), spread betting, and foreign exchange products on its platform.

CFDs and spread bets are financial instruments that allow people to bet on the price movement of assets without actually owning them. Traders can gain exposure to stocks or metals, without incurring the higher fees associated with actually buying them. Providers typically offer leverage  borrowed money to invest with  of up to 50:1.

The products are high risk and the entire industry has come under increasing regulatory scrutiny across Europe over the past year. The UK's Financial Conduct Authority warned in November that cryptocurrency CFDs "are extremely high-risk, speculative products" that "place you at risk of suffering significant losses." The FCA found that 82% of people who use the products lose money, suggesting CFDs are more akin to gambling than investing.

Google said it is banning ads from affiliates and aggregators who serve this market. These websites earn a fee for referring new customers to these products but are lightly regulated. Google is also banning adverts for binary options, the most controversial and high-risk product in this corner of the market.

The search giant will require CFD, spread bet, and foreign exchange providers to register with it if they want to advertise on its platform and all providers must be licensed in the country they are targeting.

Improving the ads will continue to be a top priority

Google's financial advertising crackdown comes amid sustained pressure on the search giant, which also owns YouTube, over the way it runs its advertising operation. The company has been criticised by the press and politicians for allowing everything from radicalisation to profiting from addicts on its platform through lax policing of content and advertising.
His talent has seen him win the BET Awards for Best International Act: Africa in 2015.

When Ghanaians talk about musicians with fat bank accounts, his name is surely mentioned

But how does he make and spend his cash?

How Stonebwoy makes money.

Music shows and Tours

Stonebwoy is one of the richest musicians currently in Ghana with an estimated net worth of thousands of dollars. He earns a lot from his world tours and local shows. Late last year, his tour around Europe has been rumored to reign in a lot of money to the leading Ghanaian artist.

Album sales

He also earns a lot of his income from the sale of his album. The album Epistles of Mama has brought in a lot of revenue. With more than a million views on Spotify, the star has really established his target audience across the world.

Endorsement deals

Multi award winning Ghanaian dancehall artist Stonebwoy inked an amazing deal with Tommy Hilfiger amongst others. He is the first Ghanaian musician to sign a brand association deal of such nature.

This is how he spends his money

Recruiting talents

Stonebwoy is the CEO of Burniton Music Group. The group helps in discovering and exploring young talents in Ghana. He has helped in starting the careers of many Ghanaian artists who are currently topping charts with their killer hits.

Donations

Through his foundation called the Livingstone Foundation, he has supported a lot of people.

The foundation supports the hospital bills of the individuals that have been disabled by accidents, Orthopedic cases specifically.

The Livingstone Foundation has been in existence since 2014.

The dancehall artist says Up until this point in life, I can never forget where I come from and although I dont have it all to give, I always make an effort to hand in the little that I can give to ones who deserves it. In the long run, I pray to support those that have been disabled one way or the other by accidents, .

Cars
Two associates of Roger Stone, a longtime Republican strategist and informal adviser to President Donald Trump, said he was aware that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was in possession of a trove of hacked Democratic emails months before they became public, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

According to the report, Stone told an unnamed associate in the spring of 2016 that he had learned from Assange that WikiLeaks had obtained the hacked materials that would later become a thorn in the side for the Hillary Clinton campaign.

Former Trump campaign adviser Sam Nunberg also told The Post that the special counsel Robert Mueller had asked him about a conversation during which he said Stone told him he had met with Assange.

Stone pushed back on parts of The Post's story in a lengthy statement to Business Insider on Tuesday morning, saying Nunberg's statement to the outlet does not amount to evidence against him. He said he had "no advance notice of the content, source or timing of the WikiLeaks publication of any material," and that he never met, spoke with, or emailed Assange.

"Now you have to understand when you worked with Sam would call and text you over and over," Stone said. "Sam said in a interview that he spoke to Steve [Bannon] 30 times a day. One major reporter said he called her eight times late one night."

Nunberg told CNN last week that he would not cooperate with Mueller because "they want me to testify against Roger. They want me to say that Roger was going around telling people he was colluding with Julian Assange."

Stone said Tuesday that he told Nunberg in jest that he was meeting with Assange as a way to get him off the phone in 2016, and that he did not recall having any conversation about Assange with a second person.

"Sam asked if I had plans for the weekend  and I said I was 'flying to London to have dinner with Julian Assange.' A joke and hung up," Stone said.

"My passport shows I never left the country in 2015 or 2016 and surveillance cameras for [Assange] at the Ecuadorian Embassy show he never left there and I never arrived there," Stone said.

He said that Nunberg had called him three times to warn him Mueller was "out to get" him, and then asked Stone to admit he told 58 people that he had traveled to London to meet with Assange, "which of course is not true."

"I told ONE person ... who was too intense to figure out it was a joke," he said.

He also said that he did not receive any of the hacked documents or pass them onto Trump or the Trump campaign, and that he did not "collaborate" with WikiLeaks at any point during the campaign. Stone did not respond to follow-up questions about his communications with WikiLeaks and the timing of his tweets during the campaign.

A timeline emerges

Stone sent out a series of tweets in 2016 that raised questions about whether he knew in advance that WikiLeaks was planning on publishing Clinton campaign manager John Podesta's hacked emails.



radio host Randy Credico

, who Stone said acted as an intermediary between himself and Assange.

But The Atlantic reported

"Since I was all over national TV, cable and print defending wikileaks and assange against the claim that you are Russian agents and debunking the false charges of sexual assault as trumped up bs you may want to reexamine the strategy of attacking me," Stone reportedly wrote on October 13.

"We appreciate that," WikiLeaks replied. "However, the false claims of association are being used by the democrats to undermine the impact of our publications. Don't go there if you don't want us to correct you."

Two days later, on October 15, Stone reportedly wrote back: "Ha! The more you 'correct' me the more people think you're lying. Your operation leaks like a sieve. You need to figure out who your friends are."
White House staffers are describing an anxious mood there amid rumors of another wave of firings, with one official calling it "the most toxic working environment on the planet," the news website Axios reported Wednesday.

"Usually tough times bring people together," the official told Axios. "But right now this atmosphere is ripping people apart.

"There's no leadership, no trust, no direction, and at this point there's very little hope," the official continued. "Would you want to go to work every day not knowing whether your future career was going to be destroyed without explanation?"

Following the abrupt firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this week, officials have been vague when asked about the fate of senior White House officials who have drawn the ire of President Donald Trump, Axios reported, including the chief of staff, John Kelly, and the national security adviser, H.R. McMaster.

Though there had long been reports of Trump's discontent with Tillerson, the president's approach to firing him  through a tweet  caught staffers by surprise, Axios said.

Earlier this month, Gary Cohn resigned as Trump's top economic adviser after expressing concerns about his decision to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum.

Asked by a reporter from One America News Network on Tuesday whether there were any updates on his position in the White House, McMaster said, "Hey, I'm still around."
Revealing the motive why he is doing Higlife music, the Adansie hitmaker told CNN that I saw Highlife to be something which is enjoyed by both the young and the oldso I saw Highlife to be our way of life and If I wanted to be myselfe or be a Ghanaian then I wouldnt do anything than HighLife
A report by odditycentral.com suggested that the dogs owner was a 59-year-old homeless man who got stabbed during a hot argument and was brought to the hospital for treatment, but he died as a result of the severe injuries.

The news website said that the dog had followed the ambulance that carried his wounded owner to the hospital and sat at the entrance while, the patient was conveyed into the facility.

All efforts to get the dog out of the hospitals entrance have so far been fruitless.

Financial Director at the Santa Casa de Novo Horizonte hospital is quoted as having said that the dog is extremely tame, docile and quiet, adding that he just stares inside the hospital, like hes waiting for somebody.

The poor dogs story has now gone viral after it was posted on Facebook last week by one lawyer Cristine Sardella.

In her post, Cristine Sardella said: We have a lot to learn from animals. This dog stays every day at the door of the Santa Casa de novo horizonte hospital waiting for its owner who unfortunately passed away. He may be waiting in vain, but the love he feels for his owner is eternal.

The story touched owner of a dog shelter in Sao Paolo who offered to take custody of the dog and find him a new owner, but in no time he returned to the hospital again.

Having realized that then dog is resolute and intends to see his owner at all cost, one of the hospitals receptionists, Leticia Nawas Bertolucci has been taking care of him.

She gives him food regularly and he has also been given some blankets to give him some level of comfort.
Gun-wielding robbers, numbering four, had raided the fuel station on Friday, March 2, and amid firing of gunshots made away with an unspecified amount of money.

They seized mobile phones of the attendants and were reported to have struck at about 18:30 hours.

Whilst escaping with their booty, they also attacked a mobile money vendor and forcibly took everything she had on her.

Ashanti regional police commander, COP Ken Yeboah, addressing the press after arresting the robbers said "All the suspects have admitted being part of the robbery in their individual caution statements and are currently in custody assisting with investigations."

He said the police had information that six armed robbers had attacked the station and were robbing attendants. They had bolted when the police arrived on the scene. They left the station manager, Dennis Frimpong with injuries to the head. He was rushed to the hospital for treatment.

The victims were robbed of GH11,000 and five mobile phones amidst gun shots. COP Yeboah said six empty supreme FTB BB and AAA, 3GR70 MM cartridges were found on the scene.

He narrated that the patrol team, after leaving the fuel station, extended their patrol towards the Mampong-Ejura road and spotted an Opel Astra taxicab with registration number GW 9311V with two occupants at the Kofiase junction.

COP Ken Yeboah added that suspect Braimah led the police to arrest the other accomplices at Memenaso near Ejura in the Brong Ahafo Region on March 10, 2018.
The deportees, all males, came on a chartered flight on Wednesday morning.

They were arrested at different states for various immigration offences such abuse of the terms of their visas and engaging in illegal employment.

In 2017, US Ambassador to Ghana, Robert Jackson, revealed that the Trump administration in America was set to deport over 7,000 Ghanaians who have abused the terms of their visas.
He therefore decided to end his life to discontinue the emotional and psychological trauma he had been subjected to.

Superintendent Magnus Randolf Sam, the Assin Fosu District Police Commander who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect had run into the bush in a brisk attempt to kill himself with a sponge tied to a tree but was saved timely by some people who chanced upon him.

READ ALSO: Man commits suicide after being dumped by girlfriend

The Assin Fosu District Police Commander indicated that the suspect would be arranged before the court and dealt with according to the laws of Ghana.
Government has made the menace one of its primary aims, and has put in place measures to ensure that the country does not lose any more lands and water bodies to such illegal operations.

Last year, an anti-galamsey taskforce made up of police and military named Operation Vanguard was launched to fight the activities of 'galamseyers' and to protect the environment.

READ ALSO: undefined

The task force has since made many arrests, although there are still some illegal miners who have proved to be recalcitrant.

The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament believes the best way to stop the act is to give the Police the power to shoot offenders.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament Monday, Mr. Osei Owusu said the country needs to take a strong strand if the fight against illegal mining is to be won.

Sometimes we need to be strong on wrongdoers. We are pampering wrongdoers in this country too muchand they are not many anyway, he asserted.

Mr Speaker, we should stand by the military, operation Vanguard and we should all stand together to ensure that our water bodies are clean and safe.

READ ALSO: undefined

Meanwhile, the Second Deputy Speaker Alban Bagbin disagreed with the suggestions made by his colleague.

According to him, dialoguing with the illegal miners is a better way of solving the issue than adopting extreme measures.
Allegations of conflict of interest have been raised against the NLA boss as details of contracts numbering up to 11 which was awarded to his sister in law, Rama Hassan has emerged.

READ ALSO: Lotto operators accuse pastors of decline in patronage

All the contracts were dated November 29, 2017, and awarded to Rama Hassan who is the sole proprietor of Ram's Kitchen to buy more than a 1,000 bags of rice, canned drinks, corned beef and tinned tomatoes.

But in a sharp rebuttal, Osei Ameyaw says the allegations are preposterous. He said, "I don't preside over the process of procurement. People just go around and make preposterous allegations."

"It is about time Ghanaians stop all this hullabaloo about who is a relative and who is not a relative", he added.
READ MORE: Kwesi Pratt chides Bawumia over incessant armed robbery attacks

Dormenyo Alfred and Felix Andy were on board in a Toyota Highlander vehicle with registration number GR 8001-18, driving from Asamankese to Akim Oda, when the Oda Police command encountered them.

One of the suspects, Alfred Dormenyo was hit in the right thigh and sent to the Oda Government Hospital for treatment.

Upon interrogation, it was later discovered that the suspects were wanted for their involvement in the robbery incident at Royal Motors in Accra.

READ ALSO: 2 suspects in Royal Motors daylight robbery arrested

In the course of the search, one flat screen TV and other personal items were retrieved from them.
The NDC is "appalled by the exceptional determination of government to destroy the reputation of a man who has laboured to transform the cocoa sector in Ghana.

"We believe Dr. Stephen Opuni is a victim of a growing political culture of hounding predecessors to justify campaign claims of corruption," Ashanti Regional Secretary, Raymond Tandoh has said.

READ MORE: Here are the 27 charges against former COCOBOD CEO Stephen Opuni

Opuni dragged to court

The state has filed a case of causing financial loss against Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).

Charged along with Dr Opuni is one Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited.

A total of 27 charges have been leveled against them.

READ MORE: Former COCOBOD CEO faces 27 charges for causing financial loss

Some of the charges include; money laundering, violation of procurement laws and defrauding by false pretenses.

Other portions of the suit read: "Mr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni between November 2014 and November 2015 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region, abeted Seidu Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited to defraud Ghana COCOBOD of the sum of Ghc 75, 289, 314.72.

"Stephen Kwabena Opuni on the 10th of October 2014 in Accra, agreed to permit your conduct as the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD to be influenced with an amount of Twenty Five Thousand Ghana Cedis (Ghc25,000) from Seidu Agongo".

NDC reacts

But the party in a statement said Dr. Stephen Opuni will be exonerated after trial.

Below is the full statement:

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS

ASHANTI REGIONAL CHAPTER

PRESS RELEASE

MARCH 14, 2018

We have taken note of the commencement of persecution of Dr. Stephen Opuni and others by government. We have learnt some 27 charges have been preferred against him and would be called on Friday March 23, 2018 at the High Court.

While we are not surprised by this development, we are appalled by the exceptional determination of government to destroy the reputation of a man who has laboured to transform the cocoa sector in Ghana. We believe Dr. Stephen Opuni is a victim of a growing political culture of hounding predecessors to justify campaign claims of corruption.

It is worrying that at a time corruption allegations are rife in every sector of this government, government finds no need to deal with these allegations that are destroying its public integrity and credibility. Sadly, government has resorted to political witch hunting, vindictiveness and mirage pursuits that would not survive any serious test.

We are confident Dr. Stephen Opuni will be exonerated eventually knowing his meticulousness and genuine commitment to the development of Ghana.

The Ashanti Regional Chapter of the NDC hereby declares its unflinching support for Dr. Stephen Opuni and his family in these difficult times of political persecution. We trust in the independence and wisdom of our courts and are hopeful that the outcome of proceedings would be without political interference.
It said a number of suspects were being questioned after the roadside bomb targeted Hamdallah's convoy shortly after he entered Gaza, leaving him uninjured but lightly wounding six guards.

It did not provide further details on the investigation Wednesday or release the identity of the suspects.

"The door is open to anyone who wants to participate in the investigation," Tawfeeq Abu Naim, the head of the Hamas security services in Gaza, said in a statement.

Hamas seized control of Gaza from Abbas's internationally recognised government more than a decade ago but agreed in October to hand power back.

Yet the deal has all but collapsed, with the two sides accusing each other of responsibility, and Tuesday's explosion further exacerbated tensions.

After the attack, Abbas said he held Hamas responsible as the de facto power in the strip, though stopping short of directly accusing the group of carrying out the bombing.

Hamas shot back, saying such rapid accusations were unhelpful before in turn pointing the finger of blame at Israel.

Other potential suspects include smaller, more radical Islamist groups that are opposed to Hamas but operate in Gaza, or a Hamas splinter group.

There has been no claim of responsibility.

Hamdallah said the attack would not end his government's commitment to continue with reconciliation and again called on Hamas to hand over all power in Gaza.

"We are talking about internal security -- the police and the civil defence," he said. "Without security there won't be a government."

Salafist suspects?

Jamal al-Fadi, a political scientist in Gaza, told AFP the aim of the attack was to "sabotage any chance for reconciliation."

He said potential suspects are those that have an interest in maintaining the split.

"It could be a group that split from Hamas for ideological reasons, such as a militant Salafi group," he said.

In October, Abu Naim, the Hamas security chief who issued Wednesday's statement, was wounded by a car bomb after leaving a mosque.

Hamas officials privately admit the assassination attempt was by Salafists, rather than Israel, and like Tuesday's attack the explosion was relatively small.

The UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, Nickolay Mladenov, condemned Tuesday's attack and called on Hamas to hand over control in Gaza to the recognised government.

Mladenov has warned of the consequences of the desperate humanitarian suffering in the strip, saying in January that Gaza "risks exploding in our face again."

Hamas has fought three wars with Israel since 2008 while the Jewish state maintains a crippling blockade of Gaza.

Hamdallah travelled to Rome Wednesday for a meeting of international donors aimed at raising funds for the United Nations' agency for Palestinian refugees, which is facing desperate shortages after the US froze tens of millions of dollars in aid.

The White House held a conference on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza on Tuesday, but no Palestinian officials attended.
"The air strikes targeted a checkpoint on the only road leading from Afrin to regime-controlled territory to the southeast," the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Ankara and allied Syrian rebels have waged an offensive against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), who control the Afrin enclave, since January 20.

The enclave is bordered to the north and west by Turkey but also lies adjacent to government-controlled Syrian territory.

Pro-Turkish forces have seized several border areas and have almost fully encircled the city of Afrin.

The road that was bombed on Wednesday is the only official way out of the town, and while it has not been fully captured by pro-Turkish assault, it is within firing range.

Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said some civilians were trying to escape from Afrin along smuggling routes avoiding the main road.

Around 350,000 people live in the city, including families displaced from other parts of the enclave.
Ive become extremely concerned about Russia, Tillerson said in the interview. We spent most of last year investing a lot into attempts to work together, to solve problems, to address differences. And quite frankly, after a year, we didnt get very far. Instead what weve seen is a pivot on their part to be more aggressive.

He added: And this is very, very concerning to me and others, that there seems to be a certain unleashing of activity that we dont fully understand what the objective behind that is. And if in fact this attack in the U.K. is the work of the Russian government, this is a pretty serious action.

The Trump administrations relationship with President Vladimir Putin has been contradictory, with President Donald Trump often complimenting the Russian leader while Tillerson has become increasingly critical.

On Monday night, the White House directed reporters to a formal statement from the State Department, which said: There is never a justification for this type of attack  the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation  and we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behavior.

Tillerson spoke to reporters while on a flight from Nigeria to Cape Verde. Hours earlier, Britains prime minister, Theresa May, said it was highly likely that Russia was to blame, and she demanded answers from the Kremlin.

Tillerson said he had just spoken with his British counterpart, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, and that the State Department would issue a statement affirming the British findings.

This is a really egregious act, Tillerson said. It appears that it clearly came from Russia. Whether it came from Russia with the Russian governments knowledge is not known to me at this point.

He added that he would be stunned if a government was behind the use of a deadly nerve agent. The former spy, Sergei V. Skripal, once an informant for Britains foreign intelligence service, and his daughter, Yulia, were found unconscious on a park bench in of Salisbury, England, and a police officer who helped them has also been hospitalized, in serious condition.

Its almost beyond comprehension that a state, an organized state would do something like that, Tillerson said in the interview. A nonstate actor, I could understand. A state actor  I cannot understand why anyone would take such an action.

He noted that the nerve agent used in the attack is only in the hands of a very, very limited number of parties. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, a watchdog agency, is also looking into the attack.

Asked whether the attack would prompt a response in defense of Britain, a NATO ally that the United States is legally obligated to defend if it came under attack, Tillerson said: It certainly will trigger a response. Ill leave it that.

Tillerson cut short his Africa trip a day earlier than expected to start what he described as the intense homework for Trumps meeting with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.

In a wide-ranging interview aboard his plane, Tillerson said he left behind a stronger relationship with President Idriss Deby of Chad, who was angered when Chad was placed on a list of countries whose citizens are virtually barred from entering the United States.

Tillerson appeared exhausted on the flight home Monday. He had left the United States on the evening of March 6, but after just a day of meetings in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he woke at 2:30 a.m. Thursday with the news that Trump had decided to accept Kims invitation for talks.

He had another urgent phone call Friday night  he would not say about what  so that by Saturday he had managed to get just four hours of sleep over three days, he said. And then he got food poisoning.

So the combination of that, I just said, This is inhumane,' he said with a chuckle.

Tillerson canceled his meetings set for Saturday in Nairobi, including a visit to an HIV/AIDS clinic, and he decided to fly home Monday night after quick visits to Chad and Nigeria.

The potential North Korean summit meeting dominated much of Tillersons week even though he was halfway around the world from Washington. In a news conference Monday, Tillerson said that planning for the event was in very early stages.

But he said in his later interview on his plane that, in his own experience as the chief executive of oil giant Exxon Mobil, intense preparation  what he referred to as homework  was needed to make such a meeting successful.

Without good preparation, he said, its very difficult to map a way forward.

Early Monday, Tillerson spent several hours in Ndjamena, Chad, where he insisted that the people of Chad were welcome in the United States.

He said Chads efforts to strengthen its passport controls and increase information sharing may result in its removal from the travel ban.

Chads foreign minister, Mahamat Zene Cherif, called the inclusion of Chad on the travel ban an injustice, and said widely reported disparaging remarks attributed to Trump about Africa shocked almost all Africans.

State Department and Pentagon officials wanted to keep Chad  a partner in the fight against terrorism in the Sahel  off the travel ban list when it was formulated but were overruled by the White House. Tillerson said he hoped the countrys inclusion would soon be corrected.

At his last stop on the continent, in Abuja, Nigeria, Tillerson met with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria and then held a news conference with Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama. They discussed cooperation on trade and in the fight against Boko Haram and an offshoot of the Islamic State.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
2018 Microsoft Education Exchange (E2) is currently taking place in Singapore, Tuesday, March 13 through Thursday, March 15, 2018, with about 310 educators across 91 countries as participants.

Akoto, 33, got social media attention in February 2018 with Microsoft Africa promising to equip him with a device from partner, and access to Microsoft's MCE program and well as free professional development resources on education.microsoft.com

Just arrived in Singapore for the Microsoft Global Education Exchange Summit. Looking forward to learn something new, Akoto nicknamed Owura Kwadwo Hottish wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, March 14.

ALSO READ: Photo of a Ghanaian teacher giving computer lessons with a chalk drawn image is blowing up the internet

ALSO READ:Photo of a Ghanaian teacher giving computer lessons with a chalk drawn image is blowing up the internet

The Microsoft Education Exchange (E2) event has been in existence for more than a decade and serves as an opportunity for teachers to come together and explore industry trends  including emerging technologies that support teaching, skills development, modern pedagogies, safe school environments, and predictive analytics that identify at-risk students.
Daily Post reports that the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has taken up the case of Amasa Firdaus, who was barred from her call to bar ceremony for not removing her hijab on Wednesday, 13th December 2017.

MURIC states its concerns in a statement, signed by its director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola.

Read it below;

It did not stop the House from continuing other investigations. It did not stop the House from taking a position. So what is the House afraid of? What are the peoples representatives waiting for?

It is interesting to note that the House Committee on Judiciary and Justice had called for and received a large number of memoranda on the matter prior to the date fixed for public hearing. MURIC was one of several Islamic organizations which submitted memoranda to the committee.

We submitted one by courier from Lagos and traveled to Abuja to submit another. The question is, What has happened to all the memoranda? It is our considered opinion that the huge volume of memoranda received by the House is enough to guide it in taking a decision on this crucial matter. Justice delayed is justice denied."

Amasa Firdaus must get justice. She has challenged an unjust status quo at a time many of us are succumbing to tyranny, oppression, and persecution. The fact that a young lady has cried out in the midst of excruciating silence and in the face of repression should arouse the curiosity of women in the Green Chamber. The courage manifested by Firdaus should jog the chivalry in the veins of valiant men in the House.

Allah-given fundamental right of a Muslim lady was violated four months ago and our lawmakers are foot-dragging. Amasas mates who were called to bar on that fateful day are now working and earning a living in some law firms in the country.

The hope of Amasas old parents that their daughter would soon start taking care of them is dashed. They had labored in loco parentis under a hard economic situation to sponsor her through an expensive university education.

MURIC demands action. We are counting the days. It is not in our character to issue threats. Neither do we subscribe to issuing ultimatum. But let nobody blame Muslims when they start peaceful demonstrations in the coming weeks."

ALSO READ: Muslim lawyer should be praised for exercising her religious rights

Let no one accuse Muslims of coming out on the streets. We will defend our sister if the authorities fail to act. We will use every legitimate means possible to get justice for Amasa Firdaus, the Muslim Amazon of our time.

We, therefore, charge all lovers of freedom of expression, all champions of liberty, all promoters of women education and all those who oppose discrimination against women in all parts of the globe to identify with the case of Amasa Firdaus.

We call on people of good conscience in Nigeria, Britain, America, France and elsewhere to prepare for non-violent agitations and peaceful demonstrations in the coming days.

State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria are advised to expect petitions and peaceful protesters. Muslim women, particularly in Nigeria, are reminded of the role which history has placed on their shoulders on this matter.

Posterity will not forgive those who abdicate their responsibilities whether as lawmakers, non-governmental organizations or women groups. We should not rest until #JusticeforFirdausbecomes a fait accompli.
The rapper The rapper on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 posted a motivational quote on his Instagram page with a really cute photo of himself

"11.26am have a wonderful day, evening etc. Just go out and be great. Be happy. Spread love. Help someone. Accept help if u need it. Open ur heart. Life is so much better when u live it this way," he wrote.

Well the rapper turned actor didn't see this coming as a fan tried to troll him under his comment section. "Help someone but una no still de help na to de write am post una sabi aka IS unu di egu," the follower wrote.

Ikechukwu wasn't having any of these bants as he took the follower to the cleaners with a couple of words

ALSO READ:Jim Iyke says he was a terrible singer

"@obixbabyuk judge and jury u know this how? Its so easy to condemn people from self-appointed high mantles or attempt to tear them down but this just makes u part of the problem, not the solution. When u allow God in ur life enough u will notice negativity gets u nowhere," he replied the follower.

In recent times, we have noticed that Nigerian celebrities have decided not to go easy on any follower or fan who tries to call them out on social media. We can all recall back in February 2018 when some fans tried to get all nosy on JimIyke's personal life and let's just say they didn't expect his very humiliating response.
The pair were heard in a conversation which saw the Nigerian Barbie express an interest in grabbing the company by the penis.

A dolled-up Bobrisky was asked about his visit to a male toilet but came a cheeky response worthy of laughter. The question is perhaps a reflection of how he is perceived in public - a "Shemale".

This was observed in an Instagram post by Naija Exclusive on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

"Whats going on here, What is this shemale doing in a male toilet?," the social media post which also included the short footage reads.

"Bobrisky is here. Bobrisky what are you doing in a male toilet?," asks a man.

"I want to see your d**k," answers a Nigerian Barbie who went into more action in furtherance of his interest.

The video had to failed to capture him in full length as he presumably made to touch the happy company on his penis.

Bobrisky recently gained the attention of fans following his criticism of Cee-c, one of the contestants of the Big Brother Naija reality television show.

But the comments that trailed his bust-up was centered on his spoken English as opposed to the message he intended to pass.

BBNaija fans mock Bobrisky's English speaking skills while insulting Cee-c

#BBNaija followers have made a mockery of the English speaking skills of Bobrisky whose voice was heard directing insulting remarks at controversial house contestant Cee-c.

In a video posted via Instagram by the Lazy Writa Blog, the Nigerian Barbie expressed with passion his disapproval of Cee-c who had displayed a trait of pettiness since joining the show.

Bobrisky appeared to be attacking her personality in the clip but his interesting English Language pronunciations seemed to have gathered the attention of BBNaija devotees who directed some subliminal messages at him.
This was revealed by Godfridah Sumaili, a minister for National Guidance and Religious Affairs.

However, the hard stance against the use of the rubber-made pleasure took has seen no arrest in the nation which has placed much value on Christian virtues.

Though some of the sexually gratifying creation are in circulation, but none can be found on the shelf according to reports.

Sumaili made clear Zambia's disinterest in having such a vice to blossom in the society stating that it negates the traditions of the people.

He insisted that the practice of negative western ideas should be discouraged among Zambians.

Being a Christian nation, obviously we are anchored in Christian principles and one of the values is morality and ethics.

The use of sex dolls is definitely in contradiction to our natural heritage and our principles.

The law actually forbids anybody to trade (in) and to use such objects  and so this is why we are saying for Zambians that this is a very unnatural thing.

God created man and woman for sexual satisfaction  but for a man or woman to use a lifeless object is immoral.

Lets not import foreign beliefs and experiences. Let us just believe in what we are," the minister revealed in a statement.

Nigerians go crazy over sex doll, 'Shakira'

The response received from Nigerians over a new sex doll named Shakira widely differs from Zambia's Godfridah Sumaili.

An image of the life-like doll was posted early on Monday, January 15, 2018 on Twitter. It trended soon enough and had many Nigerians talking about it.

Some of the tweets are just way too hilarious. You can read some of them below:
Reports suggest that James Kwarteng had all the necessary permit and was living in the Northern African country.

However, the unexpected happened when he was captured by a group of armed Libyans and Koreans upon no provocation.

He was kept in captivity for seven good days with neither food nor water. All he could drink during the entire seven days of captivity was the blood that oozed from his head when the captors crushed it with gun, according to Africanspotlight.com.

James Kwarteng said the kidnappers seized all his belongings and further demanded money before he was released, failing which they would kill him.

What apparently saved the poor man was the fact that he had saved GHs 25, 000 with her mother back in Ghana which she wired to the gang.

The father of three, two of whom are in secondary school and the other in primary school, came back to realize the immoral and wicked conducts of his wife while he was away.

According to reports, James legally married nurse, a devout Christian and the married man have so fallen in love that the latter has even planned to divorce his wife to marry her.

David Papa Bondze-Mbir, a Ghanaian journalist who visited James Kwarteng recently to donate $500 towards his treatment at the hospital shared the sad story online.

He said: "I've had plenty of chances to discern and brawl with questions about why some people can be so unkind to other people, even those they supposedly love. We are more ductile than wed like to believe. Because under the right conditions, anyone (Christian, Muslim, Non-believer, Single, Married, Male, Female etc.) is capable of almost any and everything.
Earlier reports confirmed that the victims, Mubarak Kalesowo and Sunday Obituyi, died in a school attack on Monday, March 12, 2018.

The deceased both aged four years old, were killed at the St. Johns Primary School, Agodo, where they study.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, the Police Public Relations Officer for Ogun State, confirmed that the suspect was arrested two days after the attack.

According to Punch News, the efforts made by policemen and some local hunters had proved successful in apprehending the suspected lunatic.

Their efforts paid off in the early hours of today (Wednesday) when the suspect was seen in a bush around the community.

When they wanted to arrest him, the suspect, who was brandishing a sharp cutlass, attacked them, consequent upon which he was shot and injured on the leg, Oyeyemi told Punch.

ALSO READ: Deranged man murders father in Imo

State police commissioner, Ahmed Iliyasu, has reportedly order a transfer of the case to the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department in Abeokuta.

Mentally challenged couple unhappy sex was interrupted

A mentally challenged couple did not wear a happy look after they were interrupted in the process of having sex in Abia State.

The pair who were looking to get action at an uncompleted building in a residential community were sent out of the structure by folks living in the area.

This incident was reported on Wednesday, February 7, 2018.
A picture circulating online media showed the woman beater clogged in a crowd of people. He appeared to have suffered violence from the group based on the posture he maintained in the image.

No further details have been made available concerning the incident fast becoming a center theme in Nigerian marriages.

Societal complex have placed women at the receiving end of widespread violence from their partners.

To fight this, the women have resorted to violent means in defiance of the situation but the reaction has often put them against the law.

Senate member boldly supports wife beating

Twinamasiko Onesimus, an Ugandan parliament member has openly supported the beating of women by their husbands.

The MP who is from the Bugangaizi East constituency made his position known during an interview with NTV News. He submitted that a bit of violence is needed to cultivate a habit of discipline among female partners.

ALSO READ: Pastor ordered to pay 15k to wife who deprived him of sex

A video containing his view was shared by a Twitter user, Patu, in a post published on Monday, March 12, 2018.

"As a man, you need to discipline your wife,"

"You need to touch her a bit, you tackle her, beat her somehow to really streamline her," says Onesimus whose comments received several bashing online.
Punch News gathered that the transaction was done with the consent of the mother, Blessing Emmanuel, who had earlier revealed that the child died following a failed battle with convulsion and epilepsy.

I assisted her family to secure accommodation in an uncompleted building beside my house on the estate. Sometime in October, Blessings brother announced that her sister had been delivered of a baby boy and I rejoiced with him.

"In the evening, I saw her mother and congratulated her. But she gave me a stare and left. I wondered if I said anything wrong.

The next Sunday, I saw the daughter in church and apologised for not coming to greet the baby in the house. She said there was no baby.

"I asked if the baby died, but she said her mother took the baby from her. She said he was with her aunt who fed him with milk and water. I was suspicious.

A week later, her mother called me and apologised for her reaction when I congratulated her. She said after Blessing was delivered of the baby, she (Blessing) was sick and even the baby was as small as a rat.

"She said the baby was so ill that he had to be taken to a herbal centre where they said he had epilepsy and convulsion. She said the baby had died from the illness," says a lawyer, Comfort Ogwuebu.

The lawyer made the confession to Ogwuebu, a church member based on trust already established between them.

According to reports, Ijeoma Okechukwu, the buyer of the baby made her sign a document agreeing to handover the newborn permanently.

Okechukwu reportedly met her at an eatery in company of two policemen to ensure the smooth running of the deal.

I gave birth in the morning. She (Okechukwu) came at night and asked if my mother had discussed with me and I said yes. She said she would give me some money to start a business. She paid for the hospital bill.

When we reached home, we called her and she said she had taken the baby to her sisters house at Ejigbo.

"I went there twice to see my baby. The third time I wanted to go, I learnt that she had relocated to a new place, which I didnt know. From that time, we only talked on the telephone.

After about a week, she invited me to an eatery around the estate. There were two policemen with her. I asked where my baby was, but she said he was fine.

"She gave me N250,000 and asked me to sign a paper that I wont disturb her in the future," narrated Blessing who has been apprehended alongside other accomplices.

ALSO READ: Nigerian couple sells daughter for N400K barely 24 hours after birth

Cases of human trafficking have become quite rampant in Nigeria, where parents are willing to sell off their children for meagre amount, often motivated by the economic hardship known to the citizens but it has also the agenda of those who engage in ritual murder.

Another mom sells newborn baby to raise older kids

Rosemary Okafor, a 30-year-old mom has been arrested for selling her newborn baby for the sum of N350,000. She had planned to use the money acquired to raise three other kids.

She was apprehended by reps from the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). Okafor, it was gathered, was lined up among a group of human traffickers engaged in the abduction and sale of children.

The mother is part of a crop of 8 men and 3 women, nabbed on suspicion of abuse related to the sale of human persons in Lagos, Abuja and the south-eastern part of Nigeria.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
In reality, acts like cannibalism, necrophilia, bestiality, incest, mutilation, rape, castration, public flogging, stoning, and slavery is legal in various parts of the world.

ALSO READ: 5 most extreme tribal body modifications

You might be surprised by what people can get away with in some countries.

1. Cannibalism

Cannibalism is technically still legal throughout the United States and several other countries, including Germany and the United Kingdom.

However, to indulge ones appetite for human flesh, a cannibal would first have to find a corpse for his meal, since murder is illegal.

2. Necrophilia

Committing sex acts on the dead, or necrophilia, is likely to strike most people as horrific, but in some US states, India and parts of Africa, its not illegal. As late as 2015, adultery, sodomy, blasphemy, and the act of displaying an albino in public for hire were illegal in Massachusetts but necrophilia isnt.

3. Bestiality

In some countries, this act remains legal. In Germany, erotic zoos cater to the bizarre fetish, although intimate relations between humans and animals arent restricted to these bestiality brothels.

ALSO READ: 5 shocking sexual traditions from around the world

The practice is also legal in Hungary, Finland, Mexico, and the states of Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

In Alabama, 2014 legislation would have outlawed the act, but the governor vetoed it.

4. Female Genital Mutilation

FGM is widely practised in 28 African nations and a few Asian countries. As many as 140 million women are estimated to have undergone FGM, and three million more girls and women are subjected to the procedure each year.

The most common form of FGM, the removal of the clitoris, often without anaesthesia. Infibulation entails the clitoris and external genitalia being removed, and the bleeding raw edges of the large lips are held together by thorns or other fastening devices to allow developing scar tissue to seal the vaginal entrance.

This terrible procedure is most often performed in Sudan, Somalia, Northern Kenya, parts of Ethiopia, up and down the Red Sea Coasts, parts of Mali, and surrounding areas.

5. Rape
The country has the highest representation of women in politics, education and the workplace in Africa.

Rwanda and Women Representation

Across most of Africa and the world, men tend to outnumber women in politics and by extension, but not in Rwanda. Currently, 64% of the Rwandan Parliament is female and has been ranked the highest country in the world with the most women in parliament as of January 2017.

Rwanda is also a global leader in commitments related to the #HeforShe campaign -the global solidarity movement for gender equality, developed by UN women and spearheaded by men in support of justice and equality for women.

Although Rwanda is not perfect yet, according to UN, rates of domestic violence are considered high in the country, it still sets an example for Africa in terms of women's participation across industries.
After his arrival in Damaturu, the state capital, the president presided over a town hall meeting with government officials, traditional rulers, and community leaders.

During the meeting, the president outlined his government's efforts to get back the girls, investigations into what led to the incident, and the security situation in the country.

Here is a rundown of the president's address at the meeting:

1. No stone left unturned

The president noted that his administration has been doing everything necessary to ensure that all the abducted girls are returned safely. He highlighted all the security measures that have taken place since the abduction.

He said, "On 19th February, 2018, we woke up to the painful news of the abduction of One Hundred and Ten (110) students of Government Girls' Science and Technical College, Dapchi. Since this ugly incident happened, I have not left any stone unturned in making sure that the girls are rescued.

"I have ordered the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take direct charge and brief me on a daily basis on the efforts to bring back the girls. Within four (4) days of the incident, the Minister of Information visited Dapchi and the next day, the Minister of Interior who was accompanied by the Minister of Information re-visited the school for on the spot assessment.

"I have ordered the re-strengthening of a Joint Operational Base involving relevant agencies and Services to coordinate the rescue mission. Consequently, the Service Commanders have not only established a unified Command Centre in Maiduguri, the Military has raised several rescue teams to comb the forests in the North East Theatre of Operation.

"In addition, the Nigerian Airforce has maintained aerial surveillance of the area."

2. FG in contact with parents

Buhari also said that the government has not abandoned the parents of the girls as they've been assured of their return.

"The Federal Government had earlier sent a delegation of senior officials to visit the Governor and the parents of the girls to re-assure them of the measures the government is taking as well as have an on-the-spot-assessment of the incident," he said.

3. FG will punish security agents responsible for incident

The president also revealed that a committee has been set up to investigate security errors that led to the incident and promised to punish accordingly anyone found to be negligent or culpable.

He said, "Similarly, the Federal Government has set up a 12-member Committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the students. The membership of the Committee was drawn from among security agencies and local residents.

"It is my hope that any agency, person or group found to have been negligent or culpable in the abduction of the girls will be punished in accordance with the law."

4. Buhari will negotiate with Boko Haram for girls' release

Buhari also assured the stakeholders present at the meeting that his administration will not pursue military action to get the girls back, but will negotiate with their abductors to ensure safe return.

He said, "Furthermore, the government is partnering with the International Community and organizations including our neighbours to ensure that these girls are safely returned.

"Just recently, I reiterated our resolve to negotiate for the unconditional release of the girls. This is borne out of this administration's conviction that, doing so is safer devoid of risks and will not endanger the lives of our young girls who are in harm's way."

5. Boko Haram is degraded

Buhari appraised his administration's efforts in degrading the powers of Boko Haram which had terrorised the country for years before he was elected. He said even critics recognise his success in curbing the group's menace.

He said, "Since the inception of this administration, we have remained resolute in our fight against Terrorism and Boko Haram insurgents.

"Nigerians will readily recall that prior to our coming in 2015, the situation was chaotic with violent terrorist attacks being the order of the day.

"Terrorists had made life very unbearable for the people in Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Niger, and even the FCT, Abuja. Our Mosques and Churches witnessed daily suicide bomb attacks. Parts of Adamawa and Borno States were helplessly ceded to the terrorists.

"But today, we have so far shown clear determination in tackling terrorism which is a world-wide phenomenon. We have not only degraded the power and dominance of the criminal elements, our security forces have patriotically exhibited an uncommon zeal in executing their assignment.

"We explored various strategies including regional and international collaborations to exterminate terror. We have re-equipped our armed forces, security and intelligence Services. They are empowered with improved welfare and better equipment. The outcomes have been good.

"Our achievement in maintaining security is such that the international community and even our critics commend our modest efforts in this regards."

6. Dapchi response better than Jonathan's Chibok response

President Buhari also took a swipe at former President Goodluck Jonathan by claiming that his administration's reaction to the Dapchi abduction is a far cry from how the previous government had ignored the Chibok abduction until it got worse.

He said, "The Federal Government's response to the unfortunate abduction of the school girls is a clear departure from the insensitivity of the past administration which looked the other way while the Chibok girls were taken away in 2014 and held in captivity for over 3 years.

"Due to our commitment, over 100 Chibok girls have been rescued and reunited with their families, sent back to school and empowered with requisite skills.

"You may recall that recently, our negotiation efforts led to the release of abducted University of Maiduguri lecturers, some women Police personnel, students and even an NYSC member.

"We, therefore, have no doubt that the Dapchi girls will be rescued or released. I can reassure parents, Nigerians and the International Community that we will do all that is within our power to make sure that the girls are brought back safely to their families."

7. Buhari won't rest until girls are released

The president promised that his administration will not rest until the abducted girls are released, while also advising parents to be careful with the statements they make that might affect the government's efforts.

He said, "I have ordered a 24 hour brief to me by security agencies on its successes or challenges. While expecting the report of the Committee set up to investigate the abduction for implementation, I have asked that appropriate Federal Government authorities be in constant touch with the Yobe State Government and other neighbouring States to ensure a common strategy and line of action.

"There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok and Dapchi, is released. The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations.

"The Dapchi and Chibok students are our girls and must enjoy our protection. They must live to achieve their individual ambitions, to be great women of tomorrow. It is our duty to protect them. We are determined to restore peace to all part of the country - from the West to the East; North to the South.

"While calling for calm, I implore affected parents and families to restrain from making statements that may jeopardize the success of the rescue mission."

8. Ignore political profiteers

President Buhari also warned the public against detractors of his administration who have been using the abduction to score political points.

He said, "We are aware of orchestrations by some evil elements to take advantage of the development to score cheap political points. I call on law abiding citizens to shun activities and statements that may cause a breakdown of law and order."

9. There'll be no repeat of Dapchi

Finally, he said his government will continue to maintain peace across the country.
The president made this promise while meeting with stakeholders in Yobe State on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, to discuss the recent abduction of 110 schoolgirls in the state.

The president was received in Damaturu by state governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, before the town hall meeting with government officials, traditional rulers, and community leaders.

The president said, "There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok and Dapchi, is released. The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations.

"The Dapchi and Chibok students are our girls and must enjoy our protection. They must live to achieve their individual ambitions, to be great women of tomorrow. It is our duty to protect them.

"We are determined to restore peace to all part of the country - from the West to the East; North to the South."

While meeting then-United States Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, on Monday, March 12, the president said he is going to negotiate with the terrorist group for the release of the girls instead of pursuing military action.

He reiterated this point during his address, saying, "Just recently, I reiterated our resolve to negotiate for the unconditional release of the girls. This is borne out of this administration's conviction that, doing so is safer devoid of risks and will not endanger the lives of our young girls who are in harm's way."

The president is scheduled to meet with the parents of the Dapchi schoolgirls during his visit.

Dapchi abduction

Boko Haram militants invaded Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School in Dapchi, Bursari local government area of Yobe on Monday, February 19, 2018, and abducted 110 schoolgirls.

According to accounts by residents, the terrorists invaded the town around 7 pm in over 18 gun trucks mounted with high caliber weapons.

The abduction was a repeat of another Boko Haram attack that happened when militants invaded Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok and kidnapped 276 female students in April 2014.
On January 9, 2018, the President ordered Idris to relocate to Benue in the heat of the clashes between farmers and herdsmen that had claimed over 70 lives.

The IGP was said to moved to the state the next day but he did not spend 24 hours there.

He reportedly asked the Deputy Inspector-General, operations, Joshiak Habila to take over while Idris moved to Nasarawa State.

Two months after the order, Buhari did not know that the police boss did his own bidding.

The President became aware of the situation on Monday, March 12, 2018, when he paid a visit to the troubled state.

Announcing Idris' summon via Twitter on Tuesday night, Buhari also demanded a comprehensive report of police operations in the states affected by the farmer-herdsmen crisis.

Buhari has been criticised for being ignorant of the fact that the IGP did not stay in Benue, a matter of public knowledge.

ALSO READ: Buhari will negotiate with Boko Haram to release 110 Dapchi schoolgirls

Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, who is an ardent critic of the Buhari administration, said the President is ignorant of what goes on under his nose.

"What manner of a President will give order to the IGP on January 9, only to be telling Nigerians on March 12 (2 months after) that he never knew that the IGP disobeyed his order?" Fayose asked.

Plateau Attack

Meanwhile, the killer-herdsmen have launched a fresh attack in Plateau State, leaving 25 people dead.

The attacker, who struck Dundu village in Irigwe Chiefdom of Bassa Local Government Area of the state on Monday night, March 12, also razed many houses, a youth leader in the village, Auta Danjuma said.
He made this disclosure while speaking in Makurdi, the state capital, on Monday, March 13, 2018, as he alleged that the crisis, which dates back to 2011, has led to the displacement of worshippers all over the state.

He said, "The destruction cuts across Catholic, Pentecostal, NKST, Anglican and several other churches located in areas affected by the crisis.

"The level of destruction is actually worrisome and that is the more reason why there is every need for the Federal Government to consider availing these churches some form of compensation, so that we can rebuild the effected structures and also effect repairs on others.

"Majority of those affected in the crisis are Christians, which means that the Church also carries the burden of contributing its widow's mite to the upkeep of the close to 170,000 persons displaced in the state as a result of the crisis.

"The situation in Benue State at the moment is pathetic; the state government has been overwhelmed because of the magnitude of the devastation and the number of the displaced.

"There is certainly no way a state government can cope with the kind of number of IDPs the government is catering for at the moment."

Benue's herdsmen crisis

Benue has been troubled by violent killings this year as a spate of attacks by suspected cattle herders have led to the death of over 100 victims.

At least 24 people were killed during a recent attack carried out on March 5 by herdsmen in Omusu Edimoga, a village in Okpokwu Local Government Area of the state.
The Senator also alleged that the members of the militia group have started taking laws into their hands and killing people.

Melaye said this while raising a motion on the floor of the Senate, on the security situation in Kogi state.

Senate wants militia group banned

Meanwhile, the Senate has mandated its committees on security and intelligence and the judiciary to liaise with the National Security Adviser (NSA) to ensure the group is banned.

Speaking further on the issue, Melaye also said Mr. President, I have a copy of the law here which is already a law of the Kogi State government. By the time I perused this law, this law is in conflict with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This law, Mr. President alters the function of the Nigeria Police as stipulated in section 214 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended.

Mr. President, it is a fact that states can make laws through the state houses of Assembly as enshrined in section 4 of the1999 constitution as amended. But the laws they must make must not be in conflict with the provision of the constitution.

ALSO READ:Dino Melaye attacks Governor Yahaya Bello on social media

Mr. President, I seek your indulgence to read a section of the law passed by Kogi state government. It says: the vigilante group will be involved in the detection and prevention of crime, the apprehension of criminal, the preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property, will assist other security and para-military agencies in the discharge of their duty, to assist other security agencies in government installation, to assist other security agencies in maintaining law and order in any economic, political and social gathering. There shall be a comptroller-general of vigilante services and, deputy comptroller-general of vigilante services.
Kazaure gave the advice in Oweri on Wednesday in a keynote address at the two-day 2018 Workshop for corps employers with the theme: Tackling Emerging Challenges in Youth Corps Aministration through greater Stakeholders Participation.

He was represented by Mr Femi Osungbohun, Assistant Director (Corps Welfare and Inspectorate), National Directorate, Abuja.

Kazaure said that the Federal Government had directed that government ministries, departments and agencies should no longer reject corps members posted to them.

He said that the service had recorded great successes in the online registration and clearance of corps members.

In addition, management has increased the number of regular inspection of corps members at their places of primary assignment, while ensuring that absentee corps members are duly sanctioned, he said.

Mrs Josephine Bakare, the NYSC Coordinator in Imo, said that the negative tendencies of corps members rejection, underutilisation and evasion of service contravened the letters and spirit of establishing the scheme.

Bakare was represented by Mr Mike Obemeata, Assistant Director (Deployment and Relocation) in NYSC.

She said that there was the need to beam searchlight on the various stakeholders to examine the extent to which they knowingly or inadvertently facilitate these unwholesome tendencies.

She said that in accordance with the provisions of enabling NYSC Acts, Bye Laws, Rules and Regulations, employers were expected to make presentations of their needs for corps members to the secretariat, according to areas of specialisation.

Bakare said the employers were also expected to accept the corps members and provide welfare facilities including accommodation, transportation and medical services as done to their regular staff.

She, however, expressed regret that in spite of all efforts by the scheme, the challenge of corps rejection, underutilisation and evasion of service had persisted.

She attributed the challenge to lack of synergy between corps employers and the state secretariat, adding that as long as postings were done without strict compliance with corps employers request, the challenge of corps rejection would persist.

According to her, the challenge of corps underutilisation, to a large extent, is a function of the level of underdevelopment of the society.

The Imo NYSC coordinator said the way out was the organisation of a workshop where management and corps employers would rob minds on best practices to optimally utilise the skills of corps members.

Mr Ifeanyichukwu Onwueyiagba, the state Commissioner for Talent and Youth Development and Chairman NYSC Governing Board in Imo, commended the NYSC for organising the forum, which he said, would address the challenges.

Onwueyiagba, represented by Mr Charles Madukaji, a Director in the ministry, urged the stakeholders to seriously deliberate on the challenges with a view to providing solutions.

He described NYSC as a corrective scheme and as such any report of misbehaviour by corps members should be treated with every seriousness.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the stakeholders, made up of rectors, principals, headmistresses, proprietors and proprietress of various schools in the state, head of other organisations and establishments complained of wanton abscondment of duty posts by corps members.
Dzukogi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna that the governors are Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Abubakar Bello of Niger and Yahaya Bello of Kogi.

They will be conferred with the award alongside Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Etsu Nupe, he said.

The Rector said the institution was honouring the four distinguished Nigerians because it has noted with satisfaction their useful contributions towards educational development in their respective states and the country in general.

He said the Polytechnic would bestow the awards on the personalities during its combined convocation ceremony of March 28.

During the ceremony, 5,605 students of 2016, comprising 3,380 ND students and 1,729 HND students, will become graduands, while 4,811 students of 2017 with 3,134 for ND and 1,677 for HND, will also become graduands, Dzukogi said.

The Rector said he was happy that the institution was one of the most peaceful polytechnics in the country.

This is due to the diligence and dedication of management, students and members of the academic board, he added.
Amaechi, who was represented by Alhaji Wakil Adamu, Director Planning and Research, said the role of transport was a key to the sustenance of commerce and other human activities.

The role of logistics, transport and supply chain cannot be overemphasised at a time when the government is seeking to improve the quality of life of its citizens through infrastructure development.

You may recall that President Muhammadu Buhari launched a four-year economic recovery and growth plan, spanning through the year 2017 to 2020.

Declaring that his administration will henceforth drive aggressive economic growth with the same zeal and vigour it has deployed to fight corruption and insecurity.

In this regard, this administration places a high premium on the revival of the transport sector in its entirety by the rehabilitation of existing transport infrastructure and the provision of new ones.

Also, ensuring capacity building while finding ways to improve the financial capabilities of the citizenry, he said.

Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, Chairman Senate Committee on Land Transport, said that prioritising the evolution of transport sector would bring about the maximisation of the potentials in the sector.

He said that the government should put in place institutional frameworks that would entrench professionalism in the transport sector.

According to him, this could be achieved by training and retraining both the operators and the regulators of the sector.

While the National Assembly has done its part in providing regulatory framework for your institute; we look forward to the assent of President Muhammadu Buhari on the bill in no distant future, he said.

He, however, said there was need for African countries to transcend its current level of basic transportation.

Mr Ibrahim Jibril, National President CILT, called for the integration of Diploma Certificate into the Civil Service Commission and also an expansion of membership base in the African Continent.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference was organised by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).
According to a report by Premium Times, the clash started when the AEPB task force members tried to serve the Road Safety office with a violation notice on Wednesday.

Soldiers and police officers with AEBP reportedly assaulted a female Road Safety marshal and escalated the confrontation, an allegation denied by the security agents. They alleged that they were resisted from serving the Road Safety the notice they brought.

As a result of the heated clash, a soldier was reportedly wounded while a civilian staff of the AEPB was "taken hostage" by the Road Safety marshals, which spurred the soldiers and police officers with the AEPB team to seize a Road Safety officer.
This was disclosed by the state's Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Professor Sam Egwu, while he was speaking to reporters in Minna, the state capital, on Tuesday, March 13, 2018.

He reported that a tip-off to the police had led to a raid on the centre where a culprit, in possession of many temporary voters' cards, was arrested.

He said, "The suspect normally worked on the temporary voters card he obtained to produce new ones for unsuspecting client."

Prof. Egwu noted that the suspect, who is still being interrogated, charged clients money to issue the fake cards with workers of a certain construction company patronising his fraudulent business the most.

He stressed to eligible voters the importance of registering at designated INEC registration centres with no monetary charges. He also revealed that 10 new registration centres had been added to the state as a way of encouraging more eligible voters to register.
During proceedings, Metuh's counsel, Emeka Etiaba (SAN), asked the court that his client be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom to seek adequate medical treatment for his worsening health.

He presented a letter from one Dr. Adrian T.H. Kasey, a neurosurgeon at Wellington Hospital in London, who said Metuh needs to be treated urgently.

The PDP chieftain had been forced to make his last court appearance on a stretcher as he was brought in an ambulance in a bid to heed Justice Okon Abang's directive to show up in court or have his bail revoked.

His lawyer, Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), told the court that he was on admission at the Nnamdi Azikwe University Teaching Hospital for an undisclosed ailment.

Metuh's trial

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited, on a seven-count charge bordering on fraud and money laundering.

The alleged offence involved $2 million and N400 million which the defendant allegedly received from the office of then-National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, in 2014.
According to SaharaReporters, the report also ranked 156 countries according to their scores for things such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

The top 10 countries on the list are: Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.

The United States ranked 18th, Britain 19th and the United Arab Emirates 20th.

Speaking on the report, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs of New Yorks Columbia University said We obviously have a social crisis in the U.S.: more inequality, less trust, less confidence in government.

Its pretty stark right now. The signs are not good for the U.S. It is getting richer and richer but not getting happier.

I would say that in general that when confidence in government is low when perceptions of corruption are high, inequality is high and health conditions are worsening  that is not conducive to good feelings.

According to Prof. John Helliwell of the University of British Columbia in Canada, said The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born.

Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations converge towards those of other residents in their new countries.

Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.

Corruption perception index

The latest corruption perception index (CPI) which was recently released by Transparency International showed that corruption is getting worse in Nigeria.
He said the event was aimed at bridging the gap between national consumption and local production of wheat in Nigeria.

Our national consumption of wheat is about 4.7 million metric tonnes, while our production is less than what we consume.

In order to breech the gap between what we consume and what we produce, we need to expand our scope to the South West, the South East and the South-South.

Although, wheat is mostly grown in the Northern part of the country, research has shown that it can also do well in the South-South, it is a crop that can adapt to new environment, Olabanji said.

We have come to sensitise farmers here and prepare their minds towards engaging in wheat production, he said.

Olabanji said plans were underway to reduce wheat importation by 60 percent in 2025, adding that Nigeria had the potentials to be self sufficient in wheat production.

He said Nigeria had 650,000 hectares of land for wheat production in the North and about 80,000 hectares for wheat production during rainy season in Cross River, Jos and Taraba.

Olabanji said the Federal Government was committed to the diversification of the nations economy through agriculture, adding that the capacity building for the farmers is to train the trainers.

After the training, we are going to help the farmers get some farm equipment, organised them into cooperative groups to enable them access incentives, inputs and grants to commence expansion of wheat production.

Our expectations are that many farmers In the South-South region will add value to the wheat value chain in Nigeria.

Also speaking, Mr Naplitali Telta, Wheat Coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the initiative was to conserve the nations foreign exchange by increasing local production of wheat.
This is coming after the President said that his administration's response to the abduction of students is better than that of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan when some students were also kidnapped in Chibok, Borno state, four years ago.

Buhari said this in his address during a town hall meeting with stakeholders in Yobe State on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

According to the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Babayo Garba, Buharis government has failed Nigerians.

Garba also said In fact no Nigerian ordinarily can take APC seriously any more, especially in their rumoured move to recontest election ahead of 2019. What will they tell people again?

Amended electoral act

Also, the PDP criticised President Buhari for rejecting the electoral act amendment recently passed by the National Assembly.
Residents of Lagos have been railing against the infamous Land Use Charge which is essentially a property tax. The Land Use Charge Act of 2018 repeals a similar law of 2001.

The 2018 Land Use Charge is a 400 percent tax increase on landed property in the nations commercial capital.

Lagosians will also be paying all manner of taxes on cars, boreholes and water treatment plants. There is also the increase on vehicle toll fares at the Ikoyi-Victoria Island-Lekki axis of the State.

Taken together, Lagos is beginning to look like a State that wants to milk its residents dry in order to bolster its internally generated revenue. All of this in a country where disposable income remains at abysmal levels.

Opacity

There is nothing wrong with reviewing old tax rates and imposing new ones. It is true that people would rather not pay taxes if the choice was theirs to make. Besides, reviewing the Land Use Charge is long overdue given that the rates have remained the same since 2001.

My grouse is what Lagos plans to do with new taxes given the opacity with which Governor Ambode and his coterie of godfathers have been conducting the affairs of the State.

I reside in a Lagos neighborhood where we generate our own water and power, provide our own security and make our roads motorable. Our cars have given way no thanks to deplorable road surfaces within and outside my neighborhood. Stench from overflowing refuse bins envelope the entire city all day. Everywhere you turn in Lagos, infrastructure is crumbling and the decay is palpable.

Yes, Ambode intends to raise taxes to fix the problems I have enumerated above, did I hear you say? But theres nothing in Lagos to show that taxes that have been paid by citizens up to this point have been put to judicious use. Why should we pay more in taxes when we havent been told what our old taxes have been used for? Why should we pay asphyxiating new charges when Ambode has been running the State like a private estate since 2015?

Why should anyone be happy to pay new taxes in an economy that is stifling the private sector, running many businesses aground and impoverishing millions daily? What exactly does government do for the people as part of its social contract?

Fair share

The opposition to Ambodes Land Use Charge has nothing to do with people blatantly refusing to pay taxes that will improve infrastructure and living conditions and wean the 5th largest economy in Africa off Nigerias dwindling oil revenue cookie jar.

After all, the fact that Lagos has seen an upsurge in internally generated revenue from N600 million in 1999, to N22 billion in 2015, and N341 billion in 2017 tells you that people have indeed been paying their taxes. The problem is that there hasnt been commensurate infrastructure development on the ground to justify new taxes.

Yes, we need to widen our tax net and encourage more people to pay their fair share of taxes. Tax compliance is a big issue everywhere and Lagos is no exception. But there are also the unresolved issues of multiple taxation and fraudulent tax officials roaming the nooks and crannies of the city.

Ambodes engagement with stakeholders and the media has been pretty awful as well since 2015. The man has been carrying on as though he doesnt need to explain anything to anyoneas though everything he does will enjoy the peoples buy-in just because it is Lagos we are talking about here.

In a bid to generate more revenue, the people and the media havent been carried along. One would like to know if there was a press briefing, sensitisation campaign or meetings with constituents before this new round of taxes were imposed on the people.

A town hall meeting was hurriedly put together by the Lagos State government last week only because voices opposed to the new taxes were growing louder and truculent.

A Twitter user recently accused the Lagos state Governor of not being sincere about the property tax.

Lagosians must be made to feel that they are paying their fair share of taxes for the development of their city and that they are partners in the citys development. Thus far, they havent felt that way because no one appears to be telling them the truth. And in an election season, that perception is bad for brand Ambode and the APC.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed gave the order while delivering ruling in an application filed by the Accord through its counsel, Mr Wole Olanipekun (SAN) asking for a preservative order on the matter.

The judge said: All parties in the suit are hereby directed to maintain status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit between now and the next adjourned date.

Mohammed said that he was making the order to preserve the sanctity and integrity of the court adding that he was not granting the motion on the face of the application.

He noted the apprehension expressed by the plaintiff with regards to Section 58 of the Constitution which says that where the president withholds assent to a bill and it is passed by both houses of the National Assembly, it becomes law.

The judge, however, stated that no time frame had been stipulated within which the National Assembly should convene and form two third majority to pass the law.

The plaintiff had approached the court seeking an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the National Assembly from taking action or actions on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018.

The plaintiff said it wanted the restraining order so that the NASS would notpass the bill by two-third majority until the final determination of the substantive originating summons.

The plaintiff is claiming a declaration that the legislative powers vested in the national assembly by the constitution do not empower or imbue it with the right, liberty or authority to pass or purport to pass any bill into Law.

This is with regards to a bill which attempts to interfere with or undermine the independence of INEC as guaranteed by the content, spirit and tenor of the Constitution.

A declaration that the legislative powers vested in the National Assembly by the Constitution do not empower or imbue it with the right, liberty or authority to control or dictate to INEC the way and manner it should organise, undertake and supervise elections.

This is with regards to elections to the offices of the President and Vice president, Governor and deputy governor of a state, membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and the House of Assembly of each state including fixing the sequence and dates of the elections into the said offices.

Counsel to the National Assembly, Ms Chinelo Ogbozor had argued that the substantive matter was not yet ripe for hearing since her client was served less than 48 hours ago.

Ogbozor further argued that it was wrong for her client to be pressured into making an undertaking not to take any action on the matter since her client was still within time to respond to the motion.

The defendant cannot be put under pressure by a party who is yet to comply with provisions of the law.

Also for the plaintiff to try to bundle the defendant to respond in less than 48 hours to a process he took his time to prepare tantamount to injustice, she argued.
The Kogi-West lawmaker stated this at plenary on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

According to Melaye, Governor Bello recently signed into law a bill seeking to arm vigilante groups in Kogi state.

Melaye accused some members of the state vigilante group of killing innocent Nigerians in the state.

State Police through the back door

Mr. President, I bring to the senate a law passed by the Kogi state government and signed into law by the governor of Kogi state that talks about the establishment of the Vigilante Service Group, Melaye began.

I bring to the senate a planned action of Kogi state government to introduce state police through the back door.

I have that law here, its already a law of the Kogi state government. By the time I perused this law, this law is in conflict with the provisions of the constitution. This law alters the functions of the Nigeria Police as stipulated in section 214 of the constitution.

It is a fact that state can make laws through the Houses of Assembly as enshrined in section 4 of the constitution but the law they will make must not be in conflict with the provisions of the constitution.

Arming vigilante group

It says that Vigilante Group will be involved in detection and prevention of crime, the apprehension of criminals, the preservation of law and order, the protection of lives and property. Will assist other security and para-military agencies in the discharge of their duties to assist other security agencies in government installations, to assist other security agencies in maintaining law and order in any economic, political and social gathering. There shall be a controller of Vigilante services. There is also a Deputy Controller-General.

The most affront on the constitution is in section 15 of that law which says the vigilante Service Group shall carry dane guns, other guns and other light weapons that are commiserate with their duties and responsibilities,

This is how it started in Kano, it was not contained, it started ravaging. This is how Boko Haram started, this is how Sara Suka started. The senate will not fold our arms and close our eyes where a governor is equipping militia to wreak havoc on innocent citizens. As I speak to you, this group is already killing in every parts of Kogi state. There is record of killings in Okene, Adabi, Lokoja and this group are carrying AK-47 and pump actions openly in Kogi.

Imported uniforms and hardwares by Kogi government

This will now justify the reason why uniforms and hardwares are imported into Nigeria. It will now justify why military weapons and gadgets were addressed as sporting equipment for the purpose of illegal importation. The laws of Kogi state shall not override the constitution, Melaye added.

Yahaya Bello a bad example

Contributing to the motion, Senator Godswill Akpabio described Governor Bello as a bad example of a youth in government.

Quite unfortunately it is Kogi again, Apkabio said. Here we are at the Senate trying to make laws to enable the youth who can go to elections to be voted for and we are seeing a very youthful governor who is giving impression that we elders should continue to recycle ourselves. But I do know that the youth of Nigeria are ready.

Having been a governor before, we were very circumspect about arming militants or arming youth because at the end of the day, even after youve left office, for you to retrieve that weapon. To hear that there is a law at all mentioning people to carry light weapons in a state is not only condemnable but must be looked into because Nigeria has been struggling with proliferation of arms. What is happening is almost like legalising illegality, he added.

Same story in Rivers

Senator Magnus Abe also drew the attention of the Senate to a similar situation in Rivers state.

As we all know, I have always been and I will remain an advocate of state policing as solution to the problems of this nation but for us to do this thing and do it well, we have to be careful.

In my own state, Rivers, the state House of Assembly has just passed a law called the neighbourhood something bill and law provides for this people to carry arms, provides for them to take every order for the governor, makes all sorts of provisions and even provide for these corps members that even the Nigeria Police does not have. This problem is not just a Kogi problem, it is a Nigerian problem.

Abes call that the Senate should investigate the situation is his state was however rejected by his colleagues.

Vigilantes performing well in Anambra

Senator Victor Umeh told lawmakers that vigilante groups in Anambra state should be left alone to perform their duties.

This is a very critical issue. It is very unfortunate that Kogi has been in the news for this abuse for some time now but it behoves on me to point out to this senate that vigilante service has worked in some parts of this country in helping to maintain peace in those states. Anambra is an example, he added.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Lalong on Monday sacked the former chairman of the crisis-ridden local government for  indiscipline.

You must take charge of the security of the local government, you must instill discipline in the local government and while instilling discipline, you must also show good example.

Your predecessors left for lack of discipline and failure to heed to the same charges I gave them when I was swearing them in.

As you are coming on board, I want you to know that Bokkos is one place we are having very serious security challenge now.

The big task ahead of you is to unite the warring parties and bring them together as the chairman and the security officer.

You must also ensure the continuation of payment of salaries and emoluments of civil servants, he said.

In his response, Tamai thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve the people of the local government.

The new chairman said that he would ensure that peace returns to the area.

With the support of the governor, I am determined to ensure that all the challenges bedevilling Bokkos are addressed.
The #NotTooYoungToRun bill which has been passed by the National Assembly and thirty-four state houses of Assembly seeks to reduce the age limit for those seeking elective positions.

Youths in their numbers stormed Unity Fountain Abuja on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, for the the national day of action of presidential assent for the #NotTooYoungToRun bill

Addressing journalists, the executive director of Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth, and Advancement (YIAGA), Samson Itodo told journalists that the piece of legislation currently enjoys the support of over sixty percent of Nigerians.

Itodo urged President Buhari to sign the #NotTooYoungToRun bill if he wants youths votes in 2019.

It will be political suicide for the President not to assent to the #NotTooYoungToRun bill because millions of youths are in support of this bill, Itodo declared.

We have constantly held that if he wants the youths vote in 2019, then make sure you pass the #NotTooYoungToRun bill. So, if the President wants the youths vote in 2019, he has to assent to this bill, he announced.

ALSO READ: Protesters show up at bill debate in Abuja

Beyond assenting to the bill, the youths are also seeking a level playing field for young people seeking political office.

This message goes to the APC administration and other political parties because beyond assenting to the bill, we expect political parties to uphold the principles of the bill of transparency and the tenets of internal democracy. This is because a lot of young people are going to join political parties and we expect that they will practice internal party democracy by creating a level playing field for these youths.

This is not about the youth population alone but about the fact that there are young people who have capacity, competence and integrity and our constitution should be amended to create that space because the quality of democracy is undermined if you take out inclusion, he added.

Other speakers at the fountain harped on the importance of signing the bill.

Despite President Buharis rejection of the Peace Corps billand other proposed legislations, the group expressed optimism that the bill will become law.

The youths then proceeded on a march to the Aso Rock Villa to pass their message to the President.

They were received by the two of President Buharis aides; Lauretta Onochie and his special assistant on youth as other cabinet members were attending the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

The youths objected and sought to wait for a cabinet member to address them.

Minister of aviation, Hadi Sirika, addressed the youths after three hours of waiting at the entrance to the Villa.

Sirika assured them that the president will assent to the bill adding that "he is a democrat and will always listen to young people."
At least six people were confirmed dead, including a young child, and 30 wounded, the source said, adding that they included passers-by.

An AFP journalist saw at least five casualties being carried out of the charred building.

Several cars parked nearby were severely damaged.

IS claimed the attack on its propaganda arm Amaq, saying an "act of martyrdom by car bombing" had hit the "main headquarters for food run by the Security Belt which is loyal to the United Arab Emirates, in the area of Dareen in the Mansoura district of Aden".

Aden is controlled by the Yemeni government and its allies in a Saudi-led coalition, who are battling Shiite Huthi rebels who control the capital Sanaa and much of the north.

But it also hosts jihadists of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, who have both claimed attacks in the city in recent years.

On February 24, twin suicide bombings claimed by IS hit a base of an Aden counter-terrorism unit, killing five people, including a child.

The government established its headquarters in Aden, Yemen's second city, after the rebels forced it out of the capital in 2015.
He was convicted of soliciting and accepting more than $300,000 in bribes from executives working for two companies with state business.

And even though Cuomo, a Democrat, was not accused of wrongdoing, the verdict still underscored ethical lapses and illegal activity at a time when Cuomo is seeking re-election.

In a statement several hours after the verdict, the governor said that while he was saddened for Percocos young daughters, he believed there should be no tolerance for lapses of integrity in public service.

The verdict demonstrated that these ideals have been violated by someone I knew for a long time. That is personally painful, the governor said. However, we must learn from what happened and put additional safeguards in place to secure the public trust. Anything less is unacceptable.

At the height of his influence, Percoco, whom Cuomo had once described as his fathers third son, was known as the governors enforcer, responsible for everything from keeping lawmakers in line and intimidating Cuomos political rivals to making sure chairs and thermostats were in order for the governors public appearances.

After eight days of strained deliberations, the jury in Federal District Court in Manhattan delivered a split verdict: It found Percoco not guilty of extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion, but appeared to find fault with his dealings on behalf of Competitive Power Ventures, a Maryland-based power company.

The trial painted an unflattering portrait of Percoco and more broadly of the inner workings of the state Capitol, one replete with expensive fishing trips, clubby nicknames and magic phone calls that could make or break multimillion-dollar contracts.

Of the more than $300,000 in alleged bribes to Percoco, prosecutors said the bulk came from Competitive Power Ventures, in the form of a low-show job for Percocos wife, Lisa Toscano-Percoco.

Toscano-Percoco was paid a yearly salary of $90,000, for a total of about $285,000, to teach schoolchildren about energy. She was given the job by a CPV executive, Peter Galbraith Kelly Jr., one of Percocos co-defendants in the trial.

The jury found Percoco guilty of two criminal counts  one of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and one of soliciting bribes  related to the alleged CPV scheme, but could not reach consensus on Kellys involvement. Percoco was also found guilty of one count of conspiracy related to a separate Syracuse-area development company, as was a co-defendant, Steven Aiello, an executive with that company; a fourth defendant, Joseph Gerardi, also of the development company, was acquitted of all charges.

Percoco told reporters after the verdict that he was disappointed and that he and his lawyers would review options for appeal.

Im thankful to my family and friends that have stood by me through this entire process, he said, and I look forward to them all standing by me as we go forward.

Milton L. Williams Jr., a lawyer for Gerardi, said he was very relieved, obviously, for him and his family.

Obviously, I feel very bad for Mr. Aiello and Mr. Percoco, he added.

The jurors made clear virtually from the start that they were struggling to reach consensus. Last week, after less than 20 hours of deliberations, they declared themselves deadlocked; sent back by the judge to continue deliberating, they declared themselves deadlocked again on Monday.

The panels mounting frustration was evident, especially as the trial dragged well beyond its projected four- to six-week finish. Several jurors asked to be dismissed from the case, citing its physical and emotional toll.

After the trial, jurors declined to comment  except one who, as she strode away from the courthouse, offered that she was happy its over.

The U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Geoffrey S. Berman, said in a statement that Percoco had sold something priceless that was not his to sell: the sacred obligation to honestly and faithfully serve the citizens of New York.

Much of the governments narrative of the bribery schemes revolved around Todd R. Howe, a disgraced former lobbyist and longtime Albany insider, who prosecutors said engineered the bribes from the executives to Percoco.

Howe, who had pleaded guilty to eight felonies and was cooperating with prosecutors, described how Percoco helped COR Development, the Syracuse company that employed Aiello and Gerardi, evade a costly union requirement on a development, and wrangled a pay raise for Aiellos son, who worked in state government. In return, Howe said, Percoco pressured the executives to help his wife land the job with the power company or to funnel thousands of dollars a month in covert payments.

But Howe at times seemed poised to be the prosecutions downfall, rather than its linchpin.

In early February, he was arrested midway through his testimony, after admitting during cross-examination that he had attempted to defraud his credit card company  after signing his cooperation agreement with the government.

The shocking development bolstered defense arguments that Howe was a self-interested liar whose testimony could not be believed; lawyers monitoring the case called the arrest a prosecutors worst nightmare.

Prosecutors also suggested that Percoco had violated New York state election and ethics laws by continuing to intervene in state business even after he left to work in the private sector. Witnesses said they had often seen Percoco in Cuomos New York and Albany offices even after he was no longer a state employee. Public records indicate that Cuomo was often in the office at the same time.

And if the dealings themselves were not unseemly enough, prosecutors said, many were carried out via bullying, name-calling and thinly veiled code words; Percocos and Howes use of ziti to refer to money  a nod to the Mafia drama The Sopranos  was a frequent motif.

Advocates for government reform called the trials outcome an indictment of Albanys culture. Blair Horner, the executive director of the New York Public Interest Research Group, said he hoped the verdict would compel Albany to deal with its ethics problem. John Kaehny, executive director of Reinvent Albany, said the trial had revealed a state government riddled with pay-to-play influence-peddling.

The governor has to redeem himself, Kaehny said.

Other major Albany corruption trials are scheduled to follow in the coming months: those of Sheldon Silver, a Democrat and longtime former Assembly speaker, and Dean G. Skelos, a Republican and former Senate majority leader. Both men are being retried after their convictions were overturned on appeal last year.

And in June, another former Cuomo ally, Alain E. Kaloyeros, will stand trial in a case that may cast further unflattering light on the governors administration. The trial of Kaloyeros, the former president of the State Universitys Polytechnic Institute, involves bid-rigging in Cuomos signature upstate economic development plan, the so-called Buffalo Billion. Aiello and Gerardi also face charges in that trial.

Howe was expected to testify in the Buffalo trial as well.

Barry A. Bohrer, a lawyer for Percoco, declined to address a question about whether Percoco, who is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Valerie E. Caproni on June 11, was a victim of political maneuvering. But, he said, it is a difficult time and place to be trying a case involving Albany politics.

Asked outside the courthouse if he had spoken to Cuomo about the verdict, Percoco cracked a smile.

I just walked out of the building, he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
A young girl suffering from endometriosis, a condition in which uterine cells migrate to other areas of the body, is informed by her doctor that childbirth will ease the pain. Im only 11, she later tells her support group, baffled.

A woman complains of vomiting uncontrollably, up to 100 times a night. She is offered antidepressants. When it finally occurs to a doctor to examine her further, to discover and perform surgery on her barely functioning gallbladder, she is on the verge of death.

These arent tales from the dark ages of medicine. They are ordinary modern realities documented in Maya Dusenberys well-researched, wonderfully truculent new book, Doing Harm, one of a cluster of new investigations into gender bias in medical treatment that also includes Ask Me About My Uterus, by Abby Norman, and Invisible, by Michele Lent Hirsch.

To put it kindly: These books are a mixed bag. Dusenbery, editor of the website Feministing, is the most capable writer of the bunch, and Doing Harm is an orderly blizzard of studies and statistics examining sexism at every level in medicine, from medical school admissions on up. Journalists Norman and Hirsch, on the other hand, offer up more personal takes  valuable if ungainly melds of memoir and reportage marked by excellent intentions and awkward prose.

In Ask Me About My Uterus, Norman recounts years of unexplained pain later discovered (by her) to be endometriosis. In Invisible, Hirsch looks at how chronic sickness reshapes the personal and professional lives of young women  while invoking the Job-like torments of her own 20s, when she endured thyroid cancer, hip surgery, Lyme disease and a rare condition called mast-cell activation syndrome, which could cause her to go into anaphylactic shock at any time.

Taken together, these three books tell an alarming story about how difficult it is for women to access quality care; particularly those women suffering from poorly understood autoimmune disorders.

This is hardly breaking news. One member of the feminist collective that produced the 1971 womens health manual Our Bodies, Ourselves said that everyone had a doctor story  that is, a tale about male physicians who were sexist, paternalistic, judgmental or simply unable to provide the information women needed.

These new doctor stories cut deep, especially in a moment when believe women has become a rallying cry. They feel linked to other instances of womens voices being suppressed and belittled  in the accounts of assault and harassment emerging in the #MeToo moment, for example, or in the recent studies showing how frequently men interrupt women in meetings and how rarely women are quoted as experts. This is a crisis of authority, Dusenbery argues. Women are regarded as unreliable narrators who cant even be trusted to speak for themselves or to testify to their own pain.

In Doing Harm, this cultural distrust of women  ancient and ingrained  is shown to govern quality of care at every stage of treatment. Women with abdominal pain wait in emergency rooms for 65 minutes compared with 49 minutes for men, and young women are seven times more likely to be sent home from a hospital while in the middle of a heart attack. Doctors rarely communicate (or understand) how drugs from aspirin to antidepressants affect women and men differently. Autoimmune disorders have been understudied because, as Hirsch points out, three-fourths of the patients are women and it is considered a womans ailment, never mind that 37 million people are afflicted, as estimated by the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association. (In comparison, 15 million Americans have cancer.)

Women are consistently undertreated for pain, as one influential paper showed: Male patients are given pain relief while women, who are more likely to have their pain rated as emotional, are given sedatives. This also extends to children; a study of postoperative pain management found that boys were more likely to receive codeine and girls the gentler acetaminophen.

For women of color, especially black women, the situation is even more parlous. Black patients are 22 times less likely to get any kind of pain relief in emergency rooms. And Dusenbery reports on a disturbing 2016 study of more than 200 medical students who were presented absurd, made-up statements on race and medicine. Half gave credence to statements like: Black people have less sensitive nerve endings than white people.

Addressing such entrenched inequities requires more than bringing more women doctors into the fold. As Norman learns the hard way in Ask Me About My Uterus, women doctors are not immune from implicit bias. Nor will a greater number of women doctors make up for the fact that, to this day, men are the default objects of study for research. A 2005 study found that almost 80 percent of animal pain studies used only males. A 1986 study on the influence of obesity on breast and uterine cancer infamously failed to enroll any women in the study.

According to Virginia Woolf, writing about the sick body (this monster, this miracle) requires the courage of a lion tamer and the spirit of a philosopher.

Not all these books meet that exalted standard. But all three, despite their grim stories and projections, leave the reader galvanized, not despairing. Each of them ends on a similar note  calling for women to keep sharing their doctor stories, keep putting pressure on medical professionals to study womens health and, in the meantime, for women themselves to learn how to advocate for their own care. Even as they recognize the burden that sick women must carry (Dusenbery: Women should not be required to be more knowledgeable about womens health than their doctors are), they are each, in their own flawed, complicated way, the very intervention they seek.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
She was a rising star until that dark chapter in CIA history began to emerge publicly.

But under President Donald Trump, her fortunes changed, and on Tuesday, he announced that he intended to name her director of the CIA.

With his elevation of Haspel, now the agencys deputy director, Trump displayed a willingness to ignore the widespread denunciations of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, confinements in boxes and other interrogation techniques that were used by the CIA more than a decade ago.

Her nomination is certain to reignite the wrenching debate over their use and the resulting psychological damage for terrorism suspects. Although lawmakers, human rights activists and others eventually condemned the interrogation methods as torture, the program had defenders. Among them was Trump, who vowed during his campaign to bring back waterboarding and once said torture works, although he later backed off that declaration.

Haspel, 61, would become the first woman to run CIA if she is confirmed by the Senate.

She is an outstanding person who also I have gotten to know very well, Trump said Tuesday in brief comments to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House.

During her Senate confirmation, Haspel will be forced to answer unsettling questions about waterboarding and her interactions with detainees. She will probably have to answer whether she would agree to reinstate waterboarding as the president has suggested and whether she believes that torture is an effective way to extract information from terrorism suspects.

I dont envy her trying to get through confirmation, said Robert Eatinger, the former top lawyer in the CIAs Counterterrorism Center. Its going to be the first chance for senators to have someone intimately involved in the program in front of them to answer questions. I think theyll take full advantage of that opportunity.

Senators who were deeply critical of the interrogation program could stand in Haspels way. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the former chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, oversaw its investigation into the program. The resulting 2014 report found that the program was deeply flawed and that those involved portrayed it as more effective than it was, misleading policymakers. The extent of Haspels role in the program is not known; only the reports executive summary was released, and it obscured the identities of agency operatives.

Feinstein has remained silent on whether she would block Haspels nomination but told reporters Tuesday that the two women had worked together since Haspel ascended to the CIAs No. 2 post in February 2017.

Since my concerns were raised over the torture situation, I have met with her extensively, talked with her, Feinstein said. She has been, I believe, a good deputy director. She seems to have the confidence of the agency, which is good.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who was held prisoner during the Vietnam War and tortured for 5 1/2 years, demanded that Haspel publicly explain her role in the interrogation program.

The torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history, he wrote on Twitter. The Senate must do its job in scrutinizing the record & involvement of Gina Haspel in this disgraceful program.

Haspel was also embroiled in another dark episode in the CIAs interrogation program.

In 2005, Jose Rodriguez, then the head of the agencys clandestine service, ordered the destruction of videotapes of the waterboarding sessions. Haspel, serving as Rodriguezs chief of staff, was a strong advocate for getting rid of the tapes, former CIA officers said.

Years later, when the CIA wanted to name Haspel to run clandestine operations, Feinstein blocked the promotion over Haspels role in the interrogation program and the destruction of the tapes.

Amy Jeffress, a national security aide to former Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. who served in London for the Justice Department while Haspel was CIA station chief there, defended her.

She will be criticized for her role in the interrogation program, but my experience from working with her is that she has learned from those mistakes and will be a thoughtful and conscientious leader of the CIA, Jeffress said.

Haspel was described former agency operatives and FBI agents who worked with her as apolitical, a tough intelligence professional and direct but collegial. She has successfully managed sometimes difficult relationships with foreign intelligence services and the occasional grumpy FBI agent.

She has succeeded in an agency traditionally dominated by men. After joining the CIA in 1985, she was assigned to the Central European Division. She spent long stretches overseas, including in Turkey and Central Asia, before ascending to station chief in New York, where she was posted when Osama bin Laden was killed and worked closely with the FBI as the agencies combed through files taken from his compound.

Haspel has held two of the top three jobs in the clandestine service and twice ran the CIAs station in London, a post made all the more important by the agencys relationship with MI6, the British intelligence service.

But her role in fighting terrorism is certain to draw the most scrutiny as her confirmation hearing looms.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the CIA launched a desperate hunt around the globe to find those responsible. In 2002, agency operatives working with Pakistani authorities captured a Qaida suspect, Abu Zubaydah, and ferried him to the CIA prison in Thailand. He was harshly interrogated and waterboarded at least 83 times in one month, sent to the brink of death, revived and questioned over and over.

Haspel arrived to run the prison in late October 2002, after the harsh interrogation of Zubaydah, a former senior CIA official said. In mid-November, another Qaida suspect, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri arrived. Nashiri, accused of bombing the USS Cole, was the man who was waterboarded three times.

After the prison closed in early December 2002, former officials said, Haspel returned to the Counterterrorism Center outside Washington as an operations officer.

Of the many difficult jobs she has held her career, former agency officials said, running the CIA and managing the president would likely prove to be the hardest.

Feinstein said her support would hinge on the outcome of a meeting with Haspel, who contacted Feinstein on Tuesday morning to request one. Feinstein declined to detail what she would ask and what assurances she might seek in exchange for her support of Haspels confirmation.

There is a difference, Feinstein said, between the second spot and the top spot.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Maduro is running for another six-year term in an election in May, but many of his most popular rivals have been jailed or barred from running.

The authorities announced the arrest of Rodriguez Torres on state television after he was detained at a hotel in Caracas, the capital, late Tuesday. Rodriguez Torres, a television announcer said, had planned armed acts and a conspiracy against the constitution. The statement also accused him of having had ties to U.S. intelligence agencies.

The government said Rodriguez Torres had worked with unnamed accomplices, raising the prospect that more people could be arrested.

Valentin Hereira, a member of Rodriguez Torress political team, said the former minister had not been allowed to see a lawyer and the only knowledge his advisers had of the charges was from the televised statement.

Rodriguez Torres, a confidant of former President Hugo Chavez, had been considered one of the earliest stalwarts of Chavezs political movement. He joined Chavez in a failed coup attempt in 1992 and spent two years in jail.

He served in Chavezs government as chief of the secret police, and under Maduro was the interior minister before being abruptly fired in 2014.

Recently, Rodriguez Torres emerged as one of the most vocal critics to break with Maduros leftist movement. A tipping point came during protests last year when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to demand that Maduro step down.

In an interview last year, Rodriguez Torres sided with the protesters.

Protesting is a right, Rodriguez Torres said. Who is not angry in this country? Who doesnt have to skip work now because they have to go searching for medicine? Who doesnt skip work because the minimum wage doesnt allow them to buy their most basic food?

After Maduro used force to quell the protests and created a new body that sidelined the countrys Congress, Rodriguez Torres began appearing publicly with members of the opposition.

Opposition politicians came to his defense Tuesday.

Miguel Rodriguez Torres also has human rights, and as a Venezuelan theyre important to me, too, wrote Ramon Guillermo Aveledo, the former secretary-general of the coalition of opposition parties.

As Maduro consolidated power, few were as willing to go as far as Rodriguez Torres in their criticism. One exception was Luisa Ortega, the countrys ousted attorney general, who tried to stop Maduro from using military courts to prosecute protesters. But Ortega fled the country shortly before the government charged her and her husband with criminal offenses.

By contrast, Rodriguez Torres stayed, continuing his criticism from within Venezuelas borders.

The government needs a president who is the head of state, one who can govern, and we dont have this here, he said in the interview last year. We have so many problems that we cant assume coherent policies  we cant end our crime, we cant resolve our economic problems.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Mesalands college 20th Iron Pour draws about 50 'kindred souls.'

Iron Pour coordinator and Mesalands faculty member D'Jean Jawrunner, right, directs and oversees the pouring of molten iron into ceramic molds.

More than 50 artists, students and area residents took part in the 20th anniversary Iron Pour this weekend at Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari.

"This is not how I envisioned it would be 20 years ago," said D'Jean Jawrunner, faculty, event founder.

Jawrunner said she had no idea what was to come from the first batch of molten iron being poured all those years ago. She said since its start the iron pour has become a living breathing extension of the college, community and participants.

"So many great people, whom I consider family, take the time to come home to Tucumcari," Jawrunner said. "It's a great feeling for them to love this event, it's even greater when they love Tucumcari."

Jawrunner said while it may seem the essence of the pour is the molten metal, its true heart lies in the people.

"It doesn't matter if the piece come out perfect or not," Jawrunner said. "It's about spending time with such wonderful people. Being with kindred souls."

One such artist, Cynthia Handel, of Livingston, Montana, said her first trip to the iron pour has been a 20-year journey in the making.

"I have been searching for D'Jean for 20 years," Handel said. "I have heard of the Iron Pour before but did not make the connection."

Handel said she was invited to the event by faculty member Joel Kiser.

On Friday, after a week of preparation, everyone gathered for the opening ceremonies and dedication of the renovations to the foundry building.

"It is bittersweet to see this event reach it's 20th anniversary and celebrate the foundry building renovations," said Thomas Newsom, Mesalands President.

Newsom said when he first took the office of president, the foundry building had several issues that needed to be addressed - including one classroom that had standing water after every rainfall.

"I am truly happy that these renovations were completed before my departure," Newsom said.

Newsom said the renovations, totaling $1.2 million, will help ensure the longevity of the Iron Pour.

As the furnaces heated up, artists and students began putting on war paint for the day ahead of them.

"This is something that started last year and we just wanted everyone to be involved in a tradition," said Leslie Flethcer of Fort Worth Texas.

When the iron was ready to pour, every batch of molten metal was greeted by Jawrunner with a warriors cry.

"I've always been very loud," Jawrunner said. "I was once told by a former teacher, 'If I don't hear you, I think you're absent.'"
TUCUMCARI - A Tucumcari man faces up to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to charges of criminal sexual penetration involving two minors.

Anthony Groomas, 29, appeared before District Judge Albert J. Mitchell to enter four guilty pleas to felony charges stemming from his arrest last August.

Mitchell accepted the guilty plea and ordered Groomas sent to the state's Department of Corrections for a 60-day pre-sentencing evaluation.

"Protecting New Mexico's children from sexual predators is our highest priority," said Attorney General Hector Balderas in a news release. "Whether you live in cities like Albuquerque or Las Cruces, or more rural areas like Quay County, parents must watch for signs of sexual predators soliciting their children and report it to authorities immediately."

Groomas' attorney Brett Phelps was not available for comment.

Following an investigation by the AG's office, Groomas was arrested on Feb. 3 at his residence in Tucumcari and charged with 23 felony counts connected to alleged criminal sexual penetration and criminal exploitation of girls ranging in age from 14 to 17.

Groomas was booked into the Quay County Detention Center on a $15,000 cash only bond, where he remains today.

James Hallinan, a spokesman for the attorney general, said the crimes occurred between May 2015 and February, with tips coming from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Hallinan said through the course of the investigation social media conversations between Groomas and minors were reviewed, and interviews with those minors were conducted.
Has the United States  which has generally been a champion of free trade since World War II  been the victim of unfair trading practices by other nations? Certainly. Its neither new or particularly unusual for nations to subsidize industries to try to get footholds in world markets.

By example, over the past 20 years, China has gone from being a marginal maker of steel and aluminum to producing roughly half the worlds output of both metals  undercutting companies in other nations that cant subsidize sales. This practice led the Obama administration to impose a series of penalties on China for so-called steel dumping, which led to China providing only about 2 percent of U.S. steel imports.

But instead of responding to unfair practices in a targeted way, President Donald Trump says hell impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum  across the board.

The sins of China are thus visited upon many of our closest allies, starting with Canada.

In a reflection of our two countries interconnected economies, especially in automaking, the nation to our north is both the top exporter to U.S. markets of steel and aluminum and the biggest importer of U.S. steel and aluminum. No wonder Canada called the tariffs completely unacceptable.

Already, European leaders have vowed that the European Union would respond to U.S. tariffs by imposing tariffs on such iconic American products as Levis jeans, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and Kentucky bourbon.

The Washington Post reported that the EU was quietly preparing to go even further, imposing tariffs that broadly target food and industrial imports, and more. This spurred Trump to warn that the U.S. would respond by imposing a retaliatory tax on auto imports from Europe and to tweet that trade wars are good, and easy to win.

Its possible that this is just the sort of trade brinkmanship that Trump promised as a candidate and said would lead to a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico as well as to other nations dropping obstacles to U.S. imports.

Its also possible that in a years time, this will be barely remembered as a flap that blew over after face-saving political maneuvers.

But there is a reason so many U.S. leaders are horrified by Trumps plan  and why his chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, quit last week: Theres already bad blood between America and the rest of the world over the presidents rejection of the Paris climate accord and his abandonment of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. The U.S. imposing tariffs that punish our allies could trigger a global recession and a tectonic geopolitical shift favoring China, the worlds other economic superpower.

That the presidents stand against unfair trading practices appears likely to benefit the nation most responsible for trade transgressions is beyond perverse. But it is also deeply ominous.

A commander-in-chief who harms his nation while declaring he is protecting it is capable of even bigger mistakes. Everyone should hope that Republican lawmakers and Trumps confidants and family members can talk the president off the tariff ledge.

 The San Diego Union-Tribune
Back-To-School Wish List

Monday was the first day of classes for everyone attending NYC public schools for the 2021-2022 school year. Many parents are happy about it, some...

Letters to the Editor

34th Anniversary Party To The Editor: Hello allI hope everyone had a great end to the summer and are looking forward to the fall. As...
Opinion

Ryan Bridge: The Govt's COVID-19 messaging is all over the shop - do lockdowns stop when enough Kiwis are vaccinated?
EUROPE: A memorandum of co-operation for the planned modernisation of the 412 km Beograd  Zagreb route was signed by Serbias Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport & Infrastructure Zorana Mihajlovic and her Croatian counterpart Oleg Butkovic in Beograd on March 9.
POLAND: SKPL Cargo is working with PKP Intercity to operate two Jaso  Zagorz return services per day from March 11 until September 1 using Class 810 railbuses acquired from the Czech Republic.
Ex-banker Gitelson, Inkasbank managers to pay Deposit Insurance Agency $200 mln

 RIA Novosti, Andrei Stenin

10:59 14/03/2018

MOSCOW, March 14 (RAPSI)  The Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region has collected 11.3 billion rubles (about $200 million) from ex-Inkasbank chairman Alexander Gitelson and two banks top managers in favor of the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA), the court has told RAPSI.

In June 2017, the Commercial Court of the North-Western District granted an appeal by Gitelson and forwarded the case for review. The former banker has appealed rulings issued in November 2016 and February 2017. Courts held that actions committed by Gitelson, another ex-board chairperson of the bank Tatyana Lebedeva and her deputy Lyudmila Samorukova between February 1, 2007 and February 19, 2009 caused a 7.49-billion-ruble damage (about $130 million at the current exchange rate) to Inkasbank and led to its bankruptcy.

Inkasbank was declared bankrupt in May 2009.

In April 2011, Moscows Meshchansky District Court sentenced Gitelson in absentia to five years in prison and a 1 million-ruble ($17,600) fine for embezzling 495 million rubles ($8.7 million) from his acquaintance, MP Adnan Muzykayev.

Gitelson was arrested in Austria in April 2013 and extradited to Russia in December.

In March 2015, Gitelson was convicted and sentenced to three years for embezzling over 2 billion rubles ($35 million at the current exchange rate) in public funds from Inkasbank. A court in St. Petersburg also fined the banker 500,000 rubles ($8,800).

Later, the court ruled to combine punishments for both crimes and extended prison sentence to five years.

In May 2016, the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg granted Gitelsons petition for his own bankruptcy.
Moscow court upholds dismissal of Siemens lawsuit over gas turbines

 flickr.com/surber

13:59 14/03/2018

MOSCOW, March 14 (RAPSI)  The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld a lower courts ruling to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a Russian subsidiary of German conglomerate Siemens against subsidiaries of Russias state corporation Rostec over alleged supply of gas turbines to Crimea, RAPSI has learnt in the court.

On November 27, 2017, the Moscow Commercial Court refused to arrest the gas turbines or to prohibit their installation, exploitation, modification or disassembly.

Also, this January the court dismissed a lawsuit over seizure of the turbines filed by Siemens subsidiary against Rostech subsidiaries, Technopromexport companies.

In December 2017, the court dismissed a lawsuit lodged by Siemens against subsidiaries of Russias state corporation Rostec, Technopromexport companies, over alleged supply of its turbines to Crimea.

The court also dismissed a counterclaim filed by Technopromexport seeking to recognize a contract with Russian Siemens subsidiary over supply of turbines as partially invalid.

Earlier, the court repeatedly refused to seize four turbines constructed by the Siemens subsidiary and also dismissed a motion to prohibit their installation.

According to the Moscow court, the plaintiff did not provide any evidence to support its claims. The court believes that there is no proof that Technopromexport companies took actions that could damage the applicant and ones that could prevent a court ruling from coming into force. All arguments of the plaintiffs are based on probabilities, the court notes, adding that taking measures against the defendant could upset the balance of interests in the courtroom.

In July 2017, Siemens asked the court to seize four turbines constructed by its subsidiaries and prohibit defendants from installing these turbines, acquired in 2015. The court dismissed this claim due to the lack of evidence.

In September, the court dismissed the conglomerates claim due to the lack of evidence. In October, the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal against the ruling.

On October 16, 2017, Technopromexport filed a counterclaim against Siemens also seeking to recognize a contract with the Russian Siemens subsidiary over supply of turbines as partially invalid.

Earlier, reliable sources told Siemens that at least two out of its four gas turbine installations provided for a project in Southern Russia were transferred to Crimea.

Siemens believes that these actions are in clear violation of the conglomerates distribution contracts prohibiting a client to provide equipment to the region. Siemens initiated investigation into persons responsible and filed lawsuits with the Moscow Commercial Court seeking cancellation of all additional provisions to Crimea and return of equipment to its original point of destination.
Detention of alleged leader of womens terrorist cell extended once more

 Fotolia/ Africa Studio

15:46 14/03/2018

ST. PETERSBURG, March 14 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov) - The Kalininsky District Court of St. Petersburg has extended detention of Alla Bespalova, an alleged leader of the regional womens cell of Hizb ut-Tahrir terrorist group banned in Russia, until May 16, the Unified press service of St. Petersburg courts has told RAPSI.

The woman stands charged with organizing and managing the terrorist group. She was arrested in November 2017.

According to investigators, Bespalova is the wife of Isi Ibragimov, who was sentenced in November 2016 to 12 years in prison for involvement in terrorist activities.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Liberation), founded in Jerusalem in 1953, is banned in several Arab and Central Asian countries. Russia's Supreme Court banned the group from operating on the territory of the country in 2003, describing it as a terrorist organization.

Hizb ut-Tahrir members are regularly arrested by the police across Russia, mainly in big cities in central Russia, the Volga region and Siberia. Also, there are many supporters in Crimea, which rejoined Russia in March 2014.
New tax evasion probe opened into ex-CEO of prominent Russian construction firm

 RAPSI

17:02 14/03/2018

MOSCOW, March 14 (RAPSI)  A new tax evasion case was opened against ex-CEO of Mostovik construction firm Oleg Shishov, who had been earlier sentenced to four years in prison for evading about 500 million rubles ($8.8 million) of taxes, the Investigative Committees Omsk Directorate reported Wednesday.

According to investigators, in 2014, then Mostovik CEO intentionally avoided paying taxes worth 256.2 million rubles ($4.5 million). However, the suspect ordered to draw on the companys assets totaling to 649.5 million rubles (about $11.5 million) for other purposes including granting of loans to affiliates and legal services, the statement reads.

In 2016, Shishov was convicted and sentenced to 4 years in prison for evading about 500 million rubles. According to investigators, between 2009 and 2011, Shishov forged financial documents and tax declarations of Mostovik, falsely reporting completion of construction works in Vladivostok and other cities by outside contractors.

Investigators claimed that these contractors had not done any works and the projects were completed by employees of Mostovik itself. As a result, investigators said that Shishov evaded paying over 478 million rubles in taxes. He pleaded guilty.

Additionally, investigators alleged that Shishov embezzled 526 million rubles ($9.2 million) received as advance payment for construction of the Omsk ring road.

In March 2017, Shishov was released on parole.
Ukraine puts alleged organizer of ex-Russian MPs murder on wanted list

 RIA Novosti, Vladimir Fedorenko

17:45 14/03/2018

MOSCOW, March 14 (RAPSI)  Ukraines authorities have put businessman Vladimir Tyurin, an alleged organizer of the murder of former Russian lawmaker Denis Voronenkov, on the wanted list, the country's Interior Ministry has announced on its website.

Tyurin, the former husband of Voronenkovs widow Maria Maksakova, stands charged with intended conspiratorial killing committed for selfish motives, according to the Ministrys database.

In October 2017, Ukraines Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko said that the murder of Voronenkov was ordered by Tyurin. However, prosecutors claimed that the crime was planned by Russias Federal Security Service (FSB). Law enforcement authorities believe that Voronenkovs murder is connected with his evidence of the Russian military prescriptive in Ukraine, and testimony in the treason case against former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych. Russian security services prepared a scheme of the witness liquidation, Lutsenko stated.

Voronenkov was shot dead in the central part of Ukrainian capital Kiev on March 23, 2017. His murderer was mortally wounded in the act and later died in a hospital.

The killer was identified as a Ukrainian citizen Pavel Parshov, who served in the Ukrainian National Guard, adviser to the Interior Minister of Ukraine Anton Gerashchenko said earlier. Parshov was wanted by the Ukrainian police for fictitious business activity and money laundering.

According to Ukrainian prosecutors, two men allegedly involved in the murder have been arrested and detained. Two other suspects have been put on the wanted list.

Voronenkov, a former member of Russia's Communist Party, moved to Ukraine in October 2016 together with his wife Maria Maksakova, also an ex-lawmaker, and was granted Ukrainian citizenship in December 2016.

In Russia Voronenkov faced numerous criminal charges including fraud and was arrested in absentia by a Moscow court; he was put on the federal wanted list.
Suspects in transportation of ISIS supporters to Syria arrested in Russia

 RIA Novosti, Igor Zarembo

11:59 14/03/2018

MOSCOW, March 14 (RAPSI)  Officers of the Federal Security Service (FSB) and the Interior Ministry have arrested 60 alleged members of an organization behind transportation of people to Syria and Iraq for participation in fights on the side of the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization prohibited in Russia, the FSB press-service reports.

According to FSB, law enforcement agencies stopped activity of a criminal group operating in the Moscow Region and Moscow, which, in addition to transportation of ISIS supporters, also organized unlawful legalization of immigrants from Central Asia.

During the searches three laboratories for production of forged documents, related equipment and passports of foreign countries were found.
Property details:

Enjoy Life in the Alps of Southern California Mountain Resort Destination. NO RESERVE, NO MONTHLY PAYMENTS, HIGH BID OWNS LOT Nestled in the magnificent San Bernardino National Forest, surrounded by pine, cedar, and dogwood, an area described as the "Alps of Southern California", and known as "the best kept secret on the West Coast, is a stunningly beautiful, cozy and quaint mountain resort paradise called Lake Arrowhead. Our community features countless outdoor recreational activities such as h...

Price: $ 1,450 State/Province: California Seller State of Residence: California Location: 928**, Orange, California

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby California
Property details:

LARGE LOT FOR SALE NICE, CALIFORNIA! Would you like to own property in Lake County California? Does residential land in Nice, CA interest you? Here is your opportunity to purchase a larger sized lot for a fraction of market value. Known as the "Bass Capital of the West." Clear Lake supports large populations of bass, crappie, bluegill, carp and catfish. Located along Hyde St., the lot itself is somewhat pie shaped and measures approximately 6,757 square feet. Please feel free to drive out and vi...

Price: $ 790 Seller State of Residence: Wisconsin State/Province: California Zip/Postal Code: 95464 Zoning: Rural Residential Type: Homesite, Lot City: Nice Location: 532**, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby Nice
Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

Search Real Estate
Property details:

PLEASE READ ENTIRE LISTING BEFORE BIDDING!!!!! PLEASE ASK ALL QUESTIONS AND DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE PRIOR TO BIDDING - YOUR BID IS AN INTENTION TO PURCHASE. 22,000 Bluegreen PointsBluegreen Club 36 Your Las Vegas vacation villaBluegreen Club 36 is a sure bet for anyone looking to combine the luxury of Las Vegas with the privacy of home. This desert oasis is located just blocks away from the Vegas Strip with a proximity to the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay and other popular gaming destinations. The ...

Price: $ 1,100 Seller State of Residence: Missouri State/Province: Nevada City: Las Vegas Property Address: 372 East Tropicana Ave Zip/Postal Code: 89169 Type: Attractions Location: 658**, Springfield, Missouri

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby Attractions
La voz del trade en las Americas
HOME > America's Next Top Model > America's Next Top Model 24 'America's Next Top Model' ousts Erin Green and determines Season 24's Top 5 contestants

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 03/14/2018



eliminated Erin Green and determined Season 24's Top 5 finalists during Tuesday night's broadcast on VH1.



ADVERTISEMENT Erin, a 42-year-old from Riverside, CA, was ousted from the competition after the show's panel of judges determined she had the least impressive performance at the week's photo shoot.



"I'm very disappointed. I wanted to prove to myself and the world that I can be this supermodel," Erin said in her final words. "Being myself within this competition helped me to make it to the Top 6, but it was my time to go. And I cannot wait to see my kids! I just hope they're going to be proud of their mom."



Before letting Erin go, Tyra told the aspiring model to hold her head up high because she has inspired women across the globe, showing them age shouldn't affect one's dream of pursuing a modeling career.



In addition to Tyra, the panel is comprised of supermodel, entrepreneur, and body activist



Erin fell into the bottom two with Shanice Carroll, a 25-year-old from Murfreesboro, TN, who had upset Drew during a Paper magazine cover photo shoot because she complained about her hair and makeup multiple times when her job was simply to perform well.



Tyra told Shanice that although she has amazing potential and a sparkle inside of her that's so bright, she must act professionally at all times and realize she is "a baby" in the modeling industry who has not yet acquired the right to speak up and give an opinion during a job.



The Top Model episode kicked off with a challenge in which the remaining contestants had to meet with three designers, who were each looking to book one model for a runway show that night.



Law explained to the ladies that one person could book all three designers, or three different girls could eat book one.



After receiving some walking tips and advice from Law, the aspiring models were sent out into the real world in two groups of three.



Erin; Rio Summers, a 23-year-old from Detroit, MI; and Kyla Coleman, a 20-year-old from Lacey, WA, were in one group, while the other one featured Shanice; Khrystyana Kazakova, a 32-year-old from New York, NY; and Jeana Turner, a 24-year-old from Minneapolis, MN.



The girls auditioned for Chris Mena behind the brand Kunst.NYC, who wanted a cool and relaxed girl with attitude; Barbara Strasmore behind Band of Gypsies, who wanted a strong but feminine model; and fashion designer Maggie Barry, who has worked with "edgy and unique" women such as



Jeana impressed all three designers with her walk, but they all seemed to agree she was either too short or too tiny to walk the runway.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

Rio therefore booked two of the designers for the runway show, and while she also stood out for Band of Gypsies, Kyla booked that one. For winning the challenge, Rio and Kyla also got to keep one look for each designer they were going to walk for.



It then became time for another photo shoot in which each girl had to undergo an individual transformation and pose for the cover of Paper magazine. The winner of 's 24th season will have that particular cover published digitally.



Kyla was dolled up into a "cyber sexy beauty; Khrystyana was transformed into a "dark, slick and androgynous" model; Jeana was given a head piece and dark makeup to accentuate her "bald beauty;" Erin, was dressed up like a "90s hip-hop music video; Rio became a "50s dreamgirl;" and Shanice was prepared to be red-carpet ready with a wig and all.



Drew, however, didn't approve of Shanice's first look, so she was transformed all over again into what appeared to be a 70s disco girl. Shanice's attitude "really ticked off" Drew that day, so she had an idea she'd be in trouble at panel.



At panel, the judges critiqued each girl's photo, and then Tyra revealed that Rio had the best photo of the week -- not to mention she had booked two designers for the runway show. Tyra noted that Rio had "supermodel capabilities."



Khrystyana had the next-best photo, as Tyra said it had taken her breath away. The next girls deemed safe were Jeana followed by Kyla. The results left Erin and Shanice in the bottom two.





About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON GOOGLE NEWS eliminated Erin Green and determined Season 24's Top 5 finalists during Tuesday night's broadcast on VH1.Erin, a 42-year-old from Riverside, CA, was ousted from the competition after the show's panel of judges determined she had the least impressive performance at the week's photo shoot."I'm very disappointed. I wanted to prove to myself and the world that I can be this supermodel," Erin said in her final words. "Being myself within this competition helped me to make it to the Top 6, but it was my time to go. And I cannot wait to see my kids! I just hope they're going to be proud of their mom."Before letting Erin go, Tyra told the aspiring model to hold her head up high because she has inspired women across the globe, showing them age shouldn't affect one's dream of pursuing a modeling career.In addition to Tyra, the panel is comprised of supermodel, entrepreneur, and body activist Ashley Graham ; Chief Creative Officer of Paper magazine Drew Elliott; and celebrity stylist and image architect Law Roach.Erin fell into the bottom two with Shanice Carroll, a 25-year-old from Murfreesboro, TN, who had upset Drew during a Paper magazine cover photo shoot because she complained about her hair and makeup multiple times when her job was simply to perform well.Tyra told Shanice that although she has amazing potential and a sparkle inside of her that's so bright, she must act professionally at all times and realize she is "a baby" in the modeling industry who has not yet acquired the right to speak up and give an opinion during a job.The Top Model episode kicked off with a challenge in which the remaining contestants had to meet with three designers, who were each looking to book one model for a runway show that night.Law explained to the ladies that one person could book all three designers, or three different girls could eat book one.After receiving some walking tips and advice from Law, the aspiring models were sent out into the real world in two groups of three.Erin; Rio Summers, a 23-year-old from Detroit, MI; and Kyla Coleman, a 20-year-old from Lacey, WA, were in one group, while the other one featured Shanice; Khrystyana Kazakova, a 32-year-old from New York, NY; and Jeana Turner, a 24-year-old from Minneapolis, MN.The girls auditioned for Chris Mena behind the brand Kunst.NYC, who wanted a cool and relaxed girl with attitude; Barbara Strasmore behind Band of Gypsies, who wanted a strong but feminine model; and fashion designer Maggie Barry, who has worked with "edgy and unique" women such as Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj Jeana impressed all three designers with her walk, but they all seemed to agree she was either too short or too tiny to walk the runway.Rio therefore booked two of the designers for the runway show, and while she also stood out for Band of Gypsies, Kyla booked that one. For winning the challenge, Rio and Kyla also got to keep one look for each designer they were going to walk for.It then became time for another photo shoot in which each girl had to undergo an individual transformation and pose for the cover of Paper magazine. The winner of 's 24th season will have that particular cover published digitally.Kyla was dolled up into a "cyber sexy beauty; Khrystyana was transformed into a "dark, slick and androgynous" model; Jeana was given a head piece and dark makeup to accentuate her "bald beauty;" Erin, was dressed up like a "90s hip-hop music video; Rio became a "50s dreamgirl;" and Shanice was prepared to be red-carpet ready with a wig and all.Drew, however, didn't approve of Shanice's first look, so she was transformed all over again into what appeared to be a 70s disco girl. Shanice's attitude "really ticked off" Drew that day, so she had an idea she'd be in trouble at panel.At panel, the judges critiqued each girl's photo, and then Tyra revealed that Rio had the best photo of the week -- not to mention she had booked two designers for the runway show. Tyra noted that Rio had "supermodel capabilities."Khrystyana had the next-best photo, as Tyra said it had taken her breath away. The next girls deemed safe were Jeana followed by Kyla. The results left Erin and Shanice in the bottom two. AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 24 MORE AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL 24 NEWS << PRIOR STORY

'The Voice' coaches complete Season 14 teams with Dallas Caroline, potential dark horse Jackie Verna, and more! NEXT STORY >>

'Big Brother' winner Dan Gheesling and wife Chelsea Gheesling welcome another baby boy!

Get more Reality TV World! Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or add our RSS feed.















ADVERTISEMENT

































ADVERTISEMENT
















































Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!
Bristol Palin will have a big role in her sister Willow Palin's wedding.

ADVERTISEMENT

The 27-year-old said in an Instagram post Tuesday that she "cannot wait" to serve as maid of honor at Willow's wedding to Ricky Bailey.

Bristol shared a photo of the sweet way Willow, 23, asked her to be maid of honor.

Willow sent her sibling a pizza with "MOH?" spelled out in olives and a gift basket containing a candle, nail polish, gourmet gummy bears and other goodies.

"it's official, i cannot wait!!" Bristol captioned the post, adding heart eyes emojis. "#MOH #1."

Willow got engaged to Bailey at Rockefeller Center in New York in December.

She said in an Instagram post Friday that wedding planning had "officially begun," and that she found her gown Monday in Anchorage, Ala.

"Thank you @bateaubridalboutique for making this so easy!" the bride-to-be captioned a photo of herself holding a "I said yes to the dress" sign.

FOLLOW REALITY TV WORLD ON THE ALL-NEW GOOGLE NEWS!

Reality TV World is now available on the all-new Google News app and website. Click here to visit our Google News page, and then click FOLLOW to add us as a news source!

Bristol and Willow are the daughters of former Alaska governor Sarah Palin . The pair were all smiles in a photo with 16-year-old sister Piper Palin and their dogs last week on Instagram.

Bristol competed on the eleventh season of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2010 and reached the finals with pro partner Mark Ballas, finishing in third place. In November of that year, she appeared on TLC's "Sarah Palin's Alaska" documentary.

Bristol then starred in "Bristol Palin: Life's a Tripp" on Lifetime in Summer 2012. She most recently competed on "Dancing with the Stars'" Fall 2012 All-Stars edition. She was sent home in the fourth week of the Season 15 competition.
,



We're sorry, this article is not currently available
'In India, people save for their children's education or a daughter's marriage or for old age.'

'This is not America or Japan, this is India.'

'This is a conservative society and what we need is more regulation to safeguard and guarantee people's money.'



IMAGE: 'Representatives of the RBI are on all the boards of public sector banks and they know very well that Indian banks are giving loans to the gem and jewellery industry in unusual proportions in the last few years.'

'The RBI should have checked why there was this unusual increase in loans to this industry. But it didn't,' says C H Venkatachalam, general secretary, All India Bank Employees Association.

Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

With jewellers Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi ensconced overseas, India is faced with yet another long of judicial and extradition proceedings to bring them back to face trial over their involvement in the Rs 12,400 crore letters of undertaking fraud in the Punjab National Bank.

Even as the multi-agency investigation into the scame is under way, C H Venkatachalam, general secretary of the All India Bank Employees Association, is clear in his mind about who is responsible.

"This government wants to bring in the FRDI bill in Parliament. This is going to cause unnecessary panic in the minds of people. It will also affect the confidence people had in public sector banks. If they feel banks are not safe, where will they keep the money?" Venkatachalam, below, asks Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

Banks are audited internally and externally regularly. How come a scam of this magnitude was not detected by anyone?

The Reserve Bank of India doesn't audit all the branches in the country; only a few branches are selected randomly.

It is definitely the fault of concurrent auditors who are external auditors not to have found a scam like this.

The practice of the chartered accountants is that they send their apprentices who do bank branch auditing like routine work.

Earlier, the RBI appointed external auditors from a very efficient panel of auditors. After liberalisation, the selection of auditors was transferred to the banks which is a serious flaw.

Only when somebody from outside checks, faults are detected. But when the banks themselves appoint the auditors, the result is also on expected lines.

This flaw was pointed out at that time itself to the government by us, but they were of the opinion that it was not necessary for the RBI to appoint the auditors.

If you look at the PNB scam, one branch gave a letter of undertaking in Mumbai based on which the foreign branches of other public sector banks gave advances to Nirav Modi to import.

When they do so, the loan amount is credited to the Punjab National Bank only as it is a nostro account.

A nostro account is the record of the bank whose money is at another bank and they are often used to simplify trade and foreign exchange transactions.

The LoUs were not shown up by the software...

Even more shocking was that the password which was supposed to be a secret was shared by everyone in the branch.

It is said that even the companies owned by Nirav Modi had this password.

If this was what they were doing, what kind of banking is this? It is a total failure of banking itself.

Also, the nostro account is a very sensitive account and supposed to be under the watch of the foreign exchange branch, the head office of the bank and even the RBI.

Then, how come nobody noticed the fraud?

Either it is corruption or it is negligence.

First of all, a junior officer in a branch had no authority to give a LoU to the Nirav Modi company. Even if he had done this, somebody senior should have checked the mistake.

It is surprising that after accepting the LoU, the foreign branch had written a letter acknowledging and conforming that on the basis of the letter, they were giving credit.

This kind of a confirmation letter goes to the top official of the branch and not to any junior officer. All this needs to be investigated.



IMAGE: RBI Governor Dr Urjit Patel. 'The RBI governor has not even opened his mouth so far about the scam. Why do we need such a Reserve Bank governor? Let him go,' says C H Venkatachalam. Photograph: Reuters

You had said the RBI should take responsibility and the RBI governor should quit?

The Reserve Bank is the banker of all banks. They are the custodians of the money of all the people.

They are supposed to regulate and if they are not regulating banks, what is the point in having the Reserve Bank of India?

The job of the police is to catch the thief and if they can't do it, there is no need to have the police station.

I would say the Reserve Bank of India thoroughly failed in its job.

Representatives of the RBI are on all the boards of public sector banks and they know very well that Indian banks are giving loans to the gem and jewellery industry in unusual proportions in the last few years.

The RBI should have checked why there was this unusual increase in loans to this industry. But it didn't.

So, the RBI should take moral responsibility for a scam of this proportion.

When a rail accident happens, you ask the railway minister to resign. In this case, the RBI has failed completely in the overall supervision of banks.

The RBI governor has not even opened his mouth so far about the scam. Why do we need such a Reserve Bank governor? Let him go.

I am very clear in saying that the RBI should take moral responsibility and the RBI governor should go.

What about the finance ministry?

Nirav Modi is not an unknown man. The finance ministry is also periodically reviewing all the banks. And this government has been frequently questioning the banks on their work.

After all, the government gave capital to all the banks after the NPAs (non performing assets) were made public.

Before recapitalisation, the government had asked the banks all the details like the balance sheet, performance, etc. They could have found out a fraud of this magnitude at that time.



IMAGE: 'Nirav Modi is not the origin of the scam; he is the end of the scam,' says C H Venkatachalam. Photograph: Kind courtesy Nirav Modi/Facebook

Do you also hold the government responsible for this fraud?

In a sense, they were irresponsible in not knowing what was happening in a bank.

I am not saying that the government would know what was happening in every branch, but they should have noticed when loans were given to a particular sector in such large proportions.

The government cannot micro manage things, but at the macro level, they should have known.

The finance ministry and the industries ministry should have noticed that Indian banks were getting over exposed to the gems and the jewellery sector.

That is why we ask for a CBI enquiry on this fraud. More than that, there has to be a thorough probe on the banking sector itself by a Joint Parliamentary Committee.

We feel there is definitely something murky in the system. Will anyone believe that Nirav Modi will go to a branch and bribe a low-level officer?

Just look at the people with whom he had moved around. He is not the origin of the scam; he is the end of the scam.

The government says the scam started when the UPA was in power...

Okay, it must have started then. That doesn't absolve you of anything.

You came in 2014. What did you do in the last four years?

Another thing is, not only Punjab National Bank but other banks also gave loans.

When you take a loan from a bank, you give all the details of your other loans too.

The banks are supposed to ask questions before giving loans amounting to crores of rupees. They are supposed to look into all the business transaction of his accounts. Why didn't they do it?

There is talk about privatising public sector banks to stop such scams. Is privatising PSBs the answer?

Absolutely not. I condemn the demand itself.

There are two sides to all the scams and frauds. Who is on the other side? The private sector.

When that is so, how can you criticise the public sector alone?

Today, the government suspects fraud in the Rs 9 lakh crore NPA. We at the AIBEA have been shouting that there was a possibility of fraud and corruption in the whole business of NPAs.

Who are the defaulters? All from the private sector. Is the name of any public sector organisation in the list of defaulters? No.

Is it a good idea to assess all bad loans above Rs 50 crore?

In fact, we have been demanding an assessment of all loans above Rs 10 crores!

When a loan above Rs 10 crore becomes bad, it has to be probed.

Do you think recapitalisation of PSBs will solve the NPA problem?

The Basel norm is that banks have to have backup capital to support the loan. It is to support the bank in case it collapses which is basically meant for private banks. So, recapitalising public sector banks should not be looked at in the same context.

Private capital of a bank and government capital is different.

The capital of all the 20 public sector banks put together is only Rs 22,000 crores (Rs 220 billion). On the other hand, we give loans worth Rs 75 lakh crores (Rs 7.5 trillion). So, capital in government banks has no meaning.

Why do you have to recapitalise banks? It is only to adhere to international norms that the government gives more capital to banks. Otherwise, it has no meaning.

Some time back, three public sector banks had negative capital yet people did not rush to withdraw all the money because people knew the government would take care of the banks. Had this happened to a private bank, people would have panicked.

Do you think after all these mega scams, the public has lost trust in public sector banks?

Yes, there is confusion and panic in the minds of people. After hearing about bad loans, people now feel that such banks will not function after some time.

When you hear about scams as big as Rs 14,000 crores (Rs 140 billion), the public tends to wonder about the fate of their savings.

Now the government is coming with the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill 2017 in Parliament, which says if any bank gets liquidated, the RBI would use people's deposits to save the bank from liquidation.

This has created panic in the minds of people. It means the government will not bail out the banks, instead it will use people's money.

In 1960, when T T Krishnamachari was the finance minister, the AIBEA president raised the issue of many private banks in India collapsing at that time. It was after that Section 45 of the Banking Regulation Act was added as a special amendment.

Under the amendment, the government can tell the RBI to close the bank and merge it with another bank. So, from 1960, no bank has been liquidated in India.

Around 30 to 40 private banks collapsed later, but they were not liquidated; they were taken over by another bank.

But now, this government wants to bring in the FRDI bill in Parliament. This is going to cause unnecessary panic in the minds of people.

It will also affect the confidence people had in public sector banks. If they feel banks are not safe, where will they keep the money?

Is to force them to put all the savings in mutual funds and the share market?

The government should understand that the savings of the people are the social capital for the country's development.

If social capital goes into the share market for speculation, not only the individual but the country is also taking a big risk and it is very dangerous.

In India, people save for their children's education or a daughter's marriage or for old age.

This is not America or Japan, this is India.

This is a conservative society and what we need is more regulation to safeguard and guarantee people's money.

But this government wants to make India a gambling den. That's why we feel the government must change its economic policies.
With the management of most State-owned banks hardly having time to concentrate on big-ticket business, growing the business of loan disbursals has been pushed down the priority order.

Loan disbursals to India Inc are taking a hit at this crucial time of fiscal year end, as banks, especially public sector lenders, have turned defensive in the aftermath of the Punjab National Bank fraud. The assessment of the impact of the new framework for restructuring of stressed assets is also taking bankers time.

Normally in March, last month of any financial year, activity levels are in high gear, said a top executive of a public sector bank. But now, the management of most banks, especially State-owned banks, which account for 70 per cent of banking in India, hardly have time to concentrate on big-ticket business. So, growing the business (loan disbursals) has been pushed down the priority order.

Also, auditors are far stricter in checking compliance after the PNB episode, which is impacting the pace of work before close of the accounting year. The entire eco-system is disturbed, another banker added.

A senior State Bank of India executive said the handling of communication about PNB fraud by the government and the regulator had not been up to the mark, and the blame is being entirely put on the banks. This is impacting the credibility of the banking system and adversely affecting bankers.

This comes at a time when credit growth to the industry was just beginning to rise.

For three years, the credit to industry was in the dumps for variety of reasons. The December 2017 quarter began with hope of better business (industry credit growth), coinciding with recovery in economic activity. But, the detection of fraud at PNB dented enthusiasm, which will dampen credit disbursals for March quarter, the SBI executive said.

He, however, was quick to point out that credit is not denied for established companies and where the track record is good. But, in the borderline cases, where proposals are coming for accounts with some higher leverage, executives are hesitant to stick out their neck and take risk (approving and disbursing loans). It would take another 3-6 months for the adverse effects to fade, he added.

Rating agencies too believe that credit growth has been impacted. A head of financial sector ratings at a top rating company said there are complaints across the industry that banks are taking more than their usual time to sanction and disburse loans.

Banks, which are under Prompt Corrective Action (PCA), are also working with restrictions. Now, they have to go slow on the foreign exchange business as well.

A senior foreign bank executive said the public sector banks have scaled down activities like extending trade credit, guarantees and letter of credit. This would impact the pace of overseas business done by them.

Fear of investigative agencies

Post PNB fraud, the investigative agencies and vigilance machinery are on an overdrive. So, bankers are apprehensive in doing any large financing or restructuring due to fear of being pulled up at a later date.

Another public sector bank executive with decades of experience says, Memories about harrowing times for former IDBI Bank top executives in Kingfisher Airlines case are still fresh in mind. No one will want to go through pangs of probe after retirement when one has to defend oneself for bona fide decisions with limited resources at hand.

It was for the first time in many years that top executives of private sector banks were called for questioning recently, something that public sector bankers have often been subjected to.

The overall loan disbursements have seen some improvement in the second half of current financial year, but loan advances to industry remains tepid. The year-on-year growth in total credit improved to 10.7 per cent till the middle of February 2018 from 4.4 per cent a year ago (February 2017), according to Reserve Bank of India data.

The credit to industry, which was down 5.5 per cent in January 2017 and bottomed out in October last year, had just begun to improve.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com.
It is unclear though how Parle Agro, which has Bailey packaged water in its portfolio, will respond to Bisleris foray into mango juice drinks.

Twenty-five years after parting ways, brothers Ramesh and Prakash Chauhan will find themselves competing for a slice of the same market this summer.

Ramesh's Bisleri International, which manufacturers and markets the packaged water brand by the same name, will launch a fizzy mango drink called Fonzo in April.

This would be the first time his company will step into the domain of younger brother Prakash directly.

Parle Agro, led by Prakash and his daughters Schauna, Nadia and Alisha, is the manufacturer and marketer of juice brands Frooti (mango) and Appy (apple), respectively. Both Frooti and Appy have regular and fizzy variants available in the marketplace.

The brothers, who stayed away from each other's businesses, have in the past few years diversified operations. Ramesh stepped into energy drinks and carbonated beverages such as Urzza and Bisleri Pop, respectively, and Prakash launched Cafe Cuba and Frio, both aerated drinks, in addition to snacks such as Hippo.

Ramesh's entry into the mango juice segment, however, will be watched closely, sources said. Apart from Frooti, some of the other players in mango juice drinks include Coca-Cola (Maaza), PepsiCo (Slice) and Manpasand Beverages (Mango Sip). The mango juice segment, within the Rs 120 billion packaged juices market in India, is estimated to be over 50 per cent in size, owing to the popularity of the fruit. This segment has been growing in double-digits steadily, prompting beverage majors to up the ante within the category.

Manpasand Beverages, for instance, recently announced a distribution deal with Parle Products, promoted by Vijay Chauhan, a cousin of the brothers. The two firms will cross-promote and sell each other's brands, beginning this summer.

It is unclear though how Parle Agro, which has Bailey packaged water in its portfolio, will respond to Bisleris foray into mango juice drinks. Parle Agro was not immediately available for a comment.

Ramesh, chairman and managing director, Bisleri, said, "The Indian market was saturated with regular mango-based drinks. None had anything new to offer. With Fonza, we offer the taste of a mango drink with fizz.

Chauhan said the new drink, to be available in 250 ml PET bottles priced at Rs 18 per unit, would be pushed across retail outlets in the country and would be backed by a full-fledged media campaign.

Photograph: Courtesy, parleagro.com.
The least the Opposition can do, for India's sake, is try to offer one, says Mitali Saran.



IMAGE: Sharad Pawar, Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi at Sonia Gandhi's dinner on March 13, 2018 for Opposition leaders. Photograph: Kind courtesy @INCIndia/Twitter

Well here we are, staring at the smoking ruins of the Bharatiya Janata Party's election promises and trying to stop the ringing in our ears.

Indian voters are a cynical lot, used to having our hearts broken first by one party and then the next; but even by cynical standards, the distance between Mr Modi's promises and his delivery is impressive.

A recent piece by Shivam Vij in The Print points out the cleverness of election slogans like 'Achhe din' that suggest works in progress rather than hard deadlines, thus paving the road for Mr Modi to argue for more time in 2019.

But this road -- much like life -- is one long blind curve. If someone tells you that what you seek is always just beyond the horizon, it comes down to how much you believe it, and how long you're willing to travel.

At this point, a lot of Indians are fed up with the hardships and inconveniences of demonetisation and GST, and angered by the failings and cruelties of the Aadhaar fiasco.

We want answers to questions like 'How did Judge Loya die?' We ask 'Where are the jobs?' and want better answers than 'Sell pakodas.'

The name Modi now reminds us of Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi being allowed to make off with thousands of millions of rupees.

We see our institutions being destroyed, our press leashed and craven.

We see unemployment, barbaric mob killings, communal statements from government officials, mind-boggling corruption, and a joyless puritanism being pressed upon society.

We see education being replaced by brainwashing -- and to my mind, actively cheating young people out of their potential for empowered self-development constitutes this government's greatest sin.

It seems many people are looking for change. Today even BJP supporters are unhappy with their party.

They dislike Mr Modi's failure to deliver and his propensity for too much big talk; they resent his quasi-despotism and the fact that he surrounds himself with incompetent, insensitive people. GST and demonetisation are not popular.

And yet huge numbers of disillusioned citizens are saying, 'But what's the alternative?'

Other than its organisational chops, the BJP's sharpest weapon has been its spin and marketing machine. This machine built the prime minister's buoyant personal brand, though by now it is somewhat diminished.

This machine daily spins failure to look like success, stagnation to look like progress, and Hindutva to look like a correction of 'distorted history', though there is no better reality check than one's own wallet; people are wise to the online and WhatsApp industry of fake news.

This machine also did a fine job of discrediting the Opposition in the public mind, sometimes fairly, sometimes by repeating lies until they served as truth.

But the Congress cannot blame only the machine. The party was first stunned by its 2014 defeat, then directionless, then mousy. But even now that it shows signs of of real revitalisation -- more quickness and aggression, a compelling social media presence, and a decent showing in Gujarat, now that Rahul has shaken the 'Pappu' tag and is being taken seriously -- people remain wary of it, and sceptical of its intentions.

A friend reports that his BJP supporting friends are so frustrated, they say they wish that Rahul Gandhi would do better, so that they could vote for the Congress.

Forget BJP supporters -- legions of potential Congress voters reluctantly plan to hit NOTA in the voting booth.

The truth is that public memory of the United Progressive Alliance's dismal second term still festers, and the party has been unable to shake off the richly deserved opprobrium it attracted when it was in power.

Nobody wants the bad old days back. And the truth is also that it has never had a better opportunity to earn back voters' trust.

But for that it needs to look, feel, and smell like an alternative -- a real alternative, not just to Mr Modi's BJP, but also to the Congress' own worst past self, which sometimes looks suspiciously like Mr Modi's BJP.

The party currently has the advantage of the underdog: It can learn from its mistakes, course-correct, re-define and re-articulate its vision, and try to mean it.

To win back the disappointed Congress voter, it has to show her that the devil she knows has been to rehab, kicked its worst habits, and reoriented its priorities.

This time, when it comes home, it's not going to steal from her handbag, or neglect its chores, or let itself go.

Whether the Opposition will -- or can -- offer that alternative remains to be seen. But the least it can do, for the sake of India, is try.

And it would be a courtesy to all those disappointed BJP voters.
A teenaged Taliban suicide bomber attacked a police checkpost near the residence of Pakistans ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Lahore, killing 10 people, including six policemen, police said.

According to rescue officials, the blast took place on Wednesday night close to a police check post, a few kilometers from the palatial residence of the Sharif family, and next to the congregation of the Tableeghi Jamaat centre.

"Five policemen -- two inspectors and three constables -- are among nine persons killed in the blast, Rescue 1122 spokesman Jam Sajjad told PTI.

On Thursday, one more policeman wounded in the attack on the Raiwind Markaz of the Tableeghi Jamaat succumbed to his injuries.

His death brought the toll of those killed to 10.

Around 14 policemen are among 25 injured. The condition of four policemen is stated to be critical, Sajjad said.

According to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), four suspected militants tried to enter the Tableeghi Jamaat gathering but were stopped by policemen.

One of the attackers then blew himself up while the remaining managed to flee from the spot, the Express Tribune reported.

Inspector General Police Punjab Arif Nawaz confirmed that the blast was a suicide attack carried out by a teenaged boy who blew himself up near the checkpost.

Deputy Inspector General Police Lahore Dr Haider Ashraf said: "A teenaged boy blew himself up at the check post set up close to the Tableeghi centre where at least 14 or so cops were present".

However, he did not give the exact age of the boy.

He said the police personnel were the target of the blast. "The condition of some policemen is critical," he said.

"The body parts of the bomber have also been recovered," the officer said.

It was such a powerful blast that its sound was heard several kilometers from the site.

A fire ball was seen after the blast at the Nisar Police checkpost.

Abid Hussain, an injured constable, told journalists that he had been deputed at the entry point of the check-post to frisk those passing through the area.

"I saw a young boy who was trying to enter (the venue) and as soon as my colleague stopped him, I heard a powerful blast," Hussain said, adding that he had lost consciousness after that and came to later at a hospital.

Some reports said the Tahreek-i-Taliban Pakistan has claimed the responsibility of the blast and the banned outfit has threatened more attacks on police.

The suicide attack took place a week before the semi-finals of the Pakistan Super League in Lahore.

"The PSL semi-finals will be held in Lahore as per schedule as we have made all security arrangements in this regard," Ashraf said.

Pakistan Rangers quick response force has reached the spot and cordoned off the area along with the police.

President Mamnoon Hussain condemned the attack, saying such cowardly acts could not deter the government's resolve to fight terrorism.

Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif sought a report from the IGP and vowed to take the terrorists and their facilitators to task.

This is the first explosion targeting the provincial capital in 2018. Lahore experienced multiple terror attacks in 2017 that killed more than 60 people.
IMAGE: IMAGE: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley speaks as Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu looks on during an on-going Budget Session, at Parliament House in New Delhi on Wednesday. Photographs: TV Grab via PTI Photo



Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed without discussion the Finance Bill 2018 and a Rs 89.25 lakh crore spending plan for the next fiscal year beginning April 1, all in a matter of 25 minutes during which opposition parties shouted slogans and created the din.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's 21 amendments to the Bill, which contains taxation proposals for 2018-19, were approved by voice vote, and so was the Appropriation Bill which detailed spending plans for 99 government ministries and departments.

With this, the Parliamentary approval for the Modi government's fifth and final Budget is complete in Lok Sabha.

It is probably the first time in recent years that the Lok Sabha had not discussed and voted even a single ministry's demand for grants (spending plan). In the recent past, Union budgets were passed without discussion in 2013-14 and 2003-04 when, like Wednesday, all demands were guillotined.

The amendments approved by the Lok Sabha included the one providing for grandfathering of capital gains accrued on unlisted entities till January 31. It also provided for methodology for valuation of capital gains.

IMAGE: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan reacts during the proceedings.

In the Budget for 2018-19 presented on February 1, Jaitley brought back a tax on long-term capital gains on listed equities.

Long-term capital gains of over Rs 1 lakh will be taxed at 10 per cent. However, all gains up to January 31, 2018 will be grandfathered, he had said in the Budget speech.

The Lok Sabha passed the appropriation bills after negating several cut motions moved by the opposition parties.

With opposition paralysing the functioning of Parliament in the second half of the Budget session over issues ranging from India's biggest bank fraud at Punjab National Bank to sharing of Cauvery waters and special package for Andhra Pradesh, the government decided to bring the budget for approval even though the session is scheduled to go on till April 6.

It was taken up soon after the House met after the first adjournment of proceedings at the beginning of the day.

Opposition parties cried foul over the move with the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Trinamool Congress staging a walkout while the Telgu parties -- Telugu Desam Party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti and Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress were in the well shouting slogans.

Samajwadi Party too was in the well of the house protesting clamp down on the media during the counting of votes for Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll.

Earlier, Congress, Trinamool, Dravida Munnetra Kazagam, Rashtriya Janata Dal, SP, Left, and NCP, among others, had submitted a memorandum to the Speaker, objecting to what it called was government's 'arrogance and unilateral move to bulldoze all financial business without discussing them in the House'.

The Lok Sabha also later passed, through a voice vote, the fourth batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2017-18. The fourth batch involved cash outgo of Rs 85,315 crore, mainly on compensating states for loss of revenue from implementation of goods and services tax.

Jaitley moved the Finance Bill 2018, which contains taxation proposals of his fifth and final budget, as well as the appropriation bill that details of spending in various departments, amid din created by slogan-shouting opposition. The bills were passed by voice vote.

IMAGE: Opposition members protest during the ongoing budget session in the Lok Sabha.

Ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance has an absolute majority in the Lower House of Parliament.

The appropriation bill was approved after a guillotine was applied which essentially means that all outstanding demands for grants from various departments are put to vote at once whether they are discussed or not.

With the passage of the Finance Bill and the Appropriation Bill, the budget exercise is complete in the lower house.

Technically, the two Bills also have to go to Rajya Sabha but since they are money bill they would be considered approved if the Upper House of Parliament does not return them within 14 days.

The Opposition has an upper hand in the Rajya Sabha.

Neither Lok Sabha nor Rajya Sabha has transacted any substantial business in the past eight days.

Earlier this week, the BJP had issued a three-day whip to its members to be present in the House.

Budget passage is a constitutional obligation without which the government cannot spend a single penny on its functioning.

Opposition parties protested against the passing of the Budget without a debate as the session is to continue till April 6.

Rajya Sabha

Proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were washed out for the eighth straight day on Wednesday, amid uproar by the opposition and National Democratic Alliance partner Telugu Desam Party on multiple issues ranging from India's biggest Rs 12,700 crore banking fraud, special package to Andhra Pradesh and Cauvery water dispute.

The House was adjourned till 2 pm soon after it had assembled for the day. The Chair called it a day soon after it reassembled at 2 pm as uproarious scenes continued.

IMAGE: Protests in the Rajya Sabha.

When the Upper House re-assembled at 2 pm, the opposition members trooped into the Well raising slogans like BJP Hatao, Desh Bachao (remove Bharatiya Janata Party, save the country) and displaying placards.

Amid the din, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien, who was in the Chair, directed the Secretary General to read out a message from the Lok Sabha. The Rajya Sabha Secretary General of the informed the House about the passage of the Finance Bill and the appropriation bills by the Lower House, amid din.

As the noisy protests continued, Kurien thereafter adjourned the House for the day.

Three of the Samajwadi Party members in the House -- R S Tiwari, Chandrapal Singh Yadav and Neeraj Shekhar donned red caps as counting trends in the Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha bypolls showed their party candidates leading in Phulpur and Gorakhpur, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's constitutency.

IMAGE: Rajya Sabha MPs observe silence to pay tribute to nine CRPF personnel who were killed in a Naxal attack in Sukma district and to noted scientist Stephen Hawking who died at the age of 76, on Wednesday.

Earlier, the proceedings were adjourned till 2 pm as several parties continued their protests over multiple issues.

Before the adjournment, the House mourned the death of former member VPM Samy and Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist. The House also expressed grief at the death of nine paramilitary personnel killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, as well as 10 trekkers killed in a recent forest fire in Tamil Nadu.

Soon after the listed papers were laid, several MPs trooped into the Well shouting slogans.

While the Trinamool Congress and Congress led the charge against the bank fraud in the Punjab National Bank, Tamil Nadu parties carried banners demanding immediate constitution of Cauvery Water Management Board on the river water sharing.

Members of the TDP carried placards demanding a special package for Andhra Pradesh.

The members stood in silence as a mark of respect to the departed souls.

Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked the members to return to their seats and allow the Zero Hour proceedings.

"This is not the way," he said, ordering that no part of the protest would either go on record or be shown on television.

He then adjourned the House till 2 pm.
Domestic carriers IndiGo and GoAir cancelled 48 flights on Wednesday as almost one-third of their A320 Neo aircraft fleet remained grounded for the third day following a safety directive by the country's aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

Of the 48 flights, which are not being operated as part of the curtailed schedule, 42 are of IndiGo and six of GoAir.

IndiGo has cancelled 42 flights for March 14. This includes flights to Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Jaipur, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Dehradun, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, among others, the airline announced on its website.

However, the Wadia Group-promoted GoAir said it had cancelled a total of six flights on Wednesday due to the grounding of three of its A320 Neo planes, as against 18 on Tuesday.

In an announcement on its website, GoAir said it would cancel 18 flights, including 8 daily ones, from March 15 to 24. These include flights from Cochin, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.

The Gurugram-headquartered IndiGo operates over 1,000 daily flights while GoAir offers 230 services daily.

On Tuesday, the two airlines together had cancelled over 65 flights, with IndiGo alone cancelling over 47 services, due to the grounding of their 11 aircraft -- eight of IndiGo and three of GoAir -- by the DGCA on March 13, citing passengers safety concerns arising out of the mid-air shut down of the Pratt& Whitney-manufactured Neo engines of these airplanes.

There are a total of 45 A320 Neo planes fitted with P&W engines with the two airlines.

Of these, IndiGo has 33 and GoAir 12 planes.

The cancellation of services in a large number has put thousands of passengers at inconvenience as they had pre-booked these flights amid the concerns of exorbitant fares which are charged by the carriers for last-minute travel.

However, the two carriers had on Tuesday said they were taking measures to minimise inconvenience to the passengers whose flights have been cancelled by booking them on alternative flights as well giving them the option of cancelling or rescheduling their travel without any extra cost.
The world's best known scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76 on Wednesday.

Known as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, here are a few glimpses of his phenomenal life.

Who knew the universe better than Prof Hawking? Here's him delivering a lecture on 'The Origin of the Universe' at the Heysel conference hall in Brussels. Photograph: Francois Lenoir/Reuters.

After his 'zero gravity' flight: Hawking at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2007. The renowned scientist, who was confined to a wheelchair otherwise, took a flight that gave him a taste of the weightlessness of space. Photograph: Charles W Luzier/Reuters

Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after their wedding at St Barnabas Church in Cambridge, in September 16, 1995. Photograph: Russell Boyce/Reuters.

Hawking with his ex-wife Jane Wilde Hawking as she arrives at the United Kingdom premiere of the film The Theory of Everything which was based on the professor's life, at a cinema in central London in 2014. Actors Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, who play Stephen and Jane in the film, look on. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters.

ALSO SEE: When Stephen Hawking met Stephen Hawking!

With Queen Elizabeth during a reception for Leonard Cheshire Disability charity at St James's Palace in London in 2014. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/pool/Reuters.

Always an inspiration for the physically challenged, Professor Hawking speaks during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympics. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

With former South African president the legendary Nelson Mandela at Mandela's Foundation office in Johannesburg in 2008. Photograph: Reuters/pool.

Prof Hawking on a personal guided tour of his favourite places in London's famous Science Museum in 2015. On the tour, he said he was pleased to lend his synthesised 'voice' to actor Eddie Redmayne for his Oscar-nominated performance in The Theory of Everything but wittily added, 'Unfortunately Eddie did not inherit my good looks.' Photograph: Tristan Fewings/Getty Images.

With Microsoft president Bill Gates and then Cambridge University vice chancellor Professor Alec Broers on a visit to Cambridge in 1997. Photograph: Stringer/Reuters.

At Universal Studios in Hollywood in 2011. Photograph: Universal Studios Hollywood via Getty Images.

Getting the United States' highest civilian honour: Former US President Barack Obama presenting the Medal of Freedom to Prof Hawking during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in 2009. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Students walked out of classrooms across the United States on Wednesday, waving signs and chanting their demands for tighter gun safety laws, joining a movement spearheaded by survivors of the deadly shooting spree at a Florida high school last month.

Heres glimpses from the event.

The #ENOUGH National School Walkout began with 17-minute walkouts planned at 10 am in each time zone, commemorating the 17 students and staff killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14. The massacre was the latest in a series of shootings that have plagued US schools for nearly two decades.

Photograph: Joe Skipper/Reuters

More than 3,000 walkouts were planned across the country and around the world, organisers said. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Organisers of the protest accused the US Congress of failing to tackle gun violence adequately. They held posters reading 'How many more' and 'protect kids, not guns.'

Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

The walkouts are part of a burgeoning, grassroots movement that grew out of the Parkland attack. Some of the survivors have lobbied state and federal lawmakers, and even met with US President Donald Trump, to call for new restrictions on gun ownership, a right protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

"We dont feel safe in schools anymore," Sarah Chatfield said. A 15-year-old high school student from Maryland, Chatfield had joined a crowd of hundreds protesting outside the White House, with some sitting silent with their backs turned. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Reuters

Students in some areas have organised marches, letter-writing campaigns and rallies with speakers, taking up part or all of the school day.

Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

The coordinated walkout was organised by Empower, the youth wing of the Women's March, which brought thousands to Washington last year.

Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters

The disruption to the school day is opposed by some schools, notably in one Texas district where students who walk out have been told they face a three-day suspension.

Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Prof Stephen Hawking visited India in January 2001 to attend an international conference in Mumbai titled 'Strings 2001' with other leading physicists from around the world. He also delivered a series of lectures on various scientific subjects.

He visited Delhi to deliver the Albert Einstein Memorial Lecture 2001, 'Predicting the Future: From Astrology to Black Holes'.

Here's a glimpse of the 16-day India visit of the 'world's best known scientist'.

All Photographs: Reuters.

Prof Hawking, accompanied by his guide Prem Das, at Jantar Mantar. He was on a sight-seeing tour of New Delhi.

At the Qutab Minar. Hawking was accompanied by his wife Elaine (his former nurse whom he married after he was separated from his first wife Jane), four nurses and one of his students.

With the then President K R Narayanan in New Delhi.

Prof Hawking outside a hotel in Mumbai. The British Council, in association with the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, organised a public lecture by Prof Hawking titled 'Science in the Future' at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Mumbai.

Prof Hawking displays a cartoon of himself with characters from the famous television serial The Simpson Family during his lecture 'Science in the Future' in Mumbai. Hundreds of people attended the lecture.
Seven thousand.

Thats the number of children that have died owing to gun violence since the Sandy Hook school massacre in December 2012 in the United States of America.

And to mark this solemn moment, citizens took to the grounds of the US Capitol and placed 7,000 pairs of shoes on its front lawn -- a pair for every child killed by gun violence.

The impromptu memorial, coordinated by the global activist org Avaaz, is designed to serve as a visual representation of all the young lives lost.

The shoes used for the demonstration include the shoes of children who lost their lives to guns, shoes of celebrity activists like Alyssa Milano, Susan Sarandon and Bette Midler and shoes of ordinary citizens from all over the country who want to help send a message to lawmakers.

The memorial comes just a day ahead of a planned nationwide school walkout honouring the victims of last month's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Students across the country plan to walk out of their classrooms for 17 minutes to commemorate the 17 students and staff members who were killed in the February 14 massacre. Dozens of activists stood in front of the shoes, holding signs with slogans like "#NOTONEMORE" and "7000 KIDS KILLED".

All photographs: Eric Thayer/Reuters

The aim of the memorial was to put more pressure on state and federal lawmakers to tighten rules on gun ownership. Theres nobody in those shoes, its like the emptiness in our hearts from gun violence, said Tom Mauser, 66, of Littleton, Colorado, whose 15-year-old son Daniel was killed by two gunmen at Colorados Columbine High School in 1999 along with a dozen other people.

Researchers have estimated that 1,300 children in the US die each year after being shot, and another 5,790 are injured.

Avaaz came up with the 7,000 figure by multiplying the estimated rate of fatalities by the five years and three months that have passed since the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012.

"What we're saying is killing has to stop," Avaaz deputy director Emma Ruby-Sachs said. "The majority of gun owners want gun control and we're putting lives of these children at the feet of Congress and saying, 'Catch up, act now, let's end this.'"

Alyssa Milano, Bette Midler, Vanessa Bayer, Chelsea Handler and Susan Sarandon are among the celebrities who donated shoes for the memorial.

The shoe memorial is reminiscent of a monument on the Danube River near the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest commemorating thousands of people, including Jews, killed by fascists in the 1940s.

Many Canadian cities have marked the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on December 6 with similarshoe memorials.
The apex court, however, said foreign lawyers could not be barred from coming to India and conduct international commercial arbitration proceedings.

The Supreme Court has ruled that foreign law firms may not set up offices in India and nor may foreign lawyers practise in Indian courts. They may only give advice to Indian clients on a fly-in and fly-out basis. And, if they do it on a regular basis, it would amount to practice of law.

The court directed the central government and the Bar Council of India to frame rules clarifying the regulations in this regard. The court largely upheld the judgment of the Madras High Court delivered in 2012, which had allowed foreign lawyers to visit India on a casual basis to provide legal advice on foreign laws.

It also stated that foreign lawyers could not be barred from coming to India and conduct international commercial arbitration proceedings.

A bench consisting of justices A K Goel and U U Lalit thus settled a keenly fought issue in the legal fraternity for over a decade.

The BCI, the Association of Indian Lawyers, Global Indian Lawyers, and 32 law firms of the UK, the US, France and Australia were parties representing their interests. The case involved interpretation of the provisions of the Advocates Act and the BCI rules.

The court also heard appeals against the Bombay high court judgment, which had held that the Reserve Bank of India was not justified in allowing foreign law firms to open liaison offices in India.

It had also held that these foreign law firms could carry on their liaison activities in India only on being enrolled as advocates under the Advocates Act. Global Indian Lawyers Association appealed against this judgment.

The SC upheld the view of the Bombay HC with a few modifications.

The judgment clarified that practice of law included not only appearance in courts but also giving opinions, drafting instruments, and participation in conferences involving legal discussion.

These are parts of non-litigation practice, which is part of practice of law. Only advocates enrolled in a bar council can do this, the judgment said.

Dealing with BPOs, which do legal work here, the judgment stated that it should be judged on a case-to-case basis on a fact situation. BPOs will not violate the Advocates Act if their activities do not amount to practice of law.

BCI had argued that the Bombay HC laid down the correct law and the exceptions created by the Madras HC were wrong. It was against the fly-in and fly-out window contending that it violated the provisions of the Advocates Act. Only those enrolled in state bar councils are allowed to practise law in this country.

BCI further argued that there should be reciprocity, allowing Indian lawyers to practise in foreign courts. The central government was for framing rules by BCI clarifying the position in view of the globalisation of commercial litigation.

Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters.
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday lauded China's military prowess, saying the neighbouring country, along with its economic rise, also focused on military modernisation.

"They have arrived well before the intended time than we had thought they would arrive," Gen Rawat said at an event organised by the Vivekanand India Foundation.

Last week, China unveiled its largest defence spending increase in three years, setting an 8.1 per cent growth target this year, fuelling an ambitious military modernisation programme and making its neighbours nervous.

Today, China is the second largest economy in the world.

"While China ensured that their economy must rise, they did not forget the rise of their military power.

"They ensured that while their economy was developing the military power must rise simultaneously and that is why they are strong today in the international world order challenging the might of the United States of America, which was until now the sole security provider," he said.

Gen Rawat said the world looks at India as a country that can balance the rise of China in the region as it was showing its 'assertiveness'.

Gen Rawat also said strong economic growth is only possible with a strong defence.

"We cannot become the net security provider if the economy does not keep pace with the changes," Gen Rawat said.

The Army Chief said India has depended on import of weapons, but it is now focusing on manufacturing weapons in the country with the transfer of technology.

The reliance of the armed forces has also been on ordnance factories but the picture is now changing, he said.

"We have always depended on import of equipment in our country. And therefore, what happened was, we did not allow the indigenous industry to develop," Gen Rawat said.

The Army told a parliamentary panel that the funds allocated to it in the defence budget for the next fiscal is insufficient to deal with various security challenges facing the country including from a more assertive China along the northern border and from a hostile Pakistan on the western frontier.

Both China as well as Pakistan were carrying out modernisation of their defence forces in 'full swing'.

Rawat's comments were in response to a question in this regard.

To step up defence production within the country, India is looking at collaborating with other nations, he said.

Gen Rawat added that the Request for Information (RFI) has been issued for nine types of very high quality ammunition so that they can be manufactured in our country with transfer of technology.

He said India's decision not to intervene militarily in the ongoing Maldivian crisis was a well thought out, but only time will tell whether it was a right step or not.

"I am quite sure that diplomats and political entity in the country did look at Maldives and did what they thought was the best for them. How this will pan out in future, let's wait and watch," Gen Rawat said.

He was responding to a question on whether India should militarily intervene in the Maldivian crisis amidst growing Chinese influence in the Indian Ocean region and its proximity with the archipelago nation.

Maldives has been witnessing political crises after an emergency was declared in the island nation by its President Abdulla Yameen.

India has expressed its displeasure over the development.

"Did we do the right thing by not stepping in? Only time will tell. I am quite sure that whoever took a decision on whether we should intervene in Maldives or not it must have been a well-thought out decision. We should wait and watch and not jump the gun," he added.
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday expelled 23 Russian diplomats -- in the single biggest expulsion in more than 30 years -- and suspended high-level bilateral contacts, saying Moscow was culpable of a nerve agent attack on a former spy and his daughter.

IMAGE: UK PM Theresa May held Russia responsible for the attempted murder of former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33. She said that Britain will suspend high-level bilateral contact with Russia and revoke an invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit the UK. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found collapsed after being poisoned last week. Both remain in a serious condition along with a police officer who came in contact with the same substance.

Russia denies its involvement in the attempted murder.

In a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the diplomats singled out have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers and will have a week to leave the country under the Vienna Convention.

This will be the single biggest expulsion for over 30 years and it reflects the fact that this is not the first time that the Russian State has acted against our country. Through these expulsions we will fundamentally degrade Russian intelligence capability in the UK for years to come, she said.

She told the Parliament that after chairing a meeting of the UKs National Security Council earlier on Wednesday, the government had concluded that Russia was culpable as it had no credible explanation that could suggest they lost control of the nerve agent used against the former Russian spy.

No explanation as to how this agent came to be used in the UK; no explanation as to why Russia has an undeclared chemical weapons programme in contravention of international law. Instead they have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance, Theresa May said.

IMAGE: Police guard an address in Gillingham, Dorset as Forensic teams remove a recovery truck used following the Salisbury nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal. Skripal who was granted refuge in the UK following a 'spy swap' between the US and Russia in 2010 and his daughter remain critically ill after being attacked with a nerve agent. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images



Among the other measures she announced included an urgent development of proposals for new legislative powers to harden defences, including the addition of a targeted power to detain those suspected of Hostile State Activity at the UK border. This power is currently only permitted in relation to those suspected of terrorism under UK law.

UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd has been directed to consider whether there is also a need for new counter-espionage powers to be introduced.

The UK will also enhance efforts to monitor and track the intentions of those travelling to the UK who could be engaged in activity that threatens the security of the UK through increases checks on private flights, customs and freight.

We will freeze Russian State assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents, Theresa May said.

She confirmed that the UKs engage but beware approach to Russia will continue, ruling out a complete break off of all dialogue with the Kremlin. However, she said the government has revoked an invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to pay a reciprocal visit to the UK this year and there will be no attendance by UK ministers or members of the Royal Family at the FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Moscow, which had been given an ultimatum to provide a credible response over how a Russian-made nerve agent came to be used on British soil by, has warned of an equal and opposite reaction against any UK reprisals.

The reprisals follow days of diplomacy since Theresa May first informed Parliament on Monday that there was enough evidence to conclude that it is highly likely that Russia is behind the poisoning of Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury on March 4.

IMAGE: The poison used in the attack has been identified as belonging to a group of chemical nerve agents known as Novichok, which means newcomer and was used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War era in 1970s and 1980s. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The UK does not stand alone in confronting Russian aggression. In the last 24 hours I have spoken to President (Donald) Trump, Chancellor (Angela) Merkel and President (Emmanuel) Macron. We have agreed to cooperate closely in responding to this barbaric act and to co-ordinate our efforts to stand up for the rules based international order which Russia seeks to undermine, Theresa May said in her statement.

Russia, however, has insisted that it is being blamed unfairly, with the Russian embassy in the UK tweeting that the ambassador, who had been summoned to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office for an explanation, had branded the actions of the UK authorities as a clear provocation.

We consider this hostile action as totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted. All the responsibility for the deterioration of the Russia-UK relationship lies with the current political leadership of Britain, the embassy said in a statement.

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov accused Britain of playing politics and ignoring an international agreement on chemical weapons. He said Moscow would cooperate if it received a formal request for clarification from the UK under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which sets a 10-day time limit for a response.

Reiterating that the Skripal attack had taken place against the backdrop of a well-established pattern, Theresa May said today that a full and robust response beyond the actions already taken since the murder of Litvinenko was required to counter this pattern of Russian aggression.

Meanwhile, all 29 NATO countries issued a joint statement saying the attack against Skripal and his daughter was a clear breach of international norms and agreements.

A former Russian military colonel, Skripal was convicted of treason in 2006 and jailed for 13 years for selling secrets to MI6, which had recruited him in the 1990s. The senior intelligence officer with Russian military intelligence GRU, was pardoned in a spy swap in 2010 and settled in Salisbury, Wiltshire.
The Congress on Wednesday said people across the country, angered by the Bharatiya Janata Partys arrogance and misrule, were showing it the door, as was amply proved by the by-election results in the states.

The Congress also claimed the BJP had lost its simple majority in the Lok Sabha. It said the BJP now had 271 members, minus the two rebel MPs, Kirti Azad and Shatrughan Sinha.

However, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat, the BJP has 274 members and the party needs 272 MPs for a simple majority on its own.

Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the outcomes showed that the people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win.

He also said the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but added it would not happen overnight.

The partys candidates in the state lost their deposits in the recent by-polls to two Lok Sabha seats, the results of which were announced on Wednesday. The Samajwadi Party defeated the BJP in the two constituencies.

Congratulations to the winners of todays by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning.

The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight, he tweeted in Hindi.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the BJP had lost 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018.

In May 2014, the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In four years, BJP government is down to 271, losing its simple majority in Lok Sabha minus its allies - considering the fact that PM Modi has suspended Kirti Azad and virtually disowned their most truthful, fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP, Surjewala tweeted.

The BJPs 2017-18 report card ... is 0/10 -- BJP lost all 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018, he said.

By-Poll results have given a clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule, he added.

In another tweet, he named the 10 Lok Sabha seats -- Amritsar, Srinagar, Malappuram, Gurdaspur, Ajmer, Alwar, Uluberia, Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria.

By-poll results have given clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule, he said.

Congress spokesperson Jyotiraditya Scindia said the results of the bypolls clearly indicated that across the country, people had spoken out against the anti-farmer rule of the Central government.

He said people had also testified against the BJP governments anti-youth policies, anti-women rule and unemployment that is rampant.

It is very clear that the people of our great country are showing this BJP government the door, he told reporters outside Parliament.

Congress general secretary Mohan Prakash said the BJP was facing anti-incumbency sentiments in all states as it was doing exactly the opposite of what it had promised.

People are now waiting for the 2019 general elections to teach the BJP a lesson, he said.

The Samajwadi Party won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat and the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats, constituencies vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively.

The Bahujan Samaj Party gave its support to the SP in the two seats while the Congress put up its own candidates, who lost their deposits.

The BJP also lost the Araria Lok Sabha by-election to the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

In the two assembly bypolls in Bihar, the RJD won the Jehanabad assembly seat while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua assembly seat.
For legendary astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes are mortal, the Nobel Prize for Physics remained elusive as his theory cannot be observed or verified.

Even though his theory is now firmly accepted in theoretical physics, there was no way to verify if black holes are mortal, according to Timothy Ferris, author of The Science of Liberty.

"Black holes are too long-lived to be observed today in their death throes," Ferris wrote in The National Geographic.

Hawking, known for his work on black holes and relativity, died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University in the United Kingdom at the age of 76.

He was regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

"Hawking probably would have won the prize had nature provided observational confirmation. But that won't happen for billions of years, not until the first star-size black holes start exploding," according to Ferris.

The Nobel Prize can not be awarded posthumously.

It was in 1970, Hawking had an idea that filled him with what he later described as a 'moment of ecstasy'.

He thought that black holes, previously assumed to be more or less immortal, could instead slowly lose mass and eventually evaporate, exploding in a flash of gamma rays.

The eminent scientist's black hole research is now firmly embedded in theoretical physics. It united relativity (a classical theory, in which everything is smooth as silk) with quantum mechanics (in which everything is grainy) and spurred progress in information theory.

While Hawking may not have won the coveted Nobel Prize, he, however, has over a dozen honorary degrees and was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1982 and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1985.

He was also a fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the US National Academy of Science.

The world-famous physicist and cosmologist was the subject of the 2014 film 'The Theory Of Everything', which starred Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.

IMAGE: Former US President Barack Obama presenting the Medal of Freedom to Prof Stephen Hawking during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in 2009. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Heres a collection of stories that are weird, yet true!

>> Bra Bandits steal $11,000 worth of lingerie

Hows this for bizarre? A pair of bra bandits were caught stealing $11,000 (Rs 7.12 lakh) worth of lingerie from a Victorias Secret store in Folsom, California, USA. They even managed to run out of the store with their enormous haul after pepper-spraying an employee.

Fortunately, an alert police officer spotted them just as they were making their getaway and immediately arrested them.

The lingerie haul consisted of a hundred colourful padded bras which the women had reportedly stuffed into several large bags.

According to the Folsom Police Department, an employee confronted the two women as they were fleeing the store with bags full of stolen lingerie on Friday. Thats when one of them whipped out pepper spray and attacked the employee. Luckily, the employee was not hurt and was able to give the police a description of the getaway car.

>> Lego is looking for a new Master Model Builder -- and it pays 27,000 a year

One lucky person will actually be able to spend all their time playing with Lego, as it is on the lookout for a new Master Model Builder.

The job is pretty much exactly what it says - and the lucky recruit will spend their days building impressive designs at the Birmingham Discovery Centre.

And theres even more good news - the job comes with a 27,000 (Rs 24 lakh) salary.

More than 5,000 people have already applied and the top 50 hopefuls will have to win the job by competing in an X Factor-inspired competition - Brickfactor.

>> Bride arrested for driving under the influence on her way to her wedding

A bride has been arrested on her way to her own wedding and charged with driving under the influence.

The bride was pictured being put into the back of a police car while in her wedding dress after being pulled over.

It is not clear why Amber Young, 32, was on her own as she headed to the wedding, but she is said to have been involved in a three-vehicle crash on her way there. She was handcuffed and put into the back of a police car in Arizona.

>> Drunk man passes out in Uber, wakes up 500 km away. He now owes $1,600

Blacked out in an Uber and woke up to a $1,600 (Rs 1 lakh) dent in my pocket, reads a description for a fundraiser on GoFundMe by a person named Kenny Bachman.

The man from New Jersey, US is trying to raise money to pay for an Uber ride he took in a drunken state that landed him a fare of $1,600 and dropped him over 500 kilometre away.

Kenny Bachman, 21, was partying with his friends in the state of West Virginia, far away from home. He booked an Uber to take him to the West Virginia University Campus, where he was staying for the weekend with friends.

The drinking took a toll and he ended up passing out in the cab.

When Bachman woke up two hours later, he was nowhere close to the campus he thought he was headed to. In fact, he was nearly 500 kilometre away from it.

According to Charlotte Observer, the 21-year-old woke up only 30 minutes away from his hometown in Gloucester County, New Jersey. By the time he realised where he was, it was too late to turn around.

>> Hog wild: Pigs outnumber people in Denmark

Statistics show pigs are hogging the market in Europe as the largest livestock category and outnumber people in Denmark by more than two-to-one.

European statistical agency Eurostat said that with a population of about 150 million in the European Union, pigs far outnumber cattle and other bovines, the second-largest livestock category with 89 million head.

Eurostat says 40 per cent of the EU's pigs are in Spain and Germany, with significant numbers also in France, Denmark, Netherlands and Poland.

Denmark is the only country where pigs outnumber people, with 215 pigs to every 100 residents. Not coincidentally, it's also a country known in Europe for its quality bacon.

The Netherlands is next with 70 pigs per 100 people, Spain with 63 to 100, and Belgium with 54 to 100.
Pakistan: The Magsi ethnic group, including inter-tribal violence, particularly between the Magsi Mohammadani and the Mughlani Magsi (2014 - February 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 29 February 2016 Citation / Document Symbol PAK105448.E Related Document(s) Pakistan : information sur le groupe ethnique Magsi, y compris la violence inter-tribale, plus particulierement entre les Magsi Mohammadani et les Mughlani Magsi (2014-fevrier 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: The Magsi ethnic group, including inter-tribal violence, particularly between the Magsi Mohammadani and the Mughlani Magsi (2014 - February 2016), 29 February 2016, PAK105448.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa8d4667.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

1. Overview of the Magsi

The website of the government of Balochistan province indicates that Jhal Magsi [Jhall Magsi] is a district of Balochistan (Balochistan n.d.a) and that the Magsi tribe is the major tribe in this district (ibid. n.d.b). According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, Jhal Magsi has an area of 3,615 square kilometres and its population, as of 1998, was 109,941 people (Pakistan n.d.). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an independent researcher, who is also a journalist and covers militancy and security issues in Pakistan, stated that there are approximately 100,000 people belonging to the Magsi tribe and that they live in Balochistan and Sindh provinces (Independent Researcher 10 Feb. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Balochistan government website notes that the Magsi are one of more than 20 Balochi-speaking tribes in the province, and that the province is racially, tribally and linguistically diverse (Balochistan n.d.c). The same website indicates that the Magsi are historically a branch of the Lashar tribe (ibid. n.d.b), who are also a Balochi-speaking tribe (ibid. n.d.c). In addition, each tribe in Balochistan is "futher sub-divided into various branches" (ibid.).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent Lahore-based NGO that monitors human rights violations throughout Pakistan, stated that the main sub-tribes of the Magsi are:

Shambani Magsi

Mughlani Magsi

Mohammadi Magsi

Adamani Magsi

Sikhani Magsi

Bothani Magsi

Sarghani Magsi (HRCP 12 Feb. 2016).

The same source stated that the Magsi were once "part of the independent Balochistan movement but to a large extent have been absorbed in the political mainstream" (ibid.). Further and corroborating information about the Magsi's involvement with Balochistan independence movements could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), an "independent, non-governmental body which seeks to promote greater awareness and realisation of human rights in the Asian region" (AHRC n.d.), stated that the Magsi are a "powerful group" in Balochistan who have held positions as "governor, chief ministers and ministers in provincial and federal governments" (AHRC 11 Feb. 2016). Sources report that the leader of the Magsi tribe is Nawab Zuflikar Ali Magsi, former chief minister of Balochistan (Balochistan n.d.b; HRCP 12 Feb. 2016) as well as Governor of Balochistan (ibid.).

2. Inter-tribal Violence

Minorities at Risk (MAR), a research project based at the University of Maryland's Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) that monitors and analyses the situation of ethnic groups throughout the world (MAR n.d.a), describes the people of Balochistan as being "fragmented politically, as well as by tribal and clan identities" (MAR n.d.b). The same source states that Baluchis "generally base their identities on tribal, clan, and sub-clan affiliations and loyalties to sardars, clan chiefs. Clan and sub-clan divisions have at times led to open intra-Baluch conflicts" (ibid.). According to the media source Press Trust of India (PTI), tribal feuds are "common" in Balochistan and some disputes start from "trivial issues" but last for years (PTI 9 May 2014). Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that disputes related to "water and grass for animals feed are not uncommon" in Balochistan and "often turn violent" because many people carry weapons (AFP 9 May 2014).

The HRCP representative stated that "[t]ribal rivalries exist and there are periodic cases of intertribal killings and violence" (HRCP 12 Feb. 2016).

Sources report on the following cases of intertribal or inter-clan violence among Magsi and/or in the district of Jhal Magsi between 2014 and February 2016:

In March 2014, there was a "heavy gun battle" between two rival groups of Magsi in the Goth Kocha area of Jhal Magsi, the cause of which was attributed to "an old enmity" (Dawn 31 Mar. 2014).

In May 2014, 11 people were killed and 5 to 7 were injured in a tribal clash related to grass-cutting rights in Jhal Magsi (Pakistan Today 9 May 2014; PTI 9 May 2014). Armed men of the Maachi clan reportedly raided the home of a member of the Peecho clan and shot and killed people (ibid.).

In September 2014, three people were killed in Goth Chandarama, Jhal Magsi when two groups of Magsi fought each other with "[h]eavy weapons;" security forces were sent to the area to prevent further violence (Dawn 1 Sept. 2014).

In October 2014, two people were killed in Jhal Magsi as a result of an armed clash between two clans of the Lashari tribe (The Balochistan Times 11 Oct. 2014).

Information on specific cases of violence between the Mohammadi and Mughlani groups of the Magsi tribes could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 9 May 2014. "Pakistan Grass-Cutting Row Claims 11 Lives." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016]

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 11 February 2016. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate.

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016]

Balochistan. N.d.a. "Districts." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016]

Balochistan. N.d.b. "Jhall Magsi." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016]

Balochistan. N.d.c. "Culture and Heritage." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016]

The Balochistan Times. 11 October 2014. "Tribal Clash Leaves Two Dead in Jhal Magsi." (Factiva)

Dawn. 1 September 2014. "Three Killed in Tribal Fighting." (Factiva)

Dawn. 31 March 2014. "Rival Groups of Magsi Tribe Clash." (Factiva)

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). 12 February 2016. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

Independent Researcher. 10 February 2016. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate.

Minorities at Risk Project (MAR), Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM), University of Maryland. N.d.a. "The MAR Project." [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016]

Minorities at Risk Project (MAR), Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM), University of Maryland. N.d.b. "Assessment for Baluchis in Pakistan." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016]

Pakistan. N.d. Bureau of Statistics. "Jhal Magsi District at a Glance." [Accessed 8 Feb. 2016]

Pakistan Today. 9 May 2014. "Dispute on Grass-cutting Leaves 11 Dead in Balochistan." (Factiva)

Press Trust of India (PTI). 9 May 2014. "Grass Cutting Row Claims 11 Lives in Pak's Balochistan." (Factiva)

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: a human rights activist in London, UK; Professor, Habib University; Professor, Lahore University of Management Studies; Professor, University of Bath Spa; Research Fellow, Middle East Research Institute.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; BBC; Factiva; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; International Federation for Human Rights; International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs; IRIN; Jane's Intelligence Review; Jane's Terrorism Review; Minority Rights Group International; Muslim World; Radio France International; Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; United Nations  OHCHR, Refworld, ReliefWeb; United States  Department of State.
Pakistan: The Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party (JKNAP), including history, structure, areas of operation, and activities; incidents of violence committed by party members; treatment of party members by authorities (2004-2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 19 June 2017 Citation / Document Symbol PAK105814.E Related Document(s) Pakistan : information sur le Parti national Awami du Jammu-et-Cachemire (Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNAP), y compris son histoire, sa structure, ses activites et les regions ou celles-ci sont exercees; information sur des actes violents commis par des membres du parti; information sur le traitement reserve aux membres du parti par les autorites (2004-2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: The Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party (JKNAP), including history, structure, areas of operation, and activities; incidents of violence committed by party members; treatment of party members by authorities (2004-2016), 19 June 2017, PAK105814.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa8d5da7.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. History

Information on the Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party (JKNAP) was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A May 2009 post published on the Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNSF - IC JKNAP blog managed by Nadeem Aslam, the spokesman of the International Council of JKNAP (ICJKNAP), and written by its coordinator, Javed Inayat, indicates that JKNAP was formed in 1995 after the leaders of the Jammu Kashmir National Students Federation (JKNSF) started a dialog in the early 90s among "pro-independence political groups" (JKNAP 11 May 2009). Another post published on 20 July 2009 on the same blog by Nayyer N. Khan, a representative of ICJKNAP US, explains that JKNAP was founded on 22 July 1995 by the JKNSF with "nationalists and leftists of [Pakistani Occupied Kashmir]" (JKNAP 20 July 2009).

In his book Azad Kashmir and British Kashmiri Diaspora: History of Kashmiri Independence Politics and Diaspora Identity Formation, Shams Rehman [1] explains that the JKNSF, in its advocacy for independence, engaged in "relatively peaceful unarmed protest actions with strong socialist rhetoric" that was aimed at challenging Pakistan's hold over Kashmir, and mainly the Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (Rehman 25 July 2011, 158). A 27 July 2009 post published on the JKNAP blog by ICJKNAP similarly explains that "[b]oth JKNAP and JKNSF are democratic, secular, progressive and non-violent political organizations of the State of Jammu Kashmir, advocating the reunification of all the divided parts of Jammu Kashmir and its complete independence through political and non[-]violent means" and that they advocate the institution of "a system of governance based on secular democracy, equality, rule of law and social justice" (JKNAP 27 July 2009).

2. Treatment by Authorities

According to Freedom House's 2016 report Freedom in the World for Pakistani Kashmir, Pakistan's Jammu Kashmir [or Azad Jammu Kashmir] adopted an interim constitution in 1974 that "bans political parties that do not endorse the territory's eventual accession to Pakistan" (Freedom House 2016). Similarly, a 2016 article by Deutsche Welle (DW), a German international broadcaster, cites a US-based Pakistan and Islamism expert as saying that "'[t]he Election Commission in [Pakistani Occupied Kashmir] is  comprised of members that are acceptable to the Pakistani officials. At the same time, any political group demanding independence for Pakistani Kashmir is not allowed to take part in elections'" (DW 21 July 2016). The same source cites the same expert as saying that "'[i]t is unlawful to rally for an independent Kashmir during election campaigns'" (DW 21 July 2016). In his book on Azad Kashmir and British Kashmiri Diaspora, Rehman explains that JKNAP is listed among the 7 parties or "pressure groups" not allowed to take part in elections "because they propagate the politics of independent Kashmir" (Rehman 25 July 2011, 14).

3. Leaders and Structure of JKNAP

Information on the current and previous leaders of the JKNAP was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources provide the following information regarding current and previous leaders of JKNAP:

A 2002 article in Dawn, a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, indicates that Sardar Anwar Khan was the president of JKNAP (Dawn 8 Sept. 2002).

According to the May 2009 post published on JKNAP blog, JKNAP's first president was Sardar Anwar Khan (JKNAP 11 May 2009).

According to a 2017 article by Asian News International (ANI), South Asian "multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe" (ANI n.d.), Liaqat Hayat is president of the JKNAP (ANI 25 May 2017).

In 2009, sources describe [Sadar] Liaquat Hayat as JKNAP's "Central President" (JKNAP 27 July 2009; AHRC 31 July 2009).

A post published in October 2009 on JKNAP blog states that JKNAP's Secretary General is Abdual Sattar Khan (JKNAP 28 Oct. 2009).

The May 2009 post published on the JKNAP blog indicates that JKNAP's leadership "decided to expand its organizational structure abroad, where half of [the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir] population lives" and the party's National Council "decided to form the JKNAP international council [ICJKNAP]" (JKNAP 11 May 2009). The 20 July 2009 post published on the same blog explains that the ICJKNAP was formed on 16 June 2007 at Rawalpindi (JKNAP 20 July 2009). The same source indicates that it has branches "and party cadre in UK, Western Europe, Middle East, North America, Asia Pacific, South Africa and Australia" (JKNAP 20 July 2009).

The October 2009 post on the same blog further states the following regarding the leaders' positions:

President JKNAP (UK) Professor Sajjad Raja, Senior Vice President Ikram Mir, Vice President Zaheer Ahmed Ghori, General Secretary Shahid Hashmi, Deputy General Secretary Waheed Ahmed Malik, Joint Secretary Sardar Zameer, Chairman

Media Board Nadeem Aslam, Chairman Finance Board Mohsan Qureshi, Deputy Chief Organiser Asghar Malik and Chief Organiser Mohammad Azad Raja. (JKNAP 28 Oct. 2009)

A 2010 post published on the same blog states that Ikram Mir is the President of the JKNAP UK (JKNAP 4 Oct. 2010).

A 2014 article published on the website of Pakistan's Awami Workers Party (AWP), a party formed in November 2012 in an effort to "build a genuine [l]eft alternative to mainstream political forces in Pakistan" (AWP n.d.), indicates that JKNAP was among the participants of a "consultation process" hosted in Islamabad in December 2014, during which the participants spoke of the "critical need to form an alliance between progressive and nationalist in the country" to challenge the "growing menace of violent extremism and the authoritarian response being put forth as the only viable solution" (AWP 30 Dec. 2014). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Ground Report, a news platform that provides on-the-ground news coverage by journalism students and non-profit reporters (The Huffington Post n.d.), indicates that JKNAP belongs to the Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA), along with other parties (Ground Report 29 Mars 2017). Sources describe JKNIA as a "UK based alliance of Kashmiri [n]ationalist parties" (Early Times 2 Nov. 2014; The Economic Times 31 Oct. 2014).

4. Protest Involvement and Treatment by Authorities

The Committee for a Worker's International (CWI), a "global organisation" that fights "exploitation and discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation or race, [as well as] national oppression" (CWI n.d.), reports that the Kotli branch of JKNAP organized a demonstration that was held on 22 March 2011 against the war in Iraq (CWI 9 Apr. 2011). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources report that Liaquat Hayat and other political activists were arrested in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir without warrants on 19 July 2009 (JKNAP 27 July 2009; AHRC 30 July 2009). The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC), a non-governmental body founded in 1984 by jurists and human rights activists in Asia and which aims to promote awareness and realization of human rights in the Asian region (AHRC n.d.), further explains that Liaquat Hayat and the activists were arrested while "protesting against the call by the prime minister of Kashmir to annex Kashmir with Pakistan" (AHRC 30 July 2009). The ICJKNAP's post published on 27 July 2009 on the JKNAP blog indicates that the "[Pakistan Occupied Kashmir] administration has lodged [a First Information Report] against more than [a] hundred activists of JKNAP and JKNSF and police is creating an atmosphere of harassment for the families and friends of the activists of JKNAP and JKNSF" (JKNAP 27 July 2009).

On 14 April 2014, Asian News International (ANI) reported that protests were held in the Pakistani Occupied Kashmir over "discriminatory practices" in local youth employment (ANI 14 Apr. 2016). The same source further states that approximately 100 individuals from JKNSF and "some members of [JKNAP]" carried out a demonstration "condemning the oppressive rule [by] Pakistani authorities and the local [Pakistani Occupied Kashmir] government" ( ANI 14 Apr. 2016). According to the article, demonstrators chanted anti-Pakistan slogans, which led to a crackdown by the police (ANI 14 Apr. 2016).

In May 2017, ANI reports that JKNAP held rallies on 24 May 2017 in Rawalakot, Muzaffarabad, Kotli and other parts of Pakistani's Occupied Kashmir and "raised anti-Pakistan slogans" in protest "against Islamabad's oppressive policies and grave human rights violation in the region" (ANI 25 May 2017). The same source indicates that "protestors also raised the issue of illegal imprisonment of top political leaders" (ANI 25 May 2017). Corroborating information on the 2016 and 2017 protests could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Further information on the treatment of JKNAP members by authorities could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Information on JKNAP involvement in incidents of violence could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] Shams Rehman is currently a Research Assistant for the Rochdale Kashmiri Research Project Team at the University of Manchester (University of Manchester N.d.).

References

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). 30 July 2009. "Pakistan/Kashmir: Hundreds of Activists Illegally Arrested at the Demand of Secular and Democratic United Kashmir." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 13 June 2017]

Asian News International (ANI). 25 May 2017. "Protests in PoK Against Illegal Detention of Political Leaders." (Factiva) [Accessed 1 June 2017]

Asian News International (ANI). 14 April 2016. "Anti-Pakistan Protests Erupt in PoK." [Accessed 19 June 2017]

Asian News International (ANI). N.d. "About Asian News International." [Accessed 19 June 2017]

Awami Workers Party (AWP). 30 December 2014. "Meeting on Building an Alliance of Progressives & Nationalists." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Awami Workers Party (AWP). N.d. "About AWP." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Committee for a Workers' International (CWI). 9 April 2011. "Iraq: Stop the War in Iraq - Kashmiris Demonstrate Against the US War in Iraq." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Committee for a Workers' International (CWI). N.d. "Join/Contact." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Dawn. 8 September 2002. "Kashmiris Demands to be Met: MC: Mangla Dam Raising." [Accessed 5 June 2017]

Deutsche Welle (DW). 21 July 2016. Shamil Shams. "How Free is Pakistan-administered Kashmir?" [Accessed 1 June 2017]

Early Times. 2 November 2014. "Pakistan Acutely Embarrassed." (Factiva) [Accessed 13 June 2017]

The Economic Times. 31 October 2014. "Flopped Even After Millions Spent: Rival Kashmir Group JKNIA." (Factiva) [Accessed 13 June 2017]

Freedom House. 2016. "Pakistani Kashmir." Freedom in the World. [Accessed 2 June 2017]

Ground Report. 29 March 2017. S. A. Khan. "JKNIA Launched a Campaign to Save Gilgit-Baltistan from Becoming a Province of Pakistan." [Accessed 2 June 2017]

The Huffington Post. N.d. "GroundReport." [Accessed 12 June 2017]

Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNSF - IC JKNAP (JKNAP ). 4 October 2010. "4th October 1947 the Provisional Republican Government of Kashmir." [Accessed 5 June 2017]

Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNSF - IC JKNAP (JKNAP). 28 October 2009. "Condolences With M. Khaliq Kahan (JKNAP Belgium)." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNSF - IC JKNAP (JKNAP). 27 July 2009. International Council of Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party (ICJKNAP). "FIR's Lodged Against JKNAP and JKNSF." ." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNSF - IC JKNAP (JKNAP). 20 July 2009. Khan, Nayyer N. "An Introduction to JKNAP and IC JKNAP (JKNAP). ." [Accessed 6 June 2017]

Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party - JKNSF - IC JKNAP (JKNAP). 11 May 2009. Inayat, Javed. "JKNAP is a Transformed Struggle of JKNSF." [Accessed 1 June 2017]

Rehman, Sham. 25 July 2011. Azad Kashmir and British Kashmiri Diaspora: History of Kashmiri Independence Politics and Diaspora Identity Formation. VDM Verlag Dr. Muller

University of Manchester. N.d. "A Minority Within the Minorities." [Accessed 13 June 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Academic Researcher who Specializes in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir politics; Jammu Kashmir National Awami Party  Representatives.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Associated Press of Pakistan; Azad Jammu and Kashmir  AJ&K Portal; DailyTimes ; The Friday Times; Human Rights Commission of Pakistan; International Crisis Watch; International Federation for Human Rights; Jane's Intelligence Review ; Kashmir Development Foundation; The Kashmir Monitor ; The Nation ; The News International ; Pakistan News Releases; Pakistan Observer ; Pakistan Today ; The Patriot ; United Nations  Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld; Transparency International.
Pakistan: Airport security screening procedures for passengers departing on international flights, including whether authorities verify if a passenger is wanted by the police (2015-December 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 15 January 2018 Citation / Document Symbol PAK105814.E Related Document(s) Pakistan : information sur les procedures de controle en matiere de securite aeroportuaire pour les passagers de vols en partance pour l'etranger, y compris la question de savoir si les autorites verifient si un passager est recherche par la police (2015-decembre 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Airport security screening procedures for passengers departing on international flights, including whether authorities verify if a passenger is wanted by the police (2015-December 2017), 15 January 2018, PAK105814.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa8d7547.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Authorities Responsible for Screening Procedures at International Airports

According to the website for the Jinnah International Airport at Karachi, the body responsible for airport security in Pakistan is the Airports Security Force (ASF), which "safeguards the aviation industry against unlawful interferences, adopting counter terrorism measures, preventing crime and maintaining law within the limits of Airports in Pakistan" (Jinnah International Airport n.d.a). In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a professor with the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the State University of New York, Oneonta, whose research focuses on the criminal justice system in Pakistan, similarly stated that the main security force guarding airports is the ASF, and they may also check passports (Professor 15 Dec. 2017).

According to the website of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), an organization of the Ministry of Interior of Pakistan, the Immigration and Anti-Human Smuggling Wing of the FIA "regulates the flow of incoming and outgoing international passengers" (Pakistan n.d.a). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), a Lahore-based NGO that monitors and advocates for human rights and democracy in Pakistan (HRCP n.d.), indicated that the FIA is the only agency that conducts screening at airports (HRCP 22 Dec. 2017). The professor stated that the FIA is the main authority that checks passports (Professor 15 Dec. 2017).

2. Databases and Systems

2.1 National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)

According to its website, the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)

was established as National Database Organization (NDO), an attached department under the Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan in 1998. On 10 March, 2000, NDO [and] Directorate General of Registration (DGR) merged to form NADRA[,] an independent corporate body with requisite autonomy to operate independently and facilitate good governance. [NADRA] has gained international recognition for its success in providing solutions for identification, e-governance and secure documents that deliver multi-pronged goals of mitigating identity theft[,] safe-guarding the interests of our clients and facilitating the public.

 NADRA's team indigenously created a state of the art centralized Data Warehouse, Network Infrastructure and Interactive Data Acquisition Systems to issue secure National Identity Cards (NIC). (Pakistan n.d.b)

The professor explained that NADRA began as an agency to be used for gathering ID information, however, they currently have access to more information, including fingerprints, passports, and religious cards (Professor 15 Dec. 2017). Further information, including use and implementation, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.2 Exit Control List

Section 2 of the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance, 1981 provides the following:

2. Power to prohibit exit from Pakistan. 

The Federal Government may, by order, prohibit any person or class of persons from proceeding from Pakistan to a destination outside Pakistan, notwithstanding the fact that such person is in possession of valid travel documents. Before making an order under sub-section (1), the Federal Government shall not be necessary [sic] to afford an opportunity of showing cause to the person against the order. If, while making an order under sub-section (1) it appear [sic] to the Federal Government that it will not be in the public interest to specify the ground on which the order is proposed to be made, it shall not be necessary for the Federal Government to specify such grounds. (Pakistan 1981)

According to the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Country Information Report on Pakistan,

[u]nder the Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance 1981, the Pakistan government can prevent any person, including those with valid travel documentation, from leaving the country. The government maintains an Exit Control List (ECL), and can prevent those whose names appear on the list from leaving the country, including those wanted for criminal offences. People can be placed on the ECL for a range of reasons. In 2016, journalist Cyril Almeida was reportedly placed on the ECL following publication of a story he wrote on a sensitive rift between the civilian government and the military establishment. His name was removed from the list a few days later. (Australia 1 Sept. 2017, 39)

According to Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2017 report,

[t]here are few legal limitations on citizens' travel or their choice of residence, employment, or institution of higher learning. The main tool for restricting foreign travel is the [ECL], which blocks named individuals from using official exit points from the country. The list is meant to include those who pose a security threat and those facing court proceedings, but on occasion it has been used against civil society activists who have worked on issues embarrassing to officials. [] In October 2016, a senior reporter was added to the list after publishing an article discussing counterterrorism strategy, but was soon removed following an outcry from media freedom advocates. The Supreme Court in December ordered the removal of former president Pervez Musharraf from the list, allowing him to leave Pakistan for medical treatment; Musharraf faced treason charges at the time. (Freedom House 31 Jan. 2017)

According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, the "stated purpose of the [ECL] was to prevent departure from the country of 'persons involved in antistate activities, terrorism, or related to proscribed organizations and those placed on the orders of superior courts'" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 31). The US Country Report s for 2014 stated that "[a]lthough the list was intended to prevent persons with pending criminal cases from traveling abroad, the Ministry of Interior added names of other persons such as human rights activists or leaders of nationalist parties" (US 25 June 2015, 28). According to the professor, all exit points have access to the ECL (Professor 15 Dec. 2017).

According to sources, the Pakistani government removed approximately 5,000 names from the ECL in 2015 (Pakistan 24 Nov. 2015, para. 115; US 13 Apr. 2016, 30; Freedom House 31 Jan. 2017). The US Country Reports for 2015 further stated that the Minister of Interior

reportedly cited historical abuse of the process for adding persons to the list, or keeping persons on it, as grounds for the list's adjustment. The minister said that, 'in [the] future people would be placed on the ECL only on the recommendations of defense institutions, intelligence agencies, high courts, and the Supreme Court'. (US 13 Apr. 2016, 30)

According to a September 2015 article in The Nation, an English-language Pakistani newspaper, quoting the Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, "'[u]nfortunately, some people were on it for [the] last 30 years and some were placed on [it] over petty domestic issues. The list is not a joke. There was no rule or policy in the past for putting people on the no-fly list'" (The Nation 17 Sept. 2017). According to the same article, the parameters for placement on the ECL include:

espionage, subversion, act of terrorism, conspiracy against state any act pre-[j]udicial to the integrity, security of defence of Pakistan drug trafficking/human trafficking/money laundering persons belonging to proscribed organisations deserters from a defence or a security force or strategic organisation economic crimes involving public funds and institutional frauds tax/loan default or other state liability of more than 50 million [C$566,900] or fraud in a public corporate entity (office holder as director) subject to certificate by referring authority that the fraud amount is Rs100 million [C$1,133,576] or more that will be subject to satisfaction by a committee constituted for the purpose. (The Nation 17 Sept. 2017)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to a September 2015 article in Dawn, an English-language Pakistani newspaper, there was also a Black List, that

was originally [created] to deny the issuance or re-issuance of a Pakistani passport to a wide variety of individuals, including Pakistanis who had attempted to acquire multiple passports; foreigners who had acquired fake CNICs [Computerized National Identity Cards] to obtain a passport; citizens who had been deported by a third country and who were required to be denied travel abroad again; children involved in custody disputes; and a list of individuals that various government agencies had deemed should be blocked from holding a passport. It is this last category - those placed on the immigration and passports department black list at the behest of government agencies - that was particularly prone to abuse. (Dawn 18 Sept. 2017)

According to Pakistan's October 2015 submission to the UN Human Rights Committee, Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties under Article 40 of the Covenant, when the Pakistani government deleted the names from the ECL, it also removed 59,603 persons from the Black List (Pakistan 24 Nov. 2015, para. 26). The same source states that "[o]f this number, 22,491 names have been deleted completely from the Black List while 9,660 and 27,452 names have been shifted to Passport Control List and Visa Control List, respectively" (Pakistan 24 Nov. 2015, para. 26). Information on the Passport Control List and Visa Control List could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.3 Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES)

According to the FIA website, the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) enhances "the capability of immigration staff of FIA to monitor immigration work more efficiently," (Pakistan n.d.c). PISCES was established in 2002 with partial assistance by the US government (Pakistan n.d.d). PISCES "provides Immigration officials and law enforcement agencies with a tracking system to capture vital information of travelers and allows them to identify and, if necessary[,] detain individuals of interest" and "has made the immigration staff capable of keeping full record[s] of all incoming and outgoing passengers, which will be used for detection of any suspect," and it may also have other uses, such as immigration policy development (Pakistan n.d.c).

2.4 Integrated Border Management System (IBMS)

According to the FIA website, the PISCES project expired in June 2008, and the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) "has been systematically replac[ing] PISCES" (Pakistan n.d.d). According to the same source, IBMS "will be integrated with the Pakistan Machine Readable Passport server," allowing the IBMS to:

"trace and identify Pakistani citizens going abroad on fake documents and staying abroad illegally";

track "all Pakistani citizens going abroad and identif[y] illegal immigrants," and;

create a "[c]ountry-wide network between all Entry/ Exit points, law enforcement agencies and Ministry of Interior linked with all Pakistani missions abroad" (Pakistan n.d.d).

The FIA website lists the following international airports in Pakistan and the corresponding deployment dates of IBMS:

Benazir Bhutto International Airport [Islamabad/Rawalpindi], 15 February 2011; Allama Iqbal International Airport [Lahore], 11 July 2012; Jinnah International Airport [Karachi], 10 April 2012; Bacha Khan International Airport [Peshawar], 18 November 2011; Quetta International Airport, 21 November 2012; Faisalabad International Airport, 18 July 2013; Sialkot International Airport, 12 March 2013; Gawadar International Airport, 3 March 2013; DGK [Dera Ghazi Khan] International Airport, 13 January 2014; Multan International Airport, 14 February 2014; RYK [Rahim Yar Khan] International Airport, 31 March 2014; Bahawalpur International Airport, 1 April 2014; Turbat International Airport [no date specified]. (Pakistan 3 Apr. 2014)

According to its website, NADRA developed the "Integrated Border Management according to the immigration rules and regulations of government  [NADRA is integrated] with other stake [h]olders whose documents are presented at the border including visa, passport and other travel documents" (Pakistan n.d.e). According to the same source, the IBMS central server has access to the following databases: NADRA, Passport, Visa, Exit Control, ASF Surveillance Feeds, and Advance Passenger Information (Pakistan n.d.e).

3. Exit Procedures from Pakistani Airports

The following information on the departure procedures is posted on the websites of the Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore (AIIAP), Benazir Bhutto International Airport Islamabad (BBIAP), Bacha Khan International Airport Peshawar (BKIAP), and Multan International Airport:

For departure  [the] following valid documents are required:

Valid [a]irline [t]icket Valid [p]assport Valid [v]isa (if applicable) CNIC Photo ID Health Certificate (if applicable) NOC [No Objection Certificate] or Ex-Pakistan Leave ([m]andatory for [government] [e]mployees)

Passenger[s] traveling through International / Domestic Flights will use respective gates designed for entry into briefing lounges following the procedure mentioned below.

Follow the queue while entering through respective gate. Refrain from using your mobile phone while waiting. Show valid [a]irline ticket at the entrance gate.



Baggage Screening

Make a queuing line at ASF security screening desk. Pass your baggage from the scanning machine, present yourself for body search and your baggage for inspection, if required[,] and proceed to the respective airline counters for check-in

...

Airline Check-in

All [i]nternational departing passengers are required to check the validity of passport and ticket information prior to the departure. Also passengers are required to check the information on security, immigration and customs from the airport website prior to the departure

...

Immigration Process

At [i]nternational [d]eparture Immigration desks are divided into different sections.

All Passports Overseas Pakistani Passenger / Card Holder Foreigners / Taxpayers Old Citizens / Special Person / Women / Children Diplomats / Foreigners / Taxpayers

Passengers departing from Islamic Republic of Pakistan are required to submit the embarkation form. Pakistani Passport holder / International Overseas Pakistani Passengers will not submit embarkation form at international airports in Pakistan. Special Desk for Overseas Pakistan Passengers is also available to facilitate and provide assistance on 24 x 7 basis.

Passengers are advised to queue-up at the immigration desk and have their traveling documents ready (passport, embarkation form and other necessary documents). The Immigration officer will verify your Photo ID and may ask several questions in accordance with the immigration procedures. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Procedure

Stand in your corresponding lane Stay behind the queuing line at the immigration desk. Submit your [p]assport having valid [v]isa, Polio Certificate and embarkation card (only for foreigners) and other necessary documents (NOC, [p]hoto ID). Once your passport is returned, you may pass through immigration and you will wait for boarding. Please check your passport before leaving immigration counter that it is properly stamped. (AIIAP n.d.; BBIAP n.d.; BKIAP n.d.; Multan International Airport n.d.).

The websites for the AIIAP, BBIAP and Multan International Airport provide the following additional information for health screening at the airport:

After entrance, please proceed to the Airport Health Desk; show your polio health certificate for further clearance. If you are not having the Polio Certificate then follow the instruction of the Representative of Airport Health Department.... (AIIAP n.d.; BBIAP n.d.; Multan International Airport n.d.)

The website for the departure procedures at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi adds that after obtaining their boarding pass and checking luggage, all international travellers must go to the "Immigration Desks / FIA Counters" (Jinnah International Airport n.d.b).

The HRCP representative indicated that during passport screening the FIA consults NADRA data and the ECL, and the ECL data "is checked by FIA for departure clearance of passengers" as well as to verify "if any special instructions are given by any government department or agency for any particular suspect" (HRCP 22 Dec. 2017). The same source also indicated that security screening is a standardized procedure for all passengers at all airports, and that "[n]o exceptions are made in the procedure" (HRCP 22 Dec. 2017).

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an immigration consultant based in Canada, with an office in Pakistan, indicated that according to security procedures, there are "absolutely no exceptions" as everyone's passport is scanned at least twice at the airport, and every airport has computers with Internet access at all times (Immigration consultant 28 Dec. 2017). Without providing further details, the consultant noted, however, that there are instances where authorities "turn a blind eye," and that there have been instances of bribery (Immigration consultant 28 Dec. 2017).

The professor described immigration as a "very dysfunctional system," and stated that immigration officers often receive an inadequate salary (Professor 15 Dec. 2017). The source further stated that people may be able to avoid going through security checks by using money and connections to acquire fake passports from Afghanistan, and that "this is pretty common" (Professor 15 Dec. 2017). A November 2017 article published by Pakistan Today, a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, indicates that in 2014, the British High Commission wrote a letter to the Prime Minister's special assistant on aviation alleging that "18 Afghan nationals including women had reached Heathrow Airport from Islamabad Airport with fake British travel documents" (Pakistan Today 18 Nov. 2017). The article indicates that the matter was investigated under order of the Interior Minister, and an FIR (First Information Report) "was registered against FIA officials" (Pakistan Today 18 Nov. 2017). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore (AIIAP). N.d. "Departure Procedures." [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017]

Australia. 1 September 2017. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. DFAT Country Information Report Pakistan. [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017]

Benazir Bhutto International Airport (BBIAP). N.d. "Depatures." [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017]

Bacha Khan International Airport (BKIAP). N.d. "Departure Procedures." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Dawn. 18 September 2017. "Passport Black List." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Freedom House. 31 January 2017. "Pakistan." Freedom in the World 2017. [Accessed 18 Dec. 2017]

Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP). 22 December 2017. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP). N.d. "Mission & Vision." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

Immigration Consultant. 28 December 2017. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate.

Jinnah International Airport. N.d.a. "ASF - Airports Security Force (Pakistan)." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Jinnah International Airport. N.d.b. "Departure Process Flow." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Multan International Airport. N.d. "Departures." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

The Nation. 17 September 2015. Imran Mukhtar. "65,000 Removed From Exit Control List: Nisar Ali Khan." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. 24 November 2015. Submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties under Article 40 of the Covenant: Pakistan. (CCPR/C/PAK/1) [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. 3 April 2014. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). "IBMS Sites Deployment." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. 1981. The Exit from Pakistan (Control) Ordinance. [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. N.d.a. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). "Immigration Wing." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. N.d.b. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "About Us." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. N.d.c. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). "Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES)." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. N.d.d. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). "Integrated Border Management System (IBMS)." [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan. N.d.e. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Integrated Border Management System." [Accessed 18 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan Today. 18 November 2017. "FIA DG Begins Countrywide Crackdown Against Corrupt Officers: Report." [Accessed 29 Dec. 2017]

Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, State University of New York, Oneonta. 15 December 2017. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate.

United States (US). 3 March 2017. Department of State. "Pakistan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016. [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "Pakistan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

United States (US). 25 June 2015. Department of State. "Pakistan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2014. [Accessed 11 Dec. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Four airports in Pakistan; International Organization for Migration; Pakistan Airlines, Toronto; Pakistan  Civil Aviation Authority, Federal Investigation Agency, High Commission in Ottawa; Three immigration lawyers in Canada and Pakistan; Transparency International.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asylum Research Consultancy; Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation; ecoi.net; European Union  European Asylum Support Office; Factiva; Human Rights Commission Pakistan; Human Rights Watch; International Air Transport Association; International Centre for Migration Policy Development; Ireland  Refugee Documentation Centre; Pakistan  Civil Aviation Authority, Directorate General of Immigration and Passports, Ministry of Interior; UK  Home Office; UN  Refworld.
Pakistan: Tenant registration systems, including implementation; whether authorities share information on tenant registration (2015-December 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 23 January 2018 Citation / Document Symbol PAK106026.E Related Document(s) Pakistan : information sur les regimes d'enregistrement des locataires, y compris leur mise en oeuvre; information indiquant si les autorites communiquent les renseignements lies a l'enregistrement des locataires (2015-decembre 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Tenant registration systems, including implementation; whether authorities share information on tenant registration (2015-December 2017), 23 January 2018, PAK106026.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa8d84a7.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview of Tenant Registration in Pakistan

Sources state that that the provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory, have tenant registration systems in place (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017; Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017; Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017).

Information on tenant registration systems in the territories of Pakistan (Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and Gilgit-Baltistan) could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.1 Legal Framework

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of a Pakistani law firm in Islamabad stated that "[g]enerally speaking, any rent agreement between a tenant and a landlord is to be registered with the competent authorities in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan" (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017). According to the same source, "[e]ach of the provinces have various laws and statutes that deal with [tenant] registrations" (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent NGO that promotes human rights and provides legal aid and expertise to victims of human rights violations (HRCP n.d.), stated that "in all four provinces tenant registration is compulsory and is being strictly implemented" (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017). The representative from the law firm in Islamabad stated that "[a]ll the provinces have taken this issue seriously and implemented ordinances and acts to make tenants' registration mandatory" (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of a Pakistani law firm in Punjab explained that

[t]hrough 2014 and 2015, all the provinces passed their own forms of Information of Temporary Residents Acts (called Restrictions of Rented Buildings (Security) Act in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan). The purpose of these laws was to curb the use of rented properties, hostels and hotels for terrorism and other crimes in each of the provinces; while the details differed for each, the essentials in all the acts were the same.

The most significant part of all of them - for tenants as well as landlords - is the provisions about providing information to the police about tenants or their guests:

In case of rented premises, it is the duty of tenant or landlord, or even the property dealer, to provide complete information about the tenant to the police, along with the tenancy agreement. If any of them does it, the others don't need to. In the case of hotels, it is the duty of the owner or manager to provide the information to the police about their clients. Hostels are obliged to keep a complete record of their tenants and guests, which may be inspected at any time by the police. The Acts also give the police officers powers  after giving a reasonable notice  to inspect any rented premises, hostels, or hotels. (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017)

1.2 Authorities Responsible for Tenant Registration

According to sources, the police are responsible for regulating and collecting tenant information (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017; Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017; Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017). The HRCP representative specified that "in Balochistan, in some districts Levies (paramilitary force) are responsible for performing this duty while in the rest of the province[,] information is collected and regulated by the Police department" (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017). The representative from the law firm in Punjab added that the Rent Registrar in Punjab also collects tenant information (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017).

The representative from the Islamabad law firm explained that

[in] the past, the person duly authorised and competent to regulate and collect tenant information has been the 'Rent Registrar/Controller' duly appointed by the Government under the said pieces of legislation. However, nowadays in addition to the Rent Registrar/Controller, the local police authorities have also been tasked with the responsibility to regulate and collect tenant information in various parts of Pakistan. Within the Police, a police officer not below the rank of a Sub-Inspector is empowered to, subject to a reasonable notice, inspect a rented premises, hostel or hotel; and obtain necessary information from the relevant documents and persons including landlord, tenant, manager, guest or property dealer to ensure compliance with the law through spot inspections and local verifications. All district police officers are required to ensure strict tenant registration in their respective districts. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

1.3 Requirements and Procedures for Tenant Registration

According to the representative of the Law Office in Punjab,

A rent agreement has to be drafted and signed. Once that agreement has been drafted and signed, all that is required is that copies of National Identity Cards [NICs] of both the tenant and the landlord are taken to the nearest police station.

The requirements in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [KP] and Balochistan, however, are slightly different. Not only are the particulars of the tenant and landlord needed, but also of two references who would identify the tenant. Their NICs need to be attached with the rest of the documents. Moreover, the particulars of male members above the age of fourteen living with the tenants are also required.

Police would also require two passport-size photos of the tenant, but they usually have arrangement for that at the Police station. (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017)

The Representative of the HRCP provided the following details regarding the requirements and procedures for tenant registration in Pakistan:

The landlord, the tenant or the manager, as the case may be, and the property dealer where the rented building is given through such company, shall provide [the] following information:

Attested copy of the rent agreement; i. Attested copy of the Computerized National Identity Card of the tenant;

ii. Attested copy of the Computerized National Identity Card of the landlord; Name and copies of the National Identity Cards with contact number of two references who identify the tenant; Particulars of the male members above the age of 14 years living or residing with the tenant. (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017)

Sources stated that that no direct fees are charged when registering a tenant (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017; Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017; Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017). The representative at the law firm in Punjab added that "miscellaneous expenses like photocopying, attestation will incur nominal costs" (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017). However, the representative for the law firm based in Islamabad noted that

complaints by citizens, as reported in media, have been that the police authorities were taking advantage and asking for bribes to not delay the process unnecessarily and these bribes were supposedly in the amount of PKR 10,000 [C$117] per application. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.4 Enforcement of the Tenant Registration System

According to the representative of the law office in Islamabad,

[t]he tenant registration system is not widely implemented as such amongst the masses and only a few people who choose to register the tenancy agreements do so with the authorities. However, given the recent security situation, the police have been somewhat proactive in encouraging the citizens to register their tenant agreements, as there have been circumstances where action has been taken against the 'violators' in some instances without any prior notice.



There are various legal consequences for non-compliance in registering a tenant; these include imprisonment for up to (6) six months in Punjab and Sindh and up to (1) one year in KPK, as well as fines between PKR 10,000-100,000 [C$117-C$1,171] in Punjab and up to PKR 45,000 [C$527] in Sindh. In the case of KPK, if there is a criminal act committed by the tenant and the police authorities suspect, in the case of reasonable grounds, and finds that the landlord or the manager or the property dealer was aware of the criminal designs of the tenant and due care was not exercised in verification of the credentials of the tenant, then he/she could be charged for the abetment of the offence committed by the tenant.

The penalties are imposed and violators are strictly prosecuted; in fact, the media has reported that the police have filed cases against violators without prior notice. Hence, there are legal consequences and they are enforced; however, much of it depends on the authorities and whether they choose to prosecute or not. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

The HRCP representative similarly stated the following:

Police conduct raids and arrest people who fail to comply with the tenant registration system  In Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the punishment for the non-compliance varies from a few days to one year of imprisonment, in some cases coupled with a fine. In Sindh, the accused shall be punished with imprisonment, which may extend to six months and a fine which shall not be less than ten thousand Pakistani rupees or more than 45,000 rupees [C$500]. In Punjab, the accused shall be liable to punishment of imprisonment which may extend to six months and a fine which shall not be less than 10,000 rupees or more than one hundred thousand rupees. (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017)

Similarly, the representative from the law office in Lahore stated that "[n]on-registration has led to the filing of criminal charges against both tenants and landlords particularly in the KP Province" (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017). The same source added the following with regards to enforcement of tenant registration by the police:

While far from complete [tenant registration] is gradually being implemented with greater conviction and regularity by the Police authorities. Punjab and KP provinces lead in implementation with the KP province having registered criminal charges for non-registration of tenants in the thousands. There has also been a well-publicized crackdown in Lahore, the capital of Punjab. Sindh is in the early stages through introduction of software at 21 hotels for monitoring to be enlarged upon a successful demonstration. Balochistan remains unknown with not many figures available. (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017)

The Lahore law office representative added the following with regards to differences in enforcement between rural and urban areas:

These tenant laws are fairly new and the Police have been slowly and gradually improving enforcement. While the literal law does not distinguish between urban and rural areas being applicable to both, to the best of our knowledge enforcement has, to date, only been done in the urban areas, as the intent behind the Tenant Registration laws was counterterrorism and terrorists have mostly been found in urban areas. (Law office, Lahore 15 Dec. 2017)

According to the representative of the law office in Islamabad, lapses in the tenant registration system include:

The neglect of the government to educate the masses about this serious change that can put many citizens at the risk of noncompliance only because of the general lack of awareness of the requirements; The inability of the police stations to manage tens of thousands of applications with the limited personnel and computer devices available to them. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

2. Tenant Registration by Province

2.1. Balochistan

The Balochistan Restrictions of Rented Buildings (Security) Act of 2015 has been attached to this Response (Attachment 1).

A February 2017 article published in Dawn, a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, states that due to terrorism concerns, a security plan has been prepared for the provincial capital of Quetta which involves "a ban on residing in mosques, seminaries, schools and government buildings which are required to get themselves registered with the police station concerned. Registration of tenants has been made mandatory" (Dawn 20 Feb. 2017).

2.2. Islamabad Capital Territory

A December 2014 article published by Pakistan Today, a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, indicates that "owners of property including owners of homes, hotels, motels and guest houses should provide complete details of their tenants to relevant police stations before putting properties on rent" (Pakistan Today 29 Dec. 2014). The article adds that police "have adopted a very simple procedure" to collect information, and police stations have two registers for the information: "[i]n one register particulars of property owners and in the other particulars of tenants are being noted. Both the property owners and tenants will be provided a registration number after receiving their particulars" (Pakistan Today 29 Dec. 2014). The article states that tenant information is being taken to "ensure [the] safety of citizens" and that "legal action will be taken against those property owners who will not provide particulars of their tenants" (Pakistan Today 29 Dec. 2014).

A June 2017 article published by The Express Tribune indicates that the Islamabad police have "launched an online registration system for tenants and landlords to register themselves" that can be accessed through the Islamabad police website (The Express Tribune 2 June 2017). Submitting the following information is required: "[c]omplete details of the property including the sector, type (choice of residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial). Details of the rental agreement including its duration and an option to upload the relevant documents [as well as] details of the make and model of [their] car" (The Express Tribune 2 June 2017). The article also states that the form "is equally applicable for Pakistani citizens as well as foreigners," but notes that "the police have not strictly enforced tenancy regulations in the capital  [though] every property dealer is required to submit details of the tenants who acquire properties through them" (The Express Tribune 2 June 2017).

The representative of the law firm in Islamabad provided the following details regarding the process for tenant registration through the website of the Islamabad police:

Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) or Passport to ascertain identification;

Duration of the tenancy agreement;

Type and sector of premises rented;

Name of property dealer (optional);

Option to upload rental agreement. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

A screen capture of the online registration system for tenants and landlords (Attachment 2), and a sample of the online registration form (Attachment 3), are attached to this Response.

2.3. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Restriction of Rented Buildings (Security) Act of 2014 has been attached to this Response (Attachment 4).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the representative of the law firm in Islamabad stated the following:

In KP, the in-charge of the local police station, after being satisfied with the information received, issues a tenant acknowledgement receipt (TAR) and also makes an entry in the Daily Diary maintained in the police station. Further, the in-charge of the local police station is responsible to maintain the records of all rented buildings and tenants, falling in the jurisdiction of such police station and it is to prepare a computerized database for such rented buildings.



In KP, the following documents are required:

Attested copy of the rent agreement (reduced in writing into a legal document); Attested copy of National Identity Card of tenant; Names and copies of the National Identity Cards with contact number of two references, who identify the tenant; and Particulars of the male members above the age of fourteen years living or residing with the tenant. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

According to a February 2017 article published in Dawn, acquiring a Tenant Acknowledgment Receipt (TAR), mandatory in KP, can be a difficult task for residents; the articles adds that

[w]hile the law is clear that it is the responsibility of the owner to get the TAR, the owners and property dealers have very conveniently shifted their responsibility to the tenants. The ultimate sufferer under this law is the tenant[,] as the local police have frequently been raiding residences and asking for the TAR and in case of non-possession of the receipt a tenant is arrested and subsequently fined by the concerned magistrate. (Dawn 27 Feb. 2017)

The article adds that

Instead of following [the provisions of the law], the police have been arresting tenants and not the landlords, lessees or managers. Raids are conducted without accompanying the landlords. Similarly, instead of providing 24 hours to the tenants to provide the TAR they are arrested forthwith in blatant violation of the law. (Dawn 27 Feb. 2017)

The article also states that tenants need to repeat the entire process of submitting a Tenant Information Form (TIF) and acquiring a TAR each time they relocate (Dawn 27 Feb. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A sample of the Tenant Information Form (TIF) (Attachment 5) and a sample of the Tenant Acknowledgement Receipt (TAR) (Attachment 6), are attached to this Response.

2.4. Punjab

The Punjab Information of Temporary Residents Act of 2015 is attached to this Response (Attachment 7).

The representative of the law firm in Punjab stated the following:

There is an additional mechanism in Punjab through "The Punjab Rented Premises Act, 2009" which requires that Tenant Agreements be registered with the Rent Registrar. This is a paper based system requiring entry in a register.



Besides the filing of criminal complaints in Punjab, the Rent tribunals created under the The Punjab Rented Premises Act 2009 will not entertain an application on a rent matter:

on behalf of the tenant, unless he deposits a fine equivalent to five percent of the annual value of the rent of the premises in the Government treasury; and on behalf of the landlord, unless he deposits a fine equivalent to ten percent of the annual value of the rent of the premises in the Government treasury. (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017)

The representative of the law firm in Islamabad stated the following:

Recently, in Punjab, the process for registered property owners to register their tenants has been made accessible online through https://www.punjabpolice.gov.pk/tenants, whereby one details information about the property including address and various details about the tenants including details of the minors, complete with photographs.

The manual process has been criticized by citizens as cumbersome and requiring long waiting periods in lines outside the police station, only to be sent back and forth. The police, however, have claimed this tediousness of procedure is due to the citizens being casual and not bringing the requisite documents.

Apparently in Punjab (with the exception of Islamabad), an oath signed by the tenant on official stamp papers is required. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

A February 2015 article by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) newswire service states that police in Rawalpindi (Punjab) have "registered cases against 38 hotels and property owners for not providing their tenants record[s] to the police"; as police intensified the campaign against non-registration, real estate agents and hotel managers "have complained that police have not established proper data collection desks at the police stations. They said they were willing to cooperate with the police but demanded that police [also] facilitate them in the registration process" (APP 1 Feb. 2015).

According to the article, "[u]nder the law, details of new tenants must be provided to the police station within 24 hours of giving possession of the property" (APP 1 Feb. 2015). The article also states that "[h]otel and guest house administrations are bound under the law to provide details to the police within three hours of check-in time. Property dealers are to submit the information about the deals to the police within 48 hours" (APP 1 Feb. 2015).

A December 2015 article published by The Nation, a Pakistani English-language daily newspaper, indicates that Lahore police asked the Punjab government to amend the law to help police develop an organised system "to make the process of tenants' registration simpler and trouble-free" (The Nation 9 Dec. 2015). The article further states that:

Under the Punjab Information of Temporary Residence Ordinance 2015, police in Lahore are carrying out massive security sweeps in hostels, hotels, inns, guesthouses, and rented apartments besides checking the particulars of tenants. This exercise was launched early this year as part of the National Action Plan to hunt down militants and criminals.

Lahore police have arrested some six thousand persons including landlords, tenants, property dealers, owners, and managers of private accommodations for violating the tenant laws since January. (The Nation 9 Dec. 2015)

An October 2016 article published by The Nation indicates that the PITB helped develop a software for tenant registration in Lahore that is planned to be replicated across the province of Punjab, though "[s]everal police stations in Lahore are still working on [a] manual system" (The Nation 10 Oct. 2016).

2.5. Sindh

The Sindh Information of Temporary Residents Act of 2015 is attached to this Response (Attachment 8).

An April 2015 article published by Dawn indicates that the Sindh Assembly unanimously passed the Sindh Information of Temporary Residents Bill 2015 (Dawn 14 Apr. 2015). The same article provides the following information in regarding the Bill:

Under the new law, failing to provide information to police about a tenant within 48 hours from the time of delivery of possession of the rented premises would be a cognizable and non-bailable offence and liable to be imprisonment up to six months and fine from Rs10,000 to Rs45,000.



Under the bill, not only landlords, property dealers and tenants but also the owners and managers of hostels and guest houses would be liable to the same punishment if they fail to provide information about their guests/tenants.

The time limit for the hotels/guest house and hostel is three hours from the time of arrival or check-in of a guest in the prescribed manner through the latest means of communication.

In the hostels of organisations or institutions a person, not being student or staff, shall not stay at the hostel without prior permission in writing of the manager.

The new law also asked landlords, managers or property dealers to not allow any tenant or guest to stay at the rented premises, hostel or hotel unless they are satisfied about their identification on the basis of their computerised national identity card (CNIC) or passport.

The managers/landlords/property dealers shall also obtain a copy of the CNIC or passport of the tenant or the guest and shall provide such copy to the police at the earliest.

The police shall maintain a database of all the tenants and guests by categorising them in the prescribed manner and conduct analysis of the data for prevention, detection and investigation of offences.



A police officer not below the rank of sub-inspector may, subject to a reasonable notice, inspect a rented premises, hostel or hotel and obtain necessary information from the relevant documents and persons including landlord, tenant, manager, guest or property dealer.

The police shall ensure compliance of this act through spot inspections and local verifications. (Dawn 14 Apr. 2015)

3. Access to Tenant Registration Information and Police Communications

The representative of the law firm in Punjab stated that "[t]he respective Provincial Police forces would have access [to tenant information] as registration is done through them" (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017). The representative of the HRCP similarly stated that "the Police department of each province has access to the tenant information of its province. It is stored in an electronic database. It is shared beyond the province when need be" (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017). The representative of the Islamabad law firm also stated that

[i]t is mainly the Police and the Rent Registrar/Controller who have access to [tenant] information by virtue of registration; however, this information could be shared beyond the province or territory with other law enforcement or government agencies if deemed necessary. In the case of Rent Registrars/Controllers, this information is not stored electronically but is [normally] kept in manual registers . Whereas, the Police authorities register and store this information electronically in a computerised database where the online registration system is in place and is implemented. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

An April 2017 article published by Pakistan Today, regarding the digitization of Punjab Police processes, stated the following regarding the Tenant Registration System in Punjab:

Any person who takes a home on rent has to register himself/herself at the nearby police station in the TRS. Once registered, the system immediately matches it to the database to check if the tenant has a previous criminal record, is of schedule-4, [has] any FIRs registered against him/her, [or] is an offender. Details of his/her driving license (if any), registered vehicles on his/her name and any mobile SIMS registered on his name are shown immediately. (Pakistan Today 15 Apr. 2017)

The Lahore law office representative explained that police communicate with police in different provinces to find persons of interest "and there is wide interaction between Police forces" (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017).According to the HRCP representative, "the police can locate an individual in a different province through the tenant registration database or through NACTA (National Counter Terrorism Authority)" (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017). The representative from the Islamabad law office similarly stated that

[it] is possible for the police to locate an individual in a different province through the tenant registration; however, they would need some prerequisites such as his/her name, address, Identity Card number and so on to check against the registrations, but it is quite a tedious task. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

The representative of the law office in Lahore also stated that

[w]hile the Punjab and KP Police have located individuals in their own provinces, the normal processes of provincial Police assisting the other in criminal related matters is long standing and Police forces generally oblige each other. (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017)

The same source added that

[w]e cannot, however, say with certainty that Police from another province would be able to trace an individual.

The additional tenant registration system "The Punjab Rented Premises Act, 2009" in Punjab is manual and therefore it is highly unlikely to assist in tracking.



Permission can be sought from the local Magistrate in the other province to arrest and bring an individual back to the province where the crime was originally committed. (Law office, Lahore 13 Dec. 2017)

According to the representative from the Islamabad law office,

the police authorities do communicate with the police in different provinces to find persons of interest if required. However, this usually takes place in high profile cases and not just any case. Nevertheless, the police authorities only tend to do so if absolutely necessary. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

The same source added that

police of a specific District or Province can follow an individual to another province for the purposes of arrest and there is a specific procedure. This usually takes place by the police authorities seeking arrest by exercising an administrative procedure, whereby the requesting police authorities write to the Home Secretary/Affairs Department of their own province stating the reasons for arrest, the Home Secretary then writes to his/her counterpart in the province where the arrest is sought who then writes to the concerned police authorities in that areas of jurisdiction and it is only then that the police authorities requesting such a permission then accompany the police authorities of that province where the arrest is to be made for the purposes of locating and/or arresting an individual. (Law office, Islamabad 14 Dec. 2017)

The HRCP representative similarly explained that

[t]he laws relating to tenant registration are only applicable in their respective provinces but in case of necessity, the police can communicate with police in different provinces under the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act No. V of 1898) to find the person of interest  The police can follow an individual to another province to arrest him/her and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Criminal Procedure Code (Act No. V of 1898) are followed for this purpose. (HRCP 15 Dec. 2017)

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Associated Press of Pakistan (APP). 1 February 2015. "Tenants Registration: Police Clamp Down on Hotels, Property Owners." [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017]

Balochistan. 2015. The Balochistan Restrictions of Rented Buildings (Security) Act. [Accessed 5 Dec. 2017]

Dawn. 9 April 2017. Aamir Yasin. "'Police Making it Difficult for Locals to Submit Tenant Details'." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017]

Dawn. 27 February 2017. Waseem Ahmad Shah. "Tenants' Registration Law a Nightmare for Ordinary People." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017]

Dawn. 20 February 2017. "New Security Plan for Quetta." [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017]

Dawn. 14 April 2015. Habib Khan Ghori. "Sindh Assembly Passes Temporary Residents Bill." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017]

The Express Tribune. 2 June 2017. "Islamabad Police Launch Online Tenancy Registration System." [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017]

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). 15 December 2017. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). N.d. "Mission & Vision." [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017)

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 2014. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Restriction of Rented Buildings Security) Act. [Accessed 30 Nov. 2017]

Law Office, Islamabad, Pakistan. 14 December 2017. Correspondence from a lawyer to the Research Directorate.

Law Office, Lahore, Punjab. 15 December 2017. Correspondence from a lawyer to the Research Directorate.

Law Office, Lahore, Punjab. 13 December 2017. Correspondence from a lawyer to the Research Directorate.

The Nation. 10 October 2016. Ashraf Javed. "Tenant Registration to Go Online." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017]

The Nation. 9 December 2015. Ashraf Javed. "No System for Tenants' Registration." [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan Today. 15 April 2017. Wagas A Khan. "Digitisation of Police in Punjab." [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017]

Pakistan Today. 29 December 2014. "Police Direct Property Owners to Provide Particulars of Tenants." [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017]

Punjab. 2015. Punjab Information of Temporary Residents Act. [Accessed 7 Dec. 2017]

Sindh. 2015. Sindh Information of Temporary Residents Act. [Accessed 30 Nov. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Azad Jammu Kashmir  Government, Police; Balochistan  Ombudsman, Police; Citizens Police Liaison Committee; Consultant on Human Rights in South Asia; Gilgit-Baltistan  Government, Police; Islamabad Police; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  Ombudsman, Police; Legal Firms (Seven); Pakistan  High Commission in Ottawa; Punjab  Ombudsman, Police; Sindh  Ombudsman, Police; Society for Migration Studies, Pakistan; Transparency International.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Azad Jammu Kashmir  Government Web Portal, Assembly Web Portal; Balochistan  Government Web Portal, Police Web Portal; BBC; CNN; ecoi.net; Factiva; Gilgit-Baltistan  Government Web Portal, Police Web Portal; Human Rights Watch; Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  Government Web Portal, Police Web Portal; Pakistan Observer; Punjab  Government Web Portal, Police Web Portal; Sindh  Government Web Portal, Police Web Portal; South Asia Terrorism Portal;Transparency International; UN  Refworld; US  Department of State; Zameen News.

Attachments
Pakistan: Requirements and procedures to obtain a Family Registration Certificate (FRC), including from abroad; information contained on the FRC, including whether names of family members who are deceased or reside abroad appear on the document (2016-January 2018)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 19 January 2018 Citation / Document Symbol PAK106044.E Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Pakistan: Requirements and procedures to obtain a Family Registration Certificate (FRC), including from abroad; information contained on the FRC, including whether names of family members who are deceased or reside abroad appear on the document (2016-January 2018), 19 January 2018, PAK106044.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa8d95a7.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Issuing Authority

The website of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), a department of Pakistan's Ministry of Interior responsible for identification documents in Pakistan, indicates that the Family Registration Certificate (FRC) allows individuals to be identified with their NADRA record and provides information on the composition of the applicant's family (Pakistan n.d.a). A 2015 study entitled Identification for Development (ID4D) Integration Approach by the World Bank explains that NADRA [1] is "the single source of truth" in Pakistan for identification data, through Pakistan's primary form of identity verification, namely the "[c]omputerized [n]ational [i]dentity [c]ard (CNIC)," and that it covers "approximately" 98 percent of the entire population of Pakistan (The World Bank 2015, 113).

According to NADRA's website, the FRC cannot be used for any legal purpose and it is instead of use for Embassy matters (Pakistan n.d.a). Sources explain that the FRC is used for verification purposes when individuals apply for a visa "for higher education, immigration, official visit, or foreign visit" (Infola 8 Sept. 2017; Canada 16 Jan. 2018).

The NADRA website indicates that individuals can apply for an FRC in three categories: by birth, by marriage, or by adoption (Pakistan n.d.a). The same source states that an FRC applied for "[b]y [b]irth" will display the applicant's family, including the applicant's parents and siblings, while those applied for "[b]y [m]arriage" will contain the applicant's family, including the applicant's spouse and children (Pakistan n.d.a). According to the same source, an FRC applied for "[b]y [a]doption  list[s the applicant's] family including the details of the [applicant's] guardian" (Pakistan n.d.a).

2. Requirements and Procedures to Obtain an FRC

The NADRA website indicates that individuals can apply for the FRC either by visiting a NADRA registration centre or online, through the "Pak-Identity website" (Pakistan n.d.a).

2.1 At the NADRA Registration Centre: in Pakistan and Abroad

According to the NADRA website, applicants who request an FRC by birth, by marriage or by adoption must go to the nearest NADRA registration centre and will undergo the following procedure:

a token will be issued to the applicant;

a picture of the applicant will be taken; and

"data" about the applicant will be entered and reviewed by the applicant (Pakistan n.d.a).

The NADRA website states that, in addition to the procedure mentioned above, applicants who request an FRC by marriage and who have children who are less than 18 years old must bring their children with them to the NADRA registration centre, and a photograph of the children will be taken (Pakistan n.d.a). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an official from the High Commission of Canada in Islamabad indicated that a copy of the Child Registration Certificate (CRC) issued by NADRA must be submitted for any family member that is less than 18 years of age (Canada 16 Jan. 2018). The NADRA website states that if children are 18 years old or older, applicants do not need to take them to the NADRA registration centre (Pakistan n.d.a). Applicants who request an FRC by adoption must also bring their adopted children to the NADRA registration centre, where photographs of the adopted children will be taken (Pakistan n.d.a). According to the same source, given the adoption rules in Pakistan, the adopted children must be less than 21 years old (Pakistan n.d.a). The same source states that the FRC is "[n]ormally" delivered at the time of application at the NADRA registration centre, where the FRC will be printed and given to the applicant (Pakistan n.d.a).

The NADRA website indicates that the FRC application fee is 500 Pakistani Rupees (PKR) (approximately C$6) for "normal" service and 1,000 PKR for "executive" service (Pakistan n.d.b). Information on the differences between the normal and executive services could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the webpage that allows applicants to locate NADRA registration centres, in addition to Pakistan, NADRA registration centres are located in South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Qatar, and in the United Arab Emirates (Pakistan n.d.c).

2.2 Online: In Pakistan and Abroad

The Pak-Identity website, "NADRA's online ID issuance system," indicates that the Pak-Identity website can be used to apply for a new FRC and to verify an existing FRC, both in Pakistan and abroad (Pakistan n.d.d). According to the same source, when applying online for identity documents, including the FRC, applicants need to register an account on the Pak-Identity website; an SMS and an email with the registration code will be sent to applicants who apply from within Pakistan, while "all required codes" are sent only through email to individuals who apply from abroad (Pakistan n.d.d).

The information in the following paragraph was obtained from the FRC webpage of the Pak-Identity website:

Applicants who apply for an FRC online must prepare a photograph of themselves and of all relatives who are under the age of 18 years old. They must also possess the citizen number of all relatives to be added to the FRC. Applicants who apply for an FRC online must first provide their citizen number and, once the number is verified, they will have a choice of applying for an FRC "[w]ith [p]arents and [s]iblings" or for an FRC "[w]ith [s]pouse and [c]hildren." Applicants must then input the details of all family members, including the family members' citizen numbers, and specify the relationship with the applicant. The system then proceeds to verify the details of the family members, after which the applicants must pay the required fees with a credit or debit card. As an alternative to using a credit or debit card, applicants applying in Pakistan can visit the "nearest E-Sahulat" [2] centre and pay the fees by providing the tracking ID generated by the Pak-Identity website. The details of the family members will be updated on the webpage in both Urdu and English, and applicants can modify any incorrect information. After having uploaded all required photographs, applicants review the application details and submit the application. A portable document format (pdf) of the FRC is then sent through email to the applicant (Pakistan n.d.e).

An informational slideshow, retrieved from the Pak-Identity website, explains in detail the procedure to request an FRC online and indicates that applicants must make the following declaration, among others, before submitting their applications:

I declare and solemnly affirm that I believe in the absolute and unqualified finality of the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last of the prophets, and I do not believe in, or recognize as a prophet or religious reformer, any person who claimed or claims to be a prophet, in any sense of the word or of any description whatsoever, after Muhammad (peace be upon him), nor do I belong to the Quadiani group or the Lahori group (who call themselves 'Ahmadis' or by any other name). (Pakistan n.d.e)

2.2.1 Verification of FRC

The FRC webpage of the Pak-Identity website indicates that applicants can use the website to verify an existing FRC online (Pakistan n.d.e). According to the same source, applicants need to provide the FRC identity number and pay a fee with a credit or debit card, or by visiting an e-Sahulat centre with the tracking ID issued online (Pakistan n.d.e). Information on the fee incurred by the verification of the FRC could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Information Contained in the FRC

A 2016 sample copy of an FRC, provided to the Research Directorate by the High Commission of Canada in Islamabad, is attached to this Response.

The information in the following section was provided by the official at the High Commission:

The FRC "shows the total number of family members, names, identity number (CNIC number), date of birth, mother's name, father's name and relation of each individual with the applicant." At the top right corner of the FRC, there is a barcode that indicates the FRC number, which starts with 2 letters followed by 8 digits; the FRC number is identical to the document number. The citizen number is the applicant's CNIC and it consists of 13 digits. A barcode reflecting the applicant's CNIC appears on the bottom right corner of the certificate. "The barcode at the bottom left corner of the certificate is for NADRA's official records." The FRC also contains the details of all the individuals mentioned, including the relationship to the applicant (Canada 16 Jan. 2018).

A deceased person and one who lives abroad can appear on an applicant's FRC and applicants who wish to add them to their FRC need only provide the CNIC of the concerned persons (Canada 16 Jan. 2018). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The "application process checks all the family members [recorded] in NADRA database" and applicants are required to provide the CNIC of all family members as well as their relationship to the applicant (Canada 16 Jan. 2018). If there was a previous FRC in the system that included an applicant's family members and the same applicant requests another FRC that does not list one or more family members recorded in NADRA's system, then the system will show an error message (Canada 16 Jan. 2018). The FRC webpage of the Pak-Identity website indicates that FRC are not issued for "partial families" (Pakistan n.d.e).

3.1 Appearance of the FRC

A December 2015 article in the Nation, an English-language Pakistani newspaper, indicates that the FRC is issued on A4 size paper that lacks any security feature, whereas it was printed on paper with security features prior to 10 November 2015 (The Nation 21 Dec. 2015). The same source states that FRC issued before November 2015 are still valid (The Nation 21 Dec. 2015). Without providing further details, the same source indicates that security features are "encrypted" in FRCs issued after 10 November 2015 on "simple paper" (The Nation 21 Dec. 2015). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Verification of Citizen Data

Sources indicate that, on 1 July 2016, NADRA launched a re-verification process for CNIC holders to check who is registered under their family with NADRA (TechMag 14 July 2016; The Express Tribune 27 June 2016; Pakwired 27 June 2016). A 2016 article from the Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper, explains that the Interior Minister gave NADRA a 6-month deadline to complete the process (The Express Tribune 27 June 2016). According to sources, individuals can send their CNIC in a Short Message Service (SMS) to the number "8008" and receive the name of all registered persons in their families (TechMag 14 July 2016; Pakwired 27 June 2016). Sources explain that once individuals send their CNIC through SMS at "8008" and receive a reply with a list of all their family members, they can respond with a "2" if the list is accurate or with a "1" if it is not (Pakwired 27 June 2016; TechMag 14 July 2016). Sources explain that, through the service, "illegal registrations" can be reported to authorities (TechMag 14 July 2016; The Express Tribune 27 June 2016). A 2016 article in Pakwired, an online news platform based in Lahore catering to those who have an interest in business, entrepreneurship and technology (Pakwired n.d.), states that "any individual who knows your CNIC can obtain a list of [your] family members and their names" (Pakwired 27 June 2016).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The World Bank document states that NADRA, while a division of Pakistan's Ministry of Interior, is an independent corporate body (The World Bank 2015, 117). According to the same source, NADRA's data collection is compliant with international standards, such as the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) (The World Bank 2015, 113).

[2] The e-Sahulat is "a low cost e-Services collection and disbursement platform," launched by NADRA in 2005 and later franchised as "NADRA e-Sahulat" in 2008, that provide secure payment and collection services to Pakistanis, with 12,000 active franchises across Pakistan (Pakistan n.d.f).

References

Canada. 16 January 2018. High Commission of Canada in Islamabad. Correspondence from an official to the Research Directorate.

The Express Tribune. 27 June 2016. "SMS NADRA to Get your CNIC, Family Tree Re-Verified." [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]

Infola. 8 September 2017. "How to Get Your Online NADRA Family Registration Certificate." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018]

The Nation. 21 December 2015. Nokhaiz Sahi. "Nadra Starts Issuing FRC Sans 'Security Features'." [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]

Pakistan. N.d.a. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Family Registration Certificate (FRC)." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

Pakistan. N.d.b. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Fee Structure." Accessed 10 Jan. 2018]

Pakistan. N.d.c. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Find Nearest NADRA Center." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018]

Pakistan. N.d.d. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Pak-Identity." [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]

Pakistan. N.d.e. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Family Registration Certificate (FRC)." [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018]

Pakistan. N.d.f. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "NADRA e-Sahulat." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2018]

Pakwired. 27 June 2016. Zubair Ahmed. "Process of Re-Verification of CNIC is Explained." [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]

Pakwired. N.d. "About Pakwired." [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]

Tech Mag. 14 July 2016. Saman Fawad. "NADRA Launches an SMS Service to Verify your Family Tree." [Accessed 17 Jan. 2018]

The World Bank. 2015. Identification for Development (ID4D) Integration Approach: Study. [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Legal Advisers specialized in Immigration Law in Toronto and Karachi; Pakistan  Consulate General in Toronto and in Vancouver, High Commission for Pakistan in Ottawa and in London, UK, National Database and Registration Authority.

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; European Union  European Asylum Support Office, Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Docments Online; Factiva; Kessing's Reference System; Norway  Landinfo; Pakistan  Consulate in Toronto, High Commission for Pakistan in Ottawa and in London, UK; UN  Refworld; US  Deparment of State.

Attachment

Pakistan. 29 July 2016. Ministry of Interior, National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). "Family Registration Certificate." Sent to the Research Directorate by the High Commission of Canada in Islamabad, 16 January 2018.
Sierra Leone: Information on the Poro Society, including rituals and initation; ability to refuse initiation or leadership roles; availability of state protection (2015-July 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 18 September 2017 Citation / Document Symbol SLE105973.E Related Document(s) Sierra Leone : information sur la societe Poro, y compris ses rituels et l'initiation; information sur la possibilite de refuser l'initiation ou un role de leader; information sur la protection offerte par l'Etat (2015-juillet 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sierra Leone: Information on the Poro Society, including rituals and initation; ability to refuse initiation or leadership roles; availability of state protection (2015-July 2017), 18 September 2017, SLE105973.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa90b854.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

According to sources, the Poro Society is a male secret society (Sierra Leone 16 May 2013, para. 128; SMART Consortium 2017, 20; Jehovah's Witnesses 2014). A 2011 article, written by academics from the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Spain and the University of Makeni in Sierra Leone, on the role of secret societies in forest conservation in Sierra Leone, states that the Poro Society is "for men belonging to the temne and mende ethnic groups" (Martin et al. 2011, 47). Corroborating information on the ethnicity of Poro Society members could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A chapter in a 2015 book on peace building in post-conflict Sierra Leone, authored by Paul Jackson, a "political economist working predominatly on conflict and post-conflict governance," including "extensive experience in Sierra Leone" (Ainley et al. 2015, x), explains that "these societies play an important role in regulating social events, respect, and control" (Jackson 2015, 213). A 2017 report by the SMART Consortium [1], on the "barriers and enablers to community acceptance and implemenation of safe burials" during an ebola outbreak in 2014 (SMART Consortium 2017, 8), indicates that secret societies in Sierra Leone "were introduced to prepare the male and female children for adulthood" (SMART Consortium 2017, 20). According to a 2012 book entitled African Myths and Beliefs [2], the "central focus of the [Poro] society was and remains the preparation of adolescent boys to take their place in society" (Allen et al. 2012, 68). A 2017 academic article "explor[ing]the socio-cultural power structures of the Poro and Bondo secret societies" in Sierra Leone (Ngambouk and Tabenyang 3 Mar. 2017, 2), states that "[m]embership of secret societies is the prerequisite for gendered personhood and carries high purchase and social prestige in the local socio-political organization and in national politics in Sierra Leone" (Ngambouk and Tabenyang 3 Mar. 2017, 2).

According to sources, new members are marked with scars (Jehovah's Witnesses 2014; Allen et al. 2012, 68). Allan et al. further explains that, during initiations

the boys stay in a camp away from their parents and friends, sleeping out in the open and shouting to scare off strangers who happen to come near. There they learn the ancient traditions and practice drumming and Poro songs. They are taken before masked initiates impersonating spirits, the chief of whom is known as the Gbeni. At the end of the training they return to the community as fully fledged adults. (Allen et al. 2012, 68)

According to the same source, the initiation "takes place in a series of rituals lasting from November to May" (Allen et al. 2012, 68). The 2017 SMART Consortium report cites "a local authority in Port Loko district" as saying that "[s]ometimes the initiation ceremony [for secret societies] takes close to three years teaching initiates their role in society" (SMART Consortium 2017, 20). The report adds:

Meanwhile these traditions demand a seclusion ceremony known as 'Kantha' for members such as traditional leaders, ceremonial chiefs, and others who hold positions in the secret society. (SMART Consortium 2017, 20)

Information on the treatment of individuals who refuse initiation and/or leadership roles within the Poro Society could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Information on state protection was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The 2011 academic article on the role of secret societies in forest conservation in Sierra Leone states that "[m]ost members of Sierra Leonean society are initiated into one secret society, and their membership will last until their death" (Martin et al. 2011, 47).

Jackson's 2015 book chapter indicates that "[c]hiefs are part of these societies but not necessarily in control of them. However, it would be difficult for a chief to consistently act in opposition to a secret society" (Jackson 2015, 213). According to Allan et al., the "Poro numbers many of the nation's highest-ranking officials among its members" (Allen et al. 2012, 68). The 2017 academic article similarly states that "most of the ruling male elites hold [Poro] membership because of its symbolic power" (Ngambouk and Tabenyang 3 Mar. 2017, 6). The same source further states that members of the Poro secret society "use their position to evade the law and go unpunished for human rights violations in the name of 'defending culture'" (Ngambouk and Tabenyang 3 Mar. 2017, 11).

A July 2016 article in the Sierra Leonian newspaper the Concord Times reports that "Poro men attacked the [Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces] Maritime Wing Base in Bronthe" and 12 people were arrested as a result (Concord Times 20 July 2016). The article further quotes police Superintendent Amadu Mohamed Turay as stating

"[w]e are still investigating the matter and I cannot proffer any charges at the moment. What is very clear is that the entire township came under attack by the Poro boys. I am a member of the Poro society and I am not in any way intimidated by their activities, I want to inform the public that the leader of the group, one Michael Palmer, has also been arrested." (Concord Times 20 July 2016)

A May 2017 article by the Awareness Times, a Sierra Leonian newspaper, reports that seven persons were accused of allegedly murdering "famous [All Peoples Congress] youth," Mohamed Taimeh and the case has been "committed to the High Court of Sierra Leone for trial" (Awareness Times 11 May 2017). The same source further states that

[t]he men are alleged to have tortured Taimeh to death under the guise of forcefully taking him to the sacred Poro society bush for initiation. The alleged abuse of the respectable Poro society by the men facing trial, is said to have seriously upset the traditional Poro chiefs in Kenema who speedily intercepted the accused and handed them over to the State authorities. Awareness Times Newspaper can also confirm that the Poro chiefs have testified in court during the hearing, that they do not want their society to be stained so they were totally distancing legitimate and respected Poro activities from the cruel murder of Taimeh. (Awareness Times 11 May 2017)

Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The SMART Consortium is comprised of the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD), Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and World Vision (SMART Consortium 2017, 4).

[2] African Myths and Beliefs is part of the World Mythologies series published by Rosen Publishing, established in 1950 as an "independent educational publishing houseto serve the needs of students in grades Pre-K - 12 with high interest, curriculum-oriented materials (Rosen Publishing n.d.). The same source describes the series as "explor[ing] the history and myths from ancient time to modern day and how they still influence today's culture and beliefs" (Rosen Publishing n.d.).

References

Ainley, Kristen, Rebekka Friedman and Chris Mahony (Eds.). 2015. Evaluating Transnational Justice: Accountability and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone. Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan: Houndmills.

Allan, Tony, Fergus Fleming and Charles Phillips. 2012. World Mythologies: African Myths and Beliefs. Rosen Publishing.

Awareness Times Newspaper. 11 May 2017. "Sierra Leone News: Murder via Abuse of Sacred Poro Now in High Court." (Factiva) [Accessed 16 Aug. 2017]

Concord Times. 20 July 2016. Mohamed Massaquoi. "In Bronthe: 12 Poro Society Members Arrested." [Accessed 14 Aug. 2017]

Jackson, Paul. 2015. "Whose Justice in Sierra Leone? Power, Security and Justice in Post-Conflict Reconstruction." Evaluating Transnational Justice: Accountability and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone. Edited by Kristen Ainley, Rebekka Friedman and Chris Mahony. Rethinking Peace and Conflict Studies. Palgrave Macmillan: Houndmills. [Accessed 11 Aug. 2017]

Jehovah's Witnesses. 2014. "Sierra Leone and Guinea: Secret Socities." 2014 Yearbook of Jehvah's Witnesses. [Accessed 14 Aug. 2017]

Martin, Aurora Martin, Pablo Martinez de Anguita, Juan Vicente Perez and Joseph Lanzana. 2011. "The Role of Secret Societies in the Conservation of Sacred Forests in Sierra Leone." Bois et Forets des Tropiques. No. 310. Vol. 4. [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]

Ngambouk, Vitalis Pemunta and Tabi Chama-James Tabenyang. 3 March 2017. "Cultual Power, Ritual Symbolism and Human Rights Violations in Sierra Leone." Cogent Social Sciences. [Accessed 14 Aug. 2017]

Rosen Publishing. N.d. "World Mythologies." [Accessed 18 Aug. 2017]

Sierra Leone. 16 May 2013. Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 40 of the Covenant. (CCPR/C/SLE/1). [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]

SMART Consortium. 2017. Protecting the Living, Honouring the Dead: The Barriers and Enablers to Community Acceptance and Implementation of Safe Burials. [Accessed 15 Aug. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Factiva; Foundation for International Dignity; International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property; Poro Studies Association; Sierra Leone  Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Standard Times Press; United Nations  Refworld; United States  Department of State.
Sudan: Requirements and procedures to obtain a Sudanese passport, including business passports; information on appearance and security features; information on the prevalence of fraudulent passports (2015-2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 13 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol SDN105838.EF Related Document(s) Soudan : information sur les exigences et la marche a suivre pour obtenir un passeport soudanais, y compris un passeport d'affaires; information sur son apparence et ses caracteristiques de securite; information indiquant si les passeports frauduleux sont repandus (2015-2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Requirements and procedures to obtain a Sudanese passport, including business passports; information on appearance and security features; information on the prevalence of fraudulent passports (2015-2017), 13 July 2017, SDN105838.EF, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa90dfa0.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

According to a 2015 case study document on electronic passports in Sudan, published by HJP Consulting, a company that "provided [c]onsulting and [p]roject [m]anagement [s]ervices for the planning, procurement, testing and implementation of the Sudanese [electronic] passport project" (HJP Consulting 9 June 2015a), electronic passports have been in place since 25 November 2008, after a migration from hand-written passports to electronic-passports (HJP Consulting 9 June 2015b, 5-6).

A 2012 article by the National, a newspaper published in the United Arab Emirates, cites the Sudanese Ambassador in Dubai as stating that Sudanese electronic passports were introduced in 2009 (The National 5 Aug. 2012). According to the same source,

[t]here are three versions of the new electronic passport: a citizen's passport containing 48 pages and valid for five years, a commercial passport for frequent travellers containing 64 pages and valid for seven years and a 32-page passport issued to children. (The National 5 Aug. 2012)

The 2012 article by the National further reports that, due to "problems [that] have delayed their availability at embassies around the world," new electronic passports will be issued in September 2012 for the first time outside Sudan, at the Sudanese consulate in Dubai (The National 5 Aug. 2012). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Requirements and Procedures

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a lawyer in Khartoum, specialized in the Sudanese legal system, confirmed that the the Passport Division of the Sudanese Ministry of Interior handles the issuance of Sudanese passports in Sudan, and that Sudanese embassies handle this abroad (Lawyer 12 July 2017).

The 2015 document by HJP Consulting indicates that there are 18 sites in Sudan and 25 embassies abroad for "[e]nrolment" of electronic passports (HJP Consulting 9 June 2015b, 7). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A 2016 report on Sudan by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) states that applicants for Sudanese passports "must present their birth certificate, national identity card and provide a guarantor confirming their identity" (Australia 27 Apr. 2016, 27).

The website of the Sudanese embassy in Ottawa provides the following requirements for "new passport[s]":

Filled-out [a]pplication [f]orms signed by the applicant

Include with your application a [c]opy of your Canadian [p]ermanent [r]esidence [c]ard or a [c]opy of your Canadian [p]assport For [s]tudents: Original letter from [u]niversity/ [s]chool verifying full time student status to be exempted from national contribution tax. For housewives: Copy of marriage certificate must be presented if the occupation on the passport is not indicated as a housewife. Fees for students [are]: $30.00, and $67.00 for non-students. National contribution [f]or [p]rofessional is $690 dollars National [c]ontribution for [b]usinessman is $2000 dollars For lost or stolen passports the following should be presented to the embassy: (A) an original police report(s). (B) A copy of old passport OR a copy of nationality certificate. Four (4) photographs. Muslim women need to wear TARHA [1].

PASSPORT RENEWAL REQUIREMENTS

Include with your application a [c]opy of your Canadian [p]ermanent [r]esidence [c]ard or a [c]opy of your Canadian [p]assport Passport should be renewed every two years for a period not exceeding 10 years. Filled-out [a]pplication [f]orm signed by the applicant(s). For [s]tudents: Original letter from [u]niversity/[s]chool verifying full time student status to be exempted from national tax. For housewives: Copy of marriage certificate must be presented if the occupation on the passport is not indicated as a housewife. Fees: for students $19.00, non-student $37.00 One (1) photograph. Muslim women need to wear TARHA. (Sudan n.d.a, emphasis in the original)

The same source also provides the following "new requirements to issue a new Sudanese passport":

[translation]

For a passport that completed the full validity period, 10 years, the following is required:



The original passport, if possible The original receipt 3 photos Clear and legible detailed address in Sudan If there is a change in the profession of date of birth, please provide supporting documents



For a lost passport (replacement):



Original citizenship certificate Certificate of [l]ost [p]assport from the state where the applicant resides 3 photos Original receipt The applicant should appear in person before you to take an oath and swear that the information included in the form is accurate (passport application form) Clear and legible detailed address in Sudan If the citizenship certificate is in Sudan, the applicant should contact his family and meet with the Passport Office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Sudan n.d.b, emphasis in the original)



According to the 2012 article by the National, the new passports will cost approximately 295 Emirati Dirhams [approximately C$104] for adults and 145 Emirati Dirhams [approximately C$51] for students (The National 5 Aug. 2012).

3. Appearance

Information on appearance of Sudanese passports was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The 2015 document by HJP Consulting provides the following description of the booklet of the electronic passport:

48 pages Intaglio / rainbow printing OVI [optically variable ink] + latent image Conical laser perforation. (HJP Consulting 9 June 2015b, 6)

The lawyer explained that the latest Sudanese passport is of a "dark blue colour" while the previous one was green, and that "all the information [is] on the first page" while it was "in many pages" in the previous version (Lawyer 12 July 2017). A copy of an electronic passport specimen "since 25 November 2008" provided in the 2015 document by HJP Consulting is attached to this Response.

4. Security Features and Fraudulent Passports

Information on security features and the prevalence of fraudulent passports was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources indicate that the passports introduced in 2009 contain a [micro]chip with the holder's information (The National5 Aug. 2012; Australia 27 Apr. 2016, 27). The 2015 document by HJP Consulting explains that the chip "in cover" of the electronic passport contains biometrics of facial features, as well as PA [passive authentication] and BAC [basic access control] (HJP Consulting 9 June 2015b, 6). According to the same source, the electronic passport has PC [polycarbonate] datapage with multi laser image and transparent kinegram (HJP Consulting 9 June 2015b, 6).

The 2016 document by the Australian DFAT explains the following:

[S]ome older-style passports are still in circulation. Older-style passports contain limited security features, are usually hand-written and include details of the holder's dependents.  DFAT is aware of examples of the older-style passports being fraudulently altered, usually in an unsophisticated and easy to detect manner. (Australia 27 Apr. 2016, 27)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to an article published in 2015 by the Sudan Tribune, a non-profit website based in Paris that aims to "promote plural information, democratic and free debate on Sudan" (Sudan Tribune n.d.), the Sudanese Ministry of Interior announced on 5 November 2015 that "all hand-written passports will be nullified effective November 25th after which only machine-readable passports (MRPs) will be accepted" (Sudan Tribune 5 Nov. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A 2017 article by Sudan Vision, a Sudanese daily newspaper, reports the arrest by the National Security and Intelligence Service of a "gang involved in forgery of money, identity documents and university certificates" (Sudan Vision[Jan. 2017]). According to the same source, a "source at the National Security and Intelligence Service" said that forged passports, birth certificates and national IDs were found during the arrest (Sudan Vision [Jan. 2017]). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] According to a 2009 article by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the tarha is a traditionnal Sudanese veil covering the head and the shoulders (AFP 8 Sept. 2009).

References

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 8 September 2009. "Soudan: la journaliste condamnee pour port du pantalon veut 'continuer le combat'." [Accessed 30 June 2017]

Australia. 26 April 2016. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). "Sudan." DFAT Country Information Report. [Accessed 30 June 2017]

HJP Consulting. 9 June 2015a. "Certified e-Passport Testing in Demand - Sudan Case Study." [Accessed 30 June 2017]

HJP Consulting. 9 June 2015b. Kwthar Hassan Ali and Markus Hartmann. Certified ePassport Testing in Demand - Case Study Sudan. [Accessed 30 June 2017]

Lawyer, Karthoum. 12 July 2017. Correpondence with the Research Directorate.

The National. 5 August 2012. Awad Mustafa. "Electronic Passport Relief for Thousands of Sudanese Expatriates." [Accessed 30 June 2017]

Sudan. N.d.b. Embassy in Ottawa. " Passport Services." [Accessed 30 June 2017]

Sudan. N.d.a. Embassy in Ottawa. "New Requirements to Issue a New Sudanese Passport." [Accessed 30 June 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 5 November 2015. "Sudan's Hand-Written Passports to Be Nullified on November 25th." [Accessed 12 July 2017]

Sudan Tribune. N.d. "About." [Accessed 12 July 2017].

Sudan Vision. [January 2017]. "NISS Arrests Gang Involved in Counterfeit Money and Identity Documents." [Accessed 30 June 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Kushite Integrated Company; Sudan  Embassy in Ottawa, Embassy in Washington, DC.

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; European Union  Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Human Rights Watch; Keesing's Document Checker; United Nations  Refworld.

Attachment

HJP Consulting. 9 June 2015b. Kwthar Hassan Ali and Markus Hartmann. Certified ePassport Testing in Demand - Case Study Sudan. [Accessed 30 June 2017]
Afghanistan: Treatment of members and former members of the Afghan military by the Taliban and other anti-government groups, including whether they are personally targeted outside of active conflict zones; whether rank, branch or type of military services poses a greater risk; information on state protection, including protection programs offered by the military (2012-August 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 31 August 2017 Citation / Document Symbol AFG105957.E Related Document(s) Afghanistan : information sur le traitement reserve aux militaires et anciens militaires afghans par les talibans et d'autres groupes opposes au gouvernement, y compris la question de savoir s'ils sont cibles personnellement a l'exterieur des zones de conflit actif; information indiquant si le rang, la branche ou le type de service militaire entraine un risque plus eleve; information sur la protection accordee par l'Etat, y compris les programmes de protection offerts par l'armee (2012-aout 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Afghanistan: Treatment of members and former members of the Afghan military by the Taliban and other anti-government groups, including whether they are personally targeted outside of active conflict zones; whether rank, branch or type of military services poses a greater risk; information on state protection, including protection programs offered by the military (2012-August 2017), 31 August 2017, AFG105957.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa910407.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. The Taliban

1.1 Structure of the Taliban

According to sources, the Taliban is also known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Jamestown Foundation 21 Feb. 2014, 5; Jane's Terrorism Watch Report 27 Feb. 2012; TRAC n.d.). According to a 2012 report on Taliban networks in Afghanistan published by Dr. Antonio Giustozzi, a research fellow at the Crisis States Research Centre of the London School of Economics, and who has written several books on Afghanistan and the Taliban (Giustozzi 2012, 5), the Taliban is "the largest opposition armed group in Afghanistan" and accounts for over 80 percent of insurgents (Giustozzi 2012, 20). The same source describes the Taliban as "a network of networks," being predominantly religious and tribal in nature, and led by local commanders known as mullahs (Giustozzi 2012, 20).

According to sources, the Taliban is headed by Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada (BBC 26 May 2016; Al Jazeera 2 July 2016). The BBC further states that there are two deputies, one of whom leads the Haqqani Network [1] (BBC 26 May 2016). Under the Akhundzada and the Deputies is the Rahbari Shura [also called the Quetta Shura], an 18-member leadership council, comprised of former Taliban ministers, religious leaders, diplomats, governors, and military commanders (BBC 26 May 2016) or "veterans of the Taliban regime" (Jamestown Foundation 21 Feb. 2014, 5). The leadership council oversees various Taliban commissions (BBC 26 May 2016; Jamestown Foundation 21 Feb. 2014, 6).

For further information on the structure and intelligence capabilities of the Taliban, including the Taliban's ability to track and pursue individuals, as well as intimidation and targeted assassinations, please see Response to Information Request AFG105412 of 15 February 2016.

1.2 Taliban-Controlled Territory

According to a 2017 report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), an office created by the US Congress to "provide independent and objective oversight of Afghanistan reconstruction projects and activities" (US n.d.), 57.2 percent of Afghanistan's 407 districts "are under Afghan government control or influence as of November 15, 2016," which is nearly a "15% decrease since November 2015" (US 30 Jan. 2017, 89). The report states that "233 districts were under government control (83 districts) or influence (150), 41 districts (in 15 provinces) were under insurgent control (9) or influence (32), and 133 districts were 'contested'" (US 30 Jan. 2017, 89). According to the same source,

USFOR-A [U.S. Forces Afghanistan] identified the regions/provinces with the largest percentage of insurgent-controlled or influenced districts as Uruzgan Province, with five out of six (83.3%) of its districts under insurgent control or influence, and Helmand with eight out of 14 (57.1%) of its districts under insurgent control or influence. The region with the most districts under insurgent control or influence is centered on northeast Helmand Province and northwestern Kandahar Province, and includes the Helmand/Kandahar border area, Uruzgan Province, and northwest Zabul. This region alone accounts for 16 of the 41 districts (or 31.7%) under insurgent control or influence. (US 30 Jan. 2017, 90)

A 2017 article by Voice of America (VOA), an international media broadcaster funded by the U.S. government (VOA n.d.), quotes a spokesperson for the Afghan defense ministry responding to the January 2017 SIGAR report, stating that they had since "recaptured many areas from the enemy" (VOA 13 Jan. 2017). The same source further reports that the Afghan government

said it controls nearly two-thirds of the country's 407 districts. Afghan officials said the Taliban controls 33 districts, less than 10 percent of the national total, and a recent U.S. military assessment lists 116 districts - more than one-quarter of the country - as "contested" areas. (VOA 13 Jan. 2017)

FDD's Long War Journal, a project of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute focusing on foreign policy and national security (FDD's Long War Journal n.d.), compiled data and compared it to a Taliban report of the area it controls and found that the Taliban report's "claims of district control largely match with press reporting from Afghanistan" (FDD's Long War Journal, 28 Mar. 2017). Of 400 districts in Afghanistan, of which 349 are covered in the Taliban's report, the Taliban

fully controls 34 districts, including the district centers, and contests another 167 districts (these are districts where the Taliban claims it controls between 40 to 99 percent of the territory). The Taliban has a significant presence (10 to 39 percent) in another 52 districts, and a minimal presence in six more districts (1 to 9 percent). The Taliban said it has no presence in 89 districts, however, in some of those provinces it says it is conducting "guerilla activities." (FDD's Long War Journal 28 Mar. 2017)

The same source also reports on the regional presence of the Taliban as follows:

According to the Taliban, it controls or contests nearly all of the districts in the southern provinces of Helmand, Nimroz, Uruzgan, Zabul, and Ghazni, and half of Kandahar. Eastern and northwestern Afghanistan look equally bleak, as do the northern provinces of Kunduz and Baghlan. (FDD's Long War Journal 28 Mar. 2017)

2. Targeting of Former and Current Members of the Afghan Military by the Taliban and other Anti-Government Groups

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), a "national human rights institution" in Afghanistan that protects and promotes human rights (AIHRC n.d.), stated that the Taliban considers those employed by the military or Government as "legitimate targets" (AIHRC 16 Aug. 2017). Citing a "staff member of an international development agency in Afghanistan," a 2012 report by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) states that "for ANA [Afghan National Army] and ANP [Afghan National Police] soldiers it might not be sufficient to simply quit their job in order to escape the threat by insurgents. They would have to change sides in order to avoid further targeting" (EU Dec. 2012, 35).

Similarly, in correspondence with the Research Directorate, a Director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue [2], speaking on his own behalf, stated that they were aware of a "number of cases" in which "current and former members of the ANSF [Afghanistan National Security Forces] have been targeted by insurgents," without providing further detail (Director 27 July 2017). An Afghan researcher at Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) [3], speaking on his own behalf, stated that "ex members of the military could be a target, if [they] happen to live in areas under Taliban control" (Afghan Researcher 16 Aug. 2017).

The information in the following paragraph comes from the December 2012 EASO report:

Citing reports by the Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) [4], the EASO report states that in south-east Afghanistan in 2012, "off-duty ANSF members were killed and their private residences were also attacked" (EU Dec. 2012, 51). In the west of Afghanistan, "[f]amily members of ANSF and off-duty ANSF members were targeted as well" (EU Dec. 2012, 52). The EASO report notes that ANSF members "are not only targeted when on the job but in around 15 documented episodes, they were targeted when off duty or acting in a private capacity. In around 10 documented episodes, their family members or relatives were targeted as well" (EU Dec. 2012, 52). The EASO report also specifies locations in which ANSF have been targeted, stating:

There was evidence found of the targeting of ANSF in several cities in Afghanistan, including attacks on their headquarters: Lashkar Gah (Helmand), Ghazni, Sharan (Paktika), Gardez (Khost), Khost (Khost), Pul-e Alam (Logar), Jalalabad, Mehterlam (Laghman), Kunduz, Sar-e Pul and Kabul. But at the top of the list is Kandahar City for which ANSO report, in April 2012, an average of five to eight targeted killings of ANSF members every 2 weeks. (Dec. 2012, 53)

A 2016 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) notes that "[Anti-Government Elements] are reported to systematically target civilians who are associated with, or who are perceived to be supporting the Afghan Government" (UN 19 Apr. 2016, 34). Furthermore, the same report states:

[Anti-Government Elements] have been reported to target family members of individuals with the above risk profiles, both as acts of retaliation and on a "guilty by association" basis. In particular, relatives, including women and children, of government officials and members of the ANSF have been subjected to harassment, kidnappings, violence, and killings. (UN 19 Apr. 2016, 41)

According to a 2016 SIGAR report, "[a] female lieutenant colonel in the [ANA] said the Taliban especially targeted women in the army. Her brother warned her that if people know she was in the army, the family could be killed. Because of this, she no longer wears her uniform in public" (US Oct. 2016, 10).

Sources report the following examples of targeting of former or off-duty members of the military:

On 25 August 2013, "Anti-Government Elements abducted and killed a former ANA soldier who had left the army to run an education centre in Bati Kot district, Nangarhar province" (UN Feb. 2014, 26);

On 19 December 2013, "Anti-Government Elements shot and killed a local school teacher" who was the brother of an ANA soldier in Bar Kunar district, Kunar province, "while he was travelling in a local taxi" (UN Feb. 2014, 26);

In February 2014, near Asadabad, 21 ANA soldiers were killed "in their bunks" by "Taliban insurgents," with "eight other soldiers reported to have been taken prisoner by the insurgents" (The New York Times 23 Feb. 2014);

In August 2015, in Maidan Shahar, the capital of Wardak province, security forces were wounded in explosions in an area of shops where "security forces usually were busyshopping" (Pajhwok Afghan News 10 Aug. 2015);

In 2015, Amnesty International stated that there were reports of the "Taliban conducting house-by-house searches looking for people linked to the Afghan security forces or government" (Amnesty International 29 Sept. 2015);

In December 2015, in northern Faryab province, an off-duty ANA service member travelling in a passenger vehicle was kidnapped and killed by Taliban; his body and a letter were left as a warning to other ANA members (Pajhwok Afghan News 26 Dec. 2015);

On 11 February 2017, a "Taliban-claimed suicide attack target[ed] ANA soldiers collecting salaries at the New Kabul Bank in Lashkar Gah city, Helmand province" (UN July 2017, 39);

On 8 March 2017, "multiple attackers carried out a complex attack targeting Mohammad Sardar Daud Khan Hospital - an ANA military hospital facility - located in a central area of Kabul city" (UN July 2017, 18). The hospital serves ANA soldiers and their family members, in addition to civilians requiring specialized care (UN July 2017, 18). UNAMA verified at least 48 civilian casualties and 44 casualties "among medical personnel with military rank," as well as "the killing of 13 hors de combat soldiers and the injury of six others" (UN July 2017, 18).

3. Impact of Rank, Branch, Type of Military Service

The 2012 EASO report states:

High-ranking ANSF officials face a real risk of being intimidated or targeted by insurgents in all parts of Afghanistan. Low-ranking members face a low risk of being intimidated or targeted in safer areas in Afghanistan which are not under the insurgents' control, unless there are specific individual circumstances that increase the risk. They also might be targeted by complex attacks in several other cities, including Kabul. (EU Dec. 2012, 19)

The report defines high-ranking ANSF members as, "for example, commanders or colonels" and low-ranking ANSF members as, "for example, ANA soldiers or policemen" (EU Dec. 2012, 53). However, the Director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, speaking on his own behalf, reported that "rank does not play so much of a role. Insurgents have demonstrated an interest in targeting anyone (current or former) associated with the ANSF" (Director 27 July 2017). The AIHRC representative similarly noted that the Taliban "does not care what rank people have" (AIHRC 16 Aug. 2017). In contrast, the Afghan Researcher working for CPAU stated that rank does affect the risk level for former and current members of the military because

ordinary soldiers can hide their military service by telling their community that they work as labourers outside their province or country, but for officers it is not possible to hide their rank or nature of their job, thus they are exposed to increasing threats and dangers. (Afghan Researcher 16 Aug. 2017)

The Director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue indicated that while the local militia and police have been "disproportionately targeted" because they "are on the front lines in the districts," insurgents continue to target National Directorate of Security, ANA, and police (Director 27 July 2017). The Director further noted that, due to demographics, "officers have been targeted and killed by insurgents in cities while in villages it is foot soldiers who have been targeted" (Director 27 July 2017).

Further information on the impact of rank, branch, or type of military services on risk could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. State Protection

The Afghan Researcher working for CPAU stated that he was "not aware of any protection program" for former military and military members outside of conflict zones by the government, including at the "ministry of defense" (Afghan Researcher 16 Aug. 2017). The Director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue stated that he was not aware of any formal program that exists to "address the safety of ANSF members," but that, in light of the risk they face, "in many cases lower ranked officers and soldiers are permitted to carry a light weapon while a high ranked officer may be permitted a body guard" (Director 27 July 2017). The AIHRC representative noted that "the government is not in a situation that it could provide protection" to former military and military members outside of conflict zones, but that "there are some exceptional cases in which former or current military members are provided with protection, because they are either influential or knew and have connections with the government's high ranking officials" (AIHRC 16 Aug. 2017). Further information on state protection could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The Haqqani Network is one of a number of armed groups fighting in Afghanistan who the UN refers to as "Anti-Government Elements," and which includes those identifying as "Taliban" or other armed groups, such as: Hezbe-e-Islami, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Islamic Jihad Union, Lashkari Tayyiba, Jaysh Muhammed, Daesh, and others (UN Aug. 2015, 2).

[2] The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue is "a Swiss-based private diplomacy organisation founded on the principles of humanity, impartiality and independence. [Their] mission is to help prevent, mitigate, and resolve armed conflict through dialogue and mediation" (Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, n.d.).

[3] According to their website, Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU) is "an Afghan-led non-profit organisation" that was founded in 1996 (CPAU n.d.). It is a "research and peace-building organisation" that "promot[es] peace and social justice in Afghanistan," and has "extensive experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative research on a community, district, and provincial level" (CPAU n.d.).

[4] The Afghanistan NGO Safety Office (ANSO) was created in 2002 as a safety platform for NGOs, hosted by the International Rescue Committee (IRC); in 2009 it developed the concept of establishing itself as an independent NGO and later became the International NGO Safety Organization (INSO) (INSO n.d.).

References

Afghan Researcher, Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU). 16 August 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). 16 August 2017. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate by a representative.

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). N.d. "A Brief Introduction of AIHRC and its Programs and Activities." [Accessed 29 Aug. 2017]

Al Jazeera. 2 July 2016. "Taliban Leader: No Peace without Foreigners Leaving." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

Amnesty International. 29 September 2015. "Afghanistan: Taliban Tactics put Civilians in Harm's Way." [Accessed 26 July 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 26 May 2012. "Who are the Taliban?" [Accessed 19 July 2017]

Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. N.d. "About." [Accessed 27 July 2017]

Cooperation for Peace and Unity (CPAU). N.d. "Our Work." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2017]

Director, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. 27 July 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

European Union (EU). December 2012. European Asylum Support Office (EASO). Country of Origin Information Report Afghanistan: Insurgent Strategies -- Intimidation and Targeted Violence against Afghans. [Accessed 25 July 2017]

FDD's Long War Journal. 28 March 2017. Bill Roggio. "Afghan Taliban lists 'Percent of Country under the Control of Mujahideen.'" [Accessed 26 July 2017]

FDD's Long War Journal. N.d. "About." [Accessed 26 July 2017]

Giustozzi, Antonio. 2012. Taliban Networks in Afghanistan. CIWAG Case Study Series 2011-2012. US Naval War College, Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups. [Accessed 24 July 2017]

International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO). "History." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2017]

Jamestown Foundation. 21 February 2014. Abubakar Siqqique. "The Quetta Shura: Understanding the Afghan Taliban's Leadership." Terrorism Monitor. Vol. 12, No. 4. [Accessed 26 July 2017]

Jane's Terrorism Watch Report. 27 February 2012. IHS Markit. "Aftermath of Koran Burning Damages Afghan-NATO Relations." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The New York Times. 23 February 2014. Niamatullah Karyab and Rod Nordland. "Taliban Raid Afghan Army Base, Killing Soldiers in their Sleep." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2017]

Pajhwok Afghan News. 26 December 2015. Qutbuddin Kohi. "Taliban Kill ANA Soldier, Place Bomb Beneath his Corpse in Faryab." [Accessed 16 Aug. 2017]

Pajhwok Afghan News. 10 August 2015. Nasim Hotak. "Dozens Dead, Wounded in Wardak, Zabul Incidents." [Accessed 26 July 2017]

Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC). N.d. "Taliban / Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA)." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

United Nations (UN). July 2017. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Afghanistan MidYear Report 2017: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. [Accessed 26 July 2017]

United Nations (UN). 19 April 2016. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). UNHCR Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection needs of Asylum-Seekers from Afghanistan. (HCR/EG/AFG/16/02) [Accessed 25 July 2017]

United Nations (UN). July 2016. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Afghanistan MidYear Report 2016: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. [Accessed 25 July 2017]

United Nations (UN). August 2015. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Afghanistan Mid-Year Report 2015: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. [Accessed 26 July 2017]

United Nations (UN). February 2014. United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Afghanistan Annual Report 2013: Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict. [Accessed 26 July 2017]

United States (US). 30 January 2017. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). Quarterly Report to the United States Congress. [Accessed 27 July 2017]

United States (US). 30 October 2016. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). Quarterly Report to the United States Congress. [Accessed 23 Aug. 2017]

United States (US). N.d. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). "About SIGAR." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2017]

Voice of America (VOA). 13 January 2017. Noor Zahid. "Afghanistan Disputes US Report on Taliban Gains." [Accessed 26 July 2017]

Voice of America (VOA). N.d. "VOA History." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Researchers specializing in the human rights and security situation in Afghanistan; Researchers specializing in the Taliban.

Internet sites, including: Afghanistan Times; Factiva; France  Office francais de protection des refugies et apatrides; Freedom House; Haaretz; Human Rights Quarterly; Human Rights Watch; Humanitarian Response; Institute for War & Peace Reporting; IRIN; The Kabul Times; Radio France internationale; Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty; ReliefWeb; Transparency International; United Nations  Refworld; US  Department of State.
Iraq: Requirements and procedures to obtain a police report in Kurdistan, both within the country and abroad; information on submitting a police complaint in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; whether the police produces a written report when a complaint is made in person at a police station (2016-April 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 26 April 2017 Citation / Document Symbol IRQ105794.E Related Document(s) Iraq : information sur les exigences et les procedures pour obtenir un rapport de police au Kurdistan, tant au pays qu'a l'etranger; information sur le depot d'une plainte a la police dans la region du Kurdistan iraquien; information indiquant si la police produit un rapport ecrit lors du depot d'une plainte en personne dans un poste de police (2016-avril 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Requirements and procedures to obtain a police report in Kurdistan, both within the country and abroad; information on submitting a police complaint in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; whether the police produces a written report when a complaint is made in person at a police station (2016-April 2017), 26 April 2017, IRQ105794.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa9117f7.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Legislation and Procedures to Submit a Complaint to the Police

A 2009 report from a joint-fact finding mission by the Danish Immigration Service, the Danish Refugee Council and Landinfo [Norway], cites the Governor of Sulaymaniyah [1] as stating that "the police in KRI are Kurdish and not a part of the Iraqi national police. The Kurdish provinces have [their] own Government with a Ministry of Interior that is responsible for the police force" (Danish Immigration Service July 2009, 33). Similarly, a "Civilian Research Paper" [2] written by lieutenant Colonel Dennis P. Chapman of the US Army and entitled Security Forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government indicates that, according to the Iraqi Constitution, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is responsible for the "establishment and organization of the 'internal security forces for the region such as police, security forces, and guards of the region'" Chapman 26 Feb. 2009, 3).

Articles 43, 47 and 49 of the "Criminal Procedure Code 23 of 1971 of the KRG, as provided on the website of the Global Justice Project: Iraq (GPJI) [3], provides the following:

Article 43

When a crime scene officer, within his area of competence as specified in Article 39, is informed or becomes aware that an offence has been committed in the presence of witnesses, he is required to notify the investigative judge and the Public Prosecutor's Office of the occurrence of the offence, to go immediately to the place where the offence occurred, to take down in writing a statement from the victim of the offence, to orally question the person about the accusation made against him, to impound any weapons and anything that may appear to him to have been used in the commission of the offence, to examine and preserve any material traces of the offence, to establish the status and whereabouts of the persons involved and or [sic] anything else that may assist in investigating the offence, to hear statements by any person who was present or that can obtained [sic] from other persons concerning the facts of the case or the perpetrator of the offence and to cause a written record of all such information to be duly made.



Section 2 - Notification of Offences

Article 47

Any person against whom an offence is committed and any person who learns that an offence has been committed in respect of which proceedings have been instituted without a complaint being submitted, or who learns that a suspicious death has occurred, may inform the investigative judge or the [judicial] investigator or the Public Prosecution or any police station. If the complaint is about offences against the internal or external security of the state, crimes of economic sabotage and other crimes punishable by death, life imprisonment or temporary imprisonment and the informant asks to remain anonymous, and not to be a witness, the judge has to register this with the notification in a special record prepared for this purpose, and conduct the investigation according to the rules, considering the information included in the notification without mentioning the informant's identity in the investigative paper.



Article 49

Any station police officer receiving information that a felony or misdemeanor has been committed shall immediately record the informant's statement in writing and require the informant to append his signature. He shall then send a report of the matter to the investigative judge or investigator. If the information he has received makes clear that the felony or misdemeanor took place in the presence of witnesses then he shall take the action specified in Article 43. If the information he has received makes it clear that an actual offence has been committed he shall send a summary report of the offence to the investigator or investigative judge. The report shall give the name of the informant, the names of witnesses and the section of the law that applies to the incident. The station officer must in every case enter in the station logbook a summary of the information received concerning an offence and the time at which the information was received. (KRG 1971)

A translation of the "Criminal Procedure Code 23 of 1971 is attached to this Response.

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a legal counsel from a law firm based in Erbil that provides legal services in areas such as litigation, arbitration, and criminal law, indicated that "the initiation of criminal proceedings  is submitted to the examining magistrate or the investigator or any official in the police station or any member of the judicial system acting on behalf of the injured party or any person taking his place in law" (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017). However, the same source added that "in the event of a witnessed offence the complaint may be submitted to whichever police officers or their delegates are present," adding that an

offence is considered witnessed if it was witnessed whilst being committed or shortly afterwards or if the victim followed the perpetrator afterwards or if shouting crowds followed him afterwards or if the perpetrator was found a short while later carrying the equipment or weapons or goods or documents or other things pointing to the fact that he was a perpetrator or participant in the offence or if traces or signs indicate this at the time (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017).

The Legal Counsel further stated that a person reporting a crime or infraction to the police station "signs on the statement made  before the police officer and the investigator at the  police station" and that "this is done each time a new statement is made" (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017). In further correspondence with the Research Directorate, the same source added that a police officer who receives information regarding a felony, misdemeanour, or infraction, must record the informant's statement in writing (Legal Counsel 22 Apr. 2017). After recording the statement, the officer sends a report to the examining magistrate, and, if the information indicates an actual offence was committed , a summary report of the offence is also sent to the investigator or examining magistrate (Legal Counsel 22 Apr. 2017). According to the same source, in "every case," the police officer must include a summary in the station logbook (Legal Counsel 22 Apr. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Police Records of Reported Crimes and Infractions

The information in the following paragraph was provided by the Legal Counsel:

The police station to which the investigation is assigned "keeps records of all reports or complaints about a crime or infraction made to it." "Usually, police records are disposed of 7 years from the date of the issuance of [the] final and approved judgment," meaning that if the "investigation court" decides not to pursue a case, the case record will be disposed of seven years after this decision at which time a disposal report is made. When someone is convicted, a disposal report is made seven years after the date of the final judgment. In this case, the investigation's papers and the records are disposed of, but the final judgment is kept "forever". If the investigation procedures require the claimant or the accused to be present at court, they are notified verbally, or in writing with a "judicial notification letter" that contains the date, time and "competent" court before which they must report (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Requirements and Procedures to Obtain a Police Record

The Criminal Procedure Code 23 of 1971 provides the following:

Article 57

An accused person, a plaintiff, a civil plaintiff, a person responsible in civil law for the actions of the accused and their representatives may attend the investigation while it is in progress. The judge or the [judicial] investigator may prohibit their attending if the matter in hand so requires, for reasons that he shall enter in the record, with the proviso that they shall be granted access to the investigation as soon as the need to prohibit their attendance ceases and that they shall not have the right to speak unless permitted to do so and that if permission is withheld a note to that effect shall he [sic] entered in the record of the investigation. Any person who makes a request may receive a copy of the papers unless the investigative judge considers that to provide them would affect the course of confidentiality of the investigation. (KRG 1971)

The Legal Counsel indicated that "[a]n accused person, a plaintiff, a civil plaintiff, a person responsible in civil law for the actions of the accused and their legal representatives" may make a request to receive a copy of the reported crime or infraction papers, "unless the magistrate considers that providing them would affect the course or confidentiality of the investigation" (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017). In further correspondence, the same source added that

the claimant, the informant, the accused or their attorneys or legal representatives have the right to be given a copy of the statement or any other official document inserted in the case file provided that a written request is submitted to the investigating magistrate in advance for approval (Legal Counsel 22 Apr. 2017).

However, it was further noted that under KRG's Access to Information Law no 11 of 2013, any person "whether juridical or natural" has the "right" to obtain copies of documents kept by the government, "unless [they are] prohibited according to the law" (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017). The legal consultant explained that prohibited information is

those pertaining to the Region's national security, defense and military; information [the disclosure of which] may affect negotiations of the Region with others; information [the disclosure of which] may affect the proceedings of investigations and tribunals; information [the disclosure of which] may affect lawful competition or intellectual property; personal information and files, medical reports, banking accounts [and/or] any other personal information that requires the person's consent in advance any other information prohibited by any other law in the Region. (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Legal Counsel, the KRG Access to Information Law No. 11 of 2013 "does not provide any limitation on requests submitted from abroad" (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017). Additional information on Access to Information Law No. 11 of 2013 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Legal Counsel added that

the requirement for requesting access to police records from abroad is to have a local national lawyer with a Power of Attorney including the name of the claimant or the accused, the name of the police station, the court or magistrate handling the investigation or which has the records, and the purpose of the request. (Legal Counsel 16 Apr. 2017)

Further and corroborating information on accessing police records from abroad could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] Sulaymaniyah is one of the three Governorates that make up the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Danish Immigration Service July 2009, 4).

[2] A Civilian Research Project is described as "a student academic research paper," written in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the United States Army War College Fellowship Program (Chapman 26 Feb. 2009).

[3] The GJPI provides an amended and annotated translation of the law (KRG 1971, 1). The GJPI is housed in the University of Utah, SJ Quinney College of Law, and is funded by a grant from the US Department of State (KRG 1971, 3).

References

Chapman, Dennis P. 26 February 2009. Security Forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government. US Army War College, Civilian Research Paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements of hte United States Army War College Fellowship Program. [Accessed 20 Apr. 2017]

Danish Immigration Service. July 2009. Security and Human Rights Issues in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and South/Central Iraq. [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 1971 (amended 2010). Criminal Procedure Code 23 of 1971. Translated by the Global Justice Project: Iraq (GJPI). [Accessed 10 Apr. 2017]

Legal Consultant, Erbil. 22 April 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Legal Consultant, Erbil. 16 April 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Iraq  Consulate in Ottawa; Lawyer in Erbil; Legal Consultant in Sulimaniyah; Kurdistan Regional Government Police.

Internet sites, including: Al-Monitor; Amnesty International; Danish Refugee Council; GlobalSecurity.org; Interpol; Iraq  Ministry of the Interior; Kurdistan Regional Government  Directorate of Residency, Ministry of the Interior; OpenDemocracy; Transparency International; United Nations  Refworld; US  Department of State.

Attachment

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 1971 (amended 2010). Criminal Procedure Code 23 of 1971. Translated by the Global Justice Project: Iraq (GJPI). [Accessed 10 April 2017]
Iraq: Requirements and procedures to obtain one of the new national identity cards, including from abroad and by proxy; information on the expansion of the issuance program, including when, where and to whom the new national identity cards have been issued; security features of the new cards; incidents of fraud (2014-2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 23 August 2017 Citation / Document Symbol IRQ105845.E Related Document(s) Iraq : information sur les exigences et la marche a suivre pour obtenir une des nouvelles cartes d'identite nationale, y compris de l'etranger et par procuration; information sur l'elargissement du programme de delivrance, y compris quand, ou et a qui les nouvelles cartes d'identite nationale ont ete delivrees; caracteristiques de securite des nouvelles cartes; cas de fraudes (2014-2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Requirements and procedures to obtain one of the new national identity cards, including from abroad and by proxy; information on the expansion of the issuance program, including when, where and to whom the new national identity cards have been issued; security features of the new cards; incidents of fraud (2014-2017), 23 August 2017, IRQ105845.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa914a14.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. New National Identity Cards and National Registry

According to a 2013 press release by Giesecke & Devrient GmbH (G&D), a German company that provides identity management products and solutions (G&D 31 Oct. 2013), G&D was awarded a contract to provide the Iraqi government with "electronic personal ID card[s]" and "card supply" would begin in 2014 (G&D 31 Oct. 2013). According to the head of the Iraqi national ID program, as reported by the KNN Satellite TV news program based in Iraqi Kurdistan and summarized by BBC Monitoring [1], the new national identity card would be distributed starting in mid-2015 to replace the "national ID, citizenship ID, ration form and address form" (BBC 14 May 2014). A Landinfo [2] report published in February 2017 similarly states that

[translation]

[the new ID card will replace the present national ID card. In addition, it replaces:

Proof of citizenship;

Proof of residence; and

Ration card (PDS-card) [Public Distribution System] (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 1).

According to information published on the English website of Veridos GmbH, a Germany-based provider of identification and identity solutions, which is affiliated with G&D (Veridos n.d.a), in Iraq, the company provides solutions for the

[d]elivery of the new National Register, the IT and data acquisition infrastructure, the entire personalization system, ID Card production and delivery, all associated services, such as Training, Technical Support and Maintenance. It also comprises the electronic archiving of the Civil Status records. (Veridos n.d.b)

In its 2013 press release, G&D states that, in Iraq, the company "will set up around 2,500 data acquisition stations and 25 regional personalization centers across the country as well as a redundantly designed IT data center in the framework of this major project" (G&D 31 Oct. 2013). In its 2015 annual report, G&D indicates that the company has been involved in the creation of an Iraqi "citizen database" (G&D Apr. 2016, 2). The same source further states that "[s]ome 40,000 handwritten family books, the documents previously used in Iraq, have already been digitized" and "important records from the analog era have been preserved  for the future in the new National Registry" (G&D Apr. 2016, 2). Similarly, the 2017 Landinfo report, citing information provided in correspondence from the Norwegian embassy in Amman in May 2016, states that the new national ID card program, which began in 2013,

[translation]

includes the transition from a national register entered manually and based on hand-written family books to a central digitized national register. A newly established directorate under the Department of Domestic Affairs [Ministry of Interior] (The Directorate for National ID Card, in Arabic called Mudiriyyat shu'un al-bitaqua al-wataniyya) is responsible for the project. (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 1)

The same source further states that

the Iraqi national register is going to be digitalised. This implies that all handwritten family books from local offices will be gathered and that the information contained in these will be copied into a digital central register. The family books, according to the Directorate, will then be kept in central archives and thus be accessible if it becomes necessary to consult this information later. Exactly when this will be done is, as far as the embassy can see, not mentioned on the Directorate's home pages. (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 4)

According to the Iraqi General Directorate for Nationality website, the Directorate "was formed to issue National ID Cards with very high security features through the use of advanced systems such as the Civil Registry and the Unified [National] Database which includes citizens and legal residents" (Iraq n.d). According to the same source,

[t]he General Directorate for Nationality aims at:

Building a Unified National Database which includes all Iraqi citizens and legal residents. Granting a National Number for every Iraqi citizen which is unique and a key for record relationships within the Unified Database. Issuing a modern National ID [card] which is very difficult to counterfeit for all Iraqi citizens and legal residents. Evolving the current Civil Registry system from manual into electronic. Using the National ID [card] as the basis for passport issuance. (Iraq n.d)

Further information on the national registry could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.1 Appearance and Security Features

According to the 2017 Landinfo report,

[translation]

[t]he embassy in Amman (2016) says that the new card is a so-called electronic ID card because it has a chip where, among other things, biometric data can be stored. According to the representatives of KRG with whom the embassy spoke in April, the chip will contain the owner's photo and iris information. For the time being, it is not clear whether fingerprints can be stored on the chip as well. On the back of the card there will also be a machine readable code in accordance with the ICAO standard.

A German company by the name of Giesecke & Devrient is producing the ID card, which is a plastic card of the same size as a credit card. According to this company (as reported by Norway's embassy in Amman 2016), the card contains a series of safety features. (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 2-3)

The October 2013 press release published on the G&D website explains that

[t]he contactless personal ID smart card meets the highest security requirements, including the option to integrate a variety of biometric features. As well as the personal data, the new ID card has a photo of the holder and can be used as standard photo ID. In addition, the personal data and multiple biometric features of the holder are stored securely and digitally in the chip. The new ID card is also equipped with a range of visible and invisible features which effectively protect against counterfeiting. (G&D 31 Oct. 2013)

Further information on the appearance and security features could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sample images of the new Iraqi national identity card, extracted from the official website of the Police Directorate in Dhi Qar Governorate and various Iraqi media, are attached to this Response.

2. Issuance Procedures

The 2017 Landinfo report, citing information provided by the Norwegian embassy in Amman, provides the following information regarding the issuance procedures:

[translation]

Making an appointment

In order to apply for a new ID card, one has to make an appointment with the local Civil Status Office via the website of the Directorate for national ID cards. The application form can be downloaded from the same website and has to be completed before your meeting with the local Civil Status office (Norway's embassy in Amman 2016).

Handing in and documentation

When you hand in your application form, you must bring with you your present ID card, proof of citizenship, proof of residence, and your ration card. These documents will be declared invalid and will be kept by the Civil Status Office when the new card is issued (Norway's embassy in Amman 2016).

Meeting in person

The applicant must meet in person as a photo will be taken, and there will be scanning of the applicant's iris. The application form with biometry will be sent to a central office in Baghdad where the information is checked. Here the card is also personalized before it is returned to the local Civil Status Office duly completed (Norway's embassy in Amman 2016).

Fee

In order to obtain the ID card, you pay a fee of 5000 Iraqi dinars [approximately C$5.34]. This applies both to the first time the card is issued and to the renewal of an expired card (Norway's embassy in Amman 2016).

Period of validity

As to the period the new cards are valid, the embassy notes that this is somewhat unclear and that the embassy has received no official information regarding this. The embassy refers to information from the producer of the card where it may seem that the card will be valid for a period of ten years.

Waiting period

Landinfo has received contradictory information about how long it will take to get the new ID card. While Norway's embassy in Amman (2016) says that it can take up to 15 days from the time the application has been submitted until the card can be picked up, the Iraqi consulate in Oslo (telephone conversation in November 2016) states that it takes about three months to get the new card. The new system of adding the personal number to the cards can be the reason why the process takes some extra time, according to the consulate. It can also be that one has to allow some time for an appointment after the application has been handed in, and that the consulate has included this time in its estimate.

Application from abroad

According to the information obtained by the Norwegian Embassy in Amman (2016) from the above-mentioned KRG representatives, it is, as of today, not possible to apply for the new ID card from abroad. The Iraqi consulate in Oslo has also informed us (telephone conversation November 2016) that one has to travel to Iraq to obtain the new ID card. To get cards issued outside Iraq, the cards issued will still be old ID cards, probably in expectation of the time when the embassy will be getting the right equipment. As for the old ID cards, the same procedure is used as before whereby one can apply via the Iraqi embassy. Iraqis born in Norway may be issued old ID cards as well.

All newborns get the new cards as long as they are being registered in areas where the necessary equipment is available. Moreover, according to the Iraqi consulate in Oslo (telephone conversation November 2016), there are certain groups that are prioritized, such as some government employees. (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 3-4)

Further and corroborating information on the issuance procedures could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints to this Response.

2.1 Roll-out of the Issuance Program

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a legal counsel from an Erbil-based law firm that provides legal services in areas such as visa, residency, and immigration affairs, stated that

[d]igitization of the National Registry was first commenced in Iraq, but expanded and included the Kurdistan Region since March 2016. Every Iraqi citizen now can approach the competent issuing authorities and claim for the Unified Nationality ID card. (Legal Counsel 25 June 2017)

The 2017 Landinfo report states that,

[translation]

[a]ccording to information available on the home pages of the Directorate for a national ID card (as reported in Norway's embassy in Amman 2016), the new ID card was first issued on September 13, 2015, in Jisr Dyala in Baghdad. Since then, cards are being issued in most parts of Iraq.

The Iraqi consulate in Oslo (telephone conversation November 2016) recently informed Landinfo that all Iraqis will get their own personal number that will be added to the new ID card. This number can be used in every circumstance.

The consulate further informed us that the new ID cards are issued by the same Civil Status Offices or Departments as the old cards. Some of these have still not obtained the equipment necessary to issue the new cards, but the equipment has been distributed to all provinces with the exception of Anbar, Ninewa and Salah-al-Din, where there are ongoing military operations. The consulate noted, however, that it may be that new cards are being issued in some peaceful areas of Salah-al-Din, such as Tuz Khourmatu. Certain areas of Diyala, such as Baquba, have not received the new equipment either.

The new card will also be issued in the Kurdistan region (KRI), but there may be certain smaller towns/villages here where they are still without the necessary equipment to make the new cards. From January 1, 2017, passports will no longer be issued in KRI based on the old ID cards, according to the consulate.

When Norway's embassy in Amman met with representatives of the Kurdish authorities for self-rule in April 2016, they were told that all Iraqis will have to acquire the new ID card within five years. Much like the consulate, the representatives of KRG also noted that no one in KRI would be issued a passport after January 1 unless they have the new ID card (Norway's embassy in Amman 2016).

It is not possible to say anything about when the card will be issued in all parts of Iraq, among other things, because of the ongoing military operations in Anbar, Ninewa, and Salah-al-Din. (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 2)

Additionally, a July 2016 article published on Iraqi News, a private, English-language, and Bahrain-based Iraqi online newspaper, reports that the Civil Status Directorate in Sulaimaniya [Sulaymaniyah], would suspend its work starting in 10 July 2016 "in order to begin the preparation of issuing unified national IDs for the civilians in the mentioned directorate" (Iraqi News 4 July 2016). According to information published on the official website of the Police Directorate in Dhi Qar Governorate [in southern Iraq],

[translation]

[t]he General Directorate for Nationality has decided to suspend [their] work at the Suq Al-Shuyukh Civil Administration in Dhi Qar [from] 3 January 2016 [through] 12 January 2016 to prepare for the [issuance] of the new national ID card in the said Administration. Booking an appointment will be done online via our website: www.nid-moi.gov.iq. (Iraq 29 Dec. 2015)

Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints to this Response.

3. Incidents of Fraud

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative from the International Organization for Migration (IOM)'s country office in Iraq, citing information provided by the Major General of the General Directorate of Nationality of the Kurdistan Regional Government during a meeting that took place in August 2017, stated that, "with the introduction of the new Iraqi ID card there have not been any cases of reported fraud" (IOM 13 Aug. 2017). Further and corroborating information on incidents of fraud involving the new Iraqi identity cards could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constrains of this Response. For information on prevalence of fraudulent identification documents in Iraq, see Response to Information Request IRQ105418 of 18 February 2016.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] BBC Monitoring, which is part of BBC News and the BBC World Service Group, tracks "the developing media landscape" and "cover[s] major world events and the role that media plays in them" (BBC n.d).

[2] The Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre, also known as "Landinfo," is "an independent body within the Norwegian Immigration Authorities. Landinfo provides country of origin information to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet  UDI), the Immigration Appeals Board (Utlendingsnemnda  UNE) and the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security" (Norway 16 Feb. 2017, 4).

References

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 14 May 2014. "Iraq: Programme Summary of Kurdish KNN Satellite TV News 1300 GMT 13 May 14." (Factiva) [Accessed 23 June 2017]

British Broadcasting Company (BBC). N.d. "BBC Monitoring: Understanding the World Through its Media." [Accessed 23 June 2017]

Giesecke & Devrient (G&D). April 2016. Annual Report 2015. [Accessed 20 May 2017]

Giesecke & Devrient (G&D). 31 October 2013. "Giesecke & Devrient Wins Another Major Contract from Iraq." [Accessed 17 May 2017]

International Organization for Migration (IOM). 13 August 2017. Correspondence from representatives to the Research Directorate.

Iraq. 29 December 2015. Police Directorate in the Dhi Qar Governorate. "The General Directorate for Nationality will suspend work at Suq Al-Shuyukh Civil Administration". Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 4 July 2017]

Iraq. N.d. General Directorate of Nationality, Ministry of Interior. "General Directorate of Nationality." [Accessed 23 June 2017]

Iraqi News. 4 July 2016. Loaa Adel. "Sulaimaniya Civil Status Directorate's Work to Be Paused." [Accessed 6 July 2017]

Legal Counsel, Erbil. 25 June 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Norway. 16 February 2017. Landinfo. "Irak: Innfring av Nytt Nasjonalt ID-kort og Digitalisering av Folkeregisteret." (Iraq: Introduction of a New National ID Card and Digitalisation of the National Register). Translated by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada. [Accessed 4 July 2017]

Veridos. N.d.a. "Welcome to Veridos." [Accessed 18 May 2017]

Veridos. N.d.b. "Success Stories: Iraq." [Accessed 18 May 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral Sources: Giesecke & Devrient; Iraq  Embassy in Ottawa, Department of Foreign Relations, Kurdistan Regional Government in the Kurdistan Region and in Washington DC; Veridos.

Internet sites, including: Agencia EFE; Al Alam International News Channel; Al-Buraq News; Al Jazeera; Al Sham Info; Al Zaman; Alkarama Foundation; Anadolu Agency; Assaha Magazine; Aswat al Iraq; Azzaman; Carnegie Middle East Centre; China News Service; Council on Foreign Relations; Daily Sabah; Deutsche Welle; Doha Insight; Doha News; ecoi.net; Ekurd.net; Europa Press; Le Figaro; European Union  European Asylum Support Office (EASO), European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO); France 24; Foreign Affairs; Forensic Science Policy and Management; Germany  Federal Office for Migration and Refugees; The Guardian; Gulf Times; Haaretz; India Times; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre; Iraq  Embassy in Ankara; Iraq 123 News; Iraq Daily Journal; Jane's Intelligence Review; Keesing's Document Checker; Kurdish Globe; Middle East Online; Middle East Press; Minority Rights Group International; Le Monde; Nalia Radio and Television; National Iraqi News Agency; The News International [Pakistan]; Qatar Actu; Qatar Chronicle; Qatar Gulf News; Qatar Morning Post; Qatar News Agency; Radio France internationale; Reuters; Rudaw.net; Saudi Daily Report; Saudi Press Agency; The Syria Times; Syrian Arab News Agency; Turkey Daily News; United Nations  RefWorld, United Nations Development Programme; United States  Central Intelligence Agency; Veridos; World Bank; Xinhua News Agency.

Attachment

Document created by the Research Directorate, containing images of Iraqi national identity cards, with a Reference List.
Iraq: The Foreigner's Residence Card issued in the Kurdistan region, including purpose and validity; status afforded by the card, including access to employment and services and the ability to return and reside in Iraq; requirements and procedures for the issuance and renewal of cards; information included on the card (2015-October 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 30 October 2017 Citation / Document Symbol IRQ106009.E Related Document(s) Iraq : information sur la carte de residence pour etranger delivree dans la region du Kurdistan, y compris son objet et sa validite; le statut dont beneficient les titulaires de la carte, y compris l'acces a l'emploi et aux services, et la capacite de revenir en Iraq et d'y resider; les exigences et la marche a suivre pour la delivrance et le renouvellement des cartes; les renseignements figurant sur la carte (2015-octobre 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: The Foreigner's Residence Card issued in the Kurdistan region, including purpose and validity; status afforded by the card, including access to employment and services and the ability to return and reside in Iraq; requirements and procedures for the issuance and renewal of cards; information included on the card (2015-October 2017), 30 October 2017, IRQ106009.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa915c07.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Residency Cards

According to an undated article published on the website of the Migration Policy Centre (MPC), which "conducts advanced policy-oriented research on global migration, asylum and mobility  [and] serves governance needs at European and global levels" (MPC n.d.a), "[n]on-residents of the Ira[q]i Kurdistan Region are required to obtain permits that authoriz[e] limited stays in the area. These permits are generally renewable" (MPC n.d.b). In its 2016 World Report, Human Rights Watch states that "[i]n late 2014, [Kurdistan Regional Government] authorities required Arab Iraqis to obtain renewable residency permits and issued temporary permits to travel between Kurdistan's provinces" (Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016).

According to the website of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a "[s]hort[-]term residency card is available to foreigners who wish to stay in Kurdistan for longer than the 15 days granted on entry and for up to 3 months," and a "[l]ong[-]term residency card is available to foreigners who wish to stay in Kurdistan for between 6 and 12 months" (KRG n.d.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a former director of international relations at the Department of Foreign Relations of the KRG, who occupied this position from 2008 to August 2017, provided the following:

The residency card is issued by the KRG Ministry of Interior for all those who intend to stay in the Kurdistan Region for more than 30 days. 

The entry permit to stay in Kurdistan is 30 days and if you want to stay longer you have to apply for residency. The residency is usually either three months, or six months or one year.

We don't have residency longer than one year; you can stay more than one year but you have to renew your residency card every year. (Former Director 12 Oct. 2017)

The former director indicated, based on information from a senior officer at the Immigration and Residency in Erbil, that "there is no more temporary residency card" which "was issued in the past for three months", that residency cards are now only available for a duration of six months or one year, and that the card is still "the same" (Former Director 13 Oct. 2017). The same source stated that he believes that the change was made in 2017 and that "the information on the KRG website has not been updated" (Former Director 13 Oct. 2017).

2. Information Included on the Card

The information in the following paragraph was provided by the former director:

Short-term and long-term residency cards look the same. The name, nationality, duration of the stay, and passport number are included on the card. "In Iraq, you can easily get forged documents with the same design and information. We usually advise to check the authenticity of the document." To make sure that a document is "a genuine card and has not been forged," one needs to "ask the KRG Ministry of Interior and in order to do that they need all the information on the card" (Former Director 12 Oct. 2017).

A sample of a residency card, including the issuance and expiration date, as well as the date and place of birth of the card's holder, and an ID number, provided to the Research Directorate by the former director, is attached to this Response.

3. Requirements and Procedures for Issuance and Renewal of Cards

The KRG website indicates the following requirements to obtain a short-term residency card:

A support letter [from] the applicant's employer and the company registration document in Kurdistan.

A written personal guarantee from a person of Iraqi nationality who is a resident of the Erbil Governorate.

Evidence that the applicant has undertaken a blood test according to the procedures of the residence office. A form to obtain a blood test appointment can be collected from the residence office as part of the application process. The blood test result can usually be obtained within 2-3 days. (KRG n.d.)

According to the same source, for the long-term residency card, the above requirements apply, as well as the following:

Applicants who are citizens of some countries must also obtain approval from the KRG Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Applicants from these countries need approval from KRG security establishments. The Residency office can inform you which nationalities need such approval. (KRG n.d.)

A 2015 post by the KRG Directorate of Residency in Erbil, on the Erbil Business Directory website, indicates the following "Residency Fees": 3.250 Iraqi Dinars [C$3] for a long-term residency and 2.250 Iraqi Dinars [C$2] for a short-term residency (Erbil Business Directory 8 Dec. 2015). The same source indicates that "[f]ines for out of date residence permit" range from 100.000 [C$107], for the "1st week" to 500.000 Iraqi Dinars, for the "9th week" (Erbil Business Directory 8 Dec. 2015). In contrast, a 2017 article by Rudaw, a Kurdish "media network" with platforms such as a digital portal, a radio and TV news channel and a newspaper (Rudaw n.d.), states that "[t]he fee for a residency permit is 1.2 million Iraqi [D]inars (about $1,000)" (Rudaw 12 Jan. 2017).

According to a 2014 post by the KRG Directorate of Residency in Erbil, on the Erbil Business Directory website, this directorate has three residency offices, in Erbil (Hawler), Duhok and Sulaymaniah; these "residency offices give residency permission according to regulations issued by the KRG's [M]inistry of [I]nterior" (Erbil Business Directory 25 Nov. 2014).

The KRG website states that "[i]f an Iraqi citizen living outside of Kurdistan wishes to apply for a residency card in the Kurdistan Region, he or she must visit the residency office of the governorate to which they will apply in person" (KRG n.d.). The same source states the following: "If a Kurdish individual was born in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq or was born abroad but his/her family is from the Region, he or she does not need a residency card" (KRG n.d.).The MPC explains that "Iraqi citizens who are not from the region, but who seek to obtain residency permits for areas controlled by the [KRG] required sponsorship from a resident in the region" (MPC n.d.b). The former director provided the following:

The requirements to get residency card is to have a sponsor, whether it is a company, a university, a school or any offices of government.

[Having a] sponsor means that you are working for somebody or [an] organization.

You cannot renew your residency card online or from abroad; you have to be personally present at the Immigration Office for the renewal. ((Former Director 12 Oct. 2017)

The same source further indicated that the process is usually completed "through an official agent," and that "in most cases the process is done by a lawyer," noting that "[e]ven if the applicant initiates the process of applying for residency or to renew the card, the Immigration Office needs information about the sponsor and may ask [for the sponsor] to be present" (Former Director 12 Oct. 2017).

A 2016 report on a joint fact finding mission to Erbil and Beirut in September and October 2016, conducted by the Danish Immigration Service (DIS) and the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) [1], cites the Head of the General Security Directorate as stating that "the sponsorship was abolished in 2012" (Denmark and DRC Apr. 2016, 14). The report explains that according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a lawyer working for an international NGO, a journalist, Human Rights Watch and an independent researcher, "sponsorship, in practice, is still being enforced" (Denmark and DRC Apr. 2016, 14). The same source cites a western diplomat, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), PAO/KHRW [2] and an international NGO as stating that "it is possible to enter KRI [Kurdistan Region of Iraq] without a sponsorship, however, in order to work or to settle in KRI, a sponsorship is required in practice" (Denmark and DRC Apr. 2016, 14). Regarding the renewal of "residence permits," the report indicates the following:

IOM stated that, with regard to processing of applications for residence permits and the duration of renewed residence permits, the procedure is arbitrarily implemented. According to IOM, sometimes, the temporary residence permit is extended for one week or a month or two months or sometimes even three months during the approval process for a permanent residence. To the knowledge of IOM, the decision may depend on the applicant's background and place of origin. (Denmark and DRC Apr. 2016, 17)

4. Status Afforded by the Foreigner's Residence Card

According to the former director, individuals with a residency card "can apply to bring their family members to Kurdistan. They can send their children to public school and they have access to public hospitals" (12 Oct. 2017). The same source also indicated that residency card holders can apply for jobs, but when there is a change in their job, they have to go to the Residency Office to update their "profile," in accordance with their new job and sponsor (Former Director 12 Oct. 2017).

MPC provides the following:

[t]he KRG has granted residency permits to Syrian refugees that entail freedom of movement within the three Kurdish provinces, right to education free of charge in public schools on par with Iraqi nationals, as well as right to work. Refugees holding a residency permit are also granted free access to health services in the Kurdish region. (MPC n.d.b)

Similarly, a 2015 joint agency briefing paper on Syrian refugees, published by Oxfam (UK) for other humanitarian organisations [3], states that the KRG "issues residency permits to registered refugees that allow them to rent houses, obtain work permits and access healthcare, education and other services" (Oxfam (UK) et al. 9 Nov. 2015, 5).

4.1 Right to Return to the KRI

Without providing further details, the KRG's website states the following regarding short-term residency cards: "If the holder is issued a residence card for this purpose and leaves Kurdistan before it has expired, the card will be retained by immigration staff on departure. A fresh residency application must be made upon returning to Kurdistan" (KRG n.d.). The same source states the following regarding long-term residency cards: "Residence cards may be retained by holders leaving Kurdistan for short periods" (KRG n.d.). The former director indicated that "holders of permanent residency cards can leave and enter Kurdistan without having any problem" and that he believes there will not be "any limitation" in terms of time (12 Oct. 2017). The same source also noted, based on information provided by the senior officer in Erbil, that

the holder of a residency card is free to travel back to their home or outside of Kurdistan Region as long as theirs card is valid, but if they want to leave Kurdistan permanently they have to give back the residency card to the Residency Office or at the airport. If somebody has a residency card and it expired when they are outside of the Kurdistan Region, they have to apply for a visa to enter Kurdistan again and then apply for residency again. (Former Director 13 Oct. 2017)

4.2 Travel To and Residence in Other Parts of Iraq

Information on the right to travel to and reside in other parts of Iraq with the foreigner's residence card was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The former director indicated that the residency card cannot be used for travel outside of the KRI, noting that "usually, it is not accepted by the authorities from the rest of Iraq [and that] you can use this card to enter Kurdistan only" (Former Director 12 Oct. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The DRC describes itself as "a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organisation working in more than 30 countries throughout the world" (DRC n.d.).

[2] Public Aid Organization (PAO), based in Erbil, is "an independent non-governmental and non-beneficial organization" that works to improve "life and implement human rights" (PAO n.d.). "The mission of the Kurdish Human Rights Watch, Inc. (KHRW) is to enable [i]nternally [d]isplaced [p]ersons (IDPs), refugee, asyl[um] newcomers and homeless individuals to achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence through direct assistance and capacity-building" (The Kurdish Project n.d.). Its mandate also includes IDPs in the Kurdistan Region (The Kurdish Project n.d.).

[3] The 2015 joint agency briefing paper was published by Oxfam (UK) for the DRC, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), CARE, World Vision and Oxfam International (Oxfam 9 Nov. 2015, 20).

References

Denmark and Danish Refugee Council (DRC). April 2016. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI): Access, Possibility of Protection, Security and Humanitarian Situation. [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Danish Refugee Council (DRC). N.d. "About DRC." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017]

Erbil Business Directory. 8 December 2015. "KRG - Directorate of Residency." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Erbil Business Directory. 25 November 2014. "Ministry of Interior - General Directorate of Citizenship & Residency - KRG." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Former Director of International Relations, Department of Foreign Relations, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 13 October 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Former Director of International Relations, Department of Foreign Relations, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 12 October 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Human Rights Watch. 27 January 2016. "Iraq." World Report 2016. [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

The Kurdish Project. N.d. "Kurdish Human Rights Watch (KHRW)." [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017]

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). N.d. "Administrative Procedures." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Migration Policy Centre (MPC). N.d.a. "About." [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017]

Migration Policy Centre (MPC). N.d.b. "Iraq." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Oxfam (United Kingdom), Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, International Rescue Committee (IRC), CARE, World Vision and Oxfam International. 9 November 2015. Right to a Future: Empowering Refugees from Syria and Host Governments to Face a Long-Term Crisis. [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Public Aid Organization (PAO). "Public Aid Organization." [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017]

Rudaw. 12 January 2017. "Foreign Workers Flock to Kurdistan Citing Safety." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: International Organization for Migration in Iraq; Kurdistan Regional Government  General Directorate of Citizenship of the Ministry of Interior in Erbil, Department of Foreign Relations.

Internet sites, including: Assessment Capacities Project; BasNews; Keesing Reference Systems; Kurdistan Regional Government  Directorate of Residency (Erbil), General Directorate of Citizenship, Ministry of Interior, Representation in the United States; Minority Rights Group International; Newland Chase; Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre; Save the Children; The Organization for World Peace; UN  Refworld, UNHCR; United Kingdom  Home Office; US  Department of State.

Attachment

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 2014. "Residence Card." Provided by a former director of International Relations, Department of Foreign Relations, Kurdistan Regional Government, 24 October 2017.
Iraq: Inter-sect marriage between Sunni and Shia Muslims, including prevalence; treatment of inter-sect spouses and their children by society and authorities, including in Baghdad; state protection available (2016-January 2018)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 29 January 2018 Citation / Document Symbol IRQ106049.E Related Document(s) Iraq : information sur les mariages mixtes entre sunnites et chiites, y compris leur frequence; information sur le traitement reserve aux epoux des mariages mixtes et leurs enfants par la societe et les autorites, y compris a Bagdad; information sur la protection offerte par l'Etat (2016-janvier 2018) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iraq: Inter-sect marriage between Sunni and Shia Muslims, including prevalence; treatment of inter-sect spouses and their children by society and authorities, including in Baghdad; state protection available (2016-January 2018), 29 January 2018, IRQ106049.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa916bb7.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Prevalence

According to sources, inter-sect marriages between Sunni and Shia Muslims are common in Iraq, including in Baghdad (Senior Research Fellow 3 Jan. 2018; BBC 18 June 2016). In his 2016 book, The Modern Middle East: A History, James Gelvin, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), who has written several books and articles on the history of the Middle East (UCLA n.d.), states that Iraq has "encouraged" intermarriage between Sunnis and Shias "in part to build an inclusive Iraqi identity [and] in part because Iraqi law defines both Sunnis and Shi[a]s as Muslim" (Gelvin 2016, 151).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a program director at International Crisis Group, with many years of experience in the Middle East and North Africa, speaking on his own behalf, stated the following based on his personal experience in Iraq: "Until 2003, most people in Baghdad and other cities were secular, and Sunni-Shia intermarriage was the norm" (Program Director 3 Jan. 2018). According to a 2014 opinion article published by Al Jazeera, and written by Musa al-Gharbi, then Senior Fellow with the Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle East Conflicts (SISMEC) [1], before 2003, nearly one third of marriages in Iraq were between members of different sects (al-Gharbi 18 Aug. 2014). Similarly, a 2017 report by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), on an April 2017 meeting about country conditions in Iraq, cites Mark Lattimer, Director of the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights [2], as stating that "there was a huge preponderance of mixed marriages over many decades" in Iraq (EU July 2017, 19).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a senior research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, whose research focuses on sectarian relations in Iraq, indicated that estimates of the prevalence of Sunni-Shia marriages are based on "guesswork" because "Iraqi marriage certificates do not specify the sectarian identities of the bride and groom, they only indicate the sect or school of thought according to which the ceremony was conducted in" (Senior Research Fellow 3 Jan. 2018). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.1 Sectarian Tensions

According to a 2016 article by Foreign Policy magazine, since the Iraq War [starting in 2003], Sunni-Shia sectarianism has fuelled conflict in Iraq, including the Islamic State [ISIS, ISIL, Daesh] (Foreign Policy 22 Jan. 2016). The Program Director noted the following:

Sectarian politics driven by political actors, including outside actors  made religious differences politically meaningful after 2003. That led to violent conflict. Marriages suffered as a result; people us[ed] religion as an excuse to (verbally or otherwise) attack relatives, especially in-laws, that they already had issues with. (Program Director 3 Jan. 2018)

According to a 2016 BBC article about the children of mixed Sunni-Shia couples, "[w]hile Sunni-Shia marriages have dropped in Iraq after 2003 given sectarian tensions, they are still not unusual" (BBC 18 June 2016). Similarly, according to a senior Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch, intermarriage has decreased since 2003, "especially during the civil war in 2007," but "it still happens" (Senior Iraq Researcher 16 Jan. 2018). According to the Senior Research Fellow,

exceptional cases notwithstanding, inter-sect marriage is not controversial in Iraq. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that inter-sect marriage decreased around the years of peak Sunni-Shia violence in 2006-2007, but this does not seem to have had a permanent effect on the incidence of Sunni-Shia marriages. (Senior Research Fellow 3 Jan. 2018; emphasis in original)

The 2017 EASO report cites Mark Lattimer of the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights as stating that

there is clearly a new resurgence of sectarianism, though it hasn't reached the level it did in 2006-2007. There are, on behalf of many of the militias, clear sectarian ideologies, and you hear from many quarters, outright racist sectarian viewpoints and a clear determination to use their power to change the demographic make up in the areas where they operate. (EU July 2017, 19)

2. Legislation

The Program Director noted that "the state and constitution are largely secular, and do not prescribe different treatment for adherents of different sects" (Program Director 3 Jan. 2018).

Articles 14 and 41 of the Iraq's Constitution provide the following:

Article 14

Iraqis are equal before the law without discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, origin, color, religion, sect, belief or opinion, or economic or social status.



Article 41

Iraqis are free in their commitment to their personal status according to their religions, sects, beliefs, or choices, and this shall be regulated by law. (Iraq 2005)

According to the US Department of State's International Religious Freedom Report for 2016, "[a]ll recognized religious groups have their own personal status courts which are responsible for handling marriage, divorce, and inheritance issues" in Iraq, and the "constitution guarantees citizens the right to choose which court (civil or religious) will adjudicate matters of personal status, including marriage" (US 15 Aug. 2017, 5, 7). According to a 2017 article by Human Rights Watch, Iraq's Personal Status Law "applies to everyone regardless of their religious affiliation, and is administered by Iraq's secular court system" (Human Rights Watch 17 Dec. 2017). According to a 2017 article by openDemocracy, a non-profit "independent global media platform" that reports and analyzes social and political issues in the context of human rights (openDemocracy n.d.), Iraq's 1959 "Personal Status Code" "includes legislation related to personal status such as marriage" (openDemocracy 15 June 2017). The same source describes this law as "non-sectarian" since it "gathers both Sunni and Shi'a jurisprudence and thus is applied to both sects and renders possible intersect marriages" (openDemocracy 15 June 2017). Similarly, in correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Middle East and North Africa Programmes at the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights noted that "both Sunnis and Shias (and inter-sect couples) are bound by the same law, that is, the 1959 Personal Status Code" (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018).

3. Treatment of Intermarried Couples and their Children

According to the 2017 EASO report, Mark Lattimer of the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights explained the following when asked whether mixed couples can become targets of persecution in Iraq: "Yes, but they are not persecuted indiscriminately; there has been a long history of mixed marriages in Iraq" (EU July 2017, 24). According to the same source, regarding the Kurdistan region, both men and women, though particularly women, may be victims of honour killings, for example, in the case of "a problematic mixed marriage," such as a relationship between a Sunni and a Shia who "want to marry but the families do not approve" (EU July 2017, 24). According to the Senior Iraq Researcher at Human Rights Watch, "[s]ome families might be opposed [to inter-sect marriage], but that entirely depends on the family" (Senior Iraq Researcher 16 Jan. 2018). The EASO report indicates that various experts and organizations noted the following concerning the Kurdistan region: "[I]t is possible for a clan or a tribe to punish a member (especially a woman) for committing a misguided act, such as a mixed marriage" (EU July 2017, 24). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The representative of the Middle East and North Africa Programmes at the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights stated that inter-sect marriages "have become less socially acceptable in some quarters due to the politicization of sectarian differences" since 2006, while noting that "this varies greatly from family to family and from place to place" (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018). According to the same source, the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights has "a network of local researchers who have been documenting cases of family-based violence across six Iraqi governorates since 2014" (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018). The same source explained that the six governorates covered by their network are Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, Dohuk, Erbil, and Suleymania and that their "initial dataset" contained "1,249 cases of family-based violence collected between February 2014 and May 2015[,] [including] 11 cases in which inter-sect marriage was mentioned as a factor of violence or abuse; 10 of these cases were in Baghdad and one was in Basra" (Ceasefire Centre 17 Jan. 2018). The same source indicated that the organization has documented a number of cases [3] in which:

Sunni-Shia couples were forced to divorce after the rise in sectarian tensions due to pressure from the family/community;

Women in inter-sect marriages, particularly if living with the husband's family, were exposed to domestic abuse and violence from their in-laws due to being from another sect;

In cases of divorce, children were taken to be raised by the father's family and prevented from seeing the mother, due to the mother's sectarian difference. (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018)

Further and corroborating information on the treatment of intermarried couples' children could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The representative of the Middle East and North Africa Programmes also mentioned "one case of attempted murder of a woman by her brother, because she had married a man from the other sect against her family's wishes" (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018).

4. State Protection

Information on state protection available to Muslim Sunni-Shia married couples or their children was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Sources indicated not being aware of any forms of state protection available to inter-sect families (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018; Senior Iraq Researcher 16 Jan. 2018). The representative of the Middle East and North Africa Programmes stated that in Iraq, "[s]tate protection in general for victims of abusive family situations is practically non-existent" (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018). The same source further explained that "Iraq currently does not have any anti-discrimination legislation, nor any legislation criminalizing family based violence, except in the Kurdistan region" (Ceasefire Centre 17 Jan. 2018). According to the Senior Research Fellow, there is no "provision reserved for [Sunni-Shia] unions or for their offspring" (Senior Research Fellow 3 Jan. 2018).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] The SISMEC is "a consortium of instructors, researchers and students based at [t]he University of Arizona, and dedicated to furthering understanding of conflict in the Middle East and Northern Africa" (SISMEC n.d.).

[2] The Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights is an "initiative to develop 'civilian-led monitoring' of violations of international humanitarian law or human rights"; it works with and is hosted in London by Minority Rights Group International (MRG) (MRG 3 Aug. 2015).

[3] The representative of the Middle East and North Africa Programmes noted that "it is difficult to make inferences about the prevalence of the types of scenarios [they found] because [the] number of cases is relatively small" (Ceasefire Centre 8 Jan. 2018).

References

al-Gharbi. 18 August 2014. Al Jazeera. "The Myth and Reality of Sectarianism in Iraq." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2018]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 18 June 2016. Nesrine Kamal. "'Sushi' Children Defy Sunni-Shia Divide." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights. 17 January 2018. Middle East and North Africa Programmes. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights. 8 January 2018. Middle East and North Africa Programmes.Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

European Union (EU). July 2017. European Asylum Support Office (EASO). EASO COI Meeting Report. Iraq: Practical Cooperation Meeting. 25-26 April 2017, Brussels. [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Foreign Policy. 22 January 2016. Vali Nasr. "The War for Islam." [Accessed 12 Jan. 2018]

Gelvin, James L. 2016. The Modern Middle East: A History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Human Rights Watch. 17 December 2017. "Iraq: Parliament Rejects Marriage for 8-Year-Old Girls." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Iraq. 2005. Constitution. By Comparative Constitutions Project (CCP). [Accessed 24 Jan. 2018]

Minority Rights Group International (MRG). 3 August 2015. "Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights." [Accessed 5 Jan. 2018]

openDemocracy. 15 June 2017. Zahra Ali. "Iraqi Feminists Mobilise Against Sectarian Laws." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

openDemocracy. N.d. "What Is openDemocracy?" [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Program Director, International Crisis Group. 3 January 2018. Correspondance with the Research Directorate.

Senior Iraq Researcher, Human Rights Watch. 16 January 2018. Correspondance with the Research Directorate.

Senior Research Fellow, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore. 3 January 2018. Correspondance with the Research Directorate.

Southwest Initiative for the Study of Middle East Conflicts (SISMEC). N.d. "About SISMEC." [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018]

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). N.d. Department of History. "James Gelvin." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

United States (US). 15 August 2017. Department of State. "Iraq." International Religious Freedom Report for 2016. [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Academics and researchers specializing in sectarianism in Iraq.

Internet sites, including: Albilad English Daily; Amnesty International; Arab News; The Arab Weekly; Associated Press; Australia  Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation; The Brookings Institution; Business Insider; Carnegie Europe; The Conversation; Danish Refugee Council; Denmark  Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing; ecoi.net; The Economist; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Finland  Finnish Immigration Service; Freedom House; The Guardian; Gulf Business; Gulf News; Gulf Times; Haaretz; Huffington Post; Institute for International Law & Human Rights; Iraqi News; IRIN; The Jamestown Foundation; Jane's Intelligence Review; Middle East Institute; The Middle East Media Research Institute; Middle East Policy Council; The Muslim World; The National; National Post; Political Handbook of the World; Radio France internationale; Radio Free Euope/Radio Liberty; Refugee Documentation Centre; Reuters; The Telegraph; UK  Home Office; UN  Human Rights Council, Refworld, UNHCR; Vox; The Washington Post.
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Sudan: Information on the Liberal Party (LP), including aims and objectives, leadership, membership procedures, and treatment by authorities (2015-March 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 27 March 2017 Citation / Document Symbol SDN105777.E Related Document(s) Soudan : information sur le Parti liberal (Liberal Party, LP), y compris ses buts et objectifs, ses dirigeants, les procedures d'adhesion et le traitement y etant reserve par les autorites (2015-mars 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Information on the Liberal Party (LP), including aims and objectives, leadership, membership procedures, and treatment by authorities (2015-March 2017), 27 March 2017, SDN105777.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa919e17.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

On its website, the Liberal Party (LP) [or the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) (LP 31 Mar. 2016; ALF n.d.a)] states that it was formed "on the base and legacy of different liberal and democratic groups" (LP n.d.a). According to the Africa Liberal Network (ALN), "a network of African Liberal Democratic political parties" (ALN n.d.a), the LP was formed in September 2008, through the merger of the Sudan Liberal Party, the Sudanese Democratic Movement, the Movement of New Democratic Forces (HAQ)-United Leadership and the Sudanese Democratic Party (ALN n.d.b). The Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), a non-profit organisation that "strives for excellence in the promotion of credible elections, citizen participation, and strong political institutions for sustainable democracy in Africa" (EISA n.d.), similarly states that the Southern Liberal Party, the Sudanese Democratic Party, the New Forces Democratic Movement (HAQ) and the Sudanese Democratic Movement merged in September 2008 to establish the LP (EISA Feb. 2011).

According to the LP's website, the party

has great contact and co-ordination with the new youth movements and close alliances with some regional non-violent political organizations, like Darfur Democratic Forum (DDF), Federal Truth Party (FTP) and River Nile Sons Alliance (RNSA). (LP n.d.b)

The same source further states that the LP also "keeps strong sister relations with South Sudan Liberals organized in the South Sudan Liberal Youth Forum (SSLYF) and South Sudan People Liberal Party (LP n.d.a).

Sources state that the LP is a member of the ALN (LP n.d.a; ALN n.d.b). According to the Arab Liberal Federation (ALF), an organisation "comprised of Arab liberal parties and activists in the Arab world  committed to the principles of freedom, responsibility, pluralism, tolerance, market economy, civil state and separation of religion from state affairs" (ALF n.d.b), the LP is one of their members (ALF n.d.a).

In a correspondence with the Research Directorate, an Associate Professor with the Political Science Department and the Islamic Studies Institute of McGill University, who studies African politics, particularly in Sudan, stated that the LP "is perhaps the 3rd strongest opposition party in Sudan but I believe it is limited to the urban areas and middle class" (Professor 22 Mar. 2017).

A fellow at Rift Valley Institute, a research NGO[1], who writes about political developments in the two Sudans, stated, in correspondence with the Research Directorate, that "the LDP has splintered into [at least] two wingsover the past year or so. A wing led by Adel Abd al-Ati who is mostly based in Poland and a wing in Sudan led by Mayada Siwar al-Dahab" (Fellow 23 Mar. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Leadership

According to sources, Meada Siwar El Dahab [Mayadi Swar al-Dahab; Mayada Siwar al-Dahab] is the president, head or leader of the LP (ALF n.d.a; Associate Professor 22 Mar. 2017; Fellow 23 Mar. 2017).

The Associate Professor stated that he believes that "the party has an executive that is represented by [Mayadi Swar al-Dahab] and members of the four parties that came together to form a unified party" (Associate Professor 22 Mar. 2017). The same source added that the LP "is quite democratic internally in that both the head (i.e. executive), and officer that head the party are voted [in] by the members" (Associate Professor 22 Mar. 2017).

The LP website identifies Mrs. Nour Tawir Kafi as its Honorary President and Dr. Ibrahim Nageeb as its acting Chairman (LP. n.d.c ). The website also lists the following individuals as part of the party's leadership:

Ms. Amna Osman (Acting Deputy Secretary General)

Ms. Sara Agbna (Acting Secretary for Women Affairs)

Ms. Aza Abdelhai (Acting Secretary General, LPS Youth)

Mrs. Mysoon Musaad (Spokesperson)

Ms. Tamdur Amasaib (Acting Secretary for Social Peace)

Mr. Saifeldin Alnagar (Acting Secretary General)

Mr. Mudathir Khamess Taha (Acting Secretary for Political Affairs)

Mr. Ramiz Altigani (AAB) (Acting International Laision)

Mr. Muhanad Alkarib (Acting Treasurer)

Mr. Adil Abdel Aati (Acting Secretary for Information)

Mr. Stefanos Omer (Acting Secretary for Youth Affairs)

Mr. Mohamed Talaat (Acting Secretary for Students Affairs)

Mr. Ahmad Halwai (Acting Secretary for Organization & Training)

Dr. Montasir Osman (Acting Secretary for Professionals)

Mr. Mohamed AbdelMoniem (Acting Secretary for Culture)

Mr. Ala Mohamed (Acting Secretary of Humanitarian Affairs)

Mr. Amar Alshareef (Acting Secretary for Legal Affair) (LP. n.d.c).

3. Aims and Objectives

On its website, the LP "declares itself as a [s]ocial-[l]iberal [p]arty" and "describes itself in the Party Constitution as a [d]emocratic, [l]iberal, [s]ecular, [n]on-hierarchic, non-centralist and [g]ender sensitive party" (LP n.d.a). Sudan Tribune, a website based in Paris dedicated to providing news about Sudan (Sudan Tribune n.d.), describes the LP as a "social democratic group" (Sudan Tribune 9 Oct. 2016). The source further adds that the LP is an opposition party, with "leftist origins" (Sudan Tribune 15 Mar. 2017).

On its website, the party states that it

aspires  through Social Liberalism, Federalism and Liberal Democracy  to empower each citizen and all segments of society to the level of awareness and power so people can participate actively in public affairs and make changes in their life and the country for themselves and by themselves. (LP n.d.a)

The same source states that its mission is

to provide quality leadership towards attaining good governance in Sudan by mobilizing and enlightening citizenry towards the creation of a democratic and prosperous nation governed by the rule of law, non-discrimination and equitable distribution of resources for the benefit of all (LP n.d.b).

According to the same source, its vision is

to build a society free of racism and ethnic considerations, respect of the different cultures and religions, gender sensitive, committed to the rule of law and economic growth and citizens' empowerment through sustainable growth and participatory governance. (LP n.d.b)

The Fellow stated that "[t]he broad aims of the party revolve around democratisation and human rights and a call to the end of wars in the country, which are objectives widely shared by the opposition parties in the country" (Fellow 23 Mar. 2017). The Associate Professor stated that the aim of the LP is,

primarily, to engage in peaceful and gradualist change to achieve a democratic transition. This would include a constitutional conference that represents all opposition forces as well as the present government to draft a new constitution and electoral guidelines. This would then be followed by parliamentary elections based on propositional representation. It is a social welfare party of the type you find in the West that calls for an open economy but that has a strong emphasis on social welfare. (Associate Professor 22 Mar. 2017)

According to Sudan Tribune, in October 2016, the LP withdrew "from the heterogeneous alliance of Future Forces for Change (FFC)," after this alliance accepted to participate in the "national dialogue movement" (Sudan Tribune 9 Oct. 2016). The same source further reports that the LP issued a statement where it "reiterated its rejection for any dialogue with the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) that does not pave the way for political inclusiveness, stop war and ensure freedoms" (Sudan Tribune 9 Oct.2016). However, in March 2017, according to Sudan Tribune, the head of the LP signed the "national dialogue framework document" while "vowing to continue to work for peace and democratic change" (Sudan Tribune 15 Mar. 2017). According to the same source, the head of the LP explained that the party decided "to engage with [their] partners in the opposition" and "to work with [their] friends from the armed movements and the rest of the political forces" (Sudan Tribune 15 Mar. 2017). Sudan Tribune reported that the head of the party nonetheless "blamed the government for obstructing peace and democratic changes" (Sudan Tribune 15 Mar. 2017). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Membership

The LP's website states that the party

has its branches and units in almost every state of the 19 Sudanese States. It is relatively strong in West Kurdfan, the River Nile, Northern and Red See provinces. However, many of the LP membership and activities are concentrated in the Khartoum region, which is the home region to one fifth of the country's population.

More than 40% of the LP members are women, which makes it the highest rate of women in Sudanese Political Parties. 70% of members are younger than 35 years old. (LP n.d.a)

According to the Associate Professor, the LP is present "in every region but mostly in the major urban towns throughout every region" (Associate Professor 22 Mar. 2017). According to the Fellow, "its base of support is quite narrow, mostly restricted to the urban milieu of Khartoum" (Fellow 23 Mar. 2017). The same source stated that "[t]he party is quite small, [with its] membership probably in the few hundreds, if not less" (Fellow 23 Mar. 2017).

The Basic Rules and Principles (Transitional) of the party, signed and ratified on 8 October 2008, states that

LDP Membership is available for every Sudanese male and female citizens provided that:

He/she should be 18 (eighteen) years old and up

He/she shouldn't be in a possession of a membership of any other Sudanese competent political body

He/she shouldn't be accused, indicted or charged for crimes such as corruption, financial abuse or human rights' laws violation

He/she should declared their comply with and commitment to all LDP's principles, regulations and goals as expressed in the LDP's Establishment Statement and The Declaration of Unity

Every member should fill and sign an application form provided by the LDP

Every member should pay a registration fee (LP 8 Oct. 2008, 2)

The document, which also includes the rights and responsibilities of LP members, is attached to this Response.

Information on membership procedures could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5. Treatment by Authorities

In August 2015, Human Rights Watch reported that as part of a "wave" of arrests of members of opposition parties,

[i]ntelligence agents also arrested three members of the Liberal Democratic Party [LP] on August 17, 2015, following an event at the H[AQ] party headquarters in Khartoum. One of the detainees told Human Rights Watch that the officers questioned them for several hours about the party's activities and work in Darfur, while beating them and forcing them to endure very cold temperatures or stand under the hot sun. The three were released after two days and ordered to return for more questioning over the following days. (Human Rights Watch 28 Aug. 2015).

According to Sudan Tribune, in September 2016, a sit-in protest in front of the Ministry of Justice in Khartoum, organised by the LP to request an investigation into the killing of demonstrators in September 2013, was dispersed by anti-riot police who said that "their protest was not authorized" (Sudan Tribune 26 Sept. 2016). Similarly, the Fellow stated that "security authorities arrested some members of the party for a day or a few days last September when they held a protest calling for justice for those killed in the Khartoum riots back in September 2013" (Fellow 23 Mar. 2017).

Further information on the treatment of the LP and its members by the authorities could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The RVI describes itself as "an independent, non-profit organization, founded in Sudan in 2001, currently working in seven countries in Eastern and Central Africa. The aim of the Institute is to advance useful knowledge of the region and its diverse communities, bringing a better understanding of local realities to bear on social and political action" (Rift Valley Institute n.d.).

References

African Liberal Network. (ALN). N.d.a "About Us." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

African Liberal Network. (ALN). N.d.b "Member Parties." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Arab Liberal Federation (ALF). N.d.a. "Full Members." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Arab Liberal Federation (ALF). N.d.b. "About Us." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Associate Professor, Political Science Department and the Islamic Studies Institute, McGill University. 22 March 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). February 2011. "Sudan: Defunct Political Parties." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA). N.d. "About EISA." [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017]

Fellow, Rift Valley Institute (RVI). 23 March 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Human Rights Watch. 28 August 2015. "Sudan: Wave of Opposition Arrests." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Liberal Party (LP). 31 March 2016. "A Letter of appreciation from Ibrhim Nageeb to John Kerry." [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017]

Liberal Party (LP). 8 October 2008. Basic Rules and Principles (Transitional). [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Liberal Party (LP). N.d.a. "About LP." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Liberal Party (LP). N.d.b. "Vision and Mission." Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Liberal Party (LP). N.d.c. "LP Leadership." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Rift Valley Institute (RVI). N.d. "Aims of the Institute." [Accessed 27 Mar. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 15 March 2017."Opposition Liberal Party Joins Sudan Dialogue Process." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 9 October 2016. "Sudan's Liberal Party Withdraws From FFC Alliance, Rejects Dialogue Process." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 26 September 2016. "Sudanese Police Disperses Protest Over September 2013 Violence." [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. N.d. "About Sudan Tribune." [Accessed 23 Mar. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies; Associate Professor, Ethnicity, Immigration and Pluralism, University of Calgary; Independent Researcher; Senior Fellow, Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Harvard University.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica; Amnesty International; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Germany  Federal Office for Migration and Asylum; NewsXS; Noozz.com; Political Handbook of the World 2015; Stanford University Libraries; SudanJem.com; Sudan News; Sudan News Agency; Sudan Vision; Sudanow Magazine; UN  Refworld; US  Central Intelligence Agency, Department of State; Xinhua News Agency.

Attachment

Liberal Party (LP). 8 October 2008. Basic Rules and Principles (Transitional). [Accessed 21 Mar. 2017]
Afghanistan: Passport Law of 25 October 2015; appearance and security features of passports; specimen of passports (2015-January 2018)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 13 February 2018 Citation / Document Symbol AFG106043.E Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Afghanistan: Passport Law of 25 October 2015; appearance and security features of passports; specimen of passports (2015-January 2018), 13 February 2018, AFG106043.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa91c044.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. 2015 Passport Law

According to sources, the 2015 Passport Law of Afghanistan, published in the Official Gazette No. 1193, dated 25 October 2015, is fully enforced (Afghanistan n.d.; Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Kabul-based law firm Shajjan & Associates, whose practice areas include immigration law (Shajjan & Associates n.d.), specified that the Law "is applicable [] in Afghanistan and outside of Afghanistan by consular authorities" (Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018). For information on the requirements and procedures to obtain and renew a passport, see Response to Information Request AFG105732 of February 2017.

Sources indicate that, according to the 2015 Passport Law, there are four types of passports: a diplomatic passport, a special passport, a service [official] passport, and an ordinary passport (Afghanistan n.d.; Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018). An unofficial English translation of the 2015 Passport Law, provided by a UNHCR representative in Kabul to the Research Directorate, is attached to this Response (Attachment 1).

2. Valid Passports

Shajjan & Associates provided a legal opinion which states that, until 2015, "there were two types of valid Afghan passports: [e]lectronic [p]assports and [m]anual [h]andwritten [p]assports" (Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018). According to sources, the government started to issue machine-readable [electronic] diplomatic and service passports in 2011, and machine-readable [electronic] ordinary passports in September 2012 (Afghanistan n.d.; Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018). According to the website of the Ministy of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan (MoFA),

[i]n 2012, MoFA started to issue [machine-readable (electronic)] passports through six zones around the world with the exception of Iran and Pakistan and successfully completed this process by the end of 2015. Therefore, after the end of 2017, the handwritten Afghan [p]assports are no longer deemed valid. (Afghanistan n.d.)

Similarly, Shajjan & Associates stated that according the Passport Department of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, "handwritten passports were declared invalid on November 24, 2017" (Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the UNHCR representative stated that, according to information obtained on 16 January 2018 from the Head of the Passports Directorate of the Ministry of Interior Affairs and senior representatives of the MoFA, "versions 01001 (issued from 2012 to 2015) and 01002 (issued since January 2016)" of the ordinary passport

remain valid and will be recognised as such by Afghanistan authorities, subject to the document's expiry date. These documents carry a passport number preceded by the letter "O". As of January 2018, passports issued in Afghanistan are preceded by the letter "P". Consular offices outside Afghanistan, however, may continue to issue previous document versions with the letter "O"  these will be considered genuine, valid documents, even if they have been issued in 2018. (UN 16 Jan. 2018)

Similarly, according to the Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO) of the European Union (EU), versions 01001 and 01002 of the ordinary passport are currently valid (EU 8 Dec. 2017; EU 7 Dec. 2017).

The Keesing Reference Systems provides a sample of a passport that was "introduced on 5 March 2013," which has a validity of five years (Keesing Reference Systems n.d.).

3. Appearance and Security Features

Detailed descriptions of versions 01001 and 01002 of the ordinary passport, including physical and security features, as they appear on PRADO, are attached to this Response (Attachments 2 and 3).

A detailed description of the passport "introduced on 5 March 2013," including physical and security features, as it appears on the Keesing Reference Systems, is attached to this Response (Attachment 4).

According to Shajjan & Associates, "there is no difference in appearance between passports issued within and outside of Afghanistan" (Shajjan & Associates 20 Jan. 2018). However, according to the UNHCR representative,

the head of the Passports Directorate [of the Ministry of Interior Affairs] indicated that consular offices outside Afghanistan may not necessarily issue documents in the same manner as authorities in Kabul, for the time being, although the Government of Afghanistan has already started printing new documents and will distribute these to their diplomatic missions abroad in due course. (UN 16 Jan. 2018)

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Afghanistan. N.d. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). "Deputy Office of Passport." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

European Union (EU). 8 December 2017. Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO). "Document: AFG-AO-01001." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

European Union (EU). 7 December 2017. Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO). "Document: AFG-AO-01002." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Keesing Reference Systems. N.d. "Afghanistan - AFG - National Passport." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018]

Shajjan & Associates. 20 January 2018. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Shajjan & Associates. N.d. "Immigration." [Accessed 23 Jan. 2018]

United Nations (UN). 16 January 2018. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kabul. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Afghanistan  Afghanistan Central Civil Registration Authority, Embassy in Ottawa, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; International Organisation for Migration  Mission in Afghanistan; Norwegian Refugee Council.

Internet sites, including: Afghanistan  Afghanistan Central Civil Registration Authority, Embassy in Ottawa, Ministry of Interior Affairs; Al Jazeera; ecoi.net; International Organisation for Migration  Mission in Afghanistan; IRIN News; The New York Times; UN  Refworld; UNHCR.

Attachments

Afghanistan. 2015. Passport Law. Unofficial translation by Naawor Consultancy sent to the Research Directorate by a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Kabul, 18 January 2018. European Union (EU). 8 December 2017. Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO). "Document: AFG-AO-01001." [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018] European Union (EU). 7 December 2017. Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO). "Document: AFG-AO-01002." [Accessed 25 January 2018] Keesing Reference Systems. N.d. "Afghanistan - AFG - National Passport." [Accessed 25 Jan. 2018]
Mauritania: The Moulamines (blacksmiths), including their unique characteristics and their location; treatment of the Moulamines by society and the authorities; consequences of a marriage to a person of a noble caste; protection available (2014-February 2018)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 1 February 2018 Citation / Document Symbol MRT106047.FE Related Document(s) Mauritanie : information sur les Maalmines (forgerons), y compris leurs caracteristiques distinctives et leur localisation; traitement reserve aux Maalmines par la societe et par les autorites; consequences d'un mariage avec une personne issue d'une caste noble; protection disponible (2014-fevrier 2018) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Mauritania: The Moulamines (blacksmiths), including their unique characteristics and their location; treatment of the Moulamines by society and the authorities; consequences of a marriage to a person of a noble caste; protection available (2014-February 2018), 1 February 2018, MRT106047.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa91cf74.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

From :Direction des recherches, Commission de l'immigration et du statut de refugie du Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

Sources report that Mauritanian ethnicities are subdivided in castes (Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended 22 Apr. 2016; Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017). A 2014 report by the Special Rapporteur of the United Nations (UN) on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in Mauritania, states that the Moors [to which the Moulamines belong (France 2014, 45; professor 24 Jan. 2018; AHME 21 July 2014)], one of the two large population groups in Mauritania, [UN English version] "are divided into many different tribes stratified in castes by profession" (UN 3 June 2014, para. 5 and 9). According to sources, blacksmiths make up a caste in Mauritanian society (US 15 Aug. 2017, 3; UN 3 June 2014, para. 9).

Sources explain that castes in Mauritania are organized by hierarchy with nobility at the top, followed by inferior castes and then slaves (Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017; Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended 22 Apr. 2016). Sources state that the noble castes include the following occupations:

chefs (Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended 22 Apr. 2016);

warriors (Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017);

marabouts (Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended 22 Apr. 2016; Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017; Freedom Now 25 May 2016, para. 7).

Sources state that the inferior castes include the following occupations:

artisans (Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017);

musicians (Freedom Now 25 May 2016, para. 7);

blacksmiths (Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended 22 Ap. 2016);

weavers, potters and shoemakers (Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended on 22 Apr. 2016).

1.1. The Moulamines [Lemaalmine, Lemalmine, Maalemines, M'allam, M'allmin, Mallemin, Moualemines, Muallemin, Sounaa] [Moulamine in the Singular] (BDLP N.d.)

According to an article published in 2014 by Jadaliyya [1] and written by Alice Bullard, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Initiative for the Resurgent Abolition Movement (IRA-USA), a non-profit corporation in Washington "to fight against slavery, racism, and gender oppression in Mauritania" (IRA-USA N.d.), the Moulamines are "the lowest of the low in Mauritanian society" (Jadaliyya 29 May 2014). The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), an NGO based in the United Kingdom that works to build "a [h]umanist movement that defends human rights and promotes humanist values" (IHEU N.d.) states in a November 2016 article that the Moulamines "descended from blacksmiths, carpenters and other skilled laborers regarded as 'low caste'" (IHEU 16 Nov. 2016). A 2014 article published by the French news magazine L'Obs reports that [translation] "the 'Moulamines' were traditionally at the bottom of the scaleamong the specialized castes" (L'Obs 26 Dec. 2014).

According to an article published in July 2014 [2] on the website of the Association of Haratines of Mauritania in Europe (Association des Haratines de Mauritanie en Europe, AHME), an association based in France that fights slavery in Mauritania (Clichy Sous-Bois N.d.), the Moulamines that continue to practise their ancestors' trade are the minority (AHME 21 July 2014). According to a Mauritanian professor at the Universite de Metz in France and researcher at the Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale (LAS) [3], [translation] "most of the Moulamine community seems to have remained faithful to the artisan trades, which has now grown to include (especially in Nouakchott) trade in these crafts" (professor 24 Jan. 2018).

According to an article on the Moulamines of Mauritania, published in March 2017 by Dune Voices, a platform [translation] "that transmits the voices from the Sahara and that features reports, surveys and portraits reflecting the real problems of the local population" (Dune Voices N.d.), "the Moulamines (blacksmiths or artisans)  are estimated at close to 600,000 of a total population of 4 million inhabitants" (Dune Voices 28 Mar. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Request.

The IHEU published an article in November 2016 that states that the word Maalemine comes from the high Arabic for "teacher" and in the Mauritanian context refers to usually "darker-skinned people" (IHEU 16 Nov. 2016). However, the article published in July 2014 on the AHME website states that [translation] "the Moulamines are born fully Moor and they are no different (physically, historically, religiously and culturally)" (AHME 21 July 2014).

A 2005 article on castes and marital incompatibilities in West Africa, published on Afrik.com, a news website on Africa, reports that it is [translation] "hard for the Keita, Coulibaly, Sakho, Ba, Sy or even Lynoble familiesto marry  Fane, Ballo, Bagayogo, Kane or Koumareblacksmithsin West Africa" (Afrik.com 4 Nov. 2005). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In a May 2009 article on the website of the International Observatory (Observatoire international), an NGO that monitors human rights violations, including in Maghreb and the Francophone countries of Africa (Observatoire international N.d.), a man, who belongs to the "Sounaa (blacksmiths)," states that in Mauritania [translation] "merely finding out a surname is enough to recognize a Sounaa" (Observatoire international 23 May 2009). An article on the Mauritanian news website NoorInfo, published in 2012, also states the following:

[translation]

When two Mauritanians meet, it is common in the reciprocal presentations to hear identifying remarks about the tribe, the patronymic family and even the caste in some communities. Some even go as far as clan references. (NoorInfo 22 May 2012)

Information on the location of the Moulamines in Mauritania could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Treatment of Moulamines by Society

Sources describe the Moulamines, or blacksmiths, in Mauritania as a group that:

suffers discrimination (US 15 Aug. 2017, 3; IHEU 16 Nov. 2016);

suffers [translation] "injustices" (El Wassat 11 Nov. 2017);

is [translation] "stigmatized" (Dune Voices 28 Mar. 2017; ActuaLitte 29 Dec. 2014);

is marginalized (UN 3 June 2014, para. 9);

suffers social and economic (IRA-USA 10 Nov. 2015) exclusion (IRA-USA 10 Nov. 2015; UN 3 June 2014, para. 9)

is a victim of stereotypes (Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017).

According to the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI) 2016, an analysis of the global, regional and country developments, including political and economic trends (BTI [2016]) in Mauritania, the "social background is an important determinant of access to education, public office and employment. Among the most important social criteria are gender, ethnicity and social status ('caste')" (BTI 2016, 24). The 2014 UN report on Mauritania states the following:

[UN English version]

The Special Rapporteur was informed that relations among the different castes are very hierarchical . Access to certain functions, activities and responsibilities is therefore closely linked to caste identity . For example, the Special Rapporteur met with members of the blacksmiths caste, who reported that 90 per cent are involved in business and retailing, that only 5 per cent are primary school teachers. (UN 3 June 2014, para. 9)

With respect to the treatment of the Moulamines, the professor at the Universite de Metz referred to a [translation] "a legacy of marginality and social decline tied to their former status in traditional society" (professor 24 Jan. 2018). That same source stated that, to his knowledge, [translation] "no specific violence targets the Moulamines as a group, both in 'traditional society' and in today's urban world" (professor 24 Jan. 2018). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Treatment of the Moulamines by the Authorities

Scarce information on the treatment of the Moulamines by the Mauritanian authorities could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A number of sources report that Mohamed Mkhaitir [Mohamed Ould Mkheitir, Mohamad Cheikh Ould Mohamad Ould Mkheytir] was sentenced to death in December 2014 for "apostasy" (US 15 Aug. 2017, 3; Amnesty International 22 Feb. 2017; Jeune Afrique 5 Feb. 2017). According to sources, Mohamed Mkhaitir had published an online article [called "Religion and Religiosity and the Blacksmiths" (US 15 Aug. 2017, 3; AI 9 Nov. 2017)] condemning the use of religion to justify [translation] "inequalities" Jeune Afrique 5 Feb. 2017) or "discriminatory practices" against members of the blacksmith caste (AI 9 Nov. 2017). According to sources, Mohamed Mkhaitir identifies with the blacksmiths caste (AI 9 Nov. 2017; Jeune Afrique 5 Feb. 2017). Sources from 2017 report that his sentence was appealed and that he was sentenced on 9 November 2017 to two years in prison (Jeune Afrique 8 Nov. 2017, amended on 9 Nov. 2017; AI 9 Nov. 2017) and fined 145 euros [about C$221] (Jeune Afrique 8 Nov. 2017, amended on 9 Nov. 2017).

The professor stated that he was not aware of any particular treatment reserved for the Moulamines by the authorities (professor 24 Jan. 2018).

4. Marriage Between Castes

According to the United States (US) Department of State Country Reports for Human Rights Practices for 2016, "[c]ultural resistance to intercaste marriage persisted" in Mauritania (US 3 Mar. 2017, 21). In the 2014 UN report, it is written that in Mauritania, [UN English version] "marriages are highly codified according to descent" (UN 3 June 2014, para. 9). Sources report that marriage between castes is [translation] "implicitly prohibited" (Geopolis Afrique 30 Dec. 2014, amended 22 Apr. 2016) or "actually" prohibited (Dune Voices 21 Mar. 2017). A November 2015 article published by Dune Voices, on mixed marriage in Mauritania states that for young girls from [translation] "noble" castes, society prohibits them from "marrying a husband of lower social rank" (Dune Voices 29 Nov. 2015a).

A report on a mission organized in March 2014 in Mauritania by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Office francais pour la protection des refugies et apatrides, OFPRA), with the participation of the National Court of Asylum (Cour nationale du droit d'asile, CNDA) of France, cites the statements of Fatma Elkory, Director of the Reseau MauriFemme [4]:

[translation]

Marriages between castes are also possible. The choice belongs to the man, who is free to marry whom he wants, because he "decides the stock," while the woman is merely "bearer of the stock," and is therefore subjected to her community's choice. This is true for Moor and Afro-Mauritanian communities. (France 2014, 67)

Another article published by Dune Voices in November 2015 states that [translation] "secret marriages" are "widely practiced in today's Moor society" and enable women "generally over 35 years of age, who are either widows or repudiated and who have a reputation or social status to preserve  to marry men who are younger or of a less noble caste than their own, without drawing rejection from their community" (Dune Voices 29 Nov. 2015b). That same source cites an aakad, [translation] "an individual who carries out the traditional marriage act" (Dune Voices 29 Nov. 2015b), who stated the following about these secret marriages and their formalities:

[translation]

This all occurs  through traditional contractual means, with no validation by the state. It is not until there are issues of paternity or heredity that those involved consider regularizing their respective civil statuses. (Dune Voices 29 Nov. 2015b)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

With respect to the blacksmiths caste, the 2014 UN report states that [UN English version] "their sons cannot marry girls from other castes" (UN 3 June 2014, para. 9). The professor at the Universite de Metz reported the following:

[translation]

It is extremely rare for a Moulamine to marry a person from another status group, especially with respect to men; the rule of female hypergamy (may) authorize a woman from that "caste" to marry a man from a "superieur" rank (hassan or zwaya). However, this second type of relationship, while possible in theory, is extremely rare. (professor 24 Jan. 2018)

The May 2009 article on the website of the Observatoire international refers to a man belonging to the blacksmiths caste who states that because blacksmiths [translation] "have a bad reputation and are scorned upon," they are forced to "marry amongst themselves" (Observatoire international 23 May 2009). The article from Dune Voices from November 2015 on secret marriages reports the following case:

[translation]

Mohamed, a 48-year-old bank director, was forced, out of love, to marry the girl whom he loved, in secret. Born of the blacksmiths caste, considered to be inferior to that of the warriors, he could not take the hand of his lady-love before the men. Despite his social success and his position, he could marry only his cousins, according to his testimony. He stated that, although the religion authorizes the marriage, it is inconceivable for his lover's family to accept the union. (Dune Voices 29 Nov. 2015b)

4.1 Consequences of a Marriage with a Person from a Noble Caste

According to Country Reports 2016, "NGOs continued to report that powerful individuals used the judicial system to intimidate and persecute members of their families who married below their social rank" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 21). The professor stated the following:

[translation]

Since the alliance between a "noble" woman and a Moulamine is considered, in the traditional order of things, to be a mismatch, a violation of the compatibility ideally required for an acceptable marriage (compatibility recognized by Muslim law as kafa'ah), the agnates [descendants from the same male ancestor, belonging to the same family] of a woman who is guilty of this type of mismatch may intervene, including through the law, to annul the relationship. (professor 24 Jan. 2018)

A report on Mauritania, produced by the Musawah, "the global movement for equality and justice in the Muslim family" (Musawah June 2014, 1), for the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, reports the following case:

In 2007, Ould Mohamed Alweimnatt (23 [years old]) and Mariem Mint Eljili (26 [years old]) were married. Mariem's father opposed the marriage because Mohamed was of a "lower caste." A judge in the city of Kiffa allowed the couple to marry as they both had reached the age of majority. In 2008, the couple came under pressure from the father of the bride, and the court annulled the marriage. After fighting the court's decision, Mohamed eventually was arrested, and then had to divorce his wife, who was in advanced stages of pregnancy. (Musawah June 2014, 7)

In the article on secret marriages, Dune Voices reports the following about the 48-year-old bank director born into the blacksmiths caste, who married a woman from a more noble caste than his: [translation] "[This] union  did not last, because Mohamed lived in permanent terror of seeing his beloved betrayed and abused because of him. He was persuaded that if her parents learned about their marriage, they would kill her" (Dune Voices 29 Nov. 2015b).

5. Protection Available

Scarce information on the protection available to Moulamines in Mauritania could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The professor at the Universite de Metz explained [translation] "that, in theory," the Moulamines may be protected by the Mauritanian authorities (professor 24 Jan. 2018). That same source added the following:

[translation]

In practice, Mauritanian authorities, who are quite hierarchical and corrupt, intervene only to protect those who have the required alliance or acquaintance networks or who have the financial resources to enable them to purchase the services of the "law" and its intermediaries. (professor 24 Jan. 2018)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching the Information Request.

Notes

[1] Jadaliyya is an Internet site that publishes articles on the Arab world (Jadaliyya N.d.).

[2] AHME cites Adrar Info as the source of its article published on 21 July 2014 (AHME 21 July 2014). Adrar Info describes itself as a [translation] "regional [Internet] site of information and culture," whose aims include "supporting development in the region [of Adrar in Mauritania] and reporting on its economic, cultural and human potential" (Adrar Info N.d.).

[3] The LAS, located in Paris, addresses [translation] "all the major themes of ethnology and social anthropology" and "researches most parts of the world," including Africa (LAS N.d.).

[4] Maurifemme is a Mauritanian Internet site that works for gender equality, namely by organizing [translation] "online discussions on civilian and feminists subjects" (Genre en action N.d.)

References

ActuaLitte. 29 December 2014. Cecile Mazin. "Charia en Mauritanie : un ecrivain mis a mort pour insulte au prophete." [Accessed: 17 Jan. 2018]

Adrar Info. N.d. "Pourquoi un site Web d'Adrar Info?" [Accessed: 29 Jan. 2018]

Afrik.com. 4 November 2005. Mourad Ouasti. "Quand la tradition rend les mariages impossibles." [Accessed: 17 Jan. 2018]

Amnesty International (AI). 9 November 2017. "Mauritania : Death Penalty for Facebook Blogger Quashed." [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

Amnesty International (AI). 22 February 2017. "Mauritanie." Rapport 2016/17 : la situation des droits humains dans le monde. [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

Association des Haratine de Mauritanie en Europe (AHME). 21 July 2014. Slama Ely Bouya. "Les Forgerons n'ont rien compris!!!" [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

Base de donnees lexicographiques panfrancophones (BDLP). N.d. "maalem." [Accessed: 23 Jan. 2018]

Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI). 2016. "Mauritania." BTI 2016. [Accessed: 25 Jan. 2018]

Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI). [2016]. "Transformation Index 2016." [Accessed: 26 Jan. 2018]

Clichy Sous-Bois. N.d. "AHME - Association des Haratine de Mauritanie en Europe." [Accessed: 24 Jan. 2018]

Dune Voices. 28 March 2017. Maimouna Saleck. "Les Maalmines de Mauritanie : les grands oublies." [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

Dune Voices. 21 March 2017. Khalil Sow. "Castes, tribus et communautes en Mauritanie : socles de stabilite ou facteurs de desunion?" [Accessed: 17 Jan. 2018]

Dune Voices. 29 November 2015a. "L'ecart social, obstacle devant le mariage mixte en Mauritanie." [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

Dune Voices. 29 November 2015b. "La solution-probleme du mariage secret en Mauritanie." [Accessed: 17 Jan. 2018]

Dune Voices. N.d. "A propos de Dune Voices." [Accessed: 22 Jan. 2018]

El Wassat. 11 November 2017. "Le Cheikh Ali Rida sort de son silence : 'Les forgerons sont leses'" Translated by Adrar Info. [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

France. 2014. Office francais pour la protection des refugies et apatrides (OFPRA). Rapport de mission en Republique Islamique de Mauritanie - Du 1er au 8 March 2014. [Accessed: 24 Jan. 2018]

Freedom Now. 25 May 2016. Petition to: United Nations - Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

Genre en action. N.d. "Fatma Elkory Oumrane (Mauritanie), co-presidente de Genre en action." [Accessed: 31 Jan. 2018]

Geopolis Afrique. 30 December 2014 (amended on 22 Apr. 2016). Catherine Le Brech. "L'esclavage et le systeme des castes perdurent en Mauritanie." [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). 16 November 2016. "IHEU Briefing on Mohamed Cheikh Ould M'khetir Case." [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). N.d. "About IHEU." [Accessed: 22 Jan. 2018]

Initiative for the Resurgent Abolition Movement (IRA-USA). 10 November 2015. "Freedom Now for Blogger Ould Mkhaitir." [Accessed: 22 Jan. 2018]

Initiative for the Resurgent Abolition Movement (IRA-USA). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed: 22 Jan. 2018]

Jadaliyya. 29 May 2014. Alice Bullard. "Religion, Race and Repression in Mauritania: The Ould Mkahitir Apostasy Affair." [Accessed: 16 Jan. 2018]

Jadaliyya. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed: 20 Jan. 2018]

Jeune Afrique. 8 November 2017 (amended on 9 Nov. 2017). "Mauritanie : deux ans de prison pour le blogueur condamne pour blaspheme." [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

Jeune Afrique. 5 February 2017. Alain Faujas. "Mohamed Ould Mkheitir : retour a la case sursis." (Factiva) [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

Laboratoire d'anthropologie sociale (LAS). N.d. "Le LAS." [Accessed: 29 Jan. 2018]

Musawah. June 2014. Musawah Thematic Report on Article 16: Mauritania. [Accessed: 25 Jan. 2018]

NoorInfo. 22 May 2012. Cheikh Tidiane Dia. "A chacun sa tribu, a la Mauritanie son tribut." [Accessed: 22 Jan. 2018]

L'Obs. 26 December 2014. "Mauritanie. Il a defendu sa caste, il est condamne a mort." [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

Observatoire international. 23 May 2009. Nicola Quatrano. "La malchance du forgeron." [Accessed: 18 Jan. 2018]

Observatoire international. N.d. "Notre mission." [Accessed: 26 Jan. 2018]

Professor, Universite de Metz. 24 January 2018. Correspondence sent to the Research Directorate.

United Nations(UN). 3 June 2014. Human Rights Council. Rapport du rapporteur special sur les formes contemporaines de racisme, de discrimination raciale, de xenophobie et de l'intolerance qui y est associee, Mutuma Ruteere. Addititf : visite en Mauritanie. A/HRC/26/49/Add.1. [Accessed: 26 Jan. 2018]

United States (US). 3 March 2017. Department of State. "Mauritania." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016. [Accessed: 15 Jan. 2018]

United States (US). 15 August 2017. Department of State. "Mauritania." International Religious Freedom Report for 2016. [Accessed: 25 Jan. 2018]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Anthropologist specializing in West Africa; Association mauritanienne des droits de l'homme; Centre national de recherche scientifique  Groupement d'interet scientifique des etudes africaines, research engineer; ethnologist and anthropologist specializing in Moor society; geographer specializing in Mauritania; lecturer in geography, specialist in Africa and the Arab world; research director at the Institut de recherche pour le developpement; researcher at the Institut de recherches et d'etudes sur le monde arabe et musulman.

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Minority Rights Group International; Radio France internationale; United Nations  Refworld; Universite Laval  Amenagement linguistique dans le monde.
Saudi Arabia: Residence status of foreign husbands married to Saudi women and children born to foreign fathers and Saudi mothers, including access to employment, education, health care and other services, and the ability to travel in and out of the country (2015-February 2018)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 31 January 2018 Citation / Document Symbol SAU106048.E Related Document(s) Arabie saoudite : information sur le statut de resident d'un etranger marie a une Saoudienne et sur celui de leurs enfants, y compris l'acces a l'emploi, a l'education, aux soins de sante et aux autres services; information sur leur capacite de sortir du pays et d'y revenir (2015-fevrier 2018) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Saudi Arabia: Residence status of foreign husbands married to Saudi women and children born to foreign fathers and Saudi mothers, including access to employment, education, health care and other services, and the ability to travel in and out of the country (2015-February 2018), 31 January 2018, SAU106048.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa91e304.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Conditions for Marriage Between a Saudi Woman and a Foreign Man

According to sources, Saudi women require permission from the government in order to marry a foreigner (Independent Researcher 15 Jan. 2018; Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; US 3 Mar. 2017, 43). A 2017 article published by the UK-based newspaper The Independent states that "[w]omen who seek to marry foreigners must obtain approval to do [so] [from] the [M]inistry of [I]nterior, and marriage to non-Muslims is so difficult as to be impossible" (The Independent 27 Sept. 2017). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an independent researcher, whose interests include nationality and statelessness, stated that there is a list of countries from which Saudis are prohibited from marrying; as such, "marriage to someone from those countries will not be recognized by the Saudi government" (Independent Researcher 15 Jan. 2018). Information on the current list of countries of origin from which Saudis are prohibited from marrying could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an Associate Professor of Women's History who is retired from King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, and who is also a writer for a Riyadh newspaper, stated that the process of getting permission can take a long time, citing an example of a relative for whom the process took one and a half years (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). According to sources, various background checks are done as part of the process to grant permission, including security checks and the prospective husband's finances (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016). The independent researcher noted that "if the government does not recognize the marriage, the couple will be subject to criminal penalties if, while in Saudi Arabia, they are living in the same residence or if they have children together, as adultery is criminalized, including with the death penalty" (Independent Researcher 15 Jan. 2018).

According to sources, in October 2016, a list of regulations was issued regarding marriage between Saudi citizens and foreigners (US 3 Mar. 2017, 34; Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016). Various conditions must be met in order for Saudi women to marry a foreign man, including:

The Saudi woman must be between the ages to 30 and 55 (US 3 Mar. 2017, 34; Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016), with the exception that if she has "a physical handicap or special needs, including being born to unknown parents," the minimum age is lowered to 27 and should be approved by the Social Affairs Ministry (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The age difference between the prospective spouses cannot be more than ten years (US 3 Mar. 2017, 35; Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The non-Saudi man cannot be already married, or have previously married a Saudi woman (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The Saudi woman must sign a statement acknowledging that neither her spouse nor her children will necessarily have the right to be granted Saudi citizenship (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The foreign man "must not have been a member of the military in a foreign country" and "must not be on the lists of those banned from entering Saudi Arabia" (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The foreign man must have a monthly salary of at least 5,000 Saudi Arabian Riyals (SAR) [approximately C$1,652] (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The foreign man must have "a valid residence permit" and must "possess an appropriate family residence" (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The non-Saudi man must "present a certificate showing that he has no criminal record in his country of origin and in Saudi Arabia" (Gulf News 13 Oct. 2016);

The prospective spouses must complete medical examinations and drug testing (US 3 Mar. 2017, 35; Gulf News 15 Dec. 2016).

2. Residence Status of Foreign Husbands Married to Saudi Women

According to sources, in December 2012, Saudi Arabia's government issued Decision No. 406, which allows Saudi women to sponsor the residence of their foreign husbands (UN and IOM 2015, 85; GLMM n.d.a).

According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, in 2013, the government

clarified regulations governing the status of non-Saudi men married to Saudi women. Foreign male spouses of female citizens are entitled to permanent residency in the country without needing a sponsor  (US 3 Mar. 2017, 34)

The retired Associate Professor indicated that foreign husbands of Saudi women are not granted automatic nationality, but can apply for residency (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). According to a Saudi-based journalist who has been covering Saudi Arabia since 2004, "foreign husbands of Saudi women are given permanent full-time residency in Saudi Arabia. Their residency permit must be renewed every five years" (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018).

According to the same source, "while foreign husbands are eligible for Saudi citizenship," it is "rarely awarded" (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018). According to a 2016 article in Arab News,

[n]on-Saudi husbands can obtain citizenship through a point system, although achieving the appropriate number of points to qualify for nationality can be elusive under the government's strict guidelines concerning the length of residency, education and the type of job he holds. (Arab News 14 Oct. 2016)

2.1 Access to Employment, Health Care and Other Services

According to US Country Reports 2016, foreign male spouses of female citizens "receive free government education and medical benefits" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 34). A 2016 report by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), states that, following the promulgation of "[o]rders and decrees," foreign men married to Saudi women will have access to medical treatment paid by the state, "if under their wives' sponsorship" (UN 10 Oct. 2016, para. 118).

According to the same source, a foreign man married to a Saudi woman "shall be allowed to work in the private sector on condition that he holds a recognized passport" (UN 10 Oct. 2016, para. 27). US Country Reports 2016 states that foreign male spouses are "counted in the quota of Saudis employed in private companies under the 'nitaqaat,' or labor quota system, which improves their employment prospects" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 34). According to the journalist,

foreign husbands are eligible for employment in the private sector and free medical care. While employed in the private sector, husbands are treated with full Saudi rights. Due to Saudization  in which employers must employ a specific percentage of Saudis to meet their quotas, foreign husbands of Saudi wives are treated as a Saudi employee with all the attendant rights of a Saudi citizen as an employee. (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018)

The journalist stated that a royal decree has been issued outlining these rights, noting that it has been implemented, but

not all sectors comply with the royal decree. This is not to say that government entities or private employers refuse services or employment, but not all agencies adhere strictly to the spirit and letter of the royal decree. Generally, agencies do follow the decree, but often red tape or ill-informed employees stymie implementation. However, there has been improvement over the last year or so. (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018)

According to the retired Associate Professor, regarding employment, foreign husbands of Saudi women are treated as foreigners and lack protections; they are subject to laws applied to expatriate workers (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). She further noted that foreign husbands who are not highly qualified may have difficulty finding employment (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). For information on the residence status of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, see Response to Information Request ZZZ106013 of November 2017.

3. Residence Status of Children Born to Foreign Fathers and Saudi Mothers

Sources explain that the December 2012 Decision No. 406 allows Saudi women to sponsor their children (UN and IOM 2015, 85; GLMM n.d.a). The 2016 CERD report states that according to the Decision, the "State shall pay the residence fees of the children" (UN 10 Oct. 2016, 11). A summary of the Decision on the website of the Gulf Labour Markets, Migration and Population (GLMM) Programme [3] similarly states that "the government shall bear the cost of [the children's] residence"(GLMM n.d.a). The Independent Researcher stated that Saudi Arabia has frequently announced policy changes related to children of Saudi mothers, but "these policy changes have not always been implemented, or implemented evenly" (Independent Researcher 15 Jan. 2018). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. According to the journalist, the children of foreign fathers and Saudi mothers are given the same rights as foreign husbands: "permanent full-time residency," which must be renewed every five years (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018).

According to sources, the residence status of the children of Saudi women who are married to foreign men is revoked upon the death of the mother (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017). The retired Associate Professor noted that they will lose their status and will need to find someone else to be a guarantor, or they will have to leave the country (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). According to an article in the Saudi Gazette, an English-language daily newspaper, and attributed to Al-Madina,

[a]ll the privileges they enjoyed when their mother was alive, such as free education and medical care, come to an end. Those sons and daughters are then treated as if they were expatriate workers recruited from overseas. They have to find a Saudi sponsor and pay the fees imposed on expatriate workers. (Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017)

Sources state that children of Saudi women and foreign fathers cannot inherit property (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017).

The retired Associate Professor stated that they experience societal discrimination, including "racist speech and hate speech" and social stigma (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). A 2017 article published in the Saudi Gazette, attributed to Al-Watan, describes marriage to a non-Saudi man by a Saudi woman as a "'societal' crime" that will bring associated "consequences," noting that women may even face expulsion, "albeit indirectly," by her children, or "complexities in family's life" (Saudi Gazette 31 Oct. 2018).

3.1 Access to Citizenship

According to sources, the children of foreign fathers and Saudi mothers do not automatically receive citizenship (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018; Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). US Country Reports 2016 indicates that "nationality laws do not allow Saudi women married to foreign nationals to pass their nationality to their children" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 34). According to the Saudi Gazette article attributed to Al-Watan, "[s]ons of Saudi women married to foreigners are not given nationality hence they are not entitled to public housing schemes or government loans[,] except in special cases" (Saudi Gazette 31 Oct. 2018). Without providing further details, the Saudi Gazette article attributed to Al-Madina states that "[i]n 2012, the laws were amended to give both sons and daughters of Saudi women the right to become Saudi citizens if they met seven requirements," but that one of these, the need for the "mother to prove that her paternal grandfather was or is Saudi" has proven to be "difficult to meet," [1] and that "even those who have met all of the seven requirements have still not been granted Saudi citizenship" (Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017). Likewise, the retired Associate Professor indicated that granting nationality is a long process, which can be started once the children are 18 years old; they can earn "points" based on various factors including education and parentage, but this does not "guarantee" nationality, which remains at the discretion of the Ministry of Interior (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a campaign manager at Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights [2], speaking on her own behalf, noted that Saudi Arabia has

a complicated point system, per Section 8 of the Implementing Regulation of the Saudi Nationality Law, which is supposed to govern decisions regarding the acquisition of nationality, if the applicant meets the minimum requirements outlined in the Saudi Arabian Citizenship System. (Campaign Manager 16 Jan. 2018; emphasis in original)

According to a joint submission by the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights and Equality Now [4] to the July 2017 Pre-Sessional Working Group of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the conditions of eligibility for nationality for a person born to a Saudi mother and a foreign father include

permanent residence at the time of maturity; good conduct, which includes not being punished for a penal crime or imprisoned for more than six months for a crime against morality; good command of the Arabic language; and submitting his application for nationality within one year of coming of age. (Global Campaign and Equality Now 5 July 2017, 2)

The campaign manager noted that these conditions make the individual "eligible to apply for Saudi nationality," but that "the Minister of Interior has the right to reject the application of Saudi citizenship without mentioning the reasons" (Campaign Manager 16 Jan. 2018; emphasis in original).

According to sources, Saudi women married to foreign men, as well as their children, are subject to legal discrimination (Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017; Global Campaign and Equality Now 5 July 2017, 4), as "the right to confer nationality on spouses and children is also reserved for naturalized Saudi men, a right that is denied Saudi women" (Global Campaign and Equality Now 5 July 2017, 2).

3.2 Access to Employment

According to sources, children of foreign fathers and Saudi mothers cannot be employed in the public sector (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018; Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017). However, sources state that they have the right to employment in the private sector (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018; UN 10 Oct. 2016, para. 27; GLMM n.d.a). Sources add that they are also to be treated as Saudis under the Saudization programme (UN 10 Oct. 2016, para. 27; GLMM n.d.a). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a scientific coordinator who specializes in political demography at the Gulf Labour Markets, Migration and Population (GLMM) Programme , indicated that regulations that allow the residence and employment of the foreign children of Saudi mothers is [translation] "a means to promote employment in the private sector" (Scientific Coordinator 15 Jan. 2018). Without providing further details, sources indicate that, in late 2017, a policy was announced that increases access for the children of Saudi mothers to additional types of employment opportunities (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; StepFeed 25 Oct. 2017).

According to the Saudi Gazette article attributed to Al-Madina,

[t]he sons and daughters of Saudi mothers cannot represent their mothers before government agencies and are banned from 31 jobs that are restricted to Saudi citizens. They do not get social insurance nor do they get the same salary a Saudi would get if employed in the private sector. They usually get paid less than Saudis. They also do not get pensions. (Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017)

3.3 Access to Education

The retired Associate Professor stated that the children of Saudi women and foreign fathers have free admission to government schools and universities (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). According to the GLMM, citing Council of Ministers Decision No. 406, they are to be "'granted the rights of Saudi citizens'" in the area of education (GLMM n.d.a). The journalist indicated that children of Saudi women and foreign fathers "receive a free public education and can attend any Saudi university and receive a stipend of 1,000 SAR [approximately C$330] monthly" (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018). The retired Associate Professor indicated that some children of Saudi mothers and foreign fathers have expressed that there are differences in practice compared to existing policies, such as the unavailability of funds in practice, in spite of royal orders granting "university allowances" (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). According to sources, children of Saudi women and foreign fathers are not eligible for government scholarships to study abroad (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017), although Saudi Arabia has a very large scholarship program to send students abroad (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). According to the retired Associate Professor, they face additional difficulties to study abroad because of the requirement to return to Saudi Arabia every six months to ensure the validity of their visa (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018).

3.4 Access to Healthcare

According to sources, the children of Saudi mothers and foreign fathers have access to state-sponsored medical care (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018; Journalist 9 Jan. 2018; UN 10 Oct. 2016, para. 118). According to the GLMM, citing Council of Ministers Decision No. 406, they are to be "'granted the rights of Saudi citizens'" in the area of healthcare (GLMM n.d.a).

4. Ability to Travel In and Out of Saudi Arabia

According to the journalist,

[f]oreign husbands of Saudi wives and their children are permitted to travel freely outside Saudi Arabia as long as they have an entry/exit visa. Since the Saudi wife/mother is the sponsor of her foreign husband and children, only she can grant permission for them to leave and enter the country by issuing an entry/exit visa under her name. (Journalist 9 Jan. 2018)

According to the Scientific Coordinator, the possibility of expulsion would apply to a foreign spouse whose residence documents had expired (Scientific Coordinator 15 Jan. 2018).

According to sources, for a six month visa, fees increased to 2,000 SAR [approximately C$661] for a single entry, and 3,000 SAR [approximately C$991] for a multi-entry visa (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018), as of October 2016 (Al Arabiya 2 Oct. 2016). The retired Associate Professor noted that the fees were previously 200 SAR [approximately C$66] for a single-entry visa, and that foreign husbands who do not have jobs "are at the mercy of this visa issue" (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018).

5. Country of Origin of the Foreign Husband

According to the Scientific Coordinator, [translation] "different treatment depending on the nationality of the husband is possible, especially if he could be suspected of anti-Saudi sympathy regarding the ongoing conflict in Yemen," while noting that it is important to remember that "the application of the law in Gulf countries is erratic and variable. Even if rights are provided for, it is impossible to know whether or not they will be applied" (Scientific Coordinator 15 Jan. 2018). The retired Associate Professor noted that the Yemeni issue is "very complicated" and that the situation for Yemenis "fluctuates and is sometimes more difficult" (Retired Associate Professor 12 Jan. 2018). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] According to the article in the Saudi Gazette attributed to Al-Madina, "Saudi IDs were introduced in 1942, meaning the Saudi mother whose paternal grandfather passed away before 1942 would never be able to meet [this requirement]" (Saudi Gazette 8 Sept. 2017).

[2] The Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights "mobilizes international action for the removal of gender discriminatory provisions from all nationality laws through its coalition of national and international organizations and activists," and its Steering Committee includes members from Equality Now, Equal Rights Trust, the Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion, and the "Women's Refugee Commission, which houses the Global Campaign" (Global Campaign and Equality Now 5 July 2017, 1).

[3] The GLMM is "an international independent, non-partisan, non-profit joint programme" that "provides data, analyses, and recommendations contributing to the improvement of understanding and management of Gulf labour markets, migration and population" (GLMM n.d.b).

[4] Equality Now is an "international human rights organization with ECOSOC [United Nations Economic and Social Council] status working to protect and promote the rights of women and girls worldwide"; it was founded in 1992 and has member individuals and Equality Now organizations in over 190 countries (Global Campaign and Equality Now 5 July 2017, 1-2).

References

Al Arabiya. 2 October 2016. "Saudi Arabia to Implement New Visa Application Fee." [Accessed 22 Jan. 2018]

Arab News. 14 October 2016. Sabria S. Jawhar. "Saudi Citizenship Rules Need a Review." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

Campaign Manager, Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights. 16 January 2018. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights and Equality Now. 5 July 2017. Joint Submission to CEDAW's Pre-Sessional Working Group (24 July 2017 - 28 July 2017). [Accessed 17 Jan. 2018]

Gulf Labour Markets, Migration, and Population (GLMM) Programme. N.d.a. "Saudi Arabia: Council of Ministers Decision No. 406 of 2012 Concerning Special Arrangements for the Children of Saudi Women Married to Foreigners." [Accessed 22 Jan. 2018]

Gulf Labour Markets, Migration, and Population (GLMM) Programme. N.d.b. "About." [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]

Gulf News. 15 December 2016. Habib Toumi. "Drug Test Mandatory for Marriages in Saudi Arabia." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

Gulf News. 13 October 2016. Habib Toumi. "Saudi Nationals Need Special Permission to Marry Foreigners." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

The Independent. 27 September 2017. Bethan McKernan. "Eight Things Women Still Can't Do in Saudi Arabia." [Accessed 26 Jan. 2018]

Independent Researcher. 15 January 2018. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Journalist, Saudi Arabia. 9 January 2018. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Retired Associate Professor, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. 12 January 2018. Telephone interview with the Research Directorate.

Saudi Gazette. 31 October 2017. Maram Makkawi. "Granting Citizenship to Saudi Women's Expatriate Sons." [Accessed 17 Jan. 2018]

Saudi Gazette. 8 September 2017. Suhaila Zain Al-Abideen. "Sons and Daughters of Saudi Mothers Married to Non-Saudi Fathers." [Accessed 15 Jan. 2018]

Scientific Coordinator, Gulf Labour Markets, Migration, and Population (GLMM) Programme. 15 January 2018. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

StepFeed. 25 October 2017. Mariam Nabbout. "Expats in Saudi Arabia Will Only Be Allowed to Obtain 1 Year Work Visas." [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

United Nations (UN). 10 October 2016. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties Under Article 9 of the Convention. Fourth to Ninth Periodic Reports of States Parties due in 2006: Saudi Arabia. (CERD/C/SAU/4-9) [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018]

United Nations (UN) and International Organization for Migration (IOM). 2015. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). 2015 Situation Report on International Migration: Migration, Displacement and Development in a Changing Arab Region. (E/ESCWA/SDD/2015/1) [Accessed 10 Jan. 2018]

United States (US). 3 March 2017. Department of State. "Saudi Arabia." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016. [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia; Institute for Gulf Affairs; law firms in Saudi Arabia; researchers whose work focuses on law, citizenship and immigration in Saudi Arabia.

Internet sites, including: Al Jazeera; Al-Monitor; Amnesty International; The Arab Weekly; Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation; BBC; The Brookings Institution; ecoi.net; European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights; Factiva; Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Freedom House; The Guardian; Gulf Business; Haaretz; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; IRIN; The Jamestown Foundation; Michigan Journal of Gender and Law; Minority Rights Group International; The Muslim World; Radio Free Euope/Radio Liberty; Reuters; Saudi Arabia  Ministry of Interior; The Telegraph; UN  Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OHCHR, Refworld, UNHCR.
Sudan: Information on military service, includingment for the purpose of attending university; information on punishment for refusing or evading military service, including upon return to Sudan after an extended absence, such as since 2002 (2014-September 2016)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 5 October 2016 Citation / Document Symbol SDN105640.E Related Document(s) Soudan : information sur le service militaire, y compris le report dans le but de frequenter l'universite; information sur la peine infligee a ceux qui evitent le service militaire ou qui s'y soustraient, y compris a leur retour au Soudan apres une absence prolongee, par exemple depuis 2002 (2014-septembre 2016) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Information on military service, includingment for the purpose of attending university; information on punishment for refusing or evading military service, including upon return to Sudan after an extended absence, such as since 2002 (2014-September 2016), 5 October 2016, SDN105640.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa91f2b7.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Military Service and Deferment for University Studies

Sources indicate that Sudan has compulsory military service requirements (Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016; US 24 Aug. 2016). According to the US Central Intelligence Agency's World Factbook, Sudan has both compulsory and voluntary military service with a 1 to 2 year service obligation for people ages 18-33 (ibid.). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a Khartoum-based lawyer noted that the legislation governing military conscription in Sudan is the National Service Act 1992, and that the age of conscription is for men 18 to 33 years old (Lawyer 29 Sept. 2016). The National Service Act of 1992 states that "[e]very Sudanese who completed eighteen years and did not exceed thirty three years of age shall submit to the imposition of National Service" (Sudan 1992, Art. 7). However, a report by War Resisters' International (WRI), a UK-based network of pacifist and anti-militarist groups in over 40 countries (WRI n.d.), states that the age for service was extended from 18-33 to 18-45 in 2013 as part of the "updated Sudan Military Service Act in 2013" (ibid. 21 Apr. 2015). Further and corroborating information on this extension could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

WRI and the lawyer both state that the length of military service is 12 months for university and college graduates, 18 months for high school graduates, and 24 months for others (ibid.; Lawyer 29 Sept. 2016).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an independent researcher who specializes in Sudan stated that under national conscription, "all people [are] targeted for conscription at [the age of] 18," unless they service by payment of a fine or by being registered as a student (Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016). WRI also indicates that postponing military service for students is possible (WRI 21 Apr. 2015). According to the lawyer,ment of military service for students is addressed in Section 12 of the National Service Act 1992, but there are no specified parameters for thisment (Lawyer 29 Sept. 2016).

According to the National Service Act section on Applications for Pardon or Postponement,

13.1 The Director is the authority to decide [sic] on applications for full exemption, partial or temporary. The Minister decides on postponement.

2. Sudan Ambassadors and counsellors abroad has [sic] the authority for temporary decisions on applications for postponement of service for those residents abroad, and they have to notify the Administration immediately. (Sudan 1992)

Further and corroborating information on the procedures forring military service as a student could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources indicate that, in 2013, the Sudanese army passed a reserve military service law (Sudan Tribune 3 July 2013; Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016; Al-Khartoum 4 July 2013). A copy of the 2013 law on the army reserve could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Sudanese newspaper Al-Khartoum, the law "allows forceful conscription in the army of Sudanese nationals at the age of 18 to 60, in the event a state of war is declared" (ibid.). The same source states that the law entitles the defence minister to "call on any person who did not serve in the armed forces or other regular forces" (ibid.). An article about the law published by the Sudan Tribune news website similarly indicated that the military reserve law

allows the defence minister to summon all citizens including government and private sector employees, university graduates, army and regular forces retirees, between the ages of 18-60 to join the reserves service. (Sudan Tribune 3 July 2013)

According to the Sudan Tribune, the military reserve law of 2013 permits the defence minister or "an authorized representative from the reserves administration to exempt any individual from the service" (ibid.). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The independent researcher stated that

[b]eyond formal military service, the government has always maintained the legal authority to recruit militia or skirmishing forces in rural areas. This was undertaken firstly in the border regions through the PDF [Popular Defense Force], then in the South through military intelligence and finally in Darfur, through the Border Guards forces and other units. (ibid.)

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a Senior Fellow at Harvard University's Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, who is also a professor of English at Smith College and has written numerous books and articles about human rights issues in Sudan, stated that "forcible conscription is rampant" in the Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions, particularly targeting "African men" knowledgeable about the terrain and military operations (Senior Fellow 12 Sept. 2016). The same source indicated that there is also forcible conscription in Khartoum, which has occurred from 1989 to the present, targeting "African men who have found themselves in Khartoum for economic or political reasons" (ibid.). In 2011, media sources reported on complaints of forced conscription of south Sudanese students studying in the north into militia groups, including cases in which students were abducted from the universities (Sudan Tribune 22 Dec. 2011; The Citizen 18 Dec. 2011).

The Senior Fellow stated that "forcible conscription is a real threat to any Sudanese," including those with a legal studentment (Senior Fellow 12 Sept. 2016). He also noted that the laws "are imposed wildly asymmetrically among ethnic groups" and that "good families from riverine Arab backgrounds can typically easily evade service" due to bribery and corruption (ibid.).The independent researcher similarly indicated that many wealthier families have "bought their way out of conscription one way or another" (Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016).

Sources indicate that Sudan does not allow for conscientious objection (Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016; IFOR 3 Oct. 2016).

2. Punishment for Refusing or Evading Military Service

The National Service Act 1992 states that

28.1 Whoever contradicts this Act shall be punished by imprisonment [for a] period not exceeding three years, or shall be fined, or with both penalties.



28.3 Any person subject to do the service shall be punished with imprisonment for a period of not less than two years and not exceeding three years who does not present himself for recruitment, or tries to avoid service through deceit, or by inflicting any harm to himself. (Sudan 1992, Art. 28.1).

The Sudan Tribune cites the 2013 military reserve law as indicating that those who refuse to join the reserve forces without a valid excuse will be fined and jailed for up to six months, while conscripts who commit a crime during their service period will be imprisoned for three years (Sudan Tribune 3 July 2013). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the independent researcher, the punishments for refusing or evading military service have included fines, prison or forced conscription, but that the punishments have been "very unevenly applied" (Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016). According to the Senior Fellow, to avoid military service "many people simply disappear from Khartoum and the major towns when their military service is required" (13 Sept. 2016).

Without providing details, the WRI states that the "General Provisions section of the 2013 military service guideline" lists a number of procedures against those who refuse or evade military service, including:

Communicating with their places of work to freeze their jobs;

Communicating with their places of work to terminate employment;

Pursuing them by raiding their homes and places of work;

Enacting legal procedures against them;

Publishing their names in local newspapers;

Filing cases against them at the State Security Prosecution for crimes against national security (WRI 21 Apr. 2015).

Further information and a copy of the "General Provisions section of the 2013 military service guideline" could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The independent researcher explained that military service evasion has often been "used as an excuse to target people who were already a target of security interest" (ibid.).

Further information on instances of prosecution and implementation of punishments for evasion could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.1 Situation for Someone Who Returns After Evading Military Service in 2002

In the case of someone who evaded the military and was away from Sudan for an extended absence, such as since 2002, the lawyer stated that the person "may be subject to punishment and reprisal on his return to Sudan" (Lawyer 29 Sept. 2016). The Senior Fellow indicated that their treatment upon return "would depend primarily on whether the person had a 'political profile'  prior to leaving Sudan" (Senior Fellow 13 Sept. 2016). He further noted that National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) records are not complete, particularly for a period as old as 14 years ago, and that record-keeping was "somewhat arbitrary" during that period (ibid.). However, he assessed that it is possible and "even likely that someone with a political profile would be in NISS records as having evaded military service" (ibid.).

Concerning factors affecting how authorities would treat a person who evaded military service, the Senior Fellow stated that

if a person were recognized as a military service evader it would make a great deal of difference whether he were 'connected' or not, and whether he were riverine Arab or not. Those from the peripheries, and non-Arab peoples, would likely be jailed, while those 'connected' would likely be able to get off with a hefty fine. (ibid.)

The independent researcher indicated that whether someone who postponed military service in 2002 would face a punishment upon return to Sudan after an extended absence "depends to some degree on when they returned to Sudan and under what circumstances" (Independent researcher 26 Sept. 2016). He further explained that "[i]f they were abroad or had already been identified/listed as a potential security threat, then there is a high likelihood that if they could not prove that they had performed their military service or PDF [Popular Defence Forces] service, this would be sufficient excuse to pick them up" (ibid.). For information on the Popular Defence Forces (PDF) and its relations to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), see Response to Information Request SDN103746 of May 2011.

Concerning the military situation in Sudan in 2002, the Senior Fellow explained that

[f]ighting in the long civil war largely came to an end in late 2002, but troop conscription was intense in the first half of the year. Loss of life in some areas among the ranks was very heavy at times. Someone evading military service obligations would have been doing so at a time when it would have been regarded as a serious offense. (ibid.)

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Reference

Al-Khartoum. 4 July 2013. "Sudan Parliament Passes Military Reserve, Mobilization Law." (Factiva)

The Citizen. 18 December 2011. "Khartoum Resumes Forced Conscription of IDPs, University Students." (Factiva)

Independent researcher. 26 September 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR). 3 October 2016. Correspondence from the Representative to the UN in Geneva to the Research Directorate.

Lawyer, Khartoum. 29 September 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Senior Fellow, Harvard University's Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. 13 September 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Senior Fellow, Harvard University's Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. 12 September 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Sudan. 1992. The National Service Act for 1992. Included in Danish Immigration Service, Report on Fact-finding Mission to Cairo, Khartoum and Nairobi: Human Rights Situation, Military Service, and Entry and Embarkation Procedures in Sudan. 8 to 19 August and 20 to 23 November 2001, 1 December 2001.

Sudan Tribune. 3 July 2013. "Sudan Parliament Approves Military Reserve Law." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2016]

Sudan Tribune. 22 December 2011. "South Sudan Accuses Khartoum of Forcibly Conscripting Souterners." (Factiva)

United States (US). 24 August 2016. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "Sudan." The World Factbook. [Accessed 9 Sept. 2016]

War Resisters' International (WRI). 21 April 2015. "Sudan." [Accessed 9 Sept. 2016]

War Resisters' International (WRI). N.d. "About War Resisters' International." [Accessed 29 Sept. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies; Enough Project; European Bureau of Conscientious Objectors; Lawyer in Khartoum; Rift Valley Institute; Sudan-Embassy in Ottawa.

Internet sites, including: African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies; Amnesty International; ecoi.net; European Bureau of Conscientious Objectors; Factiva; Human Rights Watch; International Fellowship of Reconciliation; Small Arms Survey; Sudan  Embassy in Ottawa, Secretariat General of the Council of Ministers; UN  Refworld; US  Department of State.
Sudan: The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), including objectives, leadership and activities; treatment by authorities (2015-February 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 24 February 2017 Citation / Document Symbol SDN105763.E Related Document(s) Soudan : information sur le Parti democratique unioniste (Democratic Unionist Party - DUP), y compris ses objectifs, ses dirigeants et ses activites; le traitement que lui reservent les autorites (2015-fevrier 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), including objectives, leadership and activities; treatment by authorities (2015-February 2017), 24 February 2017, SDN105763.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa91fe67.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

A 2010 Al Jazeera report on the political parties of Sudan states that the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) [(al Hizb al-Ittihadi al-Dimuqrati (Gurtong n.d.a; PHW 2015, 1393)] "is the oldest political party in Sudan and is considered the main opposition to the ruling party" (Al Jazeera 7 Apr. 2010). According to sources, the National Unionist Party and the People's Democratic Party merged to form the DUP in 1967 (MICT 2012, 41-42; Gurtong n.d.a) or 1968 (UK 16 Apr. 2010, 176). Sources further state that the DUP was the partner in the coalition government of Prime Minister Mahdi and the Umma Party (UP) (International Crisis Group 4 May 2011, 6; PHW 2015, 1386) in 1986 (PHW 2015, 1386). The Political Handbook of the World 2015 PHW) indicates that the DUP withdrew from government in 1988 as the Umma Party failed to recognize a peace agreement it had brokered with the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (SPLA) [1], but rejoined in 1989 (PHW 2015, 1386).

According to sources, on 30 June 1989, the Mahdi government was overthrown in a coup led by Omar al-Bashir [Ummar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir] (PHW 2015, 1386). Al Jazeera 18 Dec. 2010). The PHW states that the military regime subsequently "banned all political parties" (PHW 2015, 1386). Sources indicate that following the coup, the DUP's leader Muhammad [Mohamed] Uthman [Usman; Osman] al-Mirghani [al-Merghani] went into exile (US 2015, 258; UK 16 Apr. 2010, 176). According to sources, the DUP is a founding member of the opposition umbrella group National Democratic Alliance (NDA) (UK 16 Apr. 2010, 176; MICT 2012, 42). Sources further report that Uthman al-Mirghani became NDA chair in 1995 (UK 16 Apr. 2010, 176; US 2015, 258), or 2000 (PHW 2015, 1393).

A 2001 report on a fact finding mission by the Danish Immigration Service cites Saif el Nasr Idrees Ishag, the Chairman of the Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance, as explaining that the DUP is a "split part[y]" (Denmark 1 Dec. 2001, 16). The same report indicates that the DUP is divided into the Hindi, Mirghani and "a number of smaller factions," with DUP-Mirghani opposing the government, and DUP-Hindi supporting the government (Denmark 1 Dec. 2001, 17). Similarly, a country report on Sudan produced by the US Library of Congress notes that when al-Mirghani was in exile, President Bashir was able to co-opt "several" DUP leaders, including Zayn al-Abdin al-Hindi, "who applied to have the DUP re-established under the 1998 Political Associations Act," an initiative which was rejected by the DUP leadership in exile (US 2015, 258). PHW states that "a DUP splinter faction, calling itself the DUP-General Secretariat, accepted cabinet posts in the government in February 2001 and in the the 2005 unity government" (PHW 2015, 1393). The same source indicates that the DUP-General Secretariat was represented by Sharif Zein al-Abidir al-Hindi until his death in 2006 (PHW 2015, 1393). The UK Country of Origin Report for Sudan for 2010 cites Political Parties of the World (6th Edition) as stating that the DUP General Secretariat is also known as DUP/DUP-Hindi, and notes that it is pro-government and founded by Siddiq al-Hindi in 1997 (UK 16 Apr. 2010, 176-177). According to PHW, in 2010 the "Mirghani [DUP] faction began to call itself DUP - Original" (PHW 2015, 1393).

The US Library of Congress Country study on Sudan states that relations between al-Mirghani and the Sudan government led by al-Bashir "remained delicate until the NDA and Khartoum signed an agreement in June 2005" (US 2015, 258). An April 2010 Al Jazeera article similarly indicates that the NDA and the Sudanese government signed "a deal" in June 2005 (Al Jazeera 7 Apr. 2010). Sources report that the DUP joined the unity government led by the National Congress Party (NCP) in 2011 (Sudan Tribune 27 Feb. 2016) or "has been in coalition  with the ruling NCP since 2011" (International Crisis Group 26 Nov. 2013, 29). PHW indicates that both the DUP and the DUP-Original "received ministries in the  2011 unity government" (PHW 2015, 1393). Further and corroborating information on the DUP and its factions could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Objectives

According to International Crisis Group, the DUP is "one of Sudan's two main 'traditional' parties" (International Crisis Group 26 Nov. 2013, 29). PHW describes the DUP as a "right-of center" party that "draws its principal strength from the Khatmiya Muslims of northern and eastern Sudan" (PHW 2015, 1393). Similarly, the UK 2010 Country of Origin Report cites Europa Publications' Regional Surveys of the World: Africa South of the Sahara 2005 (51st Edition) as indicating that DUP is "[c]onservative in political outlook" and "a largely secularist Islamic centre party supported primarily by the Khatmiya Islamic order" (UK 16 Apr. 2010, 176).

According to a 2011 International Crisis Group report, the DUP has "long advocated an Islamic state" (International Crisis Group 4 May 2011, 34). Similarly, PHW indicates that "the DUP was described by Middle East International in early 1994 as  'not adverse to some form of Islamic state' for Sudan" (PHW 2015, 1393). Gurtong Trust - Peace and Media Project (Gurtong), a South Sudan-based independent non-profit project aiming to remove "all ethnic, political or personal obstacles on the way to unity, peace and mutual respect among South Sudanese" (Gurtong n.d.b), indicates that

[t]he DUP stresses its "commitment to the principles of tolerant Islam, which is based on justice, equality and social solidarity... with full respect for all religions and beliefs and customs." It promotes "securing the unity of the country's land and people." (Gurtong n.d.a)

The 2010 Al Jazeera report indicates that the DUP boycotted the legislative elections in December 2000 (Al Jazeera 7 Apr. 2010). The same source adds that

[t]he party's position has shifted towards a more mediatory role, attempting to re-align the old and new opposition parties in a comprehensive stance to tackle the broader Sudanese issues such as unity, elections and transition into democracy - avoiding polarisation which it views as damaging to the long term interests of the country. (Al Jazeera 7 Apr. 2010)

Similarly, according to the 2015 country study on Sudan produced by the US Library of Congress, when the DUP "resumed engagement in Sudanese politics" in 2005, it aimed to "realign old and new opposition parties in a comprehensive way to confront broader issues such as national unity and the transition to democracy" (US 2015, 259). In a 20 January 2017 article, The Sudan Tribune, a Paris-based news website that aims to "promote plural information, democratic and free debate on Sudan" (Sudan Tribune n.d.b), cited the DUP as having recently asked both the government and opposition parties to "listen to the voice of people to achieve peace and stability according to the national accord reference, democratic rule mechanisms and the rule of law" (Sudan Tribune 21 Jan. 2017).

Gurtong reports that, in foreign policy, the DUP "aims at close relations" with Egypt (Gurtong n.d.a). PHW further indicates that in 1986, the DUP faction led by Uthman al-Mirghani included "pro-Egyptian traditionalists" (PHW 2015, 1394).

3. Leadership

PHW states that Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani is chair of the DUP (PHW 2015, 1393). Without providing further detail, the same source also describes Uthman al-Mirghani as the DUP's "Symbolic Chair" (PHW 2015, 1393). The Danish Immigration Service's 2001 fact finding mission report similarly indicates that Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani is the leader of the DUP-Mirghani faction (Denmark 1 Dec. 2001, 17). According to the Sudan country study produced by the US Library of Congress, al-Mirghani has led the party since 1968 (US 2015, 258). The same report further indicates that Uthman al-Mirghani is also the "heriditary Khatmiyyah spiritual leader" (US 2015, 258). Similarly, Al Jazeera notes that al-Mirghani is the head of the Khatmiya Sufi order (Al Jazeera 7 Apr. 2010).

A June 2015 Sudan Tribune article indicates that Mohammed al-Hassan al-Mirghani, the "acting head" of the DUP, entered the government as Bashir's assistant by a decree of the president (Sudan Tribune 7 June 2015). Similarly, an August 2015 article by the Sudan News Agency (SUNA), Sudan's official news agency (SUNA n.d.) indicates that Mohamed al-Hassan Mohammad Osman Al-Mirghani is President Bashir's "First Assistant" (SUNA 6 Aug. 2015). According to the Sudan Tribune, he is the son of the DUP leader al-Mirghani and the "de facto chairman of the DUP" (Sudan Tribune 27 Feb. 2016).

PHW indicates that Jalal al-Digair is the leader of the DUP General Secretariat (PHW 2015, 1393). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to sources, Hatim al-Sir was the DUP presidential candidate in the 2010 elections (Sudan Tribune n.d.c; US 2015, 259). Sources report he received 2 percent of the vote (US 2015, 259; BBC 27 Apr. 2010) or 1.93 percent of the vote (Sudan Tribune, n.d.c). An article from Al Arabiya News, a Dubai-based "24-hour news channel in the Arab world" (Al Arabiya n.d.), cites "observers" as stating that al-Sir is "trusted implicitly" by Uthman al-Mirghani, who "prefers to lead from 'behind the scenes'" (Al Arabiya 31 Mar. 2010). According to PHW, "reports in September 2014 indicated that Hatim al-Sir had been chosen to succeed al-Mirghani as party leader" (PHW 2015, 1393).

Without providing further detail, PHW indicates that in 2007, Ali Mahmoud Hassanein was the "Deputy Secretary General" (PHW 2015, 1393). The same source further lists the following persons as leaders in the DUP: Dr. Ahmad al-Sayid Hamad and Ali Ahmed al-Sayyed (PHW 2015, 1393). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Activities

In January 2014, President Bashir called for a national dialogue among political parties and actors in the country (Al Jazeera 21 Jan. 2015; BBC 13 Apr. 2015). In September 2015, SUNA cites DUP "Deputy Secretary Ahmed Bilal" as affirming that, the DUP will play a key role in the national dialogue (SUNA 30 Sept. 2015). In contrast, an October 2015 Sudan Tribune article indicates that the DUP is divided over the national dialogue; Mohamed al-Hassan al-Mirghani held a meeting for the "national DUP dialogue committee," which supported the national dialogue process, but a "competing statement" was released by DUP spokesman Ibrahim al-Mirghani claiming that the party was not involved in the dialogue and that "the DUP chairman [al-Mirghani] will not be part of it" (Sudan Tribune 6 Oct. 2015).

According to sources, the main opposition parties boycotted the 2015 elections in Sudan (Freedom House 2016; AI 24 Feb. 2016). ). However, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) indicates that the 2015 elections were boycotted by all mainstream political parties, except the DUP (FIDH 12 Apr. 2015). Similarly, sources report that the DUP participated (Reuters 13 April 2015; BBC 11 Apr. 2015). The Sudan Tribune states however that "dissidents" within the DUP opposed their party's participation (Sudan Tribune 24 Oct. 2015). Media sources note that 25 seats in the National Assembly were won by the DUP led by al-Mirghani (Sudan Tribune 27 Apr. 2015) or by the DUP Original (Xinhua News Agency 27 Apr. 2015). Sources further report that 15 seats were won by the DUP (Xinhua News Agency 27 Apr. 2015) or by the DUP led by al-Digair (Sudan Tribune 27 Apr. 2015).

A September 2015 Sudan Tribune report indicates that Ali Ahmed al-Sayed, "a leading figure" of the DUP, headed a legal defence team for four members of the Sudanese opposition group Reform Now Movement who were accused of "disturbing public peace" ( Sudan Tribune 3 Sept. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In February 2016, the Sudan Tribune reported that Mohamad al-Hassan al-Mirghani was seeking input from DUP "leaders and sectors" about whether to withdraw from the government, after he had threatened to withdraw over concerns that he was not sufficiently involved in the government's activities ( Sudan Tribune 19 Feb. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In a November 2016 article, Radio Dabanga, a Netherlands-based news radio station focused on Darfur (Radio Dabanga n.d.), states that the DUP "refused" the government's decision to raise fuel and electricity prices (Radio Dabanga 7 Nov. 2016). A November 2016 Sudan Tribune article similarly indicates that the DUP "criticized" the measures, and "described them as the first nail in the coffin of the national dialogue" (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016). According to Radio Dabanga, a "three day civil strike" was held in Khartoum to protest the price increases from 27 to 29 November 2016 (Radio Dabanga 11 Dec. 2016). Similarly, the Sudan Tribune reports that there was a "three-day protest against the austerity measures between 27 and 29 November" (Sudan Tribune 10 Dec. 2016). A 26 November 2016 Sudan Tribune article cites a "statement from the Politburo" of the DUP as indicating that the party issued a decision to all the "DUP's bodies and sectors to join the civil disobedience" (Sudan Tribune 26 Nov. 2016).

Sources report that groups of activists called for civil disobedience for 19 December 2016 (Sudan Tribune 10 Dec. 2016; Radio Dabanga 11 Dec. 2016). According to the Sudan Tribune, opposition groups including the DUP expressed support for the action, and "called upon their affiliates to play an active role in the strike" (Sudan Tribune 10 Dec. 2016). Similarly, Radio Dabanga states that the DUP "has urged 'all its members in all states of Sudan' to join the 19 December action" (Radio Dabanga 11 Dec. 2016). The same source indicates that the DUP "called for the formation of 'a unified centre' for the coordination of the action 'in preparation of a peaceful intifada to topple the regime'" (Radio Dabanga 11 Dec. 2016). Radio Dabanga further reports that the 19 December 2016 "one-day civil disobedience general strike" received "significant support" (Radio Dabanga 21 Dec. 2016). However, the BBC reported that on 19 December that it "appear[ed] as though fewer people [were] heading the call to stay at home" than in November (BBC 19 Dec. 2016).

According to the Sudan Tribune, the DUP's leader Uthman al-Mirghani formed a liaison committee in January 2017 to negotiate directly with the ruling NCP "arrangements for the new era in the country," and directed them to "lay out demands for stopping the war, enhancing the democratic transition, allowing freedoms, promoting human rights, reforming the economic situation and establishing balanced foreign relations" (Sudan Tribune 8 Jan. 2017). Similarly, SUNA reports that Muhammad Uthman al-Mirghani established a "committee for communicating with other political parties," and from this committee, a sub-committee was established to "negotiate with the [NCP] over arrangements of the new stage for the country" (SUNA 8 Jan. 2017).

5. Treatment by Authorities

The US Department of State's 2015 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015states that "the government continued to deny permission to Islamic orders associated with opposition political parties, particularly the Ansar (Umma Party) and Khatmiya (Democratic Unionist Party) to hold large gatherings in public spaces" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 46). The same source indicates that agents of the government "occasionally attended opposition meetings, disrupted opposition rallies, or summoned participants to security headquarters for questioning after meetings" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 46).

Radio Dabanga reports that the headquarters of the DUP in Khartoum, as well as those of the Sudanese Communist Party in Khartoum and the National Umma Party in Omdurman, were surrounded by security forces during the April 2015 elections (Radio Dabanga 16 Apr. 2015). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources report that the ruling government allocated 30 percent of cabinet positions after the 2015 elections to other parties that had participated in the elections, including the DUP (Radio Dabanga 7 June 2015; Sudan Tribune 7 June 2015).

SUDO UK, a UK-based organization "working with partners to monitor and document human rights abuses" (SUDO UK n.d.), reported that on 21 March 2016, two students were injured when a group of student NCP members attacked DUP student members at Al-Qadarif University (SUDO UK 26 Apr. 2016). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources report that opposition members were arrested as part of the government's response to civil disobedience actions during three days in November 2016 (BBC 19 Dec. 2016; Sudan Tribune 18 Dec. 2016). Arrests as a result of further civil disobedience on December 19, 2016 were also reported (Radio Dabanga 21 Dec. 2016; ACJPS 16 Jan. 2017). On 16 January 2017, the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), a non-profit organization "dedicated to creating a Sudan committed to all human rights, the rule of law and peace" whose work includes a human rights monitoring program (ACJPS n.d.), reports that it "was aware that eleven political opposition party members were arrested during the November and December civil disobedience campaign," including two DUP members: Al Ajebo Mahmoud (arrested 23 December 2016) and Al Muiz Omer Hadra (arrested 25 December 2016) (ACJPS 16 Jan. 2017). According to the same source, they are "being held in incommunicado detention without charge or access to their families and lawyers" ( ACJPS 16 Jan. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) was "originally the political wing of the SPLA [Sudan People's Liberation Army], an insurgency that waged war for 22 years against the Khartoum-based government of Sudan, before joining the national government in a 2005 peace deal that also made SPLM the ruling party in Southern Sudan" (Sudane Tribune n.d.a).

References

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). 16 January 2017. "Update: Female Human Rights Defender Joins Individuals Detained Incommunicado Following Sudan's Civil Disobedience Campaign; Whereabouts of Detainee Still Unknown." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). N.d. "Our Work." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Amnesty International (AI). 24 February 2016. "Sudan." Amnesty International Report 2015/2016: The State of the World's Human Rights. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Al Arabiya. 31 March 2010. "[FACTBOX] Sudan's Main Presidential Candidates." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Al Arabiya. N.d. "About." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Al Jazeera. 21 January 2015. "Sudan Opposition to Boycott National Dialogue." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Al Jazeera. 18 December 2010. "Profile: Omar al-Bashir." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Al Jazeera. 7 April 2010. "Political Parties in the Fray." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 19 December 2016. James Copnall. "Sudan Civil Disobedience: Why Are People Staying at Home?" [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 13 April 2015. James Copnall. "Sudan Election: Will Bashir be Snubbed by His People?" [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 11 April 2015. "How Sudan's General Election Works." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 27 April 2010. James Copnall. "Dream Election Result for Sudan's President Bashir." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Denmark. 1 December 2001. Danish Immigration Service. "Report on Fact-finding Mission to Cairo, Khartoum and Nairobi." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017]

Federation internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme (FIDH). 12 April 2015. "Detentions, Civil Society Closures, Media Restrictions on Eve of Sudan Elections." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Freedom House. 2016. "Sudan." Freedom in the World 2016. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Gurtong . N.d.a. "Democratic Unionist Party." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Gurtong. N.d.b. "Introduction." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

International Crisis Group. 11 March 2015. "Sudan: The Prospects for 'National Dialogue'." Africa Briefing No. 108. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

International Crisis Group. 26 November 2013. Sudan: Preserving Peace in the East. Africa Report No. 209. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

International Crisis Group. 4 May 2011. Divisions in Sudan's Ruling Party and the Threat to the Country's Future Stability. Africa Report No. 174.[Accessed 13 Feb. 2017]

Media in Cooperation and Transition (MICT). 2012. "The Sudanese Press After Separation  Contested Identities of Journalism." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Political Handbook of the World 2015 (PHW). 2015. "Sudan." Edited by Tom Lansford. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Radio Dabanga. 21 December 2016. "Authorities Across Sudan React to Civil Disobedience." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 11 December 2016. "Broad Support for Next Civil Disobedience Action." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2016]

Radio Dabanga. 7 November 2016. "Opposition Calls for Intifada." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 7 June 2015. "Sudanese President Forms Cabinet, Appoints State Governors." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 16 April 2015. "Reports On Detention of Activists in Sudan Increase." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Reuters. 13 April 2015. Shadi Bushra and Khalid Abdelaziz. "Bashir Center Stage as Sudan Votes, Opposition Boycotts." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 21 January 2017. "Sudan's DUP Hopes for Strong Relations Between Khartoum and Washington." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 8 January 2017. "Sudan's DUP Forms Committee to Meet With the Ruling Party." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 18 December 2016. "Sudanese Government Says Civil Disobedience 'Big Zero' While Detentions of Opposition Figures Continue." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 10 December 2016. "Sudan's Ruling Party Calls on Its Members to Abort Civil Disobedience Call." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 26 November 2016. "Sudanese Opposition Parties Join Call for Civil Disobedience." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 9 November 2016. "Sudan's Opposition SCoP Members Arrested for Incitement Against Regime: Minister." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 27 February 2016. "Sudan's Ruling Party and DUP to Review Troubled Political Partnership." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 19 February 2016. "Sudan's DUP Threatens to Withdraw from the Government." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 24 October 2015. "DUP Figures Mount Fresh Challenge to al-Mirghani & Son." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 6 October 2015. "DUP & NUP Leaders Will Not Attend Sudan's National Dialogue Opening Conference." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 3 September2015. "Sudan's Opposition Party Members to Face Trial Monday." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 7 June 2015. "Sudanese President Replaces Defence, Oil and Foreign Ministers in Cabinet Reshuffle." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 27 April 2015. "Sudan's Bashir Re-elected with 94 Percent of Votes." [Accessed 3 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. N.d.a. "Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM)." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. N.d.b. "About Sudan Tribune." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. N.d.c "Hatim Al-Sir." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

SUDO UK. N.d.a. "SUDO UK." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

SUDO UK. N.d.b. "Human Rights Abuses in Sudan over the Month of March 2016." [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017]

Sudan News Agency (SUNA). 8 January 2017. "Al-Merghani Forms Committee Negotiate With National Congress." [Accessed 13 Feb.]

Sudan News Agency (SUNA). 30 September 2015. "DUP Pledges to Play Major Role in Supporting National Dialogue." (Factiva)

Sudan News Agency (SUNA). 6 August 2015. "Al-Bashir Receives his First Assistant." (Factiva)

Sudan News Agency (SUNA). N.d. "Sudan News Agency." [Accessed 22 Feb. 2017]

United Kingdom (UK). 16 April 2010. Country of Origin Information Report - Sudan. [Accessed 13 Feb. 2017]

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "Sudan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

United States (US). 2015. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. David H. Shinn. "Government and Politics." Sudan: A Country Study. Area Handbook Series. Edited by LaVerle Berry. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Xinhua News Agency. 27 April 2015. "News Analysis: Sudan Election Results As Expected with Landslide Victory for Ruling Party." (Factiva)

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica; BBC; Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index; ecoi.net; Human Rights Watch; IRIN; Transparency International; UN  Refworld, ReliefWeb.
Sudan: The Sudanese Congress Party, including origin, structure, leadership, objectives, and activities; requirements and procedures to become a member of the party, including membership cards; treatment of party members and supporters by authorities (2015-February 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 13 March 2017 Citation / Document Symbol SDN105767.E Related Document(s) Somalie : information sur les circonstances dans lesquelles le gouvernement de la Somalie peut annuler un passeport; information indiquant si le titulaire d'un passeport peut lui-meme demander l'annulation de ce dernier; information indiquant si l'annulation d'un passeport signifie qu'il y a revocation de la citoyennete (2013-juin 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: The Sudanese Congress Party, including origin, structure, leadership, objectives, and activities; requirements and procedures to become a member of the party, including membership cards; treatment of party members and supporters by authorities (2015-February 2017), 13 March 2017, SDN105767.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa920c77.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

The Sudan Tribune, a Paris-based news website that aims to "promote plural information, democratic and free debate on Sudan" (Sudan Tribune n.d.), reports that the Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) [SCoP (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016)] was established in January 1986, with its first chairman being Abdel Mageed Imam; its second chairman was Ibrahim al-Sheikh; and it recently elected its third, Omer al-Digair (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016).

In a July 2015 Sudan Tribune article, Khalid Omer Yousif, "former Secretary-General of the [SCP] and its current deputy chairman for external relations," states that the origins of the group date back to the founding of the Congress of Independent Students (CIS) on 7 July 1977 (Sudan Tribune 20 July 2015). The same source states that the CIS then founded the National Congress political party in 1986 under Imam, but that due to the political conditions after the 1989 coup, the party suffered a "near demise" in the 1990s (Sudan Tribune 20 July 2015). He further states that the party was renamed the Sudanese Congress Party in 2005, and its president at the time, Ibrahim al-Sheikh, competed in the 2010 national elections (Sudan Tribune 20 Jul. 2015). The same source further adds that this participation

enabled the party to construct a broad base of supporters across the greater Kordofan region  Building on its success in Kordofan, the party took further steps by spreading its influence to other parts of Sudan, especially in Darfur states, and contributing massively to the opposition's political actions whether individually or collectively during the period of the former opposition coalition the National Consensus Forces and later with its partners in the Sudan Call Alliance. (Sudan Tribune 20 Jul. 2015)

The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS), an NGO that monitors human rights in Sudan, and is headquartered in New York with offices in London and Africa (ACJPS n.d.), describes the SCP as "a political opposition party registered in Sudan, which has seen a resurgence in recent years due to its vocal calls for mobilization for popular demonstrations, and public criticism of the ruling National Congress Party" (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016). Similarly, a December 2016 article from Radio Dabanga, a Netherlands-based news radio station focused on Darfur (Radio Dabanga n.d.), states that the SCP "is one of the most active opposition parties in Sudan since its members began their public campaign against the government's oppressive policies in several Sudanese towns last year" (Radio Dabanga 1 Dec. 2016).

The Sudan Tribune describes the party as a "center-left reformist party," and notes that it "calls for social justice and separation of religion and state" and that it "also believes that peaceful transfer of power is the only way to stability and unity of the country" (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016).

Khalid Omer Yousif indicates that the SCP "can be classified alongside the social democratic parties around the world" (Sudan Tribune 20 Jul. 2015). He describes the party's "ideas" as follows:

[T]he construction of a secular state in lieu of the one that has existed since independence by restructuring its institutions to truly reflect the reality of Sudan's ethnic, cultural and societal diversity as well as reforming the country's economic setup by dismantling the centralized economic structure that the Sudanese state inherited from its colonial predecessor and chart a different course based on balanced development with a clearcut set of state social responsibilities. (Sudan Tribune 20 Jul. 2015)

Information on the Sudanese Congress Party's structure could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.1 Leadership

Sources report the following SCP members with a position in the party:

Omar Yousif Al-Digair [Omer al-Digair; Omer Yousef Eldeegir], "chairman" (Radio Dabanga 7 Nov. 2016; Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Ibrahim al-Sheikh [El Sheikh], "former head" (Radio Dabanga, 7 Nov. 2016) or "former chairperson" (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016), or former chairman (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Khalid Omer [Omar] Yousif [Youssef], "Vice President" (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016) or "deputy chairman" (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Mastor Ahmed Mohamed [Mastoor Ahmed], "Secretary General" (Radio Dabanga 7 Nov. 2016; ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016; Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Abdelmunim Omar [Abdel Moneim Omer], "head of the external office" (Sudan Tribune 8 Feb. 2017), or "head of the SCP office abroad" (Radio Dabanga 10 Jan. 2017), or Acting President (Radio Dabanga 1 Dec. 2016);

Abu-Bakr Yousef [Abu Bakr Youssef], Political Secretary (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016; Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Abdallah Shams Al-Koun, Deputy Media Secretary (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016) or "Deputy Information Secretary" (Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Alsiad Abdelgaioum [Abdel-Qayoum Awad el-Sid], "Chairman of the central council" (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016; Sudan Tribune 9 Nov. 2016);

Ahmed Abu Zaid, chairperson of Eastern Nile section (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016); and

Noureldien Salah Eldien Mahmoud, Vice President of the Khartoum state section (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016).

1.2 Relationship with Other Opposition Parties

An International Crisis Group report notes that the SCP is a member party of the National Consensus Forces (NCF), "a coalition of Sudanese opposition parties" created in 2010 (International Crisis Group 11 March 2015, 14). Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN) notes that it is a signatory to the Democratic Alternative Charter (DAC), an initiative of some of the NCF parties, which committed the signing parties to use "peaceful means" for the removal of the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and to help create a "civil democratic state" (UN 6 July 2012).

The Sudan Tribune further reports that the SCP is an internal group member of the Sudan Call [1] (Sudan Tribune 21 Jan. 2017). The Sudan Tribune reports that in late September 2016 the SCP was among five Sudan Call parties suspended by the NCF over differences regarding an African Union-led peace process in the country (Sudan Tribune 2 Oct. 2016). The same article further reports that the five suspended parties subsequently withdrew from the NCF (Sudan Tribune 2 Oct. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this response.

2. Membership Procedures and Membership Cards

Information on the Sudanese Congress Party's procedures to become a member, or information on membership cards, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Treatment of Party Members and Supporters by Authorities

3.1 Lead-up to April 2015 Elections

The Guardian reports that the SCP called for a boycott of the April 2015 elections in Sudan (The Guardian 29 Apr. 2015). An April 2015 article by the Pan African News Agency (Panapress), a Dakar-based news agency whose website is an "information portal on Africa" (Panapress n.d.), indicates that the Head of the SCP in Sodari, North Kordofan, called for a "general boycott of the election" (Panapress 15 Jan. 2015). Radio Dabanga indicates that the SCP was one of the opposition parties that declared they would boycott the 2015 elections (Radio Dabanga 9 Apr. 2015). Sources report that the main major opposition parties boycotted the elections (Freedom House 2016; AI 24 Feb. 2016; FIDH 12 Apr. 2015; US 13 Apr. 2016, 56), including the SCP (US 13 Apr. 2016, 56; Human Rights Watch 28 Apr. 2015).

Regarding the treatment of SCP members in the lead-up to the April 2015 elections, the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015 indicates that

[t]he government continued to arrest or temporarily detain opposition members, especially those belonging to or affiliated with of . the Sudan Congress Party  Detentions were especially frequent in the period before national elections in April. (US 13 Apr. 2016, 18-19)

The same source further notes that "Members of the Sudanese Congress Party and 'Irhal' ('Leave') Campaign, which advocated for an election boycott, were prevented from holding public discussions" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 40) and that "authorities temporarily detained without charge" activitists who supported the Irhal campaign, including members of the SCP (US 13 Apr. 2016, 46).

ACJPS similarly reports that members of the SCP and factions of the Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Movement  North (SPLM  N), have been targeted for arrest or detention by the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) in the lead-up to the April 2015 elections (ACJPS 17 Apr. 2015). Specifically, ACJPS reports the following arrests of SCP members in April 2015:

April 10: Anas Abdullah and Mohamed Al Fatih, who were arrested by the NISS in el Gedarif in eastern Sudan. Anas Abdullah was released a "few hours" after being arrested, after interrogation and being "ordered not to engage in any elections related advocacy," while Al Fatih "remains in detention with no known charges";

April 12: Taha Alfadih, Mohamed Yousif, and Ahmed Altayeb who were arrested by the NISS in Aldewin town, White Nile state, and Adlam Jamal Aldien, Shoma Hamid Zakaria, and Taha Al Fatih who were arrested by the NISS in Alsoki town in Sennar state (ACJPS 17 Apr. 2015).

3.2 July-December 2015

Sources indicate that according to the SCP, three SCP members were given 20 lashes in July 2015 for disturbing the peace (AFP 6 July 2015; Canadian Press 7 July 2015). BBC cites a 9 July 2015 editorial from "Sudanese government newspaper Sudan Vision" as stating that "the political secretary of the [SCP] and two other members yesterday received 20 lashes in front of the Omdurman Criminal Court" (BBC 9 July 2015). The same sources adds that they had been convicted of "disturbing the public order" after being detained when they "criticised the policies of the ruling National Congress Party in public" (BBC 9 July 2015). Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the conviction was for the members having called for the release of imprisoned colleagues in April (AFP 6 July 2015). The Canadian Press cites the SCP as stating that a criminal court found the members guilty of "disturbing public order by calling for the boycott of April's presidential elections" (Canadian Press 7 July 2015).

Amnesty International (AI) reports that, in August 2015, NISS personnel prevented an SCP "political symposium" from taking place, and arrested three senior party members (AI 24 Feb. 2016). Human Rights Watch reports that during August 2015, at least 17 opposition party members were arrested, detained, and interrogated by security agents in Sudan, and that most of those arrested were affiliated with the SCP (Human Rights Watch 28 Aug. 2015). Sources similarly note that 17 activists, most of whom were affiliated with the SCP, were detained in August 2015 (Freedom House 2016; US 13 Apr. 2016, 40), in "many cases following meetings or symposiums during which political discussions were held" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 40). Human Rights Watch indicates that the arrests in 2015 included the following people:

Khalid Omer Yousif, "a leader in the Congress Party" who was arrested in the al-Jereif suburb of Khartoum on 5 August;

Magdi Okasha and Widad Abdelrahman Derwish, SCP members, who were arrested on 8 August, after attending "recent public events";

Wifag Mohamed Gorashi, a student at Khartoum University, who was arrested and questioned abour her links to the SCP on 17 August, after speaking at a public event;

Mohamed Osman and Bashir Mohamed, university students who had attended a Congress Party public gathering, who were arrested on 17 August in the El Obeid market in North Kordofan;

Eight SCP members who had attended an SCP symposium at the party's Khartoum headquarters, who were arrested on 22 August by "about 15 security agents armed with pistols and Kalashnikovs"; two of those arrested sustained head injuries after having been beaten during their arrest;

Mohamed Noor Terab and Mohammed Elraddi Salim, SCP members who had attended the same symposium in Khartoum, who were arrested on 22 August; they were beaten during their interrogations (Human Rights Watch 28 Aug. 2015).

3.3 2016

Without providing further detail, sources indicate that a member of the student chapter of the SCP faces charges of premeditated murder for allegedly killing a police officer during protests in April 2016 (The Citizen 16 Feb. 2017; Sudan Tribune 15 Feb. 2017).

Sources report that, in November 2016, the Sudanese government announced austerity measures (The Guardian 10 Nov. 2016; Radio Dabanga 19 Dec. 2016), which "led to huge increases in the prices of fuel, electricity, food, and medicines" (Radio Dabanga 19 Dec. 2016). ACJPS reports that "the austerity measures have increased fuel prices by up to 30% and drastically increased prices on basic commodities in the context of widespread poverty and corruption" (ACJPS 16 Jan. 2017). Amnesty International states that "activists and members of the political opposition have been protesting against the rise in fuel, electricity, transport, food, and medicine costs" associated with the austerity measures (AI 28 Nov. 2016). The Guardian reports that the SCP criticised the austerity measures, and condemned their timing (The Guardian 10 Nov. 2016). Sources indicate that a three-day strike occurred in Khartoum from 27 to 29 November 2016 to protest the austerity measures (Radio Dabanga 11 Dec. 2016; Sudan Tribune 10 Dec. 2016). The Peninsula, a Qatari English newspaper, notes that the SCP supported calls by opposition groups and activists for a three-day strike, stating "the [strike] call was a result of a movement that started years ago to overthrow [the Sudanese] regime" (The Peninsula 26 Nov. 2016).

Amnesty International indicates that "in the wake of mounting public dissatisfaction and sporadic protests" against the austerity measures, beween 4 November and 27 November 2016, "at least" 15 SCP members were arrested, with their "whereabouts unknown and [having had] no access to lawyers or family members" (AI 28 Nov. 2016). These SCP members include Omar al-Digair, Khalid Omer Yousif, and Mastor Ahmed Mohamed (AI 28 Nov. 2016). The same source states that another 19 SCP members were arrested and released during the same period (AI 28 Nov. 2016). Radio Dabanga similarly reports that the NISS detained the president of the SCP, the Deputy President, the Secretary-General, and 22 other members of the SCP following "limited demonstrations" against the price increases in "several" Sudanese towns (Radio Dabanga 17 Nov. 2016). An article in The Guardian similarly indicates that more than 20 SCP members were arrested in November 2016 (The Guardian 11 Jan. 2017).

A 1 December 2016 ACJPS article reports that, "at least" 17 members of the SCP, who were arrested between 4 and 9 November 2016 following "public calls by the party for peaceful demonstrations" against the austerity measures, were still being held incommunicado by the NISS in Khartoum (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016). The same source lists the following SCP members as part of this group:

Khalid Omer Yousef, who was arrested on 4 November 2016 from his home in Aljerif neighbourhood, Khartoum;

Abdulla Shams Al-Koun Adam who was arrested on 4 November 2016 from an unknown location;

Awad Alsiad Abdelgaioum, who was arrested on 6 November 2016 from his home in Alshabia neighbourhood of Khartoum Bahri (he was allowed a family visit on 17 November);

Abu-Bakr Yousef, who was arrested on 7 November 2016 from his home in Khartoum III;

Mastor Ahmed Mohamed, who was arrested on 7 November 2016 outside SCP headquarters in Shambat neighbourhood Khartoum Bahri;

Suleiman Khalifa Dinar, who was arrested on 7 November 2016 in the Alkakla neighbourhood of Khartoum;

Noor Eldien Babiki, who was arrested on 7 November 2016 in Khartoum III;

Ibrahim El Sheikh Abdulrahman who was arrested on 7 November 2016 from his home in Almoqtraben, Khartoum Bahri;

Omar Yousif Al-Digair who was arrested on 9 November 2016 from his home in Omdurman (he was allowed a family visit on 17 November 2016);

Yasin Salah Shashog, who was arrested on 7 November 2016 from his home in Khartoum III;

Ahmed Abu Zaid, who was arrested 8 November 2016 from Elhaj Yousef neighbourhood of Khartoum Bahri;

Udia Hamdan Yousef, who was arrested on 8 November 2016 in Alnuhod, West Kordofan; and

Noureldien Salah Eldien Mahmoud, who was arrested on 9 November 2016 from his home in Altaief neighborhood, Khartoum (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016).

ACJPS further states that four members of the SCP's student wing, the Independent Student Congress (ISC), were arrested as well: Omer Kamal who was arrested on 7 November 2016 at an unknown location; and Abdulrahem Mustafa Abdulrahem, Basim Ismail, and Alfatif Abdallah, who were arrested on 9 November 2016 outside the Faculty of Arts of Karima University, Northern state (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016). ACJPS further reports that another eight members had been arrested between 4 November and 8 November 2016, but were released "shortly after" (ACJPS 1 Dec. 2016). Radio Dabanga cites an SCP spokesperson as stating that 16 SCP members had been released, but that leader al-Digair and Khaled Omer Yousif were still being held (Radio Dabanga 26 Dec. 2016).

Sources report that 19 December 2016 was a "day of disobedience" (BBC 19 Dec. 2016) or a "one-day civil disobedience general strike" (Radio Dabanga 21 Dec. 2016). Radio Dabanga reports that the SCP supported the call for civil disobedience, stating in a press statement that it "does not only express the rejection of the regime, but shows an overall mobilisation against it" (Radio Dabanga 9 Dec. 2016). The same source notes that detentions were reported "across Sudan" in response to the 19 December 2016 civil disobedience actions, including the arrest by the NISS of El Mahi Mohamed Suleiman, "the local head" of the SCP in Sennar state (Radio Dabanga 21 Dec. 2016).

Radio Dabanga further cites Khalid Omer, SCP Deputy President, as stating in an interview that during his 54 day detention he "witnessed detained students being tortured" in Kober prison, including not-politically affiliated students and "some" SCP students (Radio Dabanga 30 Dec. 2016). The same source further cites Khaled Omer as stating that "some detainees of the SCP students [were] subjected to severe torture" (Radio Dabanga 30 Dec. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this response.

3.4 January-February 2017

Sources indicate that Abdelmounim Omar was detained at Khartoum Airport in January 2017 (Sudan Tribune 8 Feb. 2017; Radio Dabanga 10 Jan. 2017). ACJPS indicates that, to their knowledge, 17 detainees are held incomunicado, including two SCP members: Malek Abu Al Assan who was arrested on 28 December 2016, and acting chairperson Abdelmounim Omar, who was arrested 8 January 2017 at Khartoum Airport and who was prevented from travelling (ACJPS 15 Jan. 2017). The Sudan Tribune further reports that Abdelmounim Omar was released on 7 February 2017 (Sudan Tribune 8 Feb. 2017).

Sources report that, in January 2017, leading members of the Sudan Call, including the SCP's al-Digair, were prevented by the Sudanese government from flying to Paris for a Sudan Call meeting (Sudan Tribune 16 Jan. 2017; Panapress 15 Jan. 2017) or "a series of meetings in the Sudan Appeal Leadership Council  to develop 'new practical steps' for the implementation of the Sudan Appeal document" (Radio Dabanga 15 Jan. 2017).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] "Sudan Call" [Sudan Appeal] is an agreement signed by the NCF, the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), "an alliance of the main rebel movements," the National Umma Party, and the Sudanese Civil Society Initiative (Radio Dabanga 3 Dec. 2014). It called for "the end of war, dismantlement of the one-party state, achievement of a comprehensive peace and democratic transition in the country (Sudan Tribune 3 Dec. 2014).

References

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). 16 January 2017. "Update: Female Human Rights Defender Joins Individuals Detained Incommunicado Following Sudan's Civil Disobedience Campaign; Whereabouts of Detainee Still Unknown." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). 1 December 2016. "17 Members of the Political Opposition Sudanese Congress Party (SCP) Currently Detained Incommunicado." [Accessed 16 Feb. 2017]

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). 17 April 2015. "Sudan's Electoral Period Marred by Arrests and Incommunicado Detention; Insecurity in Darfur." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS). N.d. "Mission." [Accessed 2 Mar. 2017]

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 6 July 2015. "3 Opposition Figures Lashed in Sudan: Party." (Factiva)

Amnesty International (AI). 28 November 2016. "Urgent Action: Opposition Members Held as Protests Continue." (AFR 54/5214/2016) [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

Amnesty International (AI). 24 Feb. 2016. "Sudan." Amnesty International Report 2015/2016 : The State of the World's Human Rights. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 19 December 2016. James Copnall. "Sudan Civil Disobedience: Why Are People Staying at Home?" [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 9 July 2015. BBC Monitoring Middle East. "Editorial Comments on Sudan's Flogging Sentence." (Factiva)

Canadian Press. 7 July 2015. "In Rare Political Sentence, 3 Sudan Politicians Flogged for Endorsing Election Boycott." (Factiva)

The Citizen. 16 February 2017. "Trial of Sudanese Student Accused of Killing Policeman to Resume." (Factiva)

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). 12 April 2015. "Detentions, Civil Society Closures, Media Restrictions on Eve of Sudan Elections." [Accessed 6 Mar. 2017]

Freedom House. 2016. "Sudan." Freedom in the World 2016. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

The Guardian. 11 January 2017. Simona Foltyn. "Sudan's Social Media Campaign of Civil Dissent Boosts Hopes of Change." (Factiva)

The Guardian. 10 November 2016. Simona Foltyn. "Sudan Steeled for Sharp Price Rises as State Cuts Fuel and Electricity Subsidies." (Factiva)

The Guardian. 29 April 2015. Mark Anderson. "Sudan Repression Continues After Omar Al-Bashir Election Win, Says Rights Group." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

The Guardian. 11 December 2014. Monim Eljak. "Sudan's Political Opposition Unites Under New Call for Democracy." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Human Rights Watch. 28 August 2015. "Sudan: Wave of Opposition Arrests." [Accessed 16 Feb. 2017]

Human Rights Watch. 28 April 2015. "Sudan: Surge in Detention, Beatings, Around Elections." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

International Crisis Group. 11 March 2015. "Sudan: The Prospects for 'National Dialogue'." Africa Briefing No. 108. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Panapress. 15 January 2017. "Les opposants politiques soudanais interdits de se rendre a Paris." (Factiva)

Panapress. 15 January 2015. "Sudan: Govt. Warns Opposition Against Boycotting April 2015 Elections." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

Panapress. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 3 Mar. 2017]

The Peninsula. 26 November 2016. "Sudan Opposition Calls For 3-day Strike over Fuel Prices." (Factiva)

Radio Dabanga. 15 January 2017. "Opposition Leaders Barred From Flying to Paris." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 10 January 2017. "Opposition Figure Detained at Sudan Airport." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 30 December 2016. "Sudanese Congress Party Leader 'Witnessed Severe Torture' in Detention." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 26 December 2016. "Sudan Releases 20 Detainees: SCP Leaders Still Held." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 21 December 2016. "Authorities Across Sudan React to Civil Disobedience." [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 19 December 2016. "Sudan Feature: Does Today's Civil Disobedience Represent a Popular Uprising?" [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 11 December 2016. "Broad Support for Next Civil Disobedience Action." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]

Radio Dabanga. 9 December 2016. "New Civil Disobedience Actions in Sudan." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 1 December 2016. "'Civil Disobedience Action Great Success' - Sudanese Congress Party." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 17 November 2016. "More Than 10 Medics, 25 SCP Leaders Held Incommunicado in Sudan." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 7 November 2016. "NISS Detains More Sudanese Congress Party Leaders." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 9 April 2015. "Sudanese Opposition Step Up Anti-Election Campaign." [Accessed 21 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. 3 December 2014. "Opposition Forces Sign 'Sudan Appeal' in Addis Ababa." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Radio Dabanga. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 15 February 2017. "Khartoum Court to Resume Trial of Student Charged With Murder Next Week." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 8 February 2017. "Sudanese Authorities Release SCoP Leading Member." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 21 January 2017. "Sudan Call Urges Inclusion of Democratic Demands to Requirements for Lift of Sanctions." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 16 January 2017. "Travel Ban on Opposition Leaders Shows Human Rights Crisis in Sudan: al-Digair." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 10 December 2016. "Sudan's Ruling Party Calls on its Members to Abort Civil Disobedience Call." (Factiva).

Sudan Tribune. 9 November 2016. "Sudanese Security Arrests SCoP Leader in Severe Crackdown on Opposition Party." [Accessed 16 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. 2 October 2016. "Internal Opposition Groups Endorse Outcome of Sudan Call Meeting." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 20 July 2015. Khalid Omer Yousif. "In Sudan a Budding Opposition Party is Under Greater Crackdown, Here's its Story." (Factiva)

Sudan Tribune. 3 December 2014. "Opposition, Rebel Forces Sign Joint Declaration for Peace and Democracy in Sudan." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

Sudan Tribune. N.d. "About Sudan Tribune." [Accessed 20 Feb. 2017]

United Nations (UN). 26 July 2012. Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN). "Who's Who in the Opposition." [Accessed 15 Feb. 2017]

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "Sudan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 10 Feb. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral Sources: Professor of Sociology, University of Calgary; Sudanese Congress Party.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica; Bertelsmann Stiftung; ecoi.net; Transparency International; UN  Refworld, ReliefWeb.
KAZAKHSTAN: 24 criminal convictions in 2017, more imminent?

Publisher Forum 18 Author Felix Corley Publication Date 5 March 2018 Cite as Forum 18, KAZAKHSTAN: 24 criminal convictions in 2017, more imminent?, 5 March 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa921ba37.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

5 March 2018

KAZAKHSTAN: 24 criminal convictions in 2017, more imminent?

Zholbarys Zhumanazarov  jailed for one year in Almaty Region for alleged membership of the Tabligh Jamaat Muslim missionary movement  became the 24th known individual given a criminal conviction in 2017 for exercising freedom of religion. The criminal trial of three more begins in Karaganda on 12 March.
United States: Information on refugees resettled in the US by the UNHCR, including status documents provided; ability to study, work, access social security, and travel outside the US; impact of travel outside the US on residency status and ability to access benefits (2013-April 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 5 April 2017 Citation / Document Symbol USA105778.E Related Document(s) Etats-Unis : information sur les refugies reinstalles aux Etats-Unis par le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies pour les refugies (HCR), y compris les attestations de statut qui leur sont fournies; la possibilite de faire des etudes, de travailler, d'acceder a la securite sociale et de voyager a l'exterieur des Etats-Unis; les consequences des voyages a l'exterieur des Etats-Unis sur le statut de resident et l'acces aux prestations (2013-avril 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, United States: Information on refugees resettled in the US by the UNHCR, including status documents provided; ability to study, work, access social security, and travel outside the US; impact of travel outside the US on residency status and ability to access benefits (2013-April 2017), 5 April 2017, USA105778.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa9236f4.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview and Documentation

According to information regarding refugees posted on the website of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),

[u]nder United States law, a refugee is someone who:

Is located outside of the United States

Is of special humanitarian concern to the United States

Demonstrates that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group

Is not firmly resettled in another country

Is admissible to the United States.



You must receive a referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) for consideration as a refugee. (US 23 Mar. 2017)

According to information regarding the "U.S. Refugee Admissions Program," provided on the US Department of State's website,

[w]hen UNHCR  or, occasionally, a U.S. Embassy or a specially trained nongovernmental organization  refers a refugee applicant to the United States for resettlement, the case is first received and processed by a Resettlement Support Center (RSC). The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) funds and manages nine RSCs around the world, operated by international and nongovernmental organizations and one U.S. interests section. Under PRM's guidance, the RSCs prepare eligible refugee applications for U.S. resettlement consideration. (US n.d.a)

The USCIS website's information section on refugees states that "[i]f you are admitted as a refugee, you must apply for a green card one year after coming to the United States" (US 23 Mar. 2017). According to the same source,

[a]s a refugee, you may work immediately upon arrival to the United States. When you are admitted to the United States you will receive a Form I-94 containing a refugee admission stamp. Additionally, a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, will be filed for you in order for you to receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). While you are waiting for your EAD, you can present your Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Record, to your employer as proof of your permission to work in the United States. (US 23 Mar. 2017)

A document produced by the USCIS, entitled I Am A Refugee Or Asylee: How Do I Show My Employer That I Am Authorized To Work in The United States?, is attached to this Response (Attachment 1). Information on UNHCR documentation provided to refugees resettling in the US could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Access to Support Services

According to information on the "Reception and Placement Program" on the US Department of State's website, the program

provides assistance for refugees to settle in the United States. It supplies resettlement agencies a one-time sum per refugee to assist with meeting expenses during a refugee's first few months in the United States. Most of these funds go toward the refugees' rent, furnishings, food, and clothing, as well as to pay the costs of agency staff salaries, office space, and other resettlement-related expenses that are not donated or provided by volunteers.

Though the Department of State's Reception and Placement program is limited to the first three months after arrival, the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS]' Office of Refugee Resettlement [ORR] works through the states and other nongovernmental organizations to provide longer-term cash and medical assistance, as well as language, employment, and social services. (U.S. n.d.b)

An "FAQ" regarding the "U.S. Refugee Admissions Program" on the US Department of State's website indicates that the ORR

also funds programs for which refugees are eligible up to five years after arrival. Thus, although the Department of State's role in the domestic resettlement is limited to the first 90 days, HHS/ORR funding comprises a critical component of support once those initial 90 days have expired. (U.S. 20 Jan 2017)

According to ORR's Annual Report to Congress: Office of Refugee Resettlement Fiscal Year 2015,

ORR's core services assist refugees and other ORR-served populations to effectively resettle and achieve self-sufficiency. Core services quickly connect new arrivals to the workforce, while offering social services that focus on employment-related services, English language classes, and case-management. As described below, these benefits and services include cash assistance, health coverage, interpretation and translation services, school activities, and other programs that address barriers to employment.



ORR provides time-limited benefits and services to eligible ORR-served populations through Cash and Medical Assistance (CMA) grants to states. Benefits and services provided through CMA grants include cash assistance, health coverage, and domestic medical screenings to identify and treat diseases of public health concern and medical conditions. CMA also provides funding for the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors (URM) Program.

ORR-served populations who are otherwise eligible qualify for the same federal benefits as U.S. citizens, with some limits. These federal benefits include: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

When ORR-served populations do not meet the eligibility requirements for these programs, CMA provides cash assistance and health coverage through Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA). RCA provides cash assistance to ORR-served populations ineligible for TANF. RMA provides health coverage to ORR-served populations ineligible for Medicaid. Eligibility for RCA and RMA is restricted to the first eight months after arrival or date of eligibility. The Matching Grant program  is an alternative to RCA for ORR-served populations. (US 2015, pp. 11-12)

Information on the implementation of these programs and statistics regarding support services for refugees could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Information on the ability to study, including the process for school enrolment for refugees or children of refugees, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Ability to Travel

The FAQ states that "once a refugee arrives in the United States, they are allowed to move freely within the [US]," however, "the assistance to which they are entitled might not follow them to a new state" (US 20 Jan. 2017). Further information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The USCIS website's information section on refugees states that

[i]f you have refugee status and want to travel outside the United States, you will need to obtain a Refugee Travel Document in order to return to the United States. If you do not obtain a Refugee Travel Document in advance of departure, you may be unable to re-enter the United States. If you return to the country from which you fled, you will have to explain how you were able to return safely. (US 23 Mar. 2017)

A document produced by the USCIS, entitled I Am A Refugee Or Asylee: How Do I Get A Refugee Travel Document?, is attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

United States (US). 23 March 2017. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). "Refugees." [Accessed 29 Mar. 2017]

United States (US). 20 January 2017. Department of State. "U.S. Refugee Admissions Program FAQs." [Accessed 29 Mar. 2017]

United States (US). 2015. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Annual Report to Congress: Office of Refugee Resettlement Fiscal Year 2015. [Accessed 29 Mar. 2015]

United States (US). N.d.a. Department of State. "U.S. Refugee Admissions Program." [Accessed 29 Mar. 2017]

United States (US). N.d.b. Department of State. "The Reception and Placement Program." [Accessed 29 Mar. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: United States  Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Attachments
Canada and Somalia: Information on Temporary Resident Visas (TRV) and Temporary Resident Permits (TRP) issued to Somali citizens, including whether visas and permits are affixed to the Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD) or in a passport; documents required for a Somali citizen to apply for a TRV and a TRP (2015-September 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 5 October 2017 Citation / Document Symbol ZZZ105994.E Related Document(s) Canada et Somalie : information sur les visas de resident temporaire (VRT) et les permis de resident temporaire (PRT) delivres aux citoyens somaliens, y compris information indiquant si les visas et permis sont apposes sur le document de voyage d'aller simple (DVAS) ou dans un passeport; les documents exiges de la part d'un citoyen somalien pour presenter une demande de VRT et de PRT (2015-septembre 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Canada and Somalia: Information on Temporary Resident Visas (TRV) and Temporary Resident Permits (TRP) issued to Somali citizens, including whether visas and permits are affixed to the Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD) or in a passport; documents required for a Somali citizen to apply for a TRV and a TRP (2015-September 2017), 5 October 2017, ZZZ105994.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa927404.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Application for a Temporary Resident Visa

In its application package for applicants in Somalia applying for a (TRV) for Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has included on its website a guide entitled Temporary Resident Visa. Nairobi Visa Office Instructions for the Following Countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan [IMM 5880 E (05-2016)] (Canada 15 Aug. 2017). The Guide, which includes a document checklist for applicants, is attached to this Response.

2. Entry to Canada

In its Guide for Transporters, which outlines Canadian immigration controls and documents required from visitors and immigrants who seek entry to Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) states that a foreign national who wishes to enter Canada as a temporary resident (visitor) must hold one of the travel documents prescribed in section 259 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), including, among others, "a passport that was issued by the country of which the foreign national is a citizen or national, that does not prohibit travel to Canada; and that the foreign national may use to enter the country of issue [IRPR Subsection 52(1) (Canada 2002)]" (Canada 9 Nov. 2016). According to the same source,

IRCC may issue a Single Journey Travel Document (SJTD) in limited circumstances to persons who are unable to obtain a prescribed travel document. The document, which is a paper form resembling the Single Journey Document for Resettlement to Canada, will always be endorsed with a Canadian visa counterfoil covered with an immigration protective seal and a photograph of the holder covered with a protective seal.

The SJTD is issued to individuals, not families. Children are not included in their parent's document, but receive their own. Individuals approved by a visa officer for temporary or permanent residence who are inadmissible due to the lack of a prescribed document and are therefore approved for temporary resident permit issuance may be issued a[n] SJTD. Because of the lack of a prescribed document under [IRPR] R259, a temporary resident permit counterfoil coded PA-1 must be affixed to the SJTD. The individual coming to Canada temporarily under a[n] SJTD must have documents valid for return to their country. (Canada 9 Nov. 2016)

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa, International Network, at IRCC explained that

[The IRCC does not] affix visa counterfoil to a Somalian passport as this is not a travel document recognized for purpose of traveling to Canada.

However, if an officer is satisfied as to bona fide of return of Somalian nationals who wish to travel to Canada, then, a TRP needs to be applied for in order to affix the same to an SJTD. The TRP is issued to enable a foreign national to travel despite a lack of a travel document as per IRP Regulations. Nonetheless however, the issuing visa office will ask to see that the person has a valid Somalia passport to cover the duration of stay in Canada and to ensure that the foreign national has a passport to return back to Somalia. Travel itinerary (flight booking) is needed for the issuance of SJTD. (Canada 12 Sept. 2017)

The Director further explained that

[t]here is no specific application kit for a TRP and no specific document required list. It is determined on a specific basis for each individual case.

To be eligible for a TRP, your need to enter or stay in Canada must outweigh the health or safety risks to Canadian society, as determined by an immigration or a border services officer. Even if the reason you are inadmissible seems minor, you must demonstrate that your visit is justified.

There is no application form to apply for an initial TRP. Applicants should submit an application for a TRV along with supporting documents to explain why they are inadmissible and why it would be justified for them to enter Canada. (Canada 12 Sept. 2017)

3. Somali Passports

According to the Director,

[a]ny passport purporting to have been issued by Somalia is not considered a travel document for the purposes of R50(1) or R52(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. We don't affix visa counterfoil to a Somalian passport as this is not travel document recognized for purpose of traveling to Canada (Canada 12 Sept. 2017)

The Director also referred to the IRCC's Operational Bulletin 190 of 12 March 2010 on Unreliable Travel Documents (Canada 12 Sept. 2017). According to the Bulletin, which includes "[a]ny passport purporting to have been issued by Somalia" on a list of unreliable travel documents,

[i]f a temporary resident application or permanent resident application is submitted with a travel document that has been designated as unreliable, the travel document requirements of R50(1) [documents required from permanent residents (Canada 2002)] or R52(1) [documents required from temporary residents (Canada 2002)] are not met and the application is not complete. The applicant should be advised to provide an acceptable travel document.

For greater clarity, unreliable travel documents must not be accepted for file creation or processing, and visa counterfoils must not be affixed to them. (Canada 12 March 2010)

The Director further added that "[u]ntil further notice, the new biometric Somali passport is not recognized for the purpose of traveling to Canada" (Canada 12 Sept. 2017).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Canada. 12 September 2017. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Correspondence from a Director to the Research Directorate.

Canada. 15 August 2017. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). "Application for Visitor Visa (Temporary Resident Visa - TRV) [Somalia]." [Accessed 19 Sept. 2017]

Canada. 9 November 2016. Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). Guide for Transporters. [Accessed 19 Sept. 2017]

Canada. 12 March 2010. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Operational Bulletin 190  March 12, 2010. Unreliable Travel Documents. [Accessed 19 Sept. 2017]

Canada. 2002 (amended on 27 June 2017). Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227). [Accessed 19 Sept. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Canada  High Commission in Kenya; Canadian Council for Refugees; VFS Global  Canada Visa Application Centre in Kenya.

Attachment

Canada. May 2016. Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Temporary Resident Visa. Nairobi Visa Office Instructions for the Following Countries: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan. [Accessed 18 Sept. 2017]
Azerbaijan: Exit procedures and documents required for citizens leaving the country; whether passports are scanned and interviews are conducted by customs officials; whether persons wanted by authorities are able to leave the country legally or without difficulty (2015-January 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 26 June 2017 Citation / Document Symbol AZE105829.E Related Document(s) Azerbaidjan : information sur les procedures de sortie et les documents que doivent presenter les citoyens qui quittent le pays; information indiquant si les autorites frontalieres scannent les passeports et tiennent des entrevues; information indiquant si les personnes recherchees par les autorites sont capables de quitter le pays legalement ou sans difficulte (2015-janvier 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Azerbaijan: Exit procedures and documents required for citizens leaving the country; whether passports are scanned and interviews are conducted by customs officials; whether persons wanted by authorities are able to leave the country legally or without difficulty (2015-January 2017), 26 June 2017, AZE105829.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa928ad4.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview of Right to Entry and Exit

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office in Baku stated that "[e]ach citizen of the Azerbaijan Republic has the right to free exit from the country and entry into the country through the check-points" (IOM 21 June 2017). Articles 9.1 and 9.2 of the Migration Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan provide the following:

9.1 Every citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan (hereinafter referred to as the citizen) is entitled the right to free entry to or exit from the country, by crossing the border checkpoints of the country.

9.2 No citizen may be deprived from the right to entry to and exit from the country. (Azerbaijan 2013)

2. Exit Procedures

Articles 10, 11, and 12 of the Migration Code provide the following:

Article 10 Enforcement of the right of a citizen to entry and to exit from the country

10.1 The right of a citizen to entry to and exit from the country is implemented through the passport of the citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Issuance of the passport is regulated by an applicable law.

10.2 The right of a citizen working as a seaman at ships registered in the Republic of Azerbaijan and being used for the navigation purpose to entry to and exit from the country is implemented through the identification card of the seaman. Citizen [sic.], who individually exit from the country with the aim to reach to the ship where they work at, shall present together with the identification card of the seaman, the document certifying the existence of the seamen within a crew (an extraction from the designed registry of the ship) while crossing a border checkpoint. Issuance of the identification card of a seaman is regulated by an applicable law.

10.3 The right of a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who lost his/her passport abroad, whose passport is stolen or whose passport becomes useless, whose passports are invalid due to the end of the expiry date, and his/her child who is a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan and returns back to the Republic of Azerbaijan, who is under the age of 18 or who reached the age of 18 abroad, to entry to the Republic of Azerbaijan is implemented through an exit certificate to the Republic of Azerbaijan. Issuance of the exit certificate to the Republic of Azerbaijan is regulated by a pertinent law.

Article 11 Exit of a minor citizen from the country

11.1 Except the cases set forth in Article 11.2 of this Code, a minor citizen may exit from the country with his/her parents, adopter, guardian or custodian.

11.2 When the minor citizen exits from the country together with one of his/her parents, a written permission of the other parent, approved by a notary office shall be required. When the minor citizen exits from the country by yourself [sic.], written permission of his/her parents approved by a notary office shall be required. If the minor citizen is parentless, a written permission of his/her guardian or custodian, approved by a notary office, shall be required. If any of those persons does not give his/her permission, the exit of the minor citizen shall be decided through a court rule.

11.3 If there is the certificate of death of one of the parents of the minor citizen, a court ruling on the declaration of one of the parents as a dead or missing person or on deprivation of his/her from parenthood, or a certificate approving that the data on the father included in the record of the birth certificate granted by the competent executive authority were written on the instructions of the mother, the written permission of the other parent shall not be required. The minor citizen presenting the written permission of his/her other parent in addition to the mentioned documents, may exit from the Republic of Azerbaijan.

11.4 A minor who is a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, adopted by foreigners or stateless persons, may only exit from the country in the order set forth by the applicable laws and regulations, by presenting the court ruling on his/her adoption, entered into force, and the certificate on adoption.

11.5 The parents, adopters, guardians or custodians of the minor citizen who exists from the Republic of Azerbaijan are liable for his/her life and health, and for protection of his/her rights and legal interests abroad.

11.6 When minor citizens exit from the country in a team form, without accompaniment of their parents, adopters, guardians or custodians, the leader of that team shall be liable for executing of the obligations of a legal representative.

Article 12 Exit of an incapable citizen

A citizen whose incapability is certified on the basis of an application by the parents, adopters, guardians or custodians approved by a notary office, may exit from the country with accompaniment of another adult person. (Azerbaijan 2013)

The IOM representative indicated that

[t]he passport is issued to persons having reached 18 in an order envisaged by the legislation, and in exceptional cases to citizens of the Azerbaijan Republic [who are] under the age of 18 and going abroad for [education], participation in international events, or medical treatment. The same rules/procedures apply for all entry/exits (by land, air, or sea). (IOM 21 June 2017)

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Ottawa stated that "[a] valid passport and required documents (i.e. visa) by receiving country are required. The required documents do not differ depending on type [(land, sea, or air)] of travel" (Azerbaijan 16 June 2017).

2.1 Whether Passports are Scanned and Interviews Conducted

The embassy representative indicated that "[a]ll passports are swiped by border guards upon exit" (Azerbaijan 16 June 2017). The representative further indicated that interviews are not generally conducted for citizens exiting the country, "but interviews could be held under specific circumstances (i.e. suspicious acts or items, flagged persons, etc.)" (Azerbaijan 16 June 2017). The IOM representative stated that

[n]ormally, no interview is conducted by officials [for citizens] leaving the country, only in suspicious cases or if the individual [did not] declare the cash excessed amount or permitted quantity of jewelry, etc. According to the rules of Central Bank of Azerbaijan Republic, residents may export hard currency in an amount up to the equivalent of USD 10,000 [approximately 17,000 Azerbaijani New Manat] without any documentation, except a declaration to the customs authorities. (IOM 21 June 2017)

3. Entry and Exit Registration Systems in Azerbaijan

The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) [1] reports that "all those who exit and enter Azerbaijan are registered through [the Entry-Exit and Registration Interagency Automated Information Search System (IAMAS)]" (ICMPD Oct. 2016, 22). The IOM representative similarly stated that "[d]ata related to the entry and exit of all citizens is always stored at Interagency Automated Information-Retrieval System by State Border Service. These procedures cover all citizens regardless of their passport type" (IOM 21 June 2017).

ICMPD further reports that IAMAS is operated by the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SBS) at airports and border crossings and that it

stores data and biometric information on both Azerbaijani and foreign nationals, and [has] several sub-systems on various areas such as national identity cards, passports, visas, residence permits, registration of vehicles, border alert lists, INTERPOL alerts, etc. (ICMPD Oct. 2016, 16)

A 2012 article published on ABC.AZ, an Azerbaijani business information and news portal (ABC.AZ n.d.), indicates that

IAMAS infrastructure covers state bodies connected to it, departments on registration and issuance of IDs by police bodies, structure conducting registration on domiciliary, regional passport centers of police bodies, border control points, Azerbaijan's diplomatic representative bodies and councils. (ABC.NZ 16 Jan. 2012)

The same source further explains the functioning of IAMAS as follows:

Through IAMAS one can arrange, check and analyze IDs, passports, visas and other documents in electronic form, provided by the system charter, through entrance of private information about citizens, their biometric data, marital status, etc. on special forms, the automatic record of which is conducted by "Accounting form" resource.

Private information about citizens, recorded in forms, is sent to IAMAS's local server and then transferred to the complex of central servers.

The image of citizens' faces and other biometric information provided by legislation is received through stationary or mobile scanners of IAMAS. The faces are identified on the basis of biometric information included in "Azerbaijani Republic citizens" resource on individual identification numbers in IAMAS which is also integrated with State registry of Azerbaijani population and "Electronic Health Card" system which enables automatic check of information accuracy.

The information not presented in application form but required for ID reception is taken in electronic form (synchronized) from information systems connected to IAMAS and included in Azerbaijani citizens registry. (ABC.AZ 16 Jan. 2012)

Article 9.6 of the Migration Code provides the following:

9.6 Information on the citizens whose right to entry to and exit from the country is restricted shall be included in restriction registries of automatized information and research system and the active status of the information shall be changed if pertinent grounds are eliminated. (Azerbaijan 2013)

3.1 Registration of Citizens Living Abroad

The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan indicates that one of the ministry's "main duties" in relation to migration is "to keep the register of Azerbaijani citizens who live in foreign countries on a permanent or temporary basis" (Azerbaijan 26 Feb. 2013). Article 13 of the Migration Code provides the following:

Article 13 Registration of citizens who exit from the country to reside abroad temporarily or permanently by consular offices

13.1 Citizens who exit from the country to reside abroad temporarily or permanently are registered with the pertinent consular office of the Republic of Azerbaijan abroad through the Interoffice Automatized Information and Research System for Entry/Exit and Registration. The citizens residing in the foreign countries (territories) where there are not any consular offices of the Republic of Azerbaijan may provide information on their places of residence electronically to pertinent executive authorities.

13.2 When the citizens annul their registrations on their place of residence abroad and return back to the Republic of Azerbaijan, they shall be excluded from the registry by the consular office of the Republic of Azerbaijan abroad through the Interoffice Automatized Information and Research System for Entry/Exit and Registration. (Azerbaijan 2013)

4. Restrictions on the Right of Citizens of Azerbaijan to Exit the Country

Article 9.3 of the Migration Code provides the following:

9.3 The right of the citizen to exit from the country may only be restricted temporarily in the following cases:

9.3.1 If the citizen is arrested in compliance with the Criminal Procedural Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan or if any sanction is chosen about him/her, until his/her release, the termination date of the sanction or the termination of the sanction;

9.3.2 If the citizen is imprisoned, until his/her release from serving the main punishment determined in compliance with the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan or his/her release from the punishment excluding the case set forth in Article 9.3.4 of this Code;

9.3.3 If medical obligatory measures are chosen about him/her in compliance with the Criminal procedural Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, until the termination of application of the medical obligatory measures;

9.3.4 If s/he is sentenced provisionally, by charging him/her with the obligations set forth in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan or if s/he is released from serving his/her punishment provisionally earlier, respectively until the termination of the probation period or non-served part of the punishment, or until earlier and complete termination of the provisional sentencing or the charged obligations;

9.3.5 If he is recruited for limited compulsory military service, during the period of the limited compulsory military service or until being released from that service in compliance with the applicable laws;

9.3.6 If there is a court ruling on limited temporary restriction of the citizen to exit from the country due to the reason of non-execution of the executive document granted on the basis of a court ruling timely and without any justification, until a decision is made on the elimination of the restriction

9.3.7 According to international medical sanitary rules or the international agreements, during entry/exit to the countries where prophylactic vaccination is required - until implementation of the prophylactic vaccination. (Azerbaijan 2013)

An article about Azerbaijani reporters being prevented from leaving the country, published by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), cites lawyer Alaskar Mammadli as stating that suspects in investigations can be banned from leaving the country, but not those who are "liable to be called as witnesses" (IWPR 13 Jul. 2015). Meydan TV, "a non-profit digital media platform delivering independent news to Azerbaijan" (Meydan TV 13 Apr. 2017), that is based in Berlin (FP 18 Oct. 2016), similarly reports that "according to the law, witnesses in criminal cases cannot be banned from leaving" (Meydan TV 7 Mar. 2017).

Without providing further detail, the same source cites lawyer Fariz Namazli as indicating that entrepreneurs owing taxes can also be prevented from travelling abroad, but that in some cases, they can "attain the right to leave the country by going through the necessary procedures" (Meydan TV 7 Mar. 2017). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5. Whether Persons Wanted by Authorities Can Exit the Country

The IOM representative indicated that "[i]f the citizen is on the wanted list of authorities, [it is] most [likely that] he/she will not be able to leave the country. Certainly, [the citizen's] exit will be suspended/stopped by the system (i.e. Automated Information-Retrieval System)" (IOM 21 June 2016).

5.1 Reports of Persons Prevented from Exiting Azerbaijan

5.1.1 Persons Wanted by Authorities

Turan Information Agency, a news agency in Azerbaijan, citing an SBS press release, reports that the border service "detained 391 people declared wanted by passing them to the authorities" during the month of February 2016 (Turan Information Agency 14 Mar. 2016). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Azeri-Press Agency (APA), "an independent, private information agency" (APA n.d.), reports that in March 2017, Elgun Ismail Necat, an Azerbaijani citizen wanted by Interpol was apprehended by the SBS after he tried to illegally cross the border into Georgia (APA 22 Mar. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5.1.2 Persons Involved in Ongoing Investigations

Human Rights Watch reports that from August 2015 to January 2016, activist "Nigar N." was not allowed to travel abroad while the prosecutor's office conducted an investigation into charges of illegal entrepreneurship and tax evasion concerning an organization she directed (Human Rights Watch 20 Oct. 2016, 43).

The same source reports that in April 2016, authorities opened a criminal investigation into Meydan TV (Human Rights Watch 20 Oct. 2016, 53). Sources further report that "at least seven" Meydan TV journalists (Human Rights Watch 20 Oct. 2016, 53), or "at least 15 freelance journalists who filed material with Meydan TV" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 26) were prevented from travelling abroad (Human Rights Watch 20 Oct. 2016, 53; US 3 Mar. 2017, 26). An article by openDemocracy, a non-profit "independent global media platform" (openDemocracy n.d.), reports that three journalists affiliated with Meydan TV, Sevinj Vagifqizi, Aytan Farhadova, and Izolda Aghaeva, were detained at the airport in Baku in September 2015 and informed that they were banned from leaving the country (openDemocracy 27 Sept. 2016). The same source cites Vagifqizi as noting that the travel ban was instituted because they had been called as witnesses in a criminal case against Meydan TV, and reports that another reporter, Natig Javadly, was also informed he was banned from travelling abroad when has was called as a witness in the same case (openDemocracy 27 Sept. 2016). A March 2017 Meydan TV article reports that 15 journalists were currently restricted from travelling abroad due to being witnesses in criminal cases (Meydan TV 7 Mar. 2017).

The openDemocracy article reports that a journalist subject to a travel ban, Guler Mehdizade, attempted to test the ban by crossing the Azerbaijan-Georgia border on 13 February 2016, but was turned back at the border (openDemocracy 27 Sept. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5.1.3 Persons with Suspended Sentences

The United States Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016 reports that "[c]itizens charged with or convicted of criminal offenses but given suspended sentences were also not permitted to travel abroad" (US 3 Mar. 2017, 26). Amnesty International reports that human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev was "unable to travel abroad without a special permission" after being given a five-year suspended sentence in March 2016 (Amnesty International 16 June 2016, 2). The Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS), an NGO in Azerbaijan that "is committed to unlimited access to a diverse and independent news media" (IRFS 18 Dec. 2012), reports that while under an international travel ban after having his sentence suspended, Aliyev received permission to travel abroad for a ten day period in June 2016 (IRFS 5 June 2016).

Sources report that journalist Khadija Ismayilova was given a five-year travel ban in May 2016 following a suspension of her sentence (The Guardian 25 May 2016; Amnesty International 16 June 2016, 3; IRFS 8 Dec. 2016).

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) reports that on 11 March 2016, the Court of Appeals in Baku ruled that two human rights activists, Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus, were not permitted to travel to Germany to seek medical treatment due to having suspended prison terms (RFE/RL 11 Mar. 2016). The same source indicates in an April 2016 article, however, that the two activists were later permitted by authorities to travel to the Netherlands (RFE/RL 20 Apr. 2016). Human Rights Watch reports that the two were allowed to leave after their health deteriorated while in prison (Human Rights Watch 20 Oct. 2016, 46).

Human Rights Watch also reports that a suspended sentence on drug charges issued in April 2016 for Nazim Agabeyov, brother-in-law of the founder of Meydan TV Emin Milli, included a travel ban (Human Rights Watch 20 Oct. 2016, 52). The US Country Reports for 2016 similarly indicates that "Emin Milli's brother-in-law Nazim Agabeyov" was prevented from travelling outside of Azerbaijan (US 3 Mar. 2017, 26).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is "an international organisation with 15 Member States (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland)." It receives funding from its "Member States, the European Commission, the UN and other multilateral institutions, as well as bilateral donors" and holds UN observer status. Its purpose is "to promote innovative, comprehensive and sustainable migration policies and to function as a service exchange mechanism for governments and organisations" (ICMPD n.d.).

References

ABC.AZ. 16 January 2012. "Azerbaijan Approved the Rules of Organizing 'Entrance-Departure and Registration' System Operation." [Accessed 9 June 2017]

ABC.AZ. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Amnesty International. 16 June 2016. "'Revolving Doors': The Ongoing Persecution of Government Critics in Azerbaijan." EUR 55/4268/2016. [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Azeri-Press Agency (APA). 22 March 2017. "Azerbaijani Citizen Wanted by Interpol for Serious Crime Detained." [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Azeri-Press Agency (APA). N.d. "About Company." [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Azerbaijan. 16 June 2017. Embassy of Azerbaijan in Canada. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Azerbaijan. 2013. The Migration Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. [Accessed 13 June 2016)

Azerbaijan. 26 February 2013. Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Migration." [Accessed 8 June 2017]

Foreign Policy (FP). 18 October 2016. Dan Peleschuk. "The Case for Outcast Media." [Accessed 21 June 2017]

The Guardian. 25 May 2016. Shaun Walker. "Investigative Journalist Khadija Ismayilova Freed in Azerbaijan." [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Human Rights Watch. 20 October 2016. "Harassed, Imprisoned, Exiled. Azerbaijan's Continuing Crackdown on Government Critics, Lawyers, and Civil Society." [Accessed 21 June 2017]

International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). October 2016. Assessment Report: Review of Legal and Labour Migration Mechanisms in the Republic of Azerbaijan. [Accessed 13 June 2017]

International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 13 June 2017]

International Organization for Migration (IOM). 21 June 2017. Baku Office. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS). 8 December 2016. "Journalist Khadija Ismayilova Remains Under Travel Ban." [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS). 5 June 2016. "Human Rights Defender Intigam Aliyev Allowed to Leave Country." [Accessed 16 June 2016]

Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS). 18 December 2012. "Vision/Mission/Strategy." [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). 13 July 2015. Afgan Mukhtarli. "Azerbaijani Reporters Stopped at Border." CRS Issue 783. [Accessed 8 June 2017]

Meydan TV. 13 April 2017. "Meydan TV is Looking for Adminsitrative and Financial Officer." [Accessed 21 June 2017]

Meydan TV. 7 March 2017. "What Does it Mean to Be on the Azerbaijani Government's Bad Side?" [Accessed 15 June 2017]

openDemocracy. 27 September 2016. Gulnar Salimova. "Forced Limbo: How Azerbaijan Prevents Journalists From Leaving the Country." [Accessed 8 June 2017]

openDemocracy. N.d. "What is openDemocracy?" [Accessed 15 June 2017]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 20 April 2016. "Prominent Azerbaijani Human Rights Defenders Allowed to Leave Country." [Accessed 8 June 2017]

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). 11 March 2016. "Prominent Azerbaijani Rights Activists not Allowed to Leave Country." [Accessed 22 June 2017]

Turan Information Agency. 14 March 2016. "State Border Service Reveals 391 Wanted." (Factiva) [Accessed 16 June 2017]

United States (US). 3 March 2017. Department of State. "Azerbaijan." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016. [Accessed 16 June 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Azerbaijan  Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Border Service, State Customs Committee, State Migration Service; BBC; ecoi.net; Factiva; Heydar Aliyev International Airport; International Organization for Migration  office in Baku; Reuters; UN  Refworld.
Sri Lanka: Information on the ability of notaries public, lawyers or commissioners of oaths to notarize a document in which the deponent is stating that they aided an individual, who was wanted by the authorities, in fleeing the country; whether the notary, lawyer or commissioner of oaths has any legal obligations when issuing such an affidavit, including notifying the authorities (2016-July 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 20 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol LKA105842.E Related Document(s) Sri Lanka : information sur la capacite des notaires publics, des avocats ou des commissaires a l'assermentation de certifier un document dans lequel un declarant affirme avoir aide une personne recherchee par les autorites a fuir le pays; information indiquant si le notaire, l'avocat ou le commissaire a l'assermentation est assujetti a des obligations juridiques lorsqu'il delivre un tel affidavit, y compris celle d'aviser les autorites (2016-juillet 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Information on the ability of notaries public, lawyers or commissioners of oaths to notarize a document in which the deponent is stating that they aided an individual, who was wanted by the authorities, in fleeing the country; whether the notary, lawyer or commissioner of oaths has any legal obligations when issuing such an affidavit, including notifying the authorities (2016-July 2017), 20 July 2017, LKA105842.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa92aa37.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

Information on the ability of notaries public, lawyers or commissioners of oaths to notarize documents in which the deponent is admitting to having committed an offense, was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an associate with a Colombo-based law firm that practices litigation and dispute resolution, among others, stated that an individual is able to "obtain a duly executed affidavit where the deponent expresses guilt or admits to having committed an offence, but it will not amount to a confession under Sri Lankan law" (Associate 13 July 2017). Further and corroborating information, including requirements and procedures to obtain such an affidavit, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to the Associate,

[a]dmitting the commission of an offence would be tantamount to a confession. As per the criminal procedure code of Sri Lanka, at any time before an inquiry or trial the magistrate may record a confession. This is not in the format of an affidavit but a statement recorded after having reason to believe that it is made voluntarily. Once the statement is recorded the magistrate will make a memorandum at the foot of such record to the effect that it was made voluntarily in his presence and was read over to the person making the statement. (Associate 13 July 2017)

Article 127 of the Sri Lankan Code of Criminal Procedure, on the "[p]ower to record statements and confessions," provides the following:

127.

Any Magistrate may record any statement made to him at any time before the commencement of any inquiry or trial. Such statement shall be recorded and signed in the manner provided in section 277 and dated, and shall then be forwarded to the Magistrate's Court by which the case is to be inquired into or tried. A Magistrate shall not record any such statement being a confession unless upon questioning the person making it he has reason to believe that it was made voluntarily, and when he records any such statement he shall make a memorandum at the foot of such record to the following effect:

I believe that this statement was voluntarily made. It was taken in my presence and hearing and was read over by me to the person making it and admitted by him to be correct, and it contains accurately the whole of the statement made by him.

(Signed) A. B.

Magistrate of the Magistrate's Court. (Sri Lanka 1979)

Section 17 of the Evidence Ordinance provides the following definitions of an admission and a confession:

17.

An admission is a statement, oral or documentary, which suggests any inference as to any fact in issue or relevant fact, and which is made by any of the persons and under the circumstances hereinafter mentioned. A confession is an admission made at any time by a person accused of an offence stating or suggesting the inference that he committed that offence. (Sri Lanka 1896)

Information on legal obligations, including notifying the authorities when issuing an affidavit where the deponent is admitting to having committed an offense, was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Without providing further detail, the Associate stated that

[g]enerally, lawyers are also commissioners for oaths having authority to administer oaths and affirmations. As per the professional ethics of lawyers in Sri Lanka, a lawyer has a duty to keep in strict confidence all information obtained from a client. However, there are certain exceptions to this rule and a lawyer may disclose confidential information, such as where the circumstances give rise to a public duty of disclosure. (Associate 13 July 2017)

A chapter authored by Avindra Rodrigo, a lawyer at the Colombo-based law firm F.J. & G. de Saram, in a 2014 document produced by Lex Mundi, a network of independent law firms in 100 countries, entitled In-House Counsel and the Attorney-Client Privilege Global Practice Guide, states the following:

Under the Sri Lankan jurisdiction, communications between [a]ttorneys-at-[l]aw and their clients ("professional communications") are privileged, subject to certain limitations set out in the law. In terms of the Supreme Court (Conduct and Etiquette for Attorneys-at-Law) Rules of Sri Lanka, an [a]ttorney-at-[l]aw has a duty to keep in strict confidence all information whether oral or documentary, acquired by him from or on behalf of his client, in any matter in respect of the business and affairs of his client, ("[c]onfidential [i]nformation"). (Rodrigo 2014, 62)

The same source further states the following:

In respect of limitations to the aforesaid privilege on [c]onfidential [i]nformation, the Supreme Court Rules specify that subject to any written law, an [a]ttorney-at-[l]aw may disclose [c]onfidential [i]nformation:

if it is expressly or impliedly authorized by his client in writing or in the event of the death of his client, by the legal representative of the client (provided however, he should be careful to disclose  only [c]onfidential [i]nformation as is necessary in the circumstances and no more); in order to defend himself, his associates or employees, against any allegation of misconduct or malpractice made by his client; to prevent the commission of a crime, fraud or illegal act; in the case of joint retainer or where the client has a joint retainer or others having a joint interest with the client, as the case may be.

Further, the Evidence Ordinance stipulates that the privilege relating to Confidential Information shall not be applicable for:

any communication made in furtherance of any illegal purpose; any fact observed by such [a]ttorney-at-[l]aw in the course of his employment showing that any crime or fraud has been committed since the commencement of his employment.

In practice, it is recognized that there are exceptional circumstances in which professional communications may be disclosed by an [a]ttorney-at-[l]aw, such as:

when disclosure is required by law or by order of a court of a competent jurisdiction, provided that only such information as is required is divulged; the [a]ttorney's professional interests require it; the circumstances give rise to a public duty of disclosure; and / or where the information becomes public knowledge. (Rodrigo 2014, 62-63)

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Associate, Colombo-based law firm. 13 July 2017. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Rodrigo, Avindra. 2014. Lex Mundi. "Sri Lanka." In-House Counsel and the Attorney-Client Privilege Global Practice Guide. [Accessed 14 July 2017]

Sri Lanka. 1979. Code of Criminal Procedure. [Accessed 17 July 2017]

Sri Lanka. 1896. Evidence Ordinance. [Accessed 12 July 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Two Colombo-based law firms.

Internet sites, including: Blackhall Publishing  Laws of Sri Lanka; ecoi.net; Factiva; United Nations  Refworld.
Sri Lanka: Fraudulent documents, including national identity cards, registers of birth and birth certificates; difference between registers of birth and birth certificates (2015-July 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 28 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol LKA105848.E Related Document(s) Sri Lanka : information sur les documents frauduleux, y compris les cartes d'identite nationale, les enregistrements de naissance et les certificats de naissance; la difference entre les enregistrements de naissance et les certificats de naissance (2015-juillet 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Fraudulent documents, including national identity cards, registers of birth and birth certificates; difference between registers of birth and birth certificates (2015-July 2017), 28 July 2017, LKA105848.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa92ba34.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Fraudulent Documents

A 2017 country information report on Sri Lanka prepared by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) states the following:

[D]ocument fraud is prevalent in Sri Lanka. Most official records in Sri Lanka continue to be kept in hard-copy format: government departments lack computerized information databases. Genuine identity documents can be obtained by submitting fraudulent supporting documents. Counterfeit documents are the primary cause of fraud within the issuance process for the NIC [national identity card], passport or driver's license. (Australia 24 Jan. 2017, 37)

The Trafficking in Persons Report 2017 by the US Department of State indicates that in Sri Lanka, "[s]ome sub-agents reportedly worked with officials to procure forged or modified documents, or genuine documents with falsified data, to facilitate travel abroad" (US June 2017, 370).

Sources dated May 2016 report that the Sri Lankan police raided a fake Government Agent's office (kachcheri) [1] that was producing birth certificates and NICs in Colombo (Daily News 17 May 2016; Sunday Times 22 May 2016). A 2016 article by the Daily News, an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka, reports that the documents issued by this fake kachcheri "bear the signature of the Assistant Registrar with official, authentic original seals affixed to [them]" (Daily News 17 May 2016).

An article published on the Sri Lanka Navy's website reports that a raid was carried out in September 2016 by the "naval personnel  in coordination with [the] Galle police" against a site "producing forged documents close to the Galle [a city located about 100 kilometres south of Colombo (OWHC n.d.)] Lighthouse" (Sri Lanka [2016]). The same source indicates that among the seized material, there were "1 incomplete national identity card [and] 31 birth certificates" (Sri Lanka [2016]).

An article published in October 2016 by the Daily Mirror, an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka, reports that in Borella ["the largest suburb in Colombo" (Lakpura LLC n.d.)], the police seized forged documents, including birth certificates in a house (Daily Mirror 21 Oct. 2016). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In an article published in November 2015, the same source cites Dr. Sumithra Tissera, "Director (Medical) of the Family Planning Association (FPA) Sri Lanka," as stating that "some parents go so far as to create false birth certificates to show their children have reached the minimum legal age for marriage" (Daily Mirror 18 Nov. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The Trafficking in Persons Report 2017 indicates that the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Employment "reported it investigated 18 officials for allegedly creating fraudulent documents to provide workers employment abroad and referred six of the cases to the police for further investigations" (US June 2017, 370). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. National Identity Card

Security Document World (SDW), a "web-based news portal dedicated to providing [] information for all those involved in purchasing, designing, manufacturing and integrating security-document and human identity centred solutions" (SDW n.d.) indicates in an article published on its website in 2016 that "Sri Lankan officials confirmed that new National Identity Cards will be issued to all before the end of 2017" (SDW 6 Oct. 2016). According to a 2017 article published by the Sunday Times, a weekly newspaper in Sri Lanka, the "issue of new identity cards was delayed" due to "irregularities" in the bidding process (Sunday Times 12 Feb. 2017). The same source states that the Department for the Registration of Persons (DRP) is working to issue electronic NICs that will have "modern technological features" (Sunday Times 12 Feb. 2017). Similarly, according to an article published on BiometricUpdate.com, a website that "publishes news, analysis and research about the global biometrics market" (BiometricUpdate.com n.d.), the Sri Lankan new electronic ID "will have security features that prevent tampering, counterfeiting and forgery, including the person's photograph, biographical data, fingerprints and blood type" (BiometricUpdate.com 6 Apr. 2017).

3. Difference between Registers of Birth and Birth Certificates

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa explained that a register of birth is the same as a birth certificate and that there is one name for that document in Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka 17 July 2017). The same source further explained that the name of the document is translated to "register of birth" or "birth certificate" in English (Sri Lanka 17 July 2017).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] A 2007 report entitled State Structure in Sri Lanka, published by the Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM), "the competence centre for global labour mobility in the international cooperation activities of the German Government" (Germany n.d.), indicates that "[a] powerful District Secretary, commonly still referred to as Government Agent, heads the District Secretariat - also called Kachcheri [in Sri Lanka] [and that] District Secretaries thus derive their power directly from the Central Government" (Germany March 2007).

References

Australia. 24 January 2017. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). "Sri Lanka." DFAT Country Information Report. [Accessed 19 July 2017]

BiometricUpdate.com. 6 April 2017. Justin Lee. "Sri Lanka Implements New Biometrics Enrollment Process for eID Cards." [Accessed 19 July 2017]

BiometricUpdate.com. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 20 July 2017]

Daily Mirror. 21 October 2016. Muditha Dayananada. "Forged Documents, Seals Recovered from House at Ward Place." [Accessed 19 July 2017]

Daily Mirror. 18 November 2015. "Horrors of Teenage Pregnancy." (Factiva) [Accessed 18 July 2017]

Daily News. 17 May 2016. Ridma Dissanayake. "Fake Kachcheri, a Stones Throw from SC Complex." [Accessed 20 July 2017]

Germany. March 2007. Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM). Claus Kruse. State Structure in Sri Lanka. [Accessed 25 July 2017]

Germany. N.d. Centre for International Migration and Development (CIM). "CIM Profile." [Accessed 25 July 2017]

Lakpura LLC. N.d. "Borella, Sri Lanka." [Accessed 21 July 2017]

Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC). N.d. "Galle, Sri Lanka." [Accessed 21 July 2017]

Security Document World (SDW). 6 October 2016. "Sri Lanka Planning National Digital Identity Scheme: Report." [Accessed 20 July 2017]

Security Document World (SDW). N.d. "About Us/Contact Us." [Accessed 20 July 2017]

Sri Lanka. 17 July 2017. High Commission in Ottawa. Telephone interview with a representative.

Sri Lanka. [2016]. Sri Lanka Navy. "Two Held on Charge of Making Fake Documents." [Accessed July 2017]

Sunday Times. 12 February 2017. Bandula Sirimanna. "Tender Bend Straightens with Issue of Temporary NICs." [Accessed 19 Jyly 2017]

Sunday Times. 22 May 2016. "Busting of Fake Kachcheri at Hulftsdorp Turning out NICs Raises Many Questions." [Accessed 19 July 2017]

United States (US). June 2017. Department of State. "Sri Lanka." Trafficking in Persons Report 2017. [Accessed 19 July 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: International Organization for Migration Sri Lanka; Scholar working on human trafficking in Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka  Governement Information Center, Sri Lanka Police (Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau and Public Relations & Media Co-ordination Division).

Internet sites, including: Ceylon Today; Colombo Telegraph; International Organization for Migration Sri Lanka; INTERPOL; IRIN; The Island; The Nation; Sri Lanka  Governement Information Center, Sri Lanka Police; The Sunday Leader; Sunday Observer; UK  Home Office; UN  United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Sri Lanka: entry and exit procedures at international airports, including security screening and documents required for citizens to enter and leave the country; treatment of returnees upon arrival at international airports, including failed asylum seekers and people who exited the country illegally; factors affecting the treatment, including ethnicity and religion (2015-November 2017)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Entry and exit procedures at international airports

According to Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd., a "government owned company with statutory powers to manage and develop civil airports in Sri Lanka" (n.d.a), there are three international airports servicing Sri Lanka: Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) [1], Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) [2], and Ratmalana International Airport in Colombo [3] (Airport & Aviation Services [Sri Lanka] Ltd. n.d.b).

According to a 2017 Country Information Report on Sri Lanka by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), "Sri Lanka's Constitution entitles any citizen to 'the freedom to return to Sri Lanka'" (Australia 24 Jan. 2017, 33). A report on a fact finding mission conducted by the United Kingdom Home Office from July 11 to July 23 2016 on the treatment of people associated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) states that , according to an interview with an official from Rights Now, a non-governmental organization that deals with human rights litigation and advocacy, passports are presented upon entry to an immigration official for a physical check, and then scanned "on an electronic system" (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 9). Citing the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the report further explains that by law, Sri Lankan nationals are able to enter the country without a passport, so long as they can prove Sri Lankan nationality, such as by providing a National Identity Card or birth certificate (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 68). The same report also cites a source at Bandaranaike Airport as indicating that those travelling to Sri Lanka are required to at least have an "Emergency Travel Document or ID, the most important thing is to establish whether they are of Sri Lankan nationality" (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 98).

Article 34 of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act of 1949, amended in 2006, provides the following: "No person to whom this Part [of the law] applies shall leave Sri Lanka from any place other than an approved port of departure" (Sri Lanka 1949). Article 35 (a) provides the following: "No person to whom this Part applies shall - if he is a citizen of Sri Lanka, leave Sri Lanka unless he has in his possession a Sri Lanka passport" (Sri Lanka 1949).

According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015, the Sri Lankan government did not "forcibly exile any citizens abroad," but did allow those citizens "under threat from the government to leave the country through self-exile, unless they were charged with criminal or civil violations" (US 13 Apr. 2016, 22). The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment indicates that, if a citizen leaves Sri Lanka for the purpose of foreign employment, they must register with the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment prior to departure and pay a registration fee that is valid for two years with the same employer (Sri Lanka n.d).

1.1 Security screening at airports

According to Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd., departing passengers are processed as follows:

A first identification of passengers shall be carried out by Airport Security Department (ASD) staff at the entrance to the passenger terminal building on production of valid airline ticket documentation.

A second identification shall be carried out by ASD staff at the entrance to the check-in counter area on production of valid airline ticket documentation.

A third identification shall be carried out by Sri Lankan Airlines handling agent staff at the check-in counters on production of valid travel documentation (i.e. airline tickets together with passport and any necessary visas).

A fourth identification shall be carried out by Department of Immigration and Emigration staff and agents of the Directorate of Internal Intelligence for the purposes of establishing the bona fides of passengers.

A fifth identification shall be carried out by ASD staff at the pre-boarding passenger and cabin baggage screening checkpoint on production of a valid boarding card.

Final passenger identification shall be carried out by Sri Lanka Airlines handling agent staff or the staff of the relevant aircraft operator at the departure gate as part of the passenger / hold baggage reconciliation process on production of a valid boarding card and passport or other identity document containing a visual image of the holder. (Airport & Aviation Services [Sri Lanka] Ltd. n.d.c)

Citing their interview with the official from Rights Now, the UK Home Office report states that "the NGO believes that [a 'stop list'] is connected to the electronic passport checking system" and that former LTTE members "may be on a watch list" (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 9-10). In the same report, a Home Office interview with a source at Bandaranaike International Airport indicates that the airport "maintains a list of persons-of-interest by law enforcement agencies that have violated Sri Lankan law" and transfers Sri Lankans nationals to law enforcement without detaining anyone themselves (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 98). According to the 2017 Country Information Report by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), citing "expert testimony provided to a hearing of the UK's Upper Tribunal on Immigration and Asylum,"

'Stop' lists include names of those individuals that have an extant court order, arrest warrant or order to impound their Sri Lankan passport. 'Watch' lists include names of those individuals that the Sri Lankan security services consider to be of interest, including due to separatist or criminal activities. Those on a watch list are not likely to be detained, although there have been some media reports claiming that individuals, mostly Tamils, travelling from the United Kingdom have been detained on arrival at the airport. DFAT has not been able to verify these reports but notes that those on a watch list are likely to be monitored (Australia 24 Jan. 2017, 15).

2. Treatment of returnees upon arrival

According to the Australian DFAT Country Report, under Sections 34 and 45(1) (b) of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act of 1949 "it is an offence to depart other than via an approved port of departure, such as a seaport or airport. Penalties for leaving Sri Lanka illegally can include imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to 200,000 Sri Lankan rupees [C$1,631]" (Australia 24 Jan. 2017, 33). The Immigrants and Emigrants Act of 1949, amended in 2006, is attached to this response.

A country information report by the Swiss Refugee Council, a politically non-partisan independent umbrella organization of recognised refugee relief organisations (Swiss Refugee Council n.d.), based on information from local contacts in Sri Lanka indicates that [translation] "any person returning with a temporary travel document [4] will always be detained, interrogated and thoroughly checked by Sri Lankan authorities"(Swiss Refugee Council 16 June 2015, 15). The report explains that, according to representatives from a diplomatic mission and from an unnamed international organisation in Sri Lanka, a temporary document suggests to authorities that the subject departed from the country illegally (Swiss Refugee Council 16 June 2015, 15).

The UK Home Office Fact Finding Mission Report, states that according to a peacebuilding and human rights organization, "anyone returning from abroad after failing to obtain asylum would be questioned harshly," but that, without providing further detail, the situation has improved for returnees as the Sri Lankan government "know[s] that [other] countries are monitoring the situation" (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 47-48). In the same report, the Jaffna Press Club, an organisation which protects and promotes media freedom in Jaffna, is cited as stating that there have been cases of persons formerly involved in demonstrations being arrested at the airport or their homes upon their return to Sri Lanka, without providing further detail, (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 21). The report further states that, according to Catholic Bishop Emanuel, a Tamil community leader, the Sri Lankan military will "keep a watch on [the houses and family] remaining in Sri Lanka" of people associated with the LTTE who have "committed a serious crime" (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 32-33).

The Australian DFAT Country Report states that

[u]pon arrival in Sri Lanka, involuntary returnees, including those on charter flights from Australia, are processed by different agencies, including the Department of Immigration and Emigration, the State Intelligence Service and the Criminal Investigation Department. These agencies check travel documents and identity information against the immigration databases, intelligence databases and the records of outstanding criminal matters. Officers of the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) based in Colombo may meet charter flights carrying involuntary returnees. DIBP has observed that processing returnees at the airport can take several hours, primarily due to the administrative processes, interview lengths, and staffing constraints at the airport. Returnees are also processed en masse, and individuals cannot exit the airport until all returnees have been processed. Individuals who return to Sri Lanka voluntarily and are eligible for an Australian Government Assisted Voluntary Return package are usually met by the International Organization for Migration.

For returnees travelling on temporary travel documents, police undertake an investigative process to confirm identity, which would address whether someone was trying to conceal their identity due to a criminal or terrorist background or trying to avoid court orders or arrest warrants. This often involves interviewing the returning passenger, contacting the person's claimed home suburb or town police, contacting the person's claimed neighbours and family and checking criminal and court records. DFAT assesses that returnees are treated according to these standard procedures, regardless of their ethnicity and religion. DFAT further assesses that detainees are not subject to mistreatment during processing at the airport. (Australia 24 Jan. 2017, 33-34)

The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), an Australian public broadcasting service, reported that in 2017, at an official visit to Australia, Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that any Sri Lankans who fled to Australia would be welcomed back without being prosecuted, despite committing the crime of illegal departure (SBS 15 Feb. 2017). An interview by the UK Home Office with the International Organization for Migration stated that

the police were looking for the thousands of Sri Lankans who left the country using forged identities  it is those criminals who were being looked for, because there is a need to know the true identity of the returning person. There may have been other crimes committed, in addition to leaving the country with false documents, which might need investigation and the police need to settle their books  they need to know if cases can be closed or are still pending. Some people may still be wanted for murder. (UK 31 Mar. 2017, 67-68)

DFAT states that some Tamil diaspora groups have continued to hold public demonstrations in their countries of residence in support of an independent Tamil state and that "[h]igh-profile leaders of pro-LTTE diaspora groups may come to the attention of Sri Lankan authorities" (Australia 24 Jan. 2017, 18). The same source further states that "[i]n general, DFAT assesses that Sri Lankan authorities may monitor any member of the Tamil diaspora returning to Sri Lanka, depending on their risk profile" (24 Jan. 2017, 18). A 2016 UK Home Office Guidance paper on Tamil separatism, cites a 7 July 2014 letter from the British High Commission in Colombo who had consulted with various diplomatic missions, an international non-governmental organization and Sri Lankan ministries, as stating that they were not aware of any returnees being arrested on arrival due to association with proscribed Tamil diaspora organisations, but did note that, according to a [Sri Lanka] Department of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) representative, returnees may be questioned upon arrival about their involvement with any Tamil diaspora groups (UK Aug. 2016, 36-37).

Information on the treatment of religious minorities at a point of entry could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Incidents of Arrest or Detention

Sources report incidents of arrests and detention of ethnic Tamils during entry and exit, as well as post-entry, including the following:

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), a "non-profit organization led by human rights activists concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka" (PEARL n.d.), reported one case of abduction and murder of a Tamil who was arrested and disappeared shortly after returning from Saudi Arabia in 2015 (20 Apr. 2017, 25-26).

In 2015, Tamil Guardian [5] reports that two Tamil men were arrested at Colombo airport, returning from the UAE and Qatar, and that according to their respective parents, they had "briefly been in the LTTE," but had left the group "long ago" (5 Feb. 2015).

In April 2015, the Tamil Guardian reported that the Tamil National Alliance MP, P Ariyanenthiran stated that it is unsafe for Tamils to return to Sri Lanka, mentioning 15 Tamils returning from foreign countries who were arrested at Katunayake airport, including "returnees, who returned having had their asylum claims rejected, following seeking political asylum in foreign countries" (27 Apr. 2015). The same source further states that "many who have returned from Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Australia and France have been arrested by the Terrorist Investigation Department at the airport" (Tamil Guardian 27 Apr. 2015). This number was updated to 16 in May, quoting TNA Parliamentarian Pon Selvarasa (Tamil Guardian 3 May 2015).

In June 2015, the Tamil Guardian reported that a Tamil man, a former LTTE member, returning from the Middle East was detained by the CID for "further rehabilitation" (30 June 2015).

In August 2015, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) [6] reported that two people were detained while trying to exit the country, two others were detained following deportation from Turkey, and both groups were charged with possessing forged documents, while Mr. Ariyanenthiran reported the total number of people detained by the CID and Terrorist Investigation Division to be 19 (JDS 20 Aug. 2015).

In 2016, a Tamil youth was detained by CID after being deported from Oman (Tamil Guardian 24 Jan. 2016).

Tamil journalist Sasikaran Punniyamurthi was reportedly arrested by the CID after being in exile for four years (JDS 22 Jan. 2016).

Ceylon News reports that a two Tamil men, and, were detained by the Terrorism Investigation Department after returning from abroad on 10 April 2016 and 12 April 2016, respectively (19 Apr. 2016). One was reportedly arrested and the other was released after he was "interrogated for several hours" (Ceylon News 19 Apr. 2016).

The Guardian reports that a British citizen of Tamil descent was "detained and tortured" in Jaffna prison after travelling to Sri Lanka to get married, his family believe that his previous involvement with the LTTE as the reason for his arrest (11 June 2016).

In March 2017, citing the Tamil daily newspaper Virakesair, the Tamil Guardian reports that a Tamil father, who had lived in France for 25 years, and his 24 year old daughter were arrested on arrival in Colombo, for unknown reasons (9 Mar. 2017).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] Bandaranaike International Airport, located in Katunayake, operates as the primary international airport, and is also located at Katunayake (Airport & Aviation Services [Sri Lanka] Ltd. n.d.d).

[2] MRIA is intended to be a second international airport (Airport & Aviation Services [Sri Lanka] Ltd. n.d.e). Airlines operating out of MRIA include Fly Dubai, SriLankan Airlines, and Sriwijaya Air (Airport & Aviation Services [Sri Lanka] Ltd. n.d.f).

[3] Ratmalana Airport (Colombo) "was the traditional Domestic Airport Hub," functions as a Super Aviation Training hub and "the shining showpiece for worldwide Commercial Corporate Jet Operators" (Airport & Aviation Services [Sri Lanka] Ltd. n.d.g).

[4] Specifically, an Emergency Travel Document, Laissez-Passer, or Temporary Travel Document (Swiss Refugee Council 16 June 2015, 15).

[5] Tamil Guardian is a news portal with a focus on providing context and commentary on Tamil affairs ((Tamil Guardian 9 Mar. 2017).

[6] Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), established in 2009, is based in Germany and is comprised of a group of journalists, human rights workers and other activists who "had been forced to fleeSri Lanka" (JDS 13 Feb. 2014)

References

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.a. "About AASL - Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Limited." [Accessed 2 Oct. 2017]

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.b. "Home." [Accessed 2 Oct. 2017]

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.c. "Security Information for Travelers." [Accessed 2 Oct. 2017]

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.d. "Message from the Honourable Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation." [Accessed 20 Oct. 2017]

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.e. "Overview of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA)." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.f. "List of Airlines." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Airport & Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. N.d.g. "History of Colombo Airport Ratmalana." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Australia. 24 January 2017. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. DFAT Country Information Report Sri Lanka. [Accessed 5 Oct. 2017]

Ceylon News. 19 April 2016. "TID Arrests Another Tamil Man on Return From Abroad - VIDEO." [Accessed 31 Oct. 2017]

The Guardian. 11 June 2016. Diane Taylor. "British Tamil 'Tortured and Detained' During Sri Lanka Wedding Trip." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS). 22 January 2016. Athula Vithanage. "Exiled Tamil Journalist Arrested on Arrival in Sri Lanka." Accessed 6 Oct. 2017]

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS). 20 August 2015. Indika Gamage. "Four Tamils arrested at Colombo Airport in Midst of Election Fever." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 6 Oct. 2017]

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL). 20 April 2016. Withering Hopes:Historic Window of Opportunity for Reconciliation will Close if Sri Lanka Fails to Act on Accountability and Militarization. [Accessed 5 Oct. 2017]

People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 11 Oct. 2017]

Special Broadcast Service (SBS). 15 February 2017. Daniela Ritorto. "'Come Back, All is Forgiven', Sri Lankan PM Tells Asylum Seekers." [Accessed 4 Oct. 2017]

Sri Lanka. 1949 (Amended 2006). Immigrants and Emigrants Act. [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017]

Sri Lanka. N.d. Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. Mandatory Resgistration. [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Swiss Refugee Council. 16 June 2015. Adrian Schuster. "Sri Lanka: dangers lies au renvoi des personnes d'origine tamoule." [Accessed 11 Oct. 2017]

Swiss Refugee Council. N.d. "About us." [Accessed 10 Nov. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 9 March 2017. "French Tamils Arrested on Arrival at Colombo Airport." [Accessed 12 Oct. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 24 January 2016. "Tamil Youth Detained at Colombo Airport." [Accessed 12 Oct. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 20 January 2016. "Exiled Tamil Journalist Given Bail After Detention in Sri Lanka." [Accessed 12 Oct. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 30 June 2015. "Tamil Man Arrested and Sent to CID for 'Rehabilitation'." [Accessed 12 Oct. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 3 May 2015. "Sixteen Tamils from North-East Arrested by Sri Lanka Over Past 100 Days." [Accessed 12 Oct. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 27 April 2015. "Not Safe for Tamil Diaspora to Return to Sri Lanka says TNA MP." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

Tamil Guardian. 5 February 2015. "Two Tamils Arrested on Return to Sri Lanka." [Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]

United Kingdom (UK). 31 March 2017. Home Office. Report of a Home Office Fact-Finding Mission. Sri Lanka: Treatment of Tamils and People who Have a Real or Perceived Association with the Former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017]

United Kingdom (UK). August 2016. Home Office. Country Information and Guidance. Sri Lanka: Tamil Separatism. [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017]

UK Tamil News. 9 March 2015. "'Don't Return to Sri Lanka' - M P Premachandran Warns Tamil Diaspora." [Accessed 11 Oct. 2017]

United States (US). 13 April 2016. Department of State. "Sri Lanka". Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2015. [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Ada Derana; Amnesty International; Asylum Research Consultancy; Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC); Ceylon Today; Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka); Daily News (Sri Lanka); Danish Immigration Service; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Freedom from Torture; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; International Truth and Justice Project; The Island (Sri Lanka); Norway  Landinfo; Office francais de protection des refugies et apatrides; Together Against Genocide; Sri Lanka Guardian; United Nations  OHCHR, Refworld, UNHCR.

Attachment

Sri Lanka. 1949 (amended 2006). Immigrants and Emigrants Act. [Accessed 3 Oct. 2017]
Zimbabwe: Treatment of white, or non-indigenous, minorities by authorities and society; availability of state protection (2015-July 2017)

Publisher Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada Publication Date 11 August 2017 Citation / Document Symbol ZWE105964.E Related Document(s) Zimbabwe : information sur le traitement reserve a la minorite blanche, ou aux minorites non autochtones, par les autorites et la societe; protection offerte par l'Etat (2015-juillet 2017) Cite as Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Zimbabwe: Treatment of white, or non-indigenous, minorities by authorities and society; availability of state protection (2015-July 2017) , 11 August 2017, ZWE105964.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa92f8b4.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

Information on the treatment of white, or non-indigenous, minorities by society and authorities was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The Population Division of the UN's Department of Economic and Social Affairs indicates that, in 2016, Zimbabwe's population was projected to be 16.2 million (UN 2017). According to the US Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, white people and Asians account for less than 1 percent of the population of Zimbabwe and other ethnic and racial groups for 3 percent of the population (US 3 Mar. 2017, 43).

According to a book published in December 2016 entitled Farm Labor Struggles in Zimbabwe: The Ground of Politics, citing academic texts from 1997 and 2005, in Zimbabwe, "'colored' is a racial category referring to children of 'mixed race' couples , who have faced their own specific forms of opportunities and discrimination" (Rutherford 2016, 256). An article on Chris Greenland "a coloured raised in an orphanage in Zimbabwe  [who] rose to prominence as a High Court Judge in Zimbabwe and Acting High Court Judge in South Africa," published in April 2017 in New Zimbabwe Vision, a news website (New Zimbabwe Vision n.d.), states that "coloured or mixed race individuals are generally frowned upon in our society as good for nothing drunkards, who love fighting, baby making and doing nothing good in society" (New Zimbabwe Vision 8 Apr. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. Further information on the treatment of coloured persons in Zimbabwe, including incidents of violence, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Sources indicate that a land reform program launched in 2000 resulted in the redistribution of white-owned farms to black Zimbabweans (BBC 9 May 2017; The Washington Post 14 Sept. 2015). A Washington Post article published in September 2015 reports that black landowners are "quietly" reaching out to white farmers who were "thrown off their land" and explains that the partnerships between black landowners and white farmers are becoming more common as the Zimbabwean economy is "spiralling downward" (The Washington Post 14 Sept. 2015). The same source explains that "[b]lack landowners retain their rights to the property and share the profit with whites, who live and work on the farms as managers or consultants" and adds that, to some Zimbabweans, allowing whites to return to farms is a "tacit recognition that the land reform failed," while "many whites" say that accepting these jobs legitimize an "unjust and politically driven" land-reform system (The Washington Post 14 Sept. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The US Country Reports 2016 indicates that leaders of the Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) "often" encouraged hatred of whites in public speeches (US 3 Mar. 2017, 43). Without providing further details, the Washington Post article states that Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe warned that cooperation with white farmers is "a step backward" (The Washington Post 14 Sept. 2015). An article published in February 2017 in The Citizen, a Gauteng-based daily national newspaper (The Citizen n.d.), indicates that, in a speech delivered on national television to mark his 93rd birthday, Mugabe stated that it is "'sad'" that black farmers have transferred the management of their farms to white people (The Citizen 23 Feb. 2017). The same source cites Mugabe as stating that "'some black people have really gone to sleep and the whites have taken over once again'" (The Citizen 23 Feb. 2017). Referring to a 23 February 2017 article from News24, a South Africa news website (24.com n.d.), the same source cites Mugabe as stating that "'whites would be happy to see us continue to work for them'" (The Citizen 23 Feb. 2017). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

In 2015, NewsDay, a daily newspaper in Zimbabwe, reported that the agriculture minister, Joseph Made, accused white farmers of being responsible for most of the wild fires recorded in the country (NewsDay 26 Sept. 2015). The same source explains that, according to Made, white farmers were bitter over the seizure of their farmland and that the wild fires were acts of "sabotage" (NewsDay 26 Sept. 2015). According to the article, Made urged the Environment minister to be more vigilant (NewsDay 26 Sept. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Information on state protection available to white and/or non-indigenous minorities could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Seizures of White-Owned Farms

An article published in June 2015 in News24 reports that a soldier "moved to evict" a white farmer in Beitbridge after arriving in a three-vehicle convoy with an offer letter that allowed him access to the property "immediately" (News24 26 June 2015). The same source states that, according to the farmer, the "farm invaders" seemed to have the protection of district-level law enforcement agents and government officials (News24 26 June 2015). A January 2016 article published in The Standard, a weekly Zimbabwean newspaper (The Standard n.d.), indicates that the farmer accused the soldier of threatening to shoot his employees if they did not leave the farm (The Standard 17 Jan. 2016). The same source quotes the farmer as saying that

"[t]his was reported to the police in Beitbridge who claimed that the man had an offer letter so was the owner of the property and was quite entitled to carry a weapon and to physically eject illegal occupants (our company staff) from the property." (The Standard 17 Jan. 2016)

Sources report that, while addressing Zanu-PF supporters in June 2017 in Marondera, Mashonaland East, Mugabe called for the seizure of the lands of white commercial farmers (News24 4 June 2017; New Zimbabwe 5 June 2017). The same sources explain that the seized farms are to be redistributed to "the youths" (New Zimbabwe 5 June 2017; News24 4 June 2017).

In Freedom in the World 2017, Freedom House states that, in September 2016, the Zanu-PF youth secretary called for the seizure of land owned by white farmers (Freedom House 2017). Sources report that the Zanu-PF youth leader stated during a rally that the white farmers in Manicaland should vacate their properties and relocate to Borrowdale (New Zimbabwe 18 June 2017; The South African 19 June 2017).

Sources indicate that riot police helped expel a white farmer, Robert Smart, after breaking into his property (The Times 28 June 2017; New Zimbabwe 23 June 2017). A Times article states that police ordered the white farmer to leave "immediately, in violation of laws governing property rights" (The Times 28 June 2017). Sources indicate that the farm was seized on behalf of Bishop Trevor Manhanga (New Zimbabwe 23 June 2017; News24 16 June 2017). Sources explain that Manhanga is "an ally of President Mugabe" (The Times 28 June 2017) or has "links to the ruling Zanu-PF party" (News24 16 June 2017).

Sources report that Smart received support from local villagers (The Times 28 June 2017; News24 16 June 2017). The Times article further specifies that "1,000 black farmers" from the area arrived at the farm to show support for Smart (The Times 28 June 2017). The June 2017 article from News24 explains that, according to court documents, villagers brought Manhanga to court and accused him of taking the farm in order to build a church "on shrines that the villagers said were sacred" (News24 16 June 2017).

3. Farmland Leasing and Offer Letters

A January 2016 article published by the Herald, a daily Zimbabwean newspaper (The Herald n.d.), reports that, according to the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, the government has no land policy "that discriminate[s] against whites" (The Herald 13 July 2015). Sources report in January 2016 that the government started issuing leases to white farmers (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016; The Africa Report 26 Jan. 2016). A January 2016 article published in the Africa Report, a monthly publication dedicated to African affairs (The Africa Report n.d.), explains that the white farmers would be given 99-year leases after the government "converted all farm[s] into State land" with the land reform initiative (The Africa Report 26 Jan. 2016). The January 2016 article from The Herald indicates that, according to Mombeshora, leases were granted to white farmers who were recommended by their provinces to "remain on their land" as their farming activities were considered of strategic economic importance (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016).

According to the same source, Mombeshora said that the government was not giving "special treatment" to white farmers over black indigenous farmers by issuing leases to white farmers and letters of offer to black farmers (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016). Sources cite Mombeshora as saying that "'[w]e are giving the white farmers leases right away because we already know their production history on the properties [on which] they were recommended to stay'" (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016; The Africa Report 26 Jan. 2016). According to the same sources, indigenous black farmers will be considered for leases in three years (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016; The Africa Report 26 Jan. 2016). The same sources quote Mombeshora as stating that "'[d]uring this time, we will be monitoring things such as production levels and also whether they would have taken up their properties because most of them are still fairly new [to] farming" (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016; The Africa Report 26 Jan. 2016).

The Herald reports that the Masvingo provincial leadership recommended six white farmers to get offer letters for farming activities considered strategic to the Masvingo Province's economy (The Herald 25 Jan. 2016). Reporting on the Masvingo provincial leadership's recommendation of the six white famers that occurred in July 2015, The Herald indicates that the letters of offer will be signed by Mombeshora under the model A2 scheme (The Herald 13 July 2015). According to a 2002 report from Human Rights Watch, the A2 scheme is an initiative aimed at "creating a cadre of 51,000 small- to medium-scale black indigenous commercial farmers" (Human Rights Watch 8 Mar. 2002, 12).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

24.com. n.d. "We are 24.com." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Africa Report. 26 January 2016. Nqobile Bhebhe. "Zimbabwe Starts Giving White Farmers Land Title." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Africa Report. N.d. "Who We Are." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 9 May 2017. "Zimbabwe Country Profile." [Accessed 21 July 2017]

The Citizen. 23 February 2017. "Whites Have Taken over Once Again, Moans 'Sad' Mugabe." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Citizen. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

Freedom House. 2017. "Zimbabwe." Freedom in the World 2017. [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Herald. 25 January 2016. "Govt Issues Leases to White Farmers." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Herald. 13 July 2015. "White Farmers to Get Offer Letters." (Factiva) [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Herald. N.d. "About Zimpapers." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

Human Rights Watch. 8 March 2002. "Fast Track Land Reform in Zimbabwe." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

New Zimbabwe. 23 June 2017. "Riot Police Storm Farm, Throw Out White Farmer to Make Way for Bishop Manhanga." (Factiva) [Accessed 19 July 2017]

New Zimbabwe. 18 June 2017. "Zanu-PF Youth Leader Urges Mugabe to Eject Remaining White Farmers." (Factiva) [Accessed 24 July 2017]

New Zimbabwe. 5 June 2017. "Mugabe to Kick Out All White Farmers in Mash East." (Factiva) [Accessed 19 July 2017]

New Zimbabwe Vision. 8 April 2017. "Chris Greenland, a Zimbabwean Coloured or Goffal who has Emerged in Society with a Credible Voice." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

New Zimbabwe Vision. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

News24. 16 June 2017. Frank Chikowore. "Exclusive: Mugabe's Call for Land Grabs Triggers Fresh Invasions in Zim." [Accessed 21 July 2017]

News24. 4 June 2017. Frank Chikowore. "Exclusive: Mugabe to Kick Out All Remaining White Farmers, Says Zimbabweans Need Land." [Accessed 1 Aug. 2017]

News24. 26 June 2015. "Zim Soldier Moves to Evict White Farmer in Beitbridge - Report." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

NewsDay. 26 September 2015. Clayton Masekesa. "Made Blames Veld Fires on White Former Farmers." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

Rutherford, Blair. 2016. Farm Labor Struggles in Zimbabwe: The Ground of Politics. Indiana University Press.

The South African. 19 June 2017. Ezra Claymore. "'Whites are Not Superior, They Must Leave the Land and Go Play Golf'. ZANU PF Youth Leader." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Standard. 17 January 2016. "Beitbridge Farm Saga Deepens." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Standard. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

The Times. 28 June 2017. "White Farm Seized for Mugabe Ally." (Factiva) [Accessed 19 July 2017]

United Nations (UN). 2017. Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Population Division. "World Population Prospects 2017." [Accessed 1 Aug. 2017]

United States (US). 3 March 2017. "Zimbabwe." Country Reports on Human Rights Pratices for 2016. [Accessed 21 July 2017]

The Washington Post. 14 September 2015. Kevin Sieff. "Zimbabwe Seized White Farmers' Land. Now Some Are Being Invited Back." [Accessed 24 July 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Amnesty International; Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in Zimbabwe; Zimbabwe Human Rights Association; Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asylum Research Consultancy; Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition; Daily News; Freedom House; Institute for War and Peace Reporting; Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre; International Crisis Group; International Organization for Migration; IRIN; Minority Rights Group International; The Southern Times; United Nations  Refworld; Worldwide Movement for Human Rights; Zimbabwe  National Constitutional Assembly; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum.
Buddhist Militancy Rises Again in Sri Lanka

Publisher International Crisis Group (ICG) Publication Date 7 March 2018 Cite as International Crisis Group (ICG), Buddhist Militancy Rises Again in Sri Lanka, 7 March 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5aa93ec84.html [accessed 21 September 2021] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

7 March 2018

Buddhist Militancy Rises Again in Sri Lanka

An upsurge of attacks against Muslims by Sinhala Buddhist militants in Sri Lanka has raised fears of a new round of communal violence. In this Q&A, Crisis Group's Sri Lanka Senior Analyst Alan Keenan says the government needs to act urgently to prevent the violence from spinning out of control, by enforcing laws against hate speech and arresting and prosecuting those involved in organising the violence.

An upsurge of attacks against Muslims by Sinhala Buddhist militants in Sri Lanka has raised fears of a new round of communal violence. In this Q&A, Crisis Group's Sri Lanka Senior Analyst Alan Keenan says the government needs to act urgently to prevent the violence from spinning out of control, by enforcing laws against hate speech and arresting and prosecuting those involved in organising the violence.

Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency for ten days to rein in the spread of communal violence, a government spokesperson said on Tuesday, a day after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island's central district of Kandy. What are the reasons behind this latest communal violence in the country?

There are many factors behind the recent upsurge of violence against Sri Lankan Muslims. The events of the last ten days have not been local "clashes" between Buddhists and Muslims, but organised and targeted attacks by national-level militant groups who are well known and have made their intentions clear through traditional and social media. The immediate cycle of violence began with the death on 3 March of a Sinhala Buddhist man in the central hill town of Teldeniya. He had been attacked ten days earlier by four local Muslim men, who were promptly arrested and detained. His death sparked anger and limited violence the next day by local Buddhists, 24 of whom were arrested and held by the police. Demanding the release of these men, leaders of radical Buddhist groups converged on the town with hundreds of their supporters from other districts, who later began attacking mosques and Muslim businesses and homes. Even after yesterday's declaration of a state of emergency, violence continues against Muslims in the hills around the town of Kandy.

The violence this week came just days after a mosque and Muslim businesses were attacked in the south-eastern town of Ampara. There are indications the attack was planned and carried out mostly by Buddhist militants brought in from outside Ampara town, supported through rumours spread on social media. Government officials have acknowledged that the damage was aggravated by the slow response of the local police.



The ongoing violence marks the resurgence of militant Buddhist groups that first emerged in 2012-2014 with the support of Mahinda Rajapaksa's government. Having ceased during the first two years of the current coalition government, attacks on Muslims began again over a six-week period in April and May 2017 and for two days in November 2017, with militants apparently emboldened by the government's failure to prosecute those responsible for violence and hate speech under the Rajapaksa regime.



Sri Lanka has grabbed international headlines in the past due to tensions between the Sinhalese and Tamils. But how do you describe the relations between Buddhists and Muslims in Sri Lanka?

Muslims, who make up almost ten per cent of Sri Lanka's population, live across the island, among both Sinhalese (75 per cent of the population and overwhelmingly Buddhist) and Tamils (about fifteen per cent and mostly Hindu). Relations between Muslims and Sri Lanka's other communities are mostly harmonious. At the same time, there are longstanding and deeply rooted fears among many Sinhalese that the Sinhala and Buddhist character of the island is under threat and must be protected, even to the extent of using violence. While the threat has previously been seen as coming from colonial rulers and then Tamils, Muslims are now the primary worry for many Sinhalese. Narratives of insecurity, fed by global Islamophobic tropes, present Muslims as violent extremists, as increasing their population so fast as to pose a threat to the Sinhala Buddhist majority status, as misusing their economic power to weaken Sinhalese, and as using underhand means to reduce Sinhala Buddhist numbers such as secretly planting contraceptives in food eaten and clothes worn by Sinhalese. These fears and myths are widely promoted  along with calls for violence  through social media.

How vulnerable are Sri Lankan Muslims to being drawn to violence?



Sri Lankan Muslims have been admirably restrained, disciplined and non-violent in their response to what is now five years of severe, sustained and often violent pressure. One can only hope that this continues to be the case, though continued violent provocations  and the failure of the police to protect Muslims  appears to be testing the patience of some, with reports of the first retaliatory violence against Sinhala businesses. Many in Sri Lanka now fear the current wave of militant Buddhist attacks may be designed in part to provoke a violent response from Muslims, which would then be used to justify wider-scale attacks on the community.

How has the Sri Lankan government tried to quell the tensions between Buddhists and Muslims and promote communal harmony?



The government has done very little to address either the underlying mistrust and misunderstandings between the two communities, or to rein in the small number of Buddhists who promote or use violence. Despite coming to power in January 2015 promising to end impunity for attacks on Muslims, the government has launched no proper investigations of past violence, and prosecuted no leaders of groups known to be involved in attacks on Muslims. Despite recent statements from the president, prime minister and other officials that the law will be strictly enforced and those engaging in violence will be arrested, key organisers of the ongoing violence remain free. Some of these have posted on social media information to help target Muslims for attack. Police, in a number of locations, have been credibly accused of siding with the mobs.

What steps could or should the government take to curb further communal violence?



The government needs to adopt a three-pronged strategy, beginning with enforcing the law, including against hate speech, and arresting and prosecuting offenders. While the state of emergency the government imposed on 6 March appeared at first to reduce the violence, attacks have resumed, with the police and army often failing to stop the rioters. Should the government act decisively with arrests of key figures behind the violence and hate speech and explain the necessity of its actions to the Buddhist religious leadership and the general public, it can likely win the necessary support for those policies. Over the mid- to long term, the government must also work actively to correct the lies and disinformation about Muslims that are spread by radical Buddhist groups, especially on social media, such as the allegation that Muslim restaurants regularly put contraceptives in their food to sterilise their Buddhist customers and reduce their population. The impact of such rumours and "fake news" could be significantly reduced if the government used its media and information channels to combat them. Finally, over the long term, but beginning now, the government needs to more actively promote a pluralist vision of Sri Lanka, in which the country belongs to all communities equally, while still protecting the country's unique Sinhala and Buddhist culture.

How do you see the security and communal situation evolving in the country in the coming weeks? Will the Sri Lankan government be able to bring the situation under control?



The continued failure to make arrests of well-known Buddhist agitators and the instigators of recent attacks is not encouraging, and despite the state of emergency, the government still appears uncertain about how to respond to the violence. The chaos and infighting that has characterised the coalition government's response to their defeat in the local government elections has continued and contributed to a sense of weakness that has been seized on by militant Buddhist groups. Strong, decisive and coherent action is urgently needed if Sri Lanka is to avoid tipping into a new and potentially crippling round of communal conflict.
Peacekeeping in Ukraine's Donbas: Opportunities and Risks

The war in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region will soon enter its fifth year. In September 2017, talk of a settlement picked up after Russia circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution proposing the deployment of UN forces along the front line separating Kyiv's forces, on one side, from Kremlin-backed separatists, on the other.



Moscow had ignored Kyiv's calls for peacekeepers since early 2015, so its proposal was regarded with suspicion by Ukraine and its Western allies. Most saw the small force envisaged along the front as a non-starter, more likely to freeze the conflict than end it. Nonetheless, the proposal spurred fresh thinking about ways out of the stalemate.

U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker has now met several times with Vladislav Surkov, an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss what a compromise on peacekeeping might entail. After their fourth meeting in Dubai in January 2018, both expressed cautious optimism regarding initial aspects of force composition and deployment. In February, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, whose political consultancy group runs a strategic campaign called the Ukraine Initiative, floated a detailed proposal for a peacekeeping force.



While scepticism about Moscow's intentions is justified, the Kremlin's willingness to discuss peacekeepers marked a shift in the tenor of dialogue on Donbas, as Crisis Group argued in its December report Can Peacekeepers Break the Deadlock in Ukraine? Whether the change in tone brings a change in substance remains to be seen. The evolution of the peacekeeping debate, and the fact it even remains on the table, suggest it should be taken seriously. So too should the impact inside Ukraine. As the country prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2019, Moscow's peacekeeping overtures - genuine or not - risk fuelling political infighting motivated more by competition to establish patriotic credentials than by efforts to reintegrate Donbas.

Competing Perspectives



Since Russian-backed separatists seized parts of Donbas in early 2014, fighting has left more than 11,000 dead and thousands injured. Millions of civilians are either displaced in Ukraine or living as refugees in Russia. The February 2015 Minsk II Agreement sets out a framework that leaders both in Russia and among Kyiv's Western allies say they view as the only way to end the conflict. That agreement foresees the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from the area and reestablishment of Kyiv's control over its side of the Ukraine-Russia border. It also sets out political provisions for the reintegration of separatist-held areas into Ukraine, including on local elections in those parts of Donbas, self-governance of these areas and amnesties.

Kyiv's argument has been that continued fighting and Russia's financial and military support for separatists prevent Ukraine from advancing the political elements of Minsk. But more fundamentally, most Ukrainians see the deal as generally favourable to Moscow and the separatists. Kyiv has long seen the war in Donbas as an inter-state conflict involving Russia rather than a civil conflict. A new reintegration law signed by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko in February 2018 makes this view explicit, labelling Russia as an aggressor and Donbas as an illegally occupied territory. Political and civil society actors in Kyiv insist this designation was necessary to place full responsibility for the conflict - its costs, as well as the human rights protection of those living in rebel-held Donbas - on Russia, and prevent it from participating in a peacekeeping operation, as the Ukrainian side formally considers Moscow a party to the conflict. Parliamentary Chairman Andriy Parubiy says the next step is to enact a de-occupation law. In this climate, Ukrainian leaders are likely to accept peacekeepers only if they believe the mission would safeguard Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, at the very least by monitoring the Russian border.

For its part, Moscow blames the deadlock on Kyiv's failure to implement the Minsk agreement's political provisions. The Kremlin also voices fears of reprisals against inhabitants of separatist-held areas were Ukrainian forces to return. In principle, Russia may gain from finding a way out of eastern Ukraine, where its interference has incurred both financial costs - due to U.S. and EU sanctions, as well as expenditures required to keep the regional administration afloat - and wider reputational costs. But despite the Volker-Surkov talks, it is unlikely that Moscow is seeking a way out, almost certainly not ahead of Russian elections in March 2018.



At this stage, Putin's peacekeeping proposal and participation in subsequent dialogue probably aim to gauge reactions from others; possibly, to explore under what conditions Western powers might lift sanctions; and likely, to test how much pressure prospects of reintegrating Donbas by implementing the political provisions unpopular among most Ukrainians could put on Kyiv ahead of elections there in 2019. Whether Moscow is more willing to find a constructive solution after its elections remains unclear. Its degree of openness will depend on the nature of Putin's domestic and foreign policy calculations after his almost guaranteed re-election. An optimistic scenario has Russia compromising on Donbas to help reframe relations with the West and prompt the lifting of sanctions. But some Western diplomats in Kyiv fear Moscow may float proposals that would stop short of guaranteeing Ukraine's sovereignty, all the while increasing the onus on Kyiv to deliver on the divisive political aspects of Minsk.

Of Ukraine's Western allies, the U.S. has been most active in exploring peacekeeping options, primarily through the bilateral channel between Volker and Surkov. Talks among the Normandy Four - the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany - complemented by more frequent exchanges among their respective advisers, and the Trilateral Contact Group comprising representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, proceed in parallel with the Volker-Surkov track.



Volker's diplomacy continues to overshadow any European role. In 2018, however, Germany's leaders appear to have again found their voice. Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called for a UN peacekeeping mission in early January, and Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces Hans-Peter Bartels announced on 15 February that Germany is ready to contribute troops.

Renewed European attention to Ukraine, particularly from the EU itself, could be useful. The EU's close political ties to Ukraine and substantial aid give it critical leverage in Kyiv. A first step might be for Brussels to nominate its own special envoy or representative with a mandate similar to that of Volker. According to one EU official, a senior former politician would stand the best chance of making an impact, particularly given the sensitivity of the agenda and differences among member states.



Including the EU and U.S. in an expanded Normandy format might make sense, too. For now, that course appears unlikely, but it would serve to keep all actors on the same page and discourage both Moscow and Kyiv from shopping among rival forums.



Ukrainian Resistance to Minsk



Russian interference in Donbas is not the only obstacle to ending the crisis. In Ukraine, resistance to the Minsk agreement's political provisions is growing. It is already a central campaign issue ahead of the 2019 elections.

Bar pro-Russia factions, President Poroshenko's party stands alone in endorsing the accord. Even some in the president's ruling coalition reject it. His junior partner, the People's Front, openly declares that Minsk is dead, says Ukraine never endorsed its contents in the first place, and argues that Kyiv signed only to check the Russian-backed separatists' military momentum and buy time. Indeed, even Poroshenko's own commitment to Minsk is not entirely clear; he may merely be paying it lip service, so as not to alienate Kyiv's Western allies. The vast majority of Ukrainian parties and civil society groups consider Kyiv's obligations under Minsk unwanted concessions to the Kremlin, whose leverage in Donbas looks set to endure even if Russia pulls out its forces.



A narrative appears to be taking hold among Ukrainian elites that implementing controversial Minsk provisions could provoke a new wave of anti-government violence, even if the Minsk security provisions are implemented. The provisions on amnesties and self-rule for the now rebel-controlled areas are particularly contentious; many Ukrainians would see granting the special status stipulated in the agreement to parts of Donbas as rewarding a separatist area with privileges no other region in the country enjoys. For now, however, there are few visible omens of mass civil disobedience. Little suggests Ukrainians would come out onto the streets in large numbers, other than their recent history of doing so. The failure of successive revolutions to root out pervasive corruption appears to have provoked fatigue as much as anger among many. And Western diplomats have been speculating since October 2017 that the government was preventing the assembly of crowds outside parliament and on Maidan by occupying traditional demonstration spaces with an uninhabited protest camp and large outdoor exhibition. Authorities' sudden March 2018 clearance of these may indicate government fears of public turmoil have largely abated. After the dismantling of the camp outside parliament, some prominent reformers and social media influencers criticised what they called aggressive policing reminiscent of old regime tactics, but the immediate reaction on the street has been muted.

Still, animosity toward Minsk fuels an early pre-election campaign in which discourses are hardening, as elites seek to outbid each other in their expressions of patriotism. A G7 diplomat privately commented: "Moscow knows full well how much damage it can create in Ukraine by floating more peace plans", and said he expected it to do so after Russia's presidential election. Peacekeeping dialogue needs to factor in this resistance and anxiety across the country about how the disputed areas would be reintegrated. European powers, in particular, could push Kyiv to explore how it might enact Minsk in a way that would not challenge Ukraine's national cohesion and sovereignty. They should also help Kyiv prepare for the social and political challenges that the implementation of Minsk might engender.



An Expansive Peacekeeping Mandate?



To help resolve the conflict, the mandate of any peacekeeping mission would likely have to involve at least three elements. First, peacekeepers would need to establish control over the front line, protect civilians, provide security across the conflict zone, and verify the cantonment of weapons, disengagement and withdrawal of forces. A sustained ceasefire (a tall order, given that the record, set in September-October 2017, is twelve days) should be a precondition for any deployment. Second, peacekeepers ought to be mandated to monitor the Ukrainian side of the border with Russia to deter infiltration to the extent possible, with the eventual goal of reestablishing Kyiv's control over its own side. Third, peacekeepers would have to lay the groundwork for Kyiv to implement the Minsk political provisions, starting with creating conditions for credible local elections that guarantee all candidates the right to safely campaign.

A final question is whether the Security Council ought to establish a temporary UN administration to govern separatist-held areas until the return of Ukrainian authority. Some past UN missions - Eastern Slavonia, Kosovo and Timor Leste - played this role. Whether such an intrusive mandate is needed in eastern Ukraine remains a divisive question for Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities would not be able to return immediately, but many elites also resent the notion of outsiders meddling in domestic affairs. Existing local de facto authorities are largely out of the question; indeed, the U.S. has long insisted on a change in their leadership as a precondition in its negotiations with Russia on Donbas, and Kyiv clearly would prefer a temporary UN administration to one led by pro-Russian separatists. If the UN does not play an administrative role, it is unclear what a transitional regime might look like. At the very least, the Security Council would need to empower a peacekeeping mission to help local state institutions perform basic functions during the transition.



A Rare Opening



Ukraine's Western allies need to reassure Kyiv that any deal on peacekeeping would be acceptable only if it addressed security concerns without further undermining Ukraine's sovereignty. Ukraine must not become a bystander to this process; spoilers on either side could easily exploit the perception that Kyiv is unable to influence the outcome. The West should continue to make clear to Moscow that non-Crimea sanctions on Russia will be lifted only once Minsk is fully implemented or when Russia ends its interference in Donbas, and that partial withdrawal will not give rise to partial lifting of sanctions.



A peacekeeping mission may still be a distant possibility. It is far from clear that Moscow is seeking an exit. Mounting resistance among Ukrainian leaders to the Minsk accord presents another challenge, which Russia may well be factoring into its calculations. Nonetheless, the current talks represent a rare opening to test ideas on how to settle the eastern Ukraine conflict and reintegrate the disputed Donbas into Ukraine. All parties should make the most of it.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Out of the deep blue: Buyers at Christies will have a chance to bid for Rolex Experimental Deep Sea Special N1 Developed as a prototype for perfecting the Rolex diving watch concept, this Rolex Deep Sea Special N1 was attached to the hull of Auguste Piccards bathyscaphe Trieste for the inaugural deep-sea trial to a depth of 3,150 meters in the Mediterranean...

Lucara unveils 1,175-ct rough diamond in New York  report Lucara Diamond and manufacturer HB Antwerp unveiled a 1,175-carat diamond in New York City in a bid to attract investors. Reuters reports that the stone recovered at the Karowe mine, in Botswana last June would be on display for a week at the Whitby...

Asset-backed cryptocurrency gains momentum in China Diamonds have not been a favourite with Chinese investors in the past because they tend to lose their resale value. But thanks to the emergence of cryptocurrency, this attitude towards diamonds as an unviable investment vehicle has changed.

BlueRock boosts H1 output, grade at Karevleei as loss narrows BlueRock Diamonds has recorded a 79% increase in carats produced at Kareevlei Diamond Mine in South Africa to 8,949 carats in the six months to June 2021 compared to 4,981 carats, a year earlier.
The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) held an Executive Committee Meeting in Idar-Oberstein yesterday, discussing a wide variety of subjects including the World Diamond Council's proposed changes to its System of Warranties (SoW), nomenclature issues, Know Your Client, the proposed inclusion of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association into the WFDB, finance and the situation in India in the wake of the alleged fraud involving jeweler Nirav Modi. This is stated in a press note distributed by WFDB on Wednesday.

"We held very frank discussions on a wide range of internal WFDB issues, as well as many pertaining to topics of critical importance to diamantaires in their daily work," said WFDB President Ernie Blom. "We have set up a small team which will review the proposed changes to the SoW and will have comments ready before the end April."

WFDB Treasurer-General Mehul Shah, Vice-President of the Bharat Diamond Bourse, briefed Executive Committee members on the mood in the Indian diamond industry in light of the financing scandal.

"As usual, we had a very full agenda of industry issues to address," said Blom. "These are challenging times for the wider global diamond industry, and it was extremely useful to hear the views of colleagues from across the diamond world ahead of the World Diamond Congress in Tel Aviv in June. "Finally, on behalf of the ExCo, I want to thank the Idar-Oberstein bourse for its generosity in hosting the Executive Committee meeting."

Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished






Buzz!

The final list of musicians across categories of the on-going Radio City Freedom Awards feature some known names and a few underground sounds.

The on-going Radio City Freedom Awards fifth edition reached a crucial stage as the competition zeroed down on 59 acts across six categories for the finals. Divided into Hip Hop, Pop, Rock, Folk Fusion, Metal and Electronic music genres, the categories feature some new faces and a few no-surprises.

Known as someone whos redefined rap songwriting with his releases in 2017, Prabh Deep joins the small and exclusive list of artists that surely deserved to be in the finals. Joining the Delhi-based hip-hop musician in the category is arguably Mumbais finest collective, Mumbais Finest. Bengalurus Brodha V, too, entered the list.

In the Pop music category, the finalists feature Alobo Naga, Mumbai-based Sparsh and Ankur & The Ghalat Family, Easy Wanderlings, Jaipurs Prateek Kuhad and five other acts. Kamkashi Khanna, too, features in the final nominees list.

On the Rock front, Parvaaz comes as an obvious entrant considering the bands rise in popularity since the release of their last album, the recently concluded Canada tour and the single Beparwah being featured in a recently released Bollywood flick. Delhis alternative rock act Sifar and Kolkatas rap rock outfit Underground Authority were among other finalists in the list.

Swarathmas vocalist is shortlisted in the Best Folk Fusion Artist for his song Ragi Tandira. The established songwriter from Bengaluru is quite possibly the most recognised face among the final nominees. This also suggests Radio Citys dedicated effort to scrape some raw, rarely heard and underground acts across genres. Pragnya Wakhlu and SubraMania feature among the finalists in the category.

Mumbai-based Sahil Makhija fronted metal outfit Demonic Resurrection return to the final nominees of the Radio City Freedom Awards. The Minerva Conduct and Godless feature in the list featuring six other bands from across the country.

Delhi based Komorebi and Grains collaboration Dream earned them a nomination in the Best Electronic Aritst list, which is populated by Mumbais Bandish Projekt, SickFlip and Vice Versa.

Heres the entire list of nominees:

Best Hip Hop Artist: Best Pop Artist Best Rock Artist Dee MC Alobo Naga Naalayak Brotha Hood Kamakshi Khanna Ds Kitchen Desi Beam & GD 47 Easy Wanderlings Joshish KR$NA Prateek Kuhad Underground Authority Babu Haabi Mango Beats, Illmatik, Joga Singh Fireflood Big Deal Pakshee Akashic Shekhar B. Carter Sparsh The Band Sifar Prabh Deep Raghav Meattle Junkyard Groove Mumbais Finest Parth Oza Black Letters Emiway Ankur & The Ghalat Family Parvaaz Tupakeys Brodha V

Best Folk Fusion Artist: Best Metal Artist Best Rock Artist Pragnya Wakhlu The Minerva Conduct Naalayak Ritaprabha Ray Godless Ds Kitchen Jaagar Demonic Resurrection Joshish The Sujayeendra Kulkarni Band Chaos Underground Authority Vasu Dixit Tangents Fireflood SubraMania Atmosfear Akashic T.A.G. Fragarak Sifar Bjorn Surrao & Suchith Suresan Death By Fungi Junkyard Groove Mumbais Finest Coalesce Black Letters Emiway Parvaaz

Radio City Freedom Awards (RCFA) is the most definitive platform to recognize, honor and celebrate talents across the Indie music diaspora. Apart from awarding credible compositions, RCFA also applauds notable non-music contributions to the field of independent music.

Following a thorough screening by the interim jury, the short-listed nominations will be up for two awards in each music-genre based category. For e.g.: Best Pop Artist  Judges Choice and Best Pop Artist Peoples Choice. The Peoples Choice Award will be selected through public voting only.

Following are the music genre based categories namely :

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Artist | Best Folk Fusion Artist | Best Pop Artist | Best Rock Artist | Best Metal Artist | Best Electronica Artist

Besides the music genre based categories, the nominations for the below non-music categories will be screened by the jury only :

Best Video | Best Album Art | Best Young Indie Artist | Best Indie Collaboration | Indie-Genius: Person of the Year
The infrastructure needs and value brought by the shortline railroads in the United States were the topic of testimony given at two Congressional hearings this week.

On March 13, American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) Senior Vice President of Safety and Regulatory Policy Jo Strang encouraged funding practices that would allow for the nations 600 non-Class 1 railroads to participate in an infrastructure package.

She noted several federal funding options that could benefit smaller railroads including the success of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program and explained that ASLRRA would be supportive of expanding the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America grant program with a suggestion to increase the small project component, as well as a removal of non-highway spending limits. Strang also touched on the potential the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement grants could hold for shortlines and explained that the Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing loan program could yield results, but only with changes to address the small business nature of shortlines.

Strang touched on the importance of the shortline tax credit, also known as 45G, which allows shortline railroads to claim a credit for infrastructure work performed.

Strangs testimony was before the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportations Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security, where she urged subcommittee members to bring the shortline tax credit message to their Senate colleagues as the subject of infrastructure is addressed.

The credit has been a major factor in maximizing infrastructure investment, both by the short lines and by their shippers that are the beneficiaries of the improvements. It is simple to administer, it targets the money on the projects that yield the highest benefit, and it makes railroads safer. We believe making the credit permanent is the most important thing Congress can do to help short line railroads rebuild and improve their portion of Americas infrastructure, said Strang.

On March 14, on the opposite side of the Hill, ASLRRA Chair and President of Framrail Judy Petry took up a similar message in her testimony before the House Ways and Means Tax Policy Subcommittee.

Using Farmrail as an example, over the last five years we have invested $34 million in infrastructure improvements of which $7.7 million was made possible by the credit, said Petry. The credit also incentivizes shippers to increase investment. In South Dakota, for example, the improvements made by the 670-mile Rapid City Pierre & Eastern Railroad since 2014 have already attracted over $311 million in new facility investments by local companies. Shippers invest in their facilities once they are convinced that their short line is a reliable connection to the national rail network, and the tax credit helps make that a reality.

Petry also explained that even with the recent improvements to the tax code, there is still a strong need for the support provided by the 45G credit.

While 100-percent expensing will help support capital investment in other industries, it does not serve as a substitute for 45G due to long-standing IRS rules about railroad expensing. And the nature of our industry  serving customers who ship small volumes combined with heavy capital investment requirements  leaves much of our industry with insufficient tax obligations to meaningfully benefit from a lower corporate tax rate, noted Petry.

The tax credit has been extended six times since 2004 with the most recent extension expiring at the end of 2017. There are currently House and Senate bills (H.R. 721 and S. 407) that would permanently extend the tax credit.

The tax credit was also one of three talking points the rail industry took to elected officials during a record-breaking Railroad Day on Capitol Hill on March 7.
Sound Transit

Sound Transit has awarded South County Transit Partners, a joint venture of Mott MacDonald and SNC-Lavalin, a design-build contract for the project management of its Federal Way Link Extension in the Seattle area, SNC-Lavalin announced.

The contract supports preconstruction work up to the award of the design-build contract or Phase 1, SNC-Lavalin said.

We are very proud to be working with Sound Transit to deliver the Federal Way Link Extension for the citizens and communities of the Central Puget Sound region, said Ian L. Edwards, president, infrastructure at SNC-Lavalin. Our team is driven by a desire to shape the world we live in and improve peoples lives through sustainable, quality infrastructure. At SNC-Lavalin, we draw on our ability to address projects of any size, scale or complexity by using innovative solutions such as the ones used on our recent work expanding Vancouvers SkyTrain system.

The extension project is set to bring a 7.8-mile extension of a regional light-rail line with three elevated stations and is valued at $1.0 billion. It would also be Sound Transits largest design-build contract so far.

The project will extend regional light-rail service from the Angle Lake Station to the Federal Way Transit Center.

New stations are planned near Kent Des Moines Road, South 272nd Street, and the Federal Way Transit Center, and would open for service in 2024, officials said.

During the projects first phase, SNC-Lavalin said South County Transit Partners will support work leading up to the execution of the design-build contract.

The projects second phase will entail design-build project management, and the joint venture is set to provide project management work during design and construction.

This contract builds on the many years of solid design, project management, and construction management services that Mott MacDonald has provided to Sound Transit, said Nick DeNichilo, president and CEO of Mott MacDonald in North America. We are pleased to be joining SNC-Lavalin in the latest phase of transit development in the Puget Sound region.

The design-build project management contract states that the team will be required to perform resident engineering, project controls and scheduling, change management, technical support and inspection, and quality assurance and quality control activities.

The Federal Way Link extension contract marks another of several projects the joint venture is working on for Sound Transit.
Lennox International Inc. (LII) announced the planned sale of its Australia, Asia, and South America businesses as the company streamlines its Refrigeration portfolio to focus on its strong market position in North America and Europe.

For the sale of the Australia and Asia businesses, the company has signed a binding agreement with Beijer Ref AB. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2018.

Separately, Lennox International is in the process of selling real estate in the Sydney area formerly related to its operations there. For the sale of the South America business, the company is far along in the process and expects that transaction to be concluded in the second quarter of 2018 as well.

In total, the businesses being divested contributed $187 million in revenue and $6.4 million in profit to the company's Refrigeration segment in 2017.

Off the lower 2017 base from these divestitures, Lennox International reiterates 3-7% revenue growth guidance for 2018 and earnings per share from continuing operations of $9.75-$10.35. The company is raising its 2020 margin target for the Refrigeration segment from 12-14% to a new range of 14-16%.

Total net proceeds from the transactions are broadly estimated to be approximately $110 million. With strong cash generation, Lennox International will continue to invest in the organic growth and profitability of its Residential and Commercial HVAC businesses as well as Refrigeration, grow dividends with earnings over time, and repurchase company stock.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
German logistics company DHL and global consultant Accenture have developed a blockchain-based working prototype to benefit the logistics industry, particularly for pharmaceutical products. The prototype "tracks pharmaceuticals from the point of origin to the consumer, preventing tampering and errors."

Blockchain is a digital ledger technology capable of recording transactions and storing data in immutable blocks across a distributed network. The entire history of the supply chain for a product that is assigned a unique identifier is captured, as it moves to the end customer.

The use of blockchain technology will eliminate tampering, altering and erasing of product record as data is validated at every stage by stakeholders across the distributed network.

This will be particularly helpful in the pharmaceutical industry as it provides patients with authenticated medications. DHL and Accenture created a blockchain-based serialization prototype with nodes in six geographies to track pharmaceuticals across the supply chain.

According to Interpol, nearly one million lose their lives every year due to counterfeit medications, and an estimated that up to 30 percent of medicines sold in emerging are counterfeit.

"Using a common, indelible and secure ledger, the industry can achieve much higher safety standards - from the factory to the patient - at much lower cost. This is one of several opportunities blockchain affords to restructure processes while reducing cost and complexity," says Andreas Baier, Accenture lead for the travel and transportation industry.

Blockchain is the underlying technology of several cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, but has of late, found greater acceptance in fields beyond finance such as pharma, logistics, food and retail, government services and even in distributing aid to refugees.

In August last year, ten of the largest food producers and retailers, including Nestle, Tyson Foods, Unilever and Walmart, had announced collaboration with IBM Blockchain to help track food supply chains and improve food safety.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Technology News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Brazilian President Michel Temer said that he could lift the federal intervention in Rio de Janeiro state by October to allow for a pension reform vote in Congress.

"Until September, October, I can stop the intervention. The idea is to have the months of September, October to vote the pension reform," Temer said during the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum in Latin America.

In February, Temer decided in favor of federal intervention in Rio de Janeiro state security, giving the army control over police, fire departments and the prison system in the region.

The decision acted as a hurdle to a House of Representatives floor vote on the pension system reform because constitutional changes are forbidden during intervention periods.

"There was a moment when I clearly realized that it would be difficult to vote the pension reform while managing and examining the agenda of certain administrative issues. One of these issues was the public security in Rio, and the pension reform temporarily left the legislative agenda but did not leave the country's agenda," Temer said.

by Agencia CMA Latam

For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
Trends in the financial position of Illinois farms are presented in this article. Overall, farms gained financial strength from 2006 to 2012. Since 2012, working capital has declined. The net worth and debt-to-asset position of most farms remain strong, but per acre net worth has decreased and the debt-to-asset ratios have increased in recent years. Those are worrisome trends. Future financial performance depends on returns. Likely financial performance given differing commodity prices are presented at the end of this article.

The 2016 Balance Sheet

Table 1 shows a balance sheet averaged over farms enrolled in Illinois Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM). Farms included in this summary are sole proprietorships and have balance sheet information that is certified as being complete by FBFM field staff. The balance sheet information is as of the end of 2016. Information for 2017 has not been summarized and made available to the public at this point in time. Asset values in Table 1 are valued at their market values and are stated on a per acre basis. Percentages also are given which state that categorys value as a percentage of total assets or, equivalently, as a percent of total liabilities plus net worth. Long-term assets, for example, are 55% of total assets, indicating that a high proportion of a farms assets are long-term. Furthermore, total liabilities are 21% of total assets (see Table 1), indicating that the average debt-to-asset ratio is .21.

At the end of 2016, there was $4,850 per acre in total assets. Liabilities totaled $1,035 per acre. The debt-to-asset ratio for these Illinois farms is .21, which compares to a .13 debt-to-asset value for the entire U.S. agricultural sector as reported by the Economic Research Service (ERS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (ERS, Assets, Debt, and Wealth). Both the FBFM and ERS debt-to-asset ratios are low relative to historical levels.

The remainder of this article provides trends from 19966 through 2016 on each components of Table 1s balance sheet. When examining trends, three periods are apparent:

The 1996-2006 period consists of commodity prices that are relatively low compared to todays prices. During the period, market year average (MYA) prices reported by National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS) averaged $2.23 per bushel for corn and $5.73 per bushel for soybeans. The 2007-2012 period is associated with increasing and high commodity prices. MYA prices averaged $5.02 per bushel for corn, more than double the $2.23 average from 1996-2006. Soybeans prices averaged $11.31, close to double the $5.73 average price from 1996-2006. Because of higher prices, net incomes on farms tended to be high relative to the 1996-2006 and 2013-2016 periods. The 2013-2016 period is associated with lower prices and lower incomes. Between 2013 and 2016, the MYA price for corn averaged $3.86, over $1.00 per bushel lower than the 2007-2012 average of $5.02. The 2013-2016 soybean average price is $10.41, $.90 lower than the 2007-2012 average from $10.41 per bushel

In general, balance sheet items strengthened throughout the 2007-2012 period relative to the relative stable 1996-2006 period. The 2013-2016 period is associated with stability in some balance sheet categories and deterioration in others.

Current Assets and Current Liabilities

Levels of current assets and current liabilities over time are shown in Figure 1. Current assets per acre were relatively stable from 1996 through 2006. During the 2007-2017 period of higher commodity prices, current assets on grain farms increased from $518 per acre in 2006 to $1,120 per acre in 2012. Major items in current assets include grain inventories, cash in checking and saving accounts, and prepaid expenses. During the period between 2007-2012 period, all their current items increased, but rising grain inventories accounted for the majority of rising current asset values. Within FBFM, grain inventories are valued at market prices at the end of the year. During 2006 through 2012, market prices were high and generally increasing, leading to high grain inventory valuations.

During the 2013-2016 period, current assets declined from the $1,064 per acre in 2012 to $952 per acre in 2015. Current assets were $962 per acre in 2016, about the same as in 2015.

Lower commodity prices and lower incomes contributed to the decline in current assets.

Current liabilities have been steadily increasing throughout the entire 1996 through 2016 period shown in Figure 1. In 1996, current liabilities averaged $222 per acre. By 2016, current labilities averaged $468 per acre.

The difference between current assets and current liabilities represents working capital. Working capital provides a reserve of liquid assets that can be used to counter adverse events. A measure of working capital is the current ratio, which equals current assets divided by current liabilities.

During the 1996-2006 period, the current ratio averaged 1.64 (see Figure 2). The current ratio then increased through much of the 2007-2012 period, reaching a high of 3.07 in 2012. During this period, most farmers increased the working capital position of their operations. During the 2013-2016 period, the current ratio has declined. The current ratio equaled 2.07 in 2015 and 2.10 in 2016 (see Figure 2). The current ratio did not decline in 2016 because incomes were high enough so that working capital reserves were not used to meet cash flows (see farmdoc daily, November 21, 2017 for more discussion).

Intermediate Assets and Intermediate Liabilities

On Illinois grain farms, much of the value in intermediate assets is associated with farm machinery. On FBFM balance sheets, farm machinery is valued at a market prices. During the 1996-2006 period, intermediate asset values increased in most years, likely reflecting the continued increases in machinery prices. Intermediate values were $527 per acre in 1996 and reached $621 per acre in 2006.

Intermediate asset values increased in each year during the 2007-2012 period, reaching $1,093 per acre in 2012. During the period, farmers used disposable cash to purchase machinery, leading to higher machinery values.

Intermediate machinery leveled off and declined slightly during the 2013-2016 period. Intermediate values were $1,231 per acre in 2013, $1,265 in 2014, $1,244 in 2015, and $1,234 in 2016. This leveling off occurred because most farmers decreased of capital purchases during the 2013-2016 period as compared to the 2007-2012 period.

Over the entire 1996-2016 period, intermediate liabilities averaged $98 per acre, but do show an increasing trend. Intermediate liabilities increased on an average yearly basis of $2 per acre. In 2016, intermediate liabilities averaged $116 per acre.

Long-term Assets and Long-term Liabilities

On Illinois grain farms, much of the value in long-term assets is associated with farmland. However, Illinois farmers tend to own a relatively small percentage of their land base. Of the farms described in this article, percent of acres owned is about 25% of farmed acres. Hence, the per acre values in Figure 4 have about .25 owned acres of farmland in its value.

When valuing farmland, Illinois FBFM uses a conservative approach. Farmland is valued at about three-quarters of market value. As a result, long-term assets  and total assets as well  will be conservatively valued.

As can be seen in Figure 4, long-term assets have increased throughout much of the 1996-2006 and 2007-2012 periods, matching the general trend of farmland price increases during these two periods (see farmdoc daily, August 9, 2016 for farmland price discussion). Long-term asset value increases were most pronounced during the 2007-2012 period when values increased from $1,310 per acre in 2007 to $2,427 per acre in 2012. The 2007-2012 period of higher commodity prices were associated with large increases in farmland prices.

Long-term asset values have flattened during the 2013-2016 period. Long-term asset values were $2,576 per acre in 2013, $2,676 in 2014, $2,671 in 2015, and $2,654 in 2016. Farmland prices have been stable to declining during the 2013-2016 period, providing a powerful impetus for long-term asset values to remain stable to decline slightly.

Long-term liabilities have slowly increased over the entire 1996-2016 period (see Figure 4). Long-term assets were $188 per acre in 1996 and increased to $450 per acre in 2016. Over the entire period, long-term liabilities increased an average $13 per acre in each year.

Total Assets, Total Liabilities, and Net Worth

Because intermediate and long-term assets account for the majority of total assets, trends in total assets roughly follow the same trends as intermediate and long-term assets (see Figure 5). Total assets increased slightly over the 1996-2006 period from $1,794 per acre in 1996 to $2,218 in 2006. Because of high incomes, machinery and other asset purchases, machinery price increases, and land value increases, total assets on farms increased from $2,660 per acre in 2007 to $4,642 per acre in 2012. The 2013-2016 period saw stabilizing asset values and then slight declines: Total assets were $4,872 per acre in 2013 and $4,988 per acre in 2014. Then, total assets declined to $4, 868 per acre in 2015 and $4,850 per acre in 2016.

During the entire time period, total liabilities have been increasing (see Figure 5). Total liabilities increased from $484 per acre in 1996 to $1,035 per acre in 2016.

Total assets minus total liabilities equal net worth. During the 1996-2006 period, net worth increased in seven out of ten years (see Table 6). Net worth began at $1,310 per acre in 1996 and increased to $1,730 per acre in 2006. The 2007-2012 period saw increases in net worth, reaching $3,748 per acre in 2012. Net worth continued to grow early in the 2013-2016 period but has been declining in recent years. Net worth was $3,979 per acre in 2014, $3,839 in 2015, and $3,815 in 2016.

After declining for many years, the debt-to-asset ratio has begun to increase. During the 1996-2006 period, the debt-to-asset ratio was relatively stable at .27. The debt-to-asset ratio then decrease during the 2007-2012 period to .19 in 2012. Since 2012, the debt-to-asset ratio has increased and was slightly above .21 at the end of 2016.







Summary, Caveats, and Moving Forward

Overall, farm balance sheets remain strong but there are some worrisome trends. In recent years, working capital has been declining and prospects are that economic conditions will not be conducive to building working capital in 2018. A poor year characterized by trend yields, mid-$3.00 corn prices, and mid-$9.00 soybean prices would be associated with large declines in working capital (see farmdoc daily, January 30, 2018).

The net worth and debt-to-asset position remains strong but are not improving. Net worth per acre has been declining slightly in recent years and debt-to-asset ratios have edged up. There is still are financial reserves suggesting that many farms could withstand several adverse years.

The above analysis includes data through 2016. While 2017 data has not been released yet, one can make reasonable projections. Net farm incomes in 2017 were projected to be below 2016 levels (see farmdoc daily, November 21, 2017). Those lower net incomes likely lead to continued deteriorations in working capital on most farms. Net worth likely will show small declines and average debt-to-asset ratios likely will increase. Overall, farms likely still are in a strong position at the end of 2017, but some financial deterioration has continued to occur.

The above analysis is based on averages. There will be farms that face much greater difficulties than those described by these averages. Farms that have a higher proportion of their farms cash rented will face worse situation than depicted above. The 21% of the acre that is owned for the average farm provides a great deal of financial stability that does not exist for those the rent more than 90% of their farming operations. Moreover, younger operators likely face more adversity as they have not built up a base of owned land or other financial reserves.

The question then is what the financial position will look like in the future. Much will depend on prices and yields. Below is a characterization of results in the future given that yields are near trend levels. Prices given below represent market year average (MYA) prices:

Corn prices above $4 per bushel and soybean prices above $10 per bushel will result in improving working capital and overall financial strengthening on most farms.

Corn prices in the high $3 per bushel range and soybeans in the mid to high $9 range will result in stable to decreasing working capital and roughly stable financial position on most farms.

Corn prices in the low $3 per bushel range and soybeans in the low $9 per bushel range will result in rapid declines in working capital and declining financial strength of farms.

Corn prices below $3 per bushel and soybean prices below $9 per bushel will result in the elimination of working capital reserves and rapid declines in financial strength. Depending on the number of years of this price scenario, many loan defaults and restructuring would be required.

Obviously, yields come into play in determining returns and financial performance. For example, above average yields would counter some or all the impacts of lower prices, as has happened in recent years (see farmdoc daily, November 21, 2017). At this point in time, the dire situation of below $3 corn prices and below $9 soybean prices appears improbable, but this is agriculture and adverse events have happened in the past. Alternatively, there are scenarios where higher prices can occur resulting in increases in financial strength. Given current expectations, a most likely scenario is continuing tight cash flows, declines in working capital, and increases in debt-to-asset ratio. Time will tell.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge that data used in this study comes from the local Farm Business Farm Management (FBFM) Associations across the State of Illinois. Without their cooperation, information as comprehensive and accurate as this would not be available for educational purposes. FBFM, which consists of 5,600 plus farmers and 62 professional field staff, is a not-for-profit organization available to all farm operators in Illinois. FBFM field staff provide on-farm counsel with computerized recordkeeping, farm financial management, business entity planning and income tax management. For more information, please contact the State FBFM Office located at the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at 217-333-5511 or visit the FBFM website at www.fbfm.org.

YouTube Video: Discussion and graphs associated with this article
Sara Anshau was enjoying some me time in the mid-morning by the pool at the Taumeasina Island Resort.

The young mother from Sydney, Australia, had decided to enjoy some time out for herself before her and her family leave Samoa.

My 13-month-old baby is asleep with my husband right now back in the room, said Sara. I said to my husband I need a break, she laughs.

Sara tells Dear Tourist that her husband had come over to Samoa for work and then they decided to spend a few days more for relaxation before it was back to reality in Australia.

My husband had work in Apia so we decided to extend it a bit longer and have a few more days to tag along. This is a first time for all of us. Its my daughters first visit to a different country ever, so its always going to be Samoa.

Finding Samoa to be very hospitable and friendly, the Anshau family has discovered that travelling with a 13-month-old has not been difficult.

Its been really good here, travelling with my daughter and she has been really good. I found that its been pretty easy because everyone is really accommodating and the flight was really good when we flew with Fiji Airways. Everyone has been great here at the Taumeasina, its just amazing and the location is beautiful  we are right on the ocean.

Even at To Sua Ocean Trench, with their almost-toddler in tow, the couple took turns climbing down into the trench saying that it was a once in a life time opportunity. And while the climb down was a bit daunting, it was worth it.

So my husband and I took turns and went down there (To Sua), it is just so amazing and beautiful down there. I had only seen it in pictures. To actually be there was really lovely. I just think its amazing, just amazing.

The hospitality has been fabulous and the place is stunning. Weve really enjoyed it.

While the lush landscapes and friendly locals have impressed the Australian couple, Sara admits that they felt a bit let down by the food, having expected a more local theme in Samoas food selections.

We went to Paddles, which was lovely, but we havent really ventured out. It was a Saturday and everything closed early and then Sunday came a long and of course everything is closed. The food has been okay; unfortunately for us, it wasnt that great.

Being from Sydney, we are used to so many international foods which is top notch. My husband and I have travelled extensively. Weve been to Italy and we dont need to taste Italy in Samoa.

We were kind of expecting and wanting to have more of the traditional Samoan food, even if its a fusion of it, but havent really seen anything yet.

The family left the islands yesterday. But Sara hopes that they will make the trip again in the future so that their family could explore Savaii and take advantage of the snorkeling facilities.
The matter between the Police, Samoa Prison and Correction Services, Tagaloasa Filipaina and Ovaleni Poli, has been adjourned for hearing on 5 April, 2018, at 10 am.

The two prisoners are represented by lawyer, Pau Tafaogalupe Mulitalo.

Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke presided over the matter on Monday.

Mr. Mulitalo is seeking the Court for his clients to be transferred from Apia Police Station to Tafaigata Prison.

During the civil mention, Justice Leiataualesa said the set date is to hear the application by the respondents to strike out the applicants notice of motion for orders.

Outside of Court, Mr. Mulitalo said the application is basically to release his two clients from the Police Station to Tafaigata Prison.

The response from the Attorney General is to strike out the motion by Tagaloasa and Ovaleni, which is in relation to their release, Mr. Mulitalo told the Samoa Observer yesterday.

Thats all the application is for and it is based on the grounds that I have mentioned in my motion.

1. First of all the applicants are prisoners.

2. Secondly, the Apia Police Station was declared a prison by way of appointment of Prison Orders dates 20th June 1929 made pursuant to the clause 39 of the Samoa Act 1921.

3. The Commissioner of Prisons has wide discretion/powers under section 5(2)(d) of the Prisons and Corrections Act 2013 (the Prisons Act) to control prisoners and allocate them to such prisons as he sees fit. The applicants have been transferred to the Apia Police Station as the Commissioner considers it fit to do so.

4. Section 33(b), (d) and (j) of the Ombudsman Act 2013 which the applicants pleas at paragraph 3 of their motion is untenable at law. The said section deals with the functions of the Ombudsman and creates no statutory obligations for the Commissioner of the Police and the Commissioner of Prisons and Corrections. As such, this ground should fail;

5. Section 16(2) (d) of the Police Service Act 2009 provides that the Commissioner of Police may exercise any powers necessary for the implementation within Samoa of its Human Rights and other international obligations. The Applicants fail to demonstrate how this section supports the orders that they seek.

6. Section 34 of the Prisons Act deals with transfers of prisons, the transfer of the Applicants to the Apia Police Station is consistent with this section as the applicants are (a) prisoners, (b) were transferred and are incarcerated in a prison and (c) the Commissioner of Prisons has ordered the transfer of the applicants.

According to Mr. Mulitalo, the detention of the applicants in the cells at the Police Station is unconstitutional under article 89 of Samoas Constitution.

The act by the Police Commissioner and Commissioner for Prisons has failed to promote and comply with human rights and international obligations in accordance with sections 33(b)(d)(j) and 38 of the Ombudsman Act 2013, he said.

The respondent, through the act by the Police Commissioner, has failed in his lawful duty to comply with section 16(2)(d) of the Police Service Act 2009 from denying access by counsel for the applicants to obtain instructions from the applicants detained in police holding cells.

That the Commissioner of Prisons and Correction Services was negligent in his duty to wrongfully apply section 34 of the Prisons and Corrections Act 2013 to the transfer of the applicants to the Central Police Station in Apia.

And upon any further grounds by verbal testimonies by the applicants, if leave is granted for their affidavits to be dispensed with because of difficulty in obtaining further instructions from them in the holding cells at the police station in Apia.
The ocean is the reflection of Samoas beauty.

Meet Bob and Alison Featherstone from Wellington, New Zealand, who were blown away by the beauty of Samoas crystal blue ocean.

The couples choice of Taumeasina Island Resort as accommodation is even more mesmerizing with its location surrounded by the ocean.

Speaking to the Dear Tourist team, they said their expectation of Samoa has not disappointed them.

They have been to other islands in the Pacific such as Fiji, but nothing compares to the heart of the Pacific.

For the couple, pictures cannot even describe the beauty of Samoas landscape.

We are here to just enjoy the beautiful weather and landscapes, Alison said.

But not only did the scenery impress the couple. The people are very friendly and helpful. They smile all the time, Alison explained.

They look at you with friendliness and that makes us feel very welcomed. They are pleased to see you.

Here, there are fewer tourists. It is not crowded and touristy like in Fiji. We do really enjoy that.

The fact that Samoa has fewer tourists makes life here more relaxed compared to other places, Bob shared.

They love the weather here because New Zealand is much warmer.

Not even the water is the same like in New Zealand. It is clear and so blue here. You can fall in love with it. We do love the sea, said Alison.

They havent done a lot of sightseeing in Samoa, but for them to spend the holidays here is perfect.

It is a place where you can just relax and do nothing. It is a lovely place to come for a holiday, Alison said.

The couple arrived in Samoa last week Wednesday. They are spending a week of holidays at the Taumeasina Island Resort.

It seemed to be a lovely spot, so we booked it. And it is a very beautiful place to stay, Bob shared.

This is not the last Samoa has seen of the couple for they have promised to return.
Well, as the wise would say, no one is perfect; indeed, were living in a world where everyone is quite capable, of learning from ones own mistakes.

And as were thinking about those words now, let us look one more time at Prime Minister, Dr Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois new baby, Samoa Airways, and how it can possibly succeed where his old baby, defunct Polynesian Airlines, had failed.

As were doing that though, lets be reminded that the word to keep closely in mind is honesty; since with honesty, it is quite likely that Polynesian Airlines might have been around today still, and indeed, it might have even become the regions most successful airline, that wed all be proud to call truly our own.

Alas, that was not to be.

Why?

Because at the time, honesty was simply nowhere to be either seen or found; and that indeed, was a terrible shame. Sure, we know that some will say whatd happened in the past, should remain in the past, but then even if honesty was no longer there, the truth is that the past will still be around; it will simply not go away.

Indeed, it will remain among us still to remind, to educate, and to ensure that the wrong that had been perpetrated in the past, will be there still to remind, to educate, and never to repeat itself.

Now, lets talk about Polynesian Airlines and the debts itd accumulated, over the years.

By February 1997, the multi-million tala debt it had incurred was not diminishing; instead, it had increased by about $3.5 million and at the time, it was not clear what the exact debt was.

At 30 June 1997 though, it was revealed that accumulated losses amounting to $116,623,453 had been incurred, compared to accumulated losses of $113,269.044 that had also been announced on 30 June 1996.

The companys trading loss in 1997 was $3,354,409, compared to $15,286.311 in 1996. As a result, company directors recommended against paying a dividend for 1997.

These startling facts were contained in the 1997 financial statement of Polynesian Airlines (Holdings) Limited, the company the government had set up to handle the airlines debt, the Samoa Observer revealed at the time.

At the time, the Observer also revealed that the Holdings Company owned all of the airlines assets, including aircraft which were then leased to the Operation Company, Polynesian Airlines Limited.

In 1993, the national airline accumulated over $50 million debt in aircraft leases, so that Treasury feared that this would drive the country into bankruptcy.

To pay for the leases, Treasury made substantial advances of up to $6 million to the airline, which also obtained loans from the National Provident Fund and local banks, with the government as guarantor.

At one time, the airline was leasing two three Boeings 767s and one Boeing 737, from the United States and Canada.

A Boeing 767 lease from Kuwait, with the idea of purchasing it, never flew for the airline, because it lack standard equipment required by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (F.A.A.).

As a result, that aircraft spent all its time in a hanger in Australia, and only the airline officials knew what had been done with it, and yet at the time it had been accumulating huge amounts in leasing fees.

At the time, PAL (Holdings) had a paid up capital of 1,000,000 shares of $1.00 per share, with a government advance of $73,690,156.

This represented additional injections of capital funds and capitalised loans, as well as advances sourced from the government, the Auditors report revealed.

It appears that at that time also, the company was converting these advances into issued and paid up capital.

At the time company loans were from:

 Air Canada - $US4,683,994 at 8 per cent interest, due 15 August 2001;

 Polynesian Aircraft - (US606,641 at 8 percent interest, due 1 April 2001;

 NPF- $6,757,681 at 9.5 percent interest; due 30 June 2004;

 Qantas - $A3,482,686 at 7.74 per cent interest; due 31 October 1999.

 Total terms loans at 30 June 1997 - $26,941,912; all of them were subject to guarantee by the government.

From the auditors report, it was clear that inter-company advances, were made.

For instance, by 30 June 1997, the Holdings Company was advanced:

 $2,557,012 by the government;

 $5,031,237 by Polynesian Airlines Investment Ltd,

 and $2,990,669 by Polynesian Limited.

 Total owed by Holdings $10,578,918.

The report said that at the time, an interest free advance of $2,557,012 was owing by the government. It also said that this advance had priority over the distribution of share capital. It was not clear if this advance had been paid back.

However, the report said advances of $8,526,353 during 1996, were made by affiliate companies and were controlled by the companys shareholder.

It also said the advances were not subject to interest and were repayable on demand.

At 5.30 a.m. on 16 February 1999, Jean and I are at the Samoa Observer printing plant. Weve just been to the airport, and on our way back, we decided to stop at the plant.

That days edition is printed, the boys are loading stacks of newspapers inside the delivery vans, and the vans are waiting as theyre standing there, just outside the door.

Editor Ropeti Ale was there. He was not supposed to be there though.

Whatre you doing here? I asked him.

Just checking if the papers printed, he said.

Oh, I said. All right.

Jean has wandered off towards the other side of the plant. I picked up a paper and gave a quick glance on the front page.

Across the front page the headline reads: PAL old debt increases $116.6 m.

The story underneath it says Polynesian Airlines (Holdings) Ltd, the company that has been set up by the government to handle the airlines debts, has warned that the airlines financial outlook was grim.

As a result, Treasury was worried that since the debts were continuing to mount, they could send the country into bankruptcy.

Now I am leafing through the paper when two men enter the door. They are walking towards me and one of them is handing me a folder.

Whats this? I ask.

Were from a security company, the man replies.

So? I ask again as Im looking at the folder. Whats this?

Were just following orders, the man says. We were told to serve the papers and leave.

Who sent you?

We cant say, he replies.

Why?

Both men are silent. I open the folder and see a document inside it so I pick it up. As Im reading it Im aware that its a court injunction blocking the distribution of that days edition.

What? I ask. Who gave you this document?

I look around and the men are gone. At the door I see their car drive away.

Jean is still on the other side of the plant; she has heard me talking loudly and now shes walking over.

What was that all about? she asked.

So I told her: Weve been served an injunction order blocking the paper from distributing todays edition.

But why? she asked.

I told her: It appears that someone is worried that a story published in todays edition, would reveal that some people at Polynesian Airlines, are giving large cash advances and allowances to their senior staff.

Jean is quiet. Shes somewhat shocked but she remains quiet.

The document said: The interim order being sought is necessary to prevent irreparable damage to the airline.

Now looking somewhat confused and sad, Jean is saying softly: But why would anyone want to do that?

I say softly myself: Its the senior staff of Polynesian Airlines. They dont want anyone to know that theyve been stealing from this country, so theyve gone ahead and requested an injunction to mislead everyone, and the court has granted it.

As it is now turning out the injunction is temporary.

Signed by Justice Andrew Bray Cameron Wilson, it ordered the paper not to publish any article or story relating to the salaries, remuneration, allowances and benefits paid to employees, and higher ranking officers of Polynesian Airlines, without the companys permission.

Now Jean is shaking her head sadly.

As for me, all Im thinking is that someone would have spent a good part of last night, putting that injunction together, and then somehow hed managed to get the judge to sign it, and have it delivered still during the night.

And then it is now dawning on me that theres something terribly fishy here. We have gone through the leaked document thoroughly, our editor showed it to the airlines top managers who confirmed it was authentic, they even advised there was nothing illegal about the alleged advances in question, so why then did they want the article blocked from being published?

Still, how did they know that an article about the advances would be published in todays paper anyway? Someone in our office must have told them, and soon it became clear that Jean and I were thinking the same thoughts.

It was her who asked Ale: Did you tell those people a story on the advances would be in this mornings paper?

Ale, who was standing nearby, was obviously expecting this.

I had to, he said. They insisted they had to know.

What? I screamed. Didnt I tell you no one was allowed to see any story before it was published in this paper?

Ale was quiet so I screamed at him: Well, didnt I tell you!

Ale jumped and then he said: Sorry.

Sorry, so youre sorry! I screamed again. Does that mean you have a solution to the problem we now have? Besides, what are you going to do with all those newspapers that cannot be sold now?

Ale was silent.

I did not pursue the matter any further.

Soon afterwards, he went back to Honolulu. That was where he did his university education, and when hed returned to Samoa, he was given the post of assistant editor, with the Samoa Observer.
With the changing weather patterns, it is crucial that we are always up to date with the mysterious works of Mother Nature.

Since October 2016, Takeshi Matsumura, from Japan, has worked to develop the Samoa Weather app that allows Samoans to access weather bulletins at their fingertips.

Mr. Matsumura has worked at the Samoa Meteorology Division as a J.I.C.A. volunteer since 2016. His work involves maintaining weather observation system.

With the support of his work colleagues, the weather app was delivered in February, 2017, and in just one year, the number of downloads totaled 700.

TVs and radios have been the main medium for local people to know the weather. But nowadays, more and more people in Samoa use smartphones to access a variety of information on the internet, Mr. Matsumura said.

For the Meteorology Division, smartphones are another channel to deliver weather forecast and early warning messages. One of the benefits of a smartphone is that we can directly reach many people and it alerts them easily.

He says before any disaster occurs, it is paramount that people are alerted so that they can prepare for the worst.

We provide the information by cooperating with the Disaster Management Office (D.M.O.)."

When we have a disaster such as an earthquake, cyclone and tsunami, the Meteorology Division provides the observations, analysis, and forecasts about the natural disaster itself, and the D.M.O. guides local people on how to prepare and what actions to take for saving themselves."

For instance, during Tropical Cyclone Gita, we had positive feedbacks from the public about our effort to keep them updated through various communication tools, including the app.

Mr. Matsumura is now working on trying to improve the app for the benefit of the people of Samoa.

Last summer, we presented this app at the Pacific Meteorological Council, he said.

Some meteorology offices in other Pacific countries showed their wills to make the same kind of service. But there are still points of improvement."

Now, this app is a one-way service from us to the users. However, it can be more interactive.

For example, if the app can contain the feedback about past weather forecast or the new information which people get, it can potentially help us check the quality of our weather forecast, he added.

Mr. Matsumura leaves Samoa in April. He hopes to transfer all his knowledge and skills he inherited in the past 16 years working in a telecommunication company and also about the app to his Samoan co-workers.

My colleagues are working so hard day and night to provide a better service. And my boss, Mulipola Ausetalia Titimaea, is leading the team with eagerness every day. Im sure they will continue to achieve even better service after I leave all for the safety of the Samoan people.

If you are interested in the Samoa Weather App, please go to the app shop and download it. Here is the QR code for downloading.
The Samoa Airways has requested the Samoa Airport Authority (S.A.A.) to waive its landing fees for 2018.

This was confirmed by S.A.A. Chief Executive Officer, Magele Hoe Viali, during a phone interview with the Samoa Observer.

Initially, Magele said he could not comment, but afterwards confirmed that Samoa Airways has applied to waive their landing fees.

There is a thing called Air Service Incentive programme that is being utilised by the Atlanta Airport in America."

It's a practice that is being utilised all over the world and the request has been considered by the Airport."

And as the P.M said, this would have to go through proper channels for approval from Cabinet as the Prime Minister indicated to you, said Magele.

Asked whether the airport gave the same incentive for Fiji Airways, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia, Magele said no.

This is how it works. We only offer incentives to new carriers or the airlines taking new routes."

If there are current routes, why would there be any incentives given to those airlines."

Again the incentives are only given to an airline that has developed new routes and or developed a new airline."

Also if it is considered for the Samoa Airways, it has to be applied to all the new carriers."

Unless it is approved by Cabinet, we cannot utilise such incentive, given that we are operated on public funds, so of course it has to be approved from the top, said Magele.

According to the C.E.O., the same incentive was given for the Samoa Air and Talofa Airways.

Also this incentive has to be paralleled with other new carriers and Im sure that is how Cabinet will look at it.

Asked as to how much money the airport will lose if the landing fees are waived for Samoa Airways, Magele was unaware.

As of now, we are working on a feasibility study which will include all of that."

Also be mindful that in every situation like this, it is a win-win situation, meaning that we help them and in return we will get some money from it."

This is exactly why we have not submitted the request to Cabinet is because we are considering all options before the actual request is submitted, said Magele.

Last week, Tuilaepa said:

I dont believe that a decision has been made on that specific issue, but there has been a request, Tuilaepa said.

At the same time, it is not easy for the authority to make such a difficult decision. It is a decision that has to be looked into by Cabinet, but that has not reached Cabinet.

Tuilaepa said the Government has to be careful and weigh up its options.

If the request is granted, other airlines will object, so the decision comes from Cabinet and not the authority on such matters.
The Minister of Health, Tuitama Dr. Leao Tuitama, has rejected reports the Government is planning to slash the salaries of doctors working at the hospital as part of the merge between the National Health Service (N.H.S.) and Ministry of Health (M.O.H.).

He has instead accused the National Health Services of spreading false rumours as part of a conspiracy to sabotage the merge.

All this false information is being spread around, the Minister told the Samoa Observer yesterday. It is the present management that has been spreading the false information that the salaries will be slashed once they come under the P.S.C."

I can tell you there is no plan for that. The merge is a different issue its not about salaries.

The Minister said the rumours are part of a conspiracy to sabotage the merge; they are looking to implement in July 2018.

The salary issue originated because the doctors complained that the management was not complying with the Cabinets decision, which was based on the Salary Tribunal recommendation to set the doctors salary according to the structure back in 2013."

Cabinet endorsed and approved the recommendation and ordered the management to get on with it and put the doctors salaries, yet up until now, nothing has been done."

There were some suggestions the management should be fired given they were not complying with Cabinets decision.

Attempts to get a comment from N.H.S. were unsuccessful yesterday.

But the Minister revealed that part of moving forward included a recommendation that a clear career pathway be put in place by N.H.S. They were to report to Cabinet about it.

Until now, nothing has been done, he said.

Also in 2013, I ordered the Medical Council to draft a career pathway for the doctors to go together with the salaries structure that was endorsed."

That took two years and in 2016, the Medical Council presented the pathway career to go together with the changes of the new salary level for doctors."

What happened was that the N.H.S. Management implemented the increase of salaries on certain doctors, yet the directive was uniformly for all the doctors."

When the doctors realised there was a F.K. with recommendations for their salary structure, yet nothing has been done, about 12 doctors wrote letters complaining to the Ministry about their salaries last year."

They went to the Clinical Manager, General Manager, yet nothing was done and so they came to me, they brought the issue to my attention."

However, I saw that two doctors were my son and daughter. I recused myself because of my conflict of interest and the matter was transferred to the Prime Minister."

The Prime Minister then issued another directive for the M.O.H. and M.O.F. to work together to resolve this issue."

So again the doctors salaries is not a merge issue, its an issue with the management.

The Minister also took issue with the Samoa Medical Association (S.M.A.), whom he met on Tuesday.

They came to address the same issue you are talking about and I have informed them that salaries have nothing to do with the merge, he said,

I told them this is their mandate and I said, look you are not performing your function as an association."

Your members didnt know where to go to get a resolution. I thought that would have been an appropriate time to intervene and assist your members. You must have known their grievances, yet there was no action from you."

Where were you when the doctors needed you, he said asked S.M.A.

Tuitama noted the issues of salaries being incorrectly delivered are wrong and damaging to the image of the Ministry.

There are people here who are trying to sabotage the efforts of the Government in implementing the merge.

Asked as to why there has been no disciplinary action, Tuitama said timing is not on their side.

Now is the right time to get the merge underway because it will bring resolutions to all of the rubbish within the N.H.S."

We are looking at it, were not acting now and as we are closing in on implementing the merge, which will solve some of these issues.

He said the delay is due to a number of issues.

We have to work on the organisational chart before the legislation."

The organisational structure has to be approved by the Cabinet, and then it will go to the A.G.s office for drafting of law and then it goes to Parliament for approval prior to it becoming a law."

The most challenging part of the merge is that when there are changes, it will always create doubt."

There is fear they will lose their jobs and their salaries will be slashed. These fears are being exploited by the saboteurs who expand on them to create more fear so that people will stand up and reject and repulse against the merge."

The purpose of the merge is due to the services that are not functioning.

The Minister assured the merge will have no impact on the positions of the nurses, doctors and all allied professionals.

Only the management will be changed and that is why there is ill feeling in the current management. They feel they are threatened they will lose their job."

Of course some of them will lose their job, if your job is being duplicated why you would need to be there, that is the fact of life, he said.

The core function of the hospital will not change, such as the nurses functions, the doctors functions, laboratories, paramedics, pharmacists and all allied services. Nothing will happen to their jobs."

However, only some of the managerial posts will be eliminated because there will be duplication and triplication of work."

The purpose of the merge is to reduce the duplication and triplication of functions that exists. Because of that duplication of functions, there were compelling issues and they were working against each other instead of working together, said Tuitama.

Asked as to how many people will receive redundancy packages, contracts that will not be renewed and managerial posts that will be eliminated, and Tuitama said about 10.

There will be some who will be redundant and there are also ways to address these issues. Were looking at a lot of ways to accommodate this issue and minimise the effect of the merge."

One of which is contracts. They work through it and upon expiration and they are not needed anymore, then we will not extend or renew the contract."

We are also looking at other ministries, if their services are needed there and they can apply for that position so that way no one will be left out."

The Minister said up to $500,000 has been set aside for redundancy packages for the management staff.
Passion drives one to succeed.

Thats the belief of Rubylou Tuiloma, a Samoan graduate of Victoria University in Australia.

Rubylou was among nine representatives from various universities in Australia present during the Australia Future Unlimited Education Roadshow at the Taumeasina Island Resort on Monday night.

The 22-year-old is from Vaitele-Uta. She was a recipient of the Victoria University scholarship.

In 2016, Ms. Tuiloma graduated with a degree in International Community Development  a field she is passionate about.

I would say that is the best thing about studying in Australia because they encourage you to pursue your field. They gave me the kind of direction I needed, she said.

At the moment, I am working with the Ministry of Women and Community in the Social Development department. It is exactly what I studied abroad.

She shared pursuing ones personal goals in their field of study would not only benefit them, but the development of Samoa as a whole.

I love the job, it really keeps me motivated. Being able to express my passion in my field and doing something that I am so eager about is rewarding.

For me this is what keeps me on the roll and waking up every morning just feeling pumped to go to work. I know it is what I like to do, she told Samoa Observer.

Studying abroad minimised her dependence on her family and she found herself working extra hard.

I think future students should start applying for a scholarship overseas, it is a really good opportunity, not only will it enhance your skills and knowledge, you become experienced in different fields you major in.

The Victoria University was popular among Samoan students in Australia.

When I was in the Victoria University, there were eight students from Samoa in the same study field that I was in.

The Samoan students and other different Pacific Islands have their own groups and specific associations, said Rubylou.

Despite the biggest challenge of feeling homesick, she was able to embrace a new environment by appreciating what she had.

There are certain times when life will get in the way and you will forget why you are there in the first place.

But Rubylou mentioned staying focused is the key.
ABSTRACT

Soil fertility management is one of the major strategies for improving potato productivity in the highlands of south-western Uganda. Land belonging to potato farmers is highly fragmented hindering sustainable potato production under small-holder farming systems. Land fragmentation brings a major challenge to small-scale farmers in soil fertility management, increasing costs of production. However, identifying major soil nutrients limiting potato production in the highlands of south-western Uganda is an avenue of applying appropriate soil nutrients to improve potato productivity without degrading the soils. It also assists farmers in investing in the necessary soil nutrients and, hence reducing the costs of production while improving potato productivity. The study indicated that soil potassium was the most single significant soil nutrient limiting potato productivity especially in the fields located on hilltops and far from homesteads. Hence, it was imperative that farmers apply potassium containing fertilizers to minimize potassium depletion but also increase potato productivity. It was also important for farmers to always integrate disease management with soil nutrient management for improved potato productivity.

Subject Areas:

Soil Science

Keywords:

Land Fragmentation, Potato Productivity, Soil Nutrients, Yields

1. Introduction

Advances in agricultural production techniques have stimulated an average annual growth in global per capita consumption of 0.3% [1] . Despite these impressive achievements in both income and consumption, more than one billion people in the developing world are poor, apparently surviving on less than US$ 1 a day [2] . In Uganda, declining soil fertility is among the major factors constraining food production and economic performance of small scale farms [3] . Diminishing soil fertility and crop productivity in the highlands of south-western Uganda have been associated with low use of improved technologies such fertilizers and manures [4] . Lack of market opportunities for farmers produce has been one of the disincentives for increased agricultural production. Thus, Uganda is listed among the countries with the lowest crop yields per unit area in the world, in spite of its relatively favorable agro-climatic environment [5] .

To reduce food insecurity and poverty at household level, the government of Uganda has initiated various liberalization policies to revitalize agricultural production and improve rural household income [6] . Subsequently, the government has urged farmers to embrace agricultural modernization and produce for the market. In response, International Center for Tropical agriculture (CIAT), in collaboration with Africare-Uganda and NARO, has trained farmers in the highlands of south-western Uganda in improved soil fertility management technologies for sustainable potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production. The same farmers were later linked to urban markets with good prices for potato produce. It was envisaged that integration of enhanced farmers knowledge in soil fertility management and profitable markets could be an incentive for farmers to invest part of potato proceeds in soil nutrient management. To reduce land degradation and costs of production in form of investments in soil nutrient management, it was imperative to investigate soil nutrients limiting potato production on fields located on the different slope positions and distances from homesteads. It was also necessary to assess responses of potato yields on integrated soil nutrient management in fields located on different slope positions and distances from homesteads. This would guide farmers on which kind of soil nutrients to apply and therefore invest resources appropriately.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Site

This study was conducted in Kabale District in the highlands of south-western Uganda with farmers linked to urban markets. Kabale District covers an area of approximately 1800 square kilometres and lies between 1.20774S and 29.98588E at an elevation of 2076 meters above sea level at the Uganda-Rwanda boarder. The mountainous terrain of Kabale District is part of the northern slopes of the Mufumbiro Range which encompasses the tallest mountain, Muhavura (4127 m). The highlands of Kabale are composed of the Karagwe-Ankolean rock system which is largely of Precambrian age. The uplift to its present level occurred in association with the formation of the Western Rift Valley in East Africa. The highlands are dominated by steeply sloping ridges, hills and narrow valleys [7] . The highlands have steep long slopes that are intensively cultivated for potato under low input production systems [4] . Kabale has a population density of 144 persons km2 and it is considered among the most densely populated districts in Uganda [8] . The district has a montane type of climate with an annual rainfall of 800 - 1000 mm. The long rains occur between mid August-December, followed by short rains in mid March-May and a short dry spell between June and July [9] . Subsequently, Kabale is food self-sufficient, although the soils have over time been losing fertility due to over cultivation, soil erosion and lack of resources for soil fertility rejuvenation [4] . The soils on hill slopes are shallow dark brown with low productivity, while the valley bottoms have deep humose brown loam with moderate to high productivity. Fragmentation of land holdings is severe and the average landholding is about 0.32 ha per household [4] .

2.2. Research Approach

a) Selection of potato fields

Six parishes in Kamuganguzi Sub County were selected based on their common bio-physical features and characteristics (land use types, plot sizes, soil types and vegetation). Using farmer group research approach, potato fields located on different slope positions and relative distances from owners homesteads were selected. Using farmers perception on soil depth, relative position on hill-slopes and fertility levels, potato field typologies were determined. These were either confirmed or placed in the corrected field typologies (hilltop  homestead, mid slope  homestead and valley bottoms) during field transect walks with community members.

b) Soil sampling and laboratory analyses

Soils from different field typologies were sampled at depth of 0-15 cm and analyzed for chemical (soil pH, total organic matter, total N, extractable P, exchangeable K, Na, Mg and Ca) and physical (soil bulk density) properties [10] [11] .

c) Limiting nutrient and fertilizer response trials

Trials on limiting nutrients and fertilizer responses in potato on different field typologies were set up in six parishes in two rain seasons of 2017. Fertilizer treatments (Table 1 and Table 2) were randomly applied in plots of 4 m  3 m which were planted with pre-sprouted potato variety (Victoria) at spacing of 75 cm  30 cm. Each of the trial on limiting nutrients and fertilizer responses had 30 trials located on different field typologies. Analytical copper chloride (CuCl 2 ), zinc chloride (ZnCl 2 ), manganese chloride (MnCl 2 ) and Analytical Borax (Na 2 B 4 O 7 ) were sources for Cu, Zn, Mn and B respectively. Each of the micronutrients (Cu, B, Zn and Mn) was applied at the recommended rate of 1 kg ha1. Land preparation, planting and weeding were carried out using a hand hoe. At maturity (100 days after planting), the number of plants per plot were recorded before harvesting. Plants from the middle four rows in each plot were harvested and the number of tubers per plant and their grades recorded. The three grades were assessed by measuring the circumference of tubers. These were Grade A (>60 mm), Grade B (45 - 60 mm) and Grade C (<45 mm). Grades A and B are marketable

Table 1. Fertilizer application for limiting nutrient assessment.

Fertilizer carriers were: Ureasource of N; Triple superphosphate (TSP)source of P; Muriate of potash (MOP)source of K; Single superphosphate (SSP)source of P and S; Analytical magnesium oxide (MgO)source of Mg; Analytical copper chloride (CuCl 2 )source of Cu; Analytical zinc chloride (ZnCl 2 )source of Zn; Analytical manganese chloride (MnCl 2 )source of Mn and Analytical Borax (Na 2 B 4 O 7 )source of B.

Table 2. Fertilizer rates applied in potato response trials.

potato ware while grade C is considered seed size [4] .

2.3. Statistical Analyses

The collected data were entered in Excel software for management and later analyzed using statistical software Genstat. Interactions of the different treatments were determined and Fishers LSD test was used to compare each pair of treatments analyzed using One-Way ANOVA (Analysis of variance).

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Farmers Perceptions on Soil Characteristics with Scientific Determinations

Farmers were knowledgeable on the different levels of fertility and depths of potato fields located on the different slope positions (Table 3). Potato fields located on the upper slopes were often shallow with stony outcrops and extremely low fertility. This was an indicator of serious soil erosion and limited use of soil fertility improving innovations. The hill-slopes of the highlands of south-western Uganda were long and steep with high levels of erosivity [7] . Due to low soil fertility on upper slopes resulting into low potato yields, farmers often encroached and cultivated marginal areas such as wetlands as they searched for fertile soils. Soils in potato fields located in the valley bottoms were deep and fertile. These were extensively cultivated with limited use of soil fertility improving innovations such as fertilizers and manure that resulted into extensive soil nutrient mining.

3.2. Soil Physical and Chemical Properties of Potato Fields under Urban and Non-Market Linkages

Potato fields had soil extractable phosphorus (P) above the critical value of 15 mg/kg, below which potato growth could be negatively affected [12] . Soil nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) were inadequate and yet, they are heavily utilized by potato crop [12] . Among the soil parameters measures, only total soil carbon (SOC) and N that significantly varied with the farmer-market linkage types (p < 0.05) (Table 4). However, total SOC and N were below the critical value for optimum potato production [10] . Farmers under urban and non-urban market

Table 3. Farmers perceptions on soil rating on landscape.

Table 4. Variation of soil properties in potato fields with urban and non-urban market linkages.

*Critical bulk density above which, there is noticeable poor tuber development; **Critical soil chemical and nutrient values below which, potato growth and yields are negatively affected.

types applied soil nutrient below the optimum and yet potato is a heavy feed on N and K [12] . This indicated that linking farmers to urban markets did not lead to sustainable potato production. This was also revealed by the high bulk density under urban and non-urban market linkages that indicated exposure of the compacted sub soil as a result of soil erosion.

3.3. Potato Yield Responses to Limiting Soil Nutrients

Other than, potato fields located on hilltops and far from homesteads (Hilltop  HH), there were no significant differences in tuber yields on different field typologies (p > 0.05) (Table 5). Soil potassium was the most limiting nutrient in potato fields located on hilltops and far from homesteads. Potassium follows soil nitrogen in quantity taken up by potato crop [12] . Potassium uptake influences tuber yields and size of tubers as well as a number of tuber quality factors including specific gravity, black-spot bruise susceptibility, chip and fry color, and storage quality. Potassium deficiencies reduce photosynthesis, reducing dry matter and starch formation [12] . Although, there were no significant differences in tuber yields on other field typologies other than Hilltop-HH, soil potassium was also the most limiting nutrients in potato fields located on mid-slopes and near homesteads (Midslope + HH) and valley bottoms. Potato fields located on hilltops and near homesteads (Hilltops + HH), micro-nutrients were the most limiting. Although soil P and N are macro-nutrients taken up in substantial amounts by potato, they were not the most limiting on the different field typologies. Similarly, sulfur (S) was not among the most limiting nutrients on the different field typologies.

3.4. Responses of Potato Yields to Integrated Soil Nutrients

Other than tuber yields of grade C (<45 mm), there were no significant different

Table 5. Responses of potato yields on applied soil nutrients in different field typologies.

1 = No fertilizer application; 2 = N + P + K + S + Mg + micronutrients; 3 = P + K + S + Mg + micronutrients; 4 = N + K + S + Mg + micronutrients; 5 = N + P + S + Mg + micronutrients; 6 = N + P + K + Mg + micronutrients; 7 = N + P + K + S + micronutrients; 8 = N + P + K + S + Mg.

Table 6. Variation of potato tuber yields with fertilizer application rates.

NB: Other than the control, all treatments were given equal amounts of S, Mg and micro nutrients.

responses in tuber yields and number of tubers per plant on integrated soil nutrients (p > 0.05) (Table 6). During the study, the experiment was affected by bacterial wilt of potato caused by Ralstonia solanacearum that masked the effects of applied mineral nutrients on potato growth and yields. The disease was one the most important challenge in potato production in the highlands of south-western Uganda. It was known for reducing potato yields up to 100 % [13] .

4. Conclusion

Soil K was the single significant limiting soil nutrient in potato production, occurring in potato fields located on hilltops and far from homesteads. Therefore, it was imperative for farmers to apply K containing soil nutrient resources in potato fields to minimize land degradation while improving potato productivity under smallholder farming systems in the highlands of south-western Uganda. However, there was need to integrate disease management to improve potato productivity through integrated soil nutrient management.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge The Belgium Technical Cooperation (BTC) for funding the study. Sincere thanks go to farmers in the highlands of south-western Uganda for their invaluable time and land accorded to this study.

Cite this paper

Muzira, R., Basamba, T. and Tenywa, J.S. (2018) Assessment of Soil Nutrients Limiting Sustainable Potato Production in the Highlands of South-Western Uganda. Open Access Library Journal, 5: e4440. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1104440

References
Airbnb has opened its doors to locals interested in being Airbnb hosts.

Owners and couple, Justine Samu and Rocky Ata Matatumua, have extended their business through a joint venture with Asotasi  Le Property host Samoa.

This joint venture offers a property and hosting management service for locals wanting to capitalise on being Airbnb hosts.

While Airbnb is fairly new in Samoa with relatively modest listings, it is set to add a new dimension to the tourism industry by offering travelers a chance to have unique experiences staying at other peoples homes in faraway places.

In February, Airbnb, in collaboration with the Samoa Tourism Authority, hosted a workshop for people interested in being Airbnb hosts.

The couple, Ata and Justine, attended the workshop to learn how to utilise their familys second home as an Airbnb lodging. At the end of the workshop, they realised that there was an opportunity for locals and Samoans abroad to earn some extra cash from their vacant holiday homes on the island.

Basically, we are providing a full service for people who are interested in earning extra income by being Airbnb hosts, but who are not on the island to look after their houses or for people who are here but are just too busy in which case we do a co-host service.

We found that there are people who are not particularly tech savvy or have access to as much internet as we do, to be able to market their property well.

The property hosts say that they have travelled extensively around the world with Ata playing professional club rugby overseas and they often utilised Airbnb as their preferred method of the accommodation.

Knowing what works and what doesnt, the Asotasi Management team will use their experience to inform their service.

Weve travelled a lot and stayed in a lot of Airbnbs so its based on our experiences too and what we consider to be enjoyable experiences that keep people coming back, said Justine. We want to apply our positive experiences with Airbnb to homes here in Samoa.

According to the Asotasi Le Property Hosts owners, they want to make it easier for you to manage your Airbnb property.

We specialise in a beginning to end management service. We do the listing creation and the online maintenance, said Justine. We will screen potential guests and then we do a hosting service where we meet and greet and look after the guest and do house clean after.

Its also important to finish off with customer reviews as part of marketing your Airbnb property. We want to support the local communities who have a house, a room or a faleoo that they could rent out. These are all cultural experiences that tourists want that are affordable and accommodation owners can make some extra money.

The beauty about being an Airbnb accommodation host, according to Justine, is they only target short stay vacations, which will appeal to homeowners who may not want to have long term tenants. Both Justine and Ata agree that their motivation is to provide a valuable service that they themselves would use.

At the end of the day its someones house and they are worried and so we need to fully engage in conversation before they buy into it and thats why weve targeted only short stay vacations.

We are like real estate agents here but without the big fees, said Justine. The costs are based on a per stay basis. There are no signup fees and theres only a cost if a guest stays in which we case we take a 20 percent commission if its a full hosting and 15 percent for co-hosting.

Atas family is from the villages of Lefaga and Saleimoa and Justines family is from Falealupo. The young family relocated to Samoa from Australia after deciding that they wanted a lifestyle change and working for themselves just made sense to them.

We took out time in deciding what we were going to do in terms of employment here because if I wanted an office job, I wouldnt have moved here. We moved here for the lifestyle and we want to be able to start off with something that helps our people and our country, said Justine.

Living in Australia, I felt like there were luxuries that were all of a sudden becoming necessities and I just felt like I needed to scale back. I was always complaining about how ungrateful my children were and I thought whose fault is that?

And it was our fault because sometimes our love was just about giving them what we never had and you end up spoiling them. We needed to re-ground ourselves.

With their combined professional experience in operations management and customer service, the management team from Asotasi has already secured clients overseas.

They are currently in talks with Martin Haus Institute of Learning about providing an element of customer service training to their hospitality students.
A 37-year-old female, from the villages of Talimatau and Nuu-fou, has been charged with negligent driving causing injury.

The female allegedly hit a 27-year-old male last week Friday. The victim is Murphy Jonpalar Curry.

This was confirmed by Police Spokesperson, Auapaau Logoitino Filipo.

The driver of the Ford that hit a young man in front of Apia Park has been charged, he said.

She is scheduled to appear in the Supreme Court on 27 March.

The victim is still at the Intensive Care Unit because of the severity of his injuries.

The incident occurred on Friday night around midnight.

The victims brother-in-law, Taaiseuga Warren, told the Samoa Observer: It was past 12 midnight when he was dropped off by his colleagues after work. He was drinking with them so they dropped him off home.

Our house is opposite from the Apia Park and his friends dropped him off on the other side of the road and so he tried to cross the road.

While he was crossing the road, a small private car that looks like a taxi was heading from Moataa to Apia. It was coming really, really fast.

The driver didnt stop after he struck my brother-in-law and his body was found 20 meters away from where he was hit.

Thats how far we had to run to him, the car was coming really fast.

Taaiseuga said it was a sad scene seeing his brother in law in that condition.

The Police were called and they came and took my brother to the hospital, we had to rush him because his wounds were so severe, said the family member.

We were at the hospital the whole night, at this very moment he is in the operation room because he has broken collar bones, broken ribs, his chest as well as internal bleeding.

He is fighting for his life at the moment and we are praying that he will be able to make it given the severe injuries he sustained.

We have lodged a complaint to the Police and they are investigating matter.

My brother is a single young man and he is an engineer and good at laying tiles. But its very sad to see him fighting for his life, hopefully he will pull through.
The government agency that oversees the redevelopment of Seaport Village in downtown San Diego mostly voiced approval Tuesday of changes made after an earthquake fault line was discovered on the site.

Unified Port of San Diego officials wont vote on changes until September, but this was the first chance for them to give their opinion on plans from Protea Waterfront Development after major alterations.

Commissioners said that they expected whatever firm won the contract in 2016 to have changes after given more time to study the site.

Im still in the camp that this is a very worthy, very beautiful project, said commissioner Dan Malcolm, and it is a world-class project. I felt that way when I approved it. I feel that way today.

Advertisement

The big changes were moving the site of a hotel, turning the fault line into a long pedestrian mall surrounded by trees and moving an aquarium next to a 480-foot observation tower.

Concern from the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, a port tenant, that their view would be blocked by the new designs may be the biggest stumbling block for developers.

Matthew Adams, area vice president at the Grand Hyatt, submitted a letter to the board saying the new design would block views of the San Diego Bay from the hotel, create traffic problems and hurt its business.

The density of the project is extreme and disproportionate to the amount of land adjacent to the hotel, he wrote.

The Hyatt is the third-biggest moneymaker for the port, bringing in $11.4 million in fiscal year 2015. Commissioners said they were concerned about pitting one tenant against another.

Anyway we can accommodate our existing tenant, that would be an ideal situation, said Commissioner Robert Valderrama.

Yehudi Gaf Gaffen, CEO of Protea, said they had a meeting planned with the Hyatt later this week.

Commissioner Michael Zucchet said he was excited about the design, particularly the role of Scripps Institution of Oceanography in working with developers on an aquarium and learning center on the site, but hoped Protea could come to some sort of understanding with Hyatt.

Advertisement

I agree with what has been said about the importance of Hyatt as a tenant, Zucchet said, praising Proteas efforts to meet with them. With that said I think the Hyatt doesnt expect that this is going to be the future. Nor is the Hyatt, or anybody downtown, entitled to their views forever.

Commissioners also said a plan from Protea to build eight villas on the site, presumably for very affluent visitors, would probably invite scrutiny from the California Coastal Commission.

Public comments on the new design were mixed with most business organizations supporting the design and individuals leaning negative.

Business consultant Wayne Raffesberger said the project was jammed up with too many things and encouraged the commissioners to go back to the drawing board.

Advertisement

I can safely say this is one of the worst projects I have ever seen, he said. Why do we need a tower element that looks like a mushroom on steroids?

Daniel Reeves, a senior vice president for Downtown San Diego Partnership, said his organization supported the new designs.

The changes presented today are not only beautiful, but also artfully address site constraints, he said, while continuing to raise the bar for the type of world-class projects our city deserves and should expect.

Advertisement

Business

phillip.molnar@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1891 Twitter: @phillipmolnar

Advertisement

ALSO

San Diegos new single-family homes are pricey, modern and in short supply

Tijuana condo craze continues in to 2018

Last years housing market broke records
Lemon Grove City Councilman Matt Mendoza has asked the city to look into a private meeting last year between Councilman David Arambula, Mayor Racquel Vasquez and two others and the altercation that took place after that meeting at the home of Arambula.

Mendoza said he sent a letter Tuesday to City Manager Lydia Romero and City Attorney Jim Lough requesting an investigation into the details surrounding an alleged fight between Arambula and San Diego businessman Christopher Williams, who is trying to open at least two marijuana dispensaries in Lemon Grove. The city attorney refused to release Mendozas letter.

In a press release announcing the action, Mendoza said he was only recently made aware of the incident that took place the night of July 14 and early into the morning of July 15, 2017 with Mayor Vasquez and Councilman Arambula, reading about it in the March 9 San Diego Union-Tribune.

Why did it take seven months for the truth to come out? Mendoza said Tuesday.

Advertisement

He said when he initially heard about the situation in February, he understood it to be a scuffle, a misunderstanding between (Arambula and Williams). When he read the story in The San Diego Union-Tribune, he said, he felt blindsided, and it makes me look like Im hiding something.

I thought, Youve got to be kidding me when I read about it, he said. I was left out of the loop. This looks like collusion and a cover-up. Being so late at night, the drinking, the Democratic party leader, the drug dispensary guy. Something doesnt meet the eye, something is not right.

The July incident came to light last week when the Lemon Grove City Council rejected a claim filed by Williams, who was seeking damages and costs for medical care arising from injuries suffered during the altercation with Arambula, including a fractured rib, bites, and cuts to his face.

Williams and Arambula have differing accounts of what took place just after midnight on July 15, though neither disputes a fight took place. Williams was treated at the hospital and took photos of his injuries. Arambula did not seek treatment, saying he suffered only bumps and bruises.

Williams says he was invited on July 14 to Arambulas home by Taisha Brown, a member of the executive board of the San Diego County Democratic Party. Brown also invited Vasquez.

Williams said he accepted the invitation because he wanted to discuss his frustration over delays in getting the businesses off the ground.

Arambula, Brown and Vasquez said the intent of the evening was to socialize and brainstorm ways to improve Lemon Grove, not to discuss business. Brown would not comment on her involvement.

Arambula and Vasquez both said Williams repeatedly tried to raise the subject of his dispensaries and they repeatedly warned Williams that city protocol prohibited them from giving him any indication how they might rule on his planned businesses.

Advertisement

Mendoza said he did not become aware of the entirety of the events of that July night/morning until he read the Union-Tribune story. A Republican and first-term city councilman in Lemon Grove, Mendoza has expressed interest in running for Californias 53rd Congressional District.

Arambula and the city may be facing a federal civil rights lawsuit and Arambula faces potential criminal charges, according to San Diego attorney Cory Briggs, who is representing Williams.

Arambula said he was grateful that Mendoza made the request to have the matter formally investigated by the City Attorney.

This will provide factual evidence and sworn statements by all parties and witnesses involved, Arambula said. I am confident that a thorough investigation will not only clear me of any wrongdoing, but will likely result in criminal charges being filed against Mr. Williams for assault and battery. Additionally, it will provide the basis to pursue a civil lawsuit against Mr. Williams for assault, battery, defamation with actual malice, among other causes of action.

Advertisement

City Councilman Jerry Jones said the event has cast a sour light on Lemon Grove and that he was more concerned about the lack of transparency related to the situation.

Much of the information reported in the Union-Tribune article was not shared with the City Council when the claim by Chris Williams was brought forward for consideration, Jones said.

As concerning as the altercation between the two men was, the clandestine meeting, the failure of both Vasquez and Arambula to disclose that meeting at two separate appeal hearings and the exposure to the city is worse, he said. I personally would have waited for events to progress some, but an investigation does seem appropriate.

Advertisement

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
An Oceanside ordinance that would allow the cultivation, manufacture and sale of medical marijuana received an enthusiastic and unanimous endorsement this week from the citys Planning Commission.

Several commissioners even suggested taking the proposal further, by allowing larger areas for nurseries and more dispensaries where medical cannabis and related products could be sold to the public. They also pointed out that many residents support the use of recreational marijuana, which is not allowed under the proposal.

This is a good start, with this ordinance, said Commissioner Kyle Krahel-Frolander, but added, I would like to see a more bold and forward-thinking approach.

The commissions decision Monday night is only a recommendation to the City Council, which will consider the ordinance after a presentation and public hearing at its March 28 meeting.

Advertisement

Approval by the council is far from guaranteed.

The council agreed in December to have city staffers prepare the ordinance, but on a 3-1 vote, with Councilwoman Esther Sanchez opposed. Councilman Jack Feller reluctantly voted aye only after staffers agreed that the ordinance would allow only medical marijuana and not recreational uses.

Another factor in the upcoming decision is the councils newest member. The four elected officials appointed former city manager Peter Weiss as mayor in January to fill the vacant seat of former Mayor Jim Wood, who retired because of lingering health problems. Weiss has not indicated whether he would support the proposal.

Both the citys police chief and fire chief have gone on record opposing any legalization.

Among the concerns listed by Police Chief Frank McCoy are an increased potential for crime, easier access to marijuana for juveniles, lingering ties to the black market and criminal gangs, and the costs to his department for additional labor and enforcement.

Fire Chief Rick Robinsons concerns include medical emergencies with marijuana, accidental consumption of edibles by children and pets, smoke exposure to firefighters and paramedics, and the increased potential for vehicle accidents caused by impaired drivers.

An ad hoc committee appointed last year by the City Council, which studied the issue for months and held a series of community meetings, had recommended a maximum of four dispensaries in Oceanside. But city staffers suggested starting with two until officials have had at least a year to evaluate any potential negative effects on the community.

I firmly believe that two is not a big enough number, said Commissioner Curtis Busk. He said the city probably could support four to eight dispensaries.

Advertisement

Commissioner Claudia Troisi suggested the city loosen the limits proposed for the 1,000-foot buffer zones required between cultivation areas, and on the 10 percent of a farm that can be devoted to cannabis cultivation.

Space is limited in the rural Morro Hills area of northeast Oceanside where most of the cultivation would occur, she said, and the city should utilize what we can as well as we can.

Legalization has strong support among Oceanside farmers, who see it as a cash crop to replace traditional farm products such as tomatoes and avocados that are being forced out by the increasing costs of water and labor. Many people also advocate cannabis to relieve chronic pain in patients, especially the elderly, who otherwise could become addicted to opiates.

Opponents of legalization say other options are available for pain, and that the ordinance will increase crime, make law enforcement more difficult, and introduce more young people to marijuana, possibly leading them to try other drugs.

Advertisement

California voters approved medical marijuana in 2015, and recreational use in 2016. The state laws set broad guidelines for legalization, and allow local jurisdictions to approve their own prohibitions that take precedence over the state laws.

Most North County cities have adopted laws to prohibit commercial marijuana cultivation and sales, though Vista is also working on a legalization proposal.

Advertisement

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
Matt Vinci of Carmel Valley is just 17, but in those years, he has moved eight times. The son of a Navy captain, hes grown accustomed to saying goodbye to newfound friends whenever his dad gets new orders.

But that doesnt mean the Cathedral Catholic High School senior hates the military lifestyle. Its challenging, he said, but its also a privilege.

People should know that were not suffering, Vinci said. We do it because we love it. Its fun.

Vinci is one of more than 200 San Diego County and Oahu youth who were interviewed by playwright Lee Cataluna for Home of the Brave, a play for young audiences about the ups and downs of life in a military family.

Advertisement

Commissioned by La Jolla Playhouse for its 2018 Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour, its now visiting elementary school campuses countywide through March 30.

La Jolla Playhouse Managing Director Michael Rosenberg, left, shares a story with Home of the Brave playwright Lee Cataluna, who flew in from Hawaii to see performances for military families on March 11. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Cataluna, a Hawaii-based journalist and playwright, said she found some universal truths in her interviews with schoolkids at locations that included Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Because theyre forced to move so often, military children become incredibly adaptable. After a while, Cataluna said she got to a point where she could pick out military kids in a crowd.

Kids that grow up in military families that move a lot tend to be very observant, she said. They drop into a situation and assess very quickly and they get to know people fast. They just have a way about them. Theyre friendly, but theyre reserved.

Tieryn Welch, 8, of Escondido has moved three times with his parents, Marine Capt. Josh Welch and Lauren Welch. The Welch family  which includes recently adopted siblings Christin, 10, and Coltin, 6  was among an invited group of military families at the Playhouse on Saturday afternoon for a free performance of Home of the Brave.

Tieryn, who attends North Broadway Elementary in Escondido, enjoys the familys paripatetic lifestyle, which is portrayed both positively and negatively in the funny and touching 45-minute play.

I love that we get to move all around and see new places, he said. I could make friends with a rock.

Advertisement

But his younger brother, Coltin, said he could more easily identify with a scene in the play where two siblings are fighting.

Cataluna said many of the children she interviewed have complicated sibling relationships, forged by constant moves and a lack of lifelong friends.

Your siblings become your friends, she said. Theyve been through everything with you. Sometimes they want to kill each other but they know, no matter what, that they will always have each others back.

Actor Kendrick Dial, left, waits for actresses Julia Cuppy, center, and Carolyn Agan to give up their fathers uniform as he is re-stationed elsewhere and the family will have to move again in Home of the Brave, a play for young audiences produced by La Jolla Playhouse. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Advertisement

Home of the Brave features four adult actors playing elementary school kids who are struggling with, and celebrating, military life.

Theres a girl who refuses to unpack her boxes since she expects it wont be long before theyre needed again. Theres a trio of siblings who have a cookie-tasting session via Skype with their deployed dad. And in one of the most touching scenes, a girl talks about hiding love notes and mementos in the pockets of her fathers combat fatigues, just before he deployed. The scene brought many children and parents in the audience to tears.

Cataluna said that ever since the play started its tour eight weeks ago, it has resonated with audiences. But it had a profound impact on children at a school in San Diego where a third of the children are homeless and many have parents who were deported because they were undocumented.

Matt Vinci attended the play with his sister, Lizzie, 16, and their mom, Lauren. Her husband, Capt. Greg Vinci, has been in the Navy for 25 years. She thought the play captured the angst children endure when their parents deploy, as well as their confidence and independence.

Advertisement

It really shows what its like when a dad is gone for 6, 9, even 12 months, and the different ways kids handle that loss, Lauren said.

Cataluna has had 18 plays produced over the years, including many by Honolulu Theatre for Youth. That theaters artistic director, Eric Johnson, directed the play, which will be presented again next year in Hawaii.

The plays central theme is the question most military kids say they struggle with: answering the seemingly simple question where are you from?

After the performance, almost all of the actors and crew told the audience they grew up in military families themselves and home means many different things to them. It could be where they were born, where their parents are from or where they live now. Or it could be anyplace where they can be together as a family.

Advertisement

You never realize how fraught that question can be, Cataluna said. Sometimes its funny. Sometimes its complicated. One girl said its not an easy life, but its totally doable and its worth it if your parent loves his or his job.

For information on Home of the Brave, visit lajollaplayhouse.org/pop-tour-2018.

Ebrahim Salaam Jr., 9, looks past his mother Gema Salaam, to comment to his father Ebrahim Salaam, left, before the start of Home of the Brave, a new childrens play about military life that La Jolla Playhouse is taking around to San Diego County schools this month. (Peggy Peattie / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Advertisement

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
Chula Vista will now require stores that sell tobacco or electronic cigarettes to obtain a permit  a move intended to curb underage smoking.

Under a set of regulations approved by the City Council last week, shops must also keep tobacco products off self-service displays and ask for identification from interested buyers who look younger than 27 years old.

According to city staff, local regulations are necessary because recent changes in state law have made it more difficult for law enforcement to help restrict youths access to tobacco.

Perhaps the most notable change came in 2016 when state law was amended to no longer allow police officers to cite minors for possessing tobacco products.

Advertisement

Before then, police enforced the law in an effort to curb underage smoking. From 2014 to 2015, Chula Vista police issued more than 1,300 citations to minors for possessing tobacco products, according to a city staff report.

Since the change in state law, staff and resource officers at schools across Chula Vista have noticed an increase in smoking among students, according to the city staff report.

The City Council-approved ordinance now allows police to regulate tobacco sales. Under the ordinance, police are allowed to inspect stores that sell tobacco or electronic cigarettes for possible violations of the local regulations. Police enforcement efforts may include the use of minor decoys to check whether stores are selling tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21.

There are roughly 150 stores that sell tobacco or electronic cigarettes in Chula Vista.

In addition to a permit to authorize the sales of tobacco products, shops must also obtain a business license and other required state licenses. The citys Tobacco Retailers Permits will be issued by the police chief.

Penalties for violations of the local ordinance may include fines and/or the revocation of the city-issued permit.

The fee for the permit and application has not yet been set.

According to city staff, Chula Vista is expected to collect some revenue from a state-wide cigarette tax hike that took effect last April to help fund local law enforcement efforts.

Advertisement

In California, the legal age limit to buy tobacco products is 21 years old. A bill signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2016 raised the limit from 18 years old. Browns signature made California the second state in the nation  after Hawaii  to raise the smoking age limit to 21.

According to the CDC, nearly 90 percent of cigarette smokers first tried smoking by age 18. While smoking declined among middle and high school students from 2011 to 2016, the use of electronic cigarettes increased among the same demographic in the same time 5-year period.

Chula Vistas ordinance is similar to others in San Diego County, including in El Cajon, Vista, Oceanside and San Marcos. In El Cajon, the first city in the county to pass a tobacco ordinance, the local regulations have led to a decrease in the number of stores that sell tobacco products to minors, according to Communities Against Substance Abuse data shared with the El Cajon City Council annually.

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Advertisement

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
What happens when you take four restaurant owners from Rome and mix them together in the San Diego sunshine? Hopefully, in the case of Maestoso, its a recipe for success.

The 60-seat modern Italian restaurant, which hosts its grand opening Thursday, March 15, is the love child of two young couples whose lives intertwined when they were all children at an English-language school in Rome. Last year, their paths crossed again and they hatched a dream for a restaurant like no other in San Diego.

Maestoso, named for its 31-year-old executive chef Marco Maestoso, serves anti-traditional Roman-style cuisine. He says grandmas Old-World recipes are a good starting point, but they can be vastly improved with new techniques and fine-dining flourishes.

Marco has something San Diego has never seen. He puts science into his cooking and everything is captivating, said Christopher Antinucci, 34, who, with his wife, Giulia Colmignoli, co-founded Napizza, a 6-year-old Roman-style pizzeria chain in San Diego.

Advertisement

Theyve teamed with chef Marco Maestoso and his partner, Dalila Ercolani, 29, to open the new restaurant in a former Napizza location at The Hub Hillcrest shopping center.

Chef Marco Maestoso, left, Dalila Ercolani, Giulia Colmignoli and Christopher Antinucci are partners in Maestoso restaurant, opening March 15 in Hillcrest. (Dalila Ercolani )

The restaurants food is different, but whats most unique about Maestoso is how the food is served. Maestoso is going the way of dim sum and San Franciscos James Beard Award-winning State Bird Provisions. The chefs themselves will stroll the aisles, serving pick-your-own plates from rolling carts, a concept chef Marco calls passaggi (which means to pass through in Italian).

He said the chef-to-table service is something he and Ercolani perfected while running the New York supper club, Casa Maestoso, that put them on the map five years ago.

Chef Marco started out as a scientist, but couldnt hack the long hours over a microscope, so he went to culinary school, staged for some Michelin-starred chefs, then settled in New York City, where he ran into childhood pal Ercolani, a food marketer and photographer.

In 2013, they opened the pop-up Casa Maestoso, a 16-seat Sunday night, four-course supper club, in their Upper East Side apartment. His elevated Italian cuisine was a smash, and with write-ups in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, the seatings sold out a month in advance.

The dining counter inside Maestoso, a 60-seat modern Italian restaurant opening March 15 in Hillcrest. (Dalila Ercolani )

In 2015, they moved back to Rome to open a fine-dining restaurant, Casa Maestoso Ristorante. It earned 5-star reviews on TripAdvisor, but they werent happy there and eventually grew restless.

Advertisement

In 2017, they went back to their roots and launched a pop-up tour, cooking in the kitchens of their chef friends around the world. The tour brought them to California last spring and thats when Antinucci got in touch via Facebook.

His family has known the Ercolanis for decades. Antinucci moved from Rome when he was 19 to study finance at the University of San Diego. On a trip back to Italy in 2004, he ran into Colmignoli  who he hadnt seen since his mid-teens  and they fell in love. They now live in Solana Beach with their three young children and run Napizza outlets in Encinitas, Little Italy, Rancho Bernardo and UTC.

Although pizza has played a big role in all of their lives, Maestosos menu features a trendy Roman alternative called pinsa. Made from a rice-flour-infused dough thats light and bubbly, pinsa is like a high-rise, oven-roasted flatbread layered with gourmet ingredients like octopus and pancetta. The in-house pinsa chef is Giorgio Corletti.

Behind pinsa comes pasta, chef Marcos signature. The restaurant will make six fresh pastas each day, including his famed amatriciana, a Roman dish with his acclaimed pink-hued gnocchi (colored with tomato water), crispy pig jowl and Pecorino cheese fondue.

Advertisement

Because chef Marco is a perfectionist with ingredients, cooking temperatures, technique and design, hes staffing the restaurant entirely with chefs: four in the kitchen, four out front. No waiters. This allows the chefs to earn tips and better explain the menu, a concept pop-up diners have loved.

While chef Marco comes with fine-dining chops, the restaurant will offer price points at all levels. A dish of pasta and glass of wine can be had for $20, or diners can go crazy on the passaggi cart and spend $100.

You can have as little or as much as you want. You dont want a whole steak, just order three slices. You want a little bit of pasta or a lot, you can have it. It will be an indulgence buy and theres no guarantee it will be available the next it comes around, chef Marco said.

The desserts are also nontraditional. The highly imaginative pastries have been co-developed by Jason Licker, who earned a James Beard nomination for his 2016 cookbook, Lickerland: Asian Accented Desserts by Jason Licker.

Advertisement

Chef Marco, who lives with Ercolani in Cortez Hill, said it will take a little time for diners to figure out the concept, but hes confident it will work in his beloved new hometown.

I feel a balance here in San Diego, he said. The people are more serene. It elevates the quality of life.

Maestoso

Address: The Hub Hillcrest, 1040 University Ave., Suite B101, Hillcrest

Online: maestoso.com

Advertisement

Maestoso, opening March 15 in Hillcrest, will serve six fresh-made pastas every day. (Dalila Ercolani )

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com. Twitter: @pamkragen
At almost every concert by The Who since the late 1960s, Roger Daltrey has performed Pinball Wizard, with its tell-tale line: That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball. Its the best known song from Tommy, The Whos classic 1969 rock opera.

Now, in an ironic twist, Daltrey, 74, is  in his words  very, very deaf.

So deaf, in fact, that he lip reads and uses monitors in both of his ears to be able to follow the music on stage. And so deaf he is now encouraging concertgoers to wear hearing protection in order to avoid later needing hearing aids themselves.

The trouble with these ear things that I wear is that I am very, very deaf. And I advise you all  all you rock-and-roll fans  take your f---ing ear plugs to the gigs. If only we had known when we were young ... we are lip-reading, Daltrey told the audience at his solo show Saturday at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, according to a report in the English newspaper The Mirror.

Advertisement

Daltrey, who is scheduled to perform tonight at the Bob Hope Theatre in Stockton, plans to release a new solo album in June. The same month will see him embark on a 13-city U.S. tour that will feature him performing the Tommy album live with orchestras.

For the record, though, Daltrey is not the only member of The Who  which most recently performed in San Diego in May of 2016  to battle deafness.

Who co-founder Pete Townshend, 72, has wrestled with hearing problems for decades and, according to Daltrey, now wears hearing aids in both of his ears.

In a 1989 Union-Tribune interview, Townshend did not not blame the loud volume of the music at The Whos concerts for his hearing loss. Instead, he attributed his problems to using amped-up head phones while playing and listening to music late at night at his home in London, back in the late 1960s and 1970s,

When The Who embarked on its 25th anniversary reunion tour in 1989, Townshend played only acoustic guitar at first. He was surrounded on stage by plexiglass, the better to protect himself from the volume produced by the bands other members.

He gradually discovered that, if he kept the volume on his side of the stage to 98 decibels, or  as he told the Union-Tribune at the time  about the level of a loud, fairly squawky hi-fi, he could leave his plexiglass sound booth without any discomfort and play electric guitar at least part of the time.

We have to define our limits, he noted. Im surprised at what weve been able to do this time.

In 1994, Daltrey told the Union-Tribune that Who bassist John Entwistle  who died in 2002 wore a hearing aid in each of his ears.

Advertisement

We laugh, but its very serious, Daltrey said at the time, before adding a politically incorrect quip. But I think that (deafness) was (caused by Entwistles) two (former) wives, not the volume of the music.

In 2011, Daltrey told the Daily Mail newspaper: Pete is almost stone deaf. He deafened himself in the recording studio, and when we last performed he had to stand right next to the speakers to hear anything.

Townshend and Daltrey both attended the 1992 opening of The Whos Tommy  at the La Jolla Playhouse. Townshend, while delighted at how well the musical did, complained that the volume of the stage band for Tommy was far softer than he thought it should be.

Earlier this year, fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eric Clapton disclosed he is also beset with major hearing issues. Other rock legends whose hearing has been afflicted include Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Ozzy Osbourne and AC/DCs Brian Johnson, who was warned by doctors that he could lose all his hearing if he did not stop touring.

Advertisement

Then theres guitar legend Jeff Beck, who  in the 1990s cut back his touring to try and minimize the pain in his ears. He will perform July 22 at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre in Chula Vista as part of his 2018 summer tour.

Its definitely taken a toll, Beck told the Union-Tribune in a 1999 interview, in which he discussed receiving extensive therapy and using special ear inserts to mask the sounds in his head caused by his hearing damage.

I was in big, big trouble. I didnt think I could handle it, he said. To have something in your head, a constant noise, its probably the most horrendous thing a musician could have, not to mention anyone else. But they train you that what annoys your hearing is normal sounds, like the blood flowing through your head, something you never noticed before. Theres no pills. Its just therapy Im getting. And sleep has a lot to do with it. Bad sleep will make it louder, but not worse. Ive been trained not to say `worse. I will try and help anyone who asks. Right now, I hear it screaming away in my head. Im midway through the therapy.

I had one therapist who was a bit tactless. He said I had similar hearing loss to an artillery gunner in World War II. But if thats the case, why have all the drummers Ive played with all these years not suffered? Theyre the ones where all the noise comes from. I wouldnt play at a painful level on my amp; that would be unthinkable. But every time he hits a drum, the drummer is closest to the noise. Im mystified why drummers arent screaming in pain.

Advertisement

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @georgevarga
Phil Johnson is probably best-known around San Diego for his prowess as a funnyman  both as an actor and playwright.

Witness the bonkers sci-fi riff She-Rantulas From Outer Space  in 3D!, his satirical collaboration with Ruff Yeager that landed at the New York Fringe Festival after premiering at Diversionary Theatre here.

Or Withering Heights, the goofball Emily Bronte takeoff that he and Omri Schein wrote and performed in last year.

Now Johnson mixes the laughs with more sobering material, in another piece thats headed to New York: A Jewish Joke, a solo show he wrote with Marni Freedman.

Advertisement

North Coast Rep artistic chief David Ellenstein is directing Johnson in this story of Bernie Lutz, a 50s comedy screenwriter and spineless Hollywood sellout who faces a moment of truth at the height of the McCarthy era.

Its the latest project from the Roustabouts, the upstart local company Johnson co-founded in 2017.

A Jewish Joke had a stint at New Yorks United Solo Festival last year; in 2019, itll head back to Manhattan for a run at off-Broadways Lion Theatre.

But way before that, San Diegans can check out the show as its begins a run today (March 14) at Moxie Theatres performance space, near San Diego State University. The production runs through April 8.

A Jewish Joke

When: First preview, 8 p.m. today. Then, 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays; plus 7 p.m. March 19 (industry night). No performance March 30. Through April 8.

Where: Roustabouts Theatre at Moxie Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando District.

Tickets: $38.

Phone: (619) 728-7820

Advertisement

Online: theroustabouts.org

Advertisement

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @jimhebert
For nearly 30 years, Bill Kolender was San Diegos top lawman, serving as police chief for 13 years and county sheriff for an additional 15. But to Randi Kolender-Hock, he was simply Dad and her job is honoring Kolenders memory by fighting the disease that robbed his own.

Kolender-Hock, a Del Mar resident, is a five-year volunteer and fundraiser for the Alzheimers Association, San Diego. This year, shes helping to organize the Walk to End Alzheimers on Sept. 23 in San Diego. And last month, she flew to Sacramento to advocate for three Alzheimers-related bills before the state Legislature.

When you have a family member with Alzheimers, you feel helpless because theres nothing you can do to fix them, she said. But when I volunteer for the association, I feel like Im helping someone.

Sheriff Kolender  who died at age 80 on Oct. 6, 2015  represents just one of the estimated 51,000 San Diego County residents living each day with Alzheimers disease. But because Kolender was known by and beloved to generations of San Diegans, his name has become a door-opener, both for fund-raising and in Sacramento.

Advertisement

Kolender-Hock said Assemblyman Rocky Chavez (R-Oceanside) was especially welcoming when she visited his office on Feb. 28 to advocate for bills that will accelerate Alzheimers research, patient care and public awareness.

He told me he knew my dad and he gave me a big hug, she said of Chavez.

Kristen Cusato, associate director of communications for Alzheimers Association, San Diego, describes Kolender-Hock as a star volunteer.

She is making a difference by telling people what the disease does to families, she is talking about the toll it takes on caregivers, and she is vulnerably explaining what happened when the man who was looked up to by so many, slowly lost who he was, Cusato said.

Bill Kolender spent more than half his life in local law enforcement, 32 years with the San Diego Police Department and 15 with the county Sheriffs Department. In his later years as sheriff, around 2007, he began showing signs of cognitive decline.

Kolender-Hock said her father hid his illness well from his family, but he began getting lost on his drive to work, so he hired a driver. Then, one day he was giving a speech before a large audience and he repeated a story hed told just minutes before. The audience appeared shocked. She ran to the bathroom and burst into tears.

In 2009, he was diagnosed with Alzheimers and retired at the age of 73. Kolender-Hock said Alzheimers ran in her family but she and her siblings hadnt been educated well on how to spot the disease or how to manage it.

Kolender-Hock lives in Del Mar with her husband of nearly 30 years, Paul Hock. A former nurse, she stopped working when she became a mom to 22-year-old son Taylor, an actor/model, and 18-year-old daughter Kendall, a senior at Canyon Crest Academy.

Advertisement

After her dad got sick, she helped with his care and when he was moved into a memory care center, she became the family liaison.

As her fathers illness progressed, she wanted to know more. So in 2013, she signed up for the Walk to End Alzheimers, and when he died two years later, she threw herself into helping the Azheimers Association.

Volunteering with the association became my coping mechanism, she said. At first I was in denial. I couldnt believe he was gone. I spent so much time as his only daughter. We were friends as well. He was my confidante.

Alzheimers research advocate Randi Kolender-Hock inside the William B. Kolender Sheriffs Museum in Old Town San Diego. (Thom Vollenweider / San Diego Union-Tribune )

Advertisement

Kolender-Hock said it took some time before she felt she could speak in public about her fathers Alzheimers battle and its impact on the family.

It took a while before I felt comfortable being more open and putting myself out there, she said. I decided to do it because I wanted to engage with other people and offer them some help so they didnt have to experience this nightmare like our family had gone through.

Besides spending several hours a week planning this falls fundraising walk, Kolender-Hock is engaged in raising awareness about Alzheimers, which kills more people in the U.S. each year than breast and prostate cancer combined.

One of the bills she supports, Assembly Bill 2400, would retain the checkbox on state tax forms that has raised more than $25 million for research. Another bill, Assembly Bill 2233, would expand the Medi-Cal Assisted Living Waiver for people with cognitive impairment.

Advertisement

But the bill she feels most connected to is Assembly Bill 1955, which would establish a public education campaign to promote early detection of Alzheimers.

For my family, I think it wouldve been helpful for all of us to have known the 10 signs of the disease, she said.

The association offers an online checklist to spot the 10 early signs and symptoms of Alzheimers. They are: Memory loss that disrupts daily life; challenges in planning and problem-solving; difficulty completing familiar tasks; confusion of time or place; trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships; new problems with words in speaking or writing; misplacing things and an inability to retrace steps; decreased or poor judgment; withdrawal from work or social activities; and changes in mood or personality. For more, call (800) 272-3900 or visit alz.org.

Kolender-Hock said one of the best things that has come out of her connection to the Alzheimers Association has been her interactions with San Diego residents who remember her father.

Advertisement

When people meet me and share their stories about my Dad, it means the world to me, she said. It keeps him alive in my heart.

Advertisement

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
A group of protesters in Tijuana could not see President Donald Trump on Tuesdayalthough he was only a few hundred yards away, inspecting prototypes of a planned border wall.

But many hoped, somehow, that he would hear their message. No al muro. No to the wall.

If the U.S. president heard  or even knew of the protestors presence  there was no sign. Still, nobody in this crowd was dissuaded.

Dozens called out in unison as they faced the metal fence where they had hung images of the U.S. president and messages printed in Spanish: Trump, we will not pay for your wall. Trump, we are not enemies of the United States. Trump, halt massive deportations.

Advertisement

Mexicans are workers, and not delinquents, said Sergio Tamai, a migrant activist, his voice ringing through the crowd as he called out across the border. Mexicans are friends of the United States.

Tamais Mexicali-based group, Angeles sin Fronteras  Angels without Borders  was among several organizations that joined the border wall protest.

Other groups represented included Border Angels, Friends of Friendship Park, Alianza Migrante, and two deported veterans groupsUnified United States Deported Veterans and the Deported Veterans Support House.

An artist, Enrique Chiu, came to unfurl a bilingual banner that called for no more walls.

All the while, Mexican Federal Police stood guard, keeping the crowd away from the fence, confined to a vacant lot where stray dogs wandered. Before, during and after the presidents tour of the prototypes, authorities limited access to the Mexican side of the wall.

At one point, the protesters broke into a merry chant typically repeated at political rallies, and apparently aimed at the U.S. president: Sacaremos este buey de la barranca, or We will remove the ox from the canyon.

Among the protesters was 18-year-old Sofia Casillas, a marketing student at the Autonomous University of Baja California. Its not necessary to divide two places that can be so much better when theyre together, said Casillas, whose father was deported. I want the world to know that we dont want this wall.

Several among the crowd said they had crossed from the United States for the opportunity to get closer to the prototypes than they could if they had joined a protest on the U.S. side.

Advertisement

This new wall that hes trying to build, its not going to solve any problems, said San Diego Gass Hersi, the U.S.-born son of Somali refugees who works as an EMT and is a member of the group Border Angels. Its just going to make things worse.

John Levin drove down from Los Angeles with his wife. We felt it was important to be with people on this side of the wall, Levin said. This is disruptive, it doesnt help any of us, he said of the wall prototypes. I want it understood that not everybody thinks this is a great idea.

President Trumps promise to build a wall along the Mexican borderand have Mexico foot the bill  has strained his administrations relationship with Mexico. But the presence of the prototypes has generated little public outcry in Tijuana, and apart from this demonstration at the edge of the border wall, the citys residents went about their business as usual.

Leaders here have worked to highlight the citys close relationship with San Diego, as many residents routinely cross to shop, study and visit family members in the United States.

Advertisement

And despite strains in the bilateral relationship under President Trump, U.S. and Mexican authorities have collaborated closely to secure the area in Mexico for his visit. While the president toured the prototypes, a handful of U.S. government officials stood on the Mexican side, monitoring events from a restricted area where they mingled with Mexican authorities.

A number of the protesters had served in the U.S. military, and been deported after serving out U.S. prison sentences. They have been pleading to return to the United States, saying they have paid their debt to society.

Donald Trump could sign an executive order and bring us home today if he wanted to, said Hector Lopez, a former U.S. Army reservist. No matter how we feel about him, hes still our commander in chief.

sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com

Advertisement

@sandradibble
A former Oakland Raiders cornerback was sentenced to a year in jail after he pleaded guilty to assaulting his sisters boyfriend in Pasadena last year.

Sean Lee Smith, 30, entered the plea Tuesday to one felony count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and admitted inflicting great bodily injury upon the victim, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Last year, on July 4, Smith assaulted the victim and then stomped on his head in Old Town Pasadena, according to the prosecutor. The victim was the longtime boyfriend of Smiths sister and was trying to intervene in a dispute between the siblings.

Along with the year in jail, Smith was also sentenced to five years of formal probation.

Advertisement

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia
As President Trump concluded his visit to California on Wednesday, his exit from downtown Los Angeles created an even more miserable morning commute for Angelenos.

Ahead of the presidents departure from the downtown area, the Los Angeles Police Department tweeted that commuters should plan ahead & expect extra traffic because of street closures that will last until 1 p.m. Wednesday.

The closures included a one-mile stretch of the 110 Freeway, which was closed only briefly about 9 a.m. as Trumps motorcade left the InterContinental Hotel at the Wilshire Grand Center and raced up the freeway to Dodger Stadium.

From there, Trump flew by helicopter to Los Angeles International Airport, boarded Air Force One and departed for St. Louis, Mo.

Advertisement

First and foremost, we want to thank the public for your patience in dealing with the street closures resulting from President Trumps visit. Now that he has left the #DTLA area, we are working with our @LADOTofficial partners to reopen the streets and will keep you updated pic.twitter.com/9IwGYDpTjL  LAPD HQ (@LAPDHQ) March 14, 2018

Never thought I'd board a Marine helo in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium. In the press pool following Trump as he departs California. Done poking the Bear Flag state pic.twitter.com/WYNQGCfl6X  Brian Bennett (@ByBrianBennett) March 14, 2018

On Tuesday morning, the city and LAPD had placed closures at Figueroa Street, between 8th and 6th streets; Wilshire Boulevard, between Flower Street and Beaudry Avenue; and 7th Street, between Flower and Bixel streets.

However, an even wider area bounded by 5th Street on the north, Olympic Boulevard on the south, Union Avenue on the west and Grand Avenue on the east was to be avoided through Wednesday morning, the LAPD said.

Residents of Angelino Heights and other neighborhoods around downtown awoke to the roar of helicopters and Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft as they made their way to Dodger Stadium to await the arrival of Trump, his staff and the White House press corps.

Full coverage of Trumps visit 

Trump's staff board Air Force One to depart California. pic.twitter.com/iGWZX2BvPm  Brian Bennett (@ByBrianBennett) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

brittny.mejia@latimes.com

Twitter: @Brittny_Mejia

UPDATES:

Advertisement

10:20 a.m.: This article was updated with the departure of Air Force One.

9:15 a.m.: This article was updated with reports the president has departed for LAX.

9 a.m.: This article was updated with reports the presidents motorcade has departed downtown.

8:15 a.m.: This article was updated with details from LAPD on areas to avoid.

Advertisement

This article was originally published at 7:15 a.m.
In the 24 hours encompassing President Donald Trumps visit to San Diego, his tour of the border wall prototypes was the least consequential thing he did.

The presidents trip here triggered the political red-meat fest youd expect, but the real action took place mostly before and after.

On Tuesday, Trump:

Fired his secretary of state.

Hired a new secretary of state.

Appointed a new CIA director.

Fired his ex-secretary of states top aide.

Raised $5 million for the Republican Party.

Oh, and on Monday he killed Broadcoms bid to acquire Qualcomm, and reneged on his commitment to raise the legal age for buying guns to 21.

Advertisement

Trump has been president for more than a year, but were still not used to the pace he keeps. While the frenetic activity, policy shifts and personnel changes sometime seem chaotic, these recent changes, though sudden, appeared orderly by comparison.

On this head-snapping day, things actually slowed down during his brief spell in San Diego. Thats not to say there werent clashes of passions as those for and against demonstrated  from afar  while Trump viewed the eight, 30-foot-high wall designs on Otay Mesa, within a stones throw from the existing border fence.

But unlike the massive, violent demonstration in front of the downtown convention center where candidate Trump held a rally in May 2016, the relatively civil protests Tuesday were dispersed  on Otay Mesa, near the border crossing at San Ysidro, and in downtown San Diego.

Trump announced no new action or policy while here, but the events provided good visuals to amplify his message of stronger border security and support for the military  he gave a speech at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar before heading to the fundraiser in Beverly Hills.

Trump has promised to build an expanded border wall throughout his campaign and presidency. While build the wall has been a rally cry for Trump and his supporters, the president was relatively low key during his border visit Tuesday and appeared to do a fair amount of listening.

He listened to officials talk about the wall prototypes and as they discussed images in a binder they held, with Trump seeming engaged, looking on and asking questions.

Im a builder, he said later. What I do best is I build.

He referred to the existing border fence on several occasions, both criticizing it as full of holes and insufficient and crediting it for helping cut illegal crossings dramatically.

Advertisement

Rodney Scott, the uniformed chief border patrol agent for the San Diego sector, showed him a poster with photos of the border before and after a fence was built. In the earlier days, dozens of people would gather just south of the border and simply rush across on a daily basis.

Scott pointed to the outlet mall and housing just north of the border fence pictured on the poster, saying they were possible because border enforcement, along with the fence, made the area safer.

They re-established law and order in San Diego when they put up a wall, Trump emphasized, repeating some of Scotts words..

. . .Say what you want, Trump added. This is life. This is the facts of life.

Advertisement

If you didnt have walls over here, you wouldnt have a country, you wouldnt have a country, he said.

While acknowledging the improved situation, he said more needs to be done.

We need safety. We need security at the border, he said. Were getting it like weve never had it before. But we want to make it perfecto.

Trump no doubt benefited by the image of consulting with law enforcement officials of a like mind. However, there was some discord within the border enforcement community elsewhere on Tuesday.

Advertisement

James Schwab, a longtime spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Francisco, resigned claiming falsehoods on immigration matters are being spread by the Trump administration, particularly Attorney General Jeff Sessions and acting ICE Director Tom Homan.

Back in San Diego, Trump was not greeted or sent off by the usual line of local politicians and civic figures typical of past presidential visits. Present during the prototype tour were Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, and his predecessor and father. When he was in Congress, the elder Hunter helped get the early border fence built, which mainly consisted of having military airfield mats welded together.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer, also a Republican, did not meet with Trump, though he did attend an infrastructure forum with Trump in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago.

It has not been President Trumps standard practice to meet with mayors on visits throughout the country, and as we saw today, he typically meets with federal officials and military leaders, Craig Gustafson, Faulconers director of communications, said in an email. He was not scheduled to meet any dignitaries from state or local government on this trip.

Advertisement

Faulconer authored a column in Tuesdays San Diego Union-Tribune discussing various positives of San Diegos cross-border ties. He said if Trump spent more time on his trip here He would see firsthand how a major American city benefits from having not just a modern border crossing but also a working relationship with Mexico.

At one of the protests, Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher made a different point about what the president would be missing on this trip.

If Trump really cared about the community, he might have taken a moment to meet with them, rather than look at a wall, she said.

As Trump began wrapping up his trip, it seemed the brief respite from administration turmoil was ending. The Washington media was abuzz with word that Energy Secretary Rick Perry may replace David Shulkin at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Advertisement

Whatever the ultimate effect is of all these rapid-fire changes, Trump clearly succeeded in one thing: He managed to keep Stormy Daniels out of her regular spot as a top CNN story, at least for a while.
No one heard Jahi Turner in his familys new Golden Hill apartment before he went missing in April 2002. Many neighbors had seen his stepfather going about his business for days, but they had not seen the 2-year-old boy.

And no one remembers seeing the toddler at the nearby park where his stepfather said he vanished, prosecutors said.

Now, nearly sixteen years after Jahi disappeared, a San Diego jury is getting ready to deliberate the fate of the toddlers stepfather, Tieray Jones, who is charged with murdering the boy, whose body was never found.

Both sides gave their closing arguments Tuesday in front of the panel of four women and eight men.

Advertisement

The jury is expected to begin deliberating Wednesday morning in San Diego Superior Court.

Jones, now 39 years old, was 23 when he called 911 on April 25, 2002. He reported that his stepson had gone missing from a playground along the southeastern edge of Balboa Park, off 28th and Cedar streets, about a mile from the familys home.

The boy was in Jones care when his 18-year-old mother, a Navy sailor, left for deployment just days before the toddler disappeared. The young family had moved to San Diego just days before that.

Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney hammered at Jones during her closing argument, saying that he had lied to police  which he admitted on the stand last week  and that his ever-changing stories didnt add up.

Rooney told the jurors that it doesnt matter whether they think Jones killed Jahi or if they believe instead that the boy was seriously injured in an accident.

What does matter, Rooney argued, is that Jones didnt get medical care for the child. That, she said, meets the requirements for a murder conviction  an intentional act with a conscious disregard of danger.

Its his absence of actions that gets us to a second-degree murder conviction, Rooney said.

But Jones has testified that theres no way he would have harmed Jahi.

Advertisement

His lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Courtney Cutter, has said Jones behavior and a journal he kept while his wife, Tameka Jones, was deployed on a Navy ship showed his love for the boy and his willingness to care for him.

At one point, Jones said the toddler started to appear lethargic after a fall in a bedroom of the familys apartment. He wrote in the journal that Jahi had a bump on his head.

The defense attorney asked if he thought Jahi was sick or injured after he started to appear lethargic. Jones said he thought the boy was homesick in his new surroundings.

If I thought he was sick, no way I wouldnt have tried to remedy whatever was wrong, Jones said on the stand last week.

Advertisement

Rooney, the prosecutor, argued to the jury that there is no evidence of Jahi being alive in the house that week.

She pointed to neighbors who said they saw Jones carrying large garbage bags out of the familys apartment, and that investigators later found some of the boys clothes in a trash can.

The defendant watched him die from his head injuries, and threw him away like a piece of garbage, she said.

The defense attorney told the jury in her closing argument that Jones may not have been the best guy, but wasnt a man who would watch his stepson die and throw him away.

Advertisement

Hes an imperfect father but not a reluctant one, Cutter said, adding later that Jones was flawed but wasnt a cold-blooded killer.

Jahis disappearance unnerved the region, which less than three months earlier had grappled with a disappearance of 7-year-old Danielle Van Dam, a Sabre Springs girl whose naked body was found three weeks later, dumped in Dehesa. A neighbor was convicted of murder and kidnapping, and is on the states Death Row.

For years, Jahis case went nowhere. In 2004, county prosecutors announced that they didnt have enough evidence to charge anyone in his disappearance.

Jones was arrested in 2016 and charged with murder and child abuse.

Advertisement

The child abuse charge was dropped during the trial.

City News Service contributed to this report.

Advertisement

teri.figueroa@sduniontribune.com

(760) 529-4945

Twitter: @TeriFigueroaUT

Advertisement

UPDATES:

6:20 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details.

This article was originally published at 5:15 p.m.
Could Rebecca Zahau, at 5 feet 3 inches tall, bind her hands and feet, hop to a balcony railing more than half her height and tip herself over in a suicide by hanging?

An expert in how the human body moves testified on Tuesday that, according to his mathematical calculations, it would be nearly impossible.

Shed have to hop wherever she goes, said James Kent, a forensic kinesiologist.

She would have to fall forward onto the railing. She wouldnt go over because her center of gravity is below the railing, he said.

Advertisement

With her hands behind her, shes in no position to propel herself. No way to do anything but sit there.

Rebecca Zahau (Photo courtesy of Michael Trier, Zahau family )

Kent said that if Zahau managed to fall freely, rather than being lowered by another person, the sudden tension of the noose around her neck could have decapitated her.

The question being laid out to jurors in San Diego Superior Court is: Did she die at her own hand, or was she killed by someone else?

The county Medical Examiners Office determined that Zahaus July 13, 2011 death at her boyfriends Coronado mansion was a suicide.

But Zahaus family claims her boyfriends brother, Adam Shacknai, strangled her, then made the death look like a suicide by hanging her over the balcony.

They filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Shacknai after authorities announced they found no evidence to support charging anyone criminally.

Shacknais attorneys say there is no DNA or fingerprint evidence that he had anything to do with Zahaus death. He was staying at the mansion guest house the night before he called 911 to report Zahau hanging off the balcony, nude, bound with ropes and gagged.

Advertisement

In court Tuesday, the seventh day of trial, defense attorney David Elsberg challenged Kents expertise.

Kent, who said he has been a full-time consultant in forensic kinesiology since the early 1990s and has testified in 650 to 700 trials, said this was his first case to involve hanging.

Elseberg questioned Kents calculations on how Zahau might have fallen and what her injuries would have been.

He found an error in the experts math on the force of her fall, which Kent acknowledged.

Advertisement

Elsberg also said that if Zahau had leaned down over the balcony edge to drop, the distance she fell would have been somewhat less than what investigators recorded as 9 feet 2 inches from the top of the railing to the end of her rope at her neck.

If the distance changed, he said, the calculations on the amount of force on her neck and the severity of her injuries also would change.

Kent also testified about the enigmatic message painted on the door of the room leading to Zahaus balcony: She saved him can you save her.

Kent said the painted message was at a height that would not have been natural or comfortable for short-statured Zahau. Adam Shacknai has been said to be 5 feet 11 inches tall.

Advertisement

Authorities speculate Zahau wrote the message, referring to saving the life of her boyfriends 6-year-old son, Max, who took a two-story fall at the mansion. Max was the son of pharmaceuticals tycoon Jonah Shacknai of Arizona and his now ex-wife, Dina Shacknai.

Jonah Shacknai left Zahau a voice message indicating that Maxs injuries were severe. Zahau was dead the next morning and Max died a few days later.

The boys deteriorating condition might have prompted Zahaus suicide, investigators said.

In further testimony, Kent said that four injuries to the top of Zahaus head would have more likely been caused by direct blows than by impacts with the side of the house as she fell and then rotated.

Advertisement

He said he would expect similar injuries to her face if she bounced against the wall.

Likewise, Kent said, he would expect her to sustain scrapes on the sides of her shoulders, and not on the tops where small abrasions were found.

Would it be more consistent with being lowered down? asked C. Keith Greer, the attorney representing Zahaus family.

I believe so, Kent answered.

Advertisement

The trial is expected to continue Wednesday.

Advertisement

pauline.repard@sduniontribune

Twitter: @pdrepard
Midway through Wednesdays theater class at Patrick Henry High, William Kleban abandoned his role as Lewis, Charlemagnes warrior son in Pippin, and assumed another role: concerned citizen.

Its important to stand out and say you are for something, said Kleban, a junior, who walked out of his third period class to join a protest against gun violence. The people who think that things like this dont accomplish anything dont understand American history.

This is how we get things done.

Across the U.S., students joined the National School Walkout on Wednesday, honoring the 17 people shot dead Feb. 14 on the campus of Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. That carnage sparked a national student movement, calling for increased gun control.

Advertisement

Right now should be the time to put all the political divisiveness aside and focus on how we can make schools safer, said Diego Rangel, a Patrick Henry senior.

1 / 23 Joli Ann Leichtag Elementary School in San Marcos 3rd grade team consisting of Mrs. Karla Gotay, Mrs. Jessica Martinez, Mrs. Sandra Orozco & Mrs. Tiffany Walkers classes along with Samantha Damanhoury, the School Social Worker participated in #NationalWalkoutDay by creating a peace sign to #PleaforPeace! (Samantha Damanhoury) 2 / 23 Students and staff from Kipp Adelante Preparatory Academy march around downtown. Students chant as they march. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 3 / 23 Students at Oceanside High School (Phil Diehl / San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 23 Around twenty students, who said they were from Rincon Middle School, walk down Vista Avenue as they head back to their school in Escondido on Wednesday. The students said they were participating in the nationwide student walkout over the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 23 Students Audrey McFarland , center sign, and Mackenzie Sampier, right, held a sign during the walkout at Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 23 Escondido High School senior Carolina Flores, 17, uses the schools intercom to read out loud the names of the Parkland, Florida school shooting victims. (Hayne Palmour IV / San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 23 Student Darla Christensen, holding sign, a senior, stood near 17 chairs with photos of the victims and roses in the quad at Patrick Henry. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 23 Students and staff from Kipp Adelante Preparatory Academy march around downtown. Students chant as they march. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 9 / 23 Photos of each victim and a red rose were on 17 chairs in the quad at Patrick Henry High School. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 23 Up to three hundred students from UC San Diego took part in Wednesdays nationwide demonstration for Walkout for Gun Violence Prevention. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 23 Wendy Wheatcroft from the group, Moms Demanding Action addressed the students from UC San Diego who took part in Wednesdays nationwide demonstration for Walkout for Gun Violence Prevention. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 23 Up to three hundred from UC San Diego took part in Wednesdays nationwide demonstration for Walkout for Gun Violence Prevention. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 23 Holding her sign Julia Quon along with her friends Kaniela Zhen and Iris Wong were among the estimated three hundred students from UC San Diego who took part in Wednesdays nationwide demonstration for Walkout for Gun Violence Prevention. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 23 Up to three hundred students from UC San Diego took part in Wednesdays nationwide demonstration for Walkout for Gun Violence Prevention. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / San Diego Union-Tribune) 15 / 23 Students and staff from Kipp Adelante Preparatory Academy march around downtown. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune) 16 / 23 Senior Danielle Coutin held a sign during the walkoutat Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 17 / 23 Students walked to the quad at Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 18 / 23 Student Audrey McFarland held a sign (with green stripes on it) during the walkout at Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 19 / 23 Photos of each victim and a red rose were on 17 chairs in the quad at Patrick Henry High School. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 20 / 23 Students at Roosevelt International Baccalaureate Middle School honoring the victims of Parkland. (Christina Casillas / Christina Casillas) 21 / 23 Cheri Robertson and Janice Lantz stood outside Santana High School in Santee as students attended a walkout in honor of shooting victims in Florida on March 14, 2018. (K.C. Alfred / San Diego Union-Tribune) 22 / 23 Student Audrey McFarland held a sign during the walkout at Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune) 23 / 23 Students walked to the quad. Students at Patrick Henry High School in San Carlos. (John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune)

In San Diego County, students on at least 30 campuses organized marches. They carried signs, gave speeches, chanted (What do we want? School safety. When do we want it? Now) and sang songs, including Shine, a composition by a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student. The walkouts started at 10 a.m. and, on most campuses, lasted 17 minutes.

Not every student took part in the walkouts. Aiden Gardner, a freshman at Patrick Henry, did not support the call for stricter gun laws. I think with gun control, nothing is going to change, he said.

And others complained that the focus was too vague, that no specific solutions were being advocated.

If you are protesting everything, said Patrick Henry freshman Gracie Castillo, youre not protesting anything.

Yet close to 400 students marched at Patrick Henry. Dozens marched from KIPP Adelante Preparatory Academy, a charter middle school in downtown San Diego.

At Oceanside High School, nearly 1,800 students joined in a moment of silence on the outdoor quad. Then the school choir performed a song dedicated to the victims, white doves were released and students visited a line of stations where they could read biographies of the victims, write postcards to Parkland residents, receive first-aid instruction and more.

Advertisement

It was really heartening, said Abby Douglas, the student body president and one of the days organizers. Im proud to see the kids of our generation making change.

For Gabriel Mendoza, that change cannot come soon enough. A 16-year-old student at Santees Santana High, he said he is worried about his safety on campus.

I want there to be more support to limit guns, he said in Spanish.

These fears are not limited to high schoolers. I was in school, said Angelique Vallderrana, a 10-year-old student at KIPP Adelante. We were learning about some people that killed a couple of kids, so I thought thats really sad. It made me think what if they come over here.

Advertisement

Tanner Eagle and Thomas Murray, two Patrick Henry High freshman, disagreed  to a point. Yet the two teens, both wearing red Make America Great Again ballcaps, joined the rally on their schools campus.

I do agree for the most part with what they are saying about school safety, Murray said. But I think the gun control argument is out of place.

Students from at least two Poway Unified School District high schools opted to march off-campus during Tuesdays national school walkouts to protest gun violence.

A group of students at Rancho Bernardo High School left campus and marched across Paseo Lucido before returning to school.

Advertisement

There were on campus events planned but some students felt strongly that their protest and voice would be more effective being seen outside of campus, said Poway district spokeswoman Christine Paik said.

Students who walked out returned to the school shortly after 10:20 a.m., according to San Diego police spokesman Billy Hernandez.

Del Norte High School students in 4S Ranch also left campus for a march, with some blocking traffic on streets near the school for about 15 minutes before they walked back to school on sidewalks, said sheriffs Lt. Glenn Giannantonio.

Some students interfered with traffic on Camino del Sur, Giannantonio said. By 10:35 a.m., students were heading back to the school, the lieutenant said.

Advertisement

No one was arrested.

The students who returned to class did not face any disciplinary consequences, the district spokeswoman said.

Staff writers Phil Diehl, David Hernandez Karen Kucher, Karen Pearlman and Joshua Emerson Smith contributed to this story.

Advertisement

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Advertisement

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Just last week, a particularly chaotic time at the White House, President Trump told reporters that he liked conflict. He said he enjoyed hearing disparate views before making decisions.

But only to a point it seems. In Mike Pompeo, whom Trump nominated Tuesday to replace Rex Tillerson as secretary of State, the president gets someone more attuned to his erratic style and flamboyant personality, and someone who may more readily agree with him than Tillerson did.

That could help Pompeo operate as the nations top diplomat, since foreign governments are more likely to view him as speaking directly for Trump when it comes to North Korea, Iran, trade disputes and other foreign policy issues. Tillerson had credibility problems because he publicly disagreed with Trump on several major issues.

Ive worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time, Trump said Tuesday, minutes after he announced Tillersons dismissal in a Twitter post. Tremendous energy, tremendous intellect, were always on the same wavelength. The relationship has been very good and thats what I need as secretary of State.

Advertisement

On policy, Pompeo is also likely to hew closer to Trumps views, although those can often be moving targets. More important, in addition to clearly enjoying Trumps confidence, he has deeply honed political skills that Tillerson, a former ExxonMobil CEO with no government experience, lacked  including an ease at dealing with Congress and the press.

The downside, however, is that Pompeo might be inclined to withhold information that challenges Trumps preconceived world view.

As director of the CIA since the beginning of the Trump administration 14 months ago, Pompeo is the person who most frequently gives Trump his morning intelligence briefing. Trump is notoriously uninterested in details, so Pompeo has shortened the material and reportedly avoids critical issues such as Russian interference in U.S. interests, which might anger the boss.

A lot of it has to do with personal chemistry, and he obviously has that, Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo, a New Jersey Republican who leads a House Intelligence subcommittee overseeing the CIA, said in an interview. LoBiondo also credited Pompeo with turning around the CIA, improving morale and making it more efficient.

But Democratic lawmakers said failure to challenge Trump could be dangerous. Tillerson was often seen as a moderating force who could calm some of Trumps more rash positions.

Theres a pattern and practice to dismiss anyone with whom this president has a policy difference, and that appears to be the case with Secretary Tillerson, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said. I regret to say this, but it appears any number of things can put you on the wrong side of President Trump, who appears to have very little patience with anyone who has a different point of view,

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) was even tougher: Secretary Tillersons firing sets a profoundly disturbing precedent in which standing up for our allies against Russian aggression is grounds for a humiliating dismissal.

Publicly however, Pompeo has not been shy about Russian meddling. He joined other top intelligence community officials in congressional testimony last month to warn that Moscow is mounting another campaign to intervene in upcoming U.S. elections.

Advertisement

A lawyer by profession, Pompeo, 54, represented Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives for six years through 2016, graduated from West Point in 1986 and was an army officer who served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

He was born in Orange and raised in Santa Ana.

Relations forged in his military and political careers have served him well in Washington, where he is liked by many colleagues. They note he is intelligent and hard-working, even when they disagree with him.

Critics, however, say they are troubled by his failure to condemn torture during his CIA confirmation hearing, and journalists have unearthed old, since-deleted tweets that showed him speaking favorably about hackers who stole Democratic National Committee emails that painted some Democrats in a negative light.

Advertisement

He has opposed same-sex marriage, drawing criticism from the gay community, and on Tuesday the Council on American-Islamic Relations accused him of expressing anti-Muslim views and urged the Senate to reject his nomination.

Pompeo is far more hawkish than Tillerson, and some experts said that could complicate already fraught dealings with countries such as North Korea.

However, Daniel Russel, former assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs under the Obama administration, said Pompeos recent position as head of the CIA actually might be a boost.

The job of spy chief is one [the North Koreans] fully understand and respect, Russel said, noting that South Koreas intelligence chief was one of two envoys sent to Pyongyang to explore talks. That may give Pompeo a certain advantage.

Advertisement

Speculation about Pompeo replacing Tillerson began late last year, though in recent weeks, Tillerson  who once said he wasnt interested in the job as Americas top diplomat and hadnt met Trump before interviewing for the post  seemed to have weathered the storm.

He started to give more interviews to the press and appeared to have figured out how to handle Trump, sometimes delaying going to the president until the options were narrow enough on a particular issue that Trump would be forced to choose the one Tillerson preferred.

But in the end, his oft-repeated lament that he didnt really understand how Washington worked proved all too true.

Los Angeles Times staff writer Sarah D. Wire in Washington contributed to this report.

Advertisement

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

Twitter: @TracyKWilkinson
The San Diego Union-Tribune and ABC 10News are hosting a candidates forum in the race for the next governor of California on March 25.

The Sunday event starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Town and Country Resort and Conference Center in Mission Valley at 500 Hotel Circle North. Admittance is free. On-site parking is $4 an hour.

The event is expected to go for about 90 minutes and is sponsored by the California Council for the Social Studies.

Members of the public can submit questions on line in advance of the forum at https://bit.ly/forumquestion. Those wishing to participate must include their name, address, occupation and email.

Advertisement

Similar events in other cities have been well attended but often contentious.

Hot topics in the contest to succeed Gov. Jerry Brown have included the possibility of a state-run universal healthcare system, the ongoing housing crisis, efforts to repeal the states new gas tax, pension reform and varying degrees of support for the high-speed rail project.

Matthew T. Hall, the Union-Tribunes editorial and opinion director, will moderate the forum.

The candidates will be asked questions from a panel of local journalists, including ABC 10News anchor Lindsey Pena, Union-Tribune Deputy Editorial and Opinion Editor Chris Reed and Michael Smolens, Union-Tribune columnist.

Republican candidates confirmed to attend include Assemblyman Travis Allen of Huntington Beach and businessman John Cox.

Democratic hopefuls scheduled to participate in the event include state Treasurer John Chiang, former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Delaine Eastin and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom declined to participate.

A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Democratic front-runners Villaraigosa and Newsom in a virtual dead heat, with about a quarter of likely voters still undecided.

Advertisement

Newsom, once heavily favored, has now seen his lead shrink to within two percentage points. None of the other Republican or Democratic challengers polled anywhere near the former mayor of San Francisco or Villaraigosa.

Among likely Republican voters, Allen holds a roughly 4 percent lead over Cox, with about 35 percent undecided.

Under the states jungle primary system, the top two vote-getters in the June 5 election will advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.

Advertisement

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Advertisement

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
President Donald Trump on Tuesday suggested expanding the military to include a new space force and future exploration to Mars.

Space is a warfighting domain just like the land the air and sea. We may even have a space force, Trump said at a speech before service members at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. Developing another one. We have the Air force, well have the space force.

Its unclear if Trumps interest in a new branch of the military, an idea long discussed by military brass and sci-fi romantics alike, is a continuing priority or a passing fancy. He said he first suggested a space force in a meeting with advisors.

I was not really serious, but then I said what a great idea, he said.

Advertisement

While Trump suggested a new branch, the military already operates in space with communication systems, surveillance satellites, missiles and other technologies. United States Space Command was created in 1985, but rolled into United States Strategic Command in 2002..

Trump did not give any sort of indication what the service would do, how it would differ from current military operations, or if it would include sending military personnel, weapon systems, unmanned aircraft, or other assets into orbit. He mentioned the space force while discussing a future flight to Mars and Marine Col. John Glenn, the first American astronaut to orbit the earth.

Very soon were going to Mars. We wouldnt have been going to Mars if my opponent had won, Trump said to cheers from the approximately 1,000 service members assembled into a hangar at Miramar.

It was Trumps first visit to California as president and to the San Diego area since a July 2016 fundraiser in Rancho Santa Fe. A commander-in-chief has not been to the region since October 2016 when Barack Obama swept through town for a series of last-minute fundraisers ahead of the presidential primary.

He delivered a 25-minute speech while standing in front of a F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet positioned under rigging and lighting, media risers, and an American flag used to dress the stage. The service members were provided miniature flags of their own to wave.

Similar to his rallies two years ago, Trump attacked then-President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, and fake news. And just as he had done at campaign events, the Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want played over the speaker system. Some people in the crowd that werent in a military uniform wore red Make America Great Again hats.

Trump devoted a significant portion of his speech talking about spending more to chip away at a backlog of deferred maintenance to military equipment, increasing the number of men and women in uniform, and building more ships and aircraft.

For too long the men and women of the United States armed forces have been asked to do more with less, he said.

Advertisement

He touted $21 billion in additional spending to address military readiness, and $700 billion in defense spending for this year, and $716 billion for the next. He also touted the new CH0-53 King Stallion Helicopter that will fly out of Miramar, and plans to overhaul the nuclear weapon system.

Trump also reminded service members that they are in store for a big pay raise, news that was previously announced but nonetheless well-received.

Advertisement

Twitter: @jptstewart

joshua.stewart@sduniontribune.com

Advertisement

(619) 293-1841
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the fatal shooting of a 52-year-old man in Clairemont in January.

The victim, Frank Magana, died in the hospital on Jan. 16, nearly two weeks after he was found with a gunshot wound to his head in front of his home on Sauk Avenue east of Genesee Avenue, said San Diego police homicide Lt. Anthony Dupree.

Dupree said officers arrested 36-year-old Jeffery Alan Turner of San Diego in connection with the Jan. 3 shooting. Turner was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday.

According to county Sheriffs Department records, Turner was booked on Jan. 4 and is facing charges of first-degree murder, assault with a firearm and a felony parole violation. He is being held in the Chula Vista jail without bail.

Advertisement

No details about what led to the arrest were immediately available. It was also not known if Turner knew the victim.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A 22-year-old San Diego man killed in an Otay Mesa crash early Saturday when he drove into a tree and split his car in half has been identified as Brian Isaac Lopez Ames.

Lopez Ames was driving a Ford Focus on the transition road from southbound state Route 805 to westbound SR-905 around 2:30 a.m. Saturday when his car left the road. The vehicle struck a large tree, splitting the car in two and ejecting Lopez Ames from the vehicle, the San Diego County Medical Examiners Office said.

The rear half of the car remained near the tree and sparked a small brush fire. The front half came to rest in the median strip south of westbound SR-905, authorities said.

Lopez Ames was thrown from the car onto the freeway, where he apparently was struck by at least one car and dragged in the right lane of SR-905. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death was listed as multiple blunt force injuries.

Advertisement

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
On Tuesday, Air Force One touched down at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station under an overcast sky. No other shades of gray marked President Trumps visit to San Diego.

Demonstrators blasted him. This president, Rep. Juan Vargas told an anti-Trump rally in San Ysidro, hes not my president. In fact, I voted twice to impeach him.

Demonstrators cheered him. Mark Stone left his home in Ventura County at 4:30 a.m. to attend a pro-Trump rally in Otay Mesa. His message: That California loves him and we support his policies.

During a half-day stay in San Diego, Trump inspected prototypes of his proposed border wall and addressed Marines at Miramar. Then the president flew to a Beverly Hills fundraiser, leaving behind a region divided on his policies and his personality.

Advertisement

San Diego County was not a Trump stronghold on Election Night 2016, when only 39 percent voted for the victorious Republican candidate. Local opposition to the president has only hardened since then, even among priests, ministers, rabbis and imams, said Kevin Malone, executive director of the San Diego Organizing Project.

Since the election, said Malone, whose group led the anti-Trump rally at San Ysidros Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish, there are more and more clergy trying to figure out how to get involved. This administration has been a real boon.

While union officials and politicians such as Vargas and Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher also addressed the crowd of 300 to 400, half of the 14 speakers were clerics. Adding a religious tenor to a political rally makes some uncomfortable.

Our Ladys pastor, the Rev. Jose Castillo, noted that a parishioner asked him about the wisdom of mixing matters of church and state.

Its important to pray for politicians, Castillo replied, so they do good for the people.

Concerns about church-state conflicts have not prevented prominent evangelical Christians from backing this president, others noted, even after he was accused of extramarital dalliances with porn stars.

I am very disappointed with many of the Christian leaders who have joined with Trump in building walls, not bridges, said Bishop Cornelius Bowser, the pastor of Charity Apostolic Church.

Others taking aim at Trumps immigration policies included Rabbi Yael Ridberg of Congregation Dor Hadesh; the Rev. Kathleen Owens of the First Universalist Unitarian Church; and Issam Laghrichi, representing Imam Taha Hassane from the Islamic Center of San Diego.

Advertisement

It is the time for us to put our faith into action, Lagrichi said.

For several speakers, the immigration issue hit painfully close to home. Gloria Morales, a parishioner at Christ the King Catholic Church, was 17 when she arrived in the U.S. as an unauthorized immigrant. She became a U.S. citizen three years later, but I know what it is like to be afraid.

Betsy Garcia knows, too. A beneficiary of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, she was 12 when her family brought her into the U.S. The Trump administration has threatened to cancel DACA, unless Congress approves legislation protecting the roughly 800,000 who came to the U.S. as children without immigration papers,

No one, she said, her voice breaking, should live with this kind of fear of losing it all.

Advertisement

As the crowd gathered in a church parking lot with a view of Tijuana, they waved dozens of homemade signs: U Cant Build a Wall, Your Hands Are Too Small. Tillerson Is Right: Moron. Let Vladimir Pay For It! No $ For Trumps Vanity Project.

Kristen Maher, an associate professor of political science at San Diego State University, hoisted that last sign. While no fan of Trumps politics, she argued that her opposition to the border wall is based on research as well as ideology.

I have a lot of data, a lot of studies that the show that walls do not work, Maher said. Its a very, very expensive gesture.

Ellen Montanari was willing to spend her own money to make a counter-argument, approaching several billboard companies with an anti-wall message. When they all refused, Montanari made a deal with a Tijuana company.

Advertisement

Her message  an image of the Statue of Liberty, with the text Higher Than Any Wall  now appears on an electronic billboard south of the San Ysidro border crossing.

In Otay Mesa, just a few miles away, another band of 300 to 400 demonstrators made a loud counter-argument. Carrying American flags, Trump banners and signs promoting border walls, they cheered speakers calling for strict immigration controls and a physical border barrier.

Build the wall! some chanted.

Nice and tall! others responded.

Advertisement

Tim Donnelly, a former state assembly member and founder of the Minuteman Party in California, told the audience he prayed that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff be arrested aiding and abetting criminal aliens in our country.

Lock her up! the crowd chanted.

Schaff has been criticized by Trump and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions for announcing an impending raid by immigration agents.

Angie Marfin came to this rally from her home in Salinas, carrying memories of her late son and a 2105 meeting with then-candidate Trump.

Advertisement

I just hope he puts up the border wall, said Marfin, whose 13-year-old son Ruben was killed by an unauthorized immigrant in 1990. I hope he keeps his promise to me, when he took my hand and told me everything was going to be okay.

Jeff Schwilk, head of San Diegans for Secure Borders, joined with other groups to organize this rally. He wanted Trump to know theres local support for the wall. Hes got a welcoming committee here that is supporting what hes doing to secure our border, Schwilk said.

Despite all the hot rhetoric, advocates on both sides said theyd welcome a cooler atmosphere.

Steve Johnson said his fellow members of the Borderland Patriots have been labelled racists or Nazis.

Advertisement

Its so frustrating when the conversation goes to that, Johnson said. As soon as they say youre a racist the conversation is dead.

Bishop Bowser, meanwhile, insisted that Christians have to be guided by faith and love.

I prayed for Trump yesterday, Bowser said. I come from a violent gang background and God changed me. So I know people can change.

In fact, the demonstrations ended without the police making a single arrest  even in Otay Mesa, where pro- and con-factions had engaged in dueling chants.

Advertisement

Usually people have to leave in different directions to make sure there wont be any fights, said Ken Nwadike Jr., whose Free Hugs Project tries to defuse tense situations. It was so cool to see everyone head out in the same way. They all walked down the same street together.

I hope that this could be a turning point. Weve been so divided as a country in recent years and especially around these hot topics.

Staff writers Gustavo Solis and Kate Morrissey contributed to this report.
The closely watched special congressional election in western Pennsylvania was at a virtual tie with almost all the votes counted Tuesday night  a result that suggests deep trouble for Republicans in this falls midterm election.

As the final ballots were tallied in a district that President Trump carried by a large margin in 2016, the tightness of the contest, regardless of the final winner, provided further indications that Republican campaign themes are proving insufficient to offset highly motivated Democratic voters.

The Republican establishment and Trump himself poured substantial resources and energy into the race, seeking to avoid the embarrassment of losing a district in which Democrats havent been competitive for years.

But despite being heavily outspent, and with limited help from the national party, the Democratic candidate, Conor Lamb, a former Marine and political neophyte, was narrowly leading his opponent, state lawmaker Rick Saccone. With all but some absentee and provisional ballots counted, Lamb led by about 600 votes, or 0.2%.

Advertisement

It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it. You did it, the 33-year-old candidate told cheering supporters.

Republicans, however, had not conceded the race. We are still fighting the fight. Its not over yet, Saccone told his backers.

A final count of the remaining ballots may not be complete until at least the end of the week, officials said, and given the tight margin, the losing campaign could request a recount.

But even with the outcome unresolved, the results seem likely to energize Democrats and move activists in the party to rethink where they can compete.

Democratic strategists generally believe the partys best chances to unseat Republicans this year are in suburban districts with large numbers of college-educated, white-collar voters who may have been turned off by Trump.

But in Lamb, Democrats found a candidate who connected in a heavily blue-collar district deeply skeptical of the national Democratic Party. He staunchly backed the rights of gun owners, personally opposes abortion, and wants Nancy Pelosi out as House Democratic leader.

The Pennsylvania election follows a pattern that has been evident for the last year: Even in elections that the presidents party has won, the trends have been troubling for Republicans. Democratic candidates have made surprisingly strong showings in some of the deepest-red territory in the country.

In the immediate term, the outcome in the Pennsylvania race is largely symbolic. It will not change the balance of power in Congress, and the winners term will be short, lasting just through the end of the year.

Advertisement

Moreover, the district, Pennsylvanias 18th, is slated to be erased before the fall election. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently ordered the redrawing of the states political boundaries, finding they were improperly designed to favor Republicans. Lamb and Saccone would each have to compete in a new district in November.

Yet symbolic races can have concrete impacts: Republican operatives have feared that a loss in Pennsylvania would further propel a wave of retirements by GOP congressional incumbents, placing up for grabs even more seats and increasing the potential for Democrats to win control of one or both chambers of Congress.

In a district filled with former steel and coal workers whose employment prospects and standard of living have diminished with globalization, the race predictably became a referendum on Trumps policies.

Throughout the campaign, Saccone and his allies emphasized the tax cuts the president championed. They labored to paint Lamb as a loyalist to Pelosi (D-San Francisco), even after Lamb said publicly that he would not support keeping her in the leadership job. Trumps announcement that he would impose tariffs on imported steel seemed timed to propel Saccone forward.

Advertisement

But Saccone continued to sputter. GOP operatives complained privately that he was a lackluster candidate. Defeat, if it happened, would be more a reflection of his energy deficit and disconnect with voters than any broader concerns Trumps base has with how the Republicans are running Washington, they argued in the days leading up to the election.

Unlike Trump, Saccone showed little affinity for the rank-and-file union workers who make up a big share of the districts electorate. He is a strident right to work proponent who has antagonized the same organized labor groups that had endorsed the Republican who vacated the House seat in October, Tim Murphy.

Scandal forced Murphy to make an abrupt exit after texts surfaced showing the antiabortion crusader had encouraged a staffer with whom he was having an affair to seek an abortion.

Abortion then went on to play big in the race to succeed him. Republicans tried to paint Lamb as an abortion rights zealot, but it proved a struggle. Lambs position on abortion and most other social issues, including guns, is not far to the left of Saccones.

Advertisement

As Saccone relied on national Republican groups to bail out his campaign and funnel millions of dollars into attacking his opponent, Lamb carefully avoided affiliations with the national Democrats who remain unpopular in the district. Working-class favorite Joe Biden was warmly welcomed to stump for Lamb. Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other urban liberals kept their distance.

Lamb was so wary of the party on so many issues that Trump joked while in Pennsylvania on Saturday that Lamb was pretending to be a Republican.

As the campaign unfolded, however, Democrats were not complaining. They have been desperate to notch victories  or even compete  in Rust Belt regions like Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District, where dismayed former factory and mine workers had abandoned the partys candidates in large numbers.

Tuesdays results proved a Democrat could compete in such a district. Regardless of the final outcome, that message was as cheering for Democrats as it was ominous for Trump and his party.

Advertisement

evan.halper@latimes.com

Twitter: @evanhalper

UPDATES:

2:00 a.m. March 14: This article was updated with statements by both campaigns.

Advertisement

8 p.m.: This article was updated with prospects for absentee and provisional ballots.

7:30 p.m.: This article was updated with near-final returns.

6:20 p.m.: This article was updated with early returns showing Lamb in the lead.

This article was originally published at 2:59 a.m. March 13.
The county Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board said a sheriffs deputy improperly disclosed information about a welfare check by Child Welfare Services.

The deputy told his friend, another peace officer, that social workers had been summoned to his childrens home to check on their well-being, an investigation found.

The deputy committed multiple violations, although.it is unclear if or how he may have been disciplined.

A San Diego sheriffs deputy violated county rules by disclosing confidential information about a pending child-welfare check, according to the Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board.

The review board said the improper disclosure resulted in identifying the person who lodged the complaint, information that is not supposed to be released.

According to a report to the review board, the unnamed deputy alerted his friend that Child Welfare Services was in the process of conducting a welfare check on his kids.

Advertisement

Prior to conducting the welfare check, Deputy 1, who is a friend of the father, as they attended the police academy together, contacted the father and informed him that a child welfare report had been filed related to his children and that he was in the process of conducting the welfare check, the report states. This was a policy violation.

The review board said tipping off parents to a welfare check is inappropriate because it can skew the findings of social workers who conduct the welfare check. The report does not specify when the violations took place or how the children fared as a result of the welfare check.

The same report notes that the deputys misconduct exposed the person who requested the welfare check, information that is supposed to remain confidential. The deputy apparently did not name the person asking for the welfare check, but instead provided enough details to make it obvious to the childrens father, the review board said.

Disclosing information resulting in the identification of a reporting party of a child welfare check was a policy violation, the report continued. This act was not justified.

It is not clear what if any discipline the offending deputy received for the pair of policy violations.

The Citizens Law Enforcement Review Board is not permitted to identify the subjects of its investigations. Also, the disciplinary actions taken by the Sheriffs Department are not made public.

Advertisement

Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
One month after the latest school massacre, countless students coast to coast walked out of class for at least 17 minutes Wednesday  one for each person fatally shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentines Day. The emotional demonstrations at thousands of schools targeted the appalling failure of the GOP-led Congress on the issue of gun violence.

Just two weeks ago, Republican President Donald Trump made major progress on reducing such deadly mass shootings seem tantalizingly close. Trump told lawmakers visiting the White House that he endorsed very, very strong background checks for gun buyers and supported Democratic California Sen. Dianne Feinsteins push to renew the federal ban on assault-style military rifles that lapsed in 2004. He also expressed interest in raising the minimum age for buying assault rifles to 21.

Now, alas, progress seems illusory. Trump has cooled on raising the age limit for some gun purchases and has shelved talk of a new assault-weapon ban. He says he still supports more comprehensive background checks and bans on bump stocks, but his interest in a bold Nixon-goes-to-China approach to gun regulation seems to have vanished. Maybe Wednesdays student rallies create new momentum. But without Trumps leadership, the long congressional stalemate on guns wont soon end.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Advertisement

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
President Donald Trump was in San Diego to inspect the eight border wall prototypes on Tuesday. Below are remarks he gave in which he stressed the need for a border wall and stronger immigration enforcement.

TRUMP: Well, thank you very much, Secretary Nielsen; Acting Commissioner McAleenan; and the incredible Border Patrol agents, CBP officers who are doing an amazing job; ICE agents and officers, who I know so many of you.

Every day, criminals and tariffs try to infiltrate our country. You got a good glimpse of it before. We did it together, with the media, frankly. I didnt know we were going to be doing that, but you got, really, maybe a far better glimpse than you're going to get right now.

But the border wall is truly our first line of defense, and it's probably, if you think about it, our first and last, other than the great ICE agents and other people -- moving people out. It will save thousands and thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud, and burdens on schools and hospitals. The wall will save hundreds of billions of dollars -- many, many times what it's going to cost.

We must also close the deadly loopholes exploited by smugglers and traffickers. And we're in that area. We're in one of the many areas along the border where we have that problem. And we have to confront the dangerous sanctuary cities, which you've been all hearing so much about.

California sanctuary policies put the entire nation at risk. They're the best friend of the criminal. That's what exactly is happening. The criminals take refuge in these sanctuary cities, and it's very dangerous for our police and enforcement folks.

The smugglers, the traffickers, the gang members, they're all taking refuge, and I think a lot of people in California understand that. A lot of people from a lot of other places understand it, and they dont want sanctuary cities.

These policies release dangerous criminal offenders to prey on innocent people and nullify the federal law. They're threatening the security and the safety of the people of our country. In the upcoming omnibus budget bill, Congress must fund the border wall and prohibit grants to sanctuary jurisdictions that threaten the security of our country and the people of our country. We must enforce our laws and protect our people.

And I have to say, law enforcement -- ICE, Border Patrol -- all of the people that have been so good to me for so long, they're really doing a job. But our job -- and I think we all understand the job would be a lot easier if we werent protecting criminals in the sanctuary cities. We had a great talk about it inside.

Cooperation with Mexico is another crucial element of border security. DHS coordinates closely with the Mexican law enforcement, and we must absolutely build on that cooperation. Both countries recognize the need to stem the cross-border flow of illegal weapons, drugs, people, and cash.

I have a great relationship with the President of Mexico, a wonderful guy -- Enrique. Terrific guy. We're working -- we're trying to work things out. We'll see whether or not it happens. I dont know that it's going to happen. He's a very good negotiator. He loves the people of Mexico, and he's working very hard. We'll see what happens.

But we have to, obviously, have a couple of disagreements before we get there. You'll see over the next month whether or not it takes place in this administration, meaning his administration. They have an election coming up. I hear they have some very good people running, and they have some that maybe arent so good. In any event, we'll handle it.

I want to again thank everyone for being here today, and I want to again call on Congress to deliver a budget that protects our homeland and properly funds all of our law enforcement needs. I want to thank the Secretary. I want to thank ICE and the Border Patrol agents for their incredible work and their incredible bravery. I want to thank all of law enforcement on the border. It's a dangerous job. It's a tough job. And if you didnt have even these remnant walls -- we call them remnant; they've been here for a long time -- people dont say that. But they've been here for a long time. If you didnt have them, you would have crime in numbers that far surpass the numbers that you see today.

We've cut down, and way down, on crossings -- border crossings -- because of the job that the Border Patrol does. And the ones that get through, we've gotten out. MS-13, we're taking them out by the thousands. But we dont want them here in the first place. We dont want them to come in.

So this was really a day where we look at the different prototypes of the wall. You've seen them. The media has seen them. And some work very well; some dont work so well. When we build, we want to build the right thing.

Interestingly, the ones that work the best arent necessarily the most expensive -- something I like about that ring.

So I want to thank everybody for being here. I want to thank, frankly, the media for being here. And we'll let the people of our country know that we need safety, we need security at the border, and we're getting it like we've never had it before. But we want to make it perfecto.

Thank you all very much. And thank you. Thank you, folks, very much. Thank you.

Have some thoughts to share?

Join me in a conversation: Shoot me a private email with your thoughts or ideas on a different approach to this story. As always, you can also send us a tweet.

Email: luis.gomez@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @RunGomez

Read The Conversation on Flipboard.
Hundreds of Poway High School students participated in a walkout and rally Wednesday morning as part of a nationwide action to honor the 17 people killed in last months school shooting in Florida.

Similar walkouts and programs were held at Rancho Bernardo, Westview, Mt. Carmel and Del Norte high schools. More than 2,500 walkouts were planned across the country.

The 17-minute program on the schools front lawn consisted of a moment of silence, three student speakers and students holding signs with the names of the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

We gather here not only to honor the victims  but to fight for their memory with our strength in numbers, senior Nidhi Deshikan told the Poway attendees. We are high school students, just like they were and therefore we have a responsibility to them. A responsibility to protect our fellow students across the country, protect our fellow Americans. A responsibility to make sure that our friends in Florida did not die in vain.

How many more lives are we expected to lose before we take action? senior Hannah Williams asked. How many more times do we have to send our thoughts and prayers to families of loved ones?

Junior Simran Jain recalled a false fire alarm at the Poway school two weeks ago.

My first thought was a groundbreaking one, Jain said. I was scared. I thought maybe it was our turn, that after all these years of believing it would never happen to me, it was. I thought it was a school shooting.

This is the world the world we live in, but it doesnt have to be the world we inherit, Jain told the group. It wont be our world. People like us, we wont back down.

Email: editor@pomeradonews.com
Two Republicans seeking to become Californias next governor expressed many similar positions, but occasionally slung barbs at each other to note their differences during a debate on Tuesday in Poway.

More than 200 filled a room at Temple Adat Shalom during the Conservative Order for Good Governments monthly luncheon. COGG hosted the debate that drew not only members from the Rancho Bernardo and Poway area, but guests from throughout San Diego County and a few who said they came from Riverside County to hear Travis Allen and John Cox.

Debate moderator was Rancho Bernardo resident, former San Diego City Councilman and KOGO AM 600 radio show host Carl DeMaio. He also plugged the gas tax repeal statewide effort he is leading, something both candidates said they support.

Allen is a state Assemblyman who has represented the 72nd District since 2012. The native San Diegan  Allen said he was born and raised in the county  now lives in Huntington Beach. Prior to politics he was a business owner and financial adviser for more than 20 years.

Cox, originally from Illinois, is a San Diego resident with a 40-year career that includes building several businesses that he said now have more than $200 million in assets. He is a certified public accountant and attorney with experience in the housing industry.

Due to voters in 2010 approving Proposition 14, candidates from all parties appear on the June primary ballot and the top two vote getters, regardless of party, advance to the November runoff. Allen and Cox claimed their candidacies would not only make it through June, but win in November, targeting Democratic frontrunner Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom specifically as standing for everything opposite to them and wrong with the state.

Cox said in his opening statement that he believes free enterprise and free markets are among keys for Californias prosperity. To me its all about actions, not about rhetoric, he said, adding he has reform ideas to turn the state around. If elected governor, Cox said he would take a business approach, a team approach when running the state.

I will focus on the quality of life for all Californians, he said, adding tax dollars need to be spent transparently and with efficiency.

Cox blamed environmentalists for the states large-scale wildfires, saying they prevent forest thinning and measures that would help with firefighting, such as more roads built into forests.

I dont think the state is that crazy liberal ... (voters are just) not really paying attention, Cox said. Most people arent (politically interested).

Allen  who arrived 20 minutes late due to a delayed flight  said in his opening that while he has been a lifelong Californian, his relatives and friends had to leave the state due to its high cost of living and economic opportunities elsewhere. He blamed Democrats running the state for 39 of the last 40 years, adding Gov. Jerry Brown and his father, Pat Brown, have led the state for almost half of the last half century.

We were the greatest state, but now measure last in almost (every category), Allen said.

Both said they would end Californias sanctuary state status and work with the federal government to increase public safety. They spoke harshly about Oakland Mayor Libby Schaafs recent warning of impending federal immigration raids in the San Francisco Bay Area by federal agents. Both called her a criminal.

Both also emphasized their tough on crime stances, saying they would repeal recent laws that downgraded the classification of certain crimes  especially those associated with drugs  and crackdown on homelessness.

Cox said homeless individuals who are criminals need to be put back in jail and those with substance abuse issues into programs so they can be cured ... and productive in society.

Allen expressed similar sentiments, said he wants them put in safe and humane places where they can get the help they need so citizens in California (can be) safe ... (because) its what we deserve.

Both expressed support for concealed carry permits statewide, including by educators, as a deterrent to gun violence. Allen said failures by law enforcement associated with last months Florida school shooting are unacceptable, and if a deputy with a weapon is present while a campus shooting occurs and does nothing, the person will be out of a job and face criminal charges. Cox said the media needs to stop publishing the names and pictures of these monsters because it is makes them famous.

The candidates touted their financial backgrounds while speaking against the underfunded state pension system, calling it unsustainable and favoring 401(k) retirement systems for state workers instead. Cox said he believes in zero-based budgeting for the state and cutting regulations. Allen said he would run the state like a business and use the line item veto to end things such as the high-speed rail project.

They each expressed support for President Trump and his policies.

Both said they want to stabilize Californias water system, denying droughts are due to climate change. Cox said humans have some impact, but the world will always have some climate change, while Allen called it absolute nonsense.They said California needs a better system to store water during rainy times so there is enough supply during dry periods.

While Cox was supportive of some higher density housing  his business ventures include owning apartment buildings  Allen said there is plenty of room for more single-family home building instead. They both blamed environmentalists, lawsuits and regulations for Californias high housing costs and shortage, with Allen promising within in his first four years as governor more than 1 million new homes will be built statewide and Cox promising 3 million within 10 years of his election. Both said they want to overturn or greatly change the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which they blame for the housing shortage too.

Cutting taxes and making the state more small-business friendly were also among their stated priorities.

email: rbnews@pomeradonews.com


Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
An inventor decided on a new number for pi, the Indiana house of representatives approved it, and the newspapers supported it  all until a mathematician came along and pointed out that they all were dead wrong.

Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

Today is Pi Day, the day we recognize the wonder of 3.14. Since 200 B.C., weve known we can calculate the area of a circle by (1) squaring the distance from the circles center to its edge, then (2) multiplying this value by 3.14  the value of pi.

This number is the ratio of every circles circumference to its diameter. An irrational number, pi contains an infinite number of numbers behind the decimal point. (You can find it calculated to the 100,000th digit here.)

Back in 1894, an amateur mathematician in Solitude, Indiana, thought there had to be a better way to measure a circles area. Edward Goodwin believed that, using a compass and a ruler, he could create a square with the same area as a circle. And a squares area would be so much easier to measure.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

There was one problem with his method. It didnt work. In fact, 12 years earlier, a mathematician had proven, mathematically, that it was impossible to calculate the area of a circle this way.

One reason Goodwins method didnt work is that it changed the value of pi from 3.141592 etc. to 3.2. (As he expressed it, The ratio of the diameter and circumference is as five-fourths to four.)

Enchanted by his own genius, Goodwin copyrighted his method. Now he could earn a royalty whenever businesses and schools used his new, improved system.

But he knew the state of Indiana couldnt afford the royalties that introducing his system into Indianas schools would involve. So he offered the state a deal: If Indianas legislature would officially acknowledge the validity of his system, hed waive the royalty fees.

Representative Taylor I. Record was Goodwins state representative, and he thought it a generous offer. So, in 1897, he introduced House Bill 246, which declared, a circular area is to the square on a line equal to the quadrant of the circumference, as the area of an equilateral rectangle is to the square on one side.

If that sounds confusing to you, youre not alone. Many legislators didnt understand it either. Nonetheless, they passed the bill in the state House on February 5, 1897. Unanimously. No one stood up and said, Wait. Im not supporting this until I understand it.

The Indianapolis newspapers were wholly supportive of Goodwins theory, though it appears they didnt understand it any better than the legislators did.

And so the bill moved on to the Senate. Fortunately, a math professor from Purdue University was coincidentally in the capitol building when the bill was being debated. Professor Clarence Abiathar Waldo was aghast to hear the state might make this erroneous theory part of school curriculum. He cornered some senators to ask about the bill. They offered to introduce him to the learned Goodwin. Waldo declined, saying that hed already met as many crazy people as he cared to know.

He explained to the senators why Goodwins method was flawed. Armed with this knowledge, they took to the Senate floor to mock the bill and Goodwins theory. Finally, a senator moved to postpone the bill. It was never brought up again.

It was easy to make fun of the idea after Waldo had spoken up. Even the newspapers changed their tune. The Indianapolis Journal observed, The Senate might as well try to legislate water to run up hill as to establish mathematical truth by law.

Featured image: Shutterstock
Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

This series by American studies professor Ben Railton explores the connections between Americas past and present.

Writing witty and pointed daily newspaper columns under the pseudonym Fanny Fern (itself a parody of the pen name of one of the periods most prominent sentimental writers, Grace Greenwood), Sarah Payson Willis (1811-1872) became the highest-paid newspaper writer in America. By 1854 she was receiving $100 for each column in the New York Ledger, and collected editions of her works such as Fern Leaves from Fannys Port-folio (1853) were runaway bestsellers. She would continue to publish acclaimed and popular journalism, along with novels and childrens stories, for the next two decades until her death from cancer in October 1872.

Ferns career successes speak for themselves, and make her one of the 19th centurys most significant writers and a voice well worth remembering and reading in the 21st century. But there are a number of additional, inspiring layers to her career and life, aspects that go beyond the salary and sales and truly establish Sara Payson Willis as an icon of womens writing and rights worth celebrating for Womens History Month.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

For one thing, Willis had overcome a number of personal challenges and tragedies in order to get to that 1850s moment of success. Her first marriage, to Boston banker Charles Harrington Eldredge, ended after nine years with his 1846 death, the last in a string of tragedies between 1844 and 1846 that included the death of their oldest daughter Mary and of Williss younger sister Ellen. Widowed with two surviving daughters, and receiving virtually no support from her family, Willis remarried Samuel Farrington, a Boston merchant who turned out to be a jealous and abusive husband. In 1851, after only two years of marriage, Willis and her daughters moved out, choosing to live in a hotel and endure numerous rumors spread by Farrington rather than put up with his abuse.

The lack of support from her family throughout this time extended beyond financial. Williss brother Nathaniel Parker Willis was a prominent literary figure and editor, and had begun his own successful publication, the Home Journal. Yet he refused to support or publish his sisters writing, and when his young editor James Parton reprinted some of her columns, Willis forbade him to do so, forcing Parton to quit in protest. These and other incidents, along with the tragedies and struggles of her first two marriages, became central threads in Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time (1854), the autobiographical novel through which Fern found a way to have her say in response to Nathaniel, her family, the Boston literary scene, and the vicissitudes of life.

Fern also used her daily columns to highlight, satirize, and challenge the kinds of social norms and prejudices that limited and oppressed mid-19th century American women. Hungry Husbands (1857) uses a witty, sly examination of domestic gender roles to raise the specter of domestic abuse. A Law More Nice Than Just (1858) highlights the case of a woman arrested for wearing mens clothes, with Fern performing her own experimental, illegal walk in mens garments with the aid of her supportive third husband (none other than James Parton!). And Male Criticism on Ladies Books (1857) takes to task and turns on its head the stereotypes and dismissals with which the literary establishment all too often treated writers like Fern.

While such witty and sarcastic pieces were Ferns stock-in-trade, she was also more than capable of producing thoughtful investigative journalism that examined other sides of womens experiences and identities in her society. Exemplifying that genre was her multi-part 1858 series on Blackwells Island, the womens prison (primarily for prostitutes, although that category often simply meant extremely poor, mentally unstable, or other marginalized women) located in New York Harbor. Already the nations highest-paid columnist at this time, Fern uses some of that literary capital to bring her audience with her out to Blackwells, and to take a long, imperfect but important look at the forgotten women housed in that fraught space.

Reading Fanny Fern today introduces us to a unique and original writer and voice, helps us understand some of the social and historical issues facing mid-19th century women, and offers an inspiring reminder of how our strongest figures have transcended such challenges to create powerful and enduring literary and cultural works. I can think of no better combination of effects with which to celebrate Womens History Month.
Weekly Newsletter The best of The Saturday Evening Post in your inbox! Join

For more about Gay Haubners life in the North Country, read the other chapters in her serialized memoir.

There was something about me that triggered a Svengali-like impulse in my older lover James, who had swept me off my feet and into his Acapulco beachfront condo. James loved playing the worldly sophisticate and I was a young sponge, eager to soak up every detail of the kind of life that a year ago I had no idea even existed.

While I did learn to drop that water ski, I never picked up any of the disco dance steps James excelled at (Do the Hustle!). James did get me to give up the arm flailing for smooth lifts and shrugs of my shoulders, movements that were occasionally in time with the music. He taught me the complicated economics of tipping: who, when, and how much; we lived in bars, clubs, and restaurants where we never had to wait for a table and drinks appeared and were replaced as if by magic.

Subscribe and get unlimited access to our online magazine archive. Subscribe Today

After one raised eyebrow from James I stopped ordering White Russians before dinner, and even after. James instructed me to slowly sip the Remy Martin he always finished with, and it was fun sticking my whole face in those enormous snifters. When we dined out, James asked me what I would like to eat and then ordered it for me while I smiled and blinked at the waiter like a deaf mute. James taught me how to do the New York Times crossword puzzle and to play backgammon, and I quickly became better at both of these than he was, though neither of us would admit it. I was always a penny ante gambler: if I lost five dollars at backgammon I felt a pang in my stomach; that five dollars could have bought an economy-size box of the frozen fish sticks I survived on a year ago.

James believed that it was gauche to wear anything less than 18 karat gold; his own heavy chain was 22 karat. One afternoon, he led me into a chic boutique across from his condo, where he ordered a custom-made piece of jewelry, not another chain for himself but a necklace for me. That year, all the girls in Acapulco wore gold pendants spelling out their names. James got off cheap buying only three letters, and in that time and place I could wear GAY around my neck without too many double takes and annoying comments.

To my pleasure and amazement, I had a man buying me jewelry in an elegant store, even if I did end up with the least expensive piece possible. While James was consulting with the saleswoman on the right font and chain for my necklace, I was eyeballing the display of uncut emerald rings and hoping one of them might be in my future. A ring with even the smallest uncut emerald would still make me inordinately happy.

It was a wonderful dream I never wanted to wake up from, but my time in Mexico with James was coming to an end. May is the start of the rainy season in Acapulco, the end of the party season. The lease was up on the apartment and the rented jeep; James was headed back to Chicago. The French Canadian girls had vanished; I hope they all landed wealthy fiances. The crowds had thinned out at Armandos and CarlosN Charlies. Even Fito was leaving, Jorge told me, for a gig in Mexico City.

I checked my bankroll of Pracna one dollar bills; it was almost the same size as it had been when I stepped off the plane. When I was with James, I never had to carry anything in my purse besides lipstick and a comb. I had more than enough to fly back to Minneapolis and keep me going till I figured out what was going to happen next.

James and I had our last dinner at CarlosN Charlies, our last dance at Armandos, and did our Wow, its been great farewells. Then to my surprise, James asked for my phone number. My number? I had no idea of where I would be living; I could have given him my mothers phone, but my gut said no. James scribbled his number on a piece of paper, told me to call him, and we kissed, a kiss that did not feel like goodbye.

I had no idea what I was going to do back in Minneapolis. I was counting on Pracna to hire me back; no one had been mad that I left with literally no notice, and with the return of summer I knew the place would be swamped with customers. But where could I live?

Even if she had kept our crappy apartment, I could not ask Liz to take me back; I had proved to be the most unreliable of roommates. Mindy and Patti shared a tiny studio that was barely big enough for the two of them. Eduardo had that big apartment, but it would have been weird to ask to stay there whether he was back with Patti or not. And for all I knew, Eduardo might have finally received his academic walking papers and be off at another, more lenient, college, or he could be back home in Miami, being force fed mondongo.

I got off the plane in Minneapolis, went to a pay phone, and stayed there pumping the same quarter in again and again until my old boyfriend Steve finally answered his phone. By a miracle, I had caught him on his last day in the Middlebrook dorm. He gave me the address of his new place and said he would meet me there.

Once again I stood outside a guys apartment with my pink Samsonite suitcases, waiting to move in uninvited. Unlike Jorge, Steve was happy to see me. Very happy, in fact. It had been almost a year since the last time we were together, an intense bout of sex in his dorm bed followed immediately by an epic fight when I found a pair of panties, not mine, in the sheets.

Now I was very thin (thanks to James), very tan, and very blonde. I tried to radiate a new sophistication, hoping that my recent Mexican adventures had made me more exotic and desirable than the nerdy brunette from Duluth Steve had met our freshman year. That girl was dead.

Steve looked exactly the same, small-town boy gone to the dark side, his smile still more of a sneer, costumed as the Caucasian Super Fly in a cheap white polyester suit. I couldnt help but think that in that outfit, he would have been left standing in line all night outside Armandos. But when we touched, that familiar and thrilling bolt of desire shot through me, making me catch my breath and hold him tighter. The two of us hustled up the stairs and into his new place.

It had taken years, but Steve had finally convinced Outward Bound to let move him out of the dorm and into an apartment of his own, an apartment they still paid the rent on. His new place was the top floor of recently built duplex not far from the university campus. A sign in front announced Buttercup Complex Now Renting or some such nonsense, but Steves building was the only one on the block: vacant lots surrounded the duplex on all sides, portioned out with stakes and string. The closest building was behind the duplex and across a field, a single story red brick creamery topped with a huge billboard featuring the Land OLakes Indian maid with her butter, her mysterious smile, and her plump knees sticking out of her buckskin garb.

Steve was upholding part of his deal with Outward Bound, puttering away nicely towards his degree in Accounting or Business or Pharmaceutical Sales. But he kept his eye on the prize and wanted to expand his drug dealing beyond his fellow dorm residents. He knew the quickest way to get busted and lose his scholarship would be to start buzzing in shady characters to his dorm room at all hours; drug dealing is the business that never sleeps. If he had his own apartment, he could expand his customer base and make even more money. Every few days he would drop into the dorm to visit friends, friends who in an emergency could come to him. He probably had a complete business plan, repurposed from some economics assignment, in place.

I cant imagine that Steves benefactor from Outward Bound ever came to check up on him in his new digs, as there was always a wide sampling of drugs strewn across the coffee table, like a display case at a jewelry store. Most of his stash was tucked away in the freezer, while the cash was cleverly concealed in a Folgers coffee can on top of the bedroom TV. A steady stream of customers came by all day and pretty far into the night, as late as possible in a town where the bars shut at one. Sometimes they called first, sometimes they just showed up and banged on the door.

My original plan, concocted on the flight to Minneapolis, had been to hole up in Steves dorm for a few days till I found a place to live; but Steve welcomed me to stay as long as I liked in his apartment and his full-size bed, and I was happy to be there, happy to sit on his tiny back patio, smoking his pot with no one around except the Land OLakes maiden.

I did sneak in a quick phone call to James in Chicago. We talked about the weather and if I had signed up for summer classes yet. When conversation faltered I gave him Steves number to reach me without mentioning Steve himself.

I also phoned my mother to let her know I was alive. The only way to make a long-distance phone call in Acapulco was to go to the phone company, which was a shabby, un-air-conditioned edifice in the hot, steamy downtown. I did try to call my mom; I filled out the blurry form at the desk, and then stood in a long line waiting to enter a wooden phone booth, where I waited some more for the right number to be connected, which generally took two or three tries. I stood in that hot box, sweating and hoping someone would be at home to answer the damn phone. After my second fruitless attempt to reach my mother, the long-suffering look on James face as he sat smoking in the jeep discouraged me from trying again.

When I phoned her from Steves place, my mother was not as concerned about my going missing for six weeks as I thought she should be. She had a bigger problem. My sister Lani had appealed to have her custody switched to my father, and the minute that happened, dad gave Lani permission to marry her Colorado Springs boyfriend. The boyfriend was twenty-one, Lani was sixteen and about to be a June bride. Neither mom nor I were invited to the wedding. For some reason the fact that Lani had picked out a big virginal white wedding gown to get married in was what drove my mom over the edge. I knew she wasnt listening to me, but I assured my mother I was fine, and hung up to the sound of her tearing out her hair.

As I had hoped, Pracna was happy to hire me back. They had opened the outdoor cocktail area overlooking the Mississippi River. People showed up at eleven in the morning to snag one of those tables, and every table outside and in was occupied till we closed the joint at one. I sweet-talked Steve into driving me to and from work, promising to introduce him to potential new customers, the hard-partying Pracna staff. I treated myself to a new pair of work shoes, lovingly tucked my growing bankroll into the empty shoebox, and slid the box way under Steves bed, till it rested back against the wall.

The deadline for enrolling in summer classes came and went. I was not ready to get back on the treadmill. I had always been an industrious ant; now I discovered that grasshoppers and blondes do have more fun. It was too pleasant waking up next to Steve, who was already rolling that mornings first joint, and not having to go anywhere for hours. We were getting along better than we ever had before. Steve seemed mesmerized by the new me, and his outlaw life excited me enough to overlook his pimp-style wardrobe. Steve had grown up poor, his few articles of clothing were hand-me downs or from Goodwill, and children are cruel. He made up for that childhood deprivation now, with a closet full of candy colored wide brimmed hats, bell bottoms in every fabric except denim, shiny patterned shirts, and platform shoes of a tottering height that I would have plunged from, but that he managed to strut around in with aplomb.

Our only disagreements came from the fact that Steve did not want to leave the apartment. For a guy whose entire life was bankrolled by an outdoors education organization, Steve was reluctant to go outside. There were no cell phones, no beepers, not even answering machines, and he did not want to miss a single prospective buyer. But it was glorious summer in Minnesota, when the air is a balmy blessing and the grass a soft carpet. I was drifting along, with no thought for the future, but well aware that there were only a handful of summer days to enjoy. I wanted to be outside, coaxing what warmth there was to be had from the Minnesota sun on my still tan skin.

I would pout and fuss until I got Steve to drive us and a blanket and a bottle of something to Lake Calhoun (now Lake Bde Maka Ska) where we would snog publicly and smoke pot and drink surreptitiously, although in those days no one cared as long as we didnt make a mess or too much noise. Sometimes I would get him out of his platform shoes and into a his old pair of hiking boots and wed walk the trail to Minnehaha Falls, a bit of wilderness in Minneapolis that we often had all to ourselves. I even talked Steve into driving to the Corn on the Curb Festival, held in Le Sueur, home of the Jolly Green Giant, on the exact day when the corn stalks were as high as an elephants eye and the emerald fields waved gently under a summer sky bleached almost white. Steve claimed to hate small Minnesotan towns. But he took me anyway, after swallowing a few pills, and as his reward he got to see me eat twenty ears of corn while he pounded bottle after bottle of Schell beer and sneered at the yokels.
    - ?

 ,   ,         live



:     -  -            -  .                        .

- ,          ,     -  ?

 : ,   ,         ,   ,        ,     .         .    ,     .     ,         .

: ,    ,   -   .

 :  ,    ,           ,   ,   ,        .

: ,    ,        ,      -      ,       ,    -           ?

 :     ,        ,        ,      1,        .         ...

:           ,    ?

 :    ,              .

:   ,         .

 :  ,        .

:       -  - -,    ?

 :   ,            - .

:      -           - ?

 :   -      ,     ,               .

:          .           ? ,   -  -      ,         .

 :     ,    . .

: , .

 :           ..    .

:         ?

 :    .       ,    ,      .        ,     ,     .

:    ,    ,   ?

 :      ,    .      ,     ,   ..      .

:  .

 :  , .

:  . ,  ,  ,            .                        ,            .         ,           .

 : ,           .        .

:  1999-,  24- -   .

 : ,        .    ,                ,   ,   ,         ,   .

:    - ,        - ,       ,        1999 .,     .

 :     ,   .   ,             .

:  ,         ,      ?

 :  .

:  .  ,   - ,         .

 :       .

:  .           ,                    ,              .      ?

 :    .

:   .

 :   ,                   .    .          ,             .

:    ...

 :     .             ,           .

: , .

 :  .

:  -         ?

 : .

: .

 :  ,    ,   ,    .                .

:  - ,    .          .-?

 :   ,    ,   .           .

:  ,                    - ,      .

 :  . ,              -.

:   ,       ?

 :      .  ,    ...

: ,    - .

 : ,  ,           .

:  , .

 :    .    .

:       .

 :   ,        ,    ,           ,        .

: ,  ,         .

 :    ,         

: ,        

 :     

:     , 

 : ,     ,            

:  ,   ,         .

 :           .  -           -         ,      ?

:      ,   - .

 :   .

:     , . ,        .    ,    ,         -         ?    ,    -     ?

 :      

: ,      .

 :    -,     .

:    -,  ,     .

 :       .

: ,       .

 :     ,       .

:    ,      , , ,      .       ,         ?

 :          ,    ,       ,   - .

:    ?

 :     ,   .      - .

: ,  

 :          .       ,     ,      ,  -         ,   .

:      .

 :   

:   ,                  - ?

 : ,    .

:   ?

 :   .

:  ,  ,  ?

 :           ...   ,    .     .

:    ?

 :   .      ,    ,     .

:  .

 :    ,       

:  ,             .

 :   -,  -,       .

: -  -,              ,        ,  ? 7000  ,       .          ,          ?

 :          ,   .   ,    ,  .      .

:      .

 :   .

:   , .     -            , , , ,    .

 : .

: ,   . ,    ,           ,    ,           .

 :      .   ,     , ,     ,     ,       .

:            ,             ,   ?

 :   -     ,   -    .             ...

:    ,    ,   ,   ,    

 : .

:   1999       ,     

 :       .

:       .   -      


They were joined by Giovanni Di Girolamowith the European Union and Dr Eladio Penaloza, who will head MTCC, and the International Maritime University of Panama (UMIP) dean Aladar Rodriguez.

MTCC will be located at the International Maritime University of Panama; it will be funded by the EU and implemented by the IMO to help mitigate the harmful effects of climate change under the Global MTTC Network (GMN) project. Panamas MTCC joins MTCCs in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

MTCC-Panamas director Dr Eladio Penaloza is a veteran of the maritime sector having graduated from Chiles Naval Academy as an engineer. He represented Panama at the IMO from 1998 to 2000 and participated to the creation of the International Maritime University of Panama which is a public university funded by the Panamanian Government and, by law, is the official higher education institution specialised in maritime education and training of the Republic of Panama. The universitys scope involves all areas related to the maritime sector, including all aspects of shipping, maritime infrastructure and services, coastal, marine, and environmental protection.

The MTCCs will act as focal point for:

 Improving capability in the region - by working with maritime administrations, port authorities, other relevant government departments and related shipping stakeholders to facilitate compliance with international regulations on energy efficiency for ships

 Promoting the uptake of low-carbon technologies and operations in the maritime sector through pilot projects

 Raising awareness about policies, strategies and measures for the reduction of ghg and other emissions from the maritime transport sector

 Demonstrating a pilot-scale system for collecting data and reporting on ships fuel consumption to improve ship owners and maritime administrations understanding in this regard, and

 Developing and implementing strategies to sustain the impact of MTCC results and activities beyond the project time-line.
Local media reported it had signed a collaboration agreement with three companies, Muria Sumba Manis, Sriboga Flour Mill and Indonesia Bulk Terminal for various projects in the Southern regions of Indonesia.

It will provide Sumba-based sugar company Muria Sumba Manis with a port facility, a harbour service and a sugarcane plantation and help with the construction of a sugar processing plant in Waingapu, East Nusa Tenggara.

Were not only doing business here, we are also helping to boost economic growth in the southern part of Indonesia, said Pelindo III ceo Ari Askhara.

Pelindo III would give the right-to-manage for two plots of land - of four hectares each - to flour producer Sriboga Flour Mill to build a food grain terminal at the Tanjung Mas port in Semarang, Ari added.

The collaboration is under a build-operate transfer (BOT) project, in which Pelindo contributes 30% of the investment, while Sriboga covers the remaining 70%.

With Indonesia Bulk Terminal, Ari said Pelindo III would establish a joint company to construct a harbour at the Mekar Putih Special Economic Zone in South Kalimantan.
And many more...

Mike's Famous Ham Place

For all the flashiness of the city's many new restaurants, Detroit has a ton of timeless establishments that have been serving more or less the same great food for decades.Whether it's grabbing your favorite booth or barstool, or catching up with a long-time server or bartender-turned-friend, there's a warmth that comes with returning to a familiar haunt or restaurant. No matter how many times you say you're going to order something different this time, you always come back to the same thing.With that in mind, we wanted to pay tribute to some classic restaurants that have been around at least 25 years (the "newest" restaurant on our list opened in 1982). And while a city of this size and caliber has too many to list in one article, here are a few that stand out to us.Nearing its 50th year in business, this Detroit restaurant is credited as being one of the firstif notfirstCreole-style restaurant in the city. Its original location, opened in 1970 on the edge of Eastern Market, was joined by a second location on the city's northwest side in 2016.Current co-owner Joe Spencer purchased the restaurant from its founder Joseph Stafford in 1982. It was a seemingly unlikely venture for Spencer, who had never even tried Creole food before a business partner suggested purchasing the restaurant. Spencer was a pioneer in the Detroit media industry; he was one of the first black radio producers in Detroit while at WWJ, and eventually became program director at WGPR-TV 62, the first black-owned television station in the United States.Despite his initial lack of familiarity with the business, Spencer was taught by best. Stafford, who learned to cook from his mother in Louisiana, spent the next year teaching the new owners how to prepare the product, making sure that they knew what they were doing before retirement. Spencer has since added to Stafford's legacy, introducing healthier options like vegetarian gumbo and red beans and quinoa to the menu, alongside traditional favorites like gumbo, jambalaya, and other Louisiana- and southern-style dishes.There along Brush Street, in the shadow of the glass- and steel-clad Renaissance Center, are two downtown Detroit classics. One is the Sweetwater Tavern.There's a lot of history at Sweetwater Tavern. While the bar and restaurant have been up and running for more than three decades now, the building itself has been around for more than a century.But people don't go to Sweetwater just for a history lesson; the main attraction is the wings. Sweetwater is routinely recognized as one of the top places in the city for chicken wingsand often coming in at number one. It's also long been a go-to spot to hang out and watch the big game over drinks, or to meet friends and dine out before going to nearby St. Andrew's Hall.Sweetwater is so popular, in fact, that they now have multiple locations, including one each on McNichols Road and Harper Avenue in Detroit, a location in Southfield, and even a Sweetwater in Fort Meyers, Florida.Just a block north of Sweetwater is the other downtown classic: Jacoby's German Biergarten, a bar that is routinely acknowledged as one of the oldest in the city, dating back to 1904.Jacoby's German roots run deep, and its kitchen specializes in authentic entrees like Jager Schnitzel, Rindfleisch Rouladen, and the German Sausage Plate. Jacoby's is also known for its selection of otherwise hard-to-find European beers, including selections from countries Germany, Belgium, England, and more.Travel up Gratiot Avenue well into the city's northeast side, almost all the way to State Fair, and you'll find Capers Steakhouse.Capers is known for its steak-by-the-ounce system. Rather than choose between, say, a 12- or 16-ounce-cut of steak, Capers allows customers to order their steaks at whatever size they like. It's a friendly approach to treating its customers that is matched by the restaurant's atmosphere.Of course, Capers offers more than steaks alone, and customers can find a range of items, from southern-fried catfish to the Atomic Bomb sandwich, a six-ounce Delmonico steak with sauteed onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and melted swiss on a sub roll.The drop ceilings. The wood-paneled walls. The model boats and fish on the walls. Scotty Simpson's Fish & Chips opened in 1950 and it feels like it.This Brightmoor charmer may look like it belongs in a different era, but its fish are fresh and service friendly. Scotty's famous fish and chips utilizes Nova Scotian cod, flown in daily. Perch, smelt, and even frog legs round out the menu at this westside classic. Lou's Deli : A Detroit staple, Lou's serves classic deli sandwiches from two westside locations, on McNichols and 7 Mile Roads, respectively. It's been serving pastrami, salami, corned beef, and more for over 50 years. Vicki's Bar-B-Q : Warren Avenue barbecue spot recognized for its homemade sauces, fresh meats, and open pit barbecue. The Butler family running Vicki's shares decades of barbecue experience between them. Giovanni's Ristorante : Old world Italian restaurant on the outskirts of town, Giovanni's is the type of place where Frank Sinatra would eatand did, with Martha and William Clay Ford. The Dakota Inn Rathskeller : Authentic German restaurant on John R Road, just north of McNichols, known as much for its raucous parties, with its live bands, sing-a-longs, and chicken hats, as it is its traditional menu. Open since 1933. Baker's Keyboard Lounge : Also open since 1933, Baker's is billed as the world's oldest jazz club. The lounge, which features a full bar and kitchen, still hosts live music on a stage that has seen the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Nat "King" Cole, and many, many other jazz legends of the twentieth century.: Belly up to the counter of this neighborhood joint at the corner of Michigan Avenue and West Grand Boulevard, serving fresh sliced ham since 1974. It's ham sandwich is one of the most classic in the city. Hygrade Deli : Just a block east of Mike's, whose reuben is every bit as delicious as the other's ham sandwich, Hygrade has established itself as one of the best sources of corned beef since first opening in 1955.
Megan Owens

Rapid, reliable connections between Detroit, Dearborn, Ypsilanti, and Ann Arbor

Transit access to jobs in places like Livonia, Plymouth, and Canton that are currently inaccessible

Convenient express service to Metro Airport from Detroit, Grosse Pointe, Plymouth and beyond

Expanded transit connections in Detroit and throughout Wayne and Washtenaw counties

Detroit lost out on the Amazon HQ2 bid, not even making it in the top 20. The primary reason we weren't selected is simple: we lack a modern transit system that can attract and transport the skilled workforce the company required.So what now? What is the Detroit region doing now, and what should it do, to be prepared to attract the next corporation looking to bring their dollars and employees here?While there has been some modest progress in improving the area's transit, only through a major investment will we be able to provide the world-class transit that current residents need and major tech investors require.We can make it happen, but only if our region's leaders eventually work together.DDOT and SMART have both taken important steps to improve and expand their bus service. DDOT has added 24-hour routes, enhanced and expanded other routes, and worked hard to become a more reliable and feasible travel option for many (although much work still remains).SMART launched the FAST express service that seamlessly connects Detroit with neighboring communities along Woodward and Gratiot every 15 minutes, plus added express service along Michigan Avenue and to Metro Airport every 30 minutes.The QLINE is here, providing easy, attractive travel along the region's busiest corridor. It's not fast and has struggled with illegally parked cars and inconsistent schedules. But it did help enable $7 billion in development along the Woodward corridor and remains an attractive way for visitors to get around Detroit's sometimes-confusing downtown. Along with MoGo bike share, downtown and Midtown have never been better connected or had as many options for getting around.(If you haven't tried transit in a while, give your commute a search on Google Transit and see if there's a bus route that might work for you!)While those are useful improvements, Detroit remains decades behind nearly every other big city in providing the reliable, attractive transit options that tech companies, millennials, and locals expect.Nationwide, 75 percent of millennials want to live in a place where they do not need a car to get around and 66 percent say that access to high quality transportation is one of the top three criteria in deciding where to live next.Companies like Amazon know this, so if they want to attract the nation's most talented young engineers and designers, they either move to cities with great transit or, like Quicken and Ford, work to help their cities build it.The best time to make a transit investment is always 10 years ago.The second-best time isThirty years ago, Denver was where we are. Same with Dallas 20 years ago and Minneapolis 10 years ago. They all started with very minimal transit, then chose to make a major transit investment and are today reaping the benefits of job access and economic development.The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) has developed a strong plan that would connect people to jobs in places that are inaccessible today, make transit on our busiest corridors as fast as driving, and provide convenient transit to the airport.In 2016, region-wide funding of that transit plan fell a few thousand votes short of passing, due in part to insufficient public education, a poorly-run campaign, and a major anti-tax Trump wave.With some improvements to the plan and better public education, the funding necessary for great transit could absolutely pass this fall. But only if it's on the ballot.Since November of 2016, the RTA and the region's political leaders have been debating where to go from here. Yet 15 months later, they still haven't come to an agreement.Mayor Duggan, Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, and Washtenaw County leaders are strongly supportive of a region-wide solution that would improve the regional transit plan and place transit funding back on the November ballot.Despite many months of active negotiations, Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson recently demanded a continuation of the current inefficient patchwork system, and Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel seems to think we have to choose between good roads and good transit, instead of investing in both.Transit champions like Warren Evans continue to work hard to come to a deal because a region-wide solution would definitely be best for everyone. But many are skeptical it will ever happen.If Oakland and Macomb leaders refuse to get on board with a region-wide transit plan, Wayne and Washtenaw must proceed without them.It would be better to make serious transit progress in two counties than none, and with a two-county plan, we could have:In a few years, Oakland and Macomb would hopefully realize how much they're missing and join in too. But transit progress can't wait.People in Oakland and Macomb who don't want to be left out of regional transit progress need to speak out to their county officials and demand transit action now.People in Detroit and Wayne County need to thank Duggan and Evans for their leadership and urge them to keep at it until we have the regional transit system we need.Together, we can ensure metro Detroit finally joins the 21st century and can both compete for top tech businesses and provide local residents reliable access to opportunities to thrive.Megan Owens is the executive director of Transportation Riders United , a transit advocacy nonprofit.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 SENATE LAUDS 2017 TOYM AWARDEES The Senate on Wednesday adopted a resolution lauding eight recipients of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) award for 2017 for their invaluable contribution and excellence in diverse fields here and abroad. Senator Sonny Angara, a Philippine Jaycees member and former recipient of the prestigious TOYM award, sponsored during the plenary session Senate Resolution No. 677 to commend the men and women recipients of the annual award. "This year's TOYM calls for 'unity towards nation building' - and the men and women that we recognize today proves that there is no single process or method to build a nation. It is done through collective contributions from people with different backgrounds, faiths and advocacies," Angara. "It is our hope that, by recognizing these men and women, we would be able to empower other Filipinos to do their part - in whatever field it may be - to make our country better. This has always been the goal of the TOYM since its inception in the late 50s," he added. The TOYM 2017 features a diverse set of honorees from around the country who have excelled in the fields of law enforcement, education, public service, sports, arts, community service, medicine, and journalism. Over the years, it has been a tradition for the Senate to be another venue to give the honorees the recognition that they deserve, not only for their personal achievements, but mostly because their talents have brought service to others. The Senate is also home to a number of recipients of the TOYM award, including over one-third of the incumbent senators: Sens. Angara, JV Ejercito, Sherwin Gatchalian, Bam Aquino, Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda, Risa Hontiveros, Dick Gordon, Gringo Honasan, Manny Pacquiao. It has been a tradition for the Senate to be another venue to give the honorees the recognition that they deserve, not only for their personal achievements, but mostly because their talents have brought service to others. Angara's resolution recognized the following TOYM awardees: 1. Byron F. Allatog (Government Service Law Enforcement) - the Chief of Police in Bogo City, Cebu, who paved the way for the city to earn the first "Drug-Cleared City" status in the Philippines; 2. Hidilyn F. Diaz (Sports in Weightlifting) - the 2016 Summer Olympic medalist who built a weightlifting training facility in her hometown in Zamboanga City where aspiring athletes can harness their skills; 3. Cirilo Joseph M. Javier (Arts in Music) - the award winning musical director of Hong Kong Disneyland, whose successful productions include "Saturday Night Fever," "Shrek the Musical," "Tarzan," and "The Little Mermaid"; 4. Eugenio P. Mende (Veterinary Medicine) - known as "Supervet Eugene" for his contributions in veterinary science - the biggest being his US patented research on a vaccine and antibody detection and diagnostic kit designed to control "the biggest and most economically damaging swine virus infection in the world"; 5. Ronaldo C. Reyes (Education) - a teacher from Tabaco City, whose advocacy to promote community-based research won him numerous awards such as the Best Paper in Science Education in Malaysia, the SEAMEO Science Teacher Award in Indonesia, the Federation of Asian Chemical Society Award in Taiwan; 6. Jason Roy T. Sibug (Community Development) - the founder of Tuklas Katutubo, an organization composed of indigenous peoples dedicated to protect and promote the rights and welfare of indigenous communities; 7. Mark Anthony J. Torres (Government Service Education) - the head of the Institute for Peace and Development in Mindanao of MSU-IIT who is actively engaged in various peace-building activities; 8. Chiara Anne G. Zambrano (Journalism and Mass Communication) - an award-winning journalist known for covering the war including documentaries on the West Philippine Sea and the Marawi siege. "As we are also celebrating Women's Month, this is an opportune moment to recognize the two female awardees - Hidilyn and Chiara - who have broken gender stereotypes by succeeding in male-dominated fields. We expect that more Filipinas will follow in their footsteps and become future TOYM awardees," said Angara, who also chairs the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Local Government. At the same time, the senator also commended TOYM Foundation headed by Chairman Manuel Pangilinan, President Bienvenido Tantoco III and Executive Director Larry Cruz, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Philippines headed by National President Hegem Furigay, and Judy Roxas and the Gerry Roxas Foundation for another year of celebrating Filipinos' excellence through service.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 Dispatch from Crame No. 262:

Sen. Leila M. de Lima's statement on the DOJ dismissal of charges against Lim, Espinosa and Co 3/14/18 The travesty of the fake war on drugs is that it has never eliminated drug lords or the sources of drugs. It has always targetted those at the lowest level of the drug chain, dealing on them the capital penalty of death without trial and on mere suspicion. In the meantime, big-time dealers like Peter Lim, Kerwin Espinosa and Peter Co are given a free pass for supposed lack of evidence, even if two of them admitted to being drug lords under oath. There can be no excuse to both the PNP's and the DOJ's failure to bring real drug lords to court and before the bars of justice. They seem to have no problem filing fake drug cases against political opponents of the Duterte administration like me. It appears that the law enforcement and justice machinery of the government under this administration has already forgotten how to file and prosecute real drug cases. They have become such experts in filing fake drug charges that they have become completely incompetent in the case build-up and the filing of real ones. This makes the drug war useless, as it is fake. The dismissal of the cases against Lim, Espinosa and Co--and let's not forget the exclusion from the Criminal Informations filed against me of the other self-confessed Bilibid drug lords who turned witnesses against me--is just another instance of the fake drug war, after the failure of government to go to the bottom and find the mastermind of the 6.4 billion smuggled shabu shipment. If the Duterte government is consistent in anything in its drug war, it is in the lack of interest in going after the drug lords and drug deals that matter. In the meantime, thousands are killed for possession of a few ounces of shabu, most of it even planted after a supposed shootout. It should be clear by now that Duterte's drug war is a big joke, except that the thousands killed in its name are not laughing. Because they are all dead. It is only the real drug lords like Lim, Espinosa, Co and the other Bilibid drug inmates who are laughing--laughing all the way to the bank. And the biggest joke of all? The government tried to hide the dismissal of the cases from the public since December of last year. And now Duterte is pretending to huff and puff at this dismissal. It's either they were hiding it because they were complicit in the deal with the drug lords (including the deal for the perpetuation of their lies against me), or they are so incompetent as to be completely ignorant of the dismissal a full three months after the fact. The corruption, or the incompetence--pick your choice--is incredible.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 Transcript of Interview of Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon Q: On the Philippine's withdrawal from Rome Statute/ICC Treaty SFMD: The crucial issue here is what happens to the preliminary examination and I think that was prompted the withdrawal, if I can read Malacanang. Under Article 127 of the Rome Statute, the withdrawal has no effect on the cases which were filed before the withdrawal. Under Art 127 (2), the withdrawal shall not affect any cooperation with the Court in connection with criminal investigations and proceedings in relation to which the withdrawing State had a duty to cooperate and which were commenced prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective, nor shall it prejudice in any way the continued consideration of any matter which was already under consideration by the Court prior to the date on which the withdrawal became effective. SFMD: So that is the legal issue now: the effect of the withdrawal. The Rome Statutes so provide. This question will ultimately be decided by the court itself. Unfortunately the Senate has no say on the withdrawal. I have tried to introduce a resolution before, in February of last year, where I filed Senate Resolution 289, a resolution expressing the sense of the senate that the termination of or withdrawal from treaties and international agreements concurred in by the Senate shall be valid and effective only upon the concurrence by the Senate. I filed the resolution and it was signed by the majority of the senators; unfortunately, I think it was Senator Pacquaio who objected to it, so it was not passed. So what we did was in the individual treaties that were ratified by the Senate, individually we introduced this paragraph. Of course the Rome Statute ratification was not affected because it was ratified much earlier. Q: Kung na-approved po ba sana yung resolution, retroactive iyon? SFMD: It covers all resolutions and treaties that we concurred in, so that the sense of the Senate that I sought to have on the record is that all of these treaties which we ratified can be rendered ineffective only if we concurred in the withdrawal. Unfortunately that did not pass. Q: Yung binasa ninyo, it means na tuloy pa ang investigation? SFMD: That is the rule. The ruling as to the continuation of the investigation will be ruled upon by the court itself. I'm sure the government will assert that it is no longer bound by the statute. That is a legal issue which will now be resolved by the court. Q: Yung preliminary investigation ba, does it mean may jurisdiction na? SFMD: That is what Article 127 of the Rome Statues says.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 Win raises questions on length of term, term limits for Bangsamoro MPs As the Senate continues floor deliberations on the landmark Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Senator Win Gatchalian is pushing for amendments to ensure that contentious provisions regulating the terms of office of Bangsamoro elective local officials are consistent with the Constitution. One such provision is Article VII, Section 13 of the Senate version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (Senate Bill No. 1717), which states that the initial term length of three years for members of the Bangsamoro Parliament (MPs) provided in the law would be "without prejudice to the power of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to include in the Election Code a new term of office." During his first interpellation on the measure, Gatchalian raised the issue of whether this provision would empower the BTA to lengthen the subsequent terms of by Bangsamoro MPs to more than three years. After consulting members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) present at the deliberations, the principal sponsor of SB 1717, Senator Migz Zubiri, confirmed that this provision could allow the lengthening of the term of office. In light of this, Gatchalian stressed the need to amend Article VII, Section 13 in order to be consistent with the Constitution, arguing that members of Parliament, being elective local officials, should not be allowed to serve more than three consecutive three-year terms, as stipulated in Article X, Section 8 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. Gatchalian likewise stressed the importance of clarifying any provision that could be used to circumvent the three-term limit for local elective officials prescribed by the Constitution, such as the dissolution of Parliament. Article VII, Section 37 of SB 1717 provides that the Wali (ceremonial head of the Bangsamoro government) shall dissolve Parliament upon the advice of the Chief Minister after a 2/3rds vote of no confidence cast by all the members of Parliament. Gatchalian said that the provision should be refined to make it clear that the term served by incumbent MPs at the time of dissolution will be recognized as a full uninterrupted term - meaning that it will count against the three-term limit. "Because if it's an interrupted term, that means they can run again as if they were back to their original term. So, if you're already on your third term and Parliament is dissolved, you can serve another three terms again. That's a perpetual term already," he explained. "We just need to clear this up very well because it's something that can be abused in the future," he added.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 Privilege Speech of Senator Legarda

Ending Online Sexual Exploitation of Children

14 March 2018 | Senate Session Hall Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, This is not the first time that I spoke in the halls of this august chamber about this issue that I wish to bring to everyone's attention once again. Today, on women's month, I rise as a woman and as a mother, to speak on behalf of not only my own children, but of all Filipino children. There is no doubt that most of us here today are affected by what we see in the news. But the everyday violence that is hidden from the headlines is a crime that turns homes into places of indescribable suffering that kills the soul. What does this suffering look like? A 2-year-old toddler was offered by her very own mother to be sexually abused in livestream videos for paying "customers" overseas last September 14, 2017, somewhere in the Visayas region. For all my colleagues and fellow parents, especially the women, in this august body, can you even imagine your own children enduring this ordeal at your own hands? I dare say it is unimaginable and the very thought makes even the strongest stomachs turn. But for a two-year-old toddler and another 12-year-old girl, whom we shall call, "Cassie", it is not merely a figment of imagination. This was an everyday reality. Allow me to tell you the story of Cassie. She grew up in an indigenous community in the South, eking out a hand-to-mouth existence. With no education, she felt like she had no future. When a "family friend", let's call him, "Jerrie", lured her parents with promises of free schooling and a nice job in Manila for Cassie, they readily agreed. That was the beginning of Cassie's living nightmare. For five years, Jerrie "adopted" Cassie, only to enslave her. Jerrie raped 12-year-old Cassie in front of a web camera. He raped her for profit so foreigners all over the world can live out their sickest, darkest fantasies through livestreaming. Later on, Jerrie arranged for foreign customers to rape Cassie in the flesh. Worse, her family in the indigenous community in the province, not knowing the truth of Cassie's brutal ordeal, sent her sister to Manila where she joined Cassie and 3 other children living in the house. The youngest was only six years old. When Cassie was living out the horror of this livestreamed abuse, she was thinking, "I want to die, I want to die because of this pain, but I can't. I want to stop my breath. But, it's always--Oh, I'm still breathing. Why can't I die?" Mr. President, no child should ever have to wish for death. But Cassie's story did not end in death. Cassie and the other children were rescued by the PNP, DSWD, and International Justice Mission or IJM, a non-profit organization that partners with our Philippine law enforcement agencies in rescuing victims, restoring them, and securing justice for these sexually exploited children. On May 26, 2017, Cassie's abuser, the person you now see on the screen, was convicted of life imprisonment under the very law that I sponsored in 2012, the Expanded Anti-Trafficking Law. Today, Cassie is alive. She is now safe in a shelter. While Cassie wanted to die before, she now wants to live so she can bring hope and comfort to other child victims. Mr. President, Cassie is just one of thousands of Filipino children who are being abused and traumatized within the confines of their very own homes, even by their own family. Instead of safety and love, the pain and horror of online sexual exploitation is their everyday reality. Simply put, online sexual exploitation of children or OSEC, is the heinous act of livestreaming or broadcasting the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children via the internet through a webcam, or any other device, for the satisfaction of another, usually a pedophile from abroad, who directs and purchases the livestreamed online sexual abuse of children. Children who come from developing countries like the Philippines where Internet connection is readily accessible and its people speak English well. According to IJM-supported PNP and NBI operations, more than 273 victims have been rescued in 77 operations with over 87% of those rescued victims under the age of 18. The average age of the rescued victim is 12 years old, just like Cassie, and victims below 12 years of age make up more than half, or 52%, of all victims rescued in OSEC. Mr. President, the youngest that IJM has ever rescued was a newborn baby, only 2 months old. This is not a gender-specific crime either; 16% of survivors are boys. But perhaps the most alarming fact is that 81% of IJM-supported cases involve parents and relatives who exploit their own children, which explains why 59% of the cases involve sibling groups. Last February, in three separate rescue operations around the Philippines, IJM together with our law enforcers rescued ten children, the oldest--a girl 17 years of age--and the youngest--a three-year-old boy--who was being sexually abused by his own mother. Last week, joint elements of the PNP Women and Children Protection Center (WCPC) and NBI Anti Human Trafficking Division, DSWD, the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT), and IJM, in coordination with foreign law enforcement agencies, rescued five children - the youngest a two-year old girl - from being sexually exploited by a neighbor. While it is unthinkable enough to think that Filipinos do this to their own children, it does not make it any less unthinkable when foreigners profit from the online rape of our nation's children. Last year, David Timothy Deakin, an American child webcam cybersex den operator living in Pampanga, was caught streaming illicit sex abuse content through a network that disguised his identity and location. The NBI made the largest seizure of technological evidence of its kind to date; they confiscated sex toys, children's underwear, bondage cuffs, drug paraphernalia, and 30 hard drives containing thousands of illicit photos and over 4,000 contact names. They also rescued two girls, ages 9 and 11, who were placed in the care of DSWD. The other victims revealed that Deakin refused to feed them if they did not perform during the livestreamed sex shows. Like Cassie, the girls said, they wanted to die. Mr. President, we have the power to ensure that these cases shall not end in the slow death of traumatic abuse. Studies have shown that when violent offenders are held accountable for their crimes through effective and sustained law enforcement, this will dramatically reduce the abuse of vulnerable victims. Trafficking of children for sexual exploitation, whether done online or on the street or in bars, is a business, an economic activity, if you will, even if it is against the law. However, if criminals know that laws are routinely enforced and that they will go to jail, they will get out of the business of selling children because it will not be worth it anymore. My colleagues in the Senate, this is not just an observation either, but this was proven by prevalence studies conducted in Metro Cebu, in Metro Manila and Angeles City, where IJM documented a decrease of 79% in 2010 in Cebu City, a 75% decrease in Metro Manila, and 86% decrease in Angeles City, both in 2016, of the availability of minors being sold for sex in bars and on the streets after law enforcement authorities relentlessly enforced anti-trafficking laws in those cities. Mr. President, we have enough laws. Online sexual exploitation of children is already illegal under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, which I both authored, the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, and the Anti-Child Pornography Act. The question therefore is not if we have enough laws, BUT are we enforcing these laws? We already have national anti-trafficking units in place that are mandated to specifically combat trafficking and OSEC: namely, the PNP Women and Children Protection Center and the NBI Anti Human Trafficking Division. We also have the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking or IACAT that coordinates all the efforts to enforce our trafficking laws. Allow me to share at this point that the Philippines is taking the lead in combatting trafficking in Southeast Asia being the only Southeast Asian country to achieve Tier 1 ranking in the Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Department of State. But, we must not, and cannot, allow this to lull us into complacency. We must all rise to the challenge of ensuring that this deplorable crime will finally be eradicated. As lawmakers, with our power of the purse, we can ensure that our laws are enforced by making sure that the agencies mandated to enforce these laws have enough resources to do their jobs. Which is why in the national budget for 2018, I ensured that the PNP Women and Children's Protection Center (WCPC) get an increase in its budget for additional training and purchase of equipment which will lead to more children being rescued, more criminals being arrested, and stopping this horrific crime in its track. However, being a transnational crime, ending OSEC requires a concerted effort from all nations. While the Philippines can do all it can to address this, a holistic solution requires that developed countries, from which the demand for this type of exploitation usually originates, must also do their part. This calls for amending the lenient sentences that their laws mete upon those who prey on Filipino children. In Queensland, Australia, for example, a man was only fined $500 AUD and placed on a three-year good behavior bond after being convicted of receiving explicit images of two girls from a Filipino mother, the youngest of whom was aged 10. Imagine the absurdity -- the Filipino mother gets life imprisonment but the Australian directing the abuse walks free? How then can we hope to stop our children from being sexually exploited online when the foreign customers get merely a slap on the wrist? Today, I am issuing a call and a challenge to our fellow legislators from other countries: raise the penalties to lower the demand and reflect the true nature of the crime in your respective countries. Truly, this one of the worst forms of violence against women and children, with incalculable harm that traumatizes children, even to the point of death. To end, Mr. President, the fight against online sexual exploitation of children should not end with us. While we are sending a strong message to the rest of the world that we refuse to allow our children to be exploited for anyone's gain, the rest of the world must also stand with us. No child victim should ever have to wish for death, at the hands of Filipinos or foreigners alike. Together, we must give children a chance to wake up from the nightmare of abuse and live free. Thank you, Mr. President.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 Legarda Calls for Effective, Sustained Law Enforcement to End Online Sex Exploitation of Children Senator Loren Legarda today stressed the importance of effective and sustained law enforcement in reducing cases of trafficking of children for sexual exploitation. Legarda, author of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and its expanded version, made the statement during her privilege speech on ending online sexual exploitation of children. "Trafficking of children for sexual exploitation, whether done online or on the street or in bars, is a business even if it is against the law. However, if criminals know that laws are routinely enforced and that they will go to jail, they will get out of the business of selling children because it will not be worth it anymore," she said. In her privilege speech, Legarda narrated stories of children who were sexually abused in livestream videos for paying customers. Online sexual exploitation of children or OSEC is the heinous act of livestreaming or broadcasting the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children via the internet through a webcam, or any other device, for the satisfaction of another, usually a pedophile from abroad, who directs and purchases the livestreamed online sexual abuse of children. In rescue missions conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), supported by the International Justice Mission--a non-profit organization that partners with our Philippine law enforcement agencies in rescuing victims, restoring them, and securing justice for these sexually exploited children--more than 273 victims have been rescued in 77 operations with over 87% of those rescued victims under the age of 18. The average age of the rescued victim is 12 years old and victims below 12 years of age make up more than half, or 52%, of all victims rescued in OSEC. Legarda said that the IJM noted a decrease in the prevalence of OSEC after law enforcement authorities relentlessly enforced anti-trafficking laws, particularly in Metro Cebu (79% decrease in 2010), Metro Manila (75% decrease in 2016), and Angeles City (86% decrease in 2016). Legarda said that the Philippines has enough laws and has national anti-trafficking units in place that are mandated to specifically combat trafficking and OSEC, namely, the PNP Women and Children Protection Center and the NBI Anti-Human Trafficking Division. It also has the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking or IACAT that coordinates all the efforts to enforce the country's trafficking laws. "The Philippines is taking the lead in combatting trafficking in Southeast Asia being the only Southeast Asian country to achieve Tier 1 ranking in the Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Department of State. But, we must not, and cannot, allow this to lull us into complacency. We must all rise to the challenge of ensuring that this deplorable crime will finally be eradicated. As lawmakers, with our power of the purse, we can ensure that our laws are enforced by making sure that the agencies mandated to enforce these laws have enough resources to do their jobs," said Legarda. In the national budget for 2018, Legarda ensured that the PNP Women and Children's Protection Center (WCPC) get an increase in its budget for additional training and purchase of equipment which will lead to more children being rescued, more criminals being arrested, and stopping this horrific crime in its track. "However, being a transnational crime, ending OSEC requires a concerted effort from all nations. While the Philippines can do all it can to address this, a holistic solution requires that developed countries, from which the demand for this type of exploitation usually originates, must also do their part. This calls for amending the lenient sentences that their laws mete upon those who prey on Filipino children," the Senator stressed. "The fight against online sexual exploitation of children should not end with us. While we are sending a strong message to the rest of the world that we refuse to allow our children to be exploited for anyone's gain, the rest of the world must also stand with us. Together, we must give our children a chance to wake up from the nightmare of abuse and live free," Legarda concluded.
Press Release

March 14, 2018 Transcript of Ambush Interview of Senate President Koko Pimentel III On the withdrawal in the Rome Statute SP Pimentel: Basta the power belongs to the President. We are back to the status where we're not a member. Ganun lang naman yun. That's why you need Senate concurrence because we're going to change rules. The treaty becomes part of the law of the land. Now that we're withdrawing, were back to the situation where the treaty terms are not part of the law of the land. Q: Are we losing something from this? SPKP: Siguro our solidarity with the other signatories putting a premium on an orderly criminal justice system in an international level. Yun lang mawawala sa atin. We will not feel that we belong doon sa countries which are desirous of an orderly administration of criminal justice at the international level. Yun ang kulang, wala kasing legal system at the international level. Q: Sa concurrence ratification, may say ang Senate pero sa withdrawal, wala? SPKP: Wala. That's why dito sa new treaties we are ratifying, meron kaming provisions na nilalagay that withdrawal will require 2/3. But itong Rome Statute ratification, back in.... kay Senator Enrile pa 'to na time, walang ganun. Actually, yung dinadagdag namin ngayon na provision that even withdrawal require Senate concurrence has not been tested before the Supreme Court. That is a constitutional requirement. Q: Sir, pano yung process kung aalis tayo? SPKP: Look at the treaty. The treaty will provide for the process of withdrawing. If I remember correctly, it's just simple notification from the state that it is withdrawing. Q: Sir, tama na rin ba na ongoing yung investigation kahit na hindi na member? SPKP: Sa pagkakaintindi ko ganun, member or not member. Bahala na sila. In effect, ang sinasabi ng Pilipinas ay we don't want to have anything to do with you. May abuse of discretion kayo eh. Nagrereklamo lang eh. If I were president, baka ginawa ko rin yun. Imagine, sino ang nagrereklamo? Tapos ano yung mga alegasyon? Hindi ba to domestic policy? This is law enforcement. Sa mata ng presidente, nung nagkakampanya pa siya, the main problem is law and order. Anong root cause ng deterioration? Sa mata niya, drugs validated by the people. He won the elections. He will now enforce the law. May law and yet nakikialam sila. They're trying to micromanage the country. Sumosobra na. I see his point of view. Q: With the withdrawal sir, the ICC cannot indict the President? SPKP: No. Sa pagkakaalam ko, they can continue. Let us say a person who has an arrest warrant from the ICC is found in a state signatory or member of the ICC, duty bound sila to arrest that person. Ganun lang yan. Sa Pilipinas, kunwari out na tayo, meron silang gustong ipaaresto sa atin, hindi tayo magparticipate kasi out na tayo. Yun lang yun. Kahit member din naman tayo, aarestuhin natin ang sarili nating presidente? Hindi naman natin gagawin yun. It has nothing to do with his case. Dito ito sa attitude ng kanilang prosecutor. Q: Sir, anong mawawalang benefits satin? SPKP: Wala. It's a solidarity with other nations which want to impose an orderly administration of criminal justice at the international level.
Senate commends 2017 TOYM awardees

The Senate today unanimously adopted a resolution commending the eight awardees of last year's "The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of the Philippines."

Senate Resolution No. 576 was introduced by Senator Nancy Binay, taking into consideration Senate Resolution No. 677 introduced by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara.

According to the resolution, the Senate lauded the eight TOYM awardees for their "excellence and steadfast consistency in their craft."

"The Senate of the Philippines over the years recognizes and pays tribute to remarkable men and women of competence and deeds that symbolizes the character of a true Filipino," the resolution said.

Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III led the other senators in presenting copies of the resolution to the 2017 TOYM awardees, which included Bogo City Chief of Police Byron Allatog for government service- law enforcement, 2016 Summer Olympic medalist Hidilyn Diaz for sports, musical director Cirilo Joseph Javier for arts and music, veterinarian Eugenio Mende for veterinary medicine, teacher Ronaldo Reyes for education, indigenous people's rights advocate Jason Roy Sibug for community development, educator and peace advocate Mark Anthony Torres for government service-education, and journalist Chiara Anne Zambrano for journalism and mass communication.

The resolution said the TOYM Award "is vastly recognized as the most prestigious accolade in the country, given to young men and women whose efforts in their various fields made distinguished contributions to the welfare of their countrymen."

The awards have been given annually by the Junior Chamber International Philippines since I959, the resolution added.

The names of the eight awardees were first released last December 26, 2017.
"Students planned to mark National Walkout Day by leaving their classrooms at 10 a.m. local times for 17 minutes to show solidarity for the 17 killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and to make a nationwide appeal for changes in gun legislation." https://t.co/xJLfycy9vH  Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) March 14, 2018

#NationalWalkoutDay will help teach students the most important lesson there is: the power of voice.



If you cant spare 17 minutes for them to learn *that,* I have serious questions about what theyre learning every other minute of the school day. https://t.co/ipDgZj6ZW6  Brittany Packnett (@MsPackyetti) March 14, 2018

"Let's stop talking about the change and actually make one."



Chicago students marching in #NationalWalkoutDay say they want gun reform and are "ready to see something new." pic.twitter.com/pxFbULvaPl  MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 14, 2018
Ebos Group has hired Telstra executive Shaun Hughes as chief financial officer after the health-care and pet-care products group promoted John Cullity to chief executive.

Hughes has held executive positions at the Australia telecommunications company since December 2012 and previously worked for Elders and IBM. Cullity becomes CEO on March 31, having been promoted from CFO following the departure of Patrick Davies, which was announced in December. Davies will continue working for Ebos as a contractor.

Davies became CEO in July 2014, having held the top job for six years at Symbion, the pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor in Australia that Ebos acquired in 2013 for $1.1 billion cash and scrip, a deal which transformed the company and saw profit almost triple in 2014. Symbions owner Zuellig Group gained a 40 percent stake in the combined business as a result.

Cullity also joined Ebos in July 2014 after roles at Sigma Pharmaceuticals in Australia and Coca-Cola Co in the US.

Ebos shares dropped 1.8 percent to $18.10 after the market opened this morning, and have slipped 0.6 percent this year.

(BusinessDesk)

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

Kathmandu Holdings Limited (NZX: KMD) FY21 Annual Results Announcement

Stride Property Ltd & Stride Investment Management Ltd (NZX: SPG) Update on Demerger and Office Fund

21st September 2021 Morning Report

Kiwi Property Group Limited (NZX: KPG) Gives Green Light to Build-to-Rent

20th September 2021 Morning Report

General Capital Limited (NZX: GEN) Equifax Affirms General Finance BB- Rating

17th September 2021 Morning Report

NZ Automotive Investments Limited (NZX: NZA) Proposed Sell Down by NZA Founder to Improve Liquidity

16th September 2021 Morning Report

15th September 2021 Morning Report


Banks can continue to issue guarantees and letter of credit for trade purposes which are the international norm, and also have features that makes the claim on the issuer strong.

New Delhi : The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Tuesday announced discontinuation of the issuance of Letters of Undertaking (LOUs) and Letters of Comfort (LOCs) for trade credit for imports with immediate effect.

Guarantees and LoCs involve receiving banks conduct their own credit appraisal on companies before accepting them which reduces the risk of defaults, said bankers. On the other hand, the Letter of Undertaking and Letter of Comfort which were banned, led to receiving banks depending completely on the issuing bank on creditworthiness.

The apex bank in its notification said,"It has been decided to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs/ LoCs for Trade Credits for imports into India by AD Category -I banks with immediate effect."

"Letters of Credit and Bank Guarantees for Trade Credits for imports into India may continue to be issued, subject to compliance with the provisions contained in Department of Banking Regulation Master Circular on "Guarantees and Co-acceptances", as amended from time to time," It added.

The RBI added that the aforesaid Master Direction will be updated to reflect the changes.

However, it mentioned that the changes will be applicable from the date of issuance of the circular.

In the aftermath of Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case, a couple of banks had clamped down on the issue of LoUs.
: Physically bound to the wheelchair, Stephen Hawking reached out into the depths of the universe with his mind and decoded the mysterious cosmos for the common people - that is how the British physicist was remembered by his Indian student today.

"When you think about human spirit, you think about Stephen Hawking," said astrophysicist Somak Raychaudhury, director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune, who was a student of Hawking at University of Cambridge. The famous physicist Stephen Hawking - modern cosmology's brightest star - passed away today at the age of 76.

"He was my teacher, and I knew him from a time when he could speak. Personally it's a huge loss. Hawking is special because he is larger than life," Raychaudhury told PTI.

"The man in the street knows Hawking's name not because of his research on blackholes - the common person may not understand what Hawking did on blackholes," said Raychaudhury, who obtained a PhD in astrophysics from Cambridge.

"They know him because he was a brain in a bottle, he could hardly move, and yet in spite of being given two years to live at the age of 20, he lived till 76 and tackled head on every obstacle in life," he said "That is the human spirit - you think about human spirit and you think about Stephen Hawking," he added.
What began as a march a week ago from Nashik, culminated in Mumbai. Anywhere between 15,000 and 40,000 farmers, depending on sourcing, walked from Nashik to Mumbai demanding unconditional loan waivers, transfer of forest land in the name of landless tribals and compensation for a pink bollworm attack which affected lakhs of farmers. The march was organized by the farmers wing of the CPM.

These protests are about lives and livelihood of farmers, which have a resonance and impact that goes beyond Maharashtra. When  2.4 lakh crore of corporate bank loans can be written off (April 2014 to September 2017), why is there no money to help the farmers? #KisanLongMarch pic.twitter.com/vHQvIeiN9N  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) March 12, 2018

#KisanLongMarch | Thousands of farmers from Maharashtra's Nashik reached Azad Maidan around 5 am this morning, plan to surround state assembly today



Read more here: https://t.co/zdasAJM8HL pic.twitter.com/1LKJSMLFbi  NDTV (@ndtv) March 12, 2018

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis accepted the demands of the farmers saying in part, We have agreed to most of the demands raised by farmers and tribals. According to him, a special team would process the request for transferring of forest land. The upcoming bullet train project would require a lot of land and he assured that any acquisition will be done as per the law and with the consent of the farmers.

While the march was certainly a sight, with thousands walking the street, the issues being put forward are wholly significant and have economic implications. Journalist Parth M.N., in a column for the Peoples Archive of Rural India (PARI), gives an on the ground account of the farmers march. As one farmer states, regarding the minimum support price 

.

The farmers in Maharashtra have asked the government to implement a pension scheme for the farmers. This was addressed by Parth in his column as he states that farmers, while fighting for land rights; also had many financial difficulties to bear 

.

A minimum support price (MSP) is the buffer offered by the government in case the price of crops suddenly and sharply decline. The government essentially buys farm produce when there are no other buyers in the market. A commission headed by agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan recommended the MSP should be fixed at 50% profits over the farmers cost of production.

However, the implementation of this has been sketchy. A report in 2015 highlighted that fewer than 6% of agricultural households are able to sell their produce to the government. Other shortcomings of the mechanism are that the some states do not have funds to procure crops, when they do purchase farm produce it does not get channeled into the public distribution system.

One of the demands has been the allocation of lands under the Forest Rights Act, which stipulates that a maximum of 4 hectares can be allocated to a family if they are already cultivating a piece of forest land. The reality however is that even for those have been cultivating 4 hectares, the lad allocated is not adequate. The Hindustan Times editorial stated that no state can ignore the agricultural and financial crisis that farmers now face 

.

The budget last month did not mention programs such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) which were announced last year. This year, the MSP was announced. A favored policy proposal is loan waivers. In September of last year, thousands of farmers protested in Rajasthan demanding a complete loan waiver and implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission among other things.

.

There is a political angle to the march; something that seemingly would be apolitical  the plight of farmers. However, the march was organized by the CPM. Harnidh Kaur, in an op-ed for The Print writes on how an apolitical Kisaan march is an extension of middle class arrogance 

.

The case for calling this particular march political or apolitical is an interesting debate. The central and key players who have actual stakes are the farmers. An argument can be made that, for them, irrespective of the party at the state level, their demands and livelihoods are what matter.

.

The broader context would be analyzing the plight of farmers under different governments, to ascertain whether there farmers and the agricultural sector as a whole thrive under a particular ideological government rule; be it left or right. The march has been branded as a communist stunt. Pratyasha Rath, a consultant in the public sector, in a column for the right leaning Swarajya magazine, writes on how the marches was about optics 

.

A point to be noted here is that political parties use communities of various strives as a vote bank.

Tailoring a message specific to farmers is not wrong or new, its the co-opting of their message to fit a political narrative that becomes problematic. The marches and protests by farmers is essentially an economic issue; it involves financial resources being allocated, distributed etc by the government. For it to be branded political is fair considering the organizers; the results of the demands being met will also be political as Fadnavis now bears the responsibility to ensure that results are delivered.

More columns by Varun Sukumar


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- After hearing testimony from more than 25 witnesses and viewing more than 230 exhibits, jurors needed just over three hours Tuesday to convict an ex-convict of the execution-style murders of his former boss and a supervisor in a Dongan Hills financial office last year.

Ricky Dennis, 33, stared at the jury foreman in stony silence as the verdict was announced in state Supreme Court, St. George.

Dennis, a Brooklyn resident, faces up to life in prison without parole for gunning down Michael Genovese, 57, the owner of Universal Merchant Funding, and Carl Clark, a manager, inside Genovese's back office at 124 Buel Ave. on Jan. 24, 2017, at 6:10 p.m.

Catherine Genovese, Genovese's sister, and other family members brushed away tears in the audience as the foreman pronounced "guilty" to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of second-degree criminal weapon possession.

Afterward, they hugged Assistant District Attorneys Lisa Davis and Michael Tannousis, who prosecuted the case.

"We're very happy," Catherine Genovese said. "The ADAs did a beautiful job. We want to thank the ADAs and the court system. This was a long, drawn-out affair."

The trial started with opening statements Feb. 9. But after several weeks of testimony, it was adjourned for all of last week due to last-minute complications and illness.

The trial resumed Monday with closing arguments; deliberations began Tuesday around 10:45 a.m.

District Attorney Michael E. McMahon commended Davis and Tannousis for doing a "tremendous job."

"This defendant walked into a private business and murdered his former boss and an employee in cold blood, shooting both victims and then fleeing the scene," said McMahon in a statement. "The irrefutable evidence linking Mr. Dennis to these gruesome executions has now been upheld in court by a jury, and he faces life in prison. We hope this conviction can provide some closure to the families and friends of the victims."

Outside court, defense lawyer Mario F. Gallucci said he was "understandably upset" by the verdict.

"But I do appreciate the jury in this case. They deliberated long and hard," he said. "They looked through all of the evidence, which was overwhelming. It was a circumstantial-evidence case, and my hat's off to Lisa Davis and Mike Tannousis who were able to put together all of the pieces of the puzzle."

Justice William E. Garnett will sentence Dennis on March 28.

Dennis did not testify in his own defense.

Dennis was angered by Genovese's good fortune -- the victim owned a BMW and Rolex watch and had a dozen TV screens in the office -- and he was also miffed Genovese wouldn't pay him for injuries the defendant claimed to have suffered in a fall at the office.

Dennis didn't return to work at the financing business after that incident on Sept. 22, 2016.

Witnesses testified that Genovese and others believed Dennis staged the fall. Jurors viewed a videotape of that episode.

In his closing argument, Gallucci contended police had wrongly zeroed in on Dennis because he was a convenient suspect, despite what he maintained was a lack of physical evidence against his client.

Gallucci said police found none of the victims' blood or DNA on Dennis' clothing or in his car when he was stopped in Brooklyn later on the night of Jan. 24 for an unrelated incident or when he was arrested the next day.

However, an expert testified that two partial fingerprints of Dennis' were lifted from the inner handle of the front door at Universal Merchant Funding.

And a DNA mixture in which Dennis was likely contributor was found on an umbrella the killer had discarded on the street, Davis said.

Cops also found a black mask in Dennis' car, which, prosecutors said, the defendant wore when he killed the victims.

In a final pretrial conference last month, Gallucci told the court Dennis had an alibi for his whereabouts during the slayings: He was with a prostitute on Staten Island.

However, no testimony or evidence was presented to support such an alibi.

Dennis was on federal probation when the victims were killed.

He had served a 12-year sentence stemming from the assault of a Pennsylvania gun shop owner, and the subsequent sale of firearms taken from the business, federal officials said.

Gallucci said Dennis was the getaway driver, and a co-defendant had actually beaten and pistol-whipped the victim.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Back in June we chatted about actor Dan Lauria's involvement in the plight of children receiving help from the Global Medical Relief Fund (GMRF), and his visit with founder Elissa Montanti, who's been dubbed the "Saint of Staten Island" because of her work with children from war-torn countries.



Best known for his portrayal of Jack Arnold, the money-conscious dad on the TV series, "The Wonder Years," the actor offered his support and traveled cross-country to meet the youngsters in person -- as the organization embarks on its 20th-year anniversary of fundraising.

Lauria met four boys with albinism from Tanzania, who were staying at the Dare to Dream House after being hunted and maimed in their native country, as well as a young girl from Pakistan.



"Dan fell in love with the kids and our mission," said Montanti. "He would like to be part of our upcoming 20th-year anniversary fundraising campaign and will collaborate with actress Wendie Malick, his co-star in 'Love Letters.' What a wonderful visit. Dan is a gem."

Word has now reached this desk that the stage and screen actor, now off-Broadway in "The Stone Witch," has kept his promise.

He's authored a book titled, "The Blue Hair Club," which was written with Cathryn Farnsworth, and is the first book in a series known as "The Godfather Tales."

Lauria is donating a portion of the proceeds from his book to the organization to help more than 200 children, many of them amputees and burn victims or victims of war or natural disasters who have no medical resources to help.

They also will provide for children from America and 40 other countries worldwide, with vital medical care and on-going treatment so that they can eventually heal and become thriving members of their own cities, towns, communities, and countries.

"What higher mission is there than aiding innocent, victimized children?," Dan said.

GMRF's 20th anniversary gala is set for Thursday, March 22 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at The Vanderbilt on the South Beach Boardwalk, where three community volunteers, "Lifetime Ambassadors," will be lauded for their work since 1997.

The honorees to be lauded are financial expert George Bleimann, registered nurse Rita Kornfeld and marketing communications consultant Daniel Kennedy.

"After 20 years, as we continue our mission, helping one child at a time, we have been blessed since day-one with the involvement of these special people who have given generously of themselves by enabling and contributing to our work," says Elissa Montanti, founder of the organization.

Tickets are $100. For reservations, call Monica Watson at 718-448-6984, ext. 103, or email monica@gmrfchildren.org.

MORE ABOUT THE HONOREES

Raised on Staten Island, Bleimann is a certified public accountant and worked for various companies in financial management and public accounting.

He gained his expertise in non-profit accounting during his 20-year tenure as controller of Horace Mann School. He is engaged in a private tax and consulting practice as well as supporting GMRF. He is a member of the NYS Society of CPA's.

Kornfeld, a Staten Island native, is a career nurse and mother, with wide interests in literature, history and anthropology, as well as community service and volunteerism. The author of two novels, "Vittoria" and "The Glad Game,' she works tirelessly with the children of GMRF. Though retired she continues to be on call whenever called upon.

She has become a valued fixture in the lives of many GMRF children and their families. She celebrates the global diversity of the GMRF children and reminds all that healing children is about much more than prosthetics and surgeries, and enjoys spending time reading and celebrating holidays with the children.

Kennedy is an award-wining writer and marketing consultant with business and PR experience in the U.S. and abroad. He is the primary writer, editor, strategist and content manager for GMRF's messaging and outreach communications.

In addition to a range of corporate work, his communications consultancy has aided the plight of war-exiled Bosnian refugees.

He has worked across cultures in southern Asia, central and Eastern Europe and the Baltics, as well as for a variety of business, travel, museum, design and architecture clients in the USA.

Having first met Elissa Montanti at a press conference hosted by the Bosnian Ambassador at the U.N., Daniel reminds us of the importance of presenting and "telling the story" of GMRF's history, mission and on-going dedication to aiding children in need. He points out that GMRF's continuing communications are vital because the work of GMRF is 100% dependent upon donations, contributions, partnerships and community volunteers.

MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

GMRF was born with the intention of helping a single child, a triple-amputee adolescent boy, who lost both arms and a leg due to a land-mine hidden in his local playground in Bosnia. It was then her "office" was a converted walk-in closet in her one bedroom apartment.

Elissa Montanti once said, "I didn't found the charity. It found me." Her nonstop, 20-year, ongoing outreach to help seriously injured children has been made possible with the assistance of funding and donations-in-kind from individuals, community volunteers, physicians, dentists, therapists, nurses, hospitals and airlines.

For more information, contact GMRF at www.gmrfchildren.org
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Today's archive page is from Jan. 8, 1942.

A Texaco ad published in the Advance highlights how the company is: "Helping make America strong."

The ad states that, in an emergency, U.S. Army tanks could refuel in every city and town: "The Texas company alone has more than 45,000 Texaco dealers operating service stations on all 48 states."

The company also informs readers that Texaco dealers use various quality products to help safeguard cars, including: Sky Chief and Fire-Chief gasolines; insulated Havoline and Texaco Motor Oil, and Marfak.
By ANNALISE KNUDSON, KAYLA SIMAS and BILL LYONS

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Students in Staten Island high schools walked out of their classrooms on Wednesday morning to remember the victims of the Parkland, Fla., shooting and to protest gun violence.

The walkout was planned for the one-month anniversary of the fatal shooting that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14.

The nationwide event was organized by the Youth Empower group, a teenage branch of the Women's March. The walkout is officially dubbed the #Enough! National School Walkout.

Students at various Staten Island schools, including Curtis, New Dorp, Tottenville, Port Richmond and Susan Wagner high schools, joined their peers around the city and across the country and participated in the walkout.

SUSAN WAGNER

Over 1,000 Susan Wagner High School students walked out of the Sea View school at 10 a.m., and gathered at the top of the hill adjacent to the school's building on Brielle Avenue.

Dozens of New York Police Department officers and Wagner faculty instructed students walking as they held signs and chanted.

"We're walking not just for 17 minutes for the 17 victims but also to show Washington that we will not rest even a month after this tragedy and we will not rest until something is done," said Madison Gattullo, a senior at Wagner.

Students referred to the scare at Wagner last month, when an unfounded report of a gun prompted a lockdown and a large NYPD response.

"We had a scare not too long ago, and people were crying to their moms, they thought their life was over -- and it needs to change," said senior Nadirah Sanders.

She recalled the lockdown, adding: "I was in the school when it happened and the scariest moment was when the police came in and we thought our lives were over and it was scary because we didn't know what was going on. Our lives could've ended that day."

Students were locked in their classrooms for approximately two hours as police searched the building for a gun, before eventually being dismissed.

"Just because it's not a headline anymore doesn't mean it's not important," said Jenna Mangogna, a senior at Wagner.

Students said they participated because they have the opportunity to let their voices be heard.

"We're out here because we wanted to show our support and make awareness because those 17 victims are dead," said Esther Silva, a junior at Wagner. "We also want stricter gun laws but we're not making a political statement."

NEW DORP HIGH SCHOOL

At New Dorp High School, students lined up at the gates, where they stood for a moment of silence.

Sydney Kapassakis, senior and student government president, and junior Michael Gatti, who worked to organize the walkout, both gave speeches.

"Today, we walk out to stand with victims and students also taking a stand in Parkland," Gatti said. "Many of us do not have the right to vote yet, and politicians tell us that we do not belong in politics or making these decisions, but this is our future.

He continued: "I'm sick and tired of hearing, 'Now's not the time to talk about.' We must be the change we wish to see -- and if we can't vote, then peacefully assembling is one of our only options."

Kapassakis said in her speech that students are walking out to remember the lives lost in Parkland, but also because of the lives "cut short from gun violence."

"It's our second amendment to have the right to bear arms -- we aren't asking for the ban of guns, we're asking for stricter gun laws," she said. "We're asking for laws that will prevent a citizen, who's not even old enough to buy a drink, to buy a gun. We're asking for the sale of automatic weapons to be stricter. We're asking for laws that will precent a person with mental illness from ever purchasing a gun."

CURTIS HIGH SCHOOL

Approximately 100 students at Curtis High School walked out of the building to the school's athletic fields.

Some Curtis and Ralph R. McKee High School students rallied on the steps of Borough Hall in St. George, holding signs with names of the victims from the Parkland shooting.

Students made speeches and chants including, "Protect the kids, not the guns."

National Walkout Day to honor the 17 killed in Florida school shooting #NationalSchoolWalkout #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/7AfWh9ZyOv  Petrides School (@PetridesSchool) March 14, 2018

Student led protest. #enough Over 350 students marched the perimeter of I.S. 27 in silence to protest violence in schools. So proud! #StudentsStandUp #everythingisawesomeIS27 @SIBFSC @NYCSchools pic.twitter.com/gDLs0GT3Xi  I.S. 27 (@IS27Prall) March 14, 2018

Hundreds of students walk through City Hall toward the #NYPD HQ for #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/h4ytWaACAn  Sydney Kashiwagi (@SydneyKashiwagi) March 14, 2018

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
Update: This story was updated to reflect that firecrackers were reportedly set off, according to the Department of Education.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Firecrackers were reportedly set off outside Tottenville High School -- creating confusion -- as students participated in the National School Walkout on Wednesday morning.

The students were remembering the victims of the Parkland, Fla., shooting and protesting gun violence outside the Prince's Bay school on Luten Avenue.

The nationwide event was organized by the Youth Empower group, a teenage branch of the Women's March.

One parent said her daughter heard fireworks or "mini explosions" going off at the school at about 10:25 a.m. She said her daughter called her shortly after the fireworks went off as deans escorted students back into the school.

"Safety always comes first, and this disappointing incident was immediately reported to the NYPD. There were no injuries, and we will ensure swift follow-up action is taken," said Miranda Barbot, a Department of Education spokeswoman.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, according to an NYPD spokesman.

A parent of a sophomore at the school, who asked to go by Ann, said she is upset the school didn't notify her about the alleged incident.

"Someone could've gotten seriously hurt, and they didn't know if there were bullets flying," Ann said. "It's scary."

Last month, police investigated an unfounded threat at Tottenville High School after an individual overheard people talking about school shootings and called the 123rd Precinct.

Several Staten Island schools participated in Wednesday's walkout, including Susan E. Wagner High School, Curtis High School, McKee High School, St. George and New Dorp High School.

FOLLOW ANNALISE KNUDSON ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- A local firefighter who served in the U.S. Navy and had his home destroyed during Hurricane Sandy was sexually harassed and discriminated against for being a black Muslim, a new lawsuit filed against the FDNY alleges.

Raheem Hassan, 30, of Staten Island, the fire eater arrested for allegedly threatening to "kill" his colleagues at a Brooklyn firehouse, endured being called a "n-----" and was asked to apologize for the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks during his time at Engine 309/Ladder 159 in Brooklyn, according to the civil complaint filed in Brooklyn federal court.

"...Fellow firefighters would tell him that 'black firefighters are lazy and no one wants to work with them,' and anytime that plaintiff was around other firefighters of color, other white firefighters would call it a 'Vulcan meeting' (referring to the Vulcan club, a professional organization for firefighters of color)," the filing said.

During the encounters with other minorities, Hassan's co-workers allegedly told him "you guys should stick together," "you don't belong here," and "why don't you transfer?"

Hassan claims his fellow firefighters ridiculed his Muslim faith to the point where he had to eat his meals alone because his colleagues refused to prepare non-pork products.

"Several of his coworkers at the Firehouse would deliberately ensure that Hassan consumed pork products by lying to him about the contents of the communal food so that he would consume pork products and thus violate his religious beliefs," the complaint said.

In addition to the religious discrimination, the borough resident alleges he was the subject of sexual misconduct, and feared he would be sexually assaulted.

The firehouse, the complaint said, had a group chat called the "F--- Shop" where they called Hassan a "rat" and posted a picture of a firefighter's exposed genitals in the face of a sleeping colleague.

"This caused plaintiff to fear that the same sexual assault would be visited upon him because the members of the firehouse indicated he would be next," the lawsuit says.

Engine 309/Ladder 159 on E. 48th Street in Brooklyn is reportedly being investigated for allegations of hazing, bullying, threats and sexual misconduct.

"This type of sexual harassment was known to the FDNY and this sort of behavior is widespread within the FDNY," said the filing.

When Hassan complained to his superior, Lt. David Hughes, he was retaliated against and Hughes had him arrested on false charges, and then he was removed from the firehouse, the suit alleges.

Hassan was arrested in December after he allegedly made a threatening call to his supervising officer at a residence on Flagg Place on Dec. 20 at about 10:30 a.m., according to allegations in the criminal complaint.

"This is Hassan. I'm going to kill the guys in the firehouse," the suspect said, according to the complaint.

The charges will be dropped in six months if he stays out of trouble and continues mental-health treatment.

The civil suit said Hassan sought counseling at the FDNY's Counseling Services Unit, but claims his patient-doctor privileges were violated and he was made to feel ostracized and discriminated against.

"Indeed, it is an open secret that people of color are subject to disparate treatment at the CSU, and that non-minorities are afforded better care, treatment, prognosis, and counseling services," the filing said.

Hassan is suing the FDNY and several high-ranking members of the agency, and seeks punitive damages as well as compensation for emotional distress, lost wages and medical expenses.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - We don't have an official winner yet in the Pennsylvania House special election, but Democrat Conor Lamb still delivered a stinging message to President Donald Trump and the national GOP.

But will Lamb's own party heed the message as well?

Up by several hundred votes on Republican Rick Saccone in the special election for the 18th Congressional District seat, Lamb has declared victory. But no final call has been made.

Whether he wins by and eyelash or loses by one, Lamb's showing has to send new shockwaves through a Republican Party already quaking in its boots over the upcoming mid-term elections, when control of the House is in play.

This was a seat that the GOP should have had no trouble holding. Trump won the seat big in 2016, and Republican Mitt Romney also won here in 2012. Two truly disparate Republicans. Any district that voted for both of them should be considered solidly Republican. So to lose it outright or hold onto it merely by the fingernails should be cause for serious recalibration.

Republicans can say what they want about Saccone being a poor candidate, one who had trouble raising money and needed to be bailed out by the national party. Much like they tried to brush off controversial Roy Moore's failure to hold a solidly Republican U.S. Senate in Alabama last year.

But it's hard to shrug off two high-profile losses in solidly GOP areas. There's a bad moon rising, and the GOP won't dodge it by whistling past the graveyard.

The stakes were high for Trump as well. He went all-in on Saccone, making a late appearance in Pennsylvania on the candidate's behalf. So either the message or the messenger has been rejected. Has all the chaos of the Trump White House turned voters off? Is there buyer's remorse percolating out there?

Seeing as the House is where impeachment proceedings begin, Trump should be very leery about seeing the chamber change hands. Does he really want Democratic bete noire Rep. Adam Schiff heading up the Intelligence Committee? Imagine the raft of new investigations. Trump might not even get to 2020 under those circumstances.

But Democrats shouldn't click their heels too much over Pennsylvania. Because Lamb isn't your everyday Democrat, and certainly not the far-left, social justice warrior type like those we see being lionized on the national level.

Lamb has already said that he wouldn't support Rep. Nancy Pelosi for Speaker should the Dems regain the House. He doesn't believe that more gun restrictions are needed. He supports Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. He's personally opposed to abortion though supports Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

And while Lamb opposed Trump's tax bill and the Obamacare repeal, can House Dems really be sure that he's a reliable vote should he win?

Do the Dems take heed here and take what worked from Lamb's playbook, even if it isn't doctrinaire liberal Democrat? He's reached voters that Hillary Clinton failed to in the 2016 election. And with the help of former Vice President Joe Biden, no less. The outcome could be a boost for Biden 2020 as well.

Will the race have an impact on Staten Island's House campaign? We've got a long way to go, in that Rep. Daniel Donovan (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn) faces a GOP primary from former Rep. Michael Grimm, and could face a Grimm battle for the Conservative Party line as well. There are multiple candidates on the Democratic side as well.

But if Donovan, who also has the Independence Party endorsement, can prevail, he'll have three lines to run on. That would make him tough to beat, especially given the fact that he's always garnered cross-aisle support from Democrats here. Plus he's gone against Trump on immigration, Obamacare and the tax bill. So that should help in a general election.

Whomever wins here, though, could face a vastly different Washington landscape come 2019.
China's industrial output posts strong start to 2018



Beijing, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



China's industrial output strengthened in the first two months of the year, official data showed Wednesday, led by production at state enterprises.

Output at factories and workshops expanded 7.2 percent year-on-year in January and February combined, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said, beating the 6.2 percent recorded in December and the 6.2 percent forecast in a Bloomberg News survey of analysts.

The higher output comes even as authorities press on with their fight against smog by clamping down on polluting heavy industries.

The drastic measures are working, with a recent analysis by the University of Chicago showing that cities have cut levels of PM 2.5 -- the tiny airborne particles considered most harmful to health -- by an average of 32 percent over the past four years.

"The national economy has maintained stable and sound development in the first two months of 2018," said NBS spokesman Mao Shengyong.

It "is a good start for high-quality development" Mao said, using President Xi Jinping's new buzzword for the "new era" economy China is aiming for.

The retail sector -- which China is counting on to propel its high-quality development -- recorded solid growth, a sign that China's rebalancing from its export and investment led economic model to one driven by consumer spending is well underway.

Retail sales for the first two months rose 9.7 percent, year-on-year, up from 9.4 percent in December, but slightly below forecasts of 9.8 percent.

Online sales also boomed in the first two months, jumping 37.3 percent on year, the data showed.

The data comes at a time of great uncertainty for China's export machine as political machinations in Washington threaten exports to one of its largest markets.

The administration of US President Donald Trump unveiled new tariffs on steel and aluminium earlier this month and is expected to publish a damning review of China's intellectual property practices in coming weeks.

Still, for now, China's exporters are benefitting from a humming global economy with exports up 44.5 percent in February compared with the same period last year, data released last week showed.

Fixed asset investment grew 7.9 percent year-on-year for the first two months, beating expectations of 7.0 percent, and reversing a trend of falling investment seen in the latter half of 2017.

China's gross domestic product grew at 6.9 percent last year, the first annual acceleration since 2010.
Page Content

Acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Cornelius de Weever, to register for the Build Back Better Week (BBB) which kicks off on March 16 and will take place over a five-day period.





The rebuilding after a natural disaster is a challenge for any country. The Centre of Excellence (COE) for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Development States, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) based on Aruba, and Ernst & Young (EY), a global leader in assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services, are ready to support where rebuilding is concerned.





I encourage our business community to register to take part in building back our country better which is offered during the upcoming five-day period. Resources and information will be presented that can be used, and opportunities will be available via trade mission follow-ups, Minister Cornelius de Weever said on Tuesday.





An information session is taking place at the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Wednesday, March 14 from 7.00pm to 8.30pm. Interested businesses can send an email to v.herbert@chamberofcommerce.sx to register.





COE and EY joined forces to launch a Do-Tank, an action-oriented Think Tank. They are funding this from their own regular budgets, from funds that they have made available and which were not previously allocated to support St. Maarten.





The COE and EY asked Present Your Startup Caribbean to contribute in the operational tasks and to organise a "Do trade" trade mission from the Netherlands to the Caribbean.





The COE and EY have also reached out to Chambers of Commerce to organize trade missions.





The intent of these activities is to surface solutions and catalyze actions that will help St. Maarten build back better, and for the resulting insights to help islands around the world to become more resilient.





The SXM Do-Tank will be organized 16, 17, 18 March, 2018, and will be open, inclusive and collaborative. The intention is to bring solutions to light and implement key rebuild activities together with key stakeholders on Sint Maarten.





The focus areas are derived from the National Recovery Plan (NRP) and emphasize sustainable tourism, renewable energy, and fostering entrepreneurship.





Simultaneously with the SXM Do-Tank, activities will be organized to facilitate the rebuilding of both the society and economy, for example, several trade missions to Sint Maarten.





This would allow the entrepreneurs to not only participate in the event and contribute in terms of concrete ideas, but also network with key contacts and gain more clarity of the business necessities and opportunities in rebuilding the society and economy of the country. This event will be parallel and Do-Trade will take place on 19 and 20 March 2018.




Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is defending a decision to speak at a Sikh separatist rally in 2015 where the stage he spoke on reportedly featured a portrait of the leader of a militant extremist group.

The news of his attendance at the event in San Francisco, Calif., and the presence of the photo of the extremist on stage was first reported Tuesday night by the Globe and Mail. Following questions from media, Singh posted a statement on the NDP website saying he condemned terrorism but felt he had a responsibility to speak about human rights abuses in connection with the 1984 raid by India police on Sikh militants occupying the Golden Temple in India's Punjab province.

Three hundred people were killed in the raid, including the leader of the group behind the occupation, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

It was his portrait that was displayed on the stage where Singh spoke at the rally in 2015.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Council of Ministers approved the proposal for the recovery project of VNG International, who presented the scope of their project and its activities to the ministers.

The International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG International) will support the Government of St Maarten in both strengthening its disaster preparedness to anticipate, adapt, provide safety and response in future disasters, as well as the process of building back better to mitigate future disaster risk.

The implementation phase starts at the end of March and the entire project comes to an end mid-2020. The themes for support have been identified jointly by the Government of St Maarten and VNG International over the past months.

For the coming months, and prior to the start of the next hurricane season, the following activities have been prioritized by the Government of St Maarten in the framework of the VNG project:

1. the development of disaster management manuals on various themes;

2. the organization of training and exercises, in close consultation with all stakeholders involved;

3. the revision of the building norms, in order to foster both disasters resistant and sustainable building practice.

Dutch municipalities, international and local experts will implement policies, procedures, and activities to mitigate disaster areas.

For the longer term, the Government of St Maarten and VNG International will work on a revision of the current disaster management structure and improved access to information for disaster management. Specific attention will be paid to the psychological preparedness of the emergency services and the citizens of St. Maarten.

Finally, there will be attention in the project for a more effective and more efficient implementation of the reconstruction programs, by improving project management skills. While the main focus will be on St Maarten. Some activities will also be implemented to support Saba and St Eustatius.

Following the Hurricane that struck St Maarten, Saba, and St Eustatius on September 6, 2017, Dutch municipalities contacted VNG to define a common response to support the islands within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. VNG called upon its members to donate to the fundraising campaign of the Netherlands Red Cross (NLRC). 50% of the funds donated by Dutch municipalities will be available for recovery support activities to be developed and implemented by VNG International.
POND ISLAND:--- Acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Cornelius de Weever, to register for the Build Back Better Week (BBB) which kicks off on March 16 and will take place over a five-day period.

The rebuilding after a natural disaster is a challenge for any country. The Centre of Excellence (COE) for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Development States, a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) based on Aruba, and Ernst & Young (EY), a global leader in assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services, are ready to support where rebuilding is concerned.

I encourage our business community to register to take part in building back our country better which is offered during the upcoming five-day period. Resources and information will be presented that can be used, and opportunities will be available via trade mission follow-ups, Minister Cornelius de Weever said on Tuesday.

An information session is taking place at the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry on Wednesday, March 14 from 7.00pm to 8.30pm. Interested businesses can send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register.

COE and EY joined forces to launch a Do-Tank, an action-oriented Think Tank. They are funding this from their own regular budgets, from funds that they have made available and which were not previously allocated to support St. Maarten.

The COE and EY asked Present Your Startup Caribbean to contribute in the operational tasks and to organise a "Do trade" trade mission from the Netherlands to the Caribbean.

The COE and EY have also reached out to Chambers of Commerce to organize trade missions.

The intent of these activities is to surface solutions and catalyze actions that will help St. Maarten build back better, and for the resulting insights to help islands around the world to become more resilient.

The SXM Do-Tank will be organized 16, 17, 18 March, 2018, and will be open, inclusive and collaborative. The intention is to bring solutions to light and implement key rebuild activities together with key stakeholders on Sint Maarten.

The focus areas are derived from the National Recovery Plan (NRP) and emphasize sustainable tourism, renewable energy, and fostering entrepreneurship.

Simultaneously with the SXM Do-Tank, activities will be organized to facilitate the rebuilding of both the society and economy, for example, several trade missions to Sint Maarten.

This would allow the entrepreneurs to not only participate in the event and contribute in terms of concrete ideas, but also network with key contacts and gain more clarity of the business necessities and opportunities in rebuilding the society and economy of the country. This event will be parallel and Do-Trade will take place on 19 and 20 March 2018.
PHILIPSBURG:--- With the substantial damages caused by Hurricane Irma on St. Maarten, The Dutch government has therefore reserved 550 million for St Maarten's recovery. Though a significant portion of this money is being administered by a World Bank trust fund, in advance of the trust fund becoming operational, 7 million has been made available for early recovery. This means that funding will be provided for projects launched after January 2018 and completed by July 2018 which have a direct impact on St Maarten's population. The UNDP Quick Impact

Projects being carried out by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) forms part of this early recovery phase.

The United Nations Development Programme has partnered with the St. Maarten Government and the Netherlands to support Sint Maartens short-term recovery by focusing on three (3) projects over the next 6 months (June 2018). With the recent establishment of our temporary office in St. Maarten, we are able to properly housed our on-ground project team which is supported by the UNDP Country office (UNDP CO) in Trinidad and Tobago.

UNDPs Quick Impact Projects recognized under the theme Building Back Better St. Maarten focuses on Community Clean-up, fixing of community structures and roof repairs.

Thus far we have been very actively working alongside VROMI for the execution of our Cash for Work, Community Clean-up project. Our Cash for Work project gives persons who are unemployed or underemployed the opportunity to participate in community clean-up and be paid for their work. With assistance from VROMI we are able to identify areas within all communities that still have a built up of hurricane debris lying around, this can either be private yards or open spaces. Once locations are identified, VROMI selects contractors from their in-house listing to work at known sites. Contractors are then expected to use their current staff and hire additional for the execution of the clean-up of the site in which he/ she has been assigned. Person assigned to work with contractors are expected to work for a maximum of twenty (20) days after which staff will be rotated to ensure others who are also currently unemployed or underemployed has the opportunity to also engage in our Cash for Work project.

To ensure widespread knowledge, execution, and presence of our projects, UNDP recently began having short information sessions with various community groups and councils to inform them of our projects and ways in which they too can participate. During the upcoming weeks, UNDP seeks to engage in various media platforms to shed even more awareness of our presence on the island as well as our projects.

UNDP believes resilience is built through a building back better-approach by ensuring development as part of the islands recovery process.

This is one of the early recovery projects financed from the Dutch Recovery Fund for St Maarten, under the auspices of the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. 7 million has been made available during the early recovery phase for projects that will have a direct

impact on the population of St Maarten.
- Associated Press

I guess everyone has to jump on the bandwagon. Someone is making a fortune handing out whips. Self flagellation is in, I guess. I never thought of NG as being racist. They just produced high quality nudey pix.---Letter titled, 'For Decades, Our Coverage Was Racist. To Rise Above Our Past, We Must Acknowledge It'National Geographic acknowledged on Monday that it covered the world through a racist lens for generations, with its magazine portrayals of bare-breasted women and naive brown-skinned tribesmen as savage, unsophisticated and unintelligent."We had to own our story to move beyond it," editor-in-chief Susan Goldberg told The Associated Press in an interview about the yellow-bordered magazine's April issue, which is devoted to race.National Geographic first published its magazine in 1888. An investigation conducted last fall by University of Virginia photography historian John Edwin Mason showed that until the 1970s, it virtually ignored people of colour in the United States who were not domestics or labourers, and it reinforced repeatedly the idea that people of colour from foreign lands were "exotics, famously and frequently unclothed, happy hunters, noble savages  every type of cliche."The rest here.I hope that they don't stop studying other peoples of the world. How are teens like Flossy going to learn about anatomy?
Sonoma County Office of Education: Response to Survey on School Safety

The newspaper reached out via email to Steven Herrington, Superintendent of the Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE) and asked the same questions about school safety we have been asking local school district.s Herr ingtons responses are below.

Briefly describe your trainings of staff and students for an active shooter or threat situation.

SCOE holds annual drills to rehearse response to a natural disaster and threatening situations. In 2016, SCOE hosted an active shooter drill and simulation with multiple county public safety agencies. The simulation was part of ongoing, proactive efforts by SCOE and county public safety agencies to provide appropriate, fast, and efficient emergency responses, as well as good communications among departments, in the event of an emergency. Fire, earthquake, and lockdown drills are conducted each year.

How often do you conduct these? The last one was when and the next is when?

Our most recent active shooter simulation was in June 2016. SCOE plans to host a series of active shooter drills this summer with the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office. It will provide school teams from around Sonoma County the chance to be trained by experts and take that knowledge back to their school sites.

On March 14, there is a national effort to walk out of schools to protest gun violence at schools. How does your school intend to handle this, would it participate in some way by sponsoring appropriate activities?

SCOE primarily serves as a support provider to school districts. I have urged Sonoma County superintendents to develop plans for how to handle walkouts in advance. In particular, as County Superintendent of Schools, I encouraged schools to work with student organizers to coordinate safe activities on campus that do not disrupt regular class time. Students have free speech rights that teachers and administrators must balance with their obligation to ensure student safety.

What advice do you give students on what to do during an active shooter situation? Is it basically: run, hide, fight ?

Run, hide, fight is the guidance that we and the sheriffs office gave to our staff during the last active shooter training.

Realistically, what can schools do when most in area are open campuses? Metal detectors? A military officer posted at every school? Staff/teachers with guns?

I encourage schools to have a strong program in place for reporting and investigating suspicious activity, as well as a strong program to address mental health and behavioral health issues. Schools should also work closely with their local police departments. Several local school districts work together to share the cost of a school resource officer (on-campus police officer).

Has your school instituted special security for large events, such as football games? What does this involve?

SCOE does not hold many events of this nature, but we have implemented an in-house emergency alert system whereby staff members can electronically report fires or active shooters. All staff and local public safety agencies are then notified by computer pop-ups, email, and text. The threat is also announced on the PA system and all digital screens in the building.

How do you coordinate with either local police departments or the county sheriffs department to handle an active shooter situation?

A designated liaison from SCOE works closely with the sheriffs office to ensure we are up to date on the latest protocols.

How are students reacting to the most recent school shootings? if so, how are they being supported?

This question is not that relevant to SCOE, but as County Superintendent I can say that I support students free speech rights. As a former history and government teacher, I am glad to see a high level of civic engagement on the part of our youth. At the same time, we must make sure that students remain safe as they protest and teachers have a duty to remain in the classroom if any students choose to stay there.

 Ray Holley
Canada has joined a growing global chorus of condemnation against the violence targeting Muslims, including the burning of mosques and businesses in Kandy and other parts of Sri Lanka.

Canada is deeply concerned by recent inter-communal violence in Sri Lanka, in which Muslims were targeted, the countrys foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.

Canada calls on the government to ensure the safety and security of all minorities, to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all and to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.

Violent attacks against Muslims swept the central district of Kandy over the last weeks.

The violence, triggered by the death of a Sinhalese Buddhist man after being beaten by a group of Muslim men over a traffic dispute, left at least two dead with and mosques, dozens of homes, and businesses torched or destroyed.

Several dozen people were wounded in the riots.

Authorities declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in an attempt to curtail the violence, but Sri Lankan Muslims said they were concerned the attacks would continue.

Police have arrested the suspected instigators of the riots.

Last weekend, President Maithripala Sirisena announced a three-member panel will be appointed to investigate and lifted the curfew. However, soldiers remained in the streets.

The violence has raised fears of instability in Sri Lanka, a South Asian island nation still struggling to recover from nearly three decades of ethnic civil war.

The European Unions delegation in Sri Lanka called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice, saying in a statement:

The recent attacks on communities are very worrying. It is important that the Government and the security forces take urgent action against hate crimes and ensure that the perpetrators of such actions are swiftly brought to justice.

Referring to the state of emergency called by the government, the EU delegation said, the EU trusts that any actions taken under the State of Emergency will be proportionate and respect constitutional rights and freedoms.

The British High Commissioner for Sri Lanka said in a tweet, recent inter-communal violence needs to be a serious concern for everyone in Sri Lanka.

The violence in Sri Lanka also reflects a surge in violent rhetoric from small but increasingly influential groups of hardline monks in parts of Asia.

In Myanmar, ultranationalist monks led by firebrand preacher Wirathu have poured vitriol on the country's small Muslim population, cheering a military crackdown forcing nearly 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh.

And in neighbouring Thailand, a prominent monk found himself in hot water for calling on followers to burn down mosques.

Michael Jerryson, an expert on religion at Youngstown State University who has just completed a book exploring Buddhism and violence, says throughout history some Buddhists  like any faith  have used religion to justify violence.

"There's a common mindset, whether it's Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand... that Buddhism is somehow under threat," he said, describing the latest incarnation of violent Buddhist rhetoric.

"Each area has its own history, its own causes and instigators, but these instigators are also interlinked."

In many recent cases around Asia, this aggression has been targeted toward Muslims.

Despite centuries of largely peaceful coexistence and trading, Buddhist fundamentalist groups portray Islam as invasive, toppling ancient Buddhist empires in Malaysia and Indonesia and now threatening the same for modern Buddhist nations through jihad or high

In Sri Lanka, Buddhist militancy has gone mainstream, with clergy seen clashing with riot police and leading antigovernment protests.

During the brutal 26-year civil war, the ire of ultranationalists among the mainly Buddhist Sinhalese majority was focused on the island's Tamil population.

But after the Tamil Tigers were beaten in 2009, hardliners turned on Muslims, who make up some 10 percent of the population.

Monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara, the movement's most prominent leader, is on bail facing hate speech charges and insulting the Koran.

"The Koran should be banned in the country," he said recently. "If you don't, we will go from house to house and campaign till it is banned."

His movement BBS  Buddhist Force  hosted Wirathu and his followers in September 2014.

In Thailand, antiMuslim hardliners have had less success.

Experts say Buddhist clergy can trigger violence without directly participating in it.

"With a couple of very rare exceptions Buddhist monastic groups don't carry out the violence themselves," explains Iselin Frydenlund, from the Norwegian School of Theology, who has written extensively about what she dubs "Buddhist protectionist" movements in Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

"But what they will do is provide the justification for the use of violence carried out by others, be they vigilante groups, civilians, police or soldiers."

It is not just global Islamophobia fuelling these groups, she adds  colonial history, globalisation and the advance of secularism play their part.

"People feel they are losing their traditions."

Jerryson says he fears the recent religious communalism could spread to vulnerable minorities, such as Buddhists in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts.

"By labelling Muslims as adversaries to Buddhism, which historically has not been true, it solidifies the perception that the relationship is adversarial," he warns.
Some of BCs biggest names in the mining industry came together today in Vancouver to raise money for a series of documentaries that showcase critical environmental issues facing Africa.

The luncheon event hosted by the Vancouver-based Sitka Foundation and the Aga Khan University made special mention of the philanthropic works of mining titans Ross Beaty and Lukas Lundin.

Several local and international corporations, following their lead, pledged $50,000 each for the documentary series under a program called Giving Nature a Voice that is administered by the Aga Khan University Graduate School of Journalism in Nairobi.

The films have influenced local and national policies in Africa said Michael Meyer, founding dean of the school, who spoke about the program along with Firoz Rasul, the universitys president and filmmaker Andrew Tkach.

Its simply an honour for us to be able to empower Africans to protect Africa through these films and partnership with the Aga Khan University, said Carolynn Beaty, Director of Granting of the Sitka Foundation.

The teams are not only creating award-winning films that are chronicling beautiful, tragic and hopeful environmental stories, but they are also trying to influence policy makers and leaders who can create long term change, said Beaty.

To find out more about the documentary series go to http://givingnatureavoice.org/
Reboot at Vice Media as co-founder Shane Smith steps down



New York, March 13 (AFP) Mar 13, 2018



Vice Media announced Tuesday that co-founder Shane Smith was giving up his position as chief executive, as the youth-oriented digital group sought to move past recent turbulence.

Vice, whose image has been battered by recent reports of workplace harassment, named television industry veteran Nancy Dubuc as its new CEO.

Smith will remain at Vice as executive chairman and focus on "strategic deals and content development," according to a company statement.

Smith said the company chose Dubuc because "she is better than me at everything" and the move "allows me to move to executive chairman, where I can concentrate on the only things that I am good at -- content and deals."

The move marks a significant change for Vice, which was founded in 1994 as a Canadian magazine and grew into an online media group with news websites and television operations, and is valued at some $5 billion.

Dubuc has been president and CEO at the cable TV group A+E, jointly owned by Walt Disney and Hearst Corp.

A+E is already a media partner and stakeholder in Vice, which has also seen investments from Comcast's NBCUniversal, 21st Century Fox and others as it expands globally.

Vice has cultivated a "bad boy" image as it has expanded rapidly in the US and abroad, but it also has been tainted by reports of sexual harassment.

The disclosures prompted a number of high-level departures at Vice and an apology from the company.

Smith said of the CEO change: "As we go forward Vice needs a best-in-class management team to harness all of this growth and control our own destiny, whether it be staying independent, strategically partnering with someone or going public."

Dubuc said: "Shane and the team at Vice have done what all of us aspire to do -- build a brand and make content that people really care about."

She added that Vice "speaks to a generation that defines today's cultural conversation, and the opportunity to partner with all of the incredibly creative people across the entire company was one of those rare moments in a career."
France warns Apple and Google of fines over 'abusive' practices



Paris, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



The French government said Wednesday that it would take legal action against Google and Apple over "abusive business practices", threatening fines that could further strain transatlantic ties as a trade war looms.

"I believe in an economy based on justice and I will take Google and Apple before the Paris Commercial Court for abusive business practices" against French start-ups, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on RTL radio.

He said in particular that the two US giants imposed financial conditions on French app developers and gathered data on their use, while also saying that "both can unilaterally modify contracts".

Technology start-ups are a favourite of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought to overhaul the nation's laws and regulations to allow entrepreneurs to flourish.

The action is based on an inquiry by France's anti-fraud office from 2015 to 2017 which uncovered "a significant imbalance" in their relations with French companies, a finance ministry source told AFP.

"I consider that Google and Apple, as powerful as they are, shouldn't treat our start-ups and our developers in the way they do today," said Le Maire, calling the situation "unacceptable".

The fraud office urged in its report fines of two million euros ($2.5 million) for each company, the ministry source said, though Le Maire said only that they would be "in the millions of euros".

"My responsiblity is to ensure economic law and order," he said. "There are rules. There is justice. It should be respected."

Both Apple and Google declined to comment immediately on Le Maire's claims.



- Mounting pressure -



The action against Apple and Google comes after US President Donald Trump fanned fears of a wider trade war, pledging to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent tariff on imports of aluminium.

It is unclear if European nations will obtain waivers, especially after Trump singled out the EU as treating the US "very badly" in trade ties and threatening to tax cars as well.

But European officials have said they will not be intimidated by Trump's protectionist moves, with the EU's top trade official, Cecilia Malmstroem, saying this week that "we will stand up to the bullies".

France was already pursuing Apple, Google and other US technology giants over the legal strategies that let them route their income from across the EU through low-tax nations.

That leads companies to declare their earnings in countries like Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, depriving other member states of revenues even though they may account for a bigger share of the earnings.

European officials are preparing to announce an "electroshock" plan for taxing digital economy revenues which would make companies pay a greater share of their taxes in the countries where they earn their profits.

arz/js/kjl/rl

APPLE INC.
France warns Apple and Google of fines over 'abusive' practices



Paris, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



The French government said Wednesday that it would take Google and Apple to court over "abusive business practices" against smaller rivals, threatening fines that could further strain transatlantic ties as fears of a trade war grow.

"I believe in an economy based on justice and I will take Google and Apple before the Paris Commercial Court for abusive business practices" against French start-ups, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL radio.

He said in particular that the two US giants imposed financial conditions on French app developers while siphoning data on their use, and that both Apple and Google "can unilaterally modify contracts".

Technology start-ups are a favourite of French President Emmanuel Macron, who has sought to overhaul the nation's laws and regulations to allow entrepreneurs to flourish.

The action is based on an inquiry by France's anti-fraud office from 2015 to 2017 which uncovered "a significant imbalance" in their relations with French companies, a finance ministry source told AFP.

App developers, for example, were unable to negotiate the fees for having their products listed in Apple's App Store or Google Play.

"I consider that Google and Apple, as powerful as they are, shouldn't treat our start-ups and our developers in the way they do today," said Le Maire, calling the situation "unacceptable".

The fraud office urged in its report fines of two million euros ($2.5 million) for each company, the ministry source said, though Le Maire said only that they would be "in the millions of euros".

Apple declined to comment immediately on Le Maire's claims, but Google said its business practices "conformed to French law".

"We are ready to explain our position before the courts," it said.



- Rising pressure -



France's Digital Minister Mounir Mahjoubi has often criticised the "golden prisons" for internet users, whose access to content is controlled by US technology giants.

The government's latest moves dovetail with a lawsuit filed against Apple by a French business software start-up, Nexedi, 18 months ago -- a case that will also be heard at the Paris Commercial Court from May 31.

The developer says Apple had required it to install certain software elements in its own apps in order to secure access to the App Store.

"We are very happy and reassured that Bruno Le Maire has reacted," Nexedi's CEO Jean-Paul Smets told AFP.

"We're expecting a lot from this suit, and we're not the only ones."

Apple is also under investigation by Paris prosecutors over suspected "planned obsolescence" in some iPhone models, after the company admitted to slowing down older models to preserve battery life.

Google, for its part, was handed a record fine of 2.4 billion euros by the EU last June for illegally favouring its shopping service in search results, a penalty it has appealed.



- Trade tensions -



France was already pursuing Apple, Google and other US technology giants over the legal strategies that let them route their income from across the EU through low-tax nations.

That leads companies to declare their earnings in countries like Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, depriving other member states of revenues even though they may account for a bigger share of the earnings.

European officials are preparing to announce next week an "electroshock" plan for taxing digital economy revenues which would make companies pay a greater share of their taxes in the countries where they earn their profits.

The legal and fiscal wrangling comes as US President Donald Trump has fanned fears of a wider trade war, pledging to impose a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent tariff on imports of aluminium.

It is unclear if European nations will obtain waivers, especially after Trump singled out the EU as treating the US "very badly" in trade ties and threatening to tax cars as well.

But European officials have said they will not be intimidated by Trump's protectionist moves, which have yet to be put into effect.

The European Commission, the 28-nation EU executive body, warned Wednesday that it would impose countermeasures on flagship US products including peanut butter, orange juice and bourbon whiskey if Trump goes ahead with the metal tariffs.

arz-lby/js/kjl/jh

APPLE INC.
Slovenia inaugurates world's first bitcoin monument



Kranj, Slovenia, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



The Slovenian town of Kranj has inaugurated one of the world's first monuments honouring crypto currencies and block chain technology as a display of the country's openness to new technologies.

"We're sending a message to the world that emphasises our openness to digitisation, susceptibility to the use of new technologies and hospitality towards progressive thinking," the Kranj municipality, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of capital Ljubljana, said in a statement.

The construction of the monument -- placed in a roundabout at Kranj's city centre -- was financed by two blockchain technology companies, including Luxembourg-based bitcoin-exchange Bitstamp.

At the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday, Kranj's mayor Bostjan Trilar added that the town of some 37,000 inhabitants "is tightly connected to modern technology companies, some of them have been successful precisely with the blockchain technology and we thought it was right to honour them."

The monument consists of a horizontal seven-metres wide weathering steel ring with the bitcoin "B" logo in its centre.

Slovenia, a tiny central European Alpine state, is the home of several block chain companies including the NiceHash marketplace company that became known to the wider public when it reported a security breach resulting in the theft of bitcoins during last year's surge of the digital currency's value.
Mysterious Signals Comes from Very Old Stars at Centre of Our Galaxy

The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan has released the HSC Viewer to help the public access observations of the universe made by the Subaru Telescope and its Hyper Suprime-Cam. "I developed this viewer so the general public can become familiar with the latest, extensive HSC data," astronomer Michitaro Koike said in a Thursday news release. "I hope you enjoy exploring the univer ... more

New 'HSC Viewer' allows public to access Subaru Telescope images

The occurrence of magnetism in the universe



Dresden, Germany (SPX) Mar 13, 2018





Flows of molten metal can generate magnetic fields. This so-called dynamo effect creates cosmic magnetic fields, like those found on planets, moons and even asteroids. Over the coming years, a globally unique experiment, in which a steel drum containing several tons of liquid sodium rotates around two axes, is intended to demonstrate this effect. It will be carried out in the new DRESDYN f ... more

Quantum vacuum may allow stars to exist in unconventional configurations



The Schrodinger Equation makes an unlikely appearance at the astronomical scale



Physicists lay groundwork to better understand the birth of the universe



Dressing atoms in an ultracold soup



JILA team invents new way to 'see' the quantum world



Scientists observe a new quantum particle with properties of ball lightning



More efficient simulators by storing time in a quantum superposition


Pentagon still backs Iran nuclear deal: general



Washington, March 13 (AFP) Mar 13, 2018



The Iranian nuclear deal is still in the best interests of the United States, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday, going against President Donald Trump's claim that it's a "terrible" agreement.

US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel told a Senate panel he shared the views of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"From my perspective, the JCPOA addresses one of the principal threats that we deal with from Iran," Votel said, using the deal's official acronym.

"So, if the JCPOA goes away, then we will have to have another way to deal with the nuclear weapons program."

Trump is threatening to scrap the international agreement unless tough new restrictions were placed on Iran before May 12.

He cited disagreements on the issue as a reason for his decision to fire on Tuesday his diplomatic chief Rex Tillerson and replace him with CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who is considered hawkish.

The president is concerned that parts of the deal start to expire from 2026 and that it fails to address Iran's missile program, its regional activities or its human rights abuses.

A US exit could kill the nuclear pact, which the Islamic republic has refused to re-negotiate.

Struck in 2015, it was signed by Iran with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany.

Under the agreement, Iran agreed to freeze its nuclear program in return for the lifting of punishing international sanctions

While Iran has reaped massive economic benefits from the accord, notably by being able to resume oil exports, it is still constrained by US sanctions in other areas.
Tillerson sacking spells doom for Iran nuclear deal



Washington, March 13 (AFP) Mar 13, 2018



President Donald Trump's sacking of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson could sound the death knell for the Iran nuclear deal and further strain US ties with key European allies.

In explaining his decision to fire Tillerson, Trump said they had disagreed on many topics, but he specifically singled out one dispute: Whether or not to stay in the Iran pact.

"When you look at the Iran deal. I thought it was terrible. He thought it was OK," Trump said. "I wanted to either break it or do something, he felt a little differently. So we were not really thinking the same."

On May 12, in exactly two months, the US leader is to pronounce on the fate of the Iran deal. If sacking Tillerson is any indicator of Trump's decision on the issue, it suggests the accord is in trouble.

If, as now appears likely, Trump indeed decides to drop out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), then the deal -- and the hopes of a generation of European and US diplomats -- will be dead.

"We're also working with allies and partners to block Iran's path to a nuclear weapon and confront its sponsorship of terror and bloodshed all around the world," Trump said later in a speech at Miramar Air Base in California.

"Everywhere we go in the Middle East it's Iran, Iran, Iran. Every problem is Iran. Well, we're dealing with it in a very serious fashion. One of the worst deals I've ever seen, was the Iran deal."

Under the JCPOA, adopted in October 18, Iran surrendered much of its nuclear infrastructure and opened the rest to international inspection in exchange for international sanctions relief.

The deal was signed between Tehran and six world powers: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.



- First instinct -



The other signatories still regard the accord as a landmark victory in the battle to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Iran denies it has sought such arms, but warns it could restart fuel enrichment quickly.

For his part, Trump campaigned condemning the accord as the "worst deal ever" and in office he has given ear to hawkish advisors who say it does not do enough to halt Iran's alleged quest for the bomb.

Tillerson and his cabinet ally Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have urged Trump to listen to his European allies and to preserve the deal intact, while seeking new measures to pressure Iran.

With Tillerson out of the picture -- and replaced by CIA director and Iran hawk Mike Pompeo -- Trump is all the more likely to follow his first instinct and blow up the entire accord.

For Thomas Countryman, who was assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation from 2011 to 2017, the reshuffle could have catastrophic consequences for US national security.

Countryman argues that Tillerson "served as a Cabinet-level check on some of President Trump's worst impulses, such as wanting to 'break' the Iran nuclear agreement."

"Mr. Pompeo instead favors an aggressive Middle East policy that would undo the diplomatic progress we made on nonproliferation and potentially embroil us in a new conflict in that region."

Mark Dubowitz of the hawkish Foundation Foundation for Defense of Democracies rarely agrees with Obama-era diplomats -- but he does agree that Pompeo's arrival is bad news for the deal.

"For those Europeans (and Americans) who think Trump is not serious about walking away on May 12th if there's no agreement to fix the Iran nuke deal, I give you Exhibit A: his soon-to-be Secretary of State Mike Pompeo," he tweeted.

For the moment, US diplomacy is carrying on as before.



- Berlin talks -



State Department officials told AFP that Tillerson's chief of strategy Brian Hook will be in Berlin on Thursday to meet British, French and German officials about efforts to reform the deal.

This "fix" would expand the agreement to include restrictions on Iran's ballistic missile program and end the "sunset clauses" that allow Tehran to resume some enrichment within 10 years.

European leaders have expressed some sympathy for these ideas, if they would help bind Trump's America into a deal they regard as vital for their own national security and Middle East peace.

But they are looking at a possible "supplement" arrangement that would leave the core deal intact -- and perhaps preserve Iranian support for it -- while adding a separate annex to address Trump's concerns.

This in itself may not be possible, but even if it were, it might not go far enough for Trump and his new chief diplomat, Pompeo.

At the weekend, respected Israeli journalist Barak Ravid of Channel 10 news reported that, last week, Trump promised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would not accept a supplemental deal.

Israeli officials told Ravid that Trump opposes Europe's "cosmetic changes" and wants a "significant" rewriting of the Iran deal itself. This would almost certainly destroy the agreement.
Trump pushes for new 'space force'



Washington, March 13 (AFP) Mar 13, 2018



President Donald Trump said Tuesday he wants the US military to create a new "space force," adding to the Pentagon's current ground, navy and air forces.

Trump told troops at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego that the new group would be able to encapsulate the "tremendous amount" of work the military and government are doing in space-related defense.

"My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea," Trump said.

"We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we'll have the space force, we'll have the army, the navy.

"Maybe we'll have to do that. That could happen," he said.

Since taking office, Trump has frequently touted his support for the US military and placed high-ranking generals in top White House and cabinet posts.

Last year some legislators pushed a bill in Congress that included a provision to establish a new branch of the military dubbed the Space Corps.

But the military itself has resisted, saying it does not need to create another force and its attendant bureaucracy.

"At a time when we are trying to integrate the department's joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Congressman Michael Turner in a letter last July.

It would be "premature to add additional organizational and administrative tail to the department at a time I am trying to reduce overhead," he added.

The idea was finally dropped from the Pentagon's funding bill by the end of last year, but it retains some support in Congress, where advocates say the US is facing significant strategic vulnerabilities in the face of Russian and Chinese pushes into space warfare.

Republican Representative Mike Rogers told a February 28 conference at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that a separate space corps could be carved out from the air force within "three to five years".

He said China and Russia have become "near peers" to the US in space capabilities, and the US is not pushing hard enough to stay ahead.

"That's unacceptable that we have allowed that to happen, particularly in a day and age when it is essential to have those space capabilities to fight and win wars," he said.
Germany's Rheinmetall wins Australia combat vehicle contract



Sydney, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



German manufacturer Rheinmetall won a Aus$5.2 (US$4.1 billion) contract Wednesday to supply Australia with new armoured combat vehicles as Canberra boosts its defence capabilities.

The deal will see Rheinmetall supply 211 of its Boxer CRV vehicles built with Australian steel by Australian workers, defeating a rival bid from BAE Systems.

"The vehicles will provide improved safety to Australian soldiers on deployment and on exercises around the world," said Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

"They will boost mobility and firepower on the battlefield in the decades ahead."

The wheeled machines, which have a 30-year life, will replace the Army's current ageing Light Armoured Vehicle fleet and undertake a range of missions, from peacekeeping to "high-threat operations".

The CRVs, which can withstand direct bomb attacks and heavy machine gun fire, and are part of a Aus$200 billion government investment in strengthening its defence force over the next decade.

In 2016, French naval contractor DCNS was selected to design and build 12 new state-of-the-art submarines, beating off competition from Germany and Japan.

Australia's current ANZAC and Adelaide class frigates will also be replaced, with Britain's BAE Systems, Italy's Fincantieri, and Spain's Navantia in the running for that deal.

mp/ddc/ceb

Fincantieri

BAE SYSTEMS
Top US general in Afghanistan urges 'tired' Taliban to talk peace



Bagram, Afghanistan, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



Now is the best time for the Taliban to negotiate for peace, the top US general in Afghanistan said Wednesday, warning that an increased air and ground campaign against the insurgents would only get worse.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last month unveiled a plan to open talks to end the 16-year-old war, offering to negotiate with the Taliban without any preconditions.

So far the group's response to the offer has been muted, which analysts said reflects debate among Taliban leaders over the merits of engaging with an administration it has long viewed as illegitimate.

But US officials including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that some Taliban elements are open to talking with the Afghan government.

General John Nicholson, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the Taliban have taken heavy casualties since US President Donald Trump authorised ramped-up air operations last year, pointing to increasingly effective Afghan commando and regular Afghan army units.

"In the Taliban's mind, they see what is coming and these capabilities are only going to get greater," Nicholson told reporters accompanying Mattis on a visit to Bagram Airfield, America's largest air base in Afghanistan that is located north of Kabul.

"So this really is probably their best time to attempt a negotiation, because it's only going to get worse for them," he added, as both sides prepare for the start of what is expected to be an intense spring fighting season.

Ghani's peace plan includes eventually recognising the Taliban as a political party. In return, the Taliban would need to recognise the Kabul government and constitution -- a perennial sticking point in past attempts to open talks.

Despite Nicholson's tough talk, US data show the Taliban is far from being driven off the battlefield.

In October, insurgents controlled or influenced nearly half of Afghanistan's districts -- double the percentage in 2015, the US government's office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in January.

Over the same period, the watchdog said, the number of districts under Afghan government control or influence fell to its lowest level since December 2015.



- Focus on Kabul -



"My perception of what is going on inside the Taliban is they are tired of this war as well, they'd like to return home, they'd like to rejoin society and, just like the people of this country, would like to see the end of this war as would all of us," Nicholson said.

He added that there are "many Taliban who could see a way to work within this framework" but cautioned there would always be those that will never reconcile.

"It's encouraging that these offers are on the table and we would appear to be at a point where they could start having a conversation about this," he said.

Aside from military pressure, Nicholson said it is important that diplomatic pressure is strong on "those who externally enable the insurgency" and he credited the role that religious pressure from other Islamic countries is playing.

The four-star general also underscored the need to strengthen security in Kabul, where a string of devastating attacks in recent months has slain hundreds of civilians.

"Kabul is our main effort right now, to harden Kabul, to protect the people of Kabul and the international community that are here because of the strategic impact that has and the importance to the campaign," he said.
NATO allies urge Russia to 'address UK's questions' on spy poisoning



Brussels, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



NATO allies urged Russia Wednesday to answer Britain's questions over the poisoning of an ex-spy with a nerve agent, calling the suspected attack a "clear breach of international norms".

"Allies expressed solidarity with the UK, offered their support in the conduct of the ongoing investigation, and called on Russia to address the UK's questions," said a joint statement by the 29 member nations of the US-led military alliance.
NATO urges Russia to answer UK questions on spy poisoning



Brussels, March 14 (AFP) Mar 14, 2018



All 29 NATO countries urged Russia Wednesday to answer Britain's questions over the poisoning of an ex-spy in what they called the first ever offensive use of a nerve agent on the alliance's territory.

The joint statement by the 29 member countries of the US-led alliance said the attack against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury, southwest England, was a "clear breach of international norms and agreements".

"Allies expressed deep concern at the first offensive use of a nerve agent on Alliance territory since NATO's foundation," said the statement by the North Atlantic Council, which groups NATO allies.

"Allies expressed solidarity with the UK, offered their support in the conduct of the ongoing investigation, and called on Russia to address the UK's questions, including providing full and complete disclosure of the Novichok programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons", they added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said a "military grade" nerve agent known as Novichok was used in the March 4 incident.

"Allies agreed that the attack was a clear breach of international norms and agreements," the statement said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg added in a tweet: "I welcome that the 29 NATO Allies have just agreed a statement expressing full solidarity with the UK and offering support after the Salisbury attack."

The attack has raised speculation that Britain will consider triggering "article five" of NATO membership, a rule that says an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all.

Britain has received broad international support in the wake of the poisoning, which also left a policeman seriously ill.

EU President Donald Tusk said earlier Wednesday that Russia was "most likely" behind the attack and that leaders of the 28 European Union states were likely to discuss the issue at a Brussels summit next week.

The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the poisoning later Wednesday at Britain's request.
Creative Destruction Macron Eyes Expanding His Movement Across Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron launched a brand new political movement in his bid for the French presidency. Now, he wants to do the same for Europe. But the Brussels establishment is wary.
Expectations are high that quality stock from leading breeders will find a ready market at this most central of sale locations.

The British Blue Cattle Society event will be followed by local Simmental and Blonde Club Sales. Thus giving buyers a choice of beef breed genetics through the one sale-ring. Another practical innovation from the Wylie Family, proprietors of Dungannon Farmers' Mart at Granville off the Dungannon Ballygawley line.

Leading Blue breeders with stock forward include Basil Dougherty of Kircubbin, Co Down. His impressive bull Greenfield Kane is number two into the ring after the first of three white bulls from the Chatham Herd out of Armoy in North Antrim.

One of the two longest established British Blue enterprises in the province the Chatham herd of Jack and David Morrison has all entries Breedplan recorded.
Ogden residents pay tribute to Gabby Petito

Ogden joined several other cities in the state and across the country Monday night to remember Gabby Petito, a Florida woman whose mysterious disappearance took a tragic turn over the weekend with the announcement that remains believed to be hers were found in Wyoming. A crowd stood in silence outside The Monarch as the sun faded beyond the horizon, casting an orange glow upon those who came to say farewell to the 22-year-old woman, who documented the cross-country trip with her fiance on social media. Candles, flowers, letters and various mementos were laid at the foot of The ...
Published: 14 March 2018

Foreign background especially affected completion of upper secondary level education

According to Statistics Finland's Education Statistics, students of Finnish background pass upper secondary general education and vocational education more quickly than those of foreign background. Eighty-one per cent of students of Finnish background completed upper secondary general education in 3.5 years, while the pass rate for students of foreign background was 66 per cent. Vocational education was completed in 3.5 years by 69 per cent of students of Finnish background and by 60 per cent of students of foreign background.

Pass rates by sector of education and origin in 2016

Students of Finnish background pass upper secondary general education clearly faster than students of foreign background

The pass rate tells how many per cent of those that started education have completed a qualification within the examined study time. The examined time is 3.5 years for upper secondary general and vocational education, 4.5 years for university of applied sciences education and 5.5 years for university education.Statistics Finland's origin classification has been used to determine origin.

Progress of new upper secondary school students (aimed at young people) studies by end 2016

Year of

starting New upper secondary school students, total Pass

rate New

male students, Finnish background Pass

rate New female students, Finnish background Pass

rate New

male students, Foreign background Pass

rate New female students, Foreign background Pass

rate % % % % % 2011 32 897 89,9 13 676 89,4 18 057 91,2 518 71,8 646 81,3 2012 32 183 89,4 13 251 88,7 17 762 91,1 507 68,2 663 75,7 2013 31 884 80,6 12 810 80,7 17 768 81,7 581 60,4 725 69,8

According to the data for 2016, upper secondary general education is rarely completed in over 4.5 years: Eighty-one per cent of new students in upper secondary general schools completed the upper secondary general school syllabus in at most 3.5 and 89 per cent in at most 4.5 years. Men studying in upper secondary general school passed their qualifications slightly more slowly than women studying there did.

Among new male students of Finnish background in upper secondary general school, 81 per cent completed their studies in at most 3.5 years, while the corresponding figure for women was 82 per cent. The difference between sexes in passing education was larger for students of foreign background than among students of Finnish background: 60 per cent of male students completed their studies in at most 3.5 years, and 70 per cent of female students. The pass rate for upper secondary general education in 4.5 years improved for students of both Finnish and foreign background: 68 per cent of men of foreign background and 76 per cent of women of foreign background. Eighty-nine per cent of men and 91 per cent of women of Finnish background had completed their studies in 4.5 years.

Women of Finnish background completed upper secondary general education in 3.5 years more often than women of foreign background, the difference between the pass rates was 12 percentage points. In 4.5 years, the difference between the pass rates increased to 15 percentage points. The difference narrowed when 5.5 years had passed from starting the studies, when 91 per cent of women of Finnish background and 81 per cent of women of foreign background had completed their studies. Men of Finnish background completed their studies in 3.5 years more often than men of foreign background, the difference between the pass rates was 20 per cent. The difference between pass rates narrowed after 5.5 years of studies to 18 percentage points.

Low pass rate in vocational education for men of foreign background

Progress of new students studies in vocational education (aimed at young people) by end 2016

Year of starting New students in vocational education, total Pass

rate New male students, Finnish

background Pass

rate New female students, Finnish

background Pass

rate New male students, Foreign

background Pass

rate New female students, Foreign

background Pass

rate % % % % % 2011 50 499 77,1 24 592 77,0 23 621 77,7 1 180 68,4 1 106 76,3 2012 49 759 74,6 24 549 74,5 22 640 75,5 1 324 63,6 1 246 72,0 2013 48 679 68,3 23 866 68,5 22 103 69,1 1 464 55,5 1 246 66,1

Sixty-eight per cent of students attending vocational education aimed at young people completed a qualification in at most 3.5 years and 75 per cent in at most 4.5 years. Women completed a qualification slightly faster than men. The difference between the pass rates of women and men of Finnish background was, however, small, under one percentage point.

Men and women of Finnish background passed vocational education nearly as often measured by how long had passed since the beginning of the studies. The difference between sexes in pass rates among students of foreign background were higher. Fifty-six per cent of men and 66 per cent of women of foreign background had completed a qualification in at most 3.5 years. In all, 64 per cent of men of foreign background completed a qualification in 4.5 years and 72 per cent of women, which means that the difference between the pass rates was eight percentage points.

Men of Finnish background completed a vocational qualification more often than men of foreign background in 3.5 years, the difference between the pass rates was 13 percentage points. Among those who pass the education in 4.5 years, the difference in the pass rates decreased to 11 percentage points and further to nine percentage points when 5.5 years had passed since the start of the studies. For women, the differences in pass rates were not as big as for men. Of women of foreign background, 66 per cent completed a qualification in 3.5 years while the corresponding share for women of Finnish background was 69 per cent. The difference between pass rates decreased to one percentage point after 5.5 years from starting studying.

Persons of foreign background have a better pass rate in university of applied sciences education than persons of Finnish background

Progress of new university of applied sciences students studies by end 2016, youth education

Year of

starting New university of applied sciences students, total Pass

rate New male students, Finnish

background Pass

rate New female students, Finnish

background Pass

rate New male students, Foreign

background Pass

rate New female students, Foreign

background Pass

rate % % % % % 2009 28 400 67,7 12 197 58,5 14 556 74,9 930 65,8 717 78,5 2010 29 030 65,2 12 578 55,1 14 612 73,5 980 61,6 860 77,6 2011 28 646 60,6 12 288 48,0 14 178 70,9 1 159 57,9 1 021 72,1 2012 28 093 49,6 11 462 32,8 14 260 62,5 1 257 44,6 1 114 63,1 2013 26 894 27,2 11 378 12,9 13 404 38,8 1 063 25,0 1 049 36,6

Fifty per cent of those who started studying for a university of applied sciences degree completed their studies in 4.5 years. Sixty-eight per cent of students completed their studies in at most 7.5 years. In all, 53 per cent of students of foreign background and 49 per cent of those of Finnish background completed a qualification in 4.5 years. The difference between the groups in the pass rates remained the same after 7.5 years had passed since the start of studies.

The difference between sexes in pass rates was large both for students of foreign and Finnish background. Among women of Finnish background, 63 per cent completed a qualification in 4.5 years while the corresponding figure for men was 33 per cent. The difference between the sexes started to narrow when 6.5 years had passed since starting studies, when the difference was 18 percentage points. Among women of foreign background, 63 per cent completed a qualification in 4.5 years, while the corresponding figure for men was 45 per cent. In total, 62 per cent of men and 78 per cent of women of foreign background completed a qualification in 6.5 years.

Men of foreign background completed a qualification more often than men of Finnish background in 4.5 years, the difference between the pass rates was 12 percentage points. Among those who pass the education in 5.5 years, the difference in the pass rate decreased to 10 percentage points and further to seven percentage points after 6.5 years from the start of the studies. For women, the differences in pass rates were not as big as for men. Among women of Finnish and foreign background, 63 per cent completed a qualification in 4.5 years. The difference narrowed to four percentage points when 6.5 years had passed from starting the studies, when 78 per cent of women of foreign background and 74 per cent of women of Finnish background had completed a qualification.

One-half of students with foreign background attained a university degree in 3.5 years

Progress of new university students studies by end 2016, lower or higher university degrees

Year of

starting New university students,

total Pass

rate New

male students, Finnish

background Pass

rate New female students, Finnish

background Pass

rate New

male students, Foreign

background Pass

rate New female students, Foreign

background Pass

rate % % % % % 2009 19 940 70,7 7 977 63,0 10 501 77,4 843 59,9 619 70,3 2010 19 766 66,0 7 909 58,8 10 324 72,4 871 57,4 662 64,4 2011 19 827 62,1 7 812 54,1 10 225 68,2 974 58,6 816 65,8 2012 22 815 51,8 8 847 41,4 12 015 59,0 1 097 50,4 856 59,8 2013 23 162 32,0 9 142 21,4 12 090 36,9 1 047 49,4 883 53,5

The pass rate of university education grows, the longer time has passed from the start of education. The older the cohort of new students is examined, the higher the pass rate became. Sixty-two per cent of students completed a lower or higher university degree in 5.5 years and among those having studied for 7.5 years, 71 per cent had passed a university degree. Women of Finnish background attain a degree clearly faster than men. Of women, 68 per cent completed their degrees in 5.5 years, while 54 per cent of men attained a degree. Seventy-seven per cent of women and 63 per cent of men of Finnish background had competed a degree after 7.5 years of studying.

Students of foreign background attained a degree clearly faster than students of Finnish background. The degree was attained in 5.5 years by 66 per cent of women and 59 per cent of men. A majority of students of foreign background started directly in masters studies.

The database tables of these statistics contain information on the differences between the pass rates for sectors of education, different fields of education and different origin group (see Tables in databases ). The database tables also include information on those students who did not attain their qualification in the target time.

In these statistics, the number of completers of education relative to starters of education has increased particularly for tertiary level education. Other statistics also indicate that studying was more interesting than before as discontinuation of education decreased. Employment among students increased slightly compared to the year before. ( Discontinuation of education , Employment of students ).

Source: Education Statistics, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Mika Witting 029 551 3530, koulutustilastot@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (264.6 kB)

Updated 14.3.2018

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Progress of studies [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-1021. 2018. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 21.9.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/opku/2018/opku_2018_2018-03-14_tie_001_en.html
Published: 14 March 2018

Share of employed students grew

According to Statistics Finland's Education Statistics, employment among students increased by one percentage point in 2016 from the previous year. One-half of students were employed during their studies. Working was most common in connection with university and university of applied sciences studies. The share increased most in vocational education.

Shares of employed students aged at least 18 of all students in 20092016

Working was most common in connection with university and university of applied sciences studies. Fifty-five per cent of university students and 55 per cent of university of applied sciences students had an employment contract while studying. One-half of students attending vocational education were employed during their studies, the share increased slightly from the previous year.

Women worked while studying more frequently than men: 54 per cent of women and 47 per cent of men had an employment contract while studying. The proportion of employed women in upper secondary general education and in university of applied sciences education was around ten percentage points higher than that of men. Thirty-one per cent of women in upper secondary general education were working alongside studies and 60 per cent of women in university of applied sciences education. Fifty-two per cent of women in vocational education worked, which was five percentage points more than for men.

Employment during studies grew clearly the older the students were. While 23 per cent of students aged 18 were working, the share of employed students aged at least 25 was nearly triple. Of 21-year-old students, 39 per cent and of 24-year-old students, 50 per cent had an employment contract. Among students aged 25 or over, 62 per cent were employed during their studies.

Employment of students during studies varied by field of education. Fifty-nine per cent of students in the fields of social sciences, journalism and information, 56 per cent of students in the fields of health and welfare, and 46 per cent of students in the fields of arts and humanities had a valid employment contract at the end of 2016.

Employment during studies was more common than the average for the whole country in the regions of Uusimaa, Ostrobothnia and Varsinais-Suomi and in Aland.

More information on the employment of students can be found from the Tables in databases. More information related to the progress of studies is available from statistics describing Progress of studies and Discontinuation of education .

Source: Education. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Vesa Hamalainen 029 551 2594, koulutustilastot@stat.fi

Director in charge: Jari Tarkoma

Publication in pdf-format (222.2 kB)

Updated 14.3.2018

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Employment of students [e-publication].

ISSN=1799-0017. 2016. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 21.9.2021].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/opty/2016/opty_2016_2018-03-14_tie_001_en.html
Shares is the leading weekly publication for retail investors. It is packed with investment ideas, news and educational material to help build and run portfolios and get more from your money.

Shares puts on free Investor Events throughout the year across the country. They provide an opportunity for investors to learn more about companies on the stock market and hear from a range of investment experts including fund managers and Shares journalists.
Last week I was in the Dominican Republic touring General Cigars facilities, where La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, Partagas, and a number of other well-known cigars are made.

Even though its not the first cigar factory Ive visited, it still amazes me how many people are involved in the creation of just one cigar that sells for under $10 (often far less than that). Here are just a few of those steps:

Thats just a few of the many steps that it takes to produce a handmade cigar. Next time you smoke one, be sure to take a moment to consider the many steps it took and the attention to detail that was necessary to produce a fine cigar. A mistake in any step in the process can ruin what would otherwise be an excellent smoke.

Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys
As we have since July 2006, each Friday well post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) When longtime industry veteran and roving cigar ambassador Jose Blanco left Joya de Nicaragua in August, few expected he would be away from cigars for long. Questions about the nature and timing of his return were answered this week as Blanco announced the creation of Las Cumbres Tabaco. The new venture, which translates to summits of tobacco, will run out of the Dominican Republic and include a partnership with Tabacalera La Palma, operated by Blancos cousin, Jochi Blanco. The first Las Cumbres blend is still in the worksdont expect to see anything until the summeras are details about cost and distribution. But it is known the blend will be called Senorial (Spanish for lordly), have an Ecuadorian wrapper, and feature Dominican tobacco.

2) The Indiana Supreme Court ruled this week that an Evansville ordinance banning smoking in bars violates the state constitution. Since 2012, Indiana has had a statewide ban that exempts bars, retail tobacco stores, cigar clubs, gaming facilities, and a few other locales. The court struck down the stricter Evansville regulation because it closed the bar exemption but maintained the exemption for a local casino. Evansville is Indianas third-largest city.

3) Inside the Industry: General Cigar has unveiled a new project with E.P. Carrillo called Re+United under its boutique-oriented Foundry Cigar Company. The cigar will reunite Ernesto Perez-Carrillo and Foundrys Michael Giannini, who worked closely together at General Cigar until Carrillo left in 2009 to form his eponymous family-owned cigar company. Even before this official partnership, the two companies cooperated, including E.P. Carrillo boxes being built at General Cigars Dominican box factory. The trademark for Re+United (seen here) is owned by General Cigar.

4) Deal of the Week: Cigar Place has some excellent deals if you use these coupon codes. Some of the deals include Cain Daytona starting at $76 (box of 24) and Liga Undercrown starting at $104 (box of 25).

The Stogie Guys,

photo credit: Stogie Guys
Collaborations are nothing new in the cigar industry. In fact, some very large brands are the result of collaborations between a brand owner and an otherwise unaffiliated factory. While the La Gloria Cubana Colecction Reserva is also a collaboration (between La Gloria Cubana and Ernesto Perez-Carrillo Jr.s Tabacalera La Alianza S.A.), its hardly the first time Perez-Carrillo has been associated with La Gloria Cubana.

The non-Cuban version of La Gloria Cubana was made for years by Perez-Carrillo, who gained prominence as one of the original boutique cigar makers in the 1990s. In 1999, the brand, along with El Credito Cigar Co., was sold to General Cigars parent company.

Perez-Carrillo stayed with General for another decade until he left to start his own family-controlled company and established the Tabacalera La Alianza S.A. factory in Santiagos Zona Franca. La Alianza is just minutes away from the General Cigar Dominicana factory, also in Zona Franca, which is the current home of La Gloria Cubana. (General Cigar has La Gloria Cubana cigars made in a separate El Credito area inside the facility to keep some production techniques distinct from other brands.)

Coleccion Reserva isnt even the first collaboration between General Cigar and Perez-Carrillo in recent years. That would be the limited edition Re+United from a few years back. And the commercial relationship goes back even further than that. (I recall seeing EPC boxes being made at the General Cigar box factory back in 2011.)

La Gloria Cubana Coleccion Reserva is made at La Alianza, as opposed to General Cigar Dominicana (where Re+United was produced). It is distributed by General Cigar which, by most accounts, is the largest importer of handmade cigars in the United States.

The cigar has an Ecuadorian Sumatra wrapper around Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. It is packaged in 20-count boxes in 3 sizes: the Robusto I smoked (5 x 54), a Torpedo (6 x 54), and a Churchill-sized Presidente (7.5 x 54).

The Robusto features woodsy notes along with with leather and salted roast cashew. Theres a slight red pepper spice that lingers on the inside of your lips and also some nice sweetness (berries and dates), especially in the middle third of the cigar.

Its a medium- to full-bodied smoke with a lingering tannic finish. Nicely textured smoke coats the palate like a fine powder.

The Robusto has a relatively loose draw and spongy feel, but construction doesnt suffer any ill effects. The ash holds firm for at least a full inch and the burn is straight on all three samples I smoked.

In addition to enjoyable flavors and solid construction, the price ($7.59) makes this an impressive offering. If the same cigar were made for Crowned Heads (also a La Alianza customer) would it not have earned more buzz?

No matter the answer, if this is the future of collaboration in the cigar industry, sign me up. Full, complex flavors, good construction, and a fair price earn La Gloria Cubana Coleccion Reserva Robusto a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick S



photo credit: Stogie Guys
The Thai Kingdom in Stratford-upon-Avon has now closed.

THE Thai Kingdom  the first Thai restaurant to open in Stratford  has closed after 26 years.

Richard Tuckey opened the restaurant in an old hotel building on Warwick Road back in 1992 after being introduced to Thai food by friends.

He employed Thai staff, including one couple for 18 years, and used ingredients flown in from the country.

But the 57-year-old blamed increasing regulations, a competition for trade and a change in peoples social habits for the decision to close.

Back in 2000 the restaurant hit the national headlines when the then Crown Prince of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, ordered 350 dishes to be delivered to him at home 5,500 miles away in Bangkok.

The now King of Thailand was said to have been impressed with the food during a previous visit there while he was in the UK.

Mr Tuckey said: We were very successful, but things have been slowly declining since 9/11.

People have changed, regulations have changed, and cottage industries and family businesses cant compete against the chains anymore.

Theres more pressure in terms of legislation from the fire service and health and safety that this building just cant conform too. Its also very hard to get work permits for staff.

I was 30 when I set up and its only the six years that have been stressful, and now Ive just decided that I cant do it anymore.

The Crown Prince thing was a happy memory, but Id like to thank all of my customers over the years and my staff, without them I wouldnt have been here in the first place.

I am sad to close, but the economics dont add up any more and you cant run a business in a competitive industry as a hobby.

The restaurant was located in the former Wayside Hotel, and Mr Tuckey said his early intention is to convert it into residential.

The owners of the neighbouring Applegarth B&B have permission to turn the B&B into three homes.
FASTER broadband connections will be installed at public buildings across Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire thanks to a 5.5million government windfall.

The CSW Broadband Project, which is bringing faster broadband to those parts of the region where there are no commercial plans for upgrades, has banked the money from the Local Full Fibre Networks Challenge Fund.

The bid will invest in 1Gbps-capable full fibre networks in the most expensive and hard-to-reach public buildings across the project area, such as rural schools, fire stations and libraries.

The project will go out to tender for a contractor to carry out the public sector building connectivity upgrades, and that the successful bidder will, at their own cost, upgrade connections to residential and business properties along the fibre route.

Thirteen areas across the UK will share 95million in from the first wave of funding from the Governments 190 million Local Full Fibre Network (LFFN), the Chancellor has announced in Tuesday's Spring Statement.

The Gigabit Voucher Scheme, which allows small or medium business to apply for grants of up to 3,000 to upgrade their broadband, and piloted in Coventry and Warwickshire, will also now continue as a national scheme.

Cllr Kam Kaur, portfolio holder for customer and transformation for CSW Broadband's lead partner, Warwickshire County Council, said: This is a real opportunity to improve connectivity at some of the hardest-to-reach schools and other public buildings.

"The ultrafast, gigabit-capable, network will be a real step-change beyond the existing infrastructure and will bring exciting education, business and other opportunities to those who are able to connect to the new network.

It is early days, and we do not yet have the detail of what has been awarded, but the CSW Broadband team hopes to be in a position to scope the work and to start the procurement process over the next few months."

CSW Broadband is made up of Coventry City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with British Telecom, the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP, the UK government and the European Union.
English Norwegian

(Bangkok, 14 March 2018) Telenor's subsidiary in Thailand, Total Access Communication PLC (dtac), today announced that its CEO Lars-Ake Norling has decided to leave the company to pursue new opportunities. dtac has initiated the process of appointing a new CEO.

Lars-Ake Norling will remain in his current role until September 1, 2018, or until a successor has been appointed.

"I want to thank Lars-Ake for his many contributions to Telenor Group, both in his role as CEO of dtac and as part of the Group Executive Management team. Under his leadership, dtac has consolidated its leading position on 4G and innovation in Thailand, and I am certain the team is well equipped to continue on the current strong trajectory. I wish Lars-Ake all the best in his future role," said Sigve Brekke, CEO of Telenor Group.

Effective immediately, Lars-Ake Norling will step down from Telenor Group Executive Management, including the role as Cluster Head for Developed Asia.

For more information, please contact:

Marcus Adaktusson

VP Telenor Group Communications

(+65) 9879 5730

Marcus.adaktusson@telenor.com
BOSTON, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fullbridges work in Saudi Arabia has made our women stronger and ready to take on a bright future, said Dr. Rimah S. Al-Yahya, the Vice Rector of the Womens College at Prince Sultan University (PSU).



Fullbridge Inc. is a data-driven, learning technology company that has helped transform over 200,000 lives world-wide by empowering individuals with the ideas, skills, and knowledge they need to succeed in a fast-changing world.

Fullbridges recent expansion in the Middle East has provided thousands of young women in Saudi Arabia with technology-enabled learning to help them better understand critical business concepts and empower them with the knowledge, skills and tools they need to work effectively and successfully in teams and organizations.

Fullbridge applauds and supports the Saudi 2030 vision, which in part states: "We are determined to build a thriving country in which all citizens can fulfill their dreams, hopes and ambitions. Therefore, we will not rest until our nation is a leader in providing opportunities for all through education and training and high quality services."

Dr. Rimah also noted that, The work of Fullbridge supports the Saudi 2030 Vision which encourages the empowerment of all women. I truly think that the Fullbridge Program is fostering the characteristics needed to achieve these aspirations. The Fullbridge Program is working. Recent graduate Walaa Alshuail said, Fullbridge was the starting point of my journey to understand my strengths and weaknesses. I used to be a person who would remain silent at gatherings or just listen to the crowd. After graduating the Fullbridge Program, I became someone who is able to lead a meeting and capture a crowd.

Fullbridge partners with leading companies, organizations and learning institutions such as Prince Sultan University (PSU) to provide innovative learning programs. As the Vice Rector of the Women's College at PSU and Goodwill Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, Dr. Rimah S. Al-Yahya has overseen the delivery of 11 Fullbridge Programs at PSU. Roger Berry, CEO of Fullbridge, commented that, Dr. Rimah is a role model and inspiration to all of her students and to us. She has helped these young women develop confidence, professionalism and self-worth, and has shown us how our work can have a lasting impact for young women everywhere.

As students complete the Fullbridge PSU Program and move into the workforce, the success stories are abundant and inspiring. A leading Saudi bank shared how a potential new hire faced a daunting panel of ten men as part of the interview process. This panel was particularly impressed by a young woman named Al-Joharah Al-Doghaither who was extremely well-prepared and confident. She was able to answer each question articulately, while maintaining eye-contact and composure in a situation that seemed to intimidate many others. Her confidence prompted one of the interviewers to ask, I have one more question. Did you take the Fullbridge Program at PSU? Al-Joharah replied, Of course!

Other Fullbridge graduates are successfully applying their new skills into their professional lives, including new entrepreneur Sara Alarifi who said, I label my business mindset as pre-Fullbridge and post-Fullbridge. I didnt understand the foundations of basic business planning, the importance of cash handling and the management mindset. Now, my instincts are much sharper. Right after graduating the program, I decided to turn two hobbies of mine into business ideas.

The Fullbridge Program has guided students on their journey of self-discovery and exploration. Shahad Altukhaim, who is now the Vice President of a social entrepreneurship nonprofit, said, Fullbridge has helped me overcome and understand barriers I had within.

Fullbridge will continue to expand its program throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Our mission is to empower students to succeed in business, and businesses to succeed faster with a more prepared and effective workforce, continued Mr. Berry, We are very excited to play a small but important role in helping the region achieve its vision.

ABOUT

Fullbridge Inc. is a data-driven, learning technology company that has helped transform over 200,000 lives world-wide by empowering individuals with the ideas, skills, and knowledge they need to succeed in a fast-changing world. Fullbridges work is supported by an Advisory Board including Satya Nitta (former IBM Watson), Sandy Pentland (MIT Media Lab), Peter Gloor (MIT Center for Collective Intelligence) and Daniel Serfaty (Aptima, inc.) Headquartered in Boston, MA, Fullbridge provides powerful technology-enabled learning curriculum and experiences through partnerships with universities, corporations and leading law firms.

Contact: Hala Hibri

Phone: +966 50 079 4799

Email: halahibri@fullbridge.com

www.fullbridge.com
TULSA, Okla. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jericho Oil Corporation (Jericho) (TSX-V:JCO) (OTC PINK:JROOF), further to the Companys news release on January 16, 2018, announces through its Oklahoma STACK Joint Venture (STACK JV), that it has brought online a high-rate single-mile lateral Meramec oil well within its contiguous Blaine County acreage position.



The Wardroom 19-13-12 1H well in SEC 12 T19N R13W is located within Jerichos approximately 11,600 net acre position of the normally-pressured oil window of the STACK play. The Wardroom achieved a peak 24-hour rate of 957 oil-equivalent barrels (BOE) per day (68% oil) at 211 Boepd per 1,000 ft. The projected 30-day normalized rate (IP30) for this 4,518 ft perforated lateral well is 770 BOE per day (67% oil). Oil productivity from the Wardroom is amongst the highest of any well to-date targeting the Meramec formation in the northern STACK on a per 1,000 lateral foot basis.

Jerichos STACK JV owns a 47% working interest alongside Staghorn Petroleum II LLC (Staghorn) in the Wardroom. Current ultimate recovery projections place the potential rate of return at greater than 75% (assuming $60bbl / $3mcf).

Well productivity from the Wardroom illustrates the significant role lateral placement coupled with advances in stimulation technique has in developing the resource potential of the Meramec shale deposits of the northern STACK. The Wardroom was drilled 95% within our defined target section. Shane Matson, Director of Geology for Jericho Oil, stated, having performed a bottoms-up analysis of 20 proximate Meramec formation wells, it became clear that lateral placement had been a defining variable in the productivity of this formation in the northern STACK.

Stack operators of wells targeting the Meramec shale in 2017 proximal to the Wardroom have announced comparable results confirming the productive potential of the region. Two miles east of the Wardroom, Staghorns well (Crows Nest 19-12-08 1H) in SEC 8 T19N R12W, achieved a peak 24-hour rate of 1,180 boepd (76% oil), at 240 boepd per 1,000 ft. Moreover, three miles north of the Wardroom, Chesapeake Energys well (Bravo 28-20-12 1HC) in SEC28 T20N 12W achieved a peak 24-hour rate of 2,221 boepd (79% oil), at 223 boepd per 1,000 ft.

Brian Williamson, CEO of Jericho Oil, stated: Our focus in participating with best in class operators is working and we are extremely encouraged with the results of the Wardroom and surrounding Meramec wells, proving the extent, both geographically and geologically, of the formation. In addition to the Meramec, we will also work on delineating the resource potential of the regionally deposited Osage formation. Given the depth of our teams history with this rock-type, we are confident in its horizontal resource potential. We are currently drilling an Osage test well within our northern JV located just north of Alta Mesas expansive acreage position and we look forward to updating our shareholders with encouraging results.

The Companys 2018 development program, leveraging its recent findings and successes, will focus on the continued delineation of its acreage footprint for both the Meramec and Osage formations and adding tuck in acquisitions that complement our STACK acreage footprint.

About Jericho Oil Corporation



Jericho is a growth-oriented oil and gas company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and production of overlooked and undervalued oil properties in the Mid-Continent. For more information, please visit www.jerichooil.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. 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 events and results to differ materially from Jericho's expectations include risks related to the exploration stage of Jericho's project; market fluctuations in prices for securities of exploration stage companies; and uncertainties about the availability of additional financing.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACTS:

Tony Blancato,

Director, Investor Relations

918.986.7616

or

Adam Rabiner,

Director, Corporate Communications

1.800.750.3520

investorrelations@jerichooil.com
Italian English

The new company, U-COAT S.p.A. , will sell an innovative solution for the controlled release of Urea fertilisers into the soil. The innovation was developed by Bio-on with PHAs bioplastics, so it is 100% natural and biodegradable.

The Urea fertilisers market is constantly growing: +4% per year with over 180 million tons/year produced globally* and an average price per ton of 300.

U-COAT is 100% owned by Bio-on and has exclusive rights to use its specific technology.

Bologna (Italy), 14 March 2018 - Bio-on today launches a revolutionary new use for its 100% natural and biodegradable PHAs bioplastic. Bio-on researchers have developed a solution for the controlled release of Urea fertilisers, an enormous market with global annual production of 180 million tons* and 4% annual growth. The advantage is more effective dosage and lower fertiliser consumption. This means less pollution and a positive impact on people and the planet.

Bio-on, listed on the AIM segment of Borsa Italiana and operating in the high quality bioplastics sector, has developed an innovative technology to coat Urea for fertiliser and has set up a NEWCO called U-COAT (Urea Coating). This new company 100% owned by Bio-on S.p.A. has exclusive rights to use the technologies developed by Bio-on for coating fertilisers with a natural product such as PHAs, the biopolymer developed by Bio-on, which is natural and biodegradable without leaving any trace on the environment. U-COAT will pay running royalties to Bio-on for every quantity produced or sub-licensed on the fertilisers market. Bio-on owns 100% of the technology licensed or sub-licensed through U-COAT to international manufacturers.

"I am proud of the research and development our scientists are conducting," says Bio-on Chairman and CEO Marco Astorri, "to enter such a large and fast-growing market as fertilisers confirms the extreme versatility of a platform product such as our natural biopolymer. By setting up this new NEWCO, we are taking a major step towards exploiting the many technologies we are creating, which will find dedicated applications and produce the maximum economic return for each sector through sector-specific licenses. This will also allow direct partnerships to be created with leading companies in each sector."

U-COAT brings to this major market a technology that will create a revolution in the use of fertilisers, particularly Urea. This type of fertiliser is usually sold in white crystals, pellets or granules. It is a very concentrated nitrogen-containing feed that is highly water-soluble so rapidly degrades and disperses in the subsoil. Urea can be used as a fertiliser at the sowing stage or on the surface, but should not come into contact with the seed. This is where the innovation proposed by U-COAT comes into play. With varying percentages depending on the characteristics of the soil, PHAs bioplastic coats the UREA granule which, thanks to PHA's natural biodegradation, will then release the fertiliser into the soil in a controlled way as and when required, leaving no trace and protecting the fertiliser from being washed away by rainfall and therefore being less effective.

The innovative solution proposed for the fertilisers sector will reduce the quantities of urea used in the soil and eliminate any excess, with a consequent reduction in costs and environmental impact on the subsoil. The future possibility of applying the same technology to both other higher value fertilisers and agricultural pesticides and other complementary products will play a major part in reducing environmental impact and costs in the agricultural sector.

Global annual UREA production is 180 million tons.* (Based on capacity of operative plants in 2008-09 according to IFDC Worldwide Fertilizer Capacity Listings by Plant). In 2015 FAO predicted annual output to increase by 41 million tons by 2018. This indicates annual production of approximately 200 million tons, with an annual growth rate of 4%. The average price of urea in the last 5 years is 300 Euro/ton. The application designed by Bio-on and carried out by U-COAT envisages using 1 to 4% of PHAs per ton, opening up a market of 2 to 8 million tons/year solely for fertilisers.

TECHNICAL INFO: Urea is a nitrogen-containing fertiliser widely used for its high nitrogen content (80% of the urea produced is intended for this purpose, 20% for urea resins or adhesives). Many bacteria present in soil possess the enzyme urease, which hydrolyses urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide according to the reaction (NH 2 ) 2 CO + H 2 O -> CO 2 + 2 NH 3 , thus making the nitrogen available for plants. Urea for livestock use also exists and can be introduced into feed for ruminants, from which powerful bacterial proteins are used by the rumen micro-flora; there are also other uses in the cosmetics and diagnostics fields. It has also been recently introduced in the industrial and automotive sectors. A 32.5% aqueous solution of pure urea (brand name AdBlue) is injected into the exhaust which, via chemical reduction aided by catalysers, converts nitrogen oxides into molecular nitrogen and water (SCR Selective Catalytic Reduction). The composition and quality standards are governed by standard DIN70070.

All the PHAs bioplastics (polyhydroxyalkanoates) developed by Bio-on are made from renewable plant sources with no competition with food supply chains. They guarantee the same thermo-mechanical properties as conventional plastics with the advantage of being 100% eco-sustainable and naturally biodegradable.

(*) IFDC Worldwide Fertilizer Capacity - World fertilizer trend and outlook to 2018 FAO

PICTURE: section microscope picture PHAs outside and Urea inside.

Bio-on S.p.A.

Bio-On S.p.A., an Italian Intellectual Property Company (IPC), operates in the bioplastic sector conducting applied research and development of modern bio-fermentation technologies in the field of eco-sustainable and completely naturally biodegradable materials. In particular, Bio-On develops industrial applications through the creation of product characterisations, components and plastic items. Since February 2015, Bio-On S.p.A. has also been operating in the development of natural and sustainable chemicals for the future. Bio-On has developed an exclusive process for the production of a family of polymers called PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) from agricultural waste (including molasses and sugar cane and sugar beet syrups). The bioplastic produced in this way is able to replace the main families of conventional plastics in terms of performance, thermo-mechanical properties and versatility. Bio-On PHAs is a bioplastic that can be classified as 100% natural and completely biodegradable: this has been certified by Vincotte and by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The Issuer's strategy envisages the marketing of licenses for PHAs production and related ancillary services, the development of R&D (also through new collaborations with universities, research centres and industrial partners), as well as the realisation of industrial plants designed by Bio-On.

U-COAT S.p.A. is a subsidiary of Bio-on S.p.A. www.u-coat.it

www.bio-on.it

Bio-on press information - Simona Vecchies +393351245190 - press@bio-on.it - Twitter @BioOnBioplastic
FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GridGain Systems, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite, today announced it is expanding its management team to keep pace with surging demand for its in-memory computing solutions. Tim Carley has been named managing director of EMEA and will head up sales and customer operations across the entire EMEA region. Lalit Ahuja has been named vice president of Professional Services and will lead GridGains expanding global professional services organization.



According to Gartners Predicts 2018: In-Memory Computing Technologies Remain Pervasive as Adoption Grows*, By 2019, 75 percent of cloud-native application development will utilize in-memory computing or services that use in-memory computing, thus enabling mainstream developers to implement high-scale/high-performance applications and by 2021, at least 25 percent of large and global organizations will adopt platforms combining multiple in-memory technologies to reduce their in-memory computing infrastructure complexity. In 2017, GridGain, a clear leader in delivering in-memory computing technologies, saw sales surge by 84 percent compared to 2016 and grew the companys headcount by 73 percent.

Initiatives related to digital transformation, omnichannel marketing, and real-time regulatory compliance are generating an insatiable demand for high performance and scalability that can be met only with a comprehensive in-memory computing platform, said Abe Kleinfeld, President and CEO of GridGain. To meet this demand, we are expanding our operations across the organization, and we are excited to bring Lalit and Tim aboard. Their experience in growing larger organizations will be vital to our success moving forward.

Prior to joining GridGain, Tim Carley, who is based in France, spent four years at Numerix as the managing director for EMEA, where he transformed and diversified the business from a pricing analytics firm to a leading enterprise-wide risk company, leading an aggressive business strategy to accompany the development of a new risk management platform. The successful diversification strategy led to 15 major projects in just 24 months. Prior to Numerix, he was the vice president of EMEA for FRSGlobal, a Wolters Kluwer company, where he grew the risk management business by 50 percent. Carley also held a variety of positions at DataSynapse Inc., Sungard and Reuters. Carley holds a BA in International Business Studies from ESSEC BBA Paris, France.

Based in Toronto, Canada, Lalit Ahuja has a long track record of successfully influencing organizational change and defining technology strategies. Prior to joining GridGain, he was the vice president of global professional services at Akana, Inc., where he grew the professional services team by more than 250 percent while defining the companys professional services methodology and portfolio. Before Akana, Ahuja was the head of enterprise architecture & IT strategy at First American Financial Corporation, where he successfully ensured the corporate IT infrastructure was aligned with the organizations strategic business goals. Prior to that, he was the chief enterprise architect at Pacific Life. Ahuja has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Master of Science degree from Iowa State University.

*Gartner, Predicts 2018: In-Memory Computing Technologies Remain Pervasive as Adoption Grows, Fabrizio Biscotti et al, 22 December 2017.

About GridGain Systems

GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom and other major sectors, with a client list that includes Barclays, ING, Sberbank, Finastra, IHS Markit, Workday, and Huawei. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers (RDBMS, NoSQL and Apache Hadoop), requiring no rip-and-replace of the existing databases, or it can be deployed as an in-memory transactional SQL database. GridGain is the most comprehensive in-memory computing platform for high-volume ACID transactions, real-time analytics, web-scale applications and HTAP. For more information, visit gridgain.com.

CONTACT:

Terry Erisman

GridGain Systems

terisman@gridgain.com

(650) 241-2281

GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, and Ignite are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
It might be a service that is no longer available but should be, or the next greatest kitchen or garage tool. Many people have ideas that could develop into prospering businesses. Sometimes the obstacle is connecting the vision with how to make it reality.

That is where events scheduled for March 15 and March 16 could help.

A Network Reception is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 15 at Dudes Steakhouse Back Room. The reception is hosted by the Sidney & Cheyenne County Economic Development. The reception will be a time to meet other people considering starting an entrepreneurship, discussing challenges and successes.

A lot of these people have been where people in Sidney are now, Norgard said.

She said many of the speakers started out as entrepreneurs with dreams and became successful business leaders.

Friday, a Entrepreneurship and Startup Day is scheduled. The event is set for 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Western Nebraska Community College Rooms 115/116. The day will offer guidance and help for entrepreneurs with ideas but unsure of how to make the dreams reality. Sidney Economic Development Director Melissa Norgard said the program will help with ideas to get started, how to design a successful business plan and will include a time for an entrepreneur to present his or her business pitch. Norgard said there is the possibility of funding sources present at the Friday meeting.

Friday includes a period for a motivational talk and entrepreneurial story, an introduction of mentors, a period for breakout groups with Econic, Investment Nebraska and mentors, and a discussion on regional resources.

Both events are free. For more information, contact Norgard by email at [email protected], or call 308-254-8455.
Known to live up to their names, the support vessels escaping the Dutch shipyards facility are at the top of their game. Power Play will follow DAMEN Yachts ever-expanding portfolio, and soon to be legacy. Advantage, Axis and Shadow were all born into the adventurous lifestyle envisioned by their builder and have successfully embodied the toy-box nickname with style and tenaciousness.

DAMEN Product Director Mark Vermeulen remarked on the support vessel, as we follow what appears to be a rising topic, Its inspiring to see how a new generation of owners is driving this market. Its very dynamic, its not the conventional thinking about luxury yachting.

He continues, Our clients have fantastic ideas for diving, aircraft, luxury toys and serious boats. They are planning adventures of a lifetime and even getting involved in underwater exploration, science, film-making or racing yacht events. As a shipbuilder, its exciting to be a part of making their ideas a reality.

And dynamism is exactly what we expect to see on Power Play with the design team crafting new enhancements; from a 50 square-metre Aft Adventure/Dive Centre to facilities for operating in zero-discharge zones such as marine nature reserves; a nod to the increasingly green-conscious superyacht community.

Further promising accommodation for six guests in three suites, Power Play isnt just an accompaniment, but a solution more than capable of offering the main event. Whether its enjoying the sun-deck and panoramic lounge or submersing a submarine via the 12-tonne deck crane, every element of this vessel will be built to encourage play, discovery and pursuit.

Available from August 2018, its only a matter of time before the sixth owner of the YS 5009 model takes exploring the world to the next level.
The Trocadero Group has its sights set on Benalmadena for its most spectacular establishment yet.

The project, currently being assessed by experts at the town hall, would involve the demolition of the restaurant currently on Avenida del Sol at La Viborilla beach and the construction of a three-storey building and car park.

Construction will get under way as soon as the town hall gives the project the go-ahead, expected some time in the autumn. The idea is that work will take place throughout winter so that the restaurant can open its doors in time for the Easter week celebrations.

Trocaderos concept of upmarket beach restaurants and bars has been a hit for many years on Marbellas Golden Mile, so much so that in 2014 they opened another in Sotogrande. The group had been considering Tarifa but eventually chose Benalmadena for their next venture, owing to the towns high concentration of hotels.

According to group owner, Dionisio Hernandez-Gil, the new space will boast a restaurant combining traditional Spanish and Asian cuisine, a cocktail bar and a terrace.

The establishment will employ a hundred people during high season, a figure that will fall to seventy during autumn and winter.

This new project coincides with the redevelopment of the Avenida del Sol area which will see the road reduced to one lane to accommodate new parking spaces and a cycle lane.

Hernandez-Gil said that he considered the area to have huge potential and he, along with mayor Victor Navas, agreed that the new premises could be the catalyst for economic growth, especially if further licences are granted to allow boats to dock there.
By Jeff Hutchins

Following the latest school shooting, in Florida, and the mass shooting in Las Vegas, a lot of false information  and in some cases, flat-out lies, have been disseminated, especially through the mass media.

Few things infuriate me more than being blamed for something I didnt do, so heres an attempt to set some things straight  by someone who actually knows guns.

Chronologically, lets start with the Vegas massacre, as it truly was a massacre.

There seems to be a lot of concern over the amount of weapons and ammunition this individual possessed. To a true firearms enthusiast, though, it was in no way an inordinate amount  definitely not enough to raise any flags.

People on the outside, looking in at gun ownership, or even just the casual hunter, may think its strange to have a lot of ammo, but enthusiasts of any kind tend to possess a lot of the things they are interested in.

I knew a woman who had hundreds of sets of salt and pepper shakers. Surely, she didnt need any more than two or three.

I saw a young man on TV who collected sneakers. He had hundreds of pairs; the vast majority of which hed even worn.

Steven Segal collects guitars. Guess how many he has? Jay Leno collects cars and has somewhere around 100 of them.

Im sure any anti-gunner reading this is thinking, Yes, but those other things dont kill!

I could be sarcastic and say salt does kill, that people get kicked to death and, of course, cars kill more people than just about anything else. (Think back to the many vehicular terrorist acts in Europe and elsewhere.)

The vast majority of firearms dont kill anyone either. The actual percentage would be so small the number looks ridiculous.

Another issue that is hot right now, particularly in the last week with President Trumps plan to ban them, is bump stocks.

Personally, I consider bump stocks really dumb. The only thing they are good for is putting a lot of fired shell casings on the ground very quickly. Anyone who has actually fired a fully automatic firearm knows that you really have to hold on to it if you want to hit anything after the first shot. You cant hold on to a bump stock much at all; if you do, it will only fire as slowly as any other stocked rifle.

The bump stock works by letting the rifle rock back against the trigger finger to fire another shot. The recoil drives the rifle back in the stock; then, by keeping the finger stationary on a shelf built into the stock, the rifle bounces back forward against the trigger finger again, triggering another shot.

The rifle is still semi-automatic. Its actually quite tricky to get it to work right and is a developed skill. It also makes the trigger pretty useless for aimed fire because if you hold the rifle tightly for aiming purposes, it wont work.

This also can be accomplished with a very nice light trigger pull (many times it happens accidentally), with springs, rubber bands, string etc. Are we going to ban all of these things because they potentially could be used in a wrong way?

No, that would be ridiculous.

As a matter of fact, if someone were shooting at me, I would very much prefer that they shoot at me with an assault weapon, as full-auto fire is extremely inefficient.

Basically, it just allows you to miss a lot, quickly, and run out of ammo. Its fun to shoot, but not much else, and bump stocks are even less efficient. Fact!

I actually have no personal interest in bump stocks, but banning a (stupid) device makes no logical sense. I guarantee that the Vegas murderer could have done just as much damage with a standard semi-automatic rifle with a target trigger.

To put it bluntly, I know a lot more about firearms than the talking heads on TV, politicians and non-shooters. I am right; they are wrong; there is no debate about these finer points of firearms. Its not a political viewpoint; its fact.

Of course much has been made about the age of the Florida murderer.

For hundreds of years there was no minimum age to own any kind of gun.

I had a customer once who, in his early teens, went down to the local hardware store and traded his sporting firearms in for a Thompson submachine gun and brought it home on his bike. It was all legal and he didnt murder anyone.

In 1968 the legal age to buy a long gun was set at 18, and 21 for a handgun.

Somehow, we got by for decades with very few  if any  problems. All of these evil modern firearms were available then as well, but rarely was there an issue.

If, at 18 (as an adult), you are old enough to join the military and be issued a genuine assault rifle, go to war and fight and possibly die for your country, why shouldnt you be able to purchase or own a semi-automatic version? Logic.

Its baffling to me that there is such an uproar over the tools a lunatic uses. Banning a certain type of rifle, or standard capacity magazines will have no effect on crime, whatsoever.

How do I know this to be true? Because we did it. From 1994 to 2004 we did exactly that. The FBI, Justice Department and about everyone else studied the statistics and it  officially  had no effect on crime. Fact.

Actually, I would argue it did have an effect: It made it way more difficult for law enforcement officers to get their hands on the law enforcement-only standard-capacity magazines for duty (or off-duty) use.

Since the magazines were not readily available and they could only be sold to law enforcement agencies and military, the sale of them was heavily regulated with the associated reams of paperwork and authorizations. What a mess it was to get cops their tools. I know. I was right in the middle of it.

A magazine limit will only help the bad guys.

Lets say I carry a Gluck Model 19 9 mm pistol as an everyday carry gun. If I can only get 10-round magazines, I am very much at a disadvantage against a criminal. He knows when he is going to commit a crime and he doesnt care about a stupid magazine law in the first place. Even if somehow magically were limited to 10 rounds, hed just carry more magazines. It takes no time to change them.

Since he knows the time and place of attack, throwing a couple of extra magazines in his pocket is no burden.

Because I have to react, I have to be prepared all of the time. Carrying unnecessary magazines to get my round count back up is a major pain, literally.

I dont see how people can actually think a criminal carrying a firearm illegally, bent on committing violent crimes, is going to follow a magazine capacity limit law. That is completely illogical.

Anyone who thinks you only need to shoot two or three rounds to protect yourself obviously knows nothing about real-life gunfights.

I have studied them extensively for 30 years, written about them and challenge the validity of any statement of the lack of need for magazine capacity for self defense.

The anti-gunners also love to perpetuate false statistics.

One going around now is that there have been 18 school shootings this year. Hogwash. Their statistics include any firearms discharge on any school grounds as a school shooting.

Even if it were an accidental discharge and no one was injured, its a school shooting.

Its much like their statistics showing the number of children killed by firearms every year. If a police officer justifiably shoots a teen criminal dead, thats a child killed by a gun. If one gang-banger shoots another one, thats a child killed by a gun.

Of course I dont want children committing suicide by any means, but a teen suicide is also deemed a child killed by a gun.

The other lie is that this doesnt happen in other countries.

Yes it does. Mass shootings also occur in Finland, Switzerland, Norway, Serbia, France, Macedonia, Albania, Mexico, Slovakia, Belgium and the Czech Republic  not to mention the Middle East.

Lets not forget, the U.S. has way more guns per capita as well.

These lies just dont hold up.

The most recent murder weapon statistics available from the FBI show that many weapons are used before rifles to murder our fellow man: knives, blunt objects, hands, feet etc. and other weapons. Note: were talking about all rifles, not just AR-15s, AKs etc.

This obviously shows that we are spending a lot of time trying to ban an inanimate object that is really not even the issue in the first place.

Very recently Northwestern University researchers (not exactly a bastion of conservatism) took information from the FBI, anti-gun organizations and other sources to look at the school shooting issue.

Guess what? The number has dropped since the 1990s. Since 1996 there have been 16 school shootings with more than four victims, where at least two victims (tragically) died. Not 18 per year, as the antis claim.

One statistic that really puts it in perspective is that around 100 children die per year while riding their bikes or walking to school.

How many died in car accidents getting to school? I would hazard that its many more than that.

NWU researcher James Alan Fox said his research showed that these killers are determined and will always find a work around to harm multiple victims if they cant access a firearm.

Unfortunately, all of the internal school security in the world may not help much as some of these shooters have figured out ways of getting the students out of the school before opening fire.

A car or truck would be as effective, if not more so, in this situation.

Let us use logic, not emotion, to try to solve this problem.

The real issue I see is that in the Florida murders we see that the deputy assigned to the school stood outside and didnt act. It is inexcusable to me that an armed adult failed to rush into a school to save children and teachers. That is cowardice.

The fact that you are a police officer or a fireman does not necessarily make you a hero. If you perform heroic acts, you are a hero, no matter what your profession.

I dont think I know a cop who wouldnt rush into a school to save kids but that may be because the cops I know are proud gun owners and I truly believe they would rush to the aid of these victims as well.

The proof is in the fact that they do it all of the time. Police and fireman tend to be more of the hero type, I will concede that fact, for sure! It is also my belief that most self-defense-minded gun owners would do the same; in fact they have  many times.

I cant blame an unarmed person for not rushing into a shooting situation; after all, what chance do they have? They would most likely just become another victim. This is why I choose to be armed, I do not intend to be a victim and will render aid to others anytime I can.

This brings us to the issue of arming teachers. One argument Ive heard against it is, the deputy was there and dont react; what makes anyone think a teacher would?

The reason is so obvious and easy to understand that I cant believe Im not hearing the answer in the national arena.

The teacher is there! He/she is being shot at, their students are being shot at.

Almost everyone will react in self defense, especially if they have proper training.

The deputy wasnt being shot at, had no interest in being shot at and decided not to take action.

Another very annoying statement Ive heard, even from gun owners (along with boatloads of teachers), is that, Trump wants to arm everyone in the schools!

Really? I watched him make those statements, on live TV; he said nothing of the kind. He said that teachers, maintenance workers, bus drivers, principals, nurses etc. should be able to be armed if they choose to be.

They would undergo training and be compensated for the extra training time and safety they would provide. I know this would be a lot cheaper to implement than a lot of other options offered up, and arent we always hearing how under-funded the schools are? As a personal opinion I believe it would work better and be a safer action as well.

Bottom line: Owning a firearm as a law-abiding citizen is a right! You may not like it, but I dont like that pot is legal in Oregon. I deal with reality.

Irrational reactions have never solved a problem and they wont do it now. Implementing laws that have already been proven useless will only cost precious resources and even more precious freedom.

 Jeff Hutchins writes occasionally about firearms-related topics for The New Eras Outdoors section. He operates Rangemaster Gunworks at 1144 Tangent St. in Lebanon.
Find an expert for comment Search for a Swinburne researcher or academic expert who is available for media comment about their field of expertise.

Please enable JavaScript to get the full experience of this website.
English Finnish

F-Secure proposes that employee Christine Bejerasco be elected to the Board of Directors

F-Secure Corporation, Stock Exchange Release, 14 March 2018, 10.00 EET

As previously communicated in the Notice to the Annual General Meeting (amended version published on 12 February 2018), the Personnel Committee has decided to complement its proposal for the composition of the Board of Directors by a candidate belonging to the personnel of the Company.

Based on the election process described in the Notice to the Annual General Meeting, the Personnel Committee proposes that Ms. Christine Bejerasco be elected to the Board of Directors, in addition to the previously announced other candidates: Risto Siilasmaa, Pertti Ervi, Matti Heikkonen, Bruce Oreck and Paivi Rekonen. All candidates have given their consent for the election.

Additional information of all the candidates is attached to this release and details of the new candidate will also be added on the AGM website as soon as possible.

following this release.

The Annual General Meeting of F-Secure Corporation will be held on Wednesday, 4 April 2018.





Additional information:



www.f-secure.com/agm



Tapio Pesola,

Investor Relations Manager

F-Secure Corporation

tel. +358 44 373 4693

investor-relations@f-secure.com



Proposed boardmembers 2018-2019 FINAL 14.3.2018
DeWitt, N.Y. -- Bristol-Myers Squibb is moving about 90 employees from its pharmaceutical plant in DeWitt to facilities in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Lisa McCormick Lavery, director of corporate communications, said Wednesday the transfers are part of an evolving plan by the drug maker to centralize related positions in the company.

The exact number of employees to be transferred is still being worked out, but about 90 will be moved to the company's plant in Devens, Mass., and in central New Jersey, where Bristol-Myers Squibb operates several facilities, by the first quarter of 2019, she said.

A smaller number of jobs will be transferred to Devens and New Jersey from facilities in Wallingford, Conn.; Mount Vernon, Ind.; and Seattle, Wash., she said.

The Bristol-Myers Squibb biologics development and manufacturing complex in DeWitt.

The company employed 503 people at its plant at 6000 Thompson Road at the end of 2017. The transfers will bring the number of Bristol-Myers Squibb employees in DeWitt to about 410.

McCormick Lavery said the jobs include a wide range of positions, from administrative assistants to scientists. No one will be laid off, as the affected workers are expected to transfer with their jobs, she said.

The jobs involve duties focused on parts of the company's business outside of its DeWitt manufacturing operations or involve the operations of multiple facilities, she said.

The transfers will have no effect on the manufacturing that takes place in DeWitt, she said.

Since 1943, the DeWitt facility has been developing and manufacturing new medicines. It once was a major producer of penicillin, but since 2010 has focused on manufacturing biologics medicines for commercial use.

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
Syracuse, NY -- An Onondaga County judge and prosecutor today delayed the expected release of a Syracuse dad who pleaded insanity after drowning his son 6 1/2 years ago.

Their move? To exercise their right to hire a total of three more doctors to examine him. The dad, who was not required to be in court today, is now due back May 4.

Marcell Washington, 31, was expected to have good shot at full release Wednesday from a psychiatric hospital after state mental health doctors felt he was ready.

But the law allows a judge to order two more doctor examinations -- one on behalf of the court and a second one from another doctor at the state's Office of Mental Health. Prosecutors can order one, too.

So Washington will undergo three more examinations before his release order is considered.

Washington's arguments for release -- and opposition from the boy's mother -- were detailed in a Syracuse.com article published Tuesday.

Washington says he's remorseful, has done everything he can to prove he's ready and wants to build awareness of mental health issues. Ameen's mother, Ceritha Hammond, says she's terrified of him and doesn't think he can be fixed.

Judge Stephen Dougherty

Washington's full release still needs to be approved by County Court Judge Stephen Dougherty.

But the judge wasn't ready to make that move today.

"At the present moment, I'm not satisfied by findings of psychiatric examiners who submitted reports," the judge said, noting the "seriousness" of the ruling.

That contrasts with Dougherty's ruling last August in which he deferred to state doctors in approving Washington's daytime release from custody.

The hiring of more doctors to examine Washington now could provide opposing opinions for the judge to consider.

Washington's lawyer today simply said that she'd pave the way for all of the added examinations.

Washington had spent 2 1/2 years in local jail and 4 years in psychiatric treatment after admitting that he killed his son, Ameen, 3, after believing the boy was possessed by the devil.

His insanity plea sent him to the state's mental health system, where he received treatment, not punishment. A criminal plea to the same charge would have resulted in a minimum of 15 years in prison with a possibility of life.

But Washington had been a model citizen in custody and had done well in the past seven months while on daytime, unsupervised release.

Dougherty noted the multi-step process that led to today's release request: from a secure, prison-like hospital to a civilian one, from escorted time in the community to unescorted time out.

It was state doctors who were vouching for Washington, saying he was no longer dangerous and no longer suffered from mental illness, the judge said. There was a detailed treatment plan -- and restrictions -- that would follow him if he were to be released.

Assistant District Attorney Michael Manfredi told Syracuse.com before Wednesday's hearing that he didn't have much hope that a judge would overrule the doctors' recommendation for release.

But Manfredi did say that he had the right to ask for a doctor to examine Washington before the judge's ruling.

Finding doctors who would successfully convince a judge to overrule state doctors could be a tall order, Manfredi said before Wednesday's hearing.

Then the judge expressed concern, on his own, of Washington's release. It's unclear what his chances are now -- that'll be up to the doctors.

Washington remains free with some restrictions as the review continues.

Last summer, he was released from the state Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse and allowed to be free during the day. He is required to return each night.
Selbyville, Delaware, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



Coated Glass Market is slated to exceed USD 24.5 billion by 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc. Increasing demand for clean source of energy along with addition of better aesthetical value to the buildings will drive coated glass market. Favorable government schemes along with growth in FDI funding in India and China has propelled the growth of construction and automotive industries in the region, thereby propelling product demand. Environmental concerns regarding CO2 emissions and consumer awareness towards energy efficient buildings will stimulate industry growth.

Rising population and better living standards of people along with stringent regulations pertaining to environmental issues initiated by EPA and REACH for construction projects, will drive coated glass market size. Safety regulations implemented by FEMA and LEED coupled with increasing middle class disposable income to buy luxurious vehicles, will further stimulate industry growth.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/2436

Europe, with steady growth in Germany, UK and France coated glass market size will exceed 380 million square meters during the forecast period. Builders are more concerned towards safety & security, environmental protection and natural insulation in residential as well as commercial buildings. Superior solar performance, absorption, transmission and reflection properties of the product along with increasing approach towards achieving greater energy efficacy of the buildings will drive industry growth.

Solar control glass market demand from construction applications will witness gains at over 4% during the projected timespan. The products are used in combination to create multi-functional glazing which results in noise reduction, low-maintenance, enhanced safety & security and aesthetic appeal. They have a microscopically thin coating on one side of the glass which reflects the heat from the sun to the outside and keeps the interiors cooler, thereby enhancing the energy efficiency of the building and stimulating coated glass market growth.

Key raw materials such as soda ash, natural gas, and silica coupled with specialized chemical and mechanical are used in manufacturing coated glass. High production cost and environmental impact on glass durability may hamper coated glass market supply demand gap.

Browse key industry insights spread across 500 pages with 1,316 market data tables & 18 figures & charts from the report, Coated Glass Market Share & Forecast, 2017  2024 in detail along with the table of contents:

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/coated-glass-market

Hard coat glass market demand from automotive windshield application will witness steady gains at over 4.5% by the end of forecast period. Increased usage of product in windscreens to offer convenient driving during harsh weather conditions such as fog, ice, mud and rain will boost product demand. Growing automotive manufacturing base in Asia Pacific region along with acoustic, thermal & visual comfort and style & taste of the products in automobiles will positively influence coated glass market size.

U.S. solar control glass market size from residential buildings will exceed USD 50 million at the end of 2024. Increasing expenditure on household remodeling and renovation activities in the U.S along with promotion of renewable energy resources will fuel industry growth. Rising application of the product in automobile interiors combined with increasing automotive production output is anticipated to drive market growth to a certain extent.

India soft coat glass market size is likely to register significant gains close to 6% during the forecast timeline. Increasing construction projects along with styling flexibility, transmittance and reflection properties of these product will drive regional industry growth. The product offers thermal performance and neutral appearance similar to its counterparts, resulting into coated glass market demand.

Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/2436

Low-E coated glass market demand from commercial buildings may exceed USD 4 billion by 2024. The product offers low surface emissivity and helps in reduction of UV-value, thus it enhances energy efficiency of the buildings and minimizes CO2 emissions. Increased R&D spending and technological advancement in the product portfolio will surge industry growth.

Prominent industry players in coated glass market are Guardian Industries, Sisecam Group, Saint-Gobain, Abrisa Technologies, Scheuten Glas, Pilkington Group and PPG Industries. Shift in consumer trends towards energy efficient products along with growing demand for cleaner energy sources, will force manufacturers to develop and enhance product portfolio and take strategic initiatives to meet consumer demand.

Browse Related Reports:

Flat Glass Market Forecast, 2017  2024

North America, led by Canada and U.S. flat glass market size, expects gains at over 6%. Growth in residential & commercial projects along with shifting builder preferences towards natural insulation, environmental protection, safety and security should boost regional product demand. China flat glass market size should surpass USD 50 billion by 2024, owing to its flourishing automobile production and construction industry.

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/flat-glass-market

Advanced Glass Market Growth, 2017  2024

Advanced Glass Market size was over USD 60 billion in 2016 and industry expects consumption of above 10.5 billion square meters by 2024. China advanced glass market size may surpass USD 19.5 billion by 2024 owing to its increased application scope in automotive and construction sectors. Easy availability of labor along with low production costs will support industry participants to set up manufacturing units in the region.

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/advanced-glass-market

About Global Market Insights

Global 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:
Gary Walts

By Don Cazentre | NYup.com

New York has a lot of breweries -- more than 400 as of this year -- but does it have any really big ones? It depends on how you look at it.

The Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association, a trade group representing independent craft brewers, this week released its annual lists of the top 50 brewers (or brewing companies) in the country, ranked by sales volume. There are two lists -- one is the top 50 breweries overall, and the other is the top 50 craft breweries. Note:The 2018 list is based on 2017 sales figures.

Although most of New York's breweries are quite small, a handful with Upstate connections made one or both of these lists. Some are huge international corporations or their subsidiaries, and others are mid-sized partnerships. One is still family owned.

Photo: The brewhouse at the Matt/Saranac Brewing Co. in Utica, New York's oldest family-owned brewery.

Don't Edit

Don Cazentre

A brewer vs. a craft brewer

What's a craft brewer? This has always been a difficult question to answer, and has only gotten harder as the industry has grown. The Brewers Association defines a craft brewer as "small, independent and traditional." The difference between craft and non-craft was always based partly on size, and the current BA definition is that a craft brewery makes less than 6 million barrels a year (a barrel is 31 gallons). The BA also contends that a craft brewer is one that is less-than-25-percent owned or controlled by a non-craft brewer. The final piece of the definition is most important: It says that a majority of the production for a craft brewer is beer "whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients and their fermentation." That essentially rules out beers like Bud, Miller and Coors which use "non-traditional" adjunct grains to lighten the flavor and body of the beer.

Don't Edit

Allie Healy

Mergers, acquisitions, partnerships etc.

Ranking the top brewers has also been complicated in recent years by a series of acquisitions, mergers and takeovers. That has affected the standing of many of the Upstate New York breweries on the list. Click through the remaining slides to see which Upstate breweries cracked the Top 50 overall and Top 50 craft breweries for 2018.

Don't Edit

Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev

New York state location: Baldwinsville

2018 Overall rank: No.1. (No. 1 in 2017 and No. 1 in 2016)

Craft brewer rank: N/A

The worlds largest brewer -- always No. 1 -- makes our Upstate list because one of its 12 U.S. breweries is in the Radisson Business Park just outside of Baldwinsville. That plant opened in 1976 as a Schlitz brewery, then was taken over by A-B. In addition to Budweiser and Bud Light it makes an assortment of flavored malt beverages, plus hard ciders and some craft beers the company has acquired, like Goose Island and Blue Point. The Baldwinsville plant, with four 1,000-barrel brew kettles, is by far the largest brewery in New York state.

Photo: The famed Budweiser Clydesdales visit the Anheuser-Busch brewery near Baldwinsville in 2017.

Don't Edit

SCOTT SCHILD

North American Breweries (Genesee)

New York state location: Rochester

Overall rank: No. 7 (No. 5 in 2017 and No. 6 in 2016)

Craft brewer rank: N/A

North American Breweries is the name of the company that operates Genesee Brewing Co., Dundee Ales & Lagers and other American beer brands like Magic Hat and Pyramid. It is not considered a craft brewer, though the small Genesee Brew House adjacent to the big Genesee brewery might qualify as craft if it was independently owned. North American Breweries is owned by the Florida Ice & Farm Co. of Costa Rica, makers of Imperial beer. It fell two spots from 2017 to 2018.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don Cazentre

Duvel Moortgat (Brewery Ommegang)

New York State location: Cooperstown

2018 Overall rank: No. 13 (No. 12 in 2017 and No. 22 in 2016)

2018 Craft brewer rank: No. 5 (No. 6 in 2017 and No. 15 in 2016)

This is the U.S. subsidiary of the Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat. Duvel was a founding partner in Cooperstowns Brewery Ommegang in 1997 and bought the Belgian-style beer maker outright in 2005. In 2013, it acquired the much larger Boulevard Brewing Co. of Kansas City (and has since joined with Californias Firestone Walker), causing it to jump high up the annual lists of largest American brewers. After moving up a whopping 10 spots in the overall list from 2016 to 2017, and 9 spots in the craft beer list, it fell by one spot in each list for 2018.

Don't Edit

Joed Viera

Artisanal Brewing Ventures (Southern Tier)

New York state location: Lakewood (near Jamestown)

2018 Overall rank: No. 24 (No. 22 in 2017 and No. 40 in 2016)

2018 Craft brewer rank: No. 14 (No. 13 in 2017 and No. 33 in 2016)

No New York brewery had a bigger year-to-year jump in the rankings from 2016 to 2017 than Southern Tier Brewing Co., now part of Artisanal Brewing Ventures. Southern Tier was founded in the far southwest corner of New York in 2003, and quickly earned a reputation as one of the best beer-makers in the country. It also expanded quickly. It's big jump in last year's rankings came after its 2016 partnership with the larger Victory Brewing Co. of Pennsylvania. This year, it settled back a spot or two in the rankings.

Don't Edit

Saranac Brewery

Matt Brewing Co. (Saranac)

New York state location: Utica

2018 Overall rank: (No. 26 in 2017 and No. 24 in 2016)

2018 Craft brewer rank: No. 17 (No. 17 in 2017 and No. 17 in 2016)

The largest family-owned brewery in New York state, now more than 125 years old, was a non-craft brewer for a century, with beers like Utica Club and Matts Premium. It turned to craft brewing with the introduction of the Saranac line in the late 1980s, and now that is by far its biggest product. It also owns Flying Bison Brewing of Buffalo and makes beer for other craft brewers under contract. It has held steady in the craft beer ranking at No. 17 for three years.

Don't Edit

Other Upstate NY connections

Aside from those listed above, these brewing companies have Upstate New York connections:

Don't Edit

SYR

Constellation Brands

This one might deserve a few asterisks. Constellation Brands, based in the Rochester suburb of Victor, has a brewing division that was ranked as the No. 3 largest brewer overall in the new Brewers Association rankings. Constellation Brewing, however, is headquartered in Chicago. The company owns no breweries in New York state. It does own Ballast Point Brewing of San Diego, Funky Buddha of Florida and imports beers like Corona, Pacifico and Modelo.

Photo: Constellation Brands of the Rochester suburb of Victor owns the Ballast Point brand.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Michelle Gabel

Gordon Biersch

Gordon Biersch, a national brewpub chain based in California, has two locations in Upstate New York -- Buffalo and Syracuse. In 2018, it ranks No. 45 overall and No. 35 among craft breweries. In 2017, it was No. 43 overall and No. 34 among craft brewers.

Don't Edit

Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn Brewery

Brooklyn Brewery ranks No. 21 overall and No. 11 among craft brewers for 2018. It is headquartered in Brooklyns Williamsburg neighborhood, but has most of its beer produced under contract Matt Brewing in Utica. In 2017, it ranked No. 20 overall and No. 11 in craft.

Don't Edit

Heineken USA

The Brewers Association lists Heineken USA as its No. 4 overall largest brewer, and gives the headquarters as White Plains in Westchester County (though the parent company is based in the Netherlands). Heineken USA owns Lagunitas among its American holdings, and imports Dos Equis and Tecate.

Find more about Upstate New York breweries at NYUP.com/breweries.
The Dashwood sisters, Elinor, a proponent of reason, and Marianne, of passion, bring their debate to the Le Moyne College stage in Kate Hamill's "Sense and Sensibility" March 16 - 24. The play is based on the first of four novels published by Jane Austen in her lifetime, and it conveys the author's wit and humor as she satirizes social norms of the early 1800s.

Director Leslie Noble says she wondered if the material would feel relevant to 21st century students and audiences, but one read-through with the cast allayed her fears. The actors were immediately drawn into plot twists and turns taking place 200 years ago as a family of English landed gentry tries to find good marriages for their daughters to offset their reduced circumstances.

Junior theatre major Morgan Smith plays the cool-headed Elinor Dashwood, the role portrayed by Emma Thompson in the 1995 Ang Lee movie. Kit Kuebler, also a junior, plays her emotion-driven sister, Marianne, the role played by Kate Winslet in the American film.

Costumes for this period piece are designed by senior theatre major Marisa Sorce. "If there was ever a show where costumes are at the forefront, this is it," Joel McKissick, operations manager says. "All of our students' creative work for this show is impressive."

Next up is a play based on George Orwell's 1945 allegorical novella that depicts events leading to the Russian Revolution of 1917. The performances of this political satire begin April 5 and are free.

Boot and Buskin players will be joined by the Le Moyne Symphony Orchestra for an innovative production of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" opening April 30. The music and theatre departments previously developed a show based on "Romeo and Juliet" that was highly successful says Travis Newton, orchestra conductor.

"Given the placement of the orchestra right in the middle of the action, this version of 'Macbeth' promises to be a special night of theatre. The actors and musicians feed on each other's energy for a fantastic experience," Newton says.

Director of Theatre Matthew Chiorini adds, "'Macbeth' can be such a theatrical play. It's exciting to have the power of the orchestra behind us to really create the dark magic required."

Spring theatre in the W. Carroll Coyne Center for the Arts:

* "Sense and Sensibility," March 16, 17 at 8 p.m.; March 22, 8 p.m.; March 24 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

* "Animal Farm," April 5, 6 and 7 at 8 p.m. with a 2 p.m. show April 28. Adapted by Ian Woolridge from the George Orwell allegory. Free admission; limited seating.

* "Macbeth: In Concert," April 30, May 1, 2 at 7:30 p.m. Boot and Buskin Theatre with the Symphony Orchestra. General admission $15 with discounts for senior citizens and Le Moyne students.

* "Go Dog Go!," May 25 - June 16 at various times. A musical based on The children's book by P. D. Eastman. Clowning, vaudeville, music and dogs. $15 adults; $10 children.

Tickets: (315) 445-4200 or www.lemoyne.edu/vpa.
Sunny Hernandez | ahernandez@syracuse.com

National Pie Day: 23 places to get pie today and every day in Central NY

You may not need an excuse to have pie, but if you do, you're in luck. Since 1986, the American Pie Council has been the official sponsor of National Pie Day, celebrated annually on January 23rd. Here are 23 spots around Central New York to get yourself a slice of heaven.

Don't Edit

The Toast

Located in Canastota, The Toast offers up pies and other goodies like the inventive cruffin, a croissant-muffin hybrid. For National Pie Day, they will be offering slices of a bourbon apple pie.

Don't Edit

B'ville Diner

While the B'ville Diner has a pastry case full of delicious looking desserts, their peanut butter silk pie hits the spot with a fluffy texture and a chocolate drizzle.

Don't Edit

Patisserie Skaneateles

Located behind the Sherwood Inn lies a sunny yellow building; the home of the Sherwood's Patisserie. They offer artisan breads, fine pastries, specialty cookies and pies.

Don't Edit

Riley's

Riley's keeps their menu moving with rotating specials, but one thing you can count on are their homemade pies. From raspberry pie to the sweet English walnut and cinnamon pie, there is a slice for every pie taste.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Screenshot from ontarioorchards.com

Ontario Orchards

Open year-round, Ontario Orchards sells shelves of locally made packaged products as well as a full bakery section. However, you may want to call ahead as their pies can sell quickly!

Don't Edit

Dinosaur BBQ

A dinner at Dinosaur BBQ might not leave much room for dessert, but their sweet potato pecan pie or their chocolate icebox pie are worth saving space for.

Don't Edit

Chelle's Bake Shop

A walk through the Canal Commons in Oswego will bring you to the doorstep of Chelle's Bake Shop. Savory pie lovers can find both dinner and dessert from their pastry case.

Don't Edit

Lyncourt Bakery

Bring cash with you to Lyncourt Bakery if you wish to purchase one of their fresh baked pies, and maybe a little extra for a headlight doughnut.

Don't Edit

Pastabilities

Lovers of salty and sweet will find happiness at Pastabilities with their peanut butter pie in a graham cracker pretzel crust.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Sunny Hernandez | ahernandez@syracuse.com

Harrison Bakery

At Harrison Bakery, come for the half-moons, stay for the raspberry tarts.

Don't Edit

The Mission Restaurant

January says in Syracuse can be gray, but a sunny, citrus-filled slice of tequila lime pie from The Mission Restaurant may brighten your day.

Don't Edit

Kitty Hoynes

National Pie Day is not just for sweet pies. Warm up on a winter's night with a hearty shepherd's pie at Kitty Hoynes.

Don't Edit

Faegan's

Faegan's may have pies for dessert, but make pie your dinner course with this chicken pot pie piled high with mashed potatoes.

Don't Edit

Screenshot from yumyumsglutenfree.com

Yum Yum's Gluten Free Bakery

Yum-Yum's Gluten Free Bakery occasionally offers slices of pie in their cafe, but to ensure they have a pie with your name on it, they recommend special ordering in advance.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Picasso's Pastries and Cafe

The next bakeries on this list, such as Picasso's Pastries and Cafe, do not offer Monday hours. Still, they serve up an extensive list of pie flavors later in the week.

Don't Edit

The Sweet Praxis

Want pie, but don't want to commit to a giant slice? The Sweet Praxis offers hand pies every day that they are open with flavors like lemon curd, mixed berry, and apple cinnamon with a caramel drizzle.

Don't Edit

Murphy's Specialized Pastries

Murphy's in Manlius makes their cream pies fresh daily with flavors like lemon meringue, smores, and 'death by chocolate'.

Don't Edit

Heart N' Hand Bakery

A cheery sign that states "Pie Fixes Everything" greets you at the driveway for the Heart N' Hand Bakery. They offer classic fruit pie flavors like apple and blueberry, but their website warns to order early to make sure they don't sell out before you get there!

Don't Edit

Biscotti's

Located in Little Italy on Syracuse's north side, Biscotti's is home to cases of Italian cookies, cannoli cakes, and tiny tarts.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Eva's European Sweets

You will find more than pierogi at Eva's European Sweets in Solvay. Satiate your sweet tooth with a slice of mocha coffee brownie pie or one of their many decorative desserts.

Don't Edit

Screenshot from geddesbakery.com/

Geddes Bakery

Geddes Bakery bakes up a full list of classic fruit pies and cream pies. They also have special order pies with flavors like mince and Snickers cream pie.

Don't Edit

Nino's Italian Bakery

Nino's Italian Bakery ships their baked goods, but if you want a taste of their fresh baked pies, the only way to get them is to visit their storefront on Lodi Street. Try their fruit pies, cream pies, or one of their traditional Italian ricotta pies.

Don't Edit

Flour and Salt

If you can wait for your pie, place a special order from Hamilton's Flour and Salt bakery for a homemade Nutella tart or blueberry lemon pie.

Don't Edit

Photo courtesy of Fly Creek Cide

Pies across Upstate New York

Still hungry for more pie? Add these Upstate New York pie places to your travels to taste some perfect pastries.

Don't Edit
The Schweinfurth Art Center has been awarded a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, to support a folk art event at the Schweinfurth on October 5, 2018.

Schweinfurth is seeking traditional artists, musicians, and storytellers who have immigrated to Central New York from the Middle East. The goal is to highlight artists' traditional cultures in Central New York through stories, music, visual art and culinary traditions, and to celebrate the diversity of our community. The event will be free, open to the public, and part of October First Friday.

The Schweinfurth is working with consultant Hannah Davis, who is also the Upstate regional representative for the New York Folklore Society, to identify artists and plan the October program.

The Schweinfurth has a long history of providing folk arts programs that highlight traditional cultures of refugee communities. Programming has featured Odesa Ukrainian dance troupes, Bosnian musicians, Native American artists, Klezmer bands and African American Step Dance groups, among other local artists and performers.

For more information or to be considered for the project, please contact Davis at hdavis@nyfolklore.org or (270) 777-5960.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Saoirse Murphy-Collins wasn't surprised, at first, when she heard about the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

But then, Murphy-Collins said she learned more about the 17 people who were gunned down inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Murphy-Collins said the Florida school reminded her of her school, William Nottingham High School.

That's when she and her peers decided it was time to act.

"We need to step up before it happens anywhere else," Murphy-Collins said.

More than 100 students spoke out against gun violence at 10 a.m. Wednesday in Nottingham's gymnasium.

They joined the tens of thousands of students across the nation who participated in National School Walkout, a protest aimed at remembering the Parkland victims and pushing for stricter gun control.

The Syracuse teens weren't the only students who protested in Central New York.

About 700 students walked out of West Genesee High School Wednesday morning to gather for "seventeen minutes for seventeen victims." The student-organized walkout was held at 10 a.m.

About 700 West Genesee Central School District students gathered in silence this morning around the flagpole in front of the high school in Camillus, Superintendent Chris Brown said.

"Students organized an incredibly well-run, respectful and powerful 'seventeen minutes for seventeen victims' outside of the high school this morning," Brown said.

Student leaders read a short biography of each victim of the Parkland shooting as the victims' names scrolled on the school's digital signboard. Students also made T-shirts that they sold with the proceeds going to the families of the victims, Brown said.

"I could not have asked for a more respectful group of students who wanted to take the time to remember victims of the latest school shooting," he said.

Dozens of students also walked out of Oneida High School for a quiet protest on the Oneida school's snow-covered lawn.

Students at several Onondaga County schools planned to walkout this morning, but a snow day cancelled plans at Baldwinsville, North Syracuse, Fayetteville-Manlius, Jamesville-DeWitt and other districts.

About six F-M students showed up at the high school today despite classes being cancelled to hold their own demonstration, students said.

Between 50 to 80 Jamesville-DeWitt High School students who planned to walk out of classes today will do so Thursday instead, students said. The students said they plan to gather in the auditorium for 17 minutes to commemorate each person who died.

Several students from Jamesville-DeWitt and Fayetteville-Manlius also planned a protest outside Rep. John Katko's office in downtown Syracuse this afternoon.

Dozens of students walked out of Oneida High School in Oneida on Wednesday, March 14, 2018, as part of National Walkout Day. On the one-month anniversary of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting that claimed 17 lives, thousands of students across the country walked out of their classes to protest gun violence.

Students started to plan Nottingham's ceremony last month when they were still on winter break, said Lyn DeTore, the school's vice principal. Hungry to make a difference, the students approached administrators with a plan, she said.

For the Syracuse students, shootings outside of school are not an abstract fear.

There are people at Nottingham who have lost loved ones to gun violence outside of schools, the student organizers said. The students reminded their peers that homicides claimed the lives of 31 people in Syracuse in 2016 -- the deadliest year in the city's history.

Has'Zahn Grimes, 16, Nottingham's junior class president, said he and his fellow students wanted to remember both the Parkland victims and Syracuse's homicide victims.

"It's also about our city as well," he said. "Those people shouldn't be forgotten, just like those students shouldn't be forgotten."

For Nottingham's ceremony, students set up a circular fence of crime scene tape at the center of the school's gym. They then used masking tape to create outlines of splayed bodies on the floor.

Rylee Nash, 18, and her friends penned hand-lettered signs to hang around the gym. After writing "we call BS" on a bright sheet of construction paper, Nash said her generation is determined to push for change.

"There have been so many lives that have been lost," she said. "Someone has to stand up."

When the clock struck 10 a.m., interested students filed in for the ceremony. Linking arms and clasping hands, they circled the student organizers at the center of the gym.

The students read out the names of the 17 people killed in Parkland. Each victim's name was followed by a eulogy: Jamie Guttenberg, 14, was a dancer. Alex Schachter, 14, played the trombone.

When the ceremony ended, the students left the gym -- shouting a single message.

"Never again," they said. "Never again."

Staff writers Sarah Moses Buckshot and Elizabeth Doran contributed to this report.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a regular contributor to The Washington Post's PostEverything blog.

By Daniel W. Drezner | Special to The Washington Post



Rex Tillerson's tenure as secretary of state ended not with a bang but with mass confusion.

This precise personnel move was reported in late November, so anyone who is surprised by this really shouldn't be. By this point, in fact, anyone surprised by the reality-show nature of this White House's personnel moves has been living in a secluded oasis that I will very much want to visit after writing this.

But I have five immediate reactions to this piece of news:

1) Rex Tillerson did not have the worst policy instincts of the Trump administration.

Longtime readers are probably aware that I was not Tillerson's biggest fan, so let's start with the nice things I can say. Tillerson's initial impulse to maximize his face-time with President Donald Trump was sensible, given the lack of a prior personal relationship with him. Tillerson acted as a brake on Trump's worst instincts: The withdrawal from the Paris climate change accords, wanting to tear up the Iranian nuclear deal, a reluctance to give diplomacy a shot on the Korean Peninsula. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is the most competent policy principal in Trump's Cabinet, and he formed a close relationship with Tillerson. And Tillerson was not wrong in thinking that the State Department could be reformed.

That said . . .

2) This was an absolutely necessary move for Trump.

The most important currency for a diplomat is their credibility. If they say something will happen and then they are overruled by their boss, it's a problem (this, by the way, is one reason that diplomats always seem so cautious and measured in their language). Trump had undercut Tillerson's credibility on numerous occasions, and the constant leak campaign in the media that Tillerson was on his way out undercut his standing even further. To put this more simply: If you were a foreign head of government meeting with Tillerson, would you have taken his assurances seriously?

Pompeo clearly has a much closer relationship with Trump and has displayed more public fealty to him. That relationship will give Pompeo more credibility as secretary of state when he is speaking with foreign interlocutors.

3) Tillerson's legacy will be as one of the most ineffective secretaries of state in modern history.

I have has written a fair amount about Tillerson's incompetence and ineffectiveness as secretary of state. He was so incompetent that I called for him to resign in August. I would wager that everything I said in that column holds with greater force today. His influence within the administration waned over time. His proposed redesign of the State Department was botched, and botched badly. His incompetent management helped trigger an exodus of seasoned Foreign Service officers and crushed morale among the remaining diplomats. It seemed as though he could not visit a region without saying something that offended his hosts. There is no signature idea or doctrine or accomplishment that Tillerson can point to as part of his legacy. He was woefully unprepared for the job on Day One and barely moved down the learning curve. His incompetence undercut his ability to advance any worthwhile policy instinct.

Peter Baker and Gardiner Harris pull very few punches in their New York Times write-up of Tillerson's time at State:

"But perhaps the most puzzling part of Mr. Tillerson's tenure was his poor oversight of the State Department. As a former top business executive, his managerial skills were thought to be his chief asset.

"But he failed to quickly pick a trusted team of leaders, left many critical departments without direction and all but paralyzed crucial decision making in the department.

"He approved one global conclave in Washington just eight days before the event was to start, ensuring that few leaders from around the world were able to attend. He rarely sat for comprehensive briefings with many of his top diplomats and often failed to consult the State Department's experts on countries before visiting.

"Foreign diplomats -- starting with the British and the French -- said Mr. Tillerson neither returned phone calls or, with much advance warning, set up meetings with his counterparts. Strategic dialogues with many nations, including nuclear weapons powers like Pakistan, were ended without explanation."

We live in a politically incorrect age, so let's be blunt: Tillerson was an awful, incompetent secretary of state. Anyone who tells you differently is selling you something.

4) Pompeo has the opportunity to become a good secretary of state.

A competent secretary of state needs to cultivate ties with key stakeholders to succeed at the job: The White House, other Cabinet secretaries, Congress, the bureaucracy and the wider foreign policy community. As previously noted, Pompeo is tight with the president and has served in the Cabinet and Congress. The bureaucracy would ordinarily be wary of someone with his policy preferences (more about that in a moment). But Pompeo has the opportunity to build considerable goodwill just by, you know, properly staffing the agency and defending its budget a little bit better than Tillerson.

As for the foreign policy community, well, that's a thing, because . . .

5) U.S. foreign policy is about to get even more hawkish.

Pompeo is far more hawkish than Tillerson on an array of policy issues, particularly Iran. Tillerson's departure follows the exit of Gary Cohn, which means there are now two fewer voices in Trump's Cabinet advocating for the benefits of the liberal international order.

On one level, it will be impossible for Pompeo to be a worse secretary of state than Tillerson. But Pompeo might still prove to be a more dangerous secretary of state by enabling Trump's most hawkish instincts.



Elizabeth Warren and the new birtherism (Commentary)
Stephen D. Cannerelli / The Post-Standard

By David Figura l dfigura@NYup.com

Two Finger Lakes area coyote hunters were charged recently with several violations after shooting a familys dog on posted property at night. They said they mistakenly thought it was a coyote.

The incident and two others involving state Department of Environmental Conservation officers, occurred between Feb. 24-26, All specifics below were supplied by the DEC.

Don't Edit

Dog Mistaken for Coyote - Tompkins County

"On Feb. 26, ECO Jeffrey Krueger concluded an investigation by charging two coyote hunters with several ECL violations after New York State Police contacted ECO Krueger regarding a family dog shot by coyote hunters after dark on Feb. 21. The two hunters had been traveling to a hunting location in the town of Groton when one hunter saw what he believed to be the eyes of a coyote in a field and asked the driver to stop. The passenger loaded his rifle with one round, walked to a gated fence, and shot into the field. The driver then went to look for the coyote and pulled into a nearby driveway, where he discovered they had actually shot the residents dog.

Don't Edit

"A State Trooper responded, conducted initial interviews, and turned the case over to ECO Krueger, who found evidence indicating that shots had been fired within 500 feet of the complainants home and that the area was posted property. After determining that the dog, transported to Cornell Animal Hospital the night of the incident, was expected to recover, the ECO contacted the hunters and had them meet him at State Police Barracks in Dryden. Both hunters were cooperative and provided written statements. The driver, a Cortland resident, was charged with operating an artificial light with an unsecured gun in a motor vehicle. The shooter, also from Cortland, was charged with operating an artificial light with an unsecured gun in a motor vehicle, shooting within 500 feet of a dwelling, and trespassing on posted property. Both will be answering charges in the Town of Dryden Court."

Don't Edit

NYS DEC

Walleye Challenge - Fulton County

"On Feb. 24, ECOs Scott Pierce (above) and Jason Hilliard were on patrol at the annual Walleye Challenge Ice Fishing Tournament on the Great Sacandaga Lake in Fulton County when the officers came upon an ice shanty and two fishermen. A small opening in the ice had been dug next to the shanty to form a livewell, and a number of walleye and perch were stored there. Some fish were alive and others were not. ECO Pierce counted 13 walleye in the pool of water, which put the two fishermen over the daily limit of walleye. The fishermen said they were going to release the extra walleye after the tournament. ECOs Pierce Hilliard asked the fishermen to release the five live walleye back to the lake. The fishermen were charged with taking and possessing in excess of the daily limit of walleye."

Don't Edit

NYS DEC

Batting Cage Buck - Richmond County

"On Feb. 26, ECOs Mary Grose and Taylor Della Rocco received a call that a deer was tangled in a net at Wagner College on Staten Island. The officers arrived and found a young buck entangled in a softball batting cage net. White Buffalo Inc., was contacted for assistance and tranquilized the buck. After the deer was sedated, the ECOs removed the net and the deer was evaluated. Once the sedation wore off, the otherwise healthy buck returned to the woods on the college grounds."

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Ben Garver

More outdoors on NYup.com

DEC: 12 tips to keep dangerous or troublesome coyotes away from you or your pets

For more Upstate New York outdoors on Facebook, go to Upstate NY Outdoors on NYup.com. (We'd appreciate a "like.")
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer has asked the Federal Trade Commission to protect consumers holding Toys R Us gift cards that could become worthless if the toy retailer moves forward with a liquidation plan.

Schumer, D-N.Y., asked the FTC in a letter Wednesday to take action that would guarantee consumers could exchange gift cards for cash, even if Toys R Us liquidates and closes all 880 of its U.S. stores.

Toys R Us could file a court motion by the end of Wednesday that would set in motion the liquidation and closing of the chain after more than 50 years in business, CNBC reported.

Schumer, in his letter to FTC Acting Chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen, asked the agency to make sure the company follows federal laws in any liquidation and gives consumers the option to receive cash for their unused gift cards.

He said the company, after receiving new debt financing before the holiday shopping season, gave consumers the confidence to buy gift cards from Toys R Us.

"It would be a sad toy story if those same consumers got gamed by a Toys R Us closure and were left holding useless gift cards that were intended to bring a smile to the face of a child," Schumer said.

The Senate Democratic leader also asked the FTC to determine how many unused gift cards have been sold by Toys R Us.

Schumer was among the earliest supporters of a 2009 bill passed by Congress that established federal protections for consumers who buy gift cards, requiring the cards to be honored for at least five years after purchase, without any hidden fees.

Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Fayetteville-Manlius school officials told parents there was a rumor circulating among students that there was going to be a threat to student safety during a walkout at 10 a.m. today, officials said.

Students planned to walk out as part of protests happening nationwide to mark the one-month anniversary of the Florida school shootings that killed 17.

Superintendent Craig Tice told parents in an email. He did not share the nature of the threat. He said Manlius police investigated and determined the threat was not credible.

F-M announced it was closed today due to the weather.
NEW YORK CITY -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today his name "was never mentioned" at a nearly eight-week corruption trial of his former top aide.

Cuomo's former deputy executive secretary Joseph Percoco was convicted of three felonies in connection with a bribery and corruption scheme.

Cuomo was not charged or accused of any wrongdoing or criminal involvement by prosecutors.

Cuomo took questions on the trial from reporters for the first time today, dismissing critics and calling attempts to tie him personally to the case "political garbage."

When one reporter asked about Cuomo's personal involvement, here's how he replied, according to a transcript of the gaggle published by Politico New York:

"Look at the facts, right? We're in the political silly season and people can say whatever they want to say ... This was a two-year trial-slash-investigation. There was absolutely no suggestion ever made that I had anything to do with anything. It was an exhaustive investigation, and exhaustive trial, and there was never suggestion about any involvement by me. So when they raise political garbage, an insightful reporter like you will say, 'But that's not the fact because we covered the trial and the governor's involvement was never mentioned, his name was never mentioned.'"

In the first, four-day week of the trial, Cuomo's name was spoken 54 times, according to court transcripts.

Photographs of Cuomo were introduced into evidence as court exhibits.

Witnesses testified at length about Cuomo and Percoco's relationship.

Cuomo's chief-of-staff recalled a phone call between Cuomo, Percoco and herself, as federal agents searched Percoco's house when the investigation became public in 2016.

Read our continuing coverage of the trial

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
BELORETSK, Russia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mechel PAO (MOEX:MTLR) (NYSE:MTL), one of the leading Russian mining and metals companies, reports that Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant (BMK AO, part of Mechel Group) launched new ecological equipment in its high-strength wire workshop. The upgrade enabled the plant to stop using acid in wire production, bring industrial waste effluents down by eight times and ensure high-level effluent treatment. The Republic of Bashkortostans Prime Minister Rustem Mardanov attended the launch ceremony.



The new facilities were launched as Prime Minister Rustem Mardanov, Mechel PAOs Chief Executive Officer Oleg Korzhov and Beloretsk Metallurgical Plants Chief Executive Officer Viktor Kamelin pushed a symbolic button. The Republic of Bashkortostans Federal Service for the Supervision of Natural Resources (Rozprirodnadzor) regional chief Yuri Dudnikov and the Beloretsk regional administrations head Vladislav Mironov also attended the ceremony. After, the delegation toured the workshops industrial waste disposal plant where new waste water cleaning equipment was installed.

Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant began implementing the project of rejecting acid pickling in favor of best available technologies in 2015 as part of its agreement with Bashkortostans Rosprirodnadzor branch. The plant invested some 200 million rubles into the project. Two new facilities produced by Italys Promostar are the projects final stage.

The new equipment descales steel rod mechanically using scale breakers. During the descaling process, the rod first goes from the unwinding equipment to special rolls that clean off large scales thanks to bending. Small scale is then cleaned off the surface by metal wool. Before, the rod was descaled by acid. The new technology completely excludes several water waste sources formed during acid descaling and the following washing of the rod. Today, the workshops waste water volume is down eight times, from 2,400 to 300 cubic meters a day.

Before the new facilitys launch, the workshop has been prepared by shutting down the acid department, reconstructing drawing benches and installing a new water pump intake and a waste water treatment equipment that ensures industrial and stormwater effluents compliance with ecological norms.

This is a major event not only for the plant and the city, but for the entire republic. The plants transfer to this new technology not just minimizes, but completely eliminates negative ecological impact on Bashkortostans chief water artery, the Belaya River, Bashkortostans Prime Minister Rustem Mardanov noted.

Mechel Group is consistently implementing the strategy of transferring to best available technologies where ecology is concerned. Beloretsk Metallurgical Plants abandonment of acid and implementation of scale breakers is an important step toward this goal. We will continue with the plants ecological upgrade by implementing similar technologies in the remaining steel wire workshops. This will enable Beloretsk Metallurgical Plant to rise to a new quality level in ensuring ecological safety, Mechel PAOs Chief Executive Officer Oleg Korzhov commented.

The high-strength wire workshop produces components for steel structures and sleepers, spring wire for engineering companies and wire for the construction industry. The workshop accounts for 25% of Beloretsk Metallurgical Plants total hardware output.

Mechel PAO

Ekaterina Videman

Tel: + 7 495 221 88 88

ekaterina.videman@mechel.com

Mechel is an international mining and steel company. Its products are marketed in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa. Mechel unites producers of coal, iron ore concentrate, steel, rolled products, ferroalloys, heat and electric power. All of its enterprises work in a single production chain, from raw materials to high value-added products.

Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Mechel, as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements. We refer you to the documents Mechel files from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Form 20-F. These documents contain and identify important factors, including those contained in the section captioned Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in our Form 20-F, that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, the achievement of anticipated levels of profitability, growth, cost and synergy of our recent acquisitions, the impact of competitive pricing, the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals and licenses, the impact of developments in the Russian economic, political and legal environment, volatility in stock markets or in the price of our shares or ADRs, financial risk management and the impact of general business and global economic conditions.
NEW YORK CITY -- In his first interview with reporters since the corruption trial verdict, Gov. Andrew Cuomo dismissed critics and called his former top aide's crimes "a total aberration."

Former aide Joseph Percoco's behavior "violates everything that my administration is about," Cuomo said, according to a report by The New York Daily News. "We strive for total integrity and this is a total aberration from the people who work in the administration."

Cuomo's quiet presence was felt throughout the eight-week corruption trial of his former deputy executive secretary Percoco, who stood trial alongside three businessmen, including two from Syracuse's Cor Development.

A U.S. District Court jury in Manhattan found Percoco guilty of three felonies on Tuesday.

In some ways, the case put Cuomo's administration on trial, with multiple current and former aides appearing as witnesses, and good government groups and political opponents sounding alarms over certain practices within the executive chamber.

The trial showed that aides used private emails to conduct state business, lobbyist Todd Howe was involved in personnel decisions, and Percoco enjoyed the use of his state office and state-employed assistant while he was managing the 2014 Cuomo campaign.

Critics have said the evidence shows a "pay-to-play" culture in the Cuomo administration. The trial showed how Cor executives Steven Aiello and Joseph Gerardi wooed Cuomo with campaign donations and a Corvette fundraiser.

Critics have called for changes, including legislative reform and more oversight by Cuomo.

Cuomo called criticisms that suggest he was responsible for Percoco's actions "political garbage."

"This was a two-year trial, investigation," he said. "There was absolutely no suggestion ever made that I had anything to do with anything."

Asked about reforms and the evidence at trial, Cuomo said people who work in government should not be able to get paid by outside employers.

"The single best ethics reform, which makes everything else moot, is no outside income in government," Cuomo said.

He offered his explanation for Percoco's office use.

"When he left state government he would come back into the office to handle transition matter," Cuomo said. "He was there for a very long time. He was in an important position. And he would come back and he was handling the transition. Which is fine. But, there should be no other work done from a government office besides that transition work and in the trial there was a suggestion that there was and that's a violation of the rules."

Critics pounced on this statement.

State Sen. John DeFrancisco, who is running for governor, called Cuomo's comments on Percoco's use of the government office "preposterous."

DeFrancisco said the evidence showed Percoco made 837 calls from the office over 68 days, "within spitball range of the governor's desk."

"It is an insult to the intelligence of New Yorkers," DeFrancisco said.

In his public appearance, Cuomo also repeated sentiments he shared through a statement yesterday on his personal relationship with Percoco.

Daily News reporter Noah Goldberg noted Cuomo read from a slip of paper with hand-written talking points as he spoke with reporters. The governor took questions after attending a student walkout protest in Manhattan.

"On a personal level this is both sad and shocking," he said. "I feel for the Percoco family. He has two young daughters who are going to have to live with this trauma and I feel for them and the pain they are going to go through."

Read our continuing coverage of the trial

Public Affairs Reporter Julie McMahon covers courts, government and other issues affecting taxpayers. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
CALLICOON -- The state's largest community solar project has been completed in Sullivan County, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.

The 2.7-mega watt solar array with about 9,800 solar panels in Callicoon is expected to cut energy bills for more than 350 homes and businesses, according to a news release from the governor's office.

"An investment in renewable energy is an investment in the future and sustainability of New York's environment, and the overall health of this state," Cuomo said in the release. "This Sullivan County project will deliver energy savings to residents throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley region, while supporting the establishment of a cleaner, greener New York for all."

Owned by Delaware River Solar, the project received close to $1.3 million from the governor's $1 billion NY-Sun initiative, which is part of his mandate that half of all electricity consumed will come from renewable energy sources by 2030, the release said.

Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Luis Alvarez said in the news release that this project is an example of the governor and Sullivan County's commitments to being greener.

"We are taking the lead in advancing affordable renewable energy solutions, as well as in promoting community solar that benefits users and taxpayers simultaneously," he added. "Indeed, our Industrial Development Agency's innovative Community Distributed Generation Program has become a statewide model in how to encourage the growth of community solar while enhancing the tax base. This is a hometown success in every respect, and I'm thrilled to witness its debut."

- By Matthew Nanci, The Times Herald-Record, Middletown, N.Y.
ALBANY, New York, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research entitled Vision Processing Unit Market  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2017 - 2025, the global Vision Processing Unit market was valued at US$ 148.9 Mn in 2016 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 16.93% from 2017 to 2025, reaching US$ 605.4 Mn by the end of the forecast period.

Increasing adoption of machine vision systems across wide range of industry verticals including consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, and manufacturing

The Vision Processing Unit (VPU) market is primarily driven by the increasing adoption of machine vision systems across wide range of industry verticals including consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, and manufacturing among others. Various robots having vision capabilities are increasingly being implemented across the manufacturing and automobile industries for various purposes which include inspection of the products, quality check, assisting in the various stages of production, and security and surveillance among others. Furthermore, the growing developments in the automobiles particularly, the autonomous vehicles is anticipated to impact the market positively. Machine Vision systems are used in the automobiles as a part of advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) which leads to improved safety while travelling. Additionally, the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies required to program the systems is expected to assist the growth of the market. The implementation of vision processing units across all the above mentioned applications will result in high quality of images and ensure the better performance of the system.

Download PDF Brochure for Research Insights at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=40118

Vision processing units also are increasingly being used in smartphones for giving an exceptional photography experience to the user. The use of VPU in smartphones results in low consumption of power and increased battery life. VPUs are also used in wearable cameras which are used by adventure enthusiast, police personnel and security forces for surveillance, and in medical fields by the doctor to document the medical procedures being performed on the patient. Thus, the growing demand for low power consumption system on chip (SoC) circuits which find varied applications is expected to propel the growth of the market. However, the complexity associated with the programming of the system on which VPU is incorporated is likely to be a limiting factor for the market growth in the coming years. Nonetheless, Vision Processing Unit market is expected to witness several innovative and technologically advanced products in the coming years.

Get a PDF Sample at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=40118

Strategic alliances by the key players in the Vision Processing Unit Market can be seen to be a prevalent trend across the regions

The key trends prevalent in the Vision Processing Unit market are the strategic alliances of established as well as small players with their peers in the semiconductor segment in order to establish footprint in the vision processing and machine vision space and gain greater share globally. Many developments are taking place in the automobile industry for making the automobiles smarter which will drive the growth of Vision Processing Unit market. Also, major players in the electronics space are working for the innovation and development of technologically advanced products for better efficiency, operation and reliability of the systems in which they are implemented.

Get Discount on this Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=40118

Key players in the market focusing on the introduction and development of new products to gain a competitive edge and improve brand positioning

Key players in the market focusing on the introduction and development of new products into the market to gain a competitive edge and improve its brand positioning in the vision processing unit market. The key players profiled in the global Vision Processing Unit market include Movidius, Inc., Synopsys, Inc., MediaTek, Inc., Imagination technologies Limited, Lattice Semiconductors, NXP semiconductors, Active Silicon, Cadence Design Systems, Inc., Ceva Inc., VeriSilicon Ltd among others.

About Us

Transparency 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.

Contact Us

Mr. Atil Chaudhari

Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com

Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Research Blog: http://www.techyounme.com/
A Belfast man stunned doctors in Northern Ireland with a medical scan revealing a 3-inch air pocket replacing part of his brain.

What Is The Air Pocket?

After experiencing some pain in his legs and suffering multiple falls, an unidentified 84-year-old man visited Causeway Hospital in February. When he arrived in the emergency room, doctors learned that he lived a mostly healthy life and had no prior medical emergencies of this nature.

Although it is common for elderly people to occasionally fall down, the 84-year-old reportedly did not display other life-threatening issues such as slurred speech or confusion, according to a report about the case published by the British Medical Journal Case Reports.

To rule out other possible medical causes, the doctors performed a CT scan. When the results from the CT scan came out, the doctors saw a 3-inch air pocket in his right frontal lobe.

"(We) were all very perplexed by the images we saw!" Dr. Finlay Brown told The Washington Post. "In my research for writing the case report I wasn't able to find very many documented cases of a similar nature to this one."

In addition to the alarming air pocket, the CT scan also disclosed that the man had a benign tumor in his skull.

How Did This Happen?

Doctors diagnosed the man with pneumocephalus, which is the presence of air or gas in the skull. This rare condition typically occurs in the elderly.

The most common causes for pneumocephalus include a sinus infection or serious facial trauma. The emergence of air in a brain cranium following a major surgery is also commonly attributed to this condition.

However, doctors quickly ruled out these common causes as the culprit behind this man's large air pocket in his brain.

The physicians at Causeway Hospital determined that the benign brain tumor formed in his sinuses and corroded part of his skull, which pushed air inside. The doctors speculated that a small stroke may have also factored into the emergence of the air pocket that formed over several years.

These findings were disclosed in BMJ Case Reports on February 27.

pic.twitter.com/CqpEPuaEOP The man that lost (part of) his mind - a man presented to the emergency department following recurrent falls over several weeks and onset of new left-sided weakness. Read the case background, treatment and follow up here >> https://t.co/iFmkhjo1uj  BMJCaseReports (@BMJCaseReports) March 1, 2018

Treatment For The Air Pocket

Surgery is the most obvious treatment to remove the air pocket and to restore the man's brain cavity back to the correct shape. However, due to the man's age and current state of health, he is declining surgery.

While avoiding surgery does put his health at risk, the outcome is unknown because of the rare circumstances in this case.

As an alternative, the man is seeking treatment with statin and anti-clotting medication.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The growth of Fintech probably has not escaped your attention. Whether youre a customer making contactless payments or an investor weighing up CFD trading strategies, the impact of technology on finance  at all levels  has been significant. The Fintech revolution is far from over, too, with big scope for growth in a host of markets, including early adopters China, India and Australia through South Africa and South Korea, which have huge potential for greater adoption in the coming years.

Not only is Fintech affecting customer behaviors and attracting investment, its also helping to shape the global nature of the markets.

Disruption and innovation

The disruptive nature of Fintech helps us to understand its global reach and appeal. Startups in this field know they have the potential to capitalize on a trend that knows no physical bounds and can really shoot for the stars with a global audience. Put simply, a neat banking app designed in Brisbane might well prove handy for savers in Texas, Tokyo and Tallinn, too. The methods of distribution mean this can be pushed out to Apple and Android users with relative ease  and low cost.

Low overheads, small scale, modest budgets and geography once stopped businesses from being able to muscle in on the territory of multimillion dollar enterprises but technology has, to some extent, neutralized these factors, paving way for Fintech disruptors.

Blockchain and Bitcoin breaking down borders

A great example of the companys international scope comes with the example of cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin in particular, as the largest of these cryptocurrencies, attracted a lot of headlines last year as it shot up from US$1,000 to more than US$19,000 and it  and its fellow digital payment platforms  are a good example of the new promoted order.

Cryptocurrencies are decentralized and deregulated  operating outside of the traditional system of money which is closely controlled by central banks, governments and cross-border regulators. They allow users to sidestep the fees associated with currency exchange, making transactions simpler, especially in fragmented markets. This is already bearing fruit in Africa, for example, where blockchain based app, BitPesa is allowing for smoother transfer and business-to-business payments in the likes of Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda.

Ideas spread like wildfire

While business can transcend boundaries, ideas travel even more freely. Within Fintech circles, insuretech  and the ability to provide personalized products by using technology such as telematics  attracted a lot of attention, with start ups in a number of territories developing this.

Digital mortgages are also a product being offered in a number of territories. In Australia, Tic Toc attracted headlines through its instant online home loans while in the US, Blend attracted $100 million in funding, entering into partnerships with Wells Fargo and US Bank.

The rapid spread of ideas, decentralized digital technologies and disruptive technology that isnt constrained by geographical boundaries are helping Fintech have a global impact.

Edited by Mandi Nowitz
CALGARY, Alberta, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bellatrix Exploration Ltd. (Bellatrix or the Company) (TSX:BXE) (NYSE:BXE) today announces the filing of its Annual Information Form (AIF) for the year ended December 31, 2017, with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR). In addition, Bellatrix has filed its Form 40-F for the year ended December 31, 2017, which includes the AIF, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval (EDGAR) system. The AIF contains the Companys reserve data and other oil and natural gas information, as required under National Instrument 51-101.

An electronic copy of the AIF may be obtained on Bellatrixs website at www.bxe.com, on the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com and on the Companys EDGAR profile at www.sec.gov/edgar.html. A printed copy of this document is available by contacting Bellatrixs investor relations group at (403) 750-1270 or at investor.relations@bxe.com.

Bellatrix Exploration Ltd. is a publicly traded Western Canadian based growth oriented oil and gas company engaged in the exploration for, and the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas reserves, with highly concentrated operations in west central Alberta, principally focused on profitable development of the Spirit River liquids rich natural gas play.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Toth, CFA, Vice President, Investor Relations & Corporate Development (403) 750-1270

Bellatrix Exploration Ltd.

1920, 800  5th Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 3T6

Phone: (403) 266-8670

Fax: (403) 264-8163

www.bxe.com
ALLEN, DALLAS and LONDON, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xtera, a provider of innovative subsea fibre optic technology, today demonstrates the benefits of its advanced and unique approach by transmitting 120 Terabit/s over a single repeatered fibre. The experiment, which was performed in collaboration with University College London (UCL), used a hybrid distributed-Raman / EDFA amplifier with a bandwidth of 91 nm. This is an extension of the technology which Xtera currently deploys in its subsea repeaters, with 256QAM and adaptive FEC expertise coming from UCL and Z-PLUS Fiber 150 fibre from Sumitomo.



Increasing the bandwidth is the best way to get more capacity from a given fibre and the combination of a C-band and an L-band amplifier has been used to get bandwidths of approximately 70 nm, but Raman amplification used by Xtera can offer even greater bandwidth, while also offering very low noise. In recent years higher order modulations and more sophisticated FEC have been key transmission enablers, so 256QAM and adaptive FEC shows the direction that commercial modules will be rolling out in the foreseeable future. These initial experiments were performed over 630 km with nine broadband amplifiers spaced at 70km. In the near future, these will be connected to form a loop to allow tests over much longer distances. The capacity and span achieved today exceeds the previous record of 115 Terabit/s over 100 km by more than six times.

Dr. Stuart Barnes, Chairman of Xtera, in expressing how pleased he has been with the Xtera / UCL collaboration, states, This is the start of an exciting period of work where Xtera and UCL will push the limits of this technology even further, a possibility which doesnt exist for two discrete C+L amplifiers. I am confident that more bandwidth is not only possible but also practical, and more importantly, commercially viable. Xtera will continue to push transmission technology further in order to create products which meet the market demands of the future.

Professor Polina Bayvel, CBE FRS FREng, adds, I am happy that our state-of-the-art, high-speed WDM transmission testbed, developed through the EPSRC UNLOC programme, could be used to achieve record transmission throughput. This accomplishment has been enabled by many ground-breaking research developments in digital signal processing and amplifier technology as well as dedicated effort of outstanding researchers from UCL's Optical Networks Group and Xtera.

Details of the experiment and findings are available at www.xtera.com/learning/ and www.arxiv.org/.

For further details of this record and to understand how Xteras products can work for you, meet with the Xtera team at OFC, the Optical Networking and Communication Conference and Exhibition, taking place March 1115, 2018 in San Diego, California.

To learn more about Xtera, visit www.xtera.com.

About Xtera

Xtera is an innovative provider of subsea telecoms technology. The company supplies both un-repeatered and repeatered systems, using its high performance optical amplifiers to deliver traffic directly inland to cities. Xtera creates novel solutions that are suited for each individual customer whether that be provision of a system, an open architecture design or supply of a particular product or service. We aim to challenge the norm and to provide more reliable and higher quality products over new and existing routes. Xtera is a flexible supplier who works with a variety of partners to create the best solution for each project and every customer. For more information please visit www.xtera.com or contact info@xtera.com .

Media Contact:

iMiller Public Relations

+1 866.307.2510

Xtera@imillerpr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c95904b4-3f8f-4d88-bb27-7dc0fbdc1124
Las Vegas, NV - March 14, 2018 -UNLEASH America(formerly HR Tech World), the fastest-growing international show on the Future of Work & Technology, announced additional speakers and full agenda for its second conference taking place on May 15-16 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.



"The picture of the Future of Work gets clearer every day. It involves the use of Big Data and AI, robots and people. It is local and global. It requires college degrees and micro credentials. The Future of Work changes every day as our picture of the future gets clearer. UNLEASH America brings the most current - and most aspirational - thinkers, makers, leaders, and innovators together to make the picture clearer based on what we know today," says China Gorman, Managing Director, UNLEASH America.

Delivering unique content from the leaders, decision makers and innovators disrupting the world of work and technology via 100+ sessions and keynotes across 10 stages, UNLEASH America just announced Rachel Botsman, author, trust expert, visiting lecturer & researcher, Said Business School of the University of Oxford will take the Main Stage to address 'The New Rules of Trust in the Digital Age'. As the trust we used to put in institutions - government, banks, media, charities, churches - has hit an all-time low, Botsman talks of the age of 'distributed trust' and how industries critically reliant on trust must adapt to survive.
Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission
NEW ROADS  There was a sense of deja vu during Tuesday night's Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury meeting as parish leaders revisited a debate over the pending home rule charter for nearly an hour before ultimately killing a motion seeking to challenge the legality of the voter-approved measure.

Juror Edward Bazile was hoping he could get the Police Jury to agree to hire an attorney willing to challenge the home rule charter, which voters approved in November 2016 and which goes into effect at noon Jan. 12, 2019, creating a parish president and eight-member parish council government to replace the 12-member Police Jury.

Pointe Coupee Police Jury squabbles - yet again - over new home rule charter that voters approved in November NEW ROADS  A recent Attorney General's opinion regarding Pointe Coupee Parish's new home rule charter was at the heart of a debate Tuesday ni

Bazile received support from most of his fellow jurors who in the past have been vocal about their belief the charter illegally shortened their current terms in office by one year.

But Bazile's motion died on a 5-7 vote.

"Anyone with a problem with the (home rule charter) needs to pay their own money to challenge it," Juror Justin Cox said. "We can't sue ourselves, then ask the judge to overturn our own law."

The same issue was supposedly settled when the state's Attorney General's Office issued an opinion last year on the charter's legal authority to cut short the terms of the sitting police jurors.

"The home rule charter does not shorten the statutorily-mandated length-of-term of the police jurors; but rather, the citizens of Pointe Coupee through the ratification of the charter abolished the offices," the AG's Office said in the opinion.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

"Although the length-of-term provision found (in state law) controls while the position of police juror exists, the provision no longer applies once the position is abolished," the opinion says.

Several jurors bucking against the charter chided the opinion for a grammatical mistake but ultimately let the matter go after a majority of the jury said it was time to move on and accept the change that's on the horizon.

But on Tuesday those same jurors argued they still harbored the same doubts since the state's Constitution assures them four-year terms in office.

"Only one person can answer this and that's a judge," said Juror Kurt Jarreau.

A fresh voice of dissent came from J.A. Bueche, who was appointed on the juror after his wife, Melanie Bueche, died earlier this year.

Bueche got emotional as he read a letter to the jury that his wife wrote to a local attorney who was considering challenging the charter in court on the jury's behalf.

I worked very hard campaigning in 100-degree weather. I won fair and square. I feel as though I earned my term," Bueche read. "The only reason she backed off because she lost her fight  and she died."

In response, Juror Stephen Smith said, "I understand the hard work of a campaign. If people want you in there, you run again and theyll put you in as parish councilman."
English Dutch

Papendrecht, 14 March 2018

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) announces that CEO Peter Berdowski today acquired 50,000 Boskalis shares. The shares were purchased by Mr Berdowski with his own funds through a bank. This announcement is made in addition to the legal AFM disclosure requirement for share transactions by a board member.

This is a Boskalis press release on the grounds of article 17 paragraph 1 of the European Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014).

This press release can also be found on our website www.boskalis.com.
A Baton Rouge man accused of instigating a confrontation that immediately preceded the 2016 shooting death of two 19-year-old Southern University students near LSU was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison by a judge who said the man might as well have pulled the fatal trigger.

The gun Brandon Henderson fired into the air that April night outside The Cottages apartment complex did not kill innocent bystanders Lashuntae Benton and Annette January, but state District Judge Beau Higginbotham did not mince words when he said the victims' blood is nevertheless on Henderson's hands.

"You did cause their deaths, whether you want to believe it or not," the judge said. "Had you not pulled that gun out, we can definitely say Miss Benton and Miss January would be alive."

Henderson, 26, pleaded guilty in December to aggravated assault with a firearm and faced up to 10 years in prison.

+3 Baton Rouge man pleads guilty to gun charge in fight preceding killing of 2 Southern University students A Baton Rouge man who police allege ignited a confrontation that immediately preceded the fatal shooting of two 19-year-old Southern Universit

Police have alleged that Benton, a sophomore from Lake Charles, and January, a freshman from Gary, Indiana, were killed when Ernest Felton, 24, of Baton Rouge, returned fire at Henderson, who was shot twice.

Felton and Henderson were booked on second-degree murder counts and other charges, but Felton walked free in September 2016 when an East Baton Rouge Parish grand jury took no action against him on any charges. The panel indicted Henderson only on the firearms charge.

In taking no action against Felton, the grand jury left open the possibility that prosecutors could present their case against him in the future if more evidence becomes available.

+3 Grand jury indicts one, reaches no decision on second person accused in killing of SU students Neither of the two Baton Rouge men booked on second-degree murder counts in the April 10 shooting deaths of 19-year-old Southern University st

Benton's mother, Theresa Tillman, spoke at Wednesday's sentencing hearing and said afterward she hopes and prays every day that the killer of her daughter and January will be brought to justice. She believes that man is Felton.

Felton's attorney, Tommy Damico, has said his client acted in self-defense that night.

An emotional Tillman said from the witness stand during Hendersons sentencing that Henderson caused great hurt to my heart and life for his role in the shooting that took her only daughter from her.

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

Now I have to suffer every day without my child, she said.

Tillman pleaded with Higginbotham not to be lenient in sentencing Henderson, saying he deserves more than a tap on the hand.

Hes young. He still gets a chance. She dont get to come back and do it over. Shes gone, Tillman said of her daughter, who would have been a senior at Southern this year.

The families of Benton and January accepted posthumously degrees granted to the students by the school in May 2016.

Henderson apologized Wednesday for his actions on April 10, 2016, and said he wishes he could take them back. He also said those events opened my eyes and changed me for the better.

Everybodys sorry when theyre going to jail, Higginbotham replied.

Hendersons attorney, Neal Wilkinson, asked the judge for leniency and a sentence of probation, noting that Henderson is working and did spend four months in jail following his arrest.

Mr. Henderson reacted wrongly, Wilkinson acknowledged. He knew he made a mistake.

The judge agreed with that statement.

I dont think youre a bad person, he said to Henderson. I think you made a bad mistake.

Henderson told police his brother had been involved in a fistfight with a group of people outside The Cottages the morning of the shooting. Henderson later drove back to the complex on Ben Hur Road to meet up with his brother and drove up to a crowd with his brother inside the car, a police report stated.

Wilkinson has said the angry crowd surrounded the car, so Henderson fired a shot into the air in an attempt to extricate himself from the volatile situation. Henderson drove around a curve and into a dead end in the parking lot, and as he turned around and tried to leave, Felton fired at the car, striking Benton and January, the police report said.
Funeral arrangements were finalized Wednesday for the Zachary firefighter and reserve police officer killed Monday night in the line of duty.

The service for Deputy Fire Chief Christopher Lawton will be held at noon Saturday, March 17, at the Zachary United Methodist Church, 4205 Church St., Zachary officials announced Wednesday. There will be a procession to Clinton, where Lawton will be buried.

Visitation will be held at the church from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and before the service from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Can't see video below? Click here.

Lawton, 41, died after he was hit by a U-Haul truck in the parking lot of the Baker Walmart. He and another unnamed Zachary police officer were working undercover to arrest the driver of the U-Haul who was wanted on aggravated battery, said Zachary Police Chief David McDavid.

East Baton Rouge Coroner Dr. Beau Clark said Wednesday that an autopsy revealed Lawton died of blunt force injuries to his head and torso.

"It is with great sadness and respect we investigate any unexpected or traumatic death," Clark said in releasing the autopsy results Wednesday afternoon. "When our investigation involves the death of a law enforcement officer, it is particularly tragic."

Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

The driver, Albert Franklin, 33, was booked on first-degree murder and other counts, documents show. A woman who was with him in the U-Haul was booked on obstruction of justice.

+9 'Double hero': Zachary reserve officer killed Monday mourned as leader, 'giver,' dedicated family man A Zachary firefighter and reserve police officer was killed Monday night after he was run over by a man he was trying to arrest, becoming the 

Lawton signed up with the Zachary fire department in March 1996 as a volunteer and then switched to full time in March 1998. He served as a deputy chief in recent years and did arson investigations.

In 2008, he became a reserve police officer with the Zachary Police Department. He was fully certified and trained, but worked in the volunteer position part-time, McDavid said.

Lawton leaves behind his wife of 19 years, Shannon, as well as son Marshall and daughter Claire.

Local officials and first responders paid tribute to Lawton in the days following his death, including the East Baton Rouge Metro Council, which held a moment of silence at their Wednesday meeting. Each council member wore a lapel ribbon in his honor.

The Zachary City Council also held a moment of silence during their meeting Tuesday night.
Welcoming springlike weather, blooming azaleas add a pop of color to the Capitol Gardens dressing up the new State Capitol Building Thursday March 8, 2018, in Baton Rouge, La. The ice blue sky and beautiful weather may be the calm before a stormy legislative session that begins at high noon on Monday.
Harrahs postedhad a 6.3 percent gain in winnings to $23.7 million in June over a year ago. Overall revenue at New Orleans gambling halls rose by 6.9 percent to $51.3 million from $47.9 million a year ago.
UPDATE, 11 a.m., Wednesday

Students from around New Orleans conducted a walkout Thursday in protest of gun laws and to honor the 17 people killed during a mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month.

Scroll through the feed below for live coverage from today's school walkouts around New Orleans.

Can't see the feed? Click here. (Story with background below)

ORIGINAL STORY

Watching news coverage of the mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, school last month, 17-year-old Olivia Keefe, a junior at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, felt she needed to do something.

The next day, as she listened to survivors from the Florida school calling for action in the form of a national student walkout, she texted her friend, Louise Olivier.

Do you want to do something like this? she asked.

And when they got in touch with Ben Franklin's Student Council, they discovered they weren't alone in feeling they needed to act. The planning was already underway.

On Wednesday, one month after the Valentines Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Keefe and Olivier will be among hundreds of students around the New Orleans area expected to leave their classrooms in protest.

Scheduled for 10 a.m., the protest coincides with a national event intended to honor the victims of the Feb. 14 shooting and push for tighter gun restrictions.

Students across the country plan to stay out of class for 17 minutes to commemorate the 17 students and staff members who were killed in the Parkland massacre.

We have a voice, Keefe said in an interview on her school lunch break. There are all these people connected in our generation on social media. Were able to have these types of online relationships.

According to Empower, the group organizing the walkout nationwide, participating New Orleans schools include Lusher Charter School, New Orleans Math and Science High and the NET Charter High School.

Students from Homer Plessy Community School, Benjamin Franklin High and John Ehret High School, in Marrero, also plan to participate. Tulane University and University of New Orleans students have said they'd also join.

Empower, which is the youth branch of the Womens March, said more than 2,500 school walkouts are planned across the country.

Among their demands, participants want Congress to ban assault weapons, require universal background checks before gun sales and allow courts to take guns away from those who display warning signs of possible future violent behavior.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans said all local Catholic schools have been asked to hold 17 minutes of prayer  one minute for each victim  beginning at 10 a.m. It will begin with a rosary, followed by Our Family Prayer, the archdiocesan prayer against violence, murder and racism.

Response from Congress has been mixed so far, with plenty of lawmakers showing resistance to stricter gun laws.

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, the Republican from Jefferson Parish who was badly wounded in a mass shooting in June by a man with a rifle, said hes in favor of closing loopholes in the countrys system for background checks but is against a ban on weapons like AR-15s.

Millions of people have weapons like the AR-15 and use them to defend themselves, Scalise said in a statement. They have it for self-defense, which is the tenet of the Second Amendment, so that's one of the things that you've got to balance when you're looking at change in laws.

School district reactions to the planned walkouts have been mixed, too. Many schools are not only allowing students to walk out of class but are providing additional security to make sure protests are orderly and safe, according to CNN. Other administrators and officials around the country have objected to the disruption and threatened to punish students who participate.

Heather Harper, a spokeswoman for the Greater New Orleans Collaborative of Charter Schools, confirmed Tuesday that students from Lusher and Sci High will be participating in Wednesday's walkout.

Teachers at both schools will supervise students who choose not to participate, Harper said. Staff and security will be situated around the entire block, and an additional police officer will be on site during the demonstration.

"The role of the schools has been one of a partner, to ensure that students are both supported and safe," Harper said.

She said the Ben Franklin walkout will be a student-only event in the school's courtyard.

The Jefferson Parish school system issued a statement Tuesday saying that it will not prevent students from walking out or punish them if they do.

"The (acting) superintendent and central office leadership team met with principals to offer guidance as to how to protect students' First Amendment rights while ensuring campus safety," the statement said. "Schools are prepared to provide supervision to students who elect to participate and those not participating in tomorrow's planned activities."

The Orleans Parish School Board said it had "requested that individual school leaders discuss the situation and work with the student leaders on their campuses."

The next planned rally against mass shootings, dubbed the March for Our Life, is set to take place in Washington, D.C., on March 24.

Organizers in New Orleans, including local students, the Apex Youth Center and a local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, plan to gather that day at Washington Square Park in Faubourg Marigny.

Their Facebook page, where 2,000 people have expressed an interest in attending the event, says, We are a group of New Orleans students disgusted by the government's lax enforcement of gun regulation.
HIV rates among Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) are on the rise. Yet, until recently, little national attention has been paid to the issue. As anti-immigration sentiments and policies in the U.S. have certainly increased in recent years, is this having an impact on Latinx gay and bisexual men's vulnerability to HIV? While we don't know whether a direct correlation exists, providers and advocacy groups claim that the fear of deportation and the stigma associated with immigration may be driving people away from getting tested or accessing care.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although new HIV diagnoses among MSM held steady from 2010 to 2014, those among Latinx MSM increased by 13%. In 2015, over 9,000 Latinx people were diagnosed, and nearly 80% of these were among MSM. The CDC has estimated that if such rates persist, one in four Latinx gay and bisexual men will have HIV in their lifetimes.

Despite these alarming statistics, no particularly strong efforts have been made nationally to determine their cause. According to James Frencher, M.D., a resident physician with University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), one of the main reasons why gay and bisexual Latinx men are facing an increase in HIV infections has to do with "cultural factors and the effect of fear engendered in migrant communities of color."

Frencher says that a large number of Latinx MSM face challenges in getting tested, and, if they are HIV positive, in being connected to care. "The most common reasons are not being able to take time off work, lack of insurance, and fear of deportation when entering these institutions," he says. He notes that about 30% of his patients at his previous clinical site in Queens, New York City, were undocumented immigrants and, consequently, many were hesitant to see a doctor "because of the fear of [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)] raiding the hospital."

Related: The U.S. Has Allowed Back an HIV-Positive Mexican Immigrant Who Was Wrongly Deported. But Why Did This Happen at All?

Though we lack the data to prove a direct correlation between the fear of deportation and risk of HIV, Frencher's anecdotal evidence is revealing. During the period of increased HIV diagnoses for Latinx MSM (2010-2014), deportations under Obama's presidency were at an all-time high.

The situation under President Trump has certainly made things worse. Since his candidacy, Trump has tied his "America First" rhetoric to policies that would mean deporting more immigrants from the U.S., and he has reportedly referred to Haitian immigrants as "all having AIDS" and to Mexican immigrants as "murders and rapists."

President Trump has not just used anti-immigrant rhetoric, he's also pursuing anti-immigrant policies. He continues to press for a physical wall along the Mexico border and to pursue immigration and visa bans for specific countries -- most of which have thus far been blocked in federal courts. What is the impact of all this on immigrants seeking care for HIV?

Frencher says that, in his experience, many undocumented immigrants tend to see a doctor only if their symptoms get worse, and even then, many of his patients ask whether they will be able to go to work the following day. "People are afraid to stay in hospitals for long periods of time because they become easy targets for ICE," he explained. Thus, people are not checking in with doctors as often as they should, nor do they have the opportunity to miss work because they lack the health benefits afforded to others, because the Affordable Care Act prevents undocumented immigrants from accessing Medicaid expansion coverage or even unsubsidized marketplace plans.

Accessing health care is challenging for all undocumented immigrants, but a particular set of conditions are driving HIV infections among Latinx MSM.

The William's Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, estimated in 2013 that there are about 267,000 undocumented LGBT migrants living in the U.S., and it noted that "LGBT undocumented immigrants are more likely to be male and younger." An estimated 71% of these LGBT undocumented immigrants are Hispanic/Latinx. Another study showed that most Latinx MSM are HIV negative when they arrive in the U.S., and they have lower HIV rates than those who have been U.S. residents for five years or longer or are U.S. born. But, after they arrive, if they are in environments hostile to immigrants, lack health care access, and fear that health care visits will be sites for discrimination and deportation, their risk factors seem to increase over time.

However, not only the larger context of anti-immigrant sentiments and fear of deportation may be impacting the health of Latinx MSM. Luciano Reberte, LEAD program manager at the Latino Commission on AIDS, affirms that "migrants are prone to receive a late HIV diagnosis and lack medical insurance." But, he also notes an "increase in the use of club [party] drugs," making it easier for people to contract the virus when their their judgment is impaired. He stresses that many people partaking in risky sexual behavior in tandem with party drugs are doing so because of depression and a lack of self-esteem. "They are putting their bodies at risk and participating in precarious sexual activities because they are dealing with pain, such as family rejection or the fear of coming out as gay or queer," says Reberte.

The Latino Commission on AIDS is working to find solutions. It recently launched its own three-city study (New York, Los Angeles, and Miami) to identify the needs of Latinx MSM and improve their outcomes along the HIV care continuum. It is also looking to the CDC to help address these concerns. It has spearheaded a call to action, signed by nearly 100 national and local advocacy groups, to press for a CDC-led consultation with Latinx leaders to further address the HIV rates in Latinx communities.

Luis Scaccabarrozzi, vice-president of Latino Commission on AIDS, who helped prompt the call to action, says that while Latinx MSM HIV rates are of major concern, cisgender women and transgender women of color are also being included in the organization's advocacy. While addressing rising HIV rates among Latinx people will require additional resources, he notes that the Trump administration and GOP-led Congress will likely not want to fund anything that has to do with the assistance of people who are "foreign born and who have no legal status."

While a meeting with the CDC has not yet been scheduled, the CDC acknowledges that more work needs to be done.

"[The] CDC has worked with state and local partners for many years to reach Latino gay and bisexual men, but given the numbers, we may not yet have reached them as effectively as black gay and bisexual men for a number of reasons," says Elizabeth Davenport, CDC spokesperson. "In part, this may reflect the more severe burden and longer history combatting HIV among black gay and bisexual men."
Harrisburg, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Pennsylvanias largest credit union, PSECU, announced the upcoming retirement of its President, Greg Smith, following nearly 30 years of dedicated service. Smith will remain with the credit union through February 2019 before entering into retirement.

I consider it a personal honor to have been able to serve PSECUs membership for nearly three decades and do my part to uphold the people helping people credit union philosophy, as it is one I believe in fully, said PSECU Greg Smith. Following that philosophy  the legacy on which PSECU was founded  over the years, weve helped countless people achieve their financial goals. Im proud to say I contributed to those commendable and extremely worthwhile efforts.

Smith joined PSECU as its President 27 years ago in March 1991. Since that time, his leadership has led the credit union through a chapter of significant growth.

When Greg came to PSECU in 1991, we had about 190 employees, 162,000 members, and over $600 million in assets. Since then, weve grown into a $5 billion credit union with more than 850 employees and nearly 450,000 members. Now, we are Pennsylvanias largest credit union both in terms of membership and asset size, said Joe Sassano, Chair of the PSECU Board of Directors. On behalf of the credit union  our members, our employees, and our Board  I sincerely thank Greg for all of the contributions he has made to position PSECU for continued growth and success.

Throughout his over 40-year career, Smith held multiple positions that supported the credit union movement across the nation. Before joining PSECU, Smith worked at WesCorp FCU and Orange County FCU in California, Teachers FCU in Minnesota, and Michigan State University EFCU.

Additionally, Smith has contributed his time and credit union expertise to credit union organizations at the state and national level. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Credit Union Executives Society and on the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Pennsylvania Credit Union Association.

Preparations are currently underway to identify candidates to fill PSECUs top executive role next year. The advance notice provided will enable the credit union to select the most qualified candidate to step into the President role and efficiently transition responsibilities in a way that is seamless and undisruptive to the credit unions operations.

About PSECU

Opened in 1934, PSECU was founded by 22 ordinary people who made an extraordinary commitment to each other: To create a financial institution where pooled resources benefit all members. Today, we are a full-service credit union serving more than 430,000 members and have over $5 billion in assets. As a not-for-profit financial institution, our goal remains to help our members and their families achieve a better life. For more information about PSECU, visit psecu.com. View our Community Report Card to learn how we contribute to the greater good.

This credit union is federally insured by the National Credit Union Administration.

Equal Opportunity Lender.

###

Attachment:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a7e270bb-3f7c-42bc-bb04-1bf534836b18
VALLEY COTTAGE, New York, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manufacturers across industries are focusing on new product development and product enhancement to grab major hold in the global market. Different types of products are being shipped across major revenue pockets in the globe. In addition, manufacturers are focusing on enhancing their visibility through branding and product promotions. This has triggered the use of attractive packaging solutions. The adoption of composite cardboard tubes in packaging luxury and premium products is growing at a higher rate as they offer both safety functionality and appeal. These packaging solutions are widely used owing to the convenience they offer coupled with cost effectiveness. According to Future Market Insights, the demand for composite cardboard tubes is expected to increase at a steady rate throughout the period of assessment (2017-2026). By the end of the year of assessment, the sale of composite cardboard tubes is expected to reach a value of over US$ 2 Bn.

Leading players involved in manufacturing of composite cardboard tubes are focusing on enhancing the features of their products by incorporating more strength, higher flexibility and increased sustainability. Players such as Marshall Paper Tube Co., Inc., Chicago Mailing Tube Co., Paper Tubes & Sales, Heartland Products Group, Darpac P/L and Cactus Corrugated Containers Inc., are focusing on product differentiation and enhancing their product pipeline to cater to the growing demand for composite cardboard tubes worldwide.

Request a Sample Report with Table of Contents and Figures: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-4810

Cosmetics and Personal Care End Use Industry to Offer Potential Opportunities for Composite Cardboard Tube Manufacturers

The use of composite cardboard tubes in cosmetics and personal care sector is increasing at a high rate as compared to other end use industries. The rate of adoption of composite cardboard tubes in this sector is projected to expand at a meteoric rate of over 8% in the years to follow. Moreover, as per research carried out on use of composite cardboard tubes in various industries, the sale of composite cardboard tubes in cosmetics and personal care sector is poised to reach a significant valuation by the end of the year of forecast. Also, use of composite cardboard tubes in food and beverages has been high since past years. Sale of composite cardboard tubes in this sector is anticipated to touch a value of over US$ 890 Mn by 2026 end.

APEJ to Grab a Major Share in the Global Composite Cardboard Tubes Market

Numerous packaging companies are based in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and are targeting manufacturing hubs in the region such as India and China. These emerging economies exhibit favourable environment for several industries. The growth in the manufacturing sector in these areas has offered huge growth opportunities for packaging players. According to the research report, by the end of the period of assessment, APEJ composite cardboard tubes market is expected to touch a high market valuation of over US$ 800 Mn. It is a highly lucrative region for manufacturers involved in composite cardboard tubes.

Preview Analysis on Global Composite Cardboard Tubes Market Segmentation By Material Type  Paperboard,Corrugated Board; By End Use Industry Type - Food & Beverages, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Others; By Lid Type - Ring lid foil assembly, Ring pull style, Slip lid, Peel-off membrane: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/composite-cardboard-tubes-market

Ring Lid Foil Assembly to be Largely Used for Packaging Purposes

Composite cardboard tubes packaging comes in different lid types. Few of these include ring lid foil assembly, ring pull style, slip lid and peel-off membrane. Of these, the packaging solution with ring lid foil assembly has shown higher sales since past years. In the years to follow, this type of lid assembly is estimated to reach a higher sales figure of over US$ 600 Mn. Advantages such as zero spillage, higher durability and enhanced protection from external agents such as heat/temperature, chemicals and high loads are expected to contribute to the popularity of ring lid foil assembly.

Corrugated Boards to Gain High Traction in Various End Use Industries

With respect to material type, corrugated boards are gaining high traction in various end use industries. These boards offer several packaging benefits, for instance sustainability, convenience and robustness along with flexibility. The sale corrugated boards is rising across the globe and is poised touch a market valuation of more than US$ 1 Bn by the end of the year of assessment (2026) owing to high adoption of corrugated boards as compared to paperboards

Our advisory services are aimed at helping you with specific, customised insights that are relevant to your specific challenges. Let us know about your challenges and our trusted advisors will connect with you: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-4810

More from FMIs Cutting-edge Intelligence:

Gusseted Bags Market APEJ Gusseted Bags Market Bag Type: Side Gusseted; Bottom Gusseted; Material Type: Paper, Polypropylene, Polyethylene, Nylon, Biodegradable Plastics, Metal Foil; Application: Cofee & Tea Packaging, Bakery Product Packaging, Other Unprocessed F&B Packaging, Dry Processed F&B Packaging, Wet Processed F&B Packaging, Pet Food Packaging, Consumer Good Packaging, Other Industrial Applications: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/gusseted-bags-market

Bioplastics for Packaging Market Bioplastics for Packaging Market Segmentation Material Type - Bio PET, Bio PA, Bio PE, Bio-PP, Bio-PS, PLA, PHA, Starch Blends, Others (PCL, PBAT etc.); End Use Industry - Food & Beverages, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals, Consumers Goods, Industrial Goods, Others(Automotive, Electrical & Electronics; Application Type  Bottles, Cups, Trays, Clamshell, Films, Bags, Pouch & Sachet, Others: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/bioplastics-packaging-market

Barrier Shrink Bags Market Barrier Shrink Bags Market Segmentation By Product Type - Round Bottom Sealed, Straight Bottom Sealed, Side Sealed; By Material Type - Polyethylene(HDPE, LLDPE, LDPE), Polypropylene, BOPET, Polyamide, EVOH, PVDC, Others; By Barrier Type - Low Barrier, High Barrier, Ultra Barrier; By Thickness - Up to 50 microns, 50 to 70 microns, 70 to 90 microns, 90 to 110 microns, Above 110 microns; By Application - Food(Meat, Seafood, Poultry, Cheese & Dairy Products, Other Foods), Electronics, Cosmetic: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/barrier-shrink-bags-market

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 and an aerial view of the competitive framework and future market trends.

Browse More Packaging Market Insights

Contact Us

Mr. Sudip Saha

Future Market Insights

616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,

Valley Cottage, NY 10989,

United States

T: +1-347-918-3531

F: +1-845-579-5705

T (UK): + 44 (0) 20 7692 8790

Sales: sales@futuremarketinsights.com

Press Office: Press@futuremrketinsights.com

FMI Blog: http://www.fmiblog.com/

Website: www.futuremarketinsights.com
King George V and King Amanullah at the start of the 1928 state visit

State Banquet for the Afghan Visitors

(originally appeared in the Guardian, 14 March 1928)

The whole range of state rooms at Buckingham Palace were last night converted into floral arbours for the state banquet in honor of the King and Queen of Afghanistan [1]. There were flowers everywhere. In the banqueting hall itself rhododendrons, azaleas, and similar plants were massed against the walls; spring flowers were mingled with them, and daffodils, ranging from palest yellow to deepest gold, formed the table decoration. No setting could have been more fitting for the brilliant scene that was staged. The uniforms of the Afghans, the glittering orders of the men, the blaze of jewels worn by the women, the gorgeous medieval uniforms of the Yeomen of the Guard, could have asked no better background.

A glittering portrait of Queen Mary wearing diamonds, ca. 1930s; she is wearing the Koh-i-Noor Diamond affixed to the Cockade Ornament, as well as the Lesser Stars of Africa, the Cullinan III and IV Brooches (Wikimedia Commons)

The guests assembled in the Green Drawing-room, and the King and Queen [2] awaited them in an inner drawing-room. The King wore the uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet. Queen Marys magnificent gown was of silver tissue, with an over-dress of paillettes shading from opal to soft Persian blue. Row upon row of diamonds decorated the corsage. She wore a diamond tiara, the Lesser Stars of Africa as a pendant [3], and the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond [4]. Her principal order was the Almar-i-Ala, [5] the highest order in the gift of the King of Afghanistan, which King Amanullah conferred upon his arrival yesterday. She wore the ribbon, the star, and the collar of the order, and also the M.V.O. among other family orders.

A bejeweled portrait of Queen Soraya of Afghanistan, possibly taken in Germany during the royal couples 1928 tour of Europe (Wikimedia Commons)

The Queen of Afghanistan wore a dress of silver tissue oversewn with gleaming sequins, the effect in the brilliant lights of the Banqueting Hall being a moonlight on water. In her brown hair she wore a magnificent diamond tiara and she had ropes of diamonds about her corsage. Her arms were encircled with diamond and sapphire bracelets and numerous orders gleamed upon her breast.

A 1920s-era portrait of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth; she appears to be wearing the jewels (and perhaps even the gown) described in this article

The Duchess of York [6] was a dainty figure in a cream satin gown with a long train, both dress and train being embroidered with silver. Her jewels were a diamond and pearl tiara [7], three strings of pearls, and ruby, emerald, sapphire, and diamond bracelets [8]. She wore an Afghan order in addition to family orders.

The King of Afghanistan wore a wonderful scarlet, light blue, and silver uniform, with many orders upon his breast. The Prince of Wales [9] was in Welsh Guards uniform, the Duke of York [10] in the blue of the Air Force, and Prince Henry [11] in Hussars dress.

A portrait of Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, who was better known as Princess Arthur of Connaught during her lifetime (Library of Congress/Bain News Service/Wikimedia Commons)

The King, with the Queen of Afghanistan, led the way to the Banqueting Hall, followed by the King of Afghanistan, with Queen Mary, and the other guests. The King sat at the head of the table, the King of Afghanistan on his right and the Queen of Afghanistan on his left. The Queen sat on the right of King Amanullah. The left-hand neighbour of the Queen of Afghanistan was the Prince of Wales, with Princess Huriya Tarzi [12] on his left. The Duke of York was next to Princess Huriya Tarzi, with Princess Arthur of Connaught [13] as his other neighbor. The order of the guests on the right of the Queen was H.E. Muhammad Hassan Khan [14], the Duchess of York, Prince Henry, Marques Merry del Val (the Spanish ambassador) [15], and Prince Arthur of Connaught [16].

King Amanullah of Afghanistan in morning dress, ca. 1930 (Wikimedia Commons)

The famous gold plate was arranged upon the table and on the sideboards in the Banqueting Hall. During the banquet the string band of the Royal Artillery played in the musicians gallery at the end of the long chamber.

Among the guests were the Archbishop of Canterbury and Mrs. Randall Davidson [17], the Prime Minister and Mrs. Baldwin [18], other Cabinet Ministers, Lord and Lady Reading [19], Lord and Lady Allenby [20], Mr. Lloyd George [21], and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald [22].

At the end of the banquet the King made a speech welcoming his guest, and the King of Afghanistan replied.

NOTES

1. King Amanullah of Afghanistan (1892-1960) reigned over the country from 1919 until 1929, first as sovereign prince and then as king. Both King Amanullah and his wife, Queen Soraya (1899-1968), were progressive and forward-thinking, embarking on modernizing projects that ultimately led to conservative backlash. During the couples 1928 trip to Europe, which included this state visit, an uprising at home led to his abdication the following year. The couple went into exile in Europe, living in Italy and Switzerland.

2. King George V (1865-1936) and Queen Mary (1867-1953) of the United Kingdom sat on the British throne in March 1928. The kings health had been questionable since the mid-1920s, and in late 1928, he suffered an attack of septicemia serious enough that the Prince of Wales took over many of his royal duties.

3. The Lesser Stars of Africa are the Cullinan III and IV Diamonds, two of the stones cut from the massive Cullinan Diamond in 1908. They are often worn together as a brooch or pendant. (The Cullinan I is known as the Great Star of Africa, while the Cullinan II is often called the Second Star of Africa. Those diamonds are set in the Sovereigns Sceptre with Cross and the Imperial State Crown, respectively.) You can read more about the Cullinan III and IV Brooch over here.

4. Am I the only one who gasped at the thought of a British queen wearing the Koh-i-Noor Diamond in front of a King of Afghanistan? Today, that would be tantamount to a political provocation. (More on the Koh-i-Noor, which once belonged to the Kings of Afghanistan, over here.)

5. The Order of the Supreme Sun was instituted in 1920 by King Amanullah and discontinued in 1973. Appropriately, the orders star was shaped like a stylized sun, as were the decorations on its collar.

6. The Duchess of York (1900-2002), later Queen Elizabeth and then the Queen Mother, was the daughter-in-law of King George V and Queen Mary. In 1928, she was already a popular member of the royal family, known as the Smiling Duchess. She had given birth to her first child, Princess Elizabeth (now Queen Elizabeth II) two years earlier, and in 1927, she had embarked on a successful (and grueling) royal tour of Australia with her husband.

7. This is almost certainly the Lotus Flower Tiara, one of her redesigned wedding gifts. The tiara was most recently worn by the Duchess of Cambridge. You can read more about the piece over here.

8. These are the multi-colored, gem-set bracelets from Cartier, purchased for Elizabeth as a gift from her husband. They could be worn together as a tiara, set on a bandeau frame. Theyre now owned (and worn) by her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, and the tiara is one of my long-shot bridal diadem picks for Meghan Markle. You can read more about these bracelets over here.

9. The Prince of Wales (1894-1972), later King Edward VIII and then the Duke of Windsor, was the eldest son and heir of King George V. He was an exceptionally popular member of the family, and in 1928, he was busy with public engagements and love affairs. Two years later, he would meet Wallis Simpson, and his entire lifes trajectory would change.

10. The Duke of York (1895-1952), later King George VI, was the second son of King George and Queen Mary. He was a happily-married father of one daughter (the future Queen Elizabeth II) in 1928; for three years, he had been treated by Lionel Logue to help with his speech difficulties, and he had recently impressed listeners with his improved delivery during the official opening of the new Parliament House in Canberra.

11. Prince Henry of the United Kingdom (1900-1974), later the Duke of Gloucester, was King George and Queen Marys third son. A military man, he had been promoted to captain in the 10th Royal Hussars the previous May. Only a few weeks after this banquet, he got another promotion: his father created him Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, and Baron Culloden. A few months later, though, Henrys romantic life became a headache for his parents: he met the famous (and married) aviator Beryl Markham while on safari in Africa with his eldest brother. Henry and Beryl conducted a rather public affair for months, until King George decided to distract Henry with a series of foreign assignments.

12. Huriya Tarzi was Queen Sorayas sister. She later married King Amanullahs foreign minister, Ghulam Siddiq Charkhi (1894-1962), and settled in Berlin.

13. Princess Arthur of Connaught (1891-1959), previously Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife, was a niece of King George and Queen Mary. She married Prince Arthur of Connaught (her first cousin once removed) in 1913. Although she was a royal duchess in her own right, she used her husbands title after their wedding. Alexandra was a skilled nurse who worked in various medical facilities during and after both world wars.

14. Muhammad Hassan Khan was an Afghan prince who served in various roles in King Amanullahs court. In 1928, he was Court Chamberlain.

15. Alfonso Merry del Val y Zulueta, Marques de Merry del Val (1864-1943) was the Spanish ambassador to Britain from 1913 until 1931. The son of a career diplomat, he was born in London and had significant Irish ancestry (hence the Merry part of his name/title). He was also one of King Alfonso XIII of Spains English teachers.

16. Prince Arthur of Connaught (1883-1938) was a grandson of Queen Victoria. His parents were Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia; his sisters were Crown Princess Margareta of Sweden and Lady Patricia Ramsay. In 1913, he married another of Victorias descendants, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife.

17. Randall Davidson (1848-1930) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 until November 1928. His wife, Edith (d. 1938), was the daughter of another Archbishop of Canterbury, Archibald Campbell Tait. Davidson was the first Archbishop of Canterbury to retire; all his predecessors had died in office.

18. Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947) was in the midst of the second of his three tenures as prime minister in 1928. His wife, Lucy (1869-1945), was a philanthropist who advocated for advances in maternal care.

19. Rufus Isaacs, 1st Marquess of Reading (1860-1935) served in numerous government positions. In 1928, he had recently completed a term as Viceroy of India; he also served as ambassador to the United States, Attorney General, Lord Chief Justice, and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. His wife, Alice (1866-1930), was active in charitable work, supporting causes related to women and children during her time as vicereine.

20. Edmund Allenby, 1st Viscount Allenby (1861-1936) was a decorated soldier who became a Field Marshal after his service in the Middle East during World War I. He commanded T.E. Lawrence, and his character features prominently in Lawrence of Arabia. He and his wife, Adelaide, became Viscount and Viscountess Allenby in October 1919.

21. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) served as Britains prime minister from 1919 until 1922; in 1928, he was the leader of the Liberal Party.

22. James Ramsay Macdonald (1866-1937) served as Britains prime minister twice; in 1928, he was Leader of the Opposition as the leader of the Labour Party.
MONTREAL, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V:PYR), (the "Company", the Corporation or "PyroGenesis") a Company that designs, develops and manufactures plasma waste-to-energy systems and plasma torch systems, is pleased to announce today that PyroGenesis has been nominated to the shortlist for Materials Company of the Year at the 3D Printing Industry Awards 2018.



Nominations, and winners are decided by a public vote.

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/2018-3d-printing-industry-awards-vote-now-130133/.

We are truly honored to have been recognized by the industry with this shortlist nomination, said P. Peter Pascali, CEO and President of PyroGenesis. Notwithstanding the outcome, the fact that we were barely known this time last year, and now we are being considered, with such prestigious names, confirms that our strategy to produce powders, once again, for the additive manufacturing industry, was the correct one. As the inventors of plasma atomization, our goal is to continue to innovate and enable the industry to achieve new heights. We thank you all for the confidence you have placed in us.

PyroGenesis Additive is also pleased to announce that Mr. Massimo Dattilo, VP, PyroGenesis Additive, and Mr. Alex Pascali, Business Development Manager, PyroGenesis Additive will be attending the 3D Printing Industry Awards in London, England on May 17th, 2018 at which time the winners will be announced.

About PyroGenesis Additive

PyroGenesis Additive, a division of PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX-V:PYR), (the "Company", or "PyroGenesis"), the inventor of Plasma Atomization, specializes in providing plasma atomized spherical metallic powders with some of the most spherical, pure, dense, and highly flowable properties, which are highly sought after in the Additive Manufacturing (AM) and Metal Injection Molding (MIM) Industry. With PyroGenesis extensive plasma expertise, PyroGenesis Additive is not only able to convert traditional metals and alloys into high purity spherical powders, but also create specialty powders on an exclusive basis. The versatility of the process allows PyroGenesis Additive to quickly adapt to a customers needs in terms of controlling the Particle Size Distribution (PSD) of the bulk powder, it can produce any size cut with little to no waste which is game changing for the industry as it significantly reduces costs to the end-user. The metal powders produced by PyroGenesis Additive are ideal for the additive manufacturing, aerospace, biomedical, thermal spray, and metal injection molding industries.

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc. is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes. We provide engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, advanced materials (including 3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Our core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Our operations are ISO 9001:2008 certified, and have been since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian Corporation on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward- looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Corporation's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Corporation with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Corporation's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com, or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Corporation undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward- looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTCQB accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

For further information please contact: Rodayna Kafal, VP, Investor Relations and Strategic Business Development, Phone: (514) 937-0002, E-mail: ir@pyrogenesis.com

RELATED LINKS: http://www.pyrogenesis.com/
LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DreamHost, a global leader in web hosting and Managed WordPress services, has selected Shrikant Dharap to serve as its Vice President of Business Operations.



Shrikant comes to DreamHost with a strong history of operational excellence. Having served as both a Director of Finance and an Auditor for US Airways, and having held various finance and operational roles in industries as varied as packaging and warehouse management, Shrikants pedigree of success and well-traveled range of experience will be put to good use at DreamHost.

Ive been following DreamHost for years. Theyre an established brand with a well-known industry presence, said Shrikant. I see a lot of opportunities to grow DreamHosts reach and influence in the world of Managed WordPress, and I cant wait to dive in and work with the team to help them capitalize on all of the great work thats already been done with DreamPress to meet the needs of their users.

Shrikants extensive range of work experience and clear track record in optimizing business operations immediately impressed us, said DreamHost co-CEO Michael Rodriguez. We believe his strong financial background combined with his operational know-how will be a huge asset to DreamHost going forward. Were looking forward to having Shrikant contribute to our rapid growth in Managed WordPress.

Shrikant will bring his considerable experience to DreamHosts internal operations and will be an integral part of the organization as it expands its presence globally in the Managed WordPress industry.

About DreamHost

DreamHost is a premier Managed WordPress hosting provider, giving over 400,000 businesses, developers and content creators worldwide the tools they need to own their digital presence. Powered by a strong team of industry experts with nearly two decades of advanced web experience, DreamHost is a leader in Managed WordPress hosting. Supporting the open source community with dedicated resources and top-tier talent, DreamHost believes in the power of the Open Web and the people that make it happen. Founded in 1997, DreamHost has offices in Los Angeles and Orange County, California and in Portland, Oregon. Learn more at DreamHost.com.



Press Contacts

Kyle Peterson | Clement Peterson | kyle @ clementpeterson.com

Brett Dunst | DreamHost | brett.dunst @ dreamhost.com

 2018 DreamHost, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
"Yeah, sorry boss, I've had a sudden spell of 'there's a whole new season of the best freaking show on Netflix so I'd rather stay at home and binge watch the whole thing' so I won't be coming in, soz."

The Sinner has been renewed for a second season, and we also have a plot for the upcoming series, according to SpoilerTV.

In the wake of the Cora Tannetti case, Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) is called back to his hometown in distant rural New York to assess a disturbing new crime: an 11-year-old boy's horrific double-homicide & his seemingly inexplicable motive.

"As Ambrose comes to realise there's nothing ordinary about the boy or where he came from, his investigation leads him straight into the hidden darkness of his hometown and pitting him against those who'll stop at nothing to protect its secrets."

Sounds like this is going to be a Jessica Biel-less season though which we're kinda gutted about, but it seems that she is still involved in the show as a producer.
Arlington, VA, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Joint National Committee for Languages (JNCL) and the National Council for Languages and International Studies (NCLIS) has appointed Dr. Lisa A. Frumkes, head of Content Development for Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST), to its Board of Directors, it was announced today. Dr. Frumkes will serve as an at-large member for a term of two years.



I cannot think of a greater honor than to serve on the Board of an organization that has done so much in propelling world language learning into the national conversation, said Dr. Frumkes. Ive represented Rosetta Stone at JNCL-NCLIS Advocacy Days for the past four years and have witnessed first-hand the organizations dedication to its mission. The group pursues extraordinary and important work, initiatives that virtually no one else is tackling, and achieves outstanding results. I am extremely proud to play a part in it and look forward to making greater contributions in the future.

The mission of JNCL-NCLIS, along with its member organizations, is to ensure all Americans have the opportunity to learn and use English and at least one other language. The organization represents more than 130 national, regional and state organizations encompassing virtually all areas of the language field: the major and less-commonly taught languages, including English and English as a second language, bilingual education, the classics, linguistics, exchanges, research, technology, and translation.

"JNCL-NCLIS are honored to welcome Dr. Frumkes to our Board of Directors, said William P. Rivers, the organizations Executive Director. Lisa is a thoughtful colleague and a national leader in blended learning for languages, and we look forward to working with her on our Board.



Dr. Frumkes has worked at the intersection of languages, technology, and education for more than 25 years. She holds a PhD in Slavic Linguistics from the University of Washington in Seattle, where she wrote her dissertation envisioning the creation of an e-textbook for elementary Russian.

After receiving her doctorate, she worked with faculty at small liberal-arts colleges to integrate technology into their language teaching. Then, after several years as a linguistic architect and localization manager at the stock-imagery company Getty Images, she spent nearly 10 years at Apex Learning overseeing the creation of content for the high school market, including courses in World Languages, Advanced Placement, electives, high-stakes test prep, and English Language Arts.

As the leader of Content Development at Rosetta Stone, her team includes linguists, assessment experts, and researchers responsible for the creation of language-learning content. Since her arrival, her team has constructed courses on business English and Spanish for healthcare. One of their current projects focuses on preserving the language and culture of the Chickasaw Nation. The team has also constructed placement, progress, and proficiency tests in a number of languages, while conducting research on improving the use of technology in the teaching and learning of language.

Lisas professional interests are most closely aligned to organizations such as the Computer-Assisted Language Instruction Consortium (CALICO) and the International Organization for Language Learning Technology (IALLT). She has studied over a dozen languages, but finds herself most at home in English, French, German, and Russian.





About JNCL-NCLIS

In 1976, the Joint National Committee for Languages began as an informal coalition of eight national language teaching associations, and now has grown to over 100 members, including national, regional, and state organizations. JNCL is an entirely member-funded nonprofit education policy association, and it represents more than 300,000 professionals under its three-tiered governance. The most widely known JNCL activity is its annual Language Advocacy Day and Delegate Assembly in Washington, DC where members promote public awareness of language issues.

Since its creation in 1988, the National Council for Languages and International Studies has engaged in public advocacy on behalf of languages and international education. NCLIS is a nonprofit trade association that serves as an action arm for the language and international education community by translating professional priorities into national policy.

About Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone Inc. (NYSE: RST) is dedicated to changing peoples lives through the power of language and literacy education. The companys innovative digital solutions drive positive learning outcomes for the inspired learner at home or in schools and workplaces around the world.



Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stones language division uses cloud-based solutions to help all types of learners read, write, and speak more than 30 languages. Lexia Learning, Rosetta Stone's literacy education division, was founded more than 30 years ago and is a leader in the literacy education space. Today, Lexia helps students build fundamental reading skills through its rigorously researched, independently evaluated, and widely respected instruction and assessment programs.



For more information, visit www.rosettastone.com. Rosetta Stone is a registered trademark or trademark of Rosetta Stone Ltd. in the United States and other countries.








LISLE, Ill., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Midwest Real Estate Data is pleased to announce industry veteran Chris Haran will be joining MRED as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Haran comes to MRED from real estate franchise Coldwell Banker, where he served as Vice President of Field Operations. In this executive role, Haran led the companys strategic efforts as well as organic growth and marketing initiatives. Haran started out in entry level marketing at Coldwell Banker in 2006, working his way up to management positions before starting his Operations VP role in 2015.

This opportunity gave Haran firsthand experience with MRED, as he served on its Board of Managers from 2015-2017. During this time, Haran represented MRED on the Boards Technology Focus Group. These experiences and more made Haran an ideal candidate to thrive in this vital role.

Being a pioneer of technology is of the utmost importance to MLSs and I know that Chris is the perfect person to keep MRED at the forefront and push us ahead even farther. said MRED President/CEO Rebecca Jensen. Bringing in Chris is a huge milestone for MRED and our customers.

Haran is a 2005 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University. He also spent time as a mentor for the National Association of REALTORS REach program as well as Moderne Ventures, advising startup companies on business plans.

At MRED, Haran will create and implement the strategic vision of technology, a prospect that excites the Illinois native.

This opportunity is the perfect way to make the most of my passion for emerging technologies and connecting people, ideas, and resources, Haran said. MRED is doing big things and I cant wait to be a part of that.

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to more than 40,000 brokers and appraisers and over 7,300 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding "collar" counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers more than 20 products and services to its customers. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association, and for nine consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in North America by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/17d3c2b6-783a-4d0d-88cd-8b45d3cbeeed

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4aa7de2e-3b47-4287-a62c-3bbf3c82b4da
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 08:15 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9b2e15 4 Editorial #Editorial,Jokowi,peace-and-conflict-resolution,Afghanistan,Pakistan,Taliban,terrorist-group,South-Asia,diplomacy,international-relations Free

The Taliban has humiliated President Joko Jokowi Widodos peace initiative for Afghanistan by branding the plan as engineered by infidels. The group, identified as a terrorist organization by the UN, has vowed to boycott the scheduled trilateral ulema conference between Indonesia, Afghanistan and Pakistan later this month in Jakarta. In a statement posted on its official website on Saturday, the Taliban said the peace talks masked malicious objectives.

Jokowi, however, insists that the plan will go ahead despite the Talibans absence. He is eager to follow up on his visit to Afghanistan last month, by offering himself as an honest peace broker for the war-torn state.

Jokowis motives for advancing his credentials as a Muslim world leader from the peace-making effort is understandable because his political detractors brand him as anti-Islam, despite his efforts to help the Palestinians and Rohingya. His re-election bid will receive a significant boost if he can bring warring parties in Afghanistan, who have tried to crush each other for over 40 years, to the negotiation table to strike a peace deal.

The President must realize that he faces mission impossible, but he is out to turn it into mission possible with the help of Vice President Jusuf Kalla. The Vice President is experienced as a peace broker in his role when mediating reconciliation talks with the government and Aceh separatists, and warring Muslims and Christians in Maluku and Poso in Central Sulawesi.

Despite the noble aim, however, the government has to remember that the root causes of the protracted Afghan War are too complicated to deal with. Geographically, Afghanistan is far away from us too. The war has lasted for more than 40 years and involved major powers like the United States.

Afghanistan is a bridge too far for Indonesia. There is another threat to regional peace that is more up close and personal for Indonesia. Ending the genocidal acts against the Rohingya in Myanmar is much more pressing for Indonesia.

Indonesia is among the few neighbors the Myanmar military and government can trust and therefore give access to in Rakhine state, where millions of Rohingya have endured atrocities. Indonesia has won the confidence of Myanmars military, whose generals learned much from their Indonesian counterparts, especially during the Soeharto era.

Myanmars de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi can hardly stop the crimes against humanity not only because the military holds significant power but also because of the hatred against minority groups in the predominantly Buddhist nation. As a leading member of ASEAN, Indonesia deserves a key role in coordinating international peace-making efforts in Myanmar. Convincing the military to end the suffering of the Rohingya and restore peace in Myanmar is imperative for Indonesia.

Jokowis loud and clear support for Palestinian independence has won domestic and international praise and his attempts to solve the Rohingya crisis, though a work in progress, is yet another landmark of his diplomatic record. Afghanistan is simply too remote for Indonesia.
By beating London and New York, Singapore has emerged top in a global smart city performance ranking in 2017, according to a study by market researcher Juniper Research.

The Global Smart City Performance Index - sponsored by global technology player Intel, - ranks the top 20 global smart cities in terms of the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and connected services across four key areas: mobility, healthcare, public safety and productivity.

Juniper found from the study that smart cities have the potential to save individuals about 125 hours every year.

Said Windsor Holden, Juniper Research's head of forecasting and consultancy: "We can't overlook the importance of the real human benefits that smart cities have. Connected communities, municipal services and processes have a powerful impact on a citizen's quality of life."

Of the cities surveyed, Singapore not only ranked as the top "smart city" but also came out tops in all of the key areas measured.

The study noted that Singapore's Smart Nation initiative and its position as a city-state make the country unique in its ability to execute its smart city vision.

With regard to mobility, the study revealed that the use of IoT-enabled infrastructure in Singapore, such as applied smart and connected traffic solutions used by the Land Transport Authority, may save drivers up to 60 hours a year.

Read also: Singapore, Japan now ranked world's most powerful passports in global index

San Francisco and London were ranked second and third in this area for their respective efforts to use technology solutions to curb mobility-related issues such as traffic congestion.

In healthcare, the study found that smart cities with connected digital health services, such as wearable apps that monitor blood pressure, can save individuals close to 10 hours a year. "Singapore and Seoul were notable in terms of their focus on addressing healthcare service provision for elderly citizens through a range of technologies, including digital service platforms as well as remote monitoring devices," Juniper said.

Improvements in public safety through the use of IoT technologies may result in time saved for individuals residing in cities, according to the study. Juniper found that implementing such technology, for instance Singapore's trial and use of smart video surveillance, can result in substantial time benefits of nearly 35 hours per year for citizens.

Productivity gains from encouraging digital innovation to address urban planning challenges, and the ability for citizens to access digital services and city information, were deemed to be critical in improving citizens' productivity in the study.

Singapore, London and Chicago were found to be leaders in this area, each with large open data stores alongside strategies to encourage private innovation, Juniper noted.

Said Sameer Sharma, Intel's global general manager of Smart Cities IoT solutions: "Cities are engines of economic activity, and we as an industry need to make them more resilient and responsive.

"Partnerships between city planners, government officials, private companies, OEMs (original equipment manufacturers), software developers and startups are creating smart city ecosystems that will empower citizens while reducing our carbon footprint."
Pianist and composer Ananda Sukarlan wasted no time, immediately striking the ivories after walking onto the stage at the ballroom of JS Luwansa Hotel in South Jakarta early this month. The first piece of his Differences Unite concert was a creative take on the song Indonesia Pusaka.

The concerts theme focused on people with disabilities, both mental and physical. Diagnosed with Tourettes and Aspergers himself, Ananda is a prime example of a person who has not been held back by his shortcomings.

In fact, Ananda is adamant that it is his disabilities that have allowed him to become the accomplished composer he is today. He explains that because of his Aspergers syndrome, the cells in his brain are not evenly distributed.

In my case, it is all crumpled into the musical part. I cannot tie my shoes because a part of the brain doesnt allow me to. I cannot drive because a part of the brain does not function.

Read also: Ananda Sukarlan shares his views on social media

Following the opening piece, he thanked the audience for coming. Then, after jokingly warning the audience not to walk out of the room or else suffer the consequences, Ananda introduced two young guest performers, both of whom are on the autism spectrum. Steven, one of the performers, joined him for the second piece of the concert.

There was not a whisper in the audience when Steven sat down quietly and stoically before playing JS Bachs Invention #8.

Both of the guest performers were selected after taking part in Anandas international piano competition. For the past two years, the competition has included a category for children with mental disabilities.

After Steven dutifully bowed and left the stage, Ananda himself continued with an interpretation of childrens song Balonku Ada Lima (My Five Balloons). In the middle of the song, he cheekily banged his elbows on the piano.

One of them exploded, he said, grinning.

Ananda then addressed the audience in a more serious tone when he explained his dif-ability concept. He says he likes the term, which is short for different ability, because it more accurately describes musicians like himself.

Thoughtful rendition: Pianist and composer Ananda Sukarlan gives a piano recital titled Differences Unite at JS Luwansa Hotel in South Jakarta on March 5. (JP/Frans Snackers)

To that effect, years ago, he participated in a project that aimed to make music more accessible to people with physical disabilities by making the piano more accessible to those for whom it was not designed for. However, he felt the resulting musical pieces were too easy. To provide a challenge for those who can only play with their left hand, Ananda composed Rapsodia #15.

[...] But with your eyes closed, you should not be able to hear that this music is played with just one hand.

Nobody in the audience had their eyes closed during the entire piece; everyone felt the need to check whether Ananda was using both hands.

Next, he played Lonely Child and Rapsodia Nusantara #16 before introducing Basmarrahman, the second guest performer, to the stage.

Basmarrahman, who is on the autism spectrum and also suffers from Tourettes syndrome, played the first movement of Beethovens Moonlight Sonata, in lieu of Anandas own play on the sonata, which will premiere later in South Korea.

Following Basmarrahmans rendition, Ananda geared up for his finale, which was dedicated to his mother and to former Jakarta governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, who served as its inspiration.

The song, Ambilkan Bulan, Bu, Untuk Menerangi Jakarta (Bring me the Moon, Mom, to Illuminate Jakarta), a unique interpretation of AT Mahmuds Ambilkan Bulan, Bu, received a standing ovation.

The concert was as much a showcase of inclusivity as it was a running commentary on current events in which Ananda had his own fair share of attention. The musician was in the spotlight on social media after he walked out during a speech delivered by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan at a Canisius College anniversary event last year.

As he prepared to give an encore by playing his Rapsodia Nusantara #8, Ananda spotted some attendees leaving and so he threw out a joke.

You are walking out! Is there a reporter here? Somebody is walking out!

***

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
Yogyakarta's annual art exhibition ART|JOG is set to return on May 4, and will run until June 4. The event will once again take place at the Jogja National Museum (JNM), which used to be the building of Indonesia's Fine Arts Academy.

The theme this year is Enlightenment: Towards Various Futures, and will showcase the works of 40 invited local and international artists, including participants from the Philippines, Singapore and China, according to a statement issued to The Jakarta Post.

The statement further noted that enlightenment, for the event, is interpreted as a momentum that can free humans from the isolation of the cult and the triumph of rationality.

"By taking the spirit of enlightenment, hopefully art can strengthen the critical point of view in regarding the reality with all its problems around us; encouraging us not to use the singular point of view in order to be able to stare at and to deliver human being into the various futures," the statement said.

Read also: 10th ART|JOG: Provokes changing perspectives

In addition to the invited artists, ART|JOG had also made an open call for potential young artists, where the artist Mulyana would be featured.

"The Curator Team believes that Mulyana, over the last three years, has shown himself to be a young artist who keeps on revealing his best potential through his craft," the statement said.

It further noted that Mulyana's art is in line with this year's theme, as his work on characters under the sea reflects a curiosity to broaden horizons by presenting a unique kind of beauty and mystery. (liz/mut)
Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo announced Tuesday that it has raised around $850 million from investors including e-commerce giant Alibaba, to finance its overseas expansion while it battles rivals in China.

Ofo, whose lemon-yellow bicycles are ubiquitous in Chinese cities, said on the social network Weibo that it had raised $866 million dollars.

The consortium of investors was led by Alibaba, China's top online shopping conglomerate which also contributed to the 700 million dollars raised by Ofo in July 2017.

The latest cash injection will allow Ofo to expand its overseas presence. The company has already made inroads into France, Japan and the US, and says it is operational in around 20 countries.

It is also fighting to increase its market share in China, where it is competing against its local rival Mobike -- backed by another Chinese internet giant, Tencent.

The bulk of China's vast and rapidly growing bike-sharing market is shared between the two companies, which compete with each other by offering subsidies and extremely low fares.

Mobike, Ofo and others are tapping into the sharing economy ethic behind Airbnb and ride-hailing apps such as Uber, and targeting China's 700 million mobile phone users, who increasingly use their smartphone for transactions.

The bikes are unlocked using an app and cost as little as one yuan (15 cents) an hour.

Read also: Cycling community urges city to improve road safety

Not everyone is happy with the service, though, which allows bikes to be left anywhere. Careless users often park the bicycles haphazardly on footpaths and roads
Burgundy is the home of Pinot Noir, a red-wine grape variety. Although only one-fifth of the size of Bordeaux -which is dubbed the worlds major wine industry capital- Burgundy has more than 700 appellations, while Bordeaux has 50.

Chambertin, a Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Cote de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, produces wine that was a favorite of Napoleon Bonaparte. This story has been heard among the wine enthusiasts, and was recalled by Christophe Thomas, the export director of Maison Joseph Drouhin from Burgundy.

Burgundy has been producing wines for more than 2,000 years, [while] Bordeaux only started in the 12th century so we [in Burgundy] have lots more experience. Burgundy was the drink of kings and emperors. Napoleons favorite wine is from Chambertin, said Thomas to The Jakarta Post during the Joseph Drouhin wine dinner at VIN+, Plaza Senayan Arcadia.

Hailing from the home of pinot noir, Maison Joseph Drouhin presented three pinot noir wines that evening, along with one chardonnay.

The wines were paired with the culinary creations of chef Djoko Sarwono of VIN+ Arcadia and chef Deni Sugiarto from VIN+ Kemang.

Us French people always think about the types of food that match with the wine, and we dont really drink wine without food. Like its more about food matching than just sipping wine, said Thomas.

Christophe Thomas, export director of Joseph Drouhin (VIN+/File)

He went on to say that Burgundy had strong gastronomy and viticulture. Unsurprisingly, a lot of traditional dishes from the region are cooked with wine. Thomas cooks beef bourguignon with pinot noir and shares a few other names of traditional dishes cooked with wine such as oeuf en meurette (eggs poached in red wine sauce) and pochouse (river fish poached in wine).

Meanwhile, the foods presented by VIN+ to match Joseph Drouhin wines that evening were just as enticing. Amuse bouche was poached foie gras with red wine apple comfort and edible flower, and paired with champagne.

Thomas commented that Maison Joseph Drouhin do not do sparkling, although Cremants de Bourgogne -sparkling wines from Burgundy- has been a very good business for the past 10-13 years.

Really fantastic business to go to, but this is just not us. We have the luxury to be strong enough with the wine and not go for that, said Thomas.

Read also: French cremants are a delicious, sparkling champagne alternative

The dinner menu continued with tomato crab salad that was exquisitely paired with Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2011. The freshness of heirloom tomato and crab meat was enhanced by the chardonnay that evokes aromas of almond, warm bread just out of the oven, fine spices and grilled dried fruit.

The following three courses were paired with three different pinot noir wines. Mushroom risotto with Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, roasted pigeon with Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Proces, and smoked grilled full blood sirloin with Chambertin Clos de Beze. All wines are 2011 vintage.

Wine connoisseurs enjoying Joseph Drouhin dinner at VIN+ Plaza Senayan Arcadia (VIN+/File)

Founded in 1880 by the 22-year-old Joseph Drouhin, Maison Joseph Drouhin has expanded to Oregon, United States, with the establishment of Domaine Drouhin Oregon (DDO) in the late 1980s and Roserock Drouhin Oregon in 2013.

Oregon has a similar altitude to Burgundy, yet a completely different type of soil that gives the wine a different character. Thomas noted that if the wine was tasted, similar characters could be found to the wines produced in Burgundy.

Drouhin is proud to be pioneer of the Burgundian winemaker in Oregon, with 10-15 winemakers from Burgundy having visited Oregon in the past five to 10 years. They come because Oregon grabbed recognition worldwide for producing some of the nicest pinot noir in the world, said Thomas.

The estate labeled their wines American soil, French soul and claimed that they have this kind of extra touch of elegance, like they do in Burgundy.

When you are interested in wine, you want to taste different things. [Wine connoisseurs] want to find themselves probably some good surprises. And thats the case for Oregon, great surprise when you never taste Oregon before, Thomas concluded.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 11:06 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9b906f 4 Business bri,loss,fund,Blitar,East-Jakarta Free

Another customer of state-owned lender PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) in Blitar, East Java, has reported that money in his BRI account was withdrawn by unknown person.

I lost Rp 39.5 million (US$2,876), Lukas from Blitar, who works at a resort in Perak, Malaysia, said on Wednesday through a phone call, as reported by tempo.co.

Lukas said he knew he had lost some money when his wife, who was out of town and left the ATM cards at home, asked his brother to check the balance at an ATM.

She wanted to check the balance following frequent reports of ATM fraud. Lukas said his wife had told him that only Rp 300,000 was left in the BRI account.

On Monday, dozens of BRI customers in Kediri, East Java reported a loss of funds.

Elvina, said she learned that Rp 500,000 had been withdrawn from her account after receiving an SMS message from the bank. Meanwhile, Mujiyat said he discovered that Rp 10 million had been withdrawn by an unknown man when he checked with the bank after he could not withdraw any money because he had surpassed his daily limit even though he had not made any withdrawals.

The National Polices cybercrime division is investigating the case. (bbn)
ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The North American Network Operators Group (NANOG), an association of Internet engineering, architecture and operations professionals, today announces the appointment of Edward McNair as its new Executive Director. In this role, Mr. McNair will provide leadership for NANOGs growth strategy, operations, member services and educational programs, and marketing communications. In addition, he will be responsible for oversight of the associations events, sponsorship, partnership development, technology tools, as well as governance policies and practices.



Mr. McNair is the co-founder of Kaskadian, an agency that provides branding, marketing and sales support, as well as Webcasting services. Prior to Kaskadian, he served as Chief Executive Officer for Verilan, an IT company that delivered just-in-time, enterprise quality networks, and he also held executive roles where Mr. McNair served as a Creative Director for the WiMAX Forum, a global Internet and telecom consortium. Mr. McNair is a dedicated Internet enthusiast, previously providing consulting and corporate development services to such organizations as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Intel and Facebook.

After a year-long search spearheaded by a Board-appointed Executive Search Committee, it is with great pleasure that we appoint Edward McNair as NANOGs new Executive Director, states Chair of NANOG Executive Director Search Committee and NANOG Treasurer, Will Charnock. Edward possesses a rare hybrid of technical expertise and marketing experience serving global brands and international associations that support the Internet, which we anticipate will be an immediate asset to guiding NANOG through its next phase of evolution. At the same time, we express our deep gratitude to Betty Burke, NANOGs previous Executive Director, whose dedication and tireless energy was responsible for pivotal organizational milestones and a significant increase in member and sponsor participation during her tenure.

Betty Burke will remain with NANOG during the transition of the organizations leadership. In 2010, Ms. Burke was instrumental in the transition of NANOG from the Merit Network, Inc. to NewNOG, Inc., which was officially incorporated as a 501(c)(3) educational, nonprofit, membership-based organization. Since then, attendance at NANOG meetings has grown nearly 60 percent.

The appointment of Mr. McNair to Executive Director was recommended by a NANOG subcommittee that included Greg Dendy, Director Product Manager, Interconnection for Equinix, along with two members of the Board of Directors, William Charnock as Chair of the Executive Director Search Committee and David Temkin, VP of Network at Netflix. The Executive Director reports to the entire Board which also includes Chair, Ryan Donnelly, Senior Director of Network Engineering at Salesforce; Vice Chair, Patrick Gilmore; Program Committee Chair, Ryan Woolley, Director of Global Network Architecture at Netflix; and Members, L. Sean Kennedy, Verizon; and Tina Morris, Technical Business Developer at Amazon Web Services.

It is an honor to be named the new Executive Director of NANOG, a community that I have been part of for many years, comments Mr. McNair. Given the rise in Over-the-Top video, Big Data, social media and the mobile space, as well as the advent of the IoT and smart cities, NANOG is expected to significantly increase its membership and sponsorship base as the Internet continues its exponential growth over the coming years. I look forward to working with the NANOG Board of Directors as we further expand this vital meeting point for professionals who make the Internet work.

Mr. McNairs first meeting as NANOGs new Executive Director will be at NANOG 73, taking place June 25-27, 2018, in Denver, Colorado. NANOG 73 is sponsored by CoreSite Realty Corporation (NYSE:COR), a premier provider of secure, reliable, high-performance data center and interconnection solutions across the U.S.

To learn more about NANOG, please visit www.nanog.org.

About NANOG

The North American Network Operators Group (NANOG) is an association of Internet engineering, architecture and operations professionals. NANOGs core focus is on continuous improvement of the data transmission technologies, practices, and facilities that make the Internet function. Our members are typically drawn from the core engineering and product staffs of the major North American carriers, content providers, hosting and cloud companies, multi-tenant data centers, and interconnection service providers. NANOG is governed by the NANOG Board of Directors, elected by the membership, every two years. NANOG is a membership organization organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

MEDIA CONTACT:

iMiller Public Relations for NANOG

Tel: +1 866 307 2510

nanog@imillerpr.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ddb21b75-ee9d-4453-907c-880a14858ca8
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 19:57 1286 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9da41a 1 City hacker,arrest,Jakarta-police,students Free

Three suspected hackers from the Surabaya Black Hat (SBH) cybercriminal gang, which allegedly hacked the websites of Indonesian businesses and the Los Angeles city administration, are IT students of a university in Surabaya, East Java, the police have said.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono said the cybercriminal gang had around 600 to 700 members spread across Indonesia and that the arrest of the three suspects marked the beginning of a bigger revelation.

There are six main suspects that we should catch; weve managed to arrest three of them. Theyre all students aged less than 21 years old, he said on Tuesday as quoted by kompas.com.

They had allegedly hacked 600 local and international websites from 40 countries to access data for a blackmail scheme.

The hackers, Argo added, would be charged under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years' imprisonment. (vla)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar, Bali  Wed, March 14, 2018 16:38 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9ccfe5 1 National Nyepi,bali,NgurahRaiAirport,Ngurah-Rai-International-Airport,flights,Airnav Free

Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali is set to halt operations for 24 hours on Saturday to observe Nyepi (Hindu Day of Silence). The closure will impact at least 482 flights on that day, consisting 244 domestic flights and 238 international flights.

The airport operator says it will stop flights starting from 6 a.m. local time on Saturday to 6 a.m. the following day.

Like in previous years, we will halt all services at the airport during Nyepi this year. The closure will be for 24 hours until 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, Ngurah Rai Airport general manager Yanus Suprayogi said on Wednesday.

The closure is based on a circular issued by the Transportation Ministrys air transportation directorate general on Sept.1, 1999, on Ngurah Rai Airports flight activities during the observance of Nyepi.

Flying high: An AirAsia aircraft takes off from Ngurah Rai International Airport. (JP/Zul Trio Anggono)

During the closure, all regular and charter flights from and into Bali will not operate. The Ngurah Rai Airport operator has coordinated with state-run air navigation firm Airnav Indonesias office in Denpasar to notify all airlines and airports about the closure.

The airports closure has been announced to all airlines and airports across the world. We have intensively communicated the plan. They have adjusted their schedules, Yanus said.

He said Ngurah Rai authorities would stay on alert to allow emergency flights to land at the airport. During Nyepi, we have 368 staff members who will keep working at the airport to anticipate any possible emergency landings, technical problems and medical evacuation processes, Yanus said. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Luxembourg, Luxembourg  Wed, March 14, 2018 22:50 1286 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9dede9 2 Business Crocs,Court,verdict,patent Free

An EU court ruled on Wednesday that the design of Crocs shoes cannot be patented in Europe in a blow to the US-based maker of the plastic clogs.

Luxembourg-based judges upheld a 2016 decision by the EU's intellectual property office to cancel the patent because Crocs made the design public before registering it.

Crocs have sold 300 million pairs around the world, according to their manufacturers, attracting devotees because of their comfort and seeming indestructibility, but attracting mockery too for their chunky shape.

"The General Court confirms the cancellation of registration of Crocs' design because it was made available to the public before its registration," said the General Court of the European Union, the bloc's second highest court.

It said Crocs were originally granted a patent in the EU in 2005, but a rival French shoe manufacturer, Gigi Diffusion appealed against the decision in 2013.

The EU patent office agreed, saying that Crocs' design had already been made public in 2003 on its website and at a boat show in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and therefore "lacked novelty".

Under EU regulations any design which has been made public in the 12 months prior to a patent application cannot be given a patent.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java  Wed, March 14, 2018 23:18 1286 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9e04c7 1 Politics Gerindra-Party,Prabowo-Subianto,West-Java,2019-presidential-election,2019-elections,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo Free

Hundreds of Gerindra Party officials and members in West Java declared Wednesday their support for Prabowo Subianto in the 2019 presidential election.

The chairman of Gerindra's West Java executive office, Mulyadi, said the declaration was made as a show of commitment from officials, party members and Gerindra's organizational branches.

There have been some agendas, issues, concerns in society and public opinions, which has given the impression that the Gerindra Party will give way to other candidates. For West Java, that is not the case. Prabowo must become a solution for problems currently faced by the nation, Mulyadi said on Wednesday.

The declaration was supported by 27 Gerindra executive branches at the regency and municipal levels, 5,692 officials of party branches at the district level and 27 officials of Gerindra organizations in areas across West Java.

Mulyadi handed over the declaration statement to Gerindra secretary-general Ahmad Muzani. We hope Gerindras central executive board can make this declaration the official decision of the party, Mulyadi said.

Muzani said he would convey the declaration and support Prabowo. In the 2014 presidential election, West Java was a stronghold for Prabowo, who secured more than 14 million votes in the province. His contender, Joko Jokowi Widodo, obtained only 9.5 million votes in West Java.

Our preparations now are far better than in 2014. It means Pak Prabowos victory as a president in 2019 will be determined by our strength as a party called Gerindra, he said. (sha/ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang  Wed, March 14 2018

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested several officials of the Tangerang District Court on Monday night for alleged bribery in a civil case.



The arrested officials were judge Wahyu Widya Nurfitri and clerk Tuti Atikah.



The courts spokesperson, M. Irfan Siregar, said the judges and the clerks rooms had been sealed by the antigraft body.



There are two rooms that were being sealed, the one of Bu Wahyu and the other of Bu Tuti. We got info that Bu Tuti was still being questioned by the KPK, but we dont know about Bu Wahyu, Irfan said on Tuesday as quoted by tribunjakarta.com.



He added that the KPK had approached Tuti while she was at the court. Wahyu was on leave when the antigraft body came to the court. It remains unknown whether the KPK has since arrested Wahyu.



The court also has yet to be informed about the ...
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 18:20 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d3217 1 City hacker,cyber-crime,pornography Free

One of the members of the Surabaya Black Hat (SBH) cybercriminal gang had previously been convicted in an online child pornography case, Jakarta Police cybercrime unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Roberto Pasaribu revealed on Wednesday.

Weve just discovered that apparently a member of the [SBH] gang is a convict in [a big case named] Loly Candy last year, said Roberto, referring to a Facebook group whose members had frequently shared links to videos of child pornography.

The convict has been serving his prison sentence since April 2017. The police are currently investigating his role in the cyber gang.

We found his name on the member list of SBHs Telegram chat group, he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono previously told the press that the gang of six members allegedly had hacked 600 websites to gather information and data.

[The gang] used the information and threatened [to] spread the data if the victims didnt give them some money, he said as reported by tribunnews.com.

The SBH gang allegedly had been carrying out the scheme for a year and had amassed around Rp 200 million (US$14,500) in blackmail money. (vla)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 11:32 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9bb0b1 1 National #Indonesia,#education,#school,#UN,#examination,#nationalexam,#NationalExamination,#NationalExams Free

Vocational high school students will sit the National Examination (UN) between April 2 and 4 while high school exams will be held from April 9 to 12, an Education and Culture Ministry official announced on Tuesday. Meanwhile, junior high schoolers will do their tests from April 23 to 26,

Bambang Suryadi, the head of the ministrys National Education Standard Agency, announced that 78 percent of schools across the archipelago were ready for the computer-based national examination.

Seniors at schools that have not yet adopted the computer format, will take the paper-based exams.

This is the fourth year that we have used computer-based tests. With computerization, we can narrow down the chances of cheating as well as reduce expenses, he said.

Bambang said the ministry had allocated Rp 35 billion (US$2.5 million) to provide paper-based examinations nationwide this year. This figure is far less than the Rp 130 billion the ministry spent on copying papers and sending them across the country before the computer-based examination was introduced.

Bambang also said the ministry had coordinated with state-owned electricity firm PLN to make sure all schools in Indonesia, especially ones in rural areas, have adequate power supplies during the examination period.

We have also prepared local servers in the exam rooms so that the exams can be conducted offline. Internet connection wont be a problem, he added. (gis)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Viriya P. Singgih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 16:38 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9cc0c6 1 Business LNG,Algeria,investment,ArcandraTahar Free

The government is seeking to produce liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from assets owned by state-owned energy giant Pertamina in Algeria amid Indonesias increasing domestic demand and limited production of the commodity.

At present, Pertamina -- through subsidiary Pertamina Internasional EP (PIEP) -- has participating interests at three oil and gas fields in Algeria, namely at the MLN field with a 65 percent interest, the EMK field with 16.9 percent and the OHD field with 3.73 percent.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arcandra Tahar said Pertaminas assets in Algeria contained LPG, also known as propane (C3) and butane (C4). However, the gas had only been used for internal operations at those fields, specifically the gas injection for reservoir pressure maintenance, he added.

Were currently still reviewing whether its possible for us to inject C1 [methane gas] to maintain the reservoir pressure instead of using C3 and C4, Arcandra said on Tuesday. If we can realize that, we will get additional LPG production from those Algerian fields.

Through a business-to-business approach, Pertamina is also currently looking to buy LPG directly from Algerian state energy firm Sonatrach.

We hope Pertamina can buy LPG from Sonatrach at a less-than-average price. The discussion between the two companies has started, Arcandra said.

Pertamina estimated that its total LPG sales would soar to more than 7.5 million metric tons this year, up from an estimated figure of 7.2 million metric tons last year. About 60 percent of this years figure will be met through imports. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Fathiya Dahrul and Harry Suhartono (Bloomberg) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 17:30 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d0b32 2 Business Bitcoin,platform,Indonesia,stock Free

The biggest Indonesian platform to buy and sell digital currency may soon have more members than the nations century-old stock exchange.

Indonesia Digital Asset Exchange, formerly known as Bitcoin.co.id, will have 1.5 million members buying and selling digital currencies such as bitcoin, ethereum and ripple by the end of the year, according to Chief Executive Officer Oscar Darmawan. The platform, which began its operations in 2014, currently has 1.14 million investors, he said.

In contrast, Indonesia Stock Exchange, which offers stocks, futures and options and exchange-traded funds, has only 1.18 million registered participants, according to data from the Indonesia Central Securities Depository. Companies traded on the exchange have a combined market capitalization of $520 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

We are seeing almost 3,000 new members signing up everyday, Darmawan said. Most people are trading in bitcoins though transactions in ethereum has increased significantly of late.

While Bank Indonesia hasnt banned exchanges from offering cryptocurrencies, it has asked investors to refrain from owning, selling or trading the tokens. The central bank doesnt deem digital currencies as legal tender.

Indonesia Digital Asset Exchange is targeting daily volume to double from an average 100 billion rupiah ($7.3 million) a day currently, Darmawan said. The stock exchange in comparison recorded average daily transactions worth the equivalent of $550 million in 2017, according to data from the bourse.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 15:28 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9c84f0 1 City hackers,arrest,Jakarta-police Free

The Jakarta Police's cybercrime unit revealed on Wednesday that it had arrested three alleged hackers, identified only as NA, ATP and KPS, members of the online blackmailing gang Surabaya Black Hat, after receiving reports from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in January.

Jakarta Police cybercrime unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Roberto Pasaribu explained that IC3 was a major investigation body of the US Department of Justices Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The IC3 records all cybercrimes that occur all around the world. They observed that more than 3,000 accounts had been hacked throughout 2017, he said as reported by kompas.com.

Our cybercrime unit then immediately analyzed the report and, after two months of investigation, we discovered that there are six perpetrators and that they are located in Surabaya [East Java], he said, adding that KPS admitted to the police that he had hacked some 600 websites.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Argo Yuwono previously said the cybercriminals had allegedly hacked local and international websites for data to use in a blackmail scheme. They had allegedly forcefully gained access to private computers and networks to gather information and data to blackmail prospective victims. (vla)
TEANECK, N.J., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ness Digital Engineering , a portfolio company of The Rohatyn Group (TRG), has executed a definitive agreement to acquire Linium, LLC, a digital business, engineering, experience and transformation consultancy. Ness Digital Engineering, a global company committed to helping its clients deliver dynamic customer interactions and business operations platforms, is expanding its capabilities in delivering end-to-end digital enablement.



This acquisition will further extend our capabilities in digital operations and business process management and automation, said Paul Lombardo, Ness Digital Engineering CEO. Organizations are under tremendous pressure to be more agile and efficient in their operations, and Linium is highly regarded for its expertise in strategic business process consulting and helping clients use technologies to transform business processes. We share a similar philosophy for how we work with clients: understand their business needs first, then our collaborative, experienced teams apply modern systems design that ensures execution is successful on day one and can evolve as business needs change.

Linium delivers cloud-based enterprise platforms and solutions, with particular expertise in ServiceNow solutions, that position companies to achieve scale, drive growth and enable modernization. By combining with Ness, Linium can offer its clients a wider range of digital platform development, customization and management services that complement its expertise.

Were excited to come together with another organization committed to supporting clients digital transformation, said Joe Burke, CEO of Linium. Joining with Ness will enable us to enhance and expand the services, value and experience we provide to customers, while also preserving the agility and culture that define the essence of Linium.

This acquisition will add to Nesss expertise in helping clients achieve better business performance through novel, highly-effective uses of data and technologies integrated into solutions that:

Create unrivalled customer experiences using innovative digital strategies, platforms and products

Increase operational agility through system modernization, integration, and business process automation

Exploit the strengths of emerging technologies to help clients stay ahead of the competition

Linium will maintain its name but become a Ness Digital Engineering Company. Headquartered in Albany, NY, Linium and its employees will continue to work out of their current locations. Burke will become President of Ness Digital Engineering, North America, reporting to Paul Lombardo.

The transaction is expected to close toward the end of the first quarter of this year or early in the second quarter.

About Linium

Linium is a digital business, engineering, experience and transformational consultancy. A globally recognized firm, Linium delivers cloud-based enterprise platforms and solutions that position companies to achieve scale, drive growth and enable modernization. Linium has delivered 2,700+ successful engagements across an array of industries for over 17 years. Headquartered in Albany, NY, Linium has dedicated teams focused on the commercial sectors, federal government, and managed service providers (MSPs). Named to the Inc. 5000 list of the nations fastest-growing private companies for six consecutive years, Linium enables a blue-chip roster of clients, including 30 percent of the Fortune 100 companies, to achieve operational efficiencies through digital transformation and automation.

About Ness Digital Engineering

Ness Digital Engineering designs, builds, and integrates digital platforms and enterprise software that help organizations engage customers, differentiate their brands, and drive profitable growth. Our customer experience designers, software engineers, data experts, and business consultants partner with clients to develop roadmaps that identify ongoing opportunities to increase the value of their digital solutions and enterprise systems. Through agile development of minimum viable products (MVPs), our clients can test new ideas in the market and continually adapt to changing business conditionsgiving our clients the leverage to lead market disruption in their industries and compete more effectively to grow their business. For more information, visit www.ness.com.

About TRG

Founded in 2002, The Rohatyn Group is an emerging markets asset management firm headquartered in New York, with offices around the globe including, Singapore, Seoul, London, Buenos Aires, Lima, Montevideo, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, New Delhi, Boston and Rotorua. For more information, please visit www.rohatyngroup.com

Media Contacts

Vivek Kangath

Senior Global Manager  Corporate Communications

Ness Digital Engineering

Mobile: +91 9742565583 | Tel: +91 80 41961000 | DID: +91 80 41961027

Amy Legere

Greenough

alegere@greenough.biz

617.275.6517
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Hotli Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Banda Aceh  Wed, March 14, 2018 19:13 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d6d11 1 National aceh,homosexuality,sharia Free

A man identified as N and a transgender person identified as M were arrested for allegedly being intimate in a beauty salon in Emperum, Banda Aceh.

They allegedly had sex, which is a crime punishable by up to 100 lashes according to local sharia law.

On Wednesday, Evendi A Latif -- the chief of the Public Order Agencys sharia division -- said local residents broke into the salon and dragged the two to a nearby police station. Local sharia police are investigating the case.

According to witness testimonies, N allegedly paid M Rp 100,000 (US$ 7.28) for a date, Evendi said.

He added that N and M denied the allegation during questioning.

Residents said the salon often served as a same-sex dating site. It caused unrest in the neighborhood, Evendi said.

N and M faces charges under Article 26 of Qanun Jinayat (Aceh sharia law), which carries a punishment of 100 lashes. (gis)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Sukoharjo, Central Java  Wed, March 14, 2018 18:49 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d5bef 1 National Sukoharjo,air-pollution,industrial-waste,environment,environmental-issues Free

Four activists and residents, in addition to the three previously, were arrested on Wednesday in Sukoharjo, Central Java, following months of protests against smelly air in the regency allegedly coming from a synthetic fiber factory.

The four residents are accused of hate speech and vandalism. Suspects Bambang Wahyudi and Danang Tri Widodo were brought to National Police headquarters in Jakarta, while Brian and Sukemi were questioned by the Central Java Police. Bambang and Danang are accused of violating the Electronic Information and Transactions Law, while Brian and Sukemi of Article 170 of the Criminal Code on vandalism.

We have enough evidence to arrest them. We have mapped the actors, said Sukoharjo Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Iwan Saktiadi on Wednesday.

Iwan said National Police headquarters had investigated the hate speech accusation by monitoring a social media group in which Bambang and Danang are members. Brian and Sukemi were leads from three previous activists questioned for vandalism.

Iwan said they were following up the alleged environmental violation by the factory, PT Rayon Utama Makmur, a subsidiary of large textile company PT Sritex. Its not true that we are cherry picking. We handle the report from the residents as well, but we are investigating the asset destruction case too, he added.

On March 4, the police arrested three people: Muhammad Hisbun Payu, Kelvin Ferdiansyah Subekti and Sutarno.

In response, the Association of Indonesian Advocates (Peradin) in Surakarta, Central Java, prepared 100 lawyers to file both criminal and civil lawsuits against the company over alleged environmental pollution. The lawyers are calling on the police to immediately investigate the pollution, which affects communities living near the textile factory in Sukoharjo regency.

The conflicts between RUM and the residents began in October when RUM opened the factory. At that time, residents in 16 villages in Nguter district reported putrid smell, which got worse in January. Dozens even decided to leave the villages temporarily.

On Feb. 22, thousands of residents protested in front of the Sukoharjo regent's office, demanding that Regent Wardoyo Wijaya halt RUM's operation. Wardoyo promised to issue the decree the following day after consulting with his subordinates. Leaving the regent's office, the residents camped for the night in front of RUM's factory to wait for the decree.



The following morning, residents heard that the regent had flown to Bali to join a national working meeting of his party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P). Learning about this, the residents became angry and got out of control and burned things. It was spontaneous, said resident Bambang Wahyudi last week before he got arrested.

Later, a decree to halt RUM's operation was finally issued, ordering RUM to install a continuous emission monitoring system in its chimneys, ensuring emission control, and treating the wastewater before dumping it into Bengawan Solo River.



But hundreds had fallen ill.



Sukoharjo Health Agency head, Nasruddin, said on average 80 residents per day came for a health check at five special health posts in February. The posts were built specially after the smell began. Nasruddin said most patients complained of headaches, nausea and respiratory problems. "All were treated by a medical team, and the Sukoharjo regency administration covered all the costs," he said.



PKU Muhammadiyah Hospital in Sukoharjo said in February respiratory problems topped health complaints recorded in the hospital. From about 300 patients, 35 suffered severe respiratory problems. (evi)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 16:44 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9cdabf 1 City Jakarta-Military-Command,sinking-boat Free

An investigation team of the Jakarta Military Command has alleged that its vessel sank on Monday as a result of maintenance negligence.

Jakarta Military Command spokesman Lt. Col. Kristomei Sianturi said the team was still gathering as much information as possible to prove such an allegation.

Our team is currently investigating alleged procedural mistakes or poorly maintained engines, he said recently as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday.

The AD-16-05 boats engine failed during its trip to Pramuka Island in the Thousand Islands regency, while carrying military personnel for a social mission. The Jakarta Military Command then dispatched several other vessels to evacuate all crew members and passengers on the sinking boat. There were no casualties in Monday's incident.

The team, Kristomei added, was currently questioning several witnesses, including the vessel's crew members, to ascertain the chronology of the incident. He also said the team would check all data and reports regarding the vessels maintenance and the latest condition of its engine.

We will probably raise the sunken boat for the investigation, he said.

The sunken aluminum speedboat, which was manufactured by PT Tesco Indomaritime, was supposed to only carry 31 passengers and three crew members, but media have reported it was carrying 65 people at the time of the incident. (vla)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 15:28 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9c86f0 1 Politics PKB,National-Awakening-Party,Muhaimin-Iskandar,Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,2019-elections,2019-presidential-election Free

Amid the heated debate on who would be suitable as Joko Jokowi Widodos running mate, National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar has expressed confidence that the incumbent would choose him to run for vice president in the 2019 election.

Im very optimistic and certain that only the PKB can support Pak Jokowi to his victory in [the 2019 presidential election] , Muhaimin said on Tuesday at the Sirna Miskin Islamic boarding school in Bandung, West Java, as quoted by tempo.co.

Muhaimin added that he had not made any specific preparations regarding the matter. Of course, the most important thing is that we can fully grasp the real needs of ulemas, clerics and Muslim communities in the country."

Muhaimin also said he had not made any overtures to presidential candidates other than Jokowi.

Im still part of the coalition supporting Pak Jokowi and we feel comfortable with the coalition, which has journeyed with the President for the last five years and which will end in 2019. Hence, we will focus our attention on the fact that as of today, the one and the only [suitable] presidential candidate is Pak Jokowi, said Muhaimin.

He was making a reference to the recent declaration of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) that it was backing the President in his 2019 reelection bid.

He further said he would approach other candidates only after they had officially announced their candidacies. Pak Prabowo and others have not yet declared their candidacy. Lets just wait and see, Muhaimin said, referring to several potential candidates, including Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono. (sha/ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 17:28 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d0074 1 National police,Bantul,Yogyakarta,2019-elections,2018-regional-election,religious-attacks,FKUB,Interfaith-Communication-Forum,interfaith Free

The police are investigating an attack on a mosque in Bantul regency, Yogyakarta, saying they hoped to find the motive.

Bantul Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sahat M. Hasibuan said the police were handling the case, and so far, they were unable to indicate parties that might be responsible for the attack.

We are investigating the attack further, said Sahat.

A group of unidentified people have reportedly burned praying mats, carpets and sarongs in Fathurrahman Mosque in Jambidan village, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta. Local residents became aware of the incident on Monday morning. The mosque is located on the second floor of a building belonging to a branch of Indonesias second-largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, in south Banguntapan, Yogyakarta.

(Read also: Unidentified people allegedly burn prayer mats, sarongs in Yogyakarta mosque)

Interfaith Communication Forum (FKUB) founder Kyai Abdul Muhaimin called on all societal elements to stay calm and not be provoked by the incident. He said the case was part of a string of attacks against ulema that had previously occurred across Indonesia.

I think it has occurred by design. There have been intelligence operations that aim to trigger conflict among society groups ahead of the elections. It is also possible that such attacks have been launched simply to destroy Indonesia, said Muhaimin. The religious leader hoped all people could act more maturely in responding to such a situation.

Muhaimin asserted that recent attacks against Islamic ulema and other religious leaders in areas across Indonesia were not based on religion but purely triggered by politics, in which some people wanted to use issues related to religion and even communism to achieve their political interests. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra  Wed, March 14, 2018 12:28 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9c2b83 1 National #Indonesia,#NorthSumatra,#Langkat,#Hoax,#FakeNews,#Police,#journalists Free

Langkat Police in North Sumatra and journalists from online and printed media have announced their commitment to campaign against hoaxes and fake news in order to maintain security during the regional elections, which will be held on June 27.

Langkat Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dede Rojudin said on Tuesday that hoaxes related to the gubernatorial and regional elections had created a stir among the public lately.

To fight against hoaxes, the police will constantly keep citizens updated with news surrounding the election, as well as the current situation. They also warn the public to be cautious about rumors and money politics, while encouraging them to actively use their rights to cast their votes.

"I hope that every citizen, especially journalists, will cooperate in our fight against hoaxes," Dede said.

Furthermore, the police are also seeking support from public figures and regional figures to curb hoaxes.

Indonesia has recently seen a spate of fake news, ranging from religious-tinged issues to allegations of communism. The most recent arrests were members of the Muslim Cyber Army (MCA) by the National Police, with one of those arrested being a contract lecturer at the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) in Yogyakarta.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Rachmadea Aisyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 12:27 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9c24bf 2 Business Standard-and-Poor,ratings,state-owned-enterprises,infrastructure Free

International rating agency Standard & Poors (S&P) Global Ratings has raised concerns over the worsening balance sheets of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) that engage in the countrys massive infrastructure projects.

The agency noted that as the SOEs, primarily those working in electricity generation and construction, have relied heavily on the capital market or other external sources to secure fresh funds, they have increasingly put themselves in danger with a significant upward trend in their debt-to-equity ratio over the past few years.

While only 10 percent of state companies had a fourfold or greater debt-to-earnings ratio before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in 2011, the figure went up to 60 percent by 2017, according to S&P data.

S&P lead analyst for Indonesia and Malaysia, Xavier Jean, said that if the government could not help the state companies seek refinancing instruments for the debt, Indonesia would reach a heavy debt maturity by 2020.

The debt maturity period between 2016 and 2018 is better because the market environment has been very benign and positive for investors to seek yields and to be exposed to Indonesia, Jean told reporters in a press conference on Tuesday.

The agency said that, consequently, it was important that the government create conditions favorable toward leveraging the ratio by then and pay off all the debts.

Given that the state is not injecting money at a substantial level to these SOEs [...] it will take a lot of execution care for these companies to do the projects given the amount of all the projects, Jean added.

Please subscribe to The Jakarta Post premium to read the full story
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 19:15 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d7432 1 City hacker,cyber-crime Free

The Surabaya Black Hat cybercriminal group has reportedly hacked hundreds of websites for money. Jakarta Police cybercrime head Comr. Fian Yunus said the suspects had clientele that paid for their hacking services.

They hacked certain websites based on client requests, he said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.

He went on to say that the police investigation was focused on searching for other perpetrators and those who had paid for their services.

According to the police, four Jakarta-based companies had fallen victim to the cybercriminal group, which also allegedly breached the security system of a municipalitys website in the United States.

One of the most surprising things weve discovered is that the gang hacked a database owned by the city of Los Angeles, said cybercrime head Adj. Sr. Comr. Roberto Pasaribu.

Three of the suspected hackers have been detained. The arrests took place after the Internet Complaint Center (IC3) of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation notified the Jakarta Police of suspicious online activity in Indonesia throughout 2017. (vla)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Moscow, Russia  Wed, March 14, 2018 18:45 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9d4934 2 World Russia-meddling,US,MikePompeo Free

The Kremlin on Wednesday said ties with the US could not get any worse under next Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, after the sacking of Rex Tillerson.

"It's hardly possible to fall below the floor, so it is unlikely things will get any worse in this regard," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a response to a question about the high-level staff changes in the US administration announced on Tuesday.

"In any case there of course remains the hope of a constructive and sober approach to bilateral ties. There is always this hope," Peskov said at a regular press briefing.

Tillerson in his farewell remarks this week warned Washington must do more to respond to Russia's "troubling behaviour and actions."

"Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interests of the Russian people and of the world more broadly," he said.

"Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest."

The US has accused Russia of actively interfering in the 2016 presidential election, stealing Democratic party communications and pushing out disinformation through social media, claims Moscow denies.

Pompeo said in his previous role as CIA director that the agency had observed Russian activity to influence the next US election cycle, the November mid-terms.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Wang Mingjie (China Daily/Asia News Network) Beijing, China  Wed, March 14, 2018 11:43 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9bf142 2 Business #China,#brand,#global,#GlobalEconomy Free

China is fast emerging as brand leader in a wide variety of sectors and many of the leading domestic companies are gaining global recognition for quality, according to a new report from Brand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy.

In its latest 2018 China 300 league table, the consultancy ranked the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, also known as ICBC, and China Construction Bank, with brand values of US$59.2 billion and $56.8 billion respectively, as the most valuable brands in the global banking sector.

Alibaba, Tencent, and Huawei are leading the charge, however, as technology is poised to overtake banking as the rankings most valuable sector.

The fastest-growing Chinese brands come from the auto and spirits sectors with BYD up 211 percent and Wuliangye up 161 percent.

David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, said: This year has seen strong growth amongst the big Chinese brands.

The unique modern history of the Chinese economy has produced huge, national brands on the domestic front. In the coming years, Chinese brands have an opportunity to use this strong domestic foundation as a platform for global expansion.

In the past, many Western brands expanded into China, but Haigh said he expects to see many Chinese brands expand to the West in the future.

While banking remains the most valuable sector, accounting for 24.7 percent of the rankings total brand value over the last year, the robust growth of the technology sector suggests it is likely to overtake banking. Techs overall share of the value of the 300 brands listed has increased from 20.7 per cent to 24.4 per cent.

Haigh said Alibaba, which is also the worlds fastest growing big retail brand in percentage terms, shows no sign of slowing as it plans to invest $15.2 billion toward its global logistics chain expansion.

China Mobile, the fourth most valuable Chinese brandup 14 percent to $53.2 billionis the most valuable telecoms brand in Asia. China Mobile boasts the worlds most extensive mobile network and the worlds largest mobile phone customer base.

Topics :

This article appeared on the China Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
ALBANY, N.Y., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) is pleased to announce its endorsement of Aidan OConnor Jr. in his campaign for New York State Assembly District 102 seat. OConnor (D) is facing Schoharie town Supervisor Chris Tague (R) and Wes Laraway (Reform) in the April 24th special election.



I'm excited to receive the endorsement of the Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters, said OConnor. Growing up in a union household, I know how important union values and leadership are in upstate New York. If elected, I look forward to working with the NRCC and on behalf of their members here in Assembly District 102.

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters takes the issue of endorsing elected official candidates seriously and only endorses candidates who hold the same values as we do of protecting and preserving workers rights. We only provide endorsements to candidates that support Davis-Bacon protections, encourage the use of Project Labor Agreements, fight 1099 Worker Misclassification and support fair wages and benefits for working people.

We are pleased to endorse Greene County Legislator OConnors election bid in the 102nd District and will fully support his campaign through get out the vote efforts, said Bill Banfield, NRCCs New York State Regional Manager. As a Greene County legislator, he understands the needs of the residents of Upstate New York. We look forward to continuing to work with him when hes elected to the New York State Legislature.

About the NRCC

The Northeast Regional Council of Carpenters (NRCC) represents nearly 40,000 hardworking men and women in Delaware and New Jersey and portions of Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. NRCC is one of the largest trade unions on the East Coast. The NRCC equips professional men and women carpenters with the skills, training and quality workmanship that are demanded in today's construction industry. For more information on NRCC, please visit our website: northeastcarpenters.org & like us on social Facebook: facebook.com/NortheastRegionalCouncilofCarpenters; Twitter: @nrccarpenters ; Instagram: @northeastcarpenters; LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/northeastcarpenters; and Snapchat: @nrccarpenters

Contact: Tony Bianchini

Phone: 609-402-1730


Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, March 14, 2018 13:25 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9c3f16 1 City crime,stealing,car Free

Two men have been arrested in Bekasi, West Java, after they and two others stole a truck belonging to their new boss, who had recently given them jobs selling fried tofu.

Pondok Gede Police chief Comr. Suwari said in a statement on Tuesday that the four suspects had approached the victim and asked for a job.

"The victim entrusted a pickup truck to the men to sell fried tofu. They were supposed to return the truck every night along with their earnings, but they did not," Suwari said, as quoted by kompas.com.

The police were alerted on Friday that the suspects had been seen in Tigaraksa, Banten. Two of the suspects, identified as Den and Her, were arrested, while the two others, RJ and MM, were named fugitives. The police have also confiscated the pickup truck.

According to the suspects' confessions, they had been incensed by the victims stinginess, even though they had only worked for the victim for one day. They claimed that their ire was fanned by RJ and MM, who had been working much longer for the victim. The four had then hatched a plan to steal the truck and split the earnings among them.

The suspects are being charged under Article 372 of the Criminal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. (jlm)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Shanghai, China  Wed, March 14, 2018 20:30 1286 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9db61e 2 World Stephen-Hawking-Obituary,stephen-hawking,China,Weibo Free

Stephen Hawking's death Wednesday generated nearly half a billion clicks in China, where fans mourned a "giant star" who was admired for rising above physical disability and for heartfelt messages to his Chinese social media followers.

Already well-known in China, the British cosmologist two years ago further endeared himself by opening an account on the Twitter-like Weibo platform, posting in both Chinese and English.

The account drew one million fans in its first few hours and now has nearly five million followers.

The infrequent posts by Hawking, who Chinese affectionately called "Hawking Dada", or "Uncle Hawking", typically generated tens of thousands of admiring comments apiece.

News of his death at age 76 quickly became the top-trending Weibo topic, with the hashtag #Hawking passed# generating more than 450 million reads and nearly 250,000 comments in the hours after his death was announced.

Many called his passing "the falling of a giant star".

"The deterioration of his body did not trap him. Today this superhuman brain has left this world, and his next journey, death, remains a mystery," one user said.

"I hope he has the strength to send us information from the next world."

Another user wrote: "Even though I can't understand Hawking Dada's books... he is the one who knows the secret of this world."

At a daily press briefing in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang called him a "fighter for science who arduously battled illness for a long time".

Lu noted that Hawking also "strongly insisted" on visiting the Great Wall on a previous visit to China despite his physical condition.

"Mr. Hawking and his contributions will be remembered forever."

Most of Hawking's life was spent in a wheelchair, crippled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neuron disease. He died at his home in England on Wednesday, his family said.

Hawking posted on Weibo about black holes and other phenomena, and wrote in one message that being on China's leading social media platform was "a source of great inspiration".

One of his more popular postings was a June 2016 message of encouragement to tens of millions of Chinese students preparing for annual national college-entrance exams, a stressful, make-or-break ordeal that can determine one's future.

"Whether you aim to be a doctor, teacher, scientist, musician, engineer, or a writer, be fearless in the pursuit of your aspirations. You are the next generation of big thinkers and thought leaders that will shape the future for generations to come," he wrote.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Arya Dipa and Nurul Fitri Ramadhani (The Jakarta Post) Bandung/Jakarta  Wed, March 14 2018

West Java gubernatorial candidates were quick to use the first televised public debate on Monday evening to appeal to Muslim voters in the province  the most populous Muslim province in the country.



Four candidate pairs  Ridwan Kamil-Uu Ruzhanul Ulum (endorsed by NasDem, the National Awakening Party, the United Development Party and Hanura); Tubagus HasanuddinAnton Charliyan (the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle), Sudrajat-Ahmad Syaikhu (the Prosperous Justice Party, the National Mandate Party and Gerindra); and Deddy Mizwar-Dedi Mulyadi (Golkar Party and the Democratic Party)  took to the stage to convey their ideas at the Sasana Budaya Ganesha Convention Hall in Bandung, West Java, in a public debate organized by the General Elections Commission (KPU) West Java and televised by Kompas TV.



In the first segment of the two-hour event, each pair was giv...
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung, West Java  Wed, March 14, 2018 23:58 1286 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9e12f6 1 Politics Bawaslu,West-Java,2018-West-Java-gubernatorial-election,2018-regional-election,regional-elections Free

Tubagus Hasanuddin and Anton Charliyan, the West Java governor and deputy governor candidates nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), reported an Instagram account for alleged slander to the Elections Supervisory Agencys (Bawaslu) legal division on Wednesday.

They reported a post from Instagram account @perisai.rakyat21 that shows a picture of Hasanuddin and Anton at their campaign event, with the text "Hasetan", an abbreviation of Hasanuddin-Anton Setan (Hasanuddin-Anton is Satan). The picture was posted on the Instagram account at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday.

The team found the post on Wednesday morning.

According to the candidates' lawyer, Indra Sudrajat, although his client was no stranger to social media attacks, the recent Instagram post went too far. We are going to report this case to the police as well, Indra said.

According to Yusuf Kurnia, a Bawaslu official in West Java, if found guilty of violating Law No. 1/2014 on gubernatorial and regional elections, the suspect faces a maximum sentence of 18 months' imprisonment and a fine of Rp 6 million (US$436.80).

The lawyer said he hoped the case would not affect the elections on June 27.(sha/ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, March 15 2018

Indonesias Religious Affairs Ministry is blaming students seeking entry into Cairos Al-Azhar University through shortcuts for their own troubles, denying claims that more than 100 of them were scammed by a third-party agent, an official has said.



The Foreign Ministry recently had the police look into a possible fraud case after 122 Indonesian students held a protest in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo in mid-February demanding that they be given language certificates.



The students claimed they were assured of enrolment by a broker after individually shelling out up to Rp 25 million (US$1,820) to bypass exams. The agent was also said to have threatened prospective students not to alert the embassy of their presence in Egypt for several years.



Agus Sholeh, the Religious Affairs Ministrys head of cooperation under the Islamic higher education directo...
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Michel Ch'ng and E Met Yeat (Sin Chew Daily/ANN) Putrajaya, Malaysia  Wed, March 14, 2018 10:31 1287 2c798a31c212039f000dc5df9c9b88d2 2 SE Asia #Malaysia,#MalaysiaFundScandal,#Mahathir,#MahathirMohamad,#UMNO,#politics,#NajibRazak Free

Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has no plan to return to UMNO, a ruling party of the coalition, even if incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak were to step down, claiming that the party is no longer the party founded by Onn Jaafar. He then founded another Malay-based party, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia but he does not wish to form a joint government with UMNO even without Najib.

Mahathir said he was unhappy with Abdullah Badawi who took over from him for changing his mind not to build Johor Bharu - Padang Besar double track rail project and allowed his children to join the government meetings. He would just leave the party then and criticized Abdullah.

I did not only leave the party but also form a new party to oppose UMNO with Muhyiddin Yassin (former Deputy Prime Minister cum president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia). In the past Tunku Abdul Rahman expelled me. I did not oppose UMNO. I left the party when Abdullah Badawi was the Prime Minister but this is the first time I set up a new political party, Mahathir told Sin Chew Daily at his office in Putrajaya.

He said Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia founded by him is a Malay-based political party and different from the multi-ethnicity of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Parti Amanah Negara. Rural voters are fearful of multi-racial political parties.

As a Malay political party, it is easier for UMNO party members and supporters to accept us in rural areas," he said.

The opposition achieved breakthrough in May 5, 2013 election which won 52 percemt of votes but still lost to Barisan Nasional. Mahathir said opposition would need 20 to 30 more seats to be ruling government.

The opposition would need our participation to secure enough seats. I think we can deliver and we are only targeting against UMNO, he added.

Mahathir stressed that even if Najib were to step down after the general election, he would not return to UMNO. Pribumi would not form joint government with UMNO even without Najib or carry out any political collaboration.

No. We cant. The problem is not Najib only, he said. "They [UMNO] are completely corrupted. I am unable to accept this. I cant return.

In terms of performance, ideology and operating style, it is no longer UMNO. So I would not return.

Topics :

This article appeared on the Sin Chew Daily newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
"You come up from the ocean and you're just freaking cold," says Unn Holgersen, who surfs almost every day in the frigid waves off the coast of Norwegian islands above the Arctic Circle.

It's deep winter in this land of the spectacular Northern Lights, flashing green on the horizon, and the water is just four degrees Celsius (39 Fahrenheit).

"You have to put your feet in a bowl of hot water and you have to change really quickly," the 32-year-old veterinarian advises.

It may be cold and isolated, but Holgersen has chosen to live on the Lofoten islands because she is addicted to the thrill of winter surfing.

On its snow-covered beaches, she and other dedicated surfers brave the freezing weather -- outside air temperature is a chilly minus 15 Celsius -- and the ferocity of the ocean.

"I love the feeling," says one surfer after riding the waves.

That exhilaration is shared by all those who visit the tiny town of Unstad on the islands.

Among them are two students, Christina Kolbu and Solmoy Austbo, who travelled three days in a mini-van to reach the frosty shores.

They quickly change out of their hippy garb, put on thick winter wetsuits and grab their boards to head out into the waiting surf.

Despite the chill, they do not hesitate as they plunge into the glacial waters.

When coming back to shore, they clutch their boards as they clamber up the beach as thick snowflakes fall around them.

Unstad is a favourite site with surfers: a vast open horizon with a series of snow-capped peaks on either side of the beach.

Read also: Warming Arctic is 'new normal,' will affect us all: Report

Situated above the Arctic Circle, around the same latitude as northern Siberia and Alaska, its waters remain accessible due to the Gulf Stream, which somewhat warms the ocean current that flows across the Atlantic to Norway's coast.

"Surfing is a lifestyle, it's a must," says Lisa Blom, a 38-year-old hotel manager.

"We have better waves, quality waves, they're usually bigger, consistent."

Some of the surfers argue there are even better waves here than in southern Europe or Bali.

"We have nice clear days, there are not too many people and the beautiful scenery," says Holgersen. "It's the whole package."
Luxury cruise liner Genting Dream is set to dock in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, on April 5, allowing travelers to board the 150,000 tons ship.

The cruise is slated to depart from Singapore on April 1 and sail to Surabaya and Jakarta.

The packages offered by the cruise range from two-night to five-night stays with a starting price of Rp 5,775,000 (US$420.23) per person.

Read also: AI technology services coming soon to Genting cruise ship

Genting Dream is a luxury cruise ship specifically designed for the Asian market. With a capacity of over 3,300 passengers, the cruise liner is equipped with onboard facilities, such as six waterslide parks, rock climbing wall, a 35-meter zip-line that sways above the open waters and more.

Michael Goh, international sales senior vice president of Genting Cruise Lines, said during the companys Travel Partner Tribute Award event that the Genting Dream had previously included Surabaya and North Bali as its ports of calls, adding that over 15 percent of its passengers were Indonesians.

In addition to Genting Dreams voyage to Jakarta, Goh said SuperStar Libra, a cruise ship operated by Star Cruises, was set to stop by Medan, North Sumatra, in April. (mut)
Jeonju Hanok Village received more than 20 million visitors in the past two years, according to the city government Tuesday.



About 10.9 million people were found to have visited the cluster of traditional Korean houses in Jeongju, North Jeolla Province, in 2017. The figure was 10.5 million in the previous year. The data was compiled based on telecommunication records and credit and debit card usage in the village.

Read also: Great escape to old Korea



The age group that made up the most number of visitors was those in their 40s, followed by those in their 30s, 20s, and 50s, in that order. More than 30 percent of the visitors came from Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon.



Based on the latest findings, the Jeonju municipal government said it would actively push to foster the city to become a global cultural tourism destination.
Mar 14 2018 6:12 pm

Agudath Israel of America is applauding House passage of the STOP School Violence Act of 2018. The legislation, which is a response to the recent school shootings in Parkland, FL, and authorizes grants to improve school security through technology and other safety measures. The House measure includes both public and private schools within its benefits.

Over the decades, school security has been a priority issue for Agudath Israel, which has consistently argued to Administration officials and congressional leaders, past and present, that safety initiatives must encompass all schools and all schoolchildren. In the aftermath of Parkland, and in the subsequent legislative effort, Agudath Israel renewed its call to the White House and Capitol Hill for equity between public and private schools in both new and existing programs. One of the changes Agudath Israel and other private school representatives have advocated for is incorporated in todays House legislation.

We are deeply gratified that the House has taken this step to better ensure the safety, through tangible means, of Americas schoolchildren, noted Rabbi Abba Cohen, Agudath Israels Vice President for Federal Affairs and Washington Director. It also makes an important statement that all children  regardless of the school they attend  are precious, and deserve a learning environment that enjoys the utmost protection of both mind and body.

Agudath Israel is urging swift Senate passage.
BALTIMORE, Md., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ETC (The Emerging Technology Centers), Baltimore Citys technology and innovation center and award-winning entrepreneur support organization, was ranked seventh, globally, in UBIS World Incubator Summit Awards for World of Top Business Incubator  Collaborating with University.



We are honored to be recognized by an organization as widely-respected as UBI Global, said Deb Tillett, president and executive director of ETC. The ETC prides itself on being a resource and connector in the Baltimore innovation ecosystem and collaborates with many universities such as University of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University, MICA and University of Maryland.

UBI Global is a Stockholm-based research and advisory firm known for its regional and global studies that map and evaluate the world of business incubation. For its 2017/2018 study, UBI assessed a total of 1,370 programs and selected 259 as eligible to participate for this survey located in 53 countries. A top university-linked incubation program, as defined by UBI Global, is a business incubator or accelerator connected to an institution of higher education that achieves outstanding impact and performance relative to its global peers.

The ETC operates with an unwavering commitment to building  and sustaining  an environment that is welcoming, fosters collaboration and accelerates innovation, added Tillett. This distinction is a clear reflection of our steadfastness to this mantra and validates our unwavering commitment to inclusion and equality.

Of the more than 450 companies the ETC has assisted, 83 percent are still in business. In addition, ETC companies have raised $2.4 billion in outside funding.

Baltimore is fully committed to its digital transformation and to making critical investments in strategic initiatives that will provide guidance and resources to entrepreneurs. Our efforts to-date have fueled our ascension in the rankings of globally-recognized hubs for innovation, said Mayor Catherine E. Pugh. My administration and the ETC will continue to support our entrepreneurs in growing and thriving in Baltimore as they continue to create jobs and opportunities for our residents.

From 2013 to 2016, Baltimore City saw the number of tech jobs grow by 36 percent which, according to the Census Bureau, is the second-highest percent increase in tech jobs nationwide, during that period. 98 percent of companies that graduate the ETC remain in-state, with 75 percent staying in Baltimore. In a 14-month period, current and graduate ETC companies had a $1.4 billion economic impact on the state of Maryland.

I commend the ETC on its ongoing success in providing entrepreneurial support to tech startup community and this global recognition, said William H. Cole, president and CEO of the Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC). The BDC will continue to work with ETC to retain as many of its current and graduate companies in the City as these companies play a critical role in Baltimores vibrant startup community and economic growth.

About ETC (www.etcbaltimore.com)

The ETC, a venture of the Baltimore Development Corporation, is a 501(c) (3) technology and innovation center focused on growing early-stage companies. The ETC provides four programs for entrepreneurs: a tech-focused incubator, Incubate Baltimore; a seed accelerator program, Accelerate Baltimore; a coworking space open to innovative individuals and teams, Beehive Baltimore; and a 9-week idea bootcamp powered by COSTARTERS, Pioneer Baltimore. The ETC promotes economic development, providing business, technical, and networking connections to help these companies grow. Since 1999, the ETC has provided assistance to over 450 companies, 85% of which are still in business, creating more than 2,500 jobs and raising more than $2.4 billion in outside funding.
Mar 14 2018 1:00 pm

Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal has joined a coalition of state attorneys general in urging Congress to pass legislation to protect foreign nationals who face possible deportation because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security terminated their federal Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations.

Approximately 10,000 foreign nationals from Haiti and El Salvador live and work in New Jersey under the protection of TPS designations granted years ago  after both countries suffered natural catastrophes. Their removal from the U.S.  and from the local work force  could result in hundreds of millions of dollars leaving the states economy. There are also thousands of U.S.-born children living in New Jersey whose parents who are TPS holders from Haiti and El Salvador.

Under federal law, TPS provides temporary protected status to foreign nationals in the U.S. from countries experiencing armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary conditions.

Here, the Secretary of Homeland Security did not determine that allowing TPS holders from Haiti and El Salvador to stay in the U.S. temporarily was against U.S. interests. Instead, she found that conditions in Haiti and El Salvador no longer support their TPS designations. But as a multi-state letter to Congress joined by Attorney General Grewal explains, both Haiti and El Salvador remain too dangerous to permit the safe return of their nationals.

TPS beneficiaries are homeowners and business owners, and have become valued wage-earners and members of the communities in which they live here in New Jersey, said Attorney General Grewal. If no action is taken, thousands of our neighbors will face a return to unsafe conditions in the countries from which they fled, and also confront potential harm to their families in the form of distance, separation and dislocation. This will harm our communities and Congress has the power to stop it.

Haiti was originally designated for TPS eight years ago after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010. The designation has been repeatedly renewed by Homeland Security based on such subsequent factors as a cholera epidemic, multiple hurricanes and food shortages.

El Salvadors current TPS designation began on March 9, 2001, after a series of earthquakes. Homeland Security has renewed the designation 13 times based on additional hurricanes, flooding and food shortages, as well as political instability and related public safety and economic challenges.

The Trump Administration announced an end to TPS designations for Haitian nationals in late 2017, and added El Salvadoran nationals in January 2018.

The multi-state letter urges Congress to use its authority to provide lawful temporary or permanent status for TPS beneficiaries who will soon lose their protection from removal.

Unless Congress acts to protect these individuals, families will be torn apart, our communities will be harmed, and hundreds of thousands of long-time residents will have to return to countries that are not yet prepared to take them in, or attempt to remain in this country illegally, the letter concludes.
Another theme bar is giving it a go at 174 Rivington St.

This past weekend, Bar Alaska opened in the same building that housed the defunct Will Ferrell-themed lounge, Stay Classy.

According to Bar Alaskas website, the new venue features an ambiance evoking the 49th state, where America and Russia first met and fused their cultures of old and new. As you might have guessed, the cocktail menu revolves around Russian vodkas. Theres a small food menu, including Alaskan king crab tacos, oyster shooters, deviled eggs and salmon tartare.

Community Board 3 offered its support for the new spot this past fall, after the owners agreed to reduce their operating hours. The bar is currently open Friday-Saturday from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday-Thursday from 4p.m.-1 a.m.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA , March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rich Pharmaceuticals, Inc . (OTC: RCHA ), a Biopharmaceutical Company focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapies in oncology, announced today the potential for using its drug RP-323 (TPA) in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Hodgkins lymphoma is a cancer that is found most frequently in two different age groups: 15  35 and over 55. It occurs in both sexes although it is more common in males. Cancer cells invade and destroy the architecture of the lymph nodes and infiltrate the liver, the spleen or other parts of the body. In the U.S., more than 100,000 people suffer from Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"A phase I clinical trial conducted at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey have shown that RP-323 treatment reduced a palpable tumor mass after three weeks in a patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma. We look forward to being able to commence clinical trials in the future to prove that using RP-323 alone or in combination with other anticancer agents will have significant therapeutic activity against Hodgkin's lymphoma, said Rich Pharmaceuticals CEO, Ben Chang. "Clinical studies in China have also demonstrated that IV administration of RP-323 resulted in remission in some patients with myelocytic leukemia."

About Rich Pharmaceuticals:

Rich Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage Biopharmaceutical Company focused on developing innovative therapies in oncology, with initial concentration in treating Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML), Hodgkin's Lymphoma (HL) and other blood related diseases. It is currently in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of AML and HL. Rich Pharmaceuticals' goal is to extend refractory patients life expectancy and increase quality of life. Learn more at www.richpharmaceuticals.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, references to novel technologies and methods, our business and product development plans, our financial projections or market information. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with developing new products or technologies and operating as a development stage company, our ability to raise the additional funding we will need to commence clinical trials and to continue to pursue our business and product development plans, including the business and product development plans contained in this news release, our ability to develop and commercialize products based on our technology platform, competition in the industry in which we operate and market conditions. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in the reports and other documents we file with the SEC, available at www.sec.gov .




I took my first trip when I was 4 years old. We went to Disneyland Paris. Well, actually, what really happened was that my family rented a van and we took a road trip around Europe. I was so little I slept in a sleeping-bag on the board of the trunk. We had such a great time we did the same thing three more times, stopping at different places. But we always went to Paris and to Disneyland.Since we took that trip when I was a child, I knew that I was destined to be a backpacker for the rest of my life. Its in my blood: my mom is such an adventurer. Since I was a child, every year, for my birthday, she asks me: Daniela, what do you prefer, a present or taking a trip with mommy? I always picked the trip. When I turned 7, she and I went to Disney World in Orlando.Well, to tell you the truth, at first I didnt like sharing my experiences because I thought it was like bragging. But then one day I thought about how much I loved reading about other peoples experiences, looking for new places on the Internet and seeing pictures. And I decided to also share mine. Now all I do is sharing because Ive seen that people like it and that they appreciate the hard work of taking a good picture, editing it, etc.I am passionate about photography, but most of my pictures are taken by my dad and my boyfriend. The ones I take I usually keep private, and often send them to photography contests.I dont have an answer for this because all the places Ive been to have their unique charm. But if I were to choose the ones that I enjoyed the most, maybe India, Nepal, Bali, New York and the Route 66. But it is so hard to choose.I remember once, while interrailing Euorpe, we couldnt go to Turkey because it was not safe, so we went to Belgrade instead. And I thought that I wasnt gonna like it because I didnt know anything about it. I was wrong. I found out it was such a beautiful city. So, up until now, there hasnt been any place that I can say I regret visiting.Yes, of course. The first time was in Istanbul. I was a kid and I was so shocked at seeing women covered with veils. But in the end it was not that dramatic, for it helped me to see it as something natural, typical from their culture. But probably the place where Ive experienced the most cultural shock was India. You cant imagine how they live until you get there, no matter how many documentaries you watch. Im not easily scared, but when I went there, I was wary at first. And the moment I got out of the airport, I fell down in a sidewalk full of rubbish. The Indiands must have been thinking: this western girl doesnt know what shes getting into. Indeed, after being there twice, I can tell you: if youre going to India, be open-minded. Youll go through things that would never happen in our lives int the West. Youll ride a tuk-tuk and fear for your life, and then youll learn to trust the driver. Youll see people sleeping in the corridor to your room, but you wont be scared because you known they are good people. Youll be in despair because you cant find a train ticket, but people will help you in any way they can so that you can get to your destiny, even if they have to call their cousin who has a car and that will drive you for fourteen hours (true story). As in every other place, there are exceptions, but the only thing I experienced in India was love.Nothing bad has ever happened to me while traveling alone. But I dont usually travel by myself. But Ive been scared countless times. Last year I spent Christmas in New York, and we went to Brooklyn at night to see the decorated houses. We took a train to get back to our hotel in Manhattan, and there was a man inside the carriage, drunk and shouting. He had his hand in his pocket, so we though maybe he had a gun. We got out of the train and waited for the next one. And I was so relieved to be surrounded by people. I think the key to traveling alone is to be careful and not venturing into the lions den (like us in a train in Brooklyn at 2am). But women that travel alone are very inspiring. It is something I would love to experience, although, for me, the company is one of the most important things of traveling.I am very aware of this. And I try to do as much as possible to reduce it. I like leaving the place in the same condition I found it, or even better. I like to try and keep the streets clean, because I think traveling is not just visiting monuments. Cities are like museums, and we all have to take care of them. I always try to stay in hostels because you have to bring your own towel, shampoo, etc. In hotels, things like laundry service or free mini shampoos that often end in the trash are sources of waste and pollution. I also avoid activities where animals suffer. I have many pictures with animals, but they were all treated kindly. Public transport is also essential, but when traveling Id recommend walking. You see much more things when you walk and you reduce your carbon footprint. Regarding flights, sadly Im aware that they are terrible for the environment. It is the most negative aspect of traveling, really.Yes, many. Some of my pictures have been reposted by important people, like the Spanish influencer Dulceida, who posted a picture of me in Marrakech wearing clothes from her brand. But up until now, the coolest thing that has happened to me is that I was contacted by a travel agency. They wanted me to travel to certain places and tell about the whole experience. I've been writing posts about every place I've visited, and my boyfriend @yeezusmov filmed everything and edited the videos for our Youtube channel. Now I am part of the Groupifly team, and this year I'll write about Bali and Tokyo in their website. I'm so excited about this! Follow Danielas adventures in instagram (@danielustt) and her YouTube channel (Yotuberos Viajeros).
The first  and only  episode of the original series to focus on the character of Assistant Director Walter Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) was the late season three episode Avatar.

A monster-of-the-week story focused on Skinners failing marriage and an accusation that he killed a prostitute, it was no surprise that the episode didnt really captivate audiences.

Nothing of substance occurs in the episode. Throughout the original run, there are hints here and there of Skinners past as a marine and his time in Vietnam  which undoubtedly shaped his moral and emotional compass  but it wasnt until the latest episode of season eleven entitled Kitten that we actually catch a glimpse into the beginnings of a future Assistant Director of the FBI who struggled to balance between the line of distrusting the government whilst serving it.

Kitten begins on a similar path to Avatar, beginning with a rather ambiguous introduction of Skinner (Mitch Pileggi) going AWOL after being sent an ambiguous severed ear alongside a note implying Monsters Are Here, Mulder and Scully are pushed by FBI Director Alvin Kersh (James Pickens Jr.) to find his whereabouts immediately. That is after Kersh has another chance to berate the duo, insinuating that they are the reason Skinner never advanced to the position of Director at the Academy due to his affiliation and adamant support of the X-Files and Mulder and Scully.

Offering further insight into the background of Skinner, Kitten delves into his service as a Marine in the height of the Vietnam war, with a specific focus on delivering a chemical weapon payload that goes under the codename MK Naomi (a fictional weaponized gas/mind control agent that is deemed to be the successor of the non-fictional MK Ultra).

After an unsuccessful mission in getting the cargo to its destination, the group of marines  consisting of Skinner and John Kitten James (Hayley Joel Osment)  are ambushed, and the container holding the chemical weapon is penetrated by a rain of bullets. James is exposed to the MK Naomis yellow gas and proceeds to immediately escalate into a violent frenzy, where he ends up murdering an innocent Vietnamese family.

Written by Gabe Rotter and directed by Carol Banker, Kitten takes a well-rounded and intriguingly dark venture into the long-term effects of PTSD amongst veterans of conflict, alongside similar motifs and cinematographic decisions established in previous X-Files episode  Darkness Falls of season one and Detour of season five  that involve a monster lurking in areas of dense, dark forest.

This mysteriously terrifying backdrop adds both a sense of dark unease throughout the scenes in which it is utilized, and the effects areas like this have on veterans who scoped out dense jungles as battlegrounds in the Vietnam War.

Its not so much a monster-of-the-week story for Mulder and Scully than it is an episode of soul-searching and understanding for Skinner. Its clear by the pained and almost terrified expressions and actions of Skinner when scoping Daveys  John Kitten Jamess son, also portrayed by Osment  claustrophobic cabin to Skinners near-death experience after falling into a punji pit constructed by Davey.

Rotter weaves a narrative of PTSD with conspiracy with clear ease, allowing us to explore the depths of Skinners character with detail without narcissistic monologues or first-person accounts of his history (take Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man in season four).

Rotter captivates attention through having Mulder and Scully deal with a small-town investigation in which they are determined to find  and ultimately save  their boss (something hes done for them on countless occasions throughout the series), whilst delving into impressively short flashbacks that ultimately display a prolonged PTSD that Skinner has been suffering from.

Not only as a result of his actions during the war, but it ultimately being his fault that his best friend eventually would end up in a mental institution due to his compliance with an untrustworthy government.

Mulder, Scully and Skinner havent been on exactly good terms this season. Hell, were still not even sure as an audience (who knows more than Mulder and Scully do) what Skinner is trying to gain by working with CSM. One thing we do know is, however, is that Skinner will go to any length at this point to protect Mulder and Scully.

Hes done so ever since he became embroiled with the duo and the X-Files. Mulders innate fear that he and Scully cost Skinner future employment at the bureau is case enough to warrant the amount of care that they have for Skinner; care that is further cemented by Scully lauding Skinners ability to blindly follow his positive moral compass.

Skinner eventually confirms their woven bond in the conclusion, stating that if werent for Mulder and Scully, he wouldnt have learned to trust his instincts and distrust a government hellbent on hurting an innocent public for their own gain. Its what Mulder and Scully have been fighting for from the start; the truth and the cost of its victims.

Kitten demonstrates that Skinners intentions are no different and does so in a manner much more concise and straightforward than has ever been done before in the original series.

Its as though Avatar doesnt exist.

The X-Files airs on Mondays at 9pm on Channel 5.
PKDs original short story, Foster, Youre Dead is an anti-consumerist story set in the context of the Cold War. In Safe and Sound however, the writers have taken the same core theme but built an entirely new and high-tech world around it.

Teenager Foster (Annalise Basso) and her politician mother (Maura Tierney) move from one of their fringe, non-compliant Bubbles into a high-security, high-tech city. Fosters mother is here to fight infringements on the rights of the Bubble colonies, and the East Coast propaganda that claims the Bubbles have been sending terrorists across to kill them; no one has ever seen an attack, except on the news. Safe and Sound is an episode that would have worked fantastically as the pilot to a longer series in itself, thanks to the complexity and detail put into the world-building, a perfect balance of familiar and unfamiliar territory that is perfect for science fiction storytelling. This latest instalment also deals with some timely and loaded subject matters  terrorism, fake news, radicalisation, the oppressive nature of state-sponsored surveillance technology, and a media with its own monopoly on truth. Its problem is it attempts too many heavy-weight themes into what is only a 45-minute segment of television. In trying to do too much, Safe and Sound loses all nuance and fails to do justice to any of the big subjects it explores. The episodes initial ideas are pertinent and manageable in the allotted time: when does security cross over into oppression and loss of privacy? Is comfort worth giving up freedom? Yet instead of honing in on these far more concise themes, the story devolves into Foster being groomed as a weapon of the state.Thats not to say that an anthology series cannot handle big ideas. Like much of PKDs work, the Electric Dreams episodes that have worked best have been the ones to tackle broad philosophical questions about the nature of humanity and consciousness. Its the bloating of Safe and Sound with too many threads that unspools the entire story. The result is that complex themes become mere thriller fodder, and though it may well for an entertaining watch, by the time the credits roll it all feels very shallow. The writers trying to sell the audience on the idea that a teenager girl can be so easily convinced her mother was a terrorist and had been brainwashing her daughter to be a suicide bomber, ultimately fails because it gives so little credit to Fosters agency.Hence the need to add the backstory about her fathers own insanity and subsequent suicide, confusing her and making her question whether the voice in her ear is real or whether she is experiencing the same symptoms her father did. Its a cheap swipe at a mental-illness angle, but it does succeed in keeping up the plots pace and the questioning of whats real. Yet even then, the episode closes with unnecessary flashbacks explaining how it all really happened, that the audience simply doesnt need. It would have been far better leaving in the element of ambiguity, rather than removing what few questions and little depth viewers would otherwise have been left with, in favour of heavy-handed preachiness about the dangers of technology. Science fiction is designed to bring its readers or viewers closer to the truth, to reality, to ourselves as a species and as individuals. Safe and Sound loses sight of its truths when it tries to do too much, to dazzle with buzz-word themes and commentary whilst never delving deep enough into any one. The latest of Electric Dreams is well-acted and directed, with great world-building and great potential, but sadly the themes it addresses are treated without nuance nor the complexity they deserve.
United Airlines(KANSAS CITY, Mo.) -- United Airlines has started an investigation after workers accidentally flew a Kansas City-bound dog to Japan, the airline confirmed.



Kara Swindel was supposed to pick up her German Shepard, Irgo, at a cargo facility in Kansas City, Missouri, Tuesday afternoon, she told ABC News.



When she arrived, an employee told her a "beautiful Great Dane" was waiting.



She said that's when she started to worry about her dog.



Apparently, the airline's crew had mixed up Swindel's German Shepard with a Great Dane bound for Japan, and sent both dogs to the wrong location.



"An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations," United said in a statement. "We apologize for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened."



The airline said it's flying Irgo back to the U.S. in first class, according to Swindel.



This mix-up comes after a puppy died on a United flight Monday after a flight attendant ordered the owner to place the dog in the overhead bin.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A portion of machine sales will support the Quilts for Kids, Inc. organization which helps children in need who suffer from abuse or a life-threatening illness

An Instagram contest for a free BERNINA 330 Special Edition First Love will also kick off on March 19

AURORA, Ill., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, is pleased to introduce the 2018 BERNINA 330 Special Edition First Love (B 330 SE First Love) sewing machine. The B 330 SE First Love with exclusive faceplate featuring a colorful design, supports the Quilts for Kids mission to support children from around the world who suffer from life-threatening illnesses, abuse, poverty and natural disasters. BERNINA will also donate $20,000 from a portion of the B 330 SE First Love sales to the Quilts for Kids. Additionally, BERNINA Dealers will host Quilts for Kids in-store events where the community will be invited into stores to make quilts for children in need. BERNINA has more than 400 Dealer locations in the U.S. The new B 330 SE machine is now available at BERNINA stores nationwide and has an MSRP of $1,399. In conjunction with the launch of the B 330 SE First Love machine, BERNINA of America will kick-off a First Love Instagram contest beginning on March 19 where one lucky winner will have a chance to receive a brand new, free B 330 SE First Love sewing machine.

Unfortunately life-threatening illnesses, abuse, poverty and natural disasters are realities that some children have to face. Providing these children some comfort with a bright, colorful quilt made with love was the inspiration for the 2018 B 330 SE First Love, said Amy Sherfinski, Director of Marketing for BERNINA of America. We are proud to partner with Quilts for Kids to help make a difference and enrich the lives of children all around this country.

Those interested in participating in the First Love Instagram contest will be asked to repost an image of the B 330 SE First Love and comment on what they would create with the machine for children in need. Contest-goers must also follow @berninausa on Instagram and use the hashtag #BERNINAFirstLove with their post. The contest runs until March 28 and the winner will be announced in early April. For more information, visit https://www.instagram.com/berninausa

The B 330 SE First Love features an exclusive faceplate with a colorful design. It is also equipped with 97 stitch patterns (including alphabet symbols), slide speed control and a DC motor. Additionally, the machine can stitch 900 stitches per minute. For more information, visit www.bernina.com/3Series

We are beyond grateful for the opportunity to partner with BERNINA, said Linda Arye, Founding President of Quilts for Kids. The donation from the sales of the B 330 SE First Love will make a huge impact in accomplishing our mission of comforting children in need, with the gift of a colorful, fun handmade quilt.

Founded in 2000, Quilts for Kids, Inc. is a non-profit organization that transforms discontinued and unwanted fabrics into quilts to comfort children in need. These are children with life-threatening illnesses, abuse and so much more. As of 2018 the organization distributed quilts and other much needed items to hundreds of thousands of children in need, globally. The goal is to donate 30,000 quilts or more, each year. Quilts for Kids, Inc. is a 501-C-3 non-profit and is located at 494 Lincoln Highway in Fairless Hills, PA 19030. For more information, visit www.quiltsforkids.org, call (215)295-5484 or stop by its headquarters.

About BERNINA

Founded in Switzerland more than 100 years ago, BERNINA is the worlds premier manufacturer with a proven reputation for offering quality state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers, and embroidery software. BERNINAs leadership is marked by an impressive number of ambassadors, industry leaders, influencers and bloggers, who chose to partner with the company. BERNINA products are sold in the United States through a network of over 400 fully trained independent dealerships that also offer support and education. Select BERNINA and bernette machines, and BERNINA software can also be purchased online. BERNINA products are designed for beginning to advanced sewists and priced to meet a variety of budgets, with new products being introduced every year. You can follow BERNINA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/berninausa, Instagram: @BERNINAUSA, and Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/WeAllSew, and read BERNINAs WeAllSew blog at www.weallsew.com. To learn more about BERNINA and to find a Dealer, visit www.bernina.com or call (630)978-2500.

Media Contacts for BERNINA of America, Inc.:

Joanne Tedesco, (312)780-7210, jtedesco@dresnerco.com

Len Hall, (949)280-0413, lhall@dresnerco.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/defdd293-93a8-41e7-a871-b87a83cc9c1b
English French

BROSSARD, Quebec, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diagnos Inc. (DIAGNOS or the Corporation) (TSX Venture:ADK) (OTCQB:DGNOF) a leader in early detection of critical health issues through the use of its FLAIRE platform based on Artificial Intelligence (AI), announces today the opening of a third eye screening clinic in California located at Chaparral Medical Group Health Management Wellness Center.



In 2010, Medicare launched an annual benefit to all their members at Chaparrals Health Management Wellness Center. The goal is to help promote preventive care methods, emphasizing on how to prevent disease instead of treating disease. With that, Chaparral Medical Group has decided it will automatically include eye screening using our CARA platform for diabetic and pre-diabetic patient at their annual visit.

Chaparral is introducing AI to enhance the overall value of the annual health examination to Medicare members by encompassing CARA as an additional screening test for the annual wellness program. It is estimated that Medicare currently has 44 million beneficiaries enrolled in the Medicare program, some 15 percent of U.S. population. Having Chaparral Medical Group as a trusted partner will help to deploy faster while meeting all the industry requirements, said Yves-Stephane Couture, VP sales at DIAGNOS.

By adding eye screening with retina anomalies detection, we are broadening our study for annual wellness visits. As DIAGNOS continues to develop new algorithms and detect more illness, it will significantly help us to prevent disease evolution and take early action. We are proud to use DIAGNOS state of the art technology and to benefit from the Artificial Intelligence in our daily fight against diseases and we look forward to using them at the Health Management Centre, said Dr. Jeereddi Prasad MD, Diabetes Specialist, President, and Medical Director of Chaparral Medical Group.

About Chaparral Medical Group

Chaparral Medical Group is a 80 physicians multi-specialty group serving the communities of Claremont, La Verne, San Dimas, Fontana, Pomona, Rancho Cucamonga, Upland, Chino Hills and Diamond Bar in Southern California. Over 20 primary care physicians serve as the groups clinical core, and work together with their medical and surgical specialists to provide outstanding care to the patient population Southern California. They have been serving the community since 1978 and their unwavering commitment to patient care and physician work satisfaction are what have driven them to become the most trusted and relied-upon group of physicians in their area.

About CARA

CARA is a tele-ophthalmology platform that integrates with existing equipment (hardware and software) and processes at the point of care (POC) and comprises: image upload, image enhancement automated pre-screening, grading by a specialist, and referral to a specialist. CARAs Artificial Intelligence, based on our FLAIRE technology, image enhancement algorithms make standard retinal images sharper, clearer, and easier to read. CARA is accessible securely over the internet, and is compatible with all recognized image formats and brands of fundus cameras, and is EMR compatible. CARA is a cost-effective tool for screening large numbers of patients, in real time and has been approved by regulatory authorities including Health Canada, US Food and Drug Administration, the European Union and others.

Additional information is available at www.diagnos.ca and www.sedar.com .

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Andre Larente, President Daniel Renaud or Thomas Renaud, Managing Directors DIAGNOS Inc. Arrowhead Business and Investment Decisions, LLC Tel: 450-678-8882 ext. 224 Tel: +1 212 619 6889, ext. 7010 alarente@diagnos.ca diagnos@arrowheadbid.com

This news release contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these statements. DIAGNOS disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Lithuanian English

Elektrenai, Lithuania, 2018-03-14 15:10 CET (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, company code 302648707, registered office at Elektrines st. 21, Elektrenai (hereinafter referred to as the Company). The total number of registered ordinary shares issued by company is 635 083 615, ISIN code  LT0000128571.

On 14 March, 2018 the Supervisory Board of Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, adopted the following decisions:

1) Approve the Annual Report of Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, for the year 2017;

2) Approve the Annual Financial Statements of Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, for the year 2017 audited by the audit company PricewaterhouseCoopers UAB;

3) Approve the profit (loss) allocation of Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, of the year 2017;

4) Submit this review to the Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of Lietuvos Energijos Gamyba, AB, to be held on 26 March 2018.

Shareholders can familiarize themselves with documents related to the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company, draft decisions on the agenda, documents to be submitted to General Meeting of Shareholders and other information related to the implementation of the rights of shareholders on the website of the Company at https://gamyba.le.lt as well as on the premises of the Company (Elektrines st. 21, Elektrenai or Zveju str. 14, Vilnius) during working hours (7.3011.30 a.m. and 12.154.30 p.m.; 7.3011.30 a.m. and 12.153.15 p.m. on Fridays).
BOSTON, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Elizabeth Ramos, an expert in human capital and talent with a significant track record applying it to the investment and management consulting industries, has joined Cambridge Associates as Managing Director and Head of Human Capital, a newly created position. Ramos, based in the firms headquarters in Boston, sits on the firms management team and reports to Cambridge CEO David Druley.



Cambridge Associates is an investment firm that helps endowments, foundations, pension plans and private clients manage investment portfolios that aim to generate outperformance.

What sets Cambridge Associates apart is its people and ability to nurture and attract the very best investors and partners for our clients. Liz is distinguished by her experience and insights when it comes to the people aspect of corporate strategy, and we are delighted to have her on board, Druley said. She will help drive our ongoing work cultivating and investing in superior talent to meet the increasing demand from clients around the world for our portfolio management services.

She has served as Senior Vice President of Human Capital at Fidelity Private Equity and was Partner, Global Human Capital for 22 years at strategy consultant Bain & Company. Ramos was previously at Acceleration Partners in Boston and before that President of Isaacson, Miller, an executive recruiting firm focused on the education, philanthropy and healthcare sectors. She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Im thrilled to join Cambridge Associates which has great people and tremendous industry talent; each individual is contributing to the firms mission of helping institutional investors and private clients achieve their social, generational and philanthropic objectives. Generating successful investment programs for these clients to maximize their impact on the world depends on human capital with extraordinary vision, insight and investing expertise, Ramos said.

For more information or to speak with Elizabeth Ramos, please contact Katarina Wenk-Bodenmiller of Sommerfield Communications at +1 (212) 255-8386 or katarina@sommerfield.com

About Cambridge Associates

Cambridge Associates is a leading global investment firm. We aim to help endowments & foundations, pension plans, and private clients implement and manage custom investment portfolios that generate outperformance so they can maximize their impact on the world. Working alongside its early clients, among them leading university endowments, the firm pioneered the strategy of high-equity orientation and broad diversification, which since the 1980s has been a primary driver of performance for institutional investors. Cambridge Associates delivers a range of portfolio management services, including outsourced CIO, non-discretionary portfolio management, staff extension, and asset class mandates.



Cambridge Associates maintains offices in Boston; Arlington, VA; Beijing; Dallas; London; Menlo Park, CA; New York; San Francisco; Singapore; Sydney; and Toronto. Cambridge Associates consists of five global investment consulting affiliates that are all under common ownership and control. For more information, please visit www.cambridgeassociates.com.
ALBANY, N.Y., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Liberty Institute and law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Court of Appeals of the State of New York on behalf of Agudath Israel of America, a national grassroots Orthodox Jewish organization. The case, The Alliance to End Chickens as Kaporos, et. al. v. The NYC Police Dept., et. al., involves an activist group seeking to prevent Orthodox Jewish communities in New York City from participating in a millennia-old religious ritual known as Kaporos.



Banning a thousand-year-old religious tradition would impose a tremendous burden on the Orthodox Jewish community and clearly violate the U.S. Constitution, said Roger Byron, Senior Counsel to First Liberty. The First Amendment protects the peaceful religious practices of all faiths. Sadly, the Orthodox Jewish community repeatedly has been targeted simply for exercising its beliefs.

Kaporos is a sacred religious ceremony performed by Orthodox Jewish congregations, where the atonement of sins is contemplated through prayer and the kosher and humane killing of a chicken. The ceremony takes place during the holiest days of the Jewish calendar.

Animal rights activists in New York have sought to force government officials to prohibit the ceremony because they allege that Judaism allows the ancient practice to be performed a different way. First Liberty argues in its brief that it is not the role of the government to tell religious communities how to exercise their religious beliefs.

The effort by animal rights activists to force the government to shut down an ancient religious tradition has profound and troubling First Amendment implications, said Jason Levine, the Vinson & Elkins partner who led his firms work on the brief.

Last year, First Liberty and network attorneys successfully defended Chabad of Irvine, a small congregation in California, against two lawsuits brought by activists opposed to Kaporos. First Liberty continues to defend the synagogue on appeal.

Learn more at FirstLiberty.org/agudathisrael.

About First Liberty Institute

First Liberty Institute is a non-profit public interest law firm and the largest legal organization in the nation dedicated exclusively to defending religious freedom for all Americans.

To arrange an interview, contact Lacey McNiel at media@firstliberty.org or by calling 972-941-4453.
FORM 8.5 (EPT/NON-RI)

PUBLIC OPENING POSITION DISCLOSURE/DEALING DISCLOSURE BY AN

EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER WITHOUT RECOGNISED INTERMEDIARY ("RI") STATUS (OR WHERE RI STATUS IS NOT APPLICABLE)

Rule 8.5 of the Takeover Code (the "Code")

1. KEY INFORMATION

(a) Name of exempt principal trader: HSBC Securities (South Africa) (Pty) Limited (b) Name of offeror/offeree in relation to whose relevant securities this form relates:

Use a separate form for each offeror/offeree Sibanye Gold Ltd (c) Name of the party to the offer with which exempt principal trader is connected: Sibanye Gold Ltd (d) Date position held/dealing undertaken:

For an opening position disclosure, state the latest practicable date prior to the disclosure 13-Mar-2018 (e) In addition to the company in 1(b) above, is the exempt principal trader making disclosures in respect of any other party to the offer?

If it is a cash offer or possible cash offer, state "N/A" YES - Lonmin plc.





2. POSITIONS OF THE EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER

If there are positions or rights to subscribe to disclose in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(b), copy table 2(a) or (b) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security.

(a) Interests and short positions in the relevant securities of the offeror or offeree to which the disclosure relates following the dealing (if any)

Class of relevant security:







Interests Short positions Number % Number % (1) Relevant securities owned and/or controlled: (2) Cash-settled derivatives:



208,178 0.010 (3) Stock-settled derivatives (including options) and agreements to purchase/sell:



TOTAL: 208,178 0.010

All interests and all short positions should be disclosed.

Details of any open stock-settled derivative positions (including traded options), or agreements to purchase or sell relevant securities, should be given on a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions).

(b) Rights to subscribe for new securities (including directors' and other employee options)

Class of relevant security in relation to which subscription right exists: Details, including nature of the rights concerned and relevant percentages:

3. DEALINGS (IF ANY) BY THE EXEMPT PRINCIPAL TRADER

Where there have been dealings in more than one class of relevant securities of the offeror or offeree named in 1(b), copy table 3(a), (b), (c) or (d) (as appropriate) for each additional class of relevant security dealt in.

The currency of all prices and other monetary amounts should be stated.

(a) Purchases and sales

Class of relevant security Purchases/ sales



Total number of securities Highest price per unit paid/received Lowest price per unit paid/received

(b) Cash-settled derivative transactions

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. CFD Nature of dealing

e.g. opening/closing a long/short position, increasing/reducing a long/short position Number of reference securities Price per unit

(ZAR) Ordinary Shares Swap



Increasing a Long Position 36,875 1181.47 c Ordinary Shares Swap



Increasing a Short Position 87,184 1175.52 c Ordinary Shares Swap



Reducing a Short Position 30,627 1153.20 c

(c) Stock-settled derivative transactions (including options)

(i) Writing, selling, purchasing or varying

Class of relevant security Product description e.g. call option Writing, purchasing, selling, varying etc. Number of securities to which option relates Exercise price per unit Type

e.g. American, European etc. Expiry date Option money paid/ received per unit

(ii) Exercise

Class of relevant security Product description

e.g. call option Exercising/ exercised against Number of securities Exercise price per unit





(d) Other dealings (including subscribing for new securities)

Class of relevant security Nature of dealing

e.g. subscription, conversion Details Price per unit (if applicable)





4. OTHER INFORMATION

(a) Indemnity and other dealing arrangements

Details of any indemnity or option arrangement, or any agreement or understanding, formal or informal, relating to relevant securities which may be an inducement to deal or refrain from dealing entered into by the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any party to the offer or any person acting in concert with a party to the offer:

Irrevocable commitments and letters of intent should not be included. If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(b) Agreements, arrangements or understandings relating to options or derivatives

Details of any agreement, arrangement or understanding, formal or informal, between the exempt principal trader making the disclosure and any other person relating to:

(i) the voting rights of any relevant securities under any option; or

(ii) the voting rights or future acquisition or disposal of any relevant securities to which any derivative is referenced:

If there are no such agreements, arrangements or understandings, state "none"









(c) Attachments

Is a Supplemental Form 8 (Open Positions) attached? No





Date of disclosure: 14-Mar-2018 Contact name: Dilip Gupta Telephone number: 0207 088 2000

Public disclosures under Rule 8 of the Code must be made to a Regulatory Information Service.

The Panel's Market Surveillance Unit is available for consultation in relation to the Code's disclosure requirements on +44 (0)20 7638 0129.

The Code can be viewed on the Panel's website at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk.
Southern Pines, NC (28387)

Today

Periods of rain. High 76F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Rain this evening with thunderstorms developing overnight. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low around 70F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
PHOENIX, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BeyondTrust, the leading cyber security company dedicated to preventing privilege abuse and stopping unauthorized access, today announced it has been named a Leader in The Forrester WaveTM: Vulnerability Risk Management, Q1 2018 report. According to the report, BeyondTrust supports a robust set of features at an incredible price point. Researchers added, If youre looking for a cost-effective solution for scanning your infrastructure with risk and compliance reporting, this is an excellent choice.



The Forrester Wave is an evaluation of vendors in the software, hardware, or services markets, driven by the analysis of data collected from the marketplace. In the 22-criteria evaluation of the 12 most significant vulnerability risk management providers, Forrester analysts researched, analyzed and scored each participant. The report shows how each provider measures up and helps security and risk (S&R) professionals make the right choice.

According to the Forrester Wave, all vendors included in the report met the following inclusion criteria: Remediation prioritization based on threat intelligence, substantial enterprise level experience and significant mindshare with Forrester clients. The Forrester Wave evaluation gave BeyondTrust the highest scores possible for the following evaluation criteria:

Endpoint agent integration

Total cost of ownership

Product Roadmap

We believe the results from this report underscore BeyondTrusts strengths of offering tremendous value for the price, said Kevin Hickey, CEO of BeyondTrust. We believe this report demonstrates third-party recognition for delivering a well-developed, forward looking solution to meet tomorrows needs.

About BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust is a global information security software company that helps organizations prevent cyber attacks and unauthorized data access due to privilege abuse. Our solutions give you the visibility to confidently reduce risks and the control to take proactive, informed action against data breach threats. And because threats can come from anywhere, we built a platform that unifies the most effective technologies for addressing both internal and external risk: Privileged Access Management and Vulnerability Management. Our solutions grow with your needs, making sure you maintain control no matter where your company goes. BeyondTrusts security solutions are trusted by over 4,000 customers worldwide, including half of the Fortune 100. To learn more about BeyondTrust, please visit www.beyondtrust.com.

Follow BeyondTrust

Twitter: http://twitter.com/beyondtrust

Blog: www.beyondtrust.com/blog

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/beyondtrust

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/beyondtrust

For BeyondTrust:

Mike Bradshaw

Connect Marketing for BeyondTrust

P: (801) 373-7888

E: mikeb@connectmarketing.com




St. Louis, Missouri, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Graybar, a leading distributor of electrical, communications and data networking products and provider of supply chain management services, today announced the appointment of Craig Hogan as Vice President - Marketing and Customer Experience.

Hogan will lead Graybars marketing organization and be responsible for brand management, marketing communications and marketing technology. He also will oversee the continuing development of Graybars portfolio of technical solutions and digital services, including the companys e-commerce platform.

Hogan brings to Graybar an extensive background in marketing strategy, customer experience and marketing technology. Most recently, he worked for Scottrade Financial Services as Senior Vice President Client Experience and Marketing Operations. While at Scottrade, Hogan advanced through a number of leadership roles and helped the firm win a succession of J.D. Power awards for outstanding customer experience. He previously held marketing management and leadership roles with Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Maritz.

Craig will play a key role in Graybars digital transformation, said Bill Mansfield, Senior Vice President - Marketing for Graybar. Craigs extensive marketing experience and proven leadership will be an asset for us as we grow and diversify the business.

Graybar, a Fortune 500 corporation and one of the largest employee-owned companies in North America, is a leader in the distribution of high quality electrical, communications and data networking products, and specializes in related supply chain management and logistics services. Through its network of nearly 290 North American distribution facilities, it stocks and sells products from thousands of manufacturers, helping its customers power, network and secure their facilities with speed, intelligence and efficiency. For more information, visit www.graybar.com or call 1-800-GRAYBAR.

###

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/58d9c416-8430-4e56-9d72-5e68c7935bb7

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/551f6b2c-0c5f-4cc8-a9ae-d8456b840387
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:09 am

Those wondering what the Woodland Community Swimming Pool Committee (WCSPC) has been up to following the failure of a bond measure last year have an answer, and the focus is on getting a YMCA facility fully funded outside of taxpayer contributions before even thinking about coming back to the ballot for pool monies.

A letter from WCSPC President Benno Dobbe dated February 2018 laid out an overview of the current plan to focus now on having the YMCA facility as the first priority for the committee. The goal of a pool in Woodland was still there, but in an effort to get things moving the focus was on what the committee can do with the funding they can secure.

In November the Woodland Swimming Pool and Recreation District, an entity separate from the pool committee, had their request for taxpayer funding to pay off bonds denied as the ballot measure failed to receive a supermajority of votes.

I personally feel very strongly that the community still likes to have a pool, Dobbe said, explaining that some confusion over the concept as well as the fact that no tax-increasing measures were approved by Woodland voters in the November election led to a rejection of what was presented.

As to why focusing on the YMCA center sans-pool first made sense, Dobbe gave a few reasons. One of the biggest pluses to taxpayers inside the recreation district, a special district sharing the boundaries of Woodland Public Schools, is that unlike the ballot measure in November, no money from taxpayer-funded bonds would be needed.

Instead, funding for the YMCA would come from a variety of sources including state grants, money from local foundations as well as New Markets Tax Credit funding, Dobbe listed in the letter. This was in addition to local philanthropic donations and gifts in kind.

Dobbe also said that by focusing on something that can get moving without a need for taxpayer support, actual progress on the pool committees overall goal would be visible to the public through demolition of the old Lakeside Motel, excavation and construction proper, providing a concrete example that the project was moving forward.

I think people will say wow, its happening, and we would like to see this pool facility added onto it, Dobbe remarked.

Currently the land for the proposed YMCA is owned by the WCSPC. Dobbe said in the event of meeting the funding goal eventually the property would be turned over to the YMCA which would own and operate the property.

Dobbe said he had contacted donors to the project regarding how their funds would be used under the new scheme, offering to earmark their gifts for pool construction only. Fortunately none of the donors asked for that, he said, letting their contributions help bring the funding for the YMCA higher.

Though focusing on the YMCA right now, Dobbe said that when funding was secure on the project that the committee could then look at bringing a pool bond back to voters. Dobbe said that the subsequent bond would likely be lower per taxpayer. Estimates made last year on the November bond had an increase of about 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

The idea was that the potential pool would be built on land owned by Dobbe and his wife Klazina, which he said would be donated in the event of a successful pool bond passing, having it as property owned by the recreation district. He said the YMCA had agreed to maintain and operate the facility, and at the end of the bond timeline an option for the association to buy the land would be offered.

Should down the line a pool bond pass, Dobbe said the hope was for a similar setup as was shopped in 2017, with reduced rates for residents in the recreation district as they helped fund the facility.

With the switch to focusing on the YMCA Dobbe wrote that the goal was to have construction started by 2020. In an interview he estimated that project would total about $8.5 million.

Though the YMCA will seek funding from other avenues, it would be up to the voters to decide if they wanted to pay for bonds on a pool. The YMCA, however, would be through committee work and partnerships outside of more taxes.

No one in the district needs to feel like they have an obligation to pay for the YMCA; they dont, Dobbe remarked.

The WCSPC is planning an open house regarding the new plan in May, with an official announcement on date and location to come next month, Dobbe said.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 7:55 am

A Clark County man has pled guilty to a count of wire fraud in a federal court for defrauding investors in what they believed was a viable clean energy company, a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Oregon stated last week.

Isaac Benjamin Voss, 41, Ridgefield, pled guilty March 7 to one count of wire fraud and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release, according to the attorneys office.

Court documents show that over a four-year period starting in 2011 Voss used his company, XFuels, to solicit funding from investors both abroad and in Oregon, California and Washington, using elaborate marketing materials containing false information regarding the investment opportunity.

Voss claimed that XFuels owned a commercial refinery in Canada and that another was being constructed in Washington, according to the release. Those plants were said to be using the technology to produce "clean fuel, clean chemicals, (and) clean power from garbage, biomass, and plastic."

According to court documents Voss made a deal with a Canadian scientist and entrepreneur in 2007 to raise funds, ostensibly to support the development of a technology that would derive electricity and petroleum-equivalent fuels from any carbon bearing material, the release stated.

To reduce the perception of risk Voss told investors that more than 90 percent of the projects funding would come from other institutional and private lenders and that he had commissioned a third-party feasibility study that showed the project was commercially viable.

But XFuels hadnt built any facilities, and the only capital raised came from individual investors, according to the release. The feasibility study did not employ accepted methods to validate the technology, relying solely on information provided by Voss himself.

Voss had hosted numerous foreign investment seminars where he told investors they could be qualified for work visas, with a $500,000 minimum investment, the release stated. He had also claimed that foreign investment funds were in escrow pending the federal governments approval of the visas, though as XFuels project did not meet the requirements for the specific visa, all applications were denied.

"Voss robbed victims of investment dollars by preying on their hopes of becoming legal permanent residents in the U.S.," Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon stated in the release. "I implore both domestic and international investors to think twice before supporting schemes that promise immigration shortcuts."

Voss will be sentenced on Aug. 14 before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown. Several agencies were involved with investigation into the case including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security, the release stated. Prosecuting the case are Michelle H. Kerin and Gavin W. Bruce, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:03 am

Supporters and volunteers of Meals on Wheels People donated enough funds in just one hour to provide 17,000 nutritious meals to older adults in Clark County at the organization's Spring Luncheon presented by Dick Hannah Dealerships. The annual event raised $125,000.

More than 350 area business leaders and volunteers gathered in the Vancouver Hilton on March 6 to hear Diane Nelson talk about her experience delivering meals in Vancouver. Judy Scott received the Compassion for Seniors Award. Judy has delivered meals weekly in Vancouver for more than a dozen years.

Dick Hannah Dealerships was the event presenting sponsor. Other sponsors included: Columbia Credit Union, Walter E. Nelson Co., The Waterfront Vancouver, New Seasons Market, Steve and Jan Oliva, and Tidewater Transportation and Terminals.

Meals on Wheels People has been affecting lives, one meal at a time, since 1970. They provide nutritious meals to older adults at dozens of meal sites in Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties, and Meals on Wheels delivery to homebound seniors. With the help of 5,500 volunteers, the nonprofit organization now serves 5,000 meals daily and 1.1 million meals each year. For more information, visit: mowp.org.

 Meals on Wheels
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 7:57 am

A controversial gun control bill to ban bump stocks has been signed into law by Gov. Jay Inslee.

Senate Bill 5922 passed both chambers in the Washington state Legislature by slim margins and largely along party lines. The vote was 29-20 in the Senate and 56-41 in the House of Representatives.

Gov. Inslee signed the bill last Tuesday.

Starting July 1, 2018, bump stocks will be illegal to manufacture or sell. Starting July 1, 2019, the accessory will be illegal to possess. The bill also allows police officers to seize the weapons. If found, possession or use of a bump stock qualifies as a felony.

The Senate approved a House amendment that requires the Washington State Patrol to administer a buy-back program from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019. Those who currently own bump stocks can bring the device to facilities throughout the state and receive $150 for them.

This measure is just one more modest step to prevent gun violence, Inslee said, calling for more action on gun regulations.

Bump stocks became a topic of national conversation after a shooting at a country music concert in Las Vegas in October 2017. The shooter reportedly used a bump stock, a device that attaches to a semi-automatic rifle increasing its firing rate.

Jim and Ann Marie Parsons, a couple who lost their daughter Carrie in the shooting, stood at Inslees side as he signed the bill.

California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have already banned bump stocks. Lawmakers have introduced 71 bump stock bills in 32 states to strengthen restrictions on bump stocks and related trigger activator devices, according to Giffords Law Center.

Taylor McAvoy is reporting from the WNPA Olympia News Bureau.
Posted Tuesday, March 13, 2018 8:06 am

A La Center man is in custody in Oregon following his arrest by Multnomah County Sheriffs Office deputies March 7 on alleged sex crimes.

A release from the sheriffs office stated that Douglas L. Braaten, 61, of La Center had been charged with prostitution and unlawful sexual penetration, a misdemeanor and felony respectively, following his arrest in the Bridal Veil area in east Multnomah County.

Sheriffs deputies had originally responded to a call where a female reported that she had been kidnapped, according to the release, shortly after 7:30 p.m. March 7. Based on GPS data it was determined the call was in the Bridal Veil area where deputies were able to locate the involved vehicle.

The occupants of the vehicle were contacted and a male, later identified as Braaten, was detained for questioning.

As of the time of the release detectives were investigating the case and no further information was being released.
SAN JOSE, Calif., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oski Technology, Inc., the established and trusted leader in Formal Verification Methodology expertise, today announced Oski Formal Verification talks at several upcoming events, including Oskis renowned Decoding Formal Club, Synopsyss SNUG and Cadences CDNLive.



Presentations and discussions by ArterisIP, Cavium, Cisco Systems and a cryptography specialist will address critical verification issues plaguing todays design and verification teams. Topics include the verification of cache-coherent protocols, ISO 26262 compliance, software-configurable silicon and networking systems, as well as a keynote on the role Formal analysis played in the discovery of the Meltdown and Spectre security flaws.



Our customers are seeing the value of applying Formal Verification Methodologies to a broader range of issues, comments Vigyan Singhal, president and CEO of Oski Technology. These Formal Verification talks advance the understanding and application of Formal techniques for the benefit of the design and verification community.



Oski Decoding Formal Club Meeting



The Oski Decoding Formal Club meeting, sponsored by Cadence Design Systems, will be held at the Conference Center in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 20, from 11:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.



The keynote address titled, Meltdown and Spectre, will be delivered by security and cryptography expert Dr. Mike Hamburg, who will discuss how Formal analysis contributed to his discovery of the Meltdown and Spectre security flaws.



Anatoli Sokhatski, verification technology lead at Cisco, will present, From Formal Verification Training to Methodology Development for Networking Designs, illustrating Ciscos experience upskilling and defining a Formal Verification methodology that works for the complexity of networking chips.



The final presentation, Understanding ISO26262, Formally , will be given by Kurt Shuler, vice president of marketing at ArterisIP and member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ISO 26262. Shuler will describe the 3Ps (people, process, and product) undergirding the philosophy behind the standard and how the use of Formal methods affects and is affected by all three Ps.



Registration for the Decoding Formal Club can be found at http://bit.ly/2p8G4OK



Synopsys User Group (SNUG) and Cadence CDNLive  Silicon Valley Events



Saurabh Shrivastava, senior manager Hardware Engineering at Cavium, will deliver a session on Formal Verification of Software Configurable Silicon for Software Defined Networks (SDN) at Synopsys User Group (SNUG) Silicon Valley Thursday, March 22. Shrivastava will outline how a Formal Verification methodology was used to address the challenge of dealing with the high number of combination settings that are impractical for other verification methods.



CDNLive Silicon Valley will provide a forum for Abhinav Nippuleti, principal hardware verification engineer from ArterisIP and Kamal Sekhon, Formal Verification engineer at Oski, to discuss Architectural Formal Verification of Cache Coherent Protocols Wednesday, April 11. They will explore how ArterisIP deployed architectural Formal Verification with design architects early in the design process, before any RTL code is developed, and the benefits that resulted.



For more information about Oskis ability to solve critical verification challenges, go to: www.oskitechnology.com



About Oski Technology



Oski Technology established itself as the unsurpassed trusted global leader in the domain of Formal Verification methodology and expertise. Founded in 2005, Oski serves six out of the top seven semiconductor design companies. Leaders in consumer electronics, communications, computing, image processing, data storage, research, defense, education, automotive, and medical turn to Oski to accelerate their verification process and produce higher quality designs than simulation alone allows. Oski has assembled the worlds largest dedicated team of experts that draws on hundreds of man-years of collective experience to provide Oski-certified verification sign-off. Oski reset the benchmark for formal verification with innovations such as its Formal Sign-off methodology, End-To-End Formal checkers and Oski Abstraction Models. Oski's publications, training sessions and events, such as the Decoding Formal Club, are recognized industry-wide as valuable resources of formal applications knowledge.



Engage with Oski at:

Website: www.oskitechnology.com

Twitter: @oskiTech

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/1440576/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oskitechnology

For more information, contact:

Rob van Blommestein Nanette Collins

Vice President of Marketing at Oski Technology Public Relations for Oski Technology

(408) 201-3018 (617) 437-1822

rvanblommestein@oskitech.com nanette@nvc.com
Chicago, IL, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday, March 5th, the 2018 IFT Leadership Election officially closed with one woman taking the title as the IFT President-Elect. Having served on multiple IFT committees for the past two decades, Pam Coleman, a Certified Food Scientist and Vice President of Research Services at Merieux NutriSciences, is ready for the role.

Pam has spent her career providing leadership expertise in scientific services for the food industry. She has been an asset to Merieux NutriSciences, overseeing Research Services for the past five years, a team dedicated to product innovation support services, such as clinical research, sensory and consumer studies. She began her career working on R&D teams for two food companies before focusing on laboratory management. Serving the customer has always been key for her, helping to establish testing programs both domestically and internationally. As a long-term IFT member, Pam has led the Quality Assurance Division, the Dixie Section (now the South Eastern Section), completed several task force assignments and currently sits on the Board of Directors.

IFT has been an integral part of my life, says Coleman, pushing me to develop and practice skills that have enabled me to achieve more in my career. I am grateful for these opportunities and am ready to do whatever I can to ensure IFT maintains its positive influence on our global food system and its future leaders.

Merieux NutriSciences is very proud to have one of our own leaders steer this highly prestigious scientific society. Merieux NutriSciences and IFT both share a common goal to deliver safe, high-quality foods to consumers on a global basis. We are proud to support Pam and all our employees with their participation with IFT, says Jim Miller, President North America.







About Merieux NutriSciences



Merieux NutriSciences is dedicated to protecting consumers health throughout the world, by offering

customers a complete food safety and quality program from testing and consulting services to labeling and environmental monitoring.



Present in 22 countries, Merieux NutriSciences employs 7,000 people worldwide in over

100 laboratories. And were growing! Visit merieuxnutrisciences.com for more information and to see our career opportunities.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High 24C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. Low 17C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone Affordable Development, a leading provider of affordable housing recapitalization, rehabilitation and development services, announces the closing of a $38.5 million multifamily housing transaction in Oklahoma.



The portfolio of affordable housing properties includes 13 aged USDA Rural Development Section 515 properties (which were then consolidated into 11) and comprises 294 apartment homes serving low-income households in 8 counties across the state, and are owned and operated by Inola, OK-based Green Companies Development Group, Inc. In the statewide pooled transaction, Greystones affordable housing development group worked closely with USDAs Rural Housing Service (RHS) State and National Offices and the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency to coordinate and secure the financing needed to acquire and rehabilitate this at-risk and much-needed housing.

This transaction is a wonderful model for other affordable housing owners to follow when considering the inevitable aging of precious income- and age-restricted housing stock, said Deborah Jenkins, Executive Director, Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. We are thrilled to participate in this process and to support the preservation of Oklahomas affordable housing.

As we embark on new recapitalization projects such as this in more and more states around the country, we see a similar pattern of rural affordable housing owners going from being overwhelmed and in disbelief to being amazed and filled with jubilation once they see the possibilities become a reality for their assets and residents, said Tanya Eastwood, President, Greystone Affordable Development. With the valuable tax-exempt bond structure, it is possible to preserve critical affordable housing, and we are glad to be able to continue the important work that we do.

The financing plan combined both public and private funding, and included:

Tax-Exempt Bonds  Single issuance of $11.87 million in multifamily private activity tax-exempt bonds from the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency.

 Single issuance of $11.87 million in multifamily private activity tax-exempt bonds from the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency. Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Equity  Purchase of 4% Federal LIHTCs by Boston Capital, generating $5.97 million in capital contributions.

 Purchase of 4% Federal LIHTCs by Boston Capital, generating $5.97 million in capital contributions. RHS 515 Debt - Assumption and subordination of $7.86 million of original USDA Section 515 debt. The Section 515 program is a direct loan program designed to provide subsidized loans to developers of affordable housing in rural markets. In addition, $3.59 million in new USDA Section 515 debt was awarded to 3 of the properties through Rural Developments Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) Program.

- Assumption and subordination of $7.86 million of original USDA Section 515 debt. The Section 515 program is a direct loan program designed to provide subsidized loans to developers of affordable housing in rural markets. In addition, $3.59 million in new USDA Section 515 debt was awarded to 3 of the properties through Rural Developments Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization (MPR) Program. Senior Debt of $6.26 million in USDA Section 538 loans provided by Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc.

of $6.26 million in USDA Section 538 loans provided by Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc. Seller Notes of $1.78 million provided by the sellers of the 13 original properties.

of $1.78 million provided by the sellers of the 13 original properties. Excess Reserves, Project Operations, Investment Income, and Deferred Developer Fees - totaling $1.16 million.

The rehabilitation plan includes a fast-paced construction process, estimated to be complete within 10 months, during which no residents are expected to be permanently displaced. Substantial renovations, averaging $33,800 per unit, will include both interior and exterior improvements. Particular emphasis will be placed on bringing the properties, built between 1978 and 1986, up to modern standards, addressing accessibility, functional obsolescence and deterioration.

"We are excited that the financing portion of the preservation is complete, and we can now embark on the rapid rehab process to bring the nearly 300 units to modern standards with minimal displacement for our residents, said Brian Green, President, Green Companies Development Group. This innovative structure, and the way Greystone has ushered through the complex recapitalization process so far, has given us confidence to take a similar approach with other holdings. Its a win-win for everyone, especially the hundreds of residents who will soon benefit from beautiful, newly refurbished communities.

The deal team included:

Bond Issuer Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency (Oklahoma City, OK) Bond Issuers Counsel Riggs, Abney, Neal, Turpen, Orbison & Lewis (Oklahoma City, OK) Bond Issuers Special Counsel J. Brent Clark, P.C. (Norman, OK) Bond Counsel Dinsmore & Shohl LLP (Cincinnati, OH) Bond Underwriter Raymond James (Dallas, TX) Co-Bond Underwriter Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Inc. (Montgomery, AL) Bond Underwriters Counsel Tiber Hudson (Washington, D.C.) Borrowers Counsel Barrow & Grimm, P.C. (Tulsa, OK) Developer Green Companies Development Group, Inc. (Inola, OK) Developers Consultant Greystone Affordable Development (Raleigh, NC) Equity Boston Capital (Boston, MA) Equity Counsel Nixon Peabody (Boston, MA) Financial Advisor Caine Mitter & Associates Inc. (New York, NY) General Contractor Maco Construction (Clarkton, MO) Permanent Lender Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc. (Warrenton, VA) Permanent Lender's Counsel Ballard Spahr LLP (Washington, D.C.) Rating Agency S&P Global Ratings (New York, NY) Subordinate Lender USDA Rural Housing Service (Washington, D.C.) Trustee Bank of Oklahoma (Oklahoma City, OK) Trustee's Counsel The Public Finance Law Group PLLC (Oklahoma City, OK)

About Greystone Affordable Development

Greystone Affordable Development, an affiliate of Greystone & Co., Inc., is a development and transaction management group that is focused on meeting the challenges associated with the recapitalization, rehabilitation and preservation of affordable housing throughout the U.S. To date, the group has coordinated the rehabilitation and preservation of over 10,800 apartment units with another 3,800 in various stages of completion in ten states. The groups mission is to create meaningful and significant impacts on communities by helping to provide low-income households with decent, safe affordable housing.



About Greystone

Greystone, together with its affiliates, is a real estate lending, investment and advisory company headquartered in New York. Our range of services includes commercial lending across a variety of platforms such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, CMBS, FHA, USDA, bridge and proprietary loan products; Mortgage servicing; Real estate investment and development; Acquisitions / management of multifamily properties and healthcare facilities; Affordable housing preservation; Public transportation real estate management; and Real Estate sales advisory. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Corporation, Inc., Greystone Funding Corporation and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greyco.com.

PRESS CONTACT:

Karen Marotta

Greystone

212-896-9149

Karen.Marotta@greyco.com


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
BERKELEY, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. ("BriaCell") (TSX-V:BCT) (OTCQB:BCTXF), an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company with a proprietary targeted immunotherapy technology, announced that it has engaged Akari Health, a leading health-care focused social media marketing company, to improve awareness of its lead product candidate, Bria-IMT, as a potential safe and effective treatment option for advanced breast cancer, and build relationships with patient communities. These efforts are expected to improve patient enrollment in the ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial and the roll-over study.



Based in Boston, MA, Akari Health is a healthcare consulting group that advises clients on how to use social media and social networks. Alicia Staley, Chief Patient Officer of Akari Health, has in-depth knowledge of the power of online communities and provides direction to companies looking to build platforms to interact with consumers and patients in meaningful ways.

As a three-time cancer survivor, Alicia Staley, Chief Patient Officer of Akari Health, is committed to improving other cancer patients experiences by sharing her valuable knowledge in managing and navigating through various treatment options for cancer care, as well as advocating for cancer patients. She shares her passion and enthusiasm for helping the cancer community by contributing to the Awesome Cancer Survivor community, and the Breast Cancer Social Media (BCSM) Community, a volunteer organization dedicated to empowering those affected by breast cancer through programs that provide evidence-based information in a supportive and compassionate manner. She regularly speaks at conferences throughout the US. She has presented at Livestrongs Rev2014, American Society for Breast Surgeons Annual Meeting, South by South West Interactive Conference (SXSWi), 140 Boston, and Social Media for Pharma. As an inspirational speaker, Alicia reaches many different audiences, providing insight into life as a 27+ year cancer survivor.

We are impressed with Ms. Alicia Staleys in-depth knowledge and motivation to improve the experience of breast cancer patients, and plan to use her expertise to improve the patient communitys awareness of Bria-IMT as a leading technology and potentially a safe and effective treatment option for advanced breast cancer, stated Dr. William Williams, BriaCells President & CEO. In todays competitive business world, social media marketing is critical in building business and patient community relationships. We look forward to working with Akari Health that is known for its top social marketing expertise to ultimately accelerate patient recruitment and retention in the current Phase I/IIa clinical trial and the roll-over study, Dr. Williams added.



About BriaCell

BriaCell is an immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company developing a targeted and safe approach to the management of cancer. Immunotherapy has come to the forefront in the fight against cancer, harnessing the body's own immune system in recognizing and selectively destroying cancer cells while sparing normal ones. Immunotherapy, in addition to generally being more targeted and less toxic than commonly used types of chemotherapy, is also thought to be a potent approach with the potential to prevent cancer recurrence.

Bria-IMT (SV-BR-1-GM), the Company's lead product candidate, is derived from a specific breast cancer cell line. It is genetically engineered to release granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a substance that activates the immune system. We believe that Bria-IMT helps the body to recognize and kill tumor cells by activating T cells that attack the tumor and B cells that produce anti-tumor antibodies.

The results of two previous proof-of-concept clinical trials (one with the precursor cell line not genetically engineered to produce GM-CSF and one with Bria-IMT) produced encouraging results in patients with advanced breast cancer. Most notably, one patient with metastatic breast cancer responded to Bria-IMT with substantial reduction in tumor burden including breast, lung, soft tissue and brain metastases. The company is currently conducting a Phase I/IIa clinical trial for Bria-IMT in patients with advanced breast cancer. This trial is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03066947. The trial is being conducted along with the co-development of BriaDX, the Companys companion diagnostic test. The interim data for the first 10 patients is expected by the first quarter of 2018. Additionally, the FDA recently approved the roll-over combination study of Bria-IMT with pembrolizumab [Keytruda; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.] or ipilimumab [Yervoy; manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company] for patients previously treated with Bria-IMT in the Companys ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial in advanced breast cancer. The roll-over trial is listed in ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03328026.

BriaCell is also developing Bria-OTS, an off-the-shelf personalized Immunotherapy. Bria-OTS consists of 14 individually pre-manufactured genetic alleles. BriaCells BriaDX companion diagnostic reveals a patients specific HLA-types and the 2 best matching alleles are administered to the patient. BriaCells 14 alleles (8 Class I and 6 Class II) cover approximately 90% of the Breast Cancer population while eliminating the complex manufacturing logistics required for other personalized immunotherapies. Bria-OTS is a personalized therapy without the need for personalized manufacturing.

Yet another item in the BriaCell pipeline is a novel, selective protein kinase C delta (PKC) inhibitor. PKC inhibitors have shown activity in a number of pre-clinical models of RAS genes transformed cancers including breast, pancreatic, non-small cell lung cancer and neuroendocrine tumors (such as carcinoid tumors).

For additional information on BriaCell, please visit our website: http://briacell.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Except for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation which involves known and unknown risks relevant to the Company in particular and to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries in general, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. These risks are more fully described in the Company's public filings available at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press 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.

Contact Information: For further information, please contact:

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp.:

Farrah Dean

Manager, Corporate Development

Email: farrah@BriaCell.com

Phone: 1-888-485-6340
Job Title: Administration Officer

Organization: Mercy Corps

Duty Station: Uganda

About US:

Mercy Corps is an international non-profit organization which

implements high-quality, analytical development programmes in very difficult

places. Mercy Corps has been operating in Uganda since 2006. It has and

continues to implement programs in Acholi and Karamoja sub regions. Mercy Corps

is taking a community-led, market driven approach to address poverty and food

insecurity needs through interventions that get to the root causes and

contributing factors of economic vulnerability. Donors include the United

States Agency for International Development (USAID), DFID, Mastercard

Foundation, WALMART Foundation, Coca Cola Africa Foundation, US Depart of State

(DOS) /PEPFAR, ECHO and Nike Foundation.

Job Summary: The

Administration Officer will support all office administration in Amudat Office.

The Administration Officer will be responsible for the smooth running of all

administration functions in support of the Apolou Program.



Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Actively facilitate the smooth flowing of

routine, administrative work of the Mercy Corps office and program support

operations;

Enforce adherence to Mercy Corps

administrative, HR and logistics procedures and staff policies by support

staff;

Handling and supporting with all field

recruitment hire in Amudat

Managing the filing process of all HR

information. Personnel Records Keeping.

Handling Staff orientation at the field

and ensuring all new hires have the necessary workspace.

Responsible for the smooth running of the

following office functions: receiving visitors and ensuring they are going

to the right offices

Responsible for all travel and

accommodation arrangements for Mercy Corps guests and staff in Amudat

Ensuring all photocopiers, printers,

scanners, mail services, telephones etc are running within the office and

any calls for repairs or maintenances needed are properly reported to the

right department focal persons.

Oversees cleaners, gardeners that will

maintain office premises are cleaned and general cleanliness is

maintained.

Oversee the smooth flow of routine,

administrative work in Amudat office is in compliance with mercy corps

field administration manual and national staff policy handbook.

Responsible for maintaining an accurate

inventory of office supplies to include stationery, consumables and

cartridges/tonner.

Conduct him/herself both professionally

and personally in such a manner as to bring credit to mercy corps and not

to jeopardize its humanitarian mission.

Ensure compliance with security procedures

and policies as determined by Mercy Corps Country Program.

Proactively ensure that team members

operate in a secure environment and are aware of policies.









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

The ideal candidate for the Mercy Corps Administration

Officer job placement should hold a Bachelors Degree in Business

Administration/ Public, Social Work, Education, or other related field.

Three years experience with office administration;

computer skills are required, must be an independent thinker and have

strong organizational skills;

Demonstrated excellence in administration,

particularly in a multi-cultural environment, including staff training,

motivation, and discipline

Excellent writing and communications

skills.

Keen attention to detail, ability to

follow procedures, meet deadlines and work independently and cooperatively

with team members.

Good negotiation, representation skills

and the ability to work comfortably with an ethnically diverse staff.

Strong ability to innovatively solve

problems.

Ability to communicate in English

The successful candidate will be capable

of multi-tasking, rapid decision-making, have initiative, drive and a lot

of energy, as well as high emotional intelligence, constructive mentoring

skills and proven experience with capacity building.

S/he will be committed to long-term

program sustainability and the delivery of high-impact activities at the

community level.

Successful Mercy Corps team members have a

strong commitment to teamwork and accountability, thrive in evolving and

challenging environments, and make effective written and verbal

communication a priority.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their

E-mail applications including a cover letter clearly stating the salary

requirements, updated CV (with three professional referees), and copies of

academic qualifications/certificates addressed to the Senior HR and Legal

Manager, Mercy Corps Uganda to: ug-mcjobs@mercycorps.org

Deadline: 15th March 2018
The project will 1) identifycritical conflict drivers at the local, regional, and national levels and toprovide targeted, strategic support to relevant stakeholders or initiativeswith an interest in and capacity to address and resolve conflictsnon-violently; 2) bolster in an integrated fashion the ability ofconstituent-responsive local authorities, civil society and others to shore upand sustain localized or higher-level peace processes; and 3) empower civilsociety and others to more broadly and inclusively engage on issues related togood governance, reform, accountability, dialogue and local, regional ornational-level peace.
Organization: Tetra Tech

Project Name: USAID-funded

Uganda Sanitation for Health Activity

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

About US:

Tetra Tech is a leading provider of consulting, engineering, and

technical services worldwide. Our reputation rests on the technical expertise

and dedication of our employees16,000 people working together across

disciplines and time zones to provide smart, sustainable solutions for

challenging projects.

About USAID Project:

Tetra Tech International Services is implementing the USAID-funded

Uganda Sanitation for Health Activity in Kampala. The project will work to

increase household access to sanitation and water services, and improve health

through hygiene behavior change campaigns in homes, schools and health

facilities.











Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The applicant for the USAID Project

Logistics & Procurement Specialist job placement should hold a

Bachelors degree in a related field

Three years of prior USAID experience

Excellent organizational skills

Keen attention to detail and commitment to

USAID procurement regulations

Applicants with previous USAID experience

have an added advantage

Demonstrated ability to work in a

multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for

diversity and gender are essential requirements

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their

applications to: jobs@Uganda-sanitation.org

rd March

2018 by 5:00pm Deadline: 23March2018 by 5:00pm
Organisation: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR)

Position No.: 10028902

Vacancy Notice: 012/2018

Reports to: Protection Officer

Duty Station: Uganda

Post Grade: GL4

About UNHCR:

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees was

established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly.

UNHCRs mandate under the Statute of the Office of the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees is to lead and co-ordinate action for international

protection to refugees; seek permanent solutions for the problems of refugees

and safeguard refugee rights and well-being. UNHCR has an additional mandate

concerning issues of statelessness, as it is given a designated role under

Article 11 of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:



The Data Management Assistant will enter data

mainly related to asylum seekers, refugees and persons of concern to UNHCR into

the computer database.



Actively contribute to the preparation of

reports and project documents by providing information, preparing tables and

drafting routine correspondence and reports.



Update and maintain existing databases and

generate various statistical reports.



Provide support in the development of forms for

data collection and analysis, if requested.



Act as interpreter in the exchange of routine

information and translate routine documents and correspondence as and when

required.



May be required to undertake field trips to

project sites.



Perform any other duty, as requested

Key Performance Indicators:



The Office has reliable and up-to-date data on

persons of concern.



Decide on the data recorded in database.



Decide on appropriate resolution to incidents

and escalate issues to the supervisor if incident cannot be resolved within the

scope of responsibility









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:



The ideal candidate for the United Nations UNHCR

Data Management Assistant job

placement should have completed Secondary Education with post-secondary

training/certificate in Electronic data processing, Information Technology or

related field;



At least three years of previous job experience

relevant to the function.



Fluency in English and working knowledge of the

local language



Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or

specific training relevant to functions of the position.

How to Apply:

All interested Ugandan nationals who wish to join the United Nations

High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the aforementioned capacity are

encouraged to click on the link below and follow the application instructions

after reviewing the job details.

Deadline: 14th March 2018
English French

PRESS RELEASE

14 March 2018

Aeroports de Paris SA

February 2018 traffic figures

In February 2018, Paris Aeroport welcomed 6.9 million passengers, an increase of 0.9% compared with February 2017. 4.7 million passengers travelled through Paris-Charles de Gaulle (+2.7%) and 2.2 million through Paris-Orly (-2.8%). Traffic was marked by the climatic conditions and by the strike of some air carriers.

International traffic (excluding Europe) was up (+3.9%), due to growth in the following destinations: the French Overseas Territories (+8.6%), the Middle East (+7.5%), North America (+4.3%), Africa (+3.4%), Asia-Pacific (+2.0%). Only Latin America was down (-3.1%);

European traffic (excluding France) was up by 1.2%;

Traffic within France was down by 7.0%;

The number of connecting passengers increased by 0.8%. The connecting rate stood at 22.6%, down by 0.7 points compared with February 2017.

Since the beginning of the year, Paris Aeroport passenger traffic has increased by 2.8%, with a total of 14.5 million passengers. The number of connecting passengers has risen by 2.5%. The connecting rate stands at 24.4%, down by 0.3 point.

Passenger traffic at TAV Airports, 46.1%-owned by Groupe ADP, increased by 19.7% in February 2018 compared to 2017 and has risen by 25.0% since the beginning of the year.

Passenger traffic at Santiago de Chile Airport, 45%-owned by Groupe ADP, has increased by 14.9% in February 2018 compared to 2017 and by 14.5% since the beginning of the year.

Passengers Feb. 2018 % change 2018/2017 Jan.-Feb. 2018 % change 2018/2017 Last 12 months % change 2018/2017 Paris-CDG 4,747,670 +2.7% 9,962,959 +3.8% 69,836,310 +5.2% Paris-Orly 2,187,980 -2.8% 4,572,737 +0.6% 32,068,885 +1.6% Total Paris Aeroport 6,935,650 +0.9% 14,535,696 +2.8% 101,905,195 +4.1% Santiago de Chile 2,098,195 +14.9% 4,355,119 +14.5% 21,979,654 +12.6% Istanbul Ataturk 4,734,155 +17.6% 9,982,130 +23.9% 65,651,691 +10.3% Ankara Esenboga 1,371,340 +39.5% 2,923,561 +43.7% 16,734,277 +27.6% Izmir 935,941 +11.3% 2,011,844 +16.6% 13,110,315 +9.2% Milas Bodrum 95,973 +18.4% 204,839 +24.9% 3,550,192 +10.2% Gazipasa 30,616 +18.9% 64,380 +27.4% 837,079 +16.7% Medinah 617,773 +8.7% 1,338,648 +13.8% 7,967,953 +18.8% Tunisia 46,872 +32.4% 90,455 +16.8% 1,696,644 +6.6% Georgia 217,267 +38.3% 448,851 +38.0% 3,778,004 +43.1% Macedonia 134,749 +21.8% 286,129 +20.1% 2,075,293 +14.5% Zagreb (1) 170,658 +10.3% 361,934 +11.9% 3,130,514 +12.6% Total TAV Airports 8,355,344 +19.7% 17,712,771 +25.0% 118,531,962 +13.9%

Groupe ADP and TAV Airports have, a shareholding of 21% and 15%, respectively, in Zagreb Airport. To be compliant with TAV Airports presentations, Zagreb Airport traffic figures are integrated into the TAV Airports group traffic figures.

1

Aircraft Movements Feb. 2018 % change 2018/2017 Jan.-Feb. 2018 % change 2018/2017 Last 12 months % change 2018/2017 Paris-CDG 33,193 -0.5% 69,799 +0.5% 476,009 +0.6% Paris-Orly 15,258 -8.0% 32,603 -3.2% 227,949 -2.8% Total Paris Aeroport 48,451 -3.0% 102,402 -0.7% 703,958 -0.5% Santiago de Chile 13,222 +15.4% 27,672 +15.9% 144,290 +13.1% Istanbul Ataturk 32,974 +6.5% 69,269 +11.4% 456,519 +3.6% Ankara Esenboga 9,141 +25.4% 19,175 +28.8% 111,039 +17.7% Izmir 5,890 +4.0% 12,473 +7.9% 83,763 +6.2% Milas Bodrum 635 +21.0% 1,326 +21.3% 23,493 +3.0% Gazipasa 234 +31.5% 465 +24.0% 5,752 +8.7% Medinah 4,620 +15.3% 9,760 +16.6% 59,437 +9.7% Tunisia 456 -4.4% 893 -15.0% 11,853 -6.4% Georgia 2,286 +22.8% 4,816 +23.7% 38,830 +35.9% Macedonia 1,195 +18.4% 2,588 +18.3% 18,530 +10.0% Zagreb 2,692 +4.7% 5,731 +6.8% 41,948 +3.6% Total TAV Airports 60,123 +10.2% 126,496 +14.0% 851,164 +7.1%

Geographic split

Paris Aeroport

(Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly) Feb. 2018

% change 2018/2017 Share of total traffic Jan.-Feb. 2018

% change 2018/2017 Share of total traffic France -7.0% 15.7% -3.3% 15.9% Europe +1.2% 42.4% +3.5% 41.4% Other International

Of which +3.9% 42.0% +4.5% 42.7% Africa +3.4% 12.0% +6.0% 12.2% North America +4.3% 7.8% +3.9% 8.2% Latin America -3.1% 3.8% -2.1% 3.9% Middle-East +7.5% 5.7% +6.9% 5.7% Asia-Pacific +2.0% 7.2% +1.2% 7.2% French Overseas Territories +8.6% 5.4% +9.8% 5.5% Total Paris Aeroport +0.9% 100 % +2.8% 100 %

Paris Aeroport

(Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly) Feb. 2018 % change 2018/2017 Jan.- Feb. 2018 % change 2018/2017 Connecting Passengers(1) 808,889 +0.8% 1,786,134 +2.5% Connecting rate 22.6% -0.7 pt 24.4% -0.3 pt Seat load factor 83.5% +1.9 pt 82.7% +1.6 pt

(1) Departing passengers

Additional information regarding 2017 full year release published on 22 February 2018 about 2017 full year results

Groupe ADP precises that, regarding the press release of the 2017 full year results:

Aeroports de Paris' financial statements and Groupe ADP's consolidated financial statements were approved by Aeroports de Paris' board meeting on 22 February 2018;

As for previous years, at the date of the publication of the press release (22 February 2018), these statements had been subject to audit procedures, without the audit reports on their certification being finalized at that date. These reports have since then been issued by the Statutory Auditors. They will be available in the 2017 Registration document.

Investor Relations: Audrey Arnoux, Head of Investor Relations +33 1 74 25 70 64 - invest@adp.fr

Press contact: Lola Bourget, Head of Medias and Reputation Department +33 1 74 25 23 23

Groupe ADP develops and manages airports, including Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget. In 2017, the group handled through its brand Paris Aeroport more than 101 million passengers and 2.3 million metric tonnes of freight and mail at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly, and more than 127 million passengers in airports abroad through its subsidiary ADP International. Boasting an exceptional geographic location and a major catchment area, the Group is pursuing its strategy of adapting and modernizing its terminal facilities and upgrading quality of services; the group also intends to develop its retail and real estate businesses. In 2017, group revenue stood at 3,617 million and net income at 571 million.

Registered office: 1, rue de France, 93 290 Tremblay-en-France. Aeroports de Paris is a public limited company (Societe Anonyme) with share capital of 296,881,806. Registered in the Bobigny Trade and Company Register under no. 552 016 628.

groupeadp.fr
Egypt wants its citizens to report on the news media.

Escalating a pre-election crackdown on independent or critical reporting, Egyptian authorities have published a list of telephone numbers for citizens to alert them to reports they view as undermining security or spreading false news.

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who led the 2013 overthrow of an elected Islamist president, has waged a massive crackdown on dissent in recent years, and authorities have ratcheted up pressure ahead of the March 26-28 election, in which he faces no real challenge.

All potentially serious competitors either withdrew under pressure or were arrested, leaving only el-Sissi and a little-known politician who supports him.

Authorities have already silenced virtually all independent or critical media in the country, and in recent weeks el-Sissi and others have warned the media against publishing anything that could be construed as false news or defamation of the security forces.

By offering the telephone numbers  in a statement issued late Monday by Egypts chief prosecutor  the government appears to be enlisting ordinary Egyptians in its efforts to stamp out any criticism or negative coverage.

The statement advises citizens to send complaints on WhatsApp or as text messages along with their personal details. It referred to a statement last week by chief prosecutor Nabil Sadeq in which he told his staff to monitor the media and take action against any that are hurting national interests.

With the outcome of the vote a foregone conclusion, the governments worst fear is an embarrassingly low turnout that would raise further questions about the elections legitimacy. To prevent that, the government and local media  which is dominated by el-Sissi supporters  are urging people to head to the polls.

The margin of freedom is steadily narrowing and there is a state of fear-mongering, said Hassan Nafaa, a political science professor at Cairo University. There is genuine fear that social media networks will be used to urge people to boycott the election.

Banners declaring support for el-Sissi have sprung up across Egypt, a country of 100 million that is still trying to recover from years of political turmoil and violence since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

The government has already sought to exert heavy control over reporting on the election, issuing guidelines barring journalists from conducting any polls, or even asking individual Egyptians who they plan to vote for.

Critical TV personalities have been pushed off the air and dozens of independent and Islamist news websites have been blocked. Around 20 journalists have been detained, including two who were arrested earlier this month while preparing a report on a historic tramway in Alexandria. In a separate case, the government demanded an apology from the BBC and called on officials to boycott the network after it reported on torture and disappearances.

Pro-government media frequently portray negative coverage as part of foreign plots to sow chaos, and sometimes accuse foreign media of promoting a negative image of the country. Cameramen or even reporters with notebooks attempting to conduct interviews in public can face harassment from crowds or police.

In comments published Tuesday, Telecommunications Minister Yasser el-Qady said concrete steps have been taken to create exclusively Egyptian social media networks, suggesting that Egypt aspires to follow the example of countries like China, where networks like Facebook are blocked and people use a local version thats easier to control and monitor. Parliament is meanwhile considering legislation that would criminalize the abuse or misuse of social media.

Authorities say the measures they have taken are necessary to prevent instability as Egypt struggles to revive its economy and combat an Islamic State-led insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula. El-Sissi has frequently suggested that political rights are less important than the right to food, housing and other necessities.

El-Sissi, then a general, led the 2013 overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, a freely elected Islamist whose divisive yearlong rule sparked mass protests calling for his resignation.

The governments relations with the media soured almost immediately thereafter, when authorities objected to using the word coup to describe the military overthrow of an elected leader.

Since then, thousands of Islamists have been arrested, along with several prominent secular activists, while many of the freedoms won in the wake of the 2011 uprising have been rolled back.

Analysts pointed out that the latest measure, the call to report on media outlets, could have unintended consequences, allowing individuals to settle scores or make fake or exaggerated complaints.

I dont see a need for all these measures. We are looking at an election thats already decided and the only challenge facing the regime is the turnout, said Ahmed Abd Rabou, a political science professor at Cairo University who writes occasional columns for local papers.

Its hysterical. But it is a fact that we are heading toward more authoritarianism. Regrettably, that seems to be happening in many places.

(AP)
Reactions in the Middle East on Wednesday to the firing of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reflect the volatile divide between Iran, where many fear his departure heralds the demise of the 2015 nuclear deal, and Gulf Arab nations hoping for a more hawkish U.S. stance toward Tehran and Qatar.

Irans daily Javan newspaper, believed to be close to the hard-line Revolutionary Guard, said that replacing Tillerson with CIA director Mike Pompeo signaled the end of the nuclear deal.

President Donald Trumps appointment of Pompeo places an ardent foe of the deal in charge of U.S. diplomacy as the administration debates whether to withdraw from the agreement. Tillerson had pushed Trump to remain, and had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment the Obama-era deal.

For quitting the deal, his dumping was necessary, Javan said.

That was echoed by Ali Khorram, a former Iranian envoy to the United Nations, in the pro-reform daily newspaper Arman.

Pompeo is very interested in waging a war similar to the Iraq war by citing international regulations, Khorram wrote. European powers will play a role in balancing his desire.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, meanwhile, sought to minimize Tillersons firing, calling it part of the frequent and multiple changes in Trumps administration.

What matters to the Islamic Republic of Iran are the policies and approaches of the United States in regard to international issues and toward Iran, Ghasemi told journalists. We closely monitor their approaches and macro policies and will take appropriate stances accordingly in the future.

Tillersons firing was welcome news for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which view Iran as a regional menace. They have also pushed Washington to take a harder line on Qatar, which they and other Arab nations have boycotted since last year, accusing it of supporting extremist groups and cozying up to Iran. Tillerson had sought to mediate the crisis among the U.S. allies.

In the UAE on Wednesday, the English-language Khaleej Times borrowed from the U.S. presidents show-biz days for its headline: YOURE FIRED! Saudi Arabias English-language Arab News had the same headline.

Another English-language newspaper, the state-aligned The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi, offered an editorial saying Tillersons firing would surprise few, pointing to his disagreement with Trump over Qatar.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, cut off land, sea and air routes to Qatar in June 2017. Qatar, which has backed Islamist opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, has denied supporting extremists. It shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

Trump has at times appeared to side with Qatars rivals in the dispute, while Tillerson had projected a more neutral stance.

While Mr. Tillerson shortsightedly urged Saudi Arabia and allies in the quartet to end their boycott of Qatar, Mr. Trump named Doha a funder of terrorism at a very high level,' The Nationals editorial page said.

Faisal J. Abbas, the editor-in-chief of the Arab News, similarly said Tillersons mishandling of the Middle East turned the region into his political graveyard. Abbas wrote that Tillersons handling of the Qatar dispute proved the former ExxonMobil CEO was full of gas more than anything else.

Is there reason to believe Doha had influence over Tillerson? Was he really biased toward Qatar? Abbas wrote in a front-page editorial. Or was he surrounded by so many State Department officials still stuck in the Obama era that they undermined his ability to act? None of this matters now.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati professor of political science, called Tillerson the worst foreign minister in the history of America on Twitter. He also implied Gulf Arab unhappiness with Tillerson led to his ouster.

History will remember that a Gulf state had a role in expelling the foreign minister of a superpower and thats just the tip of the iceberg, he wrote.

Kuwait, which has sought to broker an end to the Qatar crisis, offered no immediate comment, though a local newspaper described Tillersons departure as striking like an earthquake in a headline.

(AP)
Agudath Israel of America has submitted an amicus curiae brief to New York States highest court, the Court of Appeals, in a case involving a legal challenge to the ceremony of Kaporos, which is practiced by segments of the Orthodox Jewish community prior to the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, and involves the slaughter of a chicken as part of the ritual.

In the case, Alliance to End Chickens As Kaporos, et al, v. New York City Police Department, et al., the Alliance asks the court to order New York City authorities, in particular the Police Department, to prohibit the use of chickens in the Kaporos ceremony. New York City has declined to prohibit the ceremony, and the lower court ruled that it was within the Citys legal discretion to choose to not prohibit the use of chickens in the Kaporos ceremony.

One of the main arguments of the Alliance is that because many Jews use money rather than chickens for this ritual, it is therefore not religiously required to use chickens and the use of chickens is therefore not protected as a matter of freedom of religion. Indeed, one of the judges in the lower court, in his dissent, specifically stated that because other Orthodox Jewish communities use coins in place of live chickens, the slaughter of chickens was not necessary to carry out the religious ritual.

Agudath Israel takes strong issue with this contention in its brief. The fact that there are Orthodox Jews who practice Kaporos using money does not mean that those who wish to use chickens do not have the constitutional right to observe the ritual as their religious beliefs dictate. The brief points out that the use of chickens for Kaporos is a long-standing Jewish custom that has been practiced by many Orthodox Jews. The Shulchan Aruch, the major Code of Jewish law, states explicitly that the use of chickens for Kaporos is an ancient custom,

The brief argues that the Free Exercise Clause of the United States Constitution (and the free exercise clause of the New York State Constitution), which protects freedom of religion, is not limited to beliefs which are shared by all of the members of a religious sect. The brief, citing numerous Supreme Court cases on this point, argues that it is simply not for the courts to determine whether the practitioners of Kaporos should use money or chickens, and that those who wish to use chickens have the constitutionally protected right to do so.

Agudath Israel thanks the First Liberty Institute for its great assistance in arranging for the preparation of the brief, and attorneys Jason Levine, Christian Sheehan, Ari Berman, and Laurel Fensterstock of the law firm of Vinson & Elkins LLP for researching and writing the brief.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Bchasdei Hashem, a shipment containing IDF uniforms was intercepted at the Kerem Shalom Crossing from southern Israel to Gaza. Security officials at the crossing found the uniforms on a truck this week.

According to a Bechadrei Chareidim News report, the driver was arrested for questioning after he raised the suspicion of the security personnel at the crossing  during which the items were found in the truck with the writing of IDF military units, fleece jackets, hats, bags and belts.

This week, mercury was caught in a shipment of medical equipment that was being sent to Gaza, but was not coordinated in advance with the security forces. The material, a multiple-use device that may be used for terrorist activities, was confiscated and transferred for further investigation by the security forces.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
The digital giants are an integral part of all of our lives.

In much the same way as the online champions claim that the freedom of the web is sacrosanct and resist blocking unacceptable material, so they also believe that they have the right to arbitrage national tax regimes.

President Trump seeks to combat the problem by dramatically lowering corporate taxes and offering big concessions to firms which repatriate funds to the US.

The European Commission is using competition law to force Apple to pay up to 11.5billion of what it regards as tax subsidies.

President Trump seeks to combat the problem of digital giants paying little tax by dramatically lowering corporate taxes and offering concessions to firms which repatriate funds to the US

Britain wants to get in on the act. As the biggest host in Europe to the Silicon Valley giants, it has been reluctant.

Big digital employs 1.5m people across the UK and invested some 6.8billion in 2016.

But with other enterprises complaining that disrupters unfairly destroy business models, the Treasury is closing in.

Ultimately the UK's favoured approach would be an international deal which taxed user participation.

But that looks incredibly difficult to operate. So Chancellor Philip Hammond looks to have settled on an interim measure which would tax national turnover rather than profits which are so easily shifted.

The idea of such an imputed tax is not a new idea. But the UK is loath to move alone and would like the support of the G20 and the OECD which is tasked with ending global tax avoidance.

Winning allied support is going to be a mountain to climb. But if the UK goes it alone it will risk sacrificing future investment to tax-free locations.

Failure to take steps could make life more difficult for ordinary tax paying bricks-and-mortar firms such as department stores.

The Chancellor needs to grit his teeth and go ahead. It may be necessary to assuage business and public anger.

Aviva votes

The speed with which David Cumming, chief investment officer of Aviva, voted the fund manager's shares in favour of the 8billion hostile Melrose bid for GKN is curious.

As the holder of a 5 per cent-plus stake in Melrose and negligible holding in GKN, arguably Aviva may have felt it had no choice.

But as a UK-based long investor which subscribes to better governance, the vote damages the credibility of Cumming and doesn't do much for Aviva's reputation.

Melrose has well established management skills. But that is not a licence to flout governance codes.

The group's executive team stands to collect 285million in incentive shares if it delivers on reshaping GKN in addition to the 487million collected on past transactions.

Chaired by Chris Miller, Melrose makes no secret of the fact that it likes to use a 'private equity' model.

Nevertheless, payments on this scale within the context of a quoted enterprise are unhelpful.

What is disturbing about Aviva's vote is the approach of Cumming.

For many years he was the voice of Standard Life Investments, standing up for shareholders in the face of rapacious management.

Among other things, Standard Life was brave enough to travel to the Hague in the Netherlands to speak up against fat cattery in the Shell boardroom.

Cumming inveighed against the Shell takeover of the exploration firm BG Group. He was also at the forefront of the battle against 'golden handcuffs' for Xstrata bosses at the time of Glencore's takeover in 2012.

The transformation of Cumming as a battler for shareholder rights into a backer of a Melrose which doesn't do normal governance is extraordinary.

Aviva does have a record of backing activists over long term investors. It sided with corporate raider Ed Bramson when it took control of one of the UK's oldest names, F&C Asset Management, in 2010. Investors in Aviva and General Accident's high yielding Irredeemable Preference shares are fearful of an attempt to buy them out.

The financial community expects its biggest players to be good corporate citizens.

Aviva risks being linked too closely with the get-rich-quick culture.

Joys of Spring

Full marks to PR chiefs at Glaxosmithkline and Lloyds for recognising the Cheltenham Festival and the Chancellor's Spring Statement offered a great opportunity to avoid headlines.

Both chose to release annual reports detailing bosses' pay.

For the record, Emma Walmsley at GSK picked up 4.9million and Antonio Horta Osorio at Lloyds received 7.2million.

All fantastically deserved no doubt.
Ryanair is adamant that it doesn't deliberately separate families who book flights together.

It can't possibly be accused of such a heinous crime, its spokesman wails, because its seat allocation system is completely random.

In other words, no matter whether you are three lads heading to a stag do in Ibiza or a mother, father and moody 13-year-old on a family holiday to Crete, the chances of sitting together are the same.

Today, we reveal that those chances are one in 17,578 - worse than the likelihood of winning 100 on the National Lottery.

Ryanair insists It can't be accused of deliberately separating families who book flights together, because its seat allocation system is completely random

Don't for a second imagine that Ryanair is unaware of those extraordinarily high numbers: they are part of a crafty, and deliberate, ploy to squeeze more money out of passengers.

There's no reason why Britain's stingiest airline couldn't have programmed its computers to allocate all the seats in a single booking as close together as possible.

That way, if there was an empty row when you booked three tickets at the same time you'd get seats next to each other automatically.

Yet by leaving everything to chance, Ryanair makes sure there's practically no way you'll all end up in that empty row unless you pay a fee, which it's just hiked from a 2 minimum to 3 and can rise higher on busy flights.

Families with a child under 12 must pay to reserve a seat.

Budget airlines have revolutionised air travel by offering lower headline prices and charging extra for services that used to come as standard, such as reservations, snacks and a bag in the hold.

We accept these sneaky pricing tricks because they save us money... but only up to a point.

Charging more to families with children and elderly couples who need to sit together - and less for everyone else - is discrimination in my book. And that's not on.

Snoozefest

Unless you switched the telly on at about 12.30pm yesterday you were unlikely to have noticed the Chancellor Philip Hammond's first ever Spring Statement.

Most of it was a snoozefest that won't affect the pound in your pocket. However, among the (very) few points of note was a signal that Mr Hammond will stand up for people who prefer using cash to cards.

Money Mail has warned how Britain is rapidly following the likes of Stockholm in Sweden, where many shops have started taking only card or mobile phone payment as cash is made extinct.

But as the Spring Statement acknowledged, about 2.7million people in the UK are still 'entirely reliant' on cash.

Half earn less than 15,000 and most are elderly, vulnerable and live in remote areas - exactly the sort of people the Conservatives should be sticking up for.

Please let me know if you're in this cash-only camp!

In the meantime, well done, Mr Hammond - now let's have new rules forcing banks to keep ATMs and branches open indefinitely.

Phone groans

Our postbag is chock-a-block with moans and groans about shoddy telecoms services. Recently we revealed how BT's lack of decent service in rural areas is driving families to install their own mobile internet masts on their roofs or even dig up the ground and lay cables into their homes.

Our letters editor Tony Hazell has received countless complaints from elderly homeowners who've been left without a phone line for weeks.

So it's a welcome relief to hear telecoms providers can get it right... if they try.

Money Mail reader Diana Scholes says when she stopped being able to make calls in January, her provider Plusnet promised her line would be fixed within 48 hours.

Next day two Openreach engineers arrived at 11.30, tested her line and said the fault was at the local exchange. They returned within 40 minutes to report everything should be in working order, which it was.

'I was so impressed with Plusnet and Openreach - at least one service provider is amazing with its quick response to phone problems,' Diana says.

Hear, hear. The bar has been set.

d.hyde@dailymail.co.uk
English French

Virbac: operating profit from ordinary activities 2017 comparable to 2016

Public release dated March 14, 2018

CONSOLIDATED DATA AS OF

DECEMBER 31st

in  million 2017 2016 % change 2017/2016 Revenue from ordinary activities 861.9 871.8 -1.1% Evolution at constant exchange rates -0.5% Evolution at constant exchange rates and scope 1 -0.5% Current operating profit before depreciation of assets arising from acquisitions 2 80.3 82.9 -3.0% As a % of sales

As a % of sales at constant exchange rates 9.3%

9.3% 9.5% Depreciations of intangibles assets arising from acquisitions 15.9 16.5 Operating profit from ordinary activities 64.4 66.4 -3.0% Non-recurring expenses and revenues 6.3 -2.6 Operating profit 58.0 69.0 -15.9% Net profit from ordinary activities 3 29.5 35.2 -16.3% Net consolidated profit 1.8 37.9 -95.4% Of which net profit - Group share -2.6 34.6 -107.4% Shareholder's equity 436.3 473.6 -7.9% Net debt 4 460.0 547.1 -15.9% Operating cash flow 5 106.8 110.7 -3.6%

1 Evolution at constant exchange rates and scope is the organic growth of sales, excluding the impact of exchange rate changes, by calculating the indicator for the financial year in question and that for the previous financial year on the basis of identical exchange rates (the exchange rate used is that in effect for the previous financial year), and excluding the impact of changes in scope, by calculating the indicator for the financial year in question on the basis of the scope of consolidation for the previous financial year

2 Current operating profit before depreciation of assets arising from acquisitions reflects profit from ordinary activities adjusted for the impact of allowances for depreciation of intangible assets resulting from acquisition transactions

3 Net profit from ordinary activities corresponds to net consolidated profit adjusted for non-recurring expenses and income (6.3 million), and for non-current tax (21.4 million)

4 Net debt corresponds to current (98.8 million) and non-current (409.6 million) financial liabilities less cash and cash equivalents (48.4 million) as published in the statement of financial position

5 Operating cash flow corresponds to operating profit (58.0 million) adjusted for items without any impact on cash position. The following items are adjusted: asset depreciation and impairments (42.8 million), provisions for risks (0.7 million), provisions related to employee benefits (0.0 million), and the other expenses and income without any impact on cash position (5.3 million)

The accounts were audited; the statutory auditor's report is in the process of being issued. They are available on the corporate site at corporate.virbac.com.

The Group registered annual revenue of 861.9 million, a slight decline of -1.1% and -0.5% at actual exchange rates and constant rates respectively, compared to last year. From a regional perspective, growth has been strong outside of the United States, at 3.4% and 3.6% at comparable rates. In Europe, there has been slight growth at constant exchange rates, boosted by the performance of the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Belgium, despite an overall downturn in the vaccine and external parasiticide ranges. In the rest of the world, organic growth continues to be strong in many emerging countries, in particular Brazil, Mexico, Chile, China, as well as India, which returned to two-digit growth in the second half of the year after the effects of the coming into force of the new VAT in mid 2017, as well as demonetization at the end of 2016. The Pacific region showed a slight decline over the year, primarily as a result of a decision to discontinue products in New Zealand. Finally, business recovery has been slower than expected in the United States, posting a drop in business of -20.2% at constant exchange rates.

Current operating profit before depreciation of assets arising from acquisitions amounted to 64.4 million, slightly down from 2016 (66.4 million), despite increased investment in R&D compared to 2016 (+5.6 million at constant rates). Exchange rates had a very slight negative impact on operating profit adjusted in the amount of +0.3 million. Operating profit from ordinary activities benefited from strong performance in a number of countries, including Brazil, Mexico, Chile, China, and India, as well as from sound cost control. This performance was offset by weaker activity recorded in the United States, which adversely affected the cost of sales, as well as the increased investment in R&D.

Net profit from ordinary activities (net consolidated profit adjusted for non-recurring expenses and income and for non-current tax) totaled 29.5 million, down 16.3% from 2016. Net profit from ordinary activities was impacted by decreased activity, higher financing costs associated with a less favorable exchange rate impact on the Chilean Peso compared to 2016, as well as by an increase in the current tax expense.

Net profit - Group share was -2.6 million, a significant drop compared to the previous year, in particular as a result of the impairment of the deferred tax asset on tax losses carried forward by the US subsidiary from the 2015 to 2017 financial years (21.4 million). This impairment is explained, in application of IAS12, in particular by the existence of a history of recent and unused tax losses. The decrease in net result is also explained to a lesser extent by the 5 million impairment of the assets associated with the leishmaniosis vaccine, following the arrival of a new player on the market.

From a financial standpoint, the Group's net debt is at 460 million, down by 87 million compared to December 31, 2016. The lack of a dividend payment by Virbac SA on 2016 profits, a strict monitoring of working capital requirements, as well as further development of operating funding solutions (factoring in certain subsidiaries) contributed to the Group's debt relief. Furthermore, the positive euro-dollar exchange rate effect, which amounted to approximately 40 million, contributed to debt reduction. Thus, the Group is in compliance with the financial ratio (Net debt/Ebitda), which amounts to 4.28 versus 4.75, the maximum limit set at the end of December, 2017 as part of the financial covenant.

Outlook

Given the slower than expected business recovery in the United States, and thanks to a performance that the Group is forecasting to be rather good in the other regions, a low-single-digit increase in revenue at constant rates is expected in 2018 compared to 2017.

For the entire year, the Group anticipates the ratio of "current operating profit before depreciation of assets arising from acquisitions" to "revenue", at constant exchange rates, will increase by around 0.5 point compared to 2017.

From a financial standpoint, tight control of invested capital should allow further debt relief, which is expected to hover around 30 million for the year. Furthermore, as part of its funding policy, the Group strengthened its liquidity through establishment of a medium-to-long-term line of credit of up to $90 million. This new line thus completes the RCF line (Revolving credit facility) of 420 million, signed in 2015 with historical banking pool, bilateral lines and outstanding Schuldschein loans. Similarly, in order to afford itself greater flexibility, the Group obtained a relaxation of its financial covenant (net debt/Ebitda) with its bankers for 2018. It was set at 5.0 at the end of June 2018 versus 5.5 at the end of June 2017, and at 4.25 at the end of December 2018 versus 4.75 at the end of December 2017. As of 2019, it will return to the initial commitment levels of 4.25 at the end of June and 3.75 at the end of December.

ANALYSTS' PRESENTATION - VIRBAC Virbac will hold an analysts' meeting on Monday, March 19, 2018 at 2:30 pm CET (Paris time) in the New York Room #Cloud Business Center, 10 bis, rue du 4 Septembre, 75002 in Paris (France). Participants may arrive 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. You may also attend the meeting using the webcast available via the link below. Information for participants Webcast access link: https://lc.cx/Aryj This access link is available on the site corporate.virbac.com, under the heading ''financial public releases''. This link allows participants to access the live and/or archived version of the webcast. There will be no real-time interaction. You may send us your questions, if necessary, via our email address: finances@virbac.com.

A LABORATORY THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN DEDICATED TO ANIMAL HEALTH

Virbac offers veterinarians, farmers and pet owners in more than 100 countries a comprehensive and practical range of products and services. With these innovative solutions covering the majority of animal species and diseases, Virbac contributes, day after day, to shape the future of animal health.

Virbac: NYSE Euronext - compartment B - ISIN code: FR0000031577/SYMBOL: VIRP

Corporate finance: +33 4 92 08 71 32 - finances@virbac.com - corporate.virbac.com
I opted out of Serps in the late Eighties, electing to have part of my National Insurance paid into a personal pension.

It is worth about 45,000. I am 60 and considering taking it.

If I do will I get 25 per cent tax-free?

I earn about 33,000 a year, so if I took it all at once as a lump sum how much tax would I have to pay?

I've also read that if a pension pot is over 30,000 you must seek financial advice.

Is this just verbal advice or do I have to pay someone and produce their recommendations for the pension company?

A. T., Berks.

Risks and rewards: One reader is considering cashing in his 45,000 personal pension plan while he's still earning 33,000 a year

There will be thousands of people in a similar position to you because opting out of Serps was, at one time, very popular. Serps  or the state earnings-related pension scheme , to give it its full name  was a top-up to the basic state pension.

It later metamorphosed into the state second pension, which in turn disappeared in the pension reforms of 2016.

At one time it was possible to opt out of Serps and have part of your National Insurance paid into what was known as an Appropriate Personal Pension.

This moved the risk to the individual, but offered more flexibility and the opportunity to build a larger pot.

APPs became ordinary personal pensions in 2012 and are subject to the same rules.

I spoke to chartered financial planner Danny Cox of adviser Hargreaves Lansdown. He says that 25 per cent can be taken as a tax-free lump sum. This would be 11,250 in your case.

The tax question is more complex. If you took the other 33,750 all at once, based on your current income, this would push you into the higher-rate tax band.

The result would be that you would lose 11,000 to tax  almost a quarter of your pension.

A much better option would be to move your pension into an income drawdown plan.

You could still take the full tax-free lump sum but would be able to withdraw your remaining 33,750 over three years. You could take one payment now, one after April 6 and the final one after April 6, 2019.

This would reduce your tax bill to 4,350 and you would not pay any higher-rate tax, assuming your other income remains the same. So you would end up with another 6,650 in your pocket.

Mr Cox says: If your income is likely to fall, perhaps due to retirement, the amount of tax you might pay could fall further, so it may be an idea to wait until that happens before doing anything.

He also warns that if youre spreading out your withdrawals, it may be worth reducing your risk by switching from stocks to a money or cash fund.

As to the question of financial advice, this is only compulsory when a pension is worth 30,000 or more and you have guaranteed benefits such as a final salary scheme or a guaranteed annuity rate. This does not apply to you but you may still wish to take advice  as Mr Cox has illustrated, it can save you thousands of pounds.

YOU HAVE YOUR SAY Every week Money Mail receives hundreds of your letters and emails about our stories. Here are some in response to our story on savers encouraged to make payments of 2,000 to boost their state pensions  despite them making no difference to their retirement income... I've been lucky and had good salaries so I've paid in at the highest rate of National Insurance for most of my working life, as well as paying into a private pension. My wife stayed at home with the children and only worked part-time when she had the opportunity, so paid very little National Insurance. We both have our forecasts and she'll get more state pension than me, even though I've paid in substantially more. What a system! W. N., Cheltenham. For more than 50 years my husband paid an awful lot of tax. At the rate of pension he is receiving from the state, he'll have to live another 120 years to be paid back. As he is 70 I don't think I'll hold my breath. G. P., London. Of course you cannot get a refund on your pension. Buying added years is much the same as buying an annuity. Those complaining ought to have thought matters through before making these contributions. O. P., Chester. I have always found the advice given by tax departments very helpful and phoned several times to speak to different people to make sure. At the end of the day the onus is on you to do your due diligence. V. A., Stevenage. I'm sure the state pension is not intended to be your only source of income in retirement. Most people have their own private pension arrangements, too. But pensioners should at least get back what they have paid in. G. P., Birmingham. I have a gap in my national insurance contributions. I could make up the back years to get a larger state pension. But what's the point of that as I'd pay more tax on my private pension? E. T., E. Anglia.

We took a holiday in Thailand. Our hotel room had faulty air conditioning which caused the room to be damp and mouldy.

On return to the UK I noticed a problem with my eye and was referred to hospital.

I received drops, which were sourced from America, at the tropical medicine hospital in Liverpool and had to have invasive treatment which was very painful.

Now I have lost the eye, cannot see properly and my confidence has gone. I've tried to claim on my Axa travel insurance but have hit a brick wall.

S. M. Stirling.

I have a great deal of sympathy for your situation, but when I put it to Axa they maintained that you do not have a claim on your travel insurance policy.

The personal accident section would pay up to 30,000 if an accident incurred overseas resulted in you losing an eye. But this covers bodily injury  which is defined as an identifiable physical injury caused by sudden, unexpected, external and visible means including injury as a result of unavoidable exposure to the elements.

It seems that rather than an injury exactly, you picked up an infection which resulted in your eye being removed.

Your surgeon supplied a letter which made it clear that he felt the fungal infection was far more likely to have been picked up in warm and humid conditions in Thailand than in the UK, where this particular infection is extremely rare.

Treatment took place in the UK so there would not appear to be a claim under the medical section either.

The crux of the problem comes down to definitions within the policy. So I suggest that you take your case to the Financial Ombudsman. Call them on 0800 0234 567.

I have no idea whether you will be successful. But this is precisely the sort of thing the Ombudsman is for: to come to a fair adjudication in a dispute between a company and its customer.
Families have just a one-in-17,500 chance of sitting together on a Ryanair flight unless they pay extra.

And today, Money Mail can reveal that the airline has also hiked its seat surcharge prices to as much as 15 each.

Many airlines, most notably Ryanair, force passengers to pay an upfront charge to guarantee seats next to each other. If you don't choose this option, a computer automatically assigns seats for you.

So the chances of two parents with one teenage child being automatically given seats in a row of three on a Ryanair flight are so slim that there is a better chance of them winning 100 in the National Lottery.

Sitting comfortably? Budget carrier Ryanair has also hiked its seat surcharge prices to as much as 15 each

Parents flying with children under 12 are forced to pay to reserve a seat and then up to four children will be given a seat next to them for free.

Airlines are currently being investigated by aviation watchdog the Civil Aviation Authority over claims that they deliberately split up families and friends travelling together in a racket that costs passengers up to 400 million in extra seat charges.

Many passengers complain that when they check in or board the aircraft, they find they have been seated apart from their travelling companions even though there are rows of seats available together.

The aviation watchdog's initial research found that, on average, one-in-five passengers are split up. But with Ryanair, its study indicates 35 per cent of travellers are separated - more than any other airline.

Shortly after Money Mail revealed these findings, Ryanair hiked its seat charges to 4 per passenger per flight or 15 for extra legroom - up from 2 or 11 respectively.

This would cost a family of three making a return journey 24 - or 90 if they want extra legroom.

Ryanair says it offers customers a 25 per cent sale on many routes so seats can be purchased for 3, although it also warns on its website that fees could also be higher on selected routes.

Probe: Airlines are currently being investigated by aviation watchdog the CAA over claims that they deliberately split up families and friends

Ryanair also says that passengers are allocated seats at random when they check in and that the algorithm used to assign seats is different on each flight, depending on demand from customers.

Figures compiled for Money Mail show the odds of a family of three and a couple being seated together on a Ryanair Boeing Next Generation 737-800 plane with 189 seats.

There are more than six million ways of seating three people randomly on a plane with 189 seats and 378 ways of seating these three people together, according to Jonquil Lowe, senior lecturer in economics and personal finance at The Open University.

This means there is a one-in-17,578 - or 0.006 per cent - chance that a family of three would be seated in a row, her figures show.

Meanwhile, there are 35,532 ways of seating two people randomly in 189 seats and 252 ways to seat a couple together, she says.

This leaves a one-in-141 chance of a couple finding themselves seated side-by-side.

Ryanair also says that passengers are allocated seats at random when they check in and that the algorithm used to assign seats is different on each flight, depending on demand

If customers consider seats across the aisle from one another as together, the odds are slightly better: one-in-8,859 for a family of three and one-in-113 for a couple.

These figures assume the plane is empty at the time the customer checks in. The odds would vary if some passengers had already selected seats as there would be fewer seats to choose from.

Martyn James, of complaints service Resolver, says: 'Families will be outraged to find that they have more chance of winning a lottery prize than being seated together. Enough is enough.'

Nurse Jane Sanderson, 31, has been split up from both her friends and her boyfriend on Ryanair flights in the past 12 months.

In June, she and five friends booked return flights from Liverpool to Alicante for 150 each.

When they boarded the flight they found they had been put on opposite parts of the plane despite a sea of empty seats.

Jane says: 'Two of my friends were sitting in a row of empty seats. Another was sat next to a man who had been separated from his wife, so we swapped with him.'

Then when travelling to Tenerife with her boyfriend Alastair Taylor, 41, in September the couple were again separated and had to pay 20 to get seats together.

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary. The airline says it offers customers a 25 per cent sale on many routes so seats can be purchased for 3

She says: 'It's frustrating because I've flown with Ryanair about 20 times, and this hasn't happened before.'

Jon Albutt, 30, had booked a romantic city break with girlfriend Sophie Evans, 26, to Dublin last month.

When they went to check in online four days before their flight, the plane was barely a quarter full. Yet Ryanair's booking system still allocated the couple seats that were three rows apart.

The same happened when Jon tried to reserve seats for the return flight. It would have cost the couple 24 to sit together on both legs, almost doubling the cost of their 30 flight.

Jon, a shop manager, says: 'The person in front of me was looking over their shoulder for their friend a few rows back. So obviously we weren't the only ones.'

Abby Withers, 30, was told she would have to pay more than the cost of the flight to sit next to her husband, Adam, when travelling to visit the Christmas markets in Brunnen, Switzerland, in December last year.

The couple had found last-minute return flights with Ryanair for 10 each.

When they checked in online, Abby discovered they had been seated in separate rows.

Abby, a finance analyst from London, says: 'It doesn't sound like much, but it's the principle.'

A spokeswoman for Ryanair says: 'Our seating policy is very clear for our customers and seats can be purchased from just 3.

'Customers who do not wish to purchase a seat are randomly allocated a seat, free of charge. This is entirely a matter of customer choice.'

v.bischoff@dailymail.co.uk

Additional reporting: Miles Dilworth
Drug money: Glaxosmithkline boss Emma Walmsley took home nearly 5m last year

Glaxosmithkline boss Emma Walmsley took home nearly 5million last year after nine months in the top job.

The 48-year-old  Britain's most powerful businesswoman  was appointed chief executive of the pharmaceuticals giant in April, succeeding Sir Andrew Witty.

Walmsley is the first woman to take the reins at the company, with her base salary slightly lower than Witty's at 1million.

With performance pay, however, she pocketed 4.9million overall.

A spokesman for the firm yesterday said this largely reflected her earlier performance as head of Glaxo's consumer healthcare arm.

Walmsley could potentially earn a maximum of 8.7million a year under future pay awards as chief executive  but that would not happen until 2020 at the earliest.

In his last full year, Witty was paid 6.8million. He was able to earn a maximum of 11.6million.

Walmsley's bumper pay package was revealed yesterday as she prepares for what has been described as a pivotal year at Glaxo.

The mother-of-four has launched a major overhaul to whip the company into shape, poaching star executives from rivals, culling managers and vowing to replenish Glaxo's crucial pipeline of future medicines.

Her appointment was hailed as a watershed moment in the battle to shatter the glass ceiling.

The promotion came after a stellar performance while she headed the consumer healthcare arm, where she doubled annual sales of Sensodyne toothpaste to 1billion.

Before that Walmsley spent 17 years at French cosmetics giant L'Oreal where she held roles in Paris, London and New York, and was also put in charge of its China operations.

She was born into a naval family  her father was a vice-admiral  in Cumbria and grew up in Kent.

And after an education at 30,000-a-year St Swithun's in Winchester, she read classics and modern languages at Oxford's Christ Church.

She is married to entrepreneur David Owen and they live in a 3.7million house in South-west London and have three sons and a daughter.

Soon after her appointment, Walmsley told the Mail: 'I don't think of myself as a woman in business, I think of myself as a business person.

'We all have a responsibility to be role models to inspire our daughters to stay ambitious, to aim high and to dream big.

'I was lucky enough to be supported through four maternity leaves, which also made a big difference and has taught me to remember to support young talent.'

When deciding whether to take on the chief executive role, she said her husband reminded her 'that every time I'd taken a new role, I had constantly told him it was too big for me and then managed fine'.

Friends previously said she juggled work and family  and practised yoga  thanks to 'amazing stamina' and being 'supremely well-organised'.

Walmsley became the seventh woman to lead a FTSE 100 company last year, joining Alison Cooper at Imperial Brands, Moya Greene at Royal Mail, Carolyn McCall at ITV, Liv Garfield at Severn Trent, Veronique Laury at Kingfisher and Alison Brittain at Whitbread.
Donald Trump stunned Wall Street and sent a message that critical US firms would be protected after he blocked a 100billion takeover that would have been the biggest technology merger in history.

The US President killed off chip maker Broadcom's hostile bid for American rival Qualcomm amid fears it would see China overtake America in the race to develop cutting edge mobile internet services.

It is also feared that although Broadcom is based in Singapore, it has links to the Chinese state.

Donald Trump killed off Broadcom's hostile bid for American Qualcomm amid fears it would see China overtake America in the race to develop cutting edge mobile internet services

This had led some to worry that a deal would allow crucial chip technology to fall into Chinese hands.

The move by Trump is in stark contrast the attitude taken by the Government to takeovers  particularly by foreign firms.

It has allowed a serious of pioneering technology companies to be swallowed by overseas giants, with little or no resistance from ministers.

Trump's order said: 'There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that Broadcom Limited, through exercising control of Qualcomm, might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States.'

BLOCKED BIDS 100billion takeover of US-owned Qualcomm by foreign rival Broadcom

860million sale of payment firm Moneygram to Chinas Ant Financial

930million swoop on US tech firm Lattice by Chinas Canyon Bridge

518million bid by Chinese insurance fund for US chip firm Aixtron

It is the latest deal blocked by Trump on security grounds, as concern grows about Chinese firms swooping on foreign companies behind sensitive technologies.

His decision came after the powerful Committee on Foreign Investment warned the deal could see Broadcom slash research and development spending at Qualcomm.

The committee said this threatened an important supplier of telecoms equipment to the US armed forces and could hand America's lead in 5G internet technologies to Chinese rival Huawei.

Huawei is the only other major player in 5G technology  seen as crucial to the so-called 'internet of things'  besides Qualcomm, analysts said.

Broadcom said it strongly disagreed the deal posed national security concerns and was reviewing the president's order.

But Scott Kennedy, an expert on Chinese economic policy said: 'This decision hangs a huge 'not-for-sale' sign on just about every American semiconductor firm.'

Qualcomm did not comment on the decision yesterday.

Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister, called on the Government to step up its scrutiny of deals involving Chinese firms.

He said: 'The British people need to be reassured the government is being really eagle-eyed and making sure China does not get access to these really crucial technologies, such as semiconductors, which may have vital military uses.'
GKNs largest customer Airbus became the latest opponent to Melroses 8.1billion takeover bid for the engineering firm.

Airbus, which accounted for 20 per cent of GKN aerospace sales last year, said it could not give any new business to GKN if the deal went ahead.

The nature of our industry is one that requires a commitment to long-term investment and strategic vision, said Airbus chief operating officer Tom Williams.

GKN's aerospace division has major defence contracts in the US, including work on the joint US-UK strike fighter (pictured)

And added: The industry does not lend itself to shorter-term financial investment which naturally reduces R&D budgets and limits vital innovation.

It would be practically impossible for us to give any new work to GKN under such an ownership model when we don't know who will be the long-term investor.

The battle for GKN is nearing its final stages after takeover specialist Melrose made a full and final offer on Monday of 8.1billion, rejected by GKNs board as too cheap.

GKN chairman Mike Turner said Airbus' statement reinforced its stance and added: 'The comments from Airbus that stress the need for long-term investment and strategic vision in our industry emphasise our firmly held belief that Melrose is not an appropriate owner of GKN.'

GKN is looking to restructure the business by merging its automotive arm with US firm Dana in a $6.1 billion (4.4billion) deal.

But Melrose hit back, saying that it wants to invest in the company 'for the long term' and that GKN's new strategy was 'short term'.

Melrose chairman Christopher Miller said: 'We will be delighted to explain to all customers and stakeholders why Melrose's 'invest as if we were to own the business forever' approach is the right way forward for GKN.

'We are certain that GKN's new strategy of hasty short term business break up will not benefit the long term requirements of customers.'

Airbus' warning adds to calls for the deal to be stopped on the grounds of national security, because of GKNs defence work.

Trade unions and some politicians including Andy Street, mayor of the West idlands where GKN is based, have lined up against the bid.

Workers in the US have also urged authorities to investigate Melroses potential takeover of engineer GKN on national security grounds.

Stephen Hanson, staff chairman from the union International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, told the US Committee on Foreign Investment in the US of the unions deep concern over the bid.

GKNs aerospace division has major defence contracts in the US, including work on the joint US-UK strike fighter and B-21 stealth bomber.

Shares in GKN were trading over 2 per cent down at 427.9p in midday trading.
Zara owner Inditex saw its annual net profits rise to 3billion last year, marking a 7 per cent increase on a year earlier.

The Spanish group's total like-for-like sales grew by 5 per cent in the year, compared to the 10 per cent rise seen a year earlier. Online sales surged by 41 per cent.

The group is proposing a 10.3 per cent annual increase to its dividend payment to shareholders, coming in at 0.75 per share.

Boost: Zara owner Inditex saw its annual net profits rise to 3billion last year, marking a 7 per cent increase

This is comprised of an ordinary dividend of 0.54 per share and a bonus dividend of 0.21 per share.

The group's 88,000 staff worldwide will share a bonus pool equating to 499million.

The bonus and commission windfall includes a 37.3million extra payout under its profit-sharing plan and will be made to all staff working at the group for more than two years.

Inditex's share price on Spain's blue-chip stock index fell by 4 per cent in early morning trading.

Inditex, which owns a string of brands including Zara, Massimo Dutti, Zara Home and Bershka, saw its total group online sales rise 41 per cent to 10 per cent of net sales.

In local currencies, store and online sales rose by 9 per cent from 1 February to 11 March this year.

Sales: The Spanish group's total like-for-like sales grew by 5 per cent in the year

Over the last year, the group bolstered its website offerings, launching the online version of Zara in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and India. Today, Zara launched online in Australia and New Zealand.

The company's gross margin fell from 57 per cent to 56.3 per cent in 2016, after the strengthening of the euro last year.

The group is particularly vulnerable to exchange rate movements as it makes more than half of its sales in non-euro currencies, but reports results in euros.

Pablo Isla, Inditex's chief executive, said the group had enjoyed a year of 'solid growth', having ploughed money into technology and logistics.

Over the course of the year, the company splashed out around 1.6billion, with the majority spent on improving its online operations and revamping its stores.

At the end of the financial year Inditex had 7,475 stores, a net increase of 183.

While Zara's owner appears to be keeping pace with the demands of online shoppers, high-street retailer H&M has warned investors that its sales are likely to fall again this year.

The Swedish firm, which is the second biggest retailer in Europe after Inditex, admitted it had 'a tough start' to the year as a high volume of stock left over from previous seasons forced it to offer heavy discounts.

H&M saw UK clothing sales fall by 5 per cent in the three months to 30 November, sending profits for the year tumbling 34 per cent to 442million.
Consumer goods giant Unilever last night looked to be on the brink of ditching its British head office and moving to the Netherlands.

The company behind Marmite, Dove and Hellmann's mayonnaise has joint head offices in London and Rotterdam and was so shaken by a hostile takeover bid last year that it is believed to be seeking a safer haven.

The 115billion attack by Kraft Heinz prompted Unilever's Dutch boss Paul Polman to vow to do everything possible to protect the conglomerate falling into the hands of foreign vultures.

And it is thought that he, and the board of Unilever, now believe moving the head office to the Netherlands is its best defence.

To let? Unilever House in London. The firm has joint head offices in London and Rotterdam and was so shaken by a hostile takeover bid last year that it is believed to be seeking a safer haven

Chief executive Polman has warned ministers that current rules do not give companies fair protection from hostile bids, saying last year: 'When you have a situation like this, with a national champion, there should be a level playing field.'

Union chiefs and MPs said the Government was to blame because of its 'lax' approach to foreign takeovers.

Ministers have been frantically lobbying Unilever to remain in the UK but tougher takeover rules in the Netherlands are thought to have been a key factor in deliberations.

Choosing Rotterdam for a merged headquarters would see Unilever stop calling Britain home for the first time in its 133-year history.

And the decision will be viewed as a dent to Brexit negotiations, with the UK trying to position itself as a global centre for business.

It is not known yet whether the change of base would mean Unilever quitting its historic headquarters at Victoria Embankment on the Thames. It is thought the firm is reluctant to do this.

The firm has two annual meetings every year  one in each country  and two stock market listings of joint importance.

But a move could see it booted out of the FTSE 100, with only a secondary share listing now held in London.

Rhys McCarthy, the national officer for Unilever at the union Unite, said the firm's departure would be 'a huge shame'.

He said: 'This is a great British company that provides good, skilled British jobs.

'But clearly Unilever was badly shaken by the hostile takeover attempt and there is a wider issue here that the Government is missing.

If you look at other countries  the French, the Germans, and in this case the Dutch  they take an approach that is much more focused on the long-term consequences of these deals.

'If something isn't done then we are going to see more and more decisions like this. If this doesn't shake the Government into doing something then I don't know what will.'

Unilever has been lobbied by officials in the UK and the Netherlands, with Dutch premier Mark Rutte, who once worked at Unilever, rolling out the red carpet. His government has passed tax breaks on dividends and has vowed to slash corporation tax.

Takeover rules in the Netherlands are thought to be attractive to Unilever as well.

Unlike British rules, they require companies to consider the impact of deals on a wider range of stakeholders than just shareholders.

Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Treasury Committee, called on the Government to strengthen protections for firms.

He added: 'We need to use Brexit to protect British industries, not open them up to even more foreign takeovers.'

Unilever has refused to comment on whether a relocation would result in any job losses.
Nurses are being offered the equivalent of more than 100,000 a year to evaluate whether terminally ill cancer patients and dementia sufferers should be stripped of NHS funding for their care.

A Money Mail investigation today reveals precisely how health authorities are depriving nursing home residents of this money.

Four weeks ago, we revealed that soaring numbers of people suffering from degenerative conditions are having care payouts removed after reassessments.

We have since been inundated with letters from families whose loved ones face being turfed out of nursing homes or draining their bank accounts to pay for help.

Victim: Ethel Roberts with husband Ted on their wedding day. Ethel, who suffers from dementia, had her funding refused on the grounds her needs were only 'high'

Now, we can publish details of how these seemingly heartless decisions are being made. Our findings include that:

A staffing shortage has forced local health authorities to pay nurses huge sums  just as officials try to slash care spending.

Crucial decisions on funding are being made by panels of people who have never even met those in need of help.

Vital reports on care needs are littered with mistakes, such as repeatedly confusing the sex of a patient.

One nurse described, in an internal health authority document, how the purpose of her work is to 'screen out' funding, rather than to check on a nursing home resident's health.

Cash-strapped local health authorities have been ordered to save 855 million from their care budgets, while staff shortages mean Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are shelling out huge sums for temporary nurses to carry out care assessments.

Supreme Hill Care Limited, a London-based recruitment firm which supplies nurses to fulfil these checks  known as continuing healthcare (CHC) assessments  is offering assessors up to 480 a day, the equivalent of 110,000 a year.

The CHC payment to patients is typically worth around 1,000 a week and is awarded to people with severe or unpredictable health needs. Crucially, their needs must be mainly health-related, rather than social, such as requiring help to dress and wash.

When funding is granted, the care recipient is reviewed by a nurse annually. If their needs are judged to have changed, a full reassessment is carried out by a team of nurses and social workers.

The Supreme Hill Care website says it has recruited assessors for five local health authorities, including Aylesbury Vale CCG and Chiltern CCG. An advert from another agency, this time recruiting for an NHS organisation in the Midlands, offers 380 a day  equal to 87,400 a year  for a mid-ranking mental health nurse to deal with older adults.

'This is an enormous waste of resources at a time when elderly people are being forced to sell their homes to pay for care,' says Tory peer and care campaigner Baroness Ros Altmann.

Reassessments are supposed to ensure that a person's needs are being properly met.

A full reassessment must consider this over 12 areas, ranging from mobility and continence to feeding and cognition. But families say they feel as though staff are looking for any reason to axe funding.

Bob Birchmore's 81-year-old mother-in-law, who suffers from dementia with Lewy bodies, which worsens over time, was stripped of funding in June last year by Salford CCG.

Bob, 65, from Bury, used Freedom of Information laws to obtain documents detailing how the decision was made.

In one report, a nurse says she carried out an assessment to 'screen [her] out of continuing healthcare'.

Another report painted a misleading image of Bob's mother-in-law's needs, stating that she 'has enjoyed dancing' when she had merely been watching it on the television. Salford CCG says it cannot comment on the case.

NHS guidelines state that at a full reassessment, a team of professionals should try to see the care recipient in person. Family members should also be invited to attend and given 'sufficient' notice.

However, some families say only one nurse attended their meetings, which means some funding decisions are being made by people who have never even met the patient concerned.

'I now rarely attend assessments where a full multi-disciplinary team is present,' says Fiona Lower, a former nurse who now helps families at reassessments.

'The nurse is unable to make a recommendation on their own; a recommendation is made following a team meeting at an office. This therefore denies the patient, the family and advocates the right to comment prior to a decision being made.'

When funding is granted, the care recipient is reviewed by a nurse annually. If their needs are judged to have changed, a reassessment is carried out by a team of nurses and social workers

When local health authorities write to families to inform them of their decisions, they enclose a report. In one document seen by Money Mail, a CCG recommends a male dementia sufferer is stripped of his funding  yet repeatedly refers to him using the female pronouns 'she' and 'her'.

The man's wife, who successfully appealed the decision, says: 'How can these documents be used to make crucial decisions if even basic facts are wrong?'

In each of the 12 areas covered by the reassessment a person's needs must be ranked from 'no needs' to 'priority'. Generally, to qualify you must receive one 'priority' or at least two 'severes'.

But the scoring process is a grey area, experts say. For instance, someone could score 'severe' in the mobility category if 'on movement or transfer there is a high risk of serious physical harm and where the positioning is critical'.

But if they were judged to 'need careful positioning due to risk of physical harm' they might get only a 'high'. This lower score could jeopardise their funding.

Stephen Roberts, 66, won back funding for his mother, who suffers from dementia, after recording the October 2016 meeting in which her needs were discussed.

Assessors said his mother, Ethel, 92, who stayed in London through the Blitz to continue her war service making military uniforms, had 'severe' needs.

But weeks later, Stephen, from Bromley, received a report stating that in some crucial areas her needs were only 'high', so her funding had been refused.

Stephen sent his recording to Lewisham CCG and funding was reinstated. The CCG said it would not comment on the 'specifics of any case', but added that it acted 'in line with the national framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care'.

A spokesman for Aylesbury Vale and Chiltern CCGs says 'recruitment and retention of qualified CHC nurses was a national challenge' in expensive areas such as Buckinghamshire.

'The use of agency staff in Bucks is kept to a minimum and is closely monitored,' he adds.
English French

Press Release

Paris, Wednesday, 14 March 2018

5:45 CET

Acquisitions in China

Artefact extends footprint in Asia

Artefact (FR0000079683 - ALNBT - eligible for French SME equity savings plan "PEA-PME") today announced the acquisitions of 8 Matic and its affiliates operating under the NetBooster brand. After opening subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia last year, these acquisitions represent a major move forward for the Group in its involvement on the fast-growing Asia-Pacific markets.

Growth nearing 30% and solid profitability

8 Matic and its affiliates have proven expertise in the digital field, offering a blend of consulting, media activation and creative services. Founded in 2010 by Pascal Duriez and Jo Chan Kue, the companies operate in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Seoul. With over 80 employees, they delivered a gross margin of 3m in 2017, implying organic growth of 30% relative to 2016. Profitability was also assured with historical EBITDA of over 10%. With 8 years of knowledge gained on the Chinese digital ecosystem, they are widely recognised among the global advertising brands operating in Asia, including Pernod Ricard, DFS, Dior, Hugo Boss, Finnair, Bic, English First, RedBull, Merck, Club Med, Cebu Pacific Air, and Huawai...

Subsequent to the transaction, Artefact will take a majority stake in 8 Matic and in its affiliates. The agreement provides for a strengthening in Artefact's stake over the next four years, after which Artefact will have full ownership. Artefact already has a 19% stake in one of the acquired companies since 2010.

Pascal Duriez will play a pivotal role in Artefact's expansion in the Asia-Pacific zone. He has therefore been appointed CEO of Artefact for APAC and is joining the Group's Strategic Committee which is composed of Guillaume de Roquemaurel (CEO Artefact Group), Vincent Luciani (COO Artefact Group), Philippe Rolet (CTO Artefact Group), Matthew Phelan (CEO 4Ps), Julius Ewig (CEO Metapeople Allemagne), Kristoffer Ewald (CIO Artefact Group), Lennert De Rijk (CEO BeNeLux & Nordics), Jan Klawer (CEO MENA).

Commenting on the transaction, Pascal Duriez says: "I am delighted to be joining the Group. The combination of our expertise and expanded footprint in accelerating markets offers us enormous potential for growth. Previous joint campaigns have already demonstrated to us the power of our merged strengths. When you share the same culture on Data, Media and Creativity, adding a deep understanding of the Chinese and APAC markets makes a lot of difference. We are now in working order to go faster and further across all APAC markets."

A decisive milestone in Artefact's expansion in Asia Pacific

Having opened subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia last year, the operation will bolster Artefact's position in the Asia-Pacific zone, giving it a headcount of over 100 employees with which to address that market.



Fresh technological expertise, high potential for serving western clients

With these acquisitions, Artefact will reinforce its knowledge of the Asian technological ecosystem thanks to strong partnerships established with BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) in terms of inventory, data, tracking and media activation. This enhanced expertise will give Artefact the capacity to unlock sizeable commercial synergies with its international network and extend its potential to work with western clients in the Asia-Pacific zone.

A strategic position from which to take advantage of burgeoning Asian brands

This transaction will also put Artefact in an ideal position to take advantage of burgeoning local demand. An increasing number of advertising brands are seeking to integrate expertise in data consulting, digital marketing and Artificial Intelligence into their campaigns. As an illustration, Chinese digital advertising expenditures have risen by nearly 18% against +7.7% on the North American continent. They should reach nearly 100 billion dollars in 2020. Thanks to its direct presence in the region, Artefact will be able to take full advantage of this underlying trend.

Meanwhile, big Asian brands with a strong presence in their continent of origin have set out to conquer western markets and this effort is poised to gain traction over the next few years. Once again, Artefact now has all the strengths needed to exploit this considerable growth potential in full.

In the words of Artefact CEO Guillaume de Roquemaurel: "China is shaping up to be one of the most developed countries in the world in terms of digital adoption and expansion. In 2017, Chinese online sales increased by more than 17% from 2016 and the country is now the first e-commerce market in the world with a turnover of 440bn. All of which offers extensive opportunities to be exploited and we fully intend to grab them by stepping up our expansion in this promising market. The transaction announced today is perfectly consistent with this offensive strategy, which should enable us to unlock strong growth in this market as of 2018."

Financial calendar (after market):

25 April 2018

2017 Results and Q1 2018 Gross margin

24 July 2018

Q2 2018 Gross margin

23 October 2018

H1 2018 Results and Q3 2018 Gross margin

END

About Artefact I artefact.com

Artefact embodies the perfect combination of marketing and engineering experts. Nominated innovative agency of the year in 2017, the agency works with some of the biggest advertising brands to invent the future of customer experience through new technologies. The agency has almost 1,000 employees across 17 countries worldwide, delivering three complementary solutions: Data Consulting, Digital Marketing Expertise and Technology Deployment (Big Data and Artificial Intelligence). Its 600 active clients include more than 100 blue-chip accounts, such as Orange, Carrefour, Emirates, Deutsche Telekom, and Monoprix, all of which attracted by the agency's cutting-edge expertise. Artefact was founded by three alumni of the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique engineering school in Paris: Vincent Luciani, Philippe Rolet and Guillaume de Roquemaurel. It has been enjoying extremely robust growth since it was founded in 2015 and succeeded in tripling its sales in 2016. In September 2017, the agency merged with French listed company NetBooster, an international network of digital agencies run by data and media experts.

Artefact was awarded the Grand Prix d'Honneur at this year's Data Festival and obtained FrenchTech's official diploma for "hyper-growth" French companies awarded by the French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, Mounir Mahjoubi.

For more information:



Financial Communications Press Contact ARTEFACT

Guillaume de Roquemaurel

Tel. 00 33 (0)1 40 40 27 00

mailto:investor-relations@artefact.com



ACTIFIN

Stephane Ruiz / Victoire Demeestere

Tel. 00 33 (0)1 56 88 11 11
MBABANE  Tough times lie ahead for the Swazi economy this year. The Central Bank of Swaziland CBS has projected that economic growth is projected to be weaker in 2018, but is expected to pick up in the medium term.



Real Growth Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to grow at 1.3 per cent, which is lower than the initial projection of 2.8 per cent. This downward update for the 2018 outlook is mainly due to slower anticipated growth for the secondary and tertiary sector, said.



It should, however, be mentioned that Swazilands economic growth whose real GDP was estimated to have increased by 1.9 per cent in 2017, showed an upward revision from the earlier projection of 1.0 per cent. CBS said the improvement in economic performance (relative to the previous projection) was primarily a result of better output in the tertiary sector, which grew more than expected.



It was reported that the agricultural sector recorded a 0.7 per cent growth in 2017, indicating a recovery from the drought.

Sugarcane production, which was estimated to recover slightly in 2017 before recovering fully in 2018, recorded a growth of seven per cent in 2017 and nine per cent in 2018 from a previous projection of three per cent and 19 per cent in 2017 and 2018 respectively.

The secondary sector was estimated to have increased by 0.7 per cent in 2017 while a contraction of -0.2 per cent in 2018 is expected.

In 2017, the sector benefitted from the recovery in the primary sector, especially in the sugar industry.



The re-admission of the country into the AGOA market is expected to bring a positive turnout in economic activity especially towards the manufacturing sector. Activity in the construction sector is expected to take a hit due to worsening government fiscal challenges, which will hinder continued implementation of (government funded) capital project, said CBS.
How much MONEY will it take to eradicate poverty in Swaziland? E21 billion or maybe E50 billion?



The numbers do not really matter if government keeps spending money on things that add no value to the economy. A very smart person (Albert Einstein) once said; Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.



Swaziland has in the past decade struggled to ignite and sustain high economic growth yet the country is at the cusp of Vision 2022, less than five years remain before the promised First World and a comfortable standard of living.

If anything, these last five years should have been about self-reflection and about directing every bit of government effort and every last cent of money collected by government into making sure that we achieve what we set out to achieve 20 years ago when the country first coined the National Development Strategy (NDS).



In case government suffers from a bit of amnesia, the NDS was meant to be a long term framework which identified action programmes for development in order to achieve Vision 2022, that is, By the year 2022, the Kingdom of Swaziland will have attained a level of development akin to that of developed countries while ensuring that all citizens are able to sustainably pursue their goals, enjoy lives of value and dignity in a safe and secure environment with the objectives of Sustainable Development.



The NDS gave birth to the Poverty Reduction Strategy and Action Plan (PRSAP) which tasked government to address poverty and all challenges related to it, such that by 2015 government should have cut poverty by more than 50 per cent and ultimately eradicate it by 2022.



It is now 2018 and we are still lamenting poverty levels higher than 50 per cent; to be precise, poverty is still at a high 63 per cent. What has government learned over the past 20 years, and did the fiscal crisis in 2010/11 really teach government anything?



We were hoping the Economic Recovery Strategy would see government use its resources much more sparingly and wisely to address issues of sluggish growth and contribute to the creation of jobs, at least 30 000 and an annual GDP growth rate of five per cent. In fact, the Fiscal Adjustment Roadmap put in place by government in 2010 to restore financial sustainability only achieved one thing: it increased taxes without any real reforms on public finance management and reforms in expenditure policy.



It gave us SRA which has been very good at taking money from every individual and business, and even introducing a value added tax (VAT) system in 2012. VAT is set to increase by one per cent as of April 2018, and yet again government will be collecting more money.



Government is in the business of collecting and collecting, but what do we get in return? Besides free primary education, antiretroviral medications to treat HIV, and for those of us who have cars maybe we get a nice network of freeways, but really, it is hard to pin-point how government invests in poverty reduction and employment creation so that every Swazi can live a life of value and dignity.



Ok, to be fair, government has constructed new Tinkhundla Centres, approved and implemented a total of 101 projects under the Regional Development Fund, rehabilitated rural water systems (refurbished 57 boreholes and constructed eight dip tanks), launched the high technology dairy farm at Sidvokodvo to produce over 25 million litres of milk a year, completed a feasibility study for Mpakeni and Ethemba Dam, and extended electricity coverage to 2 444 households, eight schools, one clinic, and one hammer mill, and completed the upgrading of the access road to the Phuzumoya Strategic Oil Reserve facility.



But are all of these milestones worth the E21 billion national budget? Couldnt we have achieved a lot more? Instead, someone somewhere in the ministry of something within the lopsided public sector is being promoted, someone is being added to an already out of control public service wage bill milking the system dry. Hey, BMWs are much more important to government than all the job creation and food security challenges that we face in the country.



Seriously, government cannot keep doing the same thing over and over and expect different results. To achieve a standard of living that is akin to the First World, perhaps BMWs need to be at the bottom of governments priority list and start prioritising things that will change the lives of the ordinary Swazi.



Of the E21 billion government spends each year, how much of that money is strictly dedicated to poverty reduction and growing the economy, particularly, growing a vibrant private sector?



Unless government starts formulating and implementing a rational expenditure structure focusing on critical social and capital spending, the economy will continue to slow down, jobs will disappear, more and more Swazis will find it difficult to afford the goods and services offered by the economy in Swaziland, and government through its irrational spending would be deliberately sabotaging our Vision 2022.
BUHLENI  Do you want to stop noisy neighbours from noticing that you make use of sex workers services?  call a taxi driver.

As a way of hiding detection from police, sex workers are now being chauffeured by taxi operators.



Sex work is rife in Buhleni and Piggs Peak due to the high number of bars.

It has been revealed that sex workers no longer need to parade near waiting rooms or isolated corners. Parading near waiting rooms was safer for the sex workers as police often got the impression that they were waiting for transport.



The trade, instead, continues to take place with the assistance of taxi operators who now serve as couriers. Bars are used as the places of contact between some taxi operators and sex workers.



According to some of the sex workers, most of their clients are respected people who are afraid to fetch them using their own vehicles.

This also includes people afraid of nosy neighbours.



They said using a taxi makes it easier for their clients identities to remain hidden.

We feel safer than standing in the streets, they said.

The sex workers also revealed that they often waited in the bars while taxi operators call them.



Usual clients often call taxi drivers to ask if they can organise sex workers for them. The taxi drivers allegedly have lists of sex workers, who they call when a customer is in need of their services.



Once a sex worker is called, she then negotiates the fee by establishing whether she will be required for the whole night or not.

They have now gone professional, said some of the taxi drivers who were interviewed.



The recent police raids have made it almost impossible for sex workers to operate and some complained that this was their only source of income.
MBABANE  Prince Phuhlaphi has been implicated in the unlawful issuance of khonta certificates to undeserving Asians.



It is alleged that the prince colluded with Phindile Khumalo, the senior Assistant Secretary to the Secretary of the Nation, who has been arrested in connection with the unlawful issuance of khonta certificates to Asians.



Khumalo who is currently behind bars, is facing seven charges of contravening Section 42 as read with Section 35(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act of 2006, seven counts of forgery and one charge of theft. Her bail is being vigorously opposed by the Crown.

The alleged involvement of the prince in the scandal was disclosed by Sergeant Akhona Dludlu, who is the principal investigator of the matter.



Khumalo, as the mastermind of this horrendous act, performed this crime in common purpose with former National Secretary, Prince Phuhlaphi, and a certain Sisana Mkhabela who is employed as a cleaner at the Kings Office, submitted Sergeant Dludlu. He told the court that after processing the fraudulent khonta certificate, Khumalo would allegedly send Mkhabela (cleaner) to the Asian nationals, whose meeting spot was Lobamba Post Office and Mahlanya complex.



According to Dludlu, Mkhabela would then hand over the fraudulent khonta certificates to the Asians who would then give her money. She would allegedly then give the money to Khumalo. Khumalo, not to be outdone by the establishment of the Citizenship Board, devised a strategy and colluded with the former National Secretary (Prince Phuhlaphi) who retired in the year 2007, alleged the investigator. Khumalo, who allegedly backdate the stamps to the period when Prince Phuhlaphi was still in office and she reportedly had him sign the fraudulent khonta certificates.



Dludlu also alleged that the khonta certificates were signed in places like Lugogo Sun and The Gables Complex, among others.
MBABANE  The Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, is not going down without a fight.



This, he made clear yesterday in the House of Assembly when he, at length, debated why he deserved a retirement home.

Dlamini went as far as including the Kings name, whom he said had even allocated the piece of land where the PMs house would be constructed.



He said in the location which had been approved by the King, there was no house that was under E10 million. Dlamini said he would, however, not state which location it was for now.



Angeke kube lidlokolo (the house will not be a shack or substandard), said Dlamini.

The PM, who was speaking in a very shaky voice which got the legislators worried, said he deserved the house because those were the provisions of Finance Circular No.2 of 2013.



The bone of contention between the PM and the Members of Parliament (MPs) was that the latter wanted to reduce the budget allocation of E5.5 million of the house to E3 million.



Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini said the house was too expensive, particularly since the designs alone were E1.5 million.



However, the PM said those were the provisions of Circular No.2, which he deserved for a man in his position. He said during the Ninth Parliament, there was Finance Circular No.1 of 2010 which had been created by Cabinet, however, during one of the Sibaya meetings, the nation called for its removal.



The resolution was that a Royal Commission be put in place by the King which he duly did and they came up with the new conditions of service, said the PM.

The leader of Cabinet business said the new Circular stipulated that the PM must be respected and that when he vacated office, he must be constructed a house, a car which would be filled up by government and pension.
PIGGS PEAK  Pupils in some of the countrys schools will have to beat the old adage, time wasted is never regained.



This is because they spent part of the first term studying a wrong siSwati syllabus, which contained short stories that have been discontinued following the introduction of a new syllabus.



It has been gathered that affected pupils are those in Form IV.

The 2018/2019 syllabus, which should have been released before schools opened was only released last Thursday. This resulted in schools carrying out lessons using the previous 2017/2018 syllabus.



In the latest syllabus, some of the short stories have been discontinued but teachers were not aware of this as the latest syllabus had not been released. During a recent workshop, which is said to have taken place last month, school representatives are said to have been informed about the changes to the syllabus.



The number of schools that were affected by this could not be ascertained at the time of compiling this report though it was gathered from some head teachers that quite a large number of schools may have been affected due to communication constraints from the relevant authorities to the schools administrators.



During a workshop which was held mid-last month in Manzini, school representatives are said to have been informed about the changes to the syllabus, specifically siSwati which has been made a core subject by the Ministry of Education and Training.

This essentially means that all schools are expected to teach this subject in all grades.
EDMONTON, Alberta, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fire & Flower, a corporate retail cannabis store, announces Carman R. McNary, Q.C. has been appointed as the Chair of the Alberta Advisory Board.



As Chair of the Alberta Advisory Board, Carman will assist Fire & Flowers board and executive management in the areas of social responsibility and corporate development as Canadian societal norms change with the legalization of cannabis for recreational use.

Presently acting as Counsel for Dentons, a global law firm, Mr. McNary has served as the Chair of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Chamber of Commerce, Edmonton Community Foundation and Co-Chair of the 2017 Campaign of the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region. Mr. McNary has been awarded both the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals and the Alberta Centennial Medal, and was appointed a Queens Counsel in 2010.

Mr. McNarys strong community ties and corporate experience will assist Fire & Flower in the responsible retailing of cannabis across Alberta, shared Trevor Fencott, Fire & Flowers Chief Executive Officer. We are delighted that Carman has chosen to become the Chair of our Advisory Board.

Fire & Flower will announce other members of its Alberta Advisory Board at its earliest opportunity.

About Fire & Flower

Fire & Flower is a corporate retail store, specializing in elevating Canadian cannabis products through experiential strategies and education-based programming. The Company is poised to serve customers across the country, in provinces where private retail is permitted.

Founded by leading legal cannabis entrepreneurs, Fire & Flowers leadership team carries 60 years of combined experience in launching premium, successful businesses and 20 years in the cannabis space. The Company is versed in legal cannabis, immersed with the Canadian audience and is actively influencing the evolution of the new cannabis industry across the country.

Media Relations Contact:

Fire & Flower

Nathan Mison

Vice President, Government and Stakeholder Relations

nmison@fireandflower.ca

Ph: 780-953-1106
Ocean Wise Launches #BePlasticWise Pledge to Tackle Single-use Plastic Waste, Supported by Three

Federal Cabinet Ministers, MEC, and Vancouver Fraser Port Authority

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Even as global business and government leaders gather in one of the worlds greenest cities to talk about a clean economy at GLOBE Sustainability Forum this week, new sampling taken by Ocean Wise scientists shows the problem of plastic pollution is threatening the ocean right at their doorstep.

Dr. Peter Ross, vice-president of research at Ocean Wise, and leading microplastic pollution expert, said his team found 1,258 tiny particles of plastic in a cubic meter of seawater sampled just days ago from ocean water near the Vancouver Convention Centre, site of the GLOBE conference.

We have found microplastic particles in every sample of seawater weve analyzed from around the world, and Vancouver, despite being one of the worlds greenest cities, is no exception. This microscopic plastic pollution is coming from many sources, including plastic from single use items that have broken down over time in the ocean, said Ross.

Which is why Ocean Wise is kicking off its #BePlasticWise pledge campaign at GLOBE today, said Dr. John Nightingale, Ocean Wise president and CEO. The campaign aims to raise awareness about ocean plastic and build collective action by asking people to reduce their plastic waste from single-use items and other sources.

The threat of plastic waste in our ocean is a real challenge to both aquatic life and marine ecosystems, said Nightingale. Plastic contamination is found from pole to pole, so the high levels of microplastics were finding in an ocean city as green as Vancouver raise the question: what does this mean for other parts of the world that are not as pristine?

Nightingale said Ocean Wise is asking for pledges from government, industry and the public to tackle ocean plastic. Ocean Wise has been leading ocean plastic research since 2013, but this issue needs all of us to take small steps towards big solutions for our ocean. Action comes with interest and awareness, and we encourage everyone to take the pledge, share your involvement and protect our ocean.

Ocean Wises #BePlasticWise pledge is generously supported by Canadian retailer MEC and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, which have both signed the pledge.

Founding pledge signatories include: Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada; Hon. Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport Canada; Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard; Hon. George Heyman, BC Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy; Douglas Coupland, artist; Ratana Stephens, co-founder, Natures Path Foods Inc; Ty Speer, president & CEO, Tourism Vancouver; Guy Dean, CSO, Albion Farms and Fisheries; Ned Bell, Ocean Wise executive chef; Ken Flores, general manager, Fairmont Waterfront Hotel; Lili Clark, senior producer, BRANDLIVE, and David Katz, CEO, Plastic Bank, among others.

Studies show that one million water bottles are sold every minute around the world and 500 billion plastic bags are used globally every year. Plastic waste is finding its way to the ocean at a rate of one dump truck full every minute. A recent study predicts plastic consumption will double in the next 20 years. Every small step people take to reduce single use plastic and their ocean impact is a big step forward.

#BePlasticWise pledge participants will receive monthly lifestyle challenges to help them reduce single use plastic over the course of a year. Starting with Coffee Break in March  to reduce use of takeout plastic-lined cups and lids  Ocean Wise will provide tips, ocean stories and videos for living a more ocean-friendly life.

Get started today to #BePlasticWise  Sign the pledge at ocean.org/pledge.

Ocean Wise

Ocean Wise is a not-for-profit organization whose vision is a world in which oceans are healthy and flourishing. www.ocean.org

Plastic Wise

Ocean Wise is tackling the global crisis of plastic waste entering our ocean. The Plastic Wise program aims to increase awareness about microplastic pollution, prevent plastic from entering our ocean by creating actionable solutions and convene global leaders to create large-scale change. Join us in taking action at ocean.org/pledge.

Background:

www.ocean.org/plasticwise

For Photos and B-Roll:

Peter_Ross_Collecting_Sample1.jpg

Peter_Ross_Collecting_SampleCU1.jpg

PeterRoss_Broll_Interview.mp4

Media Contacts:

Jo Anne Walton

Communications Advisor  Ocean Wise

JoAnne.Walton@ocean.org

604.659.3520

A video accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/df36c280-f55d-430f-8d12-da828a30e0ce
URUMQI, XINJIANG, China, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New Era Minerals Inc. (the Company) advises that it has arranged a non-brokered private placement (the Private Placement) involving the sale of 11,597,699 common shares of the Company (the Shares) to a private investor at a subscription price of CAD$0.08 per Share for gross proceeds of CAD$927,816. Proceeds of the Private Placement are to be used for the Suyeke North property in Xinjiang Province (including to conduct test work on the project and towards the extension of the prospecting rights for the property) as well as for general corporate and working capital requirements. The Private Placement is subject to receipt of regulatory approval.



About New Era Minerals Inc.



New Era Minerals Inc., through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Haijin International Group Limited, owns 95% of Yongkun. Yongkun's principal activities are the exploration, evaluation and development of mineral property interests in the PRC, including Yongkun's 100%-owned Suyekebei (Suyeke North) nickel property located in Tuoli County, Tacheng Area, Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region, PRC.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

NEW ERA MINERALS INC.

Sun Tian Xiang

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Vicky Gao

gaoweishan@nemnemnem.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Information

This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed to be forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation that are based on the belief of management and reflect the Companys current expectation. All statements in this release, other than the statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking information. Forward-looking information are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, could or should occur.

Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, all statements regarding the completion of the Private Placement and the proposed use of proceeds to be raised pursuant to the Private Placement. By its nature, forward-looking information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, among other things, the timeliness of receipt of regulatory approval to the Private Placement; fluctuations in the Canadian dollar-Renminbi exchange rate; and those factors disclosed in the Company's publicly filed documents. Forward-looking information is also based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to, that all required stock exchange and other regulatory approvals to the Private Placement will be obtained.

Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such forward-looking information are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this news release is provided as of the date of this news release, and Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.
English French

San Diego, CA, USA - March 14, 2018 - 06:30 pm (PDT)

Santier Inc. Announces New Business Unit General Manager

for the San Diego Facility

Santier Inc., an Egide group company, announces the appointment of Mr. Chris KVITEK as Business Unit General Manager for the San Diego facility. He succeeds to Mr. Mansoor MOSALLAIE, who left the company to pursue other business opportunities.

In this role, Mr. KVITEK will be responsible for the manufacture of high thermally conductive materials, the manufacture of hermetic assemblies, along with machining, wire EDM and plating services.

His mission will be to continue and accelerate the performance of the San Diego facility with regards to delivery, quality and profitability. He will be responsible for expanding our operational capabilities within the processes currently available, and support the other business units within the EGIDE Group by providing intercompany components.

Mr. KVITEK and his family live in the San Diego area.

"The additional of Chris to our management team brings another member with high credentials and expectations. I am excited about the potential he will bring to the San Diego facility, as we look to expand our capabilities and capacity." comments Jim COLLINS, CEO of the EGIDE Group.

***

Biography Mr. Chris Kvitek https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-kvitek-mba-b44026b3/

MBA + Engineering degree from Northern Illinois University.

He began his career in 1993 as a Manufacturing Engineer within the automotive industry. He was promoted to various levels of management, finishing as a Plant Manager for a gas and diesel engine manufacturer. In 2010, he moved to San Diego to enter the Aerospace industry as a Director of Operations for Senior Aerospace Products, Inc.

In 2016, he joined L-3 Communications, in the Thermal Imagining market segment, as General Manager of their cryogenic cooler operation. This operation provided cryogenic coolers for both Civilian and Military applications.

***

FINANCIAL CALENDAR

March 27, 2018 (After French Market Closure): 2017 annual results

To find out more about Egide: www.egide-group. com

Egide is a group with an international dimension, specialized in the manufacture of hermetic packages for sensitive electronic components. It operates in cutting edge markets with strong technology barriers to entry in all critical industry segments (Infrared, Optronics, Microwave, Power, .). Egide is the only pure player in this market niche with manufacturing bases in France and the United States.

Egide renewed OSEO certification as an innovative company (entreprise innovante) on July 30, 2015

ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified quality and environmental management systems

Egide is listed on Euronext Paris(TM)- Segment C - ISIN: FR0000072373 - Reuters: EGID.PA - Bloomberg: GID

***

CONTACTS

EGIDE - Finance Department - Philippe Lussiez - +33 1 30 68 81 00 - plussiez@fr.egide-group.com

INBOUND CAPITAL - Investor Relations - Frederic Portier / David Chermont - +44 7802 533333 - fportier@inbound.capital

FIN'EXTENSO - Press Relations - Isabelle Aprile - +33 1 39 97 61 22 - i.aprile@finextenso.fr
WEST CHESTER, Penn., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Key Financials President & CEO Patti Brennan has moved up the ranks to the # 8 spot in Barrons Top 1,200 Advisors State by State ranking. The annual Top 1,200 ranking highlights Top Advisors from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. This is the most far reaching listing, encompassing all advisors from independent firms like Key Financial, to big Wall Street firms.



The annual ranking is assembled from extensive research examining assets under management, revenue generated by advisors for their firms, and quality of the advisors practices. Investment performance is a case by case basis, however evaluations include examination of regulatory records, internal company documents, and 100-plus points of data provided by the advisors themselves.

Patti Brennan has been a standout in the Barrons rankings every year for the past 12 years, gaining recognition in the Top 100 Women Wealth Advisors as well as the Top 1,200. In addition to this, Brennan has also been recognized by Forbes as the # 4 Best in-State-Advisors and the 15th top Women Wealth Advisor in the United States (2017).

This ranking is a true reflection of the dedication and desire of every member of our team here at Key Financial to deliver a standard of excellence shared by every one of our clients, states Bernadette Hunter, Director of Communications. It is truly a pleasure to work with the brightest minds in the industry and of course it is wonderful that their hard work, on behalf of our clients, is recognized by Barrons!

On a local level, Brennan proudly serves on the Board for the YMCA of Greater Brandywine and Cuddle My Kids. She has formerly served on the Boards of the Chester County Economic Development Council, SEEDCO and Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital. As the President and CEO of Key Financial for almost 30 years, Brennan provides comprehensive wealth management with integrated strategies that are unique to each client. Known for her ability to see the impact of the little details on the big picture, Brennan is known for communicating complex financial concepts in simple, understandable and meaningful terms.

Key Financial, Inc. provides comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services and is located at 1045 Andrew Drive Suite A West Chester, PA. For information about the firms planning services or to speak with Patti Brennan, call (610)429-9050 or visit www.keyfinancialinc.com.

Securities offered through Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Insurance services offered through Patricia Brennan are independent of Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. Advisory services offered through Key Financial, Inc., a registered investment advisor not affiliated with Royal Alliance Associates, Inc.



*The Forbes ranking of America's Top Wealth Advisors, is based on an algorithm of qualitative and quantitative data, rating thousands of wealth advisors with a minimum of seven years of experience and weighing factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and best practices learned through telephone and in-person interviews. There is no fee in exchange for rankings.

The Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors is an independent listing produced by the Financial Times (March, 2016). The FT 400 is based on data gathered from firms and verified by broker-dealer home offices, regulatory disclosures, and the FTs research. The listing reflects each advisors performance in six primary areas, including assets under management, asset growth, compliance record, experience, credentials and accessibility as identified by the FT. Neither the brokerages nor the advisors pay a fee to The Financial Times in exchange for inclusion in the FT 400.

The Barrons Winners Circle Top 1200 is a select group of individuals who are screened on a number of different criteria. Among the factors that advisors are assessed include their assets under management, revenues, the quality of service provided to clients, and their adherence to high standards of industry regulatory compliance. Portfolio performance is not a factor. Please see www.barrons.com for more information.



The Barrons Winners Circle Top 100 is a select group of individuals who are screened on a number of different criteria. Among factors the survey takes into consideration are the overall size and success of practices, the quality of service provided to clients, adherence to high standards of industry regulatory compliance, and leadership in best practices of wealth management. Portfolio performance is not a factor. Please see www.barrons.com for more information.

Contact:

Bernadette Hunter

Director of Communications

(610)429-9050

bernadette@keyfinancialinc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ccf3c369-3f3a-405d-83a8-8ab20afa8402




You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
[March 14, 2018] 'Come to Japan' Booth at Japan Week Event Features Japan Trip Giveaway & Virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI

NEW YORK, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) New York Office's 'Come to Japan' Campaign will be participating in Japan Week event at New York's Grand Central Terminal. The campaign booth will be designed after Kizuna AI, a popular virtual YouTuber from Japan with over 1.5 Million subscribers who is serving as the campaign ambassador. Japan Week is a free event open to the public that will be held in the Vanderbilt Hall in New York's Grand Central Terminal from March 14-17, 2018. In addition to showcasing the splendors of Japanese culture, food, and modern art, 3D Trick Art that visitors can "step into" and take selfies with will also be available. Visitors can also take selfies at the 'Come to Japan' Campaign booth using the life-sized Kizuna AI panel on display. The campaign booth will also showcase videos featuring Kizuna AI as a guide introducing Japanese culinary culture, technology, hot springs, and other charming parts of Japan. The same videos have been available on the campaign website and have already generated a total of 85,269 YouTube views. A drawing for a pair of round-trip plane tickets from the US to Japan will be held at the Kizuna AI Campaign booth. Entry is free, and 400 visitors can enter the drawing per day during Japan Week. To enter the drawing, visitors must "like" the Vist Japan Facebook Page and share the 'Come to Japan' Campaign page on Facebook or Twitter. The first 400 visitors to show booth staff their smartphones or other devices indicating that they have liked and shared the page will be able to enter the drawing. Other prizes include gift certificates that can be used on Tokyo Otaku Mode's TOM Shop, Alpacasso plushies, and Kizuna AI pins. Full drawing details, rules, and regulations can be found on the Official Rules page (https://otakumode.com/shop/pickup/officialrules_japanweek).



Visitors can increase their chances of winning by also participating in the online 'Charms of Japan' quiz available on the 'Come to Japan' campaign website. Those who complete the online quiz will be able to enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win a pair of round-trip tickets to Japan, a Kizuna AI prize package, or an Alpacasso plushie. Videos and articles about the delights of Japan, as well as a section with photos of Japan submitted by users through Instagram, are also available on the Come to Japan website. About Japan Week

March 14-17, 2018

Organizer: Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) New York office

Location: Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, New York

Event website, including event hours: https://www.japanweek.org/

About the 'Come to Japan' Campaign

The 'Come to Japan' Campaign was launched on March 1, 2018 and will run until March 25, 2018. Through social media platforms, including YouTube and Instagram, the Campaign aims to promote Japanese tourism to Americans. About the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), an independent agency of the Japanese government, promotes Japan as a leisure and business destination to further exchanges between Japan and the world. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/come-to-japan-booth-at-japan-week-event-features-japan-trip-giveaway--virtual-youtuber-kizuna-ai-300613822.html SOURCE Japan National Tourism Organization New York

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 13, 2018] Global Wireless Gas Detection Market Report (2017-2021) with Key Players Dragerwerk, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, MSA and United Electric Controls - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Global Wireless Gas Detection Market 2017-2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Global wireless gas detection market to grow at a CAGR of 5.97% during the period 2017-2021. The report 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. Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and related market alliances and partnerships are the trends that will gain considerable momentum during the forecast period. The key vendors in the global gas detection market are focusing on sustaining their competitive edge in the market through enhancing their market presence. Increased investments in new avenues of technology also play a significant role in business development. Many vendors are focusing on diversifying their existing product portfolio through M&A. According to the report, one driver in the market is growing investments in oil and gas pipeline projects. The oil and gas industry, which is the key end-user in this market, is experiencing considerable growthin EMEA. The import and export from LNG and other gas plants has increased due to high demand. This is mainly supported by the shift toward gas production activities by the oil production companies, as it is providing more yield than oil. The shale gas production is the major driving factor for the installation of new pipelines in the US. Apart from US, the other countries like Iran, Nigeria, Indonesia, India, and Russia are implementing key and mega projects with significant investments, which will positively impact the adoption of latest wireless gas detection products.



Further, the report states that one challenge in the market is malfunctioning and maintenance issues enhance operational expenditure. Taking predictive measures to arrest this malfunctioning of devices will ensure reduction in safety issues. For instance, in 2016, nearly 3.6 million units of smoke and gas detectors have been recalled in the US due to the anticipated risk that it could malfunction, which, in turn, can result in serious accidents. Key Vendors

Dragerwerk

Honeywell (News - Alert)

Johnson Controls

MSA

United Electric Controls Other Prominent Vendors Crowcon Detection Instruments

Pem-Tech

Sensidyne

Siemens (News - Alert)

United Technologies Key Topics Covered Part 01: Executive Summary Part 02: Scope of the Report Part 03: Research Methodology Part 04: Market Landscape Part 05: Market Sizing Part 06: Five Forces Analysis Part 07: Customer Landscape Part 08: Market Segmentation by End-User Part 09: Regional Landscape Part 10: Decision Framework Part 11: Drivers and Challenges Part 12: Market Trends Part 13: Vendor Landscape Part 14: Vendor Analysis For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8b89tb/global_wireless?w=4 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180313006491/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Postmedia Network Canada Corp. Notice of Investors' Teleconference

Postmedia Network Canada Corp. ("Postmedia" or "the Company") will host a conference call on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss its financial results for the quarter ended February 28, 2018.

Paul Godfrey, Executive Chairman and CEO, and Andrew MacLeod, President and COO will host the call. Earlier in the day on April 11, 2018 the Company will issue a news release disclosing these results and related financial information. Materials will also be posted on the Company's website, www.postmedia.com.

Investors and analysts may participate in the call at 1-800-672-8962







Media and other interested persons are invited to participate in the call on a listen-only basis at 1-800-708-4508.

For those unable to participate in the live call, a recorded version will be available approximately one hour after the call until April 18, 2017 and can be accessed at 416-626-4100 or 1-800-558-5253 using the passcode 21886038. A recording of the call will also be posted on the Company's website.

About Postmedia Network Canada Corp.

Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (TSX: PNC (News - Alert) .A, PNC.B) is the holding company that owns Postmedia Network Inc., a Canadian newsmedia company representing more than 160 brands across multiple print, online, and mobile platforms. Award-winning journalists and innovative product development teams bring engaging content to millions of people every week whenever and wherever they want it. This exceptional content, reach and scope offers advertisers and marketers compelling solutions to effectively reach target audiences. For more information, visit www.postmedia.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005862/en/
[March 14, 2018] Qatar Armed Forces Selects Boeing Global Services Subsidiary, Tapestry Solutions, to Modernize Its Logistics and Business Systems

SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing [NSYE:BA], through its subsidiary Tapestry Solutions, today announced it will implement an advanced Enterprise Resource Planning/Logistics Management Information System (ERP/LMIS) for the Qatar Armed Forces that will maximize readiness for troops on land, air and sea. Work will be performed under a five-year contract, which includes ongoing maintenance support. Tapestry Solutions, a business unit of Boeing Global Services, has teamed with Qatar-based Mannai Corporation as well as Accenture and Oracle. The companies are leaders in delivering multi-service logistics and business systems for international defense and aerospace, government and commercial markets. The core components of the ERP/LMIS solution are Tapestry's GOLDesp Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) software and the Oracle E-Business suite. Mannai Corporation, which is Qatari's leading Information Technology (IT) company, will implement Oracle's personnel, finance and procurement capabilities. "We are proud to provide a world-class enterprise-level software suite for QAF  a comprehensive, end-to-end platform that adapts to support the growth and sustainment of Qatar's force modernization efforts," said Robin Wright, president and CEO, Tapestr Solutions. "This contract award is further indication of Boeing's commitment to broaden its service offerings to global customers."



Tapestry's GOLDesp platform provides integrated supply, maintenance and transportation capabilities for complex assets for land, air, sea and space environments. The commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software provides aftermarket logistics support for customers on five continents, including international militaries, OEMs, defense contractors and commercial aviation organizations. "We are pleased to leverage our deep domain experience  based on years' of experience delivering similar software and services for U.S. and allied forces  to improve force effectiveness, modernize IT processes and reduce costs for our customer," said Ron Isom, Tapestry's Sales Manager.

About Boeing Global Services

Boeing Global Services, headquartered in the Dallas area, was formed by integrating the services capabilities of the government, space and commercial sectors into a single, customer-focused business. Operating as a third business unit of Boeing, Global Services provides agile, cost-competitive services to commercial and government customers worldwide. About Tapestry Solutions

Tapestry Solutions, Inc. is a global provider of information management software and services for defense, government and commercial markets. We provide mission planning, training and simulation support to maximize readiness for our warfighters. We also help solve logistics challenges for the world's largest and most complex supply chains. Supporting customers from more than 50 locations worldwide, Tapestry Solutions is part of Boeing Global Services. Contact

Janet Dayton

jdayton@tapestrysolutions.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qatar-armed-forces-selects-boeing-global-services-subsidiary-tapestry-solutions-to-modernize-its-logistics-and-business-systems-300613781.html SOURCE Boeing

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
PANAMA CITY, Panama, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ADVFN Crypto NewsWire via NetworkWire -- CryptoSecure.com (through its Service Operator Crypto Investor, Inc.) is pleased to advise:

Appointment of John McAfee as Senior Strategic Advisor



John McAfee brings considerable expertise, both technical and industry specific to CryptoSecure. Mr. McAfee is a globally well-known brilliant, and controversial Internet and crypto pioneer and visionary. He spent his early years as a programmer for NASAs Institute for Space Studies, and later created the worlds first commercial anti-virus software that still bears his name and is recognized as a leading global brand. Today he concentrates his passion and genius towards the future of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. He is a champion of the people and a fierce advocate against the increasing incidence and nature of cyber-attacks.



Mr. McAfee met the CryptoSecure team on a recent Blockchain cruise conference at which he was the keynote speaker. During an early morning discussion on the security deficiencies of the cryptocurrency market, he was appraised of CryptoSecures military-grade hybrid Blockchain, Trusted Solaris OS, One Time Pad infrastructure project. When Mr. McAfee saw CryptoSecures first product SafeWindow operating he immediately recognized the breakthrough potential to deliver the security so badly needed in the cryptoverse. Realizing that money could not buy this, he decided to join the CryptoSecure team as Senior Strategic Advisor.



CryptoSecure ICO



Following collaboration with Mr. McAfee and his very committed and talented team over the past several weeks, and also with KickICO CryptoSecures ICO partner, CryptoSecure has re-focused and re-positioned its ICO and its marketing initiatives.



Participation in the ICO is only through exchange with Ethereum or KICK coins with exchange based upon a $975 fixed ETH pricing which is a significant premium to the current market.



Round One which closes in a week provides for SECURE coins to be exchanged for 0.0001026 ETH each, or 9750 SECURE coins per ETH. For details see: https://CryptoSecure.com



About SafeWindow



The CryptoSecure Platforms first product, SafeWindow is now released. SafeWindow creates a virtual computer on the user computer screen, and also on the users tablet or smart device. These virtual existences are only there for the duration of the cryptocurrency activity or transaction. They cannot be seen by any hacker, authority, or spyware as the interaction is conducted in invisible virtuality. As soon as the activity or transaction is finished, the user closes the virtual windows, and everything vanishes leaving no residual trace of anything on any of the devices used. See how it works at YouTube-CryptoSecure.



Very simply, if you cannot see it, then you cannot hack it, monitor, or record it.



CryptoSecure Platform Development



Key Capital Corporation (OTC Pink:KCPC) is leading the full development of the CryptoSecure multilayer security Platform that will provide ultimate protection for crypto assets, private keys, communications, and privacy.

The CryptoSecure Platform incorporates a hybrid blockchain/Trusted Solaris OS/One Time Pad backbone within which SafeWindow and other products and industry participants will be able to operate securely.



About KICKICO



KICKICO is an online blockchain technology-based platform for fundraising in cryptocurrencies. It collected more than 84,000 ETH during its ICO, and was named "ICO of the Year" by BTC CIS AWARDS. Today, KICKICO has a community of 55,000 people, and the KICK Coin is traded on eight exchanges. The platform has launched more than 20 projects, successfully completing their ICOs and raising more than 250,000 ETH in total funds, among them: Micromoney, Hacken, Universa, Playkey, INS. KICKICO also organized Cryptospace Moscow - one of the leading global blockchain and crypto events of 2017, gathering more than 3000 people and 59 top international blockchain and crypto experts.



To participate in the CryptoSecure ICO:

See Featured Campaigns at: https://www.kickico.com



For further information:

See: https://CryptoSecure.com



Email: info@cryptoinvestorinc.com

or

Darcy Johnston: darcy@cryptoinvestorinc.com

Chris Nichols: info@keycapitalgroup.com
[March 14, 2018] Tridonic net4more toolbox: Successful practical testing at company headquarters

DORNBIRN, Austria, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tridonic today announced it is utilizing a smart building project to demonstrate successful practical application of its net4more toolbox for IP-based networking. net4more provides a network for the 200 connected devices  both wired via Power over Ethernet (PoE) and wireless via THREAD  Tridonic has installed at its Dornbirn headquarters. These devices include occupancy sensors, air quality sensors and illuminance sensors. In this pilot installation for net4more, Tridonic is using the existing lighting infrastructure in its headquarters as the carrier technology. The individual sensors are linked to the luminaires and form a network that is connected to the Internet and into which further devices (sensors, light points and other electronic devices) can be seamlessly integrated. The data collected is stored in the cloud and made available for analysis purposes via a documented and open interface. The toolbox uses both wired and wireless transmission paths for communication between the luminaires, sensors and IP infrastructure, and integrates a wide range of components, e.g., LED drivers, communication modules, sensors and communication infrastructure (routers, switches), on a uniform platform. net4more then makes the captured data and the control options for the connected devices available via an open interface. Power is supplied via conventional power cables or via PoE. Of particular benefit is that the solution is fully scalable and can be implemented in virtually any type of building, including large office complexes. Clear visualization

A heat mapping application visualizes the sensor data captured regarding occupancy, air quality and illuminance, utilizing graphics to provide a clear picture of particular parameters. These include room occupancy by percentage, proportion of carbon dioxide and fine dust particles in the air, and luminaire energy consumption. All the values are transferred hourly to cloud applications, where the data can be stored and evaluated to provide a basis for process optimizations. Tridonic can use the occupancy data, for example, to create detailed usage profiles for different rooms, such as offices, conference rooms and staff kitchens. Specific measures can then be taken, such as adjusting room temperatures or drawing up alternative room occupancy plans. All the data in the heat mapping app can be vewed on a central monitor.



Better air quality

Air quality data is continuously recorded and is available for reporting purposes. The data also serves as a yardstick for optimum control of air conditioning systems to achieve standardized air-quality values. Facility managers can utilize the information on peak loads provided by the power-consumption data to put preventive measures in place. The heat mapping app shows precisely where in the rooms the luminaires are installed and with which sensors they are connected. As a central platform, net4more delivers the database for further, in-depth analyses. Partner companies can use the platform to develop appropriate applications for other purposes and more detailed evaluations. The captured data therefore provides a basis for extracting solid information that can then lead to optimized humidity levels or room usage, and other concrete benefits.

Practical benefits

"The pilot installation at our headquarters is providing impressive proof of the practical benefits of net4more," explained Thomas Moder, Segment Manager Controls & Connectivity at Tridonic. "We are benefiting in many ways from IP-based integration of three different sensor types in our lighting infrastructure. We are monitoring the air quality in the entire building, and the next step will be to use that information to create better conditions for our colleagues. We are also using the data from the occupancy sensors to optimize processes relating to the use of meeting rooms and offices. And last but not least, we are optimizing the energy efficiency of our lighting systems and experiencing cost savings as a result." Apps offer easy use in practical applications

4remote  Wireless operation of Tridonic lighting systems and IoT applications: With this central app, users can quickly and easily adapt the lighting and all subsystems integrated into the net4more system to their personal requirements. A smartphone or tablet performs the function of a remote control or traditional wall switch. It can be used to switch luminaires on or off or dim them, and preferred lighting scenarios can also be selected. 4commissioning  Assistance with planning and commissioning: 4commissioning can be used to plan lighting systems from the comfort of a desk and then easily commission them on site wirelessly. To this end, the authorised expert locates the individual luminaires and other subsystems via an app, assigns them accordingly and creates the required lighting scenarios and moods. About Tridonic

Tridonic is a world-leading supplier of lighting technology, supporting its customers with intelligent hardware and software and offering the highest level of quality, reliability and energy savings. As a global driver of innovation in the field of lighting-based network technology, Tridonic develops scalable, future-oriented solutions that enable new business models for lighting manufacturers, building managers, systems integrators, planners and many other types of customers. To promote the vision of the "Internet of Light", Tridonic relies on partnerships with other specialists. The goal is the joint development of innovative technological solutions that convert lighting systems into intelligent networks and thereby enable associated services. Its profound, technical industry expertise makes Tridonic an ideal partner for established brands and for newcomers to the market. Tridonic is the technology company of the Zumtobel Group and is headquartered in Dornbirn, Austria. In the 2016/17 tax year, Tridonic generated sales of 377.2 million. 1,590 highly skilled employees and a worldwide sales presence in over 50 countries reflect the company's commitment to the development and deployment of new, smart and connected lighting systems. www.tridonic.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tridonic-net4more-toolbox-successful-practical-testing-at-company-headquarters-300613808.html SOURCE Tridonic

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] United States Traffic Network Announces Management Buyout

PHILADELPHIA, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- United States Traffic Network, LLC ("USTN" or the "Company") the leading independent provider of broadcast traffic solutions in the United States, announced today the completion of a management-led buyout of the Company. The buyout, by Fair & Equal LLC, based in Texas, was spearheaded by Ivan Shulman, President of USTN and a long-time industry veteran with a proven track-record of building effective and successful sales and management teams in the U.S. radio ad-sales market. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Company will continue to do business as United States Traffic Network. "I have been working in lock-step with my management team to ensure a smooth transition from an international ownership group, to a U.S.-based team with deep ties to both the broadcasters and advertisers," said Mr. Ivan Shulman, who will become the Chairman and CEO of the Company. "The massive potential market, combined with our ability to leverage deep relationships with our broadcast partners, has positioned USTN to assume a renewed leadership position in our industry."



$500 million in annual sales and is growing. Joining Mr. Shulman on the leadership team at USTN is Senior Vice President of Operations and TV David Waskiewicz , Senior Vice President of Sales Brian Willner and Senior Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis Christine Nugent . Together, the USTN leadership team has more than 100 years of experience and has collectively been responsible for $1.8b of sales in the industry. The Company operates in multiple locations across the country, and has 260 full and part time employees. Mr. Shulman concluded, "To our customers and partners, our message is simple; it's business as usual. USTN remains laser focused on building our business in the U.S. and continuing to deliver the best-in-breed products and services to which the market has been accustomed. The new leadership team is equally committed to launching new products and services to meet the growing needs of broadcasters and advertisers across the country."

About United States Traffic Network (USTN)

United States Traffic Network, LLC a wholly owned subsidiary of Fair & Equal LLC, is the leading independent provider of broadcast traffic solutions in the United States. With expertise in collecting and disseminating traffic information in audio and video formats, USTN's products are used by more than 1,100 television and radio stations. USTN's traffic solutions and in-house traffic gathering staff analyze real-time data from more than one hundred sources including road sensors, traffic cameras, and official accident and incident reports to help viewers save time, fuel, and frustration every day. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/united-states-traffic-network-announces-management-buyout-300613660.html SOURCE United States Traffic Network, LLC

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 13, 2018] Remote Infrastructure Management Market in Europe 2017-2023 - Drivers, Restraints and Opportunities

DUBLIN, March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market Analysis (2017-2023)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market is expected to witness a market growth of 10.5% CAGR during the forecast period. With the growth in the demand for managing servers remotely and monitoring servers to mitigate risks or attacks, the core services would witness unparalleled growth. Securing a server is a challenge for most of the enterprises, and many of the enterprises opt for remote servers from multiple locations. Therefore, enterprises find the need for RIM services to manage servers, remote server administration, server audit, patch management, upgrade, performance monitoring, and also offer proactive timely maintenance services. The market research report covers the competition analysis of key stake holders of the Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market. Key companies profiled in the report include Fujitsu Limited, Capgemini, Accenture Plc., Genpact, Nityo Infotech, Sensiple, Rigel Networks, Cognizant, UST Europe, Inc., and AT&T, Inc. Report Segmentation

Based on Core Services, the market report segments themarket into Server Management, Database Management, Storage Management, Network & Communication Management, Application Management, and Others.

Based on Organization Size, the market report segments the market into Small & Medium Enterprises and Large Enterprises.

Based on Vertical, the market report segments the market into BFSI, Government, Energy & Utilities, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail, Telecom & IT, Transportation, and Others.

Based on Countries, the Fuel Cards Market segments the market into Germany , UK, France , Russia , Spain , Italy , and Rest of Europe .



Key Topics Covered:



1. Market Scope & Methodology

1.1 Market Definition

1.2 Objectives

1.3 Market Scope

1.4 Segmentation

1.5 Methodology for the research





2. Market Overview

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Drivers, and Restraints



3. Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market

3.1 Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market by Core Services



4. Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market by Organization Size



5. Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market by Vertical



6. Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market by Country

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Germany Remote Infrastructure Management Market

6.3 UK Remote Infrastructure Management Market

6.4 France Remote Infrastructure Management Market

6.5 Russia Remote Infrastructure Management Market

6.6 Spain Remote Infrastructure Management Market

6.7 Italy Remote Infrastructure Management Market

6.8 Rest of Europe Remote Infrastructure Management Market



7. Company Profiles

7.1 Fujitsu Limited

7.2 Capgemini

7.3 Accenture PLC

7.4 Genpact

7.5 Cognizant

7.6 Nityo Infotech

7.7 Sensiple

7.8 Rigel Networks

7.9 UST Global, Inc.

7.10 AT&T Inc.



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5lkd47/remote?w=5 Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/remote-infrastructure-management-market-in-europe-2017-2023---drivers-restraints-and-opportunities-300613286.html SOURCE Research and Markets

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 13, 2018] Feedzai Announces Expansion in Asia With Newly Appointed Head of APAC and Office in Hong Kong

Feedzai announced today that it is expanding its global reach with a physical office being opened in Hong Kong. This is the company's first office in the APAC region, following strong sales growth in the region. After raising a Series C funding round of $50 million in October, and expanding total employee count to nearly 300 in 2017, Feedzai's Hong Kong office will serve as a launchpad for continued growth in the APAC region. The company has appointed Feedzai and industry veteran Steve Liu as Head of APAC. Mr. Liu will oversee the Hong Kong office and the eventual expansion of new offices in Singapore and Sydney, Australia, and other key APAC cities. Mr. Liu has more than 20 years of technology experience directing teams in operations and delivery, and since joining Feedzai in 2015 has helped to build Feedzai's global delivery and pre-sales operations. "We are committed to making banking and commerce systems safe worldwide, freeing our business customers to securely transact with their consumers anywhere and anytime. With Steve at the helm in Hong Kong and his local market expertise, we are prepared to make APAC a focal point of our growth strategy for the years to come," said Nuno Sebastiao, Feedzai co-founder and CEO. "As we gain more traction in APAC and elsewhere, yo can bet that 2018 will be another transformational year for Feedzai."



Feedzai was recently named on the Forbes Fintech 50 global list for 2018, and is a founding sponsor of the Money20/20 Asia show in Singapore, March 13-15, where Feedzai CEO Nuno Sebastiao is giving a keynote presentation on the main stage. Additionally, Feedzai has partnered with Money20/20 and Space for Humanity to give one attendee the chance to go to space as part of a Space for Humanity mission as early as December 2018. "Expanding our brand further in APAC will be the next major source of growth at Feedzai, especially since we already have great customers in the region and strong support to build our operations here," said Steve Liu, Feedzai's newly appointed Head of APAC. "Now, no matter what time zone, there's a Feedzai office and team dedicated to supporting all of our current and future customers."

Feedzai has clients across the APAC region, including companies headquartered from the Philippines to Australia, as well as some of the most recognized brands in the region. Feedzai is headquartered in Silicon Valley and has offices in New York, Atlanta, Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, London, and now Hong Kong, as well as sales and delivery teams providing support teams throughout the world. About Feedzai Feedzai is AI. We're coding the future of commerce with the most advanced risk management platform powered by big data and artificial intelligence. The world's largest banks, payment providers and retailers use Feedzai's agile machine learning technology to manage risks. Learn more about Feedzai at www.feedzai.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180313006270/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 13, 2018] DMX Joins Hyperledger to Accelerate Business Blockchain

Dealer Market Exchange PR LLC (DMX) has officially become a Silver Member of The Linux Foundation (News - Alert) after becoming a general member of Hyperledger; announced in January. Co-Founder and CEO Jason Bennick said, "Hyperledger truly provides a broad vision for open blockchain technologies and standards across industries. The introduction of distributed ledger solutions is a key focus across our platform. We've made this commitment to accelerate delivery of our blockchain solutions with the end game of bringing dealerships and car manufacturers well into the 21st century." Wes Reid, Co-Founder and Head of Product & Technology, leads the DMX Foundry; an innovation lab charged with the development of blockchain and artificial intelligence business solutions in the DMX platform. Wes Reid said, "Our dealer and consumer financial initiatives are expected to realize these initial blockchain efforts." Wes noted, "Hyperledger offers a variety of blockchain frameworks that fit each of our different use cases. Wherever we need to integrate a token economy within a solution, we can do that as well. Our DMX Foundry is forging new technologies that will truly transform this industry over the next fifty years."



DMX is based in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, develops technology across up to a dozen time zones worldwide, and currently exports its automotive industry market services to the United States. About DMX

Dealer Market Exchange PR LLC is the car industry's first intelligent market where everyone can conduct business. Using artificial intelligence, machine learning and predictive analytics, users converge within a simple, complete market framework of tools and services to efficiently make profitable business decisions. DMX provides market users and future consumers with automated and intelligent financing solutions using secure and advanced blockchain technology. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180313006566/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 13, 2018] Bolton & Company Continues Strategic Growth of Employee Benefits Ranks with Addition of Patrick Guthrie

Bolton & Company, one of the nation's leading independent insurance brokers, announced more growth in its Employee Benefits division with the addition of Patrick Guthrie as associate vice president. Patrick is committed to providing his clients with strategic resources and solutions that help create a strong employee culture and attract and retain top talent within their organizations. He focuses on developing benefits programs that reduce costs, enrich offerings, improve HR technology platforms and strengthen compliance coverage. "Patrick brings the experience and knowledge to provide multiple perspectives on complex client situations," said Bolton President and CEO Steve Brockmeyer. "This gives us a chance to really focus in on the challenges these clients may face and help move the needle in identifying solutions and efficiencies." Prior to joining Bolton, Patrick worked as a consultan for Nestle USA where he audited the Human Resources, Safety and IT departments at several factories throughout the country and implemented numerous wellness incentives. In addition, he served as an analyst on Nestle's Sales Finance team, recommending price points and strategies with divisional CFO's on company products.



Patrick was born and raised in Arcadia, California, and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from The University of Arizona's Eller College of Management. He is an active member of the La Salle Alumni Association and Arizona Alumni Association. About Bolton & Company: Established in 1931, Bolton & Company is one of the nation's largest privately owned insurance broker agencies providing clients worldwide with insurance and risk management services, employee benefits and financial products. As a partner of Assurex Global, Bolton employs approximately 200 insurance professionals and places over $600 million in annual premiums on behalf of its clients. Bolton is headquartered in Pasadena, with additional offices in Orange (News - Alert) County and Santa Clara. Learn more by visiting www.boltonco.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180313006574/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Ambrosus and Gvanga are Guarding Consumers' Health

ZUG, Switzerland, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Online advertising platform and marketplace Gvanga now accepts Amber (AMB) for products supplied by farmers whose products' quality is recorded on Ambrosus. Amber provides the utility of verifying the existence of data pertaining to the quality of products. The marketplace only permits verified farmers to accept Amber and the tokens are released only after the relevant data confirming the quality is supplied. Amber can later be used to gain utility offered by Ambrosus Ecosystem. (Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/647551/Ambrosus_Logo.jpg )

"Bio", "Eco", "Natur" - what really hides behind these eye-catching labels? Is it possible to stay afloat in the sea of marketing information? Can a regular customer bypass all the traps of dishonest sellers? Experience has shown that most of clients distrust nice speeches and prefer verifying the information of eco-safety on their own. But it's not that easy. And that's where the customer support by the joint projects of two rapidly developing IT-companies AMBROSUS and GVANGA steps in. Ambrosus is a Swiss start-up aimed at modification of supply chains and provision of their transparency, safety an control. It's ensured by the eco-system's implementation, combining block chain technologies, high-end sensor designs and information databases integrated in the system of "smart" contracts and Amber tokens (AMB) related to them. The system uses the series of bio-sensors plugged in to the Internet that track down all the stages of supply chains focusing primarily on foodstuff and pharmaceuticals. It helps to guarantee their quality and safety.



Gvanga.com is an international advertising platform and marketplace where buyers and sellers from different parts of the world can easily connect with each other. Gvanga provides a wide range of interactive features and tools designed to help users buy or sell any kind of products, real estate or cars, offer services, find a job or establish a partnership with manufacturers, direct distributors, wholesalers and other business partners from around the Globe. As of today, the portal audience has hundreds of thousands of users speaking 7 languages from over 140 countries and keeps growing. Certified goods always enjoy greater trust and demand of the consumers. Based on that bonus program from Ambrosus presupposes real-time transfer of additional information about quality certificates. It's mutually beneficial for both parties of transactions concluded between Gvanga users. On the one hand it demonstrates to clients that all the quality standards of the product involved in the transaction are met and are in line with those declared. On the other hand it encourages genuine sellers (suppliers) by charging them bonuses as Amber tokens for realization of certified goods. It substantially decreases the risk of uncertainty and fraud. Thus the wheel of fortune of virtual trading platform always faces the bonus program's participants. And even if buying a pig in a poke is your deliberate choice you will know exactly where/when/what it is made of and what the pig's vet certificate states. To top it all you'll spend zero cents and time on it.

Confirmation of conformity is initiated by a seller voluntarily. When this happens the papers of both voluntary and mandatory certification (for example ISO, TR TS, GOST R, etc.) can be provided. It results in ensuring greater transparency for concluded deals and more personalization of an object. This is particularly relevant for the types of products related to an increased risk to the health and safety of people. It is particularly true for foodstuff. That's why Ambrosus bonus program is mainly represented in agrarian complex.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Multilatinas' Success Despite Adversity Shows Why a Resilient Private Sector Is Latin America's Greatest Asset

SAO PAULO, Brazil, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A set of elite, internationally minded companies managed to navigate turbulence and structural change in Latin American economies over the past decade to achieve 5.2% annual revenue growth, three times higher than the average for the regions large companies. These companiesthe 2018 Boston Consulting Group (BCG) multilatinasalso generated exceptionally high shareholder returns. These are among the findings of new report, Why Multilatinas Hold the Key to Latin Americas Economic Future, which is being released today.

The report identifies 100 large Latin American companies in sectors as diverse as consumer goods, financial services, telecommunications, and infrastructure that have a record of exceptional growth and operations beyond their national borders. It also outlines the five key factors that are enabling multilatinas to win at home and abroad despite a rapidly shifting business landscape. The multilatinas demonstrate that a resilient private sector is one of Latin Americas greatest assets, said Daniel Azevedo, a BCG partner and coauthor of the report. The multilatinas are strong contributors to productivity, investment, innovation, and job creation and will be driving forces in taking Latin America to the next level. BCG has been identifying and tracking multilatinas since 2009, when it published its first list of 100 multilatinasLatin America-based companies with at least $1 billion in annual revenue and operations outside their national borders. The 2018 list includes, for the first time, internationally minded financial companies and a group of dynamic technology companies called the technolatina.



The composition of the 2018 list highlights some of the major trends that have transformed the regional economy since 2009: A larger presence of consumer companies. The share of multilatinas specializing in consumer goods and services increased from 31% to 44%. The number of commodity companies fell from 12 to 7, largely owing to the downturn in commodity prices.



The share of multilatinas specializing in consumer goods and services increased from 31% to 44%. The number of commodity companies fell from 12 to 7, largely owing to the downturn in commodity prices. Greater geographical diversity. Although companies from Brazil, Chile, and Mexico still dominate the multilatinas list in 2018, there are more companies from Argentina, Colombia, and Peru than in 2009. Companies from Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama also joined the list.



Although companies from Brazil, Chile, and Mexico still dominate the multilatinas list in 2018, there are more companies from Argentina, Colombia, and Peru than in 2009. Companies from Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama also joined the list. Superior value creation. The average total shareholder returna broad measure of company stock performanceof the 2018 BCG multilatinas increased by 12% per year from 2000 through 2016, far outpacing the 8% average TSR of global companies in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index.



The average total shareholder returna broad measure of company stock performanceof the 2018 BCG multilatinas increased by 12% per year from 2000 through 2016, far outpacing the 8% average TSR of global companies in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. Strong contribution to job creation. Employment by multilatinas expanded by 2.6% annually from 2013 through 2016, well above the regional average for job growth of only 0.3% per year for the same period. The Key Success Factors

BCGs analysis of the 100 multilatinas identified several success factors. One is their skill in mergers and acquisitions. The share prices of multilatinas that are serial acquirers rose by almost 70% from 2009 through 2017, around ten times higher than for other Latin American frequent buyers. Other key factors are their ability to intimately connect with consumers, manage value chains despite difficult regulatory and fiscal environments, orchestrate innovation networks, and nurture talent. While these success factors will remain critical, Latin American companies will also have to adapt to new challenges in a global economy that is being transformed by technology and economic nationalism, said Jorge Becerra, a BCG senior partner and a coauthor of the report. But as they have demonstrated over the past decade, the multilatinas have a knack for navigating complexityand have the power to push Latin America forward. A copy of the report can be downloaded http://on.bcg.com/2IeNAzD. To arrange an interview with one of the authors, please contact Eric Gregoire at +1 617 850 3783 or gregoire.eric@bcg.com. About The Boston Consulting Group

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is a global management consulting firm and the worlds leading advisor on business strategy. We partner with clients from the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors in all regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their enterprises. Our customized approach combines deep insight into the dynamics of companies and markets with close collaboration at all levels of the client organization. This ensures that our clients achieve sustainable competitive advantage, build more capable organizations, and secure lasting results. Founded in 1963, BCG is a private company with offices in more than 90 cities in 50 countries. For more information, please visit bcg.com. The Boston Consulting Group

Eric Gregoire

Global Media Relations Senior

Manager Tel +1 617 850 3783

Fax +1 617 850 3701

gregoire.eric@bcg.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] DataWeave Unveils Advanced SaaS-based Competitive Intelligence Product Suite for Retailers and Consumer Brands

BENGALURU, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- DataWeave, a provider of Competitive Intelligence as a Service, announced today the launch of a powerful new version of its SaaS-based competitive intelligence product suite that helps retailers and consumer brands leverage public data on the Web to make smarter decisions and compete profitably. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/486774/DataWeave_Logo.jpg )

"Since our inception, we have led the large-scale transformation of how enterprises consume and derive benefits from rich sources of data publicly available on the Web," said Karthik Bettadapura, Co-founder and CEO at DataWeave. "With the launch of our new, state-of-the-art product suite, we bring more power to our customers' fingertips through unmatched access to key and relevant competitive insights that drive strategic decision-making." DataWeave's AI-powered data aggregation and analysis platform harnesses billions of data points from diverse Web sources to provide retailers with unified price, promotionand markdown optimization, and product assortment insights, and consumer brands with brand governance, share of voice (SOV) analyses, and shelf space optimization in e-commerce. These insights are typically accessed through a SaaS-based web portal or directly consumed via APIs to augment the customer's internal analytics systems.



With DataWeave's advanced SaaS-based products, retailers and brands can: View near-real-time insights and historical trends at greater granularity, enabling them to effect faster and more precise actions on pricing, promotions, merchandising, and other areas of revenue optimization

Customize their experience based on functions relevant to their profile and act on personalized recommendations

Integrate seamlessly with internal data systems and models to generate predictive insights and measure ROI "While conventional competitive intelligence systems are still mostly limited to providing descriptive insights, our new product suite, with deeper data integration capabilities, lets us deliver prescriptive insights to our customers, so they can instantly solve clearly defined and actionable business problems at scale. As we explore further innovations, we will progress from providing recommendations to enabling actions directly through our products," said Karthik.

Click here to request a demo of DataWeave's advanced SaaS-based competitive intelligence product suite. About DataWeave: DataWeave provides Competitive Intelligence as a Service to retailers and consumer brands by aggregating and analyzing billions of unstructured data points across multiple data sources on the Web. Powered by AI and machine-learning, the company's data products enable enterprises to better understand their competitive environment, optimize customer experience, and drive profitable growth. For more information, visit http://www.dataweave.com. Contact information

Sumanth Suri

Vice President, Partnerships & Marketing

DataWeave

press@dataweave.com



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Wirecard Expands its Business in Asia and Gains Mizuho Bank as a New Customer for Acquiring and Issuing Services

MUNICH, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirecard will be providing acquiring and issuing services to Mizuho corporate clients within the Asia region

Mizuho benefits from Wirecard's wide range of banking services from one hand Wirecard, the leading specialist in digital financial technology, has gained Mizuho Bank, Ltd. ("Mizuho Bank"), one of the worldwide largest financial institutions, as its new customer. Within the cooperation, Wirecard is providing acquiring and issuing services to Mizuho Bank's corporate clients within the Asian region. Through the partnership with Wirecard, as the leading payment provider in Asia, Mizuho Bank is able to offer its Japanese customers a complete range of banking services from a single source requiring minimal administrative effort. Mizuho Bank thus benefits from Wirecard's network in Asia. In addition to its financial and strategic services, Mizuho Bank will now be able to offer all clients value-added-solutions. For example, customers can make use of the acquiring services without opening an extra bank account. Thanks to the cooperation with Wirecard, Mizuho Bank is able to offer its customers a payment ecosystem, where all the services are bundled. Mr Takeshi Ohashi, General Manager of Global Transaction Banking at Mizuho Bank, points out: "Our objective is to support our clients wherever they operate. Through our cooperation with Wirecard, we can offer a wider set of solutions and prvide our customers with optimal value-added-services for their businesses."



"With Wirecard as our preferred partner, we are able to widen the scope of our value proposition to these clients. As such, we see great potential in the partnership and we are planning to extend it further geographically," adds Thomas Ng, Head of East Asia region, Global Transaction Banking at Mizuho Bank. Jeffry Ho, Regional Managing Director at Wirecard, says: "It is a great pleasure for us to work with one of the largest financial institutions in the world and support them with our infrastructure and expertise. We are very familiar with the Asian market and know its characteristics through our experience. Therefore, we are able to meet the specific needs of Mizuho Bank's customers."

For more information, visit Wirecard's booth G40 at Money2020 Asia, from 13th to 15th March 2018 in Singapore at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre. About Wirecard: Wirecard AG is a global technology group that supports companies in accepting electronic payments from all sales channels. As a leading independent supplier, the Wirecard Group offers outsourcing and white label solutions for electronic payments. A global platform bundles international payment acceptances and methods with supplementary fraud prevention solutions. With regard to issuing own payment instruments in the form of cards or mobile payment solutions, the Wirecard Group provides companies with an end-to-end infrastructure, including the requisite licences for card and account products. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Securities Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060, WDI). For further information about Wirecard, please visit http://www.wirecard.com or follow us on twitter @wirecard. About Mizuho Bank: Mizuho Bank provides financial and strategic solutions for the increasingly diverse and sophisticated needs of clients, focusing its efforts on serving major corporations, financial institutions, individuals, public sector entities and small and medium-sized enterprises. With offices in 38 countries and regions, Mizuho Bank offers clients both localized service and the extensive reach of a global business network. Mizuho Bank is a subsidiary of the Japan-based Mizuho Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: MFG), one of the largest financial services companies in the world, with total assets of approximately $1.7 trillion. http://www.mizuhobank.com Wirecard media contact:



Wirecard AG

Jana Tilz

Phone: +49(0)89-4424-1363

Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com SOURCE Wirecard AG

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
OKLAHOMA CITY, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Federman & Sherwood filed a proposed class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against Monat Global Corp. The lawsuit alleges that MONAT has misled consumers about the safety and characteristics of MONAT hair care products.



If you wish to discuss this action, obtain further information and participate in this litigation, or should you have any questions or concerns regarding this notice, please contact Robin Hester at rkh@federmanlaw.com or visit our firms website www.federmanlaw.com .

Robin Hester

FEDERMAN & SHERWOOD

(405) 235-1560
[March 14, 2018] Tufin Announces Record-Setting Growth Fueled by Increased Demand for a Policy-Based Approach to Network Security

2017 Highlights Include 35 Percent Revenue Growth and the Largest Deal in Company History BOSTON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Tufin, the market-leading provider of Network Security Policy Orchestration solutions, announced its 2017 results, reporting 35 percent revenue growth year-over-year (YoY) with positive cash flow. The company also reported strong customer renewal rates of over 90 percent. 2017 was a record-setting year for Tufin, as the company closed nine deals worth over $1 million, including the largest deal in company history  a $15 million multi-year agreement with a Fortune 500 customer. Tufin now has more than 2,000 customers across the globe, including more than 300 customers in the Global 2,000. Enterprises increasingly see the need for and the value of automation solutions as they seek ways to become more agile and secure. At the same time, adoption of cloud platforms also continues to grow. As evidence of these trends, Tufin saw nearly 80 percent of product bookings in 2017 from automation solutions and reported that its cloud business more than doubled YoY. "Our continued growth in 2017 is proof that more and more organizations are turning to a policy-based approach to keep pace with the frequency of network security change requests," said Ruvi Kitov, CEO, Tufin. "Our automation solutions enable even the largest, most complex enterprises to increase business agility while tightening security. These customers trust Tufin to manage their network security in the face of increased threats and constant change, and as such, we look forward to another year of rapid growth." As a testament to Tufin's growth in 2017, the company won a Cybersecurity Excellence Award in the category of Fastest Growing Cybersecurity Company. Continued Innovation through Technological Partnerships

Tufin continued its commitment to innovation, strengthening its leadership position in the NSPM market with two new patents, increasing its total to 14 patents. Responding to the market demand for automation and cloud, Tufin made major updates to the award-winning Tufin Orchestration Suite. This continued investment included advancing Tufin's technological partnerships with industry leaders. Major updated offerings include: Firewall cleanup automation, including server decommissioning and rule decommssioning, easing the demand on the firewall administrator's time and ensuring that a high security posture is maintained through identification of needed changes and the automated provisioning of these changes.

Expanded support of Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Security Platform with the introduction of ContextID automation and LDAP user groups for the enforcement of access restrictions and privileges.

Became the first NSPM vendor to offer full automation with provisioning for Check Point R80 and R80.10. Additionally, Tufin is the only NSPM vendor to offer Identity Awareness automation for the Check Point platform.

Enhanced support for hybrid cloud platforms, allowing users to define and enforce a cloud tag policy across private and public cloud infrastructures. Additionally, Tufin enabled customers to identify tagging violations and recognize instances without valid tags in Amazon Web Services (AWS).



SC Magazine in November 2017 . In addition, IT Central Station has ranked the Tufin Orchestration Suite as the top firewall security management solution. Expanded Geographic Presence and Executive Management Team

In June 2017, Tufin announced the opening of its new U.S. headquarters in Boston, along with the relocation of CEO Ruvi Kitov from Israel to Boston. Massachusetts has forged a strong relationship with the Israeli cybersecurity community  and with the move, Tufin became the latest in a long list of successful Israeli-founded cybersecurity companies to establish roots in the Boston technology ecosystem.

In August, Tufin announced the appointment of Raj Motwane as Vice President of Global Services and Support. Raj leads Tufin's services, support and customer success organizations, ensuring that all Tufin customers derive the greatest value from their Tufin Orchestration Suite deployments. Raj brings a track record of building and growing professional services, pre-sales, and customer support functions. In addition, Tufin continued its hiring initiatives, growing its employee base by more than 25 percent. The company plans to expand its workforce to more than 400 employees in 2018. Worldwide Customer Events

In order to fully engage with customers and users of Tufin Orchestration Suite, Tufin launched its first-ever user conferences, Tufinnovate. Tufinnovate brought together network security professionals within the NSPM market, including users of Tufin Orchestration Suite, representatives from Tufin's technology partners Cisco, Fortinet and VMware, and channel partners. With events in Chicago and Frankfurt, Tufinnovate drew more than 200 attendees from around the world. "The many events we hosted this year gave us the opportunity to engage with hundreds of security professionals from around the world," said Raj Motwane, Vice President, Global Services and Support, Tufin. "This level of customer engagement is invaluable. It's helped to not only provide direct user feedback to Tufin's product teams, but also to empower network security professionals across the globe." About Tufin

Tufin is the leader in Network Security Policy Orchestration for enterprise cybersecurity. More than half of the top 50 companies in the Forbes Global 2000 turn to Tufin to simplify management of some of the largest, most complex networks in the world, consisting of thousands of firewall and network devices and emerging hybrid cloud infrastructures. Enterprises select the company's award-winning Tufin Orchestration Suite to increase agility in the face of ever-changing business demands while maintaining a robust security posture. The Suite reduces the attack surface and meets the need for greater visibility into secure and reliable application connectivity. Its network security automation enables enterprises to implement changes in minutes with proactive risk analysis and continuous policy compliance. Tufin serves over 2,000 customers spanning all industries and geographies; its products and technologies are patent-protected in the U.S. and other countries. Find out more at www.tufin.com. Follow Tufin on Twitter: @TufinTech Read more on Tufin's blog: Suite Talk Contact:

Dan Gaffney

fama PR for Tufin

(617) 986-5036

Tufin@famapr.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/397425/tufin_logo_Logo.jpg

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Easton Pharmaceuticals Announces It Has Commenced Negotiations With An AMPR Applicant Towards a Marijuana Cultivators / Growers License For Canada; Provides iBliss Update

TORONTO, ON, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Easton Pharmaceuticals Inc. (OTC: EAPH) announces it has commenced negotiations with an AMPR applicant towards a Canadian Marijuana cultivators / growers license. Provides iBliss update: Building on its medical marijuana business portfolio and following the agreement with Alliance Group (1124123 Ontario Limited), Easton Pharmaceuticals has initiated discussions with a new third party who has filed an application with Health Canada to receive an AMPR cultivators / growers license for the country of Canada. This opportunity brought forward by a board director, presents a company expecting to receive a compliance number from Health Canada in the near term. At that point Easton expects to sign a letter of intent or term sheet involving a transaction for Easton to possibly participate in the venture. This opportunity coincides with Alliances own medical / recreational marijuana initiative. So not to adversely affect Alliances marijuana venture, all details are being kept strictly confidential, but Alliance believes its initiatives are progressing well. Alliance will very soon be providing a detailed operations update on its aggregate business that Easton will be sharing with its shareholders. In other news, as previously disclosed, Easton and its partner BMV Medica SA de CV who have previously entered into an agreement with BAYER of Switzerland and the legal entity of their subsidiary company, BAYER Consumer Care for a sub distribution agreement for Easton / BMVs licensed product known as VS-Sense for Mexico, is expected to soon provide an update that can be publicly shared. Easton / BMV entered into a sub-distribution Agreement which provided Easton an up-front cash payment with a second payment due at Product Launch. The agreement also included a royalty paymen to Easton / BMV on each unit sold.



Finally, Eastons board has very recently had in depth meetings and discussions with iBliss Inc. and its principles towards modifying and closing on its agreement. The final closing with iBliss was delayed due to Easton having made the decision to first advance its available cash towards the Alliance closing. iBliss is a revenue generating e-liquid manufacturer and vaporizer company with international sales. Updates to be disclosed as they become available. About Easton Pharmaceuticals

Easton Pharmaceuticals is a diversified specialty pharmaceutical company involved in various pharmaceutical sectors and other growing industries. The Company previously developed and owned an FDA-approved wound-healing medical drug and currently owns topically delivered drugs to treat cancer and other therapeutic products to treat various conditions that are all in various stages of development and approval. Easton has partnered with BMV Medica S.A. and together own the exclusive distribution rights in Mexico and Latin America for two patented women's diagnostic products and a novel natural treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis. In addition a generic cancer drugs line is being developed for sale in Mexico. The company's gel formulation is thought to be an innovative and unique transdermal delivery system that can in the future be adaptable in the delivery of other drugs and Cannabidiol extracts. Easton has closed on an agreement with Ontario based Alliance Group to acquire a 50% property ownership interest and a 20% to 70% ownership interest in 2 businesses, which includes aggragate and the cultivation and distribution of medical / recreational marijuana. For More Information On Easton Visit: http://www.eastonpharmaceuticalsinc.com

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=eaph https://twitter.com/eastonpharma Safe Harbor This news release may contain forward-looking statements or expressions within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (The "Act"). In particular, when certain words or phrases such as "hope", "positive", "anticipate," "pleased," "plan," "confident that," "believe," "expect," "possible" or "intent to" and similar conditional expressions are expressed, they are intended to identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Act and are subject to the safe harbor created by the Act. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any of the forward-looking statements. Any investment made into Easton Pharmaceuticals may contain risks. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market conditions, general acceptance of the company's products and technologies, competitive factors, the ability to successfully complete additional or adequate financing, government approvals or changes to proposed laws and other risks and uncertainties further stated in the company's financial reports and filings. CONTACT INFORMATION Investor Relations Tel: +1(416) 619-0291 Tel: +1(347) 284-0192 Email: info@eastonpharmaceuticalsinc.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] eBay-Fujian Cross-Border E-commerce Summit opens in Fuzhou

FUZHOU, China, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.-based on-line auction giant eBay on Tuesday announced a new plan to help more Chinese brands seek business potential overseas. The "Thousand Sails Plan" was published at the eBay-Fujian Cross-Border E-commerce Summit, held March 13 and 15 at the Fuzhou Strait International Conference and Exhibition Center. This Summit is led and organized by China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Fuzhou. Under the plan, eBay aims to help a thousand Chinese brands to enter overseas markets through its e-commerce platform. The company will offer support with its experience in big data, market analysis and marketing resources. Excellent brands and sellers whose overseas sales volume grew from zero to over a million U.S. dollars within a year on eBay were awarded at the summit. In January, eBay and Linca Industrial (Fujian) Group Co., Ltd. inaugurated a cross-border e-commerce industrial park in China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Fuzhou, capital of east China's Fujian Province. The park is the first industrial park with a full industrychain of cross-border e-commerce in China.



"Linca has grasped the opportunity of Belt and Road Initiative and preferential policies in Fujian in recent years to fasten the construction and operation of logistics and industrial parks. By combining e-commerce with finance, payment, training and exhibition services, we have laid solid foundation in relevant industries and services. We hope this summit can become a benchmark in cross-border e-commerce in China," said Chen Longji, board chairman of Linca. "As leader and promoter of global cross-border e-commerce, eBay hopes this summit can work as a platform for sellers, manufacturers as well as service providers in logistics, finance and IT to join hands and work together to make the e-commerce industry bigger and stronger," said John Lin, chief executive officer of eBay Greater China.

"Fuzhou has held a series of cross-border e-commerce events over the past year. These events have greatly promoted the upgrading of traditional export enterprises and industries such as logistics, payment and finance. This year, China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Fuzhou will help 100 domestic companies to explore overseas markets including the European Union, Japan, Australia and India via e-commerce platforms such as eBay and Amazon," said Liang Yong, deputy director of the Fujian Pilot Free Trade Zone. Established in 1995 in California, eBay is one of the largest, most dynamic e-commerce platforms in the world. The company has been the top choice for many Chinese companies to explore overseas markets. Fujian is the second largest cross-border e-commerce exporting province in China and registered an annual growth of over 35 percent in cross-border e-commerce exports over the past three years. The capital city of Fuzhou is home to many manufacturers and e-commerce sellers. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ebay-fujian-cross-border-e-commerce-summit-opens-in-fuzhou-300613796.html SOURCE China (Fujian) Pilot Free Trade Zone in Fuzhou

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] COWE: Seaside Startup Summit, Goa Takes Big Step Towards Development of Global Startup Ecosystem

PANJIM, India, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The very first Seaside Startup Summit in India has been officially organized. After the success of Seaside Startup Summit UAE, Ras Al Khaimah on February 8-12, the event moved to Goa, India. Over 300 attendees gathered at Cabo De Rama beach to celebrate another big step towards the development of the Global Startup Ecosystem. Startups, investors, speakers, and mentors from all over the world became a part of this amazing initiative. (Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/590212/KGS_Logo.jpg )

(Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/654180/COWE_SSS_Goa.jpg )

The summit was organized by Hakob Hakobyan - Founder Startup Armenia Foundation; Anil Chhikara - Founder Startup India Foundation; Tripti Shinghal Somani - Founder KGS Advisors; and Uma Ghurkha - National President Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs India. The event was supported by Government of Goa, Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises, National Small Scale of Industries, SIDBI and Invest India, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. On the first day of the Summit, the participants dedicated their time to the settling process, meeting each other, and getting familiar with the territory of the Summit. The major event of the day was the grand inauguration/opening ceremony. All participants, organizers and staff members of the Summit came together to celebrate the start of Seaside Startup Summit India, Goa. Honorable Minister for Commerce & Industry, Mr. Suresh Prabhu supported the summit and also shared a message for all the participants, partners and organizers virtually. Also Minister of Information & Technology, Mr. Rohan Khaunte, supported the event. Secretary Government of Goa, Mr. Ameya Abhyankar also supported the startup summit initiative and graced the event fr the closing ceremony on 10th March.



Select women entrepreneurs from Seaside Startup Summit in Goa were hosted by Ms. Mridula Sinha, Governor of Goa at Raj Bhawan on 8th of March. To mark the occasion of international women's day, she along with Tripti Shinghal Somani felicitated women entrepreneurs with awards from the Confederation of Women Entrepreneurs (COWE). Anushka Jain from Share at Door Step, Sahar Mansoor from Bare Necessities, Pooja Rai from Anthill Creations, Ruchi Singh from Cerelia Nutritech, Shruti Chaturvedi from Chaaipani Media, Priyanka Chonde from Bekwell Enterprises, Nivedita Tigadi from VRquin, Pooja Borkar from Juru Yoga and Annalie Killian from inQ Innovation are the entrepreneurs who were awarded. On March 10th there was a panel discussion on government support for startup ecosystem in India. The esteemed panelists include Mr. Akadas, Director- MSME-Goa; Mr. Vijay M Kalinani, AGM, Branch-in Charge, SIDBI (Panaji); Mr. S.R. Chandra Murthy, Manager, SIDBI (Panaji); Mr. Suresh Siraparapu, ZGM, NSIC; and Mr. Guneet Malik, Assistant Manager, Invest India. The panel was moderated by Tripti Shinghal Somani, CEO, KGS Advisors.

The summit was made very exciting and competitive with Startup battles where in startups from various fields participated. The Summit organized (1) Big Battle, a special type of battle designed for all the participating startups regardless of the field they are active in, (2) Brand Battle, designed only for those 'early stage' startups, which operates within a particular field - Retail, Enterprise, Edutech, Fintech, Mobile, Social, Healthcare, IoT. Oceo Waters founded by Vikram Gulecha in the Smart Cities sector won the ultimate big battle and $5000, competing against 75 startups. Second place was held by Wolkus Technologies, founded by Shailendra Tiwari, and they won $3000. Third place was Prescrip, founded by Shekhar Rawtani, who won $2000. While all the brand battle winners got $1500. About COWE: COWE helps women-owned businesses succeed in global value chains. COWE is a non-profit company (under section 25A of The Companies Act - 1956) incorporated in 2004, and has been steered by an eminent Board of Directors since then. Our slogan 'Gearing women power' stands for the democratic structure of COWE and stands for 'Of the women, for the women and by the women'. We have emerged as a well-organized and established organization working towards our goal of liberating women by making them financially independent and vibrant. In totality COWE is spread across India over 10 states. For more detail follow us on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and YOUTUBE For more updates and after movie on Seaside Startup Summit follow updates on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and YOUTUBE For more details please contact at ts@cowe.in Media Contact:

Sandeep Thakur

ts@cowe.in

+91-8700050288

Project Coordinator

Confederation of women entrepreneurs of India



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Inc. Magazine Unveils Ranking of Europe's Fastest-growing Private Companies

LONDON, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- - ADYOULIKE Ranks No. 1308 on the 2018 Inc. 5000 Europe with Three-Year Sales Growth of 544% - Median Growth Rate of Inc. 5000 Europe Companies is 254+%. In aggregate, the list shows three-year revenue growth of 102 Billion Inc. magazine ranked ADYOULIKE NO. 1308 on the 2018 Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in Europe. The Inc. 5000 Europe represents the only comprehensive look at what may be the most dynamic segment of the world's economy: fast-growing private companies. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160901/403517LOGO )

Julien Verdier, CEO of ADYOULIKE commented: "We are delighted to be listed in the Inc. 5000 list for 2018. Our business has grown at a phenomenal rate over the last three years - double the average median growth of Inc. 5000 companies - as more and more advertisers come to recognise the benefits of native advertising and our innovative technology. "The Inc. 5000 list has a long history of identifying 'the ones to watch' so I am delighted to have been ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of Europe's fastest growing companies alongside dynamic brands such as Brewdog, Grosvenor Estates, Pure Gym and Secret Escapes."

The 2018 Inc. 5000 Europe list, unveiled this week on Inc.com, serves as a unique report card on the European economy. Within an uncertain economic climate, latest aggregate revenue among the companies on the list actually increased by 101.8 billion, nearly doubling aggregate revenue from 2013. The list features an amazing group of thriving businesses growing at breakneck speed over the past three years: On average, Inc. 5000 Europe companies grew +473% over the past three years, creating over 380,000 jobs in the process.

To make the top 500, a company had to have achieved a remarkable three-year growth of 1 013%.

Of the 42 countries included in this pan-European list, the Russian Federation , Italy and Spain fielded the most companies.



ADYOULIKE is a global leading in-feed native ad platform with main offices in London , New York and Paris . Launched in 2011, it is recognised as a pioneer in native technology and creating advertising experiences for users that mirror the websites they are visiting. Using its own native supply-side platform (SSP) and native technology platform, the company enables brands to scale native advertising campaigns across premium and niche publishers, while publishers benefit from access to ADYOULIKE's marketplace. "Innovation and entrepreneurship are alive and well throughout Europe," says Inc. and Inc.com Editor Jim Ledbetter. "From cybersecurity to renewable energy, the continent's creativity and deep knowledge are showing the world how to grow and profit in the 21st century-and the Inc. 5000 Europe list spotlights those that do it best."

The entire listing of the 2018 Inc. 5000 Europe appears at inc.com and key highlights are featured in Inc.'s March issue, which is available in both tablet and magazine formats. Detailed results, including infographics and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, country, and other criteria, can be found at Inc.com/inc5000eu. Methodology The 2018 Inc. 5000 Europe is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2013 to 2016. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2013. They had to be European-based, privately held, for profit, and independent-not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies-as of December 31, 2016. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2013 is 200,000; the minimum for 2016 is 2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. The full Inc. 5000 Europe list can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000eu. About Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 19,000,000 today. The Inc. 5000 is a list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. Now in its 37th year, this prestigious list of the nation's most successful private companies has become the hallmark of entrepreneurial success. The Inc. 5000 Europe list, launched in 2014, covers the 47 member states making up the Council of Europe. For more information on Inc. and the Inc. 5000 lists, visit http://www.inc.com/. CONTACT: For further information, contact Clarity PR on +44-(0)-20-7100-1333 or via email adyoulike@clarity.pr

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] GridGain Strengthens Management Team as Market Demand Surges

FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GridGain Systems, provider of enterprise-grade in-memory computing solutions based on Apache Ignite, today announced it is expanding its management team to keep pace with surging demand for its in-memory computing solutions. Lalit Ahuja has been named vice president of Professional Services and will lead GridGains expanding global professional services organization. Tim Carley has been named managing director of EMEA and will head up sales and customer operations across the entire EMEA region.

According to Gartners Predicts 2018: In-Memory Computing Technologies Remain Pervasive as Adoption Grows*, By 2019, 75 percent of cloud-native application development will utilize in-memory computing or services that use in-memory computing, thus enabling mainstream developers to implement high-scale/high-performance applications and by 2021, at least 25 percent of large and global organizations will adopt platforms combining multiple in-memory technologies to reduce their in-memory computing infrastructure complexity. In 2017, GridGain, a clear leader in delivering in-memory computing technologies, saw sales surge by 84 percent compared to 2016 and grew the companys headcount by 73 percent. Initiatives related to digital transformation, omnichannel marketing, and real-time regulatory compliance are generating an insatiable demand for high performance and scalability that can be met only with a comprehensive in-memory computing platform, said Abe Kleinfeld, President and CEO of GridGain. To meet this demand, we are expanding our operations across the organization, and we are excite to bring Lalit and Tim aboard. Their experience in growing larger organizations will be vital to our success moving forward.



Based in Toronto, Canada, Lalit Ahuja has a long track record of successfully influencing organizational change and defining technology strategies. Prior to joining GridGain, he was the vice president of global professional services at Akana, Inc., where he grew the professional services team by more than 250 percent while defining the companys professional services methodology and portfolio. Before Akana, Ahuja was the head of enterprise architecture & IT strategy at First American Financial Corporation, where he successfully ensured the corporate IT infrastructure was aligned with the organizations strategic business goals. Prior to that, he was the chief enterprise architect at Pacific Life. Ahuja has an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a Master of Science degree from Iowa State University. Prior to joining GridGain, Tim Carley, who is based in France, spent four years at Numerix as the managing director for EMEA, where he transformed and diversified the business from a pricing analytics firm to a leading enterprise-wide risk company, leading an aggressive business strategy to accompany the development of a new risk management platform. The successful diversification strategy led to 15 major projects in just 24 months. Prior to Numerix, he was the vice president of EMEA for FRSGlobal, a Wolters Kluwer company, where he grew the risk management business by 50 percent. Carley also held a variety of positions at DataSynapse Inc., Sungard and Reuters. Carley holds a BA in International Business Studies from ESSEC BBA Paris, France.

*Gartner, Predicts 2018: In-Memory Computing Technologies Remain Pervasive as Adoption Grows, Fabrizio Biscotti et al, 22 December 2017. About GridGain Systems

GridGain Systems is revolutionizing real-time data access and processing by offering an in-memory computing platform built on Apache Ignite. GridGain solutions are used by global enterprises in financial, software, e-commerce, retail, online business services, healthcare, telecom and other major sectors, with a client list that includes Barclays, ING, Sberbank, Finastra, IHS Markit, Workday, and Huawei. GridGain delivers unprecedented speed and massive scalability to both legacy and greenfield applications. Deployed on a distributed cluster of commodity servers, GridGain software can reside between the application and data layers (RDBMS, NoSQL and Apache Hadoop), requiring no rip-and-replace of the existing databases, or it can be deployed as an in-memory transactional SQL database. GridGain is the most comprehensive in-memory computing platform for high-volume ACID transactions, real-time analytics, web-scale applications and HTAP. For more information, visit gridgain.com. CONTACT:

Terry Erisman

GridGain Systems

terisman@gridgain.com

(650) 241-2281 GridGain is a trademark or registered trademark of GridGain Systems, Inc. Apache, Apache Cassandra, Cassandra, Apache Hadoop, Hadoop, Apache Ignite, and Ignite are trademarks of The Apache Software Foundation. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Glance Announces European Office in London, U.K.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET.CN) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (FKT:GJT) is pleased to announce that it is setting up a new office in London, U.K., to explore opportunities for its technology in the U.K. and across Europe.

A long-standing global capital of finance, commerce, and innovation, London is a natural fit for bringing Glances leading-edge mobile payments platforms to the European and global marketplaces. By expanding Glances footprint there  the city is already home to Glance Coin CDO Zeeshan Mallick and key advisor Dinis Guarda  Glance will be on the doorstep of not only FinTech and crypto thought leaders, but also some of the worlds most active mobile payments users: as of 2016, 74 per cent of British consumers use mobile payments,1 while 68 percent of Europeans are also used to the technology.2 London was once again ranked the #1 Financial Centre in the world in the latest Global Financial Centres Index in September 2017.3 Additionally, London is a very active centre for cryptocurrencies, one of the most bitcoin-friendly cities in the world, based on the number of outlets accepting bitcoin payments,4 and home to several of the most prominent and most well attended blockchain conferences in the world, such as Blockchain Expo Global. Given its central importance to both the FinTech and crypto communities, its proximity to fast-growing mobile payment markets across Europe, and the fact its already home to some of our key team members, opening this office is a natural next step in our expansion plans, says Glance CEO Desmond Griffin. During the years growing my former venture, PayByPhone, London was one of the biggest, most active centres for our business globally, so I know first-hand the great opportunities this city presents. Glance will be looking to expand its existing U.K. and European network through new partnerships, while also exploring the launch of its Glance Merchant, Glance Pay and Glance Coin products into the European markets. If you are interested in finding out about business opportunities with Glance in the U.K. and across Europe, pleaseemail Zeeshan Mallick at europe@glancepay.com.



________________________ 1 Visa Europe. Mobile Payments Soar as Europe Embraces New Ways to Pay. Oct. 12, 2016. https://www.visaeurope.com/media/pdf/40172.pdf

2 Visa Europe. Mobile Money Takes Off as 77% of Europeans Use their Phones to Bank and Make Everyday Payments. Sept. 27, 2017. https://www.visaeurope.com/newsroom/news/mobile-money-takes-off-as-77-of-europeans-use-their-phones-to-bank-and-make-everyday-payments 3 Z/Yen Partners. Global Financial Centres Index 22. September 2017. http://www.longfinance.net/images/GFCI22_Report.pdf 4 Crypto Coin Network. The Top 10 (or 11) Bitcoin-Friendly Cities. Jan. 16, 2016. https://www.ccn.com/top-10-11-bitcoin-friendly-cities/ About Glance Technologies Inc. Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to shop, order goods and services, make payments, access digital receipts, redeem digital deals, earn great rewards and interact with merchants. Glance offers targeted in-app marketing, geo-targeted digital coupons, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in iOS (Apple) and Android formats, merchant manager apps, a large-scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning-fast payment processing. Glance has also recently purchased an end-to-end blockchain solution and is working on a rewards-based cryptocurrency intended to be integrated into the Glance Pay app. For more information about Glance, please go to www.glance.tech. For more information, contact: investors@glancepay.com 1-866-258-1249 Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is typically identified by words such as: may, "believe", thinks, "expect", exploring, expand, could, "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", plan, pursue, "potentially", projected, should, will and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to the discussion of Glances business strategies and its expectations concerning future operations, margins, sales, new products, new licensing arrangements, potential acquisitions, use of proceeds, expenses, profitability, liquidity and capital resources and to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. For additional information with respect to these and other factors and assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements in this press release, see the section entitled Risk Factors in the most recent Annual Information Form and Prospectus of Glance, which may be accessed through Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on such forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are based will occur.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Blue Prism Accelerates Adoption of World's Leading Digital Workforce in the Public Sector

LONDON and AUSTIN, Texas, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blue Prism (AIM:PRSM), provider of the worlds most successful digital workforce, today announced a new program designed to enable quick and easy Robotic Process Automation (RPA) deployment across federal, state and local government agencies, bolstering its efforts in the public sector. This new initiative allows top-tier Blue Prism partners including Appian, Deloitte, EY, IBM and KPMG to help government agencies improve operational efficiency and service levels while reducing operating costs. Blue Prism also has an agreement in place with immixGroup , as a key value-added distributor, whereby its Digital Workforce will be made available to public sector clients.

According to McKinsey & Company up to 30 percent of the hours worked globally could be automated by 2030. RPA is one of the automation technologies generating interest in the federal government. 1 The opportunity for RPA in the public sector has never been greater as federal agencies face significant budget constraints, expanding workloads and increasing expectations from citizens. Thats why Blue Prim is working with several channel partners including KPMG to help drive more efficiencies from federal government customers including the United States Department of Defense (DoD) and several grants management agencies. KPMG has been at the forefront of driving digital transformations for government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, says Kirke Everson, KPMG Government Intelligent Automation Lead. Together with Blue Prism we are working to address the unique needs of these agencies, especially as it relates to security and governance while assisting our clients automate a number of time-consuming and repetitive tasks. Examples include automating the generation of daily aging reports, vendor management, travel, and financial management tasks for large DoD and grants management agencies. Blue Prisms Digital Workforce provides public sector agencies with the tools needed to be more agile and responsive to changing regulations. Autonomous multi-skilled software robots, also known as digital workers, automate and perform error-free rule-based administrative transactions, allowing agency personnel to focus on better serving the needs of citizens. The company aso leads the RPA market in supporting industry-recognized security standards, including HIPAA, PCI 3.2 and Veracode, while enabling users to leverage leading edge Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, analytics, and cloud capabilities from vendors like Amazon, Google, IBM and Microsoft.



We are working closely with our trusted partners to deliver secure, scalable and compliant automation solutions tailored to the unique needs of government agencies, said Alastair Bathgate, CEO of Blue Prism. No other RPA vendor can match our ecosystem of partners, the expertise or track record of servicing federal, state and local government agencies. In 2017, Blue Prism was named one of MIT Tech Reviews 50 Smartest Companies and recognized as the winner of the 2017 UK Tech awards. Over the past year, the company added several established brands to its roster of clients including AIG, Alberta Treasury Bureau, Allstate Insurance, Bechtel, Boeing, DeNA, DTE Energy, Dun & Bradstreet, Ericsson, Fannie Mae, GIC, Honda Motor Company, Kaiser Permanente, KBL Bank, Maybank, National Grid, Schroders, Sony Pictures, United Utilities and Walgreens. Blue Prism also attained the highest customer satisfaction rating of 96 percent in an independent customer survey by Knowledge Capital Partners (click here to download the report). The survey of global Blue Prism customers highlighted satisfaction for platform adaptability, scalability, security and employee satisfaction.

Supporting Quotes from Partners

Appian and Blue Prism are delivering intelligent automation solutions now  a fast and powerful way to optimize performance across human and robotic workforces. By uniting advanced RPA with leading business process management on a low-code development platform, we're helping the public-sector streamline operations and reduce costs.

Francois Dunoyer, Vice President of Public Sector at Appian As Deloitte has moved federal clients utilizing software robotics into production over the past several years, the need for enterprise-scale tools continues to grow. The capability available in Blue Prism enables us to offer our clients secure, scalable solutions to support this growing need.

Marc Mancher, Principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, and US Federal Robotics and Analytics Leader The public sector is one with the greatest challenges, in terms of ever-increasing customer expectations, ongoing cost pressures and the constant need to adapt to new policy initiatives. Public sector staff has a huge customer-focused ethos, but is often hampered by antiquated systems and processes. We believe that RPA, combined with digital and artificial intelligence technologies, will be a facilitator for public sector staff to focus less time on the mundane, repetitive, low-value activities and help them to be more strategic and productive. Technology will be an enabler for greater focus on meeting the key needs of the public and delivering better outcomes.

Chris Lamberton, EY EMEIA Robotic Process Automation Leader, Financial Services Organization IBM remains committed to public service and has been at the forefront of driving digital reinvention for federal, state and local government agencies. Our partnership with Blue Prism furthers this position and strengthens our ability to effectively meet enterprise-wide needs of these agencies, especially as it relates to security and compliance. RPA will have a tremendous impact on public service and we are delighted to be partnered with a market leader as we pursue meaningful change for our clients.

Jason Prow, Process Automation Lead, IBM Public Service About Blue Prism

As the pioneer, innovator and market leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Blue Prism delivers the worlds most successful Digital Workforce. The companys software robots automate repetitive administrative tasks while meeting the requirements of the most demanding IT environments, where security, compliance and scalability are paramount. Blue Prism provides a scalable and robust execution platform for best-of-breed AI and cognitive technologies and has emerged as the trusted and secure RPA platform of choice for the Fortune 500. Billions of transactions and hundreds of millions of hours of work are executed on Blue Prism robots from renowned companies including Aegon, BNY Mellon, Commerzbank, IBM, ING, Maersk, Nokia, Nordea, Procter & Gamble, Raiffeisen Bank, Siemens, Westpac and Zurich. For more information about Blue Prism (AIM: PRSM), visit www.blueprism.com and follow the company on LinkedIn and Twitter. Media Contact

Andre Fuochi

Blue Prism

Mobile: +1-469-394-7274

andre.fuochi@blueprism.com 1Jobs Lost, Jobs Gained: Workforce Transitions in a Time of Automation, McKinsey Global Institute, December 2017.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] iQ Media Announces Partnership With Brandwatch's Vizia to Create the Most Comprehensive Data Visualization Tool on the Market

PHILADELPHIA, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iQ Media (www.iq.media), the pioneer of real-time TV intelligence for brands, today announced a new partnership with Brandwatch, the global social intelligence group, on the launch of its Vizia data-visualization platform. The new Vizia platform brings social and linear TV insights to life, allowing marketers to showcase and distribute data in an engaging and impactful way. Brandwatch looked to iQ Media to complement its social capabilities with real-time linear TV data insights, resulting in a comprehensive, cross-channel marketing intelligence tool for brands worldwide.

For years, brands and marketers have sought analytics solutions that reflect their more unified and holistic approach to marketing, but continue to rely on channel-specific analytics solutions. The new Vizia platform will change this by acting as a central hub that brings together data from social media and TV channels and allows marketers to organize and distribute insights in a visual and intuitive way. iQ Medias platform is capable of instantly revealing the level of TV exposure a brand is receiving, differentiating between paid spots or earned mentions, which market it appeared in (local, national or global), and if it was a seen or heard brand instance. Vizia then brings these insights along with social and marketing insights to life in a way thats engaging, impactful, valuable, and all in one central hub. The partnership between iQ Media and Brandwatch brings together two best-in-class platforms to provide marketers with access to the most comprehensive listening across social and linear TV, said Kevin Kohn, CEO of iQ Media Now that our joint customers have the ability to view iQs real-time TV feed natively within the Vizia platform, were arming them with a common lens to better understand the convergence of TV, digital and social.



iQ Medias data insights consist of both paid and earned TV mentions and logo appearances, which marketers can measure against specific marketing KPIs, such as TVs influence on product sales, website visits, app downloads, and other audience behaviors. With Vizia, users will be able to review and better understand these analytics, along with social media output from Brandwatch to make more informed, data-driven decisions. Customers will additionally be able to track positive and negative coverage across paid and earned media in both local and national markets to understand the true media value of their exposure. We realize marketing is not just online, and this is one of the reasons were invested in our partnership with iQ Media, said Giles Palmer, CEO of Brandwatch. The new integration brings a world of earned and paid TV data into our Vizia platform, and allows brands to track their coverage across all territories in the US, to better understand its media value.

For more information about the new partnership between iQ Media and Brandwatch, please contact Gretel Going, gretel@channelvmedia.com or 212.680.0179. About iQ Media

iQ Media empowers the worlds most iconic brands to connect TV investments to real-time audience outcomes. With solutions for ad detection, sponsorship measurement and media monitoring, iQ Media tracks any paid and earned media occurrence across local, national and global TV markets, in order to attribute true media and audience values to marketing efforts. Brands like Google, Home Depot and SONY leverage iQ Medias real-time TV intelligence solutions to make faster decisions around TV and sponsorship spend, optimize media placements, and conquer their competition, all while tying TV occurrences back to purchase events through first-party data integrations. For more information, please visit www.iq.media. About Brandwatch

Brandwatch is the world's leading social intelligence company. The company's flagship products, Brandwatch Analytics and the Vizia platform, fuel smarter decision making around the world. The Brandwatch Analytics platform gathers millions of online conversations every day and provides users with the tools to analyze them, empowering the world's most admired brands and agencies to make insightful, data-driven business decisions. The Vizia platform distributes visually-engaging insights to the physical places where the action happens. The Brandwatch platform is used by over 1,200 brands and agencies, including Unilever, Whirlpool, British Airways, Asos, Walmart and Dell. Brandwatch continues on its impressive business trajectory, recently named a global leader in enterprise social listening platforms by the latest reports from several independent research firms. Increasing its worldwide presence, the company has offices around the world including Brighton, New York, San Francisco, Berlin, Stuttgart, Paris and Singapore. Brandwatch. Now You Know. Media Contact

Gretel Going

Channel V Media

212.680.0179

gretel@channelvmedia.com

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Open Container Initiative Continues Momentum with New Members

SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Open Container Initiative (OCI), an open source community for creating open industry standards around containers, today announced that 99Cloud, Kontena and OpenStack Foundation have joined the Open Container Initiative at the Silver level. As the application container market is poised to reach $2.7 billion by 2020, increased interoperability and open standards for containers have become vital. "As development and container adoption continues to skyrocket, the ecosystem's health depends on living industry specifications to assure the interoperability of container implementations," said Chris Aniszczyk, Executive Director of the OCI. "99Cloud, Kontena and OpenStack Foundation are welcome additions to OCI  we look forward to their help in stabilizing and evolving our container runtime and image specifications with the OCI collaborative community." To harness this momentum, the OCI Technical Oversight Board (TOB) just elected five new board members to each serve a two-year term to push the technical project forward: Taylor Brown (Microsoft), Stephen Day (Docker), Phil Estes (IBM), Jon Johnson (Google) and Mrunal Patel (Red Hat). These new members join the following existing members: Vincent Batts (Red Hat), Michael Crosby (Docker), Vishnu Kannan (Google) and Greg Kroah-Hartman (Linux Foundation). The TOB also voted to elect Michael Crosby (Docker) as the new Chair. This new TOB lineup is responsible for adding, removing or reorganizing OCI projects. To learn more, follow the TOB on GitHub here. More about the newest members:

99Cloud, founded in 2012, is China's leading professional OpenStack service provider  bringing Google-like datacenter technology o China. It is an active member of The Linux Foundation and CNCF, and ranked as a Top 10 contributor to OpenStack Community code worldwide.



"It's our great honor to become an OCI member and have this opportunity to join the container standards community," said Chun Zhang, CEO of 99Cloud. "We look forward to helping shape OCI's formats and runtime, along with enthusiastically contributing to the open source community, as we're committed to the development of open container technologies." Kontena provides easy-to-use, fully integrated solutions for DevOps and software development teams to deploy, run, monitor and operate containers on the cloud for some of the biggest enterprises in the world. Kontena plans to take an active part in drafting the OCI specifications and charters while actively promoting OCI to its user base  incorporating the runtime spec into the Kontena Platform open source project via runC and containerd.

"We are excited to become a member of the Open Container Initiative," said Miska Kaipiainen, CEO and co-founder, Kontena. "We have always believed in and been part of the open source community and feel that OCI plays a very important role in keeping the container ecosystem open and progressive." OpenStack Foundation is an open source foundation dedicated to open infrastructure. Kata Containers is a new container infrastructure project managed by OpenStack Foundation which merges technology from Intel Clear Containers and Hyper RunV. The community is working to build a standard implementation of lightweight Virtual Machines (VMs) that feel and perform like containers, but provide the workload isolation and security advantages of VMs. Kata Containers is designed to be architecture agnostic, run on multiple hypervisors and be compatible with the OCI specification for containers and CRI for Kubernetes. Additionally, there is a team packaging OpenStack cloud services as OCI compliant images. "OCI plays an important role in bringing the container ecosystem together and driving common formats across tools and deployments," said Lauren Sell, VP at the OpenStack Foundation. "The OpenStack Foundation is excited to support OCI specs, through the Kata Containers and OpenStack projects, and looks forward to working more closely with the OCI community to drive the future of container image standardization." About the Open Container Initiative (OCI)

The Open Container Initiative is an open governance structure for the express purpose of creating open industry standards around container formats and runtime. Projects associated to the Open Container Initiative can be found at https://github.com/opencontainers. Learn more about joining the OCI community here: https://www.opencontainers.org/community The Open Container Initiative is a Collaborative Project at The Linux Foundation. Linux Foundation Collaborative Projects are independently funded software projects that harness the power of collaborative development to fuel innovation across industries and ecosystems. www.linuxfoundation.org Additional Resources Join as a Member

OCI Developer Community

OCI Blog

FAQ The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see our trademark usage page: https://www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. Media Contact

Kristen Evans

The Linux Foundation

kevans@linuxfoundation.org View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/open-container-initiative-continues-momentum-with-new-members-300613653.html SOURCE Open Container Initiative (OCI)

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
WAWA, Pa., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wawa is thrilled to announce a new addition to its coffee offer, Wawa Reserve 100% Tanzania. This new variety is Wawas second limited-time, specialty-grade coffee offering and will join Wawas existing line of coffee varieties through early May.



Wawa Reserve 100% Tanzania is a Direct Trade coffee sourced from the growing region of Mbeya, Tanzania. The coffee trees flourish at an elevation of 4,800 feet, and this perfectly balanced climate provides excellent growing conditions. Bright and lively, 100% Tanzania boasts flavors of concord grape and cocoa, with a wine-like finish.

We are thrilled to offer this special, next-level coffee to our customers through the Wawa Reserve line and give our customers the chance to try an exciting, new coffee variety, said Mike Sherlock, Chief Fresh Food & Beverage Officer for Wawa. Keeping up with consumer trends and customer demand has been part of Wawas culture since the very beginning, and the Wawa Reserve line of coffees gives customers the chance to explore bold, new flavors at the same cost as our traditional varieties.

About Wawa Reserve

Wawa Reserve is a new line of small-batch, specialty-grade coffees. The beans used to make these special varieties follow a strict industry classification and are chosen according to overall cup quality, consistency, and the unique characteristics of their country of origin. Each limited-edition coffee is picked at the height of ripeness and roasted to its fullest potential.

Reserve 100% Tanzania is a limited-edition, small-batch coffee will be the first Wawa Reserve offering for Florida stores and second for the Mid-Atlantic region, which offered 100% Kenya AA for a limited time earlier in 2018. Throughout the year, Wawa plans to offer additional Wawa Reserve limited-time offers, as available.

About Wawa, Inc.

Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, PA in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and certified process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, Georges grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for freshly prepared foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. A chain of more than 790 convenience retail stores (over 560 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida and D.C. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as custom prepared hoagies, freshly-brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, Specialty Beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks. In 2016 Wawa was recognized in Forbes as one of Americas Best Large Employers, a survey-based ranking of employers offering the best associate experiences and strongest opportunities. In 2017 Wawa was the recipient of a Silver Plate Award in the category of Retail & Specialty Foodservice by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association during their 63rd Annual Award Event. Wawa was also designated as a 2017 Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

CONTACT: public.relations@wawa.com




[March 14, 2018] Lighthouse Developed a 4 Frequency Band Input Front-end Processor for GNSS, to Be Released in April

Lighthouse Technology and Consulting Co., Ltd (Tokyo, JAPAN. Founder and Representative Director: Hiroaki Maeda)(LHTC) completed the development of a series of front-end processors "Hibiki" for software receivers, processing up to 4 frequency GNSS signals simultaneously, and will start sales from April 2018. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005012/en/ Hibiki (image)(Photo: Business Wire) Japanese Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) broadcast GNSS signals in 4 frequency bands, L1, L2, L5 and L6. Similarly, GPS and Russian GLONASS broadcast in 3 bands, European Galileo and Chinese BeiDou broadcast in 4 bands. However, many conventional front-ends process only two bands at the same time, and could not be used for highly specialized applications such as processing multiple signals with different frequencies at the same time. Answering to such GNSS technology demands, Lighthouse has completed the development of a series of front-end processors "Hibiki". Hibiki has an unprecedented capability to process up to 4 frequency bands simultaneously. One of the multiple products will be released within its lineup.

Hibiki has overwhelming data transfer rate performance using USB 3.0, stably transmitting signal data to the host computer up to 50 million samples per second. These high sampling frequency is also unprecedented in the conventional front-end processors, which will help improve L5 signal receiving performance and multipath reduction.







Typical Features Series Name Hibiki A011 Hibiki A012 Hibiki B014 Input Signal Frequency 1 = L1 2 = L1+L2 4 = L1+L6+L2+L5 Sampling Frequency 48.9Msps 48.9Msps 48.9Msps Sampling Quantization Bits 2 Size 1208030mm Weight Approx. 320g Interface Antenna IN 1 DC IN DC 6V Sampled Data OUT USB 3.0 REF Freq IN 10MHz (option) Other DC Output through Antenna IN (option) Input Signal Frequency Modification (option) Sampling Frequency Modification (option)

For more images click here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lbztjmc2zb2eg5f/AACX3gOnsHDzUpKroJrctR9Ga?dl=0  2007 Lighthouse Technology and Consulting Co., Ltd. Company, product and system names, etc. described in this press release and our site, catalog, leaflet, manual etc. are trademarks or registered trademarks of each company.

Product, service specifications, design, price etc. are subject to change without prior notice or may be canceled. Please contact us for the latest information when considering ordering. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005012/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Licensing Expo Japan 2018 Announces This Year's Programming, On-site Events

TOKYO, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Licensing Expo Japan, following its successful debut last year in Tokyo, will return to the third-largest global licensing market from April 25-27, 2018 at the Tokyo Big Sight Exhibition Center. The event will feature over 350 international and Japanese brands and will be collocated with IFF MAGIC Japan, the leading exhibition for the branded fashion industry in Japan. Licensing Expo Japan provides exhibitors with access to both the Japanese and international markets and is the only show in Japan supported by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). The show is also promoted by Licensing Expo's international network, including the world's premier industry magazine, License Global. "We are thrilled to see continued commitment from leading global licensors and agents to participate in the Japan show for the second year in a row and also welcome many new exhibitors. These include industry leaders like CAA-GBG, IMG, Sony Creative Products, Tsuburaya Productions, Toho, Ingram, Green Camel, Capcom, Perfetti Van Melle, V&A Enterprises Limited, National Museum of History (Taiwan), Art Vivant, Haibara, King Records, Hokkaido Railway Company, Lagardere Active Enterprises Japan, Sanrio Far East, The Lucy Company, Mikasa Corporation, East Japan Marketing & Communications, Kenshin and a new Taiwan pavilion launched by the New Taipei City Computer Association," said Jessica Blue, senior vice president, Global Licensing Group, UBM. LIMA Japan will also lend its support by organizing educational seminars and activities on the show floor at Licensing Expo Japan. This year's seminar topics span risk anagement, global licensing trends, co-branded cafe licensing and more, and speakers include executives from the likes of CAA-GBG, Legs Company LTD, Nissan Motor Corp and Sony Creative Products. In addition, LIMA Japan will also host a Retail Seminar and Market Research event taking place on April 24. Attendees will be provided with the opportunity to learn more about the retail landscape of Japan before moving offsite to explore the LaLaport shopping destination. For more details or to register for the event, please visit http://www.licensing.or.jp/20180308retailseminar/.



A sophisticated matchmaking service will be introduced at Licensing Expo Japan 2018, enabling exhibitors to make appointments and schedule meetings with the licensees and exhibitors. The system is similar to the highly successful online matchmaking system implemented at Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe. At Licensing Expo 2017 in Las Vegas, more than 3,800 meetings were scheduled using this service. About Licensing Expo Japan

Licensing Expo Japan was launched as an independent trade show on 26-28 April 2017, co-located with IFF Magic Japan. Licensing Expo Japan is a part of the Global Licensing Group at UBM, the global licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide opportunities around the world to bring brands and products together to explore and cement licensing partnerships. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at UBM: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo China, NYC Licensing Summit, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-news and License TV. Licensing Expo Japan is organized by UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit http://www.ubm.com/global-reach/UBM-Asia for the latest news and information about UBM.

About Global Licensing Group

The Global Licensing Group at UBM is the global licensing industry's leading tradeshow organizer and media partner. Its mission is to provide opportunities around the world to bring brands and products together to explore and cement licensing partnerships. The following events and information products are produced for the licensing industry by the Global Licensing Group at UBM: Licensing Expo, Brand Licensing Europe, Licensing Expo Japan, Licensing Expo China, NYC Licensing Summit, License Global magazine, License Global Daily E-news and License TV. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/licensing-expo-japan-2018-announces-this-years-programming-on-site-events-300613854.html SOURCE Licensing Expo Japan

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Luminos Labs Named Episerver Digital Experience Cloud Partner of the Year North America

LOS ANGELES, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Luminos Labs, a digital commerce solution partner offering strategy, design, build, and managed services, has been named the 2017 Episerver Digital Experience Cloud Partner of the Year in North America. This award recognizes the top-performing partners for their success in driving joint opportunities and their strategic contributions to the delivery of Episerver Digital Experience Cloud, enabling customers with a single platform for CMS, ecommerce and digital marketing in the cloud. Luminos Labs was honored at the annual Episerver Ascend conference, which was held this week in Las Vegas. "We are proud to congratulate Luminos Labs for its Digital Experience Cloud Partner of the Year achievement," said James Norwood, Executive Vice President of Strategy and CMO at Episerver. "The award speaks to Luminos Labs' commitment to our mutual customers, helping them easily move their business into the cloud while improving end-user experience and growing brand loyalty. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership and sharing the incredible customer journeys this relationship creates for consumers who crave better online interactions with brands and reward the companies that provide them." To identify the partner recipients of its annual awards, Episerver looked at its network of qualified regional partners and considered the business value generated for customers by each and their success in implementing best practices for guiding digital strategy. Luminos Labs stood out for these reasons as well as its laser focus on client success, and the srategy, design, build, integration, and support and maintenance it provides Episerver clients.



"We could not be more excited to be recognized by Episerver for this award," said Radu Munteanu, Founder, and CEO of Luminos Labs. "Our team has worked very hard to become the go-to experts on Digital Experience Cloud while growing our capabilities to include experience design, and now more recently strategic advisory services across the categories that matter most to our Episerver client partners." This announcement comes in the midst of a successful first quarter of revenue growth and the expansion of service capabilities to include new advisory offerings across digital strategy, AI-driven e-commerce optimization, and business intelligence. In 2018 Luminos Labs also added new technology integration practice areas around PIM, DAM, and OMS including new partnerships with OrderDynamics and InRiver.

About Luminos Labs Luminos Labs is a digital commerce solution partner offering strategy, design, build, and managed services. We specialize in highly complex B2B2C Episerver commerce platform integrations in retail, manufacturing, and wholesale. With colleagues spread across the U.S. and Europe, Luminos Labs boasts an experienced team of strategists, experience designers, and engineers. About Episerver Episerver empowers digital leaders to easily create standout experiences for customers  everywhere they engage, and always with measurable business results. The Episerver Digital Experience Cloud unifies digital content, commerce and marketing in one platform, including omnichannel solutions for smart personalization and intelligent campaigns. Founded in 1994, Episerver has offices in the U.S., U..K, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam and the UAE. Contact: Jake DiMare

617-388-2357

Head of Marketing

Luminos Labs

www.luminoslabs.com Related Links Luminos Labs Insights Luminos Labs Portfolio View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/luminos-labs-named-episerver-digital-experience-cloud-partner-of-the-year-north-america-300613429.html SOURCE Luminos Labs

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] Episerver Announces North America, APAC Partner Award Winners and Partner Innovation Spotlight at Ascend 2018

LAS VEGAS, March 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EPISERVER ASCEND -- Episerver, the company transforming digital experiences, celebrated the innovative achievements of its partners while honoring those selected for awards during "Partner Day" at Ascend 2018. Winners of the Partner Awards contest were chosen by a panel of Episerver judges based on their outstanding contributions to the field of digital transformation and their alignment with Episerver's strategic vision.

Episerver presented the following awards for North American and APAC customers, respectively: Luminos Labs ( North America ) and Empired (APAC) were awarded "Digital Experience Cloud Partner of the Year" for their contribution to the delivery of Episerver's Digital Experience Cloud offering. Luminos Labs had double-digit commerce wins in 2017, and Empired generated the most revenue to Episerver APAC over the last year.





) and Empired (APAC) were awarded for their contribution to the delivery of Episerver's Digital Experience Cloud offering. Luminos Labs had double-digit commerce wins in 2017, and Empired generated the most revenue to Episerver APAC over the last year. Rightpoint ( North America ) and Levo (APAC) were awarded "Strategic Partner of the Year" for their proven engagement with strategic customers and in complex engagements across the Episerver customer landscape. Some of Rightpoint's customers include SurePayroll, Toppers Pizza and Pregis Holdings. Levo works with key customers such as YHA Australia, St John Ambulance of New Zealand and Primary Health Care.





) and Levo (APAC) were awarded for their proven engagement with strategic customers and in complex engagements across the Episerver customer landscape. Some of Rightpoint's customers include SurePayroll, Toppers Pizza and Pregis Holdings. Levo works with key customers such as YHA Australia, St John Ambulance of and Primary Health Care. Whereoware ( North America ) and Fusion (APAC) were awarded " Digital Commerce Partner of the Year" for their contribution to the positioning and delivery of the Episerver platform to support digital commerce. Whereoware experienced double-digit wins, including Yamaha and Liberty Furniture. Fusion brought beautiful creative design into complex B2B organizations to create true experience-driven commerce solutions.





) and Fusion (APAC) were awarded " for their contribution to the positioning and delivery of the Episerver platform to support digital commerce. Whereoware experienced double-digit wins, including Yamaha and Liberty Furniture. Fusion brought beautiful creative design into complex B2B organizations to create true experience-driven commerce solutions. Thinkmax ( North America ) and Empired (APC) were awarded " Dynamics Ecosystem Partner of the Year" for their delivery of Episerver solutions in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics to solve customers' business scenarios. In the last year alone, Thinkmax delivered Episerver Commerce for Dynamics 365 for two new customers, with several more in the pipeline. Empired delivered on full digital transformation projects for key Dynamics customers, including Les Mills .









) and Empired (APC) were awarded " for their delivery of Episerver solutions in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics to solve customers' business scenarios. In the last year alone, Thinkmax delivered Episerver Commerce for Dynamics 365 for two new customers, with several more in the pipeline. Empired delivered on full digital transformation projects for key Dynamics customers, including . Hero Digital ( North America ) and Get Started (APAC) were awarded Ascender Partner of the Year for their impact as new Episerver partners. Hero Digital acquired two other agencies, giving it a national presence, and brought on new customers like Numerica Credit Union. In APAC, Get Started participated in more concurrent opportunities than any other partner in the region in 2017.





) and Get Started (APAC) were awarded for their impact as new Episerver partners. Hero Digital acquired two other agencies, giving it a national presence, and brought on new customers like Numerica Credit Union. In APAC, Get Started participated in more concurrent opportunities than any other partner in the region in 2017. Brightfind ( North America ) was awarded Industry Go-to-Market Partner of the Year for its strategic contribution to serving customers in an industry vertical; in this case, associations and non-profits. Brightfind leveraged its deep knowledge of the business challenges of this vertical, along with the capabilities of the Episerver platform, to create a strong value proposition for its customers, including ASIS International, Institute for Supply Management and Federation of State Medical Boards. "Our partners truly represent the best and brightest in the field of digital content, commerce and marketing," said Johan Jardevall, chief sales officer at Episerver. "The digital agencies and systems integrators we have recognized with Partner Awards have succeeded in the spirit of creativity and innovation that drives forward Episerver's vision and promise to its customer base. We can't wait to see what 2018 brings for our partners as they continue to deliver on digital transformation for their customers."

Episerver also celebrated its partners' achievements in digital transformation this year through its latest initiative, Partner Innovation Spotlight, in which Episerver called partners to extend the use of its newest products in one of three focus areas: Individualized Content, Experience-driven Commerce and Intelligent Campaigns. With the help of the Partner Innovation Spotlight, Episerver's Digital Experience Cloud powers the website experiences of nearly 100 million unique visitors and roughly a half a billion page views each month for its customers. Multiply those interactions with the number of relevant content and campaigns Episerver customers can deliver before, during and after a sale, and Episerver is helping businesses innovate at scale. "Our participation in this year's Partner Innovation Spotlight exemplifies our shared commitment with Episerver to helping customers create more meaningful, powerful digital experiences across the world," said Joe Grause, director of business development at Making Waves. "Episerver's Partner Innovation Spotlight was a great way to showcase our team's development skills and the powerful experiences that Episerver's Digital Experience Cloud can deliver for our customers," said Allison Simpkins, senior vice president, North America at Valtech. This year's Ascend conference brought together over 600 attendees from Episerver's worldwide network of 880-plus partners and 8,000 customers and featured some 80 sessions across six comprehensive persona-based tracks  including hands-on labs, customer-led presentations, and product and industry expert discussions  as well as a solutions and partner exhibition hall and the 'Epi Code Bash' competition. For more information on Episerver partners, visit www.episerver.com/partners. About Episerver

Episerver empowers digital leaders to easily create standout experiences for customers  everywhere they engage, and always with measurable business results. The Episerver Digital Experience Cloud unifies digital content, commerce and marketing in one platform, including omnichannel solutions for smart personalization and intelligent campaigns. Founded in 1994, Episerver has offices in the US, UK, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain, South Africa, Singapore, Vietnam and the UAE. Contact:

Rachel Teitt

Director, Analyst and Public Relations

+1 614 817 1847

rachel.teitt@episerver.com

Jennifer Mulligan

Account Director

+1 312 648 6005

jennifer.mulligan@walkersands.com View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/episerver-announces-north-america-apac-partner-award-winners-and-partner-innovation-spotlight-at-ascend-2018-300614056.html SOURCE Episerver

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] EDC recognizes Canada's Cleantech Export Stars at Globe Forum

VANCOUVER, March 14, 2018 /CNW/ - During a gathering of the world's senior leaders in the clean economy, the Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade and Carl Burlock, Senior Vice President, Financing and International Growth Capital at Export Development Canada (EDC) presented Cleantech Export Stars to three Canadian companies named for their success in reaching the global cleantech market. The ceremony took place at the Globe Forum, an international gathering of business, government and civil society representatives who are at the forefront of the clean economy. The event attracts nearly 10,000 delegates to Vancouver, B.C. from more than 50 countries. "Events like this demonstrate how high the demand is for clean technology around the world. Canadian companies have the innovation, and those who think globally will find there is tremendous growth potential outside our borders," said Burlock. "EDC is the largest provider of financial solutions for cleantech companies looking to export and we're fueling the international growth of this sector." Global cleantech market Estimates place the value of the global cleantech market at more than US$1 trillion. In low-carbon, energy-efficient technologies alone, trade is expected to almost triple to over US$2.5 trillion by 2020. Since 2012, EDC has facilitated close to $5 billion worth of cleantech export business and helped over 180 companies export to 114 countries. Supporting the global growth potential of Canadian cleantech companies is one of EDC's priorities. EDC has a dedicated team to focus on understanding the industry's needs and delivering the rigt solutions to help Canadian cleantech companies start up and grow their business internationally.



EDC is expected to provide more than $7 billion in financial solutions for Canadian companies through 2020. 2017 Cleantech Export Stars

Hydrogenics

City: Mississauga, ON

CEO: Daryl Wilson

Hydrogenics is helping to accelerate a global "power shift" for a cleaner energy future. A worldwide leader in designing, manufacturing, building, and installing industrial and commercial hydrogen generation the company is one of the world's leading suppliers of zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells and electrolyzers, which are increasingly finding their way into our public transportation system, delivery vehicle fleets, fuelling and other applications. Recently, the company secured high-profile wins, including a major contract to supply hydrogen fuel cell engines for 1,000 Chinese buses, the world's first zero-emission commuter train in Germany, and a pilot partnership with UPS to power its Sacramento (CA) delivery fleet using fuel cells. It is also working with Enbridge to deliver Ontario's first Power-to-Gas energy storage plant. Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc.

City: Vancouver, BC

CEO: Dan Parmar

Ostara has carved a niche out of harvesting phosphorus from the sewage treatment process to make fertilizer, helping to protect precious water resources around the world. With 15 commercial installations worldwide, this truly Canadian technology is helping communities keep their water clean and create a byproduct they can sell. Xebec Adsorption Inc.

City: Blainville, QC

CEO: Kurt Sorschak

Xebec is a prime example of a great Canadian company with a global footprint providing carbon-reducing technologies to customers around the world. The company is a global provider of gas generation, purification, and filtration solutions. Among other things, the company has developed a state-of-the-art low-cost solution that captures 99% of digester and landfill gas to produce Renewable Natural Gas which can be used as a carbon neutral, cellulosic bio-fuel. About EDC EDC helps Canadian companies go, grow, and succeed in their international business. As a financial Crown corporation, EDC provides financing, insurance, bonding, trade knowledge, and matchmaking connections to help Canadian companies sell and invest abroad. EDC can also provide financial solutions to foreign buyers to facilitate and grow purchases from Canadian companies. For more information about how we can help your company, call us at 1-888-434-8508 or visit www.edc.ca. SOURCE Export Development Canada

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[March 14, 2018] A.M. BestTV: Captives Changing With Market Conditions and Risk Needs

In this A.M.BestTV episode, attendees at the Captive Insurance Companies Association's International Conference (CICA) in Scottsdale, AZ, said the flexibility of captive insurance organizations helps them respond faster than traditional insurers in accommodating new risks and market dynamics. Click on http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=cica1318 to view the entire program. The theme for this year's conference is the challenge of change. "Captives are in a good position to address change, since they have adapted to all kinds of changing market conditions," said Nancy Gray, regional managing director, Americas, Aon. "Captives have modified their programs to accommodate hard or soft markets, as well as changing perils." Steve Bauman, head of global programs and captive practice, North America, XL Catlin, believes that captives are "steep in being innovative and entrepreneurial and change brings these opportunities, which is what captives thrive on." Todd Cunningham, head, single parent and sponsored cell captives, Zurich, North America, addressed how essential it is for captives to stay aware of the changing environments. "It is critical that captives stay up on data, trends in litigation and weather. These are all areas of change, and it is only natural for captives to be on the cutting edge of these changing environments," said Cunningham. For full video coverage of the CICA conference, including exclusive executive interviews, visit http://www.ambest.tv/cica18. Other people that appear in this episode: Dan Towle, president, Captive Insurance Association;

Rich Smith, president, Vermont Captive Insurance Association; ad

Michael Serricchio, managing director, Captive Advisory Group.



A.M.BestTV include: Long-Term Care Insurers Look to Pricing and Regulators, Say A.M. Best Analysts : A.M. Best Senior Industry Research Analyst George Hansen and Financial Analyst Bruno Caron discuss a new report that examines the long-term care insurance sector, which has seen a multitude of carriers leave the market or change their approaches in the hopes of achieving profitability: :http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=ltc318.

: A.M. Best Senior Industry Research Analyst George Hansen and Financial Analyst Bruno Caron discuss a new report that examines the long-term care insurance sector, which has seen a multitude of carriers leave the market or change their approaches in the hopes of achieving profitability: :http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=ltc318. Life Settlement Investors Hope Demographics Are Catching Up With Sector : Attendees at the annual Life Insurance Settlement Association's institutional investor conference in New York said the influx of baby boomers entering their 70s could help meet investor demand for life settlements: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=lisa318.

: Attendees at the annual Life Insurance Settlement Association's institutional investor conference in New York said the influx of baby boomers entering their 70s could help meet investor demand for life settlements: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=lisa318. Asia CEO Conference Attendees: Look Beyond Insurance : Attendees at the 18th Asia CEO Insurance Summit in Singapore said top insurance leaders should focus on technology, changing customer expectations and on positioning organizations for long-term success: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=apceo2218.

: Attendees at the 18th Asia CEO Insurance Summit in Singapore said top insurance leaders should focus on technology, changing customer expectations and on positioning organizations for long-term success: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=apceo2218. U.S. Property/Casualty Insurance Sector Poised for an Improved 2018, Says A.M. Best Managing Director: John Andre, managing director, A.M. Best, reviews a new report that shows a second year of underwriting losses in 2017 for the U.S. property/casualty insurance segment: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=rppc218. A.M.BestTV covers exclusive A.M. Best information and reports, targeted topics and key developments in the (re)insurance industry every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sign up for alerts of episodes at http://www.ambest.com/multimedia/ambtvsignup.html. View A.M.BestTV episodes at http://www.ambest.tv.

A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2018 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180314005985/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
You have reached a premium content area of TOL. To read this entire article please login if you are already a TOL subscriber.



Not a subscriber?



Annual membership costs only $55 per year for individuals ($33 for students) and organizational subscriptions start at $141 per year.

Subscribe today for access to:

Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles).


SOUTHFIELD, Mich., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Stefanini, a $1B global IT provider with locations in 40 countries across the Americas, Europe, Australia and Asia, participated in the Google CS First Event in Southfield on Tuesday, Feb. 27. The event is part of a program that helps teach coding skills to students in grades 4-8 through an online curriculum. The goal is to help kids become interested in technology early.



The event featured interactive stations in which the students could participate. More than 400 students from different schools across Michigan gathered together and engaged with different devices and technologies.

We are proud to be a part of this important Google initiative, said Carla Ferber, marketing director at Stefanini North America and Asia-Pacific. The world is in a transformational process, and it will demand even more technology skills. Stefanini is aligned with this need, and we are investing significantly in engaging this generation in conversations about how technology can help them build a better future, she said.

During the event, Stefanini showcased its augmented reality solution through a funny trivia game. SophieStefaninis artificial intelligence platform with the ability to turn data into valuable solutionsalso made an appearance at the event, as part of one of the augmented reality trivia questions.

About Stefanini

Stefanini (www.stefanini.com) is a Brazilian multinational with 30 years of experience in the market, investing in a complete innovation ecosystem to meet the main verticals and assist customers in the process of digital transformation. With robust offerings aligned with market trends such as automation, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and user experience (UX), the company has been recognized with several awards in the area of innovation.

Today, the company has a broad portfolio of solutions that combine innovative consulting, marketing, mobility, personalized campaigns and artificial intelligence services for traditional solutions such as service desk, field service and outsourcing (BPO).

With a presence in 40 countries, Stefanini was named the fifth most internationalized company, according to the Dom Cabral Foundation ranking of 2017.

Editorial Contacts

Vanessa Morais

Vanessa.morais@stefanini.com

+1 248 263.8612
According to multiple reports from news outlets in Taipei and South Korea, Samsung's Pyeongtaek fab experienced a power outage on March 9, 2018. The outage lasted for only thirty minutes, but the impact can be calculated in dollars per second.

Up to 60,000 wafers were damaged, according to the report, which is 11% of Samsung's overall NAND flash output for March. That equates to 3.5% of global NAND wafer production.

Increased global production from Samsung and its rivals should offset the loss globally. These companies enjoy a small stockpile of flash memory that didn't exist last year due to strong demand and lower production output as companies shifted to new 64/72-layer memory.

We've yet to see market reaction to the March 9 event, but with word spreading rapidly, we may see some price increases overnight. Any price changes should subside quickly with the Pyeongtaek fab running at planned capacity again.

At the end of the month, Samsung will begin the expansion of the Xi'an factory that was built in 2014. The factory currently produces around 120,000 wafers per month, but the expansion will add another 200,000 to the monthly capacity after completion. However, Samsung's competition also plans aggressive expansion in the years to come.
Feds crack Colorado to KCMO marijuana conspiracy KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A former Kansas City, Mo. man who played a role in a marijuana conspiracy from Colorado to Kansas City, Mo. pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court. Coty D. Hollaman, 23, pleaded guilty to one count of participating in a conspiracy to distribute marijuana in the Kansas City area.

It's the most litigious road-trip locals can take because of law enforcement camped out along the Western Kansas border in an EPIC showdown that's still not stopping the flow of weed into the Midwest . . . Read more:
BENTONVILLE, AR, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy sixth-grader, Pavani Chittemsetty, won the Arkansas State Spelling Bee hosted by The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette at Central Baptist College on March 10. The 11-year-old outspelled 57 other competitors to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. The event will be televised across the country May 29-31.

Chittemsetty, making her fourth appearance at the state bee, won this year's competition by correctly spelling laterigrade. This will be a return to the national meet that she competed in two years ago.

We are so proud of Pavani. She's spent countless hours working toward this, says Chittemsettys history teacher, Rachael Armstrong. She's a determined, hard-working student and we are honored to have her represent our school. Pavanis peers are supportive and very proud of her.

This year will mark the 91st Scripps National Spelling Bee. Chittemsetty will try to become the first speller from Arkansas to win the competition. Only three 11-year-olds have ever won the competition that is open to students from third to eighth-grade and as old as 14.

ResponsiveEd is a non-profit corporation that operates more than 70 tuition-free public schools throughout Texas and Arkansas, including Premier High Schools, ResponsiveEd Classical Academies, Founders Classical Academies, Quest Academies, iSchool High, and iSchool Virtual Academy. ResponsiveEds mission is to provide hope to students through innovative, character-based, personalized learning environments. To learn more, visit www.ResponsiveEd.com.

Stay Connected:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/responsiveed

Twitter: www.twitter.com/responsiveed

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/responsiveed

Instagram: www.instagram.com/responsiveeducation

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2ec24a53-c389-4719-8ba5-42cdef1ccc24

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/67652b1c-2dee-4dd7-b2e1-b94e8203c40e

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f7f6c951-0e3f-4c24-a4c1-0405abd572f4
Authorities in Kansas City are searching for a suspect after a bank inside an area hospital was robbed on Wednesday morning. The robbery happened at about 10:15 a.m. at the U.S. Bank branch housed inside Truman Medical Center, located at 2301 Holmes Street.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Kansas City man suspected of stabbing his neighbor's dog to death is now charged with stabbing his mother multiple times. In December 2017, Samuel Sanders was accused of stabbing his neighbor's dog, Zeus, near 43rd and Park in Kansas City.
Clay Chastain & the Committee of Petitioners file lawsuit against City for corrupting 2017 petition election.

* A government that misuses its own legal department to try and escape its illegitimate legislative acts of malfeasance by claiming the City is protected by the doctrine of sovereign immunity, etc., is a particularly bad government that deserves to be sued for $5million.

The latest legal threat to City Hall from Kansas City's most prolific local transit activista couple of weeks ago.We've highlighted some of the most important parts in addition to markings from Mr. Chastain. Take a look:* A government that interferes with a petition by changing its meaning in order to mislead voters, is a bad government.* A government that hijacks a petition proposing a citywide "Rapid Rail / Electric Bus / Bikeway" transit system (with specific routes and stops identified) and distorts it into an ambiguous poorly-written plan to build "one or more extensions to the (City's) streetcar system," is a bad government.* A government that cannot getvoters to approve its own plan for expanding the streetcar system and thus resorts to seizing and exploiting a petition from the people to do so, is a bad government.The City Council must restore law and ethical order by reigning in Kansas City's dictatorial-acting administration and its on-going devious crusade to defame Citizen Chastain (the administration placed Chastain on its "Watch List" for dangerous people) and usurp his petitions. Otherwise, the petitions, lawsuits and distrust of City Hall will only multiply.Clay Chastain...leader and official spokesperson for the 2017 and 2018 Committee of Petitioner's Green Transit Initiatives.########Developing . . .
HUNDREDS OF KANSAS CITY PROGRESSIVES AND ACTIVISTS REBUKE PROSPERO'S FOR A NEW STICKER TOUTING "KANSAS CITY'S INDIGENOUS BOOKSTORE' THAT SUBSEQUENTLY OFFENDED MOST OF THEIR CLIENTELE!!!

"Confused by the choice of words. Are you claiming to be a Native American bookstore now with deep historical roots? Please get your money back from the person who dreamed up this sticker and from the person who authorized it, and try again."

"My concern is that you are just getting off on the controversy of all of it. And this itself is a marketing ploy...like burning books. Which is why I've never been much interested in being involved in your ventures."

"The sticker seems to imply that Prosperos is owned and operated by Native Americans. Is this truth in advertising? Do you think its a good slogan if it offends your customers? If we dont work to help people use our language more fairly, what are we left with? Were left with offensive speakers lacking empathy. All of those questioning the use of indigenous have offered their thoughts in an effort to help, to be fair, to treat real indigenous people with respect. There are so many words that would be more appropriate . . ."

Last night a Kansas City book seller effectively made enemies out of allies with poorly worded marketing.Accordingly . . .Here are just a few choice quotes directed at the purveyor of books and media . . .Historical perspective . . .^^^ Great memory on this commenter . . .that garnered national publicity and a lot of local hate, word of mouth and discussion.Out of hundreds, here's the best comment so far fromthat offers thoughtful perspective and insight into the controversy:For those who are wondering . . .Yes, there are a lot of people talking boycott . . .Sadly, there's no good outcome here . . . If Prospero's printed the stickers without knowing their language would offend, then after all of these years the management remains exceptionally insensitive and out of touch with most of their customers. However, if this was just an effort to troll their reader community and garner attention . . . Then it's a new low for the biz and a cynical ploy that might actually deserve even more rebuke.You decide . . .
"What does one call it when a Kansas City Star columnist covers a local election and never mentions in the article that his company is being paid by a political committee to run ads endorsing candidates in that same election? The column includes a photo of a yard sign for a candidate he is being paid to help!"

Complaints over transparency regarding guest pundits and their affiliations is a growing problem for the newspaper and is confusing to readers. These strident advocates for journalistic integrity have clearly done their homework and it's clear that Dead-Tree media couldn't be bothered to include a simple line offering readers some clue about the perspective of an author.

Election season in Lee's Summit is once again creating hard feelings.Here's are the essentials of the sitch . . .Here's the reason behind the ruckus from a TKC TIPSTER. . .Now, at the risk of taking this suburban low rent election too seriously . . . The argument against the newspaper is correct . . .You decide . . .
Impact Estate, a privately held full-service real estate company, is set to showcase new international investment projects at the first Bahrain Property Brokerage Expo opening today (March 14).



The event runs until March 15 at the Bahrain Convention Centre located at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The expo is organised for the first time in the Kingdom of Bahrain under the patronage of His Excellency Esam bin Abdullah Khalaf, Minister of Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning.



During the property show, Impact Estate team will present new affordable investment opportunities. The showcased projects include fully managed student accommodation located in the UK, Liverpool-based residential towers with a guaranteed annual income and other lucrative hassle-free investment offers.



Patricia Powell, head of the international properties department, said: We are excited to be part of this new property expo. The property market of Bahrain will definitely benefit from the event, which will help to bring together the investors and property professionals. At Impact Estate, we keep extending our portfolio to be able to offer our clients new exciting investment opportunities.



Additionally, during the property expo, Impact Estate will present the companys other services including property and facility management, maintenance, relocation and brokerage.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based property developer Seven Tides has signed a $3.2-billion agreement with the Philippines Revolution Precrafted for building condominium units and hotel villas on one of the artificial islands in The World Islands in Dubai.



A brainchild of the countrys youngest Forbes magazine rich-lister, Robbie Antonio, the Philippines start-up will bring prefabricated structures on one of the artificial islands patterned after the global map, reported Entrepreneur Philippines.



Seven Tides was reported to have bought a cluster of the artificial islands that make up South America. The project will be erected on a 2.4-million-sq-m structure named after Coronation Island in Alaska.



"We are proud and excited to partner with one of the best property developers not only in Dubai, but in the world. We will manufacture sophisticated, design-driven precrafted condominium apartments and hotel villas, consistent with the kind of luxurious structures the public have come to expect from us and Seven Tides," Antonio said in a statement.



Based on the agreement, Revolution Precrafted will manufacture and supply two to three-bedroom prefabricated condominium apartments and hotel villas.



"The luxurious look and feel of the condominium apartments and hotel villas will further elevate the status and image of the World Islands as the playground for the most affluent, and privileged residents from Dubai and beyond," Seven Tides CEO Abdulla Bin Sulayem said.



Revolution Precrafteds deal with Seven Tides is on track with the companys global expansion plan as it aims to sign projects in at least 20 countries this year. It is the companys first massive property project abroad as it has previously signed agreements for residential communities based in the Philippines.



In 2017, it signed a deal with Century Properties, the company chaired by Antonios father, Jose E B Antonio, to supply more than 15,000 precrafted homes in Batulao Artscapes and Flavorscapes, both of which are located in the province of Batangas in southern Luzon in the Philippines.
Haji Hassan, a diversified construction-focused group, has confirmed its strategic sponsorship for Gulf Construction Expo, the major showcase for the building and construction sector in the Northern Gulf.

Gulf Construction Expo takes place from April 24 to 26 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre under the patronage of HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain.

Haji Hassan Group is headquartered in Bahrain with joint venture partnerships across the GCC. The group is a conglomeration of complementary businesses which have been serving the construction and industrial services sectors in Bahrain and the region since 1952.

The company manufactures building materials, precast concrete, readymix concrete, plastic and sewage pipes, construction chemicals, concrete blocks, steel reinforcement, rubber and mechanical engineering spare parts, all of which are essential for the construction sector.

The profile of the Haji Hassan Group of Companies will be represented by Haji Hasan Ready-mix, Bahrain Precast Concrete, Bahrain Asphalt, Bahrain Pipes, Arabian Chemical Industries, Bahrain Blocks, Haji Hassan Reinforcement and Arabian Parts Company.

The signing ceremony was attended by Haji Hassan Group deputy chairman Waheed Hassan Al A'ali, Hilal Conferences and Exhibitions (HCE) managing director Jubran Abdulrahman, Haji Hassan Group general manager Fouad Al Hamad, and HCE exhibitions director Ahmed Suleiman.

Al A'ali said: Our Strategic Sponsorship support for Gulf Construction Expo delivers on two goals for the company. Firstly, we look to promote the world-class capabilities of Haji Hassan which has been built on over 60 years of expertise and investment in our facilities; and secondly, we see Gulf Construction Expo as an important showcase to present Bahrain as a leader in quality building materials.

The group has an impressive track record of delivery on high-profile construction projects in Bahrain. These include Bin Faqeeh's Breaker Tower, Awali Mosque, Shaikh Isa Library, Sitra Causeway, Durrat Al Bahrain, the North Manama Causeway, runway upgrades and new apron stands at the Bahrain International Airport, Bahrain International Circuit, Muharraq sewage treatment plant, Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Al Aali shopping complex, the Sofitel Bahrain luxury resort hotel and many more.



Abdulrahman, commenting on Haji Hassans role as Strategic Sponsor of the Expo, said: "Haji Hassan Group is a pioneer in the construction and building sectors of the GCC. Their participation provides visitors a panoply of products that reflect Bahrains capabilities of providing world-class suppliers for the booming construction projects in the region.

Gulf Construction Expo takes place alongside two other major exhibitions - The Gulf Property Show and Interiors Expo - thus ensuring the continued success of the biggest integrated business-to-business showcase for the construction, interiors and property sectors in the Northern Gulf.  TradeArabia News Service
The UAE and Sudan enjoy long-standing cooperation and strategic bilateral relations and the Gulf country has provided more than Dh28 billion ($7.623 billion) in investments and development financing to Sudan.



Under the leadership of the UAE President HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and in line with the wise directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the UAE has been supporting the Sudanese government in achieving comprehensive development through financing strategic projects and encouraging diversified investments of UAE companies in Sudan, said a statement.



A total of 17 UAE companies are operating in various economic sectors in Sudan, it said.



Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) is one of the leading national institutions supporting socio-economic development in Sudan through providing nearly Dh7.3 billion ($1.987 billion) in financing towards strategic development projects in various sectors, as well as investments and deposits.



Spanning crucial sectors, such as industry, transportation, energy, water, and irrigation, ADFDs 17 development projects in Sudan have a total value of approximately Dh2 billion ($544.5 million).



Moreover, the Fund has disbursed about Dh5 billion ($1.4 billion) to support liquidity and foreign currency reserves at the Central Bank of Sudan. This assisted the Sudanese government in stimulating the economy, overcoming financial and economic challenges, and strengthening monetary and financial stability in the country.



ADFD is also keen on driving economic growth through investment cooperation with the Sudanese government. The Fund currently holds a 100 per cent stake in the Al Dhabi Development Company, a multi-disciplinary holding company that aims to drive economic growth in Sudan.



Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of ADFD, said: The UAE and ADFD are proud of the deep-rooted partnership with the Government of Sudan. The fraternal ties have grown stronger under the guidance of our wise leadership, enabling us to achieve promising results.



He added: Today, in line with our leaderships directives, we continue our collaboration with our brothers in the Sudanese government through supporting development programmes that benefit the Sudanese economy.



Praising the partnership between the Fund and the Sudanese government as a model of constructive collaboration, Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi noted that ADFD has contributed to financing development projects that serve the most important economic sectors in Sudan.



Since the commencement of its development activities in Sudan, ADFD has focused on assisting the Sudanese government in its efforts to improve the country's infrastructure  a pillar of socio-economic development, and a fundamental element in the growth and prosperity of various economic sectors.



Apart from supporting Sudan's balance of payments, ADFD has adopted a holistic approach to funding projects that align with its mission to promote sustainable development in brotherly and friendly countries, and elevate standards of living. Examples include dam projects that enhance electricity generation and water supply for irrigation, the Khartoum International Airport project, and the railway network project.



In addition to ADFDs activities and within the framework of cooperation between the two countries, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) has been providing Sudan with diesel since 2017, meeting the needs of the local market and supporting various sectors including transport and industry. The value of the fuel supplied to date is estimated at Dh3.2 billion ($900 million).



Moreover, with a cumulative value of more than Dh18 billion ($4.90 billion) of diversified investments, the UAE private sector also enjoys an active collaboration with its Sudanese counterpart.



Seventeen UAE companies currently invest in Sudan across vital sectors including tourism, agriculture, aviation, and oil and gas. Through supporting the countrys agriculture sector, these investments have played a crucial role in increasing the competitiveness of wheat and fodder pricing, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
The new-generation Hyundai Accent will make its official Africa and Middle East debut at a launch in Bahrain on March 26, featuring new design and technology in the small-car market across the region.



First revealed in Korea last year, the fifth generation of the Hyundai Accent features a bold new design and a sophisticated interior. Technical and engineering improvements include a more efficient powertrain and enhanced driving dynamics, as well as the latest safety technologies and convenience features.



The Accent is a defining product for Hyundai, with a hard-earned reputation for delivering both quality and value, said Hyundais head of Operations for Africa and the Middle East, Mike Song. This All-new model continues that tradition, while also demonstrating Hyundais commitment to innovation. It is a stronger, safer, and more technically advanced car, in a package that will be enjoyable to drive and economical to own.



The new-generation Hyundai Accent is slightly longer and wider than the previous model, with increased interior space. Two four-cylinder petrol engine options are being offered in the region, including a 1.4-liter delivering 100ps (metric horsepower), and a 1.6-liter delivering 123ps. Both are advanced designs, with multi-point fuel injection, matched to a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.



Driver and passengers are protected by six airbags. Alongside automatic stability control (ESC), other safety features include static bending headlights to provide better illumination of the road through corners, auto cruise control that is designed for convenience and improved fuel economy, and emergency stop signal which automatically flashes the brake lights when the driver brakes heavily.



Hyundai believes in democratizing new technology, and bringing important innovations into core, mass-market products as quickly as possible, said Song. Particularly in terms of safety features, the All-new Accent is showing the way forward in adopting new technology within its market, and moves Hyundai even further ahead as an industry leader.



The All-new Hyundai Accent will arrive in showrooms during the second quarter of 2018.  TradeArabia News Service
HARTSVILLE, S.C., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sonoco (NYSE:SON), one of the largest diversified global packaging companies, has been awarded several Gold- and Silver-level Achievement Awards at the Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) Annual Meeting. Sonocos PrimaPak package for Perfetti Van Melle Mentos SHARE-A-BOWL was awarded a Gold Award for Packaging Excellence, a Silver Award for Expanding the Use of Flexible Packaging and a Silver Award for Technical Innovation. Sonocos PromoPeel integrated label technology for flexible packaging was awarded a Silver Award for Printing and Shelf Impact.



Were so proud of these achievements  its an honor to be recognized by our peers, said Ross Bushnell, division vice president and general manager, Sonoco Global Flexibles. As a company, we value brand and consumer insights as the engine for innovation. Each of these new technologies represents unmet needs in the marketplace, delivering added value to both customers and consumers, and thats a powerful combination.

The PrimaPak package is a flexible, stackable and reclosable package produced from a single roll of film, including a peel/reseal opening. Designed as an alternative to stand-up pouches and rigid packaging such as trays or tubs, the PrimaPak package stands out on the shelf as a unique hybrid of flexible and rigid packaging. Due to its lightweight rectangular shape, the PrimaPak package improves package cube by up to 30 percent, maximizes manufacturing efficiencies, and reduces warehousing space and transportation demands.

We see the markets moving toward lightweight packaging that cubes better than traditional bags or stand up pouches, said James Sanfilippo, president, Sonoco Elk Grove, Inc. We are excited by the growth potential of technologies like PrimaPak packaging. Retailers, CPGs and consumers are starting to demand packaging that fits traditional and e-commerce distribution, and PrimaPak is well suited for both purposes.

Replacing a separately applied pressure sensitive label (PSL), PromoPeel technology is integrated into the film structure, ensuring a consistent placement that won't obscure key brand messaging or other purchasing cues. PromoPeel technology improves labor efficiencies and reduces scrap by running on existing lines while avoiding secondary processes associated with traditional PSL application. With no adhesive residue and a lay-flat performance, PromoPeel label technology is also appreciated by retail cashiers and downstream stakeholders who are part of the coupon clearinghouse process.

The awards were presented during the 2018 FPA Flexible Packaging Achievement Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, March 13, in conjunction with the 2018 FPA Annual Meeting. This year, only 20 packaging solutions were recognized from a total of 164 award entries. All winning packages and competition entries will be on display during the 2018 FPA Annual Meeting and online at www.flexpack.org.
Mena IPO activity witnessed eight deals during Q4 2017, representing a 60 per cent surge in volume over the same period in 2016, while the capital raised hit $2.5 billion, over ten times the capital raised last year and the highest since 2014.



The UAE led the Mena IPO market in value, having raised a cumulative of $2.2 billion in capital, primarily contributed by the Emaar Development IPO ($1.3 billion), which was the biggest IPO in the region since 2014, said professional services firm EY.



The UAE also saw another successful issuance in the form of Adnoc Distribution IPO which raised a capital amounting to $850.9 million.



In Oman, the Muscat Securities Market recorded the highest number of listings with three IPO deals during Q4 2017, raising a combined capital of $81.9 million.



The Mena IPO activity is expected to gain momentum in 2018 bolstered by economic reforms and privatization drive of countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This, coupled with improved oil prices, favourable government initiatives and strong investor appetite, is likely to spur more listings in the Mena, especially from leading regional government-entities.



Gregory Hughes, Mena IPO Leader, EY said: The IPO activity is poised for further growth in 2018, especially with government and quasi-government owned assets preparing to go public in Kuwait, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The IPO activity in the region is likely to see a mix of local and international floatings. In addition, family owned, owner managed, and private equity-backed businesses are also signalling their intention to go to the market during 2018; this again could include a combination of local and international offerings of different sizes.



Saudi Arabia remains a bright spot in the region



The IPO market in Saudi looks buoyant with major regulatory reforms underway, and the impending public listing of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Exchange, and other large government-related entities. Tadawul is also on its course to join MSCIs emerging market index and has been swift in improving the regulatory environment and allowing foreign investments to be in line with global standards.



In the last quarter of 2017, Tadawul raised an announced value of $110 million, while Saudis parallel market, NOMU, saw a decrease by 48 per cent in 2017 with no IPOs in Q3 2017 or Q4 2017. However, effective from 1 January 2018, the Saudi Capital Market Authority (CMA) has allowed direct investments by non-resident foreign investors on NOMU.



Mayur Pau, Mena Financial Services IPO Leader, EY, said: The CMAs recent updates could encourage more small and mid-cap companies to go public in 2018, leading to a rebound in IPO listings on NOMU alone. The IPO activity pipeline for the UAE, Kuwait, and Egypt also looks promising with major government-owned firms announcing their plans to go public within the next two years. The Adnoc IPO is one of the most successful regional issuances in recent times and it is likely to pave the way for more public listings from the Mena energy sector.



GCC IPO value doubles compared to last year



Collectively, the GCC markets witnessed six IPOs deals in Q4 2017, recording a substantial volume increase of 200 per cent from the same period last year, while the deal value rose by over 10 times the capital raised in the previous year, reaching $2.4 billion in Q4 2017.The real estate sector raised the highest capital with $1.3 billion, closely followed by the energy sector with $850.9m. The REIT fund came third with a capital raised of $110m.



Regional market to mirror surge in global market



Activity in the global IPO market surged in 2017 with the listing of 1,624 deals, raising an aggregate capital of $188.8 billion. This is a significant growth trajectory in the number of deals listed (up 49 per cent) and capital raised (up 40 per cent), in comparison to 2016. This made 2017 the most active year for IPOs since 2007 and the global IPO market is projected to grow even further in 2018. This will positively impact the regional IPO landscape.



With a large number of companies already gearing to go public in the next couple of years and that one of the worlds largest IPO may come from the Mena itself, the outlook for regional IPO activity remains robust, concluded Gregory.  TradeArabia News Service
Sharjah-based budget carrier Air Arabia said its board has given approval for the distribution of a cash dividend of 10 per cent of the companys share capital to the investors.



The board's decision came at the conclusion of the company's annual general meeting (AGM) in Sharjah on Tuesday.



During the AGM, the assembly approved the report of the companys auditors for the financial year ending December 31, 2017, as well as the balance sheet and profit and loss accounts for the same period.



Air Arabias net profit for the 12 months ending December 31, 2017, stood at Dh662 million, an increase of 30 per cent compared to 2016.



Air Arabia added 21 new routes to its global network in 2017 from its five operating hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. The carrier took delivery of four new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 50 Airbus A320 aircraft operating to 145 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.



The Board of Directors and auditors of the company were also discharged from liability for the financial year ending December 31, 2017, while auditors for the next fiscal year were appointed and their remuneration fixed.



Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al Thani, chairman of Air Arabia, said: We are pleased with the performance of the company in 2017 which is reflected in the increase of dividends to our shareholders as compared to last year. Air Arabia remains committed to the growth of the aviation sector both regionally and globally and is strongly poised to overcome any future challenges. Consumer trust is key to our growth strategy as we continue to maintain a strong financial performance through the year and beyond. - TradeArabia News Service


BoE Push for Cryptocurrency Regulation Can Boost Markets

The Bank of England governors comments on the regulation of cryptocurrencies can be expected to help fuel a sustainable recovery of the likes of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and Dash.

This is the prediction of Nigel Green, founder and CEO of deVere Group, an independent financial services organization, following Mark Carneys declaration that the exchanges that clear cryptocurrencies should come into the regulatory tent.

Mr Carney noted: The time has come to hold the crypto asset ecosystem to the same standards as the rest of the financial system. Being part of the financial system brings enormous privileges, but with them great responsibilities In my view, holding crypto asset exchanges to the same rigorous standards as those that trade securities would address a major underlap in the regulatory approach.

The Governors announcement came just days after Green told the media in a statement: There is no question that regulation is necessary and is on its way. It is clearly an area in which there is an enormous need for a robust international regulatory framework and strict ongoing supervision. One of the best ways to address the regulatory issues is via the exchanges.

Of this stance now being taken by the Bank of England, Green comments: The proactive and pragmatic approach now being taken by the BoE should be championed.

An increasing number of people are becoming aware of and developing an interest in cryptocurrencies. Whether traditionalists like it or not, cryptocurrencies in some form or another are here to stay  and the market is only set to grow.

Robust regulation will help protect both retail and institutional investors, help combat cryptocurrency criminality, and reduce the potential threat of disrupting global financial stability, as well as offering a possible long-term economic boost to those countries which introduce it.

The Bank of England is one of the worlds most influential central banks and, as such, its approach is likely to help shape the policies of others, Green added. Strong regulatory frameworks will give investors even more protection and more confidence in the market and, with this in mind, the comments by the BoE Governor on the regulation of cryptocurrencies can be expected to help fuel a sustainable recovery of the likes of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin and Dash.

He added that regulation bolsters certainty, credibility and legal assurance. This in turn translates into confidence and, typically, therefore a long-term upward trend. We saw that this was the case for Bitcoin in Japan when Tokyo started regulating the token. The market dropped at first, but eventually it rose. The same thing happened in Australia.

Green concluded that cryptocurrency regulation is required and, he believes, now inevitable.

The work being done by many international financial watchdogs, lawmakers and central banks, such as the Bank of England, in this area is something I fully support.

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
Questions prepared and submitted by members of the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce and Henderson County Chamber of Commerce were posed to state lawmakers recently at a breakfast at the Sierra Nevada Brewery Taproom.

After the breakfast, which was sponsored by the two chambers, the lawmakers discussed issues important to them and issues they said might arise during the next legislative session, which reconvenes May 16. Those remarks were published in Mondays paper.

The following questions were posed to N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady, who represents Henderson County in District 117; N.C. Cody Henson, who represents District 113, which includes Transylvania County; and N.C. Sen. Chuck Edwards, who represents District 48, which also includes Transylvania.

Question and Answer

What efforts are the state taking to make sure we have a strong, educated workforce, ready to support industry?

Edwards said progress has been made.

One of the things we did in this past session is make modifications to Apprenticeship N.C. and the umbrella under which that operates, and we challenged the state Board of Education to develop more apprenticeship programs, Edwards said. I believe that one of the next things we have to do is figure out what the needs will be five years from now.

How is the state working to address the issue of affordable and workforce housing for families in Western North Carolina?

Its going to take some bold steps from a lot of folks because the reality is affordable housing comes down to three things: the cost to build the home, the supply of homes and the demand, Edwards said.

When one examines factors such as the regulations and zoning restrictions and the resistance of neighbors to have homes built in their neighborhoods, Edwards said one cant put enough room in the state budget to address affordable housing.

Its going to take a concerted effort from the state, and from local governments, to illuminate regulation to offer incentives for folks to build in particular areas to have the willingness to change zoning requirements, density requirements and that sort of thing, Edwards said. So, its not going to be handled by a line item on a state budget because there are too many dimensions to that.

What is the state doing to support greenway efforts and where do you see them going in the future?

McGrady said that, while the state role in greenways is not clear, and that the money for development is available at a state level, most of the cutting edge work being done with greenways is being done within local governments.

There is a big demand for greenways, McGrady said. Ive got two millennials, and I never thought when I raised them here that, frankly, they would want to return here, but the jobs and quality of life are here, and that quality of life involves being able to get outside and enjoy the fine public land weve got.

What do you think of user fees for public lands?

Broadly, McGrady said, I think people who use whatever amenity that is provided by government ought to be the ones who pay for that amenity as a general matter, so philosophically I can get there, but there are a lot of parks and public lands across the state, so if you pay for something with your taxes, you dont want a charge on top of that, so theres got to be some balance.

What do you see as the states role in work with education, particularly in how teachers pay will be addressed?

McGrady said, unlike greenways, the states role is quite clear.

We have a constitutional provision that puts responsibilities with funding on the state, McGrady said.

Edwards said he sits on a standing committee for higher education, and what he said hes found is, in a lot of cases, there is no accountability for spending.

When we asked the Department of Public Instruction for some data that we expected would have been readily available, it wasnt, Edwards said. They did not have the data we needed, so then we had to go through several months of collecting data, and, automatically, as a business person, thats a red flag to me.

If we cant answer simple questions about where we are spending millions of dollars, there are some problems, so I dont want to lose track of the fact that not only do you have to make sure we have funding for text books, classroom teachers and principals, but we need to have a better understanding of how we are spending our money.

Henson said the House is looking at formulas to ensure that money for education is distributed appropriately.

If youve seen how North Carolina funds education and how that money trickles down from the big pot in the general budget down to local school systems, there are about 4,000 different places that money goes through that switches hands, Henson said. So, we are looking at how we can better streamline those funds to get from the state down to the local level.

Henson said one source for education is the N.C. Lottery Fund, which he said they are revisiting.

I know there were several bills filed this year regarding the lottery and how to get those funds back down to the local level, Henson said, and if we dont see anything in the short session, we will see it next year in the long session.

What role do you see the state playing in early childhood development?

Edwards said, with the budget passed in 2017, the pre-kindergarten waiting slots were reduced by 75 percent.

I wished we could have reduced it by 100 percent, but the legislation we passed in the most recent session eliminated the waiting slots for pre-kindergarten education, where folks in North Carolina who are really at risk need the most attention, so they can be ready for the next level of education, Edwards said. I feel weve made some big steps, and its not everything we need to do, but we erased the waiting list.

What is the states role in addressing the issue of mental health in the community?

McGrady said this is a crosscutting issue.

If you talk to any CEO of any hospital, school superintendent, or sheriff in this area, they will talk to you about mental health, and its a problem weve had in terms of figuring out how to fund, and what our role is, McGrady said. In Henderson County, youve got groups that have coalesced and are working to come up with a solution on a local level to bring to us to come up with a different way, because this way is not working.

McGrady said he hasnt found a lawmaker with an answer, and that its a problem that affects all parts of the community.

I hear it from people I wouldnt even expect, McGrady said. Its going to be on the agenda, and we know its going to cost money, but how we pay for it, like other medical issues, the answer is we just dont know right now.

McGrady added that mental health will be on the front burner of the long legislative session.

Henson said training people in workforce development to go into the mental health field is one part of the solution.

We can fund to have a bed for every single person in the state of N.C., but at the end of the day weve got to have providers to take care of these people and evaluate them, Henson said.

Edwards answered that he believes mental health has been a part of every issue discussed so far.

The first thing that occurs to me is we need to abolish the term mental health and break it down to what it is, McGrady said. There is a drug and alcohol issue, and there is mental illness, and if we can get underneath what causes each of those things, we could determine how they need to be treated.

Edwards added that he doesnt see what state government can do to treat drug and alcohol problem more effectively than what local government is already doing.

Regarding the opioid issue, Henson pointed out that in the recent session of the General Assembly, the STOP Act was passed with bipartisan support, which took an aggressive role in limiting the amount of opioid medication doctors can prescribe.

What is your role in Raleigh to make sure our roads support economic development?

McGrady said transportation infrastructure will be an issue on the next session because the current model is no longer working on a federal or state level.

Our cars are more efficient, McGrady said. People are driving less therefore less money is coming in, and yet we are continuing to grow, and there is a larger gap occurring between money in and money out, but right now we are in a good place because we are putting more money in as chance would have it, but its a short term fix.

McGrady added that it comes back to user fees.

Whoever is using the roads ought to be the one to pay for it, and thats how our system works now, through an indirect gas tax, McGrady said. You must have gas, in which you pay by gas, and the taxes are all put in a trust fund both at the federal and state level, but thats not going to work down the road.

How do you feel the General Assemblys steps toward modifying the tax policy have affected the business fund?

Edwards said hes seen taxes drop over the last several years, and, as a result, revenues have increased.

The state of N.C. spent $16 billion in 10 years leading up to 2010 for various economic incentives, yet we had the highest tax climate in the Southeast, one of the highest in the country and the result was deterioration in economic growth, Edwards said. So, the headline there is, it doesnt matter what kind of incentive you give folks, if you tax them to death when they they get here, there is no reason for them to come.

Edwards said he feels the state is in a good place.

We have the lowest corporate tax rate in the U.S., and weve got a very competitive personal income tax, but I know that we can do better after looking at some of the budgets and the way we operate some of our state agencies, Edwards said.

Henson said North Carolina has been ranked one of the best states in the nation to do business in.

Our employment rate has dropped since we started enacting tax reforms, but, more importantly, on a personal income level, North Carolinians are paying less in taxes now than the did 10 years ago, and I think thats putting money back where it actually belongs, and thats in the taxpayers pocket, Henson said.

McGrady said the results have spoken for themselves.

North Carolinas economy is growing, and people are moving here from all over the country to raise their families, and I think that speaks volumes for our state, and I attribute that to a fiscal sound policy when it comes to tax reform, McGrady said.

McGrady said he fully agrees with the direction the legislature has taken on tax reform, but that he doesnt want to go too far.

We are not the federal government, McGrady said, so we cant just print money. We are constitutionally required to have a balanced budget, and we need to put money in savings to protect ourselves from a down term.

McGrady, Edwards and Henson closed by asking everyone to continue to communicate with them.

Communicate with us, McGrady said. Call, email, make sure we understand your concerns.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN) has been named one of the 2018 Top Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE). The recognition honors American corporations where women have significant influence to make the decisions that affect their companys future and its bottom line. This marks First Horizons seventh consecutive year on the list.



I am proud to work for a company that consistently ranks as one of the best in the nation for female executives, said Tammy LoCascio, executive vice president of consumer banking. We are dedicated to providing development and advancement opportunities for all our employees, and we work hard to create an environment that promotes diversity and inclusion.

First Horizon Highlights

Female leaders constitute more than 30 percent of First Horizons Executive Management Committee

More than 55 percent of First Horizons formal mentoring program participants are women

Women at First Horizon comprise 60 percent of the companys workforce

First Horizons Womens Initiative Employee Resource Group, which is more than 15 years old, promotes the success of women in our company and communities

Betty Spence, president of NAFE, says, NAFEs annual scrutiny of womens progress at American companies offers essential data about the movement of women into top leadership in the private sector. In this first year of having five NAFE Top Companies with boards of 50% or more women, we point to a synergy between the greater presence of women on the board and an increase in the number of winning companies with women CEOs and with 50%-plus women in the C-suite (10 companies).

Subha V. Barry, senior vice president & managing director, Working Mother Media, says, NAFEs Top Companies shows us what progressive organizations are doing to ensure womens advancement into executive positions. This year, noting increased enrollment and more companies with high scores, we decided to enlarge the list by 10. Areas such as number of female CEOs and promotions at every level illustrate improvement. However, while there is increased CEO engagement in making sure women have the best chance to become leaders, we also note there has also been a dip in key indicators like top earners, which needs to be addressed.

About First Horizon

First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE:FHN) provides financial services through its First Tennessee, Capital Bank, FTB Advisors, and FTN Financial businesses. First Horizon operates more than 350 bank locations across the southern U.S. and 28 FTN Financial offices across the entire U.S. Our banking subsidiary was founded in 1864 and has the 14th oldest national bank charter in the country. Our First Tennessee and Capital Bank brands have the largest deposit market share in Tennessee and one of the highest customer retention rates of any bank in the country. We have been ranked by American Banker as No. 5 among the Top 10 Most Reputable U.S. Banks. Our FTB Advisors wealth management group has more than 300 financial advisors and about $30 billion in assets under administration. FTN Financial is a capital markets industry leader in fixed income sales, trading and strategies for institutional customers in the U.S. and abroad. We have been recognized as one of the nations best employers by Working Mother and American Banker magazines and the National Association for Female Executives. More information is available at www.FirstHorizon.com.

About the Methodology

The 2018 NAFE Top Companies application includes some 200 questions on female representation at all levels, especially the corporate officer and profit-and-loss ranks. The vetting process includes tracking access and usage of programs and policies that promote the advancement of women as well as the training and accountability of managers in relation to the number of women who advance. In order to be eligible for the NAFE Top Companies survey, entrants must have a minimum of 1,000 employees, two women on the Board of Directors and be a public or private company. NAFE also separately names the Top 10 companies in the nonprofit sector.

About NAFE

The National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), founded in 1972, serves 20,000 members nationwide with networking, tools and solutions to strengthen and grow their careers and businesses. Working Mother magazine publishes the annual NAFE Top Companies list. NAFE.com provides up-to-date information, a community for women in business, and access to member benefits. NAFE is a division of Working Mother Media, owned by the Bonnier Corporation.



FHN-G



Contact: James Dowd (901) 523-4305 JEDowd@FirstTennessee.com
CALGARY, Alberta, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Manson Creek Resources Ltd. (TSX.V:MCK) (Manson or the Corporation) is pleased to report that at its Annual & Special Meeting, held on March 14, 2018, Jean-Pierre Jutras, Shane Ebert, Cornell McDowell were re-elected to the Board of Directors. Dr. Peter K. M. Megaw, currently serving as a Technical Advisor to Manson was also elected to the Board of Directors.



Mr. JP Jutras, P.Geol. and President of the Company reports: This milestone meeting solidifies our commitment in moving forward on the Jade path. With a solid year of progress since our change of focus in February of 2017, we now have a greatly enhanced Board and advisory group, a strong, drill ready lead project at DJ, and are moving forward on research and due diligence on a number of further opportunities to increase our presence in the Jade world. Our re-branding, and soon to be launched new website and information portal are being designed to increase both access to information and context to our Jade endeavor, as well as raise visibility and awareness to the Companys efforts and successes. We look forward to a productive 2018 and beyond, and as always, thank our shareholders for their continued support.

The Board of directors has collectively ratified the appointment (or reappointment) of Mr. Jutras as President of the Corporation, Ms. Barbara ONeill as Corporate Secretary, and welcomes Ms. Shari Difley, CPA, CA, B.Comm. as our newly appointed Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation.

On Ms. Difleys joining the team, Mr. Jutras, commented: Having known Shari for over 20 years, and having worked with her with the Tyler Resources Team, I am very glad to welcome her professionalism, dedication and enthusiasm for our current direction and look forward to her advice and expertise in supporting the Company going ahead. We now have the best Board, Advisory and Executive I could wish for to fully move forward in the coming months.

Shareholders also approved fixing the number of directors at four, the appointment of BDO Canada LLP as Auditors, ratified the Corporations stock option plan and approved a name change from Manson Creek Resources Ltd. to Jade Leader Corp. The name change will become effective upon the completion of certain filings and subsequent regulatory approval.

Manson has also granted, under its Stock Option Plan, options to certain Directors and Officers to purchase up to 280,000 common shares for a period of three years commencing on March 14, 2018 at an exercise price of $0.34 per share.



On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Jean-Pierre Jutras

Jean-Pierre Jutras

President/Director

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.



Except for the historical and present factual information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release, including words such as expects, projects, plans, anticipates and similar expressions, are forward-looking information that represents management of Manson Creeks internal projections, expectations or beliefs concerning, among other things, future operating results and various components thereof or the economic performance of Manson Creek. The projections, estimates and beliefs contained in such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause Manson Creeks actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among other things, those described in Manson Creeks filings with the Canadian securities authorities. Accordingly, holders of Manson Creek shares and potential investors are cautioned that events or circumstances could cause results to differ materially from those predicted. Manson Creek disclaims any responsibility to update these forward-looking statements

For Further Information Contact:

Jean Pierre Jutras at 1.403.233.0464

http://www.manson.ca
TORONTO, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cardinal Resources Limited (ASX:CDV) (TSX:CDV) ("Cardinal" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has filed a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") Technical Report in respect of the Preliminary Economic Analysis ("PEA") announced on 5 February 2018.



The NI 43-101 Technical Report can be viewed under the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Companys website at www.cardinalresources.com.au .

ABOUT CARDINAL

Cardinal Resources Limited (ASX:CDV) (TSX:CDV) is a gold-focused exploration and development Company which holds interests in tenements within Ghana, West Africa.

The Companys Namdini Project has an Indicated Mineral Resource of 6.5Moz of gold contained in 180Mt at 1.1 g/t Au at a cut-off of 0.5g/t Au and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 0.5Moz of gold contained in 13Mt @ 1.2 g/t Au at a cut off of 0.5 g/t Au.

The Company is focused on the development of the Namdini Project through advancing the Pre-Feasiblity study, supported by additional multi-disciplinary engineering activities.

Exploration programmes are also continuing at the Companys Bolgatanga (Northern Ghana) and Subranum (Southern Ghana) Projects.

For further information contact:

Archie Koimtsidis

CEO / MD

Cardinal Resources Limited

P: +61 8 6558 0573

Alec Rowlands

IR / Corp Dev

Cardinal Resources Limited

P: +1 647 256 1922

Disclaimer



This ASX / TSX press release has been prepared by Cardinal Resources Limited (ABN: 56 147 325 620) ("Cardinal" or the "Company"). Neither the ASX or the TSX, nor their regulation service providers accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This press release contains summary information about Cardinal, its subsidiaries and their activities, which is current as at the date of this press release. The information in this press release is of a general nature and does not purport to be complete nor does it contain all the information, which a prospective investor may require in evaluating a possible investment in Cardinal.

By its very nature exploration for minerals is a highrisk business and is not suitable for certain investors. Cardinals securities are speculative. Potential investors should consult their stockbroker or financial advisor. There are a number of risks, both specific to Cardinal and of a general nature which may affect the future operating and financial performance of Cardinal and the value of an investment in Cardinal including but not limited to economic conditions, stock market fluctuations, gold price movements, regional infrastructure constraints, timing of approvals from relevant authorities, regulatory risks, operational risks and reliance on key personnel and foreign currency fluctuations.

Except for statutory liability which cannot be excluded and subject to applicable law, each of Cardinals officers, employees and advisors expressly disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the material contained in this press release and excludes all liability whatsoever (including in negligence) for any loss or damage which may be suffered by any person as a consequence of any information in this Announcement or any error or omission here from. Except as required by applicable law, the Company is under no obligation to update any person regarding any inaccuracy, omission or change in information in this press release or any other information made available to a person nor any obligation to furnish the person with any further information. Recipients of this press release should make their own independent assessment and determination as to the Companys prospects, its business, assets and liabilities as well as the matters covered in this press release.

Forwardlooking statements

Certain statements contained in this press release, including information as to the future financial or operating performance of Cardinal and its projects may also include statements which are forwardlooking statements that may include, amongst other things, statements regarding targets, estimates and assumptions in respect of mineral resources and anticipated grades and recovery rates, production and prices, recovery costs and results, capital expenditures and are or may be based on assumptions and estimates related to future technical, economic, market, political, social and other conditions. These forward  looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Cardinal, are inherently subject to significant technical, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from estimated or anticipated events or results reflected in such forwardlooking statements.

Cardinal disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or release any revisions to any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, circumstances or results or otherwise after todays date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, other than required by the Corporations Act and ASX and TSX Listing Rules. The words believe, expect, anticipate, indicate, contemplate, target, plan, intends, continue, budget, estimate, may, will, schedule and similar expressions identify forwardlooking statements.

All forwardlooking statements made in this press release are qualified by the foregoing cautionary statements. Investors are cautioned that forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of future performance and accordingly investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forwardlooking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
editorial@tribune.com

Bathinda, March 13

The three-day pulse polio drive came to an end today with as many as 29,977 children were vaccinated for polio on final day. A total of 1,52,973 children were vaccinated in the district against the set target of 1,53,649. As many as 76,957 children were administered polio vaccine on first day and 46,039 were vaccinated on second day of the drive on Monday.

Kundal Pal, District Immunisation Officer, said, We have been able to achieve 99.6 percent of the set target for the district and the drive has been successful. As anganwadi workers pulled themselves from the drive at the eleventh hour, the nursing students assisted us to make it a successful drive. Now we will be focusing on Measles and Rubella vaccination drive that is scheduled in April.  TNS
KC Singh

KC Singh

WHILE Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied visiting French President Emmanuel Macron on the Ganges at Varanasi, at times hand-in-hand, for an iconic view of the Ghats, India hovered over multiple domestic inflexion points. While agreements were signed with France for strategic engagement, either by reciprocal logistics to enable mutual utilisation of military facilities in the Indian Ocean or by advancing opaque defence purchases like the Rafale deal, or the kick-starting of the stalled giant nuclear project at Jataipur, promising untested EPR design reactors; farmers marched, many barefooted and hungry, towards the centre of Indias financial capital Mumbai. Rural India, where still a majority of Indian voters reside, was signalling that India could not become a great power by lopsided growth and mere promises of achhe din.

The Modi government has, at best, just a year left or less, if early Lok Sabha elections are held, in tandem with the crucial state elections, due by December, in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where the BJP faces anti-incumbency. But the Modi slogan of a corruption-free India is no longer paraded. The Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi duo fleeing after swindling Punjab National Bank of over Rs 13,000 crore have dented the governments reputation. A photo of Nirav amid top Indian businessman with PM Modi, and a video with prominent jewellers where the PM identifies Mehul Bhai by name while speaking, are seen as clues to their cosiness with the regime.

The BJPs poor performance in the recent bypolls in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and even Uttar Pradesh fuel the debate that the re-election of Modi, taken as a given months ago, may no longer be certain. The debate now veers around the reliability of the EVMs. Would they be the determinant of victory rather than publics will? Two recent books and a Belfer Center, Harvard Kennedy School, report on the risks to democratic elections of cyber attacks and information operations raise some uncomfortable questions. How Democracies Die by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt and People v. Democracy by Yascha Mounk debate the direction of democracy globally. The lessons apply to India under Modi.

Levitsky-Ziblatt argue that in the 21st century democracies are endangered, not so much by military coups, like in the 20th century South Asia, or by younger hereditary rulers in the Gulf or by clerical rule (supreme leader in Iran), but the election of populist autocrats. The playbook is old, as Mussolini and Hitler also took the electoral route, albeit laced with threat of street violence, but the methodology is now subtler. The elected leader debases state institutions by weakening the judiciary, putting compliant appointees in control of the Election Commission, handing over investigative agencies to reliable and ruthless proteges for targeting businessmen and opposition figures, emasculates Parliament by negating its checks and balances. Intelligence agencies are co-opted or devalued, as Trump does regularly, and media bought or bludgeoned into submission.

The Mounk book explores flagging interest in democracy amongst youth and the millennials. While 71 per cent of those born in the 1930s in Europe and the US value living in a democracy, only 29 per cent of those born in the 1980s are so inclined. In fact, a quarter of the millennials think democracy is a bad way to run a nation. In polls in India, there is a tendency to favour authoritarian rulers, something that feeds Modis persona as a leader unmatched by his peers. Social media algorithms entrap users in vacuum chambers of similar prejudices and thus curtail debate. The leaders use the reach of Twitter and Facebook to perpetuate their skewed thoughts and browbeat opponents directly, or by their armies of bots. President Donald Trump routinely terms independent news outlets as fake news. A former Indian Army Chief, and now minister of state in the Modi government, coined the phrase presstitutes. As Rudyard Kipling wrote: For the colonels lady and Judy OGrady, Are sisters under their skins. It seems so are the new breed of populist, rabble-rousing politicians across all continents.

The Belfer report is more worrisome as it reflects a debate in India that the Aam Aadmi Party initiated, but was ignored  the possibility of integrity of EVMs being compromised  and thus the electoral process itself getting highjacked by the ruling party. In the US, the states have greater control over the electoral process but two methods are used for vote casting. One, is optical scanners (OS), where voters cast a ballot by traditional pen and paper, or electronic ballot marking device, and then, the ballot is run through scanning machines. Thus, while an electronic tabulation is retained in the machine, so are the original paper ballots as physical record for subsequent audit or vote verification. Two, is direct recording electronic (DRE), as is done in India with option, as now proposed, of voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT). The problem is that the test audit of VVPATs by the Election Commission is of small samples and in a few constituencies.

The Belfer report concludes that voting machines can be compromised via physical tampering (including using removable media) or through external connectivity (e.g. WiFi). It recommends that the OS method is safer than the DRE machines, including with VVPATs. This is a matter that needs debate in India, as a second time, after Indira Gandhi in the 1970s, a powerful Prime Minister is bending institutions to his own will. Therefore, the integrity of the electoral process needs to be not only safeguarded against the slightest doubt, but also done so publicly.

The next year is critical for Indian democracy, as indeed the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution. While in 1975-77, when the Emergency was declared, the world was still mired in Cold War and democratic rule had not flowered globally. Now even the US and its Western allies are casting doubts on the efficacy of its functioning. President Xi Jinping having seized almost total power from the party and the military posits the Chinese model of economic success via authoritarian structures. Can India keep the flame of democracy and liberalism alive in Asia as a counterpoint? That is the drama that is about to unfold in coming year.

The writer is a former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs
harinder@tribunemail.com

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 13

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals advisor VK Jain, who had stated that he witnessed the assault on city Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash during a meeting at Kejriwals residence, has resigned citing personal reasons and family commitments.

Jain, who was questioned by police in connection with the alleged assault on the CS, submitted his resignation in the CMs Office and sent a copy to the Lt Governor.

The retired bureaucrat was appointed advisor to Kejriwal soon after he had retired as the CEO of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board in August last year. The board is chaired by Arvind Kejriwal.

Jain had not been coming to the office since the incident at the CM's residence in the intervening night of February 19-20 and had proceeded on a week-long medical leave.

As per the Delhi Police, Jain had shared during interrogation that AAP MLAs Prakash Jarwal and Amanatullah Khan surrounded the CS and he saw them beating him at Kejriwals residence.

But Jain had earlier said that he did not see anything as he had gone to the washroom at the time of the incident.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

London, March 14

The UK government has said that it will raise concerns around the case of a British Sikh being held in a maximum-security jail in Punjab at "senior levels" in India.

The case of Jagtar Singh Johal, a 30-year-old British Sikh from Dunbarton in Scotland who is currently being held in Nabha Central Jail on murder and conspiracy to murder charges, was raised as part of a debate in the UK Parliament's Westminster Hall yesterday.

British Sikh MPs Preet Kaur Gill and Tan Dhesi along with Johal's local area MP, Martin Docherty-Hughes, asked the UK government to raise the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the UK for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) next month.

Mark Field, Minister of state in charge of Asia and the Pacific in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), said he would "try" to see that happens, adding that he would "continue to raise this case at senior levels with Indian authorities".

He said that the UK government had handled nearly 5,000 detentions involving British nationals abroad in the last year alone with "comprehensive, responsive" consular service and stressed that it is important that the legal systems of other countries are respected.

"India as a partner in the Commonwealth and also as a partner in many other ways has a strong democratic framework which is designed to guarantee human rights.

However, it also faces numerous challenges related to the size of development and when it comes to enforcing fundamental rights enshrined in its Constitution," Field said in his response to the debate entitled 'British Nationals Imprisoned Abroad'.

Gill, as chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs, had organised the debate in order to raise Johal's case.

She laid out the background to the case since Johal was arrested in Punjab in November last year, claiming that he had faced severe torture while in custody.

"Indian authorities have prevented Jagtar having private access to British consular staff," she said, adding that his case has become a "farcical trial by media".

Dhesi added: "It is incumbent on all of us to stand for the human rights of all British citizens. The UK government's failure to condemn the series of abuses (against Johal) has left all British citizens travelling abroad vulnerable."

During the debate it emerged that Johal's local area MP had spoken to the British High Commissioner to India, Dominic Asquith, and received an update on the case this week.

The Indian government maintains that "due process" is being followed in the case, which was last raised at a ministerial level during the UK visit of Indian minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju in January. PTI
laxmi@tribune.com

THE Gorakhpur miscalculation will hurt terribly. Yogi Adityanath has contrived to lose his fortress against a timorous opposition demoralised by a double trouncing in 2014 and 2017. In the end, the math lost Gorakhpur for the first time in 30 years because of a combination of factors: poor booth management, a simmering agrarian unrest, an unhealthy reliance on strong arm methods, including police encounters, the CMs non-resident status and, the temporary sinking of differences among social justice parties. The loss in Phoolpur will be less of a political and personal loss for the CM because till the Modi magic clicked in 2014, the seat was consecutively won by social justice parties for the last seven times.

As per conventional wisdom, the BJP lost because other parties pooled their votes in favour of a common candidate. That may not be true. The Opposition was indeed fractured in 2014 but stood no chance even it had joined hands because the BJP gathered over 50 per cent of the votes in both constituencies. The BJPs booth managers must own up to the laxity that led to abysmal polling in urban areas of both Gorakhpur and Allahabad. But the Opposition also played its cards adroitly; its Gorakhpur candidate was a non-party man whose father had left SP because of its preference for the Yadavs. The selection of a candidate from the Nishad caste also helped open up old caste fault lines with the math; most of Yogis unsuccessful challengers in the past were Nishad candidates. The Congress, instead of acting as a spoiler, may have helped SP-BSP consolidate backward votes as the grand old party is identified with upper caste strongmen in these parts.

The BJP has put up a brave face despite the unprecedented embarrassment suffered by both the CM and his second-in-command of a state that sends a quarter of its MPs to the Lok Sabha. PM Modi does not usually put in high impact appearances for byelections but the consistent losses in North India seem to suggest that his earlier, well-tried blend of communal polarisation and lofty promises of development is not enthusing the voter anymore.
editorial@tribune.com

Deepender Deswal

Tribune News Service

Hisar, March 14

A DSP and six other policemen were injured when a group of villagers pelted stones on them on the outskirts of the districts Koth Kalan village following a row over control of a dera, Baba Kala Peer.

Himachal Governor Acharya Devvrat participated in a function in the dera and left the venue before the violence erupted.

The situation turned ugly soon after a group of seven religious heads of deras in Haryana announced their decision to anoint one of the two claimants as the mahant of the dera.

The supporters of the mahant, who lost the race, started pelting stones on a cavalcade of vehicles of the seven dera heads as they were leaving the venue.

The police resorted to lathicharge and used water cannons to disperse the mob who kept on throwing stones on the cops for about half an hour.

Hansi DSP Narender Kadian suffered a head injury. Six other cops and a journalist were also injured.

The police force was requisitioned from adjoining police stations to bring the situation under control.

Villagers said the head of Baba Kala Peer had expired two months ago. Two of his disciples  Mahant Shukrai Nath and Mahant Bhajnai Nath  were staking claim to become the dera head.

The dera management has organised a two-day function attended by the Himachal Governor on the concluding day today.

The heads of seven deras had been mediating to resolve the dispute over anointment of the next head. They held a meeting after the conclusion of the function in the evening.

They emerged out of the three-hour meeting to announce that Mahant Shukrai Nath had been given the charge of the dera. But his rival, Mahant Bhajanai Nath, urged dera heads to appoint anyone else.

As the heads of seven deras did not budge, supporters of Mahant Bhajanai Nath started protesting.
editorial@tribune.com

Vishal Joshi

Tribune News Service

Kurukshetra, March 14

For hassle-free procurement of mustard seeds and wheat crop, Additional Chief Secretary (Co-operation) Navraj Sandhu today directed Deputy Commissioners and heads of procurement agencies in several districts to complete arrangements.

Chairing a meeting through video-conferencing, she said ample purchase centres would be set up in districts. Sandhu directed all agencies to depute staff in grain markets.

She asked the DCs to visit grain markets in their areas, give final touches to the arrangements and depute a senior officer for every grain market for daily inspection.

The purchase of mustard oilseeds will begin tomorrow, while the procurement of wheat will commence on April 1.

Hafed chairman Harvinder Kalyan today said the state government had decided to procure Fair Average Quality (FAQ) mustard seeds at an MSP of Rs 4,000 per quintal, including a bonus of Rs 100.

Wheat will be procured at the MSP of Rs 1,735 per quintal.

Hafed will procure mustard from farmers on behalf of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NAFED).

Farmers would be paid through the RTGS, Kalyan said.
editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondent

Sonepat, March 14

A joint team of the CIA, Sonepat, and the SIT, Kharkhoda, today arrested Jagmal Singh, a student who had allegedly shot dead Rajesh Malik, Assistant Professor of English, in the staff room of Shaheed Dalbir Singh Government College at Kharkhoda town in the district yesterday.

Talking to mediapersons at the Kharkhoda police station today, CIA Inspector Indeevar said that the main accused was arrested from Rohtak within 36 hours of the incident.

He will be produced in a court tomorrow and will be taken in police custody for further investigation and involvement of any other person in the case, he said.

A two-minute silence was observed in the college in the memory of slain lecturer. The teaching and non-teaching staff of the college also suspended work in protest against the killing.

On the other hand, a police team accompanied by technical experts failed to get recordings from the CCTV cameras installed in the college. Experts said that the cameras were only functioning, but were not saving the data.

The police had yesterday arrested Akash and Amit of Thana Kalan who had kept a vigil when the crime was being committed and accuseds uncle Dinesh of Rohna village whose licenced revolver was used in the crime.

Karnal teachers stage dharna

Karnal: Teachers of Government College, Sector-14, today staged a dharna in protest against the murder of Rajesh Malik. The protesting teachers wore black badges and handed over a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner demanding steps to be taken to stop reoccurrence of such incidents in colleges. Dr Kanwar Bhan, president of the teachers association and Dr Upendra Singh, secretary of the association, said that the government should ensure the safety and security of the teachers in educational institutions.
singhking99@yahoo.com

Tribune News Service

Solan, March 14

Officials of the Baddi Barotiwala Nalagarh Development Authority today served a notice to a BJP leader and his kin for raising unauthorised sheds along the National Highway (NH)-21-A at Kripalpur, Nalka and Khera villages in violation of the norms.

The activity was being carried out allegedly to grab compensation from the National Highways Authority of India as land along the said highway was being acquired for four-laning of the road. The construction, which was being carried out in haste and without seeking any permission, was noticed by locals.

KC Chaman, Chief Executive Officer, BBNDA, who was apprised by the locals about the illegal activity, served a show-cause notice to Hans Raj Chandel, Amit Chandel and Neelam Chandel at Kripalpur, Khera and Nalka villages after assessing the situation.

The notice states that the unauthorised shed raised within 27.50 m from the NH without any permission was a violation of the HP Town and Country Planning, Act. The trio has been directed to appear before the CEO within five days and explain as to why an action under Section 38 of the said Act cannot be taken against them for the violation.

Taking note of the incident, the CEO, BBNDA, has also written a letter to the SDM, Nalagarh, apprising him of the incident where presumably an attempt was made to grab enhanced compensation through this activity.

He has also suggested the need to constitute a special squad and to check such encroachments and ensure that they were lawfully removed. A proposal to undertake videography on both sides of the NH has also been mooted so that the compensation was given on the basis of the position of land at the time of its survey.
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc. (the Company or BVT) (TSXV:BEE) announces the appointment, on a contractual basis, of Dr. Gerardo Suazo, Ph.D., M.B.A. to the position of Senior Technical Manager.



Mexico is a market where about $250M of chemical fungicides are being used today, and where growers are already actively modifying their production practices to meet standards demanding higher levels of food safety and quality with less chemical inputs. Offering a motivated and highly-scalable market, it will be the next, after the United States, that BVT will target in which to develop its technology. Dr. Suazo will be responsible for overseeing and managing trials in Mexico and will play a key role in driving the BVT technology adoption within the country.

Dr. Suazo brings 15 years of industry relevant experience in the US and Mexico to the Company. His work experience spans research, product and project management and includes 8 years working with Syngenta. He holds a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Cornell University, an M.B.A. in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, an M.S. in International Horticulture from Essex University in the UK, and a B.S. in Horticultural Engineering from Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Morelos in Mexico. Dr. Suazo is based in Queretaro, Mexico and will be responsible for developing the BVT system for the Mexican market, and in assisting with the commercialization efforts in the US.

The BVT system is highly innovative, and the discussions I had with growers in Mexico before taking the role have confirmed that there is a very good opportunity for this technology across many crops in Mexico, said Dr. Suazo. I am very excited to be part of the team now and feel that my experience and connections will help accelerate development of the business in Mexico and the US.

Ashish Malik, CEO of BVT added, Gerardo is very strong technically, but what we are most excited about is that he is very hands-on and has a very good business sense that relates very well to growers. He has a record of accomplishment of commercializing innovative tools for growers and being bi-lingual makes him a perfect fit to help build our business in both Mexico and the US.

Mexico is experiencing a production increase of several crops for export and domestic consumption (i.e. avocados, berries, vegetables). BVT has the potential to address the vegetable and fresh fruit production markets (for example, 22,500 acres of strawberries, 8,000 acres of blueberries and over 300,000 acres of tomatoes & peppers).

About Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.

BVT has developed and owns patent-pending bee vectoring technology that is designed to harmlessly utilize bumblebees and honeybees as natural delivery mechanisms for a variety of powdered mixtures comprised of organic compounds that inhibit or control common crop diseases, while at the same time enhancing crop vigor and productivity. This unique and proprietary process enables a targeted delivery of crop controls using the simple process of bee pollination to replace traditional crop spraying, resulting in better yields, superior quality, and less impact on the environment without the use of water or disruptions to labour.

Additional information can be viewed at the Companys website www.beevt.com

On Behalf of Bee Vectoring Technologies International Inc.,

Ashish Malik

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Ashish Malik, President & CEO

marketing@beevt.com

Babak Pedram, Investor Relations

Virtus Advisory Group

Tel: 416-995-8651

bpedram@virtusadvisory.com

For media enquiries or interviews, please contact:

Josh Stanbury | josh@sjspr.co.uk | T. 416-628-7441

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.

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "potential", "will", "seek", "intend", "plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect" and similar expressions as they relate to the Company, annual revenue potential, are intended to identify forward-looking information. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Such statements reflect the Companys current views and intentions with respect to future events, and current information available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including: planted acres of strawberries in Florida, selling price of competitive chemical pesticides and the US to Canadian dollar exchange rate. Material factors or assumptions were applied in providing forward-looking information. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking information to vary from those described herein should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize. These factors include changes in law, competition, litigation, the ability to implement business strategies and pursue business opportunities, state of the capital markets, the availability of funds and resources to pursue operations, new technologies, the ability to protect intellectual property rights, the ability to obtain patent protection for products, third-party intellectual property infringement claims, regulatory changes affecting products, failing research and development activities, the ability to reach and sustain profitability, dependence on business and technical experts, the ability to effectively manage business operations and growth, issuance of debt, dilution of existing securities, volatility of publicly traded securities, potential conflicts of interest, unlikelihood of dividend payments, the potential costs stemming from defending third-party intellectual property infringement claims, the ability to secure relationships with manufacturers and purchasers, as well as general economic, market and business conditions, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Companys Filing Statement dated May 29, 2015, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in certain provinces of Canada and available at www.sedar.com. Should any factor affect the Company in an unexpected manner, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, the actual results or events may differ materially from the results or events predicted. Any such forward-looking information is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Moreover, the Company does not assume responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such forward-looking information. The forward-looking information included in this press release is made as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, other than as required by applicable law. All figures are in Canadian dollars.
editorial@tribune.com

Vijay Arora

Shimla, March 14

To beautify Kufri, the HP High Court has directed the Advocate General (AG) to convene a meeting of all stakeholders for taking appropriate action on a project report, Kufri Special Area Beautification and Development, prepared by the Rotary Club of Shimla Midtown.

A Division Bench comprising acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel issued the directions following a public interest litigation (PIL) on deteriorating conditions in the tourist spot. The court had earlier asked the Rotary Club to prepare a project report on the development of the area.

In the petition, it was stated that Kufri is a well-known tourist destination and a large number of people visit the area every year. A huge amount from the public exchequer is being spent on the development of tourism activities in the area by the government through the Department of Tourism and Special Area Development Authority, it added.

It further alleged that sanitary conditions in the area had been deteriorating by the day. Horse poop could be seen on roads and at public places, restricting the movement of visitors. Most of these horses were being plied by minors and Nepalese, who often indulge in verbal as well as physical duel with tourists and locals.

The petition added that although the matter was brought to the notice of the district administration on several occasions, no concrete steps were taken to improve the conditions.

The petitioner demanded that directions should be issued to the district and police administration to check the incidents of misbehaviour by horse owners with the tourists and locals.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 14

The Congress today said the Modi regime had disappointed the people of Himachal and the enhanced Central allocation of Rs 46,793 crores was given to Himachal not due to the magnanimity of the BJP regime at the Centre but due to enhanced allocation by the 14th Finance Commission.

Participating in the debate on the budget proposals for the year 2018-19 in the Vidhan Sabha today, Congress legislator Harshwardhan Chauhan said despite being in power for four years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not extended any financial package or liberal funding to HP for railway expansion, industrial package or any other mega project.

It was due to the enhanced allocation by the 14th Finance Commission that Himachal got Rs 46,793 crore, which was 200 per cent more than the previous award and not due to NDA regimes generosity, he said.

The Congress too is indebted to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for extending liberal funding to HP but in sharp contrast Modi has only rendered lip service, he said. He said the budget was completely silent on resource mobilization, cutting down on wasteful expenditure and employment generation.

He said it is the Chief Ministers prerogative to choose his team of officials but an impression has been created that only those affiliated to the RSS or a particular ideology are welcome there. The Chief Ministers office is a public office where everyone, irrespective of political ideology or any other considerations, must have free access as he is the executive head of the state, he said. He also advocated opening the doors to private players, especially in the tourism sector if both revenue and employment have to be generated. The issue of mining mafia indulging in illegal extraction during the Congress regime was raised by Narender Thakur. The Congress is totally responsible for the financial mess and despite constraints the Chief Minister has given a farm-friendly budget which will help in supplementing the income of the farmers, he said. The condition of roads and irrigation schemes during the Congress rule was pathetic, he said.
editorial@tribune.com

Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, March 13

Ravinder Kumar, an Indian worker who was stuck in Saudi Arabia, has finally come back to his native land.

Ravinder Kumar said he had gone to work as a driver in Rafiya Soiya al-Jabari, Damam, a Saudi Arabian company, to earn his livelihood. However, playing trick with him, the company did not pay money to him and the owners of the company got his job card cancelled. During that time, he alleged that he had also complained to the police and the court of Saudi Arabia, but there was no hearing for him.

Speaking at the office of BJP national vice-chairman and former MP Avinash Rai Khanna, Ravinder Kumar said his company also destroyed his passport, saying he could not even return to his country. Ravinder recalled the dark days spent in Saudi Arabia when he had only Rs 25,000 left with him, and he had to spend a lot on paying the lawyer's fees. During this time, he could barely manage to even have his food.

Ravinder's father Parmanand said he reached the office of Avinash Rai Khanna and told him about all his misery. Khanna had raised the matter with the Government of India and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. With Khanna's efforts and the intervention of the Government of India, Ravinder Kumar was brought to India on a white passport. For this, Ravinder's father thanked Khanna.

Khanna said that the Government of India was always ready to help all Indians living abroad. He said, We should also keep in mind that in whatever country you are going, get the information about the rules and laws and about the company in advance. Former senior vice-chairman of the Youth Development Board, Punjab, Sanjiv Talwar, was also present on the occasion.
editorial@tribune.com

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 14

A day after two senior BJP leaders of J&K left for New Delhi, a majority of the BJP ministers also rushed to the Capital today to discuss the situation that has emerged after removal of Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti. Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who reached Jammu on Tuesday evening, also returned to New Delhi this afternoon.

Although the BJP ministers who have reached Delhi have maintained a guarded silence, it is believed that the high command would thoroughly discuss all contentious issues, including the sacking of Drabu.

Highly placed sources said leaders were called for some plain-speaking as the BJP high command was not happy with the developments in J&K, especially in the Jammu region, which is the core constituency of the party.

Sources said the leadership was worried over the eroding party base in the Hindu-dominated areas of the Jammu region as party ministers had failed to reach out to the masses.

The party high command has received disturbing reports about the brewing anger in the Jammu region as for the last one month people have been agitating on one issue or the other against the government, a source said, adding that both ministers and top leadership of the state unit are responsible for the present situation in Jammu region.

A senior BJP leader, who did not wish to be quoted, told The Tribune that the high command was concerned about the recent controversies raked up in the state by the PDP to address its core constituencies.

The PDP is addressing its core constituency but BJP ministers have failed to come up to the expectations of their voters, he said, adding that the BJP top brass felt that the state leaders, be they ministers or office-bearers, had failed to protect the partys interests in the Jammu region.

Sources said the high command was also worried over the intense infighting among the BJP ministers as some of them were not even on talking terms with each other. The high command is aware that the PDP leadership is taking the benefit of ego clashes among the BJP ministers, the source said.
editorial@tribune.com

Samaan Lateef

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, March 14

The National Investigation Agency, probing the funding of the secessionist activities in Kashmir, has questioned six relatives, including four sons of Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin.

The central agency had summoned relatives of Salahuddin in connection with a six-year-old case of financing of the Hizb, which has been declared a terrorist organisation by the UN Security Council.

We examined four sons of Salahuddin and his two other relatives today in Srinagar. All six people were sent back home, Inspector General of Police, NIA, Alok Mittal told The Tribune.

Mittal said the six relatives of Salahuddin were questioned in the case of Hizb financing in which the elder son of Salahuddin, Shahid Yusuf, is in judicial custody in Tihar Jail, New Delhi.

Shahid, 42, of Soibugh village in Budgam district was arrested in October. He has been accused by the NIA of receiving and collecting funds through international wire money transfer from a Saudi Arabia-based Kashmiri, Aijaz Maqbool Bhat.

Bhat, according to the NIA, is a member of the Hizb and is an absconder in the hawala funding case against the six members of the militant outfit.

The NIA identified the Hizb chiefs four sons, who were questioned today, as Dr Syed Abdul Wahid, Abdul Mueed, Syed Khalid and Syed Farooq. The other two have been identified as Muzamil Khan of Darmuna Soibugh in Budgam and Syed Muhammad Yusuf of Hyderpora, Srinagar.

The NIA has filed two chargesheets against the six accused persons in the case, which dates back to 2011 when the Delhi Polices special cell registered a case against Hizbul Mujahideen under Sections 13, 17, 18, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The NIA has already arrested four persons and issued red corner notice against the two absconding accused persons, including Aijaz Bhat and Muhammad Maqbool Bhat, a trader from Srinagar.

Mittal said Shahid was one of the several Indian contacts of Bhat who had been in telephonic contact with him to receive the money transfer code.

The 2011 case
shalender@tribune.com

Stars paid their condolences to British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking following his death on Wednesday. While actor Eddie Redmayne remembers him as a ladies man, the official Twitter account of The Big Bang Theory, a TV series that witnessed appearances of the famed professor, also remembered him. Here are some tributes:

Big Bang Theory (official Twitter account of the show): In loving memory of Stephen Hawking. It was an honour to have him on The Big Bang Theory. Thank you for inspiring us and the world.

Katy Perry: Theres a big black hole in my heart hours before Pi day. Rest In Peace

Kumail Nanjiani: RIP Stephen Hawking. Genuinely very sad to hear that. If you havent, read A Brief History of Time. Itll make the world feel more amazing and beautiful and strange. Itll also make you feel smart and stupid all at once.

Emmy Rossum: Just sitting here absolutely shattered about Stephen Hawking.

Tommy Chong: Stephen have a sweet journey and we will see you again soon I hope.  IANS
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Beijing, March 14

Xi Jinpings pet Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) can pose a major challenge in resetting Chinas ties with India, analysts here have said, days after the Chinese parliament backed his plan to rule indefinitely amid Sino-India rapprochement following the Dokalam standoff.

The BRI, a multi-billion-dollar initiative launched by Xi when he came to power in 2013, has become a major sticking point in the bilateral ties. The BRI also includes the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which India opposed as it goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India had also boycotted last years Belt and Road Forum organised by China.

The BRI, aimed at promoting network of roads, ports and rail networks all over the world to spread Chinas influence, is now expected to vigorously pushed by Xi after the National Peoples Congress on March 11 removed the two-term limit for the president.

The historic mandate for Xi to continue in office for life came just as India and China began a high-level dialogue to put the ties back on track after the relations were bogged down by a host of issues including, the CPEC and the 73-day long standoff at Dokalam last year.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit to China next month which officials say will send a very strong message to the international community about efforts by both countries to improve relations.

There are very serious efforts are being made by both countries to improve relations and China attaches a lot of importance to its ties with India in the region, Hu Shisheng, Director of the official China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations told PTI here.

As the two countries seek to address a number of issues like China blocking Indias efforts to list JeM leader Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN as well as Indias entry to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) besides Dokalam, they need to come up with a creative solution to address differences on the BRI, Hu said.

Now Xi is set to be at the helm for a long term and he is going to pursue the BRI very seriously as this is his project, he said.

China, which has been maintaining that the BRI will not have any impact on its stand that Kashmir issue should be resolve between India and Pakistan, has also offered initiatives like renaming the CPEC to address Indias reservations.

Officials say Chinese investment flows into India have been affected as China has been routing all its external investments in recent years only under the BRI. India is also a part of the Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar (BCIM) corridor which is also part of the BRI but has made little progress.

Officials say Chinas investments in India were just about USD 3.5 billion far less than USD 20 billion promised by Xi during his visit to India in 2015.

Hu said both countries needs to show flexibility. While China should be flexible by not pressing India to cooperate under the BRI framework for investments in India, New Delhi could make reciprocal gestures to get the investments for infrastructure projects.

Rong Ying, the Vice-President of China Institute of International Studies, which is affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said both the countries need to address the trust deficit.

Equally important is for both countries to find a way to address differences in a constructive and forward looking manner, he told PTI.

He also said there was no need to worry about the long-term rule by Xi.

I dont see any reason for worry. I only want to see that the two sides draw correct lessons (out of Dokalam standoff). Then we can work hard for a stable relationship, he said.

No one wants an incident like Dong Long (Dokalam). We are able to solve it through peaceful way through talks shows the maturity off the relationship, Rong, who formerly worked as a Chinese diplomat in India, said.

About what effect Xis long term rule will have on the boundary dispute, he said, the boundary dispute has to be better managed. I dont see in the near future the possibility of an early settlement in sight, he said.

The annual border talks by special representatives and other mechanism would held help to develop the trust, he said.

The two sides have held 20 rounds of border talks to resolve differences over the 3,488 km long Line of Actual Control (LAC). PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14

World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus today hailed India for setting ambitious health targets and said that was the way to plan.

At a special session at NITI Aayog, the visiting WHO Director General described the newly announced Ayushman Bharat Mission of the Health Ministry as a turning point and called the mission a bold, ambitious and courageous move.

The mission consists of two componentsa National Health Protection Scheme to provide Rs 5-lakh annual health cover to poor and vulnerable families and a pan-India spread of 1.5 lakh primary healthcare centres.

Ghebreyesus hailed the incumbent government for setting high targets saying: As a nation, India has changed the way it plans things. India has decided to stretch itself to a breaking point to succeed in the health sector and thats what I call a plan. I have always felt that the best way to plan is to target blanket coverage rather than piecemeal coverage. A plan thats easy to achieve is not a plan, the WHO boss said in presence of NITI Aayogs top brass, including CEO Rajeev Kumar and Member Health VK Paul.

Ghebreyesus was particularly hopeful around Indias promised universal health assurance scheme that Finance Minister announced in his Budget speech. He said, If India can achieve universal health coverage, any country can. Indias success is that important.

WHO chief also indicated that UHC would be the big talking point at the 2018 World Health Assembly where it would be expected of member nations to come prepared with plans on expanding health access for all over the next 12 months.

Ghebreyesus however minced no words in stressing that achieving UHC globally would be a challenge.
editorial@tribune.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14

Gorakhpur and Phulpur are no ordinary constituencies. Till about a year back the two Lok Sabha seats were represented by top two BJP leaders in the Uttar Pradesh politics Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

The bypoll results from there today have proved the BJPs election-winning machinery comprising Prime Minister Narender Modi and Amit Shah is not unassailable.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The results from the Araria Lok Sabha and Jehanabad Assembly constituencies in Bihar are no less significant. The RJD has managed to hold its own despite a change in its political equations with the JD-U. Political signals from Bihar, where the BJP replaced the RJD in the government with Nitish Kumar-led JD-U, should be as worrying for the saffron party even though Bhabhua has given it something little to cheer about.

The BJP may attribute byelection results to local issues but the shift in winds in the Indo-Gangetic plains  the Hindi/cow belt  is loud and clear.

Numerically, UP and Bihar account for 120 Lok Sabha seats, almost one-fourth of the 545 constituencies. In the 2014 general elections, they together sent as many as 102 BJP MPs to the Lok Sabha. Count in 25 seats of Rajasthan, where the saffron Party recently lost Alwar and Ajmer Lok Sabha seats, and the picture is complete.

But even before the 2019 Lok Sabha, Assembly elections are slated in four key states  Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. UP and Bihar results hold trends that the BJP leadership may want to introspect while strategising to keep the three states it holds and wrest one from the Congress.

An important lesson for the BJP today is that going alone in states with strong regional satraps may not be such a viable option. And also that it needs to treat voters and supporters with humility.

Saffron partys dwindling numbers

Pointing at the BJPs shrinking numbers in the Lok Sabha, Congress media head Randeep Surjewala said: In May 2014, the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In four years, it is down to 271, losing simple majority in the Lok Sabha minus its allies  considering the fact that PM Modi has suspended Kirti Azad and virtually disowned fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP. The LS secretariat clarified that BJPs official Lok Sabha strength was 275. This included the Speaker. A simple majority comprises 273 MPs. TNS
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, March 14

The SP-BSP electoral understanding has struck gold in Uttar Pradesh. Profusely thanking BSP supremo Mayawati, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav described the historic win as the victory of social justice with his party wresting Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats.

Jubilant SP workers started gathering at SP office as soon as news of the party's lead came in. It became celebration time as SP workers broke into impromptu dancing as news of a fresh round of counting came in.

Holi and Diwali were being celebrated together with offerings of sweets and applying of 'gulal' and bursting of firecrackers.

Slogans of "Bua-Bhatija zindabad" rent the air, referring to BSP national president Mayawati and SP national president Akhilesh Yadav.

Reacting to the defeat of the BJP candidates in his five-time stronghold of Gorakhpur as well as his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya's constituency of Phulpur, CM Yogi Adityanath attributed it to the coming together of SP-BSP and BJPs over-confidence.

Ending a period of drought, both Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats have been wrested away from the saffron party in the byelections.

GORAKHPUR

Party Candidate Votes polled

SP Praveen Nishad 4,56,437

BJP Upender Dutt Shukla 4,34,476

Cong Surhita Kareem 18,830

Victory margin 21,961

PHULPUR

Party Candidate Votes polled

SP Nagendra Singh Patel 3,42,796

BJP Kaushlendra Singh Patel 2,83,183

Atiq Ahmad (Independent) 48,087

Cong Manish Mishra 19,334

Victory margin 59,613

Interestingly, during the campaign the ruling party repeatedly described it as a referendum on the close to 4-year rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the year-old Yogi regime in the state.

Instead the predicted neck-and-neck fight in Phulpur, SP's Nagendra Singh Patel defeated his closest BJP rival and former Varanasi mayor Kaushlendra Singh Patel by a comfortable margin of 59,613 votes.

The presence of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, who contested from behind the bars, was expected to dent the chances of SP candidate. However, in spite of his managing 48,087 votes the SP candidate won by close to 60,000 lead.

Similarly, in Gorakhpur, considered to be CM Yogi Aditynath's unconquerable bastion, SP candidate Praveen Nishad defeated his BJP rival Upendra Dutt Shukla by a respectable margin of 21,961 votes.

However, the reversal in Gorakhpur was probably a bit too difficult for the ruling party to accept. Earlier in the day, district magistrate Rajeev Rautela asked the media to leave and refused to give a round-to-round update of the counting.

However, after the intervention of the election commission the results started trickling in once again.

Still according to sources, the final counting in Gorakhpur was over long ago. BJP's defeat had been known hours before it was officially announced.

The results were finally acknowledged only after CM Yogi, while speaking to a news channel, admitted defeat and congratulated both the winning candidates.

While the electoral understanding between the SP and BSP was a gamechanger, the support of other OBC and Pasmanda Muslim parties like the Nishad Party, Peace Party further consolidated the OBC, Muslim and Dalit front.

Lok Dal and all the three Communist parties also extended their support to the SP candidates making the BJP nervousness apparent.

CM Yogi's language became strident. He called the understanding as the coming together of 'saanp and chuchoonder' (snake and mole).

He held 16 election meetings in Gorakhpur alone. He and Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya campaigned extensively in Phulpur as well.

The bypolls were necessitated after CM Yogi and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya had vacated their Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, respectively, following their election to the state legislative council.
Magna and Lyft will fund and develop self-driving systems

Co-developed self-driving systems can be deployed on the Lyft network as well as for the entire automotive industry

The partnership will benefit from data generated by the 5+ billion miles traveled per year on the Lyft network

In addition to funding the partnership, Magna to invest $200 million in Lyft

SAN FRANCISCO, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Magna, a mobility technology company and one of the worlds largest automotive suppliers, and Lyft, North Americas fastest growing rideshare company, today announced a multi-year collaboration in which the companies will jointly fund, develop, and manufacture self-driving systems. In addition, Magna will invest $200 million in Lyft equity. The establishment of this partnership is subject to regulatory approval.

This partnership is an industry-first and positions Magna and Lyft to enable the development and manufacturing of self-driving systems at scale. In addition to self-driving vehicles that will be deployed on Lyfts own ridesharing network in the coming years, Magna has the ability to deploy the technologies across a wide-range of use cases to benefit the entire global mobility ecosystem.

There is a new mobility landscape emerging and partnerships like this put us at the forefront of this change, said Swamy Kotagiri, Magna Chief Technology Officer. Lyfts leadership in ridesharing and Magnas automotive expertise makes this strategic partnership ideal to effect a positive change as a new transportation ecosystem unfolds.

Together with Magna, we will accelerate the introduction of self-driving vehicles by sharing our technology with automotive OEMs worldwide, said Lyft CEO Logan Green. This is an entirely new approach that will democratize access to this transformative technology.

Partnership details include:

Lyft will lead the co-development of the self-driving system at its Palo Alto-based self-driving engineering center

Magna will lead manufacturing and join Lyfts development team onsite, contributing their vehicle systems knowledge, safety and ADAS expertise, and manufacturing capabilities

Lyft and Magna will share jointly created IP and utilize Lyft data to improve systems

Lyft will utilize Magnas vast automotive experience for its fleets self-driving systems

This scalable technology is expected to be market-ready over the next few years and can be deployed across the industry through Magna

Magna will hold a conference call for interested analysts and shareholders to discuss this announcement on March 15, 2018 at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The conference call will be chaired by Don Walker, Magna Chief Executive Officer. The number to use for this call from North America is (888) 225-2695. International callers should use (312) 281-1202. Please call in at least 10 minutes prior to the call start time. Magna will also webcast the conference call at www.magna.com. The slide presentation accompanying the conference call will be available on the Magna website prior to the call.

TAGS

Lyft, partnership, autonomous vehicles, self-driving, ADAS, ridesharing, mobility

MAGNA INVESTOR CONTACT

Louis Tonelli, Vice-President, Investor Relations

louis.tonelli@magna.com, 905.726.7035

MAGNA MEDIA CONTACT

Tracy Fuerst, Global Director of Corporate Communications & PR

tracy.fuerst@magna.com, 248.631.5396

ABOUT MAGNA

We have more than 168,000 entrepreneurial-minded employees dedicated to delivering mobility solutions. We are a mobility technology company and one of the world's largest automotive suppliers with 335 manufacturing operations and 96 product development, engineering and sales centres in 28 countries. Our competitive capabilities include body exteriors and structures, power and vision technologies, seating systems and complete vehicle solutions. Our common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MG) and the New York Stock Exchange (MGA). For further information about Magna, visit www.magna.com.

LYFT MEDIA CONTACT

press@lyft.com

ABOUT LYFT

Lyft was founded in June 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation. Lyft is the fastest growing rideshare company in the U.S., is available to 95% of the U.S. population and recently launched in Toronto and is soon to launch in Ottawa, Canada. Lyft is preferred by drivers and passengers for its safe and friendly experience, and its commitment to affecting positive change for the future of our cities.

THIS RELEASE MAY CONTAIN STATEMENTS WHICH CONSTITUTE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS UNDER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LEGISLATION AND ARE SUBJECT TO, AND EXPRESSLY QUALIFIED BY, THE CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMERS THAT ARE SET OUT IN MAGNAS REGULATORY FILINGS. PLEASE REFER TO MAGNAS MOST CURRENT MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL POSITION, ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM AND ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 40-F, AS REPLACED OR UPDATED BY ANY OF MAGNAS SUBSEQUENT REGULATORY FILINGS, WHICH SET OUT THE CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMERS, INCLUDING THE RISK FACTORS THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL EVENTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE INDICATED BY SUCH FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW ON MAGNAS WEBSITE AT WWW.MAGNA.COM.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Mumbai, March 14

A 37-year-old Pakistani national, who was illegally staying in India since he was 10, has been deported to the neighbouring country, a police official said on Wednesday.

Siraj Khan was staying in the Antop Hill area here. He had also got married to an Indian woman some years ago and the couple has three children, the police official said.

Since all the cases against Khan were disposed of by the court and one case of violation of a detention order was withdrawn by the government, he was deported to Pakistan on March 12, Bhagwat Bansod, senior inspector at the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg police station here, said.

A police team took Khan to the Attari border from where he was deported after completion of all formalities at the foreign regional registration office, he added.

The Indian government had informed the Pakistani authorities about Khans deportation and after obtaining a no-objection certificate, he was handed over to them, an official said.

The police had also informed about Khans deportation to his wife Sajida Khan, who accompanied her husband till the Bandra Terminus in the western suburbs, from where he and the police team boarded the train for Amritsar on March 10, he added.

Before Khans departure, his wife took selfies with him at the railway station, a police official said.

In June 2014, a division bench of the Bombay High Court had put a months stay on Khans deportation to Pakistan.

The court had then observed that since Khans application, seeking Indian citizenship, was pending before the Ministry of External Affairs, his detention must be stayed until the issue was decided.

Khans wife had filed the plea, seeking a stay on her husbands deportation.

She had sought that Khan be released from detention as his familys financial, physical and mental condition was worsening.

Khans wife approached the Bombay High Court again on Tuesday, seeking a stay on his deportation.

However, a bench of Justices RM Savant and SV Kotwal held that since Khan had been convicted under the Foreigners Act, his deportation was inevitable.

The court has kept the petition for hearing on March 20.

As per the plea of Khans wife, the Pakistani national had accidentally entered India in 1996 when he was 10 or 11 years of age.

In 2009, however, he had tried to visit his native village in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

When he approached the police for help to get to his village, he was asked to furnish legal documents showing that he was a Pakistani national.

He was subsequently arrested by the Crime Branch for staying in India without a valid permission, according to the petition.

Khan was released after serving a six-month jail term, but in January 2014, a court here convicted him under the Foreigners Act and ordered that he be deported to Pakistan.

He had been in custody since his conviction.

A police official said it was now up to Khan to get a passport and visa and come to India or take his wife and children to Pakistan on valid documents. PTI
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Madurai, March 14

Prayer homes of Pentecostal church were attacked at two places here, allegedly by Hindu Munnani activists, police said.

Quoting pastor Ravi Jacob, who lodged a complaint, they said the group burnt some pamphlets and copies of the Bible and abused pastors and the faithful at the homes at Koodal Nagar and Sikandar Chavadi areas on Sunday.

Jacob alleged that 10 people came to his house that day, took away copies of the Bible and damaged them.

A clip of the group reportedly threatening the people has gone viral.

A case was registered on Tuesday against 10 Hindu Munnani activists, of whom three have been identified.

They said some of the activists, during initial questioning, denied that they had attacked the homes and had only staged protests against people being allegedly lured for conversion.

The activists said the complaint was a ploy so that some organisations could continue their illegal conversions.

Police said they had received complaints from the public that some prayer homes were being running illegally, demanding that these be closed.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Latin Bishops Council had condemned the attacks and said it was an effort to chase away Christians who had a fundamental right to worship.

This was not a law and order problem, but denial of right to worship and destruction of secularism, the Constitution and democracy, Council president Anthony Pappusamy said in a statement. PTI
editorial@tribune.com

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, March 14

Springing a surprise, the SP-BSP poll understanding in Uttar Pradesh today defeated the BJP in the byelections to the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, the first vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath and the other by Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya on their election to the state Legislative Council.

Profusely thanking BSP chief Mayawati, SP national president Akhilesh Yadav described it as the victory of social justice. Later in the day, he drove to Mayawatis residence to express his gratitude.

Editorial: An encounter in Yogi land

Jubilant SP workers distributed sweets, burst crackers and applied gulal on one another amid chants of bua-bhatija zindabad.

Rather stunned by the defeat, CM Yogi attributed it to the unnatural deal between the SP and the BSP and BJPs over-confidence. During the campaign, the BJP had repeatedly described the byelections as a referendum on the four-year rule of the PM Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the year-old Yogi government in UP.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

In Phulpur, SPs Nagendra Singh Patel defeated his BJP rival and former Varanasi Mayor Kaushlendra Singh Patel by 59,613 votes. Mafia don-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad, who contested from behind the bars, was expected to dent the chances of the SP candidate. He polled 48,087 votes. Despite that, the SP victory margin was impressive.

In Yogis bastion Gorakhpur (he represented the seat five times in the Lok Sabha) SPs Praveen Nishad defeated BJP rival Upendra Dutt Shukla by 21,961 votes. Earlier in the day, there was a commotion with DM Rajeev Rautela asking the media to leave. But the Election Commission intervened and the results began trickling in.

While the electoral understanding between the SP and BSP proved to be a game- changer, the support of other OBC and Muslim parties, such as the Nishad Party and Peace Party, further consolidated the OBC-Muslim-Dalit front. The Lok Dal and the Left also extended support to the SP candidates.

As the CM, who had held 16 poll meetings in Gorakhpur alone, acknowledged defeat, his language became strident. He likened the SP-BSP to the coming together of saanp and chuchoonder (snake and mole).
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14

Within days of announcement of humanitarian gestures involving prisoners, any signs of thaw seems to be fizzling out between India and Pakistan. Accusations by both neighbours continue about mistreatment of their respective diplomats in violation of the Vienna Convention.

The issue was first raised by Pakistani envoy Sohail Mehmood in his meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on March 8. Pakistan alleges 23 such very intense harassment incidents have occurred from March 7, the very day the humanitarian proposals suggested by India were accepted by Islamabad.

A video now circulated by the Pakistan High Commission shows a slow moving white Maruti car (DL9COS1978) blocking the way of its diplomat's car in front while two men wearing helmets and riding a motorbike block the vehicle from the side.

The commentary in Urdu of the supposed Pakistani official sitting inside can be heard where he says "this intimidation tactic by security agencies played out near Africa Avenue Marg for 40 minutes".

"We had a hopeful moment on March 7 when the two countries agreed on the EAMs (External Affairs Minister) proposal regarding prisoners and were poised to move forward on several aspects of the humanitarian track. It is hoped that better sense would prevail and measures would be taken to roll back. It is important to keep the broader picture of the overall relationship in view, said Sohail Mehmood to The Tribune.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh was summoned in Islamabad on Tuesday and a protest lodged against incidents that include alleged chasing and video filming of young children of Pakistani officers in Delhi on March 7, 8 and 13.

MEA in its response had assured of all efforts to provide a safe, secure and hospitable environment for diplomats to work in while providing a list of harassment incidents against Indian diplomats serving in Islamabad.

Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria in his meeting with Pakistan Foreign Secretary on February 16 had lodged strong protest against multiple acts of hooliganism against Indian properties and personnel.

The MEA said India's residential complex in Islamabad was raided by Pakistan agencies who expelled all Pakistani service providers and later disconnected power and water supply. Pakistani officials argue the workers were stopped temporarily due to lack of security clearances to work in the highly-protected diplomatic zone that houses other foreign missions too.

India said Bisaria's car was recently stopped by Pak agencies in middle of the road in Karachi and that agency personnel keep thrusting phones on faces of officers to shoot their videos and harassment is the new normal for Indian High Commission personnel in Islamabad.
editorial@tribune.com

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14

Within days of announcement of humanitarian gestures involving prisoners, any signs of thaw seem to be fizzling out between India and Pakistan. Accusations by both neighbours continue about mistreatment of their respective diplomats in violation of the Vienna Convention.

The issue was first raised by Pakistani envoy Sohail Mehmood in his meeting with Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on March 8. Pakistan says 23 such very intense harassment incidents have occurred from March 7 - the very day the humanitarian proposals suggested by India were accepted by Islamabad. A video now circulated by the Pakistan High Commission shows a slow-moving white Maruti car (DL9COS1978) blocking the way of its diplomats car in front while two men wearing helmets and riding a motorbike block the vehicle from the side. The commentary in Urdu of the supposed Pakistani official sitting inside can be heard where he says this intimidation tactic by security agencies played out near Africa Avenue Marg for 40 minutes.

We had a hopeful moment on March 7 when the two countries agreed on the EAMs (External Affairs Minister) proposal regarding prisoners and were poised to move forward on several aspects of the humanitarian track. It is hoped that better sense would prevail and measures would be taken... It is important to keep the broader picture of the overall relationship in view, said Sohail Mehmood to the Tribune.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh was summoned in Islamabad on Tuesday and protest lodged against incidents that include alleged chasing and video filming of young children of Pakistani officers in Delhi on March 7, 8 and 13.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, March 14

SP leader Naresh Uttam Patel on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh district administration of working towards making the BJP candidate win the Lok Sabha bypoll seat in Gorakhpur.

SP leader Naresh Uttam Patel writes to State Chief Election Officer stating people & media were removed from the counting center in Gorakhpur also alleged district administration is working towards making the BJP candidate win. pic.twitter.com/fx670V0v0m  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 14, 2018

The leader has complained to the State Chief Election Officer alleging that the people and media were removed from the counting center in Gorakhpur.

Later, the DM, however, briefed the media after reportedly being pulled up by the Chief Election officer of Gorakhpur.

The SP candidates are leading from both Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats.

The party workers of both the SP and the BSP raised a new slogan bua-bhatija zindabaad' in Phulpur.

Also, the trends had an echo in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, when the Leader of the Opposition, Ram Gobind Chaudhary, pointed out to the Chair that mediapersons were being barred from entering the counting centre in Gorakhpur, and described it as "murder of democracy".

Ten nominees are in the fray from Gorakhpur, while 22 candidates are contested from Phulpur.

The bypolls were necessitated after Adityanath and his Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya vacated the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats, following their election to the state legislative council.

Gorakhpur is significant for the BJP with Adityanath representing the seat in the Lok Sabha five times. Before him, his mentor Yogi Avaidyanath was MP from the seat.

Phulpur, once represented by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha election when Maurya won the seat. With inputs from agencies
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 14

Gorakhpur and Phulpur are no ordinary constituencies. Till about a year back the two Lok Sabha seats were represented by the top two BJP leaders in the Uttar Pradesh politics  Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya.

In those terms, Araria Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar may not be as politically significant. It was an RJD win even in 2014 Lok Sabha polls. But the signals emanating from Bihar, which the BJP is currently ruling in alliance with Nitish Kumar-led JD(U), are as significant as UP.

The shift in winds in the Indo-Gangetic plainsthe Hindi/cow belt  as they are popularly referred to as  is loud and clear. Numerically, UP and Bihar account for 120 Lok Sabha seats, almost one-fourth of the 545 constituencies in the country. In the 2014 general elections they had together sent as many as 102 BJP MPs to the Lok Sabha.

Count in the 25 seats of Rajasthan where the saffron party recently lost Alwar and Ajmer it had won in 2014, giving the BJP every reason to be cautious ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

UP and Bihar results hold significant messages not just for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls but also the critical Assembly elections lined up in four states this year  Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

What goes in the BJPs favour is the inability of Opposition parties to get their act together in the state elections. However, leaders admit that the results today have exposed that the election-winning machinery, comprising Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, is not unassailable.

Not just this, todays results created a shine on the faces of those opposed to the duo in the BJP camp, even if discretely.

Though BJP leaders claim the biggest loser today is the Congress, for NDA allies also it is celebration time. Pushed in the corner by the BJP might in Lok Sabha, allies have a reason to rejoice. The results today have shown the hold of regional parties  Samajwadi Party, BSP and RJD  at the ground level. That the right combinations of regional strongholds can give the BJP a run for its money is something that party chief Amit Shah will ponder when he next sits down to negotiate seat-division with allies.

Therefore a big lesson today also is that going alone in states may no longer be a viable option for BJP and that it will be at a receiving end if the Opposition unites. It is not as if the top leadership was not aware of the ground realities. Gorakhpur and Phulpur are not just an example of caste combinations but also peoples anger. You have to treat your voters with humility. Gorakhpur, which has rejected its five-time MP Adityanath, is a proof, says a top leader.

The very fact byelections were held a year after the seats were vacated certainly shows that the BJP was aware of the situation in UP. With just a year to go for the Lok Sabha means that the winning candidates have very little time to make a mark. The good news is the BJP, which recently managed to break new ground in the northeast, still has a good one year to recover.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Jalandhar, March 14

Dont look at history in pieces. It lives in continuity. One peoples struggle paves the way for another, Gandharv Sen had said in his last speech at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall in Jalandhar in November last year during the annual Mela Ghadari Babeyaan Da.

His nine-decade-long political career, which started with the Kirti Party in 1929 and continued with the ongoing farmers movement, bore testimony to his statement. The veteran Communist passed away today in his home town, Nurmahal. He was 99.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

His daughter, Surinder Kumari Kochar, said he inherited the ideal of social justice from his mother. He used to tell us that he was brought up on songs such as De Charkhe Nu Gera, Lor Na Tenu Topan Di (go on, spin the charkha, you dont need cannons), she said, underlining how his mother imbibed in him Mahatma Gandhis ideology of non-violence.

In his interviews, Gandharv Sen had recalled that at the age of 10, he became active in the Kirti Party, formed by former Ghadarites in the 1920s. He would narrate that he took part in a major protest in Nurmahal when Shaheed Bhagat Singh and his comrades were hanged, said Amolak Singh, a trustee of the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee, with which Gandharv Sen remained associated for several decades and was instrumental in developing the halls library and museum.

When Kirti Party leaders started the land-to-tiller struggle, forming the Lal Party under the leadership of Teja Singh Swatantar in the 1930s, he joined them. Later, after the Lal Party merged into the Communist Party of India, he became an active member of the latter. He then joined the CPM and subsequently the Naxalites.

While working with the Naxalites, the story goes that Lok Yudh, the mouthpiece of the banned party, was published from a press operating from a bunker built in Gandharv Sens 2.5-acre papaya and guava orchard in Nurmahal.

For years, we would lower a handicapped comrade into the bunker every morning. There was an electric bell installed to alert him  in case of a police raid  to shut down the press, said Surinder Kumari.

When Gandharv Sen returned to the mainstream in the 1970s, he was made a member of the Desh Bhagat Yadgar Committee.
editorial@tribune.com

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 14

The sand prices in the district have increased by almost Rs 700-800 per 100 cubic feet reportedly after the recent crackdown on illegal mining in the Doaba region around a week ago. The coarse sand used preferably in the construction of walls and roof is now priced at Rs 3,300 per 100 cubic ft against Rs 2,500 a week ago.

The price of fine sand, used for plaster work, has also increased to Rs 3,000 from Rs 2,200. The price of second-grade fine sand has gone up to Rs 2,400 from Rs 1,600.

Mahabir Singh, a construction contractor, said: The sand prices in the district had dipped in October-November last year and remained stagnant since then. The sudden increase in prices has come as a surprise. It has affected the construction activity.

Rakesh Kumar, a trader of construction material, said: The prices have increased immediately after the government crackdown on illegal mining. We are being told by suppliers that the commodity would continue to be sold at an increased price. He said many of their customers had put off construction projects and were waiting for the prices to come to normal levels.

In June last year, the sand prices had peaked ahead of the auction of mining sites. After the crackdown on illegal mining, the overall mining activity has slowed down. The high sand prices during the previous governments tenure was a major reason of its unpopularity.

Two held for illegal mining in fazilka

Fazilka: The Jalalabad police have arrested Satnam Singh of Singhewala Sania and Lali Singh of Chack Suhelewala on the charge of illegal mining and impounded three sand-laden tractor-trailers. On a tip-off, a police team laid a naka near Jaimalwala village and nabbed the duo. Tractor owner Gurdip Singh, Satnam Singh and Lali Singh have been booked. OC
editorial@tribune.com

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Nakodar, March 14

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said here today that free power to the agricultural sector would not be withdrawn, even as he rubbished the SADs allegations that the state government wanted to issue bills to farmers for using tubewells.

Launching the second phase of the farm debt waiver programme, the CM issued certificates worth Rs 162.16 crore to 29,192 farmers. The next phase would kick off in Majha, he said.

Capt Amarinder said, The Congress is fulfilling its promise to rid the farm sector of crisis. We came in at a time when farmers were debt-ridden and suicides were being reported in every village. During our rule, suicides have gone down.

The CM added, Our plan is to slowly bring all needy farmers under the programmes ambit. We have money for the purpose.

Taking on the Akalis for claiming that the Congress was planning to install water meters on tubewells and bill farmers, the CM said: No matter what the Akalis say, we will not bill you. As an experiment, we are planning to fix meters on 900 of the 13.5 lakh tubewells in the state as part of a project aimed at saving groundwater. Farmers will get an incentive of about Rs 10,000 for these tubewells. In return, I urge them to use water judiciously.

He claimed that the SAD-BJP was not keen on the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission report. Harsimrat Kaur Badal has also not taken up the issue despite being a Union Minister. We want the entire report implemented.

Meanwhile, the CM announced infrastructure projects worth Rs 113 crore for bypoll-bound Shahkot and Rs 49 crore for Nakodar.

Ministers hail Capt

Forest Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot called Amarinder Hindustan de anndata, while Finance Minister Manpreet Badal termed him the second Sir Chhotu Ram of Punjab. Manpreet said: The CM has actively championed farmers rights. Its the first time such a debt waiver scheme has been introduced. Sir Chhotu Ram was the architect of revenue reforms for farmers in the 1930s.

Need to save water

On depleting groundwater in the state, the CM said: Around 25 years ago, the state had 15.5 MAF (metre acre-ft) of water. It has now reduced to 13 MAF. The Sutlej water levels have come down. There are places where groundwater has gone down to 1,200 ft and is unfit for drinking. Do we want our rivers to run dry? The meter project is started to prevent this kind of a catastrophe. Nahi tan eh suba registaan ban ju (Punjab is in peril of turning into a desert).
Fort Collins, CO, March 14, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On March 13, 2018, medical device company Green Sun Medical won first place at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Impact Pediatric Health Pitch Competition in Austin, Texas.

Green Sun Medical is developing a dynamic scoliosis brace that applies continuous corrective pressure to the spine and allows physicians to monitor remotely the performance of the brace. Current treatments for scoliosis include spinal fusion surgeries, and braces developed over 40 years ago. The company has raised over $2.5 million in equity and awards.

The competition was part of the annual conference to foster innovation that will advance pediatric healthcare and address the unmet surgical and medical device needs for children. The Impact Pediatric Health competition judges were from eight leading childrens hospitals including Boston, LA, Seattle, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Stanford, Philadelphia and Texas.

During the competition, ten finalists had three minutes to present their proposal to the judging panel, followed by a seven-minute question and answer session. This competition was created to foster innovation in the pediatric device sector. The pediatric device sector continues to lag behind adult device development and creates a host of challenges for doctors when treating children.

We are honored to have our dynamic scoliosis brace recognized by executives from these leading childrens hospitals, said Jamie Haggard, CEO of Green Sun Medical. These hospitals have opened up expansion potential after we complete a pilot study with the dynamic scoliosis brace." The study will begin this spring at the National Scoliosis Center.

The award has culminated an impressive 18 month run of winning awards including the 2017 pediatric device competition sponsored by the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation (NCC-PDI), an FDA-funded consortium led by Childrens National Health System. In October of 2016, 3000 medtech executives selected Green Sun Medical as the grand champion for best innovation at the Medtech Innovator Competition. The company was also awarded a two-year grant to establish a residence at the Johnson & Johnson JLABS in South San Francisco.

Green Sun Medical is a graduate client company of Innosphere, Colorados leading technology incubator accelerating the success of high-impact science, engineering and technology startup and scaleup companies.

Green Sun Medical also completed its $2M Series-A round for development of its dynamic scoliosis brace with a $500k investment from the AngelMD Catalyst Fund.

To learn more about Green Sun Medical visit http://www.greensunmedical.com

About Green Sun Medical:

Green Sun Medical has a team of the worlds finest scoliosis thought leaders dedicated to transforming the treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. They are developing a comfortable, dynamic brace that applies continuous corrective pressure and allows the physicians to track the performance of the brace in real time. www.greensunmedical.com

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c4adfe43-32b5-4250-b08f-c5e7eedef213

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/59f15107-774b-4546-89bc-45e92fb36d4d
laxmi@tribune.com

AT the meeting of the Imperial Legislative Council a resolution by the Hon'ble Pandit Malviya on the subject of the Police service was rejected after a discussion. Sir William Vincent and other official speakers, while recognising the desirability of removing racial disabilities, held that the maintenance of a strong British element was necessary "taking into account the magnificent work under difficult conditions that was being done by the Service as at present constituted." The position taken up by Government in this matter is the position it has been taking up in all similar matters since the enunciation of the goal of responsible government. It recognises the desirability of moving forward, but is afraid to make a definite breach with the past. No amount of mere general desire to go forward will help either the Government or the people, unless the Government is prepared, where necessary, to sacrifice vested interests on the one hand and on the other to subordinate the ideal of efficiency to that of national self-fulfilment to that of national self-fulfilment.
editorial@tribune.com

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, March14

The Director General (DG) of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), RK Pachnanda, today visited forward posts in Kumaon to review security preparedness.

Pachnanda, who reached Pithoragarh in a chopper, visited the forward posts in Pithoragarh and Champawat. These posts are manned by ITBP personnel from 7th Battalion, 14th Battalion and 36th Battallion based at Mirthi, Jajardewal and Lohaghat, respectively.

Interacting with the Himveers, as ITBP personnel are known as, Pachnanda called for excellence while undertaking their day-to-day duties. He discussed the importance of physical fitness in the lives of both jawans and officers, who guard the nations frontiers.

He also also exchanged pleasantries with the ITBP personnel at the posts. Senior ITBP officers were present on the occasion.
ROBINSINGH@TRIBUNE.COM

New York, March 14

Four people, including a young child, were shot to death in a Brooklyn apartment today, hours before students throughout New York City participated in walkouts to protest gun violence.

Investigators were trying to determine whether the deaths were three homicides and a suicide, according to police spokesman Stephen P Davis. The child, a girl, aged around two years; the other victims were men in their late teens, 50s and late 20s, according to The New York Times. A relative found their bodies around 5 am at a high-rise complex, the Riverdale Osborne Towers.  AP
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Beirut, March 14



Bombardment by the Syrian regime and its ally Russia killed 25 civilians, among them three children, in the embattled rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta on Wednesday, a monitor said.

"At least 25 civilians including three children were killed on Wednesday, most of them in regime air strikes and others in Russian raids on an area controlled by Faylaq al-Rahman," a rebel group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.  AFP
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Berlin, March 14

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on Wednesday elected by parliament to her fourth term at the helm of Europe's biggest economy.

Bundestag lawmakers voted 364-315 for Merkel, with nine abstentions. Merkel is to be formally appointed by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before taking the oath of office at 1100 GMT. AFP
editorial@tribune.com

Shelley Walia

IN 2014, watching Philip Martins The Theory of Everything, based on scientist Stephen Hawkings life, I was transported to my days back in Cambridge University, where Hawking was indeed part of the landscape. Often seeing him in his wheelchair on Trinity Street, supported by his nurse, my wife and I would stop by to say 'hello'. Hawking, struck by a motor neuron disease early in life, had lost the use of his limbs and speech. He spoke with the help of a voice synthesiser, of which he often joked for its American accent.

Of course, we attended his many public lectures at Sidgewick Site, standing many a time, as the hall would always be strained to capacity, pulling ourselves up on our toes to hear him speak and trying to understand as best as we could his theories with our untrained literary ears.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Stephen Hawking's death marks the end of an era. I met him first in the early 1990s, a rare celebrity and a great thinker, far more popular than DNA expert Francis Crick, who was then a professor at Cambridge. I recall a conversation on EM Forsters "Passage to India" when he nostalgically looked back on his parents journey to India by car, while he stayed back in the post-war liberal Oxford atmosphere of work and play, love and reading, but remaining steadfast in his pursuit of understanding the origins of the universe.

I had been working on the decline of the aristocracy, especially in the context of Evelyn Waugh, and at one of our meetings, Hawking interestingly drew my attention to Waughs "Brideshead Revisited" enmeshed in the culture and academic atmosphere of Cambridge and Oxford. In our conversation, he mentioned how Hitler had decided not to bomb these two centres of higher learning while the allies in return spared Heidelberg and Gottingen. To my amusement, he told me how Hitler had envisioned Oxford as the capital of his empire.

Once I found him by the banks of the river Cam, listening to Mahler on Radio 3. It astonished me that a world-renowned scientist was so approachable, unlike his Indian counterparts whom one would imagine ensconced in the dullness of their labs. I was even more surprised when he called me by my name and offered me a glass of red wine. We chatted a little about Huxley on whom he held forth with the adroitness of a literary critic.

Hawkings love of literature and philosophy, his work on the quantum theory as applied to the Big Bang would bring cosmology, or the very origin of the universe, in close proximity with the physical law. The controversy generated worldwide by CP Snows lecture on The Two Cultures in 1959 had left him seeking for links in science and art.

The idea of quantum physics, with its basis in the uncertainty principle of German physicist Weiner Heisenberg, explains how we can never make a precise determination of all properties of an object like an electron and these can be predicted only in terms of probabilities. This is the idea of doubt and ambiguity that postmodernism lays emphasis on. So does Wittgensteins view that language has no centre and that given meanings are not dependable as they stand.

Here was Hawkings argument for the steady march of empiricist methods into the field of social sciences and hermeneutics. I also recall his recent interventions in public matters of great consequence like the National Health Service and the curse of privatisation, and the burning Middle East imbroglio with his exceptional idea of proscribing any educational links with Israel, bringing upon himself an intense and impassioned dressing-down from the Jewish community.

His crippling disease and failed marriage never impeded his single-minded pursuit of Black Holes, the Big Bang and Quantum Cosmology. Occupying the Newton Chair in Cambridge, it was often said that his life in science had indeed taken quantum cosmology to frontiers even Einstein would wonder at. I shall remember him as a man never deterred from the nature of his work or as a speaker who dexterously brought the interplay of wit and wisdom, gaiety and earnestness to his lectures as well as to his social interchange.

 The writer is a Professor at PU, Chandigarh
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Manila, March 14

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he was pulling the Philippines out of the treaty underpinning the International Criminal Court, which is examining his deadly drug war.

I therefore declare and forthwith give notice... that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately, Duterte said in a statement.

The Hague-based ICC announced last month it was launching a preliminary examination of Dutertes bloody anti-drug crackdown that has drawn international concern.

Police say they have killed nearly 4,000 drug suspects as part of the campaign, while rights groups claim the toll is around three times the numbers given by authorities.

The outspoken Philippine leader, who is accused of stoking the killings with inflammatory statements, has taken issue over the Philippines becoming the first southeast Asian nation put under a preliminary examination by the ICC prosecutor.

Opened in 2002, the ICC is the worlds only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.

The Philippines, under previous President Benigno Aquino, ratified in 2011 the Rome Statute which underpins the ICC, giving the tribunal authority to investigate crimes on its soil.

Today Duterte, a former lawyer, attacked the ICCs preliminary examination into his anti-narcotics campaign saying it was unduly and maliciously created.

It is apparent that the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines, he said.

In his statement, Duterte cited baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on his person as well my administration.

The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. The deaths occurring in the process of legitimate police operations lacked the intent to kill, he added.

But even as early as October 13, 2016, when Duterte had only been in office less than four months, the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement that she was deeply concerned over reports of extra-judicial killings of over 3,000 alleged drug users and pushers.

Adding pressure on Manila, in February, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva raised the countrys human rights record with Iceland Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson calling on the Philippines to accept the visit of a UN Special Rapporteur.

Philippine officials had initially said in February that the country was ready to cooperate but asked for fairness.

Dutertes spokesman Harry Roque also said they would refuse a visit by one such rapporteur Agnes Callamard, who had previously been pressing to investigate the killings.

But Roque has also said the ICC has no jurisdiction over the case because the tribunal was intended as a court of last resort and the Philippine courts were fully functioning.  AFP
uttara@tribuneindia.com

London, March 14

Britain will expel 23 Russian diplomats in response to a nerve toxin attack on a Russian former double agent in southern England, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday, adding it was the biggest single expulsion in over 30 years.

May said Britain would also introduce new measures to strengthen defences against hostile state activities, freeze Russian state assets wherever there was evidence of a threat and downgrade its attendance at the soccer World Cup in Russia this summer.

Russia, which has repeatedly denied any involvement in the nerve agent attack, said Britain should expect retaliation for its actions.

Former spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious on a bench in the city of Salisbury on March 4 and remain in hospital in critical condition. A police officer was also harmed and remains in a serious condition.

May has said the Skripals were attacked with Novichok, a Soviet-era military-grade nerve agent. She had asked Moscow to explain whether it was responsible for the attack or had lost control of stocks of the highly dangerous substance.

"Their response demonstrated complete disdain for the gravity of these events," May said in a statement to parliament. They have treated the use of a military grade nerve agent in Europe with sarcasm, contempt and defiance. There is no alternative conclusion, other than that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Mr Skripal and his daughter, and for threatening the lives of other British citizens in Salisbury, including Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.

This represents an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the United Kingdom.

May said the expulsion of the 23 diplomats, identified as undeclared intelligence officers, was the biggest single expulsion for over 30 years and would degrade Russian intelligence capabilities in Britain for years to come.

"We will freeze Russian state assets wherever we have the evidence that they may be used to threaten the life or property of UK nationals or residents," May said.

She also said new legislative proposals would be urgently developed to counter any threat from a hostile state.

"This will include the addition of a targeted power to detain those suspected of hostile state activity at the UK border," May said.

British authorities would make use of existing powers to enhance efforts to monitor and track the intentions of those travelling to the UK who could be engaged in activities that represented a security threat.

"We will increase checks on private flights, customs and freight," she said.

She also threatened action against those she described as "serious criminals and corrupt elites", adding: "There is no place for these people, or their money, in our country." May said Britain would revoke an invitation to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit the country and suspend all planned high-level bilateral contacts between London and Moscow.

On the soccer World Cup, she said no ministers or members of the British royal family would attend.



Russia's denial

Moscow finds that no progress has been made towards resolving the standoff with London, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier on Wednesday.

"There is only regress, we don't see any progress," Lavrov said, criticising Britain for accusing Russia of involvement in the attack and describing such claims as neither robust nor serious.

Britain has said that it is "highly likely" Russia was behind the poisoning, which used a nerve agent developed by the Soviet military.

Lavrov said Russia would be ready to provide Britain with a response within 10 days if London submitted an official request, in line with the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"Instead of submitting such a request, Britain has continued to stage a political performance," Lavrov said.

"Without concrete facts, it is a flagrant attempt to mislead the international community, to which we will have to respond," the minister added.

Lavrov rejected British claims that no one other than Russia had a motive to target Skripal.

"Yesterday, both Russian and Western media platforms produced lots of arguments demonstrating that Russia did not have a motive, and that the only actors who could have had a motive to do this were those who want to continue a campaign of Russophobia," Lavrov said. Reuters
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Tokyo/Seoul, March 14

Japans Foreign Minister said on Wednesday he personally regretted the departure of frank, trustworthy US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ahead of a proposed summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

Trump fired Tillerson on Tuesday after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea and other issues, replacing him with loyalist Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo.

He (Tillerson) was a frank, trustworthy counterpart and I thought we would deal with the North Korea issue together, but personally, I feel that this situation that has developed is unfortunate, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters in Tokyo.

For sure, America holds the key, so I want to meet his successor as secretary of state soon and exchange views on North Korea and other matters, Kono said.

Critics expressed dismay at the decision to swap out top diplomats so soon before the unprecedented potential meeting between Kim and Trump, and worried that Pompeo would encourage Trump to be hawkish on North Korea.

South Koreas Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha decided to go ahead with a planned trip to Washington to discuss North Korea despite Tillersons departure, the ministry said in a text message. An official had earlier said she would cancel the visit.

Other South Korean officials, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that while Pompeo was known to have hardline views on North Korea, he was a seasoned politician and seemed to know how to compromise.

Were aware that Pompeo was one of the strongest voices in the talk of military action and fed Trump related assessments, but things have since changed a lot, one senior official said, referring to upcoming inter-Korean talks and the prospect of a Kim-Trump summit. So, we will see.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said China hopes the change in personnel will not impact the development of relations and important areas of cooperation.

We of course hope that the positive momentum on the Korean peninsula, including the political will for talks of both the United States and North Korea, will be maintained, Lu told a daily news briefing.

China contact crucial

Shares in Japanese defence equipment makers rose sharply on speculation that geopolitical tensions may rise after the firing of Tillerson and Pompeos appointment. Ishikawa Seisakusho surged as much as 15 per cent, while Howa Machinery jumped 11 per cent.

Jia Qingguo, an expert on Chinese diplomacy at Peking University in Beijing, said China may see positive outcomes from the change when it comes to the US position on the Belt and Road initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinpings signature foreign policy initiative.

Tillerson has at times been quite critical of China, including of Belt and Road, Jia said. Trump is not as hawkish on China as many assume. He has tried to communicate and to cut a deal.

Coming from the CIA, Pompeo is more likely to see China as a threat but his views will probably soften, Jia said.

Once you are in the secretary of state position, you need to be more pragmatic and take into account the huge stakes involved, so the impact will not be as big as some people expect.

Most important for China was that Pompeo makes contact with his Chinese counterparts to ensure a smooth meeting between Kim and Trump as soon as possible, said Ruan Zongze, a former Chinese diplomat now with the China Institute of International Studies, a think tank affiliated with the Foreign Ministry.

Time is short. There are a lot things to do. Every day is very important, he said.

Pompeo is also known for his hawkish views on trade. He takes over as the chief US diplomat as the United States is finalising the imposition of hefty tariffs on steel and aluminium that have upset a number of Asian trading partners.

Close ally Australia, which is working through an exemption from the US tariffs, welcomed Pompeos appointment.

We know him very well, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters. Hes a great friend of Australia. The transition will be absolutely seamless. Our relationship with the United States, as you know, is outstanding at so many levels from the president and myself, right through the military, intelligence, diplomacy and business.

South Korea is the largest supplier of steel to the United States not to have secured an exemption from the tariffs and is facing pressure from Trump over the two countries free-trade deal.

It is our joint understanding with the United States that strong cooperation be maintained through close communication between South Korea and the United States regardless of US personnel changes as there are important issues, including the North Korea nuclear issue, the US-South Korea alliance and trade matters, South Koreas Foreign Ministry said. Reuters
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

United Nations, March 14

The United Nations received 138 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse last year and nearly half of them were against the personnel deployed at its peacekeeping and special political missions, a report said on Wednesday.

The report compiled by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on implementing a zero-tolerance policy for these crimes, the number of such allegations brought against the personnel serving with the UN dropped from 165 in 2016 to 138 last year.

Special Coordinator on Improving UN Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Jane Holl Lute said yesterday that the report underscored the Secretary-General's consistent message that no one serving under the UN flag should be associated with sexual exploitation and abuse.

"It remains one of his key priorities," she said.

Lute said that data from 2017 indicates a "downward trend in the number of allegations reported.

Overall, there were 138 allegations last year, compared to 165 in 2016. Of this number, 62 concerned personnel deployed to UN peacekeeping and special political missions: down from 104 the previous year, she said.

However, she said allegations emanating from other UN entities and their implementing partners increased over the same period from 42 to 75.

At the same time, there was "a sharp decline" in allegations involving non-UN forces, from 18 in 2016 to one in 2017.

The UN has implemented several measures over the past year to tackle the scourge since Guterres launched a system-wide strategy to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse.

The initiatives' focus on areas such as putting victims first, ending impunity and increasing partnerships; for example, with civil society.

They include the appointment of a Victims' Rights Advocate, responding rapidly to allegations and ensuring that UN staff understand their responsibilities and obligations to prevent and report incidents.

"On ending impunity, the Secretary-General has strengthened mandatory reporting through the development of a uniform incident reporting form," Lute said.

"We have strengthened investigations in cooperation with Member States. We have encouraged Member States to promptly appoint and deploy national investigation officers where allegations have been reported, and we continue to support the capacity building and training of national investigative officers," she added.

Lute added that a trust fund to support victims had seen a three-fold increase in contributions, and she encouraged countries to "maintain this positive momentum".

The trust fund was established in March 2016. As of December 2017, it stood at US$ 1.89 million in commitments and/or contributions.

Additionally, grants have been made available or approved to support victims through projects, services and training in Congo, Central African Republic and Liberia.

Over 90,000 military personnel are assigned to UN peacekeeping operations. PTI
Estimados amigos,

Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.

Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.

Gonzalo Raffo de Lavalle

Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.

Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.

Helenio Herrera

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.

Karl Marx

If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

Sun Tzu









We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.



Paulo Coelho
Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah held talks in Kuwait with President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who arrived in this Arab country on an official visit.

Development of bilateral cooperation in the fuel and energy sector, petrochemistry, oil refining, manufacturing and investment cooperation were the focus of the talks. In this regard, the sides discussed establishing the Turkmen-Kuwaiti working commission on energy issues. The sides noted favorable conditions for development of transport and communication systems as another promising area of mutually beneficial cooperation.

During the talks, the sides discussed a proposal to hold a bilateral business forum and an exhibition on trade and investment. They also noted the importance of setting up an intergovernmental commission to address current partnership issues and come up with practical measures to develop trade, economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

On the outcomes of the Turkmen-Kuwaiti top-level talks, the sides signed an Agreement on establishment of a joint Turkmen-Kuwaiti cooperation commission; an Agreement on abolition of visa requirements for holders of diplomatic and service passports; a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral political consultations; a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Institute of International Relations under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan and the Diplomatic Institute named after Saud Al-Nasser Al-Sabah under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait; a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development; an Agreement on economic and technical cooperation; and an Agreement on trade cooperation.

The sides also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the State Concern Turkmengaz and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation; an Agreement on cooperation in the field of art and culture; and a Joint Document on technical support between the Government of Turkmenistan and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development.

In the afternoon, the President of Turkmenistan held a series of meetings with members of the Government of Kuwait.

 TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021
Sistersville Councilman Alex King is asking for your help to become the next Republican representative for WV House of Delegates, District 6. With energy and enthusiasm, the twenty-nine-year-old plans to serve your interests at the capitol.

We have some great leadership in this area, but theres still a disconnect between people and representatives, King said. I hear about it and have experienced it firsthand. From town to county to state, people are coming forward with ideas and concerns that other officials wont listen to or take seriously. As Delegate, Im not going to be paid $20,000 a year just to attend legislative sessions and vote for a few months. Ill work for and with you, in Charleston and at home, all year round.

Kings focus for his first two years in office will be: cutting taxes; growing jobs; improving options for Internet, cell service, cable service, and landlines; changing/cutting burdensome regulations; and creating opportunities for youth.

So many talented young people in this area talk about wanting to leave here. Im not downing anyone for following opportunities elsewhere, but people shouldnt be so eager to go. We need to create opportunities here, so more of our friends and family members can stay and come back home.

Kings work in public service began as an employee of the City of Sistersville, continued as a substance abuse prevention coordinator for Westbrook Health Services, and still continues as activities director for Middlebourne Parks & Recreation, a job he loves. In addition to council, King is also an active member of the Sistersville Park Board and the Sistersville Ferry Board. He wants his role in Charleston to be an extension of the hard work that residents put into our communities.

Our residents are amazing, working full-time jobs or multiple part-time jobs, plus volunteering to maintain the wonderful things we have. We need a Delegate who recognizes that spirit and wants to expand options and opportunities for our small towns and communities. When our residents are striving to keep things alive, our elected officials should be fighting to make everything thrive.

King enjoys communicating with people and wants to hear from you now and while he is in office. His address is 715 Main Street, Sistersville, WV 26175; his email is alexking4wv@gmail.com; and his phone number is 304-771-8835.

Like and follow his campaign, see more details about him, and learn about his ideas at facebook.com/king4wvhouse.
facebook like button Tweet tweet button for twitter

Published March 14, 2018

The University of Louisiana Monroes student newspaper, The Hawkeye, won third place for Best Newspaper at the College Media Associations annual conference held March 7-11 in New York City.



Competing against public and private colleges and universities from across the country, The Hawkeye took the honors in the category of four-year schools with student populations between 5,000-10,000.



It was the second time The Hawkeye has finished third place at the CMA Apple Awards in New York, doing it before in 2015.



Siddharth Gaulee, The Hawkeyes Art Director, won third place for Best Photographer in an on-site photo competition in New York. Gaulee, a junior communication major, photographed a violent altercation at the International Womens Day rally held March 8 in Manhattans Washington Square.





"I got to participate in a photo shootout with some of the best college photographers from the country and getting recognized for my work there was an amazing experience," Gaulee said. Participants in the shootout were given 48 hours to capture New York in one frame in a journalistic way.



Gaulees photograph was judged by the audience participants at the conference. The top three photos are now being considered by media advisers and professionals, including the New York Times, for a chance to grace the cover of next years CMA convention program book. Gaulee will find out next week if his photo was selected for that additional honor.



In New York, ULM competed alongside schools like Rice, Temple, Rutgers, Miami, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Colorado State, North Carolina, and Connecticut.



The Hawkeye has earned a national reputation as a top-notch student publication, said the newspapers adviser, Dr. Christopher Mapp. They achieved it through hard work and a relentless pursuit of excellence and self-improvement. They are always trying to get better.



In the Best Newspaper category, the Hawkeye finished only behind American University, a private school in Washington, D.C., and California Baptist University, a private school in Los Angeles, Calif.

Competitions and conferences like this do wonders for our students confidence because they leave understanding they are just as qualified and just as competent as students anywhere in the country. Theyre getting a world-class education right here in Monroe for a fraction of what it costs to attend some of these schools, Mapp said.



In February, the Hawkeye also won six awards, including eighth place for Best Newspaper and seventh place for Best Web Site, at the Southeastern Journalism Conference held at Harding University in Searcy, Ark.



Photo editor Prajal Prasai, of Nepal, won second place in the on-site competition for News and Feature Photography. Advertising director Clarence Nash Jr., of Natchitoches, won third place for Best Print Advertising Staff Member. Ethan Dennis, of Shreveport, and current editor in chief of the Hawkeye, won fifth place for Best Special Event Reporter/Editor. Former editor in chief Cory Thaxton, of Monroe, won 10th place for Best Feature Writer.



After having worked very close with last semesters staff, I was extremely proud to accept awards on their behalf, Dennis said. As current editor in chief and recent SEJC award winner, I hope to continue building the Hawkeyes legacy.



This was the first year the Hawkeye has placed within the top 10 for Best College Newspaper at SEJC.



The SEJC consists of 37 member universities from seven states, spanning from Arkansas to Florida.
In countries affected by fragility and conflict, state institutions (i.e. public administration) co-exist among formal and informal arrangements that mirror ineffective power arrangements. These arrangements are products from protracted power struggles between elites struggling to remain in power and control the distribution of rents and resources. The challenges facing situations of fragility and violent conflict are daunting and multidimensional. The strengthening of weak public institutions to enable them to perform the core functions of government lies at the heart of the process to start restoration or reform. Indeed, the 2030 Agenda confirms that effective and legitimate institutions are central to provide a secure social, economic and political environment for the broader objectives of poverty reduction, sustaining peace and development.

This note aims to provide practitioners with useful guidance and up to date knowledge as they deliver policy and programme advice to national counterparts; and design and implement evidence-based programming to support countries in conflict-affected settings in restoring and/or reforming the civil service, which is indispensable for restoring or improving basic government functionality. The note does not aim to determine what should be done, when or for what types of governments; rather it lays out a series of priorities and concerns to keep in mind, based on UN learning from experience that will, it is hoped, enable more informed decision-making.

This guidance note was produced in consultation with members of the UN Interagency Platform on Core Government Functions (CGFs) in Countries Impacted by Fragility and Conflict (IPCGF). The Interagency Platform is co-chaired by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Department of Political Affairs and comprises of the UN Secretariat and UN agencies, funds, and programmes mandated to and involved in supporting the strengthening of CGFs in fragile and conflict-affected settings. UNDP led the development of this guidance note with the generous support of the Government of Switzerland.
14 March 2018, New York  The United Nations Development Programmes Administrator Achim Steiner will visit Zimbabwe from 15  18 March. This is the first visit by a UN official since the end of Robert Mugabes Presidency and the transfer of power in November 2017.

During his visit, Mr. Steiner, who is also the Vice Chair of the United Nations Development Group, will meet with President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa and other senior officials including the two Vice Presidents, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, Lands and Agriculture, Environment, and Health, among others. He will also meet with development partners, members of civil society, and the UN country team.

During his meetings with government officials, Mr. Steiner will discuss how the UN can support the upcoming elections and actions it can take to assist in Zimbabwes economic recovery.

He will also meet with a number of Independent Commissions, including the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, and the Gender Commission

Mr. Steiner will also deliver the keynote address at the launch of National Human Development report on Climate Change on 16 March 2018 in Harare. The Human Development Report aims to inform policy, provide additional evidence for resilience and livelihood building projects and advocacy to address natural disasters that have become recurrent in Zimbabwe due to climate change.

He will also travel to the field to see a variety of projects including a voter registration facility, an agricultural diversification project, and HIV and AIDS programs in Mbare and Mutoko.

Mr. Steiner will hold a press conference on Saturday, 17 March 2018 17:30 at Meikles Hotel in Harare.

For more information and media requests, please contact:

In New York, Christina LoNigro, Press Secretary, United Nations Development Programme on christina.lonigro@undp.org or Mob: +1 917 607 9446;

In Harare, Sirak Gebrehiwot, Communications Specialist, UN Resident Coordinators Office on sirak.gebrehiwot@one.un.org or +263 772 198 036
- Opening remarks: as prepared for delivery-

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Morning.

The United Nations Development Programme is honoured to join the Permanent Missions of Norway and the International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN) in hosting this discussion. I am particularly pleased to welcome Jens Frlich Holte, State Secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ms. Sanam Anderlini, Co-Founder & Executive Director, International Civil Society Action Network(ICAN); Ms. Nada Darwezeh, Chief of the Gender Equality Section at the Center for Women at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; as well as Ms. Visaka Dharmadasa, Founder and Chair of the Association of War Affected Women (AWAW) in Sri Lanka, and Ms. Avazkan Ormonova, Director of the Public Fund "Business Initiative Women" in Kyrgyzstan.

The 62nd CSW focuses on the challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls. It is often women in rural areas who are most affected by conflict and insecurity. Rural livelihoods can be shattered by the damaging impacts of violent conflict, and the distance from centrally-headquartered law enforcement and peacekeeping services can put rural women and girls at particular physical risk.

The vital role of women in achieving peace and development  which has been recognised in a series of UN Resolutions on women, peace and security starting in 2000 with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 - has now been reaffirmed in both the Sustaining Peace Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The 2015 Global Study on the Implementation of resolution 1325 revealed that the resolution should be regarded as one of the crowning achievements of the global womens movement, and one of the most inspired decisions of the United Nations Security Council. The recognition that peace is inextricably linked with gender equality and womens leadership was a radical step for the highest body tasked with the maintenance of international peace and security.

And yet, there remains a gap between the ambition of our commitments and actual political will and financial support. While the WPS agenda has contributed to significant changes in international norms surrounding womens political leadership and decision-making on peace and security, its national implementation has remained slow and patchy at best.

Analysis shows that while 73 UN Member States have UNSCR 1325 National Action Plans, only 17 of them have allocated budgets for their implementation.

On average, every year, UNDP implements programs to support the more effective functioning of some 70 parliaments around the world. Over the past few years, we have sought to re-orient this support toward capacitation of parliaments and parliamentarians to be fit for purpose as actors in the 2030 Agenda. An integral aspect of our efforts focuses on women parliamentarians, and on advocating for a greater role for parliaments and parliamentarians in peace and security.

Let me give you an example on how parliaments can make an impact in supporting infrastructure for peace:

Ghanas national peace architecture, particularly its National Peace Council, has been recognized as an important emerging model for developing state capacity to protect civilians and prevent conflict. In November 2010, the National Peace Council Bill was presented to Parliament and in March 2011, was unanimously adopted by Parliament. The enactment of the Bill formally constituted the Commission and empowered it to begin its duties, to coordinate conflict prevention, management, and resolution, and build sustainable peace through networking and coordination. Parliament approves the annual budget for the Council and takes a close interest in its activities.

Members of national parliaments are uniquely positioned to promote peace and pluralism, in their role as elected representatives of the people.

Parliamentarians can also be critical players in ensuring the needs of rural women are properly addressed. As local representatives, members of Parliament can carry specific stories of hardship back to the capital and lobby for action.

Parliamentarians, through their law-making and oversight functions, can ensure that government institutions promote peace, security and gender equality by guaranteeing that all laws  in their intent and in their application - promote and protect human rights, inclusive governance and accountability. This is of particular importance in the law and justice sectors.

Parliamentarians have other relevant tools at their disposal. They can use Question Time or interpellations to ask the Government what actions they are taking to address rural womens needs. In committees, they can propose the initiation of specific parliamentary inquiries into critical issues, including whether the WPS agenda is being implemented to address rural womens specific needs. They can encourage targeted budgeting to ensure women are included in peacebuilding and economic development efforts, and they can support funding of National Action Plans on Women, Peace, and Security.

Greater engagement between parliaments and civil society can also be a powerful way of promoting participation of women and girls in all aspects of peace and security, including in rural areas. UNDP recognises that systematic and structured engagement between civil society, government, parliaments and the UN system is truly vital. Civil society groups  alone or in coalition (such as the members of the International Civil Society Action Network) can act as intermediaries to support women  helping to bring issues that are of particular importance to them to the national and even international stage.

I am very pleased to use this forum to announce a new UNDP project to support legislatures to domesticate the WPS agenda through parliamentary action. With the generous support of the Government of Norway, UNDP will work with three parliaments in 2018 including that of Kyrgyzstan to specifically reflect upon their current WPS National Action Plans and develop parliamentary action plans to support of them. Drawing on their input and feedback, as well as other contributions from parliaments around the world, we will then produce a Handbook for Parliaments on WPS Implementation.

Many people in this room today  not least our panellists - have rich personal experiences to draw upon, and I greatly look forward to the coming exchange of views, both today and as this programme of work moves forward.

I now pass the floor to Mr Jens Frlich Holte, State Secretary, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once again with an acknowledgement of Norways leadership in this important area of work.
UNHCR Deputy Representative for Protection in Chad, Edward O'Dwyer  UNHCR Chad

At the time, it was not my intention to join the UN, says Edward ODwyer.

In the early 1990s, the Limerick man was working with a Galway based computer software company when it closed, leading him to consider a career change.

He joined the UN Volunteer programme in Cambodia in 1992, but soon after was deployed with UNHCR in the former Yugoslavia, where a devastating conflict had created the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

I was drawn by events there and it seemed like the right thing to do at the time.

Some 25 years later, he is still passionate about working with refugees and asylum-seekers around the world. Since January 2017, he has been stationed in Chad in the role of Deputy Representative for Protection, an often challenging and very interesting assignment.

The current situation is quite difficult, explains ODwyer. Over the past few years, Chad has experienced an economic crisis as its petrol revenues plummeted due to global oil prices and conflict and instability in neighboring countries led to border closures and the disruption of trade. In this context UNHCR is supporting the government to protect and find solutions for more than 630,000 people in Chad. This includes about 430,000 refugees, 157,000 internally displaced people as well as Chadian returnees from the Central African Republic and Nigeria and Chadian refugees from Darfur in the Sudan.

Conflict zones

Sharing a border with Libya, Sudan, the Central African Republic, Cameroon as well as Nigeria and Niger, the land-locked country is located in-between some of Africas most notorious conflicts.

Insecurity related to the Boko Haram terrorist group in the Lake Chad region has led to over 157,000 people being displaced or affected by displacement within Chad near the border with Nigeria. People who previously were obliged to move their homes to follow the receding waters of the lake in order to maintain their livelihoods in fishing and agriculture are now forced to move again due to violence and attacks on the civilian population by Boko Haram.

According to ODwyer, Islamic terrorism posed a threat not just to Chad but to the broader region.

Boko Haram puts the whole area under stress. This element of extremism needs attention.

Boko Haram puts the whole area under stress. This element of extremism needs attention. If communities dont have protection they are either forced to flee or they fall prey to their captors.

On top of all of this, renewed fighting in the Central African Republic has triggered large movements of people towards Chad. 21,000 people have entered into Chad since Christmas alone and we understand more are arriving as we speak. This is very worrying, he says.

In the context of instability in the region, Chad has been a safe haven, offering security and protection to large numbers of refugees over the years. However, this regional instability has left its mark on the countrys economy and has negatively impacted the resilience of communities and families to make ends meet. This has been a harsh set back following the more successful years of the petrol boom, which began in 2003.

Child refugee Zoera, in faded red dress with green headscarf, attends class at Djabal camp in Chad Young Sudanese refugees are being integrated into Chad's school system, with the support of UNHCR and Educate A Child Programme.   UNHCR/S.Cherkaoui

Falling oil prices and humanitarian aid

The petrol industry gave Chad a new lifeline to complement its existing base. Before that, its biggest industries were cattle, agriculture and cotton. When the growing insecurity in the region led to the countrys decision to close some of its borders, the situation changed. The cattle industry was highly dependent on cross-border trade. That wasnt possible anymore. When the petrol prices started going down as well, Chad entered a deep economic crisis, he says

Progressive reductions in the levels of humanitarian resources available in Chad have made the situation even more precarious. Both UNHCRs, as well as the World Food Programmes funding, have been reduced over the last few years at a time when the numbers of people of concern have continued to increase. UNHCR Chads operational budget had reduced by 50% since 2013, he says. This has a direct and negative impact on the general protection environment and well-being of families, particularly women and children who are exposed to the most serious risks to their person and dignity. The problem is, that Chad, or at least NDjamena, looks better to the eye than it actually is when reality reveals itself. During the petrol boom, a lot was invested in infrastructure but nobody was investing in the human capital which the country so badly needed. We can feel that now.

Today, more than a quarter of Chads own population is in need of humanitarian aid due to food insecurity. This situation has a direct impact on families, particularly children. It often means families cant send their children to school, or they have to choose which of their children will get to go. It is usually the girls who end up staying at home.

...people here tend to be very welcoming. There is a huge tradition of asylum on the African continent.

Tradition of asylum

Despite all this, Chads population remains welcoming towards refugees and asylum-seekers, says O'Dwyer. Think of Chad as a country of great hospitality. Africa, in general, is very specific in this regard as people here tend to be very welcoming. There is a huge tradition of asylum on the African continent.

To improve the situation and get people out of their dependency on humanitarian aid, UNHCR is working closely with development agencies as well as the government of Chad toward the socio-economic inclusion of refugees. High up on this years agenda: giving refugees the right to work.

Refugees access to the labour market is still quite restricted. We are supporting the government to lighten the administrative procedures and facilitate inclusion. Implementing refugee legislation would allow refugees to stimulate the economy here in Chad.

Its a highly charged brief, but one that the occasional trip home helps him get ready for. I go back to Ireland a few times every year. Its good to fill up the batteries.
India and Poland resolve to expand agriculture trade during minister's visit

New Delhi, Mar 14 (UNI) Poland and India on Wednesday resolved to expand agriculture trade between the two countries and enhance investment in cold chain and food processing technology during the first meeting here on Wednesday of the Joint Working Group constituted last year.

Welcoming the visiting Polish First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Jacek Bogucki , Union Minister of State for Agriculture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat observed that there was large scope for enhancement of trade in farm products from India such as mango, potato, grapes, wheat and sugar.

The Polish Minister evinced his countrys interest in saplings of fruit trees, one-day-old chicks and hatch eggs.
EU backs France over US-UK-Australia security pact: French Europe minister 21 Sep 2021 | 4:24 PM Moscow, Sep 21 (UNI/Sputnik) Key EU officials are throwing their full backing behind France in the ongoing tensions regarding the AUKUS security alliance, formed by Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, French Secretary of State for European Affairs Clement Beaune said on Tuesday. see more..

Philippines logs 16,361 new COVID-19 cases, death toll crosses 37,000 21 Sep 2021 | 4:15 PM Manila, Sep 21 (UNI/Xinhua) The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) reported 16,361 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections on Tuesday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 2,401,916. see more..

Kremlin says ECHR claims of Russia's responsibility for Litvinenko's death are 'unfounded' 21 Sep 2021 | 4:10 PM Moscow, Sep 21 (UNI/Sputnik) Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov qualified as unfounded the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)'s claims about Russia's responsibility for the death of ex-security officer Alexander Litvinenko and emphasized that the Kremlin is not ready to listen to such decisions. see more..

UK police authorize charges against third suspect in Salisbury poisoning 21 Sep 2021 | 4:07 PM Moscow, Sep 21 (UNI/Sputnik) The UK Counter Terrorism Policing network confirmed on Tuesday authorizing charges against Sergey Fedotov, a third suspect in the Salisbury poisoning attack on former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. see more..
Permit of polluting vehicles to be seized

Bhopal, Mar 14 (UNI) Madhya Pradesh Transport Minister Bhupendra Singh today announced in the Assembly that permit of vehicles spreading more pollution than prescribed limit would be seized.

These vehicles would not be allowed to ply until these are brought within the prescribed limits, said Mr Singh while replying to a query by Mr Sushil Kumar Tiwari during the Question Hour.

Mr Tiwari drew the attention of the regime on pollution being caused by such vehicles and demanded stringent measures.
UN urges post-ISIL Iraq to draw on diversity

United Nations, Mar 14 (UNI) As Iraq rebuilds after defeating a terrorist group, the country must draw on its religious diversity and protect minorities, including Yezidi and Christians, a senior United Nations official has said.

Iraq needs all its components, all its ethnic and religious groups, to rebuild in the post-Daesh period and prosper in the future as a stable and united country, said the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Jan Kubis, in a press release.

He urged the authorities to proactively support these communities and ensure the return of minorities who had been persecuted by the terrorist group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
(March 14, 2017) -- Meet Burcu Ozsoy 10. Shes the director of the Istanbul Technical University Polar Research Center (PolReC), the first Turkish polar research center.

A native of Turkey, Ozsoy was living in San Antonio and looking for an advisor to help her continue her passion for geological research. As an undergraduate student, she studied surveying engineering and used satellite images to detect oil spills on the surface of the ocean.

She soon found her way to the UTSA Department of Geological Sciences, where she met with Professor Hongjie Xie. She e-mailed him after discovering he had experience in the type of research she was interested in pursuing.

I was very lucky to meet with Dr. Xie, Ozsoy said. He was using satellite images to do two things: observe the surface of Mars and study sea ice in Antarctica. I immediately jumped at the opportunity to study Antarctica, and Im still quite happy with my choice many years later.

As a Ph.D. student, Ozsoy worked closely with Xie and Stephen Ackley, UTSA research associate professor of earth and environmental sciences, in their Laboratory for Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, which focuses on sea ice, water resources and the remote sensing of the Mars surface.

I have amazing memories being a student in that lab, Ozsoy said. Dr. Xie and Dr. Ackley created a strong, close-knit team that I loved studying with. I owe them all of my knowledge.

As a student, Ozsoy joined Xie on a scientific expedition to Antarctica on a Swedish icebreaker as part of a research project to study sea ice. The voyage had a deep impact on Ozsoy, who was inspired to continue Antarctic research after her graduation from UTSA in 2010.

The chance to have that experience as a young scientist was transformative, she said.

After her graduation, Ozsoy returned to Turkey and worked initially as a lecturer at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) but was soon promoted to assistant professor.

I enjoyed giving lectures about statistics, computer science and marine environmental management, she said. But my heart was still beating for Antarctica.

The UTSA alumna continued her Antarctic research at ITU and, soon after her promotion, began working to establish a polar research center.

It took two years of dedication, she said. In 2015, the ITU Polar Research Center was officially established.



The centers mission is to research the future of the Antarctic, raise public awareness of the region, and foster intercollegiate and international research collaboration. Since its founding, Ozsoy has served as the director of the center and has been successful in securing increasing amounts of funding to advance its mission.

PolReC regularly conducts scientific expeditions to Antarctica. Ozsoy departed with her team for the most recent mission on February 25 and has plans to return in April. She has also taken inspiration from her UTSA mentors by creating opportunities for young scientists to study in Antarctica.

Im glad to give these chances to researchers. I was given the opportunity once and it changed my whole life, Ozsoy said. When I look back, Im grateful for my meeting with Dr. Xie at UTSA. I feel lucky for meeting Dr. Ackley and being able to lose myself in this big, beautiful continent called Antarctica. I recommend that the younger generation trust themselves and be encouraged to step forward and be adventurous. They will not regret it. Im certain.
UW Trustees Education Initiative Joins Educators Rising Network

The University of Wyomings effort to create a new pipeline of future educators has taken a step forward, as UWs Trustees Education Initiative (TEI) has become a state affiliate of the national organization Educators Rising.

That will allow TEI to offer funding and other support to Wyoming school districts for local Educators Rising chapters.

Educators Rising cultivates highly skilled educators by guiding young people on a path to becoming accomplished teachers, beginning in high school and extending through college and into the profession.

TEIs designation as a state affiliate kicks off the first phase of the UW Enterprise for Elevating Educational Excellence (UW-E4). In that role, TEI seeks to support Wyoming school district chapters of Educators Rising by funding a stipend for each local chapter adviser and providing the fees for student member access to the EdRising Academy Curriculum and Educators Rising Microcredentials.

TEI is able to provide this funding support to Wyoming schools, educators and students, in part, through a grant from the Daniels Fund.

Educators Rising provides student members with opportunities to experience teaching and to build the skills they need to be successful educators. Educators Rising offers resources and opportunities that integrate directly into the academic programs of teacher academy career and technical education courses at the high-school level.

By joining Educators Rising, those leading or participating in school-based programs that help young people explore teaching are connected to more than 45,000 members across the country.

These aspiring educators and their mentors connect and deepen their learning through the EdRising Virtual Campus, a cutting-edge online community that offers rigorous resources to support the development of great teachers. Opportunities for students and teachers range from national competitions that allow rising educators to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and leadership in education to a customizable curriculum that fits any teacher leaders needs.

Wyoming school district educators and leaders with an interest in forming local Educators Rising chapters are encouraged to email TEI Executive Director Rebecca Watts at rwatts3@uwyo.edu or call (307) 766-5461.

The Board of Trustees created the TEI in 2014 to develop innovative and modern methods to ensure UW prepares effective educators for Wyoming.
Sunrise presented by Vancouver Sun

Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion delivered straight to your inbox at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday.

Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise presented by Vancouver Sun will soon be in your inbox.

We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Pakistans Catholic bishops, currently in Rome for their 5-yearly ad limina visit, are scheduled to meet Pope Francis on 15 March.

By Robin Gomes

When Pakistans Catholic bishops meet Pope Francis in the Vatican on Thursday, they are going to invite him to visit their country. Archbishop Joseph Coutts of Karchi, made the declaration to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on Wednesday.

Members of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference (PCBC) are currently in Rome on what is called the ad limina visit. Heads of dioceses make such visits every 5 years or so to report on the state of their jurisdictions.

Thursday morning, the bishops will concelebrate Mass with the Pope in the Vaticans Casa Santa Marta residence and later meet him to discuss the current situation in the country.

Invitation has government backing

Arch. Coutts said that their invitation to the Pope has the support of the Pakistani government. In 2015, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had sent two federal ministers to Rome to personally deliver the letter of invitation to the Pontiff.

Archbishop Coutts noted that, "Pope Francis is highly esteemed by all Pakistanis, including Muslims. They consider him a man of peace and appreciated his steps towards the Islamic community, not least the good relations with the Al-Azhar, University of Cairo, Egypt, Arch. Coutts said.

He however said that the possibility of such a visit can be discussed only after the establishment of a new government following the general elections scheduled for 15 July. He was confident it will be possible.

Air of uncertainty in Pakistan

The archbishop expressed concern over the great uncertainty in the troubled south Asian country ahead of the elections. "The main parties as well as those with Islamic affiliations are fighting each other, and a mature and wise candidate has not yet emerged, he noted. These tensions concern not only Christians but also the entire population, he said.

Pakistan's small Christian minority continues to suffer, mainly due to attacks on churches, the 72-year old archbishop said, noting that the last attack was on the Methodist church of Quetta on 17 December. Since several churches have been hit in recent years, he said, places of worship are given police protection on Sundays and feast days. However, he said, There is constant danger and we do not know where and when the terrorists will strike again.

The other source of great concern for Christians, Arch. Coutts pointed out, is the abuse of the countrys controversial blasphemy laws. He spoke about the recent incident of a Christian boy from Lahore, Patras Masih, who has been arrested for offending the Prophet Muhammad. "For the umpteenth time, lamented Arch. Coutts, a person, almost always innocent, is accused without any proof and without the possibility of defending himself.

The blasphemy laws remain an extremely sensitive issue in the predominantly Muslim nation and they have drawn intense criticism even within the country. Insulting the Prophet Muhammad in Pakistan is a crime punishable by death, while offending the  Koran, Islams holy book, incurs life imprisonment. Rights organizations say the law is often misused to settle personal scores.

Arch. Coutts pointed out that Islamist extremists exert much pressure to fomenting the feelings of people, that prevents the right course of justice, even for Muslims. According to him, a change in mentality is needed in order to prevent the abuse of the blasphemy laws. The problem of blasphemy laws, he said, is inherent in Pakistani society, that is not yet ready to properly handle the issue of religion.

International solidarity

However, Pakistans tiny Christian community draws strength from international solidarity. Arch. Coutts expressed gratitude to ACN for its efforts in this regard, especially for lighting up Romes famous landmark, the Colosseum in red on 24 February, in solidarity with the suffering Christians of the world.

Among those invited to the Rome event were the husband and youngest daughter of Asia Bibi of Pakistan, condemned to death in 2010 for blasphemy.

Such initiatives, Arch. Coutts said, show to the Western world that there are Christians in other parts of the world who suffer because of the lack of separation between religion and state. When we know you are aware of our situation and pray for us, we feel encouraged and no longer feel alone, he said thanking ACN for its efforts.

Aid to the Church in Need is a Pontifical Foundation that supports suffering Christians in over 140 countries around the world.
Released on the 5th anniversary of his Pontificate, a new film entitled Pope Francis  A Man of His Word opens a unique window onto the Holy Fathers ideas and his encounters with people from all walks of life.

Pope Francis - A Man of His Word, written and directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Wim Wenders, is intended to be a personal journey with Pope Francis, rather than a biographical documentary about him.

Msgr. Dario Edoardo Vigano, Prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communication, set the project rolling when he invited Mr. Wenders to make a film with the Holy Father. The result was a rare co-production between Focus Features and the Vatican.



Pope Francis ideas and message are central to the film, which presents his work of reform and his answers to todays global questions regarding death, social justice, immigration, ecology, wealth inequality, materialism, and the role of the family.

Popes many encounters



The films direct-to-camera visual and narrative concepts place the audience face-to-face with the Pope, creating a dialogue between him and the world. Pope Francis responds to the questions of farmers and workers, refugees, children and the elderly, prison inmates, and those who live in favelas and migrant camps. All of these voices and faces are a cross section of humanity that join in a conversation with Pope Francis.

This symphony of questions provides the backbone for the film, which also shows the Holy Father on his many journeys around the world. It features footage of him speaking at the United Nations, addressing the Congress of the United States, and mourning with those gathered at Ground Zero and at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem. He speaks to prisoners in correctional facilities and to refugees in Mediterranean camps.

Throughout the film, Pope Francis shares his vision of the Church and his deep concern for the poor, his involvement in environmental issues and social justice, and his call for peace in areas of conflict and between world religions. There is also a presence of Saint Francis in the film, connecting back to the Popes namesake, through accounts of legendary moments in the Saints own life as a reformer and ecologist.

Lives what he preaches



In an era of deep distrust of politicians and people in power, Pope Francis - A Man of His Word shows us a person who lives what he preaches and who has gained the trust of people of all faith traditions and cultures across the world.

The film is produced by Mr. Wenders with Samanta Gandolfi Branca, Alessandro Lo Monaco (The Worlds Smallest Army), Andrea Gambetta, and David Rosier (The Salt of the Earth). The film is a production of Celestes Images, Vatican Media, Solares Fondazione delle Arti, PTS Arts Factory, Neue Road Movies, Fondazione Solares Suisse, and Decia Films.
Before his weekly general audience on Wednesday, Pope Francis received a delegation representing the BaoAn Gong Taoist temple from Taipei, Taiwan.

By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp

The President of the Bao'An Gong temple, Liao Wu-jyh, spoke on behalf of the members of his delegation and presented Pope Francis with a joint declaration bearing his signature and that of the Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Bishop Miguel Ayuso.

Seven common goals

Mr Wu-jyh said that the declaration demonstrates the determination of the Taipei BaoAn temple to join hands with the Holy See in order to achieve the 7 goals listed in it. He added that the most important of these goals is the last one which seeks to promote and safeguard universal values, namely, justice, peace, solidarity, friendship, freedom, and religious harmony. Mr Wu-jyh concluded his remarks with an invitation to the Holy Father to Taiwan to see and understand Taiwan and its people first handand let us pray for you.

We are all searching for the Absolute

Responding to Mr Wu-jyhs presentation, Pope Francis thanked him for his words, and for the invitation to visit Taiwan. The Pope said that he is pleased that their dialogue with the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue is not only about ideas. it is a human dialogue, person to person, that helps everyone to grow, to grow as persons, on our road in the search for the Absolute, for God, Pope Francis said.

Advocating justice and building peace through interreligious dialogue

Since October 2016, members of the Taipei based BaoAn Gong temple have been in dialogue with the Catholic Church through the Chinese Regional Bishops Conference in Taiwan. A spokesperson for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue characterized this dialogue as one that has created bonds of friendship and cooperation as each of the participants has grown in their knowledge of the others religion. He said that the visit to the Vatican on the part of the Taoist delegation is significant and marks a milestone in the relationship. He added that both sides in the dialogue hope to be advocates of justice and to be builders of peace. Through interreligious dialogue and cooperation we can help safeguard human dignity and promote the betterment of the human family."
The Impact of the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act on Hawaii Households

From DBEDT, March, 2018

Executive Summary

The Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) was signed into law December 22, 2018. The TCJA has many provisions which will impact Hawaii individual taxpayers in different ways depending on their filing status, income bracket, home ownership status, and family composition. This report examines the impact of the TCJA on Hawaii individual taxpayers federal income tax returns using statistics compiled by the IRS for Hawaii taxpayers. While the results vary by income group and filing status, a majority of Hawaii taxpayers will pay less in federal income taxes in years 2018 through 2025, after which most of the provisions expire. The analysis of the TCJA of Hawaii residents federal individual income tax liability for tax year 2018 shows that:

On average, the provisions of the TCJA will result in lower tax liabilities for most income groups in Hawaii. The higher income groups will see increases in tax liability.

 The substantial increase in the standard deduction will benefit the lower to mid-range income groups.

 In general, taxpayers filing jointly will benefit more under the TCJA than single filers and head of household filers.

 The standard deduction nearly doubles for all filing status categories under the TCJA. A significant number of filers in the mid-income range will shift their filing behavior from itemized to standard deduction due to the increase in the standard deduction.

 Under the TCJA personal exemptions are eliminated. However, this is usually more than offset by the doubling of the standard deduction as noted above.

 The TCJA doubles the child tax credit from $1,000 to $2,000, which will benefit Hawaii households with children. Furthermore, there is an increase in the refundable portion up to $1,400.

 A majority of the higher income groups will continue to itemize their deductions and, thus, will not benefit from the increase in standard deductions.

 Higher income groups will be impacted by the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, with those in the top two income brackets being hit especially hard.

 While a majority of Hawaiis individual taxpayers will have a reduction in federal income tax liability, the two AGI categories above $500,000 will experience an increase in their tax liability for the 2018 tax year, mostly due to the SALT cap provision.

It should be noted that this analysis does not include corporations, which will see a substantial decrease in their federal tax liability, as the corporate tax rate of 35 percent (top bracket over $10 million) is reduced to a flat rate of 21 percent.

In summary, the decrease in the tax liability for the lower to mid-income ranges is primarily due to the reduction in the applicable tax rates, the increase in the standard deduction, and the doubling of the child tax credit. For the top two income categories, a large portion of these benefits are offset by the $10,000 cap on the SALT deduction. The table below provides an overall estimate by income category based weighted averages for individuals and the total for each respective category. Under the TCJA for tax year 2018, the aggregate federal income tax liability will be an estimated $710.06 million less than 2017 under the previous law. This does not include corporate income tax.

read  Full Report

Coverage:

PBN: Hawaii households to see $710M reduction in federal individual income tax for 2018

* * * * *

Flashback December 21, 2017: Tax Cut Makes Hawaii Democrats Bitter, Spiteful

HTH: When you look at the broad position as opposed to the narrow ones, its overall going to be helpful in that it will allow the middle class to take home more money, said Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii. And hopefully it will stimulate the economy. What kind of effect (it will have) we dont know until we see in two or three years whats actually happened.

State Sen. Josh Green, D-Kona, Kau, agreed with Yamachika that GOP projections of economic growth remain largely speculative, but thats where the consensus ended.

This is as bad and cynical and mean-spirited a bill as Ive ever seen, Green said. Whoever says that this is good for Hawaii families should turn in their credentials. They dont know what theyre talking about..

read  Cynical LOL!
Internationally renowned as a leading researcher and author, Hawking was diagnosed at 21 with motor neurone disease

By Philippa Hitchen

British scientist Stephen Hawking died on Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, where he had spent his career probing the mysteries of the universe.

Despite being confined to a wheelchair and speaking through a voice synthesizer, Hawking gained international renown for his ground breaking work on black holes and the theory of relativity.

Listen and download our report

At the age of 76, Stephen Hawking was the most famous face of the scientific world. His formidable mind probed the limits of human understanding, both in the vastness of space and in the sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time.

A Brief History of Time

As well as being a brilliant scientist, he also wrote about his ideas in a language that people could understand. He shot to international fame after the 1988 publication of his book A Brief History of Time", which spent over two years on the Sunday Times best-seller list.

In 2014 he was portrayed in the film, "The Theory of Everything", which explored his early life as a student and the onset of his debilitating motor neurone disease.

Meetings with popes

He met with four popes here in the Vatican, including Pope Francis, whom he encountered at a 2016 session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences exploring the impact of scientific knowledge and technology on people and the planet.

As part of his research, Hawking proposed a model of the universe based on two concepts of time: "real time", as human beings experience it, and "imaginary time", on which the world may really run. Another major part of his research was into black holes, thought to be so dense that nothing could escape from their gravitational pull.

Lasting legacy

The U.S. space agency NASA paid tribute to Hawking, saying: "His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we and the world are exploring."

As messages poured in from across the globe, Hawkings three children released a statement describing their father as an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

In a tweet, one fan noted that Hawking was born January 8th 1942, the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death and died on March 14th, the anniversary of Einstein's birth. Time is circular, the tweet concluded, no beginning, no end.


According to a recent study by Vietnamworks, Ho Chi Minh City has the highest monthly average salary in Vietnam at US$ 456 (VND 10.37 million), 38 percent higher than the national average. The data was compiled from 4.7 million job applications and 95,000 job postings in 2017 on Vietnamworks, an online recruitment platform. As per the report, 59 percent of monthly salaries ranged from US$ 251 (VND 5.7 million) to US$ 500 (VND 11.37 million).

Salary by location

HCM City led with a minimum monthly average salary of US$ 456 (VND 10.37 million), 38 percent higher than the national average. Da Nang, central Vietnams economic hub ranked second at a monthly average at US$ 452, followed by Binh Duong, Bac Ninh, and Hanoi at US$ 444, US$ 421, and US$ 407 respectively.

Salary level

According to the report, recent graduates have high expectations compared to experienced and senior professionals. Around 72 percent of new graduates earn between US$ 251 to US$ 500 (VND 5.7-11.4 million) per month. However, jobs with monthly salaries ranging from US$ 701 to US$ 1,000 (VND 15.9-22.6 million) attracted the highest number of applicants, which highlights the high expectations of recent graduates. New recruits job openings account for only 6 percent of the listed openings, which makes it very competitive for graduates.

Experienced professionals tend to be better informed about the average salaries in the market. Most of the experienced applicants view jobs with monthly salaries US$ 701 to US$ 1,000, but are still comfortable with lower than average salaries. The monthly range varies a lot, from USS$ 251 to US$ 1,000, and jobs for experienced professionals account for the majority of the job openings at 68 percent.

Expectations of management-level professionals vary based on location. Candidates in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Binh Duong, and Quang Ninh apply for jobs with an average monthly salary of US$ 1,000 to US$ 2,000 while Da Nang residing candidates apply for jobs with lower monthly averages of US$ 700 to US$ 1,000. For managerial positions, 60 percent of the companies are comfortable with monthly salaries above US$ 1,000 per month (VND 22.7 million), while 15 percent of applicants at the managerial level were paid a monthly salary above US$ 3,000 (VND 68 million).

Salary by industry

Monthly salaries from US$ 501 to US$ 700 attracted the highest number of applicants from the administrative, clerical, and production industry. Industries such as accounting, media, advertisement, marketing, architecture, construction, and customer care accounted for the highest number of job applicants with a salary range of US$ 701 to US$ 1,000.

Outlook

Salaries in Vietnam are rising faster than any other Southeast Asian country, as per a survey by employment website Jobstreet.com. The average annual growth rate in Vietnam stood at 20 to 24 percent, compared to 14 to 20 percent in Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, and Singapore.

In 2017, management and executive salaries grew the fastest at 26 and 35 percent respectively. This trend will likely to continue in 2018 as well. Overall recruitment demands in Vietnam will continue to grow as foreign investment pours in and domestic and foreign companies continue with their expansion plans.
Before 1975, fashion in Vietnam differed greatly between North (which preferred traditional styles) and South (which put a spin on customary dress and adopted Western attire).In Saigon, the changes in details of the collar and layers of the, which started in the 1930s, continued to evolve with tight-fit cuts and vibrant color schemes, departing from traditional dark colors.In addition to the elegant long outfits, the women of Saigon donned Western-influenced short dresses, miniskirts, jeans and fabrics with various designs and colors, ranging from plain, solid shades to floral and dotted patterns.Big hairdos, heavy eyeliner, headbands and sunglasses were common fashion statements in the 1960s and '70s. These photos show how the queens of Saigon glammed it up back in the day.(via Saigoneer
The last two Feng Shui-centric seminars grabbed major attention from indivduals and entrepreneurs

Previously, the Vietnam-based arm of CapitaLand successfully hosted the seminar for two consecutive years, 2016 and 2017, which later received lots of positive feedback from homebuyers.

Chen Lian Pang, CEO of CapitaLand Vietnam, asserted that, "We (CapitaLand Vietnam) acknowledge the role of Feng Shui in the decisions of a customer when purchasing a residential project, as Feng Shui represents the close connection between people and their living space. Hence, the ancient Chinese art is closely intertwined with the architecture of residential projects.

CapitaLand Vietnam acknowledges the role of Feng Shui in the decisions of a customer when purchasing a residential project, as Feng Shui represents the close connection between people and their living space.

Feng Shui plays a vital role in purchasing residential projects since there is a close-knit relationship between personal wellbeing and the surrounding ambience

Chen further added that, "By inviting the internationally acclaimed Feng Shui pundit, Dato Joey Yap to co-host the seminar, we (CapitaLand Vietnam) expect to spread knowledge about the ancient art and science of Feng Shui on the Vietnamese market, bringing the practical perks Feng Shui has to offer to residential projects."

The seminar was attended by droves of interested people and businesses

In the Feng Shui seminar, the world-renowned consultant addressed key points, such as the energy generated by the Year of the Dog, the recent "hearsay" that this lunar year would bring a time of doom and gloom when markets would crash, leading to an inevitable recession, and speculations that sectors such as IT, oil and gas, telecommunications, and agriculture, as well as education would produce great business opportunities in the year ahead.
Then Cafe is the only art space from Hue city to receive a CDEF grant in 2018. (Facebook Then Cafe)

The eight CDEF recipients are Hanoi Doclab, Heritage Space, Manzi Art Space, Matca, Nha San Studio, Rec Room, The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents (TPD) and Then Cafe.

Within the grants framework, these local art groups will be able to produce projects that engage the community with various types of modern arts such as painting and installation exhibitions, film-making and photography workshops, publications and performances in the years of 2018-19.

Hanoi Doclab will receive VND150 million ($6,600) for its A Multi-Faceted Platform for Moving Image and Media Arts project which will focus on sound and visual works. It will equip local art practitioners with technical and critical knowledge to sustain their practices through a series of workshops, projects, exhibition programmes, publication initiatives and collaborations with Danish partners.

Heritage Space will receive VND180 million ($8,100). This is the second time it will receive a CDEF grant for its Months of Arts Practice.

"With CDEFs grant we will continue to create an exchange platform for direct exchange between local and international artists with the special theme of minorities and vulnerable groups in society," said Heritage Spaces art director Nguyen Anh Tuan.

Manzi Art Space will use its grant of VND120 million ($5,400) to carry out Contemporary Art in Viet Nam : Audience Development & Roles of Art in Social Development Project. The project contains a variety of contemporary art activities with film screenings, cultural debates, a literature events, visual art exhibitions and music performances with the participation of both local and international artists.

Matca is the youngest organisation to receive the grant this year. It will get VND150 million ($6,600) for its Matca - A Gathering Space for Vietnamese Photography project. It is to create a community art space for Vietnamese young photographers. It expects to hold four exhibitions under the project.

Established in 1998, Nha San Studio is the oldest contemporary art centre in Hanoi. Its grant is VND180 million ($8,100) to consist of a series of arts and cultural events throughout 2018, promoting the work of young artists and curators and stimulating artistic and generational dialogues in Vietn am .

Key events will be the Emerging Artists Programme, Future in Reserve Programme and Nha San 20+ Exhibition.

Hue-based Then Cafe will aim to create a residency programme for 10 young Vietnamese artists and five others from Asian countries in Art Village , in Hue city . With the support of VND120 million ($5,400), the invitees will create art-works inspired from their profound experiences and mutual collaborations.

TPD and Rec Room focus on film and music. TPD will receive VND101 million ($4,600) for bringing cinema to audiences whilst Rec Room will get VND80 million ($3,600) for its Vietnam Tour project. An art-bus tour with a special focus on music performances is used to promote Vietnamese young artists and their underground arts across the country. The tour will kick off on May 25 and will last tentatively around 24 days.

"We are very pleased that Denmark s contributions have been instrumental in encouraging new and experimental art projects and collaborations in Vietn am over the past 13 years," said Ane Kirsten Andersen, the embassys Cultural Counselor at the press conference held on Monday. "Arts spread beyond words and they are bridges, which can enhance our understanding of each others differences, but especially of our similarities".
A doctor at HCMC's Children 1 Hospital checks a child with meningococcal disease.

Doctors fear the disease would have heavy consequences for children, while the supply of vaccines is not sufficient to meet demand.

Meningococcal disease is an infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. This bacterium can cause serious and sometimes fatal diseases, including meningitis (infection of the brain lining) and meningococcal septicemia (infection of the blood).

After falling from a set of stairs, Le Nguyen Gia Bao, 16 months, living in Binh Tan district, suffered a cracked skull. The patient was treated at HCMCs Children 1 Hospital however, after a period of treatment, he fell into a high fever.

After several consultations and examinations, doctors concluded that the child had meningitis caused by pneumococcal bacteria.

Truong Huu Khanh, chairman of the Infectious and Neurological Department at Children 1 Hospital, said that because of the cracked skull, pneumococcal bacteria had attacked the patients brain.

At the Infectious and Neurological Department, about 20 children are currently being treated for meningitis. At times, the department receives and treats up to 50 children with meningococcal disease.

Since earlier this year, the Department of Emergency and Respiratory Care, at HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases has received five child patients with severe meningitis due to pneumococcal bacteria.

On average, every year, 30-40 children with pneumococcal meningitis are hospitalized at the HCMC Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

The Infectious Diseases Department at the HCMC's Children Hospital has received five child patients with meningitis, including a 13-year-old boy from Soc Trang who was in critical condition.

Doctors said that the meningococcal disease caused by the main pneumococcal bacteria include Hib, Ecoli and brain tissue.

Meningococcal meningitis and Hib were quite rare because of good immunization, while Ecoli meningitis mainly affects children under three months old.

In recent years, the number of patients with meningococcal disease caused by pneumococcal bacteria has increased steadily, accounting for 50 per cent of the total number of patients hospitalised for meningococcal disease.

In addition to the rapidly increasing incidence of pneumococcal meningitis, one of the most worrying concerns among physicians today is the resistance of pneumococcal bacteria.

Khanh said the current resistance is very severe, once resistant bacteria have attacked the meninges its very difficult to treat, so doctors must use a combination of antibiotics for treatment.

At the Children 1 Hospital, some child patients were treated by mechanical ventilation for a long time and the cost was very high.

Nguyen Tran Nam, head of the Infectious Diseases Department at the city's Children 1 Hospital, said pneumococcal meningitis can cause consequences such as abscesses and infections, some of which can lead to rapid death.

As a preventive measure for pediatric patients, the doctor must use high doses of antibiotics for 21 days according to the regimen. These antibiotics must be imported at high prices, but now the rate of resistance of this bacterium in Vietnam is very high so the treatment by drug is difficult.

In addition, antibiotics used to treat meningitis always require large amounts with long treatment. Many severe cases have to be treated for several months and the cost is very expensive, at up to over VND100 million ($4,500) per case.

After treatment, Nam analysed that the resistance meant patients were responding poorly and were left with sequelae such as deafness, blindness, limb weakness, epilepsy, cognitive disorders and less awareness.

Vaccination is the main preventive measure that doctors recommend.

However, in HCMC, the manufacture of the pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumo 23 vaccine) that can prevent 23 serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae, is temporarily stopped.

Meanwhile, the supply of Synflorix vaccine that can prevent 10 serotypes and only for infants from 2 months to 5 years still doesnt meet the increasing demand.

If we dont have enough vaccines and many children dont get vaccinated, the risk of pneumococcal disease will be widespread and drug resistance will increase," said Khanh.
Scandals of Eximbank causing potential depositors scare away

The case of Nguyen Thi Lam, an officer of Eximbanks Do Luong branch (Vinh city, Nghe An province), appropriating VND48 billion ($2.1 million) from the savings books of six customers was concluded by the investigation agency in August 2017. Recently, the lawyer of these six customers has met the leaders of Eximbank.

The lawyer told Vnexpress, that, At the meeting, I represented the six swindled customers to ask Eximbank to repay the VND48 billion ($2.1 million) in full before starting the trial. The leaders of the bank asked to hold another meeting this week whereby they can respond via an official document.

In the conclusions of the investigation, the police of Nghe An province said that officers in Do Luong branch had deliberately violated regulations on withdrawals so that Nguyen Thi Lam could withdraw the funds before these saving books could reach maturity. Thereby, the investigation agency asked Eximbank to take responsibility for damages caused by its employees and compensate the customers for the total amount lost.

Nguyen Thi Lam, the Eximbank officer who stole $2.2 million from clients

Earlier, in September 2016, the police of Nghe An province arrested Nguyen Thi Lam on the charge of abusing trust to appropriate property. She had been working at this branch for five years and collected several close customers.

Lam usually invited VIP guests to the bank to sign first and completed documents later. Using these signatures, Lam had composed withdrawal orders herself and submitted completed documentations to the leaders.

According to investigation results, Lam appropriated more than VND50 billion ($2.2 million) from various customers (including the VND48 billion of the six clients) between 2012 and 2016. Relevant to this case, the agency also arrested Dang Dinh Hong, former director of the Do Luong branch, for irresponsibility causing serious consequences. However, he was released later.

Related to cases of funds going missing at Eximbank, last week a customer named Bui To Loan reported that her three gold taels at the bank disappeared. Eximbank promised to pay her in 2013, while she was still holding the accounts.

Chu Thi Binh and her husband Le Van Quang (the King of Shrimp) was also swindled by Eximbank

In an other recent case, Le Nguyen Hung, former deputy director of an Eximbank branch in Ho Chi Minh city, appropriated more than VND245 billion ($10.8 billion) from Chu Thi Binh, a longtime client of the bank who used to be the richest woman on the stock market.

Last week, Eximbank offered $650,000 advance compensation to her, but Binh declined and asked the bank to repay her the full amount lost. Eximbank did not agree, bidding her to wait for the conclusions of the court trial.

Swindled customer declines $650,000 compensation from Eximbank I did not have any private deal with Hung, I deposited money at Eximbank because I trusted this bank. My money disappeared and the bank ...

Commercial banks boost deposit security after Eximbank scandal Following the recent case of $13.2 million vanishing from a savings account at Eximbank, numerous commercial banks introduced new solutions to strengthen deposit security to ...

Assets of King of Shrimp family reduce sharply after Eximbank scandal The capitalisation of Minh Phu Seafood Corporation (MPC) decreased by VND1.1 trillion ($48.7 million) after information that VND245 billion ($10.8 million) was appropriated from Chu ...

Eximbank offers $650,000 compensation in advance to swindled customer After a meeting with Eximbank, Chu Thi Binh, who lost VND245 billion ($10.8 million), will check the arrangement carefully before receiving VND14.8 billion ($0.65 million) ...
Inside an ANZ Vietnams transaction office. - Photo baocongthuong.com.vn

Since early to mid 2017, well known international institutions such as Frances BNP Paribas, Hong Kongs HSBC and Australias Commonwealth Bank have attracted media attention as they took turns withdrawing money from their Vietnamese partners.

The trend continued with ANZs sale of their retail sector in Viet Nam to Shinhan Banks Vietnamese branch in December 2017. US Standard Chartered Bank sold its entire 8.75 per cent stake in a joint venture with Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) in January 2018.

The main reason for a number of international banks narrowed operations in Viet Nam, according to some experts, is an inevitable change in their business strategy. These banks consider maintaining previous investments less profitable than withdrawing capital from their Vietnamese partners and investing elsewhere.

Banking expert Nguyen Tri Hieu drew a contrast between Western banks and Asian banks. He explained that Asian investors are quite knowledgeable about Viet Nams market and business culture with their own native clients working here, much more so than their Western counterparts.

Hieu told the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) that in recent years, many Asian investors from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore have entered Viet Nam, while investors from European countries are becoming more cautious, with some banks withdrawing capital from the country.

Talking to the VNA, financial expert Bui Quang Tin said that a divergence in business strategies is unavoidable when domestic and foreign capital investors work together for a significant length of time.

Tin shared his positive view that in the near future, foreign investors will be able to invest more in local banks, namely Vietcombank, VietinBank or BIDV, once these institutions opt for a more open cooperation policy, especially with Agribanks imminent equitisation.

He further argued that private commercial banks should expect profit in the following years to rise, while the bad debt ratio is expected to decrease thanks to the National Assemblys Decree 42 on handling bad credit institutions.

In the same vein, the National Financial Supervisory Commission quoted financial and banking expert Can Van Luc that the national banking system is better than it was a few years ago.

Luc opposed the suggestion that a high level of non-performing loans, lack of risk management and corporate governance have reduced Vietnamese banks attractiveness.

I do not think that the countrys business market is deteriorating, nor is it the reason behind decreasing banks profit, as some have commented, said Luc.

On the contrary, positive factors such as sharply increasing banking stocks, average annual growth rate of 15 to 16 per cent in the financial sector and a more open legal corridor mean Viet Nam should be seen as a potential investment destination, he added.

Here to stay

In order to attract and retain investment from foreign banks, the domestic banking system would need to be more flexible, professional and comprehensively re-structured, said Hieu.

The national banking system has begun restructuring in recent years, but still not all the way. Only when domestic banks are able to deal with bad debts, replenish their own capital to become healthier, more stable and more attractive, can foreign investors start pouring money in, he explained.

And yet, ANZ Vietnams representative told the VNA that they will not be out of Viet Nam completely, acknowledging a long and successful operation history in the country.

According to ANZ, the transfer of their retail banking business to Shinhan Bank is part of a strategy to simplify the bank and increase its capital efficiency.

This would hopefully allow ANZ to focus its resources on Asias largest business segment - corporate clients and financial institutions - as ANZ is one of the four leading banks in trade support and capital in the region.

ANZs representative further said that the bank was committed to continuing its presence in Viet Nam, to support regional and national financial institutions and businesses.

The bank was optimistic about business opportunities in Viet Nam, thanks to the stable government, favourable population model, trade integration and foreign direct investment, as well as the rise of a new middle class.
The village of Tarnac, where Julien Coupat and several people in the communal living compound he led were arrested in November 2008 AFP/PASCAL LACHENAUD

Ten years after their arrests in a politically charged case that prompted accusations of police overreach, eight members of an alleged "anarchist cell" will go on trial in France on Tuesday (Mar 13) over claims of sabotaging high-speed train lines.

The "Tarnac group", named after the village near their communal living compound in central France, has staunchly denied the charges during more than seven years of investigations.

They were rounded up in a televised police raid on Nov 11, 2008, a few days after steel rods were placed on overhead power cables on three TGV lines, stranding some 20,000 passengers as more than 100 trains were cancelled.

But defence lawyers claimed "anomalies" in the inquiry, most notably testimony from a supposed witness who later said he had simply signed a document prepared by the police.

Critics also accused the government under then president Nicolas Sarkozy of whipping up fears of a return of "ultra-leftist terrorism," even though a judge eventually refused to try the Tarnac suspects on terror charges.

Instead, the group's leader Julien Coupat, his ex-wife Yildune Levy and two others are facing conspiracy charges, while two others are being charged with falsifying or receiving stolen documents.

Another two people are being tried for refusing to submit samples for DNA testing.

"The 'Tarnac affair' is a case of politicians manipulating the legal system," said Levy's lawyer Marie Dose.

"SCANDALOUS"

The case centred on the charismatic figure of Coupat, now 43, a far-left intellectual from a wealthy family who had gathered a group of 20 followers around him in a remote village in the Correze region.

The group had been under surveillance since he and Levy participated in a meeting with alleged anarchists in New York in January 2008.

Media reports later claimed a British police spy, Mark Kennedy, had infiltrated the group, telling his French colleagues of Coupat's supposed contacts with far-left figures in Germany, Italy and Greece.

Kennedy, who later made headlines in Britain when he was unmasked as an undercover cop spying on environmentalists, reported that Coupat participated in violent anti-globalisation protests against international summit meetings.

Investigators also relied heavily on passages from a 2007 book attributed to Coupat, "The Coming Insurrection", which they said showed his group had tipped over from radical anarchist politics into terrorism.

But Coupat refused to confirm he was the author, and said police had faked a report claiming to prove he and Levy were at Dhuisy, a town where one of the steel rods was put on a TGV power line on the night of November 7, 2008.

"Neither we, nor investigators, were there," Coupat, who now directs a theatre troupe in Correze, told French television in a rare interview last week.

"Up to the end, they are ridiculously sticking with something that everyone knows is both fake as well as embarrassing, even scandalous."

Coupat was released from more than six months in jail as police tried to build a case against him, with Levy also detained for more than two months.

The trial is scheduled to last until Mar 30.
Guitar duo Robert Guzik and Adam Woch (Poland) will perform at the concert celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Italy-Vietnam friendship.

The show is being organised within the framework of celebrations for the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Young, talented musicians from Italy and other countries, who have been awarded the prestigious IBLA Grand Prize, will perform a selection of iconic pieces from Italian and European classical composers, such as Rossini, Cimarosa, Schubert, Brahms, Liszt and many others.

Piano, flute, guitar and accordion will guide us along an original journey through the beauty of music in order to celebrate the Italian - Vietnamese friendship.

The artists include guitar duo Robert Guzik and Adam Woch (Poland), pianist Kai Han (the US), pianist Tamara Licheli (Georgia), accordionist Ghenadie Rotari (Moldova) and pianist Valentina Vargiu (Italy).

Ibla is the name of an ancient baroque enclave, in the hilltop UNESCO World Heritage site that sits below the more modern centre of Ragusa.

The IBLA Grand Prize International Music Competition is an annual music competition open to all instruments, vocalists and composers with a focus on classical music.

The competition aims to nourish the career of the winners by offering a large international performance experience.

This competition is different from most other music competitions in a way that there are no rounds or prizes such as a first and second prize, and competitors are judged against the international standard of high quality performances rather than competing against each other. From that perspective, there could be one, or many winners, depending on the performance quality level expressed by contestants.

Free tickets can be collected at the Hanoi Youth Theatre, 10 Ngo Thi Nham street from today.
All three properties will be managed by Melia Hotels International. With the regions rising affluence, improved infrastructure, and increased flight connectivity, there is an enormous potential in the growing bleisure market in Vietnam, which is a booming tourism hotspot and a priority market for the group.

Melia Hotels International signed three new properties

According to Bernardo Cabot Estarellas, senior vice president, Asia-Pacific of Melia Hotels International, Vietnam is quickly emerging as a top travel and business destination and is a big part of the firms strategic focus for the Asia-Pacific.

In addition to our three properties in Hanoi, Danang, and Phu Quoc, we are thrilled to bring the Melia and INNSIDE brands to Ho Chi Minh City and grow our offering to our customers in the region.

As the financial and business hub of the country, Ho Chi Minh City is awash with bustling energy and is the main entry and exit point to the country.

All three hotels enjoy convenient access, just six kilometres from Tan Son Nhat International Airport, easily connecting the new urban hotels with the groups existing domestic resort properties, Melia Danang and Sol Beach House Phu Quoc.

With these three new properties extending the groups presence in the Vietnam, Melia Hotels International will continue to set the benchmark for service quality, with unique Spanish touches, catering to the growing mass of discerning travellers.

In 2018, Melia Hotels International maintains its robust momentum in Asia, with 20 hotels currently in operation and 27 hotels in the pipeline, and looks to double its portfolio in the region by 2020.
Saigon Petro proposed to reuse RON A92 petrol

Nguyen Quang Dung, deputy general director of Petrolimex, told Vnexpress that Saigon Petro is just one of 29 petroleum distributors, and the remaining 28 distributors did not express agreement with Saigon Petros proposal.

Dung stated that during the bio-fuel E5 distribution process, firms have the right to list their difficulties as well as express their proposals. Petrolimex alone has yet to face any problems during the switch to bio-fuel since the middle of last December.

Dung added that it has been two months since the policy came into effect, which is not long enough to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy.

Cao Hoai Duong, general director of PV Oil, said that replacing RON A92 with bio-fuel E5 is a smart policy. The E5 sales have been increasing, making up 65 per cent of PV Oils petroleum sales volume.

Previously, Saigon Petro proposed to return to selling RON A92. Notably, in a document submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF), it reported that E5 sales only made up 30 per cent of total petrol sales.

In order to stimulate customers to use bio-fuel E5, Saigon Petro proposed Vietnam to increase the selling price of RON A95 and increase the environmental protection tax on petrol in general and RON A95 in particular.

According to Saigon Petro, after more than two months since the date set for the nation to switch from RON A92 to E5, 70 per cent of customers still use RON A95 for their vehicles, while only 30 per cent has switched to bio-fuel E5, despite it being cheaper.

Notably, the price of RON A95 is VND1,600 higher than a litre of bio-fuel E5. Besides, using RON A95 will not bring Vietnam closer to reaching its environmental protection target.

Due to the above disadvantages of RON A95 and the low percentage of E5 users, Saigon Petro proposed to return to selling RON A92.

Additionally, Saigon Petro proposed a range of solutions to turn customers away from RON A95 and increase E5 usage. Notably, the firm proposed the authorities to increase the environmental protection tax to VND4,000 per litre from VND3,000 on RON A95, while decreasing the tax on bio-fuel E5 to VND2,500 per litre.

Saigon Petro mentioned in the document that in order to stimulate customers to use bio-fuel E5 instead of RON A95, local authorities need to increase the selling price of RON A95, creating a price difference of VND2,000-2,500 or 20 per cent instead of the existing VND1,600 or 8 per cent.

Saigon Petro's proposal to return to selling RON A92 petrol raised questions as to why the company is going against the governments policy to switch to bio-fuel E5.
Corals are processed for use in skeleton replacements. (thanhnien.vn)

Tran Cong Toai, the facultys dean, told Thanh Nien (Young people) newspaper that the research on transplant materials was conceived in 1989, starting with the application of freeze-dried amniotic membrane into skin grafts for people who suffered serious burns or injuries.

Researchers used amniotic membranes of healthy pregnant women to create biological membranes which then would be applied onto burnt patients using the same technique as a skin graft. Those amniotic membranes had to meet high standards set by the American Association of Tissue Banks.

Corals are washed, remodeled, implanted with stem cells and cultured in a month. Corals then will gradually turn into bones after a certain period of time. The application of corals is found in several fields including the dental implant or eyeball replacement, Toai added.

In 2002, they conducted the project of cell transplant onto amniotic membranes and its therapeutic application. In 2006, the research on keratinocyte cell culture was first implemented. Therein, a small piece of skin from a burnt person was separated to take its stem cell, which would be cultured in three weeks to increase its size up to 25 times. The stem cell was then embedded into an amniotic membrane and implanted on a burnt persons skin.

In the 90s, we processed about 10,000 pieces of amniotic membrane, size 10x20 centimeters (cm), a year, said Toai.

The cost to culture stem cells on a piece of amniotic membrane size 10x10 cm was VND1.5 million ($66). Due to the financial shortage, researchers could not mass produce the stem cells and had to prioritise burnt people with urgent demands for skin graft, according to Toai.

Besides practising stem cells culturing, they do research on the use of coral as human bone replacement with coral samples taken from Binh Thuan province and Phu Quoc island with the support of Vietnam Institute of Oceanography in Nha Trang city.

Ngo Van Hong, head of Department of Ophthalmology under Cho Ray Hospital, said that the hospital doctors only used biological membranes made by the faculty for their patients.

Nguyen Minh Khai, director of Ho Chi Minh City Hospital of Ophthalmology, also highly appreciated the impacts of those products on patients, saying most of their patients had eyeball surgeries using the facultys products.

However, researchers are pondering how to approach a wider range of patients and hospitals.

As we specialise in researching and teaching, it is impossible for us to mass produce skeleton replacements and biological membranes. This is the common weakness among Vietnamese universities, Toai said.

Therefore, the facultys researchers have proposed a plan to build a research centre on products clinical applications and technological transfer to the university so that more patients can benefit from these medical innovations.
The $110 million is leftover undeclared profit from 2016

Notably, according to the report of the State Audit Office submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), as of December 31, 2016, Sabeco held more than VND2.8 trillion ($122.99 million) in profit after which it had not declared tax.

In the first quarter of 2017, VND76 billion of this VND2.8 trillion ($122.99 million) was divided among several funds. Thus, the remaining undeclared profit of Sabeco was more than VND2.7 trillion ($118.6 million).

As 89.59 per cent of Sabeco was owned by the state before selling 53 per cent of this to Thai Beverage, the state audit proposed MoIT to collect VND2.5 trillion ($109.8 million) to the state budget.

Along with the tax arrears, the state audit asked MoIT to consider the responsibility of the board of directors and individuals in not declaring the real profits of the corporation.

According to the audited financial results, Sabeco suffered a loss of VND445 billion ($19.54 million) from investing in banking, stocks, as well as pouring money into financial investment funds.

According to the audited financial results, Sabeco suffered a loss of VND445 billion ($19.54 million) from investing in banking, stocks, as well as pouring money into financial investment funds.

Besides, the state audit found that Sabeco had committed violations in paying the bonus of the board of directors. Notably, in the fiscal year of 2015 Sabeco spent over VND15 billion ($658,927) on the bonuses of the chairman of the board of directors, the general director, the deputy general director, the head of the controlling board, and the chief accountant, exceeding regulations by VND13 billion ($571,070).

This is not the first time that Sabeco has had to pay tax arrears.

Previously, in July 2015, the state audit submitted documents to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) proposing the collection of VND408 billion ($18.7 million) in special consumption tax arrears for 2013.

After auditing the corporation, the office found that Sabeco has been evading taxes for years by establishing ten regional trading companies where it owned 90-94 per cent of the shares. Sabeco would distribute products at low prices to Sabeco Trading Company, which would then be distributed to regional trading companies at a higher price before being sold to other distributors and wholesalers.

However, at the time, Phan Dang Tuat, chairman of Sabeco, told Vneconmy that there is no practical basis for the proposal of the State Audit Office because excise tax is supposed to be levied on producers, not traders. Furthermore, using the selling price of regional trading companies can lead to double taxation, as it applies value added tax.

Tuat added, if the final decision of the state audit, MoIT, and the General Department of Taxation is that Sabeco must pay tax arrears, then it will do so.

In addition, in November 2016, the government inspector proposed MoF to collect nearly VND2.5 trillion ($109.8 million) in the special consumption tax from Sabeco.
Juncker warned it was particularly crucial for London to clarify its plans for the sensitive issue of the Irish border. (Photo: AFP/Gent Shkullaku)

EU leaders have been pressing British Prime Minister Theresa May to clarify what she wants before they agree their position on the future economic partnership at a summit later this month.

A series of speeches by May and her senior ministers have done little to satisfy Brussels, and Juncker warned it was particularly crucial for London to clarify its plans for the sensitive issue of the Irish border.

Heckled by eurosceptic British MEPs while he was speaking, Juncker told them a time would come when "you will regret your decision" to leave the bloc.

"As the clock counts down with one year to go, it is now time to translate speeches into treaties, to turn commitments into agreements, broad suggestions and wishes on the future relationship into specific workable solutions," Juncker told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

He said it was "especially important" that Britain comes up with concrete proposals for the border between British-ruled Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is staying in the EU.

Both Britain and the EU have vowed to avoid the return of customs checks to the border and an interim deal in December left some flexibility on the issue, but an EU text putting the agreement into law has sparked a fresh row with London.

IRISH BORDER 'A EUROPEAN ISSUE'

The draft EU text published last month says Northern Ireland must stay in a customs union with the rest of the bloc if no better way is found to avoid a hard Irish border - which Britain rejects.

Juncker told MEPs the draft text simply translated the December accord into legal language and "should not come as a shock".

And the former Luxembourg PM warned London the EU institutions and member states stood squarely in support of Ireland on the issue.

"For us this is not an Irish issue, it is a European issue. It is all for one and one for all - that is what it means to be part of this union," he said.

EU Council President Donald Tusk warned last week that the Irish border issue must be solved before negotiations can move on to other issues.

Britain hopes to begin talks on the future trading relationship with Brussels next month, and May set out her proposals for a new wide-ranging free trade agreement in a speech on Mar 2.

In the speech May suggested Britain would commit to keeping some EU regulations and standards while reserving the option to diverge in others.

The bloc has repeatedly dismissed such an idea as "cherry-picking" and EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier once again rejected on Tuesday.

"It's a rather surprising idea to think the EU 27... could accept convergence when the UK wants it and at the same time leave the possibility for divergence where there is a comparative advantage to be had," Barnier told MEPs.

He also dismissed British suggestions they could take part in EU agencies after Brexit without submitting to rulings by the European Court of Justice.

EU 'OPEN FOR BUSINESS'

The European Parliament - which will have the final veto on any Brexit deal - will vote on Wednesday on a proposal to offer Britain an "association agreement" which it says would be broader than a trade deal.

The agreement would be based around four "pillars" - trade, foreign policy and security cooperation, internal security and "thematic" cooperation, which includes education and research programmes.

The European Parliament's Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt said talks he held with May and her Brexit minister David Davis last week had left him confident London would "see the advantages of such an approach".

An association agreement would give "a vision, an architecture" to post-Brexit relations and avoid a repetition of the complex web of individual agreements the EU has with Switzerland.

Barnier meanwhile said a whole range of options for third-country cooperation were on the table -the EU has previously cited trade deals of the type it has with Canada and South Korea.

"We are open for business. It's the UK that is closing doors," Barnier said.
Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (left) was replaced by CIA director Mike Pompeo. (Photos: JOSEPH EID, JIM WATSON/AFP)

Donald Trump on Tuesday (Mar 13) sacked his top diplomat Rex Tillerson and named current CIA chief Mike Pompeo to succeed him, ending a rocky tenure by the Texas oilman who had frequently been at odds with the mercurial US president.

A senior White House official said Trump wanted to reshuffle his team with a view to launching talks with North Korea, following last week's spectacular announcement that he plans to meet Kim Jong Un by the end of May.

While Trump thanked Tillerson "for his service," he was sparing in his praise of the 65-year-old former Exxon chief, long rumoured to be on the way out.

Before leaving on a trip to California, Trump spoke openly of their differences - singling out the Iran nuclear deal - as he explained the rationale for the latest departure from his chaotic White House.

"We got along actually quite well but we disagreed on things," Trump told reporters. "When you look at the Iran deal, I thought it was terrible, he thought it was okay."

"I wish Rex a lot of good things," the president added. "I think he's going to be very happy. I think Rex will be much happier now."

The outgoing secretary of state, who returned overnight from a trip to Africa, did not address reports he only learned of his sacking when Trump tweeted the decision, saying only he had since spoken to the president.

In his farewell remarks on Tuesday, he said Washington must do more to respond to Russia's "troubling behaviour" - one day after slamming Moscow for its alleged involvement in an attempted assassination using a nerve agent in Britain.

Tillerson will pass authority at midnight to Deputy Secretary John Sullivan, remaining at the department for handover purposes until Mar 31.

In announcing the reshuffle, Trump lavished praise on Pompeo, a former US army officer and congressman who led the CIA for nearly 14 months, calling him "the right person for the job at this critical juncture."

"He will continue our programme of restoring America's standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula," Trump added.

His enthusiasm was echoed by the US envoy to the United Nations, Nikky Haley - who tweeted her congratulations to her "friend" Pompeo.

Democrats quickly pounced on the news.

"There's a pattern and practice to dismiss anyone with whom this president has a policy difference, and that appears to be the case with Secretary Tillerson," senior Senator Dianne Feinstein said.

To succeed Pompeo at the Central Intelligence Agency, Trump nominated Gina Haspel, a controversial career intelligence officer who would become the first woman tapped for the post.

Haspel has been reported to have overseen a CIA "black site" in Thailand where Al-Qaeda suspect Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded after the 9/11 attacks.

Both Pompeo and Haspel require Senate confirmation to assume their new posts. A hearing for Pompeo is expected in April, Senate leaders said.

'EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS'

Adding to the day's drama at the State Department, Steve Goldstein, the undersecretary for public affairs and public diplomacy, was also shown the door after issuing a statement supportive of Tillerson.

Goldstein wrote that the secretary "had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues," indicating he was caught off guard by Trump's move.

Within hours, Goldstein himself was fired.

Tillerson's sacking caps a tumultuous tenure at the State Department.

He was repeatedly forced to deny he had fallen out with Trump - vowing to remain in the post despite a sensational report that he once dubbed the president a "moron."

A respected figure in the oil business, his tenure drew scorn from Trump's opponents, from former diplomats and from the Washington policy elite.

During his time in the job, he was faced with an extraordinary array of foreign policy challenges - from North Korean nuclear threats, to Russian intervention in Ukraine, Syria and Western elections, to attacks on US diplomats in Cuba.

But his efforts were often overshadowed by Trump's un-diplomatic style and his streams of taunting tweets stirring international tensions.

Tillerson was thousands of miles away on a tour of African countries when Trump made the snap decision to meet Kim, and had suspended his schedule on grounds he was "unwell" before cutting short his trip.

In a cruel twist of fate, one of Trump's most public clashes with Tillerson came last October when the president tweeted that his top diplomat was "wasting his time" pursuing contacts with North Korea.

But in his farewell comments, Tillerson talked up his achievements in the standoff - suggesting the prospect of talks with Kim was made possible by the hard work of his State Department and allies.

The pressure campaign on Pyongyang "exceeded the expectations of almost everyone," Tillerson said, noting it was he who had declared on his first trip to Asia as secretary that the "era of strategic patience is over."
VIB set optimistic business targets for 2018

Specifically, VIB set its target pre-tax profit in 2018 at VND2.005 trillion ($88.04 million), with 43 per cent growth rate of earnings. The bank also proposed to pay dividend in the form of cash and bonus shares (5-31 per cent).

The commercial bank also offered to conduct the employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) in the form of treasury shares to its staff. Additionally, the bank also plans to raise charter capital to VND8.1 trillion ($358.02 million).

In 2017 the commercial bank witnessed a five-year record growth rate with all business units exceeding their sales and profit targets.

As shown in the bank's recent documents, in 2017 it witnessed a five-year record growth rate with all business units exceeding their sales and profit targets.

Over the course of 2017 VIB's total assets reached VND123.2 trillion ($5.4 billion), which was 3 per cent up against the target approved at the last AGM. The bank expects to grow by 22 per cent throughout 2018. The bank also targets to reach the VND100-trillion ($4.42 billion) mark in deposits this year.

Furthermore, VIB's credit growth was rounded up at 26 per cent with bad debts stabilised below 3 per cent. This is expected to be the same in 2018.

Particularly, the bank's pre-tax profit in 2017 mounted up to VND1.405 trillion ($61.68 million), doubling 2016 performance as well as surpassing the goal set at the last AGM by 87 per cent.

Previously, VIB was the first Vietnamese bank to be named "The leading Bank in Vietnam for Trade Finance for SMEs" by the Asian Development Bank.

Likewise, the Vietnam-based commercial bank received IDGs Vietnams Outstanding Innovative Banking Service Award in 2017 for its MyVIB Social Keyboard. UK-based Global Brands Magazine also picked VIB as "The most innovative banking brand in Vietnam 2017 and by Global Banking & Finance Review (GBAF) as "Best Customer Service Bank Vietnam 2017.

Moody's Investors Service raised VIB"s rating to "positive"

To boot, Moody's Investors Service raised VIBs rating of local and foreign currency deposits from stable to positive, sending the commercial bank to the list of the highest credit-rating banks in Vietnam.
As an annual tradition, a Xiangqi (Chinese chess) festival was held on the sixth day of the first lunar month at Vua (King) Pagoda on Thinh Yen street in Hai Ba Trung district, offering an opportunity for chess players to show off their talents at what was the most prestigious chess arena in Hanoi in the past.

Overview of the match During the three-day tournament, the area in front of the Pagoda becomes a large board for human chess matches Boys play as the red pieces in the match While girls represent the green pieces. The pieces are controlled by the players Every two moves of the match are separated by the rhythm of a drumbeat The event draws the participation of chess players, chess masters, and chess lovers from home and abroad. A girl in costume as the 'Woman General' piece. Spectators gather to analyse each of moves in the chess match. Anyone who wins the tournament for three consecutive years will receive the honour of having their names engraved in a stone stele at the Pagoda. Vietnamnet
Some patients are in pain. Some just want drugs. How do I tell them apart?
Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM

News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.



Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens.
Neighborhood National Bank held their second annual Grocery Grab at Eldens Fresh Foods Tuesday.

Five teams competed to see who could collect the largest dollar amount worth of food in 90-seconds.

The Outreach Food Shelf gave the teams some guidelines as to what was needed for food, and a few items that were not to be chosen (i.e.- high end meat cuts). In the end the Rons Warehouse duo of Elissa and Cindy brought in nearly 1300-dollars worth of groceries.all on its way to Alexandrias Outreach Food Shelf.

Neighborhood National not only paid for their teams groceries, they also paid for the top teams groceries. Those who did not finish first had to pay their own bill. Heidi Becker of Neighborhood National Bank says this is such a fun way to help out.

The total dollar amount of food was just over $3428.96. Eldens chipped in the difference in cash to make the total amount $4000 for the Outreach Food Shelf.

Billmarks Insurance, Juettner Motors and Arnquist Carpets Plus Colortile also competed in the shopping spree.

For the full video story, click on this video clip

The final numbers were:
The statement of advocate Vahe Grigoryan about the problems of independence of the Armenian Bar made in the framework of the 09.03.2018 Conference on the Current Challenges and Opportunities of the Bars and Law Societies of the Council of Europe Member States

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to skip the issues relating to the organisational aspects of todays event, including the strange role of the President of the Bar Chamber in them to save time and to focus on what is most important to us.

I will start by thanking the experts invited to this event by the co-organisers for their readiness to share their interesting and informative opinions with us.

Given the fact that this is the first event in Yerevan with the participation of the interested organisations, including the opposition advocates (please note that this label was given to us by the President of the Chamber and not me or any other colleague of mine), I would like to draw the attention of the present to a number of problems the Armenian Bar faces today.

Around 30 advocates have already applied to the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) expressing their conerns about a number of serious problems the Bar faces today and we look forward to hearing the positions of this and a number of other international bodies on solutions to these problems.

We are of the position that the President and the Board of the Armenian Bar Chamber have in fact transformed this professional self-regulated body into an instrument in the hands of the Armenian Government with a view to subjecting it to a type of oversight, which is contrary to the standards enshrined in our Constitution and the relevant national and international instruments for regulation of the legal profession.

This process became visible in 2014 and having partial or complete similarities with the processes in Azerbaijan and Ukraine, has transformed into a targeted and consistent strategy in Armenia.

This policy of the political authorities implemented through the President and the Board of the Armenian Bar Chamber forced around 30 advocates to make a protest against the actions of the President of the Bar Chamber and his administration, demanding termination of the indecent practices of the leadership and administration of the RA Bar Chamber, considering them contrary to the spirit of our profession and containing threats of irreparable harm to our professional reputation. No steps have been taken following this statement and no one has been held liable for the aforementioned practices.

The Board elected in 2016 from the same list reinforced the practice of making the Chamber even more controllable by the Government on account of practices to subjugate disobedient advocates. To this effect and with a view to effectively silencing them the President of the Bar Chamber has regularly resorted to the institution of disciplinary proceedings against them and the conduct of such disciplinary proceedings in blatant violation of even minimum procedural guarantees.

These disciplinary proceedings were normally carried out overwhelmingly against advocates involved in criminal cases sensitive to the Government and the opponents of the Chamber in violation of minimum procedural guarantees:

The Board of the Chamber in charge of the examination of disciplinary cases against advocates has consistently ignored the principle of independence and impartiality as a tribunal for disciplinary proceedings. The examination of disciplinary cases by the Chamber Board is done with the participation of Board members who, being part of the Chamber administration, or subordinates to the President of the Chamber, are fully dependent on the latter or have participated in the preparation of a complaint under examination in the same proceedings;

When instituting disciplinary proceedings, the President of the Chamber fails to base his decisions on any legal standard. Any complaint against an advocate opposing the Government or the President of the Chamber or the Board thereof is sufficient for instituting disciplinary proceedings against him/her;

The President of the Chamber consistently refuses to disclose his decisions on instituting or refusing to institute disciplinary proceedings despite numerous requests from advocates in this regard. This makes impossible for advocates to conduct a study or analysis of the clarity and certainty of the standards applied in similar situations. We strongly believe that the reason not to disclose those decisions is the concern of the President of the Chamber as well as that of the Government that any analysis of the statistics and standards underlying them will demonstrate that these disciplinary proceedings are instituted in a discriminatory manner and overwhelmingly against the advocates involved in politically sensitive cases or the oppositional advocates, whereas no proceedings are instituted on complaints against the President of the Chamber, his supporters or advocates who are under the patronage of the Government;

In some cases, the President of the Chamber and the Board members take direct part in drafting and submitting complaints against advocates, which is not possible to detect in all cases. However, in cases when these facts are disclosed, this never entails any form of liability for these members;

The sessions for the examination of these disciplinary cases are held in blatant violation of the rules of conduct and ethics of advocates accompanied by a biased and unacceptable behaviour of certain Board members;

When examining the disciplinary cases no importance is attached to the maintenance of the confidentiality and privilege of advocate-client relationship, and in many cases, interference with such relationship and violation of the protection of the confidentiality rule is done by the President and Board members of the Chamber;

To this date, neither the Board nor the President of the Chamber have publicised any guidance or commentaries on the standards and principles for instituting disciplinary proceedings in general. Taking account of the fact that the Chamber refuses to provide the decisions of its President on instituting and refusing to institute disciplinary proceedings, it is obvious that by manner of artificially creating legal uncertainty on this matter, both the President and the Board of the Chamber apply the rules enshrined in the Code of Conduct for Advocates in an arbitrary manner, and this is even more obvious in case of advocates involved in politically sensitive trials and the opposition advocates;

Certain Board members examining disciplinary cases lack basic knowledge of the law (to say nothing of the absence of the relevant practice whatsoever) of the relevant field of law, which is a subject matter of examination by the disciplinary authority. Any objective observer will, therefore, conclude that the decision is already adopted while the disciplinary proceedings are artificially pursued formal process of creating visibility of legitimacy;

The foreseeability of the composition of the Board is never maintained in disciplinary proceedings and the respondent advocates are never notified of who of the Board members will take part in the proceedings in his/her case.

Apart from launching a campaign of persecution against advocates involved in sensitive political trials which is a serious burden for any advocate in addition to his/her regular excessive workload (for example, the number of disciplinary cases against one of these advocates is more than two dozens at a time, leaving alone the appeal procedures against some of these decisions pending in the courts), such persecution is effectuated by the President of the Bar Chamber and his administration with direct patronage of the Government in even more dangerous forms.

In particular, the use of physical violence has become an instrument of pressure against advocates. Even after the advocates who have become victims of explicit violence applied to the law enforcement bodies, the President of the Chamber and the majority of his administration continue to publicly support the persons who have exerted violence on them. Moreover, in one particular instance, the attack on an advocates office was perpetrated by the Principal of the Bar School, the Adviser to the President of the Chamber and another staff member of the Chamber. All of these individuals continue to hold their positions even after the incident, which is regarded by the broader public as an act of public encouragement and endorsement by the President of the Chamber of their actions. After such attacks not only are the advocates who have become victims unable to defend their rights via the channel of criminal justice but become defendants in such a case. By these means, the authorities are trying to make them withdraw their complaints initially lodged against the Chamber officials.

The practice of publicly insulting advocates and launching campaigns against them continues to be among the weaponry of the Chamber to which its President resorts to in many cases via his relatives recruited by him as staff of the Chamber.

Of special importance is the fact that once the Chamber bodies ignore any international and domestic standards whatsoever regarding the code of professional ethics of advocates in the course of disciplinary proceedings, this practice is effectively continued by the Armenian courts. We are of a firm belief that the Armenian Government has issued clear assignments to the courts on leaving decisions against the advocates who are undesirable by the Chamber unchanged.

The aforesaid has been confirmed by very concrete cases and the decision taken in those cases. The Chamber of Advocates obstructs the finalisation of the analysis by concealing the information, which is of great public importance.

This said, I do not mean to insist that all of the aforesaid has been organised and implemented by the decision of the President and certain members of the Board of the Chamber. I am far from thinking that the Chamber leadership has discretion in the choice of such a policy. This is most probably the manifestation of their narrow margin of discretion within the frames of the policy predetermined by the executive of Armenia. In other words, they are not the authors of these decisions. The only decision that they have made is the decision to become an instrument of control in the hands of the political authorities. The rest is a predictable process taking place within the frames of the regularities of the advancement of totalitarianism with all very predictable consequences.

Any statistics concerning the activities of the Bar Chamber reminds of North Korea.

The importance of these and many other issues has been underlined by our foreign colleagues, 39 human rights organisations from 20 States, members of the Civic Solidarity Platform (CSP), who noted in their joint statement of 9 August 2017 their concerns regarding the practice of the Chamber of exerting pressure on advocates.

These problems have endangered the profession of lawyer in Armenia calling for expedient solutions to them at both domestic and international levels.

We strongly believe that at both regional and international levels the road to finding solutions to these problems lies in our active participation in the process of drafting of the European Convention on the Profession of Lawyer.

In this regard we welcome the efforts of the PACE Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights and the CCBE in the area of effectuating the idea of this Convention. The appointed rapporteur has paid special attention to the atmosphere of persecutions and violence against lawyers in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Russia.

The problems related to the situation of the profession of lawyer in Armenia have been collected and submitted to the relevant rapporteur by the CCBE and this also served as yet another basis for the above recommendation.

Therefore, we believe that the aim of the scrupulous examination and study of the current situation at the Bar Chamber with a view to drafting the above Convention should be the recognition of the fact that any unlawful interference with the profession of lawyer and the professional freedoms of lawyer must be condemned and stressed not only in the light of such persecutions by public authorities but also by the so-called self-regulated bodies.

In this latter case, the case of interference with the profession of lawyer by the self-regulatory body the Armenian practice is a classical  if not a textbook example of how dangerous such interference could be for the profession of lawyer, on the one hand, and even more dangerous for the professional independence and freedom of lawyer, on the other in totalitarian states or states with such propensity where this interference is made via the self-regulatory body for the sake of such justification on the part of the state.

Another aspect, which I would like to draw the attention of the present to is the fact that when we were founding the Bar Chamber we naively thought that a single organisation or the organisational monopoly would unequivocally contribute to the protection of the independence and freedom of our profession by means of unification of all lawyers potential. I have to admit that we were very naive in this intention of ours since back in 2005 we believed that it was possible in a state with a totalitarian propensity (authoritarian now) to have a single organisation where our love of democracy and the spirit of our professional freedom will allow us to maintain our professional freedom by applying democratic principles. It is regrettable that by advocating the monopoly of the organisation and by contributing to its making we placed ourselves  the representatives of the freest profession - in an inescapable quagmire. By conferring on this monopolous structure such wide powers as regulation of the issues of legal ethics, the lawyers training and licencing we ended up in a situation in which all that the political authorities had to do was put the leadership of the organisation into their pockets in order to have unlimited control over the profession itself. A vivid manifestation of the aforesaid are a number of past events held according to the standards of the North Korea.

The reason for such miscalculation of ours was the success of such a model in other states with sounder traditions of justice. However, we overlooked the fact that the success of the model was largely conditioned by the type of environment in which it functioned. And on the contrary, the model which was the least preferable in a democratic society and environment could be the one envisaging the best protection or would prove the least controlled by the public authorities. I refer to the model in which the organisation does not have a monopoly over the profession. Moreover, the absence of a monopoly creates competition between self-regulatory organisations of lawyers, thereby ensuring the best environment for the protection of the profession of lawyer with the State having to face the impossibility or at least serious difficulties in establishing control over self-regulatory organisations of lawyers. It is this kind of hurdles or difficulties for the state authorities that provide the necessary oxygen for our profession in an environment immersed in totalitarianism and for the regressive ideology feeding it. Therefore, any lawyer who prefers the freedom of his/her profession to slavish conformism will not have to and must not become part of an organisation, the top leadership of which is a source of regressive (and not conservative) ideology and propaganda (including the propaganda of explicit homophobic and hate speech for populist considerations) where the decisions and opinions pronounced by them become a subject of rightful mockery by judges, advocates, prosecutors, investigators and journalists.

I would also like to note that at present the Ministry of Justice has launched a fully non-transparent process of amending the Law on the Bar or rather drafting a new law on the bar. I am not surprised that no essential role is conferred on the Armenian Bar Chamber in this process.

We have heard words of encouragement and offers of cooperation by a number of foreign bar organisations, which silently but attentively watch the sad stories happening to the Armenian bar.

We will take a most active part in all consultations and expert examinations of the draft to the extent it is possible in the light of the obstacles created by the Ministry of Justice and the Bar Chamber. We also anticipate the support of the co-organisers within their mandate in helping us to voice our positions and viewpoints and in that they are taken into account.

These viewpoints have been discussed and agreed with around 30 lawyers, which are from different age groups. Some of them have gone through prosecutions, detentions, years of surveillance and other continuous violations of their fundamental rights in the course of their professional activity and especially in the protection of their professional freedom and the interests of their clients.

And WE all, lawyers with very different political and social viewpoints and preferences are unanimous in the opinion that the profession of a lawyer is endangered in Armenia and that any delay in finding a solution to this may lead to a situation similar to the one in Azerbaijan and Turkey if we are not already in such a situation here in Armenia.

The lawyers who have signed this statement:

Vahe Grigoryan

Tigran Atanesyan

Tsovinar Balayan

Grisha Balasanyan

Christina Beybutyan

Ani Ginosyan

Margarita Gyulumyan

David Gyurjyan

Elina Gyurjyan

Arthur Grigoryan

Diana Grigoryan

Sergey Grigoryan

Kristina Gevorkyan

Tigran Yegoryan

Vahe Yeprikyan

Shushan Tadevosyan

Maro Khacahturyan

Nina Karapetyants

Aramazd Kiviryan

Argishti Kiviryan

Heghine Kiviryan

Marat Kostanyan

Lousineh Hakobyan

Lousineh Martirosyan

Henrik Martirosyan

Georgi Melikyan

Karen Mkrtchyan

Mariam Mkrtchyan

Mushegh Shushanyan

Hovhannes Chamsaryan

Arayik Papikyan

Lusine Sahakyan

Naira Sahakyan

Anahit Saghatelyan

Alla Sargsyan

Kima Saryan

Armen Soghomonyan

Piruza Vardanyan

Yervand Varosyan

Hasmik Petrosyan

Hrach Kocharyan
GCC Assesses Threat Level for Gibraltar As Remaining Substantial

As co-chairs of The Gibraltar Contingency Council (GCC), His Excellency the Governor and Deputy Chief Minister (deputising for the Chief Minister) met this afternoon, 14th March, to review security and civil contingency matters.

As a result, the threat level for Gibraltar remains Substantial - an attack remains a strong possibility; but there is, however, no specific intelligence to suggest an increase in the threat to Gibraltar or any forthcoming on-Rock event.

The GCC will continue to closely monitor threat intelligence as it relates to Gibraltar, and Gibraltars Law Enforcement Agencies will continue to take the necessary measures to keep the Public safe by modifying their operational posture in light of forthcoming high-profile Public events.

The GCC also considered the latest developments in the UK following the attempted murder of Sergei and Yulia Skripal  the first use of nerve agent in Europe since 1945. The GCC condemned in the strongest terms the callous endangerment of life; and expressed their solidarity with the UK Government in their robust response, and with the people of Salisbury.

The GCC also took the opportunity to once again express their admiration for the brave and selfless work of first responders who are often called upon to attend such distressing, difficult and dangerous crime scenes. The GCC will continue to monitor developments in the UK closely but stressed that there is no reason for members of the public in Gibraltar to be alarmed in relation to the events in Salisbury.

As ever, the Public is asked to remain vigilant and to report any security and law enforcements concerns to the Royal Gibraltar Police.
One of the first Facebook photos Anya Taylor-Joy was tagged in was a picture of a fish. I must have been about 10 or 11, she says. I was so confused. I went to my parents like, Why? I dont understand. My sister sort of piped up, Its because your eyes are really far apart. You look like a fish. It was the most horrifying feeling  Im now suddenly aware of something that I cant ever be unaware of.

Some stars spend years searching for the thing that will become their trademark. Taylor-Joy got hers from genetics: a pair of large, expressive eyes that have proven incredibly useful for the films in which the 21-year-old actress has made her name. While the first few months of the year are generally considered a cinematic wasteland, theyve been good for Taylor-Joy. Each winter, shes starred in a new piece of ambitious genre fare. Whether shes a synthetic human (Morgan), a witchcraft-curious Puritan teen (The Witch), or, most recently, an icy rich girl in Connecticut (the new Thoroughbreds), the camera tends to behold her features with a kind of alien wonder. Directors love isolating her in close-ups, especially in M. Night Shyamalans Split, where she spent the entire film gazing in mute horror at James McAvoys multitude of accents.

Taylor-Joy doesnt mind the intense focus on her face, she says over a glass of carrot-ginger juice at a Soho lunch spot. I dont give a fuck where the camera is, she says. I dont care what Im showing, or if I look fat, or if this isnt a great angle for me. She has a fair amount of disdain for what she calls pretty-crying in movies: Sometimes Ill see performances where Im like, Dont do that! Be an emotion!  (She also claims she doesnt like to look in mirrors  I dont find it interesting  which makes her either an incredible liar or the most well-adjusted human on earth.)

Still, there are downsides to not being aware of the camera. The Witch was the first film Taylor-Joy ever starred in, and its initial screening ended with her hysterically sobbing when she discovered how much of the movie was just her face. I thought, Oh my god, my dreams gone. I cant act. Its worth noting this was not the reaction most viewers had to her performance. No one came out of the clear blue quite like Anya Taylor-Joy, Vanity Fair wrote after the movie premiered at Sundance. The New Yorker called her remarkable, with a wide-eyed innocence entwined with a thread of cunning. The BAFTAs nominated her for the Rising Star Award. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed her the industrys next big thing.

Its been a quick rise, but Taylor-Joy is accustomed to those kinds of sudden shifts. She spent her childhood in Argentina, the youngest child of a Princeton-educated speedboat racer and a beautiful, warm-hearted hippie 20 years his junior. (She was born on a fluke during a memorable vacation to Miami, which had the handy side effect of making her a U.S. citizen.) The family emigrated from Argentina during the economic and political turmoil that gripped the country in the early 2000s, settling in the really nice, very safe London neighborhood of Knightsbridge. Anya hated it. Argentina is all green and I had horses and animals everywhere, she says. All of a sudden I was in big city and I didnt speak the language. (Reading Harry Potter helped with the latter.)

Taylor-Joy has spoken about having felt too English to be Argentinian, and too Argentinian to be English. As an adult, though, shes largely made peace with her weird mash-up of identities. I find that my sense of humor and the way I conduct myself is British, but with a ton of Argentine warmth, she says. I hug everybody. Im very effusive.

(Shes not kidding. She is both a hello and a good-bye hugger, and during her short visit to the office, multiple members of the New York staff had what they assumed were perfectly perfunctory interactions with the actress, only to be flummoxed when she attempted to continue the conversation.)

With most of her siblings being decades older, Taylor-Joy was essentially an only child, and even now most of her closest friendships seem to come with directors and crew members. She says she has an almost roommate-like relationship with her parents, who let her drop out of school at age 16 to pursue acting. (She wrote them a letter.) As you may be able to tell from the photos that accompany this article, her teenage years also involved a brief stint of modeling. Here, too, theres a story: She was discovered walking her dog past Harrods, when the head of Storm Model Management pulled up behind her in a black car  a recruiting strategy that does not seem ideal, but worked in this case.

Photo: Benedict Evans/Vulture

The first audition of Taylor-Joys career was for Maleficent, where she went out for the younger version of Angelina Jolies character. When I didnt get it, she recalls, I bawled my eyes out. Her audition to play Thomasin, the young Puritan girl at the center of The Witch, did not go much better. Id been broken up with for the first time the day before and I was an anxious, nervous wreck, she says. I didnt know how to do a Yorkshire accent, and I didnt know the words. The first thing I said to [director Robert Eggers] was, Im having a panic attack and I dont know what Im doing, but do you still want me to read it? And Rob was like, Lets give it a go. And obviously, here we are.

It went so well, in fact, the character was reconceived to match her personality  less demure, more modern and willful. Anya seemed like someone who wouldnt survive well in Puritan society, Eggers says.

Shyamalan cast Taylor-Joy in Split before The Witch came out; the thrillers quarter-billion grosses not only rocketed the director back into Hollywoods good graces, it also proved its star was not just a one-Sundance wonder. (Taylor-Joy recently finished shooting the sequel, Glass.) There is a sense around Taylor-Joy  if not from the actress herself  that things are going to blow up soon, that she could maybe in the not-too-distant future leave the Next Big Thing headlines behind and become a proper movie star. (At the beginning of the interview I tell her Im counting the times shes not allowed to answer something; at the end she notes with glee that it only happened once.) Like many young actors, Taylor-Joy says she abhors the thought of careerism. Ive never taken a job just to take a job, she says. I feel like that would be a bit soul-destroying for me. I read a character and I hear their voice and I feel like I belong to them, and they belong to me. Its not quite Method, but its close. Her characters, she says, are real to me. I really defend them and I start to adopt some of their sensibilities. For Thoroughbreds this proved a particular challenge, as her character Lily, is, by most interpretations, a sociopath. People on set would be like, God, shes such a bitch. Id be like, Dont talk about my character that way!  Only after filming was done could she admit that Lily was pretty awful and toxic. But her loyalty runs deep: Saying that aloud, she said, still felt like betraying a friend.

But following her passion has, so far, produced what looks from the outside like a series of savvy career moves. Besides the Split sequel, shes set to star in a Marie Curie biopic and her first comic-book movie, the X-Men spin-off New Mutants. Taylor-Joy says shes of two minds about the bigger films shes been working on lately. Theres more money and more time, and both of them mean you dont have to knock yourself out worrying about one mistake. But she remembers on The Witch, how she once had to help the crew drag a dolly out of the mud, or the time that everyone, even the producers, had to stop what they were doing and pick buds off trees to make it look more like winter. I like the intensity of having a short amount of time, she says. You feel like youre moving towards the same goal.

New Mutants was recently pushed back a year for re-shoots  a blessing in disguise, as Taylor-Joy has worked more or less non-stop for the past three years. She has no permanent address, and says she suffers from constant jetlag. Last year, she estimates, she had a grand total of four days off. She hopes the break will allow her to get to a place where shes hungry again; where, she says mock-theatrically, she can feel like a complete instrument for art!

In the meantime, she does admit to curating her career in one respect. Taylor-Joy identifies as Latina, but says shes very wary of auditioning for Latina roles. Im aware of the fact I dont look like a typical Latin person, and thats not fair, she says. I dont want to be someone that you can just sub in for that role when Im really white and blonde. Knowing what you look like can be horrifying, but sometimes, its a necessary wisdom.
Back to back, like theyre Jordan 96, 97: A24 has another suburban girls coming-of-age story. Eighth Grade, comedian Bo Burnhams directorial debut, follows 13-year-old Kayla Days last week of middle school. Growing up can be a little bit scary and weird, Day (Elsie Fisher) admits. After shes voted the quietest in her class, Kayla tries to break out of her shell with a YouTube channel and a to-do list comprised of getting more confidence, more friends, and a best friend. Vultures critic Emily Yoshida found Burnhams direction patient and endlessly empathetic, and praised Fishers lead performance. See it in theaters July 13.
Protesters taking part in the National School Walkout. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

On the one-month anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, thousands of students walked out of classrooms and schools to protest gun violence. As they started the 17-minute walkout  a minute for each person who died in the attack  Hollywood stars voiced their support on Twitter. Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi, backed her cousins decision to take part in the walkout today, while Mark Hamill followed the protest from Dublin, Ireland. Some, like Debra Messing, proudly rallied at a local school walkout in New York. See more of the tweets below.

When my cousin writes and acts on what she believes #nationalschoolwalkout https://t.co/I0t7IXIqw5  Yara shahidi (@YaraShahidi) March 14, 2018

I am walking out with you in spirit, America- all the way from Dublin, Ireland! #NeverAgain https://t.co/sk1DLDL5dv  Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) March 14, 2018

#walkout So proud to be a part of a school community that supports its students need to share their voices. #Never pic.twitter.com/rTX5LMwrcb  Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) March 14, 2018

Kerry Washington.

Dear Students,

I stand with you. I support you. #NationalWalkoutDay  kerry washington (@kerrywashington) March 14, 2018

Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon.

The kids taking part in the #NationalSchoolWalkout make me so proud. Doesnt matter how old you are, you can always stand up for what you think is right! IM WITH YOU GUYS   Adam Rippon (@Adaripp) March 14, 2018

I, Tonya actress Allison Janney.

Chelsea Peretti.

THANK YOU STUDENTS FOR YOUR POWERFUL, INTELLIGENT AND HEARTFELT PROTESTS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE IN YOUR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ALL OVER THE USA WHERE YOU ARE NOT SAFE! STAY STRONG! WE LOVE YOU! #NationalWalkoutDay   Chelsea Peretti (@chelseaperetti) March 14, 2018

Miley Cyrus.

Proud of all of you! Never give up! You are THE change!



So amazing to see young people take back their power and USE it! #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/nuUDdqkpkD  Miley Ray Cyrus (@MileyCyrus) March 14, 2018

Shameless actress Emmy Rossum.

To all the kids walking out of school today, you are strong and powerful and we love you. #NationalWalkoutDay  Emmy Rossum (@emmyrossum) March 14, 2018

Emmy winner Uzo Aduba.

In order to stand up, you must first walk out.  Uzo Aduba (@UzoAduba) March 14, 2018

Captain America, Chris Evans.

The young people of this generation give me so much hope. Are u listening @GOP? Time for gun laws to change. And for you 2A-ers, relax, no one is saying you cant own a gun, your right to bear arms shall not be infringed. Just looking for common sense reform! #NationalWalkoutDay https://t.co/jB7NCb0MJj  Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) March 14, 2018

Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy ." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. #NationalWalkoutDay https://t.co/sBtJ0II6YG  Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 14, 2018

The Greatest Showman star Zendaya.

I am so proud, I stand with every student today. #NationalWalkoutDay   Zendaya (@Zendaya) March 14, 2018

Morgan Freeman.

So proud of everyone behind this movement, and all those taking action today.



Our voices are getting louder!



We are being heard!



Change is coming!#NationalSchoolWalkout https://t.co/s21Ior8PVF  Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) March 14, 2018

Katy Perry.

On the one-month anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, students are walking out in protest of Congress failure to act on gun violence. Lets support them, and the March to Washington DC in ten days #MarchForOurLives  KATY PERRY (@katyperry) March 14, 2018

Lin-Manuel Miranda.

We see you, kids, and we're with you.  Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 14, 2018

Josh Gad.

So unbelievably proud of these students. So blown away by their unstoppable energy and their devotion to hold our legislators accountable. They are not going away, but those officials who do nothing to reform gun laws, most certainly will be. #walkout #ParklandStrong https://t.co/928ee1lBJC  Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 14, 2018

Mariska Hargitay.

We support all the students #RisingUp to protest #GunViolence and in today's #MarchForOurLives. We are proud of this generation's inner strength and fearless gumption to let it shine. You are the change we wish to see in the world. THANK YOU. pic.twitter.com/nHdDBbFP0D  Mariska Hargitay (@Mariska) March 14, 2018
WAAY 31 learned the City of Huntsville and Police are working on a plan to increase patrol in north Huntsville. Its one of the citys hardest hit areas of crime.

The only thing a spokeswoman for the City of Huntsville could tell us is the city and police are working on developing a program with Huntsville Police to clean up the streets.

MGN Online MGN Online

However, that program is something she told us is a long time coming and theyre still working on final details.

Cleopatra Magwood told me she thinks increased police patrol in north Huntsville is long overdue.

Back in January, her 19 year old son Dimitrick Mims was murdered at a home in north Huntsville.

"I wouldn't want no other family to go through what I'm going through," she said.

His death was one of 8 homicides in a little more than the first two months of the year.

Thats compared to a total of 15 homicides in 2016 and 22 in 2017.

Right now, Huntsville's on pace for about 45 this year.

"If we don't stop them, then I'm afraid it's going to get too out of control," Magwood said.

Magwoods husband told us he's tired of all the crime in the area, but doesn't know whats actually needed to stop it.

"They do need to patrol to stop crime because it's getting out of hand, but at the same time it will help for a minute. The crime is actually never going to stop, but it will slow it down" said Saleem Magwood.

Magwood told us she hopes police increase their presence throughout north Huntsville to make people think twice before committing a crime.

"I think it would be wonderful if they move out into neighborhoods like this. I think it would be wonderful if they watch neighborhoods where crimes have been committed at," she said.

The city told WAAY 31 it is still working to determine what areas they would implement increased patrol in.

Early Tuesday morning, WAAY 31 reached out to Councilman Devyn Keith, who's the city councilman for the area to ask about the plans.

His assistant told us hes out of the office until next week.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - A 1-year-old child was killed in Alabama in what police say was likely an accidental shooting.

Mobile Police Chief Lawrence Battiste said in a statement at the scene Monday that police think the child was killed with a 9mm handgun kept in the parents' bedroom, but he couldn't offer much detail about how it happened.

He said the mother had stepped out of the house to tell her mother-in-law that she was getting ready to leave, and was alerted to the shooting when a 2-year-old child came to tell them his ears were ringing.

The parents were questioned at the police station.

Mobile police spokeswoman Charlette Solis tells AL.com that the child's death remains under investigation. Further details haven't been released.

___

Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

3/13/2018 2:32:21 PM (GMT -5:00)
BERLIN, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say an Alabama woman forced her way into her estranged husband's home, shot him and pistol-whipped a woman who was present.

Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry says Lee Ann Matanane shot the 59-year-old man in the chest on Saturday. AL.com reports court records show the unidentified man has thrice been arrested on domestic-violence harassment and reckless endangerment charges involving Matanane.

Gentry says the two victims wrested the gun from Matanane. She was arrested at the scene. Charges include two counts of attempted murder, one count of first-degree burglary and one count of second-degree assault.

The couple separated one year ago. They were previously under a court order prohibiting contact, but mediated a settlement last month that has yet to be finalized.

It's unclear whether Matanane has a lawyer.

___

Information from: The Birmingham News, http://www.al.com/birminghamnews

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

3/13/2018 3:06:46 PM (GMT -5:00)
Schools across our area are preparing for "National Student Walkout Day" on Wednesday.

This comes on the one-month anniversary of the school shooting that happened in Parkland, Florida, and is a way for students to remember the 17 people who were killed.

WAAY 31 spoke with several different school districts to see what their plans are in case a large amount of students walk out of school.

Not all of the school districts we talked with are expecting large walkouts on Wednesday, but almost every district said, they would respect the students who decide to.

They want to feel like theyre making a change of some kind," one parent said. "And so I do think its important that they have a voice to help make that change.

One mom of a Jackson County student said, she learned about "National Student Walkout Day" on social media, and said she supports it.

I think they need a positive way to show that respect because its a very important event that happened," she said.

After the Feb. 14, shooting in Florida, students across the nation wanted to do something to honor the victims.

And school districts are preparing themselves.

We have worked with our high school principals, really all principals, to provide alternate activities for students," said Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Matt Akins. "I mean we certainly respect their right to protest, but we hope to do it in a different manner."

I sent an email out to the principals and the assistant principals stating that we would have an assembly and kind of talk about gun safety, threats, and things like that," added Jackson County Schools Superintendent Kevin Dukes.

But thats not all.

Each school is going to call out the victims names, the people that lost their lives in Parkland, Florida. And then theyre going to observe a moment of silence," Dukes said.

And parents seem to support this.

I feel very excited to hear that our administration in Jackson County is making some kind of way for those students to show that," one parent said.

Officials with Guntersville City Schools told WAAY 31 they will also be having assemblies to honor the Parkland shooting victims as well.
Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyans trip to Lebanon is clearly at attempt to drum up much needed foreign investment in Armenia.

Yesterday, Karapetyan met with Armenian entrepreneurs, extolling the advantages of doing business in Armenia.

His next meeting was with representatives of Lebanons Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Chamber of Manufacturers, Beirut Traders Association, World Association of Lebanese Businessmen, and the International Chamber of Commerce.

According to the Armenian governments website, The head of the Armenian government presented the current economic situation in Armenia and the positive trends in economic development. The Prime Minister stressed that one of Armenias key competitive assets is the strong Diaspora, our compatriots who regardless of their domicile are concerned about the future of their homeland.

Karapetyan told the attendees that Armenia is undergoing exciting reforms in all spheres of public life: governance, customs, taxation, education, healthcare, exports, credit programs, subsidized loans, judiciary, bankruptcy, agricultural insurance, etc.

He then ticked off some positive economic numbers  7.5% economic growth, 25.2% increase in exports, external trade turnover growth of 26.9%

Karapetyan then pointed to the most beneficial aspect of investing in Armenia.

We are a unique country in the sense that we have been able to combine two seemingly incompatible economic platforms. I mean that while being a small country with 3 million population, we are a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and thereby enjoy privileged trade regimes with countries that have a population of 180 million altogether - Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan.

The Armenian Prime Minister mentioned agriculture, cattle breeding, jewelry, light industry, information technology, mining and infrastructure as spheres for potential investors to focus on.

He then said that a law on foreign direct investments is being finalized, the purpose of which is not to streamline the investment process.

Todays government has a firm belief in the philosophy that its main function is not to encumber business. We are confident that the State is not an effective manager in areas where there is business interest. And, on the basis of this, we give those areas to private management. Should you make up your mind - I would call it quite a logical decision - to come to Armenia and establish a business, you will find true partners in the person of the Government and the circles you may have to work with. We are confident that we will have a country where business is going to be very easy, profitable and logical.

Read the official transcript of Karapetyans remarks HERE
IMAGINING Arts was about all we could do over the last 18 months or so, but now we need imagine no more. Celebrating its 20th...
The National Australia Bank board was made aware of an alleged fraud ring operating within the bank in western Sydney months before the bank reported it to the corporate watchdog, the banking royal commission has heard.

The commission heard on Wednesday that nearly 40 staff members were involved in the scheme to organise mortgages for people who would not otherwise have qualified for the loans, to pump up their sales figures.

Of the 2000-plus suspect loans drawn up by the group, more than $50 million were deemed to be potentially unserviceable by the bank, the commission heard.

NAB's "introducer" referral program used members of the public, including a gymnasium owner and a tailor, to help push its loan products, the commission heard. The gym owner, the tailor and two other "introducers" were together responsible for $139 million in loans.
The world's financial leaders will call on international standard-setting bodies on March 20 for stronger monitoring of crypto-assets and to assess the need for a multilateral response as such assets could at some point threaten financial stability.

The call appears in a draft communique prepared for the meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors of the world's 20 biggest economies in Buenos Aires on March 19-20, seen by Reuters.

Regulators globally have raised the alarm over cryptocurrencies. Credit:AP

The financial leaders will say the technological innovation behind cryptocurrencies has the potential to improve the efficiency and inclusiveness of the financial system.

"Cryptocurrencies, however, raise issues with respect to consumer and investor protection, tax evasion, money laundering and terrorist financing. At some point they could have financial stability implications," the draft communique adds.
Professor Tucker was among many Australian scientists to celebrate Hawking's contribution to science, and to humour and humanity. To today's cosmologists and astrophysicists, Hawking was a rock star cosmologist, an inspiration, a childhood hero, an A-list star, a genius and a great communicator. Very few individuals were in the same league as Albert Einstein and Marie Curie  men and women who are legends in science and also icons for humanity - but Hawking was one of them, said Australia's chief scientist, Dr Alan Finkel. Hawkings genius had secured his legacy amongst his colleagues. "But his courage, compassion and conviction are the qualities that place him amongst the greats of any age," Dr Finkel said. University of NSW quantum physicist and 2018 Australian of the Year Professor Michelle Simmons described Hawking as an extraordinary man who prevailed against all odds.

"Physics will miss him greatly, she said. Professor Alan Duffy, lead scientist of the Royal Australian Institution of Australia, said Hawking's illness made his achievements near superhuman, with an ability to manipulate Einstein's equations in his mind when he could no longer hold a pen. Like many other scientists, Professor Duffy, a research fellow in the Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, said Hawking was an inspiration as a scientist and as a communicator of that science. "His work as a cosmologist and discoveries in black hole physics were legendary. His best-known prediction, named by the community as Hawking Radiation, transformed black holes from inescapable gravitational prisons into objects that instead shrink and fade away over time," he said.

To Nobel Prize winner Professor Brian Schmidt, Hawking was his inspiration. As a child he was someone who was up there as a scientific idol. Someone who was able to connect the absolute cutting edge of science to a 15 year old boy. So I think that on that front it helped shape my career," Schmidt said. Later in life I learned to study his work and he brought together quantum mechanics and gravity, the big outstanding issues still in physics, still not resolved, but he is the person who has taken the biggest and best steps. Credit:Matt Golding Being able to think, here on earth, about objects on the other side of the universe or even at the beginning of time. That power of humanity being such a tiny spec to go and understand things so big. His ability to express that in a way that I found compelling as a young boy is what really hooked me," said Schmidt, an astronomer at the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University, formerly known as Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories.

Hawking's humour was nearly as legendary as his black holes. "He was a very funny guy," said Professor Matthew Colless, the director of ANU's research school of astronomy and astrophysics, who was taught gravitational physics at Cambridge University during the 1980s by Hawking. One day Hawking's wheelchair rolled off the dais while he was giving a lecture. "All the time, he was tapping away," Professor Colless said. When Hawking started talking again via his computerised voice, he said: "I guess I have fallen off the edge of the world."

Professor Colless narrowly avoided running over Hawking in his wheelchair, but Sydney University Professor of physics, Peter Tuthill, wasn't so lucky. "For myself and many scientists, I am sure this is one of those pieces of news that becomes a fiducial anchor point in the stream of memory: remember where you were when the news about Stephen Hawking broke?" he said. But Professor Tuthill didn't expect his first encounter with him while he was at Cambridge to make headlines.

Riding home late on our bicycles, my mate crashed into Hawking's wheelchair - which he drove around at some speed in those days and with no lights - on the quiet streets at the backs of the river Cam," Professor Tuthill said. The bicycle wheelchair crash put Professor Tuthill's mate and Hawking in hospital, with his "friend on the front pages for all the wrong reasons". Much later in his career Professor Tuthill began to appreciate why Hawking was such a titan in physics, but also more broadly in culture and modern society. "While his contributions to deep questions in physics were profound, he also contributed to a wide array of extremely important contemporary debates and issues - things such as artificial intelligence, the building of a fair society, pitfalls and problems thrown up by disruptive technologies of tomorrow," he said. For a guy with such manifest physical challenges in life, it would be easy to expect them to live behind a screen of fame and to remain absorbed in the theoretical.

I always felt it a testament to luminosity of his intellect that he was so outwardly engaged in the world, and had such penetrating vision and passion for the wider concerns of society and ethics." A masterful communicator Professor Colless, though, said Hawking had big ideas and the ability to make them interesting and communicate them to others. "He was incredibly clear and concise," he said, something perhaps forced upon Hawking because each word had to be laboriously tapped out. Hawking had created the field of modern cosmology, said Professor Colless, and turned it from speculation to something done with enormous precision.

At Mount Stromlo, scientists were studying 2 million galaxies, and measuring the expansion rate of the universe with 1 per cent precision, said Professor Colless, something made possible by Hawking's research. While Hawking had a huge ego, those who know him said he also loved to joke. He once said his book, A Brief History of Time, was "probably the least-read, most-bought book ever", Leonard Mlodinow, a physicist and science writer at the California Institute of Technology told National Public Radio in the United States.

Mr Mlodinow collaborated with Hawking on a less technical version of Hawking's first book, called A Briefer History of Time. "As hard as it was for him to communicate, he would sit there sometimes, and would take five or six minutes to be typing something out," he told NPR. "And then when he hit speak, and his system voices his words, it would be a joke." Hawking's sense of humour extended to his willingness to appear on The Simpsons several times and Little Britain, Futurama and Star Trek, The Next Generation. Paul Haese, the president of the Astronomical Society of South Australia, said Hawking had a brilliant mind that would be missed among the amateur astronomical community. Professor Brian Boyle, deputy vice-chancellor enterprise at the University of NSW, described him as a peerless inspiration to millions who took "global public consciousness of contemporary science and scientists to anew level". "We will always be in his debt," he said.

The 2014 film about his life, The Theory of Everything, was nominated for several Academy Awards, and Eddie Redmayne, who played Hawking, won the best-actor Oscar. As a graduate student in 1963, Hawking learned he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neuromuscular wasting disease also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. He was given only a few years to live. The disease reduced his bodily control to the flexing of a finger and voluntary eye movements but left his mental faculties untouched. He went on to become his generation's leader in exploring gravity and the properties of black holes, the bottomless gravitational pits so deep and dense that not even light can escape them.
Elon Musk participated in a Q&A session at South by Southwest on Sunday, during which he discussed a wide range topics, including Mars colonisation, artificial intelligence, and Kanye West.

Toward the end of the event, he talked about the chain of events that lead to the founding of Tesla and his eventual decision to become CEO of the company. At one point, he said the biggest mistake of his career was not devoting enough time to the company during its early days, when he was more focused on running his space exploration company, SpaceX.

As the company neared financial ruin during the 2008 financial crisis, Musk decided he needed to step in and take control.

I think that was probably the biggest mistake of my career, he said. Whenever you think you can have your cake and eat it too, youre probably wrong.

While Musk was Teslas lead investor, he didnt originally take an executive position in the company, instead serving as its chairman from 2004 to 2008 so he could devote more time to running SpaceX and raising his children. But as Tesla faced production delays and cost overruns with its first vehicle, the Roadster, tensions flared between Musk and CEO Martin Eberhard, who was eventually forced out of the company and replaced with Ze-ev Drori, who became the companys second full-time CEO in November 2007.
Fully-self-funded retiree, Margaret Osborne, 64, is a rusted-on Labor voter but will abandon the party at the next election.

Margaret Osborne at her home. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The former teacher, who lives in Sydney's Rozelle with her husband, said Labor's proposal that, if elected, it would make changes to the dividend imputation system, would see the couple's income drop by 30 per cent.

"I'm very angry about this," she said.
More than 2600 students have attempted one or more of the NSW government's new minimum standard online tests since they were released three weeks ago, as the state's biggest teachers union calls for the tests to be scrapped.

How would you fare? Scroll below for example questions from the test

The reading and numeracy tests, which are each comprised of 45 multiple choice questions, and the writing test, which requires a 500-word response to a visual or text prompt, must all be passed before students are eligible to receive their HSC from 2020.

About 2600 students have sat the NSW government's new minimum standard online tests.

However, Maurie Mulheron, president of the NSW Teachers' Federation, which represents about 67,000 educators, said more tests are unnecessary and core literacy and numeracy skills should be built into existing syllabuses.
So what on earth is going on? The answer revolves around what had, until yesterday, been a little-known feature of the Australian tax system called "dividend imputation".

The complexity of the Australian tax system hides many sins, one of the most inequitable of which is the fact that some of Australias wealthiest citizens pay negative tax. The ATO actually hands other peoples money to some of the wealthiest people in the country. Indeed, while Centrelink chases some of our poorest citizens for seven-year-old debt, one lucky non-taxpayer actually received $2.5 million in "tax credits" in a single year.

The tax treatment of earnings generated from owning shares is complicated. Because it is complicated most people think it is boring. Because its boring we dont discuss it much. However Australias dividend imputation system is important, unique to the world and comes with approximately a $30 billion dollar a year price tag. So whatever you think about Bill Shorten and Chris Bowens announcement it is a good thing they have got us talking about one of the least understood aspects of tax policy in Australia.

When a company makes a profit it pays the 30 per cent company tax rate on that profit. In most countries, after the company pays tax it distributes dividends to its shareholders who, in turn, pay at least some personal income tax on those dividends. But Paul Keating thought that companies and shareholders paying tax was "double taxation", so in 1987 he introduced "dividend imputation credits", which simply meant that any tax paid by the company could be "credited" against any personal income tax payable.

The franking credit is essentially a note that comes with the dividends that says company tax has already been paid on the dividend, giving you a discount on that income at tax time.

Whether Paul Keatings system of dividend imputation is "fair" or not has never been widely debated in Australia for the simple reason that so few people understand how it works. But what really does not pass the fairness pub test was Peter Costellos subsequent decision to allow people with "spare" tax credits to swap them for cash.

Before you can understand the full horror of Costellos changes it is important to remember that he also made income from superannuation funds entirely tax free once you turn 60. That is, if you are over 60 with $10 or $20 million in superannuation, you could literally withdraw millions of dollars per year and pay not a single cent in tax on it. Paying no tax would mean tax deduction credits would be of no use. For example, a very wealthy individual drawing $1 million per year from their superannuation and paying no tax  not even the Medicare surcharge  who received say a $10,000 dividend cheque that comes with $3000 worth of "tax credits". Now imagine the frustration of our retired millionaire who, because they pay no tax, has nothing to offset their credits against.

Luckily for them, Peter Costello changed the law in 2000 to allow any surplus credits to be swapped for cash meaning that rather than paying no tax, they get paid $3000 by the taxpayer.
The number of people who are homeless in Australia has soared by almost 15 per cent, with newly released Census data showing people living in severely overcrowded dwellings are the greatest contributors to this increase.

More than 116,400 Australians were homeless on Census night in 2016  compared to 102,400 in 2011, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals. This increase outstrips Australias general population growth of about 9 per cent over the same period.

Jenni Donnelly experienced homelessness after the break up of an abusive relationship. Credit:Eddie Jim

The number of people who were homeless on Census night in the City of Sydney (ABS data is divided up by local government area) increased by almost 70 per cent. The Melbourne local government area recorded a massive 85 per cent increase.

New South Wales recorded a marked jump, with the number of people who are homeless up 37 per cent between 2011 and 2016. In Victoria, there was an 11 per cent increase in people who were counted as homeless in the last Census. Queensland also recorded a rise of about 13 per cent.
Four hundred years ago, three Catholic dignitaries were thrown out a window in Prague because of their doctrinal differences. The eventsparked the Thirty Years War that devastated Europe. US President Donald Trump has, metaphorically, just done the same thing to his Secretary of State.

The fallout from Rex Tillerson's unceremonious firing  which he apparently learned about from press reports and a Trump tweet  highlights several challenges for American foreign policy, potentially means a less-restrained Trump and on several key issues portends increasing policy divergence between Canberra and Washington.

Rumours of Tillersons imminent departure have been swirling for the better part of the past year. Trump and Tillerson had poor personal relations  exacerbated by the Secretary of State calling the President a moron and Trumps repeated public undermining of his secretary  but the differences ran deeper.

Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Disagreements over policy, divergent views on the role and prioritisation of diplomacy in the foreign policy, and discrepancies between Foggy Bottom and the White House on who would take the lead on issues ranging from the Middle East to China all contributed to a sense that Tillerson was a dead man walking.
Western Australia must capitalise on its new $1.8 billion Optus Stadium and utilise private tourism investment if it wants more international visitors.

Latest data released on Wednesday revealed WA was the only state to suffer a decline in overseas visitor numbers, and their total expenditure, in the 12 months to December 2017.

WA must market its natural attractions like Cottesloe Beach better.

While international tourists to WA fell only 0.8% in that period, expenditure dropped 5.5% on the back of a sharp 7.7% fall in visitor nights.

Tourism Council WA CEO Evan Hall said while WA's tourism industry had reduced prices across the board and invested in new hotels, there were three critical areas that needed addressing, including staffing issues at Tourism WA.
As a self-described "small cog in the gears" who said he was not an active participant in killing, Groening believed he would not be prosecuted. "Where would you stop?" he said in 2013. "Wouldn't you also have to charge the engineer who drove the trains to Auschwitz? And the men who ran the signal boxes?" He had been cleared of charges by a war-crimes tribunal in 1948, and German authorities investigated him again in the 1970s and 1980s before determining there was too little evidence to charge him. His case was reopened after the 2011 conviction in Germany of John Demjanjuk, a one-time guard at the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland who later settled in the United States. (Demjanjuk died in 2012 while his case was being appealed.) At Groening's trial in 2015, he was charged with complicity in the murder of 300,000 Hungarian Jews between May and July of 1944. "Because of my job in Auschwitz, I am without question morally complicit in the killing of millions of people, most of whom were Jews," he said during his first day on the stand. "I ask them for forgiveness. Whether I am legally guilty is a matter this court must decide."

He recalled scenes that remained shocking more than 70 years later. He watched as a fellow German soldier picked up a crying baby by its legs "and smashed it again and again against the iron side of a truck until it was silent." Groening said he told his superior officer about the incident the next day and requested a transfer, but was turned down. Some observers found him sympathetic, and many Germans thought it unseemly to bring charges against a man in his 90s who struggled to reach the witness stand with his walker. But several survivors who lost family members at Auschwitz also provided compelling testimony at the trial and noted that Groening never made a formal apology in court. "Any person who wore that uniform in that place," said 84-year-old Irene Fogel Weiss, who lost 19 family members in Auschwitz, "represented terror and the depths to which humanity can sink, regardless of what function they performed." In July 2015, Groening was found guilty.

"You didn't want to stand on the sidelines," the judge, Franz Kompisch, told him. "What you, Mr Groening, see as moral guilt is exactly what the law sees as accessory to murder." Groening's appeals were rejected and, in November 2017, a German court determined that he was fit to begin serving his four-year sentence. Oskar Groening was born June 10, 1921, in Nienburg, Germany. He was 4 when his mother died, and he was raised by his father, a stern factory worker and World War I veteran. Groening joined the Hitler Youth group in his early teens. After Auschwitz, he was transferred to the front lines late in 1944 and was captured by British troops after being wounded. He returned to Germany in 1948 and held administrative positions at a Lueneberg glass factory until his retirement in the 1980s. He was a widower and had two sons, but complete information about survivors was not immediately available.
A Workshop on transfer pricing and Customs valuation was held in Bogota, Colombia from Monday 5 to Friday 9 March 2018.

35 participants from the Tax and Customs administrations of twenty one countries from the Americas and Caribbean region attended the Workshop which was facilitated by experts from the WCO, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Bank Group and Inter-American Center of Tax Administrations (CIAT). The Workshop, which was kindly hosted by DIAN (Direccion de Impuestos y Aduanas Nacionales), was formally opened by Mr. Santiago Rojas, DG of DIAN and Ms. Claudia Gaviria, Director, Customs.

Sessions were held on both Customs valuation and transfer pricing principles and methodologies. Case studies were provided of scenarios where Customs have consulted transfer pricing information when examining import transactions made between parties in the same multi-national enterprise. The Workshop provided a forum for Customs and Tax officials to meet, interact and share their national practices. Participants agreed that cooperation between the two administrations should be reinforced to facilitate closer working in this area.

This is the latest in a series of regional Workshops jointly organized by the WCO and OECD designed to promote and encourage a deeper understanding of these topics and closer cooperation between Customs and Tax administrations.

Background

The WCO has developed the WCO Guide to Customs Valuation and Transfer Pricing which provides an introduction and useful background on these topics.

The WCO has also developed "Guidelines for strengthening cooperation and exchange of information between Customs and Tax authorities at the national level".

DIANs website article on the event can be read here (Spanish only).
With the support of the Chinese Customs Cooperation Fund and Jordan Customs, the WCO Secretariat organized a Workshop on Customs valuation and valuation fraud for the benefit of Members of the WCO North Africa, Near and Middle East region. The Workshop was held from 25th February to 1st March 2018 at the WCO Regional Training Centre in Amman, Jordan.

Twenty Customs officials from fourteen Customs administrations attended the Workshop. During the five days, the participants were familiarized with the key principles of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement (the Agreement), the tools of the Revenue Package and the methods used to address Customs valuation fraud.

The programme included the application of Decision 6.1 of the WTO Committee on Customs Valuation, illustrated in a case study, in cases where Customs have doubts about the truth or accuracy of the value declared. In the context of managing valuation risk, various criteria were discussed including the use of a valuation database as risk assessment tool and mirror analysis (a comparison of export and import aggregate data).

The Workshop was concluded with the examination of Customs valuation issues raised by the participants.
Welcome to Weird Science DC Comics, the DC Comics site for the common man and woman. We love comics and hope you do too. Remember, our reviews are only one persons opinion and doesnt mean you have to agree or disagree, just be you. For all the links of everything Weird Science, go here campsite.bio/weirdsciencecomics
What will an additional $4,000 do for the community of Kimball?

This is a question facing the Kimball City Council as the Public Alliance for Community Energy (ACE) board has approved a disbursement to Kimball totaling $4,281.98 through ACEs revenue return program.

According to a recent press release, ACE has returned more than $50,000 to Kimball since 1998, money that has been used for a variety of improvements, including new banners, flags, the gazebo and kiosk at the Kimball Cemetery and new swimming pool outdoor furniture.

The 2017 return totaling $3773.70 was saved and earmarked to add to the current return for a large project, according to Kimball Mayor Keith Prunty.

The City of Kimball will partner with Kimball High School Industrial Arts students and VFW Post #2243 to design and build a military memorial in a local park.

Flags from each branch of the service will be displayed, Prunty said, and he hopes that a kiosk similar to that at the Kimball Cemetery will be included.

It will be a huge community thing. I would like to get that up this summer, Prunty said. People can enter their veterans information into the kiosk to be memorialized forever.

The year marks the 20th that ACE has been in the Nebraska Choice Gas Program. Residents are reminded that the selection period this year will be April 13-26. Selection forms will be mailed out to all eligible customers before that time.

Any local non-profit organizations hoping to raise funds can distribute door hangers for ACE, Prunty added. Last year the Friends of the Goodhand Theater completed the project. For more information, contact the City of Kimball at 308-235-3639.
When we talk about Kimball, tradition comes to mind! Kimball and surrounding communities have an evening of amazing pyrotechnics for years. The locations have changed over the years from Horseshoe Hill, Oliver Reservoir, and the High School; but there has always been some great explosions to celebrate the 4th of July.

The Kimball Volunteer Fire Department spends $5,000-$7,000 to give a great event year-after-year. The past two years, Karen Robinson, of Larsens Jewelry Store, graciously raised money from businesses so that Kimball could once again enjoy the 4th of July Fireworks display.

This year consumers will find a Fireworks Spare Change jar at all of the following businesses: Woodys Liquor Store, Sportsmans Liquor Store, Larsens Jewelry, Vinces Corner, Hometown Hardware, Kimball Auto Parts, Franks NAPA, Phoenix Conoco, Main Street Market, and Carols Nut List.

The business that collect the most change from their customers or employees will receive $100 free advertising from the Western Nebraska Observer.

Collected funds will be tallied in April and the businesses in first, second and third place at that time will appear in the Western Nebraska Observer. Donation jars will be out until May 30, 2018.

Citizens can contribute larger donations at FirsTier Bank and ask for the donation to be added to the 4th of July Fireworks Fund.

Organizers for the fundraiser wish to thank those who have already contributed spare chang, as well as, the businesses that have agreed to the friendly fundraising competition.
Ninth grade students from across the region attended Nebraska Extension's Connecting the Dots Career Exploration Program at Sidney High School on March 5.

Nearly 150 students spent the morning exploring their skills, learning to write a good resume and how to behave in an interview. In addition to Sidney High, students from Leyton High School, Kimball High School and Banner County High School participated in the simulation.

After lunch, students had the opportunity to see how they can connect the dots from where they are in school now to where they want to be in the future. Before the event, students took a career assessment inventory that revealed clusters of jobs that they may be interested in pursuing. Students then began the career exploration event, pairing up with another student with similar career interests. Each pair visited with one of 16 different career area potential employers. These were business people from the community who volunteered their time. The event attempts to display paths to many careers, those that require college degrees and options for careers that do not require degrees.

Employers counseled students to help find careers that fit their experiences and interests. If the student did not have the education or certification needed for the career selected they had to return to the education table and get the degree needed for their desired career. Then they could go back to the employer and investigate different careers in that area. The students had several opportunities to interact with the business professionals before completing that part of the event.

The highlight of the day was the good advice and tips for success offered by the business representatives. Helping out at this year's event were Shannon Ankeny, Cabela's; Sonia Corne, manager of Hampton Inn; Lisa Laws; Sidney Regional Medical Center; Matt Gudahl, Sidney Regional Medical Center; Niki Rochlitz, Great Western Bank; Bill Struckmeyer, UNL High Plains Ag Lab; Suzy Ernest, KSID Radio; James Gill, Cabela's; Jon Leever, L&L Aviation; Shelly Gerk, South Platte NRD; Kristin Schmidt, Sidney Regional Medical Center; Becky Allard, Sidney Regional Medical Center; Emily Johnson, Sidney Regional Medical Center; Ron Gusman, Veteran's Office; Lisa Bickford, Office of Human Development; Adam Frerichs, Cheyenne County Sheriff's office; Lori Biesecker, Educational Service Unit 13; James Mendoza, National Guard; John Cattin, Jobs Corps; Tyler O'Daniel, Chadron State College; and Cole Honstead, Western Nebraska Community College.

In addition, thanks go to Sidney High School for hosting, Nebraska Extension Educators, UNL and military representatives for making this program possible and for ESU 13, Farm Credit Services, and Points West Bank for their financial support of the program.

Cynthia Gill for the Western Nebraska Observer Raven Johnson and Samantha Bemis practice introductions at Nebraska Extension's Connecting the Dots career exploration program at Sidney High School.

Connecting the Dots facilitates growth and development of rural communities by increasing connections between youth and community leaders. Youth gain an understanding of the opportunities within their own communities and the importance of the choices they make in high school.

For more information about 4-H, Extension or the Connecting the Dots program, please contact Cynthia Gill at 308-254-3809 or [email protected]
Loading...

In the 200th anniversary year of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, it's a strong call to suggest the capacity for storytelling is one of the things that makes us truly human. April De Angelis' layered new adaptation  the 59th of its kind, according to a programme note  retains Shelley's original framing device: a ship's captain retelling the tale a marooned man told him. The Russian Doll structure, stories inside stories, reflects Shelley's Promethean myth: man made by man. Besides, what's storytelling if not bringing something to life?

Shane Zaza's scientist, found wondering the ice by the crew of an arctic schooner, enters the empty space hunched beneath a monstrosity of furs. He could pass for a beast  and indeed he may be one. Throughout, De Angelis invites us to share in Captain Walton's suspicion that this incredible tale of improbable science might have been concocted as a cover-up for murder. (A rare case of blaming your homework for your missing dog.) But then, that's the thing about stories: like science, they can be used for both good and bad.

Frankenstein's starts with the music box quality of memories revived. His wealthy Genoan family waltz around each other, taking on human projects of their own  an adopted daughter, Elizabeth, and an orphaned maid  as Frankenstein spins himself into a darker place, fixating on the forging of life itself.

De Angelis asks what drives him on: mortality, masculinity or a mash-up of both? Controlling the tempo, she brings death on at speed, so that scarlet fever claims his mother almost out of the blue. Is his obsession with re-animation about vanquishing death  or is it about controlling life? With Shanaya Rafaat playing a succession of wives, there's a sense that men have always sought to remake others at will. It's a sharp feminist undertow.

However, the main event is inevitably the bout between monster and maker. Designer Ben Stones brings a lightning bolt down to zap Harry Attwell's Creature into life and he's a rather vile thing: seamed with scars, white in the eyes, bald on top with lank straggles of hair. (Imagine Spinal Tap scalped, exhumed and wearing a skin jerkin.) Zaza's constant twitchiness  a crick in his neck, fidgeting fingers  suggests a man uncomfortable in his own skin, maybe even making himself up. It's a shame, though, that the monster's played so straight: a creation out of control, maybe a Hyde-like dark side, but there's too little metaphor aimed at modern times; nothing of genetics or robotics.

It's one reason why Matthew Xia's staging, though it finds a pulse, never quite manages to instil real life. With no interpretative twist or specific vocabulary, his style tends towards staginess, and every plastic limb or waxy corpse pops you out of the fiction with a jolt. In relying on prosthetics over physicality, stage trickery over theatrical magic, Xia's Frankenstein often succumbs to its schlock; all black-outs and spooks. Only Attwell's Creature is mostly unconvincing  caked in so much greasepaint you start to suspect he's been rebuilt from dead repertory actors and a load of old ham. Still, a good story can survive almost anything and, after 200 years, Shelley's lives on.

Frankenstein runs at the Royal Exchange Manchester until 14 April.
Starleaton has completed the acquisition of Uniscreen Australia, adding Coldenhove sublimation papers to its product line up.

Starleaton said the acquisition began with talks to Uniscreen owner, CEO Ross Clarke to take over Uniscreens Australian distribution, and that the Starleaton team has been undergoing extensive training on the new range to begin the immediate introduction to their customers.

Ben Eaton, CEO, Starleaton, says, Coldenhove are the industry leaders and inventors of digital sublimation transfer printing papers, so to be able to add their range to our current offering is a real bonus for us. With the Epson F-series, EFI FabriVu, and Georg+Otto Friedrich fabrics already covering the direct to fabric market for us, a quality transfer paper was the missing link. Starleaton is a brand-focused business. Uniscreen have been agents for Coldenhove for many years, and we wanted to bring that into the stable. We had a gap in our range for a sublimation transfer papers and have been seeking the right fit.

Ben also said For Starleaton and Uniscreen customers, the acquisition means access to sublimation papers nationally. Uniscreen only had one warehouse in Sydney, with third-party solutions in Melbourne. Starleaton has locations across Australia for ease of access, and our colour management applications team. We are focused on improving access to good colour management in the textile space.

It is still undecided as to whether Uniscreen Australia staff will join, as the parent company still operates in New Zealand. There are as yet no plans to acquire the New Zealand business

Starleaton

www.starleaton.com
By Jina Belcher Ground zero for federal efforts to boost communities reeling from the downturn[Read More]
AK AL AS AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA GU HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA PR RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VI VA WA WV WI WY
WiGBits Headline News Would you like to receive our WiGBits? Signup today!

WiG Entertainment News Would you like to receive our WiG Entertainment News? Signup today!

Digital Issue Would you like to receive our Digital Issue? Signup today!
Hundreds of students across Central New York joined thousands around the country by putting their pencils down and walking out of school to demonstrate against gun violence.

Organizers say nearly 3,000 walkouts were planned nationally for 10:00 a.m. Wednesday in the biggest demonstration yet of the student activism that has emerged following the massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Locally, school districts participating in either a walkout or "walk-in" (where students would not leave the building, but instead gather indoors) included Utica, Rome, Sauquoit Valley, Notre Dame, Waterville, Richfield Springs, and Oneonta - to name a few.

The protests have drawn mixed reactions from school administrators. While some applaud students for taking a stand, others threatened discipline.

Some students say they don't care about the consequences, the issue is too important to remain silent.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey man accused of planning to build a pressure cooker bomb and use it in New York City in support of the Islamic State group has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Twenty-one-year-old Gregory Lepsky pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

The Point Pleasant man answered basic yes-or-no questions during Tuesday's appearance in federal court in Trenton.

His plea agreement calls for a prison sentence of 16 to 19 years. Sentencing is scheduled for June 19.

Lepsky was arrested in February 2017 for allegedly stabbing the family dog. A search turned up a pressure cooker and digital evidence of a plan to build and detonate a bomb in support of the Islamic State group.

(Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
FRANKFORT, Ind. (WLFI) -- The City of Frankfort received a pair of large donations for the Prairie Creek Park project.

Encompass Credit Union announced their plan to donate $100,000 to the project on Monday while the Farmers Bank plans to donate $150,000 to the park project.

In February, the Clinton County Community Foundation donated $250,000.

Local companies have now donated a total of $650,000 to the project.

Frankfort mayor Chris McBarnes said he isn't surprised by the generosity.

"It shows the heart and the depth and the breath of this community and Frankfort is on the move," said McBarnes.

The park will be along the creek on the North side of East Washington Street. Once completed the park will have a dog park, playground equipment and an area for performances.

McBarnes said the new greenspace is already encouraging growth downtown.

"With these announcements happening businesses are reaching out to me, storefronts are filling up, people are going to move to Frankfort, new subdivisions are going to be built in Frankfort and at the end of the day we are going to make Frankfort a great place to live," sad McBarnes.

The Prairie Creek Park project is expected to cost $3.5 million to $4 million in total with the rest of the money coming from existing public funds.

Construction on the park is expected to begin this summer with a ribbon cutting expected for the 2019 Hotdog Festival.
OGLE COUNTY, Ill. (WLFI) -- A Nobel Prize-winning Purdue professor is in the hospital and his wife is dead, less than a day after family reported them missing.

Dr. Ei-ichi Negishi was found wandering a rural road south of Rockford, Illinois early Tuesday morning. Police took him to an area hospital, where they found he had been reported missing to Indiana State Police the night before. His wife, Sumire Negishi, was also missing.

After searching the area, police found 80-year-old Sumire Negishi dead at the Orchard Hills Landfill, along with the couple's vehicle. Foul play is not suspected.

Indiana State Police Sergeant Kim Riley says the family had no indication the Negishis were in the Rockford area. Local authorities in Illinois are now leading the investigation.

82-year-old Dr. Negishi is a distiguished chemistry professor at Purdue University. In 2010, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in synthesizing organic compounds. He is still recovering as of Tuesday evening at a Rockford-area hospital.

Purdue spokesperson Brian Zink says the news came as a suprise and shock. The university released a statement saying "We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Sumire Negishi and offer our sincerest sympathies to the Negishi family from the entire Boilermaker family.

We will continue to follow this investigation as details develop.
In addition to passing a ban on bump stocks that includes allowing municipalities to ban certain long guns, the Senate passed a measure that would ban 18 to 21 year olds from buying semi-automatic weapons.

SPRINGFIELD - Adding to the drama of #NationalWalkOutDay - a movement against guns and the National Rifle Association being promoted by gun control activists in the nation's high schools - the Illinois Senate is considering several gun control measures Wednesday at the State Capitol.

When the Illinois Senate passed HB 1465, raising the age to 21 to buy assault weapons, cheers arose from the gun control activists in the gallery. Another man opposing the measure was escorted out for shouting, an observer reported.

Passing, 32-22-2, HB 1465 will now proceed to the Governor for his consideration. Tuesday, Governor Rauner vetoed a measure requiring state licensing of gun dealers.

The National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit against a similar measure passed in Florida last week.

In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Hellerthat the Second Amendment guarantees the individual right to possess and carry firearms and elevates above all other interests the right of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home. The decision put gun ownership on the same constitutional plain as free speech, religious freedom and other core rights.

Here's the IL Senate roll call for HB 1465:




China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page
IAEA enhances collaboration with young professionals

14 March 2018

Share

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently agreed to strengthen its collaboration with the International Youth Nuclear Congress (IYNC), a global network of young professionals working within the field of nuclear energy.

The IAEA said it had signed an agreement with the IYNC on 28 February that calls for joint work in various outreach initiatives related to climate change, innovation and knowledge transfer in nuclear technologies.

The signed practical arrangements outline a number of areas of collaboration. These include mutual coordination of activities in the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the associated Conference of Youth. They will also collaborate in the organisation of the Innovation for Nuclear international contest. In addition, the organisations will develop and coordinate projects in nuclear technologies and applications. Speakers from the IAEA will also participate in the INYC's bi-annual conference.

Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director-general and head of the agency's department of nuclear energy, said: "This partnership will increase the IAEA's engagement with young professionals to ensure their participation in collaborative activities and events. This includes side events at major international conferences, workshops and related IAEA activities targeting professional development."

The IAEA said the agreement adds to the practical arrangements it has with various universities, research institutes, governments and international organisations that "help boost the number of young people opting for careers in nuclear science".

The IYNC is a global non-profit organisation connecting students and young professionals engaged in all areas concerning the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology. It says its primary purpose is to "transfer knowledge from the current generation of leading scientists and engineers to the next generation".

The IYNC is currently holding its latest conference in Bariloche, Argentina. The meeting - from 11-17 March - has been organised jointly with the 26th Women in Nuclear (WiN) Global Annual Conference. In 2016, IYNC and WiN signed a memorandum of understanding to foster their collaboration and joint activities on knowledge transfer, education and communication on the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology.

Last October, IYNC and the World Association of Nuclear Operators signed an MoU "to reflect enhanced cooperation between both organisations in the promotion of nuclear safety and in meeting goals related to young generation initiatives and objectives".

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
SPRINGFIELD - A measure that banned the controversial bump stocks when it passed the Illinois House could be "poisoned" in the Illinois Senate with an amendment proposed by Democrat Sen. Kwame Raoul of Chicago. The Illinois State Rifle Association calls Raoul's change a "poison pill."

UPDATE x1: Wednesday, the Illinois Senate added a measure to allow municipalities to ban certain long guns. The 37-16-3 vote will be soon posted HERE . With the addition, HB 1467 will need to go back to the Illinois House before proceeding to the governor's desk.

Raoul's Senate Amendment 1 would roll back municipal preemption that passed the Illinois legislature in 2013 as a vital part of the concealed carry agreement. "Specifically it repeals the preemption on long guns and allows municipalities to ban any long guns they see fit," the ISRA website says.

"Instead of having a uniform state law, where everyone knows the rules, Illinois will have a patchwork of inconsistent local gun laws - with good people unknowingly becoming criminals as they travel the state," ISRA says.

Raoul's change is deliberately divisive when there is broad, bi-partisan agreement on bump stocks - especially notable since Raoul is running in the March 20th primary to be the Democrat Party's nominee for attorney general.

The ISRA recommends Second Amendment supporters call their lawmakers to oppose HB 1467.

As of Wednesday morning the list of sponsor and co-sponsors includes two Republican senators - Sen. Jim Oberweis and Sen. Chris Nybo. (Sen. Kwame Raoul - Julie A. Morrison - Laura M. Murphy - Jacqueline Y. Collins - Ira I. Silverstein, Toi W. Hutchinson, Heather A. Steans, Iris Y. Martinez, Jim Oberweis and Chris Nybo)

UPDATE x1: An analysis of the roll call Wednesday shows three Republicans that broke ranks in favor of HB 1467 - Senators Jim Oberweis, Chris Nybo and Sue Rezin. Three GOP senators voted Present: Althoff, McConnaugnahay and Rooney.

One Democrat - Senator Bill Haine - voted no.
A chef flew into a rage and cut off the head of his girlfriend because she refused to have sex with him, according to police in Ukraine.

Odessa police said that they have arrested the 29-year-old chef, who was not identified, for killing and beheading 29-year-old Anna Ergieva.

The chef was charged with murder.

If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.

According to the police investigation, the suspect and Ergieva went to school together.

Recently, the chef and Ergieva, who sold childrens toys, began going out on dates.

This week, the suspect asked Ergieva to allow him to visit her home.

After asking her many times, Ergieva agreed to allow him into her home.

The suspect then demanded they have sex.

When she refused, he pulled out a gun and shot her in the head.

The suspect then cut off his girlfriends head and placed it in a bag along with her jewelry.

He then buried the head in the woods because he did not want the police to find the bullet.

Ergievas parents called the police after they were unable to reach their daughter.

Police raided her home and found her lying in a pool of blood.

The searched for her head but it was nowhere to be found.

During questioning, the chef admitted to killing his girlfriend because she refused his sexual advances.
A married man who was having an affair with his secretary flew into a rage when he learned that she was HIV positive, according to police in Zimbabwe.

Bulawayo police said that they have arrested 36-year-old Godson Zondo after being accused of murdering 19-year-old Khethiwe Zimba.

Zondo was charged with one count of murder.

He was booked into jail and was denied bail because he was deemed to be a flight risk.

According to the police investigation, Zondo is married and his wife works part-time in another city.

Recently, Zondo began having an extramarital affair with his secretary.

Zondo and Zimba had sex whenever his wife was out of town.

On Friday, after Zimba and Zondo had sex, he learned that she was HIV positive.

Zimba became angry and grabbed a large piece of wood.

He beat Zimba all over her body and left her to die.

Zimba was later rushed to the hospital, where she died due to excessive bleeding.
People were shocked to witness a teenager raping an elderly woman on the street in broad daylight, according to police in Zimbabwe.

Mangwe police said that they have arrested 19-year-old Melani Ncube after being accused of stabbing and raping the 73-year-old woman, who was not identified.

Ncube was charged with assault and rape.

He was booked into jail and Plumtree Magistrate Joshua Mawere denied bail.

According to the police investigation, the incident unfolded on Friday, at around 12:30 p.m.

The grandmother left her home and was walking to her uncle when Ncube confronted her.

Ncube ordered her to lie down on the ground so he could have sex with her.

When the woman refused, Ncube pulled out a knife and stabbed her left hand.

The woman had no choice and allowed Ncube to have sex with her.

Ncube ripped off all her clothes and raped the woman in the street in broad daylight.

Ncube fled the scene when passersby gathered around them.

The woman got dressed and ran to her uncles home, where she told her family members what had happened.

She was taken to the Brunapeg Hospital for treatment and doctors called the police.

Meanwhile, the womans family members found Ncube and dragged him to a nearby police station.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP)  Alaskas population declined for the first time since the late 1980s, according to recent figures from Alaskas Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

The department published the statistics for 2017 in the March edition of Alaska Economic Trends.

Figures show the states population decreased by 8,900 last year, the fifth year in a row of net migration losses, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

This represents the longest streak of Alaska losing more migrants than it gains since World War II, when yearly numbers first became available, ac...
Rally Guanajuato Mexico never fails to deliver drama and excitement and we reflect on a typically tough but enthralling weekend in the mountains near Leon.

Driver of the Rally

It had been exactly two long years since Citroen Racing last won an all-gravel round of the WRC. Who can forget the drama of Kris Meekes plunge into a final stage car park en route to his 2017 Mexico success?

Sebastien Ogier ended that barren period with an accomplished victory to continue the Frenchs manufacturers resurgence with its new 2019 driver line-up.

It wasnt complete domination, far from it. Team-mate Esapekka Lappi, Andreas Mikkelsen and Meeke all led before Ogier finally scrapped his way into first place, battling through a differential problem and a trip into the tyre barriers to secure his second win of the season.

One to Forget

Teemu Suninen spoke before the rally about his desire to replicate the pace which carried him into the lead of a WRC round for the first time in Sweden last month.

Sadly, the Finn gave himself no opportunity to show that speed after hitting a stone on the inside of a corner in Friday mornings opening speed test. His Ford Fiesta spun into a rock face at high speed and the damage meant that was the last we would see of him.

Andreas Mikkelsen led before broken suspension forced him out

Quote of the Rally

M-Sport Fords management was far from impressed with Suninens early demise, the third time in three rallies in which he has made an early exit from the action. But team principal Rich Millener attempted to put a brave face on the situation.

We will make him clean the dishes to pay for the accident! he said.

Youll Never Believe It

After retiring from the lead on Friday afternoon, Andreas Mikkelsen was on road opening duties on Saturday.

Bizarrely, he came across a closed gate in the second pass through the Guanajuatito test. Quick-thinking co-driver Anders Jaeger-Amland downed his pace note book, leapt out of their Hyundai i20 to open the barrier and made sure it would stay that way by wedging it in place. Take a look below.

VIDEO

More News
Local Development Plan heads towards public consultation as councillors prepare ground for objections in their wards

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Mar 14th, 2018

A document outlining where thousands of new homes could be built in Wrexham will now progress to the next stage.

Members of the Executive Board unanimously voted in favour of progressing to the next stage of the Deposit Local Development Plan (LDP), which will now go to Full Council later this month for final approval before the launch of a public consultation.

Last week Wrexham.com reported that a draft of the plan and the sites across Wrexham which will likely be allocated for housing an employment over the next 10 years had been finally been revealed.

The document lays out the preferred development strategy up until 2028 and upon adoption it will replace the current adopted Unitary Development Plan (1996  2011) and be the basis for decisions on land use planning for county borough.

Provision for 8,525 new homes up until 2028 is provided in the draft document  which also estimates that the plan could be the basis for 4,200 new jobs in the area.

Speaking at this weeks Executive Board, Lead Member for Organisation  Planning and Corporate Services, Cllr David Kelly explained that the current plan expired in 2011 and that it is imperative the local authority make a swift replacement.

He added: Subject to approval today and at Full Council the plan is also on track to be consulted on.

Recent correspondence with Welsh Government reiterates that delays in the current timetable will not be acceptable. It is imperative there are no more delays  the risk of further delays includes Welsh Government intervention in the plan making process.

Subject to approval it is intended a full consultation will take place between 9th April and 31st May.

Seconding the report, Cllr Hugh Jones, deputy leader of Wrexham Council, said that while he supports the report going to consultation, he has serious concerns about the specific allocation of sites in his own ward of Rossett in particular. The comments were a rarity with Executive Board members rarely voicing concern about the contents of reports.

Fellow Exec Board member Cllr David Griffiths unhappy Cllr Jones managed to register his concern over ward issues, points out agenda item is just about going out to consultation, says all Cllrs probably have own concerns about wards.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) March 13, 2018

Local member for New Broughton, Cllr Alan Edwards, said he had grave concerns about the potential strain on highways and education  however noted that he will wait and see the outcome of the public consultation, and said he hoped that the consultation would listen to concerns raised.

Similar troubles about pressure on education services and highways were raised by Southsea councillor Nigel Williams, who urged all members of the public to have their say and engage in the consultation process.

However Cllr Kelly pointed out that most members have site specific concerns about their wards, but pointed out that none of the site are deliverable without infrastructure improvements.

He added: If we adopt the rationale that none of the sites are suitable, then there are no sites to take forward.

One of the more contentious issues in the LDP is the proposed location of gypsy and traveller sites in the county borough.

LDP 1, the councils initial housing plan, was pulled several years ago  with gypsy and traveller sites seen as a key reason for its withdrawal.

Three sites are now allocated in the new LDP, with land Brymbo, Hanmer and Llay listed allocated as potential provision.

Cllr Paul Rogers, who had previously cited proposals in the LDP for a gypsy and traveller site in Brymbo as one of the reasons for stepping down from the Executive Board, referenced paragraph 7.4 of the meeting report and queried what would constitute a Focussed Changes going forward and whether there was a threshold.

He also asked how many applications have been submitted in relation to gypsy and traveller sites in Wrexham.

The meeting was told there were two applications in the pipeline, which may or may not influence the amount of accommodations needed.

Cllr Bryan Apsley, who represents Llay, called for clarification on the proposed traveller site on Pont Y Capel Lane in Llay, telling the meeting he had seen documents that had pointed to some form of covenant that stresses no houses will be built on identified land. Cllr Apsley invited the Lead Member and Officers to correct him, and said he would apologise if it was incorrect information, adding he thought it was a folly to put out false information in the consultation.

Various Officers told the meeting that they were unaware of any covenants, however were due to look at it further.

The eventually passed recommendation read that Councillors were authorizing (authorising?!) the Head of Environment and Planning to make any additional minor wording and grammatical changes to the LDP Deposit Plan, so it remains to be seen if the investigation concurs and discovers a covenant if that will be enough leeway to make changes.

Further questions on the accessibility and process of consultation were asked, with Cllr Dana Davies being told there will be 13 drop in sessions over the proposed seven week period taking place across Wrexham.

It was also noted that lessons have been learnt from previous consultation processes and that procedures are in place to reach the harder to reach groups.

Clr Davies points out councillors have vital role to tell their communities about the consultation. Do you know who your councillor is, do you communicate with them, do they talk to you? Ask them stuff if they don't!  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) March 13, 2018

Further discussion took place over the provision of infrastructure in the LDP document, with bus services and the A483 Wrexham bypass being specific topics.

Clr Morris says if industrial estate expands, means more jobs, so more demand for bus services thus might be more 'attractive' to bus companies. Adds a Section 106 agreement has been used to help fund a sunday service, so could see similar.  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) March 13, 2018

Before the debate was pulled back to the specific recommendations that revolved around an effective Executive Board rubber stamping, it was revealed that around 12m will need to be spent upgrading two junctions of the A483  and that Officer had put a figure of 60m to make the road locally fit for purpose.

Clr Pritchard says he has met Minister Ken Skates, who he says is 'in full support of bringing money to Wrexham' to improve infrastructure. All sounds very positive  Wrexham.com (@wrexham) March 13, 2018

A further vote on whether to proceed with the public consultation will be made at Full Council on Wednesday 28th March at 4pm.

If approved by councillors, the consultation will begin on April 9th and will last until May 31st and you will be urged to take part formally then, but you can start to get informed by looking at the raw documents below

Maps / further information of where housing land could be allocated, can be found below in the following PDFs with as helpful name as provided to councillors. The consultation will be much prettier and more understandable than this:

LDP deposit-plan.pdf

LDP Map 1

LDP Map 2 Wrexham Town Centre

LDP Map 2 Wrexham Town Centre 2

LDP Map3 Bradley Broughton Brymbo

LDP Map Burton Gresford Rossett

LDP Map4 Acrefair / Cefn

LDP Map 4 insets

(end of files)
The core issue is not which guns to legally ban or regulate, he said. We have ample proof that such narrowly focused legislative responses make for good political cover, but they do little to stop the illegal flow of guns into Illinois or prevent people from committing thousands of crimes in our state each year with illegal guns.

SPRINGFIELD - Tuesday, Governor Rauner vetoed a measure sent to him by Democrat-controlled Illinois General Assembly that would require gun shop owners another layer of accountability - this time to the state in addition to the federal ATF agency. Several gun control laws were sent to the governor after 17 Florida high school students were killed by a lone shooter in February.

The Governor said that to focus solely on guns exaggerates the divide in society over constitutional rights, when there is actually substantial common ground on which to build comprehensive solutions. He cited two common universal concerns: guns in the hands of criminals; and guns in the hands of the mentally ill.

These are starting points that ought to bring us together for serious conversations about how to secure our schools, combat crime, and make everyone in Illinois safer, Rauner said.

The Illinois Gun Lobby Facebook called Rauner's veto "good news."

But the gun control group Everytown.org responded negatively. Thursday morning, lawmakers that sponsored the vetoed bill said they were considering an effort to override Rauner's veto.

In an interview Tuesday before vetoing the Gun Dealer Licensing Act, Gov. Bruce Rauner said the bill is unnecessary because of federal regulation and suggested it would not improve public safety. On both counts, hes incorrect, Everytown's press release says.



The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is legally permitted to inspect a gun dealer for compliance once each year. But the agencys limited resources mean that in practice, only 42 percent of dealers are inspected by the ATF in any five-year period. The ATF is also barred by a malicious federal budget rider  written by the gun lobby  from requiring dealers to check inventories against sales, even though routine physical inventory checks allow dealers to more quickly detect lost and stolen guns and notify law enforcement.



"All of this helps explain why research has shown that state laws regulating gun dealers help reduce illegal gun trafficking. The study found that cities in states with strong laws regulating the conduct of gun dealers experienced lower levels of intrastate gun trafficking," the group said.
MP calls for more action on plastic waste  and makes personal pledge

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Mar 14th, 2018

Local MP Susan Elan Jones has backed a call for further action to tackle plastic waste.

The Clwyd South MP previously joined a cross-party group of MPs in urging Tesco and other supermarket chiefs to cut plastic waste.

Yesterday she backed a World Wildlife Fund initiative that calls on Theresa May and the UK Government to make restoring nature a key priority for next months Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Susan Elan Jones MP said: I was pleased to sign this letter to the Prime Minister and back this important campaign that has been popularised by the excellent Blue Planet TV series.

Since 1970, global wildlife populations have declined by 58%. That is a frightening figure and its why we need heads of Government to do more together to tackle climate change and support biodiversity.

The Paris Accord showed how countries can come together to address the threat posed by climate change  and I would urge the Prime Minister to demonstrate leadership on this issue at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

The Clwyd South MP also made a personal commitment to reduce plastic use and recycle more  as pictured above!
Emma Lazarus was born on July 22, 1849 into a wealthy New York family that was descended from Sephardic Jewish Americans. She wrote The New Colossus , the poem for which she is best-known today, in 1883. It was created to sell at an auction to raise money to build the pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty would stand in New York harbor. Although the statue was a gift from the people of France, American, contributors paid for the platform. In 1903, the poem was engraved on a bronze plaque and mounted inside t he pedestal's lower level .

Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, The Statue of Liberty representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of Freedom and originally called, Liberty Enlightening the World, was given by France to the United States as a gift to commemorate the American Revolution. It was never intended to be used as a symbol to all who entered New York City harbor that America welcomes immigrants to its shores. Instead, America sought to use it as a symbol of republicanism, not the party but the form of government. The statue had little or nothing to do with immigration except that Bartholdi placed his statue on Bedloes Island in New York Harbor because he knew, if located there, everyone passing in and out of the harbor would see it. It wasnt until Emma Lazarus wrote her now famous poem that the Statue of Liberty became associated with immigration.

The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus

These words by Emma Lazarus, as they appear at the end her sonnet, The New Colossus, are now interpreted by many as an unconditional welcome to all who enter this nation, under any circumstances, thus shaping the way many Americans view immigration policy.

"Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-lost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Not too surprisingly, Emma Lazarus, who penned the words that were engraved at the base of the Statue of Liberty about huddled masses yearning to breathe free, was a Jewish socialist, most likely a nice person, but she wasn't an elected official. Even so, many on the Left are pretending Emma Lazarus was establishing national policy or that its our diversity that makes this country such a wonderful nation.

In no way am I against legal immigration, as my ancestors of Pennsylvania Deutch (German) heritage came from Germany to Pennsylvania in 1738 and settled near Philadelphia, PA; however, I believe the advantages brought about through diversity are widely exaggerated.

Past Immigration

At the time of this nations creation, our Founding Fathers, men of the caliber of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, Mason and Franklin, acting as midwives at the birth of the United States, represented very little diversity. English was their common language; they were all of the same race, sex and religion; and it's difficult to dispute that our nation has ever been in better hands.

For decades people risked everything, including their lives, to get here because they believed there was nothing better than being an American. Most of them understood that the streets werent really paved with gold. It was the promise that was golden. The promise was that if you learned the common language, obeyed the laws and worked hard, you would succeed to the extent that your abilities would allow; and, whats more, your American children would be free to pursue and perhaps even achieve their wildest dreams.

Today's immigration

That was then. Today, millions of immigrants, including some who make it here legally, assume they dont have to learn English or assimilate to our culture and values, but, rather, that we accommodate theirs. Moreover, they believe they are entitled to collect welfare, get free health services and even vote in our elections. Naturally, the always dependable ACLU is fighting for illegal aliens to have the right to vote in presidential elections.

But can we really place all the blame on immigrants, both illegal and illegal, who after arriving in this country become dependent on the free perks and unconditional services handed out by our government (courtesy of taxpayers) for their living, hand-outs that not even American citizens are privy to. It is, after all, what a great many sources are telling immigrants, people like college professors, newspaper publishers, owners of cable TV stations, Hollywood celebrities and, worst of all, members of Congress.

Lazarus' Words Used to Thwart Trump

After President Donald Trumps executive order on immigration in January of 2017, many critics quickly took up a familiar rallying cry, lifting words from the Statue of Liberty that have for decades represented American immigration: Give me your tired, your poor / Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Prominent among them were former independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin, Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as they condemned Trumps suspension of the countrys refugee assistance program, for didn't the words of the poem say that the afflicted and oppressed of the world should be welcomed regardless of religion? The before-mentioned individuals were either unaware or chose not to recognize that when Lazarus wrote her poem to help raise funds for the statues pedestal, she ignored the stated purposeof the colossal sculpture, a French-built homage to Americas republican government, focusing instead on her concern over Jewish pogroms in Russia.

Immigration Reform stalls because of compassionate-driven approach

Is it any wonder why immigration reform is stalled when legislators calling for comprehensive immigration reform on both sides of the aisle tend to use the Lazarus words as a compassionate-driven approach to tug at the heartstrings of the American people? Consider what happened recently when a compromise couldn't be reached on so-called Dreamers. Under an Executive Order set in place by President Obama, the "Dreamer" law would allow unauthorized migrants brought to America as children a fast track to citizenship if they meet certain conditions

As hokey as Emma Lazaruss words are when used to win popular appeal for immigrants, people named Schumer, Warren, Pelosi, Durbin, Feinstein, Warner, Sanders and Blumenthal would like to add one additional line to the poem: "Send us those yearning to vote for Democrats."

In a closely related matter, Chicagos mayor, Rahm Emanuel, whose popularity among the citys blacks has descended to levels unseen since the heyday of George Wallace and Bull Connor, is so desperate to be re-elected, he has come up with a city card which would give Chicagos illegal aliens the right to vote. Not only has Emanuel turned Chicago into a sanctuary, but he has taken another giant step in his attempt to turn Chicago into Ciudad Chicago, Mexico's northern-most municipality.

Cost of Illegal Immigration far exceeds cost of Wall.

At the federal, state, and local levels, taxpayers shell out approximately $134.9 billion to cover the costs incurred by the presence of more than 12.5 million illegal aliens, and about 4.2 million citizen children of illegal aliens.

This is also rather more than the single payment of $25 billion that it will cost to build a wall -- five and a half times more, and every year.

In 2015, included in the DEA's drug-threat assessment was the fact that drug overdoses killed more people in the United States than car accidents or guns. Many of these drugs [were] smuggled in large volumes by drug cartels."

As a sovereign nation, this nation has the right to set immigration limits as to the number of immigrants allowed to enter this nation based on what they are able to contribute to this nation, instead of massive numbers of illegal immigrants who have crossed over our borders, many of whom are takers who drain the limited financial resources available to our nation.
The horrific massacre at a school in the small town of Newtown, Connecticut has sickened the entire country. Twenty-eight people lie dead, including twenty children between the ages of six and seven, who were shot multiple times. Six adults were also killed in Fridays shooting spree before the gunman, Adam Lanza, took his own life. Earlier that morning, he shot and killed his mother.

The inhumanity of the crime is deeply unsettling. Beyond the individual motivations of the killer, the shooting at Newtown lays bare a brutality that pervades American society.

Fridays mass killing is the latest in a long series of such incidents. The United States has historically seen repeated outbursts of violence. Yet the past two decades have been unusual, even by American standards. The frequency and scale of mass killings point to an underlying cause.

Among the most significant events have been the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 (168 killed, including 19 children); the Columbine, Colorado massacre in 1999 (14 dead); and the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007 (34 dead). This year alone has seen massacres at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado (12 dead and 58 injured); a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin (6 dead); a sign business in Minneapolis, Minnesota (6 dead); a spa in Brookfield, Wisconsin (3 dead); and a mall six days ago in Portland, Oregon (3 dead).

The response of the American media and the political establishment to the latest shooting traces a well-worn path. There are the banal declarations of the incomprehensibility and senselessness of evil. To the extent any broader response is offered, it is focused on the need for a national conversation on gun control and empty promises to do more to address mental health (made by politicians doing their best to slash health care programs to the bone).

The American ruling class has lost the capacity for self-examination. It knows that any serious analysis of the roots of this and other tragedies points back to itself and the society it dominates.

The speech by President Obama at a memorial service in Newtown Sunday night was typicala combination of stock phrases, play acting and invocations of religion. It would have been better if he said nothing, as he had nothing intelligent to say.

The ceremony was an exercise in religious obscurantism, in which the parents of the murdered children were told not to grieve or lose heart, for their sons and daughters were in heaven.

God has called them all home, Obama declared in concluding his speech. Such statements are not only insensitive to the families of those killed, they are insulting to the intelligence of the American people. One can understand a turn to religion as a source of solace by those who experience such unspeakable tragedy. In the hands of the state, however, it is a means of obfuscation to cover up the social and political roots of such events.

If the politicians insist on invoking religion, they would do better to ask themselves how Lincoln might have responded. In describing the carnage of the revolutionary war he led, the sixteenth president said that if God willed that every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, then the judgments of the Lord are righteous altogether.

The tragedies of this world (the Civil War), Lincoln insisted, are products of worldly crimes (slavery).

For what deeds are tragedies such as Newtown the reckoning? Far from being incomprehensible, the crime is all too comprehensible. The roots are not hard to trace: a society of unprecedented inequality, a thoroughly backward official political ideology without an ounce of progressive content, and, above all, an incredible level of violence perpetrated by the state, accompanied by the brutalization of society as a whole.

The character of the mass killings bears witness to this connection. Certain features appear with regularity: the use of military-style weapons, assailants (such as Lanza) dressed in combat fatigues, the frequent involvement of former soldiers.

The past two decades have been years of unending war. Born in 1992, the 20-year old Lanza spent most of his life during the war on terrorone neocolonial occupation after another, drone attacks, torture, rendition, a relentless assault on democratic rights. He could not have been unaffected by the constant efforts to promote fear and paranoiathe sense that the enemy is just around the corner.

Obama himself is the first US president to openly assert the right to assassinate anyone, anywhere, including US citizens. He devotes a significant portion of his time to selecting the targets of drone killings, with the full knowledge that civiliansincluding women and childrenwill be killed as a result. By conservative estimates, 3,365 people have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan alone, including 176 children.

The government and the media praise the killings perpetrated by the US military, and soldiers sent to invade and occupy nations are venerated as heroes. The Navy Seals and Special Ops forces who do the murderous dirty work of the US military are glorified.

Can one seriously believe this country can inflict violence all over the world and not suffer deadly consequences at home?

In the coming days, more information will emerge shedding light on the specific motives behind this latest mass killing. By all accounts, Lanza was a deeply troubled young man. It would be impossible to commit such a crime otherwise. Yet the individual psychosis and its particular expression is, ultimately, the product of a profound social disease.
The National Peoples Congress (NPC) voted on Sunday to formally approve constitutional changes to remove the two-term limit on the Chinas president and vice-president. The change, which was foreshadowed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), cements President Xi Jinping as a Bonapartist figure presiding over a regime confronting mounting internal and external crises.

The 3,000 or so heavily-vetted delegates rubberstamped the constitutional amendments, with a token two votes against and three abstentions. Xi, who was installed in 2013, has already served one five-year term. He now will be able to stay as president past 2023. He also will hold the powerful posts of CCP chairman and head of the Central Military Commission, which have no term limits.

Over the past five years, Xi has steadily accumulated power in his hands, exploiting a so-called anti-corruption campaign to purge potential rivals and factional opponents. He has effectively sidelined Premier Li Keqiang by establishing small leading groups under his control, including on economic matters that have been the preserve of the premier. Xis changes to the military have concentrated more power in the hands of the Central Military Commission at the expense of regional military commands.

Xis dominant position was evident at last Octobers CCP Congress, where Xi Xinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, along with his key policies, were enshrined in the constitution. In a break with the convention of the past three decades, no potential successor to Xi was appointed to the top party bodythe Politburo Standing Committeewhich is now dominated by Xi loyalists.

The NPC also voted to include so-called Xi Jinping Thought in the constitution. Other constitutional amendments sought to strengthen the CCPs power over the state apparatusa move that was further consolidated on Tuesday with the announcement of major changes to the ministries. State television described the measures, which axe 15 ministries and vice-ministries, as a drastic reform.

A new anti-corruption bodythe National Supervision Commissionwill expand the powers and scope of the partys present Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. Whereas the old agency could detain and investigate CCP members, the new commission will have the power to investigate others who hold public posts, including administrators and managers, who are not party members. Xi will ensure that the head of the new commission is one of his supporters.

A new financial regulatory body will include the existing banking and insurance regulators. The decision reflects growing fears of financial instability in China as a result of a massive build-up of debt and the activities of the shadow banking system that operates outside the major state-owned banks.

A third regulatory body will establish an expanded environmental ministry to reduce overlap and deal with issues of pollution and climate change that Xi has given a high priorityat least cosmetically.

In justifying the changes, particularly the concentration of power in Xis hands, the emphasis has been on stability. Shen Chunyao, director of the Legal Affairs Commission of the NPC Standing Committee, told the media: If you look at the past two decades, having the three posts served by one person is not only effective, but also crucial, for the countrys long-term stability, and an orderly power transition.

Externally, China faces the prospect of trade war and war as the Trump administration seeks to block any challenge to US global hegemony from Beijing. The latest Chinese budget outlined by Li at the NPC increases military spending, especially in the area of hi-tech arms, in a bid to counter US imperialisms overwhelming military outlays.

Speaking on Monday, Xi stressed the need for greater cooperation between military and civilian sectors, particularly in scientific and technological areas. Implementing the strategy of military-civilian integration is a prerequisite for building integrated national strategies and strategic capabilities and for realising the Partys goal of building a strong military in the new era, he said.

At the same time, the CCP regime confronts growing social tensions at home. Three decades of capitalist restoration have led to a widening gulf between rich and poor. Far from being socialist in any sense, the CCP represents a tiny layer of ultra-rich billionairessome of whom were NPC delegates.

Under Xi, Beijing has continued to expand its police-state apparatus, cracking down on any form of dissent or opposition. According to a report to the NPC last week, nationwide security spending reached 1.24 trillion yuan ($US196 billion) last year, up by 11.4 percent from 2016. The internal security budget first surpassed military spending in 2010. It is now almost 20 percent higher than the military budget.

The fact that China is spending more on its police apparatus than the military reflects deep fears in the Chinese bureaucracy of social unrestespecially by the huge Chinese working class, estimated to number 400 million. With the economic growth rate slowing to 6.5 percent and further mass layoffs in the steel and coal industries planned, the regime is desperate to prevent protests or strikes becoming the focus of a broad oppositional movement.

The CCP still brands the upheavals of the working class associated with the Tiananmen Square movement in 1989, which was begun by students, as counter-revolutionary, in order to justify the brutal military suppression that followed. Unlike the students, who primarily called for democratic reforms, the workers were driven into action by the sharp deterioration of their living conditions that followed the regimes pro-market restructuring. Nearly three decades later, capitalist restoration has made many more inroads into the social position of the working class, which has expanded massively.

Amid acute class tensions, the CCP and the NPC have ensured that Xi can stay in power as a political strongman. His task is to suppress internal factional disputes and strengthen the state apparatus to confront the danger of war with the US, and a new upsurge of the class struggle at home.
Joe Delaney, a local resident, has a record of seeking justice for the victims and survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire that has earned him the respect of the entire local community in North Kensington. Having lived in a flat adjacent to Grenfell Tower, he was evacuated after the inferno that claimed at least 71 lives and left behind a toxic and burned out shell. He has been forced to live in hotel accommodation ever since.

His plight was used by the Sunday Times to mount a filthy attack in a February 25 article, Homeless Grenfell Tower activist Joe Delaney has flat. It ran with a subtitle alleging, A campaigner claiming cash for food while put up in a hotel is still using his own home.

The Times, Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express all ran with claims that Delaney is living the high life on the public purse, with the Times writing that Delaney is still using his north Kensington apartment, while claiming food allowances of up to 300 per week and has a hotel room funded by the taxpayer.

The Socialist Equality Party and Grenfell Fire Forum opposed the attack in an article published on the World Socialist Web Site on February 28. WSWS reporter Robert Stevens spoke to Joe Delaney.

Robert Stevens: The right-wing media claim you are living in the lap of luxury in a four star 120 a night hotel!

Joe Delaney: I am in a hotel room that is 9 or 10 feet by 9 or 10 feet, so I can assure you its hardly the lap of luxury. It certainly doesnt look anything like the picture that they ran alongside their piece!

Everyone that was in my part of the estate has access to their flat. And because the hotel rooms are so small, we all often come back, just to grab things because we cant keep everything with us in the hotel rooms.

There are certainly no times when I have slept at the flat because I find that impossible. I did try a couple of times, on the advice of my therapist to see if I could. But this was well before Christmas, in the immediate aftermath.

The only other times I have been there overnight was when I had to get my emails together to submit to the police inquiry and when I had to write my Core Participant Application for the public inquiry. All the information that I needed was on my desktop computer.

I think it is something like 40 percent of the people from my part of the estate have left in total to be put in hotels and temporary accommodation. The council have been saying from the start that you can come back, but its at your own risk. When the building still hasnt been declared fire safe, despite the work theyve done since June 14, its just a shocking indictment on them as a landlord. How dare they say to people Come back at your own risk? They havent even properly told us what those risks are.

There are a couple of [evacuated] people in the same hotel I am because its one that allows dogs. 120-a-night is cheap for staying in the capital. It would get you a Premier Inn if you are lucky! And they are not paying that much either, because theyve made so many bookings for so long I know that theyre getting a discount.

RS: The Sunday Times article was a political sting operation, including undercover photography, and suggests they had access to your personal data. Where did they get this from?

JD: Ive complained about this to Kensington and Chelsea council. I think the only place that information could have come from was the council because the Times knew that I was in another hotel, prior to the one that Im in now. That rules out anyone at the current hotel saying anything as they were unaware of this fact. The reporter knew the date that I moved into this hotel, because he asked me to confirm it.

There is the timing of the story as wellit is just a bit too convenient for the council, particularly the Conservative members. They had just wound up the Scrutiny Committee [Grenfell Recovery Scrutiny Committee] because they were saying that theyd been threatened by locals, which is nonsense. Im on the Scrutiny Committee, and while they got a bit boisterous at times, no one was in any danger.

The other issue is the Grenfell Task Force, the central government body, is due to submit another report on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea very soon, and thats going to be absolutely scathing because Ive spoken with some of the civil servants involved.

The third issue is that we have elections coming up in May. And the Conservative group is absolutely determined to keep hold of RBKC council. They think that if they do lose control, they will lose their power to determine how the council responds to the public inquiry, and it could mean that some of them end up behind bars.

These are the same tactics employed while the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation [who managed Grenfell Tower on behalf of the council] was in place. There were regular smear campaigns against people who raised what proved to be 100 percent legitimate safety concerns.

RS: The Sunday Times made repeated reference to the fact that you are accessing a 300 weekly food allowance, implying you are not entitled to it with the claim that you are staying at your flat.

JD: Thats 42 per day. To give you an idea, to get one meal in a hotel its 20. So even two meals a day at the hotel a day would eat that up. The other thing they were offering was 90 per day if you chose to take it as room service. I chose not to because I thought that was a ridiculous waste of money. And frankly, I didnt want to feel like a school child where I had to report to a certain place at a certain time every day to eat. Also, I have not been able to work since the fire, so giving me 300 per week means the council have got an absolute bargain because I guarantee I earned a lot more than that when I was actually working.

RS: The Times secretly took surveillance photos of you.

JD: My treatment doesnt surprise me. The only negative pieces that have appeared about anyone to do with this campaign have been hatchet-jobs originating at the Times or the Sunday Times, so they know their audience.

They had pictures of me leaving my flat early in the morning. Well, there were quite a few mornings when I would go back to the flat early. It doesnt mean that I stayed there at night! They didnt release those pictures to me, despite me asking, or tell me what days they were taken so I could give them an explanation for those visits.

Ive had to go back on several occasions quite early in the morning, because the council wanted access to undertake fire safety work that should have been done years ago. Ive had to come back for CO2 tests, for a new door being fitted. Every time the council made an appointment with me, they never kept it! I would usually have to spend two or three days here, just to get work done that should have been done in one day. My post still comes to the flat, which I have to collect because its not been redirected to the hotels.

The other issue the Sunday Times raised was that I hadnt spent every night at the hotel. Thats true. Ive often spent nights at family or friends places, which I am perfectly entitled to do. The hotel is meant to be my home for now, and no one is forced to spend 24 hours a day, seven days a week cooped up at homeand not in a single room. I should have a base from which I can work, and I dont.

RS: Have you any legal redress?

JD: Not really, its not like I could just get money to mount a case against them. And given the way that they wrote the piece, its very iffy whether I could prove that it was libelous or defamatory. You would be looking at thousands of pounds to instruct a solicitor, to instruct a QC, then take the matter to court, and then theres also the issue of costs if you lose.

But I can prove that the Sunday Times attack is spurious by citing the admission of the journalist involved! Gabriel Pogrun sent an email to my legal representatives stating, I have at no point made any allegation of fraud whatsoever or even used that word.

He says they had no intention of implying that I was committing fraud, so why was the piece worded that way then? The whole tone of the piece implied I was collecting funds that I was not entitled to, and that I was being dishonest and manipulative to do so.

Thats not where to look for dishonesty. People are being asked to pay rent and service charges by the council for places that dont meet the decent homes standard, which is outrageous. Those charges were restored again on February 5. Theyre saying well charge you 100 percent of the rent, and then people can apply to have 50 percent of that refunded.

I threatened them by saying, If you start charging people service charges, I will help everyone write letters of claim to you about every single issue. At the moment, people are willing to let things slide when theyre not being charged for services they dont actually receive!

A smear campaign is underway against all those seeking to establish the truth about Grenfell. Conservative councillors have a lot to be worried about because quite a few of them should be facing jail terms: The former leader of the council Nicholas Paget-Brown for starters, and the old deputy, Rock Feilding-Mellen. Those two most definitely should be facing a prison term.

Rock Feilding-Mellen authorized the change to the cheaper flammable cladding, which was against the European Union procurement regulations. Theyd taken the contract specifying one type of cladding and then he wanted to save money. An investigation by BBC Newsnight had leaked emails to show this.

It was annoying to have the Sunday Times thing published about me, but they have not been able to refute any of the arguments Ive put forward. Thats exactly what happened with Stormzy [the grime artist who attacked the government live on TV during the BRIT awards]. The narrative with him was, Well look, he grew up in a council house, so he should be grateful for what he has now, so shut up. This is none of his concern, none of his business.

It is 72 deaths by the way, because I attended the funeral of victim number 72 on Saturday. [Maria Del Pilar Burton was the wife of Nick Burton. Both managed to escape from Grenfell tower and were hospitalised as a result.]

The police are trying to argue that Marias death had nothing to do with the fire, but everyone around here knows thats utter nonsense. Were up to 72 deaths, but the police are currently saying that her death wont be included as part of the final figure.

The other issue I have had with the police is the methodology used to calculate who was in the tower and who wasnt at the time it burned. That tower burned at temperatures hotter than a crematorium, so its very likely youre not going to find any remains of some people. The only way youre going to guarantee whos in there is to use some of the tactics used during the London riots, where they positioned where peoples mobile phones were.

In this part of London, you can do that to within about one square meter, because there are that many mobile phone masts in the area. Why are they willing to employ that for a few pounds worth of property damage, but not to find out whether people were killed in Grenfell?

RS: The campaign against you followed an attack by the same newspapers on the Justice For Grenfell group and other groups and individuals in December and then on the film that tells the truth about the Grenfell fire and its causes, Failed by the State.

JD: Yes, there was the attack on Justice For Grenfell, there was the attack on Ed Daffarn, who was from the Grenfell Action Group I work with. Its shooting the messenger again. I know Dan Renwick and I know Ishmael, the two people behind Failed by the State, and I can assure you that neither of them are Kremlin agents! They are just local residentsIshmael lives on the estate, Dan lives in the area. They are just people who wanted certain questions answered and wanted to put certain information out there.

Lets be honest, Im white and well spoken. Thats how come I was picked on. That was why Failed by the State was picked onit was well presented and well articulated. Thats what they dont like, because then it doesnt fit with their claim that the tower was packed up to the rafters with illegal immigrants who shouldnt have been there anyway.

There is absolutely no justification for why that tower burned. There is no reasonable, understandable explanation that can be given for the events that led up to that disaster. Or the appalling handling of the fallout from that disaster since June 14. Its easier just to paint a picture that were all like characters from Shameless, milking the system for as much as we can and taking advantage of a tragedy. Were certainly not doing that.

Its our friends and family that died in that tower. So how dare anyone, the council, central government or the media, present us as people attempting to cash in on this appalling tragedy that affected people that we know, or that we are related to, or that we lived next door to? That is an utterly outrageous smear.

No similar Sunday Times investigation has taken place into individuals among the entities who made the decisions that led to the Grenfell inferno. Are they following Rock Feilding-Mellen on his country estate, which hes fled to since the night of the fire? Are they following anyone at Rydon? Are they following anyone at the Building Research Establishment? No, theyre not. They threw time, money and resources into having me followed, and what were they able to come up with? That Id been back to my flat!

Their smears are not going to stick. I am back with the police on Friday for another lengthy interview about events prior to Grenfell and the night itself. Ive already given hours of testimony and Ive got hours more to come. Its certainly not going to shut me up. I say, bring it on!

At its next meeting on Saturday March 17 at 2 p.m. at the Maxilla Social Club, the Grenfell Fire Forum, initiated by the Socialist Equality Party, will discuss the issues involved in the attack by the Sunday Times on Joe Delaney. All are welcome to attend. Full details below

Grenfell Fire Forum meeting

Saturday, March 17, 2 p.m.

Maxilla Hall Social Club

2 Maxilla Walk, London, W10 6SW

(nearest tubeLatimer Road)

For further information visit the Grenfell Fire Forum Facebook page.
World Socialist Web Site reporters interviewed striking lecturers at an all-day protest of several hundred lecturers, students and university workers outside UCUs headquarters in North London. They had gathered to protest the sell-out agreement reached by the University and College Union (UCU) and the employers body, Universities UK (UUK), the previous evening.

Many in attendance brought homemade banners and placards with slogans demanding, Dont sell us out!; Reject the deal!; No capitulation! Others asked the UCU, What do I pay my dues for? and insisted Strike still on! Refusing to accept the unions betrayal protestors chanted, The strike goes on! and called for the resignation of UCU general secretary Sally Hunt.

Hunt was denouncedto rapturous applauseas she entered the building early in the morning after she tried to defend the rotten deal the union was attempting to enforce on lecturers.

Members of the Socialist Equality Party and its youth movement, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, distributed copies of three statements: UK lecturers dispute: Lessons from the West Virginia teachers strike, The UK lecturers dispute and the marketisation of higher education and For a unified socialist movement of lecturers and students!

Claire, a lecturer at University College London, said of the UCU/UUK agreement, I think its appalling. There isnt a point in its favour, its a complete backtrack on everything weve been striking for. Weve been out for weeks now and, certainly at my own workplace, no one is going to accept that the strike has essentially been for nothing. I read through the agreement and I was shocked. Paying more and for what is still a cut to our pensions and for what would be the death warrant for the DB [Defined Benefit] scheme.

A lot of people have been calling for Sally Hunt to resign and I think thats right. You cant present your members with this and expect them to have any faith in you, in your leadership anymore.

Asked about UCUs acceptance of previous changes to pensions in 2011 and 2015, she said that the union have allowed changes to take place which have hurt us. I think there needs to be a change in the organisation.

Id like to see the membership taking control more as it has done today.

Marie, from SOAS University in London, agreed, saying, It was the members who pushed this strike in the first place and its been down to us to keep it going and to oppose this deal, or proposal, whatever it is now. We should definitely have more of a say.

When reporters raised the issue of the recent West Virginia teachers strike, Marie told them, The fight to defend education is definitely a worldwide thing. I hadnt heard of the West Virginia strike, but I will take a look.

Asked whether she agreed that education workers had to unite their struggles in Britain and internationally as a pre-requisite to defending their past gains and the right to education, she replied, Of course.

Goldsmiths University lecturer Harry explained he had attended the protest to make known my complete opposition to the deal that was suggested and to see what the union leadership had to say for themselves. Why was this ever even moved, why are we being sent back to work? I feel like they were trying to demobilise us. I think the leadership has to go.

Asked about West Virginia and the role of the unions, who attempted to end the strike and against which the teachers revolted, Harry said, I saw that in West Virginia. I think what the teachers tried to do in West Virginia was very powerful. And yes, I think its true, unions have betrayed on a number of occasions, betrayed their memberships, their strike mandates. We need to think very seriously about where we go from here. Whether its shaking up the union or taking a more radical direction like you say.

Susanne, a lecturer at the University of Manchester, said, There's been strong push back against the UCU agreement at today's branch meeting. So far none of the UCU branches has accepted the deal, and lots have rejected it. She asked a WSWS reporter, Are there any lessons we can learn from the US teachers strike in West Virginia and other UK occasions where similar things happened?"

Pam, also a University of Manchester lecturer, said, "The word from the Manchester branch is that they have communicated to the union centre that the proposal is not acceptable.
Members of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) distributed copies of the statement, For a unified socialist movement of lecturers and students! at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland on Monday to students and lecturers. They were striking on the first day of this weeks scheduled five-day stoppage.

A number of those who took statements spoke to the IYSSE about the issues involved in the dispute. This was just hours before the University and College Union reached a sellout agreement with Universities UK (UUK) management, rejected en masse by lecturers on Tuesday.

Asked why she had joined the protest, Isabel, a student, explained, Firstly we are striking to defend the pensions of lecturers, which is the immediate issue, and secondly we are striking against the notion of universities becoming businesses of which this is a symptom. We cannot continue to equate the value of university lecturers and scientific research with the profit they bring in. We need to restructure universities in a way where finding truth and getting at what society needs is the main goal, not private profit.

Isabel

Isabel said she understood this as an international struggle: Under the framework of the global capitalist profit market system this attack is an issue globally. Its not just universities in this country that are striking, its all over the world.

We need an education structure that doesnt see students and lecturers as consumers and paid wage labourers. Sitting down and negotiating may work now for saving the pensions, but for the wider goal we must seek to restructure universities, so they see us as human beings. At the moment, we are seen as people who bring the money in to keep universities going and not as people with particular needs such as mental health issues. Universities should be taking a leading role of tackling structural oppression.

Awareness is creeping up on a global scale. We are aware that our learning centres are being stripped away from us. But the market is creating a culture of alternate truths where 200 scientists can say one thing but one group of scientists paid by a certain company will say another because they are paid to refine the facts in favour of the payers interests. We are only then told the finding of the one paid group.

Asked if she saw the lecturers dispute as a political struggle, Isabel answered emphatically, Yes! Absolutely! There is no question about it.

The IYSSE spoke to another student, Mie, about uniting the lecturers struggle with other sections of the working class, like Aberdeen bus drivers, who are also striking.

She said, We need to debunk the myth that academics and lecturers are way up here [socially and intellectually], otherwise we cant appeal to the bus drivers and their struggle. There needs to be a mutual understanding of each other that just because Im a doctor, say, doesnt mean that as a bus driver we dont have mutual interests and mutual things we need to work on to make society a better place.

Asked why she was on strike, lecturer Patience explained, We are striking to oppose cuts to our pensions. The pensions cut is based on a notional deficit, but the problem is the actuarial model, which they used to come up with this deficit, is not one that is robust, shall we say.

On top of that the consultation exercise that the pension provider and the UUK put together to try and find out if the institutions as a whole caused them too much risk was dubious to say the least. It was not an official consultation. They had a low response rate and of that low response rate about 42 percent of institutions said they were concerned about the risk, so were talking about a minority of a minority. When that 42 percent is looked at, its Oxford and Cambridge colleges that are being counted as if they had the voice of the universities, so the whole thing is dubious.

Patience explained the implications of the proposed pension changes: It will be changed from a defined benefit scheme, meaning you have a guaranteed pension for life, to a defined contribution scheme, which means your pensions are dependent on the fluctuations of the stock market.

On top of this, there are lots of fees you have to pay, such as service fees on top of products you buy in. There are concerns for younger members of staff, people who havent been in the scheme for as long, for members of staff who have caring responsibilities, part-time workers, female members of staff who have child caring responsibilities. For all of these groups this change is particularly problematic.

On the issue of the ongoing marketisation and privatization of higher education, Patience said, I hope to see this strike turn into a broader attack on marketisation of higher education. The conversations on the picket and the conversations Ive seen on Twitter suggest people are seeing the attack on the pensions as part of this marketisation and corporatization of higher education, and people are beginning to ask the bigger questions like are students consumers?

The precariousness of many of our colleagues in terms of hourly paid contracts and short-term contracts, the funding of education, vice chancellors payall of these issues are inseparable. So officially, we are out here protesting pensions but there are a lot of issues we are angry about.

Patience expressed support for the recent strike of teachers in West Virginia, which was betrayed by the teaching unions. Im delighted with the voices of solidarity from West Virginia and were very sympathetic to their situation. Whatever solidarity there is out there is welcomed. We are very aware of the austerity agenda and how thats impacted people throughout the UK and beyond the UK, so however much we can build connections and work together I think thatd be great.
The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) distributed the following statement at university orientation week events across Australia and in New Zealand over the past several weeks. In New South Wales, Australias most populous state, IYSSE clubs campaigned widely at Western Sydney University, the University of New South Wales and the University of Newcastle, signing up dozens of new members.

The IYSSE stall at the University of Newcastle

In Victoria, the statement was warmly received by students at the University of Melbourne. IYSSE campaigners also initiated a struggle to establish affiliated student clubs at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, and at Victoria University, in Wellington, New Zealand, winning significant support.

At each campus, IYSSE members encountered widespread opposition among students to Australias central role in the US plans for war, the imposition of austerity, including cuts to education, and the turn to authoritarian forms of rule, exemplified by the dramatic growth of Internet censorship. Students expressed interest in a socialist alternative and in the lessons of the 20th century, including the 1917 Russian Revolution, and Leon Trotskys fight against its Stalinist degeneration.

Join the International Youth and Students for Social Equality! Take up the fight for socialism!

As 2018 begins, students and young people confront a world beset by obscene levels of social inequality, mounting unemployment and poverty, a turn to authoritarianism by governments in every country, and the greatest danger of a nuclear world war in 73 years.

In every corner of the globe, deepening military tensions have created flashpoints that could erupt into a global conflagration. In the Asia-Pacific, the Trump administration has threatened to rain down fire and fury on North Korea.

Australia, having participated in every criminal US-led invasion and military intrigue over the past 25 years, is on the frontlines of US plans for war against North Korea and China. Since 2011, under both Labor and Liberal governments, the US pivot to Asia, has been the basis of a massive military build-up in preparation for conflict with China. Thousands of marines have been stationed in Darwin, and the Australian military has been fully integrated into the US war machine.

War abroad means class war at home. Successive Australian governments, Labor and Liberal-National alike, have erected the frame-work of a police-state on the basis of the bogus war on terror. They are now collaborating on far-reaching legislation targeting foreign interference, in preparation for war.

The real purpose of this racist campaign to create the conditions for any anti-war organisation, event or activity to be illegalised, on the pretext that it represents the interests of a foreign power. The real target is mass anti-war sentiment among workers and young people.

Globally censorship is being ramped up. Google, Facebook, and other tech giants, working in lock-step with governments and the intelligence agencies, have systematically reduced search traffic referrals to the World Socialist Web Site and other socialist, left-wing and progressive publications.

The aim is to repress social and political opposition in the working class, which is re-emerging around the world as workers and youth begin to fight back against decades of cuts to jobs, wages and living conditions.

The international austerity offensive against the working class and youth has been spearheaded in Australia by Labor, the Liberal-Nationals, and the thoroughly corporatised trade unions. Perhaps more than any other section of society, todays youth have been made to bear the brunt of this social assault. Millions of young people around the world will have shorter lives, lower incomes, and fewer opportunities than their parents and grandparents.

A socialist program

The crisis that began in 2008 has now revealed itself as the failure of an entire socio-economic systemcapitalism. The IYSSE insists that chronic social problems can only be solved through a socialist movement of the working class. Human progress is being blocked by the capitalist system, which subordinates every aspect of social life to the drive for corporate profit and the accumulation of obscene levels of wealth by the ultra-wealthy few.

The IYSSE demands:

End imperialist wars!

Repudiate the US-Australia military alliance! No more militarism and war!

Close Pine Gap and all other military and surveillance installations.

Withdraw all Australian troops from the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East.

Utilise the $500 billion being allocated to war preparations for free, high-quality public education, health and transport for all! Establish new infrastructure programs to build new hospitals, schools, universities and aged care facilities!

For democratic rights!

Abolish all anti-terror and foreign influence legislation.

Disband ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and all other military-intelligence agencies.

Defend Julian Assange and Edward Snowden!

Support the Coalition Against Internet Censorship, being led by the World Socialist Web Site.

Defend immigrants and refugees. Close all offshore detention centres. For the free movement of all to the country of their choice, with full citizenship rights.

For social equality! Nationalise the banks and major corporations!

Democracy is incompatible with the unprecedented levels of social inequality that now prevail. In America, three billionaires own more wealth than the bottom 50 percent of the population, while in Australia, the wealthiest 1 percent own as much as the bottom 70 percent.

To break the stranglehold of the financial oligarchy of the economy, the IYSSE calls for the nationalisation of the banks and major corporations under the democratic control of the working class.

For the political independence of the working class

The IYSSE calls for students and youth to turn to the working class, the sole revolutionary force in society. The issues students faceincluding high tuition, joblessness, student loan debt and an education system starved of resourcesare inseparable from the broader questions confronting the working class.

None of these problems can be solved in schools and on campuses alone. Students seeking to oppose social inequality, unemployment and war must reach out to workers throughout the country and internationally.

Above all, the working class needs its own political party, in opposition to Labor, the Greens, the trade unions, and their apologists and supporters in the various pseudo-left organisations. In opposition to all forms of nationalism, reformism, and racial and identity politics, the IYSSE calls for the unity of the working class, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, gender or religion, in an international struggle against the capitalist system.

A turn to the working class does not mean support for the trade unions, which are dominated by well-heeled bureaucrats, tied politically to the Labor Partyhistorically, the pre-eminent party of war, austerity and class war against workers and youth. In opposition to the existing trade unions, the IYSSE calls for the building of independent rank-and-file workplace, school and community committees to unify different sections of workers and youth in common struggle for socialism.

The IYSSE seeks to build a mass political movement that will fight for power, establish a workers government and reorganise society on a democratic, egalitarian and rational basis.

For socialism and internationalism

The two basic features of capitalismprivate ownership of the means of production and the division of the world economy along national linesblock the rational use and development of humanitys productive forces. None of the problems humanity confronts, including climate change, can be dealt with on a national level.

The problems faced by working people and youth in every country are fundamentally the same. In all countries, the IYSSE opposes nationalism, chauvinism and racism, which are the means to divide and weaken the working class. Working people of all countries must join together in a common struggle.

Socialismthe rational and democratic reorganisation of the economy to meet social need, not private profitarises as a historical necessity from the breakdown of capitalism. The IYSSE has unshakable confidence in the development of an international socialist movement because socialism corresponds to the objective interests of the working class, the vast majority of humanity.

For the rebirth of the socialist movement

The International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the student movement of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), fights for the revival of a socialist movement among young people throughout the country, as part of an international socialist movement of the entire working class.

The IYSSE stands in the tradition of revolutionary socialism, from the origins of Marxism in the 1840s, through the Russian Revolution of 1917 led by the Bolshevik Party under Lenin and Trotsky, and the implacable struggle, led by Leon Trotsky, against the bureaucratic degeneration of the Soviet Union under Stalin.

In the 21st century, the IYSSE, SEP and ICFI are fighting to unify and mobilise the working class and youth internationally, to prepare the working class for the conquest of political power and the establishment of a genuinely democratic, egalitarian and socialist society.
An attempt by the University and College Union (UCU) to end the four-week strike by UK lecturers and other university staff, who are fighting savage attacks on their pensions, was thwarted by a rank-and-file rebellion Tuesday.

Thousands protested nationally and hundreds of lecturers demonstrated outside the unions headquarters in London to reject the sell-out deal reached the previous evening. The union was forced to retract the agreement later that day.

The revolt is the latest expression of a resurgence of the class struggle internationally, portending a break with trade unions which function as arms of management. The lecturers rebellion follows the recent revolt against the unions by 30,000 striking teachers in the US state of West Virginia, who voted to carry on a strike to demand wage increases and an end to soaring health care costs.

After six days of talks under the auspices of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS)which specialises in ending disputes on the terms of the employersthe UCU and the Universities UK (UUK) employers body announced an agreement Monday evening, with the aim of suspending the strike Tuesday and stopping all further planned actions.

The agreement set out precisely how the strike would end:

The UCU have a meeting of their Higher Education Committee (HEC) and their Branch representatives tomorrow 13 March. After that meeting concludes (due early afternoon on Tuesday) UUK expect that UCU will suspend industrial action from and including Wednesday 14 March.

The deal agreed offered no long-term security, being set to last just three years from April 1, 2019, and then giving the employers the right to end the Defined Benefits [DB] scheme as planned. It included a reduction of at least 19 percent in the value of lecturers pensions.

To maintain a defined benefit pension for only a three-year period, the UCU and management agreed that members contributions would rise by 1.7 percent, while the employers would increase their share by only 1.3 percent. Both parties would then engage in meaningful discussions as soon as possible to explore risk sharing alternatives for the future from 2020, in particular Collective Defined Contributions (CDC).

The threshold for retaining elements of the existing Defined Benefits pension scheme was for those earning 42,000 a year or under. All those earning over that amount would not be entitled to benefits under the existing scheme. The UCU entered the negotiations saying it wanted to maintain a threshold of Defined Benefits at 55,000.

The deal included a pledge by the UCU that it undertakes to encourage its members to prioritise the rescheduling of teaching in order to minimise the disruption to students. That is, lecturers would be forced to reschedule lectures not undertaken due to the strike.

The union signed the deal shortly after authorising a further 14 days of strike action, exposing this as nothing but an attempt to placate the growing resistance by strikers and to ensure the dispute remained under their control until it could be betrayed.

Within minutes of the deal being announced, anger erupted on social media, with lecturers and students insisting it be thrown out. The hashtag #NoCapitulation went viral. An online Open letter rejecting the UCU/UUK agreement noted, In three years time we will be demobilised and pressured to accept a worse deal. In our opinion we should keep going and throw UUKs offer out all together. Within the space of 24 hours, more than 10,000 had signed.

By 1:00 pm Tuesday, lecturers in ad hoc votes at mass meetings had rejected the deal at 45 universities. Occupations by students took place at a number of universities.

Speaking to a gathering crowd of strikers outside the UCU headquarters in the morning, General Secretary Sally Hunt attempted to sell the rotten deal as the best obtainable. She was constantly interrupted and opposed by lecturers. One denounced Hunts strike breakers charter and said, You are now objectively on the side of the employers.

With angry workers and students massed outside, every delegate to the unions Higher Education Committee voted against the agreementleaving the UCU with no choice but to reject the deal it reached just hours before.

The most pernicious role in attempting to end the strike was played by the UCU Left faction, comprised of representatives of various pseudo-left groups. Among the UCU Left representatives on the unions national executive committee is Socialist Workers Party member Carlo Morelli. The SWPs Socialist Worker admitted Tuesday that Morelli had been part of the [UCU/UUK] negotiations. While trying to palm off parts of the agreement as beneficial, Morelli said, We shouldnt settle for this deal. Even so, he refused to utter a single word of condemnation of the union.

Just hours earlier, in a posting on its website after the sell-out was announced by the national union, the UCU Left insisted the deal was not a sell-out: Our negotiators had a gun pointed at their heads. A gun of accept this or get DC [Defined Contribution pension]. A compromise was born. It doesnt necessarily mean negotiators are selling out. This compromise is what happens when you work within the projected deficit and face the threat of 100% DC.

The UCU Left are bitterly opposed to mobilising workers against the treacherous UCU bureaucracy because they are an integral part of it. Even as UCU members were throwing the filthy deal back in the faces of the bureaucracy, the UCU Left claimed that, with the strike, a new union has been born.

The lecturers rebellion provides a devastating refutation of the claims by the pseudo-left that they have an ally in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. His only intervention in the dispute has been to urge talks at ACAS. Throughout yesterdays tumultuous events, Corbyn and the Labour Party, including Shadow Education Minister Angela Rayner, maintained a stony silence. In the struggle they are waging against the UUK and the Conservative government, the lecturers are in a conflict not only against the UCU but against the Labour Party.

The stand taken by lecturers has won broad support among university staff and students precisely because they are seeking to push back against the marketisation of education that has been enforced over decades by both Labour and Tories.

The Socialist Equality Party and its youth organisation, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, were alone in explaining from the beginning of the dispute that the UCU, as with all unions, is not a body that represents the interests of its members. It is a tool of management.

Events have now confirmed without question the necessity of taking the dispute out of the hands of the UCU, turning to the working class, and mobilizing all sections of workers in a common fight for the right to pensions, public education, health care, and a high quality job.

Tuesdays revolt points the way forward. The next step must be the formation of democratically elected rank-and-file committees, independent of the UCU, to take control of the strike and all future actions in defence of jobs, wages and conditions, and of higher education. The SEP and the IYSSE will provide every assistance in this struggle.

The author also recommends:

The revolt of the West Virginia teachers

[2 March 2018]

For a unified socialist movement of lecturers and students!

[8 March 2018]

The UK lecturers dispute and the marketisation of higher education

[1 March 2018]
On March 7, the Yale Daily News ran an article by columnist Amelia Nierenberg titled Not not guilty opposing the possibility that Yale may readmit Saifullah Khan after a jury acquitted the 25-year-old suspended student on four charges of sexual assault.

The article exposes two essential and interrelated elements of the #MeToo campaign: First, the antidemocratic legal conceptions behind the campaign itself, and second, the lack of democratic consciousness among the privileged upper-middle-class layer that has been mobilized by it.

Nierenberg writes:

Readmitting Khan would be a grievous mistake, as using legal standards of not guilty do not apply in a private community like Yale. Legal acquittal does not mean innocence. It does not mean that Khan did not engage in deeply dubious sexual conduct. It just means that a jury could not find that this sexual behavior was, to their eyes, rape beyond a reasonable doubt. Fortunately, a courtroom and a college community have different standards of proof. Here, the question is not, Is this person absolutely guilty? Instead, the question is more, Has this person acted in such a way that their right to continued participation in our community is forfeit? To my eyes, the answer to the second question is, resoundingly, Yes. His place here is forfeit.

She continues, explaining that Khan did not act with the best sexual intentions when he and his unnamed accuser had sex after a Halloween party in 2015. Nierenberg writes that individuals who approach sexone of the most vulnerable and intimate things we dowith such cavalier malice should be unwelcome at Yale.

Nierenberg then attacks Khans lawyers: It is unacceptable at Yale to put alleged victims on trial rather than alleged rapists, as the defense attempted to do.

In other words, the accused is not entitled to a defense. His lawyers should not be allowed to question and test the credibility of the accuser.

Ms. Nierenberg concludes, This problem extends far beyond the bounds of this one man or this one night. Just because the courts have found this example of sexual misconduct one in which the participant was not guilty does not mean it is acceptable or that Khan is innocent. He is not.

This diatribe is, in effect, an argument for mob justice. Not guilty most certainly does mean innocent.

In the Anglo-American legal tradition, all of the rights afforded to a criminal defendantthe right to counsel, to a fair trial, to remain silent, etc.flow from the presumption that the accused is innocent until proven guilty. In Khans case, the prosecution and defense selected jurors, presented evidence, including witnesses, and subjected them to examination and cross-examination to determine the truth or falsity of their testimony. The state did not meet its burden to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Khan was guilty. As a result, the presumption of innocence remains intact. A verdict of Not guilty means that the defendant has been found innocent of the charges that had been brought against him.

Nierenbergs argument is that Khans acquittal counts for nothing. In Nierenbergs view, all that is required to ruin an individuals life and secure his ostracism is an accusation that he acted in such a way that their right to continued participation in our community is forfeit. The fact that a team of State of Connecticut lawyers and investigators failed to prove Khans guilt is irrelevant to Judge Nierenberg. The relevant question to determine whether social excommunication is justified is: did the accused act with the best sexual intentions, according to the accuser?

Following this logic, countless innocent people should have rotted in jail or been hanged by a mob on the unchallenged allegation of an accuser. By this logic, Bob Ewell in Harper Lees To Kill A Mockingbird would have been justified in saying Tom Robinson was not not guilty even if Atticus Finch had secured his acquittal in court. And there, wasnt it also the case that Finch put the victim on trial and subjected Mayella Ewellwho lied about Robinsons rapeto victim blaming?

In 1915, a mob dragged Jewish shop owner Leo Franks out of his Georgia jail cell and lynched him, concluding he was not not guilty and that they would not wait for the likelihood Franks would succeed in throwing out the frame-up sexual assault conviction on appeal.

That such arguments could be made by a student at one of the United States most prestigious colleges shows the degree to which the affluent future leaders of America are hostile to democracy. In the late 1960s, Yale was a center of antiwar politics, with regular teach-ins, demonstrations and pickets. In the early 1970s, Yale students held raucous protests against the prosecution of leading members of the Black Panther Party, including Bobby Seale, which took place in New Haven, Connecticut, where Yale is located.

In that period, Yale administrators and students were in the forefront of the fight to defend the Black Panther defendants, who were accused of murder. To cite a passage from the Wikipedia entry on the New Haven trial of Bobby Seale:

Yale chaplain Willian Sloane Coffin stated: "All of us conspired to bring on this tragedy by law enforcement agencies by their illegal acts against the Panthers, and the rest of us by our immoral silence in front of these acts," while Yale President Kingman Brewster Jr. issued the statement, "I personally want to say that I'm appalled and ashamed that things should have come to such a pass that I am skeptical of the ability of Black revolutionaries to achieve a fair trial anywhere in the U.S." Brewster's generally sympathetic tone enraged many of the university's older, more conservative alumni, heightening tensions within the school community.

How times have changed! Nierenbergs column reflects a very low level of democratic consciousness among broad sections of the upper middle class. The proponents of the #MeToo campaign exploit the fixation with gender identity in order to promote a fundamentally reactionary social and political agenda.
ARLINGTON, Va. (CBS NEWS) -- Outrage has been building on social media over a picture of a family's French bulldog puppy, dead in its carrier after a United Airlines flight attendant forced them to put the bag holding the dog in an overhead bin.

The dog belonged to a mother traveling with two young children from Houston to New York's LaGuardia Airport Monday night. Before takeoff, the bag apparently extended into the aisle. Online posts from witnesses said the passenger explained there was a dog in the bag, but the flight attendant insisted it go in the overhead.

That flight attendant told the airline she did not realize the pet was inside.

United says this is a tragic accident that should never have occurred, adding "pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them."

This month, United and Delta limited what animals are allowed in the cabin following incidents like a flier trying to bring on an emotional support peacock on board. But a small dog in a carrier that fits under the seat is typically allowed.

The airline says it's 'thoroughly investigating' to prevent a situation like this from happening again. Animal deaths on planes are rare, but typically occur when a pet is being shipped as cargo, not in the passenger cabin. Meanwhile, the dog's owner has not commented.

 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - Last year's bomb threat at Terre Haute North Vigo High School put a different kind of fear in some students.

"Last year we had that scare at North, and it just really opened my eyes," said Sloan Pollom, THN Junior.

When they saw the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, it was a feeling too familiar.

"This could easily be us," said Pollom.

Pollom, Hannah Cervantes, and Ellie Hampton planned to participate in the National School Walkout at Terre Haute North. The walkout is a nationwide peaceful protest that allows participants to walk out of school to raise awareness of gun violence and school safety. It's also in remembrance of the 17 victims killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February.

However, the three students were met with disappointment when they found out Vigo County Schools were having assemblies instead of a walkout.

"When they said there was going to be an assembly, it just seemed as though we were making light of it and kind of taking the political aspect out of it," said Hampton, THN Senior, "Whether or not it was the intent, we do feel as if it's a means to take away our voice."

The girls sent a letter to the school corporation asking leaders to reconsider.

Click here to see a full letter from Pollom to school

"We wrote letters to them and said we'd be able to talk about possible safer ways to do it and to propose solutions," Pollom said.

The group met with Superintendent Dr. Danny Tanoos Tuesday morning.

While Tanoos was not able to go on camera, he did offer a follow up statement in regards to what was discussed at the meeting.

He told us students will now be allowed to participate in the walkout on Wednesday. Participating students will walk out to a designated area outside. However, students who choose to participate will be met with a detention as a consequence. Students plan to walk out around 10 a.m.

The assembly, Tanoos says, will still be held Wednesday. However, if a student chooses to disrupt the assembly in any way, they will be met with a consequence greater than a detention.

For Pollom, Hampton and Cervantes, the detention is a consequence they're willing to take if the outcome is using their voices so others can too.

"You don't always have to be quiet and you don't always have to play by the rules," Pollom said, "It's important to speak your mind."

"Peaceful protest is always the first step to change," Hampton added, "and even though we are students, and even though it may not get a lot of attention, just kind of standing your ground and making your opinions known is very important."

"I had a lot of people ask me what is the walk out," Cervantes, THN Junior, said, "and so it's really just to inform people, and spread awareness, and know that their voices can be heard and that our age isn't a barrier to that."
VINCENNES, Ind. (WTHI)- For six years Stephanie Latta has taught second grade here at Francis Vigo Elementary. She comes to school every day feeling safe, thanks to the school's security measures.

"I think we have a lot of steps in place and especially with this new badge system, its just one more added layer of protection. You know its just keeping the students safe and the teachers safe and it really makes me feel more at ease so I can do my job of teaching," said Latta.

The new system she is referencing is called safe visitor solutions. It's a program that all the Vincennes Community schools run on visitors that check-in.

To see how it works I went through the system myself. It all starts with the scanning of your drivers license. Its a program that Superintendent Greg Parsley says is a strong working system.

"Were able to run a background check on them. Its very quick. It's a national background check in addition to a check of the registered sex offender list. So we know if it's a person who can be in our schools or its not a person," said Parsley.

After you are cleared by the program, you'll get an id badge which is printed off for you to wear.

The school doesnt worry about people trying to reuse the same id badges. That's because theres a sticker that becomes clear after they expire.

"I think its an added layer of protection that the parents can say I feel better about at least knowing my child is not going to make contact with anybody they shouldn't during the course of these school day," said Parsley.

Its just another precaution being done to make sure these teachers and students stay safe. Giving peace of mind so the next generation can continue to learn in peace.

"That the students can come to school and they know they are going to be safe. They know they are going to be taken care of and that we're watching out for them that we always have their backs. They are going to come to school and have nothing on their minds but learning. Just do their best every day and we can all know we are safe," said Latta.

The next security measure the Vincennes Community School Cooperation hopes to add is another school resource officer. They are hoping to have this new officer start by next year.
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP)  A judge won't release a Mississippi Gulf Coast physician convicted of health care fraud from jail pending sentencing.

U.S. Magistrate Judge John Gargiulo denied the request Tuesday after a hearing, saying Dr. Albert Diaz has no right to bail after he was convicted.

"Defendant has not overcome the presumption because he has not established that there is a substantial likelihood that a motion for new trial will be granted;" the magistrate wrote, "the government has not recommended that no sentence of imprisonment be imposed; and defendant has not established by clear and convincing evidence that he is not a flight risk or a danger to any other person or the community,"

John Collette, Diaz's lawyer, argued that the conviction should be overturned and his client released because a juror falsely claimed Diaz tried to intimidate her. Collette wrote in a motion last week that only the original juror had been dismissed, but that others had been tainted after learning of the claims.

"No jury could possibly be impartial in light of comments that the defendant or his family was considering murdering one of their number," Collette wrote. "A new trial is necessary to preserve Dr. Diaz's constitutional right to an impartial jury."

Prosecutors say a judge determined other jurors hadn't been improperly influenced, and Diaz should stay jailed.

"It was clear that the excused juror's perceived intimidation was an overreaction and, importantly, none of the other jurors shared that juror's concerns," assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Hasten wrote. "There was never an actual threat made to the excused juror."

A jury found Diaz guilty March 2, in what prosecutors say was part of a scheme to defraud insurers by prescribing expensive and unneeded medicines. The fraud involving Diaz is one prong in a larger investigation into compounding pharmacies. Prosecutors have alleged that three Mississippi pharmacies alone bilked $400 million from insurers.

The Sun Herald reports about 40 family and supporters filled the federal courtroom for Diaz's hearing, with 60 more awaiting word in the hall on whether Diaz would be released.

Character witnesses argued Diaz was no risk to flee. He's 78 and used a walker in court Tuesday. But Hasten disagreed: "He's looking at significant prison time . . . He absolutely has a reason to flee."

Diaz's supporters also say it's unfair that two co-conspirators who pleaded guilty, Jay Schaar of Biloxi and Jason May of Lamar County, are free on bonds while they await sentencing. Schaar, a drug representative, recruited Diaz to write prescriptions for compounded drugs that were filled by Advantage Pharmacy in Hattiesburg, co-owned by May.

May and Schaar have admitted that drugs were compounded based on profit, not need. Diaz prescribed the drugs for patients he hadn't seen then, after an investigation started, back-dated records to make it appear he had examined some patients.
MIAMI (AP) - The former student charged with killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month will face the death penalty, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, is scheduled for formal arraignment Wednesday on a 34-count indictment, including 17 first-degree murder charges. Cruz's attorneys have said he would plead guilty if the death penalty was not pursued in the Valentine's Day massacre.

The office of Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz filed the formal notice of its intentions Tuesday. The action by prosecutors Tuesday does not necessarily mean a plea deal will not be reached.

The only other penalty option for Cruz is life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz, has said there were so many warning signs that Cruz was mentally unstable and potentially violent, and that the death penalty might be going too far. Finkelstein said Cruz would likely plead guilty if prosecutors opt not to seek the death penalty.

"Because that's what this case is about. Not, did he do it? Not, should he go free? Should he live or should he die," Finkelstein told The Associated Press last month.

Finklestein's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
TEN SLEEP  During the Ten Sleep School Board meeting Monday evening, the board voted to accept Ten Sleep School principal Russell Budmayrs resignation effective at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.

TEN SLEEP  During the Ten Sleep School Board meeting Monday evening, the board voted to accept Ten Sleep School principal Russell Budmayrs resignation effective at the end of the 2017-2018 school year.

Budmayr, who had a prior obligation, welcoming his granddaughter into the world, was unable to attend the meeting Monday night, stated Tuesday morning that he loves Ten Sleep, the school, students, staff and community but for personal reasons he needed to tender his resignation.

Several community members and staff asked the board to not accept Budmayrs resignation because he is such an asset to the school. Community member Brian Holiday stated to the board, There are good principals and there are bad principals and Terill [Mills] has been on the school board long enough to know that we have misfired several times on a principal hiring. Mr. Budmayr is a very, very good principal. Hes always humble, he has no ego, he listens to people and he always decides whats in the best interest of the children and always goes back to that. I worry sometimes that those traits, those traits of a leader who listens and who is meek, sometimes get translated into weakness or not knowing things, but I can promise you from my dealing with Mr. Budmayr, he knows a lot. For instance I had a problem with one of my kids last year and after

everybody in the room got done speaking about what to do with the kids that need extra help, Mr. Budmayr said, Heres what the federal law says we have to do, heres what I recommend we do. Hes just a very knowledgeable person and I strongly ask that you dont accept his resignation.

He added, If he has greener pastures and he can make more money somewhere else and he wants to leave, thats on him, we cant make him stay but I really believe that he is a very good principal, always wanting to address the situation immediately, always very approachable and I really respect him, so I really strongly ask you to reject his resignation.

Ten Sleep School teacher Kodi Schwarz stated, This is the end of my third year working for Mr. Budmayr as a para and two years as a teacher and I have nothing but good things to say and I honestly mean that. The parents of every kid in my class that I have ever taught, that I know of, rave over him. Even just last week, one of my kindergarten kids did a writing that he wants to be a principal when he grows up and I gave it to Mr. Budmayr because its so cute, it has the two of them holding hands, its adorable, they love him and hes great. I can promise you, when you guys have kids in school, which you soon will and Chuck [Powell} does, he will care about your kids and he will advocate for them and he has for me. The people who are not for him, are they not going to be for the next guy, because its just authority that they have a problem with or its the behavior of their kids that they have a problem with. Please, please, please, even if you have never done it before, deny his resignation. Even if you have never done it before, please do that because there are so many administrative positions open in Wyoming right now. We are not getting cream of the crop people, we are not getting second pick, we might get bottom of the barrel, somebody thats running from some other school. Like Mr. Holiday said, there are some bad ones and every year that I have been here I have seen Mr. Budmayr get better and try harder. Please think about it. I talked to several parents and several teachers today and I had all but one in favor of Mr. Budmayr.

After a closed session which lasted about an hour, the board unanimously voted to accept Budmayrs resignation, much to the displeasure of many people who stayed around to learn the outcome of the closed session.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-13 16:48:16|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) shakes hands with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (R), director general of the World Health Organization, during the inauguration of the Delhi End-TB Summit, in New Delhi March 13, 2018. Narendra Modi on Tuesday set 2025 as the deadline to eradicate tuberculosis from India, five years ahead of a global target. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)

NEW DELHI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday set 2025 as the deadline year to eradicate tuberculosis from India, five years ahead of global target.

"A target has been set to end TB globally by 2030. I would like to announce that we have set an aim to eradicate it from India five years ahead by 2025," Modi said, while inaugurating the Delhi End-TB Summit in the Indian capital.

According to official figures, over 10 million people are affected by TB every year in India. And there had been 1.7 million TB-related deaths in India in 2016.

Urging all chief ministers to join this mission so that the 2025 target could be easily met, the prime minister said: "The state governments across the country have a major role to play in elimination of TB from India."

"TB is the most prevalent among communicable diseases in the country and the poor are the worst affected by it. Every step taken towards eradicating the disease is directly connected to their lives," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-13 21:04:33|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

File photo taken on Feb. 19, 2018 shows Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari reviewing guard of honor during the celebration of Democracy Day at Tundikhel in Kathmandu, Nepal. Bidya Devi Bhandari was re-elected as the president of Nepal for a second term through a parliament vote on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)

KATHMANDU, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Bidya Devi Bhandari was re-elected as the president of Nepal for a second term through a parliament vote on Tuesday.

An Electoral College comprising members of the federal parliament and provincial assemblies had cast their votes to elect the new president at the parliament.

The polling started at 10:00 a.m. and ended 3:00 p.m. local time.

Bhandari was backed by the two ruling parties Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist) and Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre).

Bhandari, 56, will be sworn in by the country's chief justice on Wednesday.

Nepal will be holding the election for the vice-president next week, authorities said here.

This is the second time Bhandari was elected as the country's president. For the first time, she became the president on October 28, 2015, a month after the country promulgated the milestone new constitution.

She is the country's first female president.
BERLIN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The German Social Democrats (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/ Christian Social Union (CSU) have become embroiled in a public dispute over the adequacy for German's welfare system on Tuesday.

The quarreling between the prospective "grand coalition" partners was hereby sparked by an assertion during an interview by the designated minister for health Jens Spahn (CDU) that Germany's welfare system was "one of the best social systems in the world." Spahn further said that "nobody in Germany would suffer hunger if there were no food banks" and that recipients of Hartz IV benefit payments had "everything they needed to live."

The controversial comments earned a swift rebuke by SPD interim leader Olaf Scholz who emphasized during an appearance on the public broadcaster "ARD" that his party had "different views" on the issue.

Supporting his party leader's intervention, SPD parliamentary vice-president Ralf Stegner subsequently told the newspaper "Frankfurter Rundschau" that the designated minister for health's statement was inappropriate given how marked the "differences between rich and poor" were in Germany.

Stegner also noted, however, that the episode could be "useful" for the SPD because it would help demonstrate the remaining political differences between the left-wing party and the more conservative CDU. According to the SPD parliamentary vice-president, Spahn's comments "needed to be opposed" from a social democratic perspective.

German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier joined the debate on Tuesday as well by urging the next government to reduce the number of citizens who were reliant on welfare benefits.

"We must set ourselves higher goals than letting people live off Hartz-IV or other welfare transfers," Steinmeier told the newspaper "Rheinische Post." The president argued that Berlin should place a greater focus on ensuring individuals earned enough through their labor to live independently of the government.

Nevertheless, CSU parliamentary leader and ex-minister Alexander Dobrindt defended Spahn's comments. Dobrindt pointed out that the existing Hartz IV system had been created by the SPD's ex-chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and said that there was "no objective basis" for criticizing German welfare provisions.

The widely-publicized debate has erupted only day before Angela Merkel (CDU) is scheduled to be re-elected as chancellor by the federal parliament (Bundestag) on March 14. The CDU, CSU and SPD have already formally signed a coalition agreement which formally articulates the key legislative ambitions of the next German government.

In the meanwhile, a poll published by the newspaper "BILD" on Tuesday showed that the SPD has reversed a long-standing trend of decline in its levels of public support. The party rose by 2.5 percentage points to 17.5 percent in the survey, while the CDU/CSU declined slightly by one percentage point to a combined 32 percent.
LONDON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A Russian exile, who was close friends with the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, has been found dead in his London home, British media reported Tuesday.

Nikolai Grushkov, 69, was found dead by his family at his home in New Malden in south London on Monday evening, Daily Mail reported.

Without disclosing the deceased man's name, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement that an investigation is underway following the death of a man in his 60s in Kingston borough and formal identification has to be carried out.

The police said they were called by the London Ambulance Service on Monday night to reports of a man found deceased at a residential address.

A post-mortem examination will be held in due course and the death is currently being treated as an unexplained, the police said.

"At this stage, the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had," the police said in statement, stressing that there is no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury.

Glushkov's death came a week and a day after fellow Russian exile Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were critically injured in a nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday pointed her finger at Russia over a developing "poisoning attack" row, claiming that her government had concluded it was "highly likely" that Moscow was responsible for the attack.

May told the parliament that Russia's ambassador in London had been summoned to explain whether it was "a direct action by the Russian state" or the result of it "losing control" of its stock of nerve agents.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said police and the security services would investigate allegations of Russian state involvement in a number of deaths over recent years in Britain.

In a letter made public Tuesday, Rudd says the government takes seriously allegations that some 14 deaths may have some links to Russia.

"In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that," Rudd said. "The police and MI5 agree and will assist in that endeavor."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 04:51:31|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

A sculpture devoted to blockchain technology is seen at a roundabout in downtown Kranj, Slovenia, on March 13, 2018. The first-ever sculpture in the world devoted to blockchain technology has been officially unveiled in downtown Kranj, Slovenia's fourth-largest city. (Xinhua/Matic Stojs)

KRANJ, March 13, (Xinhua) -- The first-ever monument in the world devoted to blockchain technology has been officially unveiled in downtown Kranj, Slovenia's fourth-largest city.

The monument, a joint work by the Kranj Municipality with the support of the companies 3fs and Bitstamp, is circular and features a bitcoin cryptocurrency symbol and two vertical lines in the center.

According to the Kranj Municipality, the bitcoin symbol in the circle does not apply to the cryptocurrency itself, but rather to the technology behind the blockchain network.

The Mayor of Kranj city Botjan Trilar told Xinhua after a simple unveiling ceremony that the monument devoted to blockchain technologies is the first of its kind not just in Slovenia, but in the world, and will serve as a tribute to the technology's possibilities.

The bitcoin symbol on the monument is also a reminder that Slovenia was among the first to recognize the cryptocurrency, the mayor explained.

The monument, weighing three tons, had been under construction for two weeks before the erection.
WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The White House announced Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump spoke earlier with British Prime Minister Theresa May over phone on the poisoning attack in Britain.

In an announcement, the White House said the two leaders discussed Britain's investigation into "the chemical weapon attack on a private citizen and his daughter on British soil."

Trump said that the United States "stands in solidarity with its closest ally and is ready to provide any assistance the United Kingdom requests for its investigation."

He also agreed with May that the Russian government "must provide unambiguous answers regarding how this chemical weapon, developed in Russia, came to be used in the United Kingdom."

The two leaders agreed on the need for "consequences" for using chemical weapons in violation of international norms.

Earlier in the morning, Trump told the media that "it sounds to me like it would be Russia based on all of the evidence they have."

When asked if there should be a U.S. response, Trump said that "as soon as we get the facts straight... we will condemn Russia or whoever it may be."

Claiming that Moscow was "highly likely" responsible for the attack, May on Monday told the parliament that Russia's ambassador in London had been summoned to explain whether it was "a direct action by the Russian state" or the result of it "losing control" of its stock of nerve agents.

May said the attack, targeting Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in London on March 4, involved a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.

Her comments came after Skripal and his daughter, who remain in a critical but stable condition, had been found collapsed on a bench in London.

On Monday, the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied Russian involvement in the incident.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also said May's statement about the alleged Russian trace in the attack was a "circus."

"The conclusion is obvious: it is another informational and political campaign based on a provocation," Zakharova was quoted by Russian media outlet Sputnik as saying.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 06:16:56|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

ROME, March 13 (Xinhua) -- For the second year in a row, a Chinese delegate took part in a two-day Vatican conference against organ trafficking that ended in Rome on Tuesday.

Participants at the yearly Summit on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism held at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which is inside the Vatican, include officials, experts, and advocates from around the world.

Summit speakers included Wang Haibo, a Chinese medical expert on behalf of Huang Jiefu, a former Chinese vice-minister of health and the current head of the National Human Organ Donation and Transplant Committee. Wang reiterated China's stance on strict measures against organ trafficking.

Organ trafficking and human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal are condemned by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, among others.

China's Global Times newspaper reported at the weekend that China would present its efforts to combat organ trafficking and progress on organ donation and transplants at the summit.

Last year, 77 signatories at the summit called for the criminal prosecution of organ sale and trafficking, for the protection of organ-trafficking victims, and for countries to promote ethical and regulated organ donor programs, among other recommendations, according to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences website.
ROME, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Some 23,000 people were evacuated from a town in central Italy after a World War II bomb was discovered and accidentally triggered at a construction site, local media reported Tuesday.

At least 1,000 troops were dispatched to help evacuate part of the seaside town of Fano, located in the Marche region facing the Adriatic Sea, ANSA news agency reported.

The town has population of just over 60,000, according to the national statistics institute.

The 500-pound device was manufactured in the UK. If it goes off, the bomb could cause damage within a radius of 1,800 meters, according to ANSA.

A hospital and the railway station were also evacuated and train service was halted because they lay within the bomb's 1,800-meter range.

Military explosives specialists will extract it and set it off at sea, ANSA reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 07:27:08|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

Mexican security forces stand guard near the Mexico-U.S. border during U.S. President Donald Trump's inspection of the prototypes for the border wall, in Tijuana, Mexico, March 13, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday inspected prototypes for his long-promised wall along the border with Mexico in a tour that drew both supporters and protestors. (Xinhua/Str)

SAN DIEGO, the United States, March 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday inspected prototypes for his long-promised wall along the border with Mexico in a tour that drew both supporters and protesters.

"If you don't have a wall system here, we're not gonna have a country," Trump warned while touring the eight prototypes of the wall he promised to build to keep out illegal immigrants near San Diego in the state of California.

His inspection of the prototypes made of concrete, steel and other materials marks his first visit to California since assuming office. He is also the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to skip a visit to the "Golden State" during the first year in office.

Since the construction work began in September, dispute between the White House and California, a Democratic stronghold that is at the forefront of resistance to his anti-immigration policy, has been fueling.

The president Tuesday showed his preference to the border wall that he promised to build in the 2016 presidential election, saying the wall should can be "see-through" and tall enough so that illegal immigration can not climb over.

"You have to have see-through," Trump said when he checked the prototypes, which are each 30 feet (9.1 meters) high and 30 feet (9.1 meters) long , standing 10 meters away from the old fence. "You have to know what's on the other side of the wall."

Trump described some people who illegally cross the border "like professional mountain climbers."

"They're incredible climbers. They can't climb some of these walls." he said, adding "Some of them they can. Those are the walls we're not using."

Trump also spoke to members of the Border Patrol about the old fence and the new wall, saying the old one, even though much more effective than nothing, could only deters about 95 percent of criminal activity, but the new wall is "going to stop 99 percent, maybe more than that."

Trump urged Congress at the prototype construction site to fund his long-promised border wall, which will cost 18 billion U.S. dollars according to the 10-year-period construction plan.

He claimed that the Mexican government will pay for the wall earlier and changed his words now that the wall will pay for itself since it will stop crimes from the other side.

"The border wall is truly our first line of defense," Trump said. "It will save thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud and burdens on schools and hospitals."

"According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the $18 billion wall will pay for itself by curbing the importation of crime, drugs and illegal immigrants who tend to go on the federal dole..." he tweeted Tuesday morning.

A small group of supporters welcomed Trump's visit.

Jeff Schwilk, founder of San Diegans for Secure Borders, whose group participated in the December rally near the prototypes that ended in clashes with counterprotesters, said local residents feel the border is not secure.

"We absolutely want President Trump to feel welcome and to come inspect the prototypes so we can get the wall built," he said.

However, more local residents refused to follow the president's logic.

Kathleen Rooney, a local retiree living in San Diego, told Xinhua Tuesday that she doesn't think it's a good idea to build the wall between the United States and Mexico, which she said are good neighbors that "really rely on each other a lot."

"There's a tremendous amount of money that would be involved to build the wall and maintain and guard it," said Rooney. "Economically, it's really a poor decision."

Holding a banner that reads "We are all immigrants," Rooney was among dozens of protesters in downtown San Diego against Trump's harsh stances on immigration.

One of the rally's organizers, Rosi Escamilla, told Xinhua that she's concerned that the wall would be environmental harmful and cause more cultural division.

At least 200 people rallied and marched in downtown San Diego Monday in protest of Trump's policies. Some held signs read "build bridges, not walls,""No ban, no wall," and "No human is illegal."

"The wall shouldn't exist," said a protestor, Jude Santos, noting that the president with low approval ratings is only to get more support for his presidency.

"Mexico people are just looking for jobs to be able to feed their families. None of Americans wants to do those jobs with low salary," she added.

Kevin Faulconer, mayor of San Diego, posted a statement on his Twitter page, saying "biggest Welcome to San Diego, President Trump. Here you'll find a city that embraces its cross-border economy because free trade works."
By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is continuing his plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico, despite a sea of controversy surrounding the issue.

Trump on Tuesday inspected eight prototypes in San Diego, a border city in the U.S. state of California, for the "big beautiful border wall" he wants to build to separate the United States from Mexico.

The move underscores that Trump is serious about building the wall, despite doubts among some observers and analysts, many of whom believed the plan was too radical, and simply an empty campaign promise.

"Building a wall along the Mexican border was one of Trump's primary campaign promises, so he is devoting a lot of time pushing this initiative as a way to demonstrate he is doing what he said he would do," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

Construction began in September on the eight large prototypes, with each 18 to 30 feet tall, at a cost of between 2 million and 4 million U.S. dollars each.

Trump in January 2017 signed an executive order for the immediate construction of the border wall, as the U.S.-Mexico border is roughly 2,000 miles long, with only around a third of equipped with fencing to prevent the entrance of people and vehicles.

The wall construction comes at a time when the United States is home to millions of illegal immigrants, many of whom are from Latin America and enter the country via Mexico.

Trump has repeatedly said he would get Mexico to pay for the wall, upsetting one of the nation's biggest trading partners.

But the White House and Trump supporters maintain that these steps are simply practical, and that every sovereign nation reserves the right to protect its own borders. Trump has also said the wall is needed to keep out drug dealers, at a time when Mexico has been plagued by drug cartels.

"Trump understands pushing the wall is vital to his base and (a policy) they wholeheartedly endorse. Many of the people who supported him want a tougher immigration policy and having a wall is consistent with that sentiment," West said.

The major obstacle is that the wall is very expensive and few believe it will stem the tide of illegal immigrants.

Besides the cost of the structure, the logistical and geographical challenges of building the structure on the southern border is another obstacle, analysts note.

People think many other ideas such as increasing the number of border guards and deploying electronic cameras and sensors will be more effective. Even Republican legislators are not entirely convinced the wall is vital for border security, West said.

But some support the wall, arguing that it's high time the United States protects its own borders.

"Updating the U.S. border security infrastructure is long overdue and President Trump has promised to change that," Ana Quintana, Heritage Foundation's Latin America policy analyst, told Xinhua.

"There is a direct body count associated with threats facing the U.S. homeland from transnational criminal organizations and illicit narcotics traffickers. President Trump is simply fulfilling his obligations by responding to these threats," Quintana said.

Mexico is also protecting its own southern border with its neighbor Guatemala, she added.

"Mexico's own security dilemmas internally and on their southern border with Guatemala highlight the shared premium both the U.S. and Mexico place on border security," Quintana said.

"It reflects a policy that is hard on all forms of immigration, with a particular attention on illegal immigration -- which is a major concern about the Trump political base," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua.

Indeed, experts note that for the White House, enforcing the president's policies on immigration is far more important that continued good relations with Mexico.

"For the President, these policies are more important than ensuring the continued cooperation with Mexico in a wide range of political, economic, and security interests," Mahaffee said.
U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions from the press before departing the White House in Washington D.C., United States on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

SAN DIEGO, the United States, March 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday inspected prototypes for his long-promised wall along the border with Mexico in a tour that drew both supporters and protesters.

"If you don't have a wall system here, we're not gonna have a country," Trump warned while touring the eight prototypes of the wall he promised to build to keep out illegal immigrants near San Diego in the state of California.

His inspection of the prototypes made of concrete, steel and other materials marks his first visit to California since assuming office. He is also the first president since Dwight Eisenhower to skip a visit to the "Golden State" during the first year in office.

Since the construction work began in September, dispute between the White House and California, a Democratic stronghold that is at the forefront of resistance to his anti-immigration policy, has been fueling.

The president Tuesday showed his preference to the border wall that he promised to build in the 2016 presidential election, saying the wall should can be "see-through" and tall enough so that illegal immigration can not climb over.

"You have to have see-through," Trump said when he checked the prototypes, which are each 30 feet (9.1 meters) high and 30 feet (9.1 meters) long , standing 10 meters away from the old fence. "You have to know what's on the other side of the wall."

Trump described some people who illegally cross the border "like professional mountain climbers."

"They're incredible climbers. They can't climb some of these walls." he said, adding "Some of them they can. Those are the walls we're not using."

Trump also spoke to members of the Border Patrol about the old fence and the new wall, saying the old one, even though much more effective than nothing, could only deters about 95 percent of criminal activity, but the new wall is "going to stop 99 percent, maybe more than that."

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up before and after photos of a segment of the border inspects border wall prototypes in San Diego, California on March 13, 2018. / (Xinhua/AFP PHOTO)

Trump urged Congress at the prototype construction site to fund his long-promised border wall, which will cost 18 billion U.S. dollars according to the 10-year-period construction plan.

He claimed that the Mexican government will pay for the wall earlier and changed his words now that the wall will pay for itself since it will stop crimes from the other side.

"The border wall is truly our first line of defense," Trump said. "It will save thousands of lives, save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars by reducing crime, drug flow, welfare fraud and burdens on schools and hospitals."

"According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the $18 billion wall will pay for itself by curbing the importation of crime, drugs and illegal immigrants who tend to go on the federal dole..." he tweeted Tuesday morning.

U.S. President Donald Trump's supporters, like Jennifer Harrison, with megaphone, rally near the US-Mexico border for the presidential visit to California to view border wall prototypes in San Diego, California, U.S., March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

A small group of supporters welcomed Trump's visit.

Jeff Schwilk, founder of San Diegans for Secure Borders, whose group participated in the December rally near the prototypes that ended in clashes with counterprotesters, said local residents feel the border is not secure.

"We absolutely want President Trump to feel welcome and to come inspect the prototypes so we can get the wall built," he said.

A woman walks with a slogan opposing border wall near the U.S.-Mexico border of in San Diego, the United States, on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

However, more local residents refused to follow the president's logic.

Kathleen Rooney, a local retiree living in San Diego, told Xinhua Tuesday that she doesn't think it's a good idea to build the wall between the United States and Mexico, which she said are good neighbors that "really rely on each other a lot."

"There's a tremendous amount of money that would be involved to build the wall and maintain and guard it," said Rooney. "Economically, it's really a poor decision."

Holding a banner that reads "We are all immigrants," Rooney was among dozens of protesters in downtown San Diego against Trump's harsh stances on immigration.

One of the rally's organizers, Rosi Escamilla, told Xinhua that she's concerned that the wall would be environmental harmful and cause more cultural division.

At least 200 people rallied and marched in downtown San Diego Monday in protest of Trump's policies. Some held signs read "build bridges, not walls,""No ban, no wall," and "No human is illegal."

"The wall shouldn't exist," said a protestor, Jude Santos, noting that the president with low approval ratings is only to get more support for his presidency.

"Mexico people are just looking for jobs to be able to feed their families. None of Americans wants to do those jobs with low salary," she added.

Kevin Faulconer, mayor of San Diego, posted a statement on his Twitter page, saying "biggest Welcome to San Diego, President Trump. Here you'll find a city that embraces its cross-border economy because free trade works."
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks after inspecting border wall prototypes in San Diego, California on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/ AFP PHOTO)

By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump is continuing his plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico, despite a sea of controversy surrounding the issue.

Trump on Tuesday inspected eight prototypes in San Diego, a border city in the U.S. state of California, for the "big beautiful border wall" he wants to build to separate the United States from Mexico.

The move underscores that Trump is serious about building the wall, despite doubts among some observers and analysts, many of whom believed the plan was too radical, and simply an empty campaign promise.

"Building a wall along the Mexican border was one of Trump's primary campaign promises, so he is devoting a lot of time pushing this initiative as a way to demonstrate he is doing what he said he would do," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

Construction began in September on the eight large prototypes, with each 18 to 30 feet tall, at a cost of between 2 million and 4 million U.S. dollars each.

Trump in January 2017 signed an executive order for the immediate construction of the border wall, as the U.S.-Mexico border is roughly 2,000 miles long, with only around a third of equipped with fencing to prevent the entrance of people and vehicles.

Activists and community groups hold a rally to condemn the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to California during his visit to view border wall prototypes in San Diego, California, in San Ysidro, California, U.S., March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

The wall construction comes at a time when the United States is home to millions of illegal immigrants, many of whom are from Latin America and enter the country via Mexico.

Trump has repeatedly said he would get Mexico to pay for the wall, upsetting one of the nation's biggest trading partners.

But the White House and Trump supporters maintain that these steps are simply practical, and that every sovereign nation reserves the right to protect its own borders. Trump has also said the wall is needed to keep out drug dealers, at a time when Mexico has been plagued by drug cartels.

"Trump understands pushing the wall is vital to his base and (a policy) they wholeheartedly endorse. Many of the people who supported him want a tougher immigration policy and having a wall is consistent with that sentiment," West said.

The major obstacle is that the wall is very expensive and few believe it will stem the tide of illegal immigrants.

Besides the cost of the structure, the logistical and geographical challenges of building the structure on the southern border is another obstacle, analysts note.

People think many other ideas such as increasing the number of border guards and deploying electronic cameras and sensors will be more effective. Even Republican legislators are not entirely convinced the wall is vital for border security, West said.

U.S. President Donald Trump's supporters, like Merilyn Cashman of Dana Point, CA, rally near the US-Mexico border for the presidential visit to California to view border wall prototypes in San Diego, California, U.S., March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/REUTERS)

But some support the wall, arguing that it's high time the United States protects its own borders.

"Updating the U.S. border security infrastructure is long overdue and President Trump has promised to change that," Ana Quintana, Heritage Foundation's Latin America policy analyst, told Xinhua.

"There is a direct body count associated with threats facing the U.S. homeland from transnational criminal organizations and illicit narcotics traffickers. President Trump is simply fulfilling his obligations by responding to these threats," Quintana said.

Demonstrators take part in a protest against US President Donald Trump's migration policies on the Mexican side of the Mexico-US border in Tijuana, Baja California state, during Trump's inspection of the prototypes of the border wall (seen protruding above the current border fence), on the outskirts of San Diego, in the U.S., on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/ AFP PHOTO)

Mexico is also protecting its own southern border with its neighbor Guatemala, she added.

"Mexico's own security dilemmas internally and on their southern border with Guatemala highlight the shared premium both the U.S. and Mexico place on border security," Quintana said.

"It reflects a policy that is hard on all forms of immigration, with a particular attention on illegal immigration -- which is a major concern about the Trump political base," Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, told Xinhua.

Indeed, experts note that for the White House, enforcing the president's policies on immigration is far more important that continued good relations with Mexico.

"For the President, these policies are more important than ensuring the continued cooperation with Mexico in a wide range of political, economic, and security interests," Mahaffee said.
BERLIN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The decision by Britain to leave the European Union has already sparked a collapse in international trade and capital flows, a study published on Tuesday by the Confederation of German Industry (BDI) warned.

The study cited recent data which showed that foreign direct investment (FDI) into Britain declined by a dramatic annual 90 percent in 2017 while Britain also fell by two ranks to fifth in the list of Germany's most important trading partners during the same period.

The BDI interpreted the development as an "alarming sign" that Brexit was already "casting a shadow" on economic relations between Britain and EU.

BDI director Joachim Lang urged London to seize the opportunity of an upcoming session by the European Council to present realistic proposals for a close future relationship between the bloc and the departing member.

"Our companies need reliability," Lang told the press here as he presented a list of the BDI's key priorities for a post-Brexit deal with Britain. "Preserve the status quo," was the first item on the list.

It called on London to at least agree to the continuation of current relations throughout a transition phase from March 2019 onwards to limit the economic fallout of Brexit.

Britain currently expects gross domestic product (GDP) of 1.4 percent in 2018, the lowest rate in the EU.

Due to the sluggish process of exit negotiations, German companies increasingly expect a "hard" Brexit in which Britain leaves the single market and loses most of its currently privileged access to the EU internal market.

"Tariff and quota-free trade in goods is the minimum requirement for German companies, ideally within the framework of a customs union," Lang emphasized.

Any less comprehensive free-trade agreement in lieu of customs union membership would carry the risk of logistical bottlenecks and inevitably lead to an increase in the cost and bureaucratic burden associated with trade, he added.
CANBERRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Coral bleaching has been found off the coast of Australia's Northern Territory for the first time, prompting concerns over the future of marine ecosystems, park rangers told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Wednesday.

Park rangers at the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park on the remote Cobourg Peninsula, 60 kilometers north-east of Darwin, filmed large patches of bleached coral in January, three years after healthy coral was filmed in the same area.

Coral bleaching occurs when water that coral is living in becomes too warm and the marine invertebrates expel the algae living in its tissue, causing the coral to turn completely white.

Coral can survive a bleaching event but they are under more stress and more vulnerable to mortality.

The finding by the rangers in collaboration with the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) came after the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that NT waters were on red alert for temperature rises of four degrees Celsius above average.

"Cobourg is an extremely valuable marine park and we've seen some evidence coming out of there that they are suffering from coral bleaching," Adele Pedder from the AMCS told the ABC.

"There's evidence that we've recently had a sea surface temperature warming event that is like a heatwave underwater."

Pedder said that the death of the NT's remote reefs before they could be properly explored and studied would be a tragedy.

"We know that climate change is having an impact, so we can expect more of these events, we can expect more coral bleaching happening in the NT," she said.

According to a 2017 study by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, two thirds of the iconic Great Barrier Reef has been hit by severe coral bleaching.
MEXICO CITY, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Mexico on Tuesday denied there was any connection between the proposed U.S. border wall and ongoing negotiations with Washington to update the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

"There is, was and will be categorically no relationship between the negotiation of the free trade agreement and the wall, under any circumstances," Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told reporters at a press conference.

Guajardo, who heads Mexico's negotiating team, made the remarks during U.S. President Donald Trump's first inspection of eight prototypes of the wall on display in San Diego, California, a town that shares a border with Tijuana, Mexico.

The alleged link between the wall and possible new NAFTA terms, according to Guajardo, stems from a January Wall Street Journal interview with Trump, in which the president suggested Mexico could pay for the border wall through changes made to the trade pact.

But "no matter how you look at it, there is no relationship between NAFTA and any discussion of the wall," said Guajardo.

The three NAFTA partners, namely the United States, Canada and Mexico, have closed some chapters of the agreement, but disagree on several key issues, including rules of origin in the automotive sector, which stipulate what percentage of a vehicle should be regionally manufactured to be exempt from import duties.

The United States proposed changing the existing rules so that a minimum of 85 percent of an automobile must be made in North America, with at least 50 percent of parts made in the United States.

Mexico and Canada have in the past said they want both rates to remain at 62.5 percent, but on Tuesday Guajardo signaled Mexico was willing to budge.

"Aiming to leave unchanged a rule of origin that was devised 26 years ago lacks any argumentative strength. That the rule of origin is going to change is a fact," said Guajardo, without offering specifics.
The fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

China Tuesday unveiled a massive cabinet restructuring plan to make the government better structured, more efficient, and service-oriented.

The institutional reform plan of the State Council, affecting dozens of entities, was submitted to the first session of the 13th National People's Congress for review, pending approval.

If passed, it will be China's eighth cabinet restructuring since 1982.

Chinese State Councilor Wang Yong delivers an institutional restructuring plan of the State Council at the fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Briefing the lawmakers on the plan, State Councilor Wang Yong said after the shake-up the cabinet would have 15 fewer entities at ministerial or vice-ministerial levels.

He said the move will strengthen the government's roles in economic management, market supervision, social management, public service, ecological and environmental protection.

"It focuses on the needs of development and meets the people's expectations," Wang said, adding that the reshuffle was part of a broader plan of the Communist Party of China to reform the Party and state institutions.

Liu He, a senior Party official and head of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Financial and Economic Affairs, described the reform "revolutionary" in a signed article published on the People's Daily Tuesday.

He said the reform was meant to take on shaking up entrenched power and interests.

"The effects will reach far and deep. Only a great leader can unleash such a reform," said Yang Weimin, Liu's deputy and a member of the top political advisory body.

Yang said a streamlined administration would save numerous coordination meetings between government ministries and agencies each year.

Deputies to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) attend the fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th NPC at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

Cutting bureaucracy has been a common pursuit of governments around the world. China is no exception. Downsizing the cabinet has taken place approximately every five years since the early 1980s.

Observers took note of the latest move, saying there is more to it.

They said the reform pointed to the authorities' current priorities - risk prevention, poverty relief, and pollution control - reflect the country's larger role on global stage, and reaffirm the government's commitment to better protecting the weak and vulnerable.

The fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Liu Weibing)

BETTER REGULATION

In a big change, the China Banking Regulatory Commission and the China Insurance Regulatory Commission will be replaced by a banking and insurance regulatory commission.

The move is aimed at solving existing problems such as unclear responsibilities, cross-regulation, and absence of supervision.

The graphic shows new organs to be formed under the State Council, China's cabinet, according to a plan on institutional restructuring submitted to the first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Lu Zhe)

Chen Nanhuan, a branch manager at the Agricultural Bank of China, said a unified regulator will be more effective to forestall risks.

"It prevents companies from dodging supervision that is not uncommon under current two regulator system," Chen said.

At the same time, the banking and insurance regulator will shift some duties to the People's Bank of China, a sign of consolidating regulatory power by the central bank.

Loopholes in the regulatory system needed to be closed, flaws corrected, and all existing risks dealt with immediately, central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan warned last week.

Aside from creating a new financial regulatory, a state market regulatory administration will be formed, replacing three agencies which have overlapping duties to strengthen oversight of food, drugs, consumer and industrial products, among others.

New entities will be set up to better manage natural resources and protect the environment.

A new ministry of natural resources will make overall planning and oversee the development and protection of the natural resources.

The ministry of ecological environment will be tasked with making and enforcing environmental protection policies, as well as ecological monitoring. It takes over the role of the National Development and Reform Commission concerning climate change response.

Faced with an arduous challenge to tackle pollution, China is making headway.

The central government says it will take more action to build a "Beautiful China," where the skies are blue, the land is green, and the water is clear.

The graphic shows a plan on institutional restructuring submitted by the State Council, or China's cabinet, to the on-going first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Meng Lijing)

GLOBAL EXCHANGE

Another highly-watched move is the forming of an international development cooperation agency. The agency will assume duties now scattered in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Commerce.

Wang, the state councilor, said the move will give full play to foreign aid as a key means of major-country diplomacy, enhance strategic planning and coordination of foreign aid, and better serve the country's overall diplomatic layout and the Belt and Road Initiative.

China has emerged as a key provider of foreign aid to the developing world. Its aid -- ranging from food, disaster relief materials, and machinery to schools, houses, and infrastructure projects -- can be seen across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

According to a government white paper issued in December 2016, China has given about 400 billion yuan (63.5 billion U.S. dollars) in development aid to 166 countries and international organizations in the past six decades.

Wen Chao, a manager at Guangdong Agribusiness Group, said the new agency was highly anticipated by companies participating in aid projects.

In a move seen to boost the charm of Chinese culture, the cabinet will merge the Ministry of Culture with National Tourism Administration. Wang said it would help enhance China's "soft power" and cultural influence.

China also plans to set up a state immigration administration under the Ministry of Public Security.

Explaining the move, Wang said the number of foreigners working and living in China has been rising, creating new requirements for immigration administration and services.

Guangzhou is one of the Chinese cities seeing a boom of foreign migrants in recent years.

Liu Baochun, a foreign liaison official based in the city, said an immigration office is very necessary for China and fits its status as the world's second largest economy with extensive exchanges with the world.

"A growing China will attract more foreigners to come," he said.

The fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 13, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

PUBLIC WELFARE

People's welfare will be better protected too. Two new ministerial departments are each dedicated to public health and veterans affairs.

The national health commission aims to offer comprehensive lifelong health services for the people while the ministry of veterans affairs will make and enforce policies concerning demobilized military personnel, dealing with issues such as their reemployment and training.

In addition, the cabinet will put into place a new state administration on medical insurance to ensure medical insurance funds are safe, controllable and reasonably used in a bid to safeguard public access to medical services.

Zhang Zhanbin, a professor with Chinese Academy of Governance, said with the cabinet institutional reform China would take a step forward on modernizing state governance.

"The reform upholds the people-centered approach and helps the market play a decisive role," Zhang said. "But it is not a once-for-all fix. There is much more work ahead."
SYDNEY, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Australian researchers on Wednesday said they are harnessing diamonds for use in biomedical implants, through a novel way that could improve the way the human body accepts the medical devices.

"Currently the gold standard for medical implants is titanium but too often titanium implants don't interact with our bodies the way we need them to," RMIT University quoted its biomedical engineer Dr Kate Fox, who led the team behind the development, as saying in a statement.

"To work around this, we have used diamond on 3D scaffolds to create a surface coating that adheres better to cells commonly found in mammals."

"We are using detonation nanodiamonds to create the coating, which are cheaper than the titanium powder."

The coating also helps cell growth and reduces bacterial attachment in the implants, she said.

"Not only could our diamond coating lead to better biocompatibility for 3D-printed implants, but it could also improve their wear and resistance. It's an exceptional biomaterial."

The researchers are focusing on using the technology for orthopaedics. Other than the musculoskeletal system, diamond has also been used to coat cardiovascular stents - tubes that help keep the heart's arteries open - and on joints, as well as in bionics and prosthetics, said the university.

"It will be a number of years before a technology like this is rolled out, and there are many steps to take until we see it available to patients," said Fox. "But what we have done is taking the first crucial step in a long and potentially incredible journey."
CANBERRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The rare Australian humpback dolphin needs urgent protection to be saved from extinction, an Australian study released on Wednesday said.

In the study, researchers from Flinders University discovered new information about the population genetics of the Sousa sahulensis, commonly known as the humpback dolphin.

The study concluded that the deaths of even a few mature individuals per year could be detrimental for the viability of humpback dolphin populations.

"Our results show that Australian humpback dolphin populations along the east coast of Queensland are characterized by low levels of genetic diversity, limited gene flow, and small effective population size," lead author Guido Parra said in a media release on Wednesday.

"Conservation efforts should focus on promoting connectivity among local populations and reducing direct causes of human related mortality."

Scientists studied the Australian humpback dolphin, which is endemic to northern Australia and southern New Guinea, for 17 years before coming to the conclusion that it was a separate species within the Sousa family.

They are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of threatened species.

Due to the small population of the dolphin, Parra and a team of researchers spent 10 years collecting genetic samples.

Co-author Daniele Cagnazzi said the results should "raise important conservation concerns and emphasise the vulnerability of this species to random natural and human disturbances."

"Understanding the population genetics of threatened species is imperative for the development of appropriate conservation measures because some may be more vulnerable to natural and human disturbances than others depending on their genetic diversity and past demographic history," Cagnazzi said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 10:47:46|Editor: Liangyu

Video Player Close

CANBERRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Spending by international visitors in Australia has surpassed 40 billion Australian dollars (31 billion U.S. dollars) for the first time with a quarter coming from Chinese tourists, a tourism survey said on Wednesday.

The International Visitor Survey, released by Tourism Research Australia on Wednesday, revealed that international spending rose 6 percent, or 2.2 billion AU dollars (1.7 billion U.S. dollars), to 41.3 billion AU dollars (32.44 billion U.S. dollars) in the 2017 calendar year.

The number of international visitors to Australia also rose 6 percent to 8.1 million.

"Chinese tourists remain Australia's biggest spenders, pumping a record 10.4 billion AU dollars (8.17 billion U.S. dollars) - a 14 percent increase from last year - into the economy," Australian Minister for Trade and Tourism Steven Ciobo said in a media release on Wednesday.

The growth coincided with the 2017 China Australia Year of Tourism - a government initiative to promote Australia as a destination in China through "targeted marketing, aviation liberalization and visa reform."

Approximately 1.33 million Chinese tourists visited Australia in 2017, second only to New Zealand.

Spending by international visitors increased in all states and territories, except Western Australia which experienced a 5 percent drop-off.

"Almost all states and territories saw growth in spending by international tourists during the year, with most recording double-digit increases," Ciobo said.

"Tasmania continues to enjoy the strongest growth in the country, with spending by international tourists surging 31 percent during the year and up an incredible 90 percent over the past three years."

Spending by visitors from the United States also grew, up 3 percent to 3.8 billion AU dollars (2.98 billion U.S. dollars).
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 10:52:48|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

LIMA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Peru led Latin America in economic growth in 2017, thanks to a thriving export sector, Peru's Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Eduardo Ferreyros said Tuesday.

The South American country saw a 2.5-percent expansion in gross domestic product (GDP) last year, more than Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, said Ferreyros.

Peru's exports grew by 44.2 billion U.S. dollars, a record high in the past six years, and one of the highest globally, he said.

"Peru's (export) leadership is reflected in its top position worldwide, ranking in third place among more than 200 (countries or regions) that saw the biggest growth in exports," Ferreyros told participants at Exportaciones Peru 2017, a trade event held at Lima's convention center.

Peru's exports to China, especially minerals, agricultural goods and seafood products, helped drive growth, he said.

"China is our leading trade partner, the country that buys the most Peruvian export products overall," Ferreyros told Xinhua following the event.

"It's an important market. China is an excellent trade partner and we will continue to export to them," he added.

Peru exports various goods from copper, iron and zinc to alpaca and llama wool to China, with which it signed a free trade agreement in 2009.

"We want to continue to increase our exports of nontraditional products, and to do that we have lifted the sanitary barriers that were placed on cranberries and prawns," said Ferreyros.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 11:02:50|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

DAR ES SALAAM, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China has been creating jobs for African people and providing new training and skills for the continent, Tanzania's top diplomat said.

Major projects like railways and various factories China has built on the continent not only provide basic needs, but also a lot of employment,Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation Augustine Mahiga said in an interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.

"So it may not be very correct to say Chinese investments and economic activities do not create jobs locally," Mahiga said when commenting on a recent speech by outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson who said Chinese investment in Africa did not bring significant jobs.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday abruptly announced he was replacing Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), just as Tillerson late Monday wrapped up his first official visit to Africa.

On the trip to the continent, Tillerson said that African countries should be careful not to forfeit their sovereignty when they accept loans from China, the continent's biggest trading partner.

When Africa needed certain industries and projects, like railways, after it could not get from other countries or could not meet the relevant conditions for financial payment or political requirements, African countries had to go to a country like China which was ready to give, Mahiga said.

Beijing has insisted that it provide support to Africa with no political strings attached, urging rich countries to follow suit.

When talking about debt problems in some African countries, he believed there were more innovative ways of making debt relief and loans more palatable, more manageable and more user friendly.

He said the good thing about Africa is that it has freedom to choose loans. If an African country wants loans and the terms are unacceptable, it could shop around in the international market and look for other options.

In a statement, Tillerson said it was necessary that there should be participation by other countries in the development process, especially in the development of Africa.

But Mahiga emphasized that it was not a matter of choice doing business with China.

"It is a matter of necessity because China is the second biggest economy in the world today. China is a major trading country in the world. And all countries are visiting Beijing to strike business deals. And who are we in Africa or Tanzania to shy away from that," he said.

"It will be really not fair to say the Chinese terms are bad for Africa and they are good for Europe and America; and the same kind of businesses that Chinese are doing in Europe or North America are bad businesses for Africa," he said.

"In our estimation we see that these are consistent with our priorities and are compatible with our economic satisfaction," he said.

China has been the largest trading partner of Tanzania for many years with some 350,000 Tanzanians doing jobs related to trade with China. Also Chinese companies have built a number of mega projects in Tanzania, including roads and bridges, creating about 150,000 jobs.
CANBERRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- German contractor Rheinmetall has won the 5.2-billion-Australian-dollar (4.08 billion U.S. dollars) contract to build 211 light armored vehicles for the Australian Army.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was the single-largest acquisition in the Australian Army's history with the purchase and maintenance of the vehicles to cost 15.4 billion AU dollars (12.1 billion U.S. dollars).

"As one of the troopers said to me just a moment ago, this is about lethality and survivability. This is about capability and protection," Turnbull said while announcing the contract on Wednesday.

The vehicles will be built at a new facility in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, creating 1,450 jobs across Australia.

The federal government also considered a bid by the Britain's BAE Systems, which would have built the vehicles in Victoria, but Defence Minister Marise Payne said the chosen prototypes had been through rigorous testing.

The vehicles will have a 30-year life and will be equipped for peacekeeping and high-threat operations, the Australian Defence Force said.

The opposition Australian Labor Party has accused the government of choosing Rheinmetall's bid to appease voters in marginal electorates in Queensland, a suggestion dismissed by Defence Industry Minister Chris Pyne.

"The Rheinmetall bid was assessed by Defence as being the successful tenderer," Pyne said.
CANBERRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Australia's homeless population has grown more than 13 percent in five years, data revealed on Wednesday.

According to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)' 2016 Census of Population and Housing released on Wednesday, 116,427 people were homeless at the time of the Census, up from 102,439 in 2011.

The rate of homelessness has also grown, up 4.6 percent to 50 homeless persons per 10,000 people.

Paul Jelfs, general manager of population and social statistics at the ABS, said that people living in "severely crowded" dwellings, defined as requiring four or more additional bedrooms to comfortably accommodate the people who live there, were the biggest contributors to the homeless growth.

"In 2016, this group accounted for 51,088 people, up from 41,370 in 2011," Jelfs said in a media release on Wednesday.

"On Census night, 8,200 people were estimated to be 'sleeping rough' in improvised dwellings, tents or sleeping out -- an increase from 3.2 persons per 10,000 people in 2011 to 3.5 persons per 10,000 people in 2016."

There was significant growth in the homelessness rate of younger and older Australians, Jelfs said, with one quarter of all homeless Australians in 2016 aged between 20 and 30 years.

The rate of people aged 65 to 74 experiencing homelessness also grew to 27 persons per 10,000, up from 25 in 2011.

Recent migrants accounted for 15 percent of the homeless population with a majority coming from countries in southeast, northeast, central and southern Asia.

The ABS collaborated with service providers to enumerate the homeless population, a task Jelfs described as a "difficult challenge."
ISLAMABAD, March 14 (Xinhua) -- One security personnel was killed and three others were injured in a terrorist attack in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, local reports cited a press release issued by the Sindh Rangers as saying early Wednesday.

According to the statement, a paramilitary force Rangers contingent was on a routine patrol in Lyari's Ali Mohammad Mohalla area in Karachi, the capital city of southern Sindh province on late Tuesday, when terrorists attacked them with heavy arms and hand grenades.

One ranger died by the attack while three others got injured. During the exchange of fire, a terrorist was also shot dead.

Following the incident, additional rangers and police forces reached the scene and started a search operation after cordoning off the area.

"A grenade, three bombs, one 9 mm pistol and magazines were recovered from the dead terrorist. The identification process of the assailant is underway," said the Sindh Rangers statement.
YANGON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar rebutted the accusations of its violation of human rights at Rakhine state and called on the international community to contribute to the democratization and construction of the region, a senior official was quoted by local media as saying Wednesday.

"History will be the ultimate judge of what has occurred in Rakhine state," Myanmar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations U Htin Lynn was quoted by the Global New Light of Myanmar as saying.

At a dialogue on Myanmar's human rights situation during the ongoing 37th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, U Htin Lynn made a rebuttal statement, saying that it is "unreasonable to assert that Myanmar leadership, whose mission has human rights at its core, remains indifferent to the allegations of grave human rights violation."

During the dialogue, Yanghee Lee, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, presented her report, followed by an oral report of the Chair of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar to the Human Rights Council. Both of them charged Myanmar with committing violence and genocide with regard to Rakhine issue.

In a rebuttal, U Htin Lynn said:" The leadership and the government shall never tolerate such crime. Myanmar is ready to take action when there is clear evidence. Legal action has already been taken against military and police officers and civilians who were found to be in breach of standard operating procedures and rules of engagement following the Inn Din incident."

He clarified that in preparing facilities for refugees' repatriation, bulldozing the ground and building new structures on sites of Muslim homes is part of the process, calling for not viewing the situation with a preconceived mind and doubtful eyes.

Last week, Myanmar military also rejected the European Union Foreign Affairs Council's latest charges on Rakhine issue, saying that the one-sided accusations will badly impact Myanmar armed forces' implementation of law and order, state security and participation in the democracy transition as well as the government's rehabilitation of conflict-torn area.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an arrangement in November last year on the return of displaced persons from Bangladesh, who fled from the Rakhine conflict.

The ARSA extremist launched attacks on police outposts in Rakhine on Aug. 25 last year, displacing residents from a number of areas in Maungtaw district.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 12:07:59|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge, the spokesman said. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

London, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge in London, the spokesman said.
SEOUL, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was being questioned by prosecutors Wednesday for a string of corruption charges including bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion.

Lee, who ended his five-year presidential term in February 2013, appeared in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Wednesday morning as a "criminal suspect," local TV footage showed.

Before going inside the prosecution office, Lee read a brief statement to say sorry for worrying the people of South Korea. He hoped that he would be the country's last president in history to be investigated by state prosecutors.

Lee became the latest South Korean leader to be grilled by prosecutors over the corruption allegations.

Park Geun-hye, Lee's successor, was removed out of office last year for an influence-peddling scandal involving her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil.

Park was grilled by prosecutors in March last year and taken into custody later in the month. She is now standing trial, with prosecutors requesting 30 years in jail. A Seoul court is set to hand down a ruling next month.

Lee was reportedly being questioned at the same room of the prosecution office as the one for Park a year ago on allegations that he had received tens of millions of U.S. dollars in bribes from the country's intelligence agency and big companies including Samsung Electronics.

Samsung is believed to have paid retaining fees, on Lee's behalf, in the United States for DAS, a South Korean auto parts maker which Lee allegedly owns under the names of his relatives. DAS is under investigation for embezzlement and creating a slush fund, which is believed to have been funneled into Lee for his presidential campaign.

In return for the legal fee offer, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee is believed to have bought a presidential pardon in 2009 when the Samsung chairman, currently being in hospital, got a suspended jail sentence for tax evasion.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS), the country's spy agency, is believed to have delivered secret operation fund to Lee's office at his behest through his closest aides, some of whom already admitted the allegation.

Prosecutors raided the offices and homes of Lee's relatives and aides, many of whom were summoned for questioning.

Lee is also suspected of dodging taxes through accounting fraud in DAS and by owning real estate assets and bank deposits under borrowed names.
HANOI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Border guards of Vietnam's northern Dien Bien province in coordination with Laos' relevant agencies detained three Lao men for trading and transporting lab-made drugs from Laos to Vietnam, provincial border guards said on Wednesday.

In addition to arresting the trio aged 33, 49 and 53 respectively, who are members of a ring that traded and stored drugs in Laos and then sold them in Vietnam, the border guards confiscated 60 cakes of heroin, 40,000 pills of ecstasy, one handgun, seven bullets and some other items.

According to the Vietnamese law, those convicted of smuggling over 600 grams of heroin or more than 2.5 kg of methamphetamine are punishable by death. Making or trading 100 grams of heroin or 300 grams of other illegal drugs also faces death penalty.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 12:38:08|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge, the spokesman said. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

London, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday.

The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge in London, the spokesman said.

Hawking, a lengendary figure in the modern history of physics, has authored several best-sellers on science, including "A Brief History of Time," despite being bound to wheelchair after contracting a motor neurone disease in 1963.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 12:58:12|Editor: ZD

Video Player Close

by Raul Menchaca

MATANZAS, Cuba, March 13 (Xinhua) -- An over 100-year-old sugar mill, the ruins of which today house a museum, is perhaps the most important site along Cuba's Slave Route, part of an international project promoted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Tourism Organization.

The old Triumvirate sugar mill, located about 15 km from the western city of Matanzas, was the scene of the first black slave uprising in Cuba against the Spanish colonialists.

The location's dazzling beauty masks a bloody history visitors can learn about at the museum housed inside the old complex.

On Nov. 5, 1843, 250 men and women who had been brought from Africa to work as slaves in the sugar cane plantation and mill owned by the powerful Alfonso family rose up against their oppressors.

Led by a slave named La Negra Carlota, the rebels killed the entire family and razed their homestead. They then continued their offensive to free others. At the nearby Acana plantation, also owned by the Alfonsos, they met the slave Fermina, who led them in the assault on the sugar mill.

The rebel slaves next attacked the Concepcion sugar mill owned by the Aldama-Alfonso family, as well as portions of coffee plantations in the area.

The rebellion was quickly quashed when Governor Garcia-Ona sent troops to surround the insurgents at the San Rafael sugar mill, where the rebel slaves were massacred by the Spanish colonial forces and their superior weapons.

"These people had been mistreated and brought by force. What predominated in them was their anger, and that turned what could have been a more coherent movement into something with a strong vengeful nature," Cuban historian Ercilio Vento told Xinhua.

Vento describes the Slave Route as a symbolic journey that unites the histories of Latin American countries that thrived on slave labor from Africa.

"This route goes through the city, which is not just a road, but records the history of the development of the sugar industry that was built on the backs of the African slaves," said Vento, 74, as he walked through the ruins of the old mill.

Latin American historians refer to Matanzas at that time as "sugarocracy," where the sugar industry boomed at the end of the 18th century. As a result, the region had the largest population of slaves at more than 100,000. As expected, the area also saw the largest number of slave rebellions.

Today at the museum, an immense sculpture by Cuban artist Alberto Lescay pays homage to Carlota and her indomitable spirit.

In 1976, the Cuban government paid its own tribute by code-naming its vast and secret military operation to back Angola's fight for independence "Operation Carlota." Enditem
2 policemen killed in S. Afghan car bombing Source: Xinhua 2018-03-14 12:58:13 LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least two Afghan police personnel were killed and two others injured after a suicide car bombing struck a border police outpost in southern Helmand province on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman said. Editor: Liangyu
OTTAWA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- A flag mix-up during the Belgian royal family's visit to Canada almost led to an awkward moment on Monday, as a German flag was first placed on a tree planted by Belgium's Queen Fabiola in 1977 before being quickly replaced with the Belgian one.

It's the first visit of the Belgian royal family to the North American country in over 40 years.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde received an official welcome at the residence of Canadian Governor General Julie Payette, who represents Canada's head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. The royal pair were set to plant a new sapling next to the special tree planted four decades ago, on the grounds of the residence.

But the flag marking the tree wasn't the right one. It was a German flag.

Both flags feature black, red and yellow stripes, but the Belgian flag's stripes are vertical, while Germany's are horizontal, and in a different order.

The mix-up was fortunately noticed prior to the royal pair's arrival at the tree planting and the correct flag was placed on the tree just in time.

The error was first spotted by Belgian journalist Wim Dehandschutter, who posted on Twitter about the mistake.

"They are the same colors so maybe that's the reason why, and we have very close relations with Germany so it's not a real problem," Didier Reynders, the Belgian foreign minister, was quoted by Canadian CBC news as saying.
WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- There's a "very real possibility" that U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort will face life imprisonment, a U.S. federal judge said Tuesday in a court order.

"Given the nature of the charges against the defendant and the apparent weight of the evidence against him, the defendant faces the very real possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison," the court paper issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia said.

The paper dictated that before his trial, Manafort would be subject to home incarceration with local monitoring, and set a 10 million U.S. dollar unsecured bail.

"The defendant is a person of great wealth who has the financial means and international connections to flee and remain at large, as well as every incentive to do so," the paper said, directing that all of Manafort's passports be confiscated and banning applications for new passports.

According to U.S. media, Manafort would face a maximum of 305 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

He faces tax charges and nine charges of bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy each carrying a maximum of 30 years in prison. Manafort also faces five conspiracy charges and foreign lobbying violations in a separate case in the District of Columbia, which may bring a total of 15 to 20 years in prison.

Manafort would be confined to his home in Alexandria, Virginia until his trials, set for July 10 in Virginia, and Sept. 17 in Washington.

The ex-lobbyist, a key figure in the ongoing probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, has pleaded not guilty to all of his charges.

Should he choose to change his plea, he would be forced by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office to reveal his knowledge on Trump campaign's interactions with Russia.

Republican representatives in the House Intelligence Committee concluded Monday in a report that no evidence was found pointing to collusion, attracting a vehement attack from Democrats, who vowed to draft a separate report after further investigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 13:18:16|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

SAN DIEGO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- On a cloudy day untypical for coastal San Diego, President Donald Trump landed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar on Tuesday for his maiden visit as president to California.

Trump, after a 14-month absence from the United States' most populous state, immediately flew to Otay Mesa in southern San Diego to inspect eight prototypes for his long-promised border wall with Mexico, a signature of his campaign promises.

When viewing the giant structures, which are 30 feet (9.1 meters) high and 30 feet long, Trump said that he preferred a fully concrete wall with see-through features.

"You have to know what's on the other side of the wall," he said as wall prototypes, lined up one after another, were towering over him and his delegation. Shipping containers were unloaded around the models, visible from Tijuana across the border in Mexico, to block views from the Mexican side.

"If you didn't have walls over here, you wouldn't even have a country," Trump said, in an apparent attack at critics targeting his commitment to the wall.

Trump's tour, which also took him to Los Angeles for a speech to members of the military and a Republican fundraiser, was met with peaceful demonstrations with protesters both for and against the planned wall.

Jeff Schwilk, founder of San Diegans for Secure Borders, said that many residents don't feel the border is secure and he was looking forward to the president's inspection of the prototypes so that they "can get the wall built."

But for California, a Democratic stronghold where Trump lost by more than 4 million votes in the 2016 presidential election and that is feuding with the administration over immigration enforcement practices, the opposition against the wall appeared to be much more stronger.

Kathleen Rooney, a local retiree living in San Diego, told Xinhua that she doesn't think it's a good idea to build the wall between the United States and Mexico, which she said are good neighbors that "really rely on each other a lot."

Holding a banner that reads "We are all immigrants," Rooney was among hundreds of protesters in downtown San Diego who were standing up against the border wall and the administration's hardline stance on immigration, while chanting "Build bridges not walls!"

One of the rally's organizers, Rosi Escamilla, told Xinhua that she's concerned that the wall would be environmentally harmful and socially and culturally divisive.

The economic cost for the border wall is also tremendous. The Trump administration is seeking 18 billion U.S. dollars for the construction of the border wall for the next 10 years to add 316 miles (509 km) of new barriers and replace old fencing along 407 miles (655 km) despite the fact that there is no clear funding from Congress for the project.

Trump has insisted that Mexico will reimburse the United States for the planned border wall, a claim that has been strongly denied by the Mexican side and frozen the two neighbors' ties, though he said Tuesday that he has "a great relationship" with the Mexican president.

"It's so ridiculous," said Escamilla, who was born in Tijuana, "The money on building the wall could be used to improve people's livelihood and bring the best of humanity."

But for many on the Mexican side, Trump's visit and his proposed border wall are insignificant. The daily commute from Tijuana to San Diego is the same as it was before Trump took office, as there are still tens of thousands of commuters lining up during weekday mornings to cross the border.

Most of them are holders of "border crossing cards" that are given to millions of Mexicans in the border areas for short visits. The travel permits don't allow holders to work in the United States but some are willing to take the risk for higher pay.

A local taxi driver in Tijuana who identified himself as Manuel Cruz told Xinhua that workers could only earn six dollars per day in Tijuana but they could be paid double per hour for working in landscaping, shipyard maintenance, housekeeping or as hotel maids in San Diego.

"They are not taking away American jobs like the president has said," a San Diego resident told Xinhua, refuting Trump's narrative. "They are doing jobs that Americans wouldn't do."

Some protestors also noted that a border wall would neither affect common Mexicans who have visas or border crossing cards for legal entries nor put an end to illegal crossings.

"For smugglers and criminals, they would simply find a taller ladder, or dig tunnels like they always do, no matter what walls are built," Uber driver James said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 13:28:19|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The World Economic Forum on Latin America kicked off Tuesday in Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo, drawing hundreds of leaders to discuss the future of the region and new paths of economic growth.

The theme of the two-day meeting, a regional version of the World Economic Forum which is held every year in Davos, Switzerland, is "Latin America at a Turning Point: Shaping the New Narrative."

Subjects including controversial U.S. tariff policy, fake news and online defamation -- a highly relevant matter to the upcoming Brazilian general elections, sexual harassment in the workplace, gender parity, new industrial perspectives for Latin America, and globalization will be discussed during the meeting.

The recent decision of U.S. President Donald Trump to slap 25-percent tariffs on steel imports and 10-percent tariffs on aluminum imports has caused an uproar in global markets and will significantly affect Brazil, so the country has publicly expressed concerns about the move and is reportedly considering taking the matter to international arbitration.

Sao Paulo State Governor Geraldo Alckmin supports free trade and has criticized protectionist measures at the opening ceremony.

"We defend open trade which benefits society, improve competitiveness, productivity and provides opportunities. So it is evident that we cannot agree with protectionist measures," he said.

Roberto Azevedo, head of the World Trade Organization, will address the forum and will talk about the U.S. tax policy and globalization.

The meeting is held amid Brazil's economic recovery. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) increased 1 percent in 2017, after two years of falling.

This is the third time for Brazil to host the meeting. The other two were held in 2006 and 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 13:48:21|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

Afghan security force members inspect the site of attack in Nad Ali district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, March 14, 2018. At least two Afghan police personnel were killed and two others injured after a suicide car bombing struck a border police outpost in southern Helmand province on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman said. (Xinhua/Abdul Aziz Safdari)

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least two Afghan police personnel were killed and two others injured after a suicide car bombing struck a border police outpost in southern Helmand province on Wednesday, provincial government spokesman said.

The incident occurred at round 8:30 a.m. local time in Sayyed Abad locality, Nad Ali district, western side of provincial capital Lashkar Gah city, Omar Zwak told Xinhua.

"A Taliban militant detonated an explosive-laden mini-truck at the front gate of the outpost which also homes a joint Afghan security forces' control and command operating center, leaving the casualties," Zwak said.

The blast also damaged the outpost in the province notorious for poppy growing and militancy, 555 km south of Kabul.

Casualties of the Afghan security forces have risen since the beginning of 2015 when Afghan soldiers and police assumed full responsibilities of security from the United States and NATO troops.
PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces in crackdown against militants have arrested four Taliban fighters including key commander Qari Bakhtiar outside Pul-e-Khumri, the capital of northern Baghlan province, army spokesman Nasratullah Jamshidi said Wednesday.

"Acting upon intelligence report, the security forces raided Taliban hideout in Chashma-e-Shir locality outside provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri and arrested notorious commander Qari Bakhtiar along with three others on Tuesday night," Jamshidi told Xinhua.

Qari Bakhtiar was in-charge of organizing roadside bombings and targeting security personnel in the northern Baghlan province, the official said, adding his arrest could prove a major setback to the militant group.

Meantime, another army spokesman in the northern region, Mohammad Hanif Rezai said that Qari Aslam, another Taliban group commander in Baghlan province, is also among those arrested outside provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri.

Taliban militants haven't commented.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 13:58:23|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

U.S. President Donald Trump answers questions from the press before departing the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 13, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he was replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, chief of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

WASHINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- In the biggest cabinet shakeup ever since he assumed office in 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and announced he would be replaced by Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

The departure of Tillerson, the second Trump cabinet member to leave, may indicate a more aggressive and unilateral U.S. foreign policy.

NEVER "TRUMP'S GUY"

The U.S. media said that the biggest reason for Tillerson's leaving was that he has never been a "Trump's guy," referring to his divergences with Trump on personality and policies.

Although his nomination as state secretary had won the recommendations from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and defense chief Robert Gates, Tillerson clashed with Trump over both domestic and international issues.

After Trump made the highly controversial remarks over Charlottesville's racial violence that many said have racist implications, Tillerson stood up against him by saying that "the president speaks for himself" and "we represent the American people."

Sources were also quoted as saying that Trump was irritated by Tillerson's body language during meetings, as the latter was said to "roll his eyes or slouch" when he disagreed with the decisions of his boss.

Widening differences on foreign policies and international issues further escalated the tensions between the two.

Trump told the media that he and Pompeo are "always on the same wavelength," yet with Tillerson, they "disagreed on things."

"With Mike Pompeo, we have a similar thought process," Trump said. "I actually got on well with Rex but it was a different mindset."

Tillerson's support of Washington staying in multilateral treaties and organizations such as the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord, and his promotion of unconditional dialogue with Pyongyang, have all made him unpopular with the Trump administration and unable to get into the ultimate decision-making circle.

Even in his just-concluded trip to Africa, Tillerson was still making efforts to "clean up" Trump's derogatory comments on African nations.

LOSSES OVERSHADOW GAINS

In the eyes of some U.S. media outlets, Tillerson had some "successes" in his less than 14-month term, including the growing pressure against Pyongyang to force it to abandon the nuclear project, and the improved ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

"But he is likely to go down as among the least successful secretaries of state in history, and one big reason was his poor management of his relationship with Mr. Trump," said a New York Times report.

Tillerson's sour ties with Trump have undercut the authority as secretary of state.

Representative Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader, tweeted on Tuesday that "Whenever Secretary Tillerson's successor goes into meetings with foreign leaders, his credibility will be diminished as someone who could be here today and gone tomorrow."

Besides the cut of budget and personnel recruitment in the State Department, veteran diplomats also accused Tillerson of communicating insufficiently with them. Rather, he was said to rely on his top aides, "neither of whom had much experience or knowledge about many of the countries they discussed."

Trump was reportedly planning to sack Tillerson also in a bid to ensure his diplomatic team is in place before the U.S. talks with Pyongyang and negotiations on key trade deals.

INCREASING ASSERTIVENESS IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Analysts said that Tillerson's leaving and being replaced by Pompeo may indicate further aggressiveness in U.S. foreign policy and the U.S. trade stance.

Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua that Tillerson, with a "softer" approach to international affairs than Trump, "believed in diplomacy and wanted to engage allies in U.S. activities."

"That ran contrary to Trump's 'Lone Ranger' approach of relying upon himself for major initiatives," he added, noting that the White House "likely will take a tougher stance on foreign policy because there will be fewer impediments to Trump being Trump."

Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, also told Xinhua that the sacking of Tillerson was a sign for Trump to "double down on the idea of letting 'Trump be Trump' and removing a voice of moderation -- even if controversial in his departmental management."

"The president will have greater leeway to follow his own instincts on foreign policy and he will be less restrained in taking actions," West said.

He predicted that Pompeo may take a tougher line on the talks with Pyongyang. "Trump probably will be more impulsive and more prone to rattle cages around the world."

Mahaffee added that the dismissal "further sidelines the State Department and traditional diplomatic efforts as the effort is largely being driven by Trump himself" in the U.S. further engagement with Pyongyang.

Also in terms of the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump lambasted on Tuesday as "terrible," the U.S. stance may get tougher under Pompeo.

"That is consistent with Trump's overall perspective and geo-political concerns regarding Iran's role ... There likely will be close attention to Iran with the new leadership," West said.

Mahaffee also said Tillerson's leaving may create "a complex impact" on the U.S. trade relations with other nations.

"Tillerson had been a voice for avoiding a trade war ... (the Tillerson firing) makes it much easier to have an 'America First' approach in the truest sense of what was heard on the campaign trail, as Trump is removing a moderate, pragmatic voice from his cabinet," said Mahaffee.

Max Boot, a senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, also voiced concerns over the future U.S. foreign policy.

"Does that mean that Trump is now likely to scrap the Iranian nuclear deal at the same time that he is meeting with Kim to discuss the denuclearization of North Korea (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea)?" he said.

"This is a schizophrenic approach that is likely to lead to failed talks with North Korea, which could in turn lead to a renewed push within the administration to launch Korean War II. For all his faults, Tillerson knew that a war with a nuclear-armed state was a bad idea. Does Pompeo?"
VIENTIANE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- All commodities produced in Laos will have a trademark under the Madrid Protocol, to create economic opportunities and help raise the standard of trade in the country, local media reported on Wednesday.

The Madrid system, officially the Madrid system for the international registration of marks, is the primary international system for facilitating the registration of trademarks in multiple jurisdictions around the world.

Laos will be the fifth ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country to use this system. Director General of the Department of Intellectual Property under the Lao Ministry of Science and Technology, Khanlasy Keobounphanh, on Tuesday addressed the topic at a workshop on international trademark registration under the Madrid Protocol, local state-run daily Vientiane Times reported on Wednesday.

The Madrid Protocol system provides for the international registration of trademarks by way of one application that can cover more than one country. This provides a mechanism for obtaining trademark protection in many countries around the world, which is more effective than seeking protection separately in each individual country.

"The main objectives of the workshop were to increase awareness of the need for trademark registration and protection and related trademarks," Khanlasy said.
CHICAGO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Red carpet rolled out for the opening of the Pan-Asian film organization's season six festival in downtown Chicago Tuesday night, showcasing 16 feature and documentary films from Asia and Canada.

Sophia Wong Boccio, founder and executive-artistic director of Asian Pop-Up Cinema and film festival, told Xinhua that the program running from March 13 to May 16 this year is quite diverse, with film genres ranging "from comedy and romance to epic action, drama and documentary."

Boccio started operating Asian Pop-Up Cinema in 2015 and began presenting two seasons of films selected from various countries in Asia each year. She has expanded the selection to include Asian-themed movies from directors in Canada this year.

The ceremony opened with the feature film "Colors of the Wind," directed by Kwak Jae-young from South Korea. Japanese star Yuki Furukawa played a dual role.

"Colors of the Wind" tells the story of love, fate and mystery as Ryo played by Furukawa was told by his dying girlfriend that there is another her and how he decided to find out the meaning behind her words.

Furukawa attended the opening and told Xinhua that he had been to China a couple of times and filmed a drama series in China.

"I'm the first Japanese actor that ever had a fan meeting in China," he said with a smile.

Shiho Keenan, who is 31 years old, said she flew from Los Angeles to see Furukawa, and her Japanese girlfriends also came from Tokyo directly even though they had seen the film before.

He is super and the film is "so unreal that needs to be watched again for more understanding," one of the girls said.

Films from Chinese mainland include "Paths of the Soul" directed by Zhang Yang.

In addition, there are also films from Hong Kong and Taiwan, including "The Great Buddha+" and "Tomorrow is Another Day" in which actor Ling Man-lung got a Bright Star Award for his performance.

Other films shown at the festival come from nations like Japan, India,as well as Canada.

"This season we're hosting the biggest representation yet of special guests from around the world," said Boccio. "Their presence only intensifies the cultural exchange that defines our programming and our mission."

Michael Croson, 53, from Canada said this is his second year attending the Asian film festival.

"I have never been to Asia. These films give me a window to Asian cultures," Croson said.

In an effort to promote Asian films, Boccio has teamed up with several local organizations to present six free community screenings at various locations.
MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will issue a notice of withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), his spokesman said on Wednesday.

"I confirm that President Duterte has directed the Executive Secretary to give notice that (the Philippines is) withdrawing as a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC," Harry Roque said.

Roque's statement came a few minutes after Duterte's office issued a draft statement that indeed he has decided to withdraw from the ICC.

"I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as the President of the Republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome Statute effective immediately," Duterte said in the draft statement.
DHAKA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Bangladeshi government has declared one-day state mourning on Thursday for the victims of the US-Bangla Airlines plane that crashed in Kathmandu, Nepal on Monday.

Bangladeshi cabinet at an emergency meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Wednesday made the decision.

As part of marking the mourning day, special prayers will be held at all religious institutions and places of worship including mosques, temples and churches and pagodas across the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Deputy Press Secretary Ashraful Alam Khokon said.

At least 51 people were killed as the aircraft, with 71 people onboard, crashed and burst into flames while landing at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu on Monday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 16:45:45|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

Doctor Yang Lianying of Miao ethnic group (front), a newly-elected deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), is on her way to home visits in Xinhua Township in Pingbian Miao Autonomous County, southwest China's Yunnan Province, Feb. 23, 2018. Yang Lianying has been the only doctor in Henan Village, which is located in remote mountain areas, for over ten years. As households are scattered over the village, Yang has to climb rough mountain roads to visit patients. Despite the hardship, she chooses to stick to her post and take care of the villagers. "Young people don't want to work in village, and old rural doctors can't meet patients' requirements." she said, "So the village faces a shortage of doctors." She wants to see more trainings and cultivation for rural doctors with better management. Even during the time Yang attends the NPC in Beijing, she still receives calls from villagers everyday asking her suggestions about medical treatments. In Yang's opinion, everyone's health matters. As a NPC deputy and a doctor, she vows to dedicate herself to the country's rural healthcare. (Xinhua/Yang Zongyou)
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 16:43:58|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

DOHA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Qatar has signed a number of agreements and a Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) on sea, land defense supplies and technology transfer with Turkey, the state-run Qatar news agency (QNA) reported Wednesday.

The agreements were signed on the sidelines of the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday. Thirty-three Turkish military defense firms took part in the exhibition.

Qatar's ministry of interior signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Turkey's Ares Shipyard to provide nine marine vessels to enhance the capabilities of the Qatari coast guard and the border forces, QNA said.

Furthermore, Turkish defense contractor Aselsan has signed a partnership with Qatari counterpart Barzan Holding for the joint production of weapons systems together with technology transfer.

Also, the two sides signed an export deal in which BMC, one of the leading Turkish automotive companies, will deliver 85 armored vehicles to Qatar.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut their air and sea routes to Qatar, and closed its only land border with Saudi Arabia, accusing Doha of backing extremism, a charge that Qatar denies.

Since the crisis erupted, Iran and Turkey have sought to help break Qatar's isolation, including by increasing food exports to Qatar.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 16:54:02|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

SAN FRANCISCO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. aerospace giant Boeing Company on Tuesday celebrated its 10,000th 737 aircraft to roll-off the production line at its Renton plant in Washington state on the U.S. West Coast.

Boeing said in a statement that with this airplane, a 737 MAX 8 for Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost carrier, the 737, has broken the Guinness World Records title for the most produced commercial jet aircraft model.

"This incredible milestone is a testament to the work we do every day to build the most reliable and efficient single-aisle airplane in the world," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Kevin McAllister.

Boeing will increase their 737 production from the current rate of 47 airplanes per month to a monthly output of 52 airplanes later this year.

The Chicago-based U.S. leading aircraft manufacturer has more than 4,600 airplanes still on order as a result of its sales of the newest version of the 737, the 737 MAX.

The 737 previously held this Guinness World Records title in 2006 for the 5,000th airplane to come out of the Renton factory, a mark which took almost four decades to achieve.

Nevertheless, it took only 12 years this time for Boeing's 737 program to reach the 10,000th airplane milestone.

"We are excited to once again recognize the 737 and the important role it plays in commercial aviation," said Michael Empric, official adjudicator for Guinness World Records.
MALE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen offered his condolences Wednesday to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina and the Prime Minister of Nepal Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, following the crash of a US-Bangla Airlines Flight at the Kathmandu International Airport.

A statement from the President's Office said Yameen expressed his profound shock and sadness after learning the news of the plane crash causing the loss of lives and injury to many.

Yameen extended deepest sympathies of the government and the people of Maldives to the prime ministers and also conveyed heartfelt condolences to the members of the bereaved families, and offered prayers for a speedy recovery for all injured.

The US-Bangla Airlines Flight was travelling from Dhaka to Kathmandu with 71 people including the crew, when it crashed at the airport runway.

At least 51 were confirmed dead in the crash.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 17:19:09|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Wednesday praised Stephen Hawking as "an extraordinary man and a pioneer" for all people after the renowned theoretical physicist died at the age of 76.

IPC President Andrew Parsons, who is attending the PyeongChang Winter Paralympic Games, said in an statement, "Professor Stephen Hawking was an extraordinary man and a pioneer for all people with an impairment around the world. He embodied the word "ability" more than anyone.

"In the Paralympic Movement we always say that Para athletes see challenges as opportunities to do things differently. Although not a Para athlete, Hawking did just that, finding innovative solutions to overcome his disability and continue his ground breaking work as a world-leading physicist," the statement said.

"We are eternally grateful that he was involved in the London 2012 Paralympic Games and his words from the Opening Ceremony were truly magical. He said the Paralympic Games transform people's perceptions of the world, and thanks to his inspirational work we know far more about the world that we live today," it continued.

Hawking played a prominent role in the 2012 London Paralympic Opening Ceremony, narrating a scientific journey of discovery.

His speech at the Opening Ceremony nearly six years ago still rings true for many today. "The Paralympic Games is about transforming our perception of the world. We are all different. There is no such thing as a standard or run-of-the-mill human being, but we share the same human spirit," he said at the ceremony.

"What is important is that we have the ability to create. This creativity can take many forms, from physical achievement to theoretical physics. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at," Hawking reminded all of us.

Hawking, a legendary figure in the modern history of physics, authored several best-sellers on science, including "A Brief History of Time," despite being bound to wheelchair after contracting a motor neurone disease in 1963.

The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge early on Wednesday local time.
TOKYO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Four officials at a city hall in central Japan were stabbed by a man on Wednesday, according to local reports citing the police.

The male attacker was arrested at the Kanazawa city hall on the scene after inflicting injuries on the victims, which comprised both male and female city employees.

According to local media, the officials who were stabbed were rushed to hospital after the attack which took place on the third floor of the city office.

The incident took place at around 3:00 p.m. local time at the Kanazawa city hall in Ishikawa Prefecture, the central Japan police were quoted as saying.

The extent of the victims' injuries as yet remains unknown, local media reported.

Local police are investigating the details of the knife attack, including the perpetrator's possible motive, local media reported.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 17:54:22|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

by Xinhua writer Wang Zichen

BRUSSELS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- By wielding a big tariff stick with conditioned exemptions, Washington has dealt the current global multilateral trade system a heavy blow.

U.S. President Donald Trump last Thursday formally signed proclamations to impose a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum, which is scheduled to come into force in 15 days.

As is known to all, most of U.S. steel and aluminum imports are civilian products. Few, if any would buy the Trump administration's "national security" excuse for imposing the tariffs.

Here in Brussels, headquarters of the European Union, a traditional U.S. ally, European Commission officials described the tariff as "appears to represent a blatant intervention to protect (the) U.S. domestic industry" and "an economic safeguard measure in disguise."

Even World Trade Organization (WTO) Director General Roberto Azevedo expressed concerns for the U.S. move, an extremely rare intervention into a WTO member's trade policy.

Yet the fact remains, that some countries have obtained exemptions from the new tariff policy with conditions which suggested Washington's real intention to roll out these punitive measures.

Canada and Mexico are undertaking renegotiations with the United States on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Granting them exemptions can be seen as an attempt by Washington to pressure its two neighbors to complete the NAFTA talks -- giving in to other U.S. demands or giving up some of their own.

Australia was also awarded exemption and reports say Trump wanted a new security agreement on top of that before he could scrap the tariff. As we speak, more U.S. trade partners are seeking exemptions.

But they had better bear in mind that trying to secure temporary, case-by-case exemptions suggests the threat of tariffs is working. And it could embolden the United States, or other countries, to follow the same trick in the future.

Over the long run, they will discover the price of trading concessions for exemptions. By appeasing Washington's dangerous trade policy, the global trade rules would face a serious challenge. In the end, the rule-based multilateral trading system with WTO at its heart may exist in name only in the future, a nightmare scenario for the interests of all parties.

It is advisable that Washington refrain from using protectionist measures, and related parties solve their trade frictions within the WTO framework to jointly maintain a healthy multilateral trade order.
HARARE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Development Program administrator Achim Steiner arrived in Zimbabwe Thursday on a three-day visit, the first by a top UN official since the change of government in the country last November.

A statement issued by the UN Resident Coordinator's Office spokesperson Sirak Gebrehiwot Tuesday night said Steiner would meet President Emmerson Mnangagwa and other senior officials, including vice presidents Constantino Chiwenga and Kembo Mohadi.

"He will also meet a number of independent commissions, including the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission and the Gender Commission," Gebrehiwot said.

On Friday, he will deliver a keynote address at the launch of the National Human Development report on Climate Change in Harare.

His visit comes at a time the country is preparing for harmonized presidential and general elections to be held between July and August.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 18:19:31|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge, the spokesman said. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking died peacefully at home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday at the age of 76, his family spokesman said.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his family said. "His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world ... We will miss him forever."

Hawking, a legendary figure in the modern history of physics, is known for his work with black holes and relativity, and has authored several best-sellers on science, despite being bound to wheelchair after contracting a motor neurone disease in 1963 at the age of 21.

He broke new ground on the basic laws which govern the universe, including the revelation that black holes have a temperature and produce radiation, now known as Hawking radiation.

At the same time, he also sought to explain many of these complex scientific ideas to a wider audience through popular books, most notably his bestseller A Brief History of Time, according to an obituary posted on the University of Cambridge's website.

Professor Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009, after which he worked as director of research at the Cambridge University Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics until his death.

"Professor Hawking was a unique individual who will be remembered with warmth and affection not only in Cambridge but all over the world," Professor Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, paid tribute in a statement.

"His exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge and the popularisation of science and mathematics have left an indelible legacy. His character was an inspiration to millions. He will be much missed," he said.

Professor Hawking once wrote on his website that he had had motor neurone disease for practically all his adult life, which did not prevent him from having a very attractive family and being successful in his work.

"I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope," said Professor Hawking, who, with his fierce intellect coupled with his illness, came to symbolize the unbounded possibilities of the human mind.

Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942 in Oxford, growing up in London and St Albans. Despite the fact that he was always ranked at the lower end of his class by teachers, his school friends nicknamed him "Einstein" which seemed to have encouraged his interest in science.

"Physics and astronomy offered the hope of understanding where we came from and why we are here. I wanted to fathom the depths of the universe," Hawking once said.

The ambition brought him a scholarship to study physics in Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class honors degree before going to the University of Cambridge as a PhD student of cosmology.

Hawking's influential books included The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime, with George Ellis; Superspace and Supergravity, with M. Rocek (1981); The Very Early Universe, with G. Gibbons and S. Siklos; and General Relativity: an Einstein centenary survey as well as 300 Years of Gravitation, with W. Israel.

However, it was his popular science book A Brief History of Time that took Hawking beyond the academic world and made him a household name. The book was published in 1988 and became a surprise bestseller, remaining on the Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

A film called The Theory of Everything was released in 2014, telling the story of Hawking and his first wife Jane based on her book. The film was met with worldwide acclaim and Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking, won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Actor.

At his 75th birthday celebration, Hawking said "It has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research into theoretical physics. Our picture of the universe has changed a great deal in the last 50 years, and I'm happy if I've made a small contribution."

"So remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet ... Be curious, and however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 18:39:35|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

MAIMANA, Afghanistan, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Two members of Taliban militant group have been killed and six militants injured following a clash in Faryab province, north of Afghanistan, a local official said Wednesday.

"Unknown number of militants attacked a security checkpoint in Sar-e-Hawz locality, Pashtun Kot district late Tuesday. Security forces fought back the attackers, killing two insurgents' divisional commanders and injuring six others," Hanif Rezai, a press officer of army's 209 Shaheen Corps based in the region, told Xinhua.

He identified the killed militants as Mohammad Khetab and Tofan.

Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting from among the youth.

The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than 16 years, has yet to make comments on the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 18:49:36|Editor: Jiaxin

Video Player Close

People stand on the ruins of a building destroyed in the airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Aug. 25, 2017. On the surface, the United States has often portrayed itself as a peace broker in the volatile Middle East, which has long suffered chaos, violence and conflicts. Such peaceful gestures could be deceiving until one reads the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which shows the United States is the largest weapons exporter to the Middle East. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)

by Xinhua writer Zhi Linfei

CAIRO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- On the surface, the United States has often portrayed itself as a peace broker in the volatile Middle East, which has long suffered chaos, violence and conflicts.

Such peaceful gestures could be deceiving until one reads the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which shows the United States is the largest weapons exporter to the Middle East.

Smell a rat? A peace broker is in fact the largest supplier of the most deadly tools of destruction and killing.

"The increased flow of arms raises concerns over their impact on international peace and security," warned Jan Eliasson, chair of the SIPRI Governing Board.

NEARLY HALF OF U.S. WEAPONS EXPORTS FLOW TO MIDEAST

The SIPRI report released on Monday finds that in the five-year period of 2013-2017, U.S. arms exports increased by 25 percent from the 2008-2012 period, extending its lead as the top arms exporter in the world.

The United States accounted for 34 percent of total global arms sales during the 2013-2017 period. Notably, nearly half, or 49 percent, of the total U.S. arms exports flew to the Middle East.

Accordingly, the war-stricken Middle East stood out as the largest weapons market, accounting for about one third of the total global imports of weapons. Arms imports to the region doubled during the 2013-2017 period.

The region also houses the biggest number of leading arms importers in the world, including Saudi Arabia, the No. 2 importer; Egypt, the No. 3 importer; and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the No. 4 importer. Israel, Iraq and Qatar are also major buyers of weapons in the region.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia registered a 225-percent rise in its arms imports during the 2013-2017 period, while Egypt's imports climbed 215 percent and Israel's, 125 percent.

The sharp increases in arms imports by Mideastern countries vividly mirror the geopolitical situation in the region, where ongoing wars against terrorism, worsening rivalries for regional influence and rising tensions among Gulf neighbors have led to a race among regional states to build up their own arsenals of weapons.

"The Middle East, being a conflict zone, inevitably attracts the attention of arms exporters. Because there are also oil-rich countries in the region, there seems to be a lucrative market for arms sales," Ilter Turan, a professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey, told Xinhua in an interview.

Hussam Al-Dagany, a Palestinian lecturer in the Al-Aqsa University and Al-Azhar University in Gaza Strip, believes that the U.S. government has been subject to the powerful lobbying of the weapons industry.

"And certainly, the best venue for the manufacture of crises and conflicts is the Middle East," Al-Dagany told Xinhua in an interview.

He said that the United States will not play its role in resolving the crises and conflicts despite its political and military power. Instead, the U.S. arms sales to the region are "aimed at creating sedition" as they are used to creating "strife in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and everywhere."

FISHING IN TROUBLED WATERS

In any sense, the United States has long been benefiting from the chaos in the Middle East.

"Of course, the U.S. has benefited in a way or another from the chaos and wars that have engulfed the Middle East and the Arab region in particular," Saeed al-Lawendy, an expert on international relations at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, Egypt, told Xinhua.

Behind its profitable arms exporting business lies the U.S. contribution to the chaotic situation in the oil-rich Middle East with its interventionist policies, including its notorious invasion of Iraq in 2003, its military intervention in Libya in 2011, its support for the turmoils in North Africa and the Middle East, and the current involvement in the civil war in Syria.

"This was certainly true that the U.S., by invading Iraq, broke down a regime and destroyed the domestic peace of Iraq, although that peace was highly authoritarian and cruel. But what we have got afterwards is not any better," Turan noted.

"Similarly, the later U.S. interventions in the Middle East have not helped to improve the prospect of peace in the region," he said.

Backed by Washington, Saudi Arabia, together with the UAE and several other Arab countries, has been fighting a highly costly war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.

The United States has also long been feuding with Iran, regarded as an enemy by both Saudi Arabia and Israel, sounding alarm about the nuclear threat posed by the Islamic Republic.

For a long time, both Saudi Arabia and Israel have been preparing militarily for a possible showdown with Tehran, by acquiring advanced U.S. weapons.

The latest crisis in the Gulf, in which Qatar squares off with the Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries that also includes Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE, has also benefited the United States, which is blamed by some for instigating the standoff.

"We can see the main goal of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the Gulf countries was to sign arms deals and to incite the conflict and dispute with Qatar, so the U.S. can sell weapons to Qatar and all the Gulf states," said al-Lawendy.

He referred to the first Middle East tour last May by Trump, whose first stop was Saudi Arabia. Following the visit, Riyadh abruptly severed its diplomatic ties with Qatar last June and imposed a total blockade on its tiny oil-rich Gulf neighbor.

However, since the eruption of the crisis, the United States has signed massive deals on selling weapons to the rivaling sides, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The United States and Saudi Arabia signed an arms deal worth 110 billion U.S. dollars during Trump's visit, which was followed by Qatar's signing of a 12-billion-dollar deal to buy U.S. fighter jets in June, 2017.

"So the U.S. is the sole beneficiary of the chaos and violence in the region," al-Lawendy pointed out.

ARMS SELLER OR PEACE MAKER?

The United States has painted itself for years as a broker of political settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mediator of a diplomatic solution to the Gulf standoff.

However, many are critical of the U.S. role in the region, noting it has a moral debt to pay off if it wants to be an honest and genuine peace maker.

"Of course, we doubt the U.S. integrity as a mediator in the peace talks in the Middle East, because how can the top arms exporter enter any peace settlement?" said al-Lawendy.

Faisal Abu Shahlah, a member of the Legislative Council of the Fatah Movement and the Fatah leader in Gaza Strip, told Xinhua that the United States is creating instability in the region because it benefits from the arms trade.

"Because it wants to sell arms to stir the problems in our region and not to achieve stability, the recent U.S. positions, even its previous positions, have proved that America is not an honest broker," he said.

Al-Dagany also said that the United States "has not proved that it is possible to be an honest broker in any of the region's conflicts," citing Trump's controversial decision to recognize the disputed holy city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital despite widespread protests.

As a result, the Palestinians have rejected the United States as the sole sponsor of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"This is a disgrace to the United States that it does not work to end the crises in the Middle East," Al-Dagany said.

Analysts are more worried about the recent attempt by Trump to renew the Iranian nuclear crisis by threatening to pull out of the historic nuclear deal signed in 2015.

Al-Dagany said the goal of the U.S. strategy in the Middle East is firstly to achieve the fragmentation of the Arab region to ensure the superiority of Israel, and then to ensure Israel's integration into the new Middle East by inflating the Iranian threat and portraying Israel as a partner for Arab countries in stopping the alleged Iranian expansion.

Professor Turan said that the American decision to challenge the Iranian deal is "an ill-considered action."

"The U.S. has not been acting very prudently or responsibly in the Middle East, and it has contributed significantly to peace being undermined in the Middle East," Turan added.

(Li Yiyan in Cairo, Emad Drimly in Gaza, Zeynep Cermen in Istanbul contributed to the story.)
TOKYO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Kansai Electric Power Co. on Wednesday resumed operations of its No. 3 reactor at its Oi nuclear plant on the Sea of Japan coast, despite ongoing local opposition.

The No. 3 reactor now comprises three reactors that the utility has brought back online in the same vicinity.

The newly rebooted No. 3 reactor is located just 14 km from the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the utility's Takahama plant, also in the the central Japan prefecture of Fukui.

The restarting of the reactor marks the first time since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster seven years ago that multiple reactors have been restarted in the same area.

Local residents have voiced their concerns that in the case of a similar type of disaster, evacuation plans for the Oi and Takahama nuclear plants remain insufficient.

The No. 3 reactor at the Oi plant marks the sixth reactor to be brought back online after passing the stricter safety regulations imposed by Japan's nuclear watchdog after the Fukushima crisis.

By fiscal 2030, the government here has said that it wants between 20 and 22 percent of its total electricity to be generated by nuclear power.

In February, Japan's nuclear regulator approved a draft assessment by Kansai Electric Power Co. to bring its No. 3 and 4 reactors back online at its Oi plant.

Under current plants, the No. 3 reactor will begin commercial operations in April and the No. 4 reactor is scheduled to be restarted in May.

The restarting of the reactors came following unanimous approval by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) as the two reactors have or soon will meet the government's new safety guidelines.

The NRA said that since July 2013 when Kansai Electric first sought to bring its two reactors at the plant back on line, the utility has increased its expectations for seismic events affecting its reactors in the future.

In response to the NRA's request for improvements in this area, the regulator also said that the utility's plans to introduce special equipment that could help prevent the kind of hydrogen explosions that occurred at the Daiichi facility in Fukushima, were suitable.

The utility has yet to win public approval for the restart, however, and has already had a lawsuit filed against it over safety concerns and local consternation remains rife, according to local media reports.

Its Takahama plant saw two reactors brought back online last year, however, after gaining the NRA's approval to be restarted, only to be swiftly served with a judicial order to take them offline over public safety concerns.

The order was overturned by a Japanese high court.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 19:19:41|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

A Turkish-allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) soldier is seen in Afrin, Syria, on March 14, 2018. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday expressed hope that Turkey's military and its allies would completely take Syrian Kurdish-held city of Afrin by Wednesday evening. (Xinhua)

ANKARA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday expressed hope that Turkey's military and its allies would completely take Syrian Kurdish-held city of Afrin by Wednesday evening.

Speaking to local administrators in Ankara, the president also said civilians in the city were being evacuated through a special corridor.

Since the launch of the operation, Turkish military and the allied Free Syrian Army (FSA) forces have controlled around 1,300 square km of land in Afrin, Erdogan said.

On Tuesday, Turkish military announced its army and allied FSA forces have encircled Afrin, achieving a significant advance during its eight-week-long operation.
BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The fast growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) in China is the result of efficient and concerted efforts from the country's private sector and the government, from which the United States has plenty to learn, Cisco's vice president said.

Maciej Kranz, vice president of the American telecommunication titan Cisco Systems, said in an article published on the Forbes recently that he was impressed by China's surging IoT industry and believed that his country should learn lessons from China.

Recalling his latest business trip to Beijing, he said that in China the growth of IoT "permeates almost every business segment and public system, not only manufacturing and industrial sectors but also transportation, city services, health care, retail, agriculture and more."

"I was struck by signs all around that China is no longer a tech imitator -- it has matured into a tech innovator, solidifying its place as an IoT leader," said Kranz.

The IoT, a term coined in 1999, is used to describe the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items. All "things" on the network are embedded with electronics which enable them to connect and exchange data.

It allows more direct integration of the physical world into computer-based systems.

In Kranz's observation, China's success in the IoT is largely due to two key factors: the support and guidance from the government, and the extreme dynamic IT market teeming with an array of ambitious startups unafraid of making mistakes.

Kranz urged the U.S. government to take a cue from the Chinese government and make more efforts to help the industry in the United States.

"Like the birth of the Internet and GPS or support for clean energy and tech apprenticeships, the role of governments as regulators, agenda setters and technology adopters in IoT has been profound," Kranz wrote.

He also advised that U.S. IT companies should learn from the unyielding entrepreneurship of their Chinese counterparts and risk more.

"To excel on the global stage, it's time to engage with Chinese partners and learn from their success," wrote Kranz.
SOFIA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- One man died and another was injured in an ammunition plant accident on Wednesday in the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak, some 200 km east of the country's capital Sofia, a government official said.

Bulgarian Interior Minister Valentin Radev said the accident occurred as a result of the unintentional ignition of gunpowder ingredients.

The fire caused by the accident has been extinguished, and details of major cause of the accident are still under investigation, the minister said.

The most lethal accident in a Bulgarian ammunition plant in recent years occurred in October 2014, when an explosion killed 15 people near the northwestern Bulgarian village of Gorni Lom.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 19:34:44|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- A high-profile Israeli soldier convicted of killing a wounded, incapacitated Palestinian, asked on Wednesday a military court to cut his prison time by half.

In 2017, Sgt. Elor Azaria was found guilty of manslaughter and a military court sentenced him 18 months in prison, of which Azaria needs to serve only 14 after the Israeli chief of staff slashed his punishment by four months.

On Wednesday, Azaria's lawyer appealed the court, charging the soldier should be released because he "has been living in a nightmare for the past two years," since his trial began.

Azaria himself addressed the court, asking the judges to release him "today," ahead of the Jewish holiday of Passover, also known as the "holiday of liberation."

Azaria reiterated his version of events, according to which he shot the Palestinian suspect because he believed the man carried an explosive underneath his coat.

In the trial and in a series of appeals, the court rejected Azaria's version, concluding there was no base for his claim, and convicted him with manslaughter.

Chief military prosecution Chief Military Prosecutor, Colonel Sharon Zagagi Pinhas, said that the prosecution would not object to cut a third of Azaria's sentence, meaning he could walk free on May 10. "Considering that the information received indicates positive behavior in prison, we decided to leave the question of the deduction of a third of his punishment to the (parole) committee," she said.

The court said their decision would be given "in the next few days."

On March 24, 2016, Azaria was a 19-year-old military medic in the West Bank city of Hebron when Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, 21, and Ramzi Aziz al-Qasarwi carried out a knife attack, lightly wounding a soldier.

Troops shot dead al-Qasarwi and gravely wounded al-Sharif. Al-Sharif was lying on the ground, motionless, when Azaria arrived at the scene and shot a single bullet to his head.

The deadly shooting was caught on a video by a human rights organization and spread widely on social networks.

The high-profile case has deeply divided the Israeli society. While senior military officers condemned the act as a serious breach of military orders, many Israelis hailed Azaria as a "hero."

Many right-wing leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have spoken out in favor of Azaria being pardoned.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 19:44:45|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

File photo taken on April 16, 2013 shows British physicist Stephen Hawking attending an activity at California Institute of Technology, the United States. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. The professor died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Cambridge, the spokesman said. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)

LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking died peacefully at home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday at the age of 76, his family spokesman said.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," his family said. "His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world ... We will miss him forever."

Tributes have poured in following the announcement of Hawking's death. British Prime Minister Theresa May said Hawking was a "brilliant and extraordinary mind -- one of the greatest scientists of his generation."

"His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration...His legacy will not be forgotten," she added.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, said "We have lost a colossal mind and a wonderful spirit. Rest in peace, Stephen Hawking."

Professor Stephen Toope, vice chancellor of the University of Cambridge, described Hawking as a "unique individual" who would be remembered with "warmth and affection."

"His exceptional contributions to scientific knowledge and the popularisation of science and mathematics have left an indelible legacy. His character was an inspiration to millions," he said.

Meanwhile, NASA tweeted "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we and the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity."

Apple's co-founder Steve Wozniak said "Stephen Hawking's integrity and scientific dedication placed him above pure brilliance."

Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella said "We lost a great one today. Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science -- making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses."

Hawking, a legendary figure in the modern history of physics, is known for his work with black holes and relativity, and has authored several best-sellers on science, despite being bound to wheelchair after contracting a motor neurone disease in 1963 at the age of 21.

He broke new ground on the basic laws which govern the universe, including the revelation that black holes have a temperature and produce radiation, now known as Hawking radiation.

At the same time, he also sought to explain many of these complex scientific ideas to a wider audience through popular books, most notably his bestseller A Brief History of Time, according to an obituary posted on the University of Cambridge's website.

Professor Hawking was the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge between 1979 and 2009, after which he worked as director of research at the Cambridge University Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics until his death.

Professor Hawking once wrote on his website that he had had motor neurone disease for practically all his adult life, which did not prevent him from having a very attractive family and being successful in his work.

"I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope," said Professor Hawking, who, with his fierce intellect coupled with his illness, came to symbolize the unbounded possibilities of the human mind.

Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942 in Oxford, growing up in London and St Albans. Despite the fact that he was always ranked at the lower end of his class by teachers, his school friends nicknamed him "Einstein" which seemed to have encouraged his interest in science.

"Physics and astronomy offered the hope of understanding where we came from and why we are here. I wanted to fathom the depths of the universe," Hawking once said.

The ambition brought him a scholarship to study physics in Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class honors degree before going to the University of Cambridge as a PhD student of cosmology.

Hawking's influential books included The Large Scale Structure of Spacetime, with George Ellis; Superspace and Supergravity, with M. Rocek (1981); The Very Early Universe, with G. Gibbons and S. Siklos; and General Relativity: an Einstein centenary survey as well as 300 Years of Gravitation, with W. Israel.

However, it was his popular science book A Brief History of Time that took Hawking beyond the academic world and made him a household name. The book was published in 1988 and became a surprise bestseller, remaining on the Sunday Times best-seller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks.

A film called The Theory of Everything was released in 2014, telling the story of Hawking and his first wife Jane based on her book. The film was met with worldwide acclaim and Eddie Redmayne, who played Stephen Hawking, won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Actor.

At his 75th birthday celebration, Hawking said "It has been a glorious time to be alive and doing research into theoretical physics. Our picture of the universe has changed a great deal in the last 50 years, and I'm happy if I've made a small contribution."

"So remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet ... Be curious, and however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up," he said.
VILNIUS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The 15th International Baltic Jewelry Show titled Amber Trip kicked off in Lithuania's capital Vilnius on Wednesday.

Running through March 14 to 17, the event is the largest of its kind in the Baltic states, attracting nearly 200 exhibitors and a high number of visitors from around the world.

Organizer of the exhibition Giedrius Guntorius said the show has also attracted over 500 important buyers, including wholesalers, museums and collectors from Europe, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the United States and elsewhere.

"This would be a record number of participants and buyers," Guntorius said.

Diverse kinds of dazzling amber products are on show, ranging from amber stone to gold and silver amber-inlaid jewelry, from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad's amber products, Ukrainian ones like expensive yellow amber and insects amber, to relatively cheaper pressed amber products.

Similar with previous Amber Trip shows, this round also features the favorite amber products of Chinese customers, including various sizes of hand strings, Buddha beads, pendants and so on.

In order to satisfy the demands of the Chinese buyers, many Lithuanian amber companies have set up factories in China or outsourced designing and production to the country.

With the presence of jewelers, designers and manufacturers of technological equipment and devices, this annual event is an opportunity to observe the latest trends in the amber jewelry and craft markets.
MADRID, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish Interior Ministry confirmed Wednesday that a 27-year-old man has been arrested in the north of Spain on suspicion of having indoctrinated himself into becoming a potential jihadist terrorist.

According to the Interior Ministry, the man was in the process of "radicalization through the internet, social media as well as chat and message applications used by terrorist organizations."

The detention took place in the small town of San Martin de Unx, 45 kms from Pamplona. The suspect was seemingly on the verge of traveling to the conflict zones of Iraq and Syria to "carry out a (terrorist) act as a solitary attacker."

A total of 274 suspected jihadists have been arrested in Spain since investigations began in late 2015.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 20:09:56|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

OSLO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. legal scholar Cass Sunstein was named Wednesday as the winner of Norway's annual Holberg Prize, sometimes known as the "Nobel prize" for arts and humanities, social sciences, law or theology.

Sunstein, 63, is "one of the most wide ranging, original, prolific and influential scholars of our time" and won the award for his groundbreaking research in law and related fields, the Holberg Committee said in its citation.

Sunstein, who is currently a professor at Harvard University, will receive the financial award of 6 million Norwegian kroner (about 775,000 U.S. dollars) during a formal ceremony at the University of Bergen in western Norway on June 6.

His scholarship spans several major areas: behavioral economics and public policy, constitutional law and democratic theory, legal theory and jurisprudence, administrative law, and the regulation of risk.

Sunstein's work "has redefined several academic fields, and the practical applications of his research have had far-reaching impact on public policy," the committee said.

Through 48 books and hundreds of scholarly articles, Sunstein "has transformed our understanding of so many important topics," it said.

His major books on U.S. constitutional law -- After the Rights Revolution, 1990, and The Partial Constitution, 1993 -- "have significantly shaped our understanding of the relationship between the modern regulatory state and constitutional law," the committee said.

For four decades, Sunstein has combined his scholarly contributions with a range of public activities and participation in open debate. He was the Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2012.

The Holberg Prize, established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003, is named in memory of Norwegian author and playwright Ludvig Holberg, who lived from 1684 to 1754 and played an important part in bringing the Enlightenment to the Nordic countries.
LONDON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Britain has called for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the poisoning of a former spy in Salisbury, the British Foreign Office said here Wednesday.

The action came after Russia failed to respond to a Tuesday midnight deadline set by British Prime Minister Theresa May to explain how an alleged Russian-made nerve agent was used on Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow will ignore May's ultimatum.

Skripal, 66, and Yulia, 33, were reportedly found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city center in Wiltshire on March 4. British police said they remain critically ill in hospital.

The prime minister is set to announce a series of measures against Russia before MPs later Wednesday.

May told MPs on Wednesday that the investigation is under way and vowed to bring perpetrators to justice.

British media have earlier reported that Britain could launch a cyber attack against Russia.

In response, the Russian Embassy in London said Tuesday that talk of cyber attacks is a "serious concern," and urged Britain to carefully consider the consequences of such attacks.

"Not only is Russia groundlessly and provocatively accused of the Salisbury incident, but apparently, plans are being developed in the UK to strike Russia with cyber weapons," the embassy said.

In Russia, Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov had also denied the country's involvement in the attack.
KATHMANDU, March 14 (Xinhua) -- A leader of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist Leninist), Ganesh Timalsina, was elected as the chairman of the National Assembly (NA), the Upper House of the Nepal's Federal Parliament, on Wednesday.

A meeting of the National Assembly held in Kathmandu announced Timalsina the NA chair.

Timalsina was elected unopposed as he was the only candidate to file nomination for the post, spokesman for the Federal Parliament Bharat Raj Gautam told media.

Timalsina is a member of the Upper House of the Federal Parliament and deputy coordinator of the CPN (UML) party in the province-4 of Nepal. He had started his political career four decades ago.

On March 5, the first session of the Federal Parliament was held, more than three months after the Himalayan nation held provincial and federal parliament elections simultaneously in two phases in November and December last year.
Angela Merkel (C) receives congratulations after being re-elected as chancellor in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. Angela Merkel was re-elected as German chancellor on Wednesday by the parliament, kicking off her fourth term to lead Europe's largest economy. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

BERLIN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Angela Merkel was re-elected as German chancellor by the parliament on Wednesday, kicking off her fourth term as leader of Europe's largest economy.

Among the total 709 seats of the Bundestag, the lower house of the German Parliament, Merkel won a total of 364 votes, securing an absolute majority, Bundestag Speaker Wolfgang Schauble announced.

The vote came 171 days after the federal elections, the longest time span in post-war Germany.

The Merkel-led Union Party and the Social Democratic Party (SPD) signed a government coalition agreement on Monday. It was also the third "Grand Coalition" and the second consecutive one between the two biggest parties in Germany.

The "Grand Coalition" in the Bundestag has 399 seats, 35 more than the votes Merkel received to become chancellor.

After the election, Merkel met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before returning to the Bundestag to be sworn in. Government ministers will also be sworn in later in the day.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 20:50:08|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

GAZA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Schools and government-run education institutions in the Palestinian Gaza Strip were closed Wednesday as employees hired by Hamas movement started a one-day strike to protest being unpaid by the Ramallah-based Consensus Government.

In a statement, the Teachers' Union in Gaza demanded that teachers should be paid equally to their colleagues hired by the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

After routing forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007, Hamas hired some 40,000 employees, mostly its loyalists, to help the Islamic party run the affairs of the Gaza Strip.

In the past five months, Hamas paid its workers who were employed after 2007 less than one third of their due salaries.

Hamas movement and Abbas' Fatah party signed a reconciliation agreement sponsored by Egypt last October to end a decade-long internal split and move to allow the Consensus Government assume full control over Gaza.

However, internal disputes between both parties, including the issue of Hamas-hired employees, still impede the full implementation of the agreement.

The consensus government announced recently it would provide 20,000 of those employees with jobs as soon as the government takes over full control of the Israeli blockaded territory.

Meanwhile, Gaza Civil Servants Syndicate said in a statement that empowering the Consensus Government in Gaza can only happen when the Gaza government pays them equally as other government employees and integrates them in its ministries and institutions.

On Feb. 26, Hamas civil servants went on a one-day strike to protest "the disregard" of the consensus government to iron out their issue of being unpaid.

All government offices and schools in Gaza were shut down as a result of the strike, with only hospital emergency departments remained opened.
MOSCOW, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Russia will speed up the delivery of the S-400 air defense missile system to Turkey at Ankara's request, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday.

"I already said that we discussed military-technical cooperation, including the implementation of the signed contract for the delivery of S-400 system to Turkey. I can only say that in response to the request of our Turkish partners to speed up the originally planned delivery terms, we reacted positively," the top Russian diplomat said at a joint press briefing in Moscow after meeting with visiting Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

When asked about when exactly Moscow will deliver the system, Lavrov said the delivery issue had been discussed among specialists but the date is confidential.

Cavusoglu said, for his part, that early delivery the system would meet Turkey's interests.

Local media reports earlier this week said Russia would start supplying S-400s to Turkey in late 2019 or early 2020, according to presidential aide for military cooperation Vladimir Kozhin.

Turkey signed a deal with Russia to buy the S-400 missile defense system in September, 2017.

The S-400 is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying ballistic and cruise missiles.

Turkey is the first NATO member state to purchase the S-400 missile system.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:05:14|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

LHASA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Herders who live at the foot of Mount Qomolangma are preparing for the coming mountain-climbing season in May.

About 7,500 people live in the Zhaxizom Township in Dingri County of Tibet Autonomous Region, at the foot of the world's highest mountain.

Renting tents, as well as providing logistical support and yak transport, villagers generally make handsome sums of money every season when climbers and tourists arrive.

Once an impoverished township, Zhaxizom has become a boom town.

"We earn 40,000 yuan (about 6,300 U.S. dollars) renting only one tent per year, and then we divide the profits among the people," said Chimed Tsering, Communist Party secretary of Qoizom village at the township.

More than 85 percent of the land in Tibet is located more than 4,000 meters above sea level. Harsh natural conditions have been part of the causes of entrenched poverty.

"Tibet is making the utmost efforts in fighting poverty," said Yin Fenshui, director of the poverty-relief office in the region.

From 2013 to 2017, a total of 530,000 people, about 16 percent of the regional population, had been lifted above the poverty line, with per capita annual income of 2,300 yuan, a standard set in 2011.

"The past five years witnessed strong push and robust investment, which was not seen in the region before," Yin said.

Tibet has around 3.2 million people. By the end of 2017, about 12.4 percent of the population lived below poverty line.

In 2018, Tibet aims to solve poverty problems for 150,000 people. "I'm confident of meeting the target," Yin said.

Poverty in Tibet has received attention from the central government, which gives many types of policy and fund support, according to Tibetan regional officials.

In 2017, over 12 billion yuan (about 1.9 billion dollars) was earmarked for developing industries and creating jobs in Tibet. The investment directly helped up to 70,000 people move above the poverty line, according to Tibetan government statistics.

Mima Tsering, 19, lives with his family at a village in the outskirts of Lhasa, capital of Tibet. He had barely finished junior middle school when his father fell ill and plunged the family into debt.

The young man then learnt mask-making techniques from old masters in a craftsmen's cooperative. Now he makes 2,500 yuan (400 U.S dollars) every month.

"With my monthly pay, my family did not have to live on minimum wage support," he said.

"Mask-making is a local cultural heritage. The government invested 1.8 million yuan and private investment was around 600,000 yuan in the cooperative. Most apprentices are young men like Mima Tsering," said Shilo, the cooperative manager. "After young people master the skills, they can help sustain their families while passing on ethnic culture. This is what we call using cultural projects for poverty relief."

For poor people living in uninhabitable areas, the solution is resettlement.

Sanyou village, at the bank of the Lhasa River, is the first such resettlement in Tibet. A total of 712 people moved there in July 2016 from infertile land and found jobs that could ward off poverty.

A park, a clinic, and a kindergarten were built in the neighborhoods.

"The new home has a living room, several bedrooms and a hall to worship Buddha. There is also cement road and running water, which we did not have at my old home in Dagar township," Tsamjo Tashi said.

Since the settlement was built, a cow farm, a Tibetan chicken farm and vegetable farms have been founded to create jobs.

Tashi makes 1,500 yuan feeding cattle each month and shares dividends from the cooperative at the end of every year.

According to the government plan, during the 13th Five-Year period (2016-2020), a total of 263,000 people will be resettled for better living.

In Tibet, poverty-relief efforts have been combined with environment conservation. A third of the area in Tibet is nature reserves. The regional government hires farmers and herders as part-time wildlife and forest rangers in the reserves.

By the end of 2017, 700,000 people were on the government payroll. Each employee receives an annual salary of 3,000 yuan (474 U.S. dollars) on average.

"People in Tibet will not be satisfied at only having enough to eat. The region will enter a moderately-prosperous society," Yin Fenshui said.

Tibet will continue to improve the living and working conditions for the people, raise education and medical quality.

"The lives of poor people will only get better," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:10:16|Editor: Jiaxin

Video Player Close

by Xinhua writer Wang Jian

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China is showing the world how a "new type of party system" can work in the best interests of the people.

While attending a panel discussion at the ongoing session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), President Xi Jinping called the system of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the Communist Party of China (CPC) "a new type of party system."

Combining the Marxist political party theory with Chinese reality, China created the "new type of party system" which is mainly carried out through the CPPCC.

The first session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC has brought together over 2,000 national political advisors from various political parties, people's organizations, and people of all ethnic groups, as well as from all sectors of society. They have been conducting extensive discussions on the country's political, economic and social issues to pool their wisdom for decision making.

REPRESENTS ALL, SERVES ALL

When attending meetings and discussions of the session, national political advisor Duan Minglong wears a round emblem embroidered with colorful threads on his chest.

"It was made by my aunt before I traveled to Beijing. It's a symbol of the sun that brings good luck, as our Jingpo people worship the sun god," said the 29-year-old of Jingpo ethnicity from southwest China's Yunnan Province.

Duan also sees the emblem as a reminder for him to represent and be a voice for Jingpo ethnic people and people from remote Wangzishu township, where he works as a judicial officer.

As a grassroots judicial staff member, he often visits the villagers' homes, mediating disputes and spreading legal knowledge.

However, it is not easy to reach many villagers' homes on rainy days.

"There are no cement roads in some places. Sometimes I have to walk in ankle-deep mud," he said.

During the session, Duan made a suggestion to improve rural roads, which was echoed by many other political advisors from underdeveloped areas.

Talking about his young age, Duan said part of the reason why he was chosen to be a national political advisor was probably due to his background as a non-CPC member from an ethnic group with a population of less than 150,000. Of the 2,158 members of the 13th CPPCC National Committee, only about 40 percent are from the Communist Party of China (CPC). All 56 ethnic groups are represented.

The members are from all walks of life, including farmers, factory workers, officials, entrepreneurs, experts and scholars, as well as religious leaders.

"It's a system that represents different levels of society, so the country is more able to make policies that work best for its people," said Fred Teng, president of the America China Public Affairs Institute and a specially invited overseas observer of the session.

PARTIES UNITE

Before attending the session, political advisor Yu Minhong visited a private school in Beijing's suburbs, where most of the students are children of migrant workers who work as couriers, vegetable growers and care workers in the city.

"The school is poorly equipped and staffed, and the parents have to spend 2,000 yuan (316 U.S. dollars) on tuition fee every year, which is a big burden for many," said Yu, chairman and CEO of education company New Oriental and a member of the China Democratic League (CDL).

Yu proposed pushing to readjust the allocation of education funding so that children of migrant workers can enjoy equal access to compulsory education.

"I get so worried when I see rural children suffer," said Yu, who was also born to a farmer family.

Since 2008, when Yu became a member of the CPPCC National Committee, he has been traveling around the country to understand the educational conditions of the rural areas.

One of China's eight non-communist parties, the CDL mainly consists of intellectuals working in the fields of culture, education, science, and technology.

"'Working relentlessly for state affairs, focusing on the well-being of the people' has been a tradition for the CDL," said Ding Zhongli, chairperson of the CDL Central Committee.

Unlike a one-party system or Western-style competitive and confrontational multiparty politics, China's multiparty cooperation and political consultation system allows the ruling party and the participatory parties to work jointly for the nation, he said.

Led by the CPC, the non-communist parties have been involved in campaigns related to health care, education, regional economic integration and poverty reduction.

Statistics show that since 2016, the non-communist parties have conducted 166 supervisory investigations into poverty reduction work and offered 567 suggestions to CPC committees and governments at different levels.

During the past five years, the non-communist parties invested in nearly 2,000 poverty-reduction projects, donated a total of 2.31 billion yuan in the form of money or material, and organized training that benefited some 399,000 people.

IT WORKS

"The sweetest thing for a political advisor is realizing that your proposals really worked to make a difference," said national political advisor Hu Guozhen, vice governor of Qiandongnan Miao-Dong Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's Guizhou Province.

Hu recalled that at the session of the CPPCC National Committee in 2015, she put forward a proposal calling for the integration of rural and urban healthcare insurance schemes.

At the beginning of 2016, the country announced the decision to merge the two separate schemes for more equal access to basic health care.

In the 2014 session, she asked for more government subsidies on afforestation in rural areas. Later on, she was informed by the State Forestry Administration that the subsidy increase had been incorporated into the 13th Five-Year Plan.

"Now the subsidy on the state-owned forests has been increased from eight yuan to 15 yuan per mu in my hometown," she said.

Since 2010, Yu Minhong has submitted several proposals on improving rural teachers' income.

"I'm glad to see that the country has launched some policies to improve their incomes and other conditions," he said.

As many of the members are experienced officials, experts and professionals in different fields, they are in a good position to make proposals and offer wisdom on state affairs to the CPC and the government.

Wan Gang, vice chairperson of the CPPCC National Committee, said that over the past five years, a total of 29,378 proposals had been submitted by the CPPCC National Committee members, and 99 percent of them had been handled as of Feb. 20 this year.

"Most of the proposals have either been taken up or gradually put into practice," Wan said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:25:19|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

CAIRO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Arab Parliament called Wednesday on European parliaments to push their governments to recognize Palestine as an independent state.

The Arab Parliament Speaker, Mashaal bin Fahm al-Salami, sent letters to a number of European parliaments asking them to work with their governments to recognize the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, the pan-Arab body said in a statement.

The letters were sent to the parliaments of the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain, the statement said.

Al-Salami hailed the historic stances of these countries which voted in favor of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution in December 2017, which affirmed that any decisions and actions to alter the character, status or demographic composition of Jerusalem are "null and void" and "have no legal effect."

The UN resolution came days after U.S. President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel and decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the disputed city.

The Palestinians consider East Jerusalem, which was seized by the Israelis in the 1967 war, as the capital of their future independent state, while the Israelis insist that the entire city is their eternal capital.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:25:19|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

VIENNA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- OPEC's oil production continues to decline over the past five months while other oil pumpers are expected to produce more, the cartel's monthly report on Wednesday said.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in February pumped 32.19 million barrels a day, 77,000 barrels less than in January, according to the report.

It's the fifth consecutive months that OPEC is producing less oil.

Venezuela accounts for the biggest contribution to the production decline last month, producing 51,900 barrels a day less than in January.

While the cartel's oil production was in decline in the past five months, non-OPEC producers are pumping more oil.

OPEC and its allies are strictly sticking to the agreement of oil production ceiling to bring the market back to balance.

The report also shows that the global oil demand is increasing due to the better economy performance.
HARARE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean doctors at public hospitals that have been on strike for the past two weeks on Wednesday vowed to continue with the action until their grievances are addressed.

The doctors downed tools two weeks ago demanding better pay and working conditions.

The Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Association (ZHDA) said doctors and other staff members who had remained at hospitals attending to emergency cases had been recalled to join the strike.

"We will only return to work when all issues raised by the ZHDA have been fully resolved," the ZHDA said in a statement Wednesday.

The doctors said they note with concern the closure of almost all central hospitals, children's units, provincial hospitals and cessation of emergency life-saving procedures throughout the country but blame this on government's failure to address their demands.

Among others, the doctors are demanding that the government should fulfill its promise made four years ago to increase doctors' on-call allowance to 10 U.S. dollars an hour from the current 1.5.

They also want government to provide sufficient drugs and equipment at the public hospitals.

The strike is the first major job action by public workers since the new administration led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa took over last November following the resignation of Robert Mugabe.

As a result of close to years of economic decline, Zimbabwe's public health system has deteriorated significantly with brain drain, poor working conditions and shortage of drugs and equipment among the major challenges.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:30:20|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday extended his congratulations to Angela Merkel on her re-election as German chancellor for the fourth time.

In the congratulatory message, Xi said since the establishment of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Germany in 2014, the two countries have witnessed continuous development in bilateral ties, constantly-deepened common interest and mutual cooperation, closer cooperation in improving global governance and boosting globalization and multilateralism, among other aspects.

He said he attaches great importance to the development of the China-Germany relationship and is willing to work with Merkel to consolidate and boost mutual strategic trust, lift ties to a new level and achieve greater progress.

On the same day, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also extended his congratulations to Merkel, saying the positive momentum in China-Germany relations must be maintained. He added that deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership is in the interest of both countries.

China is willing to work with the new German government to continuously push forward China-Germany relations and practical cooperation, Li said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:45:22|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

Yu Zhengsheng (R), chairman of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), shakes hands with Wang Yang amid warm applause after the announcement of election result at the fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, March 14, 2018. Wang Yang was elected chairman of the 13th CPPCC National Committee Wednesday afternoon. A new leadership for the top advisory body was elected at the meeting. The leadership includes chairperson, vice-chairpersons, secretary-general and Standing Committee members. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yang was elected chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the top political advisory body, Wednesday afternoon.

Wang was elected at the fourth plenary meeting of the first session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee by more than 2,100 political advisors.

Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, shook hands with Wang amid warm applause after the election result was announced.

Wang was born in March 1955 in Suzhou of east China's Anhui Province. He began his first job in June 1972 and joined the Communist Party of China (CPC) in August 1975.

He received a university education at the Central Party School, and holds a Master of Engineering degree.

Wang had worked as worker, teacher and Party and government officials in Anhui until 1999, and later held Party and government posts in central and local organs, such as Party chiefs of Chongqing Municipality and Guangdong Province, and deputy secretary-general of State Council.

He has been Vice Premier of the State Council since 2013.

At the first plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee last October, Wang was elected member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Altogether 24 vice chairpersons and 300 Standing Committee members were also elected at Wednesday's plenary meeting.

Xia Baolong was elected secretary-general of the CPPCC National Committee.

The newly elected chairman and vice chairpersons are aged 64 on average.

Among the vice chairpersons, 11 are CPC members. Four are from ethnic minority groups and two are women.

The Standing Committee members are aged 59.3 on average, 65 percent of whom are not CPC members.

A total of 33 Standing Committee members are from ethnic minority groups, and 39 are women.

On Wednesday morning, the session's presidium adopted a draft resolution on the work report of the Standing Committee of the 12th CPPCC National Committee, a draft resolution on an amendment to the CPPCC charter, a draft report on the examination of proposals, and a draft political resolution on the first session of 13th CPPCC National Committee.

It was decided that all the drafts would be submitted to Thursday's closing meeting for approval.

The CPPCC is an important organ for multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC.

Its annual session this year, which opened on March 3, will conclude Thursday.

Related:

Wang Yang -- Chairman of 13th National Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 21:55:24|Editor: Chengcheng

Video Player Close

DAMASCUS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- An array of rebel groups on Wednesday unleashed a wide-scale offensive in the countryside of Hama province in central Syria as part of retaliation against the Syrian military operations in the capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta countryside, a monitor group reported.

The rebels' assault, dubbed "The Rage for Ghouta," is taking place in the northern and northwestern countryside of Hama, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The rebels aim to advance and capture areas controlled by the Syrian army, starting their offensive on Wednesday morning with heavy shelling and rocket attack on the Syrian army's positions in Hama countryside.

The rebels succeeded to capture the northern neighbourhood of Kernaz area and most of the Hamamyiat area in the northern countryside of Hama.

The battles are coupled with Syrian airstrikes on the positions of the rebels in Hama countryside, said the Observatory, adding that 20 soldiers and rebel groups have been killed in the battles since Wednesday morning.

In the capital Damascus, the Syrian army continued its military offensive against the rebels in Eastern Ghouta, capturing new areas on Wednesday while securing the evacuation of civilians from areas in Eastern Ghouta.

The situation in Eastern Ghouta has flared up since late February following a wide-scale military operation by the Syrian army to dislodge al-Qaida-linked groups from the area.

On Sunday, the Syrian army split Eastern Ghouta into three parts, by tightening the siege on Douma in the north, the city of Harasta in the west and other towns and villages south of the region.

Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, constitutes the last threat to Damascus given its proximity to government-controlled neighbourhoods east of the capital and continuing mortar attacks on residential areas there.

Four major rebel groups are currently positioned inside Eastern Ghouta, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Levant Liberation Committee, known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

The UN humanitarian agencies have sounded the alarm about the worsening humanitarian situation for 400,000 people in Eastern Ghouta, where activists said around 1,000 have been killed since a military showdown between rebels and the government late February.
People stand on the ruins of a building destroyed in the airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen, Aug. 25, 2017 (Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Zhi Linfei

CAIRO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- On the surface, the United States has often portrayed itself as a peace broker in the volatile Middle East, which has long suffered chaos, violence and conflicts.

Such peaceful gestures could be deceiving until one reads the latest report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), which shows the United States is the largest weapons exporter to the Middle East.

Smell a rat? A peace broker is in fact the largest supplier of the most deadly tools of destruction and killing.

"The increased flow of arms raises concerns over their impact on international peace and security," warned Jan Eliasson, chair of the SIPRI Governing Board.

NEARLY HALF OF U.S. WEAPONS EXPORTS FLOW TO MIDEAST

The SIPRI report released on Monday finds that in the five-year period of 2013-2017, U.S. arms exports increased by 25 percent from the 2008-2012 period, extending its lead as the top arms exporter in the world.

The United States accounted for 34 percent of total global arms sales during the 2013-2017 period. Notably, nearly half, or 49 percent, of the total U.S. arms exports flew to the Middle East.

Accordingly, the war-stricken Middle East stood out as the largest weapons market, accounting for about one third of the total global imports of weapons. Arms imports to the region doubled during the 2013-2017 period.

The region also houses the biggest number of leading arms importers in the world, including Saudi Arabia, the No. 2 importer; Egypt, the No. 3 importer; and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the No. 4 importer. Israel, Iraq and Qatar are also major buyers of weapons in the region.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia registered a 225-percent rise in its arms imports during the 2013-2017 period, while Egypt's imports climbed 215 percent and Israel's, 125 percent.

The sharp increases in arms imports by Mideastern countries vividly mirror the geopolitical situation in the region, where ongoing wars against terrorism, worsening rivalries for regional influence and rising tensions among Gulf neighbors have led to a race among regional states to build up their own arsenals of weapons.

"The Middle East, being a conflict zone, inevitably attracts the attention of arms exporters. Because there are also oil-rich countries in the region, there seems to be a lucrative market for arms sales," Ilter Turan, a professor of international relations at Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey, told Xinhua in an interview.

Hussam Al-Dagany, a Palestinian lecturer in the Al-Aqsa University and Al-Azhar University in Gaza Strip, believes that the U.S. government has been subject to the powerful lobbying of the weapons industry.

"And certainly, the best venue for the manufacture of crises and conflicts is the Middle East," Al-Dagany told Xinhua in an interview.

He said that the United States will not play its role in resolving the crises and conflicts despite its political and military power. Instead, the U.S. arms sales to the region are "aimed at creating sedition" as they are used to creating "strife in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, and everywhere."

FISHING IN TROUBLED WATERS

In any sense, the United States has long been benefiting from the chaos in the Middle East.

"Of course, the U.S. has benefited in a way or another from the chaos and wars that have engulfed the Middle East and the Arab region in particular," Saeed al-Lawendy, an expert on international relations at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, Egypt, told Xinhua.

Behind its profitable arms exporting business lies the U.S. contribution to the chaotic situation in the oil-rich Middle East with its interventionist policies, including its notorious invasion of Iraq in 2003, its military intervention in Libya in 2011, its support for the turmoils in North Africa and the Middle East, and the current involvement in the civil war in Syria.

"This was certainly true that the U.S., by invading Iraq, broke down a regime and destroyed the domestic peace of Iraq, although that peace was highly authoritarian and cruel. But what we have got afterwards is not any better," Turan noted.

"Similarly, the later U.S. interventions in the Middle East have not helped to improve the prospect of peace in the region," he said.

Backed by Washington, Saudi Arabia, together with the UAE and several other Arab countries, has been fighting a highly costly war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.

The United States has also long been feuding with Iran, regarded as an enemy by both Saudi Arabia and Israel, sounding alarm about the nuclear threat posed by the Islamic Republic.

For a long time, both Saudi Arabia and Israel have been preparing militarily for a possible showdown with Tehran, by acquiring advanced U.S. weapons.

The latest crisis in the Gulf, in which Qatar squares off with the Saudi-led quartet of Arab countries that also includes Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE, has also benefited the United States, which is blamed by some for instigating the standoff.

"We can see the main goal of U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to the Gulf countries was to sign arms deals and to incite the conflict and dispute with Qatar, so the U.S. can sell weapons to Qatar and all the Gulf states," said al-Lawendy.

He referred to the first Middle East tour last May by Trump, whose first stop was Saudi Arabia. Following the visit, Riyadh abruptly severed its diplomatic ties with Qatar last June and imposed a total blockade on its tiny oil-rich Gulf neighbor.

However, since the eruption of the crisis, the United States has signed massive deals on selling weapons to the rivaling sides, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The United States and Saudi Arabia signed an arms deal worth 110 billion U.S. dollars during Trump's visit, which was followed by Qatar's signing of a 12-billion-dollar deal to buy U.S. fighter jets in June, 2017.

"So the U.S. is the sole beneficiary of the chaos and violence in the region," al-Lawendy pointed out.

ARMS SELLER OR PEACE MAKER?

The United States has painted itself for years as a broker of political settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mediator of a diplomatic solution to the Gulf standoff.

However, many are critical of the U.S. role in the region, noting it has a moral debt to pay off if it wants to be an honest and genuine peace maker.

"Of course, we doubt the U.S. integrity as a mediator in the peace talks in the Middle East, because how can the top arms exporter enter any peace settlement?" said al-Lawendy.

Faisal Abu Shahlah, a member of the Legislative Council of the Fatah Movement and the Fatah leader in Gaza Strip, told Xinhua that the United States is creating instability in the region because it benefits from the arms trade.

"Because it wants to sell arms to stir the problems in our region and not to achieve stability, the recent U.S. positions, even its previous positions, have proved that America is not an honest broker," he said.

Al-Dagany also said that the United States "has not proved that it is possible to be an honest broker in any of the region's conflicts," citing Trump's controversial decision to recognize the disputed holy city of Jerusalem as Israel's capital despite widespread protests.

As a result, the Palestinians have rejected the United States as the sole sponsor of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

"This is a disgrace to the United States that it does not work to end the crises in the Middle East," Al-Dagany said.

Analysts are more worried about the recent attempt by Trump to renew the Iranian nuclear crisis by threatening to pull out of the historic nuclear deal signed in 2015.

Al-Dagany said the goal of the U.S. strategy in the Middle East is firstly to achieve the fragmentation of the Arab region to ensure the superiority of Israel, and then to ensure Israel's integration into the new Middle East by inflating the Iranian threat and portraying Israel as a partner for Arab countries in stopping the alleged Iranian expansion.

Professor Turan said that the American decision to challenge the Iranian deal is "an ill-considered action."

"The U.S. has not been acting very prudently or responsibly in the Middle East, and it has contributed significantly to peace being undermined in the Middle East," Turan added.

(Li Yiyan in Cairo, Emad Drimly in Gaza, Zeynep Cermen in Istanbul contributed to the story.)
WINDHOEK, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's labour minister said Wednesday that there is an urgent need for the government and relevant sectors to collaborate more in designing programs to help young graduates get jobs.

Erkki Nghimtina said this when he officially launched the chapter of the Global Apprenticeship Network (GAN) in Windhoek.

Nghimtina also said Namibia identified unemployment, especially among women and the youth, as a major problem.

He said despite several measures put in place to address unemployment, the problem continued to rise and has reached unacceptable levels in recent years.

Citing the 2016 Namibian Labor Force Survey, Nghimtina put the number of the unemployed at 349,383, out of the labour force of about 1 million (34 percent).

He further said the unemployment rate for those aged 15-34 stands at 43.4 percent, up from 39.0 percent recorded in 2014.

"The measures of addressing the youth unemployment and skills shortages raise questions as to whether the initiatives taken or strategies made are effective for solving the problems," Nghimtina said.

The minister added that perhaps a rethink of the strategies employed is crucial for the way forward in tackling unemployment.
MOSCOW, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Replacing Rex Tillerson with Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) head Mike Pompeo as U.S. Secretary of State is unlikely to help improve relations between Moscow and Washington, said experts and officials in Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday the leadership change in the U.S. Department of State. Tillerson's sudden sacking has sparked worries over Washington's future foreign policy.

Oleg Ignatov, deputy director of the Moscow-based Center for Current Policy, said he did not expect Pompeo to alter the course of relations with Russia.

"I do not think that we should expect any progress. Relations between the two countries are very bad. And there are signs that they can degrade further," he commented on the think tank's website.

"I'm afraid that the confrontational tone on the part of American diplomats can only increase," he added.

Speaking to local media, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "In any case, of course, there remains hope for ...a sober approach in mutual relations."

Konstantin Kosachov, head of the international affairs committee of the Russian Federation Council, or the upper house of parliament, said U.S. foreign policy came about as a result of "compromises between the White House and Capitol Hill."

"And in this sense, the strategy of restraining Russia, as an already existing compromise between them, will not change," he said.

Sharing a similar downbeat sentiment, Dmitry Kamyshev, columnist with the commercial Vedomosti Daily, said Tillerson's leaving demonstrated "a final collapse of a business approach to politics."

"Indeed, Trump's declared 'business approach' to foreign policy means doing in the international arena only things that are clearly beneficial to America actually failed," Kamyshev said.

He said the Trump approach demonstrated its weakness soon after his inauguration. When the Trump administration attempted "at least to establish a dialogue with Moscow," it was met with tough opposition from Congress and defense and security officials, he said.

Kremlin spokesman Peskov said he did not think the Russia-U.S. relationship could worsen.

"You see, it's hardly possible to fall below the floor. Therefore, there is hardly any fear of further deterioration," said Peskov.
NAIROBI, March 14 (Xinhua) The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Wednesday launched a mobile application to fight fall armyworm, a crop-eating pest that has invaded thousands of hectors of farmlands in Africa.

FAO said the Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning Systems (FAMEWS) mobile application is vital for early detection of the pest and guiding best response.

"The app will help us build our collective knowledge of fall armyworm in Africa, and connect all the dots: from how and where it spreads to what makes it weaker and less damaging," said Keith Cressman, FAO Senior Agricultural Officer, in a statement.

Cressman said the app provides valuable insights on how the insect changes over time and space to improve knowledge of its behavior in Africa and guide best response.

"The app is useful on two fronts: for farmers and agricultural workers in the direct management of their crops to prevent further infestations and reduce damage; and for all actors involved in managing fall armyworm in Africa by providing vital analysis on risks, spread and management," he added.

According to FAO, the app will enable farmers to report the level of infestation, map the spread of the insect, as well as to describe its natural enemies and most effective measures to contain it.

According to FAO, the crop-eating pest has already infected millions of hectares of maize in Africa, a staple crop across the continent, threatening food security of more than 300 million people, mainly small-holder farmers who are already struggling to make ends meet and produce enough food for their families.

By early 2018, only ten out of the 54 African states and territories have not reported infestations by the fast-spreading, crop-munching pest.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 22:35:31|Editor: Liangyu

Video Player Close

Jamie McGoldrick, the United Nations' Humanitarian Coordinator, speaks during a press conference in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, on March 14, 2018. The Palestinian government and the United Nations launched on Wednesday a 539.7-million-U.S. dollars appeal to address the urgent humanitarian needs of 1.9 million Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2018. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)

GAZA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government and the United Nations launched on Wednesday a 539.7-million-U.S. dollars appeal to address the urgent humanitarian needs of 1.9 million Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2018.

In a statement, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2018 was launched by Palestinian Minister of Social Development Ibrahim al-Shaer, and UN's Humanitarian Coordinator, Jamie McGoldrick.

"If funding is secured, humanitarian actors will be able to enhance the protection of Palestinians living under military occupation, improve vulnerable people's access to basic services, and support the ability of Palestinians to cope with and overcome crises," the statement said.

For his part, Minister al-Shaer said lack of funding in recent years has led to unfortunate reductions in humanitarian relief for Palestinians in acute need across Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

"We have also seen regrettable attempts to politicize aid work," he revealed.

McGoldrick, meanwhile, said this year's humanitarian plan was prepared as part of a three-year strategy.

"This approach enhances connections with other strategies, including those related to development efforts, while increased respect for international law and longer-term solutions are pursued," he said.

The 2018 plan consists of 240 projects to be implemented by 99 organizations, including 51 national and 35 international NGOs, and 13 UN agencies.

Approximately 75 percent of the requested funds target Gaza, where humanitarian needs are highest due to Israel's prolonged blockade and recurrent hostilities, further exacerbated by the impact of internal Palestinian divisions and Egypt's restrictions on the Rafah crossing, the statement said.

"Gaza teeters on the edge of a catastrophe," Minister al-Shaer said. "Humanitarian needs will deepen in the Gaza Strip, in both severity and complexity, as long as the illegal Israeli blockade remains."

He stressed that the Palestinian government is keen to build synergies between humanitarian aid and development cooperation in the occupied Palestinian territory, pointing out that ending the occupation is the most direct, practical and durable solution for Palestinian grievances.

Gaza has been placed under a tight Israeli blockade since Islamic Hamas movement seized the territory after routing forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

According to Gaza Commerce Chamber, unemployment rate in Gaza stands at 46 percent, while the rates of poverty have exceeded 65 percent.

The figures showed that there is a 50-percent increase in household food insecurity in Gaza, while local markets suffer from lack of purchasing power, leading to an acute shortage of cash.
Combined photo shows the Huawu Village before (upper, file photo) and after (lower, taken on Aug. 17, 2017 by Wan Xiang) the renovation work at Yeping township in Ruijin City, east China's Jiangxi Province. Huawu Village, one of poverty-stricken villages in Jiangxi, started renovation and new house building with the help of government in 2013. After 5 years of construction, Huawu villagers moved into new houses early in 2015. (Xinhua)

by Xinhua writer Chen Chen

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China, at the annual session of its top legislative body in Beijing, has pledged to lift another 10 million people out of poverty in its rural areas this year.

The ambitious call for action demonstrates the country's earnest efforts to eliminate poverty, after more than 68 million people have been lifted out of poverty over the past five years.

Through nearly 40 years of reform and opening-up, against the existing rural poverty standards, China has lifted 700 million people out of poverty, more than the total population of the United States, Russia, Japan and Germany, accounting for over 70 percent of the global poverty reduction accomplishments.

Besides, the Asian country has established the world's largest social security system and cut the national poverty rate to 3.1 percent, becoming the first country to complete the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals.

The successful achievements China has made in poverty alleviation have not only promoted the development of its own human rights endeavor, but also greatly contributed to that of the international community.

Today, poverty remains one of the most serious challenges to the fulfillment of human rights, and the elimination of extreme impoverishment has been recognized as a global goal.

As the world's most populous country, China had around 30 million people living below the national poverty line at the end of last year due to unbalanced and inadequate development in different regions, though it has seen a remarkable economic achievement over the past decades.

The grave reality has prompted the Chinese government to set priorities in honoring its firm commitment to improving the people's rights to subsistence and development -- the most primary and basic human rights, as China's State Council recognized in 2016 in a white paper. These two rights are also enshrined and secured in the Constitution and make poverty alleviation a must-do.

To realize the goal of eliminating extreme poverty in the rural areas by 2020, China is carrying out a basic strategy of targeted approach, which requires officials of all levels to clarify who the actual impoverished are and figure out factors that led to poverty. Each household or even each family member would be advised with a bespoke poverty relief plan. In addition, officials who fail to do so would be held accountable.

China's anti-poverty drive has been globally lauded.

China has realized "the most rapid large-scale poverty reduction in human history over the last 25 years," read a 2016 World Bank document, which was released after the World Bank's one-year research of worldwide poverty reduction efforts in partnership with the Chinese government.

"We should not forget the fact that China has contributed the most in world poverty alleviation in the past decade," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last year about China's poverty reduction achievements.

Though the battle against poverty is hard, China is determined to fight its battle and win, as it is trying to build a society where its people can share the bounties of development. As Chinese President Xi Jinping said: "On the march towards common prosperity, no one must be left behind." Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 22:40:32|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

German chancellor Angela Merkel (front, R) and ministers of her new cabinet attend the swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. German new government was sworn in on Wednesday with Angela Merkel kicking off her fourth term as the leader of Europe's largest economy thanks to her re-election as chancellor by the parliament. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

by Ren Ke

BERLIN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Almost half a year after the Sept. 24 federal elections, German new government was finally sworn in on Wednesday with Angela Merkel kicking off her fourth term as the leader of Europe's largest economy thanks to her re-election as chancellor by the parliament.

"I swear that I will devote my strength to the good of the German people," said Merkel when taking oath with her right hand raising in front of Wolfgang Schauble, speaker of the Bundestag, the lower house of German Parliament.

Merkel is no stranger to the oath, as it was her fourth time to read it at chancellor's swearing-in ceremony.

But what made this time some different is the long wait before it finally happened, 171 days after the federal elections, the longest time span in post-war Germany.

The over-fragmented results in the federal elections led to difficulties in government formation, a major reason for the long-term vacuum of new government.

After rounds of negotiations, the Union Party led by Merkel finally signed a government coalition agreement on Monday with the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

It was also the third "Grand Coalition" and the second consecutive one between the two biggest parties in Germany.

The ensuing election for chancellor was only a procedure for the chancellor and the cabinet to formally take office.

Among the total 709 seats of the Bundestag, Merkel, the candidate of the coalition between her Conservatives Union and the SPD, won a total of 364 votes, securing an absolute majority, but only nine votes more than that.

The "Grand Coalition" in the Bundestag has 399 seats, 35 more than the votes Merkel received to become chancellor.

After being elected as chancellor, Merkel was greeted by leaders of different parties in the Bundestag, including the far-right populist Alternative fuer Deutschland (AfD).

Merkel later met with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to present her cabinet as a ritual, while Steinmeier appealed to a balance of social justice and economic rationality.

The new German government was finally formed after 14 ministers, six from the SPD and eight from the Union, were sworn in in front of Schauble on the Afternoon.

Elisabeth Motschmann, a Bundestag member from the Union, told Xinhua that the new government has a lot of work to do.

"We need to do more to Europe firstly and then we will also look overseas to other regions. We are strong economically," said Motschmann, chairwoman of Committee on Culture and Media of Bundestag.

The German new government will face the opposition of the AfD in the Bundestag. As the third largest party in the parliament, AfD believed that they are the real opposition party.

"I did not vote for her," said Juergen Pohl, an AfD MP from Thuringia told Xinhua, explaining that "The government does not give enough support to the east."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 22:40:33|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Five years ago, Zhang Xingying first used Chinese polar-orbiting satellites to detect and measure smog, looking for ways to tackle air pollution.

Now as China makes progress in clearing its skies, the meteorologist hopes the technology can also be shared to brighten the future for all, both at home and overseas.

"Smog may be on the retreat at the moment but remains a problem that cannot be ignored, not only in China but in many other countries," said Zhang, 40, chief scientist of atmosphere composition remote sensing at the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

Zhang was speaking on the sidelines of the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the country's top political advisory body.

As one of China's most important annual political events, the session brings together thousands of CPPCC members from various backgrounds including scientists, officials, entrepreneurs, and religious figures to discuss government policy and put forward suggestions.

Zhang, a political advisor, wants his voice to be heard both in China and beyond. "Our satellites can help more countries with air pollution."

His remarks stem from his research on particulate matter, which he has been involved in since 2001, when the pollutant was largely unknown to the public.

The thick, grey haze that frequently descends on eastern and northern China prompted the government to begin to purify the air, with hunting down polluters the most urgent task.

Zhang and his team modelled the evolution of smog from 1979 to 2013 and then used satellites equipped with ultraviolet sensors to predict long-term trends and variations. "The geostationary orbit satellite Fengyun-4, launched in December 2016, can take clear pictures of the movement of smog that enable us to track the sources of pollution and improve forecasting."

Thanks to numerous scientists like Zhang, the skies over Chinese cities have started to turn bluer, even in winter. The PM2.5 index in Beijing and environs has fallen by 39.6 percent since 2013.

For Zhang, however, the battle is far from over. "From India to Egypt, smog has spread throughout developing countries in the middle of modernization."

China has started to provide other countries with pollutant monitoring services, helping them establish their own remote sensing networks.

The Fengyun series of meteorological satellites cover 42 countries and regions along the Belt and Road. In 2017, the CMA trained nearly 400 specialists and awarded 71 scholarships to meteorological and hydrological students, all from abroad.

"We share the same environment and the same earth. Helping others is actually helping ourselves. That's what 'a community with shared future' means," Zhang said, who is also chief China scientist for an EU-funded remote sensing research program.

The CPPCC session runs almost parallel to the annual session of the 13th National People's Congress, the national legislature. At the "two sessions," political and economic developments, and new policies are reviewed, discussed, adopted or discarded by nearly 3,000 legislators and more than 2,100 political advisors.

Zhang brought a proposal on commercial use of satellite data. "It can be used for a wide variety of purposes, such as steering ocean-going freighters around storms, predicting grain output and in carbon trading."

"Without increased consumption of resources, the green economy will create new growth points for China and the world," Zhang said.
WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that the United States and Japan will hold an Extended Deterrence Dialogue (EDD) on March 14-16 at Naval Base Kitsap in Bangor, Washington State.

According to a statement, the EDD will enable the two governments to "frankly exchange views on how to secure deterrence as part of their security and defense cooperation."

The two governments have "broad and ongoing" discussions on deterrence issues within the U.S.-Japan alliance, and have held the EDD on a regular basis since 2010.

Earlier on Wednesday, the State Department also announced that it had hosted the third U.S.-Japan Energy Strategic Dialogue in Washington D.C. on March 8.

It said the discussions focused on the energy security dimensions of recent geopolitical developments, energy market trends, and areas of bilateral cooperation in multilateral fora devoted to energy.

"The talks reinforced the role energy cooperation plays in strengthening the U.S.-Japan partnership, as President (Donald) Trump highlighted in his visit to Japan in November 2017," read the statement.
WINDHOEK, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Chamber of Mines will host the 7th Namibia Mining Expo and Conference from April 25 to 26.

The event will run under the theme, "Maximizing the multipler effect from Namibia's mining sector," said the chamber's CEO Veston Malango at a launch event on Wednesday in Windhoek.

Malango said the outlook for the country's mining industry is positive with several new players targeting a larger array of minerals.

"These developments widen the opportunities for investment, job creation and broadening of the value chain," he added.

This year's expo will feature an exhibition by mining companies and suppliers, speeches and discussions.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 22:50:34|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

DAMASCUS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Wednesday that the United States aims to fragment regional countries through supporting the terror groups, according to state news agency SANA.

Assad made the remarks during his meeting with Faleh Fayad, Iraq's national security advisor, during which both sides discussed political and security issues in light of the situation in the region, according to SANA.

Assad said the U.S. plans in the region aim at undermining and weakening the countries in the region through continuing its support to the terror groups.

Such plans need to be faced by unified stances from the countries that seek to preserve their unity, Assad said.

His remarks come just days after the United States threatened to strike Syria, following the advance of the Syrian army in the war against the rebels in Eastern Ghouta.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley recently threatened that the United States will strike Syrian government forces if they don't halt their operation in Eastern Ghouta amid U.S. accusations that the Syrian forces are using chemical weapons in their attack, a claim that has been repeatedly denied by the Syrian government.

"We also warn any nation that is determined to impose its will through chemical attacks and inhuman suffering, most especially the outlaw Syrian regime, the United States remains prepared to act if we must," Haley said.

The remarks raised the ire of Russia, Syria's main ally, with Russian officials threatening retaliation.

Russia's Army General Valery Gerasimov warned on Tuesday that the United States was preparing to launch raids against the Syrian government.

"In the event of a threat to our military servicemen's lives, Russia's armed forces will take retaliatory measures to target both the missiles and their delivery vehicles," Gerasimov said, according to the state-run Tass Russian News Agency.

Last April, the United States struck the Shairat military base in the central Homs province, marking the U.S. response to the alleged chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in the countryside of Idlib province in northwestern Syria.

At the time, the Syrian government denied using chemical weapons, saying it didn't possess such weapons, calling the U.S. attack "an American aggression."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 22:55:35|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

SHANGHAI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China International Import Expo (CIIE) has signed its first contract with a leading intelligent manufacturer, the organizers said Wednesday.

Tawara Kazuyuki, chairman of the board at Nachi (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.,said that he hopes to show and improve the company's robotic products and technology through the expo.

Nachi is a top company in the robotics industry and will be a highlight of the intelligent and high-end equipment zone of the CIIE.

The zone covers industries such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, energy conservation, 3D printing and new energy equipment.

More than 250 companies have signed letters of intent to take part in the CIIE, according to the CIIE Bureau.

The first CIIE will be held in Shanghai in November, which is expected to bring together thousands of enterprises from more than 100 countries.
MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Philippine troops have killed five Abu Sayyaf terrorists in a clash in a remote village in the southern Philippine Sulu province, the military said on Wednesday.

The military said fighting erupted around 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday when militants fired upon the troops that tried to penetrate an Abu Sayyaf lair deep in the jungles of Panglayahan, a village in Patikul town in Sulu.

The military said at least six soldiers have also been wounded in the firefight.

Lt. Col. Marlon Jomalesa, commander officer of the Scout Ranger unit involved in the military offensive, said the troops managed to creep in as close as 20 meters into the militants' lair when some 30 terrorists fired at them.

"They were just very careful due to the possible presence of kidnap victims with the (terrorists)," said Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, commander of the Western Mindanao Command.

Galvez said troops fired artillery and mortar as the terrorists fled. The military recovered two M16 rifles left behind by the fleeing terrorists.

He said more reinforcement troops were sent to the area.

The Abu Sayyaf group are still holding at least 10 hostages, including a Dutch, one Vietnamese, three Indonesians, and five Filipinos.
TIRANA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of citizens across Albania Wednesday celebrated the Summer Day, which falls on every March 14.

In central Albania's Elbasan in particular, celebration of the day, which seen as the beginning of spring, is an old tradition.

A big concert was held in Elbasan's main square and attracted many citizens.

Elbasan and the capital city Tirana have prepared many activities, such as bicycle race, carnival parade of elementary schools and traditional handicrafts and foods fair.

The Mayor of Tirana Erion Veliaj planted some saplings in Tirana outskirts and at the Artificial Lake Park to wish a happy summer day to all citizens.

During the day, people also exchange visits to each other home and send candies.
by Xinhua writer Zhu Shaobin

NAIROBI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The first official visit to Africa by Rex Tillerson as top U.S. diplomat ended expectedly with him being fired by U.S. President Donald Trump, leaving Africa perplexed and dubious of the sincerity of U.S. diplomacy.

As African countries are still not over Trump's alleged "shithole" remarks against them, Tillerson's visit to five African nations including Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Chad and Nigeria last week was seen as a gesture to mend U.S.-Africa ties.

Tillerson had wanted to use the visit to deepen the United States' partnerships in Africa in areas including counter-terrorism, peace and security as well as trade and investment; however, this has become even more uncertain with his sacking.

Kenya-based newspaper The Standard on Wednesday described Tillerson's firing as a "dramatic" end to his 14-month tenure in a report that also pointed out the unusualness of Tillerson's visit to Africa because he had suspended his itinerary due to "illness" while in Kenya and cut short his trip in Africa because of other more urgent work.

John Campbell, an Africa scholar at the Council on Foreign Relations, told a U.S. media outlet that Trump's sacking of the top U.S. diplomat could be interpreted as "another example of the administration disrespecting Africa."

"I don't know how the Africans are going to take that," Campbell was quoted as saying.

"Tillerson ouster troubling on many fronts," Joe Cirincione, president of the Ploughshares Fund, wrote in a Twitter post Tuesday. "Rude, disrespectful treatment of a loyal supporter, dumping him while representing America abroad, during his trip to Africa."

According to long-time Africa and international relations researchers in China, Africa has been marginalized in the Trump administration's foreign policy, and the situation will likely remain so during his time in office.

The marginalization could be mirrored through Trump cutting foreign aid for Africa as well as the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, to which African nations attach great importance, said Li Wentao, Institute of African Studies Director at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

In a different perspective, Liu Hongwu, an Africa researcher at Zhejian Normal University, said that Tillerson's visit to Africa has been more about formality than concrete results.

Apart from his announcement of 533 million U.S. dollars in humanitarian aid for Ethiopia and some other African countries, Liu said, Tillerson's visit to Africa has not raised specific measures benefiting the continent. Given the latest development, it looks that the aid amount is yet to be finalized.

Abebe Aynete, a senior researcher with Ethiopian Foreign Relations Strategic Studies Institute, said Tillerson and Trump come from a business background, and they see U.S. relations with the rest of the world as transactional.

It's unclear whether Tillerson's visit will show a clearer U.S. global diplomatic strategy. So far, it appears that the trip by the embattled Tillerson has failed to achieve just that, Aynete added.
ISLAMABAD, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and 32 others injured in separate rain-triggered accidents in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and tribal areas over the last two days, local reports said Wednesday.

A minor boy was killed and several others injured when they were hit by land sliding triggered off by heavy rains on their way back home from school in Swat district of the province, Radio Pakistan reported.

Two men were killed and several others injured after drowning in a flooded stream in the province.

In another incident, two women were killed and eight others injured when land sliding hit their houses in Kurram Agency tribal area.

Several others were injured in separate incidents of roof collapse caused by heavy rains coupled with windstorm.

Hailstorms were also reported in several areas of the province, destroying standing crops and orchards at hundreds of acres of land.

Local weather office said that the current spell of rain is over and forecasted dry weather from Wednesday evening.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-14 23:30:42|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

HAIKOU, China, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The 2018 Round Hainan International Regatta will be held from March 25 to April 1 in Sanya in China's Hainan Province.

The ninth edition of the regatta will start from Sanya, the host city, and stop by Lingshui, Wanning and Haikou.

The whole event covers 820 nautical miles.

The regatta features eight groups including IRC1-6, Beneteau leisure and OP class.

A total of 45 sailing teams and 40 OP teenagers will participate in the event.

The regatta is sponsored by the Hainan Provincial Government.
HO CHI MINH CITY, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Miss Vietnam 2018 competition, Vietnam's most long-standing and prestigious beauty pageant, started recruiting contestants nationwide on Wednesday, and the final night will take place in Ho Chi Minh City in September, its organizers announced here Wednesday.

For the first time, the final round of the biennial national pageant will be divided into two stages and held in two localities, the first from Aug.23 to Sept.16 in central Da Nang city, and the second from Sept.17-22 in Ho Chi Minh City.

The pageant's winner will receive a valuable crown and 500 million Vietnamese dong (22,100 U.S. dollars), and represent Vietnam to compete at Miss World 2018.

In the previous national beauty contest, Do My Linh, a 20-year-old foreign trade student from Hanoi, was named Miss Vietnam 2016.
WINDHOEK, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's health ministry said Wednesday that it had strengthened the surveillance at points of entries in the wake of the first case of listeria detected in the country.

Health minister Bernard Haufiku told the National Assembly Tuesday that one case of listeria was detected on March 5, and that the patient, a 41-year-old man was currently admitted at a Windhoek hospital.

Haufiku said the case was detected at Tsumeb, a town in the north-central part of the country.

In a statement issued Wednesday by the acting permanent secretary Petronella Masabane, the ministry said it was working with Ministry of Finance (Customs & Excise) and Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (Veterinary Services).

Masabane also said the ministry had ordered a stop to the selling of ready-to-eat meat products and recalled all such products from the shops.

Also, Masabane said, the import of ready-to-eat meat products from Rainbow Chickens and Enterprise Foods Ltd., South Africa, had been banned.

According to Masabane, some of the targeted meat products are polony, Vienna, sausages, Russians, frankfurters and ham salamis.

All environmental health practitioners, according to Masabane, had been ordered to inspect all retailers selling these products and ensure that they are removed from the shelves and destroyed under strict supervision.
WARSAW, March 14 (Xinhua) -- "The New Silk Road on the transcontinental transport corridors' map" was one of most crucial discussion panels during the 11th Europe-Ukraine Forum in Jasionka, southeastern Poland, which concluded Thursday.

Polish Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk is one of the speakers in the panel dedicated to the Belt and Road Initiative. He underlined the importance of creating the communication corridors between Europe and Asia, saying such corridors not only contribute to the development of the B&R Initiative, but most importantly help boost local economies and improve trade and cargo exchange.

"That is the sense in all this - the sense that we perceive the idea of one route, one road," Adamczyk said.

The minister also hoped for using this opportunity to extend the Polish A4 highway to Ukraine.

The highway, according to the minister, is of huge interest to countries such as Belarus, Ukraine, as well as the countries of Central Asia. Adamczyk reminded that such communication corridors, a part of Belt and Road initiative, are already being carried out.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa based on ancient land and maritime trade routes.

The two-day meeting in Jasionka has seen 300 speakers and more than 40 panel debates devoted to economic, political and social issues. The forum was accompanied by the 2nd Eastern Fair, attended by over 70 exhibitors from IT, financial, construction, motor, tourism and many other sectors.
NAIROBI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- More than 8,500 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya seeking refuge, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said on Wednesday.

The humanitarian agency expressed concern that the number may keep increasing in the coming days, as more families are said to be on the way to Kenya's northern border town of Moyale.

"The number of displaced persons from Ethiopia has risen to 8,592 as many more continue to seek refuge in Moyale, Marsabit County," the Red Cross said in a statement.

The Ethiopian government forces on Saturday "mistakenly" killed nine civilians near the Kenyan border town of Moyale after mistaking the Ethiopians for members of the banned Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) who were attempting to sneak into the country.

The fleeing victims said a military unit had been deployed to Moyale to intercept anti-government elements belonging to the OLF rebels.

"The Kenya Red Cross is scaling up its interventions to ensure the displaced families receive adequate humanitarian support as these numbers are expected to rise," said Abbas Gullet, Secretary General, Kenya Red Cross in a statement issued in Nairobi.

Gullet said the agency has been attending to the displaced persons through various humanitarian interventions.

It said distribution of food and non-food items is ongoing, alongside the provision of integrated medical outreaches, health education, among other support.

"These interventions target families that have already settled in Moyale and Sololo areas, as well as the newcomers," said the Red Cross.
PYONGYANG, March 14 (Xinhua) -- An official media outlet of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Wednesday accused the United States of trying to reverse the detente underway on the Korean Peninsula with sanctions.

The official Minju Joson daily said in a commentary that the recent U.S. decision to impose sanctions on 56 designations of the DPRK or DPRK-related shipping and trading companies, vessels, and one individual, showed how desperately Washington was working to ratchet up the sanctions and pressure on the DPRK and suffocate it.

It said the U.S. decision for new sanctions was not merely a continuation of past sanctions but illustrates an intention to "bring back the situation to a phase of tension by escalating the sanctions and pressure."

The U.S. justifies its hegemonic policy towards the Asia-Pacific region under the pretext of mounting tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the daily of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly said. The commentary said the U.S. is nervous about the detente and wants to break it.

U.S. President Donald Trump said late February that the United States would launch "the heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country" on the DPRK.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 00:05:51|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) -- China's emerging first-tier cities have become popular destinations for the inflow of talented professionals, according to a report.

Hangzhou, Chengdu, Suzhou and Xiamen have outperformed Beijing and Shanghai in attracting professionals thanks to their vibrant business growth potential and abundant job opportunities, according to a report by global employment-oriented social networking platform LinkedIn.

The Internet sector is the most attractive industry among job seekers, followed by real estate, automobiles, financial services and education management.

"The employment landscape is in line with the industrial development of these sectors, with emerging industries and those undergoing upgrading posting stronger demand for professionals," said Zhou Zhenyu, a senior LinkedIn data expert.

The report pointed out that the Chinese are changing their jobs more frequently than before. The average time spent in one workplace shrank from 34 months in the 2014-2015 period to 22 months in the 2017-2018 period, pointing to a more vibrant employment market.

Chinese human resources staff are more tech-savvy than their Western counterparts as many have begun or are willing to use big data, artificial intelligence and other new technology to aid recruitment, according to the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 00:10:52|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

Angela Merkel (C) receives congratulations after being re-elected as chancellor in Berlin, Germany, March 14, 2018. Angela Merkel was re-elected as German chancellor on Wednesday by the parliament, kicking off her fourth term to lead Europe's largest economy. (Xinhua/Shan Yuqi)

BERLIN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader Angela Merkel has been elected chancellor for the fourth time on Wednesday by a narrow majority of delegates in the German federal parliament (Bundestag).

The 63-year old veteran stateswoman was supported by 364 out of 688 delegates during the anonymous vote, granting her only four more votes than the minimum threshold of 355 in the 709-seat chamber under German law.

Given that the ruling "grand coalition" parties have a combined 399 seats in the current parliament, the opposition unanimously voted against Merkel.

After taking an oath in the federal parliament, Merkel was received by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at his official Bellevue palace residence in Berlin where she was inaugurated together with her 15 cabinet ministers.

At the ceremony, Steinmeier urged the new government to win back trust which German citizens had lost in their political system. "A simple reiteration of the old will not suffice," the president warned.

The result of the parliamentary vote has no bearing on the legislative power of the new "grand coalition" and was largely interpreted by media and politicians as a public show of frustrated over the protracted process of government formation following national elections in September 2017.

Nevertheless, designated SPD leader Andrea Nahles expressed astonishment at the narrow margin with which Merkel secured her chancellorship.

"There were more opposition votes than I had expected," Nahles told the broadcaster Welt. She insisted that the SPD position had been "very cohesive", pointing her finger at rebel delegates in the CDU and CSU factions.

Opposition parties interpreted Merkel's parliamentary confirmation as evidence for growing fatigue with the "grand coalition" and remaining internal disputes between the CDU, CSU and SPD. Free Democratic Party (FDP) leader Christian Lindner, who triggered the collapse of earlier "Jamaica" coalition negotiations, described Wednesday's vote as constituting a "loss of authority" for the chancellor.

The new federal cabinet will convene for the first time later today. Foreign minister Heiko Maas (SPD) will also travel to Paris on Wednesday in a first demonstration of the normalization of German politics to Berlin's international partners.

The chancellor is subsequently scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday to discuss Franco-German plans for the reform of the European Union (EU) and eurozone.
MOGADISHU, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Seven Al-Shabaab fighters were killed Wednesday by Somali forces in the coastal city of Kismayo in southern Somalia.

Somali military commander in Kismayo, Mukhtar Abdi, told journalists that the forces launched an ambush against the militants following a tip-off in Wirkoy area.

"We got prior information that they were planning to attack us in Wirkoy area. We moved in fast and killed seven Al-Shabaab fighters."

The commander added that one soldier was injured in the fight which lasted for a short time. The militant group has not commented on the development. Security forces have continued assaults against the militants in southern parts of the country.

Kismayo port which was a major source of income for Al-Shabaab was captured by Kenyan forces in 2012, driving the militants to adjacent towns.
PARIS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- French Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday presented, at a cabinet meeting, proposals to help debt-ridden state rail operator SNCF to improve services, a move to force the reform despite risk of nationwide street protests, President Emmanuel Macron office said.

"The government wants a profound transformation of transport policy in France, in order to guarantee the best mobility conditions for all French and in all territories," the Elysee said in a statement.

"To carry out this new policy, it is up to the government to undertake a comprehensive reform of the railway system, with the aim of ensuring better public service at the lowest cost," it added.

In this context, Macron's executive staff pledged "a new strategic corporate project" to improve SNCF performance after it had been struggling under debts of 46.6 billion euros (57.57 billion U.S. dollars), mainly due to generous pension system.

It also targets to open domestic rail passenger services to competition to create dynamism in the sector, in addition to new rules of recruitment for "a more efficient and unified" rail operator.

With the aim, the government proposed to scrap the special rail worker status, that allows workers to retire on full pension at 52, a decade before other French employees.

The statement added the government invited concerned parts to have "depth-dailogue" for the March-April period before the text passed to the national Assembly.

Trade unions have already called a strike for March 22 after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe unveiled the reform last month.

Many previous governments failed in reforming the public rail system. In 1995, a right-wing government led by Alain Juppe planned to end preferential working terms of rail workers, a move that triggered three-week strike and forced Juppe to step down. The then president Jacques Chirac had to abandon the reform and dissolve the National Assembly.
KATHMANDU, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Nepal's Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli had been dismissed from the post, the Judicial Council said here on Wednesday.

In an official press statement, the Judicial Council stated that the chief justice had been sacked after careful examination of his birth and academic certificate that showed him having attained the superannuation age (65) seven months ago.

The Judicial Council said that it had informed the President's Office, the Prime Minister's Office, and the Ministry of Law, among other concerned agencies.

The chief justice was relieved from the post in the wake of controversy surrounding over his date of birth.

Earlier, local media had been reporting that he had obtained multiple citizenship certificates with different birth dates.

Parajuli is the first Chief Justice to be sacked in Nepal's modern judicial history, legal experts said.
NAIROBI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Wednesday vowed to intensify fight against terrorism and warned criminal groups with any form of affiliation to terrorist groups that they will not be spared.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet admitted that Kenya remains under serious threat due to its proximity with Somalia which has remained unstable for more than two decades.

"Its instability has provided a rich ground for terrorism as evidenced by the presence of international terror cells of ISII, Al-Qaeda and its local offshoots in Al-Shabab," he told journalists in Nairobi.

He said that despite security officers remaining resolute in keeping the country safe from terror-threats emanating both within and outside the country, there have, however, been some isolated incidents of improvised explosive devices which Kenya has witnessed in the recent past along the Somalia border.

Boinnet said joint efforts between the police and other security agencies have disrupted numerous potentially devastating terror plots targeting Kenya in the past three years.

He said three terror suspects who were arrested by the police from their hideout while in Isiolo on Feb. 15 were planning to bomb judicial buildings and a government office.

Boinnet who cited intelligence reports said the suspects were part of a cell that was planning to stage a major terror attack in Nairobi.

"These terrorists were targeting a government building and we suspect they planned to attack a judicial building probably to rescue people being prosecuted for terror offences," he told journalists.

One of the terror suspects, Mbarak Abdi Huka, was killed while two of his accomplices were arrested after engaging security officers in a gun battle at their hideout in Merti, Isiolo County in eastern Kenya.

The high value suspect they planned to free, Boinnet said, is Muslim cleric Sheikh Guyo Gorsa who is currently in custody over various terror related charges.

He said they have enhanced security operations in the country disrupting several terror cells and plans.

The police chief spoke of the incident for the first time since police seized an arsenal of explosives on the way from Marsabit to Nairobi, displayed the recovered items which he said would have caused maximum damage in a radius of 250 meters.

Some 1,199 bullets, 36 unprimed hand grenades, 18 IEDs and five AK 47 rifles were recovered from an SUV and four other suspects are in custody from the sting operation on Feb. 15.

There were also three military knives in the vehicle that the terrorists planned to use in their attacks.

Police also recovered several Simcards and mobile phones, a black flag and other paraphernalia associated with Al-Shabaab militia groups, motorcycle registration number KMEE 180R and ignition keys from the suspects.

Boinnet further said that in the vehicle the three were using, police found 80 kg of high grade explosives.

"Were they to succeed it would have had an impact up to 200 meters. In our assessment, their objective was to create fear and panic, attract attention about their cause, shutter our social standing, discourage investment and hopefully influence government decisions on safeguarding the country," added Boinnet.

He said the terrorists had bought the Mitsubishi SUV from a Nairobi yard and drove it to Somalia where it was fitted with the explosives ready for explosion.

Police raided a Nairobi hotel near the University of Nairobi where the suspects had booked and spent almost a week while planning their attack.

They had also booked another house in a residential estate on the outskirts of Nairobi for their plans, said Boinnet.

"The vehicle was bought in Nairobi and taken to Somalia to be fitted with the explosives ready for their mission. They would have caused much destruction and deaths," he said.

The recovery was described as a milestone in anti-terror operations in the country.

It is the second such recovery after that of 2014 in Mombasa where another Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) were seized from a suspect who had arrived from Somalia ready to detonate. The suspects targeted the ferry then.
BELGRADE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The United States support the formation of so-called "Kosovo army" based on their recognition of illegitimate independence of Kosovo, and this will bring no stability to anyone in the Western Balkans, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Wednesday.

The statement was made after Vucic met with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell.

Mitchell arrived in Belgrade on Tuesday after visiting Pristina and Skopje at the beginning of his Balkans tour.

At a press conference after the meeting, Vucic said that Serbia wishes to improve relations with the United States, especially when it comes to investments and trade.

But, Serbia "cannot remain silent about its different position" when it comes to the relation towards the Serbian breakaway province of Kosovo and Metohija, which unilaterally declared independence in 2008, with the support of the United States and its Western allies, Vucic said.

He said although Serbia and the United States agree it is necessary to maintain peace between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as to continue European Union-mediated dialogues between them, they disagree over the long-term plan for the formation of the so-called "Kosovo army".

Vucic said that the formation of any security forces in Kosovo would be against the 1999 Kumanovo Agreement that ended NATO bombing campaign spearheaded by the United States, as well as of the resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council.

Mitchell said that Serbia is "the foundation" of the Balkan region and that U.S. supports its EU integration, as well as EU mediated-dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

He said that there is a new space to resolve burning issues in the region that have been holding back Balkans for decades, most important of which is the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

"I always repeated the long term position of the Unites States when it comes to security in Kosovo -- we support Kosovo and its right to have professional security forces that would also include Kosovo Serbs," Mitchell said.

Vucic stated that the Kosovo issue is currently the biggest obstacle to Serbia's EU path. Serbia is ready to talk about compromises, but it "will not accept the humiliation of its people and the destruction of its country."
VILNIUS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Four Lithuania's opposition parties called for an early election in the Baltic country amid parliamentary crisis which evolved after lawmakers failed to dismiss a member of parliament accused of acting against the state.

"The only way is to dismiss this parliament and organize a new election within three months," Irena Degutiene, vice-chairwoman of the parliament from opposition conservative Homeland Union, was quoted as saying by local media.

According to the draft resolution prepared by the opposition parties, early election would take place on June 3.

Opposition of conservatives, liberals, Order and Justice party, social democrats, also a group of members of parliament not belonging to mainstream parties supported the proposal.

The initiative of early election follows the unsuccessful impeachment process of Mindaugas Bastys, member of the parliament who was accused earlier of cooperating with foreign intelligence and security officers, as well as criminal figures.

In April last year, Lithuania's parliament approved the findings of the probe which found that Bastys could try to influence Lithuania's geopolitical direction and cause damage to the state.

In December 2017, the Constitutional Court of Lithuania stated that Bastys breached his oath and grossly violated the constitution.

Despite the findings and the ruling of the Constitutional Court, the parliament after a secret ballot on Tuesday failed to remove Bastys from office.

On Wednesday, Bastys announced he decided to abandon his parliamentary mandate. He, however, said accusations against him were "not proven" and "fabricated," adding Tuesday's vote "proved his truth."

The law stipulates that early elections may be held on the decision of the parliament adopted by a 3/5 majority vote or may be announced by the president of Lithuania based on corresponding paragraph of the constitution.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite called Tuesday's ballot at the parliament "political theatre".

Meanwhile, Ramunas Karbauskis, leader of the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, claimed that there is no reason to hold early election.

"The current parliament is capable to work further," Karbauskis said.

The current Lithuania's parliament was elected in October 2016.
RIGA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Members of the Latvian parliament committee for budget and finances agreed on Wednesday that the law on the Bank of Latvia has to be amended to limit the number of office terms the central bank's head can hold to two.

However, calls for broader possibilities to remove the Bank of Latvia governor from office did not gain lawmakers' support.

The legislative amendments to the law on the Latvian central bank are being debated as incumbent Bank of Latvia Governor Ilmars Rimsevics defies the parliament's calls for resignation amid an ongoing corruption probe against him.

Under the current legislation, the Bank of Latvia governor can only be removed from office at his own request or if convicted. The parliament's call for Rimsevics' resignation therefore is not legally binding to him.

The committee for budget and finances plans to put the bill before parliament at a March 22 session.

The Latvian Corruption Prevention Bureau is investigating Rimsevics for soliciting and accepting a bribe worth at least 100,000 euros from bank executives.
HOUSTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The latest U.S. manufacturing and trade statistics, released on Wednesday, showed that the business inventories for January hit 1.91 trillion U.S. dollars.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's data, manufacturers' and trade inventories, adjusted for seasonal variations but not for price changes, were estimated at an end-of-month level of 1.91 trillion dollars, up 0.6 percent from December 2017 and were up 3.7 percent from January 2017.

The combined value of distributive trade sales and manufacturers' shipments for January, adjusted for seasonal and trading-day differences but not for price changes, was estimated at 1.42 trillion dollars, down 0.2 percent from December 2017, but was up 5.7 percent from January 2017.

The total business inventories/sales ratio based on seasonally adjusted data at the end of January was 1.34. The January 2017 ratio was 1.37.
ISLAMABAD, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 people including several policemen were injured on Wednesday evening in a blast in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, local media reported.

Police and rescue teams have rushed to the site and are shifting the injured to the hospitals. Nature of the blast is not known yet.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 00:46:01|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

AMMAN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) commended China Wednesday for its aid project that supports the Syrian refugees in Jordan.

WFP's country director Mageed Yahia made the remarks during a signing ceremony marking the conclusion of China's aid program.

He said that the Chinese support also helps the WFP's work in the region.

"This is an example that we can take forward," said Yahia, adding that China is now stepping up its humanitarian aid, which could encourage the international community to "come forward."

Mentioning his visit to the refugee camps in Jordan, Chinese Ambassador to Jordan Pan Weifang said that China has provided a wide range of assistance to Jordan on refugee aid, water supply, housing and road construction.

He pledged that China will provide more help to Jordan to develope its economy and tackle the issue of Syrian refugees.

The Chinese government and the WFP signed an agreement in September 2016 to provide 2 million U.S. dollars in assistance, including providing food and nutritional supplements to the Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan, out of which Jordan has got 1.5 million dollars.

The fund was mainly used for providing Syrian refugees welcoming meals at the camps, the Chinese Embassy said, with the number of beneficiaries reaching 4,000 people per month.

In addition, two health kitchens supported by the Chinese government were set up in May 2017 in the Zaatari refugee camp, benefiting over 12,000 children per year and providing jobs to some women in the camp.

Jordan has received about 1.3 million Syrian refugees since the outbreak of a civil war in neighboring Syria.
JUBA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's main rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Army in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), on Wednesday denied allegations that the group is recruiting Ugandan youth into its ranks.

Ugandan media reported on Tuesday that security operatives have arrested a preacher in the northern district of Lira for allegedly conscripting Ugandan youth into the South Sudanese rebel movement that is fighting to topple the government of President Salva Kiir.

Lam Paul Gabriel, SPLA-IO deputy military spokesperson, said in a statement that the rebel group does not enroll foreign fighters into its ranks.

Gabriel argued that the suspect identified as Pastor Jorom Opio is not in the SPLA-IO ranks or files, adding that the group value Uganda's role in hosting South Sudanese refugees and for supporting the latest peace efforts aimed at ending the ongoing civil war.

"SPLA-IO does not recruit foreigners nor does it operate abroad. The South Sudanese who joined the SPLA-IO do so voluntarily to bring about reforms to South Sudan. This requires personal sacrifice," Gabriel said.

South Sudan has been embroiled in more than four years of conflict that has taken a devastating toll on the people, creating one of the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 between the rival leaders under UN pressure led to the establishment of a transitional unity government in April, but was shattered by renewed fighting in July 2016.
STOCKHOLM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The joint United Nations-World Bank report Pathways for Peace, launched here on Wednesday, showed that violent conflicts around the world lead to heavy financial losses, and pointed out approaches to prevent them.

Apart from causing immense human suffering, violent conflicts also lead to great financial losses, the report shows. It also claims that engaging in conflict-prevention measures could mean saving between 5 and 70 billion U.S. dollars per year.

Pathways for Peace is the first joint study from the UN and the World Bank focusing on conflict prevention. The report pointed out several causes behind worldwide violent conflicts such as denying individuals the possibility to influence a society's direction or their right to access natural resources, or to security and justice.

"Development policies and programs must be a core part of preventive efforts; when risks are high or building up, inclusive solutions through dialogue, adapted macroeconomic policies, institutional reform, and redistributive policies are required," according to the report.

The report stressed that inclusion is key, and preventive action needs to adopt a more people-centered approach that includes mainstreaming citizen engagement. Meanwhile, enhancing the participation of women and youth in decision making, as well as long-term policies to address the aspirations of women and young people, are fundamental to sustaining peace.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 01:01:07|Editor: pengying

Video Player Close

People transfer an injured man to a hospital in Lahore, eastern Pakistan, on March 14, 2018. At least one person was killed and 20 others injured including several policemen on Wednesday evening in a blast in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, local media and police said. (Xinhua/Jamil Ahmed)

ISLAMABAD, March 14 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and 20 others injured including several policemen on Wednesday evening in a blast in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, local media and police said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Haider Ashraf told local reporters that the blast hit a police check post in Raiwind area located on the outskirts of Lahore, the provincial capital of eastern Punjab province.

Police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the body and the injured persons to the nearby hospitals.

At least nine policemen, including an officer, were among the wounded, Ashraf said.

Nature of the blast is not known yet. However, local media reported that the explosives were fixed in a motorcycle which was used in the attack.

No group has claimed the incident yet.
TRIPOLI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Abdarrahman Swehli, the Head of Libya's Tripoli-based Higher Council of State, has survived an assassination attempt while he was on a trip to southwestern Libya, the council's media office said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The media office of the Higher Council of State informs that the head of the Council, Dr. Abdarrahman Swehli, and his accompanying delegation were ambushed and shot at during his visit to the cities of Gharian and Yefren on Wednesday by an armed gang belonging to Dignity Operation in the area of Thaher al-Jabal," the statement said.

"The council's security personnel, in cooperation with the security department of Gharian and the western military zone, dealt with them and forced them to flee," the statement added.

Two of the council's security personnel were injured and 4 members of Gharian security department were kidnapped, the statement said, confirming that Swehli continued his visit despite the incident.

There are clear differences between the council and the eastern-based army, led by General Khalifa Haftar, as the council does not recognize Haftar as the commander of the national army, which controls some western cities and towns.

Libya remains politically divided between eastern and western authorities, despite the UN-sponsored peace agreement signed by the Libyan political factions later in 2015.
File photo taken on Feb. 8, 2015 shows British scientist Stephen Hawking arriving for the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House in London. (Xinhua/AFP)

WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Scientists around the world have mourned the passing of and given high accolades to Stephen Hawking, the British physicist who revealed some secrets of the origin of the universe in his rather difficult lifetime stricken by deadly disease.

American space agency NASA praised Hawking who died in the early hours of Wednesday "a renowned physicist and ambassador of science," whose "theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we and the world are exploring."

NASA tweets on the passing of Stephen Hawking.

He "showed us there are no limits to achieving our dreams," European Space Agency said in its twitter account, praising the man who suffered amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and lost his ability to write down math equations, but worked with incredible determination to make great accomplishments in cosmology.

European Space Agency tweets on the passing of Stephen Hawking.

Christopher Shaw, a neuroscientist at King's College London called Hawking "an outliers outlier, both in terms of his extraordinary contribution to science and the time he survived with motor neuron disease."

"Stephen Hawking overcame unimaginable challenges to become one of the most influential and renowned scientists of our time. His life is a testament to the power of human creativity and imagination," said Venki Ramakrishnan, President of Britain's Royal Society.

Hawking, known for his work with black holes and relativity, had sought "new links between the very large (the cosmos) and the very small (atoms and quantum theory) and to gain deeper insights into the very beginning of our universe," according to Hawking's colleague Martin Rees, an astronomer with the University of Cambridge.

Hawking predicted that black holes would not be completely black, but would radiate in a characteristic way. His most important scientific legacy is his idea that "black holes slowly dissolve like aspirin in a glass of water," in the words of Lisa Harvey-Smith, an Australian astronomer.

"It is still the focus of theoretical interest, a topic of debate and controversy more than 40 years after his discovery," Rees said.

Hawking is also the author of popular science book "A Brief History of Time."

Flowers are seen at the gate of Gonville and Caius College at the University of Cambridge following the death of Professor Stephen Hawking, in Cambridge, Britain, on March 14, 2018. (Xinhua/Isabel Infantes)

"He was a true genius who had a great admiration of and connection to the public. Most people, when he published A Brief History of Time, would have thought a book about physics would not sell. But Stephen knew people would want to read it and it turned out they did," said Katherine Mathieson, Chief Executive of the British Science Association.

Michio Kaku, American theoretical physicist called Hawking the "rock star of science."

Rees said Stephen was "far from being the archetype unworldy or nerdish scientist. His personality remained amazingly unwarped by his frustrations and handicaps."

Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, said that "we lost a great one today," who will be remembered for "his spirit and unbounded pursuit to gain a complete understanding of the universe, despite the obstacle he faced."

"Stephen Hawking was a great physicist, a great public communicator, and a great icon for science and rationalism throughout the world," according to Paul Nurse, Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 01:26:11|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

by Xinhua writers Chen Wenxian, Du Zhen

JERUSALEM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Israelis got a chance to look closer at 27 exquisite silk costumes displayed at a Chinese silk exhibition named "In Praise of Silk: Fashion with Tradition in China," which tells about China's silk-related stories.

Opened in the China Cultural Center in the coastal city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the silk exhibition demonstrated the process and change of the Chinese silk costumes through three different parts, namely history, craftsmanship and Chinese elements.

Except for silk costumes brought from China National Silk Museum, which is located in east China's Zhejiang Province, Chinese calligraphy, traditional painting, paper-cuts and Chinese seals were also presented at the exhibition.

Silk is the keyword of the exhibition, which provided an opportunity to approach and experience silk embroidery techniques, said Chinese Ambassador to Israel Zhan Yongxin at the opening ceremony.

The ancient Silk Road was a network of trade routes, and silk was certainly the most lucrative and sought-after item traded across the Eurasian continent, bringing wealth and enriching culture for the peoples and states along the routes, and sometimes helping make peace between different tribes or states, said the Chinese envoy.

Thus, this benefited the ancient civilizations like Chinese, Persians, Jews, Arabs, Indians, Greeks and Romans along this road, leaving an abundant cultural heritage of humankind, added Zhan.

This exhibition was the highlight among the activities held by the China Cultural Center since its opening last November. It is also the first time for China National Silk Museum to present its precious collections in Israel.

A printed curvy hem silk robe was an eye-catching display at the exhibition. It is a replica of an excavated object from Mawangdui Tombs of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) located in Changsha in central China's Hunan Province.

Moreover, the exhibition also presented a Chinese traditional wedding costume, which was inspired by the Chinese ancient architecture, including a phoenix-tail skirt, an A-shaped lower hem coat, and a shawl with cloud patterns on it.

Silk, which has accompanied the Chinese people for more than 5,000 years, used to be a noble luxury. In 2009, the Chinese sericulture and craftsmanship was put on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

This exhibition illustrated the evolution of Chinese traditional silk costumes and the development of the weaving techniques, and the application of Chinese artistic elements on modern fashion as well, said Jin Xingsheng, director general of China's Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture.

Zhejiang Province, the birthplace of silk, is famous for making exquisite silk products.

The relationship between Zhejiang Province and Israel would be enhanced, and mutual understanding promoted through this exhibition, said Jin.

Ran Veinerman, chairman of the Israel-China Friendship Society and a former resident of China, knows well how Chinese silk was loved and admired.

"China can take pride of their silk," he said.

This silk exhibition, as well as other activities held in the China Cultural Center including lectures, classes in Chinese and Chinese cooking, was helpful for promoting the Chinese culture to the Israeli people, said Veinerman.

The exhibition was "very impressive," said Roni Klein, who has visited China many times, including Zhejiang province.

Klein joked that it's better if his wife did not come to the exhibition, as she would ask him to buy her all these beautiful dresses.
RABAT, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan navy arrested on Wednesday 23 African illegal migrants off its northern coast, local media reported.

The Moroccan news site Alyaoum24.com said that Morocco's navy arrested the migrants after intercepting their three boats while they were heading towards the Spanish coast.

The same source noted that the migrants were transferred to the port of the northern city of Tangier, and an investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of their illegal migrant attempt.

According to Morocco's Interior Ministry, security forces arrested some 50,000 illegal migrants in 2017 and dismantled over 70 organized illegal migration networks.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 02:01:16|Editor: Lifang

Video Player Close

Siddiq al-Soor, head of the Attorney General's investigation department, speaks to journalists during a press conference in Tripoli, Libya, on March 14, 2018. Libya's public prosecutor on Wednesday confirmed that arrest warrants have been issued on those involved in fuel smuggling, mostly Libyans, with some Maltese and Italian nationals. (Xinhua/Hamza Turkia)

TRIPOLI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Libya's public prosecutor on Wednesday confirmed that arrest warrants have been issued on those involved in fuel smuggling, mostly Libyans, with some Maltese and Italian nationals.

"After months of exhausting efforts of investigation, the prosecution obtained important information about international networks of Libyan fuel smuggling, with the help of smugglers inside the country," Siddiq al-Soor, head of the Attorney General's investigation department, told a press conference in Tripoli.

"These are crimes classified as money laundering and illegal graft, which have seriously damaged the national economy and caused the country's financial situation to deteriorate," Soor said, adding the Interpol international arrest warrants were also issued.

"Fuel smuggling takes place through Ras Ejdair and Dheba border crossings with Tunisia, and by sea from Zawiya all the way to Zwara cities in the west, where large amounts of government-subsidized fuel are smuggled on a daily basis," Soor added.

The smuggled fuel, especially diesel, is transported by fishing bulldozers off the port of Zwara, where the fuel is transported by illegal foreign oil tankers waiting off the city's coast that later move towards Malta, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Lebanon, he explained.

Soor pointed out that judicial proceedings were launched against those involved, including seizing their properties and freezing their bank accounts, in addition to banning them from traveling abroad.

The Libyan official confirmed that arrest warrants were issued on 60 fishing bulldozers carrying out smuggling of fuel off Libyan coast.

The Tripoli appeal court last week issued a verdict to confiscate a tanker called Al-Khayyam, imprisoning its crew members for 6 years, and fined it with 6 million dinars (4.5 million U.S. dollars) for smuggling more than 2.5 million liters of diesel.

The tanker case dates back to February 2016, when it was caught by Libyan naval forces smuggling fuel 25 miles off Zwara coast.

Western Libyan coast from the capital Tripoli all the way to the Tunisian border is witnessing an unprecedented activity of fuel smuggling.

The ongoing fuel smuggling since the fall of the regime of the late Gaddafi in 2011 has resulted in a fuel shortage in gas stations in western cities.

The Libyan fuel price is one of the lowest in the world, as the government subsidies it with more than 6 billion U.S. dollars annually.
MATANZAS, Cuba, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish hotel chains entered to the Cuban Varadero Beach over two decades ago and they are still betting on the famous resort, especially now that the relations between the island and the United States are experiencing a significant decline.

Large international chains such as Melia or Iberostar Hotels manage several tourism facilities in the so-called Blue Beach, located about 120 kilometers east of Havana, while they plan their expansion to the center and east of the island.

"Our chain has opted for Varadero because it is really worthwhile and because it is very well suited to the characteristics of Melia for tourism, which is healthy, sustainable, safe and full of natural and cultural attractions," Zahily Alzola, vice-director of quality at the "Las Americas" Melia Hotel, told Xinhua.

That installation has 340 rooms, with a predomination of Canadian vacationers, many of them repeating, who flee from the harsh winter in their country and look at the main Cuban resort as an annual resting point.

Melia was the first tourism company that did business in Cuba and today has a dozen hotels in Varadero, such as the Melia Las Americas, which it manages and sells on behalf of the joint-venture between the Spanish group Cubacan and the Cuban state company Cubanacan.

The manager recognizes that the U.S. market is very attractive to any tourism business, but she is aware that the restrictions imposed by the White House on Americans prevent their presence as tourists in Cuba.

"It depends on the political willingness of their government that the American tourists might enjoy the beauties of Cuba and especially the kindness of the Cuban people," says Alzola.

Americans are forbidden to travel to Cuba as tourists and can only reach the island under 12 categories dictated by the U.S. State Department.

Iberostar is another Spanish chain with a strong presence in Varadero, where they have five high-standard hotels, and now they plan to reach other points on the island with the opening of new facilities.

"Iberostar is not only betting on Varadero, but on growing in the whole country," says Ana Beatriz Riscali, general director of the Hotel Iberostar Varadero.

Riscali explains that there will be upcoming openings in Havana and that they also point towards the east of the island, where they expect to attract Canadian, British and German tourists who make up the main market on the island of Iberostar.

She pointed out that the roll back in the relations between Cuba and the United States did not represent very much for the chain, because "the Latin market has grown a lot and we now have a strong presence from Argentina and Chile."

Just two weeks ago, Varadero ranked third in the list of the best beaches in the world, according to the Travelers' Choice 2018 awards, organized by the largest travel website TripAdvisor, which gathers the opinions of millions of users of different nationalities over the past 12 months.

Varadero has currently 52 hotels, according to data released last November by the Ministry of Tourism.

Cuba received some 4,700,000 international visitors last year, and expects to receive five million tourists in 2018 for the first time.
DAR ES SALAAM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for the second construction phase of the standard gauge railway (SGR) from Morogoro region to Makutupora in Dodoma region covering 426 kilometers.

Speaking in the capital Dodoma shortly before he had laid the foundation stone, Magufuli said upon completion the SGR will help create 30,000 direct employment opportunities and some 60,000 indirect jobs.

"The SGR and a dry port in Dodoma will boost the development of central regions," said Magufuli, adding that after construction of the Dar es Salaam-Dodoma railway line, the government will extend the SGR line to Mwanza covering 1,219 kms.

The total cost from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza is estimated at 7 billion U.S. dollars.

The 522-km-long Dar-Dodoma line is being constructed by Turkish firms.

The SGR will also help ease the flow of goods and people in the neighboring landlocked countries of Uganda, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi and Rwanda.

For his part, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa urged all Tanzanians to support the president in his efforts aimed at making the east African nation an industrial economy.

"The fifth phase government is determined to improve people's lives, thus the need for the public to support the initiatives rather than opposing everything the government is doing," he said.

Makame Mbarawa, the Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, said upon completion, the railway line will be able to transport 10,000 tonnes of cargo at one time.

"We have lost customers at the Dar es Salaam port due to unreliable rail transport but after this project we will be able to recall them," he said.

Turkish Ambassador to Tanzania, Ali Davuglu, said the railway line will accelerate economic development in the country and improve international relations.

In May last year, Magufuli launched the first construction phase of the SGR from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro.

Upon its completion, Tanzania will have a fast and modern passenger train with a speed of 160 kph while the freight train will have a top speed of 120 kph.

Tanzania has approached the World Bank and the government of South Africa for support.
RABAT, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of protesters marched on Wednesday in Morocco's eastern city of Jerada, defying a government ban on holding demonstrations announced a day earlier.

In a statement Tuesday, the Moroccan Interior Ministry said it would ban "illegal demonstrations on public roads" and "respond firmly to irresponsible acts and behaviors" in order to "preserve security and protect the interests of citizens."

The months-long peaceful protests turned violent Wednesday between protesters and security forces. Local media reported dozens of injuries among both sides.

The eastern province has witnessed a wave of protests since last December after the deaths of two brother miners while they were digging in deserted mines.

The protesters have called for justice for the dead and demanded job opportunities and "economic alternatives" for their town which is heavily dependent on coal mining.

The Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani visited the region in February and vowed to implement a number of development projects.

Othmani promised thousands of jobs for local population, financial support for project contractors, construction of new infrastructure and services projects, as well as establishment of an industrial zone.

He also pledged to withdraw licenses of mineral exploitation that fail to meet legal requirements after the investigation into the mining exploitations in the region is completed.

Jerada had been growing during flourishing mining activities since 1920s, but it suffered a major blow in late 1990s after state-owned coal mines that employed thousands of local people were forced to close down due to rising digging costs and declining coal prices.

However, many local residents have continued illegal mining in the abandoned mines to make a living.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 02:51:25|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

CAIRO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Egyptian police arrested 19,108 terrorist elements over the past four years, a documentary displayed by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday revealed.

The Egyptian police also destroyed 992 terrorist dens and seized large amounts of weapons, ammunition and explosives over the past four years.

The documentary, shown during the visit of President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to the ministry, said that the police busted a number of pro-terrorist economic entities and institutions that led to the decline of terrorist activities from 481 in 2014 to 22 in 2017.

Sisi has been accompanied by a number of senior officials during the visit including the prime minister and the ministers of interior and defense.

The Egyptian army in cooperation with the police are currently launching a massive anti-terror campaign named "Sinai 2018" that has killed at least 121 terrorists and arrested thousands since it started on Feb. 9.

At least 18 soldiers were killed and 22 injured in the operation.

Egypt has been suffering a wave of terrorist attacks that killed hundreds of policemen and soldiers since the military ousted former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013 in response to mass protests against his one-year rule and his now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.

Attacks had been centered in restive North Sinai province bordering the Palestinian Gaza Strip before they later expanded to reach other provinces including the capital Cairo and started to target the Coptic minority via church bombings and shootings.

The terrorists did not stop at targeting security men and Copts, as they further targeted a mosque in North Sinai's Arish city last November, killing at least 310 Muslim worshippers and injuring more than 120 others, which marks the deadliest terror attack and the first against a mosque in Egypt's modern history.

The Sinai-based branch of the Islamic State (IS) regional terrorist group claimed responsibility for most of the terror operations in Egypt over the past few years.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects during the country's anti-terror war declared by President Sisi, the army chief then, following Morsi's ouster.
BERLIN, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding 2018 was on Wednesday awarded to Norwegian author and journalist Asne Seierstad for her documentary novel about the massacre on the island of Utoya on July 22, 2011.

The book -- named "One of Us: The Story of a Mass Murderer" -- was published in 2016 by Kein & Aber and was translated from Norwegian into English.

Seierstad is one of the most renowned journalists in Scandinavia. A statement by the jury read: "One of Us is an impressive attempt to promote understanding. Seierstad draws the picture of a man whose life is not remarkably different from his peers, and yet he eventually gets out and decides to 'hurt the community as brutally as possible.'"

"With a variety of mosaic stones, it not only assembles the perpetrator's perception and emotions, but also lets the families of the victims and the survivors have their say," according to the jury.

"Seierstad's merit also lies in confronting us with the whole catastrophic scale of events, showing us the tragedy of the individual. Her book asks us questions about belonging and community and about the necessary prerequisites for an attentive, dignified co-existence," the jury wrote.

On July 22, 2011, far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik set off a car bomb that killed eight people outside government headquarters in Oslo and then killed 69 others in a shooting rampage on Utoya Island, where young members of the governing Labor Party had gathered for their annual summer camp.

The Leipzig Book Prize for European Understanding has been awarded annually since 1994 and is one of the most important literary prizes in Germany.

The Leipzig Book Fair will be held from March 15 to 18 in Leipzig.
ACCRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has assisted the government of Ghana in evacuating 106 Ghanaians from the volatile situation in Libya, the foreign ministry said in a release here on Wednesday.

The evacuees were voluntarily brought on a chartered flight on Tuesday.

The voluntary evacuation followed 127 Ghanaian nationals held as illegal migrants in Libya and who were earlier transported to Accra in November last year, similarly facilitated by the IOM.

In response to the harrowing reports of human trafficking and the mistreatment of Ghanaian migrants, the government constituted a five-member fact-finding delegation which visited Libya last month to assess their situation.

Among those identified by the fact-finding team were Ghanaians who were being held at detention centers for various offenses, including entering Libya illegally and possession of fake documents.

The returnees, upon their arrival, were given cash support to cover immediate needs, including transportation, food and water, under the European Union-IOM initiative for migrant protection and reintegration program, which is designed to facilitate the smooth reintegration of the returnees in Ghana.

"In the meantime, the government is pursuing initiatives aimed at repatriating the remaining Ghanaian detainees who have expressed the desire to return home voluntarily," said the release.
ACCRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Threats to life in early childhood and to women during child birth in Ghana have gone down, according to preliminary reports released here on Wednesday by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

The Maternal Health Survey 2017 which sought to collect data at the national level to enable an assessment of the level of maternal mortality in Ghana indicated that Under-five mortality had declined to 52 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017 compared with 155 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1988.

Presenting the report, Peter Takyi Peprah, Head of Field Operations and Coordinator for the Maternal Health Survey at GSS, noted that the improvements in the indicators had been significant, expressing hope that if measures put in place by health authorities to eradicate these challenges were implemented efficiently, the cases would drop further to negligible limits.

"Neonatal mortality (infant death during the first 28 days after live birth), which climbed back to the 1988 level of 77 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2003 has receded to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, while Infant mortality (deaths of children under one year) also dropped to 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017 relative to the 43 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1988," the coordinator added.

The survey which took place between June 2017 and October 2017 had 27,001 households selected with 26,324 successfully interviewed yielding 99 percent response.

Nearly eight in 10 deliveries or 79 percent occurred in health facilities within five years preceding the survey compared with the 54 percent recorded in 2007, as nearly all women (98 percent) received antenatal care from skilled providers.

"Ghana has excelled in taking action to bring down the under-five mortality rate, and as a result has seen a progressive reduction in deaths from 155 to 60 per 1,000 live births between 1990 and 2014.

"Though this did not quite reach the MDG-4 target of 40 deaths per 1,000 live births, it represents an overall reduction of under-five mortality of 58percent over the period," the United Nations remarked about the West African country at the end of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) implementation period in 2015,.

The UN, however, faulted Ghana for not doing enough to reduce maternal mortality as the phenomenon had fallen to 360 per 100,000 live births in 2013 from 760 to 100,000 live births in 1990 against a target of 190 deaths per 100,000 live births which the country missed by the end of 2015.

The increase in antenatal and post-natal care, awareness of the need to attend both antenatal and post-natal care and the reduction in the fertility rate of women were some of the improvements the preliminary report brought out.

From an average of 6.4 children during their active reproductive years in 1988, the fertility rate reduced to 3.9 children during the active reproductive years for women by 2017.

Similarly 30.8 percent of currently married women aged 15 to 49 in Ghana use any method of contraception, with 25 percent using a modern method of contraception and 5.8 percent using traditional method of contraception.

The country's 40-year development plan currently being developed by the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) paid much attention of eradicating Maternal Mortality or at least reducing it to the barest minimum.
HELSINKI, March 14 (Xinhua) -- European Council President Donald Tusk appealed to U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday that the U.S. should not launch a trade war.

Tusk said that his aim is to avoid a trade war between the EU and the U.S. "Any kind of trade war would be against our strategic interests. We have to act, but we do not want to provoke new measures," he said.

"His proposal to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum is a bad sign for transatlantic relations. Let me be clear: instead of risking a trade war, which he seems eager to wage, we should be aiming for greater cooperation," Tusk said at a joint press conference with Finnish Prime Minister in Helsinki.

"When the president says he is unhappy about too many barriers and tariffs between the EU and the United States, I can understand him. We are not happy either. That is the reason why, a few years ago, we started trade negotiations with the United States," he said.

Tusk was referring to the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks which have been paused since Trump's election victory in 2016.

For his part, Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila stressed, "We have no interest in widening the current stage into a fully-fledged trade war."

Sipila said the window is now open for free trade talks with other countries. "Now that barriers of trade are being erected, we have to become more active with the part of the world which supports free trade."

He singled out the current talks with the Mercosur, which refers to a trade agreement between the EU and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Trump last Thursday formally signed proclamations to impose a 25-percent tariff on imported steel and a 10-percent tariff on aluminum, which is scheduled to come into force in 15 days.

The decision has ramped up tensions with its trading partners, leading to a growing wave of protectionism around the globe.
ADDIS ABABA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Wednesday commended the first two months of transportation operation of the Chinese-built electrified railway.

The Ethiopia-Djibouti railway that connects landlocked Ethiopia to its neighboring Red Sea nation of Djibouti has transported over 2,000 containers of commodities from the port to central Ethiopia during its first two months of operations, the Ethiopia-Djibouti Standard Gauge Rail Transport share-company revealed on Wednesday.

The railway, currently transporting commodities from the Djibouti port to Ethiopia's Modjo dry port, located some 76 km from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, is said to help propel Ethiopia's logistics and fright service delivery.

According to Tilahun Kassa, Director of the Ethiopia-Djibouti Standard Gauge Rail Transport company, the linkage between the Djibouti port and Ethiopia's Modjo dry port has shown early achievements as it is expected to further expand Ethiopia's international export business and trading.

The Chinese-built 756-km electrified rail project, which officially commenced its commercial operations earlier this year, has the capacity of transporting 106 containers in a single route, it was noted.

The railway, by reducing the journey time from port to Addis Ababa to less than 12 hours from the previous three days, has also eased challenges related to congestion of imported materials at Ethiopia's long-serving Djibouti port, according to Kassa.

The two countries have repeatedly pronounced the railway as a new imputes for boosting the economic integration between the two Horn of African countries amid an increasing demand from Ethiopia's import-export activities.

Contracted by two Chinese companies, the first 320 km of the rail project was carried out by China Rail Engineering Corporation (CREC), while the remaining 436 km connecting to the Djibouti port was built by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

The railway project, with an investment of 4 billion U.S. dollars, provides both passenger and freight services between Addis Ababa and Djibouti.
KIEV, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and his visiting Austrian counterpart Alexander Van der Bellen here on Wednesday have discussed investment cooperation between their countries, Poroshenko's press service said.

While speaking at a joint briefing after the talks, Poroshenko said the investment cooperation between the two parties has strengthened in the recent time on the back of reforms in Ukraine and Ukraine's free trade regime with the European Union (EU).

"Due to the free trade with the EU and the reform-oriented steps taken, our country is opening fundamentally new opportunities for investors. Today, during our talks with Mr. President, we have noted that Austrian business feels very comfortable in Ukraine," Poroshenko said.

In past four years, Ukraine has jumped from 153rd to 76th place in the World Bank's Doing Business ranking, Poroshenko said, pledging to continue the reform process to woo more overseas investors, including those from Austria.

For his part, Van der Bellen said that Austria is one of the largest investors in Ukraine, creating more than 30,000 jobs in the East European country.

He also praised the progress Ukraine has recently made in improving its business environment, saying that dozens of Austrian companies are interested in doing business in Ukraine.

"There is a very high interest from Austrian companies in Ukraine -- Ukraine's economy is growing, Ukraine's economic performance has improved considerably over the past two years," the Austrian president said.

Van der Bellen arrived in Kiev on Tuesday for a three-day official visit. He is accompanied by the representatives of about 40 Austrian companies, which intended to work in Ukraine.
ACCRA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Projections by international agencies that Ghana could regain its position as the "fastest growing economy" spot this year are in line with forecast made by the government of Ghana, Edward Asuo-Afram, Head of Economic Statistics at Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), told Xinhua here on Wednesday.

Research by renowned multilateral institutions has indicated that Ghana would emerge as the world's fastest growing economy this year, according to the New York Times.

The World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and African Development Bank (AfDB) quoted by a New York Times report that Ghana may be poised to beat out India's growth and become the world's fastest growing economy for 2018.

Analysts hinged this projection on the rising commodity prices, expanding oil production as well as the country's position as the second largest exporter of cocoa in the world.

The West African nation is rapidly moving away from the historical poverty situation, the report stated.

The New York Times report said: "Projections currently suggest that Ghana's economy will grow from between 8.3 and 8.9 percent in 2018."

It added: "We took a look at the macroeconomic situation of the Ghanaian economy and suggested that the country was set to get back on track following a tough year in 2016, the reality is that this estimate may have been too conservative."

Commenting here on Wednesday, Asuo-Afram said the projections were in line with current economic trends in Ghana.

"I can say for a fact that before this projection by the IMF, the government of Ghana also made similar projections in the medium-term outlook. It just confirms Ghana government's medium-term numbers," the statistician said.

"Government itself had projected an economic growth rate of about 8.0 percent and so for us we will wait for it to happen and we shall measure and see the factors contributing to that economic growth," he said.

He explained that, for anybody to make projections, a look must first be taken at anything that increased output in the economy.

For Ghana, he said, economists looked at the oil sector because the oil sector output and the output of cocoa had gone up. "These are the two things that are pushing the growth," he said.

In 2011, Ghana's economy grew above 14.5 percent on account of first ever commercial oil production, making the West African country's economy the fastest growing in the world.

Situations, however, tumbled when the growth momentum deflated on account of high budget deficit in the election year of 2012 which led the country to seek an IMF relief in the form of the three-year Extended Credit Facility (ECF) worth nearly one billion U.S. Dollars.

Although the 2018 budget projected the economy to grow at 6.8 percent, President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said during the March 6 Independence Day anniversary celebration that he expected the economy to grow at 8.3 percent.

The West African gold, cocoa and oil exporter had its economy growing 6.6 percent, 9.3 percent and 9.0 percent during first three quarters respectively last year, with much of the growth based on oil.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 04:21:46|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

BEIRUT, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri condemned Wednesday the bomb attack that targeted Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Gaza, the PM's media office said in a statement.

According to the statement, Hariri sent a cable to Hamdallah condemning the attack against him and congratulating him on his safety.

"In my personal name and on behalf of the Lebanese government, I strongly denounce the bomb attack that targeted you in Gaza city, which is a despicable attempt to hit the Palestinian national unity and disrupt the reconciliation that you are seeking under the leadership of President Mahmoud Abba," Hariri said.

"As I reiterate my condemnation of this criminal act, I hope you will continue your efforts to achieve the aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom and the establishment of its independent state," he added.
WASHINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The White House spokesperson Raj Shah said on Wednesday that the White House "did" inform U.S. State Secretary Rex Tillerson of the decision of President Donald Trump to sack him beforehand.

Shah said Tillerson was informed earlier on Friday.

U.S. Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein said on Tuesday that Tillerson "is unaware of the reason" for him being dismissed.

"I wouldn't speculate on what Secretary Tillerson's perspective was but I would just say he was informed of the president's decision on Friday," said Shah.

The Republican senator Rand Paul said on Wednesday that he would oppose Trump's nomination of Jina Haspel to replace Mike Pompeo, the current CIA chief, accusing her of having shown "joyful glee" during the torture of terrorism suspects.

"To really appoint the head cheerleader for waterboarding to be head of the CIA?" Paul told reporters on Capitol Hill. "I mean, how could you trust somebody who did that to be in charge of the CIA? To read of her glee during the waterboarding is just absolutely appalling."

Paul also announced to try to block the nomination of Pompeo to succeed Tillerson.

Shah responded by saying that Pompeo, Trump's new pick for Tillerson's job, will "make a fabulous secretary of state. He'll receive broad bipartisan support."

Pompeo's deputy and successor Jina Haspel reportedly has played a direct role in the CIA's "extraordinary rendition program," under which captured militants were handed to foreign governments and held at secret facilities, where they were tortured by agency personnel.

Asked about Haspel's controversial history, Shah only said "her background will be evaluated like all people's backgrounds are during the confirmation process."

Trump on Tuesday announced Pompeo to replace Tillerson, and Haspel would lead the CIA team in the future.
by Alexia Vlachou

ATHENS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Art and solidarity come together in a fundraising exhibition that was inaugurated on Tuesday evening at the Argo Gallery in Athens to support the Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF) and help them deliver healthcare to those in need.

A total of 61 Greek and foreign artists donated their artworks (painting, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, engraving, and photography) to raise money for the humanitarian organization.

All proceeds from the exhibition, which runs until March 31, will be donated to MSF.

"It is very important to have the support of the societies where we work, to have the support of the artists that they give their work to support MSF financially and to continue having our presence in more hot places of the world," Elias Pavlopoulos general director MSF Greece told Xinhua.

"From Syria to Yemen and from Congo to the Central African Republic, MSF teams try hard to provide medical care in situations that are not the easiest to deal with," he added.

Behind the idea of the art charity show is the owner and director of the Argo Gallery, Alexia Serezi, who as a donor to MSF thought to offer something more through her profession.

"The world of art helps organize an event and raise awareness and funds at the same time for a charity," Serezi said.

"I am extremely moved that all our partners responded, embraced our idea. They offered their works, and we managed to organize this event," she noted.

From her part, painter and architect Diana Giannopoulou explained how essential it is for artists to support such events.

"Art needs to be close to people's problems. Today more than ever before, I think it is necessary artists and intellectuals to address the human crisis," she said.

With her art piece, a colorful painting named "Sunflowers" which symbolizes the light and the feeling of optimism for the future, she wants to raise her voice and help people overcome their problems.

Inspired by the face of the refugees and migrants reaching the Greek shores, artist Maria Kitsiopoulou participated in the exhibition with her painting "Stormy Seas."

"Such events need our support, as the state cannot deal with the crisis that our era is being through," she said.

For Kitsiopoulou, Greeks have set an example by rushing to provide emergency assistance to the stranded refugees.

MSF is active in several places across Greece.

"We have issues of mental health especially for the people who stay in the camps. We continue to support in different ways the Greek state as we can to ensure that we have proper healthcare for these people," Pavlopoulos said.

Two weeks ago, they vaccinated 1,000 children at Moria camp in Lesvos Island under a vaccination campaign that run across the country to protect refugee children against infectious diseases.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-03-15 04:31:48|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

GAZA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Interior Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip launched Wednesday an investigation into the bombing attack that targeted the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Gaza Tuesday.

The ministry said in a short statement that it has formed an inquiry team at the highest level to find out the circumstances of the failed assassination attempt, which left six of Hamdallah's bodyguards injured.

Security services are investigating a number of suspects, the statement added.

On Tuesday, a blast hit the convoy of Hamdallah during a rare visit of the Prime Minister to the Israeli blockaded Gaza Strip. The explosion occurred shortly after the convoy entered Gaza.

Hamdallah, accompanied by Palestinian Intelligence Chief Majid Faraj, visited Gaza to overlook the opening of a desalination plant there.

Islamic Hamas movement condemned the attack, saying it is meant to undermine efforts to achieve its reconciliation with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.

Also on Tuesday, Abbas' spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh blamed the attack on Hamas, decrying it as an "attack on the unity of the Palestinian people."

Last October, Hamas and Fatah party signed an Egyptian-sponsored reconciliation pact in Cairo to heal their decade-long rift. Hamas has been controlling Gaza since 2007 after ousting the forces loyal to Abbas.

Under the deal, Hamas should fully hand over its power in Gaza to Hamdallah's Ramallah-based consensus government in December.

However, the ongoing differences between the two sides forced a delay in the implementation of the deal until further notice.
PRAGUE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The last batch of pigs were relocated from the Lety pig farm in south Bohemia, Czech Republic on Wednesday morning, said the farm's operator AGPI.

The Czech government had been criticized by domestic and international organizations for the pig farm, which was built in the place of a former Nazi concentration camp for the Roma.

Czech government approved the purchase of Lety pig farm in August 2017. Following a sales contract signed with Czech government, AGPI will hand the premises to the state at the end of the month, where a memorial to the Roma Holocaust will be set up. The memorial is to resemble the former WWII Roma camp and will be connected with the existing commemorative site in Lety.

Czech Culture Ministry spokeswoman Simona Cigankova said on Wednesday that Norway has expressed interest in supporting the establishment of the Roma Holocaust memorial in Lety with one million euros (about 1.24 U.S. dollars) from the Norway Grants.
CHICAGO, March 14 (Xinhua) -- University officials received a report of a shooting at graduate dorm on Wednesday in Northwestern University's main campus in Evanston in U.S. state of Illinois, local media Chicago Tribune reported.

Northwestern University spokesman Alan Cubbage said they received a report of a shooting inside the Frank C. Engelhart graduate residence hall at Emerson Street and Maple Avenue. He told reporters that Evanston Police and Northwestern University police responded to the scene.

Northwestern police said in a tweet that there is no evidence of a victim or gunman found at the residence hall. They told people to stay away from the area of Emerson and Maple.
SKOPJE, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian parliament on Wednesday adopted a law on language amid a tense situation as the opposition tried to block the voting session.

The law on languages, which advances the use of the Albanian language in central institutions and throughout the country's territory, makes it the country's second official language. It was adopted with 64 yes votes of the ruling coalition, led by the Social Democratic Union (SDSM), and no votes against.

Lawmakers from the largest opposition party, VMRO-DPMNE, tried to block voting. A verbal incident was reported between speaker of parliament Talat Xhaferi and former PM and VMRO-DPMNE MP Nikola Gruevski.

Security guards prevented a physical altercation between Xhaferi and Gruevski after the opposition MP poured water close to Xhaferi.

While ruling party lawmakers voted on the bill, associations and supporters of the opposition protested outside parliament against the vote.

According to the opposition, the law threatens national unity as well as discriminates against other minorities here.

Earlier, VMRO-DPMNE submitted to parliament 35,000 amendments to this law.

Speaker Xhaferri skipped the debate of these amendments at Wednesday's session, sparking a strong reaction from opposition MPs.

In a press conference after the law was adopted, Xhaferri said parliament acted according to law, underling the constitutional court would decide whether a law is constitutional or not.

Later, opposition party leader Hristijan Mickoski told reporters that VMRO-DPMNE was set to file a motion against Xhaferi for alleged violation of the constitution and laws.

Mickoski said he would also submit an initiative to the constitutional court to present its opinion on the law.
RABAT, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Serbia signed Wednesday two cooperation agreements in the areas of diplomatic training and culture.

These agreements were inked by the Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic, who is on a working visit to the North African kingdom.

They feature a memorandum of cooperation between the Moroccan Academy of Diplomatic Studies and the Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Serbia, and a program of cooperation in the fields of culture for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Speaking on the occasion, Bourita hailed the recent positive momentum in bilateral ties as evidenced by signing of new agreements, regular exchange of visits and the organization of several bilateral cultural events in the two countries.

He noted, however, that economic and trade cooperation do not match the expectations, potential and ambition of both countries, despite the strong political relations dating back to 70 years ago.

Bourita revealed that discussions are ongoing on visa exemption, stressing that these agreements will further cement bilateral ties.

Dacic said the talks represented an opportunity to agree on the holding of the second session of the Serbian-Serbian joint committee, insisting that the two sides agreed to hold it "in the shortest terms possible."

The holding of this committee will contribute to the development economic cooperation between the two countries, adding that this cooperation has great potential, particularly in the fields of agriculture, energy and new technologies.

The Serbian FM also said that Morocco will be the guest of honour at the International Book Fair in Belgrade.
TIRANA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Albania's state police Wednesday informed it found and seized 686 kilograms of cannabis sativa in a house in Korca, southeast Albania.

Police said that the narcotic substance was found in a house in the village of Bulgarec.

The police have declared wanted the owner of the house, a 45-year-old initialed K. G, who fled before police officers went to his place.

This is the second large quantity of drugs seized by Albanian authorities for this month.

A few weeks ago, Albania' state police finalized another important operation which resulted in the seizure of 613 kg of cocaine, found at a truck at Port of Durres, as part of a shipment of bananas coming from Columbia.
RABAT, March 14 (Xinhua) -- Morocco intends to host the 2021 annual meetings of the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Moroccan Economy Minister Mohamed Boussaid said on Wednesday.

In a statement published by official MAP news agency, Boussaid said that these prestigious meetings have not been organized in the African continent for more than 40 years, stressing that it is time for Africa to have the honor of hosting them.

Morocco has all the assets and guarantees to host such a huge event, he said, referring notably to the country's stability, economic performance, important infrastructure and the important know-how it has developed by organizing major international events such as Climate Change Conference in 2016.

According to MAP, Boussaid is leading a Moroccan delegation since Tuesday in a visit to WB and IMF headquarters in Washington to promote Morocco's candidacy to host the meetings.

This visit features a series of meetings between the Moroccan delegation and senior officials from the two international institutions.

Each autumn, the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund hold meetings to discuss a range of issues related to poverty reduction, international economic development and finance.

The annual meetings are traditionally held in Washington two years out of three and, in order to reflect the international character of the two institutions, every third year in a different member country.
REVEREND JEREMIAH Akintunde in the hat and Friar Dominic Agyapong of St. Sebastian Church in Bessemer meet for lunch in Wakefield and put aside theological differences, as both men are of African descent and in the United States for ministry purposes. The men discussed living in Africa and how much they enjoy being in the US.

By IAN MINIELLY

[email protected]

BESSEMER - Bessemer resident Shatha Beauchamp formed the Children of the Lord Foundation to conduct mission work in the U.S. and Africa. The charity is currently supporting construction of a health clinic in Ghana that will provide health care for up to 25,000 people in the Ashanti Region.

Donna Frello, Bessemer resident and commander of VFW Post 3673 in Bessemer, described how the effort to build the health clinic is really in her heart Sunday morning during the VFW breakfast.

Frello said they have raised $35,000 so far for the clinic and need...
AMONG CONSIDERATIONS at Monday's meeting of the Wakefield planning commission is this splash pad, which has been a big hit in L'anse.

By P.J. GLISSON

[email protected]

WAKEFIELD - A potential splash pad and obstacle course at Eddy Lake Park were the subject of a lively discussion at Monday's meeting of the Wakefield planning commission.

Using a photo slideshow to spread enthusiasm, city manager Richard Brackney told the commission that there are "simple" plans available online that could make it possible to set up the proposed features with minimal labor, expense or expertise.

In reference to the splash pad, he said, "L'anse put this together in a very short period of time, and they did it themselves."

He added, "T...
News

Las Vegas, Nevada - An individual who ran multimillion dollar prize promotion scams was sentenced on March 12, 2018, to serve 87 months in prison by a federal judge in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Department of Justice announced.

Glen Burke, 58, of Las Vegas, was sentenced to 87 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey also ordered Burke to pay $2,785,508.36 in restitution, reflecting the consumer loss from one of Burkes schemes.

Burke pleaded guilty in December 2017 to criminal contempt of court and conspiracy charges arising from his operation of two predatory schemes that defrauded thousands of victims, many of whom were elderly, out of more than $20 million. Burke conducted those fraudulent campaigns in violation of a 1998 court order obtained by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) permanently banning him from telemarketing and making misrepresentations to consumers. A co-defendant, Michael Rossi, 52, also of Las Vegas, also pleaded guilty in connection with one of Burkes schemes. Rossi is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25, 2018.

This case exemplifies the Departments commitment to halt schemes that target seniors, which the Attorney General announced in an historic elder fraud sweep a few weeks ago, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler of the Justice Departments Civil Division. We are sending a clear message: Perpetrators of telemarketing fraud will be prosecuted and law enforcement will not stop until fraudulent mass mailing practices are halted.

Burke pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of court for violating a court order prohibiting him from making misrepresentations to consumers. The charge stemmed from Burkes operation of a mass-mailing fraud scheme that misled consumers into believing that they had won large cash prizes, often millions of dollars. Burke specifically mailed consumers solicitations that used fake names and, in many cases, looked like they came from law firms or financial institutions, advising consumers to pay a fee  usually $20 to $30  to claim their promised winnings. Once consumers paid, however, Burke never sent any consumer a promised prize.

Burke, along with Rossi, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for running a fraudulent telemarketing operation. Telemarketers working for Burke and Rossi falsely told victims that they had won one of five valuable prizes, typically: a Chevy Camaro; a Boston Whaler boat; a diamond-and-sapphire bracelet; $3,000 cash; or a cruise that could be exchanged for $2,300. To claim the prize, consumers were told to pay hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of dollars. Once they paid, victims received a nearly worthless piece of costume jewelry or nothing at all.

In January 2013, the FTC filed a civil contempt case against Burke for violating the 1998 court order. The district court found Burke in civil contempt and ordered him to pay contempt sanctions of over $20 million, reflecting consumer loss from both the telemarketing and mass-mailing schemes.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Readler commended the investigative efforts of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and thanked the FTC for its valuable assistance. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Timothy Finley and Daniel Zytnick of the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justices Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Dickinson of the District of Nevada.
Latest News

New York - Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, pleaded guilty today to an information charging him with one count of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Lepsky admitted that he planned to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in New York on behalf of ISIS.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced the plea which was accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

On Feb. 21, 2017, Lepsky was arrested by the Point Pleasant Police Department in connection with an incident that occurred that day in his familys home. Following the arrest, law enforcement officers searched the residence and found a new pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in Lepskys bedroom closet.

During searches of computers and other digital evidence linked to Lepsky, law enforcement officers found evidence of Lepskys plan to build and detonate a bomb as part of his support for ISIS. During several social media communications, Lepsky told others that he intended to fight on behalf of ISIS and that he would, if necessary, become a martyr by driving a bunch of explosives to where the enemies could be found and blowing himself up.

Law enforcement officers also located a series of instructions that had been published online by another terrorist group that gave specific, step-by-step instructions on how to build a pressure cooker bomb, which coincided with the delivery of the pressure cooker to Lepsky a short time before his arrest. In addition, law enforcement officers recovered a message forwarded by Lepsky from another ISIS supporter stating that if a westerner could not travel to Syria to fight for ISIS, he could conduct a terrorist attack in his home country using improvised explosive devices.

During todays plea hearing, Lepsky admitted that beginning in January 2017, he began to formulate a plan to detonate the pressure cooker bomb in New York City on behalf of ISIS. Lepsky admitted that he used the internet to access ISIS directives, obtain bomb-making instructions, and purchase the pressure cooker and other items to be used in the attack.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, if accepted by the Court, Lepsky will be given a sentence between 16 and 19 years in prison and a lifetime term of supervised release.

Assistant Attorney General Demers and U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark; the N.J. State Attorney Generals Office under the direction of Attorney General Gurbir Grewal; the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Joseph Coronato; the Point Pleasant Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard P. Larsen; and the N.J. Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness under the direction of Director Jared Maples, with the investigation.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney James Donnelly for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorney Justin Sher of the National Security Divisions Counterterrorism Section.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - This morning, at approximately 7:50 a.m., Yuma Police Officers responded to the area of E. 37th Street and Hinckley Drive, in reference to an attempted kidnapping. The suspect vehicle was described as an older red van and the suspect was described as a white male in his 30s.

An officer located the vehicle in the 3600 block of Avenue 8  E and performed a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle, 25 year old Cody Hill, was taken into custody.

The investigation revealed Cody Hill attempted to lure a 12 year old male into his vehicle by offering a cell phone. When the juvenile refused, Cody Hill fled the area.

Cody Hill was arrested and booked into the Yuma County Detention Center for custodial interference.

There were no reported injuries in reference to this case.

Upon request of the Yuma Police Department, Cody Hill has been released pending further investigation.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at 928-373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous.
Coun Perez reiterates warning to barangay leaders involved in drugs

07 Aug 2017 Hits:37 Comments(0)

Liga ng mga Barangay President, Councilor Jerry Perez yesterday reiterated his warning to all barangay officials from using or selling drugs. Perez said he is closely monitoring the activities of all the barangay officials and vowed sanctions against erring leaders. Aqui gane na mio barangay ya quita ya iyo na puesto cunel dos barangay leaders quien mas temprano ya sale positivo na...
Iata care-i cea mai veche fotografie a Cetatii Neamt

 cea mai veche fotografie a cunoscutei fortaretei medievale dateaza de mai bine de 130 de ani  a fost realizata in anul 1885, de catre Carol Popp de Szathmari  Cetatea Neamt, fortareata medievala de pe Culmea Plesu, care strajuie de veacuri urbea de la malurile Ozanei cea frumos curgatoare [citeste mai departe]
KATHMANDU, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Nepalese government on Tuesday formed a probe panel to investigate the cause of Monday's deadly Bangladeshi airliner crash at the Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport.

The panel, formed under the leadership of Former Secretary of the Nepali government Yagya Prasad Gautam, will initiate the investigation as early as possible, Environment Minister Lal Babu Pandit told media here on Tuesday.

Forty nine people were killed and 22 injured on Monday afternoon after a passenger plane of the U.S.-Bangla Airlines crashed in course of landing at TIA, the only international airport of Nepal.

The deadliest crash took place due to the pilot's "missed approach," the authorities said.

The UBG211 flight was en route to Kathmandu from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The aircraft, with 71 people onboard including four crew members, caught fire when it narrowly escaped from hitting the tail of a Thai Airways plane parked at the airport.

The ill-fated plane was said to have circled the airport twice before trying landing.

Of the total passengers onboard, 33 were from Nepal, 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.

The injured in the incident are receiving treatment in different hospitals in Kathmandu.
SOFIA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The first edition of Sofia Startup Expo, an exhibition for innovative startup companies in Bulgaria, kicked off here on Tuesday, showcasing some technical miracles.

The expo brought together more than 50 companies, investors and institutions.

Wearable device with a smart camera designed to assist visually impaired people, vehicle collision avoidance system, as well as alarm system with wireless magnetic sensors communicating via encrypted channels, are some of the technical miracles shown at the two-day event held under the motto "Give Wings to Your Ideas."

"We have gone a long way in a relatively short time, and today we can definitely say that Bulgaria already has a startup community and a developing startup ecosystem, and today's event is another proof of this," Alexander Manolev,deputy minister of economy, said at the opening ceremony.

Bulgarian state supported startup companies, Manolev said, adding that investment funds established with European Union (EU) funding and national resources have already invested over 20 million euros (24.6 million U.S. dollars) in 180 start-ups in the country.

Meanwhile, 82 contracts with start-ups worth more than 15 million euros under the EU's Operational Program "Innovation and Competitiveness" were in the process of being implemented, Manolev said.

A number of new funding opportunities totaling more than 100 million euros are forthcoming, he added. (1 euro = 1.24 U.S. dollars)
NEW DELHI: A journalist from China is breaking the internet after she was caught on camera rolling eyes to a fellow journalist at a press conference. The video of part of the conference is doing its rounds on the social media after it was broadcast live on state media in China.

The journalist wearing red is identified as Zhang Huijun from American Multimedia Television (AMTV). She asked a question and stretched it for nearly 40 seconds.

Liang Xiangyi, who stood next to her wearing blue, apparently expresses her disinterest in the topic of discussion and rolls her eyes all over.

(Video courtesy: Youtube/Bsone)
Mumbai: RBI has barred banks from issuing guarantees in the form of letters of undertaking (LoU) as it clamped down on the import financing route used by fugitive jeweller Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi for allegedly committing India's biggest bank fraud.

The Reserve Bank of India also banned with immediate effect issuance of letters of comfort which, like LoUs, are used by importers to fund their overseas purchases.

However, letters of credit and bank guarantees will continue upon meeting certain conditions, the central bank said in a press statement.

Companies belonging to Modi and Choksi allegedly colluded with employees of Punjab National Bank's Brady House branch in Mumbai to obtain fraudulent LoUs, without providing any margin money as security. They did not have any pre-approved credit limit either.

These firms raised short-term credit from overseas branches of other Indian banks based on these LoUs.

The fraud which began in March 2011, is now estimated to have crossed USD 2 billion (about Rs 13,000 crore).

"On a review of the extant guidelines, it has been decided to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs/ LoCs for trade credits for imports into India" by commercial banks with immediate effect, RBI said. "Letters of Credit and bank guarantees for trade credits for imports into India may continue to be issued subject to compliance with (certain) provisions."

As a trade financing measure, overseas banks usually lend to importers based on the LoUs issued by the importers' bank. The money thus raised is used to make payment to offshore suppliers in foreign currency.

The change in regulations may hit import dependent businesses and trade that are often reliant on LoUs to get bank guarantees.

Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha said that Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai on March 10, 2011 and managed to get 1,212 more such guarantees over the next 74 months.

PNB says junior employees at the branch issued LoUs over the SWIFT interbank messaging system without entering any of these transactions on the bank's own system. Such transactions went on for six years without detection.

Solar Exports, Stellar Diamonds and Diamond R US belonging to high-end jeweller Modi and Choksi-promoted Gitanjali Gems, Gili India and Nakshatra are alleged to have been involved in the scam.

CBI and ED are leading a multi agency probe into the fraud. Both Modi and Choksi are abroad and have refused to return to face trial.

Ajay Sahai, Director General of exporters' body Fieo said that the RBI decision should have very little impact on trade as bank guarantee and letter of credit continue to be available.

According to him, LoUs were generally used by large players in gems and jewellery sector.
New Delhi: Deliberation and debate are two key aspects of democracy but both were haplessly missing from the Gujarat Assembly on Wednesday when BJP and Congress MLAs exchanged punches in yet another sorry example of Indian politics.

The MLAs in Gujarat assembly displayed their barbaric side when Congress legislators interrupted a speech being made by Agriculture Minister R C Faldu. Tempers flared quickly but just when it appeared that it would remain a verbal confrontation, a Congress MLA - Pratap Dudhat and BJP's Jagdish Paanchal got engaged in a fist fight. The two reportexchangedanged several blows even as fellow legislators attempted to calm the two. War of words between legislators though continued unabated and Congress MLAs even entered the well and vowed to not let normal work process resume. They were eventually taken out by marshals.

Both Dudhat and Paanchal were subsequently suspended.

The incident closely follows similar scenes in the Telangana Assembly where a Congress lawmaker Komatireddy Venkat Reddy threw a mike which struck and injured Swamy Goud, chairman of the Legislative Council in Telangana.
New Delhi: At a time when China has exponentially increased its military expenditure, the Indian Army's hopes for modernisation, according to Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Sarath Chand, has suffered a setback because of money allocated in Defence Budget 2018-19.

Lt Gen Sarath Chand has told the Parliamentary Panel on Defence that the budget is insufficient and that may bring an end to several 'Make in India' projects. "Allocation of Rs 21,388 crore foe modernisation is insufficient even to cater for committed payments of Rs 29.033 crore for 125 ongoing schemes, emergency procurement and other requirements," the Army's Vice Chief deposed. "The Budget 2018-19 has dashed our hopes and most of what has been achieved has actually received a little setback."

Lt Gen Chand also raised several other budget-related concerns like the prospect of Future Ready Combat Vehicles and upgradation of existing equipment. "We have no choice but to leave out some priority acquisition cases. 63% of Army budget goes in to paying salaries, 14% for modernization. We need 20-25% of Army Budget for modernization," he said, adding that while 68 per cent of Army's equipment is vintage, only eight per cent is state-of-the-art.

In the most-recent defence budget, a sum of Rs 2.95 lakh crore - a hike of 7.81 per cent since last year's budget - has been outlayed which is approximately 1.58 per cent of the country's GDP. This, however, is the lowest share in terms of percentage vis-a-vis India's GDP since 1962. Subsequent war against China that year had then led to a hike in the 1963 Union Budget.

Interestingly, Lt Gen Chand sounded the alarm bells on the same day that Army Chief Bipin Rawat acknowledged the military might of China. Chinese have finally arrived. I can say that. They did not forget that military power should rise simultaneously with economy, he said while lauding China's efforts to boost military expenditure.
New Delhi: The post of Border Security Force (BSF) at Hindumalkot in Rajasthan is as hi-tech as it can get. The post is one of the most sensitive in the world and the BSF mans it round the clock.

The dog squad team also contributes majorly to in keeping the border safe here.

As per details accessed Zee Media, HHTI (hand-held thermal imager) technique is being used in the Hindumalkot border post. It works on the theory of heat detection system and helps the security personnel to see images almost akin to daytime.

In the control room at the Indo-Pak border, the hi-tech gadgets help in the good visibility upto 3-4 kilometres after sunset. Any movement or person can be detected with the help of these gadgets.

The BSF is also using other new ways for fool-proof security and Cobra wire is one of them. Cobra wire gives out high voltage current and it is used in between the fencing at the border.

This is said to be a major deterrent when it comes to infiltration bids by Pakistan. An intruder becomes unconscious when comes in contact with Cobra wire when trying to cut the fencing.

Searchlights and HHTI are used to keep an eye on any living beings in the vicinity. And the dog squad helps to keep keeping an eye on any movement near the border. The dogs in these squads are trained to specifically patrol at night.

In August 2017, BSF chief DG KK Sharma had said that sealing the Indian border with Pakistan was an immediate 'priority' and a smart technology- aided fence would be in place along the Jammu sector by March 2018.
PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who went to the US for treatment, is responding well, said the state information and publicity department on Wednesday. Reports of the Chief Minister returning to Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital are false and baseless, the agency added.

Last week, Parrikar's personal secretary Rupesh Kumawat told mediapersons that Parrikar was flying to America as there was not much improvement in his health condition.

The announcement of the former defence minister travelling to the US for treatment was made on official Twitter handle of the Goa Chief Minister's office. "As advised by Doctors at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, Honble Chief Minister @manoharparrikar will be leaving tonight to USA for further treatment," read the tweet posted by CMO Goa.

Parrikar, 62, was admitted to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on February 15 and discharged on February 22. On the same day he returned to Goa and presented the Budget in the assembly, but the session was truncated to only four days owing to his illness.

He was later admitted to the Goa Medical College and Hospital after he suffered from dehydration.

Before leaving for Mumbai on Monday, Parrikar had held a series of meetings, including one with senior state ministers.

A three-member Cabinet Advisory Committee of Sudin Dhavalikar (MGP), Francis D'Souza (BJP) and Vijai Sardesai (Goa Forward Party) was also formed to advise the administration in his absence.

In a video message, Parrikar had appealed to people to continue praying for his health. "I am thankful for all. In the last 15 days, you have been praying for me and you have blessed me because of which I got well and to get fully cured I may go abroad," he had said.

"The way you have prayed for me and blessed me, I hope to get the same thing during my treatment there. I expect that you all will allow me a leave for some days from the state for the treatment," the CM had said.
Jodhpur: Former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today picked injuries in her hand during her visit to Rajasthan's Jodhpur and had to cancel some of her programmes as a result, officials said.

Hillary arrived here on Tuesday on a two-day sojourn and was scheduled to visit the Mehrangarh Fort in the evening, they said.

She was staying at the Umaid Bhawan Palace here and a team of doctors from a private hospital nearby was sent there to examine her.

The doctors said the Democratic Party candidate in the 2016 US presidential polls had a sprain in her hand and was given required treatment. They advised her rest.

The Mehrangarh Fort authorities said her programme to visit there was cancelled due to the injuries.

On Wednesday, she is also scheduled to visit the carpet-making units of Salawas village in Jodhpur, where she will interact with weavers and witness the making of carpets, district administration officials said.

She will later go to the Mihir Garh, a world renowned boutique hotel in Roeht in Pali district on Jodhpur-Pali highway, they said. According to her schedule, She will be staying for a night there and leave for Delhi on Thursday morning, the officials said.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has conceded defeat in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha by-elections, saying overconfidence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) cost them dear. Congratulating winning candidates of the Samajwadi Party  Pravin Nishad (Gorakhpur) and Nagendra Patel (Phulpur)  the BJP strongman said that the party accepts the verdict of the people.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister further conceded that the BJP failed to ascertain the impact of the last-minute alliance of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). In the last moment, the SP and the BSP came together, and we did not expect the impact of the alliance. There was failure in understanding the changed political equation, said Adityanath.

CLICK HERE FOR RESULT UPDATES

He, however, also hit out at both the parties, saying their "political trade" will stall the wave of development in the country. We will design our strategy against the alliance, he added.

According to the BJP leader, local issues preside over during byelections and issues of national importance take a backseat, and that was also a factor of BJPs loss in the bypolls in both the seats. Local issues play a key role in bypolls, and in General Elections, there will be national issues, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past four years has worked a lot for the poor and other marginal sections of the society. And these factors will dilute local issues in the General Elections, he added. He further said that he hoped the winning candidates would work to fulfil the aspirations of people.

The results of the Lok Sabha bypolls in Adityanaths bastion Gorakhpur has come as a massive setback for the BJP, which held the seat for as long as 27 years.

It was Mahant Avedyanath who first won the seat for the BJP in 1991. He won the second term in 1996. After him, Yogi Adityanath held on to the bastion by winning for the Lok Sabha seat for the first time in 1998, and then went on to win the seat for four more terms.

The byelections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur in Uttar Pradesh were necessitated as Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya were elevated as the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister of the state respectively.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed as many as 32 intervention applications in the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri dispute case. Among the applications dismissed by the apex court were those submitted by Shyam Benegal, Aparna Sen and Teesta Setalvad.

The top court accepted a plea that only original parties to the Babri Masjid-Ram temple title dispute be heard while interventions of unrelated people be rejected.

A plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy, seeking to intervene in the case, was also rejected by the top court. The court, however, ordered the revival of Swamy's disposed plea that had sought enforcement of his fundamental right to worship at Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

The Supreme Court heard a batch of petitions against the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya dispute. Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and two other judges  Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice S Abdul Nazeer - have been hearing a total of 13 petitions over the disputed site in Ayodhya.

A special bench of the top court headed by CJI Misra had earlier asked both the parties before the Allahabad High Court to file the English translation of documents exhibited by them.

The apex court had also directed its registry to provide copies of video cassettes, which were part of HC records, to parties on actual cost. The bench said that it would hear the appeals on March 14, 2018, and clarified that it never intended to hear the case on a "day-to-day basis".

The bench had also added that it would deal with the instant matter as a "pure land dispute". The special bench of the apex court is seized of a total 14 appeals filed against the high court judgement delivered in four civil suits.

A three-judge bench of the Allahabad HC, in a 2:1 majority ruling, had in 2010 ordered that the land be partitioned equally among three parties - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

(With agency inputs)
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the plea of one of the convicts seeking a recall of its May 1999 judgement in connection with the assassination case of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

On January 24, the apex court issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after the convict AG Perarivalan had filed the plea.

The top court had asked the CBI to respond to the plea within three weeks. The matter was listed for hearing on February 21.

A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and R Banumathi asked the probe agency to file its response to the application filed by convict A G Perarivalan within three weeks and posted the matter for hearing on February 21.

In its May 1999 order, the Supreme Court had upheld the death sentence of four convicts - Perarivalan, Murugan, Santham and Nalini in the assassination case.

In April 2000, however, the Tamil Nadu governor commuted the death sentence of Nalini on the basis of state government's recommendation and an appeal by former Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Later the top court had on February 18, 2014 commuted the death sentence of Perarivalan to life imprisonment, along with two other condemned prisoners - Santhan and Murugan - on grounds of a delay of 11 years in deciding their mercy pleas by the Centre.

During the hearing on January 24, advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan, representing Perarivalan told the court that he had filed an application seeking a recall of the 1999 judgement by the apex court and the CBI should respond to it.

In his application, Perarivalan had said that he was languishing in jail for the past 26 years.

The SC had asked the Centre to take a decision within three months on a 2016 letter by Tamil Nadu government seeking its concurrence on releasing seven convicts in the assassination case.

The letter written on March 2, 2016, had said that while the state government has already decided to release the seven convicts, it is necessary to seek the Centre's concurrence as per an apex court order of 2015.

Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on the night of May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide bomber, identified as Dhanu, at an election rally. 14 others, including Dhanu herself, were also killed.
NEW DELHI: In the wake of massive protests against the alleged leak of Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examination paper, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday registered a preliminary enquiry into the matter. The protests that started off in the national capital, gained momentum with the aspirants agitating in other parts of the country including Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

They said the agency had examined the reference received from the Centre for a CBI enquiry into the matter. After examining the allegations, a decision was taken to initiate a preliminary enquiry into the matter, the officials said.

A preliminary enquiry is the first step of a probe by the CBI where the agency assesses whether the allegations have enough prima facie material for registering an FIR.

On March 4, SSC which conducts examination for subordinate services, decided to recommend a CBI inquiry into the alleged paper leaks in one of its tests held on February 21.

The protestors had earlier pressed for a CBI enquiry into the allegations of leaking of the SSC question papers of the Combined Graduate Level (Tier-II) Examination 2017.

Aspirants are suspecting a scam in the examination, stemming from the leak of the question paper that had surfaced on February 21. Following this, the SSC, on its website, cancelled the February 21 examination, rescheduling it to March 9.

Giving in to their demands, the government on March 5 had ordered an investigation by the CBI into the alleged question paper leak case.

The students have been protesting outside the SSC office at Delhi's CGO complex since February 27, seeking a CBI probe into the alleged paper leak in the Combined Graduate-Level (CGL) exam.

The SSC conducts examinations to recruit non-gazetted staff for central ministries and other institutions.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: In what was yet another brazen attack by Maoists in Chattisgarh's Sukma district, nine CRPF personnel were martyred on Tuesday while two others had an escape which can be deemed as nothing short of a miracle. Madan and Rajesh, who were also in the mine-protected vehicle (MPV) that was targeted by the Maoists, are out of danger and are recovering in a Raipur hospital.

Speaking to Zee News a day later, Madan revealed that there were 11 CRPF personnel inside the MPV which was meant to protect them against IED blasts. Instead, the vehicle proved to be horribly inadequate. "What is happening in Sukma should not happen. The situation needs to improve. Anti-landmine vehicles are of no use and are inevitably blown up by Maosists," he said. Having returned from his home in Bihar's Supaul just a day earlier, Madan said he and fellow CRPF personnel were returning to base camp when the incident took place. "We could not see the Maoists but in that area, death looms everywhere. The convoy of MPVs had about 60 personnel in all. The moment our MPV exploded, Maoists moved in for the attack resulting in firing from both sides," said Madan.

The braveheart, although in pain, also vowed to avenge the tragic death of his fellow CRPF colleagues and said he is praying to make a recovery so that he can go back into the danger zone.

The blast took place a team of CRPF's 212th battalion was patrolling in a forest in Kistaram area of Sukma, located around 500 kms from Raipur city, informed a paramilitary official. The security men were conducting an area-domination operation in the forest of Kistaram when the Maoists blew up the CRPF's mine-protected vehicle. Soon after the incident, reinforcement was rushed to the spot.
LUCKNOW: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav has called his partys win in Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections as a victory of social justice, saying the verdict of the people shows that they are angry with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Thanking Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for its support in the bypolls, Yadav said, "Our Dalit brothers helped us secure a victory".



The former chief minister also used the opportunity to lash out at UP CM Yogi Aditayanth and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the BJP of making false promises to people. "If people in those areas are so angry with them, just imagine the situation when elections are held across the country," said Yadav.



He further accused the BJP of not respecting the law of the land the Constitution. "BJP will now have to move from the path of destruction to development, he said, adding that the ruling party was "causing harm to the country and spreading hatred". "In the pretext of nationalism, they cheat people," he added.



The Samajwadi Party leader also recalled a recent statement by CM Adityanath made in the UP Assembly on his not celebrating Eid. "He (Yogi Adityanath) said on the floor of the House that I am a Hindu and I dont celebrate Eid, he said sentences like 'encounter kar do on the floor of the House. They are spreading hatred," he said.



Referring to assurances of the BJP before the elections, Yadav said that they did not fulfil any of their promises.

In a huge blow to the ruling BJP, the Samajwadi Party won both the Lok Sabha seats of Gorakhpur and Phulpur which were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) had backed its bitter rival the SP.

The SP candidate in Gorakhpur, Pravin Nishad defeated his nearest rival Upendra Dutt Shukla (BJP). In Phulpur too, the SP candidate, Nagendra Singh Patel, defeated its nearest rival Kaushlendra Singh Patel of BJP.

"This is a rejection of both (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and Yogi (Adityanath)," SP spokesman Anurag Bhaudauria told IANS.

"They have been making tall promises but not delivering on the ground," he said, explaining why the voters appeared to have turned away against the BJP so dramatically in these two seats since the 2014 Lok Sabha battle.

In 2014, the BJP stunningly won 71 of the 80 Lok Sabha seats while one of its allies secured two. The SP had won from five seats. The Congress and BSP had drawn a blank.
New Delhi: The Congress on Wednesday said people across the country, angered by the BJP's "arrogance and misrule", were "showing it the door", as was amply proved by the by-election results in the states.

The Congress also claimed the BJP had "lost" its simple majority in the Lok Sabha. It said the BJP now had 271 members, minus the two rebel MPs, Kirti Azad and Shatrughan Sinha.

However, according to the Lok Sabha secretariat, the BJP has 274 members and the party needs 272 MPs for a simple majority on its own.

Congratulating the winners of the Lok Sabha by-elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the outcomes showed that the people were angry with the BJP and would vote for any non-BJP candidate with the potential to win.

He also said the Congress was keen to rebuild the party in Uttar Pradesh but added it would "not happen overnight".

The party's candidates in the state lost their deposits in the recent by-polls to two Lok Sabha seats, the results of which were announced today. The Samajwadi Party defeated the BJP in the two constituencies.

"Congratulations to the winners of today's by-elections. It is clear from the results that voters have a lot of anger towards the BJP and will vote for any non-BJP candidate who has more chances of winning.

"The Congress is keen on rebuilding the party in Uttar Pradesh, but that will not happen overnight," he tweeted in Hindi.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said the BJP had lost 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018.

"In May 2014, the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats. In four years, BJP government is down to 271, losing its simple majority in Lok Sabha minus its allies - considering the fact that PM Modi has suspended Kirti Azad and virtually disowned their most truthful, fiercely independent Patna Sahib MP," Surjewala tweeted.

The BJP's "2017-18 report card... Is 0/10 - BJP lost all 10 Lok Sabha by-elections in 2017 and 2018", he said.

"By-Poll results have given a clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule," he added.

In another tweet, he named the 10 Lok Sabha seats - Amritsar, Srinagar, Malappuram, Gurdaspur, Ajmer, Alwar, Uluberia, Gorakhpur, Phulpur and Araria.

"By-poll results have given clear message that people are angry with BJP for its arrogance and misrule," he said.

Congress spokesperson Jyotiraditya Scindia said the results of the by-polls clearly indicated that across the country, people had spoken out against the "anti-farmer" rule of the Central government.

He said people had also testified against the BJP government's "anti-youth policies", "anti-women rule" and "unemployment that is rampant".

"It is very clear that the people of our great country are showing this BJP government the door,' he told reporters outside Parliament.

Congress general secretary Mohan Prakash said the BJP was facing anti-incumbency sentiments in all states as it was doing exactly the opposite of what it had promised.

"People are now waiting for the 2019 general elections to teach the BJP a lesson," he said.

The Samajwadi Party today won the Phulpur Lok Sabha seat and the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seats, constituencies vacated by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, respectively.

The Bahujan Samaj Party gave its support to the SP in the two seats while the Congress put up its own candidates, who lost their deposits.

The BJP also lost the Araria Lok Sabha by-election to the RJD.

In the two assembly by-polls in Bihar, the RJD won the Jehanabad Assembly seat while the BJP bagged the Bhabhua Assembly seat.
New Delhi: Search engine giant Google on Wednesday celebrated the 30th Anniversary of Pi Day  which is dedicated to the mathematical constant, Pi.

Mathematicians around the world celebrates Pi Day on March 14 every year.

First recognized in 1988 by physicist Larry Shaw, Pi Day observers often celebrate with a slice of their favorite pie in honor of the numbers delicious sounding name.

Todays delectable Doodle - baked & built by award-winning pastry chef and creator of the Cronut Dominique Ansel - pays homage to this well-rounded mathematical constant by representing the pi formula (circumference divided by diameter) using  what else  pie!, Google wrote.

Pi - the enigmatic number that has fascinated mathematicians for generations. Pi represent a constant in mathematics i.e. the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159.

Pi is useful for all kinds of calculations involving the volume and surface area of spheres, as well as for determining the rotations of circular objects such as wheels.

That is why pi is also important for scientists, who work with planetary bodies and the spacecraft that visit them.

Pi is the ratio of circumference to the diameter of a circle.

If you want to find out the distance around a circle when you have the distance across it, you will need this formula.

Despite its frequent appearance in math and science, one cannot write pi as a simple fraction or calculate it by dividing two integers (...-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3...).

For this reason, pi is said to be "irrational".
Kolkata: A group of ten girls have been 'accused' of being lesbians by a south Kolkata school, prompting their parents to stage a noisy protest within the institution's premises. While school authorities claim that they have a written admission from the 10 girls that they touched fellow classmates inappropriately, the parents have said it was obtained under duress.

Parents of the ten girls were reportedly summoned by the school authorities after several other female students reportedly claimed that they were being inappropriately touched by them. The parents were told that their wards have admitted their guilt in writing. "Some students had complained against 10 students of indulging in such behaviour. We called those students and they admitted it. Considering the sensitive nature of the issue, I asked them to admit it in writing. I have got written admissions from all 10 students," the acting headmistress of the school told news agency IANS. "Today (Monday) we called the guardians to apprise them of the issue. Our aim was to discuss the matter with them so that we can bring these girls on the right course through efforts both at home and in school."

Its a false allegation. We've not made any video. Students did something naughty for which guardian meeting was held. Internal matters have been escalated to authorities: Sika Sarkar,Headmistress, Kamala Girls'school on students allegedly made to write they are lesbians #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/ockgGfDVAk  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018

The parents though refuted the charges and entered into a verbal confrontation with school officials.

13-year old doesn't know meaning of lesbian. Those who wrote it were forced to do so by school. This is being done to suppress molestation case on one of their employees: Victim's father on students allegedly made to write they are lesbians by Kamala Girls' school #Kolkata pic.twitter.com/ZweRv6yfkw  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018

"If two persons hold hands, or put an arm on each other shoulders, that does not mean they are lesbians," a parent told mediapersons after the incident.
New Delhi: Chinese handset maker Xiaomi is once again ready with the flash sale of Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

Both the phones will go on flash sale at 12 pm on both Mi.com and Flipkart. Offline customers can rush to Xiaomi home stores or Xiaomi offline partner to get the phones.

However, cash on delivery payment option will not be made available for the smartphones. The company had said that the cash on delivery payment option will be stalled only for the initial few sales on Mi.com and Flipkart.

The company has taken this measure to curb resellers. Reportedly bulk buyers use certain script codes to book multiple units during flash sales. This doesn't give room to genuine buyers booking units for themselves.

Redmi Note 5 -- a successor to the highly-acclaimed Redmi Note 4 -- has been priced at Rs 9,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant and Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB variant.

The device comes with 18:9 Full HD+ display, 4,000mAh battery and Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor.

Redmi Note 5 Pro costs Rs 13,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB variant and Rs 16,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM version.

Housing the dual rear-camera system (12MP+5MP) and a 20MP selfie shooter, Redmi Note 5 Pro is the first Xiaomi smartphone to come with the "Face Unlock" feature. It also has the latest Snapdragon 636 processor.
New Delhi: Actor Aamir Khan, who turned 53 today, was snapped sharing hugs and kisses with wife Kiran Rao, in a rare sight. Aamir, who was shooting in Rajasthan for his upcoming project, 'Thugs of Hindostan', today took a flight to Mumbai to celebrate his birthday with family and close friends.

Kiran had come to the airport to receive Aamir. The duo was clicked sharing a warm hug and kisses by the shutterbugs. This is probably the first time the couple has been clicked like this in public. And it was an adorable moment!

Check out the photos below:

(PIC COURTESY: Yogen Shah)

Later, as his annual ritual, Aamir addressed a press conference where he cut the mandatory birthday cake with wife Kiran and shared some moments with media persons. He also spoke about working with legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan for the very first time. It is to be noted that both Aamir and Amitabh will be sharing screen space for the first time in 'Thugs of Hindostan'.

Meanwhile, Aamir, who enjoys a huge social media following on Twitter, is all set to expand his digital imprints as he made his debut on Instagram. He posted his mother Zeenat Hussains pic to begin a memorable journey on the photo-sharing site.

The photograph posted by Aamir appears in nine blocks. Heres how Aamir describes his first post  "The person because of whom I am who I am...(sic)."

Check out his Instagram post here:

In the display pic, Mr Perfectionist is seen sporting a nose-pin, which is, a part of his appearance in 'Thugs of Hindostan'.
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan, who turned 53 on Wednesday, said his "Thugs of Hindostan" co-star Amitabh Bachchan's health is better now and he is back to shooting.

The actors have been shooting for the movie in Jodhpur. "I shot with Amitji last night itself. It's true that he has pain in the shoulder and back. But this film also has a lot of action scenes for him. I think it is after a lot of years that you will see Amitji doing a lot of action. So, it's definitely a challenging film for him and he is coping very well with it," Aamir told the media here.

"He has had a shoulder and back injury. The pain had got aggravated day before, but he is better now," he added.

Aamir, who is in Mumbai just for a day for his birthday, celebrated his special day with media persons.

The actor hopes "Thugs of Hindostan" reflects the hard work being put in.

"I hope the work we are doing on 'Thugs of Hindostan' is good and people really like it. I want that the film that I am working in with Amitji is memorable. This is my expectation from the film," he said.

The movie, being directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, also features Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Sheikh. Parts of it are being shot at Jodhpur's Mehrangarh Fort, from where Big B has been sharing some picturesque updates.

In his blog on Tuesday, he revealed his health was not up to the mark, and that's why doctors were called in from Mumbai to "fiddle around" with his body.


New Delhi: Noted actor Narendra Jha suffered a heart attack and breathed his last on March 14, 2018. His untimely demise and shocked the film and television fraternity immensely. The actor gave some brilliant performances in recent films like 'Haider', 'Raees', 'Kaabil' to name a few.

A family member confirmed the news of death and told PTI, "Yes, he has passed away. He got heart attack today early morning while he was at his farmhouse. He was here because he was not keeping well." He was 55.

He was at his farmhouse in Wada. The classic actor started his career in television with hit shows like 'Shanti', 'Ithihass', 'Captain House. He then moved to films but continued his work in TV. He featured in Shyam Benegal's 'Samvidhaan', comedy show 'Begusarai' and 'Chhoona Hai Aasmaan'.

Several Bollywood and television celebrities took to Twitter and expressed their grief.

He was a dream to work with. What an actor. This is absolutely shocking. Narendra jha you will be so missed. Rest In Peace my friend .  Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) March 14, 2018

I refuse to accept it. Life cannot be so damn unpredictable. I just met a hail n hearty Narendra Jha at the park last week. And now Im hearing he passed away this morning. Such a splendid actor and a marvellous human being.

Rest in peace my friend. May God bless your soul. pic.twitter.com/qTYChpOguv  Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) March 14, 2018

What a shocker! Narendra Jha? This profession is truly a killer.  Hansal Mehta (@mehtahansal) March 14, 2018

SHOCKED & SADDENED!

I will always remember you Narendra, as a Giant of an actor, a Shakespearean actor, a Nuanced actor!

All your performances from Mohenjo Daro to Kaabil to Raees are PITCH PERFECT!!

We'll miss you so dearly, #NarendraJha!

My deepest condolences to the family! pic.twitter.com/XjiZjldVuF  Ashutosh Gowariker (@AshGowariker) March 14, 2018

We lose yet another fabulous Actor Rest in Peace #NarendraJha God Bless his Soul. My prayers I have no

words #pankajathakur

pic.twitter.com/Li7aIbJ50x  Neetu N Chandra (@Neetu_Chandra) March 14, 2018

From captain house to ithihass he was one of@d first actors I worked with #RipNarendrajha https://t.co/pmRUdO4ZFE  Ekta Kapoor (@ektaravikapoor) March 14, 2018

RIP Narendra Jha sir. Really wish I had gotten the opportunity to work with you. Guess life had other plans.  Milap (@zmilap) March 14, 2018

Totally shocked to hear of the passing of #NarendraJha .. my co-star in #GhayalOnceAgain .. fine person, fine actor .. RIP dear friend  Tisca Chopra (@tiscatime) March 14, 2018

Director Awani Agrawal said he was healthy while shooting for his film 'De Ijaazat Rahun Tujhme' in Gujarat earlier this month. "He was shooting for my film, which is tentatively titled 'De Ijaazat Rahun Tujhme', in Vadodara. He was accompanied by his wife to the location. They left on March 8. He didn't have any health issue.

"I can't tell you much about his role in the film, but as an actor, he was very co-operative and supportive. He was a beautiful person," Agrawal told IANS.

Narendra's "De Ijaazat..." co-star Mohit Madaan was also shocked to hear about his death. "I will always remember our final conversation on the night before he left for home where he found me lost in my own world sitting in the lawn. He sat with me on the grass and we ate dinner together from one plate. There was an instant attachment and he motivated me to continue as an actor," he said.
Kochi: Trial in the case of the alleged attack on a noted South Indian actress in February last year began at a sessions court here today. Popular Malayalam actor Dileep is the eighth accused in the case of alleged sexual assault on the actress by a gang of men in a moving car here.

Ten of the accused, including prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni and Dileep, were present in the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court. There are 12 accused in the case.

Besides the prosecution, the actress was represented by city-based criminal lawyer PG Manu. The actress, through her counsel, moved a plea, seeking to set up a special court presided by a woman judge for hearing the case.

She also sought speedy disposal of the case through in-camera proceedings. Meanwhile, the court said that all the evidence, barring copies of visuals of the alleged sexual assault committed on the actress by the gang, can be provided to the defence. The case has been posted for March 28.

Dileep had last week moved a petition in the high court, seeking a copy of digital evidence of the alleged attack on the actress.

In his plea, the actor said he was denied the rights of a defendant by a trial court in Angamaly.

Last month, the Angamaly Judicial Magistrate Court dismissed a plea by Dileep, seeking copies of visuals of the alleged sexual assault.

The magistrate court had accepted the argument of the prosecution that the clippings could be misused by Dileep, affecting the privacy of the actress.

Dileep secured bail nearly three months after his arrest on July 10 last year.

Pulsar Suni is in jail since his arrest early last year.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by Suni and his accomplices, who had forced their way into the vehicle on the night of February 17 last year and later escaped.
New Delhi: Renowned British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died on Wednesday, March 14, after suffering from complications due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a progressive neurodegenerative disease. He was 76.

His family's spokesperson issued an official statement, which said: 'It is with great sadness we announce the death of Professor Stephen Hawking CH CBE FRS FRSA at the age of 76. Professor Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of the morning. His family has kindly requested that they be given the time and privacy to mourn his passing, but they would like to thank everyone who has been by Professor Hawking's side - and supported him - throughout his life.'

Hawking's children Lucy, Robert, and Tim also issued a statement, which said: 'We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. He once said, "It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love." We will miss him forever.'

Born in 1942, Hawking was known as one of the biggest pioneers of science  his life and work fascinating people for decades.

Best known for his work on black holes, the cosmologist theorized that contrary to the prevailing scientific belief that black holes were inescapable for all forms of matter and energy, they actually emitted a form of radiation - now known as Hawking radiation.

He also played a key role in the mathematical effort to unify Einsteins general theory of relativity with the emergent field of quantum physics.

Hawking skyrocketed to public prominence in 1988, when he published his first general-audience book, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.

The book became a bestseller and sold more than 10 million copies in 20 years. It was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for more than four years.

Using his position as one of the worlds most famous scientists, Hawking discussed and spoke about a wide range of issues from the existence of extraterrestrial life to the nature of philosophy.

Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, more than half a century ago and was given just 10 years to live. Despite his condition, he garnered many achievements to his name, including beating the odds of survival with his medical condition.

In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons and in 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the former President of the US Barack Obama.

The physicists inspiring - and turbulent - story was dramatized in the 2014 movie The Theory of Everything, which was based on a memoir by Hawkings first wife, Jane Wilde. Actor Eddie Redmaynes portrayal of Hawking in the film won him an Oscar for 'Best Actor'.

The University of Cambridge has offered to open a book of condolence at Gonville and Caius College for anyone who would like to pay tribute to the life and work of Professor Stephen Hawking.
New Delhi: Legendary scientist Stephen Hawking died on Wednesday, March 14, after suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease for more than five decades. He was 76.

Coincidentally, March 14 also marks the 139th birth anniversary of the great German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein.

The two famous physicists who in their own inspiring ways changed the way we see the universe, share the significant date.

Best known for his work on black holes, Stephen Hawking theorized that contrary to the prevailing scientific belief that black holes were inescapable for all forms of matter and energy, they actually emitted a form of radiation - now known as Hawking radiation.

Albert Einstein is best known for giving the world's most famous equation, mass energy equivalence formula E=mc2 and the theory of general relativity

The discovery of gravitational waves in 2016  deemed as the breakthrough of the century  confirmed Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity.

Stephen Hawking also played a key role in the mathematical effort to unify Einsteins general theory of relativity with the emergent field of quantum physics.
New Delhi: Legendary scientist Stephen Hawking died on Wednesday, March 14, at the age of 76 following complications due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The acclaimed British theoretical physicist discussed and spoke about a wide range of issues  from the existence of extraterrestrial life to the nature of philosophy  throughout his lifetime.

One such subject was artificial intelligence (AI) and Hawking always warned against it and its growing dominance over humanity.

"Earth is becoming too small and humanity is bound to self-destruct, with AI replacing us as the dominant being on the planet," he told wired.com in November 2017.

"I fear that AI may replace humans altogether. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans," Hawking said.

The cosmologist stressed upon the increasing developments in AI and while he lauded the progress, he also feared that machines will one day be more dominant than human beings.

He noted that a new space programme should be humanity's top priority "with a view to eventually colonising suitable planets for human habitation".

"I believe we have reached the point of no return. Our earth is becoming too small for us, global population is increasing at an alarming rate and we are in danger of self-destructing," Hawking warned.

In 2016, at the opening of Cambridge University's AI centre, Professor Hawking said that AI could either be the best or worst invention humanity has ever made.

Earlier in March, the renowned British physicist said there was nothing around before the Big Bang.

Speaking during a TV talk show "Star Talk" on National Geographic Channel, Hawking propounded his theory on what happened before the universe came into existence.

Hawking's theory lies upon the assumption that the universe has no boundaries.

During the show, Hawking argued that before the Big Bang, real ordinary time was replaced by imaginary time and was in a bent form.

"It was always reaching closer to nothing but didn't become nothing," he said.

Further, Hawking drew an analogy between the distorted time with Ancient Greek philosopher Euclid's theory of space-time, a closed surface without end.

Taking the example of Earth, he said: "One can regard imaginary and real-time beginning at the South Pole ... There is nothing south of the South Pole, so there was nothing around before the Big Bang."

"There was never a Big Bang that produced something from nothing. It just seemed that way from mankind's perspective," Hawking said, hinting that a lot of what we believe is derived from a human-centric perspective, which might limit the scope of human knowledge of the world.

(With IANS inputs)
It is a tough fight between the Bharatiya Janata Party -led National Democratic Alliance and the opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh. In both the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha byelections, it is the Samajwadi Party had is marching ahead with the BJP candidates are trailing. The seats were vacated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Yogi Adityanath and Keshav Prasad Maurya, who were elevated as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister respectively after the party victory in state Assembly elections.

You can watch the Live streaming of the results of the by-elections on Zee News. Click Here

Forty three per cent voters cast their mandate in the Gorakhpur parliamentary constituency on March 11 while Phulpur recorded an even lesser 37.39 per cent turnout as the crucial bypolls to the two Lok Sabha seats were held peacefully. There were complaints of EVM malfunctioning at a few booths, but the machines were promptly replaced without affecting the polling.

The reason behind the lower than expected turnout in the high-stakes polls in the country's electorally most significant state was said to be a lack of enthusiasm among voters who are now looking forward to the general elections which are barely a year away.

Tight security arrangements were in place to ensure free and fair polling. Apart from the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and homeguard jawans, 65 companies of central paramilitary forces were deployed to ensure peaceful bypolls.

Termed by Adityanath as a "rehearsal" for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the bye-polls are witnessing a triangular contest involving 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 Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel and Pravin Nishad, respectively. The Congress has nominated Sureetha Kareem for Gorakhpur and Manish Mishra for Phulpur Lok Sabha seat. Ten candidates are in the fray from Gorakhpur, while 22 candidates are contesting from Phulpur.

Gorakhpur is significant for the BJP as it is the bastion of the chief minister, who represented the seat Lok Sabha five times. Prior to Adityanath, the seat was represented in parliament by his mentor Yogi Avaidyanath thrice.

Phulpur, once represented by the country's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, witnessed a saffron surge in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as Maurya won there.
New Delhi: Cheer and smiles made a comeback to the Samajwadi Party camp after it ensured Gorakhpur and Phulpur constituencies were snatched from BJP in bye-elections to the two Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh.

After leading in the early rounds of counting, the BJP slipped behind the SP in UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's stronghold of Gorakhpur. The BJP has also trailed through most of the counting in Phulpur. Both constituencies have been prestige battles for BJP but saw low voter turnout last Sunday. While Gorakhpur saw 47.45 per cent voting, Phulpur fared even worse at 37.39 per cent.

SP workers celebrate in Lucknow as trends show their candidates leading in Gorakhpur & Phulpur Lok Sabha by-polls, raise, 'Bhua-Bhateeja zindabad' slogans. pic.twitter.com/BTjievOjTL  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 14, 2018

A win for SP though is a massive shot in the arm, especially as the party had resorted to partnering with arch rival Bahujan Samaj Party to tackle BJP - the bigger of the two enemies for former state CM Akhilesh Yadav, according to political analysts. Little wonder then that early celebrations injected life into the SP cadre - demoralised after being routed in the state elections, and infuriated BJP.

Here's a quick look at who said what as trends began showing a win for SP.

Great victory. Congratulations to Mayawati Ji and Akhilesh Yadav Ji for UP bypolls. The beginning of the end has started.

--Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal CM

I do not think the SP-BSP alliance worked. I believe the day you (BJP) threw a red carpet for he who criticises Lord Ram the most, you made even Lord Ram turn against you.

-- Shiv Sena's Sanjay Raut on former SP leader Naresh Agarwal joining BJP

People have spoken against the anti-farmer, anti-youth & anti-women policies of the govt, it is very clear that BJP is being shown the door by the people.

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Congress leader

Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and today it seems UP-Bihar joining the same trend. Amit Shah's main concern today would be why can't he manage EVM in by polls. Only option left to BJP now is rigging in counting.

Sanjay Nirupam, President, Mumbai Congress Committee

We didn't expect that BSP's vote will be transferred to SP in such a manner. We will analyze after seeing the final results & prepare for a situation in future when BSP, SP & Congress can come together & also make our strategy for winning 2019 elections.

Keshav Maurya, BJP leader and Deputy CM of UP
New Delhi: Separate encounters in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh, Sambhal and Amroha in recent days have helped cops here deal a heavy blow to crime syndicate in the state.

In Azamgarh, police officials clashed with a group of wanted gangsters and injured one - Deepak Mishra. Mishra, a resident of Ambedkar Nagar, had robbed Rs 16 lakhs from a bank last week along with his fellow gang members. In the encounter, he received bullet wounds which helped the cops apprehend him. Mishra has been sent to the district hospital for treatment and faces charges of armed robbery.

Late on Tuesday night in Sambhal - some 400 kilometres from the state capital of Lucknow - another dreaded gangster was apprehended. Shanu, who has been charged with armed robbery and assault, carried a bounty of Rs 15,000. He was on a bike with an accomplice when he was asked to stop during a routine checking on Moradabad-Agra highway. In retaliation, he opened fire at the police officials and then fled into the adjoining forest. A combing operation followed soon after which also resulted in an exchange of fire that injured two police constables. Shanu was shot at on his leg - ensuring he could escape the law no further.

In Amroha, Delhi and UP police officials combined to nab a gangster called Anwar. Accused of being a contract killer, he had a Rs 1 lakh bounty on his head. On Tuesday night, he was spotted on the Atrasi bypass and was fired upon. He attempted to stage an escape by returning fire but failed in his attempt.

Recent months have seen a massive increase in operations against crime syndicates operating in UP with CM Yogi Adityanath assuring that the state would soon be made crime-free.
Pakistan found itself in yet another mess with regards to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). A high-level committee of the country's National Assembly has ordered an investigation into the Chinese company that is building and operating Gwadar Port. The move came after the committee was told that the company has been functioning illegally as it does not have security clearance.

The Standing Committee's decision to order the probe comes on the basis of concerns raised in a recent article by a leading Pakistani financial daily that Pakistan officially has no idea who owns China Overseas Ports Holding Company-Pakistan (COPHC-Pakistan), which is building and operating the Gwadar Port. The report had also said COPHC-Pakistan's parent company operated out of a single-room office in Hong Kong, which it shared with four other companies, one of which was named in the Panama Papers.

The Standing Committee on Finance was informed on Tuesday that the Interior Ministry is yet to issue a 'No Objection Certificate' to China Overseas Ports Holding Company (COPHC), Pakistani media have reported. The NOC is a mandatory security clearance that would give the company the legal right to function in Pakistan.

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) told the Standing Committee on Finance that COPHC lacks the security clearance, and that the SECP letter about this in 2014 had received no response from the Interior Ministry, reported Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.

Under Pakistani law, any company which has foreign directors needs security clearance from the Interior Ministry.

SECP had recently issued a notice to COPHC-Pakistan since the company has not filed its mandatory financial disclosure documents for any of the three years that it has operated in Pakistan. Financial daily Business Recorder also reported that no one in Pakistan's government structure seemed to have a clear picture of the ownership of COPHC, and that most had just assumed it was a Chinese state-run company.

This is just the latest instance of Pakistan finally looking at the Chinese gift horse in the mouth. The mad rush of the entire establishment to hail CPEC as a gamechanger seems to have worn off. Policy makers, at least now, seem to be weighing the different sort of costs that Pakistan has to bear to allow China to ride roughshod.

Pakistan's attempts to show spine against Chinese demands have not gone down well. The Chinese have threatened to cancel projects and have pressured their way into having trade in the yuan. Public backlash also seems to be growing thanks to security clearance now being made mandatory not for the foreign Chinese workers but for the Pakistanis working with them. There have also been protests over China's usual practice of bringing in Chinese workers instead of hiring locally.

CPEC is so far the only operational part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. That probably explains why China has reacted sharply to any questions that have been raised against it in Pakistan.
A racist, hate-filled letter that calls on people to attack Muslims has gone viral in the UK. The letter has been posted to many people anonymously and declares April 3 as 'Punish a Muslim Day', and offers 'rewards' for different types of attacks on Muslims. An investigation has been launched into the letter.

The letter claims to be from Her Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), a part of UK's Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. However, both HMCTS and MoJ have denied any association with the letter.

"They have hurt you, they have made your loved ones suffer. They have caused you pain and heartache. What are you going to do about it? Are you a 'sheep' like the vast majority of the population?" reads the letter, pictures of which have been posted to social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

"Sheep follow orders and are easily led, they are allowing the white majority nations of Europe and North America to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and turn our democracies into Sharia led police states. Only you can help turn this thing around, only you have the power. Do not be a sheep!" the letter continues.

"Punish A Muslim Day" letters are being sent to families in East London. The letter details a point system for each action & a reward. For example pulling a Muslim women's hijab is 25 points, throwing acid is 50 points and burning or bombing a mosque is a whole 1,000 points. pic.twitter.com/6kmCrDrXt0  Rowaida Abdelaziz (@Rowaida_Abdel) March 9, 2018

The letter then goes on to detail a point system to reward 'action taken'. For instance, it offers 10 points for verbally abusing a Muslim and 25 points for pulling the hijab of a Muslim woman. The list goes on, with the rewards increasing along with the barbarity of the task and how regressive it is. It offers 1000 points for burning or bombing a mosque and the highest level being 2500 points to 'nuke Mecca'.

HMCTS and MoJ have both denied having anything to do with the letter.



"We're aware of a deeply offensive letter circulating that misuses our contact details. It's not a HMCTS letter - it's full of hatred & contradicts all we stand for. We've reported it to the Police who are investigating," read a tweet from HMCTS.

We're aware of a deeply offensive letter circulating that misuses our contact details. It's not a HMCTS letter - it's full of hatred & contradicts all we stand for. We've reported it to the Police who are investigating. If you've been targeted, please call 101.  HMCTS (@HMCTSgovuk) March 12, 2018

The Ministry of Justice too tweeted to clarify that it had nothing to do with the letter. "This is not a Ministry of Justice or HMCTS letter, and it is being investigated," it said in a tweet.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This is not a Ministry of Justice or HMCTS letter, and it is being investigated.  Ministry of Justice (@MoJGovUK) March 9, 2018

The letter comes amid rising xenophobia across Europe, with the far right movement in the UK serving as a very prominent example. Such tensions have been exacerbated by groups like Britain First, who have posted misinformation regularly and have even been retweeted by US President Donald Trump.
A school in UK' Bath has refused to expel a group of seven white students who reportedly chained their fellow black classmate in what was meant to be a dramatisation of slave auctions held during the 19th century.

Daily Mail has reported that the seven teenagers first hit their classmate with sticks, hurled racist insults and then chained him to a lamp post. The incident took place in January and three of the students were initially suspended for two weeks and subsequently expelled. They however returned when the school's board of governors apparently saw it fit to reverse the initial decision. The secondary school claims it has investigated the matter and that the initial punishment of suspending the students was deemed adequate.

It is reported that the victim remains traumatised and while his parents have refused to comment on the incident, parents of other students in the school have expressed their anger through social media as well as during meetings on the school premises. Many of them say that they were not even informed of the incident till March 13. And while local police is looking into the matter, the school management has said that it cannot take any further action apart from what it already has.
New York: A little dog died on a United Airlines flight after an attendant forced the animal`s owner to put the pet in the cabin`s overhead bin, and the airline said on Tuesday it was taking full responsibility.

On United Flight 1284 from Houston to New York on Monday, a woman who was flying with children and a small dog was pressured by a flight attendant to put her dog in overhead storage during the 3-1/2 hour flight.

According to fellow passenger Maggie Gremminger, the woman wanted to keep the dog, which was in a small carrying bag, under her seat, but the flight attendant insisted that she put the animal overhead.

"At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog, deceased. She sat in the airplane aisle on the floor crying, and all of surrounding passengers were utterly stunned," Gremminger wrote in a series of tweets alongside a picture of the woman and her children.

I couldn't really sleep last night, and when I did drift off I was reliving last night. @Jezebel @BuzzFeed @BuzzFeedNews @peta @DailyMail - can you help me amplify this? It should NEVER happen again to ANYONE. pic.twitter.com/oBvVPCHCyb  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

United called the incident "a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin."

United spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin said the airline was investigating the incident, and the family had been refunded the cost of their tickets, including the $125 pet cabin fee.

This is not the first time United has come under scrutiny for its treatment of animals. Last year, the carrier was sued by the owners of a giant rabbit that died on one of its flights.

In 2017, United had the highest number of animal deaths of any U.S. carriers, according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) report, with 18 animals killed and 13 injured in transport.

Six animal deaths in total were reported from the other 16 carriers included in the DOT report.
From the Austrias point of view, it is clear that the annexation of Crimea illegal. And this is also the position of the European Union. Thats why, on the territory of the occupied Crimea, legal elections of Russian president or Russian parliament cannot be held. This is not only my point of view, but also the position of all Austrian government, Van der Bellen said.

As it was reported earlier Russian presidential election will take place on March 18, 2018. Crimea was annexed on this day four years ago. The Central Election Commission of Russia registered eight candidates, including Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Zhyrinovskyi, Ksenia Sobchak and Grigory Yavlinsky.

Tetiana Tykhonchuk, a press secretary of the Prosecutors Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (which is now located in Kyiv) said in a commentary that not only the directory but also members of the election commissions of Russian presidential elections in Crimea, as well as foreign observers, who will come to the peninsula to monitor the elections, will bear criminal responsibility.

The Crimean Prosecutors Office advises Crimeans not to participate in the organization of election on March 18.
The trade turnover between the two nations rose by 18.5% in 2017 and reached a total of $1.2 billion in absolute terms.

Last year, Austria invested a total of $1,344 million in the Ukrainian economy, which accounts for a 3.4% share of the total volume of inward foreign direct investment attracted by the nation, - the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers said after the meeting between the Prime Minister of Ukraine Volosymyr Groysman and the President of the Austrian Republic Alexander van der Bellen, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

During the meeting, Volodymyr Groysman emphasized that European integration is Ukraines irreversible foreign policy choice, which is why Kyiv hopes for further dialogue between the two states on a number of issues, keeping in mind Austrias presidency of the European Union in the second half of the current year.

The parties also doubled down on the issue of the military conflict in Donbas. The annexation of Crimea and the occupation of the eastern regions of Ukraine are both unlawful. This is a drastic violation of international law. Russia seems to be under the impression that its actions will remain without punishment. However, we need to prevent the existence of such an impression, - the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers wrote citing the Austrian President.

Alexander van der Bellen has spoken of keen interest among Austrian investors towards the Ukrainian economy and stressed the importance of anti-corruption measures.

Earlier, the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko claimed that the trade turnover between the two nations rose by 18.5% in 2017 and reached a total of $1.2 billion in absolute terms. Ukraine increased its exports to Austria by 48% year-over-year.
The International Monetary Fund does not support a bill drafted by the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko that provides for the replacement of corporate profit tax with exit capital tax, which suggests a zero tax rate on the part of profit reinvested in a business, UNIAN reports.

We understand that the draft bill may soon be submitted to parliament. Hence, I would like to take the opportunity to reiterate that we cannot support a movement toward a dividend distribution-based corporate tax (DDBCT). We are concerned about the loss in revenues, which, in the absence of any credible offsetting measures, would further undermine one of the overarching goals of Ukraines IMF-supported program to ensure fiscal sustainability, the IMF mission chief for Ukraine, Ron van Rooden, said in a letter, which was shared by Deputy Head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Dmytro Shymkiv.

According to Rooden, the adoption of this bill could lead to the loss of budget revenue worth around 2% of the nations gross domestic product. Citing Estonias example, he said that after the country passed a similar law, corporate tax revenue collapsed from an average of 2% of GDP in 1995-1999 to 0.7% of GDP in 2001.

It took more than a decade to reverse this initial impact on Estonias revenue performance, he added. He expects the DDBCT to incentivize shareholders to defer profit distribution or to find ways to disguise these through overpayments of other transactions, thereby avoiding taxation altogether since dividends are distributed at the discretion of shareholders.

Secondly, in an attempt to offset the first point, there would be no gains in simplicity, as the complexity of the necessary transfer pricing rules would make tax administration difficult and prone to abuse, especially as transfer pricing rules should be strictly imposed on a very broad range of transactions, the letter said.

Thirdly, there is no evidence of a corporate liquidity crunch to justify what would be an interest-free public financing program amounting to some 2% of GDP annually, Rooden added.

The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko suggested a compromise with the corporate sector in the introduction of exit capital tax and announced his plans to re-submit the bill to the National Reforms Council for consideration. According to the president, the replacement of the corporate profit tax with the new tax would help facilitate Ukraines economic growth and eliminate corruption schemes in the administration of taxes.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has received the award of the Foreign Direct Investment Magazine in its Major European Cities of the Future 2018/2019 ranking, UNIAN reports. Speaking at the MIPIM international property market event, Vitali Klitschko was thankful for recognizing the capitals efforts and opportunities, the mayors press service has reported.

What is most important is the fact that our city is developing further, it is becoming increasingly more comfortable and modern, meeting all the criteria of a European capital city, Klitschko stressed. And its recognition by international experts as an attractive investment destination confirms that we are headed in the right direction. Besides, it sends a positive message to foreign investors about our upcoming investment projects, the mayor said.

At MIPIM, Vitali Klitschko is going to present a portfolio of investment opportunities to international corporations. This year, MIPIM is going to bring together more than 24,000 attendees including the most reputable developers and key international business players. Foreign Direct Investment Magazine is a publication on foreign direct investment, it is a subsidiary of the Financial Times.

Earlier, it was reported that Kyiv mayor would hold meetings with Eduardo Lopez Moreno (the Director of Research and Capacity Development at UN-HABITAT), Gunther Adler (State Secretary for the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety), Jacek Jaskowiak (Mayor of Polands Poznan) and other key international businesses.
Open source

Ukraines agribusiness group MHP said it could soon acquire the loss-making French poultry firm Doux, which is looking for partners after previous buyouts failed to revive the acclaimed exporter. MHP, Ukraines leading poultry producer, submitted a takeover proposal last week to a French government restructuring body, a spokeswoman for the group said on Monday, 12 March, according to Reuters, reported by UNIAN.

Discussions were continuing with Doux's shareholders and French authorities on the scope of the takeover plan, she said. She declined to disclose details of the proposal but rejected press reports that nearly half of Doux's 1,200 workers would be made redundant under MHP's offer. Doux is controlled by French agricultural cooperative Terrena, which acquired a majority stake two years ago.

However, Terrena has since faced continuous losses, linked to competition from cheaper Brazilian chicken in key Middle Eastern markets. Terrena, which has said Doux lost around $43 million in each of the past two years, estimates the poultry firm needs 100 million in investment to reorganize its business model. Terrena says it cannot bear the cost.

A spokesman for Doux declined to comment on discussions with potential partners. He also declined to confirm a cut-off date of 31 March cited in the French press after which Terrena would stop funding Doux, saying there was no firm deadline. Doux filed for bankruptcy in 2012 after the scrapping of EU export subsidies undermined its profitability.

After shedding most of its domestic activities to focus on exports, it has struggled to compete against cheaper Brazilian poultry. It unveiled a new strategy last year, including plans to develop premium products and target the European market.
Read original article at 112.ua

Along with railways network Ukraine had inherited another nice thing from USSR - namely, the gas transportation system, which is a unique set of logistical engineering and includes not only the main gas pipelines and compressor stations, but also the largest in Europe storage of natural gas with a capacity of 34.5 billion cubic meters, which potential with appropriate investments can be increased by 50% to 50 billion cubic meters.



But not only the capital-intensive engineering communications forms today's potential of Ukraine. The Lord granted us a unique transit position at the junction of a resource-deficient but economically highly developed Europe and a resource-deficient and, for the same reason, economically backward Asia. And in our time, with the help of these crossroads, some of the countries earn well. And some do it so effectively that you do not need to work particularly hard.



Instead, Ukraine now is a country that not only does not earn on its unique gas transportation potential, but under such a state policy, it risks losing the advantages associated with such a profitable asset in the coming years. How did it happen that the gas transmission system has evolved from chicken dropping golden eggs to an unnecessary thing? And who is the enemy who took all our profits away?



Let's consider the ideal model of the past, and see how Ukraine could dispose of its basic asset - the gas transportation system. More recently, there was no alternative to the Ukrainian pipe, which is why it was filled up to the eyeballs.



It was then that our country had a unique chance to become Europe's largest gas hub and not only to ensure its energy independence, but also to receive billions of dollars for transit and storage of natural gas. Naturally, we were not able to solve such a problem independently: neither economically, nor technologically. To create the hub it was necessary to conduct several conceptual reforms and attract reliable European partners, perhaps even a pool of countries - the largest consumers, primarily Germany.



What needed to be done to implement the gas hub project?



The first - to divide the gas transportation system into several components, including the extraction, transportation, sale and storage of natural gas. To do this, we should not consolidate gas assets in the Naftogaz, but on the contrary to restructure them. That is, to begin with the procedure of unbundling, which currently cannot be done by Naftogaz in any way.



The second. It was necessary to give Europeans the right to purchase from Russians the entire volume of natural gas on the eastern border of Ukraine. And we already have to buy gas from the operator of the Ukrainian global gas hub. The total investment in the creation of a gas hub could amount to 5 billion Euros. Plus, the annual flow of capital into the virtual trading system.



To use such a scheme, it was necessary to completely refuse of intermediary structures, which, through gas supplies, were integrated into metallurgy and chemical production. Cheap Russian gas has become a factor of competitive advantage, in which, as mushrooms after the rain, Ukrainian financial and industrial groups have grown. According to the law of communicating vessels, everything in this world had to be paid for: by unintelligible foreign policy, cheap transit, and gradual washing out of the country's transit potential. Group of gas intermediaries has evolved into the great industrialists - the oligarchs, and the overall economy has missed dozens of billions of dollars and almost lost its transit potential.

The third direction of the reforms is the opening of equal access to the gas infrastructure of all gas traders, which can provide balancing of gas reserves in the hub and its selection, as well as the conclusion of bilateral transactions, which are symmetrical agreements for pumping natural gas into the hub and delivering a similar volume to customers. In addition to free access to the hub, all wholesalers should be clearly separated from retail gas sales.



Thanks to the above reforms, the entire trading system becomes transparent, market and competitive. That is, it can offer the most favorable market price to the end user. With this development of the market it becomes impossible, when all companies are concentrated in the hands of one oligarch, who also has access to large wholesale supplies of energy, thanks to quasi-offshore trading gaskets in the West.



By the way, the lack of free access of market participants to the nation-wide infrastructure is one of the key problems that hamper the development of a quality entrepreneurial environment in our country. The articles about the oligarchs have already become nauseous in society, and few people are talking about the problem of infrastructure access. And we are not talking only about the gas transportation system. According to the accessibility of the connection to the power networks, Ukraine occupies an "honorable" place in the second hundred of countries in the competitiveness ranking. Today, no consumer can safely connect to the energy networks without a huge number of legal and illegal bribes. The first means the so-called technical conditions, when a small plant will be obliged to build a substation for ten million hryvnia. Some energy supply companies put this procedure on stream: they will also receive the loan in their bank. The same situation is with the connection to water supply networks, drainage, gas distribution systems.

Europeans, luckily for them, do not get sick of this cunning and create types of infrastructure objects that are convenient for the economy and society. Take, for example, the Central European gas hub (CEGH), which is a gas distribution center in Baumgarten with a trading volume of 7-10 billion cubic meters. CEGH itself arose precisely because the largest Austrian oil company OMV (shareholder of the hub) in 1968 signed a long-term contract for the supply of natural gas from the USSR.



The very philosophy of the gas hub, which shareholders are the largest European operators, is also beneficial to Ukraine by completely cutting off our country from contractual cooperation with Gazprom. And here we are constantly accompanied by some excesses. In the case of the functioning of the hub, Ukrainian consumers could acquire gas in it without depending on the Kremlin's favor. And given the possibilities of storing gas in our underground storage facilities, our hub could also make good money on re-exporting energy resources, because the Ukrainian gas transportation system has a significant difference from all kinds of "flows", northern and southern: unlike them, we can always download surpluses of cheap gas to their storage and sell them at good price during peak loads on the power grid in winter.



Unfortunately, nothing like this is happening now. Our politicians have long turned into anti-robin hoods: they take from the poor and give to the rich. And the Ukrainian gas hub turned into a kind of anti-hub. This is particularly evident in the example of the sale of gas own production primarily to the population. As the investigations of the Antimonopoly Committee have shown, the current pricing methodology does not distinguish between imported gas and Ukrainian - all this volatile substance is mixed in a common pipe. At the same time, the "total" price is determined based on the price parameters on the NCG hub (Germany), plus transportation costs and entrance / exit tariffs on the western border of Ukraine. Needless to say, the gas of Ukrainian extraction comes to us not from Germany and it is not necessary to pay for entry and exit on the western border for it. And we will tell directly - it is absurd. According to Antimonopoly Committee, the peg to imported parity led to an artificial increase in the price of Ukrainian gas from UAH 1,590 per 1,000 cubic meters to 4,8 thousand, that is 3,2 times more!

Instead of accumulating natural gas and re-exporting it to the EU, earning superprofits on winter sales, we are forced, on the contrary, to urgently buy super-expensive natural gas in the gas hubs in Europe, receiving superlosses, because the price there in winter often exceeds 1-1.2 thousand dollars per cubic meter. And all announced gas market reforms so far have not led to the emergence of an effective market mechanism and the opening of the market for hundreds of independent traders. Not to mention the infrastructure, which has remained in the management of the monopoly oligarch.



We could become a country-hub, but gradually we are turning into a country-black hole, in which all our potential opportunities for further development are irretrievably disappearing.
Read the original text at 112.ua.

March 11, Kuwaiti edition of Al-Jarida wrote that the United States and Israel are preparing for some air strikes on the facilities of the Iranian military in Syria. Kuwaiti journalists are confident that the Israel Defense Intelligence Directorate (AMAN) provided the American side with a map of Iranian military facilities in a neighboring country. One of the goals of the air strikes might be the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, sponsored by Iran. The operation is designed to squeeze Iran out of Syria and other Middle Eastern countries. It is unlikely that the authorities of the United States or Israel would publicly confirm the information reported by the publication of Al-Jarid. It is difficult to judge its reliability. However, the prospect of conducting an American-Israeli air force operation against the Iranian military in Syria lends itself to a logical explanation.

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed with President of the United States Donald Trump and US lawmakers the issue of Iran's military presence in Syria, which together with Russia supports the regime of President Bashar Assad and intends to create its outpost on the territory of the country. The Israeli prime minister stressed that he intends to thwart these plans. Since 2013, the units of the Iranian "Guard Corps of the Islamic Revolution", including the unit of the special operations "Al Quds", have been taking part in the Syrian conflict. According to various sources, at least 2,000 Iranian military personnel were killed in Syria, who supported Assad's troops in the fight against the Syrian opposition and ISIS. Iran sees Syria as the closest military-political and trade-economic partner in the Middle East. In pre-war time, Syria served as the gateway to Iran in the Mediterranean. Now the Iranian leadership is interested in creating a long-term military presence in Syria in order to influence the political development of the country after the final completion of hostilities and destabilization of the situation in the northern borders of Israel. Israel expressed fears that Iran could use Syrian ports for its submarines.

A possible target for the Israeli air force is the military base of Iran, 50 kilometers from the Golan Heights. The Syrians are trying to get Israelis to return these lands since the end of the Six Day War in 1967. Iranians have been actively building this military facility for the past year. About 500 militaries might be placed there; there are garages for armored vehicles too. In addition to its military, Tehran sends recruited Afghan Shiites to fight in Syria. In Syria, about 125,000 sponsored by Iran Shiites fight on the side of Assad. The situation is complicated by the fact that in the north of Syria, the anti-Zionist terrorist organization Hezbollah is active, which periodically fires Israeli settlements from the territory of southern Lebanon. Armed groups of Hezbollah are deployed in the Syrian-Lebanese border area and support Asad.

The north of Israel would be surrounded by Lebanese terrorists and the Iranian military, who can coordinate their actions and shell the settlements of Israelis. Iran and Hezbollah do not recognize Israel's right to exist and oppose the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of a Jewish state. In December 2017, pro-Iranian Shiite militants advanced to the Golan Heights during a raid against opposition-minded armed formations of Sunni Islamists, present in southern Syria. In early February 2018, the airspace in the north of Israel was violated by an Iranian drone. In modern warfare, drones are used for reconnaissance and correction of artillery and missile installations. The Israeli military shot down the device and, as a retaliatory measure, inflicted an air strike on the command post in Syria, from where the drone was controlled. On the way back, the multipurpose fighter F-16 was shot down by Syrian air defense, and Israeli pilots ejected and landed in the north of Israel. This is not Israel's first air operation in the sky over Syria. Over the past five years, Israeli military aircraft have carried out 100 air strikes, thus preventing the supply of weapons from the territory of Syria to South Lebanon (for the terrorist organization Hezbollah).

Joint with the US air force operation against the Iranian military in Syria meets the needs of the time and would allow Israel to erase the enemy's military infrastructure from the face of the earth, which can be used for anti-Israeli provocations. In 1978, Israel conducted a military operation "Litani" in order to ensure the security of the northern regions of the country. Before Lebanons invasion, Israel has struck air strikes and carried out shelling positions of militants from the Palestine Liberation Organization. Now the Israelis have faced with a similar task. Israel needs to expand the geography of air strikes deep into the territory of Syria in order to destroy the places of deployment of Iranian troops, Shiite militants and interrupt communication with Hezbollah.

The US is concerned that the American missile bases and facilities in the Persian Gulf countries, located at a distance of fewer than 2,000 kilometers from Iran, fall within the radius of the defeat of Iranian missiles. Since 2003, America has its airbase in Qatar (El Oued, where 120 military aircraft and 10,000 troops are deployed). The air base is used for flights to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. The US military is quartered in Kuwait (15 thousand people), Bahrain (7 thousand people), the United Arab Emirates (5 thousand people), Oman (200 people). In October 2017, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, General Mohammed Ali Jafari, said that if new sanctions were applied against Iran, the United States would have to look for a new location for its military bases at a distance of more than 2,000 km, so as not to fall into the radius of the Iranian missiles.

The US is interested in intimidating Iran with the threat of using military force and making them voluntarily withdraw medium-range ballistic missiles from their weapons. The intention to destroy military facilities of the Iranian military in Syria can be perceived as a warning shot of the United States. The Pentagon makes it clear to the Ayatollah regime that the next target may be military-industrial facilities in Iran, which are involved in the development, production, and testing of the ballistic missiles.

The article about the planned air strikes on the Iranian military in Syria looks like information attack by the United States against Iran. Thus, Washington checks the reaction of Tehran and warns of undesirable consequences if the Iranians do not stop carrying out the missile program, create military facilities in Syria and supply weapons to the terrorist organization Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Husit rebels in Yemen. It is no accident that the information was published in the Kuwaiti edition. Kuwait is one of the regional military-political and economic partners of the United States in the Middle East, which sees Iran as a threat to its security. Kuwait's Deputy Foreign Minister Khalid Al Jarallah is confident that Iran is interfering in the internal affairs of the Gulf countries.

The US military can help Israeli colleagues in defeating the Iranian military in Syria. The US Air Force has extensive experience in air strikes in this country. Since 2014, the United States and its partners have inflicted 11,235 air strikes on the positions of ISIS in Syria. The US has also applied to air and missile strikes on Assad's forces and their allies had bombed a military airfield al-Shayrat last year destroyed the Russian group of mercenaries in the province of Deir Ez-Zor in February this year. The United States provides Israel with $ 500 million a year to develop an anti-ballistic missile defense system. Recently, the American-Israeli missile defense system Strela-3, designed to protect the territory of Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles, was successfully completed. The United States and Israel can act together if it comes to the destruction of Iranian military facilities in Syria.

Although Iranian ballistic missiles can strike US military bases in the Middle East and the Israeli cities, it is unlikely to go on the Iranian leadership to a major war with more powerful militarily opponents. The Iranian conflict with the Americans and Israelis can be confined to the airspace of Syria. In 1998, during Operation Desert Fox, the US Air Force carried out 14 missile and bomb strikes against Iraqi targets that were involved in the development, production, and storage of weapons of mass destruction. There are agreements between Washington and Jerusalem that in case of a missile strike by Iran, the US military will come from Europe to support Israel.

The possible defeat of the Iranian military in a clash with Israel and the United States in Syria is extremely unfavorable to the leadership of Iran. This can provoke a discontent with Iran's current political course among young people and the unprotected strata of the population, which is tired of spending a lot of money for war. In August 2017, Iran passed a bill to allocate $ 260 million to accelerate the missile program and $ 300 million to operate the special forces of Al-Quds. Financial assistance to Hezbollah was increased to $ 800 million. At the end of December 2017 - in early January 2018. in 20 cities of Iran, anti-government rallies were held. The protesters demanded the release the political prisoners, expressing dissatisfaction with the high corruption and difficult social and economic situation in Iran. They have also called for a change in the ruling regime. They protested against supporting Assad's regime in Syria and sponsoring terrorist organizations. Now is not the best time for Iran to increase the military spending. Over 70% of Iranians are undernourished. One-third of Iran's 80 million population lives below the poverty line. Unemployment among young people is 40%. About 11-21 million Iranians live in slums and cannot afford healthcare services.

Iran should not rely on military support from Russia. The Russian leadership is limited to participating in military operations against the Syrian opposition in Syria and is not ready to enter into the confrontation with the United States or with Israel. The events in Deir Ez-Zor province and the Kremlin's passive reaction to the death of Russian citizens under American shells are proof of this. Perhaps the US expects Russia to persuade Iran to slow down the missile program and pursue a more restrained policy in Syria, in order to avoid air operations between the US and Israel. Netanyahu already warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the permanent military presence of Iran in Syria is unacceptable for Israel. It is easier for Iran to withdraw troops from Syria and to curtail the missile program than to reap the fruits of the US and Israeli discontent.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or 112.International and its owners.
The Bundestag deputies once again elected leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, Angela Merkel, as the German Chancellor. This was reported on the website of the federal government.

Angela Merkel received 364 votes out of 692. 315 parliamentarians voted against, nine deputies abstained.

Later in the day, a ceremony at which German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will officially announce the appointment of Merkel as chancellor will be held. The ceremony will take place in the Bellevue Palace, after which the newly elected chancellor will return to the Bundestag and at about 12:00 (13:00 Kyiv time) will be sworn in.

Today the first meeting of the new German Cabinet of Ministers will also take place.

As it was reported earlier the majority of Germanys SPD voted for the formation of grand coalition with CDU/CSU. SPD stated this in the press-conference in Berlin on March 4.

66,02% of Social Democrats voted for political alliance with Merkel. 363 000 members of SPD took part in the voting. Now, SPD has 463 00 members, who could vote through mail. The voting started on February 20 and ended on March 2.

This way, nothing can interfere the formation of the government coalition. At the begging of February, the leaders of CDU/CSU agreed on the text of the coalition agreement, but Social Democrats made a condition: the agreement may be signed if rank-and-file party members approve it.
The diplomats of Hungary do not recommend the Hungarians to visit Zakarpattia on March 16-18, especially Khust and Uzhhorod. It is stated on the website of the Consulate General of Hungary in Uzhhorod.

'Due to the difficult political and public situation in the security sphere to avoid the possible provocation since March 16 until March 18, we do not recommend the Hungarian groups and individual travelers to visit Zakarpattia, especially particular cities (such as Khust and Uzhhorod) to avoid the crossing in this period of time in any case', the message said.

The diplomatic institutes also urged the Hungarians to avoid the visiting of Verecke pass in this period time due to the same reasons.

On March 15, Zakarpattia will celebrate the 79th anniversary of the proclamation of Carpatho-Ukraine. Particularly, the floral offering to the memorial of Avgustyn Voloshyn, the Hero of Ukraine and President of Carpatho-Ukraine will take place at 9:00 in Uzhhorod.

However, earlier Hennady Moscal, the Head of Zakarpattia Regional State Administration supposed that Russia's FSB can hold some provocations.

On February 4, a bottle with an incendiary mixture was thrown into the building of the Transcarpathian Union of Hungarians. Minister of Foreign Affairs condemned people, who did this in the building of Hungarians Union.
May claimed that the UK will not allow further provocations from Russia

Open source

London withdraws the invitation to Sergey Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of Russia to visit the UK. Therese May, the Prime Minister of the UK claimed this as 112 Ukraine broadcasted.

'It is not in our interests to tear any dialogue with Russia but the relations will not remain the same after the events that happened in our country. Particularly, we cancel the invitation to the Foreign Minister of Russia to visit the UK. Also, we will implement new measures to prevent the threat from the hostile countries. Of course, there are the procedures that we cannot announce now  it is the security of our country. But we will not allow further provocations from Russia', May said.

In her turn, Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman of Russia's Foreign Minister appealed to May with a request to not estimate the work of Lavrov.

'Lavrov is a Russian minister, not British. And the president of Russia estimates him. I understand that you would like to think in another way. But your minister is Boris Johnson', she claimed.

As we reported earlier, Sergey Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer, and his daughter were poisoned in British Salisbury. Earlier, he was arrested in Russia and charged with "high treason in the form of espionage", and was convicted. Later, Skripal was pardoned and exchanged for a group of revealed Russian spies.
The main group session is expected late on Wednesday

The capital city of Belarus hosts the session of subdivisions of the Minsk contact group, which seeks a peaceful solution to Donbas conflict. Belarusian foreign ministry tweeted this on Wednesday morning.

The main group session is supposed to take place later today.
The sacked Secretary of State spoke to reporters, closing books on his service in this office

Open source

Russia's aggressive actions may lead it to big international isolation. Rex Tillerson, the sacked U.S. Secretary of the State said that in his goodbye speech, as reporters crowded the Department of the State's building, BBC wrote.

"Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interest of the Russian people and of the world more broadly. Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyone's interest," he said. 'What is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time that the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges'.

The official also expressed confidence that during his service, the U.S. administration managed to improve relations with China and to deter the North Korean nuclear threat.

As is known, Tillerson will be replaced by former CIA Head Mike Pompeo.
The recent searches in various regions of Ukraine were supposed to reveal the undercover networks of collaboration with Russia, Prosecutor General says

Open source

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office and Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea have conducted 28 joint searches lately; they included certain entrepreneurs and reporters. According to Yuriy Lutsenko, Ukraine's Prosecutor General this was supposed to reveal the undercover networks of collaboration with Russia.

Based on these operations, the investigators found evidence of cooperation of certain individuals with anti-Ukrainian networks in Russia and in the occupied territories of Ukraine.

In Kherson region, southern Ukraine, law enforcers found some correspondence between two cells of an anti-Ukrainian group, members of which attempted to organize a session of local authorities, which would decide to impeach President. The ordering customer would pay the executor USD 25,000 in case the mission was completed.

In Kharkiv region, northern Ukraine, the prosecution agencies found and seized topographic maps, ammunition and explosives - as well as some cash totally worth of USD 50,000 and credit cards issued by Russian banks.
Sean "Diddy" Combs; David Becker/Getty Images via ABCTwo more artists have paid their respects to Long Island rapper Craig Mack, who died of heart failure on Monday at the age of forty-six.

Sean "Diddy" Combs, who signed Mack to Bad Boy Records in the mid-1990s, tweeted, "Craig Mack, you were the first artist to release music on Bad Boy and gave us our first hit."

"You always followed your heart and you had an energy that was out of this world. You believed in me and you believed in Bad Boy. I will never forget what you did for hip-hop."

He adds in a separate tweet, "You inspired me and will continue to inspire me. We will always love you. #RIPCraigMack #BadBoy4Life."

As previously reported, Mack first met Combs at a New York City club and told him he'd sign him if he could freestyle to a Mary J. Blige song, which he did.

His 1994 hit "Flava in Ya Ear" was nominated for a Grammy; the song's remix featured LL Cool J and the Notorious B.I.G.



Eminem also wrote a message of condolence via Instagram, writing lyrics from Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear."

"Now, hold up, let's make this official/Everybody let's agree that MC's need a tissue"... indeed a sad day for losing such a groundbreaking MC. #RIPCRAIGMACK."

His Instagram post includes the cover art for "Flava In Ya Ear" as well.

Other hip hop stars, such as LL Cool J, Chuck D and Joe Budden also took to Twitter Tuesday to mourn Mack's passing.

Craig Mack is survived by a wife and two adult children.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The agreement provides the opening of the affiliated branch of the Ukrainian Institute in Vienna

Ukraine and Austria signed the agreement on the cooperation in the spheres of the education, science and culture during the meeting of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Austrian Alexander Van der Bellen as 112 Ukraine broadcasted.

The Ukrainian-Austrian international agreement was signed by Pavlo Klimkin, the Foreign Minister of Ukraine and Karin Kneissl, the Foreign Minister of Austria.

The agreement provides the opening of the affiliated branch of the Ukrainian Institute in Vienna. This institute will provide the cultural presence in the EU.

The agreement also dwells on the cooperation in the sphere of the teaching and research between the higher education institutions and other scientific establishments, students' and lecturers' exchanges.

Also, the sides will support the organization of the cultural events, tours, exhibitions, concerts, fests, theatre performances and other artistic campaigns. Also, the contacts between the museums and libraries will be encouraged.

The agreement will come into force after the ratification by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and approval of the National Council of Austria.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine prepared the offers to the president on the withdrawal of Ukraine from the bodies of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and denunciation of the Agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership between Ukraine and Russia. Pavlo Klimkin, the Foreign Minister reported this at the session of Ukrainian Parliament Committee for Foreign Affairs as Svitlana Zalishchuk, the MP reported on Facebook.

'Minister Pavlo Klimkin announced at our foreign affairs committee that the Foreign Ministry prepared the offers for the withdrawal from the bodies of the CIS and denunciation of the Agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership between Ukraine and Russia. On the question when to expect such decisions, the minister said that the decision depends on the head of the state', Zalishchuk wrote.

Earlier Russia offered to denounce the Agreement on friendship, cooperation and partnership between Ukraine and Russia in the part where countries recognize the territorial borders of each other. Leonid Kravchuk, the first president of Ukraine commented this.

Ukraine offered to terminate this agreement during the preparation of the draft law on Donbas reintegration.
Open source

The government of Ukraine approved the inter-governmental agreement with Qatar on the mutual cancellation of visa demands on March 14.

The points of the mentioned agreement provide that the citizens of Ukraine and Qatar who use the acting travel documents can enter, leave, be in transit and stay without a visa on the territory of the state of the second side in the term of 90 days during 180 days.

As we reported Qatar relaxed visa regime with 80 countries against the crisis of Persian Gulf countries.

The citizens will be obliged to submit only the valid passport to receive the permit on entry.

The citizens of 33 countries will possess the right to stay in Qatar for 90/180 and the citizens of 47 countries for 30 days.
Robert Menendez urges Trump's administration to consider the danger that Russian government keeps posing for the States and the rest of the world

Russia should be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism; U.S. Senator Robert Menendez offered the government to do so after the high-profile spy poisoning case in the UK.

According to Washington Examiner, 'that move would place Russia on a short list of terror-backing states that now includes Iran, Syria, Sudan, and North Korea. British Prime Minister Theresa May accused Russia of using a weapons-grade nerve agent to poison a former military intelligence officer who had worked as a double agent on behalf of the United Kingdom'.

Once again, I call on the Trump administration to recognize the danger the Russian government continues to pose to Americans and our friends around the world, Menendez said as quoted by the U.S. outlet. The United States and the many allies of the United Kingdom must stand ready to support her in the aftermath of this brazen attack.

Washington Examiner reminded the audience that Menendez, the ranking member on the Foreign Relations Committee, has the procedural authority to force Trump to take a formal position on the matter.

'A state sponsor of terrorism designation would stiffen sanctions already imposed by Congress. U.S. officials have sought to punish Russia for the 2016 election interference, the invasion of Ukraine, and for partnering with Iran to support Syrian President Bashar Assad in a long-running civil war', the outlet wrote.
President claimed that the sanctions should be imposed against the organizers of the election

Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine claimed the today's visit of Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia to annexed Crimea a provocation. He claimed this at the joint briefing with Alexander Van der Bellen, the President of Austria as 112.ua reported.

'We see the extremely dangerous provocation when Putin, the President of Russia intentionally comes to the occupied territory before the election, visits Simferopol, Sevastopol and that is why the united position of the whole world on the non-recognition of the election of the president of Russia at the territory of occupied Crimea is extremely important', Poroshenko claimed.

Also, the president claimed on the necessity to impose the sanctions against the organizers of the election in occupied Crimea.

'We will pay close attention to make this election to be not recognized by the world to prevent the presence of the observers there, to bring to the responsibility all those who organize this election, including the imposing of the sanctions against them', he added.

The election of the president of Russia will take place on March 18, 2018. The Central Election Commission registered eight candidates, including Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Ksenia Sobchak and Grigory Yavlinsky.

Earlier Poroshenko urged G7 to condemn and not recognize the Russian election in Crimea.
Volunteers have been playing a significant part, standing for Ukraine in the ongoing Donbas conflict

Ukraine marks the Volunteer Day, honoring the warriors who joined the Ukrainian military on will and defended the country in conditions of the ongoing Russian military aggression.

The Parliament passed the respective document in January 2017; under the decree, the Volunteer Day is marked annually on March 14.

The volunteer battalions are military, police and paramilitary formations that were formed from volunteers in response to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine in spring and summer 2014. Most of the formations were formed by government agencies, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Internal Affairs; some of the units are independent.

In January 2017, Ukraine's Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak stated that 40 thousand volunteers were fighting for Ukraine in the Donbas conflict.
Russia informed that its reaction would be expressed soon

Open source

Russian Foreign Ministry calls British PM Theresa Mays claim about Russian involvement in Skripals poisoning a crude provocation, which disrupts the basis of a normal interstate dialogue between the states. It is stated on the website of Russian Foreign Ministry.

The representatives of the Ministry think that British Governments following its reprehensible political intentions caused a growing tension in the relationship by stating a set of adverse measures, including expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the country.

The message says that Britain unleashed an anti-Russian campaign before the presidential elections.

Instead of finishing its own investigation, use international standards and tools, including in the framework of the Chemical Weapons Prohibition Organization, which we were ready for, British authority decided towards confrontation with Russia. Probably, British authorities by using unilateral and non-transparent ways to investigate the case tried to unleash anti-Russian campaign again, the message says.

Earlier, May stated the Russia is likely to be involved in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence officer.

Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called things going on in British Parliament a circus and another informative and political campaign based on a provocation.

Russian Foreign Ministry voiced protest against Laurie Bristow, British ambassador, due to British accusations against Russia in terms of its involvement in Skripals poisoning.

Britain specified the number of Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country due to Skripals poisoning.
Open source

Naftogaz holds a meeting with Gazprom till the end of March, as Naftogaz press-office reported on Facebook.

Elbe Day (the day Soviet and American troops met at the Elbe River marking an important step toward the end of World War II in Europe, - ed.) is to take place with our dear monopoly. Naftogaz will inform Gazprom about the gas tariffs revision, the message says.

Yuriy Vitrenko, Director for Business Development at Naftogaz noted that the Ukrainian company sent to Gazprom demands concerning gas tariffs.

Execution of Arbitration's decision will be discussed as well, Vitrenko added.

As we reported earlier, Alexey Miller, the Head of Gazprom, stated, that the company forwarded an official notification to Naftogaz about gas contracts termination through the Stockholm Arbitration. Naftogaz confirmed this information.

As we reported earlier, after the ruling of the Stockholm Arbitration, Russia's Gazprom announced its intention to terminate gas contracts with Naftogaz Ukraine.

The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce has granted the lawsuit of Naftogaz as to compensation for the volumes of transit gas that had not been delivered by Gazprom on February 28. According to the decision of the court, Naftogaz got a $4,63 billion compensation for the transit gas that had been agreed on, but not delivered by Gazprom. As a result of two arbitrations in Stockholm, Gazprom is to pay Naftogaz $2,56 billion. The court dismissed the demands of Gazprom that stated that the money hadnt been paid as it was considered the fines for what they called unlawfully seized by Naftogaz volumes of the transit gas. $526 000 of interest per day will be added to the debt from March 1.

As reported earlier, on March 1 Gazprom reported that Naftogaz-Ukraine has made an advance payment for the resumption of Russian gas supplies from March. At the same time, Gazprom refunded the money, stating that this was due to the lack of an agreed addendum to the current contract. Naftogaz called Gazprom's refusal to supply gas a violation of the agreement and failure to comply with the arbitration decision.
According to the SBU, Vitaly Zakharchenko, the former Interior Minister financed the network

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exposed the extensive anti-Ukrainian network the members of which held the subversive activity, organizing the provocations in order of Russia as the press service of the SBU reported.

Artem Buzyla, the journalist arrested in the accusation of the separatism at the end of April 2015, coordinated the activity of the network by sending the orders from the presidential administration of Vladimir Putin.

Vitaly Zakharchenko, the former Interior Minister financed the network.

'In the results of the investigative actions in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Mykolaiv and Odesa regions, the investigators confiscated 46 small magnetic storage media and 38 mobile phones with important for the pretrial investigation data to hold the expert study', the SBU claimed.

Also, the law enforcers fond the classified documents during the searches and they could be used by Russia's special services for the organization of the subversions at one of the sensitive sites of the National Police, prices for the bribery of the members of the local councils for the making of the decision needed by Russian side and printed propaganda materials.

Moreover, the members of the 'combat group' of this anti-Ukrainian network were identified.

'During the searches at the places of the residence, the law enforcers found the map of the region of Ukraine with the marking of the bridges and other strategic sites, the literature on military topography. 700 grams of TNT with five electronic actuators, two grenades F-1 and RGD-5, more than 600 bullets of different caliber were found', the SBU added.

The immediate investigative actions continue.

As we reported the SBU held 25 searches of a number of people, including journalists suspected of helping Russia hold anti-Ukrainian rallies on March 12.
Earlier, it was reported that Slovakian Parliament will conduct voting on a censure vote to the Government

Open source

Robert Fico, PM of Slovakia, said that he is ready to resign due to the political crisis, which occurred after investigative journalist Jan Kuchak murder along with his girlfriend. He said it at the press-conference in Bratislava, news agency Aktuality reports.

Today I visited President Andrej Kiska and told him I was ready to resign, Fico noted.

Besides, he stipulated three conditions of his resignation: the PM post has to retain under Smer party, which Fico heads; if the President promises to respect coalitions agreement and 2016 elections results.

Earlier, Slovakian party Most-Hid, which is included in the coalition, initiates early elections due to the murder of journalist Jan Kuchak. If the authority does not approve the early elections, the party will exit the coalition. However, the PM Fico is against early elections.

Investigative journalist Jan Kuchak was killed together with his girlfriend Monika Kusnirova in her own house in the village of Velka Macha near the town of Trnava. Law enforcers suggest that the murder occurred between February 22 and 25. Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico said that the government is ready to pay 1 million euros for information that will help the investigation.

The motive of the crime could be the professional activity of the journalist, in particular, his investigation of the activities of the Italian mafia in the east of the country.
As to the President, this is a result of execution the Agreement of Association with the EU

Ukraines export to Austria increased by 48%. Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, said it at the briefing with Alexander Van der Bellen, Austria's President, broadcasted by 112 Ukraine.

Economic indicators support the base of our dialogue. The trade circulation between our countries increased by 18,5% in 2017 and reached $1,2 billion. At the same time, Ukrainian export to Austria increased by 48%. It is a result of introduction of a profound and broad free-trade zone between Ukraine and the EU, as earlier Ukraine signed an Agreement of Association with the EU, Poroshenko said.

The President added that 40 Austrian enterprisers have a direct interest in widely different manufacturing sectors in Ukraine  from pharmacy to agriculture and processing industry.

Austrian business feels comfortable in Ukraine, as to sociological surveys, investors and enterprisers, Poroshenko noted.

As it was reported earlier, Ukraine filled 100% quota of honey export to the EU this year.
Ukraine regards this visit a violation of its state sovereignty and territorial integrity

Open source

Foreign Ministry of Ukraine expressed a protest against Russia due to Russian delegation and Russian President visit to annexed Crimea, which was not agreed with Ukraine. The Ministrys press-office reports.

Ukraine considers this visit, along with other trips to annexed Crimea, a crude violation of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, a negligence of international law, obligations of bilateral and multilateral agreements by the Russian side, including UN Charter, UN National General Assembly Resolution entitled Territorial integrity of Ukraine and Human rights in Crimea and Sevastopol (Ukraine).

Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol are and will remain an integral part of Ukraine and its internationally recognized border. This is acknowledged by the entire world, which reasonably estimated internationally illegal actions of Russia by adoption of relevant resolutions of UN, European Committee, OSCE and other international organizations, along with the introduction of restrictive measures (sanctions) against the occupier country, the message says.

Earlier, Ukraines President called Putins visit to annexed Crimea a provocation. Thus, the Head of state called the international community for non-recognition of Russian elections in Crimea.

Russia presidential elections will be held on March 18, 2018. The Central Election Commission registered eight candidates. Vladimir Putin, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Ksenia Sobchak and Grigory Yavlinsky are among them.
Yuriy Lutsenko said that if Savchenko does not come to SBU's questining, he will have to make a submission to Verkhovna Rada concerning parliamentary privilege withdrawal, criminal prosecution and arrest

Yuriy Lutsenko, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, said that he intends to make a submission to Verkhovna Rada concerning non-affiliated peoples deputy Nadiya Savchenko, if she is absent at the questioning at SBU. Larysa Saragan, press secretary of the Chairman of Ukraines General Prosecutors Office on her Facebook page.

Prosecutor General Lutsenko: If peoples deputy Savchenko do not come to SBUs questioning, I will have to make a submission to Verkhovna Rada concerning parliamentary privilege withdrawal, criminal prosecution and arrest, the message says.

Earlier, the SBU filed MP Savchenko the call for the questioning on March 12 on the case against Volodymyr Ruban, the leader of Center of POW Release. Later, her press-secretary said that Nadiya Savchenko, did not get any notice or invitation for the questioning in the SBU and will pay the official visit to the PACE. Volodymyr Ariev, Chairman of Ukrainian delegation in Parliament Assembly of Council of Europe informed that Nadiya Savchenko was absent on the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The notice for the questioning in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) of the MP Nadiya Savchenko was passed over to the Apparatus of the Verkhovna Rada.

Ruban was detained on March 8 at the Ukrainian checkpoint at the demarcation line of Donbas Conflict zone. It is stated that Ruban is suspected in the illegal handling of arms, preparation of a crime and terrorist action. Later the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv arrested Volodymyr Ruban, the Leader of Center of POW Release 'Officer Corps' for 60 days without a right to the bail.
Wefarm, a peer-to-peer farmer network for smallholder farmers, has raised a $5 million second seed round led by True Ventures, which describes itself as a fund focused on the democratization of innovation as a powerful force for global good, and a handful of Silicon-valley angels.

Also participating in the round are Skype and Atomico Founder Niklas Zennstrom, WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg, Blue Bottle Coffee CEO Bryan Meehan, and the Norrsken Foundation with follow-on investment from LocalGlobe and Accelerated Digital Ventures.

Wefarm uses AI technology to connect small-scale farmers to crowdsourced information by enabling them to share techniques and advice on anything from how to battle a disease to how to increase their income, through SMS or online in their own languages.

The platform helps farmers in eastern Africa access critical information regarding farming, weather, and crop yields using an SMS and online methodology. The UK-based company with offices in Kampala, Uganda and Nairobi, Kenya, closed a $2.9 million venture round in January 2016.

Mission alignment is really important for us. Some of the earliest advice that I got is that there are a lot of people that can write a check, but there arent a lot of people with the right check, said founder and CEO Kenny Ewan to AgFunderNews. At a basic level our goal has been to build a platform that farmers want to use and trust, and everything else will come from that, he continued.

Ewan saw that many agtech startups started with technology and then had trouble reaching farmers. He said that by starting by building a community of farmers, currently at the rate of 2,000 new users per day, he now has an audience of more than 660,000 farmers to which it can market any number of services.

Wefarm is now working to monetize its community by providing services that users have requested within the service. Ewan said that the initial focus will likely be on financial products and trading or marketplace capabilities.

About 4% of all the content we get from farmers organically is looking to buy and sell  its trading and looking for customers and loans, said Ewan.

Wefarm is also experimenting with commercializing data gathered from farmers requests, especially around common crop diseases: the most discussed topic among Wefarm users.

Ewan said that the social enterprise startup has already begun discussions with multinational ag corporates, governments, and NGOs.

Wefarm claims that its data models will be able to track and predict keys issues, such as disease, ripening periods, shortages, drought, soil conditions, farm characteristics and other supply chain issues. With this data, businesses can improve supply chain management and security, evaluate key trends and challenges, and increase sustainability and transparency, according to the company.

We invested in Wefarm because their innovative solution helps to achieve the United Nations sustainable development goals, said Anna Ryott, Deputy CEO of the Norrsken Foundation. It enables small farmers to become more efficient, thereby directly contributing to the eradication of hunger and poverty.

Whatever Wefarms commercialization plan evolves into, Ewan said that the company will ultimately always work on behalf of the farmer.
Ricardo Cate

Ricardo Cate described the moment that changed the course of his life. He was working as a blackjack dealer at the time. He was there in the casino, in the middle of a hand, with a full table anxiously awaiting his deal. And he stopped, struck suddenly with a realization: I thought, 'This isn't me. I can't do this forever,'  he remembered. He finished the hand, clocked out and told his pit boss that he didn't want to do it anymore, and never came back.

Cate began moving in the direction of his dreams, boarding a bus to Durango with a few dollars leftover in his pocket, selling drawings on the streets there and enrolling at Fort Lewis Collegewhere education is free for Native Americansto become a teacher. It was during that time that the Santa Domingo Pueblo resident began developing his eye as a cartoonist. Cate had always been creative, but he never considered himself an artist. Despite that, he confidently set to work developing his first strip, Fort Leisure (an infamous nickname for Fort Lewis). Soon, it started getting recognition, and he began developing a different series for the Southern Ute Drum, the newspaper of the Southern Ute tribe, based out of southwestern Colorado.

It was during this time that Cate began working on what has become his primary focus, Without Reservations, a cartoon strip that he has spent 11 years cultivating, which now has a daily audience of more than 60,000 people through syndication in the Santa Fe New Mexican and Taos News, among others. The strange part, or the scary part, maybe, is that I'm just getting started, he laughed. One piece of Cate's ever-expanding network is an upcoming exhibition of selections from Without Reservations at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center's (2401 12th Street NW) Art Through Struggle Gallery. The exhibition is broken into several partsone with pieces that address the presidency of Donald Trump, one drawn from Cate's experiences at Standing Rock, and another that addresses a variety of other topicstreaties, mascots and some off-the-wall, just funny stuff.

Central to Without Reservations are two charactersThe Chief and The General. The Chief is drawn in the style of one of Cate's favorite comic characters, Andy Capp, whose hat often rests over his eyes. The General is based on the likeness of George Custer. Cate had always wanted to develop a Native cartoon, and in Without Reservations he has created a platform for vital conversations and exchanges to play out. The General  he is the spokesperson for the dominant culture. The Chief is our spokesperson, so the dialogue between them is pretty amazing. It's the two cultures talking to each other, he said.

I draw the world as I see it, he continued. I never set out to change the world, and I don't consider myself a spokesperson for Native people.  It's just how I see the world. A lot of Natives happen to agree with it. In recent years, Cate has purposefully started gearing the comic more toward non-Natives; they now comprise a significant portion of the comic's audience. Natives already know what I'm talking about; they've lived through this, but non-Natives haven't, he explained. Through humor, Cate finds that he can approach topics that are sometimes difficult for people to discuss. Humor makes it approachable, he pointed out, and moreover, it has a way of healing,  for what me and my family have been through, and what Natives have been through, and sometimes what other ordinary people have been through.

Simultaneously, it provides a way for Cate to process his individual experiences, becoming, at times, therapeutic. When I have things to say, I say it through my cartoons.  [and] I laugh when I make it. It really makes me laugh. I can't think of a better job than what I do. The process as I'm doing it, and how much I enjoy it, and afterwards, how much people enjoy it, he described.

In the exhibition of his work, he hopes to bolster conversations around the topics that he brings to bear in his work, lending some perspective to non-Native viewers. I want this cartoon to be read by everyone. I don't want to hurt anyone or point fingers or anything, but at the same time, I put these issues on the table so people can start thinking about it and maybe discussing it, maybe even change their ways a little bit, he said. As he gains a greater following across the country, Cate recognizes that he has a responsibility. People are counting on it, he said. These days everybody needs something, as crazy as this world is. It's weird, but my cartoon puts some sanity back in the world. That's a crazy thing to say, that a comic is doing that, but, The Chief is keeping it real.

Catch Without Reservations at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, opening on March 17, and running through January of 2019. Viewing the work is free with admission to the museum, which runs about $6.40 for New Mexico residents.
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!)
Some of us are thoroughly in touch with our own emotions. Some of us clearly struggle through emotions daily. For Sallie Scheufler 's MFA thesis, she created A Good Cry. Through a series of performative videos and sculptural installations, Sallie brings her knowledge and discovery of the human struggle to life for people of all ages to explore and enjoy. CFA Downtown hosts this beautiful and moving exhibit, which opened on March 12 , and concludes on March 23 , running from 11am to 6pm . Whether wearing a bleeding heart on your sleeve or bottling it all up until the breaking point hits, this display of sadness, euphoria and the gamut of human feels, offers a chance to see exactly what this accomplished artist wants to convey about the nature of tears and crying behavior. This installation is free to the public. (Mayo Lua de Frenchie)

Performative videos and sculptural installations, the exhibition questions and scrutinizes the the nature of crying behavior.

A GOOD CRY is inspired by, and made of tears. Through a series of performative videos and sculptural installations, the exhibition questions and scrutinizes the the nature of crying behavior.

A GOOD CRY is Sallie Scheufler's MFA Thesis Show!!

----------

Sallie Scheufler currently resides in Albuquerque, where she is pursuing her MFA in Photography from the University of New Mexico. Raised in the Sonoran Desert, she received her BFA from Arizona State University in 2012. Scheufler is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with image-based media. She has exhibited work in galleries like the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, Eye Lounge in Phoenix, 516 ARTS in Albuquerque, and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. Scheufler's practice is concerned with how humans communicate, the performance of gender, intimacy, her knowledge of her own body, the informative coming-of-age years, the complexities of unhealthy and healthy relationships, the questioning and formation of identity, growing old, the scientific and cultural ignorance of female sexuality.

A GOOD CRY is inspired by, and made of tears. Through a series of performative videos and sculptural installations, the exhibition questions and scrutinizes the the nature of crying behavior.

A GOOD CRY is Sallie Scheufler's MFA Thesis Show!!

----------

Sallie Scheufler currently resides in Albuquerque, where she is pursuing her MFA in Photography from the University of New Mexico. Raised in the Sonoran Desert, she received her BFA from Arizona State University in 2012. Scheufler is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily with image-based media. She has exhibited work in galleries like the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, Eye Lounge in Phoenix, 516 ARTS in Albuquerque, and the University of New Mexico Art Museum. Scheufler's practice is concerned with how humans communicate, the performance of gender, intimacy, her knowledge of her own body, the informative coming-of-age years, the complexities of unhealthy and healthy relationships, the questioning and formation of identity, growing old, the scientific and cultural ignorance of female sexuality.
Eric Williams Photography

La Fonda del Bosque (Spanish for the shade of the forest) is tucked into an interior corner of the National Hispanic Cultural Center (1701 Fourth Street SW), with a sunny patio and large glass doors that light the place up inside. Its gorgeous inside, too: With heavy, carved wooden chairs and pristine blue and white linens, it has the appearance of an upscale Mexican inn. Tiny potted orchids on each table add to the formal vibe. I bet a lot of people come here for business lunches, said my dining companionand I suspect shes right. The full bar thats open for lunch hours would certainly lend to that conclusion.

The waitstaff at La Fonda del Bosque is as professional and knowledgeable as youd expect from the setting. Theres always a long list of specialsthey have a special crepe, taco and soup that changes each dayand both times I visited, my waiter was prompt in explaining them all to me. The profound silence was the only thing that subtracted from the ambiance: It was I- could- hear- a- pin- drop quiet in there, which doesnt make for easy mealtime conversation. A little bit of music would make it more comfortable, and Im sure it wouldnt detract from the classy feel of the joint.

Although La Fonda certainly has quite a few New Mexican dishes, it doesnt strike me that its trying to be a strictly New Mexican restaurant. They have a variety of fresh salads and sandwiches that keep it on the lighter side of, say, a Cecilias or a Mary and Titos. Their website suggests Latin fusion as a classification, which I think fits quite well.

On my first visit, I ordered the wild mushroom chile relleno ($13), one of the standard entrees. The way this dish is prepared is not so standard, though: The beer-battered chile is stuffed with asadero and goat cheese along with flavorful wild mushrooms cooked with sage, and the batter is perfectly thick and softalmost like tempura. Served sans chile or cheese on top, this relatively pared down version of the New Mexican classic is pleasantly light, and the mushrooms add a great savory note to this satisfying vegetarian dish. The side of corn slaw was undoubtedly fresh and wonderfully flavored with cilantro and lime. This came with a small green salad as well, topped with an herb-infused vinaigrette. Its a generous lunch portion for one person, and I was thankful to have a cup of coffee ($2.50) and time to digest afterwards.

On my second visit to La Fonda, I brought a friend along and we had that proper business lunch by starting with a well margarita ($8) each. They were pretty standard on-the-rocks margs made with what tasted like a mixbut, that said, we were informed that the bartender wasnt in that day, so perhaps the drinks on a typical day have a little more going on.

The guacamole and trio of salsas ($8) was a perfect start to the mealin fact, one of those man, I really ought to stop eating these chips and save my appetite for the entree situations. The chips came out piping hot from the fryer, and the salsasone chipotle, one pico de gallo, and one pico de gallo with mango, along with the guacamolewere fresh and tangy without being too spicy.

The green chile chicken soup ($6 for a cup, $7 for a bowl) came next. It had just the right amount of spiciness, offset by a creamy base and slow-stewed chicken. Its more than hearty enough to be an entree if you order the bowl, especially with the healthy portion of buttery sage bread that comes with it. This would be a great way to warm up and fill up on a chilly day.

I ordered the crepe of the day ($12)filled with spinach and mushrooms and covered in a white wine cream sauce. Though the crepe was cooked perfectly, the cream sauce was so rich and so much that the dish was, overall, pretty one-note. (That one note being cream.) The addition of a side salad lightened it up some, but it was still much too heavy to finish in one sitting.

My companion had the chorizo burger ($11), a combination of pork chorizo and lean ground beef on a brioche bun. The lean beef is a blessing, as the chorizo would be a little too messy on its own. The chipotle mayo added a little bit of spice to the mix, and the brioche bun was a perfect vehicle for the somewhat greasy burger. A side of either salad, fries or potato chips (lets be real, we got the fries) completes this hearty, nap-inducing lunch.

The weird part? La Fonda del Bosque is, at the time of this writing, only serving from 11:30am to 2pm, Tuesday through Saturday. Although I know the rules are a little different because its attached to the NHCC, this still seems like a strange oversight on the part of the owners, who really ought to be offering dinner service as well. The same menu could be served at dinner, and the formal setting of the place might make more sense in the evening. It would be a great date night dinner, or somewhere to take your visiting family to impress them with the quality and breadth of New Mexican food.

For the meantime, though, La Fonda del Bosque will certainly be added to my rotation of lunch spots. To say that I remember that mushroom-stuffed chile relleno fondly is an understatement: Ill be recommending it to everyone I send there. And I suspect Ill be sending quite a few people there.
Letters

Common Sense Makes No Sense

Dear Editor,

Does the frequency of gun ownership have anything to do with the murder rate? According to statistics available online, 60 percent of the residents of the state of Wyoming own guns. In 2015 Wyomings per capita murder rate was 2.7 per 100,000 residents, which puts it about 40th in the per capita murder rate in the United States. Washington, D.C. has some of the most restrictive gun laws in the United States. Its murder rate (in 2015) was 24.2 per 100,000the highest rate in the country. The next highest murder rate (again in 2015) was Louisiana, which had 10.3 murders per 100,000. With its stringent gun laws our nations capital manages to have a murder rate about twice that of any other jurisdiction in the United States.

Now comes Sen. Martin Heinrichs call for more gun control laws common sense reforms he calls them [Alibi, v27 i10]. He wants expanded background checks. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics about 230,000 firearms are stolen every year. None of these thefts underwent background checks and all of these stolen firearms could be used in a crime. Will expanded background checks reduce the crimes committed with stolen firearms?

The good senator calls for limiting magazine capacity. This will accomplish nothing. With a little practice any shooter can change magazines in about two seconds. He wants to crack down on straw man purchases. I could go along with this, because straw man purchases are a form of fraud. Butif a shooter cant make a straw man purchase, cant he just as easily steal a gun, buy one from a private seller, or get one off the black market? Heinrich wants to keep people on the No Fly list from buying guns. Regardless of someones presence on the No Fly list, if he wants a gun hes going to obtain one. I can accept Sen. Heinrichs proposal to repeal the Dickey Amendment (that bans tax funding of research on gun violence). There is no reason to keep this law on the books.

Perhaps a little more to the point in all of the demands for gun legislation, Congress has the ultimate control over the governing of our nations capitol. If Congress cant control crime in its own back yard, why should we believe Congress can control crime anywhere, or with any gun laws?
In Jordan Klepper's schtick as a right-wing conspirator on Comedy Central, he reported that in Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by Michael Wolff, that the president was only semi-literate. Klepper defended Trump by showing us a picture of an 18-wheeler truck and asserting that a semi-truck is still a truck and therefore semi-literate is still literate.

This amusing episode stands in stark contrast to events in Parkland, Sandy Hook and Virgina Tech, but it illustrates an important point; semi-automatic is still automatic. The shooter's job is relatively simple: aim and pull the trigger. Reloading modern weapons however, is extremely complex. Engineering causes the first shot's recoilor expanding gassesto reload each subsequent shot automatically. Reloading comprises the lion's share of the work for a killing machine.

The decision to categorize weapons by the operator's trigger pull has been lost to the sands of time, but the gun-lobby's perpetuation of this distinction amounts to pacifying critics by assuring them that fully automatic "machine guns" have been outlawed for civilians since Al Capone.

This assertion comes across as if the NRA made some great concession to public safety, but as we saw in Las Vegas, a 3-D printable plastic device is all that's necessary to make an AR-15 fully automatic. Except for one small internal part, the rifle is an exact replica of the US Army's M-16, now called the M-4. It has the same muzzle velocity, the same ammunition and the same magazine capacity.

The bullet's less- than- quarter- inch size causes it to tumble in near supersonic flight, producing massive asymmetrical tearing as it bounces around in a human body in fragments, often severing arteries; those victims who are not killed outright by the massive shock of imparted inertia drown in their own blood.

For 50 years, the US Army delayed issuing automatic rifles because officers feared troops wasting ammunition. When fired rapidly, rifles cannot be accurately aimed, due to a phenomenon called muzzle risethe barrel's tendency to lift away from the target as the result of recoil. The US Army defines weapon fire two ways: direct fire, when you can see a target, and indirect fire when you can't see a target.

The M-16 has a selector lever that allows for continuous fire; when combined with tracer bullets, this allows soldiers to "walk" the rounds into an area as indirect fire. This capability was especially useful in the jungles of Vietnam, where the M-16 was introduced by Robert McNamara.

The tragic irony is that the AR-15's slower fire rate allows better aim than if the bullets were sprayed in the continuous, largely inaccurate fully automatic mode of the M-16.

How did we get rapid-fire, military-grade weapons on the streets of America? Well, computers have a part. Before the 80s, rapid-fire weapons were difficult to manufacture en masse; parts had to be machined to exacting tolerances. PCs were soon linked to lathes and suddenly, machinists could produce 100 times as many parts. Tolerances that no human could achieve meant that designs that were once considered too complex could be pounded out with ease.

President Bush signed a bill in 2005 granting the firearm industry complete immunity from malfunctioning guns; to add insult to actual injury, immunity to the people who sold them too. This is the only such immunity ever granted to any industry, ever, effectively eliminating a rising tide of lawsuits.

Semi-automatic or "automatic reloading," more accurately, is a primary feature of military weapons, an automated mechanical advantage as distant from revolvers and bolt-action rifles as a jet from a biplane, propelling them to the destructive level of other military weapons like hand grenades, mines and rockets. In the heinous pantheon of methods for the destruction of people, this avenue remains available for domestic profits due to the vehement insistence of a small percentage of the population and the NRA.

If sleight-of-hand surrounds the definitions of automatic, the restrictions limiting purchases are verbal judo. Under federal law you can be prevented from buying a gun if you have been convicted of a felony or if you self-report treatment for a mental condition. Sure, they'll self-report!

No mechanism exists to check people's medical records because there is no law compelling medical establishments to report treatment, and they are loathe to do so because of patient confidentiality. Sure, the federal penalties are stiff for failure of an individual to self report, but since there's no mechanism to check up on applicants, there is little incentive to tell the truth. No distinction is made between admittance to a state hospital with psychotropic drugs and a visit to the pastor because you have been feeling blue.

Now, get this: the federal record of an application or purchase is destroyed in 24 hours; this is why nobody knew the Las Vegas shooter was amassing an arsenal, or if anybody else is now. No record of individual gun purchases or ammunition is kept; in fact, it is illegal to do so.

A confluence of increasingly deadly technology, auto-reloading, the militarization of gun owners and a decreasing willingness of legislators to reflect the opinions of the majority of Americans has led to Parkland, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook. They all have a thread running through them: semi-automatic is still automatic.
Anthony Conforti

In a progressive society, in a progressive municipal microcosm of that ideal global village, police are in integral part of the community. Their jobs are woven into the fabric of a peaceable and forward-looking citizenry.

Establishing that sort of balanced civic environment is a job for the local police department, for the county sheriffs and state police department too; but it will also take the work of an active, engaged and knowledgeable bunch of humans to accomplish this goal.

Thats why starting with school children makes sense as an educational strategy designed to improve relations with the local authorities. Positive results can be achieved by creating trust, affirming the social contract and rehumanizing both parties, people and policemen (sic), so that therere no lingering questions about the identity and the purpose of law enforcement.

Those were the ideas I had in mind as I headed to breakfast with Weekly Alibi political correspondent Carolyn Carlson. Carlson had arranged to have two Public Information Officers from the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office meet us at a charter high school our star reporter often works at. The school is called the Media Arts Collaborative Charter High School and the television production students there, under the direction of Anthony Confortia brilliant teacher, role model and longtime behind the scenes Burque media presencewere taking the first steps in creating a documentary about the role law enforcement plays in citizens lives.

As I sat stuffing myself with carne adovada and refritos at Loyolas, Carolyn and I talked about the perception police have in the nation, stateand of coursehere at home in the fertile flood-plane of the middle Rio Grande.

I recalled the time I was in high school up at the golden city and threw the finger at a cop driving through the high schools parking lot. The resulting confrontation was a delicate negotiation, to say the least. The policeman threatened and put on macho airs, the long-haired high school student sporting a TSOL t-shirt and a golden earringleft ear, buccaneer!was petulant and insouciant. If not for the intercession of another kindly film and teevee teacher it would have certainly ended badly.

Carolyn reminded me about encounters that police officers from the Albuquerque Police Department had with a variety of citizens, encounters that did indeed cross the line. Such actions by the local police eventually required a team of federal officials to intercede as an attempt to stamp out the culture of violence and citizen abuse that had grown into the status quo at APD.

That sort of stuff might not happen, I intoned gravely as we finished and took our leave of the restaurant, if everyone involved realized that flesh and blood human beings are all thats really involved.

Driving over to the school from Loyolas is no mean feat; heck its practically right across the street and Carolyn had just enough time to further remind me of some important details. While the BernCo Sheriffs Department has been squishy on the use of automatic lapel cameras, the fella in charge, Bernalillo County Sheriff, Manuel Gonzalez III, recently came out as a chief endorser of the type of policing we all hoped was coming around the corner after electing a progressive mayor, council and county commission to boot.

I thought that was a good thing as we entered the office at MACCS, signed in and walked over to Nob Hill Studios, the place where the production class also waited. The deputies were set to arrive at about 10am; Carolyn waited uptstairs for their arrival, I went downstairs to the soundstage.

Anthony hadnt arrived yet either and a flock of middle school and high school children crowded the digital switching console and monitor in his office/control room. There was a Yamaha electric piano in the corner, so I sat down.

I quietly went through some stuff in E-flat that Id been tinkering with at home while trying to wrap my head around the fact that the group of children gathered around Confortis computer set-up were the same age, more or less, as the 17 victims of the latest US mass shooting. My hands kept flatting the thirds and fifths as Anthony walked in, cheerfully displacing my growing angst.

Its a dang good thing Anthony Conforti is teaching television production methodologies to our citys children, by the way. His patience and manner with high school students is excellent; his knowledge and experience is invaluable. Many of those on set already seemed to be seasoned professionals, curious yet steadfastly scientific in their approach to the visual arts.

MACCS hosts the only high school chapter of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers; the group of students working on this community policing project with Weekly Alibi and have also been working with the Southwest Women's Law Center for a couple years, doing a monthly show called "Raising Women's Voices" with the group's executive director Pamelya Herndon.

Then the deputies arrived. Deputy Johann Jareno, a member of the DWI Unit Field Services Division, is also a public information officer with the force. Deputy Felicia Maggard, a public information officer as well, previously worked as a crisis negotiator with the Sheriffs SWAT unit.

Both are at least 25 years younger than I am. Deputy Maggard is with child. Both were friendly and enthusiastic as we chat before the taping begins. After a member of the schools newspaper arrived, everyone was seated on stage, a space that is entirely painted green to support the wizardry that goes on in the control room.

Anthony Conforti

The student television producers asked about gangs, guns and the death penalty. And when Deputy Maggard explained simplybut with an obvious commitment to democratic principlesthat deputies only enforce laws that were passed by citizens and upheld and managed through the judicial process, it became clear that the office is developing a community policing approach that depends on education as a prime motivator. Thats laudable.

On the other hand, when Deputy Jareno lamented the fact that his family worries daily if he will make it home from work, he emphasized that policing is a dangerous job but neglected to mention that working as a fisherman, logger and farmer are far more dangerous occupations. Though law enforcement officers are exposed to situations wherein they might be murderedunlike those other jobs mentioned where the threat of accidental death is inordinately highoverall risk to officers lives can be reduced with proper training and community engagement.

Police men and women are humans whom citizens have entrusted to deal with societal and cultural situations for which the average citizen is unprepared and untrained. Those situations, which range from mildly transgressive to outright murderous, require the trustworthy to be exactly that.

By teaching our children that the police should be trusted, that they know their responsibilities as civil servantsand their boundariesbodes well for the future. We should also be sending a message and instructing students that the use of force is an exceptional thing, that law enforcement officers are peacekeepers, not warriors whose exposure to violence and death is a necessary by-product of a violent culture.

If law enforcement follows the same path then we will all be okay. Theyre human beings after all, subject to the same strengths and frailties as anyone reading this editorial.
Graduation Rates Steady, Still 50th in US Public Education Secretary Christopher Ruszkowski announced last month that New Mexico's high school graduation rates have stayed a record 71 percent since last year. According to Ruszkowski, the graduation rate for Hispanic students has risen to nearly 71 percent, compared to less than 60 percent in 2011. However, despite the record high, the state was once again ranked 50th in the nation. Only the District of Columbia had a lower graduation rate than New Mexico, with 69.2 percent of its students finishing high school. The Public Education Department says it's working to improve the graduation rate by hiring more school personnel to battle truancy. The department is also reportedly implementing systems in some schools that will help faculty identify students with academic, disciplinary or attendance problems who might need additional attention. Albuquerque Public Schools reported a slight increase in its graduation rate in 2017, rising to around 68 percent. APS' graduation rate has increased by six percentage points over the last two years. The national graduation rate is over 80 percent.

March Brings Attention to School Safety Students across the state are calling for laws and policies that will make their schools safer. A community-wide march has been planned for March 24, to coincide with the nationwide March for Our Lives event, created by survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla. Organizers say they are advocating for violence prevention, support services and an end to mass shootings. According to the event's Facebook page, organizers are also against environments where students are criminalized through the use of metal detectors, zero tolerance policies and armed teachers. The march begins at 10am on Old Town Plaza and is slated to end in Tiguex Park at 11am, when a rally will be held there.
Wednesday, March 14, 2018 An Eventful Day In La Politica: House R Leader Gentry Leaves The Stage And So Does The Chairman Of The Dem Party; Complete Coverage Leader Gentry Two high profile departures shook La Poltica Tuesday with one signifying a retreat in the fortunes of state Republicans and the other reinforcing a cultural trend that is impacting politics.



The decision of House Minority Leader



GOP consultant Bob Cornelius summed up the reaction in the political community:



That's huge!



Huge because Gentry cashing out is the ultimate symbol of the retreat from power of state R's as a Democratic trend led by the President's unpopularity is setting in for the November election. It also signals yet again compelling demographic changes that are casting doubt on the long-term prospects of the GOP in a state where they now seem like the proverbial fish out of water.



Gentry's far NE heights district is being gradually engulfed by a sea of blue. He only won re-election by four points in 2016 and the same Dem opponent filed Tuesday to run again. Gentry also faced the prospect of leading a diminished minority next year and likely facing a Dem Governor. And we won't get into the negative campaigning that was about to be unloaded on him.



Gentry isn't the only R seeing the handwriting on the wall. ABQ GOP State Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes is not seeking re-election to her swing seat district and Rep. Dennis Roch of Tucumcari, a natural replacement for Gentry as minority leader, also took a pass on a re-election bid. (Look for Valencia County Rep. Kelly Fajardo to make a move to replace Gentry as minority leader).



The Gentry departure will coincide with the end of Gov. Martinez's eight years at the helm. They both arrived in 2011 and both will leave at the end of the year. Gentry formed a deep alliance with her political consultant Jay McCleskey and they employed hardball tactics and took advantage of a redistricting designed with a GOP Governor in charge. That put the House in Republican hands for two years following the '14 election and Gentry sported the title of House Majority Leader before he turned 40. But later he broke away from McCleskey and now both are in the political wilderness.



The Gentry departure is one of the last wheels to fall off the once mighty Martinez political machine. Not everyone thinks it had to be that way. Former Republican turned Democrat and former state legislator Greg Payne said the Machine got the demographics right by securing many Hispanic Republican for politics but:



They wasted seven years arguing over driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. Their candidates had the right profiles but the wrong policies. No way was that Machine built for the long-term. Now we are entering an era where New Mexico will be much like California, dominated almost completely by Democrats and the party breaking into more sharply defined progressive and conservative wings.



Cornelius shares that view, pointing to the state's economy as a chief reason:



We don't have a robust economy that would be more Republican friendly. It has become more and more a welfare state as the economy has declined. Unless (Governor candidate) Steve Pearce can pull a rabbit out of his hat, I agree with Payne that New Mexico is going more Blue and staying that way for a long time.



The R departures from the House seem to nearly guarantee that the Dems will grow their 38-32 majority by at least one and maybe quite a bit more. And that takes us back to the secular political trend that is ready to take hold here.



With a legislature controlled by the Dems as well as the governorship, the legislative redistricting of 2021 might be called The Day of the Donkey. The possibilities include the southern congressional district becoming Democratic and the state House revamped to create even more Dem dominance.



Could anything stop the train that Gentry and others are jumping out of the way of? With Trump at the helm and the GOP locked down, the party is looking more defiant and ready to make a last stand and not change its ways. Reps. Gentry, Maestas Barnes and Roch know how that movie ends.



HIM TOO



Ellenberg NM Dem Party Chair Richard Ellenberg is the latest to fall to the #metoo movement after putting his foot in his mouth. Ellenberg cast doubt on sexual misconduct allegations made against prominent Democrat and union leader Jon Hendry who Ellenberg happens to own property with. That came after a sexual misconduct flap with a Dona Ana Dem county commissioner in which Ellenberg was accused of trying to get the commissioner's accuser to back off.



Well,



As Democrats, we stand with the silence-breakers who have come forward to share their stories of sexual harassment and abuse. Questioning the credibility of sexual misconduct allegations is contrary to our values, and it is time for new leadership that better reflects them.



Of note is that the woman involved in the Dona Ana County case is Neomi Martinez-Parra, the vice-chair of the Dem Party. She will now become chairman and perhaps seek the permanent chairmanship when the State Central Committee fills the post. Others may compete.



So what does it matter? The parties are shells of their former selves with the campaigns running the show with their big money. Dem analyst and operative Israel Chavez explains:



The party plays a key function in organizational structure that supports the candidates when they're not running.



Union chief Hendry was a key player in corralling cash for the state Dems but Chavez said the union money will still be there, no matter who heads the party. He adds:



The individuals come and go but having leaders that reflect Democratic values is essential.



Consultant Cornelius said he and many of his fellow R's thought the Ellenberg axing was an overreaction, saying he only defended Hendry, an old friend, and was not accused of misconduct himself.



Politics watcher Steve Cabiedes, without offering an opinion on Ellenberg getting the boot, opined:



We are living through a cultural shift. In the rush to change in some cases the punishment may fit the crime or may not. The hope is that in the long-term this period will end with fewer instances of sexual harassment.



FILING DAY NOTES



Hochman Republican John Jones, the husband of ABQ GOP congressional hopeful Janice Arnold-Jones, filed to run for the Nate Gentry House seat. He had been running for the BernCo Commission seat vacated by Wayne Johnson who was appointed state auditor. Natalie Figueroa is the Dem hopeful for the Gentry seat.



Can City Councilor Brad Winter keep the Maestas Barnes House seat in GOP hands? He'll try but he will have to overcome Dem attorney and political newcomer



This is the home of New Mexico politics.







Interested in reaching New Mexico's most informed audience? Advertise here.



( c)NM POLITICS WITH JOE MONAHAN 2018 Two high profile departures shook La Poltica Tuesday with one signifying a retreat in the fortunes of state Republicans and the other reinforcing a cultural trend that is impacting politics.The decision of House Minority Leader Nate Gentry to not seek re-election to his ABQ seat which was only revealed when he did not file his official paperwork with the Secretary of State as required Tuesday. (All filings here .)GOP consultant Bob Cornelius summed up the reaction in the political community:Huge because Gentry cashing out is the ultimate symbol of the retreat from power of state R's as a Democratic trend led by the President's unpopularity is setting in for the November election. It also signals yet again compelling demographic changes that are casting doubt on the long-term prospects of the GOP in a state where they now seem like the proverbial fish out of water.Gentry's far NE heights district is being gradually engulfed by a sea of blue. He only won re-election by four points in 2016 and the same Dem opponent filed Tuesday to run again. Gentry also faced the prospect of leading a diminished minority next year and likely facing a Dem Governor. And we won't get into the negative campaigning that was about to be unloaded on him.Gentry isn't the only R seeing the handwriting on the wall. ABQ GOP State Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes is not seeking re-election to her swing seat district and Rep. Dennis Roch of Tucumcari, a natural replacement for Gentry as minority leader, also took a pass on a re-election bid. (Look for Valencia County Rep. Kelly Fajardo to make a move to replace Gentry as minority leader).The Gentry departure will coincide with the end of Gov. Martinez's eight years at the helm. They both arrived in 2011 and both will leave at the end of the year. Gentry formed a deep alliance with her political consultant Jay McCleskey and they employed hardball tactics and took advantage of a redistricting designed with a GOP Governor in charge. That put the House in Republican hands for two years following the '14 election and Gentry sported the title of House Majority Leader before he turned 40. But later he broke away from McCleskey and now both are in the political wilderness.The Gentry departure is one of the last wheels to fall off the once mighty Martinez political machine. Not everyone thinks it had to be that way. Former Republican turned Democrat and former state legislator Greg Payne said the Machine got the demographics right by securing many Hispanic Republican for politics but:Cornelius shares that view, pointing to the state's economy as a chief reason:The R departures from the House seem to nearly guarantee that the Dems will grow their 38-32 majority by at least one and maybe quite a bit more.And that takes us back to the secular political trend that is ready to take hold here.With a legislature controlled by the Dems as well as the governorship, the legislative redistricting of 2021 might be called The Day of the Donkey. The possibilities include the southern congressional district becoming Democratic and the state House revamped to create even more Dem dominance.Could anything stop the train that Gentry and others are jumping out of the way of? With Trump at the helm and the GOP locked down, the party is looking more defiant and ready to make a last stand and not change its ways. Reps. Gentry, Maestas Barnes and Roch know how that movie ends.NM Dem Party Chair Richard Ellenberg is the latest to fall to the #metoo movement after putting his foot in his mouth. Ellenberg cast doubt on sexual misconduct allegations made against prominent Democrat and union leader Jon Hendry who Ellenberg happens to own property with. That came after a sexual misconduct flap with a Dona Ana Dem county commissioner in which Ellenberg was accused of trying to get the commissioner's accuser to back off.Well, he's gone . The state's Dem congressional reps and SOS Toulouse Oliver issued a joint statement as they placed Ellenberg in his political coffin:Of note is that the woman involved in the Dona Ana County case is Neomi Martinez-Parra, the vice-chair of the Dem Party. She will now become chairman and perhaps seek the permanent chairmanship when the State Central Committee fills the post. Others may compete.So what does it matter? The parties are shells of their former selves with the campaigns running the show with their big money. Dem analyst and operative Israel Chavez explains:Union chief Hendry was a key player in corralling cash for the state Dems but Chavez said the union money will still be there, no matter who heads the party. He adds:Consultant Cornelius said he and many of his fellow R's thought the Ellenberg axing was an overreaction, saying he only defended Hendry, an old friend, and was not accused of misconduct himself.Politics watcher Steve Cabiedes, without offering an opinion on Ellenberg getting the boot, opined:Republican John Jones, the husband of ABQ GOP congressional hopeful Janice Arnold-Jones, filed to run for the Nate Gentry House seat. He had been running for the BernCo Commission seat vacated by Wayne Johnson who was appointed state auditor. Natalie Figueroa is the Dem hopeful for the Gentry seat.Can City Councilor Brad Winter keep the Maestas Barnes House seat in GOP hands? He'll try but he will have to overcome Dem attorney and political newcomer Dayan Hochman . She specializes in aviation law. Winter's council district overlaps some with the portion of the House district in the NE Heights. If Winter wins does he have to leave the council to serve in the Legislature and would Mayor Keller get to name his replacement? The way we read the law he would.This is the home of New Mexico politics. E-mail your news and comments. (jmonahan@ix.netcom.com)
A.P. Moller-Maersk Groups container terminal operating arm will make new investments to help shippers with landside connections.



In order to optimize the global supply chain, APM Terminals (APMT) needs to focus not only on the needs of the big container carriers that berth their ships at its docks, but also the needs of the thousands of beneficial cargo owners, truckers and other companies that move cargo in and out of its facilities on the landside, according to Henrik Lundgaard Pedersen, the chief commercial officer of the A.P. Moller-Maersk subsidiary.

He noted that Maersk Group has said that it wants to become a global integrator of container logistics. Terminals are the bottleneck through which ocean cargo must pass to connect with inland carriers that will move their containers by truck, rail or river.

We are not overseeing the end-to-end. That is for the Maersk Group and our other customers, he said. But when containers go from water to land or land to water, that is a critical moment in their transport and that is where we are trying to integrate and optimize, he said.

Pedersen also explained during the TPM conference in Long Beach this month the steps that APMT is taking to improve the customer experience at its terminals. He noted there was a consistency to the frustrations being expressed by shippers and transportation companies about cargo taking too long to move through ports, lack of consistency, documentation problems and poor cargo visibility.

While APMT is continuing to invest in the quay side of its terminals  installing or modifying cranes so the company can work larger containerships, as well as adding yard equipment  it is also increasingly looking at the needs of its customers customers.

Dries van Dongen, APMTs global head of landside customers and inland services, said that while initially some shipping lines questioned why APMT should interact with their customers, that resistance has faded as they realize the need for collaboration between all members of the supply chain.

The shipping lines realize that in order for there to be a good customer experience it really makes sense that we engage with the BCOs, he said.

Pedersen was emphatic that these conversations would not be used to swing business from other liner companies to Maersk Line. While Maersk accounts for 40-45 percent of APMTs volume, the company is highly dependent on other carriers for its success.

From an economic point of view, if all our other companies left us, we would go bankrupt, he said. APMT is way too big to just serve Maersk Line. If we were to break that integrity with our other customers, they would walk away.

At the same time, Pedersen said the terminal industry is becoming more competitive. There is excess capacity because global container volume growth has slowed. Container shipping lines have merged and are getting pressured on their earnings.

As a result, he said the cost pressure they put on APMT is enormous.

Terminal companies can become more efficient by lowering costs, but he said APMT can also produce new services that people want to pay for.

Shippers want both reliability and flexibility from terminals, he said.

They want predictability, but when it suits their supply chain, whether they are buying or selling, they want us to be flexible, he said. For example, a manufacturer may have a need for a container to be expedited out of a terminal or, on the other hand, they may want a container held and stored.

He also said some shippers would like to deal with fewer companies and have fewer hand-offs of their goods as they are transported, presenting new opportunities for APMT.

While APMT is in the midst of completing the construction of a number of big terminals, Pedersen said the company is going to reduce its capital spending on new, greenfield projects, and instead focus on optimizing its existing facilities and how they interact with the hinterland. Those kind of projects will be less capital intensive than building new terminals from scratch.

The new terminals the company is in the process of completing include those in Moin, Costa Rica; Vado, Italy; and Tema, Ghana. It is also building a large transshipment hub to serve the Western Mediterranean activities of Maersk Line and the 2M Alliance partners  comprised of Maersk and MSC  in Tangier, Morocco.

As examples of the kind of services APMT may offer increasingly to beneficial cargo owners and others, he pointed to container weighing, container storage, faster gates, truck appointment systems and warehousing.

For example, in Buenaventura, Colombia Maersk has a container freight station at its terminal where it stuffs bags of sugar and coffee being exported into containers. Another warehouse is used for deconsolidation of products, such as air conditioners and televisions.

He noted that such warehouses do not have to be located at the port. He said APMT has 100 warehouses at inland locations in some 50 countries for customers.

For example, containers arriving at APMTs container terminal in Lazaro Cardenas in Mexico can be taken not only to a nearby APMT warehouse just outside the port, but also moved by rail to a warehouse that APMT has near Mexico City.

Locating warehouses at off-dock locations may be necessary because of the high cost of waterfront real estate in some countries  including the U.S.  or because APMT has been awarded a concession for developing only a limited parcel of land at a port.

Cold storage warehouses are another area of focus, he said, and one that fits nicely with the strategy of Maersk Line since.

In some cases, he said APMT collaborates with Damco, the logistics and forwarding arm of the Maersk Group, though he said Damco offers a wider range of warehousing services, such as pick and pack of product.

While APMT offers these services at some facilities, he said that over the next three to five years, the company wants to expand this across its network, which encompasses 74 port terminals in 58 countries.

The new focus will also require an adjustment in mindset, he said. He said customer service needs to be taken to a different level, and that APMT is broadening its expertise by hiring more employees with logistics and supply chain expertise, and not just port experience. He also said the company is developing better IT products.

APMT is beginning to roll out a container weighing service at its U.S. terminals to make it easier for shippers to comply with the verified gross mass (VGM) regulations promulgated by the International Maritime Organization.

Regulatory compliance we cant do anything about, but we can do something about providing the product or the service at a competitive rate in what we think is the right place  in the terminal, said Pedersen.

Van Dongen said that APMT already offers a VGM service in about 20 container terminals in other parts of the world.

We lift the containers from the chassis anyway, so we might as well do it, he said. Weve seen customers that have to go to a third party weigh scale, somewhere in the port even outside the port. Thats an extra step for them; it makes it more complicated, it makes for a handover.

The company is improving its IT systems and plans to announce in April improvements to its computer platform that will give customers more visibility to their shipments.

Asked if there might be a wave of consolidation by container terminals similar to what has been seen among container shipping lines, Pedersen said while mergers can reduce the cost of management and other expenditures, there are limited opportunities for terminals to consolidate in individual ports unless the terminals of the two companies happen to be adjoined.

For example, van Dongen said Maersk has two terminals in Rotterdam, but they are in different locations in the port.

APMT has four terminals in the U.S. after having ended operations in Tacoma last September. Those terminals are in Miami; Long Beach; Elizabeth, N.J.; and Mobile, Ala.

In Elizabeth, N.J. APMT is spending $200 million on improvements designed to boost its handling of the larger containerships now able to call the Port of New York and New Jersey, following the raising of the Bayonne Bridge. These improvements include strengthening its wharves, four new gantry cranes able to reach across 23 containers so they are able to serve larger ships, and a new gate complex that it plans to open next year.

Maersk is also increasing the height of its cranes at Pier 400 in Los Angeles.

Pedersen said the last six months have been some of the most successful periods APMT has had in winning new business. In 2017, it won 29 deals and lost eight deals. In addition, volumes were up 6.5 percent last year.

He said the company might be interested in investing in terminals that are being privatized, but that fewer such opportunities seem to be available. He also said APMT would be willing to sell underutilized terminals, but that he thinks they would attract few investors.

However, he said APMT is interested in monetizing its investments in its strongly performing terminals  including those in the U.S.  by selling minority interest while retaining operating and commercial control.
YEREVAN, MARCH 13, ARMENPRESS. The second day of Prime Minister Karen Karapetyans official visit to Lebanon started with working breakfast held with Armenian businessmen. Issues related to Armenias development prospects and challenges were discussed, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia.

The head of the Armenian government presented the current economic situation in Armenia and the positive trends in economic development. The Prime Minister stressed that one of Armenias key competitive assets is the strong Diaspora, our compatriots who regardless of their domicile are concerned about the future of their homeland.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan's next meeting was with the representatives of Lebanons Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Chamber of Manufacturers, Beirut Traders Association, World Association of Lebanese Businessmen, and the International Chamber of Commerce.

The Premier thanked the attendees for accepting his invitation to meet and noted that the meeting had the basic objective of presenting Armenias economic position, the advantages and opportunities available in our country, as well as to invite them to Armenia.

During these two days, we had intensive meetings with our Lebanese counterparts and recorded that the truly friendly ties between our millennia-old countries are at a very high political level but, unfortunately, the economic potential is not yet tapped in full. Therefore, we have decided and agreed to reboot our relations. We decided to activate the work of the intergovernmental commission and the business contacts, Karen Karapetyan said.

The Head of Government noted that today Armenia is undergoing exciting reforms in absolutely all spheres o public life: governance, customs, taxation, education, healthcare, exports, credit programs, subsidized loans, judiciary, bankruptcy, agricultural insurance, etc.

Karen Karapetyan expressed satisfaction with the macroeconomic indicators recorded in 2017. In 2017, we had the following macroeconomic indicators: the year was concluded with 7.5% economic growth. This is a much higher figure than what we had planned. This 7.5% economic growth is much higher than the regional average, the highest among the CIS countries, the highest in the Eurasian Economic Union and finally, the highest in the region as compared to our neighbors.

Industry grew 12.6%, trade turnover - 14%, services - 14.4%, tourism - 24%. We were able to state a record exports level for the last 25 years: exports increased by 25.2%, imports -27.8%, while the total external trade turnover rose by 26.9%.

The January figures show that the above growth trends will be continued. This January we stated a 10.2% growth in economic activity as compared with January, 2017, along with 13.9% growth in industry, 15.2% - in services, 17.3% - in domestic trade turnover, and 19.7% in construction. Exports increased by 45.2%, imports - 48.9%, foreign trade turnover - 47.6%.

If we compare January 2018 with January 2016, we can see that exports grew 197 percent, imports - 220 percent, foreign trade - 211 percent in just a couple of years. This was promoted by the reforms we have initiated and which will be continuous.

We are sure that at least over the next 4-5 years, we will have economic indices above the regional average and, why not, higher than the global benchmarks. Prime Minister Karapetyan noted that we will have comparable figures for exports and imports if we proceed from the pure consumption framework.

Coming to the opportunities for doing business and investing in Armenia, the Premier stated in part, Why one should come to Armenia: simply because economic growth is good? In which areas can you invest in Armenia? We are a unique country in the sense that we have been able to combine two seemingly incompatible economic platforms. I mean that while being a small country with 3 million population, we are a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and thereby enjoy privileged trade regimes with countries that have a population of 180 million altogether - Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan.

We have signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the European Union and benefit from a GSP+ trade regime. Lebanon has a GSP regime, but ours is a bit more privileged, and we have access to the 500-million-strong European market.

We have a GSP trade regime with the United States, Canada, Japan, Norway and Switzerland, and have signed double taxation agreements with many countries. We have set up a free economic zone near the border with Iran, which allows privileged entry into Iran with a population of 82.5 million. Thus, profitable business can be set up in Armenia on the way to a marketplace with more than 1 billion population.

Karen Karapetyan presented the spheres that can be interesting for foreign businessmen - agriculture, cattle breeding, jewelry, light industry, information technology, mining and infrastructure. The Prime Minister advised that the law on foreign direct investments is being finalized, the purpose of which is not to streamline the field, as it is already regulated and protected by means of different laws, but to combine all the applicable terms and conditions in a single document, which will serve as a compact guideline for Armenias potential partners.

Our National Assembly is going to approve the law on public-private partnership in the near future. We have major projects to implement in the PPP (public-private partnership) format that relate to infrastructures, road and reservoir construction. We have tangible growth in tourism and we feel that our country is underestimated as a tourist destination. Last year, we had 24% growth in visitors and more than 18% growth in tourism industry. We are confident that either this year we will have similar figures, the Head of Government pointed out.

The Prime Minister noticed that the Government is mindful of Armenias standing in international rating lists, including the Doing Business characteristics and business opportunities. Todays government has a firm belief in the philosophy that its main function is not to encumber business. We are confident that the State is not an effective manager in areas where there is business interest. And, on the basis of this, we give those areas to private management. Should you make up your mind - I would call it quite a logical decision - to come to Armenia and establish a business, you will find true partners in the person of the Government and the circles you may have to work with. We are confident that we will have a country where business is going to be very easy, profitable and logical.

Karen Karapetyans remarks were followed by an active exchange of opinions in a question-and-answer format. The Premier answered the participants questions which bore on investment opportunities in Armenia, Armenia-Lebanon economic ties, the economic agenda of Prime Minister Karapetyans Lebanon visit.

In conclusion, the Prime Minister got acquainted with the Armenian products presented at the Armenian Corner.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump has appointed State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the White House said.

Steve Goldstein, the former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, was fired shortly after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was dismissed.

Goldstein had made statements contradicting the official stance of the White House.

Heather Nauert serves as State Department spokesperson since April 24, 2017.

She is a former co-host of Fox & Friends and Fox & Friends First, and was previously a correspondent for ABC News.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The structure of armament purchase by Armenia and Azerbaijan derives from the goals pursued by countries: therefore, Armenia gives more preference to weapons designed for defensive and punitive attacks, whereas Azerbaijans preference is clear  everything that is needed for conducting an offensive operation, Ruben Mehrabyan  expert at the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs (AIISA), told Armenpress.

He said Azerbaijans demand for weapons is mostly met at the expense of arms supplies by Armenias strategic ally Russia.

Surface analysis shows what goals these purchases pursue, they force to make conclusions and develop respective countermeasures. I think that its just the imperative of the day that Armenia diversifies its defense and security policy, as well as the foreign policy, the expert noted.

According to him, by intensifying these directions Armenia must reach the point that the political price of unleashing a war must become unacceptable for Azerbaijan. The expert stated that this is first of all the function of the foreign policy.

At the same time Ruben Mehrabyan noted that Armenia should not forget about the Armys modernization so that there is no place of temptation for Azerbaijan. Actions must be taken so that they even cannot imagine that they can achieve success even if they are ready to pay that high and unacceptable political price and unleash a war, he said.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on March 12 released a new report on international arms transfers. According to the report, Armenia is ranked 54th in terms of the arms import volumes. Over the past two years Armenia imported weapons worth 124 million USD mostly from Russia. Azerbaijan imported weapons worth 551 million USD in the past two years and is ranked 27th. It mainly imported weapons from Russia and Israel.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with UK Prime Minister Theresa May to discuss the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, the former Russian intelligence officer, the White House said.

Trump and May concurred that Russia should give answers as to how a Russian-made chemical weapon has been used in the UK.

The White House said that Trump and May agreed that people who used the deplorable measures and violated international laws should be held accountable.

On 4 March 2018, Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence officer, and his daughter Yulia, visiting him from Moscow, were poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent in Salisbury, England. As of 13 March 2018, they remain critically ill at Salisbury District Hospital. The poisoning is being investigated by British authorities as attempted murder.

The United Kingdom believes it is "highly likely" that the Russian government was behind the attack. Russia denies any involvement.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenias minister of foreign affairs Edward Nalbandian, who is currently in Sweden on an official visit, had a meeting on March 13 with Speaker of Parliament (Riksdag) Urban Ahlin and members of the foreign relations committee in Stockholm, the ministry said.

During the meeting the Armenian FM mentioned that Armenia attaches importance to parliamentary diplomacy as a practical format of cooperation between countries, and from this perspective the active partnership of the parliaments of both countries deserves praise.

The sides praised the activities of the friendship groups in Armenias and Swedens parliaments, as well as the collegial ties between the foreign relations committees and regular mutual visits.

The expansion of bilateral legal-contractual field was highlighted at the meeting.

The FM presented the process of Armenias transitioning to a parliamentary administration system.

The sides exchanged ideas over deepening cooperation in parliamentary assemblies of international organizations.

The Armenia-EU relations were also discussed, and the Armenia-EU CEPA deal was highlighted.

International and regional issues were also discussed.

The Armenian minister briefed the Speaker on the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for the peaceful settlement of the NK conflict.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Bright, colorful, with broad opportunities for active leisure, warm reception for tourists: this is how one can describe the trip in Egypt.

Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the well-known resort towns of Egypt, hosted Armenian journalists. The visit to Sharm el-Sheikh, which was organized by AIR CAIRO airlines and its official representation in Armenia ANRIVA TOUR, was full of events.

From the very first day there were wide opportunities to discover the interesting sides of the seaside resort. First of all, less time was needed to understand that organizing a vacation here is quite safe. A specific focus should be paid on the attitude of the local people, the service staff. It can be stated for sure that here there is a special culture of working with tourists. The people know how to attract tourists and how to behave so that the latter will leave the country impressed and satisfied.

Photos by Tatev Duryan

The team of journalists was accompanied by a tour guide Ahmed Abbas who spared no efforts to present the best sides of Egypt. The histories of the Egyptian culture, family traditions helped to better understand their lifestyle. Ahmed assured that for them its a pleasure to work with Armenians, the local Arabs show a specific attitude to Armenians. The representatives stated that in the recent period the number of Armenians visiting Egypt increases. This in its turn contributes to increase in flights to Sharm el-Sheikh.

During the trip the journalists stayed in several hotels, got acquainted with the services provided and the existing opportunities. Its worth mentioning that journalists were receiving a special reception at each hotel.

In Egypt eastern luxury was obvious everywhere. The visitors were impressed with the luxury pools and beaches. Most of the hotels have the so-called animation group which every day organizes different games, shows, competitions aimed at making the trip more interesting.

During the trip the tourists visited the beautiful sites of Sharm el-Sheikh, such as the mosque and the Coptic Orthodox Church.

There was an opportunity for Safari Tour and diving, tour via Fantazia Cruise, as well as a number of other interesting events.

Speaking about Egypt, one cannot ignore its market. Usually most of the hotels have stores, trade centers, but if one wants to feel and enjoy the real market of the East, he/she must definitely visit the Old City market of Sharm el-Sheikh. The traders have taken all possible measures to attract tourists. Live music, fire tricks, warm attitude, smiles: all these contributed to the trade to be more interesting.

The Old City market impressed with its diversity and colorful pavilions. Here you can find everything reminding the East, such as leather bags, colorful scarves, souvenirs, statuettes with pharaoh images, eastern sweets, hookahs and etc.

Egypt can be identified with a Egyptian woman  cold, mysterious, perhaps, dangerous at first glance, but when you enter their home, they immediately open their doors to you. The powerful history of millennium is behind the Hijab and in order to discover its mysteries one must visit Egypt and see the miracles of the East in his/her own eyesIn short, its impossible to get bored in Egypt.

Sona Sargsyan-Tatev Duryan

Yerevan-Sharm el-Sheikh-Yerevan

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Electronic cigarettes, which many smokers consider an alternative or a quitting method, is also hazardous and carries significant health risks, including risks of causing cancer and other diseases.

Alexander Bazarchyan, director of the Avdalbekyan National Healthcare Institute, told ARMENPRESS that international research has proven the dangers of smoking electronic cigarettes.

Sales of e-cigarettes are banned in Denmark, Israel and several other countries, he said.

Back in 2010 the US food and medicine safety department issued a report saying that e-cigarettes are as harmful as ordinary cigarettes, although e-cigarette manufacturers continue to claim that their production is safe.

Tests of 19 types of e-cigarettes showed that they contain toxic elements, namely nitrosamine, which causes cancer.

Experience shows that many smokers who have given up tobacco and began using e-cigarettes, quickly begin smoking [tobacco] again, Bazarchyan said.

E-cigarettes are available in various stores and are sold freely.

Scientists from Netherlands also express concern, mentioning that young people are easily attracted to e-cigarettes because of their design.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The Los Angeles Central Library will host two simultaneous art exhibits that explore the concept of generational trauma associated with the Armenian Genocide, Los Angeles Times reports.

The main exhibit, "Nonlinear Histories," is co-curated by Ara and Anahid Oshagan as well as Isin Onol and features the works of seven artists who examine their generational ties to the Armenian Genocide by reimagining inherited artifacts.

The exhibition will run from March 17 through May 6.

The collections are inspired by the theory of "postmemory" by literature scholar and author Marianne Hirsch, which refers primarily to how the children of Holocaust survivors cope with inherited trauma.

The second exhibit, "Prosperity, Loss, and Survival: A Photographic Journey from the Dildilian Family Archive," opens March 24 and is co-curated by Armen Marsoobian. It is an organized family archive of memoirs and photographs, which were created before and survived through the Armenian Genocide.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. South Korea and North Korea are preparing for the inter-Korean summit due in April, a South Korean governmental official told media in Seoul.

Active preparation work will begin when the committee dealing with the summit will be finally formed in the end of this week.

The first session of the committee is planned for March 16.

The 2018 inter-Korean summit is planned to be in late April 2018, on the South Korean side of Joint Security Area between President Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea (ROK; South Korea) and Kim Jong-Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK; North Korea). If it goes ahead, it will be the third inter-Korean summit and the first in eleven years.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Google said on Wednesday it will ban advertisements for cryptocurrencies and related content starting in June, Reuters reports.

Under the new policy, the company will ban ads for unregulated or speculative financial products like binary options, cryptocurrency and financial spread betting among others.

"Improving the ads experience across the web, whether that's removing harmful ads or intrusive ads, will continue to be a top priority for us," Scott Spencer, director of sustainable ads, said.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armen Sarkissian, who has been elected 4th President of Armenia by the Parliament on March 2, visited AGBUs Central Office in New York on March 12 where he had a meeting with young professionals of the Armenian community, Armenpress reports citing the AGBU website.

Armen Sarkissian said after 26 years of war, financial setbacks and social hardships Armenia is ready to achieve the dream of having a small republic but a global nation.

Talking about the Diasporas engagement in the ongoing processes in Armenia, Sarkissian stated: You have to keep a passport in your soul and believe you are a citizen of the country. You have to believe that you are Armenian and Armenia has to believe that you are Armenian. Armenia has to be your homeland and it has to take care of you.

He attached importance to the victory achieved in the Artsakh war, stating that hundreds of years later Armenians showed that they can be victorious.

The President-elect said Armenia is a unique country as it cooperates both with the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union. We are the only country that has good relations with both the European Union and Eurasia. Its a fantastic opportunityif we are smart we will use it, he said, noting that Armenia has to have friends everywhere.

He highlighted the need to fight against corruption in different sectors of Armenia, stating that it is not only a matter of governance and passing laws but also developing responsible citizens. That is the way forward and the president is the one to use his office to lead the way. A president must lead by example as a good citizen, he stated.

Armen Sarkissian will take office on April 9 at a special session of the Parliament.
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. With the support of the Development Foundation of Armenia (DFA), 8 Armenian enterprises are participating in Mosshoes 2018 specialized in shoes and leather accessories exhibition in Moscow from March 13-16, among more than 1000 brands of the world, the DFA told Armenpress.

This year Mosshoes international exhibition already the 75th time united producers from 30 countries of the world, the visit of more than 15 000 middle and large buyers, distributors is expected. Armenian companies present natural and substitute leather shoes, bags, accessories and other products to international buyers in a joint pavilion.

As a result of last years Mosshoes expos in Spring and Autumn 18 Armenian companies signed export contracts of about 682 million AMD.

Mosshoes is one of the largest leather goods exhibition of Russia and Eastern Europe. For 4 days Armenian producers have an opportunity to introduce, negotiate with dozens of distributers, to sign contracts, establish business ties, follow international trends, and practice them in further production and in order to increase export volumes, DFA International cooperation team leader Narek Aleksanyan said.

This year Simona, Babinni, K&K shoes, LKR, Luna, Elma, Kristi and Bebetta brands are presented in the exhibition.

The DFA supported Armenian companies participation in the international expo in the framework of the export promotion policy of Armenia.
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Konstantin Kosachev  Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly, says Russia will not continue supplying weapons to Azerbaijan with the same scale it did before the 2016 April war, reports Armenpress.

At a meeting with reporters in the Armenian Parliament, Konstantin Kosachev said Russia implements the contracts that were signed with Azerbaijan before April 2016.

We are obliged to do that in accordance with these contracts. But as far as I know it will not be with the scales that existed as of April 2016. Undoubtedly, we react to the situation which took place in April 2016, the Russian official said.

Commenting on the fact that the Russian President during his visit to China said the US supply of weapons to Ukraine, as a conflicting country, is unacceptable, but at the same time Russia supplies weapons to Azerbaijan, Konstantin Kosachev said: Vladimir Putin talked about the countries where the conflict is at the hot stage, where shots are really fired, and in Ukraine shots are really fired. Fortunately, there is no such situation in Nagorno Karabakh at the moment.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan visited Armenian spiritual and educational-cultural structures of Beirut on March 13 on the second day of his official visit to Lebanon.

The PM visited the Haigazian University and met with the students and academic staff.

President of Haigazian University Paul Haidostian briefed the Armenian PM on the activities and educational programs of the facility.

The Prime Minister also viewed the exhibits of painter Raffi Yedalyan and signed the Honorary Guest Book of the University.

It is very impressive to see such an educational center, both Armenian, international and tolerant towards other cultures, here in the center of Beirut. This is extremely important and exciting. I would like to thank you for your work, and I want you to never get tired, because there is no job more grateful than educating. We have your greatest need and we are grateful for your dedicated work towards preservation of Armenian identity, PM Karapetyan said.

We are very grateful to Lebanon for the attitude it displays for the Armenian community. We are thankful for the recognition and condemnation of the [Armenian] Genocide and for the hospitality and assistance for our countrymen during the years of the Genocide, the PM said, stressing that despite the high level political and friendly relations the economic ties arent as advanced.

I am sure that weve caused certain interest among the Lebanese business environment, banking system, and we will receive feedback soon, the PM added, mentioning that theyve presented the opportunities of Armenia to their Lebanese counterparts.

The PM later visited one of the most significant cultural and spiritual Diaspora centers  Bzoummar (Zmmar). The PM met with clergy from the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate and Monastery of Zmmar and highlighted the activities of the structure in preservation of cultural heritage and national identity.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. On the sidelines of the official visit to Lebanon, Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan had a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community on March 13.

The meeting was held in the Embassy of Armenia in Beirut.

In his remarks the Prime Minister presented to the Armenian community representatives the agenda of his visit.

Weve expressed our gratitude and weve recorded that we have really friendly and very good relations which have long history, that our political contacts of the past 25 years  during the years of independence of Armenia- are on a very high level. At the same time we recorded that the economic component of our relations are extremely far from the existing potential. During all meetings weve specially mentioned the great role, the crucial role of our countrymen, our community, our brothers and sisters, which really forms the current Armenian-Lebanese relations, the PM said.

The PM said theyve presented the programs which enable to involve the business community in Armenia.

Weve talked about the programs which are currently underway. We have launched reforms in literally all sectors, he said, mentioning the ongoing reforms in Armenia in the tax, customs, anti corruption, educational, healthcare, IT and other sectors. Karapetyan also mentioned Armenias membership to the EEU and the recently signed CEPA with the European Union. With our foreign policy we have provided a very interesting platform in Armenia, where we were able to combine perhaps the incompatible.

In terms of Armenias business appeal, Karapetyan also noted the countrys privileged trade regimes with the US, Canada, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the good relations with Iran.

The Armenian PM also noted the 7,5% economic growth of Armenia in 2017  the highest growth in the region, as well as other economic indicators, including exports and imports growth and macroeconomic results.

I am more than convinced that we have great potential in the person of you, our countrymen, he said. But for the record we have to say that we are using this potential not as much as we can.

I would like to address you with the following offer  Be sure that we are going to have a reasonable, developing and just country. Each of you can have his share in building of this country. Pay attention towards Armenia, create a corner for yourself, a harbor, something which will give trust to you. We will be very happy to see all of you in Armenia and I also want to convey our inner assurance and decisiveness, that step by step we will move towards a truly best country for Armenians, he said.

The transcript of the PM's speech is available in Armenian.

English translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received the delegation of ANAS Italian company led by Director Gianni Vittorio Armani, the government told Armenpress.

During the meeting issues relating to the possibilities of the companys involvement in the North-South highway construction program were discussed. Gianni Vittorio Armani said they are interested in participating in the construction and operation project of Sisian-Kajaran part within the frames of public-private sector partnership.

The Armenian PM welcomed the Italian companys initiative and said the government attaches importance to the implementation of this important infrastructure project and is ready to cooperate with the company. He proposed to discuss in-detail the future cooperation steps with the ministry of transport, communication and information technologies and present the results to the governments staff.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Russian Red Wings Airlines received a permission from Armenias General Department of Civil Aviation to operate Moscow-Yerevan-Moscow (Domodedovo Airport) regular flights, the General Department of Civil Aviation told Armenpress.

The flights will launch on March 18 and will operate four times a week until April 2.But starting from April 3 the flights will be carried out seven times a week.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe sent a congratulatory letter to Armen Sarkissian on being elected President of Armenia, the President-elects Office told Armenpress.

The letter says:

On behalf of the Japanese people and government I congratulate you on being elected President of the Republic of Armenia.

Armenia plays a key role for peace and stability in the Caucasus region, and your countrys stable development is of vital importance. Armenia is a reliable partner for Japan and is committed to fundamental values such as freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law. I am happy that our countries closely cooperate at bilateral and international arenas.

PM Shinzo Abe highlighted the great potential of the Armenian-Japanese mutual partnership and expressed hope that the bilateral ties will further deepen and strengthen in the future.

Bulgarias President Rumen Radev also congratulated Armen Sarkissian.

English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on March 14 received Konstantin Kosachev, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly who arrived in Yerevan on the occasion of holding the Committees joint sessions with the Armenian parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guest the President said he is happy to again meet with Mr. Kosachev several weeks after the meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference and exchanging views on relevant international security issues and to discuss the issues of the Armenian-Russian allied relations agenda in Yerevan. According to President Sargsyan, the Armenian-Russian relations are distinguished by high level of active dialogue and productive cooperation in all spheres, economic, military, military-technical and humanitarian.

Serzh Sargsyan said constant and consistent strengthening of strategic relations with Russia is among Armenias foreign policy priorities and added that Armenia wants to establish a constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation with all integration units that play a key role in the region. In this regard he thanked Konstantin Kosachev for his objective position expressed on Armenias foreign policy at different platforms.

As for the development and strengthening of the Armenian-Russian bilateral relations, the President attached a great role to the inter-parliamentary ties and expressed confidence that the joint sessions of the parliamentary committees of the two countries were held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, and the adopted decisions will positively affect the inter-state relations.



In this turn Konstantin Kosachev thanked the President for the reception and stated that his countrys top leadership and parliamentarians share the same desire  that is to maintain and develop maximally active, regular, open and comprehensive contacts with the Armenian partners.

The Russian official introduced President Sargsyan on the issues discussed and decisions adopted at the joint sessions of the parliamentarians in Yerevan which aim at further intensifying the cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries and the Armenian-Russian relations. He assured that they are trying with their Armenian colleagues at the parliamentary level to fully utilize the partnering and friendly potential the Presidents of Russia and Armenia invest in bilateral relations.



English translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian met with Foreign Minister of Denmark Anders Samuelsen in Copenhagen on March 14, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia.

Greeting Edward Nalbandian, Anders Samuelsen hoped that the visit will give new impetus to Armenian-Danish relations. Thanking for the invitation and reception, Minister Nalbandian noted that his meetings in Copenhagen give a good opportunity to discuss steps to further strengthen and deepen relations between Armenia and Denmark and joint projects of bilateral interest.

The Armenian and Danish FMs discussed issues referring to the activation of bilateral political dialogue and trade and economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in international organizations. The sides highlighted the importance of mutual high level visits.

Edward Nalbandian noted with pleasure that 3 agreements are planned to be signed in the sidelines of his visit.

During the meeting the FMs referred to Armenia-EU relations, and the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia presented to his partner the joint efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries aimed at exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The sides also exchanged ideas on a number of pressing regional and international issues.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Edward signed visa facilitation agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Kingdom of Denmark.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. A signing ceremony between Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organization (Aleppo-NGO) and the Embassy of Japan in Armenia took place on March 14 on the premises of the Aleppo Cuisine Center. The ceremony officially inaugurated a grant of $40,635 US dollars from the Embassy of Japan to Aleppo-NGO, allocated to cover the costs of construction work of Aleppo Cuisine Centers facility, ARMENPRESS was informed from ALEPPO Compatriotic Charitable Organization.

The cuisine center is an employment-based social enterprise geared towards the economic integration of Syrian refugees in Armenia. After months of preparation, the center will open its doors around April 30, 2018 and begin serving delicious Middle Eastern dishes at its on-site dining facility. In addition, the center will offer catering and delivery services, and produce a wide array of frozen foods for distribution to grocery stores and restaurants across Armenia. The centers employment program specifically focuses on supporting women, persons with developmental disabilities and other vulnerable Syrian community members.

The honorable guests of the opening ceremony included Eiji Taguchi, the Ambassador of Japan to Armenia, Ruzanna Zakaryan, representative of Yerevan Municipality, Christoph Bierwirth, Representative of UNHCR in Armenia, Lusine Stepanyan of Armenian Caritas, Karine Simonyan and Martin Hiebsch of Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and correspondents of different media outlets. The ceremony commenced with the opening remarks of Mrs. Tsovik Paytaryan, Vice-President of Aleppo-NGO, who welcomed the guests to Aleppo Cuisine center and expressed her gratitude towards Eiji Taguchi and the Embassy of Japan in Armenia for their assistance in construction work of the premises. On behalf of Syrian refugees in Armenia and Aleppo-NGO, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the people of Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, Ambassador Taguchi and the entire staff of the Embassy of Japan in Armenia for their generous support for the creation of Aleppo Cuisine, said Sarkis Balkhian, executive director of Aleppo-NGO.

I hope Armenia can one day reach Japans high levels of economic, technological and, most importantly, human development standards and emulate Japans Grassroots Human Security Project grant program by supporting other nations in need. Following Mr. Balkhians address, Ambassador Taguchi expressed his excitement to cooperate with Aleppo-NGO within the framework of Aleppo Cuisine. On behalf of the Japanese Government I am glad to be here at the signing ceremony of Aleppo Cuisine Center. I am very pleased that we can contribute to the improvement of the lives of refugees in Armenia in cooperation with GIZ and other stakeholders, and follow UNHCRs recommendation. It is important to note that the Japanese government also supports Syrian refugees in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. But our support for Aleppo Cuisines unique business model will be a new experience for us. I hope this project is successfully implemented. In celebrating this occasion, Balkhian gave a brief introduction to Aleppo Cuisine center and highlighted its unique approach towards easing the financial burden of Syrian refugees in Armenia.

The projects innovations include its focus on women and individuals with developmental disabilities, its commitment to offering flexible working hours to refugees with family obligations, and its re-investment of 100% of profits into humanitarian relief programs and new job-creation for vulnerable populations. The center hopes to employ 70-90 Syrian refugees within the first 5 years of operation and aims to alleviate growing and acute poverty amongst Syrian households by providing secure employment with strong wage-earning potential, paired with skill acquisition and advanced training to strengthen upward mobility. Mr. Balkhian closed by acknowledging and thanking the partners and supporters of Aleppo-NGO who have thus far contributed to the establishment of Aleppo Cuisine center. The purchase of Cuisines real estate property was made possible by the Parish Council of St. Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church in Houston, Texas, and in large part, thanks to its then-Chairman Mr. Vreij Kolandjian, as well as generous donations from Dr. Robert and Mrs. Nyree Osterbauer-Tanielian and other anonymous donors. The German Development Agency (GIZ) has allocated high-quality kitchen equipment and supplies for the Aleppo Cuisine in addition to technical training for the centers future staff.

Since 2013, Aleppo-NGO has served to protect, support, and empower more than 6,100 Syrian refugees in Armenia; develop and implement sustainable programs such as Aleppo Cuisine to contribute to their settlement and integration; and ensure the protection of refugees in the social, cultural, economic, and educational spheres.

The Aleppo Cuisine Center aims to support the self-realization of the war affected Syrians refugees with disabilities in the civic life in Armenia. The center will allocate 100% of its net profit towards the provision of humanitarian assistance and the creation of further employment opportunities for Syrians refugees and other vulnerable populations in Armenia.

English translator/editor: Tigran Sirekanyan
Meika Hollender grew up in a home where the health effects of everyday retail products like toilet paper and dishwashing soap were always a topic of concern. Her father Jeffrey Hollender co-founded Seventh Generation, one of the countrys largest makers of natural, environmentally sustainable household products.

When Meika started her own business, in partnership with her father, four years ago, she followed a similar philosophybut her company doesnt make facial tissues or paper towels.

The 30-year-old Hollenders company, Sustain Natural, is devoted to sexual wellness, manufacturing and selling non-toxic, body-safe condoms, lube and feminine hygiene goods.

Now Hollender has authored a book, published today, on the subject of womens sexual health, Get On TopOf Your Pleasure, Sexuality, & Wellness: A Vagina Revolution. The books publicity materials describe it as A smart, actionable guide to help women take control of their sexual health and learn about vital information in a pro-pleasure, safety-first, and sex-positive way.

Model Christy Turlington Burns called the book, sex ed for the #GirlBoss generation, and New York Planned Parenthood CEO Laura McQuade said, We cant get enough of the sex-positive, normalizing way she writes about sex and sexual health.

"I never thought it was weird or taboo to talk about sex or ask my parents, my doctor, or my partner something. Thats how I was raised, Hollender told the site Well And Good. Then, when I started a condom company as a 26-year-old female, I learned very quickly the harsh reality of how people interpret that.

She said that her book is a response to that harsh reality.

When you start reading and learning about your body, its fascinating and empowering, she told the site. I hope it only comes with more pleasurable, consensual, healthy decisions around sex.

The site GirlBoss published an excerpt from the book on Tuesday, in which Hollender and co-author Alexandra Zissu explain, Why masturbation is the most excellent form of self-care.

"There has never been a better time to masturbate. Theres so much focus on and awareness about pleasure and orgasm right now, and to say were excited about it is the understatement of the century, they write in the book.

Theres bona fide scientific data to back up that it relieves stress, among other fab benefits. And all that with zero health risk! Hollender and Zissu continue. Its kind of like a wonder wellness boost you should add to your life as much as you want to. Its certainly more enjoyable and relaxing than green juice!

Sustain Natural sells Fair Trade condoms as well as water-based lube and even 100% cotton post-play wipes for women, Forbes Magazine reported, adding that the company received an initial round of financing to the tune of $2.5 million in 2016.
PALM BEACH, Fla.A South Florida-based company is making it easier to clean up post messy sex with their after-sex wipes.

The brainchild of a former professional fighter, Aftercourse Wipes use a combination of tea tree oila natural astringent and antibacterial agent that is also known for its antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-fungal propertiesand aloe vera and vitamin E to nourish skin, while also helping to gently but effectively clean it.

When you are a fighter, one of the biggest issues is skin infections, explained Michael Hyman, Aftercourse Wipes president and CEO. Tea tree oil is great for that, but the key is to get the right combination of tea tree oil so there is no burning, and combine it with the aloe and vitamin E for the best results.

Aftercourse entered the adult market a little more than a year ago, but has already found a solid fanbase: the company has sold more than 250,000 wipes in its first year, Hyman said.

The wipes are designed to clean as well as soothe sensitive skin, and they are safe for use by men and women, since they are pH-friendly. They are also better than a traditional baby wipe since they utilize essential oilsincluding tea tree and lemongrassnot found in baby wipes, the company claims. The use of glyercin in the wipes also helps, since the ingredientwhich is commonly used in antibacterial soapshelps to remove particles and scents from the skin.

Aftercourse Wipes are sold in foil packs of two separate wipes (one for each partner) for $2.99, in foil packs of 10 for $24.99, in large packs of 69 wipes for $29.99 or in a Sex Party collection of five large packs and 20 individuals for $99.99.

For more information, visit AftercourseWipes.com.
LAS VEGASUnder new ownership and in a new host hotel, the International Lingerie Show made its return this week after a year-long hiatus, and focused this time mainly on the lingerie sector of the industry.

In the convention area of the Westgate Las Vegas Hotel, more than 50 exhibitors showcased everything from womens swimsuits and lingerie to club and dance wear to mens underwear and even wigs and anal plugs with furry animal tails.

The new ILS kicked off Monday and continues through Wednesday.

Row after row of booths featured sequined teddies, leather corsets, plus-sized lingerie fashions, bridal wear, Halloween costumes and more. The Chisel Point booth featured dresses, corsets, bra and panty sets, jumpsuits and hoods and floggers made from soft leather. The creations are manufactured in Mexico, explained owner Ali Ashgar Abbas, and feature sheepskin leather.

Also featuring products on the naughty side was A Touch of Fur. The booth had tables lined with silicone and metal anal plugs, some of which are adorned with dyed fox tails and rabbit tails. Many of the tails are removable for cleaning, as they simply screw onto the base (which also means they wont fall off while being worn).

It makes it easy to change plug sizes too, said owner Matthew Serbos. If you want a small plug, screw on a small plug. If you want larger, screw that one on.

A Touch of Fur is working to make all tails on its plugs removable, Serbos added. The company also stocks plugs that have clip-on tails, or plugs with jewels in the base.

Justin Sayne Leather showcased one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted leather goods, including floggers, chokers and more, while Funk Plus Inc.s booth featured leather pasties, broker caps, collars and the like.

More traditional lingerie fashions were found in booths like Daisy Corsets, Dynashape Intima, Eurotique and Forplay Inc. Also exhibiting was Envy by Alexis, an independent online boutique specializing in tankinis and one-piece swimsuits.

Buyers looking for club wear, dance wear and rave wear were not disappointed in the collections in the booths of Body Language Fashions, Hot Girl, Je Taime Corp., Just To Flirt Inc. and others.

Buyers in search of plus-size fashions found contemporary designs at the Curvy Kate Booth. Manufactured in England, the line features bra-and-panty sets, swimsuits, tankinis and more with backs ranging from 28 to 44 inches and cup sizes up to K.

That means we have everything from D to K, explained company sales rep Jennie. DD, E, F  all of them.

The fabrics are soft and feature colors and patterns, which appeals to bustier women looking for something besides black, white or tan, she added. The company also carries lines of stretchy lace camisoles and boy shorts from Mad & Mac out of Texas, as well as Charnos and Lepel London, Jennie said.

Buyers looking to cater to male customers were not left out by exhibitors at ILS. The Andrew Christian booth had on display custom woven mens underwear creations in street, sport, fashion and basic collections, and a number of styles ranging from low cut to boxer briefs and more. The Kingston Collective for Men was also in attendance. The company is a distributor for several underwear and swim brands from around the world, including 2Eros, Manstore, Olaf Benz and Tribe. Male Power shared a booth with sister company Magic Silk, highlighting its newest collections, including a novelty underwear collection and the Camo Sport Net range.

Malebasics Corp. owner Paul Valencia noted his booth had a new range of faux leather dance wear for men.

Its so new, we dont even have a name for it yet, he said with a chuckle.

The range comes in sizes S/M and L/XL, while most of the companys other pieces range in sizes from small to extra-large.

We plan on launching a Big and Tall collection later this year, Valencia said.

Rounderbum displayed its line created to make the male body look natural and contoured. The range is offered in basic and fashion colors and styles.

The Yocisco booth caught buyers attentions with its range of mens undergarments made from bamboo.

The soft fabric helps to wick away moisture and keep skin cool and dry, said company rep Branden Lark. And the fabric gets softer each time its worn and washed.

The styles range from low-cut to boxer briefs, and come in sizes small to 2X and feature fun deigns in bright or pastel colors.

In addition to the exhibit floor, ILS featured complimentary breakfasts and lunches during the show, as well as an opening night Meet and Greet event.

For more, visit ILSShow.com.
LAS VEGASA new lubricant manufacturer, JACK, is looking to make a name for itself with the debut of its first products, Knob Polish.

Knob Polish is a CBD-infused, water-based personal lubricant. Its the first in a planned line of CBD topicals from JACK.

CBD oil is derived from cannabis plants, but is not psychoactive. It has been found to have health benefits, particularly helping with inflammation and pain. Its use in adult products such as Knob Polish is meant to help increase blood flow.

Knob Polish is not designed to help increase your size, or make orgasms bigger, explained Krista Whitley of JACK.

JACK was created earlier this year by a top team of cannabis professionals who decided that highjacking could be a thing, according to the companys website.

You could buy boring lubricant at your closest c-store, but youre JACK. JACK doesnt want boring lube, JACK wants the most out of this life, the site adds. This water-based personal lubricant lasts and is infused with precise doses of cannabidiol (CBD). CBD is a non-psychoactive compound found in cannabis and hemp. This amazing cannabinoid has medical benefits that help you relax while reducing inflammation. Our product is made from full spectrum CBD isolate extracted from industrial hemp. This fully legal product is available to ship nationwide.

The water-based formula for Knob Polish contains no spermicides, so its safe for use with latex and silicone toys and condoms.

JACK is an affordable, hipster chic brand for gentlemen. Offering premium and irreverent CBD topicals at an affordable price point, JACK is poised for expansion to a full line of manly products.

Knob Polish comes in 2-ounce and 6-ounce tubes that retail for $10 and $20 respectively.

For more, visit ProductsByJack.com.
Use of solvent-extracted sunflower oil and fat-reduced cocoa powder means a product cannot be marketed as 100% natural, the advertising watchdog has ruled.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint that a poster describing a Go Ahead Goodness bar as Crammed With 100% Natural Ingredients was misleading and could not be substantiated.

United Biscuits had argued that guidance published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in 2008 on the use of certain marketing terms meant that, providing ingredients were not chemically altered or produced using new technologies, ingredients could be classified as natural.

The manufacturer added that Go Ahead Goodness bars were made in a traditional manner, with ingredients typical of those found in consumers store cupboards.

United Biscuits said, although sunflower oil and fat-reduced cocoa powder did undergo some processing, these processes were not new technologies and involved making the edible elements of the plants suitable for human consumption.

Upholding the complaint that the poster was misleading and could not be substantiated, the ASA said it had looked at the FSAs criteria for the use of the terms fresh, pure, natural etc.

The watchdog said the refining processes to extract sunflower oil from sunflower seeds generally involved the use of solvents, and that the FSA guidance stated that processes such as  solvent extraction  are not in line with current consumer expectations of natural, and so if used then products should not be referred to as natural food or ingredients.

It also found that the process used to create fat-reduced cocoa powder involved the addition of potassium carbonate solution (an alkaline solution), and that the FSA guidance stated that acid or alkali treatment was not in line with consumer expectations of natural.

For those reasons, we considered that neither sunflower oil nor fat-reduced cocoa powder would be understood by consumers to be natural ingredients. We therefore concluded that the ad was misleading, said the ASA.
Each February, the State Treasurer's Debt Affordability Advisory Committee preempts the hopefulness of Groundhog Day with the publication of the annual Debt Affordability Study, the committee's reminder that state government resources are limited. The committee details how much debt state government has, whether it was approved by taxpayers, how it will be paid, how much it costs to pay the principal and interest, and how much more debt state government can afford for general purposes and transportation. This year's report adds details on the competing challenges even among prudent uses of state revenue.General Fund debt service is targeted at 4 percent or less; transportation debt can take up to 6 percent of combined Highway Fund and Highway Trust Fund revenue.committee has advocated raising the target for payments on state debt from 4 percent of General Fund revenue to 4.5 percent, still below the statutory cap of 4.75 percent. The committee would put roughly $200 million per year toward unfunded obligations for retiree pensions and health care benefits, which total at least $40.7 billion and use the additional debt capacity to fund a $1.5 billion general obligation bond.Net tax-supported General Fund debt totaled $4.7 billion in 2017, well below the previous peak of $6.2 billion in 2013. Tax-supported transportation debt adds another $870 million. State government has $608 million in highway debt based on federal funds and $237 million in guaranteed energy savings contracts. The N.C. Turnpike Authority also has $834 million in debt that is ultimately state government's responsibility. In all, that is $7.3 billion worth of state debt.Two legislative changes in the 2017 budget bill ( Session Law 2017-57 ) affect the committee's recommendations. Beginning in 2021, new state employees will no longer qualify for state-provided health insurance after retirement. This change will not be seen in the unfunded liability for retiree health insurance until 2026 when those new workers would have vested in the system. The unfunded liability will continue to grow until then, but it puts a definite cap on the liability that can be accrued.On the other hand, the committee's goal of setting aside unused debt capacity was "circumvented" by the creation of a Pay-As-You-Go Capital and Infrastructure Fund . As the Debt Availability Study explains, the fund lays claim to "4% of the State's General Fund net tax revenues...to pay debt service (first priority) and then new State and UNC capital projects and repair and renovation projects." The new fund is designed to reduce or eliminate the need for new debt, but it takes money that the committee hoped to use for pensions and retiree health care. A 0.5 percent allocation of General Fund revenue would yield $115 million in the coming fiscal year, half of the $214 million expansion and a fraction of the full $1.9 billion (8 percent of General Fund revenue) already dedicated to this purpose for Fiscal Year 2018-19.These changes pile on existing fiscal challenges. If state government were to continue doing all the things it does the same way it does them, spending would grow faster than revenue is expected to increase. If state and federal tax and regulatory reforms do not spur faster economic growth, spending growth would need to remain near the post-2011 trend of 2.5 percent per year to keep the budget balanced.State government needs to set aside money for the next downturn, for future retiree health and pension benefits, and for the capital needs of state facilities. These needs compete with each other, as well as with program costs for education, health, public safety, and other government services in the General Fund. Just as transportation funding demands hard choices, so does the rest of government. Needs may be unlimited, but resources are. North Carolinians are still paying for past promises and outsized expectations.Unlike the Sir Walter Wally or Punxsutawney Phil, who are entertaining but bad meteorologists, the Debt Affordability Study does not make pleasant reading, but it is essential for charting a responsible fiscal course.
House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, says an ethics complaint filed against him by a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit research organization is tainted by election-season politics.Campaign for Accountability filed the complaint Monday, March 5. It alleges Moore might have improperly used the power of his office to skirt state Department of Environmental Quality underground storage tank rules regarding a property he jointly owned. The complaint speculates Moore could have used his office to help steer grants and other incentives to the buyers.Moore is vice president and part owner of Southeast Land Holdings LLC, which bought the former Townsend poultry plant in Siler City for $85,000 and later sold it to Mountaire Farms for $550,000.Campaign for Accountability obtained emails and other documents regarding Moore's dealings with DEQ.The complaint claimed it was suspicious the agency suddenly reversed its decision to enforce rules against Southeast Land Holdings for failing to remove the petroleum storage tanks after saying it was unlikely an extension would be granted. Yet DEQ produced no documents or emails to show why that extension was granted.the group's Executive Director Daniel Stevens wrote in the complaint.the complaint said.The complaint questioned whether Moore intervened with potential buyers to buy the property or influenced state or local officials to direct state money to Mountaire to incentivize the purchase.The Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved $1.5 million in tax incentives, and Siler City Town Council approved $800,000 in property tax incentives. North Carolina issued a $1.5 million grant from the state Rural Infrastructure Authority for Mountaire to expand its wastewater service. Moore appointed five of the 15 RIA members.Stevens said the State Ethics Commission should investigate Moore and refer the matter to the Legislative Ethics Committee for further action. Currently, the ethics commission has no members. Gov. Roy Cooper hasn't named members as he fights in court to stop legislation that merged it with the State Board of Elections.Moore said in a written response to the complaint.Moore said.The documents Campaign for Accountability submitted as part of its ethics complaint appear to at least partially corroborate Moore's contention that the decision was above board.The complaint states DEQ Inspector Rose Pruitt was preparing to act against the property owners, who received one extension in October 2014 and paid outstanding fees but hadn't removed the storage tanks. After getting a notice that DEQ intended to move forward with enforcement, Moore requested another extension.Linda Culpepper, director of DEQ's Division of Waste Management at the time,elevated the matter to her superiors, who forwarded an email to then-DEQ Secretary Donald van der Vaart and then-Chief Deputy Secretary John Evans, the complaint said.Then-DEQ assistant Secretary Tom Reeder emailed Culpepper and others stating the Division of Waste Managementvan der Vaart told Carolina Journal. He said the agency treated all enforcement actions equally.Van der Vaart said he had only a faint recollection of the matter. But he thought it wasn't unusual to grant extensions delaying enforcement actions with good cause. An example might be an owner selling property to a buyer who had promised to remove the storage tanks.DEQ could have good reason to reverse course on granting Moore an extension. Van der Vaart cited a May 14, 2015 email from Culpepper to Ruth Strauss, head of the Permits and Inspection Branch in the Underground Storage Tanks section:Van der Vaart said he didn't know what those points - which Campaign for Accountability is seeking - might be. DEQ told the organization it could find no email record, and Culpepper wasn't sure one was ever sent discussing the points.It wouldn't be unusual for Moore to deal directly with DEQ staff rather than the legislative liaison, van der Vaart said, because Moore would have acted as a private citizen rather than a lawmaker.Campaign for Accountability says on its website itCritics call it a progressive organization that focuses on Republicans.Update: Daniel Stevens emailed CJ after this article was published, taking issue with Speaker Moore's contention the ethics complaint was related to the 2018 election.Stevens said.
"Dude": Once, We Were the Leaders of the Free World

Is Obama a Very Good Democrat, or Just a Really Bad President?

A Lawless Attorney General, Democrats mouthing Talking Points, and an Unprincipled MSM/OMG Conspire to Protect an Incompetent Executive Branch

"America is War Weary"

Democrats 'Jumping Ship' as The Amateur Loses the Iraq War, and Prepares to do the Same Elsewhere in the Middle East Theater

The Amateur Continues "Leading from Behind"

America: What Direction?

Amateur Obama is Readying to Blow-up "Washington"

Contradiction-in-Chief Obama, Hypocrite Democrat Senate Turns America's Secrets Over to the Enemy

Obama Doubles Down on Stupid

Political leanings and affectations ebb and flow depending on who the neophyte politician talks to; even, I know when to keep my mouth shut for I will reveal the obvious should I speak too much. While I might possess clarion conscience on exactly the way I know a political /governing reality to be, it is most difficult to win a salient point when others have little knowledge of the issues. Sometimes remaining quiet is the better position, or just remaining in the shadows working on stuff for later - I've done much of this ... still do and probably will continue.I reckon the point here is initially two fold: 1) this post is about me and my many constant positions; 2) I am not the neophyte politician. I am, however, as of February 26, 2018, a politician once again . As a politician, I must espouse issues that I do hold deep in my clarion conscience , but a word of warning here, I am also a salesman of my SNI products , so, there will be times that I will not talk from my wide realm of political knowledge. What would be the point? I am there to express the real value of my superior products, and that is what I do; however, I am seeking a seat on the Beaufort County Commission, and folks need to know who I am, and what I stand for ... for our principles, for my constituents - past and future.To that end, I have written much about issues that involves politics on a national stage, and I tell the story as I see it; in fits of rants, some more developed musings, but always straight to the core of the subject. I don't often write about my views brick by brick, where I develop the explanation in depth (time is limited), but by a constant inference temperament, I adamantly let everyone know where I either stand or should stand as a Conservative /Libertarian. Mostly, the core of my writings and rants push a resolute position of what I know to be right stripped of all trapping of political correctness and perceived typical conventions. I just want to espouse there is often a profound difference as devised by the right from the wrong; when governing decisions are being made; that is all that essentially matters in almost all instances.If these deep assumptions appear intolerant, they are. I am intolerant of many vices, but chief among what I am intolerant of is: dishonesty, deception, sophistry and ignorance, which often to appear to be the only noticeable character traits in some politicians. It is those politicians, and their flimsy method of governing that I take unmitigated umbrage with, and by my abject protestations, I assert who I am, who I was, who I will continue to be.Here below are the first series of posts, which I will share now, written by me signifying my often negative positions on American politics, governing, and, of late, profound scandals. Within my continual maxim you might notice a profound level of disgust ... still, I am optimistic; ergo, I take the time and make the opportunity to express myself ... in a complete manner.We live in an age, where the running joke of what is so uncool are the "Old White Men" that once ran this country. Now, these "Old White Men" are replaced by the far hipper associates of the 'ultra cool' 1/2 Black President "Barry" Obama; the conventional process of working for a stronger America to fend off its adversaries, both foreign and domestic, is over.It is a rhetorical question, so, accordingly, the only acceptable answer to this titular question shall remain, egregiously yes and HELL YES! As a senator in the U.S. Senate, Senator Obama, D, Illinois, had the Democrat foresight to stridently oppose the World Wide War on Terror in the Iraq Theater, but professorially reflected upon the Afghanistan Theater as the 'good war'. Now, Candidate Obama will be the first American president to lose a war since Vietnam, a war also lost by Democrats.This presidency, his pathetic staff, his inept cabinet and their incompetent respective departments, and, finally, his accompanying mainstream media are rotten to the core: But how can a nation save itself from itself when it is not smart enough to consider the question?Too harsh? Too cynical? The national nightmare continues, but for how long? This presidency, his pathetic staff , his inept cabinet and their incompetent respective departments, and, finally, his accompanying mainstream media are rotten to the core: But how can a nation save itself from itself when it is not smart enough to consider the question? Too harsh? Too cynical?"Granted, the "War Weary" case may be the reality for some; however, please understand this one truth: ISIS or ISIL (Obama speak) does not do polls to tap into the pathos of those that they subjugate, accordingly, "War Weary" is not a consideration for them. ISIS is not "War Weary", it is war ready, and for those of the "War Weary" class, many of whom consider: Global Climate Change (no longer global warming); "Women's Reproductive Rights", or extra-Civil Rights for thugs, are the issues of our time, they might need a reality check in the severest of terms as to what may become the most desperate of times.Amateur Obama, a Democrat president, who would not allow the word terrorist to be used in his administration during his first 5 years on the job, has inarguably lost the War in Iraq, and is now losing the World Wide War on Terror, making Americans less safe world wide, and here at home. Obviously the ideal of "All we are saying ... is give peace a chance" is not working under The Amateur's watch.The radicalized Muslims of this world expect America, as the beacon of hope of the civilized West, to be supplicant to their hegemony of a Sharia Islam, or perish by their cruel, murderous hands. The latest Islamist supremacists, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), are the very essence of the word that Candidate Obama, and his administration, would not utter until the embarrassment of the Benghazi debacle on 9/11, 2012 - Terrorists. Goaded by a splintered faction of the Mainstream Media, and alternative news sources, Amateur Obama finally used the word terrorist to describe that remnants of these murderers that did still exist. Now it appears that events in northern Iraq, where the ISIS militia are slaughtering Christians, Kurds, Shite and moderate Sunni Muslims, and now beheading, at will, American and British journalists and aid workers.Who could forget this petty Democrat refrain, where Amateur Obama, then Never-Present-Senator Obama, served as lead cheerleader for his muddle-minded brethren, who incessantly clamored for our soldiers to be out of harm's way, as they were abroad protecting us here back home? I often wonder how much the Bush Administration was influenced by Community Organizer Obama, and his fellow cheerleaders, and the pansy-assed Democrats, who first backed the War on Terror , and then surrendered when the heat was turned up a bit, as our American soldiers paid the ultimate sacrifice, and some came home as the ultimate heroes of our time.America is broken. An amateur president, a cabinet full of ideological addle-brained federal department heads, yessing their way to the top of the Socialist dung heap, and a stretched, Botox ridden Nancy Pelosi for too long, and Hapless Harry Reid for 4 additional years is destroying this land at its majestic core.Why work our collective butts off, with Democrats spending our children's future to buy votes now? Why defend our borders and our principles, when our commander-in-chief prefers to lose wars already won, and then apologizes to our enemies for not doing more? Why even care, when so many 'transformational' Americans don't? Why?With his apologist foreign policy in tatters, more Americans beheaded and slaughtered abroad, Amateur Obama will force his political hand in Washington, DC on Thursday night, November 20, 2014, by blaming the Republicans in the United States House as America's number one enemy, and his one stumbling block to immigration reform. It may well be a 'night that will live in infamy.'The president presiding over America's most opaque administration in modern times, now wishes to reinstate transparency, providing that it only puts American personnel abroad at risk, not him or his administration here at home.To put this succinctly, America's first Affirmative Action President, whose only qualifications for the job was that he once was a ' community organizer ' and, of course, a Democrat, used the outgoing chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Dianne Feinstein -D, to release the report on the President Bush era CIA enhanced interrogation practices. Remarkably, what makes this crude attempt of instilling the fleeting transparency that Amateur Obama swore that his administration would abide by is that this scandal ridden administration has done nothing to discover the root of the IRS political targeting scandal, the ObamaCare lying to the People scandal, and so many more, including the Benghazi terrorist attack/ 'despicable video'/ hands off responsible terrorists scandal.Since early November, it has been a quantifiable losing streak for Amateur Obama, and The Amateur ain't helping with the perception of it, not in the least bit. After the midterm elections, when Obama's policies were weighed and measured and found wanting, he elected to sharpen his best stick, then publicly gave the Republicans, a good poke in the eye, every chance he got and gets. This is how the amateur politician practices bipartisanship: He first tells the Republicans that their historic sweeping election does not matter because his people did not come to the polls, and he can prove that; then he promises vetoes for the new Republican legislation to anyone that will stop long enough to listen.The Amateur Obama playbook has not changed much from whence he took office. His take no prisoners approach to politics, irrespective of the odds against any reasonable posture, is even bolder now, even while some Democrats and even more squishy Middlecrats are wiping the intoxicating ooze from their eyes to see more clearly the path The Amateur that has led them, who is proved to now be losing our nation in great, sweeping strides. With Iraq lost, Benghazi lost, Yemen lost, Syria lost, and Afghanistan near lost, Amateur Obama somehow believes that we are doing just fine against the "violent extremist" 'kinda' threatening America right now. At least that was part of The Amateurs sophistic comments to congress in his 2015 State of the Union Address
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.
Tillerson's State Department confirmed to CNN that Tillerson says he was fired by Trump via tweet on Tuesday - reigniting speculation that Trump fired Tillerson over his Russia comments. The Washington Post has not retracted its story.On Tuesday morning, the world found out that President Trump had fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The announcement wasn't a major surprise - Trump had been at odds with Tillerson since the outset of his administration, and Tillerson had clearly been frustrated by his role. Trump routinely went around Tillerson to set foreign policy on everything from moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem to announcing North Korean policy (Trump even tweeted that Tillerson shouldn't bother talking to the North Koreans).But Tillerson's firing on Tuesday stirred rumors that Trump had actually fired Tillerson because of Tillerson's Monday comments regarding Russia. On Monday, Tillerson said that the murder of former spy Sergei Skripal in the U.K.and said it would "trigger a response"; the White House then walked that back, and Trump said today,This prompted media members to suggest that Trump actually fired Tillerson out of rage at Tillerson's anti-Russia stance. That was always a silly suggestion - Trump was originally accused of collusion with Russia for nominating Tillerson, a Putin friendly, in the first place . Now it's supposed collusion with Russia to fire him.But, as it turns out, that's all nonsense - at least according to The Washington Post. The Post reported that Trump told Tillerson he was out last Friday, meaning that Tillerson made Monday's comments already knowing he was toast. That makes it likely that Tillerson actually used his harsh language as a final slap at Trump. But there is no evidence that Trump fired Tillerson over Tillerson's supposedly staunch stance on Russia.CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who has developed a solid relationship with Trump, will replace Tillerson. He's a far better fit for Secretary of State - he gives Trump intelligence briefings daily already, he's far more hawkish on Iran than Tillerson was, and he's far more pro-Israel than Tillerson was.
"It just seemed that cosmology was more exciting, because it really did seem to involve the big question: Where did the universe come from?"  Stephen Hawking, 8 January 1942  14 March 2018

British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76. He was known for his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity.

He died at his home in Cambridge, England. A family spokesman announced the death in a statement to news media.

Hawking awed the world with an unmatched ability to make science understandable and fascinating to broad audiences.

He remains one of the best-selling science authors of all time. His first book, A Brief History of Time, has sold nearly 10 million copies in 40 languages. Hawking wrote or participated in the creation of many other popular science books including A Briefer History of Time, On the Shoulders of Giants, and George's Secret Key to the Universe.

From the BBC:

His children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." They praised his "courage and persistence" and said his "brilliance and humour" inspired people across the world. "He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever," they said.

"Not since Albert Einstein has a scientist so captured the public imagination and endeared himself to tens of millions of people around the world," Michio Kaku, a professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York, said in an interview with the New York Times' Dennis Overbye:
Loneliness. Fear of catching HIV. Kink. No matter the reason for why someone might want to hump a sex doll, the Zambian government is against it. In fact, Zambia's politicians are so horny to put a stop to the import and use of such sex toys that it's become a top shelf political issue.

Zambia's government has always taken a hard line against anything that rubs up against their conservative christian sensibilities. Homosexuality, for example, is punishable with up to 14 years in prison. Law enforcement in the African nation is quick to clamp down on anyone who might dare to step over the line of its ethical norms. As such, you won't find any shops selling sex toys, at least not out in the open. Most of the hardware designed to turn reproductive bits into an amusement park have to be bought online before being discreetly imported into the country.

The logic for keeping adult toys and plastic pleasure partners out of the nation comes from the Bible, according to Godfridah Sumaili. She's Zambia's head of its recently created, totally-not-something-out-of-an-Orwell-novel Ministry of National Guidance and Religious Affairs:

"Being a Christian nation, obviously we are anchored in Christian principles and one of the values is morality and ethics The use of sex dolls is definitely in contradiction to our natural heritage and our principles. The law actually forbids anybody to trade (in) and to use such objects  and so this is why we are saying for Zambians that this is a very unnatural thing."

It's always great to see a nation using religious dogma to control how its citizens pleasure themselves or who they love to keep them scared and in line. Good thing that it totally couldn't happen over here.

Image: Artem Kuznetsov, Russia  Own work, Public Domain, Link
Today at 10AM local time, students across America walked out of their classes for 17 minutes, in memoriam of the 17 students murdered in the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, exactly one month ago.



The walkout was led by student activists in a movement that started within hours of the Parkland shootings, as survivors of the shooting decided that they would not allow "thoughts and prayers" be all that their friends' blood would buy from lawmakers.

Students at some 3,000 schools across the USA walked out. The ACLU provided legal advice to students at public schools who feared administration reprisals; school administrators largely cooperated, though some tried to reframe the protests as "public safety events."

Here are the names of the dead: Alyssa Alhadeff, 14. Scott Beigel, 35. Martin Duque, 14. Nicholas Dworet, 17. Aaron Feis, 37. Jaime Guttenberg, 14. Chris Hixon, 49. Luke Hoyer, 15. Cara Loughran, 14. Gina Montalto, 14. Joaquin Oliver, 17. Alaina Petty, 14. Meadow Pollack, 18. Helena Ramsay, 17. Alex Schachter, 14. Carmen Schentrup, 16. Peter Wang, 15.

I will not republish the name of the killer.



 The demonstrations were not limited to school property. In New York, students marched in the streets, while in Washington, sign-clutching students gathered outside the White House and on Capitol Hill.  School administrators have been grappling with how to respond. Some districts welcomed or even tacitly encouraged walkouts, while others threatened disciplinary action against students who participated.

Continue reading the main story  It is unlikely that officials in Washington will quickly heed the demands of the students. Although Florida last week raised the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21 and extended the waiting period to three days, President Trump on Monday abandoned his pledge to seek national-level reforms that the National Rifle Association opposed.

National School Walkout: Live Updates [Alan Blinder and Julie Turkewitz/New York Times]

(Image: @NBCNews)
Leslie Gibson, who is running unopposed for Maine House 57th District seat, says he is sorry, so sorry, for calling 18-year-old Emma Gonzalez a "skinhead lesbian." Gonzalez, who survived the February 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, co-founded the gun-control advocacy group Never Again MSD, and has a Twitter account with more followers than the NRA does.

From HuffPost:

"I would like to extend to you my most sincere apology for how I addressed you. It was wrong and unacceptable," Gibson said in a tweet. "You are doing work that is important to you. I would like to extend my hand in friendship and understanding to you."



Gibson, a lifetime NRA member, took to Twitter to attack Gonzalez after seeing an article in The Hill about the teen surpassing the NRA in Twitter followers.

"There is nothing about this skinhead lesbian that impresses me and there is nothing that she has to say unless you're a frothing at the mouth moonbat," he wrote.
For months, the European Parliament has been negotiating over a new copyright rule, with rightsholder organizations demanding that some online services implement censoring filters that prevent anyone from uploading text, sounds or images if they have been claimed by a copyright holder.



These filters  branded #censorshipmachines by activists  were hugely controversial: even when used as intended, they make no allowances for fair dealing and other limitations to copyright. Beyond that, they are ripe for abuse, incentivizing trolls and censors to register materials as a means of keeping them off the internet, regardless of whether they hold any relevant copyrights.





Thankfully, the filters had been largely erased from the negotiating drafts, thanks to vigorous debate and activism. But last week, German MEP Axel Voss, rapporteur for the Copyright Directive, introduced a new draft that brought the filters back, and imposed them on virtually every kind of online platform, vastly expanding their scope beyond the worst drafts of the earlier proposals.





What's worse, Voss apparently didn't author this draft: according to the Word metadata in the document, it was authored by an unelected European Commission bureaucrat who has previously advocated for the filters.


In much of the world, addresses are difficult to convey because they refer to locations on unnamed streets, in unnumbered buildings, in unincorporated townships, sometimes in disputed national boundaries (I have often corresponded with people in rural Costa Rica whose addresses were "So-and-so, Road Without Name, 300m west of the bus stop, village, nearest town, region").



Google has unveiled Plus Codes, a relatively easy-to-express set of geocodes for referring to any location on Earth (especially locations that have ambiguous addresses), initially rolled out for use with Google Maps in India after a successful test in Cape Verde, where the codes are being used by the postal service.

Google's materials stress that Plus Codes are "open source," and the core libraries are on Github under the Apache License, which grants any patent rights and permits downstream users to enclose their derived works under proprietary licenses.

Plus Codes use a four-character prefix as an "area code," defining a 100km^2 region; the remaining six characters narrow the location down to 14m^2; for additional precision, a single additional character narrows the location to a 3m^2 region.

Plus Codes are independent of national boundaries, and can be overlaid on existing digital or paper maps, allowing them to work offline. Google is also proud of using the "+" symbol in the code, continuing on its ill-starred project to repurpose the common meaning of a plus (in search terms, a plus historically denoted that results must include the term), something that started with its catastrophic effort to create Google+, a social network that the company spent years aggressively integrating into all its products, despite vast indifference and slightly less vast hostility to the system.

Plus Codes [Google]

Searching for Indian addresses on Google Maps gets better; Plus Codes  a simple location-based digital addressing system; Voice Navigation in six additional Indian languages [Suren Ruhela/Google India Blog]

Google's new 'Plus Codes' are an open source, global alternative to street addresses [Abner Li/9 to 5 Google]
News / National

by Staff reporter

FOREIGN tourist arrivals to Zimbabwe hit record highs between December last year and February this year and are expected to continue into next year, local tour operators have said.In December alone, visitors to the Victoria Falls hit 1 000 per day, and the trend continued into last month.The increase, which equalled the visitor figures for 1999, has been credited to the removal of police roadblocks from the country's main roads and other interventions following the new political dispensation.Africa Albida Tourism chief executive, Ross Kennedy said interest in Zimbabwe was "unbelievable. The significance of the removal of roadblocks will be seen quickly because the Europeans used to do 15-21 days of self-drive in Zimbabwe, and now will be back"."In December alone, we were getting up to 1 000 visitors daily many through the Kazungula Border Post yet we have just one officer there. 2017 December was the closest we have been 1999. We also have had the best January and February ever. We are hoping if the stability continues tourism can pick up almost immediately. We have engaged other operators to donate resources to expand that border post," he said."I had a full diary here (ITB Berlin) with enquiries from tourists wanting to come to Zimbabwe for longer periods. They are aware of the developments triggered in November, and are keen to return. We've been telling them that all is gone now."Kennedy said.: "Demand is high. Everyone knows that Zimbabwe is a wonderful country. We are now re-educating the international market about what to expect. They had many things they wanted to know, but hardly any political questions. Yes, fuel situation, roadblocks, quality of accommodation, infrastructure, it's fantastic."There is no magic wand and nothing will happen overnight. But let's do a few things that can make a difference. In tourism you got to be user-friendly. Things like connectivity, Visas and uncongested border posts."A Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe official said there was need to modernise systems in Victoria Falls to improve processing of passengers."When we compare ourselves with other players in Africa, we still need to do more. Currently the Victoria Falls Airport operates for 12 hours, but if we are to have additional wide-body aircrafts it means we must adapt," the official said.Zambezi Travel's Graham Simmonds added that there was need for new infrastructure in the Victoria Falls in anticipation of the boom in tourism.Holiday Inn Zimbabwe country sales manager, Maxwell Moyo said there need to market the whole country rather than focus on Victoria Falls, as this would enable operators to benefit.Rainbow Tourism Group commercial director, Shupai Marware said: "Tour operators should market the whole country as opposed to Victoria Falls, which no doubt is crowded. We have the Eastern Highlands, the Lowveld, Great Zimbabwe, wildlife parks and much more, therefore, operators must come up with packages that suit the pocket of each visitor."
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Zanu-PF leadership here has threatened to deal decisively with aspiring candidates who have started campaigning without the revolutionary party's nod, as jostling for seats intensifies in the province ahead of this year's harmonised elections.Masvingo provincial chair Ezra Chadzamira said aspiring candidates involved in premature campaigning would be disqualified to send a clear message on the need for party members to toe the line.The warning by Chadzamira was in response to complaints by party members, during a Zanu-PF provincial co-ordinating committee meeting over the weekend, over the high number of aspiring candidates who have already started campaigning across the province without getting the green light from the party leadership.Chadzamira said it was time action was taken against the culprits, saying the premature campaigns were affecting unity in the party in some areas."The issue of some candidates who have already started campaigning in some areas is a matter of serious concern to us and I think its high time we take action against one or two individuals as a lesson to other party members because we have made it clear that it is illegal for aspiring candidates to start campaigning without permission from the Zanu-PF leadership,'' he said."I want to make it very clear that we will not hesitate to disqualify any aspiring candidate who from now going forward is fingered in premature campaigning. We are a party that is guided by rules and everyone should be bound by those rules."We will disqualify anyone who continues to campaign when the floor has not yet been opened.''Chadzamira said the ruling party leadership wanted unity in the party ahead of the forthcoming polls.He decried the tendency by some aspiring candidates to abuse names of senior party leaders in their effort to win votes."There are some who are moving around soiling the names of senior party leaders and claiming that they have been authorised by them to campaign," said Chadzamira."Bring us proof of such individuals and we will not hesitate to take action against them.''Chadzamira said no individual was bigger than Zanu-PF and urged party cadres to stick to the rules and regulations of the party to avoid falling by the wayside.He warned party members against continued retribution against alleged G40 cabal members and supporters, saying there was need to forgive each other and forge a new path while working in unison under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.In his address at the meeting, Politburo member and Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Senator Josaya Hungwe also warned against retribution in the party, saying those who sympathised with the vanquished G40 cabal needed prayer.Senator Hungwe said the biggest challenge facing the ruling party in Masvingo was mobilising more people to vote for President Mnangagwa and enable the Zanu-PF leader to romp to a crushing victory in the coming polls."If we vote and win the coming elections resoundingly then I can live the rest of my life in peace and satisfaction," he said."We have a job to do, that is to campaign and make sure Zanu-PF and President Mnangagwa win the coming elections.''Senator Hungwe took the opportunity to welcome Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando and Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira who attended their inaugural PCC meeting.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE Ministry of Health and Child Care has assured Zimbabweans that they are safe from listeriosis as appropriate measures have been put in place at the Beitbridge Border Post to avoid importation of processed foods into the country.The Government banned importation of food stuffs linked to the deadly listeriosis in South Africa following reports that processed ready-to-eat meats including polony and sausages had been identified as the source of the outbreak.Listeriosis is a rare food-borne disease found in 10 cases per one million people and was first reported in South Africa early this year.According to online sources, a food processing plant in Polokwane Limpopo was confirmed to be the source of listeria which has caused the world's biggest documented listeriosis outbreak with 948 confirmed cases and 180 deaths.Ministry of Health and Child Care Permanent Secretary, Major General (Retired) Dr Gerald Gwinji yesterday said the ministry was working with officials at the border post to make sure processed foods are not brought into the country."The challenge is only on our southern borders, particularly Beitbridge. It's not spread throughout the borders because this is a food poisoning issue which occurred in one area in South Africa. The source has been determined as one specific manufacturing food processing plant. We have therefore concentrated on Beitbridge Border Post and we've put up the necessary measures with the health ministry and the veterinary department to carry out the necessary searches and confiscate any foods or materials that are suspicious," said Dr Gwinji.He said the ministry is also educating the public so that the people are aware of what is happening with regards to the outbreak. "The risk of having contaminated food coming into the country has actually reduced considering that the manufacturer of the suspected cold meats that are found to be contaminated has been closed."However, we continue to be alert. Members of the public are worried about us banning cold meats in local shops but I can assure you that cold meats sold in most of our shops are manufactured locally by entities like Colcom. We don't have a challenge as far as the health of Zimbabweans is concerned," said Dr Gwinji.He said other neighbouring countries such as Mozambique were more dependent on cold meats from South Africa."For countries like Mozambique it's a challenge than it is for us. The measures we have put in place are adequate to address the challenge, detect any outbreak that might be related to cold meats but most importantly prevent it from coming in by having the border surveillance."We'll continue communicating with the authorities in South Africa so that as soon as they are on top of the situation and are assured that the coast is clear in terms of contamination, then we can also relax the conditions that we have put in place at the border," said Dr Gwinji.He added that listeriosis was not like Ebola or cholera where an individual is infected and walks across the border risking the lives of other people."This is a food poisoning issue where the risk is reduced once the appropriate measures have been put in place."The action that South Africa has taken has actually drastically reduced the risk of another outbreak in the country or anywhere else," said Dr Gwinji.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Three armed robbers stormed a construction site in Umwisdale, which is believed to belong to Bona Mugabe, and manhandled a police officer on duty before fleeing with items worth $4 800.Robson Kandenga(45), Peter Mangwiro(40) and Brighton Chisiko(30) yesterday appeared before Harare magistrate Ms Tilda Mazhande and pleaded guilty to armed robbery charges.The trio was remanded to today for sentencing.It is the State's case that on December 31 last year, Kandenga, Mangwiro and Chisiko approached the complainant asking for directions to an unnamed place.The complainant then left his guard room to assist them.He was however disarmed of his AK47 service rifle before being assaulted with iron rods, booted feet and open hands.His arms and legs were subsequently tied up using a wire that had been retrieved from the site.The trio proceeded to take the complainant's personal items, including two phones and 80 wooden construction boards, which were on the site.They then further used a hired truck, which was driven by Shadrek Chivambe, to load and transport the goods to Siyaso, Magaba, Mbare, where they disposed of the stolen goods.The items were then sold to Stephen Chimhungwe.However, the only recovered construction board was identified by Howard Karima of Hualong Construction as one of the stolen boards.Investigations led police to the trio.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A Matabeleland Chief Gampu has probed the Minster of Local Government Public Works and National Housing July Moyo over the government's ban of the coronation of a Ndebele King which was slatted for march 3.Cheif Gampu questioned the minister during senate in Harare."My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Hon. July Moyo. I am talking on behalf of the nature and I am representing the constituents from the constituency that I represent. Two weeks back there was King Lobengula who was supposed to be ordained and that did not take place because the Government said that should not happen. People obeyed the Government's resolution and the chief was not ordained," he said."People from my constituency still have questions that are the issue to do with ordaining chiefs a policy or it is only that it is not supposed to happen. If it is something that is not supposed to happen the Government should come out in open and say it to the people. If it is something that was supposed to be done and it was brought in a wrong way and the Government did not understand it, people are willing to understand from the Government.""Us as Chiefs we are not willing to do something that is contravening Government policies. We are willing to work maintaining the peace that is there in the Government. We also take into consideration that it is not the first time to have chief, in South Africa we have Chief Zwelithini and Lizwelonke. In Zambia there is Chief Mpezeni and in the United States, there is a Queen."He said all these are not fighting with the Government or trying to take power like what had almost happened."We are therefore asking the Government to advise, we do not want to be involved into issues that will give us problems later. We are also not in politics," he said.In response minister Moyo said both parliament houses enacted a new Constitution."The Chiefs were participants in that Constitution making process. In our Constitution, it is very clear that the traditional leaders as defined in the Constitution are in three parts only, the first one is a chief, in Shona ndi mambo, in Ndebele Induna but in our Constitution it is the Chief. Then there is a headman and there is a village head. So, when people who wanted to have a King wrote to us, we advised that in our Constitution we have no provision for a King," he said."Fortunately, for us as Zimbabweans when South Africans were making their Constitution we participated in many ways and they put in their Constitution that they will have kings who are in their localities. We do not have that in Zimbabwe. So, our advice was that we cannot have a King where it is not provided for by law. Secondly, if you wanted a chief and there is a house which deserved to have a chief, they need to have one."He said the Constitution went further and said to resuscitate a chieftainship, that job is no longer done by Government or through the Minister of Local Government, it is undertaken by the chiefs; organised in the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs in each province and later on in the National Council of Chiefs."Only after those two organs have pronounced themselves, they can then bring it to the Minister who then sends for approval by the President. That is what the Constitution says. So, again when this matter which we dealt with in Bulawayo last week, we went and invited all the chiefs from Matabeleland North, South, we could have invited every other chief who has an interest about this issue of Kings but we thought we were dealing with one region," he said."We took with us the President of the National Council of Chiefs and his deputy to explain to the chiefs. There are those who contest even the kingship, who ought to be a king but the chief's bodies, if they had wanted this matter solved, the place to go, in terms of the Constitution was to the Provincial Assembly of Chiefs and later on to the National Council of Chiefs. As it turned out anyway, even the question of who ought to be king was contested among the houses that claim that kingship.""We as Ministers once a matter is before the courts, were obliged to withdraw and allowed the President of the Chief's Council, Senator Chief Charumbira and his deputy Senator Mtshane Khumalo to then finish the deliberations and explained. Once the court had pronounced itself, again we gave the President of the Chief's Council and his deputy to say please, let all the chiefs understand the ruling of the High court and withdraw from that position. However, the position that we are taking as Government; is a position that has been taken in the Constitution."He said for instance, there are those who want to revive Munhumutapa, we do not have that emperor in the Constitution and we advised them accordingly."Last year, there were those who wanted to have a Rozvi King and we advised equally the same that we do not have that terminology in our Constitution. Until the Constitution has been amended accordingly, we cannot advice anybody contrary to what the Constitution says," he said.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

Beitbrige Senator Tambudzani Mohadi has expressed concern over the Ministers' continued boycott of question time session in parliament.Mohadi made the remarks during senate in Harare last Thursday."I want to start by thanking Hon. Ministers who have come to answer questions from Members. Since we have the new dispensation, we thought Ministers were going to attend question time in the Senate. We are noticing that there is a continuation of the old practice of not attending to the question time in the House," she said."Out of more than twenty Ministers in the Cabinet, we only have four and this shows that these Ministers are not serious with their work. This is contrary to what the President has called for. He called for seriousness and commitment to duty. What is being shown by the Ministers is exactly the opposite of what His Excellency has advised and promised."
News / National

by Staff reporter

The Zimbabwean government says it has no capacity to compensate farmers who lose their crops to natural disasters and veld fires.Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri, said farmers should take appropriate insurance cover to mitigate risks associated with harsh weather patterns.More to follow....
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zanu-PF says it will win most of the seats in Harare in the forthcoming harmonised elections.Zanu-PF Harare Provincial Chairperson, Goodwills Masimirembwa appealed for the electorate to vote for President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the forthcoming harmonised elections."We want to make sure that you be provided with decent accommodation and we know that you are potential registered voters in the coming elections. So we are confident that Zanu-PF will win many seats in Harare in the forthcoming elections," Masimirembwa said.Zanu-PF supporters presented their plight to the provincial chairperson and other issues that affect them.Harare South Housing Union Chairperson, Joseph Beura also said they have looked for partners to assist in developing the area."This area has more than 6000 households all these people are in need of assistance. We need schools and hospitals here," he said.Some people in Stoneridge have been illegally allocated residential stands in a buffer zone area along the Manyame catchment area.
Opinion / Columnist

"President Chamisa told the (seven-member SADC Electoral Advisory Council) delegation, led by Advocate Leshele Thoahlane, that the Zimbabwe government has not been sincere on its commitment to a free, fair and credible plebiscite as it had not yet made public in substantive terms the roadmap to the next election," wrote Luke Tamborinyoka in The Zimbabwean."He bemoaned the fact that the recommendations made by SADC in the 2013 election in terms of the implementation of key reforms had not yet been done, among them media reforms that would ensure equal coverage of all contesting parties."Luke Tamborinyoka, is the MDC-T Presidential Spokesperson and Director of Communication, in all his many articles and comments, he or any MDC leader for that matter, has ever even acknowledged that SADC leaders had made very important recommendation as regard the 2013 elections. SADC leaders recommended that the 2013 elections must be postponed to allow reforms to be implemented, as Dr Ibbo Mandaza explained."In 2013 the Maputo Summit, in June 2013, before the elections, the Maputo Summit was all about having the elections postponed - the SADC summit. I went there," Dr Mandaza explained to Violet Gonda."I was there at the Summit and Mugabe pretended to agree to a postponement of the elections. If you recall, the postponement was based on the need to reform at least electoral laws. And after that Summit, Morgan Tsvangirai, Tendai Biti, Welshman Ncube, all of them were called to a separate meeting by the Heads of State of SADC in the absence of Mugabe, that same evening. And they were told; I was sitting there outside the room with Mac Maharaj; they were told 'if you go into elections next month, you are going to lose; the elections are done'."As we all know MDC leaders returned to Zimbabwe and took part in the July 2013 elections in total disregard of the SADC leaders' recommendations. And, as SADC leaders had rightly predicted, Zanu PF went on to blatantly rig the July 2013 elections.It must be emphasised here that it would not have been necessary for SADC to propose that the elections must be postponed if Morgan Tsvangirai and his MDC colleagues had implemented the democratic reforms during the GNU. SADC leaders had nagged the MDC leaders "to follow the GPA (Global Political Agreement) roadmap!" and implement the raft of reforms agreed. But MDC leaders ignore the warnings and failed to get even one reform implemented. Not one!Soon after the rigged July 2013 elections all the MDC factions passed party congress resolutions not to contest any more future elections until the reforms are implemented. "No reform, no elections!" This confirmed that MDC leaders had learned the lesson of their folly of failing to implement the reforms during the GNU and then disregarding SADC leaders' recommendations to postpone the 2013 elections until reforms are implemented.So, in his statement to the SADC delegates, Chamisa confirms that none of the key reforms SADC leaders had said must be implemented before elections can go ahead have been implemented. NOT ONE!So, Why, OH WHY, is MDC contesting this year's elections with no reforms in place, disregarding SADC's recommendation and in violation of its own party congressional resolution?MDC leaders have maintained stone-silence on why they disregarded the SADC leaders' recommendation to postpone the 2013 elections to allow time for reforms. The nation has paid dearly in having Zanu PF back in power and gained absolutely nothing. It will be insane for the nation to go through the same futile process once again. MDC leaders must explain why they are dragging the nation into yet another flawed and illegal elections!SADC leaders know that Zimbabwe has the great misfortune of having some of the most corrupt and incompetent opposition politicians in human history. One of the SADC leaders reportedly told The Zimbabwe Independent, when the scale of Zanu PF vote rigging of the July 2013 elections was known, that MDC leaders "were busy enjoying themselves during the GNU, they forgot why they were there!" in sheer exasperation."President Chamisa urged SADC to be in solidarity with the Zimbabwean citizens and not with the country's leaders by ensuring that the ordinary people's sovereign will is guaranteed and protected," concluded Luke Tamborinyoka."On its part, the SADC team assured the party leadership that they will do all they can to ensure that Zimbabwe holds a truly free, fair and credible poll."The only sure way SADC leaders can absolutely sure they act in the best interest of the long suffering ordinary Zimbabwean is by making sure the elections are judged null and void if the process to deliver free, fair and credible elections. And what better place to start than asking whether all the democratic reforms agreed in the 2008 GPA, SADC leaders themselves had recommended must be implemented before elections, were implemented.SADC leaders cannot force Zanu PF and MDC to postpone the 2018 elections to allow the reforms to be implemented but what the regional leaders can do and MUST do without failure is judge whether elections with no free media, a corrupt and partisan Police, no verified voters' roll, etc., etc. can ever be judge free, fair and credible!Now that MDC leaders have had even more time to digest SADC leaders' 2013 recommendation not to take part in any elections without first implementing the reforms, what excuse do they have for disregarding the recommendations again this year?SADC leaders were proven right that with no reforms Zanu PF would rig the 2013 elections. Since not even one reform has been implemented since the last elections, it is a certainty Zanu PF will rig the elections as before. The big question is: Will SADC leaders stamp their authority and declare the process null and void or allow Zanu PF to get away with yet another rigged election?Zimbabwe's continued economic meltdown and political chaos, included last November's military coup all have their origin in the country's repeated failure to hold free, fair and credible elections. SADC leaders can help put an end to this carry-on and the tragic human misery it has brought to millions of ordinary Zimbabweans. All SADC leaders have to do is give an honest judgement of Zimbabwe's electoral process. Surely, that is not too much to ask!
Canadians are searching for top stocks to add to their TFSA portfolios, and the big banks are often touted as attractive picks.

Lets take a look at Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) and Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS)(NYSE:BNS) to see if they deserve a spot in a dividend-focused fund.

Bank of Montreal

Bank of Montreal reported solid fiscal Q1 2018 results. The company earned adjusted net income of $1.4 billion, with strong performances coming from the personal and commercial banking operations in both Canada and the United States.

The bank has a large U.S. presence, primarily located in the Midwest states. A positive economic environment south of the border should provide a nice boost to revenue in the coming years, and investors can benefit when the U.S. dollar strengthens against the loonie.

Bank of Montreal pays a quarterly dividend of $0.93 per share for an annualized yield of 3.8%. The company has given shareholders a piece of the profits every year since 1829, so investors should feel comfortable with the security of the payouts.

The stock currently trades at 13.8 times trailing earnings.

Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia has invested heavily in building a strong international business, with a specific focus on Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Colombia. These countries have a combined consumer base of more than 200 million people and form the core of the Pacific Alliance, which is a trade bloc set up to promote the free movement of goods and capital among the member states.

Bank of Nova Scotia reported impressive fiscal Q1 2018 numbers, with strong performances from both the Canadian and the international operations. Net income came in at $2.34 billion, compared to $2.01 billion in the same period last year.

The company recently announced a string of deals, including acquisitions in Colombia, Chile and Canada. These should drive revenue and earnings growth and provide additional support for dividend increases in the coming years.

Story continues

Management just raised the quarterly payout by $0.03 to $0.82 per share. Thats good for an annualized yield of 4%.

Bank of Nova Scotia gets about 30% of its earnings from the international operations, so investors have a great opportunity to benefit from emerging-market growth through a rock-solid Canadian company.

At the time of writing, the stock trades for 12 times trailing earnings, making it the cheapest of the four largest Canadian banks on a price-to-earnings basis.

Is one more attractive?

Both companies should continue to be strong buy-and-hold picks for a dividend-focused TFSA portfolio. An equal investment in the two stocks would provide good exposure to Canada, the U.S., and Latin America.

If you only buy one, I would probably make Bank of Nova Scotia the first choice. The long-term potential of the international businesses is attractive, and the stock might be undervalued right now.

More reading

Fool contributor Andrew Walker has no position in any stock mentioned.
A B.C. doctor says the colonial history of Canada's health care system is preventing Indigenous women from being screened for cervical cancer and she hopes a solution can be found in a health initiative in East Africa.

Indigenous women in B.C. are 92 per cent more likely to develop cervical cancer than non-Indigenous women, according to a joint study from the B.C. Cancer Agency and First Nations Health Authority. The same study also found lower survival rates for Indigenous people with cancer.

Part of that disparity can be explained by the colonial history of healthcare in Canada said Dr. Sheona Mitchell-Foster, an obstetrician-gynecologist and assistant professor in the University of British Columbia's Northern Medical Program in Prince George.

"Ultimately, it's a colonial system," she told CBC Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk.

For decades, Indigenous people were treated in segregated, government-run "Indian hospitals" where, according to those who lived through the system, they were subject to abuse and experimentation that included forced sterilization hundreds of women.

Mitchell-Foster said that history needs to be considered when looking at the modern-day healthcare system.

"If your aunty, if your mom, your grandma interacted with the healthcare system and, for example, was forcibly sterilized or sterilized without her consent as a part of a reproductive exam, that's going to have a profound impact on whether you engage with the healthcare system," she said.

Other factors cited by Mitchell-Foster include the distances Indigenous women in northern B.C. have to travel to be screened and that many doctors who administer pap smears are men.

"That's a uniquely invasive exam," she said.

To counter this, Mitchell-Foster is working with Carrier Sekani Family Services and Metis Nation B.C. to give Indigenous women in northern B.C. take-home kits that allow them to self-test for the human papillomavirus or HPV, the virus that causes cervical cancer.

The screening model is based on a project the B.C.'s Women's Health Research Institute is running in Uganda.

Should the experiment see increased rates of screening among participants, Mitchell will advocate for it to be adopted in rural B.C.
By Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Britain said it was considering taxing the revenues of internet companies like Facebook and Google until international tax rules are changed to cope with digital firms that can shift sales and profits between jurisdictions. Finance minister Philip Hammond said on Tuesday he had published a paper setting out proposals for taxing global digital firms before a meeting with his G20 counterparts later this week. Big internet companies have previously paid little tax in Europe, typically by channeling sales via countries such as Ireland and Luxembourg, which have light-touch tax regimes. The European Union has proposed taxing tech giants between 1 and 5 percent of revenue based on where users are located, according to a draft Commision document seen by Reuters last month. The tax should apply to companies selling user-targeted online ads or providing advertisement space, with revenues above 750 million euros ($922 million) worldwide and with EU digital revenues of at least 10 million euros, according to the document. Both Google and Facebook have changed the way they account for their activity in Britain, resulting in a rise in corporate tax paid. But Facebook UK's tax charge for 2016, for example, was 5.1 million pounds ($7.09 million), only a modest increase on the 4.2 million pounds level in 2015. Its revenue in Britain in 2016 was 842 million pounds. "In the autumn we published a paper on taxing large digital businesses in the global economy and today we follow up with a publication that explores potential solutions," Hammond said when he delivered an update on the government's finances. Late last year the government also raised the possibility of imposing new taxes on tech giants unless they do more to combat online extremism by taking down material aimed at radicalising people or helping them to prepare attacks. Britain suffered a series of Islamist attacks last year that killed a total of 36 people, excluding the attackers. The government said on Tuesday it favored reforming the international corporate tax framework, but acknowledged that achieving consensus and creating detailed proposals would be difficult. "In the absence of such reform, there is a need to consider interim measures such as revenue-based taxes," it said. Any changes would have to be targeted to protect start-ups and growth companies, it said, but it was clear that there was a challenge that needs to be solved. "The current misalignment between where digital businesses are taxed and where they create value threatens to undermine the fairness, sustainability and public acceptability of the corporate tax system," it said, adding that it intended working closely with the EU and international partners on the issue. TechUK, a group representing more than 950 tech firms, said corporate tax was highly complex, and the government needed to consider the risk of unintended consequences that could result from moving to a revenue-based tax approach. "However, it remains the case that international cooperation and coordination are key," it said. "Unilateral action in this area continues to risk cutting across international efforts at the OECD." Britain's Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) said a revenue-based option would be "extremely unwelcome". "We should work with the OECD and work up a properly agreed global solution," said ACCA's head of taxation Chas Roy-Chowdhury. "A fully engineered solution rather than an half-baked idea should be the way forward." Britain also said on Tuesday it would consult on a new mechanism for collecting value-added-tax (VAT) for online sales. ($1 = 0.7196 pounds) (Reporting by Paul Sandle and James Davey; editing by David Stamp)
Edmonton attacker can't use defence of being not criminally responsible, court hears

The man accused of attacking an Edmonton police officer doesn't qualify for the defence of not criminally responsible, court heart Wednesday.

As his interpreter translated into Somali, Abdulahi Sharif listened to the brief proceedings from the prisoner docket handcuffed and dressed in a blue and white shirt.

"The report at Alberta Hospital has found Mr. Sharif is not NCR (not criminally responsible)," said Sharif's lawyer Karanpal Aujla. "He's fit to plea."

In January, Sharif was found fit to stand trial on a string of charges, including five counts of attempted murder for the attack on Const. Mike Chernyk outside Commonwealth Stadium last fall. He's also accused of hitting four pedestrians in downtown Edmonton while fleeing police early the the next day in downtown Edmonton.

On Wednesday, Crown prosecutor Shelley Bykewich also added a charge of aggravated assault and waived a preliminary hearing.

To be found NCRMD (not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder  NCR for short) it has to be proven the accused did not have the capability to understand their actions, know right from wrong at the time of the incident, or that they were not in control of their actions due to mental illness.

Outside court, Aujla described the assessment as thorough but expressed surprise by the findings.

"In my opinion it found substantial mental health issues, however the test required for NCR is quite high and the mental health issues that were found don't necessarily raise to the level for him to be NCR," said Aujla.

"A lot of (issues) essentially occurred or precipitated because of Mr. Sharif's background and where he comes from."

According to U.S. officials, Sharif walked into the United States in July 2011 when he was 24 years old after leaving war-torn Somalia. He arrived in Canada sometime in 2012 at an official port of entry and was granted refugee status later that year.

Story continues

Sharif has not yet entered a plea. He's due back in Court of Queen's Bench for arraignment on May 4.

andrea.huncar@cbc.ca

@andreahuncar
A former University of Manitoba student whose fingerprints were recovered from a massive unexploded bomb outside a U.S. military base in Afghanistan was sentenced Tuesday to 45 years in prison.

Muhanad Al Farekh was sentenced in a Brooklyn, N.Y., court for supporting the militant group al-Qaeda and helping to prepare a 2009 truck bomb attack on the base. It was less than the life sentence sought by prosecutors.

The 32-year-old had been found guilty by a jury in September of the charges of conspiring to murder Americans, using a weapon of mass destruction and supporting a foreign terrorist organization. Al Farekh will appeal both the verdict and sentence, said Sean Maher, one of his lawyers.

Before U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan imposed the sentence, Al Farekh's other lawyer, David Ruhnke, read a letter written by his client, who did not speak himself.

In the letter, Al Farekh did not directly address the crimes of which he was found guilty, but asked the judge to consider that young men could be misled into violence. Al Farekh said he is now opposed to violence.

Assistant U.S. attorney Richard Tucker urged the judge not to believe the letter, saying Al Farekh remained "unshakably committed to violent jihad" and was "willing to say anything."

Cogan said the letter was "not an enthusiastic acceptance of responsibility."

"I just can't draw anything from that," he said.

Still, the judge said he was giving Al Farekh some hope of life after prison because he did not believe him to be "totally devoid of humanity," citing the support of his family.

Cogan said that, with 15 per cent off his sentence for good behaviour and three years already served, Al Farekh could get out when he is 67.

Lived in Winnipeg

Al Farekh is an American citizen but had lived in Winnipeg, where he has family, while enrolled at the University of Manitoba. In 2007, he and two friends boarded a plane in Winnipeg and left for Pakistan, court was told during the trial.

Story continues

An explosion in Afghanistan two years later eventually led to the charges against Al Farekh.

On Jan. 19, 2009, a truck carrying a bomb exploded outside the U.S. Forward Operating Base Chapman in Afghanistan's Khost province. About 90 Americans were working there, helping with construction of buildings such as schools and hospitals.

One U.S. soldier and numerous Afghan nationals were injured.

A second truck carrying a much bigger bomb  3,400 kilograms of explosives  never detonated.

If it had, it would have been "catastrophic" and many people would have died, the jury was told.

The plan was for the first vehicle to detonate at the gate so the second truck, following closely behind, could enter the base and detonate inside "to maximize casualties and damage," the prosecution said.

But the second truck got stuck in the blast crater from the first explosion. The driver of the second truck abandoned his vehicle without detonating its bomb and he was soon shot and killed by security personnel guarding the perimeter of the base, court heard.

Government witnesses testified there were 18 prints found on the unexploded bomb that matched Al Farekh's fingerprints. The prints were pulled from the packing tape wrapped around the explosives.

Al Farekh was arrested in Pakistan in 2014 and transferred to the custody of U.S. authorities, who took him to New York in 2015 to face trial.

'Al-Qaeda bad guy'

The jury convicted him of all nine charges he faced, which also included use of explosives and conspiracy to bomb a government facility.

"This guy's for real and he's a bad guy. He's an honest to goodness al-Qaeda bad guy," Tucker said of Al Farekh.

The defence had argued Al Farekh, who was born in Texas and raised in Dubai, was "an innocent man falsely accused" of crimes he didn't commit.

Referring to some of the evidence as "junk science," the defence tried to cast doubt on the validity of the handwriting analysis of what prosecutors said were letters written by Al Farekh in 2013.

"The government is coming in here and trying to portray fingerprint analysis and handwritten analysis as actual science," said Maher. "That is ludicrous."

He said the fingerprint matching involved "guesswork."

Videos glorified killing of American soldiers

Al Farekh and his two friends from the University of Manitoba  Ferid Imam and Maiwand Yar  travelled from Winnipeg to Pakistan on March 8, 2007. The jury heard Al Farekh had gone to a travel agency on Pembina Highway in Winnipeg to buy their airline tickets.

In the months before their departure, the three men watched video recordings encouraging violent jihad, listened to jihadist lectures and talked about their support for violent Islamist extremism, court was told.

In one instance, the jury was shown a video recorded at a Winnipeg apartment in February 2007, just a few days before the trio left for Pakistan.

In that home video, Al Farekh is seen at his computer, searching online for a video posted by an al-Qaeda affiliate. It was a 38-minute video titled "Lee's Life for Lies," released online in January 2007 by the Islamic Army in Iraq, a Sunni insurgent group fighting against the U.S. military and the Iraqi government, court heard.

"The reason that that video is important is because it tells you something about the defendant's state of mind just a couple weeks before he gets on that airplane," said prosecutor Richard Tucker.

"The evidence has shown that Muhanad Al Farekh watched videos that glorified the killing of American soldiers," prosecutor Douglas Pravda told the jury.

Evan Kohlman, co-founder of a company that scours the Internet looking for terrorist propaganda and then advises private sector clients as well as government agencies, testified the video shows graphic footage of the aftermath of attacks on U.S. soldiers, including "roadside bombings, sniper attacks, other very graphic footage, close-up footage, of attacks on U.S. personnel inside of Iraq."

'Dangerous individual'

Once they embarked on their journey, Yar and Imam never returned to Canada.

Like Al Farekh, they joined al-Qaeda, with Imam becoming a weapons trainer at a camp where he taught others how to use machine guns, pistols and rocket-propelled grenades, the prosecution said. His whereabouts are unknown.

Yar's brother testified the family later was told by an unidentified person in Pakistan that Yar had been killed in that country.

In its sentencing submission, the prosecution argued "the defendant was born into privilege and had every opportunity to lead a productive and law-abiding life. Instead, he chose to embrace hatred and violence.

"He tried to kill U.S. soldiers and aid workers, and joined al-Qaeda, where his U.S. citizenship allowed for his rapid advancement into the organization's elite external operations group.

"He has made no effort to accept responsibility for his actions, and given his background, training and expertise, remains a dangerous individual."
As high-profile court cases involving Indigenous victims spark protests across the country, a family in Grande Prairie is sharing its own story.

About 100 people gathered outside the city's courthouse on Tuesday to remember Donald Moberly.

Moberly, 18, died in October 2015 after he was stabbed during a fight outside a bar in Sexsmith, Alta., 20 kilometres north of Grande Prairie.

Three other young men, including Moberly's brother and cousin, were stabbed in the fight.

In November 2017, a jury in Grande Prairie found the accused in the case not guilty on one count of manslaughter and three counts of aggravated assault.

MaryLynne Moberly found out about the stabbing when her dying son called from outside the bar.

"He called from a friend's cellphone and said, 'Mom,' " she recalled.

"And I knew something was wrong. And I said, 'Donald, is everything OK?' His friend came on and said there's been a stabbing. I dropped the phone and went straight to where it happened."

Her son died three and a half hours later in hospital, she said.

"My last 'I love you' that I told him was in a coffin. But the last 'I love you' that I heard from him was before he was going into surgery."

The man accused in Moberly's death was originally charged with second-degree murder. After a preliminary hearing, the charge was downgraded to manslaughter.

The acquittal hit hard, Moberly's mother said.

"I'm just a mother, so it's hard to stand up and have a voice," she told CBC News at the rally on Tuesday.

"I've been brokenhearted since I lost one of my children. But to have strangers tell you that it's basically OK that he was [killed]  the not guilty part hit me.

"I think there should be consequences when you harm, when you take someone away from their family and their friends for no reason."

The acquittal also quashed any hope for justice, she said.

Story continues

"I held on for that from the time my son passed. I spoke to my family, 'We have to hang on to hope. We will get something for his life.' And we didn't."

'Part of something bigger'

Moberly's case was one of several talked about at Tuesday's rally, as part of a public call for judicial reform.

Andrea Deleeuw, one of the organizers, said the event tapped into anger about court cases involving Indigenous victims across the country.

She cited the deaths of Tina Fontaine in Manitoba, Colten Boushie in Saskatchewan and Cindy Gladue in Alberta.

In each case, the accused was acquitted by a jury. The acquittal in Gladue's case was overturned last year.

"It's a part of something bigger than just this circumstance," Deleeuw said.

"It's kind of given us, as a community, momentum to see other communities getting together and pushing for change. So we definitely are riding on that as well."

The group is calling for changes to Canada's justice system that will support Indigenous people and organizations, Deleeuw said.

@ZoeHTodd
Manitoba's Progressive Conservative government is digging deeper into the possibility of privatizing provincial air services.

On Tuesday, Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said the province has issued a request for proposals for a consultant to help draft another RFP for a private carrier that could provide wildfire suppression and air ambulance services.

Those services are currently run by the Manitoba Government Air Services Branch.

"What we are looking for today  and it's on [the government tendering service] MERX  is someone to help us put together that RFP," Schuler told reporters Tuesday.

The move is the second step in a three-step process that would take place before privatizing the Air Services Branch, which Schuler said could get Manitobans better value-for-money.

The first was an expression of interest that went out in 2017 "in order to determine marketplace interest and capability to provide, in full or in part, services currently provided by the Air Services Branch."

The final step would be drafting the request for proposals for the private providers themselves.

"I want to be very clear: nothing is changing. Business as usual. No decision has been made. The airplanes are going to continue to fly," Schuler said.

The government has been exploring the possibility of privatization for months, and referred to the new RFP in its 2018 budget speech. Schuler said six parties responded to the expression of interest last year.

The 91 provincial employees who would be affected by the change were notified Tuesday, he said  but the government has not yet made up its mind either way on privatizing the air service.

"We are just going to test this. This is not ideology. This is, 'Can we get a way better value for the taxpayers?'" Schuler said.

Privatization likely won't save money: MGEU

A spokesperson for the union representing the province's pilots said he's not convinced the province would save money on the switch, and he said the province shouldn't look for savings on a life-saving service.

Story continues

"Once you have private airline companies in there, they're also concerned about delivering profits to shareholders," said Jean-Guy Bourgeois, director of internal operations for the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union.

"When the question comes, say, in a heavy forest-fire year and profits are threatened, I don't want to be in the position of having to ask the question, 'Are they making that decision based on the needs of the communities, or on the basis of the needs of their shareholders?'"

If the province chooses privatization, Schuler said current employees would likely be able to find work in the private sector.

The Air Services Branch, which is responsible for a fleet of 22 government-owned aircraft, already uses private carriers for nearly 50 per cent of its services, Schuler said. The fleet also provides some general transportation, including flights needed by Manitoba Hydro.

He dismissed concerns that a private provider would be less safe. Any request for proposals seeking a private provider would require the new services be at least as good as existing ones, he said.

"We will make sure that safety is foremost on our RFP," he said.
A major Republican fundraiser and power player with deep business ties to the United Arab Emirates reportedly urged President Donald Trump to fire Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in October, and claimed the nations top diplomat was weak and a tower of Jello, according to leaked email messages released Tuesday.

Elliott Broidy, a member of the Republican National Committees finance team and a well-known bundler for GOP fundraising efforts, described his October 2017 meeting with Trump in an email to George Nader, an adviser to the UAEs crown prince, and said Tillerson needed to be slammed, a BBC report on the emails said. Tillerson was fired by Trump on Tuesday, after months of speculation about when the embattled secretary of state would leave his post.

Broidy specifically took umbrage with Tillersons lack of support for Trumps decision to back Saudi Arabia, UAE and other Arab nations moves against Qatar last year. (Broidys intelligence-gathering and security company, Circinus, also has contracts worth millions with the UAE.)

Trending: Kellyanne Conway Took Private Jets At Taxpayer Expense, Too, But White House Won't Talk, House Democrat Says

Tillerson recently stated the diplomatic row among the Gulf states was having an adverse effect on the United States.

"This dispute has had direct negative consequences economically and militarily for those involved, as well as the United States. We are concerned by the rhetoric and propaganda employed in the region, playing out daily in Arab mainstream and social media, Tillerson said at a strategic dialogue meeting on the U.S. and Qatars relations in January.

GettyImages-931374290

Getty Images/Mark Wilson

In his email to Nader, who is currently cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Russian election meddling in 2016, Broidy also explained how he encouraged Trump to meet with the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and a UAE military officer.

Story continues

Don't miss: Golden State Warriors Coach Tells Teens to 'Scare the Hell out of' NRA and Trump by Registering to Vote

"I offered that MBZ [the crown prince] is available to come to the US very soon and preferred a quiet meeting in New York or New Jersey. President Trump agreed that a meeting with MBZ was a good idea," Broidy wrote.

He also wrote that he told Trump that Tillerson should be fired at a politically convenient time."

Trump denied he was plotting Tillersons ouster for months. But The New York Times reported in November that Trump planned to cut ties with Tillerson and install CIA Director Mike Pompeo as the newest secretary of state.

Trump announced Tillersons firing Tuesday on Twitter, and conflicting reports make it unclear as to whether Trump notified the former ExxonMobil chief of his dismissal before taking to social media. The president nominated Pompeo to head up the State Department in the same Tweet.

Most popular: People Are Poor in Africa Because They Sleep Too Much, Ugandan President says

Broidy told the BBC he believes the Qatari government hacked his emails.

"We have reason to believe this hack was sponsored and carried out by registered and unregistered agents of Qatar seeking to punish Mr. Broidy for his strong opposition to state-sponsored terrorism," a spokesperson for Broidy told BBC in a statement.

Broidys spokesperson also said that some of the emails might have been altered, but did not expand on that assertion to the BBC.

Qatar denied accusations of hacking and also threatened legal action against Broidy and others in a statement.

"Qatar would like to state unequivocally that it has not engaged in or committed any of the alleged accusations made falsely by Mr. Broidy, nor has it engaged or paid anyone to do so, the statement read.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today Canada will not be "bowled over" by the United States at the NAFTA negotiating table, offering new insights into the ongoing trade talks.

Justin Trudeau made the comment to a steel worker in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, as he greeted employees arriving at the local factory's morning shift.

Workers asked Trudeau a series of candid questions about Canada-U.S. relations, the threat of American tariffs on steel and aluminum, and NAFTA.

"(The United States has) now decided they want to get it done quicker, which is good," Trudeau told Matt Frolick, one of the workers who had a question about the trade talks.

"The challenge they face is that we're there at the table, we're contributing, but we're not just going to be bowled over by them," Trudeau added.

"We're pushing back a little bit on some of the things we think might not be the right ... suggestions, which is is what people would expect.

"We're standing up for ourselves."

Trudeau also wondered aloud how prepared the Americans were for the negotiation process.

"The U.S. hadn't always thought through exactly what they wanted. We knew what we wanted, so we laid it out, and we're working with them in a meaningful way," he said.

As CBC News previously reported, questions have been asked about the American side's negotiating strategy after it was slow to present its specific demands on key issues, like labour standards.

Exemption confidence

Trudeau was in Sault Ste. Marie as part of his national tariff reassurance tour.

The prime minister cut short a planned family vacation to instead tour factories and meet with workers  an attempt to ease their anxieties over the possibility the U.S. could still impose new tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump granted Canada and Mexico an indefinite exemption from the tariffs.

The president has since promised to grant his NAFTA trading partners a permanent exemption  but only if both cave to his demands at the negotiating table.

Story continues

Canada views NAFTA and the tariffs as completely separate issues.

Trudeau told another steel worker today that "there's a whole bunch of different reasons" why he's confident Canada won't end up being hit by the new tariffs.

"The whole tariff thing relies on making a national security argument," Trudeau said.

"If they (the U.S.) actually go forward with tariffs on Canada on the basis of national security, it sort of is clear to the world they're not actually focused on national security."

Canada has argued that since it is a staunch ally of the United States, collaborating on national security issues at home and abroad, its steel and aluminum can't be considered a security threat.
MANILA (Reuters) - The United States handed over six surveillance drones to its ally the Philippines on Tuesday, as part of efforts to boost its ability to tackle a growing threat from Islamist militants and to respond to natural disasters. The six Boeing Insitu ScanEagle drones, which have two cameras and can operate for up to 24 hours on a single run, were financed through a $13.7 million grant from Washington's foreign military assistance program. It follows the transfer of two single-engine surveillance planes last year. The Philippines plans to deploy the drones for surveillance against militants and pirates, and for surveying the aftermath of disasters like typhoons, mudslides and earthquakes. "This acquisition of ScanEagle is one way to modernize the military to deter those who want to wage war against our country," Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said at a ceremony at a Manila air force base, attended by the U.S. ambassador. "This collaboration is also an indication of the Philippines and the United States' goodwill, deep friendship and genuine commitment to peace." The United States is the most important military partner of the Philippines, with a decades-old treaty alliance and numerous pacts that enable rotational deployment of U.S. troops and annual joint exercises. However, ties have been tested by President Rodrigo Duterte's hostility towards the United States. Nevertheless, the U.S. military provided technical support and surveillance vital in helping the Philippines end a five-month occupation of Marawi City by pro-Islamic State rebels last year. (Reporting by Ronn Bautista; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Robert Birsel)
A group of talented young musicians from Winnipeg took the stage in Japan this week to play for a local audience that's welcomed them in for three decades.

Last week, Dakota Collegiate High School sent 67 band students to its sister school Meitoku Gijuku High School in Kochi, Japan, for the 30th annual International Joint Concert.

After about a week of practising and taking in the scenery, they played alongside students from Australia, Japan, Thailand, China and Indonesia on Wednesday morning, Winnipeg-time (Wednesday night in Kochi).

"It's amazing, I am so excited to be here," Thomas Richard, a Grade 11 Dakota student who plays trombone in the band, said over the phone from Kochi Tuesday night.

Dakota collegiate principal Jill Mathez said ahead of the big show that she couldn't be prouder of her group.

"When you see the students preparing for the last six months for this concert and you see them now today and yesterday, especially rehearsing the final moments and fine tuning all the details, it is absolutely a thrill," she said.

The school has dispatched a group of young musical minds to the Japan festival every three years since its inception, Mathez says, making the most recent stint its 10th performance.

Though the group landed in Japan last week and has had some time to see some of the local sites, Richard said the teens had also rehearsed just about every day in preparation for the concert.

"It's a wonderful place," said Richard, who said he was impressed by how hospitable locals have been. "Just the kindness, and the people here are just amazing."

Each international school brought music to teach students from other countries. Dakota Collegiate decided on a melody from the James Bond movie series; Meitoku Gijuku students shared a traditional Japanese folk song.

Language barriers have made communicating a challenge at times, Richard says, and it wasn't exactly easy teaching the James Bond tune to some of the international students.

Story continues

"It's a very different style for some of the students," he said.

"We got mixed reactions. Some were quite shocked and others were annoyed at how difficult this was."

Apart from the valuable experience students have gained playing overseas over the years, Mathez says the trip also brings the international students together in ways they couldn't imagine.

"By the end of it you were hearing comments like, 'Oh gosh, I can't wait to get back to Canada and stay in touch. I'm going to email all of these people,'" she said.

"They're going to be friends forever and that's something you're not going to get inside your classroom, in the walls of a school."

Interest in the program continues to grow. Mathez says that's good because it's teaching students about more than just time signatures and how to play in harmony.

"I think anytime you can take a student, or people, out of what their normal everyday activities are and immerse them in a culture that is different, [they] recognize at times it's not all about you," she said.

"There's so much more in this world  to learn about."
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.

.

..JNS.org..13 March '18..When it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict,says much with what it choosesand chooses not toreport. Both omission-laden reporting and selective coverage are distorting the papers depiction of the Jewish state.continually omits Palestinian rejection of U.S. and Israeli peace offers, while simultaneously ignoring Palestinian leaders who embrace terror. In the last 18 years alone, the Palestinian Authority has refused U.S. and Israeli proposals for peace in exchange for a Palestinian state on numerous occasions, including 2000 at Camp David, 2001 at Taba and 2008 after the Annapolis Conference. Similarly, the P.A. rejected U.S. attempts to restart negotiations in 2014 and 2016, and has refused bilateral talksa requirement stipulated by the Oslo accords that created the P.A. in the first place and which remains the basis for its fundingfor the last eight years.The P.A. could have accepted any of these numerous opportunities for statehood; they not only refused, but declined to so much as make a counteroffer.Yetdoesnt feel that this continual pattern of Palestinian rejectionism is worthy of news space. The Post failed to detail these rejected offers in the more than 35 reports on the state of the peace process that their Jerusalem bureau and World Views section published from January 2016 through February 2018.
Student Success

DePauw U Guarantees Every Graduate Will Find a Job

DePauw University is so confident of the value of its liberal arts education that it has guaranteed a successful outcome  employment or graduate school acceptance within six months of graduation  for 100 percent of its students. That pledge, dubbed the DePauw Gold Commitment, will begin in fall of 2018 with the class of 2022; already, about 95 percent of DePauw's graduates find success after college, according to the university.

To hold up their end of the deal, students "will be expected to begin preparing for life after college in their first semester, participate fully in all the opportunities available to them, graduate within four years, and conduct themselves as good citizens during their college experience," the university said in a news announcement. As they complete their academic requirements, they will also create a portfolio of experiential learning such as work-study appointments, internships (both on and off campus) and fellowships. Advisers will help students select their curricular and co-curricular opportunities, ensuring that all students achieve hands-on work skills during their time at the university.

Upon graduation, if students do not secure a first job or graduate school acceptance within the allotted time frame, "DePauw and its employer partners, many of whom are successful alumni, will provide them with a professional entry-level position lasting at least six months," the university explained. Or, the graduates can return to DePauw for one tuition-free semester, "to further hone skills and experience."

"It's important for DePauw families to know that a truly immersive, residential, undergraduate-focused liberal arts education, with small class sizes and intense personal attention from faculty mentors, is worth it. It unquestionably prepares intelligent, inquisitive citizens of the world who can apply their knowledge to any discipline," said DePauw President Mark McCoy in a statement. "Our graduates have been amazingly successful for nearly 200 years. Our alumni know that this education leads to a consequential and considered life. We want students and families to know that if you commit to DePauw, DePauw commits to you."
College Cost

New College Promise Programs Heading Astray

A new analysis of existing and proposed College Promise programs has warned that the kinds of "policy design choices" made by policymakers will affect how well their Promise programs meet the goals they've set. In some states policymakers have begun to include requirements in their programs "to pursue objectives less directly related to the core goals of financial aid or college affordability measures." As a result, those states may not reach the people who most need the Promise help and their states may fail in closing gaps in enrollment and attainment rates for specific subgroups of students.

So suggested a report that examined 20 existing College Promise programs in 18 states. The analysis is intended to offer guidance to state and local political and education leaders considering the introduction of programs in their own states. The concept of the Promise program is to provide free or debt-free college to students who might otherwise not be able to afford post-secondary education.

Promise programs are far from universal, wrote Jen Mishory, a senior fellow at the progressive nonprofit Century Foundation, in "The Future of Statewide College Promise Programs: A State Guide to Free College." Eligibility requirements set by some states "limit the programs to just a small percentage of college students." For example, more than half of the programs require students to attend school full-time, which leaves out part-timers, who are more likely to be on their own financially. Nearly half work 40 or more hours each week, and almost 40 percent have dependents. As a result, she wrote, "many, if not most, non-traditional students are ineligible for their state's Promise programs unless their full aid package makes it realistic for them to attend full-time."

All but one of newer statewide Promise programs follow a last-dollar model, in which students are first required to use Pell dollars or other grant funds to cover the cost of tuition, with the Promise dollars covering any gap. If it were reversed, the report explained, low-income students could use the Promise dollars to pay for tuition and fees and the other funding to cover books, transportation, housing or other costs.

Merit-based Promise stipulations also limit the number of students who can qualify. Of the 16 programs considered in the report, half have a minimum grade point average and ACT or SAT requirement. Those, stated Mishory, "can have inequitable racial and socioeconomic impacts." Other requirements limit Promise coverage to specific degree or certificate programs deemed of strategic importance to the state.

For the 12 or more states that are considering adopting their own Promise programs in the current year, Mishory offered two pieces of advice:

Avoid adding layers of requirements that limit the help in unequal ways, such as merit stipulations and exclusion of non-traditional students; and

that limit the help in unequal ways, such as merit stipulations and exclusion of non-traditional students; and Keep the message simple, by leaving out post-college residency requirements, for instance, or adding confusing GPA standards; but do add funding for student support services.

The report is openly available through the Century Foundation website.
My first weeks at university were spent in mild panic. I wasnt a bad student, but somehow, I couldnt understand half of my lectures. Tutors peppered their lectures with unfamiliar technical terms, most of them ending in ism. Readings were dense and inhospitable slabs of text. Often, I was scrambling to make sense of one sentence when my tutor had already said another three.

It was a relief to discover that most of my fellow students felt the same way. Most first years tend to get this type of shock when they get exposed to the fast-moving academic language of university classes. It was natural communication to my tutors, who were submerged in the university culture. They didnt mean to be bewildering. But to students, it was like another language.

How we speak is powerful for including (or excluding) people. Which is why I wonder about how the situation appears when I relate to my unchurched friends and family.

Think about how many technical terms we as Christians use in talking about our faith to each other.

Bearing gospel fruit. Mutually encouraged. Love on others. Sitting under the Word. Accountability partners. Small groups. Doing life together. Greeting of peace. Laying on of hands. Raising up workers for the harvest. Gift of singleness. Eschatology. Fellowshipping together.

At times, I struggle to explain my faith without falling into this type of language. Language that no one outside faith circles should necessarily know about. Language thats basically Christian jargon. I begin to wonder if Im resembling one of those bad tourists who travels abroad and expects to communicate with everyone in English.

Do I even realise Im doing this? And what effect does that have on my relationships?

Spot the jargon

Jargon gets a poor rap, but it isnt all bad. Its most basic definition is the language peculiar to a trade, profession, or other group.

Jargon evolves into communication because its an efficient way for people in similar contexts to share information. Its fast and gets the job done. Doctors use jargon to discuss medical cases with other doctors; tradesmen share information with other tradesmen; and so on.

Its only natural that Christians would have their own words and phrases. After all, we have a whole history and faith that we can reference. Using these terms has advantages of efficiency and the ability to have deeper, more specific conversations with one another.

Where jargon falls down, though, is shown in a secondary definition of the term: pretentious language abounding in uncommon or unfamiliar words. Jargon is criticised for being vague and for excluding others. It works in a specific context for some; but can cause confusion for others.

A doctor friend of mine can understand a sentence like, The patients haemorrhage dropped the haematocrit to the point where the myocardium became compromised, causing an infarction. Me, I need to be told, The patients bleeding dropped their blood count, resulting in a heart attack.

Why? I have no medical background. Explaining medical concepts in medical terms to me is no good. You may as well explain Swahili to me in Swahili.

Can we say the same about our own jargon? What does it mean to invite Jesus into your heart, for example? What is the definition of an evangelical? Can we explain sin in plain English?

Not only does thinking about these concepts help us when we speak to our friends about our faith  it also helps crystallise our understanding of what Christianity is. Albert Einstein was attributed with saying, If you cant explain it simply, you dont understand it well enough. If we dont think about what were really saying, we wont be ready to explain it. We also wont be ready to be inclusive of those who dont speak the lingo.

Knowing our audience

I work in communications, so Im prone to think about how to use words so that they resonate. When I write, I dont say things in the hope that I understand them. I want their audience to get something out of them.

One verse that comes back to me is in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9:

Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the Law I became like one under the Law (though I myself am not under the Law), to win those under the Law. ...

I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means I might save some of them.

Paul recognised the importance of meeting people where they are, crossing all boundaries. He no doubt would have spoken in different ways to Jews, Gentiles, and those under the Law  not because he was sharing different truths, but because he wanted the hearers to understand well. He learned how to be fluent in customs and communication with his audience.

Its the same with us. Can we speak our faith for our friends who dont call themselves Christian? If we want our words to cross barriers, and if we want to be an inclusive community, we need to think about how we communicate.

My thoughts? Lets start noticing when we use Christian jargon and think more deeply about how wed explain our terms to outsiders. Lets be critical about our language, recognising what may be unclear or confusing. And lets keep one foot outside our community, not just inside.

Cheryl McGrath is a communications professional with a background in editing and publishing. She works as a copywriter and lives in Melbourne.

Cheryl McGrath's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/cheryl-mcgrath.html.


2021-08-23  





24



()









2021-08-13  

37





















2021-06-09  







23





510











2021-04-09 ()  





4



3









1







2021-04-06  



41

47





2021-03-30  









RZTW





TW













2021-02-19  ()









RZTW









2021-01-22  

3











2020-12-21  







202111()







2









2020-11-18  34

11







2020-10-07 [10/19] 





20201019000  630













2020-09-28  

9/283











2020-07-16  





















2020-06-24  









()



















2020-06-15  













(1)













2020-06-01 () 

6/1()













()







2020-05-18  





()



 61











2020-05-12 518 







2020518AM 100AM 700



































2020-05-03  



52()



 517









2020-04-21  





23







 







2020-04-14  

()



 54









2020-03-27  















2020-03-27  



322()329()

2



32521

4





2020-03-23 (4/2) 



(IN)

()4



(SGTW)

1023()







2020-03-04  







37





2020-03-03 3/6 









202036000  730

















2019-12-03  





ATM

()



https://www.zenginkyo.or.jp/topic/atm202001/

()





201912312352202014350













 1 2 3 ()





()







()









2019-12-02  123115

()1

















12/9

()

2019-12-02  







202011()







2

2019-11-25 11/26 







20191126000  730



























201911297

















 

2019-11-18  20191119









201911191530 2130





2019-11-13 auWALLET auWALLET2



auWALLET







45

https://wallet.auone.jp/contents/pc/guide/caution.html



auWALLET



2019-11-12  





()

https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/information/2019/1101_01.html







2019-10-11 19



















http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/ytc/info/info_191008.html





https://www.post.japanpost.jp/notification/productinformation/2019/1009_01.html 19

2019-10-04 10/7 







2019107100  600



















 

2019-09-26 9/3010/1 







20199302300  101100









20199302300  101500









20199302300  101200









 



2019-09-09 1010/1 



201910













290



101

300











2019-09-06  









2019915000  530





















2019-07-28 









2019728









2019728











 20197282019728  

2019-07-08 7/8()1518 







20197815001800















2019-07-04  











2019-05-13  















2019520AM000AM800





















2018-12-26  



FAX1113 



14



122915







2018-01-30  







13015







5





2018-01-19  



































K//







2017-12-04  



12

13



12/11

2017-11-17 















DIGITAL

http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASKCG66DZKCGULBJ016.html







































       DIGITAL

2017-10-18 19.20 

1920







2017-10-12  

10/12







5OFF





5

3



10,000

5OFF510







2017-05-25 10 

10 10 

10,0009,00010,000

3





2017-05-21 VISA 

5/19VISA



2017-05-06  551







2016-12-07  

13

 





2016-11-28  VISAMasterAMEX

3-6



6





2016-05-19  52627521









http://www.post.japanpost.jp/notification/productinformation/2016/0518_03.html



http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/info/info_160516.html

2016-04-18  

4/1415







2016-01-25  

ED  120DX2ml2ml2ml1



2016125 331



2015-12-24  2415

2015-12-10  1113   12/311/4

2015-10-29 11/1111/13   11/1111/133 8102 14

2015-10-26  

11:0018:00





info@philipstraub.com



2015-04-01 2 



6

3

2015-03-15  

1

1





2015-01-19 FAX 



FAX

FAX

2FAX

5



2014-12-22  





12/271/4

2014-10-17 10/2310/26  

10/2310/264

8102

2715

https://www.philipstraub.com/dt.php?pid=1187
TUESDAY, March 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Your ability to "feel" the emotions of others lies partly in your genes, new research suggests.

The British study, of nearly 47,000 adults, found that genes seemed to explain 10 percent of the variance in empathy from one person to another. And some of those genes are also associated with the risks of autism, schizophrenia and anorexia.

"We've known for a few decades now that differences in empathy have been observed in various psychiatric conditions," said researcher Varun Warrier, a postdoctoral researcher at Cambridge University.

"Understanding how genes contribute to differences in empathy may provide us with insights into the genetic basis for some of these psychiatric conditions," Warrier said.

Beyond that, it's important to understand people's capacity for empathy itself, the researchers added.

"Empathy is an important trait that helps us understand and respond to what someone else is feeling or going through," Warrier said. "As you can imagine, this shapes how we bond and interact with others."

Studying the genetics of empathy, he said, might help researchers better understand how people's environment -- their upbringing and social influences, for example -- builds their ability to empathize.

The people in the study were customers of a genetics company called 23andMe. They gave saliva samples for genetic analysis and completed a standard set of 60 questions that gauges a person's capacity for empathy.

On average, the researchers say, genetic variants seemed to account for around 10 percent of individual differences in empathy.

However, that might be an underestimate. Warrier said they did not analyze all of the DNA in the human genome. And in an earlier study of twins, he noted, genes explained about one-third of the variance in empathy from one person to the next.

It also turned out that certain genetic factors associated with low empathy have been linked to a higher risk of autism. That makes sense, the researchers say, since people with autism can have difficulty reading other people's emotions and social cues.

On the other hand, past studies have shown that certain genes tied to greater empathy have been linked to increased risks of schizophrenia or anorexia.

Some studies, the researchers say, have suggested that people with either schizophrenia or anorexia may be more prone to "emotional contagion." That's a phenomenon in which another person's emotions or behaviors trigger the same in you.

But if genes explain 10 percent -- or even one-third -- of people's capacity for empathy, that means non-genetic factors have a much bigger role.

Warrier said that "social factors," like upbringing and life experiences, are likely key. But there may be other biological influences, too, such as hormones, he said.

Dr. Helen Riess directs the empathy and relational science program at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston.

"Empathy is definitely a mutable trait," said Riess, who was not involved in the study. Even day to day, she noted, a person can feel more or less empathetic toward others.

Your capacity for empathy evolves over time, and it can decline, for example, when people feel "overworked or underappreciated," Riess said.

Research shows that during medical school, students tend to see their empathy decline. There are many factors, according to Riess, but stress and a lack of interaction with real patients are among them.

On the flip side, Riess has done research showing that doctors can cultivate empathy. When they do simple things like sitting down with patients and making eye contact -- versus standing over them -- both the patients and doctors themselves can benefit.

"Doctors end up liking their job more," Riess said. "It's an antidote to burnout."

Empathy can potentially be cultivated anywhere, though. At work, Riess noted, supervisors can make a difference with a simple "good job," rather than always focusing on what's wrong.

That's true of daily interactions, too. If people are constantly in complaining mode, or focused on what they lack, Riess explained, they can become consumed with their own.

She suggested spending more time with people you enjoy. "I'm not talking about having a 'complaining party,'" Riess said, "but spending time with people who share common interests with you."

"One thing people forget," she said, "is that there's power in positivity."

The study findings were published March 12 in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

More information

The Association for Psychological Science has more on the science of empathy.
TUESDAY, March 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- A good helmet not only protects your skull if you crash your motorcycle, it can also reduce the risk of cervical spine injuries, researchers found.

The finding counters claims by some that helmets do not protect against such injuries and may even increase the risk of injury, according to a team from the department of neurological surgery at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, in Madison.

For the study, Dr. Paul Page and colleagues analyzed data from more than 1,000 people injured in motorcycle crashes and treated at a level 1 trauma center in Wisconsin between 2010 and 2015. Of those patients, 30 percent were wearing helmets at the time of the crash and 70 percent were not. In Wisconsin, not all riders are required to wear a helmet.

At least one cervical spine injury was suffered by 15 percent of riders without a helmet, compared with 7 percent of those with a helmet, the findings showed. In addition, cervical spine fractures occurred in nearly 11 percent of riders without a helmet, compared with about 5 percent of those with a helmet.

Cervical spine injuries are among the most severe of spinal cord injuries because they are closer to the brain and affect a larger portion of the body, potentially leading to paralysis and even death, the researchers said.

The study showed that helmet use is associated with a much lower risk of cervical spine injury, particularly fractures of the cervical vertebrae, the researchers concluded.

These results provide more proof that wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of severe injury in a motorcycle crash, Page and his colleagues said.

The study was published online March 6 in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine.

More information

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more on motorcycles.
TUESDAY, March 13, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Poor mothers who get food assistance face close scrutiny over their kids' weight, researchers say.

Their study of 138 families in low-income communities in North Carolina found that poor mothers whose kids were overweight or underweight were more likely to be accused by doctors, nutritionists and social workers of not feeding them properly than were mothers of normal-weight children.

Mothers who were black or Hispanic were especially likely to draw such accusations.

Mothers in the study worried about losing custody of their kids if it was believed they weren't getting enough to eat.

"There's a common misconception that low-income parents of overweight children don't know or care about their children's weight, which is not true," said study co-author Sarah Bowen. She is an associate professor of sociology and anthropology at North Carolina State University.

"The mothers in our study cared a lot about their children's health and weight," Bowen added. "They knew that they should encourage their kids to drink more water, eat more vegetables, and be more active."

Co-author Sinikka Elliott said the findings suggest the need for more understanding and less stigma about the challenges facing poor families.

"All parents face some scrutiny over their kids' bodies when they go to the doctor, but our findings suggest poor mothers experience more scrutiny," she said. Elliott is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

"The stakes are also higher for these mothers as many feel they will be reported to social services if their children are overweight or underweight," Elliott said in a UBC news release.

The study was published in the February 2018 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family.

Many factors affect how kids' bodies develop, Elliott said.

"Their eating habits are shaped not just by what happens at home, but by the food that's available at school, peer pressure and even the commercials on TV. It doesn't make sense to praise or blame parents, yet we do," she said.

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more on nutrition.
Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

LinkedIn

Email

Telegram



The Committee to Protect Journalists joined a coalition of 28 other international press freedom organizations to call on Kyrgyz authorities to drop defamation lawsuits and to end the practice of using disproportionate fines, travel bans and other harsh penalties to punish critical media outlets and journalists.

The joint IFEX letter called on the parliament to reject amendments proposed in the draft law Amending the Civil Code of the Kyrgyz Republic, that would further restrict freedom of expression; and to review and amend the current Law On Guarantees for Activity of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, which serves as basis of defamation cases filed against journalists.

In June last year, CPJ documented how the prosecutor-generals office filed five defamation cases against the now-defunct independent online news agency Zanoza and its founders Naryn Idinov and Dina Maslova, for allegedly insulting the then-President Almazbek Atambayev. The court in July 2017 found the journalists guilty and fined them 27 million som (US$338,000) and put them under a travel ban, with a lien put on their properties. A court later rejected their appeal to pay in segments and the journalists could now face prison for nonpayment.

Freelance journalist Elnura Alkanova, who published an investigative report into alleged government corruption, is also under a travel ban after a court charged her last month with seeking and disclosing confidential commercial information, according to CPJ. Other journalists, including freelance reporter Ulugbek Babakulov, have been subject to harassment, including death threats, according CPJ.

To read the joint statement, click here.
President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated World Hindi Secretariat building in Port Louis, Mauritius. He also launched secretariats logo, an Early Digital Learning Programme as well unveiled foundation stones of social housing project and large ENT hospital being built with Indian assistance.

President Kovind visited Mauritius as part of first leg to his two-nation state visit (Mauritius and Madagascar). Later he will visit Madagascar, making him first Indian President to visit largest African island country.

World Hindi Secretariat
   :         3  ,  5      ; -    
Myanmar: Yangon chief ministers lay outs plan to improve fish farming

March 14,2018 | Source: Eleven Myanmar

The government will cooperate with Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF) in reforming the current fish farming system in fishery sector, said Yangon Region chief minister Phyo Min Thein. He blamed little profit for results from conventional farming and called for better services in transporting fishery products through cold storage factories. The chief minister said the government was coordinating a project with MFF so that Yangon Region could become a model in fishery sector. The project would start in accord with the instruction of the union government, he added.



Yangon has about 80,000 fish farms and half of them are running without licenses. But, coordination is being sought with the union government to take action against them. Phyo Min Thein said under the farmland law enacted in 2012, illegal use of land could face both fine and prison sentence. "At a time when the industrial sector improves, we will have to import raw materials if we cannot develop the agriculture sector," the chief minister commented.
Maharashtra: Ministry eases coastal rules, makes it easier to regularise illegal structures in Mumbai

by Badri Chatterjee

March 14,2018 | Source: Hindustan Times

An amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011  brought into effect by the Union ministry on March 6  makes it easier for builders and developers to regularise projects along coastal areas, even if they had failed to take prior permission. The notification by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) made it possible to issue a post facto clearance (a request for sanction obtained for an action without prior permission) for permissible activities in coastal areas.



Environmentalists and lawyers have said that illegal constructions and violators stand to benefit from the new notification. There is little probability that illegal constructions would get demolished now and this provides an easy way out for violators, they said. All activities, which are otherwise permissible under the provisions of this notification, but have commenced construction without prior clearance, would be considered for regularisation only in such cases wherein the project applied for regularization in the specified time, says the notification.



Further, the notification adds, the projects which are in violation of CRZ norms would not be regularised. Such cases where the constructions have commenced before the date of this notification without the requisite CRZ clearance, shall be considered only by MoEFCC, provided that the request for such regularisation is received in the said ministry by June 30, 2018. It states that the specific recommendations regarding regularisation of such proposals shall be given by the concerned Coastal Zone Management Authority. While making the recommendations, it will also certify that there have been no violations of the CRZ regulations.



Environmental lawyers said just because an activity is permissible within CRZ areas, it does not always mean that the activity will get the permission. The amendment makes it easier for builders to regularise their projects on the CRZ, even if they dont have the requisite permissions. All that builders have to do is submit a declaration that states they need regularisation for a pre-constructed building. The ministry body will the assess if it causes problems scientifically. However, it will not be able to look into the technical dangers that the building poses as that would require evaluating the foundations depth, quality of building matter, and environmental impact of the construction activities. Once the regularisation is complete, the building stands to be legal and no one can question it anymore, said Zaman Ali, an advocate practising in the Bombay High Court.



Ali added that post facto clearances destroy orderly development of any city. Such buildings now eligible to be regularised will, by way of this notification, primarily drive Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to take a decision on regularisation than deconstruction. The foundation of this amendment is therefore against the spirit of environmental laws. Builders can take advantage of this by saying look we are in CRZ-II and we have constructed an eight floor building, now regularise it, said Ali. There may be areas which can get restored even today where permitted construction without permissions may have come up, but this notification creates a bias to allow MCZMA process and regularise without a lot of considerations, he added.



Godfrey Pimenta, advocate said, Post facto approval is a dangerous trend. The idea of having prior CRZ approval is to ensure that CRZ norms are not breached. Now, allowing post facto approval would effectively result in no fear of law. If one is caught flouting the law, then they can get away by simply paying penalty and getting the proposal regularised. This may be good for building projects, but for environmental issues it will be suicidal. Stalin D, project director, NGO Vanashakti, said, This is a mischievous way to allow violators to get away. Mumbai builders, developers and project proponents who have commenced work without permission and are in violation will benefit. The ministry of environment has become a regularisation and clearances ministry. This is also being done with an eye on the elections to generate illegal money to be used during the 2019 elections.



Elections are approaching and it is time to start making money. No suggestions or objections were invited while issuing the notification. The MoEFCC has used its emergency powers to amend CRZ laws when there is absolutely no emergency. Extending the viability of CRZ clearance from five to seven years is counterproductive. CRZ notification was the first document from the central government that acknowledged climate change and sea level rise as early as 1988. But in 2018, they seem to have forgotten that such threats exist even more today. It is totally contrary as they are allowing more constructions to take place, said Debi Goenka, environmentalist and executive trustee of the Conservation Action Trust, petitioner in the Bombay HC matter from 2005 that brought better protection to mangrove trees in Maharashtra.
Pakistan: India, Pakistan agree to "resume" visits of officials on fishermen, prisoners issues

March 14,2018 | Source: UNI India

The government of India on Wednesday said both India and Pakistan have agreed to"resume" the visits of the Joint Judicial Committee which looks into the issues of fishermen and prisoners in each others custody. In response to queries on the issue, official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: "The last visit of such a Committee had taken place in October 2013 to India. The officials on both sides would be working on the modalities to implement the understanding reached on these humanitarian issues".



He further said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in October 2017 had suggested to the High Commissioner of Pakistan that the two sides could progress on humanitarian issues related to elderly, women, children and mentally unsound prisoners. "We note that today Pakistan has responded positively to External Affairs Minister's suggestion to work towards the release and repatriation of prisoners over 70 years of age and women prisoners who are in each others custody," he said.



Further, a visit of a team of medical experts would be organised to meet the mentally unsound prisoners so as to facilitate the repatriation of such prisoners, he said. Meanwhile, reports from Pakistan said, the western neighbour has "accepted humanitarian proposals" received from India for exchange of prisoners over 70 years of age, facilitating the visit of medical experts from both sides to examine the mentally challenged prisoners for their repatriation and revival of judicial committee mechanism.
Nepal: Rainbow Trout farming takes off in Manang

by RAMJI RANA

March 14,2018 | Source: The Himalayan Times

Farmers in Manang  where fish or fishery are not common  have become elated after the species of Rainbow Trout have started being reared commercially in the district. Manang, with its geographical remoteness and extremely cold weather, did not so far facilitate fish rearing. However, the locals of are joyous after commercial fish farming has taken off in the district for the first time.



Local Lokendra Ghale of Dharapani, Nashong Rural Municipality-4 in Lower Manang, has began commercial fish farming with an investment of Rs 5.9 million. Himali Project, which has been working in the sector of agriculture, livestock, and other livelihood related areas in 10 upper mountainous regions, has made 80 percent investment in Ghales business.



Many farmers were disappointed believing that fish cannot be reared in cold places, Ghale said, however, the fish farming business that I have begun has been successful. This has now changed the identity of the district. He further added that the reared fish will be used within the district as Manang is a tourist area, and expressed hope that he will get high returns within a short span of time because the rainbow trout is of superior quality.



As many as 21,000 small fish were put into the pond. Some of them did not survive and at present there are 15,000 fish in the pond, he shared. Agriculture Development Office, Manang has been providing technical support and advice to Ghale, who has become popular for pioneering the fish rearing business in the district. He further shared that he aims to make Manang self-sufficient by rearing fish in the pond in their early stages and later making them available to other farmers in the district. Likewise, another local, Tej Jung Ghale of Khotro in the district, has also began fish farming business of the rainbow trout species.
West Bengal: Crab collecting season starts: Pirates still active in Sundarbans

March 14,2018 | Source: Business News 24 BD

In spite of several surrendering and killing forest robbers in gunfight with law enforcers, different pirate gangs are still active in the Sundarbans. More than once, different robber gangs surrendered before the Home Minister and drives are going on against the pirates, but the rest members of those gangs have been making new gangs who are ferociously active in the Sundarbans. Recently two pirates were killed in a gunfight in Barguna adjacent to Sundarbans. Besides, so many forest robbers were killed at several periods at several places adjacent to the Sundarbans in different gunfights with the members of law enforcers including Rab, Police and Coastguard. But new pirate gangs have created in the mean time who are still committing their misdeeds such as abduction of fishermen, looting valuable goods and realizing ransom, sources said.



Crab collecting season already started in the Sundarbans, but the crab collectors are in fear of attack of pirates. At least 60 fishermen were abducted from Koyala area of the Bay of Bengal by the forest robber gang Alim Bahini and this occurrence created agitation among the administrations. Officials of the elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-6) said, members of Rab-6 arrested three ferocious robbers of Alim Bahini from Sharonkhola range of the Sundarbans on along with some fire arms on December 4, 2016. On the same day a fisherman who managed to escape from the scene told the journalists that 60 fishermen were abducted on demand of ransome by the forest robber gang named Alim Bahini. Residents of the abducted fishermen are at different places of Patuakhali and Chittagong.



On the other hand 12 members of a forest robber gang named Khoka Bahini surrendered before the Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. Only after three days of this surrendering ceremony , 20 fishermen were abducted and 7 fishing trawlers wewre looted from Mandarbaria area in the shore of the Bay by the forest robber gang Jahangir Bahini. Maksudul Alam, assistant conservator of forest (ACF) of Satkhira range of the Sundarbans said. activities of the pirates are continuing in the Sundarbans area. Fishermen sources said, pirates swoop on them while fishing and loot trawlers and goods belonged to them and there after they demand ransom huge amount of taka. Captain Mohammad Ali Chowdhury, Zonal Commander of West Zone of Coastguard said, whenever the coastguard is informed about the matter of abduction, they conduct drives at once. Rab office sources said, a total of 652 arms and 18055 bullets were recovered and 226 pirates were arrested by the members of RAB.



On October 19, 2016, through the members of Rab-8, 14 pirates surrendered. At length, on December 5, 2016, members of Bangladesh Naval ship Teesta arrested 14 robbers and rescued four fishermen from deep sea of the Bay at Kuakata area of Patuakhali district. Lt. A M M Zahidul Kabir, CPC-1 of Rab-6 said, drives against the pirates of the Sundarbans are unabated.
Botswana has no intention to abolish the death penalty or impose a moratorium on its implementation, President Ian Khama said on Tuesday.President Ian Khama told heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Gaborone that his government is unfazed by international calls to abolish the death penalty.





Noting that the matter has aroused interest in certain quarters, Khama said Botswana maintains the position that the death penalty is a criminal justice issue and its application on the most serious crimes is the sovereign right of individual States.





It is important to note that death penalty is not imposed arbitrarily in Botswana. In short, the application of the death penalty follows a thorough and exhaustive legal process that meets the basic standards of a fair trial, and the penalty is imposed for the most serious crimes as understood under international law, Khama said.





He added: In this regard, as Government, we do not intend to either abolish the death penalty or impose a moratorium on its application.





Human rights activists and the European Union have pleaded with Botswana to impose a moratorium on death penalty and hold a national referendum to establish if it was in favour of the practice.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

APA, March 14, 2018
Delaware placed the remnants of its death penalty on the history shelves Tuesday when it modified the death sentences of two convicted murderers to life in prison.





Michael R. Manley and David D. Stevenson, both 43, were sentenced after years of legal battles fighting a conviction that brought the death sentence for killing a Macy's security officer in 1995.





"No, your honor," both men responded when asked by Superior Court Judge Paul R. Wallace if they had anything to say.





Manley and Stevenson were the last men in Delaware living under a state-imposed death sentence, which was done away with after the state's top court found its death penalty unconstitutional on Aug. 2, 2016. The state Supreme Court ruling came months after the nation's top court struck down Florida's law because it gave judges  and not juries  the final say to impose a death sentence.





Florida's law was similar to Delaware's law.





Manley and Stevenson were convicted of first-degree murder in the Nov. 13, 1995, slaying of Kristopher Heath, a Macy's security officer who was about to testify against Stevenson in a theft case. Manley shot 25-year-old Heath at Stevenson's direction to prevent him from testifying.





The men received a death sentence in 1997 after a jury recommended execution. But the Delaware Supreme Court dismissed that sentence in 2001 after finding that the original judge had a conflict. In 2005, a new jury recommended death for the pair, voting 11-1 that Manley be put to death and 10-2 that Stevenson be executed.





Manley and Stevenson, who have been fighting their convictions since, were among 13 men on death row when the state Supreme Court's decision was issued in 2016.





All of the death sentences have now been modified, including that of convicted cop killer Derrick Powell, who last month was resentenced to life in prison.





Opponents of the death penalty said they welcomed the final remnants of the ultimate punishment.





"The penalty has not, nor has it ever been, about justice," said Chandra Pitts, president and CEO of One Village Alliance, a grassroots advocacy organization for young men and women.





The death penalty's implementation has been biased depending on the race of the victim, she said.





A study in California found that those convicted of killing whites were more than three times as likely to be sentenced to death as those convicted of killing blacks and more than four times more likely as those convicted of killing Latinos, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.





The center also points to a comprehensive study of the death penalty in North Carolina that found the odds of receiving a death sentence rose by 3.5 times among those defendants whose victims were white.





"So it's not a question of compassion for criminals, or an eye for an eye, or for justice," Pitts said. "It's about where is justice for all of our victims."





While this chapter of Delaware's death penalty is coming to a close, there have been other times when the ultimate punishment had been done away with in the First State.





In 1958, the state abolished capital punishment, but that repeal lasted only until 1961. Despite the death penalty's restoration, it was not used for decades.





That's because any prisoner who had been sentenced to death between 1961 and 1972 received an automatic reprieve following the 1972 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Furman vs. Georgia, which struck down all existing capital punishment statutes and required states to update their death penalty laws and trial procedures.





But even after Delaware changed its laws twice to comply with the ruling, no inmate was executed over the next 20 years. This was because the new statute required the unanimous vote of a jury to impose the death penalty and few such sentences were imposed.





Legislators passed a bill in 1991 that shifted the final decision about imposing the capital punishment to the judge, making it possible for the court to impose death even if there was a split vote among jurors.





Delaware lawmakers are again pushing to reinstate the statute amid an outcry over two law enforcement officers being killed last year  correctional officer Lt. Steven Floyd and state police Cpl. Stephen J. Ballard.





State House lawmakers in May passed a revised death penalty statute that addresses the constitutional infirmities noted in the state and federal court rulings by requiring unanimous jury approval. The bill is now in the Senate, where it has been assigned to the Judicial & Community Affairs Committee.





"House Bill 125 is being blocked in the Senate Judicial & Community Affairs Committee, where it has been pending action since early last May," bill sponsor Steve Smyk, R-Milford, said in a statement. "It is my understanding that the chair of the committee, Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry, has been approached by legislators of both parties requesting that the measure be brought before the committee for consideration. Thus far, she has reportedly ignored these requests."

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
Iran Human Rights (Mar 12, 2018): A prisoner was hanged at Khoy Central Prison on rape charges.





According to a report by HRANA, on the morning of Sunday, March 11, a prisoner was executed at Khoy Central Prison on rape charges.





The prisoner was identified as Javad Golneyyat, and he had two young girls.





A close source said, Mr. Golneyyat was sentenced to death on rape charges. He was executed at Khoy Central Prison this morning. He denied the accusation. Thats why his family and I went to prison today and asked the prison warden to delay the execution but all our efforts were in vain, and he was executed anyway.





The execution of this prisoner, which is confirmed by IHR sources, has not been announced by the state-run media so far.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
The execution of Hishamrudin Bin Mohd has been scheduled for 16 March, a week after Singapores first known execution of 2018 took place.





The Singaporean man was convicted of, and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for, drug-related offences in 2016. He maintains his innocence of the crime.





The execution of Hishamrudin Bin Mohd has been scheduled for 16 March, a week after Singapores first known execution of 2018 took place . The Singaporean man was convicted of, and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty for, drug-related offences in 2016. He maintains his innocence of the crime.





Hishamrudin Bin Mohds family members were told on 12 March 2018 by prison officials that his execution was scheduled for four days later, on 16 March. Hishamrudin Bin Mohd, a 56 year-old Singaporean man, was sentenced to the mandatory death penalty on 6 April 2016 after he was found guilty of possessing 34.94 grams of diamorphine for the purpose of trafficking. His appeal was rejected on 3 July 2017.





The Courts found that he had not satisfied the criteria that would allow judges to exercise some discretion at sentencing under the amended Misuse of Drugs Act, as his involvement in the offence was thought to be more than simply transporting drugs and he had not raised any concerns about the state of his mental health in order to seek diminished responsibility for the crime.





Hishamrudin Bin Mohd has maintained his innocence since his arrest and holds that proceedings against him were unfair. At his trial and appeal, he stated that he was assaulted by officers of the Central Narcotics Bureau during his arrest and that officials had planted and tampered with evidence against him.





According to a family member, he discharged several lawyers assigned to him under the Legal Assistance Scheme for Capital Offences as they did not respect his defence instructions, and eventually chose to represent himself at trial and during his appeal. He therefore elected not to appeal for clemency from the President, and instead sought for months to reopen the case through further appeals.





All these avenues proved unsuccessful, resulting in the scheduling of his execution for 16 March. A last minute application for a judicial review of his case was accepted on 12 March and a closed door hearing was set for 14 March.



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION





On 12 March 2018, officials of the Singapore Prison Service asked family members of Hishamrudin Bin Mohd to visit him at Changi prison, eastern Singapore, that same day. At the end of their visit, they were informed that the execution by hanging of Hishamrudin Bin Mohd was set for 16 March, and that as family members they would be allowed extended visiting time, for up to four hours per day, in the three days preceding the execution.





The officials added that Hishamrudin Bin Mohd would only be notified of his imminent execution the following morning, 13 March, and that on the eve of the execution two family members could use a dedicated room  created by the Prison Service in November 2017  to rest and wait for the hanging to take place.





The officials also said that the body of the prisoner would be returned to his family after the execution.





The notification of the imminent execution of Hishamrudin Bin Mohd to his family came three days after the announcement by the Central Narcotics Bureau in national media of the execution of a Ghanaian man , on 9 March 2018.





The Ghanaian national had been convicted of and sentenced to the mandatory death penalty in July 2016 for importing 1,634.9g of methamphetamine.





His execution brought the number of known executions carried out in Singapore to 19 since the 2012 legislative reforms came into force. Of these executions, 16 involved men convicted of drug-related offences.





The authorities of Singapore do not make information on scheduled executions available to the public, instead making official announcements of executions only on some occasions after they have been carried out.





Following the adoption of the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Act 2012 and the Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2012 on 14 November 2014, the courts of Singapore are now given discretion not to impose the death penalty in certain circumstances.





In drug-related cases, defendants may be spared the death penalty if they are found to have been involved only in transporting, sending or delivering a prohibited substance (as couriers) and if the Public Prosecutor can certify that they cooperated with the Central Narcotics Bureau to disrupt further drug-related activities.





Cooperate or Die ( For all other circumstances, the punishment remains the mandatory death penalty. In its recent report https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/act50/7158/2017/en/ ), Amnesty International highlighted how lawyers and judges are only informed of the outcome of the Public Prosecutors decision on cooperation and so are not given information as to how the assistance was tendered.





The mandatory imposition of the death penalty violates international law. The UN Human Rights Committee has said that the automatic imposition of the death penalty constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of life, in violation of article 6, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in circumstances where the death penalty is imposed without any possibility of taking into account the defendants personal circumstances or the circumstances of the particular offence. International law further requires that the use of the death penalty be restricted to the most serious crimes.





The UN Human Rights Committee has on numerous occasions found that drug-related offences do not meet the criterion of most serious crimes, a finding reiterated by the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.





Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases without exception regardless of the nature or circumstances of the crime; guilt, innocence or other characteristics of the individual; or the method used by the state to carry out the execution. As of today, 106 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes and more than two-thirds of the worlds countries are abolitionist in law or practice.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,

but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Amnesty International, March 13, 2018
IMF doesn't support replacement of corporate profit tax with exit capital tax

Replacing corporate profit tax with the new tax was supposed to help facilitate economic growth and eliminate corruption schemes in the administration of taxes.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter
FAO, Interpol: Illegal pesticide turnover in Ukraine requires immediate action

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has joined the initiative by Interpol and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to launch a large-scale anti-counterfeit pesticide campaign in Ukraine.

If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter
President Donald Trump has agreed to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, South Koreas National Security Advisor Chung Eiu-Yong announced after he met with Mr. Trump at the White House. Mr. Chung praised President Trumps leadership and his maximum pressure policy, together with international solidarity for making such a meeting possible. It would be the first face-to-face meeting between a U.S. President and a North Korean leader.

Mr. Chung led a delegation from South Korea which met with Kim Jong-un earlier this month in Pyongyang. He told reporters that the North Korean leader claimed he was committed to denuclearization and pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests. He also said that Kim understands that routine joint military exercises between the Republic of Korea and the United States must continue.

North Koreas desire to meet to discuss denuclearization  while suspending all ballistic missile and nuclear testing  is evidence that President Trumps strategy to isolate the Kim regime is working, said Vice President Mike Pence in a written statement. The North Koreans are coming to the table despite the United States making zero concessions and, in close coordination with our allies, we have consistently increased the pressure on the Kim regime. Our resolve is undeterred and our policy remains the same, Mr. Pence declared. All sanctions remain in place and the maximum pressure campaign will continue until North Korea takes concrete, permanent, and verifiable steps to end their nuclear program.

The time and place of a meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un have yet to be determined. At a press briefing, White House Spokesman Sarah Sanders emphasized that President Trump will not go forward with a meeting without seeing concrete steps and concrete actions take place by North Korea. She noted, however, If we can get to a place where North Korea is denuclearizing, that is a massive step, and it's something that will make the entire globe much safer.
In late December of last year, the Trump Administration unveiled its National Security Strategy. One of the priority actions to be undertaken by the United States as part of this new plan is the advancement and protection of religious freedom and religious minorities around the globe.

Vice President Pence in his remarks at the World Summit in Defense of Persecuted Christians said, Protecting and promoting religious freedom is a foreign policy priority of the Trump administration. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Samuel Brownback also said religious freedom is the most important foreign topic today, in his remarks at the United States Institute of Peace.

If there is one common thread that connects repressive regimes the world over, it is their oppression of minority religious groups. Persecution, repression, and discrimination are a daily reality for members of religious minority communities in too many countries around the world. Believers and non-believers alike are targeted for violence; their human rights are limited or sometimes entirely restricted.

The United States response to such violations and abuses of religious freedom is based on the 20-year-old International Religious Freedom Act, which introduced the promotion and protection of religious freedom as a foreign policy priority for the United States.

Over the past several years The State Department has provided strategic guidance to its embassies and consulates about how to consistently advocate for rights of members of minority communities and promote their equal treatment in society. Recognizing the importance of preserving cultural heritage, the State Department has developed a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution to train church and other leaders of minority faith communities on how to protect ancient places of cultural significance.

The Department has also worked with the Organization of American States to recruit countries in our hemisphere to join these efforts to combat persecution in other regions.

Nonetheless, there are an increasing number of actors who continue to attack members of religious minority groups and undermine religious diversity. In response, we must stay committed to emphasizing the universal importance of this fundamental freedom. We can achieve lasting results by building and protecting environments where everyone can enjoy freedom of religion or belief.
After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings  though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.



Jen Johnson, CTU, Local 1 in Substance


Eleven Kurdish rights activists, including outspoken journalist, Adnan Hassanpour, have been arrested in Marivan, Kurdistan province, western Iran, Kurdish media reported on Tuesday, March 13.

Meanwhile, Kurdistan Press Agency (Kurdpa) said, nine of the detainees were identified, so far. All of the activists from Marivan were detained by the Islamic Republics intelligence agents and plainclothesmen on Monday evening.

Furthermore, a Kurdish human rights organization, Hengaw, has announced that two women from Marivan are also among the detainees, but their identities are not known, yet.

All the detainees were reportedly accused of participation in a rally for supporting the city of Afrin and its residents in Syria, currently surrounded by Turkish military units.

Turkeys military operation aimed at driving the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia out of Afrin began on January 20.

Kurdpa has named the identified detainees as Adnan Hassanpour, Arman Ghafouri, Mohammad Danesh, Diyar Yazdani, Ahmad Iranpanah, Hiwa Fedayee, Moslem Hesami, Nasseh Bakhshi and Faramarz Mohammadi.

In 2007, Hassanpour was charged with espionage and collaboration with banned political parties and sentenced to death by the Islamic Republics Revolutionary Court. The sentence was later reduced to ten years imprisonment. After doing his term, Hassanpour was released on Saturday, September 10, 2016.

Various sources in Kurdish populated cities have told Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that on the eve of the protest rallies on Monday, police and plainclothes forces were widely present in the main squares of these cities.

In some of these cities, civil activists appealed to the governor's office to receive an official license for holding a rally, but their demands were rejected.

According to reports, at about 17:00 yesterday [Monday], hundreds of citizens in Kamyaran held a protest rally in Imam Shafi Square of the city. At least one woman and one man, whose identities are unknown, were arrested by the police forces who stepped in and dispersed the protesters, KHRN reported.

Moreover, several student activists and Kurdish activists gathered in front of the Turkish governments embassy in Tehran protesting Ankaras military operation against Afrin.
Reza Shahabi, a prominent labor activists who has spent years in prison has been released from Tehrans notorious Evin prison.

Shahabi was a board member and the treasurer for the Union of Workers of Tehran and the Suburban Bus Company (UWTSBC)

Free Shahabi Campaign and the Committee for follow-up of the establishment of Trade Unions who reported the news on Tuesday, March 13, said that Shahbi has not received the official letter confirming his release, but he has been told to pay nearly $1900 as penalty.

Furthermore, the prominent labor rights activist has been informed that he would not be allowed to participate in any sort of labor rights activities or joining political parties for two years.

Shahabi, 45-year old veteran labor rights activist, was initially arrested and sentenced to five years in 2010, accused of actions against national security; a routine, yet ambiguous, charge which the Islamic Republics courts use to condemn whoever the establishment describes as a dissident.

During his imprisonment Shah bi suffered from serious health problems but was denied proper medical treatment.

Human Rights activists had repeatedly declared that Reza Shahabis only crime has been defending labor rights and encouraging the workers in Iran to launch their own independent Trade Unions.

Article 26 of the Islamic Republics Constitution explicitly stipulates, The formation of parties, societies, political or professional associations, as well as religious societies, whether Islamic or pertaining to one of the recognized religious minorities, is permitted provided they do not violate the principles of independence, freedom, national unity, the criteria of Islam, or the basis of the Islamic Republic.

However, disregarding its own constitution, the Islamic Republic does not recognize independent trade union
The Islamic Republics Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif has once again insisted that Tehran is prepared to support Saudi Arabia in case the kingdom comes under foreign aggression.

Offering Tehrans readiness to start talks with Riyadh on contentious issues, Iranian chief diplomat maintained, The problem is that Saudis think that it is beneficial to them if the world considers Iran as a threat against Saudi Arabia.

Zarif, who was talking to the press after his speech at Strategic Studies Institution in Islamabad, Pakistan, also said, We have already declared our readiness for talks with Riyadh and Tehran and welcomed former Pakistani Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharifs proposal on starting the dialogue.

While reiterating that that Iran will be the first to support Saudi Arabia in case the kingdom comes under a foreign aggression, Zarif noted, I hope that they (Saudis) have the same feeling and be ready to bridge the differences.

Furthermore, Zarif affirmed that Iran considers the security and stability of the neighboring countries as its own.

Zarif also said, There is no reason for hostility between Iran and Saudi Arabia. However, we tell them (Saudis) that you cannot obtain security from outside of the region.

Iran relies heavily on Russia for weapons and support in Syria.

Zarifs comments in Islamabad appear in contrast with the Islamic Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameneis position on Saudi Arabia.

Khamenei has repeatedly described the kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a reactionary regime that would definitely deteriorate and collapse.

According to Khamenei, Saudi Arabia is a stinking rich country in the region that has played a pivotal role in recent widespread protests in Iran.

Retaliating, Riyadhs strongman and Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman described Iran as part of a triangle of evil along with Turkey and hardline Islamist groups, Egypts Al-Shorouk newspaper reported on Wednesday, March 7.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at odds since the conflict arose in Syria in 2011. The relations suffered more setbacks as 464 Iranian pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede in Mecca in September 2015.

In January 2, 2016 a crowd of angry protesters stormed into the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its Consulate in city of Mashhad, ransacking embassys offices and throwing Molotov cocktails at the building. The mayhem broke out at a rally set off by Riyadhs execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr.

The incident forced Saudis to sever their diplomatic relation with Tehran.
Irans hardline prosecutor-general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri has warned that the countrys Judiciary will take legal action against the supporters of Ayatollah Sadeq Shirazi.

In an interview with Irans state TV (IRIB) on Saturday March 10, Montazeri accused Shriazis supporters of planning to flare up disputes between Muslim sects.

A group of Ayatollah Sadeq Shirazis supporters attacked the Iranian embassy in London Friday afternoon.

Montazeri characterized Shirazis supporters as a Qom-based group that has been active in Iran for years.

Speaking on the arrest of Shirazis son in Qom last week, Montazeri said: A court in Qom advised the group to stop sowing differences between Shiite and Sunni Muslims, but they ignored the advice. This gentleman was summoned to the court but refused to show up. It was only then that security forces arrested him for questioning and indictment.

Hossein Shirazi, the grand ayatollahs son, was arrested last week after a speech that criticized Velayat-e Faqih, the underlying principle of Khameneis supreme leadership. It was in protest to his arrest that Shirazis followers attacked the Iranian embassy in London.

Police in London quickly arrested the assailants. Nevertheless, Irans prosecutor-general accused the police as acting like by-standers, further accusing Shirazis followers of being under British protection.

The Shirazi family are known for their traditional conservative views. Shirazis grandfather, Mirza-ye Shirazi was the man who banned the use of tobacco in Iran in the 19th century and put an end to a concession Nassereddin Shah Qajar had given to the British.

The Shirazis have been constantly under pressure by the Islamic Republic and some of them spent years under house arrest because of their opposition to the new regimes views on Islam following the 1979 Islamic revolution. They also have a strong following among Shiites in Iraq.

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his close aides have labelled the Shirazis as British clerics in several occasions, accusing them of being under British influence.

Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned the British ambassador to Tehran, Nicholas Hopton, in protest to the incident in London. Meanwhile the Rouhani administrations spokesman Mohamad Baqer Nobakht has said that Tehran will show a firm response to the attack on its embassy.

Other reports from Iran indicate that although the attack on the Iranian embassy was in protest to Hossein Shirazis arrest, grand ayatollah Sadeq Shirazi is unhappy about the incident.

Deaths in Custody and Clamp-Down on Anti-Hijab Demonstrators

Elsewhere in his interview, Montazeri briefly touched upon the death in custody of Iranian-Canadian environmentalist Kavous Seyed Emami and the clamp-down on protesters against compulsory hijab.

Montazeri once again accused the environmentalists of espionage, and said that Emami, like another two or three prisoners committed suicide in jail, taking advantage of prison wardens negligence.

He said Emamis suicide took only 15 minutes. In contradiction to this, Emamis son has said that in the video officials have shown the victims family, Emami went into another room from his cell for seven hours before he was found dead.

Meanwhile, Montazeri stressed that Muslim and non-Muslim women in Iran should have hijab in public, but they are free to wear what they like inside their homes.

This comes while Irans security forces regularly storm private parties at homes and arrest women for various things including not wearing a scarf.

He said enemies deceive women and encourage them to abandon their hijab.

Khamenei also has said that the enemies spend hefty amounts for their propaganda against hijab.
Charharshanbe Suri is an Iranian festival that is celebrated on the last Wednesday before Nowruz the Persian New Year. The festival has its roots in the ancient Iranian traditions when the last ten days of the year were dedicated to the feast of all souls called Hamaspathmaedaya.

During Charhshanbe Suri Iranians carry out spring-cleaning and in the evening they set up bone fires which they leap over as a sign of purification while shouting " 'sorkhie tu az man, zardieh man az tu.' Which means "your bright red color be mine and my sickly yellow paleness be yours."

These days Iranian also set of fire crackers and serve traditional meals like 'Ash e Chahar Shanbeh Suri which is a thick bean soup.

Hospitals announced that at least four people were killed and around 2,000 wounded in fireworks related incidents.

The festival has no connection to Islam and during some years has been also used to protest against the Islamic Republic.

The country's clerical authorities detest the pagan festival but because of its popularity but they let it be celebrated.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Azerbaijan is one of the largest weapons market for Israeli military equipment, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes updated data, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Azerbaijan is the third largest weapons market for Israel, having bought $137 million worth of it in 2017, a steep decline, however, from the $248 million it bought in 2016, the report said.

Israel is also Azerbaijans largest arms supplier, according to the institutes research.

The top three weapons market for Israel includes Vietnam and India.

India is by far Israels largest weapons market, having bought $715 million worth of weaponry in 2017, down slightly from the $767 million it bought in 2016. This represents a whopping 650 percent increase in arms sales to India over the last decade.

Israel is Indias second largest source of arms, lagging far behind Russia, which sold New Delhi $1.9 billions worth, but significantly ahead of both France and the US.



According to the database, Vietnam is Israels second largest customer, having purchased $142 million in arms in 2017, making Israel its second largest arms supplier, after Russia.



The institute ranked Israel as the fifth largest arms supplier in the world, with $1.26 billion of sales last year, following the US, Russia, France and Germany.

The data places Israel in 18th place regarding the import of arms, having spent $528 million on arms last year, fully 97.5 percent of it imported from the US, and the rest coming from Germany. In the past decade Israel has only imported arms from the US, Germany, Italy and Canada.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 87 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said March 14.

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, March 14

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The idea of creating a "great Armenian state" still exists, Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Elmira Suleymanova said in Baku on March 14.

She made the remarks at a conference dedicated to the centennial of the 1918 genocide of Azerbaijanis.

She noted that the aggression from Armenia, which ignores the international demands, continues.

"I hope the international community will react to this and this aggression will come to an end. Both the Khojaly genocide and the genocide of Azerbaijanis in 1918 should be recognized by the international community," the ombudsman said.

Suleymanova noted that the increasing support to Azerbaijan by the international community in recent years shows that the time has come for the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Noting that the genocide of Azerbaijanis in 1918 is a bloody page in the history of Azerbaijan, Suleymanova said that documents related to the genocide of Azerbaijanis should be presented to the international community.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Detention visits by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aim at ensuring that detainees are treated with dignity and humanity, Trend learned from the ICRC head office.

The ICRC comments came as a response to Trends inquiry regarding the facts of torture against Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov, who were taken hostage while visiting their native lands in Azerbaijans occupied Kalbajar district.

The ICRC's working modalities are based on confidentiality, in particular - but not exclusively - when it comes to detention visits. Our visits, aim precisely at ensuring that detainees are treated with dignity and humanity, and in full respect of international norms, said the ICRC.

Moreover, ICRC Baku Office's Public Relations Department head Ilaha Huseynova told Trend that the committee representatives regularly visit these detainees to monitor treatment with them and conditions of their detention as well as to help to ensure that they are able to maintain contact with their families.

The last such visit took place in February 2018. However, the ICRC does not share results of its monitoring/observations in detention places publically, but discusses them bilaterally and confidentially with the concerned authorities only, she added.

The facts of torture against Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov, who were taken hostage while visiting their native lands in Azerbaijans occupied Kalbajar district, were earlier posted on the website of the International Committee for the Protection of Human Rights.

Dilgam Asgarovs lawyer Anar Bagirov earlier said in an interview with Trend that they are constantly tortured, and this is not something new.

We have all the necessary information that we constantly send to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in order to speed up the process of considering the case, he said.

During an operation in July 2014 in Shaplar village of Azerbaijani Kalbajar district occupied by Armenia, the Armenian special forces killed an Azerbaijani, Hasan Hasanov, and took hostage two other Azerbaijanis, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilgam Asgarov. A "criminal case" was initiated against them. Afterwards, a "court" sentenced Asgarov to life imprisonment and Guliyev to 22 years in prison.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

The OSCE is expected to monitor the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on March 15, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said in a message on March 14.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative in Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by Ognyen Yovic and Simon Tiller, field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

On the Azerbaijani territories, occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative Mikhail Olaru, Martin Schuster and Gennady Petrica.

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, March 14

Trend:

A mission of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) will observe presidential election in Azerbaijan on April 11, PABSEC Secretary General Asaf Hajiyev told the Election-2018 Independent Media Center website of Azerbaijans Central Election Commission (CEC).

He said that the observation mission will include MPs of the organizations member states.

Hajiyev said that Azerbaijans election experience and election environment are satisfactory, adding that each country has its own history and traditions, and Azerbaijan has its own election traditions based on democratic principles.

He noted that the election process is carried out in line with the law.

I believe that the April 11 election will be held within the framework of democratic norms, he said. Azerbaijan has legislation which allows holding transparent and fair election.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Nagorno-Karabakh region is not a member-state of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the organization will not render military support to Stepanakert (Khankendi), Anatoly Sidorov, Colonel-General, head of the CSTO Joint Staff, said during the Moscow-Yerevan-Astana-Bishkek-Minsk teleconference.

It seems that Sidorov said nothing new. It was clear to everyone from the very beginning that the CSTO will not enter into a probable armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh region as this is Azerbaijans territory. By the way, not recognizing the "independence" of the separatist formation, Armenia itself confirms this despite the Armenian presidents recent congratulatory letter full of pathos to the separatists, and words of "freedom" and "independence".

However, Sidorov's comment is interesting from a different perspective.

First of all, the pro-Russian tendency of Armenia's foreign and domestic policy is not supported by everyone in the Armenian society. This is testified by the presence of an alliance of opposition parties with a rather symbolic and sonorous name "Yelk" on the countrys political arena.

It will be useful and interesting for those who are not so well acquainted with the peculiarities of Armenian political life, or rather, existence, to know that one of the leaders of the abovementioned alliance is Nikol Pashinyan. He is also the creator of Haykakan Zhamanak newspaper, which is one of the most popular newspapers in Armenia. The newspaper is not in favor of Russia or anything pro-Russian.

Another Armenian newspaper Lragir has a similar viewpoint. It is also one of the most popular media resources in the country. Thus, as for friendship with Russia, the Armenian society is not as unanimous as it may seem.

Nevertheless, the country's authorities have always linked the need to participate in all Moscow's projects beginning from the economic to the military ones, to protect themlseves against external threats. To use the image of the enemy - Turkey and Azerbaijan in this case is a trick which is more ancient than the Armenian statehood, however, Yerevans political elite could think of anything better.

The Armenians saw CSTO as an "instrument of protection" from "malicious Turks", while economic integration projects as a means to bypass isolation.

It turned out soon that economic projects can not help Armenia because Russia, which is the "driving force" for these projects, is experiencing difficulties and is incapable of "dragging" someone else's economy on its own and does not intend to do that. The period of USSR when everyone fed off several certain republics, is gone.

If we also mention the volatile processes within the Eurasian Economic Community, then the situation can be characterized by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkos recent statement that "Eurasian Economic Community does not work as planned".

Moreover, now it seems that CSTO won't be helping Armenia, if anything happens on the "Eastern Front".

So why does Armenia need all these projects? Maybe, if we adjust the question a little, by changing "Armenia" to "Armenian authorities", the situation will be clearer.

The strange thing is that on one hand Yerevan recalls Russia's military assistance at the first opportunity, but on the other hand, it manages to criticize Moscow as, perhaps, even Athens did not criticize the European Union in the most crisis years.

Is it unscrupulousness or just a discrepancy between what this country and its authorities really need?

It seems to me that the condition of the dependent country is favorable to Armenia's current leadership as it allows maintaining personal power and even strengthening it through simple mechanisms of creating the image of an external enemy and intimidating the population, as it was already mentioned above.

Now, time for the second aspect of Sidorov's statement. At the moment of writing of this article, Azerbaijani Armed Forces were conducting large-scale exercises, which caused "verbal diarrhea" in Armenias certain circles. And this happens every time.

Each time Azerbaijan carries out military exercises, both Yerevan officials and those of Armenia's expert community talk about Armenia's response to "aggression", "preventive measures", and so on.

An interesting point is that Baku does not resort to military means to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, because "soft power" is much more efficient.

Despite denials, Armenia is afraid of the military scenario. That is why they endlessly list various options for "who will pressure on Baku" ,"who will support Yerevan", "how to use the Russian military base in Gyumri," etc.

Armenia's fervent desire to find support and mechanism of external pressure on Azerbaijan reveals despair and self-doubt reigning in the Armenian society. Similarly, children usually threaten to call for help in quarrels with someone stronger.

And all this is supported, heated and strengthened by the foreign policy of Baku. Armenia's isolation has led to the fact that Yerevan got confused and rushes from side to side. First it sees Moscow as an "older brother," then as "treacherous traitor" selling arms to Baku.

Armenian media first enthusiastically writes about the friendly visit of the Georgian Prime Minister, then they begin to ask questions about for what and against whom the military partnership between Tbilisi and Baku is directed? First, Israel is declared a "brother in grief", and then "enemy number one" - and again because of the arms sale to Baku.

Why does Yerevan constantly seek allies against Baku, and in the end feel "betrayed"?

After all, Baku has never appealed to Turkey or any other country for military assistance. Azerbaijan is confident in its abilities, and does not need anyone's support in the matter of a possible military solution to the conflict.

Moreover, Baku does not need loans for the purchase of military equipment, which, on the contrary, is relevant for Yerevan, because Azerbaijan is able not only to purchase all the necessary weapons, but manufactures weapons as well.

Baku also does not want to join any military alliance, including NATO. The Azerbaijani leadership has repeatedly stated that the country itself ensures its security and will not allow appearance of a military base of any third forces in the country. This became apparent during the closure of the Gabala Radar Station. This is also evidenced by NATO's recent denial of plans to open navy bases in the Caspian sea.

At a time when the Armenian authorities are increasingly tying the country to the external powers, Azerbaijan is becoming more independent and more clearly demonstrates the desire to play on equal terms with these powers.

And even friendship that Baku builds with such fraternal countries as Turkey, Georgia and Iran, is primarily based on healthy partnership in the framework of large-scale regional projects that attract more and more external players.

"Armenia's foreign policy is limited to current problems, which is skillfully used by Baku. The same is true for Armenian-Iranian relations that may have regional significance if Yerevan responds to the signals coming from Tehran. But, Yerevan's inadequate policy weakens Iran's interest in Armenia, especially since our neighbor, in fact, may soon be able to enter the European markets thanks to the Iran-Azerbaijan-Russia trilateral cooperation. And now Tehran integrates into the trilateral cooperation of Turkey-Georgia-Azerbaijan, which makes Armenia's isolation even more visible," said Armenian expert Sargis Artsruni, describing Armenia's current situation.

The very obsession with the enmity with Azerbaijan and Turkey, consideration of any issue of foreign and domestic policy through the prism of this confrontation, and painful perception of this situation have led to the fact that Yerevan's policy is becoming more and more inadequate, and the position - uncertain and shaky.

It got to the point that Baku promotes its interests even in Yerevan itself, as it was at a recent meeting of the TRACECA intergovernmental commission. The isolation of Armenia is expanding, which makes it particularly vulnerable.

This is exactly what Baku bets on. The "soft power" of its foreign policy leads to the fact that Armenia only talks about military confrontation, but in fact is not ready for it, and has long been losing on all fronts.

The sooner Yerevan realizes that it is time to show will and get rid of the "Karabakh burden", pulling the country down the bottom, the sooner Armenia's foreign and domestic policy will find balance and these endless attacks of hysteria will cease.

It is not that impossible - Armenia only needs to reach out and untie the "Karabakh knot".
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

Today, some forces cast shadow on the Azerbaijani History Institute's activity, Academician Yagub Mahmudov said.

Mahmudov, director of the Institute of History of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and an MP, made the remarks March 14 at a conference dedicated to the centennial of the 1918 genocide of Azerbaijanis.

"They write on social networks that the History Institute is only engaged in studying genocides. Those, who slander us, are accusing the History Institute of Armenophobia."

He said some forces inside the country are making these accusations.

Mahmudov noted that over the past period the History Institute published 412 books and only 12 of them are related to the genocide.

"Those who criticize us will change their mind if they read those books."
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

The measures taken by the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Azerbaijan in connection with the presidential election scheduled for April 11 fully meet the requirements of the Electoral Code, Elchin Mirzabeyli, the deputy chairman of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan Party, told Trend on March 14.

He stressed that there are no obstacles in the electoral process.

"We did not face negative cases either during nomination of candidates, signature collection process or during registration of presidential candidates. During the experts' verification of the signatures of voters and other documents, wide opportunities have been created for plenipotentiary representatives of presidential candidates and interested parties to monitor the process. The same opportunities have been created for local and international observers who, according to the requirements of the legislation, will be able to freely observe the election or other processes," Mirzabeyli said.

He said that some forces, who want to discredit Azerbaijan, are concerned about the normal course of the electoral process.

"The same happened during the past elections. This is a purposeful campaign. The holding of election in April, in accordance with the requirements of the legislation, put people, who have material or other corporate interests, in trouble. Their strategic plans related to the smear campaign, which they planned to launch in June and July 2018, were destroyed. This is the reason for the hasty and biased conduct of the anti-Azerbaijani campaign, " he said.

As in previous elections, equal opportunities have been created for all observers., he concluded.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

The Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) project will strengthen the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who is on an official visit to Baku, on March 14.

The head of state noted that the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations of friendship and brotherhood will further develop successfully.

"We are friends, brothers, we stand by each other in all issues, we support each other. This is the case today, and should always be such way. We are bound by very deep relations. We cooperate at a very high level in the political, economic, and all other spheres. Political ties are at the highest level. There are good results in the economic sphere. Trade turnover increased last year. Mutual investments are being made. Turkey invested in Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan invested over $10 billion in Turkey," the head of state noted.

President Ilham Aliyev stressed that investment making is underway and will reach much greater indicators.

"This year we will jointly mark the commissioning of the TANAP project. This is a historic project that is completing successfully. It will strengthen the relations of our countries and, at the same time, open up new opportunities for the countries using this project. Last year, we solemnly marked the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Today, the route is already successfully operating. After Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, TANAP is our third historic project; our countries jointly implemented this project. That is, our cooperation has very good results in all spheres. These results are very important for our peoples, our countries and are of great importance for Eurasia," President Aliyev underlined.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order on additional measures for construction of the Guba Regional Central Hospital.

Under the decree, 7.55 million manats will be allocated from the state budget to the Health Ministry for completion of construction of the Guba Regional Central Hospital.

The Cabinet of Ministers is instructed to resolve issues arising from the order and the Finance Ministry is tasked to provide financing indicated in the order.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

Azerbaijan and Turkey jointly implement projects of global importance, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at a meeting with Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade in Baku on March 14.

At the meeting, Rasizade voiced his satisfaction with the visit of the Turkish Prime Minister to Azerbaijan and participation in the 6th Global Baku Forum, organized by the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

Stressing that the Azerbaijani people closely follow the processes taking place in Turkey, Rasizade said the brotherly and friendly country is developing successfully. He said Azerbaijan and Turkey are always near each other.

Noting that Azerbaijan and Turkey are one nation, two states, Yldrm expressed his satisfaction with the development of the fraternal countries. He said Azerbaijan and Turkey have jointly implemented projects of global importance. The Turkish PM said the large-scale joint projects implemented by Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have made a significant contribution to the development of cooperation in the region.

Yldrm noted that the commissioning of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, along with an important role in rehabilitation of the historical Silk Road, will play an important role in the development of international cargo transportation. He underlined the importance of mutual investments in developing the economic cooperation between the two countries.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

The projects implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey provide energy security, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, who is on an official visit to Baku, said at a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 14.

The PM noted that Turkey and Azerbaijan are one nation, two states.

"The relations between the two countries are developing day by day. Mutual investments both in Turkey and Azerbaijan and trade are increasing, our cooperation in tourism sector is developing. We are not confined to this. At the same time, we work together for the development of the region's countries."

"The projects implemented by Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey in the Caucasus region  the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, TANAP, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline  are the projects that are of interest not only to our countries, but also to Europe, and they are the projects that provide energy security," said Yildirim.

"The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project  the historical Silk Road  which will provide transportation to Turkey and Europe from the Far East, Central Asia through the territory of Azerbaijan, was realized upon your will and initiative, and the contribution of our president. This project that was a dream once, has now begun to serve the region, and at the same time it provides a great deal of logistical support to Nakhchivan," said Yildirim.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree amending the decree dated Sept. 5, 2012 "On ensuring the activities of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan."

Under the amendments, the staff of the State Agency will be increased from 640 people to 655 people.

The staff of the State Agency is increased to ensure that it can fulfill the tasks set by the head of state on provision of the activity of the E-Government portal, the formation, management, integration and effective control of state information reserves and systems.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

An event dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Azerbaijan's Press Council was held in Baku on March 14.

Azerbaijani Presidents Assistant for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov, MPs, representatives of state agencies, media leaders, representatives of international organizations and other guests attended the event.

Speaking at the event, Hasanov praised the Press Council's 15-year activity.

"As you know, the 7th Congress of the Press Council was held a few days ago and I read out the congratulatory letter of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the event. In the congratulatory letter, the activity of the Press Council was highly appreciated. National leader Heydar Aliyev also highly assessed the activities of the Press Council. The Press Council has gained a unique reputation in society, among state structures, journalism community, and citizens, who apply to the Council. We believe the Press Council will further strengthen its activities," he said.

Then, Chairman of the Press Council Aflatun Amashov informed the event participants about the history of the Council's creation. He noted that during these 15 years, the Press Council played a significant role in strengthening the freedom of speech and thought in Azerbaijan, and regulation of relations among media, society and government.

Amashov noted that the Council has become an organization for all Azerbaijani journalists.

UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isakzai, in his turn, said the Press Council has passed a long way of development over the 15 years.

He added that the UN is interested in development of the independent media in Azerbaijan.

"Recently, we began to cooperate with the Press Council. We will conduct training for Azerbaijani journalists within the framework of our cooperation," he said.

Head of the Council of Europe Office in Azerbaijan Zoltan Hernyes, addressing the event, noted that the Council of Europe highly appreciates the media activities in its member countries.

Appreciating the activities of the Press Council, Hernyes said that since its establishment, the Press Council has closely cooperated with the Baku Office of the Council of Europe.

"The Press Council is our successful partner," he added.

The event continued with presentation of a film about the Press Council.

Later, a number of media representatives were awarded the Higher Media Award.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

Azerbaijan's Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and the ministry's leadership inspected the armament and military equipment of the Rocket and Artillery Troops of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, involved in the large-scale exercises, and met with the military personnel, the Defense Ministry said in a message on March 14.

The Minister inspected the readiness of combat crews and gave appropriate instructions in connection with more efficient use of the missiles and artillery systems of different calibers, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, which will carry out combat missions during the exercises.

In accordance with the plan approved by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, the large-scale exercises with participation of various military branches, formations and military units of Azerbaijani Army started on March 12.

The exercises involve up to 25,000 military personnel, up to 250 tanks and other armored vehicles, up to 1,000 missiles and artillery systems of different calibers, multiple launch rocket systems and mortars, up to 50 army and front-line aviation.

The exercises will last until March 17.
Azercell Telecom continues its regular participation at career fairs in the country.

This time, the representatives of the company supported students and graduates at a career fair held on March, 10 at Western Caspian University. Azercell has distinguished with its creative stand in the event which brought together over 50 outstanding companies. The employees of Human Resources Department of the company held information sessions for graduates wishing to get employed at Azercell and informed the visitors about the active vacancies. They informed the visitors about the recruitment process at Azercell, as well as Student Bursary and Internship Programs conducted by the company and answered their questions. The event provided an opportunity for jobseekers to get information about the existing demand for their field of specialization in labor market, build up relations with employers while the latter had a chance to shortlist potential employees.

A special training course on Role of body language for career success was arranged for visitors during the fair. The career fair was aimed to provide advice to the young jobseekers in their field of specialization and help them build their future career. It should be noted that Azercell Telecom always supports the talented youth in this regard. Last year the company joined 12 International Career Fairs organized by ITECA and the Ministry of Education.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

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.
Details added (first version posted on March 13, 20:19)

Baku, Azerbaijan, March 13

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

India has invested $200 million in Azerbaijan so far, Rufat Mammadov, head of the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO), said.

Mammadov made the remarks at the Azerbaijani-Indian business forum in Baku.

He added that currently, 15 companies with Indian capital work in Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, India is one of the biggest trade partners of Azerbaijan. In recent years, trade turnover with India has grown rapidly and amounted to about $0.5 billion in late 2017. This is a very important indicator, he noted.

India is also one of the biggest importers of Azerbaijani products  it accounted for 2.65 percent of Azerbaijani exports last year, Mammadov added.

According to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, trade turnover with India amounted to $462.5 million in 2017. Exports from Azerbaijan to India totaled $365.5 million. More than 20 documents have been signed between the two countries so far.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Ali Mustafayev  Trend:

Belarus is working on the development of a trade route in the direction of Germany-Belarus-China, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Boleslav Pirshtuk said.

He made the remarks at the International Conference on the role of parliamentarians in boosting economic cooperation and cultural ties along the Silk Road, organized by the Silk Road Support Group of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Baku.

Our goal is to create a green transport corridor Nuremberg-Minsk-Urumqi. This route is already an object of interest of a number of countries and will facilitate the transportation of goods for China and Germany, as well as expand the transit potential of Belarus, Pirshtuk said.

He noted that transit of goods is the most important resource of the countrys economy.

About 100 million tons of goods are transported through Belarus each year, which does not correspond to half of the real carrying capacity of the Belarusian railways, the deputy chairman added.

Belarus is one of the first countries that supported Chinas initiative to form the Silk Road route, which will serve the development of a wide range of sectors of the Silk Road countries, and in particular Belarus, including agriculture, technology, energy spheres, Pirshtuk added.

One of the key factors in the development of these sectors is the expansion of export potential, by connecting all the countries of the Silk Road to a single transport network, the Belarusian official said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

In total, 282,122 cars were transported from Turkish ports in February 2018, according to the Ministry of Transport, Maritime and Communications of Turkey.

The number of cars transported via RO-RO ships totaled 313,351 in January-February 2018, according to the ministry.

Schedule of car transportation via RO-RO ships in Turkey in February 2018:

Provinces Ports, piers and terminals Brought cars Sent cars Total Izmit Terminal /DERINCE SAFI 12,968 37,518 50,486 Terminal /SHELL&TURCAS 0 174 174 KOCAELI AUTOPORT 24,261 31,786 56,047 Terminal /KOCAELI EFESANPORT 26,458 199 26,657 KOCAELI FORD OTOSAN 4,814 43,635 48,449 Bursa GEMLIK BORUSAN 3,904 42,933 46,837 GEMLIK GEMPORT 1,088 45,759 46,847 Izmir ULUSOY 64 57 121 ALSANCAK 61 2,584 2,645 Mersin TASUCU BELEDIYE 559 530 1,089 Terminal /TASUCU TDI 381 568 949 MERSIN 1,063 333 1,396 Hatay LIMAK PORT 49 177 226 Istanbul HAYDARPASA 33 45 78 Yalova Terminal /YALOVA RO RO 5 34 39 Samsun SAMSUNPORT 29 1 30 Mugla BODRUM BELEDIYE 3 17 20 Pier /BODRUM 2 5 7 MARMARIS LIMANI 2 1 3 Zonguldak ZONGULDAK TTK 3 19 22 Total 75,747 206,375 282,122

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The number of applications to the employment service decreased by 25,900 people in February 2018, as compared to the same month in 2017, according to a report of the Turkish Employment Agency (ISKUR).

The report says that 331,464 people appealed to ISKUR in February 2018.

The number of employed citizens was 83,449 people in February 2018, which is 16.6 percent more as compared to the same month in 2017.

The number of employed men was 66 percent, and women  34 percent.

According to ISKUR, the number of unemployed people stood at 2.4 million in Turkey.

During the period, the number of unemployed men was 51 percent, and women  49 percent, the report says.

In January 2018, 362,726 Turkish citizens appealed to ISKUR, and 79,422 people among them were provided with work.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

Tajikistan plans to increase electric power export with beginning of supply to Uzbekistan from April, Tajik media reported on March 14.

According to the information, growth of the water flow in Vakhsh River and increase of the water level in Nurek Dams reservoir will allow to increase power production, thus fully satisfying the internal demand, and to export the surplus to neighboring countries such as Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

Tajikistan also plans to increase power export to Afghanistan by 200 million kilowatt/hours.

The country exported 1.3 billion kilowatt/hours of electric power in 2017. In line with the achieved agreements, the figure will be increased to 1.5 billion kilowatt/hours.

Tajik electric power is mainly used by Afghan Pul-e Khomri province and Kabul. Winters, with approval of the state government, 50 megawatt/hours of power is exported to Afghan Kunduz province. However, the Afghan side asks us to increase the export, Tajik energy minister said earlier.

Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have achieved agreement on electric power export from Tajikistan. The export amount is expected to reach 1.5 billion kilowatt/hours. However, the sides didnt reveal additional details of the deal back then.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

The Coordinating Committee on Development of the International Transport Route South-West was considering the tariffs for cargo transportation along the corridor at a meeting in Warsaw, the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC said in a message March 14.

The delegations of the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia and Ukraine took part in the event. Azerbaijan was represented by the delegation headed by deputy chairman of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Igbal Huseynov.

"During the meeting, strategically important issues were discussed, the message said. Among those issues are the consideration of the tariffs for cargo transportation in rail cars and containers for private rolling stock via the South-West route for 2018 (taking into account the latest changes made by the Ukrainian side). The issue about the launch of the first test container train (block train) on the route Slavkov (Poland) - Astara (Iran) was discussed.

The complex tariff rates for cargo transportation (cereals, vegetable oils, metal products, building materials polyethylene, polypropylene, ore, bitumen, glass, tomato paste, dried fruits, etc.) in the universal rolling stock were also considered, the message said. The transportation of dangerous goods in universal and specialized containers along the "South-West" route for 2018 was discussed and coordinated.

The agenda also included the issues of reconsideration and approval of the tariff conditions for cargo transportation in Azerbaijan and Iran by the Azerbaijani and Iranian sides in connection with the commissioning of the Astara (Iran) station; updating the Ukrainian and Georgian sides about the achieved results on optimization of tariff conditions on the offshore section of the route (in the Black Sea).

The issue of consent of the sides (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Poland) regarding exemption from payment for transportation of empty containers and platforms (no more than one block train per month) was also considered.

The agenda also included the issues of updating the working group by the Ukrainian side about its final decision on the previous issue, as well as informing the participants of the route by the Azerbaijani side about complex tariff rates and posting this information on the route's website.

The sides added that the issues which are being discussed will serve to develop the South-West route and increase its transit potential.

At the end of the meeting, the protocol was signed.

There were also presentations of railway administrations (potential, opportunities, plans), as well as business meetings with potential customers and forwarding companies during the event.

The South-West international transport route is designed for the transportation of goods between the European Union and India. Currently, terms of delivery of goods in this direction via alternative routes are 35-37 days. The South-West corridor, stretching through Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine, will greatly reduce the period of cargo transportation. The goods will be transported via this route within seven days.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

The number of Iranian tourists who will come to Azerbaijan during the Novruz holiday (celebrated on March 20-21) may decrease by 30 percent, Nahid Bagirov, chairman of the Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AzTA), told Trend March 14.

Due to the changes in the Iranian economy, as well as an increase in fees for the Iranian citizens wishing to leave the country, the number of tourists will decrease, he said.

All the rooms in hotels were booked last year in Azerbaijan, Bagirov said. This year, the number of booked hotel rooms is lower than last year.

He added that instead of Iranian tourists, citizens of other Muslim countries, where the Novruz holiday is celebrated, may come to Azerbaijan.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, more than 65,000 tourists came to Azerbaijan from Iran for the Novruz holiday in 2017.

In accordance with the Iranian law, the citizens of this country pay a certain state fee before travelling abroad.

Presently, Iranian citizens who travel by air transport pay $15, and those who travel by road transport pay $7.

Starting from March 20, the state fees will increase, and those traveling by air transport will have to pay $45, while those who travel by road transport will have to pay $15-$20.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Fikret Dolukhanov  Trend:

A Memorandum of Cooperation has been signed between Kazakhstans Special Economic Zone Aktau Seaport and DP World international company, located in Dubai (UAE), according to a message of the press service of the Mangistau regions administration.

The memorandum was signed as part of a business visit of the Mangistau delegation led by head of the region, Eraly Tugzhanov, to the UAE.

DP World offered cooperation in the sphere of management of JSC SEZ Aktau Seaport.

The document envisages the cooperation in the construction of a logistics and industrial park with an area of 60 hectares. It is planned to invest $50 million in the project.

The Kazakhstan-UAE business forum led by Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan and head of the Mangistau region administration Eraly Tugzhanov took place on March 12.

The purpose of the forum was to strengthen relations between entrepreneurs of Abu Dhabi and Mangistau in the sphere of air transportation, information technology and oil industry.
Kyrgyzstan and one of the regions of Belgium - Flanders agreed to increase trade, Kabar with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic reported.

In order to implement the Decree of President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbay Jeenbekov on the announcement of 2018 as the Year of Regional Development, Kyrgyz Extraordinary Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Belguim Asein Isaev met with Flemish Minister-President Geert Bourgeois on March 12.

Taking into account the wide independent authorities of Flanders, within the framework of the meeting the possibilities of both economic cooperation and bilateral cooperation in the sphere of international relations and in the sphere of culture were discussed.

Possessing the potential of the largest logistics center in Europe, the leadership of Flanders emphasized the potential of Kyrgyzstan as part of the Great Silk Road.

In order to increase the existing volumes of trade between Kyrgyzstan and Flanders, the sides agreed on preparation and conduct of a major business mission of Flanders in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2020.

At the same time, the sides reached agreements on holding a number of concrete measures for the near future.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

Analysts of the World Bank (WB) recommend that the Tajik authorities improve tax administration, TajikTA news agency reported.

The WB analysts believe that this can increase the level of private investments and promote economic development in Tajikistan, according to the report.

Revenue collection in the country remains challenging, the WB said in a report posted on its website. This is due to several factors, including poor quality taxpayer services, low institutional capacity, and gaps in tax policy analysis and revenue forecasting. Inadequate staffing, limited training, low levels of computerization and poorly integrated IT systems have further complicated procedures for taxpayers and make data collection difficult for Tajikistans Tax Committee.

Coupled with reported corrupt practices by tax officials, these issues contribute to weakening both the business climate and private sector growth, the report noted. Business surveys have regularly identified weaknesses in tax administration, as well as arbitrary and corrupt behavior by tax officials, as major impediments to the success of small and medium enterprises in Tajikistan.

To support the governments efforts to build a more efficient, transparent and service-oriented tax system, the World Bank-financed Tajikistan Tax Administration Reform Project was launched in 2013, the report said. The Project has made significant progress to date in helping the Tax Committee and its field offices to operate more effectively in a newly automated environment. Modernization of IT infrastructure and the introduction of a unified tax management system mean increased efficiency, with reduced physical interaction between tax officials and taxpayers.

The Project has achieved good results and we can see significant improvements in the operational capacity of the Tax Committee, said Hassan Aliyev, project leader and World Bank Public Sector specialist based in Dushanbe. However, tax administration is just one part of an effective tax system. We will continue working with the Government of Tajikistan to further improve the effectiveness of tax policy in terms of revenue collection, and to that ensure taxation does not impose a negative burden on the business environment.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

On March 9-10, 2018, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid a state visit to the Republic of Tajikistan, said a message from Uzbek embassy in Baku.

During the fruitful talks held in an open, friendly and constructive atmosphere, the Heads of State discussed in detail key issues of the current state of relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, prospects for further expanding and deepening of bilateral multifaceted cooperation in the political, trade and economic, transport and communication, culture and humanitarian and other fields, as well as current regional and international issues of mutual interest.

The Heads of State underlined with satisfaction a high level inter-state dialogue, achieved in recent years, as well as credible positive dynamics of the development of cooperation between the two countries, and guided by the centuries-old historical and cultural communality of the peoples of the two countries, based on the firm principles of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual respect, expressing their belief that constructive and mutually beneficial cooperation between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meets the long-term interests of peoples of the two countries, which is also a key factor in ensuring peace, stability, security and sustainable development throughout the vast region of the Central Asia, reaffirming adherence to the universally recognized principles and norms of international law, as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, including the principles of mutual respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, non-interference in each other's internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, striving for further expanding and deepening of Tajik-Uzbek relations, ensuring the timely and full implementation of the reached agreements, state the following:

1. The Heads of State, being deeply aware of their high responsibility for maintaining and strengthening peace and stability, ensuring development and prosperity in the whole region, also being guided by the provisions of the Treaty on Eternal Friendship between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan dated 15 June 2000, confirm their determination to further develop and strengthen the relations of traditional friendship, neighborliness and cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The two leaders expressed their confidence that the Agreement between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan on certain parts of the Tajik-Uzbek State border signed during the visit will serve for these purposes.

The Heads of State stressed the importance of transforming the State border between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan into a border of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation that meets the vital interests of the two brotherly people.

2. The Parties, noting the significance of constructive political dialogue for the progressive expansion of relations between the two states, supported the further development of contacts at the highest, higher and other levels.

Aimed at further development of the legal framework for long-term cooperation and overall implementation of the existing huge potential in all spheres of cooperation, the Presidents agreed to develop a Treaty on Strategic Partnership between the two states in the nearest future.

3. The President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon expressed his support for the large-scale reforms carried out by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Uzbekistan, which is aimed at strengthening the country's potential, developing the national economy, improving wellbeing of the people and strengthening the international prestige of the country.

The leadership of the Republic of Tajikistan expressed its support for the initiatives of the Republic of Uzbekistan to intensify regional cooperation, in particular, to organize a consultative meeting of the Heads of State of the Central Asia on a regular basis.

4. The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoev expressed his support to the efforts of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on ensuring the social-economic development of Tajikistan and strengthening the regional security.

The leadership of Uzbekistan expressed its support to Tajikistans initiative on the International Decade for Action Water for Sustainable Development 2018-2028.

5. The Presidents stressed on the strategic character of further expansion of the mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The Parties noted with satisfaction credible positive dynamics in mutual trade cooperation and stressed the presence of significant potential for diversification of nomenclature of bilateral goods turnover and to increase its volume up to $ US 500 million in near future.

In this regard, the Parties emphasized the importance of further expansion of mutual trade nomenclature. Parties noted that there is a great potential for developing industrial cooperation, establishing joint ventures and trading houses, active developing the infrastructure for foreign trade and mechanisms for export and import operations, as well as conducting business-forums and national exhibitions of industrial products on mutual basis.

The Parties will take joint efforts to attract and encourage investments to the economy of the both countries. In this context, the Presidents welcome signing of Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan on encouragement and mutual protection of investments.

The Parties noted the successful conducting mutually of the national exhibitions and business forums in Dushanbe and Tashkent in 2017, which resulted in expanding of contacts between the business circles and signing of huge set of trade agreements and contracts.

An exhibition entitled Made in Uzbekistan and the Joint Tajik-Uzbek Business-Forum organized in the framework of the high-level visit were highly appreciated.

Heads of the two states positively valued the results of the 5th meeting of Inter-Governmental Commission on trade and economic cooperation, conducted on 10 January 2018 in Dushanbe, and underlined the necessity of further strengthening its role as an effective mechanism for resolving a set of issues related to the development of trade and economic and culture and humanitarian cooperation, as well as to defining new perspective directions of intercation.

The Parties noted the necessity of expanding and deepening of the relations between the two countries regions in trade and economic, science and technical, as well as culture and humanitarian spheres within the framework of Agreement between the Republic of Uzbekistan the Republic of Tajikistan on interregional cooperation, signed during the visit.

6. The Heads of State, paying a particular attention to comprehensive implementation of common transport and communication opportunities and transit potential of the both countries, instructed the relevant authorities to intensify cooperation in the sphere of transport communication and address the issues of renewal of existing and elaborating of new transit automobile, railway and flight routes.

The Presidents underlined with a great satisfaction the opening of a direct flight between Tashkent and Dushanbe on April 2017.

The Parties noted that the renewal of previous and opening of new transit automobile, railway and flight routes between the cities of the two countries will contribute to intensification of cultural, humanitarian and trade and economic relations between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

There was noted that the further cooperation on forming competitive tariffs for transportation of foreign-trade goods with participation of railways of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan will allow to ensure the effective use of the current transport corridors.

In this context, the Heads of the two states welcome the renewal of railway communication at the Ghalaba-Amuzang section.

7. The Heads of the both states emphasized the priority of cooperation on culture and humanitarian sphere, development of direct contacts and exchange of experience between the scientific institutions, educational establishments, mass media, creative and sport teams, youth and women organizations, trade unions and other institutions of the civil society.

The Heads of State highly appreciated the successful conducting of the Culture Days of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Tajikistan and the Culture Days of the Republic of Tajikistan in the Republic of Uzbekistan in 2017.

The Heads of State noted the importance of enhancing of cooperation in the sphere of education and science, including through strengthening cooperation between higher education institutions and academies of sciences of the two countries.

The Parties will cooperate and create favorable condition in the sphere of training scientific and teaching staff, exchange of scholars, specialists, higher-education teaching personnel and students, as well as information on mutual recognition of educational certificates, qualifications and academic degrees.

8. The Parties will further continue to create favorable conditions for the activities of national cultural centers on the territory of two states in preserving and developing of native language, culture, traditions and customs, taking measures to ensure rights and interests of citizens of one state residing in the territory of the other State.

The Presidents of the two states will pay attention to the improvement of learning and teaching of the Tajik language in Uzbekistan and the Uzbek language in Tajikistan, expansion of networks of general education institutions with Tajik and Uzbek languages of study, establishment of cooperation on exchange of educational and fiction books, periodicals and scientific publishing, as well as on support of translation of classical writers and poets and contemporary authors of the two countries.

The Tajik side welcomed the establishment of a monument to the outstanding representatives of the two peoples A. Jami and A. Navoi, as well as the reconstruction of the museum of the founder of modern Tajik literature S. Ayni in the city of Samarkand.

The Uzbek side, in turn, welcomed the decision of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan to build a park named after A.Navoi in Dushanbe and to install a monument to A. Jami and A. Navoi therein.

9. The Parties welcomed resumption of the functioning of border checkpoints in the Tajik-Uzbek State border and stressed that their full-fledged function will serve for interests of the both peoples and create favorable conditions for the further development of the bilateral ties.

The Heads of State noted with satisfaction the introduction of a visa-free regime for a mutual travel of citizens of the two states up to 30 days, which will foster expanded contacts between the peoples of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

10. The Presidents confirmed their readiness to strengthen cooperation in countering terrorism and extremism, drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, illegal arms trade, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, illegal migration and other challenges and threats to the regional and international security, both in bilateral and international formats, as well as to prevent unlawful activities directed against interests of the national security of the Parties in their territories.

In this respect, all necessary measures will be taken to improve cooperation through consultations of the relevant structures of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

11. The Heads of the two states reaffirmed their readiness to develop cooperation in the military and military-technical fields, as well as in military education on mutually beneficial terms.

12. The Presidents welcomed establishment of a joint Tajik-Uzbek working group on neutralization of sites with engineering obstacles in the border areas between the two countries and noted the necessity to complete this work in 2018-2019.

13. The Presidents noted the importance of deepening cooperation, enhancing of practical interaction and implementing specific activities in the sphere of disaster management.

14. The Parties confirmed the concurrence or closeness of the positions on current issues of ensuring peace, stability, security and sustainable development in the Central Asia.

The Heads of state stressed that the whole set of intra-regional problems in the Central Asia can and should be solved only by states of the region through an open and constructive dialogue, based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, respect and consideration of each other's interests.

15. The Presidents stressed that one of the key factors of prosperity in the Central Asia is an integrated use of water and energy resources, by taking into account the interests of all states of the region. The importance of open dialogue, strengthening of mutual understanding and developing of constructive cooperation, searching for mutually acceptable, fair and rational solutions was noted.

The parties expressed their mutual interest in developing regional partnership in the sphere of rational and fair use of water resources and stressed the importance of existing hydropower facilities for the Central Asia, and those under construction, in order to solve water and energy problems.

In this context, the Uzbek side expressed its readiness to comprehensively consider the possibility of participating in the construction of hydropower facilities in the Republic of Tajikistan, including Roghun HPS, taking into account the universally recognized international norms and standards on the construction of such facilities.

The Heads of state stressed the necessity to improve the legal mechanisms for the integrated and effective use of transboundary water resources of the Central Asia that facilitate a constructive dialogue, taking into account the interests of all states of the region.

The Parties welcome conducting of the Central Asian International Ecological Forum (Tashkent, June 5-8, 2018) and an International High-Level Conference on International Decade for Action Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028 (Dushanbe, June 20-22, 2018).

16. The Presidents agree that the resolution of any contradictions and disagreements in the international affairs is possible only through political means, through negotiations and other peaceful means, with strict observance of the universally recognized norms of international law and the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

The Parties noted the substantial potential for continuation and strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the international arena and expressed on mutual desire to further develop their cooperation within the framework of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and other international organizations.

The Presidents agree that the UN remains the leading universal international structure promoting maintainance of global security, as well as the main platform for resolving interstate and international problems. The Parties reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening its central coordinating role in international relations.

The Parties welcome conducting a International High-Level Conference on Afghanistan "Peace Process, Cooperation in the Sphere of Security and the Regional Cooperation" (Tashkent, March 26-27, 2018) and a High-Level International Conference on Combating Terrorism and Radicalism (Dushanbe, May 3-4, 2018).

The Tajik side supported the initiative of the Uzbek side on the development and promotion of the UN General Assembly resolutions Strengthening regional and international cooperation for peace, stability and sustainable development in the Central Asian region" and "Education and religious tolerance", as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of Youth.

The Parties, taking into account Tajikistan`s chairmanship in the CIS in 2018, expressed mutual interest in more effective use of the Commonwealth's mechanisms for its transformation into an effective platform for the development of mutually beneficial cooperation.

The Uzbek side supported the initiative of the Tajik side to establish a Counternarcotic Center of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Dushanbe.

The support of the Tajik side rendered to the initiatives of the Uzbek side on organization of regular meetings of heads of the railway administrations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization countries and to adopt a Joint appeal of the heads of SCO member states to the youth was appreciated.

The Presidents highly appreciated the constructive interaction of the two countries within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Tajik side supported the proposal of Uzbek side to hold the second OIC Summit on Science and Technology in 2020 in Uzbekistan.

17. The Heads of State expressed their commitment to implement the signed bilateral documents between the Parties timely and in a good faith, and spoke out in favor of the further improvement and expansion of the legal base to enhance the Tajik-Uzbek relations in the areas of mutual interest.

The Parties expressed satisfaction with the results of the State visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the Republic of Tajikistan and stressed that the talks held and the documents signed during the visit will give a new impetus to the further development of bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in the various fields, and will also importantantly contribute to comprehensive deepening of the interstate relations.

18. The President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, and all the Tajik people for the hospitality extended to the Uzbek delegation, as well as a cordial and friendly reception, and invited the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon to pay a return State visit to the Republic of Uzbekistan. Exact date of the visit will be coordinated through the diplomatic channels.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

Trend:

JSC Zarubezhneft is the first Russian oil company, which will sign two IPCs (Iranian Petroleum Contract) with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), TASS agency reported citing a source in the company.

Under the contract, the company will work at the Aban and Western Peydar fields in a consortium with the local Dana Energy.

The terms and cost of the contract have not been disclosed.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Gazenfer Hamidov  Trend:

The exports of industry sector products, which have the largest share among Irans non-oil exports, witnessed fall during the current fiscal year, started March 20, 2017.

The country exported $13.8 billion worth of industrial products during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, according to Parvin Nabati, director of the Chemical and Cellulose Industries Department of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade.

The figure indicates an 8 percent fall year-on-year, Nabati said, IRNA news agency reported March 14.

Nabati said that the global price fall as well as sanctions-related banking transaction problems has led to the decrease, however, she added that export of some products including bitumen and plastic artifacts have increased.

Nabati said that Irans bitumen exports increased by 13 percent to three million tons, meanwhile the value of exported bitumen decreased by 5 percent to $570 million in the 10-month period.

The official said that the Islamic Republic exported $1 billion worth of plastic products, 24 percent more year-on-year.

Over 74 percent of Irans plastic products exports have gone to the Iraqi market, followed by Afghanistan (13 percent), Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

She noted that China, the UAE, India, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Indonesia and Iraq were the top destinations of Irans petrochemical products.

Iran mainly exported bitumen to India, UAE, Pakistan, Qatar, Myanmar, Oman, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Kenya, Nabati said.

She added that the Islamic Republic exported $164 million worth of engine oil and paraffin in the 10-month period to various countries including India, China, Pakistan, Turkey and Afghanistan.

Irans paint, resin and glue exports accounted to $170 million in the period, of that 38 percent was sold in the Iraqi market.

Afghanistan was the next destination of the exports (19 percent), followed by Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, according to the official.

It should be noted that the officials statement about the industrial exports fall contradicts with the official data, released by Trade Promotion Organization of Iran.

According to the data, the value of the industrial exports in the first 10 months of the current fiscal tear witnessed a rise by 17 percent, year-on-year.

The Islamic Republic exported 33.282 million tons of industrial products, indicating a rise by 18 percent compared to the same period of the preceding year.
Tehran, Iran, March 14

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad  Trend:

Azerbaijani Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev and Iranian health minister, Hassan Hashemi, have met in Tehran to discuss the expansion of cooperation in the health sector.

Hashemi called for expansion of cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan, saying the deepening of ties between the two neighboring countries would protect the interests of both countries.

Future and current interests of our countries in the fields of security, economy and independence hinge upon the expansion of cooperation between the two countries, and there are various grounds for cooperation, Hashemi told the Azerbaijani minister.

Calling for cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector, Iranian minister said the medical universities in the cities of Ardabil, Tabriz, and Urmia are ready to cooperate with Azerbaijan in operating a hospital and also in education.

An Azerbaijani delegation led by the economy minister and co-chairman of the State Commission for Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in the economic, trade and humanitarian spheres, Shahin Mustafayev, is in Tehran on a two-day visit.
Tehran, Iran, March 14

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad  Trend:

The joint commission of Iran and Azerbaijan for economic cooperation has wrapped up its two-day talks for expansion of cooperation in Tehran.

The sides have agreed on the general outlines of eight documents on cooperation in the fields of industry, health, and transportation.

The documents are expected to be exchanged during the upcoming visit of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Baku in late March.

An Azerbaijani delegation led by the economy minister and co-chairman of the State Commission for Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in the economic, trade and humanitarian spheres, Shahin Mustafayev, arrived in Tehran March 14 on a two-day visit.
Tehran, Iran, March 14

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad  Trend:

On the last day of the latest round of economic talks between Iran and Azerbaijan, the sides have agreed to cooperate on oil and gas swap.

Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Masoud Karbasian has said the sides have agreed on eight documents on cooperation, including the swap of oil and gas.

According to the minister, the documents will be finalized during an expected visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Azerbaijan in late March.

An Azerbaijani delegation led by the economy minister and co-chairman of the State Commission for Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in the economic, trade and humanitarian spheres, Shahin Mustafayev, arrived in Tehran March 14 on a two-day visit.

Head of Gas Export Department at Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR Gagamali Seyfullayev earlier said that the volume of gas deliveries from Iran to Azerbaijan exceeded 1.76 billion cubic meters in 2017.

Seyfullayev reminded that with a view to meet the gas demand of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, annually 402 million cubic meters of gas of Azerbaijani origin are supplied to Iran within a long-term (up to 2025) swap agreement, while 350 million cubic meters of this volume are then supplied to Nakhchivan.

Under the oil swap agreements, which started in 1997 and were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in the Persian Gulf.

Iran's total income from these swap transactions from 1997 to 2009 amounted to about $880 million.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Gazenfer Hamidov  Trend:

The Iranian banking system paid some 5,194 trillion rials (some $137.7 billion based on official exchange rate of $1 to 37,700 rials) in loans during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year (started March 20, 2017).

The figure indicates a rise by 8.8 percent compared to the same period of the preceding year, the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) said March 14.

Over 574 trillion rials were paid in loans to various sectors in the 11th Iranian calendar month of Bahman (Jan. 20-Feb. 20).

A huge share of the paid loans was for supplying the working capital of various sectors. The working capital shared 62 percent or 3,219 trillion rials of the paid loans in the 11-month period. Allocated loans for working capital registered a rise by 5.9 percent compared to the first 11 months of the last fiscal year.

The Industry and mining sector received lion share of paid loans for supplying the working capital. Over 39.7 percent of the loans in this field was allocated to the Industry and mining sector (1,278.1 trillion rials).

Only 9.4 percent of the loans by banks were allocated to establish new units (489.62 trillion rials), while 4.7 percent of the assets were for development, and 2.8 percent were for repairs.

The highest value of the paid loans went to service sector (40.5 percent), followed by industry and mining sectors (29 percent), commerce (14 percent), housing (8.5 percent) and agriculture (8 percent).

The countrys banks paid 2,105.2 trillion rials to the service sector during the 11-month period.

Over 1,512.2 trillion rials of loans were paid to industry and mining sectors, 724.6 trillion - to commerce sector, 444.02 trillion rials - to housing sector, and 401.94 trillion rials - to agriculture sector.

Irans banking system paid 5,483.7 trillion rials in loans to various sectors during the last fiscal year (March 20, 2016 to March 19, 2017), 31.4 percent more than in the preceding year.

The details of the paid loans to various sectors (figures are in billion rials)
Tehran, Iran, March 14

By Kamyar Eghbalnejad  Trend:

Iran and Azerbaijan have discussed the terms of a draft agreement on cooperation in developing some oil blocks located in the Caspian Sea, a senior official told Trend.

Iranian Deputy Oil Minister for International Affairs Amir Hossein Zamaninia described the possible agreement on energy cooperation as a turning point in ties between Iran and Azerbaijan.

If this project produces results, it will be a turning point in cooperation between Iran and Azerbaijan. The outcome seems considerable in terms of wealth creation, he told Trend on the sidelines of the latest round of economic talks between the two countries in Tehran on Wednesday.

We held proper negotiations [with the Azerbaijani side] in a friendly atmosphere with a constructive approach. We reached some agreements, which must be finalized in Baku, the deputy minister added.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is expected to pay a visit to Baku in late March, where eight agreements including the cooperation in the oil sector are expected to be finalized.

The Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), a Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), owns a 10-percent share in Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz project.

Among the blocks, there could be the Araz-Alov-Sharg project, which is frozen until the Caspian Sea status is agreed upon between Azerbaijan and Iran.

An Azerbaijani delegation, led by the economy minister and co-chairman of the State Commission for Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in the economic, trade and humanitarian spheres, Shahin Mustafayev, was in Tehran on a two-day visit.
Iran and Russia signed a deal on Wednesday to develop two oilfields in Iran, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state TV.

The National Iranian Oil Company signed a deal with Russias Zarubezhneft to develop the fields, according to SHANA, the news site of the Iranian oil ministry.

The Aban and Paydar-e Gharb fields are both in western Iran and jointly owned by Iran and Iraq, according to SHANA. Their combined oil output is currently 36,000 barrels per day.

The 10-year agreement is intended to boost the production of the fields to 48,000 bpd. The fields are expected to produce 67 million barrels of oil during the ten years, SHANA reported.

Zarubezhneft has an 80 percent share in the deal and its Iranian partner, Dana Energy, the remaining 20 percent.

The cost of developing the fields is estimated at $674 million, with an additional $68 million in indirect costs, according to SHANA. (Reporting by Babak Dehghanpisheh Ediitng by Mark Potter)
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:

Rob Macaire has been appointed the UK Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran in succession to Nicholas Hopton, the UK government said in a press release on Wednesday.

Iran has an important role to play in the Middle East region, but it is essential that it does so in a constructive way  something I made clear during my visit to Tehran in December last year. The Iran deal, signed in 2015, was a huge diplomatic success. The product of years of patient and persistent diplomacy that extinguished the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said commenting on the appointment.

In that vein, I am pleased that Rob will be applying his wealth of international experience to the leading HMGs engagement in Tehran. We face challenges  including the ongoing cases of British dual-nationals detained in Iran  and areas for potential collaboration. I look forward to working with him across these areas."

In the meantime, Rob Macaire pledged to help preserve Iran nuclear deal and find political solutions to the regional crisis.

I am honoured to be appointed the new British Ambassador to Iran. The UKs continued engagement with Iran is vital to our goal of making the Middle East region a safer and more stable place. I look forward to working with the Government of Iran and with international partners to preserve the nuclear deal and deepen our bilateral relationship, through constructive engagement on human rights, trade, and seeking political solutions to the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere."
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

It is not a secret that over the past two years there has been a negative attitude in relations between Turkey and the US, one of the main reasons of which is connected with the Syrian policy of the United States. As it is known, Turkey demands from the US to end supporting PYD and YPG terrorist groups in Syria.

Ankara regards US support for PYD and YPG as a threat not only to its national security, but also to the security of the whole region, since these groups do not hide the intention to create a new Kurdish state in northern Syria.

Previously, it was reported that during the visit of the former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Turkey, the parties agreed on a joint fight against terrorism in Syria.

During Tillersons visit to Ankara in February 2018, the Turkish side put forward a number of demands to Washington, primarily about the immediate cessation of support for YPG terrorists. Ankara also stressed the need for Washington to perceive Turkey as its main ally in the fight against terrorism in the region, and also assist in the fight against the PKK terrorist organization. Following the meeting, the US and Turkey reached an agreement on joint fight against the PKK.

Moreover, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on March 19, 2018 that Turkey and the United States will discuss the issue of Syrias Manbij. According to him, if the PYD terrorists leave Manbij, the armed forces of Turkey and US will ensure stability in this area.

Almost all negotiations with the Turkish side were conducted through Tillersons office. Meanwhile, President of the United States Donald Trump fired Rex Tillerson, and will replace him with CIA Chief Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo made his first visit as CIA Chief to Turkey, but this does not at all indicate his sympathy for the Turkish government.

After the July military coup attempt in Turkey, Pompeo accused the countrys authorities of creating a "totalitarian Islamic dictatorship.

He is also an ardent opponent of Iran and Russia, making tough statements against Moscow and Tehran.

Undoubtedly, changes in the US foreign policy structure will affect the situation in the region, in particular in Syria.

The situation in Syria, including the issue of withdrawal of PYD and YPG terrorists from Manbij, is expected to be discussed during the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to the US, scheduled for March 19.

Pompeos appointment as the US Secretary of State will not have a positive impact on the situation in the Middle East, including the military conflict in Syria. It is possible that with his appointment, the US will begin to pursue a more stringent policy in the region.

As for the future relations between Turkey and the US, it is likely that they will be overshadowed by new crises.
China said on Wednesday it hopes the political will for talks between the United States and North Korea will be maintained, Reuters reports.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comment at a daily news briefing.

U.S. President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea, Russia and Iran, replacing his chief diplomat with loyalist CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
Angela Merkel on Wednesday was elected to a fourth term as German Chancellor by the Bundestag, The Local reports.

Almost six months after emerging from the national election with a reduced majority, Merkel was confirmed as the head of a new government after parliamentarians voted for a repeat of the grand coalition.

Merkel, who first became Chancellor in 2005, will govern at the head of the Christian Democrats (CDU) in a union with the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD).

Later on Wednesday morning, the Chancellor will travel to Schloss Bellevue, the residence of the German President, where at 11am President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will hand her a letter of appointment. Formalities dictate that Merkel then has to travel back to the Bundestag, where parliamentary president Wolfgang Schauble will swear her in as Chancellor.
The United Kingdom will expel 23 Russian diplomats over the poisoning case of former Russian spy Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia, UK Prime Minister Theresa May told the parliament on Wednesday, TASS reports.

"Under the Vienna Convention, the United Kingdom will now expel 23 Russian diplomats," May said, claiming that they are "undeclared intelligence officers."

"They have just one week to leave," she said.
Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar resigned late on Wednesday, hours after a key investment project hit a legal obstacle, saying he had also had enough of obstruction from his coalition partners and pressure from trade unions, Reuters reported.

The move comes less then three months ahead of general election which was expected in June. It was not clear whether Cerars resignation would bring the election forward.

In pre-election opinion polls Cerars centre-left Party of Modern Centre is trailing behind three other parties with a centre-left List of Marjan Sarec, which has never before run for parliament, being in the lead ahead of the opposition centre-right Slovenian Democratic Party.

Cerar said he would step down in the wake of a Supreme Court decision to annul the result of a September referendum that approved a 1-billion-euro railway project, the centre-left governments biggest investment programme.

The (railway project) took a new blow from those who want to stop the positive development of Slovenia, he said. I dont want to be part of such stories.

Earlier on Wednesday, teachers held their second one-day strike for higher wages. A number of other public sector employees are also demanding hefty pay hikes.

Demands and suggestions have been becoming less and less feasible and even damaging to the state, Cerar said.

He told a news conference that coalition partners had been trying for a long time to undermine projects, without naming specific parties or programmes. He said he would keep the post until a new government was formed.

The government coalition, which took power in September 2014, includes Cerars Party of Modern Centre, the Social Democrats and pensioners party Desus.

The government had said joint public sector trade union demands amount to almost 1 billion euros ($1.24 billion), were not justified by productivity and GDP growth and would threaten planned fiscal consolidation.

Slovenia, which narrowly avoided an international bailout for its banks in 2013, returned to growth a year later. The government expects economic growth of at least 3.9 percent this year versus 5 percent in 2017, boosted by exports and investments.

It hopes to end 2018 with a budget surplus of some 0.4 percent versus a deficit of 0.8 percent last year.
Moscow has responded favorably to Ankaras calls to speed up the delivery of S-400 missile system to Turkey, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after talks with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, TASS reports.

"We discussed the S-400 supplies, specialists are hashing over this process," Lavrov said. "We are responding positively to a request of the Turkish colleagues to speed up the delivery."

In November 2016, news broke that Russia and Turkey were in talks on the purchase of the S-400 missile system. In September 2017, Russia confirmed that the contract had been signed, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that an advance payment had been made. Turkey will become the first NATO member-state that will get Russias S-400. The number of systems it will receive has not been revealed.

Russian Presidential Aide for Military and Technical Cooperation Vladimir Kozhin earlier said the contract on the S-400 supplies to Turkey would start being implemented in early 2020.

Russias S-400 Triumf (NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler) is the latest long-range anti-aircraft missile system that went into service in 2007. It is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range missiles, and surface targets.
London has handed to Moscow a list of 23 Russian diplomats declared personae non grata, with the embassys military diplomats put on it, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in the 60 Minutes program on Rossiya24 channel, TASS reported.

"Today, the list was handed to the Russian side, we have it," she said. "They are Russian diplomats. Among them are military diplomats. Those people are ordered to leave the United Kingdom within seven days."

According to Zakharova, Moscow will offer an appropriate response to the British governments steps against Russia and officials are currently considering the reciprocal measures.

"Well take the measures that will be absolutely proportionate to the situation and were mulling them right now," she said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Eight Turkish servicemen were wounded in the fighting with terrorists as part of the Operation Olive Branch in the vicinity of Syrias Afrin, Turkish media reported March 14.

Two soldiers of the Free Syrian Army were also wounded in the fighting.

All the wounded were taken to the military field hospital in the Kilis province.

On March 13, the Turkish General Staff said that Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army completely encircled center of Syrias Afrin district.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Since the beginning of the Operation Olive Branch, 3,444 terrorists have been killed in Syrias Afrin, the Turkish General Staff said in a message March 14.

In particular, 51 terrorists have been recently killed in Afrin.

The Turkish General Staff announced a complete surrender of Afrin by the Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army on March 13.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Ankara hopes that Washington will sooner or later realize the mistake of its policy towards Turkey, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said before leaving for Azerbaijan, the Turkish media reported March 14.

Yildirim said that unfortunately, despite all the warnings of Turkey, the Syrian policy of the United States led to new problems in Syria.

Ankara expects that the US will correct its mistakes in policy towards Syria, the prime minister noted.

Touching upon the Operation Olive Branch, Yildirim noted that this operation was necessary and no country has the right to accuse Turkey of violating international law.

The Turkish General Staff announced about complete surrender of Afrin by the Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army on March 13.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
A meeting of the Russian-Turkish High Level Cooperation Council (HLCC) involving the Russian and Turkish presidents will be held in Ankara on April 3, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said at Wednesdays talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, TASS reports.

"This is preparatory meeting in the run-up to a new session of the High Level Cooperation Council in Ankara on April 3," he said. "Along with the development of bilateral relations, there is mutual interest to extend cooperation in addressing regional issues."
Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has voiced hope that the center of Syria's Afrin district will be freed tonight, Turkish media reported on March 14.

He noted that the Turkish Armed Forces pay special attention to keeping civilians away from harm.

The General Staff of Turkey announced on March 13 about complete encirclement of Afrin by the Turkish Armed Forces and Free Syrian Army.

On Jan. 20, the Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Free Syrian Army, launched the Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria.

Earlier, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim announced that about 8,000-10,000 PYD/YPG terrorists are supposed to be hiding in Afrin.

Turkey began drawing its military to the Syrian border in late June 2017. The forces were being concentrated in Turkish Kilis Province bordering Syrian territory controlled by YPG/PYD.

On Aug. 24, 2016, Turkish Armed Forces, with the support of the Syrian opposition, launched the Euphrates Shield Operation against the IS militants and liberated the city of Jarabulus as well as the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Federal authorities on Tuesday charged three men from rural central Illinois with the bombing of a Minnesota mosque last year and said one of the suspects told an investigator the goal of the attack was to "scare" Muslims out of the United States, New York Times reports.

A statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield, Illinois, says the men also are suspected in the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic in November.

The Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, was bombed just before morning prayers on Aug. 5, causing a fire and extensive damage although no one was injured or killed. There was an attempted bombing of the Champaign, Illinois, Women's Health Practice on Nov. 7.

The three men are identified as Michael B. Hari, 47; Joe Morris, 22; Michael McWhorter, 29. All are from Clarence, a rural community 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Champaign-Urbana. A fourth man was charged with a gun offense, but he was not identified as a suspect in the bombing or attempted bombing.

A complaint said a tip in December led authorities to investigate the three men, after a person sent the local sheriff photos of guns and bomb-making material inside Hari's parents' home, where Hari often stayed. In January, a second informant told authorities that the three men had carried out the mosque bombing and the failed clinic bombing, according to the complaint.
U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

A third source who had direct knowledge of the administrations thinking said the tariffs, associated with a Section 301 intellectual property investigation, under the 1974 U.S. Trade Act begun in August last year, could come in the very near future.

While the tariffs would be chiefly targeted at information technology, consumer electronics and telecoms, they could be much broader and the list could eventually run to 100 products.

The White House declined to comment on the size or timing of any move.

Washington is targeting Chinese high technology companies to punish them for Chinas investment policies that effectively force U.S. companies to give up their technology secrets in exchange for being allowed to operate in the country along with other allegations of intellectual property theft.
By Tomoyuki Tachikawa, KYODO NEWS - Mar 14, 2018 - 13:20 | World, All

As U.S. President Donald Trump has agreed to hold a summit with North Korea, its leader Kim Jong Un may seek to improve relations with China, possibly aiming at easing Chinese sanctions on his country.

China is also eager to get closer with North Korea so as not to lose its influence over the country, out of concern that important things on the Korean Peninsula might otherwise be determined without its input in the months and years ahead.

"If the momentum of South-North talks is rising, it may encourage the international community to reduce sanctions" on Pyongyang, a source with expertise on Korean affairs said. "North Korea expects China and Russia to follow suit."

Since late last year, North Korea's main exports such as coal and seafood have been banned and its imports of refined petroleum products have been severely restricted.

In January, China's imports from North Korea plunged nearly 77 percent to around $47.1 million from a year earlier, data released by the General Administration of Customs showed in February.

Given that China used to account for about 90 percent of North Korea's external trade, Pyongyang is more than willing to mend ties with Beijing if that would lessen the impact of international economic sanctions, the source said.

In his first public speech as the country's leader in April 2012, Kim pledged to ensure that "the people will never have to tighten their belt again," showing his intention to tackle poverty through adequate food provision and rebuild the stagnant economy.

The source said, "While trying to make North Korea a nuclear power, Kim has pursued economic development. Kim may have started to think that international economic sanctions have hampered the achievement of one of his goals."

Since the 1950-1953 Korean War, China has backed North Korea, regarding it as a strategic buffer against South Korea, where U.S. military forces are stationed. It has long wielded influence as its neighbor's main economic lifeline.

In recent years, however, bilateral relations have been cooled considerably, especially after Kim purged his once-powerful uncle Jang Song Thaek in 2013. Jang was Beijing's most significant link to Pyongyang's leadership.

Since he took office in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping has never met with Kim, who became North Korea's supreme leader following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.

In November, Song Tao, head of the Chinese Communist Party's International Department, visited North Korea as Xi's special envoy, but he did not meet with Kim.

Around 10 days after Song's trip to the North, Pyongyang test-fired what it claimed is a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile capable of hitting anywhere in the United States with a nuclear warhead.

China, meanwhile, has struggled to avoid irritating North Korea, although it has been asked by other countries, such as the United States and Japan, to play a key role in dealing with the nuclear crisis.

Beijing "does not want to press the North too much for fear of making another unfriendly or even worse enemy in the region," said Stephen Nagy, a senior associate professor of politics at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

China has been concerned that taking hard-line stance on North Korea "could lead the Pyongyang to turn some of its missiles towards Beijing," Nagy added.

Moreover, China, which shares a land border with North Korea, is worried about military conflict on the Korean Peninsula, as it may trigger a massive influx of North Korean refugees or could escalate to nuclear use in the worst-case scenario.

Arguing that the nuclear issue should be resolved through talks, Beijing has proposed a "double suspension" approach, where Pyongyang would stop its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for Washington and Seoul suspending their joint military drills.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said China's efforts have caused a recent inter-Korean thaw, praising the proposal that he himself had presented last year.

During the Feb. 9-25 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, "North Korea did not carry out a new nuclear test, and the United States and South Korea refrained from military exercises against North Korea," Wang said at a press conference last week.

"The fact is that China's double suspension proposal worked as a medicine and was proved to lay the best groundwork for improvement in North-South relations," Wang added.

But many policymakers outside China are sharing the view that Beijing has not necessarily contributed to the recent improvement in ties between the two Koreas, which came after Pyongyang decided to join the Winter Olympics in South Korea.

Actually, even Chinese officials and analysts have acknowledged that Beijing's presence on the Korean Peninsula has been waning, as the United States is set to have direct contacts with the North down the road.

Beijing has been making repeated attempts to prevent its influence on the peninsula from decreasing further.

China has "consistently worked on active reconciliation in the region" and "affected U.S. policies against North Korea," said Su Xiaohui, a scholar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs-affiliated China Institute of International Studies.

"There is no way that China will be absent from discussions on issues related to the Korean Peninsula," Su said in the overseas edition of the People's Daily, a mouthpiece of China's ruling Communist Party.

Related coverage:

China wants restart of 6-party talks for N. Korea denuclearization

Japan to explore possibility of summit with N. Korea's Kim: sources
KYODO NEWS - Mar 14, 2018 - 09:50 | All, Japan, Feature

With Japan still reluctant to ban smoking in eateries and bars outright, a cancer researcher has launched a website to make it easier to find those few establishments that have declared themselves smoke-free -- and encourage other such businesses to take the same step.

The site, which is in Japanese and called Quemlin, enables users to search for smoke-free restaurants, cafes, and bars by type of cuisine and location. It includes not only introductions to the establishments but often explanations about how their nonsmoking policies have positively impacted their business.

(Yuri Ito (far left) enjoys herself at a smoke-free standing-only bar in Osaka)

Chief researcher at the Osaka International Cancer Institute Yuri Ito, 40, likes to dine out and has been posting photos on her Facebook page of nonsmoking establishments she has visited since 2015.

But what inspired her to launch a search site for smoke-free restaurants and bars was the fact that many such places had maintained their sales levels.

Ito believes the website, launched in the fall of 2017, can also provide valuable information to proprietors, helping them take the plunge. "I want to encourage their decision" to become smoke-free establishments, she said.

Based on World Health Organization standards, Japan is among the lowest-ranked countries in terms of tobacco control.

While over 50 countries, including Britain, Canada and Russia, have already banned indoor smoking at all eight types of public facility such as schools, medical institutions and restaurants, Japan has no smoke-free law covering all indoor public places.

The Japanese government's recently unveiled antismoking plan shows some progress with efforts to prevent passive smoking in public places but has also sparked an outcry from lung cancer patients and other activists as it backpedaled from its initial goal of a total indoor smoking ban in public spaces due to industry resistance.

Japan gov't to introduce antismoking steps before Olympics

According to a draft bill approved by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last month, smoking will be basically banned within the premises of hospitals, schools and government offices.

But for restaurants and bars, smoking will be permitted in facilities with customer seating areas of up to 100 square meters and capital of up to 50 million yen ($470,000), as long as they display a sign indicating it is a "smoking space" where smoking, in designated sections or otherwise, is permitted.

The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry had originally planned to exempt eateries only with a floor space of up to 30 sq meters from the smoking ban.

As a result of the backpedaling, the ministry estimates that customers at some 55 percent of all restaurants and bars can carry on lighting up, raising questions about the smoking ban's effectiveness.

Ito's website currently lists around 160 eating and drinking establishments mainly in the Kansai region, centering on Osaka.

She plans to expand the website's coverage throughout Japan by soliciting members to search and post information about nonsmoking eateries in each region.

Based on information she is gathering from shops, Ito is also conducting research on the relationship between the number of nonsmoking eateries and the death toll linked to smoking in each region.

"Society is now shifting toward being smoke-free," Ito said. "I hope Quemlin will help (proprietors) to take a step toward better considering their own health and customer satisfaction and recognizing that there won't be negative effects on sales."
KYODO NEWS - Mar 14, 2018 - 13:05 | All, World

The Japanese government on Wednesday ruled out any negative impact from the dismissal of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on its cooperation with Washington in dealing with North Korea.

"The Japanese and the U.S. governments have closely communicated with each other through various channels, including between Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe and President (Donald) Trump. In that sense, we do not anticipate any negative impact," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a press conference.

The top government spokesman also underlined that Tokyo, Washington and Seoul will maintain their policy to keep putting "maximum pressure" on Pyongyang to prod it to give up its nuclear and missile programs as well as resolve the issue of the North's past abduction of Japanese nationals.

Trump dismissed Tillerson on Tuesday amid rifts over such issues as the Iran nuclear accord and the approach toward North Korea, and appointed Central Intelligence Agency chief Mike Pompeo as his successor.

Foreign Minister Taro Kono also said he does not think the U.S. chief diplomat's exit will have an impact in the run-up to the envisioned U.S.-North Korea summit by May.

"I've heard that President Trump led the decision (to hold the talks). So I believe the mainstream (policy) will be unaffected," Kono told reporters at his ministry.

Last week, Trump accepted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's proposal to hold a first-ever meeting between incumbent leaders of the two countries in the coming months.

But the Japanese foreign minister said Tillerson's departure was "really regrettable, personally" as the two trusted each other and were able to talk in a candid manner.

Kono, meanwhile, expressed readiness to work with Pompeo, saying, "The United States holds the key to the North Korean crisis. I would like to meet the incoming secretary of state as soon as possible and start exchanging views over the North and other issues."

He had planned to visit Washington later this week to hold talks with Tillerson over the latest developments concerning the North. A source close to him said the minister instructed staff to keep to the schedule and arrange talks with senior U.S. officials.
California Officials Preparing for the Next Disasters

The governor and legislative leaders are partnering on solutions this year that will make California more resilient against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.

After floods, wildfires, mudslides, and other extreme weather last year, California Gov. Jerry Brown today on March 13 joined Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Senate Republican Leader Patricia Bates, Assembly Republican Leader Brian Dahle, and Senate President pro Tempore-designee Toni Atkins to say they are partnering on solutions this year that will make California more resilient against the impacts of natural disasters and climate change.

"It is critical we take strong and comprehensive action to protect all Californians from the threat of natural disasters and climate change," they said.

Brown and the legislators will work with the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, as well as relevant standing policy committees, to craft solutions to:

Modernize vegetation and forest management practices for fire prevention and carbon sequestration

Ensure utility and public infrastructure is designed, constructed, and operated to maximize resiliency to extreme weather events and natural disasters

Enhance the emergency response system, including consideration of mutual aid resources, telecommunications, 911 systems, and community needs, particularly in low-income and vulnerable communities

Examine the availability of insurance products in high wildfire areas in light of increased risks from climate change

Update liability rules and regulations for utility services in light of changing climate and the increased severity and frequency of weather events

According to the governor's office, eight of the state's most destructive wildfires have occurred during the past five years.
ITHACA, N.Y. - Cornell University scientists are beginning to unravel the complicated connections between viruses, the environment and wasting diseases among sea stars in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.

As ocean temperatures rise and oceanic diseases proliferate, species like sea stars struggle to survive, and scientists are looking for underlying causes. To bring clarity to the sea star disease problem, the scientists propose a new, broad nomenclature in a study published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

Previous scientific work suggested that sea star-associated densovirus (SSaDV) was the best candidate pathogen responsible for sea star wasting disease (SSWD) among about two dozen species affected by it. But the researchers noticed viruses did not correlate in some hard-hit species.

"Disease among sea stars is likely caused by multiple factors, not just one factor like SSaDV or rising temperature. The 'disease' is actually multiple diseases. Understanding this, it's a lot more complicated to explain than simply a virus - like SSaDV - coming along or water temperature increasing by way of climate change," said lead author Ian Hewson, associate professor of microbiology.

Sunflower sea stars - whose 16 to 24 arms exceed 3 feet long - were once prolific throughout the Salish Sea, which borders Washington state and Canada's British Columbia. In 2013-14 wasting disease decimated their population.

The paper suggests renaming the wasting disease to Asteroid Idiopathic Wasting Syndrome because the term correlates with an array of symptoms, "which is more correct for describing this situation, as there are likely multiple diseases present," Hewson said.

The wasting disease appears to have mostly run its course, said Hewson. "It has been waning in recent years and is currently present at low levels. The ultimate consequence of the disease is that there has been a huge reduction in sunflower stars and a few other large starfish species."

Other sea stars appear to have been less affected, if at all, based on surveys by other researchers, said Hewson. "The loss of very large starfish, like the sunflower stars, which are top predators in their ecosystems, has caused a shift in the abundance of their prey - urchins and other small invertebrates - for a while. We don't expect the sunflowers to return to pre-disease numbers any time soon."

The group does not let climate change off the hook. "Since some of those disease causes may include swings in temperature or precipitation, ultimately which may be related to climate change, we need to focus our efforts on remediating climate change," he said.

###

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation and the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.

Cornell University has television, ISDN and dedicated Skype/Google+ Hangout studios available for media interviews.
Fossils of six new species of pterosaurs - giant flying reptiles that flew over the heads of the dinosaurs - have been discovered by a research team led by the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, revealing that this lineage was killed off in its prime. An analysis of the fossils, publishing 13 March in the open access journal PLOS Biology shows that, contrary to previous studies, there was still remarkable diversity among pterosaurs up to the point of their extinction.

Pterosaurs - prehistoric reptiles popularly known as pterodactyls - were flying cousins of the dinosaurs. Soaring on skin wings supported by a single huge finger, they were the largest animals ever to take wing.

The pterosaurs were previously thought to be declining before the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous period, which was caused by an asteroid impact 66 million years ago. However, hundreds of new fossils from the end of the Cretaceous, discovered at sites in northern Morocco, show that the region supported seven species of pterosaur from three different families. It was thought that the rarity of pterosaur fossils from the end of the dinosaur era meant that they were slowly going extinct. But the new study shows that the data had been misleadingly skewed by the dearth of fossils and that the pterosaurs at this time were actually far more diverse than thought.

The new pterosaurs ranged in wingspan from a little over two meters to almost ten meters (from 6 to 30 feet) - almost three times bigger than the largest living bird - and weighed up to 200 kg (440 pounds). The fossils date to just over 66 million years ago, the very end of the Cretaceous period, making these pterosaurs among the last of their kind on Earth. As well as the diversity in size, the authors were also able to show that the species differed significantly in the shape and size of parts of their bodies (such as beak shape, neck length, and wing proportions), suggesting that they occupied distinct ecological niches.

Dr Nick Longrich, from the Milner Centre for Evolution and the Department of Biology & Biochemistry at the University of Bath, and the study's lead author, said: "To grow so large and still be able to fly, pterosaurs evolved incredibly lightweight skeletons, with the bones reduced to thin-walled, hollow tubes like the frame of a carbon-fiber racing bike.

"But unfortunately, that means these bones are fragile, and so almost none survive as fossils."

Longrich said he had always found pterosaurs fascinating, and as a university student had dreamed of studying them. Years later in Morocco, he would stumble across a single, small bone mixed in with fossil fish dug up from a phosphate mine. "It was like a light went off," he said. "I remembered back to the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Pterosaurs, a book I'd practically memorized as an undergraduate. And I thought 'that's a nyctosaur.'"

Nyctosaurs, a family of small pterosaurs, hadn't been proven to survive to the end of the Cretaceous. On a hunch, he looked for more pterosaurs, and found more species - including Tethydraco, a member of the pteranodontids, a family that had been thought to disappear fifteen million years earlier. In addition to the single species previously found in the area, six additional species turned up. "I believe there are many more species to find," he said.

Co-author of the study, Professor David Martill from the University of Portsmouth said: "Exciting discoveries are being made all the time, and sometimes, just the smallest of bones can radically change our perception of the history of life on Earth."

Dr Brian Andres, Research Associate at The University of Texas at Austin, also a co-author of the study, added: "The Moroccan fossils tell the last chapter of the pterosaurs' story - and they tell us pterosaurs dominated the skies over the land and sea, as they had for the previous 150 million years."

Moroccan paleontologist Professor Nour-Eddine Jalil from the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, France commented: "This is a fabulous discovery of pterosaurs from Morocco - they tell us their amazing diversity while we thought them in decline. "The Moroccan phosphates are an open window on a key moment in the history of the Earth, one that shortly preceded the global crisis that swept away, among others, dinosaurs and marine reptiles."

###

The fossils from the study are permanently accessioned at the Faculte des Sciences Ain Chock, Universite Hassan II, Casablanca, Morocco

Adapted by PLOS Biology from release provided by the University of Bath

In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Biology: http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2001663

Citation: Longrich NR, Martill DM, Andres B (2018) Late Maastrichtian pterosaurs from North Africa and mass extinction of Pterosauria at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. PLoS Biol 16(3): e2001663. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2001663

Funding: The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Cybersecurity

ARPA-E tilts toward cyber

ARPA-E, which focused on making grants to early-stage energy companies under the Obama administration, may find a new lease on life as a cybersecurity skunkworks.

The Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy, created under the George W. Bush administration to foster innovation in energy technology, is targeted for elimination in the White House's 2019 budget.

"This is about as dramatic as it gets in science and technology policy," Chris Fall, ARPA-E's principal deputy director said in his in remarks at the agency's ninth energy innovation summit near Washington, D.C., on March 13.

ARPA-E "is at a crossroads, but we still have to think about the future," Fall said. That future, he told his audience, should show it can do valuable work beyond issuing simple grants to companies and academia for new tech.

ARPA-E and its partners should be the "special forces" for the energy arena, able to quickly develop new capabilities and tools beyond the traditional areas of renewable energy and energy management technologies, he said.

Cybersecurity and resilience for the energy grid are prime areas where ARPA-E could be instrumental in helping develop new approaches or technologies quickly, Fall said.

It could also be more nimble and act more quickly than the larger Department of Energy could, especially in cybersecurity to counter a rapidly developing threat, he said.

"It takes years of budgeting" for large agencies to develop big plans. ARPA-E, he said, offers agility and the willingness to take technological risks to address those issues quickly. "We can do that now," Fall said.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry has placed a premium on countering cybersecurity threats to the nations power infrastructure. In its fiscal 2019 budget document, the department asked to establish a separate account for cybersecurity, energy security and emergency response. The separate CESER account, Perry said in a February announcement, would consolidate funding to address the agency's expanded cybersecurity responsibilities.

Energy officials have told FCW that CESER was requested to give the issues of cyber and physical attacks more visibility and to deal with some of the details of attacks aimed at energy infrastructure.

Norm Augustine, co-chair of the American Energy Innovation Council likened ARPA-E's importance to that of the Defense Departments Advanced Research Projects Agency that has been a source of innovative, outside-the-box, collaborative thinking for decades.

"They can make decisions quickly, unfettered by procurement" that can bind larger agencies and prevent them from getting effective solutions deployed effectively, he said.

In a video statement to the convention, the ranking member of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) said she was still backing the ARPA-E reauthorization bill that would fund the agency.

She said her bill had the support of 29 Democrats and 10 Republicans so far.

CORRECTION: This article was updated Mar. 14 to clarify that ARPA-E gives grants to early stage research projects..
Open Government

How transparent is FOIA?

On Capitol Hill, senators are complaining that there's too little transparency surrounding the government's premier transparency law.

While the Department of Justice recently launched a one-stop shop to centralize the submissions of Freedom of Information Act requests, Republican and Democratic senators alike expressed frustrations with agencies' actual responses  or lack thereof  to records requests.

"No one can say with a straight face that FOIA always works as intended," said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) at a March 13 hearing.

According to an analysis of FOIA requests made in eight months under the Trump administration conducted by the Associated Press, requesters received censored or no materials at all in 78 percent of more than 823,000 cases.

On the topic of exemptions and redactions, "the whole design of FOIA is that it's a balance of interests," said Melanie Pustay, director of the Department of Justice's Office of Information Policy. "It's balance of the need for the public to know about their government and be engaged, but also the right of the public to have protection for certain important issues," such as personal privacy and law enforcement techniques and procedures.

But FOIA requests are now being made to access cabinet secretaries' daily logs and other seemingly ordinary data that used to be readily available, said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and that "jams up the FOIA process,"

"If an agency knows that no gavel will ever come down requiring a real answer, it's going to open up the mischief even further to giving either nonsense or really pablum answers," Whitehouse said.

Grassley also pressed on the status of the "release to one, release to all" policy, first proposed  but not finalized  under the Obama administration. Currently, the FOIA Improvement Act of 2016 directs agencies to make publicly available in an electronic format records that have been requested at least three times.

Pustay said that while her office encourages proactive disclosures, agencies have concerns about the time and resources it would take to properly code and upload documents online after a single request and the policy "is still under review."

"That doesn't meet the common-sense test," responded Grassley.

Alina Semo, director of the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of Government Information Services, testified that "many" of the FOIA Advisory Committee's recommendations, which will be finalized in April, concern ways to improve proactive disclosures.

Dave Powner of the Government Accountability Office said that, absent emphasis from the White House, agencies may not feel compelled to fully comply with the goals of FOIA.

"It's a fundamental management, leadership issue," he said. "If you don't have the backing of the [Executive Office of the President] and the Office of Management and Budget, it's very hard to get the right openness and progress moving the ball forward."

Compared to the emphasis given to the development of the IT dashboard, "you don't necessarily have that openness and transparency with FOIA today, he added.

Powner also said that some agencies' chief FOIA officers are not senior officials designated at the assistant secretary level and lack the authority to make substantive changes. This includes the Department of Homeland Security, which outpaces the rest of government in terms of FOIA requests per agency by a wide margin and suffers from a backlog of more than 46,000 requests as of fiscal year 2016.

He added that agency reorganizations represent an "opportunity to elevate those positions."

"What it tells you is, to be very blunt, is this important enough for that agency to put them at the appropriate level in the department," Powner said. "If you really want to fix FOIA, you've got to get executives at these departments and agencies engaged with the right metrics and that's what drives change more than anything."
Cybersecurity

Chip maker AMD faces claims of new bugs

Two months after the world learned of two massive bugs inherent in widely used computer processor chips, security researchers in Israel claim to have found another set of critical security vulnerabilities, this time affecting Advanced Micro Devices processor chips.

On Mar. 12, 2018, researchers at CTS-Labs announced that they had discovered 13 separate vulnerabilities and manufacturer backdoors inside four AMD processor lines, which are used in desktops, laptops, and servers. According to the researchers, the flaws allow a malicious attacker with sufficient login credentials to permanently install malware onto AMD secure processors allowing for "virtually undetectable" espionage.

Researchers said the security flaws are so numerous and rudimentary that CTS researchers questioned whether the chip manufacturer was conducting adequate oversight of its products.

In a statement to FCW, an AMD spokesperson said the company was "investigating this report, which we just received" suggesting they had only recently been notified. It is standard practice in the information security research community to inform a company about security vulnerabilities months in advance of disclosing them to the public.

Later, the company released a statement on its investor relations blog saying it is actively investigating the incident, but that CTS-Labs was "previously unknown to AMD and we find it unusual for a security firm to publish its research to the press without providing a reasonable amount of time for the company to investigate and address its findings."

Security researcher Kevin Beaumont took a skeptical and critical tone of the disclosures on Twitter, calling the CTS-Labs white paper "trash" with "literally no technical information" and criticizing the company for its disclosure timeline.

"I mean seriously, if there's a vulnerability, don't run to the press with professionally shot videos talking about 'asking experts' for more info and saying 'lives at risk,'" said Beaumont.

CTS Labs could not be immediately reached for comment to respond to questions about when their researchers decided to inform AMD about the vulnerabilities.

Security researcher Dan Guido said on Twitter that his company had been asked to review the CTS findings before the white paper went out, and that "the bugs are real, accurately described in their technical reportand their exploit code works."

Curtis Dukes, executive vice president at the Center for Internet Security and a former director of the National Security Agency's Information Assurance Directorate, told FCW it would be "disappointing" if it turned out that CTS-Labs gave AMD short notice about the vulnerabilities before going public.

"You can't expect a company to respond in less than 24 hours with risk mitigation guidance," he said.

Dukes said it was not clear from the research whether the attacks are remotely exploitable.

"If remotely exploitable, I would rate the vulnerabilities as critical. If notthen it's still serious but other defensive measures can be employed to reduce risk of exploit," he said.
Workforce

Military looks for ways to bring in cyber talent at better salaries

Low entry-level pay isn't helping the armed services in their quest to attract and retain top cyber talent.

Representatives across the military named salary as a significant barrier to recruiting and retaining cyber talent at a March 13 hearing of the Cybersecurity subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

U.S. Fleet Cyber Commander Vice Adm. Michael Gilday said that while the services' direct commission programs are designed to attract the tech industry's best, the $37,000 salary that comes with being a second lieutenant does not.

"We are not competitive with the private sector in terms of competing for that kind of talent and we want to go after it," he said.

Gilday also said "rigid guidelines" governing the civilian force have become prohibitive in terms of the incentives workers can be offered -- namely 10 percent hiring raises and relocation bonuses that still don't meet the salary levels of the private sector. The military will need additional authorities to do so.

Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) said that a base salary of $37,000 was appropriate for Capitol Hill staffers "answering phones," but not for military cyber forces.

"We have enough trouble competing with the private sector without adding in some of the challenges that are inherent in the current way that we develop leadership in our military," she said.

In addition to base pay, service members get allotments for food, lodging, health care and other services. But that total compensation still pales in comparison to what many companies can offer, so the military is trying to find ways to give cyber workers from the tech sector credit for their years to boost pay.

Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, Army Cyber Commander and nominee to be head of U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency, said failure to translate cyber workers' past civilian work experience into an appropriate military rank with commensurate pay is hampering recruitment and retention.

"What we're facing right now is an inability to grant constructive credit," he said, "We are limited to bringing them in as a first lieutenant and so we would like greater flexibility on that."

Nakasone added that measuring constructive credit to allow tech workers to enter the military at a higher rank and pay would help draw people from emerging and important fields like data analytics and artificial intelligence. The miliary has similar programs in place to attract doctors and other medical professionals.

Maj. Gen. Lori Reynolds, commander of the Marine Corps' Cyber Command, said the USMC established a new military occupational specialty (MOS) directed at targeting incentives for the cyber workforce.

That alone, she said, "is going to maximize the bonus structure that we have inside the Marine Corps to  get after and retain some of those special talent."

But Reynolds said dollars aren't always the right incentive. "In some cases, ma'am, it's not pay. Sometimes it's education and sometimes it's certificates...So for us it's being able to target those incentives."

For the Air Force, cyber commander Maj. Gen. Chris Weggeman said the direct commission program was a good start, with the Air Force sending its first two applicants to officer training school in 15 days to become second lieutenants.

Relatedly, the National Commission on Military, National and Public Service, which makes policy recommendations for military conscription, is looking for ways to get cyber specialists into the ranks at time of need. A little-noticed Feb. 16 request for comments in the Federal Register indicates that the military may be looking to modify selective service rules to allow for the drafting of cyber pros and other key STEM professionals "without regard to age or sex."
CHICAGO (AP) -- Federal authorities on Tuesday charged three men from rural central Illinois with the bombing of a Minnesota mosque last year and said one of the suspects told an investigator the goal of the attack was to "scare" Muslims out of the United States.

A statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Springfield, Illinois, says the men also are suspected in the attempted bombing of an abortion clinic. The Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, was bombed just before morning prayers on Aug. 5, causing a fire and extensive damage although no one was injured or killed. And there was an attempted bombing of the Champaign, Illinois, Women's Health Practice on Nov. 7.

One of the men, Michael B. Hari, 47, described in an April 2017 Chicago Tribune article how he drafted a $10 billion plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico, citing President Donald Trump's call for such a wall. Hari drew up the proposal after launching a security company, Crisis Resolution Security Services, the newspaper said.

Hari also filed a federal lawsuit just last month in central Illinois, naming the U.S. secretaries of agriculture and health and human services as defendants. It accuses their departments of violating his constitutional rights by doing the food-safety certification work that his firm, Equicert, does.

"The People of the United States have rejected the Marxist doctrine that the government shall own the means of production," he wrote, according to the court document. He requested a court order barring federal officials from interfering with his business.

The other two men charged in the mosque bombing with Hari were identified as Joe Morris, 22, and Michael McWhorter, 29. All three are from Clarence, a rural community of less than 100 residents some 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Champaign-Urbana. A fourth man was charged with a gun offense, but he was not identified as a suspect in the bombing or attempted bombing.

Story continues

A complaint said a tip in December led authorities to investigate the three men, after a person sent the local sheriff photos of guns and bomb-making material inside Hari's parents' home, where Hari often stayed. In January, a second informant told authorities that the three men had carried out the mosque bombing and the failed clinic bombing, according to the complaint.

McWhorter allegedly told an FBI agent during an interview that the three rented a pickup in Champaign and drove more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) to Minnesota with a plan to bomb the mosque, according to a criminal complaint. He said they wanted to let Muslims know they are not welcome in the United States and "scare them out of the country," according to notes taken by the FBI.

It wasn't clear from the complaint why the men may have targeted a mosque so far from Illinois.

Morris told one informant that Hari had promised to pay him and McWhorter $18,000 for participating in the mosque bombing, according to the complaint. An affidavit says the men broke a window to the imam's office and threw a pipe bomb containing black powder into the mosque. The pipe bomb exploded, causing a fire that was extinguished by sprinklers.

A witness outside the mosque heard the sound of breaking glass and saw a man get into a dark pickup truck. The truck then sped away, the affidavit said.

Minneapolis FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Bone said authorities no longer believe there is any further threat to the community in connection with this incident.

McWhorter also allegedly admitted that the three men tried to bomb the abortion clinic on Nov. 7, again renting a truck to carry out the attack. McWhorter described a PVC pipe bomb and said Morris broke a window and threw it in, where it failed to go off, according to the complaint.

The complaint also said nothing about a possible motivation for the clinic attack.

Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Muslim advocacy and civil liberties group Council on American-Islamic Relations, welcomed news of the arrests.

"This is definitely a relief that this case is finally to conclusion and those assailants-slash-suspects are apprehended and no longer a threat to our community," Hussein said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

The Islamic Center primarily serves Somalis in the Minneapolis area and houses a mosque and religious school for children. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community outside of east Africa, with an estimated 57,000 people, according to the most recent census estimates.

Mohamed Omar, the center's executive director, said at the time that the mosque didn't receive any threats beforehand or claims of responsibility afterward. The FBI had offered a $30,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the bombing. It's unclear if the reward money will be paid.

Officials said at the time that witnesses saw someone throw something from a truck or van before the blast and saw a vehicle speed away afterward. Mosque leaders later released security video from inside the mosque that caught the moments before the explosion, and some smoke and flying debris. The video didn't show the blast itself.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton called the bombing an act of terrorism when he and other officials visited the mosque the day after the explosion.

"That bombing that took place last summer was a tragedy for all Minnesotans," U.S. Attorney Gregory Brooker said, adding that it remains a top priority for law enforcement.

___

Forliti reported from Minneapolis. Associated Press writer Jeff Baenen contributed from Minneapolis.
HPT vs. HCP: Which Stock Should Value Investors Buy Now? HPT vs. HCP: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?

In the world of Chinese ADRs, no company attracts more investor attention than Alibaba BABA. The e-commerce behemoth is not only one of the largest publicly-traded tech companies in the world, but also a popular method for gauging the health of Chinas economy and investing in the growth of its consumer marketplace.

Alibaba is clearly a dominant force in the global retail sector, as well as an interesting growth play in industries like financial services, smart vehicles, artificial intelligence, and digital media. And considering the companys expansion opportunities and rising popularity among investors, it makes sense that BABA has been among the hottest stocks in the world over the past year, having gained about 80% over this timeframe.

Alibaba has worked to prove that it deserves this type of momentum by delivering solid earnings and revenue results. This trend is expected to continue, with our latest consensus estimates calling for the company to see EPS growth of 49% and net sales growth of 65% in the current fiscal year.

Nevertheless, Alibaba still feels like a speculative stock. BABA is currently trading with a Forward P/E ratio of 28.8, coming in well above the broader market average and slightly higher than the 24.8 average of its wholesale retail peers.

But considering how unique Alibaba is, this might not paint a complete picture. After all, investors interested in this stock are likely placing a certain premium on the continued potential of the Chinese internet and consumer markets, which are still growing at rates not seen in many comparable economies.

With that said, a quick glance at Alibabas historical Forward P/E reveals a much more interesting story about the stocks valuation:

This peer group includes four other major Chinese internet stocks: JD.com JD, Baidu BIDU, Tencent TCEHY, and NetEase NTES. None of these companies are structured exactly like Alibaba, but they all compete in various markets and help show how investors value Chinas internet industry in a more general sense.

Story continues

There are few key trends to notice here. First of all, BABA is currently trading with its lowest in valuation in terms of forward earnings in over a year. While the stock might still be expensive compared to the broader market, investors have likely never been able to purchase it at this cheap of a level.

The second thing we notice is that Alibaba has traditionally traded at a premium compared to its Chinese internet peers. However, over the past month or so, the average Forward P/E of this group has risen while BABAs has slumpedand now for the first time in at least a year, Alibaba is trading at a discount to the rest of this group.

However, Alibaba is actually not the cheapest stock in this set. In fact, BIDUs current P/E is slightly lower, and NTES is trading at a significant discount. Heres how Alibabas valuation compares to that of online gaming giant NetEase:

As we can see, BABA has traditionally traded at a premium to NTES, and although that gap has narrowed slightly over the past few months, the difference in valuation is certainly still noticeable.

Of course, Alibaba bulls will be quick to point out the reasons for this premium. For one, the company gives investors more diversified exposure to the Chinese economy than NetEase, which is focused on specific markets like gaming and digital content. It is also possible that Alibaba has more exciting growth potential because of its investments in new revenue sources.

BABA is currently sporting a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), as well as an A grade for Growth in our Style Scores system. The company is clearly set to see massive earnings and revenue growth this year, but recent analyst activity has been mixed. Within the past 60 days, we have seen five positive revisions and four negative revisions to Alibabas full-year earnings estimates.

Alibaba will likely maintain its lightning-fast expansion for the next few years at the very least, but mixed analyst sentiment can cause short-term headwinds for the stock. Still, the company looks like a solid option for long-term investments in China.

Want more market analysis from this author? Make sure to follow @Ryan_McQueeney on Twitter!

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2018?

Last year's 2017 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio produced double-digit winners, including FMC Corp. and VMware which racked up stellar gains of +67.9% and +61%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Dont miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.

Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018 today >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



JD.com, Inc. (JD) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



NetEase, Inc. (NTES) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Tencent Holding Ltd. (TCEHY) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
BancorpSouth (BXS) Up 0.6% Since Last Earnings Report: Can It Continue? BancorpSouth (BXS) reported earnings 30 days ago. What's next for the stock? We take a look at earnings estimates for some clues.

In the past three months, shares of Fluor Corporation FLR have appreciated 14.6% against the industrys decline of 11.1%.

The company has managed to impress investors with its recent earnings streak, beating estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters. We believe Fluors dominant position in nuclear remediation at government facilities, with its market diversity and strong focus on streamlining business structure might continue to be growth drivers, going ahead.

Given this backdrop, lets delve deeper to find out the key factors that make this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company an attractive proposition for investors right now. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Factors at Play

Fluor is an industry leader in nuclear remediation at government facilities throughout the United States. The company is likely to benefit from the rising demand for energy across the world. Notably, with global electricity demand on a steady rise, nuclear energy seems to be emerging as one of the best alternatives to the worlds dependence on a finite oil supply and subsequent environmental degradation.

Moreover, the companys strategy of maintaining a good business portfolio mix enables it to focus on more stable business markets and capitalize on developing the cyclical markets at suitable times.

Meanwhile, the company remains optimistic about its end markets, including mining. This is because the leading indicators for future capital spending like industrial production and capacity utilization are improving in several industries, which signal higher capital spending, moving ahead. Fluor also anticipates an increase in front-end engineering awards, which should boost future growth. Fluors investment projects are encouraging, particularly on LNG projects in North America, including the LNG Canada project for Shell, chemical facilities as well as pipeline projects in the United States. Further, commercial markets, comprising life sciences and infrastructure, are likely to improve going forward. This, in turn, might secure multiple awards for these industries over the next several quarters.

Story continues

Furthermore, the company maintains a strong focus on enhancing its competitive position in the market through prudent leadership initiatives and strategic alliances. In this regard, Fluor has undertaken a restructuring initiative under its construction and fabrication operations to improve control and delivery of projects. This apart, the company plans to implement data analytics to projects that will help it in minimizing risks and maximizing returns. These initiatives are expected to give Fluor a distinct competitive advantage.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other stocks worth considering from the same spaceinclude Potlatch Corporation PCH, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation LPX and Rayonier Inc. RYN. While Potlatch and Louisiana-Pacific sport a Zacks Rank #1, Rayonier carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Potlatch has surpassed estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive earnings surprise of 36.9%.

Louisiana-Pacific has outpaced estimates twice in the preceding four quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 5.2%.

Rayonier has surpassed estimates thrice in the trailing four quarters, with an average positive earnings surprise of 109.9%.

Breaking News: Cryptocurrencies Now Bigger than Visa

The total market cap of all cryptos recently surpassed $700 billion  more than a 3,800% increase in the previous 12 months. Theyre now bigger than Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and even Visa! The new asset class may expand even more rapidly in 2018 as new investors continue pouring in and Wall Street becomes increasingly involved.

Zacks has just named 4 companies that enable investors to take advantage of the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies via the stock market.

Click here to access these stocks. >>



Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LPX) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Rayonier Inc. (RYN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Potlatch Corporation (PCH) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Fluor Corporation (FLR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.



Zacks Investment Research
Bitcoin Indonesia

Indonesias biggest exchange platform for cryptocurrencies including bitcoin could soon outrank the national stock exchange by sheer numbers of participants.

A single cryptocurrency exchange in Indonesia could soon have more registered users than the countrys 106-year old stock exchange. If the value of bitcoin and the wider cryptocurrency market is in a rut, Indonesians have missed the memo.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Indonesia Digital Asset Exchange (INDODAX) chief executive Oscar Darmawan claims the platform is on track to have 1.5 million KYC-registered users by the end of the 2018. With thousands of new users registering every day, the crypto exchange currently sees 1.14 million users after opening its doors in 2014.

In contrast, the Indonesia Stock Exchange, the countrys national stock exchange, has a total of 1.18 million registered participants that trade stocks, futures, exchange-traded funds and options of listed companies worth a combined $520 billion, Bloomberg adds. The current combined market cap of cryptocurrencies stands at $355 billion, down from an all-time high of nearly $830 billion in early January this year.

Bali-based INDODAX, formerly Bitcoin.co.id before a rebrand, offers fiat-to-bitcoin purchases to domestic users alongside crypto-to-crypto trading wherein bitcoin can be swapped for a handful of other supported coins including Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, DASH, Stellar and more. The executive further revealed that the exchange is currently facilitating an average of 100 billion rupiah ($7.3 million) in trading volume every day, a figure he hopes to double by the end of the year.

He added:

We are seeing almost 3,000 new members signing up everyday. Most people are trading in bitcoins though transactions in ethereum has increased significantly of late.

The insights are particularly noteworthy in underlining a continuing trend of heightening retail investors interest in cryptocurrencies. Indonesia, in particular, harbors a hostile environment toward cryptocurrencies due to authorities repeated crackdowns.

Story continues

While the central bank, Bank Indonesia, hasnt banned cryptocurrency exchanges in the country, the institutions governor has previously threatened legal action against bitcoin adopters using the cryptocurrency for payments. After the central bank has outlawed cryptocurrencies as legal tender, there have been reports of authorities swooping in on establishments accepting the cryptocurrency in Bali.

Still, Indonesians appetite for cryptocurrency continues to grow, despite the central bank urging all parties in the country to refrain from selling, buying or trading cryptocurrencies in a recent January warning.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Bitcoin Adopters Could Soon Overtake Stock Traders in Indonesia appeared first on CCN.


Brookings Institute analysts recently argued that Venezuelas oil-backed cryptocurrency, the Petro (PTR), is likelier to harm legitimate cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, than it is o help Venezuelans escape the recession the country is currently enduring.

Through an article published on its website, the think tank first noted that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claims the Petro raised $735 million in its first day, and that the pre-sale aims to raise a total of $6 billion. As covered by CCN, Maduro claims the cryptocurrency already raked in $5 billion.

Following Venezuelas footsteps various countries are looking to issue their own national cryptocurrencies as well. While Iran recently backpedaled on bitcoin and revealed its planning its own state cryptocurrency, a Turkish lawmaker has argued for a Turkcoin.

The Petro is pegged to Venezuelas oil reserves, and the Petro/bolivar exchange rate reportedly includes a discount determined by the Venezuelan government. This, the Brookings Institute argues, means the Petro is subject to an arbitrary discount factor adjustment, fluctuating oil prices, and a corrupt government known for manipulating its currency.

The think tank adds:

There exists a very real danger that the petro will not only fail to cure Venezuelas economic woes but will also weaken the integrity of cryptocurrencies writ-large.

The century-old think tank further notes that foreign investors exclusively funded the Petros pre-sale, leading to an influx of capital that shouldnt occur as Venezuela is subject to international sanctions. Since the government only accepts hard currencies, bitcoin or Ethereum for the Petro, Venezuelans arent able to purchase the oil-backed cryptocurrency.

Per the institute, the Petro was essentially a deceitful way for the government to raise capital, one that wont help its citizens. Moreover, its unclear what use the Petro has for foreign speculators, as the cryptocurrencys whitepaper claims it will be used to pay for taxes, fees, and public services in Venezuela.

Story continues

As covered by CCN, Nicolas Maduro has ordered state-owned companies and the countrys airlines to accept the Petro. Despite its presumed adoption in Venezuela, foreign investors wont even be able to exchange it for a barrel of oil.

Circumventing sanctions

Effectively, the Brookings Institute argues that the Venezuelan government is taking advantage of speculator hype in the cryptocurrency space to circumvent sanctions, by accumulating foreign currency.

The article reads:

The petro cannot stabilize the Venezuelan economy and instead exists to create foreign currency reserves from thin air.

Nations looking to issue their own cryptocurrencies may follow Venezuelas footsteps. Venezuelas strategy, analysts note, is to raise money through a cryptocurrency backed by a government-controlled asset, raise money, and proceed to manipulate the cryptocurrency to maximize profit.

This may be setting a dangerous example. While legitimate cryptocurrencies prioritize decentralization, security, and transparency, the Petro provides no real service for its international holders. Adding to that, the Venezuelan government has announced a new precious-metal backed cryptocurrency, the Petro Gold.

Once speculators find the Petro has no long-term value, Brookings argues, the idea that cryptocurrencies facilitate fraud may be strengthened. Moreover, the power of sanctions may erode if countries are able to bypass them using cryptocurrencies. If so, they may act more aggressively when facing sanctions.

The think tanks piece concludes:

A hard line must be drawn on the development of empty cryptocurrencies that are ultimately a form of national illicit debt relief, or else serious and legitimate adoption of cryptocurrencies will be seriously stifled.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Brookings: Venezuelas Petro Undermines Legitimate Cryptocurrencies appeared first on CCN.


At Warren Buffetts Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B), politics and business dont mix. Even when it comes to hot-button issues like gun control.

At Berkshire, Ive expressed my personal views, Buffett said in an interview with Yahoo Finance editor-in-chief Andy Serwer.

I dont put my citizenship in a blind trust. But I also dont speak for a million Berkshire shareholders. We at the parent company have never given any money to any political campaign or anything of the sort.

The other side of Berkshires decision not to contribute to any political cause is that it also does not tell its wholly-owned units who it can and cannot do business with.

Ive got feelings on this, Buffett said when asked by Yahoo Finance about the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its relationship to big businesses, some of which Berkshire owns stakes in. But what our shareholders do, our managers do, that is their business.

Buffett, who supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, said in late February that it would be ridiculous for Berkshire not to do business with gun owners.

On Wednesday, high school students across the country walked out of class in a nationwide call to Congress to pass tougher gun laws.

In the wake of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead, more than a dozen companies publicly cut ties with the NRA as political and corporate life continue to become more intertwined.

Delta (DAL) and Wells Fargo (WFC) are among those companies. Berkshire is the largest investor in Wells Fargo, owning just under 10% of the company, while Delta is among the conglomerates 15-largest holdings, with Berkshire owning about $3 billion worth of Delta stock, good for a more than 7% stake in the company.

Following the Parkland shooting, Delta said it would end its contract for discounted rates for NRA members. A Bloomberg report in early March showed that Wells Fargo tops the list of banks arranging financing for gunmakers and serves as the primary banker for the NRA.

Story continues



Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland

Read more from Myles here:
A plane flies behind a new Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A350 after being received by the airline at Hong Kong A plane flies behind a new Cathay Pacific Airways Airbus A350 after being received by the airline at Hong Kong Airport May 30, 2016. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/Files

By Brenda Goh and Jamie Freed

SHANGHAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Cathay Pacific posted a smaller than expected annual loss due to a rebound in the cargo market, moderating ticket price falls and lower fuel hedging losses, prompting analysts to call that the worst was over for the Hong Kong airline.

Poor hedging bets on fuel prices and fierce competition from mainland Chinese and Middle Eastern rivals have hurt Cathay, pushing it into losses for the past two years and forcing the airline to undertake a three-year turnaround programme targeting HK$4 billion ($510.12 million) in savings.

While analysts said it was still too early to say whether the efforts under Chief Executive Rupert Hogg were bearing fruit, they said the firm was benefiting from a global recovery in the cargo market and profits at its associates and subsidiaries.

Cathay reported on Wednesday a net loss of HK$1.26 billion for 2017, its biggest in nine years. The loss was wider than the prior year's HK$575 million but much smaller than an average loss estimate of HK$2.15 billion drawn from 11 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Full-year revenue grew 4.9 percent to HK$97.28 billion. The airline reported a profit of HK$792 million in the second half which offset its first half loss of HK$2.05 billion.

Cathay shares rose as much as 3.2 percent after the results on Wednesday to its highest in almost two-and-a-half years, before ending unchanged.

"We believe the worst is over for Cathay Pacific and we forecast Cathay to turn around with a small net profit of HK$377 million this year," said Corrine Png, chief executive of transport research firm Crucial Perspective.

"2019 will be a much better year for Cathay Pacific as its expensive fuel hedges finally roll over."

YIELD DECLINES MODERATING

Cathay's loss for 2017 was its first consecutive annual loss and the fourth yearly loss since it was founded in 1946. Under the revamp plan launched last year, it has announced job cuts and plans to boost productivity including increasing the number of economy-class seats on Boeing 777 planes.

Story continues

Paul Loo, Cathay's chief customer and commercial officer, said at a press conference that the airline did not currently have plans for more layoffs, and declined to comment on whether the firm had set a cost target for 2018. The firm announced its biggest job cuts in 20 years last May.

He said Cathay expects continued growth in its cargo and mail business, which saw yields rise 11.3 percent in 2017 thanks to drivers like e-commerce. He added that the airline did not expect proposed tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump on Chinese goods to impact the cargo business.

Cathay reported a 3.3 percent decline in yields, a proxy for ticket prices, in 2017, although it said they had improved by 3.1 percent in the second half of the year compared with the first half.

Rivals such as Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways have also reported a moderating pace of yield declines in recent months amid higher fuel prices that have added to airline cost bases. Cathay's mainland Chinese competitors have yet to report 2017 financial results.

Cathay's Chairman John Slosar warned in a statement that the Hong Kong carrier's operating costs were increasing due to rising fuel costs, even though its losses from expensive fuel hedging contracts shrank 24.6 percent over the year.

Hong Kong-listed Swire Pacific is Cathay's biggest shareholder with a 45 percent stake, followed by Air China which owns 30 percent through a cross-shareholding. Qatar Airways owns a 9.94 percent stake in Cathay.

($1 = 7.8413 Hong Kong dollars)

(Reporting by Brenda Goh in SHANGHAI and Jamie Freed in SINGAPORE; Additional Reporting by Tina Ge in HONG KONG; Editing by Edwina Gibbs and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Bayer's (BAYGn.DE) on Tuesday secured conditional approval from China's commerce ministry for its planned acquisition of the world No. 1 seed company Monsanto (MON.N), chalking up a victory in the onerous struggle to win over watchdogs across the globe.

The ministry also ordered the German drug and crop chemicals maker to spin off some businesses globally, including vegetable seeds, corn, soybean, cotton, and herbicide, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

Bayer has already pledged to sell certain seed and herbicide assets for 5.9 billion euros (5.23 billion pounds) to BASF (BASFn.DE) to address EU regulatory concerns and has separately offered to sell its vegetable seeds business to BASF.

"These divestments are covered by our agreement and the ongoing negotiations with BASF as previously communicated," Bayer said in a statement.

In addition, Bayer committed to grant "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory access" to the merged entity's digital agriculture offerings in China to Chinese developers of farm management software.

Bayer has secured the go-ahead from Brazilian regulators, while people familiar with the matter told Reuters two weeks ago that Bayer was in the frame to win conditional antitrust approval from the European Union for the $62.5 billion deal.

Bayer said at the time that the U.S. review was not as far advanced as EU's, but it was confident it would make progress there over the next few weeks.

In Russia, however, Bayer has taken the regulator to court to "safeguard its rights" in the review procedure.

($1 = 0.8114 euros)

(Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk, Patricia Weiss and Ludwig Burger; Editing by Shri Navaratnam and Pritha Sarkar)
circle invest

Fintech startup Circle has opened up early access to its new cryptocurrency investing app, providing most US customers with instant, commission-free cryptoasset trading.

On Tuesday, the Goldman Sachs-backed company sent emails to users who had participated in Circle Invests beta testing program, informing them that it had released version 1.0.1 of the mobile brokerage platform, which is available on both Apple and Android.

Circle Invest  whose tagline is crypto without the cryptic  provides retail investors with exposure to Circle Trade, the companys high-volume institutional trading desk. Unlike institutional buyers, however, Circle Invest users can purchase as invest as little as $1. The company does not charge commission for the service, although it says the spread between buy and sell orders is approximately one percent.

circle invest

At launch, the app supports Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Ethereum (ETH), Litecoin (LTC), and Ethereum Classic (ETC), and the companys website says that more are on the way.

Investors can purchase cryptocurrencies instantly, but users who abuse this feature by making purchases with insufficient funds in their linked checking accounts will have their ability to make instant buys revoked.

All user assets are stored offline in cold storage, and the platform does not currently support cryptocurrency deposits or withdrawals.

Due to regional differences in money transmission regulations, the app is not currently available in Minnesota, Hawaii, New York, or Wyoming, though Circle says it is working on becoming available in New York very soon and recently-passed legislation in Wyoming may allow it to soon enter this jurisdiction as well.

Circle is the latest fintech heavyweight to add cryptocurrency functionality to its product line. Stock investing app Robinhood recently added cryptocurrency trading to its brokerage platform, although this feature is currently only available in five states. Square, meanwhile, offers Bitcoin trading to most US Cash App users and  unlike the current implementations of the other two apps  allows users to withdraw their coins after performing AML/KYC verification.

Story continues

Each of these companies looks to supplant industry giant Coinbase for preeminence in the lucrative first-time buyer market. Historically, this demographic has been dominated by the San Francisco-based firm, which was almost universally considered to be the most convenient place to onboard into the cryptocurrency ecosystem just a few months ago.

Google search data indicates that public interest in cryptocurrency investing is at a relative low-point. but these three platforms promise to give Coinbase a run for its money once the next bull market begins.

Feature image from Shutterstock.



The post Circle Rolls Out Cryptocurrency Investing App to 46 US States appeared first on CCN.


Coinbase UK

Major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase is making significant strides in its European expansion.

San Francisco-based Coinbase has now received an e-money license by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UKs financial regulator, enabling the cryptocurrency exchange to provide payment- and electronic money services as cash alternatives to customers in the United Kingdom and 23 countries within the European Union.

Coinbase UK chief executive Zeeshan Feroz claims the license mandates Coinbase to comply with strict rules enforced by UK regulators. In addition, Coinbase is laying claim to becoming the first cryptocurrency exchange to obtain its own UK-based bank account wherein Coinbase will join the UKs Faster Payments Scheme for faster and more efficient bank transfers. When implemented, UK customers will be able to send and receive fiat pounds to/from Coinbase at a significantly faster pace than the existing system.

While Coinbase hasnt confirmed its banking partner, the Financial Times is reporting that Coinbase UK has secured a bank account with Barclays, one of Britains biggest banks.

Coinbase UK currently uses an Estonian bank to process withdrawals and deposits from local customers. The new license will see customers fiat funds separated from Coinbases own funds, placed in different bank accounts. In other words, Coinbases UK subsidiary is closer than it has ever been to playing by the rules as a recognized financial institution.

We are committed to making sure customer funds are always secure and this update means that our e-money operations have safeguards and operational standards at par with other regulated financial institutions, explains CEO Feroz. An example of this is segregation of client funds, where all customer fiat balances will be separated from Coinbases funds and kept in separate bank accounts.

With its newly-acquired e-money license and its own bank account, Coinbase adds it intends to meet the increased demands of the European market which, it claims, grew twice as fast as any other market globally in 2017. To meet that demand, Coinbase is notably planning to expand its London-based team by eight times the current employee count by the years end.

Story continues

The UKs FCA has previously granted its e-money license to bitcoin startup Circle in April 2016.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Coinbase Granted UK E-Money License & Bank Account for UK, EU Markets appeared first on CCN.


Crude oil prices moved lower on Tuesday, finding support down 1.4% on the trading session. Traders await Wednesdays inventory report from the Department of Energy. Inventories will likely climb and continue to build stocks until the middle of April when refiners begin to ramp up production ahead of the U.S. driving season. U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson was fired on Tuesday and will be replaced by CIA Director Pompeo.

Technicals

Crude oil price moved lower but stopped short of support near an upward sloping trend line near 60.25. Resistance on crude oil prices is seen near the 10-day moving average at 61.42. Momentum has turned negative as the MACD (moving average convergence diveregence) index generated a crossover sell signal. This occurs as the MACD line (the 12-day moving average minus the 26-day moving average) crosses below the MACD signal line (the 9-day moving average of the MACD line). The fast stochastic also generated a crossover sell signal which points to lower prices.

U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson will be replaced

U.S. Secretary of State Tillerson is out and will be replaced by CIA Director Pompeo. Per Trumps Tweet: Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all! Former Exxon CEO Tillerson had locked horns with Trump on several occasions and may have been overruled on N. Korea, tariffs, etc., ensuring his tenure would be a short one.

Shale Output Will Rise

U.S. shale output will climb by 131,000 barrels per day next month to hit 6.954 million barrels per day according to a new report by the Energy Information Administration. The Permian Basin, in New Mexico and Texas, will see the biggest climb, the data shows. The basin, which has developed itself as the ground zero of the next shale boom, will see an 80,000-bpd jump in production. Texas Eagle Ford basin, as well North Dakotas Bakken and Nebraskas Niobrara basins will also see sizeable jumps, totaling 47,000 barrels per day.

Story continues

After the oil price crash that began in mid-2014, crude oil production growth in the U.S. stalled. In 2016, annual production in the Bakken and Eagle Ford formations fell by 10-20%, but production in the Permian Basin continued to grow. At present, production has reached a record 3.0 million barrels per day (Bpd), making it the worlds second-most-prolific field, behind the legendary Ghawar in Saudi Arabia.

The Permian Basin pumped an estimated 815 million barrels of crude last year, beating its previous record of 790 million barrels, achieved back in 1973, IHS Markit reported at the end of 2017. The figures reinforced the Permians status as the star of the U.S. shale patch and the main threat to OPECs efforts to reduce global oil production in a bid to prop up prices. It was only thanks to fracking that the Permian went back on the map of promising oil-producing areas.

Inflation was Stable

U.S. CPI rose 0.2% in February for both the headline and core rates There were no revisions to January gains of 0.5% and 0.3%, respectively. The 12-month pace accelerated to 2.2% year over year which was the fastest since last March from 2.1% year over year previously for the headline, but was flat at 1.8% year over year for the ex-food and energy component. Energy costs were up 0.1% last month versus 3.0% in January, with transportation unchanged after the 1.8% gain previously. Apparel prices remained firm, up another 1.5% after surging 1.7%. Housing costs increased 0.3% versus 0.2%, with owners equivalent rent up 0.2% versus the prior 0.3%. Food/beverage prices were unchanged. Medical care costs dipped 0.1%. Personal computer prices dropped 1.2%. The data arent surprising and shouldnt be problematic for the FOMC, leaving the gradual tightening approach in place.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
Elizabeth Holmes and Ramesh Balwani, the former CEO and president of blood-testing startup Theranos, have been charged with what the Securities and Exchange Commission is calling a massive fraud. The agency states that Holmes and Balwani engaged in an elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the companys technology, business, and financial performance, ultimately raising more than $700 million from investors.

Holmes and Balwani have agreed to a number of measures to settle the charges against them. In Holmess case, that includes paying a $500,000 penalty, not serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years, relinquishing her equity in Theranos, and liquidating the shares that give her voting control over the company.

Don't Miss: Your Roku Stick or Fire TV Stick will never buffer again with this $17 accessory

At the heart of the SECs complaint is that Theranos repeatedly lied about the underlying technology that powered the startup to a multi-billion-dollar valuation. Theranos was supposed to have created a portable blood analyzer that could do the entire work of a lab, using only a single drop of blood from a patient to diagnose all kinds of conditions.

In reality, Theranoss analyzer had a far more limited application than it led investors to believe, and the company fudged results for years by using commerical analyzers from other companies to secretly run tests. In addition, Theranos claimed that its analyzer was deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense on the battlefield in Afghanistan and on medevac helicopters and that the company would generate more than $100 million in revenue in 2014, the SEC said in a statement, but that never happened.

Investors are entitled to nothing less than complete truth and candor from companies and their executives, said Steven Peikin, Co-Director of the SECs Enforcement Division. The charges against Theranos, Holmes, and Balwani make clear that there is no exemption from the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws simply because a company is non-public, development-stage, or the subject of exuberant media attention.

Story continues

This will likely be the final chapter in Holmess meteoric fall from grace, going from the top of Forbess list of self-made women with $4.5 billion, all the way down to a valuation of $0. It also serves as a cautionary tale for any Silicon Valley startup in a world dominated by hype, upwards-trending graphs, and an assumption that the technology will get there in the end: Lying to investors is always bad.

BGR Top Deals:

Trending Right Now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Every June for the past four years, Barbara Klein, 66, of Bethesda, Md., has gone on a weeklong spa trip to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico. Her companions consist of a dozen women, mostly in their fifties to mid sixties. At the ranch, Klein and her girlfriends are busy, with hikes, exercise classes and cooking lessons. They meditate, get massages and other treatments, and attend lectures on subjects ranging from practicing wellness to the human microbiome.

SEE ALSO: 31 Best Travel Sites to Save You Money

"It's the best vacation, and it recharges me," says Klein, a retired lawyer. "All I think about is what do I want to do? It's self-indulgent in the best possible way." On these girlfriend getaways, Klein enjoys the mix of spending time alone and with her friends, and putting her own desires first. It's the opposite of her daily routines at home, where the needs of her husband, elderly mother and adult sons often take precedence.

Like many women over 50, Klein has discovered the rejuvenating properties of vacationing with female friends. "It's a huge trend and increasing every year," says Marett Taylor, vice president of sales at travel company Abercrombie & Kent. Taylor notes a 33% increase in bookings for groups of women in the past five years. In the first month of 2018, women-only bookings have surpassed the total number of women-only trips operated by the company in 2017. Typically, the company's trips are 7 to 10 days, with groups of 8 to 12 women, and are mostly high-end, with stays at luxury hotels. For example, a week in Iceland runs $12,000 a person and an African safari ranges from $6,000 to $15,000 (without airfare).

It's not just the luxury market that's seeing an uptick in girlfriend getaways. Some travelers are in search of adventure. Cynthia Dunbar, general manager of REI Adventures, says, "Since 2010, women traveling with us has grown 60%, and the figure goes up every year. Over the last five years, 26% of our women travelers were ages 50 to 59."

Story continues

Travel industry experts cite reasons for the uptick: Women traveling together may share a special interest that they want to explore, such as photography or cooking lessons in Sicily. A shared vacation is a good way to catch up with far-flung friends. And while family trips are fun, they can be exhausting for mom, who is often the designated travel agent/concierge. Also, professional women over 50 are accustomed to leaving spouses behind for business trips and other travel.

While many women travelling with one or more friends make their own arrangements, providing tours for women-only groups is a growing travel industry niche. Many tour companies are expanding their offerings to include more exotic destinations and adventure expeditions. Some current hot destinations for Abercrombie & Kent include India and Morocco. For instance, the company offers "Taj Mahal and the Treasures of India," a 15-day trip that costs $8,995 plus airfare. Highlights include taking a safari in search of tigers in wilderness haven Panna National Park and a private sunrise cruise along the Ganges.

SEE ALSO: The Travel Tipping Quiz

"Our newest, most popular destinations include Chile, Easter Island and African countries such as Namibia. They combine the exotic and mystical with beautiful scenery," says Phyllis Stoller, who runs The Women's Travel Group, which has organized small group tours for women for 26 years. About 60% of Stoller's 500 clients each year are 50 and older.

Road Scholar, a nonprofit educational tour company for age 50-plus travelers, gears its trips to special interests, such as crafts, art, antiquing and outdoor activities. And Road Scholar trips are attracting female travellers: Of its 110,000 clients each year, 60% are women traveling with other women, says JoAnn Bell, senior vice president of program development.

And while spa trips and exploring European cities are still crowd-pleasers, more women are testing their physical stamina. Last year, REI Adventures offered 19 women's adventure trips, led by female guides, that feature mountaineering, backpacking and trekking in destinations such as New Zealand and Yosemite.

For example, REI's eight-day Machu Picchu Women's Lares Lodge Trek trip next summer starts at $3,299 for REI members and $3,649 for non-members, plus airfare, and features trekking on a restored Inca trail and hiking the mountains of Machu Picchu.

If you prefer to hang out with your friends in a more laidback setting, check out wellness retreats, another category currently in vogue. Road Scholar offers a five-day Rejuvenation Retreat for Women, at the Land of Medicine Buddha retreat center near Santa Cruz, Cal., for $539 plus airfare. The program includes a Qigong movement class, guided meditation and nature walks in the redwood forest. All meals are vegetarian.

Set Some Ground Rules

When planning a trip, there's more to think about than agreeing on a destination. The adage that traveling together is a true test of a relationship applies equally to girlfriend trips. Thus, experts advise testing the waters before embarking on a long, expensive vacation. "Start small, such as with a weekend or a domestic vacation of a few days," says Debra Asberry, who 20 years ago launched Women Traveling Together. Her company runs 80 trips a year with about 15 participants per tour, mostly ages 45 to 65.

Road Scholar's Bell, who takes an annual trip to Paris with friends, says it's a good idea to set some ground rules in advance. For instance, is the group going to split up for activities and meals? Share rooms? Her group keeps a common "kitty" to cover meals, taxis and other incidentals; they replenish it as needed, instead of having to split the bill for every expense.

For an adventure trip, make sure you and your friends are in proper physical condition. A good tour company will give you conditioning tips, Dunbar says.

SEE ALSO: How to Travel by Tour and See the World

Girlfriend trips are an opportunity to try out a new activity, as well as pursue existing interests that your spouse may not share. In addition to the spa trip, Klein takes an annual three-day trip to New York City with a different group of women, some of whom she sees infrequently the rest of the year. They see a few Broadway shows, take walking tours and check out museums. "It's really different from going to New York City with my family," Klein says. "This is girl time, and a way to see a few shows that my husband probably wouldn't enjoy."

EDITOR'S PICKS



Copyright 2018 The Kiplinger Washington Editors
A woman winnows rice in a field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Amit Dave/Files

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's non-basmati rice exports during April-January jumped 34 percent from a year earlier to 7.02 million tonnes as Bangladesh, Benin and Sri Lanka raised purchases, a government body said.

The country's buffalo meat exports during the period rose 7.2 percent from a year ago to 1.16 million tonnes on good demand from Vietnam, Malaysia and Egypt, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority said in a statement.

India is the world's biggest exporter of buffalo meat and rice.

(Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav; Editing by Sunil Nair)
Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Campus Party Brasil/Flickr CC

The creator of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, said that "a legal or regulatory framework" may be needed for technology companies.

One example that Sir Tim gave was a law giving people more control of their social media data.

Sir Tim joins other big names in tech in calling for increased regulation.



Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the world wide web, said in his annual letter that large technology companies may require more regulation.

"The responsibility  and sometimes burden  of making these decisions falls on companies that have been built to maximise profit more than to maximise social good," Sir Tim wrote. "A legal or regulatory framework that accounts for social objectives may help ease those tensions."

In an interview with The Financial Times, Sir Tim reportedly suggested that new laws could give people more control over the data held by social media companies about them.

"Certainly we could imagine that in a better world ... you would have a choice of search engine and a choice of social network to join," Sir Tim told The Financial Times. "In a better world you'd have complete control over your information anyway."

Sir Tim joins Microsoft founder Bill Gates in warning about impending government regulation for technology companies. "The companies need to be careful that they're not ... advocating things that would prevent government from being able to, under appropriate review, perform the type of functions that we've come to count on," Gates said in an interview with Axios last month.

And Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff said in an interview with CNN in November that social media companies may require further regulation. "Do these companies need more regulation? They probably do," Benioff said.

"We need to decide what kind of a society that we're gonna have going forward," he added. "You can see that what's happening with the social networks and the elections. You know where this technology really got out of control, that even they didn't know what was happening."

Story continues

NOW WATCH: Watch how pillows are made

See Also:
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday eagerly inspected eight towering prototypes for his long-sought wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and accused California of putting "the entire nation at risk" by refusing to take tough action against illegal immigration.

Trump, making his first trip to California as president, said he preferred a fully concrete wall because it was the hardest to climb, but he noted that it needed to be see-through. He said the first thing he noticed on the drive to the border was the patched-up holes in part of the existing fence.

"We have a lousy wall over here now, but at least it stops 90, 95 percent," Trump said. "When we put up the real wall, we're going to stop 99 percent. Maybe more than that."

Trump's visit was greeted with peaceful protests by demonstrators both for and against his planned wall. The trip came amid an escalating battle between his administration and the liberal state, which has refused to help federal agents detain immigrants in the U.S. illegally.

The president renewed his criticism of Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, saying Tuesday that he was presiding over sky-high tax rates and that the state's sanctuary policies "put the entire nation at risk."

"They're the best friend of the criminal," Trump said. "That's what exactly is happening. The criminals take refuge in these sanctuary cities and it's very dangerous for our police and enforcement folks."

The Justice Department last week sued to block a trio of California laws designed to protect people living in the U.S. illegally. Brown accused U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions of "going to war" with California to appease Trump.

After leaving the border, Trump basked in the cheers of U.S. Marines in Miramar, pointing to his work to build up the nation's military. He also suggested there may someday be a "space force" fighting alongside the nation's military branches.

Referencing his 2016 campaign showdown against Hillary Clinton  she received 4 million more votes than Trump in California  the president vowed that "very soon we're going to Mars" and the nation would not be seeking to explore the red planet had his opponent won.

Story continues

Trump later attended a high-dollar fundraiser near Los Angeles, where he was staying overnight. Guests paid up to $250,000 to attend the event at the Beverly Hills home of Ed Glazer, co-chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The money raised will go to a joint fundraising committee that benefits Trump's 2020 re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee.

A few hundred protesters for and against Trump faced off at a Beverly Hills park. A group of pro-immigration demonstrators chanted, "Say it now, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here."

Demonstrations were also held at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, the nation's busiest border crossing, where protesters chanted, "No ban! No wall!" as honking cars and buses cheered them on. Protests were also held on the Mexican side, in Tijuana.

At San Ysidro, Jose Gonzalez, 21, stopped to snap a photo of the protesters holding signs, including one that read: "Wall off Putin!" in reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has a seemingly close relationship with Trump.

"I don't think it's really fair how he has the choice to separate us," said Gonzalez, a dual citizen who lives in Tijuana and crosses the border daily to work at a San Diego ramen restaurant.

Army veteran Mark Prieto, 48, shook his head as he walked by the protest.

"People are so narrow-minded," the Riverside firefighter said as the crowd chanted. "Finally we have someone who is putting America first."

His wife, Corina Prieto, a nurse who has extended family in Mexico, agreed. Both voted for Trump.

"I think he is doing a lot of good, like protecting our Border Patrol," she said.

Carla Provost, acting Border Patrol chief, said Trump "walked away with great understanding of the requirements we have on the border." She and other agents briefed the president on beefed-up security in California, Arizona and Texas over the years and cautioned that any changes need to preserve the ability to see what's happening on the other side. Provost said Congress has so far funded 40 miles of replacement wall  14 miles in San Diego, 2 miles in Calexico, California, and 24 miles in El Paso, Texas.

Trump is seeking $25 billion from Congress to extend the wall but Democratic leaders have balked. His insistence that Mexico pay has gotten no traction.

San Diego's Republican mayor criticized Trump's short visit, saying the president wouldn't get a full picture of the city. Kevin Faulconer said a popular cross-border airport terminal connecting San Diego and Tijuana shows that "building bridges has worked wonders."

Faulconer, writing in The San Diego Union-Tribune, also said San Diego police work to protect everyone regardless of immigration status, an apparent dig at Trump's push to target illegal immigration.

Trump tweeted about California's immigration policies as he flew to the state aboard Air Force One.

"California's sanctuary policies are illegal and unconstitutional and put the safety and security of our entire nation at risk. Thousands of dangerous & violent criminal aliens are released as a result of sanctuary policies, set free to prey on innocent Americans. THIS MUST STOP!" he wrote.

This isn't Trump's first visit to the border. He traveled to Laredo  one of Texas' safest cities  weeks after declaring his candidacy in June 2015.

Trump told reporters then that he was putting himself "in great danger" by coming to the border. But, he said, "I have to do it. I love this country."

___

Associated Press writers Kathleen Ronayne in Sacramento, John Antczak and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Elliot Spagat in San Diego, Greg Bull in Tijuana, Mexico, and Darlene Superville, Ken Thomas and Nancy Benac in Washington contributed to this report.
Investors will be looking for a rebound on Wednesday.

In the morning, retail sales data for February will be the economic highlight as economists expect a 0.3% increase in sales over the prior month after Januarys data disappointed.

Ian Shepherdson, an economist at Pantheon Macro, notes that retail sales rocketed higher after last summers hurricanes in Texas and Florida, pushing three-month annualized sales gains through November to 10%, more than double the prior trend. Recent data is now moving past this inflated period, and some softness in retail sales could persist into the end of the first quarter.

Economists are looking for a rebound in retail sales after Januarys data disappointed. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz

On the earnings side, results expected on Wednesday include quarterly results from Progressive (PGR), Williams-Sonoma (WSM), Noodles & Co. (NDLS), and 3D Systems (DDD).

But investors will be looking for more positive action in the stock market on Wednesday after stocks sold off across the board on Tuesday following a flurry of news out of Washington, D.C., some of which mattered to investors and some of which was largely a sideshow.

Wild Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

The biggest story of a hectic Tuesday for political news was the firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by President Trump, a move that Tillerson implied in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon that he learned of on social media. Tillerson will be replaced by CIA Chief Mike Pompeo, and a report from The New York Times on Tuesday indicated that Energy Secretary Rick Perry could soon be named secretary of veterans affairs.

The parlor game of West Wing personnel moves has, throughout the administration, been overlooked by markets. But not everything happening in Washington, D.C. over the last 48 hours is quite so distant from financial markets.

Late Monday, the Trump administration barred Broadcom from pursuing its $117 billion merger with Qualcomm (QCOM) citing national security concerns. Shares of Qualcomm fell 5% on Tuesday, leading a sell-off across tech stocks.

Story continues

This move by the White House also calls into question a market assumption that appears to have become built-in to investor thinking, which is that the Trump administration would, in the end, not pursue economic policies that upset markets. Like harsh tariffs or restrictions on Chinese imports or foreign investment in U.S. companies.

Reports late Tuesday suggested the administration is seeking to impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of Chinese imports, casting further doubt on the notion that the softened steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the administration last week were a preview of things to come. These may eventually prove the exception.

President Donald Trump arrives speaks to service members at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Tuesday, March 13, 2018, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

And as The New York Times Maggie Haberman noted on Tuesday, Trumps recent personnel moves reflect a growing confidence in his position as president and are reflective of someone that Haberman says is less likely to be swayed by those around him.

For markets, then, the question becomes whether an emboldened Donald Trump pursues the more protectionist and market-unfriendly policies discussed during much of the presidential campaign.

Ahead of the election, many predictions of the market and economys demise under Trump were underwritten by a conviction that then-candidate Trumps economic plans not be taken literally. The economic goals  in addition to cutting taxes and repealing and replacing Obamacare  during Trumps campaign appeared to be cancel NAFTA, impose harsh limits on trade with China and expel millions of illegal immigrants.

Only cutting taxes has come through, a move that markets embraced enthusiastically and which, to a large extent, still supports investor and business confidence in the economy.

But in the second year of the administration, and with an increasingly emboldened commander-in-chief, one wonders if the Trump markets feared isnt on the verge of revealing himself. Or, perhaps, this process has already begun.



Myles Udland is a writer at Yahoo Finance. Follow him on Twitter @MylesUdland

Read more from Myles here:
Russia has to explain why a nerve agent, which the U.K. deemed to have been created in Russia, was used to poison a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury, England.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that it was "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia on March 4.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow "has no connection" to a deadly nerve agent used to attack a former Russian spy and his daughter in the U.K.

Lavrov said Russia had requested access to the nerve agent used in the March 4 attack in Salisbury, England, but had been denied access "to materials related to the Skripal case," Reuters reported.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that it was "highly likely" that Russia was responsible for the attempted murders of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Stressing that Russia had no connection to the poisoning, Lavrov said he expected London to reply to Moscow's request to open up the investigation as Yulia is a Russian citizen.

Lavrov's comments come after Russia was given a deadline  the end of Tuesday  to explain why a nerve agent, which the U.K. deemed to have been created in Russia, was used to poison the Skripals.

Calling it a "reckless and despicable act," May said Monday: "There are therefore only two plausible explanations for what happened in Salisbury on March 4. Either this was a direct act by the Russian state against our country. Or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others."

May said U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had summoned the Russian ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to explain why the nerve agent was used in the poisoning. Moscow has until the end of Tuesday to respond, she said.

May hinted that Britain is "ready to take much more extensive measures" against Russia, beyond the commonplace expulsion of diplomats, visa freezes and suspended security cooperation.

Story continues

Offering his support to the U.K. government, the now-ex U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Monday "the attempted murder of a private citizen on the soil of a sovereign nation" was never justified.

"And we are outraged that Russia appears to have again engaged in such behavior. From Ukraine to Syria  and now the U.K.  Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, acting with open disregard for the sovereignty of other states and the life of their citizens," he said in a statement.

France's President Emmanuel Macron and the European Union have also offered the U.K. their support.

Critical condition

Skripal and his daughter remain in a critically ill condition in hospital. The pair were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury city center and parts of the city have since been cordoned off as British counter-terrorism police and the army have sought the source of the nerve agent.

Speaking to the U.K. parliament on Monday, May said the nerve agent used was part of the Novichok family of deadly chemical weapons . It is far more toxic than nerve agent VX, which was used to murder Kim Jong-un's half-brother Kim Jong Nam in 2017. "Novichok" means "newcomer" in Russian and such nerve agents were developed in the country a few decades ago.

"It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia," May said. "This is part of a group of nerve agents known as 'Novichok.'"

Skripal was a former Russian spy turned double agent for the U.K. intelligence services. He had settled in Salisbury following a "spy swap" in 2010 that saw him released from prison in exchange for Russian spies in the U.S.

He is not the first former agent to be pursued, allegedly, by the Russian state. Alexander Litvinenko, a former secret service officer in Russia, was murdered in London in 2006 after his cup of tea was laced with polonium.

'Backdrop of Russian aggression'

On Monday, May said the most recent attack had been carried out "against a backdrop of a well-established pattern of Russian state aggression."

"Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea was the first time since the Second World War that one sovereign nation has forcibly taken territory from another in Europe," she said.

"Russia has fomented conflict in the Donbas, repeatedly violated the national airspace of several European countries, and mounted a sustained campaign of cyber espionage and disruption. This has included meddling in elections, and hacking the Danish Ministry of Defense and the Bundestag, among many others."

She also mentioned Litvinenko's death and how the U.K. could respond with more sanctions against Russia.

"Russia used radiological substances in its barbaric assault on Mr Litvenenko. We saw promises to assist the investigation then, but they resulted in denial and obfuscation  and the stifling of due process and the rule of law."

Following Litvinenko's death, the U.K. expelled Russian diplomats, suspended security co-operation, broke off bilateral plans on visas, froze the assets of the suspects and placed them on international extradition lists, May said. This time, the U.K. could go further.





More From CNBC


[caption id="attachment_11933" align="aligncenter" width="620"]

Elizabeth Holmes, chief executive officer of Theranos[/caption] The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday it has charged Silicon Valley blood-testing company Theranos, its current CEO Elizabeth Holmes, and former President Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani with massive investor fraud. In a press release, the SEC said the defendants raised more than $700 million from investors "through an elaborate, years-long fraud in which they exaggerated or made false statements about the companys technology, business, and financial performance." Theranos and Holmes have agreed to settle the fraud charges against them, according to the SEC. Holmes has agreed to pay a $500,000 penalty, be barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company for 10 years, return the remaining 18.9 million shares she obtained during the fraud, and relinquish her voting control of Theranos, it added. In a call with reporters, Steven Peikin, co-director of the SEC's Enforcement Division, called the remedy against Holmes "pretty unique." He also said forcing her to give up control of the company she founded was "particularly meaningful  in Silicon Valley, where the founders of startup companies obviously value the concept of control here." Peikin added it is a "good example" of the types of remedies the SEC would seek in similar fraud actions, and consistent with the enforcement principles it laid out near the end of 2017. The SEC action is the latest twist in Theranos' long fall from grace, which was set off by a string of investigative articles published by The Wall Street Journal in 2015 and 2016 detailing the company's struggles to deliver on the promises of its blood-testing technology. The separate SEC complaints against Theranos, Holmes and Balwani, respectively, include allegations the company misled investors into thinking it was able to run some 200 blood tests using a small, proprietary analyzer when, in fact, it could run only 12, and ran others using modified, commercially available devices. The agency also alleges Balwani and Holmes told multiple investors that Theranos technology had been deployed by the Department of Defense in the battlefield, in Afghanistan, and on military medevac helicopters. In fact, the two were aware, or were "reckless in not knowing," that this was false, the SEC alleges. "While Theranos technology was used in a DOD burn study, it was never deployed by the DOD in the battlefield, in Afghanistan, or on medevac helicopters," both complaints note. The actions were filed in federal court in San Jose, California. Theranos is based in Palo Alto, California. Theranos is represented by Thomas Strickland and Christopher Davies of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, while Holmes is represented by John Dwyer at Cooley. Balwani is represented by Jeffrey Coopersmith at Davis Wright Tremaine, the SEC said. We believe the enforcement action by the SEC is unwarranted, Coopersmith said in a statement. Sunny Balwani accurately represented Theranos to investors to the best of his ability. He believed in the potential and mission of the company and its technology to promote transparency and benefit people by empowering them with access to their own health care information at a low cost. In a statement, Theranos noted neither the company nor Holmes admitted or denied any wrongdoing under the settlement. The company is pleased to be bringing this matter to a close and looks forward to advancing its technology," the company's directors said. Peikin told reporters the SEC had not sought to penalize Theranos itself because the company was essentially a two-person operation during the relevant period, and because doing so may have only further harmed investors. Holmes and Balwani were responsible for all of the misconduct thats alleged in our complaint, he said. [falcon-embed src="embed_1"] [falcon-embed src="embed_2"]
Swiss National Councillor Carlo Sommaruga and Director of Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism Cynthia Gabriel attend a news conference at the Swiss Parliament Building in Bern Swiss National Councillor Carlo Sommaruga and Director of Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism Cynthia Gabriel attend a news conference at the Swiss Parliament Building (Bundeshaus) in Bern, Switzerland March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

By Michael Shields

BERN (Reuters) - Swiss lawmakers are pushing the government to amend the law on how to handle ill-gotten bank profits seized by authorities and pave the way to return more than $100 million linked to scandal-hit sovereign fund 1MDB to the Malaysian people.

Although the Swiss government opposes the call, saying it has no legal powers to repatriate the funds that will otherwise flow into the Swiss budget, it has not shut the door entirely.

"Switzerland's international reputation is at stake if it ignores the justified demands from Malaysia," said Carlo Sommaruga, a member of parliament from the center-left Social Democrats who is leading the legislative effort.

The Swiss government says it has taken a pro-active stance in repatriating the seized Swiss assets of toppled regimes, citing the return of $684 million to the Philippines, $700 million to Nigeria and $163 million to Kazakhstan.

But seized bank profits are a different story.

The Swiss campaign highlights pressure to repatriate money forfeited by banks in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad case, which involves money-laundering probes in at least six countries including Switzerland, the United States and Singapore.

"It will be difficult to get a majority (in parliament) but we are confident. If there is no majority it is not a defeat, it is a first step," Sommaruga told reporters on Tuesday.

Cynthia Gabriel, director of the Malaysian Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4), said the fact that the Malaysian government has not requested the funds complicated matters. Activists hope that a win for opposition parties in Malaysian elections this year could bring about a change.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak set up 1MDB in 2009 and previously served as chairman of its advisory board. He and the fund have denied any wrongdoing.

A total of $4.5 billion was misappropriated by high-level officials of the fund and their associates, according to civil lawsuits filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Story continues

Sommaruga's motion addresses several high-profile corruption cases in which Swiss bank regulators and prosecutors have seized more than $300 million in bank profits related to deals with customers from Malaysia, Brazil and Nigeria.

Financial watchdog FINMA has confiscated 104 million Swiss francs ($110 million) in illicit profits from 1MDB-related deals by banks BSI, Falcon Private Bank and Coutts & Co since mid-2016. The BSI and Falcon cases are still under appeal.

Activists say Switzerland could set an international precedent on how to handle confiscated assets from the 1MDB scandal, such as a luxury yacht seized in Bali last month that Indonesia is handing over to U.S. authorities.

Profits from corruption should be handled like despots' money and returned according to the same principles, Lukas Straumann from the activist Bruno Manser Fund, said, urging Switzerland to "close this glaring loophole".

($1 = 0.9479 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by Michael Shields; Editing by Alexander Smith)
Questions and Answers

about Arming Teachers

By Rob Morse. March 12th, 2018, 2018

Article Original

Defending our students is a serious issue. It deserves more thought than a sound bite or a tweet. Unfortunately, politics is driven by emotion rather than reason, by appearances rather than by facts. I've heard bad arguments about arming teachers and about disarming them. Let's look at the issue piece at a time. Let's separate fact from fiction.

Perhaps you've heard this.

Should teachers be armed at school?

Each of us has something different in mind when we think about "allowing guns in schools." Even the definition of school is different from state to state. Regulations may extend from daycare facilities to postgraduate research sites and hospitals. These "schools" may be privately owned, operated by a church, or publicly funded. Do the regulations cover the classroom during school hours, or the parents' van when students are on a fieldtrip after school? Describing what we mean eliminates a lot of soundbite confusion.

The issue is complicated. Who is responsible for authorizing armed staff? Is it the school principal, the school board, or the local sheriff? Usually they are all involved in approving a program and selecting volunteers.

"I'll quit teaching if they make me carry a gun in class."

I've studied this subject for years and I have not found a single example of school staff being ordered to carry on campus. The programs allow trained and authorized staff to be armed rather than forcing anyone to carry a gun at school.

Should selected school staff be allowed to go armed to protect themselves and others?

A school board usually makes the decision to arm staff. The board then looks for volunteers who already have a concealed carry permit. If selected, then the volunteers are often screened by the sheriff. Training may be local or at the state level.

Teachers don't want to carry guns.

The answer you get depends on who you ask. Recent training classes for school staff have been full to overflowing. I know of training programs which trained over a thousand educators yet they had to turn qualified teachers away because they didn't have enough money to train everyone who wanted to attend. Fortunately, enough teachers want to be trained to protect our students.

Guns don't belong at school. That isn't a place for violence.

This statement confuses reality with fantasy. In fact, violence is in our schools every day and has been for awhile. Our children are more likely to be the victims of violence in our schools than when they are at home. Students are more likely to be killed by violence in schools than by accidents like fire or earthquake. We conduct fire and earthquake drills at school, but we ignored the greater threat of deliberate violence..until now.

I'm here to love and nurture these kids. How does a gun help me do that?

Guns aren't the answer. How can violence ever stop violence?

A firearm is a tool. That tool can help stop people from perpetrating violence against others. That is the very reason a million law enforcement officers carry a gun. That is why about 20 million civilians legally carry a concealed firearm in public. Armed defense only is part of a safety solution that also includes door locks, first aid kits, and training.

Leave the guns for the police, not for school staff.

We have not seen a gun-free school. Time is the enemy when an attacker comes on campus. Police need minutes to respond to the attacker. It may take EMTs hours to treat the injured. That means too many students will die while we wait. Volunteers at school want to stop the threat and treat the injured until help arrives. What tools should we give them?

Policemen have training that teachers don't, so teachers are not qualified to defend students.

Armed school staff are defenders. They don't have to do the many jobs that we ask of the police. Teachers don't need to make high-speed chases or write tickets. Teachers don't make arrests, preserve evidence, or testify in court. The program to train school staff varies from state to state, but in the programs I've seen, trained teachers did very well. They were required to perform above the level set for police officers in their shooting qualification.

Teachers also have a hidden advantages over law enforcement. Teachers know their school and their students. Armed civilians are less likely to shoot innocent bystanders than the police.

We can't arm staff because it is illegal to bring guns in school.

In some states it is legal and in some states it is illegal. School districts arm school staff in Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Arkansas, Indiana and Ohio. Hundreds of school districts have programs in place. Thousands of teachers are armed in schools today. Unfortunately, I've heard school and law enforcement officials lie about what can be done inside the law. If necessary, we can and should change laws to protect our students.

Our insurance company won't let us bring guns on campus.

That may be true, but it isn't the whole truth. Some insurance companies insure schools and churches with armed staff. The insurance rates are comparable with unprotected schools. Insurance companies look at risks. Leaving our children unprotected presents a risk of loss and of lawsuits. Arming teachers presents some risk depending on the level of training that school staff receive.

We shouldn't have to arm teachers.

We already protect our students today. We design our schools to withstand fire and natural disasters. We protect our students from people as well as from nature. We don't release the children to strangers, and we report abuse when we see it. We want to protect our students from every threat they face.

Some school staff want to protect students from bad people who come on campus. I want to encourage them and thank them. They are there to protect my children when I can't be there.

Back to Top


President Trump fired U.S. Secretary of State  Rex Tillerson  on Mar 13, by announcing his decision on Twitter. Consequently, stocks in the aerospace and defense space were on an upward trajectory in pre-market trading.

Notably, Northrop Grumman NOC gained 0.74%, Boeing BA inched up 0.31%, Lockheed Martin LMT rose 0.21% and Raytheon RTN was up 0.54%, per a report by The Street.

What Went Wrong With Tillerson?

Tillersons short tenure of a year was marked by multiple public disagreements with President Trump over diverse foreign policy decisions. In fact, the discord between these two administrative stalwarts reached to such an extent that Tillerson called Trump a moron in a Pentagon meeting in July 2017.

Notably, both Trump and Tillerson repeatedly clashed over multiple administrative agendas like  whether to stay in the Paris climate change accord, how to aggressively back the embargo against Qatar led by Saudi Arabia or whether to pursue a diplomatic solution to North Koreas nuclear weapons program.

Reportedly, Tillerson also expressed displeasure regarding Trumps widely criticized response to a neo-Nazi protest in August 2017, which had led to a death in Charlottesville, VA. Their rift emerged more sharply when Trump tweeted in October that Tillerson is "wasting his time" trying to negotiate with North Korea to end its nuclear and missile programs. Markedly, Tillerson was among Trump's deputies who tried to prevent him from taking steps to scrap the Iran nuclear deal.

These frequent discords led analysts to anticipate Tillersons departure in past few months. Now that the nations commander-in-chief has finally made the decision, the rocky tenure of Americas top diplomat have come to an end.

How Will Tillersons Exit Aid Defense Stocks?

Trump has suggested the name of Mike Pompeo, the CIA chief as the next secretary of state, following Tillersons exit.

Story continues

Interestingly, Mike Pompeo is a hard-line Republican who shares Trumps combatant perspective of the world. Moreover, Pompeo was an outspoken critic of Obama's nuclear deal with Iran and Hillary Clinton's handling of the Benghazi attack. He also criticized the former National Security Agency leaker  Edward Snowden  as a traitor and wished for his death sentence.

It is interesting to note that Trumps presidency has already proved to be a boon for defense stocks, thanks to his optimistic defense-related strategies. On top of that, arrival of a combat-friendly diplomat like Pompeo serves as good news for the defense industry and thus has boosted the stocks post the news release.

Other Factors Boosting Defense Stocks

Theres no denying of the fact that Trumps presidency has proved conducive to the U.S. Aerospace and Defense space, when it was grappling with the budget sequestration act implemented by the prior government. The latest fiscal 2019 defense budget proposal depicts also depicts a favorable picture for the industry. The proposal aims at spending $716 billion on national security. Of the total, $686.1 billion is being kept as funding for the Pentagon, reflecting 5% real growth over the initial fiscal 2018 Presidents budget.

Apart from the budget factor, a wave of mergers has been observed between big aerospace and defense companies in a bid to fend off competition as well as expand core operations and product lines. For instance, United Technologies agreed to take over Rockwell Collins for $30 billion while Northrop Grumman is set to buy Orbital ATK for $9.2 billion. Synergies from these mega deals are sure to benefit the industry.

Additionally, emerging nations like Japan and India as well as European countries are raising their defense budgets on account of the widespread geo-political uncertainties. In this context, as the United States is the largest supplier of defense equipment, it goes without saying that a golden era awaits Aerospace & Defense stocks.

While selection of the secretary of state is a momentary event, inherent drivers like the aforementioned ones are likely to continue boosting the defense stocks.

Stocks to Buy

In order to save investors from the time-taking process of identifying key defense winners, we have created a screen using the Zacks Stock Screener.

Herein, we have zeroed in on three Aerospace & Defense stocks that have been recording better-than-expected results and a long-term earnings growth rate of 10% or more. These stocks also sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Moreover, these stocks have performed better than the broader market in the past year.

Boeing is a premier jet aircraft manufacturer and one of the largest defense contractors in the United States. The Zacks Rank #1 company has a long-term earnings growth rate of 13.8%. Also, it delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 20.69% in the trailing four quarters.

In a years time, Boeing has surged 89.5% compared with the S&P 500s gain of 17.2%.

Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc. SPR is one of the largest independent non-OEM aircraft parts designers and manufacturers of commercial aerostructures in the world, in terms of annual revenues. This Zacks Rank #1 company has a long-term earnings growth rate of 10.8% and delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 9.76% in the trailing four quarters.

We note that the stock has rallied 55% in the past year compared with the S&P 500s gain of 17.2%.

Curtiss-Wright Corporation CW designs, manufactures, overhauls precision components, and provides engineered products and services to the aerospace, defense, power generation and general industrial markets. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2 and a long-term earnings growth rate of 12.4%. Additionally, it has delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 15.06% in the trailing four quarters.

We note that the stock has surged 43.3% in a year compared with the S&P 500s gain of 17.2%.

Breaking News: Cryptocurrencies Now Bigger than Visa



The total market cap of all cryptos recently surpassed $700 billion  more than a 3,800% increase in the previous 12 months. Theyre now bigger than Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and even Visa! The new asset class may expand even more rapidly in 2018 as new investors continue pouring in and Wall Street becomes increasingly involved.



Zacks has just named 4 companies that enable investors to take advantage of the explosive growth of cryptocurrencies via the stock market.



Click here to access these stocks. >>





Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report



Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Boeing Company (The) (BA) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Spirit Aerosystems Holdings, Inc. (SPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Curtiss-Wright Corporation (CW) : Free Stock Analysis Report



Raytheon Company (RTN) : Free Stock Analysis Report



To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
By David Lawder and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion (43 billion pounds) of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on Tuesday.

A third source who had direct knowledge of the administration's thinking said the tariffs, associated with a "Section 301" intellectual property investigation, under the 1974 U.S. Trade Act begun in August last year, could come "in the very near future."

While the tariffs would be chiefly targeted at information technology, consumer electronics and telecoms, they could be much broader and the list could eventually run to 100 products, this person said.

The White House declined to comment on the size or timing of any move.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Sino-U.S. trade relations should not be a zero-sum game, and that the two countries should use "constructive" means to manage tension.

"We have said many times that China resolutely opposes any kind of unilateral protectionist trade measures," Lu told reporters.

"If the United States takes actions that harm China's interests, China will have to take measures to firmly protect our legitimate rights."

Trump is targeting Chinese high technology companies to punish China for its investment policies that effectively force U.S. companies to give up their technology secrets in exchange for being allowed to operate in the country, as well as for other IP practices Washington considers unfair.

The Trump administration is also considering imposing investment restrictions on Chinese companies over and above the heightened national security restrictions, but details on these were not immediately known. A U.S. Treasury spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

But lobbyists in Washington expressed concern that Trump's ambitious tariff plan would also include other labour-intensive consumer goods sectors such as apparel, footwear and toys.

Story continues

Higher tariffs on these products would "hurt American families," said Hun Quach, a trade lobbyist for the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

"We're not talking about fancy cashmere sweaters, we're talking about cotton T-Shirts and jeans and shoes that kids wear for back-to-school," she added. "Alarm bells are ringing."

China runs a $375 billion trade surplus with the United States and when President Xi Jinping's top economic adviser visited Washington recently, the administration pressed him to come up with a way of reducing that number.

Trump came to office on a promise to shield American workers from imports and his first action as president was to pull the United States out of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

His administration is in the midst of negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and last week announced the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.

While the tariffs on steel and aluminium, announced last week by Trump, are viewed as relatively insignificant in terms of imports and exports, moves to target China directly risk a direct and harsh response from Beijing.

"If this is serious, the Chinese will retaliate. The key question is, does the U.S. retaliate against that retaliation," said Derek Scissors, a China trade expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a pro-business think tank.

That would spook stock markets, but Scissors said that the more serious the conflict became, the worse China's position would become, due to the importance of its U.S. trade surplus.

"Their incentive to negotiate is to head us off from a major trade conflict."

NOT BIG ENOUGH

The news website Politico earlier reported that the U.S. Trade Representative's office had presented Trump with a package of $30 billion in tariffs last week, but Trump told aides that this was not high enough.

One Washington business source who had discussed the issue with the White House said the figure had now grown to about $60 billion, with a potentially wider array of products under consideration.

A second person, who is an industry lobbyist in Washington familiar with the administration's thinking, said the process was being led by Peter Navarro, an avowed protectionist, and by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who also favours tariffs as a tool to rebalance trade.

Speaking to reporters in the Capitol, U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady stressed that Trump was serious about addressing the issue of intellectual property theft with China.

"He's serious about calling their hand on this, and my understanding is they are looking at a broad array of options to do that," Brady said.

U.S. business groups, while uneasy about triggering Chinese retaliation, have increasingly pressed Washington to take action on Beijing's industrial policies, such as market access restrictions and the "Made in China 2025" plan, which aims to supplant foreign technologies with domestic ones.

Shortly after Trump took office, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a U.S. technology think tank whose board includes representatives from top companies such as Apple (AAPL.O), Amazon (AMZN.O), Cisco (CSCO.O), Google (GOOGL.O), and Intel (INTC.O), called for coordinated international pressure on Beijing.

While complaints about China's abuse of intellectual property rights are not confined to the United States, Trump's global steel and aluminium tariffs announced last week under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 complicate U.S. efforts to recruit allies to put pressure on China.

A senior European diplomat in Beijing said China would be relieved to see Europe and Washington at odds over the metals tariffs.

"China's biggest worry has always been joint push-back from its major Western trading partners," the diplomat said.

A China-based business source with knowledge of discussion among senior European officials said there had been a "clear effort" by the U.S. government over the past six months to introduce a coordinated approach to Chinese industrial policy, but that Trump's metals tariffs had undermined European support.

"Senior Trump administration officials had directly approached European leaders at a senior level. There had been a willingness to do something together on China. That's impossible right now. You can't cooperate when you're getting whacked around," the person told Reuters.

(Additional reporting by Ginger Gibson and Roberta Rampton, and Christian Shepherd in BEIJING; Writing by David Chance; Editing by Clive McKeef, Peter Cooney and Clarence Fernandez)
President Donald Trump traveled to San Diego, California, on Tuesday where he will visit eight border wall design prototypes.

The president took a jab at the Golden States sanctuary city policies, which he called illegal and unconstitutional, saying they put the safety of the entire nation at risk and must stop. Stemming the flow of illegal immigrants into the U.S. has been a primary influence behind the presidents push to build a wall along the southern border.

The eight prototypes, selected by Customs and Border Protection, are the work of six companies, including Alabamas Caddell Construction, Texas Sterling Construction Co. and Marylands ELTA North America Inc., the latter of which is an Israeli-owned defense contractor and the only international company to win a bid.

Half of the eight designs are made of concrete, while the other four are comprised of different materials, including metal. All are 30 feet tall, and must extend 6 feet below the ground.

The border wall prototypes have been tested for a number of characteristics, including how easy they are to dig under or climb over, and how safe they are for Border Patrol agents.

Contractors had 30 days to build their models at the testing site, and each design costs between $320,000 and $490,000, according to The Washington Post. Some have different characteristics, depending on which side it is viewed from, including one that has metal spikes on Mexicos side and a brick pattern on the other.

Customs and Border Protection said it will evaluate each of the designs to help inform future construction ideas, meaning that a singular prototype design may not be chosen as a designated winner.

Trump has said Mexico would pay for the wall along the countries shared border. However, Mexican officials have repeatedly opposed those suggestions. Meanwhile, the administrations proposed 2019 budget allocates $18 billion toward construction of the border wall.

While in California on Tuesday, Trump will also speak at select military bases.

Related Articles
United Airlines faced another pet-related public relations nightmare on Wednesday, its second in a week and the third so far this year.

A Kansas family flying from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday said the airline mistakenly flew their 10-year-old German shepherd to Japan instead of another dog. Airline officials in Japan put their dog, Irgo, on a flight back to the U.S., according to The Associated Press.

The news follows an incident on Monday in which a 10-month-old dog died after passengers said a flight attendant forced the pets owner to put the puppy in an overhead bin  United confirmed to FOX Business that pets are not to be stored in overhead compartments and that the airline has addressed the situation with the family, the crew and passengers seated nearby on the flight.

We have learned that the customer did tell the flight attendant that there was a dog in the carrier, a United spokeswoman said in a statement provided to FOX Business. However, our flight attendant did not hear or understand her, and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin. As we stated, we take full responsibility and are deeply sorry for this tragic accident. We remain in contact with the family to express our condolences and offer support.

To prevent the incident from happening again, the airline by April will issue bright-colored bag tags to customers traveling with in-cabin pets, the spokeswoman said. She did not comment further on whether United would review or overhaul its pet policies.

This visual tag will further help our flight attendants identify pets in-cabin, she said.

United had the worst rate of pet deaths in 2017 among U.S. airlines, according to the Department of Transportations Air Travel Consumer Report.

FOX Business takes a look at the pet policies of some of Americas major air carriers.

The airline allows domesticated dogs, cats, rabbits and household birds (except cockatoos) to travel in an aircraft cabin with the owner on most flights within the U.S. An in-cabin-carried pet can fly aboard the airplane in addition to a carry-on bag for a one-way fee of $125. Another $125 service charge is tacked on for each stopover of more than four hours within the U.S. or more than 24 hours outside the country.

Story continues

The animals must be kept in an approved hard- or soft-sided kennel, which must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and stay there at all times during the flight. Only one pet is allowed, with the exception of birds  two can travel together  and the animal must be able to stand up and turn around comfortably.

Rules for international travel can vary. United recommends contacting its Customer Contact Center for more information.

Trained service, emotional-support and psychiatric-service animals are permitted as long as they sit on the floor in front of the customers seat and do not block any aisles of the aircraft.

A checked pet that flies aboard the worlds largest airline within and between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, Central America, Colombia and the Caribbean are subject to a $125 fee per kennel. American allows customers to bring one kennel as a carry-on bag if they pay the charge, the pet is at least eight weeks old and if the pet remains in the kennel under the seat in front of them during the entire flight. The animal must be able to stand, turn around and lie down in a natural position inside its kennel.

Service animals and emotional support animals are able to fly for free if they meet certain requirements. These animals must fit on the passengers lap, at their feet or under the seat and cannot protrude into the aisle. To fly with an emotional-support or a psychiatric-service animal, a customer must provide documentation from a doctor at least 48 hours prior to the flight.

The airline allows passengers to have their pet in the cabin for a one-way fee of $125 on flights to and from the U.S. and Canada and Puerto Rico. Flights to and from the Virgin Islands and any trip outside the U.S. with the exception of Canada will cost customers $200. A $75 fee will be applied to passengers carrying pets in-cabin on flights to and from Brazil.

For domestic travel, pets must be at least 10 weeks old and must be at least 15 weeks old and at least 16 weeks old for European Union travel and if traveling to the U.S. from other countries, respectively.

Pets must be able to fit comfortably in a kennel with the ability to move around and cannot touch or protrude from the sides of the device. One animal is usually allowed per kennel, although one female cat or dog can travel with her unweaned litter and two pets of the same breed and size can travel in one kennel under certain restrictions, and will be charged as one pet. The kennel must be stowed under the seat in front of the passenger.

The worlds largest low-cost carrier allows small vaccinated domestic cats and dogs to accompany the owner in the aircraft cabin as long as they are in an appropriate carrier and remain under the seat in front of them.

Pets traveling on Southwest flights are subject to a $95 fee each way and will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis because space is limited. Six pets are allowed per flight, although that could vary depending upon the circumstances, with a limit of one pet carrier per paying customer traveling on the same flight, according to the airline.

Two cats or dogs of the same species are allowed to travel in the same carrier with the ability to stand up and move about comfortably. The animals are not allowed to travel in-cabin on international flights or any itinerary including a flight outside the U.S.

Southwest allows customers to board the aircraft with either a pet carrier and a personal item, or a pet carrier and a regular size carryon bag. A passenger cannot fly with all three.

The New York-based low-cost airline offers a free program called JetPaws that includes a carrier bag-tag, a Petiquette  a list of social graces for pet travel  and 300 TrueBlue points on each flight segment when traveling with a pet.

The fee for traveling with a pet is $100 each way and only one pet per customer is allowed. JetBlue recommends booking pet reservations earlier because there is a limited number of animals allowed on each flight. Pets are not allowed on interline flights or those going to destinations in Jamaica, Barbados, St. Lucia, the Cayman Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.

The combined weights of the pet and carrier must not exceed 20 pounds, and both count as one carry-on bag.

Passengers flying with a pet in the cabin on Alaska must be 18 years or older and may not occupy a seat in an emergency-exit row or one with a bulkhead or airbag safety belt. The airlines first-class cabin can hold one pet carrier per flight, while the main cabin allows for up to five.

Customers will be charged $100 each way when carrying a dog, cat, rabbit or household bird  dogs and cats must be at least 8 weeks old and fully weaned. A maximum of two pet carriers in the main cabin is allowed when the adjacent seat is purchased by the same customer. Two pets of the same species and of similar size can fit in the same carrier if they are comfortable and no body parts protrude from the kennel.

Alaska customers are permitted to bring a pet carrier and personal item, or a carrier and standard-size carry-on bag, but not all three on a flight.

Related Articles
The leaders of an Afghan Islamist political party are wrangling over who calls the shots in the organization, considered a major player in the countrys political arena.

Former Economy Minister Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal says nobody can force him out of Hizb-e Islami, which is still registered under his name.

Arghandiwal, Mohammad Khan, and Abdul Basir Anwar were forced out of the party on March 13 by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who founded Hizb-e Islami in the 1970s.

Nobody can force us out of this party because we registered it [as a legal entity], Arghandiwal told Radio Free Afghanistan on March 14. This party is our home. We have made sacrifices for it, and we are determined to uphold it.

A day earlier, Hizb-e Islami announced it had dismissed the three leaders for working against the goals and demands of the party, a statement noted.

It accused the three of establishing contacts and alliances with other parties, saying Hizb-e Islami was recognized by the Afghan government after the group signed a peace agreement last year.

From now on, Arghandiwal cannot operate under the name of Hizb-e Islami, but he can choose another name [for his organization], the statement said. Hizb-e Islami has a long history, and its leader is Hekmatyar.

The public rupture highlights years of disagreements and the months of failed behind-the-scenes talks aimed at reuniting Hizb-e Islami under Hekmatyars leadership.

The party was a major anti-Soviet mujahedin faction that received a lions share of the covert assistance provided by the United States, Pakistan, and allies to Islamist factions fighting the Red Army-allied socialist Afghan government in the 1980s.

In the 1990s, it became a major player in the fratricidal civil war. After the demise of the Taliban regime in 2001, Hekmatyar declared jihad against the United States in late 2002. Unlike other mujahedin factions that joined the Western-backed government in Kabul, many of his supporters stayed away.

But some senior Hizb-e Islami figures joined the new government. In 2005, Arghandiwal registered Hizb-e Islami, and many former members went on to become lawmakers, governors, and cabinet members.

Khan has served as the first deputy of Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah after he joined President Ashraf Ghani in the national unity government in September 2014. Anwar is the current justice minister.

Their expulsion marks the possible end of efforts by the organizations leaders to unite it under Hekmatyars leadership following his return to Kabul last May after concluding a peace agreement with the Afghan government.

This rift will naturally affect the morale and efforts of Hizb-e Islami, said Shah Mahmood Miakhel, country director of the United States Institute of Peace in Afghanistan.

He says most former leftist, nationalist, and Islamist political parties in Afghanistan have fragmented into factions. This has become a tradition in Afghanistan, he noted.

Miakhel says the two factions of the party are likely to be recognized as distinct political parties in the current legal framework.

This division is a problem for them and will overshadow their future politics, he said.

Abubakar Siddique wrote this story based on Najia Safis reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan.
Scoring sex offenders to predict future risk

To conserve money and resources when monitoring released sex offenders, police departments want to keep a closer watch on those more likely to reoffend. Determining which offenders those are, however, has been difficult.

Now predictive software, first tested by the Baltimore Police Department and now being used by the Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office in Indiana, can help police prioritize their monitoring.

OffenderWatch's Focus generates a risk score meant to predict an individual offenders likelihood of reoffending. It uses Census Bureau data, including crime rates and local income levels, along with information related to the individual offender like employment status, living situation and relationship status in its prediction scores, OffenderWatch President Mike Cormaci told GCN.

Other variables considered by the copyrighted algorithm include the individuals proximity to highways, access to vehicles and the dates of the charge, according to Joe Gauthier, VP of sales and marketing for Watch Systems, the parent company of OffenderWatch. The company works with more than 3,500 law enforcement agencies across the country, facilitating the sharing of offender records among all law enforcement users on the network.

With data from the OffenderWatch system, Focus analyzes more than 100 different risk factors found in a registered sex offenders record, as well as other state, federal and commercial data sources, to assign a score to a registered offender. It doesnt, however, take into account physical descriptors like height, weight or race [that] can introduce bias, Gauthier told GCN. And none of the information is stored locally; users access it through a thin client.

What makes Focus different from other predictive policing tools is that it updates frequently and ranks a given pool of offenders.

The only reason the predictive analytics works in the sex offender world" is because released offenders are required to provide frequent updates to law enforcement on their personal life, such as if they move or change their physical appearance. This, Cormaci said, results in more accurate analysis.

Focus scores offenders on a 10-point scale and then evenly divides the population into each of the 10 levels, ranking offenders likelihood to reoffend, Cormaci said. So if you have 100 offenders theres going to be 10 in the high-risk '10' category and 10 in the 'one' category, he said. If you have 300 it will be 30 in each one.

What we find is that because of the resource demand, all offenders are treated equally, Cormaci said, so the ranking helps law enforcement agencies prioritize which offenders to check on.

Deputy Mike Robinson manages offender monitoring for the Vanderburgh County Sheriffs Office. Before using Focus, he prioritized offenders by the states three classification levels: sex offender, offender against children and sexually violent predator.

The Focus score looks beyond what the classification is, Robinson said.

To evaluate the Focus scoring, Robinson went back and looked at people who reoffended in Vanderburgh County, and he saw their risk scores were higher.

One reoffender had no suspicious interactions with law enforcement, but when officers retroactively checked his risk score, it was a 10. He was a compliant registrant, he always lived where he was supposed to be, he always reported, but that doesnt always mean the offender is remaining compliant, Robinson said.

Robinson uses the scores to determine which offenders he should prioritize for check-ins and if he should bring another officer along for the task. The officers only get the score -- they don't see any detail on how the score was determined.

What were finding is the Focus scores give us a little bit more clarity as to some of these people who may go out and harm another individual, he said.

Vanderburgh County has been using Focus since last year, but it wasnt fully operational until January, Robinson said. His office is still working out exactly how the tool will change its workflow, but so far Robinson is optimistic about what he is seeing.

Were pretty new to getting this thing fielded, Robinson said. But  I can see how it can be used to prioritize our verifications.
TORONTO, March 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Nutritional High International Inc. (the Company or Nutritional High) (CSE:EAT) (OTCQB:SPLIF) (FRANKFURT:2NU) is pleased to announce it has entered into a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) to acquire a 75% interest in Green Therapeutics LLC (Green Therapeutics), one of the premier innovators and established producer/processors within the cannabis space in the State of Nevada (the "Acquisition"). In conjunction with the Acquisition the Company will also purchase certain lands and premises owned by Meridian Companies LLC (Meridian), a Nevada limited liability company, consisting of cultivation facilities and parcels of land for cultivation expansion (the Property) utilized by Green Therapeutics. Nutritional High and Green Therapeutics have also entered into a binding lock-up agreement while purchase and sale agreements are negotiated and due diligence is completed.

Green Therapeutics has a state of the art cultivation and processing facility in the Las Vegas area. They produce and sell cannabis flower and manufactured cannabis products to a number of Nevada dispensaries. In addition to producing and selling cannabis flower, Green Therapeutics manufactures the following products: Dabs, vape pens and cartridges, oral sprays, topical creams, as well as pre-rolls.

Green Therapeutics completed their first harvest and finalized construction of their laboratory in July 2016, and commenced sales of manufactured products in August 2016. Green Therapeutics is led by a professional management team with extensive pharmaceutical experience operating GMP licensed medical and recreational facilities.

Green Therapeutics' asset base includes:

Four Nevada Licenses: 2 cultivation and 2 production facilities in Clark County & North Las Vegas;

8,000 sq. ft. of licensed and operational cultivation/production facility in Clark County generating approximately $400k/month in recreational sales;

Licensed 5,400 sq. ft. production laboratory in North Las Vegas with UPLC/MS and GC testing capabilities;

Approved cultivation license in North Las Vegas thats ready to move to a new high-tech green house facility; and

9.8 acre parcel of land to allow for expansion of over 500,000 sq. ft. of cultivation space in North Las Vegas.

The final transaction structure will be determined after each party has had the opportunity to receive legal, accounting and tax advice regarding the most appropriate structure for the proposed transaction. The Company and Green Therapeutics are proceeding to expedite due diligence and move to finalize and close the proposed transaction as soon as possible.

Proposed Transaction Highlights:

As consideration for the Acquisition the Company will:

(a) subscribe for 25% of the units of Green Therapeutics for aggregate process of US$6,000,000. US$2,000,000 of the subscription price would be paid on closing with the remaining US$4,000,000 paid in US$2,000,000 increments on specific dates to be agreed upon. It is intended that the proceeds of this subscription will be used to add 40,000 square feet to Green Therapeutics existing grow operations;

(b) the Company will purchase 25% of the outstanding units of Green Therapeutics from certain of the members of Green Therapeutics in exchange for common shares in the capital of the Company having a value of US$6,000,000. The number of common shares of the Company to be issued will be the lower of US$0.55 per common share or the 20-day volume weighted average price (in US dollars) of the Company's common shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange on the date immediately preceding the date a definitive agreement in respect of the Acquisition is executed (the "Per Share Price");

(c) the Company will purchase 25% of the outstanding units of Green Therapeutics from certain members of Green Therapeutics in exchange for secured convertible promissory notes having an aggregate original principal amount of $6,000,000. The notes would bear interest at a rate of 7% per annum, compounding annually, with all principal and accrued interest due and payable on the date which is 12 months from the date of issuance. The notes would be convertible at any time at the election of the holder(s) up to the maturity date into common shares of the Company at a conversion price equal to a 20% premium to the Per Share Price. The notes would rank pari-passu among each other and will be secured by the units of Green Therapeutics owned by the Company as well as the Property.

Concurrent with the closing of the Acquisition the Company proposes to purchase the Property from Meridian for the sum of US$1,519,000. This property will become home to one of the largest processing facilities in Nevada and will showcase new technologies in the industry.

Green Therapeutics CEO, Dr. Duke Fu commented: We are very excited about the opportunity to combine forces with Nutritional High. We believe the national platform offered by Nutritional High will allow us to leverage our expertise and integrate into their wider operations. The expansion capital being provided is sorely needed to meet burgeoning demand. Our supply is currently completely sold out through pre-orders until the end of April 2018, and we believe that adding capacity will significantly increase our revenue and profitability.

"We are excited about this business venture with Green Therapeutics, as we see this as an opportunity to establish ourselves in the rapidly growing cannabis market of Nevada, and add some key talent to our management team, said Jim Frazier, CEO of Nutritional High. Nevadas cannabis market has seen tremendous growth in the past year and we are excited to work with the Green Therapeutics' team to introduce Nutritional Highs FLI products to the Nevada market and to further expand the Nutritional High and our partner brands throughout the US."

The transaction contemplated is subject to approval by the Nevada Department of Taxation (the "Department") and if applicable, by the applicable municipal authorities. There can be no assurance that the Department or the applicable municipal authorities will approve the contemplated investment.

Completion of the transactions described herein will be subject to satisfactory completion of due diligence, execution of a definitive agreements and receipt of all required approvals and consents. There can be no assurance that the proposed transactions will be completed as proposed or at all.

About Nutritional High International Inc.

Nutritional High is focused on developing, manufacturing and distributing premium and consistently dosed products in the cannabis-infused products industry, including edibles and oil extracts for nutritional, medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively through licensed facilities in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law.

For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google+ or visit www.nutritionalhigh.com.

For further information, please contact:

David Posner, Chairman of the Board

Nutritional High International Inc.

647-985-6727

Email: dposner@nutritionalhigh.com

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. The statements relate to the completing the proposed transaction, the expansion of the Green Therapeutics facility and the ability to increase supply of product. Risks that may have an impact on the ability for these events to be achieved include completion of due diligence, negotiation of definitive agreements and receipt of applicable approvals. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.
WEST KELOWNA, B.C., March 13, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COLORADO RESOURCES LTD. (TSX-V:CXO) ("Colorado" or the "Company") announces that pursuant to the Companys Advance Notice Policy, it has received a notice of nomination from Adam Travis, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, who was terminated by the Company effective February 26, 2018.



Adam Travis intends to put forward five individuals including himself for election as directors at the upcoming Annual General Meeting of shareholders on Tuesday, April 17, 2018.

The Company will mail a Management Information Circular for the upcoming Annual General Meeting to shareholders in the coming weeks which will outline the Company's voting recommendations, including the director nominees for election to the Board.

About Colorado

Colorado Resources Ltd. is currently engaged in the business of mineral exploration for the purpose of acquiring and advancing mineral properties located in the Golden Triangle British Columbia and holds approximately 1,200sq km of mineral claims in this prolific metalliferous region. The Companys main exploration projects within British Columbia include KSP and North ROK. Additionally, the Company holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Greensprings project located in eastern Nevada.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

COLORADO RESOURCES LTD.

Lawrence Nagy

Lawrence Nagy

Chairman of the Board

For more information, please contact:

Lawrence Nagy

Colorado Resources Ltd.

T: (250) 768-1511

F: (250) 768-0849

TF (855) 768-1511

W: www.coloradoresources.com

NR 18-04

Or

Media:

Kingsdale Advisors

Ian Robertson, 416-867-2333

Executive Vice President, Communication Strategy

irobertson@kingsdaleadvisors.com

Cell: 647-621-2646



or



Shareholders:

Kingsdale Advisors

Toll free: 1-800-775-3159

contactus@kingsdaleadvisors.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release, constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including: that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events, that the Company obtains required regulatory approvals, that the Company continues to maintain a good relationship with the local project communities. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, which could result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, delays in regulatory approval, risks associated with the interpretation of data, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to mineral exploration and development activities and to the Company as set forth in the Company's Managements Discussion and Analysis reports filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information or statements, other than as required by applicable law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Goel ignores TDP MPs, meets YSRC MP

The Telugu Desam Party is paying price for its aggressive onslaught on the Centre after withdrawing its ministers from the Narendra Modi cabinet.

A day after the Union home ministry officials categorically rejecting the demand for establishment of a separate railway zone for AP with Visakhapatnam as headquarters, the TDP MPs sought an appointment with Union railway minister Piyush Goel on Tuesday to request him to take a political decision on the railway zone.

Goel initially asked them to come in the evening, but when they went to his office, he refused to meet them on the pretext that he was extremely busy. The MPs waited for more than an hour and returned with blank faces.

Sources said the MPs were surprised when they saw YSR Congress party MP V Varaprasad Rao coming out of the ministers chambers, as they were waiting outside.

The YSRC MP is learnt to have come to Goel to represent on the railway projects pending in his Tirupati constituency.

The shocked and humiliated TDP MPs brought it to the notice of party president and chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday morning.

It clearly showed that the Bharatiya Janata Party is deliberately avoiding us, because we are demanding our right. Now people wonder whether the BJP is an ally to the TDP or YSRC, he said.

On Monday, Union home secretary Rajiv Guaba told the AP government officials that it was not possible to grant a separate railway zone with Visakhapatnam as the headquarters on the ground that it is neither not technically feasible nor financially viable.

According to sources, Gauba told the AP officials that the state would not get any benefit out of the new railway zone at Visakhapatnam, as it was not a viable proposition.

He pointed out that the committee appointed by the Indian Railways to examine the feasibility of special zone project had submitted the report and it had found that the proposal was not a viable one.

Click Here for Latest Direct-to-OTT Releases (List Updates Daily)
SRINAGAR: Complete shutdown was observed for the third consecutive day, today, in Soura and adjacent areas of Srinagar to mourn the killing of Eisa Fazili and two other youth by Indian forces in Islamabad(Annantnag) district on Monday.

All shops and business establishments remained closed in Buchpora, Umerhaer, Pandach, Illahibagh, Nagbal and Ahmadnagar areas of Soura. However, only thin traffic movement was witnessed in these areas. Esa Fazili belonged to the Soura area of Srinagar.

Fazili and two other youth were killed by the troops during a siege and search operation in Hakoora area of Islamabad district on Monday.

Meanwhile, class work remained suspended in Government Degree College Ganderbal, today. The order for suspension of class work was issued by Deputy Commissioner Ganderbal Dr Piyush Singhla in view of students protest against the killings.

Meanwhile, police booked several students of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University under sedition charge for raising We Want Freedom and Pakistan Zindabad slogans in Rajouri during prayers in absentia of the martyred youth.

Eisa Fazili, one of the three martyrs, was a B-Tech student of the university, who was killed by the Indian troops in Islamabad district on Monday.
Did Kenyan ex-president Daniel Arap Moi really die in a hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel? The rumors that the 93-year-old former president died are not true. The "news" about Arap Moi passing away originated on a known fake news website that is part of a larger network which has made it a habit to publish death hoaxes about celebrities and international figures that have recently been reported by the media to be in hospital.

The fake story was published on March 13th 2018 under the headline "BREAKING: Ex-Kenyan president Daniel arap Moi dies at 93" (archived here) on a site named "Global News" (glonews360.com). The article opened:

Former President Daniel arap Moi is dead in Tel Aviv, Israel, his family confirmed in a statement. A statement from Moi's son, Gideon Moi, said: "My family joins me in sharing the difficult news that Mr. Daniel arap Moi, our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather has passed away on Tuesday at 93 years of age. His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country." In a statement sent to newsrooms, from the former head of State's office also said Mr. Moi has died at a hospital in Tel Aviv after all efforts by medical staff to resuscitate him proved futile. However, the statement did not give details of the cause of death.

In fact Daniel Arap Moi is fine: it was reported by The Standard and other Kenyan media only hours ago that he was in Israel for a routine medical checkup and that he was responding well to treatment:

Former President Daniel arap Moi is responding positively to treatment in Tel Aviv hospital, Israel where he was flown for medical checkup on Sunday. The former President is in high spirits and expected home soon. The former Head of State on Sunday March 11 morning left for Israel for a medical check-up. Moi, who was accompanied by his son Gideon Moi and personal physician Dr David Silverstein was booked at the Tel Aviv hospital.

The website that published the death hoax is part of a larger network of sites that we wrote about earlier and which includes other sites like texas-express.com, miami-express.com, florida-times.com, abcnewgo.com and city-herald.com. Recently this network has been publishing a steady stream of death hoaxes about celebrities and well known people that have been reported by the media to be in hospital.

The sites are designed to look like normal news websites with stolen articles taken from legitimate publications listed on their front pages. Usually the fake news articles are not even visible there. Sceptical readers coming in via social media and stumbling upon the false articles about people passing away might be fooled into trusting the sites after seeing nothing unusual on the main page and after finding out through Google or other search engines that the person the article is about was indeed admitted to hospital just days ago.

It usually takes fact checking websites like Snopes a few days or more to get wind of hoaxes like these and during this window of opportunity the fake story can spread wildly. Don't be fooled!
A pair of Russian developers were accused of developing and offering services that allowed malware coders to test their samples against popular security solutions before releasing them in the wild.

Arrested in Latvia, Jurijs Martisevs pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge, as well as to aiding and abetting computer intrusion.

The dark web service operated by Jurijs Martisevs and his associate, Ruslans Bondars, operated between 2009 and May 2017, enabling malware developers to see whether their code would be detected by security vendors. Offered as an API, their service could have easily been integrated into malware-building kits, allowing malware developers to test their samples several times before pushing them to victims.

The SERVICE was a counter antivirus service that provides information that computer hackers used to determine whether the computer viruses and other malicious software (malware) they created would be detected by antivirus software, including and especially by antivirus software used to protect major United States retailers, financial institutions, and governments agencies from computer intrusions, reads the court document. The SERVICE operated as an antivirus clearinghouse, making it possible for users to check their files against the database of dozens of widely used brands of antivirus software. Users submitting files to the SERVICE were essentially checking their files against the signatures. Or information about the characteristics of known malware, to determine if their files contained characteristics that antivirus companies would flag as virus or malware.

The service, which also offered customer support to malware developer clients, seems to have also been used in 2012 by the Citadel malware, which stole more than $500 million from bank accounts.

In return for a lighter sentence and supervised release terms, Martisevs has agreed to return more than $125,000 and forgo any claims to already-seized hardware, although he may still face up to 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting charges alone.

The defendant agrees to plead guilty to counts one and four of the indictment charging him with conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371, and Aiding and Abetting Computer Intrusions, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1030(a)(5)(A) and 2, respectively, reads Martisevs official plea.
Srinagar, March 14: Speakers at a seminar in Bandipora have demanded just and fair solution to the Kashmir dispute to save generations from the adverse effects of the long-drawn conflict in South Asia.

Scholars, academicians, students and youth activists while participating in the one-day seminar said that the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir was a reality, which could not be denied by any political power.



The seminar titled Kashmir Conflict: Impact on Youth and Way Forward was organized by a civil society group at Mehboob-ul-Alam College of Education in Bandipora.

The speaker said that in the ongoing struggle for freedom of Kashmir, youth are expressing their emotions and aspirations candidly as the young generation is caught in the situation stretched over past seven decades.

Noted poet and educationist, Professor Ismail Ashna, in his address said that Kashmir dispute was a reality and demanded just and fair resolution to end it. Professor Ashna said that all the stakeholders should come forward and resolve the dispute.

Mushtaq Ahmed Mir, a youth activist, terming the Kashmir dispute an internationally-recognized conflict said that time was ripe to resolve the issue which had ruined the lives of many in South Asia.
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
Aftermath of tragedy

While probe will provide answers on plane crash, adherence to procedure was lacking
Bangladeshi Minister calls on PM Oli

Visiting Bangladeshi Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism A.K.M Sahajan Kamal paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Wednesday.
Bangladeshi Minister discusses US-Bangla crash with Minister Thapa

Visiting Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism of Bangladesh A.K.M Shahjahan Kamal on Wednesday held a meeting with Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa to discuss the US-Bangla aircraft crash.
The 300 sq feet boutiquemarks Tissots fourth stand-alone store in Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion, Virat said, Tissots global presence continues to expand, and Im proud to be here with them in Mumbai to celebrate the opening of their new boutique. Like their other boutiques, this one too, is ultra-modern in design and impressively showcases their vast collection of timepieces. Im sure the new boutique with its engaging experiential zone will ensure an enhanced customer experience adding more members to the ever growing Tissot family.

To celebrate the opening of the new boutique, the Indian skipper also interacted with Tissots retail customers and helped them select watches which best suited them.

Committed to providing the most innovative and best in class time pieces, the new boutique at Palladium Mallwill stand true to its retail concept with illustrative graphics, unique customer experiences, striking brand ambassador visuals andwill of coursealso house some of the latest and most cutting-edge time pieces from Tissots collections; Touch Collection, T-Sport, T-Lady, T-Classic, Heritage, T-Gold, T-Pocket and Special Collections.


New York, Mar 14 (JEN): Since last November, 10,171 migrants have safely returned from Libya, the United Nations migration agency announced Tuesday, crediting the achievement to a scale up of its Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) programme.

We are continuing to assist migrants inside Libyan detention centres, while increasing efforts to reach stranded migrants outside of detention, said Othman Belbeisi, Chief of the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) Mission in Libya.

In the same period, another 5,200 migrants have returned with African Union (AU) support.

Since the expansion of our VHR operation, the number of migrants in official detention centres have dropped from an estimated 20,000 people in October 2017 to 4,000 people today, a five-fold decrease, he continued.

Since January 2017, some 23,302 migrants have repatriated through the VHR programme, which consists of the European Union (EU), AU and Libyan Government,

IOM in Libya is also working with the authorities to register migrants, provide lifesaving assistance in the form of health care and essential aid items, psychosocial support, improve consular services and projects promoting community stabilization, Belbeisi added.

Nearly half of voluntary returns executed by IOM from Libya are part of the larger EU-IOM Joint Initiative on Migrant Protection and Reintegration initiative  active in Libya as well as 26 countries in North Africa; the Sahel and Lake Chad region; and the Horn of Africa  that supports reintegration for returnees in countries of origin,

With partners, IOM has been scaling up activities to meet the surge in returnees and ensure assistance upon their arrival, and in the longer-term  to readjust to their communities. The programme also offers reintegration assistance for those returning from EU States.

IOM Regional Director for the EU, Eugenio Ambrosi, said that the VHR operations scale of protection needs and number of returns have overtaken initial planning and pose challenges for countries of origin.

We are embarking on a completely new approach to reintegration and we believe in it, maintained Ambrosi. It will take some time to build, and in cooperation with authorities in countries of origin and the local communities, we are already seeing promising developments.

IOM Regional Director for West Africa, Richard Danziger said: The Joint Initiative, in partnership with the governments of countries of origin and the African Union, aims to make sure that the migration process is safer, and that returning migrants can get back to their countries of origin safely and re-establish their lives without the feeling that they are a burden for their communities and families,

However, he cautioned that as many returnees from Libya are traumatized after having suffered unspeakable abuses, saying their immediate medical and psychosocial needs have taken priority.

The new, reintegration approach aims to mitigate tensions by involving local communities at home in the process and raising awareness to address return stigmas, which is why capacity building, social, psychosocial, and community-based aspects are being built into the programme.

The initiatives we are undertaking with the EU and our African partners represent a new chapter in migration cooperation, underscored Mr. Ambrosi.

It is the first time that substantial funding has been invested to support the priorities and capacity of partner countries to manage return and reintegration and to make migration itself a safer and informed process, he concluded.

UN Migration Agency (IOM)
This publication came after days of reports from the NCRI and its affiliates regarding the regimes planned deployment of civilian militias and other repressive forces to obstruct holiday celebrations and stop them from turning political. Expectations of a politically motivated uprising have been fueled by the recent memory of nationwide demonstrations that gave rise to bold chants of death to Rouhani and death to the dictator in January, referring to the Iranian president and supreme leader, respectively.

The NCRIs reports come in the midst of various other indicators of the regimes effort to control public dialogue in the weeks following the mass uprising. This effort has certainly targeted protest participants and known political activists, but also dissenting and reformist voices inside Iranian establishment politics.

Agence France Presse reports, for instance, that the University of Tehran political science professor and prominent political analyst Sadegh Zibakalam had recently been sentenced to 18 months in prison and a two year ban on all political activities, on charges of spreading propaganda against the regime. The report notes that Zibakalam is known for his criticism of Irans foreign policy, in particular its bitter rivalry with the United States and Israel, and also that his conviction resulted in large part from accounts of his contact with foreign media outlets.

This news follows close on the heels of reports that journalists affiliated with the BBC Persian Service are planning to speak to the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international bodies over the harassment they have faced at the hands of Iranian authorities. Last summer, the BBC announced that 150 of its contributors had been made subject to an assets freeze and ban on all transactions in the Islamic Republic, as a result of their professional affiliations.

As Iran News Update reported in its more detailed reporting on the BBCs response, Iranian paranoia regarding foreign infiltration has been growing in recent years. This trend has contributed to the arrest of numerous dual citizens of Iran and Western nations, as well as the arrest of Iranians with supposed links to the West or a history of expressing pro-Western sentiments. Frequently, such individuals are accused of espionage, even in absence of any publicly released evidence.

On Tuesday, the Christian Times reported upon another instance of this trend, and one that also relates to the Iranian regimes systematic persecution of religious minorities. The report indicated that a Christian retreat center owned by the Council of Assemblies of God has been ordered to close after a nearly three-year legal battle following unsubstantiated accusations that it maintained links with the CIA.

A decision by Irans Revolutionary Court in December 2016 declared that the retreat was funded by the US through the CIA spy agency to infiltrate the Islamic world, and particularly Iran, by conducting evangelistic activities. But in addition to rejecting this finding, the Christian Times noted that there are not even clear links between the Iranian Christian institution and the West in general, given that the church had no formal affiliation with the Assembly of God denomination in the United States.

The report went on to say that the accusation of CIA connections gives the regime an opportunity to confiscate private property while also opening up church leaders to possible national security charges. The latter possibility is particularly alarming in light of the recent deaths in custody of political prisoners, including those who participated in the nationwide demonstrations of late December and January.

Some of these deaths, along with the death of Gonabadi dervish Mohammad Raji and Iranian-Canadian environmentalist Kavous Seyed-Emami, were the focus of an in-depth statement by Human Rights Watch on Tuesday, calling on the Islamic Republic to halt its persecution of families who stand to break the regimes censorship and expose some of its recent human rights abuses.

The HRW statement started by saying that at least five individuals have died under suspicious circumstances since December while in police custody. But the NCRI has tracked arrests and acts of repression since the outbreak of protests that month and has determined that at least 14 participants in the uprising have died under torture so far.

Whatever the number of victims, HRW detailed some of the efforts that regime authorities have put forth to conceal their own culpability for the deaths. These include withholding bodies that show signs of torture, detaining and interrogating the families of those victims, pressuring them to sign documents agreeing not to speak to the media, and using state media outlets to disseminate attacks on the character of the deceased, describing them as drug addicts and insisting that several of them committed suicide out of guilt over their supposed crimes.

The statement also called attention to the issue of property confiscation that was also highlighted in the case of the Assembly of God church. HRW reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps twice raided the home of Seyed-Emamis family, seized many of their belongings and threatened that they would be stripped of their assets if they pursued legal action.

Human Rights Watch also criticized the supposedly moderate government of Hassan Rouhani for merely paying lip service to concerns over these and other human rights violations. The Iranian president has appointed a committee to investigate certain recent accusations, but its members are not impartial and its proceedings are not transparent. The statement concludes that these half-measures are in keeping with a long-standing pattern of impunity in the country, which naturally contributes to concerns about similar repressive measures recurring in the context of new protests that might emerge around the time of Nowruz.

In the interest of addressing the recent abuses and preventing more of the same, the Human Rights Watch statement urged the Islamic Republic to accept the presence of United Nations human rights experts as observers and participants in an independent commission of inquiry.
Now, the suppressive agencies of the Iranian Regime, including the Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the police, the Judiciary, and Rouhanis agents, are threatening and intimidating the Iranian youth in order to stop them from participating in the Fire Festival and reigniting the uprising.

Mohammad Mohaddessin, chair of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote: They resort to chaffy and ridiculous sabre-rattling and announce discovery and capture of hundreds of millions of firecrackers and hundreds of tons of explosives while at the same time, they threaten the violators with arrest and punishment.

Of course, this is not a new thing from the Regime. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has even issued fatwas in the past stating that the Fire Festival is not religious and is somehow harmful. What is new is that the Regime is seeking to turn the ancient ceremony into something that promotes the Regime, as revealed on March 10, by Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, the Attorney General of the Mullahs regime.

On March 11 Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, even confessed that the IRGC is losing morale in its suppression of the Iranian people, which is causing an internal crisis in the Regime.

Thus, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have called on all the people of Iran to join the youths in using the Fire Festival as an uprising against the religious dictatorship and the criminal mullahs.

Two and a half months on from the start of the protests, the cries of the Iranian people can still be heard all across Iran, from workers in Isfahan to students in Tehran to marginalised groups in Khuzestan. Their voices will not be silenced until the Regime has fallen, no matter what the mullahs or their violent security forces do to suppress the protests.

The mullahs are well aware that the protests have not dissipated, with even Irans Interior Minister, Rahmani Fazli, acknowledging that one spark would be all it takes to reignite the wildfire of these protests and burn the Regime to the ground.

On March 11, Fazli said: The protests reached more than 100 cities in one or two nights and there were conflicts in 42 cities because the level of accumulated discontent had risen and became public and, wherever possible, it was expressed  in more in-depth reviews of the incidents, we reached the other factors that were the bedside of events, and unfortunately we are still facing those incidents.

All evidence suggests that this is the final stand on the Iranian Regime, with Maryam Rajavi the president-elect of the Iranian Resistance, stating that the situation in Iran will return to the status quo.

Thus, the protests must continue and those outside Iran must support the protesters. Only the people of Iran can bring down the Regime.
When you look at the Iran deal  I think its terrible, the president explained. I guess he thought it was okay. I wanted to either break it or do something. And he felt a little bit differently. So we were not really thinking the same.

Tillerson had been widely credited with convincing the president to recertify Irans compliance with the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, early in his presidency. Under the terms of congressional ratification of that agreement, the president is required to report on the status of the deal and its impact on national security every 90 days.

After granting certification twice, Trump finally refused to do so again at the time of the deadline last July. But he did not then take direct actions to cancel or undermine the JCPOA, presumably as a result of intervention from Tillerson and other members of his foreign policy team.

The White House as a whole has expressed concern over perceived deficiencies and mistakes in the agreement, which was concluded in July 2015 between Iran and six world powers headed by the Obama administration. But opinions have evidently varied regarding the tactics for addressing those deficiencies.

Other dissenting voices reportedly include Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford. On Tuesday, Reuters pointed to previous public comments from both these men, which credited Iran with upholding its basic obligations under the JCPOA and advocated for keeping the US in the agreement for the time being. The report also noted that General Joseph Votel, the head of the US militarys Central Command, warned against withdrawal on Tuesday, saying that if the JCPOA goes away then we will have to have another way to deal with their nuclear weapons program.

President Trump has correctly declared that he can utilize his authority to pull out of the agreement at any time, yet he has apparently deferred to the more pragmatic voices in his administration. However, those voices are presumably wielding less influence over time, and Tillersons firing is only one sign of this shift.

In January, Trump renewed the sanctions waivers that were put into place by a deal he had already decertified. This represented another instance of his passing the issue to Congress, which he had instructed to shore up the weaknesses in the deal. But Trump warned that this was the last time he would decline to revoke American participation in the JCPOA unless congressional actions succeeded in satisfying his demands. The sanctions will be due for another renewal in mid-May, and the president is not expected to grant that renewal in absence of an agreement that would effectively supplement the nuclear deal.

There are persistent doubts over whether Congress can secure such an agreement with European partners who are also signatories to the JCPOA. But the change in leadership at the head of the State Department may contribute to further escalation in pressure on these partners and on Congress regarding issues such as Irans ballistic missile program, sunset clauses in the nuclear deal, and access to Iranian military sites by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

CNBC greeted the news of Pompeos appointment with the declaration that it is probably bad news for Iran. The report explained that the current CIA director has expressed views on Iran that are much closer to Trumps hardline position, which included support in December and January for an uprising by Iranian citizens whom he described as fed up with [the] regimes corruption & its squandering of the nations wealth to fund terrorism abroad.

For his part, while serving as Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson outlined an Iran policy that included support for domestic movements that could facilitate the peaceful transition of the nations government. But his pending replacement has arguably employed far stronger rhetoric against the clerical regime, explicitly comparing it to the Islamic State militant group and calling it a thuggish police state in a speech last October.

Pompeo has also expressed commitment to curtailing global investment in the Islamic Republic while also attacking the nuclear agreement that made much of that investment possible. The Trump administrations well-known opposition to the JCPOA has already been credited with slowing the pace of such investment. Some of the presidents supporters have even urged him to withdraw licenses for the sale of commercial aircraft to Iranian carriers by the US-based manufacturer Boeing. Pompeos record suggests that he is more likely to support such extreme measures than other advisers.

Market Watch suggested on Tuesday that oil prices were already reacting to the news of the pending change at the head of the state department, with slight increases in the price of Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, among other petroleum commodities. This may reflect a rise in expectations of renewed US-led sanctions on Irans oil economy.

Since shortly after the implementation of the JCPOA in January 2016, Iranian officials have been complaining that these concerns had slowed the pace of Irans economic recovery. On their view, the US governments discouragement of foreign investment in Iran constituted a violation of the spirit of the nuclear deal. Those same officials have suggested that they would pull Iran out of the agreement if the situation did not change  an act that would effectively take the withdrawal decision out of the hands of the Trump White House.

In light of Pompeos clear threats against foreign investment in Iran, it is increasingly likely that Tehran will find itself in the position to either follow through on these longstanding threats or else admit to the regimes bluff.
Trump explained that he and Tillerson had disagreed on many topics, but the question of whether or not to stay in the Iran deal was one they hotly contended. When you look at the Iran deal. I thought it was terrible. He thought it was OK, Trump said. I wanted to either break it or do something, he felt a little differently. So we were not really thinking the same.

In two months, on May 12th, the US must have a decision regarding the fate of the Iran deal. It now appears likely that Trump has decided to drop out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). If that happens, the deal will be dead.

The JCPOA required Iran to surrender much of its nuclear infrastructure and allow international inspection in exchange for international sanctions relief. It was an agreement signed between Tehran and six world powers: Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States, who all still see it as a landmark victory in the battle to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

During his campaign for the US presidency, Trump called the accord the worst deal ever. However, Tillerson and Defense Secretary Mattis urged Trump to listen to his European allies and to preserve the deal intact, while seeking new measures to pressure Iran. Now that Tillerson is gone, Trump will likely blow up the entire accord.

This could have catastrophic consequences for US national security, according to Thomas Countryman, who was assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation from 2011 to 2017. Countryman says that Tillerson served as a Cabinet-level check on some of President Trumps worst impulses, such as wanting to break the Iran nuclear agreement, and adds that, Mr. Pompeo instead favors an aggressive Middle East policy that would undo the diplomatic progress we made on nonproliferation and potentially embroil us in a new conflict in that region.

Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation Foundation for Defense of Democracies tweeted, For those Europeans (and Americans) who think Trump is not serious about walking away on May 12th if theres no agreement to fix the Iran nuke deal, I give you Exhibit A: his soon-to-be Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Tillersons chief of strategy, Brian Hook, will be meet with British, French and German officials in Berlin on Thursday to discuss efforts to reform the deal. Expanding the agreement to include restrictions on Irans ballistic missile program, and ending the sunset clauses that allow Tehran to resume some enrichment within 10 years will be among topics of discussion.

While European leaders agree with these ideas, they are looking at a possible supplement arrangement that would leave the core deal intact. It may not be possible, though, to go far enough to please Trump and Pompeo.

It has been reported that Israeli officials say that Trump opposes Europes cosmetic changes and wants a significant rewriting of the Iran deal itself, which is expected to shatter the agreement.
Using the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp, the Fox News Investigative Unit interviewed two of the protest organizers from their home base in Iran.

We are like a wave  we come back even stronger, and the Iranian people want regime change, one said on Tuesday. There is no going back.

Iranians are being encouraged to demonstrate this week, and to make the protests even larger than those that took place two months ago. The organizers say they are confident the opposition could win this time around, and they think the regime may be realizing that, as well.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the largest political opposition group in the country was founded in 1981. Following the turn of the year protests that began spontaneously in the holy city of Mashhad and quickly spread to more than 140 cities, the NCRI and its constituent group, the Peoples Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), are more motivated than ever to see the end of the regime in Iran.

The NCRI connected Fox News with two activists based in Iran  a 27-year-old woman going by the name Mitra and a 30-year-old man, Kavea.

[These kinds of protests are] new in Iran, Kavea said. History is being made by young Iranians [but] I want to emphasize we see more types of people becoming involved. Former housewives, office workers. And for years the regime used to say the poor dont support the uprising, but now you can see the poor are in the streets.

Women are taking an increasingly major role in these protests, according to Mitra. We have more things to struggle for, she said. Our nation, our humanity our basic rights. She added that organizing, or even simply protesting as a woman comes with more of a risk.

On Tuesday, the ancient holiday known as the Festival of Fire, that Khameini publicly condemned, protesters seized the opportunity to show their distaste with the countrys leadership. The holiday falls on the last Tuesday before the Iranian New Year. Nowruz translates to new day. People celebrate by jumping over firecrackers or even open flames. Nowruz falls on March 21. With the huge protests, Mitra and Kavea believe that this year Nowruz will truly represent a new day for their nation.

US President Trump endorsed the protests earlier this year on Twitter.

The Internet, already restricted in Iran, may once again be cut off by the regime during protests. The protesters have asked the international community to pressure the regime for not only a free Internet, but freedom for their people. Any trade with this regime, or business with them, ends in the hands of [the Ayatollah], and it will be used to kill and suppress us, Mitra said.

Kavea added that these tactics of repression may no longer be effective. He said, The repression of the regime is a dead end. When you see these numbers of protesters, the message is clear Iran is a volcano, and it will erupt much sooner than you think.

I think Nowruz this year can be for us a victory, Mitra said. Nowruz means a new day. This year, we think we are getting close to a real Nowruz.
Targeted by the clerical regime, Chahrshanbeh Suri has long been repressed due to its symbolic significance, which acknowledges a broader Iranian cultural identity that is a threat to the fundamentalist Shiite Islam embraced by the regime.

Although Chahrshanbeh Suri and Nowruz are not political, opponents of the regime see the celebrations as symbolic of the hope for a new day in the political future of the country. Chahrshanbeh Suri celebrations include the act of jumping over small fires as a means of demonstrating purification in preparation for the New Year. Such acts may be viewed as representative of the nations purification by fire, via regime change.

The regime worries that Chahrshanbeh Suri gatherings may spark an uprising like the one that began spontaneously in the holy city of Mashhad last December and quickly spread to every major city in Iran. Those protests were unprecedented in their defiance of the regime, with chants of death to the dictator being shouted, and calls for regime change. As more people come to the streets, the social support they feel may allow them to openly demonstrate their deep disapproval of the government.

Experts on the Middle East speculate that the uprising in December and January never truly ended, but merely paused in the wake of the regimes repressive response. They predict that the political violence only redoubled the peoples outrage, and make another uprising all the more likely.

According to the democratic opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), some 50 people were killed in clashes with security forces during the recent demonstrations and at least 14 people were subsequently tortured to death while in police custody.

In the run-up to Chahrshanbeh Suri, the NCRIs main constituent group, the Peoples Mujahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), issued calls to action to demand justice for both old and new political killings.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has acknowledged the leading role that the PMOI had played in the turn of the year demonstrations, and the regime has made plans to prevent public gatherings in the week before the New Year celebration.

The intelligence network of the PMOI in Iran has uncovered the regimes plan to redeploy the old 1979-type Basij militia to every major municipality, including rural towns.

If the New Year celebration becomes another push to oust the regime and to establish a democratic governance in line with the NCRI President-elect, Maryam Rajavis ten-point plan, that calls for safeguards on religious freedom, the rights of ethnic minorities, gender equality, rule of law and all the basic principles of free expression that define a civilized, modern and open society, it would certainly be cause for a celebration in Iran. Chahrshanbeh Suri would then be seen as an embrace of Irans cultural past, as well as its political future.

Iranians see the celebration as a way to reclaim their true identity  suppressed during Irans modern history. The fire festival is a release from the restraints of fundamentalist Islam, if only for a moment.

The media and the international community should attempt to prevent Tehrans suppression of the new year gatherings, and facilitate communication among Irans activist communities, and assist the Iranian people as they embrace their true identity.
Vacancy code VA/2018/B0049/15216

Position title Administrative Assistant

Department/office SSC, BSSC, Bangkok Shared Service Centre

Duty station Bangkok, Thailand

Contract type Local ICA Support

Contract level LICA-3

Duration 1 Year, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability

Application period 14-Mar-2018 to 13-Apr-2018

Please apply directly through https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=15216

Background Information - UNOPS

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the worlds most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale.

Background information  Administrative Assistant

The UNOPS Bangkok Shared Service Centre (BSSC) is a Shared Services Centre (SSC) unit established for the purpose of providing internal, global, cost-effective transactional services which enhance the operational capacity of UNOPS and standardize systems and procedures. The BSSC, among other functions, carries out high-quality transactional services within the area of personnel contract administration, benefits & entitlements and payroll.

Under the guidance and supervision of the UNJSPF and Insurance Coordinator, the Administrative Assistant provides support within office and HR services, ensuring high quality of work, accurate, timely and properly recorded/documented service delivery. The work area is within general administration and HR data management within Payroll unit.

The Administrative Assistant promotes a client-oriented and consistent with rules and regulations approach in the Unit. He/She works in close collaboration with operations personnel in the field offices and with UNOPS HQ personnel including various service providers to exchange information and ensure consistent service delivery.

Functional Responsibilities

Implementation of operational strategies and procedures

Administrative support, System maintenance and reporting

Knowledge building and sharing

1. Ensures implementation of operational strategies and procedures, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Full compliance of insurance and absence processes and records with UNOPS rules, regulations, policies and strategies.

2. Provides administrative support, system maintenance and reporting, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Assistance in reporting preparation by extracting data from various automated UNOPS systems, such as various types of insurance data, personnel attendance records and etc.

Assistance in reviewing system operational problems and data discrepancies and raising an issue to the attention of supervisor

Assistance in filing insurance, absence management data from various sources. Tracking and monitoring of the status of actions

Maintenance of relevant records and files, e.g. insurance, pension form, absence information.

Requests for services completed efficiently and punctually, in accordance with procedures and with a client-oriented focus

Management of Absence mailbox using UNOPS tools and close collaboration with system support and headquarter colleagues to resolve issues

Preparation of routine correspondence in coordination with insurance service providers and internal clients

Supporting team for conducting full-cycle recruitment

Assistance to the team during peak workload or back-up as necessary, to ensure completion of work objectives, including administrative support

Performing other tasks as required

3. Ensures facilitation of knowledge building and knowledge sharing, focusing on achievement of the following results:

Participation in the trainings for the operations/ projects staff on administration

Contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice.

Competencies

UNOPS Core Values/Competencies

Integrity

Professionalism

Respect for Diversity

Creativity and innovation

Commitment to continuous learning

Planning and Organizing

Results orientation

Communications skills

Teamwork skills

Client orientation

Technological awareness

Functional Competencies

Knowledge Management and Learning

Shares knowledge and experience

Provides helpful feedback and advice to others in the office

Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills



Development and Operational Effectiveness

Ability to perform a variety of standard tasks and duties related to HR, screening, collecting and preparation of documentation, data input, transactions tracking, filing, provision of information

Ability to review data, identify and adjust discrepancies

Knowledge of UNOPS HR rules and procedures

Strong IT skills

Leadership and Self-Management

Ability to adhere to work assignments and meet designated deadlines.

Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback

Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude

Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure

Responds positively to critical feedback and different point of view

Education/Experience/Language requirements



Education : High school diploma required. Secondary Education with specialized certification in general administration and HR an asset. A BA or MA degree may substitute required years of work experience.



Experience : 3 years of experience in supporting a general office administration and human resource administration areas.



Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Office 2003 and/or newer versions) and experience in handling of web-based management systems.



Language Requirements : Fluency in written and oral English. Knowledge of second UN working language desirable.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type : Local Individual Contractor Agreement

Contract level : LICA 3

Contract duration : 1 year, renewable subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:

https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx

Additional Considerations

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET).

Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.

Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.

Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Dont click apply now on job.bangkokpost.com
CJ Parajuli should not be impeached: NC leader Poudel

Nepali Congress (NC) senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel has said that an impeachment motion should not be registered against the Supreme Court Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli.
His extradition to the Republic of Moldova is under consideration.

Kyiv region's police have detained a 39-year-old Russian citizen who is internationally wanted.

Read alsoMan stabbed in Kyiv city center (Photo)

"The man did not have documents for the right to reside in Ukraine and, as it turned out, was on the international wanted list for an attempt on the life of a law enforcement officer in the Republic of Moldova and robbery in Russia," according to the police communications department in Kyiv region.

The foreigner was detained under Article 208 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine. He is in a local detention center now. His extradition to the Republic of Moldova is under consideration.
On a recent program, we told you about some English words borrowed from African languages. Today, we will tell you about words English has borrowed from the Arab world.

Arabic words entered the English language through a number of ways.

In the early 8th century, Arab fighters invaded and took control of the Iberian Peninsula, or what is modern day Spain and Portugal. These forces were known as the Moors. During their occupation, their language spread throughout the area, and entered Latin, the language spoken by the locals.

Over the next several centuries, Christian-led forces took control of the Iberian Peninsula. However, by this time, the language spoken there had been forever influenced by the Arabic language.

Many of these words have survived. As Latin began to influence English, some of the Arabic words were passed on. To this day, many words commonly used in English have Arabic roots.

Algebra

Algebra is a widely used system in mathematics. It uses symbols, instead of numbers, to solve problems. Algebra is also one of the oldest forms of mathematics. Some of the earliest notes with algebraic formulas were found in Egypt and what is now Iraq.

The word algebra itself comes from the Arabic word al jebr, which means a reunion of broken parts. This term was first used by a Baghdad mathematician, Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi. He used it in the name of his book Kitab al-jabr wal-Muqabala, which means Rule of Reintegration and Reduction.

The word algebra entered the English language sometime in the 15th century. Word historians believe it probably came from Arab medical workers in Spain. At first, the English word meant bone-setting, likely from a medical process of setting broken bones.

Alcohol

The English word alcohol comes from the Arabic word al kohl. Al is the definite article in Arabic, acting much like the word the in English. The original meaning of kohl was a powder, or fine particles, that was added as makeup around the eyes.

It is not clear how this word came to mean a drink. But a common belief is that this happened after the word alcohol entered the English language. The term was once used for the powder produced from sublimation of natural minerals. The meaning was later changed to refer to when substances were purified to create ethanol, a kind of alcohol that can be drunk.

Alcohol is now the most common English word for the colorless, but often powerful liquid in some drinks.

Coffee

There are several stories about how coffee, another drink, was discovered. The most famous is that coffee beans were discovered in the Oromo area of Ethiopia. However, another country, Yemen, was the first to export the drink widely. The Arabic language is widely spoken in Yemen. The Arabic word for coffee was qahwah, which originally meant wine.

Long ago, traders sold coffee beans throughout the Middle East, and later to Turkey, where it was called kahveh. Coffee eventually came to Europe, arriving in Italy, where it was called caffe. By 1650, the drink had arrived in England. By then, the name had changed to the sound it has today, coffee.

Lemon

Some food names also have Arabic roots, such as a common fruit: the lemon. Like many Arabic words in English, the word became part of Latin and other romance languages before finally entering English.

There are several stories about the origins of lemons. Some experts say they came from India, while others have said it was closer to China. Some records show that Arab traders eventually brought lemons from India to the Middle East. In Arabic, they were called laimun.

The fruit later found its way to Spain, and then spread across Europe. The word entered the French language, and was called limon.

Yet the meaning has always been the same: a pale yellow citrus fruit.

In modern use, the English word lemon sometimes suggests difficulty. The word is often used in the expression: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. This means that you should always be hopeful and move forward, even during difficult times.

Numbers

Many people do not realize it, but the Arabic language influenced the numbering system used in most English-speaking countries. It is called the Arabic Numeral System, or the Hindu-Arabic Numeral System.

There are several stories about where the numbers started. But most say the numeral system was first developed in India in the 6th or 7th century. There is evidence that the earliest form of some numbers may have come from Persia. They were later brought into the Arabic language through Baghdad. The final form of the numbers is likely a combination of symbols originating from Hindu and Arabic. 

Many experts say it was the mathematician Al-Khwarizmi who was responsible for spreading the Hindu-Arabic numeral system throughout the Middle East, and later to Europe.

Gerbert of Aurillac has been credited with bringing Arabic numerals to Europe after he visited the Iberian Peninsula while under Moorish rule. He later became head of the Roman Catholic Church and was known as Pope Sylvester II.

By the 15th century, the Hindu-Arabic numeral system replaced the Roman numeral system that had been used in Europe.

Im Phil Dierking. And I'm Alice Bryant.

This story was written by Phil Dierking for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Can you think of any other English words that originated from Arabic? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Quiz

Now, test your understanding by taking this short quiz.

Quiz - English Words Borrowed from Arabic Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

bean - n. a seed that is eaten as a vegetable and that comes from any one of many different kinds of climbing plants

citrus - n. a juicy fruit (such as an orange, grapefruit, or lemon) that has a thick skin and that comes from a tree or shrub that grows in warm area

definite article - n. the word the used in English to refer to a person or thing that is identified or specified

ethanol - n. a colorless volatile flammable liquid which is produced by the natural fermentation of sugars; alcohol.

formula - n. a general fact or rule expressed in letters and symbols

original - adj. happening or existing first or at the beginning

pale - adj. light in color

sublimation - n. When anything solid turns into a gas without first becoming liquid

symbol - n. an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality  often + of
Stephen Hawking, the most famous physicist of his time, has died at the age of 76.

A family spokesman said Hawking, who was British, died peacefully early Wednesday at his home in Cambridge, England.

Hawking was a theoretical physicist. He was known worldwide for working to explain subjects like the beginnings of the universe and the complexities of black holes.

He was diagnosed with a disease called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, at age 21. At the time, doctors predicted he would only live a few years. But he proved them wrong by surviving for more than 50 years more and continuing his scientific work.

The disease eventually put him in a wheelchair and took away his ability to speak. For many years, Hawking communicated by using a voice synthesizer.

In his 2013 book, My Brief History, Hawking wrote about first learning of the illness: I felt it was very unfair - why should this happen to me? He added: At the time, I thought my life was over and that I would never realize the potential I felt I had. But now, 50 years later, I can be quietly satisfied with my life, he wrote.

Hawking was one of Sir Isaac Newtons successors as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University. In this role, he was involved in the search for one of the great goals of physics  to find a unified theory.

He studied Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, which describes the movement of large objects. He sought to connect that theory with the Theory of Quantum Mechanics, which deals with subatomic particles.

"My goal is simple, Hawking once said. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

His 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" became an international bestseller and brought him widespread fame.

Hawking was also recognized for his successful research on black holes. He was able to prove that small amounts of radiation could escape black hole gravitational pull. His work led the discovery to become known as Hawking radiation.

A sign of his great popularity came in October 2017, when Cambridge put Hawking's 1966 thesis on the internet for the first time. Demand for the thesis was so high that it caused the university's website to go down.

Hawking said belief in a God who intervenes in the universe to make sure the good guys win or get rewarded in the next life was wishful thinking. But one cant help asking the question: Why does the universe exist? he said in 1991. I dont know an operational way to give the question or the answer, if there is one, a meaning. But it bothers me.

Hawking was a big supporter of human space travel to the Moon and Mars. He said such missions would help unite humanity in a shared purpose of spreading the human race beyond Earth.

"We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave the Earth," he said last year.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters. Mario Ritter was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

synthesizer  n. electronic machine that produces and controls sound and can be used for reproducing speech

potential  n. the unrealized possibility of doing something or reaching some goal

particles  n. very small pieces of something

radiation  n. type of dangerous and powerful energy produced by radioactive substances

thesis  n. a long piece of writing completed as part of an advanced university course

bother  v. cause (someone) to feel troubled, worried, or concerned

convinced  adj. completely sure about something


President Donald Trump has nominated Gina Haspel to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

After dismissing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Trump nominated CIA chief Mike Pompeo to take the position of the nations top diplomat. Haspel is currently serving as the Deputy Director of the CIA. Both nominations must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Haspel would be the first woman to lead the spy agency in its history. However, the 61-year-old career officer is expected to face difficult questions before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Questions will likely include ones aimed at accusations that the agency used torture to get information from terror suspects in the early 2000s.

Between 2003 and 2005, Haspel supervised a secret CIA prison in Thailand. The prison held terrorism suspects including Abu Zubaydah and Abd al Rahim al-Nashri. Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that a method called waterboarding was used on them. The method makes suspects feel like they are drowning. The method was used under the administration of then president George W. Bush.

Reports say Haspel helped carry out an order to destroy videos of waterboarding. The Justice Department investigated the order but it ended without anyone being charged with a crime.

Arizona Senator John McCain has often spoken against torture. He said Haspel must explain her part in the CIAs interrogation program.

McCain said, Current U.S. law is clear in banning enhanced interrogation techniques. He went on to say that any nominee for the position of director of the CIA must promise without reservation to observe that ban.

President Trump has in the past voiced approval of enhanced interrogation methods including waterboarding.

Former CIA Director John Brennan has not said what part Haspel played in the interrogation program.

However, Brennan said Haspel had a lot of integrity and had carried out her duties when asked to do difficult things in challenging times. The former director said he expects lawmakers to fully question her but said he believes she will be confirmed.

Gina is a very competent professional who I think deserves the chance to take the seat, he said.

Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina is chairman of the Senate committee holding the hearing. He said Haspel has the right skill set, experience and judgment to lead the CIA.

Human rights activists have voiced opposition to the nomination.

Raha Wala is with the group Human Rights First. He said, No one who had a hand in torturing individuals deserves to ever hold public office again, let alone lead an agency.

Haspel faced some scrutiny from rights groups in the past after she was named deputy CIA director. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, based in Berlin, called on German government lawyers to issue an arrest warrant for her. German federal officials did not act on the request because the case lacked a connection to Germany.

Last year, lawyers for three men in a civil legal case in Spokane, Washington wanted to speak with Haspel and other CIA officials. The men who brought the case said they had been tortured under the CIA program. However, a federal judge told the lawyers that the documents related to the program and the officials are protected.

Reports say that in April 2009 the administration of President Barack Obama gave U.S. officials involved in the interrogation program protection from legal action.

Haspel has spent her career working for government intelligence agencies in foreign posts and in Washington. Currently, she works with the director to oversee intelligence collection, analysis, cooperation with foreign intelligence groups and other activities.

Im Mario Ritter.

Mario Ritter adapted this Associated Press story for VOA Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

interrogation n. questioning someone sometimes harshly

enhanced adj. increased in intensity, improved

reservation n. expressing doubts, not fully convinced

competent adj. having the necessary skills and abilities

warrant n. a legal document from a court permitting police to do something

analysis n. the careful, methodical study of something not easy to understand

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.


President Donald Trump has inspected several proposed models for a border wall to separate the United States and Mexico.

Trump went to the border site Tuesday, just after landing in San Diego. It is his first visit as president to the state of California.

The president spoke to reporters and others gathered at the site. He said a new wall would help stop ''99 percent'' of illegal immigration or, in his words, ''maybe more than that.''

There are eight border wall designs. Trump said he favored a fully concrete wall because it was the hardest to climb. However, he also noted part of the wall should be transparent.

Trump said he noticed the repaired holes in some parts of the existing fence at the border. He described the existing wall as lousy but noted it stopped as much as 95 percent of attempted illegal entry.

Activists for and against the presidents plan demonstrated near the site. The Trump administration is currently battling with California about its refusal to help federal agents detain undocumented immigrants in the United States.

The president said Tuesday that the state's sanctuary policies ''put the entire nation at risk.'' Last week, the U.S. Justice Department took legal action against California over three state immigration laws.

Trump said the laws were the best friend of the criminal. ''The criminals take refuge in these sanctuary cities and it's very dangerous for our police and enforcement folks,'' he said.

While in California, Trump is also expected to speak to Marines in San Diego. He will also attend a fundraiser in Los Angeles, where he will stay overnight.

Demonstrations were held at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, the nation's busiest border crossing, where protesters chanted, ''No ban! No wall!'' Protests were also held on the Mexican side, in Tijuana.

At San Ysidro, 21-year-old Jose Gonzalez expressed his displeasure with Trumps policy.

''I don't think it's really fair how he has the choice to separate us,'' he said. Gonzalez holds Mexican and U.S. citizenship. He crosses the border from Mexico daily to work at a San Diego restaurant.

However, 48-year-old Army veteran Mark Prieto criticized the protesters.

''People are so narrow-minded,'' the Riverside firefighter said as the crowd chanted. ''Finally we have someone who is putting America first.''

His wife, Corina Prieto, a nurse who has extended family in Mexico, agreed. Both voted for Trump.

''I think he is doing a lot of good, like protecting our Border Patrol,'' she said.

Im Caty Weaver.

Caty Weaver adapted the story for Learning English based on AP news reports. Hai Do was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

concrete  n. a hard, strong material used for building and made by mixing cement, sand, and rocks with water

transparent - adj. able to see through

sanctuary - n. a place where someone is protected or given shelter

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.
2 hours ago

Investors, Have You Used the Rule of 72? If Not, Here's Why You're Missing Out

You could live to 120 and not know everything you could possibly know about investing. However, it's also important to have a firm grasp on the basics. One of the most basic concepts of personal finance involves the rule of 72.

Read Article
Wall Street analysts have given iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF a "N/A" rating, but there may be better buying opportunities in the stock market. Some of MarketBeat's past winning trading ideas have resulted in 5-15% weekly gains. MarketBeat just released five new stock ideas, but iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF wasn't one of them. MarketBeat thinks these five companies may be even better buys.

View MarketBeat's top stock picks here.
Royal Dutch Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company worldwide. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Oil Products, Chemicals segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure necessary to deliver gas to market. The company also markets and trades natural gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), crude oil, electricity, carbon-emission rights; and markets and sells LNG as a fuel for heavy-duty vehicles and marine vessels. In addition, it trades in and refines crude oil and other feed stocks, such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, aviation fuel, marine fuel, biofuel, lubricants, bitumen, and sulphur; produces and sells petrochemicals for industrial use; and manages oil sands activities. Further, the company produces base chemicals comprising ethylene, propylene, and aromatics, as well as intermediate chemicals, such as styrene monomer, propylene oxide, solvents, detergent alcohols, ethylene oxide, and ethylene glycol. Royal Dutch Shell plc was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands.

Read More
Controversy surrounding judiciary a sad affair: PM Oli

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the controversy regarding the birth date and educational certificates of a person who is at a responsible position in the judiciary was a sad affair.
CONSOL Coal Resources LP produces and sells high- British thermal unit (Btu) coal in the Northern Appalachian Basin and the eastern United States. It owns a 25% undivided interest in the Pennsylvania mining complex, which consists of three underground mines and related infrastructure that produce high-Btu thermal coal located primarily in southwestern Pennsylvania. The company markets its thermal coal principally to electric utilities. CONSOL Coal Resources GP LLC operates as a general partner of the company. The company was formerly known as CNX Coal Resources LP and changed its name to CONSOL Coal Resources LP in November 2017. CONSOL Coal Resources LP was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

Read More
Ormat Technologies, Inc. operates as a holding company. The firm engages in the provision of geothermal and recovered energy power business. It operates through the following segments: Electricity, Product and Energy Storage. The Electricity segment focuses in the sale of electricity from the company's power plants pursuant to PPAs. The Product segment involves in the manufacture, including design and development, of turbines and power units for the supply of electrical energy and in the associated construction of power plants utilizing the power units manufactured by the company to supply energy from geothermal fields and other alternative energy sources. The Energy Storage segment consists of battery energy storage systems as a service and management of curtailable customer loads under contracts with U.S. retail energy providers and directly with large commercial and industrial customers. The company was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Reno, NV.

Read More
Fate denies patients neurosurgeon as Dr Thapa dies in plane crash

Pitambar Sapkota, a patient admitted to Alive Hospital and Trauma Centre in Bharatpur, Chitwan, was waiting for senior neurosurgeon Dr Bal Krishna Thapa for a surgery when the US-Bangla plane crashed at Tribhuvan International Airport on Monday afternoon.
Angola is the African country that has received most Chinese funding for the construction of energy infrastructure since the year 2000, according to a recent study from Boston University, in the United States.

The Boston University Global Development Policy Center study reports that over the past 18 years, China has provided funding of about USD34.8 billion for energy infrastructure in African countries, of which $8.9 billion to Angola, well above Nigeria ($6.6 billion).

Zambia, Uganda and South Africa received Chinese loans of more than $2 billion over the same period, Sudan $1.6 billion and the remaining African countries $11 billion.

In supporting infrastructure reconstruction in Angola, China has focused on financing the construction of dams, namely the Caculo Cabaca dam.

The new dam, whose first stone was laid in August 2017 by former President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, will be the largest power plant in the country, and the construction project received funding of $4.5 billion granted by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.

Angolas energy and water minister, Joao Baptista Borges, said construction of the new Caculo Cabaca dam in the Kwanza basin will enable it to reach the goal of 9,000 megawatts of installed capacity across the country by 2025 as well as exporting electricity to neighbouring countries.

The Boston University study showed that the proportion of Chinese funding for energy infrastructure in Africa has been increasing relative to other regions and that last year this continent received the most from these capital flows ($6.8 billion), above Southeast Asia ($5.8 billion).

Data from the study includes figures from the China Development Bank and the Export and Import Bank of China.

Traditional multilateral development banks have not been proactive in major energy projects, and China is more than willing to fill that void, said Kevin Gallagher, professor of global development policy at Boston University.

The same expert warned that Africas demographic explosion, which is expected to bring the continents population to more than 1.3 billion people by 2050, leads to a projection of an increase in demand for energy production and transmission in the coming decades.

The latest report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on Angola said that relations with China will be given high priority by the Angolan authorities, as reflected in the recent agreement on entry visas between the two countries.

The opening of a branch of the Bank of China in mid-2017 should make Angola a more attractive destination for small and medium-sized Chinese companies, the EIU said.

The government will also continue to seek loans from China to enable it to continue capital spending program to build highways and power plants, despite greater attention from Chinese entities on the risk of projects with dubious repayment capacity, said the EIU. MDT/Macauhub
Chan Meng Kam, a member of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and a former Macau lawmaker, has suggested his compatriots in the SARs should contribute to the mainlands task of alleviating poverty in China.

According to a report by Macao Daily News, Chan suggested the SARs media sources should focus on places in the mainland where deep poverty exists, to allow Macau citizens to understand the reality behind poverty in the mainland, as well as to enhance their understanding of the country.

Chan said that Macau residents could first be arranged to provide their help in the mainland areas predominantly populated by ethnic minorities where deep poverty exists, such as Xinjiang and Tibet.

Besides donating money or goods and improving the education environment and living conditions of these areas, Chan believes that a key aspect for alleviating poverty will be helping these regions to develop their own specific cultural industries, to increase their income.

Chan also suggested that Macaus role as a platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries can also be used to lift areas out of poverty.

According to Chan, Macau can help target regions of the mainland to organize exhibitions in Macau featuring goods made locally in the poverty stricken areas. It can also help regions to enhance communication with other areas of the world through Macau, in particular by helping them to sell their goods to Europe and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Lawmakers bring proposals to Beijing



MACAU MEMBERS of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference proposed new measures for film projects and environmental pollution during their recent trip to Beijing. Si Ka Lon proposed that China support Macau in the SARs efforts to present itself as a foundation for Chinese- and Portuguese-speaking countries post-production of film projects. He further suggested that China offer tax relief for Macau films, as well as support the post-production of mainland projects in Macau. Ho Ion Sang suggested that China improve the environmental pollution in Beijing and neighboring regions by reducing coal usage, in addition to using more renewable energy-powered vehicles in public transportation and in the governments fleet.
Hawaii officials have repeatedly pointed to a low-level state employee and a breakdown in his agencys leadership as the main cause for a January missile alert that left hundreds of thousands of islanders thinking they might die in a nuclear blast. But efforts to find out more about what other top officials did that day have been stymied at the highest levels of state government.

Hawaii law says opening the government to public scrutiny is the only viable and reasonable method of protecting the publics interest.

But for nearly two months, Gov. David Iges office has refused to provide information requested by The Associated Press that could show how he and other officials handled the crisis.

Citing open records law exemptions, Iges office has declined to release phone logs, text messages, instant messages and calendars related to the missile alert, even as the state moves forward with recommendations to implement a new missile alert system.

His office says it does not keep those documents.

We are not aware of any state agency that maintains the governors office cell/office phone records, instant messages or text messages, Iges Senior Special Assistant Donna Fujimoto-Saka said in an email.

She said Iges office receives bills from the phone company, but these bills do not contain any record of incoming or outgoing calls.

R. Brian Black, executive director of the Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest in Honolulu, says the governors office is not being consistent with the spirit of Hawaiis open records law.

There is ultimately a fear amongst many public officials of revealing any information, and so if they have the authority anywhere to withhold it, they will, he said.

The law center, which advocates for open government in Hawaii, had hoped Iges administration would set a top-down approach to promoting transparency, Black said.

They have done things in that regard, but this is not a great example, he said.

The AP sent a similar request for emails, phone logs and text messages to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the department that sent the alert, on Feb. 5. It has not yet received any documents from the agency.

Hawaii isnt alone in its handling of records for cellphones, text messages and other modern forms of communication.

Accessing such documents is a problem across all levels of government in the United States, in part because many agencies lack policies and practices for storing, archiving and searching them, said Adam Marshall, Knight Foundation litigation attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press based in Washington.

That can be really problematic, especially when they show what the government officials are doing in their official capacity, Marshall said.

Iges office has agreed to release some documents requested by the AP, primarily emails that are subject to redaction, but has levied hefty fees to process them. An initial estimate of nearly USD4,500 was given to fill a request for emails to and from the governors staff on the day of the alert. A narrowed request for four senior staff members emails was met with a roughly $1,500 fee.

The federal law for access to government documents allows fee waivers for journalists seeking information that has public interest. States also grant waivers but can charge for things like the amount of time spent searching, sorting and redacting information, leading to a patchwork of fees nationwide.

In Hawaiis case, the states $60 waiver is often outweighed by its fees, especially for emails, Black said.

The federal FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) is pretty good when it comes to fees and fee waivers, Marshall said. But at the state level, it is certainly the case that prohibitively high fees discourage and in some cases entirely inhibit the production of public records to members of the news media.

Drawn-out negotiations for documents and slow responses from agencies also can diminish the informations value.

Among the criticisms of Hawaiis handling of the missile alert was the time it took to inform people there was no actual threat. Residents and visitors waited about 40 minutes before official messages from state agencies were sent to all points that received the initial warning.

If North Korea launched a nuclear-tipped ballistic missile, officials say it would take as little as 12 minutes to reach Hawaii after an alert goes out. The first word of the Jan. 13 mistake  a social media post from Hawaiis Emergency Management Agency  came about the same time as a real missile would have hit the islands.

The governor did not address the public until his communications team retweeted the emergency agencys social media cancellation several minutes later. Ige said he did not have the passwords to his social media accounts and has chosen not to use the platforms to communicate directly with the public.

State lawmakers first opportunity to ask Ige about his role in the mistake was Jan. 19, when he appeared at a hearing. The governor answered some questions then left early.

At the time, Ige spokeswoman Cindy McMillian said only that the governor had other duties to attend to.

Responding to an AP request for Iges calendar and phone records from that day, his office wrote: The governors personal calendar will be withheld because it is not maintained as a government record.

The office pointed to Iges public calendar , which had no official business listed on the day of the hearing.

After a request for all documents showing the governors official business that day, Iges office last week emailed the AP two proclamations he signed Jan. 19: one declaring March 9 Spread the Word to End the Word Day, referring to a slur for mental disability; and another naming March 21 SBDC Day, after the Hawaii Small Business Development Center. It did not respond to follow-up questions.

Upon Iges departure from the hearing, some lawmakers openly criticized him and asked him to stay.

This is a national tragedy, and youre leaving in 45, 50 minutes, Rep. Gene Ward said as Ige walked out. Hes the one where the buck stops, Mr. Chairman. Caleb Jones, Honolulu, AP
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with South Koreas intelligence chief yesterday, and said that while he welcomes any dialogue with North Korea regarding the countrys denuclearization, the North must take real steps toward that goal.

I believe it is extremely important that North Korea takes concrete actions to achieve what it has said, Abe said at the beginning of talks with South Korean intelligence chief Suh Hoon.

President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in is set to meet Kim in late April.

Suh was in Tokyo to brief Japanese officials on developments. He was part of a South Korean delegation that met Kim in Pyongyang last week. Another senior member of the delegation has briefed Chinese officials in Beijing.

I think it was very meaningful that Workers Party of Korea Chairman Kim Jong Un expressed his intentions toward denuclearization in his own words, Suh said. He said he hoped to convey Moons message that cooperation between the two countries is crucial to push forward a move toward peace on the Korean Peninsula.

On Monday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, after meeting with Suh, credited recent changes in North Koreas position to increased pressure by the international community, and said the pressure must continue until the North fulfills its promises with concrete actions.

In Beijing, South Koreas national security director, Chung Eui-yong, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and praised his role in contributing to the recent positive changes on the Korean Peninsula. Xi told Chung the peninsula was facing an important opportunity of mitigation and dialogue, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

North Koreas foreign trade, more than 90 percent of which passes through China, has taken a hit since Beijing agreed to increasingly harsh U.N. Security Council resolutions aimed at pressuring the North into ceasing its nuclear and missile tests and rejoining denuclearization talks. AP

Summit raises hope Kim will release three us detainees

Hopes for the release of three American citizens imprisoned in North Korea got a big boost by the news of a possible summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Freeing the prisoners would be relatively low-hanging fruit and a sign of goodwill by Kim. It would also mark something of a personal success for Trump, who has highlighted the issue since last June, when University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier died days after North Korea turned him over to American authorities. Trump banned Americans from traveling to the North in response and featured Warmbiers father prominently in his State of the Union speech in January. All three Americans now doing time in the North are men, and all three are ethnic Koreans.
Govt cuts off power to stone, sand factories

The government has cut off power to 29 stone crushing factories and 62 sand washing plants located along the Prithvi Highway in Dhading for evading taxes and causing pollution in the Trishuli River.
Portuguese journalist and author Ana Margarida de Carvalho gave a talk yesterday afternoon at the Macao Polytechnic Institute (IPM) titled From Journalism to Literature.

Carvalho was in town for the seventh edition of The Script Road  Macau Literary Festival.

Speaking to an audience almost exclusively composed of students enrolled in Portuguese language courses, the award-winning author addressed the impact of her 25-year journalism career on her current occupation.

Journalism gave me [an opportunity] to get in touch with many things, sometimes with quite horrible things and tragedies but also gave me a chance to meet and talk with very special people, Carvalho said.

We are influenced by all events and situations that happen throughout our lives. We are more of the past than of the present, we are layered human beings full of sediments and marks, she said, adding that events of the past pave the road ahead for people.

When asked about her definition of a good writer or what a person must possess to achieve that status, the author said, There are many ways to define a good writer, but one of them is the [possession] of a permanent curiosity about all things. That is, to look [into something] and never consider that [fact or thing] as ordinary [and] manage to keep the amazement effect when facing the triviality; [the] look of a child that gets amazed with the things they experience for the first time.

She added that the good thing about being a writer is to be able to [convey] that first-time feeling, I think this is very important and reminded her audience that books are capable of transporting people through time and space.

On the topic of her departure from journalism to focus on fiction, Carvalho said, I was [making] a great effort and leaving behind a lot of things that I shouldnt have left and [due to journalism] I had to skip many things that were important in my life. Then [I realized] that in fact what was requested from me was too little and that I had mental space to do other things. So when that opportunity appeared, I immediately accepted it.

She added that she did not have any book planned or partially written while she was doing journalistic work, as that was impossible: I was always too busy even to think about it.

Regarding her visit to Macau, the author said she was moved to realize that [in another] corner of the world there are people interested in learning Portuguese [who are making] a great effort to study a language that is so different from their own.

She said she was pleased to know that these students are interested in a kind of literature that is on the opposite end of what they are used to.

Carvalho has received several prestigious awards from Portuguese literature and journalism associations. Her first novel Que Importa a Furia do Mar (what the fury of the sea matters) was published in 2013 and awarded the Grand Prize for Novels from the Portuguese Writers Association .
Four men are facing charges in New South Wales, Australia, in relation to the alleged export of nine greyhounds to China and Macau without a greyhound passport and certified pedigree issued by Greyhounds Australasia, as announced in a statement by Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW).

Paul Wheeler, Danny Li, Wei Shan and Yiwen Xi have been charged with conduct detrimental or prejudicial to the interest, welfare, image, control and promotion of greyhound racing.

Wheeler is considered one of Australias leading greyhound owners and breeders.

Investigations into the case began in 2016, but formal accusations are only being made now, with the first court hearing scheduled for the end of this month.

According to the same statement, the four suspects are also facing additional charges relating to the alleged failure to notify GRNSW of exports under the GRNSW Racing Rules.

The greyhound racing authority added that in the cases of Li, Wei and Yiwen, each face additional charges relating to their alleged failure to attend or produce documents to the Inquiry, as directed.

The GRNSW said it would not make any further comments on the charges until a decision has been made.

Last October, the GRNSW announced the disqualification of another three greyhound racing participants following a similar investigation.

The case is likely to fuel the cause of local animal protection organization Anima, which has been battling greyhound-related issues in Macau for several years. The latest of these concerns is the fate of the 600-odd greyhounds that Anima claims are still living at Macaus Canidrome facility.

The Canidrome may close as soon as this summer, but animal activists are still worried about the dogs fate, as the company that manages the facility has not been forthcoming.
Chinas move to scrap term limits and allow Xi Jinping to serve as president indefinitely puts him on track to deal with some of the countrys weightiest long-term sovereignty challenges, especially the fates of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The question is, will Xi bet big on bold moves that could result in potentially disastrous consequences?

Hong Kong offers a delicate initial test. Since passing from British to Chinese rule in 1997, the financial hub has operated as a special administrative region, retaining its own legal and economic system and enjoying a considerable degree of autonomy from Beijing.

That arrangement was supposed to last 50 years, until 2047, but calls for political reform in the city and what many see as Beijing tightening its controls and encroaching on freedoms there have created rising tensions.

Earlier this month, a member of the all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee delivered a stern warning to Hong Kong delegates to Chinas rubber-stamp parliament over the central governments limits of tolerance.

Using the high degree of autonomy to reject, fight and erode the central governments comprehensive jurisdiction is absolutely not allowed, Zhao Leji told members of the National Peoples Congress, which passed a constitutional amendment Sunday abolishing presidential term limits, opening the door for Xi to rule for as long as he wants.

Hong Kong activists had already been set on edge by the disqualification of pro-democracy lawmakers from the citys Legislative Council and the apparent abduction by Chinese security forces of several men who published salacious tomes about Chinas leadership.

Still, Hong Kong remains one of the worlds freest economies and a window to the outside for the Chinese financial system, which operates under much tighter restrictions. The cosmopolitan city of 6 million, with its vibrant tourism, arts and education sectors, also remains a beacon to many aspiring Chinese.

I dont think bold action is necessary with respect to Hong Kong, said Michael Mazza of the American Enterprise Institute think tank in Washington, D.C.

Xi is already well along in the process of turning [Hong Kong] into just another Chinese city, he said.

Self-governing Taiwan, however, is quite a different story, posing a direct challenge to the Communist Partys claim as the representative of all Chinese and guardian of Chinese sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.

Since splitting from the mainland amid civil war in 1949, the former Japanese colony has evolved into a wealthy, vibrant democracy whose 23 million people take an increasingly dim view of any form of political integration with Beijing.

By casting himself as a leader of historic standing, Xi has assumed the mantle of unifier and may regard failure in this regard as a stain on his reputation. In his most direct comments on the issue, he told a Taiwanese envoy in 2013 that a final resolution was required, and that what he regards as the sacred mission of unification cannot be passed on from generation to generation.

Action on Taiwan is certainly possible. Unification is a key aspect of Xi Jinpings goal of national rejuvenation, necessary for achieving the China Dream, Mazza said, referencing two of Xis chief goals.

Xi may conclude that peaceful unification is not in the cards any time soon, leaving him to rely on coercion or outright force to achieve his goals, he said.

Already, China over the past two years has been ratcheting up political, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwans independence-leaning president, Tsai Ing-wen.

A military attack, however, could quickly draw in the U.S., which is legally bound to respond to threats against the island.

Yet the risks of an attack on Taiwan remain prohibitively high, to the point of threatening regime stability in China, due in no small part to its embrace by the U.S. and Japan, said Miles Yu Maochun, a China politics expert at the U.S. Naval Academy. Hong Kong, meanwhile, remains too valuable to Beijing in its present form to risk upsetting, he said.

Xi views Taiwan and Hong Kong as equally important to cementing his authority, said analyst Teng Biao, a visiting scholar at New York Universitys U.S.-Asia Law Institute.

When he has strengthened his own power, he will show zero tolerance for Taiwan and Hong Kong independence, and even more threaten the use of force, Teng said.

While it is broadly assumed that an increasingly dictatorial Xi will also grow more aggressive on the world stage, its unclear how that will manifest itself. China says it is committed to seizing a group of uninhabited flyspeck islands in the East China Sea from Japan, but is also aware that such action would trigger the U.S.-Japan security alliance.

And despite President Donald Trumps America first policy and his withdrawal of the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Washington and its armed forces show no sign of giving up the West Pacific to China.

While Xis position appears unassailable, domestic political risks remain that may prompt him to take an even harder line at home and abroad, said Teng, who was detained by Xis regime while working as a human rights lawyer.

When the Communist Party faces political, economic and ideological challenges, and given the fact that the party firmly refuses a democratization, the only way seems to become more dictatorial and oppressive, Teng said. Christopher Bodeen, Beijing, AP
President Donald Trump ousted Rex Tillerson as secretary of state yesterday, making a surprise Twitter announcement that hes naming CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace him.

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State, Trump tweeted. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!

A White House official said Trump wanted to have a new team in place ahead of upcoming talks with North Korea and various trade talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly.

There had been longstanding rumors throughout most of Tillersons tenure of friction between Trump and his secretary of state, a former Exxon Mobile Corp. CEO.

In October, NBC news reported that Tillerson called the president a moron, something Tillerson never actually denied. Tillerson continued to insist his relationship with the president was solid and brushed off rumors of strain between them.

Tillerson was slated to retire from Exxon in March 2017 at age 65 under the companys mandatory retirement policy.

Paid USD27.3 million last year, Tillerson has accumulated roughly $160 million in Exxon stock along with $149 million of unvested stock options, according a proxy statement the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Tillerson had just returned from a shortened trip to Africa hours before Trumps announcement. Trump offered no explanation for the change.

While on board, the Secretary of State cast the poisoning of an ex-spy in Britain as part of a certain unleashing of activity by Russia that the United States is struggling to understand. He warned that the poisoning would certainly trigger a response.

Tillerson, echoing the British governments finger- pointing toward Moscow, said he didnt yet know whether Russias government knew of the attack with a military-grade nerve agent, but that one way or another, it came from Russia. He said it was almost beyond comprehension why a state actor would deploy such a dangerous substance in a public place in a foreign country where others could be exposed. MDT/AP
Macau has tumbled 18 places on a livability ranking for Asian expatriates on account of the impact of last years typhoons, a global mobility consulting firm said yesterday. The fall puts the MSAR in joint-100th place out of a total of 480 surveyed cities.

The annual ranking, compiled by Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA) International, seeks to evaluate the livability of over 480 locations worldwide via several quality of life metrics.

Factors used in the assessment include climate, availability of health services, housing, access to leisure facilities, infrastructure, air quality, personal safety and political tensions. The firm notes that the impact of some of the factors assessed will vary according to the home location of the assignee, but does not expound on how this is factored into the ranking.

The significant drop registered for Macau this year was justified on the back of several typhoons last year, most notably Hato, which struck the city on August 23.

Macau has seen a drop in the rankings due to the impact of severe typhoons that hit the area in 2017 and it is now considered less livable than locations such as Seoul which it sat above in last years rankings, said Lee Quane, regional director  Asia, at ECA International.

An ECA International representative added in an email to the Times yesterday that the typhoons had impacted negatively on the natural phenomena criteria [] but also on utilities, as both the power and water supplies were significantly impacted.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong remained more or less stagnant in joint-28th. According to Quane, the semi-autonomous territory continues to suffer from long-term air quality and pollution issues which have seen it stay in the low position in the rankings.

Elsewhere in China, the majority of cities registered a fall in the rankings on the basis of heightened internet censorship, the ban on virtual private networks (VPNs), and a deterioration in air quality. Beijing dropped the furthest, falling 10 places to 134th.

This year, Singapore defended its position as the most livable city in the world for Asian expats. According to Quane, This is due to a combination of factors such as low crime rates, easy access to good quality schools and healthcare and lower levels of pollution than a lot of other locations in the region.

Singapore was followed in the rankings by three Australian cities: Brisbane in second position, and Adelaide and Sydney in joint-third. Perth (6th), Canberra (10th) Darwin (13th) and Melbourne (13th) all secured spots in the top-15.

Quane said that Australian cities always tend to perform strongly in terms of livability for Asian expats due to the excellent facilities and infrastructure, as well as the generally low levels of crime and air pollution.

As for Japan, all surveyed cities in the country continued to perform well, earning places in the top-40 for Asian expatriates. Some notable factors in Japans expat attractiveness are the excellent facilities and infrastructure, as well as the high availability of a very broad range of goods and services.

Taking the top spot for Europe this year is again the Danish capital, Copenhagen, followed by Bern, Switzerland (13th) and the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, Eindhoven and The Hague, which all placed joint-16th.

London lagged considerably behind in joint-67th, and New York trailed in joint-82nd, mostly on account of poor metrics for crime levels and air pollution. DB
March 13, 2018 22:09

Do you have problems sleeping but you don't know why? A new study may provide some answers. Researchers have discovered specific genes that could make us more susceptible to insomnia.

Researchers have identified genes associated with insomnia.

What is more, the researchers  led by Murray Stein, of the University of California, San Diego  found that these genes may also be tied to mental health disorders and metabolic heath conditions.

Stein and team recently published the results of their study in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

It is recommended that for optimal health and well-being, adults get around 79 hours of sleep every night.

However, many of us do not meet this recommendation; around 5070 million adults in the United States have some form of sleep disorder, with insomnia being the most common.

Insomnia is characterized by trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. It is estimated that around 30 percent of adults in the U.S. have short-term insomnia. Around 10 percent of U.S. adults have chronic insomnia, which is defined as sleep problems that persist for at least 1 month.

Common risk factors for insomnia include stress, abnormal working patterns, and inactivity. The new study from Stein and colleagues, however, suggests that our genes could also play a role.

The researchers came to their finding by analyzing the DNA samples of more than 33,000 soldiers who were a part of the Army Study To Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers.

The data were then compared with data from two other studies that included genetic information from UK Biobank, which is a health database of around 500,000 adults.

From their overall analysis, Stein and his colleagues identified a specific genetic variant located on chromosome 7  called q11.22  that was associated with the risk of insomnia. Among subjects of European descent, a certain variant in the gene RFX3  which is located on chromosome 9  was also linked to insomnia risk.

"Several of these variants rest comfortably among locations and pathways already known to be related to sleep and circadian rhythms," notes Stein.

Interestingly, the scientists found that the genetic variants for insomnia were "significantly positively correlated with major depressive disorder and type 2 diabetes."

They note that insomnia often co-occurs with depression and other mental health disorders, and the sleep disorder has also been linked to increased risk of type 2 diabetes. These new findings may have uncovered a genetic explanation for these associations.

Stein and colleagues conclude:

"Such insomnia-associated loci may contribute to the genetic risk underlying a range of health conditions, including psychiatric disorders and metabolic disease."

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers from the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre - a partnership between Leicester's Hospitals, the University of Leicester and Loughborough University - has identified biological variations in lung tissue samples that for the first time can help identify people with mild asthma from those with moderate or severe asthma.

The team led by Professors Salman Siddiqui and Peter Bradding used state-of-the-art statistical methods involving visualisation approaches, to perform the largest comprehensive analysis of common pathological features in the airways of people with asthma of different severities. They also investigated the clinical features of these subtypes and whether there is any association with changes in genes and decline in lung function.

Professor Siddiqui and his team identified multiple biological 'micro-clusters' which means that there are different combinations of active genes in each of the reported subtypes of asthma.

Professor Bradding, who is a Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Leicester and Consultant Respiratory Physician at Leicester's Hospitals, said: "The most exciting thing about finding these biological variations underpinning the differences between mild asthma and moderate and severe asthma is that the statistical methods if further developed could lead to the development of new, targeted treatments for subtypes of asthma, thus allowing the right asthma treatments to be matched to different patients. In this scenario, patients would benefit because they would be offered more personalised, and therefore more effective, care to manage their asthma."

Professor Siddiqui, Professor of Airway Diseases at the University of Leicester and Consultant Respiratory Physician at Leicester's Hospitals, added: "Further research is now underway to understand how to use these statistical approaches to combine complex information in asthma patients and make personalised treatment decisions."

Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Policy at Asthma UK, which funded the study, said: "For a long time, asthma has been considered as one condition, but this research illustrates the growing understanding that the term 'asthma' is in fact an umbrella term for different lung conditions. There needs to be a much better understanding of how to identify different types of asthma so that treatment can be tailored to prevent asthma attacks and keep people out of hospital. We are calling for more research into asthma, particularly into improving and developing diagnostic tools so that people can be diagnosed and treated quickly and effectively."

Explore further Study brings hope of a new treatment for asthma sufferers

More information: Salman Siddiqui et al, Airway pathological heterogeneity in asthma: Visualization of disease microclusters using topological data analysis, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Salman Siddiqui et al, Airway pathological heterogeneity in asthma: Visualization of disease microclusters using topological data analysis,(2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.12.982
A study published by The BMJ today finds little evidence for any direct impact of national cancer policy initiatives implemented since 2000 on short term cancer survival in England.

And no evidence was found for a reduction in social and economic inequalities ("deprivation gap") in cancer survival since the mid-1990s. The researchers say these findings "emphasise that socioeconomic inequalities in survival remain a major public health problem for a healthcare system founded on equity."

Cancer survival in England has been improving steadily since the 1970s, but still lags behind that seen in comparable countries in Europe. Differences in cancer survival between less and more deprived patients also persist for most types of cancer.

The NHS Cancer Plan was launched in 2000 in a bid to tackle these inequalities and improve cancer survival to levels comparable with the rest of Europe. Since then, other strategies have been introduced, but little is known about their impact at a national level.

So researchers in the Cancer Survival Group at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine set out to assess the impact of the NHS Cancer Plan and subsequent strategies on cancer survival in England and whether any gains were evenly distributed across the socio-economic groups of the population.

They analysed national cancer registry data for 3.5 million people aged 15-99 who had been diagnosed with one of the 24 most common cancers in three pre-defined calendar periods: 1996-2000, 2001-05, and 2006-13 with follow-up to 2014. This allowed comparison of trends before and after introduction of the NHS Cancer Plan.

They then estimated one year net survival for each cancer by sex, year of diagnosis, and level of deprivation. They focused on one year survival because most inequalities in cancer survival in England arise shortly after diagnosis.

They found that one year survival improved steadily from 1996 for 26 of 41 sex-cancer combinations studied. For nine additional cancers, improvement in survival was initially negligible, and really began or accelerated only later, from 2001 or 2006.

The largest improvements (greater than 1% per year) were seen for cancers that were of poor or intermediate prognosis in the 1990s, such as cancers of the oesophagus and liver in men, lung in women, and kidney, mesothelioma, and myeloma.

In contrast, survival for men diagnosed as having cancer of the larynx or testis, or Hodgkin lymphoma, was already high in the 1990s, and this improved little by 2013.

Meanwhile, the deprivation gap remained unchanged for most cancers, with a clear, persistent pattern of lower survival among more deprived patients. While the gap narrowed slightly for some cancers, where one year survival was already more than 65% in 1996, it widened notably for brain tumours in men and for lung cancer in women.

The researchers point to some limitations and say their study may be too early to detect the full impact of recently implemented cancer initiatives. Nevertheless, the study is based on virtually all cancer cases registered in England over 18 years, allowing for more accurate estimates of trends.

"Even though increasing cancer survival and reducing inequalities in survival have been among the main targets of national cancer policy initiatives implemented since 2000, this study found little evidence of a direct impact of these strategies on one year survival, and no evidence for a reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in survival," write the authors.

They say their findings "should be taken into consideration by cancer policy makers and inform future initiatives" and suggest that "shifting the focus from individual factors to healthcare system factors might prove to be beneficial in improving cancer outcomes among the most disadvantaged."

Does this mean the NHS cancer reforms failed, ask researchers at the University of Otago, New Zealand, in a linked editorial?

They point out that drivers of social disparities in cancer outcomes are complex, making it difficult to establish cause and effect, and they say genuine improvements "may require a more comprehensive approach than the NHS reforms."

To reduce the incidence and impact of cancer "we must continue to be ambitious," they write. "The goals of the NHS Cancer Plan were to save lives and to ensure that the gains were evenly shared. These goals remain critical. The methods to achieve them need more work," they conclude.

Explore further Cancer incidence and survival statistics for Northern Ireland 2012-2016

More information: Impact of national cancer policies on cancer survival trends and socioeconomic inequalities in England, 1996-2013: population based study , Impact of national cancer policies on cancer survival trends and socioeconomic inequalities in England, 1996-2013: population based study , www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k764 Editorial: Cancer inequalities endure despite NHS Reforms, www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k989
Healthcare workers in Haryana, India using tablets to log and access. Credit: Sanjay Jain and team

In a study conducted in rural India, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers working in collaboration with Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha (BUDS), a nonprofit Indian organization focused on child health, have found that mobile phone reminders linked with incentives such as free talk time minutes work better than phone alerts alone to improve childhood immunization rates in poor communities.

The results of the study, which tracked more than 500 child caregivers for nearly a year, appear March 14 in the journal Pediatrics.

Over the last decade, the rate of primary immunizations in young children have significantly improved around the world, but many children remain inadequately immunized. Inadequate immunization is a prominent issue particularly in developing nations, but also in the U.S. Delayed immunization or lack of follow up can lead to disease outbreaks and potentially detrimental health risks.

"Vaccinations and booster shot schedules are designed to work optimally if given within a specific window of time, and even in resource poor areas such as rural India, an estimated 90 percent of households have mobile phones," says Sanjay Jain, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Those two factors, he says, made a compelling case for not only using mobile phone alerts more widely, including in poor or isolated areas in the U.S., to remind adults to get their children vaccinated, but also for figuring out the best way to maximize the value of those alerts.

Using fingerprint scanner and gps technology to monitor immunization coverage. Credit: Sanjay Jain and team

The study, conducted in the Mewat region of Haryana, India, used a special software developed by Royal Datamatics, a local software company in New Delhi, to monitor 549 subjects in one village, Ghasera, where 86 percent of families make less than 25,000 Indian rupees per year, which is equivalent to $385 in the U.S. In this area, the average immunization rate for children younger than 24 months for all immunizations required for their age is 33 percent.

Creating special software and a website, the investigators used tablet computers with fingerprint scanners to access the site and log caregiver and child patient information, including vaccination and booster shot completion. Specifically, they scanned fingerprints of the caregivers but manually recorded children's names because fingertip identification of children is less reliable. GPS technology also was used to track the locations where subjects lived and collect immunization rates for different neighborhoods. "Modern technologies can solve several common problems in the developing world and go a long way in improving global health," says Rajeev Seth, M.D., a pediatrician and the director of BUDS.

The Johns Hopkins team used the same platform to electronically deliver automated reminders to the participants' mobile phones, and those who followed up received incentives of mobile phone minutes equivalent to 30 Indian rupees (50 cents in U.S. dollars), which generally bought 30 minutes of talk time.

Over the yearlong study, the immunization rate increased from a median of 33 percent to more than 41 percent in the control group that received no mobile phone reminder, 40 percent in the group that received mobile phone reminders with no incentives, and 50 percent in the group that received both mobile phone reminders and minutes as incentives.

The researchers from right: Sanjay Jain, M.D. Left: Rajeev Seth, M.D. Credit: Sanjay Jain and team

Jain says he and his brother, a pediatric gastroenterologist at St. Louis University, conceived the research while they were in high school. "My brother, Ajay, and I have been coding since high school and our interests in applying technology haven't really gone away over the years, so we thought we could marry our hobbies and our professions and help improve health globally," says Jain. The research was conducted in 2016 and 2017.

Jain notes that other software on the market is designed to send mobile phone reminders, but he believes theirs differs because it identifies patients through fingerprint identification, stores patient records, issues talk time incentives and uses GPS technology, making it almost tamper-proof.

"With the popularity of mobile phone devices all around the world, it has become practical in low resource settings that reminders and incentives be conveyed using these pervasive technologies," says Tiffani Lash, Ph.D., director of the point of care technologies and connected health programs at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which provided support for the study. "At the same time, the innovative incentive strategy tested by the research team demonstrates that cultural awareness and technology combined are instrumental in helping communities achieve immunization goals."

"It is quite innovative when simple incentives on devices that are used daily can impact a fundamental public health improvement," says Ibukun Akinboyo, M.D., a pediatric infectious diseases postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "The study highlights that we can leverage available resources, such as the widespread use of mobile phones, to improve vaccination coverage and hopefully decrease rates of preventable childhood infections."

Jain and his team recently received the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations award. They hope to keep improving this technology to monitor immunization coverage, as well as track the performance of the health care workers who are providing these vaccines, in order to improve coverage in entire populations.

Explore further Reminding people about vaccinations can increase rates of immunization
Credit: Rockefeller University

Early detection is key for managing metastatic brain cancer. Above, a secondary brain tumor originating from melanoma skin cancer.

A surprising finding by Rockefeller University scientists about a rare liver cancer's behavior could lead to more comprehensive patient monitoring and hopefully better outcomes.

The scientists recommend that people with advanced-stage fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, which mostly affects teenagers and young adults, receive regular neuroimaging scans because of the tumor's apparent ability to metastasize to the brain. Solid tumors, including those in the liver, don't usually spread to the brain, so scans to monitor fibrolamellar patients' progress typically don't include the head.

Earlier detection of brain metastases could increase the chances of successful surgical removal of the tumors, says Sanford Simon, whose Laboratory of Cellular Biophysics previously identified the genetic driver behind fibrolamellar. It also could help clinicians to make more informed choices about what drugs to use.

Only a minority of fibrolamellar patients will develop brain metastases, Simon expects. Still, testing for that possibility is important when a tumor's spread can have such severe consequences. About 200 cases of fibrolamellar are reported worldwide each year, though Simon believes the disease is underdiagnosed. Only about one in three patients survive beyond five years.

In a paper published recently in the journal Pediatric Blood & Cancer, he and colleagues document three cases in which fibrolamellar patients, all 18-year-old women, were found to have developed brain tumors. Cranial scans were performed only after the patients developed symptoms including severe headaches and changes in mental status. The tumors had also metastasized to the lungs of the three patients, one of whom had died when the paper was published.

Metastasis is common with fibrolamellar, partly because the disease isn't usually detected until it is at an advanced stage. Early symptoms, such as abdominal pain, could have many causes, and doctors may first check adolescent patients for issues such as stress or lactose intolerance.

Simon suggests that clinicians perform an ultrasound when teens complain about abdominal pain over an extended period, at least to rule out cancer.

The finding that fibrolamellar can spread to the brain doesn't immediately add to scientists' understanding of the biology of the disease, Simon says, but is nevertheless significant as it may offer immediate ways to improve treatment. Meanwhile, his team is working to develop a cure for fibrolamellar that acts by directly targeting the genetic driver of the disease. In other investigations, they are seeking to identify biomarkers in the blood that could lead to earlier detection of fibrolamellar and better tracking of patients' progress after tumors are surgically removed.

Another way Simon and his colleagues are trying to help patients more immediately is through extensive testing of existing drug compounds that have already been assessed for human safety. This could yield more effective chemotherapies for fibrolamellar in the near future, he says.

Explore further Gene mutation associated with development of fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma

More information: William J. Hammond et al, Intracranial metastasis in fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma, Pediatric Blood & Cancer (2017). DOI: 10.1002/pbc.26919
Making federalism work

Personnel and infrastructure should be provided to make local governments effective
Human skin structure. Credit: Wikipedia

Ever notice how a cut inside the mouth heals much faster than a cut to the skin? Gum tissue repairs itself roughly twice as fast as skin and with reduced scar formation. One reason might be because of the characteristics of gingival mesenchymal stem cells, or GMSCs, which can give rise to a variety of cell types.

"This study represents the convergence of a few different paths we've been exploring," says Songtao Shi, chair and professor of Penn Dental Medicine's Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the senior author on the study. "First, we know as dentists that the healing process is different in the mouth; it's much faster than in the skin. Second, we discovered in 2009 that the gingiva contains mesenchymal stem cells and that they can do a lot of good therapeutically. And, third, we know that mesenchymal stem cells release a lot of proteins. So here we asked, How are the gingival mesenchymal stem cells releasing all of these materials, and are they accelerating wound healing in the mucosal tissues?"

The work appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Xiaoxing Kou, a visiting scholar at Penn Dental Medicine, was the first author on the work. Shi and Kou collaborated with colleagues Chider Chen and Anh Le from Penn Dental Medicine as well as Yanheng Zhou from Peking University, Xingtian Xu from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Claudio Giraudo and Maria L. Sanmillan from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Tao Cai from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

From earlier work by Shi's group and others, it was clear that mesenchymal stem cells perform many of their functions by releasing signaling molecules in extracellular vesicles. So to understand what distinguishes mesenchymal stem cells in the gingiva from those in the skin, the Penn-led team began by comparing these extracellular vesicles between the two types. They found that the GMSCs contained more proteins overall, including the inflammation-dampening IL-1RA, which blocks a proinflammatory cytokine. IL-1RA also happens to be used as a therapy to treat rheumatoid arthrisits, an inflammatory condition.

Next the team zoomed in to look at what might be controlling the release of IL-1RA and other cytokines. They had a suspect in the protein Fas, which they had earlier connected to immune regulation. They found that in gingival MSCs had more Fas than skin MSCs, and that mice deficient in Fas had reduced IL-1RA as well as reduced secretion of IL-1RA.

Further molecular probing revealed that Fas formed a protein complex with Fap-1 and Cav-1 to trigger the release of small extracellular vesicles. To identify the connection with wound healing, they examined wound tissue and found that IL-1RA was increased in GMSCs around the margins of wounds. Mice lacking IL-1RA or in which the protein was inhibited took longer to heal gingival wounds.

In contrast, when the researchers isolated IL-1RA that had been secreted from GMSCs and injected it into wounds, it significantly accelerated wound healing.

"We found that mesenchymal stem cells, and especially gingival mesenchymal stem cells, release large amount of cytokines through an extracellular vesicle," says Kou.

These findings may have special significance for people with diabetes, a major complication of which is delayed wound healing. In the study, the researchers found that GMSCs in mice with diabetes were less able to secrete extracellular vesicles compared to GMSCs in healthy mice, and their GMSCs also had less IL-1RA secretion. Introducing extracellular vesicles secreted from the GMSCs of healthy mice reduced wound healing time in diabetic mice.

"Our paper is just part of the mechanism of how these stem cells affect wound healing," Kou says, "but I think we can build on this and use these cells or the extracellular vesicles to target a lot of different diseases, including the delayed wound healing seen in diabetic patients."Moving forward, Shi, Kou and colleagues want to move their work into the clinic.

"We are targeting translational therapies," says Shi. "These cells are easy to harvest from the gingiva, and that makes them a beautiful cell for clinical use. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I can see using these cells to reduce scar formation, improve wound healing, and even treat many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases."

Explore further New research suggests that gingival stem cells can be used in tissue regeneration

More information: X. Kou el al., "The Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 complex regulates IL-1RA secretion in mesenchymal stem cells to accelerate wound healing," Science Translational Medicine (2018). Journal information: Science Translational Medicine X. Kou el al., "The Fas/Fap-1/Cav-1 complex regulates IL-1RA secretion in mesenchymal stem cells to accelerate wound healing,"(2018). stm.sciencemag.org/lookup/doi/  scitranslmed.aai8524
Dr Tammi Walker. Credit: University of Huddersfield

Female prisoners - often anguished at being parted from their children - are more likely to commit acts of self-harm than their male counterparts. A University of Huddersfield researcher has been researching the issue for more than a decade and is now co-author of an award-winning book that sets out strategies to tackle the problem.

Dr Tammi Walker, who has joined the University as Reader in Forensic Psychology, wrote Preventing Self-Injury and Suicide in Women's Prisons alongside her collaborator Professor Graham Towl, of Durham University. In the latest British Psychological Society Book Awards, it has been named as winner of the Practitioner Text category 2017.

A reviewer describes it as "fascinating, easy to read and carefully structured, making it accessible to psychological practitioners at every stage of training".

Women prisoners - who make up five per cent of the English and Welsh jail population - engage in self harm at proportionately higher rates than men, who are more prone to suicide.

"Some people would argue that they are on the same continuum. But not everybody who self-harms wants to die," says Dr Walker. "A lot of women in prison engage in it as a method of coping with being in there and separated from their children, because normally they are the main carer.

"The self-harm could be a form of self-punishment, or might be a way of dealing with your emotions, or cleansing yourself. It's very complex."

Preventing Self-Injury and Suicide in Women's Prisons is designed to give an overview of good practice and intervention strategies, said Dr Walker.

"We try and identify a range of preventions - strategies from the research that they can draw on. It might require staff training on how to communicate with the women and get them to talk about their feelings. Or it might be a question of giving women something to do, to stop them dwelling on things, particularly when they are behind cell doors late at night."

Financial cutbacks, meaning fewer officers, have resulted in prisoners spending longer periods locked in their cells. Also, fewer psychologists are employed in prisons.

Dr Walker praises the vision shown by certain prisons - such as New Hall, near Huddersfield, which is to engage a trauma-informed psychologist - but she criticises the lack of a national strategy to address the issue of self-harm and suicide among prisoners.

Although male prisoners are more prone to suicide, in 2016 there were 22 deaths in women's prisons in England and Wales - the highest number of female prison deaths since 1990. Psychological intervention could reverse the trend. "There might be the occasional suicide who hasn't first self-harmed, but self-harm is normally a predictor," said Dr Walker.

In addition to her psychology degrees and qualifications, including a University of Huddersfield doctorate on women who self-harm, Dr Walker is also a qualified mental health nurse who worked with male sex offenders at HMP Wakefield before switching to academic research and lecturing.

She is now developing new Master's programmes in forensic psychology and secure mental health, supervises PhD students and teaches on the Psychology with Criminology degree course at Huddersfield.

She continues to research psychological interventions for women in prison, but also plans to examine issues around male prisoners who self-harm.

Explore further Up to one in four female prisoners in England and Wales self-harm
ELB Engineering Services and IoT.nxt are partnering to fully cover Sedibengs minerals processing plant with IoT systems  a first in South Africa.

The IoT-driven plant, which ELB is building for Sedibeng, is expected to come online in September 2018 and will incorporate the latest advances in big data analytics, image recognition, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to drive optimisation, cost savings, and safety within the plant.

Its no longer enough to merely supply equipment and services, said ELB CEO Stephen Meijers. The differentiator for companies of the future lies in the ability to generate and analyse data, and to use these findings to significantly improve operations, such as reducing power consumption without decreasing yield or managing the efficiency of employees.

Meijers added that, following the completion of the processing plant, the IoT platform will be extended to the Sedibeng mine as well.

ELB Intelligent Solutions

IoT will form part of one of the main areas of focus for ELB Intelligent Solutions, which has been established as a subsidiary of ELB Engineering Solutions. ELB Intelligent Solutions will also focus on exponential technologies that include artificial intelligence, robotics, and large-scale 3D printing.

We are very fortunate to be the systems integration partner of IoT.nxt. This partnership is diversifying the knowhow of ELB into a different direction, while still being connected to the traditional minerals and metals business, said Meijers.

Considering the future growth of ELB as well as its business philosophies, this partnership is a perfect fit, said Eric Croeser, IoT.nxt mining director of partnerships. ELB has extensive industry knowledge and experience, and ELB Intelligent Solutions will offer best of breed technologies and knowledge to the mining industry.

Other applications

Once Sedibeng has successfully come online, ELB intends to roll out the IoT solutions to its other sites  as well as into the broader South African mining industry. Meijers said the solutions are not restricted to mining, however, and can be universally applied in industries like transport, logistics, containerised management, port management, hotels, and airports  anywhere with moving assets and connected devices.

We are also using this IoT technology to create green buildings, said Meijers. We will be installing the platform in our own offices, and once installed, the platform will know how many people are in the building, how much heat is being emitted, and can regulate the air conditioning accordingly.

The system will also be able to switch off the air conditioning and lights to conserve power when the building is empty, will track how often the elevators are in use, will monitor water consumption, and much more.

Following the successful implementation at ELBs offices in Johannesburg, the green building initiative will be rolled out to other buildings in Johannesburg.

South Africa still has a way to go with modern-day destructive disruptive technology. We are still too far behind the rest of the world. Instead of trying to catch up in little steps, however, we can leapfrog, and thats what we are going to do with ELB Intelligent Solutions, Meijers concluded.

For more information, visit the ELB website.
Kazakhstan President: Armenia achieved great success, enjoys well-deserved reputation in international arena

Putin to Pashinyan: Trilateral agreements implementation will ensure your countrys peaceful, prosperous development

Mishustin to Pashinyan: Russia-Armenia relations progressively developing in all directions

Guy Parmelin: Switzerland remains reliable partner of reforms in Armenia

France MP: Armenia fighting for survival of itself, its people, against Azerbaijan, Turkey

Wendy Morton: UK will continue to be proud supporter of Armenias democratic, economic development

Russia envoy to Armenia: Any challenge in modern world can be overcome only through joint efforts

Top Iran officials congratulate Armenia, Armenian people

Pope Francis: May divine blessing be with people of Armenia

Wreath laid on behalf of Armenia ex-President Sargsyan at Yerevan military pantheon (PHOTOS)

Sweden ambassador: My best wishes to all Armenians (VIDEO)

Netherlands envoy to Armenia: This beautiful country, wonderful people have bright future (VIDEO)

Xi Jinping to Armen Sarkissian: Dynamics of development of China-Armenia relations is maintained

Armenia First President: Independence is non-negotiable for me

Putin: Development of Russia-Armenia relations corresponds to fundamental interests of our fraternal peoples

Blinken: US remains committed to helping negotiate long-term political settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Biden: US will continue to advocate for release of all Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan

Armenia FM to head for New York

Macron to Armenias Sarkissian: We will spare no effort to find lasting solution to conflict

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan: Defeat, authorities that symbolize it cannot be source of inspiration, creation

494 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia 3rd President Sargsyan: Challenging but honorific struggle awaits us ahead

Karekin II: Main meaning of 30th anniversary of independence is to rebuild progressive, prosperous country

Karabakh President: Strong, developing Armenia has no alternative

Shombi Sharp: UN will continue to stand with Armenia in addressing impact of recent crises, pandemic, conflict

Armenia President: Today it turns out that we did not appreciate what we had

Georgia capital Tbilisi TV tower illuminated in colors of Armenia flag (PHOTOS)

US ambassador: We continue to look with confidence at future for Armenia as sovereign, prosperous state

Police not allowing reporters to cover PM's visit to Yerevan military pantheon

Newspaper: Azerbaijanis get more active after dismissal of commander of Russia peacekeepers in Artsakh

Armenia marks Independence Day 30th anniversary

Senior officials visiting Yerevan military pantheon on Armenia Independence Day 30th anniversary (PHOTOS)

US launches strike at one of al-Qaida leaders in Syria

Biden to declare end of "20-year war" in Afghanistan in speech at UN General Assembly

US Ambassador to Armenia: Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has yet to be settled, Artsakh status will be clarified

Nikol Pashinyan: Russian-Armenians and their businesses stand strong with the Armenian State

Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan pledges investments worth $780,000,000

US says it is willing to consider return to nuclear deal with Iran

Azerbaijani-Turkish military exercises are being held in Nakhchivan

Businessman Samvel Karapetyan: I don't agree that systems have changed in Armenia, only people have changed

Two residents of Armenia's Kasakh who disappeared in Vorotan section and were returned, are at home

Kyrgyz MP proposes to appoint one Ambassador to Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenia Central Bank head: Buffer of Armenian financial organizations is sufficient to resist challenges

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative for South Caucasus to visit Armenia

Armenia PM sends telegram of condolence to Russia President

Armenia Deputy PM: Government shouldn't be involved in business

Nearly 700 projects considered during "Armenia 2020-Armenia 2041" meeting

Putin, Aliyev hold phone talks

Armenian filmmaker calls on Armenia citizens to join march to Yerablur Military Pantheon on Independence Day

Digest: Armenian women die in the Netherlands shooting, Azerbaijan returns 2 Armenians

Relatives of deceased servicemen protesting in front of Armenia government building

Russian Expert Center: Russia is ready to offer Yerevan buses and new metro wagons

"High-Level Observer Day" held as part of "Three Brothers-2021" Azerbaijan-Turkey-Pakistan military drills

Flights to and from Gyumri and Moscow launched

Russia deputy PM: Development of new strategic document has started with Armenia

Armenian businessman: I would like for Armenia to have three official languages

Karabakh emergency situations service: Remains or relics of soldiers not found in Hadrut today

COAF and AMAA partner to revamp dairy production in Lori Province of Armenia

Gunshots heard in Armenia's Kut village again

Alexey Overchuk: Russia is ready to help Armenia overcome economic crisis and pandemic

Armenia economy minister: Unblocking of communication will help increase country's GDP by 30%

Armenia army's units to march on country's Independence Day

Armenia PM congratulates Vladimir Putin on United Russia Party's victory

Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Sergey Smbatyan, performs at InClassica festival (PHOTOS)

Russian official: Bandwidth of Upper Lars checkpoint to grow by 6.5 times in 2022

Armenian Deputy PM: Armenia-Russia trade turnover made up $1.9 billion in first semester of 2021

Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulates Armenia President on 30th anniversary of Independence

Iran Ambassador to Armenia: We hope alternative road to Goris is built as soon as possible

Egypt President congratulates Armenia President on 30th anniversary of Independence

Erdogan to visit Russia on a working visit

Young Dutch man with mental disorder shoots at passers-by, kills 2 female members of AGBU Holland

Russia ambassador to Armenia: Innovative approaches needed to deepen bilateral relations

Greek MFA slams Turkey for illegal fishing in its territorial waters

PM: Armenia greatly interested in opening communications

Armenia-Russia cooperation agreement signed

Deputy PM: Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan trilateral platform discusses issues I have spoken about many times

Armenia PM spokesperson: No contacts taken place so far with Turkey

North Korean MFA slams new defense alliance created by Australia, UK and US

20 Turkey citizens seek asylum in Armenia in past 3 years

Armenia economy minister on Goris-Kapan motorway situation: We are very actively rebuilding bypass road

Russia deputy PM: Issue of corridors not being discussed

Armenia deputy PM: Unblocking of roads will have positive effect

Deputy PM: Cooperation within EEU is main guarantee of Armenia's economic recovery

Azerbaijan FM heads for US

Iran sending sizeable military forces to Azerbaijan border

2 Armenian General Benevolent Union women die from stabbing (PHOTOS)

8 dead after shooting at Russia university

342 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Armenia opposition MP: No security mechanisms on Goris-Kapan motorway to prevent abducting, getting lost

Yerevan hosting Armenian Business Forum 2021

Australia PM says France submarine deal not in his countrys interest

Half of Earth's coral reefs die out in last 70 years

World oil prices falling

Firefighting resumes at Armenia national park

Over 70% of ballots counted in Russia State Duma elections

Largest Armenia flag to be installed in Yeraskh village of Ararat Province (PHOTOS)

Azerbaijan returns 2 Armenia citizens

Women protest in Kabul in defense of their rights

Russia elections over

Those apprehended outside jewelry center in Yerevan are tourists from Iran, not Turks or Azerbaijanis
There has been a revolution in the shady world of US espionage after Donald Trump named a woman as CIA head for the first time. RT looks at the top spy, who rights activists accused of overseeing torture and demanded her arrest.

Gina Haspel, born October 1, 1956 was a deputy CIA director before becoming the most powerful official at Americas main spy agency. She was one of the top intelligence officers to take part in the worst alleged abuses of Bush-era interrogation program, which renowned rights groups bluntly describe as a set of torture techniques, RT reported.

In the middle of Washingtons Global War on Terrorism, Haspel ran one of the first CIA facilities  later called black sites  a prison in Thailand code-named Cats Eye. It has been claimed that Al-Qaeda suspects were tortured there using waterboarding, in particular.

Back then, a Washington Post article mentioned a top-tier CIA official who was directly involved in its controversial interrogation program and had an extensive role in torturing detainees.

Notably, the Posts piece did not reveal the persons identity, only saying that the officer in question served as director of the National Clandestine Service  the CIAs main branch in charge of human intelligence  on an interim basis. Later, the Intercept confirmed that the undercover officer was actually Haspel.

Apart from that, she also served as chief of staff to the infamous Jose Rodriguez, the head of the CIA Counterterrorism Center, and reportedly participated in the controversial destruction of interrogation videotapes that showed the torture of detainees at the prison she ran, as well as at other secret compounds.

Rodriguez even mentioned Haspel in his memoir, writing that it was she who drafted a cable to discard the gruesome footage, when he took a deep breath of weary satisfaction and hit send.

Haspels past has been the subject of a high-profile lawsuit by a European rights group. In 2017, the non-profit European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights asked German federal prosecutors to issue an arrest warrant for Haspel if she arrives in Europe. The request came as part of the case of Abu Zubaydah, a Saudi national citizen and senior Al-Qaeda member.

Attorneys for the rights group alleged that Zubaydah, who played a role in masterminding the 9/11 attacks, was waterboarded 83 times in August 2002  at which time Haspel was in charge of the Cats Eye detention facility. Wolfgang Kaleck, the groups director, said: Those who commit, order or allow torture should be brought before a court, adding that this is especially true for senior officials from powerful nations.

According to the CIA website, Haspel joined the spy agency in 1985, having garnered extensive overseas experience. She also served as station chief in several of her assignments.
National tiger census: Officials start data analysis

Officials have completed the field work of tiger census that was carried out in five national parks of the country.
STEPHEN HAWKING DIES

World renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.

His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday morning confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

Hawking had a rare early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that gradually paralyzed him over decades. Nonetheless, he was still able to live an active in life and communicate using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device.

ARTSAKH STREET IN US

Members of the city council of Glendale, California, have unanimously voted to begin the process of renaming an avenue in the city to Artsakh Street.

Accordingly, Maryland Avenuebetween Wilson and Harvardwill be renamed to Artsakh Street.

RATIFICATION OF EU-ARMENIA DEAL

There are no major obstacles to the ratification of the EU-Armenia agreement, Deputy Director General at EU neighbourhood directorate Katarina Mathernova told the Armenian News-NEWS.am correspondent.

Mathernova noted that she does not know whether the agreement will be ratified by the EU member states this year but she does not think that it is going to be any particularly complicated process on the EU side. She also said that the signing of EU-Armenia deal showed that Russia's narrative that the Eastern Partnership is against Russia flies in the face.

MERKEL ELECTED CHANCELLOR

Angela Merkel was elected Federal Chancellor of Germany for the fourth consecutive term.

Merkels candidacy was supported by 364 deputies of the Bundestag, while 315 parliamentarians voted against and nine more abstained. The first meeting of the government will be held on Wednesday afternoon.

RUSSIAN ARMS SALE TO BAKU

Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan were conducted within the framework of the agreements that were reached before April 2016, Russian MP Konstantin Kosachev said in Yerevan.

Russia fulfills the contracts that were signed before April 2016, and Moscow are obligated to do so in accordance with the provisions of those contracts. But this is the situation that existed until that moment; and according to the information I have, in the future it will not be implemented at the current scale, Kosachev said.

TILLERSON DISMISSED

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was fired by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, said he was delegating all of his responsibilities to the State Departments No. 2 official and that he would leave office at the end of the month.

Director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo will replace him as a Secretary of State.

7 MEASLES CASES RECORDED IN ARMENIA

Seven cases of acquired measles have been recorded in Armenia in the first quarter of the current year, and their probable source is Russia. Six of those infected were not vaccinated against it, whereas one was vaccinated, but insufficiently.

According to the WHO, the epidemic of measles is growing worse in Europe, and the number of such cases tripled in 2017 as compared with the previous year. The respective situation is worse especially in Romania, Italy, Greece, Germany, Ukraine, Georgia, and Russia.
Kurdistan Region's airports have been reopened for international flights. Baghdad will send technical teams to Erbil and Sulaimani on Sunday and the Iraqi interior ministry will control the flight schedule, Rudaw reported.

Iraqi Interior Minister Qasim al-Araji, KRG Interior Minister Karim Sinjari, and Bestun Zangana, the head of the Transportation Committee in the Iraqi parliament, made the joint announcement on Wednesday after meeting in Erbil.

"There is some propaganda that the directors will be changed. None of these are true. The flights are open from now on based on a schedule from the Iraqi Ministry of Transportation," said Zangana.

"The technical sides from Sunday onward will come to the aiports and start working under the [Iraqi] Civil Aviation Authority," revealed Zangana.

"We welcome the Iraqi minister of interior and thank him for his efforts for reopening both the Sulaimani and Erbil airports. The reopening of the two airports is a good step towards resolving the issues between the governments of Baghdad and Erbil," Sinjari said.

Sinjari, who is also acting Peshmerga minister, reiterated that "all issues between Baghdad and Erbil should be resolved through dialogue and discussions and based on the Iraqi constitution," Sinjari said.
Nine SC justices boycott bench over CJ controversy

Embattled Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli, who is under pressure from his own team of justices to either resign or detach himself from the judicial process, suffered yet another setback after eight justices boycotted the benches assigned to them on Tuesday.
Home | News | Crime/Legal | HIV-positive Italian Jailed For 24 Years for Infecting Over 30 Women, Including a 14 Year Old

An Italian accountant has been jailed for 24 years after intentionally infecting 30 women with HIV.

The accused identified as Valentino Talluto is said to have had unprotected sex with at least 53 women after his HIV diagnosis in 2006, the youngest of whom was 14 at the relationships start.

The accountant, using the pseudonym Hearty Style, went on social networks and dating sites to find his victims.

On Friday, judges sentenced the 33-year-old to 24 years in prison.

Tallutos defence lawyers had argued their clients actions were imprudent, but not intentional.

However, those who asked him to wear a condom were told he was either allergic, or had recently been tested for HIV, news agency AFP reported.

When some of the women confronted him after discovering they were infected, he denied he was a carrier of the potentially deadly virus, which can lead to Aids.

As a result of his actions, another four people contracted the virus on top of the women he directly infected: three men and one baby.

Prosecutor Elena Neri told the court last month;

His actions were intended to sow death.

However, Talluto  whose mother was an HIV-infected drug addict who died when he was four  told the court if that had been the case, he would not have gone to the effort of having actual relationships.

Many of the girls know my friends and family, he said.

They say that I wanted to infect as many people as possible. If that had been the case, I would have gone for casual sex in bars, I would not have brought them into my life.

Judges in Rome deliberated over the sentence for more than 10 hours before announcing the verdict.

According to local media, victims wept as the sentence was read out. However, it fell short of the life term prosecutors had asked for.

Loading...
Home | News | Crime/Legal | Girl impregnated by 50 year old Pastor, looses fallopian tube to abortion

Hospital carried out abortion, told me it was appendectomy  Mother

Mum lied, we saved girl from ectopic pregnancy  Doctor

He filmed while sleeping with me, says victim

If there is one thing that Mrs. B. regrets most in her life, it is the day she walked into the Royal Heritage Church, Mafoluku, Lagos, for the first time.

Shortly after that day, with her teenage daughter in tow, she approached the pastor of the church, Tunde Daniel, a man in his 50s with two wives, and sought his spiritual help on the girls plan to become a model.

Mrs. B. told Saturday PUNCH that the pastor had told her he could make a super model out of the girl.

Because of the sensitivity of this case, Saturday PUNCH decided to keep the family anonymous.

But Mrs. B. said the moment she approached the pastor for help was the day she lost control of her daughter, who is now 16 years old. For more than a year, Mrs. B said she was struggling to get a grip of her life and win her daughter back from the hold Pastor Daniel allegedly had on her.

From that moment on began a relationship that allegedly snowballed into a sexual slavery for Mrs. Bs daughter.

According to her, it got to a point that if she gave her daughter an instruction, her obedience would depend on whether the pastor agreed or not.

The girl would occasionally visit the married pastor at his 8, Owolabi Street, Mafoluku, Lagos.

Mrs. B said, My daughter suddenly became distant and she no longer listened to me. Then, one day, she ran away from home. I was at my shop when she ran away and her siblings were with me in the shop.

I got home and was expecting to see her. I became worried after a few hours, but I still did not see her. Neighbours also could not tell me where she was.

It was while searching everywhere for her that I noticed the money I kept in the house had gone.

I tried to call Pastor Daniel but could not reach him on the phone and I went to his house. When I got there, I was told he was not around and for four days, my daughter was missing.

Few days later, Pastor Daniel brought her back home in the evening. When I asked where she had been, she ignored me and when I asked the pastor, he shouted at me.

Mrs. B. warned her daughter to stay away from the pastor but all she got in response was the rebuff.

According to her, Tunde continued to meet with the girl in secret.

Mrs. B. explained that unknown to her, the sexual abuse her daughter allegedly suffered in the hands of the pastor started in 2016 when the girl was still 15.

She said that anytime she went to school, Pastor Daniel would pick her up there and take her to a hotel.

One day in late February, 2017, I got a call from a hospital that said my daughter was in a critical condition. I did not know how she ended up in the hospital. At that time, I had lost control over her totally.

When I got there, I was told that she had appendicitis and that an emergency surgery must be conducted to save her life. We were asked to look for N368,000. I called her father who was abroad, to inform him of the case and we quickly paid the money.

It was when I saw the surgical scar that I became alarmed and I started petting her and told her to tell me what was going on. That was when she said that the pastor had impregnated her and that what I thought was the removal of her appendicitis was indeed abortion.

I wanted to faint. I quickly confronted the doctors at the hospital and they told me that she was brought in by Pastor Daniel, who prevailed on them to say it was appendicitis. They said she had lost a fallopian tube. They said they were only concerned about saving her life.

The hospital in question is High Rocks Hospital located on 8, Afariogun Street, Charity Area, Oshodi-Isolo.

However, the apprehensive Mrs. B., who could no longer handle the matter on her own, contacted the Child Protection Network in Oshodi, who took over the case.

The Coordinator of CPN in Isolo and Ejigbo, Mr. Ebenezer Omejalile, explained that further investigation on the case showed that Daniels ministry was reputed as one dedicated to preying on both innocent girls and married women.

According to him, after the CPN took over the case and it was reported at the Makinde Police Division, Oshodi, Daniel tried to turn the case against the victims family and reported at the anti-kidnapping unit of the Lagos State Police Command that Mrs. B. colluded with some officers at the Makinde Police Division to kidnap him and force him to part with money.

The pastor threatened the investigating police officer in charge of the case. He was so confident that nothing was going to happen on the matter. I realised that it was necessary for the Commissioner of Police to hear about the matter, so I wrote a petition to the CP on the matter.

The woman called him father in the Lord and trusted him with her daughter. Most shocking was the part that the girl had lost a fallopian tube. When we interrogated the girl further, we realised that the pastor had given her some drugs to abort the pregnancy, which led to the complications.

Omejalile said his petition to the Lagos CP was to explain why the case was not a kidnap case as claimed by Daniel, but one that bordered on gross sexual abuse and child endangerment.

Meanwhile, to prevent further contact between the girl and Daniel, the girls family took her away to the South-East to stay with her grandmother.

During her stay in their hometown, Saturday PUNCH learnt that the family concluded that the pastor might have put the girl under a spell.

She kept repeating that she wanted to have sexual intercourse with Pastor Daniel. We did our best to break her from the curse, a family member said on condition of anonymity.

They did not divulge further steps taken to break her free from the purported spell.

However, after months on the case, Omejaliles petition to the Lagos CP finally yielded results on Tuesday, November 7. Daniel, who had been walking the streets as a free man since the case was reported at the Makinde Police Division, was invited at the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters. He was subsequently detained as investigation and interrogation went on.

At the police headquarters, the girl, who was brought back from the East to give a statement, made more startling revelations.

Omejalile, who was present at the time said, The girl said that anytime they had sex, he always recorded it. This is why we are worried at this point because we do not want such videos finding their way to the public. The girl said that he had a box in his room where he kept videos from different sexual encounters. The police said they would go and search his room soon.

He explained that when they went to invite the pastor in company with policemen from the command headquarters, the girl was the one used as a bait.

Omejilale said, We told her to put the phone on speaker and when the girl called him, he said he would like to see her and that he missed her. The girl said she could not come to his house but could meet him at work.

The pastor works as a software engineer in a company at Oshodi. As soon as the girl got to his office, the pastors colleagues started greeting her as Pastor Daniels daughter. It was clear they were familiar with her. He was then informed that he was wanted at the police headquarters. He thought he could escape by placing a call to the policemen at the anti-kidnapping unit, whom he had reported to earlier. But he was told that he was being invited at the police headquarters by higher authority.

Saturday PUNCH learnt that while being questioned at the police headquarters, the girl revealed that Daniel took her on a flight to Abuja at a point.

Mrs. B was asked why she was not aware of all these and how her daughter could embark on such long journeys without her knowledge, but the distraught mother said it was part of the reasons why she said she lost control of her daughter.

The pastor is still being detained by the police.

Meanwhile, the CPN has said once the prosecution of Daniel was underway, it would begin efforts in ensuring that the doctor at High Rocks Hospital, who carried out the abortion was investigated.

When Saturday PUNCH spoke with the head of the hospital, Dr. Femi Oloyede, an associate professor, he explained that the pastor brought the girl to his facility, claiming to be her guardian.

He said, The man (Daniel) brought in the girl with ectopic pregnancy (development of foetus in fallopian tube) and we saved her. He said the girl was impregnated by her boyfriend. Our records are there to show what she was treated for. Who impregnated her was not the hospitals concern. I was summoned when she was brought in and noticed she was in a very bad shape. She had to be resuscitated. I then said there was nothing we could do if her parents were not present even if he was the guardian as he claimed.

The pastor then contacted the mother and she came in. We told her what was wrong with her daughter immediately. When we told them to make a deposit so we conduct an urgent surgery, they declined saying they were taking her to their regular hospital.

I wrote them a referral and they left. They later came back in the evening when the girls situation had worsened. They had to beg me to come from home to attend to her. We did the operation and she took about three pints of blood within a space of three hours. She was bleeding inside. She was even on admission for some days after the surgery. If anything was ever in doubt, a responsible parent would have asked.

Oloyede said the age of the pregnancy could not be immediately determined but said he believed it must have been about six weeks old.

He also said there was no evidence that there had been an attempt to abort the pregnancy but that the victims fallopian tube ruptured as a result of the ectopic pregnancy.

The doctor explained that he would be happy to assist the police in their investigation.

The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Olarinde Famous-Cole, who confirmed that Daniel was still in custody and being quizzed, said the doctor would be invited.

He said, The investigation will definitely involve the hospital. The pastor has made some confessional statements.

Investigation is ongoing to determine where and when each of the alleged acts took place.Investigators would be conducting a search on the house of the pastor also.

Loading...
Home | News | General | We have no reason to import essential foodstuffs - President Buhari speaks about his achievement in agriculture sector

- President Buhari said his administration was helping agriculture develop

- He noted that eight rice mills have been built in two years

- He called on Nigerians to embrace agriculture

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration has done well in the area of agriculture noting that eight rice mills have been built which is an average of two per annum.

The president made this comment when he spoke at a meeting with key stakeholders in the rice value chain at the presidential villa, Abuja.

READ ALSO: President Buhari sacks Amnesty Programme co-ordinator

President Buhari said previous administrations only built an average of two mills per year.

He said: When we came in 2015, there were thirteen rice mills in Nigeria. Twelve of these were built between 2009 and 2015. This was an average of two mills per annum.

But my team and I felt more could be done. And we put in place measures and policies to unlock the potential of this sector and thus, increase the rate of investments.

You will all recall that in November 2015, I was in Birnin Kebbi to launch the CBNs Anchor Borrowers program and also kick off the dry season rice farming. Since then, the Vice President and I have commissioned a record number of agricultural projects and programs. From rice to wheat, to cashew, to animal feed, to fertiliser, to drinks processing and many more.

And very soon, I will also be commissioning a sugar estate. These projects are all over the country and worth billions of Naira. Clearly, our policies are working.

From your presentation today, you have shown that between 2016 and 2018, eight new rice mills have come on stream. This is equivalent to four new mills per annum. Our paddy production and productivity have also doubled compared to 2014 levels.

This achievement just confirms what we all know. That when Nigerians are committed to executing a task, it gets done.

The President noted sadly that a lot of Nigerians were abandoning agriculture.

He said: Not too long ago, our nation was predominantly driven by the rural economy. Indeed, Nigerias backbone was built by the farmers.

Somehow, we as a society abandoned the Agriculture sector of our economy. Agriculture became an afterthought and we forced our farmers into poverty.

Thankfully, Nigerians have now woken up to the fact that it is an embarrassment for us, as a nation, to import most of what we eat, given the great natural gifts of our country.

We have the fertile land, we have water and the manpower to feed ourselves. Therefore, we have no reason to import essential foodstuffs.

I am particularly proud of how the narrative has changed. Agriculture is now seen as a financially viable sector. Many Nigerians, especially the youth, are choosing agriculture, as a profession.

We have former Governors, Ministers, legislators and major entrepreneurs moving into agriculture. Not as a hobby. But as a viable business that will generate income.

Your commitment has guaranteed that the 11 million Nigerian farmers will remain employed. And I want to assure all of you that this Government will not let you down. We will also do our bit to ensure you are able to sell quality Nigerian rice at an affordable price.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urged Audu Ogbeh, the minister of agriculture, to apologise to the people and resign after falsifying claims on Thailand shutting down its rice mills as a result of drop in importation of rice by Nigeria

PDP's national publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Friday, March 9, said Ogbeh should immediately toe the path of honour and resign for portraying Nigeria as a lying nation.

The minister had claimed that a Thailand diplomat told him that President Muhammadu Buharis policy of reducing importation of rice and encouraging local production led to the collapse of seven rice mills in Thailand.

Ebonyi state, Nigeria and West Africa's food capital on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Austen-Peters, Semenitari, others speak at Verdant series

THE seventh edition of the annual Verdant Zeal Marketing Communications Group innovation series holding this month will feature Bolanle Austen-Peters; Ibim Semenitari and Tunji Olugbodi as speakers.

Bolanle Austen-Peters is the Founder of Terra Kulture, who CNN described as the woman powering the Nigerian theatre, while Ibim Semenitari, is the first Nigerian female journalist to win the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award.

Also to speak at the event are Dr. Ibilola Amao, Principal Consultant at Lonadek, Ade Adefeko, Vice President Corporate & Government Relations, OLAM Nigeria, Yahaya Maikori, Founding Partner, Law Allianz and others.

The programme, themed Building Africas Fortune Through Mediatainment, is to take place on March 22.

Speaking, the Convener of programme and Executive Vice Chairman of Verdant Zeal Group, Dr. Tunji Olugbodi, noted that the narrative about Africa had been changing because of the evolution experienced in the creative industry, engendered by technology.

According to him, it is imperative to have a great understanding of how to create content and distribute it to consumers across the globe.

This edition of the series will chart a course towards harnessing the power of African content to create new narratives and revenue streams.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Panel says impunity rampant in UML

Ruling CPN-UMLs Central Discipline Commission (CDC) Tuesday said impunity is rampant within the partys committees, as the leadership has failed to check immoral activities.
Home | News | General | Varsity don hails FGs increase of alcohol, tobacco tax

By Chinenyeh Ozor

NSUKKAA senior lecturer at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Dr. Ezebuilo Ukwueze, has applauded the Federal Government for increasing excise duty on alcoholic beverages and tobacco.

Ukwueze, who is in the Department of Economics, told Vanguard in Nsukka, yesterday that the increase would improve internally generated revenue, IGR, economic growth of the country and reduce the consumption of the products and its health related diseases.

I commend the FG for increasing the excise duty on alcoholic beverages and tobacco. Its a welcome development. This increase will not only generate revenue for government but will also reduce the intake of the products and its harmful effects on consumers, he said.

He said that as a result of the tariff increase, producers and dealers of the products will definitely increase the market price of the products and because of increase in price, people will be forced to reduce their rate of consumption.

He explained that someone who takes four bottles of beer in a day would be compelled to come down to two bottles because of the cost implication, as the price of the products rise.

What the FG has done will go a long way to discourage people from consumption of the products which is hazardous to human health, he said.

The university don decried the high consumption rate of alcoholic drinks and cigarettes in the country especially among youths, saying that government decision was in right direction for life longevity.

Some youths cashes on lack of job to be addicted alcohol and other drugs harmful to health.

Most youths have been lured to various degrees of crime under the influence of alcohol and other related vices while others suffer serious health diseases because of addiction to alcohol and cigarettes among others.

Generation yet unborn will remain grateful to the present administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, for the bold decision that will help reduce alcohol intake and cigarettes smoking in this country, he noted.

It would be recalled that, Federal Government on March 4, approved increase on excise duty for alcohol beverages and tobacco, which it said would take effect from June 4, 2018

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Group sues Catholic bishop, cleric, others over proposed varsity

By Chinenyeh Ozor

NSUKKAA factional group at Nguru community in Nsukka local government area of Enugu state has sued the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Rev. Prof Godfrey Onah, the Spiritual Director of Okunerere Adoration Ministry Rev. Fr. Paul Martins Obayi and elders of the community over a proposed private university in the area.

Fr. Obayi of the famous Okunere Adoration Ministry had approached the community for plots of land to establish the university which was said to have been approved after due process by the community.

Catholic bishops

However, a factional group of the community laying claim to ownership of the land dragged the clerics and elders of the community to court for trespass on their land.

Vanguard gathered that the community, after the elders were served court summon convened a general meeting of the 10 villages that make up Nguru community where it was resolved to stand in support of the establishment of the university in the area.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after the meeting, the eldest man of the community, Edeoga Ekete Onyishi said it was a taboo for a child to sue his father in court over land, maintaining that the community willfully allotted the plots of land to Fr. Obayi for the purpose of establishing a university in the community.

It is surprising that some people from the same community, about 21 of them ganged up, conspired among themselves to sue the Catholic Bishop, Fr. Obayi and elders of the community while laying false claims to the ownership of the ancestral land of the community he said.

Fr. Obayi who equally hailed from Nguru community approached the community in accordance with the custom and traditions of the community before the land was allotted for the purpose of the university to be established in the area

He called on the factional group to withdraw the suit and follow the line of peace for the development of the community, pointing out that the 21 factional group may be ex-communicated if they fail to abide by the general decisions of the community.

Also speaking Me Ernest Obayi said that it was madness on the side of the factional group to take the entire community to court, explaining that Nguru general assembly met and approved the plots of land while some cabals in the community conspired to wage trouble to scuttle the good intentions of the cleric.

The community had earlier set up peace committee that came up with a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the host community and Fr. Obayi for the purpose of the university in the area. Some of the factional group were members of the peace committee but later pulled out to sow seeds of discord to stop the developmental project of the cleric. he noted.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | IGP Idris shuns pressmen after meeting Buhari

The presidency, on Tuesday, summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for questioning over why he breached President Muhammadu Buharis order to relocate to Benue following the January 1 killings in the state.

President Buhari received Idris in a private audience. And Idris left about 30 minutes after, without speaking to pressmen.

President Buhari and IG of Police

President Buhari had on Jan. 9 ordered the Inspector-General to move to Benue to check the reported cases of attacks on innocent citizens.

However, President Buhari who was on an official visit to Benue on Monday in continuation of his tour of troubled areas in the country was told by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue that the Inspector-General refused to obey his directive.

Ortom, who is not a fan of Idris, alleged that Idris only spent 24 hours in Benue, and later moved to neigbouring Nasarawa state.

The president demanded for a full report on police operations till date after which he will make further decisions, a source told newsmen.

There is a renewed resolve to make sure that the killings and bad security situation in Benue State abates, the source further said.

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu confirmed the meeting but refused to disclose details.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | 2019: Obasanjo group denies endorsing SDP as its platform

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJAAHEAD of the 2019 general elections, former President Olusegun Obasanjos Coalition for Nigeria Movement, CNM, yesterday, said the speculation that the movement has adopted Social Democratic Party, SDP, as its political platform was not true.

A statement signed by a member of National Steering Committee, Omoruyi Edoigiwerie, in Abuja, read in part: The attention of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement, CNM, has been drawn to the speculation that it has endorsed the Social Democratic Party, SDP, as its political platform.

Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo

It is imperative to categorically state that such insinuation is completely false. We urge all Nigerians to disregard it, as CNM is not in collaboration with SDP for any purpose.

While we understand the yearning of Nigerians for a credible political alternative, it is imperative that such an alternative is not imposed on Nigerians, but that it is instead a product of our collective decision and aspiration.

At this time as a nation, we are not in doubt as to the myriad issues that affect us and the need to resolve them.

However, if we are to surmount avoidable challenges, then there is a need to ensure that the issues that have brought us to where we are as a nation are adequately captured and a strategic and concise plan mapped out to give every Nigerian, irrespective of tribal or religious leanings, a sense of belonging as we work to help Nigeria take its rightful place among the comity of nations.

To achieve this, we cannot afford to leave any Nigerian behind, particularly our women and youth. The Coalition for Nigeria Movement has since its inception provided a strong platform for Nigerians to converge, voice their frustrations and challenges, and collectively chart our direction as a nation.

This is an ongoing process and we will not be hounded into making divisive and ill informed decisions to satisfy people who have directly or indirectly contributed to our national malaise and decline.

At the right time, which will be very soon, the Movement as a team will make an announcement on its strategic plan that will leave no Nigerian in doubt of where we stand, and most importantly, the plan will be one that will not leave any Nigerian without hope of a viable future in a safe and prosperous Nigeria.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | MPC: Senate makes U-turn on confirmation of CBN dep govs

By Henry Umoru

ABUJATHE Senate, yesterday, made U-turn on its earlier position not to screen nominees for Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Board.

The upper chamber said it agreed to consider and confirm the nominees for the position of deputy governors as members of Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, to guard against a total collapse of the economy.

According to the Senate, the move to have a change of heart is to enable Monetary Policy Committee, MPC, of the CBN continue to direct the affairs of the apex bank and for it to meet this month.

Senate

Prior to taking the decision, the Senators had gone into an executive session where the issue was said to have been discussed to save the country from any embarrassment and for the overall interest of the people.

The Senate noted that the MPC was made up of 12 members, comprising seven from the private sector and five inside the CBN.

It also noted that currently, only three of them were valid, since the tenure of others expired last December.

The upper chamber stressed that lack of composition, however, led to the MPC meeting not being held January 22 and 23, with the next meeting fixed for March 19 and 20.

The resolution of the Senate was sequel to a point of order by Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and Other Financial Institutions, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (APC, Kwara South), who pleaded that the non-composition of the board was affecting the economy, stressing that the board could not meet for lack of quorum.

In his remarks, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who presided, said: Let me acknowledge and thank my colleagues for the statesmanship role you continue to play. This has been a chamber that has always been for the issue of the economy, and for us to do all it takes to continue to ensure we see investments, ease of doing business and give confidence. Inasmuch as we continue to defend the institutions and the constitution, it is time we looked at the priorities and understand what is important.

Also contributing, Deputy Senate President, Dr Ike Ekweremadu, said: A wise man is a man who has to change his mind if he has to. It is important we reconsider our stand in respect of our earlier decision on confirmation. Let us make an exception on the issue of MPC. We should make this exception so that our economy does not collapse.

It will be recalled that the Senate, in October, received the nomination of Mrs. Aisha Ahmad as a Deputy Governor of the CBN and President Muhammadu Buhari equally nominated members of the Monetary Policy Committee of the CBN.

The nominees, who are to replace four members whose tenure expired at the end of last year, include Professor Adeola Festus Adenikinju; Dr Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi; Dr Robert Chikwendu Asogwa and Dr Asheikh A. Maidugu.

A statement by the Presidency on October 5 indicated that the nomination was In accordance with the provisions of Section 8(1) (2) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Act 2007.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | FCT-NIPR emerges best chapter

The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, has named the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, chapter as the Overall Best Performing Chapter for 2017.

In a statement by the spokesperson of FCT-NIPR, Mr. Stanley Ogadigo, the chapter emerged the winner after the institutes Governing Councils rigorous process of critical evaluation and ranking of all chapters programmes and activities.

He stated that the award came as a result of hard work, commitment to quality service delivery and consistency in walking the path of professionalism and excellence.

Speaking on the award, Chairman of the FCT chapter, Mr. Tayo Haastrup, noted that the award was in line with his administrations resolve to position the FCT as the flagship chapter of the Institute.

He further remarked that the award is a confirmation that NIPRs Governing Council is alive to its responsibility of monitoring the activities of the various chapters across the country.

He also attributed the success of the chapter to the efforts of members, while he listed some of the notable achievements to include the high quality of the chapters 2016 and 2017 Annual General Meetings/conferences; the coming on board of the PR Monthly, which has become the pride of the Institute, quality programmes and stakeholders engagement for the progress of the Institute; and a very cordial relationship that exists between the chapters leadership and members who he described as unique, active and robust practitioners with passion for the profession, among other factors.

Commending the effort of his team, Haastrup pointed out that the chapters Executive members are the backbone and critical element in the success story, stressing that they are a team of great minds with high level of understanding.

He said: We think, reason and implement together in promotion of PR ideals and principles.

Haastrup restated his commitment to sustaining the achievements of the chapter and maintain its leading role as the best in the coming years.

He also promised to consolidate on structures and gain more grounds to promote the ideals of the profession in the FCT and beyond.

He also commended the visionary leadership of President of the Institute, Mr. Rotimi Oladele, and the Governing Council for the recognition and support for the chapter; and for seeing to the growth of the Institute, as he looked forward to sustainable leadership and greater heights for the profession.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Evans Sues Police, Demands N1bn Damages Over Sealed Property

The applicant is seeking a declaration that the forceful seizure, confiscation and sealing of his property by the respondents without any court order is illegal, wrongful and unconstitutional.

Alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, a.k.a Evans , on Tuesday filed a fresh suit at a Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking N1 billion damages against the Police over alleged unlawful sealing of his property in Lagos.

The suit, filed by his lawyer, Mr Olukoya Ogungbeje, has as the Inspector General of Police , Nigeria Police , Inspector General of Police , Intelligence Response Team, (IRT) , ACP Abba Kyari and DSP Phillip Rieninwa as respondents.

The applicant is seeking a declaration that the forceful seizure, confiscation and sealing of his property by the respondents without any court order is illegal, wrongful and unconstitutional.

He wants an order compelling the respondents jointly and severally to immediately and unconditionally release the properties as listed in the motion papers.

In addition, is asking the court for an order compelling the respondents to immediately and unconditionally unseal and vacate the applicants two residential houses located at highbrow area of Magodo in Lagos.

Other reliefs are an order compelling the respondents to severally and jointly tender an apology to the applicant and to pay him the sum of N1 billion being general and exemplary damages for the alleged forceful seizure and confiscation of the applicants property without court order.

A perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from tampering or taking any action against the applicant or any of his properties in relation to this case.

Some of the properties listed in the application include N50 million cash, two residential duplex, brigade wrist-watch worth 170,000 dollars, a phone worth 30,000 dollars and five pieces of Saphono Rucci Diamond rings worth 100,000 dollars.

Others are three Italian travel bags worth 55,000 dollars, 10 Spanish shoes each worth N2.5 million, 20 KVA inverter set worth N10 million, two sets of dinning table worth N8 million.

The applicant also wants N4 million as cost of action against the respondents.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Evans was arraigned by the police before a Lagos High Court in October 2017 on a 40-count charge bordering on kidnapping, robbery among other offences.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit which was filed on Tuesday about 11.35 a.m.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
The Peoples Democratic Party, National Council of Tiv Youths and Middle Belt Youth Council have said that President Muhammadu Buhari has not been effectively monitoring security problems in the country.

The groups stated this on Tuesday, when they commented on the Presidents remark in Benue State, that he was not aware that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, did not obey his order.

Buhari had in January ordered the IGP to relocate to Benue State following the killings by herdsmen in the state.

On Monday, stakeholders, at a meeting in Makurdi, told the President that the police boss did not spend 24 hours in the state.

The PDP, in a statement on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, criticised the President for trying to pass the buck to the IGP.

The party stated that the development had exposed Buharis lack of direct commitment to the security of Nigerians.

He said, Nigerians have completely lost hope in President Muhammadu Buhari and his incompetent administration.

By stating that he was unaware that the IGP only spent 24 hours in Benue State, Mr. President has confirmed that he has not been effectively monitoring the handling of the security situation of our nation.

This places a huge question mark on the regular assurances issued from the Presidency on security. For our party, the PDP, the expression of President Buhari has once again vindicated our position that our nation has been placed on autopilot with a cabal pretending to be managing our affairs.

The party said Buhari had indicted himself, adding that such an unpardonable attitude to governance was directly responsible for the Buhari governments below average performance on the economy.

The main opposition party asked the President to tell Nigerians how he reprimanded Idris in the past.

It stated, Indeed, Nigerians need to know; what exactly did President Buhari, as the Commander-in-Chief, do when he realised that the IGP did not carry out his orders? We demand a direct answer from the Presidency.

The fact is that there is no sense of remorse by the government as the President himself spent only two hours in Benue State without visiting the victims or even making any direct policy statement on those behind the killings and how to forestall future bloodletting. Rather, in the character of this government, Mr. President engaged in yet another blame game instead of facing issues.

If the Presidency is not committed to monitoring critical issues such as security, then Nigerians are no longer in doubt as to why other sectors, particularly our once robust economy, had gone comatose under the Buhari administration.

The party added that Nigerians were miffed that while the killings had yet to abate, the President announced his plans to return to Benue State to seek for another round of votes.

The action, he said, showed clinically that the President was truly not aware that Nigerians had since abandoned him in his state of unawareness.

On his part, the President of the National Council of Tiv Youths, Chief John Akperashi, said Buharis statement was highly regrettable.

He stated, If indeed he was sincere about that statement, it then goes to expose the Presidents colossal shortcomings and apparent security failure.

It should indeed be worrisome and Nigerians should be concerned collectively that the security of their nation which should be paramount is brazenly undermined under this administration of President Buhari.

Also, the President of the Middle Belt Youth Council, Emma Zopmal, said the visit was to test Buharis popularity.

He said, Sensitive issues like this should not be taken with levity by Mr. President. In another case, it also means he does not really care about the whole dastardly situation that claimed lives and property of these innocent citizens.

This levity on the side of Mr. President could be responsible for his absence at the mass burial of our people and without any representation.
President Muhammadu Buhari wil today meet with parents of the 110 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram on February 19 in Dapchi, Yobe State.

They will be among the stakeholders at the parley in the Yobe State Government House in Damaturu during a one-day presidential visit.

Buhari has visited Taraba, Plateau and Benue states, where killings by herdsmen took place. He is also due to visit Niger State tomorrow.

Yobe government officials said yesterday that the President is not likely to visit Dapchi, unless there is a last-minute change in plans.

Some of the parents confirmed to our source yesterday that they had been invited to the Government House in Damaturu for the meeting.

For us the parents of the missing girls, Our message to him is very clear; he should ensure that our daughters return safe and on time to us, one of the parents said.

President Buhari on Monday told outgoing United State Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, that he preferred to negotiate the release of the girls rather than a military option.

The chairman of the Forum of Dapchi Abducted School Girls Parents, Bashir Manzo, said yesterday.

Yes, we have been contacted to meet with the President tomorrow in Damaturu. I am leaving Dapchi today to sleep in Damaturu.

He also urged the president to work fast in trying to rescue their daughters and reunite them with their parents.

There was heavy security in Damaturu yesterday ahead of the visit.

A detachment of security personnel including army, police and Civil Defence Corps were deployed in strategic locations.

The August 27 Stadium where the president is expected to land from an Air force helicopter enroute Maiduguri International Airport had been taken over by security with Armored Carriers mounted at the front of the stadium.

Some of the parents spoke on their expectations in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu.

Manzo the chairman said to negotiate the release is a welcome development and we are happy about it.

Use of force, as the only option, will result in death of many of the girls while negotiation provides for their safe return.

The chairman, who encouraged government to go for dialogue to hasten return of the girls, said the fact that the insurgents provide room for negotiation gives us hope for safe return of our daughters.

Alhaji Baba Shehu, Secretary Dapchi Youth Development Association, also described the negotiation option as a healthy development.

Government should deploy resources at its disposal to take this advantage and ensure safe return of the girls he said.

Alhaji Ali Mohammed, a father of eight of the students, described negotiation as the only safe option for the insurgents to release the girls, saying he was happy government had considered this option of negotiation.

Maryam Alkali, a mother, said every mother would appreciate the option that will bring the girls back home safely.

Let me state without fear of contradiction that every mother of the abducted girls will now have a strong hope for reunion with these girls she said.

Malam Mustapha Imam, another parent, said If government had resorted to military option alone, it may jeopardize the safety of the girls, so the option of negotiation is a welcome development.

He however called on government to take strong precautionary measures in safeguarding every school in the country, especially those in the Northeast.

Government has to invest heavily on security, especially in equipment, manpower and intelligence gathering for improved security, Imam said
Police arrest four CPN activists on charges of attacking mayor

Police arrested four activists of Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) in connection to the attack on Mamata Prasad Chaudhary, the mayor of Ghodaghodi Municipality in Kailali. The detained CPN activists are the district secretariat members of the party.
Home | News | General | Shell, Eni preempt any US probe over Nigeria with filings

LONDON Oil giants, Royal Dutch Shell and Eni, have voluntarily filed to US authorities internal probes into how they acquired a giant field in Nigeria as the companies seek to fight corruption allegations in Europe and Africa.

According to Reuters, the filings, to the US Department of Justice, DOJ, and Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, do not mean US authorities are investigating Shell or Eni.

But the move shows the companies are trying to preempt questions from the United States as they face one of the oil industrys biggest-ever graft trials in Italy, to begin in May in Milan, a pending trial in Nigeria and an investigation in the Netherlands.

The case revolves around the purchase of a huge block off oil-rich Nigeria, known as OPL 245, which holds an estimated 9 billion barrels in reserves.

Italian prosecutors alleged that bribes were paid in an effort to secure rights to the block in 2011. A number of top executives from both companies, including Eni Chief Executive, Claudio Descalzi, and former Shell Foundation Chairman, Malcolm Brinded, will face trial.

Both companies shares are traded on US stock exchanges, putting their foreign dealings in the scope of US authorities.

Shell and Eni, on behalf of subsidiaries, in 2010 entered deferred prosecution agreements with the DOJ over separate Nigerian corruption allegations.

Those pacts dismissed charges after a certain period in exchange for fines and an agreement to fulfill a number of requirements. They concluded in 2013 and 2012, respectively.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Why Buhari rejected assent to polls re-ordering bill

Says amendment will infringe on INECs powers

Senators commence moves to override Presidents veto

NASS will do the needful in the best interest of Nigeria Abaribe

President ought to sign bill to deepen democracy  PDP, SDP

By Henry Umoru, Dapo Akinrefon, Levinus Nwabughiogu & Dirisu Yakubu

ABUJASTRONG indications emerged yesterday that another crisis may be looming between the Presidency and the legislative arm of government, as President Muhammadu Buhari has written the Senate, declining assent to the new amendment to the Electoral Act, which seeks to re-order the sequence of polls during 2019 general elections.

President Buhari

President Buhari in a letter to the Senate, read by Senate President, Bukola Saraki, at plenary yesterday, said it became imperative for him to withhold assent to the bill because it will infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to organize, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statute to the Constitution.

He wrote a similar letter to the House of Representatives, stating the same reasons for refusing to assent to the bill.

According to the President in the letter dated March 8, 2018, the Senate and the National Assembly in general, got it wrong in the amendment to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election might be challenged by candidates, and that it has limited the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process.

Buhari told the Senate that he vetoed the amendment, especially that of Section 152 Sub-section ( 3)-(5) of the Principal Act because it raises constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections.

Buharis letter to NASS

The two-page letter, entitled Presidential Decision to decline Assent to the Electoral ( Amendment) Bill, 2018, read: Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate, my decision, on 3rd March, 2018, to decline Presidential Assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly.

Some of my reasons include the following: The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act, may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to organize, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statute to the constitution;

The amendment to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process;

The amendment to Section 152 Sub-section ( 3)-(5) of the Principal Act may raise Constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections. Please accept, Distinguished Senators, the assurances of my highest consideration.

The NASS bill

Recall that the Senate had on Wednesday, February 14, approved an amendment to the electoral process which places the Presidential election as the last of the polls to be conducted in the country, while that of the National Assembly will hold first, followed by gubernatorial and state houses of assembly polls.

The bill had been passed and concurred with by the two chambers of the National Assembly.

Asked to speak on the letter, Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Aliyu Abdullahi, said it was not different from other rejected bills, but was quick to add that the Senate will look at and adopt it.

Also speaking with journalists on the development, Chairman, South-East Senate Caucus and spokesperson of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Senate caucus, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South, said: Senate and the House of Representatives will do the needful because we believe that what we have done is in the best interest of Nigeria.

Crisis looms

With the crisis looming, the upper chamber of the National Assembly may be poised to exercise its veto powers now that President Buhari has withdrawn assent to the bill.

A senator, who spoke with Vanguard on grounds of anonymity, said: We are serious about this issue and we are not ready to reverse it. Now that Mr. President has rejected the bill, we are ready to override his veto. I can assure you that in both chambers of the National Assembly, we will get the required two-thirds majority to override the veto.

Recall that the amendment provides that Section 25 of the Electoral Act be substituted with a new Section 25 as thus: 25 (1) Elections into the offices of the president and vice president, the governor and deputy governor of a state, and to the membership of the Senate, the House of Representatives and Houses of Assembly of each state of the Federation shall be held in the following order: (a) National Assembly election, (b) State Houses of Assembly and governorship elections (c) presidential election.

The dates for the above stated primaries shall not be held earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days before the date of elections to the offices.

Similarly, an amendment to Section 92 (2) provides that the N1billion limit of expenses to be incurred by a presidential candidate be raised to N5bn, while Section 92 (3) is amended to substitute the figure N200m with N1bn as expenses for a governorship candidate.

Another amendment to Section 36 will allow a running mate to a candidate that dies before the conclusion of an election to inherit the votes of a dead candidate.

A new Section 36 (3) states that: If during the commencement of the poll but before the conclusion of the elections for the office of the president or governor of a state, one of the nominated candidates of a political party dies, the commission shall allow the running mate, that is the partys vice presidential candidate or deputy gubernatorial candidate to continue and conclude the poll, and should he score the majority of the votes cast in accordance with the constitution, be declared the winner of the said election.

Also section 138. -(1) reads that An election may be questioned on any of the following grounds, that is to say: a) that a person whose election is questioned was, at the time of the election, not qualified to contest the election; b) that the election was invalid by reason of corrupt practices or noncompliance with the provisions of this Act; c) that the respondent was not duly elected by majority of lawful votes cast at the election; or d) that the petitioner or its candidate was validly nominated but was unlawfully excluded from the election.

 2) An act or omission which may be contrary to an instruction or directive of the Commission or of an officer appointed for the purpose of the election but which is not contrary to the provisions of this Act shall not of itself be a ground for questioning the election.

But during the amendment at plenary last month, the relative peace that the 8th Senate had been enjoying in the last one year, was threatened, following disagreements over new amendment to the Electoral Act regarding election sequence in the 2019 general elections as some senators kicked against the process.

The protest over the bill

The protest was a follow up to the consideration of the report on a Bill for an Act to amend the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 and Electoral Act (Amendment) Act 2015 to provide for a time line for submission of list of candidates, sequence of elections and political party primaries, use of technological devices among others.

Chairman of the Joint Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif, APC, Bauchi North, who presented the conference report on behalf of the 12 senators and House of Representatives, had said the Conference Committee recommends that the Senate and the House of Representatives do consider and approve the conference committee report on a bill for an act to amend the Electoral Act No. 6, 2010 and Electoral (Amendment) Act 2015.

Other members of Conference Committee are Senators Shehu Sani, APC, Kaduna Central; Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West; Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP, Delta North; Biodun Olujimi, PDP, Ekiti South and Hope Uzodinma, PDP, Imo West.

Members from the House of Representatives include Pwajok Edward Gyang as Co- Chairman; Onyenwife Gabriel; Bassey Eko Ewa; Mohammed Tahie Monguno; Mohammed Soba and Ajayi Adeyinka.

Senators commence moves to override Buharis veto

But Vanguard gathered that at the closed session of the senators, the matter of the vetoed bill came up, but was not discussed exhaustively.

A source at the executive session disclosed that Senate President, Bukola Saraki, alerted his colleagues that the bill had been rejected by the President and that the senate would need to take another look at the bill.

The senators were said to have resolved to get further clarifications from the Legal Department of the National Assembly before going ahead with the planned override of the veto.

Meanwhile, it was also gathered that no fewer than 65 senators have signed up to join in the battle to override the presidents veto, just as 43 senators of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are said to be solidly backing the decision to override the veto, while so far 22 senators of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are said to be supporting the idea.

The source said: We are seeking like nine members to join the race so that we can get the required 73 senators needed to override the veto.

It was also gathered that senators, who are loyal to the Senate President, have decided to bring back the rested Senators of Like Minds, which projected the Senate President for the position in 2015.

A source said that originally, members of the Like Minds are in excess of 35 senators, but that a number of lawmakers were sitting on the fence, even as it was also gathered that of the 24 senators who constituted the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), some were also sitting on the fence, thus making the task difficult at the moment for the APC.

According to the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly requires two- third before it can override the presidential veto.

PDP slams Presidency

Meanwhile, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in its reaction yesterday, took a swipe at President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to sign the sequence of election bill into law.

The party said the refusal of the President to append his signature to the bill was a pointer to his fears on the fate that awaited him in the 2019 Presidential election.

In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party tasked the federal parliamentarians to take their final decision on the matter, saying it was not afraid of its chances in the general elections.

The PDP believes in democracy and subscribes to all its tenets, including respect for the powers of the National Assembly to make laws and to amend such laws as occasion demands.

In the light of this development, the PDP, and, indeed, all well-meaning Nigerians, now eagerly await the final decision of the National Assembly on this amendment.

As a party, we are not afraid of the 2019 general elections because we know that Nigerians have already rejected President Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress, APC.

Against this backdrop, the PDP will provide all the members of our great party a level playing ground to choose a Presidential candidate in a National Convention that promises to be open, free, fair, credible and transparent.

We know that with the support of Nigerians, any candidate that emerges on our platform ahead of 2019 will clinically defeat President Buhari at the polls and lead our nation back to the path of progress, national cohesion and a vibrant economy, the statement read.

He ought to sign

Reacting to the Presidents refusal to sign the amended 2018 Electoral Act, National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Olu Falae, said the President ought to have signed the bill to deepen the nations democracy.

Falae said: Well, he (Buhari) has a right but in my view, the sequence presented by the National Assembly is correct sequence. We should all do our best to nurture democracy. If you start the elections with the Presidential election, once the result is declared, the band wagon effect will follow; most of the smaller parties will not win anything.

Every Nigerian wants to be on the winning side but if we are sincere and want democracy to be our culture, we should start with the House of Assembly, where there will be chances for the smaller parties to win something in their respective areas. That will help democracy to grow. That is my reason for saying that the President ought to have signed the law and encourage democracy to grow.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Nigeria needs N2.88 trillion annually to make clean water accessible to citizens - UNICEF

- N2.88 trillion is needed annually to make portable water accessible to all Nigerians, UNICEF has said

- The international agency said 25% of the Nigerian population still practise open defecation

- Lai Mohammed also said the federal government is committed to ending open defecation in Nigeria

The federal government has promised to end open defecation in Nigeria by 2030, the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, said on Tuesday, March 13.

Mohammed said the federal government in collaboration with state governments is working to endure that Nigerians practise safe and healthy defecation across the country.

Speaking during a media dialogue on water supply and sanitation sector reform project workshop, organized by the federal ministry of information in conjunction with UNICEF Nigeria in Jos, Plateau state capital city, Mohammed said efforts must be doubled to ensure an end to open defecation.

READ ALSO: Why we decamped from APC to PDP - 2000 aggrieved Kano defectors

Representative by the deputy director at the ministry, Olumide Osanyinpeju, the minister described open defecation is "incredibly dangerous".

He said: "Open defecation is incredibly dangerous, as contact with human waste can cause diseases such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, diarrhoea, worm infestation and under nutrition. We must double our current efforts in order to end open defecation by 2030."

Decrying the effect of open defecation and lack of access to portable water across Nigeria, Osanyinpeju said: "Without water, children cannot stay alive in any environment they live in."

He also urged the general public and the media to become involved in issues of good hygiene and abhor health endangering practises.

READ ALSO: Dapchi abduction: BBOG, Falana throw out 14 questions to FG, threaten to commence legal action within 7-days

"Good hygiene practices reduces the risk of all these water-borne disease," Mohammed.

Also speaking, the chief of Water and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for UNICEF Nigeria, Zaid Jurji, said sanitation is the responsibility of every household.

Jurji said that 88% of diseases like diarrhea are as a result of WASH practises that did not meet the standard.

Noting that the number of Nigerians who lack access to portable water is half the population of Canada, Jurji said $8 million (N2.88 billion) is need annually to make clean water available to Nigerians.

The UNICEF chief of WASH said it is important for Nigerian government at all level to commit to investing in water and sanitation as 25% of the countries population practise open defecation.

He added that for Nigeria to attain Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, UNICEF in partnership with the federal ministry of water Resources will begin a campaign to enlighten Nigerians on the importance of WASH standard practises.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!

NAIJ.com earlier that the federal government had announced that 46 million Nigerians indulge in open defecation.

The minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, during the official celebration of local government wide open defecation status by Dass local government area, Bauchi said, over two third of the Nigerian population lacked access to basic sanitation facilities.

Adamu also said that the federal government has made efforts to address the situation in the past but were met with little or absolutely no results in some cases.

What is working well and what needs improvement in Nigeria? On NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Benue saga: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders

- The inspector general of police was at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, March 13, morning

- It was gathered that the police boss was summoned by President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to relocate to Benue state as ordered

- According to a presidential source, the president expects the IGP to furnish him with reports on the Benue incidence since his order was given

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, March 13, summoned the inspector general of police, Ibrahim Idris, for flouting orders given to him on relocating to Benue state.

The president summoned the IGP to explain why he failed to relocate to Benue state to fast track the end of clashes and killing between herdsmen and farmers in the state.

Tribune reports that a top source at the presidency said the inspector general of police was at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday morning.

READ ALSO: Why we decamped from APC to PDP - 2000 aggrieved Kano defectors

The source said the president demanded to be provided with a full report on the crisis in Benue till date.

He said the report maybe the basis for the decision on the IGP's fate.

Police IG, Idris was the first caller this morning at the Presidential villa apparently to explain his flouting of the presidents order to remain in Benue at the height of the incidence between farmers and herdsmen.

President Buhari who is believed to have summoned the IG received him in a private audience.

The IG left about 30 minutes after without speaking to anyone.

READ ALSO: Dapchi abduction: BBOG, Falana throw out 14 questions to FG, threaten to commence legal action within 7-days

It is believed that the president demanded a full report on police operations till date after which he will make further decisions.

There is a renewed resolve to make sure that the killings and bad security situation in Benue state abates," the source said.

The visit of the IGP to the Presidential Villa was also confirmed by the senior special assistant to President Buhari on media and publicity Garba Shehu.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

NAIJ.com earlier reported that the president had said he was unaware that the inspector general of police flouted his order on his relocation to Benue state.

The president while paying a courtesy visit to the people of the state said he did the right thing by asking the police boss to move to Benue but never knew his orders were not carried out by Idris.

President Buhari also dismissed claims that he did not care or abandoned the people of Benue state since the crisis between the herdsmen and the farmers began.

Victims of Herdsmen killing buried in Benue state - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Dapchi abduction: BBOG, Falana throw out 14 questions to FG, threaten to commence legal action within 7-days

- The federal government have been issued a 7-day ultimatum by the Bring Back Our Girls group

The BBOG group led former minister of education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, said the federal government will be sued within seven days if it fails to provide answers to 14 question raised by it

- Ezekwesili said the federal government was been sued for criminal negligence which led to the abduction of the Dapchi girls

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group has served the federal government and President Muhammadu Buhari with a seven-day notice over the abduction of Dapchi schoolgirls.

The group said it will commence legal action against the federal government for criminal negligence which made room for the abduction of the schoolgirls by the Boko Haram terrorist group.

Speaking on Tuesday, March 13, during a rally by the BBOG, the group's lawyer, Femi Falana, said the Nigerian constitution has been breached by the federal government.

Falana said: "Subsection 14 of section 2 of the Nigerian constitution provides that the security and welfare of the Nigerian people shall be the primary purpose of governance."

"Two, Section 35 of the Constitution provides for the right to personal liberty, in other words, no citizen of Nigeria can be abducted or seized or even detained illegally without a reaction by the government.

So that duty has been breached in the case of the Chibok as well as the Dapchi girls; and why it is worse in this case as it has been made clear in the press conference is that, having regards to the facts and circumstances of the development in that part of the country, it is intolerable, it is unacceptable that the same manner of abduction took place," Falana said.

READ ALSO: Breaking: President Buhari sacks Amnesty Programme co-ordinator, orders full investigation

The senior lawyer said investigation by the group has revealed that there was no security for the schools in the north east, just like what happened in 2014 when over 200 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted.

Falana decried the consistent inability of the Nigerian government to punish impunity, stating that the ripple effect entail repetition of crisis that could have been avoided.

"Now we are being told that a committee has been set up by the same people, to do what, it can only be do cover up.

If you want to challenge what has been done, by now we expect the government to have fired those who were responsible," the senior lawyer added.

Also, the group said it is utterly shocking and disappointing that another terrorist abduction of schoolgirls is being alleged by the federal government to have taken place under its watch.

BBOG said: "How terribly embarrassing it is that within four years since the abduction of 276 ChibokGirls in April 2014 our country is again in the news for tragic reasons."

The abduction of 110 Secondary school girls of Government Girls Science and Technical Secondary School, Dapchi in Yobe State on February 19, 2018 is the worst form of a deja vu that our movement could have ever imagined at this time in our nearly four-year-old advocacy."

The BBOG further raised 14 question the federal government must answer on the recent abduction or face legal within seven days from today, March 13.

READ ALSO: 17% pass get 5 credits and above as WAEC releases 2018 results

Read BBOG's questions to FG below:

1. How was a terrorist group that the Federal Government has, over the last one year, and in fact only last week, informed the Nigerian Public it has 'completely defeated; still able to successfully launch an attack and abduct 110 schoolgirls in their school without any counteraction by the Nigeria military? How? How?

What happened to Early Warning Signal System as part of security architecture for areas like Dapchi in the theatre of war? We ask for #TheTruthAndNothingButTheTruth.

2. How could a school in northeast Nigeria - located in one of the three most terrorism-affected states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa - be so negligently abandoned without any form of security and surveillance and left vulnerable to the attack of February 19, 2018?

What happened to the Safe School Initiative that was signed on by the federal government in 2014 and to which it committed $10 million alongside other donations by the several donors, including the international community?

3. Why was there at first a denial of the abduction of our #DapchiGirls by officials of government? Where and how did the falsehood that no abduction took place at the time of the attack originate thereby leaving enough time for the abductors to succeed in disappearing with 110 school girls? Why did this deliberate attempt at a cover up of a humongous tragedy happen at all?

4. Following on 3 above, what was the basis and source of the false information to parents and the public that about half of our 110 #DapchiGirls had been rescued and in military custody when the government knew it to be lie?

5. Damaturu, the Yobe State capital, is only 110km from Dapchi; so we wonder why the governor, Ibrahim Geidam, failed to immediately travel to Dapchi for accurate information on the tragedy that occurred at the school?

READ ALSO: You need to arrest Obasanjo to show that you are truly fighting corruption - Kalu tells Buhari

What prevented the Federal Government military and security teams within Dapchi area from acting swiftly?

6. On what basis, and at whose instruction, was the Military withdrawn from Dapchi, and to whom did they hand over? Where is the evidence of a handover and to which equivalent force was the responsibility given?

7. How was it that the terrorists carried out their activity for hours unchallenged by forces of the federal government? Can we not assume a connivance between the abductors and all those in the military and security command with responsibilities for the Dapchi, Yobe state area?

8. How was it that 110 children were transported in a convoy of vehicles for more than twenty four hours over distance of hundreds of kilometers without their abductors encountering any Nigerian Military or police security roadblocks?

9. Why was there no air surveillance by the Nigeria Air Force which is still at the battle front? If any, how did the Nigerian Air Force fail to track the movement of the terrorists motorcade as they made away with our schoolgirls?

What happened to the recently commissioned Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) said to have been procured for such tracking purpose? What happened to our Intelligence assets - satellite links and military aircraft - that were procured to prevent and abort such scale of elaborate attack by terrorists?

10. Does the federal government fail to see how underwhelming its recent announcement of a committee to interrogate the Dapchi abduction is so much so that it only elicited tired yawns among members of the Nigerian public?

What is the worth of a committee of members of security establishments that failed to prevent the operation that led to the abduction of our DapchiGirls?

Why is another committee necessary when the federal government has blatantly refused to publish or act on the reports of previous committees like the June 2014 General M. Sabo Presidential Committee on Abduction of ChibokGirls?

What happened to the committee announced on 14 January 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari to again look into the abduction of our #ChibokGirls? Has that Committee ever met? What were its findings?

READ ALSO: Senate spokesperson reacts to President Buharis rejection of electoral act

11. Where is evidence of what constitutes a result-focused and sustained search and rescue operation by the federal government? Did the federal government not learn at all from the failures of its response to ChibokGirls abduction?

Is there currently a multinational sustained search and rescue operation launched for our DapchiGirls by the federal government or will that wait until after the anodyne committee it set up submits a report of its findings?

Have the federal government constituted a crack team to find and bring back our 112 ChibokGirls and their 110 DapchiGirls peers?

Has the federal government sought the support of countries with superior intelligence and rescue assets?

Again we ask, what should any reasonable person expect from the painfully familiar bureaucratic committee of the federal government of Nigeria that appears to be the only tangible measure the government has so far taken concerning DapchiGirls?

12. How does President Muhammadu Buhari justify the fact that only a few days after the abduction of 110 Dapchi school girls as a result of the gross negligence of his government, he was busy publicly politicking with his allies, seemingly giving priority to his re-election bid while 110 parents were wailing for their children?

Was it that the President had not been informed of the tragedy at that time, or that there was hardly any concern for the fate of the abducted school girls as has been the case in all other tragedies that have happened under his watch?

13. When shall President Muhammadu Buhari address the parents of DapchiGirls and the Nigerian Public on the plans of his federal government to immediately bring back the missing school girls?

When shall the president provide progress report on the plans of his government to bring back our remaining 112 ChibokGirls before April 14, 2014 which is the 4th anniversary of their abduction?

14. Finally, we suspect that there is a deliberate high level attempt to cover up the actions and inaction that led to the abduction of our 110 #DapchiGirls on the 19th February, 2018. We have seen the canvass and trail of contradictory statements and media spinning.

So we ask the federal government why all these lies? Why is there so much falsehood around this tragedy? Why the cover up?

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

"While we wait for the federal governments response to our fourteen questions, our movement - #BringBackOurGirls - hereby issues a 7-day (one-week) notice to the federal government to without further delay bring back our 112 #ChibokGirls and the 110 #DapchiGirls failure of which shall necessitate," the BBOG concluded.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that some parents of the girls abducted in Dapchi on Tuesday, March 13, commended the president for considering a negotiation option with the terrorists group.

The parents appealed to the president not to use military force as a means of rescuing the abducted schoolgirls.

They said the option of a negotiation for the release of the girls have raised their hopes on the safe return of their daughters.

Boko Haram Kidnappings: Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? - NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | No end in sight for Ex-Nigeria Airways workers over severance pay

By Victor Ahiuma-Young

THERE appears to be no end in sight for ex-Nigeria Airways workers for the payment of their terminal benefits seven months after N45 billion was approved by the Federal Government to pay their severance benefits.

The aggrieved pensioners have reiterated their plea to the Minister of Finance to release the money to pay them for them to take care of their medical and other needs.

As at last month, it was gathered that no fewer than 900 pensioners of the defunct Nigeria Airways, have died while waiting for payment of their terminal benefits.

Chairman of Nigeria Airways branch of the Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, Mr Sam Ezene, told Pension and You that the pensioners had been left in the cold as the Ministry of Finance had kept mute over the matter.

He said: We are still waiting on the Minister of Finance to release the N45 billion approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Federal Executive Council, FEC, since September 2017. We have written several letters and embarked on protests including the one last month.

We are still waiting to hear from the Finance Minister because she is the one that can release the money. For now, we have been left in the cold as members continue to suffer untoward hardship.

Many of our colleagues, you are aware, have died, some are on sick bed, some have been left to die on the streets and some have no homes to retire to. It has been one problem after another. Many of us need medical attention, but there is no money. That is the situation we are in.

It will be recalled that Mr. Ezene had disclosed that over 900 members had died while awaiting the payment of their severance benefits, lamenting that one other Airways pensioner died in the morning of February 6, before the commencement of the pensioners protest against unpaid N45 billion approved by the Federal Government to pay their severance benefits.

According to him: Over 900 of our members have unfortunately died since the battle started.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Why we engaged NYSC doctors  KOGI govt

By Boluwaji Obahopo

LOKOJAAs the 10-week-old strike by doctors in Kogi State continues, the state government has said it has no option than to engage the services of serving National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, doctors as palliative measure.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Saka Haruna, who stated this yesterday, claimed that the industrial action by the medical doctors was political.

The state government has been accused of deploying youth corps doctors in place of the striking medical doctors for close to three months.

But Dr. Haruna said the corps-doctors were qualified alternatives to save lives, pending when the striking doctors will make up their minds to see reasons with government and return to work.

*NYSC members

He said: The striking medical doctors are not helping matters, as they continue to make unrealistic demands beyond the reach of government. They should see their services as humanitarian.

Haruna also noted that the state governments health intervention scheme was put in place by the governor to cater for the poor and vulnerable in the state, stressing that 50,000 indigent patients had so far benefited from the free medical outreach under the scheme.

The commissioner also disclosed that N580 million was spent on procurement of medical equipment and drugs for five zonal hospitals across the state in the last two years.

He added that his ministry within the period under review recruited 2,000 professionals and health care workers to boost effective service delivery in the state.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Ohanaeze youths defend Ekweremadu over comment on military

By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIAOHANAEZE Youth Council, OYC, has stepped out in defence of the Deputy Senate President, Prof. Ike Ekweremadu over his comment on the floor of the Senate, in which he cautioned against threat to democracy on account of the attitude of some governors.

Ekweremadu

The Igbo youths warned that Ekweremadu should not be intimidated over his harmless contribution on an issue raised on the floor of the Senate.

OYC said Ekweremadus statement on the issue was misinterpreted by enemies of democracy.

Ekweremadu had, while contributing to a debate on the dictatorial attitude of some governors who harass lawmakers from their states, condemned such attitude as antithetical to democracy and warned politicians to be careful not to undermine democratic principles, which the military could capitalise on to seize government again.

Ohanaeze youths warned that any attempt to intimidate Ekweremadu over his sincere contribution and timely warning would be resisted by Igbo youths as there is nothing wrong with a lawmaker making sincere contribution on the floor of the senate.

OYC, in a statement issued yesterday in Umuahia, signed by its President-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro and Secretary-General, Okwu Nnabuike, said Igbo youths would defend Ekweremadu with the last drop of their blood over the issue as we did not see anything wrong in his innocent contribution in the Senate plenary session.

We have followed with keen interest the controversies that have so far trailed a very honest statement made by the distinguished Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu on the floor of the Senate. Without mincing words, all honest men and women in the country cannot feign ignorance over various abuses of the countrys laws by governments at various levels.

Suffice it to say, therefore, that Ekweremadu merely stated the obvious by cautioning Nigerians not to take our much cherished democracy for granted.

However, it is quite shocking that some enemies of democracy, the same kind of people Ekweremadu talked about have so misinterpreted his comments to mean that he is calling for a coup. What could be farther from the truth? Some mischief makers have even gone to the extent of calling for his arrest.

We therefore warn sternly that Igbo youths will not sit and watch some idle minds disparage Ekweremadu for no just cause. For those calling for his arrest, they should be prepared to arrest him alongside millions of Igbo youths who are ready to defend him.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | INEC ballot boxes, military shoes now made in AbaIkpeazu

By Emeka Mamah

ABAGOVERNOR Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State yesterday said that the campaign for made-in-Aba goods had recorded good results, as Nigerians now patronise clothes, shoes and other items made in the states commercial city.

Governor Ikpeazu

Ikpeazu said ballot boxes used for some elections in the country were produced in Aba, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, placed the orders for the ballot boxes instead of importing them from China.

The governor who spoke in an interview with journalists at the Aba Government Lodge, also said military shoes are also being produced in Aba, with Federal Government patronising the market with huge orders.

He noted that 5,000 shops at Ariara Market in Aba had enjoyed uninterrupted power supply in the last three months, following a strategic approach at marketing the industries by his administration.

According to him, the order placed for shoes by the military and the NYSC brought over N500 million revenue for Aba traders, who have toiled over the years to break- even.

The other side is that your child produces something; it is not like the one that the Italians have produced, it must not be like that, but it is something, which you can wear proudly and say I am wearing this thing for reason that my child produced it. So, Im proud of this my child, he said.

He further said, For the past three months now, they have enjoyed uninterrupted power. So, power is coming too, because we marketed our products. Nigerians have no need to go to China, Taiwan or any other country for their imports. We can obtain information on any imported technology and reproduce same here.

On roads, we try to run a research-based government because we did soil test in Aba and on every site and we have come to the conclusion that now, you have had water sitting for 16 years in a place you want to construct roads. The solution is not to put laterite on the soil because the soil texture would have changed from the coarse sand to something that is slither and gray.

COREN in Abia State is partnering us and supervising to make sure that our contractors work in accordance with the agreement we had. Today, you will see that the roads were doing are roads that lead to one economic hub or the other. The consideration to do road is no longer based on how cordial the friendship between the person, the beneficiary and the community and the governor is, but about the socio-economic advantage or relevance of that place.

I give you an example. The Federal Government is supposed to build Ikot-Ekpene Road. And our statistics show that we get inflows of people that come into Aba every day from two major flanks  one from Port Harcourt and the other flank, Ikot-Ekpene.

About 60 percent of the people come from Port Harcourt while 40 percent come from Ikot-Ekpene but the 40 percent that come from Ikot-Ekpene spend more than the 60 percent that come from Port Harcourt in Aba.

Therefore, we had to ventilate Aba because around 2014, traders in Ariara were virtually idle; they would just fold their hands and play draft and wait for several hours for people to come, but people would not come from both internal and across the border.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Police bust fake currency racket, 6 held

Police on Wednesday busted a fake currency racket with the arrest of six persons involved in printing and circulating counterfeit Nepali currency in Dharan.
Home | News | General | Rumbles from the Senate chamber

By Rotimi Fasan

THEY say he is now a visiting andsenior mentoring scholar of E-Governance and Strategic Government Studies at Southern University, Baton Rouge in Louisiana, United States of America, for which reason he now qualifies to be addressed as professor. Only last year, he bagged a doctorate in law from the University of Abuja. Thats quite a leap- from doctorate to the professoriate in less than a year! But I dont suppose Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, intended his apparently well-intentioned statement about the military not being gone forever to be taken as a professorial declaration that brooks no questioning. Yes, Mr. Ekweremadu did warn at a session on the floor of the Senate that the Nigerian military is not too long gone from governance as to have forgotten it was once in charge of the affairs of this country. The military could still stage a comeback if the present class of political leaders continues in their self-destructive ways that can barely tolerate opposition views.

What the distinguished senator (all our legislators are distinguished anyway) is in effect saying is that his colleagues ought to be careful in the way and manner they manage our adolescent democracy in which political leaders randomly hound one another and employ their powerful positions to make life difficult for their colleagues, including members of the same party. This or it would be the fire (or is it the military?) next time. Is that your meaning, Mr. Deputy President of the Senate? Yes, Ekweremadu has clarified that he was only out to warn against an avoidable peril. And I suppose many would agree with him. Im talking here of those charitable enough not to read ulterior motives to his utterance.

His was a thankless advice. Or so one supposes even when one also realises that there are ways politicians speak that only their likes can understand. We might need to approach Senator Ekweremadu to explain even further in very clear, unambiguous terms, what he means by his statement since some members of even his own constituency of lawmakers think he overreached himself with his remarks. That would, however, be another time when the present controversy has blown over. But hardly had the man finished speaking when consummate interpreters took the words out of his mouth and proceeded to give it every possible twist imaginable, with all boiling down to a simple proposition: an invitation to the military to start dusting, ironing and starching their khaki for a take over of the polity.

Expectedly, this has set the alarm bells ringing and not a few have since upbraided the lawmaker for irresponsible utterance. They want some pound of flesh for what they see as an act of treachery to the democratic cause by someone they believe should know better than heating up the polity. And Ike Ekweremadu has been at pains explaining that his words have been taken out of context. But would his attackers listen? Not even the military is listening. A statement from the Nigerian Army spokesperson, Agim John, chides Ekweremadu while pledging the allegiance of the Army, I suppose on behalf of the other arms of the military, to present civil authorities.

This must be the second time in recent months that the military would be compelled to deny rumours of a coup or an attempt to invite it back to the centre court of governance in Nigeria. Passing oblique remarks about the possibility of a military takeover would appear to be one way politicians try to put the scare on one another when they see some of their own as demonstrating tendencies for intolerance of opposition, conduct often to be found in a military regime. Why not go for the original rather than a mere copy, such remarks would appear to be suggesting. Rather than have a civilian pretending to be a soldier, why not invite the soldiers themselves? Of course, such statements often come with the clear undertones that opposition politicians wont tolerate any recourse to military tactics by their kind. Otherwise there would be chaos and chaos would mean a breakdown in civil order which only a military regime could restore.

This is the unspoken subtext of Ekweremadus statement which was not, however, lost on his political friends, colleagues and other Nigerians. It is the reason many of them are scared out of their wits by such open invitation to the soldiers. Not many in the political class could have forgotten too soon just what the current president and his ilk did to politicians of a past era, dragging them into detention and slamming multiple jail terms on them.

While Ekweremadus statement may appear innocuous, it is the nightmare it portends that his critics are scared of. Ekweremadu himself cannot honestly wish for the return of the military. He was apparently only issuing warning to some bulldozer governors and politicians who have turned the property of their opponents to targets of demolition; banned others from visiting their home states on pain of God-knows-what and sent security operatives hounding others. Arent these tactics of totalitarian regimes? the Deputy President of the Senate appears to be saying. But while it may be necessary for our politicians to tread cautiously, let the military not fool itself into thinking it is still such a welcome option even in a Nigeria that is in the throes of insecurity of the worst kind. What insecurity could be worse than that which permits the abduction of innocent school girls by a supposedly vanquished insurgent group?

Yet, this should not be grounds for another corrective regime. Nigerians should by now know better than sending any invitations, direct or otherwise, to the military. A military that would accept such must be truly a reprobate institution. Which may explain the outrage with which the Army establishment appears to have received any hint or suggestion of such nonsense. Any such invitation must be based on the notion that the military is full of foolish officers and men. Such cannot be an organisation of people with any claim to intelligence. This must be why the Army considered the supposed call which Ekweremadu has roundly denied to be denigrating. If true, Ekweremadu cannot have any respect for the personnel of the military. The world at present has no place for adventurers in khaki or others of a military cast of mind even when garbed in embroidered agbada. No, Nigerians have no place for the military. We do not need a megaphone to announce this to the world. Even when our current politicians have shown themselves no wiser than their predecessors, perhaps even worse in terms of their preparedness for office, we are more than tired of taking a step forward and twenty backward. We have no place for soldiers.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Boko Haram: When silence is golden

By Sunny Ikhioya

THE battle against insurgency all over the world is a huge task. Those who have assumed otherwise tried it and got their fingers burnt, including our own Nigeria. We have seen it in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, Mali and many others. It is an asymmetric warfare, which means; it is not the conventional or normal type of war, because it is not ground battle, where both armies are able to gauge their abilities to determine strategies and strength. In this case, you do not even know who the enemy is. As a result, you cannot claim victory until the activities of the enemy are totally eradicated, that is they cease to exist because they are not heard or seen any more.

The Boko Haram terror group has wormed its way to be amongst the topmost terrorist groups in the world, there is nothing the Nigerian government and its army have not done to bring it to its knees  air raids, ground troops, mercenary fighters, international surveillance and cooperation and so on. The group has simply become an enigma.

Nobody expected magic or immediate result when this government took over control of the affairs of state but the leadership forgot that discretion as they say, is the better part of valour. Thus, we have seen loose canons, released from all sides of their mouths, promising heaven on earth, promises they know that they cannot fulfill. It is only in a country like ours that a military will totally destroy existing structures and systems when a new government assumes office. It is in Nigeria that a fellow officer will destroy the works of his predecessors, so that those in office will see that he is working. Consequently, whatever gains that had been achieved before now are reversed.

This has been one of the reasons for our failure in the Boko Haram war. It is a situation of dog eat dog. The bond that had existed, esprit de corps, amongst the soldiers, has been severed. It is now everyman to himself, for greed and self preservation, each one wants to outdo the other. What this amounts to is all motion and no movement. If you ask me, it is a terrible situation that we have found ourselves in. It has even extended to inter- agency battle of supremacy, as witnessed between the Departmant of State Services, DSS, and Economic and Finance Crimes Commission, EFFC. When a house is divided, how can it stand? Until we achieve unity, peace and cooperation amongst our soldiers, until the armed forces restore esprit de corps, our war on Boko Haram will continue to experience roadblocks.

It is beginning to dawn on all that, it is not the talk or propaganda that makes things work but the actions taken and results achieved. Now that we are faced with new realities, it is time to start afresh, that is if the administration is not too shy to admit its mistakes. There is a saying that, no matter how long and far one has travelled on the wrong path, it is never too late to do a turn around, and retrace your steps. So, the administration should not feel ashamed about its position in the ongoing war but it must learn to accord the enemy respect. It must learn to deal with Boko Haram with humility. Even the mighty USA and its allies have not been able to totally subdue ISIS and Al-qaeda organisations. Sometimes, silence is golden. When strategies are debated and talked about in the media, it goes without saying that defeat is only a distance away just as it has happened with the Dapchi girls.

After the army had come out thumping its chest, announcing the total decimation of Boko Haram, the insurgents sneaked in to deliver a massive blow to our efforts. War is not won on propaganda alone. In fact, no war is ever won without proper planning  logistics, surveillance, intelligence, equipment, bravery of troops, leadership and so on. The challenge of Boko Haram is such that, from their mode of operation, it is quite obvious they have moles in the army, Those who have been placed in the position to confront them are sympathisers to the groups cause or even members. Hence, the selected killings of some of our gallant officers.

The question is; who identifies these gallant officers for killing by the group? This is another challenge that we face in this war. We cannot fight the insurgency without the people who live there. The Americans decided to fight the terrorists by proxy, using the locals  Iraqis, Kurds, others  to fight the ground battles. You cannot fight in a terrain that you do not understand and within hostile communities. You will never win.

The solution is in recruiting the ground troops from amongst the locals. The fight must begin with all emirs and heads of communities in the entire north, to come and identify openly with the Federal Governments efforts. It is a battle that everyone must fight, beginning with grassroots sensitisation.

It is time for those in control of government to adopt the quiet approach, as it concerns the Boko Haram war. No situation is more embarrassing than for an army to come out and declare to the whole world that it has won a battle and the next day, the enemy comes out in the open to deal the worst blow. You do not announce that you have won the battle until the enemy is totally silenced. You do not win by comparing today with the past, your promise was to totally crush Boko Haram, which the previous administration could not do and one of the reasons they were flushed out of office. The war on Boko Haram is not a propaganda, so our army must fight it as quietly and as intelligently as possible, with the cooperation of our neighbours.

*Mr. Ikhioya, www.southsouthecho.com

Twitter: @SunnyIkhioya

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Is it possible some of us miss military rule?

By Tabia Princewill

AS the war against corruption continues, perhaps rattling some forces within the polity, talk of the militarys possible return to power re-surfaces: to some, it might be an interesting attempt at reminding Nigerians that the common man has no real stake in the affairs of state and that things are decided by some shadow forces far outside his or her reach.

If these forces are not allowed to have their way, they reach out of the shadows and stretch their winding tentacles, therefore influencing events, preventing progress and ensuring injustice and impunity continue their reign of terror.

A number of governors seem to be at loggerheads with the senators from their states. Interestingly, many belong to the same party.

Rather than seek a resolution to this state of affairs which threatens governance and service delivery, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said on the Senate floor: who says the military cannot take over? Its a strange comment which demands further analysis, especially because it follows comments about the disagreements between governors and senators.

Erosion of democracy

Of course, Senator Ekweremadu quickly denied the interpretation that his comments called for military action and specified he was merely worried about the erosion of democracy.

When powerful people dont get their way, the tendency is to merge whatever perceived, would-be wrong was done to them with the injustices suffered by the masses. As if both were equivalent, rather than, on one hand, an injury in a fight between equivalent political forces, and on the other, generalised poverty and injustice, a constant assault on public morals and ethics.

The in-fighting between governors and legislators has no bearing on the peoples rights, except to show why many states in Nigeria are yet to live up to their productive potential. Senator Ekweremadu went on to say: You will recall that sometime last year, they wanted to recall Dino. I advised the governor that they are wasting the resources of that state because it is mission impossible.

These comments are equally troubling but just as revealing: who decides the recall of a legislator, his or her constituents, or political forces? And why does Senator Ekweremadu link recalling Senator Dino Melaye with the destruction of democracy? Actually, if our democracy worked, citizens should be able to recall or impeach any public servant they voted for if they deemed him or her to be unfit for office, but this doesnt seem to have ever happened in our history as a democracy.

Such an idea is probably dismissed as impudent because it strikes fear in the hearts of politicians: if people succeed in recalling one senator then all bets are off, who is to stop them from subsequently challenging all political actors who might be perceived as underperforming? So, our politicians prefer to merge their would-be right to keep power (no matter what anyone thinks or how constituents feel about it) with the rights of ordinary people, therefore presenting their right to be where they are as the natural order of things, an incontestable, divinely ordained right of kings to rule.

Stomach infrastructure

So today, I am advising the governor again that the road he is travelling will not lead him to anywhere. Ultimately, these people (the legislators) he is seeing here will be back here and he will leave office. If he doesnt stop, there is no how he will come back in 2019, never, no he will not.

God will show him that he is a God of justice and this is a message to all those people who have caused all kinds of problem in Nigeria at different levels. The problem in Nigeria is that our democracy is receding. Who says the army cannot take over? Let us not joke with our democracy, that is the issue.

Politicians in Nigeria often quote Gods will or Gods wrath the way rulers in medieval times mentioned God to scare the masses into unquestioningly doing their bidding. One wonders what gives politicians in Nigeria the confidence, the certainty that they will always be in power. One might say stomach infrastructure doesnt fail and not be too far from the truth but the leap from the would-be injustice faced by one man (Senator Melaye), or a few legislators, to our democracy apparently receding is difficult to follow. If joking with our democracy means allowing infighting between governors and legislators, then what should we call the Dapchi girls kidnapping or the constant denial of ordinary peoples rights in Nigeria?

The house of a senator was destroyed in Kaduna State; we are talking about Kwankwaso who was stopped from going to his state where he ruled for eight years. In Kaduna, Shehu Sani cannot organise a meeting and we are talking about democracy?

The international community needs to know this because they helped install this democracy, Senator Ekweremadu continued.

As unfortunate as these events are (unfortunate only for the lofty characters involved and not for the masses that is), none of them changes the fact that under their watch, Nigerians continue to suffer while they amalgamate the huge benefits they gain from public office with a curious definition of suffering. The international community is not a keeper of our democracy; neither America nor Europe is our big brother watching over its childish, errant, younger sibling, why do we continue to think of ourselves in these terms?

Enshrining true equality

The international community would much rather see us develop and enshrine true equality and social justice within our society and our constitution, for instance, rather than get involved in our petty, partisan politics.

The comments about military rule and our receding democracy are even more curious when compared to the abuses of the PDP. This political infighting is nothing new, it has characterised our governance style from the beginning; simply, the actors and dynamics changed since 2015.

Attempting to pass this off as something which should concern Nigerians who are hungry and unemployed is disingenuous at best. As for the military, its spokesman was quick to deny its interest in politics.

Those days are gone and will never again be accepted by Nigerians. It is all the more curious that a deputy senate president no less, would speak of the militarys return in such an ambiguous form or context without any apparent justification for doing so. The labour unions have signalled they are watchful and will resist any undemocratic takeover, and so must all Nigerians.

Liberia

THE same way the United Kingdom stole many of Nigerias best doctors, Liberia is prepared to steal our teachers by offering them better remuneration, etc.

When last year, news broke that 23 hospitals in Zamfara were managed by only 23 resident doctors (all 23 of them), beyond the momentary furore, we all went back to sleep because those with the power to effect change dont need public hospitals and have access to private facilities abroad.

The tragedy in Nigeria is that nobody ever accepts blame for anything: everything is somebody elses fault, everything was broken so long ago that we no longer realise the role we all play in maintaining this broken system; as more and more capable people exit Nigeria, who or what will be left besides those scraping the bottom of the barrel?

James Ibori

THE former governor of Delta State who was incarcerated in the United Kingdom for money laundering, recently said he no longer harbours any bitterness towards those he says persecuted him, leading to his imprisonment abroad.

Its a shame that Nigerians constantly allow history to be re-written. No matter how much we try to make messiahs out of political figures, people should remember that courts in the UK, unlike ours, are not so easily bought.

Why would the UK fabricate accusations to indict Ibori? The confidence to publicly call his jail term a sabbatical shows how far we still have to go as a nation.

Tabia Princewill is a strategic communications consultant and public policy analyst. She is also the co-host and executive producer of a talk show, WALK THE TALK which airs on Channels TV.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Dapchi: Parents welcome negotiation option to rescue schoolgirls

DamaturuParents of abducted Dapchi schoolgirls in Yobe, yesterday, lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for considering the option of negotiation against use of military force to rescue the girls.

The parents, who spoke separately to News Agency of Nigeria in Damaturu, said the option gave them hope for safe return of the girls.

Chairman, parents association of the abducted schoolgirls, Alhaji Bashir Manzo, said: This is a welcome development and we are happy about it. Use of force, as the only option, will result in death of many of the girls while negotiation provides for their safe return.

The chairman, who encouraged government to go for dialogue to hasten return of the girls, said the fact that the insurgents provide room for negotiation gives us hope for safe return of our daughters.

Secretary, Dapchi Youths Development Association, Alhaji Baba Shehu, also described the negotiation option as a healthy development.

Government should deploy resources at its disposal to take this advantage and ensure safe return of the girls he said.

Alhaji Ali Mohammed, a father of eight of the students, described negotiation as the only safe option for the insurgents to release the girls, saying he was happy government has considered this option of negotiation.

Maryam Alkali, a mother, said every mother would appreciate the option that will bring the girls back home safely.

Let me state without fear of contradiction that every mother of the abducted girls will now have a strong hope for reunion with these girls, she said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | SECOND TERM: Why Im marking my inauguration with Anambra compendium  Obiano

By Clifford Ndujihe

TO get Anambra indigenes and visitors to key into his development agenda and ensure sustainable growth for the state, Governor Willie Obiano will present an engaging book on Anambra as part of his second term inauguration.

Chief Willie Obiano

The 800-page photo-book titled, Anambra: Light of the Nation, documents the history, icons and cultural heritage of the state.

Essentially, the book celebrates the states rich history/cultural heritage, enterprising spirit and exploits of her people, arts and craft, food and lifestyle, iconic personalities, past and present leaders, traditional institutions, budding businesses and rich tourism potentials.

Taking Anambra to the next level

Tasking Anambra people on taking the state to the next level, Governor Obiano, whose second term begins on March 17, wrote in the introduction of the book: The Compendium is a detailed pictorial-based reference manual on the history, people and government of Anambra State, 25 years after its creation. We have tried to x-ray in pictures and prose the beautiful story of Anambra people.

We sincerely hope that the information contained in the impressive compendium on Anambra State will help ginger future generations of citizens of the state to surpass the toils and great accomplishments of the outstanding beacons and icons of the state as well as its past and present leaders.

Documenting the lives and times of great men and women of Anambra State origin and their successor generations, who have made and continue to make their marks in different fields, the governor reasoned, would inspire the spirit of excellence, enterprise, hard work and ingenuity in the current generation and those to come.

Anambra, land of several firsts -Okonkwo

Indeed, speaking on the reasons behind the compendium, the Editor-in-Chief, Chief Emeka Okonkwo, said: Our dear state, Anambra, is the land of several firsts in different fields and her people have contributed in many ways in shaping the history of Nigeria, but one of the greatest problems we have is that the history of Anambra and the numerous great exploits of our people are not well documented for people, especially the future generations, to appreciate.

Take for instance the great strides of pioneer transporters such as Ekene Dili Chukwu or the unequalled business acumen of the late billionaire, Sir. Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu and several others whose lives were tales of integrity, hard work, enterprise and unblemished characters that are worthy of emulation.

He described the book as an authentic referral material on Anambra that is devoid of partisan politics as it seeks to give a factual and accurate information on Anambras 179 communities, early civilization, government structures, past and present leaders, traditional festivals and religions. The Compendium is divided into 12 engaging sections.

Anambra beacons, icons

The section on Our Enterprises, details the big businesses owned by Anambra people both in the state and outside, and celebrates our Beacons and Icons, those personalities of Anambra origin, past and present, with outstanding achievements as pioneers or leaders in every field of endeavour.

Land of billionaires

The section reads in part: Anambra State is easily the state with the highest number of billionaires in Nigeriathis is not surprising considering the well known commercial, industrial and enterprising nature of Ndi Anambra. Right from the colonial era, Ndi Anambra have continued to excel in industry, trade and commerce. The achievements and exploits of Ndi Anambras forebears such as Sir. Louis Philip Odimegwu Ojukwu are legendary.

Huge tourist potentials

Chronicling the enormous tourist endowments of the state, the book also recorded many mysteries in various communities. One of these is the amazing Omambala and Ezu rivers, which meet at a confluence known as Agbonabo, where both rivers inexplicably refused to mix. And the strangeness is marked by the obvious differences in colour of the waters of the two rivers.

I recommend the compendium to all IBB

Writing the foreword to the book, former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, retd, who created Anambra State on August 27, 1991, said: I took a look at the draft of this compendium. It is a very rich book and from it I have learnt a lot about the state and its people. The chapters on the communities, tourism and lifestyle and enterprises are particularly enthralling, adding that he would recommend it to all.

Meanwhile, there is intense lobbying for appointments ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.

Intense lobby for appointments

Since Obiano was re-elected, some political stakeholders who played roles in facilitating the victory in their various areas, have been lobbying to be allowed to nominate certain political appointees in the in-coming government. In fact, homes of some prominent politicians, traditional rulers and influential clerics have become very busy in the past one month with people lobbying for one political appointment or the other in the next Obiano administration.

A recent memo by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Professor Solo Chukwulobelu, directing all political appointees and heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, who are not civil servants, to prepare their handover notes and submit them to their respective permanent secretaries or the most senior civil servant in their offices on or before March 16, 2018, a day to the swearing-in ceremony.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | I'm trying very hard to provide youths jobs - Buhari

- The presidency has assured that more Nigerians will be gainfully employed

- While meeting with the foreign minister of agriculture in Tunisia, President Muhammadu Buhari said, he is working very hard to provide jobs for Nigerians

- According to President Buhari, his administration would increase its support for agriculture

President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration is working hard to ensure that Nigerian youth become gainfully employed.

The president said he is trying "very hard" to provide jobs for the nation's youths, Daily Trust reports.

He said his administration is investing heavily in agriculture to ensure that many Nigerians inculcate the habit of farming as a means of surviving.

Speaking while receiving the foreign minister of Tunisia, Boukekri Rmilli, the president represented by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, promised that his administration would increase its support for agriculture as a mechanism for jobs creation.

READ ALSO: Why we decamped from APC to PDP - 2000 aggrieved Kano defectors

Shehu said: Following the uncertainty in the oil market and the huge unemployment situation in the country, we chose to put our fate in agriculture. I am glad that our young people are accepting agriculture instead of waiting for white-collar jobs.

They are out there sweating it out in the sun, making a living. Agriculture is the way to go, even when we are realising this almost belatedly, he said.

He also said the present administration recognises the progress Tunisia has made in agriculture, tourism and medical health.

READ ALSO: Benue saga: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders

He said shortly, from now, the Nigerian government would raise a team to visit that country to identify sectors in which the two countries can work together.

Commending the president for his efforts, in revamping the relationship between Nigeria and Tunisia Rmilli, who is also the leader of the delegation of businessmen said his country is anxious to grow trade relationships with Nigeria.

He said its is heartwarming that a large number of local business owners turned up for the Nigeria - Tunisia Business Forum on Monday, March 12, in Abuja.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

NAIJ.com earlier reported that the presidency has unveiled its plan to employ 208,000 youths to curb the clashes in the Niger Delta region.

The spokesperson to the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, said the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has established job placement centres for the youth from the region.

Laolu Akande said to reduce unemployment, the placement centres are expected to engage the youths and match them with existing vacancies and available skills within the region.

What must President Buhari do to regain the trust of Nigerians? - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Finally! Senate reveals why 2018 budget has not been passed

- The Nigerian Senate has said that no date has been fixed for the passage of the 2018 budget

- Senator Sa'abi Abdullahi said the eight assembly made the resolution to lift the embargo on the confirmation of presidential nominees

- According to him, the Senate will ensure that it will support the executive in ensuring Nigeria gets out of recession totally

The Senate on Tuesday, March 13, said there was no date yet for the passage of the 2018 budget.

Senates spokesperson, Senator Saabi Abdullahi, said this while addressing newsmen in Abuja.

He said: The budget process is on and I cant tell you this is the specific date it is going to end. We are working very hard on it and we want to assure Nigerians that at the end of the day, we will have a budget that will serve the purpose of Nigerians.

On the upper chambers resolution to lift embargo on confirmation of presidential nominees, the lawmaker said: there was an existing impasse between the executive and the legislature with respect to confirmation hearing of appointees of the executive.

READ ALSO: Why we decamped from APC to PDP - 2000 aggrieved Kano defectors

We had a resolution that since the executive is claiming we dont have the powers to make those confirmations we are not going to consider the nominees they are forwarding to us. This happened since last year.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the Senate, after a Point of Order by Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (APC-Kwara), lifted the embargo.

According to Abdullahi, the Senate made the resolution not that they have any iron to grind with anybody.

But because we believe we must defend the sanctity of democracy and ensure the institutions of democracy, for which the Senate is the apex, must be respected and we believe in doing so, it is in the overall interest of the people," Abdullahi said.

READ ALSO: Benue saga: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders

He further explained that the upper chamber resolved that it would consider the confirmation of members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

We will also consider the nomination of the two deputy governors of Central Bank (CBN) who are also members of the MPC so that the Nigerian economy will receive the necessary technical input to ensure that we sustain the growth of our economy.

And to also ensure we support the executive in walking the economy out of recession.

We are definitely going to do the confirmation to enable those confirmed to attend the next MPC meeting, Abdullahi said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report that the MPC meeting is scheduled to hold on Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that a former governor of Nasarwa state, Abdullahi Adamu, accused lawmakers on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform of sabotaging the effort of the present government.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Adamu said the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is not getting much support from the legislature.

The former governor also said it is unfortunate that lawmakers of the APC are major among those sabotaging the executive.

Source: NAN

Kogi West senatorial district to recall senator Dino Melaye from the Nigerian Senate - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Benue: Buhari queries IGP, Idris for flouting his order

The presidency on Tuesday summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for questioning over why he breached President Muhammadu Buharis order to relocate to Benue following the January 1 killings in the state.

Buhari-Idris

President Buhari received Idris in a private audience. And Idris left about 30 minutes after without speaking to pressmen.

President Buhari had on Jan. 9 ordered the Inspector-General to move to Benue to check the reported cases of attacks on innocent citizens.

However, President Buhari who was on an official visit to Benue on Monday in continuation of his tour of troubled areas in the country was told by Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue that the Inspector-General refused to obey his directive.

Ortom, who is not a fan of Idris, alleged that Idris only spent 24 hours in Benue, and later moved to neigbouring Nasarawa state.

The president demanded for a full report on police operations till date after which he will make further decisions, a source told NAN.

There is a renewed resolve to make sure that the killings and bad security situation in Benue State abates, the source further said.

When contacted, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu confirmed the meeting but refused to disclose details.

However the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has chided President Muhammadu Buhari for saying he was unaware that Inspector General of Police, IGP, , Ibrahim Idris, did not carry out his orders regarding the security situation in Benue State.

According to the party, such admission shows that the President is running an incompetent and uncoordinated government.

The party said President Buhari had irredeemably indicted himself for not knowing that the man tasked with the security of the nation failed to take orders from him (the Commander-in-Chief), stressing that such unpardonable gaffe was responsible for governments wrecking of the nations once robust economy as well as other woes that have befallen our nation in his almost three years in office.

The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, urged All Progressives Congress, APC, and supporters of the President to take their minds off the Aso Villa ahead of 2019 elections now that their leader and sole candidate had practically admitted his incompetence to run an effective government as desired by Nigerians.

It said: Nigerians have completely lost hope in President Muhammadu Buhari and his incompetent administration. By stating that he was unaware that the IGP only spent 24 hours in Benue State, Mr. President has confirmed that he has not been effectively monitoring the handling of the security situation of our nation.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | You must work with respect for Nigerians - IGP Idris tells policemen

- Men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) must now respect the rights of the citizens of the country, says IGP Ibrahim Idris

- Idris argues that respect for human rights is important for peaceful co-existence

- He says his administration is in tune with the fight against corruption in the country

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, has reportedly called on all officers and men of the force to begin to respect the rights of the citizens while discharging their duties, warning that any abuse amounts to corruption and injustice.

Vanguard reports that Idris spoke recently at Umuahia, Abia state, during the opening of a three-day workshop organised in collaboration with Centre for Civil Society and Justice (CCSJ).

READ ALSO: 2000 APC members dump party for PDP in Kano

Idris, who was represented by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Zone 9, Umuahia, Hosea Karma, explained that respect for human rights remains fundamental to peaceful coexistence in any society.

The IGP tasked the participants to take advantage of the workshop to improve on their service to society.

The topic is apt; it reminds us of our role in a democratic environment," pointing out that respect for human rights would reduce conflict in the society.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Human rights abuse is corruption and corruption is injustice; it is a crime. Corruption is not only when you extort money but when you refuse to do your work because of personal considerations," the IGP said while reminded the policemen of the governments war against corruption.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) accused the governor of Benue state, Samuel Ortom, and some elements of being behind the calls for President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris.

The AYCF, through its national president, Yerima Shettima, said it was concerned that vested interests wanted Idris sacked for their selfish reasons.

The IGP's uncompromising war on crime and speedy standardisation of the force operations, is bound to create envy and deliberate misunderstanding by the mischievous interest groups in the country, the AYCF said as it wondered why those trying to set President Buhari against the Idris pretend that there is a difference between Makurdi and Benue.

If any police officer misbehaves with you, call any of these numbers - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Made-in-Aba goods have recorded good results - Abia state governor

- Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state says the campaign for made-in-Aba goods has recorded good results

- The Abia state governor also noted that Nigerians now patronise clothes, shoes and other items made in Aba

- Ikpeazu added that ballot boxes used for some elections in the country were produced in Aba

Abia state governor, Okezie Ikpeazu on Tuesday, March 13, said that the campaign for made-in-Aba goods had recorded good results, as Nigerians now patronise clothes, shoes and other items made in Aba, the states commercial city.

According to Vanguard, Ikpeazu said ballot boxes used for some elections in the country were produced in Aba, adding that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has placed orders for ballot boxes instead of importing from China.

Ikpeazu also said military shoes are also being produced in Aba, with federal government patronising the market with huge orders, adding that the order placed for shoes by the military and the NYSC brought over N500 million revenue for Aba traders, who have toiled over the years to break- even.

READ ALSO: 2000 APC members dump party for PDP in Kano

The governor noted that 5,000 shops at Ariara Market in Aba had enjoyed uninterrupted power supply in the last three months, following a strategic approach at marketing the industries by his administration.

He said: The other side is that your child produces something; it is not like the one that the Italians have produced, it must not be like that, but it is something, which you can wear proudly and say I am wearing this thing for reason that my child produced it. So, Im proud of this my child.

For the past three months now, they have enjoyed uninterrupted power. So, power is coming too, because we marketed our products. Nigerians have no need to go to China, Taiwan or any other country for their imports. We can obtain information on any imported technology and reproduce same here.

On roads, we try to run a research-based government because we did soil test in Aba and on every site and we have come to the conclusion that now, you have had water sitting for 16 years in a place you want to construct roads. The solution is not to put laterite on the soil because the soil texture would have changed from the coarse sand to something that is slither and gray.

COREN in Abia State is partnering us and supervising to make sure that our contractors work in accordance with the agreement we had. Today, you will see that the roads were doing are roads that lead to one economic hub or the other. The consideration to do road is no longer based on how cordial the friendship between the person, the beneficiary and the community and the governor is, but about the socio-economic advantage or relevance of that place.

I give you an example. The Federal Government is supposed to build Ikot-Ekpene Road. And our statistics show that we get inflows of people that come into Aba every day from two major flanks  one from Port Harcourt and the other flank, Ikot-Ekpene.

About 60 percent of the people come from Port Harcourt while 40 percent come from Ikot-Ekpene but the 40 percent that come from Ikot-Ekpene spend more than the 60 percent that come from Port Harcourt in Aba.

Therefore, we had to ventilate Aba because around 2014, traders in Ariara were virtually idle; they would just fold their hands and play draft and wait for several hours for people to come, but people would not come from both internal and across the border, he further said.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

NAIJ.com previously reported that Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia said he would successfully complete all of the projects initiated by his administration across the state before seeking re-election in 2019.

The governor made the disclosure on Friday, January 5, when speaking on a political programme at the broadcasting corporation of Abia.

He said: There are a few things which I am saying if we are able to finish by the grace of God, in the future I would think that we can answer the call to seek for re-election in 2019.

Market Survey: Umuahia traders open up on state of things in the Abia state capital on NAIJ.com TV.

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
President Bhandari is re-elected

Incumbent President Bidya Devi Bhandari has been re-elected as the head of state for the second time, securing nearly three-fourths of the total vote strength of the Electoral College.
Home | News | General | INEC uncovers fake registration centre in Niger state

- The INEC has uncovered fake registration centres in Niger state

- The resident electoral commissioner in the state, Sam Egwu, said the suspect was undergoing interrogation by security agents

- He said the commission did not charge money for the exercise

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Niger state said it has uncovered a fake registration centre in Zungeru, Wushishi local government area of the state.

Daily Trust reports that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Sam Egwu, said on Tuesday, March 13, in Minna that the police, through a tip-off, invaded the centre and arrested the alleged culprit with many temporary voters cards.

READ ALSO: Benue saga: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders

NAIJ.com gathered that Egwu said most of the fraudsters clients were workers of a construction company who requested for voters cards or any document to ensure that they were duly registered to vote in the forthcoming elections.

The suspect normally worked on the temporary voters card he obtained to produce new ones for unsuspecting clients, the REC stated.

He said the fraudster usually charged certain amount of money before issuing the fake cards.

He advised eligible voters to always visit designated INEC registration centres for registration, adding that the commission did not charge money for the exercise.

He said the suspect was undergoing interrogation by security agents.

The REC further disclosed that 10 new registration centres had been added to the state as a way of encouraging more eligible voters to register.

He said a total of 144, 406 eligible voters had so far registered in the ongoing continuous voters registration across the state.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Gombe state zonal office on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, arraigned three Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials in court over N163.9 million election bribe.

INEC official at Abuja court - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Dapchi abduction: Buhari to visit Yobe on Wednesday

- The president will today, March 14, visit Yobe state

- President Muhammadu Buhari's visit to Yobe is in continuation of his tour to various troubled states across Nigeria

- He will meet with stakeholders especially the parents of the Dapchi schoolgirls abducted on February 19

Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari will visit Yobe state on Wednesday, March 14, the personal assistant to the president on new media, Bashir Ahmad has said.

Ahmad in a statement said the president will continue his tour of different states across the affected states on Wednesday, March 13.

He also said that the president would hold a meeting with all relevant stakeholders and meet with the parents of the abducted Dapchi schoolgirls.

READ ALSO: Benue saga: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders

Ahmad said: "President @MBuhari continues his tour of States affected by violence tomorrow with a visit to Yobe State. During the visit he will hold a town hall meeting with stakeholders and meet with parents of Dapchi school girls. Next are Zamfara and Rivers. #PMBinYobe."

READ ALSO: You must work with respect for Nigerians - IGP Idris tells policemen

NAIJ.com earlier reported that the Bring Back Our Girls group led by former minister of education threatened legal action against the federal government over the recent abduction of 110 school girls from Dapchi.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

The group during a rally on Wednesday, March 13, said the legal action will commence should the FG fails to respond to 14 question thrown to it by the BBOG.

The group also accused the federal government of criminal negligence while calling for sanctions for those responsibly for the safety of the girls.

Boko Haram Kidnappings: Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? - NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Election re-ordering: Senators commence moves to override Buharis veto

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA- FOLLOWING President Muhammadu Buharis refusal to assent to the new amendment to the Electoral Act, which seeks to re-order the sequence of the polls during general elections, strong indications emerged yesterday that Senators have begun moves to override his veto.

Delta council election

It was gathered yesterday that lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate have commenced the process of getting members to actualize it, just as they have however vowed to get the two- third majority required to override the president.

Before the letter from the President was read by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Senate had moved into an executive session at 11.04am and resumed its plenary at 11.35am.

Senate President Bukola Saraki reported at the end of the executive session that the Senate deliberated on the workings of the upper chamber, the National Assembly and CBN.

But Vanguard gathered that at the closed session of the Senators, the matter of the vetoed bill came up, but was not discussed exhaustively.

A source at the executive session disclosed that Senate President Saraki alerted his colleagues that the bill had been rejected by the President and that the senate would need to take another look at the bill, just as the senators were said to have resolved to get further clarifications from the Legal Department of the National Assembly before going ahead with the planned override of the veto.

Meanwhile, it was also gathered that no fewer than 65 Senators have signed up to join in the battle to override the presidents veto, just as 43 Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are said to be solidly backing the decision to override the veto while so far 22 Senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are said to be

supporting the idea.

The source said, We are seeking like nine members to join the race so that we can get the required 73 Senators needed to override the veto.

It was also gathered that Senators who are loyal to the Senate President have decided to bring back the rested Senators of Like Minds, which projected the Senate President for the position in 2015.

A source said that originally, members of the Like Minds are in excess of 35 senators, but that a number of lawmakers were sitting on the fence, even as it was also gathered that of the 24 Senators who constituted the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), some are also sitting on the fence, thus making the task of to be difficult at the moment for the APC.

According to the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly requires two- third before it can override the presidential veto.

Section 58 (4 & 5) of the 1999 Constitution provide the procedures by which the National Assembly may override the veto where a President withholds assent to a bill passed by both chambers.

Section 58 (4) reads: Where a bill is presented to the President for assent, he shall within thirty days thereof signify that he assents or that he withholds assent.

Section 58 (5) also reads: Where the President withholds his assent and the bill is again passed by each House by two-thirds majority, the bill shall become law and the assent of the President shall not be required.

Meanwhile, the immediate past Chairman of Northern Senators Caucus and former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, APC Nasarawa West, yesterday declared that the rumored suspension allegedly being planned against him by the Senate leadership , if eventually carried out , would amount to abuse of power

In a statement yesterday in Abuja which he made available to Journalists, Senator Adamu said that the alleged plan against him and other subtle attacks that had been made on him, would not in anyway deter him from remaining loyal to the ruling party , the All Progressives Congress ( APC) and fight its enemies on the floor of the Senate

He said, I have heard what I consider to be rumours to the effect that the senate plans to suspend me. I hope it is a mere rumour bandied about in the current climate of mutual recrimination.

However, I would not be surprised if such an extreme form of punishment is being contemplated by the senate leadership.

 I would caution against the decision, if indeed such a decision is on the cards, to suspend me because it would serve no purpose other than to demonstrate the exercise of power in a manner that results in its abuse.

If the intention is to gag me or intimidate me, I am afraid it would not be worth the effort. Neither adversary nor adversity can force me to abandon my resolve as a matter of personal honour and principle to always speak the truth and defend the truth. It is not in my nature to see what I consider to be wrong and either keep quiet or pretend that it is not my concern. Whatever affects the interests of this administration is my concern because as a senator and as a member of the ruling party, I am but a servant of the APC brought into power on the consent of the good people of this country who expect the government to serve, protect and defend their interests.

Adamu who chronicled his alleged offence against some forces in the senate to be when he stood up on the floor few weeks back to caution against running the government led by President Muhammadu Buhari down, kicked against new sequence of elections inserted into the electoral act amendment bill along with some other senators etc , said the voice of dissent he offered at such instances, are democratically and constitutionally allowed.

According to him, shutting out such dissenting voice would inflict irreparable damage to the Parliament and by extension , the nations democracy, adding, The day we snuff out the right of dissent in and outside the senate legislative chambers would mark the beginning of our loss of individual and collective rights as Nigerian citizens. May such a day never come.

He explained further that all allegations leveled against him so far with regard to destabilisation plot against the Senate and its leadership were barefaced lies , saying  to achieve what and for what purpose ?

He however said as a Senator of the federal republic of Nigeria , his loyalty to the Senate as an Institution would remain intact regardless of whatever his antagonists in the senate do at the end of the day.

The statement reads in part: The public is aware that I have been the subject of vilifications by both the leadership and my distinguished colleagues in the 8th senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the past three weeks or so.

 Various attempts have been made, and are still being made, to impugn my integrity and question my support for the leadership of the senate and my loyalty to the senate.

Good, I have thus far refrained from a press war in defence of myself because I am fully aware that a press warfare resolves nothing. In all wars, including a press war, the truth suffers; the public becomes less informed and more confused about the facts and the issues at stake.

 I have taken some necessary steps within the confines of the senate to defend myself and re-assure my distinguished colleagues that I remain unshaken in my commitment and faithful to my oath as a legislator on whom the constitution imposes the burden of making laws for the good governance of our dear country.

I am now forced to respond to some of the barefaced lies and the nasty allegations against me because the public has the right to know the facts. My objective is to properly educate the public on my crime or crimes. It is important for the public to know that I have committed no crime against the senate and/or its leadership.

 I have done nothing to bring the revered upper legislative house to ridicule intentionally or inadvertently.

 I am in the senate primarily to represent the interest of my people in the South-Western senatorial district of Nasarawa State. My voice is the voice of my people; my stand on critical national issues that agitate us is the stand of my people. To suspend me on the basis of baseless allegations that do not amount to the infraction of senate rules, is to deny them my voice and my representation.

 The power to suspend a senator be exercised with a grave sense of responsibility in order to protect the integrity of the senate as an important democratic institution and of individual senators.

I believe we need to retrace our steps and reconsider our stand as legislators on matters of public interest. Our party, APC, has the majority in both chambers of the national assembly, yet we hold the executive prisoner of politics that are unhealthy for the polity.

It is such a terrible irony that we sabotage our own government by refusing to do our part in support of the executive. Appointments requiring senate approval are held up. The consequence is that the public has nicknamed the president and his administration go-slow.

The people gave us the mandate as a party to deliver. With our control of the executive and the national assembly, there is no reason why the government cannot acquit itself and fulfil the yearnings of the people. Perhaps, while we are consumed with sabotaging the administration and stabbing one another in the back, we forget that in less than a year from now, we shall be required to seek the peoples revalidation of our mandate to sit in these hallowed chambers. What shall we tell them?

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Keystone Bank holds Career Insight Day for undergraduates

Fastest growing financial institution in Nigeria, Keystone Bank Limited, is set to hold a seminar tagged Keystone Bank Career Insight Day for young Nigerian undergraduates with a future career in banking.

Keystone Bank GMD/CEO, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei

The programme is part of the lenders commitment to continually build skills and expand knowledge base of persons with keen interest in pursuing a career in the financial sector.

The one-day conference which is the maiden edition is billed to hold on Wednesday 28th March, 2018 at the Keystone Bank Learning Academy located at Plot 1397, Tiamiyu Savage street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

At the event, banking professionals will take participants (who should at least be in their third year) through series of discussions into what life in a commercial bank is really like and also gain unique exposure to a career in banking operations. The discussions will include both classroom and on-the-job training, team building exercises and networking.

Speaking about the initiative, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Keystone Bank Limited, Mr. Obeahon Ohiwerei said: This programme is in line with Keystone Banks CSR commitment to empower Nigerian youths.

The platform will create an opportunity for young undergraduates in tertiary institutions to be impacted by professionals towards a successful career.

As a financial institution, we understand the role of the youth in building a robust economy and the growth of the nation. They are the leaders of tomorrow, so, we believe in catching them young. He stated.

On how to participate in the programme, the bank said: Interested applicants on track for a second-class degree (or higher) with a keen interest in pursuing a career within a financial institution, are to write a minimum of 250-word essay on why they should be selected for this opportunity, containing personal information, school and year of study, course detail and any relevant work experience acquired thus far. The essay should be designed to impress us and forwarded to corpcom@keystonebankng.com.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Church urges Police to vacate property

By Elizabeth Uwandu

The Embrace International Assembly, The Impact Centre, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, asking him to order his men to vacate its premises at Obafemi Awolowo Road, Erunwen Junction, Ikorodu, Lagos State.

In the petition dated February 23, members of the Board of Trustees including Lateef Olasupo Olaoye, Adebayo Ado, Segun Oluwadoromi and Tunji Amokade, alleged that on February 19, a team of policemen stormed the property and in the middle of worship service, turned out all the church members, claiming they had orders of court to seal the property.

The order was never shown to anyone despite repeated demands for same by all, they said.

Embrace International Assembly insisted that the case in question involved one of the pastors of Four Square Gospel Church and not Embrace International Assembly.

They urged the Inspector General of Police to order his men to vacate their premises, alleging that they have been holding church services in rented and makeshift locations under rain and sun.

The petition read in part: We challenge the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, to show to us the said order directing that the property be sealed up.

An order of injunction restraining an individual should not be interpreted to mean an order to seal up, especially when the person sought to be sealed up is a party to an earlier suit over the same property.

Effort to speak with the authorities of Four Square Gospel Church and the Police authorities were futile at press time.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Oyo Customs records N92.7million seizures

Arrests suspect

The Oyo/Osun Command of Nigeria Customs Service ,NCS, was the beehives of activities yesterday, as the Command displayed massive seizures of rice fully loaded in over eight trucks, used tyres, bales of secondhand clothes among numerous prohibited items intercepted within few weeks of operations.

The Command swiftly arrested a suspect in connection with the seizures.

During a visit to the Command, it was observed that a large area of the barrack was used for packing different seizures, even as empty vehicles were not left out.

Most remarkably is the fact that the Customs Operatives through the supervision of the Customs Area Controller ,CAC, of the Command, Comptroller Odibu Christopher, trailed the smugglers and seized the items without any casualty.

Speaking during press conference, the CAC who has demonstrated outstanding performance and resilience within a very short period (about one month) he took over the Command, attributed the technique through which the items were seized by his men to intelligence.

He said, Customs operations globally require intelligence, which is the approach we are using now. Nigeria Customs Service at present is intelligence driven, that is why we are able to achieve positive results, as you can see here.

The CAC said, In keeping to the mandate of the Service, Oyo/Osun Command has re-strategised its operations by utilising intelligence reports gathered by officers and men, which led to the recent seizures.

He explained, It is worrisome to note that some Nigerians remain unrepentant, even as they continue to lose. The Federal Governments effort in transforming agriculture, especially in the area of rice production should be encouraged by all.

He went on, Let me sound a note of warning and advice to all unpatriotic Nigerians who engage in smuggling of used cars, foreign rice and other contraband items to desist and look for other legitimate means of businesses. I want to affirm that no matter the means of conveyance or concealment of prohibited items, our officers and men are on constant surveillance, as well as monitoring, and will uncover them.

We are appealing to the media to partner with us in the area of enlightening our local communities about the dire consequences of smuggling on the nations economy.

The seized items include, DAF truck with registration number MUS 461 XK carrying 450 bags of foreign rice, another DAF truck with registration number EKY 597 XV carrying 450 bags of rice, a DAF truck with registration number EGB 530 XA, carrying 450 bags of rice, a blue DAF truck with registration number AGL 944 XC carrying 330 bags of rice, a white DAF truck with registration number AKD 977 XQ seized with 400 bags of rice and a green DAF with registration number SMK 226 XR conveying 450 bags of rice.

Others include a yellow DAF with registration number MUS 961XQ carrying 450 bags of smuggled rice, another truck with registration number LND 805 XG intercepted with 450 bags of smuggled rice, another yellow truck with registration number EPE 894 XG seized with 450 bags of foreign imported rice, a red Volvo wagon with registration number DG 32 MUS conveying 50 gallons of vegetable oil, a Mazda with 30 bags of rice, 51 bales of secondhand clothes, 150 pieces of used tyres and 90 bags of rice, estimated at the Duty Paid Value ,DPV, of N92.7million.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | FG releases N43.92bn to 330,000 rice farmers

New York  The Federal Government has released about N43.92 billion (122 million dollars) to 300,000 rice farmers to increase Nigerias rice production by additional two million tonnes in 2018.

President Buhari in a group photo: With him are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, President Rice Farmers Association Aminu Goronyo, Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru and others as he receives in audience Delegation of Rice Processors Association of Nigeria in State House on 13th Mar 2018

Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Aisha Al-Hassan stated this in New York at Nigerias side event during the ongoing 62nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).

The theme of the event was: Achieving Economic Empowerment: Addressing women peace and security issues as a pathway for socioeconomic Independence for rural women in Nigeria.

Al-Hassan said: The Agricultural Transformation Agenda is aimed at strengthening the agricultural value chain, achieving a hunger-free nation, accelerating food and nutritional security, generating employment and growing wealth for millions of farmers

The current Anchor Borrowers Programme of the Federal Government has released over 122 million dollars to farmers through 13 participating institutions.

This is to spur the production of additional two million tonnes of rice in 2018 by 300,000 Rice Farmers, majority of whom are women in rural areas.

She said the Muhammadu Buhari-led Government was determined to meet the overarch objectives of poverty eradication and the empowerment of rural women and girls for sustainable development, inherent in Agenda 2030.

According to her, the Nigerian Government has taken rigorous steps to initiate and strengthen policies, institutional frameworks, systems and mechanisms aimed at achieving gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

She said some of the implementable strategies were designed to harness the socio-economic potentials of Nigerias 83.3 million female population.

Al-Hassan said the development and launch of Economic Growth and Recovery Plan gave prominence to the inclusion and empowerment of women in the rural areas and linked national development strategies to Agenda 2030 in an integrated, multi-sectoral and multifaceted manner.

On Girl-Child education, she said government wad implementing with more vigour a universal basic education programme strategically directed at enhancing girl child education at the grass root level.

She said the implementation of the N-Power job Creation and Youth Employment Programme, which targetted gainful and sustainable employment for 500,000 graduates and 100,000 non-graduates, had taken off successfully in the country.

Consequently 200,000 N-Power graduates have been successfully deployed to serve in local communities in the country with another batch of 300,000 graduate volunteers already pre-selected, she said.

Al-Hassan said additional 10,000 artisans were being trained in the construction and automobile sub-sectors in close collaboration with the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria and the National Automotive Design and

Development Council.

She said government was implementing the implementation of the Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, aimed at providing one million poor and vulnerable households with N5,000 monthly cash transfers to the care givers of households.

As at December 2017, over 622,649 identified poor and vulnerable households have been enlisted in the programme with over 439,859 captured in the National Social Register from 233 Local Government Areas across 23 States.

Of these figures, 293,973 caregivers from 9,567 communities have been paid, with over 25,000 beneficiaries already accessing requisite skills through trained community facilitators.

The Home Grown School Feeding programme, also part of the social investment programme is designed to provide one nutritious meal a day to 5.5 million school children, including girls in classes one to three of public primary schools is progressing.

By December 2017, over six million pupils are being fed daily nationwide. The programme has trickled down financial incentives to local farmers and cooks, who are mostly women, the minister said.

She said the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme and the National Women Empowerment Fund, also under the governments Social Investment Programme, were designed to provide 1.66 million dollars micro credit, lending to businesses at the bottom of the financial pyramid.

According to her, the soft conditions of zero collateral, zero interest and only five per cent administrative fee attached to the loans had resulted in the disbursement of over 250 million dollars loans

directly to beneficiaries as at December 2017.

The minister disclosed that plans had been concluded to establish eight technology innovation hubs across the country, to extend technology to rural communities.

Already, a pilot Adamawa Humanitarian Innovation Hub, known as the North East Makeathon Company, was opened in the last quarter of 2017, while the Lagos Climate Change Hub, designed to facilitate generation of ideas on renewable energy and reduction of pollution, is set to commence in March 2018.

She said conscious of the centrality of the empowerment of rural women and girls to the realisation of objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, AU Agenda 2063 and the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, Nigeria would redouble efforts to improve access to productive resources for rural women and girls and ensure the protection of their fundamental rights. (NAN)

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Following President Muhammadu Buharis refusal to assent to the new amendment to the Electoral Act, which seeks to re-order the sequence of the polls during general elections, strong indications emerged yesterday that Senators have begun moves to override his veto.

It was gathered yesterday that lawmakers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate have commenced the process of getting members to actualize it, just as they have however vowed to get the two-third majority required to override the president.

Before the letter from the President was read by the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, the Senate had moved into an executive session at 11.04am and resumed its plenary at 11.35am.

Senate President Bukola Saraki reported at the end of the executive session that the Senate deliberated on the workings of the upper chamber, the National Assembly and CBN.

But Vanguard gathered that at the closed session of the Senators, the matter of the vetoed bill came up, but was not discussed exhaustively.

A source at the executive session disclosed that Senate President Saraki alerted his colleagues that the bill had been rejected by the President and that the senate would need to take another look at the bill, just as the senators were said to have resolved to get further clarifications from the Legal Department of the National Assembly before going ahead with the planned override of the veto.

Meanwhile, it was also gathered that no fewer than 65 Senators have signed up to join in the battle to override the presidents veto, just as 43 Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are said to be solidly backing the decision to override the veto while so far 22 Senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are said to be

supporting the idea.

The source said, We are seeking like nine members to join the race so that we can get the required 73 Senators needed to override the veto.

It was also gathered that Senators who are loyal to the Senate President have decided to bring back the rested Senators of Like Minds, which projected the Senate President for the position in 2015.

A source said that originally, members of the Like Minds are in excess of 35 senators, but that a number of lawmakers were sitting on the fence, even as it was also gathered that of the 24 Senators who constituted the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), some are also sitting on the fence, thus making the task of to be difficult at the moment for the APC.

According to the 1999 Constitution, the National Assembly requires two- third before it can override the presidential veto.

Section 58 (4 & 5) of the 1999 Constitution provide the procedures by which the National Assembly may override the veto where a President withholds assent to a bill passed by both chambers.

Section 58 (4) reads: Where a bill is presented to the President for assent, he shall within thirty days thereof signify that he assents or that he withholds assent.

Section 58 (5) also reads: Where the President withholds his assent and the bill is again passed by each House by two-thirds majority, the bill shall become law and the assent of the President shall not be required.

Meanwhile, the immediate past Chairman of Northern Senators Caucus and former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, APC Nasarawa West, yesterday declared that the rumored suspension allegedly being planned against him by the Senate leadership , if eventually carried out , would amount to abuse of power

In a statement yesterday in Abuja which he made available to Journalists, Senator Adamu said that the alleged plan against him and other subtle attacks that had been made on him, would not in anyway deter him from remaining loyal to the ruling party , the All Progressives Congress ( APC) and fight its enemies on the floor of the Senate

He said, I have heard what I consider to be rumours to the effect that the senate plans to suspend me. I hope it is a mere rumour bandied about in the current climate of mutual recrimination.

However, I would not be surprised if such an extreme form of punishment is being contemplated by the senate leadership.

 I would caution against the decision, if indeed such a decision is on the cards, to suspend me because it would serve no purpose other than to demonstrate the exercise of power in a manner that results in its abuse.

If the intention is to gag me or intimidate me, I am afraid it would not be worth the effort. Neither adversary nor adversity can force me to abandon my resolve as a matter of personal honour and principle to always speak the truth and defend the truth. It is not in my nature to see what I consider to be wrong and either keep quiet or pretend that it is not my concern. Whatever affects the interests of this administration is my concern because as a senator and as a member of the ruling party, I am but a servant of the APC brought into power on the consent of the good people of this country who expect the government to serve, protect and defend their interests.

Adamu who chronicled his alleged offence against some forces in the senate to be when he stood up on the floor few weeks back to caution against running the government led by President Muhammadu Buhari down, kicked against new sequence of elections inserted into the electoral act amendment bill along with some other senators etc , said the voice of dissent he offered at such instances, are democratically and constitutionally allowed.

According to him, shutting out such dissenting voice would inflict irreparable damage to the Parliament and by extension , the nations democracy, adding, The day we snuff out the right of dissent in and outside the senate legislative chambers would mark the beginning of our loss of individual and collective rights as Nigerian citizens. May such a day never come.

He explained further that all allegations leveled against him so far with regard to destabilisation plot against the Senate and its leadership were barefaced lies , saying  to achieve what and for what purpose ?

He however said as a Senator of the federal republic of Nigeria , his loyalty to the Senate as an Institution would remain intact regardless of whatever his antagonists in the senate do at the end of the day.

The statement reads in part: The public is aware that I have been the subject of vilifications by both the leadership and my distinguished colleagues in the 8th senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the past three weeks or so.

 Various attempts have been made, and are still being made, to impugn my integrity and question my support for the leadership of the senate and my loyalty to the senate.

Good, I have thus far refrained from a press war in defence of myself because I am fully aware that a press warfare resolves nothing. In all wars, including a press war, the truth suffers; the public becomes less informed and more confused about the facts and the issues at stake.

 I have taken some necessary steps within the confines of the senate to defend myself and re-assure my distinguished colleagues that I remain unshaken in my commitment and faithful to my oath as a legislator on whom the constitution imposes the burden of making laws for the good governance of our dear country.

I am now forced to respond to some of the barefaced lies and the nasty allegations against me because the public has the right to know the facts. My objective is to properly educate the public on my crime or crimes. It is important for the public to know that I have committed no crime against the senate and/or its leadership.

 I have done nothing to bring the revered upper legislative house to ridicule intentionally or inadvertently.

 I am in the senate primarily to represent the interest of my people in the South-Western senatorial district of Nasarawa State. My voice is the voice of my people; my stand on critical national issues that agitate us is the stand of my people. To suspend me on the basis of baseless allegations that do not amount to the infraction of senate rules, is to deny them my voice and my representation.

 The power to suspend a senator be exercised with a grave sense of responsibility in order to protect the integrity of the senate as an important democratic institution and of individual senators.

I believe we need to retrace our steps and reconsider our stand as legislators on matters of public interest. Our party, APC, has the majority in both chambers of the national assembly, yet we hold the executive prisoner of politics that are unhealthy for the polity.

It is such a terrible irony that we sabotage our own government by refusing to do our part in support of the executive. Appointments requiring senate approval are held up. The consequence is that the public has nicknamed the president and his administration go-slow.

The people gave us the mandate as a party to deliver. With our control of the executive and the national assembly, there is no reason why the government cannot acquit itself and fulfil the yearnings of the people. Perhaps, while we are consumed with sabotaging the administration and stabbing one another in the back, we forget that in less than a year from now, we shall be required to seek the peoples revalidation of our mandate to sit in these hallowed chambers. What shall we tell them?
Orji Kalu, former Abia State Governor, has called on President Mohammadu Buhari to arrest and prosecute ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo to prove his seriousness in his fight against corruption.

He gave the call while speaking at the quarterly public lecture series of the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO) in Abuja.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain said Buhari should be bold enough to prove that he has what it takes to salvage Nigeria from bad governance by arresting Obasanjo.

Kalu said Obasanjo should be arrested for alleged missing fund meant for power during his regime.

He said, My prosecution is political. Our accounts in Abia state were transparent under my watch. The US knows, the UK knows. I have been given a red carpet in these two countries. I have been given a red carpet in China. In fact, I am stronger in fighting corruption than President Buhari because he is not fighting it well. 

I have recovered peoples money and given them back. I am a creator of wealth at every level. If any court finds me to be corrupt , it should jail me. Corruption is the bane of this country.

A corrupt judge and corrupt politician is worst than armed rubber. 

President Buhari has got some guts but he should arrest Obasanjo for us to know that corruption is working.

Without arresting Obasanjo, he has not started fighting corruption because Obasanjo took away our $16million electricity money. So, unless he arrests Obasanjo, corruption is not being fought in Nigeria.
SAARC expresses grief over plane crash

South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) Secretary General Amjad B Sial has expressed his grief over the loss of precious lives in the fatal crash involving the US-Bangla aircraft on Monday.
Senator representing Nasarawa West in the National Assembly, Abdullahi Adamu has spoken on the reported N70 million belonging to the Northern Senators Forum, NSF, allegedly swallowed by monkey.

Speaking in an interview with Daily Trust, the senator said the allegation was made to give him a bad name following his position on the electoral act amendment bill.

Nigerian Eye had earlier reported that not less than N70m belonging to the Northern Senators Forum was allegedly diverted by Senator Adamu

According to him, In order to give a dog a bad name, they now went to say that they had N70m that I mismanaged or whatever. The NSF, to the best of my knowledge, has never had N70m, at least not during my tenure that they purported it was mismanaged.

We inherited something in the region of N62m/N63m that was declared by the outgone secretary of the forum who happens to be the present Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan.

I didnt touch one kobo until when we were going to Katsina for the NSF retreat. When we were going, we got the same guys to sign for the transport fares.

Every senator that attended was paid N250, 000 as allowance for his two days and everyone also got N150, 000 for return ticket. They got these and they signed. The remaining money was returned to Abuja and was paid back into the account.

You know, when you talk of money, everybodys attention will be attracted. They did this to get attention, but this is just garbage, and for the allegation, it is up to them to prove.

He insisted that this started when he protested the change in election ssequence.

He added, I believe as a senator, it is not over because they will transmit it to the president for assent, he can sign it and he may decide not to assent to it.

Remember, on the floor of the senate, they are saying they will override him (the president) as if they are in a motor park. They said so freely as if they had a grudge against the president.

As a senator, I started talking to people who shared opinion with me on the passage of the bill. We are talking on it and yes, I have been holding meetings on it.

I have a right of association, a fundamental right in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the fact that my position as a senator has not been taken away from me.

There is no law that says that if a decision is taken on the floor of the senate, right or wrong, a senator has no right to talk to anybody outside the chamber on the matter; there is no such law.

So, I have decided to be having meetings here, I have been having the meetings and I will continue to have the meetings.

The worst anybody can do is to suspend me, but they dont have any authority over my membership of the senate.
The senate on Tuesday said there is no date yet for the passage of the 2018 budget.

Saabi Abdullahi, senates spokesman, said this while addressing reporters in Abuja.

He said: The budget process is on and I cant tell you this is the specific date it is going to end.

We are working very hard on it and we want to assure Nigerians that at the end of the day, we will have a budget that will serve the purpose of Nigerians.

On the upper chambers resolution to lift embargo on confirmation of presidential nominees, the lawmaker said there was an existing impasse between the executive and the legislature with respect to confirmation hearing of appointees of the executive.

We had a resolution that since the executive is claiming we dont have the powers to make those confirmations we are not going to consider the nominees they are forwarding to us. This happened since last year.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Senate, after a Point of Order by Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim (APC-Kwara), lifted the embargo.

According to Abdullahi, the senate made the resolution not that they have any iron to grind with anybody.

But because we believe we must defend the sanctity of democracy and ensure the institutions of democracy, for which the senate is the apex, must be respected and we believe in doing so, it is in the overall interest of the people, he said.

He also spoke on the resolution of the upper chamber to consider the confirmation of members of the monetary policy committee (MPC).

We will also consider the nomination of the two deputy governors of Central Bank (CBN) who are also members of the MPC so that the Nigerian economy will receive the necessary technical input to ensure that we sustain the growth of our economy, he said.

And to also ensure we support the executive in walking the economy out of recession. We are definitely going to do the confirmation to enable those confirmed to attend the next MPC meeting.
Home | News | General | I am not afraid of suspension - embattled Senator Adamu

- Senator Adamu reacts to the allegation that he is plotting to remove Senate president Saraki

- He denies the allegation, adding that he is not interested in the Senate presidency seat

- Adamu, who has been referred to Senate ethics committee, says he is not afraid of suspension

Senator Abdullahi Adamu, representing Nasarawa West, said he has no personal problem with the Senate president, Bukola Saraki, as alleged in some quarters.

Adamu, who stated this in an interview with Daily Trust, added that he is not interested in the Senate presidency seat and is not plotting to remove the Senate president as alleged by some of his colleagues.

He, however, said he doesnt usually agree with the Senate presidents ways of doing things.

He said: "I have no problem with the Senate president; Im not looking for his seat but somehow he is a kind of guy who is operating by proxy, principle of proxy. You know he has errand boys who take it upon themselves to do the hatchet man. If there is anything that is going to happen and he feels it will be a bit hard to swallow, he will make sure he is not on the stage and he will have Ike Ekweremadu to do the dirty work for him."

READ ALSO: Photos of man who was allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend while they were fighting at a nightclub

The lawmaker said even though he supports the idea of strengthening institutions, he has a terrible allergy for people using public institutions to serve themselves instead of public good.

Further talking about the Senate president, Adamu said: "As far as Im concerned, I dont have anything against him. Im not God. God made him the president of the Senate. Whatever the circumstances that he followed, as a Muslim I believe that it was God that made him. It wouldnt have been possible if God did not will it. As a faithful, I took it to be so and till date thats my attitude to him, and he knows it.

What I do not accept is that as he always says, and as most people say when it is convenient for them, Use good reasons to do bad things.

Reacting to the allegations of the N70m reportedly swallowed by a monkey, Senator Adamu said it was just a mere attempt to paint him bad in the eyes of the public.

He said: "In order to give a dog a bad name, they now went to say that they had N70m that I mismanaged or whatever. The NSF, to the best of my knowledge, has never had N70m, at least not during my tenure that they purported it was mismanaged. We inherited something in the region of N62m/N63m that was declared by the outgone secretary of the forum who happens to be the present Senate Leader, Ahmad Lawan. I didnt touch one kobo until when we were going to Katsina for the NSF retreat. When we were going, we got the same guys to sign for the transport fares.

"Every senator that attended was paid N250, 000 as an allowance for his two days and everyone also got N150, 000 for the return ticket. They got these and they signed. The remaining money was returned to Abuja and was paid back into the account.

"You know, when you talk of money, everybodys attention will be attracted. They did this to get attention, but this is just garbage, and for the allegation, it is up to them to prove."

When asked if he is not afraid of suspension as he has also been referred to the ethics committee which suspended Senator Ali Ndume last year, Adamu said he is not afraid of whatever the committee comes up with.

Afraid of what? Im 72 years old. I did not buy it from the market and my father was a headmaster when I was born; so he knew how to keep records of the birth of his children. My birthday is not based on the reign of an emir or fire disaster or famine; the date I was born was recorded. If Im suspended; that would not be the end of the world. Im a professional, I can go back to engineering; I will feed. I can go back to the law profession. Im a lawyer and I will feed.

Also, I can engage myself in farming, Im a farmer and I will feed myself and others. I didnt come to the Senate because I had nothing doing, no. I came because my people wanted me to represent them. When I ended my tenure as governor, I left the stage completely until when my constituents came calling.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Like I keep saying, I didnt inherit a political empire, I worked through the ladder to get to where Im, and till tomorrow, I can answer my fathers name, he said.

NAIJ.com previously reported that Senator Adamu on Monday, February 26, admonished his colleagues and members of the House of Representatives plotting against President Muhammadu Buhari to quit the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Adamu who spoke in Keffi, Nasarawa state while addressing party members, also condemned some APC senators and reps for sitting on the fence in order to sabotage Buhari.

According to him, there is no point using a party platform to win elections only to be disrespecting the party in the name of legislative immunity and to be plotting against the president.

He berated such National Assembly members for cutting the umbilical cord between them and their party.

Street gist: Should the Nigerian senate be scrapped? - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Senate, House of Reps consult to decide on Buharis veto

- Bukola Saraki and the speaker, Yakubu Dogara read Buharis letter to the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively

- The presidents letter is discussed by the upper chamber but the lawmakers are yet to reach a conclusion on the issue

- The PDP reacts to President Buhari's rejection of proposed amendments to Nigerias electoral act

The Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives are consulting on whether to override President Muhammadu Buhari's veto to the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which seeks to re-order the sequence of polls in 2019.

The president in a March 8, 2018, letter written to both chambers of the National Assembly said the amendments by the lawmakers were in conflict with existing laws.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and the speaker, Yakubu Dogara, have both read the letters to the Senate and the House of Representatives respectively.

After receiving the letter, members of the House and senators began consulting on the next line of action, The Punch reports.

READ ALSO: Herdsmen/farmers crisis: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders to relocate to Benue

Lawmakers had hinted before now that they would override the presidents veto.

"The President has played his own part, a member of the House of Representatives who spoke on condition of anonymity said

He kept to the constitutional provision of within 30 days by writing to the National Assembly.

On our part, we have to consult. This is not the type of issue you rush to take decisions.

The consultations will cut across party and zonal caucuses for members to take a position on the next line of action.

Another source said Buharis letter was discussed by the Senate at a 25-minute closed-door session but that the lawmakers did not reach a conclusion.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

The source, who is in the PDP caucus, said the 43 members of the PDP are supporting the move to override Buhari, in addition to the over 20 APC senators backing the move.

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for withholding his assent to a proposed legislation by the national assembly to change the sequence of 2019 general elections in the country.

Premium Times reports that the party in a statement on Tuesday, March 13, signed by Kola Ologbodiyan, its national publicity secretary, said it believes in the power of the legislature to make necessary amendments to strengthen democracy.

NAIJ.com gathered that Buhari rejected the proposed amendments to Nigerias electoral act in a letter addressed to the speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and to the Senate President Bukola Saraki.

The president stated among other reasons that the amendments infringe on the rights of INEC.

Age requirement reduction by the Senate; Good or Bad for Nigeria? on NAIJ.com

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Police arraign 33-year-old man for allegedly forging Okonjo-Iwealas letter

- Police have arraigned a 33-year-old man in Abuja court for allegedly forging Okonjo-Iwealas letter

- The suspect reportedly forged Okonjo-Iweala to gain employment with TETFUND

- He was docked on a six-count charge bordering on forgery

The police on Tuesday, March 13, arraigned one Obiejogo Azuka in a high court, Abuja, for forging a reference letter allegedly made by former minister of finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to gain employment.

NAIJ.com gathered that Azuka is accused of using the alleged forged document to secure job with the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company.

READ ALSO: Herdsmen/farmers crisis: Buhari summons IGP for flouting orders to relocate to Benue

The prosecutor, Halidu Mohammed, told the court that the defendant used similar document to secure another employment with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) after he was dismissed from the security printing company.

Azuka 33, a resident of Destiny Crescent Kubwa, Abuja, was docked on a six-count charge bordering on forgery.

Mohammed said the defendant committed the offence on August 11, 2014, adding that his action had caused harm to the reputation of TETFUND.

He further said the offence contravened Section 320(b) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code CAP 532 LFN, 1990.

Justice Idris Baba has adjourned the case till May 16, for mention. (NAN)

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had previously that an FCT high court, Maitama, on Tuesday, March 13, ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay N3 million to one Kingsley Efobi, for violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Efobi had on May 10, 2017, filed a suit against the police, the inspector-general of police and the commissioner of police, FCT command, for violating his fundamental right.

Nigerians share their thoughts exactly 1 yr before elections | Street Gist - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | You cant kill people as if they are fowls - Governor Umahi orders herdsmen to vacate community

- Ebonyi state governor, David Umahi reacted to the clash between herdsmen and farmers at Enyanwu Igwe Igbeagu community

- Umahi ordered the herdsmen in the community to vacate immediately

- The governor said he can't watch and let killings like that of Benue happen in his state

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi state has warned that the incessant killings during herdsmen and farmers clashes can ignite war in Nigeria if not handle carefully.

Umahi made this statement at a meeting on Tuesday, March 14, while reacting to an incident on Monday, when suspected herdsmen had attacked some farmers in Enyanwu Igwe Igbeagu community of Izzi local vovernment

Premium Times reports that leaders of cattle herders in the South-east and South-south states, residents of the affected community, as well as all the security chiefs in the state attended the meeting.

READ ALSO: 2000 APC members dump party for PDP in Kano

The governor ordered herdsmen living in the affected community to vacate immediately to avoid further violence and let the government interfere and calm the people down.

Describing the killings in the Enyanwu Igwe community, Umahi said: It is unprovoked killings, life is so sacred. You cant kill people as if they are fowls. Izzi people are warriors. I physically held them not to go for retaliation. The herdsmen there in Izzi have to leave the place for now until I can calm everybody down. The way we are going, it can provoke national war and it will not help anybody.

"The lives of every Ebonyian is very dear to me. God forbid, I cant withstand where 76 people were killed like in Benue, I cant withstand it. Some people may be fighting to die but we fight to live, lets use wisdom and handle the matter."

The governor said there was a prevous agreement between the state and herdsmen to ensure peaceful co-existence but the agreement has been ignored by the herders.

He said: We banned under-aged herders, we banned night grazing in the state. We have no grazing routes in Ebonyi which means that nobody has the right to carry cattle by route to Ebonyi State and we agreed on that. We also agreed with the herdsmen that the first offender must be prosecuted. We also said that no farmer should go to farm with gun and no herdsmen should rear cattle with gun or machete, it is stick. We must abide by these rules.

Also speaking at the meeting is the national chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Bello Bodejo.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Bodejo agreed with the governor that the state has been accommodating to herdsmen and promised that the leaders of the group will meet with herdsmen across Ebonyi state to speak with them.

He said: Ebonyi state is very peaceful and it is accommodating to our members. It has been so accommodating to our members even more than some Northern states of the federation and we condemn these killing in this state. There are minors and migrants who are causing these problems. There are also criminals moving as cattle herders who are causing these havoc. The chairmen of Myetti Allah of various states in the South-east and South are all here and we are not happy with what happened, we condemn these killings in totality."

NAIJ.com earlier reported that suspected herdsmen reportedly killed 23 persons in fresh attacks on Dundu Village of Miango District in Bassa local government area of Plateau state.

Tthe youth leaders of Miango, Auta Danjuma, claimed that the attacks took place on the night of Monday, March 12.

Danjuma said most of the 23 people killed were women and children while numerous others sustained injuries.

Nigerian herdsmen vs Nigerian farmers on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Photos of man who was allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend while fighting at a nightclub

- A young Nigerian man has passed away after he was allegedly stabbed by his girlfriend

- It was gathered that the lady stabbed her boyfriend while he was beating

- The couple was reportedly at a club when the tragic incident occurred

Abusive relationships can lead to a lot of tragic incidents. It is possible that the abusive partner could meet an untimely end or the other way around.

A woman who was reportedly fighting with her boyfriend has allegedly stabbed him to death. According to reports, a young man identified as Evangelist Igg has passed away after he was allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend.

It was gathered that the tragic incident occurred while the couple was fighting in a nightclub in Italy. The pair had reportedly been having disagreements before going to the club where they were later spotted dancing with each other.

Nigerian man allegedly stabbed to death by his girlfriend at a nightclub Photo source: Facebook user Gallant Qvng

READ ALSO: Mother sends emotional appeal to Kenyans to find daughter who went missing on her way back to school

The deceased and his girlfriend were later seen arguing when she allegedly picked up a bottle and stabbed him with it. Igg was reported to have slumped to the floor immediately before his friends could administer aid.

The two were reportedly fighting when the incident occurred Photo source: Facebook user Gallant Qvng

PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ News App

It was gathered that the deceased died shortly after the incident due to the fact that there was no experienced person at the scene who could administer first aid before paramedics showed up.

Friends and family of the deceased share their condolences on social media. A friend identified as Gallant Qvng also shared her condolence on Facebook.

Read post below:

At what point should a person walk out of an abusive relationship? - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Eyewitnesses report how female soldiers allegedly killed woman in Aba, beg Army authorities to investigate incident

- An unnamed female soldier attached to the Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base (FOB), in Aba has reportedly killed another woman during a confrontation

- Wisdom and Ifeanyi, two eyewitnesses of the incident, confirmed that the victim, who was a truck pusher, died at the spot after her body was sprayed with bullets

- Authorities of the 144 Battalion and 14 Brigade in the area were yet to offer an official statement on the sad development

An unnamed female soldier attached to the Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base (FOB), has reportedly killed a woman at Osisioma junction which leads to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), depot off Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt expressway.

The Nation reported that the deceased woman, yet unknown, died immediately after her body was sprayed with bullets.

Sources around the Osisioma area informed newsmen that the woman who was mentally derailed was caught by bullets while the soldier was dragging her gun with a truck pusher.

READ ALSO: Ortom, enemies of progress behind calls for IGP Idris sack - Arewa youths allege

Wisdom, an eyewitness of the incident said the woman was killed by bullets from the soldiers rifle.

He said that the misunderstanding between the female soldier and the truck pusher caused serious confusion in the area as the sound of the gun which took over the vicinity attracted other soldiers to the place. This forced people to abandon their cars and tricycles on the expressway. This, according to Wisdom, brought about a gridlock traffic on the expressway.

Wisdom said: The female soldier, I understand, told the truck pusher to take another route, but the truck pusher refused to heed to the instructions of the soldier. The soldier at that point, pushed the truck pusher who then charged at the soldier.

"The gun which had already being corked by the soldier in an apparent move to scare the truck pusher rented the air and in the process attracted other soldiers to the scene.

READ ALSO: Pray for my son-in-law to be governor - Okorocha tells Imo as he faces criticisms

The woman because of her mental state couldnt run to safety when the incident was going on. She was in the process hit by several bullets while the man was dragging the gun with the soldier.

The man was later whisked away into the Ngwa High School base of the Nigerian Army while the body of the dead woman was equally taken alongside with them.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!

Ifeanyi, another eyewitness confirmed Wisdoms report. Ifeanyi wondered why the truck pusher would exchange words with a soldier carrying a gun. He beckoned on the army authorities in the state to investigate the incident.

Authorities of the 144 Battalion and 14 Brigade were yet to give an official statement on the sad development.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com reported that the Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose on Wednesday, March 7, called on the international community to step in and help in ending mindless killings in many parts of Nigeria.

NAIJ.com gathered that he claimed that President Buhari-led administration was taking the twin menace of Boko Haram and herdsmen attacks in Nigeria for granted.

Biafra: Should operation python dance in southeast be canceled? On NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared that he is trying very hard to provide jobs for Nigerian youths.

Buhari made the disclosure when he received Boukekri Rmilli, the Foreign Minister of Tunisia at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

This was contained in a statement signed and sent by his media aide, Garba Shehu.

The President also expressed satisfaction with the growing role of agriculture as a strategy for jobs creation among young Nigerians.

According to Buhari, his administration would increase its support for agriculture as a mechanism for jobs creation.

He said, We are trying very hard to provide jobs, for our youths. We are investing heavily in agriculture.

Following the uncertainty in the oil market and the huge unemployment situation in the country, we chose to put our fate in agriculture. I am glad that our young people are accepting agriculture instead of waiting for white-collar jobs.

They are out there sweating it out in the sun, making a living. Agriculture is the way to go, even when we are realising this almost belatedly.

He added that the administration recognises the progress Tunisia has made in agriculture, tourism and medical health, and will shortly, from now, raise a team to visit that country to identify sectors in which the two countries can work together.

In this regard, he expressed happiness with the resuscitation of the Nigeria  Tunisia Binational Commission which was attended by a large delegation of businessmen and prospective investors.
Home | News | General | President Buhari arrives Maiduguri ahead meeting with families of abducted Dapchi school girls in Yobe

- President Buhari's jet landed at Maiduguri International Airport at about 11.01 am

- The president was received by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno, Chief of Defence Staff, General Obayomi Olonishakin among others

- He is billed to visit Yobe to meet with families of 110 school girls abducted by Boko Haram insurgents

President Muhammadu Buhari as part of his nationwide visit to trouble areas in Nigeria on Wednesday, March 24, arrived in Maiduguri, Borno state.

According to a report, President Buhari is expected to visit Yobe so as to meet with families of 110 school girls that recently abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at Government Girls Science and Technical School, Dapchi.

READ ALSO: You cant kill people as if they are fowls - Governor Umahi orders herdsmen to vacate community

NAIJ.com gathered that the presidential jet landed at Maiduguri International Airport at about 11.01 am.

It was learnt that the president was received by Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno, Chief of Defence Staff, General Obayomi Olonishakin, National Security Adviser (NSA) Retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno and other service chiefs.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Others were the ministers of education; youth and sports, interior, and information and culture, Adamu Adamu, Solomon Dalong, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

The President, accompanied by top government functionaries, was expected to board a chopper to Damaturu, the Yobe capital later in the day.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that President Buhari went to Benue state on Monday, March 12, to condole with the people over killings by herdsmen and reassure them that the administration shared in their grief.

The state was in no holiday mood for the president as there were protests, empty streets during the visit.

The president met with leaders of thought, traditional rulers, stakeholders and government officials at the peoples house, the government house, before returning to Abuja.

Victims of Herdsmen killing buried in Benue state - on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Shifting faces

There are significant changes in the strategic determinants of the relationship between India and Bhutan
Home | News | General | Merkel sworn in for fourth term by Bundestag

Angela Merkel was on Wednesday sworn in as German chancellor before the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin.

Ending with the phrase So help me God, Merkel took her oath of office in front of parliamentary speaker and former finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble.

Merkel had earlier been elected to her fourth term as chancellor by the Bundestag.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Merkel garnered 364 of the 688 votes delivered in the secret ballot on Thursday and was therefore elected as expected in the first round of voting.

At least 355 votes were required in the 709-seat chamber.

There were 315 votes against her re-election and nine abstentions.

For the first time, Merkels husband Joachim Sauer was present for the vote, as was her mother, Herlind Kasner.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier had earlier proposed Merkel  who heads the largest party in the chamber, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)  as chancellor to the lawmakers in accordance with the constitution.

Merkel had struggled to form a new government since inconclusive election results in September. At first, the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) refused to join her conservative bloc in government, and then talks with the liberals and Greens collapsed.

A volte-face by former SPD leader Martin Schulz led to a hard-fought 177-page coalition agreement in February. Two-thirds of SPD members finally approved the agreement just under two weeks ago, paving the way for a new grand coalition government under Merkels leadership.

The three parties in the grand coalition  the SPD, the CDU and its allied Christian Social Union (CSU)  have governed Germany since 2013.

A great amount of work lies before us, Merkel said at a press conference on Monday in Berlin ahead of the formal signing ceremony for the new deal.

I am optimistic that it will be a success.

It is expected that this will be Merkels last term in office.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Driver docked for alleged theft of employers jeep

The police on Wednesday arraigned a 26-year-old driver, Musa Habila in a Kaduna Chief Magistrates Court over alleged theft of his employers Lexus Jeep.

Habila, who resides at Rigasa, Kaduna, is facing two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Leo Joseph, told the court that Omoya Alonge of Victoria Island, Lagos, reported the matter at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID).

Joseph said the complainant employed the defendant as her driver and gave him access to her Lexus jeep.

He added that in December 2017, Alonge discovered that Habila had absconded with the car to unknown destination and efforts to get him proved abortive.

Joseph noted that when Alonge reported the matter at SCIID, Habila was traced and arrested at Mando Garage in Kaduna.

The prosecutor said when the defendant was interrogated, he confessed to the said offence.

Joseph explained that Habila told the police that he sold the jeep to one Nura Abdullahi at

N3.5 million.

He said the offence contravened Section 271 of the Kaduna State Penal Code.

However, Habila pleaded not guilty and the Magistrate, Mr Yusuf Emmanuel, granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.

Emmanuel said the sureties must be gainfully employed and their addresses verified by the court prosecutor and adjourned the case until March 30 for hearing.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Police to deploy horses for patrol in Nasarawa

The Nasarawa State Police Command says it will soon reintroduce the use of horses for patrols in parts of the state.

The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Bello made the disclosure on Wednesday when he paid a courtesy visit on the traditional ruler of Keana, the Osana, Abdullahi Agbo III.

The commissioner who was responding to a request by Mohammed Ayitogo, Interim Management Committee Chairman, Keana Local Government, said the mounted troops would be deployed for patrol along the states border with Benue.

Ayitogo had volunteered to buy the horses, saying it was important to track activities in the local government area in view of its closeness to Benue, which has been experiencing security challenges.

The commissioner hailed the offer by the chairman and promised to fast track the deployment of personnel for the patrols.

Bello agreed that deploying horse patrol teams to areas with difficult terrain would help protect people in remote communities from criminals and restore people s confidence in government.

In his response, the monarch called for the deployment of more policemen to the area in view of the influx of people due to ongoing oil exploration activities by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation.

The royal father pledged to support the police to ensure effective protection of lives and properties.

Newsmen report that the police commissioner who was on familiarisation visit to the area also visited Keana, Awe, Azara, and Obi Police Divisions.

He told policemen there that the tour was to get first hand information on the security situation in their divisions, challenges confronting them and efforts to address the problems.

Bello advised the officers to be civil and carry the people along in the discharge of their constitutional duties.

The commissioner, however, warned them to desist from acts capable of bringing the image of the police into disrepute and avoid delving into civil matters.

He noted that there were lots of litigation against the police command arising from civil cases involving police personnel.

Bello advised the personnel to build synergy with communities and other security agencies to enhance intelligence gathering and sharing for effective policing.

The era of security agencies trying to outdo themselves is over, we all have one goal, the security of lives and property, which can only be achieved with collective collaboration, he said.

According to him, plans are underway to build new police stations and barracks, as well as renovate and secure existing ones across the state.

He also said that the command would deploy more personnel to various divisions for effectiveness.

Newsmen report that in all the divisions visited, the Divisional Police Officers complained of shortage of manpower and operational vehicles.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Plateau attacks: sacked LG chairman says Im only a scapegoat

Mr Simon Angyol, Chairman, Bokkos Local Government in Plateau, who was sacked over the lingering violence in the area, has said that he was used as a scapegoat.

The governor (Simon Lalong) only used me as a scapegoat. There is more to it than meets the eye, Angyol, who was sacked on Tuesday, told newsmen on Wednesday in Bokkos.

Lalong, in a letter to the Plateau House of Assembly on Tuesday, intimated them of Angyols sack which the lawmakers promptly approved.

The governor accused Angyol of negligence which, he said, was responsible for the escalation of the violence that lasted four days.

The Police Command in Plateau has confirmed that 30 people were killed and scores injured in the violence that hit 10 villages in Daffo District of the local government.

A government statement has also confirmed that more than 5,000 people had been displaced with many of them camped in worship centres, schools and residents of relations.

But Angyol, who expressed surprised at the governors action, said that it was not fair to blame him for the crisis that was not peculiar to Bokkos Local Government.

Many parts of Plateau are facing similar disturbances; Bassa, Jos South, Riyom and Barkin-Ladi are equally affected.

To the best of my knowledge, no local government chairman has been blamed for the violence in their areas. Why should my local government be singled out?

I am only a victim of circumstances because no one has ever called me to find out what happened here, or even tell me where I went wrong to warrant my removal, he said.

He also reacted to the allegations that he slapped Mr Sunday Maren, the member representing Bokkos constituency at the Plateau House of Assembly, over the crisis.

It is true that we had a quarrel with the member, but I did not slap him.

I had expected members of the House of Assembly to invite me so as to listen to my version, but they did not do that. That is why I feel that they were not fair to me.

I am a Christian and will not tell lies over this issue. I cannot lie to God. I did not slap anybody, he said.

The sacked chairman, however, said that he had no regret over the development.

I did not do anything wrong, to the best of my knowledge. If I did, I would have run to the governor or to the lawmakers to beg and apologise. I am not desperate for that position. I leave everything to God.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | UTME: NSCDC arrests 3 students for alleged exam malpractice in Ondo State

Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Ondo State Command, has arrested three students for alleged examination malpractice during the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in the state.

Mr Pedro Awili, NSCDC state commandant, made this disclosure while speaking with newsmen on Wednesday in Akure.

Awili said that the three students were arrested at Adeyemi College of Education in Ondo town and Oyemekun Grammar school centre, Akure.

Awili said that it was only the NSCDC officials that were given the mandate to deploy officer and men across the country to monitoring and supervisor the UTME Computer Based Test (CBT).

In spite of the fact that the commands effort to educate students and warned them to shun examination malpractice, still some who cannot write exam without cheating were arrested.

So, in this UTME the command had arrested three suspects  one female and two males, they are right now in our detection.

Those caught will not go unpunished while some of them will be prosecuted.

This will serve as deterrent to other students who could not read their books and want to look for shortcut to pass exams, he said.

According to him, member of public need to know that examination malpractice is a very serious crime.

Students going to write exams should write with their own knowledge and shun cheating, he said.

The NSCDC boss, therefore, called on parents and guardians to advice their children and wards to read their books and shun examination malpractice.

Some parents assist their children to use machinery to pass exams. We want parents to discourage that.

Besides, the monitoring, supervision and provision of basic security in all JAMB CBT centres, we are also not losing sight of our mandate.

On Friday we arrested two serious suspects involved in illegal petroleum products deal.

A nursing mother and a man involved in buying and selling of adulterated petroleum products refined from the riverside.

The suspects were arrested by our men who were on surveillance at Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area with 480litres of AGO and 720litres of kerosene, he said.

He noted that the products had been vandalized from the NNPC/SDPC pipe and locally refined within the creek and push out for marketing.

According to him, the command will ensure diligent investigation to unravel details behind the suspects actions.

Awili, who said that the suspects would be charged to court soon, vowed to continue to ensure that Ondo NSCDC actualise its mandate, saying that there will no hiding place for any criminal in the state.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | NIPOST emerges in final selection of World Summit on Information Society award

The Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST) has been selected as one of 90 finalists of the annual World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Prizes contest.

Mr Francklin Alao, the General Manager, Corporate Communications of the agency made this known in an interview with newsmen on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to Alao, WSIS is a global initiative recognising innovative projects that use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to better the world.

He said the finalists known as WSIS champions represent the top 90 projects selected from 492 nominated projects around the world.

The project that won NIPOST the finalist place is the NIPOST Address Verification System (NIPOST AVS), which seeks to create a centralised and up-to-date database of physical addresses and details of their occupants.

It is aimed at bridging the gap in our national financial inclusion strategy to empower the CBNs Know Your Customer (KYC) and improve our national security infrastructure while creating hundreds of jobs in a commercial manner.

This is one of the new projects created by the organisation to impact on more Nigerians, especially at the rural level and we hope to come out as a winner of one of the 18 prizes at the end of the summit, he said.

Alao said the WSIS Prizes 2018 edition is the 15th edition and will be held in Geneva, Switzerland on the March 20.

The general manager said the prestigious award started since 2012.

It has been recognising remarkable efforts made by entities and organisations from around the world that focus on accelerating socio-economic progress of the whole world as a community, he said.

Newsmen report that WSIS champions represent all regions of the world and all stakeholders that deploy ICT to implement WSIS Action Lines and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a two-tier United Nations sponsored summit on information, communication and information society.

It aims to bridge the global digital divide separating rich countries from poor countries by spreading access to the internet in the developing world.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Africa ready for industrial revolution  Museveni

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda said Africa is now ready to join the rest of the world in industrial revolution after missing out for the past 500 years.

Addressing the Fourth World Customs Organisation Authorised Economic Operators (AEO) global conference in Kampala on Wednesday, Museveni said Africa had been held behind by a number of challenges such as slave trade, colonialism and neo-colonialism.

We have woken up and we are getting out of all these problems. Although we were the leaders in the Iron Age, we were left behind as the rest of the world underwent the industrial revelation, Museveni said.

Yoweri Museveni of Uganda

Museveni advised members of the East African Community that East Africa is now a customs union, with a population base of about 180 million people, which can be exploited for different trade opportunities.

Africas population is growing and we are going into industrial age, digital revolution and I want to assure you that Africa will be part of the global trade on equal terms, Museveni said.

The Global AEO Conference brings together representatives from customs administrations, the business community, the government as well as policymakers and academics to discuss the successes and challenges of customs and the private sector in implementing AEO programmes.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Vladimir Putin rejects unfounded accusations, ultimatums over poisoning row

President Vladimir Putins spokesman on Wednesday rejected Britains unfounded accusations and ultimatums over the poisoning of a former double agent in Britain.

Moscow does not accept unfounded accusations that are not based on evidence and a language of ultimatums, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Presidential candidate, President Vladimir Putin attends a rally to support his candidature in the upcoming presidential election at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on March 3, 2018.

Russians will go to the polls on March 18, 2018. / AFP PHOTO

We are hoping that common sense will prevail, he said in the Kremlins first public response to British accusations that Russia was likely behind the attempted murder of former double agent Sergei Skripal.

On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected British Prime Minister Theresa Mays deadline to explain how a Russian former double agent was poisoned in Britain with a highly toxic nerve agent invented by Russia.

Moscow has nothing to do with the accident in Britain, Peskov said, reiterating Moscow was open to cooperate on the investigation.

He declined to comment on reports in the Western media on the possibility of invoking NATOs Article 5 principle of common defence, saying Moscow hopes other countries would see there was no evidence to blame Russia for the poisoning attack.

As far as a threat of isolation is concerned, we are hoping that common sense will prevail and other countries will at least think whether there is any proof or not and just how justified the rebukes against Moscow are, Peskov said.

London is mooting possible punishment against Moscow, with British communications regulator Ofcom saying it could review the licence of the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster if Russian involvement in the poisoning was proven.

Any illegal actions against any Russian media outlet in the United Kingdom will lead to retaliatory steps on the basis of reciprocity, Peskov said.

What steps will it be? These would be steps that best suit Russias interests, he added.

In a terse comment earlier this week, Putin told the BBC: Sort things out from your side and then we will discuss this with you.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Top custom brokerage and freight forwarding course in the USA

A freight broker is an intermediary between a shipper who has goods to transport and a carrier who has capacity to move that freight.

A freight brokers job is quite different from that of a shipper or a carrier, but hes in fact the one whos connecting shippers and carriers.

A freight broker is also different from a freight forwarder, the latter being responsible for the goods and organizing the way in which various shipments will be transported.

Starting a freight brokering career could be easy if you learn about and develop some general skills that could help you become the much-needed middleman in the transportation industry.

READ ALSO: 29 ships with petroleum products, food items to arrive Lagos ports

A freight broker plays an important part in the whole shipping process. That is why freight broker training programs are so important.

Below are top 5 Freight Broker Training Schools in the US where you can develop skills to become Freight Broker.

1. JPL Enterprises International, Inc.

JPL Enterprises is a consulting company, based in New York, helping future freight brokers not just learn the tricks of the trade but also to get them through the whole process of obtaining a license and setting up a business of their own. Their freight broker training is divided into three phases and promises to get your freight brokerage rolling in just 3 weeks.

The first phase is a one-day seminar, introducing participants to freight brokering and its available in cities throughout the US. A pre-recorded program, however, is also available. During phase two, JPL will take you through the process of getting a freight broker license, freight broker surety bonds and everything else thats required.

You can sign up for phase three, which is called the Broker Assistance Plan. For $99/month, JPL will work closely with your business to help you navigate the bumps in the road. That option is also available for freight brokers who are already operating.

2. Transport Training International

The Transport Training International (TTI) is a very flexible school, offering classes with a different focus, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs and budget. The in-depth freight broker course, offered on several dates in Dallas and Georgia, is a comprehensive 5-day class, aimed at beginners.

Graduating from the course will give you everything you need to start your freight broker business from scratch (and from the comfort of your home), but TTI also offers placement opportunities with a licensed freight brokerage upon graduation. Due to the recession, a class like this will cost you $2250 and an additional discount is available if you already went through a freight broker training elsewhere, but are displeased with it. The good thing is that if the location or the budget are inconvenient for you, you can take an online course, covering all the necessary basics, and at a much lower price.

3. Brooke Transportation Training Solutions, LLC

The Brooke Transportation Training Solutions (BTTS) is another esteemed freight broker training school that offers classes in four locations  Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX; Ontario, California; Jacksonville, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina. For $2495 you get an intensive 5-day course, during which you will learn not just practical specifics of the freight broker business, but a lot of the skills it takes to succeed in the field  sales, marketing, goal development, personal growth, and the power of positive thinking.

Classes are small (with a typical ratio of 1:10) and all of them are taught by qualified professionals with many years of experience. Perhaps the strongest argument in favor of BTTS is their founder Jeff Roach, who established a multi-million dollar business after starting the company from his own garage.

4. Load Training

Load Training is another freight broker training institution with an inspirational story. Its founder, David Dwindle, started doing trucking jobs because he needed the money to support his education in Wisconsin State College-Whitewater. Gradually, he fell in love with the trucking industry. That was back in 1967 when training resources werent as readily available as they are today, so David Dwindle had to learn everything the hard way.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Thats the reason why he designed his program in such a way as to help his students avoid the common pitfalls of the industry, using textbooks he wrote himself. Classes are offered in 5-day or 7-day seminars and big discounts are available if you register before September 30th. A low-budget self-study option is also available for $799.

5. American Broker Academy

The American Broker Academy (ABA) is a reputable training institution, based in Seattle, Washington, that offers classes for truckers, brokers & agents and entrepreneurs. ABA works through the so-called immersion method, i.e. taking a class with them resembles the actual workday of a freight broker or agent.

The school has an agreement with an actual freight brokerage, so you will spend 1 or 2 days of your training going through all the specifics, not only related to moving loads, but also other important aspects, such as negotiating rates, communicating with clients, finding the most suitable carriers and staying on top of trends in sales, marketing and trucking software. The full 5-day course is only available in ABAs Seattle location. However, numerous classes and seminars are offered at other cities year-round, so be sure to check their calendar.

A ride on the Abuja-Kaduna railway on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
What caused 211s crash?

Did faulty communication or technical malfunction cause the crash of Flight Bangla Star 211 at Kathmandus Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA)? On Monday 49 people died when a US-Bangla Airlines plane carrying 71 passengers and crew crashed on abnormal landing at TIA.
Home | News | General | My Benin witch, my bleach bleach - Nigerian man celebrates 9 years of marriage, calls wife different names

- A Nigerian man has celebrated his wedding anniversary with wife of 9 years

- The man took to social media to gush about his woman and their family of 5

- He compared her to gold, oil and food, all the good things of life

Describing how much you love someone can be a tricky thing. Some people have a way with words while others find it hard to put their thoughts into words.

A married Nigerian man has shown the world that he has no problem with describing the love he has for his wife even though his words might not be as polished as that of a poet or an English professor.

The man identified as Agoro Patrick took to Facebook to gush about his wife to celebrate nine years of marriage. In his post, the happily married man and father of three compared his wife to gold, oil and different types of food.

Nigerian gushes about wife to celebrate 9 years of marriage Photo source: Facebook user Agoro Patrick

READ ALSO: Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha shares childhood photo as she celebrates 38th birthday

Patrick gushed about his wife and thanked God for giving them the opportunity to meet. He expressed that he lovea her more than gold.

He further thanked her for taking care of their three children, Hero, Charlton and the newly born baby, Royalty. The loving father joked about wanting more kids.

Read post below:

PAY ATTENTION: Read latest gossip on NAIJ News App

What do you do to your partner's cheating mate? | Street Gist on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Black Panther writer cries out on Twitter, reveals what Oyinbo lady did to him on a flight that got him angry (photo)

The writer and creator of Black Panther has taken to his Twitter handle to reveal how an Oyinbo lady humiliated him on a United flight. He carefully explained how the lady was given $1,000 (N365,000).

Frederick Joseph on Tuesday, March 13, narrated how the lady placed her leg on the table when he was eating. After telling her to take down her leg, the lady replied him saying the seats are small.

Joseph who was already irritated called one of the flight attendants but instead of the woman solving the issue at hand, she compensated the Oyinbo lady and begged her to put her leg close to the window.

READ ALSO: 20-year-old secondary school student allegedly kills self in Jigawa (photos)

This act got Joseph angry because he felt the flight attendant was being racist.

His post reads: The audacity of white privilege: This woman next to me took her shoes off and placed both feet on the table. So Im waiting for flight staff to say something. So flight staff walks by numerous times without saying anything, and Im irate, because no black person would ever get away with this. So I start looking at the staff noting that there is an issue. You know, giving them the snitch eye. So finally I decide to say something to the woman myself. So I say maam, Im trying to eat, and your feet are next to my food. She says what do you want me to do, the seats are small. So Im like I understand, which is why there is room for your feet and legs under the seat in front of you So she says this is why I fly first class, and I dont come back here with everyone else. So Im like thats great, so are you going to put your feet down? So she calls over a flight attendant as soon as I say that! She says to the flight attendant this man is disrupting my flight, Im just trying to be comfortable so I point at her feet and explain my stance. The flight attendant says well what if she puts her feet closer to the window or puts one down The woman says if I put one foot down, I want to be accommodated for accommodating him. So the flight attendant speaks to the person in-charge on the plane and they give promise this woman a $1000 voucher ONE THOUSAND. DOLLAR. So I ask what voucher will I be receiving for my suffering The flight attendant says sir, we can only make but so many accommodations, and she has agreed to move her feet for you. Now Im on the phone trying to explain how problematic this all was to a white woman in customer service who doesnt get my issue.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!

See all tweets below:

See some reactions below:

Nawa o!

Laura Ikeji Interview for Star Chat: There are a lot of angry people on Twitter| Naij.com TV - on NAIJ.com TV.

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Security: Police to partner hunters in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Police Command, on Wednesday agreed to partner with hunters in addressing security challenges in the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Austin Iwar said after a closed door meeting with the state hunters association that the police would tap from their experiences in tracking criminals.

Iwar described the hunters as very important elements in the society, saying that the police would use their expertise to hunt for criminals.

The commissioner, however, said that those to be incorporated would undergo relevant briefings and training before bringing them into the security system.

He said the steps were necessary to regulate the hunters activities, adding that the interaction was to encourage hunters with illegal weapons to hand them over.

Some have illegal weapons with them; we want to encourage them to return it to the state. It is also to train them in the new responsibility that they have chosen to participate.

Iwar added: everybody has a responsibility to safety and security; I think that is why the hunters decided on their own to be involved, but they need to be regulated.

On the two weeks ultimatum he gave to local street gangs called Sara Suka to reform, the commissioner said a massive operation was on to arrest the miscreants.

The Division Police Officers have carried out operations which had led to arrest of several of them and some have been charged to court for prosecution.

The operation will continue, but we need members of communities to cooperate with us.

Newsmen report that the commissioner also visited Television and Sabo motor parks to engage the people on the importance of community policing.

Iwar assured them that the police would increase level of security in motor parks and markets.

Where there is no enough security we will add more security and where there is no police post we will establish it, he said.

He appealed to the communities to support the police achieve the best they can give in ensuring security and safety in the state.

Mr Sunday Kanu, Secretary of Luxurious Buses Association at Television garage, commended the police for reaching out to residents on the need to enhance security.

He expressed the belief that the effort would ensure that peace and security return to motor parks, and pledged total support to the initiative.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | NPA to re-train legal officers

Ms Hadiza Usman, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), says NPA is committed to retraining of its legal officers and reinvigorating its legal unit.

Usman made the commitment when she received executive members of Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) led by its President, Mr Chidi Ilogu.

Hadiza Bala Usman

A statement in Lagos on Wednesday by NPA General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, Alhaji Abdulahi Goje, quoted the managing director as saying that the NPA would in the coming days seek for legal support in the interpretation of some bills.

Usman said that these bills included the Ports and Harbours and the Nigerian Transport Commission (NTC) bills, currently at the National Assembly.

She promised effective interface with maritime lawyers and assured the visitors of improved synergy on pending cases of the organisation in various courts across the country.

Responding, Ilogu recalled that the association, which was formed in 1979, was the Nigerian arm of the Committee Maritime International (CMI), which was formally admitted as a member at its Conference in Canada in 1981.

He said that NMLA comprised various professionals, who among others, were to promote, practice, study the advancement of Maritime and Mercantile Law with emphasis on Nigerian Maritime Law and Administration.

Ilogu said the visit also afforded both parties the opportunities for discussion and consideration of maritime-related matters of interest to its members.

He commended the positive contributions of the NPA in its policies on Ease of Doing Business, level-playing ground for port users, efficiency in port operations, improved turnaround time for vessels and the deep seaport initiative.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Court upholds Ozekhome as lawyer to companies linked to Patience Jonathan

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday held that Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, was validly appointed to represent four companies that pleaded guilty to laundering $15.5million allegedly belonging to former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.

Trial judge, Justice Babs Kuewumi held that another lawyer, Luke Aghanenu, who claimed to have been appointed by the companies directors, was not properly appointed.

Ozekhome

The companies are Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd, Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd and Avalon Global Property Development Ltd.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned the firms alongside a former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to President Jonathan, Waripamo Dudafa, a lawyer Amajuoyi Briggs, who is the companies secretary and a banker, Adedamola Bolodeoku.

But the companies pleaded not guilty to the 17-count charge.

Aghanenu filed a motion for change of counsel, praying the court to hold that he was validly appointed by the companies directors to represent them, not Ozekhome.

But, Ozekhome urged the court to dismiss the application for change of counsel, arguing that he was authorised to act as the companies counsel through a letter by Briggs.

Ruling, Justice Kuewumi held that if the companies wanted to change the counsel that was appointed by their secretary, it ought to be by board resolution.

He said there was no such resolution before him and that the individual hand-written letters by the companies directors fell short of the minimum requirement.

The fourth to seventh defendants are limited liability companies. If they are to change counsel, it should be by way of board resolution, he said.

The court noted that it had earlier ruled on the issue when there was a dispute on representation, in which it recognised Ozekhome as the authorised counsel.

Until that decision is appealed against, this application is bound to fail. Same is hereby dismissed, the judge held.

During hearing of the application, Ozekhome and EFCC lawyer Rotimi Oyedepo had clashed when Oyedepo said he was not opposed to the application for change of counsel.

Ozekhome had accused EFCC of trying to determine which lawyer would represent the companies, adding that the commission should not be interested in who represented the companies.

Meanwhile, Justice Kuewumi adjourned till May 2 for hearing of pending applications in the case.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | INEC yet to conclude over unclaimed PVCs in Ondo  REC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has not concluded on the options open to it over the unclaimed Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in its custody in Ondo State.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

Dr Rufus Akeju, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, made the clarification on Wednesday in Akure.

Akejus clarification is contained in a statement issued by Mr Olabimpe Awoniyi, the Head of Department, Voter Education and Publicity.

According to Akeju, the commission has not concluded on any possible option about the unclaimed PVCs, talkless of setting them ablaze.

He denied saying that the unclaimed PVCs would be burnt as being reported by some sections of the media.

Akeju said he only expressed worry on the huge amount of unclaimed cards in spite of the efforts of the commission through persistent and sustained sensitisation.

He appealed to the owners of the cards to collect them from the INEC office to enable them to vote in the forthcoming elections.

The commission hereby assures the public of its unwavering commitment to the veritable tenets of fairness and integrity in the discharge of its onerous tasks to deepen democracy in Nigeria, Akeju said.

He also commended the media in the state for their efforts in adding ethics and professionalism to their activities.

NAN

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Access to Justice: Emir calls for establishment of more courts

Kaura-Namoda (Zamfara)  The Emir of Kaura-Namoda in Zamfara, Alhaji Ahmad Muhammad-Asha has called for the establishment of more courts in the country to reduce delays in the dispensation of justice.



The emir made the call in Kaura-Namoda on Wednesday when he received members of Zamfara House of Assembly who visited his palace for consultation over Constitutional amendment.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lawmakers, led by the Speaker, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji are holding town hall meetings in the 17 emirates of the state to intimate residents on the recent review of the countrys Constitution.

Muhammad-Asha described the undue delay in dispensing justice by law courts in the country as very worrisome and unfortunate, adding that establishing more courts would give people more chance of accessing justice.

According to him, we are happy with this constitutional review because it will allow us to express our views, therefore we want you to consider this problem.

The emir opposed the reduction of age of candidates for political offices, saying that leadership of people require maturity and foresight.

It is in line with our religious and traditional provisions to have matured people as leaders.

Therefore, we dont support reduction of the age for eligible candidates; we want you to retain it. Make it at least 40 years for people to contest for President, 30 years for those to contest for National Assembly, among others.

Earlier, Rikiji said, the visit was to collect views of our people as regard to the recent constitutional amendment process by the national assembly.

Out of the 15 bills transmitted to us by the National assembly for alterations, we selected some that have direct bearing with the people at the grassroots that is why we are here today.

As your representatives, we are here today to collect your views after which we will send your interest to the national assembly for the next amendment, he said. (NAN)

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
The house of representatives says it will override President Muhammadu Buhari on the Peace Corps of Nigeria establishment bill as well as nine other bills.

Abdulrazak Namdas, spokesman of the house, announced this during a press briefing on Wednesday.

He said the lawmakers have commenced the process of overriding the president on the 10 bills.

Buhari had rejected the Peace Corps bill, citing duplication of functions and lack of funds as his reasons.

We are in the process of overriding the veto of the president on ten bills, excluding the electoral act, but which includes the Peace Corps bill, Namdas said.

He listed the 10 bills to include a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of Treasury Management, a bill for an act to establish the Nigerian Council for Social Works, a bill for an act to amend the currency conversion, freezing orders act to give discretionary powers to the judge of high court to order for forfeiture of assets of affected persons, and a bill for an act to establish the police procurement fund.

Others are a bill for an act to amend the environmental health officers council registration act, a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of loan and risk management of Nigeria, a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria.

Also included are a bill for an act to establish the Chartered Institute of Exports and Community Brokers of Nigeria and a bill for an act to establish the Federal University, Wukari.

Regarding the bill on the amendment of the electoral act which Buhari also rejected, Namdas said the lawmakers will address areas of the bill the president disagreed with and re-introduce it for passage.

He said the house agreed with the president that section 138 of the amended electoral act unduly limits the right of the candidate to a free and fair election.

He also said the lawmakers agreed with the president on his position that the section 152 of the act regarding the competence of the national assembly to regulate local government elections.

We will re-gazette the electoral act and expunge the areas which the president mentioned and which we are in agreement with the president and in line with the constitution, he said.

We will then bring it back for debate and re-transmit it to the president for assent.
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has praised former President Goodluck Jonathans attempts at ending the Almajiri system through construction of schools in Northern Nigeria.

The group blamed Northern Governors for showing no political will to end the system.

The group made its position known in a statement signed by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola and available to newsmen. It said, While we commend the Jonathan administration for building al-Majiri schools in some parts of the North, Northern governors must be held responsible both for the misuse and disuse of those structures.

Most of the al-majiri schools are lying fallow today while some have been converted to other uses. This is most unfortunate. The Buhari administration must also intervene by initiating a special project for the almajiranci.

It said that the number of children involved in the al-majiri system has been rated at over ten million. Recent studies have revealed that kids metamorphose from this ugly phenomenon to members of street gangs.

It is strongly suspected that many al-majiri children are now commanders in the dreaded Boko Haram insurgency.

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) frowns at the poorly arranged educational system which resulted in the al-majiri syndrome. It is escapist, pernicious, retrogressive, counter-productive and inhuman, it eplained.

The statement said that Al-majiri as practiced in Northern Nigeria today was a bastardisation of the Islamic education system.

Although the word is originally from al-muhajirun, that is, migrants, a reference to the early Muslims who followed Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from Makkah to seek refuge in Madinah in 622 C.E., it is now used to refer to child beggars. These are children whose parents gave them out to teachers to learn the rudiments of Islam.

Unfortunately the system has bread poverty, homelessness and hopelessness. It has produced a fi sabilillahi mentality plus an army of vagabonds and a battalion of bowl-carrying kids always roaming the streets aimlessly. It ends up breeding hunger, squalor and the resultant disease.

For example, in places like Azare, Bauchi, al-majiris tie bowls to their clothes and beg for just anything, anything at all. In places like Maiduguri, Borno State, they offer to carry bags for strangers and they are ready to assist in doing house chores for a whole day once a meal is guaranteed. Older al-majiris in Maiduguri area sell sachet water while some do scavenging and sell whatever they find to recyclers, it noted.

It lamented that in thunder, rain and flood, al-majiri children crowd up in open spaces to spend the night.

The few who find shelter share single mosquito-infested rooms with scores of others. They are prone to all sorts of contagious diseases. Their personal safety cannot be guaranteed and many fall into the hands of bad gangs, like the notorious Yandaba boys of Kano, the statement observed.

It cannot be called Islamic education in any sense as the focus of the children involved is fully on begging, searching for food and making a living. It makes mockery of the institution of parenthood as envisaged in Islam.

The Quran commands parents to take charge of the educational, social and economic responsibilities of their children from infancy till they reach the age of full maturity and capability.

This age is forty years (Quran 2:233 and 46:15). It is therefore the height of abdication of parental responsibility to give out children to Islamic teachers without caring for the needs of such children and without paying the teachers for their services. No wonder the teachers end up exploiting the children for their personal needs.

MURIC exhorts Northern governors to come up with a master plan capable of resolving the al-majiri debacle once and for all.

This plan should take cognizance of the need for a census of all those involved in the system, buildings to be used as hostels, modern structures to be used as schools, adequate remuneration for the Islamic teachers, free feeding and capacity building for the kids, among others.

In the final analysis, the blame rests squarely on Northern politicians dead and alive for failing to see the threat coming and for their inability to evolve a means of combating it and bringing it to a halt. It may have been callous and myopic, but the present crop of politicians must not repeat the mistakes of history. Al-majiris must be reined in if the North really wants Boko Haram and gangsterism to become history, the group explained.
Home | News | General | Just In: Buhari gains upper hand as court stops NASS from overriding presidents veto of Electoral Act amendment

- The Abuja Federal High Court has restrained the National Assembly from taking further action on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill

- This comes following the presidents decision to withhold assent to the bill which seeks to reorganize the election sequence

- The presiding judge adjourned the case till March 20, and ordered all parties to maintain the status quo at least till then

The National Assembly has been restrained by the Abuja divison of the Federal High Court, from taking further action on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which President Muhammadu Buhari refused to assent to, Vanguard reports.

The court, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mmohammed, made its ruling on Wednesday, March 14, following the suit which was filed by the Accord Party.

READ ALSO: Senator Akpabio blasts Governor Yahaya Bello

NAIJ.com gathers that Mohammed ordered all parties to maintain status quo antebellum, at least between now and the next adjourned date.

Invoking section 6(6) of the 1999 constitution, the judge stated that the court was empowered to protect the subject matter of the substantive suit pending before it.

Mohammed directed that the hearing notice be served on the 2nd defendant in the case, Attorney General Abubakar Malami; and then adjourned the case till Tuesday, March 20.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, tonight, Wednesday, March 14.

According sources within the presidency, the meeting may not be unconnected to the president's decision to withhold assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act.

Election-2019: (Dont) mark your calendar - On NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Senator Akpabio blasts Governor Yahaya Bello

- Senator Godswill Akpabio accused Governor Yahaya Bello of stirring controversy

- He said this was a time the youths were trying to contribute to politics

- The senator said the governor was giving the impression that the old leadera should be recycled

Godswill Akpabio who is the Senate minority leader has taken a swipe at Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state saying he is giving the impression that old leaders deserve to be recycled with his actions.

The Cable reports that the Akapbio made this remark in a debate to a motion by Senator Dino Melaye who accused the Kogi governor of stirring controversy.

READ ALSO: President Buhari visits Dapchi school were Boko Haram kidnapped 110 students

Akpabio in his reaction said Bellos behaviour was coming at a time when the youths are ready to contribute their quota to national development.

He said: Unfortunately, it is Kogi again. And then here we are here in the senate trying to make laws to enable the youth who can vote in the election to be voted for, he said.

I see a very youthful governor trying to give the impression that we elders should continue to recycle ourselves because the youths are not ready. I do know that the youth are ready to contribute their own quota.

Having been a governor before, we knew the effect of arming militia or arming youths because even after leaving office it will be difficult to retrieve those weapons.

Meanwhile, the political crises in Kogi state have taken a new dimension with the Nigerian Senate commencing a major investigation into an allegation by Melaye that Governor Bello has been illegally arming a local vigilante group.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Senator Dino Melaye, the representative of Kogi west, moved the motion on the floor of the upper chamber citing orders 42 and 52.

According to him, a law established by the Kogi government has given the vigilante group more power than the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) thereby reducing the powers of the latter in the state.

Will you vote Goodluck Jonathan if he joins 2019 race? - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | We stand with Rotimi Amaechi on 2019 decision - Riverine communities in Niger Delta want Wike's replacement

- The riverine communities in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria say they will back Rotimi Amaechi's decision for a candidate from the area against Nyesom Wike

- The communities boast of very qualified people to replace Governor Wike in 2019

- They argue that zoning the governorship to the riverine communities would continue to foster peace and unity

The riverine communities of the Ijaw in the Niger Delta part of Nigeria have thrown their weight behind the decision of Rotimi Amaechi, the transport minister, to ensure the enthronement of an indigene as governor of Rivers state in 2019.

The communities, which spoke through Perekeme Kpodoh, a former security adviser to the Bayelsa state government, said though every indigene of Rivers state have the right to vie for the governorship seat, the decision of Amaechi to back the riverine communities for 2019 governorship is welcomed and right before God.

In a statement made available to NAIJ.com, Kpodoh, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), stated that the decision of the minister to correct the imbalance and ensure rotation of governorship slot should be considered as the right thing to do to bring about peace in the oil rich state.

READ ALSO: Ortom, enemies of progress behind calls for IGP Idris sack - Arewa youths allege

According to the statement, Amaechis decision shows his selflessness as well as portrays him as not selfish or engaging in political battle for personal gain.

Amaechi is not backing the Ikwerre people but the people of the riverine communities. He is a true leader and should be supported, Kpodoh said in the statement adding that the area can boast of credible politicians such as Dakuku Peterside, who currently heads the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Adol, Dr Sokonte and Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs for the governorship position come 2019.

Riverine communities of Ijaw, Kalabarri, Andoni, Bonny, Nkoro, Otobo and Akukutoru should rally round and support Rotimi Amaechi to actualise the dream of rotation and enthronement of governor from the area in 2019. There are tested and trusted candidates better than the incumbent."

Though we are not saying Senator Magnus Abe and others are not qualified, the party leaders in Rivers state and the issue of rotation should be considered.

The Ijaw people should unite and back former governor Amaechi. Ijaw should not betray themselves because of money, the statement said.

The communities accused Governor Nyosome Wike of being a product of deceit and betrayal.

Sen John Mbata brought Nyesom Wike into politics. Soon after he entrenched himself in Amaechi's camp, he fought against the senator to further his political fortunes.

It earned him second term in office as council chairman.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi made it possible against established culture for Nyesom Wike to be a second term chairman of Obio/Akor local government council, made him his chief of staff and thereafter nomination for ministerial position.

To further his political interest, he stroked a conflict between Governor Amaechi and former President Jonathan. The outcome made him a governor, the statement said.

NAIJ.com earlier reported that Perekeme Kpodoh recently accused some governors and politicians in the party of working against the second tenure of President Muhammad Buhari.

Kpodoh said this while noting a reluctance to allow the reconciliation committee of the APC led by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to resolve crises within the party.

Yes from Buhari: Tobacco & Alcohol to cost more - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | 'I got married just two months after meeting my husband' - Nigerian lady says blasting men who takes forever to propose

A certain lady on Facebook has poured out her anger on men who takes forever to propose to their girlfriend, calling them time wasters.

The lady identified as Rubby Nebechi Demian, said any man that loves his woman won't wait forever to marry her.

Rubby who got married just two months after she met her man came for all men who she described as 'unserious guys' shading them and asking what they tend to achieve by taking so long to propose.

She opined that men who study women like university courses before getting married to them are time wasters and one shouldn't waste time with men like that.

READ ALSO: I love you more than the gold in Saudi - Man gushes about wife to celebrate 9 years of marriage

According to Rubby she met her husband on December 2017, did her first introduction on 7th January 2018 and finally tied the knot traditionally on 24th of February 2018.

For her a serious man doesn't waste time trying to study a woman forever, he quickly makes plan with her.

Rubby Demian shades men who takes forever to propose. Source: Facebook/Rubby Nebechi Demian.

PAY ATTENTION: Get best news on Nigeria's #1 news app

Rubby Demian shades men who takes forever to propose. Source: Facebook/Rubby Nebechi Demian.

She wrote: Any man that loves you will not waste time to make you his wife but the unserious ones will like to study you like university course .We met on December 2017,first introduction was on 7th January 2018 and we tied the knot traditionally on 24th of February this year.

How long should it take between a proposal and the actual wedding? - on NAIJ. com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Buhari convenes critical meeting with NASS leadership following refusal to assent to amendment of Electoral Act

- The leaders of the National Assembly will meet with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa tonight

- The meeting is reportedly in connection with Buhari's decision to withhold assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act

- In a letter to the Senate, the president argued that any such amendment would infringe on INEC's constitutional right to organize, undertake and supervise all elections, among others

President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, tonight, Wednesday, March 14.

According to Independent, sources within the presidency disclosed that the meeting may not be unconnected to the president's decision to withhold assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act.

READ ALSO: DRAC puts women with disabilities on the front burner

NAIJ.com notes that President Buhari had written a letter to Senate President Bukola Saraki; notifying him of his decision to withhold assent to the amendment.

The letter read in part: Pursuant to Section 58 (4) of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate, my decision on (3rd March, 2018) to decline presidential assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly.

Some of my reasons for withholding assent to the Bill include the following:

The amendment to the sequence of the elections in section 25 of the Principal Act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission to organize, undertake and supervise all elections provided in section 15 (a) of the third schedule of the constitution.

The amendment to Section (138) of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process and the amendments to section 152 (3)-(5) of the Principal Act, may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over Local Government elections.''

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that a professor of law, Osita Ogbu, said that President Muhammadu Buharis decision to withhold assent to the electoral act as amended by the National Assembly was in order.

Ogbu, who is the dean of the faculty of law, Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli, told newsmen in Enugu, that the prevailing circumstance needed not be misconstrued as a constitutional crisis.

The former chairman of Enugu state branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) said there was no cause for alarm, as the presidency acted within the law. He said if the House felt undone by the action of the president, they would have to muster two-thirds majority of their members to veto such presidential decision.

Election-2019: (Dont) mark your calendar - On NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | President Buhari visits Dapchi School where Boko Haram kidnapped 110 girls (photos)

President Muhammadu Buhari visited the Government Girls Science and Technology College, Dapchi in Yobe state where 110 girls were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists.

READ ALSO: Metuh reportedly arrives court in wheelchair, begs to travel to UK for treatment

NAIJ.com had reported that the president arrived Yobe state on Wednesday, March 14 as part of his efforts to carry out on-the-spot assessment of the security situation in the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Dapchi school where 110 girls were kidnapped. Credit: Facebook, Aso Rock Villa

President Buhari said his administration has shown more commitment to the rescue of the schoolgirls recently kidnapped in Dapchi, Yobe state, unlike what the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan did during the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls in 2014.

The Tribune reports that the president who made the statement on Wednesday, March 14, during his visit to Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, accused the Jonathan administration of looking away as the Chibok abductions took place.

The president said his administration is resolute in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents and assured the parents of the abducted schoolgirls that his regime will do all necessary to reunite the them with their families.

Buhari said: Nigerians will readily recall that prior to our coming in 2015, the situation was chaotic with violent terrorist attacks being the order of the day.

Terrorists had made life very unbearable for the people in Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Niger, and even the FCT, Abuja.

President Muhammadu Buhari noted that his administration was working towards rescuing the abducted girls. Credit: Facebook, Aso Rock Villa

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Our Mosques and Churches witnessed daily bomb attacks. Parts of Adamawa and Borno States were helplessly ceded to the terrorists.

But today, we have so far shown clear determination in tackling terrorism which is a world -wide phenomenon.

We have not only degraded the power and dominance of the criminal elements, our security forces have patriotically exhibited an uncommon zeal in executing their assignment.

We explored various strategies including regional and international collaborations to exterminate terror. We have re-equipped our armed forces, security and intelligence Services. They are empowered with improved welfare and better equipment.

Boko Haram Kidnappings: Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? | NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Ogun police arrest suspected madman who killed 2 pupils

- A suspected mad man has been arrested for killing two pupils of St. Johns Anglican Primary School, Agodo, Ogun Waterside local government area of the state

- The victims Mubarak Kalesowo and Sunday Obituyi, both aged four, were killed by the suspect on Monday, March 12

- The state police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi who confirmed the incident said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, March 14

The Ogun state police command said it has arrested a suspected mad man known as Lekan Adebisi who allegedly killed two pupils of St. Johns Anglican Primary School, Agodo, Ogun Waterside local government area of the state.

Punch reports that the victims Mubarak Kalesowo and Sunday Obituyi, both aged four, were killed by the suspect on Monday 12th March, 2018.

It was learnt that the suspect was at that school while the pupils were on lunch break and did the havoc. He thereafter fled the scene.

READ ALSO: Metuh reportedly arrives court in wheelchair, begs to travel to UK for treatment

The state police public relations officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi who confirmed the incident said the suspect was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday, March 14, through the combined efforts of the policemen attached to Ogbere area command led by Makinde Kayode, an assistant commissioner of police; and some local hunters.

The state commissioner of police, Ahmed Iliyasu was said to have given a marching order to the area commander Ogbere and the divisional police officer, Abigi division, to arrest the suspect within the shortest possible time.

In compliance with Iliyasus order, the area commander mobilised policemen and local hunters for the manhunt of the suspect.

He said: ''Their efforts paid off in the early hours of today (Wednesday) when the suspect was seen in a bush around the community.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

''When they wanted to arrest him, the suspect, who was brandishing a sharp cutlass, attacked them, consequent upon which he was shot and injured on the leg.''

Oyeyemi, an assistant superintendent of police, said the suspect has been taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Iliyasu is said to have directed the case be transferred to section of state criminal investigation and intelligence department, Abeokuta, for proper investigation.

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com had reported that the police Lagos state killed Emmanuel Chukwu, a 16-year-old pupil of Randle Secondary School, Apapa area of the state.

The Senior Secondary School 2 pupil was in front of his parents residence on Fadaini Street, Ijora Badia, watching protesters when he was hit by the bullet.

Some youths of the area had stormed the station around 8am on Sunday to protest against the rescue of a suspected female kidnapper by policemen.

Police parade over 50 suspected cultists in Lagos - on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | 2019: PDP announces generation next plan

National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Uche Secondus, on Wednesday said the party was coming up with Generation Next programme for repositioning youths to take over leadership in 2019.

Uche Secondus

Secondus made the disclosure at the opening of PDP Youth Leaders meeting in Abuja.

He said that the programme was designed to prepare the youth to take over political leadership in the country.

According to him, with the programme, age barrier will be removed and a 25-year old that is popular and intelligent can be voted into power as governor.

Secondus urged the youths to mobilise young people in their communities irrespective of party affiliation to rescue the country in 2019.

He also charged the youths to rise and defend marginal unity and democracy in the country.

According to him, any nation whose youths are not participating in the development process is heading for doom.

The chairman recalled that at 32, Gen. Yakubu Gowon became Head of State and that with youthful energy, presided and piloted over the affairs of Nigeria.

He said that Gowon succeeded in keeping Nigeria as a united entity along with other military governors who were also youths.

Unless you come out and volunteer to make that sacrifice, you will not be noticed and the country will be missing you.

Today is the day to go into memory lane, make firm declaration and stand by it; the country needs the youth and the party is ready to allow you participate, he said.

Secondus said that Nigeria had never been polarized as being witnessed currently, adding that unless the youth rose to rescue the nation, there would be nothing left for the next generation.

He said that the rebranded PDP was practicing internal democracy and assured that henceforth, they would be no imposition of candidates in the party.

He revealed that there was a new reward system in PDP and that only those who delivered their polling units for the party at elections would get appointment.

Earlier, the National Youth Leader of the party, Mr Sunday Ude-Okoye, had said that the meeting was to avail youths the opportunity to deliberate on strategies to take over power in 2019.

He said that youths in the country were angry as majority of them had no jobs, yet they were being displaced and losing their lives and property to violence.

Ude-Okoye said the youths wished to return home to a healthy living, stating that democracy must be allowed to run smoothly. (NAN)

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Senate summons NSA, AGF over new law establishing armed vigilante in Kogi

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA  THE Senate has begun probe into the existence of alleged armed Vigilante group in Kogi state established by laws in the state which violates the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

NSA Babagana-Monguno

Against this backdrop, the Senate Wednesday mandated its committee on National Security , Intelligence and Judiciary to summon the National Security Adviser, Brigadier General Babagana Mungono (rtd) and the Attorney  General of the Federation ( AGF) Abubakar Malami geared towards addressing the issue of state owned armed outfit in form of disbandment.

But the Senate, Wednesday rejected the prayer for the investigation of Neighborhood Watch set up in Rivers State by Governor Nyesom Wike.

Resolutions of the Senate were sequel to a point of Order raised by Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West on the disbandment of armed vigilante group in Kogi state

Melaye who came under a point of Order 42 and 52 of the senate standing rules however alleged that the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello was introducing State Police in the state through the back door, adding that the state governor had through the laws passed by the State House of Assembly established Vigilante Service Group illegally saddled with functions constitutionally entrusted to the Police .

Senator Melaye who noted that section 15 of the state law estabilising the Vigilante Service Group illegally empowers it to be involved in the detection and prevention of crime , carry Dane guns and other light ammunitions allegedly being used by the group to kill political enemies in the state.

According to him, a law established by the Kogi State government has given the Vigilante group more power the the Nigerian Police thereby reducing the power of the Police Force in Kogi State which is against the Nigerian Constitution, just as he urged the Senate to look into it and direct the relevant Security Agencies to do something about it.

Melaye said that the existence of the armed outfit in the state and its operations through an illegal law passed by the Kogi State House of Assembly run contrary to relevant provisions of the 1999 constitution and should therefore be disbanded in line with Section 1(3) of the 1999 constitution.

He said, I bring to the senate a plan, action of Kogi state government to introduce state police through the back door.

This morning I bring to the senate a law passed by Kogi and signed into law by the governor that talks about the establishment service. Mr president I heard that it is a law of the government and when I went through this law, this law is in conflict with the constitution of Nigeria. This law alters of the Nigerian police as stipulated in section 214 of the constitution.

It is a fact that state can make laws through the state house of assembly. But the law they make must not be in conflict with the constitution. I seek your indulgence to read a section of the law passed by Kogi state government it reads: The vigilante group will involved in the prevention and detection of crimes, apprehension of criminals, preserving law and order, protection of lives and properties and will assist other paramilitary agencies in the discharge of their duty

The affront on the constitution is in section 15 of that law that this service can carry Dane guns and other light that is in commensurate with their duties.

Mr president this is our Mitesene started in Kano, it was not contained and it became ravaging.

The section states:  If any law is inconsistent with provisions of this constitution , that law should be declared null and void and of no effect .

In his contribution to the alleged armed outfit, the Senate minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio who noted that it was unfortunate that the Governor of Kogi state who supposed to be the symbol of the youth in government is always in the news for bad reasons, said,  Very unfortunately, it is Kogi State again. We are trying to make laws to make youths join governors. But we are seeing a youthful governor in Kogi State who is not doing well. It is something that must be nipped in the bud. Arming youths and militias is not good. It must be looked into. Nigeria has been struggling with the issue of arms. What I am seeing is that people are legalising illegality and thuggery.

On his part, deputy Senate Minority leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha who warned that these security issues and problems must be addressed or as Nigerians, we will wake up and no country called Nigeria, said,  If we do not stop everything and address this matter, we will wake up on day and a country will not be there. God forbid. People are discouraged, people appear not to have confidence in our security operatives. Why? Because there are certain issues on ground that needs to be addressed. This is no longer business as usual as representatives we must be seen to showing concern. The matter is beyond boundary of religion and ethnicity.

But the Senator Victor Umeh ( APGA Anambra Central ) who called for caution in the disbandment of such groups, said that though the Kogi example is a bad one based on available reports, but that of Anambra state is a good example, adding, It is unfortunate that Kogi State has been in the news for sometime now. Vigilante services have worked in some states to maintain peace. I will give you Anambra State for example. The vigilante group was established there 9 years ago. It was set up to tackle the insecurity in the state. I want us to treat the issue of Kogi State as a special case.

 There was an order from the IGP recently that small arms be withdrawn from vigilante groups. My people told me that they are not comfortable with the plan to withdraw arms from vigilante groups. While we condemn vigilante groups in some states, others should be allowed to stay.

In his contribution, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu who noted that such outfits being created by state government arose from the failure of centralized security architecture being operated in the country, reiterated that creation of state police in the country in the mode of the Brazilian model , would take off our land various forms of locally armed groups being established in some states .

He said :  We have very few number of policemen. The soldiers have been brought in. Even the soldiers are overstretched. Our security agencies are overstretched.

Our security forces cannot protect our people. I am an advocate of state police. If the National Assembly can amend the constitution to make room for state police, we can regulate what states are doing. We should begin to take seriously the issue of state police. We should come up with state police

In her contribution, deputy Minority Whip, Senator Biodun Olujimi, PDP, Ekiti South said, I am next door to Kogi and I know what they are saying. The governor of Kogi State has not even reacted positively to the issues raised. We are not talking about states where there are serious security challenges. We should always confine ourselves to the issues at hand so that we will not water down the issue. If the issue is not tackled in Kogi State, Ekiti will be affected.

Contributions on the motion however took another dimension with call made by Senator Magnus Abe ( APC Rivers South) for probe of the Neighbourhood Watch set up by Governor Nysom Wike but rejected by the senate when put to voice votes by the Senate President , Bukola Saraki.

Senator Abe in his continuation prior to the additional prayer which was rejected said, I have always been and will be an advocate of state police. We have to be careful when doing this. In my own state, the Rivers State House of Assembly has passed a law arming Neighborhood Watch. The law gives the governor the power to control this group. This is not a Kogi problem. Rivers State is also involved. Let us engage these people and understand what they are trying to achieve. Our constitution does not currently support the creation of state security forces. We should get the AGF involved. As of now, we have made any amendment to allow states make the kind of laws they are making now. If we allow this kind of thing to go on Rivers State, we cannot tell where this will lead to.

Saraki in his ruling on the substantive motion said : Committee on National Security and Intelligence should invite the National Security Adviser to discuss on how to disband vigilante group in Kogi State

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Britain, Russia spy sagas: past sanctions

With Britain announcing Wednesday the expulsion of 23 diplomats in response to a nerve agent attack against a Russian former double agent in England earlier this month, here are previous sanctions by London on Moscow in spying affairs.

 Expulsions of Soviet diplomats  May and Putin

 In September 1971 Britain expelled a record number of 105 Soviet diplomats and officials, after Moscow refused to clarify the activities of 440 of its citizens in Britain.

Moscow in turn expelled 18 Britons.

 In September 1985 Moscow and London engaged in a furious six-day exchange of spy expulsions, declaring a draw after 31 on each side had been sent packing. This followed the defection to Britain of the KGBs London station chief, Oleg Gordievsky.

 In May 1989, 11 Soviet diplomats and journalists were thrown out for spying. Meanwhile 11 Britons were sent home from Moscow in a tit-for-tat move.

 Expulsions of Russians 

 In May 1996 Britain ordered the expulsion of four Russians working at the London embassy, in response to the kicking out of four British diplomats from Russia.

According to Moscow, the Britons were in contact with a Russian working for British intelligence.

 In July 2007 Britain expelled four Russian diplomats and hit Moscow with visa restrictions after Moscow refused to extradite Andrei Lugovoi, the main suspect in the murder of ex-Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko.

Litvinenko was poisoned in London in 2006 with the radioactive substance polonium-210, in the most notorious of a rash of suspicious deaths of high-profile Russian exiles in Britain.

Moscow responded with the expulsion of four British diplomats, suspended counter-terrorism cooperation with London and also stopped issuing visas to British officials.

In January 2016, after a British probe found that Moscow was responsible for the affair, the British government summoned Russias ambassador, and froze the assets of Lugovoi and a second suspect, Dmitry Kovtun.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Dapchi Girls abduction: Unlike Jonathan, I acted fast  Buhari

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA  PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday in Yobe State said that his administrations prompt response to the adoption of 110 students of Government Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State was a clear departure from what he described as the insensitivity of the past administration that could not do anything when over 100 Chibok girls were abducted by Boko Haram in 2014.

President Buhari speaking with parents in Dapchi

President Buhari also said that the senseless bombing of worship centers like churches and mosques that was rampant before his administration came into force, adding that his government has explored various strategies including regional and international collaborations to exterminate terror.

The President who stated this when he met with the parents of the abducted Dapchi girls to console them on the ugly saga said that the Federal Governments response to the unfortunate abduction of the school girls was a clear departure from the insensitivity of the past administration which looked the other way while the Chibok girls were taken away in 2014 and held in captivity for over 3 years.

He further said, Due to our commitment, over 100 Chibok girls have been rescued and reunited with their families, sent back to school and empowered with requisite skills.

While expressing his heartfelt sympathy for the families of the abducted girls, he said, I am here in Yobe State today, to express my sincere sympathies with the parents, families, the Government and the entire people of Yobe State whose daughters were callously abducted by unrepentant terrorists.

On 19th February, 2018, we woke up to the painful news of the abduction of One Hundred and Ten (110) students of Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi. Since this ugly incident happened, I have not left any stone unturned in making sure that the girls are rescued.

I have ordered the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take direct charge and brief me on a daily basis on the efforts to bring back the girls. Within four (4) days of the incident, the Minister of Information visited Dapchi and the next day, the Minister of Interior who was accompanied by the Minister of Information re-visited the school for on the spot assessment.

I have ordered the re-strengthening of a Joint Operational Base involving relevant agencies and Services to coordinate the rescue mission. Consequently, the Service Commanders have not only established a unified Command Centre in Maiduguri, the Military has raised several rescue teams to comb the forests in the North East Theatre of Operation.

In addition, the Nigerian Airforce has maintained aerial surveillance of the area. The Federal Government had earlier sent a delegation of senior officials to visit the Governor and the parents of the girls to re-assure them of the measures the government is taking as well as have an on-the-spot-assessment of the incident.

Similarly, the Federal Government has set up a 12-member Committee to unravel the circumstances surrounding the abduction of the students. The membership of the Committee was drawn from among security agencies and local residents. It is my hope that any agency, person or group found to have been negligent or culpable in the abduction of the girls will be punished in accordance with the law.

President Buhari stated that the government was partnering with the International Community and organizations including the nations neighbours to ensure that the girls are safely returned.

He said, Just recently, I reiterated our resolve to negotiate for the unconditional release of the girls. This is borne out of this administrations conviction that, doing so is safer devoid of risks and will not endanger the lives of our young girls who are in harms way.

Since the inception of this administration, we have remained resolute in our fight against Terrorism and Boko Haram insurgents. Nigerians will readily recall that prior to our coming in 2015, the situation was chaotic with violent terrorist attacks being the order of the day.

Terrorists had made life very unbearable for the people in Yobe, Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Niger, and even the FCT, Abuja. Our Mosques and Churches witnessed daily suicide bomb attacks. Parts of Adamawa and Borno States were helplessly ceded to the terrorists.

But today, we have so far shown clear determination in tackling terrorism which is a world -wide phenomenon. We have not only degraded the power and dominance of the criminal elements, our security forces have patriotically exhibited an uncommon zeal in executing their assignment.

We explored various strategies including regional and international collaborations to exterminate terror. We have re-equipped our armed forces, security and intelligence Services. They are empowered with improved welfare and better equipment. The outcomes have been good. Our achievement in maintaining security is such that the international community and even our critics commend our modest efforts in this regards.

You may recall that recently, our negotiation efforts led to the release of abducted University of Maiduguri lecturers, some women Police personnel, students and even an NYSC member. We, therefore, have no doubt that the Dapchi girls will be rescued or released. I can reassure parents, Nigerians and the International Community that we will do all that is within our power to make sure that the girls are brought back safely to their families.

I have ordered a 24 hour brief to me by security agencies on its successes or challenges. While expecting the report of the Committee set up to investigate the abduction for implementation, I have asked that appropriate Federal Government authorities be in constant touch with the Yobe State Government and other neighbouring States to ensure a common strategy and line of action.

There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok and Dapchi, is released. The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations.

The Dapchi and Chibok students are our girls and must enjoy our protection. They must live to achieve their individual ambitions, to be great women of tomorrow. It is our duty to protect them. We are determined to restore peace to all part of the country  from the West to the East; North to the South. While calling for calm, I implore affected parents and families to restrain from making statements that may jeopardize the success of the rescue mission.

We are aware of orchestrations by some evil elements to take advantage of the development to score cheap political points. I call on law abiding citizens to shun activities and statements that may cause a breakdown of law and order.

The Government, under my watch, will continue to maintain normalcy and ensure that incidents of this nature are stopped. Be assured that measures are being put in place to achieve these objectives.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Buhari in Damaturu, commits to rescue of Dapchi girls

President Muhamadu Buhari visited Yobe on Wednesday where he assured the people of commitment to the rescue of the 110 Dapchi schoolgirls.

The girls were abducted by Boko Haram on February 19 in Dapchi, Yobe state, where Buhari also visited to console parents of the abducted girls.

In Damaturu, in continuation of his tour of troubled states, Buhari said he had no doubt the Dapchi girls would be rescued or released.

President Muhammadu Buhari addressing the participant during the Formal Launch of the Economic Recovery & Growth Plan 2017-2020 (ERGP) LABS PROCESSheld Banquet Hall State House, Abuja

I can reassure parents, Nigerians and the international community that we will do all that is within our power to make sure that the girls are brought back safely to their families.

There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok or Dapchi, is released.

The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations.

The Dapchi kidnapping occurred despite repeated claims from Buhari, his government and the military that Boko Haram was a spent force, as a result of a sustained counter-insurgency.

Nigerias political opposition has called into question the extent of those claims and also urged him to meet parents of the missing Dapchi girls.

His visit to Yobe was part of a tour of states hit by unrest.

On Tuesday, the #BringBackOurGirls pressure group gave the government a seven-day deadline to free the remaining 112 Chibok girls and 110 Dapchi girls or face court action.

In his speech, Buhari said he was aware of orchestrations by some evil elements to take advantage of the development to score cheap political points.

The government, under my watch, will continue to maintain normalcy and ensure that incidents of this nature (mass kidnappings) are stopped, he added.

Be assured that measures are being put in place to achieve these objectives.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok or Dapchi, is released  Buhari

Nigerias president, in a visit to the countrys troubled northeast, on Monday predicted success in what he described as relentless efforts to release more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram.

Buhari in Dapchi

The jihadists are still holding 112 of the 219 students they abducted from the Borno state town of Chibok in April 2014, and also 110 pupils taken from Dapchi, in Yobe state, in February.

On a visit to the Yobe state capital, Damaturu, President Muhammadu Buhari said he had no doubt the Dapchi girls would be rescued or released.

I can reassure parents, Nigerians and the international community that we will do all that is within our power to make sure that the girls are brought back safely to their families.

There will be no rest till the last girl, whether from Chibok or Dapchi, is released.

The girls, like all our citizens, must enjoy unhindered freedom and pursue their legitimate aspirations.

Similarities have been drawn between the two abductions, after heavily-armed Islamist militants were able to take so many pupils without any resistance from security forces.

Buharis predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, was lambasted for his delayed and lacklustre response to Chibok, which happened as Boko Haram rampaged across the northeast, seizing territory.

The Dapchi kidnapping occurred despite repeated claims from Buhari, his government and the military that Boko Haram was a spent force, as a result of a sustained counter-insurgency.

Nigerias political opposition has called into question the extent of those claims and also urged him to meet parents of the missing Dapchi girls.

His visit to Yobe was part of a tour of states hit by unrest.

On Tuesday, the #BringBackOurGirls pressure group gave the government a seven-day deadline to free the remaining 112 Chibok girls and 110 Dapchi girls or face court action.

The group, which was set up in the wake of Chibok, accused the government of incompetence and carelessness and would sue it for criminal negligence if the girls were not freed.

In his speech, Buhari said he was aware of orchestrations by some evil elements to take advantage of the development to score cheap political points.

The government, under my watch, will continue to maintain normalcy and ensure that incidents of this nature (mass kidnappings) are stopped, he added.

Be assured that measures are being put in place to achieve these objectives.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Governing Board decries obsolete infrastructure in Oron Maritime Academy

The newly appointed Governing Board of Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom on Wednesday decried the level of abandoned projects and obsolete infrastructure in the institution.

Mr Ademola Seriki, Chairman of the Board expressed the disappointment of the board members during an inaugural visit and inspection of facilities in the academy.

He observed that some of the equipment purchased 25 years back dotted the foundry shop of the institution and underscored the need to replace them with modern ones.

Maritime Academy, Oron

I am disappointed, particularly, over abandoned projects and the verse areas that have not been developed. We have a lot to do.|

To put the necessary infrastructure in place, we must really work in synergy with our sister agencies like the Nigeria Port Authority, NIMASA, NLNG and others.

We must build a relationship that will result in acquiring assets that will be of benefits to everyone, he said.

Seriki proposed to the school to engage in free training of stakeholders who would in turn provide the needed equipment to the institution.

He said there was a need to create space for building of more jetties and acquisition of more boats.

The board chairman also called for expansion of the school laboratory to make the facility more conducive for the Cadets as well as equipping of the e-library and the ICT Resource centre.

He stressed that the academy should partner with all relevant stakeholders to be able to meet up to international standard.

Seriki also decried the number of management staff of the school on acting positions and promised to put an end to it.

There are too many acting officers who are handicapped in discharging their duties effectively.

We are not going to be having people occupying positions in acting capacity for too long.

You cant be acting for up to five years. I will put an end to this, he said

Seriki charged the management staff on hard work and loyalty, stating that all hand must be on deck to move the academy to greater heights.

Mr Olaleye Olukayode, the Head of Unit, Marine Engineering Workshop said the academy needed more machines for the training of the Cadets.

The Engineer said the situation where eight Cadets were being assigned to one machine was not proper.

We always group them in eight to one machine which is not too good. They are supposed to be three Cadets to one machine.

The machines were acquired as far back as 1992. We have applied for new ones and the Rector has been promising to replace them, he said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | World Happiness report: See where Nigeria ranks in 2018

Finland is the worlds happiest country, according to an annual survey issued on Wednesday, March 14 that put Burundi at the bottom of the happiness index and Nigerians at 91st position.

The survey also found Americans were getting less happy even as their country became richer.

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Networks 2018 World Happiness Report ranked 156 countries according to their scores for things such as GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, social freedom, generosity and absence of corruption.

READ ALSO: Senator Akpabio blasts Governor Yahaya Bello

Finland rose from fifth place in 2017 to oust Norway from the top spot.

The 2018 top-10, as ever dominated by the Nordics, is Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Netherlands Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Australia.

The U S. came in at 18th, down from 14th place in 2017.

Britain was 19th and the United Arab Emirates 20th.

One chapter of the 170-page report is dedicated to emerging health problems such as obesity, depression and the opioid crisis, particularly in the U. S. where the prevalence of all three has grown faster than in most other countries.

While income per capita has increased markedly in the U. S. over the last half-century, the happiness index has been hit by weakened social support networks, a rise in perception of corruption in government and business and declining confidence in public institutions.

We obviously have a social crisis in the U. S.: more inequality, less trust, less confidence in government, the head of the SDSN, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs of New Yorks Columbia University, told Reuters as the report was launched at the Vaticans Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

Its pretty stark right now. The signs are not good for the U.S. It is getting richer and richer but not getting happier.

Asked how the current political situation in the United States could affect future happiness reports, Sachs said: Time will tell, but I would say that in general that when confidence in government is low, when perceptions of corruption are high, inequality is high and health conditions are worsening  that is not conducive to good feelings.

For the first time since it was started in 2012, the report, which uses a variety of polling organisations, official figures and research methods, ranked the happiness of foreign-born immigrants in 117 countries.

Finland took top honours in that category too, giving the country a statistical double-gold status.

The foreign-born were least happy in Syria, which has been mired in civil war for seven years.

The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born, said Prof. John Helliwell of Canadas University of British Columbia.

Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations converge towards those of other residents in their new countries, he said.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.

Meanwhile, Transparency International released Corruption Perception Index for 2017 with Nigeria dropping 12 places to 148.

This is worse than the countrys position of 136 out of `80 countries it was ranked in 2016.

This is coming even as President Muhammadu Buhari s channelling efforts towards fighting corruption in the country.

Nigeria scored 27 per cent and is on 148th spot with Cosmoros and Guinea.

Botswana was ranked the least corrupt country in Africa with 61 per cent and occupies 34th position.

The luxury of corruption - on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | ICT teacher who went viral on social media gets 'sponsored' to attend international program

-ICT teacher who went viral gets flown to Singapore for exchange program

-The program is expected to last for 3 days and it will host educators from around the world

-Microsoft has also promised to send some computers to the school to facilitate the study of ICT

Richard Akoto Appiah, the ICT teacher who went viral on social media for drawing the Microsoft Word interface on a blackboard just to get his students to understand has been flown to Singapore to partake in an exchange program.

The 34-year-old teacher, known by the Facebook name, Owura Kwadwo Hottish, took to Facebook to update his status about his arrival in the Asian country under the auspices of ICT giant, Microsoft.

READ ALSO: World Happiest countries: Nigeria ranked 91

After sharing some photos on Facebook, Mr. Richard Akoto Appiah captioned his post, Just arrived in Singapore for the Microsoft Global Education Exchange Summit. Looking forward to learn something new. #thanksMicrosoft.

The Microsoft Education Exchange program has been in existence for more than a decades and has the sole aim of celebrating amazing educators and providing them with the opportunity to collaborate with others from around the world.

The training program which is scheduled to last from March 13 through to March 15 is hosted by Microsoft and they took to their Twitter account to announce Richard Akoto Appiahs participation.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Richard Akoto Appiah, an ICT teacher of Betenase M/A Junior High School in the town of Sekyedomase, took the internet by storm when some pictures of him teaching ICT without a computer surfaced online.

His story was covered by many national and international news agencies which led to many people pledging to assist the young man with computer equipment.

Not too long ago, he received the first donation of a laptop from Leeds University. NIIT has also blessed the school with some brand new desktop computers to enhance the teaching and learning of ICT in the school.

The luxury of corruption - on NAIJ.com TV:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Funke Adesiyan celebrates birthday in style

Nollywood actress Funke Adesiyan is a year older on 14 March, the beautiful actress took to her Instagram to share amazing pictures of herself in honor of her day.

Funke penned down a hearty birthday message alongside her stunning photos, as she celebrates and thanked God for keeping her alive to witness another year.

Funke in her post said she admires the woman she is becoming, her strength, purpose, which are all made possible through God.

READ ALSO: Nollywood actress Chioma Akpotha shares her motivational life story

She continued in her post that she is her own kind of woman as she joking said she is 18 again.

She wrote: "I love the woman I am growing to be. Beautiful, strong, bold and purposeful... My own kind of woman. A power girl who finds her own strength from within through God almighty. I am 18 again. Happy birthday 'Defunke"

PAY ATTENTION: Get best news on Nigeria's #1 news app

Funke Adesiyan is an actress and producer who hails from Oyo state in Nigeria, apart from her passion in acting Funke has a thing for politics.

For the great love she has for her career, Funke enrolled into the prestigious New York Film Academy to study Movie making.

Funke Adesiyan is not just beautiful and talented, she is also passionate about her dreams, she is so focused about the place of the Nigerian youth in today's Nigeria which she revealed as part of her political ambition.

Funke also is an advocate of the girl child.

Omoni Oboli Interview: About the Nigerian Movie Industry | Star Chat - on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | 2019: Political party lashes out at Buhari, following veto of Electoral Amendment Bill; says president is afraid of losing election

- The United Progressives Party (UPP) has reacted to the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to veto the Electoral Amendment Bill

- The party stated that the president took the decision because he is afraid that it would lead to his defeat in 2019

- The UPP opined that the president would not have had such fears if he was confident that he had performed well so far

The United Progressives Party (UPP) has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is afraid of losing the 2019 presidential election; and that was why he declined to assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill sent to him by the National Assembly, Daily Trust reports.

The party made its comments in a statement released by its national chairman, Chekwas Okorie.

READ ALSO: We will flush out those who attacked Niger governor - LG chairman

NAIJ.com gathers that the party stated that candidates of various political parties would be able to win elections on the basis of merit and popularity of their parties' manifesto, if the bill is signed into law.

The statement read in part: "His withholding assent to this bill smacks of fear of losing the 2019 Presidential Election as well as the fear of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) not benefiting from the bandwagon effect of a possible early victory if the presidential election came first.

"If the APC and President Buhari were confident that the record of their performance was impressive as they have often claimed, there should be no reason why this fear should be expressed in the manner of withholding assent to a bill that holds very strong promise to deepen and develop our democracy.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that the National Assembly was restrained by the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, from taking further action on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, which President Muhammadu Buhari refused to assent to.

The court, presided over by Justice Ahmed Mmohammed, made its ruling on Wednesday, March 14, following the suit which was filed by the Accord Party.

Mohammed ordered all parties to maintain status quo antebellum, at least between now and the next adjourned date.

Should President Buhari seek reelection in 2019? - on NAIJ.com Street Gist:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | President Buhari received by huge supporters in Yobe (photos)

President Muhammadu Buhari was received by a crowd of supporters during his visit to Yobe state where he had gone on an on-the-spot assessment of the security situation of the state.

The president went to Yobe state on Wednesday, March 14 as part of his visits to states that had security issues.

President Buhari received by huge supporters in Yobe. Credit: Facebook, APC

READ ALSO: World Happiest countries: Nigeria ranked 91

A long of line of supporters were on the street to welcome President Buhari.

President Muhammadu Buhari in Yobe state. Credit: Facebook, APC

Meanwhile, President Buhari said his administration has shown more commitment to the rescue of the schoolgirls recently kidnapped in Dapchi, Yobe state, unlike what the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan did during the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls in 2014.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

The Tribune reports that the president who made the statement on Wednesday, March 14, during his visit to Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, accused the Jonathan administration of looking away as the Chibok abductions took place.

The president said his administration is resolute in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents and assured the parents of the abducted schoolgirls that his regime will do all necessary to reunite the them with their families.

Boko Haram Kidnappings: Will Buhari bring back Dapchi Girls? | NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | 2019: PDP announces generation next plan for Nigerian youths

- The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is ready to re-position Nigerian youths to take over leadership in 2019

- The party's national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said there would be nothing left for the next generation if the youths failed to rise to rescue the nation

- According to him, unless the youths come out and volunteer to make sacrifice, they will not be noticed

The national chairman of the PDP, Prince Secondus, has revealed that the party was coming up with generation next programme for re-positioning youths to take over leadership in 2019.

Secondus made the disclosure at the opening of PDP youth leaders meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, March 14. He said that the programme was designed to prepare the youth to take over political leadership in the country.

According to him, with the programme, age barrier will be removed and a 25-year old that is popular and intelligent can be voted into power as governor, NAN reports.

Secondus urged the youths to mobilise young people in their communities irrespective of party affiliation to rescue the country in 2019. He also charged the youths to rise and defend marginal unity and democracy in the country.

Some zonal youth leaders of the PDP at the event. Photo credit: PDP

READ ALSO: PDP governors meet in Gombe, talks surround Wike, 2019

According to him, any nation whose youths are not participating in the development process is heading for doom.

The chairman recalled that at 32, General Yakubu Gowon became Head of State and that with youthful energy, presided and piloted over the affairs of Nigeria. He said that Gowon succeeded in keeping Nigeria as a united entity along with other military governors who were also youths.

Unless you come out and volunteer to make that sacrifice, you will not be noticed and the country will be missing you. Today is the day to go into memory lane, make firm declaration and stand by it; the country needs the youth and the party is ready to allow you participate, he said.

Secondus said that Nigeria had never been polarized as being witnessed currently, adding that unless the youth rose to rescue the nation, there would be nothing left for the next generation.

He said that the re-branded PDP was practicing internal democracy and assured that henceforth, they would be no imposition of candidates in the party. He revealed that there was a new reward system in PDP and that only those who delivered their polling units for the party at elections would get appointment.

Earlier, the national youth leader of the party, Mr Sunday Ude-Okoye, had said that the meeting was to avail youths the opportunity to deliberate on strategies to take over power in 2019. He said that youths in the country were angry as majority of them had no jobs, yet they were being displaced and losing their lives and property to violence.

Ude-Okoye said the youths wished to return home to a healthy living, stating that democracy must be allowed to run smoothly.

Meanwhile, the Kogi state chapter of the PDP on Monday, March 12, berated Governor Yahaya Bello for exhibiting juvenile delinquency in governance.

The party was reacting to the governor's decision to reverse his action in dissolving the state executive council and the council administrators in the 21 local councils within minutes.

The party said the governors rigmarole in decision-making on sensitive issues that affect the lives of the people of the state was a hallmark of his administration brazen ineptitude and cluelessness.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

PDP's Magnificent 7 for 2019 on NAIJ.com TV

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | LG chairman blows hot over attack on northern governor; vows to flush out and prosecute culprits

- The chairman of Bida local government area, Niger state, Mohamad Bagudu, has reacted to the attack on the state governor, Abubakar Bello, by angry youths

- Bagudu claimed that the attack was political, and vowed to flush out and prosecute the culprits

- He warned youths to desist from indulging in any form of political violence and thuggery

Alhaji Mohammad Bagudu, chairman, Bida local government area of Niger on Wednesday, March 14, claimed that the attack on Governor Abubakar Bello in Bida town was politically motivated.

Bagudu told the News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) in Bida that the local council would do everything possible to prevent a recurrence.

NAIJ.com notes that the governor was stoned by youths in Bida on March 8, when he visited the town to assess the damage caused on Bida old market by a night fire. The police has since announced the arrest of six persons suspected to have been involved in the incident.

READ ALSO: Electoral Act amendment: High Court restrains NASS form overriding Buharis veto

The chairman stressed that the local council would follow the case to logical conclusion to ensure justice is done. He warned that politics must not be a do or die affair, but should be played with decorum and responsibility.

We will not condone abnormal behaviour before our leaders; those behind the act would be flushed out and prosecuted," Bagudu said.

He urged youths in the area to shun indiscipline, adding that parents must monitor the conduct and behavior of their children.

We as responsible leaders will continue to provide the needed peaceful atmosphere for political activities and I hereby warn the youth to desist from indulging in any form of political violence and thuggery," he added.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, NAIJ.com previously reported that Governor Abubakar Bello was challenged by the Action Democratic Party (ADP), to come out clean on how his government spent N481 billion.

Niger state had allegedly received N481 billion from the federal government as monthly statutory allocations, the Paris Club Refund, among others.

Alhaji Tanimu Sarki Kwamba, ADPs state chairman, threw the challenge at the partys stakeholders meeting over the weekend in Minna.

The party chairman said ADP and indeed Nigerlites were worried that despite receiving the whooping sums, the state government had not been able to provide basic infrastructure across the state; adding that the people needed to know how the monies were spent.

What is the problem with Nigeria? - on NAIJ.com Street Gist:

[embedded content]

Source: Naija.ng

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Catholic Church Catechist, two others killed by herdsmen in Benue

BY PETER DURU

MAKURDI  A Catechist of the Catholic Church, Christopher Unenger and two others, Aondowase Uma and Ahanbee Uma have been reportedly murdered in two separate attacks by suspected herdsmen at Tse-Oragbo Nyiev council ward and Yelwata all in Guma local government area of Benue State.

An indigene of Benue mourning the, killings of her relatives by the Fulani herdsmen during a protest at the National Assembly gate in Abuja Thursday . Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan

Vanguard gathered that the Catechist who was in charge of administration at the Roman Catholic Church in the area, was in company of his in-law Ayem Mbakuughur when their attackers waylaid and killed him.

According to the source, the both of them were going for early morning Mass when they both ran into the ambushed but his in-law managed to escape alive.

When contacted, Media Director, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi Reverend Father Moses Iorpuu who confirmed the development gave no further details.

In the same vein, the two brothers, Aondowase Uma and Ahanbee Uma who were murdered in Yelwata by herdsmen in an ambush were said to be returning from Yelewata Market on a motor bike around 8:pm when they ran into the ambush.

According to our source the armed herdsmen killed the two bothers and also burnt the motorbike their victims were riding on before the attack.

One of the survivors of the attack, Orihyev Nyaga who was reportedly shot on his left hand told our source that he was returning from the market on a motorbike when he ran into a road block mounted by the herdsmen.

He said they attempted to machete me but I managed to escaped but they shot me on my left hand while I tried to escape. I abandoned my bike and ran into the bush to hide but shortly after I went back to the market where i raised alarm.

It was further gathered that the bodies of the two brothers were later recovered by youths of the area and handed over to the Police at Yelwata who deposited same at the mortuary in the area.

The latest killing came 24 hours after the condolence visit of President President Muhammadu Buhari to the state. It could also be recalled that 24 hours to that visit last Monday, two Mobile Police sergeants were also murdered in Tse-Orogbo, Guma local government area by suspected herdsmen.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Understanding the Ajimobi administration

Bolaji Tunji

There is no doubt that when the political history of Oyo State is being written, the name of the incumbent governor, Senator Isiaka Abiola Ajimobi will feature prominently. There are many reasons for these. In the modern democratic history of Oyo state, Governor Ajimobi is the first civilian governor to enjoy two terms in office. But his tenure goes beyond such feat.

Oyo state governor, Abiola Ajimobi

Never in the history of the state have there been infrastructural developments that have been witnessed under the watch of this astute administrator. Indeed, his desire to turn Oyo state into a modern 21st century city has earned him different sobriquets, The Builder,  Game changer, The pathfinder, among others . One would not be too far wrong to state that many are unaware of his giant strides in the development of Oyo state or how he is giving Oyo state a new look. It is also easy to underplay his achievements. But to the discerning and those who have keenly followed happenings in the state, never in the history of modern Oyo state has any governor achieved such feats in infrastructural development.

To understand Senator Ajimobi, it is important to know what motivates him. His words give a clue as to what drives his passion. I want to be a noble. A noble is a man who serves God and has integrity. I do not want to be too rich or too poor. A poor man will not sleep because he would always think about how to meet his needs, while a rich man would equally not sleep because he would always worry about his wealth. I want to be remembered as a man who made a difference in the lives of people, in the state.

Pacesetter status

He is a governor whose burning desire is to take Oyo state into modernity, a city of the 21st century. He is a governor who is convinced that Oyo state must retain its pacesetter status in the political and developmental history of the South West, Nigeria and Africa.

Oyo State (Western Nigeria) had always set the pace. It was where the first television station in Africa was established. It was also the region that had the first radio station in the country and Africa, the first stadium and the first university  the University College, Ibadan now known as the University of Ibadan.

True to his words, when his administration was sworn in on May 29, 2011, he had a clear vision of what he wanted and where he was taking Oyo state- to reposition the state in terms of developments and retain its many firsts in developments. His desire to do this was anchored on three planks of Restoration, Transformation and Repositioning. To achieve his objectives of restoring the glories of time past and changing the face of the state into a modern one, he knew the appropriate foundation must be established. He realized that no development would take place without a secure environment. To this end; his first task was to re-launch and reinvigorate the states joint security task force, Operation Burst. He did this by making available 20 new patrol van through the efforts of the states Security Trust Fund (OYSSTF) which he had earlier inaugurated. Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) were also installed in black spots, under the Safe City Project, embarked on by the Gonernor Ajimobi-led administration. All these seem to have paid off with absolute peace and security of lives in the state. This fact was reemphasized recently by the state police chief, Mr. Abiodun Odude when he described Oyo state as the most peaceful in the country.

Taking off from there, Senator Ajimobi identified five crucial pillars for developmental purposes and achieving his agenda. For a 21st century state of his dream, education and technology are appropriate and complementary tools that must be properly situated in the development agenda. He realized that the strength of leading, developed and developing countries is in education and technology. An appropriate, functional education tailor made to fit our environment, was how he puts it. He quickly identified three things wrong with the current education, the education was not functional and not suited for the environment, two, and it lacks entrepreneurial mix which should make it result-oriented and lastly, it lacks character which is the building block that would turn out responsible and respectable citizens. Indeed, he was scandalized at the total lack of respect exhibited by students. He was of the view that character building is also part of the complete education package. The problem with the current education was forcefully brought home to him during his encounter with students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology which led to the constituted authority scene. To him, as much as students should have the freedom to express themselves, it should be under the ambit of respect for elders, colleagues and acquaintances.

He sees that as good breeding, complete education and the complete man. To Governor Ajimobi, education that is unable to imbue students with good breeding and character is incomplete. To achieve this concept of complete education, he set up the Schools Governing Board (SGB). Apart from the above stated reasons; the idea was also to ensure that parents are fully involved in the education of their children. Like all changes, this came with its opposition, but the governor was resolute about the way to go. With the inauguration of the board, education in Oyo state took a different turn. A stop was quickly put to the strange idea of promoting students to the next class or on trial, irrespective of performance. Today, Oyo state is reaping the result. In the last West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) result, Oyo state recorded the best result in 18 years. The state government ensured teachers salaries were paid, they were duly promoted and the teachers repaid the gesture with performance. A Technical University, different from the universities of technology, was established, to create manpower in the much needed technical areas. Graduates of the institution are expected to have at least three vocational skills, to ensure their independence and be self-employed after graduation instead of looking for white-collar jobs. Indigent students were offered scholarship by the institution. Senator Ajimobis second pillar of development is in the area of agriculture. In the southern part of the country, Oyo state has the largest expanse of land suitable for agriculture. The state also has the highest number of research institutes in the country. The government has tapped into these advantages. The state has about 360,000 hectares of land, 250,000 hectares is now devoted to agriculture. Presently, Oyo state is the number one producer of cassava. Cassava alone has about 15 different value chains which the administration has tapped into. Governor Ajimobis next focus was on tradition and culture. With a state rich in culture- History of the old Oyo Empire, the use of the Oyos Yoruba in the WASSCE, establishment of first radio and television station, establishment of the first university in Ibadan, he decided to build on these legacies by making Oyo state the film capital of Nigeria. The groundwork for this had already been laid and work to this effect has already begun within the expansive premises of the Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS). The fourth pillar is provision of affordable health services. This led to the establishment of the state health insurance scheme. The last of the pillars is industrialization.

Development corridor

The administration equally created a development corridor to achieve the objective of industrialization. To further give Industrialization a boost, the state went into partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Another first in the country. The aim is to establish an integrated agro industrial park and to support small and medium scale enterprises. China has also bought into the industrialization project with a planned injection of $5billion (N1.8trillion), at first instance, to develop the newly established Polaris-Pacesetter Free Trade Zone, along the Ibadan-Lagos expressway. As at today, close to 150 investors from Asian countries have signified interest in investing in the states free trade zone. These are some of the outcome of Gov Ajimobis trips outside the country. It was also what informed his recent trip to Denmark. The Denmark trip has started to yield results. Cattle farmers in that country would soon visit Oyo state with the aim of transferring knowledge in ranching and ultimately enhance local beef output in local and international markets. Also, Arla, a major international player in the diary business is in talks with the state government to enhance opportunities in the cattle rearing business and further encourage farmers in modern agriculture method. All these were embarked upon to fulfill the desire of Governor Ajimobi to make Oyo state the food basket of the country. But more importantly, Oyo state has the appropriate and conducive environment for doing business, indeed, it is ranked 4th in the ease of doing business in the country.

Bolaji Tunji is Special Adviser, Communication and Strategy to Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Nigeria will seek re-election into ITU elective positions  FG

By Emmanuel Elebeke

ABUJA- Federal government says Nigeria will be presenting itself for re-election into the Administrative Council seat of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) at the upcoming election of the union to be held at its 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirate in October/November this year.

Shittu Adebayo

The minister of Communications, Barr. Adebayo Shittu, disclosed this on Tuesday, while declaring open the second African Preparatory Meeting (APM) for ITU 2018 Plenipoterntiary Conference (PP-18) which is going on in Abuja.

The minister also disclosed that Nigeria will be presenting Mr. Williams Ijeh for election as Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau of the ITU during the conference in the UAE and solicited for the support of the ITU member states for Nigeria.

Shittu therefore, charged the participants at the meeting to come up with quality decisions that will immensely benefit the African region and the world at large.

It is my believe that this meeting will enable member states come up with preliminary positions on agendas for the PP-18. I am happy that the African Region has deemed it fit to prepare for this important conference, which will make member states put their heads together to fight a common cause. I will us all not to under estimate the importance of these preparations.

I am pleased to inform you that Nigeria will be presenting itself for re-election into the Administrative Council seat as well as presenting Mr. Williams for election during the ITU conference in Dubai. I wish to seek your unflinching support for Nigeria twin candidates, he added.

The ITU Plepotentiary conference is the key event at which ITU member states decide on the future role of the organization thereby determining the organizations ability to influence and effect the development of telecommunications/ICT worldwide. The Plenipotentiary conference is also the top policy-making body of the ITU held every four years, setting the unions general policies; adopts four-year strategic and financial plans and elect the senior management team of the organizations, the member s of Council and the members of the Radio Regulation Board (RRB).

In his remarks, the Secretary General of ITU, Houlin Zhao, urged African nations to work together in leveraging ICT to develop the continent.

He expressed hope that Africa will soon emerge a global champion in the innovation and use of emerging technologies.

We must work to use ICT to transform Africa by making ICT a useful tool, to help us achieve each and every UN SDGs. The future of our lives is strongly affected by emerging technologies. I am pleased to note that ICT, innovations will be launched by African engineers and innovators.

We will in this meeting see how we will use ICT work out the future of African continent. I am much confident that in the nearest future, Africa will begin to enjoy the same socio-economic life like any other continent enjoys.

We want to see ICT made in Africa and use in Africa. Africa has contributed to global ICT global technological services and development.

Earlier in his address, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerians Communications Commission, NCC, Prof. Umar Danbatta, said the importance of the gathering cannot be understated when considering the ITU Framework and Plenipotentiary process.

The EVC stated that Nigeria sees the work of ITU as integral to the development of ICT in Africa and in tune with its focus of achieving ubiquitous Broadband deployment that will in turn lead to sustainable socio-economic development of its citizenry, stressing that the challenges posed by the development of new technologies cannot be over emphasized as the benefits far outstrip whatever risks we may face.

This meeting sets the tone for our gathering here and I am confident that the deliberations that will take place in the next 3 days will further enhance Africas common position at PP-18.

It pleases me to note that Nigeria, beyond being your host, will be a very active participant at this meeting as we have submitted a number of proposals for your consideration.

Nigeria sees the work of ITU as integral to the development of ICT in Africa and in tune with its focus of achieving ubiquitous Broadband deployment that will in turn lead to sustainable socio-economic development of its citizenry. This we believe can only be achieved through continued and deepened partnerships of which the ITU provides the most ideal platform.

Nigeria has witnessed phenomenal growth in its ICT sector and acknowledges the support of the ITU in the countrys ICT evolution. Nigeria has been a long standing member of the ITU council and has always seen itself as a flag bearer for the interest of Africa and other developing Nations as a whole.

To this end, and with your support we wish to continue the good work we have been doing over the past decades. The presence of the ITU Secretary General signifies the importance accorded to Africa within the ITU.

Prof. Danbatta urged participants to harness their expertise and experiences from previous meetings to overcome their differences. He also urged them to put together and synthesize well-articulated and impactful common proposals that will ensure Africas participation at PP-18 produces the necessary strategies to ensure the digital divide in the continent is significantly reduced with Africa not just being a major consumer of technology but a producer as well.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Alleged N400m fraud: Ive lost sensation in my lower limbs, Metuh tells court

attends trial in wheelchair, seeks leave to travel to UK for treatment

By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA  Former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, who is facing corruption charges, on Wednesday, begged the Federal High Court in Abuja to allow him to seek medical attention in the United Kingdom, saying he has lost sensation in his lower limbs.

METUH

Metuh who was brought before the court in a wheelchair for continuation of his trial, said he was suffering from spinal cord related ailment.

He was wheeled into the courtroom to continue his defence to the seven-count charge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him and his firm, Destra Investment Limited.

EFCC alleged that he had before the 2015 Presidential election, received N400million from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA, without executing any contract.

The agency alleged that the fund was electronically wired from an account that ONSA operated with the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to Metuh, via account no. 0040437573, which his firm operated with Diamond Bank Plc.

It told the court that the fund which was released to Metuh and his firm by detained former NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, retd, was part of about $2.1billion earmarked for the purchase of arms to fight insurgency in the North East.

Besides, the prosecution which had earlier closed its case after it called eight witnesses that testfied before the court, equally alleged that Metuh was involved in an illicit transaction that involved the exchange of $2million.

Meantime, at the resumed proceeding on Wednesday, Metuh through his lawyer, Mr. Emeka Etiaba, SAN, applied to be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.

Metuhs lawyer told the court that his clients health had badly deteriorated in the past two months, a situation he said would require urgent medical attention from his doctors in London.

He tendered as an exhibit, a letter from one Dr. Adrian T. H. Kasey, a Neurosurgeon at Wellington Hospital in London, which he said emphasized the need for Metuh to be treated urgently.

The former PDP spokesman predicated his application on section 33(5) and 6(b) of the 1999 Constitution.

However, trial Justice Abang requested both the prosecution and defence lawyers to address him on whether the court could grant Metuhs request considering that he previously dismissed two similar applications on May 25, 2016 and on February, 2017.

Justice Abang who noted that Metuh had yet to appeal both rulings, noted that issues Metuh raised in his present application dated February 23, were the same thing he relied on in the two dismissed applications.

Responding to issue raised by the Judge, Etiaba, SAN, maintained that the court had the requisite jurisdiction to grant the application he said was necessitated by fresh facts and circumstances that were not involved in the two previously dismissed motions.

He said the court could undertake an independent assessment of fresh materials that were placed before it so as to determine whether or not it should accede to the request to save Metuhs life.

Relying on a Supreme Court decided case-law in Nnadozie vs Mbagwu, reported in 2018 NWLR, part 1074, Etiaba urged the court to consider the fresh facts and deteriorating health of the defendant, and grant the application.

However, the prosecution counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir, asked the court to refuse Metuhs application.

The EFCC lawyer maintained that the court had become funtus-officio in the matter having in two earlier rulings, dismissed the same request.

After he had listened to both sides, Justice Abang adjourned his ruling till Thursday.

The court earlier in the proceeding, refused an oral application Etiaba made pursuant to section 266(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, praying for Metuh who sat inside the wheelchair while on the dock, to be granted leave to be absent in court while the lawyers exchange arguments on his request to seek medical attention abroad.

Though he refused the application, Justice Abang said Metuh was at liberty to leave the courtroom on his own, there will not be any issue out of it, the Judge held.

It will be recalled that Metuh was on February 9, brought to court in an ambulance, after Justice Abang threatened to revoke his bail and commit him to prison if he failed to appear for his trial.

The threat followed Metuhs absence in court on two successive dates, though his lawyers tendered reports indicating that he was hospitalized at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu where he was referred to by Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital Nnewi.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Benue born lawyer identifies genuine dialogue with FG as a panacea for peace in the state

A Benue born expert in International Criminal law and one of the prosecutors of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Barrister Pius Ukeyima Akutah has identified genuine dialogue with the Federal Government as a way out of the intractable security challenges confronting the state, adding that it will help to sustain the commendable effort being made by the State Government.

R-L : National President of Benue Journalists Forum Nigeria (BJFN) Joseph Saater Undu, International Criminal Law Expert and Prosecutor, Barr. Pius Ukeyima Akutah and BJFN Treasurer, Terver Dominic during BJFNs official visit to Barr. Akutah in Abuja.

Barr. Akutah said this when the officials of Benue Journalists Forum Nigeria (BJFN), led by its National President , Joseph Saater Undu visited him in Abuja to seek his opinion on how to move Benue state forward by ensuring absolute peace and unity among indigenes and residents of the state. According to him, the issue of herdsmen invasion of Benue communities is not acceptable even as the problem is not peculiar to the state.

He said: This crisis in Benue is unfortunate even though its not limited to the state. Its happening all over the country even in other West African countries like Ghana. Its not so peculiar to Benue. But the issue in Benue is so pathetic. We have complained about this for a long time but it appears nothing has been done sustainably to stop the occurrence of this issue, he said.

When asked about the possibility of dragging the Federal Government to International Criminal Court over the matter, Akutah said:  I think it is not just about taking the government of this country to international arbitration or whatever court for any reason.

Have we actually explored the possibilities of dialogue with the Federal Government in a manner that will sustain the efforts that we are making back home?

We are making efforts back home, the passage into law of the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law is one of the efforts to stop this.

And if some people have received that law negatively as it were, we need to really look at this law not in the sense of repealing it as some people have said because the law has come to stay. The law is meant to regulate how the herders do their business by asking them to ranch their cattle. This is what is happening all around the world and Im sure it will bring peace.

He also disabused the minds of those who feel the law is meant to work against their interest saying: The way some people have taken this law suggest that the law has come to work against their businesses. No, that is not what it is.

We need to engage the Federal Government and talk about this in a round table discussion and not taking the government to international law court and all that. We can adequately discuss this issue with the government.

While challenging Benue leaders at all levels of government over the insecurity in the state, Akutah posited, what are the leaders who represent us doing about dialogue? What are they doing about negotiations with the Federal Government in this regard? Can we say the FG has shut the door against us?

We are one of the states in this federation and we have access to the President. And if we talk to the president and nothing comes out of it, does it stop us from further approaching other persons or personalities within the polity? There are different structures of government in this country. We can reach out to any part of these structures of government and begin negotiation from there and I believe that we can find a way out to resolve this matter internally.

When asked about the leadership challenge in Nigeria, Akutah blamed it wholly on poor leadership recruitment process where people are rewarded with sensitive leadership positions on account of their blind loyalty to the godfathers at the detriment of the general public.

He said: Overtimes, the process of recruiting leaders in Nigeria has been so flawed with a lot of irregularities. The leadership structure in Nigeria, especially in Benue, does not evolve from a deliberate plan to put people in a place that would proffer solutions to their problems.

What kind of leaders do we have today? With due respect, what kind of leaders do we have across board. We have leaders that overtimes could not proffer solutions to our problems and thats why the problems are multiplying everyday.

The essence of leadership is to provide solutions to problems and if we have leaders who cannot do that, it becomes a bigger problem. It has become the settlement of the boys when they work so hard to protect the interest of their masters. Then, they deserved to be compensated with leadership.

Thats why you see people in leadership today who have not prepared themselves to be in leadership positions. But because of this settlement of a thing, people emerged as leaders not knowing the enormity of what they are going to be confronted with.

Ealier in his speech, the National President of the forum, Mr. Undu said BJFN is currently meeting with political, traditional and religious leaders and other prominent indigenes and professionals of Benue extraction to seek their opinions on how to ensure peace and unity among indigenes and residents of the state and how to move the state forward in the comtempory Nigeria considering the state as a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian project.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | News | General | Rex Tillersons sack wont affect Nigeria  FG

Says Modular refineries cant solve petrol supply deficit

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

ABUJA  THE Federal Government, Wednesday said that the sack of the American Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson who was in Nigeria on Monday by President Donald Trump will not in any way have any negative effect on Nigeria as government is continuum.

Ex US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens to a question from a journalist during a joint press conference with Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission on March 08, 2018 at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa./ AFP PHOTO

This is as the government has said that the establishment of the proposed modular refineries in Niger Delta region will not make any meaningful impact on the shortage of petroleum products in the country.

Briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting presided over by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama said, Rex Tillerson sack wont affect (Nigeria) because government is a continuum as we all know.

When he came it was the United States that was speaking and clearly we expect that with every expectation that everything he has said as regards US/Nigeria relations reflects the position of the United States, reflects the position of the president of the United States, so we dont see any change happening.

Also briefing on the proposed modular refineries to be established in Delta and Rivers States, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu said the modular refineries would essentially address the menace of illegal crude oil refining rampant in the Niger Delta, while saving the environment and providing more legal opportunist for the youth of the area.

He pointed out that Nigerias dependence on importation of petrol would be adequately checked by refurbishing existing four refineries to full production capacity by 2019 as well the oncoming Dangote Refinery in Lagos, the proposed Nigeria/Niger joint refinery and another private refinery under construction.

According to him, As a seasoned professional I have given all the guidance that is required to fix the refineries, we came into a situation where we dont have money to fix the refineries we had to raise the money looking into the PPP model, it has to go through a process.

The technical committee is headed by NNPC, obviously they will submit their report to the board when they complete their work. So, from a governance and guidance sense, steering point of view, I think that steering is right on track, from a management of the technical aspect of the contracting, that is something we would have to allow NNPC handle, it is not the job of the ministry to superimpose, you got to let them do their work and do it efficiently.

On modular refineries; modular wasnt supposed to provide a sufficient solution to your product needs, modulars are on the average between 2000 and 5000 maybe 10,000 at most capacity per refinery. Your consumption is about 630,000 barrels per day, that is not the essence of modular, what modular was supposed to do for us is provide work within some of these communities where people are busy doing illegal refining.

Its not meant to address the refining product gap we have in the country, we are hoping that those gaps will be covered by a mixture of the three or four refineries that government owns currently, Warri, Port Harcourt and Kaduna and of course the Dangote refinery of 600 barrels.

Meanwhile, the FEC approved the upward review of the contract sum for completion of Jare earthdam in Bakori local council of Katsina State from N3.7 billion to N9 billion.

Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, explained that the project was abandoned for 12 years and some of the work have deteriorated but it is noe expected to be completed in 36 months.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mohammed Bello, reviewed for FEC the activities under his supervision from 2015 to date, which include 17 projects spanning water, rail, infrastructure.

He announced a new contract of N112.43 millions for infrastructure works in new Kasana district designed for mass housing projects, adding that the FCT intends to partner with professional bodies in the building sector to monitor compliance with mass housing regulations by developers.

Test-run of trains within Abuja city would commence in the next couple of weeks, he stated.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General

Loading...
Home | World | Africa | Mnangagwa admin in drive to urbanise growth points

Government is looking at creating urban settings around growth points and service centres in the communal areas as part of efforts to accelerate the country's urbanisation.

Finance and Economic Planning Minister Patrick Chinamasa said negotiations with the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing  the custodians of the communal lands  were underway to parcel out some land for urban development.

"This is a matter we are discussing with them (Ministry of Local Government) with respect to provision of land around rural service centres and growth points, which are in communal areas," said Minister Chinamasa.

"We are looking at communal land that is going to be transformed from communal to urban settings."

Zimbabwe has experienced rapid rural to urban migration over the past few years but this has led to several challenges including emergence of urban slim dwellings, overcrowded settlements, poor environmental health and hygienic standards, public health risks and rising crime levels. The migration has also resulted in a high demand for scarce urban land and jobs as well as placing immense pressure on the supporting infrastructure. Further, the cost of urban land and houses is now beyond the reach of many Zimbabweans. Minister Chinamasa said inadequate on-site and off-site infrastructure has been hindering housing development in the country.

"Government will not support any project without acceptable on site and off-site infrastructure."

The minister said the country's housing projects have also been stalled by major factors such as inadequate financing by both the public and the private sector. The cost of credit has also been very high. There have been some bottlenecks in the land delivery process by local authorities.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa

Loading...
Home | World | Africa | Mnangagwa told to stop harassing Mugabe

Newly formed political outfit, National Patriotic Front has called on Zanu PF to stop rabid attacks directed at ousted former president Robert Mugabe.

In a stinging statement, NPF spokesperson Jealous Mawarire said President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration must stop harassing Mugabe who reportedly has rendered his support to the new party led by former Mashonaland East provincial affairs minister Ambrose Mutinhiri.

The attacks, according to NPF, "have gone out of control and are now threatening peace and stability in the country."

"The past week has seen outrageous and desperate attacks on President Robert Mugabe by Emmerson Mnangagwa, youths of ZanuPF-Junta and its propaganda mouthpieces in the print and electronic media.



"Some of these attacks, such as those regarding President Mugabe's legally protected personal banking, are in direct violation of banking laws and a violation of his constitutional right to privacy."

Although NPF said they are not speaking for former president Mugabe, the party said they note with concern that the attacks are as a result of the latter's meeting with interim leader of the new political party, Ambrose Mutinhiri at the Blue Roof residence two weeks.

The NPF added; "everyone can see that the intimidation, blackmail and demonisation of Mugabe is designed to prevent him from exposing the fact that the15 November 2017 military coup was unconstitutional, to deny him his constitutional rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association; and to force him to legitimatise and endorse the election of the very same people who criminally and unconstitutionally removed him from office through a bloody military coup and who are now illegally and illegitimately running the country through ZanuPF-Junta."

NPF said it is ironic that the same people who humiliated Mugabe demand that he emulates former South African president Jacob Zuma who graciously left office and continues to be treated with respect by Cyril Ramaphosa.

"It is ironic that coup propagandists fatuously say President Mugabe should emulate President Zuma by endorsing Mnangagwa and campaigning for the election of ZanuPF-Junta.

"How can that be? President Zuma is right to endorse President Cyril Ramaphosa and to campaign for the ANC, not least because the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) did not violate the South African constitution by stooping low to hijack the ANC and take sides between Zuma and Ramaphosa. There's no ANC-SANDF in South Africa."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa

Loading...
Home | World | Africa | Sadc urged to pressure Mnangagwa on electoral reforms

THE MDC-T's top executive yesterday pressed the Sadc Electoral Advisory Council to pile pressure on President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government to implement all electoral reforms demanded by the opposition, ahead of this year's general elections.

The team met MDC-T president Nelson Chamisa, his deputy Elias Mudzuri, Douglas Mwonzora (secretary general) Theresa Makone (treasurer), Murisi Zvizvai (elections director), Lynette Karenyi-Kore (women's assembly) and Happymore Chidziva (youth assembly) to gather their views on the country's preparedness for the elections.

"The meeting went on very well and we talked about our displeasure over a number of issues," Mwonzora said.

"They include the fact that we need an audit of the voters' roll, we need to supervise the printing of the ballot papers, the diaspora vote, equal access to media, eradication of violence and intimidation, demilitarisation of Zec, that election must be AU/Sadc guaranteed, abuse of the traditional leaders and full compliance of the Sadc guidelines for free and fair elections."

At one stage, the MDC-T embarked on a 'No Reform No Election' campaign to pressure government and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to reform the election roadmap and level the political playing field.

In a statement after meeting the Sadc team, MDC-T's director of communications, Luke Tamborinyoka, expressed concern over non-implementation of their demanded reforms.

"The party also told the Sadc observer team that Zimbabweans wanted the army to undo their previous statements that they would not salute a President who did not participate in the liberation struggle by making a clear and unequivocal statement that they will this time respect the sovereign will of the people," he said.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa

Loading...
Home | World | Africa | Moyo disowns G40 cabal

FORMER Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Minister Mrs Eunice Nomthandazo Moyo, who was expelled from Zanu-PF last year, has distanced herself from the G40-linked political outfit, the National Patriotic Front.

Mrs Moyo joins several Zanu-PF members and ex-officials who have disassociated themselves from the Retired Brigadier General Ambrose Mutinhiri-led NPF which is said to enjoy the backing of former President Mr Robert Mugabe.

In an interview in the city yesterday, Mrs Moyo said she was not part of any political formation.

"What has that (NPF) got to do with me? It's got nothing to do with me. I've nothing to do with people who create parties. I realised that the other day you guys (media) put my name in there without talking to me," she said.

Mrs Moyo said she was still assessing the country's political situation before making her next move.

"Politics is my choice. If I want to continue with politics, I will although I haven't made a decision. I'm still observing the situation. I believe that my silence has nothing to do with my decision to join another political party. No," she said.

Mrs Moyo however, did not rule out joining another political party.

"After seeing that what is happening is not correct, an individual finds like-minded people and works with them to fix what is wrong. That is why I joined the struggle. I didn't join the struggle by being force-marched to Zambia. I went there by myself and I was mature then."

Last week, former Zanu-PF Youth League Secretary for Youth Affairs Mr Kudzanai Chipanga revealed that he had turned away Rtd-Brig Mutinhiri's emissaries sent to recruit him to join the party.

Other individuals who have distanced themselves from the alleged G40 project include former Cabinet Ministers Mr Makhosini Hlongwane and Dr Walter Mzembi. Others are former Zanu-PF officials Mr Jeppy Jaboon, Mr Shadreck Mashayamombe and legislators, Mr Simbaneuta Mudarikwa and Mr Edgar Mbwembwe.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa

Loading...
Home | World | Africa | Police dismiss kidnapping, beheading of children hoax

POLICE have warned members of the public against causing unnecessary panic following the circulation of messages on WhatsApp to the effect that some suspected criminals are kidnapping and beheading children.

The public in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North provinces went into a panic mode following WhatsApp messages claiming that some school children had been kidnapped and beheaded in the last few days.

According to the "hoax" messages, the suspects were taking the heads to South Africa.

One of the WhatsApp messages alleged that some children had been kidnapped in Siachilaba in Binga while some pupils were beheaded in Chisuma outside Victoria Falls.

Similar messages were spread in Bulawayo yesterday that unknown people had kidnapped two children along Siyephambili Drive and Mzilikazi suburb.

Some parents have since resorted to accompanying their children to school while teachers are encouraging pupils to move in groups.

However, police have dismissed the messages as untrue saying no report had been made so far. "We haven't received any such reports of the so called people who are kidnapping and beheading children in Bulawayo.

"If there are any such cases of that nature people should report to the nearest police station or call on our hotline numbers 110 or 999 and also on toll free number 888579.

"In any case, we urge members of the public to desist from sending such messages that can cause panic," said Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango.

Her counterpart in Matabeleland North Inspector Siphiwe Makonese appealed for calm among citizens saying they should stay alert. "We have not received any such report about kidnapping or killing in the province. However, we encourage members of the public to be alert and report any such cases if ever they exist to the nearest police station. Otherwise people should remain calm and such messages should stop if they are not verified," she said.

Hwange District Schools Inspector Mr Germination Moyo said no school had reported any child missing. "Generally, school heads would report such cases immediately but so far there is no report that has come through. We had a meeting with school heads in Victoria Falls yesterday and none of them made such a report," said Mr Moyo.

The first messages were linked to a case where a serial rapist in Masvingo, Charles Matanga Magombedze, was sentenced to 72 years in jail after being convicted of eight counts of rape last week.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: Africa

Loading...
Corporate retaliation: Monsanto is trying to take down civic group that warned about health risks of glyphosate herbicide

A group that dedicates itself to conjoining people with the pressing policy issues that affect them is being targeted by the worlds most evil corporation for daring to spread the truth about the toxicity of glyphosate, a highly pervasive crop chemical thats commonly sprayed on genetically-modified (GM) crops.

According to reports, Monsanto has served the civic campaigning group Avaaz with a 168-page subpoena that demands all of its internal correspondences concerning glyphosate  more than a decades worth  be turned over to the New York Supreme Court.

The subpoena, which commands Avaaz to do this, is part of a witch hunt by Monsanto to silence its opposition using expensive litigation and scare tactics. In this case, Monsanto wants Avaaz to stop campaigning against glyphosate, including its 2017 effort to block the European Union from re-issuing a 15-year license for the use of glyphosate in Europe.

Other Avaaz campaigns against glyphosate include another effort that same year to stop the building of a Monsanto-owned GM seed factory in Argentina, as well as an ongoing campaign to stop Monsanto from achieving its goal of establishing a so-called mega-merger with fellow GMO and chemical giant Bayer.

Avaaz founder Ricken Patel admits that the request is massive, considering that Avaaz staffers have spent a considerable amount of time and resources working towards a ban on glyphosate. On the groups website, Patel noted that the subpoena demands include pretty much every single private email, document, note, chat or anything else that any Avaaz staffer has ever written or done on our campaigns to ban Monsantos key herbicide, glyphosate.

Is Monsanto planning to conduct hits on members of the public as punishment for spreading the truth?

Whats perhaps more disturbing is the scope of the details that Monsanto is requesting. Per the sweeping language contained in the subpoena, Monsanto is essentially demanding that Avaaz procure the private details of its employees, including contact information and other personal details.

Why Monsanto wants all of this has yet to be determined. But recognizing the aggressive ways in which the mega-corporation has bullied farmers, non-profit groups, and many others in the past, theres no telling what it might have in store for Avaaz.

Even members of the public could be at risk, as internal company documents also include the names and email addresses of people who have signed Avaaz petitions calling for a ban on Monsanto products. One such petition seeking a moratorium on the use of glyphosate reportedly garnered more than two millions signatures  and Monsanto is basically demanding to have access to the identities of these signers.

The subpoena from Monsanto comes in response to a sweeping class-action lawsuit against the company in which plaintiffs from all across the country are suing on behalf of themselves or their loved ones, whom they claim developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma as a result of exposure to Roundup, the brand-named Monsanto herbicide that contains glyphosate.

Monsanto is apparently retaliating against those who helped fuel this class-action lawsuit, of which Avaaz is named among the culprits.

This is big, Avaaz states in one of its latest petitions. [Monsantos] a $50 billion mega-corporation, infamous for legal strong-arm tactics like this. They have unlimited resources. If they get their hands on all our private information, theres no telling what theyll use it for.

Avaazs Deputy Director, Emma Ruby-Sachs, says that not only is the demand heinous in intent, but it also violates the First Amendment rights of the group and its employees.

There are millions of people around the world who have a deep and genuine concern that Monsantos glyphosate is making us and our environment sick, she says. That is the sole reason our members have called on governments to regulate it based on independent science. Were not going to let this legal attack slow down that essential work one bit.

See the Monsanto Mafia website for more coverage of Monsantos evil tactics.

Sources for this article include:

NaturalNews.com

EcoWatch.com
Cambodia Entopay

The Cambodian government, while pursuing its own cryptocurrency Entapay, has paradoxically banned financial institutions from engaging in cryptocurrency transactions, creating a state of confusion for the countrys cryptocurrency entrepreneurs.

Men Sam An, Cambodias Deputy Prime Minister, recently announced the launch of Entapay, a cryptocurrency, and encouraged the company to abide by the companys laws, according to the The Pnom Penh Post.

Big Plans For Government Cryptocurrency

Entapay is a government supported, multi-functional digital currency payment system consisting of storage management, trading, exchange and offline transactions, according to its website. It can be viewed as a decentralized Alipay application based on blockchain technology.

Entapay derives its name from the Quantum Mechanical Phenomenon of Quantum Entanglement, according to the website, which features secure encryption and transmission of information. As a multi-functional payment system, Entapay removes the inconvenience of managing multi-digital currencies, the laborious process of trading, and insufficient physical trading sites.

Entapay will provide off-line exchange services for other cryptocurrencies.

The website further claims Entapay will replace VISA as the mainstream payment method.

Entrepreneurs Face Uncertainty

Cryptocurrency entrepreneurs, meanwhile, warn that Cambodias laws governing cryptocurrency are uncertain, since the government has opposed cryptocurrencies while supporting their technology, according to The Pnom Penh Post.

The National Bank of Cambodia has been reluctant to support cryptocurrency, according to Mean, the lead developer of the Khmer Crypto Foundation. In Mean, who has developed KHCoin, a cryptocurrency, said he understood the governments uncertainty, given the scams, volatility and lack of regulation that have plagued cryptocurrencies in general.

KHCoin is an open source project released under the MIT/X11 license, according to its website. Source code can be found on GitHub at https://github.com/khcoin.

Story continues

The national bank in December declared cryptocurrency transactions illegal when Mean tried to monetize KHCoin after first offering it for free. The bank banned banks and microfinance institutions from buying, selling and advertising cryptocurrencies.

The nations banks, in response, prevented customers from using their bank accounts to buy or sell cryptocurrencies. This made it difficult for people to trade in cryptocurrencies even though the government had not outlawed people from owning them.

Also read: Cambodias central bank plans blockchain trials toward cashless economy

National Bank Explores Blockchain

Prior to its December action, the national bank began exploring blockchain technology, which provides the technology for cryptocurrencies. The bank signed an agreement last April with a Japanese firm to develop a blockchain project to track interbank transactions and lending.

Steve Miller, the founder of CryptoAsia, a Cambodia based blockchain group, said the national banks project is a private blockchain, which is a database without a verification process, and that the verification process  known as mining  makes cryptocurrencies necessary. He said cryptocurrencies are needed for public blockchains to function properly since they provide the incentive for anonymous participants to secure the system.

The national banks restrictions on cryptocurrencies have undermined developers efforts to pursue blockchain technology.

Rithy Thul, a blockchain entrepreneur seeking to facilitate overseas remittance payments in Cambodia, said blockchains future in Cambodia remains uncertain. He said it is a good sign that the national bank is trying to use blockchain technology.

DApact, a company working to use blockchain technology to connect lenders to borrowers without the need for an intermediary, has launched a $10,000 pilot project in the country, according to its website, and is seeking investors.

Pierre-Marie Riviere, the network lead of DApact, said blockchain technology is already being deployed in the country.

Mean, meanwhile, is still hoping to monetize KHCoin project.

Featured image from Shutterstock.



The post Cambodia Blocks Crypto Transactions While Launching Its Own Cryptocurrency appeared first on CCN.


Seoul (AFP) - Most former South Korean presidents of recent decades have had their retirements interrupted -- or terminated -- by legal troubles.

Wednesday's interrogation of Lee Myung-bak, who occupied the presidential Blue House from 2008 to 2013, means that every living former head of state has now been convicted, charged or investigated for criminal offences. One even killed himself after being questioned.

Here are details of their cases.

- Chun Doo-hwan -

Chun, a former army general who ruled from 1980 to 1988, served prison time in the 1990s for charges including treason and bribery.

Chun was convicted of staging a military coup in 1979 to seize power after the death of longtime army dictator, Park Chung-hee, and of receiving bribes worth millions of dollars from local businessmen.

Now 87, he was initially sentenced to death, before the penalty was commuted to life in prison by the country's highest court in 1997.

He was released eight months later when the then president Kim Young-sam pardoned him.

- Roh Tae-woo -

Roh, Chun's successor who served from 1988 to 1993 and also a former general, was convicted of similar offences, including both treason and bribery, at the same trial.

He was initially sentenced to life in prison, reduced to 17 years on appeal.

Now 85, Roh also received a presidential pardon and walked free on the same day as Chun in 1997, albeit from a different prison.

- Roh Moo-Hyun -

Roh, a liberal who served from 1998 to 2003, killed himself in 2009 while being probed over graft.

A former human rights lawyer and the mentor of current president Moon Jae-in, he enjoyed huge popularity among liberal young voters.

But the graft probe targeting him as well as his family -- described by Roh's supporters as a politically motivated move orchestrated by Lee Myung-bak, who was president at the time -- tarnished the reputation of the former leader whose role model was former US president Abraham Lincoln.

Roh threw himself off a cliff three weeks after his interrogation by prosecutors.

Story continues

Moon, who had served as his chief of staff, later said that the shock suicide prompted him to seek elected office himself.

- Park Geun-hye -

Park, 66, was impeached last year amid a massive corruption scandal involving her secret confidante, Choi Soon-sil, and is currently being tried on dozens of charges ranging from abuse of power to corruption.

Park is accused of offering policy favours to top businessmen who helped enrich Choi including Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong.

Park is the daughter of the late dictator Park Chung-hee, and Choi's father, a shady religious figure, acted as her mentor until his death in 1994.

The ousted president is also accused of letting Choi, who has no title or security clearance, handle state affairs including cabinet nominations and policy and even her daily wardrobe choice.

The verdict is due in April, and prosecutors have sought a 30-year jail sentence.
Sofia, March 14, 2018 (AFP) - - A Bulgarian appeals court has slashed to two-and-a-half years the jail term of an Australian who tried to join the Islamic State group -- the first terror-related conviction in the country.

John "Ivan" Zahariev, who holds dual Australian and Bulgarian nationality, was sentenced last June to four years for having taken shooting lessons in 2016 "with the aim of participating in terrorist activities".

But on Wednesday an appeals court confirmed that the sentence has been cut to two and a half years.

The court hasn't yet published its ruling so the reason the sentence was reduced was not immediately clear.

A court spokeswoman said Zahariev had not appealed the sentence and that the deadline for doing so had passed.

Zahariev had travelled to Syria in 2013 and attempted to join Islamic State, but was turned back because of his lack of fighting skills, prosecutors said at his initial trial.

Checks on his computer showed he had regularly visited websites with articles and videos about the Islamist Al-Nusra group and Islamic State.

The special court ruling was the first terror-related conviction in Bulgaria, which is considered a major transit point for would-be Islamic State fighters travelling from Western Europe to Syria and Iraq.

ds/jsk/bp
Swiss federal model could be option for Catalans in Spain: Puigdemont

Geneva (AFP) - Catalonia's deposed leader said Wednesday that a majority of Catalans might accept being part of a Swiss-style federal system in Spain, an apparent departure from the separatist bid for full independence.

"If Spain proposes a model like the one in Switzerland, I think that would be an idea we could work with and perhaps an idea that could convince the majority of Catalans," Carles Puigdemont said in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

Switzerland is split into cantons or federal states that enjoy significant autonomy and independence.

And Puigdemont said that if Spain were organised along such lines, "there would be none of the problems there that we are seeing now."

Puigdemont is heading to Switzerland this weekend to participate in a film festival focused on human rights.

He has been in Belgium since he sought exile there after the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence on October 27 following a banned referendum on secession.

He faces arrest if he returns to Spain.

Puigdemont suggested that if Madrid were willing to shed its intransigence, it could be possible to create an autonomous Catalonia within the Spanish state.

"I think that the majority of Catalonian separatists have shown over the course of the past 40 years that they are capable of working within an autonomous framework," he said.

- 'Legitimate president' -

The 55-year-old earlier this month formally abandoned his bid to be re-appointed Catalan president, proposing imprisoned Jordi Sanchez as a candidate.

But in the interview, he did not fully relinquish his claim to lead Catalonia.

"I was elected the president of the government, which was illegally pushed from power. I am still the legitimate president," he said.

Authorities in Bern said they had "taken note" of Puigdemont's intended visit.

"The Swiss and Spanish authorities are in contact... As a Spanish citizen, Mr Puigdemont is entitled to travel freely within the Schengen area. He is also at liberty to give political speeches with due respect for the Swiss legal system," a foreign ministry statement said.

The question of Catalonia was "an internal matter for Spain," the statement said.
Madonna? She directs? Is she at least decent?

Reply

Thread

Link

she is really good actually.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hi Madonna..

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Eh, thats debatable. WE was a damn mess even tho it had some pretty bits

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I need the dance academy movie more than I need water

Reply

Thread

Link

it's available for rent already, on amazon and itunes i think!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

truth

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I don't know much about ballet but I just watched the doc about Sergei Polunin and I am fascinated by his performances, he moves like he's not even human, he floats!

Reply

Thread

Link

I low key hate him.

While the documentary made me understand a lot about him that I didnt get before, Im still bitter that he left the ROH to be in these subpar works that are beneath him.

I sound like a crazy bunhead but its honestly true

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I kinda understand him. He reached the top so quickly and I guess the top got boring for him then, monotone. Because in the ballet world, even though I don't know much about it, I assume you can't go higher than being the principal of ROH, right? it's just such a shame... honestly, as I've mentioned, I have always respected ballet but wasn't very interested in seeing it really but damn Sergei made me feel things, I would definitely want to see him move with my own eyes! (worst part is I realized he was performing nearby back in september but I didn't know him then and I missed it and I can't live with myself because of it)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

but damn Sergei made me feel things, I would definitely want to see him move with my own eyes!



Me too sis. I would die if I'd see him live performing.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

But that's just why I ended up hating him lol

Yes, there's nothing higher than being a principal at the ROH. But the ROH also has the most diverse repertoire, the most amazing new choreography, the most complex new work. So it's not like he got sat on a corner and told "from now on, only Giselle and Swan Lake lol"

And yet, he also got to revive some AMAZING classics and 20th century work. I mean, they had him do Ashton's Marguerite and Armand ffs.



When he left the ROH, for fans it was like a break up so he kinda low key broke my heart and now I'm on that stage of post break up when I look from afar and I'm like damn boy you ended up uncute and messy lol



That and also, someone did some comparison videos of him and Misha and now I'm like omg why did I ever crush on this boy when the king of ballet has always been there for me lmaooooooo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I screeched when I saw that Marcelo and Nick were engaged!!!! I'm so pressed because Stella Abrera is bringing a couple dancers here for a show, and I bet she would've bought Marcelo too cos they're super close. According to WaPo, he's doing Swan Lake with Mariinsky. I'm glad he won't stop dancing. Meanwhile at ABT, Hallberg is injured and other dancers are guest starring with other companies and no one can pick up the heavy load of dancing Marcelo usually did because they're stretched enough as it is.



Also I lowkey think Tiler Peck and Zachary Catazaro might be dating, which, pls @god let it be true, he can get it.



Reply

Thread

Link

Saaaame @ Marcelo.

I actually love them and Im genuinely happy for them. I guess no one knows for sure what happened but Im sad.



Hallberg got injured at the ROH doing Giselle and it was a shoooock omg did you see? It happened during he first act but he finished. Then Kevin OHare had to call Matty Ball and he finished the show. But David says his ankle is doing better than ever and it was just a bad pull at a harmstring and hell be back soon. I mostly hope hes taking care of it now so r can be on the new Swan Lake

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

omg that gif. I loved Dance Academy. I hadn't thought about it forever until Christian from dance academy popped up in Lady Bird lol how random

Reply

Thread

Link

I actually hadnt watched it until very recently lmao



Its exceedingly dramatic but its fun and some characters are truly iconic. I mean Abigail tbqh

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He's on The Fosters too

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Like I said in previous Madonna post. If she releases music first and actually give it a decent amount of time, promote it, then I have no problem with her new movie.

WE was nothing extraordinary, good, but I watched it once and it was enough.

Reply

Thread

Link

Ballet is so beautiful. I love it.

Reply

Thread

Link

i had no urge to watch WE considering the content but this seems to be a better choice for her

Reply

Thread

Link

i'd been waiting for the dance academy movie forever and never saw it coming to the US, even tried to buy an aus dvd on ebay but the regions for playback were wrong for the US so i just torrented it... and then a month later it was announced as available for american audiences. whoops.



it was so good though!!

Reply

Thread

Link

Her directorial debut was a mess but I want to hope that because this film is about dance and about starting from the bottom and rising to the top, Madonna will actually pull it out of the bag and do Michaela justice. I can see why the story appealed, just not sure if she's the right person to direct, she might be better as an executive producer.

Reply

Thread

Link



hf this post and hf Michaela! I'm glad to find out she's a soloist now.

Reply

Thread

Link

Meanwhile I'm going to go and see The Finnish National Ballet's Don Q next week. So that's at least something to look forward to.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Kevin Bacon and Tim Pocock could should play father and son on the screen.

Reply

Thread

Link

omg i can't unsee this

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
Awww i love baby goats. I love going to petting zoo's and chill with the goats lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He has casts on his little legs awwww

And he's in a onesie....

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I think this is what happened to King Midas after he had the "things you touch turn to gold" curse removed. But he had donkey's ears.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Jokester



You've got all the best lines and make people laugh, but you never get the chance to get serious or, heaven forbid, vulnerable.

Basically, you're an underrated scene-stealer who's used too often just for comic relief.



https://www.buzzfeed.com/victornascimento/always-the-best-friend-never-the-star-ugh?origin=filqui&utm_term=.iryAvjyvm#.tc1oZdxZ6



Edited at 2018-03-14 05:00 pm (UTC) : The JokesterYou've got all the best lines and make people laugh, but you never get the chance to get serious or, heaven forbid, vulnerable.Basically, you're an underrated scene-stealer who's used too often just for comic relief.

Reply

Thread

Link

ha, me too and me af

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Same. Ive always looked up to Addison DeWitt

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Refined Villain

You wear the hell out of a suit and leave people feeling unsophisticated and unsettled at the same time. Revenge is your middle name, but we weirdly never usually find out exactly why you're hellbent on getting yours in the first place.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Sassy Best Friend



Apparently, your life revolves around your girl friend. Your conversations are always about her and her love life. Do YOU ever get with anyone? We'll never know. Are YOU happy with your relationships? We'll also never know. What we DO know is that you're a great bestie, so I guess, there's that.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I got the Jokester too lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Refined Villain

You wear the hell out of a suit and leave people feeling unsophisticated and unsettled at the same time. Revenge is your middle name, but we weirdly never usually find out exactly why you're hellbent on getting yours in the first place.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Refined Older Gentleman

Everyone admires you for your taste in the arts and sense of etiquette. But for some reason, all the people who come to you for advice or wisdom always seem to care way less about your story or how things are going for you.



Damn, accurate.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Fashion Diva

Every time you show up, you have a killer outfit, and everyone wants fashion advice from you. It's a shame that nobody ever seems to want to talk to you about anything else.



IDK about that...

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

You got: The Fashion Diva

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Refined Villain

You wear the hell out of a suit and leave people feeling unsophisticated and unsettled at the same time. Revenge is your middle name, but we weirdly never usually find out exactly why you're hellbent on getting yours in the first place.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Fashion Diva

Every time you show up, you have a killer outfit, and everyone wants fashion advice from you. It's a shame that nobody ever seems to want to talk to you about anything else.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Refined Villain



You wear the hell out of a suit and leave people feeling unsophisticated and unsettled at the same time. Revenge is your middle name, but we weirdly never usually find out exactly why you're hellbent on getting yours in the first place.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

You got: The Fashion Diva



Every time you show up, you have a killer outfit, and everyone wants fashion advice from you. It's a shame that nobody ever seems to want to talk to you about anything else.



So not fashionable.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

<3 I love these kids so much

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Bless them

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

these kids need to be protected <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I picked up my niece from pre-school for this and she would not let us leave the classroom until she could but on her batman glasses and cape. Once those were on we walked out and she yelled, "stop hurting kids, guys!" She's 3, LoL.





Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this is so cute omg

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm in tears, between this and the press packet prepared by 11 year olds.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

the press kit omg awwww

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They make me so proud and the 11 year old having a handwritten press packet is getting me teary-eyed. These kids are not taking this lightly.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





just copped pit tix to on the run 2, planned my bro's bachelor party and all this shit just copped pit tix to on the run 2, planned my bro's bachelor party and all this shit #blessup

Reply

Thread

Link

OH MY GOD

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I know I had a weird dream last night too but all I remember is racing.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

same :( I couldn't sleep very well last night and I ended up waking up around 6 am.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i hate that



but also, where are his lips in this icon?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Me too but I remember it. I gave birth to a baby but I could like feel all the pain and it was the worst.



Then I left the hospital and hooked up with a chick immediately. It was quite a plot twist.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The worst feeling.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm watching The Truman Show and it's still just as good as the first time I saw it.

Reply

Thread

Link

I got awesome tickets to see Paramore in July, i'm talking to a cute guy from tinder and i start my new awesome job next Monday. This month has been awesome so far compared to my shitty ass January lol.

Reply

Thread

Link

omg good for you! That all sounds awesome!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

 Nice 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I stayed home from work today. I woke up on time but I couldn't move out of my bed.

I might take another nap

Reply

Thread

Link

Ughh what a cutie. I want a dog so bad but i can't atm my landlord doesn't permit pets.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

omg

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

there's a right to left typing option .





also, I burned myself :( but atleast I finally bought a shirt i wanted

Reply

Thread

Link

Awwww

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

My sister bought like 5 Movie Passes so she invited me to go see Jumanji with her fam today, and I might see Black Panther with my nieces tomorrow.

Reply

Thread

Link

What theaters in this area accept the passes?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

There are 2 in SB and 1 in Redlands, but my sis lives in Riverside so I'm going over there to the Galaxy theater.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Puma Thurman has an ulcer in her eye so she has to wear the Cone of Shame for a while so she doesnt rub her eyes 



I feel so bad for my kitty cat :(

Reply

Thread

Link

omg @ puma thurman

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

puma thurman



jkqhgdg it took me a moment to realize this is your pet's name & not some kind of shade directed at uma thurman, lmao. A+++

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lmao no I love Uma so much  I wanted to name a cat after her for forever.



Her brother is Jude Paw 

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

For a second I was like "surely Uma Thurman would have enough self control???"

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

awww bb :(

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

aw poor puma :(





let ha rock an eye patch imo

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I read this as, "poor Uma Thurman" and was hella confused for a second.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

somehow i only found out yesterday that jess manafort (she directed remember the daze) is paul manafort's daughter, and my mind is still trying to get around it lol. that movie was so bad, but it gave me melonie diaz & lyndsy fonseca as bb lesbians! not to mention amber heard & brie larson. and now it's all tainted lmao

Reply

Thread

Link

It had a good cast but it was like a boring Dazed and Confused.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmao I loved that movie even though it was bad. I liked a majority of the cast.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i seem to be putting my psychology degree to use by doing this dirty snapchat thing. been chatting with regulars (i try to do that when i can to keep them interested), and several have told me i help them with depression and such. that makes me feel good. these guys are actually respectful, and if they say anything about women that i side-eye i make sure to tell them it's wrong and why. also, one of them just sent me $10 for breakfast so that's something haha.

Reply

Thread

Link

you are winning so hard, sis!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Therapy and nudes, what a great service you provide lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Thanks for teaching these men and get money

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link
My district is currently on spring break but I am heartened by the response across the rest of Florida and in other states. These kids give me hope for big change.

Reply

Thread

Link

I'm proud of them. Why risk your life going to school for an education that doesn't prepare you for the modern, real world and doesn't guarantee you a job.

Reply

Thread

Link

ahhhh so excited about the pennsylvania race. https://swingleft.org !!!

Reply

Thread

Link

Im gonna March in DC on the 24th. Too much!

Reply

Thread

Link

If I still lived in DC I would so be there. I'll be with you all in spirit!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm so glad i live in a liberal area tbh. i feel bad for these kids that live in places that are saying if u even attempt to walk out of school you'll be disciplined like yikes. they have a right to protest if they want to.



Edited at 2018-03-14 10:18 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

It's probably because public schools' funding is often tied to butts in seats. So having students stage a walk out means a loss. Not only that, but they only have so many teaching days and need to get test scores up or risk losing funding. But I'm sure the political atmosphere of a community determines the response to walkouts like this.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

count week is always most important tho and that happens in October

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yeah, I teach in ohio and they recently changed the laws so that instead of days missed, it goes by hours. kids signed out for an hour for a dentist appointment, even if they return to school, are counted as a tardy. our list of kids getting perfect attendance has declined significantly. parents are furious but its out of our hands. our school day ends at 3:45 and even if you sign your kid out at 3:30, its considered a tardy, even if thats when my 4th graders are switching back to home room.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Respect to all those kids in America staging there walkout enough is enough as you were LG x  Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) March 14, 2018





Reply

Thread

Link

*THEIR



FUCK

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Sis, if you're looking for grammatical accuracy in a Liam Gallagher tweet then you need to look elsewhere.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This has been so incredible. <3

Reply

Thread

Link

I stayed up till 2 am for the results and walked around like a zombie today. I can only imagine how it's going to be in November lmao.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

omg i wasn't paying close attention to this election but i was glued to my computer for HOURS during the AL special election even though i was certain doug jones wouldn't win. imagine my glee.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

omg this is amazing <3 these kids are our future.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yas kiddo!! dicaprio who!?!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Good on Justin <3 And I just want to hug bb Leonardo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

aw so brave to walk out alone, going against the group is hard when you're a teen

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

they have so much more courage than all these pieces of shit going against them

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I love this so much. <3 Jordan Peele retweeted Justin.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm loving peele more and more these days

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

that first guy's bio is "up and coming youtuber" omg i feel so old now that this is a legit career to aspire to



Edited at 2018-03-14 10:57 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

these sweeties <3 bless them!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

these kids <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The Democrat win last night in PA was amazing. It's a district that went to Trump by 20 pts and is an average of R+11.



Bodes well for a Blue wave in 2018. LET'S GET OUT THE VOTE THIS NOVEMBER.

Reply

Thread

Link

Idc if he won by a hair. He freaking won in a district that was 20+ in favor of Trump. Lamb did better than even Obama in that district.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I didn't think he'd actually win and he did, and it has given me a glimmer of hope for my district, though the breakdown for the last election was 69% Dumpster Fire and 27% Clinton. It's a very tiny glimmer of hope, given that I live in Pennsyltucky, but it is there. My district (formerly 9, now 13) has something like six Republicans and one Democrat running, though, so I don't foresee an upset.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

All these photos got me weepy af. Teenagers using their superpowers of being annoyingly persistent for good.



There is something so pure about their rage that the NRA doesn't know how to counter it.

Reply

Thread

Link

It's righteous fury. Pure, unadulterated righteous fury from actual innocents. The NRA can't even comprehend that, let alone counter it.



I'm gonna sit in my weepy corner and applaud the hell out of these young badasses.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Right-wing media is being such a collective jerk to them, too. I kind of want to ask them if they really think they're going to get these kids on their side by being dismissive and insulting. Then again, I don't care what they think. Keep being jerks; these kids will see you for what you are, and a few years down the line, you'll be on the trash heap of history.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

All of this, tbh.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Connor lamb pulled through because he didn't alienate his constituency and because of his bone structure. Stop overthinking it Dems!!



Edited at 2018-03-14 10:23 pm (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

He does have a great bone structure

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Get strong chins to the people!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Never underestimate the voting power of white soccer moms! They have NO LOYALTY when it comes to bone structures!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

them trying to spin that hes a republican is just.....



they really arent prepared for whats coming are they?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

nah they arent at all. there are more favorable races out there for the Dems than last night. if they can get the right candidates then watch out!

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Me since last night:





Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

@realjameswoods can sit and seethe, he's binging on hillary hate rn on twitter.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Lmao yep

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmfao perfect!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They are having fucking meltdowns. Watch TRILLIONS are gonna be spent on those GOP elections.



Edited at 2018-03-15 12:12 am (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's hilarious how they're trying to play it now like it's not really a loss because he's so moderate and how he'll go against Pelosi in favor of Trump when Trump, Pence and even Trump Jr. were coming to Pittsburgh just to trash him and praise Saccone, and Saccone had an attack ad with literal video of sheep and a voiceover saying Conor Lamb was a Pelosi loving-Liberal-sheep.







Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I wish here in TX Beto could kick Ted Cruz out! Im hoping..and hell yeah ima vote, but I dunno.

WHY CAN'T WE HAVE LEGAL MARIJUANA?! ITS SO FUCKED UP! So many DRUNK DRIVERS IN HOUSTON! But Weed is A PROBLEM!? On 2nd thought...nah, the people of tx do not deserve to be high and drunk while driving...

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

every republican who won by less than 20 in 2016 should be shook. those under 10 should be packing their bags if they havent already. bye shitheels.

Reply

Thread

Link

PA18 was a R+11 district and Paul Ryan's district is only R+4.... YOU SCARED YET, PAUL?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

isn't he retiring this year anyway? lobbying jobs pay more and he doesn't have to gaf about voters

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I'm so happy about Conor Lamb winning since Rick Saccone is a POS. I want Beto O'Rourke to win next.

Reply

Thread

Link

This made me tear up and I'm not even american.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

the press packet is too fucking cute!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And it shows how little kids absorb the world around them. They understand that they need something to document, to give to the press. Obviously the parents helped but the kids are the ones making the movements. It's absolutely breathtaking to me. Makes you pause when you realize just how much the kids know and are paying attention, even when we assume they're not.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

i'm weeping now.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I got goosebumps by just reading the title

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
Chemical Growth Fuels Innovations in Hybrid Cut and Chemical PPE

Workers are speaking loud and clearwith increased cut risks abundant in todays machinery-heavy workspaces, cut protection can be as critical a factor as chemical protection.

The chemical industry is currently in the midst of expansive growth. According to the American Chemistry Council, as many of the worlds major economies experience an upturn, the chemical industry stands poised to prosper, with U.S. chemistry production volume expected to increase by 3.7 percent in 2018. This momentum and expansion translates into a powerful workforce; the chemical industry alone employs 811,000 people in the United States, and for every one job created from the business of chemistry, 6.8 jobs are created in other sectors.1 Talk about a true chemical reaction.

As with any growth comes evolution, and the chemical industry is no exception. To meet growing industry demands for innovations and efficiencies, automated machinery and technology are becoming more common in the workplace than ever before. With workspaces outfitted with advanced technologies and businesses challenged to forge paths of accelerated growth, the need to multitask and quickly change from a chemical setting to a mechanical setting is the new norm. Workers are being challenged to move more quickly and efficiently from task to task for better productivity and performance.

As chemical work becomes increasingly more complex, so does outfitting workers with proper personal protective equipment (PPE). Chemical workers regularly dealing with automated machinery or advanced equipment are routinely exposed to cut hazards in chemical applications, putting themselves at an increased risk of injury, poor comfort, and loss of productivity.

So a new challenge arises for safety managers and workers alike: finding safety solutions that provide comfort and performance without compromising chemical or cut protection. Thanks to innovations in PPE, such options exist, but they do so in a sea of gloves that settle for cut or chemical protection at the expense of grip, comfort, or dexterity. Safety managers must wade through a wide array of cut and chemical safety products to find the right balance of protection.

This article originally appeared in the April 2018 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Chinas family planning commission, which for nearly four decades enforced the countrys notorious one-child policy, will be absorbed by a new agency as the government stops trying to clamp down on births.

The new National Health Commission will take over responsibility for population management from the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which dates back in various forms to 1981 and known for its use of forced abortions and sterilisation, and hefty fines to limit births.

The phrase family planning will disappear from the ministerial structure, as China grapples with a shrinking labour pool and rapidly ageing population.

The new health commission will also be responsible for national health policy, reforming in the medical system, controlling tobacco use, and overseeing occupational health, according to a proposal presented the National Peoples Congress in Beijing on Tuesday.

It is a historic change and watershed moment, said Yi Fuxian, a long-standing critic of Chinas birth control policy and a researcher at the University of Wisconsin.

China is shifting from population control to population development.

As late as in 2013, filmmaker Zhang Yimou and his wife Chen Ting were fined 7.48 million yuan for having three extra children.

Chinas government admits birthrate too low after decades imposing one-child policy

At the time, commission spokesman Mao Qunan said the agencys work had reduced the number of births in China by 400 million.

While China still has not dropped family planning from its constitution, Beijing is clearly abandoning restrictive birth control policies to embrace a more balanced approach.

According to Huang Wenzheng, co-founder of population policy NGO Cnpop.org, birth control policies are about to exit history.

Organisational reshuffles at the State Council usually pave the way for policy revisions, Huang said.

China has gradually relaxed the one-child policy over the last few years, announcing in October 2015 that from the start of the next year, all couples could have two children.

Story continues

Chinas ageing population is creating a new debt crisis for Beijing as pension shortfall widens

Other policies designed to discourage people from having babies were also gradually lifted. In October 2017, an NPC legislative affairs subcommittee asked officials from five provinces  Guangdong, Yunnan, Jiangxi, Hainan, and Fujian  to revise rules allowing companies to fire their employees who had extra children.

And during the Communist Partys five-yearly national congress last year, President Xi Jinping dropped the usual reference to family planning, saying China would promote the coordination of childbirth policies with other economic and social policies. It was the first time in nearly 30 years that the party work report did not contain a reference to birth control.

At the time, Li Bin, the commissions minister, said the authority would use scientific judgment of Chinas demographic situation to harness family planning policies.

This article China puts an end to its notorious one-child policy enforcer first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
Reuters Videos

Russia was responsible for the 2006 killing of a former KGB officer in London.That was the ruling made by the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday (September 21).Alexander Litvinenko died three weeks after drinking green tea laced with polonium-210 at London's Millennium hotel.Images of him lying yellow and gaunt in a hospital bed with his hair falling out were seen in media across the world.Britain has long blamed Moscow for the attack, which sent relations to a post Cold War low.Russia has always denied any involvement in the death of the then 43 year-old Kremlin critic.A previous British inquiry had concluded in 2016 that Russian President Vladimir Putin probably approved an intelligence operation to murder Litvinenko.It also found that former KGB bodyguard Andrei Lugovoy and another Russian Dmitry Kovtun carried out the killing - and that Russia's Federal Security Service - or FSB - probably directed the operation.Five years on from that ruling and the ECHR agreed.The court found that beyond reasonable doubt the assassination was carried out by both Lugovoy and Kovtun.Both men have denied any involvement.On Tuesday, Lugovoy told Reuters that the ruling was 'politically motivated' and 'extremely idiotic'."I want to highlight that I cannot call this ECHR decision other than improper and unlawful. Moreover, I'd like to call it stupid. It's not very clear on which foundation they based its decision. If they based it on what Litvinenko told them, it discredits ECHR reputation."The ECHR also found that the Russian state was to blame.It said if the men had been carrying out a "rogue operation" Moscow would have the information to prove that theory, but no such attempt was made to do so.
The Consultative Committee

MANILA, Philippines  The Consultative Committee (ConCom) still has to address several details of the anti-political dynasty provision in the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

According to a member of the ConCom, former Senate President Nene Pimentel, there remain questions on whether children, as well as husbands and wives of incumbent politicians, should be prohibited from running for office.

We should include in the definition, the relationship of public officials and mistresses, said Pimentel.

The proposal is similar to the anti-dynasty bill filed in the Senate by the Committee on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes chairman Senator Francis Pangilinan.

The bill might be incorporated in the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

Up to the second degree is the prohibition whether they will run simultaneously, or interchangeably, said Pangilinan.

Meanwhile, people in the academe are against a no-election scenario in 2019.

The possible postponement of the polls surfaced due to the discussions in Congress to postpone anew the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.

It can be noted there are proposals to reschedule the polls from May 14 to October 18 to pave way for the proposed federalism.

First, this power grab is damaging democracy since Filipino voters will be deprived for one legislative term, said University of the Philippines assistant professor of political science Gene Pilapil.

Senator Pangilinan is also not in favor of the said proposal.

Its too tight and hindi dapat sigurong madaliin ito kung charter change ang pinag-uusapan at pwersahan ng October. Palagay ko malaking disservice ito sa ating mamamayan, said Pangilinan.

(Its too tight and the charter change should not be fast-tracked. I think this is a huge disservice to the public.)  Nel Maribojoc | UNTV News & Rescue

The post Senate prepares anti-political dynasty provision appeared first on UNTV News.
RAWAI, PHUKET  The Vijitt Resorts staff volunteer joined Big Cleaning day campaign on 9 March 2018, at Friendship Beach, held by Phuket Office of Natural Resources and environment. This project aims to make people more concerned about sustainable environment and encourage them to start practicing cleanliness themselves, as well as keep Phuket clean by cleaning public area regularly.
Bangkok, Thailand. 14 March 2018  One of the best ways to truly discover a culture is through its celebrations. Whether its a traditional ceremony that ties into local beliefs or the welcoming of a new season, each destination offers an adventure for the senses, from a new world of colours, flavours and music to understanding the beauty of Asia. Join Amari in experiencing these unique festivals throughout Asia this year for an adventure packed with diversity and new discoveries.

Festivities and Feasting for Hari Raya

After the annual fasting period of Ramadan comes Hari Raya Eid al-Fitr, the celebration day. The end of Ramadan highlights the importance of forgiveness and appreciation for loved ones through faith, food and acts of kindness. Celebrated this year on 15 to 17 June, the occasion marks a time for family gatherings with many travelling from afar to reunite and rejoice.

Public areas are brightly decorated with oil lamps, colourful lights and folded ketupat leaves in preparation for the festivities. Throughout Hari Raya, shops, bazaars and local eateries will remain open and offer a feast of Malaysian cuisine to enjoy. Traditional dishes, such as satay, lemang and curries, can actually be tasted at the street-market style Amaya Food Gallery at Amari Johor Bahru. Offering an all-day dining experience, travellers are guaranteed authentic flavours of Malaysia during this festive time of year.

Join Amari Johor Bahru in the Hari Raya festivities this year! The Angry Bird Family Package is perfect for travellers with children, including tickets to the nearby Angry Birds Activity Park, late check-out until 17:00 and a Set Dinner at Amaya Food Gallery. The package starts at 510 MYR ++ for a two-night stay in the Deluxe King room.

Experiencing the Mid-Autumn Festival in Yangshuo

A seasonal tradition celebrated around August and September of each year, the Mid-Autumn Festival welcomes a bountiful harvest with sweet moon cakes, candle lit lanterns and a time for families to reunite. Like Chinese New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival is dependent on the lunar calendar, meaning the dates change each year. In 2018, it will be held on 24 September, though festivities often last for several days.

The locals of Yangshuo also practice their own customs unique to this area by folding little paper boats with candles and floating them down the Li River with good wishes for the future. Another unique tradition practised by the Zhuang minority in Yangshuo is the Folk Singing Festival, where young men and women gather to sing love songs under the moonlight.

Book your stay at Amari Yangshuo to secure your Mid-Autumn Festival experience in one of the best downtown locations. All bookings made on Amari.com also receive complimentary 50 CNY dining credit at Cascade until 31 December 2018. Superior rooms start at 650 CNY ++ per night.

Lighting Up Galle this Deepavali

For four days every year, the Hindu community in Sri Lanka celebrates an important holiday, known as Deepavali, or the Festival of Lights, which will be held on 7 November 2018. While there is more than one backstory behind the festival, it is agreed that Deepavali celebrates the triumph of good over evil by lighting up the darkness.

Lamps and colourful designs decorate buildings, fireworks are set and there is music and gatherings everywhere. One of the more delicious aspects of Deepavali is the making and sharing of sweets. Festive desserts, such as halwa, a soft carrot pudding that melts in your mouth, and ladoo, made of Semolina and coconut flakes, are popular favourites that friends and neighbours share during the holiday.

Amari Galle currently offers exclusive rates starting at 119 USD ++ per night for stays until 20 December 2018. All rooms offer ocean views, guaranteeing a peaceful seaside experience.

For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.amari.com.
A new study of African savannah elephant populations in Angola by wildlife ecologists from Elephants Without Borders and UMass Amherst reports that measures such as anti-poaching and limiting human encroachment in protected areas are now essential to saving Angola's elephants. Credit: Elephants Without Borders

A new study of African savannah elephant populations in Angola by wildlife ecologists from Elephants Without Borders (EWB) and the University of Massachusetts Amherst reports today that though the population seemed to be recovering after the war ended there, that trend has now reversed, underlining "the need to be vigilant against poaching and habitat loss," says first author Scott Schlossberg.

He and colleagues write, "There may be time to reverse the ongoing decline of elephants in Angola and conserve this important population" if the government commits to "active protection." Schlossberg and Chase of the Botswana-based conservation group did this work with co-author Curtice Griffin, professor of environmental conservation at UMass Amherst. Details appear in PLOS ONE.

"Our study shows that ending war is not necessarily sufficient for the long-term recovery of wildlife populations. Active protection of wildlife is also needed," says Chase, who flew the first aerial surveys after the war. "Measures such as anti-poaching and limiting human encroachment in protected areas are now essential to saving Angola's elephants."

The authors note, "Fortunately, as of late 2015, Angola still had over 3,000 elephants." Before the 1970s, as many as 70,000 elephants lived in Angola, one of the largest populations in southern Africa at the time, and a key link between populations in Namibia and Botswana. However, war from 1975 to 2002 saw great loss of human life and reports of elephants slaughtered on a mass scale.

In 2004-05, Chase and Griffin were able to conduct the first systematic survey in 25 years and they found a "small but apparently healthy and growing population estimated at 1,800 elephants." For the next 10 years, no elephant research was possible in Angola, but in 2015, the government granted EWB permission to resume research. Chase was Griffin's graduate student when he founded EWB at UMass Amherst in 2007.

For the current work, the researchers say they used aerial surveys and satellite monitoring of eight collared elephants to determine the current status of populations in Angola and to learn how humans may be affecting elephant habitat. The aerial survey revealed a population of 3,395 elephants. This was a decrease of 21 percent measured in a subset of the 2015 study-area that was surveyed in 2005, Schlossberg explains.

The study was conducted in the Cuando-Cubango province of southeast Angola, where the 2015 survey as part of the Great Elephant Census in a 43,459 square-km area, mostly in the newly created Luengue Luiana National Park. Four major rivers cross the area and settlements are found along them. Minefields left from war still remain and have caused injury to humans and wildlife, including elephants, they add. Schlossberg and colleagues report that the number of elephant carcasses observed increased greatly between 2005 when none were seen, to 2015 when approximately four carcasses were seen for every 10 live elephants.

The high number of carcasses observed suggests that populations may have increased after the 2005 survey but were declining as of 2015, the authors note. This number "suggests a much more rapid decline" than the 2 percent decrease per year indicated by the live elephant numbers," and may indicate that their survey has "substantially underestimated the current rate of decline for elephants in Angola."

A major finding of this study, say Schlossberg and colleagues, is that human development is widespread in southeast Angola and may be limiting elephant distributions. Satellite tracking showed that elephants avoid areas within 6 km of human indicators. "Growing human populations may be displacing elephants from their preferred habitats in Angola," Schlossberg says.

The team notes that to conserve elephants in southern Africa, conservationists have proposed establishing the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) to protect core habitats and movement corridors between Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. But their data suggest that increased poaching in the region would threaten the integrity of the proposed KAZA TFCA and greatly diminish elephants' ability to move around safely.

Since the 2015 survey, the Angolan government has taken several steps to protect elephants, the authors point out. "The government has submitted a national ivory action plan to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, enacted new legislation to make the sale of live or dead wildlife a crime and stepped up seizures of elephant ivory."

Explore further The Great Elephant Census reports massive loss of African savannah elephants
A barbastelle bat with its characteristic bumpy face. Credit: Simon Ghanem, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology

In the evolutionary arms race between bats and their insect prey, some moths have developed ears to detect echolocating bats and avoid being caught. Conversely, barbastelle bats are known to counter moth hearing by using quiet, 'stealthy' calls to search for prey in the dark.

Recording the hunting behaviour of this intriguing species, researchers have now found that barbastelle bats sneak up on unsuspecting moths by gradually emitting even fainter calls as they come closer. Their findings are published today in the journal Functional Ecology.

The barbastelle bat, with its characteristic bumpy face, is a very successful hunter that manages to almost exclusively feed on eared moths. Comparable with stealth fighter jets, barbastelle bats use a 'stealth echolocation' tacticecholocation at intensities that are inaudible to distant mothsto ambush prey. Their calls are more than 10 times quieter than those of other bats which hunt insects in the same way.

Upon detecting a nocturnal moth, this intriguing bat species reduces its call intensity even further while closing in, according to new research by ecologists at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany.

Consequently, call intensity heard by the moth only increases very slowly, delaying the time and shortening the distance at which it becomes aware of the attacker. Once a moth hears the calls, it is most likely too late to escape.

"Barbastelle bats call with surprisingly low intensity, usually a characteristic of species that hunt in cluttered habitats and need to avoid distracting echoes from branches and leaves. Low intensity calls come at a cost though. They do not reach far and as a result, insects can only be detected from a close distance," says Dr. Daniel Lewanzik from the Max Planck Institute of Ornithology.

To test why the barbastelle can catch eared moths when other bats cannot, the authors closely investigated echolocation behaviour during pursuit and final attack.

They tethered moths (Noctua pronuba) to a long fishing rod with a miniature microphone positioned a few centimetres above, offering them to free-ranging barbastelle bats in a forest and to captive ones in a flight room. This allowed the team to analyse the echolocation calls from a moth's perspective. Simultaneously, the researchers recorded the calls of approaching bats with a four-microphone array in order to reconstruct three-dimensional flight paths and thus measure their distance to the moths.

Barbastelle bats can detect moths at about 1.6 m distance. Once approaching their unsuspecting prey, the bats lower their already faint calls by 4 decibels (dB) or 40% for each halving of distance. During the final buzz when they are less than 1 m away, call intensity decreases by more than 6 dB or 50% per halving of distance*.

Echolocation call levels received by the moths remain almost constant during the attack (instead of doubling per halving of distance) as a result of the bats' stealth tactic, keeping them low enough to prevent the moth from escaping.

"Our results suggest that barbastelle bats are able to outwit the hearing defence of moths and close in without triggering any last-ditch manoeuvres, making them very successful moth hunters," concludes Dr. Holger Goerlitz, also from the research institute. "In fact, the evolution of moth ears might benefit barbastelles as they can avoid competition with other, louder bats."

Daniel Lewanzik and Holger Goerlitz (2018). 'Continued source level reduction during attack in the low-amplitude bat Barbastella barbastellus prevents moth evasive flight' is published in Functional Ecology on 14 March 2018.

Explore further Like stealth fighter plane, barbastelle bat uses sneaky hunting strategy to catch its prey

More information: Lewanzik D, Goerlitz HR. Continued source level reduction during attack in the low-amplitude bat Barbastella barbastellus prevents moth evasive flight. Funct Ecol. 2018;00:111. Lewanzik D, Goerlitz HR. Continued source level reduction during attack in the low-amplitude bat Barbastella barbastellus prevents moth evasive flight.. 2018;00:111. doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13073 *Sound level is measured in decibels (dB SPL) and defined on a logarithmic scale. If barbastelles didn't change their call intensity during hunting, the call levels received by moths would double per halving of bat-moth distance. Eared moths would be able to detect the calls and react with evasive flight manoeuvres such as power dives and flying off in the opposite direction. A normal human conversation is around 60 dB SPL. The sound level in a disco or of a chainsaw is about as loud as a 'quiet' barbastelle bat. Other aerial-hawking bats emit calls that are as loud as a jackhammer, and are at or above threshold of pain. Most bats echolocate at ultrasound frequencies much higher than humans can hear. Journal information: Functional Ecology
Boaty returns after first mission under the ice. Credit: British Antarctic Survey

The yellow high-tech autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), affectionately known as Boaty McBoatface, has successfully returned from an ambitious science expedition deep below half a kilometre of ice.

It is the first time that Boaty has been deployed underneath an ice shelf, marking a significant milestone in proving the vehicle's capability, and demonstrating the important contribution that AUVs are making in helping scientists understand what happens in hostile and otherwise inaccessible parts of the ocean.

In this case, the AUV carried two sets of CTD (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth) sensors to measure salinity and temperature of the water underneath the Filchner-Ronne ice shelf in Antarctica. Covering an area of around 450,000 square km, it holds a greater volume of ice than any other floating glacier tongue.

Climate researchers are particularly interested in whether more glacial ice is currently being transported into the ocean, since this process is related to rising sea levels. In addition, so-called 'deep water' forms near the ice shelf, which is a key driver of global ocean circulation and therefore impacts upon the climate system everywhere on the planet.

Boaty was also equipped with a micro-structure probe to measure ocean turbulence, a sensor to measure the amount of phytoplankton in the water (by measuring the fluorescence of their chlorophyll) and a sensor to detect the turbidity of the water. It spent a total of 51 hours under the Antarctic ice, travelling 108 km and reaching water depths of 944m.

Relief as Boaty surfaces from the deep. Credit: British Antarctic Survey

Steve McPhail, Head of AUV Development at the National Oceanographic Centre, said: "Waiting for the AUV to return is  to say the least  exciting, and as a result I was very relieved each time the AUV turned up, on time, and in the right place, circling 900 m below the ship. Even then our problems were not over. With the surface of the sea frozen, we needed RV Polarstern's help to create an ice hole through which we carefully navigated the AUV.

"I am delighted in the success of this mission. For the engineers involved, this was a very challenging deployment that was not without risk. We knew that the environment was harsh, with -20 Celsius air temperatures and sea temperatures very close to the freezing point of seawater. Under the ice shelves there are significant tidal currents and the high southerly latitudes pose difficulties for the AUV's underwater navigation. Once in the ice shelf cavity we had neither detailed information on the thickness of the ice, nor the depth of the water. We had no communication with the AUV for 90% of its time in the water."

Prof Adrian Jenkins from British Antarctic Survey was leading the investigation. He said:

Credit: British Antarctic Survey

"Understanding the contribution that polar ice sheets make to global sea-level rise is recognised internationally as urgent. The data from this mission are critical for assessing the future stability of Antarctica's Filchner Ice Shelf, and this mission has enabled us to take a small step towards our goal of producing credible sea-level projections for the next 50 years."

Boaty was deployed from January to February 2018 in the southern Weddell Sea from German research vessel RV Polarstern as part of the Filchner Ice Shelf System (FISS) Project a collaboration involving leading UK research institutions including British Antarctic Survey (BAS), National Oceanography Centre (NOC), Met Office Hadley Centre, University College London, University of Exeter and Oxford University, and international partners including Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Germany, and University of Bergen (UiB), Norway. The AUV plays a critical role in the project that aims to investigate and describe the current state of the complex atmosphere-ice-ocean system.

Ice conditions at the Filchner at launch. Credit: British Antarctic Survey

Explore further Boaty McBoatface returns home with unprecedented data
Cities, home to over half of the global population and responsible for more than 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The undeniable imperative to consider climate change in urban planning and policy has inspired a small but growing groundswell of support for local action around the world.

This growing movement inspired over 750 delegates, from 75 countries, to attend the Cities and Climate Change Science Conference (Cities IPCC, #CitiesIPCC) held March 4-8, 2018 in Edmonton, Canada. The first summit to bring together urban (rather than national) representatives to address climate change, the conference aimed to identify knowledge gaps and review current strategies to fight and adapt to a changing climate. The research and discussions from the conference will contribute to the upcoming assessment reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and will consolidate past and ongoing research while advancing a global agenda for low-carbon, resilient urban growth.

Panel discussions and plenary sessions were populated by many of the conference organizers, including ICLEI  Local Governments for Sustainability, C40, Cities Alliance, Future Earth, Sustainable Development Solutions Network, United Cities and Local Governments, UN Environment, UN Habitat, World Climate Research Programme, and the City of Edmonton. Organized around four key thematic areas, the conference focused on:

the imperative to specifically address urban level action; urban emissions, impacts and vulnerabilities; the transition to low carbon, resilient cities; and the creation of an enabling environment for transformative climate action.

To galvanize commitment to the immense challenge of limiting global warming to 1.5C below pre-industrial levels, the unique effort brought together academics, local government representatives, the private sector, and practitioners in the co-generation of a global agenda for urban action.

Aromar Revi, director of the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, kicked off Day 1 by reminding participants of the need for rationality and solidarity in meeting the challenges of climate change. Discussions throughout the first day of the conference covered a range of topics including development of an integrated framework for both the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the need for social inclusivity in agenda setting, and sustainable consumption and production.

Mark Watts, executive director of C40 Citiesa network of 90 cities committed to addressing climate changehighlighted the importance of urban consumption patterns by referencing a new C40 report released during the conference. The report concluded that greenhouse gas inventories that only account for emissions within the city limits diminish the importance of consumption patterns as a driver of climate change. The new study suggests that mayors can make a large impact by considering the consumption of everyday goods and services, and their upstream emissions, and designing policies in support of a circular economy.

Cities are impact and action hotspots for climate change, as described by Debra Roberts, chief resilience officer of the Sustainable and Resilient City Initiatives Unit in Durban, South Africa and co-chair of IPCC Working Group II. As emphasized during Day 2 of the conference, feedback loops from the scientific community can support effective, action-oriented, evidence-based policies. Discussion panels acknowledged the need for a multi-disciplinary approach as well as the generation of data from both the bottom-up and the top-down.

In following, Day 3 discussions addressed the challenge of urban complexity and called for a systems-based approach to strategic planning. Transforming urban systems will rely heavily on new technologies, smart city design, and the Internet of Things. It will also require the upgrading of existing infrastructure that is locked-in to inefficient design modalities.

Partnerships were underscored as critical in the creation of an enabling environment for climate action. Multi-stakeholder forums can enhance behavioral interventions, improve accountability, and work to maximize the potential contribution of cross-system urban mitigation and adaption initiatives. As good policy has not just co-benefits, but multiple benefits, city decision-makers must strive to identify policies and projects that meet multiple goals. Cities are challenged to decarbonize electricity generation, reduce energy usage, reduce dependence on fossil fuel-based transportation, work toward a circular economy, and find synergies between adaption planning, local needs, and development preferences. To achieve these multiple goals, Priya Kurian from the University of Waikato in New Zealand highlighted the need for a new architecture of deliberation that brings together stakeholders from public, private, and civic organizations and associations.

During the conference, the Earth Institute-based Urban Climate Change Research Network released its Second Assessment Report on Climate Change and Cities (ARC3.2), a report authored by more than 350 scientists from around the world. One of the lead authors and editors of the report, Cynthia Rosenzweig, head of the Climate Impacts Group at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, gave a keynote address on Day 3 summarizing the major strategic planning pathways that must be adopted by city leaders in the fight against climate change. These pathways include:

the integration of climate mitigation and adaptation initiatives; the linking of disaster and adaptation planning; generation of climate action plans in partnership with non-governmental stakeholders; attention to the needs of the disadvantaged and most vulnerable; and the advancement of good governance, partnership networks, and solutions to gaps in financing.

By identifying these pathways, the report aims to better inform urban policies that promote development and implementation of climate change and adaptation action plans.

For further information, several papers, written in anticipation of the conference, are already available on the conference themes and five more papers will be published in Nature and Nature Climate Change in order to catalyze new research on the role of cities in addressing and preparing for climate change. These articles summarize research gaps pertaining to the need for a novel climate change assessment framework for cities, a multi-level approach to data collection, attention to informality in mitigation and resilience planning, building an enabling environment, identifying effective financing mechanisms, and key lessons from the current state of urban climate change mitigation and adaption planning.

This urban-focused conference was undoubtedly a significant step toward consolidating ground-level action in the fight against climate change and meeting the targets of the Paris Agreement. As decision-makers, practitioners, and academics around the world work to address research gaps and forge lasting partnerships, urban policy makers finally have a long overdue seat at the global table. Through their efforts, evidence-based policy at the local level can provide the foundation on which to build ecologically coherent global systems in balance with the limitations of our natural resources.

Explore further Cities urged to work with scientists on climate change

Provided by Earth Institute, Columbia University

This story is republished courtesy of Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.
Verreaux's sifaka in Madagascar. Credit: WWF

Up to half of plant and animal species in the world's most naturally rich areas, such as the Amazon and the Galapagos, could face local extinction by the turn of the century due to climate change if carbon emissions continue to rise unchecked.

Even if the Paris Climate Agreement 2C target is met, these places could lose 25% of their species according to a landmark new study by the University of East Anglia (UK), the James Cook University (Australia), and WWF.

Published today in the journal Climatic Change and just ahead of Earth Hour, the world's largest environmental event, researchers examined the impact of climate change on nearly 80,000 plant and animal species in 35 of the world's most diverse and naturally wildlife-rich areas.

It explores a number of different climate change futures - from a no-emissions-cuts case in which global mean temperatures rise by 4.5C , to a 2C rise, the upper limit for temperature in the Paris Agreement . Each area was chosen for its uniqueness and the variety of plants and animals found there.

The report finds that the Miombo Woodlands, home to African wild dogs, south-west Australia and the Amazon-Guianas are projected to be some the most affected areas. If there was a 4.5C global mean temperature rise, the climates in these areas are projected to become unsuitable for many the plants and animals that currently live there meaning:

Up to 90% of amphibians, 86% of birds and 80% of mammals could potentially become locally extinct in the Miombo Woodlands, Southern Africa

The Amazon could lose 69% of its plant species

In south-west Australia 89% of amphibians could become locally extinct

60% of all species are at risk of localised extinction in Madagascar

The Fynbos in the Western Cape Region of South Africa, which is experiencing a drought that has led to water shortages in Cape Town, could face localised extinctions of a third of its species, many of which are unique to that region.

East Africa elephants. Credit: WWF

As well as this, increased average temperatures and more erratic rainfall could become be the "new normal" according to the report - with significantly less rainfall in the Mediterranean, Madagascar and the Cerrado-Pantanal in Argentina. Potential effects include;

Pressure on the water supplies of African elephants - who need to drink 150-300 litres of water a day

96% of the breeding grounds of Sundarbans tigers could become submerged by sea-level rise

Comparatively fewer male marine turtles due to temperature-induced sex assignment of eggs.

If species can move freely to new locations then the risk of local extinction decreases from around 25% to 20% with a 2C global mean temperature rise. If species cannot they may not be able to survive. Most plants, amphibians and reptiles, such as orchids, frogs and lizards cannot move quickly enough keep up with these climatic changes.

Lead researcher Prof Rachel Warren from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA said: "Our research quantifies the benefits of limiting global warming to 2C for species in 35 of the world's most wildlife-rich areas. We studied 80,000 species of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians and found that 50% of species could be lost from these areas without climate policy. However, if global warming is limited to 2C above pre-industrial levels, this could be reduced to 25%. Limiting warming to within 1.5C was not explored, but would be expected to protect even more wildlife."

Overall the research shows that the best way to protect against species loss is to keep global temperature rise as low as possible.

The Paris Agreement pledges to reduce the expected level of global warming from 4.5C to around 3C, which reduces the impacts, but we see even greater improvements at 2C; and it is likely that limiting temperature rise to 1.5C would protect more wildlife.

A giant panda from the Yangtze River area. Credit: WWF

This is why on 24 March millions of people across the world will come together for Earth Hour, to show their commitment to reducing global emissions and protecting people and wildlife from the impacts of climate change. The event also sends a clear message to business and government that there is a global will to change this trajectory.

Tanya Steele, CEO of WWF commented: "Within our children's lifetime, places like the Amazon and Galapagos Islands could become unrecognisable, with half the species that live there wiped out by human-caused climate change. Around the world, beautiful iconic animals like Amur tigers or Javan rhinos are at risk of disappearing, as well as tens of thousands plants and smaller creatures that are the foundation of all life on earth. That is why this Earth Hour we are asking everyone to make a promise for the planet and make the everyday changes to protect our planet."

The models used in this research come from the Wallace Initiative, a near decade long partnership between the Tyndall Centre at UEA, eResearch at James Cook University, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and WWF.

Dr Jeff Price, coordinator of the Wallace Initiative and also from UEA, said: "This research provides a view on the differing spatial impacts of climate change on biodiversity. It shows the benefits of combining citizen science with the research and resources of highly-ranked universities to assist an NGO with their conservation activities."

'The implications of the United Nations Paris Agreement on climate change for globally significant biodiversity areas' is published in the journal Climatic Change on March 14, 2018.

Explore further Climate change deepens threat to Pacific island wildlife
Mountain hare changing its coat. If climate change causes snow to melt ever earlier in the year, hares will more frequently find themselves wearing a 'wrong-coloured' coat, making them easy prey for predators. Credit: Rolf Giger

A warming climate will shrink and fragment mountain hare habitat in the Swiss Alps. Populations are likely to decline as a result, concludes an international study led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) and the University of Bern.

Specialised species like the mountain hare, adapted to life at high altitudes, are particularly affected by climate change. If temperatures become too warm for the mountain hare, it only has limited options to move to cooler, higher elevations. In fact, the area of suitable mountain hare habitat in Switzerland is expected to shrink by an average of one third by the year 2100. This is the conclusion of a study by the WSL, the University of Bern and the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU).

And that habitat will not only diminish in size, but also become more fragmented. As a result, mountain hare populations will be less well interconnected, which may lead to genetic impoverishment. According to the study published in the journal Global Change Biology, overall numbers of mountain hares are expected to decline. At the same time, the study pinpoints the mountain hare's most important future habitats, crucial for interconnecting individual populations and protecting the species.

Mountain hares suffering from heat stress

The research team investigated the impact of climate change on the species' distribution in the Swiss Alps, based on 1,046 mountain hare observations recorded between 1990 and 2013. In addition, it modelled the location and extent of suitable current and future habitat, following various scenarios envisaged by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The suitability of a habitat for mountain hares depends on factors such as food availability, protection from predators, heat and cold, and human disturbance.

It turned out that above all rising temperatures during the hare's breeding season influence the habitat available to the species. Cold-adapted species are less adept than heat-loving species at regulating their body temperature during hot summers. They have to move to cooler environments, which are necessarily limited by narrowing mountains and craggy rock faces.

The researchers' model calculations predicted a habitat loss for Swiss mountain hares of 26 percent in a medium warming scenario and 45 percent in a strong warming scenario. However, there turned out to be substantial regional differences, with the greatest habitat loss to be expected in the southern and northern Alpine foothills. By contrast, less loss was anticipated in the Central Alps, though there, too, habitat for mountain hares was expected to decline significantly.

National monitoring recommended

"Habitat loss and increasing habitat fragmentation will increasingly imperil the species," says lead author and WSL researcher Maik Rehnus. "Our study identified key areas for interconnecting mountain hare populations in Switzerland. They represent the backbone for the mountain hare's future distribution," adds the WSL's Kurt Bollmann, who led the study together with Veronika Braunisch from the University of Bern. The authors recommend setting up a national mountain hare monitoring scheme in these areas as well as on the periphery of the species' current range. "That would help to fill gaps in our knowledge about regional differences in population development and the endangerment of the species," maintains Rehnus.

More information: Rehnus, et al.: Alpine glacial relict species losing out to climate change: the case of the fragmented mountain hare population (Lepus timidus) in the Alps. Glob Change Biol. 2018;118. Journal information: Global Change Biology Rehnus, et al.: Alpine glacial relict species losing out to climate change: the case of the fragmented mountain hare population (Lepus timidus) in the Alps.. 2018;118. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14087

Provided by Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL
Adult Southern African python. Credit: Graham Alexander/Wits University

Reptiles are usually thought of as cold-blooded (an outdated term), simple animals that certainly don't care for their young.

Behaviours such as family living and parental care are usually not associated with snakes, and are only associated with mammals and birds. However, this may be more as a result of the lack of research on reptiles, than as a result of their actual behaviour.

A recent study by Professor Graham Alexander from the Alexander Herp Lab at the Wits School of Animal Plant and Environmental Sciences has found that female southern African pythons not only incubate their eggs, but they also stay at the nest, caring for their babies for about two weeks after the eggs have hatched. During this time, the babies spend the nights protected and warmed in their mother's coils, secure in the nest chamber.

"This is the first-ever report of maternal care of babies in an egg-laying snake," says Alexander, whose findings are based on seven years of intensive fieldwork at the Dinokeng Game Reserve, just north of Pretoria. During this time, he tracked 37 pythons through the use of radio transmitters. These results, and other surprising discoveries were recently published in the Journal of Zoology (London).During the study, eight of the radio-tracked pythons laid eggs in aardvark burrows, and Alexander recorded their breeding behaviour using infrared video cameras carefully lowered into the nest chambers.

"I was amazed by the complex reproductive biology of this iconic snake," said Alexander.

The female python's protective behaviour towards her offspring comes at great cost to themselves. The females do not eat at all during the breeding cycle - a period of more than six months - and lose about 40% of their body mass over this time. The females also turn black when breeding - a process which Alexander has termed 'facultative melanism' - an adaptation that probably increases rates of heating while basking in the sunlight.

Professor Graham Alexander holding a clutch of Southern African Python babies. Credit: Wits University

"Efficient basking is probably crucial for incubation. Unlike some other python species, southern African pythons are unable to warm their eggs by elevating their metabolism. Instead, our pythons bask near to the burrow entrance until their body temperature is almost 40 C (within a few degrees of lethal temperatures), and they then coil around the eggs to warm them with their sun-derived body heat."

The body temperatures of receptive, pregnant and brooding females in the study were more than 5 C warmer than non-reproductive females.

Even the body temperatures of baby-attending mothers were significantly higher than non-breeding females.

"All of this takes its toll on mother pythons: they take a long time to recover after breeding and so can only produce a clutch every second or third year, depending on how many meals they are able to catch in the months after leaving the nest. Some of them never recover."

Alexander's team have recorded instances of females breeding of starvation after breeding.

"Perhaps they just became too weakened to catch food," says Alexander.

Clutch of Southern African python babies basking in the sun. Credit: Graham Alexander/Wits University

Fortunately all the animals tracked during the study survived, but none of them bred in the following year.

Another surprising finding in the study was the fact that the male pythons followed receptive females around for months.

"In one case, one male was recorded following a female for more than 2 km over a three-month period," says Alexander.

Alexander's findings suggest that we still have lots to learn about the reproductive biology of snakes.

"Research is showing that snake reproductive biology is far more complex and sophisticated than we previously thought, and there is a range of behaviours that have been recorded in several species that can be classed as maternal care. For example, biologists are discovering that females of many types of rattlesnakes show maternal care of babies. In some species, mothers appear to even cooperate by taking shifts to look after young. But all these species are live bearing - our python is the first egg laying species that has been shown to care for its babies."

Explore further Helpers at the nest may allow mother birds to lay smaller eggs

More information: G. J. Alexander, Reproductive biology and maternal care of neonates in southern African python (Python natalensis ), Journal of Zoology (2018). Journal information: Journal of Zoology G. J. Alexander, Reproductive biology and maternal care of neonates in southern African python (Python natalensis ),(2018). DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12554
Experimental plume of carbon dioxide-enriched seawater and a dye tracer flowing across a coral reef flat in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. This study represents the first ocean acidification experiment on a natural coral reef community and provides evidence that near-future ocean acidification projections severely depressed coral reef growth. Credit: Aaron Takeo Ninokawa of UC Davis.

Ocean acidification will severely impair coral reef growth before the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked, according to new research on Australia's Great Barrier Reef led by Carnegie's Ken Caldeira and the California Academy of Sciences' Rebecca Albright.

Their work, published in Nature, represents the first ocean acidification experiment in which seawater was made artificially acidic by the addition of carbon dioxide and then allowed to flow across a natural coral reef community. The acidity of the seawater was increased to reflect end-of-century projections if carbon dioxide from greenhouse gas emissions are not abated.

Two years ago, Caldeira and Albright, then at Carnegie, published a landmark study providing evidence that ocean acidification is already slowing coral reef growth.

In that work, they made a coral reef community's seawater chemistry more alkalineessentially giving the reef an antacidand demonstrated that the coral's ability to construct its architecture was improved under these conditions. It was the first time that seawater chemistry was experimentally manipulated in a natural coral reef environment.

They once again altered seawater chemistry of reef flats surrounding One Tree Island off the coast of Australia. But this time they gave the reef heartburn, increasing acidity by adding carbon dioxide to seawater flowing over a coral reef community.

Coral reef flat (study site) at One Tree Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The studies conducted here represent the first in situ ocean acidification experiment of a natural coral reef community, providing evidence that near-future ocean acidification projections severely depressed coral reef growth. Credit: Aaron Takeo Ninokawa of UC Davis.

"Last time, we made the seawater less acidic, like it was 100 years ago, and this time, we added carbon dioxide to the water to make it more acidic, like it could be 100 years from now," Caldeira explained.

When coal, oil, or gas is burned, the resulting carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. It is well established that these emissions are the culprit of global climate change, the warming from which has a negative impact on coral reefs. But this atmospheric carbon is also absorbed into the ocean, where it remains for millennia.

A chemical reaction between the seawater and these soaked-up carbon emissions produces carbonic acid, which is corrosive to coral reefs, shellfish, and other marine life. Reefs are especially vulnerable to this ocean acidification, because their skeletons are constructed by accreting calcium carbonate, a process called calcification. As the surrounding water becomes more acidic, calcification becomes more difficult.

"Our findings provide strong evidence that ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide emissions will severely slow coral reef growth in the future unless we make steep and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," said first author Albright.

Experimental set-up and research team at a coral reef flat study site at One Tree Island in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The studies conducted here represent the first ocean acidification experiment of a natural coral reef community, providing evidence that near-future ocean acidification projections severely depressed coral reef growth. Credit: Aaron Takeo Ninokawa of UC Davis.

Furthermore, by working in controlled areas of a natural reef community, Caldeira, Albright, and their team were able to demonstrate how acidification affects coral reefs on the ecosystem scale, not just in terms of individual organisms or species, as other studies have done.

They say this approach is crucial to understanding the full scope and complexity of ocean acidification's impact, as well as to predicting how acidification will affect the coastal communities that depend on these ecosystems.

"Coral reefs offer economic opportunities to their surrounding communities from fishing and tourism," Caldeira said. "But for me the reef is a beautiful and diverse outpouring of life that we are harming with our carbon dioxide emissions. For the denizens of the reef, there's not a moment to lose in building an energy system that doesn't dump its waste into the sky or sea."

Explore further Acid oceans will dissolve coral reef sands within decades

More information: Rebecca Albright et al, Carbon dioxide addition to coral reef waters suppresses net community calcification, Nature (2018). Journal information: Nature Rebecca Albright et al, Carbon dioxide addition to coral reef waters suppresses net community calcification,(2018). DOI: 10.1038/nature25968
Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Infrared: NASA-JPL-Caltech

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory launch into space. The Crab Nebula was one of the first objects that Chandra examined with its sharp X-ray vision, and it has been a frequent target of the telescope ever since.

There are many reasons that the Crab Nebula is such a well-studied object. For example, it is one of a handful of cases where there is strong historical evidence for when the star exploded. Having this definitive timeline helps astronomers understand the details of the explosion and its aftermath.

In the case of the Crab, observers in several countries reported the appearance of a "new star" in 1054 A.D. in the direction of the constellation Taurus. Much has been learned about the Crab in the centuries since then. Today, astronomers know that the Crab Nebula is powered by a quickly spinning, highly magnetized neutron star called a pulsar, which was formed when a massive star ran out of its nuclear fuel and collapsed. The combination of rapid rotation and a strong magnetic field in the Crab generates an intense electromagnetic field that creates jets of matter and anti-matter moving away from both the north and south poles of the pulsar, and an intense wind flowing out in the equatorial direction.

The latest image of the Crab is a composite with X-rays from Chandra (blue and white), NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (purple) and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope (pink). The extent of the X-ray image is smaller than the others because extremely energetic electrons emitting X-rays radiate away their energy more quickly than the lower-energy electrons emitting optical and infrared light.

This new composite adds to a scientific legacy, spanning nearly two decades, between Chandra and the Crab Nebula. Here is a sample of the many insights astronomers have gained about this famous object using Chandra and other telescopes.

1999: Within weeks of being deployed into orbit from the Space Shuttle Columbia during the summer of 1999, Chandra observed the Crab Nebula. The Chandra data revealed features in the Crab never seen before, including a bright ring of high-energy particles around the heart of the nebula.

2002: The dynamic nature of the Crab Nebula was vividly revealed in 2002 when scientists produced videos based on coordinated Chandra and Hubble observations made over several months. The bright ring seen earlier consists of about two dozen knots that form, brighten and fade, jitter around, and occasionally undergo outbursts that give rise to expanding clouds of particles, but remain in roughly the same location.

These knots are caused by a shock wave, similar to a sonic boom, where fast-moving particles from the pulsar are slamming into surrounding gas. Bright wisps originating in this ring are moving outward at half the speed of light to form a second expanding ring further away from the pulsar.

2006: In 2003, the Spitzer Space Telescope was launched and the space-based infrared telescope joined Hubble, Chandra, and the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory and completed the development of NASA's "Great Observatory" program. A few years later, the first composite of the Crab with data from Chandra (light blue), Hubble (green and dark blue), and Spitzer (red) was released.

2008: As Chandra continued to take observations of the Crab, the data provided a clearer picture of what was happening in this dynamic object. In 2008, scientists first reported a view of the faint boundary of the Crab Nebula's pulsar wind nebula (i.e., a cocoon of high-energy particles surrounding the pulsar).

The data showed structures that astronomers referred to as "fingers", "loops", and "bays". These features indicated that the magnetic field of the nebula and filaments of cooler matter are controlling the motion of the electrons and positrons. The particles can move rapidly along the magnetic field and travel several light years before radiating away their energy. In contrast, they move much more slowly perpendicular to the magnetic field, and travel only a short distance before losing their energy.

2011: Time-lapse movies of Chandra data of the Crab have been powerful tools in showing the dramatic variations in the X-ray emission near the pulsar. In 2011, Chandra observations, obtained between September 2010 and April 2011, were obtained to pinpoint the location of remarkable gamma-ray flares observed by NASA's Fermi Gamma Ray Observatory and Italy's AGILE Satellite. The gamma-ray observatories were not able to locate the source of the flares within the nebula, but astronomers hoped that Chandra, with its high-resolution images, would.

Two Chandra observations were made when strong gamma-ray flares occurred, but no clear evidence was seen for correlated flares in the Chandra images.

Despite this lack of correlation, the Chandra observations helped scientists to home in on an explanation of the gamma-ray flares. Though other possibilities remain, Chandra provided evidence that accelerated particles produced the gamma-ray flares.

2014: To celebrate the 15th anniversary of Chandra's launch, several new images of supernova remnants were released, including the Crab Nebula. This was a "three color" image of the Crab Nebula, where the X-ray data were split into three different energy bands. In this image, the lowest-energy X-rays Chandra detects are red, the medium range are green, and the highest-energy X-rays from the Crab are colored blue. Note that the extent of the higher energy X-rays in the image is smaller than the others. This is because the most energetic electrons responsible for the highest energy X-rays radiate away their energy more quickly than the lower-energy electrons.

2017: Building on the multiwavelength images of the Crab from the past, a highly detailed view of the Crab Nebula was created in 2017 using data from telescopes spanning nearly the entire breadth of the electromagnetic spectrum. Radio waves from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (red), Hubble optical data (green), infrared data from Spitzer (yellow), and X-ray data from XMM-Newton (blue) and Chandra (purple) produced a spectacular new image of the Crab.

Explore further Observatories combine to crack open the Crab Nebula
This farm in Arkansas may soon be the most scientifically advanced farm in the world. Credit: Jay McEntire

There's a farm in Arkansas growing soybeans, corn, and rice that is aiming to be the most scientifically advanced farm in the world. Soil samples are run through powerful machines to have their microbes genetically sequenced, drones are flying overhead taking hyperspectral images of the crops, and soon supercomputers will be crunching the massive volumes of data collected.

Scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), working with the University of Arkansas and Glennoe Farms, hope this project, which brings together molecular biology, biogeochemistry, environmental sensing technologies, and machine learning, will revolutionize agriculture and create sustainable farming practices that benefit both the environment and farms. If successful, they envision being able to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and enhance soil carbon uptake, thus improving the long-term viability of the land, while at the same time increasing crop yields.

A central piece of the research is understanding the role of microbes in the health of the soil.

"Microbes are a critical component of soil health and productivity," said scientist Ben Brown. "By understanding how microbes work and modifying the environments where they function, we can eventually engineer microbial communities to enhance soil productivity. What's more, Berkeley Lab's research is showing that healthy soils are more resilient to system shocks such as climate change, drought, and insects."

A key challenge for advancing these goals is the recognition of the significant spatial variability of soil properties within a single field and between fields. The "AR1K Smart Farm" project has brought together a range of expertise to focus on a 1,000-acre farm near Stuttgart, Arkansas, as a test bed. The project is co-led by Haruko Wainwright, an expert in environmental monitoring and estimation methodologies in Berkeley Lab's Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, and Ben Brown, an expert in machine learning and microbial analysis in the Biosciences Area.

Soil: the most complex ecosystem on the planet

The world's population is forecast by the United Nations to grow to 9.8 billion by 2050; feeding that many people will require raising food production by more than 70 percent. Yet industrialized farming practices have depleted a majority of the country's agricultural land of active carbon and a balanced microbial ecosystem. This is reflected in measurements of organic matter that average only 1 to 2 percent in most farmland, compared to historic levels of around 10 percent.

"Our farmers are dependent on a heavy prescription of genetically modified seeds, fertilizer, chemical herbicides, and pesticides to render a profitable crop," said Jay McEntire, manager of Glennoe Farms. "For the farmer this dependency raises their input costs and increases their economic risk. For the landowner depleted soils and chemical regimes represent risks for both economic and environmental sustainability."

Building on Berkeley Lab's ENIGMA and Microbes to Biomes initiatives, the project scientists are looking to develop and evaluate microbial amendments, which can be thought of as "probiotics for soil," to replace the carbon, phosphorous, and other nutrients that have been lost. Repeated use of bulk fertilizers and chemicals over the years have depleted the soils and caused other environmental damage, creating a vicious cycle that makes the current model of industrial agriculture potentially unsustainable - and increasingly expensive as more and more chemical and bulk salt-based fertilizer additives are required each year.

What's more, the world's supply of phosphorous is limited.

How will the farms of the future feed a projected 9.8 billion people by 2050? Our 'smart farm' project, in collaboration with the University of Arkansas, marries microbiology and machine learning in an effort to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and enhance soil carbon uptake, thus improving the long-term viability of the land while increasing crop yields. Credit: Berkeley Lab

But Berkeley Lab is pursuing a microbial solution. "The good news is, there are lots and lots of microbes that have enzymes called phytases that are capable of resolubilizing inorganic phosphorous," which is essentially the "leftovers" in the ground after plants take up what they need from the rock phosphorous, according to Brown.

While the concept of microbial amendments is not new - indeed, commercial products are on the market - a predictive understanding of how the soil microbiome interacts with and affects plant growth is lacking.

"There are millions of species of microbes per cubic centimeter of soil," Brown said. "As you approach the plant root and its interior tissues, you go from millions to dozens. So plants do an exceptional job of farming their microbiomes. They release materials, including antimicrobial compounds, to selectively kill undesirable microbes, and they release food to incentivize beneficial microbes. It's a highly symbiotic and enormously complex interaction, and we understand almost nothing about it."

Bridging 18 orders of magnitude

The challenge will be in figuring out the cause-and-effect relationships between the microbial amendments and plant growth. "You're trying to connect events at timescales relevant to molecules to events that occur over the course of a six-month growing season," said Brown. "You're trying to bridge something like 18 orders of magnitude across spatiotemporal scales. That is seriously nontrivial."

That's where the drones come in.

Hyperspectral sensors on the drones will be able to detect light reflectance from the plants and see hundreds of channels of spectra, from the visible to near infrared. "The human eye has only three channels - red, green, and blue," said Wainwright. "You can see if a leaf looks yellow or green. But with hundreds of channels you can measure carbon and nitrogen content, and you can tell a lot about plant health, plant disease, or leaf chemistry, all of which affect crop yield."

In addition, surface geophysical techniques are used to map soil electrical properties in 3-D, which greatly controls soil microbial activities.

Machine learning is the tool that will tie all the data together. "The team science approach pioneered at Berkeley Lab is being put to use to integrate all the information within the machine learning context," said Wainwright. "Our ultimate goal is to provide actionable intelligence to the farming community."

Currently farmers have no such information, even though services and products have sprung up providing various "big data" solutions. "All the private companies have a big incentive to lock their own data sets, so they can't be used in conjunction with other data sets," Wainwright said. "That's where the public sector, like Berkeley Lab, can step in. We're not incentivized by profit."

The scientific challenge is formidable but not insurmountable. "We think it's a tractable problem, and we're hoping to prove it in the next year," Brown said.

Explore further Underappreciated microbes now get credit for holding down two jobs in soil
Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for the digital single market and society, said the experts' views would "help us put forward a number of options to better address the risks posed by disinformation spread online"

Divisions emerged Tuesday after experts commissioned by the EU Commission called on tech groups and social media firms to sign up to a voluntary code of conduct for tackling "fake news".

Consumer groups and European legislators called for a tougher stance than the one set out by the experts on Monday, but the industry rejected using regulation to tackle the problem.

The report by the so-called High-Level Expert Group on Fake News and Disinformation, which includes a representative from AFP, said online platforms should be more transparent about the way news is shared.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for the digital single market and society, said the experts' views would "help us put forward a number of options to better address the risks posed by disinformation spread online".

Brussels will set out its first strategy outlines next month.

Tech firms like Facebook and Google have faced growing criticism for failing to tackle both "fake news" and hate speech.

The report said online firms should sign up to the code of conduct to "ensure transparency by explaining how algorithms select the news put forward".

It said they should also work with European news outlets to "improve the visibility of reliable, trustworthy news".

The fake news group also argued against the use of the term fake newssaying it should instead be referred to as "disinformation" as it sometimes blends fake information with fact.

The software and browser firm Mozilla on Tuesday rejected any regulation.

"We believe that the complex and multi-factor nature of the phenomenonin terms of its causes and impactmake one-size-fits-all regulatory solutions inappropriate," it said.

But Marietje Schaake, a leading liberal member of the European Parliament, said the expert report had a "major omission".

"It does not fully address the key catalyst of the dissemination of disinformation, which are the in-transparent algorithms and the online advertising models that dominate most technology platforms," Schaake said in a statement.

"These models inherently push sensational content on newsfeeds that is often false, inaccurate, or misleading."

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) agreed that the report did not tackle the "root causes" of the problem.

"Platforms such as Google or Facebook massively benefit from users reading and sharing fake news articles which contain advertisements. But this expert group choose to ignore this business model," BEUC director general Monique Goyens said in a statement.

Gabriel told AFP in a interview last week that Europe must "redouble" its efforts to tackle the phenomenon in the run-up to elections, as fears grow about Russian meddling in votes across the continent.

Explore further EU tasks experts to find ways to fight fake news

 2018 AFP
The Extreme Precision Spectrometer (EXPRES) will help detect Earth-sized planets in neighboring solar systems. Credit: Yale University

A new, ground-based spectrometer designed and built at Yale represents the most powerful step yet in the effort to identify Earth-sized planets in neighboring solar systems.

The new instrument, the Extreme Precision Spectrometer (EXPRES), is now operational and collecting data at the Lowell Observatory Discovery Channel Telescope in Arizona. EXPRES will improve measurement precision by a factor of 10, enabling the detection of small, rocky planets around nearby stars.

"Up until now, the only planets we could detect with ground-based spectrographs were the bigger ones, the Saturns and Jupiters," said Yale professor Debra Fischer, whose team designed EXPRES. "We know the smaller planets are out there, but they've slipped through our nets."

Better data is particularly important, Fischer noted, because although astronomers have identified thousands of new planets in the past few years, none are analogs of Earth. Understanding which planets are similar in size to Earth and orbiting at distances from their host stars where water is likely to pool into lakes or oceans will be essential in the search for life elsewhere in the cosmos, she added.

Fischer announced initial details about the installation of EXPRES at the 2018 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin, Texas.

The Lowell Observatory Discovery Channel Telescope in Arizona is the new home for the EXPRES spectrometer. Credit: Yale University

"The future trajectory of exoplanet research depends critically on how well we improve radial velocity precision in spectrometers today," Fischer said.

Spectrometers are instruments astronomers use to study light that is emitted by planets, stars, and galaxies. They are used in tandem with either a ground-based or orbital telescope. Spectrometers stretch out a beam of light into a spectrum of frequencieswhich is then analyzed to determine an object's speed, direction, chemical composition, or mass. The gravity of a star holds a planet in its orbit, but the planet also tugs on the star. Radial velocity refers to the motion of the star along our line of sight.

The challenge for astronomers has been designing spectrometers with enough stability and fidelity to measure tiny wobbles from Earth-like planets. For EXPRES, Fischer worked with Jessi Cisewski, an assistant professor of statistics and data science at Yale, to develop software that disentangles subtle noise sources in the stellar spectrum.

Fischer said the result should be quite telling. "It's equivalent to the difference between early digital cameras from 10 years ago and the latest smartphone photography," she said.

Credit: Yale University

With EXPRES up and running in Arizona, and the similarly advanced ESPRESSO spectrometer built by Swiss astronomers in Chile, Fischer and other exoplanet researchers are preparing for a wealth of new data that might dramatically advance the search for extrasolar life.

"We've designed some very clever tests," she explained. "It's going to be amazing."

Explore further A new approach for detecting planets in the Alpha Centauri system
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Gone are the days when students with disabilities were placed in a separate classroom, or even in a completely different part of the school. These students often sit alongside their traditional student peers for at least part of the day, with the help of individualized education programs (IEPs).

IEPs are considered the main drivers in special education and the mechanism through which these students receive their education to meet his or her individual learning needs. However, there are challenges to implementing them in inclusive settings. A Penn State researcher is examining the role of IEPs for students with specific learning disabilities in general education settings.

In this study, published recently in the journal Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Laura Bray, assistant professor of education, explored how educators wrote, used and conceptualized the role of IEPs for students with specific learning disabilities within inclusive general education settings. "IEPs are supposed to be standards-based and tailored to the student's needs," Bray said. "We wanted to understand how teachers draw from IEPs and utilize them in their teaching."

The researchers found that IEPs are largely aligned to the general education curriculum and not individualized. "We found that students' IEPs were responding to institutional pressures to educate students within these settings," said Bray. "However, the content of the students' IEPs offered limited guidance on providing students with special education supports and services. That being said, the IEPs still played distinctive roles in each school's unique activity system for educating students within inclusive classrooms."

To come to this conclusion, the researchers examined data from a qualitative comparative case study that explored two secondary schools organized for the inclusion of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. "We looked at how IEPs were written to respond to institutional pressures to provide them a general education, how the IEPs responded to their individual education needs, other types of activities the educators would engage in to determine needs, and how IEP activities were being implemented and monitored at the schools," Bray explained.

The researchers chose two high schools in two different school districts, focusing on five students that were in 10th or 11th grade, who were identified with a specific learning disability and required modifications and accommodations in their classrooms.

Bray found that in one school, IEPs were being used as sort of a "triage" to help the students pass their courses, which is not the intent of IEPs. In the other school, Bray found that IEPs also were largely unused; however, co-teaching was used to help students with disabilities within the inclusive classrooms, and once a day these students attended a special education study hall. "We found that students in the second school had greater access to special education services," said Bray. "In both schools, while the IEPs were not being used as intended, they were still instrumental in shaping the educational supports students received."

Bray said this research is important because it will influence policy, as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is currently up for reauthorization. The IDEA ensures that children with disabilities receive free, appropriate public education and ensures special education and related services are provided to those children.

"We believe our findings will invite debate moving forward, especially as there is not much research in this area," Bray said. "This project focused on students with specific learning disabilities being educated within inclusive classrooms. In the future, we will look at other factors, such as evaluating the organization of schools for the inclusion of these students. We will also research how to better develop and implement IEPs for students being educated within inclusive settings."

Explore further ESL students with special needs fail to get language instruction, study finds

More information: Laura E. Bray et al. The Dynamic Interaction Between Institutional Pressures and Activity: An Examination of the Implementation of IEPs in Secondary Inclusive Settings, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis (2018). Laura E. Bray et al. The Dynamic Interaction Between Institutional Pressures and Activity: An Examination of the Implementation of IEPs in Secondary Inclusive Settings,(2018). DOI: 10.3102/0162373718756189
Still image of the Hermit Crab Paragiopagarus atkinsonae taken from the 3-D MicroCT Scan imaging Data Credit: Landschoff, J; Du Plessis, A; Griffiths, C, L (2018): A micro X-ray computed tomography dataset of South African hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea). GigaScience. doi:10.1093/gigascience/giy022

Today, a study published in the open access, open data journal GigaScience provides three-dimensional visual data from hermit crabs using the latest 3D microCT (Micro computed tomography) scanning technology. By making this microCT data publicly available, taxonomists potentially have more time and cost-efficient options for examining and comparing specimens for taxonomic research. With a shortage of trained taxonomists, this also provides new opportunities for education and training. To ease access to these data, the authors go beyond just describing the data collection and findings by providing downloadable, interactive files of everything in this study. For interested citizen scientists out there, they even include interactive web-based viewers and 3D printable file formats. The work here highlights new ways for researchers to share complex data without having to send out precious samples that can be damaged or lost.

Hermit crabs (Paguroidea), are one of the most diverse superfamilies of sea crustaceans and are easily recognisable through the way their most-often asymmetrical pleon is concealed and protected usually inside a scavenged sea shell. With over 1,100 species and 120 genera recognised to date, there are many more as yet undiscovered or unidentified species sitting on museum shelves. Being of small size and having very similar body plans and membranous body parts that typically lack identification characteristics, hermit crabs can be extremely difficult to identify and thus remain taxonomically poorly understood. Proper identification requires careful examination, which depend heavily on the quality of the original species descriptions and illustrations. Much of these procedures have not kept pace with digital advances, and when literature-based descriptions have proven inadequate, the only option has been to contact museums to loan out valuable samples for physical examination.

New three-dimensional microCT (X-ray micro-computed tomography) scanning technology provides a new tool in the taxonomic toolkit that can aid with species identification and be consulted by scientists before the physical material has to be sourced and shipped from natural history collections. Researchers at the University of Cape Town and Stellenbosch University, South Africa, use this approach to scan seven hermit crab samples. This includes three recently described species and one still undescribed species, as well as two scans of rare species, one of which is from a deep-sea habitat at over 500m depth. The most recent species description of Diogenes albimanus has just been published in the journal Zootaxa, where this data was used in the paper and review process.

First author Jannes Landschoff contrasts this with the classical procedure of species description: "These specimens are too valuable to be shipped and can only be examined by one referee at a time. In this process, we used microCT in addition to classical drawings. The scan images provided less subjective data and were particularly suited to provide high-resolution surface images of complicated 3D structures that are difficult to draw. Publishing the dataset also makes the process of assessing whether a species is new to science easier to evaluate, not only in the peer-review process but also in later studies. At the same time these downloadable avatars can act as an insurance policy should the type specimens get damaged or lost."

Although the physical specimens used in this study were deposited at the Iziko South African Museum (SAMC), Cape Town, South Africa, and at the National Museum of Natural History (USNH), Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, USA, researchers interested in these samples can now inspect them in detail from the comfort of their home. The 3D scans are available for download and view from the GigaScience GigaDB repository. Widgets are available that allow embedding in your own website (see below for code).

Using recently deployed functionality in GigaDB, surface-rendered CT images can now be interactively explored in the context of a web browser, enabling users to explore 3D images prior to download. As 3D printer (STL) files are also available for download, this demonstrates the potential for a new interactive species description.

Senior Author Anton Du Plessis says of the advantages of X-ray microCT to visualize and analyse these new species: "This study clearly shows the power of the technique and the magnification allows precise identification of surface textures which are often missed in photographs or even in manual drawings."

GigaScience's Chris Armit who deployed the new viewer in GigaDB said, "The 3D model viewer enables CT and MRI images to be interactively explored. This interface development has huge potential for Digital Biology, and enables morphology and in situ gene expression patterns to be explored easily using a desktop, laptop, or mobile device. We will be extending the visualisation tools to enable exploration of complex image data captured using optical imaging and molecular imaging techniques."

Explore further Millipede research 2.0: A new dimension in documenting new species

More information: Landschoff, J; Du Plessis, A; Griffiths, C, L (2018): Supporting data for "A micro X-ray computed tomography dataset of South African hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea)" GigaScience (2018). Landschoff, J; Du Plessis, A; Griffiths, C, L (2018): Supporting data for "A micro X-ray computed tomography dataset of South African hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea)"(2018). DOI: 10.5524/100364 Further Reading Landschoff, J; Du Plessis, A; Griffiths, C, L (2018): A micro X-ray computed tomography dataset of South African hermit crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Paguroidea). GigaScience. DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giy022 Landschoff J, Rahayu DL. A new species of the hermit crab genus Diogenes (Crustacea: Decapoda: Diogenidae) from the coast of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Zootaxa. 2018;4379:268-78. Journal information: GigaScience

Provided by GigaScience
STEVE and the Milky Way at Childs Lake, Manitoba, Canada. The picture is a composite of 11 images stitched together. Credit: Krista Trinder

Notanee Bourassa knew that what he was seeing in the night sky was not normal. Bourassa, an IT technician in Regina, Canada, trekked outside of his home on July 25, 2016, around midnight with his two younger children to show them a beautiful moving light display in the skyan aurora borealis. He often sky gazes until the early hours of the morning to photograph the aurora with his Nikon camera, but this was his first expedition with his children. When a thin purple ribbon of light appeared and starting glowing, Bourassa immediately snapped pictures until the light particles disappeared 20 minutes later. Having watched the northern lights for almost 30 years since he was a teenager, he knew this wasn't an aurora. It was something else.

From 2015 to 2016, citizen scientistspeople like Bourassa who are excited about a science field but don't necessarily have a formal educational backgroundshared 30 reports of these mysterious lights in online forums and with a team of scientists that run a project called Aurorasaurus. The citizen science project, funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, tracks the aurora borealis through user-submitted reports and tweets.

The Aurorasaurus team, led by Liz MacDonald, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, conferred to determine the identity of this mysterious phenomenon. MacDonald and her colleague Eric Donovan at the University of Calgary in Canada talked with the main contributors of these images, amateur photographers in a Facebook group called Alberta Aurora Chasers, which included Bourassa and lead administrator Chris Ratzlaff. Ratzlaff gave the phenomenon a fun, new name, Steve, and it stuck.

But people still didn't know what it was.

Scientists' understanding of Steve changed that night Bourassa snapped his pictures. Bourassa wasn't the only one observing Steve. Ground-based cameras called all-sky cameras, run by the University of Calgary and University of California, Berkeley, took pictures of large areas of the sky and captured Steve and the auroral display far to the north. From space, ESA's (the European Space Agency) Swarm satellite just happened to be passing over the exact area at the same time and documented Steve.

For the first time, scientists have ground and satellite views of STEVE (short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), a thin purple ribbon of light. Scientists have now learned, despite its ordinary name, that STEVE may be an extraordinary puzzle piece in painting a better picture of how Earth's magnetic fields function and interact with charged particles in space. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Genna Duberstein

For the first time, scientists had ground and satellite views of Steve. Scientists have now learned, despite its ordinary name, that Steve may be an extraordinary puzzle piece in painting a better picture of how Earth's magnetic fields function and interact with charged particles in space. The findings are published in a study released today in Science Advances.

"This is a light display that we can observe over thousands of kilometers from the ground," said MacDonald. "It corresponds to something happening way out in space. Gathering more data points on STEVE will help us understand more about its behavior and its influence on space weather."

The study highlights one key quality of Steve: Steve is not a normal aurora. Auroras occur globally in an oval shape, last hours and appear primarily in greens, blues and reds. Citizen science reports showed Steve is purple with a green picket fence structure that waves. It is a line with a beginning and end. People have observed Steve for 20 minutes to 1 hour before it disappears.

If anything, auroras and Steve are different flavors of an ice cream, said MacDonald. They are both created in generally the same way: Charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field lines.

The uniqueness of Steve is in the details. While Steve goes through the same large-scale creation process as an aurora, it travels along different magnetic field lines than the aurora. All-sky cameras showed that Steve appears at much lower latitudes. That means the charged particles that create Steve connect to magnetic field lines that are closer to Earth's equator, hence why Steve is often seen in southern Canada.

STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) was seen on March 10, 2018, just after midnight local time over Crossfield, Alberta, Canada. The STEVE was visible for about 30 minutes. Credit: Chris Ratzlaff

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Steve appeared in the satellite data. The data showed that Steve comprises a fast moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub auroral ion drift, or SAID. Scientists have studied SAIDs since the 1970s but never knew there was an accompanying visual effect. The Swarm satellite recorded information on the charged particles' speeds and temperatures, but does not have an imager aboard.

"People have studied a lot of SAIDs, but we never knew it had a visible light. Now our cameras are sensitive enough to pick it up and people's eyes and intellect were critical in noticing its importance," said Donovan, a co-author of the study. Donovan led the all-sky camera network and his Calgary colleagues lead the electric field instruments on the Swarm satellite.

Steve is an important discovery because of its location in the sub auroral zone, an area of lower latitude than where most auroras appear that is not well researched. For one, with this discovery, scientists now know there are unknown chemical processes taking place in the sub auroral zone that can lead to this light emission.

Second, Steve consistently appears in the presence of auroras, which usually occur at a higher latitude area called the auroral zone. That means there is something happening in near-Earth space that leads to both an aurora and Steve. Steve might be the only visual clue that exists to show a chemical or physical connection between the higher latitude auroral zone and lower latitude sub auroral zone, said MacDonald.

"Steve can help us understand how the chemical and physical processes in Earth's upper atmosphere can sometimes have local noticeable effects in lower parts of Earth's atmosphere," said MacDonald. "This provides good insight on how Earth's system works as a whole."

Specifically, the aurora and STEVE creation process starts with the Sun sending a surge of its charged particles toward Earth. This surge applies pressure on Earths magnetic field, which sends the Sun's charged particles to the far side of Earth, where it is nighttime. On this far, night side of Earth, Earth's magnet field forms a distinctive tail. When the tail stretches and elongates, it forces oppositely directed magnetic fields close together that join in an explosive process called magnetic reconnection. Like a stretched rubber band suddenly breaking, these magnetic field lines then snap back toward Earth, carrying charged particles along for the ride. These charged particles slam into the upper atmosphere, causing it to glow and generating the light we see as the aurora  and now possibly STEVE. Credit: NASA Goddard's Conceptual Image Lab/Krystofer Kim

The team can learn a lot about Steve with additional ground and satellite reports, but recording Steve from the ground and space simultaneously is a rare occurrence. Each Swarm satellite orbits Earth every 90 minutes and Steve only lasts up to an hour in a specific area. If the satellite misses Steve as it circles Earth, Steve will probably be gone by the time that same satellite crosses the spot again.

In the end, capturing Steve becomes a game of perseverance and probability.

"It is my hope that with our timely reporting of sightings, researchers can study the data so we can together unravel the mystery of Steve's origin, creation, physics and sporadic nature," said Bourassa. "This is exciting because the more I learn about it, the more questions I have."

As for the name "Steve" given by the citizen scientists? The team is keeping it as an homage to its initial name and discoverers. But now it is STEVE, short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.

Explore further Swarm explores a new feature of the northern lights

More information: Elizabeth A. MacDonald et al. New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere, Science Advances (2018). Journal information: Science Advances Elizabeth A. MacDonald et al. New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere,(2018). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaq0030
Asteroid destruction. Credit: Elena Khavina, MIPT

A large team of Russian researchers from Rosatom, joined by three MIPT physicists, has modeled the impact of a nuclear explosion on an Earth-threatening asteroid. They manufactured miniature asteroids and blasted them with a laser. The modeling technique developed in this study is a way of experimentally evaluating asteroid destruction criteria such as the explosion energy needed to eliminate a dangerous object on a collision course with Earth. The English translation of the paper reporting the results will appear in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics.

Asteroids are celestial bodies consisting of carbon, silicon, metal, and sometimes ice. Scientists usually classify objects larger than 1 meter as asteroids, although this lower limit is disputed. On the other end of the scale, asteroids get as big as 900 kilometers across. Traveling at 20 kilometers per second, such giants pose a threat of obliterating all life on Earth.

There are two basic options when it comes to protecting the planet from a collision with an asteroid: It either has to be deflected or blown into pieces, most of which will miss the Earth entirely or burn up in the atmosphere. The authors of the paper explored the second option by modeling the effects of a powerful shock wave released by a nuclear explosion on the asteroid surface. The research team showed that a brief laser pulse aimed at a miniature replica of an asteroid produces destructive effects similar to those of a nuclear explosion on an actual space rock. The distributions of heat and pressure predicted for the real event generally matched those measured in the scaled-down experiment.

For accuracy, the researchers made sure the small-scale asteroids features, including density, rigidity and shape, mimicked the real thing, and controlled the shockwave pressures. Thus, the researchers had a way of directly calculating the required energy of a nuclear explosion on the actual asteroid from the energy of a laser pulse destroying the miniature replica. To eliminate a 200-meter asteroid, for example, the bomb needs to deliver the energy equivalent of 3 megatons of TNT. The team drew this conclusion by using a 500-joule laser pulse to destroy a model eight to 10 millimeters in diameter. For the sake of comparison, the most powerful explosive ever detonatedTsar Bomba, or "the king of bombs," built by the Soviet Union in 1961had an energy output of about 58.6 megatons, though accounts vary.

The research team came up with a technology for manufacturing artificial asteroid material. Its composition corresponds to that of the chondrite (stony) meteorites, which account for about 90 percent of asteroid remains reaching the surface of the Earth. The properties of the model asteroid, including its chemical composition, density, porosity and rigidity, were adjusted during manufacturing. The replicas were made using the data on the chondrite meteorite recovered from the bottom of Lake Chebarkul. It is the largest fragment of the asteroid that entered the Earth's atmosphere in February 2013, exploding over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. The asteroid material was manufactured using a combination of sedimentation, compression, and heating, imitating the natural formation process. Out of cylinder-shaped samples, imitation asteroids of various shapes were made, among them spherical, ellipsoidal, and cubical ones.

To confirm that their laser modeling fits with reality, the researchers also did compressible flow calculations. They showed that a lab asteroid 14 to 15 orders of magnitude less massive than its space prototype requires almost twice as much energy per unit mass to be completely disrupted.

The experiments made use of three laser devices: Iskra-5, Luch, and Saturn. The laser beam was first amplified to a predetermined power and then directed at the asteroid replica fixed in a vacuum chamber. Model destruction was monitored from behind as well as from the side, and fragmentation dynamics were registered. The laser affected model asteroids for 0.5-30 nanoseconds.

To estimate asteroid destruction criteria, the researchers analyzed the data available from the Chelyabinsk meteorite. It entered the Earth's atmosphere as a 20-meter asteroid and fractured into small fragments that caused no catastrophic damage. It therefore makes sense to say that a 200-meter asteroid would be eliminated if it were fractured into pieces of a diameter 10 times smaller and a mass 1,000 times smaller than the Earth-threatening rock itself. For obvious reasons, this conclusion only holds for a 200-meter asteroid entering the atmosphere at a similar angle and for fragments traveling along trajectories similar to that of the Chelyabinsk meteor.

The researchers were also interested in whether the explosion effect is cumulativethat is, can one powerful explosion be replaced by a succession of smaller ones? They found that multiple weaker laser pulses provide no significant advantage over a single pulse combining their power in terms of the general destruction criterion. This holds for simultaneous as well as consecutive pulses.

In some of the experiments, the laser was targeted at a cavity made in the miniature asteroids ahead of time. By exploiting the cavity, the researchers spent less energynamely, 500 instead of 650 joules per gram. Similarly, the effect of a buried nuclear bomb is expected to be more pronounced.

Calculations accounting for the scaling effects indicate that it takes a three-megaton bomb to eliminate an Earth-threatening nonmetallic asteroid measuring 200 meters across. The research team now plans to expand the study by experimenting with asteroid replicas of different composition, including those containing iron, nickel, and ice. They also intend to identify more precisely how the shape of the asteroid and the presence of cavities on its surface affect the general destruction criterion.

"By accumulating coefficients and dependencies for asteroids of different types, we enable rapid modeling of the explosion so that the destruction criteria can be calculated promptly. At the moment, there are no asteroid threats, so our team has the time to perfect this technique for use later in preventing a planetary disaster," says study co-author Vladimir Yufa, an associate professor at the departments of Applied Physics and Laser Systems and Structured Materials, MIPT. "We're also looking into the possibility of deflecting an asteroid without destroying it and hope for international engagement."

Explore further Small asteroid to shave safely by Earth Friday

More information: Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics, DOI: 10.7868/S0044451018010145 , www.jetp.ac.ru/cgi-bin/dn/r_153_0157.pdf
Credit: NASA/Moss

Not everyone gets to become a part of history, but mathematician Billie Robertson is one of the lucky ones. In this image taken on Nov. 27, 1972, she was running a real-time simulation of Translunar Injection (TLI) Go-No-Go for the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission.

Originally intending to become a math teacher, Robertson took a job with the Rohm and Haas Company at Redstone Arsenal in 1951, calculating the thrust of rocket engines. In 1952, she accepted a position with the Army and the Wernher von Braun rocket team. Over the course of her storied career, Robertson worked with on a variety of projects, including the guidance and control computer software for the Jupiter C program (which launched the first U.S. satellite, Explorer I, into space).

After the 1960 transfer of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency team to NASA, she developed the manual for computer models related to launches during the Apollo, Skylab, and Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) programs. During the ASTP program, Robertson served as the coordinator for all support requirements from the Computer Services Office related to ASTP launch Information Exchange Facility/Huntsville Operations Support Center activities. Throughout her career, Robertson visited schools where she spoke to young women about professional opportunities in the aerospace industry.
Credit: Sarp Saydam/UNSW Science

A world-first graphene-based filter that can remove more than 99 percent of the natural organic matter in treated drinking water is being scaled up for possible use in conventional plants.

UNSW scientists have developed a world-first, graphene-based, laboratory-scale filter that can remove more than 99 percent of the ubiquitous natural organic matter left behind during conventional treatment of drinking water.

In a research collaboration with Sydney Water, the team has demonstrated the success of the approach in laboratory tests on filtered water from the Nepean Water Filtration Plant in western Sydney, and is working to scale up the new technology.

The results of some of the ground-breaking research are published in the journal Carbon. The project is led by Dr. Rakesh Joshi of the UNSW School of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with Professor Veena Sahajwalla and Professor Vicki Chen of UNSW, and Dr. Heriberto Bustamante of Sydney Water.

"Our advance is to use filters based on graphene  an extremely thin form of carbon. No other filtration method has come close to removing 99 percent of natural organic matter from water at low pressure," Dr. Joshi said.

"Our results indicate that graphene-based membranes could be converted into an alternative new option that could in the future be retrofitted in conventional water treatment plants."

UNSW's Dr Rakesh Joshi (far left) and team members hand over water free of natural organic matter to Sydney Water's Dr Heriberto Bustamante (far right). Credit: University of New South Wales

Sydney Water supplies clean water to about 4.8 million people in Sydney, the Illawarra and the Blue Mountains. These natural organic matter contaminants can affect the performance of direct filtration plants, reducing their capacity after heavy rain.

"The most common methods used at present to remove organic matter from water supplies include the application of chemical coagulants," said Dr. Bustamante.

"However, these existing treatments are only partly effective, particularly as the concentration of natural organic matter is increasing."

Dr. Joshi said: "The new treatment system is made by converting naturally occurring graphite into graphene oxide membranes that allow high water flow at atmospheric pressure, while removing virtually all of the organic matter."

Dr. Joshi has an international reputation in this area, having published many highly cited articles including one in the journal Science on graphene oxide-based filtration in 2014 while working at the University of Manchester with Nobel Laureate Sir Andre Geim.

The UNSW team is upgrading the experimental rig to construct a small pilot plant that could be tested in the field.

Explore further Graphene water filter turns whisky clear

More information: Y. You et al. Application of graphene oxide membranes for removal of natural organic matter from water, Carbon (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2017.12.032 Journal information: Science , Carbon Y. You et al. Application of graphene oxide membranes for removal of natural organic matter from water,(2017). DOI:
A Caribbean seismic research center says an underwater volcano just north of Grenada may be about to erupt but does not pose a tsunami threat to the region.

The University of the West Indies Seismic Research Center says the main threat posed by the Kick 'em Jenny submarine volcano is to shipping. All boats are being directed to observe an exclusion zone of 3.1 miles (5 kilometers) around the volcano.

The center raised its alert level Tuesday from yellow to orange amid a "substantial" increase in earthquake activity. It said an eruption may begin with less than 24-hours' notice.

The volcano is about 200 meters (660 feet) below the surface. It has erupted at least a dozen times since the 1930s but hasn't caused any known deaths or injuries.

Explore further Undersea volcano called Kick 'em Jenny rumbling off Grenada

 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Jose A. Rivas, a doctoral candidate in The University of Texas at El Paso's Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program, looks through a microscope at a sample of rehydrated dust containing microinvertebrates. The dust was collected from trays on the roof of the Biology Building on campus. Rivas is part of a team of UTEP faculty and staff who published the first evidence of how wind moves waterborne microinvertebrates across vast expanses of arid desert. Credit: UTEP Communications

The work of faculty and students from The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has yielded the first evidence of how waterborne microinvertebrates move across vast expanses of arid desert.

An article published March 13, 2018 in Limnology and Oceanography Letters, a publication of the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography, details for the first time how high desert winds disperse small invertebrates and how they colonize hydrologically disconnected basins throughout the region.

"These novel findings might have large implications for freshwater systems," said Elizabeth J. Walsh, Ph.D., professor in UTEP's Department of Biological Sciences and director of the doctoral program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. "As climate changes and water patterns shift, our work might help others understand the intricacies of the wind-aided dispersal of freshwater organisms. It's important because these organisms are the base of the food web. How they move will affect the movement of the biological communities that are built up around them."

Walsh added that the impetus for the research grew out of a previous five-year study of Chihuahuan Desert aquatic environments funded by the National Science Foundation. Part of that project involved characterizing the biodiversity of microinvertebrates at 300 sites. Researchers wanted to better understand how organisms were colonizing these bodies of water that were separated by vast distances of desert and not tied together by hydrological links such as drainage routes.

"If they weren't being moved by water, and they weren't being moved by other animals, then the next thing we thought is, 'It has to be the wind,'" Walsh said.

A tray of marbles sits on the roof of the Biology Building on the campus of The University of Texas at El Paso. Trays like this were used to collect dust as part of a study by UTEP faculty and students to determine how microinvertebrates were carried across vast expanses of desert by wind. The marbles mimic the rolling surface of desert terrain. Blowing dust skims right over most surfaces but will occasionally become lodged in gaps. Researchers took this dust and rehydrated it to determine if microinvertebrates in dormant, developmental stages were present. Credit: UTEP Communications

Enter Thomas E. Gill, Ph.D., UTEP professor in the Department of Geological Sciences and Environmental Science and Engineering Program, who while conducting concurrent studies on Chihuahuan Desert wind storms, pondered, "What kinds of living things are being carried along with the dust?"

What followed was a multi-year interdisciplinary research effort that collected dust samples; confirming those samples contained microinvertebrates in dormant, developmental stages; rehydrating them in laboratory settings; and utilizing next-generation sequencing to determine which organisms were present in the dust.

The last step involved moving the dust through a simulated storm to determine if the organisms could survive being blasted through the air across lengthy distances. Doctoral student Jose A. Rivas Jr. and Gill worked with Scott Van Pelt, Ph.D., a soil science researcher with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to conduct such a test at the USDA Agricultural Research Service's wind tunnel facility in Big Spring, Texas.

"We basically simulated a wind storm," Gill said. "We took the clean desert soil, in which we mixed microinvertebrates, and blew it into the air. After this energetic, turbulent journey through the wind tunnel, our team showed that those organisms, which are about the size of grains of sand in their dormant stage in their development, survived getting sandblasted into the air. They can fly through the atmosphere, maybe hundreds of miles in viable conditions, and still wake up."

Gill said the group's findings will help inspire further research on the movement of organisms. He added that the effort that took place at UTEP was a successful collaboration because of support from the UTEP Interdisciplinary Research (IDR) program, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Center for Atmospheric Sciences (NCAS). He also said the work conducted by doctoral students Rivas and Jon Mohl - who served as the study's lead and second authors - was vital to the effort.

"It's a very exciting and unique project," said Rivas, who was the study's lead author. "Dust storms are a huge part of the Southwest. We interact with them every spring. What's interesting is not only learning about dust storms but finding out what exactly is being transported, what's in the dust? This is especially important in understanding the diversity of our Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. Learning how small, aquatic animals are transported and colonize new areas will lead to insights into how communities in tem

Explore further What is the cause of dust concentrations over East Asia?

Provided by The University of Texas at El Paso
Expansion of urban land in the US suggests an expansion of the importance of urban forests in relation to environmental quality and human well-being. Credit: Sjana Schanning, USDA Forest Service

A new USDA Forest Service study projects that urban land in Lower 48 states will more than double between 2010 and 2060, which will affect forest and agricultural lands that are being converted to urban uses as well as expand the importance of urban forests in relation to environmental quality and human well-being.

A USDA Forest Service study published in the Journal of Forestry, "U.S. Urban Forest Statistics, Values and Projections," estimates change in urban land on a national level and state-by-state, and also updates data on the value of the nation's urban forests. The study is available through the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station at: https://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/55818

Urban land increased from 2.6 percent (58 million acres) in 2000 to 3 percent (68 million acres) in 2010; states with the greatest amount of urban growth were in the South/Southeast (Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina). Researchers anticipate that between 2010 and 2060, urban land will increase 95.5 million acres to 163 million acres (8.6 percent), an area roughly the size of Montana. Eighteen states are projected to have an increase of over 2 million acres of urban land.

In addition to assessing change in urban areas, lead author David Nowak of the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis Program also updated previous estimates of the size of the nation's urban forests, which contribute to the health of urban populations by producing billions of dollars in annual benefits associated with air quality, climate change and reduced energy use. In previous research, Nowak has found that the health impacts of urban forests across the nation include the avoidance of 670 incidences of human mortality and 575,000 incidences of acute respiratory symptoms, among other health impacts.

Nationally, U.S. urban forests contain an estimated 5.5 billion trees (39.4 percent tree cover) that produce at least $18 billion in benefits to society.

"Urbanization and urban forests are likely to be one the most important forest influences and influential forests of the 21st Century," said Nowak. "A healthy and well-managed urban forest can help reduce some of the environmental issues associated with urbanization such as increased air temperatures and energy use, reduced air and water quality, and increased human stress, and ultimately help people living within and around urban areas."

States with the greatest percent urban land are all along the northeastern Atlantic coast, with large populations and relatively small state area: New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Delaware. The impact of current urban forests is likely greatest in these areas due to the relatively large proportion of urban land.

In each of the states with the greatest amount of projected urban land growth (California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and Pennsylvania), the increase in urban land over the 50-year period is greater than the land area of Connecticut (3 million acres).

"Research by the USDA Forest Service is informing cities and communities as they make decisions about managing urban forests," said Tony Ferguson, Director of the USDA Forest Service's Northern Research Station and the Forest Products Laboratory. "By measuring and monitoring urban forests, society can better understand the value urban forests deliver, and how urban forests and their role in reducing pollution and reducing energy costs changes over time."

Explore further New Hampshire leads nation in percent tree cover

More information: David J Nowak et al, US Urban Forest Statistics, Values, and Projections, Journal of Forestry (2018). David J Nowak et al, US Urban Forest Statistics, Values, and Projections,(2018). DOI: 10.1093/jofore/fvx004
Hawking died on Wednesday aged 76.

World dignitaries, celebrities and academics on Wednesday mourned Stephen Hawking, the British physicist who died aged 76 after a cosmic career in which his mental genius transcended his physical disability to probe the secrets of the universe.

Propelled to stardom by his 1988 book "A Brief History of Time", an unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking's genius and wit won over fans from far beyond the rarefied world of astrophysics.

As a scientist he earned comparisons with Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton.

Hawking died peacefully at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning. A university source told AFP that his health deteriorated around Christmas time.

"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement.

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."

'We will miss him forever'

Queen Elizabeth II sent a message of condolence to Hawking's family, Buckingham Palace said. Prime Minister Theresa May praised the scientist as "a brilliant and extraordinary mind" on Twitter.

Tearful well-wishers lined up at the University of Cambridge's Gonville and Caius College, where Hawking was a fellow for more than five deacades, to sign a book of condolence.

"So many people have come to pay tribute to #StephenHawking we've increased the books of condolence to four. Many beautiful and moving messages," the college wrote on Twitter.

Professor Didier Queloz, an astrophysicist and colleague of Hawking's, told AFP that he was "an extraordinary person to meet".

Hawking defied predictions that he would only live for a few years after developing a form of motor neurone disease in his early 20s.

The illness gradually robbed him of mobility, leaving him confined to a wheelchair, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesiser.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world," his family said.

"He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love'. We will miss him forever."

A titan of science

Born on January 8, 1942300 years to the day after the death of the father of modern science, Galileo GalileiStephen William Hawking became one of the world's most well-regarded scientists and entered the pantheon of science titans.

His death was announced on the 139th anniversary of the birth of Albert Einstein.

Hawking had an enduring fascination with the mysteries of black holes.

His work focused on bringing together relativitythe nature of space and timeand quantum theoryhow the smallest particles behaveto explain the creation of the Universe and how it is governed.

"My goal is simple," he once said. "It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."

But he was also a beloved figure in popular culture, with cameos in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "The Simpsons". His voice appeared in Pink Floyd songs.

"Have fun out there among the stars," former US president Barack Obama wrote on Twitter alongside a photo of him with Hawking.

NASA issued its own Twitter eulogy, publishing a video of the scientist grinning as he soared into weightlessness on a zero gravity flight at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, escaping his wheelchair for a brief period.

His international reach was demonstrated in China, where news of his death generated nearly half a billion clicks as fans bade farewell on social media platform Weibo to a "giant star".

Marriages

Hawking's first marriage to Jane Wilde in 1965 gave him three children and was immortalised in the 2014 film "The Theory of Everything".

Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar for his lead role in the film, said Hawking was "the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet."

The couple split after 25 years and Hawking married his former nurse, Elaine Mason, but the union broke down amid allegations that he was being abused. He refused to comment.

Hawking became one of the youngest fellows of Britain's most prestigious scientific body, the Royal Society, at the age of 32.

In 1979 he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge Universitya post previously held by Newton.

Hawking was an outspoken commentator on life back on earth, voicing his disapproval in recent years of both the election of Donald Trump in the United States, and Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

He also commented on the future of technology, warning that "the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race".

Despite being a prominent atheist, Hawking met with four popes, and the Vatican issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened" by the news of his death.

Hawking, it said, had always "wanted to advance the relationship between faith and scientific reason".

Explore further Stephen Hawking: a brief history of genius

 2018 AFP
One of the world's early computer software editors, developed by the University of Adelaide and still in use today, is being released by the University for free use by developers around the world.

Under open source licence, beneficial features of "Ludwig" as a software development tool that are not found in other text and code editors will be now open to all developers.

Ludwig, a "full screen" editor, was originally designed by Computer Science staff to enable software development on the University's first VAX (Virtual Address eXtension) interactive computers, bought in 1979 to replace the previous computer systems of punch cards, printed output, and batch processing.

In 1979, the University bought three Digital Equipment VAX-11/780 computers for both teaching and research use, the first commercially available 32-bit computers.

"At the time, these computers represented a major shift in computing power and teaching for the University," says Emeritus Professor Chris Barter, who led the Ludwig development team.

"Users could now interact directly with the computers using video terminals located around the campus, in student laboratories or a researcher's own office."

A core component of the new interactive computing was the ability to support editing of text  usually computer programs  directly on the computer system. At the time, most computer text editors were primitive, usually difficult to use "line editors", allowing access to a single line of text at a time, and requiring significant effort to master.

The "full screen" editors that were available provided a vastly more easy to use and productive environment, but were typically very resource hungry and only available on a few computer systems, which did not include the VAX computers.

Professor Barter and three programmers, Wayne Agutter, Bevin Brett and Kelvin Nicole, designed and constructed Ludwig v1.0, ready for the 1980 academic year. At the time, there was no equivalent in Australia.

"The ability to host 20 to 30 simultaneous users, all editing and developing programs, plus many more users running programs, on a machine boasting a scant 1 million instructions per second and four megabytes of memory, was world beating," says Professor Barter. "Ludwig was also easy to learn and use and had significant power  it was taken up by users throughout Australia and worldwide."

Over the years further developments took place including adapting Ludwig to later computer systems, including Unix, Linux and Microsoft Windows.

Ludwig is still in use today, with a small number of people who have developed Ludwig further under restricted licenses for their own private use.

To enable these developments to be consolidated, and made generally and freely available, the University has released Ludwig and its source code under the MIT Open Source License.

Open Source Industry Australia welcomes the release. Jack Burton, OSIA company secretary and director, says: "Open sourcing Ludwig will help attract a broader community of contributing developers and end users, as this historically significant software continues to evolve in the future."

Files will be made accessible on the open source repository GitHub.

Explore further Microsoft launches preview of its Quantum Development Kit
Skeleton of the dicynodont Placerias, a close relative of the newly-discovered Pentasaurus, with dicynodont trackways (Pentasauropus). Credit: Christian Kammerer

A new study has re-discovered fossil collections from a 19th century hermit that validate 'phantom' fossil footprints collected in the 1950s showing dicynodonts coexisting with dinosaurs.

Before the dinosaurs, around 260 million years ago, a group of early mammal relatives called dicynodonts were the most abundant vertebrate land animals. These bizarre plant-eaters with tusks and turtle-like beaks were thought to have gone extinct by the Late Triassic Period, 210 million years ago, when dinosaurs first started to proliferate. However, in the 1950s, suspiciously dicynodont-like footprints were found alongside dinosaur prints in southern Africa, suggesting the presence of a late-surviving phantom dicynodont unknown in the skeletal record. These "phantom" prints were so out-of-place that they were disregarded as evidence for dicynodont survival by paleontologists. A new study has re-discovered fossil collections from a 19th century hermit that validate these "phantom" prints and show that dicynodonts coexisted with early plant-eating dinosaurs. While this research enhances our knowledge of ancient ecosystems, it also emphasizes the often-overlooked importance of trace fossils, like footprints, and the work of amateur scientists.

"Although we tend to think of paleontological discoveries coming from new field work, many of our most important conclusions come from specimens already in museums," says Dr. Christian Kammerer, Research Curator of Paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and author of the new study.

The re-discovered fossils that solved this mystery were originally collected in South Africa in the 1870s by Alfred "Gogga" Brown. Brown was an amateur paleontologist and hermit who spent years trying, with little success, to interest European researchers in his discoveries. Brown had shipped these specimens to the Natural History Museum in Vienna in 1876, where they were deposited in the museum's collection but never described.

"I knew the Brown collections in Vienna were largely unstudied, but there was general agreement that his Late Triassic collections were made up only of dinosaur fossils. To my great surprise, I immediately noticed clear dicynodont jaw and arm bones among these supposed 'dinosaur' fossils," says Kammerer. "As I went through this collection I found more and more bones matching a dicynodont instead of a dinosaur, representing parts of the skull, limbs, and spinal column." This was excitingdespite over a century of extensive collection, no skeletal evidence of a dicynodont had ever been recognized in the Late Triassic of South Africa.

Before this point, the only evidence of dicynodonts in the southern African Late Triassic was from questionable footprints: a short-toed, five-fingered track named Pentasauropus incredibilis (meaning the "incredible five-toed lizard foot"). In recognition of the importance of these tracks for suggesting the existence of Late Triassic dicynodonts and the contributions of "Gogga" Brown in collecting the actual fossil bones, the re-discovered and newly described dicynodont has been named Pentasaurus goggai ("Gogga's five-[toed] lizard").

"The case of Pentasaurus illustrates the importance of various underappreciated sources of data in understanding prehistory," says Kammerer. "You have the contributions of amateur researchers like 'Gogga' Brown, who was largely ignored in his 19th century heyday, the evidence from footprints, which some paleontologists disbelieved because they conflicted with the skeletal evidence, and of course the importance of well-curated museum collections that provide scientists today an opportunity to study specimens collected 140 years ago."

The paper, "The first skeletal evidence of a dicynodont from the lower Elliot Formation of South Africa," is published in the journal Palaeontologia Africana.

Explore further New species of dicynodont from the Karoo Basin of South Africa
Social Video

Against Occupation: 40 Years After Self-Immolation Of Oleksa Hirnyk

Four decades ago, RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service was the first and only media to tell the story of Oleksa Hirnyk, a Ukrainian Soviet dissident, an engineer by profession, who burned himself to death as an act of protest against Soviet suppression of the Ukrainian language, culture, and history in 1978. Today Radio Svoboda is one of few media outlets in the country to pay attention to the anniversary. This caption video produced in a fresh format by Natalia Patrikeieva and Hryhorii Yermyko received almost 200 thousand views on Facebook.

See the Project 
News

Microsoft Expands Spectre Microcode Approvals for Windows 10 Version 1709

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it removed an anti-virus compatibility check for some Windows 10 version 1709 devices, and it expanded some Spectre microcode approvals.

The anti-virus compatibility check was added in January for Windows 10 users as part of Microsoft's response to the Meltdown and Spectre attack methods. In effect, Microsoft blocked Meltdown and Spectre mitigations from arriving to Windows 10 users if their anti-virus software was deemed to be making "inappropriate calls" into the Windows kernel. Possibly, some users may have not received the Meltdown and Spectre mitigations in Microsoft's January and February updates because of that block.

Block Removed for Windows 10

With Tuesday's announcement, Microsoft is removing the OS update block specifically for Windows 10 users of the Windows Update service. Possibly, it also applies to organizations that use patch management software to control the arrival of Windows 10 updates. The removal is in effect with Tuesday's March security updates, according to the announcement by John Cable, director of program management for Windows servicing and delivery:

Based on our analysis of available data, we are now lifting the AV compatibility check for the March Windows security updates for supported Windows 10 devices via Windows Update. This change will expand the breadth of Windows 10 devices offered cumulative Windows security updates, including software protections for Spectre and Meltdown. We continue to require that AV software is compatible and in cases where there are known issues of AV driver compatibility, we will block those devices from receiving Windows updates to avoid any issues.

Meltdown and Spectre are attack techniques published by researchers in which operating system kernel information can be tapped by malware. The techniques, considered to be a widespread problem for computer users, exploit the normal "speculative execution" processes of CPUs. Organizations and individuals can mitigate the Meltdown and Spectre attack methods by applying operating system updates and firmware ("microcode") updates to the CPU.

The Meltdown and Spectre issues apply to both Linux and Windows OSes. However, in the case of Windows 10, Microsoft had required that anti-virus software meet its requirements before permitting updates to arrive. Microsoft had added that restriction because the unsupported calls to the Windows kernel by anti-virus software were said to be causing "blue-screen" problems for users.

Cable said that Microsoft would share more details about anti-virus compatibility on Windows systems older than Windows 10 "in the weeks ahead." He advised contacting anti-virus software makers to know the status.

Microcode Approvals

Microsoft also announced on Tuesday that it has approved Intel's microcode updates to address Spectre variant 2 issues for "the latest generation Intel platforms including Skylake, Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake devices" for Windows 10 version 1709. In late January, Microsoft had advised using blocking mechanisms for Intel's Spectre variant 2 microcode updates because they caused possible reboot problems.

In addition to Tuesday's microcode approvals, Microsoft earlier this month approved Intel's microcode updates for sixth-generation Skylake chips using Windows 10 version 1709.

Typically, original equipment manufacturers first test these microcode updates before making them publicly available. Intel lists the status of its microcode releases in this Intel "Microcode Revision Guidance" document (PDF), which gets frequently updated. A list of Microsoft's approved microcode for specific Intel processors can be found in Knowledge Base article KB4093836, by clicking on the internal link to "KB4090007 Intel."

Microsoft's approved microcode releases don't arrive automatically via Windows Update. Users have to go to the Microsoft Update Catalog to download and install them. It's not clear what to search for in the catalog, though.

Cable did note in the announcement that Microsoft does plan to add coverage for "x86 editions of Windows 7 [Service Pack 1] and Windows 8.1," which presumably means that Microsoft will eventually issue microcode approvals for those systems, in addition to Windows 10.
" " Aerial view of Zug Island from Google Maps Image 2018 Google, Map data 2018 Google

As conspiracy theories go, the Windsor Hum might not have the legs of, say, the gunman on the grassy knoll. But, like any good theory, it is a persistent little bugger.

You may know the backstory here: A disturbing noise, somewhere between a window-rattling bass and a brain-numbing deep thrum, is bugging the heck out of residents in the city of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, just across the Detroit River from Detroit.

After an investigation in 2013, scientists from the University of Windsor pinpointed the source of all that racket.

Zug Island.

If that's not a creepy name seemingly drawn up for just such a mini-mystery, nothing is.

Zug Island is a highly guarded, smoke- and steam-belching, fire-spewing wasteland that sits downriver from Detroit. It looks, by most accounts and by the photos online, exactly what you'd think a steel mill on the River Styx would look like. It's Hades, USA, run by U.S. Steel.

"It's pretty well known that the island is an environmental hazard and has been for decades," says Gregory A. Fournier, an author who grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan, 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Zug Island. "But the area is cleaned up some, and some of the industries that dealt with chemicals and so on have been shut down and taken out of there. So there's not quite as much overt pollution as there used to be."

Fournier spent some time working on Zug Island in the late 1960s, shoveling coal and doing other hard labor. Years later, Fournier wrote "Zug Island: A Detroit Riot Novel," framed around the race riots of the time in Detroit.

Advertisement

The Origins of Zug Island

" " A map of the Detroit River area where Zug Island is located Encyclopaedia Britannica/UIG Via Getty Images)

The island was originally marshland, Fournier explains in his blog, once envisioned as the future home of a grand mansion for Samuel Zug, a bookkeeper and furniture maker who later invested in real estate and went into politics. (The island, in fact, was not originally an island but rather a peninsula. In the late 1880s, Zug had a 60-foot, or 18-meter, wide canal cut through the south side of the property, connecting the River Rouge to the Detroit River, creating the island.)

Zug and his wife abandoned the idea of building, Fournier writes, saying "the marshland and natural sulfur spring on the site proved too much for them to endure." Zug died shortly after, and the Zug family sold the new island to industrialists, who backfilled it and used it for a dumping ground until iron works rose on the site in the first years of the 1900s.

It's been a place for heavy industry ever since, sometimes so polluting the air and water around it that it's spurred legal action. As recently as 2016, U.S. Steel paid a $2.2 million-dollar fine when the company settled in response to litigation charging that it had violated the Clean Air Act.

To the south of Zug Island is the city of River Rouge, which houses some 52 sites of heavy industry within a 3-mile (4.8-kilometer) radius. Twenty-two of those sites either produce over 25,000 pounds or handle more than 10,000 pounds (22,046 kilograms) of toxic chemical waste, according to a Medical Daily feature story.

Delray, the neighborhood just north of Zug Island, had a population of about 23,000 in the 1930 census, writes the Detroit Journalism Cooperative. It's down to a few thousand now, the victim of both the industrial pollution that has plagued it for more than a century, and the need for a new bridge that will serve as another link between Canada and the U.S.

"As industry concentrated here so did the pollution. The wildlife along the shore died off. River Road's trees stopped producing leaves in the spring. Powders from the factories would drizzle from the sky at night, leaving a thin film on houses and cars," said a piece from the Detroit Metro Times in 2009.

" " Tug boats line up along the Detroit River. The Zug Island bridge can be seen in the background of this 2009 photo. Arthur Samuels Sr /Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

Advertisement

Now Comes the Noise Pollution

The whole idea that a conspiracy is behind the Hum  the noise was first reported sometime in 2010 or 2011  has made for some good "fake news," as some might put it. A show on the Syfy channel spent a big part of an hour looking into the Windsor Hum and whether the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)  a former U.S. Air Force program, now run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, that contains "the world's most capable high-power, high-frequency transmitter for study of the ionosphere"  has something to do with the noise.

HAARP is located in Gakona, Alaska, some 3,658 miles (5,887 kilometers) away. But, never mind.

Filmmaker Adam Makarenko has been chipping away on a crowdfunded feature for years  working title, "Zug Island, the Story of The Windsor Hum"  and promises, in an email, that "many things will come to light."

The fact is, though, there's a huge steel mill with lots of heavy machinery on Zug Island. Tons of machines, churning away day and night sometimes. Crushing and burning and ... making steel. Maybe all that heavy machinery has something to do with it?

That's what those scientists thought. From their report, authored by Colin Novak, a professor in the Mechanical, Automotive & Materials Engineering department at the University of Windsor:

... [T]he conclusion is that the Windsor Hum does exist and has both qualitative and quantitative characteristics that surmise the likely source of the Hum to be from the blast furnace operations on Zug Island. It is further concluded that the Hum is audible by a concentrated portion of Windsor's west end community and other nearby residential areas. The conclusions are reinforced by the periodical nature of the Hum noise, which has been observed and measured by the researchers and coincides with the observed irregular operations associated with the steel making operations on Zug Island.

Advertisement

Real Problems, Real People

Setting the conspiracy theories aside, what many lose sight of is that, through all the literal smoke and noise, the Hum is real. And it has a real effect on people.

"Imagine this," Brian Masse, a member of the Parliament of Canada who represents Windsor, says. "If you're in your apartment, or you're in your house, and your neighbor has a boom box going playing some type of music that you do not appreciate on a regular basis, and it happens indiscriminately, and it happens at a time when you're trying to enjoy your privacy, or you're entertaining or having people over, or you're trying to get a good night's sleep to prepare for your job the next day. This type of uncertainty in itself is a threat, let alone the activity itself."

Masse is big on Canada-U.S. relations. He's served 12 years as a vice chairman of the Canada-United States Inter-Parliamentary Group and has co-chaired the All-Party Border Caucus. He's a big fan of U.S.-Canada trade. He's a Detroit Lions season ticket holder.

He gets both sides of an issue that (probably) starts in the U.S. but deeply affects people on his side of the border.

"I think the first step is to make sure that we know exactly the full science and the understanding of where the problem emanates from and how it is created, and working back from that," Masse says. "I don't think anybody here is suggesting we shut down U.S. Steel in any capacity. We come from the auto manufacturing part of Canada, the nation's leader. We understand the challenges of living in an industrial zone, next to residential and so forth. We prefer a practical approach. But you can't get there when somebody puts their head in the sand on the issue and tries to ignore it.

"The stronger we are together, the better. I don't believe that can be accomplished by basically ignoring each other."

NOW THAT'S INTERESTING Author Gregory A. Fournier believes the real culprit behind the Windsor Hum might be the Detroit salt mines, some 1,500 acres (607 hectares) and 100 miles (161 kilometers) of roads that sit 1,160 feet (354 meters) underneath the suburbs of Dearborn and Allen Park, a little west-southwest of Zug Island. "What they do," Fournier says, "every night, they set dynamite charges, the day shift comes in and the skip loaders load it up and put it in conveyor belts and haul it up to the surface."
Singapore-listed real estate brokerage APAC Realty, which operates under the ERA brand, on Wednesday (14 Mar) inked a partnership agreement with MLN Overseas (Singapore)...

APAC Realtys Jack Chua and Juliet Zhu of MLN Overseas today signed a partnership agreement to provide a range of services to Chinese property buyers.



UPDATED: Singapore-listed real estate brokerage APAC Realty, which operates under the ERA brand, on Wednesday (14 Mar) inked a partnership agreement with MLN Overseas (Singapore), a leading real estate company in China, to bring more wealthy Chinese buyers into Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.

In Singapore, APAC Realty will help to market new and resale residential projects as well as commercial units to MLNs clients. These include luxury condominiums in the Core Central Region such as Martin Modern and the recently launched New Futura.

After sales support will also be provided to help the buyers lease out or resell their units. We are confident we can offer first-rate real estate services for the clients, said Jack Chua, executive director and CEO of APAC Realty.

Established 15 years ago, MLN has 16 branches in China and overseas, including Singapore, KL and Bangkok. To date, it has sold 1,600 units across the region to Chinese customers.

Third party research revealed that Chinese buyers spent over US$100 billion (S$131 billion) on overseas properties in 2017. Singapore remains a popular destination for them, according to Juliet Zhu, president and executive director of MLN.

We are receiving more and more enquiries from Chinese property buyers about the properties in Singapore, she said.

Chua noted that the top three reasons for continued investment in Singapore property are diversified investment, childrens education and migration.

He shared that foreign property investment in Singapore accounted for 18 percent of total transactions in 2011, but because of the implementation of the Additional Buyers Stamp Duty (ABSD), the percentage dropped to about 7.0 percent last year.

Of this, approximately 30 percent are Chinese nationals, accounting for most of the foreign buyers, Chua said.

Story continues

Meanwhile, the decline in private property prices was cited as the reason for the resurgent demand. Chua noted that prices in the high-end market have dropped by about 15 percent since 2014, thus negating the impact of ABSD. In addition, property prices in Singapore are not as high as in Shanghai or Hong Kong, he said.

While there hasnt been a significant slowdown in foreign buying activity after the Chinese government tightened enforcement of capital controls, Chua admitted that if there were no controls, most of the high-end properties may be bought up by Chinese buyers.

APAC Realty recently reported a 63 percent jump in net profit to S$25.9 million for the full year ended 31 December 2017.

Check out our review of New Futura, or view other project reviews!

Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. (Photo: Getty Images)

By Cecilia Yap

The Philippine state-run pension fund for private sector workers will invest overseas for the first time and buy more local stocks to boost returns after President Rodrigo Duterte delivered on a campaign pledge to increase pensions.

The 500 billion peso ($9.6 billion) Social Security System may invest as much as 37.5 billion pesos abroad, the funds President Emmanuel Dooc said in an interview. SSS, which covers 36 million workers, may also buy up to 35 billion pesos more of Philippine stocks, adding to a 100 billion peso equities portfolio that is overweight utilities, he said.

We want better returns, Dooc said. We also dont want to put all our eggs in one market.

The Philippines joins a global trend of pension funds struggling to meet their commitments as longevity increases and investment returns dwindle  which the World Economic Forum in June said will lead to a $400 trillion shortfall in retirement savings globally.

Dutertes boost to pensions will cause SSS to run out of money by 2032, 10 years sooner than forecast, while a proposal to nearly double maternity leave entitlements could add a further 5 billion pesos to the funds annual payments, Dooc said.

Dooc said that while he supports Dutertes initiatives it has to be done in such a way that it will not deplete the fund. He said he hopes lawmakers will this year amend the funds charter to give it greater independence in making decisions, including raising member contributions.

SSS also needs more flexibility in investing, he said. Currently, it can hold 40 percent of funds in Philippine government bonds, 30 percent in local stocks and 10 percent in loans to members. It is authorized to invest 7.5 percent overseas, but hasnt previously done so.

Dooc also wants to offer more member loans but is near the ceiling. About 23 percent of the fund is invested in stocks, giving room to buy more equities.

The fund generated a 6.7 percent return last year, and placing some of its portfolio overseas will hopefully reap higher yields, he said. The benchmark Philippine stock index has fallen 1.2 percent this year after rising 25 percent in 2017.

Story continues

SSS also plans to hire as many as eight domestic fund managers to each manage 1 billion pesos of stocks, fixed income or a mix of both, Dooc said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Cecilia Yap in Manila at cyap19@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Niluksi Koswanage at nkoswanage@bloomberg.net; Sree Vidya Bhaktavatsalam at sbhaktavatsa@bloomberg.net; Peter Vercoe, Russell Ward

 2018 Bloomberg L.P
The world is becoming a much smaller place with the connectivity we enjoy today. Many Singaporeans regularly travel to cities across the globe, buy products only available in foreign economies and use content and digital platforms created overseas.

Yet, to many, investing in companies such Facebook, Alibaba, Cathay Pacific, Nestle or News Corp, seems like a world away. In fact, these are large multinational companies listed in major stock markets in the world, including the USA, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Australia. And we can invest in them through our brokerage houses in Singapore.

Read Also: Step-By-Step Guide to Stock Investing in Singapore

Markets Available On Brokerage Houses In Singapore

There are many reputable brokerage houses in Singapore, and majority offer us the option to invest in overseas stock markets. Below, weve compiled a list of local brokerage houses and the overseas stock markets they allow us to invest in.

Once you decided on the brokerage that gives you access to the markets you want, you can head over to their individual websites:

> Phillip Securities (POEMS)

> Maybank Kim Eng

> KGI Securities

> Saxo Capital Markets

> CIMB Securities

> Standard Chartered Bank

> OCBC Securities

> UOB Kay Hian

> DBS Vickers

> FSMOne

> Citbank Brokerage

This list was compiled in a descending order of how many brokerages served a particular exchange. You should also note that this list is not exhaustive. What this means is that some markets, which Singapore brokerages may serve, isnt listed as they may be less popular or that the brokerages simply listed that they served all global markets (in the case of KGI Securities).

As you can tell, investing in American and the Hong Kong stock exchanges is popular among Singapore investors with all the local brokerages offer this market via its online trading service. The next most popular exchanges are Australia (ASX), London (LSE) and Japan (TSE). ASX is a nearby market which many Singaporeans frequent, while the LSE and TSE are within the top 10 largest markets in the world.

Story continues

Read Also: 10 Biggest Stock Exchanges In The World: Heres How Much Theyve Gained In 2017

Interestingly, nearby ASEAN markets such as Malaysias Bursa, Thailands SET, Indonesias IDX were not as widely available as more distant markets such as Germanys XETR and Canadas TSX. However, if you look at circumstances more carefully, youd notice that they are offered on more online platforms whereas XETR and TSX was more widely available offline.

Interestingly, even though China offers an interesting investment proposition for many investors, they are not widely offered. In part, this may be due to the fact that both Shanghais and Shenzhens A shares have tight controls over it, even though it is slowly opening.

Read Also: How To Diversify Your Investment Portfolio Outside Of Singapore (Via SGX Listed Companies)

The brokerages are also ranked in descending order, which means Phillips Securities offer the widest coverage while Citibank offers the least. Again, this is a general depiction of the brokerage houses, and some of them may offer more markets via offline channels.

Charges That You May Incur

Another thing you should note is that you will definitely be subjected to higher fees when youre investing in foreign markets than when you purchase shares listed locally. The main reason is that youll most likely have to keep these shares in a custodian account with the brokerage you bought it with.

Some brokerage fees that you may be slapped with include, but may not be limited to:

# 1 commissions

# 2 currency conversion rates

# 3 custodian (or maintenance) fees

You may also have to pay a fee for corporate actions such as:

# 4 taxes from handling dividends

# 5 fees from handling rights issue or stock dividends

# 6 taxes, in the form of clearing fees, from the country youre buying from

You also need to be aware of

# 7 currency fluctuations

# 8 any political or credit risks associated with the foreign country

# 9 transferring stocks to a different broker

Read Also: How Singaporeans Can Start Investing In The US, Hong Kong Or Other Major Overseas Stock Markets

While many of these charges are small, they can add up, sometimes over years, to impact your overall overseas investment returns.

Start Investing In Overseas Stocks Today

Were definitely not advocating that you turn a blind eye to stocks listed in Singapore. However, if you start to invest in overseas stocks as soon as possible, you can enjoy many benefits. Namely, youre forced to learn more and gain insights into the process.

Starting early usually also means starting with less. This is a good thing if youre figuring your way around with the whats the worst that could happen mentality. If you already have a sizeable amount to invest, consider investing in Singapore-listed stocks if youre more familiar with it, and get your feet wet through overseas stock investments.

Lastly, youd be diversifying your holdings in new markets, new geographical regions and new businesses. This will help lower your overall portfolio risk.

Of course, this is not a magical solution to your investment success. You still need to stay prudent, continue monitoring your investments and continue your learning journey.

The post Singapore Brokerage Houses: Guide To Investing In Overseas Stock Markets appeared first on DollarsAndSense.sg.
By Mubasher Bukhari

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomb blast claimed by the Taliban ripped through a police checkpoint on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, killing seven people and wounding 18, officials said.

Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesman of a state-run rescue service, told Reuters that his officials had taken seven dead bodies to hospitals.

"Our rescuers are at work," he said. "They have shifted so far seven bodies."

Deputy Inspector General of police Haider Ashraf said the bomb exploded when the police were changing guards at the checkpoint just outside an annual religious congregation in Raiwind, where nearly 80,000 people were in attendance.

"A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle attacked the police," Ashraf said. He said four of the dead were police.

A Pakistani Taliban spokesman Mohammad Khurasani claimed responsibility for the suicide attack in a WhatsApp message sent to a Reuters reporter.

Lahore is considered a cultural hub of the nuclear-armed nation of over 208 million people where Islamist militants have been fighting for over a decade against the state in a bid to install their own harsh brand of Islamic governance.

Located in the east of the country, Lahore has largely been spared the militant violence seen in the country's northwest which sits at the edge of a lawless mountain range along the Afghan border. That area has long been home to local and foreign Islamist militants from the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, and where Islamic State has lately made footholds.

The Pakistani Taliban leadership have fled to neighbouring Afghanistan from where Islamabad alleges they plan and execute terrorist attacks inside Pakistan.

Washington on Thursday offered a $5 million bounty for the Pakistani Taliban militant leader, Mulllah Fazlullah, a day after a suspected U.S. drone strike on a training camp in a remote part of Afghanistan killed his son and more than 20 other militants preparing to launch suicide attacks in Pakistan.

The U.S. cooperation comes amid worsening U.S.-Pakistan relations, and coincided with a visit to Washington by Pakistan's foreign secretary for talks expected to focus on boosting counter-terrorism cooperation and the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan.

(Additional reporting by Haji Mujtaba in Peshawar.; Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Toby Chopra)
Hundreds of workers laid off at a silver mine owned by Canada's Tahoe Resources marched in the Guatemalan capital Wednesday to demand a top court order the mine reopened. Workers carried banners and placards urging the Constitutional Court to lift a temporary suspension of its mining licence after a challenge by an NGO on behalf of an indigenous community. "We want to put pressure on the judges," one demonstrator told reporters. Protestors brandished placards reading "Mining = Development," and "Resolve Now," when they reached the Constitutional Court headquarters. Operations at the flagship San Rafael mine were suspended by a court order almost nine months ago, after an environmental NGO alleged the Ministry of Energy and Mines had not consulted with the Xinca indigenous people before awarding the mining licence. The mine had been operating for four years in San Rafael Las Flores, southeast of Guatemala City. Some 500 employees were laid off in January due to inactivity at the mine in the absence of a decision from the court, mine spokesman Andres Davila told AFP. Judges at the constitutional court asked last week for reports from several institutions on the presence in the locality of the Xinca, an indigenous community of Mayan descent. In October, Nobel Peace Prize laureates Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala, Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, Sherin Ebadi of Iran and Jody Williams of the United States visited the area in solidarity with opponents of the mine.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the European Union believe the Taliban should seize Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's offer to recognise the movement as a legitimate political group, the EU's special envoy to Afghanistan said on Wednesday.

Ghani proposed a ceasefire and a release of prisoners among a range of options, including new elections involving the militants, and a constitutional review for a pact with the Taliban to end a conflict that, last year alone, killed or wounded more than 10,000 Afghan civilians.

The Taliban have not yet given any formal answer to the offer, but U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday during an unannounced visit to Kabul that the United States is seeing signs of interest in talks from elements of the insurgency.

"China and the EU believe that this is an offer that is meaningful. It is an offer that presents an opportunity and a window that should be seized by all parties across the conflict lines," EU Ambassador Roland Kobia said after meeting his Chinese counterpart, Deng Xijun, in Beijing.

"We, as the EU, very much hope that the Taliban will respond to that offer to start discussion," Kobia said.

"In these kinds of scenarios windows open very quickly but they can also close very quickly," he said.

Kobia added that China had various contacts with the Taliban, but he was not aware of the details.

Taliban fighters still control large parts of the country and any new battlefield gains by U.S. and U.S.-backed Afghan forces cannot promise to overcome Afghanistans yawning political divisions and entrenched corruption.

Western diplomats and officials in Kabul say contacts involving intermediaries have been underway with the aim of agreeing on ground rules and potential areas of discussion for possible talks with at least some elements in the Taliban.

However, the insurgents, who seized a district centre in western Afghanistan this week, have given no public sign of accepting Ghani's offer, instead issuing several statements suggesting they intend to keep fighting.

Story continues

China has worked with Pakistan and the United States to broker peace talks to end the conflict that has raged since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed forces in 2001.

China has long been concerned that instability in Afghanistan could spill over into its violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, where hundreds have died in recent years in unrest Beijing blames on Islamist militants.

(Reporting by Michael Martina; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Former Sungei Road Thieves Market vendor Chan Ah Ling, 71, now splits her week between two sites  a roving pasar Sungei and a weekend market at Woodlands Recreation Centre. (PHOTO: Wong Casandra/Yahoo News Singapore)

For over a decade, 71-year-old Chan Ah Ling spent most of her waking hours peddling second-hand ware, ranging from old knick-knacks, clothes to soft toys, at the former Sungei Road Thieves Market.

These days, however, are slightly different for the slight but spritely former housekeeper. Now, Chan splits her week between pasar malams (Malay for night markets) and a guaranteed spot in a weekend flea market at Woodlands.

She is one of a handful of former Sungei vendors who continue to ply their trade at street markets across Singapore  with the help of volunteers and associates.

Located between Jalan Besar and Rochor Canal Road, Sungei Road market, a former rent-free hawking zone which sprung up in the 1930s, had a colourful reputation as a trading spot for smuggled and stolen wares.

In 2011, the market was shrunk to make way for the construction of Sungei Road MRT Station.

On 10 July last year, Singapores oldest and largest flea market was torn down to make way for future residential development, displacing more than 200 vendors.

Immediate bids to revive the market proved futile, including the submission of a petition with 792 signatures to parliament seeking an alternative location a week before its closure.

Another that fell through was an attempt to re-open the market on the sixth-floor car park of Golden Mile Tower days after its closure.

Chinatown and Woodlands flea markets

Eight months on, these vendors make do with at least three open-air venues  two flea markets and a roving pasar  that offer subsidised rental rates ranging as low as $10 a day.

One of them is a long-standing market held between Chinatown Complex and Block 4 Sago Lane during weekends and public holidays.

Started in 1999 by the Kreta Ayer Community Centre Management Committee (CCMC), the Kreta Ayer Flea Market is currently occupied by 45 vendors, including 20 formerly from the Sungei Road market.

The committee had worked with the National Environment Agency (NEA) last year to facilitate these Sungei vendors, said the CCMCs chairman Peh Cheng Hoo.

Story continues

Each vendor is charged a fee of $100 per month, or $12.50 per day, for using the venue.

The other  and the latest to join the fray  is the weekend Sungei Road Heritage Flea Market held at a futsal court within Woodlands Recreation Centre.

The weekend flea market at Woodlands Recreation Centre. (Video screencap)

Opened on 2 December last year, the market offers at least 48 individual stall spaces, tightly packed together and each typically measuring 1.2m by 4.8m, allowing up to two vendors per spot.

Former Sungei vendors only pay a subsidised deposit of $20  $10 per day  a week prior to securing their spots at the weekend market. In comparison, other prospective outside vendors are charged a higher rate of $30 a day, without any priority placement.

The endeavour is led by 12 volunteers, including architect Clement Teh, and will remain at the Woodlands site till 6 May.

We have approached the Ministry of National Development to help us to find a location that caters to the things they are selling, which attracts foreign workers, the 49-year-old told Yahoo News Singapore.

Nestled within Woodlands Industrial Park, the weekend market is surrounded by at least three worker dormitories. Business is typically brisk on Sundays when workers come to bargain on their off-days.

When Yahoo News Singapore visited the site on a Saturday evening in late January, some 30-odd former Sungei vendors have set up shop at the flea market, mostly selling used electronics  handphones, cameras and chargers  as well all second-hand male apparel.

The crowd swelled to about 40 to 50 people as night approached.

Despite the markets infancy, Teh remains optimistic about its future and plans to move it to the Jalan Berseh area after May. The teams ultimate goal is to grow the cluster business into a 300-vendor village self-run by the vendors, said Teh.

We see it as a cheaper Uber-ised or Grab space, he quipped. In comparison, if you do a flea market in a shopping centre, it starts from $50 to $150 (per day).

Roving vendors across Singapore

Since the Sungei Road markets closure in July last year, its association chairman Koh Eng Khoon and a group of 30-odd former Sungei vendors have gone from night market to night market.

Just as he did in the past, 77-year-old Koh oversees the group as they travel across Singapore, from Choa Chu Kang, Upper Serangoon, Jurong East to Simei, to peddle in allocated Sungei zones within these pasar malams.

When Yahoo News Singapore visited the 28-day long night market  the vendors eighth  opposite Khatib MRT station in the evening early January, most of the 32 available stalls were occupied.

Rent, like that at Woodlands Recreation Centre, comes at a subsidised rate of $10 per night, paid upfront before the start of the night market. Vendors are each entitled to a 1.5m by 3m space to hawk their wares. In comparison, renting a stall at a small-scale night market can cost as much as $1,500 a month.

The transient nature of these night markets, however, meant that business was spotty in less crowded locations. For instance, Koh shared that almost 90 per cent of the vendors made less than $10 a day when they were situated next to Simei MRT station.

The removal of Sungei Road market has split us into different groups and business is affected as a result, said Koh in Mandarin. With a proper place, people will know where to buy. Customers now dont know where to get second-hand goods.

Pasar Sungei opposite Khatib MRT station in January. (Video screencap)

In addition to the street markets, some 37 vendors have been allocated lock-up stalls at hawker centres, including Chinatown Market and Golden Mile Centre.

Of the vendors, five have since returned their stalls as they subsequently considered their goods to be unsuitable for sale at hawker centres, said an NEA spokesperson in response to queries by Yahoo News Singapore.

Four of the original vendors who held permits at the former Sungei Road market are still operating their stalls. They are entitled to have their rents  ranging from $240 to $900 per month  waived for the first year and halved for the second year.



Other vendors who are interested in taking up such stalls in hawker centres will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the NEA. (They) can also tender for available stalls in hawker centres if they are interested in renting a hawker stall to sell non second-hand goods, added the spokesperson.

Koh is not giving up on trying to secure a permanent and more sustainable spot for the vendors. But for now, the group will hustle along to their next spot: a pasar malam held next to Causeway Point in Woodlands from Friday (16 March) to 12 April.

We are still holding out hope for the government to give a proper place, like the old Sungei Thieves Market, for the pioneers to work and earn their keep together, said Koh.

Lower earnings, uncertain future

Chan typically reaches the Sungei Road Heritage Flea Market at Woodlands Recreation Centre  close to a two-hour bus commute from her residence at Sengkang  before 12pm every Saturday to set up her stall.



The dark-haired septuagenarian lugs her wares  typically donated by volunteers and geared towards men  up and down two buses before a 10-minute walk over to her spot on Saturday.

Occasionally on weekends when she is busy at Woodlands, her elder sister Tang Soon Heng, 80, takes over at the pasar malam.

Chan and her elder sister Tang Soon Heng at the former Sungei Road market. (SCREENCAP: Save Sungei Road Market/Facebook)

Regular fixtures at the former Sungei Road market, the sisters  who are both unmarried and live together  used to hawk their wares, anything from crock ware to beddings, as a duo.

That routine stopped when the market closed, and Tangs leg condition worsened. Travelling to multiple locations that were too far, and most times unassisted, made it hard for Tang to accompany her younger sister.

Compared with the pasar malams, however, Chan said the weekend market at Woodlands provides a more regular income.

Some days, I earn only $10 but it can go up to as much as $30-odd dollars on Sundays. Though I cant sell as much now because I am carrying the goods all by myself and I cant carry much, said Chan in Mandarin.

Occasionally, half of her rent for both sites are paid for by kind donors. But just like other fellow Sungei vendors, Chan prefers the old location for its convenience and freedom.

I can go and come as I please. I dont have to run around, its very tough for me. Theres a space specifically for us, I also earn more  about $40plus per day  at Sungei Road market, she added.

Another former Sungei vendor Kuan Kwang Mui, who was at the Sungei Road Heritage Flea Market selling handphone chargers and other tech accessories, shared a similar sentiment about the need to have a permanent space.

Kuans goods. (Video screencap)

The 64-year-old told Yahoo News Singapore in Mandarin that she started working at the former Sungei Road market at the age of 13. Back then, she would drop by to help her parents to sell their wares after school.

Before the former market closed, she used to take home about $50 per day, seven days a week.

In comparison, she earns an average of $20 to $30 per day at the weekend market, where half of her rent is covered by social services.

The rest of her week is spent at a coffee shop near the former market to drink coffee and chit chat with at least four other fellow Sungei vendors.

Business is bad. Now the Sungei Road market is no more. I want to sell things there again. Its good there, said Kuan in Mandarin.

Live day by day

Like Chan, volunteer Eunice Chua splits her time between the roving pasar Sungei and the weekend market at Woodlands Recreation Centre.

The 74-year-old started Pioneer Generation for Pioneer Generation (PG4PGs) in end-December last year.

The group of about 10 volunteers donates pre-loved goods and clothes as well as food to the former vendors. One vendor is paid $80 per day by the group to bring these donated items to both sites.

Chua herself visits both sites on an average of twice a week to deliver about 30 to 40 packets of food to the markets former vendors. These are typically paid for through funds gathered from her friends or sponsored by restaurant The Peranakan.

A poster designed by Chuas colleague for pasar Sungei. (SCREENCAP: Eunice Chua/Facebook)

I feel for them. I think its very sad to be moved around like this, and secondly, these people live day by day, said Chua, who is a director at a travel company.

She added, If you give them money, they stay at home, they will not be happy. Its the camaraderie and fellowship (they have).

Others, like Teh, feel that having a common street market will help nurture the spirit of entrepreneurship as well as preserve the heritage of the location.

He said, If you live in Hong Kong, life is one long pasar malam. Same thing happens in Taiwan, Thailand and possibly parts of Malaysia as well.

We keep getting complaints that Singaporeans are bad entrepreneursand it is because we dont have street markets like in Hong Kong.

More Singapore stories:

Former Ang Mo Kio Town Council general manager charged with corruption

Visitors flock to Sungei Road flea market ahead of its closure
The recipients of the Community Life Savers Award (L-R): Colonel Michael Chua, Renisse Lim, Selina Hui, Cheong Sun Tzu, Goh Keh Wee Kiwi, Ng Kim Fo and an unidentified SCDF officer. (PHOTO: Yahoo News Singapore/Suhaile Md)

Five residents in Jurong West including a kindergarten girl have been recognised by The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for saving the life of a man who had collapsed from a cardiac arrest.

The SCDF gave the Community Life Savers Award to the residents at a ceremony held at the SCDF 4th Div HQ at Bukit Batok on Wednesday (14 March).

The award recipients were Renisse Lim, 6; her mother Selina Hui, 38, logistic manager; Cheong Sun Tze, 46, taxi driver; Ng Kim Fo, 40, service ambassador; and Goh Keh Wee Kiwi, an IT manager who is in his 40s.

The incident occurred near the Frontier Community Centre in the Jurong West area on the afternoon of 24 February.

Renisse was looking out of the window in her 7th floor flat when she spotted a man walking awkwardly on the ground floor before collapsing. She alerted her mother who then rushed to the ground floor.

Hui approached the man, who had no pulse, and immediately administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on him. She was assisted in her effort by Goh.

To restart the mans heart, Hui, Goh, Cheong and Ng took turns to use an automated external defibrillator (AED) on him.

An SCDF ambulance arrived at the scene shortly to bring the man to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and he was later discharged.

Colonel Michael Chua, Commander of 4th SCDF division, who was at the ceremony to give the award, thanked the recipients for their quick actions, which helped save the mans life.
Germany's veteran Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to be sworn in Wednesday for her fourth term, ending half a year of grinding coalition talks and political paralysis. Here are five pivotal moments in the career of the pastor's daughter who grew up behind the Iron Curtain and over the past 12 years rose to become Europe's most influential leader. - 'Girl' turns on mentor - A late-starter in politics, the trained scientist Merkel only became politically active in her 30s, in the turmoil around the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. She briefly worked for East Germany's first democratically elected government, then joined chancellor Helmut Kohl's Christian Democrats (CDU) and won a seat in the parliament of a reunited Germany in 1990. Kohl named Merkel his minister for women and youth in 1991, giving her the patronising nickname "the girl". Merkel steadily climbed the party ranks and, when Kohl got bogged down in a political slush fund scandal, publicly told him to quit. She was elected party chief in 2000 with more than 95 percent of the vote and on November 22, 2005, became Germany's first woman chancellor. - Ending nuclear power - Merkel stunned the world when she announced after Japan's Fukushima nuclear meltdown in 2011 that Germany's atomic reactors would be phased out by 2022, reversing her previous pro-nuclear stance. Under Germany's "energy transition", the country has invested heavily in solar, wind and other renewable energies, which are targeted to meet 80 percent of electricity demand by 2050. Germany however continues to heavily use coal-fired plants and is on course to miss its 2020 climate targets. - 'Madame non' - All eyes turned to Merkel when Greece plunged into a sovereign debt crisis in 2010. She and her finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble were vilified as heartless penny-pinchers for their hard line against forgiving Athens' massive debt. She backed three international rescue packages worth more than 300 billion euros ($372 billion) but only in exchange for deep budget cuts and steep tax hikes. As the eurozone struggled to kickstart growth, Merkel came under intense pressure to boost government spending. But she stuck to the mantra of balancing the books. French politicians were particularly frustrated by her resistance and dubbed her "Madame non". - 'We can do it' - In 2015, hundreds of thousands fled war-torn Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries and headed for western Europe, mostly via the Balkans. Instead of shutting Germany's border with Austria, Merkel kept them open and decided that September to waive a key EU asylum rule for Syrians. More than a million asylum seekers have arrived since, deeply polarising public opinion in Germany. As criticism grew louder about managing the huge influx, Merkel repeatedly insisted that "we can do this". While some hailed her as "Mother Angela", others expressed fear and anger over her refugee policy, driving the rise of the far-right AfD party. - 2017 election - The AfD drew millions of votes away from Merkel's CDU and other big parties in September 2017 elections, leaving her without a governing majority. The six months in which Merkel ran a caretaker government saw her exposed to harsh sniping from within her own ranks. While Merkel was until recently hailed as a global defender of liberal democracy in the age of US President Donald Trump, many German commentators now see her as having entered the "twilight" of her rule. Last month Merkel said she felt no decline of her authority and would naturally stay at the helm of Europe's biggest economy for a full term, until 2021.
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the media after the signing of a new law on educational orientation choices for the success of students at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, March 8, 2018. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann

PARIS (Reuters) - France's President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday condemned a nerve agent attack in Britain that poisoned two Russian nationals, including a former spy.

"The president condemned an unacceptable attack and recalled France's commitment in the fight against impunity for the use of chemical weapons," the French president's office said in a statement.

It said Macron had spoken to British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday to express his solidarity. The statement made no mention of May's comments that it was "highly likely" Russia was behind the attack.

(Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey and Marine Pennetier; Writing by John Irish; Editing by Bate Felix)
Italy's anti-mafia force on Tuesday arrested 11 suspected gangsters accused of aiding and abetting fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro, widely believed to head up the Sicilian mob. The operation, which involved over 100 special agents, implicated mafia families in Vita and Salemi, two towns in western Sicily, a police statement said. Authorities were set on the trail after 60 hectares (150 acres) of land in the region were sold for a price perceived to be too low. "The real price of the land was far higher than the sale price... The difference, more than 200,000 ($246,700) was pocketed by members of Cosa Nostra," said police, referring to the Sicilian organised crime group. "Part of this money... was destined for the upkeep of fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro." Hunted by police since 1993, Messina Denaro, who turns 56 next month, is considered to be the successor of historic Cosa Nostra bosses Toto Riina and Bernardo Provenzano, both of whom died recently in prison. A former Cosa Nostra hitman, Messina Denaro was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for multiple murders. The only photo of him dates back to the beginning of the 1990s. Over the last two decades Italian police have increased arrests and seizures within his entourage, in a bid to isolate the notorious boss, a strategy which has so far failed to bear fruit. In 2015, police discovered that Messina Denaro had abandoned modern methods of communication and was executing orders to his men via traditional "pizzini": small bits of paper containing encoded messages.
Anti-establishment leader Luigi Di Maio on Tuesday called on Italy's other political parties to listen to what he called a "signal" from voters and help him break the country's post-election political deadlock. Di Maio's Five Star Movement (M5S) won the largest share of the vote for any single political party from the March 4 general election with nearly 33 percent. He immediately claimed victory in the aftermath despite a hung parliament. "Italy sent a strong signal on March 4... and that gave 32.5 percent to the M5S," the 31-year-old told a press conference on Tuesday. He is vying with the four-party right-wing coalition that conquered 37 percent of the vote for the chance to lead the next government. To do so he has to convince the far-right League or the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) to form a coalition. But neither League leader Matteo Salvini nor the PD have budged since the vote. Salvini has repeatedly claimed his own group's right to try to form a government. Interim PD leader Maurizio Martina, who took over from ex-prime minister Matteo Renzi, has followed his former boss's insistence that they remain in opposition. "I say to the M5S and League: the people voted for you to govern. Now do it," Martina said after being named party leader on Monday. Di Maio asked rival parties to bring him "proposals" that could help create a government. But he said that he would not change his party's manifesto pledges nor accept a different ministerial team from the one he proposed before the election. "I have not seen yet a single proposal," he said. "If the other political forces have not understood the signal that was sent by the Italians, maybe they need a stronger signal," he added. "Maybe they are asking to return to the polls."
REPATRIATED WORKERS: On March 12, another batch of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) from Kuwait arrived in the Philippines.

MANILA, Philippines  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has reported a good progress in the discussion of bilateral agreement between the Kuwaiti and Philippine governments regarding overseas Filipino workers (OFW) protection.

According to DFA, Kuwait has already approved of the minimum monthly salary of 120 Kuwaiti dinars to Filipino domestic helpers; rest hours of not less than eight hours of sleep in a day; right to keep passports and mobile phones in OFWs possession; and limiting work to one household.

But DFA clarified that these are not enough reasons for the Philippines to retract the total deployment ban of OFW to Kuwait.

Aside from not yet having a signed agreement for it, the Gulf state still needs to agree with other conditions that will protect Filipinos against exploitation and abuse.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also urged direct deposit of salary to the bank account of the Filipino workers and to create a mechanism where an OFW may directly file a complaint to the Kuwaiti authorities.

Meanwhile, another batch of overseas Filipino workers from Kuwait arrived in the Philippines on Monday.

Most of them had bad experiences working in the Gulf state including abuse from their employers.

Based on records of the foreign affairs department, the number of OFWs who were sent back to the Philippines since February of this year has now reached 3,200.

But according to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), OFWs keep coming to the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait in the hope of flying back home to the Philippines.

As of this time, the number of OFWs being sheltered in the Philippine Embassy and waiting to be sent home to the Philippines has reached to more than a thousand.

Kumukuha po tayong dagdag na tirahan sa kanila, para po lahat ng mga magpupunta po sa POLO-OWWA ay atin pong ma-accommodate sa shelter, said OWWA Deputy administrator for operations Atty. Brigido Dulay.

(We are getting additional shelters for those who will go to POLO-OWWA so we can accommodate them.)  Asher Cadapan Jr. | UNTV News & Rescue

The post More OFWs seek help despite progress in Kuwait-PHL talks appeared first on UNTV News.
A Chinese man and his Ukrainian bride have raised eyebrows in his rural hometown by shunning the tradition of paying a bride price.

He Pengwei, from rural Yangcheng county, northwestern Shanxi province, and Inesa, from Ukraine, decided to get married after meeting in Beijing and dating for one year.

Inesa, a translator, was drawn to Hes warmth and kindness, according to news portal China.com, which did not disclose Inesas surname. He, a salesman, said he liked Inesas cheerful, outgoing personality.

But when the couple told their parents of their intention to wed, Hes family was taken by surprise: Inesas parents demanded no bride price.

The bride price  which takes the form of money or property paid by the groom or his parents to the brides family before a wedding  is still common practice in China.

The exact form of value varies from place to place but it is usually worth the equivalent of thousands of US dollars.

A survey conducted by state-run Peoples Daily last year found that grooms in Beijing typically present their prospective in-laws with a 200,000 yuan (US$31,600) cash gift and a flat before being granted the womans hand in marriage.

Chinese-African couple become live-streaming hit in China

The practice also is followed in many other countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

It is not observed in Ukraine and other European countries.

The girls family didnt ask for a bride price, and didnt demand that we buy a flat or a car, the report quoted Hes amazed father, He Jianguo, as saying.

My sons wedding was very simple, and we only prepared for one week, He Jianguo said. Our relatives said they had never seen any groom taking it so easy before the wedding.

Transformed into a metaphor for the power of love, the couple became social media stars after their wedding in Hes hometown on March 8.

Curious residents flocked to the couples nuptials, after a video of the bride in a traditional Chinese wedding dress and the groom in a suit walking on the street of Yangcheng with friends and relatives circulated on social media.

Story continues

Inesa and He plan to start their own business in Yangcheng and visit Ukraine in two years to have a Ukrainian-style wedding there, according to the report.

Its very nice here [in Yangcheng], said Inesa, who had originally moved to Beijing four years ago out of a desire to immerse herself in Chinese culture.

The weather is good and the people are nice. My in-laws treated me very well.

She has discovered a new passion since moving to China: I like eating hele [a kind of special local noodle].

For his part, He could not be happier.

We have very good chemistry, He was quoted as saying Even though we have conflicts, we are very tolerant towards each other. Im very lucky to have met such a good woman.

This article Money wont buy you love: the Chinese-Ukrainian couple who rejected the traditional bride price first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
Norway's controversial justice minister on Wednesday withdrew a Facebook post that triggered outrage among survivors of the 2011 Utoya massacre and calls for a motion of no confidence against her in parliament. In the post last Friday, Sylvi Listhaug, a member of the populist and anti-immigration Progress Party (FrP), had accused the opposition Labour Party of considering "the rights of terrorists (to be) more important than the security of the nation". Listhaug, whose party is a member of a centre-right coalition, was angry at Labour's rejection of a proposal to strip jihadists of their Norwegian citizenship without a court decision. The post, which contained a photo showing threatening Al-Shabab militants, sparked outrage because Labour members had been targetted in 2011 in the worst attack on Norwegian soil since the end of WWII. On July 22 that year, right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who once was a member of the FrP, killed 77 people in twin attacks: one targeting then Labour prime minister Jens Stoltenberg's office in Oslo and another against a Labour youth camp on the island of Utoya. Hours after Listhaug withdrew her post, Prime Minister Erna Solberg issued an apology on behalf of her government after coming under fire for not voicing unequivocal disapproval of her minister. "On behalf of the government ... I wish to present my apologies because the rhetoric used by the government hurt people," Solberg, a conservative, told reporters. "Norway has a special link with terrorism since July 22 (2011). That means we have to pay special attention in discussions on terrorism, because we have people in society who have experienced it in the most appalling manner," Solberg said. Earlier, she had said that Listhaug's comment had "crossed a line." Listhaug's message coincided with the release of the first film in Norway devoted to the atrocities. Labour leader Jonas Gahr Store accused the minister of stoking "the hatred that led to the July 22 (massacre)". A far-left lawmaker said he would table a motion of no-confidence against Listhaug, a move that could put the minority government in a difficult situation, because its centrist allies, who have always been critical of Listhaug, would be forced to decide. Pressured to apologise, the justice minister on Tuesday posted another message on Facebook saying she did not mean or intend to hurt anyone. She finally withdrew the controversial post, arguing that rights issues prohibited the use of the Al-Shabab photo for political purposes.
Nicolle Uria was 15 when her parents told her a shocking secret: she was an undocumented immigrant in the only country she has even known. The teen, who was born in Bolivia, recalls that as her parents braced her two years ago for that gut-wrenching conversation, she expected something else to come out of their mouths. "I immediately thought, 'I'm adopted', even though I look just like my sisters and my mom," Uria told AFP. "The last thing on my mind was finding out that I was undocumented," said Uria, who is in her last year of high school in Annandale, Virginia outside Washington, and says she wants to study journalism in college. She gets good grades, is on the school volleyball team and works on the school newspaper. But she is now worried that her dreams will go unrealized. Last September, her life was turned upside down when President Donald Trump ordered an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), the Obama-era program that protected from deportation some 700,000 immigrants brought to the US illegally as children, as she was. Trump gave Congress six months to work out something for these so-called "Dreamers," most of them Latinos. The program was supposed to end on March 5 but remains in force because of rulings from two federal judges suspending Trump's decision. While the program works its way through court and lawmakers have failed to agree on the fate of the "Dreamers," Nicolle is terribly afraid of being separated from her parents, siblings and other family members. "I would be going back to a country I don't even know," she said as she cried. "I have no memories of Bolivia." - 'A better future' - Nicolle's parents brought her to America when she was a year old. Ivan Uria, a former civil servant, and Giovanna Portugal, who studied to be an architect, worked in whatever they could find: cleaning homes or offices, at a gas station, looking after small children. Their overriding goal was to get a good education for their three daughters. They always led Nicolle to believe she had been born in the United States. "I did not want to break her heart telling her the truth," said Portugal. One time, Portugal asked her daughter's Girl Scout leader to leave her out of a trip to the White House by telling her there was no room -- she could not bear to tell Nicolle she did not have the papers needed to get into the presidential mansion. Portugal and her husband recently obtained residency papers after their elder daughters -- Ariana, 31, and, Lizzet, 29, both university graduates -- married US citizens. But legalizing Nicolle's status is tricky, and they are acutely afraid of her being deported. "I just don't want to go back because I'd feel that I wasted my parents' time. My parents have worked so much," Nicolle said. She thought of her parents when she attended Trump's State of the Union speech at the invitation of a Democratic lawmaker, and once again heard the president speak of immigrants as if they were criminals. "I would like him and the members of Congress to think of us as their kids. I know that they want the best for their kids. And we are here to give a better future to America," said Nicolle. - Threats - Once she knew the truth, Nicolle was not shy about telling the truth. But it was not easy. Kids she thought were her friends treated her "in a different way," she said, adding: "That was a surprise." On social media, she got threatening messages that told her to go home, or that immigration agents would be sent to her house, or that her parents should be arrested. One teacher even told her he trusted Trump would build his promised wall on the border with Mexico. Uria said it was a joke but it still stung. Nicolle's real friends say they could not be prouder of her and that she is the first "Dreamer" they have met. "When she told me her story, it was the first time I heard about DACA," said Jessica Roop, who has played volleyball with Uria for the past four years. Another classmate, Asael Saed, added: "Many Americans don't even know that their friends and their neighbors hold this stress inside." Nicolle began to feel she was doing the right thing when kids at school who had grown up without papers would stop her in the hall and thank her. "This country was made by immigrants. I've always felt American and I always will," she said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced Wednesday a move towards quitting the International Criminal Court, which has launched a preliminary examination of his deadly drug war. Here are five questions and answers on what it means: - Why did Duterte do it? - The ICC announced on February 9 a preliminary examination into allegations Philippine police have killed thousands of alleged users or dealers as part of Duterte's anti-drug war that he launched after taking office in mid-2016. Duterte had previously threatened to withdraw from the international body as a result of what he has called a politically slanted inquiry. - Can ICC still investigate? - Philippine lawyers say Duterte's withdrawal will not stop any ICC inquiry. "The withdrawal from the ICC only takes effect after a year from notification," said Celeste Mallari, a professor at the University of the Philippines Law College's Institute of International Legal Studies. This means that the ICC can continue looking into any acts that took place since Duterte took office until the notification take effect. - Is Philippines member of ICC? - Duterte had previously said the Philippines had never fully ratified the statute that makes it a member of the ICC. However, former chief Philippine government lawyer Florin Hilbay disagreed, saying the treaty was ratified by the Senate under then-president Benigno Aquino in 2011. - Can Duterte stop probe? - Duterte has previously ordered soldiers and police not to cooperate with any ICC inquiry. His officials have also said Manila can cite a provision that the ICC cannot assume jurisdiction over a country whose legal system is still functioning. Mallari, the law professor, said the ICC might decide that the Philippine justice system is not working properly because the key agencies are under control of close allies of Duterte. "It depends on their appreciation of how our system is working," she said. - Impact on Philippines? - "I imagine this will be an international embarrassment for the Philippines," said Hilbay, remarking that the country had once been seen as a regional leader in human rights. Opened in 2002, the ICC is the world's only permanent war crimes court and aims to prosecute the worst abuses when national courts are unable or unwilling.
Meet Paul Meyers at the TOP100 Philippine Qualifier tomorrow, March 15

We, at e27, believe in Asias startup ecosystem. As such, we value their insights, put the spotlight on their contributions to their industries, and celebrate the wins that they have.

This spotlight is on Paul Meyers, Head of muru-D Singapore. muru-D a startup accelerator programme in Australia and Asia that help founders scale smarter and faster, by offering tech entrepreneurs masterclasses, connections to a global network of mentors, investors, and alumni, and seed funding. It is present in 5 cities, and has collectively accelerated over a hundred startups. Its Singapore operations was launched 2015, covering the southeast Asia region, and since then has seen 18 startups graduating their programme with 10 more on the way.

We had a chance to chat with Paul about the trends hes most excited about, what theyre looking for in a startup founder, and what Philippine startups have to do to become more globally competitive.

On what muru-D is looking for

We are vertical agnostic. Having said that, we dont really go for fintech because there are a lot of accelerators out there for that. But we look at different kinds of companies, just as long as they have a product already and some sort of traction. This implies that theyve had some sort of funding like pre-Angel or pre-Seed.

On what they are really looking for

We are looking at companies that are going to positively affect a lot of people. That is not to say that were only looking at social enterprises, but we are definitely not going for fluff. The key is for the startup to have a positive impact on the lives of a significant number of people.

On what it means to be a successful founder

Founders should be willing to listen and change and learn. Yes, there is the typical startup founder who is smart and has a good idea, but beyond that they have to be nimble. They have to communicate well, know how to play with others, and are open to change and feedback.

Story continues

On the importance of having your own engineering team

If your tech team is outsourced, then the changes are not going to happen rapidly. When we do weekly revising, everything has to happen quickly.

On what trends and tech hes most excited about

Food production. Food is really important. Whether its growing, transporting, or preventing waste, using technology to make food production efficient excites me and is very important especially in southeast Asia. Another one is energy  batteries, storage  I think this is important because it affects a lot of industries.

On what the Philippine startup community needs

The Philippines still has a ways to go but it needs to develop an angel ecosystem where there are educated angel investors to help the startups. Ive done business in the Philippines for 15 years and there is no lack of ideas, but I think the key is to get a good angel ecosystem in the Philippines to help them grow faster.

On what he likes about the Philippine startup community

There is a lot of positive energy about trying new things. The community is skewed a bit to the young side and there is a real sense of adventure and energy that I appreciate in the startup community here. There is no lack of ideas and I dont think people are hesitant to try new things.

Meet Paul tomorrow at the TOP100 Philippine Qualifier and find out more about muru-D and his thoughts about the startup ecosystem. He is part of the judging panel together with Gobi VC, QBO Philippines, LaunchGarage, and Kickstart Ventures.

Get your tickets now and join us at QBO Innovation Hub, 2PM SGT.

We couldnt be more excited! Techstars, B-Planet, and Airmaker will also be at the Roadshow tomorrow. Register now to meet these investors and community leaders! Get your name on the list:

TOP100, presented by WeWork, is a programme powered by e27 that empowers insights, connections, talent and funding opportunities for early-stage tech startups in Asia. In order to shine a spotlight on the chosen 100, we travel through 23 APAC cities in 2 months, span 7 market categories, and partner with community leaders and ecosystem expertise to curate the ones to keep an eye out for. Learn more or apply now at e27.co/echelon/top100

TOP100 Qualifier Roadshows begin across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar from March 6th, 2018, before taking on the rest of APAC. The TOP100 2018 Official Startup Application Round for joining the Qualifier Roadshow has ended, but we are still accepting applications for Discretionary Admission.

The post The Philippines needs to develop a good angel ecosystem; muru-D Singapore Head appeared first on e27.
A retired US Army general and the chairman of the US house foreign affairs committee have emerged as candidates to become US President Donald Trumps ambassador to Seoul.

Retired US Army General James Thurman and outgoing Republican Representative Edward Royce are under consideration for the ambassadorship, two sources with knowledge of the matter told the South China Morning Post.

The pair emerged as candidates after the White House rejected presumptive nominee Victor Cha, a veteran Korean expert and former National Security Council official, because of his unwillingness to endorse a preliminary strike strategy on North Korea.

Thurman, 64, was a member of US Vice President Mike Pences delegation to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea in early February. His presence was a pretty good sign he is under consideration [for the ambassadorship], according to one of the sources.

The general served in South Korea as commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea from 2011 to 2013.

Previously, he was a former commanding general at US Army Forces Command and deputy chief of staff at the US Defence Department.

The 66-year-old Royce, chairman of the US house foreign affairs committee, was also among Pences delegation to Pyeongchang. He announced in January that he would not seek reelection in the US congressional midterm election in November.

White House officials are talking about the pair, although no decision has been made yet, the other source said.

After Trump on Thursday announced he would accept an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to meet by May, the US Korean policy circle began moving with greater urgency to fill important diplomatic vacancies to support communication with Pyongyang.

The Seoul US ambassadors post has been vacant for more than a year. Joseph Yun, the US State Departments top diplomat in charge of North Korean policy, also announced his retirement in late February.

Story continues

The Heritage Foundations senior research fellow, Bruce Klingner, has urged the US government to move quickly to fill vacancies related to policymaking.

Trump should also appoint a senior envoy to coordinate US policy on North Korea and serve as a high-level interlocutor, Klingner said.

Gary Samore, executive director at Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, said Trump should appoint a senior envoy to represent him in negotiations with Pyongyang.

That will be one of the most important next steps toward thwarting the global threat of a nuclearised North Korea, said Samore, who was a senior adviser on weapons of mass destruction to former US president Barack Obama.

At this point, Samore told the Post, it looks like Trump has decided to be his own special envoy.

We recognise the importance of designating an US ambassador to the Republic of Korea, a spokesman at the State Department said in an email.

We are working closely with the White House team to expedite this nomination process.

Thurman told Newsweek magazine in December that the need for a US ambassador was very critical to US forces in South Korea.

The linkage that the commander has with that ambassador is absolutely essential, Thurman was quoted. When something happened over there, the first guy Id call was the ambassador.

That Thurman is under consideration shows Trumps administration appears to prefer to designate former or current military officers as civilian diplomats.

Trump in February nominated the current US Pacific commander, Admiral Harry Harris, to fill the role of US ambassador to Australia, which has been empty since September 2016.

Having an ambassador who understands both the Korean and US militaries would be very useful, one of the sources said, particularly if diplomacy proves ineffective and the US again has to consider taking military action against Pyongyang.

I'm sure Secretary of Defence James Mattis knows [Thurman] as well, the source said.

This article Retired US Army general and foreign affairs chair eyed for role of Donald Trumps South Korea envoy first appeared on South China Morning Post

For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2018.
FILE PHOTO: Senator Richard Dick Gordon

MANILA, Philippines  The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee supports the Department of Healths (DOH) intention to use a portion of Sanofi Pasteurs Dengvaxia refund.

Senator Richard Gordon has even filed a bill on the matter.

DOH wants to utilize P300,000 of the P1.16-billion refund money for dengue kits and surveillance officers who will monitor the condition of Dengvaxia vaccinees.  UNTV News & Rescue

The post Senate supports DOHs request to use a chunk of Dengvaxia refund appeared first on UNTV News.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico offered Wednesday to resign in response to calls for snap elections and criticism of his handling of a scandal over the killing of a journalist investigating political corruption. "Today I have offered my resignation to the president of the republic" Andrej Kiska, Fico said in a public address. "If the president accepts it, I am ready to resign tomorrow." Fico, 53, has been struggling since February to get on top of the scandal sparked by the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. He has come under heavy pressure from the opposition party, and also faced street protests in which tens of thousands of Slovaks demonstrated against the government. The prime minister's ruling three-party coalition was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for next Monday. The liberal opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) had submitted the motion, arguing that "with Fico in government, an objective investigation into the double murder is impossible." Interior minister Robert Kalinak had already resigned two days ago in a bid to save the government from collapsing. But a minor member of Slovakia's three-way governing coalition, the Most-Hid party, raised the pressure further, calling for early elections. Most-Hid's chief, Bela Bugar, said Wednesday evening that he "appreciated" Fico's decision and "hoped the situation will calm down". Nevertheless, Fico laid down three conditions for his resignation. President Kiska -- who had similarly called for early elections, or at least sweeping government changes -- should respect the outcome of the 2016 parliamentary elections; respect and uphold the coalition agreement that forms the basis of the current government; and accept that Fico's Smer-SD party would put forward a candidate to replace him, the prime minister demanded. Fico has resisted the call for snap polls, warning the country could "plunge into chaos if the current opposition takes power". Slovakian daily Sme reported that Fico's Smer-SD party may field deputy prime minister Peter Pellegrini, 42, as a candidate to succeed Fico. Political analysts said that president Kiska had no other choice but to accept Fico's resignation. The head of state "has himself called for a government shake-up," said Jan Baranek of the think-tank, Polis Slovakia. "A new prime minister should calm things down to a certain extent," he said. Grigorij Meseznikov, analyst at the Institute of Public Affairs in Bratislava, agreed. "He shouldn't force someone to remain prime minister. On the other hand, he has to take into account the current government's slump in credibility." It was up to Kiska to judge whether the current coalition was in a position to keep the government running, Meseznikov said, adding that "early elections would be the best solution." A recent poll by the Focus institute found that 62 percent of Slovaks were in favour of Fico's resignation, while only 13 percent felt he should stay. Fico is in his third term as prime minister and has been in power since 2012. He is known abroad for his anti-immigrant stance. - Mafia ties? - Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, both 27, were found shot dead on February 25 at their home near the capital Bratislava. Police said Kuciak's death was "most likely" related to his investigation on ties between Slovakia's top politicians and Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia. The murder and Kuciak's article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people. Fico's close aide Maria Troskova was alleged to have links to one of the Italians named in Kuciak's story. The EU urged Slovakia to swiftly investigate the murder. "The top priority for all of us must be to carry out an independent and thorough investigation of the facts and bring those responsible to justice," the EU's security commissioner Julian King told MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday. "We call upon the Slovak authorities to do this quickly." The killing of Kuciak and Kusnirova raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It followed the assassination in October of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico offered Wednesday to resign, under pressure from the opposition for his handling of a scandal over the killing of a journalist investigating political corruption. "Today I have offered my resignation to the president of the republic" Andrej Kiska, Fico said in a public address. "If the president accepts it, I am ready to resign tomorrow." Fico, 53, has been struggling since February with a scandal over the killing of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee. The killing had sparked protests against Fico's government, with tens of thousands of Slovaks turning out for rallies. The prime minister's three-party coalition government was facing a no-confidence vote by lawmakers scheduled for next Monday. Interior minister Robert Kalinak had already resigned two days ago in a bid to save the government from collapsing. But a minor member of Slovakia's three-way governing coalition, the Most-Hid party, raised the pressure further, calling for early elections. Kiska had also called for early elections -- or sweeping government changes -- earlier this month. Fico has resisted the call for snap polls. He warned the country could "plunge into chaos if the current opposition takes power". Slovakian daily Sme reported that Fico's Smer-SD party may field deputy prime minister Peter Pellegrini, 42, as a candidate to succeed Fico. Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, both 27, were found shot dead on February 25 at their home near the capital Bratislava. Police said Kuciak's death was "most likely" related to his investigation on ties between Slovakia's top politicians and Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia. The murder and Kuciak's article, published after his death, sparked a wave of anti-government sentiment in Slovakia, an EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people. Fico's close aide Maria Troskova was alleged to have links to one of the Italians named in Kuciak's story. The EU urged Slovakia to swiftly investigate the murder. "The top priority for all of us must be to carry out an independent and thorough investigation of the facts and bring those responsible to justice," the EU's security commissioner Julian King told MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday. "We call upon the Slovak authorities to do this quickly." The killing of Kuciak and Kusnirova raised fresh concern about media freedom and corruption both in Slovakia and Europe. It followed the assassination in October of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who had denounced corruption in Malta.
Catalonia's deposed leader said Wednesday that a majority of Catalans might accept being part of a Swiss-style federal system in Spain, an apparent departure from the separatist bid for full independence. "If Spain proposes a model like the one in Switzerland, I think that would be an idea we could work with and perhaps an idea that could convince the majority of Catalans," Carles Puigdemont said in an interview with Swiss public broadcaster RTS. Switzerland is split into cantons or federal states that enjoy significant autonomy and independence. And Puigdemont said that if Spain were organised along such lines, "there would be none of the problems there that we are seeing now." Puigdemont is heading to Switzerland this weekend to participate in a film festival focused on human rights. He has been in Belgium since he sought exile there after the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence on October 27 following a banned referendum on secession. He faces arrest if he returns to Spain. Puigdemont suggested that if Madrid were willing to shed its intransigence, it could be possible to create an autonomous Catalonia within the Spanish state. "I think that the majority of Catalonian separatists have shown over the course of the past 40 years that they are capable of working within an autonomous framework," he said. - 'Legitimate president' - The 55-year-old earlier this month formally abandoned his bid to be re-appointed Catalan president, proposing imprisoned Jordi Sanchez as a candidate. But in the interview, he did not fully relinquish his claim to lead Catalonia. "I was elected the president of the government, which was illegally pushed from power. I am still the legitimate president," he said. Authorities in Bern said they had "taken note" of Puigdemont's intended visit. "The Swiss and Spanish authorities are in contact... As a Spanish citizen, Mr Puigdemont is entitled to travel freely within the Schengen area. He is also at liberty to give political speeches with due respect for the Swiss legal system," a foreign ministry statement said. The question of Catalonia was "an internal matter for Spain," the statement said.
Now is the best time for the Taliban to negotiate for peace, the top US general in Afghanistan said Wednesday, warning that an increased air and ground campaign against the insurgents would only get worse. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani last month unveiled a plan to open talks to end the 16-year-old war, offering to negotiate with the Taliban without any preconditions. So far the group's response to the offer has been muted, which analysts said reflects debate among Taliban leaders over the merits of engaging with an administration it has long viewed as illegitimate. But US officials including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that some Taliban elements are open to talking with the Afghan government. General John Nicholson, who leads US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, said the Taliban have taken heavy casualties since US President Donald Trump authorised ramped-up air operations last year, pointing to increasingly effective Afghan commando and regular Afghan army units. "In the Taliban's mind, they see what is coming and these capabilities are only going to get greater," Nicholson told reporters accompanying Mattis on a visit to Bagram Airfield, America's largest air base in Afghanistan that is located north of Kabul. "So this really is probably their best time to attempt a negotiation, because it's only going to get worse for them," he added, as both sides prepare for the start of what is expected to be an intense spring fighting season. Nicholson's comments come as Afghanistan deploys more troops to the western province of Farah where the Taliban have launched multiple attacks in recent weeks. The latest assault in the province, which borders Iran, happened in the early hours of Wednesday when militants stormed a checkpoint manned by police and intelligence officers on the outskirts of the provincial capital Farah, killing seven security forces, officials said. Ghani's peace plan includes eventually recognising the Taliban as a political party. In return, the Taliban would need to recognise the Kabul government and constitution -- a perennial sticking point in past attempts to open talks. Despite Nicholson's tough talk, US data shows the Taliban are far from being driven off the battlefield. In October, insurgents controlled or influenced nearly half of Afghanistan's districts -- double the percentage in 2015, the US government's office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction said in January. Over the same period, the watchdog said, the number of districts under Afghan government control or influence fell to its lowest level since December 2015. - Focus on Kabul - "My perception of what is going on inside the Taliban is they are tired of this war as well, they'd like to return home, they'd like to rejoin society and, just like the people of this country, would like to see the end of this war as would all of us," Nicholson said. He added that there are "many Taliban who could see a way to work within this framework" but cautioned there would always be those that will never reconcile. "It's encouraging that these offers are on the table and we would appear to be at a point where they could start having a conversation about this," he said. Aside from military pressure, Nicholson said it is important that diplomatic pressure is strong on "those who externally enable the insurgency" and he credited the role that religious pressure from other Islamic countries is playing. The four-star general also underscored the need to strengthen security in Kabul, where a string of devastating attacks in recent months has killed hundreds of civilians. "Kabul is our main effort right now, to harden Kabul, to protect the people of Kabul and the international community that are here because of the strategic impact that has and the importance to the campaign," he said.
Syria's lacerating conflict entered its eighth year Thursday with the country riven by international power struggles, as Turkey encircled a besieged northern Kurdish enclave, while Russian-backed regime forces pounded into shrinking rebel areas near Damascus. The bloodshed, which has devastated huge swathes of the country since it started on March 15, 2011 when the government of President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on mostly peaceful protests, has splintered into ever more complicated conflicts. In the latest fighting, Ankara-backed forces launched a bombardment of Afrin and closed in on the main city, in an offensive that could redraw the map in northern Syria. The development came as regime forces, backed by Moscow, broke into a key town in the beleaguered rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta late Wednesday, driving further into the last opposition bastion outside Damascus. More than 1,220 civilians -- a fifth of them children -- have been killed in the rebel-held enclave since the Syrian regime launched a ferocious air and ground offensive on February 18. International efforts have consistently failed to stop one of the deadliest wars of the century, with more than 350,000 people killed since the conflict first erupted, and more than half of Syria's pre-war population of 20 million displaced. While the past few months saw the collapse of the Islamic State group's "caliphate" -- an experiment in jihadist statehood declared in 2014 in swathes of Syria and Iraq -- world powers have since sought to carve out increased influence in the region. US-backed Kurds hold oil-rich territory in northeastern Syria covering 30 percent of the country and a motley assortment of Turkey-backed Arab rebels are cutting a third haven in the northwest. Ankara, which launched a deadly ground and air offensive against the Kurdish-majority enclave of Afrin on January 20, vowed on Wednesday that its encirclement of the main city "will have been completed by the evening", a Turkish presidency source said. The claim was laughed off by a top official in the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls Afrin. "It sounds like Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is daydreaming when he says Afrin will fall tonight," Redur Khalil told AFP. On Wednesday, Turkish bombing raids killed 10 fighters loyal to the Syrian regime, which has deployed pro-government forces to the fray after the Kurds asked for help. Shells rained down on Afrin city, killing 10 civilians including four children. Displaced families have swelled the city's population to around 350,000, and officials feared a humanitarian crisis should Turkish forces draw closer. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday that Turkey-led forces controlled 70 percent of the wider Kurdish enclave, after seizing several villages. - 'Anything that moves' - On the outskirts of Damascus, hundreds of kilometres (miles) south of Afrin, another humanitarian emergency was unfolding in Eastern Ghouta. The Observatory said regime forces had penetrated into the town of Hammuriyeh in the enclave and were able to take control of parts of it amid heavy bombardment. On Wednesday, an AFP correspondent saw a man in the doorway of a building holding the bodies of his two dead children. A doctor in the area said rescue teams could not get to victims because of the intensity of the bombardment. "The wounded are on the roads. We can't move them. The war planes are targeting anything that moves," Ismail al-Khateeb said. The United Nations has called for urgent medical evacuations for more than 1,000 people who desperately need medical treatment outside the besieged area. A trickle of evacuations from Ghouta's largest town Douma began Tuesday under a deal with rebels, and more patients were allowed out Wednesday. At a Red Crescent centre in Douma on Wednesday morning, people crowded around buses and ambulances to be evacuated. Among them, 18-year-old Omran stood leaning on crutches. Badly wounded two years ago in bombardment on Ghouta, he was missing his left leg, right arm, and left eye. "We haven't been able to treat some of these cases for more than a year," said Mohammed al-Marhum, a doctor. The patients were transported to the government-controlled Wafideen checkpoint on the edges of Ghouta. The Observatory said more than 220 people including 60 patients had left the rebel enclave in two days of evacuations. - Tightening grip - The UN Security Council demanded a 30-day truce last month to allow for aid deliveries and medical evacuations from Ghouta. Such evacuations in Syria typically see people taken out of a besieged area for care, and then transported back in after treatment. The Syrian government's assault on Ghouta has split the enclave into three sections, each controlled by different rebels. The regime has reportedly been pursuing separate tracks of negotiations to secure local truces or evacuations from each zone. The Russian military said the situation in Douma had "significantly stabilised" and an aid convoy of 20 vehicles was planned to enter the enclave on Thursday. Fresh regime and Russian bombardment Wednesday killed at least 31 civilians in an isolated southern zone of Ghouta, the Observatory said. State news agency SANA said five civilians died of their wounds after shelling on Damascus. Moscow's strikes also killed a dozen rebels from the Faylaq al-Rahman faction controlling the area, including two top commanders, the monitor said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday Ghouta rebels were planning to stage a chemical attack to give the US-led coalition the pretext to strike Damascus. His comments came as his Turkish counterpart visited Moscow for talks.
The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas Your choice for flooring in Central Texas! Your flooring is more than just the surface you walk on  it's an integral part of your home. With over 35 years of flooring experience, The Best Little Floorhouse in Texas has the resources and knowled
Months ago, at around the end of January 2018, rumors began circulating that Uber Technology, Inc. was supposedly planning to sell its Southeast Asia operations to rival ride-sharing and transportation network company Grab. What started the rumor was Japanese bank Softbanks investment into Uber to the amount of $1.2 billion which was finalized weeks before on January 17, 2018. While a bank investing its money into a company is not new, what piqued some peoples interest is that Softbank is also an investor with Grab, with reports stating that it has, along with other investors, already injected $3.5 billion into the company and is now its largest shareholder with a 15 percent stake.

As soon as the rumors of Grabs planned buyout of Uber started to spread in January 2018, Carmudi.com.ph personally asked Uber Philippines government relations and public policy chief Yves Gonzalez if this was true but he merely laughed it off.

The rumors, however, still persisted, prompting the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) to ask Uber Philippines and Gonzales himself recently if this was true.

According to the agency, Uber Philippines relayed Uber headquarters stand that it will not sell its Southeast Asian operations but instead will continue to invest more in the region.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi himself dismissed the rumor on a recent visit to Asia in February 2018. According to Reuter.com, the Uber boss said that while the company expects to lose money in Southeast Asia, it is also planning to invest aggressively in terms of marketing, subsidies, etc.

From a competitive standpoint, we think we can improve, Khosrowshahi reportedly said. We will look at anything But right now the plan for Southeast Asia is to go forward, lean forward and to invest.

On the local front, LTFRB board member Atty. Aileen Lizada shared that Gonzalez relayed the same information to her as well.

Story continues

If ever Grab does acquire Ubers Southeast Asian operations, there should be no problem with the latters drivers and peer operators moving to the former since, as stated by Lizada in a statement,  CPCs (Certificate of Public Convenience) now are generic (and) no longer exclusive to any TNC (transport network company).

The post Uber Belies Reports It Is Selling Its ASEAN Business to Rival Grab appeared first on Carmudi Philippines.
The House Skatepark will be hosting the Sheffield X Asira Al-Shamaliya Jam on Saturday March the 31st in order to raise funds for SkatePAL. The House will be twinned with the Asira Al-Shamaliya Skatepark and one of their first acts will be to head over to Palestine in mid April for a week to teach the local kids to skate in amongst the Nablus Cultural Festival.

The evenings jam will be taking place from 8pm to 12am, costing a fiver on the door and with auctions of skate stuff (so far donated by Death, Keen, Rock Solid, Polar, Passport, Primitive, Grizzly, Wayward and SESH) taking place at around 9pm. Now you have all the necessary info squirreled away in your brain, make sure to get to this if you can and have a skate for a good cause  what more could you want? More info on both SkatePAL and the Asira Al-Shamaliya skatepark can be found below the flyer.

SkatePal is a non-profit organisation that works with communities throughout Palestine to enhance the lives of young people and promote the benefits of skateboarding.

Since 2013, our ongoing presence and award-winning projects have reached hundreds of young people across the West Bank and won acclaim and recognition from supporters around the world.

We are run by a committed team of local and international volunteers who, through teaching skate classes, building skateparks and providing equipment, are enabling an ever-growing number of Palestinian skaters to empower themselves and inspire the next generation of Palestinian youth.

Rosa Park is SkatePals second concrete skatepark in the West Bank, and the largest in the country.

Situated in the northern West Bank village of Asira Al-Shamaliya, the 700m2 concrete park was built by twenty international volunteers and completed in October 2015. All materials for the park were sourced locally in the village.

SkatePal is currently hosting weekly skateboarding lessons throughout the year and working to develop a sustainable skateboarding scene in the village and the surrounding district.

The park is a collaboration between SkatePal, The Palestinian House of Friendship and the Asira Al-Shamaliya Council.
Great true-crime writers tend to fall into one of two schools. The first are detectives, gifted at both finding overlooked information and synthesizing old data to arrive at new insights. They excel at taking a scrambled heap of loose facts and shaping it into a narrative that makes sense. Jon Krakauer (Under the Banner of Heaven), Dave Cullen (Columbine), and Errol Morris (the film The Thin Blue Line but also the book A Wilderness of Error: The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald) approach true crime this way, as the perilous and ever-fascinating process of arriving at a workable truth of what really happened. The other school consists of evokers, more focused on character and mood than detection. These writers are drawn to crimes in which the bare bones of the narrative are relatively uncontested, yet an enigma lingers: Why? Even if they cannot conclusively answer that questionand often they cantevokers use the crime as a key to unlock the shadowy inner rooms of human nature. The most celebrated true-crime book of all time, Truman Capotes In Cold Blood, is the quintessential work of an evoker.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The late Michelle McNamara was remarkable for being both types of true-crime writer at once. You can see the outline of her detective skills in Ill Be Gone in the Dark, the book she was working on when she died suddenly in her sleep in 2016. The book, though, is unfinished, just as the decades-spanning mystery it examines remains unsolved. Her husband, the comedian Patton Oswalt, joined the journalist Billy Jensen and McNamaras lead researcher on the case, Paul Haynes, to piece together Ill Be Gone in the Dark from her draft, notes, previously published feature stories, and interview transcripts.* McNamara had, after much effort, recovered a long-neglected cache of documents from the Orange County Sheriffs Department; she believed that with the help of former police investigators and the online community of fellow investigators, she could finally identify the criminal she called the Golden State Killer.

Advertisement

She only made it a quarter of the way through those files before her death. Readers with a detective-style true-crime jones will probably find Ill Be Gone in the Dark a bit of a letdown, as McNamara herself likely would have. One day soon, McNamara writes in a letter to the Golden State Killer used as the epilogue to Ill Be Gone in the Dark, youll hear a car pull up to your curb, an engine cut out. Youll hear footsteps coming up your front walk. She not only wanted very badly for the murderer to be caught, she fully expected him to be. I was married to a crime fighter for a decade is how Oswalt puts it in his afterwordan emphatically for-real, methodical, little grey cells, Great-Brain-type crime fighter. But the lack of a concrete answer in Ill Be Gone in the Dark works to highlight McNamaras other, more evocative gifts.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Criminals, no matter how banal the details of their actual lives, fascinate. Once the identity of a notorious transgressor becomes known, he sucks up all the air in the room. The lack of a who at the end of Ill Be Gone in the Dark forecloses any focus on a traditional whyalthough you can make some educated guesses about the motives of a man who would do the things this man did. Instead, Ill Be Gone in the Dark blossoms into a masterful accounting of what might at first seem like a minor issue: where. Were used to thinking of crime as the product of psychological, historical, and social factors, but in Ill Be Gone in the Dark McNamara skillfully demonstrates the role geography and architecture played in shaping the Golden State Killers reign of terror.

Advertisement

The GSK brutally raped at least 50 women and murdered 12 people in California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The crimes fell into roughly two periods. In the first, in Sacramento, he established his pattern of casing his targets homes by prowling around outside, sometimes breaking in but leaving only slight traces of the intrusion. This he followed with a home invasion in which he woke his sleeping victims by shining a flashlight into their faces. Using a weapon (a knife or gun) to ensure their compliance, he tied them up. Although he sometimes chose single women to assault, over time, he showed an increasing preference for straight couples, forcing the woman to tie up the man before leading her into another room where he bound and raped her. Things he said during the attacks and his efficient modus operandi indicated that he had stalked his victims for days beforehand, gathering information.

Advertisement

Advertisement

All of the victims were attacked on streets with picturesque names like Cockleshell Drive and Queen Ann Lane.

The second stage, beginning in 1979, took place in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay area. It was there that the GSK turned lethal. He killed, by bludgeoning or gunshot, four couples and two solitary women, and was thwarted in an attempt on a fifth couple when the womans escape and screams frightened him off. It wasnt until the late 1990s that DNA testing would prove that the same man had committed both sets of crimes. Sacramento law enforcement nicknamed him the East Area Rapist while a remark made by one of the investigating officers in Southern California led the press to call him the Original Night Stalker (that is, the home-invasion killer who preceded Richard Ramirez, who is more commonly known by that name). He is often referred to by the acronym EAR/ONS.

Advertisement

Advertisement

All of the victims were attacked in single-story houses in middle-class suburbs, homes in neighborhoods that amounted to a common version of the American dream. They had addresses on streets with picturesque names like Cockleshell Drive and Queen Ann Lane. The series of murders the killer committed in the Southern California town of Goleta led local residents to call him the Creek Killer because all of the houses targeted abutted a leafy, trickling gorge. One house was only visible from the path that ran through it. McNamara herself walked along the bed of San Jose Creek and was struck by

Advertisement

how captivating the overgrown path, shrouded in huge, draping trees and strewn with moss-covered rocks, would be for a certain kind of suburban adolescent boy, a semiwild, underparented kid yearning for refuge. Rope swings dangled from sycamore trees.  There were secret tunnels and cement-lined drainage ditches where kids skateboarded. There were no lights and the path was confusing and hard to follow. It felt like the kind of place youd know only if you spent a lot of time down there as a kid.

Advertisement

The people who lived in these neighborhoods typically thought of them as safe, but the same idyllic features that added value to their propertytall, dense trees, the adjacent creek, a healthy distance from the neighborsmade them vulnerable to the GSK. Until his crime streaks made the news, victims and their neighbors overlooked the little signs that a household had attracted his attention: footprints in flowerbeds, a door left open, a dog barking, small sounds coming from the roof at night.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

McNamara weaves her own autobiography through Ill Be Gone in the Darkher Irish Catholic girlhood in the Midwest and the unsolved murder of an acquaintancebut the anecdote that feels most relevant to the GSK case is a chapter about the neighborhood where she and her family lived while she wrote the book in California. Asking herself why witnesses so seldom called the cops, sometimes even when they spotted young men jumping fences and other suspicious activity in the neighborhoods the killer targeted, she recalls a morning when her own neighbors house was burglarized; shed seen two youths in suits on the sidewalk but assumed they were selling magazine subscriptions door to door. She, her husband, and her neighbor, talked it over afterward: From now on, the three of us told each other, well look out for each other. Wed alert each other when we were going out of town. Wed be better neighbors, we promised. She writes that the neighbor seemed like a great guy; they wave and chat now and then, but, she observes, she still doesnt know his last name. A suburban neighborhood doesnt necessarily make it difficult to know your neighbors, but it does make it easy not to.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Nowhere do the impulses that created a hunting ground for the GSK appear more evident than in Rancho San Miguel, a development in Walnut Creek designed in the 1950s by Joseph Eichler. Eichler houses, coveted by aficionados of midcentury modernism, feature blank walls facing the street contrasted with glass walls and sliding doors opening onto a backyard enclosed by high fences. Although Eichler is celebrated for establishing nondiscrimination policies in his planned communities, what the architecture of the houses themselves communicates is a desire to turn away from the neighborhood and toward a dream of secluded, semioutdoor living. The development is catnip for peeping tomsdisplay cases for their residents private lives with minimal chances of being spotted. I call this the Bermuda Triangle of Contra Costa County, a criminalist in the sheriffs office told McNamara. Weve had other serial killers attack in this same neighborhood.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Whatever personal history formed the psychopathology of the Golden State Killer, he was also, McNamara and most of her law enforcement forces believe, a product of an environment much like this one. Although he wore a ski mask during his attacks, the few witnesses who saw his face describe him as white and fit, with slightly shaggy blond hair: indistinguishable, that is, from hundreds of young men who inhabited the neighborhoods he terrorized, like a surfer, perhaps, or a former skateboarder. Many of the houses he broke into were for sale or near ongoing construction; maybe he worked in a housing-related job, or maybe he chose spots where an unfamiliar car or man would be less remarkable, where he could surveil his potential targets while attracting minimal attention. People came and went in these neighborhoods, restlessly searching for a Californian ideal.

Advertisement

Advertisement

McNamara is so good at evoking these milieusthe teenage girls hanging out at a Sacramento park to watch shirtless boys wax their cars before heading out to see the Eagles or Peter Frampton play at the outdoor Days on the Green concerts in Oakland; the way the St. Johns River, with its water the color of weak coffee would wash away the alkali dust from an inner tube riders feet; the smell of night-blooming jasmine drifting through Santa Barbaras windows on hot eveningsits sometimes hard to believe she grew up in Oak Park, Illinois. The detectives nose for the crucial clue transmutes so easily into a novelists eye for the concrete detail that conjures a memory or emotion. She applies the same gift to a handful of portraits of people affected by the killers crimes: a girl who lost her mother at 16, in the midst of the stormy filial conflict that so often unfurls at that age; a young man who envied his married brothers life and then bonded with his fiancee when she helped him clean his sister-in-laws blood from the walls of the house hed once coveted. These read like fragments from Raymond Carver stories, tales of ordinary lives fractured by incomprehensible violence. Had she lived, McNamara might have helped identify the man who committed that violence, but before she died, she did something nearly as miraculous: making them all live again in some small way.

Ill Be Gone in the Dark: One Womans Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer by Michelle McNamara. Harper.

Read all the pieces in the Slate Book Review.
CONCORD, NEW HAMPSHIREStudents from thousands of schools across the country walked out of their classrooms on Wednesday morning to protest gun violence on the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. In New Hampshire, about 1,000 students gathered in front of Concord High School for 17 minutes of silence, one minute for each of the victims in Florida.

Wednesdays walkout almost didnt happen on schedule. Tuesday had been a snow day, and other districts had canceled classes on Wednesday, too. (A walkout and day of action at nearby ConVal Regional High School, for example, was postponed until Thursday.) In Concord, school started two hours late on Wednesday because of the weather. Some students were just arriving for the day even as others started to congregate for the walkout. Laila Ruffin, the senior class vice president, was stationed behind a table piled with 2,000 orange grosgrain ribbons that organizers were passing out to any students and teachers who wanted them.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

As the snow continued to fall, students began filling the stairs in front of the old part of the school, a columned building covered in vines. In the front row, 17 peoplemostly students and a few teacherseach held a sign with one Parkland victims name. At exactly 10 a.m., the first student read the first name, then laid a single red tulip on a stone banister. The others followed, one each minute. Peter Wang, 15. Carmen Schentrup, 16. Alyssa Alhadeff, 14. Other than the squeaking of the flagpole, the scene was absolutely silent for 17 minutes.

Gun policy is a particularly loaded conversation in New Hampshire, with its robust hunting culture and large rural population. Just last year, the state made it legal to carry a concealed, loaded gun in public without a license. Meanwhile, gun violence does not loom large here as a matter of local concern: The state had the 11th-lowest number of gun deaths per capita in 2015, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. A variety of recent efforts to pass gun-control legislation, including a ban on bump stocks, have failed to gain ground in the state legislature. Just last weekend, gun-toting activists gathered at the State Housea mile from the high schoolfor a Second Amendment rally hosted by the Womens Defense League.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Student-organizers had taken pains to call Wednesdays event a commemoration rather than a protest. They solicited input via an all-school email survey and produced a video and discussion guide for the student body explaining their mission in advance. There were few signs in the crowd, other than a large #NeverAgain banner printed by the organizers. We really wanted to make the event as inclusive as possible, said senior Jonathan Weinberg, one of the organizers. We cant make it nonpolitical, explained senior Sophie Johnson, another organizer and a self-described activist who spoke at the Womens March in Concord last year. But people from all sides of the political spectrum can have a place here today. Ruffin said that organizers had gotten some negative feedback to the anonymous Google survey they sent to the student body as they planned the event. (This isnt the right way to do this, she recalled that someone had written.) But the crowd assembling outside was uniformly somber and respectful. Presumably those who didnt like the idea had opted to stay inside.

Advertisement

Advertisement

The group has other, more explicitly political actions planned for the near future.

A new organization called the New Hampshire Social Justice League, which now serves as central organizing body for students working on gun violence issues, is planning a rally at the state capitol on March 24 in conjunction with the March for Our Lives movement. And on April 20, they will participate in another national school walkout, this one to mark the 19th anniversary of the shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado, now just the 12th-deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

Advertisement

This is student-led, and its wonderful, Concord High Principal Tom Sica said as students began to assemble in front of the school. Its exactly what we are asking for when we look at our graduates. Student-organizers had approached him early about their plansnot really to get permission, because its civil disobedience, Weinberg clarified. But they wanted to understand the administrations perspective and whether there would be consequences for students who decided to walk out, especially in the days before many colleges had set a precedent by making clear they would not punish students for participating. At Concord, the school administration decided to support the students plans, though they also accommodated anyone who chose not to participate. The school atmosphere has been occasionally tense since the Parkland shooting. Police investigated two students connected to a Snapchat threat made against the school in late February. Other New Hampshire communities have dealt with similar issues, with some schools closing temporarily while police investigated incidents, including a threat scratched into a cafeteria table.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Downhill from the school on Wednesday, several dozen adults from the Concord community lined up just off school property. This is about supporting the students in our community, said Jed Rardin, co-pastor of Concords South Congregational Church who was there with a small group of church members and a sign reading #ENOUGH. Its about supporting their leadership. (Disclosure: I am a member of Rardins church.)

Advertisement

When the 17 minutes were up, students hustled quickly back inside to class. Kristina Peare, who teaches math and special ed, stayed outside, helping to corral stragglers and chatting with other teachers. She had offered her classroom as a meeting place for the student-organizers and provided support as they made plans, but she emphasized that it had been their vision from start to finish. Asked how she felt the event had gone, she looked away for moment to compose herself. Im proud of them, she said after a minute. Ive been teaching since 1992, and it just keeps happening. Now kids are standing up and saying enough is enough.
When National Geographic announced the publication of a special issue about race this week, editor-in-chief Susan Goldbergs editors note reported that the magazine had asked historian John Edwin Mason, of the University of Virginia, to look at the magazines past and help assess its coverage of race over the years. Goldberg relays some of Masons findings to her readers, but I wondered how Mason had gone about his research, and what else he had found that hadnt made it into that relatively brief editors note.

Advertisement

A historian of Africa, black American life, and photography, Mason told me over Skype that he had to be disciplined in approaching this project, lest he lose weeks and months to reading back issues. (That would certainly be easy.) To create a framework for himself, he chose a dozen years of important milestones in African history, then read all the magazines that had been published in those years. He took special note of the ads, remarking on the stark contrast between images of watches and luxury cars and photographs of supposedly primitive Africans, Indians, and Pacific Islandersa contrast that set up an implicit division between reader and observed.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

In our conversation, which has been edited and condensed for clarity, we spoke about how National Geographics approach to race compared with other magazines of the time, niceness as editorial policy, and the controversy over that cover.

Advertisement

Rebecca Onion: Youve worked with the history of Life magazine as well, in writing about Gordon Parks photo essays.

John Edwin Mason: These were his Life photo essays on things like black Muslims, segregation in the South, poverty in Brazil, poverty in Harlem, Stokely Carmichael, or the Black Panthers. But in order to understand Parks, you have to understand Life magazine, which means that I have looked at a lot of Life. Im also writing an article right now about Life magazines representations of Africans.

Can you compare Life and National Geographics approach to race in that midcentury period?

The short version is that Life was willing to challenge its readers. Not in big ways, but in small. Life gave, for instance, Gordon Parks, enough space to be a step, maybe a step and a half ahead of where most white Americans were on issues of race and racism. And I think there are reasons for that. Some of them were personal. For most of the period Im interested in, the editor in chief was Henry Luce, the creator of Life magazine, who was its editor in chief for as long as he lived. He was a fierce cold warrior and economically a conservative Republican, but on social issues, a liberal, in a kind of a Nelson Rockefellerish kind of a way.  And while he was hesitant on full integration, and he always saw African Americans as sort of different, he was better than most. That shows up in the magazine.

Advertisement

National Geographic showed you images of black people usually outside the center of the frame.  John Edwin Mason

And the magazine was also based in New York. And New York is not Washington, D.C. National Geographic has always been in Washington, D.C., and Washington, D.C., has always been a Southern town. It was a very segregated town. A town that had much more in common with Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, than it did with New York City or Chicago.

Advertisement

And I think thats part of what makes the difference between these two magazines. New York and New Yorkers thought of themselves as somehow on the cultural cutting edge and culturally progressive, in a way that wasnt part of the thinking of the D.C.

establishment.

Can you say more about the way that National Geographic covered race in the United States before recent decades?

Advertisement

The change happens in the 1970s, and I think the change can clearly be linked to changes in the broader American culture, and the place of African Americans in American society.

I think National Geographic was slow. If you look at other major magazines or newspapers, not just Life but Look and the [New York] Times and the Washington Post.  They were all further along than National Geographic was on issues of race, prior to the 1970s. You very infrequently saw African Americans in the pages of National Geographic. There was never a story about African Americans. There were in Life.

Advertisement

National Geographic showed you images of black people usually outside the center of the frame. And when they were outside the center of the frame, they were literally toting that cotton, lifting that bale, or they were working as domestic servants.  They were being naturalized in positions of economic and social inferiority. And when they were in the center of the frame, they were often cradling a white child or dusting off the mantelpiece of an elegant white home, or something like that.

Advertisement

That is how African Americans appeared, and that was reinforced by the ads. So youd see an ad for the Pullman Company, and its an ad for the Pullman car, what are you going to have?

The porter!

Yes, the porter is helping the white family onto the train, making their bed. I mean, look, its not just National Geographic, were talking about the country. It was a segregated society where most white Americans were just very comfortable with white supremacy.

Advertisement

Im curious as to what other kinds of American coverage National Geographic was printing. Were they covering other ethnic enclaves? If their goal was to show the reader worlds that you never would visit otherwise, then what was their approach to covering the United States?

Advertisement

Advertisement

There was an explicit editorial policy in National Geographic that they only published the happy stuff.  There was a rule that was essentially Never say anything unpleasant about anyone. That was one of the editorial rules. It was explicit, it was codified. And so they would do stories on ethnic enclaves, or they would more often do stories on Providence, Rhode Island, or Des Moines, Iowa,  cities, states, the Shenandoah Valley, or something like that. And yeah, if you would read them, you would see a kind of quaintness there.

This isnt the United States, but in the 1950s National Geographic did a story on Scotland. Where they did to the Scots a little bit of what they did to Africans, which was to trap them in a traditional timelessness. These are the Scots, and they have their traditions, and their traditions are always unchanged, and theyre different from the English and the rest of us, they wear kilts and they eat haggis. It was this way of essentializing Scottishness which was remarkably similar to the essentializing of Africanness that goes on, or the essentializing of Indianness or Chineseness.

Advertisement

I want to ask you about the cover story for this current issue, which has gotten some criticism on Twitter. The use of the twins on the cover [biracial sisters, one with lighter skin and one with darker] has drawn a little bit of heat. People have been digging up the fact that coverage of these kinds of twins has become a media trope, and some people are arguing that a photo like this is conversation-ending rather than conversation-beginning. The argument is that the photo provokes a reaction of: Look, race doesnt matter, because look at this!

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Look, I had nothing to do with the editing of the issue, which was not my job. The content of this issue was not something I had anything to do with.

Advertisement

I saw two kinds of criticisms. One is that many photographers noted that the photographer who made the cover image was not a person of color. So if youre going to do a story on race and youre trying to change the very nature of the magazine, then its important, symbolically, to put forward a photographer of color on the cover.

Then I think it was Gene Demby who said, Oh look! They discovered the social construction of race! [Demby worried that the logical endpoint of the argument would be] And since race is socially constructed, it doesnt really mean anything and we should all get along.

It would be great that if, upon stumbling upon the idea that race is not a biological reality but socially constructed, people didnt immediately proceed to presume that that means it can just be waved away. Money is socially constructed. Nation-states are socially constructed.  Deadlift Schrempf. (@GeeDee215) March 12, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Cards on the table: I only watched the video, I havent read the story. But the video certainly didnt end with And despite the fact that [race] is socially constructed, its very real and has powerful consequences. Imagine how it will affect the relationship between these two girls as they become young women. It will really shape their lives in different ways, and its something that, as they get older, theyre going to have to cope with, and I think theyll find moments of difficulty.

Advertisement

I started my career as a historian of South Africa, and one of the things that happened in South Africa in the 1950s was racial classification. Race in South Africa had been common sense until the 1950s, when it was enshrined in law. But there were a lot of cases where its not all that easy to tell.  There were a lot, in the colored community, of very ambiguous cases like these two little girls. And the government had officials who would go around and visit families and make determinations. And sometimes the government official would determine that husband and wife were of different races, which meant they could no longer be legally married and could no longer live together.

Advertisement

Advertisement

One of the things photography does is it gives us permission to stare. And we all want to stare.  Mason

But it got even worse than that. The government official would look at two siblings, like those two little girls, and say, One of them is white and the other one is colored. And that literally split families apart. I mean, in the most literal sense, they could no longer share a house, a neighborhood, a school, occupations. And theres a literature in South Africa, especially from the colored community, of what this meant. And of course it meant heartbreak. Incredible pain. Families would always say, Blood is thicker than water, this apartheid state is not going to destroy this family. And yet it often did.

And so, this wont happen to these girls. We wouldnt want to think that anything remotely similar could happen! But it does, it is about the power of an idea.  So I wish they had gone beyond.

Advertisement

I feel like the twins are being used as a curiosity. I looked at Dembys thread of examples of previous twins being used this way in media, and its hard not to believe that they are being exoticized, to some degree.

Advertisement

And this gets to my biggest question about National Geographic. This is a time when its trying to come to terms with its past, but its past necessarily has traded on exoticization, and the kind of reductive representation of people in other parts of the world. Is it possible to shed all of that appeal, when that was their stock in trade?

Advertisement

Its hard. You know, one of the things photography does is it gives us permission to stare. And we all want to stare. We want to be able to stare at a movie star, we want to stare at a beautiful person, we want to be able to stare at an unusual sight, and in real life, if youre a polite person you cant just stare, but at a photograph, you can. And thats one of the reasons we like it. Were also interested in things that are different, that we find strange and unfamiliar. And thats not necessarily a bad thing.

Advertisement

And one of the appeals of National Geographic has always been satisfying that natural desire to see things that are not the same as your people and where you live. But I do think theres a danger. The danger is, when you look at National Geographic and its long history, is that those images [that] would suck us in are also conveying messages about racial hierarchies and the natural states of certain kinds of people.  So youve got the allure, but you cant separate that allure from the message its containing.

Advertisement

Advertisement

I do have to say that I really like other essays in the issue. I read Michele Norris and liked it quite a bit, and the one on HBCUs, I loved the photography there [by Nina Robinson]  so the issue as a whole, for a magazine that is a popular magazine and is aimed at a mass audience, is quite good.

Advertisement

Advertisement

One last question. Youre quoted in the editorial note as saying, Its possible to say that a magazine can open peoples eyes at the same time as it closes them. This was a very interesting quote to me, and I think thats a hard point to talk about. I feel like a lot of times our internet conversation about cultural objects and race devolves to Its good or

Its bad.

I may have been thinking back to some conversations Ive had with African photographers. Ive had any number of African photographers of a certain age tell me that they fell in love with photography through Life magazine or National Geographic. They just loved the power of those images, they loved the way those images sucked them into another world that they didnt even know existed. There was something that was really powerful and charming and delicious about those images.

Advertisement

Advertisement

And now, as grown women and men, theyre able to look at those images that sucked them in as children and say, Yeah, well, theyre also depicting an Africa that is not my Africa, that is an Africa I dont see. An Africa that was seen through somebody elses eyes and not mine. Theyre aware of that.

But theyre aware of both simultaneously. They cant not be that child who fell in love with photography because of what they saw in Life or National Geographic. They cannot not be the adult who has her own vision of the world, and understands how that particular visionyou might even call it colonial visionwas about diminishing her.

So both of these things are true at the same time.
Care and Feeding is Slates parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Email careandfeeding@slate.com.

Dear Care and Feeding,

Over the weekend, my parents and I had a falling-out with my favorite cousin and his wife. They are very religious, and we have always avoided the topic. My cousin, having consumed quite a bit of wine, misinterpreted something I said about the Adam RipponMike Pence story and thought I was slamming Christians in general. He freaked out and verbally attacked my parents and me (dropping F-bombs in front of my 8-year-old). Thats all bad enough, and Im angry at my cousin on my own behalf.

Advertisement

The real issue is that before they packed their bags and took off, my cousins wife (whom I have known for 30 years!) woke up my 14-year-old transgender son and proselytized to him about finding God and Jesus and about how he is really a beautiful young woman. I didnt find out until the next day, but now Im livid!

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

I know that deep down they are good people; Ive known them for decades and was even in their wedding as a teenager. Weve never had an incident even remotely like this my whole life. I know that his wife meant well in her own totally inappropriate way. But I feel like I failed my son for letting this person be close enough to him to say something like this, and I dont know that I will ever trust these people again. I have a big, close family, and it will be awkward and uncomfortable the next time we see them (which thankfully wont be soon). But I feel like I will be pressured eventually to forgive and forget in order to keep the peace, but I feel like I can never let them near my son again. My usual instinct is to forgive and move on, but the mama bear in me is absolutely raging. What do I do? I love these people, but they crossed a line that cant be uncrossed.

LGBT Mama Bear

Advertisement

Dear LGBTMB,

There is a saying, often attributed to Maya Angelou in a conversation with Oprah Winfrey: When people show you who they are, believe them.

Advertisement

In this letter you are describing two different versions of your cousin and his wife. You are describing a family of good people who mean well. But you have also described people who will scream, hurl insults, and wake a child up just to deny his gender to his face. You can continue a relationship with the first people youve described, but not with the second. And the events you describe in this letter prove, without any doubt, that your cousin and his wife are every bit as much the second kind of people as the first. You must believe equally in both.

Advertisement

Advertisement

It doesnt matter that they have been polite or friendly. We must be careful of mistaking politeness or friendliness for safety. One does not mean the other, especially for marginalized people. Nor is kindness, in and of itself, evidence of the presence of good. Im sure there were people who would have gladly attended or even facilitated the lynching of my ancestors just as they would have politely brought a cherry pie to a neighbor. In this country ugliness and politeness are in no way incompatible.

It also doesnt matter that your cousins wifes behavior came from what she believes to be a good place. The impact of her emotionally violent behavior on your son, who is a child, is destructive. You cannot both love and support your son and put this persons behavior completely behind you. You love your son, so you will do everything within your power to make sure that he does not have to be subjected to this again. You may not fully succeed, but this event cannot simply be water under the bridgeat least not until your cousin and his wife issue a full-throated mea culpa and accept your son without reservation. And even then, you would be wise to be wary. Try to keep your son from being forced to be in the same room with them. You may even accept apologies, but you should not force your son to accept them on your behalf. Protecting him is far more important than making nice with them.

Advertisement

Advertisement

You cannot forget this, and I do not think you can put it behind you. But forgiveness is another matter. It is possible to forgive without forgetting, just as its possible to forgive without opening yourself up to a repeat of the same transgressions. To forgive is simply to become willing to have your heart and mind free from hatred and resentment. And I think you can do this. Even if your cousin and his wife cannot.

Advertisement

More Care and Feeding:

My Familys History of Disability Has Made Me Afraid to Have Kids

My Stepsons Wont Stop Trolling Me!

How Do I Get My Father to Accept His Trans Granddaughter?

Dear Care and Feeding,

My 22-year-old daughter has poor oral hygiene, with bright red gingiva and visible plaque on her teeth. Growing up, brushing was always part of our family routine. She has had regular dental appointments twice a year since she was a baby. Instead of becoming more proficient and responsible with age, her situation has deteriorated since she went away to college. She becomes extremely defensive and angry when I try to calmly, kindly discuss it.

Advertisement

I am a dentist (not hers) and understand this could be her twist on normal mother-daughter head-butting. I dont know what to do and my husband says it may be too late to do anything, which is crazy and unacceptable to me.

My Daughters Dirty Mouth

Advertisement

Dear MDDM,

Your child is 22 years old. You are no longer in charge of her teeth. You can advocate and plead, but there is nothing you can actually, physically do. She is a grown-up.

It sounds very much like the real struggle here is between a mother who is attached to one thing and a daughter who is reacting to that attachment. And make no mistake, your meticulous accounting of her oral care history is something specific to you. Its hard for me to imagine, lets say, a pipe fitter being so profoundly concerned about their 22-year-olds teeth as to write a letter asking for advice about it. Whatever, we all have our things. I probably take too much of an interest in my kids fashion choices. The problem comes when we dont recognize our things as our things and instead try to foist them upon our grown children.

Advertisement

Advertisement

I would guess that, like most people, your daughter does not wish for her teeth to rot out of her head. But she really does not want her mother micromanaging the inside of her mouth. My advice is to let it go. You have been present and attentive, toothwise, and you have shown her precisely what good oral hygiene looks like. Your work here is done. I suspect that once you are no longer the opposition she will find it almost impossible, after a while, not to care for her teeth exactly as she was taught to do.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Dear Care and Feeding,

My 10-year-old had to do a school project about his culture or ancestors. He chose his Mormon pioneer ancestors, who pulled handcarts across the country to escape death threats. After my son finished his project, I was reading a little more on the internet about one ancestor my son had mentioned by name and learned that this person likely participated in the Mountain Meadows Massacre, in which a Mormon militia killed other California-bound settler families and blamed the deaths on local Native Americans.

Advertisement

Im feeling heartbroken about past (and current) atrocities. We still sing a lovely song written by this murdering ancestor! My son was so proud learning about his history. I feel like I have to tell him. Is that right? Ten is not too young to handle information like this, is it?

Descendant of a Killer

Dear DoaK,

What an American story.

Im sorry for your son that he has to learn this way that much of the countrys heroic past is really bloodshed and murder of the innocent. While it may be tempting to view this as a bizarre one-off circumstanceI read about this event, its  weirdI think more can be accomplished by taking this as an opportunity for your son, and probably you, to approach a more honest view of Americas past.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The good news is that there are still heroes for your son to worship and learn from and be inspired by, even if he may not be able to brag about being related to them. Let him learn about Native American people, about black people who fought for freedom and freed others. Let him learn about abolitionists, and healers, and people who made charity and kindness integral parts of their lives.

And yes, unfortunately it is your responsibility to teach him about his familys own complicity in relationship to this. You may do it gently and slowly and in age-appropriate language, but you must do it. This is an opportunity for you to change what lies at the center of your collective narrative about history. The default narrative he still sees everywherein family stories, in pop culture, even in schoolis that its heroic white men who settled the country. The reality is much more ugly. This is your chance to raise a child who knows the difference. I suggest, for his sake and the sake of everyone who shares the country with him, that you take it.

Also yeah, you should stop singing the song.

Carvell
Even if people dont like me, they have to vote for me. They have no choice, Donald Trump said at a campaign stop in Virginia on Aug. 2, 2016. Even if you cant stand Donald Trump, you think Donald Trump is the worst, youre going to vote for me. You know why? Justices of the Supreme Court.

That statement proved prophetic. According to exit poll data, 21 percent of voters in the 2016 election felt that appointments to the Supreme Court were the most important factor in deciding their vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly, those voters favored Trump by a margin of 56 to 41. The thrice-married accused sexual harasser and serial philanderer who doesnt go to church also scored 8 in 10 self-identified white, born-again/evangelical Christians, based on his promise to appoint someone who would reverse Roe v. Wade and protect religious liberties. That was a higher percentage of religious voters than George W. Bush garnered in 2004, despite the fact that Bush is himself an evangelical and Trump is, well, Trump.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trump rewarded those voters by appointing Neil Gorsuch to succeed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. And as we never stop discovering, for an enormous quantity of the faithful, that reward is enough to excuse the chaos, existential danger, and festering corruption that embodies the Trump administration. The notion that flipping the Supreme Court is the only thing that counts anymore in America has become, quite literally an article of faith. A recent New York Times article about evangelical women cooling on the president quoted a Trump supporter voicing precisely this view: The women in suburban Dallas all conceded they have cringed sometimes at Mr. Trump, citing his pettiness, impulsiveness, profanity and name calling. Still, they defended him because he delivered on issues they cared most about, such as the appointment of Justice Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Certainly we are all embarrassed, but for the most part he represents what we stand for, said [Linda] Leonhart, who is active in the womens ministry at her church.

Advertisement

A nation that is surprised by nothing, shocked by nothing, and moved by nothing has turned a Supreme Court seat into something holy. It is therefore no surprise that But Gorsuch has slowly morphed to But Kennedy. And every time Trump falters or implodes, someone conveniently floats a story reminding the faithful that Anthony Kennedys seat is likely (or possibly) (or probably) going to be up for grabs this summer, and that this alone justifies supporting Trump in all things, crimes, bribes, and corruption notwithstanding.

Advertisement

There is almost a direct causal nexus between hideous Trump revelations and the wishcasting journalism of But Kennedy. And so here we go again: On Friday, extremely vulnerable Nevada Republican Sen. Dean Heller told a closed-door meeting in Las Vegas that Kennedy is going to retire around sometime early summer. In the very next sentence, Heller proceeded to explain his need to make that statement: Which Im hoping will get our base a little motivated because right now theyre not very motivated. But I think a new Supreme Court justice will get them motivated. Heller has no special knowledge or insight. Hes just wishing upon the Kennedy star. Even so, his comments will serve to bolster the base. At this point, these wishes may be the only thing bolstering the base.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Kennedy isnt just any justice. He is The Justice, the fulcrum of pretty much everything we do and what we are. In the last few decades, hes singlehandedly determined the future of marriage equality, affirmative action, abortion rights, campaign finance, and gerrymanders, to name just a few areas in which hes served as the deciding vote. Kennedy, who is 81, talked openly last summer about unspecified hopes of retirement. He has also already hired clerks for the 201819 term and has said he worries about election-year retirements, which tend to politicize the courts. So anybody who says they know something likely does not.

Advertisement

Justice Kennedy takes his adulthood very seriously.

As complicated as Kennedys retirement decision would ordinarily be, its doubly so in the Trump era for more reasons than you can imagine. Kennedy must be mindful of the threat to his legacy in areas that range from gay rights to reproductive freedom. And given his vaunted regard for civility, decorum, respectful discourse and sobriety in public life, he must now ponder watching his seat filled by a president who has coarsened and corroded public life in ways that are almost beyond our ability to comprehend, much less reverse. Then again, we learned last summer, by way of a hot mic, that Kennedys son seems to be pals with one of Trumps own kids.

Advertisement

In other words, Kennedy, who prides himself on being inscrutable and broody, has a lot to think about. And the fact that hes become the most watched public servant in America must be both terrifying and wonderful to him.

Trumps selection of Gorsuch was reportedly in part an effort to assure Kennedy he would be replaced by a sober, respectful jurist as opposed to, say, Omarosa. But that move may not have worked as intended. As the New York Times Adam Liptak has observed, In the few divided cases in which Justices Kennedy and Gorsuch participated in the courts last term, they agreed just 38 percent of the time. By contrast, Justice Gorsuch agreed with Justice Clarence Thomas, the courts most conservative member, 100 percent of the time. Gorsuch isnt Kennedy 2.0, and while Trump promises to replace him with one of several relatively sane jurists, Trumps promises continue to be made of sparkles and eyelashes. Kennedy would not be wrong to worry.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Kennedy, too, is mulling his departure at a time when anyone in government who isnt mulling a departure isnt doing her job right. But Kennedys thinkingover and above the thorny questions of his own doctrinal legacy, his responsibility in the Trump era, and his longstanding dedication to the rule of lawmust be immensely confounded by one other thing: He is the most important man in the only functioning branch of government left in America. At a moment when every other adult in the room is either colluding or being fired, he is, by dint of lifetime tenure, pretty much the only bulletproof adult left in America. Justice Kennedy takes his adulthood very seriously. And unless he believes there are abundant stores of serious people that Trump has secretly held in reserve, that cannot be a trivial concern for him.

Advertisement

In some strange way, it is fitting that at a time in which public opinion around the Supreme Court toggles between magical and mysticalwith liberals imbuing Kennedys seat with fading hope and conservatives reducing it to sacred groundJustice Kennedy has become the locus of everyones attention. The fight over the soul of the Supreme Court is suddenly the most important battle in America. That the entire matter is in the hands of just one man is both terrifying and fitting. And that the man is Anthony Kennedy, the sphinx, decider, and last vestige of an ideological center? Well, that just borders on the biblical.
You could tell that the special election in Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District would make for a long night when anonymous Republican operatives told reporters late Tuesday afternoon that it would be a short night.

One Republican with knowledge told NBC News on Tuesday that Democrat Conor Lamb could beat Republican Rick Saccone by as many as six. And what kind of cynic would not take a Republican With Knowledge at his or her word?

Lamb did not win by 6 percentage points, of course. Though Saccone has not conceded, Lamb is the apparent winner by 627 out of a total 228,378 votes cast. It was not an early night, as anyone who was still captivated by Steve Kornackis absentee ballot tabulations at midnight can attest. The pre-emptive groaning from Republicans about their own hopelessness was a painfully obvious lowering of expectations that would allow them to pretend-declare victory in a race that shouldnt have been competitive in the first place. Right on cue, anonymous White House officials patted themselves on the back on Tuesday for their tremendous work in ensuring that a Republican only barely lost an R+11 district that Donald Trump carried by 20 points all of 16 months ago.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Republicans at the White House are pleased tonight with the narrow margin of PA-18. "This isnt a blowout  for now, well happily take it, GOP official says.  Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) March 14, 2018

A top House GOP source took similar pride but did have the modesty to tell Politico that the situationwhich included dumping north of $10 million dollars on the losing candidatewas definitely less than ideal.

Advertisement

House Speaker Paul Ryan, during a Wednesday morning press conference, gave credit to President Trump, who helped close this race by hosting a rally in the district over the weekend. Its an interesting position to take, that the president could be lauded as a closer when the candidate he supported didnt appear to  win. But Ryan had more where that came from.

Advertisement

Both of these candidates, the Republican and the Democrat, ran as conservatives, Ryan argued. Ran as pro-gun, pro-life, antiNancy Pelosi conservatives. And I think thats the takeaway we see here.

One can think of other takeaways beyond the race being a great night for conservatism. Lets look at that litany of issues that Ryan mentioned. On guns, Lamb did not support limits to magazine clips or a new ban on assault weapons, but he did support the sort of expansion of background checks in the Manchin-Toomey proposal, which many conservatives claim would mark the beginning of the end of the Second Amendment. He holds the Tim Kaine position on abortion: He doesnt personally support abortion but believes it should be legally availablea position known as being pro-choice. In the same interview in which he told the Weekly Standard that he does not use the term pro-life to describe himself, Lamb also said that he would have voted against the 20-week abortion ban. It is true that he said he wanted new leadership in Congress and would not support Nancy Pelosi. Pelosis feelings were likely unhurt.

Advertisement

Advertisement

In truth, Lamb attacked the aspects of conservatism dearest to Ryans heart. Lamb emphasized that he would protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security from the kind of cuts that made Ryan a conservative star during the Obama administration. He also criticized the defining legislative accomplishment of Ryans career, the GOP tax bill, as a giveaway to the rich. He was not a fan of Republicans efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare, and voters for whom health care was a top priority broke strongly toward Lamb. Lamb won on a policy message that will travel well in 2018 across the urban and rural divide: an anti-Ryan economic message.

Advertisement

The most amusing explanation is that which focuses on Saccones personal weakness as a candidate, the go-to excuse that rank-and-file Republican members and operatives were publicly citing Wednesday morning. One strategist feared that Saccones porn stache played a role in his downfall. Rick Saccone may have had a more impressive resume than the vast majority of House Republicans, but he didnt have that it factor.

Advertisement

Reader, do yourself a favor: Take a look-see at members of the House Republican Conference. Do you think Glenn Grothman make it to the United States Congress through sheer force of his charisma? Did John Faso charm his way into the hearts and minds of New Yorks 19th Congressional District? How was George Holding able to inspire the masses in North Carolinas 13th? Saccone just didnt pop quite like Peter King or Andy Harris.

Democrats will not win all R+11 districts in November, if any. But the point of drawing R+11 districts is to ensure that Democrats win zero of them, for as long as they last, and they won one of them Tuesday night. Republicans dont really believe any of this spin, which is why we call it spin. Its a wonder that they even bother.
The closely watched special election in Pennsylvanias 18th Congressional District will remain that way for at least a little bit longer. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, but more than 1,000 absentee ballots still to be counted, no major outlet had projected a winner as of midnight. The Associated Press issued an advisory late Tuesday that it would not call the race until Wednesday at the earliest.

There are still roughly 1,400 absentee votes left to be counted, and Democrat Conor Lamb leads Republican Rick Saccone by 579 votes out of more than 225,000 votes cast. Saccone can still make up that deficit, but to do so he will need to win about 70 percent of those outstanding votesa significantly higher share than he has won so far in those counties. (Update 10:31 am: Lamb declared victory overnight, but Saccone has not conceded the race and Republicans are suggesting they will likely request a recount if the current results hold. As of Wednesday morning, Lamb had a 641-vote lead with only one of the districts four counties still counting absentee ballots. While no major outlet has declared a winner, NBC News is projecting Lamb as the apparent winner.)

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

If Lamb holds on, it would mark the second time in the past three months that Republicans have failed to win a congressional race in an area that went overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. If Saccone pulls out the unlikely comeback, it will save the GOP a humiliating defeat but will do little to ease the nerves of Republican strategists fearing a Blue Wave this November.

Regardless, the payoff for the winning candidate will be relatively small10 months as the most junior member of Congress. The winner will need to return to the campaign trail immediately, and, thanks to Pennsylvanias recently redrawn (and still disputed) congressional map, its not yet clear what district hell be running in or who hell be running against.

Advertisement

Nonetheless, both parties invested so heavily in this race that the results will resonate loudly inside their national headquarters, even if the message on both sides is a little muddled. Lamb ran as a proud moderate, but the special election meant he was handpicked by party leaders, not the restive base that has been upending Democratic primaries. If national Democrats now feel a renewed urge to help more moderate candidates in districts they need to flip, theyll risk further infuriating the left. Meanwhile, given Saccone ran as a mini-Trump, with multiple visits from the president the GOP may rethink how much they want Trump out on the stump, assuming of course they even have that choice.

Advertisement

That this race was even competitive is astounding. In 2002, Republican Tim Murphy won his first race in the district by 20 percentage points and then went on to win his next five by an average of 26 points. Democrats didnt even both running a challenger in 2014 or 2016. (The loudly anti-abortion Murphy resigned last fall after a local newspaper reported that he had encouraged a woman he had an affair with to have an abortion.) Mitt Romney won the district by 17 percentage points in 2012, and Donald Trump then took it by 19 points four years after that.

Advertisement

Advertisement

On Tuesday night, Republicans were spinning the idea that Saccone actually overperformed, relative to expectations on Tuesday morning. But thats just spin. Democrats still have good reason to believe that the tide has turned in districts like this all across the country since Trump took office. There have already been more than 90 special electionsstate and federalsince Inauguration Day, and Democrats had beaten expectations in the vast majority of them, on average by about 13 percentage points compared to the past two presidential elections, according to CNN polling expert Harry Enten.

In Trumps first year, Democrats struggled to translate this advantage into actual victories. Republicans won the first five special elections of 2017 to keep control of congressional seats they already held, a streak that included House wins in Montana, where Greg Gianforte prevailed in an at-large race despite body slamming a reporter the day before the election, and in a deep-red district in an affluent Atlanta suburb in Georgia, where the Karen Handel survived a surprising challenge from Democrat Jon Ossoff. (Democrats defended the only U.S. House seatin Southern Californiathat came up during that time.)

Advertisement

Advertisement

Democrats won the two gubernatorial races held in 2017in Virginia and New Jerseybut it wasnt until this past December that the party finally flipped a seat on Capitol Hill, when Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore in a Senate special election in Alabama. Like that race, this one included heavy spending and a number of big-name surrogates on both sides. But unlike Moore, Saccone had Trumps support from the very start; unlike Jones, Lamb wasnt running against an accused child predator.

Republicans were trying to pin the blame for their embarrassing result on Saccone, even before the first votes were counted. They openly complained about everything from his fundraising to his social media strategy to, in the words of former Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller, his goofy mustache. Still, Trump tried to drag Saccone across the finish line and appears to have come up short.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Democrats will declare Tuesdays special election a bellwether. We wont know if they are right until November, but the far more interesting thing to watch tomorrow will be how the partys competing wings try to spin the results. Progressives will see Lamb as part of a bumper crop of first-time candidates with compelling life stories that have harnessed anti-Trump anger. The DCCC-types will see Lambwho won the nomination at a state party convention, not in a primaryas a moderate who won over white, blue-collar voters who can be turned off by anyone who talks too much about the environment, gun control, the minimum wage, or a womans right to choose. That fight will play out in Democratic primaries across this country this year, and likely again in 2020.

Advertisement

Advertisement

But if you set aside todays fanfare and tomorrows infighting, its not all that clear the race will be much more than a footnote a year from now. Under the map drawn by the state Supreme Courtwhich is currently being challenged in federal court by RepublicansSaccones home district will still be called the 18th, but it will include far more of what is now the 14th Congressional District, and with it more Democratic voters, including one in particular: Democratic Rep. Mike Doyle. Lambs current home, meanwhile, would be in the new 17th Congressional District, an area that appears far friendlier to Democrats than the district he just won, but one that is also home to Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus. (Lamb has not yet committed to running in the 17thhe could theoretically run in any district in Pennsylvaniabut the available signs point that way.) But regardless of where he runs, before he makes it to a general election, Lamb will first need to survive something he did not in the special election: a Democratic primary.
Pres. Trump says U.S. may soon have a "space force," adding that he had not been serious when he first pitched the idea. "We have the Air Force, we'll have the space force." https://t.co/1CCJ0PtcuO pic.twitter.com/tKYKWYX7EL  ABC News (@ABC) March 13, 2018

President Trump told Marines during a speech at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on Tuesday that space is the next frontier in  warfare! And you thought you were going to be able to take an Uber to Mars soon. You still may, but youll have to show your passport to the Space Force the president of the United States just (jokingly, at first) said was his idea that he came up with the other day. Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea, Trump said. We may even have a Space Force, develop another one, Space Force. We have the Air Force, well have the Space Force.

Advertisement

I said maybe we need a new force. Well call it the space force. Not really serious, Trump continued. And then I said What a great idea. Maybe well have to do that. That could happen.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

What a great idea. Creating a separate, ahem, Space Force was bandied about last year, but faced opposition. The House Armed Services Committee approved a measure in June to include language to create a U.S. Space Corps, as part of the Air Force, in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, Politico reports. But the measure faced opposition from top officials in Trumps own White House and Pentagon. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis came out against the measure in July, issuing a rare statement in support of a proposal to remove language on the space corps from the defense budget for 2018.

Advertisement

Later on during his remarks, Trump somehow attempts a Hillary Clinton-Mars mission burn. We are finally going to lead again, Trump said. You see whats happening; you see the rockets going up left and right. You havent seen that for a long time. Very soon were going to Mars. You wouldnt have been going to Mars if my opponent won. That I can tell ya.

"Very soon we're going to Mars," Trump says, as U.S. ramps up efforts for space travel. https://t.co/IECzRamgz4 pic.twitter.com/PkZpPZfCsG  CBS News (@CBSNews) March 13, 2018

Well see about that. Neel V. Patel wrote for Slate in February that the U.S. has fallen behind in the exploration of space. It hasnt launched an astronaut from its own soil in seven years and private ventures havent yet filled the gap.
On Tuesday, Gina Haspel was named as Donald Trumps pick to be the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency. The news was notable for a number of reasons, not the least of which was Haspels role in overseeing the torture of two terrorism suspects in 2002 and subsequent role in ordering the destruction of evidence documenting that torture. Haspels elevation offers a reminder of the dramatic lengths to which the government has gone to cover up details of its torture program. Evidence of the extent of that coverup has been on full display in recent weeks during the latest pretrial hearings for the five men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks.

Advertisement

A debate over which individuals and which former CIA black sites are off-limits to the defense teamsall of whom have top-secret security clearancehas resurrected a seemingly absurd argument thats haunted the case from the beginning: Can the memories of a defendant about what the government has done to him be considered classified? The government is willing to test that premise in order to protect the details of a program that the new CIA director readily destroyed evidence of in the past.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

At the end of last year, a notice brought to court by U.S. government prosecutors severely limited who the defense could interview regarding their clients torture and restricted independent investigations of alleged black sites overseas. Paired with long-standing restrictions on what they could ask their clients about their torture, this effectively paralyzed the defense. The dispute came to a head during combative proceedings on March 1, which happened to coincide with the 15th anniversary of the arrest of two of the accused.

Advertisement

By the end the series of hearings between Feb. 26 to March 2, the prosecutions guidance was rewritten to explicitly prohibit the defense from interviewing only those CIA affiliates directly involved in the notorious Rendition, Detention, Interrogation program. The surrounding arguments, however, opened up a Pandoras box of uncertainty and anger for defense teams who have been fighting for six years to gain access to details of their clients torture that they believe to be essential to the case.

Torture information is privileged over other classified information, other national security secrets that the United States needs to protect, James Connell III, lead counsel for accused Ammar al-Baluchi, said in a meeting with the press the day after the explosive March 1 hearing. Its only torture that gets special treatment, which I think says a lot about the priorities of the United States government.

Advertisement

According to Connell and his team, the government has gone to Orwellian lengths to blur, hide, and obfuscate any and all information regarding torture.

The government has gone to Orwellian lengths to blur, hide, and obfuscate any and all information regarding torture.

In 2012, Army judge Col. James Pohl issued an order that protected all verbal or non-documentary classified information known to an accused. He defined information to include all observations and experiences of an accused related to the RDI program. Effectively, the order barred defense attorneys from asking their clients any details about the years of their lives spent in secret CIA custody.

Advertisement

Over the years, the Black Mirrorlike provision was challenged by the defense and altered by the prosecution. But the government continued to impose other restrictions, keeping them purposefully vague. In 2013, it was found that the government had planted covert listening devices into smoke detectors in the cells where the defense attorneys met with their clients. One odd speed bump after another has stretched this pretrial across six years, with little progress.

Advertisement

This is the beauty from the governments position of having all this stuff be vague and uncertain and incomplete, said David Nevin, the Boise-based lead counsel for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

According to Nevin, the governments mercurial rules regarding what kinds of investigations are allowed makes it virtually impossible for the defense to interview witnesses or investigate the details of the RDI program that they believe could influence their clients fates. In the six years that the case has been in slow-moving pretrial, dozens of investigation inhibiting restrictions have been issued by the government and subsequently challenged by the defense. During the most recent round of hearings, Nevin actually protested the prohibition on interviewing CIA witnesses by refusing to argue for most of the week. He claimed that the conflict of interest the prohibition placed on his team made it impossible for them to participate in the proceedings in earnest.

Advertisement

Advertisement

There is no statute or case law that sets a precedent for treating prisoner memories as classified. Beyond a blatant lack of legal precedent, the concept of classifying a detainees memories presents several complex implications.

The government treats our clients statements to us as classified based on the fiction that they own our clients or that they control our clients, Nevin said.

For Connell, an experienced death penalty defense attorney, the idea threatens to create an entirely new genre of cruel and unusual punishment.

Advertisement

To classify something, the government must own it, Connell explained, Treating prisoner memories as classified is a claim that the government controls not only prisoner bodies but their minds as well. According to Connell, in a situation tainted by torture, the truth becomes whatever the torturer says it is.

Advertisement

In addition to restricting investigations and putting a veritable gag order on the accused, the comparatively few documents that the prosecution has recently released contained blurred dates and several swaths of reports entirely omitted. This makes it impossible for the defense to know if an allegedly incriminating statement was made by the client right after theyd been tortured, or if a detail was planted by an interrogator. Even the subtlest of these details can change the whole narrative.

Advertisement

Everything turns on whether or not what our clients tell us is classified, Nevin said. There is no way to piece together what actually happened in a fine grained way.

In and out of court, the members of the defense are not reticent to voice their belief that the Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions, the war crimes court in which the suspected terrorists are tried, is fundamentally illegitimate.

Advertisement

This whole system is riddled top to bottom with these kinds of trap doors Nevin said.

Transcripts for military commissions hearings are usually released within a day, but the March 1 transcripts are still nowhere to be found. Judging from the convoluted back-and-forth in court earlier this month, its no surprise. No one involved seems to be able to confidently say what was actually decided.

Serious penalties hang on interpreting these things incorrectly, Nevin said. The governments restrictions, no matter how ambiguous, put the defense at risk of criminal prosecution if they overstep.

Youre fulfilling a constitutional obligation with this sword hanging over your head, and theyre very careful to remind us frequently and repeatedly that that sword is there, Nevin added. That has a chilling effect on a persons ability to conduct an investigation.

Six years since the pretrial hearings began, and more than 15 since the accused were arrested, Connell believes that the issue of classifying human memories of ones experience in custody is still far from resolution.

Confused and tired after the arduous day in court on March 1, Nevin echoed this uncertainty. Its time to go back to the drawing board and do some careful thinking.

No trial date has been set for the 9/11 case.
On Christmas Day of 2005, Aminta Cifuentes illegally crossed into the United States to seek asylum. Cifuentes, a Guatemalan citizen, had fled her abusive husband, who beat her weekly, raped her, and once poured turpentine on her skin in an attempt to set her on fire. Cifuentes had called the police on her husband several times, but the officers told her they wouldnt interfere in a marital relationship. Her husband then threatened to kill her if she continued to call the police, or if she left him. She fled to America to save her life.

Advertisement

At first, an immigration judge denied Cifuentes asylum application. He reasoned that she had suffered from criminal acts, not persecution, and was thus eligible for deportation. In 2014, however, the Board of Immigration Appeals reversed the judge in a landmark decision that allowed victims of domestic violence to apply for asylum on the basis of their abuse.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Attorney General Jeff Sessions now appears poised to personally overturn that rule and once again prohibit women like Cifuentes from seeking refuge in America.

The story of Sessions looming assault on the rights of abused asylum-seekers begins with an ambiguity in U.S. immigration law. Under federal statute, asylum applicants may receive relief only if they can show they were persecuted because of at least one of five traits: race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. That last category has proved difficult to define, but under current board precedent, an individual qualifies if she can prove her social group shares a common immutable characteristic that can be defined with particularity and is socially distinct within the society in question. So, for instance, gay and transgender people fleeing persecution may belong to a particular social group that qualifies them for asylum.

Advertisement

Do victims of domestic violence like Cifuentes qualify as well? In 2014, the Board of Immigration Appeals said yes, spelling out its reasoning in a meticulous opinion. First, the board held that these women share two common, immutable traits: their sex (female) and marital status (unable to safely dissolve their marriage). Second, the board found that each element of this groupmarried women who cannot leave their relationshipscan be defined with particularity. It noted that not every woman in an abusive relationship may fall into this category; instead, immigration judges must ascertain womens practical ability to separate from their violent spouses. As the board explained:

Advertisement

We point out that a married womans inability to leave the relationship may be informed by societal expectations about gender and subordination, as well as legal constraints regarding divorce and separation. In this case, it is significant that the respondent sought protection from her spouses abuse and that the police refused to assist her because they would not interfere in a marital relationship.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Finally, the board found that women like Cifuentes are socially distinct because Guatemalan society perceives them as a group. It pointed to unrebutted evidence that Guatemala has a culture of machismo and family violence; that spousal rape remains a serious problem; and that Guatemalan police frequently decline to enforce domestic violence laws. Taken together, the board concluded, these factors demonstrate that married women in Guatemala who are unable to leave their relationship constitute a particular social group that qualifies for asylum. Cifuentes had shown she faced persecution in part because of her membership in this group; therefore, she would not be deported.

This precedent has not been a panacea for abused asylum-seekers. The decisions focus on marriage initially excluded some women, but in 2015 the board clarified that it was a womans domestic relationship, not legal marriage, that mattered most. Immigration judges have also occasionally ignored evidence that womens husbands have threatened to murder them. But on the whole, the decision has been an indubitable boon to asylum-seekers trapped in relationships with violent men whom the law will not restrain.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Thanks to Sessionsand an idiosyncrasy in federal lawall of that is probably about to change. When the Board of Immigration Appeals issues a precedential opinion, as it did in the case of Cifuentes, it is binding on the Department of Homeland Security. Typically, these decisions can only be overturned by a federal court, a future ruling by the board, or a new law. But a statute also authorizes the attorney general to reverse the boards cases.

Sessions is an asylum skeptic who alleged (falsely) in 2017 that the U.S. asylum system suffers rampant abuse and fraud. He has already overturned an Obama-era opinion issued by the board that guaranteed due process to asylum-seekers by allowing them to go before a judge before their case is rejected. On March 7, Sessions issued an ominous one-page order putting on hold a recent decision of the immigration appeals board and taking control of it himself. He invited parties to the case to brief him on the question of whether being a victim of private criminal activity constitutes a particular social group.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Initially, many observers assumed that the case involved a victim of gang violence. But on Monday, CNN reported that it actually centered around a woman fleeing her abusive ex-husband. The board held that the woman qualified for asylum, citing the Cifuentes precedent. There is only one plausible reason why Sessions would freeze that ruling and take the case himself: to reverse the board, vacate that precedent, and hold that domestic violence victims no longer qualify for asylum. At that point, only a federal appellate court could overrule Sessionsa long shot, as the courts must defer to his interpretation of the law.

This move would strike a devastating blow against the thousands of women and children who arrive in America each year seeking refuge from domestic abuse. It would not help to mitigate any abuse and fraud, since no one seriously claims that the Cifuentes decision led to an uptick in asylum deception. These women pose a danger to no one. There arent many citizens who would choose to turn them away. Unfortunately, one of the few Americans who doesnt feel compelled to protect them is the attorney general of the United States.
A California teacher who was a reserve officer for the local police department and trained in firearms accidentally fired a loaded gun in his classroom on Tuesday.

The teacher, who worked as a math teacher at Seaside High School in Monterey County, appeared to have been providing instruction related to public safety for another class he taught called administration of justice, according to a police statement.

Instead, the teacher fired the gun into the ceiling, and some kind of debris or fragmentation struck a 17-year-old student in the neck, police told the Monterey County Weekly. The students father told KSBW 8 that the student returned home from school with bullet fragments in his neck.

Advertisement

The Sand City police chief said the teacher had been a reserve officer for 11 years and that he was positive and professional. The officer told the Monterey County Weekly that the teacher had his last gun safety training less than a year ago.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The teacher was placed on administrative leave. It is illegal for a non-authorized person to carry a firearm in California classrooms, and the school district superintendent told the Monterey County Weekly that the teacher was not authorized by the school.

Training teachers to handle firearms has become a popular proposal among conservatives seeking alternative solutions to school shooting prevention that do not involve gun control. On Monday, the White House announced it planned to proceed with its plan to arm and train teachers across the country.

On Wednesday, students across the country planned to walk out of their classes at 10 a.m. to protest gun violence, a month after 17 people died at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The Parkland students, who have led the nationwide protest movement, have vocally opposed the idea of arming teachers.
Philadelphias newly minted district attorney, Larry Krasner, was meeting constituents in a packed church in West Philadelphia earlier this month to discuss his plans for the job. The meeting was unique in that it quickly revealed to community members what local civic leaders and officials have already learned about Krasner: He is making good on his promise to revolutionize the job of district attorney and, in the process, offering an extraordinary experiment in criminal justice reform at the municipal level that could serve as a national model.

Advertisement

In the church, queries and complaints from constituents that might have made his predecessors cringe were softballs for Krasner: a loved one has been wrongfully incarcerated? Send the case to the revamped Conviction Review Unit, a sort of in-house innocence project. How can lying officers be kept off the stand? He has staff working to verify and expand a formerly secret do not call list of 29 suspect officers. Late in the meeting, one elderly woman asked a question that cuts to the core of concerns for those who doubt Krasners reforms: What would he do about the drug dealers and users on her street that make her feel unsafe? He didnt miss a beat: The past solution was to lock [corner drug dealers] all up and that didnt work. We have to go after root cause, he says. This came after an extended riff promising to go after doctors, and pharmaceutical corporations for their role in the nations opioid crisis. Notably, his office had already initiated legal proceedings against some of those pharmaceutical companies.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Back on the campaign trail last year, Krasner, a former civil rights and criminal defense attorney who had been best known for suing police officers, offered a stump speech that condemned the criminal justice system for being racist and for criminalizing poverty and addiction. He was an unusual candidate to be the citys top law enforcer. Voters swept him into office. Now, two months into his term, DA Krasner is virtually undistinguishable from candidate Krasner.

On Tuesday, Krasner issued a memo to his staff making official a wave of new policies he had announced his attorneys last month. The memo starts: These policies are an effort to end mass incarceration and bring balance back to sentencing.

These policies are an effort to end mass incarceration and bring balance back to sentencing, Larry Krasner said in an announcement on Tuesday.

The most significant and groundbreaking reform is how he has instructed assistant district attorneys to wield their most powerful tool: plea offers. Over 90 percent of criminal cases nationwide are decided in plea bargains, a system which has been broken beyond repair by mandatory minimum sentences and standardized prosecutorial excess. In an about-face from how these transactions typically work, Krasners 300 lawyers are to start many plea offers at the low end of sentencing guidelines. For most nonviolent and nonsexual crimes, or economic crimes below a $50,000 threshold, Krasners lawyers are now to offer defendants sentences below the bottom end of the states guidelines. So, for example, if a person with no prior convictions is accused of breaking into a store at night and emptying the cash register, he would normally face up to 14 months in jail. Under Krasners paradigm, hell be offered probation. If prosecutors want to use their discretion to deviate from these guidelines, say if a person has a particularly troubling rap sheet, Krasner must personally sign off.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Its the mirror of a lot of offices saying, If you dont ask for the max youve got to get my permission,  says David Rudovsky, a prominent Philadelphia civil rights attorney. For longtime career prosecutors, this will take some getting used to. You want to be sure your assistants are actually doing it, Rudovsky says.

Advertisement

Krasners lawyers are also now to decline charges for marijuana possession, no matter the weight, effectively decriminalizing possession of the drug in the city for all nonfederal cases. Sex workers will not be charged with prostitution unless they have more than two priors, in which case theyll be diverted to a specialized court. Retail theft under $500 is no longer a misdemeanor in the eyes of Philly prosecutors, but a summary offensethe lowest possible criminal charge. And when ADAs give probation charges they are to opt for the lower end of the possible spectrum. Criminological studies show that most violations of probation occur within the first 12 months, the memo reads, Assuming that a defendant is violation free for 12 months, any remaining probation is simply excess baggage requiring unnecessary expenditure of funds for supervision. When a person does break the rules of probation, minor infractions such as missing a PO meeting are not to be punished with jail time or probation revocation, and more serious infractions are to be disciplined with no more than two years in jail.

Advertisement

Advertisement

In a move that may have less impact on the lives of defendants, but is very on-brand for Kranser, prosecutors must now calculate the amount of money a sentence would cost before recommending it to a judge, and argue why the cost is justified. He estimates that it costs $115 a day, or $42,000 a year, to incarcerate one person. So, if a prosecutor seeks a three-year sentence, she must state, on the record, that it would cost taxpayers $126,000 and explain why she thinks this cost is justified. Krasner reminds his attorneys that the cost of one year of unnecessary incarceration is in the range of the cost of one years salary for a beginning teacher, police officer, fire fighter, social worker, Assistant District Attorney, or addiction counselor.

Advertisement

Advertisement

This latest wave of reforms comes on the tail of others. Since January he has told his attorneys not to seek cash bail for 25 charges; dropped 51 marijuana charges, en masse; joined the mayor in pushing for Philadelphia to become the first U.S. city to open a safe injection site, a clinic where people can inject drugs under nurse supervision and receive addiction treatment if they choose; and hes suing 10 pharmaceutical companies, alleging their marketing methods have fueled the opioid crisis.

Advertisement

He also set the stage to undo mistakes of Philly DAs past by reviving the offices Conviction Review Unit, which is charged with re-investigating petitions of innocence. His predecessor created the unit in 2014, but until last year it had only one part-time staffer. One of Krasners first moves was to convince an attorney whose work undoing wrongful conviction is nationally acclaimed, Patricia Cummings, to move across the country, where she was head of Dallas peerless CRU, to head his unit. I cant think of another place where there is such a need to do the work, and there is such a progressive, forward-thinking person who is going to enable you to do it right, Cummings told me. Currently, her team is re-investigating about 120 cases, compared to the seven that were being re-investigated when she came into office. Cummings and Krasner also want to expand the scope of botched cases to include over-sentencing.

Advertisement

Beyond these new policies, Krasner has forged a close working relationship with the citys public defenders. We agree on so much at that top level, the chief defender, Keir Bradford-Grey, tells me. I dont see why two people that have a major impact on the system would not get together to figure out what we are doing, and where we want to be. Thats how it should work, right?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Krasners policy shopwhich has grown from one part-time staffer to three full-timemeets with the defenders policy director regularly to brainstorm systemic changes. Now in these discussions we come up with new innovative ideas to reduce incarceration but also keep the community safe. Before it was nibbling around the edges, says Mark Houldin, the public defenders policy director, comparing these meetings to similar ones under the previous administration.

Advertisement

Krasners election was consistent with Philadelphias recent mood around criminal justice. Two years ago, the city elected Mayor Jim Kenney, who Philadelphia Magazine labeled Mr. Criminal Justice Reform. Under his leadership and with the help of a multimillion-dollar grant from the MacArthur Foundation, the city has brought the jail population down by 26 percent since July 2015.

This is not to say that all the citys criminal justice players are on board with the Krasner experiment. The leader of the local Fraternal Order of Police, John McNesby, is a vocal critic. He recently warned cadets not to listen to the dangerous and despicable presentation that Krasner gave on the legal and illegal use of service firearms. McNesbys outrage seems to be about a comment Krasner made about using caution when aiming for a suspects torso and chest. (McNesby did not reply to a request for comment.) And in the courtroom, some judges have reportedly been pushing back on the more lenient offers that prosecutors have been making.

Rudovsky said this likely amounts to growing pains, comparing it to when the city council moved to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2014, making it a fine-only offense. They all objected: Police commissioner, the mayor, the DA, Rudovsky said. It was the end of the world, right? And now everyone is perfectly happy with it. I think well see that here too.
Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist whose work on black holes and cosmology vastly expanded and complicated our understanding of the universe, died at his home in Cambridge, England early Wednesday, the New York Times reports. He was 76.

Hawking was perhaps the most famous living scientist, known as much for his work bringing complicated ideas about the universe to laypeople as for his breakthroughs in physics. His 1988 book A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes offered a breezy, conversational overview of the current state of the field, covering topics as specific as The Uncertainty Principle (chapter four) and as broad as The Origin and Fate of the Universe (chapter eight). Hawking gave his own biggest discoverythat black holes can emit radiationa grand total of fourteen pages, in a chapter entitled Black Holes Aint So Black, which seems modest to the point of being glibbut then the 1974 paper in which Hawking announced his findings was titled Black Hole Explosions?, question mark very much included, so not really out of character. A Brief History of Time became a best-seller, made Hawking a household name, and introduced the search for a grand unified theory into the popular imagination.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

It also introduced Hawking himself. Diagnosed in 1963 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), he was only given a few years to live. But the disease progressed unusually slowly, and as Hawkings body failed, technology advanced in ways that allowed him to continue his work. By the time he lost his voice in 1985, computers had gotten small enough that Hawking was able to mount a speech synthesizer to his motorized wheelchair, communicating by selecting letters and words from a menu system. Errol Morris 1991 film adaptation of A Brief History of Time focused on Hawkings day-to-day life with ALS nearly as much as his theories about the universe, and the scientist became as well-known for his struggle to overcome his illness as he was for his brilliance. Hawking took full advantage of his celebrity, showing up everywhere from a British Telecom ad (later sampled by Pink Floyd) to a series of guest appearances on The Simpsons to a Comic Relief video just last year. He also weighed in on political issues: in just the past few years hes spoken out against Brexit, for the NHS, and against greed itself. In 2014, Hawkings life got the biopic treatment in The Theory of Everything, an adaptation of his first wife Jane Hawkings memoir that focused on their 30-year marriage. Hawking and Jane separated in 1990; in 1995 he married his onetime nurse Elaine Mason, divorcing her in 2006. He is survived by three children, Robert, Lucy, and Tim, who released the following statement:
Deborah Wesson Gibson, one of several women who accused Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore of sexual misconduct, announced last week that she plans to run for political office herself. Gibsons announcement came just a few months after she told the Washington Post that she had dated Moore when she was a teenager and he was a district attorney in the 1980s. Gibson, who now lives in Delray Beach, Florida, and works as a sign language interpreter, will run with no party affiliation for the Florida House of Representatives in District 89, which coincidentally includes Mar-a-Lago.* Although Gibson is now registered as a Democrat, Florida law prevents her from running on the Democratic Party line because she was registered as a Republican until recently.

Advertisement

In November, Gibson became the fourth woman to speak out about Moore, saying the two began dating after he came to speak at her high school in Etowah County, Alabama, when he was 34 and she was 17.* The allegations about Moores past behavior helped sink his Senate campaign.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Slate spoke to Gibson about her decision to run, her experience being harassed by Moores supporters, and her choice to leave the Republican Party. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Slate: What made you decide to run for office?

Deborah Wesson Gibson: I came into an awareness based on the #MeToo movement, followed by Silence Breakers, that women have not really stepped into their power or their equality in a lot of arenas, inclusive of the workplace, as well as the political arena. So one of the reasons I decided to run is that we find our voices by using our voices. And another reason that I decided to run is my family has a strong history of political involvement. I have two uncles that held public office in my home state of Alabama. One was a sheriff until he passed. And one was Etowah County circuit clerk for probably 45 years or so. And my sister is running for the Alabama Supreme Court at this time. So the idea of getting involved is almost as though, after last fall, I saw a need where, if you can have a voice, and you sit out, how is your moral compass square? Are you complicit with what you dont like if you dont try to do anything about it?

Advertisement

Advertisement

How have people responded to your announcement?

Its been tremendous so far. Ive gotten a message of support and gratitude today from Brazil, [and from] Canada. I had the thanks of a nation, and many other countries as wellsaying, Thank you for standing up to evil in the world. People said powerful things to me. And then I also had my fellow Republicans at that timeI was a registered Republican last fallsending me death threats. Well get you, well get your family, this kind of thing. Some of them were as near as an hour from here. You dont know, are they real people? Are they bots? What are the involvements of foreign agents at this point?

Advertisement

Advertisement

Youre talking about harassment from Moore supporters, which increased after photos surfaced of you working as an interpreter for Hillary Clintons campaign.

Oh, it was horrible. People said, Oh, shes a paid operative of the DNC. They did not understand that sign language interpreters serve people of any political ilk.

So do you think the harassment pushed you to become more involved in politics?

No, I think it would have pushed me away from it. Because I got death threats. I got a pretty tough beating in the social media. And one of the reasons is I own and operate a company thats fairly publicly findable. So, if you were to consider the original four women in the Washington Post storythough my story was [the] most brief and innocuous and really did not demonize Moore because I did not have that experience with himI still think I probably took one of the hardest hits from the public vitriol because I do such a public job. Its easy to find photos of me with Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton or the Republican mayor of Miami, whose swearing-in ceremony I interpreted.

Advertisement

Advertisement

So youre saying your choice to run for office is

Is in spite of the death threats and the vitriol.

And what about your experience with Roy Moore?

Well, I think that the experience with Roy Moore helped me decide to run. It made me realizelook, we have people like Trump who clearly arent qualified. People like Moore, again, clearly unqualified. So where are the bright, articulate, reasonable people, and how can I complain about it if Im not willing to jump into the arena? How is that morally square for me?

The point being, if I have a voice and can be articulate and can resonate with others and I dont do it, then am I really a person of my word? Am I really keeping my word to myself to say, Hey, we should all be involved, we should all care, and if I think that half of our government should have policymakers who are women, then I need to say, Am I capable of doing the job? And I believe that I am. And Im starting at the state level because it is new for me.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Why do you think Moore made it as far as he did?

Advertisement

Culturally, at that time, I think patriarchy was pervasive there. And partly because its coupled with the extreme fundamentalist branding of Christianity. Im a Christian, but I dont want to be affiliated with the extreme fundamentalist brand of it. I dont get it. So in that part of the country, he has a virtual cult following. And they think that the only way to be a Christian is to support him. Its very fascinating to me. I think it has to do more with the power structure of patriarchy in the area than it has to do with anything sexual, really.

What do you mean?

Advertisement

Im just saying that that part of the country has individuals who sort of dont see them separately. I want to say Alabama is a beautiful place with diversity, some brilliant people, and many progressives. Even has some moderate Republicans who think clearly.

You mentioned you were, until recently, a registered Republican.

When did you switch party affiliation?

About 10 or 11 years ago, when it seemed to me that president George W. Bush seemed inadequate, just struggling. And I loved and respected Barack Obama, and I thought, Wow, when did we get someone of that caliber to serve in public office? A Harvard attorney. Hes judicious; hes careful and intentional in his remarks and in his thoughtfulness, and he was extraordinary for our country. And Ive just been busy building a company for 11 years doing 60- to 80-hour weeks, and I didnt have time to go in and change the paperwork. But I can promise that the last five months really crystallizedyou know when people start threatening your life, you dont really align with them.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Has the response to your announcement translated into donations? Your crowdfunding page seems to be in an early stage of fundraising.

Im not able to answer that. Im new to politics, I dont know how it will go. Im sure theres an impact with the fact that I am ineligible to run as a Democrat, so I wont win a primary and get primary backing

That said, I think that I have some momentum, some name recognition, and time will tell what my next steps are along the way. I think its important that average citizens be willing to step into the arena, even if originally its a learning process. I dont feel married to any specific outcome at this point.

Advertisement

What do you mean by that?

I may win, I may not win. Its perfectly fine either way. My time, my talent, my resources, my heart for service will find an outlet, whether it is political or not.

Do you think that people will vote for you because you are a face of the #MeToo moment?

I believe that the #MeToo thing does not make a person vote one way or the other. Because 300 million people posted #MeToo in 85 languages. However, with regard to the Silence Breaker portion of fall 2017, that shows my courage in standing with another woman, believing her, listening to her, supporting her, and corroborating the pattern that [Moore] dated youngsters as a man in his early 30s with a position of specific power not only as an attorney but as an attorney whose specific office was physically located in the courthouse. Thats the building everybody knows you go to get something fixed that went wrong, so, that is itself, institutionally speaking, the wrong place for a man to work whos decided to date children when hes not one. So I think that theres a name recognition; I got a little bit of notoriety in the fall, and that has played into partially my decision, Im sure. It wouldnt be transparent for me to say otherwise. But that said, theres more to me: I intend to be substantive and issues-based, and while I already can speak fairly articulately on federal issues, I have homework to do on District 89.
On Wednesday morning, students from thousands of schools across the country staged walkouts to protest gun violence. Most participating students left their classrooms at 10 a.m. for 17 minutesa minute for each person killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, one month ago. Several wore bright safety orange clothes and accessories.

Unfortunately, a number of high schools cancelled or postponed their planned walkouts after receiving anonymous violent threats related to the protests. In Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina; Hackensack High School in Bergen County, New Jersey; D.C. Everest high school in Weston, Wisconsin; Mukwonago High School in Wisconsin; and Romeoville High School in Illinois, protests were cancelled or postponed because of threats, sometimes in instances in which the threats were found not to be credible, out of an abundance of caution. Other schoolsBradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in Bradley, Illinois, and those of Goochland County Public Schools in Virginiafound threats not credible, and the students still walked out. In one instance, Shikellamy High Schools protest in Pennsylvania was cut short because of the threat of a drive-by shooting. Clearview Regional High School and Clearview Middle School in Gloucester County, New Jersey, were closed entirely because of an anonymous threat.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Otherwise, the protests appeared to have gone off relatively smoothly. One notable exception appeared to have come from Chicago, where it seems a couple students were arrested but not detained.

Kenwood students running toward lake shore drive, which some students want to try to shut down. Cops now racing that direction too. pic.twitter.com/FYVoIv3wM1  Pete Grieve (@pete_grieve) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

A Kenwood student was handcuffed and taken away in police truck. Her name is Aminah, and shes a junior or senior. not clear exactly what she was doing, but she was with a group in the street near Lake Shore Drive.  Pete Grieve (@pete_grieve) March 14, 2018

Video of police detaining Aminah Glenn: https://t.co/8dGJT7toVB  Pete Grieve (@pete_grieve) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Another student was handcuffed but they eventually took the handcuffs off and let him go. pic.twitter.com/X96IDXLojH  Pete Grieve (@pete_grieve) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

There appear to be at least two instances in which individual students participated alone in the walkout, despite the possibility of suspension or other punishment.

Advertisement

Justin Blackman says he was the only student at his school participating in #NationalSchoolWalkout but it didn't deter him



(via @JustinIBlackman) pic.twitter.com/7YI6crQJsA  BET (@BET) March 14, 2018

Sophomore Rosa Rodriquez the only student to walk out of Sayreville HS this morning #nationalwalkout Under threat of suspension several hundred others allowed to attend gathering in school auditorium #1010wins pic.twitter.com/cgnom5e2sZ  glenn schuck (@glennschuck) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

The protests were student-led and remarkably coordinated, even among the youngest participants.

Covering a walkout this morning at an elementary school in Virginia, and the 11-year-old organizers had a press packet ready for me. pic.twitter.com/eeElhGciid  Lois Beckett (@loisbeckett) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Naomi is co-organizing a walkout at her elementary school with morning with Carter, who is also 11. Some parents have felt that were not old enough to know about it, Carter said. Like they think because were 5th graders we dont know anything about whats happening. pic.twitter.com/RSty6cH7VY  Lois Beckett (@loisbeckett) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Elementary school walkout in Alexandria, Virginia. More than 65 kids, and they are totally silent. Look at those faces. pic.twitter.com/ThyzDtyGo5  Lois Beckett (@loisbeckett) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Students nationwide got involved:

Im currently at Pioneer HS in Ann Arbor where students are flooding out of the the school for the #nationalwalkoutday protest against gun violence. Students are mtg up in riverside park at 11 for a rally w kids from other Ypsi-area schools. pic.twitter.com/0y6tnDKISB  Allie Gross (@Allie_Elisabeth) March 14, 2018

We are currently at Venice High School for #NationalWalkoutDay. It has been a peaceful event so far. pic.twitter.com/sVkAnTBEfY  Venice Police (@VenicePoliceFL) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Student walkout to protest gun violence, NYC, Lower East Side pic.twitter.com/3muU6hKyV5  Steven Mazie (@stevenmazie) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Across the street from the office: teens at Trump International Hotel & Tower, NYC, chanting: Hey, hey, NRA, how do you think we feel today? #NationalSchoolWalkout pic.twitter.com/vkAdrYskFl  Amanda Katz (@katzish) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Below is a dispatch from Coby Fein, a 9th-grader at Brooklyn Friends School and son of Slate writer Dahlia Lithwick:

Today more than 3,000 schools participated in a national walkout against gun violence. Students gathered at Borough Hall in Brooklyn at 10 a.m., demanding action from the government on gun control. I havent been feeling very hopeful, but it gave me hope to see so many kids organizing and protesting. PS Im not an actor. Im just a concerned student.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Many expressed their message in other forms of protest.

West Aurora students form the words 'Never Again' during a walkout. An estimated 2,000, out of 3,700 at the HS, are participating pic.twitter.com/QO6heGjrKD  Sarah Freishtat (@srfreish) March 14, 2018

Students at Booker T Washington High School in Atlanta talking a knee as part of the #NationalWalkoutDay protests. pic.twitter.com/bZpU8kQNjl  Jamiles Lartey (@JamilesLartey) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

A number appeared to stage die-ins to remember the students killed at Parkland and elsewhere.

Powerful: Hundreds of #Baltimore Poly students laying on ground to honor 17 victims killed in FL shooting & to push for stricter gun laws #NationalSchoolWalkout #NationalWalkoutDay #WalkoutWednesday pic.twitter.com/0pSFht6tVN  Rick Ritter (@RickRitterWJZ) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Gov Cuomo joins students in die-in after they walked out of school in Lower Manhattan. Students chant "enough is enough" about gun violence and school shootings. @wcbs880 pic.twitter.com/Wj7jn2lbzJ  Peter Haskell (@peterhaskell880) March 14, 2018

In D.C., protesting students brought their energy to the White House.

Advertisement

Metro station this morning was filled with students calling for stricter gun laws after Parkland. pic.twitter.com/dJ7ERUblyd  Travis Waldron (@Travis_Waldron) March 14, 2018

A lot of D.C. area students outside White House for gun violence walkout, with more arriving every minute, chanting enough is enough and the NRA has got to go pic.twitter.com/OIgI5yepgn  Marina Fang (@marinafang) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

RIGHT NOW: Hundreds of students protest gun violence in front of the White House, as part of nationwide walkout. pic.twitter.com/vhKGxcjiq8  Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 14, 2018

And they then took it to the U.S. Capitol.

Advertisement

After honoring the victims in Florida, thousands of students are now leaving the White House headed for the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/mfkJ5sJOCf  Ryan Hughes (@HughesWPTV) March 14, 2018

There appears to have been activism among a group of parents, as well. Heres a protest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina:

Advertisement

Advertisement

As a result, politicians in D.C. favoring gun control spoke out.

Advertisement

.@HouseDemocrats and @SenateDems getting ready to walk out in solidarity with the #NationalWalkoutDay. Were joining student advocates across the country to say #EnoughisEnough pic.twitter.com/D9erjbAA7A  Jan Schakowsky (@janschakowsky) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Schumer now on Senate floor reading the names of those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL one month ago today,  Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

In honor of the #NationalSchoolWalkout and the 17 students & teachers killed in Parkland, I'm heading to the Senate floor to read the names of victims of gun violence.  Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Students in other parts of the country also were met with solidarity. Heres the scene at the University of Virginia:

Advertisement

Chapel bells toll for each of #Parklands victims. Absolute silence in the crowd of hundreds on The Lawn @UVA . pic.twitter.com/ten4QXttEC  Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) March 14, 2018

And the movement, as a whole, found national messages of support from media companies.

Advertisement

National Walk-Out Day, so all the Viacom-owned networks went off for 17 minutes, and CNN and MSNBC went wall to wall as students across the country walked out of school to protest gun violence. pic.twitter.com/DhCdjcME74  Nick Gazerro (@nikgaz98) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, whose students started this movement, had its own moment.

WATCH: Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High stage a walk out to demand gun reform on the one-month anniversary of the shooting #NationalWalkoutDay pic.twitter.com/BheNa0mTVQ  MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

There also appeared to have been a small number of counterprotests.

Norton High School students hold protest/counterprotest for National School Walkout Day https://t.co/rDJs0PhlEC via @SWarsmithABJ pic.twitter.com/yHBhreOWB3  ohiodotcom (@ohiodotcom) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

A #NationalWalkoutDay counter protest outside Romeoville HS. School participation in #walkout cancelled due to social media threat. More coming up @WGNNews Midday. pic.twitter.com/AeJ2gjwgD9  Nancy Loo (@NancyLoo) March 14, 2018

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

#WalkoutWednesday counter protest underway at Kootenai County Fairgrounds pic.twitter.com/HAiEkEaFiL  Ryan Collingwood (@SR_Collingwood) March 14, 2018

A map posted by the Womens March Youth Empower, which prompted the walkouts, indicates the scope of the movements, with 3,136 protests planned. (Each of the dots on the map, the website notes, is not necessarily a school-sanctioned walkout and might have been marked by participating students.)

This is an updating story.
Today in Conservative Media is a daily roundup of the biggest stories in the right-wing press.

You can, at last, pour one out for Rex Tillerson; he is officially out as the first secretary of state of the Donald Trump era. Tillerson never really took to the gig and by the end appeared to maintain a low boil of disdain for his boss. It didnt look good for the former oil man when he was so visibly out of the loop on the announcement of talks with North Korea outside the White House last week. And just a few days later, here we are: Tillerson packing for Texas and CIA Director Mike Pompeo getting the nod to take over at State. The move set off a wave of analysis, some cheers, and many post-mortems in conservative media circles, with far-right siteswhich were always skeptical of Tillersons globalist and establishment tendenciesapplauding the move to install someone, well, more like Trump as Americas top diplomat.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

No matter where you look however, its hard to find a glowing appraisal of Tillersons quiet year-or-so at the State Department. Peter Van Buren sums up Tillersons tenure in a send-off at the American Conservative titled: The Pointless Secretary of State. Ouch. Tillerson will not, as some claim, be remembered as the worst secretary of state in history. He made no significant blunders or gaffes, gave away nothing to the detriment of the United States. He just didnt do much at all, Van Buren writes. For those who decried Rex Tillersons 14-month tenure as secretary of state, who wanted a more aggressive advocate in foreign affairs and more of the empty slots at Foggy Bottom filled, be careful what you wish for. Because you now have Mike Pompeo.

Advertisement

Breitbart covered Tillersons sudden departure with a post titled: Swamp Spooked. In another Rexit post, the sites Ben Kew rounded up six highlights of a short-lived tenure. For a sense of just how distinguished Tillersons tenure was at State, two of the highlights in Kews post were, ahem, Sword Dancing in Saudi Arabia and Forced to deny he called Trump a moron.  James Delingpole writes for Breitbart that Trumps prospective new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is a drastic improvement on his predecessor. Whats better about a potential Pompeo turn in Foggy Bottom? For a start, being a skeptic, Pompeo is far less likely to undermine his presidents position on energy and climate change, Delingpole writes. This is your principled, regular guy who couldnt be further removed from the sleek, smooth, plutocratic globalist and corporatist Rex Tillerson.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Jim Geraghty at National Review wonders: If youre Mike Pompeo, why would you want to be secretary of state? [O]ne cant help but wonder if in a year or so Pompeo will find himself in a similar situationtrying to offer diplomatic advice to an inherently undiplomatic president who doesnt like being told what to do, Geraghty writes. Any way you slice it, however, Pompeo is in. Jenna Lifhits at the Weekly Standard surveyed the Senates top Iran hawks on the Rex TillersonMike Pompeo changeover and found a renewed sense of confidence that Pompeos presence would place renewed pressure on negotiations to fix the Iran nuclear dealor nix it. Matt Welch sums up the new state-of-play at Reason this way: So the out-of-touch realist is out at Foggy Bottom, the partisan pro-surveillance hawk is in, and Langley is now run by an in-house torturer.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Mollie Hemingway at the Federalist writes: Media Cant Figure Out if Tillerson Proves or Disproves Their Russia Conspiracy Theory. The idea that Trump fired Tillerson because he was upset at Tillerson being too tough on Russia is delusional, Hemingway writes. The idea that Trump fired Tillerson over Russia is also a complete narrative flip from where the media were when he was nominated. Then, the nomination of Rex Tillerson to be Secretary of State was evidence for the Treasonous Collusion With Russia Conspiracy Theory!

Advertisement

Katie Pavlich at RedState also delves into the media coverage of Tillersons departure, asking: Was Rex Tillerson Really Blindsided by Trump Firing? Justin Caruso does the same at the Daily Caller, writing Reporters Are Pushing a Problematic Narrative on Tillersons Firing. Caruso takes issue with the immediate reaction from many reporters who claim that Tillerson was fired by Trump for blaming Russia for the poisoning of a spy in England. The problem with that reasoning, he points out, is that it turns out that Tillerson was actually asked to leave last Friday, according to the Washington Post, meaning he was fired before his comment on Russia.

In other news

Hillary Clinton is in India, and during a moment of sightseeing Clinton slipped on the steps of Jahaz Mahal in Mandu, in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Conservative media couldnt get enough:

 Townhall: Total Loser: Hillary Almost Tumbles Down Steps In India After Calling Half The Country DeplorablesAgain.

The Daily Caller: Hillary Clintons Long History of Having Trouble Standing Up.

 The Daily Wire: Hillary Clinton Slips Down The Stairs In India, Twice!
In Washington, D.C., where I live, finding my way around is typically as simple as mapping my route from one address to another. Elsewhere in the world, however, things arent always quite so simple, especially in outlying or undermapped locales, where roads may not have consistent names and fixed addresses are sometimes few and far between.

In an attempt to solve some of these problems, Google has introduced a new global addressing system this week that it calls Plus Codes. As the companys Indian division explained in a blog post Tuesday, This system is based on dividing the geographical surface of the Earth into tiny tiled areas, attributing a unique code to each of them. Those tiles combine a six character local code (e.g. CMXR+X6) that describes a 14 meterby14 meter square with a broader four character area code that covers a 100 kilometerby100 kilometer square (e.g. 8GC2). As the company explains elsewhere, it can also generate codes with an even greater degree of specificity, further dividing the earth up into 3 meterby3 meter units.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Google isnt the first company to attempt such a rethinking of cartographic divisions. In 2016, Slates Joshua Keating described a similar project from a British startup called What3Words that similarly sectioned the earth up into 57 trillion 3 meterby3 meter squares. Instead of complex alphanumeric codes, What3Words assigns these locations three word names such as basis.laws.slice.

The What3Words approach has a clear advantage over Googles, since even the randomest combinations of words are likely easier to recall than more abstract sequences of numbers and letters, whether or not those codes are, as Google promises, similar for [p]laces that are close to each other. Where phone numbers, for example, are simple enough to remember, the addition of letters could clearly lead to misdirection, especially if youre trying to provide a location over the phone. Indeed, Googles system seems optimized for machines rather than humans, much as the modern internet already is.

Advertisement

Nevertheless, on this front, its easy enough to imagine applications of Googles system that would improve the interface between human users and emerging technologies. Drone delivery, for example, may ultimately help route much-needed goods to out-of-the-way destinations, but directing autonomous aircraft might be difficult in some areas. While precise GPS coordinates may be easy for a robot to find in some circumstances, theyre also impractical reference points for humans filling out order forms and may not offer ideal drop-off zones. Location codes could provide a happy medium, since they should be easier to write out and may be more accessible for the craft. In other words, the codes could provide a more human-friendly way of interfacing with otherwise-alienating algorithmic calculations.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Though more consistent addressing systemsespecially in rural regionsare likely a good thing in other ways as well, there are reasons for caution here. Googles blog post notes, all thats needed [to use the codes] is Google Maps on a smartphone. For now, at least, this means those using the system are at least partially shackled to Googles own app infrastructure. While thats likely fine for ordinary civilian uses of the system, it may limit other applications.

Advertisement

Consider one of the most compelling proposed practical scenarios for the proposed system: guiding emergency services to afflicted locations. If theres a car accident on a remote road with no nearby addresses and few definite landmarks, the codes could make it easier to dispatch ambulances and other relief vehicles. To do so, however, first responders would also have to employ the same Google-based systems. In effect, that would require municipal authorities to get on board with a privately owned and operated system, potentially leading to a de facto embrace of a single companys technology.

Google may address such concerns in time. As it explains, the Plus Codes system is open-source and free. It also claims that the codes will be usable offline and can be printed as a grid on paper, posters, and signs. Still, its uptake will ultimately depend on our own willingness to reconfigure our own mental maps, committing to a system that has more to do with computerized thinking than our predigital ways of moving through the world.
A Florida man who worked at the state Department of Citrus was arrested Tuesday after allegedly using several department computers to mine virtual currencies.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that Matthew McDermott, an information technology manager at the agency that regulates Floridas citrus industry, faces felony charges of grand theft and official misconduct. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which made the arrest, said the 51-year-old was part of a cryptocurrency mining pool that split the costs and profits from the operation.

Advertisement

An internal audit earlier this year revealed that McDermott had spent $22,000 with a state credit card to buy more than 24 graphic processing units, which are needed to mine for virtual currency, including bitcoin and litecoin. The extensive computing power used over multiple devices sent the agencys utility costs skyrocketing. From October 2017 to January 2018, utility bills jumped more than 40 percent.

Just last week, the attorney general of Louisiana opened an investigation into former IT staffers for using state hardware to mine virtual currencies. And the problem isnt just domestic. Australian police are investigating two Bureau of Meteorology employees for allegedly using work computers to mine cryptocurrencies, and in February, a group of Russian scientists at a nuclear research center were arrested for the same crime.
The SEC on Wednesday charged Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and former president Ramesh Balwani with raising more than $700 million from investors through an elaborate, years-long fraud. Holmes has agreed to forfeit her majority voting control over the company, pay a $500,000 penalty, and relinquish 18.9 million shares. She will also not be allowed to serve as an officer or director of a public company for the next 10 years.

Theranos is a biotech company that promised to revolutionize the health care industry with sophisticated technology that could conduct comprehensive medical tests on blood retrieved from a pinprick to the finger. Holmes had once captured Silicon Valleys adoration as a Stanford dropout who founded the multibillion-dollar company in 2003 when she was only 19 years old. With an estimated net worth of $4.5 billion, Holmes was the worlds youngest self-made female billionaire in 2015, according to Forbes.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou later revealed in a series of investigative reports that Holmes and other Theranos executives had been exaggerating their claims about the technology, which often produced inaccurate readings. Lawsuits from investors and partners soon followed, and Holmes received a two-year ban from running a laboratory.

The SEC specifically accused Holmes and Balwani of misleading investors about Theranos technology, business, and financial performance. One of the falsehoods identified in the complaint was Holmess inaccurate claim that the Department of Defense had deployed its blood tests on the battlefield in Afghanistan. The commission further alleges that the blood analyzers could perform only a narrow range of tests, and that Theranos conducted a majority of its patient tests on modified equipment manufactured by other companies.

Jina Choi, director of the SECs San Francisco regional office, said in the press release, The Theranos story is an important lesson for Silicon Valley. Innovators who seek to revolutionize and disrupt an industry must tell investors the truth about what their technology can do today, not just what they hope it might do someday.
Kradle announces a new software package designed to help small and medium-sized businesses in any industry manage their operations.

The company touts its product as a self-managed software allowing businesses to achieve their competitive potential. Kradle gives small businesses resource planning software capabilities at an inexpensive price, at a low learning curve and with fast implementation.

As small businesses increase their digital presence with eCommerce, social media and 24/7 global availability, effectively managing their operations is getting more complicated. What Kradle aims to do is provide enterprise resource planning tool sets so small companies can obtain the same insights as large enterprises to compete and succeed.

The CEO of Kradle, Michael Haddon, said the software levels the playing field for small to medium-sized businesses. In a press release, he adds, They now have access to tools which allow them to become more efficient, productive, and profitable. This includes eliminating repetitive, manual tasks to focus on added value activities for the business.

The Kradle Software Platform

Kradle has been designed so users can build and manage data models unique to their specific needs and industry with tailored workflows. Once they have a system in place, they can analyze operational performance to gain the business insight needed to be more productive and grow.

With Kradle, you are not restricted to the number of workflow templates and pre-configured layouts which limit your flexibility and growth potential. You are in charge of the configurations you put in place with unlimited variations. And all of the data you generate is stored and maintained in the companys secure database hosted within Microsoft Azure cloud.

The Kradle modules include a database builder and manager, a business process manager, and business analytics. With these modules, you can build your own model, expose weaknesses and exploit strengths, as well as building, allocating, and managing custom tasks.

Pricing

Kradle starts its free 30-day trial without hidden fees or credit card numbers. If you want to move to the pay services, there are three tiers which are priced based on annual billing. Silver is for small businesses and it will run you $49 per month per user. Gold is for medium or growing businesses at $79 per month per user, and Platinum will address large and complex businesses for $119 per month per user.
Wartime Slovak state still divides opinion

Read more about the Slovak state, Tiso and deportation of the thousands of Jews from Slovakia in an article retrieved from our archive.

Font size: A - | A +

WHO IS responsible for the thousands of Jews deported from Slovakia to be murdered in concentration camps? Was the wartime Slovak state really as prosperous as some like to say? The Slovak public and historians are divided on such issues, even as experts note that much of the discussion is still driven by emotion rather than proper knowledge of the past.

Slovakia recently marked the 75th anniversary, on March 14, 2014, since the emergence of the first independent Slovak state that was created with the backing of Nazi Germany. That state is known to have deported some 70,000 Jews to death camps and expropriated their property, then worth billions of Slovak crowns.

Apart from the facts, however, several well-rooted myths linked to the war-time state have prevailed in Slovakia, particularly the image of an economically prosperous state, or the myth about the states president, Jozef Tiso, protecting Jews from deportations demanded by Nazi Germany, the Museum of Slovak National Uprising General Director Stanislav Micev told The Slovak Spectator.

The fact that it was the first independent Slovak state in history brings a deeply emotional component to the topic. Some focus only on certain aspects, highlighting statehood while ignoring the totalitarian regime, Ivan Kamenec from the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) noted in an interview with The Slovak Spectator.

It is not considered what this state was like, but just the fact that it existed, Kamenec said, adding that the notion of statehood is often valued much more than other factors, which is always dangerous.

If Slovaks want to cope with this part of their history they need to approach it without emotions, he added.

While looking at the wartime Slovak state or any other part of our modern history, we need to have the strength for critical self-reflection of our history, Kamenec said, and not take out all the unpleasant things and pretend that it is not our business.

Prevailing myths

Some have cited economic prosperity when defending the wartime Slovak state in the past, including former Trnava Archbishop Jan Sokol, who infamously told the TA3 news channel in late 2006 that the wartime state brought benefits.

I respect President Tiso, I respect him very much, as I remember when I was a child we were very poor, but during his time we had a high standard of living, Sokol said.

Historians, however, question the alleged prosperity of the wartime state.

Prosperity in that era is more legend than historical fact, Katarina Zavacka, a historian from the Institute of State and Law of the SAV, told The Slovak Spectator in 2009.

Some Slovaks lived in prosperity, but all the rest had a ration-ticket system, so what kind of prosperity was that? she said.

Another popular myth is that Tiso protected Jews who were supposed to be deported to Nazi camps by issuing exceptions for them, according to Micev.

However, those who spread this myth do not say from whom [Tiso was protecting Jews], Micev said. They would have to admit that it was against him [Tiso] alone.

The most popular myths are that the wartime state originated as a result of a national effort and that it was a renewal of a Slovak state that existed in medieval times during the Great Moravian Empire in the 9th century. Slovak state representatives were promoting this idea, but the truth is that the wartime state was a product of Nazi aggression, Kamenec said.

Those myths can be easily busted, but they have strong emotional roots, Kamenec said. In such cases it is a much more difficult process.

The myths are a result of inadequate knowledge of that historical period. Part of Slovak society sees only the bright side of the period of the Second World War in Slovakia, while the other part sees only the cons, and that is likely the problem. The first Slovak state should be viewed within the context of international events and depicted comprehensively in its complexity, Alena Bartlova, a researcher at SAV Institute of History, told The Slovak Spectator.

Society and teachers

Slovaks lack interest and are indifferent towards the first Slovak state, according to Micev. Moreover, little time is devoted to education about modern Slovak history, which results in poor knowledge among students, he said.

It would be great if the education system allowed teachers to devote a sufficient amount of time to this part of Slovak history so students will not learn about it only from their grandparents or political agitators, Bartlova said.

Even Kamenec admitted that history teachers at schools generally do not have enough time to teach this subject properly, and modern history should be taught even as part of other subjects like literature, he said. History teachers are not the only ones to bear the responsibility for peoples quality of knowledge about the past.

Simon Seman from the non-governmental organisation People Against Racism, however, claims that the curriculum gives enough space for teachers to devote time to the wartime Slovak state.

It depends on each history teacher, whether they stress the national-emancipation dimension of the Slovak state or whether they talk about it as a time of totality, lack of freedom and violation of human rights, Seman told The Slovak Spectator.

History textbooks should devote much more attention to the Holocaust and the underground fight against the Slovak state that culminated in the Slovak National Uprising.

Historians also split

In the same way that society is divided in its opinion on the wartime Slovak state, so are historians. Here, too, political and religious orientations are reflected, as is civic courage, according to Bartlova.

Historians need not absolutely agree upon everything; however, the important thing is to argue by using facts, Kamenec said.

It is wrong when the critical stance towards the Slovak state, the circumstances of its origin, its regime and representatives, is represented as hostile towards Slovak statehood and the idea of the state as such, Kamenec said.

Historians are divided mainly over their opinions about who is responsible for the crimes and the thousands of Jews sent to death camps, according to Kamenec, who believes that Slovaks bear some of the guilt for what their first state did to minorities under pressure from Nazi Germany.

Historians and their research, however, have no impact on the wider public, just the most intellectual spheres of society, according to Bartlova.

I presume [people] are probably worried about completely different daily life problems, Bartlova said.

Kamenec disagrees, arguing that every published book on the wartime Slovak state draws a lot of attention no matter whether it is good or bad.

No other part of modern history causes such a bipolar conflict in opinion, Kamenec said. History becomes particularly interesting when it changes to rumour.

31. Mar 2014 at 0:00 | Roman Cuprik
MP of Smer party has power-plants near Italian-run farmstead

The power plant and the farm share the same access road. Long-time Presov regional governor claims he does not know owner Diego Roda who was investigated by police in 45 cases.

Font size: A - | A +

In the work of the murdered journalist Jan Kuciak which he could not finish, an international investigative team continues. The Aktuality.sk website, the Sme, Dennik N, Novy Cas, and Hospodarske Noviny dailies, the Postoj website, the Aliancia Fair-play watchdog, the Trend weekly, TV broadcasters Markiza and JOJ, the Czech Radio, Swiss Blick, Polish Onet and German Die Welt continue. The story on Peter Chudik was brought forth by aktuality.sk, Sme and Trend.

Former Presov regional governor and current Smer MP, Peter Chudik, co-owns solar power plants in Humenne, surrounded by farmstead and land of the Italian Roda family, which is headed by Diego Roda. In Slovakia, he does business mostly in agriculture and his daughter is the wife of Antonino Vadala.

Diego Roda is directly from a Ndrangheta family, reporter of the Italian La Repubblica daily, Giuliano Foschini, who writes about mafia, told aktuality.sk.

Ndrangheta is one of the strongest criminal gangs in the world. The killed journalist Jan Kuciak described its ties to the Slovak politicians of the ruling Smer party in his last, unfinished story. He failed to analyse and include in his story the finding that Chudiks enterprises lie next to the Rodas.

Journalist Tom Nicholson told Dennik N that before the 2016 election, Vadala called on people to elect Chudik, and he called Smer our party. Later, he deleted these posts from Facebook.

He entered energy sector as governor

Chudik was regional governor since the first election of heads of self-governing regions, in 2001. Last year, he failed to be re-elected; he lost by 20,000 votes. He is still a Smer MP, though. He started an enterprise in the energy sector in January 2011 when he bought two companies with developer Frantisek Zavacky  1. FVE Humenne and 2. FVE Humenne. They own solar power plants with a total performance of two Megawatts. This is a common output of solar plants in Slovakia, but not crucial from the point of view of the energy sector. Each of the four blocks of the nuclear power plant in Mochovce has a performance of 471 Megawatts, i.e. more than 200-times bigger than these solar power-plants in Humenne.

For Chudik and Zavacky, this is no small or negligible business, however. They own one half of the plants each, and the state has guaranteed them the purchase price of electricity until 2026.

14. Mar 2018 at 10:33 | By Adam Valcek, Martina Raabova
Parliament paid tribute to murdered journalist and his fiancee

The parliament continued working, but the discussion was hindered by the absence of several MPs.

Font size: A - | A +

The 28th parliamentary session, starting on March 13, began with a one-minute moment of silence to pay tribute to the murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova.

Such crime is unacceptable in democratic society, said Deputy Speaker of Parliament Bela Bugar (Most-Hid), as quoted by the TASR newswire.

The MPs then continued working, discussing about half of its scheduled programme. However, the discussion was accompanied by several problems as the assembly hall was nearly empty after several deputies, both coalition and opposition, left the room. As a result, the deputy speakers of the parliament were forced to announce a short break several times, TASR reported.

Several ministers were also missing, like Economy Minister Peter Ziga (Smer), and Deputy PM for Investments and Informatisation, Peter Pellegrini (Smer), who was substituted by Health Minister Tomas Drucker (Smer nominee).

Some opposition MPs leave the assembly hall

Responding to the current development and political crisis, the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) claimed it would not attend the sessions until March 19, when a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Robert Fico will be held.

In addition, the party withdrew all of its proposals from current session, the MPs told the press on March 13.

Read also:

Read also: Coalition's Most-Hid wants early elections, what comes next? A quick overview Read more

SaS representatives explained that since Most-Hid is ready to support early elections or leave the coalition, the government has in fact fallen apart. The party believes early elections are the only solution to the current crisis. As a result, the parliament, in its current shape, cannot pretend to have legitimacy and adopt important amendments to the laws, explained Lucia Duris Nicholsonova, as reported by TASR.

Unlike SaS, the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) did not withdraw its proposals.

Well keep our proposals because they are important, said OLaNO MP Veronika Remisova, as quoted by TASR.

13. Mar 2018 at 22:04 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Largest employment agencies in Slovakia 2016

Not only well-known names placed in the list.

Font size: A - | A +

More information about the Slovak labour market Please see our Career & Employment Guide. This years edition was published also thanks to support from the general partner of the guide, the executive search firm - Amrop.

The ranking of the top 10 employment agencies is topped by company INDEX NOSLUS. It had the most permanent employees and published the most job offers on the Profesia job portal in 2016. Company EDYMAX SE reported the highest average sales revenues in the past three years, while company EUROTRADE  SR had the highest average net profit over the same period. Company Grafton Slovakia reported the highest number of placements in 2016. As for the quality of the recruiting process in 2016, the ranking is led by company Start Group.

We have been preparing labour market analyses as part of our annual Career and Employment Guide for 18 years already, said Jan Pallo, publisher of The Slovak Spectator. The overview of the largest players in the market should help companies, as well as individuals, get more information when seeking a job or new colleagues. The ten largest agencies employed more than 32,000 people and filled 3,519 positions for companies in 2016.

The ranking was created also thanks to the cooperation of the company Profesia. Seven criteria were evaluated which, among other things, indicate the most profitable companies or agencies, those which published the most job offers or reported the most placements.

I am glad that one among the seven criteria is also the RecruitRank Index, which is today the only tool for companies to measure the satisfaction of jobseekers with the quality of the recruiting process as well as the work of recruiters, said Ivana Molnarova, head of the job website Profesia.

The ranking does not include employment agencies for direct searches of experts or managers (executive search firms) because they use different methods for placements.

When creating the ranking, the below factors had the following weights:

- average number of permanent employees in 2016  leased employees not included (32% weight);

- total number of placements in 2016 - leased positions not included (20% weight);

- number of leased employees in 2016 - only permanent employees (10% weight);

- average sales revenue between the years 2013-2015 (10% weight);

- average net profit between the years 2013-2015 (10% weight);

- RecruitRank for 2016 (10% weight);

- number of advertised positions in 2016 on www.profesia.sk (8% weight).

The agencies that decided not to publish their details were not included in the final analysis. However, based on The Slovak Spectators calculations, they would not have any significant impact on the top placings.

More details can be found in the Career and Employment Guide 2017 yearbook published by The Slovak Spectator newspaper. It contains the results of the analysis and complete rankings, as well as other interesting information about the labour market.

27. Feb 2017 at 9:10
Croatian in Slovakia: Foreigners have a business advantage

Seven years ago, Marija Hrvatic was a business service centre employee living in a strange, new city - Bratislava. Now, shes made a business of helping foreigners.

Theres a common joke among Slovaks and Croatians that during the height of summer, Croatia is engulfed by the Slovak Sea. Thousands of Slovaks flock to Croatia during the summer, with numbers increasing steadily every year.

However, Croats traveling to Slovakia was a much less common trend when founder of internationals.sk, Marija Hrvatic, moved to Bratislava in 2010.

It wasnt my choice in the beginning. I was working for IBM in Croatia and one day they moved a lot of positions to Slovakia, recalls Marija. I came here and thought maybe I would stay here for six months, one year, and now Ive been here for seven years.

Adjusting to life as a foreigner in Bratislava was tough at first, especially since Marija was accustomed to the Mediterranean mentality of Croatians.

Croatian people are open, they immediately invite you over for a coffee. In Slovakia, it takes a lot of time to establish this connection.

Humble beginnings

Marija quickly came to the realisation that every foreigner does at some point or another: I need friends. She befriended several expats and started to organise small events for fellow foreigners. Although she enjoyed organising events and making new connections, Marija never intended to start a business.

I never even thought about it, says Marija. I started to organize events, small events at first for about twenty people,100 at most. And one day, I simply left my job at IBM and created internationals.sk.

Pilates class at internationals.sk (Source: Marija Hrvatic)

Internationals.sk has since become a popular resource for foreigners in Slovakia seeking everything from advice on how to deal with the Foreigners Police to yoga and pilates classes in English. All events are in English while some are also offered in Slovak for locals who enjoy attending internationals.sk functions as well.

Marija is often approached by companies who like her services and offer their support.

However, the business climate in Slovakia can be tough for foreigners and though people were kind to her, Marija did not receive any official help.

14. Mar 2018 at 14:00 | Anna Fay
Cabinet session: Kalinak is still interior minister

The Slovak government holding a session despite crisis has recalled the state secretary at the Transport Ministry, Viktor Stromcek.

Font size: A - | A +

Some ministers did not attend the cabinet session on March 14, but Interior Minister Robert Kalinak arrived, who announced his resignation two days earlier.

As the interior minister, he wants to finish the security agenda, said Robert Kalinak (of the ruling Smer party), as quoted by the Dennik N daily. Today, I attended my last cabinet session as deputy PM and interior minister, he told the daily, adding that he thanked everyone for proper cooperation and that everything that has a beginning must also have an end.

He has still not delivered his resignation to President Andrej Kiska as of March 14 noon.

Some of the other  incumbent  ministers have not arrived. Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak (Smer nominee), now residing in the USA as president of the UN general assembly, sent state secretary Igor Korcok as replacement, the Sme daily wrote.

Another absent minister is Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska (Most-Hid), who sent her state secretary as well - Maria Kolikova.

At the Wednesday morning session, the government recalled the state secretary at the Transport Ministry, Viktor Stromcek, who has also been the government proxy for the preparation and implementation of strategic parks. He finished in the latter position as well. The proposal for his dismissal was penned by Transport Minister Arpad Ersek (Most-Hid).

Stromcek has been mentioned in the long run as the new general manager of Smer, while the party has not confirmed it yet, according to Sme.

14. Mar 2018 at 13:33 | Compiled by Spectator staff
America takes another step toward the abyss

US President Trump fires foreign minister Tillerson to defend Moscows lies.

In another instance of the more we learn, the less we find that differentiates our corrupt governments, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been fired by President Donald Trump  apparently for agreeing with his UK allies that Russia was responsible for attempting to murder a fugitive Russian double agent and his daughter in England with a Russian-developed nerve agent.

The firing  and Trumps specious explanation of it  is the latest evidence that the Trump White House is determined to shield Vladimir Putins Kremlin from international condemnation of its atrocities. Even when the entire US-UK intelligence establishment believes that Putin is exporting terror, and is doing so brazenly, precisely to divide the Western alliance against him.

It is difficult to understand such dishonesty by the Western hemispheres most powerful democratic leader. In Slovakia, where a European drug arrest warrant has been issued for a business associate of the prime ministers girlfriend  and the prime minister is still scurrying between allies to avoid his inevitable defeat  Americas agony will seem only too familiar.

But Bratislava, for all its venal shenanigans, is not Washington, where a presidents inexplicable lunacy is eroding the alliances that hold the world together.

Rex Tillerson, remember, was chosen for the job of US foreign minister precisely because his previous gas deals with Russian state companies had promised Trump a Putin-friendly outlook. He was chosen after an anti-Putin candidate, Mitt Romney, was initially courted by Trump and then humiliatingly discarded because Moscow objected (the coup de gras was a disastrously compromising photograph of a nauseous Romney grinning beside a triumphant president over a dish of frogs legs).

Now, not even Tillerson, it seems, can satisfy Trumps need to abase his country and his presidential vows before Putin. To deny not only the evidence of murderous intent that Moscow intended should be found  along with cynical sabotage in Syria, and election-rigging in America  but also to muzzle the only verdict a country that is not Russias vassal could issue: That Putin did order these chemical attacks in England, that he meant to be discovered, and that through Trump he rejoiced in throwing sand in the eyes of the West.

In Slovakia we can at least see Ficos end written on the wall, and along with it his oligarch-friendly and gangster-indifferent government. But in Washington, corporate money and capitalist cynicism has long corroded the last defenses of a democracy that didnt have even a 1989 and an outraged public to arrest its descent.

Henceforward, a lapdog CIA director will conduct Americas foreign policy. We may find ourselves lamenting even oil-boss Tillerson, and his threadbare commitment to liberal democracy.

 Sme

14. Mar 2018 at 19:00 | Tom Nicholson
Do you know what Slovakia and Slovenia have in common?

Confusing Slovakia and Slovenia is a mistake that occurs even in top politics.

This article is based the exhibition of the Slovak National Museum, the Slovak-Slovenian Dimension. If you want to learn more, the exhibition is on display in Martin until the end of March.

During the allied bombing of the Apollo Refinery in Bratislava on June 16, 1944, one of the American jet fighters, piloted by the US Army Lieutenant Ray Wallace Allen, was hit by German anti-aircraft artillery.

Before crashing, the pilot sent a message to the radio operators that he was trying to land in Slovakia. But his message apparently came across as Slovenia, as the base then reported the pilots message came from somewhere from the Yugoslav coast and that the plane had probably fallen into the sea.

The pilot had been recorded as missing up until amateur investigators from the Aviation History Club in Slovakia found the wreckage of an aircraft and the pilots remains in Svaty Jur near Bratislava in 1990. Study of the wreckage confirmed the plane crash site was in Slovakia, clarifying the tragic story of the missing pilot.

Slovakia or Slovenia? A classic mistake

Lieutenant Ray Wallace Allens story might have been the first but definitely not the last time Slovakia and Slovenia were confused.

The only thing I know about Slovakia is what I learned first-hand from your foreign minister, who came to Texas, US President George Bush stated in 1999. Actually, the man he had met and spoken with in Texas was Janez Drnovsek, the then PM of the Slovene government.

When Slovene ex-president Milan Kucan came to visit Romania in 2002, instead of his countrys anthem, they played the Slovak anthem.

14. Mar 2018 at 19:54 | Nina Hrabovska Francelova
UPDATED: Fico is ready to resign tomorrow

There will be no early elections, Bugar has agreed with Fico on the PM's resignation. Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska ends too. Peter Pellegrini expected to be the new PM.

Even though Most-Hid originally said that they want early elections or they will leave the ruling coalition, after two days of coalition talks they have changed their minds and agreed to the fundamental reconstruction of the cabinet - with a new prime minister.

"To solve the political crisis, I am ready to offer my resignation as prime minister," Robert Fico said.

The coalition leaders have also discussed their proposal with President Andrej Kiska.

Fico listed several conditions that he wants President Kiska to fulfill: to respect and guarantee the results of the 2016 elections and the current distribution of forces in the parliament, and to respect and guarantee the coalition agrement, which means appointing the new prime minister that Smer will propose. He did not specify who it would be. The Sme daily wrote it will be Peter Pellegrini.

Bugar appreciates the decision of Fico.

"We believe it can calm the situation," Bugar said. "New government, new responsibility, and we will continue what we started two years ago,"

Fico has accused the opposition and the media of abusing the murder of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova for political fight. He said he was concerned that elections in an atmosphere like today would be accompanied by chaos and lack of stability.

"Slovakia is in a good condition, which is also a merit of the work of the current government," Fico said, adding he saw no reason to hand power over to the opposition, whom he labelled the "political big mouths". The coalition, the government, and the parliament are functioning, Fico stressed.

Fico remains the chairman of Smer.

SNS leader Andrej Danko called on young people who are organising demonstrations to put their energy into the political fight; he stressed that the prime minister has been in politics for 30 years.

"I believe this step will allow us to continue spreading the good name of Slovakia," Danko said.

Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska in her official statement agreed with the decision of the Most-Hid leadership, but announced that she will not be part of the future government.

14. Mar 2018 at 19:39 | Michaela Terenzani
Cocaine hidden in fruit

Suspected Ndrangheta member, Vadala, may have used farms to cover drug trafficking.

On Tuesday, March 13, the police detained the Trebisov-based entrepreneur Antonino Vadala, aged 42, as part of a secret international drug-busting operation.

The raid, about which even top Slovak police officials did not know until the very last moment, is the result of a three-year investigation into the Italian mafia syndicate Ndrangheta.

Italian detectives suspect them of money laundering and of having smuggled hundreds of kilograms of drugs.

Vadala was detained on the morning of Tuesday, March 13 in Michalovce. The suspicion that Vadala is involved in cocaine smuggling was mentioned in three sentences in the last story of murdered journalist Jan Kuciak.

400 kilograms of cocaine worth 30 million were detained by Italian police in December 2015 in a supply of exotic fruits. It seems Vadala also helped with smuggling it, according to investigators.

Drug smuggling, money laundering

Recently, the court in Venice, Italy, issued a European warrant for Vadala and 16 other members of the alleged smuggling gang.

Andrea Predajnova, spokesperson for the Slovak Prosecutors Office, explained that in Italy he is being prosecuted for a drug crime while a member of a criminal gang as part of a multinational operation. She did not elaborate in detail. Vadala is the only member of the alleged gang detained in Slovakia. The remaining suspects were detained by Italian police; 11  including Vadala  are in custody while six are under home confinement.

14. Mar 2018 at 21:10 | By Adam Valcek, Daniel Hotka
Fico: There is no mafia in eastern Slovakia

The EP delegation voiced concerns over the trust of institutions, mafia ties with Slovakias representatives, and unfriendliness towards journalists.

The EP delegation visited the house of murdered journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova in Velka Maca. (Source: Courtesy of the European Parliament)

Font size: A - | A +

A high distrust in institutions, concerns over the involvement of mafia and the presence of organised crime in the country and politicians creating an atmosphere against journalists are among the key findings of the European Parliaments delegation, which visited Slovakia on March 8-9.

Following the meetings with the president, the government members, law enforcement agencies, journalists and the representatives of non-governmental organisations, the six-member committee drafted a report published on March 14.

The delegation came to look into the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, as well as the allegations on misusing the subsidies on agriculture raised by Kuciak.

We saw a deeply divided country in a difficult situation, Ingeborg Grassle of the European Peoples Party (EPP), chair of the EP Committee on Budgetary Control and co-chair of the delegation, told journalists on March 9.

Kalinak: Mafiosi do not show signs of organised crime

The report also contains details from meetings with the government members, law enforcement bodies, non-governmental media and journalists.

The meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fico started with him defending the work of the police, claiming that Slovakia is in the process of the most massive investigation of its history and that the cooperation stretches out to FBI, Europol, Italian and Czech police forces and will be further expanded if necessary.

Read also:

Read also: EP delegation: Slovak authorities have trust issues Read more

The members of the delegation asked a series of questions, covering the suspicion of mafia activities in eastern Slovakia, the organisation of the investigation into the killings, the absence of protection of the murdered journalist despite his request, and the allegations that the mafia had infiltrated the Prime Ministers office most notably through his assistant.

Mr. Fico replied that the very idea the Mafia might have an interest in eastern Slovakia is absurd because there is nothing out there, but he admitted that the possibility to buy agricultural land and to take direct payments under the agricultural policy might be interesting for some, the report reads. He raised the question whether it is right to take subsidies for non-cultivated land which might give ground for speculation.

Outgoing Interior Minister Robert Kalinak pointed out that Slovakia was not mentioned at all in a comprehensive report of 2013 describing the attitudes of the Mafia all over Europe.

If there are Mafiosi in Slovakia, they do not show signs of organised crime, Kalinak said, as quoted in the report. The four families which are quoted as having ties with the Ndrangheta know people of the Italian Mafia, but there is no proof that they are part of the Mafia. Also, there has been some confusion around persons having the same name, but different birthdates.

As for his assistant Maria Troskova, Fico said that he is not responsible for what she did before she joined his cabinet and that she stepped down temporarily.

The prime minister attacked Kiska again

Fico further criticised President Andrej Kiska who without caring of the motives of the murder, is calling for early elections and the downfall of government. He also repeated his claim that Kiska met with businessman George Soros in New York in September 2017, and questioning this is meeting is very legitimate.

Read also:

Read also: Murder investigation: What are the powers of foreign investigators in Slovakia? Read more

Connecting with the demonstrations announced for the following day, he mentioned that the organising NGOs received thousands of euros last year, the report reads. He continued that Slovakia is not known for violent demonstrations, but that he fears that the protesters will want to invade the Prime Ministers office and that he will be confronted with the very serious question of asking the police to interfere or to let them break it down. He suspects that the protesters are looking for raids and injuries, stating that his information from the police is that the demonstrations will be bloody.

Fico did not abstain from expressing outspoken anger for President Kiska, because the political struggle between the government and the opposition should take place in parliament, not in the streets, according to the report.

Departing from the description that Slovakia is a parliamentary democracy with a strong parliament and a weak president, he considers the president irresponsible to step out of his constitutional role, the report reads.

MEPs discuss investigation and Kuciaks revelations

https://multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/en/01-ep-plenary-session---protection-of-investigative-journalists-in-europe-the-case-of-slovak-journalist-jn-kuciak-and-martina-kunrov---first-round-of-political-group-leaders-1617---1635_I152278_01-V_rv?p_p_state=pop_up&lang=en

Meanwhile, MEPs discussed the double murder and the protection of journalists in Europe at their March 14 plenary session. The main message was that Europol should be fully involved in investigating the murders and the EU should better protect its journalists and whistleblowers.

We need better legal protection of journalists and their sources, we should protest the personal data of investigative journalists, and take measures against intimidating the journalists, said Benedek Javor, Hungarian MEP who represents the Group of the Greens.

As for the investigation, Czech MEP Stanislav Polcak (EPP) said that one of the victims mothers voiced concerns over the investigation. Moreover, with his statements, Fico stays in the east and his statements might legitimise these attacks, he added.Plenary also discussed Kuciaks revelations in his last article, published posthumously, about the alleged misuse of EU funds in Slovakia and potential links between organised crime groups and Slovak politicians.

Javor asked how it is possible that the crimes concerning the EU subsidies have been happening for years without the EU institutions being able to uncover them, while the journalists revealed them in a few weeks.

At the same time, Slovak MEPs for the ruling Smer party were defending Slovakia, saying it should not be described as a country where Mafia groups are active.

I live in eastern Slovakia and can guarantee you there is no Mafia in eastern Slovakia, Smolkova said during the discussion and invited the MEPs to come.

Slovak MEP Ivan Stefanec (who represents the European Peoples Party in the EP) proposed to name the internship of journalists in EP after Kuciak.

14. Mar 2018 at 23:41 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Poll: Most Slovaks dont trust Fico

Another poll suggests that the current coalition would fail to reach the majority in parliament, with Smer reporting the weakest result over a long period.

Trust in Prime Minister Robert Fico has dropped significantly after the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, Martina Kusnirova and the subsequent protests held under the title For a Decent Slovakia.

Up to 62.2 percent of voters do not trust him and say he should step down, according to the poll carried out by the Focus agency for the Dennik N daily.

Only 11.8 percent of respondents said they still trust Fico, while 18.8 percent think he should remain a prime minister, though their trust is not as high.

It is clear that the events of the past two weeks have a significant impact on Robert Ficos trustworthiness, said Focus head Martin Slosiarik, as quoted by Dennik N.

Read also:

Read also: UPDATED: Fico is ready to resign tomorrow Read more

Distrust in Fico was high before, but the poll only confirmed nothing has changed. When merging these two groups, the number of people who do not trust the prime minister or are losing trust in him amounts to as much as 80 percent, he added.

Voters of coalition parties want Fico out

The poll also showed that 43 percent of respondents want the current government to step down and call for early elections. As much as 35.5 percent of respondents want a fundamental reorganisation of the cabinet, while only 13.3 percent want the government in its current form.

The only voters who do not wish Fico to leave are Smer supporters. They amount to only 3 percent.

One-third of Smer supporters want Fico to stay in his post, though their trust in him has dropped. Only six of 10 Smer voters still have the same level of trust for Fico.

At the same time, a big portion of other coalition parties voters want Fico to leave. In the case of Most-Hid, it is seven of 10 voters, while in the Slovak National Party (SNS) it is more than 60 percent of respondents, Dennik N wrote.

Regarding the opposition parties, the distrust is as high as 80-90 percent. Only eight of 10 right-wing voters want Fico to stay in his post, while in the case of centre voters, it is more than 60 percent and every fourth voter among left-wing voters .

Only 61 seats for the coalition

If the parliamentary election took place in early March, the ruling coalition would only occupy 61 seats.

(Source: Sme)

The elections would be won by Smer, supported by 20.2 percent of the vote. It would receive 35 mandates, suggests the Focus poll carried out between March 3 and 13 on 1,012 respondents. It is the weakest result for Smer over a long period. In the January Focus poll it received 25.5 percent, the Sme daily wrote.

Another eight parties would make it to parliament. SaS would receive 14 percent of the vote (24 seats), OLaNO 10.4 percent (18 seats), Sme Rodina of Boris Kollar 10.4 percent (18 seats), Kotleba - Peoples Party Our Slovakia 10.1 percent (17 seats), SNS 10 percent (17 seats), the Christian Democratic Movement 7 percent (12 seats), and Most-Hid 5.6 percent (nine seats).

The current coalition would have 61 mandates in the new parliament, while the opposition, with the exception of the far-right, would have 72, Sme wrote.

14. Mar 2018 at 22:24 | Compiled by Spectator staff
Slovak patients unhappy with hotel services in hospitals

In a chart compiled by the Dovera private insurer, thousands of patients ranked the best and worst health facilities in Slovakia.

Font size: A - | A +

Based on questionnaires filled out by more than 6,300 patients who had been treated in one of the Slovak hospitals last year, the private health insurance company Dovera compiled a chart of top medical facilities for the twelfth time.

As usual, the overall levels of nursing care, and informing of patients ranked the highest, CEO of Dovera Martin Kultan said, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

On the other end of chart, satisfactions with so-called hotel services. i.e. with meals, accommodation and cleaning, was the lowest.

None of the patients polled evaluated the expertise of doctors or the treatment methods used, Kultan explained for SITA. But anyone can asses the quality of accommodation, approach of the staff, and their condition after being released from hospital. Subjective satisfaction of patients is one of crucial indeces which we consider when concluding contracts with medical facilities.

Patients evaluated hospitals by ranking them from one (the best) to five (the worst).

Who won in Dovera poll

In the category of teaching hospitals, the winner is Childrens Teaching Hospital with Policlinic in Banska Bystrica. In the category of general hospitals, St Michaels hospital in Bratislava won, the newswire wrote on March 13.The general hospital in Nove Zamky and the Teaching Hospital in Nitra hand the lowest rankings.

As for regions, Bratislava and Presov were evaluated the best, while Nitra and Trnava were the worst, as assessed by Dovera patients. (Slovakia has three health insurers, two private and a state-owned one, ed. note.)

INEKO has different results

The INEKO think-tank (Institute for Economic and Social Reforms, and NGO), which annually evaluates Slovak hospitals, has come to different conclusions, however. The Nitra Teaching Hospital, which scored poorly on the Dovera survey, was evaluated as the second best by INEKO.

We consider the last four years, data from all four health insurers, and four categories of indeces: patient satisfaction, quality of medical care, management and transparency, Dusan ZACHAR, an INEKO analyst, told the Radio Slovensko public-service Radio. Thus, we have different criteria. The patients satisfaction, evaluated now by Dovera, makes up 20 percent in our chart, he told the radio on March 13.

As for specialised institutes, the Oncology Institute of St Elizabeth won, and in the category other hospitals, TETIS (a specialised childrens rehabilitation hospital) took the top position, while among spas, Nimnica spa, Natural Iodine Spa Ciz and Lucky spa were ranked at the top, while the Stos, Vysne Ruzbachy and Sliac spas were evaluated as the worst by 3,000 respondents.

In the INEKO chart, The Military Hospital in Ruzomberok, Teaching Hospital Nitra and F.N. Roosevelt Hospital in Banska Bystrica ranked the best, while The Lubovna Hospital, private hospital in Kosice-Saca, and the hospital in Poprad were evaluated as the worst.

Both complete charts can be found on the due websites.

14. Mar 2018 at 22:35 | Compiled by Spectator staff
What would happen if the artists Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg had retained 10 percent equity in the artwork sold in the start-up phase of their careers? This question is the focus of a new study from Amy Whitaker, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development in partnership with Roman Kraussl, University of Luxembourg introducing a novel investment framework to reflect the artists role as an early stage investor in their own work.

The study finds that artists can reap significant financial rewards from holding an equity stake in their artworkcompared with investing the equivalent dollar amount in the S&P 500and is among the first to quantitatively test a retained equity model using first-sale prices alongside auction results.

The fractional equity model represents a necessary structural correction to how we view artists. Art is currently priced and not valued; the market doesnt account for initial economic risk or investment by the artist. Artists, like any early investor, should have exposure to the upside they helped to create, said Amy Whitaker, an assistant professor of visual arts management in NYU Steinhardts Department of Art and Art Professions, and the studys lead author.

The study combines publically available auction data with private sales information to analyze the returns on retained equity for ten Rauschenberg works and nine Johns works sold via the Leo Castelli Gallery between 1958 and 1963. The data show that Rauschenbergs portfolio would have generated returns 2.8 to 140.8 times greater than an equivalent investment in the S&P 500, with Johns portfolio outperforming the market by a factor of 24.9 to 986.8.

For instance, a 10% equity stake in Rauschenbergs work Statesold in 1959 for $300would have become $44,000 in the art market. The same $30 investment in the S&P 500 would have returned $2,417 over the same time period.

Whitaker acknowledges the results are buoyed by the meteoric success of the artists in the study, but indicated the outsize returns show why shared value matters. Its necessary to have a conversation about artists being modeled as investors, whether they become as successful as Johns and Rauschenberg or not. This study shows you the maximum possible return to the artist and therefore articulates why structural intervention in markets for creative work deserves serious consideration, Whitaker said.

The study extrapolates that modeling equity portfolios for artists will also introduce a secondary market for sharesindependent of the sale of the artwork itselfand facilitate a system of fractional ownership. Fractional ownership allows for more democratic investment in art markets, as collectors can diversify their portfolios without the need to purchase whole works, and artists can sell shares to fund future projects. Whitaker advocates the use of blockchain technologyan open and distributed ledger securely recording and verifying transaction datafor the management of fractional shares.

The whole idea of fractional ownership is really one about shared creation of value. Artists equity shares remind uscontrary to the myths of creative genius and the related archetype of the starving artistof how many different actors there are in the creation of value in art markets, including gallery owners, collectors, and artists. It makes sense that were exploring this now because the technology is really there. Specifically, the blockchain, but there are also other technologies that would allow us to manage fractional equity in ways that dont have onerously high transaction costs, said Whitaker.

The current system of resale royaltieswhere artists are paid a percentage of the increase in value when a work is soldare often criticized for bureaucracy, costliness, and poor enforcement, but Whitaker says emergent technologies can mitigate these issues.

The study also offers wider implications for other creative fields in which early-stage work is difficult to value.

The system can generalize the ways we compensate early stage creative work in any field. This is good for individual workers and reorients the way we look at growth in the economy overall, said Whitaker.

In addition to Whitaker, the study Democratizing Art Markets: Fractional Ownership and the Securitization of Art was co-authored with Roman Kraussl from the Luxembourg School of Finance at the University of Luxembourg.
1. Yes. Several other districts factor them in. It would provide a more complete picture.

2. Yes. Theyre not as accurate, but they can be useful in spotting a trend in infections.

3. No. The district is keeping tabs on those numbers, so the public doesnt need to.

4. No. As long as the public health district is aware of those stats, thats all that matters.

5. Unsure. The district isnt obligated to include them, but it might be helpful.

Vote

View Results
The largest alcoholic beverage manufacturer in Vietnam has been held accountable for issues concerning its distribution of profits and generation of significant financial losses after using the government budget to invest in various domestic businesses.

The State Audit Office of Vietnam, the organ examining the use of public finance and property, has submitted a report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, in which it mentioned the ineffectiveness in investment by Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation, otherwise known as Sabeco, which is partially owned by the government.

The auditing administration said that Sabeco used the state capital in 2016 but is incurring a loss at the present.

Therefore, the firm has had to make a VND444.7 billion (US$19.5 million) worth of provision offset any potential losses.

This amount of expenditure accounts for 77.8 percent of the value of investments originally used.

Most of the corporations ventures are in banking and stocks, which are remotely related to its core field, beverage production.

The three largest investment projects of VND154.1 billion ($6.8 million), VND126.8 billion ($5.6 million) and VND39.3 billion ($1.7 million), respectively, went to Orient Commercial Bank, DongA Bank, and PVI Saigon  an insurance business. 20

Sabeco has been discovered making a loss investing over VND20.8 billion ($913,000) in Vinashin, a state-owned shipping building enterprise whose name was recently sullied with infamous illicit practices by its former leaders.

The auditing administration proposed conducting an investigation into causes for the investment losses and people to blame for the situation at Sabeco.

It also required the Ministry of Industry and Trade to point out who amongst the ministrys personnel failed to ensure that the beer giants dividends  profits for shareholders  accumulated from 2016 backwards were distributed to the government, the major owner of nearly 90 percent of the companys shares back to the end of the year.

The auditing body said the government should have received VND2.5 trillion ($110 million) in dividends.

It wanted to ascertain who stood behind the excessive reward to the companys chief executive officer, general director, head of control and chief accountant in fiscal 2015.

The officials were collectively paid more than VND15 billion ($659,000), which is VND12.7 billion ($527,000) higher than the allowed level.

Sabeco, with the catchphrase Vietnams pride, used to be a business nearly completely owned by the government before a Thai magnate bought more than half of its shares in December 2017.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Ive never been beaten up in a restaurant with a selfie stick but I guess theres a first time for everything.

Vietnameses reactions to situations they object to can be fascinating; particularly when it turns violent in a ridiculous manner. Recently reported incidents of a customer beaten up in a restaurant for writing an imagined but unproven negative review of the place while still in the eatery and a handful of locals attacking the police over a daytime karaoke party noise complaint might give you the impression that life is slightly bonkers here.

Indeed, the Vietnamese may go down in history as the first nationality to use selfie sticks as weapons in a commercial food outlet.

My introduction to this almost comical silent movie form of fracas occurred less than an hour after getting off the plane on my first visit to Vietnam in 2006. Two gaudily dressed nouveau rich middle-aged Vietnamese women were fighting over who got the taxi, screaming at the taxi driver to throw their pile of flashy luggage in the cab. He leaned against the drivers door like a weary war veteran waiting for them to sort it out. Suddenly one of the otherwise sophisticated ladies threw a slap and it turned into a UFC match. Add to the mind-boggling scene terrified airport security guys unwilling to intervene in a catfight, and I couldnt stop laughing all the way to the hotel.

Less than two weeks later, freshly arriving in Hoi An, I joined a local crowd watching two street vendors (lovely street stalls with miniature chairs and beach umbrellas) arguing over who stole a customer from the other. Id never before witnessed kitchen equipment being hurled four meters across the street with the venomousness of a jilted woman. Fortunately, no pots or pans were harmed during the incident and the green bombers calmed them down after half an hour of keeping them apart.

What was it, I wondered, about the Vietnamese that they can seem so peaceful and basically self-regulating and yet go completely off the handle when a dispute arises?

Confucian values teach the Vietnamese to restrain their feelings in public for the benefit of social stability and keeping the peace. Thats a lot of stress bottled up inside and it does spill over during drink-sessions, someone stealing anothers business space in a market or beach stall, traffic foul-ups and domestic pressures. When they snap  its spectacular.

In the case of the restaurant violence incident, the current state of affairs is the eatery is suspended from business whereas from a Western perspective, wed expect the place to be closed permanently as a strict warning not to tarnish Vietnams reputation as a tourist destination  a billion-dollar industry that has to be protected for the economys sake.

As for the daytime karaoke party, attacking the authorities for trying to impose some reasonable restrictions on noise pollution was unnecessary. I hope they get a big penalty as everyone, locals and foreigners suffer from the mind-bogglingly stressful and annoying noise intrusions that are arrogant, selfish and inconsiderate.

So what to do when things get ugly? Firstly, get the hell out of there. Vietnamese conflicts attract crowds quickly which soon become judge, jury and executioner. Vietnamese are aware of the power of social media so taking photos as evidence should be done at a distance and with some caution. Any physical violence should be reported to the police asap and if a hospital visit is needed, get a doctors report if possible. Dont be discouraged by police dis-interest  there are just as many good police officers as bad.

If its a case of verbal abuse, poor service and so on, take the time to calm down and think out what to do. If you live here, your landlord and local Peoples Committees are the people to talk to. Getting the Vietnamese to talk to each other is often effective enough as they become aware that other locals know what is going on and thats embarrassing.

Finally, some incidents just have to be written off as unsolvable or unresolvable. Your ability to move on quickly from bad problems does impress the locals and youll find many supportive locals if you remain calm. Thats one of the lovely aspects of the Vietnamese people.

But if all else fails, Im running selfie stick self-defense classes in the evenings. Bookings are essential!

Peace, man
An English center in Vietnam that offers expensive IELTS courses coming with 'a guaranteed band score' is in hot water for failing to deliver on its promise.

Many parents who have signed their children up for such 'full-package' courses are now facing difficulties in claiming a refund.

The Reliable English School (RES), which has over 20 locations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, advertises itself as "the best IELTS training center in Vietnam, according to a description on its official Facebook page.

It claims to have trained "two out of Vietnam's only three people ever to have achieved band 9.0 in IELTS.

With such a seemingly credible profile, RES has been successful in convincing many parents to enter into legally binding contracts, which guarantee that their children would achieve a certain IELTS score after a number of courses in return for all tuition fees being paid in advance.

High hopes

H., a parent in Ho Chi Minh City, said he knew of RES when the English center organized a contest in early 2017 at an elementary school where his younger child, who is in fourth grade, attends.

Convinced by the center's credibility, H. signed two contracts for his two children valued at over VND100 million (US$4,410) and VND60 million ($2,640) respectively.

According to the former contract, his older child would attend 16 courses at RES over five years, after which the child would be guaranteed to achieve an IELTS band score of 7.0.

"I paid for all the tuition fees on the spot," H. said.

Another parent, T., told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper he had also paid over VND123 million ($5,420) for his child to study at RES in five years with a guaranteed band score of 6.5.

"I also spread good words about the course package to many of my friends," T. said.

Disappointment

It was only after having signed contracts with RES that the hopeful parents experienced the less charming side of the English center.

"It took three months after signing the contract for the center to sort my child into a course, which was also the only one until now," H. said.

"The kids were only handed one worksheet to do in each of the first few classes. The center also went back on its commitment to use only native teachers, which was part of the contract," he added.

According to H., he had voiced his complaints to RES on multiple occasions but things have not improved.

"With such progress and teaching method, how is my child supposed to achieve the desired score like the center has promised?" said T., who is in a similar situation.

In a recent meeting with H. and T., a RES manager apologized for the reported shortcomings but reassured that everything was on course and that the contracts would not be violated.

However, the manager refused to terminate the contracts as the parents demanded, explaining that he did not have the authority to perform the action.

Since then, further attempts to book an appointment with the RES manager have been unsuccessful.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Four Indian women have set foot in Vietnam during a motorbike trip starting off in their home country which has taken them through several South Asian nations.

The four-member team includes Jai Bharathi, 36, the leader; Piya Bahadur, 42; Susan Shanti, 35; and Shilpa Balakrishnan, 44.

The bikers reached the Na Meo border gate in Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam, on March 10.

They have spent 30 days covering a route of around 7,200 kilometers traversing India, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos before arriving in Vietnam, where they plan to stay for a week.

The bikers itinerary with a 17,000-kilometer route. Photo courtesy of the bikers

Their purpose is to visit 19 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in these countries while promoting the image of Indias 35 UNESCO sites.

The quartet traveled to two of Vietnams UNESCO heritage locations of the Trang An Landscape Complex in Ninh Binh Province  an eastern neighbor of Thanh Hoa Province  and Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, two days after their arrival.

The women had a positive impression of Vietnam at first sight.

Right at the border gate, I saw some Vietnamese people. They greeted and said Hi, welcome to Vietnam!' said Shilpa Balakrishnan.

At a small market not too far from the border crossing, lots of hands waved at us along the roadside. Theyre really friendly and lovely, she continued.

The bikers pose for a photo at the Na Meo border gate. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The greatest difficulty for a woman to ride long distances involves health, she said.

During this trip, weve run on lots of roads, and crossed many rivers. The weather was very fickle, one minute its hot, another its cold. Its hard for the body to adapt, she added.

Thats why weve tried to stay as healthy as possible. Thats one of the ways to make us stronger."

Another member, Jai Bharathi, said the team started gearing up for the international journey in July 2017, and has encountered few road problems.

She hoped their ride underlines opportunities for safe tourism for Indian women, commenting that a number of locals were surprised to know that all the bikers are female.

Piya Bahadur offered a piece of advice for would-be globetrotters that careful preparations should be made on international driving licenses, the itinerary, and papers of vehicle ownership, for different countries have their own requirements and procedures.

A member of noteworthy family backgrounds is Piya Bahadur, who is the mother of two children, and a daughter of Naresh Bahadur, a veteran biker on an odyssey from Bombay to Paris with his six partners back in 1979.

Piya Bahadur, from the quartet, stands by her motorbike. Photo: Tuoi Tre

She wishes to inherit the legacy of the long-distance expedition bequeathed by her father.

The four women had a talk with the Indian Embassy in Vietnam.

Jai Bharathi gives a gift to a representative of the India Embassy in Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The bikers at the Indian Cultural Center in Hanoi. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Their next destinations in Vietnam are southward, including Vinh City in Nghe An Province; Thua Thien-Hue Province, where royal citadels and premises are located; Quang Nam, with an area called My Son where extant Hindu temples sit; and Kom Tum Province, in the Central Highlands.

A different quartet of Indian women, Biking Queens, also visited Vietnam in July 2016 in their 10-country trip to spread the message of woman empowerment and education.

The bikers in Houaphan, Laos. Photo courtesy of the bikers

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
On 8 March 2018, the United States government announced that US President Donald Trump had agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at a place and time to be determined. The media seem to agree that there are two possible places in which this surprising event could take place: the Korean Demilitarized Zone or Beijing.

The location of the meeting is highly symbolic and could therefore be a valuable strategic move for both parties. Hanoi is an ideal choice, satisfying three criteria that are important to a successful outcome: it demonstrates serious interest in making fundamental improvements to USNorth Korea relations, it sends a powerful symbolic message to the world community in a place where the Vietnam and the United States have reconciled past grievances, and it points to the preparatory steps that North Korea needs to make to join the world community.

By choosing Hanoi as the meetings venue, both parties would demonstrate that they are serious about making fundamental changes in their policy toward one another. Hanoi as a city reflects how, in only one generation, diplomatic relations can be transformed from hostile to collaborative and mutually supportive. During the VietnamAmerican war, and even before the launch of the 1986 economic reforms, Hanoi was a centre of resentment and suspicion against the United States. By contrast, Americans now enjoy a welcoming environment in Hanoi, which has become a buzzing hub of economic exchange, tourism, and cultural interaction.

The lifting of the US trade embargo in 1994 and the normalisation of relations with the United States in 1995 have had a transformative effect on Vietnams economy and development. Vietnam is now one of the fastest growing countries in the world, having emerged from a position of isolation and impoverishment in the 1980s to become an open and vibrant economy. Vietnams exports increased more 200 times between 1986 and 2016. They reached US$213 billion in 2017, 80 per cent of which are manufactured goods and a significant proportion destined for the US market. Furthermore, Vietnam has far surpassed many large economies in the region, including Indonesia and the Philippines, on the total value of manufactured exports.

Both Vietnam and the United States consider their partnership strategic and have made vigorous efforts to deepen it. The historic visit of the US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to Da Nang in March 2018 is a remarkable example of that commitment. During the war, US aircraft carriers travelled to Vietnam to support bombing missions. Today, their visit is a welcome symbol of friendship.

By holding the summit in Hanoi, the United States and North Korea would send a powerful signal to the international community about the approach they intend in improving relations: forward looking, practical and absent external political intervention. Vietnam is a relevant example for North Korea to consider in adopting strategies to normalise relations with the United States and to promote its own economic reforms.

Hanoi is an ideal choice as the United States and North Korea consider the next steps in turning the summit into substantive progress. South Korea, as one of the largest and most committed investors in Vietnam, can showcase its capabilities to enable North Korea to prosper through diplomatic normalisation, economic modernisation and global integration. As of December 2017, South Koreas total foreign direct investment in Vietnam amounted to US$57.7 billion. Investment from Samsung and LG, which combined exported nearly US$50 billion worth of electronics products made in Vietnam, have enabled the country to achieve rapid export growth and turn its trade balance from deficit to surplus. If North Korea shows a genuine desire for reconciliation, it can be expected that South Korea will be ready to help its neighbour to succeed.

Holding a USNorth Korea summit in Hanoi is an opportunity to make history and advance diplomatic goals in a place with a similar history of its own. If it chooses to adopt reforms and pursue trade openness, North Korea could soon become one of the most attractive emerging-economy investment destinations and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Through its own recent experience, Vietnam can offer North Korean policymakers advice about how to transition from an isolated and command-based economy to a globally integrated and market-driven economy. This change is unlikely to be easy, but now is a rare window of opportunity to re-imagine what an open and prosperous North Korea could look like, and how it can be achieved.

All ideas should be on the table, including a summit hosted by Hanoi.
Read what is in the news today, March 14!

Politics

-- On this day 30 years ago, China conducted a military offensive to invade Vietnams Gac Ma (Johnson South), Co Lin (Collins) and Len Dao (Lansdowne) Reefs in the Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands of the East Vietnam Sea, killing 64 Vietnamese naval soldiers.

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc during his official visit to New Zealand on Tuesday expressed his strong belief that the countries would soon upgrade their relations from comprehensive partners to strategic partners.

Society

-- Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly is mulling over a comprehensive revision of the countrys law on higher education, including the amendment of over half of the laws existing articles and the addition of two new ones.

-- Nine former Hanoi officials charged with construction violations that led to repeated problems with a major water pipeline in the capital city have been sentenced to between 12 and 21 months behind bars by.

-- A fire that killed five people on Monday at an old villa in Da Lat City in Vietnams Central Highlands was an act of arson by one of the victims, who had set his neighbors residence on fire over personal conflicts, authorities said Tuesday.

-- Vietnamese people have the shortest travel itinerary in the world, with an average trip lasting for only four days or less, according to a recent report by U.S. credit card brand Visa Inc. using survey data from over 15,000 people in 27 countries.

-- The Ho Chi Minh City administration has requested a thorough inspection into illegally built houses on land reserved for agricultural purposes citywide, as more conflicts are reported between local residents and developers of agricultural projects.

-- Kbec Vina, a South Korea-invested waste company headquartered in southern Vietnams Ba Ria  Vung Tau Province, has been fined VND682 million (US$30,000) for discharging harmful wastewater into the environment.

Business

-- Vietnam-produced organic vegetables are facing tremendous opportunities for export to the European Union (EU), Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said at a meeting with local businesses on Tuesday.

-- Vietnams top brewer Sabeco was found to have used state capital to invest in ten loss-making companies in 2016, causing it to provision VND444.7 billion ($19.61 million) against the losses, according to a recent report by state audit.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Chairman of the Hanoi Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung has ordered the verification of a video clip capturing multiple traffic police officers receiving bribes from violators.

The municipal Department of Police has been tasked with probing the case and imposing suitable penalties if any wrongdoing is detected.

The results must be submitted to the citys administration prior to March 20 as well as being provided to local media.

The traffic police division under the Hanoi police department previously suspended the officers, who were caught collecting unofficial fines in the video footage, from work on Tuesday morning.

The video clip was made by reporters from Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaper and went viral after being uploaded to social media on Sunday morning.

During the seven-minute-long footage, many traffic offenders were seen pulling out banknotes worth VND100,000 (US$4.5) and VND200,000 ($9) from their wallets after being pulled over by officers.

The cash was given directly to the traffic cops or, in a more discreet manner, put inside the officers folders.

Meanwhile, the law enforcers appeared to check the violators driving licenses, brief them on their faults, and let them go as soon as the fines were paid.

An official from the Hanoi traffic police unit told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that several representatives have met with the editorial board of Tien Phong for more information.

If there is sufficient evidence, we will impose stern punishments upon those officers responsible, as well as exerting efforts to prevent similar wrongdoings, the police official elaborated.

In early September 2017, a team of Tuoi Tre reporters also shot a similar video, capturing the collection of unofficial fines of several officers near Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.

Three officers involved were later identified and suspended for their offense.

According to regulations, on-the-spot punishment for traffic violations can only be applied to warnings or fines worth VND250,000 ($11) and under. A receipt is required following the payment.

If the fines are higher, offenders will receive a written decision on their penalty and have their driving license taken away. They will have the documents back after paying the fines at the state treasury.

In both cases, traffic police must prepare reports of the violations.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Experts have voiced the importance of proper wastewater treatment aboard tourist boats in the efforts to protect the environment at Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular travel destination in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh.

During a conference organized in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province on Tuesday afternoon, many experts stressed the significance of sustainable tourism development as well as how to attract investment in waste treatment projects at the tourist destination.

According to Jake Brunner, a representative of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Vietnam, environmental protection and natural heritage preservation are crucial in Ha Long.

The entire society must take part in the efforts, Brunner stated, adding that the contribution of the private sector plays an essential role.

One of the measures suggested during the gathering was improving the quality of local tourist boats, especially their wastewater treatment mechanisms.

Those ships that meet the standards for waste treatment will be granted a type of certification, while those failing to obtain the certificate will not be allowed to operate, a pundit recommended.

During the period of 2015-21, authorities in Quang Ninh Province are set to channel about US$154 million in ODA (official development assistance) into implementing wastewater treatment and drainage projects across Ha Long City.

These actions are considered necessary as local authorities are preparing for Ha Long Bays status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site to be extended to the Cat Ba Archipelago, located in neighboring Hai Phong City.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Available evidence has ruled out the possibility that it was an accident and pointed toward a planned murder, according to the Peoples Procuracy of Lam Dong Province, which cited findings by investigators.

The fire, which gutted part of the villa at number 13 Tran Hung Dao Street in Da Lat on Monday evening, killed five people, including a couple and their two children who lived inside the building.

The fifth victim is the familys next-door neighbor Tran Van Quoc, 49, whom police have identified as the main suspect in the supposed arson attack.

Security footage showed Quoc carrying a plastic bottle, which likely contained a highly flammable liquid, and a blowtorch before he entered the neighbors residence.

Locals reported hearing two small explosions and smoke coming from the villa moments after Quoc had entered the place with the incendiary things.

A damaged blowtorch is retrieved from the remains of an old villa in Da Lat City in Vietnams Central Highlands which was partially burnt down in a suspected arson attack on March 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Quoc and the villa residents had been involved in unresolved conflicts prior to the suspected arson attack, and both sides had engaged in physical clashes before, according to their neighbors.

The suspect lived alone and reportedly suffered from a severe illness.

We are waiting for official DNA testing results before reaching a conclusion, said Vu Van Dien, chief procurator of Lam Dong.

As the main suspect is dead, the case wont be brought to court, he added.

The 457-square-meter villa where the fire broke out is a state property which has been illegally occupied by homeless people and the poor since 1975.

At the time when the incident happened, the building was home to ten different families, who shared the space by building makeshift nests from sheets of plywood, a material particularly prone to fire.

Burnt furniture is collected outside an old villa in Da Lat City in Vietnams Central Highlands which was partially burnt down in a suspected arson attack on March 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A motorcyclist zooms past an old villa in Da Lat City in Vietnams Central Highlands which was partially burnt down in a suspected arson attack on March 12, 2018. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
A pair of shoes, a cellphone and a death note that reads Sorry, Dad and Mom were what L., an eleventh grader in Vietnam, left on the bank of a pond where she allegedly drowned herself days after somebody posted on social media a video of her kissing her boyfriend.

Her death sent a shockwave across her family, friends and the nation.

It drew public attention to an issue that has become increasingly haunting in Vietnam with the rise in popularity of social media  cyberbullying.

L. was not the first victim of online harassment in the Southeast Asian country.

In June 2015, a female high school student in southern Vietnams Dong Nai Province killed herself with herbicide after footage of intimate moments between her and her boyfriend was posted on social media, drawing toxic comments attacking the girls decency.

Herbicide was also what a female high school graduate in Hanoi used to end her life in June 2013 when one of her portraits was edited into the body of a woman in revealing clothes and shared online.

In September 2016, a male high school student from the northern province of Yen Bai hanged himself out of shame from being beaten and forced to kneel by a gang of youths, which was captured in a clip that went viral on social media.

At a sitting of Vietnams lawmaking National Assembly last November, Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan revealed a shocking figure: six cases of youth suicides in Vietnam over the last three years were directly related to social media bullying and harassment.

How many more deaths will it take for real change to happen?

A teen browses the Internet in this AFP file photo.

An inviolable right

From a legal perspective, the online sharing of photos or videos of a person without their consent is an infringement upon the persons inviolability of personal privacy and secrecy, which is protected by the Constitution, said lawyer Tran Ba Hoc from Ho Chi Minh City.

Those who share such materials subject themselves to possible lawsuits, he added.

This is a wake-up call for those in Vietnam who are still using social media without any proper knowledge of the legal consequences of their actions, Hoc said.

Dr. Dang Hoang Giang from the Center for Community Support Development Studies has much to say about mob psychology on social media, where he says everybody can be anonymous.

The attraction of social media lies in the fact that it gives one a stage to perform, Giang wrote in one of his best-selling books in Vietnam.

It is easy for a mob to demonize its target, he argues, as they always stand and judge from afar without putting themselves in the shoes of their victim to look at things from a different perspective.

Online anonymity strips one of the common sense to realize that the other party is hurt by their words, Giang explains.

Personal privacy is not only ones right to be left alone,' but also to forget about what had pained them in the past, Giang wrote in his book.

Oftentimes, victims of cyberbullying are left in despair long after the angry mob has moved on to another target, he wrote, and their coping mechanism is to remain silent.

Justice cannot be motivated by emotions of a crowd, he stressed.

An angry mob can create not justice or the rule of law, but dictatorship.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
ABC has launched the Caroline Jones Scholarship, a 12-month cadet position for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person who aspires to be a journalist.

Caroline Jones had a more than 50-year career at the ABC before retiring in 2016. She was the first woman reporter on This Day Tonight and the first woman to anchor Four Corners, and was associated with Australian Story since its inception in 1996. In 1997 she was voted one of Australias Living Treasures.

Im honoured to have this Scholarship initiated in my name by ABC News, said Jones. So many people opened doors of possibility for me. This Scholarship will offer an outstanding career opportunity each year for a young Indigenous person.

Its a project close to my heart and I welcome the prospect of more Indigenous journalists taking their place in the Australian media.

ABC Director, News Gaven Morris says: This wonderful initiative is a fitting tribute to one of our finest journalists, who remains a loved and valued member of the ABC family.

The scholarship provides a terrific opportunity for a passionate and talented young Indigenous person to build a career in multiplatform storytelling.

The Scholarship provides an opportunity for the successful candidate to build a career in news and current affairs. He or she will do a range of work placements within ABC News, including with the Specialist Reporting Team, ABC Investigations, the business and digital teams, Foreign Correspondent and Four Corners.

Applications close May 8.
Wilfred co-creator and star Jason Gann has been ordered to pay more than $750,000 to a former bus driver he assaulted at the Melbourne spring racing carnival in 2007.

Legal proceedings over the incident have been long and varied but appear to have reached the end of the road in the US this week.

Gann pleaded guilty to the case in which Joseph Hosny was assaulted after Gann attempted to board a shuttle bus whilst still intoxicated. He was ordered to pay $325,000, upheld by the Court of Appeal last year. No conviction was recorded so he could continue his US acting career.

But Gann refused to pay the damages on Hosnys legal fees, who subsequently initiated legal proceedings in the US about two years ago.

This week, the Superior Court of California ordered Gann pay AU$755,638  plus 10 per cent interest for every year the damages dont get paid.

Gann starred in 4 seasons of Wilfred on the US FX network -longer than most Aussie adaptations survive- but in 2012 was reportedly facing bankruptcy. In 2013 he was developing a comedy My Problem With Women for ABC (US) but it is yet to eventuate.

Fairfax reports Mr. Hosny was also ordered to pay back almost $50,000 in workers compensation in 2014 after pleading guilty to WorkCover fraud.
All 5 Pirates Of The Caribbean movies will feature in a Foxtel Movies Channel Pop-Up over the Easter Long Weekend.

The pop-up begins at 6am Friday March 30 until Monday April 2, available to Foxtel Movies and Foxtel Platinum subscribers on Channel 400 plus Foxtel Now (and On Demand until April 15).

Every film in the Pirates franchise features an all-star cast led by Johnny Depp as the savvy and eccentric Captain Jack Sparrow. Legendary Pirate of the Seven Seas, and Captain of the Black Pearl, Jack Sparrow is the irreverent trickster of the Caribbean. A Captain of equally dubious morality and sobriety, a master of self-promotion and self-interest, he ghts a constant and losing battle with his own best tendencies.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Curse Of Black Pearl (2003): This heroic tale follows Pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and resourceful blacksmith, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) as they search for the love of Wills life, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). Elizabeth is the daughter of the Governor (Jonathan Pryce) and has been kidnapped by the feared Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush). Little do they know, but the fierce and clever Barbossa, along with his large crew, are under an ancient curse, doomed for eternity to neither live, nor die. That is, unless a blood sacrifice is made.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest (2006): Captain Jack Sparrow is reminded he owes a debt to Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) who captains the Flying Dutchman, a ghostly ship with a crew from hell. Facing the locker, Jack must find the heart of Davy Jones but to save himself he needs the help of quick-witted Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann. If thats not complicated enough, Will and Elizabeth are sentenced to hang, unless Will can get Jacks enchanted compass and hand it over to Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander).

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007): Lord Cutler Beckett, now with control of Davy Jones heart, forms a dark alliance with him in order to rule the seas and wipe out the last of the Pirates. Captain Jack, Barbossa, Will, Elizabeth and crew must call all the Pirate Lords from the four corners of the globe to work together and make their final stand for freedom against Beckett, Jones, Norrington (Jack Davenport), the Flying Dutchman, and the entire East India Trading Company.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011): Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a beautiful woman from his past Angelica (Penelope Cruz), and hes not sure if its love  or if shes a ruthless con artist whos using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. When she forces him aboard the Queen Annes Revenge, the ship of the formidable Pirate Captain Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected adventure in which he doesnt know who to fear more: Blackbeard or Angelica.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017): Captain Jack Sparrow finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardam), escape from the Devils Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea. Captain Jacks only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to succeed he needs the help of Will and Elizabeths son, Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), the mysterious Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), and his old frenemy Captain Barbossa.
Sam Armytage has hit back at reportage of a Sunrise segment yesterday which debated a newspaper article Save Our Kids.

The front page article quoted assistant minister for children & families David Gillespie calling for white families to care for at-risk Aboriginal children.

In yesterdays Hot Topics segment commentators Prue MacSween and Ben Davis agreed children should not be left in abusive environments.

Dont worry about the people who decry and handwring and say, this will be another Stolen Generation, said MacSween.

Just like the first Stolen Generation, where a lot of children were taken because it was for their wellbeing, we need to do it again, perhaps.

Host Sam Armytage hoped sense prevails.

But while the regular opinion segment at 6:48am shared similar views, it lacked an Indigenous perspective or alternative viewpoint.

Both Fairfax and News Corp (the latter being the original source of the story) quote community opinions, and social media responses, which point to a lack of Indigenous voices in the discussion.

Sam Armytage has since defended the segment on Twitter.

Watch the video before you comment, so you know what actually happened.

I hosted a segment based on a News Corp piece quoting the Fed Ass. Minister for Children.

Relying on a hysterical #Fairfax piece is irresponsible. https://t.co/ZZaZMgF9bP  Samantha Armytage (@sam_armytage) March 13, 2018

A Seven spokesperson also defended the segment, saying: Editorial opinions, either written or articulated are a vital part of journalism.

At all times on Sunrise, respect for others and their values and opinions is a foundation principle in debates.

The issue raised by the page one article in todays newspapers around the country warranted a discussion in a fair and reasonable forum, as undertaken by social commentators Prue MacSween and Ben Davis.

In 2010 Sam Armytage apologised to viewers after Prue MacSween used the word retard during a debate about education for children with special needs, acknowledging We do believe it belongs to a different era.
US President Donald Trump is no stranger to having members of his Cabinet quit, or firing them. Hes said goodbye to Sean Spicer, Hope Hicks, Steve Bannon, Anthony Scaramucci  tons of people. Now, hes saying goodbye to his Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, and saying hello to his replacement, Mike Pompeo, the Director of the CIA. Some are saying that this is right in time for Trumps imminent visit to North Korea, which Pompeo has been all over in terms of the security detail.

He will do a fantastic job!

Trump has tweeted (surprise, surprise) to praise Pompeo, predicting that he will do a fantastic job as the new Secretary of State.

He thanked Tillerson for his service, so there are no feelings of bitterness or resentment by either party. Tillerson himself has been very collected and diplomatic about the whole thing. The position of Secretary of State is third in line to the Presidency, after the Vice President and the Speaker for the House of Representatives, so its a pretty important role. Its the top diplomatic role in the US Cabinet.

As for the now vacant role of the Director of the CIA, that will be filled by Gina Haspel, who will become the very first female boss of the agency, so its a pretty good day for everyone. Trump offered his congratulations to them all. The night before being fired, Tillerson had been mouthing off about the way that the UK had handled the poisoning of Russian spy Sergei Skripal. Trump himself has said that he supports the UK in the matter.
Youre fired! Its the phrase that made Donald Trump famous back when he was the host of The Apprentice (and relatively harmless). Now that hes the President of the United States, its a phrase that he seems to utter in the white house more than he ever did on the airwaves of NBC. The latest person to get the axe from his Cabinet is Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whos been booted from the State Department just in time for the Presidents hotly anticipated meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.

Over the course of the past year and a bit that hes been the President, Trump has lost a lot of personnel from his administration.

Some of them have been fired, while others have jumped ship on their own accord. Theres James Comey, the Director of the FBI, who was sacked by Trump for heading up the investigation into his campaigns possible ties to the Russian government. This was a very controversial firing, since some are calling it obstruction of justice, which would mean grounds for impeachment.

And then theres Sally Yates, who was acting as the US Attorney General at the time of Trumps controversial immigration ban (which was seen by many as a Muslim ban). Yates was appointed by former President Barack Obama, and she ordered the lawyers in the Department of Justice not to impose the ban, as she was not convinced that the executive order [was] lawful. Trump fired her for her betrayal of the Justice Department.

Top Democratic Party Senator Chuck Schumer called the Sally Yates firing a chilling move by the President.

Remember the whole Michael Flynn debacle with Turkey?

Trump fired his national security adviser Michael Flynn for having shady dealings in Turkey and having lied to Vice President Mike Pence. They dressed it up as a resignation, but after all of those other revelations came out, it was pretty clear that he didnt leave voluntarily.

Then theres prosecutor Preet Bharara, who was ordered to resign by racist Attorney General Jeff Sessions (who ordered every one of the 46 prosecutors Obama appointed). Bharara chose not to, and was then fired by Trump. Bharara was one of the good guys, tackling Wall Street corruption and terrorism.

US Office of Government Ethics boss Walter Shaub resigned before the end of his term after serving under both Obama and George W.

Bush, because he didnt agree with any of Trumps policies (its almost like satire  the ethics guy quits because the current President is THAT unethical). White House Communications Director Michael Dubke quit his job in May for personal reasons, while praising the Trump administration and the great time he had working for them. Right.

Ex-RNC chairman Reince Priebus resigned as Trumps Chief of Staff last summer during a huge power struggle within the White House. It was chaos! The resignation came pretty soon after Anthony Scaramucci gave an expletive-ridden rant to a reporter about Priebus, alleging that he leaked information to the press. White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was fired after just 11 days in the job.

He said he expected to last longer  duh! Strategy boss Steve Bannon was fired on very sour terms indeed  lots of yelling and ill feelings.

Everyones favourite putz, Sean Spicer

The lovably dopey Sean Spicer, the Press Secretary who didnt know about the Holocaust and coined the term alternative facts, resigned on his own terms (supposedly). By then, hed become a laughing stock at the hands of Melissa McCarthys savage SNL parodies. Health Secretary Tom Price quit amid disagreements with Trump over Obamacare.

Omarosa Manigault quit after an argument at a Christmas party, and said that what she saw in Trumps White House made her very uncomfortable and unhappy. FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe resigned after a long history of being slammed and criticised by Trump. Rob Porter resigned after several former partners of his accused him of domestic violence. Speech writer David Sorenson resigned for the very same reason. And now, Rex Tillersons gone.
Nikolai Glushkov, aged 68, who was close friends with the late oligarch Boris Berezovsky, was found dead today in his London home. The Russian exile said he was a "prisoner in his own country" and even went to prison for a few years before being released, the cause of death is still unknown but it raises worrying thoughts if his circumstance of death is found to be unnatural.

Glushkov spoke of the unnatural cause of his friend Berezovsky's suicide as Berezovsky was known to have fallen out with Putin. The Met also released a statement calling Glushkov's death unexplained and said that the counter-terrorism unit is leading the investigation.

This comes right in the middle of the heightening tensions between Britain and Russia after the Skripal poisoning. As the investigation has gone further the nerve toxin has been confirmed as a Russian brand, however, what is being determined now is if this was an act on Russia's part.

Calling in the cavalry

After a heated announcement from May that "Russia is highly likely to be behind the poisoning" and again from Boris Johnson this morning stating that Russia had today to come up with a convincing argument as to how a Russian nerve agent was used or there would be a response from the United Kingdom. Following this calls had been made to President Macron in France and President Trump in the USA to gather support for Britain's actions should Russia not cooperate.

Now former secretary of state for the US, Rex Tillerson spoke up and agreed that "Russia is certainly behind the poisoning of Skripal" but hours later he was fired by President Trump, raising eyebrows as to the timing.

Ill-fitting jokes

As of now, Russia has not made any official statements outside of asking for access to the nerve agent samples so that they may look into it themselves.

President Putin when asked by a BBC reporter if they were in fact behind it, said: "sort it out there first, then we will talk about this". Russia also called for the UK ambassador to Russia to the state office, nothing is known of the talks as of yet. Outside of the official statements not much has developed yet but a few jokes have been made, Russian Foreign minister tweeted out "It is highly likely Russia cast snow on Britain" and ex-Prime Minister of Belgium and the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt joked that the incident "happened on European soil" but did call for a meeting to talk countermeasures against Russia should this escalate.

As Trump confirms that the US will renounce Russia should this get linked to them and tensions continue to heighten between Britain and Russia, the story is still alive and growing and the outcome of the investigation will make a significant impact on international relations as well as Russia reputation.
FILE PHOTO: Dissident Kazakh oligarch Mukhtar Ablyazov is seen in Almaty in this November 27, 2006 file photo. REUTERS/Vladimir Tretyakov

Thomson Reuters

ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan has effectively outlawed a political movement created online by an exiled opponent of Nursultan Nazarbayev, after it called for street protests against the country's long-term president.

Mukhtar Ablyazov, a former chairman of Kazakhstan's biggest bank who now lives in France, has attacked Nazarbayev via Facebook and other social networks, and used the same platforms to recruit supporters inside the oil-rich Central Asian nation.

A Kazakh court ruled on Tuesday that his political movement, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK), is extremist, meaning its supporters are considered criminals, the prosecutor general's office said in a statement.

The movement says it has a membership of around 80,000, predominantly inside Kazakhstan.

Nazarbayev, who has run the former Soviet republic since 1989 and routinely wins elections with more than 90 percent of the vote, appointed Ablyazov energy minister in the 1990s, but their relations soured in the 2000s.

Kazakhstan authorities say the exiled businessman instigated and bankrolled a series of protests across the country in 2016 that forced Nazarbayev to delay an unpopular land ownership reform.

They also accuse Ablyazov, who a French court ruled against extraditing in 2016, of embezzling billions of dollars from BTA, the bank he used to run. Kazakhstan has indicated it may also press charges of murder against him.

Ablyazov, who has denied any wrongdoing, did not reply to a request for comment on Tuesday.

DVK responded to the court ruling by urging its supporters to protect their anonymity online.

(Reporting by Mariya Gordeyeva; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; editing by John Stonestreet)

See Also:
For a lot of people, the Prudential (SES: K6S.SI - news) is synonymous with the "Man (Swiss: MAN.SW - news) from the Pru (HKSE: 2378-OL.HK - news) ", the friendly door-to-door agent who, for almost 150 years, collected insurance premiums from millions of Britons.

These days though, you are more likely to find the "Man from the Pru" in a fast-growing Asian market like Indonesia or Malaysia, with doorstep agents having been phased out in the UK in 2001.

Because this is a business that, more than a decade ago, pivoted away from its home market to focus on the bigger - as it saw it - opportunities in Asia and the United States.

It is a bet that has paid off. In Asia and the US, the Pru's customer numbers have almost doubled since 2006, while its assets under management have multiplied eight-fold and its operating profits six-fold.

As a business, in that time, the Pru has become immensely more profitable and much more international.

This has led to growing speculation in the City that the Pru was less-than committed to the UK. The cynics said it retained its more mature UK business simply to generate cash that could be reinvested in those faster-growing global markets.

That argument will soon no longer be valid, as the Pru today announced it is breaking itself into two separate UK-listed and headquartered companies, both of which are expected to be members of the FTSE-100.

The first, M&G Prudential, will consist of the Pru's existing operations in the UK and Europe, including M&G (Shanghai: 603899.SS - news) , the insurer's fund management arm.

The second, Prudential plc, will comprise the Pru's operations in Asia, the US and its nascent businesses in Africa.

Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) of the Pru have shot up by more than 5% on news of the break-up - which growing numbers of investors are thought to have been demanding.

The international business, Prudential plc, can look forward to a racier stock market rating as investors price in its stronger growth prospects shorn off its more mature European businesses.

Story continues

Those growth prospects are indeed spectacular.

Mike Wells, the Pru's chief executive, who will take that role in the demerged business, pointed out on Wednesday that Asia and the US have a population of 5 billion people, while accounting for $40trn worth of GDP.

He added: "In Asia, the working age population grows by one million every month, and these people are under-protected.

"The gap (Frankfurt: 863533 - news) between the insurance cover that the people in the region have and what they need to maintain their family's living standards is estimated to be 35trn."

The growth prospects are no less dazzling in the US where the Baby Boomers, the wealthiest generation in history, are beginning to retire.

Mr Wells pointed out that, in the US, 10,000 people will retire each day during the next 20 years - creating huge demand for "income protection policies" that provide them with a decent income during their retirement.

The domestic business, M&G Prudential, can also expect a re-rating.

For the first time in years, it will not be competing for capital with international businesses perceived as having better growth prospects, but will be competing instead with local rivals for investment.

As a stand-alone European business, without the dazzle of American and Asian businesses, it will be easier for investors to compare it with the likes of Aviva (Other OTC: AIVAF - news) and Legal & General (LSE: LGEN.L - news) .

The team running the business, led by John Foley, will also be keen to show that, just because it is based in Europe, this too is a business capable of growth.

The Pru's biggest rival, Aviva, has been arguing for some time that where an insurance company is based is now less important than the products and services in which it specialises.

The numbers unveiled today bear that out - the businesses that will form M&G Prudential already have seven million customers in the UK and Europe and have some 351bn worth of assets under management.

In the next five years, Mr Wells pointed out, the UK asset management market, currently worth 7trn, is expected to expand by a further 2.5trn.

In continental Europe, the market is worth 14trn and is expected to grow by a further 3.5trn during the next five years.

Ultimately, though, M&G Prudential may be seeking comparisons not with the likes of Legal & General and Aviva, but more with Standard Life Aberdeen, which is reinventing itself as a specialist fund management group.

To that end, the Pru also announced today it was offloading a "back book" of annuities (products that guarantee a set income in retirement) worth 12bn and covering 400,000 individual policies, reducing its dependence on its traditional business of administering the retirement policies of customers.

It would be no surprise if, in due course, this business were simply renamed M&G - the name of the fund manager the Pru bought in 1999.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reacts as he speaks to a group of Australian Army soldiers after inspecting armoured vehicles at the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reacts as he speaks to a group of Australian Army soldiers after inspecting armoured vehicles at the Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane, Australia, March 14, 2018. AAP/Dan Peled/via REUTERS

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany's Rheinmetall <RHMG.DE> beat BAE Systems <BAES.L> to a $2.5 billion (1.79 billion pounds) Australian order for armoured reconnaissance vehicles, which comes on top of an existing major contract with the country for utility vehicles.

The Australian defence ministry will now enter exclusive final negotiations with Rheinmetall, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

If the contract is finalised, the 211 Boxer vehicles will be built by Australian workers, using Australian steel and will create up to 1,450 jobs, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and the defence ministry said in a separate statement.

Rheinmetall estimated the project size at around A$3.15 billion ($2.5 billion).

Deliveries will likely start in 2019 and run until 2026, safeguarding its business in Australia after its existing A$1.58 billion order for logistical vehicles, won in 2013, runs out at the end of the decade.

Rheinmetall shares were up 3 percent at the top of the MDAX index <.MDAXI> at market open.

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan; editing by Sunil Nair and Jason Neely)
Theresa May stands between EUs Donald Tusk and US President Donald Trump at a summit in 2017. (Getty)

The EU has fired the starting gun on a race with Britain to sign a trade deal with the US.

UK International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is visiting Washington this week to lay the ground for a post-Brexit trade deal with the Trump administration.

But Fox could find he has competition after EU leaders said they wanted to restart trade talks with the US as a solution to the transatlantic tension over new US tariffs on steel and aluminium.

EU Council president Donald Tusk said he wants to make trade not war with US President Donald Trump.

To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here to do so.

Speaking during a visit to Finland, Tusk said: Let me be clear: instead of risking a trade war, which he seems eager to wage, we should be aiming for greater cooperation.

When the President says he is unhappy about too many barriers and tariffs between the EU and the US, I can understand him.

We are not happy either. That is the reason why, a few years ago, we started trade negotiations with the US.

We should go back to these talks now. Make trade, not war, Mr President.

A trade deal between the EU and US  the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)  was supposed to be signed in 2016.

A protest against TTIP in Brussels which helped bring down the deal. (Getty)

It would have represented the worlds biggest bilateral trade deal encompassing half the worlds economy, but it floundered after three years of negotiations amid protests over concerns it would drive down social and environmental standards and damage public services in Europe.

Negotiators from the two sides didnt agree on a single point in a 27 chapter discussion document.

Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian Prime Minister and the European Parliaments Brexit coordinator, said yesterday that the ongoing tariff dispute would not be happening if TTIP had been signed.

We have no interest to trade war and what we have to offer is instead a trade deal from the European side, he told MEPs in Strasbourg.

Guy Verhofstadt speaking in the European Parliament, Strasbourg (European Parliament/Fred Marvaux)

There are many people who are against TTIP but, no, we see that if we got that TTIP we could have avoided what is happening today.

Story continues

I hope that this message will be given: no trade war but a new trade deal.

The new impetus for trade talks from the EU could put the bloc directly in competition with the UK after Brexit.

Former US President Barack Obama said before the EU referendum that Britain would be at the back of the queue for a deal if that situation ever arose.

During a visit to London in 2016, he said: I think its fair to say that maybe some point down the line there might be a UK-US trade agreement, but its not going to happen any time soon because our focus is in negotiating with a big bloc, the European Union, to get a trade agreement done.

Barack Obama said Britain would be at the back of the queue for a trade deal before the EU referendum (Getty)

Nigel Farage predicted yesterday that Britain would have an advantage now that Donald Trump is US President.

We could do a deal with America in 48 hours, he told a European Parliament debate on steel tariffs.

But Labour MEP David Martin, who sits on the European Parliaments trade committee, said: This row about tariffs highlights once again just how credulous were the Brexiters claims that the UK would be better off outside the EU and at the mercy of tinpot autocrats like Donald Trump.

Its not clear when the UK will able to begin signing its own trade deals.

The EU says its draft withdrawal agreement with the UK Government would stop it from finalising agreements during the transition period, which is likely to last until 2021.

The UK Government disagree with that interpretation  the Prime Ministers spokesman has insisted they will be able to begin signing deals from next March.




The Unilever building is seen in London, Britain March 13, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

(Reuters) - Unilever <UNc.AS> <ULVR.L> is set to abandon its British headquarters as the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant moves to a sole legal home base in the Netherlands, Sky News reported on Wednesday.

A formal announcement is due on Thursday, said the report after a Wednesday board meeting to finalise the decision.

Unilever was not available for comment on a decision which would unpick a business model that dates back to 1930.

The maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream had last year announced a review of its dual-headed structure after rebuffing a $143 billion takeover offer from Kraft Heinz <KHC.O>.

A move by Unilever, the second-biggest public company by value in the Netherlands and third-biggest in Britain, would be a blow to the British government as it prepares for next year's exit from the European Union.

Unilever has held talks with the governments of both countries in the run-up to its decision.

It said last year that collapsing into a single entity would benefit the company and shareholders, partly by facilitating big-ticket M&A deals, but it delayed a decision on location amid heightened political sensitivity caused by Brexit.

In recent months, speculation about it choosing the Netherlands grew louder following the proposal of a tax change by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, himself a Unilever veteran, seen as benefiting Anglo-Dutch multinationals.

Since the 1930 merger of the Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie and the British soap maker Lever Brothers, Unilever has operated with two parent companies - a British Plc headquartered in London and a Dutch NV based in Rotterdam.

Though run as one company, the distinct legal entities have different shareholders, separate stock listings and annual meetings and are subject to different laws and corporate governance requirements.

Unilever has said it planned to maintain stock market listings in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States and continue to apply both the UK and Dutch corporate governance codes.

Story continues

It was unclear whether the company's UK-listed shares would continue to be part of the bluechip FTSE 100 <.FTSE> index.

Some analysts point out that Dutch takeover law is more protective and speculate that a Dutch-headquartered Unilever could more easily fend off unwelcome suitors in the future.

Unilever itself has said the change is about simplification, arguing a single entity would be more agile as it could more easily issue equity for large acquisitions or spin off unwanted businesses.

Of Unilever's 161,000 employees worldwide, 7,300 are in the United Kingdom and 3,100 are in the Netherlands.

The UK business is based in Unilever House, a large neoclassical art deco building on the banks of the River Thames.

(Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru and Martinne Geller in LONDON; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Keith Weir)
(Adds background, details)

March 14 (Reuters) - Unilever (NYSE: UL - news) is set to abandon its British headquarters as the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant moves to a sole legal home base in the Netherlands, Sky News reported on Wednesday.

A formal announcement is due on Thursday, said the report after a Wednesday board meeting to finalise the decision.

Unilever was not available for comment on a decision which would unpick a business model that dates back to 1930.

The maker of Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream had last year announced a review of its dual-headed structure after rebuffing a $143 billion takeover offer from Kraft Heinz (Swiss: KHC.SW - news) .

A move by Unilever, the second-biggest public company by value in the Netherlands and third-biggest in Britain, would be a blow to the British government as it prepares for next year's exit from the European Union.

Unilever has held talks with the governments of both countries in the run-up to its decision.

It said last year that collapsing into a single entity would benefit the company and shareholders, partly by facilitating big-ticket M&A deals, but it delayed a decision on location amid heightened political sensitivity caused by Brexit.

In recent months, speculation about it choosing the Netherlands grew louder following the proposal of a tax change by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, himself a Unilever veteran, seen as benefiting Anglo-Dutch multinationals.

Since the 1930 merger of the Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie and the British soap maker Lever Brothers, Unilever has operated with two parent companies - a British Plc headquartered in London and a Dutch NV based in Rotterdam.

Though run as one company, the distinct legal entities have different shareholders, separate stock listings and annual meetings and are subject to different laws and corporate governance requirements.

Unilever has said it planned to maintain stock market listings in the Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States and continue to apply both the UK and Dutch corporate governance codes.

Story continues

It was unclear whether the company's UK-listed shares would continue to be part of the bluechip FTSE 100 index.

Some analysts point out that Dutch takeover law is more protective and speculate that a Dutch-headquartered Unilever (Amsterdam: UZ8.AS - news) could more easily fend off unwelcome suitors in the future.

Unilever itself has said the change is about simplification, arguing a single entity would be more agile as it could more easily issue equity for large acquisitions or spin off unwanted businesses.

Of Unilever's 161,000 employees worldwide, 7,300 are in the United Kingdom and 3,100 are in the Netherlands.

The UK business is based in Unilever House, a large neoclassical art deco building on the banks of the River Thames. (Reporting by Rahul B in Bengaluru and Martinne Geller in LONDON Editing by Arun Koyyur and Keith Weir)
By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - About 5,000 Ethiopians have crossed into Kenya seeking refuge since March 10, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said, after several civilians were killed in what the Ethiopian military said was a botched security operation targeting militants.

Ethiopian state media reported on Sunday that soldiers had been deployed to an area near the town of Moyale in Oromiya, a region that borders Kenya, in pursuit of Oromo Liberation Front fighters who had crossed into the country from Kenya.

But faulty intelligence led soldiers to launch an attack that killed nine civilians and injured 12 others, the Ethiopian News Agency said.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Kenyan Red Cross Society said "the population of refugees from Ethiopia continues to increase" and was now estimated at 5,000.

Refugees from Ethiopia had begun to arrive in Kenya on March 10, it said, adding that they were mostly women and children, including "pregnant and lactating mothers, chronically ill persons, those abled differently and the elderly".

Some of those fleeing had moved with their livestock, compounding pressure on struggling relief agencies, the Red Cross said.

The Oromo Liberation Front is a secessionist group which the Ethiopian government describes as terrorist.

Outbreaks of violence have continued in Oromiya province even after Ethiopia declared a six-month, nationwide state of emergency last month following the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn.

A state official in the Oromiya region told Reuters on condition of anonymity that tens of thousands of people have also been internally displaced.

Ethiopia has said that five soldiers who took part in the attack near Moyale have been "disarmed" and are under investigation, while a high-level military delegation has been dispatched to the area to inquire further into the incident.

The town's mayor was not immediately available to comment.

Story continues

Desalegn said his unprecedented Feb. 15 resignation was intended to smooth the way for reforms, following years of violent unrest that threatened the ruling EPRDF coalition's hold on Africa's second most populous nation.

His successor as premier and EPRDF chairperson is expected to be named before the end of this month.

(Reporting by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Catherine Evans)
size of southeast asia ecommerce market

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "E-Commerce Briefing" subscribers hours before appearing on Business Insider. To be the first to know, please click here.

Amazon is set to enter the Vietnamese market by providing e-commerce services for the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), which is a group of 140 local online businesses, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.

Amazon will help these companies sell and export their products through its platform, and details of its plans are expected to come at the Vietnam Online Business Forum 2018 on March 14.

Partnering with third-party merchants is likely a precursor to Amazon entering the market with its full slate of offerings. Before launching its full marketplace and warehouse in Australia, Amazon helped Australian third-party sellers make offshore sales, and prior to recent reports that Amazon is looking to launch in Brazil, it ran a marketplace for third-party sales of electronics and appliances. The Seattle-based company may be looking to use its partnership with VECOM as a way of getting its footing in Vietnam and building familiarity with consumers before introducing its full marketplace, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA), Prime, and more.

This launch in Vietnam suggests that Southeast Asia is a focus for Amazons international expansion plans. Amazon also launched in Singapore, its first market in Southeast Asia, in July 2017, where it is now operating in full with Prime and Prime Now. These first two forays occurring so close to each other may mean that Amazon has grand plans for the region, which would make sense as Southeast Asias e-commerce sales are projected to climb to $88 billion by 2025, up from an estimated $11 billion in 2017. The region is particularly valuable to Amazon because the growth of its Prime subscriber base is reportedly slowing, and international markets, especially ones with the potential of Southeast Asia, could provide a significant boost.

Story continues

Amazon will face stiff competition in Vietnam, and Southeast Asia as a whole, from Alibaba and JD.com. In Vietnam specifically, Lazada, which Alibaba owns 83% of, controls approximately 30% of the countrys e-commerce business, according to the Nikkei Asian Review.com. JD.com has shown interest as well, investing approximately $50 million in Tiki, a Vietnam-based online retailer that it intends to help with fulfillment, logistics, and more. The presence of both of these powerful companies will make it difficult for Amazon to succeed in Vietnam, and if the company looks to expand to other markets, like Indonesia, it will find similar situations, often with Alibaba and JD.com having a significant head start.

See Also:
It doesn't have the reputation of a Tyrannosaurus rex or the elegant neck of a brachiosaurus. But Archaeopteryx is still one of the most important dinosaurs that ever lived. Its fossils have taught scientists about how birds evolved from their ancestors. And now, paleontologists think they've solved one of the oldest mysteries about Archaeopteryxwhether or not it could fly.

It could, but not using quite the same mechanics as modern birds, according to a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications. A slightly different wing movement meant that it could likely fly only over short distances, like a modern chicken or pheasant.

The result might not have been the most, um, impressive flight, but it would have gotten the job done. Archaeopteryx was still experimenting with flight, Christian Foth, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland who wasn't involved in the new research, wrote in an email to Newsweek. "The results indicate that the flight of Archaeopteryx looked hectic rather than elegant, most likely performed during escape, hunting, or even mating."

Trending: Fantastic Beasts Trailer Apparates Harry Potter Fans to a High-Def Hogwarts

03_13_archaeopteryx_flight_scan

ESRF/Pascal Goetgheluck

Paleontologists have speculated for decades over whether Archaeopteryx could actually fly and if so how. But the new study was the first to successfully analyze the bone structure of Archaeopteryx specimens, other dinosaur fossils, and modern birds. Because Archaeopteryx fossils are incredibly valuable and can't be destroyed to check just one theory, the research relied on using an incredibly powerful beam of x-rays to form a picture of the hidden bone.

The team noticed that the wing bones of the Archaeopteryx specimens were actually pretty similar to bird bonestheir walls were much thinner than in the bones of dinosaurs that kept their feet firmly on the ground. That said, the Archaeopteryx's shoulder joint is put together a little differently from those of modern birds, so the scientists think their wing movement was more forward and back, rather than up and down.

Story continues

Don't miss: WWE Announces Fabulous Moolah Memorial Battle Royal, But the Wrestler Has a Troubling Legacy

Read more: Teenage Dinosaur Fossil Discovery Reveals What Puberty Was Like for a Tyrannosaur

The study shows that the evolution of flight among dinosaurs, first author Dennis Voeten, wrote in an email to Newsweek, "was not simply a straight line towards the flight of modern birds." Instead, it "involved an exotic diversity of alternative, experimental," said Voeten, paleontologist at the European Synchrotron that houses the x-ray beam, "and intermediate solutions that ultimately proved to be evolutionary dead-ends."

Foth thinks that this flight pattern makes a lot of sense for the dinosaur, which is believed to have lived on small islands with more shrubs than trees. Previous scholars have suggested Archaeopteryx may have glided, which is more challenging without a high-elevation launchpad. Instead, they probably spent most of their time on the ground, only taking flight when it seemed truly worth the hassle.

This article was first written by Newsweek

More from Newsweek
China to merge regulators, create new ministries in biggest overhaul in years

By Shu Zhang and Se Young Lee

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is merging its banking and insurance regulators, giving new powers to policymaking bodies such as the central bank and creating new ministries in the biggest government shake-up in years.

The revamp is a cornerstone of President Xi Jinping's agenda to put the leadership of the ruling Communist Party squarely at the heart of policy with Xi himself at the core of the party.

The economy and the party have become ever more intertwined since a party congress in October when Xi consolidated his grip on power, with party control deemed necessary to help push through reforms. On Sunday, presidential term limits were removed from the state constitution.[nL4N1ML1QR]

"Deepening the reform of the party and state institutions is an inevitable requirement for strengthening the long-term governance of the party," Liu He, Xi's top economic adviser and confidante, wrote in a commentary in the official People's Daily.

"Strengthening the party's overall leadership is the core issue," he said.

The commentary suggested the party will have greater influence and say in the government, or the State Council, which is headed by Premier Li Keqiang, some analysts say.

The long-awaited move to tighten oversight of China's $42 trillion banking and insurance sectors comes as authorities seek more clout to crack down on riskier lending practices and reduce high corporate debt levels.

"The biggest news is still about the merger of the financial regulators. The central bank will be in charge of the macro supervision side, while the merged regulators will be responsible for the more concrete part of things," said Zhou Hao, senior emerging markets economist at Commerzbank.

China will also form a national markets supervision management bureau, according to a parliament document released on Tuesday.

The bureau will take on the pricing supervision and anti-monopoly law enforcement role from the state economic planner the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Commerce and State Council.

Story continues

The heads of the new merged regulator, ministries and departments will be announced before the close of the annual session of parliament on March 20.

Many Xi allies are expected to get top appointments including the chair of the National People's Congress, or parliament, and National Supervisory Commission.

PBOC'S POWERS

China is among the global economies seen as most vulnerable to a banking crisis, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) said at the weekend, though Beijing has maintained that debt risks are under control.

Speculation that Beijing was considering creating a super financial regulator had been rife since the Chinese stock market crash of 2015, blamed in part on poor inter-agency coordination.

The merger of the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC) and China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) is aimed at resolving existing problems such as unclear responsibilities and cross-regulation, according to the parliament document.

CBRC, currently headed by Guo Shuqing, was carved out of the central bank in 2003, while CIRC was created in 1998.

The new merged entity will report directly to the State Council.

The function of making important laws and regulations of the CBRC and CIRC will be transferred to the People's Bank of China (PBOC) as the central bank takes on a bigger role.

China's financial system has become increasingly tough to regulate as it grows rapidly in size and complexity, emerging as one of the world's largest with financial assets at nearly 470 percent of gross domestic product, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Companies registered as banks or insurers have started dabbling in other areas of finance with many offering complex hybrid products and making non-traditional investments.

Many brokerages also structure wealth management products as a channel for hidden bank lending, in addition to the more traditional business of facilitating share trades and investment banking services.

The securities regulator - the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) - will remain a separate entity.

"There is a valid argument to separate regulation of equity markets from that of the banking system. You don't want your monetary authority obsessed with supporting equity markets, because that can lead to bad macro policy," said Andrew Polk, co-founding partner at research firm Trivium/China.

'HEART-WRENCHING'

The government will create seven new ministries: natural resources; ecological environment; emergency management; agriculture and rural affairs; culture and tourism; veterans affairs; and the National Health Commission.

Within the departments being restructured, some officials are concerned about the loss of some functions while others welcome the opportunity to gain new powers, people familiar with the situation said.

"Everyone seems to regard these departments as their own interests - giving up a piece of yourself is very heart-wrenching but it's a pleasure to take a piece of someone else," said an official at a ministry, declining to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

"Reforms are difficult."

The National Council for Social Security Fund led by former finance minister Lou Jiwei will be managed by the finance ministry, instead of the State Council.

The agriculture ministry, which will undergo its first major change in its role and oversight since 2013, will come under a new ministry that will also be in charge of rural development.

"Amidst the reshuffle, the NDRC appears to have many of its powers stripped away. This is potentially a nod towards the Party wrestling power away from the government," said Jonas Short, an analyst with Everbright Sun Hung Kai.

Aside from losing its anti-trust investigation and punishment powers, NDRC will also forfeit its rural planning authority and oversight of China's carbon emissions.

The proposed changes were discussed in parliament on Tuesday, and are expected to be formally approved on Saturday.

(Reporting by Shu Zhang, Muyu Xu, Judy Hua and Vincent Lee Additional reporting by Matthew Miller, Yawen Chen and Stella Qiu in BEIJING and John Ruwitch in SHANGHAI; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Richard Pullin, Sam Holmes and Kim Coghill)
Jaysh al-Islam, the main rebel group in East Ghouta, released a statement on March 12 denying involvement in negotiations with the Assad government towards an evacuation deal for its fighters.

Spokesman Hamzah Bereqdar, who delivered the statement, said that his group would defend Ghouta until victory or martyrdom.

Jaysh al-Islam said it had agreed a deal via Russia and UN agencies to allow the evacuation of some of the wounded from East Ghouta, according to a March 12 statement on Twitter. Credit: Islam Army via Storyful
By Gopal Sharma and Ruma Paul

KATHMANDU/DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi airline said on Tuesday its two pilots aboard the plane that crashed in Nepal killing 49 people had both received special training to land at Kathmandu airport and had successfully handled previous flights.

The airline and airport authorities in Kathmandu have blamed each other in the aftermath of Monday's disaster, the Himalayan nation's worst since the 1992 crash of a Pakistan International Airlines aircraft killed 167 people.

Flight operator US-Bangla Airlines said it was too early to blame anyone, after a transcript of the pilots' radio conversation with ground control in Kathmandu revealed confusion over the designated runway.

Captain Abid Sultan and co-pilot Prithula Rashid died when their plane crashed short of the runway, broke into pieces and caught fire, officials said. (Graphics on 'Deadly plane crash in Nepal IMG' - http://tmsnrt.rs/2FznJk8)

"Sultan was experienced, quite familiar with the airfield and the aircraft," US-Bangla spokesman Kamrul Islam said. "Rashid was also specially trained to make landings at the airport. This is mandatory for any pilot to fly over there. She also made landings at the airport before."

Investigators have retrieved the flight data recorder from the wreckage, said Raj Kumar Chettri, the airport's general manager, and an investigation had begun into the cause of the crash.

The Bombardier Q400 series aircraft was carrying 71 people from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka when it tried to land in visibility that weather officials said exceeded 6 km (4 miles), with cloud at one end of the runway and a light tailwind of six to seven knots.

A Nepali army official said one of the 22 survivors being treated in Kathmandu hospitals was to be discharged on Tuesday. Families of some of the victims mourned outside the hospitals.

There were 33 Nepali passengers, 32 from Bangladesh, one from China and one from the Maldives.

Story continues

"NO TECHNICAL GLITCHES"

US-Bangla said Sultan, a former Bangladesh Air Force pilot, had landed more than 100 times at Kathmandu, where wind shear and bird hits are frequent hazards in the mountainous region.

Sultan had more than 5,000 hours flying experience and was specially trained to land at the airport, Islam said.

The airline also denied a media report that the aircraft had skidded off the runway during a domestic flight in 2015, saying it "never, ever encountered any accident. It had no technical glitches."

Defending the pilots, airline chief executive Imran Asif cited the transcript of their radio conversation with ground control in Kathmandu issued by a German air safety website, JACDEC.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal did not directly confirm the authenticity of the transcript, saying publication of such exchanges went against the law.

"We suspect wrong signals from Kathmandu air traffic control room might have led to the crash," Asif told reporters on Monday. "A three-minute conversation between the pilot and the air traffic control before the landing indicated that they sent a wrong signal to the pilot."

Transmissions by the Kathmandu tower controller show that, despite being cleared to land on runway 02, the flight began deviating from its course.

The captain and the tower controller discussed which runway the aircraft was aiming for, the website said. At one point, the controller told the co-pilot she was heading toward runway 20, although the aircraft had been cleared for runway 02.

Later, the captain took over the conversation and confirmed the plan to land at runway 02. At one stage, ground control said runway 20 had also been cleared for landing, however.

The plane made an attempt to land on the runway it was originally meant to use.

Chettri said most international flights are directed to runway 02 but depending on wind conditions, flights are also requested to use 20.

He said police would investigate how the conversation between the pilots and control room was leaked.

FLIGHTS RESUME

On Tuesday, airport operations returned to normal. The aircraft wreckage lay on ground near the runway, guarded by security personnel.

"Regardless of what contributed to this tragic accident, we are sorry," Asif, the airline's chief executive, wrote on networking website LinkedIn. "And we stand by the bereaved families of those who lost their loved ones."

On Monday, Kathmandu airport officials said they had asked the pilots if they faced a problem after the aircraft changed course in the final descent, but the pilots said they did not.

The plane was then seen circling twice in a northeast direction, Chettri said. Traffic controllers again asked the pilot if things were OK, and he replied, "Yes".

The tower then told the pilot his alignment was not correct, but received no reply, Chettri said.

Canadian plane maker Bombardier said it was sending an air safety investigator and a field service representative to the site.

(Reporting by Gopal Sharma in Kathmandu and Ruma Paul in Dhaka; Additional reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Clarence Fernandez and Janet Lawrence)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after a news conference in Berlin, Germany, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's Angela Merkel will head to France on Friday, the first foreign trip of her fourth term as chancellor, to discuss bilateral, European and international topics with French President Emmanuel Macron, a German government spokesman said.

Earlier on Wednesday, German lawmakers re-elected Merkel as chancellor of Europe's biggest economy, almost six months after a federal election. Macron is keen to push ahead with plans for euro zone reforms.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Paul Carrel)
By Dan Williams and Ali Sawafta

JERICHO, West Bank (Reuters) - The Israeli armoured convoy rolls into the West Bank town of Jericho and comes to a halt outside a building with a Palestinian flag fluttering over it.

At first glance, it might have looked like another incursion. But then out of the bus guarded by Israeli troops emerge Jewish pilgrims, on a visit to the ruins of a Byzantine-era synagogue entrusted to Palestinian security forces.

Such trips also play out at other Jewish heritage sites in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinian and Israeli forces still carry out vestiges of cooperation that have somehow survived intact at ground level, years after the sides' leaders ended peace talks amid mutual recrimination and suspicion.

The West Bank is the cradle of Judaism, which claims more than a dozen graves and shrines that dot the hills and deserts that Israelis know by the biblical names Judea and Samaria. Under the 1993 Oslo interim peace accords, the Palestinians agreed to secure such sites for Jewish access.

Some of the sites have become political flashpoints. The tomb of the Jewish matriarch Rachel is surrounded by a huge Israeli security wall that looms over the Palestinian town of Bethlehem and is often the target of protests. Further north, Jewish visits to the tomb of the biblical Joseph often provoke anger in the nearby Palestinian city of Nablus.

But elsewhere, rarely making headlines, the pilgrimages continue more peacefully, a gesture to the kind of religious pluralism that the authors of the peace process envisaged even in the crazy-quilt geography of the West Bank, where Palestinian towns and Israeli settlements exist uneasily side by side.

"It is very good that there is the ability to come to these places with this coordination," said Shmuel Yosef, among a group of Jerusalem seminary students, and two conservatively dressed middle-aged Jewish women, whom Reuters accompanied on a recent Jericho visit.

Story continues

Asked how it felt to see Palestinian flags over Jewish heritage sites, he laughed and said: "Somewhat unusual, but that's part of the experience."

The visits are not without incident. The pilgrims looked briefly flustered when two Palestinian youths chased the bus, throwing stones. But such hostilities rarely escalate into full-scale clashes.

IDEOLOGY

The Palestinian government, which exercises limited self-rule in a territory that it wants as part of a future independent state, frames the Jewish visits as part of the access it also arranges to Christian and Muslim sites.

"These are places of worship, and such archeological places

must not be exploited from a religious point of view or be used

for ideological purposes," Eyad Hamdan, director-general of

the Palestinian Tourism Ministry, told Reuters.

The Jericho group's first stop was the preserved mosaic floor from the 6th-century Shalom Al-Israel ("Peace Unto Israel") synagogue, known to Palestinians as the "Shahwan Synagogue", after a local family that built a two-storey home encompassing the artefact.

The site was torched by Palestinians during a 2000 surge in

fighting with Israel. It is now guarded around-the-clock by

Palestinian police, quartered in caravans outside. Yet these are locked and vacated before the Jewish groups arrive - a precaution against any face-to-face friction.

"Visitors, when they came, they were feeling very badly to

see the Arabs with their guns so close to us," explained Erna

Kobus, a tour guide who oversees the weekly Jericho pilgrimages.

"So it is good today that there is separation and we can't

see them when we come in. It's not that they don't work

together," she told Reuters.

After a prayer session, the group trundled to the other side

of Jericho, to view the fenced-off mosaic floor from the

5th-century Naaran synagogue.

One of the Jewish women on the trip, Orit Gayis, said of the

Jericho visit: "It's very fascinating to go back to see the Bible come to life ... We were here for thousands of years, and it's very emotional and very exciting."

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
By Libby George

LONDON (Reuters) - Nigeria will begin cutting the sulfur levels allowed in imported fuels in July, a change long sought by health and environmental campaigners, a year after an initial deadline, an official at state oil company NNPC said.

West African nations had promised higher quality by July 2017 as part of a United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP)campaign, but only Ghana met the deadline.

Nigeria imports roughly 900,000 tonnes of gasoline every month, accounting for 60 percent of West African imports of the fuel, meaning its choices on fuel quality are likely to impact the entire region.

Nigeria will lower the top level of sulfur in diesel to 50 parts per million (ppm), from 3,000 ppm, by July 1, Anibor O. Kragha, NNPC's chief operating officer of refineries and petrochemicals said in a presentation to the African Refiners Association (ARA).

Gasoline sulfur level cuts, a cost that will be borne largely by the government due to capped prices for the fuel, will start in October, moving to 300 ppm from 1,000 ppm.

Nigeria is targeting a cut to 150 ppm by October 1, 2019, Kragha said.

The Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), the body responsible for setting requirements for imported goods, published tighter quality rules last year, but another government body - the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) - did not issue revised specifications.

James McCullagh, analyst with Energy Aspects, said that meant "NNPC currently has the right  rather than the obligation  to actually import it (cleaner fuels)."

"This latest move would merely crystallize that obligation," he said.

Kragha told journalists in Cape Town that the ministries of Environment, Health, Petroleum Resources and Industry and Trade were working together to finalize rules that would be distributed to importers at some point in the second quarter.

UNEP, the ARA and health campaigners have been pushing West African nations to ban fuels that have been illegal in Europe and the United States for years due to what they say are significant health problems associated with sulfur emissions - particularly in dense urban areas such as Lagos. [http://reut.rs/2FMEeg5]

Story continues

The region is one of the last on earth where it is legal to sell fuels with sulfur levels at and above 1,000 ppm, as east and north African nations and major Asian consumer countries such as China and India have already tightened rules.

Kragha, in a presentation during ARA Week in Cape Town, said that while Nigeria was committed to cleaner fuel standards, "significant costs" complicated efforts to meet the deadline.

The presentation said that the first shift to cleaner gasoline would cost $11.7 million per month, and the second $15.7 million per month. The diesel reduction would cost $2.8 million per month.

Because gasoline prices are capped in Nigeria, and NNPC itself has been importing the bulk of it over the past year via crude for product swaps, the government is likely to bear much of the initial costs for a cleaner specification.

Diesel prices are deregulated, meaning consumers will pay directly for the better-quality fuels. Nigeria's own oil refineries will have until 2021 to meet the new sulfur levels, Kragha said.

(Additional reporting by Wendell Roelf in Cape Town; Editing by Alexander Smith and Mark Potter)

See Also:
OSLO (Reuters) - A Norsk Hydro plant's spill of waste water in Brazil last month was more extensive than previously reported, and the company still lacks overview of the situation, it said on Tuesday.

Authorities in late February ordered Alunorte, the world's largest alumina refinery, to cut output in half until it addressed pollution concerns, leading Hydro to declare force majeure with no time set to restart production.

In addition to a previously reported discharge last month into a local river, a company task force has found that spills also took place from a waste-water pond and from inside the plant into a drain canal, Hydro said in a statement.

Separately, a local prosecutor has ordered that the company repair, within 48 hours, cracks in a pipeline and that the drain canal must be sealed off, the company said, adding that it will meet this deadline.

"The preliminary findings from the internal task force show that we do not have the full overview of the situation and the course of events," Hydro Chief Executive Svein Richard Brandtzaeg said.

"I will evaluate the situation thoroughly and revert with more information in due time," he added.

By 0907 GMT, Norsk Hydro's shares fell 0.9 percent. Year-to-date the shares are down 18.6 percent.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Louise Heavens)

See Also:
OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian defense contractor Kongsberg Gruppen has signed a letter of intent to supply equipment for military vehicles in Qatar worth up to 15 billion Norwegian crowns ($1.93 billion), its largest deal to date, the company said on Tuesday.

Kongsberg was picked for an eight-year deal to supply weapons technology and digitalization systems to 490 armored vehicles that will be produced by France's Nexter, it added.

Qatar's deal with the French firm was announced late last year as part of a major military procurement package, but the Norwegian company's role had not previously been disclosed.

The deal is part of a wider Kongsberg cooperation agreement with Qatari authorities over technology development programs within defense, maritime industry and digitalization, the company said, while adding it saw "huge potential" in the country.

Kongsberg Gruppen's shares rose on the news, gaining 7 percent to reach an all-time high of 185.6 Norwegian crowns.

(Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Louise Heavens)

See Also:
Construction work is seen on high-rise office blocks in the City of London in London, Britain, January 25, 2018. Picture taken January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

By Gwladys Fouche

OSLO (Reuters) - London overtook New York as the top destination last year for unlisted real estate investments by Norway's $1 trillion wealth fund, which is focusing on 10 global cities it expects to grow in terms of population, jobs and trade.

The Norwegian fund is one of the biggest foreign investors in Britain, including as a co-owner of London's Regent Street, and has said it will keep on investing for the long-term regardless of the country's vote to leave the European Union.

"We don't know on what terms the UK will leave the (European) Union. In many ways, for us, that is not something we need to have a view on," Karsten Kallevig, CEO of Norges Bank Real Estate Management, the property wing of the Norwegian fund, told Reuters.

"What I need to have a view on is whether London will continue to be one of most important cities in Europe. And I think it will," he said on the sidelines of a news conference.

The report by the fund, which has properties on the Champs-Elysees in Paris and Hudson Square in New York, showed London, New York and Paris accounted for 22.8 percent, 21.5 percent and 19.1 percent of its unlisted property investments in 2017.

New York was top in 2016, followed by London and Paris, accounting for 19.2 percent, 17 percent and 13.1 percent respectively of the fund's property investments.

In 2017 the fund bought stakes in prime real estate in central London including a 25-percent stake in 10 Piccadilly, 263-269 Oxford Street and 1-4 Princes Street with the rest owned by the Crown Estate. The fund also increased its 25 percent stake in 20 Air Street to 50 percent.

Since the fund began buying property in London in 2011, it has tended to invest in the West End and Mayfair areas rather than in the City, as there is less competition for tenants, with fewer high-rise developments replacing low-rise buildings, said Kallevig.

"The supply constraint in our markets is an important factor," he said.

Story continues

He said the fact that London had overtaken New York as the prime destination in the fund's real estate portfolio did not reflect a particular view or strategy by the fund.

"It goes very up and down ... London, New York and Paris, and perhaps Tokyo, will be the biggest cities in general in the portfolio," he told reporters earlier.

Norway's fund funnels the revenues from its oil and gas production into stocks, bonds and real estate and its target is to invest up to 7 percent of its value in unlisted real estate. Its investments in such properties corresponded to 2.6 percent of overall assets at the end of 2017.

The fund made its first unlisted real estate investment in Asia, in Tokyo in December, and has looked into doing so in Singapore.

Kallevig said the right mix was still not quite there to make an investment in Singapore.

"We haven't yet found something that has been very appealing either as a combination of quality and location of the asset, the partner and the pricing," he told Reuters.

Overall the fund invested 15 billion crowns ($1.94 billion) in unlisted real estate in 2017, taking its total holdings to 219 billion crowns.

(Reporting by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Alexander Smith and Adrian Croft)
It is highly likely that Russia was to blame for the attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter using a deadly nerve agent, British Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs. The government is now waiting for a response from Russian diplomats before formulating its response, though Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has already denied the country is to blame.

But how can Britain respond to the attack in Salisbury in a way that shows the public that the government can protect national security while also being effective in the murky world of counterespionage? The options are limited and none are likely to be that effective.

Read more: Nerve agents: what are they and how do they work?

Britain is currently part of the EU sanctions regime against Russia, imposed after its annexation of Crimea in 2014. These include trade and financial sanctions as well as targeted sanctions against individuals at the heart of the office of Russian president, Vladmir Putin. The impact of these sanctions on Russian government policy is, however, slim.

The attack on the Skripals bears similarities to the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 with the radioactive agent polonium. The government inquest into Litvinenkos killing took nearly a decade and, in 2016 found that Putins office was probably at the heart of the decision to kill the former spy. The US and UK froze the assets of those deemed responsible for the assassination, Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitry Kovtum. American and European allies jumped forward to support the UK to protest this brazen attack.

The White House remained silent on the Skripal attack for days, but Donald Trump has now indicated that he will be talking to May about it.

Piling on sanctions

The EU sanctions could go further, though the UKs welcoming attitude to Russian finance and investment in the City of London has so far been a barrier to this. So too has the attitude of many southern EU member states who see Russia as a major investor in their economies rather than a territorial or political threat. Further action would take a major change in the way that the West seeks to counter Russia at home and abroad.

Story continues

Some may argue that escalating sanctions against Russia in 2018  particularly given the complexity of the quagmire in Syria and Russias role in supporting the Assad regime there  might be counterproductive. Still, the UK government is under growing pressure to do something in response to the Salisbury attack and the threat to the public health of its citizens.

In the first instance, more sanctions against Russian financial assets could be introduced that would mirror the US Magnitsky Act, which has gone further than the EUs sanctions in targeting financial interests and corruption close to Putin and his closest advisers. Introduced in the US in 2012, the act gives the government powers to put sanctions on people suspected of human rights abuses around the world.

The problem for the UK would be coming to terms with the scale of Russian investment in the UK that would currently contravene the Magnitsky Act.

The biggest challenge, however, would be the near irrelevance of further sanctions at this stage of the contest between the West and Russia. Sanctions are more likely to work at the beginning of a conflict, and become increasingly irrelevant the longer it goes on, with the first six months of sanctions being the most effective. With sanctions against Russia in place since 2014, a new round is therefore unlikely to have much impact.

Support to Russias enemies

The UK could also move to counter Russian intelligence on UK soil. The goal would be to direct UK security services to make it increasingly difficult for Russian intelligence operatives to work on the ground  and more difficult to get nerve agents or other poisons into the country. This has the potential to be more successful in protecting the UK against such brazen attacks than further sanctions would, but it could stretch British security services further at a time when global jihadism and cyberattacks are already heaping pressure on counterespionage agencies. And it would be done behind closed doors, rather than as a public response to the Skripal attack.

An escalation of support for Ukraine is perhaps the most likely response even if it is not tied specifically to the Skripal attack. While current Russian military involvement in the Donbas region of Ukraine has lessened, it has continued to support the peoples republics in Donetsk and Lugansk through material aid and armaments. Further material aid and armaments for Ukrainian forces would be an operationally effective response from the UK  though it would not necessarily prevent another attack on the UK.

The final  and least probable response  would be a quid pro quo attack on Russian intelligence assets in Russia itself, either counterespionage or a cyber offensive. But Russia has the potential and wherewithal to escalate this tension between the West and Russia even further. Any attack on Russia itself, even if targeted at people who spied on the West  such as Anna Chapman, the Russian spy for who Skripal was swapped  would further deteriorate the UK-Russian relationship.

The most likely outcome is a combination of further sanctions, extra counterespionage as an effective tool for the British security services, and further support for Ukraine in order to agitate Russia through a proxy to avoid open escalation.

None of these activities are transformative. But perhaps neither is the Skripal attack  although the breaking of a Cold War taboo against the use of chemical weapons, suggests that the potential for further escalation is increasing. While there will be Western politicians who call for restraint against further escalation, these will be the same politicians who fail to see that Russia has transformed what some may call a Cold War into something much warmer.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

The Conversation

David J Galbreath receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Economic and Social Research Council.
Police in the Czech Republic capitol of Prague were seeking help from the public on March 14 after a shot from a non-lethal gas pistol was fired during a fight involving at least three people on a public bus on March 13.

This security camera footage, released by police, shows two men, believed to be Ukrainian nationals, appearing to repeatedly punch and kick another passenger, identified by police as a 51-year-old Czech man.

The two men, along with other passengers, then get off the bus. One of the men, seen wearing a dark jacket, red t-shirt and blue jeans, walks out with a pistol in hand, while appearing to be bleeding from the side of his head.

Police said they man who was being punched and kicked had been involved in a skirmish with other passengers and fired the shot. He remained on the bus after being beaten and was arrested at the scene and transferred to hospital, according to police.

Another two passengers, who stand near the the back of the bus as the beating is ongoing, are seen shielding their face with their clothes before disembarking. Credit: Policie CR via Storyful
FILE PHOTO: A police officer fires tear gas during clashes with demonstrators as Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is sworn in for a new term in Tegucigalpa FILE PHOTO: A police officer fires tear gas during clashes with demonstrators as Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez is sworn in for a new term in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, January 27, 2018. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - Honduran security forces, especially the military police, used excessive and lethal force against protesters demonstrating against President Juan Orlando Hernandez's disputed re-election in November, the United Nations said on Monday.

The security forces shot dead at least 16 people, including two women and two children, out of at least 23 people known to have died during the protests, the U.N. human rights office said in a report.

"These cases raise serious concerns and may amount to extra-judicial killings," the report said.

Seven people were killed by shots to the head, it said.

"Analysis of the type of injuries suffered by the victims indicate that the security forces made intentional lethal use of firearms, including beyond dissuasive or self-defence (legitimate) purposes, such as when protestors were fleeing."

Hernandez, a conservative supported by the United States, appeared set to lose the Nov. 26 election until an abrupt halt in the vote count and a shift in the results took victory away from his centre-left rival, Salvador Nasralla.

Allegations of fraud sparked protests but the result was eventually ratified by the country's electoral tribunal and both Mexico and the United States backed the incumbent.

Hernandez had pledged a hard-line strategy criticised by human rights groups to bring order to the impoverished Central American country, which has been plagued by battles between security forces, local gangs and drug traffickers.

By Jan. 27, the date of the presidential inauguration, no charges had been brought against any member of the security forces in relation to the killings, the U.N. report said.

The U.N. also said a curfew imposed as part of a state of emergency on Dec. 1 was excessive, with some 1,351 people detained within four days in mass arrests.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said in a statement that things were likely to get worse unless Honduras prosecuted people for the killings.

"The already fragile human rights situation in Honduras, which suffers from high levels of violence and insecurity, is likely to deteriorate further unless there is true accountability for human rights violations, and reforms are taken to address the deep political and social polarisation in the country," he said.

(Reporting by Tom Miles; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg)
The incident happened at a school in Bath, Somerset (Picture: Getty)

A group of white pupils who tied up and whipped a black student in a mock slave auction will not be expelled, it has emerged.

The black boy was chained to a lamppost and whipped with sticks by seven teenagers who called him racist names harking back to the slave trade, the Bath Chronicle reported.

Three of the white pupils were initially expelled by the headteacher of the secondary school in Somerset, which cannot be named to protect the victims identity.

However, they were allowed to return after the schools board of governors overturned the headteachers decision.

They decided the expelled trio should only be excluded from school along with the other four boys for two weeks.

The mock slave auction is said to have taken place on school grounds during a lunch break and police have confirmed they are now investigating.

The school says it thoroughly investigated what it described as an incident on January 22, and took action in line with statutory procedures.

MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO

The victims parents have not commented but other parents have expressed their anger at the situation.

The school said: An incident took place in January which involved a group of established friends.

This incident was thoroughly investigated by the school and action taken, in line with statutory procedures.

The police were informed by us and an investigation is ongoing, fully assisted by the school.

The chair of the board of governors said he was not able to add anything to the statement issued by the headteacher.

The school did not tell parents about the incident until this week, but news of the incident had already spread, with several parents contacting the Bath Chronicle.

Story continues

Police are investigating the incident (File photo: PA)

One father told the newspaper: It just sends the wrong message out to the children.

Ive got a mixed-race son. Hes thinking theyre going to stick up for the white kids but we get in trouble if we do something wrong.

His partner said: I want that child to know hes got people around him, supporting him, who will not tolerate that kind of behaviour.

The boy it happened to is just the sweetest little thing ever. Hes so sweet and kind and gentle. It just makes it even worse.

The thing is Ive got a mixed-race child and so has my partner.

They believe nothing will happen to white children if they behave badly but something happens to them.

In a statement, the school said: We have today become aware of media interest in an incident which took place in January and involved a group of established friends and related to a single incident of unacceptable behaviour within the school grounds.

A full investigation was instigated in line with both internal school procedures and Department of Education requirements, including contact with the police.

You can be assured that the school has taken this incident exceptionally seriously and that our absolute priority was, and remains, that the right path is taken for all those involved as well as the wider school community.

A police spokesman said: Enquiries are ongoing and the school is assisting. Six boys have voluntarily attended a police station and another has agreed to voluntarily attend.
Diversified mineral exploration and development company Alba Mineral Resources announced the appointment of Sue Corrigan as its technical consultant for oil and gas on Wednesday, with immediate effect.

The AIM-traded firm said Corrigan is a geologist and geoscientist with 40 years of industry experience in both exploration and development geology.

It said she has extensive experience of reservoir evaluation in the UK continental shelf and the UK southern gas basin, Norway, Algeria, Venezuela, Uganda, Kenya, sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa in offshore Ghana.

Corrigan began her career at Shell and Amoco.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant in 2015, she spent more than six years at FTSE 250 independent oil and gas exploration and production company Tullow Oil, including holding the position of principal geoscientist between August 2011 and May 2015.

Alba said Corrigan's experience encompassed active participation in a number of North Sea and international field unitisations, numerous screenings and evaluations for potential acquisitions and farm-outs, planning wells in the North Sea and Africa, coordination with drilling teams, monitoring of well progress and management of external consultants and services.

I am delighted to welcome Sue Corrigan to our team, said Alba executive chairman George Frangeskides.

She brings to Alba a wealth of expertise in the oil and gas sector at a very important time for Alba's oil investments.

At Horse Hill, where Alba holds the second largest shareholding in the operator Horse Hill Developments, Frangeskides explained that following impending upgrades to site facilities, the operator was due to commence a 150-day production testing programme on the Portland and Kimmeridge KL3 and KL4 reservoirs, with the objective of confirming the presence of a commercially viable oil volume.

This will enable us to then make a declaration of commerciality."

This significant point in the development of the Horse Hill Project having been reached, and with production expected from the Brockham site in which Alba is also invested, Sue's technical advice and support will be invaluable as we enter this potentially transformational phase for the company.
Oil and gas exploration and production company SDX Energy has made an oil discovery at its West Gharib Concession in Egypt, the company said on Wednesday.

The discovery of approximately 151 feet of net heavy oil pay with average porosity of 18% was made at the Rabul 5 well at the site, in which SDX Energy holds a 50% interest and acts as joint operator of.

Paul Welch, president and chief executive of SDX Energy, said: "We are pleased to continue our recent run of drilling success with this oil discovery at Rabul 5. This well encountered the thickest section of pay sands seen in the Rabul area to date, demonstrating the significant oil potential contained within the licence."

Further evaluation of Rabul 5 is ongoing, after which the well will be readied for production and connected to the central processing facilities at Meseda.

The Meseda field, which contains the West Gharib concession, contains 13 currently producing wells with gross production in excess of 3,299 bopd as at 30 June and is operated alongside Dublin International Petroleum who also hold a 50% interest in the site.

"We have further drilling activity planned for the concession over the coming months and we firmly believe that these activities will enable us to increase output from the licence and achieve our ambitious production plans for 2018," said Welch.

SDX Energy plans to move on to drilling an appraisal well at Rabul 4 following the completion of the Rabul 5 well.

As of 0829 GMT, SDX Energys shares were up 1.80% at 48.10p.
Investors expect significant delays in Brexit negotiations after the UK and the EU set out contrasting versions of a deal, a survey by Barclays shows.

Fewer than 20% of investors expect a transition agreement to emerge from the EUs March summit and almost two-thirds expect transition arrangements to be delayed until October or later, according to Barclays Brexit investor survey.

The UK was aiming to agree terms for a transition, which it wants to last about two years, at the Brussels summit on 22-23 March. But Theresa Mays speech on 2 March setting out her terms was at odds with the EUs view, as stated in draft guidelines published on 7 March. The EU said questions about the Northern Irish border would have to be resolved before transition talks would begin.

Barclays said 63% of respondents believed talks about Britains relationship with the EU would extend beyond the 29 March 2019 deadline, but still conclude before the end of the transition. But 24% expected matters to be unresolved until beyond the transition ends.

Investors are increasingly confident that May will hang on as prime minister after bridging divisions in her party with the speech, the survey found.

Investors view of the economic outlook remained stable with the risk of recession perceived as low. The proportion of investors expecting a rate rise in May has increased but most investors think the next increase will be in the second half, the survey found.

The survey, carried out between 2 March and 9 March, covered the views of 503 Barclays clients including hedge funds, money managers and proprietary trading desks.
"While Cairn's shares sold off materially post the earnings presentation, our thesis remains unchanged. We believe that management delivered a consistent message, particularly on Senegal, once again demonstrating the strong fundamentals of the project," it said.

It said that three major "blocks" primarily define Cairn: the development resource opportunity in Senegal, including the SNE project, two key startups currently ramping up in the UK - Kraken and Catcher - and the 5% stake in Vedanta.

In particular, it argued that the SNE exploration well in Senegal is highly profitable but the value of the project remains underappreciated by the market.

"Assuming a $65/bbl real Brent price, we estimate the SNE project in Senegal could be worth around 160p, 80% of the share price. After today's weakness, we believe the market is once again rewarding for 60% of that value.

"We expect the market to place more confidence on the SNE project as we approach the project sanction date. We believe it also increases the chances of early monetisation via a farm-out."

Having repaired their balance sheets and with a robust outlook for commodity prices, given strong economic growth in the 'Rest of the World' that was offsetting softness in China, Goldman Sachs upgraded its view on the European Metals & Mining sector from 'neutral' to 'attractive'.

As a result of the above factors, Goldman estimated that, at the prevailing spot prices for commodities, most miners would move into a net cash position over the next two years.

"We do not believe that it is necessary to expect a period of higher commodity prices to take a positive view on mining equities. Rather, we see a belief in the sustainability of spot prices as sufficient.

"Despite this, the miners currently trade at a discount to their mid-cycle valuation multiples (in some cases a more than 50% discount), which we believe reflects investor doubt over the sustainability of commodity prices. As such, the longer spot prices persist, the more likely we believe it is that the sector will continue to re-rate," analysts Eugene King, Abhinandan Agarwal, Felix Schlueter and Peter Hackworth said in a research note sent to clients after the London market close on Tuesday.

Indeed, even with their levels of capital expenditure set to rise, Goldman still foresaw "significant" free cash flow generation which would be avilable to support enhanced returns for investors.
"While Cairn's shares sold off materially post the earnings presentation, our thesis remains unchanged. We believe that management delivered a consistent message, particularly on Senegal, once again demonstrating the strong fundamentals of the project," it said.

It said that three major "blocks" primarily define Cairn: the development resource opportunity in Senegal, including the SNE project, two key startups currently ramping up in the UK - Kraken and Catcher - and the 5% stake in Vedanta.

In particular, it argued that the SNE exploration well in Senegal is highly profitable but the value of the project remains underappreciated by the market.

"Assuming a $65/bbl real Brent price, we estimate the SNE project in Senegal could be worth around 160p, 80% of the share price. After today's weakness, we believe the market is once again rewarding for 60% of that value.

"We expect the market to place more confidence on the SNE project as we approach the project sanction date. We believe it also increases the chances of early monetisation via a farm-out."

The bank maintained its 300p price target on the stock, which provides 55% upside to the share price.

At 1620 GMT, the shares were up 4% to 201.40p.
The UK will expel 23 Russian diplomats after the Kremlin failed to explain its involvement in the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

The diplomats, labelled as "undeclared intelligence officers" by Theresa May, will be given a week to leave the country, as the Prime Minister also cancelled an invitation to Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and confirmed that the royal family will not attend the Fifa World Cup in the summer.

The UK will also impose increased checks on Russian flights, plan new laws against "hostile state activity" and is to meet with the UN Security Council at 1900 GMT on Wednesday to discuss the investigation into the Salisbury incident.

May had set a deadline of midnight for Russia to explain how a Soviet-era nerve agent came to be used in the 4 March Salisbury incident, in which she said the country was "highly likely" to have been involved.

Russia failed to meet this deadline, insisting that it has "no motive" for the attempted murder and has threatened "retaliatory measures" if the UK were to take any steps against the country.

The Prime Minister referred to Moscow's response as one of "sarcasm, contempt and defiance".

British Ambassador Julian Braithwaite said: "The council and the United Nations general assembly have decried Russia's violations of international law with alarming regularity. Its reckless behaviour is an affront to all this body stands for."

Braithwaite cited a long list of complaints against Russia which were echoed by other parties at the UN Human Rights Council who met on Wednesday morning.

Jason Mack, a first secretary at the US mission in Geneva, said: "From Ukraine to Syria, and now the United Kingdom, Russia continues to be an irresponsible force of instability in the world, acting with open disregard for the sovereignty of other states and the lives of those living within their borders."

For its part, Russia did not acknowledge the Salisbury incident as its representative instead commented on alleged human rights violations against African-Americans in the US.
Singapore-based Broadcom has withdrawn and terminated its hostile offer to buy US chipmaker Qualcomm after President Trump blocked the deal on the grounds of national security.

Trump announced on Monday that he was blocking Broadcom's $117bn bid, saying there was "credible evidence" that Broadcom and its affiliates "might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the US".

Trump said the companies must "immediately and permanently abandon" the proposed takeover.

Broadcom reacted by saying that it "strongly" disagreed that the deal raises any national security concerns, but by Wednesday it had conceded defeat.

"Although we are disappointed with this outcome, Broadcom will comply with the order," it said in a statement.

"Broadcom's board of directors and management team sincerely appreciate the significant support we received from the Qualcomm and Broadcom stockholders throughout this process."

Broadcom's hostile bid was being investigated by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, which said it would cause the US to fall behind on the development of 5G technology and allow China to take the lead.
US-based auto parts giant Dana Inc could list its shares in London as a condition of its $6.1bn acquisition of GKN's power train business.

GKN last Friday agreed to combine its Driveline business with Dana as it looks to fend off a hostile bid from turnaround specialist Melrose Industries, which upped its offer to 8.1bn this Monday.

Under the terms of the deal, GKN will receive cash proceeds of $1.6bn and shareholders will receive 47.3% of the fully diluted share capital of a newly formed company, Dana Plc, which was to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange and headquartered in Maumee, Ohio.

But Danas finance director Jonathan Collins told the Financial Times that a secondary listing was absolutely an option if it was made a condition of the deal by GKN's investors, some of which have bemoaned the fact they would not be able to hold shares in the new Plc. Collins and chief executive Jim Kamsickas have flow in to London meet some of these institutions and listen to shareholders concerns.
Support services and construction group Interserve has been awarded a two-year extension of its contract to provide security services to the BBC worth more than 20m.

Interserve has been providing the BBC with security services since 2014, when it was awarded the companys National Security Contract on a three-year deal.

It handles all manned guarding, close protection and control room operations at a variety of sites, including Broadcasting House in London, Pacific Quay in Glasgow and the Media City UK complex in Salford. The account extension will start in early 2017.

Tom Ward, director of operations for security at Interserve, said: "We have a strong working relationship and have built up a track record of delivering outstanding service across a large and diverse portfolio. We look forward to continuing our work with the Corporation for a further two years."
Marshalls posted a jump in full-year profit and revenue on Wednesday as the specialist landscape products group upped its final dividend by 17%.

In the year to the end of December 2017, pre-tax profit rose 13% to 52.1m on revenue of 430.2m, up 8% from 2016. Group revenue includes a 9m contribution from precast concrete manufacturer CPM, which was bought last October. On a like-for-like basis excluding the impact of CPM, revenue was up 6%.

The group attributed the rise in profits to an increase in margins, which rose to 12.4% from 12% in the year, through the optimisation of existing operations and innovation in products as it continues to deliver its 2020 strategy.

Marshalls said CPM has traded strongly since the acquisition and its integration is in line with the group's expectations.

Basic earnings per share increased 14% to 21.52p and the group lifted its final ordinary dividend to 6.80p from 5.80p and its supplementary dividend to 4.0p from 3.0p in 2016.

Net debt stood at 24.3m at the end of December 2017 versus 5.4m in 2016, reflecting the cash outflow of 41.4m relating to the CPM acquisition.

The company said it had a strong start to 2018, with sales up 18% including CPM and 4% higher on an underlying basis.

Chief executive Martyn Coffey said: "The group has again delivered strong profit growth year-on-year. Good progress has been made in the year executing the 2020 Strategy, notably the acquisition of CPM, and the ongoing self-help programme to drive organic growth is progressing well. The underlying drivers have remained positive in our main end markets and our sales and order intake have been strong in the first 2 months of 2018.

"We remain well placed to deliver continued growth and operational profit improvements."
The Islip Art Museum on Long Island, New York, is a haven for contemporary artists who are seeking to exhibit recent works. From March 8 to May 3, 2018, an exhibit titled East Meets West will be presented at the museum. An opening reception between the hours of 1pm and 4pm is scheduled on Saturday, March 10. The reception will include music made by a Chinese hammered dulcimer courtesy of musician Jenny Yang and lots of Korean beverages and foods.

East Meets West is a group exhibition that contains nine artists. Curated by artist and professor Seung Lee and exhibition designer and assistant curator Stephanie S.

Lee, the artworks in this show are inspired by Eastern cultures, philosophies, and aesthetics. The artists on display range from the experiences to the emerging and mediums range wildly. Among the presented styles are collage, installation, oil painting, watercolor, stained glass, stitched fiber, and traditional Korean folk painting.

The exhibition will also feature opportunities for Americans to become more familiar with Korean culture. For instance, on April 19 between the hours of 3 PM and 5 PM, artist Sei Ryun Chun will host a Korean tea ceremony followed by an art workshop by artist Dong Kyu Kim.

The exhibition was greenlit by the Islip Art Council and the Town of Islip. Participating artists include Sueim Koo, Boy Kong, Dong Kyu Kim, Susan Kelly, Sui Park, Stephanie S.

Lee, Seung Lee, Jayoung Yoon, and Evan Venegas. Moreover, there will also be a solo exhibition of artist Sei Ryun Chun, titled Rounded, held at the same time inside of the Museum's gift shop gallery.

Exhibit designer and assistant curator Stephanie S. Lee was born in South Korea and studied art from the time she was in high school.

In 1996, she moved to America and earned a degree at Pratt Institute. Today, she is working on a Masters degree at Pratt majoring in Museums and Digital Culture. As a Korean-American, Stephanie has a first-hand understanding of the fusion between Eastern and Western cultures and she enjoys exploring the topic via her roles as an exhibition designer and curator.

Stephanie is also a teacher and the founder of KoreanFolkArt. Org whose artwork has been featured in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere.

Recently, Stephanie offered an exclusive interview where she discussed working on the East Meets West exhibition, her experiences as a curator, art teacher, and artist, and some exciting future events.

Artwork displayed at the Islip Art Museum

Meagan Meehan (MM): How did you become an artist and a curator and what inspired you for the East Meets West show?

Stephanie S. Lee (SSL): Since the museum collected professor Seung Lee's sculpture in 1995, he has a long-term relationship with the Islip Art Museum. Recently, the executive director of the museum, Lynda Moran asked Seung Lee to curate year-long exhibitions with the museum, including museum's Open Call and other activities related to art.

Seung Lee came up with the theme East Meets West as for the start of scheduled exhibitions, and invited me to work as an assistant curator and an exhibit designer. My artwork is also based on Korean folk art implementing modern western perspective which suits well with the theme, so he added me as one of the participating artists as well.

MM: How did you come to work with Seung Lee and what was it like to curate a show together?

SSL: Seung Lee is a Director of Fine Arts and a Professor of Art at Long Island University, Post campus. He taught many students for decades who now became great artists and I had chances to exhibit with those artists a couple of times. While exhibiting with them, they all spoke highly about Professor Lee and more I knew about him, I became to agree with his students.

So, it was my pleasure when he asked me to be a part of this exhibition. Although we didnt have much time to prepare, the whole process went very well. He had a clear idea about the exhibition and provided full support on every aspect, to move forward within tight deadlines.

MM: How did you find out about the Islip Art Museum and what was the process of securing this venue like?

SSL: Islip Art Museum director Lynda Moran suggested Professor Lee plan exhibitions for their venue with the support of Islip Art Council. We had meetings based on Professor Lees curated proposal to discuss details about the exhibition. And we were pleased to have beautiful waterfront building that has three gallery rooms, gift shop gallery, and spacious meeting room for the reception.

MM: What is it about the artworks in this exhibition that you think will most appeal to viewers?

SSL: Although all of the artists share Asian philosophy with western esthetics as their common theme, each has a totally different choice in terms of a medium that result in diverse rays of visual. Itll approach each audience with different stories and voices and thats whats interesting about this exhibition. The structure of the museum building offers different enclosed gallery spaces by sections and it helps viewers to follow very different narratives of each artist throughout the exhibition.

Starting with beautiful stained-glass mosaic pieces by artist Susan Kelly, Dong Kyu Kims hand stitched Korean traditional garment is both visually and conceptually interesting.

Sui Parks large organic-formed wall piece made of zip ties and is hard to miss, and Jayoung Yoons delicate sculpture made by her own hair is also eye-catching. Evan Venegass paintings are subtle yet powerful with layers of harmonious colors and composition using circles. Connected by Boy Kongs stylish blue water-colored fish called 'Butterfly fish,' the gallery three is showcasing Boy Kong & Stephanie S. Lee's dynamic hybrid tiger paintings and Lee's other animal paintings with diamonds inspired by Korean Folk art.

In gallery two, Sueim Koos bright colored abstract collage paintings and Seung Lee's paintings depicted tree works well with natural sunlight and landscape seen through the full windows of the room.

And its good to see Seung Lees whimsical sculpture titled Tea Time. displayed. He created it in 1995 and it is in the museums permanent collection.

Cultural events, music, and other exhibitions

MM: You have lots of cultural events planned for the exhibition too, like tea tasting and Chinese music. How do you think these events will strengthen the impact of the exhibition?

SSL: Curator Seung Lee intended to have many events associated with the theme other than just visual. So, the audience can enjoy the two months exhibition period with multiple experiences. During the exhibition, there will be Korean tea ceremony performed by artist Sei Ryun Chun (on April 19, Thursday 3pm-5pm) and artist workshop by Dong Kyu Kim will perform on April 14 Saturday 1-4 PM.

Also, there is artist Sei Ryun Chun's solo exhibition called 'Rounded' happening at the museum gift shop with her signature meditative circle shaped artworks and hand-made crystal jewelry objects. In collaboration with Stella Shieh at Asian-American Cultural Circle of Unity, Islip art museum director Lynda Moran invited musician Jenny Yang to play Chinese hammered dulcimer at the opening reception. Korean food and beverages were served during the reception.

MM: Which works are you displaying in this show and why did you select those specific pieces?

SSL: I picked pieces that can show strong characteristics of Korean Folk Art (Minhwa) with a modern perspective that connects eastern and western cultures.

Tiger and magpie is the most representative subject matter in Korean Folk Art painting. So, I included four paintings of tiger and magpie paintings along with dog and rooster paintings. With Boy Kong's piece, Drunken Tiger Loses His Stripes Under The Same Sun, gallery three is filled with paintings of Asian animal creating powerful and creative energy.

MM: What other exhibitions and/or events are coming up that you want to mention?

SSL: I'm currently participating in the group exhibition, Art as Sanctuary at Mikhail Zakin Gallery and exhibition Archipelagos of the Creative Mind at Pratt Library. And Im planning to have a solo exhibition at the Closter Library in New Jersey in 2019.
Space agencies all over the world are working on plans to colonize the Red Planet Mars, and Elon Musk is no exception. He has explained the necessity of having a human settlement on the distant planet. His logic is simple  in case of a World War, chances of survival of mankind would be slim. Hence, man must settle on the moon or Mars before it is too late.

The New Zealand Herald reports that SpaceX CEO made these observations during a question-and-answer session at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference in Texas. In his opinion, the focus should be to ensure that human civilization does not become extinct in case of a war.

This can be achieved through colonization of Mars.

Elon Musk is a visionary

He is an entrepreneur and the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla. The former has revolutionized the concept of reusable rockets to economize on the cost of rocket launches and has been contracted by NASA to undertake supply missions to the International Space Station. Tesla is deeply involved in its mission to usher in the electric vehicles and tackle the threat of global warming. Elon Musk is now concentrating on colonization of Mars.

A self-sustaining human base on the distant planet could survive in case of a war on Earth compared to a base on the moon. In the worst case scenario, such a remote outpost would help to sustain the human population.

The world is witnessing a regular tussle between US President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. They are expected to meet, and nuclear weapons will feature in the talks.

Future plans to colonize Mars

NASA plans to send humans to Mars in the 2030s, while Elon Musk plans to launch the first cargo ships to the planet by 2022.

He made this claim during an appearance in a program in Adelaide. Critics have termed these as highly ambitious, but SpaceX is forging ahead. It has conducted a successful test flight of the Falcon Heavy which is the world's most powerful rocket and has also launched a red Tesla Roadster car towards an orbit near Mars.

The Huffington Post adds that NASA plans to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030 to 2040 period.

It will be a one-way mission, and its purpose will be colonization of the Red Planet. It would mean not just sending the astronauts but also whatever is required for establishing a self-sustaining colony.

According to CS Monitor, four men and two women selected by NASA have undergone eight-month training in specially designed compartments that have recreated a Martian environment. The location was in Hawaii below the summit of Mauna Loa, the worlds largest active volcano.
News has just emerged indicating that President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and he wasted no time in announcing that he would move CIA Director Mike Pompeo over to the position. Pompeo's move then opens up the top position in the CIA and Trump has announced that Gina Haspel will move into that spot. What do people need to know about the new potential CIA director?

Haspel will make history if she is confirmed

CBS News notes that Gina Haspel is the first woman to take on the CIA director position and she was also the first female CIA officer to become the deputy director last year as the Trump administration moved into place.

Haspel has some controversial experience in her past, namely that she played a significant role in the covert program the US used to run that utilized harsh interrogation methods for suspected terrorists, including waterboarding.

Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2018

For a time, Haspel ran the covert CIA prison in Thailand that notoriously waterboarded suspected terrorists Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri and Abu Zubaydah. She also then followed through on an order to destroy videos of said waterboarding.

The 61-year-old joined the CIA in 1985, notes the New York Post, and she has previously served in several high-level positions within the agency.

Haspel's confirmation may get some pushback

Pro Publica noted via Twitter that Haspel will need to be confirmed by the Senate before officially taking over the role. However, given how prior confirmations have flowed through the Senate, it seems unlikely that her confirmation will be particularly difficult.

Several Democrats voiced their opposition to Haspel when she was named to the deputy position, but most expect her to soon be approved to take over Pompeo's CIA role.

The American Civil Liberties Union promptly voiced concern over Haspel taking over the role, due to the previous allegations related to the secret prison in Thailand.

The organization tweeted that she was central in one of the most illegal and shameful chapters in US history, adding that she was up to her eyeballs in torture. They are calling for documents related to her past work to be declassified before her nomination is considered.

Gina Haspel was a central figure in one of the most illegal and shameful chapters in modern American history.https://t.co/zdqMnMHKGF  ACLU (@ACLU) March 13, 2018

There is a lot of buzz surrounding this latest development within the Trump administration. Tillerson reportedly learned of his firing via Twitter and President Trump was quick to praise his chemistry with new Secretary of State Pompeo. It seems that the administration is confident in placing Gina Haspel into the role of CIA director, but many will be curious to see if any additional pushback arises against this move.
Donald Trump made his way to the West Coast to visit the prototypes for his controversial southern border wall on Tuesday just hours after firing now former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. After making several questionable remarks, the president was quickly called out and mocked for his efforts.

Inspecting border wall prototypes, Pres. Trump says main challenge is preventing people from getting over the top. "These are professional mountain climbers. They're incredible climbers. They can't climb some of these walls." https://t.co/U2KyDibLaN pic.twitter.com/jkBbCb5h7X  ABC News (@ABC) March 13, 2018

Trump and the border wall

When Donald Trump first announced his plan to run for president back in the summer of 2015, he did so by labeling the majority of illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." Since then, tackling illegal immigration has been once of his top priorities, with his plan for a border wall between the United States and Mexico being at the top of his list.

Kicking off his day on Tuesday, Trump fired Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State, and also longtime personal John McEntee.

.@POTUS while visiting border wall prototypes: "You have to have see through. You have to know what's on the other side of the wall." pic.twitter.com/vfuy1V1HRz  FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) March 13, 2018

As reported by ABC News on March 13, Donald Trump addressed reporters after visiting the border wall prototype. "If you dont have a wall system, were not going to have a country," the president said, before insulting the California Gov. Jerry Brown, saying, "I think Governor Brown has done a very poor job running California." Trump went even further, expressing his desire for a "see through" wall.

"You have to have see through. You have to know what's on the other side of the wall," he added.

Pres. Trump claims "the state of California is begging us to build walls in certain areas...and we said, no, we won't do it until we build the whole wall." https://t.co/U2KyDibLaN pic.twitter.com/LN7jysI1xu  ABC News (@ABC) March 13, 2018

"These are professional mountain climbers.

They're incredible climbers. They can't climb some of these walls," Donald Trump said of potential illegal immigrants, while stating, "Californias sanctuary policies put the entire nation at risk. Theyre the best friend of the criminal." Not stopping there, Trump went on to claim that "the wall will save hundreds of billions of dollars, many, many times what its going to cost," a statement that has been debunked on more than one occasion.

Instant backlash

Following his remarks about the border wall, Donald Trump quickly came under fire from critics. "This is so embarrassing for us as a country," one tweet read.

This is so embarrassing for us as a country  Robert H. Brauchler (@RHBrauchler) March 13, 2018

He looks like hes having so much fun playing Potus today. Enjoy it now before your shit hits the fan.  Bonnie Bates (@bonniebates51) March 13, 2018

@POTUS you are a despicable, racist human being. You talk and the world cringes. You are a disgrace to our great country you will be remembered for baby tantrums, twitter storms, knowing nothing about policy and doing the dumbest shit ever!  Sandi Bouchard (@sandibouch) March 13, 2018

"Mountain climbers?

What an idiot," a Twitter user wrote. "Professional mountain climbers with those tons of drugs on their backs just pouring over the boarder in 100 degree heat. What a complete joke!! SNL HERE WE COME. Saturday night - not available unless you bring the pizza and popcorn!" yet another tweet stated.

Oh my God how hateful and embarrassing.  Justice (@scchumpert) March 13, 2018

The main challenge is getting out of bed each day while this man is President of the United States. He has been utterly destructive to the morale of our country.  Amy Brewster (@amybrewster2016) March 13, 2018

If he is pushing for merit based immigration wouldn't all of these professional mountain climbers qualify??   justforfun (@justforfun281) March 13, 2018

"He has to be the longest running April Fool's joke ever. Can it please just end already? You got us. We're all fooled. Real POTUS please?" a social media user asked. "Oh my God how hateful and embarrassing," a tweet added.
Jenelle Evans recently parted ways with Blue Apron. It was a big deal earlier this week, especially when it was revealed the company had dumped the Teen Mom 2 star because of several complaints via social media over the weekend. Evans had remained quiet on the subject until she decided to respond to a story that People ran. Of course, things happened differently according to Jenelle.

She fired Blue Apron

In an effort to prove her point, Jenelle Evans shared several screenshots on Twitter about how she parted ways with Blue Apron. She claims that she ended the relationship with the company when she found out Kailyn Lowry was also being used as a spokesperson.

This is because the two don't get along and Evans has been accused of stealing several ideas from Lowry. She figured it would happen again in this context and decided to not even chance it. Jenelle wants nothing to do with Kail.

There has been a big back and forth between Jenelle Evans and Kailyn Lowry for years. The two have always tried to one-up the other, though most of the time Kail was ahead of Jenelle. Teen Mom 2 reunions have definitely shown the animosity, and now, the two are mortal enemies. Jenelle has talked about Kail's black baby, and Kail has commented on Jenelle's wedding. There is even a cease and desist between these two filed by Evans, though Lowry didn't really react when she received hers.

They were sent to several Teen Mom 2 cast members.

David steps in

David Eason popped in to help his wife with the conflict. Jenelle Evans usually calls David in for backup when she feels outnumbered. He tends to handle the situation and she gets to feel like she has a knight in shining armor. Eason retweeted several negative stories about Blue Apron along with what Jenelle had said.

Since then, Evans' tweets have been removed. Interestingly enough, this is typical Jenelle fashion. David stepped in to make sure she was being treated right and when things went south, the duo decided to just retweet the negative.

If you look at the date and time.... Yea Jenelle dropped @blueapron not the other way around. They can play billy bad ass if they want but they are just butt hurt! https://t.co/YfCAwO6gtD  David Eason (@davideportcity) February 13, 2018

It will be interesting when Teen Mom 2 starts airing a new season and the cast talks about it on social media.

Jenelle Evans may believe she has people fooled by saying she fired Blue Apron, but most believe the business cut ties with her. Evans doesn't say no to money. Kailyn Lowry was likely Evans' replacement, which is more ironic than they probably knew. Fans are laughing at the competition between the two and how this worked out.
The latest trailer for "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" had Twitter abuzz after its March 13 release, and received over 3.4 million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours. While the trailer has all the familiar faces and magical imagery that "Fantastic Beasts" fans can expect, it's Jude Law as a young Dumbledore who really stands out.

Fans excited for the sequel

The sequel to 2016's "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" is set to be released on November 16 of this year. A day after its release, the trailer had been retweeted over 85,000 times and was the No.

2 trending video on YouTube. Considering that the film is subtitled "The Crimes of Grindelwald," it's expected that the trailer may feature Johnny Depp as the evil Grindelwald, and, of course, the loveable Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. Fans also see brief glimpses of familiar favorites Ezra Miller as Credence, Zoe Kravitz as Leta, Katherine Waterston as Tina, and Dan Fogler as Jacob. Yet, the majority of the trailer focuses on Jude Law as a young professor Dumbledore, and there's a good reason.

Jude Law stands out in trailer

With relatively little dialogue, most of the lines in the trailer are spoken by Law as a young professor Albus Dumbledore, before he became headmaster of Hogwarts. Even the magical creatures for which the film is named take a back seat to Law in the sequel's trailer.

Law brings charm and wit aplenty to his depiction of young Dumbledore. One scene shows this Dumbledore being interrogated by the authorities, and the character remains incredibly cool, calm, and collected as he denies being in cohorts with Newt Scamander. Viewers instantly get the sense that Law's Dumbledore is wise beyond his years and unafraid to break a few rules, and he's definitely someone who has a secret or two.

Law's Dumbledore is convincing as he tells Newt that he's "going to have to pick a side."

Get your #WandsReady. #FantasticBeasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald arrives in theaters November 16. pic.twitter.com/JNdS92eWGo  Fantastic Beasts (@FantasticBeasts) March 13, 2018

A fresh take on good vs evil

"The Crimes of Grindelwald" comes from the mind of author J.K.

Rowling, and the familiar Harry Potter theme of good vs. evil is obvious in the trailer. The trailer for the new film opens with a shot of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and familiar images of the beloved magical world abound in other scenes, too. Yet, the trailer suggests the new film will be anything but stale and predictable. Newt will be going to Paris, and while his business there is not clear, one thing is made clear in the trailer: Dumbledore will be instrumental in Newt's fight against Grindelwald. Jude Law is an exciting new addition to the Harry Potter world, as is the depiction of a younger and more vibrant Dumbledore. If the new trailer is any indication, Jude Law as Dumbledore will have fans feeling the magic once again.
How much does shannon beador make in a year? While it was previously assumed that the "Real Housewives of Orange County" star was completely reliant on her estranged husband's income, a new report reveals that Beador can definitely afford to care for herself and her children as a single parent. That said, her lavish lifestyle in Southern California may not leave her much wiggle room.

On March 11, The Blast shared a report with readers in which they revealed that Beador had pulled in a whopping $423,205.80 in 2017. According to their report, court documents related to the reality star's split from husband David have suggested that her income comes from a number of different employers, including NBC Universal and EFT Media Productions, and also includes a FabFitFun endorsement.

In addition to her 2017 income, Beador also reportedly has over $70,000 in cash and bank accounts and also has a business expenses total of over $73,000.

How much does Shannon Beador spend in a month?

As for Shannon Beador's expenses, she outlined the money that is going out in her court documents, revealing that she spends $12,000 each month on rent, $1,000 on laundry and cleaning services, $2,250 on clothes, $5,000 on her daughters private school, and nearly $7,000 eating out. Beador also claimed that she couldn't provide an exact amount for her monthly expenses because some of her documents were still in the possession of her estranged husband.

Shannon and David Beador called it quits last October

After 17 years of marriage and three children, oldest daughter Sophie, 16, and twins Stella and Adeline, 13, Shannon Beador confirmed plans to divorce husband David in October and made her official filing in December of last year. Since then, the longtime reality star has requested that she be given full physical custody of the three girls.

As for David Beador, he's been spending his time working and enjoying his new romance with Lesley Cook, which he frequently speaks of on his Instagram page. As some may have noticed, David has been dating the young blonde mother of two for the past few months and recently enjoyed a vacation in Park City, Utah with her.

Shannon Beador and her co-stars, including Tamra Judge, Kelly Dodd, and Vicki Gunvalson, are currently in the midst of production on the upcoming season of "The Real Housewives of orange county." There has been no word yet on when the new season will return to Bravo TV.
scheana marie and Robert Parks-Valletta may be on "good terms," according to the "Vanderpump Rules" star, but when it comes to their recent interactions, there haven't been any. In fact, during a new interview with Bustle, Scheana confirmed that she and the actor haven't seen one another since January.

"We will always love and respect each other and support each other," she alleged. Scheana and Robert Parks-Valletta ended their relationship in August of last year amid filming on the sixth season of "Vanderpump Rules." Since then, fans and co-stars of the waitress have been watching their relationship play out on the show and are wondering why Scheana appears to be so much more serious about the relationship than the actor.

Scheana and Robert Valletta haven't been speaking 'as much'

Because she was so in love with Parks-Valletta, it became hard for Scheana to keep in close contact with the actor. As she explained to Bustle, she felt she should let go of their friendship a bit because their relationship was weighing heavy on her heart. So, rather than torture herself by being just friends with the actor, she decided to pull back and allow herself space to move forward without him.

As for a recent scene from "Vanderpump Rules" which showed Parks-Valletta speaking to Jax Taylor and Tom Sandoval about his feelings for Scheana Marie, she said that Parks-Valletta held back his true emotions because he was uncomfortable.

"When he told me, and still does tell me, he loves me, its in a way thats more meaningful," she said. As fans saw on the show, Parks-Valletta told his male co-stars that while Scheana was waiting for him to say "I love you," he wasn't ready to throw the phrase around.

Would Scheana Marie quit 'Pump Rules' to save her relationship?

According to Scheana, she has no plans to leave "Vanderpump Rules," even though her former boyfriend isn't interested in being a reality star. As she explained, Robert Parks-Valletta wouldn't allow her to quit the show and even if he would take her back, Scheana claims the reality show is and "always will be" her priority.

"My life is my job and my job is my life," she noted. As for her future love interests, she added that they will either have to accept it or steer clear of her life.

For more of Scheana Marie and her co-stars, including Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Jax Taylor, Lisa Vanderpump, Brittany Cartwright, and Stassi Schroeder, don't miss new episodes of "Vanderpump Rules" season six on Monday nights at 9 p.m. on Bravo TV.
Actress Selma Blair has had to double back on comments she made last week about her friend, Cameron Diaz. Speaking at the Vanity Fair Pre-Oscar's party in Los Angeles, Selma was asked about a possible sequel to the 2002 hit comedy movie, "The Sweetest Thing," which both actresses starred in along with Christina Applegate. Selma admitted that she would have, "liked to do a sequel," but that Cameron is "done" with acting and wants to spend more time with her husband, Benji Madden of the band Good Charlotte. Selma went on to say that she doesn't know what it would take, "to bring her (Cameron) back."

Selma backtracks on her statements

Cameron retiring from Hollywood hit major news outlets and caused the internet to buzz.

So much so that selma blair has had to backtrack on her comments in classic Hollywood fashion--Twitter. Selma tweeted on Monday, "BREAKING NEWS Guys please, I was making a joke in an interview." She goes on to admit that Cameron is not retiring from acting and that any information would be official if it came from Cameron's mouth. Selma says good-naturedly that, "I am NOW retiring from being Cameron Diazs spokesperson."

A collective sigh of relief could be heard across the internet Monday, that the popular actress isn't retiring and people are glad to know that Selma was joking. But Cameron's absence from our screens makes Selma's comment believable.

Where has Cameron been?

Selma's comments bring up the subject of Cameron being missing in action for the last few years.

She hasn't made a movie since "Annie" which was released in 2014 and she really hasn't been making public appearances. Ironically, 2014 was the year that Cameron met her husband Benji Madden. They eventually married in 2015. Cameron could just be enjoying a quiet, married life. After all, She's been a non-stop working actress since 1994 when she first burst onto the scene in the movie, "The Mask," starring Jim Carrey.

She has gone on to star in major movies such as, "There's Something About Mary," "Charlie's Angels," and she has been the voice of Princess Fiona in the "Shrek" franchise since its beginning. At one point, she was the highest paid actress in Hollywood.

In June 2017, Cameron spoke at her friend, Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Goop Wellness Summit' and alluded to why she disappeared from acting saying,"I can't really say who I am to myself." So it sounds like Cameron just needed some much-needed rest, which I'm sure her fans are happy about. If she decides to come back to acting, she'll be better than ever before.
Microsoft withdraws Transcom cloud protest: but what's next?

Microsoft has decided to back away from a fight over a sole-source contract U.S. Transportation Command wants to award to rival Amazon Web Services.

The command wants to give AWS the contract and said it would do it without competition because AWS is the only cloud service provider with a solution rated to handle data with a "Secret" classification.

Microsoft said in October that was working toward its own "Secret" designation for its Azure cloud offering.

In its protest, Microsoft argued that Transcom didnt adequately justify the use of a sole-source procurement as opposed to a full and open competition.

The withdrawal was first reported by NextGov.

I got the same statement they gave NextGov: they withdrew its protest "because the issues involved were resolved to Microsofts satisfaction.

Ive also contacted Transcom because Im not sure what exactly does resolved to Microsofts satisfaction mean? I'm also asking for more clarification from Microsoft.

But does it mean Transcom will move forward with its award to AWS, or did the procurement strategy change and lead Microsoft to withdraw its protest? Will there be a competition for this work?

This is another example of how fluid the Defense Department cloud market is right now and Transcom seems to be in the middle of much of it.

In February, Transcom initially awarded a $950 million contract via an "Other Transaction Authority" to Rean. That company is a reseller of cloud services, primarily Amazon. But that award was drastically reduced to $65 million by DOD and is now for use only across Transcom.

DOD also is moving forward with a multi-billion cloud contract known as "JEDI" for Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure. It will be a single-award contract for infrastructure- and platform-as-a-service.

Microsoft Azure and AWS will likely find themselves in a head-to-head showdown for that contract. Many in industry have said that it is being shaped to favor AWS.

But Microsoft expects Azure to have its "Secret" designation relatively soon and definitely before DOD expects to make its JEDI award in September.

Im not going to read too much into this until I hear more from Microsoft or get a response from Transcom. But I cant help but think there is more to this to meet the eye.

It is worth noting that Microsoft has had some success turning back government efforts to sole-source work to AWS. In August, Microsoft filed a protest of a Navy attempt to give a contract directly to AWS. The Navy then backed off within days.
3 hours ago

Investors, Have You Used the Rule of 72? If Not, Here's Why You're Missing Out

You could live to 120 and not know everything you could possibly know about investing. However, it's also important to have a firm grasp on the basics. One of the most basic concepts of personal finance involves the rule of 72.

Read Article
Democrat Conor Lamb is the apparent winner of the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, according to a projection from NBC News. Out of over 228,000 votes counted, Lamb leads by just 641 votes over Republican Rick Saccone. All that remains to be counted are some absentee ballots. While this could change the margin slightly, it is not believed that there are enough of these to make a difference.

Lamb declared victory early Wednesday. Saccone has not yet conceded. The Associated Press has not yet made a call on the race due to the possibility of a recount.

Although the party has come close in some deep red districts, a Lamb victory will make him the first Democrat to flip a Republican House seat in a special election during the Trump era. Republicans will have 238 seats, Democrats 194, with 3 vacancies. (Democrats did gain a Senate seat in the recent Alabama special election.)

The next special election is scheduled for April 24th in Arizona's 8th congressional district. The seat was vacated by Republican Trent Franks late last year. That race features Republican Arizona State Senator Debbie Lesko against Democrat Hiral Tipirneni, a physician. If anything, this suburban Phoenix district is a bit redder than the one contested in Pennsylvania Tuesday -- Donald Trump won here by 21% in 2016. No polling of the general election is available yet; Republicans are favored to hold the seat based on a review of forecasts by various pundits.
No. 4 Aberdeen Christian outlasts Aberdeen Roncalli in five set win

There were admittedly some signs of fatigue for No. 4 Aberdeen Christian in the first set against crosstown rival Aberdeen Roncalli.
BRUSSELS  The European Unions chief Brexit negotiator warned Britain Tuesday against undercutting EU rules and regulations that underpin anything from social protections to food security when it leaves the bloc.

Michel Barnier said any attempt by Britain to gain a competitive edge through the use of what is termed dumping would jeopardize hopes the country has for a smooth and orderly withdrawal from the EU.

Barnier lauded the rules the EU created together with Britain for 44 years to create the social market economy that shelters citizens and workers from excesses of deregulation.

Does Britain also want to leave that model and go toward regulatory competition  call it dumping  against us, he asked legislators at the European Parliament in Strasbourg France.

I recommend that we keep a close eye on the regulatory divergence, this dumping, he said, warning that it could become a key obstacle if Britain wants to get a smooth exit from the EU.

Key departure conditions will need to be approved unanimously by the EU nations and the European Parliament.

Barnier also urged British Prime Minister Theresa May to speed up the Brexit negotiations and define her vision for the future relationship between the country and the 27 remaining member states. Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019 but is looking to agree a transition agreement for a period after Brexit in order to smooth out the impact.

That frustration was reinforced by EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who also told EU legislators that there is increasing urgency to negotiate this orderly withdrawal.

Juncker said the EU needs further clarity on such issues like a trading relationship and the EUs only land border with the U.K. on the island of Ireland.

Barnier added that British expectations were still far too high and that the country wont be allowed to keep those bits of membership it wants while shedding others.

It is an astonishing concept to believe that the 27 members and your parliament could accept convergence when the U.K. wants it and at the same time leave it the possibility to diverge when it give Britain an advantage, he told the legislators.

Britain has said it no longer wants to be part of the EUs seamless and tariff-free internal market and the customs union. Thats pushed the EU to consider a traditional free trade association as the best option available to both sides.

Barnier also made it clear that if Britain wanted to remain in some EU agencies like those on chemicals, aviation or medicines, it would also have to recognize the authority of the EUs top court in those areas.

You cannot be part of our agencies without the legal commitment to apply EU law and the jurisdiction of the court of justice, Barnier said.

Overall, he added, it is time to face up to the hard facts.
A Downtown area grocery store employee is in the hospital after police say he was stabbed in the chest by a man trying to steal alcohol Monday afternoon.

Douglas Short, 56, is charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily harm and tampering with evidence.

According to court documents, Short, who also goes by the name Scott Rydel, is a fugitive out of Wyoming wanted on robbery and conspiracy charges from June 2017.

On Monday, officers responded to a stabbing at the Lowes supermarket at 11th and Lomas NW around 4:30 p.m.

Police say they found employee 20-year-old Leonard Zubia-Chavez on his back behind the customer service desk, with another employee and two citizens applying pressure to a stab wound just below his heart.

Zubia-Chavez was rushed to the hospital and was in stable condition.

Another employee told police the man who stabbed Zubia-Chavez had been trying to steal a bottle of alcohol when they confronted him at the exit.

Police say the man, identified as Short, punched Zubia-Chavez after he told him to give the bottle back.

According to the complaint, the two fought before a manager and another employee came over and helped Zubia-Chavez hold Short down.

Employees told police Short began to complain that he could not breathe so they loosened their grip on him.

Police say thats when Short drew a black folding knife, jumped off the floor and ran toward the exit.

Employees told police Zubia-Chavez chased Short again and tried to stop him, before being stabbed and collapsing behind the customer service desk.

Officers arrested Short when they found him hiding behind a bush outside a home a half-mile away. A knife was on the ground nearby.

Short will remain behind bars until a pretrial detention hearing in state District Court.
Copyright  2018 Albuquerque Journal

EL PASO  As President Donald Trump visits the border to see prototypes of the wall he wants to build, organizations that help immigrants and refugees in the New Mexico border region say the administration is resorting to the harsh tactic of separating children and parents to curb illegal immigration.

Were seeing this over and over again. Were seeing it across the border, said Taylor Levy, legal coordinator for Annunciation House.

The organization held a news conference Monday in its red brick house that provides temporary shelter for migrants and refugees. A mother from El Salvador who was picked up by Border Patrol in October shared her story.

They separated me from my son and sent him to another shelter and didnt tell me where he was going, said the immigrant only identified as Ana.

She is seeking asylum in the U.S. and is afraid to use her real name because she still has relatives back home.

Ana said she fled her home in Ahuachapan, El Salvador, after her husband was killed and made her way to the border with her 13-year-old son. They were detained by Border Patrol agents in October.

The Detained Migrant Solidarity Committee raised $7,500 to bond her out last Thursday. She has not seen her son since they were separated in October.

And like me there are many mothers crying for children they are separated from, Ana said.

The separation of single parents traveling with minor children is now regular, systematic and completely arbitrary, said Christina Garcia of the Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center.

Garcia said Las Americas is providing legal help to a Brazilian woman who also was separated from her son at the border.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class action lawsuit Friday on behalf of parents seeking asylum after taking the case of a Congolese mother who was separated from her 7-year-old daughter at a border crossing in California.

The mother was released from a detention center in San Diego last week, but her daughter remains in a facility for children in Chicago.

An El Paso public defender representing Ana said four other parents were convicted of illegal entry and deported to Central America.

Its a termination of parental rights, said Sergio Garcia, the public defender. In the United States we dont terminate parental rights without a hearing.

Organizations that work with refugees and others seeking asylum report an uptick in cases of parents and kids being separated at the border in the past few months.

But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said there has been no change in policy.

DHS does not currently have a policy of separating women and children, said Tyler Houlton, acting DHS press secretary in an emailed statement.

However, we retain the authority to do so in certain circumstances  particularly to protect a child from potential smuggling and trafficking activities.

Ruben Garcia, director of Annunciation House, said the arbitrary practice of separating families is designed to deter parents from crossing the border with their children to seek asylum.

Its very difficult to not to draw the conclusion that its a system designed to make life so difficult, so miserable, that people cease to even want to find protection, he said.

Year-end figures released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in 2017 show the El Paso Border Patrol sector, which includes all of New Mexico, saw a 52 percent increase in the number of family units crossing the southwest border from 5,664 in 2016 to 8,609 this past year.
Reactions in the Middle East on Wednesday to the firing of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reflect the volatile divide between Iran, where many fear his departure heralds the demise of the 2015 nuclear deal, and Gulf Arab nations hoping for a more hawkish U.S. stance toward Tehran and Qatar.

Irans daily Javan newspaper, believed to be close to the hard-line Revolutionary Guard, said that replacing Tillerson with CIA director Mike Pompeo signaled the end of the nuclear deal.

President Donald Trumps appointment of Pompeo places an ardent foe of the deal in charge of U.S. diplomacy as the administration debates whether to withdraw from the agreement. Tillerson had pushed Trump to remain, and had been pursuing a delicate strategy with European allies and others to try to improve or augment the Obama-era deal.

For quitting the deal, his dumping was necessary, Javan said.

That was echoed by Ali Khorram, a former Iranian envoy to the United Nations, in the pro-reform daily newspaper Arman.

Pompeo is very interested in waging a war similar to the Iraq war by citing international regulations, Khorram wrote. European powers will play a role in balancing his desire.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, meanwhile, sought to minimize Tillersons firing, calling it part of the frequent and multiple changes in Trumps administration.

What matters to the Islamic Republic of Iran are the policies and approaches of the United States in regard to international issues and toward Iran, Ghasemi told journalists. We closely monitor their approaches and macro policies and will take appropriate stances accordingly in the future.

Tillersons firing was welcome news for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which view Iran as a regional menace. They have also pushed Washington to take a harder line on Qatar, which they and other Arab nations have boycotted since last year, accusing it of supporting extremist groups and cozying up to Iran. Tillerson had sought to mediate the crisis among the U.S. allies.

In the UAE on Wednesday, the English-language Khaleej Times borrowed from the U.S. presidents show-biz days for its headline: YOURE FIRED! Saudi Arabias English-language Arab News had the same headline.

Another English-language newspaper, the state-aligned The National newspaper of Abu Dhabi, offered an editorial saying Tillersons firing would surprise few, pointing to his disagreement with Trump over Qatar.

The UAE, along with Bahrain, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, cut off land, sea and air routes to Qatar in June 2017. Qatar, which has backed Islamist opposition groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, has denied supporting extremists. It shares a massive offshore natural gas field with Tehran.

Trump has at times appeared to side with Qatars rivals in the dispute, while Tillerson had projected a more neutral stance.

While Mr. Tillerson shortsightedly urged Saudi Arabia and allies in the quartet to end their boycott of Qatar, Mr. Trump named Doha a funder of terrorism at a very high level,' The Nationals editorial page said.

Faisal J. Abbas, the editor-in-chief of the Arab News, similarly said Tillersons mishandling of the Middle East turned the region into his political graveyard. Abbas wrote that Tillersons handling of the Qatar dispute proved the former ExxonMobil CEO was full of gas more than anything else.

Is there reason to believe Doha had influence over Tillerson? Was he really biased toward Qatar? Abbas wrote in a front-page editorial. Or was he surrounded by so many State Department officials still stuck in the Obama era that they undermined his ability to act? None of this matters now.

Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a prominent Emirati professor of political science, called Tillerson the worst foreign minister in the history of America on Twitter. He also implied Gulf Arab unhappiness with Tillerson led to his ouster.

History will remember that a Gulf state had a role in expelling the foreign minister of a superpower and thats just the tip of the iceberg, he wrote.

Kuwait, which has sought to broker an end to the Qatar crisis, offered no immediate comment, though a local newspaper described Tillersons departure as striking like an earthquake in a headline.

___

Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Hussain al-Qatari in Kuwait City and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

___

The story has been corrected to show the name of the Iranian daily newspaper is Javan.
WASHINGTON  Back in 2017, the Senate gave quick confirmation to President Donald Trumps national security team and his first secretary of state. But its not likely to go as smoothly for Trumps new nominees to run State and the CIA.

Senate Democrats  and some top Republicans  are slow-walking the process amid fresh questions over the Trump administrations stance toward Russia and revived inquiries into the CIAs dark history of torture.

There are a lot of unanswered questions, said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

On Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced he would oppose both nominees  Mike Pompeo for State and Gina Haspel for CIA  over their views on waterboarding  which he said sends a terrible message to the world  as well as his concerns that Pompeo will advocate for regime change in Iran that could lead to military action.

I want to do everything I can to block them, Paul said. This is a debate thats really worth having.

The presidents firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson touched off a Senate confirmation battle that will play out this spring ahead of midterm elections when control of Congress hangs in balance.

By tapping Pompeo to replace Tillerson, the White House is counting on a repeat of Senate support for the former Kansas congressman confirmed last year to lead the clandestine agency.

But the political ground has shifted since the 66-32 vote to confirm Pompeo in January 2017 when the GOP-led Congress was eager to put the new presidents team in place and Democrats were unwilling to stand in the way. More than a dozen Democrats joined all but one Republican in backing him. Paul was opposed.

In the year since, Pompeo has drawn scrutiny for actions and statements showcasing his loyalty to Trump and his approach toward Russia.

Last month, Pompeos meeting with two top Russian spy chiefs drew a chain of questions from Schumer in part because it occurred days before the Trump administration initially decided not to issue new sanctions over Russian interference in the election.

Pompeo also made headlines for meeting with a former intelligence official who has floated the theory that Democratic National Committees email hack was an inside job rather than Russian interference in the 2016 election as U.S. officials have largely concluded. That meeting was first reported by The Intercept.

During one speech Pompeo claimed Russian meddling did not alter the election results, a finding that overstates the U.S. assessment of the interference.

I think hes going to have a tough time here, said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. If hes being hired simply to more efficiently destroy the State Department, I think it would be hard to get Democratic votes.

At the same time, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., made it clear he had plenty of questions for Trumps choice of Haspel to head the CIA over the nature and extent of her involvement in the agencys waterboarding of terror suspects.

McCain has been among the GOPs most outspoken opponents of waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques that Congress did away with in 2008 but Trump has said he would consider reviving.

As a career intelligence officer, Haspel oversaw a secret CIA prison in Thailand from 2003 to 2005 where top terror suspects were waterboarded, and she later helped carry out an order to destroy waterboarding videos. Although she now serves as CIA deputy director, Haspel has not previously had to undergo Senate confirmation.

Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIAs interrogation program, McCain said in a statement. I know the Senate will do its job in examining Ms. Haspels record as well as her beliefs about torture and her approach to current law.

Republicans hope to approve Trumps nominees quickly, with the Foreign Relations Committee scheduling hearings next month for Pompeo and the Senate intelligence committee set to consider Haspel.

Both these nominations seem perfectly well-qualified, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday. We hope theyll not be subjected to undue delay.

But Pauls opposition is all but certain to make it more likely Republicans will need Democratic support for the confirmations, or rely on Vice President Mike Pence to break a tie.

Republicans hold a narrow 51-49 Senate majority. But McCain has been away fighting brain cancer and its not certain he would be present for the vote.

Republican Sen. Pat Roberts acknowledged the confirmation battle could be different from last year when Pompeo  a fellow Kansan  asked for his advice about the job.

I said, Well, itd be a good thing if I dont even see you or hear from you for a year or two, Roberts recalled.

The senator expects Pompeo will do well at State because of his military and intelligence background  he was top of his class at West Point. And, hell be in sync with the president, Roberts said. You dont want anybody in the position at odds with the president, as we have seen the last couple of weeks.

___

Follow on Mascaro on Twitter at https://twitter.com/LisaMascaro
SANTA FE  Political outsider Peter DeBendittis has ended his run for New Mexicos Democratic gubernatorial nomination, he told supporters in an email sent this afternoon.

DeBenedittis, a Santa Fe resident whos worked as an alcohol awareness advocate, had touted himself as the true progressive Democrat in the field and had said he would not accept corporate campaign contributions.

However, he had struggled to generate statewide enthusiasm and urged his supporters to back fellow candidate Jeff Apodaca at last weekends Democratic pre-primary convention in Albuquerque.

DeBenedittis ended up getting just 1.9 percent of the delegate vote.

The decision to end his campaign leaves three Democrats vying for the partys nomination  U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, state Sen. Joseph Cervantes of Las Cruces and Apodaca, a former media executive from Albuquerque.

U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce is the lone Republican running for governor.

In the email announcing his decision, DeBenedittis renewed his allegations that Democratic Party insiders have been favoring their preferred corporate candidate in the race  an apparent reference to Lujan Grisham.

Democratic Party officials have denied such claims  which have also been levied by Apodaca and Cervantes  in recent weeks, as has Lujan Grishams campaign.

But DeBenedittis also acknowledged his fundraising efforts had fallen short in the race and that he had not received sufficient backing from progressive groups.

I entered this campaign knowing just how narrow and steep a road I had to victory, he wrote in the email. Over the past few weeks, our campaign needed several things to break in our direction for the campaign to be viable, and none of them did.

New Mexicos primary election is set for June 5.
A New Mexico film union is anticipating significant turnout at its membership meeting this weekend in light of a lawsuit against its business agent, the union itself and its parent organization.

In an email to members obtained by the Journal, Doug Acton, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 480, wrote that the meeting Sunday would accommodate an anticipated large crowd.

I know everyone wants answers right now and rumors are running wild, wrote Acton. Please remember that this is a legal matter . . . the protection of this Local is our priority.

Acton also said in the email that the unions attorney would attend the meeting to answer questions and visit all options on how to legally protect the Local during this time.

The email did not mention Jon Hendry, the business agent who is a defendant in a lawsuit filed earlier this month by former employee Christa Valdez, who alleges that he harassed her and tried to block her from seeking other employment after she was terminated. An amended version of the lawsuit filed Monday added another plaintiff, Madeleine Lauve, who claims Hendry subjected her to discriminatory conditions, including an explicit quid pro quo for sex. The amended filings name the local union chapter and the international organization as defendants in the lawsuit, and also accuses Hendry of racketeering.

Acton wrote in the email that the staff . . . and I are handling the day-to-day business of the Local, but it was unclear whether staff included Hendry.

U.S. Department of Labor records show Hendry reporting a salary of $133,360 in 2016 in his role as business agent.

Robert Giolito, the unions attorney, declined to comment. Hendry and Local 480 officials have directed all requests for comment to Giolito. A spokeswoman with the international organization declined a request for comment.

The AFL-CIO confirmed this week that Hendry is no longer president of the New Mexico Federation of Labor. It did not respond to a question about whether he had been removed or whether he resigned. A spokeswoman referenced an internal IATSE investigation, which IATSE has not confirmed to the Journal.

The lawsuit against Hendry, a frequent visitor to the Legislature and a registered lobbyist, has shaken New Mexicos political establishment, as well. On Tuesday, Richard Ellenberg, chairman of the state Democratic Party, abruptly resigned after questioning the credibility of Valdezs claims against Hendry.

The Secretary of States office and the Legislative Council Service told the Journal their agencies are not aware of any complaints filed against Hendry in his role as a lobbyist.
Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne are teaming up again for a new film  and it's being partly shot in New Mexico.

The two actors have worked together on three previous projects and again will work on the announced Running With the Devil.

The production will take place through the end of March in Albuquerque.

We're proud to welcome another exciting production to New Mexico, said state Film Office Director Nick Maniatis. New Mexico's diverse and beautiful landscapes, our depth of talent and infrastructure, and our powerful film incentives make our state a perfect fit for productions of all genres.

Running With the Devil is written and directed by Jason Cabell, a former Navy SEAL.

The film also stars Leslie Bibb, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg, Clifton Collins Jr., Cole Hauser and Peter Facinelli.

Cabell wrote the script based on his real-life experiences working with the Drug Enforcement Administration in Colombia.

According to Internet Movie Database, the story follows a cocaine shipment as it travels throughout North America, from Mexico, through the United States to Canada.

After the sensitive package is compromised, a cartel leader known as The Boss, played by Pepper, orders The Cook, played by Cage, and another master drug trafficker, The Man, played by Fishburne, to audit the company's supply chain and find where the error occurred.

According to the state Film Office, the film will employ approximately 90 New Mexico crew members, 30 New Mexico actors and stunt performers, and 150 New Mexico background talent.

Some of the local actors will be Keith Jardine, Sarah Minnich, Luce Rain and Marie Wagenman.

I'm humbled and honored to bring this timely story to life with such an amazing ensemble, Cabell said in a statement. From the battlefields of Iraq to here has been a surreal path following the American dream.
Havas Media, India has bagged the integrated media duties of Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, one of the leading private players in the insurance sector in India. The agency also handles media duties of Bajaj Finserv, the financing arm of Bajaj Group.

The account size is estimated to be upwards of INR 50 crores and will be handled out of the Mumbai office led by Kunal Jamuar, Managing Partner - West and South, Havas Media India.

Led by Tarun Chugh (MD and CEO), Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance began operations in 2001 and today has a pan-India presence of 759 branches. It is headquartered in Pune, India. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance is a joint venture between Bajaj Finserv Limited (formerly part of Bajaj Auto Limited) owned by the Bajaj Group of India and Allianz SE, a European financial services company. The joint venture incorporates global expertise with local experience. The comprehensive life insurance solutions, cover a range of services, operating through Participating, Non-Participating, and Linked segments. Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance also launched digital branches through Mosambee, a handheld device that offers the services of a mobile branch and assists customers with an entire range of customer services. Currently Bajaj Allianz has a strong life insurance portfolio and caters to all kinds of customer needs from ULIPs to Child plans, from group insurance to health insurance.

Chandramohan Mehra, Chief Marketing Officer, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance said, To offer differentiated yet relevant proposition to our customers, we have embarked on a brand re-orientation journey. We will rely on deeper customer insights and data-driven actions for a holistic brand transformation. Agility and consumer-centric mindset from our teams and partners will be key to our deliveries. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Havas.

Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media Group, India and South Asia said, We are proud to take on the mandate of yet another pioneer brand. Bajaj Allianz combines with it comprehensive life insurance solutions, technical expertise and in-depth market knowledge and goodwill of Bajaj brand in India. It has developed insurance solutions that cater to every segment and age-income profiles. We look forward to carving a meaningful brand strategy and taking the brand to greater heights.

Bajaj is a pioneer brand that thrives on consumer trust and enjoys a reputation of expertise, stability and strength. Competitive pricing and customized life insurance solutions have earned Bajaj Allianz Life the customer's trust and market leadership in a very short time. At play will be Havas Media Group's integrated media skills centered on digital and our 'Meaningful Brands' framework which will together map the brand chart for Bajaj Allianz. According to our research, brands that are meaningful enjoy 80% higher intent of repurchase in the insurance industry. We look forward to a successful collaboration., added Mohit Joshi, Managing Director, Havas Media Group, India.
Envisioned on the foundation of delivering certified, quality and innovative technology, one of Indias leading and most trusted television manufacturer  Vu Technologies today announces the launch of the Vu Official AndroidTM TV. The 4K Smart TV operates on the latest and licensed operating system of AndroidTM 7.0 Nougat. The Vu Official AndroidTM TV unlocks official access to the Google Play Store, YouTube, Google Games, and the complete Google ecosystem. In addition to the companys partnership with Google, Vu has also partnered with leading Video on Demand service providers like Netflix, Hotstar, and ALTBalaji, to provide certified VOD apps thus allowing users to access unlimited, diverse and latest content in an authorized manner.

A distinct feature of the Vu Official Android TV is its ActiVoice feature. The easy to use ActiVoice remote helps users to seamlessly search, browse and select in 88 languages. The ActiVoice Search intelligence is also enabled to search within apps and recommend results according to a users preference. Recognised for quality by its patrons Vuers, the Vu Official Android TV uses a premium A+ Grade IPS Panel developed in over 1000s of hours of testing to perfectly integrate hardware and

software components. Highest global standards have been meticulously followed within Vus very own NPD labs to ensure stunning 4K picture quality, and immersive sound from its builtin sound bar with DTS TruSurround and Dolby Digital support. Additionally, integrated with Chromecast, the Vu Official Android TV supports mobile and desktop casting and is available in 43 inches, 49 inches, and 55 inches.

Speaking at the launch of the Vu Official Android TV, Devita Saraf, Founder and CEO, Vu Technologies said, At Vu, it has always been our vision to create quality products that define the future of television technology. We are focussed on innovating and are determined to deliver products with industry first features. The Vu Official Android TV is built on our most advanced technology with the highest quality of hardware and software. It is a result of research and development that was undertaken for over a year followed by numerous hours of testing. We are excited to redefine and reinvent a users experience by introducing a pioneering and revolutionary product that combines quality picture and sound with certified and highend technology.

Trusted by over one million Indian families, Vu has been redefining luxury and technology and is recognized for introducing some of the most successful and award winning products like the Iconium 4K Smart Series, PixelightHDR 4K Smart Series, and the recently launched Quantum Pixelight HDR Supreme Series. Leading the way with the launch of the Vu Official Android TV, Vu continues to innovate and be the first to offer hightech, premium and luxury televisions in India. The Vu Official Android TV is available in 43 inches, 49 inches, and 55 inches and is priced at Rs. 36,999, Rs. 46,999, and Rs. 55,999 respectively. The TV will be available for sale via Vus exclusive online distribution partner Flipkart.com and Vus flagship stores starting 16th March, 2018.

For more in Media click here.
Customer Logins

Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice.
During World War II, chemicals made by the Monsanto corporation were used in the bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. In 1962, the US Military sprayed Monsantos Agent Orange over Vietnam. Currently, the company owns dozens of toxic Superfund sites across America, notes Dazed, which talks to photographer Mathieu Asselin about his five-year project Monsanto." The work, which documents what the website calls Monsantos damning effect on humanity," is on view at The Photographers Gallery in London through June 3.
EASTERN GHOUTA, Syria  Dr. Hamza, who declined to provide his last name for safety reasons, is exhausted. He has been sleeping for four or five hours a day over the past 10 weeks. Speaking to Al-Monitor, he said, The medical supplies from the last United Nations convoy on March 5 were very limited. They got stuck in Douma because the road has been cut off from the rest of Ghouta. Thirteen dialysis patients are being treated at the medical center where he works and where only 50 kits remain for hemodialysis. There are major shortages in surgical supplies and anesthesia. According to Dr. Basel Termanini, the vice president of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), the health service capacity in Ghouta today is, at best, at 40%.

SAMS and other activists reported chlorine gas attacks on the besieged population of eastern Ghouta. US Defense Secretary James Mattis said March 11, It would be very unwise for them [Syrian government forces] to use weaponized gas, while specifically mentioning that theres an awful lot of reports about chlorine gas use or of symptoms that could be resulting from it. On the face of it, the statement might be interpreted as a warning against the use of chlorine and possibly triggering a US military response. Yet practically, an intervention is highly unlikely, unless chemical weapons were to be used by the Syrian regime.

The Syrian regime, under the impetus of Russia, has been very careful not to violate the 2013 deal that specifically addressed the use of nerve gas agents  VX, sarin and mustard  as red lines that the United States and Europe would not tolerate. For this reason, according to some experts, low concentration doses of chlorine have been used in eastern Ghouta to avoid being qualified as weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Eastern Ghouta has been bombed with internationally prohibited munitions such as napalm, cluster bombs and barrel bombs, but these are not WMDs (nuclear, chemical and biological). Doctors on the ground are documenting that they are treating severe burns caused by napalm and other prohibited munitions.

The international community has been incapable of halting the humanitarian catastrophe in eastern Ghouta, and with the situation on the ground worsening rapidly, it has become increasingly difficult to interview civilians there. Some of the doctors Al-Monitor interviewed just a week ago are now unreachable, and direct contact with sources is becoming more limited. The work of activists and medical organizations outside Ghouta, such as SAMS, is proving to have a significant role in documenting what is happening on the ground and communicating it to the media.

There is no black market now, all roads are cut off. People are eating whatever food they were able to store. We are eating soup in order to have the supplies last as long as possible, said Deana, an American woman who asked that her last name not be disclosed for safety reasons. She told Al-Monitor, We do not have a way to cook or a bathroom in the basement, so we have to go upstairs. Deana met her husband at the University of Michigan and moved to Ghouta about 18 years ago. When asked what keeps her going at such horrific times, she said, I keep going because life is sacred, I believe in that. I have a husband and eight children. Thank God they are safe, I hope they stay that way.

She added, I live day and night the horror of these crimes, but I still have a glimmer of hope that our voices will be heard."

Deana then explained her daily life under siege, saying, We sit in the basement during the day and sleep there during the night to protect ourselves from the bombings. The aid convoys were a drop of water in the sea, particularly since the medical supplies were not allowed into eastern Ghouta  not even aspirin. Two days later, the food was eaten and gone. They have now resorted to generators for electricity, which is very expensive, and stored diesel when the road was still open. Most people, however, cannot afford this.

Deana also noted that people in Ghouta want a cease-fire and do not want to be relocated. They blame the Syrian regime and the Russian war planes for bombing them daily. We were terrified once when they [the regime] took my husband in but luckily he was released. Everyone here supports the opposition. For sure not all of them are looking after our interests, but you cannot believe the Syrian regime. We cannot trust them, she added.

The advancement of the Syrian army in the past four days has effectively separated the enclave into three parts: Douma, its biggest town, and towns in the north; western Harasta; and the remainder of the territory in the south. In one instance on March 11, some civilians were tortured and humiliated by the regime forces as they were trying to get through the "safe areas" as proposed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. As noted by civilian sources on the ground that witnessed and filmed the incident, it remains unconfirmed whether or not these men were part of the opposition or just civilians. On March 13, SAMS documented heavy shelling in eastern Ghouta that killed 70 people, including 17 children and 12 women.

Termanini, who is not in the enclave, said that two of SAMS medical facilities in Ghouta  a maternity center and an emergency care clinic  and several ambulances were attacked with barrel bombs on March 11. This brings the total number of attacked SAMS facilities to nine (out of 13) since Feb. 19.

Between Feb. 19 and March 6, 968 people have been killed and 3,556 others injured, as noted by the statistics bureau at the United Relief Office of eastern Ghouta. In the midst of the heavy bombardments, the residents are often buried in mass graves.

According to SAMS, 170 civilians were evacuated to Damascus from eastern Ghouta on March 13. The medical society reported today that another group of 25 patients is being prepared for evacuation with their families. The local branch of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has told local medical staff to help locate patients.

Of note, 78 patients were listed as medical priorities in eastern Ghouta, but because of the situation, many families no longer have any means of communication and it is hard to locate them.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  During an ablative brain surgery Feb. 18 at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, neurosurgeon Mahmoud Abu Khater succeeded in removing an extra brain growth outside the head of 4-month-old Mayce Eid. He reconstructed her brain in a unique surgery.

The Ministry of Health covered the cost of the surgery. Mayces father, Shaker Sheikh Eid, had urged government authorities to step in to save his daughters life. Several hospitals in the Gaza Strip, such as the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis, and Al-Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem had refused to perform the risky operation and transferred the case to other hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank.

Abu Khater told Al-Monitor, Mayce had a critical condition. Part of her brain was outside her skull and connected to the part of the brain inside the skull.

Eid said that the family learned about the deformity during the seventh month of pregnancy after several tests. The doctors lost hope of finding a solution to the devastated familys crisis. Some said the child would die during birth or after only a few days. The father said that, as per Sharia, the fetus could not be aborted.

However, the familys tough economic situation and Israeli restrictions in granting permits prevented them from traveling outside the Palestinian territories to choose a more specialized clinic.

Mayces parents are related to each other, but Abu Khater said it's difficult to pin down the reason for Mayce's deformity. He added, There are no [current] scientific studies pointing at the causes of fetal deformation [specifically] in the Gaza Strip." However, Abu Khater believes they can be attributed at least in part to Israeli weapons used in the recent wars and the inter-family marriages that are prevalent in Gaza.

Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra also told Al-Monitor there have been no studies on the reasons behind fetal deformities or their numbers in the past few years.

However, in 2014, a medical research team from Italy published a small-sample study about fetal deformities in Gazan newborns (born in 2011) in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The results indicated deformity cases were linked to Israeli weapons used in wars on Gaza. Teratogens  agents that can cause birth defects such as chemicals, radiation, drugs or maternal infections  from white phosphorus used in Israeli wars in Gaza were found in the hair of newborns with congenital defects or premature birth. The study also documented that parents were at risk during these wars.

Newborn hair samples were collected to measure the proportion of minerals contained in the sample. The sample included 48 newborn infants with congenital defects, nine premature infants with no congenital defects and 12 healthy children.

Tharwat ElHelou, director of Al Helou International Hospital in Gaza City, told Al-Monitor, It is only normal that deformation cases multiply in the wake of rampant wars in the world. In Gaza, fetal deformations, abortions and sperm abnormalities are spreading due to drug addiction and the unhealthy environment women live in.

In addition to deformation cases, the number of conjoined twins is increasing. In January, Gazan conjoined twins Hanin and Farah Ghanem, who were born in October 2017, arrived in Saudi Arabia Dec. 23, after the kingdom had responded to Al-Shifa Hospitals humanitarian call to save their lives. Hanin survived, but her sister, who had other congenital anomalies, did not.

Transferring the twins from Gaza to Saudi Arabia took around 45 days. The uncle of the twins told Al-Monitor, The Gaza Strip lacked medical capacities to separate the twins. We made efforts to move them abroad for the surgery and to get an Israeli permit, in coordination with UNICEF.

Allam Abu Hamda, head of the neonatal unit at Al-Shifa Hospital, told Al-Monitor, In the past few years the cases of fetal deformation have increased, including [conjoined] twin births."

He said, The rate of congenital deformations of fetuses has exceeded normal levels in the world, which amount to 40 cases for every 1,000 newborns. But the rate increased after 2010 and reached 63 deformation cases for every 1,000 newborns in Gaza, and after the 2014 war, 100 in each 1,000 newborns were born with abnormalities.

Abu Hamda said the Gaza Strip lacks the necessary capacities to treat newborns who suffer from deformities that call for specialized doctors, such as cleft lips and cleft palates, hand and foot deformities, hernias, and deformities of the heart and brain.

In the absence of medical research, the exact reason for fetal deformities remains a mystery to medical professionals in Gaza, amid social reasons related to kin marriages, the unhealthy environment in Gaza, drug addiction and the effects of Israeli weapons used during Israeli military operations. Awareness campaigns are also scarce.
President Donald Trumps shock Twitter announcement today that hes replacing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Iran hard-liner Mike Pompeo immediately generated considerable backlash from advocates who fear that he could precipitate the presidents threats to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Trumps next opportunity to reimpose sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal falls on May 12. The president had tasked Tillerson with negotiating new restrictions on Irans nuclear and ballistic missile program with European partners by then, a tight deadline only complicated by todays announcement.

Pompeo, who currently leads the CIA, has called for rolling back what he called a disastrous nuclear agreement negotiated under President Barack Obama. As a Republican congressman from Kansas during diplomatic negotiations in 2014 he went even further, hinting at military action.

It is under 2,000 sorties to destroy the Iranian nuclear capacity, Pompeo told reporters at the time. This is not an insurmountable task for the coalition forces.

Stephen Miles, the director of Win Without War, a coalition of anti-war activists, called Pompeos nomination a really bad signal.

Mike Pompeo has for years been an opponent of this deal, Miles told Al-Monitor. He has said how he feels about it and he has given no indication that he has changed his position today. From our perspective, his position is already disqualifying.

Miles told Al-Monitor that his coalition plans to lobby Senate offices against Pompeos nomination similar to their campaign last year against Tillerson. Tillerson was ultimately confirmed 56-43, with three Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats joining their Republican colleagues to vote for him.

Republicans currently hold 51 seats, a slight majority, in the Senate. One of the Republicans, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against Pompeos nomination to be CIA director last year because of Paul's concerns over Pompeos support for torture and domestic spying.

Since then, Paul has come out in support of the Iran deal after voting against it in 2015, saying the United States should stay in as long as Iran continues to be found in compliance. Paul is set to make an announcement on Pompeos nomination on Wednesday, raising speculation that he may come out in opposition.

Ryan Costello, the assistant policy director for the advocacy arm of the National American Iranian Council, told Al-Monitor that his organization will be in close touch with the Senate to detail Pompeo's long history of ideological opposition to nuclear negotiations and the Iran nuclear deal.

Although the Senate confirmed Pompeo to his current position 66-32, his hard-line stance on Iran may prove to be a bigger obstacle in his quest to become the top US diplomat. Some Democrats are already implying that he will face an uphill confirmation battle, potentially leaving very little room for Republican defections.

Hes got a lot of work to do to get Democratic votes, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement today. The last thing we need is a yes man at State who views Americas power exclusively through the prism of military power and covert action.

While Murphy argued that Pompeos record against diplomacy bodes ill for the United States top diplomat, he questioned how effective an advocate Tillerson had been for keeping the United States in the deal.

Im not sure how strong a force Tillerson was on the question of the Iran deal so the underlying assumption that Tillerson is keeping Trump in the Iran deal, Im not sure thats the real story, Murphy told Al-Monitor.

Even Democrats who voted against the deal, such as Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, have opposed Trumps threats to unilaterally withdraw.

From what Ive read of Director Pompeos remarks, they seem to echo the presidents, Menendez told Al-Monitor. The president has a disdain for the agreement and then he has a plan for withdrawal.

Indeed, Pompeo called for the United States to exit the Iran deal the day before Trump nominated him as CIA director in November 2016.

For his part, Trump explicitly cited Tillersons opposition to exiting the Iran deal as a reason for replacing him with Pompeo.

We got along, actually, quite well, but we disagreed on things, Trump told reporters at the White House today. When you look at the Iran deal, I think its terrible. I guess he thought it was OK. I wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently.

With Mike  we have a very similar thought process, Trump added.

Pompeos hawkish line on Iran and his warm relationship with Trump has garnered glowing praise from Iran hard-liners in Congress.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., who is consulting with the White House and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., on draft legislation to alter what they view as flaws in the deal, praised Pompeos nomination to be secretary of state.

Obviously the administration had a position on that driven by the president, and Director Pompeo contributed to that from an intelligence standpoint, Cotton told Al-Monitor. Now hell be contributing to it from a policy standpoint at the State Department.

Similarly, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who has also called on Trump to consider exiting the deal, said he will enthusiastically support Pompeos nomination in a statement today.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Corker said his committee would hold a confirmation hearing for Pompeo in April, committing to consider his nomination as expeditiously as possible.
US President Donald Trumps sudden firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has sparked comparisons in the Iranian media to the behavior of former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

On March 13, immediately after Trump announced the dismissal of Tillerson through his Twitter account, Iranian news outlets covered it extensively while many were reminded of Ahmadinejads 2010 firing of then Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki while the latter was on a trip to Senegal.

The moderate news site Entekhab said March 13, The similarities of Mottaki's and Tillersons dismissals more than anything demonstrate the manner of governance by Trump and Ahmadinejad. Trump's and Ahmadinejads method [of governing] is based on populism. Excited speeches and using colloquial language, sudden decisions and unilateralism in decision-making are common qualities of these two [figures].

Meanwhile, the ultra-conservative Javan newspaper, considered close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, described the dismissal of Tillerson as the result of Irans resistance.

Under the headline Firing Tillerson in order to withdraw from the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action], Javan wrote March 14, In a statement, Trump considered his disagreement with Tillerson, namely over the issue of the JCPOA, as the reason for Tillersons dismissal. In fact, Irans resistance and its commitment to the JCPOA has divided Trumps Cabinet and US foreign policy.

Referring to the recent meeting between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House, Javan wrote, Tillerson was among the members of Trumps Cabinet who had doubts about withdrawing from the JCPOA, and given recent agreements between the White House and Zionists about leaving the JCPOA, there was a need for dismissing [Tillerson].

Moderate Asr-e Iran addressed the issue of CIA Director Mike Pompeo replacing Tillerson, writing March 14, Now, with Pompeo finding his way to the State Department, a person is in the position of enforcing the orders and decisions of the Trump administration about Iran who is one of the staunch opponents of the Islamic Republic and who seeks the pursuit of the regime change approach.

Asr-e Iran continued, It seems that the Islamic Republic of Irans relationship with the United States is on the verge of entering its most tense period in the past four decades  and if the Senate approves him [Pompeo], a figure will take the lead of the diplomacy apparatus who doesnt like diplomatic language with reference to Iran and is an advocate of harsh behavior and even war.

Furthermore, hard-line Vatan-e-Emrooz daily argued that the most important objective behind the appointment of Pompeo is to attack the nuclear deal.

Following the dismissal of Tillerson, the position of national security adviser H.R. McMaster, who supports the saving of the JCPOA, has been weakened, and it is possible that he will be the next Cabinet member facing dismissal, added Vatan-e-Emrooz on March 14.

Moreover, Ali Khorram, a former representative of Iran at the UN headquarters in Geneva, wrote in an article in Reformist Arman daily March 14, The effects of Rex Tillersons dismissal will be very profound for our country, region and the world. Initially, it will mean that the US president is on the side of hard-liners in the political society of America, and the unwise policies of Donald Trump will be intensified in all areas.

Khorram said, Trump and Pompeo are both proponents of applying increasing pressure on Iran, abolishing the nuclear deal or improving it, acting against Iran in Syria and limiting Irans spheres of influence in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

Meanwhile, in a meeting with the Iranian parliaments national security and foreign policy commission on March 14, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, The Americans are serious about withdrawing from the JCPOA, and the recent change in the countrys State Department has been carried out for this purpose or is at the very least one of the reasons [for Tillersons dismissal].

Araghchi said, Under these circumstances, the Europeans strive to keep the Americans within the JCPOA, but to what extent Britain, France and Germany will be successful is not clear, adding that Iran has made it clear to Europe that it will withdraw from the deal if the United States does.

Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi also reacted to Tillersons dismissal, albeit cautiously, stating in his weekly press conference on March 14, These changes are considered as the internal affairs of the United States, and the whole world is witnessing these changes. What is important for us is the policies and approaches of the US on global and international issues as well as toward Iran. We pursue these approaches and adopt our own stances.

In other news, Reformist Mohammad Ali Najafi, who was chosen as mayor of Tehran less than seven months ago, has resigned from his post. While many considered his resignation as stemming from hard-liners pressures, the chairman of Tehran City Council, Mohsen Hashemi, said March 14 that Najafis resignation was due to health problems.
As the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen nears its third year, the war doesnt seem to be coming to an end anytime soon. The internal strife between Iranian-backed Ansar Allah, more commonly known as the Houthi movement, and the Saudi-supported government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi is no longer at the core of the struggle. Rather, the center lies in the heart of the broader confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. In this battle, the Saudis are ready to raise the stakes and continue their war even as the desired outcome remains elusive. Meanwhile, the Iranians are much more comfortable seeing their bitter rivals drowning in the Yemeni quagmire. At the same time, Iran is coming under international pressure that is bringing its ballistic missile program under scrutiny.

While many might ask whether Tehran and Riyadh might one day head toward a win-win regional settlement, the outcome of the Yemeni war is proving day after day that both sides are not winning but are rather mired in a lose-lose situation that is draining the two regional powers in different arenas. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabia is the one paying more money and is directly involved in the war, while Irans main cost in Yemen is the additional international pressure for backing its Ansar Allah allies with weaponry and expertise without being directly involved in the fight.

The main Saudi problem in the Yemeni war remains the lack of new strategies and tactics; the mounting number of civilian casualties, which is becoming a human rights nightmare for the kingdom and its Western allies; and the fact that many other wars are being fought in parallel, prompting a recent report by Chatham House to warn that Yemen has become a chaos state. A March 6 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) explained that the Yemenis are facing multiple crises, including armed conflict, displacement, risk of famine and the outbreaks of diseases including cholera  creating the worlds worst humanitarian crisis. The report stated, An escalation of hostilities in late 2017 resulted in new displacement, precluded safe return and increased demands on UNHCRs emergency response capacity, with more than 2 million people displaced. Protection space for 280,000 refugees and asylum seekers also continues to shrink, resulting in severe protection gaps. Refugees are at heightened risk of exploitation in the absence of livelihood opportunities and increasing aid-dependency.

Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regards the Yemeni war as his own, and any success thus as his signature. Conversely, any failure will put a dark stain on his credibility as a leader aiming for the throne. To the Iranians, the more the Saudis are stuck in the quagmire, the more Prince Mohammed will be vulnerable, and this will have a bigger implication on the Saudi role in the region, which Iran sees as floundering. To Tehran, the latter was clearly reflected in the ongoing Gulf crisis with Qatar, the alleged forced resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri while in Saudi Arabia last November, and the attempt in Yemen to divide former President Ali Abdullah Saleh from Ansar Allah, which ended tragically with the Houthis killing their former ally.

Tehrans official stance on the war in Yemen has been reflected on several occasions by its officials, mainly Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who has reiterated on several occasions that his country has suggested a four-step initiative to solve the crisis, consisting of an immediate cease-fire, humanitarian aid, intra-Yemeni talks and the formation of an inclusive government. During the Tehran Security Conference in January, Zarif explained Irans take on the Yemeni crisis, saying, The continuance of aggression against the oppressed people of Yemen, including indiscriminate aerial raids and extensive war crimes against civilians, is another major source of tension in the region. Following 33 months of a senseless bombing campaign, the aggressors should have realized by now that this crisis has no military solution and the parties to it have no way out other than engaging in dialogue to reach a national consensus to resolve the crisis.

In this vein, Tehran University professor Mohammad Marandi pushed back Saudi and US claims that Iran is militarily involved in Yemen, telling Al-Monitor that its physically impossible for Tehran to be engaged in the smuggling of ballistic missiles. He said, Taking into consideration the Western-backed Saudi siege, which even prevents food from entering Yemen, when I see the Yemeni resistance fighting the Western-backed Saudi aggressors with bare feet, it is obvious that the reason the Saudis have failed isnt the foreign support for Ansar Allah but rather their [Ansar Allahs] will to resist a much powerful yet unjust brutal force.

A UN Security Council resolution on Yemen proposed by Britain that sought to specifically condemn Iran was vetoed by Russia on Feb. 26, preventing the international body from singling out the Islamic Republic. Marandi added, Western powers are guilty of the war crimes committed in Yemen because they are the ones providing the Saudis with the war machine thats being used to kill the people of this poor country. Their attempts are basically to distract peoples attention from the war crimes; they want to portray Iran as the force behind the problem in Yemen while, in reality, the problem isnt Iran  not even Ansar Allah. Its the massacre and the deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Despite the differences over who or what should stop first  whether the Saudi-led air campaign or the Iranian role in supporting Ansar Allah  it is clear that the endgame in Yemen does not seem to be near. The only thing obvious in this struggle is that more Yemenis will die while the whole world is watching.
Iranian academic and outspoken political analyst Sadegh Zibakalam has been handed a prison sentence. Zibakalam, who is a well-known supporter of reform, stated March 13 that he has been sentenced to 18 months in jail and has also been banned for two years from political and social activities.

Elaborating on the Tehran Revolutionary Courts sentence, Zibakalam added in a video posted on his Facebook page that he has been banned from giving public speeches, writing articles, giving interviews and being active in cyberspace.

The prominent pundit also explained the charges he faced in court. My charge is spreading propaganda against the establishment and dissemination of lies against the establishment.  This is because of my interview with Deutsche Welle radio about the December protests in the country, Zibakalam said.

He continued, The court found me guilty, and I now have 20 days to object to the issued sentence.

He added, I havent hired a lawyer for any of my trials, as I believe that the basis of my charges isn't legal and the charges are politically motivated. Therefore, a lawyer cant help me be exonerated.

Zibakalam is a professor of political science at the University of Tehran. He was recently dismissed from Islamic Azad University (IAU), which is now controlled by hard-liners following the death of moderate Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani last year. The dismissal from IAU was, according to Zibakalam, a political payoff.

This is not the first time that the judiciary has acted against Zibakalam. In 2014, he faced 18 months of imprisonment for criticizing the Islamic Republics policies on its nuclear program. However, when he appealed his sentence it was overturned and converted to a $1,328 fine.

In other news, Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiei and Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi have both survived impeachment votes in parliament.

Opponents of Rabiei were determined to impeach him and gave heated speeches against him in the open session of parliament on March 13. In a controversial remark, Fereydoun Hassanvand, a conservative parliament member and the chairman of the energy commission, addressed Rabiei, saying that he had come to parliament before and told parliament members that he was a spy of the establishment in the presidential campaign of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Rabiei denied this.

Of note, Rabiei was a senior member of Mousavis campaign in 2009. Following the disputed presidential election that year, Mousavi and the other Reformist candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, stated that the ballot was rigged. Their protests led to their eventual house arrests.

During the impeachment session, Gholam-Reza Tajgardoun, a senior member of the Reformist Hope faction in parliament, accused Rabiei of giving money to a number of newspapers to publish false reports about his opponents in parliament.

At the end of parliaments session, 124 parliament members voted in favor of Rabieis impeachment, 126 against and 2 in abstention.

In response to parliaments decision about Rabiei, the Iranian presidents cultural adviser, Hesamodin Ashna, wrote on his Telegram channel March 13, Despite giving a vote of confidence to the minister, the parliament gave a firm message to the government to be alarmed that [parliaments] trust is neither permanent nor absolute.

Akhoundi faced impeachment over a number of recent disasters, including a plane crash in southwestern Iran last month that left all 66 people on board dead. Akhoundi survived the impeachment vote with 152 opposed, 92 in favor and 2 abstentions.
The Islamic State (IS) appears to be staging a comeback in parts of Iraq, which could endanger the country's oil deal with Iran.

Hamid Hosseini, the Iranian secretary-general of the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, warned in late February that the countries' plan can't be implemented fully because of security concerns. The countries signed a bilateral agreement in July 2017 to install a pipeline to transport Kirkuks crude oil to Iran to be refined. In the meantime, the oil is being transported by trucks, which are vulnerable to attacks.

The Kurdish military, or peshmerga forces, took control of Kirkuk in 2014 after Iraqi forces fled as IS swept through the area. But in October, Iraqi forces reclaimed the oil-rich territory from the Kurds.

IS has been blamed for numerous recent attacks in the area. On Feb. 19, IS fighters ambushed a convoy of the Baghdad government's Shiite Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in the Hawija district, southwest of Kirkuk, killing 27. On Feb. 27, gunmen had targeted the Turkmen Front with a rocket shell. Since Hosseini's warning, security has deteriorated both in Kirkuk and Hawija. Local authorities have called for military enforcement.

Masrour Barzani, the head of Kurdistan security, stressed that the IS offensive in Kirkuk province is not coming to an end anytime soon.

These developments cast clouds of uncertainty over any investment attempts in Kirkuk city, particularly in the oil sector. Yet Rakan al Jibouri, Kirkuk's Baghdad-appointed interim governor, doesnt agree, though he acknowledges there are unsecured areas.

This wont obstruct the development of oil facilities and exportation projects, as the agreement signed by the [Iraqi] Ministry of Oil on Feb. 8 to construct a new refinery clearly demonstrates otherwise," Jibouri told Al-Monitor.

Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad also told Al-Monitor the present security situation wont affect Kirkuk oil investments. The Iranian official's [Hosseini's] statement reflects his states point of view. The Iraqi side is committed to upholding the agreement as long as Iran is not backing down.

Jihad said the contract provides for exporting 30,000-60,000 barrels of oil a day via trucks from Kirkuk fields to the border zone near Kermanshah, Iran.

Work is still underway to install an oil pipeline to Iran with a capacity of over 250,000 barrels [per day], Jihad added. Moving forward, we are going to stop using trucks, which are more exposed, require more security measures and cost more." Moreover, one of the reasons behind the agreement was Irans need of large amounts of Iraqi oil for refinement purposes, as well as for complementary industries in Iranian areas across [the border]. Jihad said Iraq will also benefit because it will be able to export oil abroad at lower costs.

All that said, however, Jihad noted the Oil Ministry has no authority to assess the security situation: The ministry is only concerned with the technical end of things.

Iskander Witwit, a member of the Iraqi parliament's Security and Defense Committee, contradicted Hosseini's evaluation. We havent recorded any indications of oil investments in Kirkuk being too risky," Witwit told Al-Monitor.

He said the Kurdish peshmerga wants "security anarchy so that the oil trade project between Iraq and Iran fails, because the [Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)] wants oil to be transported through its soil." The KRG, he said, "seeks to stop all oil and economic projects as long as Kirkuk is not under its control.

Witwit also challenged a statement by Hosseini that security is at risk because Iran doesn't have X-ray machines to inspect trucks coming from Iraq.

This is an irrational reason," Witwit said. "Truck security is both countries responsibility, and oil-transporting trucks are registered and take off from secured points to their designated destination. Therefore, they cant possibly be used for any other purposes, considering the strict security measures in oil zones. Also, army and PMU troops are dispatched throughout the route used by the trucks.

Meanwhile, it appears Iraq is moving ahead to expand its export options. Aziz Abdullah, the head of the Iraqi parliament's Oil and Energy Committee, told Al-Monitor, Talks between the [Iraqi] federal government and the [KRG] government on transporting oil via Ceyhan [Turkey] pipe have reached advanced stages.

Ahmad al Askari, the head of the Energy Committee of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, believes those talks reflect Iraq's "new direction not to solely rely on one window that could be shut on account of political disagreements.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Askari added, Political and security concerns compelled Iraq to consider more than one means of exporting Kirkuk oil. Iraq started a pipeline to Turkeys Ceyhan port that doesnt go through the [Kurdish] region, besides the one that does go through the region. In addition, trucks have been moving to Iran since Iraqi forces took over Kirkuk.
March 13 was a turbulent day for Majid Faraj, head of the Palestinian Authority's (PA) General Intelligence Service. In the early morning hours, he survived an assassination attempt that targeted Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallahs convoy with a bomb. Hamdallah was visiting Gaza to inaugurate a desalination plant. The PA believes, however, the attackers were actually trying to kill Faraj. Fortunately for him, he was not in his own vehicle, which was the target of the detonation, but in Hamdallahs car instead.

Before Faraj could even recover from the attack, he was informed that Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA and someone he considered a friend, had been appointed US secretary of state in the Donald Trump administration, replacing Rex Tillerson, who had just been fired. The Palestinians have not felt this relieved since the crisis that erupted last December between the United States and the Palestinians after Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and relocate the US Embassy from Tel Aviv.

After Trump's election in November 2016, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the establishment of a think tank to examine ways to open new channels of communication with the administration, which was viewed from day one as being a biased, pro-Israel mediator. Even then, Ramallah was hanging all its hopes on Pompeo. It was a gamble, and it succeeded.

Faraj met with Pompeo in Washington in early February 2017 and managed to convince him that the PA could make a significant contribution to regional stability and efforts to contain the spread of radical Islam. One person close to Faraj told Al-Monitor that Pompeo was impressed by the personal story of his Palestinian counterpart. Faraj had grown up in the Dheisheh refugee camp, in the West Bank. His father had been killed by the Israel Defense Forces during the second intifada (2000-05), and his entire family had joined the Forum for Bereaved Parents (The Parents Circle), bringing together Israelis and Palestinians who have lost a family member in the conflict.

Pompeo responded to an invitation from Faraj and visited the PA-controlled territories that same month, a few days before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had his first meeting with Trump in Washington on Feb. 15. Pompeo met with Abbas in Ramallah and listened to his concerns that Trump and Netanyahu would work out an outline for dealing with the Palestinian issue without input from the Palestinians. Pompeo then reportedly advised him to maintain peace and quiet, so the Trump administration would keep them involved in the diplomatic process. Pompeo added that the administration would not neglect the Palestinian issue or the peace process. Abbas and Faraj asked Pompeo to arrange a meeting between the Palestinian president and Trump, and Abbas was, in fact, invited to the White House, in May 2017.

That was the beginning of a personal friendship between Pompeo and Faraj that ultimately led to the creation of a new channel of communication between the Palestinians and the Americans. The establishment of this new channel was encouraging, but it ended in enormous disappointment for the Palestinians.

Pompeo settled in to focusing on his work at the CIA, leaving the job of mediating between the Israelis and Palestinians to Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, his adviser Jason Greenblatt and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, known as the settler among senior Palestinian officials. The American team as a whole was the Jewish troika. The three were immediately suspect because of their religion, but also because of the policies of the Trump administration, with its obvious pro-Israel tilt. Today the Palestinians feel that their suspicions and doubts were justified.

In contrast, the attitude toward Pompeo was different. Just before Trump made his announcement on Jerusalem, Abbas sent Faraj to Washington for a series of urgent talks with his friend Pompeo. It was too late, however. The die had been cast, and there was no going back. People close to Faraj said that Pompeo nevertheless asked the Palestinians to be patient and not to make any unilateral moves that might be harmful and end up making any chance at peace between the two peoples even less likely.

Now the Palestinians friend at the CIA has been appointed the top US diplomat. Tillerson, unlike his predecessors, was not involved in the talks with the Palestinians. He left that to Kushner, Greenblatt and Friedman. Tillerson only made statements concerning the Palestinian issue on two occasions. The first was when he informed a Senate hearing in June 2017 that the Palestinians had decided to stop making payments to families of convicted terrorists in response to the proposed Taylor Force Act to cut aid to the PA. (This turned out to be false.) The second time was in January 2018, when he ordered the US government to cut aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

Farajs confidant told Al-Monitor that it is still too early to rejoice, but Pompeo replacing Tillerson should improve the atmosphere and reduce Palestinian hostility toward the current administration. Nevertheless, no one expects radical changes to the White House's unbalanced policy in all matters concerning the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Palestinians have no illusions. Yet, although the decision to move the embassy can no longer be changed, there are other issues on which Pompeo could be of assistance, including reducing tensions between Trump and Abbas and stopping the administration from cutting economic aid to the PA.

Faraj and Pompeo's relationship was based on common interest. The head of Palestinian intelligence convinced his American colleague that the Palestinian security forces play an important role in the region by cooperating with Israel, but also by keeping Abbas  who plays an active role in keeping violence and radical Islam out of the Palestinian territories  in power. The Palestinians now hope that Pompeo will take steps to strengthen their security forces, especially after the assassination attempt in Gaza.

Ramallah also hopes that Pompeo in his new position will be able to keep the promise that he made to Abbas while still head of the CIA: If the Palestinians keep the peace, the Americans will keep them involved in the diplomatic process.
ANKARA, Turkey  The 2017 annual report of the Turkish Interior Ministry, released in late February, raised fresh questions about a controversy ongoing since the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. According to the report, 2,198,774 individuals lost their vehicle registrations, gun licenses, driver's licenses and professional IDs last year, while 106,740 guns were recorded as either lost or stolen.

News of the huge number of missing weapons comes amid concerns over the reported proliferation of unlicensed guns, including through online sales, and has reignited debate on weapons that were reported missing from military and police armories in the wake of the coup attempt.

In its 2014 report, the Interior Ministry had put the number of lost or stolen guns at 14,682, while the number of lost or stolen license plates stood at only 3,037. In its 2015 report, the number of lost or stolen guns increased more than 500% to 91,120, while the number of lost or stolen license plates hit 703,749. In the report for 2016, the year of the coup attempt, lost or stolen guns further increased, to 107,628, while lost or stolen license plates shot up to 900,383.

During the night of the attempted putsch, civilians who took to the streets to stop the putschists seized some soldiers' weapons, while some soldiers surrendered and voluntarily handed them over. Meanwhile, there have also been reports that weapons were distributed to civilians from police warehouses.

Last year, a legal case involving a murder committed during an argument near Ankara established that the suspect had used an MP5, a submachine gun, that belonged to the police. The suspect testified that he had obtained the gun on the night of the coup attempt, when weapons were distributed from a truck outside police headquarters in Ankara.

After the story hit the headlines, the Ankara governors office issued a statement, explaining that weapons had been hastily distributed to police officers as the coup attempt unfolded, without keeping records of who got what, but also denying that civilians were among the recipients. The weapons were later collected, the statement said, while also confirming that an MP5 had been missing. Many weapons, ammunition and explosives distributed to soldiers and police officers during the night of the coup attempt are said to still be missing and sought across the country.

The increase in the number of lost and stolen guns is striking  from fewer than 15,000 in 2014 to more than 90,000 in 2015 and then to more than 100,000 in 2016. The figure slightly decreased last year, but remained at more than 100,000 last year, pointing to a serious problem.

Following the public outcry and calls by the political opposition for an explanation, the Interior Ministry tweeted a statement, but it only compounded the situation. According to the ministry, the figure in the 2017 report represented the total number of guns reported as lost or stolen since 1944. That still left unanswered one question requiring a credible explanation: Why did the total number of lost and stolen guns abruptly shoot up to some 100,000 over the past three years after standing at less than 15,000 for the seven decades, until 2014?

Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli confirmed in February that authorities were still looking for guns belonging to the military that went missing during the coup attempt. Responding to a parliamentary question by a lawmaker from the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), Canikli said the missing weapons had been registered as such in the databases of both the military and the police and were being sought across the country. The minister did not say how many or which weapons were missing. Judicial authorities are also investigating, he said.

There are no clues as to where the more than 106,000 missing weapons might be. Of note, the available statistics only include guns reported as lost or stolen to authorities, meaning that the actual figure might be higher.

In a written parliamentary question in June, CHP Deputy Eren Erdem had asked Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu for the number of weapons that had been missing from the police inventory since the night of the coup attempt. He is still waiting for an answer.

The Association of Retired Noncommissioned Officers has underlined that all assigned weapons and ammunition, and even flasks and boots, are the responsibility of individual soldiers and officers in the Turkish army. Many personnel are now anxious because some of the weapons used during the night of the coup attempt are still missing, according to the head of the association.

Few seem to be convinced by official statements on the missing guns cited in the Interior Ministry reports, as contradicting statements have deepened the confusion, and many questions remain unanswered. Turkish society is already sharply polarized, and many believe that government supporters are arming themselves for future action against political opponents. Open threats from Islamist quarters are feeding the apprehension.

Last month, a presenter on the Islamist Akit TV said on air that the staff of the daily Cumhuriyet, a vocal government critic, deserved to be slaughtered. Another Akit TV presenter, infuriated by claims of civilian casualties in Turkish military operations in northern Syria, said, If we were to kill civilians, we would have started in Cihangir, Nisantasi and Etiler, referring to Istanbul neighborhoods considered bastions of secularism. He added, There are so many traitors. There is the Turkish Grand National Assembly, referring to opposition lawmakers in parliament. Prosecutors have launched an investigation into the presenter.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu signaled today that a meeting planned for March 19 with outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to discuss differences in Syria may be put off as Ankara scrambles to determine what impact the appointment of CIA Director Mike Pompeo as his successor will have on the two countries' increasingly shaky alliance.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Turkeys top diplomat said, The meeting  could be delayed until after Tillersons departure. We worked with Tillerson at a point in which our ties came to a critical stage. We continued our communication even in most difficult times. This is, of course, the decision of the [United States] and we want to work with the incoming foreign minister based on the understanding of mutual respect.

Turkey will not have detected much respect in a tweet Pompeo posted July 16, 2016, a day after the failed coup against Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unfolded. In the since-deleted message, Pompeo likened Turkey to Iran, labeling both Islamist dictatorships. He was a congressman then.

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim suggested Ankara was unperturbed, telling reporters ahead of an official trip to Azerbaijan, It is not very important to us what the new secretary thinks about Turkey.

Word of Tillersons departure came just as Washington and Ankara were in the midst of a new stab at salvaging their battered relationship.

Ties have been badly bruised by the United States ongoing alliance with the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), a group that Turkey labels a terrorist organization and is fighting in the northwestern Syrian region of Afrin.

In February, Tillerson met with Erdogan and Cavusoglu in Ankara for three hours, unusually without the presence of any other US officials or even a translator. In the aftermath, the sides declared they had set up a consultative mechanism to address outstanding issues, notably Syria. And on March 13, a first meeting was held between Turkish and US officials in Washington, where the broad outlines of an agreement over the northern Syrian town of Manbij were reportedly drawn.

According to Cavusoglu, the agreement involves a complete withdrawal of YPG elements from the mainly Arab town, including from its military and governing councils, which would be overseen by US and Turkish forces. But the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US-led coalitions top partner against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, denied any such agreement had been reached and insists they pulled out of Manbij long ago. Those assertions were backed by a spokesman of the YPG-friendly Manbij Military Council yesterday. Shervan Darwish said members of the YPG left the town soon after it was liberated from IS militants in 2016. Darwish insisted local forces are now in charge in Manbij and work closely with the US-led coalition, including in joint patrols. But even for the casual observer, a visit to Manbij leaves little doubt that the YPG remains very much in the driver's seat.

Thus, Erdogan has kept up threats to drive the YPG out of Manbij and expand such operations all the way to the Iraqi border, ostensibly unless the United States sticks to its word.

The status of Manbij has long been a source of controversy between Turkey and the United States. The town was successively under Free Syrian Army (FSA) and IS control until the YPG, backed by coalition air power, wrested it in a long and bloody fight in August 2016.

Washington pledged the YPG would withdraw east of the Euphrates River once Manbij was captured. Turkey has called the river a red line not to be breached by Kurdish forces.

But soon after taking Manbij the YPG set about declaring the establishment of local councils not only in Manbij but in IS-held al-Bab and Jarablus, which also lie to the west of the Euphrates. The gambit reinforced Turkish suspicions that the seizure of Manbij was part of the YPGs longstanding plans to connect territories it controls east of the river with Afrin, the mainly Kurdish enclave farther west. At that point, Turkish forces waded into Jarablus, eventually capturing al-Bab, and have now all but encircled the city of Afrin.

In hindsight, some coalition officials question whether control of Manbij was a strategic necessity for the coalitions ultimate goal of conquering Raqqa, the so-called capital of IS, particularly given the fallout it triggered in relations with Turkey, a critical NATO ally.

But as things currently stand, both Turkey and the YPG view Manbij as a litmus test of their respective alliances with the United States. An SDF commander made this point patently clear in remarks to Al-Monitor, saying, The United States always told us that Afrin was not their business but that they will defend us in Manbij. We are waiting to see if they will honor their word. The commander continued, It's out of the question that Turkish forces or the FSA be allowed into Manbij. They are sworn enemies of the Kurds and they will not stop at Manbij. They are massacring civilians and ethnically cleansing Afrin. They want to do the same in the rest of Rojava. Rojava refers to the mainly Kurdish areas of northern Syria where the YPG and its civilian arms are conducting their experiment in self-rule.

Though precise numbers are hard to establish, rights groups have reported that dozens if not hundreds of civilians have perished in Turkeys ongoing offensive in Afrin. Turkey denies it is targeting civilians and insists the YPG is using them as human shields. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported yesterday that Turkish forces and their FSA partners had set up a humanitarian corridor for civilians to evacuate Afrin from the south.

However, Erdogan's talk of restoring Afrin to its rightful owners has spurred fears that Ankara will embark on the sort of demographic engineering conducted by Syrias Baathist regime to dilute the Kurdish population along the Turkish border. If so, it would likely involve resettling thousands of ethnic Arabs displaced by the seven year old Syrian conflict who have sought refuge in Turkey.

Redur Xelil, a spokesman for the SDF, claimed this is already happening. He told Reuters in a written message, The Turkish government is settling Turkmen and Arab families in the villages of Afrin after forcing out its people and is distributing the belongings of the people of Afrin to the new settlers. Turkey dismissed the claims as absolutely false.

Meanwhile, analysts warn Turkeys Afrin offensive is taking its toll on the campaign against IS in eastern Syria, where the YPG declared it had paused operations and had redeployed its fighters to Afrin. Yago Rodriguez is an expert on security affairs who is closely monitoring the Syrian conflict. He told Al-Monitor, IS is weak and is trying to survive in the eastern Syrian desert in small groups. They were almost finished and it was very easy for the YPG and for the Assad regime with its forces concentrated there to complete the job. But, Rodriguez observed, the confrontation with Turkey [in Afrin] changed it all. The Kurds are in a very bad situation so they need to put all their forces into the front with Turkey to prevent a new Euphrates Shield, not in Afrin that is lost, but in other parts of Rojava. Euphrates Shield refers to the Turkish-controlled chunk of territory stretching from Jarablus to al-Bab.

The SDF commander denied that Afrin was lost. And lets say it is, he added. The Kurds will have defended it to their last breath. Our courage, our determination, our honor will be recorded by history."
Public remarks by Turkeys powerful President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have often raised eyebrows in the West in recent years. However, in a March 8 speech on International Women's Day, Erdogan broke this pattern and said something that could only be music to liberal ears: He condemned misogynist clerics who degrade women, and even said, Islam must be updated."

The speech was made to hundreds of Turkish women from various walks of life who were invited to the presidential complex in Ankara for International Women's Day. In his address to the women, Erdogan implicitly referred to a few ultraconservative scholars in Turkey who recently outraged society by defending misogynist practices such as wife beating. "Recently, some people claiming to be clerics issued statements contradicting religion, Erdogan said. They have no place in our times. They don't realize how Islam needs to be updated and is updated accordingly. You can't apply the practices applied 15 centuries ago today. Islam changes and adapts to the conditions of different ages. This is the beauty of Islam.

This progressive take on religion, especially the very suggestion that Islam needs to be updated, came as a cold shower to some of the typically pro-Erdogan commentators. On social media, many of them stood silent, whereas others offered mild criticism, repeating the usual mantra that Islam is perfect, it needs no update and it is only Muslims who need to improve themselves by living up to Islams fixed commandments.

A day later, Erdogan refined his initial remark about updating Islam and said he seeks no "reform in religion. ("Reform is a dirty word in conservative parlance.) Our holy Quran has and will always have words to say, its commandments will never change, Erdogan affirmed. However, he added, The independent reasoning derived from the Quran  in other words many clauses in classic jurisprudence would surely change according to the time, the conditions and the possibilities.

Why has Erdogan taken this not-so-conservative position on Islam? And what does it mean for the state of affairs in Turkey?

First, we need to recall the background of Erdogans remarks. In the past few years, Turkeys religious conservatives have found a level of free speech that they have not seen in a century. While free speech overall has dramatically declined in Turkey, as noted by Freedom House, this decline has affected only the anti-Erdogan camp. While secularists in the state, media and civil society have been largely swept aside, the vacuum was filled by religious conservatives and Islamists of various kinds, who now both had the self-confidence to speak their minds, and also influential media forums to use such as state TV.

Some of these newly empowered conservatives were people with deeply archaic understandings of Islam. As a result, it became common for Turks to hear one dreadful fatwa (religious opinion) after another. One scholar suggested that pregnant women should not freely walk around, for example, while another threatened women who wear pants with hellfire.

Most recently, Nurettin Yildiz, a traditional scholar and a columnist for the Islamist Milli Gazete, sparked even more outrage by declaring that it is permissible in Islam for children of the age of 6 to get married. He defended wife beating as well, even suggesting that women who are beaten by their husbands should be grateful for this blessing.

Here is the key point: These terrible views were shocking to Turkeys secularists, almost all of whom are against Erdogan. But they were also shocking to most moderate religious conservatives, many of whom vote for Erdogan.

This is the case, because as polls show, hard-core Islamists who would like to see a Sharia-based Turkey  one like Saudi Arabia, where sexes are segregated and adulterers are stoned  make up a small minority in Turkey. As Pew Research polls have shown, those Turks who wish to see Sharia as the law of the land make up some 12% of the whole population, whereas the same number is 84% in Pakistan and 74% in Egypt. To the question of whether sons and daughters should have equal inheritance rights, an impressive 88% of Turks say yes, where the same number is only 53% in Pakistan and 26% in Egypt.

In other words, Turkeys 150-year-long Westernization that goes back to the late Ottoman Empire, and the century-long experience of the secular republic, has ingrained certain modern values in society, even in the more conservative camp.

No wonder Yildizs shocking statements on wife beating and child marriage have been strongly criticized by commentators in the conservative, and pro-Erdogan, media as well  in newspapers such as Sabah or Yeni Safak. Most recently, Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Action Party and a key Erdogan ally, slammed Yildiz as a pervert for saying men and women should not get on the same elevator.

Erdogans reaction to clerics who degrade women should be seen in light of this social context. It should also remind us that Erdogan, at the end of the day, is a populist politician and not a doctrinaire cleric. He follows social trends carefully, with regular polls he reportedly gets conducted, and does his best to capture the zeitgeist. No wonder his political narrative is based on not a rigid Islamism that would have limited appeal, but an Islam-infused nationalism that appeals to the majority of Turkish society. (The main political trait in Turkish society has always been nationalism more than anything else.)

Whatever his political reasons are, Erdogans support for the idea that Islam needs updating will come as a breath of fresh air for Turkeys modernist theologians, who have lately been concerned with the rise of the ultraconservative scholars, some of whom also have been called "Salafi. In a country where the presidents words are definitive almost on everything, Erdogans green light for new interpretations of Islam will be helpful.

However, there is also a downside: the very definitiveness of the president  and, by extension, the state  over religion. Turkey has always been a very statist country where the government has controlled religion and has left very little room for civil society. Erdogans attempt to define the right Islam will only deepen this state-centric culture.

A modernist theologian laid this out well in a newspaper column. The main problem in Turkey's religious sphere, the theologian said, is that different groups are willing to have their own interpretation of religion embraced by the state, and imposed on society. And there is little hope, he added, that this vicious cycle will be broken in the near future.
After seven years of war, Syrias reconstruction needs are truly daunting. More than half of the countrys hospitals and two out of three schools have been damaged or destroyed and more than a quarter of all homes are in need of repairs.

The price tag to rebuild the country, according to United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, is a hefty $250 billion. While these costs have mounted, Syria has seen its economy dwindle by an equivalent amount since the start of the conflict.

And still the conflict rages on, causing more death, destruction and despair by the day. With no apparent path to victory for the Western-backed opposition, multilateral donors are staying on the sidelines, scared off by international sanctions and the ongoing global dispute over the future of President Bashar al-Assad and his blood-soaked regime.

Having invested heavily in the failed rebellion, Assad's chief foes  the United States, Europe and the Gulf countries  are understandably wary of making a 180-degree turn and lending him a helping hand. But staying away, some economic and regional experts warn, could well prove worse not only for Syria, but for the region and the rest of the world as well.

At its base, the issue is: Do we want to stabilize Syria, James Dobbins, a former US ambassador to the European Union under President George H.W. Bush, told Al-Monitor. If thats the objective, then being willing under some conditions to engage in  or at least allow our partners to engage in  reconstruction activities across the country is an important piece of leverage. In fact, its virtually our only piece of leverage.

Despite ongoing internal debates on the best way forward in Syria, the West for now remains publicly committed to freezing out Assad.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson laid out the Donald Trump administration's policy during a speech at Stanford Universitys Hoover Institution on Jan. 17. We will discourage economic relationships between the Assad regime and any other country, Tillerson said. Once Assad is gone from power, the United States will gladly encourage the normalization of economic relationships between Syria and other nations.

Congress has also weighed in, with 13 members of both parties signing onto the bluntly named No Assistance for Assad Act. The bill, introduced by ranking House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrat Eliot Engel of New York and endorsed by Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., hamstrings nonhumanitarian assistance to Assad-controlled areas. The committee is expected to vote on it March 15.

We cannot and must not allocate any resources to the brutal Assad regime in reconstructing what he has destroyed, bill co-sponsor and anti-Assad Syria caucus co-chairman Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., said in a statement.

At its base, the issue is do we want to stabilize Syria. If thats the objective, then being willing under some conditions to engage in  or at least allow our partners to engage in  reconstruction activities across the country is an important piece of leverage. In fact, its virtually our only piece of leverage.

The European Union has echoed the sentiment, notably in its March 2017 European Council Syria strategy document that reiterates that the Europeans will be ready to assist in the reconstruction of Syria only when a comprehensive, genuine and inclusive political transition  is firmly under way. As recently as December, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told The New York Times that European rebuilding efforts will start only when the political transition will be agreed on [at UN-backed peace talks] in Geneva.

Beyond the current warnings, the United States and Europe have long had sanctions in place against Syria, including US prohibitions on new investments in the country. As a result, key international financial institutions including the World Bank have put Syria reconstruction plans on ice, even as they warn of the toll of delaying reconstruction.

The more the conflict persists, read a July 2017 World Bank report on the toll of war, the deeper will run the grievances and divisions in Syrian society, rendering it very difficult to reinstate efficient institutions and economic mechanisms.

While some American hawks are openly advocating for perpetual war in Syria to keep bleeding Assad regime ally Iran  with nary a thought for the cost to the civilian population  others have made a moral argument for keeping the regime at arm's length.

A top-down approach to reconstruction would be a near total waste of grant, loan and investment money, argues a December 2017 report from the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. The regimes corruption and incompetence are established beyond debate, and the political economy built by the regime laid the ground for the uprising that began in March 2011.

Instead, the study authors propose to focus rebuilding efforts on areas outside government control, particularly in Kurdish-held parts of the country.

While attractive to Western donors, such an approach would do little for Syria's devastated urban heart along the Mediterranean coast. Aleppo and Homs, the country's second- and third-largest cities, for example, sit squarely in territory now controlled by the regime.

Furthermore, many areas outside the reach of Damascus remain inherently unstable as warring factions and their foreign patrons continue to compete for power. Barely a month after the Atlantic Council issued its report, Turkish forces invaded northwestern Syria to return the Kurdish enclave in Afrin back to Arab control.

Opposition setbacks have led some experts to conclude that Western powers should hold their noses and work with Assad in some capacity. The RAND Corporation, a think tank that advises the US government, has issued several reports on the issue, with slightly different conclusions.

One such report issued shortly after the government recaptured Aleppo in late 2016 argued for supporting centralized state institutions in post-conflict planning given the country's political culture and modern history.

Policies that seek to divide the country or deliberately or inadvertently weaken or destabilize state institutions  such as support for armed groups that carry out attacks against the state or post-conflict governance and reconstruction plans that overemphasize local governance at the expense of the state  may ultimately prove counterproductive in preventing a return to conflict and violence, the authors write.

Another 2017 RAND study, this one co-authored by Dobbins, argues for using the promise of reconstruction assistance through the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other multilateral institutions as leverage for the Syrian regime to allow some level of local democracy. Communal councils, called for in the constitution but never formed, could help prioritize aid needs and kickstart decentralized governance.

Theres a case to be made for promoting some degree of grassroots democratization, said Dobbins, who holds the Distinguished Chair in Diplomacy and Security at RAND. Im not sure how far the regime would permit that to evolve, but offering reconstruction on that basis would give them an incentive to do so.

Boycotting reconstruction, he argues, would only strengthen US foes such as Iran and Russia  the main countries currently contemplating investments in Assad regime areas along with China.

As long as the civil war continues, Russia and Iran are essential to Assad and his regime and have maximum leverage, Dobbins said. If the war is over, theyre no longer essential  and the regime will be looking for ways to diminish their influence and to regain some degree of autonomy.

That's where the United States and other Western powers can play a productive role, he argues. Abandoning the field to Iran and Russia, by contrast, would only further distort Syria's inequitable economic system.

I think what youd see in the case in Russia is a sort of crony capitalism in which individuals connected to the Russian regime would have privileged positions and further prey on Syria, Dobbins told Al-Monitor. In the case of Iran it would probably be institutions connected to the [Islamic Revolutionary] Guard.

And the impact of leaving major cities such as Aleppo in ruins goes far beyond Syria. Millions of refugees will continue to strain their already unstable neighbors' resources until they can return home, while Syria's economic woes create ripple effects throughout the region.

Trade statistics depict the Middle East as one of the world's least commercially integrated regions, but such figures are distorted by oil and gas sales to the outside world and a thriving black market. Rather than the official 9% figure for intra-Arab trade, the real figure when oil is taken out of the equation may be closer to 60%, according to Abdullah al-Dardari, who served as Syria's minister of planning and deputy prime minister for economic affairs before the 2011 uprising.

The region is much more integrated than we think it is, Dardari, now a senior adviser on reconstruction for the Middle East and North Africa division at the World Bank, said at a Middle East Institute (MEI) event on regional cooperation last week. And therefore integration is the only way forward.

The benefits for Syria are obvious: Rebuilding Aleppo's destroyed 1,000-megawatt power plant would take five to six years, Dardari argues, but hooking up to the Turkish electricity network across the border would cost about $5 million. Likewise, the region's surplus cement production is an obvious source for the millions of tons of concrete that Syria and Iraq need to rebuild.

Iraq in particular is pushing for closer regional ties after the violence of recent years. Under MEI's auspices in December, participants from nine countries including Syria and Iraq signed a declaration of good neighborhood principles for the Middle East that notably champions convergence of regional infrastructures, regulations and policies.

Trade between Syria and Iraq reached $5 billion a year in 2010, he said. And Mosul in particular, which was liberated from the Islamic State (IS) last summer at great cost in Iraqi blood and US treasure, is joined at the hip with Aleppo as the only two large regional cities that flourished as neither political capitals nor religious centers.

Any reconstruction of those two cities needs to consider that past looking into the future, Dardari said.

Fellow MEI panelist Naufel al-Hassan, the visiting deputy chief of staff to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said concerns about Syrian instability have been shared with the Trump administration. He said Iraq was relatively stable in 2011 before war broke out next door, fueling the rise of IS.

Traditionally there is a lot of tribal and society integration, Hassan told Al-Monitor. I cannot imagine 10 years from now a stable city if the other side of the [Euphrates] river isn't safe.
About 40,000 farmers camp in Mumbai, countrys financial hub, to demand land rights and support for the farming sector.

Mumbai, India  Sumanbai Shingade walked for seven days and six nights, travelling 180 kilometres to reach Mumbai, Indias financial hub, from Korat village in Maharashtra states Nashik district.

She bemoaned the state of her calloused feet and a visibly swollen ankle as she squatted on a piece of cardboard, spread out on the grounds of Azad Maidan, a sprawling ground in south Mumbai.

Shingade is part of nearly 40,000 farmers who rallied on the streets of Mumbai to demand land rights, loan waivers and better compensation and support to the farming sector that employs about two-thirds of the population.

My legs hurt, my entire body aches. Ideally, I would like to go home and sleep on my khatiya [coir cot]. But how can I give up, considering that the land I have worked on for decades is not even in my name, said Shingade, who did not remember her age but appeared to be in her 60s.

This was a common lament among the adivasis, a traditionally forest-dwelling indigenous community that formed the majority of the protesters.

For generations, they [adivasis] have been living in the forests. They are dependent on the forest for their sustenance, and have been farming for time immemorial, said D Stalin, who runs Vanshakti, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that works on forest, wetland and environment protection.

The protesters and experts say despite living on the lands for generations, adivasis  who are among the most marginalised among the farming communities of India  do not hold title deeds, which continue to be vested with the governments forest department.

Farmers distress

Under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006, adivasis are entitled to ownership of land subject to a maximum of four hectares, but the law, say adivasis, has not been implemented on the ground.

Roughly 3,097 farmers committed suicide due to their 2015 finances, data show [Kiran Mehta/Al Jazeera]

However, a report by the Press Trust of India news agency cited a Maharashtra government minister as saying he had settled 50 percent of the claims made by tribals under the Forest Rights Act.

While ownership issues are being stressed, what motivated this peaceful, large-scale protest in Mumbai was the farmers increasing distress: reports of farmer suicides have made headlines frequently in recent years.

At least 3,097 farmers committed suicide due to bankruptcy or indebtedness in 2015, according to the National Crime Records Bureau report.

Maharashtra has witnessed an alarming number of farmers deaths in the past years.

A leading farm activist in Maharashtra, Kishor Tiwari, believes that while this protest may have been dominated by adivasis, who form nearly eight percent of Indias 1.3 billion population, similar protests across the country are the result of its agrarian crisis.

The cost of farming has become unsustainable. It is no longer feasible to live in the rural areas. We need to sit before the powers-that-be and ask them to relook at their policies, and act on the Swaminathan Commission report, Tiwari said, referring to the report according to which farmers ought to enjoy a profit of at least 50 percent above the cost of production.

Vasant Dholbhoie, one of the protesters who came from Surgana in Nashik district, offered insight into the cost of production.

He explained that, for the monsoon season [June to September]  his biggest yield  he spends anywhere from 10,000 rupees ($154) to 15,000 rupees ($231) on his six-acre land.

He earns a meagre 2,000  3,000 rupees ($30-46) profit per yield.

To supplement his income, he is forced to work as a labourer on other farmers fields and gets paid 100-150 rupees ($1.54-2.31) a day.

Small land holdings

Similar stories were heard from many other farmers who were part of the farmers march.

Dada Raipure, the former Maharashtra state president of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), which organised the protests, demanded that farmers be given land titles and their loans completely waived off.

With little social security protection for farmers, particularly for those with small land holdings, activists have called for a robust pension scheme and other policies to support the farming sector.

The National Pension System (NPS) launched in 2004 has failed to address the problems.

The protesters wanted the pension, which stands at a meagre 600 rupees ($9.25) a month, to be increased to 2,000 rupees ($30.84) a month.

The farmers were elated that their voices were finally heard [Kiran Mehta/Al Jazeera]

At Azad Maidan, farmers sat under the pandals  huge, cloth-encased enclosures  braving the heat as leaders from a host of political parties came to address them, claiming solidarity with their cause.

Food and water seemed aplenty as political parties, as well as regular citizens, showed up with bottles of water, biscuits, wada pav (a traditional Maharashtrain snack), bhaji chapati (vegetable with Indian bread), and even shoes and slippers to replace their worn-out footwear.

Emergencies on the ground only came in the form of a few farmers who sadly passed out due to extreme exhaustion.

Ambulances stationed within the grounds, along with alert volunteers, allowed for quick medical aid.

The police personnel manned the grounds to prevent any untoward incidents, while the peaceful protesters were sometimes seen greeting the men and women in uniform.

A big achievement

Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist, which offered support to the rally, drew parallels with the historic Dandi March or Salt march during the British colonial rule.

It was on this very day (March 12), 88 years ago, that Gandhiji (Mahatma Gandhi) succeeded in shaking the foundation of the British Empire, he said, to a round of applause from the farmers.

Ajit Nawale, general secretary of the AIKS, and Ashok Dhawale, president of the AIKS, took to the stage to announce that the state government had accepted their demands that, among others, included relaxation in farm loans and an increase in pension amounts.

Ownership rights over Forest Land, have once again been upheld  An assurance has been given to the farmers that title rights will be decided by a special committee set up in this regard, which will reach a decision within six months, Nawale told Al Jazeera.

Minimum support prices (MSP) of items that have been declared by the Krishi Mulya Aayog (Agriculture Price Commission) will be enforced. And work will begin on setting the MSP of other items.

MSP is the minimum price at which the government purchases crops from the farmers. It is a means of insuring farmers against a sharp decline in prices.

This is a big achievement, Nawale said.

Exhausted and tired after days of protest, the farmers were elated that their voices were finally heard.

As they prepared to go back to their villages, many of them remained cautiously optimistic.

We are happy that they listened to us, but lets see when the promises are implemented, said Krishna Dhadar of Ranpada village in Nashik district.
After risking everything for a better life in Djibouti, Abdullah Muhammad says he may have to return to war-torn Yemen.

Obock, Djibouti  With just the clothes on his back and $7 to his name, Abdullah Muhammad says its a miracle he managed to make it out of Yemen alive.

Standing in the blistering heat of a parched, dusty road in Obock, the holes in his jeans and sweat dripping from his worn-out shirt are the only visible signs of the gruelling seven-day journey he made to reach safety.

The ferocious sandstorms that routinely ravage the small port town are a welcome change from the gunfire and air strikes that decimated his hometown, he says. But with his mind still preoccupied with the safety of the family and friends he left behind, hes unsure of what to do next.

When Yemeni ground forces backed by Saudi Arabia encircled his village of Masraba in Taiz province, Muhammads family saw Djibouti  an impoverished country that sits 100 kilometres west of Taiz  as the only hope of saving their son from the clutches of the advancing troops.

Someone began spreading false information that I was a Houthi sympathiser, despite my well-known secular views, Muhammad told Al Jazeera.

When I made a few posts on Facebook criticising exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi they were mistaken for Houthi propaganda. Within a few days, I received four death threats from pro-government trolls.

My parents, fearing I could be kidnapped or assassinated, told me to run  the only safe place for me was abroad.





With his parents fearing the worst, Muhammads mother sold all the gold and jewellery she possessed to pay for her sons journey westward.

Carrying just a bottle of water, the $210 his mother gave him, and a rucksack full of his prized possessions, the 28-year-old spent the next six days walking back and forth across southern Yemen, trekking through barren wastelands and deserts  cowering to the ground each time a Saudi F-15 fighter jet roared overhead.

I went from Masraba to Aden but was turned back by pro-government forces, he said.

The situation was repeated in Mokha and Mandeb before I finally reached a fishing port at Ras al-Ara. I must have walked 300km in total; it was exhausting.

I think I was suffering from heat stroke, but what would await me was far worse.

I've spent $3 over the last two days, all I have remaining is $7 - that won't last long. If I can't find work I'll have to risk it all again and head back home to Yemen. Abdullah Muhammad, 28-year-old Yemeni refugee

Crossing the Gate of Tears

Once at Ras al-Ara, Muhammad was introduced to a fisherman ferrying a family of desperate Yemenis to Obock in northern Djibouti.

A tiny nation of over 800,000 people, Djibouti has become a haven for Yemeni refugees fleeing Saudi-led air strikes that have gripped the country since March 2015.

Paying the trafficker $200 to guarantee him safe passage, he says seven people were loaded onto the overcrowded wooden boat.

Forced to toss away his bag as it occupied too much space, Muhammad says he curled himself into a small ball, with barely enough room on the 4.3-metre vessel to stretch out his legs.

{articleGUID}

In total, there were nine of us on board  two men, five women, myself and the captain. All of us except the captain began to recite passages from the Quran once we hit rough seas.

The captain gave Muhammad qat (a mild narcotic) to chew, saying it would make the long journey bearable. But strong winds and waves lashed the boat around, less than 10 minutes after it set sail.

The journey should have taken a few hours, but because the captain feared being attacked by the Saudi coalition we took a longer route in. We were at sea for more than a day. It was a frightening ordeal.

Tens of thousands of Yemenis have fled on small rickety boats across the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, known as the Gate of Tears  a name derived from the long history of people perishing when trying to cross it  with at least 37,248 arriving in Djibouti.

The journey is not without risk, said Vanessa Panaligan, the UNs media relations officer in Djibouti, with at least 500 deaths reported between the start of the war and February 2018.

There were at least 160 arrivals in December and another 70 in January, she told Al Jazeera.

Prior to that, we were accustomed to seeing only a few new families coming in every month, but now were seeing large numbers arriving, sadly a lot of them are single mothers.

The risk of coming under coalition fire has also increased, highlighted by an attack on a boat carrying more than 150 people, including children, last March.

At least 42 people were killed when a US-built Apache helicopter opened fire on a boat departing from Yemens western city of Hodeidah.

Saudi Arabia refused to cooperate with the UN in an investigation into the attack.





Death surrounds Yemenis

The conflict in Yemen, now entering its third year, has changed dramatically since the assassination of former president and strongman, Ali Abdullah Saleh.

His death in November opened a complicated new chapter in the conflict and a deeper polarisation among the countrys warring parties.

The Houthis, who seized large parts of the country, including the capital, in late 2014, intensified their campaign of intimidation and violence to instil fear into anyone protesting their grip over northern Yemen.





A spike in arrests, kidnappings and killings followed, with any dissenting voices being accused of working with the Saudi-led coalition, which has been bombing Yemen since March 2015.

Hemmed in by the fighting, more than 18 million civilians are currently living under Houthi control, with the remaining 30 percent of the population  10 million Yemenis  forced to live in areas contested by armed groups, including al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), and militias backed by the UAE.

The humanitarian situation has also taken a scarier turn, with at least 10 million Yemenis  a number greater than the entire population of Sweden  requiring immediate humanitarian assistance.

Radhya Almutawakel, the chairperson of Mwatana, a Yemeni human rights organisation, said normal life in Houthi-held areas had vanished.

Both the Houthis and pro-government forces have been involved in serious violations, including the recruitment of child soldiers, attacks against hospitals, indiscriminately shelling civilian areas, and blocking the flow of humanitarian aid, she told Al Jazeera.

The situation in Taiz is really dire, with death surrounding Yemenis.

Anywhere is better than here

After more than 24 hours at sea, and just a few minutes on dry land, Muhammad began questioning whether there was any going back.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but I knew my problems were far from over, he said.

Around 600,000 people, more than 60 percent of the countrys population, live in and around the capital, Djibouti city, but with unemployment hovering around 45 percent, close to 400,000 live in slums with minimal basic services, including clean water.

{articleGUID}

Temperatures also reach up to 50C (122F) during the summer months, and with little to no job opportunities, many of the incoming refugees have decided to head back home.

The first thing the police did is take my passport, Muhammad said.

Ive received no assistance from either the local authority or UN agencies. Im living off the kindness of others, which cant last long.

With at least 155,000 people food-insecure and successive years of drought damaging pasture zones, most Djiboutians rely on food assistance and remittances from abroad to survive.

Once I get my passport back I want to head somewhere else. Maybe Australia will take me in, Muhammad said.

Ive spent $3 over the last two days, all I have remaining is $7  that wont last long.

If I cant find work Ill have to risk it all again and head back home to Yemen.

Follow Al Jazeeras Faisal Edroos on Twitter: @FaisalEdroos




Violence against womens autonomy, in all matters and especially in matters of sexuality and marriage, is one of Indias most widespread and tenacious forms of gender violence  and also the least recognised. It is a form of violence that hides in plain sight. Violence (against men and women both) to prevent a woman from exercising her choice in love and marriage is not properly documented, since India does not have a specific law against honour crimes. To spot such violence and confront it, you need to look beneath the surface and read between the lines of available documentation.

In 2014, an English daily, The Hindu, tracked 583 rape cases decided by New Delhis district courts in 2013. It found that the single largest category of cases (nearly 40 percent) involved consenting couples who had eloped, after which the parents (usually of the womens) had filed cases of rape. This startling fact meant that rape statistics are actually disguising something else: coercion and domestic violence against womens sexual autonomy. This sleight of hand, that conflates relationships chosen freely by women with rape, allows authorities  police, womens hostels, factory managements  to continue to pass off restrictions on womens liberties as necessary for safety from rape. Strict curfews, bans on using mobile phones, punishments for being found talking to a man, dress codes banning immodest or western clothes, informing a womans parents if she is found being friendly with a man  these are just some of the safety rules imposed on women in educational institutions and workplaces that help maintain the ecosystem in which honour crimes take place.

The term honour crimes is somewhat misleading not only because it implies that such crimes are honourable. It also gives the impression that these crimes are a product of the culture  customs and traditions  specific to certain communities or faiths. Associating such crimes with rigid traditions and certain communities alone prevents acknowledgement of the fact that these crimes are extremely widespread in India, across regions and communities. For instance, in 2010 when Nirupama, a student of journalism, was killed by her family members in Jharkhand for planning to marry her boyfriend from another caste, the then Chairperson of Indias National Commission of Women said that her murder did not count as an honour killing because such killings were specific to the Indian state of Haryana where the khap panchayats (community councils) exist.

It is clear that a wide range of measures are needed to effectively combat patriarchal crimes against love and against women's autonomy in India.

Neelam Katara, mother of Nitish Katara who was killed by the sons of a prominent politician DP Yadav because he was in love with Yadavs daughter, recounts that during the murder trial the Sessions Court judge asked her, How is this an honour crime? Daughters are killed in honour crimes, but here your son was killed. She also recounted that during the appeal hearing in Indias highest court, a judge asked her how the murder could be an honour killing since her son was from a good caste. The phrase reveals how even Supreme Court judges think of dominant castes as being good and oppressed castes as bad; but it also reveals how honour crimes are understood narrowly as a set of practices (killing of daughters, or objection to daughters marrying beneath them). Instead such crimes need to be understood as patriarchal violence against the daughters sexual agency and autonomy. It needs to be acknowledged that such crimes can take a very wide variety of forms, including violence against the daughters partner. Moreover, we need to recognise that such violence is not an expression of culture alone, or else why would modern educational institutions and even factories supplying to global corporations use the same forms of violence (disguised as protection or as culture) to discipline women in education and in workplaces?

It would be better to use the term patriarchal crimes against autonomy to reflect the character of such violence more accurately, and strip it of the myths that subtly valorise it. In the Nitish Katara case, the Supreme Court of India tried to redefine the concept of honour crime as a crime against womens choice, observing that a womans individual choice is her self-respect and creating (a) dent in it is destroying her honour.

{articleGUID}

In India, the idea that parents have a right to control who their daughter marries has especially wide acceptability because of the caste system: caste boundaries can be maintained only by surveilling and controlling women to make sure they marry in keeping with caste norms. Any autonomy by women is a threat to this order. And some of the worst violence is meted out to men of the most oppressed  Dalit  castes, if they marry a woman from a more privileged caste.

In March 2016, a young Dalit man in Tamil Nadu, Shankar, was brutally hacked to death at a public crossroads in the presence of his wife Kausalya  Kausalyas parents had ordered the hit, because she was from the dominant Thevar community. Kausalya also was badly injured. But when she came out of hospital, she refused to return to her parents. Instead she has become a committed anti-caste campaigner, travelling on her motorbike addressing talks against caste and patriarchy, and offering support to other women in similar situations, whose spirit is in danger of being broken. But the Tamil Nadu state government has just issued a circular making woman like Kausalya extremely vulnerable to violence: it makes parental consent mandatory for marriages to be registered. In a state where right-wing parties are running a campaign instigating violence against inter-caste marriages, especially those where the man is Dalit, such a circular is dangerous.

Women in inter-faith and inter-caste relationships are subjected to immense torture and coercion at the hands of their families, their communities, and increasingly, right-wing and fascist political parties in India. In many cases, they succumb to the pressure and disown the relationship  especially if their partner has been killed. Political organisations close to Indias Hindu majoritarian ruling party are unleashing organised violence against inter-faith relationships in which a Hindu woman loves a Muslim man  they term such relationships as love jihad.

A sting operation caught leaders of Indias ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its parent organisation, the fascist RSS, on tape making detailed boasts of violence against women, done in the name of rescuing them from inter-faith marriages. One BJP leader explained that such campaigns instigating fear of love jihad among Hindu parents was a key strategy to build support for the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These leaders openly boast of surveilling local courts to track impending marriages of Hindu women to Muslim men, mobilising violent crowds to separate the couple, beating the women with wooden planks, and even drugging them to force them to give up the relationship and file a false case of rape against their boyfriend. Several television channels in India participate in creating and sustaining the myth of love jihad. However, not a single case of alleged love jihad has actually stood the test  each has proved to be entirely consensual. In such cases, the young woman is up against not only her own parents and community  but against political forces that command power. Standing up to such pressure calls for immense courage.

In 2014, a Hindu woman, Shalu, fell in love with Kaleem, a Muslim, in Meerut. The fascist outfits portrayed the relationship as a classic case of love jihad. Shalu was forced to file cases of gang rape against Kaleem and his family members. The media amplified the fascists sensational claims that Shalu was one among scores of Hindu women lured by Muslim men and then victimised. But Shalu eventually managed to escape her parents home, go to the police station and tell them the truth  and Shalu and Kaleem are now married.

Another woman victim of a similar patriarchal crime is Hadiya, who converted from Hinduism to Islam and then chose to marry Shafin Jehan. Her father approached court to get Hadiyas marriage annulled  and in a verdict that flouts Indias Constitution, the Kerala High Court actually annulled the marriage and handed 24-year-old Hadiya over to the custody of her father, claiming that As per Indian tradition, the custody of an unmarried daughter is with the parents, until she is properly married. Indian citizens who hoped that the Supreme Court would lose no time in overturning such an outrageous order, were in for a shock. The Supreme Court took six months to do what they should have done on the first day: free Hadiya and declare that she was free to chose her faith and her partner in marriage (the order to this effect was finally passed on Womens Day this year).

{articleGUID}

Instead, they ordered Indias anti-terror agency the NIA to go on a fishing expedition to see if terror groups were conspiring to convert Hindu women to Islam and radicalise them! Hadiya meanwhile was subjected to brainwashing attempts by notorious Hindu radical outfits at the behest of her father. These outfits, masquerading as yoga clinics specialise in trying to break up inter-faith marriages. It was only because Hadiya stood firm in spite of the prolonged imprisonment in her fathers home, that the Supreme Court belatedly (and with seeming reluctance) declared that it had no option but to set her free and uphold her marriage. Shockingly, the Supreme Court passed no strictures against the brazenly unconstitutional Kerala High Court verdict.

When a young New Delhi man Ankit Saxena  a Hindu  was killed on a public street by his Muslim girlfriends father, there was an organised political campaign by leaders of the ruling BJP to portray the killing as proof of the cruelty, barbarism and backwardness of Muslims. It was his family and close friends who, admirably, resisted the attempt to use his death to further Islamophobia  pointing out that it was a patriarchal crime that people of all communities in India have been known to commit.

It is clear that a wide range of measures are needed to effectively combat patriarchal crimes against love and against womens autonomy in India. Womens movements have for long been campaigning for a law against honour-based crimes, on the lines of the one enacted by Pakistan. They point out that the United Nations too has recommended laws against such crimes. In India, another urgently needed reform measure is to get rid of the clause in the Special Marriage Act (the law that applies to inter-faith, secular marriages contracted in courts) requiring couples to publicly announce their marriage plans a month before the wedding. It is this waiting period that gives parents and motivated political outfits time to organise violence to prevent the marriage. Indias women are campaigning not only against such patriarchal killings  but against any restrictions, on any pretext, on adult womens autonomy, mobility, and choice. Unfortunately, that struggle is especially hard now  with the ruling political forces today backing a full-fledged ideological and physical assault on womens autonomy.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
Albert Camus once wrote: a man is undone by waiting for capital punishment well before he dies. Thats how outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson felt for most of a tenure that lasted nearly 15 months. Regular White House leaks have hinted since last year about his looming departure until President Donald Trump pulled the trigger yesterday in a tweet as Tillerson was making his way back home from an African tour.

It is safe to say that no secretary of state in modern US history has been humiliated by the president as much as Tillerson was by Trump. Former Secretary of State Collin Powell may come as a distant second since he was given the dignity of submitting his resignation and announcing his departure after strong disagreements with the White House and the Pentagon over handling the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.

One cannot talk about Tillersonism or pin down a list of achievements that are specifically credited to the 69th secretary of state. His legacy is one of challenging the presidents unconventional stances and subsequently paying the political price. Tillersons biggest asset in the past 15 months has been his alliance with three Marine generals who are handling foreign policy: Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford and White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly.

The absence of US diplomacy in the past 15 months is not a Tillerson problem as much as it is a White House problem.

These generals threw him a lifeline to remain in power despite his numerous reprimands of Trump. In August 2017, Tillerson said the president speaks for himself when Trump initially defended the white supremacist march in Charlottesville. Last October, he held a press conference at the State Department to describe the president as smart but never explicitly denied calling Trump a moron during a meeting at the Pentagon last summer. Trump perhaps never got over the fact that Tillerson called him a moron, and the relation between the two has since been awkward, to say the least.

Tillerson was visibly trembling while reading his statement yesterday in the State Departments briefing room. He never mentioned Trump once, and his speech included two coded messages: I tried to the best of my ability to stop the presidents troubling foreign policy, now it is for the generals to continue the battle.

His second message hinted that the last straw that led to firing him has everything to do with Russia. Last Monday, Tillerson said the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy in the United Kingdom clearly came from Russia, contradicting the White Houses guidance that it was likely by Moscow. One thing is sure; we have not heard the end of the behind-the-scenes decision to fire Tillerson and its connection with Trumps policies towards Russia.

The White House noted that Trump informed Tillerson of the decision to fire him last Friday. However, Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Steve Goldstein told reporters that Tillerson learned from the presidents tweet like everyone else. Goldstein was immediately fired for contradicting the White House.

The firing of Tillerson and Goldstein shows that the State Department remains under siege by the White House until further notice. The current lack of morale at the State Department is unprecedented as the White House continues attempts to slash its budget, prevent the appointment of key staff, and undermine its traditional role of running the US foreign policy. This State Department mandate was essentially delegated to the Pentagon or Trumps inner circle, most notably his son-in-law Jared Kushner who has been the conduit to Trump for foreign leaders instead of Tillerson. New Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, once confirmed by Congress, will continue to face these same challenges. The measure of his success is striking a balance between his loyalty to Trump and the interests of the institution he will now lead.

The absence of US diplomacy in the past 15 months is not a Tillerson problem as much as it is a White House problem. Institutional and personal rivalries are common in the US bureaucracy; however, the president typically remains above the fray. In the case of Trump, the main foreign policy advisers were coalescing to restrain him, whether on Irans nuclear deal, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) crisis or the expected talks with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un. Firing Tillerson changes this dynamic by bringing Pompeo into the mix. As CIA director, Pompeo has enjoyed since last year direct access to the president by briefing him every morning on global intelligence, giving him a decisive advantage over others in the cabinet. Pompeo will most likely ally with Vice President Mike Pence and US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikky Haley who congratulated him on Twitter, calling him a friend.

The hawkish alliance of Pence, Pompeo and Haley may seek to balance the influence of the three generals, most notably on Middle East-related issues. Backed by the Pentagon, Tillerson has been orchestrating a way to keep the US in the Iran nuclear deal. Now, it may be a different ballgame. However, the gravitas of Mattis in Trumps White House might maintain the Pentagons veto on critical US national security decisions. Mattis has lost an ally in the White Houses situation room who often said what the Pentagon chief preferred not to say. Now, Mattis will have to take the lead in National Security Council deliberations, which could lead to tensions with Pompeo down the road.

It is worth remembering that Trump has been facing some rebellion in his administration. After lashing out at his Attorney General Jeff Sessions two weeks ago for not holding the FBI accountable for mishandling the Russia investigation, Sessions was seen the same night walking out to dinner with his deputy Rod Rosenstein who oversees the Russia investigation.

While Trump was angered by this public challenge to his authority, he couldnt fire Sessions since that move could have led the country to a constitutional crisis. Trump was also challenged by most of his cabinet on his rash decision to meet Kim Jong-un. Only Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin publicly defended him. The firing of Tillerson also sends a message to those who second-guessed Trumps decision on North Korea that the buck stops with him.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance.
While the now-political party wasnt expected to make gains, analysts blame a failure to reinvent itself for its showing

While millions went to the polls on Sunday to vote in Colombias congressional elections, it was the image of one individual in particular that captured local headlines.

A formally-dressed man voting in a nearly empty public hall, Ivan Marquez would not have grabbed much attention were it not for the fact he was not any ordinary voter, but formerly a high-ranking commander of the FARC rebel group who was also running for the Senate.

With some 7,000 rebel fighters having demobilised and transitioned to a political party following the 2016 peace agreement, Marquez was one of the FARCs 74 congressional candidates who was fighting for political change via the ballot box rather than guerrilla warfare.

But for the rebel-group-turned-political-party, its first electoral test turned out to be a failure, according to analysts.

Definitely nothing went as planned for the FARC, said Yann Basset, an expert in electoral politics at La Universidad del Rosario, Bogota.

The FARC failed to pick up any additional seats outside the 10  five in each of the 108-member Senate and the 172-member lower house  they were guaranteed as part of the peace agreement.

The former rebels secured no more than 0.21 percent of votes in the lower house and just 0.34 percent in the senate; even less than initial predictions of one to two percent.

Although their past was never going to permit them electoral success, analysts believe their particularly poor results could lie in the partys inability to rebrand itself, internal issues and the polarised political landscape they find themselves operating in.

Troubled campaign

Entering the political arena for the FARC was never going to be easy, analysts say.

{articleGUID}

After 52 years playing a major part in a conflict that left an estimated 222,000 people dead and more than seven million displaced, many Colombians would rather have the candidates behind bars than a choice on the ballot.

On the campaign trial, the group was met with rocks and shouts of murderers. Less than two weeks before the election, FARC suspended its campaign over safety concerns.

The FARC say they were targeted by orchestrated protests from critics of the peace accord and the Democratic Centre, a right-wing political party, but analysts also highlight that the group is despised by many in Colombia.

The FARC is despised by the Colombian people who have a large need for vengeful justice, as the surveys consistently demonstrate, said Jorge Restrepo, Director of Conflict Analysis Institute, CERAC.

Their campaign issues were only compounded by the fact that the partys presidential hopeful, Rodrigo Londono, better known as Timochenko, withdrew from the race due to health concerns.

But, according to Restrepo, scaling down their campaign efforts probably had little effect on their electoral results.

Nobody in Colombia was surprised they got such a rejection, Restrepo told Al Jazeera.

But I dont think by increasing their public campaigning they would have got additional votes, after all, they got a lot of publicity when handing over their weapons. It is simply the burden of violence.

Carrying the conflicts legacy

The FARCs political ambition was limited by half a decade of violence but was also exacerbated by the groups inability to seize an opportunity to reinvent itself, analysts also say.

{articleGUID}

The decision to retain their acronym by changing their title from Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to Revolutionary Alternative Common Force was widely perceived by analysts as a grave electoral error and even mocked by President Juan Manuel Santos who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the peace accord.

Analysts also believe that the FARCs decision to select veterans and commanders over younger candidates limited their ability and success.

It was a serious problem for their electoral possibility that the FARC kept their commanders as candidates, Restrepo said. The key is that they had not passed through the special justice unit for peace and more importantly, they had never apologised publicly and rejected the impact of their violence  this is what cost them so dearly.

In addition, analysts believe internal issues, and the fact they already had 10 seats guaranteed, limited the effectiveness of their campaign.

Basset said the group was forced to run a defensive campaign due to internal conflict around issues such as dissident rebels and perceived government failures to comply with the peace deal.

They needed to consolidate internally to avoid any more internal fractures, Basset added.

The FARC chose an inward facing campaign because it did not have many other options.

Polarised climate

Analysts believe the campaign was also overshadowed by the hostility towards the 2016 peace agreement and the polarised political climate it has created.

{articleGUID}

The accord was passed through congress after being rejected in a public vote, and its implementation has since been dogged with controversy and delays, draining its advocates of political support and fuelling the success of its critics.

While the FARCs entire political machinery secured a total of 85,000 votes, the rights leading peace accord sceptic, Ivan Duque, gained a record-breaking four million votes in primaries alone.

His Democratic Centre party, founded by former president and prominent peace critic, Alvaro Uribe, won 16.41 percent of votes in the senate and 16.02 percent in the lower house, making them the biggest party in a fragmented congress. Radical Change  also likely to oppose certain parts of the accord  came in second.

The results, according to Basset, reflect the polarisation around the peace agreement with [critics of the peace accord] returning as the biggest force in the country on one side and the progress of the centre-left on the other.

He added: Many say that the FARC had to change their discourse, change their name, or try to convince other sectors of society, but I doubt that it would have made much difference.

According to analysts, it is now likely that the FARC will leverage the little support it does have to back another left-wing coalition who is pro-peace, as the next congress must approve and/or modify a minimum of 12 outstanding laws in relation to the peace deal.

I do not have the slightest doubt that they will form a coalition in congress with leftist movements, said Sandra Borda, head of social sciences at La Universidad de Tadeo, Bogota.

Alone they are not going to achieve anything, she added.
Facebook shuts down far-right Britain First for inciting hatred towards minorities.

Facebook has barred the far-right group Britain First as well as its leaders from posting, accusing them of inciting hatred against minorities.

The social media giant said on Wednesday that on several occasions it warned the right-wing group  which has about two million likes on Facebook  that they had violated the terms of its community standards guidelines on hate speech.

A Facebook statement said, We do not do this lightly.

However, Britain First repeatedly posted content designed to incite animosity and hatred against minority groups, which disqualifies the pages from our service.

The decision comes in the wake of jail sentences handed to both the groups leader, Paul Golding, and deputy leader, Jayda Fransen. Both were found guilty by a UK court earlier this month of religiously aggravated harassment.

People come to Facebook to express themselves freely  People can express robust and controversial opinions without needing to denigrate others on the basis of who they are, the statement said.

Al Jazeera made several attempts to contact Britain First for comment but no response was received by publication time.

Last December, Twitter banned Britain First.

US President Donald Trump drew criticism last November after he retweeted three anti-Muslim posts by Fransen. The retweets earned a rare rebuke of the US leader from British Prime Minister Theresa May.
An FIR has been registered against Manzoor Pashteen, who organised rallies highlighting profiling of Pashtuns.

Islamabad, Pakistan  Pakistani police have registered cases against a young ethnic Pashtun rights activist for criticising the countrys powerful military during the latest in a series of rallies his organisation has held across the South Asian country.

Police registered cases in the western districts of Zhob and Qila Saifullah on Tuesday, accusing Manzoor Pashteen of wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause [a] riot.

If convicted Pashteen, 26, faces a maximum of five years in prison.

Pashteen is one of a group of young men leading the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), which has organised rallies in solidarity with a Pashtun youth who was killed by the police.

The rights group gained prominence while leading a sit-in demanding justice for the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in the southern port city of Karachi in January.

Mehsud had been accused by police of being a Pakistan Taliban fighter, but an inquiry after his killing in a police encounter found him innocent of any links to the group.

Rao Anwar, the senior police official held responsible for the youths killing, went into hiding shortly after the inquiry, and remains wanted in the case.

The registering of this case is extremely saddening, and we cannot condemn it strongly enough, said Alam Zeb Mehsud, a PTM leader.

We have stood up for our rights. We have only spoken of what has happened to us  we have not lied, and we have never said anything unconstitutional.

Pashteen and Mehsud are among a number of young activists from the northwestern district of South Waziristan who have led a movement calling for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns to be respected.

They hold the state and military responsible for what they call the ethnic profiling of Pashtuns as terrorists, and widespread rights violations in South Waziristan and elsewhere, including the collective punishment of civilians for attacks on security forces.

The Pakistani military denies any wrongdoing. In a statement to Al Jazeera issued in January, responding to the PTMs allegations, the military said while it investigated the possibility of locals facilitating attacks, it did so strictly as per [tribal] traditions.

PTM leaders say they have been receiving threats from unidentified callers for years, since they first started organising their grassroots movement to protest alleged rights violations by the military.

As time passed, we lost our fear. Now we are at a stage where if we get a call from the intelligence agencies, we dont care anymore. Because we have gotten used to it. They bother us on an almost daily basis, said Muhammad Idrees, 25, a founding member of the group.

Taking on the military

Direct criticism of the military, which has ruled the country for roughly half of its 70 years since independence, is rare in Pakistan.

Since May last year, the government has led a campaign targeting dissent against the military expressed on social media and on other online platforms.

The PTM is not an engineered movement, it has been created by the situation, said Mehsud. It has been created by a context of killings  we have been the victims of terrorism, and then we are accused of being terrorists to boot. We have been facing this injustice for years.

PTM rallies held across the country since the Islamabad sit-in have attracted thousands of participants, although they have seen scant coverage in the countrys press.

At a recent rally, a local religious leader attempted to direct the young participants anger towards the United States, signaling that armed groups such as the Pakistan Taliban were a US creation.

He was met by strident criticism, and forced to step off the stage, after the crowd loudly chanted an oft heard Pakistani leftist Urdu slogan: This terrorism, it is backed by the military!

PTM leader Mehsud denies his group is demanding any kind of rebellion or anything against the State.

We just want the protection of our life, our property and our honour.

These three things, nothing else.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras Web Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim
Students across the US walk out of class for 17 minutes to demand stricter gun controls and protection in schools.

New York City  Hundreds of students have gathered in New York Citys Washington Square Park after walking out from their high schools to share speeches and protest signs in an urgent call for gun control and safety in US schools.

The students were just a few of the thousands of those who walked out of their classrooms on Wednesday to mark the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Floridas Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Alessandra Flores, a 16-year-old student at Harvest Collegiate in New York City, was at the rally in Washington Square Park.

When the shooting at Stoneman Douglas happened, it was devastating, said Flores, who is a member of her schools organising committee.

But seeing the students finally rise up and getting their voice heard was amazing and thats why I think its so important to participate in this walkout.

The action was organised by the Womens March Youth Empower, the youth group of the national organisation.

The walkout began at 10am local time and lasted 17 minutes in most schools to honour the 17 people killed when an armed man opened fire on a Parkland, Florida, high school last month.

Stricter controls urged

The stricter controls students and teachers want include the banning of assault weapons, universal background checks and the passing of a law that would allow courts to disarm people who display warning signs of violent behaviour.

They have the right to teach and learn in an environment free from the worry of being gunned down in their classrooms or on their way home from school, Youth Empower said in a statement prior to the walkout.

Ziad Ahmed, a Womens March Youth Empower member and a first-year college student at Yale University, said we want our hallways, our schools and our places of worship and our streets to be safe and be free of gun violence.

Ahmed told Al Jazeera that young people are rising up to say that enough is enough.

Students gather in New York Citys Washington Square Park for the national walkouts [Andre Roman Medina/Al Jazeera]

Flores of Harvest Collegiate said school shootings have become all too common in the US.

The New Yorker was born three years after the Columbine High School shooting, in which 13 were killed.

The 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting that killed 27 students and adults happened when she was in third grade.

Flores told Al Jazeera she was distraught when it occurred: I vividly remember the emotions I felt because these students were my age.

The recurring gun violence informed her stance on gun control, which shes always supported, Flores said, adding that she felt until now, nothing had been done.

[T]heres no change, she said.

But Florida students have had some success in pressuring representatives to change Floridas gun laws.

The state recently enacted stricter gun control measures, and changed the minimum buying age from 18 to 21.

The Trump administration also recently announced a ban on bump stock devices, which increase the firiing speed of semiautomatic rifles.

A bump stock was used in the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others.

Urgent reform needed

Jared Sterling, 16, another student of Harvest Collegiate in New York City, said gun reform is an urgent issue.

When youre a student that goes to school after a mass shooting you kind of question why youre still going to school because its still dangerous, he told Al Jazeera.

Students say participating in Wednesdays walkouts is an opportunity to demonstrate their awareness about larger gun reform debates, and a chance to press for policy change.

The Dicky Amendment pretty much shuts down any conversation about gun violence, said 16-year-old walk out organiser Kaitlyn Velazquez.

The Dicky Amendment, passed in 1997, restricts federal funding for gun research.

As such, government agencies face further difficulties in addressing the issue.

Velazquez hopes the march not only stirs conversation but helps to continue the momentum of youth empowerment.

A march For Our Lives

While some schools have said students will face disciplinary action if they participate in Wednesdays walkout, other schools have said they will allow the memorial to take place, with many teachers vowing to join in on the action.

New York City music teacher Martin Urbach said it is important to stand in solidarity with youth, while allowing them to lead the way.

Students have been saying that [they] should be writing their SATs and not their wills, Urbach told Al Jazeera.

Harvest Collegiate High School students say enough is enough [Andre Roman Medina/Al Jazeera]

Students plan to keep the momentum going after todays walkouts, and plan to join other gun control activists for the nationwide March for Lives on March 24.

Thousands of us are demanding change in various capacities which is a huge testament of the political power young people have, Ahmed, the Womens March Youth Empower member, said.We are going to rise up and demand action and say that enough is enough.

Those who want concrete policies to address gun violence in schools are going to vote and organise continued and repeated actions and demonstrate how passionate and serious we are about the issue, Ahmed concluded.
Legislators say Jared Kushners business ties and compromise national security and demand his dismissal.

A group of House Democrats called on White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to dismiss President Donald Trumps senior adviser Jared Kushner.

The 25 legislators, led by Representative Don Beyer, sent a letter to Kelly expressing their disillusionment with the presidents son-in-law, citing media reports alleging a number of countries have discussed ways to manipulate the 37-year old.

It is impossible for the American people or their elected representatives to have faith that Jared Kushner will put their interests above his own personal and financial interests, the letter said.

The only path forward is clear: Jared Kushner must resign immediately. If he will not, we believe it is your duty as White House chief of staff to fire him.

With everything we've learned about what Jared Kushner has done, it is impossible for the American people to trust him to put their interests above his own personal and financial interests. 25 Dems: Chief of Staff John Kelly must fire Kushner NOW. https://t.co/awsMo6gwYk pic.twitter.com/7DhD9Cml8y  Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) March 14, 2018

The letters signatories said Kushners failure to faithfully and honestly report his meetings with foreign contacts raises serious national security concerns.

The legislators highlighted an incident where Kushner is said to have discussed ways to create a secret backchannel to hold talks with the Russian government.

Trump has repeatedly stated his support for Kushner, who is married to his daughter Ivanka, also his adviser. Kelly has yet to respond to the letter.

Domestic concerns

Citing a New York Times report, the letter asserts that Kushners record at home is equally concerning.

The Kushner family business was allegedly granted generous loans from Citigroup and Apollo Global Management  amounting to $184m in the case of the latter  after he promised one of Apollos founders a position in the administration.

The group said it appreciated Kellys recent downgrading of Kushners security clearance amid speculation that his familys business debt could be used to buy influence in the Trump White House.

The possible leverage created by his debts, his failure to give accurate and punctual accounts of his foreign contacts, and business holdings  raise inescapable warning signs about the most junior staff, to say nothing of one of the closest people to the president, the letter said.

Kushner has not publicly addressed the issues raised.
Philippine presidents decision follows The Hague tribunal probe on his drug war that left as many as 20,000 dead.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced that the country will withdraw from the International Criminal Court effective immediately, just weeks after the tribunal announced its investigation into possible crimes against humanity over his deadly war on drugs.

In a statement signed by Duterte on Wednesday, he declared that The Hague-based organisation has no jurisdiction nor will it acquire jurisdiction over him.

{articleGUID}

The Philippines is a signatory to the Rome Statute, a multilateral treaty that created the international court.

But Duterte said the treaty is not effective nor enforceable in the Philippines.

An international law cannot supplant, prevail or diminish a domestic law, he said, adding that the ICC announcement of an investigation on the drug war is a violation of due process and constitutional presumption of innocence.

Under the treaty, withdrawal is only effective one year after a country gives written notice of its decision to the UN secretary-general. A signatory country also can not be discharged of any cases already pending in the court before the withdrawal.

Duterte, however, argued that there was fraud committed in the process of making the Philippines sign the agreement. Thus Manila has the right to withdraw effective immediately.

In response to Dutertes decision, a majority of the Philippine senators signed a resolution declaring that termination or withdrawal from the agreement is only valid and effective with their consent. The Philippine Senate ratified the treaty in 2011.

20,000 dead

In February, the ICC announced that it had taken the first step to probe Duterte over possible crimes against humanity in relation to his ongoing drug war, which has left as many as 20,000 people dead.





The case stems from a complaint filed before the international court in 2017 accusing the Philippine president of ordering the killings repeatedly, unchangingly, and continuously.

Duterte said that even if the ICC has jurisdiction over him, the accusations against him do not fall under the enumerated grounds of the international law.

The acts allegedly committed by me are neither genocide nor war crimes. Neither is it a crime of aggression or a crime against humanity, he said.

He also defended the police officers involved in the deadly drug operations, saying they lacked the intent to kill.

According to police reports, 3,967 drug personalities were killed for resisting arrest during police operations between July 1, 2016, and November 27, 2017.

But an opposition senator said the death toll in the drug war had surpassed 20,000, since Duterte came to office on June 30, 2016.

An Al Jazeera investigation also revealed that police officers were involved in attempted killings of unarmed drug suspects. Al Jazeera also recorded cases of children being killed by police officers.

On Wednesday, Senator Antonio Trillanes said that by withdrawing from the ICC, Duterte has practically admitted that he is guilty of the allegations filed against him.

The day of reckoning is near, he said in a statement.

In a statement to Al Jazeera, Param-Preet Singh, associate director at the Human Rights Watchs International Justice programme, said Dutertes decision was not surprising as he has long showed disdain for the rule of law.

Dutertes statement highlights the urgent need for a UN-led investigation into the drug war killings, Singh said, adding that an inquiry would add international pressure on the Philippine government to stop the killings.

On Wednesday, Duterte said the ICC is being utilised as a political tool against the Philippines.

In recent days, Duterte had also attacked the international human rights officials involved in the investigation, calling Agnes Callamard, UN special rapporteur to the Philippines, as skinny and malnourished, and referred to Fatou Bensouda, the ICC prosecutor investigating the drug war, as that black woman.

That prompted Zeid Raad al-Hussein, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to denounce Dutertes statement as disgraceful while calling for his psychiatric evaluation.

This story has been updated to include the comment of Philippine Senator Antonio Trillanes and Human Rights Watch
Supreme Court releases woman who served 15 years of 30-year prison sentence for abortion she said was miscarriage.

A woman has been released from prison in El Salvador after serving 15 years of a 30-year sentence for committing an abortion, which she said was a miscarriage.

Maira Veronica Figueroa Marroquin was sentenced in 2003 on aggravated murder charges but saw the rest of her sentence commuted by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Marroquin maintained the death of her baby was the result of a complicated stillbirth that she had suffered.

Following her release, the justice ministry said to local media that the charges were excessive and immoral.

After her release, Marroquin, 34, said, now Im going to start again and recover my lost time. She was met by family, activists and media outside the prison in the capital.

While working as a house cleaner at 19 years old, Marroquin experienced pregnancy complications, and before her pregnancy became full-term, she miscarried.

Marroquin was arrested at a local hospital, and due to a lack of witness testimony, she was charged with inducing an abortion.

A strict Roman Catholic nation, El Salvador has banned abortion since 1998.

El Salvador is only one of five countries to not allow abortion under any circumstance  whether the pregnancy is due to rape, incest, a deformed fetus or the pregnancy is detrimental to a womans health.

Abortion is penalised with lengthy sentences and usually carries an eight-year sentence. Once the charge is deemed to be aggravated murder, it can carry a 30-year sentence.

Medical professionals can also face prosecution, should they fail to report suspected abortions.

Human rights groups say such laws permit the criminalisation of miscarriages and emergencies.

Colectivo Feminista, a feminist advocacy group, said in a statement there exists no direct proof, relating to the charges levelled at Marroquin.

The group affirmed they would continue to fight for females in similar circumstances and a change in legislation around abortion.

Since 2000 there have been more that 100 convictions over abortion-related crimes in El Salvador.

The news of Marroquins release came in the wake of the case against Teodora Vasquez, whose 30-year sentence in 2008 was reduced in February after she spent more than 10 years in jail.

There are currently more than 20 women in jail on similar charges in El Salvador.
Syrian convicted at a retrial after throwing stones at Hungarian security officers in a border standoff.

A Hungarian court has convicted a Syrian refugee of complicity in an act of terror and given him a sentence of seven years imprisonment and a 10-year expulsion from Hungary.

The refugee, referred to as Ahmed H in court proceedings, was also convicted on Wednesday of illegal entry as part of a mass riot.

The charges stem from an incident on the Hungary-Serbia border in 2015, when a group of asylum-seekers tried to enter EU territory at the Roszke crossing, near the Hungarian city of Szeged.

After more than two and a half years behind bars, this absurd decision comes as a devastating blow for Ahmed, his wife, and his two young daughters, Eda Seyhan, Amnesty Internationals campaigner on counterterrorism in Europe, said in an email to Al Jazeera.

At the time of the incident, Ahmed H, 41, was accompanying his elderly parents on their route from Syria to the EU at the peak of the 2015 refugee crisis. Hungary had tightened border controls to block incoming refugees.





Stone throwing

Ahmed H  a legal resident of Cyprus  was previously convicted of terrorism charges in 2016 for throwing stones at police officers at the border crossing. A retrial was ordered in June after an appeals court decided that not all evidence was considered. It began in January.

Evidence at the retrial consisted mostly of videos and testimony from security officers on the border at the time of the incident.

A video showed Ahmed H telling police with a megaphone that asylum seekers came in peace and would not hurt officers during a tense standoff between refugees and Hungarian authorities.

Eventually, Hungarian police responded with tear gas and a water cannon. Many of the asylum seekers then threw objects, including rocks, at the officers.

During the retrial, Ahmed H admitted to throwing two stones after video evidence was shown.

Seyhan said none of the evidence against Ahmed constitutes an act of terror and his conviction was a blatant misuse of terrorism-related provisions.

Amnesty also criticised Hungarys counterterrorism laws, saying they are vague and allow authorities to curb a number of rights without judicial oversight.

Ahmed H is a terrorist

The Hungarian government says its counterterrorism provisions are similar to those of Western European nations.

The governments official Facebook page posted a photo album titled Ahmed H is a terrorist during the retrial in January.

{articleGUID}

When asked for comment, a Hungarian government spokesperson told Al Jazeera that prosecutors at the trial  as well as Parliamentary State Secretary of the Justice Ministry Pal Volner  took the position that Ahmed Hs actions were an act of terrorism, and the courts agreed.

The spokesperson quoted Volner as saying its not possible to break through the border barrier in Hungary unpunished and throw stones at police within the framework of a mass riot.

The government, headed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, has taken a hardline stance against refugees, whom they refer to as migrants.

Orban said during a radio programme on March 2 that if we make the wrong decision, Hungary will become an immigrant country.
Foreign firms can only advise Indian clients on matters pertaining to foreign laws on temporary fly in, fly out basis.

New Delhi  Indias top court has refused to allow the entry of foreign law firms wanting to practise law in Indian courts.

Foreign lawyers can only advise their clients in India on matters pertaining to foreign laws on a temporary fly in, fly out basis.

Fly in and fly out would cover a casual visit and not amount to practice, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel was quoted as saying by Indian news media on Tuesday.

The court has directed the Bar Council of India and the Indian government to frame rules for foreign lawyers advising Indian clients.

Joseph Pookkatt, partner at APJ-SLG Law firm in New Delhi, said the ruling essentially means that foreign lawyers cannot set up shop in India.

The concept of fly in and fly out means that in case foreign lawyers need to render legal advice to their clients in India, they can come to India, meet their client, render advice and then fly out without establishing any sort of permanent establishment in India, he told Al Jazeera.

But only lawyers registered with the Bar Council of India and governed by the Advocates Act can practise law in India.

No carte blanche

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has been averse to the idea of opening up the legal field to foreign players.

The BCI has said it does not want to give foreign arbitrators a free run in the country.

They cant have a carte blanche, do what they wish, CU Singh, a senior lawyer appearing for the BCI, had argued.

In a special India report, global law firm White & Case had warned that foreign business companies should structure contracts in a way that disputes are resolved through offshore mediation, possibly through non-Indian courts.

Even when Indian law is the basis of the contract, it is important to agree to settle disputes through arbitration seated outside India, said the report titled Navigating India: Lessons for foreign investors.

The firm had also referred to judicial delays while resolving business disputes in Indian courts. Some take as long as a decade.

There are more than 30 million pending cases in Indian courts, according to recent government data.

The Indian government and the Bar Council of India should work together to eke out rules and regulations that would frame work of foreign legal counsel in India, preferably on reciprocal basis. If an Indian lawyer appears in a foreign court, what are the rules governing his practice? It should be reciprocal, Pinaki Mishra, a senior Indian Supreme Court lawyer and Member of Parliament, told Al Jazeera.

Rules for foreign lawyers

The Indian government had earlier asked the Bar Council of India to frame rules for foreign lawyers in India.

We want foreign lawyers to come so as to not deny the Indian advocates of the same privilege in other countries. If the BCI does not frame the rules, the Central government would take it upon itself to stipulate the rules, Maninder Singh, Indias additional solicitor general, appearing for the government, had argued in the court earlier.

Dushyant Dave, a senior Indian Supreme Court lawyer, representing the London Court of International Arbitration, had argued for rejecting the plea that foreign lawyers cannot practise in India.

Today the world is globalised. India cant stay away from the rest of the world. Even a communist country like China has allowed foreign law firms into the country. India needs to let foreign lawyers practise here because of our commitment to the WTO that we would open up legal services in India, Dave told Al Jazeera.

India also really need FDI. Those who are going to invest their precious capital in technology would need it to be safeguarded. They would be more comfortable with their own lawyers working here.
More than a dozen people also wounded after deadly explosion on the outskirts of Lahore.

At least four Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed when a suicide bomber on a motorcycle attacked a checkpoint on the outskirts of Lahore.

The blast occurred on Wednesday in Raiwind, a town near the eastern Pakistani city, and was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) armed group.

More than a dozen other people were wounded in the explosion, which took place close to a police post set up near the grounds where a religious congregation was taking place.

The police appear to be the target, Deputy Inspector General Haider Ashraf told local media.

In a tweet, Punjab provinces government strongly condemned the attack.

Chief Minister Punjab @CMShehbaz has strongly condemned the blast in Raiwind and has sought the report from Inspector General Police.  Punjab 2013-18 (@Punjab13to18) March 14, 2018

Attacks  including suicide bombings  have frequently hit Lahore and its surrounding areas in recent years.

In 2016, Lahore, 375km southeast of the capital Islamabad, suffered one of Pakistans deadliest assaults when a suicide bomber in a park killed more than 70 people, including many children.
Diplomats and their families from both nations say they face sustained harassment and intimidation by unidentified men.

Islamabad  Pakistans foreign office has accused India of harassing and intimidating its diplomats and their families posted in New Delhi, in the latest escalation of tensions between the South Asian neighbours.

In a statement released late on Tuesday, the foreign office said Pakistani officials and their families were facing intense harassment, intimidation and outright violence from the Indian state agencies.

India said it would investigate the allegations. Indian diplomats posted in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, alleged to Al Jazeera on Wednesday that they had been facing similar harassment for months.

Pakistan said at least three of its diplomats, and several of their children, had been harassed in recent days.

This deliberate bullying is not confined to a single isolated event, but continues unabated in a series of incidents, especially targeting the children of our officers and staff, said the Pakistani statement, listing a series of alleged incidents.

On Tuesday, Pakistan alleges that vehicles carrying the children of Pakistani diplomats were stopped and threatened by unidentified men on their way back from school.

The men allegedly took photographs of the children and filmed their exchange with them. This followed similar incidents on March 7 and 8, the statement said.

On March 9, Pakistan alleged that its naval advisers vehicle was aggressively chased, while its political counselor was forcibly evicted from a cab by unidentified men, who then threatened him.

Pakistan summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner to Pakistan to register a protest at the incidents, the foreign office said.

Under the Vienna Convention, the safety and the security of Pakistani diplomats and their families is the responsibility of the Indian Government, read the statement.

The total apathy and failure of the Indian Government to put a halt to these despicable incidents, sparing not even young children, indicates both a lack of capacity to protect foreign diplomats posted in India or a more reprehensible, complicit unwillingness to do so.

Indian allegations

India, however, said that its diplomats posted to Islamabad have been facing similar harassment.

Cases of harassment and intimidation are normal for Indian diplomats in Islamabad. We have noticed a surge in the last one year, said an Indian foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official alleged that members of Pakistans Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency entered the Indian residential compound in Islamabad last month, crossing a red line.

Aggressive surveillance, violation of physical space and tailing of officers in close and dangerous proximity is a perennial issue, said the official. [Intelligence agency] personnel keep shooting videos of the officers, thrusting phones on their faces. Obscene phone calls and messages are constantly received on phones.

In one incident, the official said, an Indian diplomats home was broken into and his laptop stolen.

The South Asian neighbours, which have fought three wars since gaining independence from the British in 1947, regularly trade tit-for-tat allegations of harassment and espionage against diplomats.

In October 2016, Pakistan expelled Indian diplomat Surjeet Singh, saying he had violated the Vienna Convention and established diplomatic norms.

That followed a day after the detention and expulsion of a Pakistani diplomat by India on similar charges.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours have been high for months, with India taking Pakistan to the International Court of Justice last year, alleging mistreatment of Kulbhashan Jadhev, an Indian citizen convicted by a Pakistani military court for spying and orchestrating attacks on Pakistani soil.

The two countries regularly exchange fire across the de facto border in the disputed northern region of Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of.

The shelling has killed several civilians on either side of the line of control since last year.

There have, however, been minor eases in tensions, too, with Pakistan announcing earlier this month that it had approved an Indian proposal to facilitate an exchange of female civilian prisoners, as well as prisoners who were mentally challenged, had special needs, or were above 70 years of age.

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeeras Web Correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim
Following talks of an inter-Korean summit, South Koreans remain apprehensive about Kim Jong-uns intentions.

Seoul, South Korea  North Koreas willingness to hold talks with the South and the US has been welcomed by South Koreans although with a bit of scepticism with regards to Kim Jong-uns sincerity in having a dialogue, according to a recent poll conducted in South Korea.

The North Korean leader agreed to meet South Koreas president next month and impose a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests if his country holds talks with the US.

The Norths surprise outreach for talks raises hopes for South Koreans that upcoming summit talks would defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The North Korean side clearly stated its willingness to denuclearise, a statement from South Korean President Moon Jae-ins office said.

It made it clear that it would have no reason to keep nuclear weapons if the military threat to the North was eliminated and its security guaranteed.

A survey conducted by RealMeter in South Korea on Monday said 73.1 percent of respondents welcomed North Koreas proposal for dialogue and willingness for denuclearisation.

However, 64.1 percent of respondents said they did not trust North Koreas sincerity in denuclearisation and having a dialogue.

Respondents in their 20s were the most critical  74 percent of them expressed their distrust in the regime.

The views on the ground in South Korea echo the results of the survey.

Im half optimistic and half suspicious over North Koreas sudden change in attitude, Kang Youn-mo, a 34-year-old entrepreneur in Seoul, told Al Jazeera.

Another 35-year-old office worker Song Dong-suk wondered what caused North Korea to change their course of action all of a sudden.

I think future talks with North Korea will be able to figure out what their intentions are and pave the way for denuclearisation and peace, Song added.

North Korea has been testing missiles since 1984. It proclaimed itself as a nuclear-armed state in 2012, and has worked for more than a decade to build nuclear weapons and missiles.

{articleGUID}

A series of nuclear and missile tests from 2016 and 2017 left the regime under wide-ranging economic sanctions by the US and the international community.

Experts say North Koreas surprising shift in attitude leaves not only South Koreans but the international community confused over its intention.

North Korea was firing missiles until November last year, and all of a sudden they are changing their course, said Hong Min, director of the North Korean studies division of the Korea Institute for National Unification.

People are confused because things are happening without any logical consequences. That leaves them to wonder whether its just a trick to avoid sanctions.

Political inclination

The RealMeter poll also showed respondents supporting liberal political parties, including the ruling Democratic Party of Korea where South Korean President Moon Jae-in is a member, tend to show optimism in North Koreas willingness for denuclearisation.

Those supporting conservative main opposition Liberty Korea Party are likely to express doubts.

Hong notes that the world should expect something different this time.

It is the first time in history that current leaders of North Korea and the US are meeting for a summit. It shows their strong willingness to bring political resolution. Of course, they face scepticism and suspicion, but it is possible they will put an effort to work it out to avoid such criticism.

There could be misunderstandings along the way, but the bigger picture looks positive, Hong added.

However, some on the streets of Seoul have called the South Korean government to prepare for the worst.

Nuclear weapons are what North Korea claims keep the regime in power. The idea of North Korea voluntarily dismantling nuclear weapons seems too positive and naive to me, said a 46-year-old office worker YR Chung.
Russia-UK tensions risk escalating over ex-spys poisoning

Russia has missed Britains deadline for answers on the poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
Skripal case: Russia defies UK PMs midnight ultimatum

Theresa May had given Moscow till the end of Tuesday to explain how a Soviet-era nerve agent was used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
Sri Lanka urged to lift social media ban as critics slam government and Facebook for past failure to act on hate speech.

Colombo, Sri Lanka  Rioters were already on the streets when authorities in Sri Lanka blocked access to the internet.

The mob  angered by the death of a Sinhala Buddhist man who was beaten by a group of Muslim men  swept through neighbourhoods in the South Asian nations central Kandy district for a third day on March 7, setting fire to and vandalising mosques and scores of Muslim homes and businesses.

President Maithiripala Sirisena, in an interview with Sinhala weekly Divaina on Sunday, blamed social media for the riots, the third major attack against Muslims in Sri Lanka since November.

Extremist groups were using social media in the most heinous manner, he said. That is why we had to limit it.

Calm has returned to the central hills now, but a state of emergency declared to stem the violence remains in place. At least two people were killed in the riots and 232 homes were destroyed.

More than 280 suspects have been arrested, and access to the internet has been restored. But, Facebook, which has more than 5.5 million users in Sri Lanka, remained blocked, along with social messaging application WhatsApp.

Calls to lift the ban were growing on Wednesday, with critics claiming the move had been ineffective in quelling violence against Sri Lankas Muslim minority, who make up nine percent of the countrys 21 million population.

Vicious, brutal, venomous

Sanjana Hattotuwa, an analyst at the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) in Sri Lankas capital, Colombo, said the anti-Muslim sentiment online was quite vicious, brutal and venomous, but that it was not new.

Sinhala Buddhist nationalist individuals and groups were technologically savvy, he said, and have used social media for years, posting memes, photos, videos and live broadcasts to spread and amplify their messages on a variety of platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

These groups accuse Muslims of high birth rates and forcing people to convert to Islam in order to reduce Sri Lankas Sinhala Buddhist majority.

Hattotuwa said their followers are in the tens of thousands and their pages were extremely well-curated and updated frequently.

That includes the Facebook pages belonging to Amith Weeransighe, one of the most prominent figures arrested over the latest bout of violence, and groups such as Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and Sinhala Ravaya.

Weerasinghe, in a video posted to Facebook and YouTube shortly before the riots, had urged his followers to converge on Digana in the Kandy district, saying: This town has come to belong only to the Muslims. We should have started to address this a long time ago.

That video gained more than 50,000 views on YouTube in a week.

Similar posts, blaming Muslims for inciting the violence in Kandy, and videos in which men in saffron and maroon robes called for support from viewers, were shared widely prior to and during the riots.

In one such video, a man in a maroon robe labelled Muslims as a threat to the Sinhalese and told his supporters: Enough of being patient. The knife you have at home is not just to cut the jackfruit. Now take your knife and go.

Many of these posts have since been taken down by Facebook.

Amith Weerasinghes profile, and pages run by Weerasinghes Mahason Balakaya group and the BBS have also been blocked, and it was not clear how many supporters they had online. However, the online followings of other similar figures and groups provide a window into their reach.

Ampitye Sumanarathana Thero, a hard line monk, who was reportedly seen in Kandy before the riots has nearly 40,000 followers. In a post on March 6, he warned the government against what he said was discriminatory treatment of the Sinhalese majority race. Another key figure, Dan Priyasad, who was held last November for attacking a safe house where Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled violence in Myanmar had taken refuge, has more than 70,000 followers.

On February 24, a week before the Kandy riots, he had urged his followers to protect your own race.

Meanwhile, a Facebook group called Sinhala Buddhist, with nearly 800,000 followers, posted updates after the block, one of which claimed the rioters were paid by the government.

The CPA flagged some of these groups in a report in 2014, including the Sinhala Buddhist group, after anti Muslim rioting in southern Aluthgama left four dead and 80 others injured. At the time, the group had 200,000 followers. In less than four years, it has added 600,000 new followers.

The danger of glossing over impact of online hate speech is that a process of radicalisation, particularly targeted at and occurring amongst the youth, risks undermining Sri Lankas already post-war democratic fabric, the reports authors warned at the time.

Sinhala censors

In an emailed statement, Facebook said it was responding to the situation in Sri Lanka and are in contact with the government and non-governmental organisations to support efforts to identify and remove such content.

The social media giant, which has drawn criticism for failing to tackle hate speech that has spawned violence in countries such as Myanmar and South Sudan, said it is investing in technology and human expertise to remove content that violated its policies.

A spokeswoman for Facebook said the company has 14,000 censors who review reports in more than 40 languages, including Sinhala.

The company plans to double its global security team to 20,000 people this year, she added.

But, Duminda Jayasena, a Sri Lankan Facebook user, publicised on Tuesday a response from Facebook to a post he flagged over incitement to violence last week. The post in Sinhala said: Kill all Muslim infants, dont let even one remain.

But Facebook found that it did not violate the companys hate speech standards.

Harin Fernando, Sri Lankas telecommunications minister, said Facebook does not have adequate resources to monitor posts in Sinhalese.

The company has removed more than 400 posts since the riots began, he said, adding that his ministry will be working with Facebook to make sure this kind of content does not go up.

Officials from Facebook were set to visit Sri Lankas capital Colombo on Thursday, Fernando said, adding the block on the social network may be lifted then.

Harsha De Silva, deputy economy minister, urged on Monday President Sirisena to lift the block in a Twitter post, citing negative impact on Sri Lankas economy, while Sagala Ratnayaka, minister for youth affairs said the ban will hamper tourism, as well as the information technology and e-commerce sectors.

Blocking Facebook and messaging apps long term is not an option. Social Media must start functioning so that the economy doesnt suffer. Therefore access to Social Media must be unblocked ASAP and the Government must set in place a system to curtail hate speech and fake news  Sagala Ratnayaka (@SagalaRatnayaka) March 13, 2018

The rot in Sri Lankan society

Frustrated by the block, many Facebook users, including Sinhala Buddhist nationalists, have been turning to Virtual Private Network or VPN technology to circumvent the block.

Even my hairdresser at the saloon had it on, said Shalini Peiris, a young mother from Colombo, referring to the use of VPN. The ban had made organising her childrens activities at school difficult, she said, adding: Only a mother like me would know the value of parents groups on Facebook and WhatsApp.

Journalists also said the block hampered them from gathering witness testimony from violence-hit areas, and prevented victims from telling their stories.

Meanwhile, Hattotuwa, the social media researcher, said Sri Lankas government should also consider the use of WhatsApp by Sinhala Buddhist nationalist groups, as much of their organising was now being done via closed groups on the platform.

These groups are impossible to monitor unless you are part of them, he said.

Clearly, its not social media that is to blame for this violence  Theres a rot within our society, and authorities need to address the root causes.

Screenshots of a conversation in one such WhatsApp group, provided by the CPA, showed a participant calling for an attack on Mosques on March 6. In that group, called Protect the Sinhalese, the participant had also posted a picture of machete and sticks, and called for an attack on mosques.

In another group called Sinhala devils, participants appeared to be discussing the Kandy attacks.

On March 7, the day the Internet was shutdown, one participant said, When we went to attack, there was no one, they had left.

Someone had given them the news, another said.

We made the plan three days go, a third added.

Amantha Perera reported from Colombo. Zaheena Rasheed reported and wrote from Doha.
The renowned scientist, who has passed away, will be remembered not only for his work, but his support for Palestine.

Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned scientist who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 76, was known not only for his groundbreaking work but also for his support for Palestine.

Hawking, who had motor neurone disease, made headlines in May 2013 when he decided to boycott a high-profile conference in Israel where he was scheduled to speak.

The physicist was working at the Cambridge University in the UK at the time.

The Presidential Conference, an academic event held in Jerusalem, was being hosted by the late Israeli President Shimon Peres.

In a letter Hawking sent to the organisers on May 3, he said the policy of the present Israeli government is likely to lead to disaster.

{articleGUID}

I accepted the invitation to the Presidential Conference with the intention that this would not only allow me to express my opinion on the prospects for a peace settlement but also because it would allow me to lecture on the West Bank.

However, I have received a number of emails from Palestinian academics. They are unanimous that I should respect the boycott. In view of this, I must withdraw from the conference.

Had I attended, I would have stated my opinion that the policy of the present Israeli government is likely to lead to disaster, the letter read.

And, with the approval of Hawking, the British Committee for Universities of Palestine, an organisation of UK-based academics to support the academic boycott of Israel, said in a statement at the time: This is his independent decision to respect the boycott, based upon his knowledge of Palestine, and on the unanimous advice of his own academic contacts there.

Hawkings decision was widely celebrated by Palestinian activists and academics.

Palestinians deeply appreciate Stephen Hawkings support for an academic boycott of Israel, Omar Barghouti, a founding member of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement (BDS), said.

We think this will rekindle the kind of interest among international academics in academic boycotts that was present in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Ali Abunimah, a Palestinian-American journalist, wrote: When we look back in a few years, Hawkings decision to respect BDS may be seen as a turning point  the moment when boycotting Israel as a stance for justice went mainstream.

Support for Palestinian students

Hawkings sympathy with the Palestinian cause extended beyond a boycott of Israel.

Last year, he asked his millions of Facebook followers to contribute financially to the Palestinian Advanced Physics School  a physics lecture series for masters students in the occupied West Bank.

I support the rights of scientists everywhere to freedom of movement, publication and collaboration, he wrote.

Screenshot from Stephen Hawkings official Facebook page calling on his followers to raise funds

Hawking also publicly congratulated in a video on his Facebook page Hanan al-Hroub, a Palestinian woman who won the Global Teacher Prize for 2016.

You are inspiration to people everywhere, he said.

In a society torn apart by conflict, where children are regularly exposed to violence, Hanan Al Hroub is building trust and supporting children suffering psychological trauma  from the heart of her classroom.
France has held the scholar in solitary confinement since his arrest on February 5 over accusations of sexual assault.

Once hailed as a religious reformer by Western media outlets, Oxford University professor Tariq Ramadans career has been brought to a halt by his arrest in France over sexual assault accusations.

The most recent allegation, the fourth so far, was made by a woman in Washington, DC on March 11.

Ramadans supporters have strenuously rejected the allegations, characterising them as part of a concerted effort to defame the academic on the back of the #MeToo campaign.

This is his story:

European Islam

Born and raised in Switzerland, Tariq Ramadan went on to become one of the most influential scholars of Islam in Europe.

Swiss roots: Born in 1962, Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

With an MA in philosophy and French literature and a PhD in Arabic and Islamic studies from the University of Geneva, Ramadan aimed to bridge the gap between the East and West.

Oxford: Until November 2017, Ramadan was a professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Oxford.

Ramadan advocates a European Islam free from foreign influence and which promotes social integration.

Activism: I would say what Im advocating is not to reform Islam. Islam doesnt need a reform. What Im advocating is to reform the Muslim minds, he told Al Jazeera.

As the director of the Research Centre of Islamic Legislation and Ethics in Doha, he also calls on governments to pursue policies of social equality and adopt anti-discrimination laws. He believes such policies have the power to prevent extremism from taking root among marginalised people .

Reach: In 2000, Time magazine recognised him as one of the seven religious innovators of the 21st century, and as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004.





Secularism

Ramadan does not think secularism is the solution to the problems the Middle East faces and argues that the majority of dictators in the region have been secular.

In an interview with Mehdi Hasan, Ramadan warned against idealising secularism.

Secularists in the Middle East have nothing to do with secularists in the West  all the secularists in the Middle East were dictators, Ramadan said.

People keep on repeating, when are you going to be integrated? I say, Im sorry the problem is that your mind is not integrating me, Im already here, at home  The success of integration is to stop talking about integration.





Trouble with authorities

Ramadan has been an outspoken critic of groups that target civilians but that has not prevented frequent run-ins with western governments.

France: In 1995, he was temporarily banned from entering France for alleged links to Algerian armed groups. No ties were ever proven.

France is the only country in the world where I cannot set foot in a university [to give a talk], said Ramadan during a lecture held in a privately rented conference hall in the city of Nice.

On the Charlie Hebdo attacks, he said: We need people throughout the world to give the same value to any human life  People are being killed by the same violent extremists in Syria and Iraq, its as if this is normal? So twelve [people] in France, [and] this is an international controversy and evokes a reaction, while the others are normal?

USA: Accused of endorsing terrorism, Tariq was barred by the US State Department from accepting a professorship in the US in 2005 but dropped the lawsuit after the government dropped the accusation.

Ramadan claimed he was barred because he openly criticised US policy in the Middle East.

Middle East: Ramadan was also persona non grata in Tunisia before its revolution, as well as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Syria. He said he was not allowed into those countries because of his criticism of their undemocratic regimes. He is also not welcome in Israel.





Pre-trial arrest

As the #MeToo campaign went viral in the wake of accusations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, Tariq Ramadan joined the long list of male public figures accused of wrongdoing.
US President Trump had been at odds with Tillerson, seen as a voice of moderation on key foreign policy issues.

Washington, DC  US Secretary of State Rex Tillersons removal by President Donald Trump and the replacement of CIA Director Mike Pompeo may shift US policy in the Middle East in ways that could prolong the Gulf crisis and raise tensions with Iran, according to US-based analysts.

The Qataris have lost a friend in the administration, and that cant be very comforting for them, Gerald Feierstein, director of Gulf affairs and government relations at the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera.

Trump and Tillerson appeared to be at odds with each other on a range of key foreign policy issues, including the Iran nuclear deal and the Gulf dispute.

On Tuesday, after he confirmed Tillersons departure, Trump told reporters outside the White House that he and the top US diplomat disagreed on things.

After Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt initially cut diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, Tillerson criticised the group, urging it to ease its blockade.

This appeared to contradict the initial support from Trump, who tweeted on June 6: During my recent trip to the Middle East I stated that there can no longer be funding of Radical Ideology. Leaders pointed to Qatar  look!

Two weeks after the blockade began, the state department issued one of its most blistering critiques of the Saudi-led group, saying it was mystified that the blockading countries had not given Qatar its list of demands or the details about the claims they are making towards Qatar.





The more time goes by, the more doubt is raised about the actions taken by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Heather Nauert, the State Department spokeswoman, said at the time.

The blockading countries issued a list of demands days later on June 22, which included scaling down relations with Iran and closing down Al Jazeera.

Trump has since softened his tone towards Qatar as the State Department repeatedly urged the countries to engage in dialogue.

Earlier this month, the US president and Qatari emir spoke over the phone about regional developments and opportunities to enhance the American-Qatari partnership on a range of security and economic issues, according to a White House press release.

Trump is also set to meet several leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over the coming months to discuss the possibility of establishing a GCC summit later this year under Washingtons auspices, according to Reuters news agency.

Saudis, Emiratis dug in

Incoming Secretary of State Pompeo has said nothing publicly about the Gulf crisis, and, according to analysts, it looks unlikely that things will change in the Gulf in the foreseeable future.

Everything that we have seen and heard so far is that the Saudis and Emiratis are dug in and not particularly inclined to reach an accommodation, said Feierstein, a former ambassador to Yemen and deputy to former Secretary of State John Kerry in the Obama administration.

They are perfectly prepared to see this thing drag out for years.

The best guess is that we are going to continue to have this cold peace between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours.





Tillerson, who had been CEO of ExxonMobil for 10 years, understood the importance of the US role in smoothing out tensions between US allies in the Gulf, Hady Amr, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Al Jazeera.

He understood the importance of that role, and he argued for the US to play that role. And we certainly saw that when the Gulf crisis first erupted nine months ago, Amr said.

Trump is looking for a secretary of state that is going to go along with and bolster his instinctive agenda more.

This is a president who kind of surfs public opinion, with a generic, default, America First position that he has settled in on.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House next week, kicking off a planned three-day tour of the US that will take him from Washington, DC, to New York, Boston, Seattle and Los Angeles.

The Saudi goal is to present the prince as the face of a new, socially and economically reforming Saudi Arabia.

Anger over embassy move

The Trump administration wants to demonstrate that the US still has very close allies in the region, despite anger over moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

According to US news media, Tillerson, Pentagon chief James Mattis and others within Trumps inner circle had warned the president about the move, citing security concerns.

It certainly is interesting that [Tuesdays] decision came a week before Mohammed bin Salman lands on our doorstep, Feierstein said.

Whether Trump wanted to get dissenting voices out of the way before the Saudis get here is a question mark.

Pompeo, 54, who as a Republican member of Congress had opposed former President Obamas diplomatic outreach to Iran, is more of a partisan hardliner whose thinking is closer to Trumps.

Tillerson had disagreed with Trump on breaking the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the president has repeatedly called a terrible agreement.

Pompeo is hawkish on Iran. He called the landmark agreement disastrous and said Iran was mounting a ruthless drive to be the hegemonic power in the region.

According to Jessica Tuchman Mathews, a distinguished fellow and former president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Tillerson has been a steady voice of moderation.

His departure is bad news on policy, she told Al Jazeera.

North Korean challenge

In the near term, the US administrations top foreign policy concern will be Trumps agreed meeting with North Koreas Kim Jong-un.

Pompeos hostility towards the Iran nuclear deal and his closeness with Trump is likely to frame the US posture in talks on North Koreas denuclearisation.

Getting a deal half as restrictive as the Iran deal is going to be very difficult, Mathews said.

If Trump scuttles the Iran deal, the North Koreans will understand that, signing an agreement with the Americans, they might not hold up their end of the bargain.
A look back at Trump and Tillersons turbulent relationship

Al Jazeera takes a look back at the turbulent relationship between the US president and his top diplomat, Rex Tillerson.
Trump visits California to inspect border wall prototypes

US president said he preferred the taller walls, saying they acted as a deterrent to people crossing illegally, whom he compared to professional mountain climbers.
We disagreed on things: A look back at Trump-Tillerson friction

US President Donald Trump has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via Twitter, citing differences over key foreign policy issues.
Zimbabwe businesses want Western sanctions lifted

Appeal comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa seeks to attract more foreign investors to improve Zimbabwes economy.
Muslim Council of Britain reframes discussion on integration with new report on Islam and British society.

David Cameron, former UK prime minister, said integration is a two-way street after staying with a Muslim family more than a decade ago.

However, the street has since narrowed to one-way traffic. Integration has become a term applied only to Muslims, according to a new report by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) titled, Our Shared British Future- Muslims and Integration in the UK.

The report, presented in Parliament on Wednesday, features 30 diverse voices from the Muslim community and calls for equal integration for all, with no special burden placed on Muslim communities.

If any integration policy is to succeed, as the government plans to do in 2018, it needs to be inclusive, Harun Khan, MCBs secretary-general, wrote in the report.

The same goes for British values, a relatively new term coined after concerns of extremism. Many are worried that such values have been conceived in a knee-jerk fashion because some people are considered not quite British enough and therefore must be subject to a civilising mission, Khan continued.

{articleGUID}

In the report, MCB  the UKs largest Muslim umbrella body of more than 500 affiliated organisations, mosques, charities and schools  proposes steps to tackle real challenges to integration that Muslims face such as racism, threats by far-right groups, fair access to employment, housing shortages, and isolation.

More than two million Muslims live in the UK, and account for about 4.8 percent of the population in England and Wales.

Despite claims to the contrary, Muslim communities have become less segregated, according to the latest census, the report noted.

Culture of fear

The council contributed in 2016 to the Casey Review, a government-led report that examines integration and opportunity in isolated, deprived communities, noting for the Muslim community, a culture of fear is emerging, which is a big driver in preventing a more united and cohesive society.

{articleGUID}

Naz Shah, member of parliament for Bradford West, will be chairing the session on Wednesday along with Miqdaad Versi.

Versi was named by the BBC as the man correcting stories on Muslims, having prompted more than 50 corrections over the past year, and a half from the national press for false stories about Islam and Muslims.

In the past decade, there has been a moral panic around Muslims, Versi wrote.

There is a preconceived notion that Muslims are incapable of integrating into British society, yet when Muslims do enter public life, too often their motives are questioned and they are accused of entryism, Versi said.

One of the problems MCB addresses is the irresponsible reporting about British Muslims that negatively affects the publics perception of them.

According to research by YouGov done in 2015, a decade after the 7/7 bombings, a majority of Britons stated they view Muslims as a threat to the UK, far more than in the immediate aftermath of the bombings.

The average Briton also overestimates the British Muslim population to be three times larger than it actually is, according to the 2016 report Perceptions are not reality by Ipsos Mori.

More than one-third of schoolchildren believe Muslims are taking over England.

With 64 percent of the British public informing themselves about Islam through the media, there is little wonder that Muslims are viewed so negatively, the report noted.
WASHINGTON, March 14, 2018  The American Bar Association calls upon Maldives President Abdulla Yameen to immediately release and reinstate Maldivian Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed and Judge Ali Hameed, currently detained without due process. The U.N. Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary underscore the importance of appropriate measures to ensure the safety and security of judges and to protect them from threats or interference from any quarter or for any reason. The ABA is deeply concerned that the arrest and detention of the countrys highest judges violate the constitution of the Maldives and are contrary to international standards regarding the independence of the judiciary. The rule of law must stand above politics, and the preservation of the independence of the judiciary is paramount. The safety and security of the chief justice and all judges on the Maldivian bench are essential, and the ABA urges President Yameen to respect the courts and restore the judges to the bench.

Go to www.abalegalfactcheck.com for the ABAs new feature that cites case and statutory law and other legal precedents to distinguish legal fact from fiction.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on Twitter @ABANews.
It's true that members of Congress are chosen by voters in their districts, regardless of how gerrymandered and convoluted those districts may be. They are chosen in an election, their votes influenced by a political campaign. This costs money and is financed by either the person running for the congressional seat or campaign donors.

Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution, just after the Preamble, describes the Congress. The House of Representatives "[s]hall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States." Note the key words  chosen and representative.

Ultimately, the person elected should be representing those living in his district, providing a voice in the U.S. Congress as policy and legislation are debated and implemented.

While great in theory, how is this working out in reality? Who is actually doing the choosing? Who is being represented. These questions apply not only to representatives, but also to senators, fewer in number, representing an entire state rather than a politically determined district.

Texas primaries were held a week ago. CNN was giddy with anticipation, asking, "Can a blue wave take down Ted Cruz in Texas?" just as they were anticipating a Clinton landslide until about 9 P.M. on election night in 2016.

Far from a wave, more like a ripple, Ted Cruz received more votes than the entire Democrat primary field combined. Now it's on to the general election this November, with Ted Cruz on the Republican side and Beto O'Rourke representing the Democrats.

Will they be representing Texans or the donors funding their campaigns? This is not a partisan issue, as candidates of both parties receive money from outside the regions they represent, raising the question of whom they really represent.

I received the below invitation via email a few days ago, for a Beto O'Rourke fundraiser. From a lobbying group called J Street PAC, an allegedly pro-Israel group that "organizes and mobilizes pro-Israel, pro-peace Americans who want Israel to be secure, democratic and the national home of the Jewish people."

Notice that the invitation is for a fundraiser in Denver, where I live  not in Texas, where O'Rourke is running, the state he hopes to represent. More on that shortly.

J Street PAC, supposedly pro-Israel, is ironically supporting the Democrat candidate, who "cast one of only eight votes in Congress against special funding for Israel's Iron Dome rocket defense system during the recent Gaza war."

The PAC is trying to defeat the Republican candidate, Ted Cruz, who supports President Trump's efforts to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Cruz also called for the U.S. to stop funding the U.N. over the latter's vote to end Israeli settlement building. Which candidate is truly pro-Israel?

It seems the pro-Israel PAC is hitching its wagon to the wrong horse, but perhaps it has other motivations beyond its stated "pro-Israel" stance.

What is more interesting is the fact that a fundraiser for a Texas Senate race is being held in Denver. It's hosted by Stephen Sherick, a fellow Denver physician, active in Democratic Party politics locally and nationally, as unhappy with the 2016 presidential election outcome as CNN was.

If the Cruz-O'Rourke race were for the White House, it would make perfect sense to host a Democratic fundraiser in Colorado, but this is a Texas race. Will either Cruz or O'Rourke be representing Coloradoans in the U.S. Senate?

OpenSecrets.org tracks political fundraising and donations. One section compares "In-District vs. Out-of-District" funding, looking at whether candidates are funded by their actual constituents or by outside interests. Looking at the 2018 election cycle, it's surprising, or perhaps not, how many candidates are funded from beyond the borders of their districts, just as Beto O'Rourke is via a fundraiser in Denver.

Thirty-six congressional candidates receive 100 percent of their 2018 campaign funding from outside the districts they hope to represent. One hundred nine candidates receive 95 percent of their funding from out of district. This is truly bipartisan. Members of both parties are guilty, as are new candidates versus incumbents.

Some examples include open border zealot Democrat Luis Gutierrez and cowboy hat-wearing Democrat Frederica Wilson. Both are 100 percent funded from outside their districts. Speaker Paul Ryan receives 99 percent of his funding from out of district, and Maxine Waters is at 98 percent outside funding. There are other familiar names, including Republican Trey Gowdy, receiving 93 percent funding from outside his district, and Democrat Adam Schiff at 91 percent.

It seems that "We the Donors," not We the People, are represented by elected members of Congress. This explains the legislative logjam and lack of any fiscal responsibility, from both political parties.

Congress no longer answers to the people, but instead to the donor class. This partially explains Donald Trump's popularity, a politician largely self-funded, from outside the D.C. swamp, and not beholden to the special interests and donors.

After securing the nomination, Trump told supporters, "I understand the responsibility of carrying the mantle, and I will never ever let you down." Those are words we don't hear from members of Congress, with their hands out to donors whom they have no business representing in Congress. They are quick to let voters down, but not their big donors.

Campaign finance reform is a thorny issue, infringing on freedom of speech. But when millions of dollars are flowing to congressional candidates from outside their districts, purchasing future influence, clearly something is wrong.

As a larger example, look at the Clinton Foundation, where donations dropped precipitously once it was apparent that Mrs. Clinton wouldn't be in the White House doing the bidding of her donors. Her influence was being bought by interests, many nefarious, outside the U.S.

The axiom of "follow the money" is certainly true in politics, with the result of a non-representative democracy, contrary to the intentions of the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.

Brian C Joondeph, M.D., MPS is a Denver-based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
The cynicism of Americans regarding integrity and accountability in government grew as swamp thing James Clapper avoided his part of the bog being drained. The statute of limitations for prosecuting his perjury before Congress regarding surveillance of Americans expired on Monday:

As the House Intelligence Committee on Monday announced its findings that there was no collusion between Team Trump and Russia, more evidence of the collusion between Deep State swamp creatures and a disloyal media to undermine the presidency of Donald Trump was also revealed. James Clapper has been exposed as both a perjurer and a criminal leaker of classified information to the press.

Clapper, director of national intelligence from 2010 to 2017, admitted giving "clearly erroneous" testimony about mass surveillance in March 2013, and offered differing explanations for why. Two criminal statutes that cover lying to Congress have five-year statutes of limitations, establishing a Monday deadline to charge Clapper, who in retirement has emerged as a leading critic of President Trump. The under-oath untruth was exposed by National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, who sparked national debate on surveillance policy with leaks to the press. Many members of Congress, mostly Republicans supportive of new limits on electronic surveillance, called for Clapper to be prosecuted as the deadline neared, saying unpunished perjury jeopardizes the ability of Congress to perform oversight. "He admitted to lying to Congress and was unremorseful and flippant about it," Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., told the Washington Examiner. "The integrity of our federal government is at stake because his behavior sets the standard for the entire intelligence community."

Right now his behavior wouldn't set the standard for a shoplifter at a convenience store, as this poster child for corruption is revealed by relentless investigative journalist Sara Carter to have leaked classified information to CNN regarding briefings on the Steele dossier to President Obama and then-president-elect Trump  leaks he himself hypocritically condemned.

Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper allegedly leaked information to CNN early last year regarding the classified briefings given to then President-Elect Donald Trump and President Barack Obama on the salacious dossier claiming the Russians had compromising information on the president-elect, according to government sources, who noted the evidence of the leak was collected during the House Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation. Clapper, who was one of four senior Obama administration officials to attend the briefing with the presidents, also stated his "profound dismay at the leaks" in an official statement issued in January, 2017 and warned that the leaks were "extremely corrosive and damaging" to national security, according to his press release. ... according to government sources Clapper, who is not mentioned in the report released Monday, had spoken to CNN at roughly the same time Jake Tapper broke the first story regarding the briefings conducted by senior intelligence officials with Trump and Obama on the dossier. Tapper's story, which published in January 2017, created a snowball effect of allegations in the media that Trump's campaign had allegedly colluded with the Russians in the 2016 election and that Russia had compromising material on Trump, sources with knowledge of the investigation concluded. ... it was when CNN published the first report that Trump and Obama had been briefed the dossier's findings that other news agencies began to report on it. The committee found evidence that Clapper, who is now a contributor at CNN, contacted CNN shortly before the story was published by Tapper, Evan Perez, and Jim Sciutto. The story detailed the briefings given to Trump by the senior officials on the contents of the dossier and "gave the dossier legs and news agencies began to publish its contents because it had now become official news," one congressional source told this reporter. Shortly after CNN published the report, Buzzfeed made the decision to post the entire 35-page dossier and referenced the CNN report in its decision to publish it, according to the website.

This is the same James Clapper who once reassured the Congress that the NSA wasn't conducting surveillance of the American people. As U.S. News and World Report noted, his resignation didn't assuage critics, who believe that James Clapper, like other Obama administration personnel, dodged a perjury bullet when he testified before Congress on the issue of NSA surveillance of American citizens.

Some lawmakers reacted to the long-expected resignation announcement from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper on Thursday by wishing him an eventful retirement, featuring prosecution and possible prison time. The passage of more than three years hasn't cooled the insistence in certain quarters that Clapper face charges for an admittedly false statement to Congress in March 2013, when he responded, "No, sir" and "not wittingly" to a question about whether the National Security Agency was collecting "any type of data at all" on millions of Americans. About three months after making that claim, documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden revealed the answer was untruthful and that the NSA was in fact collecting in bulk domestic call records, along with various internet communications. To his critics, Clapper lied under oath, a crime that threatens effective oversight of the executive branch. In an apology letter to lawmakers, however, Clapper said he gave the "clearly erroneous" answer because he "simply didn't think of" the call-record collection. Clapper later told MSNBC he considered the question akin to asking, "When did you stop beating your wife?" and so gave the "least untruthful" answer.

Critics who say President-Elect Donald Trump had no right to disparage our good and faithful intelligence servants or to be skeptical of the intelligence they gather might be willing to accept "least untruthful" answers, but others are not:

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper struggles to explain why he told Congress in March that the National Security Agency does not intentionally collect any kind of data on millions of Americans. "I responded in what I thought was the most truthful, or least untruthful, manner by saying 'no,'" Clapper told NBC News on Sunday. Least untruthful? Lying to Congress and the American people is just that, except in Clapper's mind. And it seems to depend on the meaning of "collect," a reminder of President Bill Clinton's defense that charges of his lying depended on the meaning of the word "is."

Our constitutional republic is being shaken to its foundation by corrupt unelected officials like James Clapper, who conspire to undermine a duly elected president. The only collusion is between these officials and one political party, aided by an agenda-driven media, using foreign sources and a fake dossier to aid one political party at the expense of another.

Jeff Sessions, who plays an attorney general on TV, has let another felon slip through his hands, just as he did with Lois Lerner, a conspirator who used the IRS to target Obama's political opponents such as the Tea Party and other conservative groups.

This abuse of government power by the unelected Deep State might have been stopped with the prosecution and incarceration of one James Clapper. Every day that a second special counsel investigating this real collusion is not appointed is another day closer to the final transformation of the world's oldest constitutional republic into a failed banana republic.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investor's Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine, and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
For example: Everyday people think a movie in which an amphibian injects its sperm into a human is gross. And yet Hollywood deems it a beautiful love story, awarding The Shape of Water Best Picture of the Year. We commoners are too unsophisticated to appreciate the beauty of a woman copulating with a fish.

Please forgive me for using this crude but appropriate saying: "Don't urinate on my head and tell me it is raining." Leftists urinate lies, deceit, perversion, immorality, and sin on our heads while telling us it's the golden nectar of beauty, love, and compassion. In a nutshell, leftists are using government to make the weird and freaky mainstream while trampling traditional principles and values underfoot  declaring them hateful, intolerant, and laughable.

Back in 2015, Tom DeLay exposed an Obama DOJ memo spelling out 12 perversions it wanted to legalize, including pedophilia and bestiality. So don't call me crazy for saying the movie The Shape of Water is the leftists' step one in warming people up to legalizing bestiality.

When five out of nine SCOTUS justices basically said screw the Constitution to incorporate a redefinition of marriage into the law of the land, here is what Justice Thomas said in rebuke: "Our Constitution  like the Declaration of Independence before it  was predicated on a simple truth: One's liberty, not to mention one's dignity, was something to be shielded from  not provided by  the State. Today's decision casts that truth aside."

Meanwhile, Obama lit up the White House in rainbow colors and tweeted #Love Wins! Leftists celebrated the unconstitutional ruling, calling it a beautiful thing. We dare not mention the unnaturalness of using an exit as an entrance. It's a beautiful thing.

I was rebuked for posting photos from gay pride parades in my column. We're told their lifestyle is beautiful, the new normal. So why not show pictures of the beautiful things going on at gay pride parades  naked men performing mock sodomy in the streets, people in giant penis and vagina costumes, men and women dressed in BDSM nun outfits?

If homosexuals want to be thought of as normal, why not dress like the mainstream in their parades, rather than outfits promoting extreme deviancy and blasphemy? Google "gay pride parade" [if you dare ed.].

Ponder this, folks. If a guy tells his wife of 30 years he is leaving her for a woman half her age, leftists brand him a sexist jerk. If that same guy told his wife he is leaving her to "become" a woman and "have sex" with men, leftists would call it a beautiful thing, embracing his true nature. Leftists would tell his devastated wife and children to support the wondrous removal of their patriarch's penis  a beautiful thing.

At the Women's March rally in D.C., thousands proudly wore "pussy hats."

Leftist female speakers passionately dropped numerous F-bombs, called for violence against President Trump, and spoke of menstrual blood in gross graphic detail. Leftist fake news media called the rally a beautiful thing.

The left's illegal sanctuary cities like San Francisco call themselves compassionate havens for angelic illegals  a beautiful thing. The reality is that rejecting federal immigration law is destroying California. In San Francisco, a map was created to help people avoid mounds of feces left by the homeless. Sanctuary cites turn a blind eye to gangs of illegals terrorizing U.S. citizens by means of murders, rape, and robberies. The San Francisco Bay area is experiencing a massive exodus due to crime, skyrocketing taxes, insanely high housing costs, and welfare benefits for illegals. California is the poorest state in the USA. Still, leftists tell us sanctuary cities are saintly, beautiful things.

Leftists demand that we stop saying, "Merry Christmas," teachers must stop addressing students as "boys and girls," and stop saying you're proud to be an American  all in the name of inclusion, a beautiful thing. Most recently, leftists forbade us saying, "God bless you," claiming that it is insensitive and intolerant.

I disagreed with a well intentioned minister on TV who said Christians should not respond angrily, saying we will not buy your coffee if you don't say, "Merry Christmas." Leftist businesses are cramming their anti-God agenda down our throats. What is wrong with us expressing our disapproval with our dollars?

Righteous anger is an act of love. Jesus expressed anger at evil.

Decades of passivity have allowed leftists to indoctrinate our kids and transform our culture. Who would think leftists would boldly promote lesbianism in Disney's new animated family movie, Frozen 2, calling it a beautiful thing?

It is time for Christians to be salt as God commanded  making a difference, adding godly savor to our culture. That truly is a beautiful thing.

Lloyd Marcus, The Unhyphenated American

Help Lloyd spread the Truth

http://LloydMarcus.com
Sadiq Khan Squelches Freedom of Thought and Expression

Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of London, will be speaking at a conference of technology executives in Austin, Texas. The gist of his remarks has been announced. It is a speech advocating a troika of control, condemnation, and confiscation. The control he requests is that the masters of the internet bar anti-Islamic comments and threats. His condemnation is of President Donald Trump for his tweets (especially those in support of Britain First), which have proven to be an encouragement to those with an anti-Islamic agenda. And he suggests that the big technology firms be taxed not on the basis of profits, but on the basis of revenue if the anti-Islamic messages continue on the internet, thus threatening confiscation if his "advice" is not taken. He has expressed delight at Germany's hate speech laws, advocated and advanced by Angela Merkel. Mr. Khan comes out of a cultural mindset that does not understand the idea of the marketplace of ideas, independent thought, individualism, and the Anglo-American tradition of liberty within the context of law. You see, there are hundreds of millions, if not billions of people who want to be told what to say and even what to think. Thinking is a burden for them. It's not just a matter of wanting to "go along to get along." No. The exercise of thinking for themselves, and having fewer pressures and controls on their speech, behavior, and especially mentality, is too much pressure for them. It's a level of responsibility they cannot cope with. Why can't they cope? Here is where metaphysics hits practical day-by-day exigencies.

To exercise one's freedom responsibly, one needs the grace of God and the enlightenment from on high that one finds in the Holy Scripture (Old and New Testaments). In our culture, although not all persons were evangelical, Protestant Christians nonetheless cultivated that norm of free thinking from the time when the central influence on the colonies and the United States was God-centered. Thus, certain patterns and habits of respect and thinking became engrained among even the non-Bible-believing population. Even the non-Christian Aristotle, living in 4th-century B.C. Greece, knew about the importance of habit and about the importance of forming virtuous habits by the proper use of reason. He advocated a balanced approach ("hexis") and implied that our freedom (and happiness) lies in our balanced use of reason. Thus, the Christian implication of a divinely based freedom was written into our Declaration of Independence ("endowed by our Creator") along with the rationalistic, virtue-oriented "pursuit of happiness," which was the purpose of life ("telos") for Aristotle. That foundation has become diluted, plus we have increasing numbers of people from cultures where that type of free, responsible, independent thought was never cultivated. Mr. Khan is from one of those cultures and sub-cultures. In the Islamic worldview, taqiyya (deception) is a legitimate part of jihad. It is a way of resisting the infidels. He is speaking the language of liberalism in order to move forward an illiberal agenda. Jamie Glazov has characterized this trend beautifully in his volume United in Hate, where he describes in detail the mindset of the left as it converges with the goals of the Islamists in perpetuating an ongoing crisis in the West. Dr. Glazov appeals to the unconscious Freudian death wish as a deep unifying force in this seeming convergence of interests (each expecting to ultimately dispense with the other faction at the right time). The leftist nihilism not only is parallel to the suicidal "death wish" of the terrorists of Islam, but provides a deep sense of complementary identity between the two groups or movements. Both groups hate individualism, romantic love, humor, good cheer, and people finding satisfaction in life. For the leftist believers, the happiness of the regular folks living under capitalist systems is a "false consciousness," whereas for the Islamists, Western civilization's joy in the life of the individual and the family is an offense to God (conceived as Allah). Yes, the Islamic mindset is far from both the Christian and the Greek mindsets that gave birth to our unique culture. I guess all that jihad talk by the so-called right is exaggerated. It's all driven by a bunch of mean-spirited xenophobes, right? We've had them before in the U.S. They were called the "Know Nothings" in the 1840s and 1850s. Later, the so-called xenophobes were responsible for those Palmer Raids in the early 1920s. It's the same misanthropic thread. Or is it? Could it be possible that the U.S. is facing an unprecedented political and cultural threat? Could the evidence be mounting that a sinister Islamic Trojan horse is being promoted by a fifth column of leftists determined to undermine whatever stability is left in the U.S. of A? But Islam and Mayor Khan are not the only elements that want to silence free choice (free speech is only one aspect of free choice in the context of a free market and a free mentality). There is a ubiquitous and chaotic trend that runs across many groups that cannot bear the weight of responsibility that comes with freedom. Thus, as atheism grows, the relationship with Almighty God through His Son by the power of the Holy Spirit fades from the equation. Not only sin, but grace becomes an alien term. Rationality is declared an enemy of freedom and is put in the service of a deterministic social science by the so-called truth-seekers in academia. Hence, even the learned ones in our universities increasingly cannot handle diversity of opinion. The word "veritas" (truth) in Harvard's motto becomes another part of the thought control mindset. That means that it is not sufficient for them to disagree with other ideas and values; rather, they must outlaw those ideas and values, squelch them. Mayor Khan of London is one such squelcher. Image: mc_london_002 via Flickr.
Federal appeals court rejects 'racial profiling' argument

A favorite argument of progressives against many laws disproportionately violated by minorities has been rejected as Texas's ban on sanctuary cities has been unanimously upheld by a three-judge panel of a federal court of appeals. Reversing a federal judge in San Antonio who had blocked implementation of Texas's ban on sanctuary cities, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld most of the law. As a result, Texas now "requires police chiefs and sheriffs to cooperate with federal immigration officials, and allows the police to question the immigration status of anyone they arrest." One element of the law, however, was held unconstitutional:

... a clause that prohibits local officials from "endorsing" policies that limit immigration enforcement. Officials can be forbidden to enact or enforce such policies, the panel ruled, but a ban on endorsements violates the First Amendment. The judges upheld all other parts of the law, rejecting opponents' arguments that, among other things, it failed to adequately define the prohibited conduct and would open the door to racial profiling. The Texas law is in some ways a mirror image of California's sanctuary state law, which bans state and local authorities from responding to detainer requests from ICE and likewise raises First Amendment problems by making it a crime for private employers to cooperate with federal authorities in identifying illegal aliens in the workplace. A separate California law also veers into questionable territory by demanding that state officials inspect federal detention facilities. Rick Moran sagely observes that resisting deferral immigration policy (which the Constitution explicitly assigns to the federal government, not states) is the only area in which progressives favor application of the Tenth Amendment.
He's the supposedly conservative Republican who bowed to pressure from Al Sharpton and appointed Angela Corey to prosecute George Zimmerman for second-degree murder  after police determined that Zimmerman had acted in self-defense when Trayvon Martin attacked him.

Yeah. That Gov. Scott.

Well, Gov. Scott is back to this old tricks again, bowing to pressure from left-wing activists. On March 9, he signed a gun control bill banning "bump stocks" that increase the rate of fire of semi-automatic rifles and raising the purchase age for firearms to 21.

The law was passed after Nikolas Cruz allegedly murdered seventeen people in Parkland  after the FBI and the Broward County Sheriff's Department botched numerous attempts to stop him.

The curious thing about the new law is that Cruz is not alleged to have used a bump stock to commit his crime. It is not within the notice of this writer that bump stocks have been used to commit any crimes in the State of Florida.

So why ban them?

The bill was advertised as a "school safety" measure, but it's hard to see how banning bump stocks will improve school safety if they've never been used to commit crimes in schools.

Presumably, Gov. Scott and the cosponsors of the new law would argue that a ban on bump stocks will prevent future crimes.

But that's merely hypothetical. And that's where I have a serious problem with this law.

If government starts banning things because people might use them to commit future crimes, then there's no practical limit to what government may forbid.

The real reason why bump stocks were banned is not because of the Parkland school shooting or because of any other crime in the State of Florida. They were banned because Las Vegas shooter Steven Paddock allegedly used one, and Paddock's crime put bump stocks in the center of national media hysteria.

But Paddock  like Cruz  could have committed his crime just as easily without one.

I am not particularly interested in defending bump stocks. Bump stocks are mere gimmicks, used harmlessly by thousands of people, without any practical value to me.

But I am interested in articulating a general principle, and it is this: freedom means that people get to do whatever they want as long as they do not infringe on the life, liberty, and property of others. If people want to peaceably use bump stocks, then God bless 'em. And if people commit crimes using bump stocks, they should be tried in court  and, if convicted of a crime severe enough, executed. That's called due process of law, and it's required by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.

But now Florida has established the precedent that bump stocks may be banned because people might use them in crimes. The federal government appears to be poised to do the same.

So what's next? Well, the national media and the Democratic Party are already calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles. And what happens after that? A ban on handguns. And after that? Bolt-action rifles.

The slippery slope of gun control is real. If you look at the history of gun control, there is literally nothing the gun-controllers don't want to ban.

They call for a ban on so-called assault weapons because they're "too deadly." But they also want to ban "Saturday Night Specials"  the least-powerful and least deadly guns out there. Those are "too cheap." Scoped bolt-action rifles must also be banned  those are "sniper rifles." Blackpowder muzzleloaders and single-shot antiques, which aren't even defined as "firearms" under federal law, are on the chopping block, too. Even toy guns are not immune.

With the exception of the provision for arming teachers, the Florida law isn't about saving lives or protecting children. (If Gov. Scott wanted to do that, he'd sign a law raising the age of consent for anal intercourse to 21, or ban it entirely, to prevent children from dying of AIDS  wouldn't he?)

No, the Florida law is about attempting to pacify childish hysterics in the media and emotionally charged bed-wetters who don't give a fig about the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. And it might work  temporarily.

But they'll be back.

What about the next time, Gov. Scott? What are you going to ban then?
Lady Lex: A brief reminder of how great America is

Earlier this month, the research vessel (R.V.) Petrel of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen located and filmed the wreckage of the American aircraft carrier USS Lexington, also affectionately known as Lady Lex. This is both a historic and a technical event. Lady Lex was sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 8, 1942, a dark time in WWII, nearly a month before the tide-turning Battle of Midway. The Lady went down about 500 miles off the northeastern coast of Australia and took over 200 U.S. sailors with her. She rests about two miles deep in the ocean. The tears have long dried for those lost, but this locating of the wreckage gives us the opportunity to again remember the service and sacrifice of those men.

There is no need to rehash the Battle of the Coral Sea; there are multiple sources for that. What should be noted is that this achievement of Paul Allen shows what is possible when the technical prowess of America is coupled with free-market initiative. Finding Lady Lex is an example of both. But it pales in significance to things like the fracking oil and gas revolution and the emergence of private space launching companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX, which is planning to send a space vehicle to Mars by 2020. No other country in the world could pull off a hat trick like this. Because we here are living in the States, we tend to discount our strength. Like a fish that doesn't feel the wetness of the water, Americans take for granted what our country is capable of. Too often we overly focus on our warts and imperfections (which are real). Certainly, the media and the intellectuals who exist in their tenured ivory towers encourage negative thinking regarding America. They cynically measure the U.S. against the yardstick of perfection and snottily issue their condemnations. They make the perfect the enemy of the good. Don't believe them. America is great. This was one of the basic themes that Donald Trump rode to the White House on. And the president's agenda to make America even greater is one of the reasons he's so hated by much of the upper crust. These people, like Barack Obama, their messiah, seem to value their so-called world citizenship over their U.S. one. To them, patriotism is an embarrassment. To that, one can say only this: USA! USA! USA! Image: Joi Ito via Flickr.
Mexican flags fly at San Diego anti-Trump rally and press tries to hide it

Waving the flag of the country they'd do anything to avoid being sent back to, DREAMers were out in force as President Trump's plane touched down in San Diego. The Mexican flags flew, and the hate-Trump chants pounded from the left. Don't expect the rest of the media to notice any of this. Or the chants of "si se puede!" or the Che banners and t-shirts, the foul language, or the scads of ethnic Mexican clothing to demonstrate the absence of assimilation. Nope, most of the press did its level best to keep such images out of the news and present only the most sanitized versions of the anti-Trump protesters to the public.

Fortunately, since there were a lot of them covering the rallies, the details leaked out here and there. Two news agencies, Fox News 5, the local station in San Diego, and Breitbart News, in Beverly Hills, reported without filters, as did the San Diego Free Press, a radical left-wing news agency that actually likes the foul language and Mexican flag-waving. The New York Times did note the Che t-shirts even as it snidely called the pro-Trump rallies "pep rallies." (Would they have called a pro-Obama rally a "pep" rally?) But if you wanted to see what the rallies were really like, most of the local press by and large blacked out the flags from the coverage. Get a load of some of these screen grabs from Fox 5, the local affiliate of Fox News, or better yet, go see their video: These are just some samples from my camera aimed at the television set and the web, but there was a whole lot more in the Fox video. The anti-Trump protest was so blatantly counterproductive that it almost seemed to be from The Onion, designed to rally support not for DREAMers, but for the Americans who oppose DREAMers. There wasn't much else to make of the Mexican costumes, the Che t-shirts and banners, the foul language in the signs, and the ethnic Mexican clothing. File under "unclear on the concept." Local station KUSI, which also recorded the "si se puede" chants, had some Mexican clothing on parade here, as did Fox 5: Now, here's what's obnoxious from the press. 10News, another San Diego local station, did its best to conceal the Mexican flags flying at the leftist anti-Trump rallies: Notice how the upper right corner contains what is likely a Mexican flag, and it's helpfully cut off. If they had some other Mexican flags in their coverage, I'd attribute it to composition issues, but since there weren't any, it appears to have been a bid to keep the flags off the page. The San Diego Union-Tribune had a small flash of a Mexican flag in the video of one of the rallies but no comment otherwise. It also covered the anti-Trump protests from the Tijuana side, where, apparently, no Mexican flags were waved at all, and the reporter, the reputable Sandra Dibble, noted there was little opposition to the wall as well on that side of the fence. The CBS affiliate, Channel 8, was worst of all. It scrubbed all of the Mexican flags from the anti-Trump rally from its coverage, presenting a positively sanitized view of what went on at those things. It's also noteworthy that in different accounts of local news coverage I watched on television, the news reporters counted 300 demonstrators at the pro-Trump rally and 100 at the 5:30 P.M. anti-Trump rally, not comparing the turnout side by side. They apparently didn't want to point out that Trump has more supporters here than opponents, at least based on rally turnout. In any case, the pictures dribble out. What an irony here that as the left rallies its biggest thugs to rouse its base, President Trump does the same thing  rallies the leftist thugs  except to energize the right. That's the only reason why the media seek to conceal these protesters.
The campaign is, by far, the most partisan endeavor that John D. Arnold, a wunderkind commodities trader who retired at 38 with a net worth north of $3 billion, has directed his considerable fortune to, worrying GOP operatives that the young benefactor may be a George Soros in the making.

A 43-year-old Texas billionaire who got his start as Enron's star employee is paying a group of hardened Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton operatives to launch a scorched-earth campaign against pharmaceutical drug companies  in the hopes of securing government price controls.

The Arnold price controls push is notable in its use of hyper-partisan Democratic operatives rather than policy experts or good government advocates, stripping the veneer of bipartisanship the former hedge fund head has assiduously cultivated in public.

Leading the charge is David Mitchell, a co-founder and partner at GMMB, the P.R. firm that cut Obama's and Clinton's TV spots in 2008, 2012, and 2016. Democratic politicians have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to GMMB in the past few decades, and after the firm helped elect Obama, the federal government began procuring over $60 million's worth of its services as well.

Mitchell says he "retired" in 2016 to fight for price controls because he was upset at how much his medications cost. However, the lobbying group he founded, Patients for Affordable Drugs, was initially registered in tax forms at a $3-million Potomac, Maryland mansion with stunning riverfront views and eight bathrooms, perhaps mitigating any sting from the cost of life-saving medicines.

Arnold has also purchased the services of Ben Wakana, whose career path included stops working for Eliot Spitzer and Obama's 2012 campaign and helping to implement Obamacare for the president at HHS for several years. Janice Rottenberg, one of Hillary's top hands on the ground in Iowa (during the primaries) and Ohio (during the general), is the group's "campaigns director."

Like Mitchell, Arnold was able to retire early in comfort, except with billions to Mitchell's millions. He was paid an $8-million bonus by Enron, the company's highest in its short existence, days before it imploded in the largest corporate fraud scandal in 50 years.

Arnold claimed innocence in the Enron debacle and used the multi-million bonus to launch a hedge fund. Soon, his returns were too good for investors to care about his scandalous past. Arnold traded commodities futures, especially in the incredibly volatile natural gas market. Between 2001 and 2009, Arnold netted amazing, almost suspiciously good returns, often realizing triple-digit year-over-year gains.

In 2010, however, Arnold seemed to lose his edge, returning an annual loss for the first time. The problem may have been that he was just too rich to care; he soon closed the fund, returning money to investors and launching a new life in philanthropy with his wife, Laura.

Until the price controls push, the couple have cut an idiosyncratic profile with their plentiful (over $1 billion) giving. Most of Arnold's recipients are standard liberal causes, but occasionally he diverts money to libertarian groups.

The worry created by his purchase of Team Obama for a price controls push is that his early efforts may have been just a warm-up for a much more partisan and ideological future. The new group recently announced that it is planning to spend millions helping Democratic candidates in the upcoming election, presumably in the quest to turn the House and Senate over.

Arnold may be the next Soros. In the meantime, it's beyond time that the Washington press corps learned his name and began applying some of the same scrutiny it puts on Soros, Robert Mercer, and the Kochs. In particular, Arnold is behind several highly targeted cash deluges into sleepy primary campaigns, raising the question of what is motivating his intense interest on those races, whether it be business interests, personal vendettas, or something else.

"We consider the issues the foundation takes to be relatively apolitical," Arnold says in a tightly scripted promotional video on the Laura and John Arnold Foundation's website.

So why is he employing a handful of the most ruthlessly partisan Democratic operatives on the market in an effort to win the House for Nancy Pelosi? Perhaps we'll get an answer beyond a video press release when Washington notices that the balance of power on finances has shifted underneath its feet.

Megan Barth is the founder and proprietor of ReaganBabe.com and a nationally recognized political commentator. She is a weekly cohost for WAR-The Wayne Allyn Root Show out of Las Vegas, Nev. and has appeared on Headline News CNN, NewsMax TV, and One America News Network.
The perfect cure for school violence

The left loves public policy debates that force conservatives on the defensive. So every episode of public school shootings inevitably brings the squawking parrots of leftism to an empty argument about gun control. What this means is that conservatives focus on responding to the rhetoric of leftism instead of forcing the left to confront its own failures. There is a perfect cure for the sort of school violence that has dominated the headlines so often over the last decade. Provide parents with the financial incentives and the power to decide how their children will be educated. So if parents chose to send their children to private schools, parochial schools, and other religious schools, the federal government would contribute an amount of money equivalent to what it has been paying public schools for the education of a student.

In case no one noticed, these private schools seem rarely to have the sort of shootings public schools seem incapable of stopping. Private schools can control their students and adopt effective and reasonable policies to make students safe. The private sector always operates more rationally and sensibly than statist institutions, and few of these statist institutions are as pathetically inept as public schools Not only have public schools proven incapable of stopping murderers with guns, but public schools are breeding grounds for gang violence, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, and a depressingly long list of social problems. The real purpose of public schools, which is accomplished quite well, is the indoctrination of leftism mythology and mendacity into the unguarded minds of children. Social engineering, not education, is the mission of public schools, and it has been for many decades. School violence presents no negative consequences, really, for those who run public schools. Parents who are not rich have no real alternative to public education without serious financial hardship. Allowing parents to use for private schools the amount of money per student that would be used by public schools from the federal government would immediately create a marketplace of educational choice. Public schools that do not protect or educate children would find the amount of money they receive from the federal government dropping dramatically. This reform ought to provide parents with a choice not simply between private schools and public schools. Parents who homeschool their children and whose children pass competency tests in those areas of study dealing with necessary skills should be able to receive from the federal government an amount of money equal to what the public school district receives per student from the federal government. After all, it is education that is the goal, isn't it? How many education-related shootings have there been among homeschooled children? If parents had a financial benefit to gain from teaching their own children to offset the loss of a second income or a strong subsidy for private schooling, then more and more parents would choose this way of educating their children. As more and more parents opted for homeschooling or private schooling, public school student populations would begin to shrink like drops of water on a hot sidewalk. More and more private schools of different varieties would blossom, providing what leftists always tout as vital but always dismiss in practice: diversity. This, then, ought to be the relentless message of conservatives: the problem with gun violence in public schools is the public education system itself. Institutionalized public education is an anachronism and a catastrophe. It breeds social problems and crime. Those who truly care about this ought to recognize the danger of institutionalized public schooling and ought to support the privatization and de-institutionalization of education. If leftists really care about gun violence in public schools, then they will support this change, but of course, all leftists ever really care about is power.
The answer: a president who doesn't fulfill his main campaign promise but pretends he is fulfilling it.

That was the purpose of the political theater yesterday as Trump came to the border to visit with his "border wall prototypes" and to tout his border security measures.

It's reminiscent of George W. Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech on the USS Abraham Lincoln when we still had years and years of fighting left to do in Iraq.

Fourteen months in, and this is all that's been done.

Trump blames Congress for not appropriating the money for the wall, but really, a lot of the blame falls on Trump.

1. Trump repeatedly campaigned for president promising that Mexico would pay for the border wall. Why hasn't Mexico started paying? Because Trump never had a plan to get Mexico to pay for the wall and still doesn't. It was just a ploy to get himself the Republican nomination for president, and it worked.

2. Now that we know that Trump never had a plan for getting Mexico to pay for the wall, the only way it can get built is if Congress appropriates funds for it. A few months into his term, President Trump signed a continuing spending bill for the rest of 2017 that had no money for wall construction. And late last year he signed a two-year spending bill for 2018 and 2019 that contained no money for wall construction, either.

Trump will say it is not his fault, that he cannot make the Congress appropriate the money. But Trump didn't even try. He never made his case to the American people as Reagan did for his tax cuts or for aid to the freedom fighters in Nicaragua.

Trump has never vetoed a spending bill. Trump has never even threatened to veto a spending bill.

Imagine if Trump had vetoed a spending bill, saying he was shutting down the government until Congress came up with money for border security. It would have been a wildly popular move. The Congress would have been forced, by public sentiment, to come up with at least some money.

But Trump didn't even try, and this is the result: for the first three years of his administration, not one foot of border wall will be built.

Trump's visit to the "prototypes" is political theater. He might as well have visited a model of a spaceship to Mars or a mockup of a time machine, because those are more likely to be built in the coming years than his border wall.

Unfortunately, his base, seeing him with these models as a backdrop and talking tough on border security, will fall for it and never ask the tough question of why, 14 months into his administration, not an inch of work on border walls has begun.

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
1. Chief of Staff. Trump's first chief of staff, Reince Priebus, lasted only six months because he was weak-willed and couldn't maintain order. Why, then, did Trump hire him?

The hallmark of a good manager is the ability to vet and hire good employees. President Trump's record is not especially encouraging.

2. National Security Adviser. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, lasted little more than a week after it was revealed that he had lied about contact with the Russians. Why wasn't Flynn more carefully vetted? Trump's current national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, is strongly rumored to be heading out the door, perhaps replaced by John Bolton, whom Trump met with recently. Why didn't Trump vet his second NSA pick any better than his first?

3. Secretary of State. Rex Tillerson is the latest to be let go. Trump hired him because he liked Tillerson's "swagger." Before hiring him, how long would it have taken to find out that Tillerson had incompatible views on North Korea, Iran, and the global warming treaty? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Again, another hire not at all vetted.

4) Communications Director. Trump is getting ready to hire his fifth communications director. Most notable was #3, Anthony Scaramucci, who liked to publicly brag that he doesn't make love to himself. Why was such a man even hired? Why does Trump have to fill a position five times in order to hire the right person? Could a monkey throwing darts at a stack of resumes do any worse?

5) Secretary of Defense. James Mattis is still on the job a year in. But he has clashed with the White House, saying he is against enhanced interrogation techniques for terrorists, something Trump campaigned on, and he supports keeping transvestites in the military and paying for their mutilation procedures. Why was this man hired?

6) Secretary of Veterans' Affairs. David Shulkin was an Obama holdover whom Trump selected for the job. Was it any surprise, then, that Shulkin opposed partial privatizations of VA medical care? Trump is said to be planning to replace him with Rick Perry. What intelligent person would have appointed Shulkin in the first place?

7) ICE Director. Trump has appointed Obama holdover Thomas Homan as head of ICE. Homan is famous for "escorting" illegal alien children to different parts of the country and conducting phony immigration raids where the targets are warned in advance. Why would someone concerned about border security select him for the job?

8) Javanka. What in the world are Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump doing in the White House? What skills qualify them to work there? Jared was deemed so vulnerable to foreign persuasion that he couldn't get a top-level security clearance. Foreign leaders were wiretapped bragging about how they had manipulated him. At least Bobby Kennedy was somewhat qualified to be attorney general. Is the North Korean method of hiring family members as senior aides really what we want to see in the White House?

Trump has made a few good picks, notably Attorney General Jeff Sessons, Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court, and Mike Pompeo at the CIA. But he's made many, many more bad ones.

I prefer Trump's incompetent conservatism to Hillary's incompetent leftism, but I still aspire for more.

Questions for discussion:

1. If Trump is so brilliant, why has he hired so many terrible appointees?

2. If you picked names at random out of a local phone book to hire for Cabinet posts, would they do worse than Trump's selections, on average?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at Newsmachete.com.
Sadly, there is an outbreak of yellow fever in Brazil, as we see in this report :

As we learned in school, yellow fever had a devastating impact on the world around the time of the construction of the Panama Canal, a little over 100 years ago.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advice for people thinking about traveling to most parts of Brazil: get vaccinated against yellow fever, or stay home. Brazil is currently suffering a major outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever, and it's striking places that don't normally see the virus. Since the beginning of 2017, 237 people, including several tourists, have died after becoming infected with the virus. Carried by mosquitoes, the virus has also spread to the very edge of Brazil's largest cities, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and has also infected mosquitoes on the Ilha Grande, a major tourist destination not far from Rio. "This is the time not to go into an outbreak area unprotected," said Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the C.D.C. "We recommend people defer travel to these areas of transmission if they can't be protected by the vaccine."

Am I the only one who finds this story unbelievable? After all, we are talking about two of the largest metropolitan areas in the world, Rio and Sao Paulo, and a country with a Top 10 GDP.

The health implications are compounded by two things:

First, a country awash with rumors exploding in social media. My friend in Brazil wrote that it is not unusual to get a tweet or Facebook message about an outbreak here or there. People are consuming one rumor after another.

Second, Brazil's political class has very little credibility following an impeachment, one scandal after another, and bad economy.

It'd be better not to travel to Brazil in the near future. If you must, get the proper vaccine or medication.

PS: You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Web giant Google has officially opened the floodgates of mobile AR gaming by allowing game developers to use data from its Google Maps service to create games that take place in the real world, or a fantasy reflection of it. To make things even easier for developers, the data set is available in Unity format, with real-world buildings and landmarks rendered on Unity-friendly maps as in-game objects. Location-based AR gaming a la Pokemon GO is the first use case to leap to mind, but crafting an incredibly detailed and realistic game world for any purpose can be daunting, and Google is offering to let developers use its data on the real world in order to all but waive that requirement.

Use of this data set even allows developers access to Google Maps servers, to ensure that games are always online and map data is always up to date. The data set and related services are not free and open source like some other tools from Google, so developers who want to enlist Googles cartographers to build out their game world will have to talk business with Googles sales team, as there is no fixed price for usage at this time. Use of the data set and related features comes via a number of APIs that allow direct integration of Google Maps data into a game world, including not just the map data and imagery, but also data on locations of interest. This means that game developers could very easily put a few procedural actors on a scene and drop players into a living, breathing game world, a feat that, up until now, took years of hard work. The limitation, of course, is that your game world is a mirror of the real world; putting players into a miles-wide mountainscape dotted with small villages, like in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, will require finding such a locale in Google Maps.

The possibilities and implications of such a system are nearly limitless. This development means that just about anybody willing to pay Google for the privilege will have a fully-formed game world to drop characters and stories into, and can put a custom skin over the real world or put players in an extremely convincing facsimile of the world around them. The fact that these pre-built and fully populated maps are available in Unity, one of the easier game development suites for modern gaming, makes it even easier for developers to shorten or skip the world building process. Google has already allowed a set of partners to create games with the new APIs, resulting in games like The Walking Dead: Our World and Jurassic World: Alive.
Google has announced that the Google Station program is now available in Mexico. Despite the decreasing costs of mobile data plans in the Latin American country, Mexicans are still looking for ways to connect to the internet without using their mobile data, and Google aims to provide a solution to this concern through its Google Station project. The search giant said that with the help of internet service provider Sitwifi, the Google Station will be available in more than 60 high-traffic venues across the country, including shopping centers, airports, and transport stations. The tech firm also mentioned that it aims to increase the number of hotspots to more than 100 by the end of the year.

While customers benefit from a free and reliable internet connection, the internet service providers also benefit from the Google Station program. The search giant is providing data-backed tools that help service providers in designing their networks and determining the most appropriate locations for their Wi-Fi hotspots. Moreover, Google Station enables ISPs to monetize their Wi-Fi hotspots through advertising. Google disclosed that it is offering advertisements in a number of digital formats, including banners and video clips. The tech company is providing the software tools to its partners for free in exchange for a share of the advertising revenue of the Wi-Fi hotspots.

Aside from Mexico, Google Station is already available in India and Indonesia. Googles free Wi-Fi service first launched in India back in 2016, and the search giant partnered with local companies like Indian Railways and RailTel in an effort to expand the service to more locations across the South Asian country. By the end of 2016, Google has successfully rolled out its Wi-Fi service in more than 100 railway stations in the country. The following year, the tech firm launched the Google Station in Indonesia with the help of partners CBN and Fiberstar. In addition, the tech firm is also actively working on other programs that could help connect more people to the internet, including its signal-relaying balloons developed as part of Project Loon.
Lenovo Group VP Chang Cheng has returned to the Chinese social network Weibo with new details about the Lenovo S5, including a new render of the front panel. This is actually the third time Cheng has taken to Weibo to unveil more information, including a post just about a week ago. However, there still isnt much information available about the device itself. Even the render used in this promotional post doesnt show too much detail about what the device will look like. In any case, this latest post reveals that the device will ship with a full screen in a uniform, all-metal frame. Although this isnt guaranteed, full screen is generally used in Asian markets to describe an almost bezel-free design with a screen ratio of 18:9. So, thats likely the case here. Meanwhile, the newly revealed device features also include a dual-camera setup, face unlock features, and built-in secure payment. The new promotional teaser also touts the same launch date set in earlier posts from the exec, March 20.

Previous leaks from Cheng provide a bit more insight still. The Lenovo S5 is said to ship with a massive 6,000mAh-rated battery inside. Optimized correctly, that should be more than enough to last several days on end or provide at least 10 hours of on-screen time. It will also arrive with some form of artificial intelligence built into the system, but it isnt immediately clear whether or not the includes an Assistant-like functionality or something closer to HTCs Sense Companion. It may even encompass something closer to what Huawei has on offer with its Kirin 970 SoC  where the A.I. manages the chipset and device optimization to provide a smoother, better-performing experience over time. It will also ship in a red-colored variation, though that wont necessarily be the only color available. If Chengs previously offered clues about performance are any indication, the package will be powered by a Snapdragon 625 SoC or better, backed by around 4GB of RAM.

With only around a week to go before this handset is set to launch, theres not a high likeliness that these specs will turn out to be incorrect  with the exception of the Lenovo S5 SoC and RAM. However, this should probably still be taken with a grain of salt and there is still plenty of information left to be revealed. Aside from that, it remains to be seen what this Lenovo smartphone will actually look like. Thankfully, theres not much time left to wait.
Motorolas upcoming Moto G6 and Moto E5 families have been certified in some Asian markets. The Lenovo-owned American brand has had a pretty successful run with its Moto G and E smartphone lines since their respective launches in 2013 and 2014. And now, the companys next-generation models have received a number of certifications, hinting at their future launches. Beginning with the Moto G6 series, the new lineup is set to include three devices, the regular Moto G6, the slightly larger Moto G6 Plus, and the budget-friendly Moto G6 Play.

These devices, which go by the model numbers XT1925-7, XT1926-5, and XT1922-1 respectively, have all received their official certifications in both Indonesia and Thailand via the TKDN and the NBTC. Furthermore, it appears Motorola has also recently requested a certification for its Moto G6 Play variant in Malaysia, which also looks to have been granted. In addition to the Moto G6 lineup, the companys budget Moto E5 (XT1924-3) has also paid a visit to the TKDN in Indonesia alongside its cheaper sibling, the E5 Play, which itself has also received regulatory approval in Thailand. Interestingly, though, the previously-leaked Moto E5 Plus was a no-show, so perhaps the company could be reserving this device for a later launch. In either case, both the Moto E5 and Moto G6 lines are set to debut with a new glass and aluminum builds, adorned with large 18:9 displays and shipping with Android 8.0 Oreo on board, meaning support for Project Treble will also be included.

In terms of a potential release date, nothing has been confirmed by the company as of yet, but considering the high number of recent regulatory certifications that the devices have been receiving, an official announcement shouldnt be too far away. Motorola, which recently laid off a large portion of its staff, is yet to confirm the existence of either smartphone series, but recent rumors point towards the Chicago-based company putting more focus on the devices than ever before. After all, the follow up to last years Moto X4 has reportedly been scrapped in favor of promoting the more established Moto E and G lines, not to mention the flagship Moto Z lineup, which will likely be updated towards the beginning of the summer.
Neatos Botvac D7 Connected is coming to North America and Europe on March 13, which is today, and will be available on both continents across multiple countries for any consumer who has been looking to make one part of the home-cleaning aspect a little easier in their lives. First announced back at the end of the Summer of 2017, the Botvac D7 Connected is the evolution of Neatos robotic vacuum efforts and introduces some nice little improvements over previous models, and will be launching in the U.S. for $799 and in Europe for 899. To be clear, Neato says the vacuum will be available to consumers in these regions from March 13 which means some places could see it after that date, and it doesnt specify which countries in North America or Europe, though its clear that the U.S. is going to be one of those given the price point.

While polished hardware and design are certainly factors to consider here with the Botvac D7 Connected, one of the headlining new features is FloorPlanner, a feature which simplifies the whole cleaning process as it allows users to configure areas of the home where the vacuum will know to avoid. Neato is calling these no-go lines and will enable users to set them up using the companion app for the vacuum, users just need to open the app, place the no-go lines, and then when the vacuum begins cleaning each time itll be able to avoid trying to clean the areas where its not supposed to go.

This is a big thing for anyone looking to invest in a robot vacuum, as it alleviates the need for extra equipment like beacons or tape or laser sensors that complete the same action of blocking off the vacuum. Of course you could always go low-tech and physically block off those areas too, but now there isnt a need to do that either. Neato doesnt mention which retailers will be selling the vacuum, but it will definitely be available from Netaos online store and likely other retailers such as Amazon, and potentially from retailers like Best Buy, Target, Home Depot, Lowes and other similar stores that already sell these kinds of products, though it is important to remember that no retailers have been named yet.
Qualcomm is celebrating President Trumps Monday order forbidding Broadcom from pursuing the American chipmaker any further, co-founder Irwin M. Jacobs told The San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this week. There are a lot of happy people in San Diego and at Qualcomm right now, the 84-year-old revealed, adding that employees are also celebrating the development along with the firms executives. The entrepreneur who co-founded Qualcomm in 1985 along with six other people said he wasnt surprised by the presidential order but highlighted its importance as an indicator of how crucial Qualcomms work is for the nation as a whole.

President Trumps decision to act against Broadcoms hostile takeover attempt was made on the advice of the Treasury Departments Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, with the timing of its involvement being unusual given how the panel intervened in the matter before any deal between the two has even been reached and despite the fact that it was officially set to lose its jurisdiction over the matter early next month when Broadcom was planning to return its corporate headquarters from Singapore to San Jose, which it still intends to see through, according to its Wednesday statement confirming it dropped its pursuit of Qualcomm. CFIUS feared Broadcoms M&A track record suggests the company is likely to cut Qualcomms R&D budget if it ends up acquiring the chipmaker, consequently providing an opportunity for Chinas Huawei to get ahead in the 5G race and close the gap with the firms other industry-leading technologies, as revealed in a letter authored by one panel official which Qualcomm publicized earlier this month.

President Trumps Monday directive hence served as an end to the highly unusual takeover struggle between Qualcomm and Broadcom that led to a number of unprecedented developments and public finger-pointing in regards to the value, sustainability, and overall transparency of some of the worlds largest tech companies. Intel was previously rumored to be interested in outbidding Broadcom if a tie-up was agreed but is now unlikely to make any moves in light of recent developments. Some analysts are predicting Broadcoms aggressive M&A strategy will remain unchanged despite its latest defeat that would have served as the crown achievement of CEO Hock Tans career which already consolidated nearly $400 billion worth of assets in the technology industry.
On February 25, 2018 Samsung officially introduced the world to its brand new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. Like any new smartphone both devices have improvements over the previous years models but they also have a lot of similarities and a couple of key differences that are worth considering. Its also these differences which make it possible to tell the good from the bad on both phones.

The Good

There are many good things about the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, from design to functionality, and any consumer looking for a great phone with plenty of features would no doubt look their way. For starters, Samsung is using metal and glass for the build of both phones just like with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus last year, though it has made some adjustments. One of the best things is that the fingerprint sensor has now been moved to sit below the camera modules on both phones, whereas last year Samsung had the sensor placed next to the camera modules which resulted in people accidentally smudging up their cameras with fingerprints when they would go to unlock the device. That should no longer be an issue and with the change it shows that Samsung was listening to its consumers. Samsung has also introduced a new color to the mix for this years crop all while keeping the other three colors the same as its phones from last year to perhaps keep some familiarity, and likely because they were popular as well as safe colors that would appeal to a wider audience.

Advertisement

Another bonus, for the Galaxy S9 Plus at least, is the inclusion of the dual camera on the back. Though Samsung did introduce such a feature on the Galaxy Note 8 this will be the first time that a phone in the Galaxy S lineup has had a dual camera of any kind. The secondary camera is a telephoto lens which helps for things like depth of field, allowing users to get those beautiful portrait mode photos that blur the background so the subject in the foreground is the only thing in perfect focus. The Galaxy S9 Plus isnt the only phone to offer such a feature but it is one of the better traits about the device. Sadly, its only available on the Plus model since the feature is enabled by the secondary camera sensor. What both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus do have is the variable aperture on the main camera sensor. With this in place, users can better adjust to the lighting thats available in the room or outdoors to make sure their photos have enough light.

If these camera feature werent enough Samsung has also added in the Super Slow-mo feature for video recording and it can be manually triggered so you can turn it on and off at your leisure. If you like having that kind of control over certain functions then youll find this to be a cool thing to have, and it certainly makes for a neat trick to show off to friends, family, and anyone else willing to take a look. Functionality aside, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are also widely available. Samsung has made the two phones accessible on just about every single network in every part of the globe, so no matter which carrier you subscribe to, or where you live, youll generally be able to get your hands on one and thats something which definitely helps the phone out quite a bit. That said Samsung is a global brand so it was really a given before the phone was announced that Samsung would launch it in as many markets and across as many carriers as possible, in addition to selling the phone unlocked through its own online store and on retail websites like Amazon. All in all, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are two great devices for the year and are sure to be some of the best of any handsets that will be released in 2018.

The Bad

Video Advertisement

Where to begin. Samsungs Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus may likely be this years best phones, or close to it, but that doesnt mean that there isnt anything wrong with them as every manufacturer tends to stumble somewhere. In Samsungs case, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus show no real changes when it comes to the design, which is something that is going to bother some people. That said the lack of design change isnt going to be an issue for everyone, and as they say if it aint broke dont fix it. Samsung didnt see the design of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus as having to be changed too much so it left most everything relatively the same, and some consumers, perhaps the majority of them, will be fine with this, but there are some who will find this to be a fault.

What many consumers likely wont be fine with is the fact that this year Samsung has differentiated the Galaxy S9 from the Galaxy S9 Plus a little bit more than some were initially expecting when rumors first started popping up. Not only do the two phones have different sized displays, which is really a good thing as it gives consumers the choice to decide how large they want the display, the Galaxy S9 also has other slimmed down specs. It has less RAM, a smaller battery, and only one rear-facing camera compared to the Galaxy S9 Plus dual camera setup. This means any consumers who want the dual camera feature and the larger amount of RAM will be forced to buy the Galaxy S9 Plus even if they prefer to have the smaller display of the Galaxy S9. The alternative is settling for the phone with lesser specs if it means having a more pocketable phone, and that definitely wont sit too well with some. Though there probably wont be too many consumers who are exceedingly outraged by it some will likely find it to be a little disappointing, especially after last years Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus offered all the same great features and simply offered a difference in screen size. Another point worth making is that neither the Galaxy S9 nor Galaxy S9 Plus will support 4K HDR recording, something which will likely be present in every other phone thats powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. Despite all the good of both phones, this mandatory choice that consumers will have to make is one of the bad points, and unfortunately theres no way around having to make it if you plan on getting one of these phones.

The Ugly

Advertisement

Samsung at this point doesnt tend to have much in the way of ugly factors with its devices, as it has carefully honed its craft of producing a quality smartphone with loads of excellent features and a great design that has been slightly altered and improved over the years to get to where things are now. All that great design and all those great features come at a cost though. A monetary one that is quite high, and therein lies what is probably the only ugly part about the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus  the cost.

Both phones are fairly expensive, the Galaxy S9 Plus even more so, and this will keep some consumers from buying either one, or opting for the Galaxy S9 to pay less money but then having to deal with losing out on some of the better features. The Galaxy S9 will start at a cost of $720, while the Galaxy S9 Plus will start at a cost of $840. These are very high prices, and while the phones will probably function very well and run smoothly with a highly optimized software, the prices are going to be more than some consumers will pay, thats even before you consider that those above-mentioned prices are the starting costs.

There will be models that cost even more if you want to pick up the larger amount of storage, though these models may not be available in every region which is yet another ugly point that is worth making, as Samsung is essentially removing some of the choice consumers have by not making the larger storage models available to all its consumers in every region where the two phones are launching. Another thing to consider is that the base costs of the phones that will be available in the U.S. are just the costs from Samsung. If you plan to pick the phone up at one of the carriers, like say, Verizon or AT&T, then youll be spending more for the Galaxy S9 Plus then you will if you bought direct from Samsung for an unlocked model, which is what every consumer should be doing if they want to save money. For example, the Galaxy S9 Plus at AT&T will cost you $915, while at Verizon itll be $930 making it almost $100 more than the standard cost. Youll be spending more for the Galaxy S9 too. You will have opportunities to save money by trading in old phones, but not everyone will be in this position as some may be upgrading or activating with a Galaxy S9 Plus and coming from an old enough phone that will garner no value for a trade-in. In the end, if you want the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus, youll need to be prepared to pay a lot for either one.

Wrap Up

Advertisement

Despite the high cost of both phones, and the slight differences in feature between the two, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are two great devices and very well two of the best of this year. Each one has a lot to offer to the consumer looking for a high-end handset, and itll be widely available. You can be sure that Samsung also wont run into any stock issues meaning that any consumer who wants to buy one will be able to find it somewhere, whether through Amazon, Samsung, or their local carrier stores. Overall, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus are two phones you dont want to miss if you are in the market for an upgrade, though if youre already using a Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus then you may want to simply consider waiting as there arent a whole lot of differences or upgrades in terms of features between the two sets of phones.
Samsung C&T Corporation, a parent company of Samsung Group, has reportedly been in talks with Somika SPRL in order to obtain a supply contract for cobalt. Thats allegedly according to an unnamed source at the company who declined to be named due to the private nature of the talks. So at least part of the report should be taken with a grain of salt, although the fact that the companies have been in communication is something that was confirmed by Somika Chairman, Chetan Chug. As such, it goes without saying that no further official details have been provided as of this writing because no agreement has yet been reached.

As to why Samsung might be seeking the material, cobalt is used in a wide number of products ranging from anemia medication to jet engines and pottery glaze. In this case, however, its far more likely that Samsung plans to use the element in lithium-ion batteries  which also use a substantial amount of it depending on the size of the battery. Samsung may want a new contract for cobalt for use in its plethora of smartphones since it typically renegotiates contracts on cobalt every couple of years. The company could also be seeking more of the stuff for use in larger batteries to energize its self-driving car platform or other projects. Whatever the case turns out to be, if the company is seeking to secure a large supply of cobalt, it likely has something to do with sharply increasing costs over the past couple of years. With the ever-growing demand for better and faster smartphones, as well as the incoming wave of autonomous vehicles, that cost is almost certainly going to continue rising. Thats a possibility that is only made more poignant by the fact that elements such as cobalt are finite in supply.

Unfortunately, it may be impossible to ever learn about whether or not the mobile giant and Congolese mining company are discussing that particular topic. Moreover, there arent necessarily going to be any financial details or other information released about the deal, if one is reached. Neither company is likely to make an official announcement about it, though a steep jump in Samsungs production of cobalt-dependent products may give some indication.
Samsung is reportedly planning to expand a China NAND flash facility next month to meet global demand for its memory products. The expansion will take around the next three years to complete, and it will also include over $7 Billion in investments from Samsung for the project. The facility is located in Xian, China, and with an expansion of the facility is sure to come more jobs, though it isnt reported how many new employees Samsung would be looking to hire after the expansion is completed.

This expansion is also only part of Samsungs plans to increase the supply for its NAND products to go along with the increased demand. It wants to build a second chip facility in Pyeongtaek, South Korea where it already has one chip plant to help it produce these products. That said its unclear when it plans to begin the construction of this second facility or how long it would take in addition to how much it would cost to complete the facility. It is mentioned however, that Samsung has reached a preliminary approval for the investment of the second plant, which means the entire project is likely still in the early stages and may not have been fully approved just yet.

Samsungs plans to expand its Xian-based NAND plant have been in the works for some time. It was initially reported last August that the company would be investing money into the facility there and would be allocating the money into different directions, including the hiring of new workers and expanding the plant. It was even reported that the amount invested would be $7 Billion and that it would happen over the course of a three-year period. What wasnt mentioned at the time was when the construction would begin so the expansion could move forward. Those are the details which have surfaced as of today and it would seem that Samsung is finally ready to jump start the process, and Samsung hopes to begin production in the newly expanded part of the plant by sometime in 2019 though no exact dates have been mentioned at this time.
A traditional headphone jack stands in the way of beautiful, seamless design, Sony Mobile said on its page dedicated to frequently asked questions related to the companys products announced at the latest iteration of Mobile World Congress. The company took to this years Barcelona, Spain-based trade show to unveil its latest premium offerings in the form of the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact, both of which lack a conventional 3.5mm jack. The polarizing practice of removing the popular port started in late 2016 with Apples iPhone 7 lineup, with original equipment manufacturers giving various reasons for following suit ever since. Unlike many phone makers, Sony didnt claim it needed to do away with the headphone jack in order to make its devices slimmer, waterproof, or equip them with larger batteries, but asserted that the move is part of its transition to Ambient Flow, a new design language introduced with the Xperia XZ2 series which is meant to succeed the OmniBalance aesthetic.

The Japanese OEM also said its aware of the major market trend toward wireless headphones over wired headphones, suggesting that development also contributed to its decision to remove the 3.5mm port from its new smartphones. Bluetooth audio solutions have been improving in terms of quality and reliability in recent years but theres still no hard data to suggest consumers are adopting them en masse. Sony is hence joining the likes of Google, HTC, Motorola, and Huawei in removing the headphone jack from its devices, much to the dismay of a vocal group of consumers. Theres still no evidence that suggests the mainstream audience cares about the port enough to avoid buying a device without it, and all major OEMs who opted for such a move likely concluded as much as part of their regular focus group studies and other research meant to gauge consumer preferences.

Sonys recent financial reports show its mobile unit has been shrinking but the company repeatedly stated it has no plans to exit the smartphone market going forward. The Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are set to be released on a global level this spring.
T-Mobile signed an agreement with NBCs station NBC 5 / KXAS-TV that will help the company transition away from its 600MHz band in North Texas and free it up for the wireless carrier to use in a timelier fashion, the duo announced Wednesday. The move will see KXAS-TV switch to a new frequency more than a year before originally required, with the companies planning to complete the repack by late May, whereas the Federal Communications Commission attached a June 21, 2019, deadline to the project. Following the conclusion of the process, T-Mobile will be able to utilize the freed up 600MHz band in order to improve its local 4G LTE coverage, the Bellevue, Washington-based firm said. As a direct consequence of the move, the company is expecting to set up a system that allows for wireless connectivity thats four times better at penetrating objects and offers double the reach of its existing solution in the area.

The development should significantly improve connectivity in Waco, Sulphur Springs, Paris, Wichita Falls, Tyler, and surrounding areas in south Oklahoma such as Durant and Ardmore. The 600MHz band KXAS-TV is freeing up for T-Mobile is part of the of the package won by the carrier at the FCCs spectrum auction concluded just under a year ago. The mobile service provider said the move is just the latest piece of evidence showing its openness to collaborating with broadcasters that are currently using the 600MHz spectrum in order to assist them in the process of transitioning away from their old band. The accelerated deployment that will allow T-Mobile to immediately improve its 4G LTE network should also eventually benefit its 5G ambitions, with the wireless carrier repeatedly stating its planning to leverage its 600MHz holdings in order to deliver the next generation of mobile connectivity in the near future.

The new deal with NBCs station is reminiscent of the one T-Mobile reached with Fox late last year, with more similar agreements being likely to follow going forward. T-Mobiles approach to 5G deployment stands in stark contrast to the one pursued by its national rivals which appear to be much more interested in millimeter-wave spectrum despite its limited reach which is essentially forcing them to deploy millions of small cell stations and aggressively densify their networks to account for the inherent limitations of such frequencies.
Adaptive Cruise Control

The newcomer would be the fifth generation of the award-winning compact crossover. The first dropped in 97, and the current generation has been with us since 12 . What can we expect from the Forester Gen 5, coming for the 2019 MY?First of all, take a look at those taillights! Its no coincidence the design reminds us of the Ascent, for the Forester will also make the transition to the Subaru Global Platform and Dynamic x Solid styling philosophy. Larger and roomier than the model it replaces, the 2019 Forester is further anticipated to spice things up a bit.The 2.4-liter turbocharged boxer in the Ascent could be re-worked for this application, a fitting replacement for the 2.5-liter that comes as standard in the U.S.-spec Forester. Speaking of which, pricing kicks off at $22,795 and fuel economy of the 2018 model year is rated at up to 26 miles per gallon in the city and 32 mpg highway.In the Ascent, the 2.4-liter is good for 260 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque, figures that overshadow the 2.5-liter by a significant margin (170 horsepower and 174 pound-feet). Be that as it may, the 2.0-liter boxer in the 2.0XT Premium comes in on a close second, with 250 ponies and 258 lb-ft under its belt.If theres a case to be made in markets outside of Japan and Australia, Subaru could turn the Forester into a hotter affair thanks to the know-how of STI. The Forester tS serves as a case in point. But being based on the Global Platform, it wouldnt come as a surprise for the Forester to also go hybrid or even plug-in hybrid.Last, but certainly not least, customers can expect the automaker to enhance the array of driver-assistive features with the latest EyeSight technologies. Think Automatic Pre-Collision Braking, Pre-Collision Throttle Management,, Lane Departure and Sway Warning, Blind Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, as well as Reverse Automatic Braking.
SUV

TDI

Why Bratislava of all places? As it happens, thats where Volkswagen manufactures the Touareg since 2002. The German automaker bought 80 percent of the plant in 1991, with the remaining shares acquired in 1998. This is the facility that handles production of the MLB Evo-based Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne as well.Treading through Kazakhstan, the validation prototype in the featured teaser looks larger than the current Touareg . Thats because it is larger, as the mid-sizetransitions from the PL52 platform to the MLB Evo. Some things wont change, though, including the eight forward ratios in the ZF 8HP automatic transmission.The Audi-esque exterior styling carries on inside , where youll find a digital instrument cluster and a large-diameter infotainment screen with touchscreen technology. An estimated 100 kilograms (220 pounds) lighter than the model it replaces, the all-new Touareg will be offered with two V6 engines in the first instance.In the gasoline-fueled corner, theres the 3.0 TSI with something in the ballpark of 340 horsepower at its disposal. Turbo diesel enthusiasts, on the other hand, will be tempted with the 3.0, packing 286 ponies and 600 Nm (443 lb-ft) of torque. A plug-in hybrid drivetrain is also rumored, and based on Volkswagens electrified onslaught, its extremely likely to happen.Remember the T-Prime Concept GTE presented at Auto China 2016? Acting as a preview for the Touareg Gen 3, the concept vehicle combines the 2.0-liter TSI four-cylinder with an electric motor thats integrated into the housing of the transmission. The automaker quotes 375 horsepower, as well as a zero-emission range of up to 50 kilometers (31 miles).
Speaking on the sidelines of the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, Peter Mertens told Car and Driver that the R8 "has a long life and it's doing okay," but a replacement isn't on the cards.I always get [my PR chief] very nervous when I start talking about that stuff. Never say never; performance cars are good for Audi," Mertens added.So there's still a possibility for an R8 replacement. But it's a slow seller and not doing much for the Audi corporate image.We think the R8 could be among the Top 5 most important Audis of all time. It came out in 2006 when their sales were less than half of what they are today. Instantly, the four-ring badge became associated with V8 and V10 supercars that were well built and more reliable than their Italian counterparts.But the world doesn't need the R8 anymore. Last year, only 772 units sold in America. Audi now has to divide its development money between hybrids and electric vehicles while maintaining a fleet of traditional luxury vehicles with internal combustion engines.Of course, even without the R8, Audi will have plenty of other performance cars but fitted with an exciting V10. It's unclear when the current generation will be discontinued. Emissions regulations could be an even bigger problem than the somewhat awkward styling of the car. However, if the R8 sticks around for long enough, it could eventually receive an entry-level V6 engine, which is also mentioned in the article.This would be the twin-turbo 2.9-liter TFSI unit that's already gone into everything from the RS4 to the Porsche Cayenne and Panamera. It's a direct replacement for the naturally-aspirated V8, and we don't understand why it's taking so long to find its way inside the mid-engined quattro supercar.
Doug DeMuro describes the South Korean interloper as  90 percent of the way to an S-Class , though the meaning of that depends on how you look at it. On the one hand, those who own or have experienced the Mercedes-Benz Sonderklasse would never go downmarket. But on the flip side, mid-size sedan owners who want to go upmarket are sure to be interested in the G90 for what it offers at this price point.Pricing kicks off at $68,350, and with every available option ticked from the list, youre looking at $75,345. Now take the S-Class for reference, which MSRPs from $89,900 for the S 450 and tops at $230,495 for the bone-stock S 65. Quite a difference, isnt it? But as mentioned beforehand, Genesis isnt gunning for the customer pool interested in the three-pointed star. Its designed for... let's say other people.People that appreciate how the headlights and taillights say full LED . And the sort of buyers that like how the instrument cluster reminds you if youve left any of windows down. Or those who prefer the first aid kit to be packaged in a premium pouch. The gimmicky features list continues with two-stage steering wheel heating.Getting back to business, the G90 also happens to be supremely comfortable both in the front and rear, but especially in the rear, just behind the front passenger seat. Another surprising advantage the G90 has over some of its competitors is the fuel, with the Genesis needing regular-grade gasoline instead of premium jungle juice.As for the way it drives, lets let Doug DeMuro take it over from here. Spoiler alert: its surprisingly good, but the transmission is geared toward comfort, not acceleration.
EV

Sticking to the "beat the iron while it's hot" idiom, the British manufacturer is already thinking of ways to make its sole(for now) more appealing to a broader range of customers. And handing it over to its Special Vehicle Operations division (SVO) seems like a decent idea.According to SVO chief John Edwards, the company believes the EV segment is still malleable enough, especially when it comes to performance vehicles. Sure, Tesla might have something to say about that, but the fact is the California-made battery-powered cars are a one-trick pony. They do crazy straight line acceleration runs, and that's it - and yet there's much more to performance driving than that.Edwards was speaking to Australian journalists when he referred to the new possibilities opened up by this fairly young segment. The rules of performance vehicles in a traditional market are very established and we react to those established rules, he told Motoring . With electric vehicles, the rules arent established at all, so I think it gives us different opportunities.However, the division ran by Edwards deals more with luxury upgrades than significant increases in performance, which is why an SVR-badged I-PACE would be a much more interesting proposition, considering how that acronym stands for Special Vehicle Racing.Just as it happens, Jaguar has the foundation stone already laid with the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY racing competition, which exclusively features modified versions of the road-going crossover. Granted, those modifications mostly consist of stripping it down and adding a roll cage, but some tweaks must have been made to the powertrain as well.John Edwards did not openly admit the company is cooking an I-PACE SVR, but when asked about it he smiled and simply said "possibly." We all know how tight-lipped big car companies can be, but when an official can't contain his giddiness at the thought of a vehicle they know is coming, that grin is usually what it looks like on the outside.
Kanye Wests New $57.3 Million Compound Is a Livable Work of Art With Tiny Garage

Volvo XC40, in Theaters Starting March 16 as Lara Croft's Official Car

Car manufacturers have a long history of linking their new products to various big Hollywood productions. After all, brands from other industries pay for product placement, so why should cars make any exception? 1 photo



But these collaborations aren't restricted to product placement. Nissan, for instance, must have paid good money to have its name associated to the new Star Wars movie, but not even a billion dollars could have convinced the director and producers to feature Han Solo driving a Rogue on screen. And yet the Japanese manufacturer was the movie's "main sponsor."







Not Alicia Vikander, though. The Swedish-born actress - see, they managed to make some sort of connection - is probably best known for her role in Ex Machina or The Danish Girl (the latter landing her an Oscar), but that's soon to change. As you probably know already, Alicia is going to be the new Lara Croft, which means she'll have to fill the huge boots left vacant by Angelina Jolie.



Her casting was questioned by some of the franchise's fans, but everyone should reserve judgment for after they see the movie. It debuts two days from now on March 16, and apart from what we've seen in the trailer, there's one more thing we know for sure: the main protagonist is going to drive a white



It's hard to tell at this point whether it'll feel like a natural match or it'll stink of advertising from beyond the silver screen, but at least as far as action scenes are concerned, the new Jeep Wrangler would have definitely been a better choice. However, Bob Jacobs, Vice President, Marketing, Product and Brand Communication for Volvo Car USA thinks it's a match made in heaven: Were very excited for the Volvo XC40 to have its film debut with Tomb Raider. One of the things we love about the film is Lara Crofts character: bold, surprising and always ready for adventure, just like the Volvo XC40.



Audi 's involvement with the Iron Man series is probably the most notorious, but look no further than DC Comics' Justice League, where Bruce Wayne's wheels proudly wear the three-pointed star of Mercedes-Benz for another example. Even the more low-key brands did it: remember a strangely immaculate teal Hyundai Tucson in AMC's The Walking Dead by any chance?But these collaborations aren't restricted to product placement. Nissan, for instance, must have paid good money to have its name associated to the new Star Wars movie, but not even a billion dollars could have convinced the director and producers to feature Han Solo driving a Rogue on screen. And yet the Japanese manufacturer was the movie's "main sponsor." Volvo has been pretty quiet on this front lately, and given its origins as well as the name it has for the design of its models' daytime running lights (Thor's hammer), you'd think Marvel's character would make a perfect fit. However, considering the XC40 tiny crossover is the Swedish brand's latest model and therefore the one that would make the most sense to promote, having Chris Hemsworth to sit in it would look pretty ridiculous.Not Alicia Vikander, though. The Swedish-born actress - see, they managed to make some sort of connection - is probably best known for her role in Ex Machina or The Danish Girl (the latter landing her an Oscar), but that's soon to change. As you probably know already, Alicia is going to be the new Lara Croft, which means she'll have to fill the huge boots left vacant by Angelina Jolie.Her casting was questioned by some of the franchise's fans, but everyone should reserve judgment for after they see the movie. It debuts two days from now on March 16, and apart from what we've seen in the trailer, there's one more thing we know for sure: the main protagonist is going to drive a white Volvo XC40. It's hard to tell at this point whether it'll feel like a natural match or it'll stink of advertising from beyond the silver screen, but at least as far as action scenes are concerned, the new Jeep Wrangler would have definitely been a better choice. However, Bob Jacobs, Vice President, Marketing, Product and Brand Communication for Volvo Car USA thinks it's a match made in heaven: Were very excited for the Volvo XC40 to have its film debut with Tomb Raider. One of the things we love about the film is Lara Crofts character: bold, surprising and always ready for adventure, just like the Volvo XC40.
Effective with this weeks editions, longtime aviation journalist and editor Joy Finnegan joins the staff as editor-in-chief of AVweb. Prior to coming aboard, Finnegan has beenand will remaineditor of Aviation Maintenance Magazine and she served as editor at Rotor & Wing Magazine. She also has experience in the industry in contract administration, flight training and airline and charter flying.

In addition to her editing work, Finnegan has flown for a regional airline and has flight time in numerous piston and jet aircraft. Shes an ATP-CFII. She will oversee AVwebs expanding news coverage in general and business aviation.

Were happy to have Joy aboard as editor-in-chief, said Tim Cole, AVwebs editorial director and Belvoir Media Groups editorial vice president. She brings a rare mix of aviation and editorial experience that will serve our diverse readership well. Finnegan is based in Atlanta. Russ Niles will continue to edit Canadian Aviator and we wish him the best.
The Sudanese government announced on Tuesday morning that its military and security services had foiled an attempted coup from within the countrys armed forces.

Why it matters: The apparent coup attempt comes with Sudans transitional government  in which power is shared between civilians and generals  facing crises on several fronts two years after dictator Omar al-Bashir was toppled in a popular uprising.
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is expected to be criticized in a forthcoming report by the DOJ's inspector general for authorizing confidential disclosures to the media, per the NYT. The incident specifically focuses on a 2016 WSJ piece  for which McCabe allegedly allowed FBI officials to provide information  about internal tension at the FBI over the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails.

Why it matters: Though the incident had nothing to do with the Russia investigation, McCabe spent significant time working on that investigation as well. Any impropriety by McCabe in the Clinton investigation will provide fodder for President Trump and his Republican allies to further muddy the waters surrounding Russia  and DOJ's Mueller probe  by alleging "deep state" interference.
Dropbox is expected to go public later this month, or three years after the IPO of enterprise-focused rival Box. Each company has a distinct business model, but they often get lumped together due to their fundamental focuses on file storage and sharing. Well, plus those three shared letters in their names.

Axios spoke with Box founder and CEO Aaron Levie about what surprised him in the Dropbox numbers, how the market should view Dropbox vis-a-vis Box and what he makes of Salesforce buying into the IPO.

Initial reaction to Dropbox's numbers:

"I was a little surprised that the paid user numbers was as low as it was, and I thought their upsell rate on the end-user product would be a little higher. But, at the same time, I also think it's impressive what they've done on the consumer side."

On Dropbox's push into the enterprise:

"If you look at the past 10 years of headlines from Dropbox, every six months there's a new push into business. They've had multiple heads of sales, they've had multiple go-to-market efforts. Salesforce had previously invested in them. So I think there's been a lot of attacks at this space and I think largely what they've come up with, what they're really really good at, is a self-service, more SMB or team-like product. And that actually can serve many use cases on the B2B side, but you're sort of seeing some of the limits of that.

The numbers show what is largely a consumer business that has a healthy B2B revenue stream as well, and have built a company that has adapted to that reality. If you look at their cost structure, or even the investment in their own infrastructure, all of that is aligned to the fact that it's a business model where you want to drive down cost of goods sold as much as possible and run an incredibly efficient organization with low sales overhead. It has a fantastic financial profile."

Should Box also build its own infrastructure?

"We actually began on our own infrastructure and moved to the public cloud. And the reason wasn't because we thought we couldn't do storage cheaper than moving to the public cloud by definition you're paying somebody margin that you could have taken yourself  but as we thought about expanding internationally and serving many regulated industries, we would have to build out a lot more infrastructure globally to deliver on our value proposition. And then you add our partnerships with Microsoft and IBM and others, and it really started to make sense to have more of a neutral infrastructure profile. That was more of a strategic decision than a cost of gigabytes decision."

On speculation that Salesforce buying into Dropbox IPO is M&A prep:

"I don't want to ruin the drama, but I would say that Salesforce investing or not investing has almost no bearing on whether they'd buy or not buy a company."

Is Dropbox a good comp for Box, and vice versa?

"No, I don't think so. Despite the fact that both of our companies share files and despite the fact that they added 'box' to their name, the underlying structures of the businesses couldn't be more different. The dynamics of the customer bases are very different. The competitive landscapes are very different.

I think our comp is a little more natural because we're 99% enterprise revenue with 110% net retention, and 700 customers paying us over $100,000, so we look a lot more like a typical enterprise software model.

With Dropbox there's really never been a B2B that looks like this, which is partially because consumerization of the enterprise is brand new. I think it's more like if Skype had been taken public. There's probably two comps within the structure of Dropbox: One is a consumer business, like a Spotify or Netflix or Pandora. And the other is a sort of SMB-type company, maybe like Hubspot."

Has he spoken to Dropbox CEO Drew Houston?

"He didn't reach out for any advice. But his CFO and my CFO and me all went to high school together, so we're kind of tied at the financial hip."
China, intent on dominating artificial intelligence in a race with the United States, is said to be on a steep ascent toward at least a tie. But a number of AI experts say that while China can come close, it will be hard to catch up completely.

Why it matters: Leading tech and geopolitical strategists believe that AI is the ultimate technology  whoever invents a super-intelligent machine first will gain undisputed leverage over everyone else. Last year, Russia's Vladimir Putin said the AI winner will be the "ruler of the world."

Why China won't catch up: The U.S.-Canadian side moves on a dime. In fact, over the last few months, they decided they were misdirected toward getting to super-intelligence, and more or less started over. When a field is run like that, unless you are also prepared to start over (which the Chinese do not seem to be), you by definition are following, not leading.

The background: Last July, China publicly set a goal of matching the U.S. in AI by 2020, and leading the field by 2030. Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Sinovation Ventures and president of the Artificial Intelligence Institute, is one of the main voices asserting that China is already matching the U.S. in AI.

A data point supporting Lee came in January, when Tencent's Fine Art program defeated Ke Jie, China's Go champion, who had been given a two-stone head start and still lost, writes Wired's Tom Simonite.

came in January, when Tencent's Fine Art program defeated Ke Jie, China's Go champion, who had been given a two-stone head start and still lost, writes Wired's Tom Simonite. That came after AlphaGo  created by Alphabet's DeepMind  beat South Korean Lee Se-dol, then the fifth-ranked Go player in the world, and then, in May 2017, Ke Jie  the first time he had lost to a machine. Two professors told the NYT that DeepMind's Go triumphs were Sputnik moments for China, which led to its declaration of a race with the U.S.

created by Alphabet's DeepMind  beat South Korean Lee Se-dol, then the fifth-ranked Go player in the world, and then, in May 2017, Ke Jie  the first time he had lost to a machine. Two professors told the NYT that DeepMind's Go triumphs were Sputnik moments for China, which led to its declaration of a race with the U.S. A lot of AI advances are published in the open, allowing Chinese researchers to follow along with everyone else, notes Yifei Huang, a machine learning engineer at Outreach.io.

"America is at a disadvantage because we are No. 1, because of complacency that goes with that," says Chris Nicholson, CEO of Skymind, in which Tencent is an investor. "The U.S. is still No. 1 in research but China is catching up quick. They believe it's their race to win. And I think it's our race to lose."

But, but, but ... U.S. and Canadian AI researchers retain an advantage in what is an archetypically futurist field requiring serious conceptual skills, namely because they can do whatever they want. The fact of western intellectual freedom may sound like vapid nationalism, but it's actually crucial in AI research:

AI is so fluid that no one knows what will move the field forward toward super-intelligence.

no one knows what will move the field forward toward super-intelligence. China would never start over, as U.S. and Canadian researchers have: "In China, that would be unthinkable," said Manny Medina, CEO at Outreach.io in Seattle. AI stars like Facebook's Yann LeCun and the Vector Institute's Geoff Hinton in Toronto, he said, "don't have to ask permission. They can start research and move the ball forward."

As if to underscore this point, after its algorithm beat Ke Jie, Tencent conceded that Fine Art was inspired by DeepMind's description of AlphaGo Zero.
Congress this morning held its first-ever hearing on initial coin offerings, during which experts stressed that legal clarity is the cryptocurrency industry's most pressing need.

Why it matters: The recent boom in digital tokens, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technology has come with thorny regulatory questions, especially when it comes to securities laws.

Georgetown law professor Dr. Chris Brummer said that Congress would have to expand the SEC's authority for it to be able to regulate the full scope of digital tokens cropping up.

Coinbase chief legal and risk officer Mike Lempres explained that his company is currently refraining from supporting ICOs because of the regulatory uncertainty. "We are waiting for the dust to settle between the SEC and CFTC."

Coin Center research director Peter Van Valkenburg pointed out the redundancy and inefficiency of state-level regulation.

House Financial Services Committee members asked questions about such topics as hacking, use of digital currencies by criminals, defining securities, and protecting investors. There was also a range of opinion:

"I hear elected officials who don't have any concept of what we're doing here ... talking about 'we have to go in and regulate," said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), who went on to advocate for clarity over further regulation.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) called cryptocurrencies "a crock" and went on to express skepticism about their usefulness.

The story has been updated to correct an editing error that mischaracterized Chris Brummer's statements.
The U.S. has no ability to build sources in North Korea and very limited opportunities to gather intelligence in North Korea, a former government official with experience negotiating with North Korea tells Axios. That leaves the U.S. in the dark on aspects of North Koreas nuclear and missile development.

Why it matters: Trump is preparing to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong-un to discuss denuclearization, something Pyongyang has discussed in the past but never delivered. "Since we have no embassy there, we have no diplomatic relations with them, no real commercial interchange with them," there is little concrete information to offer policymakers, the former official said.

Bottom line: That leaves the U.S. flying essentially blind, with little more to go on than the fact that there hasn't been a nuclear or missile test since Seoul's announcement.

Why its so hard to gather intelligence on North Korea:

Imagery is hampered because North Korea puts so many of its military targets underground and undercover. The mountainous terrain in North Korea also prevents good imagery development, especially as the regime keeps more and more of its military targets in tunnels.

because North Korea puts so many of its military targets underground and undercover. The mountainous terrain in North Korea also prevents good imagery development, especially as the regime keeps more and more of its military targets in tunnels. Signals intelligence is constrained in North Korea through encryption and landlines, Bruce Klingner, former CIA division chief for the Koreas, told Axios. Indeed, most of North Korea is not connected to the Internet and even hacking from afar is difficult.

in North Korea through encryption and landlines, Bruce Klingner, former CIA division chief for the Koreas, told Axios. Indeed, most of North Korea is not connected to the Internet and even hacking from afar is difficult. Human intelligence operations are difficult to run in North Korea because many Americans dont blend and stand out due to how they look or how they speak due to North Korea's varying dialects, Klingner said.

to run in North Korea because many Americans dont blend and stand out due to how they look or how they speak due to North Korea's varying dialects, Klingner said. "The populace is suspicious of people they dont know" and reports the activity of neighbors, family members, and foreigners to the government, Klingner said.



When youre out away from Pyongyang you can be sure that youre being watched, the former official said. And if youre not being watched by one of their security agencies, the local population will be watching you.

Other opportunities for gathering information:

Other countries: The U.S. has intelligence-sharing agreements with Japan and South Korea, the most likely among our partnerships to have impactful intel about North Korea. According to the former official, however, that still leaves the U.S. with imperfect information because all nations, regardless of how close they are allied, have secrets they dont want to share." NGOs: The only Americans who have any chance of getting in to North Korea and seeing it arethose who are part of NGOs, the former official said. But NGOs are very reticent about sharing informationbecause they know...they will lose their status to perform as an NGO, andmost of what they do is humanitarian in nature. The State Department: Reports come "all the time" from foreign services officers and "may have intelligence significance, but it may not. More often not," the former official said. Gaining intel from the talks themselves: "If we can continue with these summits and these meetings by both the U.S. and the South Koreans, that alone is going to offer us a bonanza of information," the former official said. How North Korea responds to sensitive conversations will likely reveal a great deal of information.

One remedy: Site verification.
Rodrigo Duterte announced his intent to withdraw the Philippines from the International Criminal Court as the investigative body continues its preliminary inquiry into his gruesome war on drugs. In a 15-page statement, Duterte railed against The Hague for its "baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks" on his character, claiming the organization had foregone the principles of due process and presumption of innocence.

Why it matters: Per The Guardian, it takes a year for a country's withdrawal from the ICC to officially go into effect, and the move will not protect Duterte from being prosecuted if the inquiry finds evidence of crimes against humanity.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the majority of Texas' immigration enforcement law that imposed a crackdown on 'sanctuary cities' in the state. The statute gives law enforcement the ability to ask someone during a routine stop whether or not they are in the U.S. legally.

Why it matters: This is a major victory for Texas Republicans and the Trump administration which has been waging an aggressive fight against sanctuary cities. The Justice Department last week sued California over it's sanctuary law, alleging "obstruction of federal immigration enforcement."

The details: The Texas law, which is said to be one of the countrys toughest state-issued immigration policy, threatens officers with fines and jail time if they do not abide by immigration officials. It also prohibits cities and counties from adopting policies that limit immigration enforcement.

But, the court overturned the provision that imposes civil penalties for local officials who endorse a policy under which the entity or department prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of immigration laws. It said the "endorse" language could violate the First Amendment.

What they're saying:
George Clooney and John Prendergast, co-founders of the Sentry, write for Foreign Affairs, "The Key to Making Peace in Africa: Fighting Corruption Can Help End Conflict."

Why it matters: "Without taking aggressive measures to go after the spoils that drive conflict in South Sudan and other African countries, it is difficult to imagine any future other than one of deepening repression, growing famine, and spiraling warfare."

"[T]he fatal flaw of peacemaking in Africa: those supporting mediation lack the leverage necessary to stop corrupt figures from using their forces to bomb, burn, imprison, silence, torture, starve, impoverish, kill, and rape to maintain or gain power."

of peacemaking in Africa: those supporting mediation lack the leverage necessary to stop corrupt figures from using their forces to bomb, burn, imprison, silence, torture, starve, impoverish, kill, and rape to maintain or gain power." "South Sudan i s hardly unique. Something similar plays out across many African countries torn by conflict, including the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan. Oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, copper, and a variety of other mineral deposits and trafficked wildlife provide immense opportunity for those in power to line their own pockets."

s hardly unique. Something similar plays out across many African countries torn by conflict, including the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sudan. Oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, copper, and a variety of other mineral deposits and trafficked wildlife provide immense opportunity for those in power to line their own pockets." The problem: "Every year, billions of aid dollars pour into Africa: taxpayers and donors around the world fund peacekeeping forces, state-building programs, humanitarian assistance, elections, and peace processes. But none of this support has been able to keep corrupt leaders and their network of beneficiaries from stealing billions of dollars."

"Every year, billions of aid dollars pour into Africa: taxpayers and donors around the world fund peacekeeping forces, state-building programs, humanitarian assistance, elections, and peace processes. But none of this support has been able to keep corrupt leaders and their network of beneficiaries from stealing billions of dollars." What's needed: "A comprehensive strategy of using financial pressure for peace and human rights in South Sudan and other African war zones would cost very little. But it would give African mediators and their supporters in Washington, London, and elsewhere leverage in peace negotiations."

Go deeper: South Sudan's elite are using oil to fund conflict.

Full article coming soon at Foreign Affairs.
Matt Gorman, spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, told NBC News that the party is "absolutely not conceding" to Democrat Conor Lamb in the special election in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district. Gorman added, "We are waiting for provisional ballots on Friday. And we are not ruling out a recount or other legal actions.

Between the lines: Regardless of the ultimate victor, last nights election results were a tough pill to swallow for the GOP. The district voted for Trump by 20 points, and Lamb managed to close that gap against Republican Rick Saccone.

Potential legal challenges to benefit the GOP , per NBC News Alex Moe: Reports of miscalibrations of voting machines in Allegheny Co; Report GOP was kicked out of room counting absentee ballots in Allegheny Co for 90mins; Reports of mistakes on PA SOS website

, per NBC News Alex Moe: Reports of miscalibrations of voting machines in Allegheny Co; Report GOP was kicked out of room counting absentee ballots in Allegheny Co for 90mins; Reports of mistakes on PA SOS website Yes, but: Even though he's not conceding, Saccones camp has told NBC News that he plans to run again in 2018 in the soon-to-be-redistricted 14th congressional district, which will be a more GOP-leaning district.

Big picture: Cook Political Reports Dave Wasserman says it's not a surprise that Lamb (D) expanded lead with Washington Co. absentees. Hard to see why Rs would want to drag this out when they've got so many other races to be worried about.
Rep. Trey Gowdy said on Tuesday that Russia had clearly worked against Hillary Clinton, and planned to continue doing so if she was elected president, Politico reports.

[Russia was] motivated in whole or in part by a desire to harm her candidacy or undermine her Presidency had she prevailed."

 Rep. Gowdy

Why it matters: This breaks with what Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee said on Monday, which disputed intelligence community's findings that said Russia was working against Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, and preferred Donald Trump.
The firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson yesterday might impact U.S. climate policy, especially as the secretary-in-waiting, Mike Pompeo, has openly questioned the dominant scientific view on human-induced global warming.

The big picture: The rapid-fire departure of White House aides George David Banks, Gary Cohn, and now Tillerson means the disappearance of the more moderate voices  by Trump administration standards  on climate policy from the president's orbit.

Flashback: Banks, Cohn and Tillerson were all on the losing end of the fight to keep President Trump from saying he would withdraw from the Paris accord.

But, but, but: It's also true that the U.S. has not gone further by formally abandoning the underlying UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and has continued participating in talks around topics like the Paris deal's transparency provisions.

Tillerson was not going to go out on a limb on climate, but the existing climate and environment career staff... were pretty secure and have had a role to play in Tillerson's State Department."

 Atlantic Council climate expert David Livingston in an interview.

"The downside scenario is Pompeo looks for an opportunity to signal a clean break with Tillersonss tenure at the helm of the State Department, Livingston said, noting effects on climate policy but also other environmental work.

One emerging idea: Some observers speculated that Pompeo will simply lack bandwidth to pare back climate efforts much beyond the watering down that has already occurred.

"Given the other issues on the plate of the State Department (North Korea, Iraq, etc.) and the need to hire key, unfilled positions, it's unclear that Director Pompeo would prioritize a major shift in the policy direction on climate," Kalee Kreider, a former adviser to Vice President Al Gore, tells Axios.

The best outcome on climate might be a sort of benign neglect on the part of Pompeo, which would allow the more knowledgeable career staff to continue to look out for U.S. interests within Paris agreement deliberations, in particular in the Paris agreement working group on transparency, where the U.S. and China share leadership, Livingston said.

The intrigue: A lot could depend on who Pompeo seeks to install in key State roles. Pieces in the Washington Post and E&E News point out that the White House has not put forward a nominee to serve as assistant secretary of state for Oceans and International, Environmental and Scientific Affairs.

I think Pompeos views are fairly negative about the Paris agreement and climate action, particularly compared to Secretary Tillerson, said Sue Biniaz, a former State Department climate negotiator, tells the Post.

She adds: But I think it all depends on whether this becomes an area of focus, and whether people are brought in to change the policy.

Post-mortem: In a blog post yesterday, Harvard's Robert Stavins, a longtime observer of international climate talks, said Tillerson deserves credit for keeping State engaged at UNFCCC talks, including the delegation he sent to annual negotiations in Germany last year.

"[N]egotiators from other Parties to the Paris Agreement personally related to me how surprised they were by the constructive role the U.S. delegation was continuing to play (in putting meat on the bones of the Paris Agreement)," writes Stavins, who is with Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

The bottom line: Stavins also said, however, that Tillerson was ineffective at pushing Trump "toward a more sensible path on climate change policy."
House Speaker Paul Ryan is expected to tell House GOP members Wednesday morning that last night's special election in western Pennsylvania was much closer than it should have been  and that continued Democratic enthusiasm should serve as a wakeup call, according to a person familiar.

What to watch: Ryan is also expected to argue that Democrat Conor Lamb's strategy 

which Ryan will frame as campaigning as a conservative in a conservative-leaning district  is why the race was razor thin. But the suggestion that Lamb was unique could be a hard message for Ryan to sell, as the GOP has consistently fallen short in key elections in Virginia, Alabama, and New Jersey over the past year.
NBC News declares Democrat Conor Lamb the apparent winner in a special U.S. House election in western Pennsylvania, the heart of Trump country, a blow to the White House and the Republican Party.

Why it matters: Regardless of the ultimate winner, it was a humiliating and sobering night for the GOP. This a district President Trump won by 20 points. The Democratic energy and Republican depression signal a brutal midterm season and the increasingly likely return of Speaker Pelosi.

A recount is possible, and AP says the race is still too close to call.

and AP says the race is still too close to call. Lamb, a Marine veteran, claimed victory over Republican Rick Saccone, telling exuberant supporters after midnight: "Mission accepted."

claimed victory over Republican Rick Saccone, telling exuberant supporters after midnight: "Mission accepted." Fox News politics editor Chris Stirewalt: "It's more than a ripple. It might be a wave."

Chris Stirewalt: CNN's Dana Bash says this result may lead to more Republican retirements from Congress, as lawmakers realize the strength of this year's headwinds.

Be smart: In race after race, Democrats are consistently topping their performance in previous elections (often by double-digit margins), the surest sign of sustained momentum and a possible November wave.
Tuesday's special election in Pennsylvania's 18th district is too close to call with both candidates within one percentage point of each other. Democrat Conor Lamb is looking to beat out Republican Rick Saccone in a district President Trump carried by 20 points in 2016.

Where it stands:

Lamb (D): 49.8%

Saccone (R): 49.6%

99% of precincts are currently reporting

What we're waiting for: Some absentee ballots are not expected to be counted until the morning and leaves open the possibility for the victory to sway to either candidate. With the votes differing within a few hundred ballots, there will likely be a recount.

About the race:

Tim Murphy , the Republican who held the seat for 15 years, resigned in October after it emerged he had urged a woman he was having an affair with to have an abortion.

, the Republican who held the seat for 15 years, resigned in October after it emerged he had urged a woman he was having an affair with to have an abortion. Millions of dollars have been poured into the race, with Republican groups outspending Democrats by a big margin.

with Republican groups outspending Democrats by a big margin. President Trump has privately bashed Saccone as a "weak" candidate, but would be hoping to avoid the critical headlines a Lamb win would spark. Trump spent his weekend in PA campaigning on Saccone's behalf.

as a "weak" candidate, but would be hoping to avoid the critical headlines a Lamb win would spark. Trump spent his weekend in PA campaigning on Saccone's behalf. Democrats, meanwhile, are desperate for an upset victory.

We will continue to update the results as they come in.
Six months after filing for bankruptcy, Toys R Us said today that it will close all its U.S. stores and 100 in the UK, writes the Washington Post's Abha Bhattarai.

Why it matters: The Amazon effect is one reason for the iconic chain's misery. But the other is the $6.6 billion in debt that Vornado, Bain Capital and KKR laid on Toys R Us after a leveraged buyout in 2005, some $5.2 billion of which remains.

In an email, Thomas Paulson of Inflection Capital weighed in on Toys R Us and the general malaise of the retail industry:

"The culpability for the probable Toys-R-US closure and the broader retail apocalypse lies partly with U.S. pension funds and their retirees."

"Starting in the early 2000s, pension funds aggressively shifted their asset allocation from public to private equity, partly in order to enhance returns. The volume added up to hundreds of billions of dollars per year. This included a shift into retail chains, whose valuations were relatively low due to skepticism about their business model. The view was that their business problems were fixable."

"But significant turmoil started in 2007. It stemmed largely from demographic change, competition from Amazon, and too much capacity. At once, the sector needed to invest more, adapt, and slim down. But its private equity owners had made Toys-R-Us and other retailers so indebted that they couldn't invest and adapt. A cascade set in  they lost material market share. Profits and cash flow collapsed, and bankruptcy ensued."

"Toys-R-Us reflects a larger reality: The retail fallout has disproportionately fallen on private equity-owned retail  more than a third of the stores closed and estimated jobs lost in 2016 and 2017 were by retailers owned by private equity and pension funds."

"Had these chains remained in the public markets, it would have been humiliating to reset the business model and witness the collapse of their market value. But many would have likely survived."

This post has been updated.
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who served under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2017, told Axios that government threat intelligence sharing during elections must improve or voters "won't have confidence that voting has not been tainted."

Why it matters: The Department of Homeland Security will, for the first time, share classified information with officials about cybersecurity threats during elections during the 2018 midterms, but there will still be kinks to work out. "You get silos of information in the government that are tough to break," noted Mabus.

Elections were only declared critical infrastructure by DHS in 2016. They do not yet have the distinct peer-to-peer cybersecurity information sharing structure endorsed by DHS, known as an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC).

by DHS in 2016. They do not yet have the distinct peer-to-peer cybersecurity information sharing structure endorsed by DHS, known as an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). Perhaps not coincidentally, Mabus also announced Wednesday he was joining the board of Anomali, which makes threat intelligence sharing software used by ISACs.

Mabus also announced Wednesday he was joining the board of Anomali, which makes threat intelligence sharing software used by ISACs. His comments might signal an industry push to shore up the ISAC deficiency surrounding elections.

More quotes from Mabus: "We're headed into an election where every intelligence agency warns that Russia will try to effect the elections again."
Students in every corner of the U.S. have designated today National Walkout Day and marched out of their classrooms to protest gun violence on American campuses.

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

The big picture: Students from Los Angeles to Charlottesville showed power in numbers and demanded action from lawmakers on the one-month anniversary of the tragic mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

A screenshot of my Snap Maps shows hotspots around the country where students are walking out of class. Screenshot: Erica Pandey

Lancaster, Ohio

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Outside the White House

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Parkland, Florida

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

Los Angeles, California
British Prime Minister Theresa May announced the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and other measures in response to the nerve agent attack on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil. She told the House of Commons today that "there is no alternative conclusion" other than Russia's culpability for the attack.

Why it matters: May's statement marks a huge escalation in tensions between the U.K. and Russia  especially as she chose to mention Russian President Vladimir Putin by name. She had notably harsh language for Russia's handling of the situation, saying that the Kremlin had "demonstrated complete disdain" for the attack and that Russia " treated the use of a military-grade nerve agent in Europe with contempt, sarcasm, and defiance."

Many of us looked at a post-Soviet Russia with hope. We wanted a better relationship, and it is tragic that President Putin has chosen to act in this way.

 Prime Minister Theresa May

A tweet previously embedded here has been deleted or was tweeted from an account that has been suspended or deleted.

What the U.K. will do now, per May's statement:

Expel 23 Russian diplomats who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers, the single biggest expulsion in 30 years.

who have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers, the single biggest expulsion in 30 years. Suspend all high-level bilateral contacts , including planned visits by royals and government ministers to this summer's World Cup in Russia.

, including planned visits by royals and government ministers to this summer's World Cup in Russia. Freeze Russian state assets where used to threaten property of U.K. nationals or residents.

where used to threaten property of U.K. nationals or residents. Enhance powers to monitor and track those who could be engaged in activity that threatens U.K. security, including increased checks on private flights, cargo, and freight.

those who could be engaged in activity that threatens U.K. security, including increased checks on private flights, cargo, and freight. Develop proposals for new legislative powers against hostile state activity, including the ability detain those suspected of hostile state activity at the U.K. border, a power currently available only against terrorism suspects.

against hostile state activity, including the ability detain those suspected of hostile state activity at the U.K. border, a power currently available only against terrorism suspects. Table a government amendment to strengthen powers to impose sanctions.

Russia's embassy in the U.K. issued a caustic response to May's statement:

"On 14 of March Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko was summoned to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office where he was informed that 23 diplomats were declared personae non gratae.

We consider this hostile action as totally unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted.

All the responsibility for the deterioration of the Russia-UK relationship lies with the current political leadership of Britain."

What comes next: Both the U.K.  over the 2006 poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko  and the U.S. over 2016 election meddling  have expelled Russian diplomats in the recent past. Putin has responded with tit-for-tat counter-measures.

The U.K. has called an urgent meeting of the U.N. Security Council this afternoon to present their findings on the Skripal attack.

Who is Sergei Skripal?

A former intelligence officer in the GRU, Russias foreign intelligence agency, Skripal was convicted in 2006 of betraying the identities of Russian intelligence agents working undercover in Europe to MI6, Britains foreign military intelligence service. He is thought to have blown the cover of 300 Russian agents, per the FT.
The United Kingdom has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council this afternoon to discuss the use of a Russian-manufactured nerve agent against ex- spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil, per the BBC. And, during a speech to the House of Commons later this morning, Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to announce a "significant" expulsion of Russian diplomats, according to Sky News.

The big picture: After May declared it "highly likely" that Russia was behind the attack during a speech on Monday, she gave the Kremlin a deadline of midnight last night to provide an appropriate response. Russia  at least publicly  continued to deny its involvement in the attack via a series of incendiary social media posts, prompting today's response from the U.K. Also today, all 29 NATO countries have asked Russia to answer the U.K.'s questions in a joint statement, per AFP's Danny Kemp.
The U.K. announced today that it would expel 23 Russian diplomats and cut off high-level diplomatic contact with Russia, in response to the attempted assassination in London last week of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence agent.

Skripal was poisoned with Novichok, a dangerous nerve agent known to have been produced in Russia, which also infected his daughter. Individuals near the scene, some 500 in all, were advised to disinfect their belongings.

Why it matters: This attack is the latest in a string of Russia-linked assassinations on British soil, which include the 2006 polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, also a former Russian intelligence officer, and 14 other Russian nationals who died under mysterious circumstances, such as the oligarch Boris Berezovsky. Yet the Skripal case stands out as particularly egregious and escalatory.

According to the British governments assessment, the Russians released a chemical weapon on British soil (unlike polonium, Novichok was manufactured specifically as a bio-weapon). Moreover, the Kremlins response to Prime Minister Theresa Mays Tuesday night deadline to provide an explanation included denial and a lightly veiled nuclear threat  a reminder of President Putins warmongering speech flaunting Russias new nuclear capabilities.

After Russia blew that deadline, May reportedly discussed with the National Security Council a wide array of countermeasures, escalating from diplomatic expulsions to sanctions on Russian companies, a crackdown on illicit Russian assets in the UK, a ban on the operations of RT (Russias state-owned propaganda arm) and even offensive cyber operations against Russian targets. Leaders of the U.S., Germany and France all offered support for such responses the U.K.

The bottom line: In choosing mainly to expel Russian diplomats, the U.K. took the weakest option. May missed an opportunity to show united transatlantic resolve in the face of escalatory Russian aggression. The Kremlin has learned another lesson from the stand-off: Intimidation works.

Alina Polyakova is the David M. Rubenstein Fellow for Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reiterates 3 important things that health care wonks already know, but which our political system can't seem to internalize: (1) The U.S. spends wildly more than other countries, including other rich countries, on health care. (2) The U.S. does not have better health outcomes  all that money isn't buying us better health. (3) The U.S. doesn't use that much more health care than other countries. We just pay much higher prices for what we do use.

Why it matters: As we've said before, if you want to spend less money on health care, somebody in the health care system has to get less money, which is what makes it so difficult. And there's certainly an argument for spending a lot on health care  but you'd hope to be healthier as a result.

By the numbers: Compared with 10 other high-income countries, a smaller proportion of the U.S. population has health care coverage. We have about the same number of doctors and, per capita, we used about the same amount of several key services.
The White House released a statement on Wednesday supporting the U.K.'s expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats earlier in the day over the poisoning of Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal in the English town on Salisbury.

"The United States shares the United Kingdoms assessment that Russia is responsible for the reckless nerve agent attack on a British citizen and his daughter, and we support the United Kingdoms decision to expel Russian diplomats as a just response."

 Press Secretary Sarah Sanders

The backdrop: Theresa May's announcement was a major escalation in Russia-U.K. relations, and President Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. would condemn Russia "[a]s soon as we get the facts straight, if we agree with them." Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley took a strong stance against Russia on Wednesday.
A number of analysts quickly predicted that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's ouster and Mike Pompeo's ascendance will ensure a more aggressive U.S. posture against two major oil producers: Iran and Venezuela.

Why it matters: Beyond the security and humanitarian considerations, potential new sanctions could also alter oil markets.

Pompeos selection augurs a period of higher risk and volatility in energy markets. Pompeo supports a more unilateral and confrontational approach toward Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea."

 David Goldwyn, a top State energy official early in Hillary Clintons tenure, to Axios

Iran

The Iran nuclear deal is hanging by a thread: In the near term, Trump is facing a May decision about whether to again waive sanctions against Iran's oil sector, and has signaled he won't sign another waiver absent changes to the nuclear agreement. But winning them is an uphill climb.

"[I]t is unlikely that Congress or the Europeans will take any meaningful action to modify the agreement. As a result, there is significant risk of snap-back US oil sanctions on Iran on May 12, and the nuclear deal remains on life support," Joseph McMonigle of Hedgeye Risk Management said in a note.

He believes Trump's decision to replace Tillerson "surely signals the end" of the nuclear deal. Reimposing the sanctions could take up to one million barrels of Iranian crude exports per day off of global markets, he said.

However, the figure would be lower unless other U.S. allies also renew penalties, which appears unlikely.

The fallout:

McMonigle notes that re-imposing U.S. sanctions would "inject significant geopolitical instability in oil markets."

RBC Capital Markets' Helima Croft, in a note yesterday, said renewed U.S. sanctions would likely "curb the enthusiasm" of European and some Asian companies to invest in Iran oil production," among other effects.

Bloomberg Gadfly's Liam Denning makes a similar point here. He says solitary U.S. measures might not take any Iranian barrels off the market, but adds: "America pulling out of the deal might cause foreign oil companies such as Total SA of France to think twice about committing more investment in Iran (ironically, Russian oil companies might well step in if others step back)."

Venezuela

It's another place to watch as plunging oil production has fueled an economic and humanitarian crisis.

Expand chart Reproduced from EIA; Chart: Axios Visuals

Check out the chart above  the country's oil production plummeted in the last two years, and as EIA notes here, by January of this year it was already another 300,000-plus barrels-per-day lower than in 2017.

"Pompeo will likely align with more hawkish voices in the administration calling for stepped up sanctions, including those that would further restrict Venezuela's ability to export crude and further curtail the regime's revenue," Croft predicted in a note Tuesday.

Go deeper: S&P Global Platts breaks down the potential oil market and geopolitical effects of Tillerson's ouster here.
An Armenian television commercial using comparisons of prices and quality of goods with people of different age, color of the skin and physique has sparked criticism against its authors who have been accused of showing a discriminatory approach.

On the video advertizing one of the building materials markets in Yerevan a construction foreman explains to his workers, among whom there are an elderly man, a man with a black skin, an obese person and others, why one should buy goods at a particular store, making references to the peculiarities of these people for instructive purposes.

Eduard Aghayan, the head of the marketing department of the Yerevan Fair, said they had no intention of insulting anyone by showing this TV commercial. He called it just humor. In a written reply to RFE/RLs Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) Aghayan said: We have never sought to ridicule anyone or spread racism. Its just a humorous video and for greater imagery and better presentation we invited actors who play these parts, and there is no insult to these people. The goal was to make it interesting for people to watch.

The company representative said that an Armenian could have played the part of the black person. There can be nothing racist in it. Its just a humorous advertisement. We realize what age it is now to afford such a thing, Aghayan added.

Meanwhile, media expert Suren Deherian said that the advertiser should also bear social responsibility. For some, there may be different levels of humor, but this ad should not have contained this cynicism, which I think forms a negative attitude towards another person.

Varduhi Aramian, head of the Armenian Camp NGO that deals with disability issues, voiced concern that TV commercials like the one in which in her view people are ridiculed because of their physical parameters, age or color of their skin do the opposite to what her organization has been doing for years through social ads and various programs  trying to overcome discrimination in society.

It turns out that people are equated to goods as their qualities are compared. This is a bad trend. Perhaps the next time someone will decide that a person without one leg should be compared to a table or a chair missing one leg. Such commercials are a stimulus for deepening these stereotypes. Thats why we sound the alarm, because one video, which has an impact on a wide audience, undoes all our long-term work, she said.

The Yerevan fair whose store was advertized in the controversial TV commercial belongs to well-known Armenian entrepreneur Khachatur Sukiasian. Earlier this year, his company was criticized for the Our Country advertising board depicting cows dressed in Armenian womens national costumes. Ethnographers then said that comparing an Armenian woman to a cow was offensive, while the company manager explained that the billboard was humorous.
By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan and India signed memorandums of understanding on March 13, which took place during the joint business forum in Baku.

The memos were signed by Indian PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Azerbaijani Entrepreneurs, as well as the PHD and the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO).

They were inked by Secretary General of the Indian Commerce and Industry Chamber Saurabh Sanyal, President of the Confederation of Azerbaijani Entrepreneurs Mammad Musayev and AZPROMO head Rufat Mammadov.

The documents are aimed at expanding and strengthening the economic and trade ties, as well as business relations between Azerbaijan and India.

Addressing the business forum, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Firdovsi Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is interested in expanding cooperation with India in several spheres, and of the priority spheres of cooperation is cargo transportation.

Indian cargoes are mainly delivered to Europe by sea via the Suez Canal. In this regard, the International North-South Transport Corridor project being implemented by Azerbaijan jointly with neighboring states will allow transporting cargo from India by land, which will significantly shorten the time and cost of the transportation, Aliyev noted.

He expressed the hope that the implementation of this project will give impetus to the development of relations between the two countries in the field of cargo transportation.

The International NorthSouth Transport Corridor is a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road route for moving freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe and Central Asia. The corridor is planned to transport 5 million tons of cargo per year at the initial stage and more than 10 million tons of cargo in the future.

Aliyev also noted tourism and pharmaceuticals as promising areas for cooperation.

We are in talks for the creation of direct regular and charter flights between our countries. I believe that this will make it possible to increase the tourist flow from India to Azerbaijan and vice versa, he said. It is also important to develop cooperation between the two countries in the field of pharmaceuticals. Several pharmaceutical plants are being created in Azerbaijan. It will be interesting for India with its rich history of pharmacy to invest in this sphere.

It is noteworthy that negotiations are already underway in order to establish a joint venture in the field of pharmaceutics by Indias Sun Pharma and Azerbaijans Gilan Holding in countrys Pirallahi Industrial Park, which also accommodates joint Azerbaijani-Russian and Azerbaijani-Iranian plants. Also, Ukraine and Belarus expressed interest in setting up joint pharma ventures.

Rufat Mammadov, addressing the business forum, said that India has invested $200 million in Azerbaijan so far, while 15 companies with Indian capital work in Azerbaijan today.

Meanwhile, India is one of the biggest trade partners of Azerbaijan. In recent years, trade turnover with India has grown rapidly and amounted to about $0.5 billion in late 2017. This is a very important indicator, he noted.

Mammadov also mentioned that India is one of the biggest importers of Azerbaijani products  it accounted for 2.65 percent of Azerbaijani exports in 2017.

Data of Azerbaijani State Customs Committee shows that of $462.5 million trade turnover last year, export from Azerbaijan to India amounted to $365.5 million. As for Indias exports to Azerbaijan, it rose by more than 60 percent in 2017 compared to 2016. The items of imports from India are mainly clothes and textiles, information technologies, food items and heavy machinery.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Laman Ismayilova

Urban places and scenes of everyday life. Nothing in a city ever stops. The pace of life never slows down. Everything around is constantly changing. There is a hectic rhythm, characteristic of a living organism. Images pass in front of our eyes and disappear within seconds around tall, impressive buildings that are part of the city.

In January 2018, one of the largest and most famous galleries in Greece, Blank Wall Gallery launched an international photo contest on the theme "Cityscape".

Work by national photographer has been named best in Greece. Azerbaijan at the exhibition was represented by photographer Aydin Sadikhov, who became one of the winners of the photo contest.

The photograph captured one of the main attractions for tourists and a symbol of modern Azerbaijan and modern Baku-Heydar Aliyev Center.

A large number of photographs around the world jointed the contest. The winners will participate in the exhibition to be held on March 16-29.

About a hundred works of the winners will be presented at the exhibition. The event will bring together photographers from Azerbaijan, Greece, Great Britain, the U.S., Italy, Germany, Israel, Brazil, Australia, France, Canada, Norway, Holland, Argentina, Sweden, Spain, Hungary and other countries.

Notably, Blank Wall Gallery opened in Athens in 2014 in order to give photographers, worldwide, the opportunity to present their work and become known to an audience outside their country of origin.

The gallery aims to organize one group exhibition per month, presenting more than 70 photographs with original and inspired work each time.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Laman Ismayilova

Works of Azerbaijani artists have been presented at the international exhibition in Milan, Italy.

More than 50 paintings by Asmar Narimanbayova, Rena Amrahova, Vafa Efedizade-Tezjan, Aysel Mirgasimova, Azer Aliyev, Aysel Badalova, Fidan Akhundova, Arif Amirov, Lala Agayeva, Aysel Amirova, Fatima Garibli, and Jamali Rahmanli decorate the walls of Expo Fiera Gallery.

Most of the presented works features Azerbaijans national motives and beautiful landscapes.

The exhibition held under the title Colors without Borders, brought together talented artists from Azerbaijan, Italy, Turkey and Georgia, Trend Life reported.

Famous art critic, Prof. Gianluigi Guarneri and the gallery curator Helena Ferrari attended the event. They stressed the vibrant palette in artists works.

The exhibition will last until March 22.

Asmar Narimanbayova is the founder of Association de Togrul Narimanbayov. The objective of the association operating in France is to ensure cultural exchange between artists of different countries, as well as organize art exhibitions.

She is the daughter of famous painter, Togrul Narimanbayov and talented sculptor artist, Elmira Guseynova, who was the winner of a State Prize of the USSR and Azerbaijan, and the People's Artist of USSR.

The artist's works are featured in many prestigious galleries and museums not only in Azerbaijan, but also in America, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Finland, and China.

Asmar Narimanbayova is is an associate professor of Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts, and a member of the presidium of the Azerbaijan Union of Artists.

Rena Amrakhova is a well-known Azerbaijani artist. She also engaged in teaching other artists.

In her works, artist masterly reveals the secrets of female charm. Her canvases are distinguished by a soft color and depth of thought.

Azer Aliyev`s works have been displayed in more than 40 international and national exhibitions. In 2016, his works were displayed at Carrusel de Louvre gallery.

The exhibition was arranged within the 19th Art Shopping festival.

Aysel Badalova is a young artist who works in different styles and techniques. Her works stand out in bright colors, through which she is trying to convey the mood of warmth to her paintings. During the creation of a new work, she mainly listens to her thoughts and feelings, that's why the key factors for starting a successful work for her are mood and atmosphere.

The inspiration for her is such things as traveling, which she calls the second passion: exploring new places, meeting new people. Most of her time, Aysel spend in the studio, it brings her a lot of joy, which is important to convey feelings on canvas. She often participates in various creative events and exhibitions, and help to create them.

Fidan Akhundova participated in a number of exhibitions, including Password unknown (Azerbaijan ), " Errinerungsorte" (Germany), " Granatapfel & Feuerberg" (Germany), Music in Stone" 2nd International Stone Symposium Baku, etc.

She is a member of the youth section of Artist Union of Azerbaijan, Union of Azerbaijan Cartoonists.

Young and talented artist Jamali Rahmanli presented her works at the second International Festival of Contemporary Art "French Riviera" in 2017.

She also hold lecture "Inspiration of a Wanderer" in Nur Art House last year.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Laman Ismayilova

Famous designer and Honored Art Worker Fakhriya Khalafova will present unique Uzbek silks in Tashkent.

The fashion show will take place as part of Miss Union Fashion 2018 to be held in Zarkainar Gallery on March 20. The international competition will bring together models from Asia, Africa and Europe.

In an interview with Eurasia Diary, Fakhriya Khalafova told about the history of collection.

"I have always been interested in Uzbek fabrics, ornaments and silk. This work led me in another world. I discovered a completely new space, new combinations of colors for myself. I have always watched Uzbek fabrics and wonder how it's possible to create such a synthesis of colors," she said.

The designer said that she will visit the Uzbek capital for the first time.

"My mother and sister spent their holidays in Uzbekistan. It was my mother's desire to go to Uzbekistan. I went to school and my sister was in college. As my mother was a teacher at the university, our vacations at school and university did not coincide. Thus, my mother and sister went on their vacations to Uzbekistan. I was very sorry that I could not go with them. They went there got acquainted with all the sights and brought photos. Mom was a big fan of photography. A photo camera was with her all the time. She made a lot of photos near all these beauties," said designer.

They were in Samarkand, and there were many beautiful photographs. All these impressions have appeared from my youth. These photos certainly affected my emotions. And that's why I always had a desire to visit Uzbekistan. I will be glad to come to Uzbekistan not just as a tourist, but as a creative person and share my art," she added.

Miss Union Fashion is held under the motto "Beauty will save the world". The main goal of the project to familiarize with the culture, traditions and tourism of Uzbekistan and the countries participating in the project. It also aims at strengthening friendship between countries and development of fashion industry.

The jury will evaluate the participants according to the following indicators: the external image, the representation of the national culture and intellectual abilities. A cultural and excursion program will be organized for the guests on the sights of Tashkent and Samarkand. The founder of the contest is Gulnara Mukhammadova (Uzbekistan).

The international contest will be held with the support of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Uzbekistan and the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Tashkent.

---

Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Rashid Shirinov

The U.S. position regarding Nagorno-Karabakh remains unchanged: the United States does not recognize the de-facto regime in Nagorno-Karabakh, nor does any other country, including Armenia.

The U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan told this Trend on March 13 commenting on the visit of Bako Sahakyan, who claims to be the president of the illegal regime created in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, to the U.S. and the event promoting the fictitious regime at the U.S. Congress.

The U.S. supports the OSCE Minsk Group process and will continue to work toward a negotiated settlement based on the Helsinki Final Act principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples, the embassy noted.

The U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on March 12, where he received a note of protest sent by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to the U.S. State Department.

Moreover, Azerbaijans Ambassador to the U.S., after a meeting at the State Department, presented Azerbaijans protest to the American side. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministrys Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev has previously informed that the note said that getting an American visa on an Armenian passport and entering the U.S. on the basis of unreliable information provided by Bako Sahakyan, a resident of the Khankendi city of Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, permission to carry out activities that propagate an illegal separatist regime in relevant U.S. institutions and aim at collecting finance in the U.S. in support of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, contradict the norms and principles of international law, the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the bilateral documents signed between Azerbaijan and the U.S., and the official position of the U.S.

Hajiyev also noted that this step of the U.S. is regarded as an activity against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and as a response to such behavior of the U.S., Azerbaijan will proceed from the principle of reciprocity in relations with the U.S.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Unfortunately, peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no tangible results so far due to Armenia's unconstructive position on the issue.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Rashid Shirinov

Romania supports a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in full compliance with the principles and norms of international law, President of Azerbaijan-Romania Parliamentary Friendship Group, Romanian MP Victor Paul Dobre told Trend on March 13.

Our position on Nagorno-Karabakh has always been clear and consistent, in accordance with our assessment of protracted conflicts. Being the cause of the tragic loss of lives and human suffering, these conflicts seriously hinder the stability and sustainable development of a region, said Dobre, adding that Romania will continue to support a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The MP stressed that the resolution of the conflict must adhere to the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

We also support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve this conflict and hope that they will yield positive results, said Dobre.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 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 regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijans territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.

The Minsk Group spearheads the OSCEs efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Although the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the issue for over two decades, its activities have brought no breakthrough results so far.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Rashid Shirinov

One of the goals of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is to ensure humane treatment of Azerbaijani hostages Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev who are in the Armenian captivity, the ICRC headquarters told Trend on March 14.

One of the principles of our organizations activity when it comes to visits to detainees is confidentiality. Our visits are aimed at ensuring humane treatment in full compliance with international norms, the Committee said.

Asgarov and Guliyev have been kept hostage by Armenian militaries in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan for more than three years. They were detained by the Armenian armed forces in July 2014 while visiting their native places and graves of loved ones in the occupied Azerbaijani Kalbajar region. Moreover, Armenian armed forces killed the third Azerbaijani Hasan Hasanov.

Later, Guliyev and Asgarov were judged illegally by the unrecognized courts of the separatist regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh. Following an expedited judicial process in December 2015, Asgarov was sentenced to life imprisonment and Guliyev  to 22 years in prison.

ICRC Baku Office's Public Relations Department head Ilaha Huseynova told Trend that the ICRC representatives regularly visit the Azerbaijani hostages.

The purpose of these visits is to get acquainted with the conditions of their detention and treatment, and to ensure their contacts with families, she said.

Huseynova noted that the last such visit took place in February 2018. However, the ICRC does not publish the results of its monitoring, but discusses them on a bilateral and confidential basis only with the relevant authorities, she added.

It is noteworthy that the International Human Rights Defense Committee (CIPDH) has recently informed about the facts of torture against Guliyev and Asgarov, and the latters lawyer Anar Bagirov confirmed this information.

Azerbaijan, whose over 4,000 citizens were taken captive, hostage, or went missing as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, has repeatedly declared its readiness to begin negotiations with Armenia to free the captives and resolve the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

However, the Armenian side keeps ignoring all attempts of Azerbaijan and international organizations, thereby disrespecting the international law and hindering the settlement of the conflict.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov visited one of the areas to observe the military exercises currently being conducted by Azerbaijans Armed Forces, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a message March 13.

According to the message, the reports of commanders, deputy commanders, as well as other officials were read out and the tasks of using forces and equipment on the ground were clarified.

Hasanov gave appropriate instructions in connection with the use of military equipment, ammunition, participation of personnel in the exercises, as well as the exact accomplishment of tasks and orders.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

Azerbaijan has a very important role to play in ensuring connectivity, Luc Devigne, Deputy Managing Director at the European External Action Service (EEAS), told Trend on the sidelines of the event dedicated to the launch of new institutional set-up of Eastern Partnership initiative in Brussels, Belgium.

"Azerbaijan helps to connect Europe with Caspian Sea region, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and further China. Obviously, Azerbaijan is very important in this context. It is good that Azerbaijan develops its hub role," he said.

Moreover, Devigne touched upon Azerbaijans role in ensuring Europes energy security and emphasized the significance of the Southern Gas Corridor.

"We are very positive about this project, and we are very much supporting this project. European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union Maros Sefcovic has recently attended the Southern Gas Corridor ministerial meeting. During the discussions, he reiterated that we are fully supporting this project," he said.

Devigne noted that it would be even better for Azerbaijan if it takes international standards, some European standards and joins the World Trade Organization (WTO).

"Joining the WTO will provide international regulatory framework, and companies will know what kind of minimum standards they would meet in Azerbaijan. Thats for Azerbaijani leadership to decide, but we stand ready to help Azerbaijan to join WTO, because it is good for Azerbaijan, good for WTO and good for us," he concluded.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

At an initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of 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).

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

Armenia completely isolated itself as a result of the aggression against Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani MP Bakhtiyar Aliyev told Trend March 13.

Aliyev added that the Armenians created a mono-ethnic state, support terrorism and train terrorists in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

"Therefore, no international structure and neighboring state participate in joint projects with Armenia, he said. No one will cooperate with Armenia until it ceases to pursue an aggressive policy and withdraws its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories."

He further said that Armenia is economically unattractive.

"In the Soviet period, Armenia existed due to the budget of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), then - through financial assistance of others, he said. Presently, 75 percent of the economic potential of the South Caucasus accounts for Azerbaijan, so Armenias further fate depends on Azerbaijan. The faster the Armenians understand this, the better they can live. Armenia will not move forward till a fascist regime exists there."

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.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

Cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan is directed to the development of the whole region, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said before leaving for Azerbaijan, the Turkish media reported March 14.

Yildirim noted that the relations between Baku and Ankara are also aimed at ensuring the security of the region.

The prime minister said that during the visit to Azerbaijan, a number of issues will be discussed, including the situation in the South Caucasus and regional issues.

The Turkish prime minister will attend the 6th Global Forum in Azerbaijans capital that will be held on March 15-17. The Forum will be organized by the State Committee on Work with Diaspora and Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

The Forum will be attended by presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers of many countries, including President of Albania Ilir Meta, President of Macedonia Gjorge Ivanov, President of Moldova Igor Dodon, President of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Moreover, about 500 guests, including former presidents and heads of governments, well-known public and political figures who are the members of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, are expected to participate in the 6th Global Baku Forum.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Trend

The energy sector is of great importance for Moldova, as the country has very limited resources and depends almost entirely on one source of energy, Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Tudor Ulianovschi said in an interview with Trend.

Therefore, according to Ulianovschi, being interested in guaranteeing the energy security of the country, Moldova has developed the 2030 Strategy, which defines strategic objectives, priorities and opportunities in this field and pursues three major tasks: securing safe energy supply; developing competitive markets and their regional and European integration; and ensuring sustainability of the energy sector.

"For the same reasons, we are very much interested in diversification of energy sources and routes of their delivery, and we hope that a great role in the achievement of such an objective could be played by Azerbaijan, especially through successful implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project, including its TAP and TANAP segments, which are to ensure diversification of natural gas sources and strengthen energy security of many European countries," the minister said.

Ulianovschi further stressed that Moldova is also interested in the advancement of other energy projects, such as AGRI (Azerbaijan-Georgia-Romania Interconnector), which envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas via pipelines to Georgia and then liquefied gas to Romania, as well as BRUA (Bulgaria-Romania-Hungary-Austria), which in a long term have the potential of becoming important instruments for ensuring the energy security of the countries in the region.

"This is especially important for us in the context of connecting Moldova to the Romanian gas system through the Iasi-Ungheni pipeline, and especially in the perspective of finishing, at the end of this year, the construction of the Ungheni- Chisinau gas pipeline, designed to supply with gas Moldova's capital city, which is the biggest consumer in the country. Full implementation of this major project will allow Moldova not only to connect to the Romanian energy system, but to the European one as well; it will also create new opportunities for diversification of the energy supply and increased energy security of the country," the minister noted.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and provides for the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe.

At an initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of 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).

AGRI project envisages transportation of Azerbaijani gas to the Black Sea coast of Georgia via gas pipelines. Azerbaijani gas delivered to Georgia's Black Sea coast will be liquefied at a special terminal and following this, it will be delivered in tankers to a terminal at the Romanian port of Constanta.

Further, it will be brought to the gaseous state and sent via Romanian gas infrastructure for meeting the demands of Romania and other European countries. The cost of the project will vary from 1.2 billion euros to 4.5 billion euros, according to the preliminary estimations.

The participants of the AGRI project are SOCAR, Georgia's Oil and Gas Corporation, as well as MVM (Hungary) and Romgaz (Romania). The parties established the SC AGRI LNG Project Company SRL in February 2011 for the implementation of the project.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Sara Israfilbayova

The German-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce (AHK Azerbaijan) organized its traditional event AHK-Impuls for its members at Hyatt Meeting & Conference Centre on March 13.

The first AHK-Impuls of this year was dedicated to the topic of energy. Energy Minister of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov attended the event as an honorary guest and made a presentation about The future of energy in Azerbaijan.

Shahbazov drew attention to the energy strategy implemented by Azerbaijan since 1994, and its achievements. He emphasized that the current priority of Azerbaijan is the production of petrochemicals and the expansion of their export potential.

Further commenting on Azerbaijans policy in the power sector, the minister mentioned modernization of the power sector, ensuring efficiency and environmental requirements, the development of alternative and renewable energy sources, and making this field attractive to domestic and foreign investments as the tasks to be fulfilled in the power sector.

The minister concluded his speech by making remarks on current reforms implemented in the energy sector. He pointed out that the implementation of the measures identified in the Strategic Road Map on Utilities Development are in progress and efforts are being made to liberalize the energy market, create a competitive environment for electricity generation and consumption.

Ministers speech was followed by the presentation of Dr. Michael Hilmer, Senior Vice-President of Gas Supply Division South / Caspian Region, Uniper Global Commodities SE on the projects of the company in Azerbaijan.

Hilmer informed the participants about the past and future projects of the company and a successful joint venture with SOCAR on energy efficiency since 2016. He made his final remarks on the partnerships of the company and stressed that it will strengthen ties and identify new joint business opportunities.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Kamila Aliyeva

Uzbekistan has seriously taken up the issue of accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In this regard, the country is implementing a number of measures, podrobno.uz reported.

In particular, not only international experts and domestic ministries and agencies are involved in this process, but also working groups and interdepartmental commissions on risk assessment, readiness of economic sectors and adaptation of local legislation to join the organization have been set up.

Today, the WTO covers more than 94 percent of the total volume of commodity flows. Thus, joining this organization is one of the priorities of Uzbekistan's foreign economic policy. This issue is considered as one of the key factors to improve the country's international image.

The procedure for joining the WTO consists of several stages and, as the experience of the newly acceding countries shows, this is a long process that can take several years, according to Uzbek Minister of Foreign Trade Jamshid Khodzhaev.

This is the so-called transitional preparatory period, which Uzbekistan maximally uses to analyze and assess the consequences of membership in the organization, pros and possible risks, as well as other preventive measures, he said.

In order to avoid negative consequences from Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO, this process is planned to be implemented on the basis of a comprehensive assessment of the readiness of certain sectors of the economy, various groups of domestic commodity producers and the conformity of the state regulation mechanisms used, according to the minister.

He also emphasized that it is planned to implement measures to increase the competitiveness of domestic enterprises on the basis of updating their technical and technological potentials, to activate state support of scientific and technical developments and their introduction into production. In the process of accession, the state should also agree with the Working Group of the interested member countries of the WTO on the terms of their membership in the main areas.

For example, access to the market for goods and services, the size of subsidies in agriculture, government support measures, trade aspects of intellectual property rights protection, etc. It is important to develop a thoughtful and carefully verified entry strategy so that the conditions of accession minimize the negative impact on national producers and sensitive sectors of the economy, Khodzhaev noted.

Moreover, these conditions should contribute to the development of the economy by increasing competition, improving the quality of products, introducing international standards, strengthening investment cooperation and expanding the export potential by accessing new markets, he believes.

To strengthen the country's position in the negotiation process on accession to the WTO and to ensure the protection of sensitive sectors of the economy, such as the textile, food, automotive and agriculture sectors, a draft decree of the President of Uzbekistan on adjusting customs duties rates is being developed. The Ministry of Economy, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Trade jointly work on the creation of the document.

In accordance with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's order of February 28 of this year On organizational measures to further streamline Uzbekistan's foreign economic activity, a working group to improve the system of customs and tariff regulation and optimize customs payments in the implementation of foreign trade activities was established.

Also, in order to achieve effective systemic work and regularly monitor the process of Uzbekistan's accession to the WTO, the government approved a road map, which includes 34 activities aimed at preparing documentation to resume the process of entering and adapting national legislation.

Another step of the country in this direction is the formed Interdepartmental Commission for Work with the WTO, headed by the Ministry of Foreign Trade. It included the heads of various ministries and departments of the country. At the same time, measures are being worked out to intensify the activities of the representative of Uzbekistan to the WTO in Geneva, whose work will be coordinated directly by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

According to experts, the package of measures also implies institutional reforms, the development of an international legal framework on a bilateral and multilateral basis, the improvement of national legislation with further liberalization of the foreign trade regime and consistent harmonization with international norms and rules of the World Trade Organization.

It should be noted that in April 2018, within the framework of the memorandum and the road map signed in Seoul, Uzbekistan plans to hold a working meeting of the Uzbek-Korean Advisory Council on WTO Accession. During the meeting, the examination of the national legislation in the field of tariff and non-tariff regulation will be conducted to ensure compliance with WTO requirements.

There are 164 members of the World Trade Organization. That's 84 percent of the 196 countries in the world.

They enjoy the privileges that other member-countries give to them and the security that the trading rules provide. In return, they had to make commitments to open their markets and to abide by the rules  those commitments were the result of the membership (or accession) negotiations.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan signed a number of documents following the 17th meeting of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Cooperation between the two countries on March 14, Kazinform reported.

Vice President for Infrastructure of Kazakhstan Temir Zholy JSC Bauyrzhan Orynbasarov and First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Uzbekistan Railways JSC Akbar Shukurov signed an agreement on strategic cooperation between the companies. They also signed an agreement on the establishment of a joint venture in the field of railway transport engineering.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Allure Group of Companies Andrey Lavrentiev and Chairman of Uzavtosanoat Umidjan Salimov signed a framework agreement on long-term and in-depth cooperation.

Also, according to the press service of the Kazakh Prime Minister, the parties agreed to work on increasing the trade turnover to $3 billion in 2018 and to $5 billion by 2020.

The countries intend to increase the number of rail, bus and air communication between two states. Kazakh Minister of Investment and Development Zhenis Kassymbek revealed the countries' plans to increase bus, air and rail frequencies between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Speaking at the 17th session of the Kazakh-Uzbek Intergovernmental Commission today, the minister said that the sides are currently negotiating increasing the frequencies between Tashkent and Astana/Almaty and considering opening new destinations, in particular, Taraz and Samarkand.

He noted that flight frequencies between Astana and Tashkent have already been increased from four to seven and between Almaty and Tashkent - from seven to ten weekly operations. The Minister also reminded that starting March 18 the Almaty-Tashkent train will run three times a week instead of two, adding that the Samarkand-Astana is scheduled to be launched this April.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan confirmed mutual interest in further development of cooperation in the gas industry. The parties agreed to continue creating a technical opportunity for transit supplies of Kazakh gas through the territory of Uzbekistan to the south of Kazakhstan. It is planned that the corresponding agreement will be signed before September 2018.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed a plan of joint activities for development of tourism for 2018.

As you know there are international tourists who come to Kazakhstan and wish to visit the historical places of Uzbekistan and vice versa. The world strives for unity, and in this relation the plans which have been outlined are realistic and perspective. The economic effect is going to be immense and mutually beneficial. There is additional air, railway and automobile communication available between the two countries and we are negotiating that the visas which are valid in Uzbekistan were also effective in Kazakhstan and vice versa, so that the tourists visiting Kazakhstan could also do the sightseeing in Uzbekistan, Kazakh Minister of Culture and Sport Arystanbek Mukhamediuly said on the sidelines of the meeting.

Within the framework of the Year of Uzbekistan in Kazakhstan, 200 events are planned in the sphere of economy, tourism, cultural and humanitarian area.

Earlier it was also reported that the countries intend to film a joint historical movie and introduce multivisa for foreigners.

As a result of 2017, the trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan has increased by 30 percent and amounted to about $2 billion. Over 200 companies with Kazakh capital currently operate in Uzbekistan.

It should be noted that 2018 is declared as the year of Uzbekistan in Kazakhstan whereas 2019 will be the year of Kazakhstan in Uzbekistan.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakh Prime Minister Bakytzhan Sagintayev held a meeting with President of Chevron Europe, Eurasia and Middle East Exploration and Production Company Jeffrey Todd Levy on March 13, the press service of the government reported.

During the meeting, the sides discussed the issues of further cooperation in the oil and gas sector. In particular, they considered issues related to the collaboration within Tengizchevroil LLP, the Karachaganak project, and the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

Chevron Corporation was established as the Pacific Coast Oil Co in 1879. Headquartered in San Ramon, California, U.S., it carries out operations in over 180 countries. The company employs approximately 62,000 people.

In Kazakhstan, Chevron holds 50 percent in Tengizchevroil LLP, 18 percent in Karachaganak project, and 15 percent in the Caspian Pipeline Consortium.

The Tengizchevroil (TCO) partnership was formed on April 6, 1993, between Kazakhstan and Chevron. Chevron Corporation became the first foreign company which signed agreement with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. For 25 years, production at Tengiz has grown from 4 up to 28 million tonnes per year.

The Karachaganak project is implemented within the framework of the Final Production Sharing Agreement (FISP) concluded between the government of Kazakhstan and the alliance of companies represented by British Gas (Shell) with 29.25 percent, ENI with 29.25 percent, Chevron with 18 percent, Lukoil with 13.5 percent and KazMunaiGas JSC with 10 percent of the equity participation. The agreement was signed on November 18, 1997 for a period of 40 years.

In 2017, the actual production totaled 11.2 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons (target production was 10.7 million tons) and 18.9 billion cubic meters of natural gas (target of 18.3 billion cubic meters). In 2018, it is planned to produce 10.887 million tons of liquid hydrocarbons and 18.37 billion cubic meters of natural gas.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) pipeline, with a total length of 1,510 km (452 km of which is a Kazakh section), connects the Tengiz oil field and the Yuzhnaya Ozereevka oil terminal on the Black Sea (near the port of Novorossiysk). It was put into operation in 2001. In 2017, CPC transported 55.1 million tons of oil via the pipeline, including 49.6 million tons of oil from Kazakhstan.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The last decade was trying for Latin America, but it also brought some reasons for optimism. Millions of households across the region entered the middle class, and living standards improved. But many of these gains were fueled by a commodities boom that has since waned. For Latin America to get on the road to sustained economic growth, the region will need a significant increase in investment and productivity.

One group of companies, in sectors as diverse as consumer goods, telecommunications, and infrastructure, could prove pivotal in enabling Latin America to achieve these goals. The multilatinas, as they are called, have generated exceptional growth and have operations beyond their national borders. From 2008 through 2016, the multilatinas that we have identified and trackedthe BCG multilatinasregistered annual revenue growth of 5.2% as measured in US dollars, around three times higher than the average for all large Latin American companies. Now, with the regions economies showing signs of stability and renewed growth, we believe that the multilatinas are well positioned to help lift Latin America to the next level.

From 20082016, the multilatinas registered annual revenue growth around three times higher than the average for all large Latin American companies.

In addition to the tangible benefits that the multilatinas are bringing to a region of 20 nations and more than 600 million people, these companies are important sources of innovation and human capital development. They are at the forefront when it comes to creating new value in services, responding to the demands of a growing middle class, reaching borderless communities of connected customers, and serving as valuable nodes in the ecosystems of other global enterprises. The multilatinas can also play a pivotal role in enabling Latin America to thrive in a shifting global landscape. At a time when the US, one of the regions most important partners, is becoming more isolationist, the multilatinas can serve as bridges to other corners of the world and exemplify the benefits of integrating regional economies.

Multilatinas Then and Now

BCG published its first list of 100 multilatinas in 2009. (See The 2009 Multilatinas: A Fresh Look at Latin America and How a New Breed of Competitors Are Reshaping the Business Landscape, BCG report, September 2009.) For our 2018 list, we added two new types of companies: financial companies and a group of dynamic technology companies that we call technolatinas.

The composition of this years list reflects some of the profound transformations that have occurred in the regions economies since our earlier study. Among the key findings this year, compared with those of 2009:

A Larger Presence of Consumer Companies. The share of multilatinas specializing in consumer goods and services that meet the needs of the expanding middle class increased from 31% to 44%. The number of commodity companies fell from 12 to 7, largely owing to the downturn in commodity prices.

The share of multilatinas specializing in consumer goods and services that meet the needs of the expanding middle class increased from 31% to 44%. The number of commodity companies fell from 12 to 7, largely owing to the downturn in commodity prices. Greater Geographical Diversity. Although companies from Brazil, Chile, and Mexico still dominate the list in 2018, there are more companies from Argentina, Colombia, and Peruin large part because of the inclusion of financial institutions and technolatinas. Companies from Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama also joined the list.

Although companies from Brazil, Chile, and Mexico still dominate the list in 2018, there are more companies from Argentina, Colombia, and Peruin large part because of the inclusion of financial institutions and technolatinas. Companies from Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Panama also joined the list. Superior Value Creation. The average total shareholder returna broad measure of company stock performanceof the BCG multilatinas increased 12% per year from 2000 through 2016, far outpacing the 8% average TSR of emerging-market companies as a whole.

The average total shareholder returna broad measure of company stock performanceof the BCG multilatinas increased 12% per year from 2000 through 2016, far outpacing the 8% average TSR of emerging-market companies as a whole. Strong Contribution to Job Creation. Employment at multilatinas expanded by 2.6% annually from 2013 through 2016, above the regional average of only 0.3% per year for the same period.

The Economic Context

Despite these companies success, Latin America has been losing ground in the global economy: its share of global GDP shrank from 8.6% in 2009 to 7.7% today. This has occurred at a time when emerging markets in general have boosted their share of global economic output from 33% to more than 50%, according to the International Monetary Fund. Economic volatility in many Latin American economies has also been much fiercer than in most of the world, damaging investor confidence.

Although Latin America still generally underperforms other emerging markets, the picture is starting to improve.

Latin America enjoyed strong GDP growth until the 20082009 global recession, and the region has since struggled to sustain economic momentum. Commodity prices started falling in 2014; fiscal crises, political turmoil, insufficient public and private investment, and declining consumption fueled recession, and market turmoil compounded the problems. Countries such as Brazil and Argentina experienced major setbacks, while others, such as Chile, Colombia, and Peru, continued to grow but at slower rates.

In addition, inadequate investment over the years in education and infrastructure has left several Latin American nations without a strong foundation for growth and diversification beyond resource-based industries. (See Brazil: Confronting the Productivity Challenge, BCG report, January 2013.) In global benchmarks of government efficiency, government regulatory burdens, and the effectiveness of investment incentives, Latin America lags well behind many other emerging markets. Although this also varies from one country to the next, in general terms the region has yet to fulfill many overdue economic reforms.

Although Latin America still generally underperforms other emerging markets, the picture is starting to improve. Brazil and Argentina are showing signs of recovery, and GDP growth across the region is projected to average 2.7% through 2021.

Latin America still possesses a number of assets that make it an attractive growth market. For starters, the region has a combined nominal GDP of $5.3 trillion, greater than that of the ASEAN economies, India, and the Middle East plus Africa. It is also a $3.5 trillion consumer market. Indeed, per capita annual private consumption is higher in Latin America than in China or Russia.

Recent recessions in some nations have pushed many households back into poverty, but 35% of the regional population is still in the middle classa significant increase since 2009, when it stood at 28%. The distribution of income, which has historically been very unequal in Latin America, has been improving slowly but steadily. The average regional Gini indexa measure of the gap between the highest-income earners and the lowesthas narrowed by an average of 1 percentage point annually since 2009.

From 2014 through 2016, Latin America drew an average of $184 billion in foreign direct investment annually close to Chinas level.

Furthermore, 95% of Latin Americans speak Spanish or Portuguese and share similar values and cultural influences. This helps businesses that wish to collaborate and engage with customers across borders. Latin America remains rich in natural resources, accounting for 14% of the worlds agricultural land, 15% of oil reserves, 21% of forests, 28% of available water, 54% of copper production, and 66% of lithium reserves.

The growing commitment to trade and investment liberalization by some Latin American governments, despite growing protectionism in the US and elsewhere, also favors the region and its multilatinas. The regions recent tilt toward openness is expected to help increase both imports and exports, which have grown by roughly 30% since 2009. Greater openness is also making Latin America an attractive destination for foreign direct investment. From 2014 through 2016, the region drew an average of $184 billion in FDI annuallyclose to Chinas levelcompared with $126 billion in the ASEAN economies and $41 billion in India. Approximately $30 billion of that amount came from China alonedouble the sum from 2003 through 2009. The automotive, metals, and communications sectors have been among the chief Chinese investment targets.

A resilient private sector is arguably among Latin Americas most valuable assets. Around 80% of the regions companies, both big and small, are family owned. These enterprises employed 70% of the workforce as of 2014. In our experience, family-owned businesses focus on resilience. Their earnings may be slightly lower than those of their peers during good times, but they outperform during downturns. They know how to navigate complex business environments and have a long-term commitment that enables them to ride out business cycles. Despite being controlled by families, many leading Latin American companies are run by trained professionals who instill modern management methods and practices. The growth that some of them have enjoyed in the past decade is pushing them to seek higher levels of professionalization. This is especially true for the multilatinas.

The 2018 BCG Multilatinas

We began by analyzing more than 5,000 companies with operations in Latin America that have more than $1 billion in revenue and that have grown faster than the regional average and operate beyond their national borders. The technolatinas included in our latest study are Latin America-based companies in tech-related businesses that compete internationally and had more than $300 million in revenue in 2016. (See Exhibit 1.)
Mortgage site HSH released its list of how much money would-be home buyers need to earn to be able to afford a home in 27 U.S. metro areas.

Dallas, Houston and San Antonio were among the cities evaluated.

The site found that, to buy a median-priced home at $217,400, Houstonians have to earn at least $52,275 per year. That's up from 2015, when a previous report put the salary figure at $49,983 and the median house price at $199,300. That's a mortgage payment of $1,219 per month. These findings come on the heels of a 2016 second-quarter home price decline in Houston. (Story continues below.)

SEE ALSO: Austin mansion with 650-pound chandelier set for auction

"The Houston metro moved down one spot on our list, swapping places with the Philadelphia metro. Home prices in the Houston area did not increase nearly as much as many other metros on our list, allowing the required salary to increase by only $883 in the second quarter," HSH reported. "If buyers in the Houston metro put 10 percent down instead of 20 percent, the required salary increases to $59,664."

In San Antonio, prospective home owners need to make at least $48,752 annually to buy a median-priced home at $210,500. With a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage at 3.71 percent, that would amount to $1,137 per month.

FOR RENT: 'Fixer Upper' homes are being rented out, Chip and Joanna Gaines are not happy about it

"Given that the salary increase in the first quarter was only $18 in the San Antonio metro, the second-quarter increase of $1,760 may seem rather significant," the report states. "If buyers put 10 percent down instead of 20 percent, the required salary figure increases by another $7,135 to $55,888."

In Dallas, $54,764 is the minimum salary to buy a median-priced $232,200 home.

When calculating required salaries, HSH took into account the principal, interest, taxes and insurance payments for the needed mortgage.
Exxon Mobil could start construction on a multi-billion dollar expansion at its Beaumont refinery within the next year, a company official said, which would make it the largest by capacity in the country.

The expansion, which is expected to double the Beaumont facility's capacity, has been under consideration for several years.

At an analysts' meeting last week, senior Vice President Jack Williams said a final investment decision on the project should be made this year.

The refinery's current capacity is about 365,000 barrels per day. Motiva's Port Arthur refinery is the largest in the U.S., with a capacity of 600,000 barrels per day.

"Exxon Mobil is evaluating potential expansion of light crude refining capacity at its Beaumont refinery," spokeswoman Ashley Alemayehu said. "No decisions have been made. If the project proceeds, construction would begin in 2019, followed by unit startup in 2022."

Speaking about upcoming refining projects, Williams said the proposed Beaumont light oil expansion project is "perhaps my favorite example on integration."

"It's going to leverage a lot of on-site infrastructure that's available to us at Beaumont," he said. "Intermediate products" from the refining process would be used at plants in Baton Rouge and Baytown, he said.

"Although the project is located at Beaumont, it's really a full Gulf Coast upgrade," he said.

The proposed expansion is fueled by "confidence" in production in the Bakken Formation in Montana, North

Dakota and Canada, and the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, Williams said.

The company announced in January that it plans to triple its production in the Permian by 2025, which will supply its Gulf Coast refineries.

Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames said the city is working to show Exxon Mobil that it supports the expansion and the jobs that it would bring.

Alemayehu said the project would create up to 1,850 construction jobs and between 40 and 60 permanent jobs.

"It's important for us to help anyway we can," Ames said.

The expansion would be done within the refinery's existing 2,000-acre facility, Ames said, so the city would likely modify existing tax abatement agreements, rather than create new ones.

Exxon Mobil is "always having conversations" with the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce, according to Ana Pereda, Vice President of Economic Development.

"They have plans," she said, but she declined to comment on the status of those discussions.

Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said the proposed Exxon Mobil project is part of "millions of dollars of expansions" he's anticipating in the petrochemical industry in the county.

"Every project feeds other potential developments," he said, including pipeline development and other growth.

"I'm always excited about job-creating projects," Branick said. "We need to obviously work on training up our people to fill those jobs. I'm glad that we have LIT and the process technology program at Lamar State College-Port Arthur to help us with that."

Ames said that during conversations with companies about growth and expansion, the city makes it known that they "prefer" hiring locals, but said having a trained workforce available has been a challenge.

"Workforce development is just as important as economic development," she said.

Branick said the county's abatement agreements require companies to give locals the opportunity to bid on projects and to submit reports on local hiring and purchases.

"We're certainly an attractive place for development," he said, because "it's easier to get permits to build at plants in Jefferson County" than in the Houston or Dallas areas.

In 2016, Exxon Mobil announced a $450 million expansion to the refinery, increasing its capacity by 17 percent. Construction is also ongoing at an expansion of the company's polyethylene plant on U.S. 90.

LTeitz@BeaumontEnterprise.comTwitter.com/LizTeitz
Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health is preparing to end its 37-year partnership with Charlotte-based Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants, the Charlotte Observer reports.

Here's what you should know.

1. Atrium is planning to partner with Charlotte-based Scope Anesthesia of North Carolina, after contract talks with Mednax  Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants' parent company dissolved.

2. SAC has taken out full-page ads in the Observer touting the quality of its physicians and how the company has served the community for 37 years.

3. The anesthesia group and hospital are accusing each other of using misinformation to distort the potential ramifications of the contract termination.

4. SAC argued the contract termination will reduce staffing levels at the hospital because SAC physicians work at Atrium facilities across the state, thereby potentially affecting patient care.

Atrium refuted SAC's claims saying the hospital has the resources to ensure surgical services will not be interrupted during the transition period.

5. Atrium issued a memo saying SAC was unwilling to fully incorporate a model that would reduce patient cost into its care proposal. Atrium claims it developed a separate plan which reduced patient co-pays and lowered out-of-pocket expenses, without sacrificing care quality.

6. If the contract is terminated, SAC physicians will no longer be able to work at Atrium facilities, even if they leave SAC and find other employment.

7. Josh Miller, MD, a SAC anesthesiologist, said contract talks are ongoing.

The hospital issued a statement on the issue, "We have been working on plans to increase the affordability of our patients co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses related to Mednax services, and have communicated our decision to not renew our contract with them. Mednax has requested meetings with Atrium Health, which has allowed us to further share our position. Regardless of the status of our relationship with Mednax, we are confident Atrium Health will continue to be able to provide the world-class surgical services and care that our patients and communities count on each day. It is our sincere desire that Mednax will allow physicians currently practicing at Atrium Health facilities to continue to do so."
BJC HealthCare in St. Louis notified 33,420 patients a data server configuration error exposed stored scans of certain documents on the internet without the appropriate security controls from May 9, 2017, to Jan. 23, 2018, a hospital spokesperson confirmed to Becker's Hospital Review.

Hospital officials discovered the exposure during an internal security scan and immediately reconfigured the server to the correct setting. According to the hospital's investigation, no personal data was actually accessed.

The scanned documents on the server included copies of patient driver's licenses, insurance cards and treatment-related documents collected during hospital visits between 2003 and 2009. Patient information  such as name, address, telephone number, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number, insurance information and treatment-related information  were potentially accessible.

Although no BJC data was accessed, the hospital offered affected patients free identity theft monitoring as a precaution. Patients whose data was stored on the server were mailed a letter that explained the situation, how to enroll in identity theft protection and where to direct any questions.

More articles on cybersecurity:

Most cyberattacks cause 4 hours of downtime: 7 things to know

McAfee logs 478 cyberattacks every minute: 6 report findings

How are healthcare organizations addressing information security? 4 survey findings


Labor, supply and administrative costs are key reasons why the U.S. outpaces other high-income countries in healthcare spending, according to a study published in JAMA.

The research, led by Irene Papanicolas, PhD, from the department of health policy and management at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, examines 98 indicators across 10 high-income countries. The indicators, derived from data spanning 2013 to 2016, fell into seven facets: general spending, population health, structural capacity, utilization, pharmaceuticals, access and quality, and equity.

Here are five findings from the study.

1. The U.S. spent nearly two times as much on healthcare as 10 high-income countries in 2016. This expense didn't lead to higher health outcomes, as the U.S. performed poorer on several population health outcomes than the other countries, the authors found.

2. While the U.S. spent 17.8 percent of its gross domestic product on healthcare in 2016, spending in the 10 other countries ranged from 9.6 percent of GDP in Australia to 12.4 percent of GDP in Switzerland.

3. In terms of physician workforce, the U.S. didn't differ largely from the other countries, with 2.6 physicians per 1,000 people. The U.S. also didn't differ much in terms of healthcare use. The U.S saw 192 discharges per 100,000 people.

4. However, the authors found pronounced differences in administrative costs. Administrative costs of care reflected 8 percent of healthcare spending in the U.S., while administrative costs ranged from 1 to 3 percent in the other countries. U.S. spending on pharmaceuticals also outpaced other countries, with spending at $1,443 per capita in the U.S. compared to $466 to $939 in other countries. Lastly, physician and nurse salaries were higher in the U.S. than in other countries. A generalist physician was paid $218,173 in the U.S. during the study period, compared to $86,607 to $154,126 in the other countries.

5. "Efforts targeting utilization alone are unlikely to reduce the growth in healthcare spending in the United States; a more concerted effort to reduce prices and administrative costs is likely needed," the authors concluded.

For the full study, click here.
Eric Schmidt, PhD, former Google CEO and former executive chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet, laid out a roadmap for bringing artificial intelligence into patient care during an opening keynote presentation March 5 at the HIMSS Annual Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas.

To set the stage for his vision, Dr. Schmidt described a typical medical visit, with one addition  a microphone and speaker in the physician's office, hooked up to a virtual assistant. He dubbed the imagined virtual assistant "Dr. Liz," in honor of Elizabeth Blackwell, MD, the first woman to receive a U.S. medical degree in 1849.

"What does Dr. Liz do?" Dr. Schmidt asked the audience. "She listens to the conversation [between the physician and the patient], disambiguates the voices, follows the consultation, gives suggestions to the physician in his or her earpiece, transcribes the situation  and then she fills out and navigates the EHR."

Although only an idea right now, Dr. Schmidt forecasted a technology similar to Dr. Liz will exist in hospitals within the next decade.

"Everything I just described is buildable today or in the next few years," he said. "All it takes is for all of us, literally every person in this room, to figure out how to build it."

Dr. Schmidt, who stepped down from his role as Alphabet's executive chairman earlier this year, continues his involvement with the company as a technical advisor. His discussion on building a healthier future through AI technologies marked his second time speaking at HIMSS, following a 2008 keynote given during his decade-long tenure as Google's CEO.

Today, Dr. Schmidt sits on the board of trustees for Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic and on the board of directors for Cambridge, Mass.-based Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

For Dr. Schmidt, the first step to building a product in the image of Dr. Liz is a shift to the cloud. He highlighted the cloud as a secure, HIPAA-compliant environment for hospitals to store patient data and host applications.

"Run to the cloud. Don't stop, don't walk, don't think about it," he said. "I don't want you repeating infrastructure work that we're doing. I want you to focus on the innovation to achieve the vision that I outlined."

Next, Dr. Schmidt encouraged health IT leaders to invest in clinical data warehouses to store information from a variety of sources, including patient histories, medical images and remote monitoring solutions. With deep learning and reinforcement learning  two advanced types of AI  organizations will be able to analyze this data to draw out predictive insights.

As an example, Dr. Schmidt shared findings from a recent study Google Research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. For the study, the research team developed an AI algorithm that analyzed retinal fundus images  photographs of the interior lining of the eye  to predict a patient's risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.

Under Dr. Schmidt's vision, Dr. Liz would be able to access these insights to recommend personalized patient care plans.

"I will tell you right upfront: This is really hard; it's really humbling; it's really complicated," Dr. Schmidt said of the push to develop innovative software. "But if we all work together, we can really save lives at a scale that is unimaginable, because of the impact of these technologies."
Since joining Fort Atkinson, Wis.-based Fort HealthCare as president and CEO in 2006, Michael Wallace has implemented a vision and executed strategies to improve health outcomes in the community and the state of Wisconsin.

Mr. Wallace's vision, leadership and dedication helped Jefferson County, where Fort HealthCare is located, move from the 33rd spot out of 72 counties to the 9th spot in 2017 on the University of Wisconsin Population Health Initiative rankings for overall health outcomes.

In addition to his executive leadership role at the health system, Mr. Wallace, an untiring advocate for better health in Wisconsin, served as the chairman of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, is a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a board position at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce committee.

Here, Mr. Wallace discusses a few key takeaways from his role at the WHA, describes his best colleague and shares his thoughts on the future of rural healthcare.

Note: The following responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: What is your favorite part about being a CEO in the healthcare industry?

Michael Wallace: I think short and sweet, articulating a vision and making it happen. I enjoy talking about things, organizing people and seeing it come to fruition a few years later. Taking concepts and making them a reality is something I enjoy. An example of a vision that has come to fruition is changing our mission. About eight years ago we changed our mission and vision to improve the health and wellbeing of our community  and our vision was to become the healthiest community in Wisconsin. We organized ourselves in a way and held up our benchmark, and the work that we've done has moved us into the top 10 out of the 72 counties when we started out as 33rd. There's a lot that's gone into making it happen, but the main thing I enjoyed was keeping that vision and executing it.

Q: What are a few key takeaways from your role at the Wisconsin Hospital Association?

MW: I think an awful lot about the WHA, and a main takeaway is that advocacy works. Testimonials from the field drive the legislative process. Legislators want to hear how a policy will impact operations or how the lack of legislative action would affect players in the healthcare space. I am a firm believer in the process. We are the face of healthcare and if we are not out trying to improve or represent our constituents we will not be represented.

Another thing is the culture of 'competitors coming together for the greater good' players from Milwaukee, Madison and other metropolitan areas are considered competition, but the entire group comes together and spins their hats around to collaborate. A good takeaway from this is just knowing to set aside individual silos and organizational strategies to find the areas of agreement.

Q: If you could change one thing about healthcare overnight, what would it be?

MW: I would increase patient engagement, prevention and self care. People can no longer be passive in healthcare. While [providers] can offer counseling, interventions and other services  the single greatest determinant of a patient's health is the decision or decisions he or she makes outside of the hospital or doctor's office.

I think this lack of patient engagement is a challenge in healthcare. We have insulated the patient or consumer too much from the true cost of care and accountability for their overall health outcomes. We can put together outstanding care plans detailing what people should do, and then they leave the ER, or office and the noncompliance of the patient causes the patient to boomerang  they crash, they come back  we rescue and save them again. We are very good at that. But we should be better at the public health approach. So much of what we treat is lifestyle driven illness, we know it's treatable, manageable and, in many cases, curable but patients need to be engaged. They can't just wait for the magic pill or intervention. I wish I could change the level of engagement overnight.

Q: Describe one of your best colleagues. What is it that this person brings that is indispensable to your organization?

MW: The people who have had the most influence on me, both presently and in the past, are leaders with a people-oriented leadership style. Healthcare is a people-oriented business; we take care of people so it takes that type of leadership style. People in those leadership roles need to be visible, available and approachable. You have to have all three. There are many leaders that are visible but not approachable  it's finding that blend to be in touch with what will make the organization better.

Q: What is one piece of advice you would offer to other CEOs

MW: I'd say visualize the outcome you want and then go get it. I also like the phrase 'try hard, fail fast, move on, start over' You're one step closer to a solution if the last one didn't work. But don't let perfect get in the way of good. I like to be 8 for 10 rather than 3 for 3 Failure is the byproduct of trying to move an organization forward. If I get 8 of 10 things right, I am going to end up further along, closer to my vision than if I wait to be sure about everything to get that perfect 3 for 3.

Q: Are you optimistic about the future of rural healthcare?

MW: I am very optimistic. I think rural health is critical to the overall success of our healthcare delivery system. Simply stated, as you decrease access to care you increase cost of care. Rural health increases that access and can overall lower that cost. That upper respiratory infection that can be treated with a script of antibiotics  if you decrease access to that care, it becomes full-blown pneumonia, it becomes an ER visit with a $10,000 hospitalization and yeah, we saved the patient, but if they had better access to care or if we preserved rural healthcare we can mitigate some of those conditions with early detection, prevention and wellness. All roads can't lead to the big city, certainly some roads need to lead there for tertiary care, but it's in our interest to preserve and protect the rural healthcare system.
The CEO of Berkeley, Calif.-based Sutter Health Alta Bates Summit Medical Center reportedly announced his resignation from the institution last month amid backlash regarding the hospital's planned closure, according to The Daily Californian.

Officials have begun searching for CEO Chuck Prosper's replacement. Mr. Prosper was named CEO of the hospital in 2012. His last day will be May 4, a spokesperson for Sutter Health told the publication in a statement.

Sutter Health decided to close the hospital in October 2015 due to the facility's inability to meet state seismic standards. Officials planned to relocate the hospital's services to its Alta Bates Summit Medical Center campus in Oakland, Calif., which they plan to expand.

A Sutter Health Bay Area spokesperson told Becker's Hospital Review in an emailed statement March 14, "Chuck Prosper let all employees know several weeks ago that he has decided to leave Alta Bates Summit. His last day is May 4. Sutter Health is conducting a search for his replacement. Chuck's decision to leave is not related to the hospital's seismic issues or Sutter Health's plans to rebuild in Oakland."

More than 350 community members, along with the California Nurses Association, held a rally last month to protest the hospital's planned closure. A similar demonstration also occurred in November 2017.

"No matter who is in charge, we want to make sure that Sutter does the right thing of keeping a full-service hospital in Berkeley," the CNA spokesperson told The Daily Californian. "Hopefully they will appoint someone who is committed to that same mission, and even if they don't, that won't stop us."

Editor's note: This article was updated March 14 at 3:30 p.m. to include additional information from Sutter Health.
A judge ruled in favor of Boston-based Brigham and Women's Hospital after nurses challenged the hospital's flu shot policy, according to The Boston Globe.

Here are seven things to know.

1. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Anthony Campo dismissed a lawsuit from the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents about 3,400 Brigham nurses, according to the report.

2. In his ruling, the judge said nurses did not have the legal standing to file a lawsuit questioning the legality of the flu shot policy, reports The Boston Globe.

3. The hospital's flu shot policy states employees must receive annual flu vaccines. There are exemptions for employees who refuse to get vaccinated for health or religious reasons. However, The Boston Globe reports employees who opt out of the policy must wear face masks around patients.

4. Late last year, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Robert Tochka denied a request from the MNA to immediately block the policy. In his ruling, the judge said, "MNA's speculative claim of potential harm to an unspecified number of unidentified nurses is not adequate to outweigh the risk of harm to the hospital, its employees, and its patients if there is an outbreak of the flu."

5. The union has taken issue with what they say is potential punishment for certain employees who don't comply with the policy. The hospital has said the policy "was implemented to ensure we provide the highest quality, safest environment for our patients, visitors and our employees."

6. Brigham spokesperson told The Boston Globe: "We are gratified that the court has affirmed our right to implement this policy." The union could still decide to appeal the ruling.

7. According to the report, nearly all Brigham employees (98 percent)  including 98 percent of nurses  received flu shots this season.

More articles on legal & regulatory issues:

Woman arrested after posing as employee at 2 Tennessee hospitals: 4 things to know

5 latest healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements

Martin Shkreli gets 7 years in prison: 8 things to know
Hundreds of governmental entities have filed lawsuits to recoup funds expended addressing the opioid crisis. The lawsuits have primarily targeted drugmakers and drug distributors for allegedly engaging in deceptive marketing campaigns to promote the widespread use of opioids.

The following stories published by Becker's Hospital Review since Feb. 14 contain information on recent lawsuits filings, developments in ongoing cases and a call for a federal legal action.

1. Chicago names 3 drug distributors in opioid lawsuit, allocates $225k to address local crisis: 7 things to know

Attorneys on behalf of Chicago filed a federal lawsuit March 6 against three of the largest opioid distributors in the U.S. for allegedly contributing to a public health crisis related to the "unfettered and unlawful distribution" of opioids in the city.

2. Kentucky AG files fourth opioid crisis lawsuit

Kentucky's Attorney General on March 8 filed a lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen, alleging the drug distributor engaged in deceptive business practices related to the overdistribution of opioids in the state.

3. 1 judge, 400 opioid lawsuits: 4 notes on his unconventional judicial approach

A federal judge from the Northern District of Ohio is tasked with overseeing more than 400 federal lawsuits brought by Native American tribes, cities and counties against drugmakers, drug distributors and retail pharmacies for the companies' alleged role in the opioid crisis.

4. Trump calls for federal opioid lawsuit against drug companies

President Donald Trump called for a federal lawsuit against drug companies during a summit on the opioid crisis held at the White House March 1.

5. DOJ aligns with states in opioid lawsuit, increases scrutiny on drug companies: 4 things to know

A newly formed Department of Justice task force will leverage all available criminal and civil penalties under the law to hold opioid makers and distributors accountable for any potential illegal practices related to the supply of opioid medications, according to a Feb. 27 announcement from Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

6. Ohio AG targets 4 drug distributors in second opioid lawsuit

Attorney General Mike DeWine filed a lawsuit Feb. 26 against four drug distributors, alleging the companies created a public nuisance through unsafe distribution tactics that resulted in the oversupply of opioids in Ohio.

7. New Jersey county opioid lawsuit targets former Purdue leaders

Attorneys representing Camden County filed a lawsuit Feb. 21 against drugmakers and drug distributors for the companies' alleged roles in perpetuating the opioid crisis in New Jersey.

8. Kentucky AG files third opioid epidemic lawsuit

Kentucky's attorney general on Feb. 20 filed a lawsuit against Cardinal Health, alleging the company engaged in deceptive business practices to promote the widespread distribution of opioids.

9. Standing Rock Sioux file lawsuit against 24 opioid makers, distributors

Attorneys on behalf of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North and South Dakota on Feb. 13 filed a lawsuit against 24 drugmakers and drug distributors for the companies' alleged roles in facilitating the opioid epidemic within the tribe's reservation.
Special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration arrested a San Diego-based physician and seven others on charges related to a conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute hydrocodone, according to a March 12 release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of California.

Here are four things to know.

1. Law enforcement officials allege Egisto Salerno, MD, the 73-year-old owner and operator of a medical office in San Diego, participated in a conspiracy to unlawfully distribute hydrocodone beginning November 2014. Dr. Salerno allegedly treated individuals, who were often homeless, posing as patients in his office and wrote them prescriptions for hydrocodone without administering a medical exam. Dr. Salerno received an office visit fee for each of these alleged interactions.

2. These individuals were allegedly recruited by several other suspects, including 57-year-old Stephen Toney. Recruiters would allegedly arrange transportation for the individuals to travel to the medical office and collect the prescribed hydrocodone after the visits to illegally distribute the drugs.

3. Additional charges against Dr. Salerno allege the physician and two of his medical assistants falsified medical records to justify the hydrocodone prescriptions. The physician is also accused of writing hydrocodone prescriptions for both deceased and incarcerated individuals incapable of visiting the medical office.

4. U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman described the opioid crisis as ravaging San Diego and Imperial Counties.

"We are and will continue to zealously prosecute and bring to justice those doctors, pharmacies, medical providers and others who are furthering this epidemic to line their own pockets," said Mr. Braverman.

More articles on opioids:

FDA to encourage pharma to sell medication-assisted treatments for opioid addicts

New Jersey county opioid lawsuit targets former Purdue leaders

11 states, DC lack enough certified prescribers to meet opioid addiction treatment demands
Readmission rates for Medicare penalty diagnoses of congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia vary by physician, suggests a study published by the American Journal of Managed Care.

For the study, researchers examined 30-day readmissions at Cambridge, Mass.-based Mount Auburn Hospital between Jan. 1, 2013, and Dec. 31, 2015. Researchers assessed for the type of attending physician, diagnosis, payer, patient demographics, discharge disposition and clinical factors such as primary diagnoses and length of stay. Additionally, researchers conducted interviews with both patients who experienced readmissions and patients who did not.

Here are seven study findings.

1. Overall, 17,099 patients were admitted for CHF, COPD and pneumonia during the study period. All three diagnoses are considered Medicare penalty diagnoses under the ACA's Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, meaning hospitals can be penalized if they have too many readmissions for these conditions.

2. Among those admitted for these conditions, 2,226 experienced a 30-day readmission, according to the study. That's a total 13 percent readmission rate.

3. The study found patients who were divorced or legally separated (15.7 percent) and widowed (15.7 percent) had a higher chance of being readmitted than married patients (11.6 percent).

4. Researchers said being Asian/Pacific Islander (7.1 percent) or "other" race (6.8 percent) and having private insurance (8.3 percent) were also linked to lower readmissions.

5. Additionally, the study found readmissions varied by attending type. The readmission rates for CHF, COPD, and pneumonia by attending type were:

Geriatricians  11 percent

Hospitalists  13.7 percent

Cardiologists  18.5 percent

Intensivists  17.4 percent

Primary care physicians  16.7 percent

6. Interviews revealed readmitted patients were more likely than their nonreadmitted counterparts to not have an outpatient connection to a primary care provider (10.7 percent compared to 0 percent), to not be able to complete daily living activities on their own (32.1 percent compared to 11.1 percent), and to not have support of family members during their inpatient stay (17.9 compared to 10.7 percent).

7. The study's authors concluded: "This study found a lower readmission rate for those with CHF, COPD, and pneumonia who were admitted by geriatricians, supporting the notion that enhanced care coordination lowers readmissions. Patient with lower social connectedness were more likely to be readmitted. These findings support the value of rigorous identification of individual risk factors for readmission and of tailoring discharge planning."

More articles on healthcare quality:

House rejects 'right-to-try' bill: 9 things to know

National Institute on Drug Abuse recognizes NYU Langone Health's Dr. Nathaniel Landau

ECRI Institute ranks 10 top patient safety concerns for 2018
The Ohio Department of Health, the Joint Commission and the College of American Pathologists began independent investigations into Cleveland-based University Hospitals after a freezer at its fertility clinic malfunctioned, affecting an estimated 700 patients' eggs and embryos, cleveland.com reports.

Here are five things to know about the agencies' investigations.

1. University Hospitals notified an estimated 700 patients after temperatures inside a liquid nitrogen freezer at the UH Fertility Center  part of Beachwood, Ohio-based University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center  unexpectedly rose sometime between March 3 and March 4, damaging the more than 2,000 frozen eggs and embryos contained inside the freezer.

2. The health system issued a statement March 8, stating officials are investigating the incident and have brought in independent experts to assess the situation.

"We are investigating a recent incident at our fertility clinic involving an unexpected temperature fluctuation with the tissue storage bank where eggs and embryos are stored in liquid nitrogen. At this time, we don't yet know the viability of these eggs and embryos," the statement reads.

3. In response to the incident, the Ohio DOH sent a team to the health system March 13 to determine if the hospital is in compliance with regulations outlined under the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, a DOH spokesperson told cleveland.com via email. CMS reportedly told the health department to investigate the hospital. The report's findings will not be made public until CMS authorizes the release of the information, the spokesperson noted.

4. A spokesperson for the Joint Commission told the publication the agency's Office of Quality and Patient Safety "is aware of a patient safety concern [at the hospital and] is currently reviewing the concern," according to the report. The Joint Commission performed its last onsite survey of the hospital in January 2017.

5. The College of American Pathologists has also launched an investigation into the incident. CAP reportedly drafted a letter to UH outlining specific questions related to the equipment malfunction. It is unclear if UH has received the letter. If it has, the health system has 10 days to respond to the CAP, which may follow up with an onsite visit. The CAP conducted its last visit in 2016. Laboratories are required to be inspected every two years.

To access the report, click here.
We Are Blood, the only blood supplier for hospitals in central Texas, is running dangerously low on O-negative blood and platelet donations, according to KVUE.

The shortage stems from low donor turnouts due to South by Southwest, a popular film and media festival, along with schools' spring breaks this week. An increase in traumas over the last few days further dwindled existing blood supplies.

More than 40 hospitals and medical facilities across 10 counties rely on We Are Blood's blood supply. The company is calling on all healthy central Texas residents to donate blood or platelets at one of three blood banks in the area or at a mobile blood drive.
CVS stands accused of boosting its profits by overbilling Medicaid managed-care companies for medications and underpaying pharmacists for the drugs in an effort to push out competition in Ohio  a charge the pharmacy giant denies, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Here are eight things to know.

1. Critics in Ohio claim retail pharmacies in Ohio have been forced to close as a result of the Medicaid-benefits management system CVS dominates with its pharmacy benefits management arm, CVS Caremark. Antonio Ciaccia of the Ohio Pharmacists Association told The Dispatch 165 Ohio pharmacies have shuttered in the past two years.

2. Ohio's Medicaid program is forecasted to spend $3.2 billion on prescription drugs in the state in 2018. CVS Caremark will handle most of that money, according to the report. CVS Caremark bills insurers that contract with the state's Medicaid program and is responsible for reimbursing pharmacies that fill those patients' prescriptions.

3. The state contracts with five managed-care companies to coordinate healthcare services for 89 percent of Medicaid patients at a set fee. The managed care company then hires pharmacy benefit managers, who decide which drugs are covered with insurance, negotiate rebates with drugmakers and set the reimbursement prices for pharmacies.

4. According to The Dispatch, not only is CVS the second-largest retail pharmacy chain in the state, CVS Caremark is also the pharmacy benefit manager for four of Ohio's five managed-care companies, which keeps it in charge of the majority of reimbursements to pharmacists.

5. Mr. Ciaccia suspects CVS Caremark is using "spread pricing" to fatten its bottom line. Spread pricing is using one list with low prices to reimburse pharmacists and using another list with high prices to bill the managed-care company. In this scenario, the PBMs would pocket the difference in cost. Mr. Ciaccia noted it is impossible to know if CVS Caremark or other PBMs use this method because the entire process is not transparent.

6. A CVS spokesperson declined to answer The Dispatch's questions about whether the company engages in spread pricing, but noted "there are strict firewalls between our retail business, CVS Pharmacy, and our PBM business, CVS Caremark. CVS Pharmacy has no insight into CVS Caremark's reimbursement of independents."

7. Ohio House Finance Committee Chairman Ryan Smith, R, told The Dispatch, "Independent pharmacists are getting killed. Their rates are going down, but prescription costs are going up. It seems like the middleman is making out."

8. After the accusations surfaced, state officials said they would look into the overbilling accusations against CVS, according to The Alliance Review.
A group of experts at the UC San Francisco Center for Digital Health Innovation are pushing for what they call a connected health record amid the debate on whether the EHR should instead be a comprehensive health record.

In a March 13 blog post for Health Stack, the center's Aaron Neinstein, MD, director of clinical informatics; Mark Savage, director of health policy; and Ed Martin, director of technology, argue the debate is much more than a name. "It reflects a debate over the goals of health information technology. Life, health, and healthcare are neither static nor siloed, but are constantly in motion, and ones health data must be in motion, too," they write.

As health activities and use cases expand, the idea that the EHR should be an electronic filing cabinet has spoiled, and because of the industry's emphasis on interoperability, it begs the development of capabilities beyond point-to-point, EHR-to-EHR connections.

"Our health and healthcare are hardly confined to the fifteen minutes in a clinical office visit, and accordingly, our healthcare ecosystem requires connectedness with patients and family caregivers, with social determinants of health, with non-clinical providers such as school clinics for our youth, and with community health centers," they write. Many vendors refer to this rebranded EHR as a comprehensive health record  but that effort falls short of the industry's interoperability demands.

Instead, a connected health record would focus on conversation, teamwork, interconnections and data sources that manage health.

With a connected health record, a cancer patient at home who comes down with an illness or a fever could have his or her data sent immediately to his or her primary care physician, oncologist, homecare nurse and family caregiver to inform changes in the care plan made by any provider and could make the change accessible to the entire care team.

"A static, allegedly comprehensive health record misses the dynamics of an interactive, learning health system. Rather, patients, providers, population health agencies, registries, payers, researchers, social service agencies, community centers, and accountable care organizations all need interconnected systems and records," they write.

Click here to read the full blog post.

More articles on EHRs:

Epic's population health tool adds resources from Geisinger spinoff xG Health Solutions

Primary care physicians spend more time on EHR than face-to-face care, study suggests

DirectTrust Founding CEO Dr. David Kibbe to step down at end of 2018: 5 things to know


Titan Spine is a medical device manufacturer focused on titanium implants with a proprietary roughened implant surface treatment for spinal fusion.

1. Former orthopedic spine surgeon Peter Ullrich, MD, and Kevin Gemas co-founded Titan Spine to meet the need for interbody fusion space for cages designed to enhance fixation, preserve vertebral body integrity and promote fusion.

2. Mequon, Wis.-based Titan Spine distributes its Endoskeleton titanium interbody cage device platform in the U.S. and Europe.

3. Titan Spine's proprietary nano surface technology relies on titanium, a material used in orthopedics because of its high strength, low weight and ability to promote osteointegration for lasting and firm fixation. Here is more information on Titan Spine's nano surface technology.

4. In 2016, CMS created a new technology ICD-10 code for interbody fusion procedures using nano-textured interbody fusion devices, allowing CMS to collect and analyze outcome data for users of the code. nanoLOCK is currently the only device with access to use the code.

5. At mid-year 2017, Titan Spine reported a 49 percent year-over-year growth rate. nanoLOCK sales volume rose 42 percent since the end of the first quarter 2017, and 150 surgeons used the nanoLOCK in 98 hospitals, according to the company. Surgeons have performed 2,500 nanoLOCK implantations since its 2016 launch and implanted more than 50,000 Endoskeleton interbody fusion devices.

6. Titan Spine has been growing at over 40 percent per year for over 10 years. It now has about 110 employees.

7. Titan Spine raised an indefinite series B equity fund for early investors that launched in June 2012 and totaled $202,262, and a series B round launched in August 2016 now totals $1.8 million.

8. The company raised another $7.5 million for its series D funding round, which is now at $15 million. The funding came entirely from Texas private equity firm Southlake Equity Group, which initially invested $7.5 million in June 2016 and deployed another $7.5 million in a second installment in February 2017. The investment gave Southlake a minority ownership stake in Titan Spine.

9. In 2017, Titan Spine entered the Australian market when spine surgeon Dr. Richard Laherty successfully performed the first two ALIF cases using Titan Spine's proprietary Endoskeleton interbody fusion devices and surface technology in October.

10. Titan Spine's Endoskeleton device offerings are indicated for use in skeletally mature patients with degenerative disc disease.

More articles on surface technology:

3 observations on spine implant technology from Dr. Christian Zimmerman

CTL Medical receives FDA clearance for ACIF cage with TiCro technology: 4 key notes

3-D titanium printing, customizable implants are the biggest innovation in implant material + 2 other trends from Dr. Kern Singh
An artists impression of how the building will look

A proposed 75m revamp of the former home of the Belfast Telegraph with the potential to support 2,000 jobs is unveiled today.

In its first joint venture with a private sector developer, Belfast City Council is joining Co Tyrone firm McAleer and Rushe in a project to turn the building into 'The Sixth'.

It would support 650 construction jobs.

BelTel LLP launches the project, intended to be the centrepiece of a new creative district in the city, at property conference MIPIM in the south of France today.

It hopes to carry out a major refurbishment of the listed building, turning it into flexible workspace and commercial space, with cafes, restaurants and shops on the ground floor.

Its name is derived from the Belfast Telegraph street vendors' refrain of "Sixth late Tele", referring to a late edition of the newspaper.

BelTel LLP has lined up London architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris to design the build.

The joint venture, which bought the site two years ago, has lodged a proposal of application notice for the scheme.

A 12-week consultation will be held before a planning application is lodged.

A spokesman for the limited liability partnership said the notice was "a significant step forward for the project that will see an investment of 75m to bring one of Belfast's most famous landmarks back into active use".

The site is close to the new Ulster University campus, phase two of which could be delayed until 2022. Stephen Surphlis, property director of McAleer and Rushe, said: "These are important proposals that will bring a landmark building associated with the news industry back into use for a digital age.

"Adjacent to both the Ulster University campus and Central Library, The Sixth will play an important role in the regeneration of Belfast by delivering high quality workspace for global and local businesses, particularly those in the professional, creative and technology sectors."

The Belfast Telegraph building was home to the newspaper from 1886 to 2016.

Mairead O'Donnell, chair of Belfast City Council's growth and regeneration committee, said it l had made "the strategic decision to invest in this part of the city centre and stimulate further regeneration".

Allford Hall Monaghan Morris has carried out major heritage redevelopments in Britain, including the Angel Building in Islington and the Tea Building in Shoreditch, both London.

It has also carried out work on a crime museum in the basement of New Scotland Yard.
The director of a company that developed a major hotel in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter has been banned from the boardroom for six years after the firm racked up debts of 2.1m.

The undertaking was received from Paul Robert Durnien (58) of Shore Road, Newtownabbey over his conduct as a director of Corner Blok Limited.

Corner Blok restored a building on the corner of Waring Street and Donegall Street to create the Four Corners Hotel, which opened in 2008.

The company entered administration in 2011 with debts of 2.15m.

DfE said Mr Conn had accepted instances of misconduct including causing and permitting the company to retain just over 980,000 in VAT.

He also obtained a loan, of which just over 0.5m remained unpaid at the date of administration.

Mr Conn also accepted that he had failed to "maintain and/or preserve and/or deliver up accounting records for the company from December 31, 2008 to the date of administration".

In 2017, another Corner Blok director, Colin John Conn (54), was also banned for six years.
Aerospace giant Bombardier is going ahead with plans for an expansion of its wings factory, prompting renewed confidence in its C Series aircraft.

The firm, headed up by Belfast-born Michael Ryan, will be holding a public information event next week to discuss the expansion, which could see increased production and jobs at the plant.

The factory at Airport Road West covers an area of 52,567sq metres.

The proposals would see it extended by 17,000sq metres - roughly a third.

Bombardier refused to comment on the plans, which were originally mooted in 2011.

Ernie Arvai, co-founder of aerospace consulting firm AirInsight, said the move had the potential to ramp up C Series production as well as other rojects.

"The expansion of the Belfast facility not only bodes well for the C Series, but also the potential that the expertise in resin transfer moulding and advanced composite wing manufacturing will be useful for other Bombardier business jets and potentially other Airbus commercial programs in the future as well," he said.

Bombardier employs around 4,000 in Northern Ireland, including 1,000 working on the C Series.

In January staff were relieved after a US court unanimously backed the plane manufacturer against rivals Boeing in a long-running trade dispute.

The firm had been facing a 292% tariff on the sale of its aircraft to the US, which would have put hundreds of Belfast jobs in jeopardy.

Following the ruling, Bombardier announced a huge 57% rise in profits.

Its earnings before interest and tax for the whole of last year rose from $427m (304m) to $672m (478m).

Last October it was announced that Airbus and Bombardier were to become partners on the C Series programme.

Airbus will provide procurement, sales and marketing, and customer support expertise to the C Series Aircraft Limited Partnership (CSALP), the body that manufactures and sells the C Series.

At closing, Airbus will acquire a 50.01% interest in CSALP. Bombardier and Investissement Quebec will own approximately 31% and 19%, respectively.

In its latest results, Bombardier said: "We are moving ahead and making progress obtaining regulatory approvals for the announced partnership with Airbus for the C Series aircraft.

"We expect to obtain all approvals for the partnership in 2018, and in the meantime, we are conducting site visits and planning for the operation of the US final assembly line in Mobile, Alabama".

The expansion has the potential not just to ramp up C Series production, but also other future commercial projects
Northern Ireland tourism and hospitality groups have welcomed a "call for evidence" by the Treasury into the potential advantages of cutting VAT and abolishing air passenger duty (APD).

The department said it would look into potential policy changes which could boost the tourism sector as Chancellor Philip Hammond delivered his first spring statement in the House of Commons.

The tourism industry here has fought for a lower rate of VAT, citing the Republic's 9% rate as unfair competition for Northern Ireland.

And airlines and airports have also campaigned for the abolition of APD, which is levied on flights. A similar duty was abolished over the border in 2014.

Announcing the call for evidence, the Treasury said it wanted to hear from organisations in the hospitality sector, accommodation sector, visitor attractions and business visitors and events providers.

Colin Neill, chief executive of pub and restaurant industry lobby group Hospitality Ulster, said: "This is a welcome announcement from Treasury and it is the first time that they have carried out such research into the impact of a cut in both air passenger duty and tourism Vat for Northern Ireland.

"Hospitality Ulster has led on the campaign for a cut in both of these key taxes.

"We currently have a 20% tourism Vat rate, which puts us at a distinct disadvantage to our nearest competitor and market, the Republic of Ireland, which has a 9% tourism Vat rate.

"Despite that unfair disadvantage, which could be rectified in the morning, the Northern Ireland hospitality sector continued to grow in 2017.

"The industry currently contributes 1.1bn to the NI economy annually and supports 60,000 jobs.

"Imagine how much more we could grow if the tourism VAT rate was cut to meet or beat the Republic's rate."

The Chancellor announced revisions to economic growth expectations, saying growth for 2017 had been revised up from 1.5% to 1.7% - which would be the highest rate of expansion over the next six years.

The Office for Budget Responsibility also increased the 2018 forecast from 1.4% to 1.5%.

The forecast for 2019 and 2020 was unchanged at 1.3%.

But Ulster University senior economist Dr Esmond Birnie said the Chancellor had been silent on "big, long-term issues" like funding health and social care for the elderly.
An Irish language protest at Stormont attended by (from left) Sinn Feins Caral Ni Chuilin, Michelle ONeill and Conor Murphy

A DUP mayor is to give an address in Irish tonight at a gathering for language groups and schoolchildren.

Antrim and Newtownabbey mayor Paul Hamill will deliver the short speech to welcome the audience to the evening event in the Theatre at The Mill in Newtownabbey.

It will be the third time he has spoken Irish at public events in the last three months.

Mr Hamill said he was delighted to be able to do so as he was a "mayor for all the people in the borough".

He said a nationalist friend who speaks Irish had initially helped him learn a few sentences and that he had also sought assistance with his pronunciation from a teacher at an Irish-medium school.

It is understood that Irish language organisation Conradh na Gaeilge will be present at the event.

Mr Hamill said: "As part of Irish Language Week I am hosting an evening of song, music and dance to which a range of people from across the Irish language community have been invited.

"As mayor I feel it is right for me to say a few words in Irish at the beginning of the event to welcome everybody. I think it will be a great night and I am very much looking forward to it."

Mr Hamill said he had addressed an audience in Irish on two previous occasions recently.

"In December I went to Ionad Teaghlaigh Ghleann Darach, the Family Centre in Crumlin, and I wished them all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year in Irish and managed a few other sentences," he explained.

"I have a good friend from a nationalist background who speaks Irish and he offered a little bit of assistance in advance, which was very much appreciated."

The mayor said he also made a short speech in Irish during a visit to St MacNissius primary school in Tannaghmore, Antrim, last month.

"I spoke to a teacher in the school and told her in English what I wanted to say and she sent me back an Irish translation with a phonetic pronunciation as well," he said.

"I practised it and then sent her my first attempt on WhatsApp and she worked with me to improve it." Mr Hamill said he thought the current controversy over the Irish language was unfortunate. "I understand why it's perceived to be a big deal by some but that's not the way I approach it and I think the hype is regrettable," he explained.

"If I'm invited to something or am hosting an event involving Irish speakers then I want to show them respect by speaking a few words myself.

"It has so far been much appreciated. I believe the role of mayor is apolitical. I genuinely want to be a mayor for everyone in the borough and not just for some."

Mr Hamill, who was elected on to Antrim and Newtownabbey Council in 2014, said he had not met any hostility from within his own community over his efforts to reach out.

"Nobody has objected or criticised me and I don't see why they would. The Queen started her speech at a banquet in Dublin Castle with a few words in Irish and I believe that was a good example to set. It's all just about showing an interest in and respecting other people's culture," he added.

Rejecting Sinn Fein's demand for an Irish Language Act during last year's Assembly election campaign, DUP leader Arlene Foster said: "If you feed a crocodile, it will keep coming back for more."

Two months later Mrs Foster said thank you in Irish during a visit to Our Lady's Grammar School in Newry.

Last month talks between the DUP and Sinn Fein to restore devolution collapsed over proposed Irish language legislation.
Unionists say they support a decision by the Irish Government not to allow people in Northern Ireland a vote in the upcoming abortion referendum, despite a legal challenge.

On Monday a judicial review was launched in Dublin's High Court over the referendum on the repeal of the eighth amendment of the Republic's Constitution.

The basis of this legal challenge is the failure of the State to allow Irish citizens here to vote in the poll, which will take place in May.

Solicitor Michael Halleron of Madden & Finucane in Belfast, who is representing the applicant in the case, said the referendum was a "matter of national importance and all citizens on the island of Ireland should be entitled to vote".

Irish citizens living overseas who wish to vote also must travel home in order to do so, as overseas postal voting is only available in limited circumstances.

The referendum will see people decide whether to repeal article 40.3.3 of the constitution, known as the eighth amendment, which gives a mother and her unborn foetus equal right to life.

The amendment, in place since 1983, bans abortion even in cases of rape or where a foetus has a fatal abnormality. Terminations are only allowed when the mother's life is at risk.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has pledged that, if the referendum result supports constitutional change, the Irish Government will table legislation for unrestricted abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

UUP MLA Doug Beattie acknowledged that a constitutional change could lead to women from here travelling over the border for abortions instead of to Britain.

However, he said that deciding who could vote was up to the Irish Government.

"If the criteria (to vote) is you have to be a resident in the Republic of Ireland then that's the decision of the Republic," he said. "This referendum is about another country's laws. It's a brave decision to hold a referendum, but it's another country." Mr Beattie believes abortion should be decriminalised immediately in Northern Ireland.

"I am in favour of giving women more choice, definitely in cases of fatal foetal abnormality and sex crimes," he added.

"I do think there should be a change in abortion laws here.

"But I wouldn't be keen on a referendum here. I think it would be very divisive, and the political system could still block the outcome."

TUV leader Jim Allister said it would be "absolute nonsense to let anyone but a citizen of the Irish Republic vote" in the referendum.

"It's a decision taken by a foreign jurisdiction to decide their future laws," he insisted.

He also said that he would not be in favour of holding an abortion referendum in Northern Ireland, as "those issues are matters for elected representatives here".

In the absence of an Assembly, he didn't believe that Westminster should legislate to change abortion laws here.

"It's technically a devolved matter," he added.

"They have to have a regard for the distinctive setting and views of each part of the United Kingdom.

"During the 25-30 years of direct rule they never thought it appropriate to bring in the 1967 Abortion Act here."

The judicial review has been scheduled for April 8 to allow all respondents, including the Taoiseach, to be put on notice.
David Kennedy is the new Governor at Maghaberry Prison (Michael Cooper/PA)

Staff at Maghaberry Prison have saved the lives of 11 vulnerable prisoners.

Inspectors have expressed concern about the care of such inmates in the past and said plans for some men at risk of suicide and self-harm were unacceptable.

The high-security prisons new governor David Kennedy has said safety was one of his top priorities. Mr Kennedy said officers have rescued 11 lives, 10 last year and one this year.

He added: The number of prisoners who are kept safe by staff on an ongoing basis through building relationships, it is impossible to measure the good that has been done.

He said staff interventions were crucial.

Expand Close Ten prisoners were saved last year, and one this year, according to new figures (Michael Cooper/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ten prisoners were saved last year, and one this year, according to new figures (Michael Cooper/PA)

If that person who had taken that deliberate case of self-harm had not been inside Maghaberry with their staff, their lives were saved because this is where they are.

A number of tragic cases of self-harm and suicide have been recorded within Maghaberrys walls.

In 2016 a Prisoner Ombudsman report said prison staff watched as a mentally ill inmate blinded himself.

Speaking generally, Mr Kennedy said his staff noticed when behaviour was not normal.

In one case, the governor said, a prisoner would normally have been up and about but was just lying in bed.

The officer checked to find he was self-harming under the covers.

Mr Kennedy added: There was no reason to check him other than that they had the relationship to observe his behaviour.

The prison has a special regime for those deemed at risk of suicide or self-harm (Supporting Prisoners At Risk) involving intensive monitoring and measures like safe cells with no ligature points.

Expand Close Mr Kennedy said some officers had been able to spot altered behaviour which had led to lives being saved (Michael Cooper/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mr Kennedy said some officers had been able to spot altered behaviour which had led to lives being saved (Michael Cooper/PA)

In 2008 Colin Bell was able to commit suicide. He had been in a safe cell and was deemed at risk of taking his own life and had a history of self-harm.

His death prompted major reforms within the Northern Ireland Prison Service.

Mr Kennedy said often the Service was not aware of the impact of its work in preventing self-harm.

The number of lives saved through staff relationships and the processes in place, is unquantifiable.

I think the staff are very proud of what they are doing and people do get a real sense of achievement and satisfaction.

The people here do make a difference to prisoners lives.

Every day they make a difference, sometimes a small difference, sometimes a bigger difference.
Images of thieves breaking into the premises of MFL Plant Machinery in Maghera before stealing power tools

Images of thieves breaking into the premises of MFL Plant Machinery in Maghera before stealing power tools

A Maghera business is offering a 2,000 reward after thieves stole plant machinery during an early-morning burglary.

Police are investigating the incident, which occurred between 3am and 4am yesterday at MFL Plant Machinery on the town's Glen Road.

The firm posted images of the break-in on social media, which showed two individuals clad in black forcing open a door and stealing equipment.

The business appealed for anyone with information to come forward, stating: "Our premises were broken into this morning (Tuesday) at 3:45am.

"A quantity of Milwaukee power tools were stolen, however the damages caused are more substantial.

"A 2,000 reward will be given for info leading to prosecution."

A PSNI spokesman said that they were "investigating the report of a burglary at commercial premises".

He added: "It is believed that entry was forced to the property sometime between 3am and 4am and items of plant machinery reported stolen.

"Officers are investigating and would ask anyone with any information to contact them in Magherafelt on 101 quoting reference number 130 13/03/18."

Information can also be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Paramedics were held hostage at a house in east Belfast after responding to a call that a patient had fallen

Paramedics were held hostage at a house in east Belfast after responding to a call that a patient had fallen.

An emergency crew went to the address in the Dunraven Avenue area last Wednesday morning - and had to call for police back-up to get them out.

Officers arrived at the address shortly after 9am and arrested a 52-year-old man.

The man arrested was later charged with false imprisonment and improper use of electronic communications to cause anxiety before being bailed until August 4, when he will appear at Belfast Magistrates Court.

A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) revealed attacks on its staff are an ongoing problem, with more than eight incidents recorded every single week.

"Attacks on our crews continue at a rate of more than eight a week," the spokesperson said.

"This situation is totally unacceptable.

"We have previously highlighted the impact that these attacks have on the communities we serve in terms of crews being stood down mid-shift and the potential for the loss of life as a result of reduced cover following these assaults.

"In addition we remain very concerned about the impact of such assaults on the health and wellbeing of our staff.

In October it had also been reported that attacks on ambulance staff were running at more than eight a week.

That same month, a paramedic in Londonderry was attacked by a patient and pushed violently through the back doors of his ambulance, falling out onto the road.

The following month, paramedics were threatened by a man with an imitation gun as they responded to a hoax call about a sudden death in east Belfast.

The spokesperson said the assaults are "not something which our crews are able to forget about within minutes".

"We have evidence to show how the impact can be felt years later and the events can be relived by our crews at any moment in time," they said.

"NIAS will continue to call for the full rigour of the law to be applied in instances where evidence against an assailant is clear and indisputable."
Sandra Mullen and her daughter Julie at Belfast Crown Court

A mother and daughter from Belfast have appeared in court, where they both denied a charge of animal cruelty.

Sandra Mullen and her daughter Julie Mullen - who have separate addresses at Cambrai Street - appeared at Belfast Crown Court in relation to a Jack Russell and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.

Sandra Mullen was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a Jack Russell from January 1, 2016 to October 3, 2016. She replied "not guilty".

Julie Mullen was charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a Staffordshire Bull Terrier over the same period. She also pleaded not guilty.

Crown barrister Michael Chambers said he expected the trial to last two days.

Judge Geoffrey Miller said he would review the case later this month ahead of the trial, which is due to commence on April 26.

Ordering Sandra and Julie Mullen to attend court for both the review and the trial, Judge Miller told both women as they stood in the dock, "you are free to go at this time".
A range of high-profile figures who helped secure the Northern Ireland peace process are joining forces in a new campaign to assist schools in deprived Protestant areas.

The US, British and Irish politicians will return for a special event marking the Agreement's 20th anniversary next month. They will launch their campaign to tackle educational underachievement by children in disadvantaged loyalist areas.

The event organised by the newly founded Goliath Trust is backed by Bill and Hillary Clinton, Senator George Mitchell, former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Other key figures supporting the campaign are former UUP leader Lord Trimble, DUP MP Ian Paisley, former Irish government negotiator Liz O'Donnell, ex-SDLP leader Mark Durkan, Baroness May Blood, and former Women's Coalition leader Monica McWilliams.

They are all expected at the launch of the event in Belfast's Europa Hotel on April 11. The Goliath Trust said it will provide targeted financial support to schools that are most in need.

Eight of the 12 schools are based in the Greater Shankill area and include Malvern, Forthriver, Harmony, Blackmountain, Springhill, Edenbrooke, Springfield and Glenwood. Other state primary schools receiving assistance are Fane Street and Botanic in south Belfast.

Two Catholic schools will also benefit from funding - Holy Rosary in Belfast's Ormeau Road and St Paul's in Beechmount.

Next month's event will be chaired by BBC broadcaster Stephen Nolan, who attended one of the targeted Shankill schools, Springhill Primary.

Goliath Trust executive director Caroline McNeill said: "A total of 31% of children in Northern Ireland are significantly underachieving at primary school level, and this is most apparent in disadvantaged communities, where the legacy of the Troubles has left an indelible mark.

"Malvern Primary School in the lower Shankill has been in the midst of loyalist paramilitary feuding over the past 15 years which has decimated its enrolment and caused trauma that still impacts on the lives of children and their families.

"Around 78% of children in the school are entitled to free school meals and over half require additional support with their learning. We are proud to be able to offer some assistance to this and other schools."

Ms McNeill warned that, if the problem was not addressed now, there would be huge consequences in future years. "The educational outcomes for the bottom third of our young people are simply not good enough," she said.

"Far too many children can't read and write to an adequate standard and will have reduced opportunities available to them when they seek work. The Goliath Trust will not be able to deliver all the solutions, but we recognise the pressing need to begin to bridge the educational gap that so clearly exists."

The Trust is made up of community activists, representatives from the four main churches, and education figures.

Board member and Greater Shankill Partnership chief executive Jackie Redpath said: "While the Good Friday Agreement promised a new dawn for us, some parts of our society have been left behind.

"We are concerned that if we do not act now to support children in the most disadvantaged areas of our society, then we are condemning them to a future without hope. Our peace process depends on young people here believing that they have a stake in this society."

Mr Redpath said intervention during children's early learning was crucial to breaking the vicious circle of underachievement. "If we succeed in supporting our first 12 schools and surrounding communities, then this will have a knock-on effect on health, well-being and peace building," he said.

"Business and the economy will benefit in the long term too from a more confident group of young, skilled workers who are ambitious for their future."

Malvern Primary School's acting principal Jenny Barber said: "Our teachers, parents and pupils have kept faith in our school despite extreme pressures. The support of the Goliath Trust has provided a huge boost to the school environment and gives recognition to everything we are trying to deliver for our pupils."

Ms McNeill said she was delighted to have Senator Mitchell attending the event. "Our peace process hinges on the ongoing support of people like him who recognise that education will always be the most important weapon," she added.
The Government has announced a six-month delay on plans to end a system of childcare vouchers after representations by the DUP.

Education Secretary Damian Hinds made the concession at the end of a Commons debate called by Labour, after a question from the DUP.

Employer-backed childcare vouchers are being phased out and replaced by a new system of tax-free childcare.

However, MPs heard that the take-up of tax-free childcare has been well below expectations, with nearly 1bn earmarked for childcare returned to the Treasury.

The DUP, whose 10 MPs usually back the Government in major votes, has in the past opposed the abolition of the vouchers.

Nigel Dodds, the party's leader at Westminster, could be seen talking with Tory chief whip Julian Smith moments before Mr Hinds made the announcement.

South Belfast MP Emma Little-Pengelly said: "Could the Secretary of State agree with me that, given the concerns raised across this House in relation to the April closure of the childcare voucher scheme, that there should be a delay on the closure of that scheme to allow for the concerns to be addressed?"

Mr Hinds replied: "I have heard the concerns that have been raised about this and the timing, and I can confirm that we will be able to keep the voucher scheme open for a further six months to new entrants, following representations that she has made."

Ms Little-Pengelly later asked if the minister could confirm the delay "will be used to address concerns and issues raised" in the Commons. Mr Hinds said he had "already confirmed" that "we would have this period in order to reflect concerns".

Ms Little-Pengelly said: "Whilst this scheme has been far from perfect and flaws have been identified, it has nonetheless been beneficial for those working parents availing of child care. Each parent could use up to 55 per week from their pre-tax salary and allocate it to pay for childcare.

"The DUP is delighted that the Government has agreed with our proposal to delay the scheme's closure for a period of at least six months."

Much of the debate focused on plans to introduce a means test for families on Universal Credit to receive free school meals.

All families who are on Universal Credit are currently able to claim free school meals, as part of a package of measures to help the transition to the new benefits system.

In England the net earnings threshold will be 7,400, whereas in Northern Ireland it will be 14,000, MPs heard.
A forensics officer at the scene of the hit-and-run on the Springfield Road

Victim Eddie Devine, who is in a stable condition in the Ulster Hospital

Gavin (left) and Geordie Devine have lit prayer candles on behalf of their brother Eddie

The family of a west Belfast man left with serious head injuries after a hit-and-run has said he was left for dead by whoever was responsible.

Father-of-four Eddie Devine (34) had all four limbs broken, suffered an injured spine, broken ribs and blood clots to his brain.

Yesterday he was transferred from intensive care at the Royal Victoria Hospital to the Ulster Hospital's high dependency unit, where his condition was described as stable.

On Sunday at around 6am he was found injured close to the junction of Springfield Road and Crocus Street.

Police said his injuries were consistent with him having been knocked down.

Mr Devine's brother Gavin has called for anyone with information to come forward.

"On Monday his oxygen levels dropped and his blood pressure went up. He's conscious and can talk a bit but will black out and not remember anybody," he said.

He added that his brother has no memory of events.

"He was making his way home when it happened," Gavin went on.

By a stroke of luck, family friend Michael Rowntree was passing through the area on his way to work when he spotted the injured man, and called for help, staying with him until the ambulance and police arrived.

Gavin praised him as a hero, saying: "I'd like to thank Michael personally."

He added that he doubted his brother would have survived if he had been left lying helpless in the street any longer.

"He's really in a lot of pain, he has two broken legs with a hole right through one of them," he explained.

"He's also got a spinal and neck injury, three blood clots in his brain.

"The family are trying to pull together with the community to help. We're looking for anybody with dashcam footage or if anyone was going to work between 3am and 6am."

Mr Devine has four daughters aged between three and 13, with only the eldest Chantelle informed about his injuries at this stage.

"She's holding in there," said Gavin.

Addressing the hit-and-run driver, he pleaded: "Just come forward. We don't want any trouble - only justice for my brother.

"I know you may feel guilty now, but this is someone's son, brother, uncle and father to four daughters.

"He's a devoted single father who looks after his kids day in, day out. The girls are starting to realise their daddy isn't with them and they're starting to worry about him.

"He's a loving and caring person.

"Everything he does is for his kids and he helps the rest of the family. Everyone in the community knows him well and has been saying their prayers for him."

Gavin and the wider family have lit candles regularly for Eddie since Sunday, anxiously awaiting updates on his condition from hospital staff while keeping concerned friends informed of his progress on social media.

Yesterday, Gavin posted: "Praying so hard for you bro, love you to bits Eddie, my heart is broken into pieces. We know you are a fighter and can pull through this."

Anyone with information has been asked to contact police at Woodbourne using the non-emergency number 101.
The British Government had plans in place to release a man wrongly convicted of the Guildford bombing, new documents have shown.

In papers seen by the BBC, it has been revealed that a secret Government plan was in place to release Patrick 'Guiseppe' Conlon from prison, had he not died from tuberculosis in 1980.

Private papers seen by the broadcaster show that on the day of Mr Conlon's death January 23, 1980, Home Secretary William Whitelaw - later Lord Whitelaw - made a decision to grant him parole.

The documents include a letter from Lord Whitelaw to campaigner Cardinal Basil Hume, who worked with those wrongfully convicted in connection with the Guildford bombing.

Sent after Patrick Conlon's death, it explained the decision had been made to grant him parole and that should be have been discharged from hospital "it would not be right to return him to prison".

Mr Conlon was jailed alongside his son, Gerry, who was one of the Guildford Four.

The Guildford Four and the Maguire Seven - the group Patrick Conlon was part of charged with possessing nitroglycerine allegedly passed to the IRA - all eventually had their convictions quashed.

The wrongful convictions connected to the Guildford pub bombings are cited as one of the most infamous miscarriages of justice in British legal history.

The story of Patrick and Gerry Conlon is depicted in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite.
There was astonishment at comments from the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service who said meetings with ministers were not properly recorded to save embarrassment of their political taskmasters.

David Sterling, speaking at the inquiry into the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, described it as a "feature" of government in Northern Ireland that minutes would not properly be made in case they were later subject to Freedom of Information requests which would put the information in the public domain.

"It is a feature of devolved administration here were there have been two main parties that have been sensitive to criticism," he told the inquiry.

"And in that context as senior civil service we got into habit of not recording all meetings on the basis it is safer sometimes not to have record which may be released under freedom of information that shows that things that might have been unpopular were being considered."

The DUP said it could not comment given the ongoing RHI inquiry while Sinn Fein said its ministers would not have ordered minutes not to be taken.

Wednesday's BBC Nolan show reported claims of another "senior civil servant" who admitted the "actual to and fro of what really is going on rarely goes down on paper".

"That's part of the way things work," the BBC reported.

TUV leader Jim Allister said he was "astonished and surprised" at the comments from Mr Sterling.

"This goes right to the heart of the independence of the civil service," he said.

Pointing to his experiences from committee meeting at attempting to get information, Mr Allister said the practice appeared "endemic" in the civil service.

This goes right to the heart of the independence of the civil service Jim Allister

"Look at the ministerial code. It says ministers must at all times ensure that all reasonable requests for information from assembly, users and citizens are complied with and dealt with in an open and responsible well.

"How is this compatible with spirit of the code?

"It takes us close to the breach of the code but certainly takes us into territory of places the civil service should not be in terms of covering up things that should not be discussed."

However, former government ministers - the UUP's Danny Kennedy and Alliance's David Ford - said they were unaware of the practice happening in their departments.

Unfair and unjust to say it applied in all departments. David Ford

Mr Kennedy who was once roads minister said Mr Sterling's comments were of concern and it should not be the role of civil servants to protect the interests of political parties.

Former Justice Minster David Ford added: "It may have applied may have in some departments but it would be unfair and unjust to say it applied in all departments and certainly not in the Department of Justice during my time.

He said that in matters of policy meetings should be accurately recorded.

"That's the way things should be done and it appears it was not the way things were done."

The Northern Ireland civil service machine is broken. Steve Aiken

The UUP MLA Steve Aiken said the practice was most likely widespread across the UK and the Northern Ireland Civil Service was in need of reform.

He described the issue as a "political scandal" and it was clear it had been going on for some time.

"I worked in Whitehall and if it had not been minuted then it did not happen.

"It is up to the civil service to make sure there is a trail of accountability and responsibility and what is clear in Northern Ireland is no one wants to take decisions.

"The Northern Ireland civil service machine is broken and it is in need of fix and needs to be taken under special mesaures."

SDLP West Tyrone MLA Daniel McCrossan said described the revelations as incredible and must be addressed.

Throughout the lifetime of the last Executive, the SDLP warned that it was becoming the most secretive government in the history of devolution," he said.

"Questions must now be answered by each and every minister in that secretive Executive. Did they instruct or intimate that senior civil servants should not take notes of meetings to protect them from public scrutiny? Did they have any knowledge that notes were not being taken of key meetings and decisions?

And senior civil servants must also answer questions."

The DUP said as its members would likely appear before the RHI inquiry and could be asked on the subject, it would be inappropriate to comment.

A spokesperson said: "It would not be appropriate to comment on evidence given the public inquiry outside of the inquiry process. It is important that the inquiry is allowed to complete its work."

Sinn Fein MLA Conor Murphy said no Sinn Fein minister would have asked civil servants to break rules or subvert Freedom of Information rules or protocols.

A Sinn Fein spokesperson said: "The Civil Service have a responsibility to adhere to their own protocols and, under no circumstances, would any Sinn Fein minister instruct a Civil Service official not to record minutes or carry out the functions of their job.

"If the Civil Service did not adhere to their own protocols, then they should be held accountable."

The Executive Office have also been asked for comment.
So-called punishment attacks are on the rise, according to PSNI

Parents of young people about to be shot by paramilitaries are plying them with alcohol or powerful painkillers before their "appointments", the Chief Constable has said.

The admission comes after it was revealed the number of so-called punishment shootings and beatings had surged by 60% over the last four years.

PSNI figures show that in 2013 there were 64 attacks, 41 by loyalists and 23 by dissidents, while in 2017 this figure rose to 101 (60 by loyalists and 41 to dissidents)

The newspaper reported that dissident republicans were more likely to shoot members of their own community.

Victims of the shootings and beatings are usually labelled as drug dealers or accused of anti-social behaviour.

It follows the recent murder of Raymond Johnston, who was gunned down at his home in west Belfast. The 28-year-old was shot dead by two gunmen in his home on February 13.

Police suspect dissidents were behind his brutal killing.

In an interview with the newspaper, Chief Constable George Hamilton said some parents were acquiescing in the punishment shooting system by bringing their children to arranged appointments for beatings and shootings.

"You have a culture of lawlessness and fear in some of these communities where the victims know who is shooting them," he said.

"The parent knows who is shooting their child. Sometimes parents are negotiating with these thugs to take the kid to certain places by arrangement.

"It is not unknown to my officers that in certain circumstances parents have dosed their kids up with powerful painkillers and alcohol to remove the impact of the 'punishment' shooting or beating.

"By colluding in this they (the parents) are hoping to negotiate less severe beatings or shootings.

"There is something madly wrong with society whenever parents even countenance doing that with their own children."

In 2013 four beatings were carried out by dissidents.

In 2017 the figure was 16.

Also in 2013 loyalist paramilitaries carried out 34 assaults. Last year they carried out 57. Those who carried out these attacks were aligned to the UVF and the UDA.

Mr Hamilton added that he did not blame parents, but said that it was an indication of "the climate of fear".

He said those behind such attacks were "quasi-terrorists who were and are very good at covering their forensic tracks".

He also said that victims were reluctant to identify those behind their attack.

Liam Kennedy, a human rights activist and history professor at Queen's University, founded the Children of the Troubles group to protest against punishment attacks on young people.

He told the newspaper: "The trend is still alarmingly upwards.

"The last month has been a particularly vicious month.

"The victims are mainly young men from working-class areas, and not even children are immune.

"Last year three children were singled out for mutilation through gunshot wounds to the legs.

"This is child abuse of a kind comparable to the actions of paedophiles."
Paramilitary-style assaults in the Ards and North Down area have more than doubled in the past year.

PSNI figures show there were 18 paramilitary style assaults between March 2017 and the end of February this year. The previous 12 months saw eight paramilitary style assaults.

One of three criminal paramilitarism deaths in Northern Ireland in the past 12 months also took place in Ards and North Down.

Green Party councillor Rachel Woods said greater investigation into the issue was needed.

There are figures that should be deeply worrying to anyone living in Ards and North Down and it begs the question of what is happening in our towns and villages and who is in control, Councillor Woods said," she said.

It is now 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, yet our streets and estates are still being held to ransom by self-appointed thugs."

We need to take a long hard look at what factors are fostering this paramilitarism at a time of supposed peace. We need to put much more work into investigating how we can stem the flow of new recruits into paramilitary organisations and supporting and actively engaging with all involved in community development and neighbourhood renewal."

She said other criminal activities could be confused for paramilitary crime.

We also need to be careful about talking about paramilitarism, as it is clear that some of this activity is simply straightforward criminality taking place under the flag of paramilitarism," Cllr Woods said.

I will be talking to the PSNI/community leaders to find out why this activity still has such a grip on our communities and what we can do about it.

If anyone has information on this kind of activity, I would urge them to contact the PSNI or pass it on via the completely anonymous Crimestoppers number at 0800 555 111.
The Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University has apologised following a row over Irish language signs being placed around the university campus.

In a statement, Professor James C McElnay said he "would like to apologise unreservedly for any offence caused".

An Cumann Gaelach QUB, an Irish language society at the university, expressed anger after receiving a letter from the Vice-Chancellor which said erecting bilingual signs on campus would contravene its equality and diversity policy.

Professor McElnay said he had "received many request for clarification of the universitys position on the Irish language following my recent communication with An Cumann Gaelach QUB" after a request from the society for a discussion of the rights of Irish speakers at the university.

"I understand that my response to this communication has caused concern around the universitys position on the Irish language and I would like to apologise unreservedly for any offence caused," he said.

"I would also take this opportunity to reinforce the universitys commitment to the Irish Language. This is evidenced by our broad range of research and courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level that involve the teaching of the language.

"The university has always supported An Cumann Gaelach QUB, one of the oldest societies at the University, and has a range of initiatives that respect, support and promote the Irish language.

"These include a series of events that take place during Seachtain Na Gaeilge and An Ciorcal Comhra, which gives staff who wish to speak and practise their Irish an opportunity to get together on a monthly basis.

"We continue to be in constructive and widespread dialogue, including discussions with An Cumann Gaelach QUB, students, staff, political parties and others."

The controversy was sparked by a letter sent to An Cumann Gaelach by Professor McElnay responding to the proposed bilingual signs on campus.

In it, he said the university "seeks to create and sustain a neutral working environment" and referred to Section 3.1 of the its equality and diversity policy, which states the university is committed to "providing a good and harmonious environment free from flags, emblems, posters, graffiti or other materials or actions or language likely to be provocative, offensive or intimidatory".

Sinn Fein MLA Caoimhe Archibald has welcomed the apology from Queen's University.

"Following the meeting myself and Seanadoir Niall O Donnghaile had with Queen's University management this morning, Sinn Fein welcome the apology which has been issued by the Vice Chancellor," she said.

"We also welcome the commitment to engage with An Cumann Gaelach and others on the issue.

"It is important to address the visibility of Irish language and we will continue to be in constructive dialogue with Queen's University and the Irish language sector on how to achieve this."
More attention should have been given to a businesswoman's concerns about the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme, the head of the Civil Service has said.

Janette O'Hagan was selling a heat efficiency product in 2013 but found potential customers were not interested after they had signed up for the botched green energy scheme.

She raised the alarm over potential misuse.

The overspending RHI led to the collapse of power-sharing at Stormont 13 months ago after the late Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness resigned over the DUP's handling of the affair.

Civil Service chief David Sterling said: "More credence should have been given to the concerns expressed by the concerned citizen."

Warnings were also issued by the regulator Ofgem.

The key decision-making meeting with former Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster was not minuted.

The RHI ended up massively overdrawn amid allegations of a "cash for ash" scandal.

Mr Sterling told a public inquiry at Stormont that once RHI was up and running, there was a sense that it had developed a bit of momentum.

He said: "I think that the various warning signals that had occurred in different areas, we should have drawn a link between those, paused and said: 'Hold on, I am not sure this is right'. It did not happen.

"As the frequency of the warning signs increased during 2013 and into 2014, it should have been escalated some time during that period."

Lucrative measures to incentivise the burning of wood fuel were aimed at businesses and were used for purposes like heating chicken houses.

They ended up paying out more than it cost to fuel the heaters and led to a spike in subscribers to a scheme partly incentivised directly from Britain.

Mr Sterling highlighted a variety of weaknesses and wished he had been more "inquisitive" over the scheme.

He was permanent secretary at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment - which established RHI - with only three core members of staff directly involved day-to-day at one stage. Mr Sterling said he wished he had had the foresight to direct more resources towards project management as the novel and flagship RHI policy was worked up.

RHI Inquiry chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin queried why such a volatile and unpredictable scheme did not attract more of his personal interest.

Mr Sterling said: "I should perhaps have been more inquisitive, I should perhaps have stood back and said maybe I do need to look at this and become more closely involved.

"There were a range of controls and factors which were in place at the time which I would have taken comfort that the scheme was going to be managed well."
Senator George Mitchell has said a Brexit outcome that avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland must be encouraged.

And he urged those grappling with the issue to seek inspiration from the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace 20 years ago.

We must encourage a Brexit outcome that does not re-establish a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, Mr Mitchell said.

The governments of the US and the UK must avoid any economic decisions that cost jobs or create hardship in Northern Ireland.

The senator made the comments at an event at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Tuesday night to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Mitchell was instrumental in brokering the accord.

When I announced the Good Friday Agreement 20 years ago I described it as an historic achievement and it was, Mr Mitchell said.

But I also said on that day, that by itself the agreement did not guarantee peace, or political stability or genuine reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

It made them possible but achieving and sustaining those lofty goals would require of future leaders the vision and the courage that the leaders of Northern Ireland demonstrated in 1988.

Life is change, that is true of societies as it is of individuals, he said.

Expand Close Taoiseach visits United States of America PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Taoiseach visits United States of America

He added: As they today reflect on their responsibilities I hope that the current leaders of Northern Ireland, of Ireland, of the United Kingdom and of the European Union look back 20 years to what their predecessors were able to do.

The senator said President Clinton was the first American president to make peace in Northern Ireland a central objective of his administration.

He jumped in where others feared to tread and he deserves great credit, Mr Mitchell said.

But he added that the real heroes of the accord were the people of Northern Ireland and their political leaders.

In dangerous and difficult circumstances after lifetimes devoted to conflict they summoned extraordinary courage and vision and reached agreement at great risk and cost to themselves their families their political careers.

We should not hold Northern Ireland to a higher standard than we apply to ourselves and to others.

And surely as we assemble here in the Library of the United States Congress no American should be preaching to others about political dysfunction and the same caution applies to the UK at this time.

After devoting so many years to the peace process Mr Mitchell said those years changed his life.

Ive come to know and love Ireland and its people, he said.

He added: A lot of people thank me for my work in Northern Ireland.

My response to them is that it is I who should be grateful  and I am because the Irish have filled an inner void that I didnt know existed.

I am an American, very proud of it, but a large part of my heart and of my emotions will forever be with the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Leo Varadkar speaking at a Good Friday Agreement 20th anniversary event at the Library of Congress in Washington DC (Niall Carson/PA)

The Taoiseach has indicated the UK and Irish governments might table their own proposals as a way to break the powersharing deadlock at Stormont.

Leo Varadkar, who called for redoubling of efforts to restore devolution after Easter, suggested that approach could be a means to forge a deal between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Fourteen months after powersharing collapsed, the two parties remain at loggerheads on a range of cultural, social and legacy disputes

In a wide ranging speech at an event in Washington DC to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach also moved to reassure unionists who have been angered by his governments approach to Brexit.

He acknowledged some comments might have been viewed as unwelcome or intrusive.

But he insisted he and his government did not have a hidden agenda.

Mr Varadkar said he was determined to work with the UK Government to chart a way ahead to restore powersharing at Stormont.

He said efforts to forge a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein should be intensified after Easter.

The next few weeks will rightly see a focus on Brexit, he said.

I will meet Chancellor Merkel in Berlin, and then travel to the European Council in Brussels where the EU will seek to make further progress in our discussions with the UK Government.

Ive just told the Brookings Institution in Washington that the major global challenges we face today will best be dealt with by acting together #stpatricksday pic.twitter.com/hOI9iNDzza  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 13, 2018

After that, I believe the period after Easter should see a redoubled effort on the part of both Governments and all of the parties in Northern Ireland to seek agreement on the restoration of the institutions.

It is my view that this will require very close co-operation and leadership from the British and Irish Governments.

It may be that again the Governments will have to table our own proposals to help the parties break the deadlock.

That is how we made progress in the past.

If that is the case, the Irish Government will play a full, active and balanced role in that process.

Senator George Mitchell was the keynote speaker at the event at the Library of Congress.

Issuing a direct messages to Northern Ireland unionists, Mr Varadkar said: I know that you are concerned  perhaps worried  maybe even angry, at recent political developments.

I recognise that recent statements and actions by Irish nationalists, including the Irish Government, about Brexit have been seen as unwelcome or intrusive.

If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention.

I want to repeat that we have no hidden agenda.

The Irish governments efforts to maintain a soft border, in particular its demand that Northern Ireland continues to align with many EU regulations, has angered unionists who fear it is veiled attempt to push a united Ireland agenda.

Expand Close Leo Varadkar speaking at the Library of Congress in Washington DC (Niall Carson/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Leo Varadkar speaking at the Library of Congress in Washington DC (Niall Carson/PA)

Mr Varadkar told the anniversary event that the Good Friday Agreement has come under attack from some people with narrow political agendas who do not understand Ireland and its history.

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who also addressed the event, said power sharing in Northern Ireland may not be restored in the medium term.

Mr Adams said the Good Friday Agreement was a defining moment in Irelands recent history but it was not a settlement.

It never pretended to be, Mr Adams said.

It is an agreement on a journey. Not the destination.

Last month, Sinn Fein and the DUP were locked in negotiations over the resumption of the institutions but failed to reach a deal.

The DUP leadership chose at the last minute to walk away. So, for now there is no Assembly or Executive, Mr Adams said.

He reiterated the Sinn Fein stance that there cannot be a return to British direct rule and added the best option was for the return of the political institutions.

It might well be that the power sharing institutions and all-Ireland political architecture may not be restored in the medium term, Mr Adams said.
A Co Antrim teenager who was part of the high-profile hacking of telecom giant TalkTalk can be named after reporting restrictions were lifted at the High Court.

An anonymity order protecting the identity of 18-year-old Aaron Sterritt was discharged following an application by national newspapers he is suing for alleged breach of privacy.

Sterritt, with an address at Fairway in Larne, pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

The charge related to the cyber incident in October 2015, when he was aged 15.

Last month Sterritt was ordered to complete 50 hours community service and write a letter of apology to the communications firm.

He must also complete at least one cyber-crime education session and submit to 12 months supervision as part of the youth conference plan.

Although he had turned 18 by the time of sentencing, his identity could not be revealed due to the reporting restrictions.

Sterritt was among a number of suspects arrested across the United Kingdom in 2015 by detectives investigating the wider TalkTalk hacking incident.

He was interviewed on suspicion of offending under the Computer Misuse Act before being released on bail.

His lawyers then issued civil writs against The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail and The Sun over the publicity surrounding his initial questioning.

The continuing lawsuits claim negligence, misuse of private information and data protection.

In court on Wednesday counsel for the newspapers sought to have both the anonymity order and press restrictions lifted.

Gerald Simpson QC, instructed by Fergal McGoldrick of Carson McDowell, made the application on behalf of The Daily Telegraph and The Sun, with backing from The Daily Mail.

No objection to the move was raised by Sterritt's lawyers.

With the criminal case now concluded, Mr Simpson said: "This young man has now been dealt with, and he is now over 18."

On that basis Mr Justice Maguire agreed to discharge the prohibition on identifying the teenager.
Diversions will be in place during the St Patrick's Day celebrations on Saturday

Traffic diversions will be in place in and around Belfast city centre this Saturday, 17 March from 11am to 2pm due to the annual St Patricks Day Carnival Parade.

Academy Street and the top of Donegall Street will be closed from approximately 8am to 2pm and there will be no on street parking along the parade route from 9pm on Friday, 16 March until 2pm on Saturday 17 March.

The parade will depart Royal Avenue at 11:30am on Saturday, travelling along a new route through Castle Junction and along Donegall Place, before snaking its way around Belfast City Hall, and then returning along the same route to finish on Royal Avenue.

Translink will operate a normal service throughout the day on Saturday, 17 March, although some diversionary pick up and drop off points will be used from 11am to 2pm. For the latest information, see www.translink.co.uk

Drivers should also expect delays and diversions due to the SPAR Craic 10K event. More than 1,000 runners will leave Belfast City Hall at 9am, taking in both sides of the River Lagan before finishing on the Titanic Slipways. A Traffic Management System and signage will be in place and motorists should follow directions of Police, any signage and exercise caution along the route. For more information go to www.aisling-events.com.

Caution should be exercised when driving in and around the Custom House Square, Queens Square and Victoria Street areas due to the large volume of pedestrians attending the free concert featuring Aston Merrygold, Slide Step, Tir Na n-Og, Tanaka and JORD, Pure Blarney and the Rare Aul Stuff from 1:30pm until 4pm.
Health Minister Simon Harris has cancelled an overseas trip to concentrate on the hospital overcrowding crisis (Niall Carson/PA)

Health Minister Simon Harris has cancelled his St Patricks Day trip to Europe to concentrate on tackling the hospital overcrowding crisis.

Mr Harris was due to fly to the Netherlands and Belgium for the annual celebrations.

However, on Tuesday he said it did not feel right to travel while those in the health service worked to try and deal with the overcrowding problem.

People across the health service are working extraordinarily hard to make progress in what is a difficult week. I am in regular contact with HSE. It would not feel right to me as Minister to travel for St Patricks Day so I have made decision not to do so  Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 13, 2018

In a tweet he said: People across the health service are working extraordinarily hard to make progress in what is a difficult week.

I am in regular contact with HSE. It would not feel right to me as Minister to travel for St Patricks Day so I have made decision not to do so.

Earlier in the day Independent TD Mattie McGrath had called on the Minister to reconsider his trip.

I think it is grossly irresponsible for Minister Harris to be out of the country at a time when almost every major local and regional hospital is in the grip of capacity crisis with respect to patients on trolleys, said Mr McGrath.

On Monday overcrowding in hospitals across the county reached new record levels with 714 people waiting on trolleys.

The figure remained high on Tuesday with 649 patients waiting on trolleys in hospitals across the country, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee at Downing Street in London in the latest bid to end the dispute which has developed with the devolved governments over the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

Brexit talks between Theresa May and the Scottish and Welsh first ministers have broken up without agreement.

Nicola Sturgeon said the issues outstanding over legislation that transposes EU law into UK law once Britain leaves are not insignificant and warned there was now real urgency to reach a deal.

Lack of agreement from Edinburgh and Cardiff would not prevent the EU (Withdrawal) Bill from passing but forcing it through without consent could spark a constitutional crisis within the UK.

Expand Close Prime Minister Theresa May chairs the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee attended by First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at Downing Street, London in the latest bid to end the dispute which has developed with the devolved governments over the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Prime Minister Theresa May chairs the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee attended by First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones and Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at Downing Street, London in the latest bid to end the dispute which has developed with the devolved governments over the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA)

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said he was hopeful a resolution would be found in the next few days.

Speaking in Downing Street, the Scottish First Minister said: There was certainly an indication on all sides that we want to reach agreement.

We cant have our powers restricted or reduced without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, she told reporters.

Ms Sturgeon said: The issues that remain between us are not insignificant but neither are they insurmountable.

Crucial talks with PM today at @10DowningStreet UK Gov moving in right direction but @WelshGovernment cant back Withdrawal Bill as currently drafted. We need changes that fully respect devolution  Mark Drakeford (@fmwales) March 14, 2018

She said the UK Governments concern was that Scottish Parliaments or governments could withhold consent unreasonably and there is discussion to be had to give assurances that wouldnt be the case.

Its a matter of trust, she said, but added: We are having to trust the UK Government a lot in terms of other matters associated with the Brexit discussions.

This is about protecting our principles, its not about compromising on the principle, its about finding compromise that allows the UK Government to abide by that principle, as I think they should, but have some of the concerns that they have got about that addressed and allayed.

Mr Jones said: We want to make sure that we come to an agreement on where powers lie and how they are dealt with in the future.

Progress has been made but I am not yet in a position to recommend to the National Assembly that we should give our consent to the Withdrawal Bill.

But he added: Im hopeful we will be in a position where that will be possible in the next few days  no more than a week or two, I would say, time is running out  but we are not there yet.

Expand Close First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones talks to the media after attending a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee at Downing Street in London, in the latest bid to end the dispute which has developed with the devolved governments over the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill (Kirsty O'Connor/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones talks to the media after attending a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee at Downing Street in London, in the latest bid to end the dispute which has developed with the devolved governments over the UK Governments flagship EU Withdrawal Bill (Kirsty O'Connor/PA)

The row centres on where devolved powers currently held by Brussels will be exercised once the UK quits the EU  with the Prime Minister stressing ahead of the talks that the vast majority of powers returning from the EU will go to Edinburgh and Cardiff.

However, the UK Government argues some powers must come first to Westminster so common frameworks can be established across the UK.

Downing Street said the leaders discussed the amendment that has been tabled that would ensure the vast majority of devolved powers will transfer directly to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

A spokesman the Prime Minister made clear her commitment to a deal that works for the whole of the UK and protects the security and prosperity of all our communities.
The father of a Norwegian student murdered in the UK has warned her suspected killer that the case will never go away while he remains a fugitive.

Martine Vik Magnussen, 23, was strangled after she went out to celebrate her end-of-term exams at a Mayfair nightclub in 2008.

Billionaire playboy Farouk Abdulhak, who was caught on CCTV leaving the nightclub with her, fled to Yemen in the hours after she disappeared and has since refused to return to the UK.

Expand Close Martine Vik Magnussen's father Petter was visiting London to mark 10 years since his daughter's death (David Mirzoeff/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Martine Vik Magnussen's father Petter was visiting London to mark 10 years since his daughter's death (David Mirzoeff/PA)

Visiting London to mark 10 years since her death, her father Petter warned Abdulhak: I would like to address this individual, who has continued his sheltered life without any consequences, while my family has continued to suffer the greatest loss a family can suffer.

I want him to know that 10 years on we continue to pursue justice for Martine. The police continue to investigate, we want you to know that this case will never go away until justice has prevailed.

LIVE: Petter Magnussen gives a statement on the 10th anniversary of the murder of his daughter Martine Vik Magnussen. Posted by Metropolitan Police Service on Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Miss Magnussen was celebrating with other students from the Regents Business School at the Maddox nightclub when she went missing in the early hours of March 14 2008.

Her body was found two days later under rubble in the basement of flats in Great Portland Street.

As police continued to appeal for him to hand himself in a decade later, they released a CCTV clip of the pair leaving the nightclub.

To mark the anniversary, the Met have released CCTV footage showing Martine the last time she was seen, with the only suspect in the case, Farouk Abdulhak, leaving Maddox nightclub in Mayfair, 2008. Martine was out celebrating her end of term exams. pic.twitter.com/yCrtLIxrFl  Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) March 14, 2018

Mr Magnussen said: It is a privilege to be able to travel as and where we wish.

Today many are blessed with the freedom to see the world, to visit different cultures and explore new cultures.

But I believe that that freedom should come with some responsibility and respect for the places we visit.

10 years on today my beloved daughter Martina was murdered in this town.

Expand Close Mr Magnussen lays flowers in Great Portland Street where the body of his daughter was found (David Mirzoeff/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mr Magnussen lays flowers in Great Portland Street where the body of his daughter was found (David Mirzoeff/PA)

The only individual wanted for her murder fled to another country and took shelter there after having resided in the UK as a student.

In doing so he evaded the obligation to accept the law and legal system of the UK, going against all ethical and legal standard, and running away from responsibility that comes with the privilege of travelling.

Asked about seeing CCTV footage of his daughter, Mr Magnussen said: Martine and the suspect were fellow students. They were friends.

As her friends have been saying all along, they were not a couple.

And what I saw was a completely normal activity that should never have ended up in the tragedy that we have experienced.

In a way I was relieved to see that.

On the other hand it is very, very challenging to see your daughter alive enjoying life.

She loved this life.

Expand Close A floral tribute left by Mr Magnussen in Great Portland Street (David Mirzoeff/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A floral tribute left by Mr Magnussen in Great Portland Street (David Mirzoeff/PA)

Mr Magnussen added: Im not after revenge. Neither are my family.

We are just after justice. And to give Martine justice, our family justice.

And again to make this platform for criminal prevention. That must be the aim forever in this case.

Mr Magnussen also said he had unconfirmed information that indicates that the suspects life is no longer extremely luxurious.

He said this is likely down to the fact he is a wanted man and also the crisis in Yemen.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Partridge, from Scotland Yards murder squad, said: A decade on and our ambition remains the same  to obtain justice for Martine.

With this CCTV now in the public domain, our hope is that the case will not fade from public attention, keeping the spotlight firmly focused upon Farouk Abdulhak.

Expand Close Martine Vik Magnussen death Press Association Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Martine Vik Magnussen death

Abdulhak fled to another country in the pursuit of continuing with his life and today he remains sheltered and protected in the Yemen. For 10 years this person has been avoiding our requests to return to the UK and assist the investigation.

We have reached an important milestone, therefore this is the right time to once again appeal personally to Abdulhak to return to the UK.

He was a guest in our country when the murder of Martine occurred and I believe the responsible thing to do is return.

If he thought that this case would diminish, or that his wanted status would change over time, then this years anniversary demonstrates our resolve and that of the Magnussen family to continue to seek justice for Martine.

A post-mortem examination gave Miss Magnussens cause of death as compression to the neck.

An inquest at Westminster Coroners Court on November 24 2010 recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.
MSPs sat late at Holyrood, but failed to complete consideration of alll amendments to the Scottish Government's emergency Brexit Bill. (David Cheskin/PA)

MSPs at Holyrood sat late as the Scottish Government pushed ahead with plans to bring in its own European Continuity Bill.

Members of the Scottish Parliaments Finance and Constitution Committee were in the chamber until 10.35pm discussing some of the 230 plus amendments that have been put forward to the Bill.

Despite the record late finish  it was the latest a committee at Holyrood has sat until  they were unable to conclude the Stage 2 consideration of the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill.

Over the session, which lasted four hours and 50 minutes, MSPs agreed to two amendments from the Scottish Governments Brexit Minister Mike Russell.

This briefing provides a summary of the key provisions in the UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Legal Continuity) (Scotland) Bill which was introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 27 February 2018. https://t.co/uhheMQS8Zg  Finance and Public Admn Committee (@SP_FinancePAC) March 6, 2018

With the legislation being rushed through Holyrood on drastically shortened timescale, they will return to the Parliament at 8am on Wednesday to finish the job.

However despite the reduced time for the Bill to be consider, the Brexit Minister has insisted there was sufficient time for proper scrutiny of the proposals.

The Scottish Government has introduced the legislation amid a stand-off over the return of devolved powers from Brussels following Britains departure from the European Union.

Ministers from both Scotland and Wales have branded the UK Governments EU Withdrawal Bill a power grab  with both the devolved administrations having brought forward their own legislation.

Agriculture, fisheries, food labelling and public procurement are among 24 devolved policy areas that Downing Street wants to temporarily retain power over following the UKs exit from the EU, to put in place UK-wide frameworks.

Speaking about the Scottish Governments Bill, Mr Russell said: I can confirm that as things stand the Government is of the view that it is necessary to proceed with this legislation.

All along, the objective of the Government, and the Welsh Government has been to reach agreement on amendments to the UK Governments Withdrawal Bill. Sadly we havent yet reached such an agreement.

The changes that the UK Government has put forward  without the agreement of Holyrood ministers  unacceptably constrains devolved competence, Mr Russell argued.

He added: I remain hopeful agreement can be reached, but were not at that stage and this parliament needs to have a backstop. It needs to have this Bill.

I recognise that the procedure for this Bill has been unusual.

But there is enough time for the Bill to be properly scrutinised and that is what will take place.'

Conservative MSP Adam Tomkins said the Scottish Government Bill was a woeful piece of emergency legislation which will do nothing but bring this Parliament into disrepute.

The Tory insisted the legislation contained a number of provisions that are manifestly and straightforwardly incompatible with the requirements imposed on us in the Scotland Act.

He added: Its not too late for the SNP to withdraw this Bill  its bad law, we should abandon it and not enact it.

Scottish Conservatives had tabled the majority of amendments to the Bill, and a spokesman for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: It would appear on the face of it that they have laid down a lot of amendments to take up a lot of time.
A group of Labour backbenchers has said it unequivocally accepts the Russian states culpability for the Salisbury attack after Jeremy Corbyns team raised doubts about who was responsible.

The Labour leaders spokesman said there was a problematic history over the use of UK intelligence and left open the possibility of the Federation being framed.

Speaking to reporters after the statement updating MPs on the poisoning in Salisbury, the spokesman indicated that Labour does not believe there is enough evidence yet to blame the Russian state for the attack.

Theresa May condemned the comments as shocking and outrageous after a Conservative MP raised them in the Commons chamber.

The spokesmans comments prompted Labour backbencher John Woodcock to table an Early Day Motion unequivocally accepting the Russian states culpability for the attack, and supporting fully the statement made by Mrs May in the Commons.

The motion was swiftly signed by a number of prominent critics of Mr Corbyn, some of whom went public with their criticism of the leaders senior aide Seumas Milne.

Labour MP Anna Turley tweeted: Im afraid Seumas doesnt speak for my Labour or British values, while Chuka Umunna said: Mr Milnes comments do not represent the views of the majority of our voters, members or MPs.

Im afraid Seumas doesnt speak for my Labour or British values. https://t.co/Rla7J2MOCw  Anna Turley  (@annaturley) March 14, 2018

The Labour leader has been given security briefings on the incident, but the spokesman said the Government may have more information.

He told reporters: The Government has access to information and intelligence on this matter which others dont.

However, also there is a history in relation to weapons of mass destruction and intelligence which is problematic, to put it mildly.

So, I think the right approach is to seek the evidence to follow international treaties, particularly in relation to prohibitive chemical weapons.

Have read the comments of the Leader of the Oppositions spokesperson. Mr Milnes comments do not represent the views of the majority of our voters, members or MPs. Well get abuse for saying so but where British lives have been put at risk it is important to be clear about this.  ChukaUmunna (@ChukaUmunna) March 14, 2018

Asked if he could rule out the possibility of Russia being framed, the spokesman said the evidence pointed overwhelmingly to the two options set out by the PM.

In the meantime I think it is essential we follow the evidence and what the evidence produces, he added.

Submitted EDM 1071 with Labour colleagues making clear we unequivocally accept Russias culpability in the Salisbury attack and support UK govt action. Others will have chance to sign in coming days. pic.twitter.com/H0wMBZBcKe  Lord Walney (@LordWalney) March 14, 2018

Pressed on whether another former Soviet state, such as Ukraine, may be the origin of the substance, he replied: I think the second option Theresa May set out on Monday and again today, that the Russian government had lost control of weapons grade nerve agents which may have been produced during the Soviet period, contains within it a series of different possibilities of who then might have been directly responsible for that.

If the material is from the Soviet period, the break-up of the Soviet state led to all sorts of military material ending up in random hands.

The spokesman said that during the WMD saga there was both what was actually produced by the intelligence services, which in the end we had access to, and then there was how that was used in the public domain in politics.

So, there is a history of problems in relation to interpreting that evidence but, in this case, the Government may well have other evidence that we are not aware of. Clearly this issue has to be followed on the basis of the evidence.

The PM criticised the Opposition leaders spokesman from the despatch box.

She said: I am surprised and shocked at the statement that has been put out by the spokesman for the leader of the Opposition, and as I was going to say it is very clear I think from the remarks that have been made by backbenchers from the Labour Party that they will be equally concerned about that remark.

They stand full square behind the Government in the analysis that we have shown and the action that we have taken.

She added: What we are talking about here in the United Kingdom is the use of a chemical weapon, a nerve agent, a military grade nerve agent against people here in the United Kingdom.

That is very clear and I think it is quite wrong and outrageous that the leader of the oppositions spokesman made the comments in the relation to this that he has.

Mr Woodcock said: This is a time for the nation to speak as one so it was heartening that the overwhelming majority of MPs of all parties spoke so strongly in support of the strong package of measures outlined by the Prime Minister today.

There should be no doubt over Russias culpability and we should resist the Russian propaganda machines attempts to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of the British people. So we hope as many MPs as possible sign our early day motion making clear we hold the Russian state squarely to blame for this atrocity and support the Governments response.

Support for strong action from members of parliament of all sides is necessary to face down this threat to our nation and the international rules-based system that Putin seeks to destroy.
Residents of Salisbury are rallying to raise funds for police officer Nick Bailey, who suffered injures as a result of the nerve agent attack last week.

The Wiltshire Police Detective Sergeant, who joined the force in 2002, is conscious in Salisbury District Hospital following the attempted murder of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Expand Close The JustGiving page raising funds for Wiltshire Police officer Nick Bailey. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The JustGiving page raising funds for Wiltshire Police officer Nick Bailey.

A JustGiving page set up by local mother Katie Doherty has gathered 36 supporters, and nearly 400 so far.

The 33-year-old from East Knoyle, said: I dont know him myself, but I set up the page before his details had been released.

I just really felt for him and his family. At the end of the day he was just out doing his job looking after our community. I appreciate that police are trained for all sorts of situations but I dont think anyone could have expected this, she said.

Our emergency services and our local hospital do such a great job looking after us and I just wanted to say thank you.

She added that she was aiming to raise 6,000 for the sergeant.

At Wiltshire Councils Bourne Hill office, a cake sale took place to raise funds for DS Bailey.

Our amazing Wiltshire Council colleagues are running a cake sale for Nick today, this gesture is true testament to how we all get on in Bourne Hill, thank you so much @drcarltonbrand @wiltspoliceCC pic.twitter.com/KeR8rKYFW2  Supt Chris Chammings (@chrischamms) March 14, 2018

Writing on Twitter, Wiltshire Police Superintendent Chris Chammings said: Our amazing Wiltshire Council colleagues are running a cake sale for Nick today. This gesture is true testament to how we all get on in Bourne Hill. Thank you so much.

In a statement released after the attack, the force said DS Bailey did not consider himself a hero, he states he was merely doing his job.
Ofcom will consider whether a Kremlin-backed television channel should broadcast in the UK if Russian involvement is proven in the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

The regulator said it had written to RT, formerly Russia Today, on Tuesday to explain that evidence of unlawful state interference would affect whether it was deemed fit and proper to hold a broadcasting licence.

Theresa May faced repeated calls for the Government to take action against RT in the Commons on Monday, after telling MPs it was highly likely Russia was behind the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Expand Close PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp

Ofcom said in a statement: As the independent UK broadcasting regulator, Ofcom has an ongoing duty to be satisfied that broadcast licensees remain fit and proper to hold their licences.

We have today written to ANO TV Novosti, holder of RTs UK broadcast licences, which is financed from the budget of the Russian Federation.

This letter explained that, should the UK investigating authorities determine that there was an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the UK, we would consider this relevant to our ongoing duty to be satisfied that RT is fit and proper.

The letter to RT said that we would carry out our independent fit and proper assessment on an expedited basis, and we would write to RT again shortly setting out details of our process.

RT said it disagreed with Ofcoms position, adding it was conflating its role as a broadcasting regulator with matters of state.

I have written to head of Ofcom, asking if it intends to withdraw broadcasting licence from Russia Today, Putins voice in Britain. We arent so weak as a country that we shd allow fascist lies and propaganda to pour out from the Kremlin while its agents murder on our streets  Andrew Adonis (@Andrew_Adonis) March 13, 2018

MPs had voiced concern about the Russian news channel in the House of Commons, following a statement by Mrs May on the spy poisoning.

Labour former minister Chris Bryant said: Can we just stop Russia Today just broadcasting its propaganda in this country?

Labour MP Stephen Doughty added: On Russia Today, can I urge the Prime Minister to speak with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to look at reviewing Russia Todays broadcasting licence, and to speak to the House authorities about blocking their broadcasts in this building itself.

Why should we be watching their propaganda in this Parliament?

Mrs May replied: We will look at the response from the Russian state, but I will come to this House at the earliest opportunity to look at the range of measures which could be necessary.

I think in relation to the House authorities, as you will be aware, that would not be a matter for me but the House authorities.

Labour peer Lord Adonis also tweeted: I have written to head of Ofcom, asking if it intends to withdraw broadcasting licence from Russia Today, Putins voice in Britain.

We arent so weak as a country that we shd allow fascist lies and propaganda to pour out from the Kremlin while its agents murder on our streets.

RT said in a statement: We disagree with the position taken by Ofcom; our broadcasting has in no way changed this week, from any other week and continues to adhere to all standards.

By linking RT to unrelated matters, Ofcom is conflating its role as a broadcasting regulator with matters of state.

RT remains a valuable voice in the UK news landscape, covering vital yet neglected stories and voices, including those of the many MPs and other UK public figures who have been shut out of public discourse by the mainstream media.

Ofcom said it would consider the implications for RTs broadcast licenses after Mrs May makes a further statement about the Salisbury attack on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister has set a deadline of midnight on Tuesday for the Russians to provide a credible explanation as to why deadly Novichok was used on UK soil.
Police are searching for an absconded prisoner (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Police are hunting a violent prisoner who failed to return from home leave.

Anthony McGinley, 33, had been on home leave from HMP Castle Huntly near Dundee but officers are now appealing for information on his whereabouts.

Police said he is known to be violent and should not be approached, with the public urged to call 101 if seen.

The 33-year-old is 5ft 9in with an average build, dark brown hair and green eyes.

He is believed to have connections in Hamilton and the Castlemilk area of Glasgow.

Expand Close Anthony McGinley failed to return from home leave (Police Scotland/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Anthony McGinley failed to return from home leave (Police Scotland/PA)

A spokesman said: Police Scotland is appealing for information regarding the whereabouts of 33-year-old Anthony McGinley, who is a convicted prisoner currently serving a sentence at HMP Castle Huntly, by Dundee.

His temporary release licence has been revoked whilst away on home leave.

McGinley is known to be violent. If seen, he should not be approached and Police Scotland should be called on 101.

Anyone wishing to provide information anonymously can do so through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Professor Stephen Hawking was a vocal champion of the NHS who until his final months sparred with the Health Secretary.

The eminent physicians children announced that the beloved father and extraordinary man died at home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday at the age of 76.

Prof Hawking, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1962, had recently said he would not have had such a long life without the NHS.

I have decided to join Dr. Colin Hutchinson, Professor Allyson Pollock, Professor Sue Richards and Dr. Graham Winyard in... Posted by Stephen Hawking on Friday, December 8, 2017

Less than two months ago a campaign group backed by Prof Hawking was granted permission to challenge secretary of state Jeremy Hunt in the High Court over plans to allow private companies to play a greater role in the service.

The scientist had warned it was an attack on the fundamental principles of the NHS to allow commercial businesses to run parts of the health and social services.

The judicial review into the proposal was expected to take place as soon as possible after Wednesday, coincidentally the day he died.

Expand Close Mr Hunt accused the professor of spreading a 'pernicious falsehood' (Peter Byrne/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mr Hunt accused the professor of spreading a 'pernicious falsehood' (Peter Byrne/PA)

Mr Hunts Department of Health and Social Care had rejected claims by the JR4NHS campaign group, founded by three doctors and a university professor, as irresponsible scaremongering.

JR4NHS had argued the introduction of accountable care organisations (ACOs) will Americanise the NHS.

Prof Hawking, a lifelong Labour supporter, and Conservative Mr Hunt already had a tumultuous history.

In August, the Cambridge University scientist wrote to the Sunday Telegraph saying Mr Hunts calculations to show Britain was not moving towards a US-style system were silly.

Most pernicious falsehood from Stephen Hawking is idea govt wants US-style insurance system.Is it 2 much to ask him to look at evidence? 1/2  Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) August 19, 2017

Mr Hunt shot back writing on The Guardian website that the professor was wrong and tweeted that his claims of a US-style insurance system were a pernicious falsehood.

Is it 2 much to ask him to look at evidence? he added.

Also, in 2016, Prof Hawking and experts such as Professor Robert Winston called for an inquiry into claims made by Mr Hunt, saying he cherry-picked research, causing a devastating breakdown of trust between government and the medical profession.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Professor Stephen Hawking at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (Dan White/Gonville and Caius/PA) In this file photo taken on April 27, 2017 shows participants listening to a recorded speech by British physicist Stephen Hawking on artificial intelligence as his image is seen on a screen at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing. British scientist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family announced March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Greg BakerGREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on November 28, 2016 Pope Francis (L) meets with English theoretical physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking at the Vatican on November 28, 2016. British scientist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman announced March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / FILIPPO MONTEFORTEFILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 19, 2013, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking poses for a picture ahead of a gala screening of the documentary 'Hawking', a film about the scientist's life, at the opening night of the Cambridge Film Festival in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / ANDREW COWIEANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016 (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016 (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016 (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016 (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES): In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016 (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / STRSTR/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016 (FILES) In this file photo taken on October 19, 2016, British scientist Stephen Hawking attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / NIKLAS HALLE'NNIKLAS HALLE'N/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on April 13, 2005, British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking presents his new book "A brief history of Time" in Oviedo, northern Spain. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Miguel RIOPAMIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on August 29, 2012 British scientist Stephen Hawking appears during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in east London. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said March 14, 2018, after a glittering life in science dedicated to unlocking the secrets of the Universe. / AFP PHOTO / LEON NEALLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on May 05, 2006 British astrophysician Stephen Hawking gives a press conference to present his latest book, "God Created the Integers: The mathematical breakthroughs that changed History" in Paris. AFP PHOTO JOEL SAGET Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Joel SAGETJOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on April 21, 2008, British physicist Stephen Hawking (L) and his daughter Lucy Hawking give a lecture entitled 'Why We Should Go Into Space' during the 50 Years of NASA lecture series at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Jim WATSONJIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 14: Scientist Stephen Hawking of "Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking" speaks via satellite during the Science Channel portion of the 2010 Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Langham Hotel on January 14, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Professor Stephen Hawking onstage during the New Space Exploration Initiative "Breakthrough Starshot" Announcement at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Professor Stephen Hawking attends the New Space Exploration Initiative "Breakthrough Starshot" Announcement at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) (FILES) In this file photo taken on February 8, 2015, British scientist Stephen Hawking (C) arrives on the red carpet with former wife Jane Hawking (L) and daughter Lucy Hawking (R) for the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House in London. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. WASHINGTON - AUGUST 12: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) presents the Medal of Freedom to physicist Stephen Hawking during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House August 12, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama presented the medal, the highest civilian honor in the United States, to 16 recipients during the ceremony. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 03, 2007, professor Stephen Hawking poses for photographs in his office at The Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge, in central England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / LEON NEALLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: Stephen Hawking attends the Pride Of Britain awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel on October 31, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) (FILES) In this file photo taken on May 14, 2008, South Africa former President Nelson Mandela (R) meets with British scientist Professor Stephen Hawking (L) in Johannesburg. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / DENIS FARRELLDENIS FARRELL/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on January 17, 2008, British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking offers a press conference at La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago after after meeting with President Michelle Bachelet. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Martin BERNETTIMARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 23, 2014, British theoretical physicist professor Stephen Hawking gives a lecture during the Starmus Festival on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / DESIREE MARTINDESIREE MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 23, 2014, British theoretical physicist professor Stephen Hawking gives a lecture during the Starmus Festival on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / DESIREE MARTINDESIREE MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images File photo dated 31/05/15 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76. PRESS ASSOCIATION PHOTO. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Philip Toscano/PA Wire PA Archive/PA Images FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Professor Stephen Hawking onstage during the New Space Exploration Initiative "Breakthrough Starshot" Announcement at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 14: Scientist Stephen Hawking of "Into The Universe With Stephen Hawking" speaks via satellite during the Science Channel portion of the 2010 Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Langham Hotel on January 14, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Professor Stephen Hawking attends the New Space Exploration Initiative "Breakthrough Starshot" Announcement at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 31: Stephen Hawking attends the Pride Of Britain awards at the Grosvenor House Hotel on October 31, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images) File photo dated 06/03/17 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76. PRESS ASSOCIATION PHOTO. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire PA Archive/PA Images File photo dated 31/05/15 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76. PRESS ASSOCIATION PHOTO. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Philip Toscano/PA Wire PA Archive/PA Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on March 6, 1998, US President Bill Clinton (L) and British professor Stephen Hawking (R) watch a scene from "Star Trek the Next Generation" during a "Millennium Evening" at the White House in Washington, DC. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Tim SLOANTIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on March 24, 2017, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, 75, speaks to an audience by hologram (L) in Hong Kong, beamed live from his office in Cambridge, England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Anthony WALLACEANTHONY WALLACE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 3, 2007, professor Stephen Hawking poses for photographs in his office at The Centre for Mathematical Sciences in Cambridge in central England. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Leon NEALLEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on June 29, 2016, British theoretical physicist professor Stephen Hawking gives a lecture entitled: "A Brief History of Mine" during the Starmus Festival on the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / DESIREE MARTINDESIREE MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on August 12, 2009, US President Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / JEWEL SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on June 12, 2006 (FILES) This file picture taken on June 12, 2006 shows British theoretical physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking (C) arriving at Hong Kong's international airport. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / SAMANTHA SINSAMANTHA SIN/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on December 09, 2014, British scientist Stephen Hawking (2L), his former wife Jane (2R) and British actors Felicity Jones (L) and Eddie Redmayne (R) attend the UK premiere of the film 'The Theory of Everything' in London. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and stars Eddie Redmayne protraying the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. AFP PHOTO / JUSTIN TALLIS Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on December 09, 2014 British actors Felicity Jones (L) and Eddie Redmayne (R) pose with British scientist Stephen Hawking (C) at the UK premiere of the film 'The Theory of Everything' in London. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and stars Eddie Redmayne protraying the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on December 09, 2014 British actors Felicity Jones (L) and Eddie Redmayne (R) pose with British scientist Stephen Hawking (C) at the UK premiere of the film 'The Theory of Everything' in London. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and stars Eddie Redmayne protraying the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on December 09, 2014 British actors Felicity Jones (L) and Eddie Redmayne (R) pose with British scientist Stephen Hawking (C) at the UK premiere of the film 'The Theory of Everything' in London. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and stars Eddie Redmayne protraying the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 25, 2008, professor Stephen Hawking is pictured during a visit to Cape Finisterre, some 90 km from Santiago, northwestern Spain. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Miguel RIOPAMIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on September 19, 2013, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking poses during a photo call for a gala screening of the documentary 'Hawking', a film about the scientist's life, at the opening night of the Cambridge Film Festival in Cambridge, eastern England. (FILES) In this file photo taken on December 09, 2014 British actors Felicity Jones (L) and Eddie Redmayne (R) pose with British scientist Stephen Hawking (C) at the UK premiere of the film 'The Theory of Everything' in London on December 9, 2014. The film is based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen, by Jane Hawking, and stars Eddie Redmayne protraying the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. / AFP PHOTO / ANDREW COWIEANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on February 8, 2015, British scientist Stephen Hawking arrives for the BAFTA British Academy Film Awards at the Royal Opera House in London. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, a family spokesman said on March 14, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Justin TALLISJUSTIN TALLIS/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on August 12, 2009, Stephen Hawking receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on August 12, 2009. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (Files) This combination of pictures created on March 14, 2018 shows (top left to bottom right) renowned cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking as he attends a press conference at One World Observatory April 12, 2016 in New York; appearing during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Park in east London on August 29, 2012; speaking to an audience by hologram (L) in Hong Kong, beamed live from his office in Cambridge, England; as he (R) is surrounded by media before he addressed a joint press conference between Washington and London where the directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists pushed the hands of the 'Doomsday Clock' - a barometer of nuclear danger for the past 55 years - by two minutes closer to the midnight hour symbolising nuclear conflict, in central London, 17 January 2007; as he attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England; as he speaks during an inaugural lecture "The Origin of the Universe" at the Hong University of Science and Technology, 15 June 2006; as he gives a press conference to present his latest book, "God Created the Integers: The mathematical breakthroughs that changed History" in Paris; is seen on a TV monitor during his conference to open the XXV Prince of Asturias Awards Anniversary event in Oviedo, northern Spain, 12April 2005. Stephen Hawking won the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord in 1989; as he attends the launch of The Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence (CFI) at the University of Cambridge, in Cambridge, eastern England, on October 19, 2016. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, whose mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76, his family said on March 14. Hawking, whose 1988 book "A Brief History of Time" became an unlikely worldwide bestseller and cemented his superstar status, dedicated his lif AFP/Getty Images (FILES) In this file photo taken on August 12, 2009, Stephen Hawking receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom from US President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on August 12, 2009. Renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking has died at age 76, a family spokesman said Wednesday, March 14, 2018. We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement carried by Britain's Press Association news agency. "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years." / AFP PHOTO / Jewel SAMADJEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images File photo dated 19/09/08 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, during the unveiling of The Corpus Clock, a new installation at Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Chris Radburn/PA Wire PA File photo dated 29/04/10 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, watching the first preview of his new show for the Discovery Channel, Stephen Hawking's Universe. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: David Parry/PA Wire PA File photo dated 08/02/2015 of Eddie Redmayne and Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, arriving at the After-party dinner for the EE British Academy Film Awards at Grosvenor House Hotel in London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire PA File photo dated 09/09/1992 Professor Stephen Hawking, who had died aged 76, and Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin, with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: /PA Wire PA File photo dated 25/02/12 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, posing beside a lamp titled 'black hole light' by inventor Mark Champkins, presented to him during his visit to the Science Museum in London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire PA File photo dated 9/12/2014 of Professor Stephen Hawking (front), who has died aged 76, with (from left) Felicity Jones, Jane Hawking and Eddie Redmayne, attending the UK Premiere of The Theory of Everything at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Ian West/PA Wire PA FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. (FILES) World famous British scientist Stephen Hawking gives a lecture at the Bloomfield Museum of Science in Jerusalem on December 10, 2006. Hawking, the wheelchair-bound British physicist whose book "A Brief History Of Time" became an international best-seller, is "very ill" in hospital, Cambridge University said on April 20, 2009. Hawking, 67, achieved worldwide fame for his research, writing and television documentaries despite suffering from a form of motor neurone disease that left him disabled and dependent on a voice synthesiser to communicate. AFP PHOTO / MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON - NOVEMBER 2: Scientist Stephen Hawking reads out names during a vigil at Trafalgar Square at which a list of names of people killed in the Iraq war is read out November 2, 2004 in London. The vigil, organized by Stop the War Coalition is to coincide with similar events throughout the world on the day of the United States presidential election. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON - JANUARY 17: Professor Stephen Hawking delivers his speech at the release of the 'Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' on January 17, 2007 in London, Ebgland. A group of scientists assessing the dangers posed to civilisation have moved the Doomsday Clock forward two minutes closer to midnight as an indication and warning of the threats of nuclear war and climate change. (Photo by Bruno Vincent/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. 399485 02: Physicist Stephen Hawking smiles at a symposium to honor his birthday at the Center for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge January 11, 2002 in Cambridge, England. Hawking turned 60-years-old on January 8, 2002 and is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, a post once held by Sir Isaac Newton. (Photo by Sion Touhig/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. WASHINGTON - AUGUST 12: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) presents the Medal of Freedom to physicist Stephen Hawking during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House August 12, 2009 in Washington, DC. Obama presented the medal, the highest civilian honor in the United States, to 16 recipients during the ceremony. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - MAY 29: Queen Elizabeth II meets Professor Stephen Hawking (R) during a reception for Leonard Cheshire Disability in the State Rooms, St James's Palace on May 29, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Jonathan Brady - Pool / Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 08: Eddie Redmayne and Professor Stephen Hawking attend the after party for the EE British Academy Film Awards at The Grosvenor House Hotel on February 8, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 20: (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Stephen Hawking attends the closing night after party for 'Monty Python Live (Mostly)' at The O2 Arena on July 20, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images) FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. OVIEDO, SPAIN: Spanish Crown Prince Felipe (2nd L) and Princess Letizia (L) applaud British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking (R) after his conference to open the XXV Anniversary of the Prince of Asturias Awards in Oviedo, Northern Spain, 12 April 2005. AFP Photo / Miguel RIOPA (Photo credit should read MIGUEL RIOPA/AFP/Getty Images) FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 28, 2016 file photo Pope Francis greets physicist Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants at a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, at the Vatican. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (L'Osservatore Romano/pool photo via AP, File) AP FILE - MARCH 14: Renowned British Physicist Stephen Hawking has passed away at his home in Cambridge, March 14, 2018. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 12: Professor Stephen Hawking onstage during the New Space Exploration Initiative "Breakthrough Starshot" Announcement at One World Observatory on April 12, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images) FILE - In this Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2009 file photo President Barack Obama applauds after presenting the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom to Stephen Hawking, the renown theoretical physicist and Cambridge University professor, during ceremonies at the White House in Washington. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) AP FILE - In this Thursday, May 15, 2008 file photo former South African President Nelson Mandela, right, meets with British scientist Professor Stephen Hawking, left, in Johannesburg. Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died, a family spokesman said early Wednesday, March 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell, File) AP (FILES) This file picture taken on August 18, 2002 shows Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned physicist, delivering his lecture in Beijing. Millions of Chinese mourned Stephen Hawking on March 14, 2018, bidding farewell to a "giant star" admired in China for stoically rising above physical disability and for reaching out to Chinese fans on social media. / AFP PHOTO / --/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) This file photo taken on April 27, 2017 shows participants listening to a recorded speech by British physicist Stephen Hawking on artificial intelligence as his image is seen on a screen at the Global Mobile Internet Conference (GMIC) in Beijing. Millions of Chinese mourned Stephen Hawking on March 14, 2018, bidding farewell to a "giant star" admired in China for stoically rising above physical disability and for reaching out to Chinese fans on social media. / AFP PHOTO / GREG BAKERGREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images (FILES) This file picture taken on August 18, 2002, shows Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned physicist, receiving a bouquet of flowers after his lecture in Beijing. Millions of Chinese mourned Stephen Hawking on March 14, 2018, bidding farewell to a "giant star" admired in China for stoically rising above physical disability and for reaching out to Chinese fans on social media. / AFP PHOTO / --/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images File photo dated 19/12/2007 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, in front of a bust of himself, which was unveiled in Cambridge University's new Centre for Theoretical Cosmology. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Chris Radburn/PA Wire PA File photo dated 19/5/2007 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, at The Royal Society in London during a press conference previewing the Starmus science and arts festival. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Philip Toscano/PA Wire PA File photo dated 19/09/08 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, during the unveiling of The Corpus Clock, a new installation at Corpus Christi College at Cambridge University. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Chris Radburn/PA Wire PA File photo dated 2/7/2017 of Professor Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, talking about his life and work during a public symposium to celebrate his 75th birthday at Lady Mitchell Hall in Cambridge. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Wednesday March 14, 2018. See PA story DEATH Hawking. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Professor Stephen Hawking at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (Dan White/Gonville and Caius/PA)

Prof Hawkings children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, announced his death, saying: He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

He once said, It would not be much of a universe if it wasnt home to the people you love. We will miss him forever.

Mr Hunt tweeted: Stephen Hawking was a defining force in the world of science whose loss will be felt in every corner of the globe.

I was sad that we didnt agree on everything, but he was still a hero to me as one of our greatest ever thinkers  he inspired with his courage

as well as his words.
A sexist and misogynist culture in the Anglican Church may have contributed to failings in tackling child sex abuse, the former Archbishop of Canterbury told an inquiry.

Lord Rowan Williams, who held the post from 2002 to 2012, said the Church still has a mindset, but not a dominant ethos, of being a close-knit male body of clergy protective of their dignity and authority.

He made the comments while giving evidence in London on Wednesday afternoon to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Fiona Scolding QC, the lead lawyer for the Anglican strand of the inquiry, is examining how the Church of England handled allegations of sexual misconduct stretching back to the 1950s, first focusing on the Diocese of Chichester.

She questioned Lord Williams after reading a statement from retired judge Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss who described how she found there was a culture of denial about child abuse among police and clergy in Sussex and said the diocese had an anti-woman culture.

When asked if he felt safeguarding was affected by sexist and misogynist attitudes, Lord Williams said: I think thats possible.

I would see it as part of a wider mindset in which the authority of ordained ministry was beyond criticism.Rowan Williams

But he said there was always a certain resentment and suspicion of lay expertise generally and not just women.

He added: This may not connect immediately with abusive behaviour towards children but I would see it as part of a wider mindset in which the authority of ordained ministry was beyond criticism.

Lord Williams said the Church had been naive in the past and had taken an unconscionably long time to focus on the needs of victims.

The inquiry that heard up until 2004 the Church still had no guidance in place at all on how to deal with historic abuse cases.

Lord Williams told how he was too sanguine about the success of an inquiry in 2007 and had been over optimistic after branding it the most comprehensive review of personnel files ever undertaken. He said it had in fact failed.

Retired clergy and cases where no action was taken were not included in the review. Only 390 personnel files were reviewed. Less than half had a police check, only two had DBS checks and 76 had no checks at all, the inquiry heard.

Addressing what Ms Scolding described as the thorny issue of attitudes to homosexuality, he said there was overcompensation not to judge someones sexual activities and thought this may have contributed in the case of Peter Ball  who was jailed in 2015 for offences against boys dating back to the 1970s.

Lord Williams admitted underrating the seriousness of the situation in 2003 and said he should have spotted the warning signs but did not have concrete new allegations and did not want to appear heavy handed.

But he also said he would have real qualms if obligations to breach the sanctity of the confessional were imposed.

He denied the abuse scandal was swept under the carpet by Lambeth Palace.

The real danger here is that these stories are used to suggest the Church is as bad as Rome both in abuse and cover up.Andrew Nunn

In an email read to the inquiry, Lord Williamss correspondence secretary Andrew Nunn told communications adviser George Pitcher that former Bishop of Chichester John Hind should be thrown to the press as a sacrifice when reporters started asking questions about the now jailed priest Colin Pritchard.

The message said: The real danger here is that these stories are used to suggest the Church is as bad as Rome both in abuse and cover up. The aim must be to distance the current Archbishop from it as much as possible.

Lord Williams said he was shocked to learn of the email and had not sanctioned it.

Other responses from the palaces chief of staff, Chris Smith, were branded wholly inadequate by Ms Scolding when he answered deep and continuing concerns over safeguarding made by the heads of childrens services in East and West Sussex in 2012.

Earlier in the hearing, current Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner told the panel the conservative diocese was described to him by Church staff as a basket-case when he took over that same year.

He said he was shocked by the hostility he experienced by Balls supporters, who claimed he had been mistreated by the church, and described a culture of thoughtless pride and arrogance.

The inquiry continues on Thursday.
Diabetes care in hospitals still needs improvement, says Diabetes UK (Peter Byrne/PA)

There is still work to do to improve safety for patients with diabetes in hospital, a charity has warned.

The comments from Diabetes UK come after an audit examined the state of care of diabetes patients in hospital in England and Wales.

It found that 18% of hospital beds in England and Wales are occupied by someone with diabetes.

But data from the National Diabetes Inpatient Audit 2017 found that almost a third of inpatients (31%) with diabetes experienced a medication error during their hospital stay  though this has reduced from last year.

And 18% suffered hypoglycemia  also known as a hypo  which occurs when a persons blood sugar is too low.

Among patients with type 1 diabetes, one in 25 (4%) suffered diabetic ketoacidosis while in hospital  a serious and potentially life-threatening complication.

But the audit did show improvements in some areas  since 2010 there has been a 30% reduction in severe hypoglycemic rates, a 40% reduction in foot pressure ulcers occurring in hospital and reduction in all medication errors.

You may have heard in the news today about our analysis of the latest #diabetes stats. Read the full story here: https://t.co/GxeaNw31S3 pic.twitter.com/wSoolRTFvM  Diabetes UK (@DiabetesUK) February 27, 2018

David Jones, assistant director of improvement support and innovation at Diabetes UK, said: It is essential that people with diabetes feel safe when they stay in hospital.

We have spoken to too many people who dont, and these figures show that there is still work to do to improve safety.

We need to do more to support diabetes teams to help their colleagues provide safe and appropriate care.

The news comes as NHS England released data on its type 2 diabetes prevention programme which found that half of overweight people who attended at least eight support sessions over a nine-month period lost an average of 3.3kg.

You can lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by managing your weight and waistline. Find out more https://t.co/Dz146NV2zB pic.twitter.com/pZfBdFrDEy  West Leicestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (@west_lei_ccg) February 26, 2018

The prevention programme is designed to stop or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes  which is linked to obesity and other lifestyle factors  through a range of personalised interventions such as education on lifestyle choices, healthy eating tips and bespoke physical activity programmes.

Three years after the programme was first announced, around 66,000 people have taken up places.

NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens, who will be addressing a Diabetes UK conference on Wednesday, said: The NHS is already leading the way in the battle against the obesity crisis by slashing the sale of sugary drinks and super-sized snacks in hospitals, and the results now coming out of our diabetes prevention programme are also positive.

Obesity is the new smoking and the scale of our response needs to match the scale of the crisis.

Last year Mr Stevens ordered hospitals to remove super-size chocolate bars and grab bags of sugary snacks from the shelves of their shops.

New figures show that one hospital retailer sold 1.1 million fewer single chocolate bars in the last year.

And 175,000 more pieces of fruit have been sold in hospital stores.

Figures released last month show the number of people living with diabetes has doubled in the last 20 years.

Diabetes UK said the condition is the fastest growing health crisis of our time as it found that the number of people diagnosed with the condition across the UK has reached almost 3.7 million  an increase of 1.9 million since 1998.
Investigators in protective suits in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent, as the investigation into the attack continues.

Theresa May is preparing to chair a meeting of the national security council after the midnight deadline she set Moscow over the spy poisoning case passed.

Russia said on Tuesday it would ignore demands for an explanation over how a nerve agent was deployed in Salisbury unless Britain agreed to send it samples of the poison.

The Federations embassy in the UK fired off a salvo of tweets warning the threat of sanctions would meet with a response.

3/7 Moscow will not respond to Londons ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring. pic.twitter.com/B5CNtimcc3  Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 13, 2018

Counter-terrorism police, meanwhile, launched an investigation into the death of a Russian exile who was a close friend of Vladimir Putin critic Boris Berezovsky.

Scotland Yard said a man in his 60s was found at a home in Clarence Avenue, New Malden, south-west London on Monday and that the cause of his death is unexplained  but there was no evidence to suggest a link to the incident in Salisbury.

Mrs May has warned she will set out a full range of measures to be taken in response if there is no credible response from the Kremlin about the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

She will chair a meeting on Wednesday morning of senior intelligence officials and ministers to discuss developments in the case.

The premier is likely to make a statement in the House of Commons to update MPs after Prime Ministers Questions.

Expand Close Statement from The White House about US President Donald Trump's discussion with Prime Minister Theresa May about the attack in Salisbury / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Statement from The White House about US President Donald Trump's discussion with Prime Minister Theresa May about the attack in Salisbury

Britains options are being weighed up by the Government  with a cyber counter-strike said to be among the possible measures being considered, along with economic, financial and diplomatic action.

In a series of tweets, the Russian Embassy said: Moscow will not respond to Londons ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance to which the UK investigators are referring.

The incident appears to be yet another crooked attempt by the UK authorities to discredit Russia, it added.

The embassy said those calling for the expulsion of Russian diplomats dont care about Global Britain and its diplomats in Moscow.

World leaders, including Donald Trump and Angela Merkel, voiced their support for the UK as the deadline approached.

Mrs May said on Monday the Government had concluded it is highly likely Russia was responsible for the attack which left ex-spy Mr Skripal and his daughter in a critical condition in hospital.

She demanded that Moscow account for how a Russian-produced nerve agent could have been deployed in Salisbury and vowed to set out measures Britain would adopt if no credible response was received by the end of Tuesday.

Those calling for Russian diplomats' expulsion don't care about Global Britain and its diplomats in Moscow. pic.twitter.com/XtjAJTt7VT  Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 13, 2018

President Trump told Mrs May in a phone call the US is with the UK all the way and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she stood in full solidarity with Britain, according to Downing Street.

Police said investigations could take several weeks as they carry out a painstaking operation to identify how the Novichok nerve agent was used to poison Mr Skripal on British soil.

The former double agent, 66, and his daughter, 33, were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury, Wiltshire, on March 4.

Police and MI5 are to look into allegations that a string of other deaths on UK soil may be linked to Russia.
Italian eurosceptic leader Matteo Salvini has said he would be willing to form a government coalition with the other big winner of the countrys election, the 5-Star Movement, if the rival populists back his Leagues promises to voters like lowering the retirement age and taxes.

Mr Salvinis anti-migrant League was the largest vote-getter in a centre-right coalition that captured 37% of the votes in the March 4 elections for Parliament.

The 5-Stars, with 32%, emerged as Italys biggest single party.

Neither force has enough seats in Parliament to govern alone.

It's not like I get up each morning saying, 'Matteo, you must be premier'Matteo Salvini

The only party Mr Salvini ruled out of any deal was the defeated Democrats, who were crushed in the vote.

Leaving out the DP (Democratic Party), everything is possible in terms of a coalition formula that can guarantee a solid majority of support in Parliament, Mr Salvini said a news conference for foreign correspondents in Rome.

Asked if he could accept a League-5-Star government in which not himself, but Movement leader Luigi Di Maio or somebody else might be premier, Mr Salvini indicated he could.

Its not like I get up each morning saying, Matteo, you must be premier, Mr Salvini said.

Mr Salvini ruled out cobbling together some fragile coalition government the League could join at all costs to be a minister for a few months.

His main campaign coalition partner was Silvio Berlusconi, the media mogul and former premier.

Expand Close Italian 5-Star Movements leader Luigi Di Maio (Ettore Ferrari/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Italian 5-Star Movements leader Luigi Di Maio (Ettore Ferrari/AP)

During the campaign, Mr Berlusconi branded the 5-Stars as a sect whose politicians are worse than Communists.

But after Mr Berlusconis Forza Italia took a drubbing in the election, the ex-premier no longer dominates the centre-right grouping.

Formal talks to find a possible governing coalition are weeks away.

Italys head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, is expected to start sounding out political leaders after the new parliament first meets on March 23.

Since the election, Mr Di Maio, who insists he should be premier, has appeared intent on dispelling concerns internationally that the 5-Stars might adopt policies of extremist parties gaining traction in much of Europe.

Mr Salvini on Wednesday said if the League governs, he will speed up processing of migrant asylum bids so the undeserving can be swiftly kicked out of Italy.

(Russia) has much more in common with Europe than does a country like TurkeyMatteo Salvini

He also renewed his scorn for the erroneous euro currency.

He renewed his admiration for Russia, taking the EU to task for making a multi-billion deal with Turkey to stem the flow of migrants into Greece and northward, and for maintaining economic sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine.

Mr Salvini, who has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Milan, told reporters that Russia, in terms of culture, has much more in common with Europe than does a country like Turkey.

He added: Its not like Putin calls me every night, but it strikes me as counter-productive to fight with a neighbour like Russia.

Asked how hed get along with President Donald Trump if he should become premier, Mr Salvini had a one-word answer: Brilliantly.
Nikolas Cruz in court via video conference from jail for his first appearance after the shooting (Broward County Court/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, the suspect in the fatal shooting of 17 people at a Florida school.

The office of Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz filed the formal notice on Tuesday.

Cruz, 19, is scheduled for formal arraignment on Wednesday on a 34-count indictment, including 17 first-degree murder charges.

His lawyers have said he would plead guilty if the death penalty was not pursued in the Valentines Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The action by prosecutors on Tuesday does not necessarily mean a plea deal will not be reached.

The only other penalty option for Cruz is life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Expand Close Student Tanner McPherson, 10, pauses for a moment of silence during a student protest in the Studio City section of Los Angeles (Richard Vogel/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Student Tanner McPherson, 10, pauses for a moment of silence during a student protest in the Studio City section of Los Angeles (Richard Vogel/AP)

Ira Jaffe, whose son and daughter survived the shooting, said he respects the wishes of the 17 families whose children were killed and that time is better spent finding solutions to the problem of mass school shootings.

Live forever in jail or die  I dont care, Mr Jaffe said in an email. Cruz will rot in hell no matter when it is that he arrives there.

Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz, has said there were so many warning signs that Cruz was mentally unstable and potentially violent, and that the death penalty might be going too far. Mr Finkelstein said Cruz would plead guilty if prosecutors opt not to seek the death penalty.

Because thats what this case is about. Not, did he do it? Not, should he go free? Should he live or should he die? Mr Finkelstein told the Associated Press.

In an email on Tuesday, Mr Finkelstein said Cruz is immediately ready to plead guilty in return for 34 consecutive life sentences.

If not allowed to do that tomorrow (at the hearing), out of respect for the victims families we will stand mute to the charges at the arraignment. We are not saying he is not guilty but we cant plead guilty while death is still on the table, Mr Finkelstein said.

If Cruz does not enter a plea, a not guilty plea will likely be entered on his behalf by Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to keep the legal process moving along, his attorneys have said.

Meanwhile, a student who is credited with saving the lives of 20 students by attempting to close and lock a classroom door during the attack is improving at a hospital. Anthony Borges, 15, was shot five times. Weeks after being shot, he fell critically ill of an intestinal infection. After surgery, his condition was upgraded to fair, his attorney and the hospital said.

Expand Close Florida Governor Rick Scott signs the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act (Mark Wallheiser/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Florida Governor Rick Scott signs the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Act (Mark Wallheiser/AP)

The boys intestinal area has been sealed off and he is breathing on his own after being taken off a ventilator, family attorney Alex Arreaza said.

Anthonys family has filed notice that they will sue Florida authorities to seek money to cover the cost of his recovery.

Meanwhile, Florida voters may get a chance to decide whether or not they want to approve new gun control restrictions.

This week, I signed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act to make Florida schools safer, while keeping firearms out of the hands of mentally ill and dangerous individuals. Read my remarks on this bill here: https://t.co/LE72HszTBh  Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) March 10, 2018

While Governor Rick Scott just signed a new school safety and gun bill into law, the states Constitution Revision Commission may vote to place gun restrictions on this years ballot. The commission, a special panel that meets every 20 years, has the power to ask voters to approve changes to the states constitution.

Tony Montalto, whose daughter was one of the 17 killed at Stoneman Douglas, asked commissioners at a Tuesday public hearing to put the proposals before voters. He said they need to act because the National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit against the new law approved by the Legislature.

You can help defeat this challenge, Mr Montalto told commissioners.

The commission, which is expected to take a final vote on its proposals over the next few weeks, will consider raising the age of weapon purchases to 21, banning bump stocks, a ban on types of semi-automatic rifles, and extending the waiting period for gun purchases.

A heart over MSD tonight. This is a sign if I ever saw one...  pic.twitter.com/j6pGYkChm3  Emily Hale (@emilyyhale2) March 13, 2018

Shortly before the commission hearing in St Petersburg, students from Tampa Bay area schools spoke passionately in favour of additional gun regulations, as did the father of a student who attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Our kids are not asking to do away with the 2nd Amendment. Theyre not asking to take away peoples guns or their ability to hunt, said John Willis. What theyre saying is, that these weapons of mass destruction that do nothing but tear human beings apart in an unbelievable way, do not belong in civilian hands.
An estimated 100,000 people took part in Saturdays All Ireland Rally for Life in Dublin

Last Saturday, approximately 100,000 people from all over Ireland, including the North, took to the streets of Dublin in the rally and march to save the eighth. It was a massive demonstration to show popular support for retaining the eighth amendment to the Irish constitution. The eighth amendment was approved by referendum in 1983 and gives equal legal protection to both the life of the mother and the unborn child.

As former Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader John Bruton has said: "Ireland should be proud of the constitutional protection of the unborn child enshrined in its constitution."

Constitutionally, it is probably unique in the world in that it protects the right to life of the unborn child. It was and still is an innovative, life-affirming human rights provision that the Irish people should be very protective of, given the widespread culture of abortion throughout the world, especially in the liberal and progressive democracies of Europe.

It is baffling as to how it is either liberal or progressive to legally end the life of a defenceless unborn child.

The national broadcaster, RTE, seemed to downplay the huge attendance at the march by claiming there was no verification of the numbers that took part. They also minimised the attendance by saying that there were only 15,000 at the rally in Merrion Square. The fact is, at that point, the march was still processing towards Merrion Square from O'Connell Street, about two miles away.

They should be reminded that they are a national broadcaster, well-funded by their viewers and listeners, and should show balance in their reporting and commentary.

The massive size of that demonstration is a visible expression of the growing unease of ordinary people at the attempt by the government to introduce abortion into the Republic.

Clearly, there is an energetic mobilisation of grassroots organisations that feel let down by the leaderships of the established parties such as Fianna Fail and Fine Gael.

On the pro-life issue, people feel a disconnect from politicians like Leo Varadkar, Micheal Martin and Mary Lou McDonald.

These are the parliamentarians that they elected and trusted to run the country in the national interest. They cannot understand where these leaders got their mandates from to abolish the constitutional protection for unborn children and to introduce unlimited abortion.

It is as if the political elites in Dublin have detached themselves from their supporters in the country and operate on a different wavelength.

In doing this, they have the support of a media that is sympathetic to abortion. But politicians should bear in mind that the media does not always reflect popular opinion and can become an echo-chamber, reinforcing elitist views.

This arbitrary approach by the establishment elites to promote abortion will further damage politics and alienate more voters.

In Dublin on Saturday, there was a palpable air of revolt against a political system that was not relating to the values and views of ordinary citizens.

The politicians, in the minds of those who attended, had misjudged the mood of the people.

The marchers were not natural rebels, but ordinary voters whose votes had been taken for granted. Politicians should never take the people who vote for them for granted.

If the eighth amendment is repealed in the forthcoming referendum, the government will introduce legislation to permit abortion without restriction up to 12 weeks. They will also introduce abortion on the grounds of risk to the mother's physical or mental health, and this could be right up to birth.

This is not limited abortion; rather, the scope of the proposed abortion legislation is so wide that it will be more liberal than the current British legislation.

At the moment, British legislation is so permissive that up to 200,000 babies are aborted every year. That figure amounts to one in 20 of all pregnancies in Britain.

So, from being one of the safest places in the world for an unborn child, the Republic will become one of the most dangerous places in the world.

But marches and rallies - no matter how big - will not of themselves change anything. There is an extremely powerful political establishment hard at work, supported by a compliant media, seeking victory in the referendum on May 25.

Pro-abortion groups, financed by foreign billionaires, are aggressively campaigning to repeal the eighth amendment.

Only the tireless door-to-door canvassing of the various grassroots pro-life activists can ensure that this inhuman proposal will be defeated.

Be in no doubt: this is the greatest human rights challenge facing Ireland, both North and South.

The right to life is the very foundation for all human rights, and to undermine the right to life of the unborn is to imperil human rights fundamentally.
The trend has been evident for some time. Now it's official. When it comes to A-level results, the top 10 schools in Northern Ireland, as revealed in the latest league tables compiled by the Belfast Telegraph, are all those with a majority of Catholic, rather than Protestant, pupils and teachers.

That's quite a remarkable clean sweep. Growing up, it always felt as if it was the other way round. Certain Protestant schools were looked on with envy as repositories of excellence and almost unimaginable privilege.

Read More

And it's not that those famous landmarks in the local educational landscape are doing terribly, either. They're just not doing as well as their Catholic counterparts; and the further one goes down the socio-economic ladder, the more striking that gap in quality becomes.

These latest tables simply confirm research published by Queen's University in 2015, which found that not only are a higher proportion of Catholics reaching their targets at GCSE and A-level than Protestants, but that the divide is widening, leading to what the authors called a "persistent, and increasing, inequality".

There are two related questions here. One is why Catholic schools are doing so well. The other is why Protestant schools are not enjoying the same success.

The first of those is relatively easy to answer. Catholics in Northern Ireland were historically disadvantaged and many of the usual methods of advancement were closed to them. The only road to betterment was education. So, that's where they directed their energies.

As academic success brought measurable rewards, the incentive to do well in exams was cumulatively reinforced.

Understanding why Protestants aren't keeping pace is a much trickier knot to untangle. For a start, it's important to distinguish between boys and girls. Protestant girls aren't doing as well as their Catholic neighbours, but they're still ahead of white British girls in other parts of the UK.

It's boys who are the big worry. In the past, working-class Protestants had sources of guaranteed employment on leaving school, so they had an expectation of being comfortably off even if they left school without a qualification to their name. Those days are long gone. The economy is not so kind to the unprepared, but there's been no concerted effort to pull those boys up.

A report by the Community Relations Council (CRC) actually placed Protestant boys second last in the whole of the UK in terms of educational achievement. Only Roma and Traveller children were doing worse. By contrast, Catholic girls from Northern Ireland were only kept off the top spot nationally by British-Chinese girls.

Again, it's hard to say for certain why this has happened. It could be that the Protestant professional class shares less of a connection with working-class members of their community and, therefore, doesn't feel a corresponding responsibility to give them a hand up.

It could also be that the nature of the Protestant and Catholic middle classes has made one less adaptable to social change than the other. Catholics tended to gravitate towards the professions, such as law, education, the civil service, because those offered immediate opportunities for clever, self-motivated candidates, whereas Protestants had more of a business middle class, in which certificates mattered less than practical know-how.

The Queen's study certainly found that Catholics were far more likely to go into higher education and Protestants into job training. Young Protestants who do well at school are also much more likely to head off to university in England, or Scotland. Once gone, they rarely return. Their children may well be excelling at exams, but it's in schools over the water. Catholics, on the other hand, are staying put. Their children and grandchildren are the new high achievers.

That still doesn't explain why Protestant schools have not learned the lessons of their Catholic counterparts.

Every successful enterprise starts by learning from predecessors' triumphs and disasters. Insofar as the Catholic educational model has flourished, one would expect those Protestant schools which are falling behind to look at what their rivals are doing and copy them.

Researchers, unfortunately, have tended to concentrate on economic deprivation as an explanation for under-performance. Since most of those pupils doing badly are less well-off, as judged by their take-up of free school meals, the emphasis has been on demanding more resources, as if that alone will translate into academic improvement. That's not necessarily the case. Catholics in Northern Ireland did well despite very real deprivation.

The key is cultural rather than economic. When the CRC study showing poor outcomes for Protestant boys was published, one pupil in Belfast was quoted as saying: "Protestants are taught about flags and the jubilee, whereas I think Catholic teachers want their pupils to do better."

That's a crude over-simplification, obviously. All teachers want their pupils to succeed. But maybe they're not getting the support from parents, the community, and, crucially, the unionist political leadership.

Catholics benefited enormously, because, for most of their history, their leaders and opinion-formers came from a Nationalist Party/SDLP background and those people never stopped banging on about education.

Many of them had backgrounds as teachers and consciously inculcated a sense of collective pride in the attainment of educational targets.

It was far rarer, and still is, to hear prominent unionists ram home the importance of education. If anything, they were suspicious of "book learning" and what they saw as intellectual chicanery.

As such, they were always ready to call young Protestants out onto the streets to protest, but forgot to remind them that sitting at home over their books could be a far more powerful way of defending their identity.

That has to change. Dr Paul Nolan put it bluntly back in 2015 when he said that this vastly unequal experience of education was creating "a community which feels it has no routes out of poverty, and out of that inequality comes anger".

If it continued, he offered a stark prediction: "I'm afraid we have an unsettled political future." That's how high the stakes are.

The problem with unionists is that they keep asking the wrong question. They agonise over how to keep Northern Ireland as British as possible. What they should be asking is what will keep the Union safe.

That sounds like the same question, but it's not. One takes a short-term view, the other looks to the future. Nourishing a new generation that can make the articulate, optimistic, outward looking, confident case for unionism going forward will be much easier through education. Protestants should learn from Catholic success, rather than resenting it.

The latest league tables are a wake-up call to what really counts.
Lawyer Hisyam Teh Pok Teik, who represents Vietnamese suspect Doan Thi Huong, speaks to reporters outside the Shah Alam High Court in Malaysia, March 14, 2018.

The lawyer for a Vietnamese woman accused of killing the North Korean leaders estranged half-brother last year accused Malaysian authorities of prejudice toward his client, while questioning the prosecutions star witness on Wednesday.

Hisyam Teh Pok Teik, who represents suspect Doan Thi Huong, said he received a letter from the Malaysian attorney general dated Dec. 4, 2017, declining his request to assist the defense in bringing a witness from Vietnam to appear at the Shah Alam High Court.

Doan is standing trial with Siti Aisyah of Indonesia on charges that they murdered Kim Jong Nam in a chemical attack at a Kuala Lumpur area airport on Feb. 17, 2017. Both could face the death penalty if convicted.

Sitis attorney, Gooi Soon Seng, had finished his questioning of lead police investigator Wan Azirul Nizam Che Wan Aziz earlier in the day. Before wrapping up, Gooi took his own shot at the governments case against his client by alleging that CCTV footage presented during the prosecution phase was edited to hurt the defendants.

Request declined

Hisyam had asked the attorney generals office in November for assistance in convincing Vietnamese citizen Nguyen Vich Thuy to travel to Malaysia to testify about her role in introducing Doan to a North Korean man who allegedly duped her into participating in the killing.

Its unfortunate that the AG declined to exercise his power to do this and in doing that deprived us of having the opportunity for police to go to Vietnam and investigate, said Salim Bashir, another attorney representing Doan.

Hisyam told the court that Nguyens testimony was crucial because she introduced Doan to Ri Ji Hyon (alias Mr. Y), one of four North Korean men who fled Kuala Lumpur hours after the murder, according to testimony from Wan Azirul.

Hisyam also criticized Wan Azirul for failing to take the necessary steps to get Nguyens statements.

In doing an investigation you are supposed to look for the truth, but your investigation is only focused on the CCTV footage, Hisyam said. There truth is there (in Vietnam) but no one in Malaysia is interested.

Nguyen, according to Hisyam, turned down efforts by Vietnamese police and defense lawyers to travel to Malaysia to testify for Doan, citing her responsibility in running her bar with her husband and taking care of her young child.

Affidavits introduced

The defense attorney presented two declarations made by Nguyen at the Malaysian embassy in Hanoi outlining her involvement with the incident.

In one affidavit, Nguyen who worked with Doan at a bar in Hanoi until 2016, said she suggested her co-worker to Ri Ji Hyon when he came to her bar two months before the murder. The man who identified himself as Lee spoke fluent Vietnamese and said he was a child of Vietnamese and Korean parents.

He said he was working for a South Korean production company looking for candidates to participate in prank videos for YouTube.

Nguyen herself was offered the role and declined because she had to take care of her small child, Hisyam said, adding that Nguyen then reached out to Doan.

The affidavit corroborates Doans statement to the Malaysian police that she was an actress who was in Malaysia to do prank videos, the defense argued.

Nguyen also said Ri Ji Hyon told Doan that the pranks would be done at airports and involve pouring water on peoples heads. The job required flying to cities in the region, including Kuala Lumpur.

Nguyens affidavit and Doans statement to police are consistent with Sitis statement that she believed she was participating in a prank show.

Before finishing his questioning of Wan Azirul, Gooi slammed Malaysian investigators for not allowing him to meet with Siti during her 14-day remand and for releasing portions of the video linked to the attack on the estranged brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

I put it to you that your failure to copy all the footage from the CCTV server from the KLIA airport compromised the defense of Siti, Gooi told Wan Azirul.

He added that police failed to investigate crucial evidence such as Sitis jeans and glasses that were not sent for lab tests.

Even the chemistry department tests showed that Sitis finger nail cuttings, nail swabs and blood had no traces of VX, the attorney said, referring to an internationally banned nerve agent used in the attack.

Gooi said he might have more questions for Wan Azriul after Doans lawyers finished their cross examination.

State Department statement

During the court session, Hisyam and Gooi asked Judge Azmi Ariffin to allow a statement by the U.S. State Department confirming that the North Korea government used VX to kill Kim. It was the first official statement from the U.S. government linking North Korean government directly to his death.

The United States strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons to conduct an assassination, spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in the statement dated March 6.

Azmi said he would decide at some point in the trial whether to admit the statement.
Credit: Guy ArochArcade Fire has announced a quick headlining U.S. tour in continued support of their new album, Everything Now. The six-date summer run begins July 7 in Clarkston, Michigan and concludes July 20 in Bristow, Virginia.

Tickets will go on sale beginning next Tuesday, March 20 via ArcadeFire.com.

Along with the tour announcement, Arcade Fire has an eventful week coming up. On Thursday, the band is premiering "Money + Love," a double video for the Everything Now songs "Put Your Money on Me" and "We Don't Deserve Love." They'll also be performing on Saturday Night Live March 17.

Here are Arcade Fire's U.S. headlining tour dates:

7/7 -- Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theater

7/10 -- Pittsburgh, PA, Stage AE

7/12 -- Raleigh, NC, Red Hat Amphitheater

7/18 -- Boston, MA, Blue Hills Bank Pavilion

7/19 -- Philadelphia, PA, Festival Pier at Penns Landing

7/20 -- Bristow, VA, Jiffy Lube Live

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Protesters, mostly students, shout slogans calling for an end to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's rising dictatorship during a rally near the presidential palace in Manila, Feb. 23, 2018.

President Rodrigo Duterte pulled the Philippines out of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, accusing the body that launched a preliminary investigation last month into his administrations deadly war on illegal drugs of outrageously attacking him.

Duterte, 72, said The Hague-based court wanted to paint him as a ruthless and heartless violator of human rights for the thousands of suspected drug addicts and pushers killed by the police since he assumed the presidency in 2016.

It is apparent that the ICC is being utilized as a political tool against the Philippines, Duterte said in a lengthy statement, arguing that the acts that his administration was accused of doing were not genocide nor war crimes.

I therefore declare and forthwith give notice, as president of the republic of the Philippines, that the Philippines is withdrawing its ratification of the Rome statute [the treaty that established the ICC] effective immediately, Duterte said.

Withdrawal from the ICC would take effect a year after notification, according to legal experts.

Dutertes government has been antagonistic with the international community in recent weeks.

The Department of Justice last week confirmed that it had included U.N. special rapporteur Victoria Tauli-Corpuz on a list of 600 people whom it wanted to categorize as terrorists. In response, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Duterte needed to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation.

Duterte said the ICC had violated due process and did not afford him the right to be presumed innocent by publicly announcing on Feb. 9 that it was investigating allegations that the Philippine police under his leadership had committed mass murder as part of his anti-drug campaign.

He said the allegations were baseless, unprecedented and outrageous attacks on my person, as a well as against my administration, engineered by the officials of the United Nations.

Duterte also hit back at U.N. special rapporteur Agnes Callamard and Zeid for openly criticizing his government.

His statement on Wednesday was a complete reversal from his remarks welcoming the probe last month, which, he said at the time, finally afforded him a chance to explain the drug war.

In February, Duterte also boasted that he was not perturbed by the complaint at the ICC, saying he was willing to be indicted and die a hero.

Do not worry about me. I can face the ICC. If they want to indict me and convict me, fine. I will gladly do it for my country, Duterte said then.

The ICC inquiry would seek to determine whether there was enough evidence to build a case against Duterte, who became president in 2016 on a promise to eliminate drug traffickers and pushers and dump their bodies into Manila Bay.

Since then, thousands have already been killed, including at least three local politicians, who were gunned down after police said they put up a fight.

The Philippine National Police counts more than 4,000 deaths  excluding deaths blamed on pro-government vigilantes  in the drug war. The official figures are lower than the estimated 12,000 deaths that rights groups have claimed.

Mastermind of a ruthless campaign

Duterte has been accused of masterminding a ruthless campaign to carry out extrajudicial killings stretching back to the 1980s, when as mayor of the southern city of Davao he had allegedly formed a group called the Davao Death Squad.

A former police officer who was a leader of that group and a self-confessed hitman who said he participated in the killing of several people  including some whose bodies were chopped up and thrown at sea  are Dutertes chief accusers.

Chito Gascon, head of the independent Commission on Human Rights, said Dutertes announcement on ICC was a significant setback to decades-old efforts globally to ensure accountability for perceived violations of human rights.

The Philippines has historically been at the forefront of advancing international justice and this move constitutes a reversal that will be viewed as encouraging impunity to continue, Gascon said.

Gascon said Duterte must show good faith by fully cooperating with the probe, adding that the government would be grossly mistaken when it insists that the ICC does not have jurisdiction in Manila.

What it must do is show that it is willing and able to bring all perpetrators of human rights to justice, Gascon said.

The deaths of three teenagers last year by police carrying out Dutertes drug raids have galvanized the political opposition, including from the Catholic Church that in the past was instrumental in removing two presidents from power.

The killings forced Duterte to temporarily withdraw police from the campaign, but he reinstated them in December saying that the drug problem was too big for the campaign to be headed by a civilian-led agency.

But human rights group Karapatan (Rights) said Dutertes decision Wednesday betrayed his fear of being investigated for the killings.

He and his cohorts are not being denied due process, as his government did so with many urban poor dwellers, farmers and indigenous peoples killed under this regimes campaigns, the group said. Yet, he speaks as if he is the one who was victimized.

It said that Wednesdays decision was a classic Duterte move to cheat his way out of culpability and responsibility resulting from the killings.

Harry Roque, a spokesman for the president, however, said that with the withdrawal, only two other countries were left with the ICC.

This is the beginning of the end for the ICC, Roque said.

Felipe Villamor in Manila contributed to this report.
Wildlife authorities filed new charges Wednesday against one of Thailands wealthiest men, accusing him of poaching a black panther and other endangered animals, in a case that has ignited controversy over privileges enjoyed by the rich and powerful.

Premchai Karnasuta, the president of Italian-Thai PLC, one of Thailands biggest construction companies, was arrested in early February with three others at Thung Yai Naresuan National Park in western Thailand. Park rangers found the businessman with the skinned carcass of a panther, as well as a Kalij pheasant and a barking deer  three species protected under Thai law  in the wildlife sanctuary, authorities said.

Authorities then released photos of rangers measuring the big cats pelt, and they seized three rifles and bullets from Premchai. Officials filed nine charges, including illegal hunting and illegal possession of carcasses of protected animals.

On Wednesday, police also brought charges of bribery and possession of guns and elephant tusks against the tycoon.

No, I didnt kill the black panther. Today, I denied all three charges, Premchai told reporters in Bangkok on Wednesday. I am feeling uneasy that everyone views me in negative way.  But I think all truth will reveal [itself] in the court.

The additional charges stemmed from allegations that Premchai had offered to bribe his way out during his arrest at the wildlife sanctuary, a World Heritage site in Kanchanaburi province.

Premchai, 63, reported to the polices National Resources and Environmental Crime Division in the Thai capital on Wednesday to acknowledge the three new charges. These included illegal possession of four African elephant tusks, which police allegedly found when they recently searched Premchais house in Bangkok.

He has been temporarily released after posting a bail of 300,000 baht (U.S. $9,677). He faces imprisonment of four years or more, if found guilty, a legal expert told BenarNews.

Thai authorities place business tycoon Premchai Karnasuta (sitting) and three of his alleged associates under arrest at a hunting camp in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province, Feb. 4, 2018 (Courtesy of Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary)

In justice, no rich and poor

The businessmans arrest unleashed a public debate over privileges enjoyed by the nations richest citizens, despite Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-chas green light for a thorough investigation.

Environmentalists and animal-rights groups questioned whether Thailands military government could punish the nations well-connected citizens.

Graffiti artists sprayed Bangkoks deserted walls with paintings of the black cat and the Thai catchphrase The black cat will not die for free has become a protest symbol on social media.

But despite the controversy, deputy national police chief Srivarah Rangsibharmanakul said his officers would perform their duties in line with the framework of laws.

In justice, there is no rich or poor. There are only wrongdoers or innocent. When we have solid evidence, we proceed with prosecution, Srivarah said. Social media has no influence over us.

Premchais company built Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport and the Bangkok Metro system. In May last year, Forbes magazine listed Premchai among Thailands 50 Richest, with a net worth of at least U.S. $240 million.

The black panther is a subspecies of the Indochinese black leopard, according to environmentalists.

The subspecies  is rare, there is an estimation of about 900 to 2,500 still left in the wild, of which only 11 per cent are black, Edwin Wiek, founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, told reporters in Bangkok.
Moncks Corner, SC (29461)

Today

Rain showers this morning with numerous thunderstorms developing during the afternoon hours. High 76F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low around 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Voices at BGSU, a student choral ensemble, will join Metropolitan Opera star and Ohio native Kathleen Battle in her performance at the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle March 16.

"Underground Railroad  A Spiritual Journey" will take place at 7:30 p.m. Performed only in cities along the Underground Railroad, the event includes stories and spirituals inspired by the journey to freedom during times of slavery. The performance will also include the Clarence Smith Community Chorus.

Voices at BGSU, which includes a concert choir, a ladies ensemble and a mens ensemble, performs a variety of songs with an emphasis on Negro spirituals. The choir is open to all majors across campus and consists of 40-50 members each semester.

"Underground Railroad  A Spiritual Journey" is part of the Toledo Symphonys new North Star Festival, which highlights the local connection to the Underground Railroad, a 19th-century network that helped many slaves escape to freedom. It also celebrates the musical contribution of black Americans throughout history. The festival runs through April and includes a series of concerts and collaborations, presenting music by black American composers and about black American history.

More information and tickets are available at the Toledo Symphony.


The bi-NAb neutralized 95% of the circulating HIV-1 viruses, which is superior to any single agent

A team of researchers at IBBR, led by Dr. Yuxing Li, Associate Professor at the University Of Maryland School Of Medicine, Baltimore, and Principal Investigator at the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research (IBBR), Rockville, is showing how engineered multi-specific antibodies appear to be highly effective at preventing infection across a broad range of HIV-1 virus strains.

Effective treatment of HIV infection currently involves using combinations of antiretroviral drugs (ARV).

While ARV treatment can improve the overall quality of life of HIV-positive individuals, better alternative treatments are needed since they can cause undesirable side effects and patients can become resistant to ARV therapy.

Immunotherapeutics, molecules derived from the immune system, can be used to specifically target and neutralize HIV-1 virus particles.

Several of these broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are being developed and preliminary trials indicate that these individual bNAbs are safe, well-tolerated, and can reduce HIV-1 infection early on.

However, treatment is not associated with long-term reductions in virus levels and, due to HIV's ability to rapidly mutate, resistant strains can emerge. Additionally, the risk of transmission still exists.

Dr. Li's laboratory successfully created a bispecific antibody (bi-NAb) combining two bNAbs and tested it on a panel of 208 strains of HIV virus that are prevalent in humans.

The bi-NAb neutralized 95% of the circulating HIV-1 viruses, which is superior to any single agent.

"We further improved antiviral potency by engineering a tri-NAb and found that it can inhibit 99.5% of circulating HIV-1 viruses." said Dr. Li.

This technology could lead to development of the broadest-spectrum anti-HIV-1 immunotherapeutic and preventive treatment that exist worldwide.

This work was supported, in part, by the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State and by a Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) award from the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) to Dr. Yuxing Li.
PM launches TB Free India Campaign

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Delhi End TB Summit and launched the TB Free India Campaign recently.

Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Smt Anupriya Patel, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr TedrosAdhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO, LucicaDifiu, Ex. Director, Stop TB Partnership along with the Health Ministers from 20 countries were also present at the inaugural function of the summit, which is being co-hosted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, WHO South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) and Stop TB Partnership.

The Prime Minister said that this event will always be known as a landmark event towards the elimination of TB in the World. The global target for eliminating TB is 2030, but today I announce that the target for India to eliminate TB is 2025, five years before the global target, the Prime Minister added. He further stated that TB mainly affects poorest of the poor and every step taken towards the elimination of this disease is a step towards improving the lives of the poor.

Speaking at the function, DrTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO said that this is the right place to have this event and Indias plans to achieve the targets 5 years before the global target is bold, courageous and ambitious.

Shri J P Nadda and DrTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO also chaired a session on "Tracking Progress on Delhi Call to Action". ShriNadda also presided over a meeting with State Health Ministers. He highlighted the importance of active participation by the States through intense review and regular monitoring, to meet the time bound goal of ending TB by 2025.
Ray Ryan

A further 12,000 native Irish trees are to be given free to West Cork farmers for planting on their land to help address climate change locally.

The move by Carbery Group, the international food ingredients, flavours and cheese manufacturer, is in conjunction with SWS Forestry. It aims to offset carbon emissions and will also provide a natural habitat for wildlife including birds.

First launched in 2016, the initiative involves suppliers across the four West Cork co-ops of Bandon, Barryroe, Drinagh and Lisavaird, which are the combined owners of Carbery.

The first of its kind for Irelands dairy industry, the project will bring the number of trees distributed to over 40,000.

Following feedback from farmers, two new varieties - Rowan and Blackthorn/Whitethorn - have been added to the Oak and Birch available previously.

Carbery chief executive Jason Hawkins said the group has a strong reputation for high quality, sustainably produced food products.

However, even with the most responsible approach, the dairy manufacturing process results in some carbon dioxide (CO2) being released into the atmosphere. By planting these trees farmers are helping Carbery to achieve its sustainability targets and improve the environment in which we operate, he said.

SWS Michael Connelly said it is constantly looking for ways to promote trees and their many economic, environmental and social benefits.
Geoff Percival and Eamon Quinn

Greencore shares suffered their worst ever fall and 340m was wiped from their value within minutes of the international firm reporting fresh troubles at its American food plants.

The profits warning has resulted in chief executive Patrick Coveney being parachuted in from his Dublin base to solve the deepening crisis in America, where the food firm generates about a third of its almost 2.6bn in annual sales.

The shares, which trade in London, closed 30% lower, valuing Greencore at 925m (1bn) after the market was rattled by the news.

Darren Shirley at Shore Capital in Britain said that the companys shares had suffered a death by a 1,000 cuts since it acquired businesses in the US, even though it had faced down other challenges in the UK.

The news of a restructuring was not a huge surprise but the sharp market reaction probably was sparked because the revelations of continuing US problems appeared to jar with a recent more positive outlook by the company, according to analysts.

The fact that Mr Coveney had to go over to the US and take a more hands on approach is welcome, Mr Shirley said, adding that it also means that the issue may not go away too soon and it will take time to build confidence with the market.

Another UK-based analyst, who did not want to be identified, said that investors had lost patience.

Local analysts who cover Greencore cut their profit forecasts for 2018.

While Greencores restructuring of its US network is not surprising, the associated impact on profit development is unexpected, said Davy.

Greencores legacy US business has been its Achilles heel. The challenge of converting new business wins has become a recurring feature of the business model, impacting the phasing and confidence of profit delivery, the broker said, cutting its earnings per share forecast by 12% for Greencores 2018 financial year.

Investec said that Mr Coveney will help run the US business with chief operating officer Chuck Metzger.

It is also highlighting plans addressing certain under-utilised assets Rhode Island, Jacksonville, and Minneapolis, the broker said.

The convenience food group said it is making progress on adding new business in the US. However, the cost of restructuring its US operations to improve production capacity is likely to be around 3m and an asset impairment charge could also be incurred, the company warned.

Greencore is now expecting adjusted earnings per share, for the 12 months to the end of September, to be around 14.7p-15.7p, compared to previous market estimates of a 15.7p-16.6p range.

Uncertainty around customer relationships in the US, currency fluctuations, short-selling of the Greencore stock by hedge funds and profit warnings from industry peers all played havoc with the groups share price over the past 12 months.

At the groups annual shareholders meeting, at the end of January, Mr Coveney admitted that more effort was needed in order to build investor confidence around growth potential in the US.

We have work to do this year to build confidence amongst our shareholder base that the US will deliver as the board expects, he said at the time.
Eamon Quinn

Glenveagh Properties has forecast prices of its newly built homes will rise 5% or 6% a year and the housebuilder has identified huge opportunities to acquire parts of 5bn in big-ticket land banks it believes will come on the market in the coming years.

The housebuilder, which became the second housebuilder to list on the Irish Stock Exchange when it sold shares for the first time last October, said it has the financial firepower to acquire more sites in its core market of the Dublin region while also buying in Limerick and Cork.

The company said that among potential sellers of the land banks were the equity or vulture funds and that there were few housebuilders with the cheque book afforded Glenveagh after it raised 550m in its initial public offering.

Glenveagh has identified a potential total of 5bn in land sales in the next five years, including 800m by US equity firms; 500m from religious orders; over 1bn from Nama; as well as 2.5bn in other State-owned sales.

It said it acquired two substantial land banks which will in time deliver 2,235 homes across seven sites when it secures planning permission. The company is close to buying a further site, while a 250m debt facility raised from three banks, HSBC, AIB and Barclays, will help the company to finance the building on the sites, it said.

Justin Bickle, chief executive and one of its three co-founders, said its two operations, Glenveagh Homes, its core operation which builds and sells houses, and Glenveagh Living, which builds rental properties, makes it more resilient to manage the rise in interest costs in future years.

Having surged in their first day of trading in October, the shares were little changed in the latest session, and the firm is valued at over 743m.

After Cairn Homes, Glenveagh was only second housebuilder to list on the Irish Stock Exchange. Cairn shares were up 2.5% yesterday, valuing it at 1.4bn.

Glenveagh Homes is building 700 housing units and had spent money selectively in Limerick, Galway, and its Maplewoods site in Co Cork. Its focus would remain on the Dublin region, where it plans to buy land along the commuter rail and road links. It repeated that it plans to have completed 1,000 units in 2020 and to reach its target of earning a gross margin of 20%.

Its debut earnings reflect the one-off 47.5m costs of the founder shares set aside at the IPO for the co-founder shareholders, which include Mr Bickle; chairman John Mulcahy, the former senior Nama executive, and Stephen Garvey, the companys its chief operating officer.
Britains sluggish economy is heading for more weak growth over the next five years, according to official forecasts announced by chancellor of the exchequer Philip Hammond as the country heads for Brexit.

Mr Hammond, delivering a half-yearly budget update, said he remained focussed on reversing a sharp rise in public debt since the global financial crisis, and he turned his fire on the opposition Labour Partys plans for higher spending and borrowing.

Despite a strong global recovery, the British economy is now expected to grow by 1.5% this year, just a touch higher than a forecast of 1.4% in November, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said.

Its forecasts in 2019 and 2020 were kept unchanged at 1.3% and were cut for the following two years, limiting Mr Hammonds ability to loosen his grip on public spending later this year - something he hinted at again.

The average expected growth rate over the next five years is half the pace of before the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

The projections were below those of many private sector economists and Mr Hammond told the UK parliament he was aiming to prove the official ones wrong.Thats the OBRs forecast, Mr Speaker, but forecasts are there to be beaten, he said.

Britains economy has slowed sharply since the vote in June 2016 to leave the EU.

Earlier, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development said Britain would grow more slowly than all the other Group of 20 leading economies this year, leaving it lagging behind the global recovery.

Mr Hammond tried to focus on the positives in his new projections, saying an expected fall in debt as a share of the economy over the next five years wasa turning point in Britains recovery from the crisis.

He also pointed to the OBRs prediction of a return to growth in spending power for households soon, while keeping up his attacks on the opposition.

Labour delivered a huge election blow to the Tory government last year, winning enough support from voters frustrated with years of spending cuts and weak wage growth to deprive prime minister Theresa May of a parliamentary majority.

There is indeed light at the end of the tunnel, Mr Hammond said in parliament, turning his gaze across the chamber to John McDonnell, Labours would-be chancellor of the exchequer.

But weve got to make absolutely sure it isnt the shadow chancellors train, hurtling out of control in the other direction, towards Labours next economic trainwreck.

Mr McDonnell, a self-proclaimed admirer of the ideas of Karl Marx and a veteran campaigner from Labours far left, accused Mr Hammond of astounding complacency.

Reuters
Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has warned the Taoiseach that it is not appropriate for him to chart the future of negotiations to restore Stormont powersharing.

Mrs Foster insisted that role lay firmly with the UK government.

She was reacting to a suggestion from Leo Varadkar that the UK and Irish governments might table their own joint proposals as a way to break the political deadlock in Belfast.

While she chided Mr Varadkar for his comments in relation to Stormont, Mrs Foster welcomed other remarks made by the Taoiseach in which he acknowledged his government's stance on Brexit may have angered unionists.

Mr Varadkar, who in a speech in Washington DC yesterday called for redoubling of efforts to restore devolution after Easter, suggested such an intervention could be a means to forge a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Fourteen months after powersharing collapsed, the two parties remain at loggerheads on a range of cultural, social and legacy disputes.

Mrs Foster said it was not for the leader of the Irish Republic to suggest the next steps in efforts to restore powersharing.

"In keeping with the principle of consent and the three-stranded approach (framework of the Good Friday Agreement) it is not appropriate for the Irish Prime Minister to outline future political steps relating to Northern Ireland and a resumption of talks," she said.

Whilst we will work with the Irish government on appropriate issues, the political process is an internal matter and should be taken forward by Her Majesty's Government.

Mr Varadkar elaborated on his suggestion as he continued his St Patrick's Day tour of the US on Wednesday.

"What I intend to do after Easter once this intense phase of Brexit passes with the EU summit at the end of the month, is to propose a new engagement with the British government for us to try once again after Easter to secure an agreement between the major parties and also all the parties in Northern Ireland," he said after an event at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington.

Perhaps one of the best ways we can do this is through joint proposals, a joint paper from the two governments and (Northern Ireland Secretary) Karen Bradley is here in DC and I will have chance to mention that to her today.

In a wide-ranging speech at an event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach moved to reassure unionists who have been angered by his government's approach to Brexit.

He acknowledged some comments might have been viewed as unwelcome or intrusive.

"If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention," he said.

"I want to repeat that we have no hidden agenda."

The Irish government's efforts to maintain a soft border, in particular, its demand that Northern Ireland continues to align with many EU regulations, has angered unionists who fear it is veiled attempt to push a united Ireland agenda.

Mrs Foster welcomed Mr Varadkar's remarks.

"I recognise and welcome the acknowledgement that many unionists have felt some actions and statements from the Irish government have not been helpful," said Mrs Foster.

I recognise too the concerns which exist, particularly within the Republic of Ireland, about Brexit. It is vital however that we work together to secure the best possible outcome for all our citizens.

"In the past I and other DUP ministers did build up good and productive relationships with our counterparts in the Republic which was to the benefit of both countries. I hope the Taoiseach's comments can represent a return to that more positive working relationship."

- PA
The UK's withdrawal from the EU threatens equality of rights on the island of Ireland protected under the Good Friday Agreement, it has been warned.

A joint committee established under the peace accord to consider human rights issues on the island has insisted that the Withdrawal Agreement provides for the continuing North-South equivalence of rights, post-Brexit, as established under the 1998 Agreement.

The committee, which is made up of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, also called on the EU to seek a legal commitment to retain the Charter of Fundamental Rights in Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the European Union.

It has warned that without the "urgent implementation of safeguarding measures, the EU Withdrawal Agreement risks causing a difference in rights protections on a North-South basis, contrary to the Belfast Agreement".

A policy statement from the committee directed to the UK and Irish Governments outlines six requirements for the final EU Withdrawal Agreement to meet the obligations of the Good Friday Agreement.

They are:

Ensure no diminution of rights within the Withdrawal Agreement;

Safeguard the North-South equivalency of rights on an ongoing basis;

Guarantee equality of citizenship within Northern Ireland;

Protect border communities and migrant workers;

Ensure evolving justice arrangements do not water down rights;

Ensure continued right to participate in public life for EU citizens in Northern Ireland.

Emily Logan, chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, said: "The peace process was built on a shared vision of equal rights and equal respect on the island of Ireland, as framed by the Belfast Agreement.

"We are now seeking assurances from the UK and Irish Governments that no rights are diluted as a result of Brexit."

Les Allamby, chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, warned: "Progress towards a lasting resolution of the conflict in Northern Ireland has been grounded in the provisions of the 1998 Agreement.

We are concerned that the UK withdrawal from the EU threatens to undermine the Belfast Agreement by creating uncertainty for human rights protections within Northern Ireland.

He added: "We will continue to assist both the UK and the Irish governments as we move through this process, as we want the best deal for human rights for everyone in Northern Ireland going forward."

- PA
By Ann O'Loughlin

Businessman Declan Ganley, who denies he is the client behind the commissioning of an allegedly defamatory dossier on Denis O'Brien, says he cannot be brought into the O'Brien case against a PR firm because the application is out of time.

Mr Ganley has said he should not be joined as a defendant in Mr O'Brien's defamation and conspiracy case against Red Flag Consulting, and a number of its executives and employees, because the application came after the maximum two-year time limit for bringing defamation actions.

The High Court heard was hearing an application by Mr O'Brien to join Mr Ganley in the proceedings and also to amend the pleadings to enlarge the claim of conspiracy beyond what is contained in the dossier.

Mr Ganley opposes the application to join him while Red Flag, which denies claims of defamation and conspiracy, opposes the amendment to the pleadings.

Mr O'Brien says that time limit claimed by Mr Ganley is defeated by a provision of the Statute of Limitations which says the period of limitation shall not run if the right of action has been concealed by fraud.

He also says Mr Ganley has provided a "carefully crafted" denial and this is not simply a defamation case but also one about conspiracy.

Mark Harty SC, for Mr Ganley, said there was no actual evidence Mr Ganley was the Red Flag client. It was simply a belief of both former Fianna Fail TD Colm Keaveney and of Mr O'Brien.

Colm Keaveney

Mr Keaveney swore an affidavit saying he believed Ganley was the client after a settlement had been reached between Keaveney and Mr O'Brien in relation to separate defamation proceedings.

However, Mr Keaveney "has nothing" to back up his claim Mr Ganley is the client, counsel said.

Counsel continued that the only thing that can be said about Mr Keaveney's claim is that as a result of the compromise reached between the Keaveney and O'Brien's sides in relation to the defamation proceedings is that Mr Keaveney then agreed to swear an affidavit saying Mr Ganley was the client.

"To me this is alarming and causes me great concern", Mr Harty said.

Counsel said neither Mr Keaveney nor Mr O'Brien had sworn an affidavit to say what the terms of the settlement of the defamation proceedings were.

Mr Harty said there was no question of fraudulent concealment and Mr Ganley had been entirely overt in saying he was relying on the Statute of Limitations to oppose the application to join him in the case.

Michael Collins SC, for the Red Flag defendants, said there was inadequate particularisation of the claims of conspiracy beyond the dossier to justify the court permitting an amendment to the pleadings.

The court heard on Tuesday that one aspect of this was a claim that Red Flag encouraged Neil Ryan, a former assistant secretary in the Department of Finance, to have a meeting with Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin in 2015 over the sale of services providing company, Siteserv, to a company of Mr O'Brien by the Irish Bank Resolution Corporation (IBRC). Mr Ryan had been seconded to IBRC.

It was being claimed that this was aiding and abetting a breach of the Official Secrets Act but the court has been told nothing about about it or of how Mr Ryan was subject to that Act in his role in IBRC, Mr Collins said.

But at its height, the only evidence of this was there were text messages passed between Colm Keaveney and Karl Brophy, CEO of Red Flag, about arranging a meeting between Mr Ryan and Mr Martin, counsel said. Mr Brophy, or anyone else in Ref Flag, had never met or corresponded with Mr Ryan who is not a party to these proceedings.

Mr Collins said Mr Keaveney had not, in affidavits he swore, responded to claims made by his (Keaveney's) former parliamentary secretary, Alan Hynes, that a figure of 250,000 had been mentioned as a settlement of the separate O'Brien/Keaveney defamation proceedings.

One would have expected Mr Keaveney to say he was not paid money to give evidence and to have resented Mr Hynes claim that Mr Keaveney had told the OBrien side "tell me what to say and I will say it " after the defamation settlement.

However, Mr Keaveney did not deal with either of those matters in his affidavit, counsel said.

Ms Justice Miriam O'Regan said she would give her decision in due course.
By Sarah-Jane Murphy

The former head of liquidity at Anglo Irish Bank told the financial regulator that a 7.2bn transaction with ILP was not a real number, I wouldn't read too much into it.

In a recorded phone call, on October 1, 2008, Ciaran McArdle referred to the transaction with Irish Life and Permanent (ILP) and said Anglo was trying to manipulate their balance sheet for their end of year accounts.

The jury heard extracts of the call between Mr McArdle and Claire Taylor, an officer at the financial regulator, on day 40 of David Drumm's conspiracy to defraud trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Mr McArdle told Ms Taylor that the transaction with ILP just happened to fall on the last day of the month.

We have boosted our customer funding. It's not a real number, I wouldn't read too much into it. It's just something we did, he said.

I wouldn't read too much into it. It's just something we did, he said.

During the call Mr McArdle explained that when the snapshot was produced at the beginning of December, it would now look as good as possible.

Anglo's end of year accounts were published on December 3, 2008.

Mr McArdle said there were still a few question marks regarding emergency legislation going through the Dail, as a result of the banking guarantee the previous day, September 30.

He said a lot of money had matured that day at Anglo, and that expectations that the customer funding number would fall by 1.5bn - 2bn had not been borne out.

Mr McArdle said that he had spoken to UK banks and banks across Ireland, and concluded that overall reaction to the government scheme was very, very positive.

The guys that wanted to get out of Ireland have gotten out, he said.

He said the momentum had swung and would continue to do so as long as the paperwork got through the Dail.

We need the State tonight to bring in a little more confidence, he told the regulator.

Mr McArdle ended the call by telling Ms Taylor that Anglo and the financial regulator needed to talk to each other more.

Mary Rose Gearty SC, prosecuting, took Mr McArdle through his garda statement, and referred him to his understanding of Anglo's transactions with ILP in June 2008.

He agreed with Ms Gearty that it was his understanding that the 7.2 transaction was a repo deal similar to the one carried out in June.

Mr Drumm, with an address in Skerries, Co Dublin, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring with former bank officials Denis Casey, William McAteer, John Bowe and others to defraud depositors and investors at Anglo by dishonestly creating the impression that deposits in 2008 were 7.2 billion larger than they were.

He has also pleaded not guilty to false accounting on December 3, 2008, by furnishing information to the market that Anglo's 2008 deposits were 7.2 billion larger than they were.

The trial, nearing the end of its sixth week, continues before Judge Karen O'Connor and a jury.
By Sonya McLean

The trial of a man charged with carrying out random attacks on three women has heard that his fingerprints were found on duct tape left at one of the crime scenes.

Slawomir Gierlowski (33) of Galtymore Road, Drimnagh, denies attacking the women on dates in 2011, 2015 and 2016 at locations around Clondalkin in south Dublin. The women cannot be named for legal reasons.

On day 11 of the trial at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, Detective Garda Conor Kiely from the fingerprint section of the Garda Technical Bureau, said he developed three marks from grey masking tape found in Knockmeenagh Lane, the scene of one attack in May 2016.

Detective Garda Kiely told Roisin Lacey SC, prosecuting, that six months later he pulled out a set of fingerprints bearing Mr Gierlowski's name from the national database. He then compared these with the marks he had previously developed from the tape.

In my expert opinion, one mark on the grey masking tape was made by the left forefinger of the accused and a second mark on the tape was made by his right ring finger, Detective Garda Kiely told Ms Lacey.

Detective Garda Kiely told Orla Crowe SC, defending, that he was not in a position to age the fingerprint marks.

Greg Bykowski told Gerardine Small BL (with Ms Lacey), that he employed Mr Gierlowski to work with his roofing company from August 2014 to March or April 2016.

He said he found Mr Gierlowski to be honest and hard-working, adding that he wouldn't have employed him otherwise. He outlined the usual working hours as being Monday to Friday or Saturday, between 6.30am and 7pm.

Mr Bykowski confirmed that he received a text from the accused at 6.34am on September 3, 2015, the morning of one of the alleged attacks.

He agreed with Ms Small that the text, translated from Polish into English read: Hello what's up Greg, I will not be able to come to work today, I must have ate something bad, I spent half the night on the toilet puking etc....sorry.

Mr Gierlowski has pleaded not guilty to nine charges, including false imprisonment, sexual assault and assault.

The trial previously heard evidence from the three alleged victims in the case.

One woman said that on May 16, 2016, a man armed with a hunting knife attacked her as she was walking along Knockmeenagh Lane to the nearby Luas stop.

She testified that she thought the man was going to slit her throat and she grabbed the blade to stop that happening, causing the knife to cut tendons in three of her fingers.

The trial also heard from another woman that in Clondalkin on September 3, 2015, a man put a leather belt around her neck and knocked her to the ground. The man then wrapped duct tape around her face and hands and sexually assaulted her.

The third complainant said that in Clondalkin on September 11, 2011, she was punched several times and sexually assaulted.

The trial continues before Judge Pauline Codd and a jury of 11 men.
Update 8.04pm: Missing 15-year-old AJ Clarke Ryan has been located safe and well.

Gardai wish to thank the public for their assistance and say no further action is required.

Earlier: Gardai seek help in tracing missing 15-year-old AJ Clarke Ryan

Gardai are seeking the public's help tracing 15-year-old AJ Clarke Ryan.

AJ was reported missing from Ronanstown, Co Dublin on March 9, 2018.

He is described at 5 9, medium build with brown hair and blue eyes.

When last seen AJ was wearing a black and grey Nike tracksuit and black Adidas trainers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ronanstown Garda Station on 01 666 7700 the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any Garda Station.

- Digital Desk
By Ann O'Loughlin

Convicted murderer Graham Dwyer's challenge against Ireland's data retention laws is "misconceived" and is "a re run" of an application dismissed by the judge presiding at the architect's trial, the High Court has heard.

Brian Murray SC for the State and the Garda Commissioner submitted Dwyer is not entitled to declarations the 2011 Communications Act violated his right to privacy.

Under the 2011 Act telecommunication data from Dwyer's personal mobile phone was retained and accessed by the Gardai investigating Ms O'Hara's death. Data generated by his phone was put before the jury by the prosecution during the Cork-born architect's trial at the Central Criminal Court for Ms O'Hara's murder.

Counsel said that his clients are "defending every aspect" of what Dwyer has challenged, and it is their case that the declarations Dwyer seeks are "inappropriate".

Counsel said Dwyer (pictured) had already sought to have the evidence gathered under the 2011 Act deemed inadmissible at his 2015 trial, but the trial judge Mr Justice Anthony Hunt had rejected that application.

Counsel said it is the State's view that case did not require a reference to the European Court of Justice and the issues raised in the proceedings should be decided by the Irish High Court.

Counsel was continuing his submissions before Mr Justice Tony O'Connor on the 11th day of Dwyer's action against the State and the Garda Commissioner aimed at having provisions of Ireland's data retention laws struck down.

Dwyer, who denies killing Ms O'Hara, claims the 2011 Communications (Retention of Data) Act, breached his privacy rights.

Data obtained under that Act should not have been used at his trial, he claims. Dwyer argues the Act was introduced to give effect to a 2006 EU directive concerning the retention and use of data.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) found in 2014 the directive was invalid and that position was further strengthened in subsequent rulings by that court in 2016. He claims the 2011 Act suffers from the same flaws identified by the ECJ.

In proceedings against the Garda Commissioner, and the State, Dwyer seeks various declarations that his privacy rights under the Irish Constitution, European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter have been breached.

The action continues and is expected to conclude later this week.
Update 8.55pm: Families and friends of those killed in the Rescue 116 crash have come together to mark one year since the tragedy.

The helicopter came down near Blackrock Island off the Mayo coast with the loss of all four crew members.

A special mass and wreath laying ceremony took place today in memory of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith.

Fr Kevin Hegarty spoke about the loss for their families at the memorial.

He said: "We know so deeply that our words and our gestures are inadequate to meet the reality of your pain, the pain of loss.

"All of us have experienced it in some way but you've experienced it in a great devastating way."

A memorial service and wreath laying ceremony to mark the first anniversary of the Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter 116 crash at Blacksod Light house & Pier, Belmullet, Co. Mayo. Pic: Michael mc Laughlin.

Update 3.20pm: Taoiseach says Rescue 116 tragedy is 'very much on his mind'

The Taoiseach says the Rescue 116 tragedy is very much on his mind.

It is one year since the Irish Coastguard helicopter crashed off the Mayo coast with the loss of all four crew members.

A special mass and wreath laying ceremony took place today in memory of Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith.

Speaking in the US Leo Varadkar said he too was thinking of them.

He said: I am former Minister for Transport so I know the coast guard well, I met Captain Dara Fitzpatrick during my role as a Minister and I am conscious that there are families who are still grieving and families who do not yet have the remains of their loved ones.

"My thoughts are very much with them and the coastguard at this time."

Update 1.40pm: Over 300 people gather in Mayo to remember Rescue 116 crew

More than 300 people have gathered in Mayo to remember the victims of Rescue 116.

It is one year since the Irish Coastguard chopper crashed with the loss of all four crew.

At 12.46 am on the 14th of March last year tragedy struck this small coastal community in North Mayo.

Rescue 116 came down near Blackrock Island killing Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith.

Today their families and friends joined with members of the Irish Coastguard, Navy and RNLI to remember them.

Fr Kevin Hegarty spoke about the sense of loss since the tragedy:

The grief is acute for all the families, especially so for the families of Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith so far we haven't recovered the remains of their loved ones. Your pain is particularly acute because one of the things that helps in a time of bereavment is to have a place to go to to pray and to reflect.

Fr Hegarty also spoke about the impact the tragedy has had on their families.

"I know that for you Blacksod and Blackrock will always be engraved on your hearts. I would like you to know also that you are also engraved on our hearts and you always will be."

A special wreath laying ceremony is also taking place this afternoon.

The LE Niamh and the Irish Lights Vessel the Granuaile will bring five wreaths  one for each of the crew of 116 and another for coastguard volunteer Catriona Lucas who died in the line of duty in September 2016.

They will be paid close to Blackrock Island where Rescue 116 tragically crashed 12 months ago today.

The Transport Minister is asking people to pause and remember the victims of Rescue 116 for their bravery, courage and service.

Earlier: Rescue 116 crew remembered one year after fatal crash

A special mass takes place this morning to mark one year since Rescue 116 crashed off the Mayo coast.

All four crew members were killed when the helicopter went down near Blackrock Island in the early hours of March 14, 2017.

Late last night, up to 100 people attended a vigil to remember Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Paul Ormsby and Ciaran Smith.

In the dark and cold of night, when you are in need and you are in the most remote places of Ireland and her vast waters, a small number of strangers will step out into the darkness and come to your aid driven by a sole noble ethos "So that others may live..."#Rescue116 pic.twitter.com/C2SQuYbQ6E  Irish Coast Guard (@IrishCoastGuard) March 14, 2018

Local Superintendent Tony Healy says the tragedy had a huge impact on the community:

"They felt it very much as a personal loss, as if it were one of their own family or one of their own friends that had been lost at sea," he said

"You can really see that in the huge, mammoth effort over the long duration of the 50-day search and they were as resilient at the start as they were at the end."

- Digital Desk
Gardai have arrested 36 people after a number of planned searches in which quantities of drugs were found.

Today's activity under Operation Thor took place between 8am and 5pm, covering the Thomastown District in the Kilkenny-Carlow division.
Tonight, TV3s The Pat Kenny Show aired an interview with Phil, the head of the Leeds based group Predator Exposure, whose work led to the conviction of former RTE Producer Kieran Creaven for attempted grooming of a fictional thirteen-year-old girl.

Currently, the Predator Exposure Group are in contact with people in Ireland who they believe to be paedophiles.
Brexit talks between Theresa May and the Scottish and Welsh first ministers have broken up without agreement.

Nicola Sturgeon said the issues outstanding over legislation that transposes EU law into UK law once Britain leaves are "not insignificant" and warned there was now "real urgency" to reach a deal.

Lack of agreement from Edinburgh and Cardiff would not prevent the EU (Withdrawal) Bill from passing but forcing it through without consent could spark a constitutional crisis within the UK.

Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said he was "hopeful" a resolution would be found in the "next few days".

Speaking in Downing Street, the Scottish First Minister said: "There was certainly an indication on all sides that we want to reach agreement."

"We can't have our powers restricted or reduced without the consent of the Scottish Parliament," she told reporters.

Ms Sturgeon said: "The issues that remain between us are not insignificant but neither are they insurmountable."

She said the UK Government's concern was that Scottish Parliaments or governments could withhold consent unreasonably "and there is discussion to be had to give assurances that wouldn't be the case".

"It's a matter of trust," she said, but added: "We are having to trust the UK Government a lot in terms of other matters associated with the Brexit discussions.

This is about protecting our principles, it's not about compromising on the principle, it's about finding compromise that allows the UK Government to abide by that principle, as I think they should, but have some of the concerns that they have got about that addressed and allayed.

Mr Jones said: "We want to make sure that we come to an agreement on where powers lie and how they are dealt with in the future.

"Progress has been made but I am not yet in a position to recommend to the National Assembly that we should give our consent to the Withdrawal Bill."

But he added: "I'm hopeful we will be in a position where that will be possible in the next few days - no more than a week or two, I would say, time is running out - but we are not there yet."

The row centres on where devolved powers currently held by Brussels will be exercised once the UK quits the EU - with the Prime Minister stressing ahead of the talks that the "vast majority of powers returning from the EU" will go to Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Prime Minister Theresa May chairs a meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee at Downing Street today. Pic: Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA Wire

However, the UK Government argues some powers must come first to Westminster so common frameworks can be established across the UK.

Downing Street said the leaders discussed the amendment that has been tabled that would "ensure the vast majority of devolved powers will transfer directly to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast".

A spokesman the Prime Minister "made clear her commitment to a deal that works for the whole of the UK and protects the security and prosperity of all our communities".

PA
Update 10.45pm: President Donald Trump has inspected the prototypes for the "big beautiful border wall" he wants to build to separate the US from Mexico.

The president, making his first trip to California as president, appeared engaged as he was briefed on eight border wall designs.

He said he preferred a fully concrete wall because it was the hardest to climb, but he noted that it needed to be see-through.

President Trump said the first thing he noticed on the drive to view the prototypes was the patched-up holes in part of the existing fence at the border.

"We have a lousy wall over here now, but at least it stops 90, 95%," President Trump said. "When we put up the real wall, we're going to stop 99%. Maybe more than that."

President Trump's visit was greeted with peaceful protests by demonstrators both for and against his planned wall.

The trip also came amid an escalating battle between his administration and the liberal state, which has refused to help federal agents detain immigrants in the US illegally.

The president said Tuesday that the state's sanctuary policies "put the entire nation at risk." His Justice Department sued California last week over a trio of the state's immigration laws.

"They're the best friend of the criminal," President Trump said. "That's what exactly is happening. The criminals take refuge in these sanctuary cities and it's very dangerous for our police and enforcement folks."

Demonstrations were held at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, the nation's busiest border crossing, where protesters chanted, "No ban! No wall!" as honking cars and buses cheered them on.

Protests were also held on the Mexican side, in Tijuana.

President Trump was to be briefed on lessons learned from the construction of the prototypes built in San Diego last autumn.

He was also to meet with border agents and officers to ask what they need, Homeland Security spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

San Diego's Republican mayor criticised Mr Trump's planned short visit, saying the president will not get a full picture of the city.

Kevin Faulconer said a popular cross-border airport terminal connecting San Diego and Tijuana shows that "building bridges has worked wonders".

Mr Faulconer, writing in The San Diego Union-Tribune, also said San Diego police work to protect everyone regardless of immigration status, an apparent dig at Mr Trump's push to target illegal immigration.

Original story (7.45pm): Donald Trump arrives in California to view border wall prototypes amid protests

President Donald Trump has arrived in California to view prototypes for his "big beautiful border wall" amid protests and growing tensions between his administration and the state over immigration enforcement.

Chanting "No ban. No wall", demonstrators were cheered on by honking cars and buses at the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, the nation's busiest border crossing.

President Trump's visit coincided with an escalating war of words between his administration and the liberal state, which Democrat Hillary Clinton easily won in the 2016 presidential election.

California officials have defiantly refused to help federal agents detain and deport immigrants in the US illegally, and the Justice Department sued the state last week over three of its immigration laws.

The president, who arrived in San Diego on Tuesday afternoon, planned to inspect eight towering prototypes for the wall in an area of the border heavily cordoned off and far from the rallies on the US side.

Protests were planned on the Mexican side, too, in Tijuana. Trucks were parked in between the row of prototypes and the border, blocking the view from Mexico.

Demonstrators said they planned to later line up and greet people walking into the United States at the San Ysidro crossing to show Americans welcome immigrants.

President Trump is expected to be briefed on lessons learned from the construction of the prototypes built in San Diego last autumn.

He will meet with border agents and officers to ask what they need, Homeland Security spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said.

- PA
No charges will be brought against two former West Midlands Police officers who were being investigated for their role in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, the UK's Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.

The two suspects, from the force which investigated the disaster in 1989, had been referred to the prosecutor by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), previously known as the Independent Police Complaints Commission, and were alleged to have failed to investigate the causes of the disaster properly, either deliberately or negligently.

It was alleged that a misleading or incomplete file was submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions in 1990.

A CPS spokesman said: "After careful consideration of the evidence, and the detailed advice provided by counsel, it has been decided that the evidential threshold for criminal prosecution is not met in relation to either suspect."

He said that "whilst there was found to be some cause for concern in the actions of both suspects", the evidence was "insufficient to reach the high threshold required to prove a criminal offence".

The spokesman said there was evidence that some aspects of the investigation were not carried out to a high standard, but there was a lack of evidence showing a deliberate plan of action by the suspects.

In a letter sent to families of the 96 victims this week, Sue Hemming, Head of Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division at the CPS, said: "I appreciate that my decision will be disappointing to you, but I would like to reassure you that in reaching this conclusion, we have spent a significant amount of time reviewing and considering the evidence that was submitted to us."

The spokesman said no other files were being considered in relation to the disaster.

Six men, including match commander David Duckenfield, already face charges relating to the disaster and its aftermath.

David Duckenfield.

Ninety-six Liverpool fans died in the crush at the Leppings Lane end of Hillsborough stadium on April 15 1989, as the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest began.

An IOPC spokesman said following an investigation into three former senior South Yorkshire Police (SYP) officers, a decision had been made not to refer their cases to the CPS.

It was alleged the officers sought to mislead a public inquiry into the disaster led by Lord Justice Taylor, a contributions hearing and the original inquests.

The spokesman said there was some indication that two of the former officers may have committed a criminal offence, but the CPS had already rejected the possibility of bringing criminal charges based on evidence reviewed in 2016.

Strategic lead for Hillsborough Rachel Cerfontyne said: "At the core of my decision not to refer these SYP officers for formal charging decisions is the CPSs clear view that charges would not be brought and the risk that a referral could cause disruption to the forthcoming Hillsborough trials."

- PA
A Brisbane woman who experienced an emotionally abusive relationship as a teenager has written a fictional novel to help teens identify signs of relationship abuse.

Michaela Daphne was 19 when she tried to admit herself to Greenslopes Hospital, thinking she was going "crazy" from a relationship with a boy 18 months older than herself.

Young adult fiction author Michaela Daphne.

Ms Daphne said he did not like her family or friends and made convincing arguments to keep her away from her support network.

The 29-year-old said there were a number of instances when she tried to break up with him but each time he would "control" her into staying.
Anthony Carlino helps people become comfortable in their own skin.

Counsellor and psychotherapist Anthony Carlino says he was particularly curious about gender diversity as a child.

His parents took him to a doctor to discuss his curiosity but the doctor was explicitly transphobic.

Although the experience was repellent for Carlino, it was, in retrospect, formative in his gravitation towards gender diversity as a specialty area to practice in, he says.

"I was about eight or nine and the doctor proceeded to tell me some of the most transphobic stuff I've heard in my life  really hateful stuff.
Australians can thank Netflix for sky-high data allowances and future unlimited plans on their mobile phones, with telecommunication companies rushing to meet demand.

The double impact of lengthy commutes and access to video streaming platforms has meant many players in the telco industry are aiming for unlimited data plans, Dodo general manager David Marshall told Fairfax Media.

A growing hunger for video streaming is shaking up the telco industry. Credit:Bloomberg

In fact, some similar plans already exist.

"Although not called unlimited, these types of plans do already exist in the market with unmetered access to Netflix and Spotify at controlled speeds," he said.
Australian steel companies are in line to benefit from a $5 billion contract to build the defence force's new fleet of more than 200 military tanks in Queensland.

After a three-year tender and testing process, the Turnbull government has announced that German defence giant Rheinmetall had beaten rival BAE Systems to win the hotly-contested contract to build 211 armoured vehicles for the Australian defence force.

The Rheinmetall Boxer CRV at Parliament House in Canberra. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Rheinmetall has committed to base manufacturing of the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle (CRV) fleet in Queensland, and to use Australian steel from BlueScope's Port Kembla steelworks and Wollongong's Bisalloy Steels.

BlueScope's manager of manufacturing markets, Troy Gent, welcomed the government's decision on Wednesday, which he said would ensure the use of more than 2000 tonnes of Australian steel in the coming phase of the project.
Sacked Doughnut Time employees still chasing thousands of dollars in unpaid wages will likely have to go to the federal government for the money amid reports a deal to save remaining stores has fallen through.

Foreign workers could miss out entirely because the government guarantee is only available to Australian citizens.

Eight Doughnut Time companies and ice cream sandwich business Mister Fitzs Finest Ice Cream were sent into liquidation on Friday, including one which appeared to control a Queensland store previously slated to remain open.

The Doughnut Time store in Brisbane's King George Square busway station is among those closed. Credit:Jorge Branco

The same day, Victoria state manager Vanessa Gaddi-Chmielewski told workers the entire company would be liquidated, the ABC reported.
Historic dairy processor Murray Goulburn has confirmed it will keep aside $235 million after its assets are sold to Saputo to deal with potential costs from a class action lawsuit, operating costs and costs associated with winding up the processor.

Murray Goulburn says farmers and unitholders will get a first payment of 80 cents a share from the sale of the operation to Saputo. Credit:Rob Homer

The figure is revealed in a 132 page document sent to shareholders on Wednesday that provides a comprehensive summation of the proposed deal with Saputo, when shareholders will be paid and a strong recommendation from MG's board that shareholders back the sale.

The "Explanatory Memorandum" from MG says that of the $235 million figure, $195 million will be kept in relation to "retained litigation", a reference to a class action lawsuit against Murray Goulburn, proceedings launched by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and an Australian Securities and Investments Commission investigation.

Given MG has paid a penalty of $650,000 in respect of the ASIC investigation, and the ACCC has said it is not seeking a pecuniary penalty against MG, it seems the bulk of the $195 million figure is being kept to deal with potential costs relating to the class action.
A Qantas flight attendant broke her leg and another suffered numerous injuries when their aircraft's autopilot unexpectedly disengaged as it descended into Canberra Airport last year.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's investigation into the incident has found a modification made to the Boeing 737-8 meant the pilot's attempt to stop the aircraft going too fast inadvertently triggered an abrupt change in speed and angle.

The Qantas 737 had been modified so autopilot cut out, instead of reverting to another mode. Credit:Craig Abraham

The incident occurred as the flight from Perth was preparing to land in Canberra about 10pm on March 13 when it encountered light to moderate turbulence, the ATSB's final report released on Wednesday found.

The "fasten seat belt" sign was illuminated and cabin crew moved towards their seats at the front and rear of the plane.
We come back because there is pleasure. The pleasure is multiplied if its shared, and the pleasure is also deepened when you get more into the lunacy and joy of the language and illusions. Mr Sarhanis believes DA may have started making his puzzles even harder now he can watch his fans' mental processes unfold online, and the crossword guru does not deny it. If theres a consensus that things are getting easy, it often does incite me to just crank up the degree of difficulty a few notches, DA said. I do visit the DA Trippers, so its hard not to see how the tribe is coping. To know that your crossword is being adored, abhorred, pulled apart, rebuilt, having its entrails pulled out and pushed back in, that is a wonderful reckoning. In the past, trippers have announced they've cracked Friday's cryptic as early as 4.03am, long before the mornings copy of The Age has hit the newsstands. (These people are presumably accessing the days newspaper online.)

There are some crazy freaks who are able to solve it very quickly and very early. Im envious of them, Mr Sarhanis said. I used to think I was good at crosswords, until I started this blog. For anyone wanting to get into cryptic crosswords, the Friday DA (colloquially known as the Don't Attempt because of its sheer difficulty) is probably not the best place to start. To master my crosswords would probably take 70 years, to be honest, DA said. Youd become very confident, from scratch, in a matter of months. Youd be getting quite a few clues out. But to actually get a grid out without being assisted, Id imagine that would take - from a novice - a couple of years. In Mr Sarhaniss case, it took seven years before he was able to complete his first DA grid. He got it framed to mark the milestone.

He suggests easing yourself in by tackling The Age's Monday cryptic from LR. A good way of learning the tricks is to look at the answers to yesterdays crossword and work backwards, he said. Or you could go along to a live solve Mr Sarhanis is hosting at the National Gallery of Victoria on Friday. At midday, a crossword-themed stage and bleachers will be set up in the NGV International forecourt, and he will be seeking the audience's participation to solve a blown-up version of the days cryptic and a mind-blowingly amazing DA crossword from the archives. We can all have a bit of fun solving the whiteboard, as though we were all were at a cafe having coffee, he said. The live solve kicks off Word Alert, a three day celebration of crosswords, spelling and grammar at the NGV's Melbourne Art Book Fair. Word Alert will include spelling bees, a crossword tournament, and a class on how to solve cryptic crosswords.

Hopefully thisll be the first of many, said DA, unable to attend due to other committments. Id love to be involved in future. But if Friday's cryptic crossword is a particularly devilish one, is there a chance the live solve will still be going on well into Sunday afternoon? Theres no plans to do that, Mr Sarhanis laughs. But often a DA can take multiple days. Age subscribers can access the crossword in the online version of the daily paper here.

Five tips for getting started with cryptic crosswords Go straight to the answers. Look at the answers and work backwards. Work out how did that person get freckle out of spot of reckless carry-on. When you see that freckle is being carried by of reckless, and it means spot. Once you see, working backwards, how that clicks, then the click gets addictive. Look for the shortest clue. Short clues, particularly only two words, usually signify double definition. If the clue is something like book store, seven letters, then you know that youre looking for a word that means book and store, which is reserve. Find your mojo. Find your right level, so you can build your confidence. Get a copy of The Big Issue, or an equivalent puzzle, that gives you a cryptic and quick set of clues for the same answers. Thats really helpful. That way, you can identify what the definition is within each clue.
Portraying physicist Stephen Hawking in the 2014 biopic The Theory of Everything earned Eddie Redmayne an Oscar, and it also fostered a mutual respect between the actor and renowned thinker, who died on Wednesday at age 76.

"We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet," Redmayne said in a statement to The Times on Wednesday. "My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family."

Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.

As the brilliant astronomer, Redmayne embodied the subtle but devastating encroachments of Hawking's degenerative neuromuscular disease, immersing himself in the ailments of ALS sufferers and literally charting the timeline of Hawking's life to better his performance. The film focused on the relationship between Hawking and his former wife, Jane, played by Felicity Jones, and was based on one of her two memoirs about their marriage.

Redmayne told the Los Angeles Times in 2014 that he was so nervous upon meeting Hawking for the first time that he began rambling and asked Hawking his birth sign, to which Hawking quipped: "You know, Eddie, I'm an astronomer, not an astrologer."
Excessive rates of carbon dioxide affect the health of key micro-organisms in the oceans, potentially undermining the base of critical marine food chains, according to new research by US scientists.

A team of researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) applied techniques from the emerging field of synthetic biology to understand how ocean acidification from the absorption of CO2 is affecting tiny plants known as phytoplankton.

Phytoplankton like these diatoms turn out to be sensitive to ocean acidification, according to new research. Credit:Scripps Institution/Nature

Phytoplankton are not only a key food source for global fisheries, they are also important to the removal of CO2, much like how trees absorb the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.

In a paper published on Thursday in Nature, the team demonstrated how the microscopic plants require carbonate ions to acquire iron from the water to grow.
Artist Ben Quilty was in a Chinook helicopter on his way to Tarin Kot in Afghanistan. The well-armed young men around him were tense, they were on their way to a forward operating base, the ride was quiet.

"There I was with a drawing book in my lap, dressed in navy blue, the odd one out," he said.

Artist Ben Quilty and Australian War Memorial director Dr Brendan Nelson in front of Quilty's work "The Longest War." Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

"We were flying over an incredible mountain ridge and they told me to look down, and there were two wheel tracks going up the side of this sandy mountain and there on top, laid out in rocks, was a massive, it was about 60 metres long, this perfect image of a kangaroo."

No one had any idea how the kangaroo had got there, but on the return to base later that day Quilty, who was in Afghanistan as the Australian War Memorial's artist in residence, was introduced to Simon Payne. His fellow soldiers thought if anyone would, Simon would know the answer.
Humour also helped British comedian Yianni Agisilaou out of a tight spot. "I once talked myself out of a mugging by making the guy laugh," he says. "Well, I didn't talk myself out of it. I reduced the cost to me of the mugging from my phone to the contents of my wallet, which were 22.50. A significant discount, I think you'll agree." Show details: Teaching A Robot To Love, Friday March 23, 8.15pm, The Civic Pub. Stephen K Amos. Credit:JAMES PENLIDIS PHOTOGRAPHY Stephen K Amos

Stephen K Amos has been a regular on the international comedy circuit for more than 15 years - so does a sense of humour make you more attractive? "They do say that laughter is the best medicine, but if you have diabetes I would try aspirin first. Or is that insulin? I don't know, I'm not a qualified doctor, which is, by the way, what many of my friends are really looking for on a dating profile - dentist and lawyer will also do nicely," he says. "Life's a beautiful tapestry and laughter is just one part of the jigsaw puzzle that is needed to fall in love with a total stranger." But Amos believes there are benefits to making people laugh - sometimes. "Laughter can be a great distraction tool when asked a difficult maths question in front of the whole class at school. Some people also say that bullies can be disarmed with laughter. I say it can make the situation 10 times worse and leave you with a wedgie. Coming from a large family, it was certainly one of the tools needed to survive and get noticed. With so many siblings, can you imagine sitting at the dinner table, when your mum leans to your brother and points at me, asking 'who's that?' "Laughing through a university interview was also not one of my finest hours and I was told I would never be allowed into Oxford. However, it did give me a great routine, that I told on stage 10 years later, when I was paid to perform at the same university's graduation ball."

Stephen K Amos: Bread & Circuses, Thursday March 22, 7.30pm, Canberra Theatre. Canberra comedian Chris Ryan. Chris Ryan Chris Ryan's comedy has seen her regularly perform around town and earned her a stint on breakfast radio, but it can't get the Canberran what she truly wants. "I am a 44-year-old mother of two. I don't want to be attractive - I just want a nap," she says. "The most attractive thing I can do for my partner is a non-essential chore he hasn't got around to, like wash the windows.

"If my comedy makes others find me attractive there's something wrong with them. How can talking about all of my flaws and the baffling imbeciles of the world be hot?" Show details: Grey Matter. Thursday March 22, 7pm. Big Band Room, ANU School of Music Cameron James Cameron James admits he's well and truly attracted to humour himself: "There's nothing hotter to me than a funny woman. I love to laugh". But when it comes to the other way around, he's not so convinced it helps. "I do think women are attracted to a funny guy, but you know what I think they're more attracted to? Abs. All my girl friends say they love a laugh, but then end up with dudes with abs. And the rules are you can be a good comedian or have abs, never both."

Even without abs, a good joke can get you out of a punch up. It might even increase your social media following. "I once got out of a fist fight thanks to comedy. A guy heckled me and I made fun of him during the show. Then afterwards he followed me to the car park and tried to fight me. The Beatles were playing on the pub soundtrack and before he got a hit in I said, 'I never thought I'd get my ass kicked to Yellow Submarine', and he burst out laughing. We're friends on Facebook now." Show details: Chilled Out/Fired Up, Saturday March 24, 8.15pm, The Street Theatre. Benjamin and James Stevenson from The Stevenson Experience. Credit:Monica Pronk The Stevenson Experience

When trying to attract a new partner, Benjamin Stevenson, one-half of Canberra comedic duo The Stevenson Experience, doesn't think a sense of humour is always a good thing. "Everyone wants a sense of humour, but what they really want is superannuation and a mentally stable partner. It probably works against you, in the end, if you have to always be 'on'. Besides, you can get a laugh by going to watch a comedian, you don't need to date them. Stick with a boring but healthy retirement plan," he says. And it turns out a funny bone isn't only unhelpful for dating, it can also prove problematic if you find yourself on a television game show. "I'm not proud, but I was on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire last year. It's actually super stressful - Eddie's talking at you and the clock is ticking. So, naturally, I blurted out a joke about ISIS. That was promptly edited out of the show," he says. "And if you want to know if I won a million dollars, come to the show."

Show details: Spot The Difference, Saturday March 24, 8.30pm, The Street Theatre. John Hastings But it's not all bad. John Hastings' new show Audacity is all about falling in love with the woman of his dreams. It might just be the oxytocin speaking, but the loved-up Canadian is far more positive about the effect of a good sense of humour. "I think a sense of humour is totally attractive. Would you rather head to the bone zone with someone who makes you laugh or some lecturer who speaks with the rhythm of a dial tone? I think we say 'must have sense of humour' because 'don't be a creep' does not really help separate the cool from the creeps," he says. Show details: Audacity, Friday March 23, 8.15pm, The Street Theatre.

Luke Heggie. Luke Heggie So do we actually really want a good sense of humour after all? Luke Heggie thinks we're all liars. "Barely anyone is prioritising GSOH above looks and cold hard cash and yet there they are, saying they want someone with a good sense of humour. By 'good' they generally mean 'my'. ''You don't often see movie-star-looking muscle men - with their eyes too close together like chickens, as has become the norm in modern Hollywood - attempting stand-up comedy, because they've never had to say anything funny in their lives, and people will laugh at them anyway.
A former bikie associate was jailed on Tuesday following a dispute about missing drugs in which a man was taped to a chair and waterboarded.

On April 8, 2017, a man thought to have been involved in stealing a Coke can of drugs at a house party was driven to Barry Avery's Canberra home.

The man was led inside, where Avery, 36, instructed one of his colleagues to strap the victim to a chair. He then interrogated the victim about the location of the "gear".

Every time the victim denied knowledge of the drugs' location, he was punched by various members of the group.

Avery picked up a pair of scissors and pressed the blade into the victim's neck, piercing the skin. He punched the man again, and he lost consciousness.
Two Canberra police officers who dragged a passenger out of a car during a traffic stop in Civic had no "right, power or authority to manhandle" the teenager, prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.

But lawyers for the two Canberra officers said they were acting in their execution of their duties when they arrested the teenager that night, and were just doing their job.

Senior Constable Matthew McVicar, 35, and Constable James Head, 29, were charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm following the late night Australia Day altercation. They pleaded not guilty.

The ACT Magistrates Court heard this week at a hearing over the charges that the two officers had pulled the driver over after seeing him travel into the Civic bus interchange - where cars are prohibited - late on Australia Day last year.

A dramatic video tendered to court and played at the hearing captured the altercation between police and the passenger. The footage - which the court has declined to release - shows Constable Head threatening to search the alleged victim for being a "smart arse" before swearing at him to get the "f--k" out of the car.
India has emerged as NSW's fastest growing overseas tourism market with visitor numbers more than doubling over the past five years.

The boom in visitors from India underscores the importance of Asian countries to the NSW tourism industry, one of the states biggest exporters.

Seven of the states 10 fastest-growing sources of overseas vistors are in Asia, analysis by Destination NSW shows.

Last year a record 147,000 Indian visitors came to NSW, a 121 per cent increase compared with 2012. Expenditure by Indian visitors to the state has nearly doubled in that five year period to $337 million.
Ex-Tropical Cyclone Linda's effects are forecast to continue along Queensland's south-east coast until Friday.

The Bureau of Meteorology downgraded the category one cyclone to a sub-tropical low just before 10am on Wednesday.

Big swells are expected along the Queensland coast. Credit:Dave Hunt/AAP

The system has continued to weaken and is expected to start tracking away from the coastline in the early hours of Friday morning.

The hazardous surf and winds which forced the closure of several south-east Queensland beaches will likely remain on Thursday.
A Facebook page allowing residents to rent out their driveways during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games is back online, a day after it was blocked by the social media site.

The page has relaunched as Gold Coast Parking Solutions after the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) complained to Facebook and caused the page to be blocked on Tuesday.

Page creator Glen Crawford had been disappointed the page had been removed with a nurse already using it to find a driveway to rent.

"She's paying for it with a plate of homemade chocolate brownies," he told AAP.
A Sri Lankan asylum seeker family taken from a small Queensland town were pulled from a plane overnight just minutes before they were due to be deported.

Nadesalingam and Priya with their two children. Credit:Tamil Refugee Council

Border force officials removed Tamils Nadesalingam, Priya and their two Australian-born daughters from Biloela last week and put them in a Melbourne detention centre.

Tamil Refugee Council spokesman Ben Hillier said they were handcuffed and taken in separate vans to Melbourne Airport on Tuesday, flown to Perth and placed on a flight to Sri Lanka.

But a last-minute legal intervention resulted in them being removed from the plane before it took off.
A man has been taken into custody after police declared an emergency situation and set up an exclusion zone around a Gold Coast highrise on Wednesday evening.

Members of the public told police they saw a man carrying what appeared to be a gun walk into the Beachcomber Resort in Surfers Paradise about 3.45pm.

Police took a man into custody and revoked the emergency declaration just before 5pm. Credit:Isabelle Mullen - Twitter

An emergency situation was declared about 4.10pm, with several of the rooms inside the Hanlan Street building evacuated and people in nearby units also told to leave as a precaution.

Police said the man was seen going up to a room in the building, where a woman and child were also staying.
Brisbane City Councils old pianos will be sold off after the Quirk administration decided it would be cheaper to buy new ones rather than shell out for their refurbishment.

The council owns eight pianos, the oldest dating back to 1930, with two in City Hall and six at different halls across the city.

One of the two pianos at City Hall takes pride of place in the main auditorium. Credit:Harrison Saragossi

Refurbishing the eight pianos has been discussed for several years but, to date, only two pianos had been refurbished.

A large sum of the money used to refurbish the two pianos was from an anonymous Wynnum resident, who left $310,000 to the council for the refurbishment or replacement of the City Hall grand piano when they passed away in 2014.
Peter Yeoman has watched the gutwrenching footage of the moment his daughter Milly would never walk again.

Milly was 12 at the time and taking part in a swimming lesson organised by her primary school in Ballarat when she dived into a toddlers' pool and hit her head on the bottom.

Peter does not want his wife to see the CCTV vision of Milly suffering the head, neck and spine injury that left her a quadriplegic, it's that hard to watch.

"I was just dumbfounded," he said. "To this day, even now, we quite often talk about what they were doing. I don't know why they needed to learn that."
A 15-year-old mute and deaf boy with severe autism has escaped jail after driving toward terrified pedestrians outside Flinders Street Station on grand final day last year.

The Childrens Court on Wednesday heard how the teenager had the language skills of a three- to five-year-old child and would not have understood the impact of his actions when he stole his fathers car and went on a rampage through Melbournes CBD dressed in combat gear.

CCTV footage of the teen driving a car through the CBD.

He was given a criminal record and a 12-month youth supervision order after he pleaded guilty to six charges, including reckless conduct endangering life for the September 30 incident which saw him Tasered by police.

The boy lacked significant family support before the attack and isolated himself both at home and school, the court heard.
Victorias hopes to build the biggest defence manufacturing hub in Australia have taken a hit, after it lost a bid to secure a multibillion-dollar contract to build the country's next generation of armoured tanks.

Instead, the vehicles will be built in Queensland, creating hundreds of full-time jobs in the south-east city of Ipswich, after the federal government awarded it the $5.2 billion contract.

The decision prompted an angry spray from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who said he had lost any remaining faith in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

On Wednesday morning, the Prime Minister was in Brisbane to grant phase two of the Land 400 armoured vehicle contract to Rheinmetall Defence Australia.
Ms Sullivan said she had been approached by senators to run again for office, but she does not want to be "a public person" again. "I knew that I was well qualified for the job, but after that experience ... it's traumatic. I don't think that I could ever do that again." Ms Sullivan resigned from council in December after making explosive allegations that Mr Doyle had harassed and indecently assaulted her. A second councillor, Cathy Oke, told investigators that Cr Doyle had tried to kiss her, and clutched her thigh under a table in a separate incident.

Dr Ian Freckelton, QC, was appointed by the council in mid-December to undertake the investigation. Loading A summary of the investigation's findings were released on Tuesday afternoon. The report upheld four adverse findings against the long-serving mayor, backing claims made by Ms Sullivan and Cr Oke. Dr Freckelton's report concluded that Mr Doyle grabbed Ms Sullivan's breast in May when the pair were in a chauffer-driven mayoral car.

He also found Mr Doyle put his hand on Ms Oke's thigh several times in 2014 and attempted to kiss her in his office following a meeting in late 2016 or early 2017. All incidents happened after Mr Doyle had consumed "substantial amounts of red wine". Other allegations raised by Ms Sullivan were not substantiated in Dr Freckelton's report. Mr Doyle responded to the findings on Tuesday in a statement issued by his wife, Emma Page-Campbell, in which he continued to deny all allegations. Ms Sullivan said that was "frustrating" for Mr Doyle's victims, particularly when there were ongoing investigations.

"These continual statements of denial not only are framed also to discredit the victims but they're getting a little bit stale and embarrassing," she told the ABC. She said the investigation had highlighted a flaw "in every system" of local government, which had no provision for harassment complaints. "Out of 79 councils you would presume there is harassment or sexual harassment of some kind," she said. "To completely lack a policy leaves women vulnerable and open to what happened to us and ... gives them no outlet for complaint." Ms Sullivan's new Twitter profile.

The allegations felled a career in Victorian politics that spanned three decades, and Tuesday's findings cemented its demise. Mr Doyle was leader of the state opposition from 2002 to 2006. He was lord mayor of Melbourne for nine years until his resignation after the allegations in February. He remains in hospital, where he has been since February due to stress. Ms Sullivan was elected as a councillor in 2016 on the "Team Doyle" ticket. She served just 14 months of her four-year term. After the findings were handed down on Tuesday, Ms Sullivan changed her profile description on Twitter to "The Woman Who Stopped a Sexual Predator!". She also tweeted that she was "relieved the truth is out", but said "alcohol is not an excuse for disgusting immoral predatory behaviour".

Ms Sullivan told The Age exclusively last week the trauma she had endured since her allegations became public had "ripped apart" her life. She said her experience of the alleged harassment had been awful. You lose all this confidence and you feel like you have betrayed yourself for not standing up for yourself - you think, Did it happen because I looked a certain way? or Did he feel like he could target me?. You lose all this confidence and you feel like you have betrayed yourself for not standing up for yourself - you think, Did it happen because I looked a certain way? or Did he feel like he could target me?.

Loading Cr Oke told the special meeting of council on Tuesday that more support was needed for women in politics to "encourage speaking out" when something was wrong. "Women don't speak out because we fear that if the wrong person is unwittingly spoken to it could mean a leak, a breach of confidentiality, a breach of trust and ultimately information in the hands of their accused and their powerful networks," she said. "I had a real fear that speaking to someone in the powerful connected networks in this city, on this matter, would lead to a media smear or attack on my reputation. "Although perhaps ridiculous to some, that fear was real and paralysing," a tearful Cr Oke told the meeting.
A Perth bakery owner imported more than two tonnes of tobacco illegally into Australia, defrauding the Commonwealth to the tune of almost $2 million, a WA court has heard.

For the first time, details of the Australian Border Force (ABF) illicit tobacco importation investigation can be revealed.

The ABF operation in Perth in 2016 led to father of three Ma'ad Abdul Muna'm Al Raziqi copping a five year jail term in the WA District Court after he pleaded guilty to eight charges.

The court was told how Al Raziqi, 45, defrauded the Comonwealth of more than $1.8 million as a result of six separate tobacco imports, weighing approximately 2.3 tonnes in total.



The court heard how in October 2016, ABF officers examined a consignment addressed to the father of three and Wangara bakery owner, who came to Australia from Iraq in 1999.
A shark warning has been issued for Perth beaches after two children were injured within minutes of each other in a suspected shark attack on Wednesday evening.

The warning is current for beaches between Sorrento and Trigg, according to Surf Life Saving WA.

A shark warning is current for beaches between Sorrento and Trigg. Credit:Surf Life Saving WA

About 5:20pm two children were walking in the water just three metres offshore at Watermans Bay Beach when they were injured just moments apart in a "possible shark interaction".

The two children left the beach and their injuries were treated by a doctor.
The state government could soon have the power to suspend or dismiss an elected local councillor or mayor.

A bill introduced to Parliament on Wednesday will give the Local Government Minister the authority to suspend a council member for several reasons, including if the person's conduct is affecting the ability of the local government to function effectively.

The new laws are not retrospective so could not be used to sack suspended Perth lord mayor Lisa Scaffidi or any individual City of Perth councillor, for example.

This is an important and overdue reform that will increase the States powers for the benefit of the community," Mr Templeman said.

Currently, action can only be taken against an entire council and these restrictions have frustrated the Western Australian community."
Planning minister Mick Gentleman has knocked back a request for compensation from a family who found a brick contaminated with Mr Fluffy asbestos on the "cleared" block they bought at auction.

Fairfax Media revealed last month Anthony Steve was being hit with tens of thousands of dollars in unexpected costs, after the bricks were unearthed on his Griffith block.

Anthony Steve, and Clare Steve with their kids Oliver Steve (3) and Alexander Steve (7) paid $1.6 million for a Mr Fluffy block however asbestos has been found on the land Credit:Dion Georgopoulos

The Steves went halves with their friends the Jeffcotts in the $1.6 million block, and had planned to build a duplex for their families to live in.

But builders dug up the footings of the old house, which were covered in a grey substance, which put their project on hold indefinitely.
Last June, more than 20 ships on the Black Sea noticed something unusual about their satellite-based navigation systems. Instead of their true positions well away from Russia's south-west border, each ship's GPS placed it inland at Gelendzhik Airport, a small terminal that serves the picturesque coastal town.

It made no sense. The Global Positioning System, the network of satellites that we rely on every day, is rarely wrong. When it is, the margin of error is only a few metres. The ships on the Black Sea were 20 miles from Gelendzhik.

There seemed to be only one explanation, although it was not one anybody wanted to countenance: GPS, the navigation and timing system on which the world runs, was being manipulated on a previously unimagined scale. There were no prizes as to who the chief suspect was. A few months later, Norwegian planes flying over eastern Finnmark, a county on Norway's border with Russia, lost their GPS reception for a week.

GPS powers car navigation, but it's behind so much more as well.

Modern life runs on GPS. Satellite navigation systems have rendered the art of map-reading practically obsolete. Multi-billion dollar apps such as Uber rely entirely on it, and farmers use it to plough their fields with millimetre precision. Less visibly but just as crucially, GPS is the clock by which the world keeps time. Critical infrastructure such as telecoms, broadcast and electricity networks use the synchronised readings from GPS satellites to manage the vein-like systems they operate; smartphones use it to set their clocks and financial markets use it to allow high-frequency trading to work properly.
Pretoria: South Africa's plan to expropriate land without compensation in order to redress racial disparities in land ownership would target mainly unused land, a senior official with the ruling African National Congress (ANC) said on Tuesday.

South Africa's new President, Cyril Ramaphosa, says the transfer of land from the country's white minority to the black majority will be handled without damaging the economy. Credit:AP

As part of long-promised reforms, the ANC in December adopted a resolution to expropriate land without compensation for redistribution to landless black South Africans, provided this was done in a manner that does not threaten food security or undermine economic growth.

Land ownership remains a highly emotive subject more than two decades after the end of apartheid. Whites still own most of South Africa's land. Moves towards land expropriation have also worried markets and economists and farming groups have warned of a potentially devastating impact on the agricultural sector.

David Masondo, a member of the ANC's Economic Transformation Committee, said the aim of the resolution was not to target "all land that is productively utilised ... but use it or lose it, even if you are black".
Princeton: A Russian chemist who helped develop the Soviet-era nerve agent used to poison a former Russian double agent in southern England says only the Russian government could have carried out the attack with such a deadly and advanced toxin.

Vil Mirzayanov, 83, said he had no doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin was responsible, given that Russia maintains tight control over its Novichok stockpile and the agent is too complicated for a non-state actor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit:AP

"The Kremlin all the time, like all criminals, denying - it doesn't mean anything," Mirzayanov said in an interview in his home in Princeton, New Jersey, where he has lived in exile for more than 20 years.

Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military intelligence agent who betrayed dozens of Russian agents to British intelligence, and his daughter are fighting for their lives after they were found on March 4 collapsed on a bench, having been poisoned with Novichok, according to British authorities.
Latest News Prospa acquires Loanezi, appoints founder to new role Founder & MD to take over channel relations in QLD, NSW and ACT after buy out

New cheapest fixed rate in Australia as Greater Bank dips to 1.59% Strongest signal yet that lenders are not anticipating cash rate rise

National Australia Banks (NABs) principal board risk committee knew of misconduct in than banks introducer program months before formally informing authorities.

During the second day of the Royal Commissions inquiry into illicit practices in the banking sector, Senior Counsel Assisting Rowena Orr said she received a document from the banks counsel detailing minutes of a 4 November 2015 meeting. NABs group chief risk officer reported the potential misconduct at that time. A statutory breach report was filed before the Australian Securities and Investments Commission on February 2016.

At least 1,360 NAB customers have been potentially affected by misconduct related to the program, NAB executive general manager of broker partnerships Anthony Waldron told the Royal Commission on that same day. The bank has contacted about 71% of them, he added.

The introducer program pays third party professionals for referring their customers to the bank for loans. Unlike brokers, they are not required to be licensed or regulated by the National Credit Act.

Waldron confirmed that some introducers were from industries unrelated to financial services. At the end of October 2015, for example, four introducers  one of them a gym owner  provided $139.78m of loans drawn down to NAB. Waldron also confirmed that $3.60m from those introducers were delinquent.

NAB fired 20 bankers in New South Wales and Victoria last year and disciplined 32 others, after the banks review identified around 2,300 home loans since 2013 that may have been submitted with incomplete or incorrect information.

There were about 8,000 introducers from 2013 to 2016. Waldron said NAB closed the program to new referrals in July 2016, and the number of introducers is now down to about 1,400. He also gave reasons for the dramatic drop.

One cause is that some introducers had been dormant, meaning they hadnt introduced a loan for a period. According to Waldron, another reason is that the only loan some had ever introduced was their own, and NAB hadnt received other referrals from them.

The third key component for it was they didnt fit our go-forward model of industries that we wanted introducers to be from, or they couldnt prove that they were from those industries and may not have held the accreditation for those industries that was there, and so they were removed as well. As well as obviously the introducers that we have already covered in the preceding conversations that were removed because we had concerns about fraud, Waldron added.

Related stories:
Latest News Prospa acquires Loanezi, appoints founder to new role Founder & MD to take over channel relations in QLD, NSW and ACT after buy out

New cheapest fixed rate in Australia as Greater Bank dips to 1.59% Strongest signal yet that lenders are not anticipating cash rate rise

The construction of 174 rental housing units in inner Sydney is about to commence, after the NSW Government delivered yesterday a $23.27m check City West Housing, a not-for-profit affordable rental-housing provider.

Sydney is the second most unaffordable housing market in the world after Hong Kong, according to the 2018 Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey. Rankings were based on the ratio of a citys median housing price to its median income. The NSW capital is a severely unaffordable market as median home costs there were 12.9 times the median income.

The construction of the 174 units is part of a program to deliver 640 additional affordable housing unit to the city by mid-2023. This program is part of the NSW Governments comprehensive response to tackling housing affordability and complements measures to boost supply, increase stamp duty concessions for first homebuyers and build more infrastructure to support housing, Minister for Planning and Housing Anthony Roberts said in a statement.

Funds were raised through an affordable housing contribution on 11 developments across Green Square and Pyrmont-Ultimo, the official added.

The latest UBS Real Estate Bubble Index released last year placed the Sydney market under a bubble risk. Since 1980, the average real annual price rise in Sydney has been 3.5%, the highest among all cities, the bank said.

Related stories:
Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

More like Brokelyn College!

Dozens of Brooklyn College students protested their campuss abysmal conditions along with roughly 100 pupils from other schools in the City University of New Yorks portfolio on March 12 at a rare open meeting of the school systems board of trustees at the Flatbush campus.

At Brooklyn College the infrastructure is crumbling, said Corrinne Greene, a junior studying theater. I cant overemphasize that.

The students complained that they are sick of the missing ceiling tiles, broken bathrooms, and lack of adequate funding at Brooklyn College. Faculty agreed, slamming Gov. Cuomos budget, saying it cut funds to city, further squeezing the university system.

Weve suffered badly from the withdrawal of state funding, said Brooklyn College biology teacher Peter Lipke to the board at the hearing. Our beautiful campus is crumbling.

The clock tower in the center of campus has come to symbolize the schools failing infrastructure.

Our gorgeous clock tower, said Greene, The symbol of our school, recently stopped functioning.

The students have started social-media campaigns to call attention to the dire conditions of the facilities, and the aptly named @cuny_brokelyn_college Instagram account has more than 200 followers. Theres also a Facebook page called Fixing Brokelyn College.

The problems go beyond unabated asbestos, damaged walls, and out-of-order bathrooms, the students complain, extending to inadequate funding of the schools programs. The music major who runs the Facebook page complains that many of the music professors are adjuncts only working part time, making it difficult to get help learning new pieces of music, for example.

Its ridiculous. I pay money to go this university, and they dont have full-time staff, and I cant go up to one of my teachers to ask for help, said Allan Randall.

Construction of a new performing arts center has been pushed back many times over the past few years, according to Randall and Greene.

Students arent the only ones who lament conditions at the school. Brooklyn College itself admits the facilities are in need of a makeover.

Most of the buildings at Brooklyn College are more than 50 years old, and are challenged by decades of deferred maintenance, said a spokesman for the school.

The spokesman added that the school is working with the city and the state to make upgrades.

Greene said she believes Mondays demonstration by students for across the city university system will make an impression on the board of trustees.

I hope its a symbol to the board of trustees and shows we are mobilized together, said Greene. This has gone on way too long.
Sign up for our PoliticsNY newsletter for the latest coverage and to stay informed about the 2021 elections in your district and across NYC

These kids get an A in activism.

Thousands of students rallied for stricter gun laws during school walkouts across the borough on Wednesday  one month to the day that a gunman killed 17 people when he opened fire inside a Florida high school.

Enough is enough  I want my voice to be heard, said Tyler Ovenden, a senior at Brooklyn Tech. There are all these shootings, and no one has spoken up.

Impassioned pupils from the Fort Greene high school joined kids from Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn Heights, PS 321 and the four schools within the John Jay Educational Campus in Park Slope, Fort Hamilton High School in Bay Ridge, Midwoods Edward R. Murrow High School, and other borough learning houses at demonstrations across Kings County.

Participants in the 17-minute walkouts  which were timed to reflect the number of lives lost in Florida, but went on for much longer in many cases  brandished signs and shouted chants demanding common-sense gun legislation, including new laws to ensure assault weapons, such as the semi-automatic AR-15 assault rifle the 19-year-old Florida shooter used in his deadly rampage, dont fall into the wrong hands.

And some young protestors expressed fears that their classrooms could become future targets if legislators do not act.

As a student, the situation is very scary, said Tasia Alam, a freshman at Edward R. Murrow. I would hate to see myself in that situation, and gun control is being handled in a very poor manner.

The rallies followed President Trumps decision earlier this week to disavow his previous pledge to push for tighter gun laws and instead move toward a National Rifle Associationbacked proposal to arm and train teachers who could defend students during an attack.

But the last thing many local students want is more firearms in classrooms, according to another Brooklyn Tech teen, who said even his educators recoiled at the thought.

I dont want my teachers to have guns, said Nicolas Killmer. Even my teachers dont want to have guns.

Borough President Adams, who led students and other residents in an after-school rally at the Prospect Park Bandshell that followed many of the morning walkouts, urged Brooklynites to stay vigilant in their fight for lasting reform.

Now is that moment. We must do something about guns, he said. This rally is just the beginning of a movement for national change on this critical issue.

And Mayor DeBlasio returned to Kings County to join the walkout at Edward R. Murrow, where he also spoke about the need to tighten gun regulations.

But despite Hizzoners involvement, kids who participated in the demonstration at the public high school were still marked absent from class, according to Alam, who said she would have appreciated a free pass from the leaders of the citys education system.

I would have done it either way, but I would prefer if I wasnt marked absent, she said.
Malaysia-based IHH Healthcare Berhad is all set to give a voluntary open offer sometime soon to buy the non-promoter shares of Fortis Healthcare Ltd.

In June 2017, the healthcare company had walked out of the bilateral talks with the Singh brothers, who were then controlling Fortis.

A Voluntary Open Offer is an open offer given by the acquirer voluntarily without triggering the mandatory open offer obligations.

The offer draws significance as competitor TPG-Manipal Hospitals group are also trying to get a minimum holding of 51% in the healthcare company. Currently, original promoters of Fortis hold less than 1% of the company - 0.77%. The current market cap of Fortis is Rs 7,909.52 crore.

IHH has tied up with investment bank Citi for this deal and is setting a whopping $1 billion fund for the share purchase. Manipal is believed to be working with Kotak Mahindra for the deal.

Mumbai-based private lender YES Bank is the single largest shareholder with a 17.03% stake in Fortis. Rest of the shares in the India's second-largest private hospital chain are divided among public and other institutions.

IHH, which controls the Parkway Pantai chain of hospitals, will not seek the promoters' shares for now, the Economic Times reported citing sources.

Law firm Luthra and Luthra, which was roped in by the board-run company's audit and risk-management committee, is expected to table a report on Fortis's treasury operations, inter-group and related-party transactions, allegations of the Singh brothers siphoningoff money, and other clauses. Previously, auditor major Deloitte said it cannot comment on the company's financials.

Following the reports of IHH share purchase, shares of Fortis Healthcare jumped as much as 5.5 per cent, its biggest intra-day percentage gain since February 23. Fortis shares have fallen 14.4 per cent in last one year.
The UIDAI's ambitious Aadhaar project is the world's largest biometric database with whopping 111 crore people of the total 125 crore Indians already connected with the identity scheme. While there's no doubt the Aadhaar system makes it easy for the government to rollout benefits that can reach the masses effectively, can the government guaranty the safety of this behemoth database?

On Wednesday, a French security expert, who goes by the name Elliot Alderson on social media but his real name is Baptiste Robert, posted a video on Twitter, saying "How to bypass the password protection of the official #Aadhaar #android #app in 1 minute". In this video, the hacker explains flaws in the UIDAI's mobile app, saying how one's Aadhaar information can be obtained by bypassing the password mechanism in the app.

How to bypass the password protection of the official #Aadhaar #android #app in 1 minute.

For this attack, the attacker need a physical access to the phone, rooted phone is not needed and yes this is the latest version of the app.

cc @uidai @ceo_uidai pic.twitter.com/7aZ0fvr0Wv - Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) March 13, 2018

Recently, Robert had claimed to have got access to over 20,000 Aadhaar account details by doing a simple search on Google. Explaining his claim, Robert told India Today: "These cards can be found on the internet. Everything is public, no hack is required. You only need to use Google. These cards have not been found on the UIDAI server".

In less than 3 hours, I found more than 20000 Aadhaar cards available publicly on the web. Repeat after me: #Aadhaar is secure, #Aadhaar is secure... - Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) March 10, 2018

On his claims to have gained access to the Aadhaar accounts, the UIDAI has issued a statement saying "by simply knowing someone's Aadhaar, one cannot impersonate and harm the person because Aadhaar alone is not sufficient to prove one's identity but it requires biometrics to authenticate one's identity".

UIDAI has dismissed the reports as irresponsible which appeared in a section of social and other media on security of Aadhaar system being questioned on account of a few Aadhaar cards reportedly put on the internet by some unscrupulous elements. 1/n - Aadhaar (@UIDAI) March 11, 2018

On this, Robert said: "they (UIDAI) also said the Aadhaar card is an identity document which is inconsistent with their statement". Meanwhile, he advised people not to "use the Aadhaar Android App at all, be cautious when you give your Aadhaar card to anyone".

The debate around the Aadhaar data safety in India is going on for long. Time and again, several loopholes have also been identified in its system. The government has tried to assuage the fears by introducing new layers of security to make it "safe and secure", but fears over data breach refuse to die down. The government is already hell bent on making Aadhaar mandatory to avail any service possible. But the Supreme Court, which is hearing a case on the Aadhaar's constitutional validity, has told the government not to "insist" people on connecting Aadhaar with services like bank accounts, mobile, etc, till the final verdict on the case is pronounced.

On January 4, a report published in The Tribune showed how its correspondent "purchased" a service from an anonymous seller on WhatsApp by paying Rs 500 via Paytm. Within minutes, the agent provided a login ID and password to a portal where the correspondent could enter any Aadhaar number and gain instant access to all of its details including name, address, phone number, photo and email.

As 'Data is the new oil' phrase becomes fashionable, there is a strong fear among people that linking Aadhaar with each and every system, which makes you compatible to live in society, could pose a danger to their identity and safety. The Economist in its report last year had observed how data as "a new commodity spawns a lucrative, fast-growing industry, prompting anti-trust regulators to step in to restrain those who control its flow."

On Tuesday, Robert had also highlighted that Paytm, India's largest e-payment service app, was asking the users' permission to have 'root access', which he claimed, allows Paytm to have full access to their mobile phone, including contacts, pictures, and chat details, among others. However, Paytm issued an immediate clarification saying it sought 'root access' because it's mandated by the umbrella body, NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India). "We are still checking if a device is rooted or not but the method has changed with a different coding. While the earlier method was foolproof, the latest one means to check if a device is rooted or not with a success rate of about 70-80%," a Paytm spokesperson said.
The Indian armed forces have told a Parliamentary panel that the Defence Budget for the current fiscal year is insufficient to meet the modernisation plans, more so with hostile and assertive neighbours like Pakistan and China.

The Parliament Standing Committee in its report, which was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, said that the Indian Army, Air Force and Navy are reeling under severe fund crunch even to buy new weapon systems required to fight a 10-day intense war, or pay for liabilities and recurring expenditures. The Army alone has a shortfall of Rs 42,512.14 crore.

Vice Chief of Army Lt Gen Sarath Chand told the panel that 68 per cent of the Army's equipment is in the 'vintage category'. "Funds allocated is insufficient and the Army is finding it difficult to even stock arms, ammunition, spares for a 10-day intensive war. All the three services are expected to be prepared for at least 10 days of intense battle."

The army vice-chief also said that the Rs 21,338 crore budgeted for modernising the defence forces is insufficient, given that the liabilities for 2017-18 are still to be met, and the balance amount will not be sufficient to fund the new schemes, including new weapon systems, for 2018-19.

Lt Gen Chand also highlighted chinks in the new procurement policy and the need to delegate financial powers to the Vice-Chief of Army. He said the possibilities of a "two front" war is a reality as the Doklam issue was far from over, and China has become increasingly assertive. The country needs to pay attention to modernise the armed forces to address the growing threat, he added.

Lt Gen Chand went on to add that the Army does not have adequate resources to construct some of the strategic roads near the Sino-India border. "We are witnessing more activities along the border whether it's patrolling or transgressions. Activities in Tibet have also increased over the years in terms of quantum of troops, level of exercises and others," he said.

He added that the Army has shortlisted 25 projects under the Make in India initiative but due to inadequate budget, many of these may "end up foreclosed".

The Parliamentary Standing Committee, headed by BJP MP B C Khanduri, criticised the government for inadequate allocation of financial resources to the armed forces. India Today has listed a number of observations highlighted in the report:

ARMY

The government had allowed the Vice-Chief of Army Staff to make emergency purchases of Rs 14,000 crore to cut the red-tape and speed-up the process of acquisition.

However, the committee found that no separate allocation was made in this regard.

The committee observed that nothing has been done to protect military installations and bases that are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

The committee concluded that the government needs to make tangible process rather than just policy announcements.

"The Committee is unhappy with the state of affairs in the Ministry with regard to existing scenario of 'perimeter security' of defence establishments and installations, including offshore establishments. The Sunjuwan attack underscores the need for speedymeasures," the committee said.

NAVY

The Navy has been allocated only 70 per cent of the funds that it had asked for. Against a projected need of of Rs 11,320.39 crore, the allocation has only been in the range of Rs 7,985.06 crore.

The Indian Navy has been given only Rs 20,003.71 crore for modernisation, whereas the Navy wanted at least of Rs 33,458.38crore,

The committee after consulting the Indian Navy has said matters such as maintaining the requisite armament level and emergency procurements would indeed require more funds.

"There is a huge shortfall of almost 40 per cent of the budget projected as required and "will indeed have a cascading impact on the operational preparedness and technological upgradation of the Navy," the committee observed.

AIR FORCE

Like the other two services that IAF too is severely cash strapped. The committee has found that IAF is short by at at least Rs 6,400 crore when it comes budgeted revenue expenditure.

While the IAF had asked for Rs 1,14,526 crore only Rs 65,891 crore have been allocated
The RBI on Tuesday barred banks from issuing guarantees in the form of letters of undertaking (LoU) to prevent any further misuse of the facility as was done by rogue jewellers Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi in the massive PNB fraud.

The magnitude of the PNB fraud has also gone up further with papers presented in court on Tuesday showing the public sector lender had lost an additional Rs 942 crore to companies owned by Mehula Choksi, according to a Reuters report.

The total amount that has been swindled in the country's biggest banking scam ever has now gone up to a humungous Rs 13,578 crore. In a court filing on Tuesday, police said the Gitanjali group of companies controlled by jeweller Mehul Choksi allegedly defrauded PNB of Rs 7,080 crore.

PNB had previously pegged its exposure to the Gitanjali companies at Rs 6,138 crore. The new disclosure takes PNB's overall exposure in the still unravelling fraud case to well over the $2 billion mark. A lawyer for Gitanjali group's head, Mehul Choksi, said he was unaware of the new allegations and declined to comment, the Reuters report said. The two fugitive jewellers had raised credit from overseas banks based on fraudulent guarantees issued in collusion with PNB staff. The RBI has decided not take any chances with this provision and cracked down to plug the route.

Reserve Bank of India also banned with immediate effect issuance of letters of comfort which, like LoUs, are used by importers to fund their overseas purchases. However, letters of credit and bank guarantees will continue upon meeting certain conditions, the central bank said in a press statement. Companies belonging to Modi and Choksi allegedly colluded with employees of Punjab National Bank's Brady House

branch in Mumbai to obtain fraudulent LoUs, without providing any margin money as security. They did not have any pre-approved credit limit either. These firms raised short-term credit from overseas branches of other Indian banks based on these LoUs. On a review of the extant guidelines, it has been decided to discontinue the practice of issuance of LoUs/LoCs for trade credits for imports into India by commercial banks with immediate effect, RBI said.

Letters of Credit and bank guarantees for trade credits for imports into India may continue to be issued subject to compliance with (certain) provisions. As a trade financing measure, overseas banks usually lend to importers based on the LoUs issued by the importers' bank. The money thus raised is used to make payment to offshore suppliers in for-eign currency. The change in regulations may hit import dependent businesses and trade that are often reliant on LoUs to get bank guarantees. Earlier in the day, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha said that Nirav Modi obtained his first fraudulent guarantee from PNB's Brady House branch in Mumbai on March 10, 2011 and managed to get 1,212 more such guarantees over the next 74 months.

PNB says junior employees at the branch issued LoUs over the SWIFT interbank messaging system without entering any of these transactions on the bank's own system. Such transactions went on for six years without detection. Solar Exports, Stellar Diamonds and Diamond R US belonging to high-end jeweller Modi and Choksi-promoted Gitanjali Gems, Gili India and Nakshatra are alleged to have been involved in the scam. CBI and ED are leading a multi agency probe into the fraud.

Both Modi and Choksi are abroad and have refused to return to face trial. Ajay Sahai, Director General of exporters' body Fieo said that the RBI decision should have very little impact on trade as bank guarantee and letter of credit continue to be available.

According to him, LoUs were generally used by large players in gems and jewellery sector. Other public sector banks, too, have approached the CBI as in the Rotomac Group and Simbhaoli Sugars cases in which loans have not been returned. Jolted by the PNB fraud and other bank scams surfacing in recent days, the Finance Ministry on Tuesday directed public sector banks to investigate all bad loan accounts exceeding Rs 50 crore for possible fraud and in case of any adverse findings report the cases immediately to the CBI.
Tata Sons subsidiary TAL Manufacturing Solutions will manufacture advanced composite floor beams for Boeing's 787-9/10 Dreamliners at its dedicated facility in Nagpur.

The US-based aircraft manufacturer and the Indian company has signed an agreement in this regard, TAl said on Wednesday.

Tata group companies are already manufacturing aerostructures for the aviation major's commercial and military planes. Boeing had awarded the first contract to TAL in October 2011 for manufacturing the floor beams.

Tata Boeing Aerospace, a joint venture between Boeing Corporation and Tata Advanced Systems, had recently inaugurated a state-of-the-art Apache fuselage facility in Hyderabad.

"The new contract for ACF beams for the B 787-9 and 787-10 planes is a reaffirmation of our commitment to India. Boeing has provided advanced technology to support this partnership, and closely worked with TAL," said Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India.

Tata Sons president for infrastructure, defence and aerospace, Banmali Agrawala said the collaboration between the two companies on various aerospace and defence programmes will drive synergies and create more opportunities in manufacturing and innovation for both companies.
Budget carrier IndiGo on Wednesday cancelled as many as 42 domestic flights after aviation regulator DGCA grounded 11 A320neo aircrafts fitted with a certain series of Pratt & Whitney engines. India's largest airline by market share said the flights that have been cancelled on March 14 were bound for Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune, Jaipur, Srinagar, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Delhi, Dehradun, Amritsar, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, among others.

The Wadia Group-promoted low-cost carrier GoAir, which operates 230-odd flights daily, has also cancelled six flights on today due to the grounding of three of its A320neo planes. In an announcement on its website, GoAir said it would cancel 18 flights, including 8 daily ones, from March 15 to 24. These include flights from Cochin, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.

The aviation sector in the country may remain affected with IndiGo and GoAir likely to face more disruptions in the coming weeks. Though the US-based aircraft engine maker had proposed a fix for the Pratt & Whitney's engine troubles but the two low-cost airlines may have to wait till June to get the replacements.

Launched in December 2010, Airbus A320neo (new engine option) is one of the fastest-selling aircraft in history. As compared to the previous narrow-body jets from Airbus, A320neo is more efficient - consuming 15 per cent less fuel, have lower CO2 emissions and significantly reduced noise footprint. These qualities attracted airlines across the world to introduce A320neos in their fleet, including 574 orders from GoAir and IndiGo.

IndiGo, which operates 1,000-odd flights per day, has had to replace Pratt & Whitney engines on its 32 A320 Neo aircraft at least 69 times in the period May 2016-November 2017. On an average, IndiGo flies four out of every 10 Indians. Of the total 11 A320neo aircrafts that have been grounded due to faulty engines, eight belong by IndiGo.

Commenting on the DGCA order, the newly-appointed Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu said, "This is only for passenger safety and airlines have also responded positively. They would like to restore the flights as soon as possible by making alternative arrangements. But we cannot play with any issue related to safety and safety is paramount."

Speaking to India Today following the DGCA order, MoS Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said, "All engines in the series that experienced trouble in India have been grounded. No aircraft with engines facing trouble will take off till issue completely resolved."

IndiGo has been struggling with the Pratt & Whitney engines in the newest A320 Neo aircraft ever since they were first inducted in February, 2016. Greg Hayes, chairman of Pratt & Whitney's parent UTC, responded to the issue in the post-earnings call in September, saying the company remains, "on track to certify a combustor upgrade to incorporate into new engines."

According to a Bloomberg report, the Pratt & Whitney proposed plan had called for the replacement of faulty engines by June requiring some planes to fly with one affected engine for almost three more months. Of the 11 newly grounded aircrafts, as many as five may be able to recommence flying by swapping engines between affected planes, it said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) order came soon after an IndiGo flight encountered a mid-air engine failure forcing the Lucknow-bound flight to return to Ahmedabad, where it made an emergency landing this morning. The Airbus A320 Neo plane had 186 passengers on board. Last month, a GoAir A320neo experienced an in-flight shut down of the P&W engine after it took off from Leh.

Citing safety of aircraft operations, the DGCA said, A320neos fitted with PW1100 engines beyond ESN 450 have been grounded with immediate effect. "Both IndiGo and GoAir have been told not to refit these engines, which are spare with them in their inventory," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.

Three other IndiGo A320neo planes have been on the ground since February following similar engine problems. On Monday, hundreds of passengers were stranded across the country as dozens of flights were cancelled by IndiGo and GoAir following the grounding of 11 planes.

An official statement from Pratt and Whitney said, "We are working closely with our customers to minimize disruption. The corrective action has been approved and we have already begun to deliver production engines with the upgraded configuration."

Commenting on the grounding of its A320neo fleet, IndiGo said, "We are in receipt of the communication from the DGCA and we shall promptly comply with the directions of the DGCA. Upon implementation of the directive, IndiGo shall have a total of nine A320 Neo aircraft on ground. The affected passengers would be accommodated on other flights on our network. Safety is our top priority."

Meanwhile, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has said the Indian decision is a "unilateral" one with which EASA wasn't involved, the European agency said in an emailed statement, adding that a complete grounding "is not deemed necessary for the time being."

IndiGo, which operates about 1,000 flights daily, carries about 40 per cent of domestic flyers, while GoAir has a market share of around 10 per cent. The ongoing problems with the engines raise concerns regarding passenger safety in Indian skies.
Within the work place it is important that each member of your staff represents the business and the qualities that you stand for. Uniform is often the first thing your customers and clients will see when they spot your employees, showing just how important it is for your employees uniform to stand out. There are many ways to make your brand stand out on your staffs uniform, and this can be done by incorporating a bright colour theme, adding embroidered patches of the companys logo, and an overall professional look. Here, were taking a closer look at how to make your employees uniforms stand out, and why this is important for your business.

The Brand

Each business has a recognisable brand, whether it be a recogniseable colour theme or a specific brand logo which work together to help make the uniform your employees are wearing stand out. This needs to be implemented from the start.

By having a strong colour theme which each member of staff must wear, which relates to the colours of your logo, you are able to create a a clear link between the brand and the employees within the franchise. Not only does this help to increase the professionalism of your brand but it also allows the employees to be recognizable within the workplace. A bright colour theme will help to make the uniform stand out as colour is often key to the overall branding of a business.

Unity within the workplace

A uniform can also work within a business to bring all the employees together, which is key as it gives your employees a sense of unity in the workplace. If the brand has a strong logo and a recognizable colour theme it means that it is easier to distinguish co- workers from general members of the public. Having a uniform within the workplace also helps the workplace to feel more professional and signifies togetherness not only between the co-workers but also the brand as a whole. Behaviour and the dresscode of the employees will determine the way in which the company is represented.

Practicality of the uniform

Another key point to consider when creating a uniform is to make sure that the uniform is practical. An example of this is resturant staff; the front of house typically wear a uniform with a simple black and white colour theme, which represents the companys overall brand and aestetic, however the behind-the-scenes staff are likely to wear chefs uniforms, which enable them to complete there job effectively. Although each uniform is different in order to cater for the opposing career requirements, each employee is still able to stand out due to the colour theme and embroidered patch.

Text

Finally another important aspect of making the uniform stand out is to have the brands typeface exactly the same across each uniform. This level of continuity helps the brand to become easily identifiable. The choice of typeface is key to making sure the brand and its employees stand out.

There are a broad number of ways in which you can ensure that your employees uniform stand out. With the ability to produce an air of professionalism, while maintaining unity amongst the workplace, a recognisable uniform is imperative.
France said on Wednesday it will take Google and Apple to court and seek fines of 2 million euros over what it termed "abusive" contractual terms imposed by the tech giants on startups and developers.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told RTL radio he had been made aware that Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google unilaterally imposed prices and contract changes on developers selling software on Google Play and Apple's App Store.

"I will therefore be taking Google and Apple to the Paris commercial court for abusive trade practices," Le Maire said.

"As powerful as they are, Google and Apple should not be able to treat our startups and our developers the way they currently do."

France's DGCCRF consumer fraud watchdog confirmed in a subsequent statement that it had begun legal action against the U.S. technology groups.

Google spokeswoman Mathilde Mechin said: "We believe our terms comply with French laws and are looking forward to making our case in court." An Apple spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.

Le Maire also said he expected the European Union to close tax loopholes that benefit Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon by the start of 2019. Brussels is currently examining measures to improve the taxation of overseas tech giants' online business in European markets. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Laos President Ben Yang participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for a hospital building in the capital of the Southeast Asian country. Photo: Xinhua

China has signed an agreement with Laos to renovate a hospital in Vientiane, one of Beijings largest overseas health care investments, as the government seeks to diversify Belt and Road initiative projects.

Chinas Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday said that construction will start in October of a new 600-bed hospital building on the site of the century-old Mahosot Hospital along the Mekong River in the capital of the Southeast Asian nation.

The new building, which will have eight floors and an area of 54,000 square meters (581,000 square feet), is scheduled to be completed in three years.

In terms of both investment and construction scale, the building will be one of the largest health care projects that China has involved itself with overseas, according to the Ministry of Commerce, which did not disclose any specific financial details.

The project can help the two sides promote the Belt and Road initiative, the ministry said.

The Belt and Road initiative, inspired by the ancient Silk Road trade routes, was raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 and has developed into an all-out national strategy to beef up infrastructure to better connect China with Europe and Central Asia by land, and with Africa and Southeast Asia by sea.

The projects have mainly focused on infrastructure, such as roads, railways, ports and industrial parks. In Laos, for example, ongoing Belt and Road projects include an industrial park, a satellite and a railway that will help connect the landlocked country with Thai ports.

But the kinds of projects involved in the initiative have gradually become more diverse, and now include those dealing with social issues. Belt and Road health care projects have not only seen Chinese funds and technology heading abroad, such as the launch of a hospital in Kyrgyzstan in May 2017, but have also seen improvements to Chinas medical facilities.

In September, the Guangzhou city government set up a fund of more than 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) to jointly build three health care facilities in cooperation with Spanish medical institutions in the southern city.

Contact reporter Coco Feng (renkefeng@caixin.com)
German chemicals giant Bayer AG has obtained conditional approval from China's Commerce Ministry to acquire Monsanto Co., clearing one of its major international regulatory hurdles for the $66 billion deal to materialize.

The antitrust review, which began in December 2016, concluded that Bayer must spin off some businesses globally, including those of vegetable seeds, soybean, potatoes and cotton, among other assets, the ministry said in a statement on its website Tuesday.

The ministry also ordered Bayer to share data and its agricultural digital platform with domestic mobile-application developers.

Chinas potential veto power of a merger deal involving two companies based outside its borders reflects Beijings growing voice in the development of such deals. Other major markets, including the U.S., Europe and Japan, have exercised similar power to veto or alter such deals when either of the two companies involved has a major presence in their respective markets.

In early 2016, Bayer offered to acquire Monsanto, the worlds largest seed company, which initially rejected the proposal but later accepted one with a higher price.

The merger is still awaiting approval from antitrust agencies of other markets.

Bayer has announced it will sell its seed and herbicide businesses to competitor BASF SE for $7 billion to meet the regulatory review of the European Commission, which is expected to rule on the deal in April.

The U.S. Justice Departments antitrust review of the merger is ongoing. And in Russia, the chemicals-maker has sued the countrys regulator for its demands to share technology with the local agricultural sector.

Contact reporter Mo Yelin (yelinmo@caixin.com)
Ive felt a sense of deja vu these past two weeks amid the latest chatter of bringing Chinas high-tech leaders home to list. The topic has popped back into the headlines on reports that Beijing is considering a plan that would let overseas-listed Chinese firms like Alibaba and Baidu make secondary listings on the mainland through the issue of China Depositary Receipts, or CDRs.

Ill explain the concept shortly, along with some technical issues that such a program would need to address. But before that, Ill begin with a heavy touch of skepticism of the Ive seen this before variety, based on numerous cases of similar talk in the past that never came to anything.

That said, my contacts who closely follow this particular topic were quite mixed on the chances that this time will be different. Among this limited group, nearly everyone sensed a stronger sense of purpose this time around, perhaps due to a certain loss of face at having your hottest companies listed in other markets, mostly New York and Hong Kong.

A good analogy would be the strangeness of seeing Apple, Amazon or Facebook, which are squarely rooted in the U.S., listed in London, Frankfurt or Hong Kong. While such a reality might seem unthinkable, such is the case for nearly every leading Chinese tech firm, including Alibaba and Baidu, which are listed in New York, and Tencent, which is in Hong Kong.

Thats not to say that U.S. and Hong Kong investors dont appreciate these companies, even though most have never used Alibabas hugely popular online marketplaces, or Tencents equally popular social networking services. Investors in both places have given the pair huge valuations of around $500 billion, making them two of the worlds 10 largest publicly traded companies.

And yet despite their huge success, that pair and most of Chinas other top tech names, including gaming giant NetEase, online travel specialist Ctrip and the Twitter-like Weibo, remain out of reach of most Chinese stock buyers.

Old as the woods

Talk of luring these companies to list back home seems as old as the woods, at least in terms of Chinas relatively short history with stock markets and private companies. My earliest memory of such talk dates back to just after the start of the new millennium, when NetEase and a few other early high-tech firms said they might consider secondary listings outside the U.S.

Another memorable effort came about a decade ago when there was talk of setting up an international board in Shanghai, which would only be open to offshore-domiciled companies. That was meant to attract not only the China tech firms, many of which are technically domiciled in places like the Cayman Islands, but also so-called Red Chips like China Mobile and Lenovo, which are also domiciled in similar places for technical reasons and thus banned from trading on the mainland.

While none of those plans ever went anywhere, this latest CDR plan seems to be generating quite a bit of buzz. Put simply, it would mimic a similar U.S. system that lets companies package their ordinary shares that trade on one stock exchange into bundles that can then be traded on another. The American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program is quite old, and already allows big Chinese names like China Mobile and PetroChina to have major secondary listings in New York.

Thus the CDR plan now being discussed in Beijing would allow big names like Alibaba and Tencent to make similar secondary listings back at home. A number of Chinese tech chiefs, including Baidus Robin Li, were quizzed on the subject as they attended the annual meeting of Chinas legislature and its main advisory body in Beijing over the past week. Not surprisingly, all said they would consider returning home to list under such a plan. After all, talk is cheap.

One of my contacts who works with quite a few of these companies was surprisingly bullish on the chances for success this time around, saying: I think this time its serious. He pointed to the recent de-listing of security software giant Qihoo 360 from New York and a relatively quick re-listing of the company in China as a sign of Beijings new resolve to bring home more of its high-tech champions.

The other sign he pointed to was the recent approval of a mainland listing for the China operations of Foxconn, a massive Taiwan-based contract manufacturer that counts Apple as one of its top customers. Foxconn Industrial Internet was given special status that allowed it to effectively jump the huge queue of other companies waiting to list on the mainland, as part of Beijings efforts to show it was serious about attracting top Chinese firms to list at home.

Any bettors out there who really believe such a move is coming could potentially make some money by buying these U.S. and Hong Kong-listed tech shares. The logic would say those shares might rise in anticipation of the same firms getting higher valuations from Chinese investors if and when they make secondary listings back at home. But such logic also depends on creation of a system that would let investors freely swap back and forth between CDRs and the companies current U.S.- and Hong Kong-listed shares, something thats by no means guaranteed.

As with many things, the devil will almost certainly lie in the details of such a plan. China doesnt exactly have a stellar track record on that front, largely due to its lack of experience and also the tendency of local investors to find loopholes to exploit the system wherever possible. At the end of the day, Beijing first and foremost needs to find the resolve to see this plan through to actual execution  no small feat for a government that often gets cold feet at the first sign of even the smallest volatility in the nations young financial markets.

Doug Young has lived in Greater China for two decades, including a 10-year stint at Reuters, where he led China corporate news coverage. Send your questions or comments to DougYoung@caixin.com
Modified On Jan 03, 2019 12:42 PM By Raunak for Hyundai Elite i20 2017-2020

Despite being one of the most well-rounded packages in the premium hatchback space, the second-gen i20 facelift still leaves us wanting in some departments

The Hyundai Elite i20 facelift made its global debut at the Auto Expo 2018. In typical Hyundai fashion, the hatchback received minor cosmetic enhancements along with additional features. Frankly theres little to find fault with the car, though we wish Hyundai had done more to make the Elite i20 tempting than ever! Here are the five things that Hyundai could have done to make the 2018 Elite i20 a better package.

No automatic version at launch

With the launch of the facelift, Hyundai discontinued the 1.4-litre petrol automatic version based on the Magna variant. While Hyundai has said that it will offer a new CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic with the 2018 Elite i20 petrol, its launch date is unknown. The automatic variant of the pre-facelift model struggled to find takers, but that could also be because of its lack of features. As a result, it was losing ground to popular automatic hatchbacks such as the Jazz petrol CVT and the Baleno petrol CVT.

Better distribution of features

Hyundai has removed some of the features that were offered before such as the 60:40 split-folding rear seat. Features such as the passive keyless entry with engine start-stop along with the diamond-cut alloy wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel and the leather-wrapped gear lever, which were offered in the Asta variant of the pre-facelift version are now limited to the range-topping Asta (O) variant. Safety and convenience features such as Isofix child seat anchors (standard in the Baleno) and rear adjustable headrests (available on all variants of the Baleno except the base) can only be had with the range-topping Asta (O) variant.

While the Elite i20 facelift continues to be one of the most feature-loaded premium hatchbacks, Hyundai has spoilt us for choice by offering more with each new car. Hence, we expected a few more goodies from the new Verna to make their way into the refreshed hatchback. First off, Hyundai has once again skimped on tail lamps with LED graphics. Although they werent offered in the older version sold here, the pre-facelift Elite i20 sold in other markets did feature them. Both of its prime rivals, the Baleno and the Jazz, offer LED tail lamps. Moreover, Hyundai could have offered a sunroof like it used to as an option on the first-gen i20 and even the smaller i10. As weve seen in the Honda WR-Vs case, Indians love sunroofs and offering one in the Elite i20 could have been a trend-setting move from Hyundai in this segment.

A go-fast version

The second-gen i20 is available with a 1.0-litre turbocharged engine (120PS/171Nm) in Europe and other markets, but Hyundai is yet to offer it with the India-spec hatchback. We were hoping Hyundai would at least announce a performance-oriented version of the Elite i20 to compete with the likes of the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS (102PS/150Nm) and the popular VW Polo GT TSI (105PS/175Nnm). Perhaps, Hyundai is saving this motor for its first sub-4m SUV based on the Carlino concept that is likely to arrive in 2019.

Top-spec unavailable with two-tone

Pictured: Hyundai Elite i20 Asta (O)

Hyundai has decided to offer a dual-tone version of the updated Elite i20 this time around. However, it is only available in the Asta variant. So those buying the top-end Asta (O) not only miss out on this cosmetic feature but also do not get to choose the all-black cabin, even as an option. On the flip side, the dual-tone Asta variant misses out on features such as Isofix child seat anchors, projector headlamps, Hyundai telematic services (Auto Link) and rear wash wipe, among others.

Pictured: Hyundai Elite i20 Asta Dual-Tone

Maybe a more differentiating design?

Updates to the exterior are minimal in nature. Yes, Hyundai could quote the old adage if it aint broke, dont fix it and be content with itself. However, the jury is still out on whether the Korean carmaker could have used the opportunity to give the Elite i20 a more distinctive face. Fortunately, the rear profile gets significant changes. Though it is purely subjective, Hyundai has definitely played it safe with the updated Elite i20 in terms of styling and we feel it could have done more.

Check out: Top 5 Hatchbacks At Auto Expo 2018  New Swift, 45X, Elite i20, Future-S & Tiago

Read More on : Hyundai i20 diesel
Modified On Mar 14, 2018 05:53 PM By Dhruv.A for Datsun redi-GO 2016-2020

Apart from free insurance, there's no real cash discount on offer unless you're a government employee or work in a corporate house

If you are eyeing a new car purchase weve got some news that should interest you. Nissan and Datsun have announced some offers that are worth looking out for. The carmakers are offering free insurance on all vehicles apart from the recently launched redi-GO AMT, along with accessories, a rate of interest of 7.99 per cent, and some more savings for government or corporate employees. On top of these offers, the 2017 car models further attract an undisclosed discount.

Heres a detailed breakdown of the offers from Nissan-Datsun.

Nissan Free Insurance(Rs) Accessories (Rs) Govt Employee/ Corporate Offer (Rs) Total Benefits (Rs) Terrano 45,000 15,000 12,000 72,000 Sunny 35,000 15,000 10,000 60,000 Micra 25,000 10,000 8,000 43,000 Micra Active 20,000 8,000 6,000 34,000

Datsun Free Insurance(Rs) Accessories (Rs) Govt/ Corporate Employee Offer (Rs) Total Benefits (Rs) Go 12,500 5,000 5,000 22,500 Go+ 14,000 5,000 5,000 24,000 redi Go 11,000 5,000 5,000 21,000 redi Go 1.0L 14,000 5,000 5,000 24,000 redi Go AMT NA 5,000 5,000 10,000

All the cars get free insurance, apart from the redi-GO AMT which was launched in January 2018 at Rs 3.80 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). Also Read: Datsun Launches Go, Go Plus Remix Editions In India

The price cuts come at a time when car prices are going up due to increase in import duties. If you intend to keep your vehicle for the long run (say, more than 4 years) than these seem to be the deals that you can make the most of. Recommended: March 2018 Offers & Discounts On Renault Kwid, Captur, Duster and Lodgy

Nissan had earlier announced an interesting challenge which involved test driving its automatic lineup and a chance of winning free accessories between Rs 5,000 to Rs 8,000. Click here for more details.
Modified On Mar 14, 2018 05:39 PM By CarDekho

The one month extension comes in the wake of a fresh plea filed by a supplier and manufacturer of bull bars

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH) had banned the fitment of bull bars on passenger vehicles in December 2017, stating that it was in violation of section 52 of the Motor Vehicles Act 1988. It also levied a fine between Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000.

However, the Delhi High Court has now ordered a stay on the decision till April 18, 2018. A bench of two judges is hearing a plea from a supplier and manufacturer of bull bars asking clarification on reasons for the ban.

No challans will be issued in the interim. While the authorities still have more than a month to answer the queries, here we are going to explain why these contraptions pose a serious threat to the drivers, pedestrians and even the vehicles that they are meant to protect.

Damage To The Chassis

In the event of a collision of a car with a bull bar, the bonnet, which is designed to absorb and crumple on impact, doesnt even come in contact with the colliding object. Crumple zones in a car are specifically designed to absorb the impact. However, the bull bars channel the energy away from these crumple zones, nullifying their presence altogether.

Instead, all the force from the impact accumulates on the two points at which the bull bar is bolted on the chassis of the vehicle, leading to too much pressure on the chassis and thus amplifying the damage. The damage is more in the case of vehicles based on monocoque construction, like the Maruti Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Creta, compared to vehicles built on a ladder-frame type chassis, like the Mahindra Scorpio.

Affects Airbag Deployment

Airbags deploy as soon their sensors detect an impact, and these sensors dont function properly if bull bars are fitted on the vehicle. We have come to know of instances in the past where occupants inside a car fitted with a bull bar got hurt because the airbags didnt deploy on time. Also Read: 5 Step Guide To Safe Driving Training

Dangerous For Pedestrians

The front end of cars are designed to maximise pedestrian safety in case of an accident, with some even going to the extent of fitting a pedestrian airbag to the car. But the presence of bull bar has proved to be lethal in some of these situations.

Do you think bull bars make sense or are we better off banning them off our roads? Let us know in the comments section.
Step 1

Log on to the APSC official website.

Step 2

Scroll down and click on the Application Form for Other Examinations link on the left-hand side of the home page.

Step 3

The instructions to apply will be displayed on the screen.

Step 4

Scroll down to find the application form.

Step 5

Take a print out of it and enter your particulars in the fields provided.
Step 1

Log on to the ONGC Official website.

Step 2

Click on the Career tab on the home page.

Step 3

Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Under Recruitment Notices, click the link that reads, Walk-In Interview for the Engagement of Field Duty Medical Officer (Officer), Visiting Specialists (on Contract Basis up to 30.06.2018)-ADVT. NO. 01/2018/DOC/WOU-ONGC Mumbai.

Step 4

The recruitment advertisement will be displayed on the screen.

Step 5

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the link that reads, CLICK HERE TO REGISTER YOUR NAME.

Step 6

The registration form will be displayed as a Google document. Fill your particulars in the fields provided.

Step 7

Click Submit.
1. Department Of Education, University Of Delhi, New Delhi

This was the first institute in professional learning and research in the field of education to be established in independent India. It was established way back in 1947, this institution has constantly evolved and worked towards solving the dynamic educational problems of the country.

Its unique philosophy which reflects in its academic program is something that has ensured that every student who graduates from this place becomes a model teacher. The MEd fee here is Rs 30,000 per year.

Visit Us At: Department of Education - University of Delhi, New Delhi

2. Faculty Of Education, Jamia Millia Islamia University, South Delhi

This institute focuses a lot on the personality developments of its students and encourages them to participate in NSS and other co-curricular activities. This institute also focuses on research activities for its MEd students and makes significant contributions to programs of other premier institutions like NIOS, IGNOU, NCERT and NUEPA.

Another interesting attribute of this course is the fact that importance is laid not only on the pursuit of English, but the courses are also held in Urdu and Hindi in an endeavour to produce quality teachers in vernacular medium as well.

Visit Us At: Faculty of Education - Jamia Millia Islamia University, South Delhi

3. University School Of Education, GGSIPU University, New Delhi

The fee structure here is pretty nominal and comes down to about Rs 23,000 per year. The speciality of this course is the fact that the subjects are very evenly distributed and due stress is laid on all the aspects of this course.

The fact that teaching for specially abled children is treated as a separate subject is commendable to say the least. It also offers a lot of choice with respect to electives.

Visit Us At: University School of Education - GGSIPU University, Delhi

4. Department Of Education, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak

With a fee structure of a mere Rs 15,000 for the entire course, this institute ensures that the dearth of money can never be a hindrance to quality education. To get admission to this coveted institution one needs to have very good grades in their undergraduate BEd program.

In addition to that they will have to clear the entrance test that is set by this institution. Only the top of the creamy layer make their way to this institution

Visit Us At: Department of Education - Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak

5. Department Of Education, Bangalore University, Bengaluru

The fee structure for the MEd course is somewhere close to Rs 50,000. The exceptional library of this institute ensures that the students get into the habit of regular reading. This habit comes of use to them when they become teachers and have to prepare class notes on their own.

Visit Us At: Department of Education - Bangalore University, Bengaluru

6. Faculty Of Education, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

This institute offers master's program in education that trains its students to teach traditional Indian values to their students while keeping up with the global standards. This is one of the most holistic courses in the list.

Visit Us At: Faculty of Education - Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi

7. Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi

IGNOU stands apart from all others in terms of the fact that it offers master's courses in distance so that students can pursue higher studies while parallelly working. It is particularly feasible for teachers who are already working and have a BEd degree but want to improve their teaching abilities.

8. Institute Of Advanced Study In Education, Osmania University, Hyderabad

Approved by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), this institution is one that stands apart from all others in terms of the quality of education that it offers to its students.

The course structure here is such that the students are given a lot of exposure to practical teaching methodologies. All of this in turn ensures that the students make exceptional teachers themselves.

Visit Us At: Institute of Advanced Study in Education - Osmania University, Hyderabad

9. A.W.H College Of Education, Calicut

Established in 1996, the speciality of this college lies in its infrastructure. With a building sprawling over five storeys, this institution ensures that a minimum of 50% of the seats are for students of the merit background.

As this institution is run by the Association for Welfare of the Handicapped, a major portion of the income of this institution goes to charity - that is where the money that comes from the other 50% of the seats (the management seats) goes to.

Visit Us At: A.W.H College of Education, Calicut

10. Department Of Education, University Of Mumbai, Mumbai

One of the most important things that this institution successfully carries out is the fact that it reaches out to other educational institutions in the areas of teaching technology, education management and research methodology in social sciences.

The training imparted at the master's program of this institution lays particular emphasis on the training of middle level managers of education so that they can manage the institution under their control both from a personal as well as from a societal aspect.

Visit Us At: Department of Education - University of Mumbai, Mumbai
Until now Maruti Suzuki products in India had been limited to a five-speed manual transmission. Moving a step ahead, the company plans to launch a new six-speed gearbox codenamed the MF30. Reports further indicate that the new Swift hatchback will be the first one to offer a six-speed gearbox followed by other products in the companys lineup.

It is believed that the new six-speed transmission will deliver better fuel efficiency figures and reduce the engine stress. Apart from technological advantage, the new six-speed transmission will help the company strengthen its competition against its rivals such as Hyundai, Renault and Tata who offer six-speed gearbox options on specific models.

In the past, Maruti Suzuki had been offering a six-speed unit in the 1.6-litre diesel variant of the S-Cross in India. However, with recent launch of S-Cross facelift which is limited to 1.3-litre engine, it is offered with a five-speed manual transmission only. More details on the new six-speed transmission will be known in the days to come.

Maruti Suzuki
Photo: The Canadian Press

UPDATE: 11:45 a.m.

Air Canada says it has restored its computer systems after a morning outage led to delays across the airline's operations.

The company says it expects some continued flight delays as it works to clear the backlog caused by a disruption of its airport systems, check-in and customer service centres.

Airports in Toronto and Vancouver had reported disrupted flight schedules because of the technical issues along with congested terminals.

Air Canada customers in Canada and abroad took to Twitter to complain of long lines, flight delays and other travel disruptions because of the computer problems.

The company apologized for the inconvenience and thanked customers for their patience.

The disruption came two weeks after the airline had a computer issue that disrupted web and mobile check-ins and call centre operations and delayed boarding on some flights.

ORIGINAL: 10:40 a.m.

Air Canada has confirmed a system outage is leading to service interruptions as angry passengers take to Twitter to complain about long lines and flight delays during the March break travel rush.

The airline tweeted that it was "experiencing an interruption" at its contact centres and website and is working to restore service as soon as possible.

The Vancouver International Airport says there is congestion in the terminal because of Air Canada technical issues that are affecting flights nationwide.

Toronto Pearson International Airport has also confirmed that the Air Canada system issue is affecting flight schedules.

Air Canada customers in foreign airports have also been raising concerns about long lines and check-in delays.

The disruption comes two weeks after the airline had a computer issue that disrupted web and mobile check-ins and call centre operations and temporarily delayed boarding on some flights.
Madison Erhardt

Fire crews were hard at work well before 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Kelowna fire crews and RCMP arrived to Kelowna Yarn and Needlecraft at Harvey and Kirschner just after 7 a.m.

"This morning we have had several structure fires in Kelowna. Crews were spread pretty thin. We have got a handle on them now so we are just getting the department back in order," said Platoon Capt. Scott Clarke.

The fire on Kirschner started in a mechanical room.

"The fire extended into the celling and into the roof. It was a little tough to get at, but crews did a good job and got it out pretty quickly. We are now in the mop-up stage," Clarke added.

The three structure fires occurred along Kirschner and Harvey, Springfield Road, and Gerstmar and Graham.

Fire crews and Kelowna RCMP will continue to investigate the cause of all three fires.
Photo: School District 78 Boston Bar Elementary-Secondary School

A former Boston Bar teacher was disciplined for making several inappropriate comments to students, including asking a pregnant Grade 11 student if her pregnancy made her hornier.

A recently released consent resolution agreement from B.C.'s teacher regulation commissioner Bruce Preston says Darryl Inancsi acted in an inappropriate and unprofessional way in his Boston Bar Elementary-Secondary School classroom in September 2012.

In addition to the inquiry about his student's sexual appetite, he asked another female student whether she had done drugs over the summer.

He also swore at his students several times, telling a Grade 8 student to pick up your s**t and get the hell out of here, and telling the school's principal, in front of his entire class, that a student had told him to go f**k himself.

In his report, the commissioner said Inancsi repeatedly raised his voice and swore at students.

In October 2012, School District 78 issued Inancsi a letter of discipline and required he attend anger management counselling and a B.C. Teachers' Federation professional boundaries course.

Inancsi completed the counselling and course, but took a leave of absence in September 2013, and hasn't returned to teaching.

The 2012 incidents weren't the first time Inancsi had been disciplined by the district. He had received a letter of reprimand in 2001, and two letters of direction in 2008.
Photo: The Canadian Press Marc-Andre Leclerc

The family of missing B.C. rock climber Marc-Andre Leclerc is reporting on social media that Leclerc and his climbing companion have died while attempting a new route on a mountain in Alaska.

Serge Leclerc posted the message on his public Facebook page late Tuesday night but offered no details.

He says two great climbers have been lost and he lost a son he is really proud of.

Twenty-four-year-old Marc-Andre Leclerc of Squamish and his 34-year-old climbing companion Ryan Johnson of Juneau hadn't been heard from since March 5 when they posted a photo from the top of the Mendenhall Towers, about 20 kilometres north of Juneau.

Poor weather hampered search efforts when the men were reported overdue later that week but crews were able to search the north face of the mountain on Tuesday.

Further information from a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers is expected later.
Siam City Cement posts 28% revenue increase 43% net profit dip 2017

ICR Newsroom By 14 March 2018

Siam City Cement announced a total consolidated revenue increase of 25.8 per cent to THB43.885bn in 2017 from THB34.896bn the previous year. Net sales increased 27.6 per cent YoY to THB43.634bn from THB34.192bn during the same period.



But as expenses surged 34.8 per cent YoY to THB39.632bn, the companys profit before joint venture and associate shares, finance cost and income tax expenses fell by 22.7 per cent to THB4.253bn from THB5.501bn in 2016.



Net profit came down 42.6 per cent YoY to THB2.232bn from THB3.886bn the previous year on higher finance costs of THB1.295bn while income tax expenses reached THB852m. Net profit attributable to equity holders of the company stood at THB1.818bn, down from THB3.887bn the previous year.



The company improved its gearing from 108 per cent in 2016 to 84 per cent one year later.



Siam City Cement operates 24.8Mta of cement capacity and 14.5Mta of clinker capacity in plants in Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and is part of a joint venture in Cambodia. In addition, the company exports to India, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and South Africa. In 2017 its cement division sold THB35.999bn of cement, or 77 per cent of total sales. A further THB8.174bn in sales was made by its concrete and aggregates segments while other sales segments sold THB2.731bn worth of products.





Published under
Few people have had a better start to 2018 than Adam Rippon. The 28-year-old figure skater was one of the breakout stars of the 2018 Winter Olympics, making a major impression on social media. Since his Olympics debut, Rippon has gone to the Oscars, received an award from the Human Rights Campaign, and declared his love for Legally Blonde to Reese Witherspoon on The Late Show.

In addition to making us laugh with his hilarious tweets and TV appearances, Rippon also inspires us. He made history at the Winter Olympics, and his presence there will likely embolden thousands of young people who now look up to him.

Here are some of the ways in which Rippon has inspired us in 2018.

1. He became the first openly gay U.S. figure skater to compete in the Winter Olympics

Just by going to the Olympics at all, Adam Rippon was already making history. After all, he became the first openly gay U.S. figure skater to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Rippon came out as gay in October 2015 by speaking with SKATING Magazine. Being gay is not something that defines me, he said. What defines me is what my mom always taught me: to treat everyone with respect, to always be a hard worker and to be kind. Those are the things that define me.

Rippon later explained that he was inspired to come out after the passing of Russias infamous gay propaganda law and after seeing athletes ignoring the issue at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Next: Rippon took this stand on an issue he cares about.

2. He called out Mike Pence and took a stand against gay conversion therapy

Rippon could have attempted to steer clear of politics while gaining popularity at the 2018 Winter Olympics, not wanting to alienate any of his fans. But instead, Rippon stood up for what he believes in.

Namely, Rippon called out Vice President Mike Pence for once supporting the use of federal funding to treat people seeking to change their sexual behavior.

When interviewed for The USA Today and asked how he felt about Pence leading the U.S. delegation to Pyeongchang, Rippon said, You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy? Im not buying it.

In subsequent weeks, Rippon also called out Pence for his record on other issues related to the LGBT community, such as not allowing transgender Americans to serve in the military.

Next: Rippon surprised some people by also saying this about Mike Pence.

3. He said he would meet with Pence, despite disagreeing with him

After Rippon called Pence out, he declined an invitation to meet with the vice president. This gained a lot of attention at the time, though Rippon says he only declined the meeting because he was busy getting ready for the Olympics.

Now, however, Rippon has said that he would meet with Pence. This is despite the fact that he strongly disagrees with him on issues, especially when it comes to gay rights.

I agree with so many people that you dont get to make any sort of change if you dont try to at least reach across and have the opportunity to speak, Rippon told CNN. Im making it clear that I would really like to have that conversation because I still have that Olympics platform and Id like to use it. Rippon has indicated that he wouldnt want to meet with President Trump, though, due to the way that Trump has demeaned women. Next: Rippon had this to say when people told him they hope he fails.
You might have heard grocery chain Aldi sells some pretty luxurious non-grocery products. These are knock-offs of designer goods that come dangerously close to (sometimes reportedly even better than) designer department store brands. Its obvious from social media these thrifty products have quite a following. But theres a catch: Theyre not sold in the U.S.

Aldi is based in Germany, and the discount supermarket chain is known for selling some items in certain countries and not others. Here are eight products sold at Aldi stores in Europe that we hope make it to the U.S. really soon.

1. Luxury Fragranced Candle

Compared to: Joe Malone London

Joe Malone London Price of Aldi candle: $5.55

$5.55 U.S. department store price of Jo Malone candle: $65

These 7-ounce candles are compared to those from luxury brand Jo Malone, which sell in U.S. department stores for $65 each. The Aldi brand comes in three scents  Pomegranate Noir, Freesia & Pear, and Lime Basil & Mandarin  and they sell for just $5.55 each.

Aldis knockoff candles are created by the supermarkets team of expert perfumers. They look just as impressive as the real deal; but they did not burn as evenly or smell as strongly during a comparison done by Jenny Frances from The Sun. Still, for less than one-tenth of the designer price, it would be well worth a try in our book.

Next: Smells like Chanel but cheaper

2. Suddenly Madame Glamour perfume

Compared to: Chanel Coco Mademoiselle

Chanel Coco Mademoiselle Price of Lidl perfume at Aldi: $5.55

$5.55 U.S. department store price of Chanel perfume: $75

Aldi doesnt manufacture Lidl brand products, but it often sells them. For this perfume, the bottle design and the scents are similar to Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, but the Chanel brand costs 15 times more than what youd pay for the Lidl brand at Aldi. Both perfumes feature citrus and floral top notes and ingredients like rose and jasmine.

For [the price] you really cant complain, said British YouTuber Emma Mumford, who did a side-by-side comparison and found the Chanel version to be slightly sweeter smelling than the Lidl brand. They are very similar. We did find the Lidl brand on Amazon, but at a much higher price than that of Aldi U.K., of $27.

Next: Irish cream

3. Ballycastle Irish Cream

Compared to: Baileys Irish Cream

Baileys Irish Cream Price of Aldi brand: $5.96

$5.96 Price of Baileys in U.S. stores: $19.99

Aldi U.K. sells a 700-ml bottle of its Ballycastle brand Irish cream for three times less than what Baileys sells for in most U.S. stores. How do the tastes stack up? Francis from The Sun actually preferred the Ballycastle brand, describing it as creamier. Another tester described the Aldi brand as smooth to taste but not as thick as some other Irish cream brands.

While youll certainly pay less for the Aldi brand, its worth a mention that the name brand of this whiskey- and cream-based liqueur contains 17% alcohol, whereas the Aldi brand contains only 12%.

Next: A luxurious face cream better than the designer brand?

4. Lacura Cellular Science day cream

Compared to: No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Day Cream

No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Day Cream Price of Aldi brand: $9.71

$9.71 Price of No7 version in U.S. stores: $27

With dozens of day creams on the market today, you may be tempted to try out the cheapest version. That just might be Aldis Lacura cream, priced around one-third of the No7 brand sold at stores like Target and Amazon. The Suns Francis actually chose the Lacura brand as the winner between the two, saying it left her face feeling noticeably softer.

Next: How a pore-unclogging product stacked up

5. Deep-Cleansing Nose Strips

Compared to: Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

Biore Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips Price of Poundland brand at Aldi: $1.39

$1.39 Price of Biore brand in U.S. stores: $5.64

These Poundland brand pore cleansing strips sold at Aldi are one-fourth the price of the Biore brand. The strips are said to adhere to dirt and oil in hard-to-reach areas of the face. Online, reviewers said both brands look the same and do the job just as well  making the Poundland brand the clear winner.

Next: The cheapest makeup brushes around

6. Makeup brushes

Compared to : e.l.f. 6-piece brush collection

: e.l.f. 6-piece brush collection Price of Poundland set of makeup brushes at Aldi: $1.39

$1.39 Price of e.l.f. brand: $18

While the Poundland brand makeup brushes arent the most high-end products, some reviewers have rated them soft and worth the money. Others have said they dont shed bristles or feel scratchy. They cost only a fraction of what you would pay for a comparable set of makeup brushes from e.l.f.

Next: An eye gel compared to a high-end department store brand

7. Lacura Cellular Skin Science eye gel

Compared to: Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Eye Treatment

Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Eye Treatment Price of Aldi brand: $8.32

$8.32 Prince of Clinique version: $49.50

Weve talked about the Lacura day cream. Another Lacura product sold at Aldi is an eye gel. This one is six times cheaper than its Clinique drugstore counterpart. Its worth noting The Suns Francis did not prefer this Lacura product over its competitor, however. While both produced results, Cliniques product firmed up her skin better, she reported. But for those on a budget, Lacuras product might just be worth a try.

Next: An American uproar over wine

8. Wine Advent Calendar

Price: $67

Aldi released a Wine Advent Calendar during the Christmas 2017 season. The product contained small, 200-ml bottles  in all, the equivalent of over six bottles worth of wine  averaging around $11 per bottle. Wines included were from France, Italy, and Spain. It all was packaged in a festive-looking box.

A mini-outcry erupted from the U.S. when the product only released in Europe. American Aldi shoppers pleaded for the product on Aldis Facebook page. I wanted to deck my halls with boxes of your wine Advent calendars but you decided not to sell them in the US, one user commented. This is crushing. All we can say is, maybe next year.

Check out The Cheat Sheet on Facebook!
Eight years later: Do you remember the Colorado flood of 2013?
A Kansas court sentenced a Christian missionary couple to 32 months in prison following nearly two years of trial for beating their adopted children. James and Paige Nachtigal were found to have committed several child abuse violations in doling out Bible-based punishments to their children.

The three adopted children, who were originally from Peru, reportedly received beatings for not doing their homework since the couple considered it a sin. The children also got punished if they failed to exercise properly.

Aside from that, the pair also deprived them of food, thus two of them were underweight. Reports revealed that the children might have died at the hands of their adoptive parents if one of them had not managed to escape and tell the authorities that he feared going home.

North Newton Police Chief Randy Jordan took custody of the adopted children following an investigation into the couple's home on February 2016. He also testified against the Nachtigals in court.

Pediatrician Kerri Weeks also examined the children and described their condition as "extremely severe." Since they had not been eating food regularly, their bodies apparently did not process food well when they were fed.

Aside from being underweight, the children had bruises and open sores from the beatings, calloused hands and cracked feet from too much exercise and welts from caning. One of the girls limped because of a broken leg. The children had neither muscles nor fat in their body.

The couple took the kids into their home after doing missionary work in Peru in 2012. Jordan later found out that there had been reports as early as 2014 from the children's school teachers about the Nachtigals treatment but none of these were forwarded to the police for investigation.

Defense attorneys asked that the Nachtigals be put under probation since they had no prior convictions. The couple have taken an Alford plea, which means they can take any deal from state prosecutors and be convicted without ever admitting they were guilty. As a result, the prosecutors dropped other felony charges, thus reducing their sentence.

Two of the children have slowly adjusted in their new families but Jordan said the youngest girl was still struggling and having a hard time coping as she was severely traumatized. Doctors determined she would have a longer recovery period ahead of her.
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on March 9 dozens of local authorities forcibly entered the Shangqiu Catholic Church South Cathedral in Henan Province, quarantined the priests and nuns in the building, and started to tear down crosses from the church.



Without official documentation or notice, the unidentified group occupied the church, secured the doors and shut down electrical power. Frightened and confused, priests at the church called the police to report the intruders. The police, however, took the priests away and confiscated their cell phones. The group then barred the remaining nuns and priests from entering or leaving the site.



The removal of crosses lasted about five hours despite church staff and volunteers efforts to protect the church. A Twitter video shared by Father Francis Liu shows a crane moving a cross from the church roof to the ground.



According to a Chinese website Catholics Online, the alleged intention of local authorities was to forcibly occupy the church and its property, but they failed to do so and instead went on to remove crosses from the rooftop.



Shangqiu Catholic Church South Cathedral is sanctioned by the government and was accredited as a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level in 2002. In 2013, the State Administration of Religious Affairs also recognized the church as one of the Nationwide Harmony-Creating Religious Venues. It was built by Spanish Augustinian missionary Francis-Xavier Ochoa OESA in 1924 and is now attended by thousands.



China Aid, a watchdog group that monitors religious freedom in China, stated on their website, [We] condemn Xi Jinping and his government authorities who initiated this campaign of hatred against Christianity. This type of extreme act will not weaken the growth of Christianity in China, nor will it bring any positive impact to Xis regime.



A day after the cross removal, however, Hebei Priest Yang Jianwei confirmed that as ofSunday, the authorities had replaced the crosses, though smaller in size and number. A source familiar with the incident also said, They claim that the local authorities had a misunderstanding so they put the crosses back!



ICCs Regional Manager Gina Goh said, As President Xi Jiping moves to become Chinas leader for life, religious liberty continues to erode. The crackdown on churches used to be targeted mostly at underground communities, but we are now seeing increasing assaults and harassment on state-sanctioned churches as well. Please pray for the Church in China to persevere despite growing persecution.

To read more Christian persecution news, visit www.persecution.org.

Photo courtesy:Thinkstock/bpperry

Publication date: March 14, 2018
A 53-year-old Lao pastor remains behind bars today after Lao police arrested him June 6 for encouraging others to convert to Christianity, Compass Direct News reports. The arrest of Asa, identified by only a single name, took place around 4 p.m. at his home in Peeyeur village in Laos' Luang Namtha Province, according to the Human Rights Watch for Lao Religious Freedom (HRWLRF). Police then drove Asa to the Luang Namtha provincial prison, about 31 miles away -- too far to allow visits from concerned family members and friends who have limited access to road transport. If normal procedure had been followed, HRWLRF said, police would have held Asa in a village or district prison for three days while they investigated charges against him. On June 7, Khamla, a prominent Christian leader in the province, met with police and discovered that Asa had been charged with leading people to Christ. Two years ago police forced Asa to sign documents agreeing that he would neither proclaim Christ nor lead people to Christianity. This year, however, many people in Peeyeur and surrounding villages, touched by Asa's life and testimony, have accepted Christ. Authorities in southern Laos have also continued to threaten, interrogate and arrest Christians.
Four Christians arrested in Luang Namtha province in Laos in June have now been released, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports. The Christians, two of whom were of Thai nationality, were arrested and had their personal belongings confiscated after being caught explaining the Bible to a Lao man in the home of a local Christian. They were detained for six weeks but no formal charges were brought against them. After the police finished their investigation, the Christians were required to pay a small fine and were subsequently released. "CSW welcomes the release of these four men; however, we are concerned that their arrest is part of a pattern of religious repression that continues to occur in many parts of the country," said Mervyn Thomas, CSW's chief executive. "In Luang Namtha province alone, Christians in at least 15 villages have reported similar cases of harassment by the Lao authorities. We urge the Lao authorities to adhere to international standards on religious freedom both at the national and provincial level."
Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

There are countless churches in America today that are growing massive without solid, gospel-centered preaching. It's a sad reality because the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ is one of the most vital counterparts in the church.

Without gospel-rich preaching and teaching, believers aren't being pointed to the whole message of Christianity, which is Jesus.

Jesus is everything, He's the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Growing a church without solid biblical preaching and teaching about Jesus, believers are being led astray.

For example, Lakewood Church in Houston Texas has an average attendance of 52,000 people. The preaching of Joel Osteen (Lead Pastor), is not biblically solid preaching. Osteen preaches the prosperity gospel--not the Jesus gospel--that if you believe in God, all your dreams will come true. You'll have financial freedom and endless happiness.

That's not what Jesus promises us when we commit our lives to Him, He promises to take care of us, and to provide for us. But He never says it'll be all rainbows and lollipops. Living the Christian life is hard stuff, you have to make sacrifices and you have to be dedicated. But if you're willing, Jesus will give you the strength you need to get through the difficult times.

I want to list three of the biggest issues with churches that grow large without solid preachers.

#1 Christians are being led astray

The biggest issue there is with preachers who aren't preaching the true gospel, is that they're false teachers. They're leading people to believe a lie as if it were true. The problem is that people are living a life in rejection to God all while thinking they're alright.

People are living comfortable, easy lives inside their comfort zones, but the gospel really calls us to live radically for the gospel of Christ (more on this in point #3).

#2 Christians are being taught that we are self-sufficient

Many churches are teaching believers that they're good enough in themselves to be saved, they're not teaching about grace. Grace is the backbone of Christianity, we're never good enough for ourselves. We could never be perfect, but Jesus reigns in us and through His death on the cross He is enough for us.

See, we're being taught that we have all the answers, that we're the ones who have earned our faith. But we're missing the whole point. It's all about Jesus and the grace he has for us, it's nothing we could've done on our own, it's everything Christ has done for us. This is truly amazing.

#3 The gospel isn't transforming Christians

Many churches are teaching a false doctrine that doesn't transform believers. People attend church, they hear the message, it affects them, but it's not changing them.

This can be a problem even in churches where the preaching is solid. People just aren't being changed by the gospel. Romans 12:2 says not to be conformed to the pattern of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

If we're to be transformed by the gospel, we must be actively pursuing change. Transformation isn't something that happens overnight, it never is. We must pursue it with everything we have, we must see Jesus for who He is. We must give our lives to Jesus, trusting Him with everything we have, and we must do this every day to be transformed.

That's not what many preachers are teaching, though, they're teaching that your transformation happens in an hour during the upbeat worship and during the sermon that makes us feel good. The problem with this is that believers are being led to believe that church is all about the experience, it's all about the feeling you get when you're in church that changes your life.

No, church isn't about the vibe. It's not about having some mountain top experience. Church is where we go to to worship God by hearing his piercing word preached and proclaimed. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word is living and active, like a sword, piercing us to the division of joint and of marrow.

We can't go to church just to hear what we want to hear, we must go to church and listen to preaching that preaches what we need to hear.

That's what preaching is all about.

Zachary Pierpont is a blogger with a passion for Christ and writing. His blog is all about radically living the Christian life, His desire is to encourage and strengthen those who read his writing to chase with all their heart the mind-blowing wonder of Christ. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing drums and guitar, writing, and enjoying God's beautiful creation in Northern Michigan where he lives. You can read more on his blog, zacharypierpont.com. Subscribe to his newsletter by clicking here.
Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment

I was out of the country when Billy Graham died, so I did not get to tell you my thoughts about this amazing man of God. But if I keep silent, the stones may cry out. It was one of the greatest trips of my life. Just last month I visited Jerusalem. I prayed at the wailing wall, I saw the stones that Jesus walked on on his way to the temple.

I also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchrewhich is revered as the site where Jesus was crucified, laid in the tomb, and rose from the dead.

And while I was in the church I learned of the death of Billy Grahamwho may have directly led more people to faith in the Risen Lord than any man in the history of the world.

It was a solemn, awesome moment for me.

Chances are that the vast majority of you listening to or reading BreakPoint have a Billy Graham story of your own. Here is mine.

I never got to meet Billy Graham in person. But if I hadn't stepped away from the faith while I was at Yale, I would have met him. At one point I belonged to a Christian group on campus. But my doubts and other interests intervened, and I stopped going the very semester that Billy Graham came to campus to speak at Battel Chapel. Hours before his talk, I was amazed to see Billy Graham walk into the Calhoun Dining Hall where I was eating. He then went into a private dining room to meet with the entire Christian group I'd abandoned!

I was stunned. If I hadn't left the group, I would have had dinner with Billy Graham! And all these years of not meeting him, I kind of felt like Moses not being allowed into the Promised Land.

But it's been one way that God showed me that our disobedience has consequences.

While it's true I never got to meet Billy on this side of the veil, I did hear him speak in Central Park in 1990 and again at his New York City crusade in 2005. For that, I'm very grateful.

John Stonestreet told you on BreakPoint that we here at the Colson Center consider Billy Graham our spiritual grandfather in a waybecause Chuck Colson was led to Christ by Tom Phillips, who in turn was led to Christ by Billy Graham.

Now, besides my own father, no one has had a more godly influence on me than Chuck Colson. And I'm guessing another member of the Colson Center family, board member Ed Simcox, might say the same.

Ed, too, has a Billy Graham story. He shared with me his thoughts on Billy's memorial service, which he attended.

Ed wrote me, "At the age of 14 my mother and I attended the 1959 crusade at the old Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis . . . In my mind's eye I can still see the great preacher delivering his message to an attentive audience. It was a message that moved me and stirred my heart. He pointed me toward God and created within me a life-long quest to know God and claim His son as my Lord and Savior."

And then Ed related yet another connection between Billy Graham and Chuck Colson. Billy Graham was buried in a casket made by prisoners from Louisiana's maximum-security prison at Angola. They also made a casket for Chuck Colson.

I'll close with Ed's thoughts on that:

"A ragtag bunch of murderers serving life sentences without the possibility of parole were forgiven and redeemed by [a] carpenter from the backwater town of Nazareth and they constructed a casket for the farm boy with whom they will one day be reunited in the next life."

As Ed said, "The greatest storyteller in Hollywood could not possibly have written a script to match the actual events."

I praise God for the life of Billy Graham. And thanks for listening to my stories. Be sure to share yours with those you love.

I Have to Talk About Billy Graham: We All Have a Story to Tell

Whether or not we've encountered Billy Graham in person, through one of his crusades, or possibly by reading one of his many books, his life and ministry have had a tremendous influence on believers all over the world. So as Eric suggested, take this opportunity to share your own stories with those around you.

First published at BreakPoint.
Disney CEO apologises to Mike Pence after Joy Behar says hearing from God is a form of 'mental illness'

"The View" co-host Joy Behar has come under fire for criticising the faith of United States Vice President Mike Pence and for saying that hearing from God is a form of "mental illness."

Her co-host Sunny Hostin said she does not appreciate Pence speaking in tongues, even though she is a person of faith, according to Charisma News. "When you have a Mike Pence who now puts this religious veneer on things and who calls people values voters, I think we're this a dangerous situation. Look I'm Catholic. I'm a faithful person, but I don't know that I want my vice president, um - speaking in tongues and having Jesus speak to him," she said.

Behar then added that she finds it weird when people hear messages from God. "Like I said before, it's one thing to talk to Jesus. It's another thing when Jesus talks to you," she said, adding that hearing messages from God is a form of "mental illness."

Because of the controversy surrounding the comment, Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, which owns ABC, directed Behar to personally offer her apology to Pence.

"Joy Behar apologised to Vice President Pence directly. She made a call to him and apologised, which I thought was absolutely appropriate. I happen to take exception to what she said. I don't think it was right, and I was glad to hear that she apologised," Iger said in a statement to shareholders, reported CBN News.

But Pence believes Behar offended so many more people of faith other than him, so he encouraged her "to make the same apology publicly on the show that she did privately to him."

Many people actually agree, and they believe that "The View" hosts should not be so careless about their comments. Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center, said "The View" should do more than just offer a public apology.

"It is a good first step that Joy Behar privately apologized to Vice President Pence, but it is not nearly enough," Bozell said in a statement released by MRC. "Behar and ABC need to publicly apologize for the bigoted slurs on 'The View.'"

"When they do that, this whole matter will be put to rest. Until they do, we will not let up our campaign to let the world - including their advertisers - know of their anti-Christian bigotry," he added.
'Enchanted 2' news: 'Disenchanted' will feature more musical numbers

The sequel for "Enchanted," titled "Disenchanted" will feature more musical numbers according to director Adam Shankman.

In an exclusive interview with Collider on Mar. 7, Shankman opened up about the status of the upcoming film. He said that the team is turning in the script soon and that he has already been in touch with Amy Adams and the cast. He hinted that the sequel will tackle what exactly does a happily ever after entails. When asked why the upcoming film has been in-development for a long time, he said that Disney ensures that everything they needed is complete before they proceed to production.

As mentioned earlier, Shankman promised there will be more singing and dancing planned for the upcoming sequel as compared with the first movie. He said that all of the music that will be used in "Disenchanted" is original and that Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz will be coming back to do the film's soundtracks.

Cinemablend thinks the reason for more musical numbers may be due to what happened in the ending of "Enchanted." Giselle (Adams) and Nancy Tremaine (Idina Menzel) have switched places with the latter joining Prince Edward (James Marsden) in Andalusia. Cinemablend thinks the sequel will give an opportunity to Mendzel to showcase her talent in singing which was not able to do in the first film. The site thinks that Giselle, on the other hand, will be adjusting to the life in the real world alongside performing her role as the mother of Robert Philip's (Patrick Dempsey) daughter, Morgan (Rachel Covey).

Following the news that "Enchanted 2" has been in-development, many fans are wondering what the story of the upcoming film will be. The Independent reported in January that the upcoming "Enchanted" sequel is set ten years later.

Disney has yet to release an official statement regarding the plot of "Disenchanted."
How the book of Leviticus teaches us how to be saints

'And called'.

Rather than the version familiar in translations  'The LORD called to Moses'  this is how the book known as Leviticus' begins in Hebrew: no subject of the calling and a small letter 'aleph' at the end.

What does this mean? It is a calling to Moses, a vocation, but with the normal letter 'aleph' written small at the end of the word 'calling'. This reminds Moses that humility is the key and that the later titled grandiosity of popes, patriarchs, archbishops, bishops and priests is a far cry from what is expected of us as Jews.

The Mishkan (G-d's indwelling, known in English as the Tabernacle) has been completed and now it is time to consider the nature of sacrifice. Various types of 'sin' are enumerated, the main point being that even small misdemeanours, slight errors of judgment, should be avoided if possible in our daily lives.

Leviticus, the third book of the Pentateuch, is the most misunderstood by people who aren't Jewish. Read mainly in translation, all its nuances are lost. Read without the biblical commentaries, one might as well be swimming in mud.

And yet, it is possibly the most important book of them all. Later we will read in the same book about loving your neighbour, but in a context of how exactly to go about doing this  the positives and the negatives.

Talking about neighbours, on Shabbat I was invited to a meal at the home of a midwife. I had only met her once, at a religious lecture (known as shiur) that we both attend during the week.

At the door I was greeted by her children as if I were a combination of favourite aunt and Father Christmas. She started talking to me in rapid modern Hebrew  the first time this has happened in 10 years  and the language immediately returned. We talked about the importance of midwives. She had trained in Holland, where more people give birth at home than at hospital, and I told her that I myself had opted for home-births both times round. She works at St Mary's in Manchester, where I was born, and which has the reputation of being the best hospital for childbirth in the city.

When the meal was finished, the children in bed and her husband at another celebration, we got down to serious talking.

'Tell me', she said, 'how do you define a saint?'

I am not one for avoiding questions and if I don't know the answer I ask other people or look it up. But as it happens, I do have views on what constitutes saintliness.

I couldn't tell her that I was looking straight at one, so said, 'We don't tend to go in for saints in Judaism. Because saints imply sinners and that simply isn't our type of religion. Our goal is to be a "mentsch", translated as the best human being you can be, warts and all.'

'It's my work', she said. 'All these people come in to be delivered with photos of saints to help them along.'

'Most, if not all the saints in history', I said, 'have hated us  from the church fathers, through the Middle Ages, and even some today. If it makes your clients feel better having photos of them stuffed in their pockets while they give birth, fair enough, but what the world thinks of as saintliness isn't always a good thing.

'What could be better', I continued, 'than having four lovely children, bringing forth the children of others into the world, preparing your home for Pesach and inviting guests for Friday night? This may not be saintliness as others see it, but it's good enough for me.'

And then we had the type of conversation that you only have once in a lifetime.

When I left, I marvelled at the fact that this midwife was nearly half my age, but had a poise and dependabiilty of someone twice her age.

The complementary reading to the beginning of the third book of the Bible, known in Hebrew as 'And called', is taken from the book of Isaiah (43:21-44:23):

'And now listen, Jacob thy servant and Israel whom I have chosen. So says the Lord your maker and fashioner from the womb  he will help you, fear not.'

The Lord makes and fashions us from the womb, the word for 'fashion' being 'yotzer', also meaning the two inclinations, for good and for evil, with which we are all born, together with the freedom to make our own choices.

We have the capacity for good and evil inside us when we emerge from the womb. There is no 'fall' in Judaism, simply a constant struggle between what is right and what isn't, and trying our best is all we can do.

And anyone who helps to deliver human beings into the world is part of G-d's plan to make the world better.

So whenever a midwife asks me to define a saint, I find it very difficult not to stare back and tell her that I am looking straight at her  the person par excellence working in the image of G-d, the creator of all.

Dr Irene Lancaster is a Jewish academic, author and translator who has established university courses on Jewish history, Jewish studies and the Hebrew Bible.
How Christianity has actually shaped our values: A review of Nick Spencer's 'The Evolution of the West'

I finally got round recently to reading Nick Spencer's The Evolution of the West: How Christianity Has Shaped Our Values (SPCK 2016), which has just been released in a new expanded American version. I was very glad I did, and would warmly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more (and certainly more than you will typically hear elsewhere) about the many links between our civilisation and its historic faith. Spencer, who is research director of London-based Theos think tank, has a fine way with words, a sharp and independent mind, and an instinct for a pithy sentence which holds within it more truth than you thought could be squeezed in there.

Highlights for me included the chapter on Britain's history as a 'Christian Nation', and a fascinating chapter on Charles Darwin and his relationship to faith and what he thought about the more controversial applications of his theory to social and moral questions.

Without slipping into a partisan reading of history, Spencer ably shows the pivotal role that Christianity has played (mostly for good though sometimes for ill) in the formation of Western ideas, values, institutions and culture. Careful not to claim too much for the faith, but also not to commit the more common modern sin of not crediting it enough, he engagingly sets out the fruits of his many years' research in these areas. The result is an accessible book for a non-specialist audience which, at this critical moment for our society and culture, is a highly worthwhile read for Christian and non-Christian alike.

This said, however, there were a few points in the book where I don't think Spencer got things quite right. So alongside recommending the book (and I really do  please don't let any of these niggles put you off) I want to record here those points where I think something more needed to be said.

1. Christian civilisation did not suddenly discover natural law in the Middle Ages.

Spencer suggests at one point that the idea of a natural law that is binding on kings as well as people and the basis of all just human law was a medieval development. He writes: 'Rather than serve the king or the state in the preservation of the 'natural' social order, the law came to be seen as an instrument of justice intended to serve the whole populace.' But this is clearly a misrepresentation of the place of natural law in pre-medieval and early Christian thought. The natural law and the egalitarian golden rule are at the centre of the ethical teaching of the church from the earliest times (including in the New Testament) and all through the Patristic period (Ambrose being a prominent example) and there was no sudden change in the later Middle Ages. Spencer does a disservice to the early Christian and Patristic tradition to suggest that before the 12th century Christians did not regard the law as an 'instrument of justice intended to serve the whole populace'.

One oddity about this oversight is that in the previous chapter on distinctive features of Western civilisation and also the following chapter on democracy Spencer explains how throughout the early Middle Ages clerics asserted the equal standing of all before God's law and reminded kings that they too were under it. So he is perfectly aware of how Christians of this era understood law and government. Yet still he manages to give the impression that natural law only became part of Christian thought in the twelfth century. Discrepancies like these are presumably a consequence of the book originating as a collection of separate essays, but it is a pity they were not all ironed out in the edit.

A similar historical bungle occurs in the chapter on human rights. Here, Spencer claims that the idea of rights was all but rejected by Christians until the early twentieth century because rights were too closely associated with the French Revolution and anti-authoritarianism. He writes: 'Rights were not only, it seemed, quintessentially modern but associated with an anti-authoritarianism that, predictably, the churches rejected. This changed in the early decades of the twentieth century and in particular from the 1930s.' This is, to be blunt, a bizarre claim. The idea of natural rights, as a formulation of the natural law, was thoroughly mainstream throughout the Christian West from at least the seventeenth century, with the philosophy of John Locke (an Anglican) of particular (though by no means unique or unusual) influence, and the 1688 Bill of Rights a key piece of legislation. John Wesley appealed liberally to natural rights in articulating his opposition to slavery, as did the evangelical abolitionist movement more broadly. Rights  especially the right to life, liberty and property  were standard fare in political discourse throughout the modern period, for Christians as much as anyone else. Any suggestion otherwise is simply historically inaccurate.

2. Dignity is intrinsic to the image of God not external to it.

In the chapters on humanism and human rights Spencer follows Nicholas Wolterstorff in his increasingly influential argument that human dignity (on which by general agreement human rights rest) can only be grounded in the fact that God loves us all equally. We have value, in other words, because we are valued by God, not because God has made us with an inherent value in virtue of what we are, ie made in his image. Spencer follows Wolterstorff in arguing that the 'Kantian' position that human beings have worth because they have the dignity of possessing rational nature is inadequate because it excludes those who no longer have (or have never had) rational capacity (such as the very young, the mentally incapacitated).

This criticism of the Kantian and traditional natural law position is mistaken, however. On the traditional account, human beings have dignity because they bear the image of God (or in Kant's intentionally secularised language, have rational nature). The dignity of humanity is inherent to its nature as bearing the image of God, because the divine image in humanity shares in the dignity of the divine, ie the divine image has inherent dignity.

It is true that this image is typically understood in part (or indeed primarily) in terms of rational nature. But it would be a misunderstanding (and a misunderstanding of Kant's thought in particular) to think that this makes the dignity or value dependent on the degree of rational capacity a person currently possesses. Kant never argued for that claim, and moreover explained why it did not follow  because it is rational nature that possesses dignity, not rational capacity. The wider framework here is the concept of a law-based natural order in which different natural forms or natures exist in accordance with their own particular principles. The principle of humanity is a free and rational nature (this is what distinguishes us from other natural phenomena, and is why we are subject to morality), and it is this rational nature which bears the image of God, and which all human beings possess at all points of their lives regardless of their present state of mental awareness or rational capacity.

Spencer's (and Wolterstorff's) view is philosophically and logically problematic because it fails to recognise that God loves us because we bear his image. Instead it supposes human beings (despite bearing the image of God) in themselves have no dignity or value, but only gain their value from being loved by God, ie their value is not internal to the image they possess but bestowed externally by the extraneous loving action of God. Note that God's love for humanity here cannot be on the basis that humanity bears his image (which would concede the point) and so must be arbitrary. But that would mean God could just as well have loved dust, for instance, and it is just fortunate for us that he loves us. Yet plainly there is nothing arbitrary about the fact that he loves the creatures who bear his image more than he loves dust, for he loves his image because he loves himself, because he is God. The traditional account must therefore be correct: God loves human beings because they bear his image (which gives them dignity, a sharing in the dignity of God) and God loves his image as he loves himself. Human beings thus do not gain their dignity and value from being loved by God but are loved by God and have dignity for the same reason: because they bear his image  an image which includes rational nature.

All this is important because the idea that human beings have dignity because of their rational nature (and their bearing the image of God) is a principle of natural theology which is shared with many other philosophical traditions. The idea that human beings have no intrinsic dignity but derive it externally from being loved by God relies, on the other hand, on a piece of special revelation which is not (necessarily) shared by non-Christians.

It is also important for the sake of logical coherence and philosophical integrity, ie because it is true.

3. Christianity did not play the decisive role in the Scientific Revolution.

Spencer wonders why the Scientific Revolution took place when and where it did, when there had been other smaller scientific revolutions in history (such as in Greece, Rome, Arabia, China) which did not go on to such runaway success. His answer, in common with a number of other recent scholars, is that it was the Christian culture of early modern Europe which provided the key ingredient.

Now I agree that Christianity did (usually) serve as an 'able midwife' (to use Spencer's metaphor) to the Scientific Revolution, providing a highly favourable intellectual environment and often a strong spiritual and motivational spur. Regrettable episodes such as the treatment of Galileo are notable partly because of their rarity.

This does not mean, however, that Christianity was the only philosophy that could possibly have played this role. It provided a strong logical impetus, to be sure, but it was not strictly speaking the only vehicle through which scientific progress could have been made. The most important breakthroughs heralding the Scientific Revolution were developments in mathematics and its application to natural processes (such as Newton's calculus, Cartesian algebra, Boyle's law) and in technology (such as Galileo's telescope), all of which gave a massive boost to the analytical power of science and permitted much better testing of theories.

But the idea that mathematics stands at the pinnacle of natural knowledge and is the key to unlocking the natural world was a central tenet of Greek philosophy (Plato, Pythagoras) and can be seen throughout the Western tradition (the twelfth century philosopher-bishop Robert Grosseteste). So while Christianity certainly provided a strong pair of shoulders on which men of science could stand, it wasn't strictly essential as any similarly reason-based philosophy would eventually (via some gifted individuals and a bit of good fortune) have made similar discoveries  which is why science can be undertaken successfully by people of all kinds of faiths and beliefs, provided they are committed to the primacy of rational analysis and investigation in discovering natural truth.

4. Wealth taxes present many practical and political difficulties  none of which Spencer mentions.

In his chapter on capitalism Spencer reviews Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century and joins him in endorsing wealth taxes in order to address the currently inexorably increasing levels of global inequality. Although I was somewhat disappointed to find that this chapter was not, as might have been expected, about the role of Christianity in the emergence of capitalism and the opposition to it, I did find myself broadly in agreement with the argument being made for the need to ameliorate excessive inequality (if this were possible) in some way.

A major weakness of the chapter, however, is its lack of any nuanced discussion of the different forms of wealth taxation and the difficulties they encounter in practice. It doesn't, for instance, draw the basic distinction between taxes on the return from capital (rent, dividends, capital gains and so on) and the capital itself. The former are relatively uncontroversial and straightforward to collect while the latter are as a rule much more problematic practically and politically.

The two main examples of wealth taxes (on capital) are 1) an annual wealth or property tax of some kind and 2) inheritance (and more generally gift) tax. These correspond to 1) taxes on the mere possession of capital and 2) taxes on capital when it changes hands. Annual wealth taxes (which are favoured by Piketty and Spencer) have a number of drawbacks which Spencer fails to mention but on account of which they are currently being abolished rather than introduced in most places in the world. The chief problem with them is that the very wealthiest (including the top one per cent, who own around half of the world's wealth) are generally able to avoid them (by clever accounting techniques and offshore holdings) so they largely wind up hitting only those of more modest fortunes as well as penalising stable, easily traceable assets such as land or built assets. Because they miss the very wealthiest they miss most of the wealth and so are largely ineffective in terms of revenue generation and wealth redistribution.

Real property (ie land, buildings) is the main exception to the avoidance problem since it cannot easily be hidden or moved offshore. Property taxes have traditionally targeted built assets ie the improvements to land rather than the land itself. This is mainly because the (market) value of these assets can be ascertained with relative ease and accuracy. However, it is often criticised as disincentivising the development of land and penalising its productive use. Many have suggested, therefore, that a land value tax on the value of the land itself would be a superior form of property tax since it would not penalise development. The main reason such taxes have not been widely implemented in place of traditional property taxes is the acute difficulty in valuing land accurately and fairly in isolation from the developments and improvements upon it, since there is no readily available market value for that quantity.

Traditional property taxes are still widely used. By themselves however they are very limited in what they can achieve in terms of the global wealth redistribution sought by Spencer and Piketty. Attempting to use them in this way, moreover, would be invidious since it would essentially penalise holding capital in the form of real estate rather than other, less traceable, more mobile forms. Countries generally want investors to invest in their real estate and put it to work, and would rather they do this than invest in some of the more lucrative but less socially beneficial destinations that often attract capital.

Annual wealth taxes as a category therefore are of very limited assistance in a global wealth redistribution project.

As regards inheritance or gift tax, the best formof this is probably when it is levied on recipients and when everyone is given a lifetime gift or inheritance allowance, beyond which the taxes apply. The main problem with this idea is, again, that the very wealthiest will always find ways of avoiding it, so it will mainly succeed in hitting those of moderate fortunes and hence will not achieve much in the way of revenue generation or wealth redistribution. It is also politically extremely unpopular, which is a major reason it is not more widely used.

To sum up then, the basic problem with all wealth taxes (on capital) is that their real targets are the top one per cent but, save for real estate (which we don't want to single out to penalise anyway), the top one per cent will always find ways of avoiding them. The taxes will therefore primarily hit those of modest fortunes and so fail to achieve much in the way of revenue or redistribution, while making themselves politically very unpopular in the process. (A global tax-raising authority, as envisaged by Piketty and endorsed by Spencer, would not be a good solution to problems of avoidance as it would be unlikely to work, and even if it did would be horribly undemocratic and corrupt.)

In any case, my real point here is that the chapter needed to include some criticisms of Piketty's ideas such as these and not just present them as the indisputably correct way to proceed.

To reiterate though, these critical observations should not at all be taken to invalidate Spencer's achievement in the book, which in only two hundred pages succeeds admirably in refreshing our memories of what Christianity has ever done for us.

Nick Spencer's The Evolution of the West: How Christianity Has Shaped Our Values is published by SPCK.

Dr Will Jones is a Birmingham-based writer, a mathematics graduate with a PhD in political philosophy and a diploma in biblical and theological studies. He blogs at www.faith-and-politics.com and is author of Evangelical Social Theology: Past and Present (Grove, 2017). He can be found on Twitter @faithnpolitic
Kathie Lee Gifford out to debunk 'myths' about Jesus' life, claims He wasn't a carpenter

"Today" show host Kathie Lee Gifford is hoping to debunk what she describes as various 'myths' about Jesus, and with the release of her new book, she is hoping to share what she has learned about Jesus of Nazareth and how important the Word of God is to her in her life.

Gifford has just released a new book called "The Rock, The Road, and The Rabbi," and through it, she discussed her life-changing trip to Israel and what she learned about Jesus. Gifford explained that in the title of her book, the "Rock" is Jesus, because He is the one she has built her life on. The "road" pertains to Israel, while the "rabbi" is the actual word of God.

"What I learned has transformed my life - by studying the original Greek, the original Hebrew and how many myths are out there. I learned that Jesus was not a carpenter, but he was a stonemason because there was nothing but rock in Israel then," she claims in a video message about her book.

Gifford added that there were several revelations about Jesus that truly "rocked her world," so she went on the enlightening trip to the Holy Land with Messianic Rabbi Jason Sobel. Rabbi Sobel also offered his insight on her book, and Gifford credited him for sharing his knowledge about the Hebrew language, culture, and heritage.

While talking about her book with Dr. Oz, Gifford stressed the need to read the Bible because the only way to survive life is to memorize Scripture and rely on it.

"The Word of the Lord never returns void," Gifford stressed. "I know there are many different interpretations of the Bible. This is what I believe to be true."

Gifford finds comfort in the fact that God and His Word remain a constant thing in this ever-changing world. "I have the assurance that even though I don't know my future, I know who holds my future," she said.
'Outlander' season 4 spoilers: Cast hints at Brianna's time travel companion

"Outlander" season 4 is featuring another time travel adventure but this time, it will not be Claire (Caitriona Balfe).

Previous set photos revealed it will be Brianna (Sophie Skelton) as she was spotted filming in a Scottish outfit with Steven Cree, who plays Ian Murray. It looks like she will not be alone, though. Latest spoilers suggest one more character walking through the stones of Craigh Na Dun this year: Roger (Richard Rankin).

Rankin recently shared on his Twitter account that he went horse riding with co-actor John Bell, aka Young Ian. The activity is nothing new on the show especially for 18th-century characters like Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire. The intriguing part, however, is that Rankin's character lives in the 20th century. He owns a car and does not need a horse if there is somewhere he needs to be, suggesting he may be traveling somewhere that has no vehicles next season.

What better way to spend a pishy, rainy Saturday than out jumping streams horseback with @JohnBell

Could it be the 18th century Scotland?

While Rankin and Bell's horse riding could have happened outside filming; in "Drums of Autumn," International Business Times notes that his character indeed jumps back in time with Brianna. The latter meets his biological father for the first time and Roger gets to meet the Frasers as well. If anything, Rankins' horse riding session with Bell could mean young Ian will be among those who will be introduced to the modern man.

It is a possibility but as to how they meet and when remain unclear. The last time fans have seen young Ian, he was aboard the same ship as Jamie and Claire until a sudden storm separated him from the couple. While Jamie and Claire later landed on the shores of Georgia, young Ian's whereabouts have been left in the air. Fans will have to wait for now to find out.

"Outlander" season 4 is currently in production. This week, the cast and crew will take over the streets of Glasgow city center after filming at George Square, the University of Glasgow and Pollok Country Park.

The show has no return date yet, but it is expected to be back on Starz for its fourth season this fall.
US pastor Andrew Brunson faces 35 years in jail, says he's in prison for his faith

Turkish prosecutors have asked for sentences totalling 35 years for US pastor Andrew Brunson, held in prison in Izmir on what are widely regarded as trumped-up espionage charges.

According to the Daily Sabah, Brunson is accused of of committing crimes on behalf of supporters of the banned preacher Fethullah Gulen and of the Kurdish nationalist PKK, and of obtaining classified state information for political and military purposes.

Both groups are regarded as terrorist organisations by Turkey.

Brunson was arrested in October 2016 having lived in Turkey for more than two decades and led a small Protestant church in Izmir with his wife Norine. He has denied all the charges against him and it is believed he is being used as a bargaining chip in Turkey's efforts to secure the extradition of Gulen from the US; Turkey's President Erdogan has blamed the preacher for the failed 2016 coup against him.

According to the Daily Sabah, a 'secret witness' said the Brunsons were members of Gulen's movement, which funded their church.

The Brunsons' daughter Jacqueline addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva last week and appealed for her father's release.

She said: 'I know the allegations against my father are absurd. He is not an armed terrorist trying to overthrow any government. My father is a peaceful pastor.'

Stressing she had herself grown up in Turkey, she said: 'My family loves and respects the Turkish people, and my father has been dedicated to serving them for over two decades.'

She had been allowed to visit her father last August and said it was 'hard to see him so broken, so thin, so desperate'.

She read a note he had written a week before in which he said: Let it be clear. I am in prison not for anything I have done wrong, but because of who I am  a Christian pastor. I desperately miss my wife and children. Yet I believe this to be true: it is an honour to suffer for Jesus Christ, as many have before me. My deepest thanks for all those around the world who are standing with and praying for me.'
Living in the U.S. in the 70s, Rathna Kumar wanted to connect the children of Indian immigrants with their cultural heritage. So in 1975, she opened the Anjali Center for Performing Arts in Sugar Land, the first Indian dance academy in Texas.

I wanted to contribute to the arts in Houston, Kumar said.

On Thursday evening, shell be joined by Sunanda Nair, professional dancer and founder of the Sunanda Nair Performing Arts Center, as they share their personal business stories at the annual Women Mean Business Series. The speaking event is sponsored by Shell and hosted by the Indo American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Houston.

According to the chambers Executive Director, Jagdip Ahluwalia, the event is meant to shine a spotlight on successful women willing to share their success stories and achievements with other women and in the process learn from each other.

Past speakers include Malisha Patel, COO of Memorial Hermann, renowned author Chitra Divakaruni.

Though Kumar and Nair share a passion for dance, classical Indian styles in particular, the two have charted their own paths in the U.S. and Houston, specifically.

Before devoting herself to performing and teaching dance, Kumar taught English classes. But her passion for dance, instilled in her as a child, never faded.

Beginning with small classes, she worked her way up to build a network of families eager to enroll their children in dance.

Mine is not a job, Kumar said, Mine is a vocation.

Today, the Anjali Center now has more than 150 students training in the 7,000 square foot Sugar Land facility with enough room to host concerts with more than 300 attendees.

In 1994, Kumar expanded upon her desire to showcase Indian dance in Houston by creating the nonprofit Samskriti, meaning cultural tradition in Sanskrit. The organization outs on cross-cultural performances of Indian and American artists from different ethnic backgrounds.

Throughout the entire process of building up a dance academy and nonprofit, Kumar learned a lot about herself, working with others and time management.

Her advice to women seeking to start their own business is to be open to the learning opportunities that will inevitably arise.

Adaptability was key to Nairs career path.

In 1990 she became the first student in India to earn a Masters degree in a form of classical dance from an affiliate to the University of Mumbai.

Her dancing career was temporarily put on hold when she moved to New Orleans in 2001 to support her husband who had gotten a job offer there.

Nair notes that she could have easily followed the path of several accomplished Indian women who stop pursuing personal career goals in favor of caring for their family.

But when she tried to take up dancing again by herself in the U.S., she realized just how much she missed performing on a stage to live music. She cried when she attempted a choreography to a pre-recorded CD.

Indian music and dance are spiritual, she said.

Balancing raising her young children and living her dream, she began to travel between New Orleans and India for performances and tutoring opportunities.

Following Hurricane Katrina, her family moved to Houston where shes been for the last 9 years and where she has built up the Sunanda Nair Performing Arts Center.

She still travels back to India every two months for a week at a time, but currently she is overseeing the renovation of a new facility with multiple studio space and residential space for visiting artists.

If you have a dream, if you have a passion, go all out, she advises women entrepreneurs.
A sweeping new study of health care expenditures found that the United States spends almost twice as much on health care as 10 other wealthy countries, a difference driven by high prices  including doctors and nurses salaries, hospital charges, pharmaceuticals and administrative overhead.

For years, it has been clear that Americans are not getting a good bang for their buck on health care. The United States spends more than any other country and gets much less, at least as measured by life expectancy or infant mortality. Policy fixes have tended to focus on the idea that medicine is being overused. The thinking goes that the American health care system is uniquely set up to incentivize wasteful imaging scans, many unnecessary prescriptions and procedures that could have been prevented.

The new study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggests instead that Americans are using health care at similar rates to other rich countries, and the real difference is the prices of procedures and treatments. The finding doesnt mean Americans arent overusing health care; it just means that the U.S. isnt alone in doing so.

The narrative that has come up, that has developed, is that America spends so much more because Americans demand more health care, said Ashish Jha, a professor of health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. We have done, through the Affordable Care Act and other policy efforts, almost nothing about prices. To me, that has been the big missed opportunity.

The study compared the United States to the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Australia, Japan, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark from 2013 to 2016 on nearly 100 different measures of care. It found that the United States spent about twice as much per person on health care, an investment that produced the shortest life spans and the highest rate of infant deaths. The United States used more imaging scans than most countries, but spent much less on inpatient hospital care. Its utilization patterns were overall similar to other wealthy countries  leading the researchers to focus on other drivers of difference.

Nonspecialist doctors in the United States are paid on average $220,000 per year  double the average salary in the other countries. Nurses and specialists were also compensated better. Defenders of doctors higher salaries often point to the burden of medical school debt in the United States, but one study found that taking into account tuition cost didnt explain the difference in earnings.

Administrative costs were 8 percent of gross domestic product in the United States, versus 1 to 3 percent in other countries.

Pharmaceutical spending was $1,443 per person in the United States, followed by Switzerland at $939 per person. But the United States also had access to the most new, brand-name drugs, with 111 versus 26 in Switzerland.

The notion that high prices are driving health care spending isnt new. In 2003, a Health Affairs paper called Its the Prices, Stupid made a similar argument, with less comprehensive data.

But prices can be difficult to curb, because one persons high price is another persons profit margin or salary. Hospitals are often among the biggest employers in a region. Pharmaceutical companies offer American consumers big innovation, but big price tags and the debate about how or whether something needs to be done about drug costs has typically fallen apart under the weight of extensive lobbying by the industry. There are two main ways to lower prices, which fall along partisan lines: price-setting or increasing competition.

I feel like America has figured out how to do the worst of both, Jha said. We have, in Medicare, a price-setter that is very weak, and whenever Medicare tries to negotiate or get aggressive on prices, Congress intervenes and holds them back. Most markets are pretty inefficient with a lot of power with providers. Combine a weak price-setter with inefficient markets, and you have the American health care system.

Jha told a story about a recent trip to Paris, where his briefcase was stolen. A generic beta-blocker that he takes daily, at a cost of about $1 a pill, was in his luggage. He needed a few more pills to hold him over during his trip. He went to a pharmacy to ask if it would be possible to get four pills.

The pharmacist dispensed the medication - the brand name version of the drug - at only 10 cents a pill.

It was crazy. I thought, What is going on? This is Paris, which we dont think of as some cheap city, Jha said. One thing that is undoubtedly clear to me from all the data I have looked at is, whether its hip replacement or an MRI, we spend much more (in the U.S.) per-procedure than we do in these really expensive places like Switzerland or the U.K.  in ways that really dont make any sense.
Sue Ogrocki/STF

The Oklahoma legislature has proposed caps on tax credits for the wind industry that could have a devastating impact on the state's wind farms, renewable energy companies say.

Despite being the number two state for wind power capacity, Oklahoma has soured on its wind industry, which has lost all state-level tax incentives amid a budget crisis brought on by the oil bust. Two bills, one in the House and another in the Senate, have proposed capping the state's zero emission tax credit. In 2016, Oklahoma paid $74 million in zero emission tax credits, which the legislature is proposing to cap at $5 million or $10 million.
5 things you didn't know about Houston's aviation history The 1940 Air Terminal Museum is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

Texas doctor sued, abortion ban gets first constitutional test The details of the civil suit against Alan Braid, a physician in San Antonio, are as unusual as...
Like many followers, I watched Oprah Winfrey rave about Tayari Jones' new novel, "An American Marriage," on social media. It's Oprah's latest pick for her book club. It's also a beautifully written story about love and family and how the U.S. prison system impacts them both.

Jones will at Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet St, at 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday).

She spoke with the Chronicle about her Oprah endorsement, her love for author Toni Morrison and why her book is a true American story.

Q. Why the title, "An American Marriage?"

A. You know it's funny, titles have never been my strong suit so I'm used to working with my editor at the end of the project to get a title. I said jokingly, "We should call it 'An American Marriage' because whenever you have the word, 'American,' it makes it sound like it's important.

Q. You still weren't sold on the title, so what made you change your mind?

A. I told my editor, 'An American Marriage,' sounded like a novel about some white people in Connecticut experiencing feelings. He said, "Connecticut is a really small state so why do you feel that what happens in Connecticut is more American than what happens to your characters?" It was really because I had never heard myself referred to as 'American' without, 'black' or 'African' in front of the 'American.' When I heard the term 'American' generically I didn't think it pertained to me. I talked to my mentor Pearl Cleage, who was my teacher at Spelman College. She said, "You know we are Americans. This is our home. We built this country. Why can't we claim it? And the things that happens to your characters are uniquely American. This is a uniquely American prison system. It's not the fact that Roy (the main character) goes to prison that makes these characters American. They are American because they are American." She was right.

Q. I love the title.

A. Oprah she said that was what drew her to the book.

Q. Your book is Oprah's latest book club selection. How does this change things for you?

A. Oprah called me way back in October, so I had this news a long time. I had some time to prepare and think about what this would mean. The main adjustment in my head was to realize that Oprah Winfrey has lent her good name to me and my project. It's a responsibility. I really hope that the activities that we do in trying to get the book to places to new audiences will hold up to all that she has invested in it; not to mention what I have invested in it in writing it. I've had larger crowds (since her endorsement) and there's just a sort of celebration. That has been really meaningful. It feels like we've been on this journey together.

Q. How long did it take you to write "An American Marriage?"

A. Six years. Yeah, it was long time.

Q. So did you go through a process where you were really into writing it, then set it aside?

A. I never set it aside, but there were times when I was just having a hard time trying to solve the conflicts that the characters have. I felt that maybe I had painted them into a corner or that I had a conflict that I was not skillful enough to get them out of. It made me really sad because I really wanted to talk about the ways that incarceration affects families and relationships, and I couldn't help them. I felt like I couldn't help my characters and if a solution was beyond my imagining even on a page, what did that mean for real life? It was hard during the last couple years but then I solved it.

Q. I think many black families in this country have been touched in some way by the prison system, the legal system, law enforcement. What can we learn from your characters about how to deal with it?

A. The reason they call it "mass incarceration" is that it affects so many people. I think one thing I hope that we'll take away from this book is that every incarceration affects an entire community. Not just one marriage, not just one family but that it has affected the dynamics within our community so we have a prison culture as a nation. Is that how we want to define ourselves? This is about us deciding the kind of society that we want to live in.

Q. Have you had any experience in dealing with the prison system before writing this book?

A. Like a lot of people I have relatives, like cousins and such, who have had run-ins with the prison system. But this really is my first novel that wasn't deeply autobiographical. This novel came out of me observing a societal problem, and I wanted to add my voice to the conversation. I wrote a fellowship to go to Harvard at the Radcliffe Institute to do research on issues of mass incarceration. I learned so much but I wasn't inspired because I'm a story teller. I'm not a sociologist. I'm not a ethnographer. I'm a novelist, and, for me, what I do has to be about the emotional lives of two people.

Q. How did you come up with the idea for the book then?

A. I was in Atlanta, which is my hometown, and I overheard a couple arguing in the mall. They were in love and they were in trouble. I heard the woman say, "Roy, you know you wouldn't have waited on me for seven years." I was intrigued by this and how much emotion was packed into her words.

Q. Have you had a chance to talk with director Ava DuVernay about her documentary, "The 13th" about mass incarceration?

A. I have not talked with her. I know but who knows? Oprah called me one day out of the blue, so maybe Ava will too. I'm open to that. I totally answer blocked calls now for this very reason.

Q. How has your life changed since this book has come out?

A. I've just been busy. I've only been at home (in Brooklyn) for 11 hours since February 9. I've been living out this carry-on suit case for over a month now.

Q. There are talks about "An American Marriage" movie?

A. Yes, Oprah and her Harpo Studios are definitely signed to the project.

Q. What kind of advice has your mentor and celebrated author Pearl Cleage given you?

A. Pearl and I have been very close ever since I met her when I was only 17 years old. We are constantly in touch, and we've been pen pals for 30 years. She's given me so much advice over the years. The thing she told me to remember with this Oprah endorsement, because she had an Oprah novel herself, "Your life is gonna to change, but you are not going to change. Always keep that in mind that you are still the person you are. The writer you are." Pearl also has been sending me a text message every morning while I'm on tour.

Q. What does she text?

A. OK, let me see what she said today. Let me pull up my phone. Today she says, "Good morning, how was your day in Phoenix? I can't wait 'till you get back to Atlanta. Invite me for cocktails and regale me with tales from the road." She's a big emoji kind of person, so there's a heart, a bottle of champagne, and the one where the little happy face blows a kiss. I just love it, is the great ... It's such a wonderful gift that she has given me with these daily messages. Here's an another one from from Pearl. It says, "Face it, Toto, you're not in Kansas anymore." My favorite one. That was yesterday.

Q. So do you have any tales from the road?

A. It's really striking to me how many people have been touched by incarceration, and how many women who I've met they look like any other woman you know. We won't be talking about anything terribly emotional at that moment, but they often come to me afterwards and say that their husband, their son, their brother, has been incarcerated and how much they miss him. And that's why when sometimes people ask, "How did you match a love story with the question of incarceration?" I feel like it's not a contradiction because everyone in prison is loved by someone.

Q. Prison inmates are often demonized, and we forget they are human.

A. It's the only way we can justify it (the mass incarceration) is by denying their humanity because if we accept the humanity of the people who are incarcerated we will be forced to act, to change these circumstances.

Q. You're exactly right. What's next for you?

A. Don't ask me that. It's another book but I have not even been able to sit and write. It's the first time in my adult life that I have not written for months. I miss it. I can't wait to get home to get started.

Q. Do you have a writing process, do you sit with coffee and play music or do you have a room where you go and mediate and write?

A. Coffee is part of the process but coffee is also just part of my life. Under ideal circumstances, I like to sit in a clean room. I like to write in the morning. I never like to say I can't write under this or that circumstance because I believe that's how you give yourself writer's block. But I can say what I prefer. I really prefer to write in an uncluttered space. I find clutter to be distracting, and every distraction increases the chances that the work won't get done.

Q. Do you have other writers in mind as you write?

A. I do feel that every novel, every word I write is a love letter to Tony Morrison.

Q. What's your favorite Toni Morrison book?

A. "Tar Baby," which is the one where the woman who is the fashion model in Europe and she falls for a man from a little town. She misses blackness in the world she lives in, but they are so different and from such different backgrounds. I really make a lot of references to that novel because I love that one.

Q. That brings up a point because your novel is about privileged versus come up. Why is that important?

A. I do think that African Americans have a lot more class mobility than our white counterparts. I read somewhere that most people don't know anyone from a different class background than their own. And I was like, "Black people know lots of people from different class backgrounds. We call them cousins." That class mobility is part of our culture. I just wrote about it because it's just the way I understand the world to be. Because it's, to me, almost in the air that we breathe.

Q. I listened to the audio book. Did you pick the people who narrate it?

A. I did. I picked Eisa Davis is doing the voice of Celestial (the female main character). I'm a fan of hers and I saw her in the play and I met her at a reception. I didn't pick the gentleman narrating but I approved him.

Q. Your book is now on the New York Times Best Sellers' list. What do you hope people will take away from it?

A. Whenever I write a book I have two objectives. One is that I hope my work brings comfort and clarity to people who are experiencing a situation similar to the characters. Then I hope that people who do not know of whatever circumstances are I'm writing about will come to learn something new and think about people who are in the situation in a different way.

Q. What authors are you reading now?

A. In the last six months, I have read, "The Leavers" by Lisa Ko, "Sing, Unburied, Sing" by Jesmyn Ward and "Bluebird, Bluebird" by Attica Locke.

Q. Is there a book that changed your life?

A. Yes, oh my goodness, so many. When I was little girl, it was "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" (Mildred D. Taylor). I just loved it, and it ignited my zeal for reading. Also, Toni Morrison book, "Song of Solomon," really taught me how you can make ordinary people raise to the level of mythological yet keep their ordinariness. Toni Morrison is really an American treasure. I could answer any question with Toni Morrison.

Q. Have you ever met Toni Morrison?

A. I have met her once but I just said, "Hello." I was too shy. I feel like I didn't rise to the occasion, but I hope I have another chance.

Q. If you met her, what would you say?

A. I would probably just tell her over and over how much I admire her, but I would not tell her that on my desk I have a little jar of dirt from her hometown because I think she would think that was weird.

Q. It is a little strange but still good. Now, what brings you joy?

A. Besides writing? Oh my goodness I get joy in so many ways. I love to cook. I love to make quilts. I enjoy taking salsa dance lessons even though I'm not good at it. I enjoy trying. I get so much fun about it. In my Salsa dancing lesson up until now, no one knew I was a writer.

Q. How long have you been taking salsa lessons?

A. Just about three years. I'm not good at it, but I enjoy it.

Q. So, now you'll ll go back to your salsa class and everybody will know you're this big writer.

A. Oh my goodness, that is the biggest difference with the Oprah endorsement. Everybody knows, everybody. I used to live next door to a pawnshop in New Jersey, and the pawnshop guys recently called me. I haven't lived there for years, and they were like, "Do you know Oprah?" If word has reached the pawnshops, then everybody knows.
Former President Barack Obama crying on stage, a police officer racing to the scene of shooting at a Florida airport, and a Libyan woman crying in a rescue boat after having just lost her child are a glimpse into the 101 most powerful Getty news photos taken this year.

This year's photos captured President Donald Trump's first year in office and the devastation left behind by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. Some of the photos in the slideshow above are graphic in nature.
A Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's deputy who was shot seven times in the leg in November is walking again, thanks to multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.

Deputy Justin Gay was shot at point blank range with a 45 caliber after responding to a disturbance call at a home in the 9000 block of Walnut Glen Drive on Nov. 5. Authorities at the time said Gay attempted to subdue Constantine Argyrion, 38, with a taser, but the man pulled a pistol and fired back at him.
Selena has been immortalized on T-shirts and reusable grocery bags, with dolls and makeup.

Now, the Tejano queen has her own children's book.

SELENA FOREVER: Becky G, The Mavericks, lead Fiesta de la Flor lineup to honor Selena

"The Life of/La Vida De Selena" is an adorable board book created by two mothers, Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, who wanted to encourage their kids to be bilingual. It features a sweet, simple timeline of Selena's life in English and Spanish -- including pages on her family, husband Chris Perez, tour bus Big Bertha and Selena's favorite food, pizza.

Casa Ramirez Folkart Gallery in The Heights hosted a Tuesday afternoon reception for the book. The event included a Selena singalong and a big, enthusiastic crowd.

Anything for Selenas!

FOTOS Y RECUERDOS: The stories behind Selena's legacy and biggest hits

Like all things Selena-related, the book is an immediate hit. It's currently a best-seller on Amazon. Good luck trying to find it at a local bookstore.

The book release is just one of many Selena events scheduled through April in Houston. Selena was killed by her fan club president in March 1995. She would have turned 24 the next month.

Upcoming Selena events

Selena Tribute Show: Featuring Cristina Amaro and Juan Paul Hernandez. 8 p.m. March 21 at Fabian's Latin Flavors, 301 Main. Free.

Anything for Selenas! A Tribute to the Queen of Tejano: Drag queens do Selena, in all her glorious incarnations. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. March 28 at Hamburger Mary's, 2409 Grant. Free, but reservations required.

Selena Tribute Party: Selena songs and more throughout the night. 9 p.m. March 29 at Bayou City Bar, 2409 Grant.

Selena Live Concert 1995: Selena impersonator Honey Andrews recreates Selena's historic 1995 Astrodome concert. 9 p.m. March 30 at Scandalo Nite Club, 6501 Chimney Rock. $10-$15.

Selena Loteria: Mexican bingo with a Selena theme. Featuring barbecue, a DJ, Selena vendors and more. 2 p.m. March 31 at Harris County General Store Barbecue Co., 6555 Navigation. $15.

Dreaming of You - Tribute to Selena: Featuring DJs playing Selena music, Bombon, a Selena tribute band, mariachi, dancers, Selena art and more. 7 p.m. April 7 at Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel. $20.

Siempre Selena Tribute: Selena tribute band. 6 p.m. April 12 at Proof Rooftop Lounge, 2600 Travis. Free or $10 VIP.
The pretty-in-pink Hello Kitty Cafe Truck will be rolling back into Texas soon.

The self-proclaimed "mobile vehicle of cuteness" will be at The Woodlands Mall, 1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 24.
Some of Broadway's biggest new musicals and most prominent revivals will be coming to Houston during the 2018-19 season.

Contemporary musical titles like "Waitress" and "Anastasia" will be part of the next season. The recent, Tony-nominated revival of "Miss Saigon" arrives next May, and the 20th anniversary tour of the classic 1996 rock musical "Rent" will have a one-week engagement in August of 2019.

Popular long-running shows also will be gracing the Hobby Center: "Aladdin," "Les Miserables," "The Book of Mormon" and "The Phantom of the Opera."

Some of the titles were seen as star-driven productions during their original runs. "Waitress" starred Jessie Mueller ("Beautiful: The Carole King Musical," "The Post") and then Sara Bareilles, who wrote the music. The touring cast is led by Desi Oakley as Jenna.

"Miss Saigon" often is associated with Lea Salonga's original star turn as Kim, and the 2017 revival won accolades for the performance by new star Eva Noblezada.

But musicals such as "Rent," "The Book of Mormon" and "Aladdin" proved that productions take on new life and interest beyond their original casts.

And, in a bit of a twist, musicals aren't the only type of production in this touring Broadway season. The successful theater spoof "The Play That Goes Wrong," an actual play, also is part of the lineup.

The announcement also provided a reason to get eager for the following season, too, as it's been revealed that "Dear Evan Hansen," a Tony Awards darling and one of the more popular shows on Broadway, is confirmed for an engagement in Houston sometime during the 2019-20 season.

But first, we have the 2018-19 season. Here's the full lineup.

"Les Miserables"

Sept. 25-30

This is the new Broadway production, the one with a set based on paintings by Victor Hugo. Though, it's still the classic tale people have loved for so long.

"The Phantom Of The Opera"

Nov 7-18

Billed as "bigger than ever before," this production boasts a cast of 52.

"The Book Of Mormon"

Jan. 15-20

Don't forget, before "Hamilton" become a cultural phenomenon, this irreverent musical about Mormon missionaries was being hailed as the greatest of this century.

"Waitress"

Jan 29-Feb. 3

Based on the 2007 film, the musical follows a small town waitress and pie maker who dreams of more.

"Anastasia"

March 5-10

A woman fleeing the Russian Empire of the early 20th century joins a man to find her path to freedom and love.

"The Play That Goes Wrong"

March 26-31, 2019

"Madcap" is one way to describe this play within a play plagued by an inept cast and unexpected situations.

"Miss Saigon"

May 7-12, 2019

This revival by the "Les Miserables" team ups the spectacle of this musical about a romance set against the Vietnam War.

"Disney's Aladdin"

June 26  July 14, 2019

Based on the animated film and featuring its popular music, this production capitalizes on what made the Disney movie so beloved.

"Rent"

Aug. 6-11, 2019

The 20th anniversary tour of this classic rock musical continues spreading its message of love, hope and acceptance.
Anvil Bar & Refuge, the pace-setting cocktail bar founded by Bobby Heugel, was named Wednesday as a national-level finalist for Outstanding Bar Program in this year's James Beard Awards. Anvil will compete with five other establishments across the country for the title, to be awarded at the Beard Foundation's annual gala in Chicago on May 7.

Heugel wasn't expecting the nomination, to say the least. The day before Wednesday's official announcements, he booked a flight for Chicago Style, a new cocktail conference scheduled for right after the Beard awards gala. At their weekly meeting, his staff asked him why he didn't wait to see whether Anvil made the finals or not. "After eight years of being a semifinalist, I said, 'That's not gonna happen, y'all,'" recounted Heugel.

It did, and it was overdue. Unfortunately, despite a record crop of Houston semifinalists for the James Beard Foundation's prestigious culinary awards, not a single local chef made the final cut for this year's Best Chef Southwest title. Competing for the award will be Bryce Gilmore of Barley Swine and Michael Fojtasek of Olamaie, both from Austin; Steve McHugh of Cured in San Antonio; Martin Rios of Restaurant Martin in Santa Fe; and Alex Seidel of Denver's Fruition.

And except for Anvil, none of the Houstonians in the running for six different national-level awards made it through the voting to the finalist level. Eight local chefs, three restaurants and a restaurateur were frozen out of the competition.

It's a disappointing showing in a year when the city has received increasing recognition as a national dining capital. Various factors may account for the outcome, including the fact that Houston is not yet as popular a travel destination as other cities in our region, including Austin, San Antonio and Santa Fe  all of which won finalist slots for Best Chef Southwest this year.

The voting body for the Restaurant and Chef Awards, widely considered to be the Oscars of the food world, includes hundreds of culinary professionals and past awards winners from around the U.S. All sign a form certifying that they will not vote for any restaurant they have not dined in, or for any chef whose food they have not eaten. So travel is a strong key to the finalist list.

The lack of a high-profile food and wine festival also hurts Houston's Beard prospects. Cities like Austin, Miami, Charleston draw scores of the Beard voting body every year; and events like SXSW or Jazzfest in New Orleans can help as well.

Then, too, Houston competes in a region that is overloaded with large cities, including San Antonio, Dallas, Denver, and Phoenix/Scottsdale. Add in regional vacation favorites like Santa Fe and Austin, and you can see the disadvantage for every city in the mix.

Another possible factor is that a large number of semifinalists in any given city can mean they cannibalize each other's votes. This year Anita Jaisinghani of Pondicheri, Ryan Pera of Coltivare, Ronnie Killen of Killen's Steakhouse, Trong Nguyen of Crawfish and Noodles, and co-chefs Ross Coleman and James Haywood of Kitchen 713 all were in the running for Best Chef Southwest.

In the end, of course, it's a crapshoot. Houston has brought home Best Chef Southwest honors three times in recent years, with wins by Chris Shepherd for the about-to-be-late Underbelly; Justin Yu for the late Oxheart; and Hugo Ortega for the classic interior Mexican restaurant, Hugo's. We'll get lucky again.

And in the meantime, more local establishments are being recognized for the highly competitive national-level awards, where Houston has long scored few semifinalist slots. This year we had contenders for Best New Restaurant (Xochi); Outstanding Pastry Chef (Jillian Bartolome); Outstanding Restaurateur (Tracy Vaught of H Town restaurant group); Outstanding Service (Hugo's); Outstanding Wine Program (Pappas Bros. Steakhouse); and Rising Star Chef (Martha de Leon, formerly of Pax Americana, who recently moved to Seattle).

Not to mention Anvil, the painstaking cocktail staple on the Montrose Westheimer Curve that has maintained such high quality over the years. Heugel opened the bar in 2009 along with then-partner Kevin Floyd, who went on to launch the craft beer emporium Hay Merchant.

From the beginning, Anvil introduced the city to a whole spectrum of well-made classics and precise modern inventions.

One of Anvil's innovations, inaugurated early in its history, was a list of 100 classic cocktails that guests were invited to check off as they sampled them over time  the equivalent of a birder's life list. Eight original cocktails were always on offer, too, along with seasonal specials, plus a dozen or so carefully selected beers on tap.

Anvil familiarized a generation of Houston cocktail-lovers with house-made bitters, too, a practice that Heugel continued from his early days behind the bar at Beaver's.

Heugel has always made education a priority at Anvil, organizing classes around various spirits and traveling widely to source high-quality, unusual products. His enthusiasm for agave spirits grew and refined itself at Anvil, ultimately leading him to open sister project The Pastry War, an agave-centric downtown bar.

Anvil ultimately spawned a range of influential siblings that include not only The Pastry War, but also Alba Huerta's Julep, Heugel's downtown Tongue-Cut Sparrow, the downtown charity bar, Okra, plus Better Luck Tomorrow in the Heights.

Anvil is in excellent company as a finalist this year. Competing for the Outstanding Bar Program award are Cure in New Orleans, a favorite of Houstonians who travel to the city; Clyde Common in Portland; Bar Agricole in San Francisco; Trick Dog, also in San Francisco; Kimball House Bar in Decatur, in the Atlanta metroplex.

To Heugel, the national scope of the finalist nod, "out of all the crazy incredible options in the United States," means something special. "This never would have happened when we opened Anvil, and it's so amazing to have been part of what this city has become over the past decade," he said.

"That's sort of humbling and intimidating to think about, I'm not sure what it means about our bar, but I know that it means something very special about Houston  that people value what our city contributes to the bar and restaurant world beyond our city limits."

Heugel lives two blocks away from Anvil. He and Kevin Floyd built out the space themselves, and it was never about luxury, theatrics or high design. The luxury was in the fine ingredients, the little details  and in the talents behind the bar. "There's been so many special people who have worked there, so many of them going on to do incredible things in our city and places as far away as Shanghai," said Heugel.

The Anvil staff is excited by the recognition, said Heugel. "I'll talk to them this week about how more than anything this means people will walk into our bar with even bigger expectations than before, and that somehow, we will have to meet them."
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Wednesday that his officers have made only two inquiries related to immigration status since a sweeping state law banning so-called sanctuary cities went into effect in September.

The law, known as Senate Bill 4, bans jurisdictions from prohibiting its officers from questioning the immigration status of those they detain or arrest. It also requires county jails to honor requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold detainees suspected of being eligible for deportation.

A federal appeals court panel late Tuesday overturned an August ruling by a San Antonio judge that had temporarily blocked parts of the law, which advocates have called one of the most anti-immigrant in the nation. Republicans say it is necessary to prevent the release of those who should be deported. The debate over the legality of the legislation now returns to the lower court.

Acevedo said his department would not be impacted.

"We implemented the requirements of SB4 and are fully compliant," he said.

His department initiated training and distributed guidelines in September instructing officers how and when to ask about immigration status to prevent them from facing allegations of racial profiling.

"You can't protect officers from those allegations unless they document the instances in which they make those inquiries and unless the circumstances when they make those inquiries are also clear," he said. "As of March 1, there have been two inquiries related to the SB4 policy."

HPD previously had a policy dating from 1990 that allowed officers to contact immigration authorities only if someone is arrested on a criminal charge greater than a Class C misdemeanor and the officer knows the person is in the country illegally.

Under the new policy, Houston police must complete an incident report detailing the basis for the immigration inquiry. The guidelines note that people are not required to respond to such questioning, and that being here illegally is generally a civil, not criminal, offense, under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

"Because undocumented presence in the United States is not a crime, the failure or refusal of a person to respond to an immigration status inquiry does not provide reasonable suspicion to further detain the person," it said.

Acevedo and other metropolitan police chiefs, including Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, have harshly criticized the law saying that it would hammer community relations if Hispanics fear that reporting crime could lead to immigration checks.

Read more: Sanctuary cities bill draws ire of local law enforcement, civil rights advocates

In the first three months after President Donald Trump took office, Acevedo said the number of Hispanics reporting rape plummeted from the previous year, and those reporting other violent crimes registered a 13 percent drop.

The chief said Wednesday that his officers are interested in pursuing "crooks, not cooks," and have not received any complaints related to its implementation of the law.

"If, in fact, there is huge racial profiling going on, I think we would have heard a big brouhaha," Acevedo said. "The fact that we haven't had one, by advocates or the community, and the fact that we do track our activity shows that we are not engaging in that kind of behavior."

Read more: Fear drives mistrust between police, immigrant communities

Efren Olivares, racial and economic justice director for the advocacy group Texas Civil Rights Project, said his group had received some complaints near the border about police officers who are potentially violating the law by prolonging traffic stops simply to allow immigration authorities to arrive.

State law allows officers to ask about immigration status only if people are otherwise lawfully detained or under arrest. Local law enforcement officers cannot hold people solely to ask about their immigration status, or arrest them on that basis.

"The implementation of SB4 must still follow the Constitution and is not a blank pass for police officers to ask everyone about their immigration status," Olivares said in a statement. "We urge community members to know their rights and contact us if they face civil rights violations."

Read more: Arizona immigration bill still reverberates; holds clues for what's in store for Texas

The portion of the law mandating that jails comply with federal requests to hold immigrants suspected of being here illegally also wouldn't impact most law enforcement agencies in Texas as they already do so.

Tuesday's ruling upheld almost all of the law except for civil penalties for local officials who "endorse a policy under which the entity or department prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of immigration laws." That could violate the First Amendment, the judges found.

The Texas Legislature passed the law last year as a response to complaints about so-called sanctuary cities that gained national attention under Trump. There is no one definition on what entails a sanctuary city, though it's generally thought to be jurisdictions that limit how they comply with the federal government on detaining immigrant inmates after they are eligible for release.

Read more: This is Texas, let's tell it like it is - there are no 'sanctuary cities'

Top Republicans like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton have said the law was necessary to prevent criminals from being freed, though Travis County was the only jurisdiction that limited which so-called immigration detainers it fulfilled.

Several states, the District of Columbia and more than 350 cities and counties - though none in Texas - have passed laws and ordinances restricting how they cooperate with the federal government on the issue. Some courts have found detaining immigrants without a warrant if they are otherwise eligible for release is unconstitutional.

Read more: Trump reignites debate over sanctuary cities

Trump's administration this month filed a lawsuit against California over its sanctuary laws, saying they made it impossible for federal immigration agents to do their jobs and deport criminals. In part, they prevent local law enforcement officials from sharing with the federal government details about when immigrant criminals will be released.

The president campaigned on ending such policies, which gained national attention in 2016 following the fatal shooting of a woman on a San Francisco pier. The shooter had a lengthy criminal record and had been deported to Mexico five times, but was released after his charges were dropped even though the federal government sought to remove him.
PENSACOLA, FL -- Henry Stovall arrived to work at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida, where he is the president, at 6:15 a.m. Tuesday. For five minutes, it was just like any other day. And then the news came: a bus headed toward Houston, filled with band members from Channelview ISD, had crashed roughly 20 miles away, near the border with Alabama.

Stovall felt the adrenaline rush. The hospital soon activated a "code green." The alert triggered preparation for a mass casualty -- something the hospital, which is the only pediatric trauma center in the area, drills for regularly. That training took over, he said, propelling Stovall and others through what would be an unimaginable morning for so many Texas families and their children.

"We don't call those things unless we know it's real," Stovall said. "You get the adrenaline rush and then you start executing on your plan. We stick to the plan."

The story that day would ricochet across the city and country. Pensacola airport employees heard about it. Waiters at the bar across the street from the hospital learned of it, too. A nearby J.C. Penney would give clothes, a Subway in the building would offer sandwiches and a student band would come by with 20 pizzas for the students involved in the crash, who were members of the band in Channelview ISD, and who had been travelling back on a trip when one of the two buses careened into the ravine.

Hospital employees that day would treat 20 patients among the 46 who had been on the bus that crashed -- four of whom came by helicopter. By Tuesday afternoon, 15 of the crash victims would be discharged to rest in a hospital conference room with minor injuries such as bruises or fractures. Five would still be under treatment -- three in good condition and two in serious condition.

But in those early morning hours Tuesday, the hospital did not know quite what to expect.

Hundreds of people mobilized, Stovall said. They put on different colored vests. Red for operations. Yellow for logistics. Blue for planning. Green for administration. Stovall's was white, indicating he was in command. Each had a place to be.

Twenty physicians, who hadn't planned to be working, arrived to help. A nursing team that had worked overnight, from 7 p.m., decided to stay on in case they were needed.

Trish Stephens, the emergency medicine department chair, got the call warning her what to expect when she was on her way in.

The hospital has 577 beds and just over 3,000 employees. A "code green" kicks everything into high gear. A command center is set up, showing statistics such as bed availability and blood availability. Operating rooms are put on hold, except for emergency surgeries. Imaging personnel, who do scans such as X-rays or MRIs, are likewise told to standby.

The last code green they handled involved an explosion in a jail.

These were the kinds of days for which Stephens got into medicine to be of help. Nineteen students arrived that morning and one adult, generally coming through the doors in a state of shock, Stephens said. One by one, Stephens met them all throughout the day. (She declined for privacy reasons to comment on whether all were conscious.)

"They're really great children," Stephens said. "They're concerned about their friends and the people they know more than themselves."

As students were discharged, hospital personnel cleared out a conference room. The put in video games, mattresses, recliners, phone charges and everything else they could think of that the students might want. Sprout the therapy dog stopped by. Interviews were not made available.

"These are very bright young people who just went through something that I hope no one else ever has to endure," Stovall said. "They're processing information well, carrying themselves beautifully."

Early in the afternoon Tuesday, as T.V. crews assembled, Stovall and Stephens had taken a break to stand outside in the crisp air for the interviews. They spoke with pride for the hospital staff, confidence in their team and empathy for what the students and adults had endured.

After all, Stephens said, no one expects to get on a bus home and end up in an emergency room.

"Everybody pulled together and did their jobs and did them well," Stephens said. "I'm glad that for a day that didn't start out as planned we were able to discharge 15."
A Houston man who admitted to killing two young women is one step closer to the execution chamber after losing out on a federal appeal in his death row case.

Ray Freeney, a National Guard veteran with a history of schizophrenia, was convicted of capital murder in 2003 after he admitted to choking then stabbing 15-year-old sex worker Kirshalynne Jones and drugging then stabbing Vicky Dean.

In the first April 2002 slaying, Freeney followed Jones back to her west Houston motel room, then put her in a choke hold till she passed out, according to court records. Then, he proceeded to rape her while she was unconscious. When she came to, he stabbed her and then continued his assault before she died at the foot of the bed.

He cleaned the room, tossed her body in a bathtub and left.

READ MORE: 'Predator' confesses to stabbing, rapes

Four days later, he took his second victim back to his apartment and gave her juice laced with a sleep drug. Afterward, he told her he'd give her a massage, but instead stabbed her in the neck.

After a "few stabs," Dean complied with Freeney's demands and they had sex, according to court records. Then he stabbed her in the eye.

She begged him to "pull this knife out of me so I can die," records show.

He refused and instead fled, leaving Dean behind.

Responding police found her bloodied and naked on the grass outside Freeney's apartment complex. She died several days later at a local hospital.

With the help of a tip from Freeney's girlfriend, police picked him up that month, after finding him at a bus stop on Bissonnet - where he was busy trying to pick up a prostitute.

Before his arrest Freeney had a history of severe mental health issues, a psychiatrist testified. His condition included delusions of paranoia and potentially oral and visual hallucinations, according to court records.

A number of witnesses testified that he'd been a normal kid - but his behavior changed after he returned from National Guard service.

"He was never the same," his mother said.

During the appeals, Freeney argued that his trial attorneys had failed him by not presenting mitigating evidence that could have helped him avoid a death sentence, including information about his abusive relatives and dysfunctional childhood.

But over the past 16 years appellate courts have rejected his claims, and the Fifth Circuit this week turned down his request for a new punishment.

His attorneys declined to comment. Freeney does not have an execution scheduled.
One man was shot late Tuesday while he was believed to be gambling in a vacant building, Houston police said.

Police received a call about a shooting around 10:30 p.m. in the 10700 block of Cullen, in South Acres.
City officials in Oak Ridge North are petitioning the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for a waiver in regard to possible funds the city may get from the Community Development Block Grant Program.

After the Tax Day flood of 2016, Montgomery County was given a grant by the Community Development Block Grant Program. Officials in Oak Ridge North-like most cities in the county-applied to receive some of the funding allocated to the county.

Originally tabbed to received $800,000 of that grant, Oak Ridge North plans to use the funds to supplement the existing drainage infrastructure and construct a public works facility with retention pond in Spring Pines adjacent to Marilyn Edgar Park.

However, City Manager Vicky Rudy said the average income of Oak Ridge North residents could present issue in the allocation.

"Our challenge has been that we don't have the low to moderate income levels that the grant serves," Rudy said in an interview Tuesday.

The city applied for a waiver to forgo the income level cap and is awaiting approval.

"(The facility) would help with collecting floodwaters and offsetting water that comes across I-45 into our community," Rudy said. "No one thing stops flooding on its own, it's a system, and this is something that we need to enhance our system."

MASTER THOROUGHFARE PLAN

Public Works Director Joe Sherwin reported to the council that the master thoroughfare plan, first presented to the council at a special session before the Feb. 26 meeting, is in the final revision stages.

The plan was commissioned by the city council in April of 2017, aimed to act as a tool to communicate between grant writers and developers as construction in the area increases. After minor revisions suggested by the council during the first presentation of the plan are made, a revised version will be presented again and then unveiled during a public hearing, followed by a final vote of approval.

OTHER ACTION

* Community Programs Coordinator Sarah McClure reported to the council that thanks to the Red Cross's Water Safety Instructor Training Academy, the city will be able to train lifeguards and community pool employees in-house, bringing the cost down from $250 per person if the training were outsourced to $35 per person. The pool season pass rate is the same as last year-$50 per household for residents and $75 for non-resident households. One-day passes will be available for $25 per household.* The council meeting Monday began on a sweet note, with the promotion of police Officer James Kipness, a 15-year veteran of the Oak Ridge Police Department, to senior officer and detective. Kipness's wife, Mary, and young son, Eli, presented him with his new badge.

"I couldn't have found a better fit for what we needed," said Chief of Police Andy Walters.

* A candidate forum sponsored by Voter Awareness is scheduled for April 18. The candidates for the two contested municipal races-mayor and City Council Place 2 position-will answer questions starting at 6:30 p.m. on April 18 at the Oak Ridge North City Hall, located on Robinson Road.

* The city's banking agreement with Woodforest National Bank was extended with a three-year contract being approved Monday. The contract includes an opportunity for a two-year extension at the end of the first three years.

"We're very pleased with their services," Rudy said of the bank.

* The council approved the purchase and incorporation of a tract of land adjacent to the Oak Ridge Business Park for the site of a new 12,000 square foot building to be equally divided between retail and office space.

* The July Fourth parade will begin at 10 a.m., an hour later than last year, so it ends around lunchtime.

"That way we end in the park closer to lunch," said Council Member Clint McClaren. "It's July."
Harris County officials said Tuesday that they would invest $30 million in street and drainage improvements around the University of Houston and Texas Southern University campuses in Houstons Third Ward to enhance pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular access to the area while also reducing street flooding.

County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who represents Precinct 1, is financing the upgrades, which target seven streets around the campuses, with a focus on Cleburne Street from Texas 288 to TSU and Cullen Boulevard from Interstate 45 to North McGregor Boulevard. Some residents of the area have long called for infrastructure and road upgrades in what they say is a neglected neighborhood.

I believe not only should we have complete communities, we ought to have complete streets, Ellis said Tuesday in a joint press conference with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. And in addition to a place to ride bikes, a place for people to walk, a place for people  who are in vehicles to get to where theyre going.

Ellis said he wanted to make it a real university city.

The exact timeline of the project is not clear but it will be divided into two phases, said Harris County Engineer John Blount. The first phase will focus on making immediate repairs to the streets or identifying missing sidewalks. On Tuesday, Harris County Commissioners Court voted unanimously to negotiate with two engineering firms to help get the work started.

Also Tuesday, the court authorized the purchase of the Riverside General Hospital in the Third Ward.

The TSU and UH road projects follow similar efforts by Ellis predecessor, Gene Locke, who in 2016 said he would invest about $13 million to fix roads and sidewalks around NRG Park in advance of Super Bowl LI.

Turner termed the new projects a wonderful coming together of mutual interests, noting that they fall within one of the citys so-called Complete Communities, which are neighborhoods that have been singled out for targeted investment and revitalization.

If the improvements in these areas were just relying on the city, it would be highly incomplete, but thats where Commissioner Rodney Ellis stepped in, Turner said. The mayor later joked, I just love me some Harris County, and Precinct 1 is just the darling.

The city does not plan to contribute to the projects, Turner said, but recently invested $12.3 million in a road reconstruction project on Almeda and has planned additional street and sidewalk work in the area.

The mayor added added that he intends to direct a portion of the citys federal community development funding toward projects of interest to Ellis.

He and I are going to be sitting down and looking at some things in Precinct 1 of interest to Commissioner Ellis, and then we will direct some of those (Community Development Block Grant) dollars over into areas of interest to Precinct 1, Turner said. Thats the exchange.

Other streets targeted for improvement include: Blodgett from Scott to Ennis, Attucks from Cleburne to Wheeler, Wheeler from Cullen to Scott, Elgin from Scott to I-45 and Holman from Scott to Cullen.

Representatives of both universities applauded the investment.

Its much needed in our community, University of Houston Regent Paula Mendoza said. We support the partnership. We wouldnt be the University of Houston without it, Texas Southern as well.
Editor's note: The article has been updated with additional information.

An Idaho junior high science teacher is under investigation after allegedly feeding a puppy to a snapping turtle, local media reports.

According to students present at the feeding, seventh-grade teacher Robert Crosland fed the snapping turtle a sick and deformed puppy during after-school hours.

In a statement to EastIdahoNews, the Preston district's superintendent said he was aware of the "regrettable circumstance involving some of the biological specimens," but as of yet, detailed no actions against Crosland.

TRAGIC: Mississippi 6th grader commits suicide after being bullied for sexual orientation

A local animal activist filed a police report with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, who said they were looking into the incident, according to Fox 13.

"Allowing children to watch an innocent baby puppy scream because it is being fed to an animal," the activist, Jill Parrish, told Fox 13. "That is violence. That is not okay."

It wasn't immediately clear whether the dog was alive or dead when Crosland allegedly fed the puppy to the turtle, East Idaho News reported, but parents called the teacher "very much circle of life" and "the best science teacher" the school has.

Former students, parents and others in the Preston, Idaho, community have since set up an online petition supporting Crosland. The petition had more than 2,000 e-signatures by Tuesday night, just one day since it was first started.

Messages of support were written online, some saying Crosland "taught me to love science and want to be a scientist" and calling him a "great teacher."

The local sheriff's office has since turned over the investigation over to the county's prosecuting attorney, who will enlist an outside party to help in deciding on whether he will press charges (due to a conflict of interest, according to East Idaho News).

The school district superintendent issued a statement on the incident, saying that while the district does not condone the behavior, "wehopethatanyerrorsinjudgementmadebyateacher inthis instance willnotcauseustoforget theyearsofcare,effort, andpassiontheteacherhasgivento studentsinPrestonSchoolDistrict."
Houston Crime Stoppers is hoping to reinvigorate the search for a murder suspect accused of shooting his two roommates in a fit of drunken rage in May 2017.

Josue Daivid Celis-Maltes, 37, has been on the run since moments after allegedly shooting and killing one roommate and critically injuring the other at their Pebble Brook Apartment Homes in the 8800 block of Gustine Lane on May 28, 2017.

Celis-Maltes is facing two first-degree felony charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the shooting that left Jesus Castillo-Vasquez, 24, dead.

The roommate who survived said Celis-Maltes might have been upset because he disliked one of Castillo-Vasquez's co-workers, according to court documents.

DEADLY CRASH: Houston-area students involved in deadly bus crash in Alabama

The commotion started around 9:30 p.m. that night as Celis-Maltes was drinking, according to court documents. The surviving victim later told police that Celis-Maltes allegedly gets violent when he is drunk.

At some point in the night, Celis-Maltes called his three nephews and told them to "bring me my gun," the victim told police. Moments later, the three nephews showed up at the apartment and gave a handgun to Celis-Maltes, the victim told detectives.

Celis-Maltes allegedly ran to his roommate and shot him in the face, police said, before turning the gun on Castillo-Vasquez who had run from his room to see what had happened.

ARSON: Conroe man arrested on arson charges after storage building fire

The first roommate who was shot was able to run for help, according to court documents. Bleeding profusely, he got the attention of his neighbor, who called 911.

Houston police officers arrived on scene and found the trail of blood left behind by the first roommate. The officers followed the trail back to the apartment where they found Castillo-Vasquez dead.

Detectives interviewed the surviving roommate at the hospital who identified Celis-Maltes as the shooter, police said.

Prosecutors filed the two charged against Celis-Maltes in June 2017, and he has been on the run ever since.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is urged to call Houston Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477). The organization is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to Celis-Maltes's arrest.

Jay R. Jordan is a breaking news reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JayRJordan.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND  Spring Breakers spread out across Texas this week, including in San Antonio and this popular beach town.

Thousands of scantily clad students gyrated to hip-hop music and chugged beer despite temperatures in the mid-60s and a cool breeze off the Gulf.

I think kids want to get out of school and have some fun, said Clayton Brashear, owner of Claytons Beach Bar & Grill, one of the most popular venues on the island. Hopefully they come down to the beach and do what they do.

RELATED: Outrage erupts online after South Padre spring break party books rapper convicted of child sex crime

In San Antonio, attractions such as the San Antonio Zoo, Six Flags Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld, among others, drew long lines. An official with Visit San Antonio, a public-private nonprofit that sells and markets the city as a tourist destination, said the entity couldnt make any projections on how many visitors might visit San Antonio this week  or what the economic impact of this years spring break would be.

But in South Padre Island, officials say theyre expecting more than 50,000 people to descend on the small coastal community of about 3,000 residents; theres been a 20 percent increase over last year already. Spring Break is a major economic force here, but with it also brings problems.

In an effort to address some of those safety issues caused by the mass of humanity, a new city ordinance requires event organizers to shoulder a greater share of the cost of beefing up security and cleanup will be tested for the first time.

RELATED: Aftermath of South Padre spring break fight caught on video spills over onto social media

The ordinance came after some residents complained that Spring Break had gotten out of hand last year, and venues like Claytons were largely to blame. Residents split into two camps, with some urging island leaders to reimage the island as a family-friendly Spring Break destination, and businesses arguing the party must go on.

We just follow the rules and everything goes OK, said Brashear as he surveyed the throngs of partygoers. It just makes it cost more.

The mass gathering ordinance requires more police officers, security guards, port-a-potty units and trash cans. Each violation of the ordinance is punishable by up to $500.

The city did pass ordinances to rein in some of the wild and crazy parties, but the ordinance falls short in certain areas, said Shane Wilson, a first-grade teacher and president of Property Owners Who Care who led the push for a tamer Spring Break. Well see where it goes.

RELATED: Viral video shows spring break 2017 'chaos' at Port Aransas

Students from across Texas and the Midwest dragged ice chests onto the crowded beach in front of Claytons on the first day of Spring Break. Among them was Mike OBrian, a 21-year-old senior from Rutgers. OBrian had spent past Spring Breaks in other locations, but as security in Mexico had become a concern, and drinking on the beach in popular Florida destinations was banned, his friends this year opted for deep South Texas to celebrate.

Everything is bigger, better and more lit on South Padre compared to the rest of the country, OBrian said. This place is the best.

For more information about the ordinance and what acts are going to South Padre Island this week, go to expressnews.com
The 84-year-old woman stuck in her home with her son during a 24-hour standoff with law enforcement died from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

On the evening of March 6, Bexar County sheriff deputies went to the Macias home in the 9200 block of Saddle Trail to serve a mental health warrant for Fernando Macias, 60, and to conduct a welfare check on his mother, Amelia Macias.
The City Council soon will consider tightening rules for building in Houston's floodplains, including forcing new or redeveloped homes to build higher off the ground.

Mayor Sylvester Turner says new rules for building outside floodplains and requiring developers to detain more storm water when they redevelop a site are coming next.

Skeptics of these proposals -- homeowners and industry groups alike -- have said they don't do enough for people in harm's way today.

When a redeveloped site sits higher, it is protected but does nothing for the buildings around it, they say. And, though the additional storm water detained on a redeveloped site helps everyone else in that watershed, redevelopment is inherently slow.

"These big, public infrastructure things take time," Midway executive vice president David Hightower said after a meeting at which new detention rules were discussed in late January. "What happens is, we pass policies like this and there's no immediate improvement, and some people say, 'Well, obviously, we didn't pass a tough enough policy.'"

The mayor and the city's recovery czar, Marvin Odum, acknowledged this tension in a recent op-ed in the Chronicle.

"Will these new rules solve all of Houston's flooding problems? Of course not," they wrote. "The turnover of the housing stock in the current floodplains will take decades."

They added: "We need to redouble our efforts with our partners in the county to obtain funding for, and complete, the regional flood infrastructure projects."

So how many homes would likely be protected by a shift to more stringent rules? What is the pace of redevelopment in flood-prone areas?

The City Council last updated its elevation rules in 2006, forcing new or rebuilt homes in the 100-year floodplain to sit at least one foot above the projected water level in a 100-year storm (one that has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year).

A recent Public Works analysis estimates there are more than 13,000 homes that are "compliant" with this standard (those that have been built in the last 12 years). So that's about 1,085 per year.

For what it's worth, of the 12,472 "compliant" homes for which the city had solid data, 38 percent flooded during Harvey.

Turner plans to soon ask the City Council to increase its floodplain elevation standard to two feet above the projected level in a more severe 500-year storm, and to extend the area regulated from the 100-year floodplain to the larger 500-year floodplain.
AUSTIN -- Law enforcement officials say they are searching for a motive to determine what links a trio of mysterious bombings in the state's capitol city together, saying Tuesday they are not ruling out race or terrorism as a motivating factor as they continue investigating tips that relatives of two of the victims knew each other and are well-known in Austin's African-American community.

Local authorities Tuesday also increased the reward being offered to $65,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the case, more than quadrupling the reward originally set by state officials Monday.

"We're not saying that we believe terrorism or hate is in play, but we absolutely have to consider that because we don't want to limit what we are investigating, what we are considering and how we are approaching this case," Austin Police Chief Brian Manley said. Two of the victims are black and one is Latino.

MORE: Package bomb explosions in Austin could be racially motivated, police said

According to the president of Austin's NAACP, Nelson Linder, who knows relatives of two of the victims, said the reward for information should be higher.

"We're talking about human life here," he said.

The three bombings happened in a span of 10 days, killing two people and seriously injuring two others. Two of those bombings happened Monday, killing 17-year-old Draylen Mason who opened up the package inside the house, according to police. His mother, who was with him, is in stable condition. A 75-year-old woman who picked up a similar package left on her doorstep in another neighborhood the same morning is is critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

The first bombing happened on March 2, killing Anthony House when he picked up a similar package, according to police. Investigators then had theorized that the package was meant as retribution and was delivered to the wrong address, Manley said. Police raided a house down the street earlier that week, taking a large sum of money from a drug stash house that was a similar color and had a similar car.

In all three cases, an unexpected package was left on doorsteps over night, police say. In two of those cases, a bomb detonated when the package was picked up. In a third, the bomb went off once the package was in the house. Authorities say the bombs all had similarities to link them together, but declined to go into further detail.

The families affected by the first two bombings were not prominent in terms of holding political office, but are known through their activism in the community, Linder said.

The teen's grandfather is Norman Mason, a well-known dentist who is now retired. According to Linder, Mason is friends with Freddie Dixon, a retired United Methodist minister who is considered the "father of the Austin Area Urban League," according to the University of Texas where he works in community engagement.

Business records indicate that Dixon was a leader of Austin's African American Cultural Heritage District, or "Six Square," which the city defines as six square miles of east Austin that was originally created as the "Negro District" by the Austin City Council in 1928. He also was a longtime pastor at Wesley United Methodist Church, one of the city's oldest historically black churches, The Associated Press reported.

Dixon was quoted by the Austin American-Statesman in 2015 lamenting how Austin's population growth and prosperity were effectively creating economic segregation by raising the cost of living.

"Austin is quickly becoming a city of the privileged and the non-privileged," Dixon told the newspaper. "Is that the kind of Austin we want?"

Linder was unsure how the 75-year-old woman could be linked to the prior bombings, but said there are too many coincidences for him and he could not rule out racial motivations.

"Racial tensions is definitely a concern," Linder said. "We're telling our community there appears to be a pattern here."

Manley, the Austin Police chief, said the city is offering a $50,000 tip for information leading to an arrest in the case. That reward is on top a $15,000 reward Gov. Greg Abbott offered on Tuesday. Anyone with tips is encouraged to call 1-800-252-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).

South by Southwest

The bombing happened as hundreds of thousands of people descended upon Austin for the annual South by Southwest conference and festival, bringing together various industries like tech, music and film in a 10-day line-up of panel discussions, concerts and film screenings.

Officials with the program say safety is always a top priority for SXSW and officials continue to work with law enforcement and their venues to address the safety of attendees.

"At this time the Austin Police Department does not believe that the incidents are connected to the event. The substantial security operation already in place for SXSW has been instructed to be extra vigilant," SXSW released in a statement Tuesday.

Many conference-goers had heard about the bombings, but few said it would change how they approach the festival which last year attracted some 422,000 people to official events.

"These days, I'm paranoid," said Donlyn Turnbull, a 49-year-old video producer from Austin while sitting in a side section waiting to see a panel discussion between the cast of hit TV show, "This Is Us." She generally keeps track of the exits at big events, pays attention to people around her and tries to stay out of the crowd. But she's not too worried about the bombs. "I can't worry about it... It sounds kind of personal."

Across the street near a beer tent, digital strategist Fahd Lakhani from Houston said the bombing was too removed from the downtown area for him to be concerned about attending SXSW.

"It's certainly new for a city like Austin" to have these bomb threats, he said, noting he lived in the city for about a decade. "I think we're desensitized as a population."

Juliana Gouvea, 32, flew here from Brazil, a country known for high crime rates. Hearing about the explosions here is depressing, she said, but it's not going to scare her off from the festival.

"It's kind of normal to hear terrible news like that," she said.

Nimrod Kamer, a 35-year-old writer from East London, scoffed at the threat of package bombs, saying his real concern is with federal officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement who have stepped up deportations here.

"I'm more afraid of ICE than finding these house bombs," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Andrea Zelinski covers breaking news and politics for the Houston Chronicle. Send her tips at andrea.zelinski@chron.com.
More than 3,000 gallons of crude oil was spilled into the Trinity River last week by an Oklahoma-based company operating there, state officials said.

The spill occurred at Mid-Con Energy's location about 2 miles northwest of the Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge in Liberty County. The company reported the spill to the Texas Railroad Commission on March 4 and commission officials the next day determined that about 80 barrels of crude oil (one barrel equals about 42 liquid gallons) "was contained to floodwaters outside of the banks of the Trinity River."
The Government of Canada has invited 3,000 Express Entry candidates to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a new draw that took place on March 14. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score for this draw was 456.

This draw took place after the first three-week gap between draws in 2018. The previous draws this year took place every two weeks. Draws in 2018 have also seen the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) fluctuate between 2,750 and 3,000 and CRS scores range between todays high of 456 and 442, which is the lowest score drawn thus far in 2018.

Given these fluctuations, it is interesting to contemplate when the next draw will occur and what the minimum CRS score will be.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) once again employed its tie-break rule in this latest draw. In this case, the time and date of the tie-break was March 3, 2018, at 02:12:11 UTC. This means that all candidates with a CRS score above 456, as well as those candidates with scores of 456 who entered their profile in the Express Entry pool before this time, received an ITA.

To find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool, fill out a FREE assessment form.

This latest draw was the fifth of 2018, which is the first year of the Canadian governments new multi-year immigration levels plan. For 2018, Canada has established a target of 74,900 admissions through the three economic immigration classes administered through the Express Entry system  the Federal Skilled Worker Class, the Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.

It is worth noting that the 2018 target for the three Express Entry classes is 3,200 more admissions than the target for 2017, which ultimately saw 86,023 ITAs issued and a record low CRS score of 413 in May. April and May 2017 also saw the biggest draws conducted that year with the largest taking place on April 12, when 3,923 ITAs were issued.

IRCC still has a long way to go toward reaching its 2018 and 2019 targets. Including the March 14 draw, Canada has now issued a total of 14,500 ITAs in 2018. It remains to be seen how the Government of Canada will meet its targets. It could mean larger draws or more frequent draws, or some other approach.

Express Entry candidates have also been the beneficiaries of an active start to 2018 for Ontarios Human Capital Priorities Stream.

This Express Entry-linked stream, which is part of the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), allows the province to search the Express Entry pool for candidates with a CRS score of at least 400, among other criteria.

Ontario held three draws in February through the Human Capital Priorities Stream, issuing a total of 1,088 invitations to apply for a provincial nomination to Express Entry candidates. Since the start of 2018, a total of 1,808 invitations have been issued to Express Entry candidates through the stream.

Express Entry candidates who successfully apply for a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 points toward their CRS score.

Express Entry-linked PNPs in Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia have also been active so far this year.

In order to illustrate the type of Express Entry candidates who would have received an ITA in todays draw, here are two fictional examples:

Shaun is 33 years old, has a Masters degree and an advanced English language proficiency. He has been working as an IT consultant for five years. While he has never worked or studied in Canada, Shauns CRS score of 459 would have been sufficient to obtain an ITA during the March 14 Express Entry draw.

Ranya is 29, has a Bachelors degree, an advanced English language proficiency and has obtained three years of work experience as an advertising manager. Ranya has a sister who is a permanent resident of Canada residing in Edmonton, Alberta. While Ranya has never worked or studied in Canada, her CRS score of 456 would have been sufficient to obtain an ITA during the March 14 draw.

This result is a good example of the variance between draws from the Express Entry pool, said Attorney David Cohen, senior partner with the Campbell, Cohen immigration law firm in Montreal. Its important to remember that Canada still has a long way to go toward reaching its admissions targets for 2018 and 2019. How it will reach these targets is the big question, and were eager to see whats in store.

To find out if you are eligible to enter the Express Entry pool, fill out a FREE assessment form.

 2018 CICNews All Rights Reserved
Unless you have been living under a rock, you will be aware of the impending activation of the General Data Privacy Regulation on May 25th of this year. The shocker is that many organizations are only now beginning to realize the potential impact to their business of this new regulatory direction of travel. Cap Gemini estimates that many organizations will not be ready.

The impact of GDPR is so potentially devastating to an organization that it can be considered a watershed as to how regulators govern areas of public concern

GDPR is audaciously crafted to ensure that the most significant tech companies of our time, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook will be forced to take heed. Major public showdowns over the years between EU Commissioners such as Ms. Neelie Kroes and Ms. Margrethe Vestager and these large enterprises have taught the EU that if one is to tame industry giants, regulation would need to be much bolder, even impudent, than what has gone before. Enter GDPR.

The compliancy requirements of GDPR in themselves are very reasonable. So reasonable, that a false sense of security prevails in the boardroom. That is why most companies have approached their GDPR challenge as a compliancy exercise. After all, you have lived and survived other compliancy regimes such as Sox, FDA, HIPPA, MifId.

Why change a successful approach?

In a nutshell, there are two reasons why a board member of a large organization should be concerned:

The effect of a combination of sanctions The presumption of guilt when potential violations occur in its application

These new factors mean that every senior executive needs to consider their exposure to the effects of GDPR in addition to their compliance to GDPR.

As my colleague, Simon Walkden, explained in an earlier piece, GDPR will take some time to reach maximum force. The dangerous thing for business leaders is that the regulator believes you have already had a two-year transition period to prepare. So, what have you done? Do you now understand your potential exposure?

Does this affect you?

Companies with a strong domestic/offshore culture might be particularly at risk of underestimating their exposure to GDPR. US companies, for instance, might not realize that they are fully liable for fines over their worldwide income for breaches of GDPR affecting any EU citizen. So irrespective of whether your organization is domestic to the EU or trading from outside of the EU; if you hold or process data from an EU citizen you are potentially in scope. A recent survey by Hytrust indicates that 80% of US companies are exposed to GDPR.

Types of GDPR exposure that can affect you

There are four types of exposure that can affect your organization:

Vicarious liability including a variation of class action suits Regulatory fines Directors personal liability Reputational risk through disclosure and investigation

1. Vicarious liability

In the Morrisons case, working its way through the courts, a class action suit by employees seeks damages for a willful breach of their privacy by a rogue employee and while under appeal has been initially successful.

2. Regulatory fines

Because this legislation was crafted precisely to address multi-jurisdictional reach, within and external to the EU, companies with recent breaches should hear alarm bells ringing in the board rooms. Consider what Equifax, Uber, Sony, and eBay would have experienced under GDPR? A variation of class-action suits, personal liability for its directors and millions of dollars in regulatory fines (4% of global turnover, with a maximum of 20 million Euros for each infraction that involved an EU citizen.)

Getting GDPR wrong can seriously impair and even destroy an enterprise. While some argue that the US Congress has overly protected Equifax following its recent breaches, GDPR would have taken Equifax to the cleaners. Consider in this context that the Equifax breach is estimated to have affected between 400,000 and 4 million EU citizens.

3. Directors personal liability

The matter in which personal liability is arranged varies from country to country. The UK, Italy, and others have chosen to make directors liable. The global law firm, Norton Rose Fulbright point out that Under German law, directors can be held accountable for breach of their duties, which include a responsibility to ensure that the IT infrastructure of a company is sufficiently protected in order to ensure the security of data and the avoidance of cyber risks.

4. Reputational risk through disclosure and investigation

It isnt just breaches, even simple requirements as Article 17 Right to Erasure, more commonly known as the right to be forgotten, can trip up organizations. How confident are you that your company can identify and erase all traces of an EU citizen when asked to do so?

In this respect I would also advise boards to consider another less discussed aspect of GDPR when evaluating their potential exposure; the demeaner of the leaders of the National Data Protection Authorities. Each EU country has appointed an executive to lead their GDPR enforcement. Many of these appointees have, during their career, developed a strong sensitivity to politics. Several have a long track-record in government. We can safely assume that they will react visibly and forcefully to breaches that offend the public.

The renowned GDPR expert, Andre Biesheuvel, has been involved in GDPR from day one and is a Principal at GDPR experts Duthler Associates. He states, many organizations have not recognized the essential paradigm change in GDPR compared to other regulations. They have fallen into the trap of relying on auditors and lawyers to arrange compliance rather than address the true threat, which is financial and legal exposure.

The board should also consider unintended cumulative effects of separate regulations. Other regulatory directives can compound the exposure to GDPR for affected organizations. A great example is the UKs Open Banking regulations which came into effect on January 13th of this year. Open Banking requires the UKs largest current account providers to open their data via a set of secure application programming interfaces (APIs). The Brightalk website has explained that Open Banking will force banks to shift from being one-stop-shops for financial services to open platforms where consumers can start to embrace a more modular approach to banking by giving verified third-parties direct access to this data.

The fact that Open Banking is frequently happening on an infrastructure of dubious legacy should alarm the leaders of those account providers given the imminent activation of GDPR. Indeed, The Financial Times warned about this as far back as 2015.

Mark de Jonge, Senior Partner at Roland Berger, the leading global consultancy of German heritage and European origin, explains, for executives, the financial and commercial exposure arising from GDPR is much more onerous than the compliance requirement itself. Financial institutions are among the most likely organizations to suffer, owing to the extent of personal data they accumulate, their reliance on legacy technology to store and process it, the sensitivity of such data and its potential value.

So, what should you do?

Look beyond compliance, to understand and mitigate your potential financial and legal exposure!

The law firm DLA Piper is clear, GDPR is not a legal and compliance challenge  it is much broader than that, requiring organisations to completely transform

Any business leader who wants to sleep at night after May 25th, 2018, will need to move from a defensive to an offensive posture on GDPR. Look beyond compliance, to the potential financial and legal exposure that accompanies this new breed of regulation and take steps to protect and mitigate that exposure before the rude awakening.
Serving on the Institute of Fundraisings Black Fundraisers UK (BF-UK) committee for six years, the last five as chair, was probably one of the most challenging roles of my career. It was also one of the most rewarding as I had the privilege of working directly to empower our beneficiaries, which very few fundraisers get to do.

During this time I have been able to meet, interact and work with many talented professionals and fundraisers, many more than I did in my day job. The business of volunteering for those from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities is often tough, requires a lot of sacrifice and is sometimes frustrating when faced with a huge need and limited budget. Unsurprisingly, only two of us have served the maximum two terms.
Google is planning to highlight content from newspapers with paywalls for users who are paying subscribers, according to a report from Bloomberg on Tuesday, March 14. So when users search for articles on a topic, results from sites they subscribe to will show up higher than results from regular websites. Google also plans to share data with publishers about who is most likely to sign up, Bloomberg said.

Google executives plan to disclose specific details at an event in New York on March 20, according to the people. The moves could help publishers better target potential digital subscribers and keep the ones theyve already got by highlighting stories from the outlets theyre paying for. The initiative marks the latest olive branch from Silicon Valley in its evolving relationship with media companies.

This is the latest in a series of moves that both Google and Facebook have been making around subscriptions. Facebook has been experimenting with adding paywall support to its mobile-friendly Instant Articles feature, and also recently set up a trial project to try and help local publishers figure out how to get more subscription revenue. The main reason why publishers are being forced to rely on subscriptions, of course, is that Google and Facebook have taken control of most of the worlds digital advertising revenue.

Google also recently changed its policy on search results from sites with subscription models. It used to encourage publishers with paywalls to let searchers read at least three articles free under its First Click Free model, and those who didnt comply were ranked lower in search results. But the company dropped the FCF approach last year, and now subscription-based publishers can choose to provide whatever number of free articles they wish to non-subscribers, including providing none at all.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Meanwhile, YouTubewhich has been taking a considerable amount of heat for promoting hoaxes and conspiracy theories in search resultswill start highlighting articles from Wikipedia when users are looking for what is clearly fake news about topics such as the moon landing, CEO Susan Wojcicki said at the South by Southwest conference in Austin on Tuesday, March 14.

The Wikipedia links will not appear solely on conspiracy-related videos, but will instead show up on topics and events that have inspired significant debate. A YouTube spokesperson used videos about the moon landing (a historical topic with many conspiracy theories surrounding it) as an example and noted that moon landing videos would appear with Wikipedia links below to provide additional information, regardless of whether the video was a documentary or a video alleging the landing was staged.

As a number of people noted on Twitter following this announcement, its a little ironic that a giant company with $100 billion in revenues is relying on a donation-funded volunteer organization to do fact-checking for its videos. YouTube said Wikipedia links are just the first step in solving the problem and that it plans to do more, but it seems a little unfair to take advantage of a free resource when Google itself could be trying harder to flag or identify disinformation.

In part, this is because YouTubelike Facebookseems to be trying to walk a very fine line with its approach to misinformation. Wojcicki said at the SXSW conference that if theres an important news event, we want to be delivering the right information, but also added: we are not a news organization. Those two views seem to be increasingly incompatible, and at some point both of the major web platforms will have to come to grips with what that implies.

Read more from The New Gatekeepers blog.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

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.
EDITORS NOTE: This piece is co-published with USA Today. Gregory Korte serves as a White House correspondent for the paper.

I was crashing on deadline when the emails started flowing into my inbox. Hope Hicks, the White House communications director  who had been with President Trump since long before he announced his candidacy  had just unexpectedly resigned.

I got confirmation of Hickss departure at 4:36pm. A minute later, I started getting a flood of emails from P.S. Ruckman Jr., a political science professor who taught at Northern Illinois University and Rock Valley College. In 10 emails containing 65 spreadsheets, he was sending his entire data set of more than 30,000 presidential pardons and commutations.

The first email said simply, Would want you to have this and use freely.

I had already gotten nine of the emails before I noticed them, but I immediately recognized that this was the data setthe one that made him such an essential expert on any story about presidential pardons. It was data I had often asked him to share, unsuccessfully, and now here it was, unsolicited, and out of the blue.

ICYMI: Facing a critical moment, Vice makes an unexpected announcement

I was just thinking about you todayand your data. Ill call you when Im off deadline, I responded.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

I didnt end up calling until almost 48 hours later. I left a message asking if everything was OK. If I had called right away, would he have picked up? And if so, would I have recognized that he was about to do something so terrible? Could I have stopped it?

By Monday afternoon  now five days after the emails  I still hadnt heard back, which was somewhat unusual. I went to his Twitter feed and his blog and saw no recent posts. I did a Google news search and found a headline in the Rockford Register Star from Saturday: Sheriffs department investigates double murder-suicide at home of RVC professor P.S. Ruckman Jr.

His sons, found shot to death in their bedrooms in Ruckmans house outside Rockford, Ill., had not been to school since Wednesday  the day of the emails.

My heart sank. I wrapped up my work and headed home. I didnt even tell my editor I was leaving.

On the way home, I called the Winnebago County Sheriffs Office, in case the emails helped to pin down a timeline or establish his intent. (On the advice of our lawyers, I did not provide the emails or the data set itself.) The detective said the emails were potentially significant  he seemed particularly interested in the value the data had to Ruckman. For him to suddenly give it away  something he had previously been unwilling to do  might demonstrate that he was wrapping up his affairs.

And if nothing else, it should help to debunk the conspiracy theories that would inevitably pop up, he said.

I have a background in computer-assisted reporting, so when I first started examining presidential clemency in 2015 I quickly gravitated to Ruckman. He was an important source for stories showing that President Obama was granting pardons on older cases than any president in history  an average of 23 years after the conviction. When another source leaked internal memos showing Obama had made few changes to former President George W. Bushs pardon policy, I used Ruckman data to help show Obama was denying a higher percentage of pardon applications. And when I figured out that the White House count of clemency actions was off by one because one offender refused the conditions of his commutation, Ruckman was able to tell me how unusual that is: it had happened just 16 times before.

ICYMI: People ask me how I stomached watching so many [Kellyanne Conway] interviews

Devoid of the present context, his insights were irrefutably valuable. They allowed me to write stories that won the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Award for Distinguished Reporting of the Presidency in 2017. But in the wake of what has happened since, its become impossible to think about that award without an overwhelming sense of awkward regret.

Ruckman was a scholar, but also an advocate. Through his blog and in op-ed pieces, he advocated for a more regular, robust use of the presidential pardon power to correct injustices and show mercy. Though he never said so, I got the impression that those views were informed by Christian values of redemption and forgiveness. Im struggling to reconcile those ideals with his final acts: In his final moments, Ruckman took steps to preserve his professional legacy, even as he apparently plotted to take his own life  and those of his two innocent sons.

So what, then, should become of that legacy? Some have suggested that I verify the data before using it. Thats impractical, and I have no doubts about the quality of his research. Others say I should report on it, but not give Ruckman credit. That, it seems to me, would violate basic journalistic standards. Its not a matter of credit, but of properly attributing information.

Its irreplaceable, said George Lardner, a Pulitzer Prizewinning reporter whos retired from The Washington Post and who collaborated with Ruckman on an unpublished book about pardons, Guilty No More. (Ruckmans resume says hes the co-author, but Lardner said he did all of the writing based on Ruckmans research.)

The datas important and stands on its own, quite apart from what he did to his kids and himself, Lardner said.

Ruckman told me that he assembled the data through painstaking and meticulous research at the National Archives, transcribing thousands of individual clemency warrants into spreadsheets.

I never met Ruckman. I didnt even know his name was Peter  he had always gone by the initials P.S. professionally. He struck me as smart, hard-working, and occasionally moody. I also know he was proud of his sons. Last year, he sent me a link to a YouTube video showing one of them, Christopher, playing the guitar. Just thought Id share, he wrote.

A close friend of Ruckmans ex-wife  the boys mother  reached out to me with a plea.

Please, do not glorify him, she said. I beg you, do something positive with that data and publish it in the memory not of him, but of Christopher and Jack, who deserve to leave a legacy. They had no choice. You do.

ICYMI: The subject of a news sites seven-month investigation ends his own life

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Gregory Korte is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. Follow him on Twitter at @gregorykorte.
IN THE SEGREGATED CITY OF BALTIMORE, residents typically spend their time in either the White L or the Black Butterflythe narrow corridor that runs through central Baltimore and along the Inner Harbor, and the neighborhoods that spread to the east and west. But Baltimore Sun reporters Justin Fenton and Kevin Rector traverse their borders almost daily, covering cops and crime. Over the past four years, Fenton and Rector have witnessed the citys daily churn of violent crime and periodic scandal transform into near epochal upheaval. USA Today recently anointed the city the most dangerous in America.

Violent crime has surged in Baltimore since 2014, and the death of Freddie Gray in police custody sparked unrest that convulsed the city for weeks. A federal investigation found in 2016 that Baltimore Police Department had regularly violated citizens rights. The following year, eight members of the police departments once-elite Gun Trace Task Force pleaded guilty or were convicted of breathtaking levels of corruption that floored journalists, cops, and residents.

ICYMI: When a journalist dies, such questions, while on everyones mind, are often asked in a whisper.

Baltimore counted 343 homicide victims last yeara per capita record for the city. (The total tops that of New York, a city whose population is 13 times the size of Baltimores.) Those victims included a Baltimore homicide detective who was slated to testify against officers in the Task Force case the day after his death. The killing remains unsolved, and hangs over the department.

While Grays death and the ensuing unrest attracted national media coverage, such attention has not been consistent. Local outlets have provided periodic deep dives. The bulk of Gun Trace Task Force stories in The New York Times have been AP wire stories; many of The Washington Posts stories on the same case were provided through a partnership with the Sun, most of them written by Fenton or Rector.

Its an act of journalistic triage that, on its best days, lets them tell stories that push back on the indifference and fatalism they fear is encroaching on their city.

Indeed perhaps more than any other journalists, its fallen on these two reporters to make Baltimores mayhem their business.

Sign up for weekly emails from the United States Project

They are thorough, they are on the ground, says Melissa Rothstein, spokeswoman for the Maryland Public Defenders Office. So when theres new information to provide, theyre the most reliable source, both to find out informationand knowing that theyre going to use it properly.

FENTON, 34, is now in his 14th year at the Sun and his 10th on the crime beat. There used to be an equilibrium to his reporting with Rector in Baltimore, he saysjust enough crime that there was an expectation that we would cover just about everything that was going on.

These days, deciding which crimes to more deeply coverand which victims to write aboutis often simply a function of time as it is a deliberate decision to cover one incident or victim over another. At a rate of nearly a killing a day, Fenton and Rectors task is a monumental one; they must pick which victims to profile and which to group together into shorter round-ups, which accusations against police to dig into and which to set aside for now. Its an act of journalistic triage that, on its best days, lets them tell stories that push back on the indifference and fatalism they fear is encroaching on their city. Still, says Fenton, We cant get to everyone. Were not obituary writers.

ICYMI: She identified herself as a reporter. He then walked behind her and punched her in the side of the head

Fenton and Rector are both Maryland natives, graduates of the University of Maryland and veterans of the schools well-regarded student newspaper, The Diamondback. For each, The Baltimore Sun network of newspapers was his first job out of college: Rector had stints at The Catonsville Times and The Arbutus Times before eventually being called up to the Suns newsroom, and Fenton first worked in the Suns county bureaus.

Fenton had built a reputation as a dogged crime reporter by the time Rector joined him on the beat. In 2011, he published an award-winning series that exposed how the Baltimore Police Department had mishandled numerous sexual assault cases. In an interview with CJR, former Baltimore Police Commissioner Fred Bealefeld, who led the department from 2007 to 2012, calls Fentons story an exceptional piece of work, and one that deserves far more credit for shining a light, albeit one that was not favorable to BPD. Bealefield and former States Attorney Gregg Bernstein characterize Fenton in the same way, independent of each other: Justin is a pain in the ass. Both mean it as a compliment.

Rector, 32, got tapped to take on cops and crime after pitching in with coverage of the Gray case and its aftermathwork that was later named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Reporting, for fast-moving coverage  reflecting the newsrooms knowledge of the community and advancing the conversation about police violence. The new beat, says Rector, was a dream assignment.

It impacts the economy, it impacts the schools, it impacts whether or not people want to live here in the city, and that subsequently impacts the taxes and the tax base and how the city functions, Rector says. Crime is the central issue for a lot of the politics in town. You cant live in Baltimore and not be interested in crime.

There is a moment where you look back on things youve heard from members of the publicand you look at what the Gun Trace Task Force did, and you think, My God how deep does this go?

CRIME USED TO OCCUPY MORE of Fenton and Rectors time than cops. As crime on the streets spiked, however, so did public awareness of misconduct within the Baltimore Police Department, all of it demanding coverage.

The last couple years have been like the previous seven, just on steroids, Fenton says. Everything is amplified. The corruption stories are much worse. The violence is much worse. The dysfunction in general is much worse.

Even if Rector and Fenton generally manage to keep their work weeks to five days, the hours can be punishing. Rector, who married his boyfriend February 23, a Friday, was back in the newsroom that Tuesday. On any given Saturday or Sunday, Fentonwho has a wife and a young child at homecan be spotted at a crime scene.

If Im worried the papers not going to have the staff, Ill go out and cover, says Fenton, who admits that decision can be hard on his family. Someone needs to be there.

Even in low-crime cities, the beatwith its drumbeat of violence, family trauma, and anxiety over knocking on a grief-stricken persons doortakes a toll. Rector says he avoids thinking too deeply about it.

Like a lot of peopleshock trauma surgeons and nurses and police officers, whoever elseyou do tend to compartmentalize it to some degree, Rector says. It is to some extent cathartic to write the stories that Im witnessing. Its cathartic to get them out of me and onto paper and share them with other people.

Fenton, too, says he tries not to get caught up. But he also recounted driving through West Baltimore on a day in 2015 and seeing a procession of some 150 people walking through the city, led by a pastor who carried a giant cross.

I became emotional, Fenton says. I remember getting out and walking up to them, and they gave me a little cardI still have it in my car. It remains a reminder, he says, that there are people still involved and invested in Baltimore.

FENTON AND RECTOR SAY they always brought skepticism to their work, but were perhaps less wary of official police narratives than they should have been. Recent events have made them more reflective. In the wake of Grays death, the acquittals and dropped charges for officers involved in Grays arrest, the Justice Department investigation and subsequent consent decree, and the Gun Trace Task Force case, residents accusations of police misconduct have taken on new significance, and rumors have become to seem more plausible.

There is a moment where you look back on things youve heard from members of the public, really atrocious things that you couldnt quite prove or werent quite sure if they were accurate, and you look at what the Gun Trace Task Force did, and you think, My God how deep does this go? Rector says. All of these things reshape how you see the police department.

Its a change that some readers say theyve observed, tooparticularly in Fenton.

You look at his coverage four years ago before the protests started, and there were two sides to things, says DeRay McKesson, a prominent civil rights activist in Baltimore. Now its like, This just doesnt make sense, and really being a more curious thinker about challenging narratives from the government.

Mayor Catherine Pugh, a Democrat, has recently pushed back on what she calls the narrative, urging supporters to challenge the media to focus more on positive stories and less on crime. Rector and Fenton, however, both say theyre more resolved than ever, galvanized by the recent revelations of just how far their city needs to come.

I write the story and I tell people what happened, and I hope that my story gets people to sit up in their seats and think about whats going on in Baltimore, Rector says. As for official narratives from the mayor and the police commissioner, he continues, I dont let them tell me everythings fine and the narrative should be better and Isnt Baltimores Inner Harbor beautiful? Yeah, it is, but this happened today, too. You know what I saw today? What are you doing about that?

ICYMI: An acclaimed crime reporter leaves her newsroom for police work

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Alan Neuhauser covers law enforcement and criminal justice for U.S. News & World Report. He also contributes to STEM and Healthcare of Tomorrow, and previously reported on energy and the environment.
By Ruth Anderah.

Four army officers accused of participating in attacking Kabamba barracks has been sentenced to dismissal with disgrace from the army by the General Court Martial sitting in Makindye upon pleading guilty.

The four dismissed officers are Lt.Col Phillip Frank Eguma, Lt.Ronald Waibi Mwavu, Capt Hilman Bosco Aleper and Pte Kenneth Sekajja.

Its alleged that the accused persons while in diverse places between September 2013 and May 2014 in districts of Kampala, Masaka, Luwero, Mubende in Uganda and Kenya convened meetings and recruited people to join a rebel group known as Uganda Democratic Federation.

It is further alleges that the accused persons in order to execute the mission conducted recce in the barracks of Karama and Kabamba an act that had the effect of prejudicing the security of the defence forces.

All the accused persons had pleaded not guilty but when the case came up for hearing the convicts pleaded guilty and prayed for lenience.

The four were sentenced by seven member court chaired by Lt Gen Andrew Gutti.
Tax reform didn't help the GOP win in Pennsylvania's special House election, but Republicans are still banking on the legislation to help them maintain their majorities on Capitol Hill in November's midterm elections.

Americans for Prosperity, which is backed by the billionaire Republican Koch brothers, announced Wednesday it will sink $4 million more into new digital and TV ads touting the benefits of tax reform in the battleground states of Indiana and Missouri. Both states' Democratic senators  Joe Donnelly and Claire McCaskill, respectively  voted against the tax plan and are facing challenging re-election campaigns.

In Missouri, the ads are launching the day President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit a Boeing plant in St. Louis to talk up Republicans' signature legislative achievement.

"As more Americans see the benefits of tax reform, they are rightly concerned to learn that some lawmakers, like Joe Donnelly and Claire McCaskill, voted against tax relief for individuals and families," Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips said in a statement.

The tax push comes after a tight special election in Pennsylvania's deep-red 18th congressional District, where Trump beat Hillary Clinton by 20 points in 2016.

Conservative groups spent nearly $11 million on the battle for the seat  more than double the amount spent for Democratic candidate and projected apparent winner Conor Lamb, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Initially, conservative-fueled ads supporting Republican state legislator Rick Saccone focused squarely on the overhaul of the tax code and the bump in worker paychecks.

But as polls showed during the campaign that Saccone was lagging behind Trump's margin, Republicans abandoned that messaging in favor of social issues, such as immigration, and the local politics of Lamb's record as a federal prosecutor.

Tax reform "shored up his base somewhat and it shored up the business base, the Chamber of Commerce voters," said Doug Kaplan, president of polling firm Gravis Marketing. "We're seeing evidence that it's not enough."

Republicans are hoping the tight race in Pennsylvania isn't a sign of things to come. The special election was called after the surprise resignation of anti-abortion Rep. Tim Murphy amid allegations that he asked his mistress to have an abortion. Nationally, Republicans have been buoyed by the growing support for the tax package.

"Tax cuts are becoming more popular with every bonus announcement," said John Ashbrook, a Republican strategist and Capitol Hill veteran who now works at Cavalry LLC. "Democrats are making a mistake if they over-read the outcome of this race as some sort of justification to take it all away."

In Missouri, McCaskill holds a narrow lead of 42 to 40 percent over Republican State Attorney General Josh Hawley, according to a recent Gravis poll. It also shows 30 percent of independent voters remain undecided on the tax plan, giving Republicans room to move the needle by convincing them of the legislation's benefits.

The new ad campaign targeting McCaskill and Donnelly represents the second installment of funding from the advocacy group. Americans for Prosperity already spent $4 million earlier this year targeting the two senators.

In response to that attack, McCaskill's campaign highlighted her attempts to broker a compromise with Republicans and the final party-line vote on the legislation.

"Claire's record of working across the aisle to get results for Missourians speaks for itself," McCaskill for Missouri Communications Director Meira Bernstein said in a statement at the time. "No amount of money from the Koch Brothers is going to change Claire's commitment to putting the people of Missouri before dark money billionaires and special interests like them."

Donnelly's campaign also defended his efforts to work with Republicans on tax reform.

"Joe tried hard to work with Republicans to craft a tax plan that helps middle class Hoosiers and doesn't cause skyrocketing deficits," said Joe for Indiana communications director Will Baskin-Gerwitz, "but instead the McConnell tax plan will add as much as $2.2 trillion to the national debt over ten years  billionaires like the Kochs get massive new tax breaks, while older Hoosiers get stuck with massive cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to pay for it."

Correction: An earlier version misspelled the name of Ashbrook's firm, Cavalry LLC.
Early Facebook investor Roger McNamee doesn't buy Facebook's fight against fake news, including rhetoric by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

"I don't actually believe Mark is sincere about what he has said year-to-date," McNamee said on CNBC's "Fast Money" on Tuesday.

Amid widespread criticism of the his company's role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Zuckerberg has said his personal challenge for 2018 is "to fully understand how our services are used, and to do everything we can to amplify the good and prevent harm." The Facebook co-founder said in January that the company made changes to that "reduced time spent on Facebook by an estimated 50 million hours every day to make sure people's time is well spent."

But McNamee, who co-founded investment firm Elevation Partners, has been increasingly in critical of the tech giant in which he invested years ago. On Tuesday he took it one step further, critiquing the CEO and his fellow executives for inability or unwillingness to fix the platform's misinformation problem. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment

"Facebook right now is committing malpractice. As a shareholder, I'm terrified," McNamee said

McNamee has condemned the social media platform's addictive qualities, comparing its effects to nicotine, alcohol or heroin, prior even to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's indictment, which revealed the role of Facebook and other social media platforms in Russian misinformation warfare.

"And you have the head of advertising...suggesting the Russians weren't really trying to elect Trump. All they were trying to do is blow up America, like somehow that was an OK for Facebook to enable them to do," McNamee said, referring to Rob Goldman, vice president of ads at Facebook, who recently tweeted that sowing chaos, not electing Trump, was Russia's primary intent in infiltrating American social media networks.

Facebook's inaction will hurt not only hurt its brand, but its relationship with its home country, McNamee said  especially if Facebook continues to court markets, like China, where there is tight government control on news flow.

For Zuckerberg, McNamee has a piece of advice.

"Stop looking at China, stop looking at the future. Look here and now and help us prevent interference in 2018," he said.
By Ndhaye Moses.

President Yoweri Museveni has asked the over 1000 delegates attending the ongoing world customs organization conference to invest in Africa particularly in the east African region.

Museveni says currently there over 180 million people in the East African community region a market which needs to be exploited.

He says currently the East African Member States are reviewing their restrictive tax laws to ensure that the region transforms its economic development.

He says some of the sectors which the region needs to embrace is the industrial sector, tourism among others.

Over 1000 delegates from over 169 countries are in Kampala for the 4th World Customs Organisation Authorised Econnomic Operator(AEO) conference.

AEO- is an arrangement that gives preferential treatment like reduced inspection and faster clearance of goods to businesses which comply with customs laws and regulations

The commissioner General URA Doris Akol says Uganda was chosen to host this high level event, the first of its kind in Africa because it has the most mature AEO program on the continent..

Some of the delegates attending the conference are, from countries such as Spain, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey amongst those from the East African Member States.
Google is cracking down on cryptocurrency-related advertising.

The company is updating its financial services-related ad policies to ban any advertising about cryptocurrency-related content, including initial coin offerings (ICOs), wallets, and trading advice, Google's director of sustainable ads, Scott Spencer, told CNBC.

That means that even companies with legitimate cryptocurrency offerings won't be allowed to serve ads through any of Google's ad products, which place advertising on its own sites as well as third-party websites.

This update will go into effect in June 2018, according to a company post.

"We don't have a crystal ball to know where the future is going to go with cryptocurrencies, but we've seen enough consumer harm or potential for consumer harm that it's an area that we want to approach with extreme caution," Scott said.

Google's hard-line approach follows a similar ban that Facebook announced earlier this year.

While the crypto-currency boom has produced a lot of excitement and wealth, it's still a largely unregulated space and has spawned countless high-profile scams.

This news comes as Google releases its annual "trust and safety" ads report.

Google said it took down more than 3.2 billion ads in 2017 that violated its policies, which is nearly double the 1.7 billion it removed the year before.

Google parent company Alphabet makes roughly 84 percent of its total revenue from advertising, so convincing advertisers that its ecosystem is safe and effective is critically important.
United States Steel stocks may be in worse shape after President Donald Trump's tariffs take effect, even though these are meant to help the steel industry  but it will be a "great short," according to a Wall Street analyst.

Vertical Research Group analyst Gordon Johnson told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Tuesday that "there was too much good news priced in" U.S. Steel's former valuation.

Johnson called U.S. Steel "significantly, fundamentally, worse off" with the tariffs, set to begin later this month. He doesn't think the tariffs will do the company or investors much good in the long run.

He added: "It's going to hurt the global economy and steel prices."

Johnson also pointed out that operating costs for the company, including costs associated with its soon-to-be-reopened Granite City Works integrated plant in Illinois  what he called "one of the least efficient steel mills in the world"  are up. This means they will not benefit from the higher steel prices, he said.

Last week, Trump signed off on tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, exempting Canada and Mexico.

On Tuesday, the group downgraded U.S. Steel stocks from hold to sell. Stock prices quickly fell about 8 percent, from about $44 to around $40.

"The steel mills are not going to be able to go to the government and argue for protectionism. They're going to have to compete in a global market now. That's going to be bad for prices," Johnson added.

But the analyst, who specializes in alternative energy, metals and mining and equipment rental research, told CNBC this might be good news for investors.

"It's a great short," said the Wall Street analyst, referring to the process of selling borrowed shares in the hopes of buying back the same stock at a lower price and turning a profit.

He pointed out that former President George W. Bush placed tariffs on imported steel back in 2002 for just eight months. But he gave more than 700 exemptions on steel products and countries because the U.S. didn't  and still doesn't  produce enough steel to meet its needs.

"If you actually shorted U.S. Steel stocks on that decision, you would have made a lot of money," Johnson said. "The steel stocks got hit pretty hard."

"If President Trump actually has to implement these exclusions from products and countries, you're going to see their earnings go down through the year," he added.

Former President Barack Obama also granted steel mills tariffs while in office, but implemented them slowly.

Meanwhile, the guidance for U.S. Steel's 2018 Ebitda is $1.7 billion. But Johnson said those numbers should be higher  $2.5 billion to $3 billion  with accelerated steel production and its plant reopening later this year.

U.S. Steel did not respond to a request for comment.
Russia has not responded to Britain's demand to explain by midnight how a Soviet-era nerve toxin was used to strike down a former Russian double agent, the Russian embassy in London said.

Prime Minister Theresa May had given Russia until the end of Tuesday to explain how Novichok, a nerve agent developed by the Soviet military, had been used on British soil.

"Russia will not respond to London's ultimatum until it receives samples of the chemical substance," an embassy spokesman told Reuters.

Russia, the embassy said, was not involved in the nerve attack. Any punitive measures against Russia would elicit a response, he said.

A spokesman for the British Foreign Office declined to comment.
Walmart plans to expand its online grocery delivery service to a fleet of roughly 800 stores by the end of the year, as competition continues to ramp up in the digital grocery aisle.

The expansion will open up the retailer to 100 metropolitan areas, reaching more than 40 percent of U.S. households. It will offer shoppers same-day delivery of fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with non-perishable items.

Walmart's grocery delivery business will be supported by a number of partners, including Uber, the company said on Wednesday. It has already been working with Uber as it has piloted its efforts.

The announcement comes just weeks after Amazon added two cities to its new Amazon Prime grocery delivery service, bringing the total number up to six. Other retailers such as Kroger and Target have been partnering with third-party providers such as Instacart, Deliv and Shipt.

Walmart has been preparing its stores for its online grocery business, re-outfitting many of them to support the service, CNBC previously reported. Those stores will be the first to introduce the program, Tom Ward, the vice president of Walmart's digital operations in the U.S., said on a call with members of the media.

It expects to make online order pickup of groceries available at about 2,200 stores before 2019.

"We will ... reach as many households as we can," Ward said. "We will leverage our footprint where it makes the most sense."

To order groceries online from Walmart.com and have them delivered, a shopper will pay a flat delivery fee of $9.95, and a basket must contain at least $30 worth of items. Orders can also be placed via a Walmart Grocery app. There is no subscription required, as is the case for Amazon Fresh and a handful of other, more costly options on the market.

For packing the items together in stores, Walmart will use its collection of more than 18,000 "personal shoppers." Ward said more workers are moving into that position on a weekly basis, as more Walmart stores are outfitted to fulfill orders via its website.

"We are gaining new customers who might not have had access to Walmart previously," Ward said about what he's learned from the pilot test of grocery delivery thus far. The service was being offered in Dallas, San Jose, Denver, Phoenix, Tampa and Orlando.

For shoppers who are new to the program when it rolls out later this year, Walmart is offering $10 off a first order of $50 or more, and free delivery if a basket also meets that threshold.
Wall Street was a very different world in March 2008, when Bear Stearns was the fifth-largest investment bank. It made billions of dollars a quarter trading bonds and financing and executing trades for hedge funds. It also held tens of billions of dollars worth of mortgage securities on its books, which proved to be its downfall.

In fact, CEO Jamie Dimon has said he regrets the decision. "In case you were wondering," Dimon wrote in a letter to shareholders three years ago. "No we would not do something like Bear Stearns again  in fact I don't think our Board would let me take the call."

J. P. Morgan Chase rescued Bear Stearns from the grips of a widening financial crisis a decade ago on Friday but it isn't clear the deal brought many long-term benefits.

At the request of the government, J. P. Morgan originally agreed to rescue Bear for $2 a share, a stunning fire sale price that was eventually raised to $10. (Bear's stock had closed on March 14, 2008, at $30 a share. At its height, it had traded more than five times that amount).

J. P. Morgan projected $1 billion in potential revenue gains by combining Bear's businesses into itself, including a big boost from prime brokerage, the hedge fund trading and financing business that Bear once dominated. A year after the deal, J. P. Morgan was aggressively expanding the prime services business, taking it to Europe and Asia, according to Dimon's 2009 shareholder letter.

But from the beginning there were also costs. The bank estimated at first it would take $6 billion to cover severance, litigation, asset write-downs and other expenses. Bear had 14,000 employees at the time and a relatively new $1 billion, 1.2 million square foot headquarters building, located directly across the street from J. P. Morgan's Park Avenue offices.

The Federal Reserve agreed to finance $30 billion of Bear Stearns' mortgage securities holdings to get the deal done.

In his letter to shareholders in 2008, Dimon defended the purchase. "Under normal conditions, the price we ultimately paid for Bear Stearns would have been considered low by most standards. But these were not normal conditions, and because of the risk we were taking, we needed a huge margin for error. We were not buying a house  we were buying a house on fire."

Then the crisis deepened, and the lawsuits and regulatory fines piled up.

J. P. Morgan would go onto buy the troubled thrift Washington Mutual, adding still more toxic mortgages to its inventory, and it would be held legally accountable for the business it inherited, to the tune of at least $19 billion in fines and settlements, including a $13 billion mortgage settlement with multiple regulators in 2013.

Dimon told shareholders in 2015 that about 70 percent of the legal expenses were tied to Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual.

"In the Bear Stearns case, we did not anticipate that we would have to pay the penalties we ultimately were required to pay," he said.
Oren Etzioni, photo courtesy Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence

"In the past, much power and responsibility over life and death was concentrated in the hands of doctors. Now, this ethical burden is increasingly shared by the builders of AI software," says Etzioni in a TechCrunch story published Wednesday.

"Future AI advances in medicine, transportation, manufacturing, robotics, simulation, augmented reality, virtual reality, military applications, dictate that AI be developed from a higher moral ground today," he writes.

Etzioni's proposed Hippocratic Oath, according to TechCrunch, is as follows:

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those scientists and engineers in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of the humanity, all measures required, avoiding those twin traps of over-optimism and uniformed pessimism.

I will remember that there is an art to AI as well as science, and that human concerns outweigh technological ones.

Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life using AI, all thanks. But it may also be within AI's power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty and the limitations of AI. Above all, I must not play at God nor let my technology do so.

I will respect the privacy of humans for their personal data are not disclosed to AI systems so that the world may know.

I will consider the impact of my work on fairness both in perpetuating historical biases, which is caused by the blind extrapolation from past data to future predictions, and in creating new conditions that increase economic or other inequality.

My AI will prevent harm whenever it can, for prevention is preferable to cure.

My AI will seek to collaborate with people for the greater good, rather than usurp the human role and supplant them.

I will remember that I am not encountering dry data, mere zeros and ones, but human beings, whose interactions with my AI software may affect the person's freedom, family, or economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems.

I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings.
Block added, "This is steel country a week after the President announced a tariff on steel imports. This is coal country where the President is advertising his efforts to revive coal."

"It's hard to overstate the magnitude of the victory last night in the Special U.S. House race in Pennsylvania," wrote Fundstrat policy strategist L. Thomas Block in a note on Wednesday. "Trump won this seat by 20 points, Romney won by 17 points. In 2016 and 2014 the Republican House candidate ran unopposed."

Strong performance from Democrat Conor Lamb in Pennsylvania's special U.S. House race marks a "serious" problem for President Donald Trump and Republican allies, according to a report from a leading Wall Street firm.

"The canary went into the coal mine and died  Republicans have a problem."

The widely-followed contest between 33-year-old Lamb and Republican rival Rick Saccone concluded in a dead heat, with the Democratic candidate clinging to a lead of just a few hundred votes. Though Saccone had not conceded as of Wednesday afternoon, Democrats have heralded the election as a major victory, hoping the win foretells similar success in November's midterm elections.

For Republicans  as well as markets  that could prove to be a big headache.

Source: Dan Clifton, Strategas

"Control of the House or Senate allows for total control of the agenda by the majority party," he explained. "The impeachment process begins in the House, and if Democrats would capture the House, suddenly Trump could face the same process Bill Clinton saw with Monica Lewinsky."

To be sure, Democrats have a long way to go if they want to control either chamber of Congress. Of the 35 Senate races, only nine are in states where the current Senator is Republican; to control the House, the Dems need to capture just 24 more seats.

For Daniel Clifton, head of policy research at Strategas, midterm elections are less about "red" and "blue" districts and more about enthusiasm.

"You've now had five special elections where you see a significant movement toward the Democrats," Clifton told CNBC. "When you look at these districts, they're telling you a larger story that Democratic voters really want to come out and vote.  From a policy perspective, if you had Trump and a Democratic Congress, it's likely you get an infrastructure bill."

Equities markets, sensitive to changes in the political agenda, could be in for more volatility if power dynamics in Washington change come November.

Tweet

And Clifton noted that while President Trump and Democratic leadership disagree on a slew of issues, both are keen on improving the nation's roads and airports, suggesting there could be sector plays for investors to keep in mind.

"We continue to believe that infrastructure funding will be more significant than the market is anticipating," Clifton wrote in a note. "Infrastructure stocks could be further boosted by a Democratic Congress as this is one area where Trump and the Democrats could cut an even larger deal in 2019."

Health care could also be an industry to monitor, Clifton added, as Democrats and Trump appear united in their disdain for steep pharmaceutical pricing.
The Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange application seen on the screen of an iPhone. Getty Images

Coinbase, one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges and wallets, obtained a bank account with U.K. lender Barclays, the company said Wednesday, in a move that will make it easier for British customers to use its product. The deal marks the first major partnership between a U.K. bank and a cryptocurrency exchange. British lenders have distanced themselves from engaging with cryptocurrency companies and digital coins in general, because of their reputation of being used in illicit activity. Coinbase, which has nearly 12 million users, also said it was granted an e-money license by the U.K. regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and adds support for the Faster Payments Scheme (FPS).

What does this mean for users?

The most noticeable update will be Faster Payments which will simplify the process of topping up and withdrawing money from Coinbase. Previously, U.K. users had their transactions processed through an Estonian bank, which could take a few days. "U.K. customers will benefit from faster, safer and seamless bank transfers. We will start with a pilot, giving a small number of institutional users access to Faster Payments. In the coming weeks, we will begin rolling out to all U.K. customers, making the Coinbase experience increasingly easier," Zeeshan Feroz, U.K. CEO at Coinbase, said in a blog post Wednesday. While U.K. users could top up money in pounds, they were unable to withdraw it easily back to their bank account in the same currency. Instead, it would have to go through a long process, converting the money into euros then back into pounds, leaving some users stung with exchange rate charges. The e-money license from the FCA will extend to 23 countries within the European Union. "We believe that this is an important step towards our commitment to making cryptocurrency accessible to everyone," Feroz said.

Regulatory concern

U.K. financial authorities and regulators have warned on cryptocurrencies. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney recently called for greater regulation of cryptocurrencies, calling the huge price moves and volatility "speculative mania." Meanwhile, a group of British lawmakers launched an inquiry into digital currencies last month to look at the risks posed to consumers, businesses and the government. Barclays has been one of the larger U.K. banks more open to engaging with cryptocurrencies. As early as last June, it's U.K. Chief Executive Ashok Vaswani told CNBC it was talking to financial technology firms and the regulator about bringing virtual currencies "into play."

Europe growth outpaces world
"That matters tremendously when you have a president who likes to take his cues from cable news, or at least the people on cable whom he agrees with," Cramer said.

Calling Kudlow "the most pro-growth person I've ever met," Cramer said that his years working with the TV personality on CNBC's "Kudlow & Cramer" taught him how articulate and "at home with the media" Kudlow was.

"First, let me distill Larry's philosophy into one word: growth," the " Mad Money " host said on Wednesday. "Growth is true north for this fine but forceful gentleman, and as long as the president takes him seriously about what's true north, that is good for the stock market."

On a down day for the major averages, CNBC's Jim Cramer highlighted for investors why the market could get a gift from President Donald Trump appointing CNBC host Larry Kudlow as his top economic advisor .

When he defended his point on their show, Kudlow would always start by saying, "With all due respect, Jimmy," Cramer recalled. That showed that Kudlow could respect and listen to opposing arguments, which could undoubtedly come in handy at the White House, he argued.

Moreover, while Kudlow has largely championed the president's agenda, he does not necessarily agree with Trump on a few key issues including trade policy.

Kudlow has shifted his position on trade in recent months, from being one of the most pro-free-trade economists Cramer had ever met to aligning himself closer to Trump's view on needing fair trade with China, Cramer said.

The "Mad Money" host said that re-positioning was a big part of Kudlow getting the job but also showed that the new National Economic Council director could compromise: an integral quality in this heated political climate.

"Here's where I come out. Until these tariffs, the general consensus was that Trump's administration was as pro-business as it could get," Cramer said. "That reputation's been frayed now that the president's put up his dukes against China, and it's hurt the stock market."

But with Kudlow in the room, Cramer maintained that the stock market could still get a boost from his longtime colleague's economic outlook.

"The bottom line? I think my great friend and old partner Larry Kudlow will argue forcefully on the inside for whatever is the most pro-growth position imaginable, but in the end, he'll take the president's views and present them, no matter how harsh, in a velvet fist  with all due respect  that gets the point across even to both sides of the aisle, and more importantly in these days of uber-polarization, both sides of the media," he concluded.
Daniel H. Stern is founder and co-CEO of Reservoir Capital Group. Reservoir invests opportunistically in both the public and private equity and debt markets, as well as in partnership with investment teams through the creation of hedge funds and private equity funds in which the Reservoir funds are an owner.

Stern has participated in the formation and development of numerous investment management entities, including HBK Investments, Och-Ziff Capital Management, Starwood Capital, Ellington Capital Management and Anchorage Capital, among others.

Prior to Reservoir, Stern co-founded and served as president of Ziff Brothers Investments from 1992 to 1997. He previously served as managing director of William A.M. Burden & Co. and as an associate at Bass Brothers Enterprises in Fort Worth, Texas.

Stern is president of the Lincoln Center Film Society and serves as a trustee of the Mount Sinai Medical Center and the Educational Broadcasting Corporation (PBS Channel 13). In addition, he is a trustee of the Standards Board for Alternative Investments in London.

Stern received an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Lamb, a 33-year-old former prosecutor and Marine veteran, was expected to narrowly beat Republican Rick Saccone in Tuesday's 18th District special election. Pro-GOP groups poured money into the race to avoid a loss that may shake up November's battle for control of Congress.

At around 5:30 a.m. ET, NBC News reported that it appeared that Lamb had won. The only outstanding votes are the approximately 200 absentee votes in Greene County, it said, and the provisional ballots that the district will count within the next seven days. Even with those added to the count, it does not appear that rival Rick Saccone can catch up. NBC News noted it was possible that there may be a recount ordered.

Democrat Conor Lamb is the apparent winner of a House seat in Pennsylvania's Trump country by a razor-thin margin, an upset that gives Democrats a boost as they try to take control of Congress later this year.

Early Wednesday, Lamb declared victory, but the Saccone campaign said it did not plan to concede yet.

"It took a little longer than we thought, but we did it," the Democrat said.

With the expected win, Democrats get confidence they can compete or win in some red House regions carried by Trump in 2016. The president won the district by about 20 percentage points. Democrats have gotten confidence from a consistent lead in surveys asking voters if they would support a generic Republican or Democrat for Congress.



The party outperformed 2016 results in multiple pro-Trump areas in House special elections last year, but failed to win any of them. But Democrats can count Lamb's projected victory, combined with Democratic Sen. Doug Jones' win in deep-red Alabama last year, as a least a moral victory heading into the midterms.



Pennsylvania's soon to change congressional map makes the longer-term effect of the election less clear. Because the state's districts will change, Lamb would only represent the district he won for a few months. He would not run in November as an incumbent, but instead have to challenge Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-Pa., in the new 17th District.



Still, in anticipation of a likely Lamb run in the district in November, elections handicapper Sabato's Crystal Ball changed its rating on Rothfus' seat to "toss-up."

On Tuesday night, even before the election was called, the House Democrats' campaign arm began to cast the result as a big deal for the party. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., congratulated Lamb on what he called an "incredible victory."

"These results should terrify Republicans. Despite their home field advantage and the millions of dollars outside groups poured into this race, Republicans found that their attacks against Conor, including their unpopular tax scam, were not believable," he said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee pushed back against the Democrats' declaration of victory as of Tuesday night.

"The race is too close to call and we're ready to ensure that every legal vote is counted," the group said in a statement. "Once they are, we're confident Rick Saccone will be the newest Republican member of Congress."



Polls showed momentum for Lamb in the final days of the special election race. His campaign had raised more than four times the money Saccone's did, though the GOP got a hand in the form of more than $10 million in spending from outside Republican groups.



Initially, Republicans tried to damage Lamb by hitting him for opposing the GOP tax plan and tying him to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. But as Lamb refused to support Pelosi, both of those angles failed to resonate with voters.



Lamb tried to make his campaign about local issues, pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare for the region, fight the opioid crisis and protect the rights of labor unions.



Nationally watched special elections can help the winning party spark more enthusiasm, recruit candidates or raise money. For instance, Republican Scott Brown's victory in a special Senate election in Massachusetts in 2010 was seen as a boost to the GOP, which picked up seats in Congress that November.



On the other hand, losing a bellwether election can potentially deter talented candidates from running for office or donors from contributing.



The Pennsylvania district opened up when Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., resigned last year under a cloud of scandal. Murphy won every election there from 2002 to 2016, and no Democrats even challenged him in his last two victories.



Pennsylvania's 18th is the type of district Democrats hope to win if they have a chance of winning control of the House in November. It has typically supported Republicans and is better educated, wealthier and better employed than the median congressional district.



Democrats need to gain 24 seats in the midterms to take a majority in the House.


Miami Heat star and Chicago native Dwyane Wade has dedicated a special exhibit to victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The exhibit, titled "Parkland 17" in honor of the 17 lives lost, made its debut last weekend at Florida's Art Walk.

The exhibit was originally to be featured for one weekend but will have a second showing this coming week due to popular demand, Calyann Barnett, the exhibit's creative director, tells CNBC Make It.

The art exhibit features a mural of 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver, who was one of the students killed in the shooting. According to family members, Oliver was a longtime Wade fan and was buried wearing his Heat jersey. Upon hearing the news, Wade dedicated the remainder of the Miami Heat's season to the teen.

DWYANE WADE TWEET

DWYANE WADE TWEET 2

"Joaquin Oliver was buried in his jersey and [Wade] is from Chicago where gun violence is high," says Barnett. "So he wanted to be able to do something for them and make a difference."

With this exhibit, Wade's team wanted the art to serve as a call to action. The exhibit features gun violence statistics scrawled on the walls along with a "Ring Your Rep" phone booth where people can contact their representatives to demand action on gun control.

By this coming weekend, Barnett hopes to add a booth where passers-by can register to vote. "You have to be politically involved to make a difference," she says. For Barnett, that means speaking to members of Congress and requesting they support stricter gun control if they want to stay in office.

"So yes, we really wanted to remember their lives and get that momentum," says Barnett, "but we also wanted it to be impactful." She points to one of the statistics that was featured in the exhibit: On an average day, 96 Americans are killed by guns.

"Just think of how many parents, teachers, siblings, family members that are affected by this," she says. "What can [you] do to make change?"
Billionaire Elon Musk is changing the plan for his tunneling venture.

Instead of creating first underground transport system to help cars circumnavigate traffic congestion, Musk is shifting his tunneling venture to be more like a mass transit system.

Musk announced the change over his personal Twitter account Friday.

Adjusting The Boring Company plan: all tunnels & Hyperloop will prioritize pedestrians & cyclists over cars

The tunnels Musk is digging via his infrastructure business, The Boring Company, will house pods on tracks that zoom underground for pedestrians and bicyclists to travel in.

Those not driving should be allowed to go first as a matter of fairness, Musk says.

Will still transport cars, but only after all personalized mass transit needs are met. It's a matter of courtesy & fairness. If someone can't afford a car, they should go first.

The Boring Company system will be different from a city subway system, says Musk, because the pods would go to more more locations and each pod will be smaller than a subway car.

Boring Co urban loop system would have 1000's of small stations the size of a single parking space that take you very close to your destination & blend seamlessly into the fabric of a city, rather than a small number of big stations like a subway

Musk posted an animation of what the system will look like (embedded below).

Better video coming soon, but it would look a bit like this:

The pods would be able to move up to 150 miles per hour, Musk says. One Twitter user asked whether it would be fair to call the pods buses. In a way, he says. Very fast buses.

I guess you could say it's a 150 mph, underground, autonomous, electric bus that automatically switches between tunnels and lifts. So, yes, a bus.

Musk, who is already the boss of both electric car maker Tesla and aeronautics company SpaceX, says he tried to get others interested in building tunnels for years but failed and eventually took on the challenge himself.

"It's not because of some epiphany that I had one day driving on the 405," he says, referring to a famously congested highway in Los Angeles, where the tunnels are being built. "That's how it gets translated somehow. I was talking about tunnels for years and years, for probably five years or four years at least.

"Whenever I would give a talk and people would ask me about what opportunities do you see in the world, I would say, 'Tunnels. Can someone please build tunnels?'" Musk explained at the South by Southwest tech conference in Austin, Texas on Sunday.
Equities in Europe finished Wednesday's session slightly lower, as concerns surrounding a potential trade war resurfaced.

Miners hold their ground, but Bpost tanks 22%

Basic resources maintained its gains, finishing the day up almost 1 percent, on the back of strong industrial production data in China. A number of London-listed miners consequently rose, with Antofagasta, Glencore and Anglo American all closing up 1.8 percent or more. Looking across the European benchmark, Adidas hit to the top of the index, finishing up over 11 percent. Adidas reported lower sales and profit growth expectations for this year but announced a large share buyback on Wednesday. Prudential was also among the top performing stocks, closing up 5 percent, after announcing that it would demerge M&G Prudential. Inditex showed a net profit increase for its 2017 fiscal year thanks to a strong performance in all stores, causing shares to rise 3.8 percent.

British grocer Morrisons saw its full-year profit rise 11 percent Wednesday, beating analyst expectations. Despite the positive results and news that it would pay a special dividend, shares sank 4.86 percent. Reuters cited investor concern over a fall in free cash flow, as one reason for the drop in shares. Online supermarket rival Ocado fell 3.15 percent. Bpost tumbled to the bottom of the European benchmark, down 22 percent after its fourth-quarter results missed expectations.

Tariff concerns linger on
Flippy, the burger-flipping robot that threatens to supplant short-order cooks, has taken its first extended break.

But the burger maker isn't blaming balky robotics for the snafu. Rather, it says humans -- or in this case, not enough of them -- are at fault.

After word got out about a human-replacing robot that could grill as many as 2,000 burgers a day, the Cali Group, which operates the Cali Burger chain says it was swamped with more interest, both from curious diners and potential robot buyers, than it could handle.



More from USA Today:

Newsflash! Robots can't live without us

The dumb phone that could cure your smartphone habit

I tested sleep massages for a month and here's what happened when I got into bed

When news coverage about Flippy went viral, the Cali Group said it realized it needed to spend more time on training humans to keep up.

While Flippy held up its end of the deal, the restaurant is short of humans to prepare the patties for the grill and then pile on the lettuce and other fixins', said Anthony Lomelino, chief technology officer for Cali Group. For now, there's no robot for those tasks.

The robotic arms of "Flippy's Kitchen" is still on static display at Caliburger. The stage where patrons would normally line up for a peek was dark when USA TODAY visited Thursday, and there was little sign that Flippy would be coming back, but just when was "TBA" -- or to be announced. The restaurant was operating without the robot using its regular, human-run kitchen.

Flippy may be temporarily down, but he's far from out.

So far, tests by restaurants using robots have been mostly viewed as public-relations stunts. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the Zume Pizza chain uses a pizza-making robot to cook the pies while Sally the robot, also in the San Francisco area, makes your salad.

But whether it's burgers, cars or farming, robots are gradually becoming capable of doing jobs that employ millions of workers. In late 2017, a study by the Pew Research Centershowed three-quarters of Americans said it is at least "somewhat realistic" that robots and computers eventually will perform most of the jobs now done by people. The survey found respondents worried about the fallout, such as income inequality that would result from mass unemployment.

In the decade leading up to last year, restaurant jobs that focused on fast food rose 40% to 4.9 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's faster than health care, construction or manufacturing.

Fast-food workers have been pushing for higher wages. Some big chains, facing high turnover and voter mandates, have complied.

But not all. Many workers are still fighting to earn $15 an hour. Caliburger pays employees from $13 to $14 an hour, depending upon the location.

"People who work in fast food aren't scared of robots. What's really scary is getting paid so little we need food stamps and public assistance to take care of our families," says Rosalyn King, a McDonald's worker from Detroit who is active in the union-backed Fight for $15 movement.

For Caliburger, which advertises $3.99 "Southern California-style" hamburgers, keeping employees in the kitchen is difficult, the company says.

"We train them, they work on the grill, they realize it's not fun ... and so they leave and drive Ubers," says John Miller, CEO of the Cali Group.

Caliburger hopes to have 50 restaurants open by the end of the year. After Pasadena, it hopes to have a Flippy at its locations in Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and Annapolis, Md.

Once Caliburger works the kinks out, Flippy robots will certainly take jobs away, says Julie Carpenter, a research fellow with the Ethics and Emerging Sciences Group at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, Calif. But she doesn't see fast food going 100% robotic. Restaurants will still need cashiers, people to open and close up, and workers for other tasks.

As for reception from the public, she says, "people might think it's cool, or angry that machines are taking over."

Cali's Lomelino was enlisted to get Flippy up and running, and is now training the store manager about the ins and outs of working with robots. Specifically, that means putting burger patties together, seasoning them, and prepping them for the robot to grab, grill, flip and making them ready for customers.

"Mostly it's the timing," he said. "When you're in the back, working with people, you talk to each other. With Flippy, you kind of need to work around his schedule. Choreographing the movements of what you do, when and how you do it."

The moral to the story: technology is cool and can do many wonderful things, but advancements like robots that can cook a hamburger won't happen overnight, Lomelino said.

His advice to other restaurants looking to enter the robotic revolution: "Be ready for a whole lot of inbound calls."
He was the chief information officer of one of Equifax's business units and a leading candidate to take on the top CIO role at the company. The SEC said he was offered the global CIO job on Sept. 15, one week after the company disclosed the data breach and the day the sitting CIO resigned.

Because of the trades, Ying was able to avoid $117,000 in losses, the SEC said Wednesday. He sold the equivalent of $950,000 in stock.

Ying, who was to become the company's next chief information officer, used confidential information to exercise his vested Equifax stock options and then sell the shares before the company publicly reported a breach that affected more than 145 million people, investigators said.

The U.S. attorney in Atlanta said Jun Ying, 42, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on criminal charges. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil insider trading charges on Wednesday.

A former Equifax executive faces insider trading charges for dumping nearly $1 million of company stock just days before the credit reporting company announced a massive data breach last summer.

In a statement on Wednesday, Paulino do Rego Barros, Equifax's interim chief executive officer, said the company referred the matter to the government after an internal investigation and was cooperating with the U.S. Attorney and SEC. "We take corporate governance and compliance very seriously, and will not tolerate violations of our policies."

Lawyers for Ying told CNBC they aren't giving media interviews, citing the pending case.

Ying is not one of the Equifax executives who attracted attention for disclosing they had sold $1.8 million of stock just days after the company discovered security issues and weeks before it announced the intrustion.

In November, a special committee of Equifax's board found that the sales, by four executives, were not improper and that none of them knew about the security breach at the time of the sales. The executives were CFO John Gamble; Joseph Loughran and Rodolfo Ploder, who run two of its business units; and Douglas Brandberg, a senior staffer in investor relations.

Equifax has acknowledged it discovered suspicious activity in its system in late July. It didn't disclose the data breach publicly until Sept. 7.

In the interim, it hired an outside law firm to investigate the activity alongside its internal security department. "Project Sierra," as the investigation was known internally, subjected employees to a trading blackout period regarding the company's stock. A separate team, known as "Project Sparta" was set up to develop a customer website and staff up a call center. The Sparta employees were told they were working on a project for a client, the SEC said its lawsuit on Wednesday.

Ying wasn't a part of either Sierra or Sparta projects but found out about the Equifax breach through a series of internal communications in late August, in which he inferred that it was Equifax itself and not a client that was the subject of the breach, the SEC said.

In the next few days after those communications, Ying researched the stock moves of a competitor company after it announced a data breach. He exercised his Equifax options and sold the shares on Aug. 28, within an hour of researching the stock move in Experian after its September 2015 data breach, the SEC said.

Two days later, an executive told him it was Equifax that was the subject of the breach and advised him not to trade company stock. Equifax shares dropped 14 percent the day after the breach was made public.

Ying was offered the CIO job but that offer was rescinded after his trading activity came to light. In October, the company concluded he had violated its insider trading policy, and he agreed to resign.

Ying will be arraigned on the federal criminal charges later this week, according to Byung J. Pak, the U.S. Attorney in Atlanta.
An FBI internal watchdog has recommended that Attorney General Jeff Sessions fire former bureau deputy director Andrew McCabe, according to NBC News, which cited officials familiar with the process.

The Office of Professional Responsibility's recommendation follows an internal report from the Department of Justice's inspector general, which found that McCabe was not fully forthcoming in answers he gave about the FBI's investigation into the Clinton Foundation, according to NBC.

The decision to dismiss McCabe now rests with Sessions. McCabe, who resigned as deputy director in January, remains on the federal payroll and is set to retire Sunday. If he were fired before then, his pension would be at risk.

Sessions is expected to act on the finding soon, and he will likely accept the recommendation, NBC News reported, citing officials familiar with the situation.

President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans accused McCabe of political bias in his role at the FBI during investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Trump weighed in on McCabe's pending retirement in a December tweet.

TRUMP TWEET

McCabe briefly served as acting director of the FBI after Trump fired James Comey. Trump appointee Christopher Wray took over as FBI director in August.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs & David M. Solomon at the Room to Read for Impact On Global Education at 2017 New York Gala.

Goldman Sachs announced Monday that the company has tapped David Solomon to be the sole president and chief operating officer of the investment banking firm starting April 20th. This move paves his way to succeed Lloyd Blankfein when he retires as CEO as early as the end of this year. While Solomon, 55, may spend his days negotiating deals and spearheading one of the world's most powerful investment banks, he has a surprising hobby: disc jockeying. Under the moniker "DJ D-Sol," Solomon spins dubstep records at elite clubs all over the world. His Instagram shows that his most recent gig occurred in late January at the trendy New York hotspot Up&Down. Meanwhile, his Fleetwood Mac remix was recently featured on SiriusXM.

His disc-jockeying gig has also taken him to the Bahamas where he rang in the New Year. Six months prior, he performed for beach revelers celebrating Independence Day at an outdoor bar called Nipper's. "Great fun this weekend spinning at Nipper's in Great Guana Cay," he wrote on his Instagram. "Beautiful day and fun crowd celebrating the 4th." Last September, the financier joined a roster of DJs performing at the MTV Europe Music Awards hosted in London. "Great night and a great show," he wrote on Instagram.
Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich told CNBC on Wednesday that "as an American" he's concerned about the frequent personnel changes in President Donald Trump's White House.

During an appearance on "Squawk on the Street," Kasich said Trump "has the right" to have the personnel he wants in his Cabinet. However, the departures in the Trump administration will have an impact on the president's ability to carry out "strong legislation and leadership," he contended.

"You have to have stability," said Kasich, who unsuccessfully made a bid for the GOP nomination for president in 2016. He later in the CNBC interview characterized the White House changes as "chaos."

"Yes, as an executive you have to have people who support your agenda, but you can't be changing things all the time if you want to be very effective. Look how many people have left," he added.

Kasich spoke a day after Trump fired Rex Tillerson as secretary of State and announced in a tweet that he plans to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo for the position. The move followed several other Trump administration deppartures, including top White House economic advisor Gary Cohn, who resigned last week.

Tillerson's exit was widely expected for months, but he reportedly wanted to serve a full year. The former Exxon Mobil chief executive took the post in February 2017. However, Tillerson and Trump quickly clashed on issues relating to North Korea, the Paris climate agreement and the Iran nuclear deal.

Kasich, who was one of the last candidates to jump into the 2016 presidential primary race before ultimately suspending his campaign, was characterized as one of the most centrist Republicans during the contest. He also explored a bid for president in 2000. Kasich was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001, representing Ohio's 12th District, and was chairman of the House Budget Committee from 1995 to 2001.



The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Hedge fund managers have warned that Chinese authorities could soon retaliate against U.S. tariffs and vastly escalate a global trade war that has simmered for the last few of weeks.

The U.S. Trade Representative's office is due to rule on an investigation into China's policies following concerns over their impact on intellectual property rights. The U.S. economy has seen many billions of dollars lost due to the presence of counterfeit goods and pirated software.

"We have the intellectual property inquiry report due out this month, if that says something negative about China, which is what everyone is expecting, I can't see how (President Donald) Trump just sits on his hands and does nothing," Steve Jacobs, CEO of BTG Pactual Asset Management, told CNBC at the Investor Choice Awards Tuesday night.

"So the risk of escalation and tit-for-tat, I think, is very real and that causes a lot of uncertainty," he said.

Media reports late Tuesday said that the White House has prepared a number of tariffs on Chinese imports for alleged intellectual property theft. According to the Nikkei Asian Review newspaper, the tariffs would target technology products and clothing and reach up to $60 billion.

The reports follow a recent decision from President Trump to impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and another of 10 percent on imported aluminium. The move has sparked concerns across the world, including in Japan and the European Union. The latter is set to take the decision to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and has prepared countermeasures that include imposing tariffs on certain U.S. products.

Francis Rowe, chief economist at Aventicum, also told CNBC Tuesday night that China's response "has been muted" so far, given that it was already subject to metal tariffs. But that could change soon.

"I think what they are really waiting and watching for is the next sort of results of the possible trade tariffs that the U.S. might announce on intellectual property," he said.

"Were that to escalate in that direction, I think we would have a stronger Chinese reaction and that's where we could get macro significant tariff back and forth between China and the U.S."

Jacobs added that the metal tariffs on their own are not a significant worry in itself, but said it was more concerning that people were exiting the U.S. administration, suggesting that there be more tariffs to come.
Thousands of local students sit for 17 minutes in honor of the 17 students killed last month in a high school shooting in Florida, during a nationwide student walkout for gun control in front the White House in Washington, DC, March 14, 2018.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed legislation to help schools and local law enforcement prevent gun violence, one month after the mass shooting at a Florida high school that killed 17 people.

The House passed the bill by a vote of 407-10, sending it to the Senate for consideration.

Earlier on Wednesday, the White House announced President Donald Trump's support of the bill, which is far short of the broader gun control legislation he talked about shortly after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Trump tweeted in support of the measure on Wednesday evening, hours after high school students across the nation staged protests to end gun violence.

@realDonaldTrump tweet

"Today the House took major steps toward securing our schools by passing the STOP School Violence Act. We must put the safety of America's children FIRST by improving training and by giving schools and law enforcement better tools," Trump wrote on the social media platform.

Since that massacre, student protesters have successfully lobbied for tighter gun controls in Florida. Hundreds of them gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday to take their argument to a Congress that has long resisted placing new limits on firearms and gun sales.

The House-passed bill would authorize federal grants, totaling $50 million a year, to fund training, anonymous reporting systems, threat assessments, intervention teams and school and police coordination.
Thousands of students, educators and faculty across America took part in the #Enough National School Walkout on Wednesday to both honor those killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February and fight for stricter gun laws. More than any activists in a generation, they have managed to take over the conversation around gun control and American safety. "These students are trying to build a different kind of world and correct a lot the mistakes people in previous generations made," Columbia University professor Ed Morales, author of the upcoming book "Latinx: The New Force in American Politics and Culture," tells CNBC Make It. Morales argues that Emma Gonzalez, one of the most vocal student survivors, and her Gen Z peers (Americans born between 1994 and 2010) have succeeded in leading the March For Our Lives movement because of their youth, protest style and ability to hold inclusive conversations. Gonzalez, an 18-year-old student at Stoneman Douglas, directly called out President Donald Trump and the National Rifle Association (NRA) at an anti-gun rally held days after the mass shooting. A week later, Gonzalez and fellow survivors again criticized the NRA and lawmakers at a CNN town hall on gun violence. tweet And their efforts are showing: New results from a Gallup poll conducted after the Stoneman Douglas shooting found that support for stricter laws on gun sales is at its highest since 1993. Here are three ways Gonzalez and her Gen Z peers are pioneering change when so many who came before them failed, according to Morales.

They're protesting to prevent further mass shootings

Stoneman Douglas student survivors have primarily used social media to rally the public around hashtags such as #NeverAgain, #March4OurLives and #DouglasStrong. Morales explains that while politicians in Congress and coalitions of victims' families have pushed for gun law reform after mass shootings, they haven't had the same unprecedented success in getting their voices heard like these high school students. "This is the first time that there is a mass movement among pre-college students, staging walkouts and protests in the manner that has been done about other issues in the past," Morales says. Citing the American immigration rights movement, the anti-apartheid movement, AIDS activism and the protests against American involvement in the Vietnam War, Morales says those were protests primarily led by victims directly affected by these particular issues. "One of the reasons why the protest movement against the Vietnam War in the 1960s was so massive is that everyone was exposed to this universal draft and there was a real a danger to [men] that might be drafted," Morales says. "Now, we're at this place where mass shootings are so common that young people feel [shootings] are almost as much a threat to their lives." With regard to Wednesday's high school walkouts, Morales says he's "not trying to diminish [previous movements]," but today's students are leading a "preventative movement" to avoid becoming victims of another tragedy.

Now, we're at this place where mass shootings are so common that young people feel [shootings] are almost as much a threat to their lives. Ed Morales Columbia University professor

"They want to put strong pressure on Congress to change laws. They're offering different suggestions like banning bump stocks, high capacity automatic weapons, enforcing an age limit and a background check law," Morales says. "They're trying to put pressure and force action." Gonzalez manifests this preventive call to action in one of her very few public commentaries since the Florida shooting. In an op-ed for Harper's Bazaar, Gonzalez wrote: "We are kids, we are parents, we are students, we are teachers. We are tired of practicing school shooter drills and feeling scared of something we should never have to think about. We are tired of being ignored. So we are speaking up for those who don't have anyone listening to them, for those who can't talk about it just yet, and for those who will never speak again. We are grieving, we are furious, and we are using our words fiercely and desperately because that's the only thing standing between us and this happening again."

They're using social media and their youth to create change

Morales says Gen Z's activism on social media and their youth helps them enact change so quickly. "As millennials raise their concerns, it seems like they're being taken up in a more activist fashion by Generation Z. These [Parkland] students are very motivated and are not compromising," Morales said. He argues millennials and Gen Z hold more progressive views since they face job insecurity and less opportunity to accumulate wealth than older generations. Morales adds that Gen Z is better equipped to lead the March For Our Lives movement because millennials are, quite frankly, getting older and are busy being "successful adults" with families. That doesn't leave "a lot of time to be involved in direct action or confrontational politics," he says. "They have less to lose by devoting a lot of time to [activism]," says Morales.

They're sparking an inclusive conversation
House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady is talking to the White House about a possible "phase two" of the Republican tax plan.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly hinted at a second part of the tax proposal to follow the law passed in December. Brady wants to bring forward further changes to the tax code this year, his office said, but it is unclear if it would happen before or after November's midterm elections.

Possible revisions include making individual tax cuts permanent, like the reduction in the corporate tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent. The GOP made individual tax cuts only temporary in order to reduce the amount by which the plan was estimated to increase budget deficits.

Republicans could also seek changes to encourage innovation or household savings. It is unclear exactly what those tweaks to the tax code would be.
Kristi Mitchem is chief executive officer and head of Wells Fargo Asset Management (WFAM). WFAM offers 29 autonomous investment teams with specialized expertise and proven processes, more than 500 investment professionals, and a global reach with offices and clients around the world.



Mitchem also serves on the Operating Committee of the Wealth and Investment Management division of Wells Fargo and is a member of the Wells Fargo Management Committee. Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2016, Ms. Mitchem had served as executive vice president, head of the Americas Institutional Client Group, and member of the Executive Management Group at State Street Global Advisors (SSGA), the investment management arm of State Street Corporation.



Mitchem is a passionate advocate for issues supporting diversity and inclusion and at State Street was a driving force in bringing to market a gender diversity index exchange-traded fund designed to invest in U.S. companies committed to advancing the roles women play in their management and on their boards.



Before joining SSGA, Ms. Mitchem worked at BlackRock (and the former Barclays Global Investors) as a managing director and head of the U.S. Defined Contribution business and as the head of U.S. Transition Services. She began her career at Goldman Sachs, where she held various sales and management roles over the course of nine years.



Mitchem has more than 17 years of experience in asset management, defined contribution, and equities markets. She was named one of the Top Women in Asset Management by Money Management Executive in 2017 and one of Treasury & Risk's Top 100 Influential People in 2008.

Ms. Mitchem earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Davidson College, where she graduated summa cum laude and was awarded First Honors. She earned a master's degree in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she was an Arjay Miller Scholar. She is also a Fulbright Scholar.
"Pharma bro" fraudster Martin Shkreli is asking to be sent to a minimum-security federal camp in Pennsylvania to serve the rest of his seven-year prison sentence.

Shkreli's lawyers, in a letter to U.S. District Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, requested on Tuesday that the judge recommend the camp at the Canaan Federal Penitentiary near Waymart, Pennsylvania.

The camp, adjacent to a much larger high-security prison in the state's northeastern corner, houses 107 inmates.

While Matsumoto can make such a recommendation if she so chooses, the decision is up to the federal Bureau of Prisons.

And it's not clear that Shkreli, 34, could get to do his time for securities fraud in a minimum-security prison with other nonviolent con artists and white-collar crooks.

At Shkreli's sentencing Friday, defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman told Matsumoto that her ruling in September revoking his $5 million release bond could prevent Shkreli from being sent to a low-security, and hence potentially much safer prison.

Matsumoto, in revoking Shkreli's bail, had found that he represented a danger to the public because of his bizarre offer of a $5,000 bounty for each follicle of hair that his Facebook followers could grab off the head of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

That finding, Brafman said, could effectively force Shkreli to do his time in a higher-security prison, where he would be much more likely to come into contact with inmates who have a history of violence.

Brafman said Shkreli, who broke down in tears before being sentenced, has been locked up since last fall in a federal jail in Brooklyn. It's a maximum-security facility where he has witnessed violence and has become concerned about his personal safety.

Matsumoto asked Brafman at the sentencing if he planned to request that she void her finding that Shkreli represented a public danger. Brafman said he would be doing so.

If Shkreli does not win such a request, he risks going to tougher prison, such as the high-security facility at Canaan, which houses nearly 1,500 inmates. The prison has had four slayings since 2010, with victims including a prison guard and a Mafia associate who was stabbed 92 times.

The high-security facility was also the scene of an outbreak of salmonella that sickened 300 or so inmates who had eaten tainted chicken.

Brafman did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday from CNBC.

Shkreli was convicted in August of several scams related to two hedge funds he ran, and a pharmaceuticals company he founded, Retrophin.

Shkreli repeatedly lied to investors in the funds about the strategy, oversight and performance of those funds.

And then he used stock shares and cash in Retrophin to more than pay back the investors the money they had lost with his funds. He also manipulated Retrophin's stock illegally, a jury found.

Shkreli cried Friday in Brooklyn federal court as he asked Matsumoto not to give him a harsh prison sentence.

"The one person to blame for me being here today is me," Shkreli sobbed. "Not the government. There is no conspiracy to take down Martin Shkreli."

"I took down Martin Shkreli with my disgraceful and shameful actions."

"This is my fault. I am no victim here," he said.

In issuing her sentence of seven years, Matsumoto effectively split the difference between the minimum 15 years that prosecutors wanted and the maximum 18 months requested by defense lawyers.

With credit for time served, as well as for good behavior in prison, Shkreli could be released in less than 5 years.

Matsumoto also has ordered that Shkreli forfeit nearly $7.4 million to the federal government and pay a $75,000 fine.

To secure the forfeiture amount, Matsumoto ordered Shkreli to give up his ownership rights to a group of assets that include $5 million in cash in an E-Trade brokerage account that previously had secured his release bond; his stake in the drug company Vyera Pharmaceuticals; the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang Clan album "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin"; the Lil' Wayne album "The Carter V"; and a painting by Pablo Picasso.

Privately held Vyera was originally known as Turing Pharmaceuticals, which Shkreli founded in 2015. He gained notoriety that year for using Turing to buy the rights to the anti-parasite drug Daraprim, whose price he promptly hiked by more than 5,000 percent.

The crimes that Shkreli later was charged with were not related to his tenure at Turing.

Shkreli plans to appeal his conviction.
U.S. foreign policy toward adversaries such as Russia, North Korea and Syria may turn more aggressive if CIA Director Mike Pompeo becomes secretary of state.

CIA Director Mike Pompeo speaks at the FDD National Security Summit in Washington, October 19, 2017. Yuri Gripas | Reuters

President Donald Trump nominated 54-year-old Pompeo  a three-term Republican congressman known for his hardline views  after firing Rex Tillerson, whose sudden departure sparked concerns about the credibility of American diplomatic personnel being directed by an already chaotic White House. Pompeo became America's spy chief in January 2017. During his 14 months at the CIA, he took a confrontational stance toward Iran and gave staunch support to Israel. Pompeo's nomination indicates Trump is filling his administration with individuals who share his views, said John Glaser, director of foreign policy studies at libertarian think tank Cato Institute. Pompeo's public statements support Glaser's point of view. The appointment still requires Senate confirmation, but a look at Pompeo's past remarks may shed light on the face of future American diplomacy.

On North Korea

October 2017: Pompeo said Pyongyang was would soon be able to threaten a U.S. city with nuclear weapons. He echoed Trump in criticizing previous administrations for failing to halt North Korea's nuclear weapons program. January 2018: Kim "is looking for a foothold to walk himself back," Pompeo said. "This would but entirely consistent with his historical activity. When he sees the threat, he tries to pacify it. And you can be sure that this administration is not going to fall prey to the same trap that previous administrations did."

July 2017: "I am hopeful we will find a way to separate the [North Korean] regime from this system. . . . The North Korean people, I'm sure, are lovely people and would love to see him go." October 2017: "With respect to, if Kim Jong Un should vanish, given the history of the CIA, I'm just not going to talk about it. Someone might think there was a coincidence." Ahead of a milestone meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pompeo may be a good choice as a negotiator because "he's a hawk," said Sean King, vice president at consultancy Park Strategies.

On Russia

Pompeo has lambasted Moscow's aggression toward the West and other countries, and  unlike Trump  he has encouraged an assertive posture toward the Kremlin. January 2018: "I continue to be concerned not only about the Russians but about others' efforts as well. We have many foes who want to undermine Western democracy. So there's this Washington-based focus on Russian interference. I want to make sure we broaden the conversation." April 2017: "I don't have any comment on the [Russia] investigations. They'll run their course. We'll do our duty and provide those who ask and have a right to see it, we'll give them the information that they need so that they can conduct their investigations."

Pompeo had extreme views on Moscow before he became CIA director, "but as a Trump loyalist, he has softened his views on Russia and seems to be in line with Trump," Anders Aslund, resident senior fellow at think tank Atlantic Council, said in a note.

On secret CIA missions

In a recent interview with CBS, Pompeo said the CIA was "most certainly" expanding covert and clandestine operations. January 2018: "Make no mistake about it. We are doing things today that the CIA was not doing a year ago, and there's more risk attached to those ... I want the president to have the best intelligence in the world." The intelligence agency's next chief will be 61-year-old Gina Haspel, the deputy director of the agency who played a role in the waterboarding of suspected militants at secret facilities.

On Syria

Pompeo has repeatedly criticized the presence of Iran and Russia in Syria. He has stressed the importance of challenging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. July 2017: "We're staring at the places we can find to achieve American outcomes in Syria, the things in our country's best interest and not in theirs. When the decision was made to allow the Russians to enter into Syria now, coming on four years ago, fundamentally changed the landscape. And it's certainly been worse for the Syrian people."

July 2017: "It is difficult to imagine a stable Syria that still has Assad in power. He is a puppet of the Iranians and therefore it seems an unlikely situation where Assad will be sitting on the throne and America's interests will be well served." As secretary of state, Pompeo could "embolden those within the Trump administration who seek to further amplify a more assertive posture within the Syrian crisis," The Middle East Institute, a Washington-based research firm, said in a note.

On the Iran nuclear deal

Pompeo has likened Iran to the Islamic State terror group, calling Iran a "thuggish police state." He's also expressed disdain for a 2015 nuclear deal aimed at limiting the country's nuclear energy program. November 2016: "I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism." Pompeo is "a longtime die-hard opponent of the Islamic Republic, who has for years advocated for a policy of regime change in Tehran," said The Middle East Institute note. "He was seen as someone willing to help set the stage for a military conflict between the U.S. and Iran."

On China

In the past, Pompeo has praised the world's second-largest economy  while also warning of Beijing's significant security threat. July 2017: "I think China has the capacity to present the greatest rivalry to America  over the medium and long term." October 2017: "We think that President Xi [Jinping] will come out of this in a dominant position with incredible capacity to do good around the world." "Pompeo has shown a high regard for Xi Jinping as a strongman," noted Jessica Chen Weiss, professor of government at Cornell University and expert in Chinese foreign policy. With Pompeo leading the State Department, "China and Asia can probably expect more of Trump's wild swings between rhetorical confrontation and cooperation."

On Trump's tweets
Commodities trader Noble Group said it has finalised a binding agreement with a group of senior creditors holding 46 percent of its debt, and was in talks with others, on a restructuring

deal crucial to its survival.

Noble said in a statement on Wednesday that its Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) had been signed by creditors known as the Ad Hoc Group. Noble is also seeking support from its senior creditor, Deutsche Bank and trade finance provider, ING Bank.

The trader said Deutsche Bank had signed the RSA, and ING Bank was in the process of seeking credit approval to sign it. Together, both represent a further 4 percent of Noble's claims.

Noble said the Ad Hoc Group was also in contact with other senior creditors who were holding an additional 15 percent of claims and had indicated their broad support for the deal.

This came after trading in shares of Noble Group was halted on Wednesday morning.

Embattled Noble has been negotiating a $3.4 billion debt-for-equity swap  crucial to its survival  after selling billions of dollars of assets, taking hefty writedowns and cutting hundreds of jobs over the past three years.

The Hong Kong-headquartered firm, which reported a $4.9 billion loss for 2017, also said on Monday that it had opted not to pay the coupon on a $750 million bond which was due last week. Noble has a $379 million bond that matures on March 20.

 CNBC contributed reporting to this article.
Republicans have months before November to sharpen their message as they try to hold on to congressional majorities, and much can change before then. Still, the Pennsylvania election packs plenty of warning signs for House GOP incumbents and candidates  running not only in districts Hillary Clinton won in 2016 but also those areas Trump carried.

Speaking to reporters, House Speaker Paul Ryan argued the minority party could not repeat the performance from moderate candidate Conor Lamb, whom he contended ran on a "conservative agenda." House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers warned against making "sweeping predictions" from the result of the Pennsylvania 18th District special election. She said the country has not seen the full "momentum" from the GOP tax law passed in December.

As talk of a Democratic wave in November's midterm elections mounted Wednesday, House Republican leaders aimed to downplay an apparent Democratic win in a House district President Donald Trump won easily in 2016.

Among the potential concerns for the GOP:

Trump won the 18th District by about 20 percentage points in 2016. Former Rep. Tim Murphy, who resigned amid a cloud of scandal last year, did not even face a Democratic challenger in re-election bids in 2014 and 2016.

Lamb outraised Republican Rick Saccone by a more than 4-to-1 margin. Outside Republican groups injected more than $10 million into the race, and it apparently failed to put Saccone over the top.

The GOP has cast its tax law and a strong economy as signature achievements to promote this year. After initially hammering Lamb for opposing the tax plan, the GOP backed off the message as it appeared not to resonate as strongly as other issues such as immigration.

The GOP leaders spoke after a Republican conference meeting Wednesday morning, during which Ryan was set to say that the race should serve as a wake-up call, according to NBC News. He was expected to tell his caucus not to get caught off guard by Democratic enthusiasm but to still feel hopeful about the GOP agenda.

Moe tweet

Perhaps sensing a tough election ahead in 2018, more than 20 Republican lawmakers have already announced plans to retire, not including those who chose to run for another office or took a job in the Trump administration. While primary elections have started, and many candidates have already declared to run, Democrats hope the Pennsylvania result may make other GOP lawmakers think twice about running in November.

Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan elections analysis site, rates 114 Republican seats as more competitive than Pennsylvania's 18th District, although candidates in some of those areas get a boost from running as an incumbent. In addition, Cook's Partisan Voter Index lists 17 open seats as more competitive than the Pennsylvania race. Democrats need to win 24 GOP seats in November to take a majority in the House.

Amy Walter tweet

Publicly, Republicans contended other Democrats who run in red areas will not have as easy a path as Lamb, a 33-year-old former prosecutor and Marine veteran who ran as a social moderate. On Wednesday, Ryan highlighted that numerous Democrats will have to face primary elections, which can force candidates to the left and potentially make them less appealing to independent or Republican voters.

"This is something that you're not going to see repeated, because they didn't have a primary. They were able to pick a candidate who could run as a conservative, who ran against the minority leader [Nancy Pelosi], who ran on a conservative agenda," the Wisconsin Republican said.

Lamb is hardly the "conservative" Ryan casts him as. While he called for no new gun control laws, he supported stronger background checks. Lamb said he personally opposed abortion but agreed with the legal right to choose.

The Democrat also opposed the GOP tax law championed by Ryan, pledged to fight any GOP efforts to cut Social Security and Medicare spending, and promised to back labor unions. He refused to support Pelosi as Republicans spent millions trying to tie him to the nationally unpopular congresswoman from California.

Ryan said his party has a "great track record" and should focus on accomplishments such as its signature achievement of last year, the tax law passed in December. He added that his party's candidates will have difficulties if they face the fundraising gap that Saccone did in Pennsylvania.

"We need to execute, we need to get our message, and we need to make sure that our candidates aren't massively outraised and outspent on TV as was the case between these two candidates," Ryan said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte walks past honor guards as he arrives at Manila international airport in Manila on May 24, 2017, after returning from a visit to Russia. Duterte threatened on May 24 to impose martial law in Mindanao to combat the rising threat of terrorism, after Islamist militants beheaded a policeman and took Catholic hostages while rampaging through a southern city.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte intends to pull his country out of the International Criminal Court (ICC), shortly after the judicial body launched a crimes against humanity investigation into his controversial war on drugs.

In a lengthy statement released Wednesday, the Filipino strongman leader decried what he believed to be an "outrageous" attack on his character by United Nations (UN) officials. Duterte has been accused of facilitating extrajudicial killings and other rights abuses during a campaign to stamp out illegal drugs in the Asian country.

Last month, the ICC said it was investigating allegations the Philippines president had committed crimes against humanity.

Duterte initially welcomed the move, suggesting it would provide him with an opportunity to clear his name of any apparent wrongdoing. However, in a dramatic U-turn, he has since decided the judicial body has demonstrated a "brazen ignorance of the law." He also said the ICC was "useless" and "hypocritical."
Last week, Trump signed tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. He exempted Canada and Mexico . At the time, the White House said it will give other nations a chance to justify why they shouldn't be included.

"He has done incredible damage to our relationship with Mexico, some to Canada and a lot to the European Union, all of which was not necessary and not desirable," said Shapiro, who served as a trade negotiator during President Bill Clinton 's administration and helped complete the North American Free Trade Agreement.

President Donald Trump should be focusing on the trade challenge posed by China, not attacking friends and neighbors, former Ambassador Ira Shapiro told CNBC on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump holds up a proclamation during a White House ceremony to establish tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum at the White House in Washington, March 8, 2018.

Critics have argued that the tariffs shouldn't be broad and the real offenders, such as China, should be targeted.

The move has also provoked outcry around the world. The European Union threatened to raise import duties on things like bourbon, peanuts and cranberries. Earlier this week, the French economy and finance minister told CNBC the EU could retaliate alongside nations from outside Europe.

In the end, several countries will wind up being hit, including China, Russia and perhaps Korea and Japan, Shapiro told "Power Lunch."

In addition to those tariffs, the Trump administration is preparing to go after China for alleged intellectual property theft.

A source told CNBC on Tuesday the White House is considering a trade package including indefinite tariffs, investment restrictions and possible visa restrictions on Chinese travelers.

Patrick Chovanec, chief strategist at Silvercrest Asset Management and adjunct professor at Columbia School of International and Public Affairs, agrees there is a real issue with China.

However, he believes the U.S. should work with its allies to remedy the situation.

"If you go alone, unilaterally, it is going to make it a lot easier for the Chinese to target industries of the United States and retaliate," he told "Power Lunch."

"We have burned a lot of bridges over the past month in terms of working with those countries on China," he added.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., announced on Wednesday that he will oppose President Donald Trump's nominees to take the reins at the State Department and CIA, complicating White House efforts to fill two posts that are essential to conducting U.S. foreign policy.

Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday and nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo, a foreign policy hawk, to take over as the United States' chief diplomat.

Gina Haspel, the CIA's deputy director, has been selected by the president to lead the country's main intelligence agency after Pompeo moves to the State Department.

"I will oppose both Pompeo's nomination and Haspel's nomination," Paul said.

The Kentucky senator said he opposes Haspel's nomination due to her involvement in a CIA torture site in Thailand, where captured al Qaeda suspects were held in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

"My opposition to her is over her direct participation in interrogation and her gleeful enjoyment of someone being tortured," said Paul, a libertarian who has staked out dovish positions on U.S. foreign policy that buck the GOP mainstream.

Paul read quotes he attributed to Haspel in which she allegedly mocked a captured al Qaeda suspect as he was being waterboarded.

Paul's opposition to Haspel's nomination raises the prospect that the White House may struggle to gather the votes needed in the Senate to confirm her as the head of the CIA. If all 49 senators in the Democratic caucus vote against Haspel, Paul and another Republican voting "no" would block her from taking over the agency.

PAUL TWEET

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has yet to publicly call on his fellow Democrats to oppose either Haspel or Pompeo.

Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz.,also expressed misgivings about Haspel's nomination. McCain, a former Navy airman who was captured and tortured by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War, strongly opposed the torture of detainees who were captured by the United States in the wars launched after the Sept. 11 attacks.



"The torture of detainees in U.S. custody during the last decade was one of the darkest chapters in American history," McCain said in a statement Tuesday. "Ms. Haspel needs to explain the nature and extent of her involvement in the CIA's interrogation program during the confirmation process."

Meanwhile, Paul said he is concerned about Pompeo's positions on foreign policy, particularly toward Iran. The Republican senator said Pompeo's hawkish stance contradicts the skepticism Trump expressed toward foreign interventions and regime change on the campaign trail.

"It perplexes me that he is now nominating someone for secretary of State who has advocated and pushed for regime change in Iran," Paul said.

McCain, for his part, said in Tuesday's statement he has confidence that Pompeo will "serve our nation honorably as Secretary of State, if confirmed."
Shoppers search for discounted items left at a Sears store that is closing in South Centre Mall in Calgary.

Retailers defaulting on loans are expected to reach a peak this month, according to a new report from Moody's Investor Service.

The firm is calling for retail defaults among borrowers to reach a rate of 12.4 percent by the end of this month, which would be a new high. For comparison, the rate of defaults for the trailing 12 months is about 6.3 percent.

Moody's said the number of distressed-level retailers it monitors has dropped to 20 names from 26, where the list was a year ago. It expects about six companies will default on loans over the next 12 months, most likely in the first half of 2018. Though, "the pain will persist for weaker issuers" beyond that time frame, analyst Charlie O'Shea said.

Some of the latest companies within the industry to default include Tops Markets, Bon-Ton, Charlotte Russe and Charming Charlie. Toys R Us meanwhile has recently missed payments to vendors, adding to the pressure. The toy retailer could announce plans to liquidate its entire business as soon as Wednesday, sources told CNBC.

Looking to 2019, Moody's expects maturities to spike next year, meaning many significant debts are coming due. From 2018 to 2020, the firm has calculated retail maturities to amount to nearly $15 billion.

"Those with more challenged credit profiles and operating performance problems may face uphill challenges in tapping the markets, especially in an environment where monetary policy is tightening," O'Shea said. "Upcoming maturities increase other types of risk as well, including distressed exchanges, which we classify as a default."

In 2019 alone, $5.9 billion in retail debt will mature, according to Moody's. And the majority of debt coming due over the next few years stems from five companies: Sears Holdings, Neiman Marcus, Claire's Stores, Bi-Lo Holding Finance and Guitar Center.

Overall retail looks to be improving, O'Shea said, it's just morphed into somewhat of a "have/have nots" scenario. The highly leveraged companies, many backed by private equity partners, are the ones fighting to stay afloat today, according to Moody's.

Here are the companies on Moody's so-called watch list:
Outgoing U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes a statement on his departure from the State Department March 13, 2018 at the State Department in Washington, DC. Getty Images

President Donald Trump's firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson via tweet is, as a metaphor for the overall Trump administration, almost too on the nose. Tillerson was supposed to be one of the "adults in the room"  a sober, seasoned steward who would protect the country from Trump's worst instincts. Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Chief of Staff John Kelly, White House Economic Council Director Gary Cohn  these were the bulwarks between America and Trump's tweets becoming law. But now Tillerson is gone. So is Cohn, who resigned exactly a week before Tillerson was fired. The latest reports from inside the White House suggest that Kelly and McMaster are next on the chopping block. Mattis is the only so-called adult whose spot in the administration seems secure. More from Vox:

Trump's call for a Space Force, explained

Trump still wants Mexico to pay for the wall. He also wants tariffs. He can't have both.

House Republicans are doing all they can to help Trump with the Russia probe What's worse, they seem to have failed in their mission to corral the president. Trump decided to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem  a move that experts say has already made it harder for the US to broker an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. He withdrew from the Paris climate agreement, decertified Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal, said there were "good people" among the white supremacists marching in Charlottesville, Virginia, and imposed dangerous tariffs on steel and aluminum imports because he was angry about bad press coverage. All of this points to one obvious conclusion: The idea of the "adults in the room" was a comforting myth. The truth is that no number of advisers, no matter how skilled, can control a president as erratic as Trump.

Rex Tillerson's ouster highlights why the "adults" couldn't stop Trump

The fundamental problem with the "adults" theory is that it assumed a group of subordinates could successfully trick their boss for years. Tillerson did try to manage Trump. He reportedly argued for staying in the Paris agreement and for certifying Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal. When Trump was publicly threatening to go to war with North Korea last year, Tillerson tried to reach out to Pyongyang and start negotiations. But he never managed to persuade Trump to see things his way. And when he lost an argument, he'd end it by saying, "It's your deal," per the New York Times  a habit that reportedly annoyed the president. Trump would even publicly shame Tillerson. After Tillerson's offer to open negotiations with North Korea last year, Trump sent a tweet telling him to stop "wasting his time":



Tweet



Tweet Maybe Tillerson is just not a particularly persuasive guy. And it's an open secret in Washington that Trump and Tillerson didn't like each other very much on a personal level. But the deeper problem, confirmed by virtually every well-sourced White House reporter, is that Trump truly hates being managed. When people tell him what to do, he's inclined to do the opposite. "Aides say the quickest way to get Trump to do something is to tell him he can't," Axios's Mike Allen writes. The whole theory of the "adults in the room" was that they could somehow manage this man who hates to be managed. That they could steer him away from destructive policy ideas he repeatedly endorsed on the campaign trail, like starting a trade war or tearing up international agreements, through clever stratagems or sheer force of will. But this could only go on for so long before Trump realized he was being played  that his advisers didn't agree with him on policy and were simply trying to stop him from doing what he wanted. Once Trump figured that out there was nothing the so-called adults could do to stop the president. He's their boss, and he could overrule them easily if he wanted. Eventually, the buck stops with Trump. Either the aides acquiesced and tried to make the best of a bad policy or they left the White House  quitting like Cohn, or getting fired like Tillerson.

The ultimate problem has always been Trump himself
Ron was named president and chief operating officer of State Street Corporation in November of 2017. He is responsible for State Street's Global Services and Global Markets businesses, Information Technology, Global Operations, and Global Exchange (State Street's data and analytics business). He is also a member of State Street's Management Committee, the company's most senior strategy and policy-making team.



Ron was previously president and chief executive officer of State Street Global Advisors, the investment management arm of State Street Corporation and a global leader with nearly $2.8 trillion in assets under management.



Prior to his role at State Street Global Advisors, Ron was president of Asset Management & Corporate Services for Fidelity Investments. Ron was responsible for all Fidelity Asset Management organizations, including Fidelity Management & Research Company, Pyramis Global Advisors, and the Asset Allocation teams. He also oversaw Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Risk, Corporate Compliance, Government Relations and Public Affairs, Enterprise Technology, and Pricing and Cash Management Services. Ron was a member of Fidelity's Executive Committee. Ron served at Fidelity from 2010 to 2014.



Prior to joining Fidelity, Ron served as president and chief executive officer of BNY Mellon Asset Management in Boston, a position to which he was named in 2007. During this time, Ron also served as vice chairman of Bank of New York Mellon Corp. and was a member of the Executive Committee. Additionally, Ron oversaw all of Bank of New York Mellon's activities in Asia. Prior to the 2007 merger of The Bank of New York and Mellon Financial Corporation, he was vice chairman of Mellon Financial Corporation and president and chief executive officer of Mellon Asset Management. He served at Mellon and Bank of New York Mellon from 1997 to 2010.

Prior to Mellon Ron was with McKinsey & Company, Inc., from 1986 to 1997. He was elected a partner in 1992. He founded the Investment Management practice worldwide and was co-founder and co-leader of the firm's North American Personal Financial Services practice. Additionally, he was a core member of the Worldwide Property & Casualty Insurance practice. During his tenure with McKinsey, Ron served in McKinsey's Boston, New York, and Stockholm offices and focused globally on financial services, insurance companies, and health care payers.

Ron received his Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Syracuse University in 1980 and his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1986.



Ron serves on the boards of Unum Corp and Rhode Island Commerce Corp. He also serves on the boards of The Boston Foundation; The Conference Board; the East/West Institute (Executive Committee); the IYRS School of Technology and Trades; Syracuse University; and WBUR. Ron is a member of Focusing Capital on the Long Term, an initiative founded by CPP Investment Board and McKinsey & Company to advance practical actions to focus business and markets on the long term. He has advised a number of technology and financial services start-ups.

Ron's philanthropic and civic interests include corporate governance, retirement/healthcare policy and funding, and market structure and operations. He has led several initiatives on gender equality. Ron is a frequent speaker and writer, and is an avid offshore sailboat racer.
After a lifetime of scientific discoveries, world-famous physicist Stephen Hawking passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 76. Hawking was widely revered for both leading modern day understanding of the universe and physics as well as surviving ALS, a life-threatening disease, for over 50 years. Hawking received his undergraduate degree in physics at the University of Oxford and went on to earn his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge (where he most recently worked as a professor). In his lifetime, Hawking spoke about striving for success and happiness as well as the importance of gender equality. Here are a few of his most powerful quotes:

'While there's life, there is hope'

Hawking was diagnosed with ALS around the age of 21 as he was beginning his Ph.D. program at Cambridge. "At first I became depressed. I seemed to be getting worse pretty rapidly. There didn't seem any point in working on my Ph.D. because I didn't know I would live long enough to finish it," Hawking said in a message for his 70th birthday celebration, as The Guardian reported in 2012.

Despite his worsening condition, getting engaged to his college sweetheart lifted his spirits. It made made him realize, "if we were going to get married, I had to do a job and finish my Ph.D. I began to work hard and I enjoyed it." Hawking reiterated his appreciation for life at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2006. In response to a question about a paralyzed accident victim in Hong Kong, Hawking said the person should have the right to choose whether or not to continue living. "However bad life may seem," he explained, "there is always something you can do, and succeed at." "While there's life, there is hope," Hawking added.

'Remember to look up at the stars'

On several occasions, Hawking advocated for living the best life you can. "Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet," Hawking said in the birthday message. "Try to make sense of what you see and about what makes the universe exist. Be curious." Hawking also refused to allow his disability to hold him back physically, mentally or spiritually. "I don't have much positive to say about motor neuron disease. But it taught me not to pity myself, because others were worse off and to get on with what I still could do," Hawking told The New York Times. "I'm happier now than before I developed the condition. I am lucky to be working in theoretical physics, one of the few areas in which disability is not a serious handicap." He also advised that other people suffering from serious illnesses to not "be disabled in spirit."

'I have always supported women's rights'

In an interview on Good Morning Britain in 2017, Hawking expressed his views on gender equality and feminism.

"It is not scientific proof of gender equality that is required, but general acceptance that women are at least the equals of men or better  this is coming," Hawking said. "If we factor in high power women in Europe as well, such as Angela Merkel, it seems we are witnessing a seismic level for women to reach the high level in politics and society." "But there still may be a gap between those women reaching high public status and those in the private sector. I welcome the signs of women's liberation," Hawking added. When asked frankly if he was a feminist, Hawking said, "Yes. I have always supported women's rights."

'I'm happy if I've made a small contribution'
Democrat Conor Lamb is the apparent winner of a House seat in Pennsylvania's Trump country by a razor-thin margin, an upset that gives Democrats a boost as they try to take control of Congress later this year. (CNBC)



* Conservatives double down on tax push ahead of midterms (CNBC)

President Donald Trump's administration is considering a tough new trade package against China that would include indefinite tariffs, investment restrictions and possibly visa restrictions on Chinese travelers, a source told CNBC.



* Why there are no real winners in a trade war (CNBC)

Ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced he will give up his responsibilities and officially leave the job at the end of the month. He added he will focus on an orderly transition for Trump's new choice to lead the State Department, CIA Director Mike Pompeo. (CNBC)



* Tillerson and Cohn are the latest CEOs to stumble in DC (WSJ)

* Firing Tillerson, Trump starts to mold cabinet in his image (NY Times)

* Here's what Trump's pick for top diplomat has said on Russia, North Korea, Iran and Trump's tweets (CNBC)

Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are disagreeing with the Republican colleagues on the panel who say they don't see any evidence of collusion between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. The Democrats believe there is "significant evidence." (AP)

Thousands of students across the U.S. are planning walkouts today to demand action to end gun violence. The student walkout marks one month since the high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, which killed 17 people. (USA Today)

United Airlines (UAL) has apologized for the death of a passenger's dog after it was stored in an overhead bin on a flight from Houston to New York's LaGuardia Airport. The company will refund the cost of the tickets and pay for a necropsy. (CNBC)

Iconic U.S. retailer Toys R Us is in the process of drafting the court motion for its liquidation plan, a source told CNBC. A liquidation will most likely result in the closing of all of Toys R Us' 800 stores in the United States.

Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google unit plans to ban all cryptocurrency-related advertising, according to Google ad executive Scott Spender. He told CNBC that Google is approaching cryptocurrencies with extreme caution because of the potential for consumer harm.
Stormy Daniels attends the 2018 Adult Video News Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on January 27, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Former porn star Stormy Daniels launched a crowdfunding campaign on Wednesday to pay for a lawsuit against President Donald Trump.

Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, said donations will be used to pay her attorneys' fees and other costs related the suit filed on March 6. It seeks to void a non-disclosure agreement that prevents her from speaking publicly about her alleged affair with Trump between the summer of 2006 and 2007.

Since the agreement was never signed by Trump himself, she argues that it is unenforceable.

Trump's personal lawyer paid Daniels $130,000 in October 2016, weeks prior to the 2016 election, as part of the nondisclosure pact. The lawyer, Michael Cohen, later said that he made the payment with his own money using a personal home equity credit line.

The payment was delivered through an LLC set up by Cohen shortly beforehand. Daniels and Trump were referred to by the respective pseudonyms "Peggy Peterson" and "David Dennison."

Trump has denied the relationship ever took place.

But at a White House briefing last week, press secretary Sarah Sanders said that an arbitration related to the nondisclosure agreement was decided "in the president's favor," linking him directly to the case.

The campaign is being hosted by crowdjustice.com, which allows parties involved in legal action to raise money for lawsuits and other legal proceedings. Daniels said her lawsuit is part of an attempt "to speak honestly and openly to the American people about my relationship with now President Donald Trump and the intimidation and tactics used against me."

Daniels, in a statement posted on her crowdfunding page, called the arbitration proceeding a "bogus" attempt to hide the facts. Trump and Cohen "have threatened me with millions of dollars in damages ($1M each time I speak out) if I tell the truth about what happened," she added.

The campaign launched Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET, Clifford's lawyer, Michael Avenatti, told CNBC. He said there is no minimum target amount for the campaign which will last 30 days.

Pledges ranged from as little as $5 to as much as $500, and many were accompanied by comments encouraging Daniels to "get him" or "keep up the fight" in her lawsuit. By about 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the campaign had raised more than $40,000 from 1,463 people.

The White House and lawyers for Cohen did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment.
A new study has ignited controversy in the world of drug abuse prevention, applying the economic theory of "moral hazard" to the opioid crisis.

The working paper, posted March 6, examines the effects of laws that have increased access to anti-overdose medication naloxone. It found an increase in opioid-related ER visits and criminal activity, while mortality from opioid overdoses was unaffected, or even rose in certain areas.

Naloxone, an opioid antagonist medication that can save the life of an overdose victim, has been heralded as a key to curbing the opioid crisis. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws making naloxone more accessible.

But Jennifer Doleac of the University of Virginia and her co-author Anita Mukherjee of the University of Wisconsin argue in their study that naloxone is another example of a lifesaving innovation that results in a moral hazard.

Moral hazard is the theory that when you give people a safeguard to protect them against risky behavior, they will do the risky behavior more. For example, a 1975 study argued that safety features in cars made people drive more recklessly and get in more accidents.

"Broad naloxone access doesn't seem to be helping and might be making things worse," Doleac said in an interview. "We don't have clear answers yet. That's one of the depressing parts of working on this topic."

Doleac and Mukherjee examined data from 2006-2015 and found that after laws made naloxone easier to access, opioid-related ER visits and crimes increased. Opioid-related deaths did not decrease, but increased 14 percent in the Midwest.
Mike Pompeo faces one of the worst times in history to be secretary of State, New York Times foreign affairs columnist Thomas Friedman told CNBC on Wednesday.

"If Trump calls you and says he wants you to be secretary of State, tell him you really had your heart set on Agriculture. ... It's just a terrible job to have right now," said the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and best-selling author.

Shortly after the Cold War, the secretary of State's job was managing foreign strength such as Russia and China as well as the U.S., Friedman told "Squawk Box." "The big thing that most secretary of States are spending their time on today is managing weakness."

"The weakness of our allies, the weakness of states. States literally falling apart like Syria, and the only way to fix them is to dive in with trillions of dollars," Friedman said. "We certainly have to give [Pompeo] a chance and I'll be very interested in his hearings."

President Donald Trump fired Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, announcing in a tweet that he plans to appoint CIA Director Pompeo as secretary of State, the latest news in a string of personnel changes at the White House. Tillerson's departure followed a series of public disagreements with Trump.

Friedman called Tillerson "the worst secretary of State ever."

Tweet 1

"He was certainly the worst secretary of State in the post-war era," Friedman said Wednesday. "In the context of the Trump administration, he was an adult. He had a very balanced and measured view on issues like Korea, on Iran and was appropriately tough on Russia."

Tillerson's departure was widely expected for months, but he reportedly wanted to serve a full year. The former Exxon Mobil chief executive took the post in February 2017. However, Tillerson and Trump quickly clashed, including on North Korea, the Paris climate treaty and the Iran nuclear deal.

By contrast, Pompeo, a hard-line Republican and former businessman, is said to have a much more personal relationship with Trump.
Renowned theoretical physicist and best-selling author Stephen Hawking died Wednesday at the age of 76. Heralded for his cosmic discoveries, profound influence on modern science and determination in the face of the crippling Lou Gehrig's disease, the late physicist was admired by leaders both in and out of the scientific community. "Stephen Hawking's integrity and scientific dedication place him above pure brilliance," Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told the BBC. Shortly after the announcement of Hawking's death, tech execs, celebrities and world leaders alike, flooded social media with their condolences and shared memories. Here's what they had to say:

1. Tim Cook, Apple CEO

The Apple CEO paid tribute to Hawking by sharing his favorite quote from the late physicist. "We will always be inspired by his life and ideas," wrote Cook. Hawking's work overlapped with Apple's interface over the years, according to Apple Insider, and he used an iOS app called Swiftkey software to communicate during his later years. TIM COOK TWEET

2. Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO

"We lost a great one today," Nadella wrote on his LinkedIn. "Stephen Hawking will be remembered for his incredible contributions to science  making complex theories and concepts more accessible to the masses." The Microsoft CEO also praised Hawking's sense of wonder and dogged pursuit to understand the universe. "May he rest peacefully as his legacy and brilliance live on," he wrote. SATYA NADELLA TWEET

3. Sundar Pichai, Google CEO

Pichai expressed his sorrow via Twitter on Tuesday. "The world has lost a beautiful mind and a brilliant scientist," the Google CEO tweeted. "RIP Stephen Hawking." SUNDAR PICHAI TWEET

4. Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist

A fellow physicist, Tyson shared a photo with Hawking on his Twitter, where he expressed his condolences and looked to the future. "His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake," wrote Tyson. "But it's not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure." NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON TWEET In a follow-up tweet, Tyson shared a video clip of an interview he recently held with Hawking, which first aired on National Geographic. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON TWEET 2

5. Barack Obama, former U.S. president

Obama chimed in on Twitter with a simple message and photo of the late physicist at the White House. "Have fun out there among the stars," he wrote. PRESIDENT OBAMA TWEET

6. NASA

The aerospace research agency paid tribute to Hawking with a touching video showing the late scientist without his wheelchair floating in zero gravity during a 2007 demonstration. "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science," NASA tweeted. "His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. " NASA TWEET

7. The cast of 'Big Bang Theory'

Cast members of the award-winning sitcom, which features four physicists, shared their individual memories with Hawking who was often featured on the show. The official "Big Bang Theory" Twitter page released a photo of Hawking with the cast. "Thank you for inspiring us and the world," said the tweet. BIG BANG THEORY TWEET

8. Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder

Gates reminisced about his shared past with Hawking, who he met on a visit to Cambridge University in 1997. "I feel lucky to have known Stephen Hawking. His work is an inspiring reminder of what human minds are capable of," Gates tweeted. BILL GATES TWEET

9. Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder
Here's a timeline of North Korea's brazen missile tests during President Donald Trump's first year in office.

Kim has fired more missiles than his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, launched over a period of 27 years.

Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea has conducted its most powerful nuclear test and launched its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during a test launch of ground-to-ground medium long-range ballistic rocket Hwasong-10 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 23, 2016. KCNA | Reuters

Under third-generation North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the reclusive state has conducted its most powerful nuclear test, launched its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile and threatened to send missiles into the waters near Guam. Since 2011, Kim has fired more than 85 missiles and four nuclear weapons tests, which is more than what his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, launched over a period of 27 years. And while it remains to be seen whether the unprecedented summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un will actually take place, it is clear that North Korea, the only nation to have tested nuclear weapons this century, has been very busy perfecting its missile arsenal. Starting with the most recent, here is a look at North Korea's defiant rocket launches in 2017, which often provoked angry responses from Trump:

The North conducts its third intercontinental ballistic missile test with a new missile

A view of the newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15's test that was successfully launched is seen in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang November 30, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

Nov. 28, 2017: North Korea unveils its largest and most powerful rocket in its third intercontinental ballistic missile test. The Hwasong-15 or KN-22 missile is believed to have a range capable of hitting the entire continental United States, according to estimates from the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Following the launch, Pyongyang issues a statement saying the Hwasong-15 is "capable of carrying a super-heavy nuclear warhead." The rocket flies for 53 minutes and lands within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Another missile flies over Japan

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 16, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

Sept. 14, 2017: For the second time in under a month, the North fires a second Hwasong-12 missile over Japan, the Associated Press reports. The rocket travels 2,300 miles, which is further than the previous missile launched on Aug. 28. The intermediate-range missile is launched from Sunan, the location of Pyongyang's international airport and the origin of the earlier missile that flew over Japan.

North Korea conducts its most powerful nuclear test

Sept. 3, 2017: The rogue regime carries out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, saying it detonated an advanced hydrogen bomb designed for a long-range missile. And while the U.S. has yet to verify that the weapon was a hydrogen bomb, experts widely agree that the detonation created an explosion exceeding previous North Korean nuclear tests. The recently tested bomb is estimated to have an explosive yield of 120 kilotons, which equates to a blast created from 265 million pounds worth of TNT, according to Norsar, a Norwegian geoscience research foundation.

A North Korean missile flies over Japan

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides the launch of a Hwasong-12 missile in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 16, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

Aug. 28, 2017: A South Korean military official says the Hwasong-12, a North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile, was fired around 5:57 a.m. local time. The official says the missile flew for about 1,678 miles before it splashed down into the Sea of Japan. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the missile test is a "serious and grave threat to Japan." Abe adds that he would ask the United Nations to up the pressure on Pyongyang.

The North sends three missiles near Japan

Aug. 26, 2017: Kim's regime launches three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to U.S. and South Korean military. South Korean military leaders say the missiles were fired from a site in the eastern province of Gangwon. Two of the KN-21 missiles fly approximately 150 miles before falling into the sea while the other missile blows up almost immediately.

North Korea launches its second intercontinental ballistic missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts with scientists and technicians of the DPRK Academy of Defence Science after the test-launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang July, 5, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

July 28, 2017: Kim Jong Un is "two for two" on intercontinental ballistic missile tests. Nearly three weeks after the North's first ICBM test, Kim launches a second Hwasong-14 rocket to prove once more that the U.S. mainland is within his reach. The second ICBM flies further and for longer than the missile tested on July 4. The most recent Hwasong-14 missile took flight for 47 minutes and traveled a distance of about 620 miles, South Korean military officials told Reuters. The latest test shows that the North's missile capabilities and arsenal are much more developed than previously believed.

North Korea conducts its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile test

Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Hwasong-14 is pictured during its second test-fire in this undated picture provided by KCNA in Pyongyang on July 29, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

July 4, 2017: In a clear message to the Trump administration, North Korea conducts its first-ever intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, test while the U.S. celebrated Independence Day. The missile has an estimated range in excess of 6,200 miles, making it capable of reaching most of the continental U.S., according to estimates from the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The North's state-run news agency, KCNA, says that the "almighty ICBM rocket" was a Hwasong-14 missile. The South Korean military says the missile flew for approximately 40 minutes and traveled more than 578 miles.

North Korea launches several anti-ship cruise missiles

June 7, 2017: Less than a week after the United Nations passed a fresh round of North Korean sanctions, Kim's regime fires four land-to-ship missiles off its east coast. And while the North has been reportedly developing anti-ship missiles since the 1990s, the Kumsong-3 missiles first appeared in a DPRK propaganda video in June 2014. The existence of these rockets undoubtedly adds a new threat to maritime activity in the Sea of Japan.

Kim conducts ninth missile test and unveils new missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during a ballistic rocket test-fire through a precision control guidance system. KCNA | Reuters

May 28, 2017: Kim unveils a new short-range Scud-class ballistic missile ahead of North Korea's ninth test of the year. During its flight test, the KN-18 missile demonstrated a range of around 280 miles before it fell into the Sea of Japan.

Pyongyang fires a second missile 11 days after South Korean leader takes office

May 21, 2017: The KN-15 (Pukkuksong-2) missile, which was first launched by the North earlier this year, flies for 310 miles before landing outside of Japan's exclusive economic zone. The brazen missile test comes nearly two weeks after South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office. The two nations remain at war despite a truce ending their 1950-53 conflict.

Kim Jong Un successfully tests a long-range ballistic missile

The long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) is launched during a test in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

May 14, 2017: After several attempts, Pyongyang conducts a successful test of the Hwasong-12. The missile is launched from a location near the city of Kusong and flies for approximately 30 minutes. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency calls the missile a "new ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket" and says it was "capable of carrying a large, heavy nuclear warhead." Reacting to the test, the White House issues a statement saying that North Korea has been "a flagrant menace for far too long."

The North fires its fourth straight dud

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of his country's own Hwasong-12 missile in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on September 16, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

April 29, 2017: U.S. and South Korean officials say a North Korean ballistic missile failed shortly after it was launched. The missile flies for 15 minutes before it breaks up during flight. The launch marks the fourth straight unsuccessful missile test since March. The test follows since-fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's remarks that failure to curb the North's ballistic missile program would lead to "catastrophic consequences."

The hermit kingdom celebrates its first leader's birthday with a bang and a bust

April 16, 2017: The day after a massive North Korean military parade celebrating the birth of North Korea's first leader, Kim Il Sung, the regime fires another Hwasong-12 ballistic missile. The missile explodes seconds after it was launched.

Kim fires a missile on the eve of U.S. and China summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during the long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 (Mars-12) test launch in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 15, 2017. KCNA | Reuters

April 5, 2107: On the eve of a summit meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea fires a ballistic missile from its east coast. The launch is believed to be the first test of the Hwasong-12, a liquid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile, with an expected range of 2,800 miles. However, the missile flies for approximately nine minutes and 40 miles before it spins out of control, according to a U.S. Pacific Command statement.

The North attempts a missile launch, but it explodes almost immediately

March 19, 2017: U.S. and South Korean military officials confirm a failed missile test on Wednesday from the North. "We confirm that North Korea has launched one missile from Wonsan airbase this morning and failed," a South Korean military official tells NBC News. "We are in the process of analyzing the type of the missile."

North Korea fires four ballistic missiles

March 6, 2017: Kim's regime launches four ballistic missiles from the Tongchang-ri region near the North's border with China. Three of the missiles land in Japan's exclusive economic zone. "The launches are clearly in violation of Security Council resolutions. It is an extremely dangerous action," Japan's Abe says after the North's test.

North Korea debuts a new medium-range ballistic missile

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the intermediate-range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2's launch test in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency, May 22, 2017. KCNA | Reuters
Toys R Us is studying one proposal that could keep the business afloat and keep open roughly 200 U.S. stores open after the retailer liquidates, people familiar with the situation told CNBC on Wednesday.

Such a deal would therefore keep the lights on at roughly one quarter of its 800 U.S. stores. It has already started the process of shuttering approximately 180 of them.

CNBC reported yesterday the iconic U.S. retailer is in the process of drafting the court motion for its liquidation plan that could come as soon as the end of the day Wednesday. It will then begin to wind down the storied toy retailer, after more than half a century in business.

Even as it winds down, the retailer is looking for ways to keep the brand alive, said the people familiar with the company's plans. In one plan, the company would sell the stronger Toys R Us Canadian business, along with roughly 200 of its most profitable U.S. stores, to a new buyer. The new business would then be run out of Canada.
When Cohn left, Kudlow expressed his disappointment with the move and Trump's tariff actions. However, he has appeared to warm to at least some targeted trade actions.

Kudlow, 70, is set to replace Gary Cohn , who resigned last week after losing his fight against tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Kudlow advocates for free trade and generally opposes tariffs. Kudlow said he has been in near constant contact with Cohn in recent weeks.

In a statement, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the administration "will work to have an orderly transition and keep everyone posted on the timing of him officially assuming the role."

"I've known him and interviewed him for over 20 years. I'm very comfortable with him and I can't wait to start," Kudlow told CNBC.

On Wednesday, Kudlow and the White House confirmed the economist and senior CNBC contributor accepted the post of National Economic Council director. The president offered Kudlow the job on Tuesday night after other conversations between the pair on Sunday and Monday.

On Tuesday, the president said he would welcome disagreement from Kudlow if he chose him for the post.

"We don't agree on everything, but in this case I think that's good," Trump said. "I want to have different opinions. We agree on most. He now has come around to believing in tariffs as a negotiating point."

Kudlow told CNBC he got a call from Trump on Tuesday night as he got into an Uber after dinner. He had a conversation with the president in the car, and the driver "had never seen anything like this," Kudlow said.

By bringing in Kudlow, Trump adds an advisor who supports his push for lower taxes, fewer regulations and a so-called merit-based immigration system. But he may find an occasional critic of his trade policies.

The National Economic Council director advises the president on economic issues and works to implement policy goals. Cohn helped to shepherd the Republican tax overhaul, Trump's signature achievement in office so far, through its passage in December. Kudlow also supported the tax bill, and told CNBC "there may be more action on that front."

Trump won the presidency partly on his promises to shred or renegotiate U.S. trade deals and crack down on trade practices he deems unfair. He argued that the North American Free Trade Agreement, in particular, sapped manufacturing jobs from the United States.

On Wednesday, Kudlow told The Associated Press he opposed Trump's tariffs but is "in accord with his policies."

Kudlow was a budget aide during the Reagan administration. He was chief economist at Bear Stearns from 1987 to 1994. He informally advised Trump on taxes and other economic issues during his 2016 run for president.

Talking to CNBC on Wednesday, he highlighted his "strong relationships" with lawmakers in Congress. Kudlow said House Speaker Paul Ryan called him in recent days and "is very, very enthusiastic" about him taking the job.

He added he is "looking forward to working with" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and noted that trade advisor Peter Navarro was a regular guest on the CNBC show "The Kudlow Report." Navarro, who has pushed for aggressive actions to counter China's trade practices, sparred with Cohn over tariffs.

Kudlow said his job will be "not to rehash things but to execute" policy.

"I'm looking forward to serving the president," he said. "The way I was brought up in the Reagan years, you talk it out and you argue it out, but once the president has made a decision, that's it. My job is to execute. You don't go through these endless bureaucratic things and delays. The National Economic Council is in some ways an information broker and I look forward to that role."
"You look at the workers and the talent that went into it and we just looked at different versions of it and its a spectacular and a beautiful thing to watch," Trump said.

Trump said the jet is not only "his favorite plane" but also described it as "a work of art" during a roundtable discussion at Boeing's testing and finishing facility in St. Louis.

It would appear as though Boeing 's F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet has entered back into President Donald Trump 's good graces.

Flanked by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and backdropped with Boeing's F-15 Eagle and F-18 Super Hornet, Trump pivoted to business.

"I keep telling these countries, you need to buy American, I want you to buy American," the president said.

"If we didn't make the best products I wouldn't ask them to do it but we make by far the best fighter jets, we make the best there is in the military world," Trump added.

Trump also noted that the U.S. plans to buy 24 more F-18 jets saying the planes would be the "latest and the greatest stealth and a lot of things on that plane that people don't even know about."

And while the Navy and Boeing are currently negotiating a service life modification contract that could add some components native to a stealth aircraft, as it stands now, Boeing does not field stealthy F-18s capable of evading radar.

Trump continued by saying the government and Boeing were working on a price and that "maybe we can work out a good price."

"Otherwise, we are going to buy them from somebody else but it will all be in the United States, right?" he said.

"I don't know, I have a feeling that, what do you think Dennis, we're gonna make a deal?" Trump asked turning to Muilenburg. "We'll find a way," Muilenburg responded.
Julian Baum | Science Photo Library | Getty Images

A new branch of the military dedicated to the final frontier is not a novel idea  but it may now be gaining traction in Washington  thanks in part to President Donald Trump. Trump floated his idea for a theoretical new branch dubbed the "Space Force" while addressing an audience of service members Tuesday in San Diego, California. "Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea," Trump said. "We have the Air Force, we'll have the space force." As it turns out, the Space Force sounds a lot like the space corps legislation the Trump administration opposed last year. In June, the House Armed Services Committee proposed the establishment of a space corps, a new branch of the U.S. military that would fall under the command of the Air Force, in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. This latest military service would relate to the Air Force similar to how the Marine Corps serves the Department of the Navy. The space corps would have an area of responsibility that encompasses the vast expanse outside of the Earth's atmosphere. At the time, the White House, the Air Force and Secretary of Defense James Mattis disapproved of the idea to create a space corps. "I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting efforts," Mattis wrote in a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

First uncertainty, now momentum

While the legislation passed the House, the space corps bid did not make it into the final NDAA bill in November. "It's not clear how aware Trump might be about the work that had already been ongoing in Congress along these same lines," Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told CNBC. "It's also not clear if he even realized that his own administration or at least a part of his administration had come out against this proposal when it was being debated in Congress last year," Harrison added. And even though Trump didn't elaborate on what a U.S. space force would look like, experts say it's only a matter of time before a program of this magnitude begins to take shape. "Given what has happened in Congress last year and the president's more recent comments, the momentum is building and this will happen sooner rather than later," Harrison said.

Still 'not aggressive enough'

Air Force Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast told CNBC on Nov. 10 that the nation "could have an operational space force in three to five years." While he believes it is too early to think about a new military force in space, Kwast's forecast hits close to Harrison's, who think it will be "four to six years before" a space corps materializes. "It may end up being that there is enough resistance within the Pentagon and within the Air Force that they stall this for even longer," Harrison said. With the commercial space industry developing rapidly into a multi-trillion dollar market, Kwast warned existing efforts fall short of the capacity the country needs to defend national security interests beyond the Earth's atmosphere. "I think the balance between public and private is reasonable right now, but we're still not doing enough, and we're not aggressive enough," Kwast said of the Air Force's efforts.

China's 'navy in space'

Defense contractors, which often have space subdivisions working closely with military projects, could see manufacturing and services shift to continue fulfilling lucrative deals. Northrop Grumman and Raytheon, two of the country's largest defense contractors, declined CNBC's request for comment. Militaries will soon work more extensively in the space between the Earth and moon, according to Kwast. That realm is the next high ground, where nations are straining to gain a strategic advantage. "China is working on building a 'navy in space'" that would work even beyond Earth's gravity, Kwast said. But with countries and companies accelerating space work, to Harrison, means a space corps may be critical to protecting valuable assets, whether created now or several years in the future. "I think it's inevitable that at some point this domain will become a military service in its own right," Harrison added.

Not like 'Star Wars'

As for what a U.S. "space force" and combat in outer space would look like, don't expect the stuff of science fiction adventure movies. It will probably look more like drone warfare. Harrison said that the systems would be unmanned and operated remotely from the ground level. "There are no and there never have been any manned military space systems," he said. "It's not like 'Star Wars,' you know, shooting at each other and lasers going bang and things blowing up. That's exactly what the U.S. military wants to avoid."

WATCH: Trump intros the idea of a 'Space Force'
President Donald Trump's decision to impose sweeping tariffs of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum is just the most recent in a series of actions that threaten global trade.

If imposed, the tariffs will raise costs for U.S. consumers and businesses and the country could end up in a full-blown trade war with other major economies. But even if Trump drops the tariffs, carves out exemptions for specific countries, or indefinitely delays implementation, the effects on the economy could be negative and persistent.

The stock market tumbled on Wednesday over fears of retaliation from China after a report said President Trump is considering another $60 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods.

This is because a trade cold war  a period with greater risk of high U.S. tariffs, foreign retaliation and the weakening of existing trade agreements  can diminish investment, erode business confidence, and leave America vulnerable to greater disruption in a crisis.

This worries me because I have spent the last 10 years researching how trade agreements reduce policy uncertainty, promote trade, and leave consumers better off.

To be fair, Trump is attempting to address manufacturing job losses, a real problem for those affected, but he's using blustery rhetoric and the wrong tools for the job. The gains from trade liberalization are distributed broadly to nearly everyone in the form of lower prices everything from TVs to toys. But the losses are concentrated with those on the few who lose their jobs in affected sectors of the economy.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross argues that tariffs will add just a few cents more to the price of a can of soup and 1 percent to the price of a car. He's ignoring the scale of increased costs and potential job losses or wage pressure in industries that produce hundreds of millions of cans and millions of cars per year.

In effect, he and the president are endorsing distributed losses to everyone and concentrated gains for steel and aluminum. A strong economic argument supporting this trade off hasn't been made and the long run damage to U.S. credibility and ensuing reduction in economic activity will be hard to reverse.

The real damage may not be evident until the next economic crisis. In joint work with my colleagues Nuno Limao at the University of Maryland and Jeronimo Carballo at University of Colorado, we looked at how economic and policy uncertainty interacted during the Great Recession to amplify the collapse in U.S. exports.

We found that agreements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, provide a more predictable trade policy regime during a crisis, precisely when calls for protectionism might be loudest. Where an agreement was in place, it cut the cumulative reduction in U.S. exports by about one third, primarily because businesses continued to export rather than exit foreign markets altogether.

Trump is slowly, but surely, eroding the value of these agreements and threatening the stability of the world trade system. Not all tariffs are bad and nearly every U.S. president has imposed tariffs of some sort. But past tariffs were targeted and went through the rules and dispute systems put in place to prevent a reprisal of 1930s era protectionism. Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs threaten to be much worse.

The reasons are numerous. First, most traditional manufacturing industries in the U.S. use imported steel and aluminum so any reasonable profit and loss forecasting should factor in a probable cost increase.

Electrolux has already announced it plans to delay investment in a new U.S. plant. And it doesn't matter if a manufacturer only buys American steel, the tariffs will allow U.S. producers to raise their prices to all buyers.

Second, there is the risk that U.S. trade partners will retaliate against other sectors of the U.S. economy. Sorghum farmers in the Midwest may suddenly find the Chinese market is closed to their exports.

Finally, the U.S. usually exempts the countries that have free trade agreements with the U.S. from unilateral tariffs. This is more than just a courtesy. Our partners in free trade agreements make numerous concessions and commitments.

So far, Trump has only offered a temporary exemption to Canada and Mexico, and he's made it conditional on NAFTA renegotiation and other objectives like a border wall. These tactics undermine the effectiveness of trade agreements.

By abandoning international cooperation and threatening to do economic damage to enemies and allies, Trump has started a trade cold war. Its duration is uncertain, the eventual winners, if any, are unclear, and the economic consequences could be overwhelmingly negative.

Commentary by Kyle Handley, assistant professor of business economics and public policy at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Military personnel wearing protective suits remove a police car and other vehicles from a public car park as they continue investigations into the poisoning of Sergei Skripal on March 11, 2018 in Salisbury, England.

Britain has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to update members on the investigation into a nerve agent attack on a former Russian double agent and his daughter, the Foreign Office said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal, who are in hospital in a critical condition.

Russia, also a member of the Security Council, has denied any involvement in the attack.
United Airlines on Wednesday said the owner of a puppy that died in one of its overhead bins told a flight attendant the dog was in the bag before it was stowed there. The flight attendant, however, did not hear or understand the woman, the airline said, which called the incident a "tragic accident."

The flight attendant "did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin," United spokeswoman Maggie Schmerin said in a statement.

The carrier declined to say whether the flight attendant was fired over the incident.

The Department of Transportation said it is investigating the incident and is in contact with the Department of Agriculture, which handles alleged animal mistreatment complaints.

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said he planned to file a bill on Thursday that would ban dogs in overhead bins, saying "violators will face significant fines." The union representing United flight attendants said no flight attendant would knowingly instruct a passenger to put an animal in an overhead bin.

I will be filing a bill tomorrow that will prohibit airlines from putting animals in overhead bins. Violators will face significant fines. Pets are family

Kennedy also wrote a letter to United's president, Scott Kirby, asking United to explain a string of pet deaths on its planes.

The French bulldog puppy was in a carrier that was sticking out into the aisle when a flight attendant told the passenger it would have to be moved, according to people familiar with the incident. Aisles must be clear for safety reasons.
"I saw my opportunity and I just had to take it," Gong told CNBC Make It at Money 20/20 in Singapore .

But that's exactly what entrepreneur Kathy Xiaosi Gong, who was 24 at the time, did when she found herself in a room with the billionaire investor in Washington D.C.

It's one thing plucking up the courage to ask someone to dinner. It's quite another to ask Warren Buffett.

Gong wasn't even supposed to be there. It was a White House Mentorship and Leadership Program gala dinner for women aged 25 and over. She was several months too young but had pleaded with the organizers that her age did not limit her potential. After all, she had been named China's youngest-ever national chess champion aged just 10.

Though Buffett rejected Gong's offer to join her for dinner, he did agree to have a drink with her for an hour.

During the session, he offered her three pieces of advice.

1. Before you go to sleep each night, ask yourself: Are you smarter, have you learnt something new?

2. Always pick up the phone. In life there will be so many things you want to run away from, but you should always confront them head on.

3. Be humble, no matter how high you rise.

His advice seemed to work. Eight years on, now aged 31, Gong has launched a series of companies, most recently co-founding game developer WafaGames in 2017. The business works with breakthrough AI technology and has been acknowledged by MIT Technology Review. Gong was also featured as one of MIT's 35 Innovators of 2017.

During times of self-doubt, she still draws on that early encounter.

"Sometimes I have to ask myself if I still have that courage of my 24-year-old self," Gong said.

"I have to remind myself of that Warren Buffett moment."

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook!
Thousands of student walkouts are set to take place across the country on Wednesday to protest gun violence, advocate for gun reform policies and honor the 17 lives lost in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida last month. EMPOWER, the youth branch of the Women's March is organizing the event and expected over 3,135 walkouts to occur.

In many instances, schools are allowing students to peacefully walkout and many teachers are participating themselves. Several school districts, however, have threatened severe disciplinary punishment for students who join the protest, leaving students and parents to worry  what are the potential consequences?

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed in a deadly shooting last month, walk out of their classrooms to protest for stricter gun laws as part of #NationalWalkoutDay.

The Needville Independent School District outside of Houston, Texas was one of the first school districts to announce that students who protest on the 14th will be punished.

"We will discipline no matter if it is one, 50, or 500 students involved," wrote Needville Superintendent Curtis Rhodes in a letter to students and parents, as reported by the Dallas News. "All will be suspended for three days and parent notes will not alleviate the discipline."

Disciplinary actions, such as the ones described by Rhodes, are theoretically allowed. But as you can imagine, it's complicated.

"Students do not lose their rights to free speech at the schoolhouse gate," says Vera Eidelman, a fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to Time.

Eidelman is alluding to a 1969 Supreme Court case in which Mary Beth Tinker was suspended from her high school in Des Moines for wearing a black armband in protest of the Vietnam War. The court sided with Tinker and reaffirmed that students have the right to freedom of speech at school.

In the case majority decision, Justice Abe Fortas writes, "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate."

This decision confirmed that it is unconstitutional to limit a student's freedom of expression so long as it does not "materially and substantially interfere" with school operations. This issue is that by design walkouts often interfere with school operations. Therefore, students can be punished for walking out.

Students protest in front of the White House for 17 minutes, marking one minute for every person killed in the Parkland shooting, during the #NationalSchoolWalkout

"Because the law in most places requires students to go to school, schools can discipline you for missing class," explains the ACLU website. "But what they can't do is discipline you more harshly because of the political nature of or the message behind your action."

Since schools don't expel students for cutting class for 17 minutes, they likely can't expel students for briefly and peacefully protesting.

"They can't impose a severe penalty for participating in the political activity when they would have imposed a mild penalty for another kind of absence," ACLU lawyer Ben Wizner tells People. "If a student was to get expelled for a 17-minute or even two-hour absence one time from a public school, I would want to know about that. I think that would almost certainly be a constitutional violation."




By Jung Min-ho







A Turkish broadcaster has apologized for using South Korean President Moon Jae-in's photo as a murder suspect.





According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday, Show TV issued an apology to President Moon and the people of Korea during its prime-time news program on Sunday night (local time).





"Our news program used the photo of the president falsely. It was an unintentional mistake. We apologize to President Moon and the people of our brotherhood country," the ministry quoted the news anchor as saying.





On Feb. 25, Show TV used Moon's image on a news program to represent a suspect who allegedly killed a Filipina maid in Kuwait.





It also described Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka as a "millionaire businessman and his wife," showing a photo taken during her visit to Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last month.





After the ministry complained about the error, Show TV dropped the report and issued an apology to the ministry earlier this month. But the ministry demanded a public apology.
69 million tenge is planned to be spent for strengthening the National Preventive Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture, 106 million tenge for services to monitor the observance of human and civil rights and freedoms, and current administrative expenses - 77 million tenge.
Russia demands nerve agent as it defies Mays ultimatum

Prime Minister brushes off nuke threat  The Sun

Deadline passes on UK sanction threat  FT

Government to set out possible reprisals before MPs  The Guardian

Were behind you all the way, allies promise May  The Times

Prime Minister urges spy chiefs to devise covert ops  The Sun

Kremlin accuses London of bid to discredit Moscow  Daily Mail

Russia has demanded Theresa May hands over samples of the Novichok used to poison a Russian spy before the Kremlin considers responding to her ultimatum. The British Prime Minister issued Vladimir Putin with a deadline  midnight last night  to answer questions about the poisoning outrage in Salisbury ten days ago which has left Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fighting for their lives in hospital. Moscow responded bluntly, and  in a coded reference to Vladimir Putins boasts about his nuclear arsenal  Russian officials warned: Any threat to take punitive measures against Russia will meet with a response. The British side should be aware of that.  Daily Mail

More:

Fury mounts over Corbyns response  Daily Mail

May could force EU nations to boycott World Cup  Daily Express

Cyberforce of 1,000 to combat hostile nations and terrorists  The Times

British journalists face ban from Russia if RT loses licence  Daily Mail

Salmond accused of being useful idiot as hes urged to quit RT show  The Scotsman

William Hague: Waking up to the threat of Russia will be painful, but necessary

Moscows success relies partly on the ease with which all facts can be contested in the post-truth world we have now entered. But it also takes advantage of a deep psychological weakness in the West  that we really dont want to admit to ourselves that we face new threats, rival systems and alternative ideologies, just when we thought we were free of all that. Admitting that Russia is a serious, long-term threat to our security is an awful, excruciatingly painful exercise for a great many people. For military planners, it means nearly 30 years of downgrading the need for large and strong conventional forces has been a mistake. For neo-conservatives, it means the assumption that democracy will prosper even in areas where it has few foundations was hopelessly wrong.  Daily Telegraph

Russias reckless attack on the heart of my city  John Glen MP, Times Red Box

Britain cant cut of all links to Russia  Tony Brenton, The Guardian

Brexit leaves us lonely in a dangerous world  Alex Massie, The Times

The Falklands let Thatcher prove herself the Iron Lady. What is May made of?  Philip Johnston, Daily Telegraph

How exactly can Britain retaliate against Russia?  Chris Moncrieff, Belfast Telegraph

>Yesterday:

Britain to keep free movement until 2021 in Brexit climb-down

UK will have spent 2 billion on preparations when it leaves the EU, says think-tank  The Sun

Brexit war committee finally agreed the terms of Britains historic transition phase out of the EU  ahead of a crunch meeting of EU27 ambassadors in Brussels on Thursday. The core-Cabinet sub-committee in charge of negotiations nodded through a major climb-down keeping Britains open borders for EU citizens until 2021. Initially the government said free movement would end when Britain officially leaves the EU in 2019, but it is set to continue throughout the time limited exit period. And Mrs Mays inner circle used the behind closed doors meeting to plot how best to spin the bad news to MPs and voters. Mrs May summoned the 11 strong committee including Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Gavin Williamson and Amber Rudd to discuss the package for the March European Council.  The Sun

Comment:

Well continue to champion consumer rights after Brexit  Robin Walker MP, Times Red Box

Labour, Tory, and SNP MPs must unite to keep us in the EU  Ian Murray MP, The Scotsman

Ministers 1) Hammond faces backlash over plan to cull cash

Philip Hammond is facing a backlash after suggesting 1p and 2p coins and 50 notes could be scrapped as part of moves to a cashless society. Treasury documents published alongside the Chancellors Spring Statement raise questions about the future of the small change, pointing out they are increasingly falling out of circulation. Large numbers of pennies and 2ps are being used just once before being thrown away, according to the assessment. At the other end of the scale, 50 notes are rarely used for routine purchases and can be implicated in money laundering and tax evasion. However, Tory MP Ian Liddell-Grainger said the penny was a part of history and branded the idea of getting rid of small units lazy.  Daily Mail

Treasury may ban cash-in-hand payments for tradesmen  Daily Mail

Airbnb hosts face tax crackdown  The Times

Chancellor to get windfall from Scots avoiding SNP tax hikes  Daily Telegraph

Hammond moots tax on coffee cups and chewing gum  FT

Comment:

Voters have a choice between British enterprise or Corbyns train wreck  Alex Brummer, Daily Mail

Numbers to not justify Chancellors Tiggerish outlook  Paul Johnson, FT

Hammond has buried Osbornes Project Fear  Asa Bennett, Daily Telegraph

Editorial:

The Chancellor has little fiscal headway and a tough course to navigate  The Times

Hammonds optimism lacked real bounce  Daily Telegraph

Chancellor delivers scant fiscal cheer  FT

Hammond barely put a foot wrong in the Spring Statement  The Sun

>Today:

>Yesterday:

Ministers 2) Prisons preparing for Islamist influx, warns Gauke

Ministers 3) Javid may force schools to make sure children mix

Britains prisons are being readied for an expected influx of Islamic State jihadis returning to Britain from Syria, the Justice Secretary has disclosed. David Gauke said a lot of work is being done by British authorities to ensure they are ready if large groups of British Isil fighters attempt to return home. Hundreds of British extremists could soon be Britains problem after Isil was largely defeated in Syria and Iraq, he said. In an interview in the Evening Standard newspaper Mr Gauke did not reveal how many are expected to return, although the Government has previously estimated that 850 UK-linked individuals went to engage in the Syrian conflict.  Daily Telegraph

Schools could be ordered to ensure their pupils mix with children from other ethnicities and religions under Government proposals. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid wants all schools without a diverse population to make sure children have exposure to families who are not like their own. His integrated communities strategy aims to promote more tolerance among youngsters and prevent some sections of society becoming too isolated and inward-looking. But the proposals are likely to prove controversial if it means schools will be penalised for failing to integrate to a high enough standard. A number of isolated village schools have been marked down by Ofsted in the past for failing to teach children about other cultures.  Daily Mail

Communities Secretary warns that 770,000 cant speak English  The Guardian

Fury as ministers abandon bold integration plan from Casey  The Sun

Downing Street to curb Sharia in push for integration  The Times

Comment:

We must ensure those coming to Britain have a chance to integrate  Sajid Javid MP, The Sun

Its time to ignore racism fears and act to stop the UK falling apart  Dame Louise Casey, The Sun

We must support hate-crime victims  Nusrat Ghani MP, Times Red Box

Strip aid money from corrupt regimes, says Cameron

Speaker faces fresh anger over anti-Brexit sticker

Former Prime Minister David Cameron has urged the government to strip aid money from corrupt regimes in order to protect the taxpayer. Mr Cameron introduced a legal requirement for the British government to spend 0.7 per cent of its GDP on foreign aid while at Number 10. However, the requirement has led to controversy over accusations the taxpayer funds have been misused by corrupt regimes. Mr Cameron suggested all recipients should adhere to the basic norms of governance  or face financial penalties The former PM was appearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Capitol Hill in Washington.  Daily Mail

Pro-Brexit Conservative MPs accused John Bercow of overstepping the mark yesterday after pictures emerged of his car with a Bollocks to Brexit sticker on the window. A photo on the Guido Fawkes website showed the Speakers car in a Commons car park with the sticker on the windscreen bearing the slogan: Its not a done deal. Mr Bercows critics seized on it. He can hold any private views that he likes but as Speaker he should not express them in public, Andrew Bridgen, a Tory MP, said. It is yet another example of his cavalier attitude to impartiality. James Duddridge, another Tory MP, told the Daily Mail that Mr Bercow had leapt across the line. Who in their right mind would put that sticker in their car? he asked.  The Times

News in Brief:
Andrew Gimsons Commons sketch: May looks at last as if she is finding her feet, Corbyn gives way to incurable vanity

This was Theresa Mays best day in the Commons for a long time, and Jeremy Corbyns worst.

The Prime Minister expressed to perfection the anger felt on all sides of the House at Russias contempt for the rule of law in this country, so clearly demonstrated by the use of a Russian-made military-grade nerve agent in Salisbury.

May has long experience as Home Secretary of dealing in a sombre and deliberate manner with questions of national security which arouse the deepest feelings of indignation.

Corbyn has long experience as a backbench MP of raising unpopular points and challenging the patriotic consensus.

Any backbencher has the right to do that, and may even be admired for doing it. But for the Leader of the Opposition to do so is a grotesque dereliction of duty.

For he defied the very people he is supposed to be leading, namely his own MPs. Labour member after Labour member sided in the clearest and most trenchant terms with May rather than Corbyn.

His conduct was a betrayal of his colleagues at Westminster. Corbyn has every right to dissent from the national consensus on this question, and to side with his adviser, Seumas Milne, who continued outside the Chamber to make pro-Russian debating points.

But Corbyn does not have the right to do this while leading a parliamentary party which is embarrassed and appalled by his stance. As he does so, one can see him congratulating himself on his courage and on being the one just man at Westminster. But it would be more accurate to say that he is cut off from his own MPs by his impervious vanity, which leads him into self-indulgent blunders.

So this was Mays day. She showed judgment and grew in stature. She did nothing in hot blood. It was all very considered and proportionate, and all the more convincing for that. At last she looks like a Prime Minister who is finding her feet.
Today Sajid Javid has announced the Governments new Integrated Communities Strategy Green Paper.

Writing in The Sun today to accompany the launch, the Communities Secretary writes about how important it is that everybody who comes to Britain has the opportunity to integrate properly into national life.

The Green Paper contains a number of proposals, grouped into seven broad areas: strengthening leadership; supporting new migrants and resident communities; education and young people; boosting the English Language; places and community; increasing economic opportunity; and rights and freedoms.

Specific proposals include providing more long-term support for new arrivals to help them enter the job market and promoting policies to support social mixing (especially in schools). The strategy will be concentrated for now in five pilot programmes, working with local authorities in Blackburn, Bradford, Peterborough, Walsall, and Waltham Forest to develop comprehensive integration plans.

However, the Green Paper has been criticised for nonetheless watering down many of the recommendations made by Dame Louise Casey in her 2016 review. Measures that didnt make the cut include: plans to make public office holders swear an oath of allegiance to British values; clear targets for English speaking; and a council register of home schooling.

Ministers have also been criticised for only earmarking 50 million for the strategy over the next two years, which is just a quarter of what Dame Louise originally called for.

Now some of that matters more than other parts. British values is a sufficiently nebulous term that the idea of forcing people to swear allegiance to them would probably not have achieved very much, for example. But the removal of explicit targets for English language proficiency is indicative of a broader issue, which is that the Green Paper is currently long on objectives but short on yardsticks for success.

There is a chapter called Measuring Success, but it mostly addresses the fact that the data necessary to assess the outcomes of many of the programmes outlined in earlier chapters is currently collected either only in places or not at all. The paper then sets out a number of different sorts of data that the Government is going to start collecting.

Yet although the chapter goes on to say that these will then be assessed and fine-tuned, there is no mention of setting specific outcomes targets against which the effectiveness of the policies  and their value for public money  can be clearly measured.

According to the Government, such yardsticks are difficult to create for this sort of programme. They also argue that setting assessment deadlines risks distorting the policy when it should be being updated and fine-tuned on an ongoing basis as the evidence comes in.

It is certainly true that integration is a harder thing to set down in hard numbers than something like employment. But on the face of it something like English seems more measurable: if Javid is confident about putting a clear number on the number of people struggling with the language, surely its possible to put a number on the Governments teaching goals? Dame Louise, in her own Sun article today, echoes this concern: We should set a target that says by x date we want everybody in the country to be able to speak a common language.

Quantifying other outcomes will be much more difficult. Of course Javid and his team should take the time to make sure those yardsticks are the right ones and that they are capturing all the data they need. It may well be that it isnt possible to devise meaningful criteria for success until the first five programmes are up and running.

But at some point the Department is going to need to seek new funding for these policies, and presumably make a decision about whether or not to roll the strategy out to other parts of England. To justify either it will need to be able to make its case that the pilots have been a good and effective use of public funds  and that will require clear yardsticks for success (or failure). It should tell us what they are, or at least how it intends to choose them.
CORNWALL, Ontario  A 70-year-old Cornwall man was arrested on March 12, 2018 and charged with:

 Assault

 Assault with a weapon

 Assault causing bodily harm

 Sexual assault

 Sexual interference

 Sexual exploitation

It is alleged that between 1983 and December 2017, the man sexually assaulted and assaulted his wife and step-son on multiple occasions, and on one occasion, assaulted his wife with a weapon. Police were contacted and an investigation ensued. On March 12, 2018 the man was taken into custody, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on April 17, 2018. His name was not released as it might identify the victims in the matter.

BREACH, CRIMINAL HARASSMENT

Cornwall, ON  A 24-year-old Cornwall woman was arrested on March 12th, 2018 and charged with criminal harassment, as well as breach of undertaking for communicating with her ex-boyfriend and failing to keep the peace. It is alleged between February 26th, 2018 and March 8th, 2018, the woman was found to be in breach of her conditions when she repeatedly contacted the man. On March 12th, 2018, the woman attended police headquarters, was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. Her name was not released as the conditions stem from a domestic incident and would identify the victim in the matter.

BREACH

Cornwall, ON  Marcel Seip, 29, of Cornwall was arrested on March 12th, 2018 and charged with breach of undertaking for being outside of his residence without his sureties, as well as breach of probation for failing to keep the peace. It is alleged the man was in breach of his conditions on March 8th, 2018 and police were contacted to investigate. On March 12th, 2018 the man was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing.

BREACH, CRIMINAL HARASSMENT

Cornwall, ON  A 23-year-old Cornwall man was arrested on March 12th, 2018 and charged with criminal harassment, as well as breach of probation for being in possession of a weapon and failing to keep the peace. It is alleged on March 11th, 2018, the man repeatedly communicated with his sibling despite being warned not to by police. It is alleged on March 12th, 2018 police attended the residence of the man and located a gun, contrary to conditions of his probation order. On March 12th, 2018, the man was taken into custody, charged accordingly and held for a bail hearing. His name was not released as it might identify the victim in the matter.

THEFT UNDER $5000, THREATS

Cornwall, ON  Linzey Brownell, 23, of Cornwall was arrested on March 13th, 2018 and charged with theft under $5000 and uttering threats. It is alleged on March 6th, 2018 the woman attended the residence of a male known to her and removed property from the residence without permission and police were contacted to investigate. During the investigation, it was also learned that threats had been made to a man known to her. On March 13th, 2018 police located the female and she was taken into custody, charged accordingly and released to appear in court on April 12th, 2018. Her name was not released as it might identify the victim in the matter.

There were 58 calls for service in the City of Cornwall in over the weekend (8am the previous day to 8am the day of the release). To see whats happening in your neighbourhood visit our Crime Plot Map @ http://www.cornwallpolice.ca/ . CCPS reserves the right to not post all calls for service in order to protect the identity of the victims.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Daxton Dionne, 7, is a member of the Earth Rangers and wanted to do his part to help protect environment.

Daxton used his artistic talents to create bookmarks, which he planned on selling to raise money so the Earth Rangers can help support the Gray Fox, which is a threatened species in Canada.

Daxton said that he started making bookmarks when he started reading and wanted to make more for others who like to read.

When I was in Grade 1 I wanted to start reading and I know other people who were starting to read so I wanted to make bookmarks, he said.

Daxton is a Grade 2 student at Rothwell-Osnabruck Public School in Ingleside. He explained that he chose to support the Gray Fox because it was the favourite animal of his late great-aunt Jackie.

Jen Blair Manley of Royal LePage in Cornwall was getting her hair done at a hair salon in Ingleside where Daxtons mother works and saw Daxton with his book marks.

When Manley learned a little more about the bookmarks, and what the money was going towards, she decided to do what she could to support the cause.

Manley bought 30 bookmarks then and there, with the promise to acquire more. Manley will be helping to sell the bookmarks by making them available for purchase at the front desk in their office the Dreamteam Hub in Cornwall at 722 Pitt St. Unit 11.

Jen Blair Manley and her dream team at Royal LePage consists of herself, her twin sister Jody Blair and Christal Bowen and they are happy to do their part to support this young mans initiative.

I hope this inspires other kids, said Manley. This is the kind of thing I like to support. I like it when its more personal. Its stuff like this that inspires hope. Its not about how much, but the fact that you did it.

For his part, Daxton was thrilled what Manley decided to support his project.

I was surprised, he said. My mom was crying, and I almost cried.

Each bookmark is $5, and they are available at the Royal LePage office. Manley said that seven were sold within the first 10 minutes.
CORNWALL, Ontario  Members of four CUPE councils that represent municipal employees voted overwhelmingly for a strike on Tuesday night.

CUPE Locals 234, 3251, 3251-01 and 5734 which represent indoor and outdoor workers as well as paramedics and librarians vote in favour of a strike mandate by 93 percent.

The library workers in the City have been without a contract since 2015, the others have been working without a contract since 2016.

We are focussed on getting a settlement, said CUPE National Representative Keith Sandford. But our members have told us clearly through this vote that they will take job action if they must, for fair working conditions and to defend the quality of public services in Cornwall.

No date has yet been set for a strike or lockout.

The City and the unions will enter into concilliation talks at the end of March facilitated by a representative from the Ministry of Labour.

We need to see progress toward settlement during the bargaining dates we have at the end of March, said Alison Denis, a CUPE National Representative who works with Cornwall paramedics. This strike vote result tells us clearly that the process needs to head in the direction of resolution.

These four local CUPE councils represent about 450 municipal employees.
KINGSTON, Ontario  A 52-year-old Maxville woman has been charged after she misappropriated over 600,000 from her employer.

For the past several years the accused has acted as comptroller for a Kingston based business. During this time the accused sat on the boards of two charities located in Maxville, Ontario. Due to errors on her part, both charities incurred huge debts while the accused acted as the secretary treasurer. In an effort to keep the charities from falling into serious arrears the accused used her position as comptroller and began funneling money from her Kingston employer. Over the next three years the accused transferred just over $600,000 from the business into the bank accounts of both charities.

In December 18, 2017 the matter was reported to police and Detectives with the Kingston Police Fraud Unit began an investigation. It was determined some of the funds misappropriated by the accused to the charities were used to cover the expenses the accused incurred through her role as secretary treasurer.

On March 11, 2018 Detectives arrested the accused at her address in Maxville. The accused was transported to Kingston police headquarters where she was later released with a future court date.

The accused was charged with fraud over $5,000.
Attivo Networks has named FireEye veteran Tony Cole as its CTO as the company looks to boost its presence in the government, financial services, and oil and gas verticals.

The Fremont, Calif.-based vendor brought Cole on board to help Attivo deliver more clarity to the market around how its platform is differentiated from competitors. Cole said he plans to take a deep dive into what the Attivo platform does and the capabilities it provides to ensure it's continually growing.

Cole started at Attivo March 5, following a 16-year run at Symantec, McAfee and FireEye, where he rose up the ranks from critical infrastructure security adviser to global government CTO. Cole's work at Attivo will be similar to what he did at FireEye, where he was responsible for strategy and external evangelizing and played a key role in shaping the company's product portfolio, and sales and marketing strategies.

[Related: CRN Exclusive: Attivo Networks Launches Inaugural Partner Program]

"I've always been fascinated with deception [technology]," Cole told CRN exclusively. "In my time at Symantec, McAfee and FireEye, I hadn't seen anything like [Attivo's platform]."

Larger organizations tend to be more bureaucratic, Cole said, with structured, rigid road maps and a long process to move capabilities up the stack. Working for a nimble company like Attivo adds a lot of joy to the role, Cole said, since the development team can very quickly add capabilities.

This adaptability makes it easier for Attivo to quickly solve problems for CIOs and CISOs, Cole said. Attivo also plans to redouble its efforts around technical training for solution providers to ensure that channel partners are fully up to speed on the company's technology, Cole said.

Government is the biggest greenfield for Attivo in North America, according to Cole, who said Attivo will be very successful as agencies and departments understand the new capabilities and the value the company delivers. Attivo is also gaining traction in the large financial services market, Cole said.

Attivo also expects to dramatically expand its footprint around critical enterprise infrastructure in North America and abroad as the company helps end users bridge the gap between IT and OT, according to Cole. The company's investment around critical enterprise infrastructure will cover water as well as oil and gas, Cole said.

Organizations are increasingly looking to move their large security infrastructure away from purely prevention and adopt a more balanced approach that also includes detection and response, Cole said. Quick detection is vital to mitigating damage and pushing the threat out of the system, Cole said.

Attivo has built a deception structure that spans the network and the endpoint as well as potential threat vectors like point-of-sale and the Internet of Things, Cole said. Although larger security vendors are now getting into deception, Cole said Attivo's offering is more mature since the company has been in the space for years.

"I love where the portfolio is today," he said.

Cole plans to spend his first couple of weeks on the job learning more about Attivo's technology and having conversations with the company's largest customers. Specifically, Cole said he'd like to gain a better understanding of what large customers like about Attivo, why they like it, what they're putting place around the offering, and what they'd like to see from Attivo going forward.

Nexum has worked with Cole as part of FireEye's Partner Advisory Council, and the company has always been impressed with his understanding of the cybersecurity industry as well as the challenges channel partners and end customers face, according to Brian Haboush, vice president of sales for the Chicago-based company, No. 215 on the 2017 CRN Solution Provider 500.

"It's a huge plus with him going to a company that's newer in the space," Haboush told CRN. "I think he's going to do wonderfully with them."

Cole's industry experience will make him a valuable asset as Attivo continues to establish and fortify partnerships with Palo Alto Networks, Splunk and ForeScout. Showing interoperability with established vendors already in the enterprise is vital to get the company's technology into the hands of more customers, Haboush said.

Haboush said Cole's experience should help with everything from explaining Attivo's value proposition and working with existing infrastructure players to knowing where Attivo's technology best connects to other vendors in order to enhance the relevancy of the partnership.

"Attivo has picked up an industry veteran as the deception market comes to the forefront," Haboush said. "It's a tremendous hire."
Cloud storage provider Backblaze has halved the cost of downloading data from its cloud as a way to make it easier for MSPs and solution providers to provide cloud-based data services.

Backblaze is the developer of the Backblaze B2 storage cloud, which is offered as the back-end cloud to a number of storage service provider vendors that sell through channel partners, said Gleb Budman, co-founder and CEO of the San Mateo, Calif.-based company.

These include New York-based CloudBerry Lab; Bellevue, Wash.-based Synology; Pomona, Calif.-based Qnap; and Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Retrospect.

[Related: The 20 Coolest Cloud Storage Vendors Of The 2017 Cloud 100]

Backblaze currently stores about 500 petabytes of data for customers. The data sits on the company's own infrastructure located in multiple co-location facilities. Budman told CRN that the 500 petabytes is a good amount of data when one considers that's about half the size stored by Dropbox and about one-fourth the amount of data stored by Facebook.

Backblaze charges $0.005 per GB, per month to store data, or about one-fourth the per-GB price of Amazon S3, Google Cloud or Microsoft Azure, Budman said. With the new lower download pricing, customers pay about 1 cent per GB of data to download data for recovery or data migration purposes, regardless of the number of GBs downloaded, he said.

While Backblaze B2 is available for customers who wish to connect directly to its raw storage capacity, the majority connect via MSPs who work with cloud storage service providers that use Backblaze B2 on their back ends, Budman said. "Most customers can't write to our APIs," he said.

Backblaze B2 was developed as a backup cloud for consumers, but many of the customers coming directly to the service are looking to back up their server data, Budman said.

"But we don't back up servers," he said. "We send these customers to our partners, who can enable the customers to use our service."

Michael Strong, co-owner and chief operating officer at Blue Layer IT, a Lubbock, Texas-based MSP serving SMBs and a partner with Backblaze via the CloudBerry Lab service, told CRN that MSPs can see a new backup vendor every week.

"We've been in business for 15 years," Strong said. "I don't know how often we've changed backup vendors. A new kid comes on the block with lower pricing all the time."

Blue Layer IT eventually started working with CloudBerry Lab, which provides a brandable cloud storage front end, and chose the Backblaze B2 option for the back end, Strong said.

The amount of data Blue Layer IT stores for customers has risen from just over 10 TBs a year ago to about 100 TBs today, Strong said. "Backblaze's pricing lets us worry less about what to back up, and instead just back everything up," he said. "What I pay to back up 100 TBs of data today is significantly less that what I paid for 10 TBs with our prior vendor."

Backblaze B2 provides the performance and reliability Blue Layer IT's customers need, Strong said. "We haven't had any trouble," he said. "The back-end reporting shows the buckets of data on a per-customer basis. Nine months ago, I was all over the Backblaze website to understand the service. I haven't gone back since we signed up. There's no need to. Everything just works."
The Norwegian Bliss departed Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, last night for her conveyance along the Ems River, and is arriving to Eemshaven, Netherlands, on Wednesday, according to Norwegian Cruise Line.

Today marks another historical moment for Norwegian Bliss, the most highly anticipated ship of the Norwegian Breakaway Plus class, the most successful class of our companys history said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. When she arrives into Seattle in June, guests will be excited to experience many new first-at-sea activities, including the largest two-level race track at sea, new dining experiences, such as Q Texas Smokehouse and Cocos a chocolate and treat shop, the Tony Award-Winning Broadway Show Jersey Boys and much more for guests to explore.

Measuring 994 feet long, 136 feet wide, and at a gross registered tonnage of 168,028, she embarked on her journey down the Ems River and up to the North Sea in reverse, making the narrow passage through Meyer Werfts sea lock, with less than four feet clearance.

This very careful maneuver took about two hours at a speed of only 0.2 knots, the company said.

The navigation crew included a team of experienced Ems River pilots, navigation officers, the yard captain and the local German waterway authorities.

After passing through the sea lock, the Norwegian Bliss continued along the river stern first,.

Her journey to Eemshaven included cruising through the narrow passages of the Friesenbrucke Bridge in Weener; Jann Berghaus Bridge in Leer; and Ems-Barrier in Gandersum.

When she arrives to Eemshaven, she will take on additional provisions and crew members, before heading toward the North Sea for technical and nautical sea trials. This will be one of the final phases, before Norwegian Cruise Line takes delivery on April 19, 2018 in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Photos: Heiner Lohmann
Azamara Club Cruises has grown by 50 percent as the company has welcomed a third ship in the former P&O Adonia, which is currently in drydock at Grand Bahama Shipyard.

Paperwork was finalized with Carnival Corporation (owner of P&O Cruises) earlier this week and Azamara officially took command of the ship with Carl Smith (pictured above on the bridge) as captain on March 14, according to a Twitter post from Larry Pimentel, president and CEO.

While the ship is in drydock for a classification survey and general inspection by Royal Caribbean Cruises, it will then head across the Atlantic en route to Belfast.

Its there that MJM will take over, as the turn-key interior refit firm will spend four months completely refurbishing the ship to Azamaras specs before its inaugural cruise in August.
BRIDGEPORT - Steffan Jamur Kelly is on his way back to Texas.

Have a safe trip, Superior Court Judge William Holden bade him as he ordered the 30-year-old Kelly returned to Texas Wednesday where he allegedly tried to kill two deputy sheriffs in January.

Kelly had been the subject of a nationwide search until he was found hiding in a basement here last month.

Police said U.S. marshals got a tip that Kelly was at a house on Rita Street off Reservoir Avenue. When they got there they were greeted at the door by a young woman who immediately directed them to the basement. There they nabbed Kelly without incident.

Kelly subsequently waived extradition and on Wednesday afternoon he was turned over to Texas authorities for the trip back to McLennan County.

Kelly is charged there with two counts of first-degree attempted murder.

Texas authorities said on Jan. 26, deputies approached Kellys car during a drug investigation. They said Kelly then took off nearly hitting two deputies.
BRIDGEPORT - A convicted robber who appealed to a judge Wednesday to be allowed to travel to Haiti to prepare for the funeral of his mother - left the court miserable.

What will I say to my family, cried Jean Barjean in his heavy French accent as he left the courtroom.
STRATFORD  Mayor Laura Hoydick this week handed the Town Council her proposed $220.9 million, 2018-19 budget, one that offers a slight drop in the mill rate while funding positions in the Police Department and elsewhere that had gone wanting owing to a hiring freeze.

The grand list increased by more than 2 percent, which enabled us move forward while achieving a modest decrease in taxes, Hoydick said.

Two more police officer positions would be filled, along with three jobs in the Public Works Department and one at the 911 call center. A town planner would be brought on board, too.

Her proposed budget would require a mill rate of 39.90, a slight drop from the 39.97 in effect now. This would mean that a home with an assessed value of $200,000 would see a tax bill thats about $14 less than it was this year.

Most of the added positions would fill vacancies caused by attrition over the past two years  jobs that were never filled because of a hiring freeze. The mayor said that the planner  which is a new position  would report to Jay Habansky, the planning and zoning administrator.

With all of the growth weve been seeing and the projects in the pipeline, Jay has had a pretty full plate, Hoydick said. These are all key positions that we really cant do without.

The $220.9 million spending package includes $111.9 million to fund the Stratford school district, a 2.66 percent increase. The remainder, $108.9 million, calls for a spending increase of 0.42 percent. Put together, there is a proposed 1.54 percent spending increase.

One position, that of the part-time arts coordinator, would change under the budget. The job currently is structured as a Shakespeare Theater-based arts coordinator who reports to the Town Council chairperson. Moving forward, Hoydick said, it would be a part-time position, called the economic and community development coordinator, who would be assigned to the Department of Economic Development in Town Hall.

The new position would pay less, too  about $30,000 compared to the $40,000 salary paid to the arts coordinator. The American Shakespeare Festival Theatre on Elm Street has been shuttered for about 35 years, although its grounds have hosted plays and other events over the years.

The proposed budget will now face scrutiny from the Town Council. Unlike in most other cities and towns of Stratfords size, there is no separate board of finance. There will be a series of deliberations and public hearings on the budget; the schedule for these meetings will be announced soon.

Its expected that Hoydicks budget, her first, will see smooth sailing in the weeks ahead, in part because she is a Republican, and will be dealing with a friendly Republican-majority Town Council. Its supposed to be approved by May 12.

A year ago, then-mayor John Harkins, a Republican, and the Democratic-majority Town Council could never agree on a 2017-18 budget. Harkins vetoed budgets proposed by the Town Council three times, calling their spending plans irresponsible and even illegal.

The council at the time had a majority of six hard liners who refused to pass a budget with a mill rate increase, but Harkins said that their proposals would have resulted in an erosion of the towns bond rating and steep cuts in services, too.

The 2017-18 budget  essentially the one put forth by Harkins back in March 2017  was finally OKd by the new council that was ushered in with the November election.
NORWALK  While running errands or walking her dog, Jennifer Balliett has been spreading the word: Moms Demand Action, a nonprofit aiming to prevent gun violence, is starting it own group in Norwalk.

Everywhere I go ... when it comes up, I tell them to come to a meeting, the Norwalk woman said of gun violence in schools. The topic arises with troubling frequency.

People in Norwalk, Stamford, Westport, Fairfield and upper Fairfield County are moving to start local groups with Moms Demand Action, and will host their first meetings this month. Modeled after Mothers Against Drunk Drivers  the organization many credit with the national minimum drinking age  Moms Demand Action has worked in every state on actions including keeping guns out of classrooms and preventing people from carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. While the organization has had a statewide chapter since 2012 (Moms Demand Action was founded the day after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School), these local groups mark a new development for the organization.

In recent weeks, the organization has seen an proliferation of new groups. Seventeen new local groups are under way in Connecticut.

The recent Florida shooting, which claimed 17 lives, sparked a political outcry among students, who began making their thoughts on gun reform known to elected officials. In Norwalk, school walkouts memorializing lives lost to gun violence have been organized for March 14, and across the country, students supporting gun reform are walking out from class April 20.

But parents have also been looking for ways to organize politically.

When Balliett heard about the shooting in Parkland, she immediately thought of the one that had happened in the Newtown elementary school when her own daughter was a first grader. The shooting inspired her friend, Kara Baekey, to begin Moms Demand Actions Connecticut chapter.

I thought: Whats Kara doing? And what can I do? Because this is ridiculous, Balliett said.

She wasnt the only one. The following meeting of the Connecticut chapter was scheduled to take place in a Panera Bread quickly grew to over 200 people and was moved to a Westport church to accommodate the crowd. At the end, Baekey put up signs marking geographic areas so that people could meet neighbors passionate about gun reform. Many came away from the meeting determined to start their own local groups.

It keeps us close to our mayor and our own legislators who are here, and I think thats where the grassroots effort starts, said Balliett, who will be leading the nascent Norwalk group along with Kim Hjelmar.

And while the organization is open to people of all genders and ages, A lot of us are moms, Balliett said. And were just busy. So having events that are close to home is just helpful.

Norwalks first meeting will take place on Saturday, March 17 at 2 p.m. at St. Pauls on the Green.

Balliett said Moms Demand Action is working to demand criminal background checks on all gun sales and require people from states with loose gun controls to follow Connecticuts gun laws while in Connecticut, rather than those from their home state. She hopes the meeting will lead to conversation and a list of people willing to volunteer in various capacities, from spreading the word to speaking with legislators or giving gun safety lessons to school Parent-Teacher-Student Associations.

If the Norwalk March for Gun Reform that drew hundreds of people out last Saturday was any indication, there are many on board with the organizations mission.

Balliett was moved by the number of people who attended the march, as well as their diversity  people of all ages and races from across the state.

The day also strengthened her resolve to take action. My daughter, on the way here, asked if she should be nervous about someone arriving here with a gun, she said as she passed out flyers for Moms Demand Action at the march. Thats something shes working to change.

Those interested in more information about Moms Demand Action can visit https://www.facebook.com/MomsDemandActionCTCentral/ or email connecticut@momschapterleaders.org.
Ideally, a social enterprise wouldnt just turn a profit; it'd be a business that practices corporate social responsibility, helping the outside world without having to rely on donations or adhere to the same guidelines as traditional nonprofits.

Related: How Social Enterprises Can Benefit Businesses and the Communities They Serve

Take, for instance, Husk Power Systems, a social enterprise that was just awarded some hefty funding. Husk develops affordable, environmentally efficient minigrids that supply on-demand power to rural parts of Asia and Africa. The utility distributor recently garnered $20 million in a funding round led by Shell Technology Ventures with an eye toward expanding into India and Tanzania and potentially serving an additional 100,000 customers with affordable renewable power.

Husks funding round validates both the demand and benefit sides of pursuing a social enterprise. Ultimately, these ventures can give business leaders the chance to look good, do good, turn profits and inspire others.

Give back, get back.

As nice as entrepreneurial altruism might sound on paper, the numbers still have to line up if a founder wants to properly make a go of it. A study by the University of Notre Dames Mendoza College of Business found that for CEOs, implementing corporate social responsibility practices can be a double-edged sword: If a company isn't performing well financially, the CEO gets the blame, of course. But CEOs at companies practicing CSR to a substantial degree are 84 percent likelier to be shown the door than leaders of firms with low social responsibility.

By contrast, for companies with healthy bottom lines, past investment in CSR correlates with their CEOs being 53 percent likelier to keep their jobs.

Therefore, it's important that if you add socially responsible practices to your business, you must ensure they'll also support the bottom line. Building a business with the betterment of people at its core will pay off if you incorporate the following strategies:

1. Spin your dreams into your mission.

Base your business on a long-held passion or dream that could benefit the public. Turn that vision into your mission statement, which can form the foundation of your culture and drive the enterprise's direction.

Related: 4 Tips For Letting Your Mission (Not Profits) Drive Success

StartOut, a program of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, began with a mission to advance LGBT entrepreneurial success but quickly shifted its focus to a social mission: ending discrimination against those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

StartOut saw an opportunity to pivot toward a new, fruitful opportunity that was a passion for its founders and that could also serve an underrepresented demographic. The StartOut social enterprise gave employees the ability to promote company virtues through networking events and amassed more than 15,000 attendees.

When attaching a personal passion to your social enterprise, communicate how this mission affects you, how it can impact your company culture and how it can serve a designated community. Instill your company's values in employees throughout the organization, from the ground level to the C-suite. Making these connections will help you establish your enterprise's "why," which can increase employee buy-in and show customers what their patronage supports.

2. Revamp your technology with the greater good in mind.

Dont be afraid to replace outdated technology to help both your current and potential clients. When you're assessing your technology, ensure that any upgrades will add measurable value to not only your customers, but also the greater good.

Consider Free Code Camp, an online community teaching people around the world how to code while simultaneously assisting nonprofit organizations. Upon completing 1,200 hours of coding training challenges, participants begin supervised projects for nonprofit organizations. To date, the open-source community has provided more than $1 million worth of pro bono coding. Free Code is using its platform to continually reinvest in tech by training new generations of coders.

Keep a finger on your target audience's pulse, and determine how updating your company's tech can better serve the enterprise's cause and its bottom line. Look for ways to optimize or automate your tech in order to keep the customer experience positive, support your social mission and maintain your initiative's forward momentum.

3. Give proven tech a new philosophical spin.

Distractions are all around us, and focus is in short supply. For your social impact company to stand out, align it with a familiar tech or innovation, then use it in an inventive way thats helpful to the community at large.

Users are familiar with Uber's and Lyfts standard ride-hailing offerings, but each competitor has also thrown its respective ride-sharing services into the health field. Both companies are partnering with healthcare providers to assist patients traveling to and from doctors appointments. This provides a service to the public and helps hospitals mitigate the $150 billion that, according to healthcare technology firm SCI Solutions, they lose each year on missed appointments.

The number of applications that exist for ride-sharing technology makes Uber's and Lyfts separate ventures into social enterprise a welcome development. If your company uses tech in a saturated arena, think about what complementary uses for it could benefit the public, build goodwill and ultimately boost your business.

Related: 3 Ways Learning Code Helps Your Startup Make Money Sooner

A businesss success depends solely upon its customers. Social enterprises create a unique win-win-win scenario for companies, customers and the public at large. Done right, a social enterprise will not only do well financially, but will also "do good" socially.

Related:

Why Social Enterprise Can Be a Win-Win Scenario for Your Company's Future

Why Subscription Model Holds Exciting Possibilities for Art Lovers

#5 Tips for Building a Successful Social Entrepreneurship



Copyright 2018 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Gina Haspel Is Appointed CIA Director

Gina Haspel ran CIA's first 'black site and was involved in the destruction of videotapes of interrogations to change evidence and any news reporting.

Gina Haspel (pictured) has been named by US President Donald Trump as new director of the Central Intelligence Agency, becoming the first woman to hold the post if confirmed by the Senate.

Trump announced recently that Haspel, currently the intelligence agency's deputy director, would be replacing Mike Pompeo, who was appointed the new secretary of state after incumbent Rex Tillerson was sacked.

In a statement issued by Trump to the Washington Post, he said the nomination of Gina Haspel was "a historic milestone". Speaking to reporters, the president said Haspel is "an outstanding person". But Haspel's career is a point of concern with many human rights advocates. Haspel became the US spy agency's second-in-command in February 2017, but joined the CIA as an intelligence officer in 1985.

Her former posts at the intelligence agency include deputy director of the national clandestine service for foreign intelligence and covert action.

The former Deputy CIA head has operated "black site" prisons and drafted orders to destroy evidence that would reveal torture.

"I think she's a particularly disastrous choice, being one of the principal actors" in the torture programme of former President George W Bush, Alberto Mora, the former general counsel for the US Navy and a senior fellow at the Harvard's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.

Controversial past

The New York Times reported in 2017 that Haspel played a direct role in the CIA's "extraordinary rendition programme" through which captured fighters were abducted and tortured.

She ran the CIA's first overseas detention site in Thailand, also known as a "black site", in the early 2000s. The detention centre was the place at which the interrogations of Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, two Saudi citizens currently held in the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba for alleged links to al-Qaeda, took place.

The interrogations involved extensive use of "enhanced interrogation" techniques, the term used for waterboarding and other interrogation methods internationally classified as torture.

Haspel's rise to the head of the US spy agency should cause concern, Mora said: "To hold her up as an exemplar, an individual whose career will serve as guidance to those who will join the agency in the future, is shocking".

Human Rights Evidence Destroyed

A 2005 US justice department memo said Zubaydah was water boarded 83 times in a single month in 2002. A 2014 report by the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the CIA's detention and interrogation programme said these techniques were used on Zubaydah "with significant repetition for days or weeks at a time".

The reports also said the techniques included slamming him against a wall, sleep deprivation and forced nudity. Maya Foa, director of international human rights organisation Reprieve, said in a statement delivered to Al Jazeera that Haspel "is simply not fit to hold an office that requires, at its very heart, a commitment to uphold the values of the Constitution".

Videotapes of the interrogations in Thailand were destroyed on the orders of a cable drafted by Haspel and agreed to by her former boss, then-CIA director of counterterrorism operations Jose Rodriguez.

"This is not just another political controversy. Of all the problematic nominations that have been made, this is the most problematic by far," John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera.

"Haspel is complicit in the destruction of videos of interrogations. She drafted the order to destroy the videos even after the White House instructed the CIA not to do so.

"This is a woman who has shown she is willing to break the law. That is the most disturbing thing about the nomination," he said.

Still, Haspel enjoys widespread support from within the US intelligence community. When she was appointed as deputy director in 2017, she was described by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper as "a seasoned veteran of the agency who is widely and deeply respected by the workforce".

Michael Hayden, former National Security Agency director, told US broadcaster NPR, "In all this turmoil, I actually think CIA is going to be a bit of a calm spot with Gina now being elevated to the director position."

Rami Khouri, a senior fellow at the American University of Beirut, told Al Jazeera Haspel's appointment was "in keeping" with previous actions by the Trump administration.

"This is very much in line with what we've seen ... Appointing people in high positions who are, to say the least, controversial - not only in terms of their views but in terms of their adherence to fundamental ethics and law in the US and international law against torture," he said.

Foa, the director of Reprieve, agreed.The "appointment should be a warning to allies of the US in the UK, Europe and around the world to rethink their cooperation with an administration which has refused again and again to show respect for the values we all share", Foa said.

Requested arrest warrant

The European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) in June 2017 requested that the German public prosecutor issue an arrest warrant for Haspel for her role in the torture at the black site in Thailand. The Berlin-based organisation had asked German prosecutors to investigate torture by CIA operatives in December 2014 after publication of the CIA torture report.

Its a really bad sign that [Haspel] should be named as CIA director, Andreas Schueller, the head of the ECCHR's international crimes and accountability programme, told Al Jazeera. We think she should stand trial to defend herself against the allegations that she was involved in torture and she shouldnt be appointed to any position."

Haspel's nomination still requires confirmation by the US Senate, a process she did not have to go through to be installed as deputy director.

"We could see her nomination fail," Sifton says. "This is a point where Senators should care about the rule of law. This is a bridge too far."

Al Jazeera:

You Might Also Read:

US Spy Chiefs Look For UK Guidance On Cybersecurity:

The CIA Discovers It Has A Mole:

CIA Malware Unveiled:
Russia Warns UK Against Cyber Retaliation

Russia's embassy in London has said that it was seriously concerned about reports that Britain could launch a cyber attack against Russia in retaliation for the alleged use of a nerve agent on Russians resident in the UK .

It urged the UK to carefully weigh the consequences of such action.

Earlier, Russia demanded that Britain provide it with access to a nerve agent used to poison double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Both of them remain in a critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the cathedral city of Salisbury.

In a statement, the Russian embassy said: "Not only is Russia groundlessly and provocatively accused of the Salisbury incident, but apparently, plans are being developed in the UK to strike Russia with cyber weapons.

"Statements by a number of MPs, 'Whitehall sources' and 'experts' regarding a possible 'deployment' of 'offensive cyber-capabilities' cause serious concern," it added.

"We invite the British side to once again consider the consequences of such a reckless move."

The country's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia is "not guilty" of poisoning Mr Skripal and his daughter.

"Russia is not guilty. Russia is ready to cooperate according to the Chemical Weapons Convention, if Britain takes the trouble and condescends to carry out its international obligations according to the same document," he added.

The incident has led to a major diplomatic incident between the two countries with the Russian news agency Interfax reporting this morning that Russia had summoned the British ambassador.

British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament the nerve agent used to poison the pair was a military-grade type developed by Russia. She told British MPs that Russia had previously used this group of nerve agents known as Novichok, had a history of state-sponsored assassinations and viewed defectors such as Mr Skripal as legitimate targets.

"The government has concluded that it is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against Sergei and Yulia Skripal," she said.

She gave Russia a deadline to disclose details of its development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

If there was "no credible response" it will conclude it was "an unlawful use of force by the Russian State against the UK", she warned. She pledged to outline a "full range of measures" in response.

RTE:

You Might Also Read:

The Role Of Russian Influence In The Brexit Referendum Is Unclear:

UK To Increase National Cyber Defences:


Almanac winter predictions versus actual weather

The Old Farmers' Almanac has predicted the weather since 1792. Here's what it says for this winter.
A sense of entitlement afflicts Indian politicians. UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi is a victim. So is her son Congress president Rahul Gandhi. So are Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah.

At the India Today Conclave 2018 last week, Sonia declared: "We will not let them (BJP) come back to power in 2019", as if proclaiming a royal decree.

In Singapore, around the same time, Rahul engaged in a verbal kerfuffle with author Prasenjit K Basu. The Congress presidents body language, sipping water, legs crossed, as professor Basu repeated his question, radiated arrogance bred by an overweening sense of entitlement.

Modi tries to be humble most of the time, but his hubris occasionally shows. For example, it was thoughtless to not take Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidus phone call for 16 hours even after two TDP ministers had resigned from the Union cabinet or at a function to walk past senior BJP leader and mentor-turned-critic LK Advani without acknowledging him. Advanis anguished expression said it all.

Image: PTI photo

Amit Shah does not even try to hide his hubris. This story may be apocryphal but when the BJPs then political strategist Prashant Kishor asked him following the partys stunning victory in the May 2014 Lok Sabha election, what after May, Shah reportedly replied, June. Kishore left the BJP, but after unsuccessful stints with the Congress and the SP may return to the BJP fold ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

With the four main protagonists - Sonia, Rahul, Modi and Shah - suffused with hubris, the election campaign for 2019 will be long and brutal. But make no mistake: the first dose of venom that has poisoned Indian political discourse was injected by Sonia in 2007 with her "maut ka saudagar" taunt. To call a sitting chief minister the merchant of death opened the floodgates to political abuse. It was soon the new normal. Just as it pioneered feudal dynastic politics (now embraced by every regional party), the Congress pioneered invective in Indias political lexicon.

Sonia was also the first politician in the Congress to shrewdly recognise in 2007 the threat Narendra Modi posed. Modi was then a relatively unknown chief minister. But Sonia saw in him 11 years ago some of the same qualities she herself possessed: ruthlessness, cunning, decisiveness.

Congress leaders are better at lacing abuse with mordant humour. BJP leaders, hopelessly inarticulate, abuse without the benefit of clever nuance. In this "BJP Bharat versus Congress India" linguistic battle, India wins. The Congress can taunt the prime minister and pretend it is banter. The leaden-footed BJP responds with rage, bereft of ameliorative cadence.

BJPs Assam leader Himanta Biswas Sarma last week called Rahul Gandhi a feudal lord. For someone as steeped in privilege as Rahul, thats not an insult. In India being a feudal lord is not, for feudal lords, a bad thing. Sarmas choice of words reflects the unequal battle between the Congress India and the BJPs Bharat.

The Congress takes its feudalism for granted. It isnt embarrassed - though of course it should be - that one family has usurped a 133-year-old party. Feudalism breeds both arrogance and ignorance. It is this hubris which allows Sonia to say artlessly that she can envisage a future Congress with a non-Gandhi president. But as she knows perfectly well, since its founding in 1885 the Congress has had 60 presidents; 54 of them were not Nehru-Gandhis. The six who were: Motilal Nehru, Jawahalal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and now Rahul Gandhi.

Sonia holds the dubious distinction of being Congress president for 20 years - the longest in the partys history, longer than Mahatma Gandhi (one year), Jawaharlal Nehru (eight years), Vallabhbhai Patel (one year), K Kamaraj (four years), Sarojini Naidu (one year) and Jagjivan Ram (two years).

India versus Bharat

How is the idea of India different from the idea of Bharat?

The BJPs Bharat has a chip on its shoulder. Culture minister Mahesh Sharma wants to recapture Indias glorious past, which in itself is harmless enough, but an anachronism when it is the future that interests Indias young. The Congress India in contrast is a colonial construct: feudal, entitled and presumptuous. It is long past its sell-by date.

As I wrote in The Times of India (January 18, 2013), In 1947, Mahatma Gandhi, freedom achieved, wanted to disband the Congress and form new political organisations to contest free elections. Sardar Vallabbhai Patel agreed. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru did not. Nehrus view prevailed. In 1969, Indira Gandhi split the Congress to sideline the syndicate of regional satraps led by K Kamaraj and S Nijalingappa. The organisational and state-level decline of the Congress began in 1969 though Mrs Gandhis 1971 election victory and the euphoria over the Bangladesh war disguised it for years.

Nehru inherited a colonial administration. After Independence, it continued to serve the government in power. Colonial laws had been written to often protect British injustice, not deliver justice to Indians. Many remain cast in stone 150 years later, delaying and denying justice to ordinary Indians. Yet, Nehru did not impose chief ministers on states. The partys local organisation was given a relatively free hand to choose regional leaders. Indira Gandhi reversed that policy. She imposed state chief ministers, suspended intra-Congress elections, dismissed opposition state governments under Article 356, and undermined the judiciary.

If the Congress wants to re-establish its connect with Bharats electorate, it will need to shed not only its feudal skin but make Sonia Gandhis declaration come true: a future Congress without a Gandhi as either party president or prime minister. The last time that happened in recent decades was in 1992-1996 when PV Narasimha Rao was both prime minister and Congress president.

The Rao-led economic reforms transformed India. His was the new Congress that could have created a new India. Sadly, but typically, the Congress has disowned Rao and that is why its idea of India is so deeply flawed.

Also read: How to win elections and other lessons for Rahul Gandhi: Himanta Biswa Sarma at India Today Conclave 2018
The McClatchy Company publishes newspapers and news Websites in the United States. Its publications include the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News and Observer, and The (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. It also provides niche publications and community newspapers, as well as other print and digital direct marketing services. The company distributes content, including video products, through its owned and operated Websites and mobile applications, third-party search and ad exchanges, social media platforms, and electronic editions of its daily newspapers, as well as its printed daily newspapers. The McClatchy Company was founded in 1857 and is headquartered in Sacramento, California.

Read More
Ellie Mae, Inc. provides cloud-based platform for the mortgage finance industry in the United States. It provides Encompass, an enterprise solution that engages in running the business of originating mortgages, including marketing and lead management; loan origination and processing; underwriting; preparation of mortgage applications, disclosure agreements, and closing documents; loan funding and closing; compliance with regulatory and investor requirements; and enterprise management. The company's Encompass Digital Lending Platform helps lenders and investors across their workflow from the prospective customers to the point of loan delivery. In addition, the company provides education and training services; professional and technical support services; and loan product, policy, and guideline data and analytics services. Ellie Mae, Inc. was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Pleasanton, California.

Read More
Greif, Inc. engages in the production of industrial packaging products and services. It operates through the following segments: Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services, Paper Packaging and Services, Flexible Products and Services, and Land Management. The Rigid Industrial Packaging and Services segment involves the production and sale of rigid industrial packaging products, such as steel, fibre and plastic drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers, closure systems for industrial packaging products, transit protection products, water bottles and reconditioned containers, and services, such as container life cycle services, blending, filling and other packaging services, logistics and warehousing. The Paper Packaging and Services segment involves the production and sale of containerboard, corrugated sheets, corrugated containers and other corrugated products to customers in North America. The Flexible Products and Services segment involves the production and sale of flexible intermediate bulk containers and related services on a global basis and the sale of industrial and consumer shipping sacks and multiwall bag products in North America. The Land Management segment involves the ma

Read More
Industria de Diseno Textil SA, known as Inditex SA, is a Spain-based company primarily engaged in the textile industry. The Company's activities include the design, confection, manufacturing, distribution and retail of men, women and children apparel, footwear and fashion accessories, as well as home furnishings and household textile products. The Company's business is divided into three segments: Zara, which provides various fashion and home items under the Zara brand name; Bershka, offering clothes under the Bershka brand name, which aims at teenagers, and Other, which retails apparel under Stradivarius, Oysho, Pull&Bear and Massimo Dutti brand names, among others. The Company operates worldwide through numerous subsidiaries. It is controlled by Pontegadea Inversiones SL.

Read More
Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, a technology company, focuses in the areas of automation and digitalization in Europe, Commonwealth of Independent States, Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Its Digital Industries segment offers automation systems and software for factories, numerical control systems, motors, drives and inverters, and integrated automation systems for machine tools and production machines; process control systems, machine-to-machine communication products, sensors and radio frequency identification systems; production and product lifecycle management software; mechatronic systems simulation and testing software; and cloud-based industrial Internet of Things operating system. The company's Smart Infrastructure segment supplies and connects energy systems and building technologies to enhance efficiency and sustainability; and supports customers to address technology shifts. Its Mobility segment provides passenger and freight transportation, such as rail vehicles, rail automation and electrification systems, road traffic technology, digital solutions, and related services; and mobility system services. The company's Siemens Healthineers segment offers medical technology and software solutions; and clinical consulting and training services. Its Siemens Financial Services segment provides leasing solutions and equipment; and debt and equity investment products. The company was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

Read More
Chennai: The blame game is on over the Kurangani fire tragedy. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle as both parties are equally culpable for the tragedy, admitted a highly placed official source privy to the investigation.

And for this reason, a local forester is placed under suspension and departmental inquiry against a few others is on. But, at the same time, the Chennai Trekking Club had organised a series of illegal treks in the recent past and we are collating details of all the illegal activities of the club and there are also cases in which CTC has been also punished by the foresters of neighbouring states, the official told DC.

A confidential internal CTC mail available with DC, shared by one of the former members, had revealed that the CTC founder Peter Van Geit, a Belgian national settled in India, had organised several treks without forest department permission.

According to the confidential mails available with DC and dating back to November 18, 2010 (7:16 PM) Peter wrote to the participants of Chennai trekking club - due to circumstances I was unable to obtain permission from the forest department for this mission. No big deal - I have not taken permission for any of my ten past DOAs (it is part of the thrill). Just remember that in case of the very minimal chance that we get caught all of us might have to pay up 1K fine (per head). I assume that it is okay with you guys. The forest officials simply made it too hard this time.

The former member of CTC blamed both the forest department and the club for the tragedy, while sharing the mails dating back to 2010 that expose both Peter and the TN forest department.

The CTC is blaming the local farmers for the fire that engulfed the area, killing 11 of the trekkers and said that they had taken all permissions mandatory for the trek.

In a statement posted online, the CTC blamed the local villagers for starting the fire and said it had experienced trekkers on board to assist the team.

The CTC was not allowed to take novices to the expedition, they said. Besides, permission was given only if the trekkers had proper guides from the area, they added. CTC, in its statement, condoled the death of its members and said it had lost some of its most valuable trekkers trained over the past seven years.

Regularisation module for trekking to come out soon

The state disaster management authority and the forest department are to come up with regularisation module for trekking in Tamil Nadu. Activists and ecologists admit the need for regularisations as there is no transparency with forest department. They also felt that that trekking should not be banned but regularised.

According to officials investigating the tragedy it is revealed that there is a heavy shortage of forest guards in the area with only 50 per cent of the required strength of 107 personnel monitoring the 3,000 hectares of forest area. There are only 57 serving personnel in the area and there is no continuous monitoring due to the increased work schedule, sources said. "We are evaluating on the tragedy and are finding what went wrong, already a circular has been issued to district forest officers to take precautions on forest fire and restrict the movement of public inside core jungle", a forest department insider said hinting soon a government to regularise trekking is likely to be issued, he added.

It may be noted that the state government on Monday ordered a probe into the incident and promised action against those who allegedly organised the expedition without permission. The Chief Minister has announced a solatium of `4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased in which eleven have died till date.
Samajwadi Party supporters apply 'gulal' on a photo of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav as they celebrate their lead in Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-poll election, in Allahabad. (Photo: PTI)

Gorakhpur/Patna: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday lost two key parliamentary seats in Uttar Pradesh, Gorakhpur and Phulpur, which were vacated by Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya after their entry into the Assembly in April, 2017.

The BJP lost its safest and most prestigious seat Gorakhpur, ruled by Yogi Adityanath since 1998.

Phulpur was won in 2014 by Keshav Prasad Maurya under whose leadership the BJP went to polls in the last Lok Sabha. He had won it by over three lakh votes in 2014.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) buried differences these elections to put up a united front in these two seats. Though talk of a formal alliance is still up in the air, the BSP successfully supported the SP candidates in Gorakhpur and Phulpur to see them through.

Samajwadi Party's Nagendra Pratap Singh Patel won Phulpur Lok Sabha seat by 59,613 votes.

Praveen Kumar Nishad won from Gorakhpur, beating BJP's Upendra Dutt Shukla by 21,881 votes.

After the unexpected defeat  of seats formerly held by the two top administrators in the state -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, "We accept the verdict of the people this result is unexpected, we will review our shortcomings. I congratulate the winning candidates."

The third Lok Sabha seat that went to polls was Araria in Bihar which was retained by Lalu Prasad Yadavs Rashtriya Janata Dal. RJDs Sarfaraz Alam won the Araria Lok Sabha seat by 61,988 votes. Alam got 5,09,334 votes while the BJP candidate got 4,47,346.

Read: BJPs big UP loss: Can SP-BSP enter a proper marriage of convenience?

Two Assembly seats in Bihar also went to polls. The BJP won Bhabua, while the RJD got Jehanabad.

Both Uttar Pradesh seats were prestige fights for the BJP.

Gorakhpur has been held by Yogi Adityanath since 1998  he was the youngest MP at 26  and three times before that by his mentor Avaidyanath.

Phulpur is an extremely prominent Lok Sabha seat that the BJP had wrested only in 2014. It has been represented thrice by Jawaharlal Nehru, his sister Vijayalakshmi Pandit and also former Prime Minister V P Singh.

Since there are no permanent enemies in politics, the election results will also test how far the loose alliance between the two arch-rivals -- Bahujan Samaj Party and Samajwadi Party  can go bedfore the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

The last time they joined hands was in 1993 -- to stop the BJP from coming to power gain after Kalyan Singhs government was sacked in the aftermath of the Babri demolition.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday said the debt burden of Telangana State had doubled since its formation in June 2014, but was well within the permissible limits.

The government gave bank guarantee to various corporations to raise loans which was a regular administrative practice. These corporations raise loans in emergency cases. Once the purpose is served, they will re-pay and close the account. Banks seek government guarantee to extend loans to corporations as per norms. These should not be viewed as government loans, Mr Rao added.

The Congress promise of a one-time waiver of crop loan up to Rs 2 lakh if elected to power was impossible as it would have to stop all payments, including salaries for eight months, he said.

The states average income per month fr-om all sources, including Centre's tax devolution is around Rs 10,500 crore. We have to spend up to Rs 6,000 crore towards establishment expenditure which include salaries. We need to service the debt for payment of interest and principal amount, he said and asked why the Congress was trying to cheat farmers.

The TRS Government spent Rs 1.25 lakh crore towards capital expenditure in four years, while governments in undivided AP failed to spend even Rs 60,000 crore in 65 years, he said.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Tuesday justified initiating severe action against Congress MLAs and thanked Speaker S. Madhusudhana Chary for acting tough and expelling two Congress members. He said it was needed was needed to uphold the dignity and decorum of the House.

He was categorical that the government would not tolerate disruptive forces inside and outside the House at any cost.

Mr Rao said the violent incidents in the House were pre-planned and the government had adv-ance information of this due to which it deployed several marshals, or else the situation could have turned more dangerous.

The justification that we didnt mean to attack the Council Chairman, but the Governor, is deplorable," he told the House.

The CM said the Congress had been indulging in vicious campaign against him, his health and his government.

They started demolis-hing our partys flag posts and burning my effigies within five days of my assuming office as CM. Why this intolerance? They could not di-gest TRS coming to power. In the subsequent elections held for 2014, they lost even deposits, which made them more frustrated. They created rumours about my health saying I am going to the US for treatment. I tolerated all this. But their latest act of attacking the Governor and the Council Chairman deserves stringent punishment, Mr Rao said.

He asked why was the-re the need to protest when the government was ready to debate on any issue for any number of days in the Assembly. If they have any objection to the Governor's speech, they can raise it during the debate in the House.

They can lodge their protest in a democratic manner in various forms. But resorting to attacks is not acceptable, the CM said.

Referring to Opposition criticism of suspending K. Jana Reddy though it was claimed that he had remained quite, Mr Rao said, "We know what Jana Reddy did. We have all the reports about his role in this episode based on which he has been suspended. We have utmost respect for him.
Bengaluru: Although a campaign against its decision to field a non-Kannadiga, industrialist Rajeev Chandrashekar for the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka, is drawing enormous support on social media, the BJP seems undeterred and defended its choice of candidate on Tuesday.

The Twitter hashtag Rajeev Beda and Facebook campaigns against the industrialist are similar to the Venkaiah Sakaiah campaign on social media a couple of years ago against the BJP's decision to field the then Urban Development Minister and present Vice President of the country, M.Venkaiah Naidu for the Rajya Sabha poll from Karnataka. Mr Naidu was eventually replaced by Ms Nirmala Sitharaman, now the country's Defence Minister.

The BJP did try to avoid a backlash this time by announcing Mr Chandrashekars name just 12 hours before filing of nominations for the RS poll, but the strategy doesnt seem to have worked.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, senior BJP leader, C.T. Ravi said Mr. Chandrashekar was a Kannadiga as he was brought up in Karnataka, had studied here and lived in the state for the last 40 years.

Moreover, he has been leading several campaigns related to Bengaluru and Karnataka. The Rajeev Beda campaign is politically motivated, and the party will not be deterred by such a malicious move of the ruling Congress, he said.

Clarifying that Mr Chandrashekar was the only party nominee, he said it was only a rumour that three other names had been suggested along with his to the central leadership.

Sources close to Mr Chandrashekar, meanwhile, said there were two main reasons why he was chosen by the BJP for the Rajya Sabha.

The first was that he was NDA convener for the Kerala unit and the party was eyeing that state next after its victory in the north east states. Also, the party was keen on winning 25 of the 28 assembly seats in Bengaluru in the coming state poll and believed he could deliver the goods.
Imran was addressing a public gathering and was present on top of a vehicle with fellow PTI leaders and staff. (Photo: File)

Lahore: A shoe was hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Tuesday during a rally in Gujrat city in Pakistan's Punjab province.

The shoe hit PTI leader Aleem Khan as he was standing alongside Imran Khan, reported Geo News.

The PTI chief had just turned to face a different direction when the shoe came flying in, hitting Aleem squarely on the chest, the report said.

Imran was addressing a public gathering and was present on top of a vehicle with fellow PTI leaders and staff.

Imran Khan concluded his address soon after the attack.

Also Read: Shoe-d away: Extremist student hurls shoe at Nawaz Sharif

According to the reports, this isn't the first such attack on the PTI chief. Last week, a man was beaten up and handed over to police for allegedly trying to hurl a shoe at Imran as he was getting into his vehicle to leave the venue of a rally in Faisalabad.

Earlier on Sunday, a miscreant hurled a shoe at Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif when he was about to address a gathering at Jamia Naeemia's mosque in Lahore.

Furthermore, on Saturday a man threw ink at Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif during his speech at the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) workers' convention in Sialkot, The man was taken into police custody.
SALT LAKE CITY  Controversial federal public lands critic Phil Lyman announced on his professional Facebook page that he will he seek to replace retiring Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, to represent rural voices in the Legislature.

"Rep. Noel has been a champion of access to public land, a defender of families, an advocate for hard work and independence, and most of all a man of integrity. He has been a great friend and will continue to be a force for good in southern Utah. His departure at the end of this year will leave a huge hole in the Legislature," Lyman wrote in a Tuesday post.

Lyman gained notoriety, and the admiration of San Juan County locals, when he and 200 other people participated in what prosecutors said was an illegal ATV ride on a federally closed road in Recapture Canyon. Locals had appealed the closure by the Bureau of Land Management, but the issue dragged on with no resolution for seven years.

Both Lyman and Monte Wells were convicted in federal court of misdemeanors and appealed the case to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled there was no grounds for reversal.

Lyman has maintained his innocence, and recently Noel  who is retiring after 16 years on the Hill  has floated the prospect of a presidential pardon for his friend.

In his post, Lyman said rural Utah is at a pivotal point in its history.

"The issues we face in this district are vitally important to Utah's identity. Rural Utah is under attack like never before, but we also have opportunities like never before, including an administration that respects our right (to) work  to ranch, farm, log, mine, recreate, hunt and access public land," he wrote.

"We have a window of opportunity to resolve the conflicts brought on by external forces, and to establish a viable economic future for our communities."
SALT LAKE CITY  The infighting among Utah Republican Party officials flared up Tuesday when Rob Anderson, the party chairman, rejected a recent bylaw change apparently intended to spark a legal challenge of an unpopular election law.

That ignited outrage from Phill Wright, a member of the party's State Central Committee that passed the new bylaw last month barring candidates only in the 1st and 2nd congressional districts from gathering voter signatures.

"Rob Anderson is not the dictator-in-chief of the Utah Republican Party," Wright said, promising Anderson is "obviously going to be held accountable in some way." Asked what that would entail, Wright said he didn't "have an answer for you today."

In a letter to Republicans also signed by state GOP Vice Chairwoman Joni Crane and Treasurer Abram Young, Anderson said the change would violate the party's constitution, Utah state law and potentially the U.S. Constitution.

"As officers of the Utah Republican Party, duly elected by the delegates nearly a year ago, we take our duties seriously and will protect the right of our party's candidates to participate in a free and fair election," the letter states.

The new bylaw was not included in the revised copy of party bylaws submitted by Anderson after what he termed "a thorough legal and parliamentarian review" to Utah Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who oversees state elections.

State Elections Director Justin Lee said the law requires a political party to file revised copies of their bylaws within 15 days of changes being made, a filing made by the "party liaison."

Lee said the liaison "is the person designated to work with our office" by the political party. For the Utah GOP, he said that's Anderson. But Lee said someone "would need to check with the party as to what they consider to be in effect."

Anderson said he doesn't know what to expect going forward from the wing of the party trying to undo the 2014 law still known as SB54 that permits signature gathering.

"It could be anything," the party chairman said, including another meeting called by members of the State Central Committee. He said while he hoped his action would end the friction, that's not what he's expecting.

"That's my hope, but it's not a reality. I don't think it is," Anderson said. "I think this will be drug out, on and on and on. I don't know when this fight against this current law will be over."

Wright said although he believes Anderson did not have the authority to drop the new bylaw from the document submitted to the lieutenant governor, there are no plans for another committee meeting before the party's state convention in April.

The latest round of fighting among Republican Party officials comes as Wright, who lost his bid to become party chairman to Anderson last year, and other supporters of the controversial bylaw appear to be readying a new legal challenge to SB54.

The Utah GOP already bypassed Anderson to continue appealing the loss of a federal court case over SB54, which created a dual path to the primary ballot, to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Now, two Republican candidates in the targeted congressional districts have signed up to gather voter signatures in addition to competing for delegate support through the party's traditional caucus and convention system.

Wright said he believes those candidates have already forfeited their membership in the party through the election.

But he said a lawsuit would not be triggered unless they are certified as candidates by the lieutenant governor's office for the primary ballot by gathering voter signatures.

Cox has said he is "duty-bound to ensure that all candidates who rely on the existing law are included on the ballot." The Utah GOP registered with the state as a qualified political party last year, which must allow candidates the signature gathering option.

The lieutenant governor told KUER Radio that if his office gets a request to remove someone from the party, it "would be denied because that candidate had relied on that certification from the party."

Kevin Probasco, who filed a declaration with the state last Thursday that he intended to gather voter signatures to take on Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, in the 1st District GOP primary, said he is "pressing ahead. This is absolutely serious."

He called the bylaw change a "ridiculous exercise" and said as an attorney, he can "take care of myself" if his status as Republican is challenged because he's gathering signatures.

The other candidate who would be impacted by the bylaw, Mary Burkett, told the Deseret News Monday she was "stepping forward and saying enough" by gathering signatures to help "bring this to a legal conclusion."

Burkett, who is a member of the State Central Committee but did not attend the meeting where the bylaw was changed, said she believes a political party's nominees should be chosen through the caucus and convention system.

But Probasco said the caucus system is "made for people who can schmooze delegates." He said he is not in the race to help make a case for barring signature gathering.

"I am not a test case," he said. "In fact, I'm their worst nightmare."
SALT LAKE CITY  After being nominated for secretary of state Tuesday, CIA Director Mike Pompeo canceled an appearance at Rep. Chris Stewart's yearly security summit in Salt Lake City later this month.

Stewart's office sent out a press release Tuesday morning announcing the conference, including Pompeo, but said it learned later in the day that he would not be able to attend.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will replace Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Pompeo. He must be confirmed by the Senate.

Pompeo, a former Kansas GOP congressman and tea party leader, was among seven speakers Stewart, R-Utah, lined up for the March 26 event titled Defining Americas Role in the World. Participants will discuss national security, foreign relations and the importance of a free press.

Other scheduled speakers include Tunisian Ambassador Faycal Gouia, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C.

On Monday, Stewart said the agency Pompeo heads "drew the wrong conclusion" about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He is among Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee asserting that there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

A U.S. intelligence community report in January 2017 found with "high confidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved an "influence campaign" that would help Trump and hurt Hillary Clinton.

"I have spent a couple days out to the CIA actually reading the raw intelligence, actually reading what we were basing this on. And when we release that report, we're going to be able to show, you know what, the CIA just got it wrong, Stewart said on CNN.

The CIA is not perfect, he said, adding the agency "misinterpreted some key intelligence."

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said in a statement Tuesday that he expects to hold confirmation hearings for Pompeo in April.

Neither Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, nor Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, addressed Trump's firing of Tillerson Tuesday but praised Pompeo in brief statements.

"These are complex and challenging times on the world stage, and I have full confidence that Mr. Pompeo is up to the task of serving as Americas senior diplomat," Hatch said.

Hatch also said he's eager to work with Pompeo to bring Joshua and Thamy Holt home from Venezuela. Joshua Holt, of Riverton, has been held in jail since June 2016 on what U.S. authorities says are trumped-up weapons charges.

Lee said Pompeo will be confirmed as the next secretary of state.

"Look, this is a serious man who has done great work within the Central Intelligence Agency and hes someone Ive come to know, like, and trust over the years," Lee said.

The Senate confirmed Pompeo as CIA director by a vote of 66-32.
"Hello, 911? I think I'm having a heart attack."

"We'll send an ambulance to your address right away. It'll be there in four hours. Good luck."

That's the present reality for patients captive to the United Kingdom's government-run, single-payer health care system. And it's apparently what the progressives who have lined up behind Sen. Bernie Sanders' burgeoning campaign to install single-payer stateside want to impose upon their countrymen.

In recent weeks, Britain's National Health Service has been brought to its knees by an abnormally bad flu season. The spike in patients with the flu has overwhelmed the NHS' ability to care for severely ill and injured patients. More than 58,000 people had to wait at least 30 minutes for an ambulance. Nearly 17,000 waited for hours in ambulances after arriving at the hospital.

Rationed care and lengthy delays aren't just inconvenient. They're deadly. One woman in Essex called an ambulance after experiencing chest pain. When it finally arrived at her home  almost four hours later  she had already died.

Other patients have died waiting in hospital corridors, according to a recent letter from NHS doctors and consultants.

To make space for patients in immediate need, hospitals canceled all nonurgent operations  totaling about 50,000. These cancellations have forced people who need hip surgeries, knee replacements and other procedures to linger in pain for at least another month.

Nearly 10 percent of Brits say they've been personally affected by the NHS' recent dysfunction.

Worse, conditions aren't expected to improve anytime soon. One million additional patients will have to wait more than four hours for emergency department care by 2020, according to a recent report from the British Medical Association.

The United Kingdom isn't the only single-payer nation where patients suffer from rationed care.

In Canada, wait times have reached record highs. Patients face a median wait of more than 21 weeks to obtain treatment from specialists after they receive referrals from primary care doctors, according to a 2017 study from the Fraser Institute. Canadians in some provinces wait over 40 weeks.

Long waits are the norm in countries with single-payer. Since patients do not face copays or co-insurance at the point of care, they have no incentive to seek out competitively priced doctors, choose cheaper medicines or otherwise economize their consumption of care.

The government can only control costs by paying ultra-low reimbursements to health care providers and limiting access to cutting-edge treatments and technologies. The comparatively skimpy pay deters people from entering the medical field and discourages investors from building new hospitals and clinics. Hence, demand for care exceeds supply. Shortages are the result.

Even as single-payer fails patients abroad, progressive lawmakers are advocating for government-run health care here at home. Sixteen Senate Democrats have co-sponsored the single-payer bill Sanders introduced in September. More than 60 percent of House Democrats have signed on to a similar bill in the lower chamber.

State policymakers are just as gung-ho for single-payer. In California, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom  the front-runner in the 2018 gubernatorial race  ardently supports SB 562, a single-payer bill that would cost $400 billion and force everyone covered by private insurance, Medicare and the state's version of Medicaid to enroll in a new, state-run health plan.

In Massachusetts, the state Senate recently passed a bill that calls on the state government to explore the cost of establishing a single-payer system. Lawmakers in Rhode Island introduced a single-payer bill in January; legislators in New Hampshire held hearings on their single-payer bill earlier this month as well.

American progressives love to hype the "free" care that patients enjoy in the United Kingdom and Canada. But progressives rarely mention the long waits for patients in pain, huge new taxes and substandard treatment inherent to single-payer.

It's no mystery why they're mum. Once Americans learn they'll have to wait hours for an ambulance and months for a routine surgery, "free" health care might not sound so appealing.

Correction: A previous version of this article listed Thomas Smith as a co-author. Sally C. Pipes is the sole author and is a Thomas W. Smith fellow at the Pacific Research Institute.

Sally C. Pipes is president, CEO and Thomas W. Smith Fellow in Health Care Policy at the Pacific Research Institute. Her latest book, "The False Promise of Single-Payer Health Care" (Encounter), is out this month. Follow her on Twitter @sallypipes.
SALT LAKE CITY  A man who recently pleaded guilty to almost slicing a Salt Lake City police officer's ear off has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against that officer claiming he used excessive force first.

Leon Dane Hall, 25, of Salt Lake City, filed a civil lawsuit in federal court Monday against Salt Lake City officers Conrad Leong, Tyler Bang, Cody Wilkes, Miles Southworth and Livsey Harrison, claiming his constitutional rights were violated when police used "unlawful detention and brutal, violent use of force and excessive force against Mr. Hall when no force at all was necessary and the physical altercation was instigated by one of the officers."

On Feb. 2, 2016, Salt Lake police responded to reports of a man banging on doors at the Pauline Apartments late at night. Officers originally claimed Hall refused to give them his name or personal information. When the officers attempted to take him into custody, Hall resisted and shouted for the officers to stop touching him, according to charging documents.

As they attempted to push Hall into a patrol car, he began swinging at them and screaming. The officers attempted to bring Hall into compliance by using their batons on his chest and legs as he yelled "Stop!" and "Help!" the charges state.

As Hall and an officer fell to the ground during the struggle, Hall pulled out an 18-inch cast-iron lawn ornament with jagged edges and swung it at officers, nearly severing officer Bang's ear. It eventually took five officers to arrest Hall.

The encounter was recorded by a bystander from an upper-story window. Release of the video sparked a public outcry over whether the officers used excessive force in their arrest.

"My little brother Leon Hall is in jail for cutting off part of a police officer's ear during an altercation. Is what he did OK? Not at all. Did the cop excessively beat him?  Yes," Hall's brother, Eli Hall, posted on Facebook.

In December, Hall pleaded guilty to two counts of assault on a peace officer. As part of his plea deal, his charges were reduced from second-degree to third-degree felonies, while an additional count of interfering with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor, was dismissed. In February he was sentenced to a suspended prison term, given credit for time served in jail, and ordered to be screened for mental health and substance abuse treatment.

On Monday, Hall claimed it was the police who escalated an otherwise peaceful situation and unlawfully detained him and used excessive force.

Prior to police approaching him, Hall said he was already shaken that night because he "had been beat up, and left seriously injured, in a violent hate crime inflicted against him because he is gay; and, as a result, has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder," according to his lawsuit. "Mr. Hall has also been diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia, PTSD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); and also reports that he suffers from anxiety."

In his lawsuit, Hall contends the five officers that arrested him had not received adequate training on dealing with people in that condition and they wrongly assumed that the only explanation for his behavior was that he was on drugs.

"Each of the defendant officers, rather than using only such force as was necessary to control and arrest Mr. Hall, used excessive force against Mr. Hall in an effort to inflict their own punishment against Mr. Hall for his failure to abide by their commands," the lawsuit states.

Hall states he had broken no crimes when officers questioned him, and did not have drugs or alcohol in his system.

"Mr. Hall was non-aggressive, non-threatening," the lawsuit states.

But it was the police who escalated the situation by grabbing and threatening Hall, according to the lawsuit. One officer appears to have become upset or lost his patience with Hall's quips as he was being asked questions and "grabbed Mr. Hall by his arm or wrist, without informing him that he was being placed under arrest," the lawsuit states.

"Mr. Hall said that he did not have identification and said, repeatedly, 'You need to stop touching me,'" according to the lawsuit.

Hall said officers then struck him six to eight times with their batons

"Scared and reacting to the unnecessary physical violence against him, Mr. Hall then swung in the air with a decorated metal flower ornament that Mr. Hall had in his hand and, in so doing, cut officer Bangs ear. Mr. Hall has acknowledged that swinging the object at the officers, even though he was scared, was wrong," the lawsuit states.

Hall said officers also used their Taser on him three times after the officer's ear was sliced, followed later by an additional "drive stun" taze to his chest, according to the suit.

Because of that incident, "Mr. Hall experienced and will continue to experience trauma, stress, emotional pain, suffering, and inconvenience of being subjected to excessive, deadly force when no force was required," he contends in his lawsuit.

He is seeking about $1.8 million in damages, according to the lawsuit.

Salt Lake City police detective Greg Wilking said Tuesday that the police department could not comment on the lawsuit since the city had not seen it yet.
SALT LAKE CITY  Utah Senate President Wayne Niederhauser not only won't run again for his leadership position but he won't be in the Legislature at all.

The Sandy Republican previously announced he wouldn't run for another term as president but as recently as last week said he intended to seek re-election to the Senate.

But Niederhauser said Wednesday he started to question that decision as the 2018 Legislature adjourned late last Thursday.

"For the last few days, I have carefully evaluated the pros and cons of seeking another term in office. The pros outnumbered the cons almost 3 to 1," he said.

"While on paper the decision seemed obvious, an inner voice said, 'This is the very reason you shouldnt run for office again,'" he said. "This message may seem confusing, but to me the meaning is clear: When you begin to think you are even a little indispensable, it is time to step away."

The Utah Legislature is now losing its two most powerful leaders.

House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, announced before the 2018 legislative session that he wouldn't seek re-election to his House seat.

Niederhauser, 58, was elected to the Senate in 2006, representing Sandy, Alta and Cottonwood Heights. He has served as Senate president since 2012. His current term ends this year.

"It is time for a new face with fresh energy and ideas," Niederhauser said, adding that representing his district and serving as Senate president has been one of the great experiences of his life. He said it changed him as a person and enhanced his character and abilities.

Niederhauser, a CPA and real estate broker, brought an easygoing style to legislative leadership. He expressed gratitude to his colleagues for "taking a chance on me  a bean-counting budget wonk."

This session, he pushed a bill to expand Utah's ability to develop toll roads  including in the Cottonwood canyons  as a way to raise money for transportation to offset the state general fund from subsidizing highway maintenance.

Calling Niederhauser a "true example of a statesmen," Salt Lake Chamber President Lane Beattie said the business community will miss his leadership in the Legislature.

"He has been a great champion of business, a forward thinker and an impassioned problem-solver who worked on the most pressing issues facing our state to help keep our economy thriving," Beattie said. "His leadership on improving our struggling schools, investing in infrastructure and producing the best budget possible every year has been invaluable to our states future.

Niederhauser also thanked voters for their support, and business colleagues and his wife, Melissa, for their patience during long legislative sessions and hours away from work and home.
Vacation season is knocking at the door. Hotel reservations are lifting for warm, striking locales. However, if conservative relaxation isnt sufficient, off-the-grid adventure may calm your soul. Perhaps, the following bizarre hotels could do the trick.

Underwater Shark Tank (Paris)

Visitors sleep with the fishes in the undersea exhibit at Aquarium de Paris, located near the Eiffel Tower. Perhaps, its a place which you would never even have dream of. The tank consists of a glass capsule which goes 33-feet deep within a three million-liter tank encircled by several man-eating sharks. Regardless of how weird it is to spend holidays there, the services that it provides are top-notch!



Ice Hotel (Quebec City, Canada)

Hotel de Glace is a Nordic hotel constructed completely from 30,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice. This outstanding hotel contains artistic lighting, winter decor, outdoor saunas, arctic spas, heated bathrooms, fireplaces, intricate ice sculptures and snow carvings, and 44 thematic suites. If you are including this beautiful hotel in your bucket list, make sure to travel there with your family.



Turkish Caves (Cappadocia, Turkey)

Yunak Evleri is the weirdest hotel in Turkey. Yet, it has been ranked as a five-star hotel due to its wonderful settings and services. The hotel greets visitors with 40 deluxe hotel suites, stone fireplaces, archways, nooks, and unconventional doors and windows carved into a spectacular landscape. If you are planning to travel to Turkey anytime soon, then this place is a must see one.



SiloStay, Little River (New Zealand)

Located in Little River, SiloStay provides inventive eco-friendly lodging on New Zealands Banks Peninsula. Although the neighbouring area provides no immediate attractions, the proprietors of SiloStay expect that the physically round silo and peaceable environments will give visitors the chance to seek personal introspection. The silos are constructed across two floors and are well-equipped with televisions, balconies and kitchen facilities!



The Dog Bark Park Inn (Idaho, USA)

The Dog Bark Park Inn gives its visitors a whole new experience. Managed by chainsaw artists, the b&b is situated inside a 12-foot beagle. Visitors need to enter the beagles body over the second-storey deck. If you are a dog lover, this hotel will most probably suit you best. What makes it nicer is the peaceful atmosphere.



V8 Hotel (Stuttgart, Germany)

This hotel is exclusively made for the car lovers. All the available rooms are themed around automobile with features including drive-through cinemas, racing paraphernalia and vintage cars. If you are used to attending racing events, then you should perhaps take your friends along and visit this exceptional hotel in Stuttgart.



Hotel Central & Cafe (Copenhagen, Denmark)

Hotel Central & Cafe located in Copenhagen takes boutique to another level. This hotel contains just one bedroom though. It measures 8ft x 10ft. Even if there is a lack of space, there are still a mini bar, an iPod docking station, television, bathroom and a double bed. When it comes to the morning coffee, it is merely steps away.



These hotels are the weirdest that youll ever find on the planet. Yet, they offer visitors with a magnificent and outstanding stay experience. They might be a little expensive but they are worth every single penny. In terms of services and experience, Just Cash Bingo online will amaze you! Consisting of slot games themed differently and a plethora of bingo rooms, this site provides players with a magical and memorable experience!
Urvashi To Join Dileep As His Heroine In Nadirshahs Directorial?

Malayalam actor Dileep was recently in the news more for other things than his movies. The actor has worked in more than 130 movies and is still continuing. After his last release in September, the actor is now working on his upcoming movie Keshu Ee Veettinte Naathan.





A little birdie chirped in our ears that the film will see actress Urvashi as the female protagonist. This will be her comeback film in Mollywood. If rumours are to be believed, the film will be helmed by Nadirshah. Dileep will start shooting for the film soon.





Going into details about the film, the actor will, reportedly, play a character that is in his 60s. The role of his sister in the movie will be played by Ponnamma Babu. On a related note, the actors next release will be Kammarasambhavam which is helmed by Rathish Ambat. The film also has Siddharth, Murali Gopy, Bobby Simha, and Namitha Pramod in supporting roles.





For latest movie reviews, ratings and trailers, download the Desimartini App.





Source: stateofkerala.in
Two consortia of five companies have put in bids for 4G spectrum licences in Kenya.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) received the applications in December 2017 and is in the process of evaluating them. The consortia both wish to obtain spectrum in the 700MHz band, which was freed up following Kenyas transition to digital television, to offer high-speed broadband and mobile services.

The decision to split the bidders into two consortia was taken by the regulators board due to the limited available spectrum, with CA director general Francis Wangusi explaining that if we were to give [spectrum] to one, then the others might cry foul. The consortia have both been granted their spectrum on a trial basis for one year, with Wangusi noting that if they are successful, they pay the [licensing fee of] $25 million.

Kenyas 700MHz spectrum is split into three blocks, with one allocated to Jamii Telecom last year. The two remaining blocks are off limits to the countrys largest three operators Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom Kenya, since they already hold 800MHz spectrum through which they are offering 4G services. More spectrum bands may be made available in the future.

The ten interested parties have not been officially named, but the CA has identified AccessKenya Group, iWay Africa, Liquid Telecom and Wananchi Group as being among them. These tier-two providers are able to offer mobile services courtesy of the Unified Licensing Framework, but do not yet have the required spectrum.

The consortia can either allocate the spectrum to one of their five members or set up a joint venture to operate the networks on their behalf. If they opt for the former, the selected firm would deploy the network then lease it back to the rest of the members.

Jamii Telecom began offering 4G services in 2017 and has thus far struggled with the scarcity of affordable devices that are compatible with the 700MHz band. The high amount of customers using 2G or 3G devices, along with the heavy investment required for infrastructure, is likely to affect the consortia as they begin to deploy 4G services.
Thailands regulator the NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) has again pushed back the sale of spectrum in the 850MHz and 1.8GHz bands.

The highly anticipated auctions cannot be held until a new board takes over the regulator, which will occur later this year. The current acting boards six-year term ended in October last year, and they will be unable to enact any policies from the end of this month. While the new board could be chosen as soon as April, an auction would not be able to take place before September, according to NBTC board member Prawit Leesathapornwongsa.

This is particularly bad news for third-placed dtac, since the operator holds concessions with state-owned CAT Telecom that are due to expire in September. The concessions allow dtac to offer 2G services via the 850MHz and 1.8GHz spectrum owned by CAT.

The NBTC board gave the go-ahead to the original plan for the auctions, but despite this draft passing a public hearing in December 2017, it was shelved in favour of a revised plan which has still not received approval from the acting board since some members disagree with the proposals to increase the number of available slots in the 1.8GHz band from three to nine in order to make the auction more competitive.

Dtac will be particularly sore about the fresh delay as the NBTC announced in September 2017 that it would hold the auctions in January 2018 - three months earlier than originally scheduled  specifically so that the operator could maintain continuity of service after its concessions ended.

Two months after this announcement, the regulator delayed the auctions to May with licences due to be awarded in June, which would have granted dtac customers a brief window to transfer.

Dtac, which is owned by Norways Telenor, holds just 50MHz of spectrum and will lose 35MHz when its 2G concessions run out. Its remaining 15MHz of 2.1GHz spectrum will make it hard to cope with the sharp uptick in mobile data traffic. The operator did not take part in the spectrum auctions at the end of 2015 that generated THB232.66 billion ($7.4 billion) for the government.

The operator has a 24% share of the Thai mobile market, with 22.7 million connections at the end of 2017. Of these, 450,000 are 2G users under its two concessions with CAT.
Children with type 1 diabetes are forming friendships through a bond created by the condition at a new support group in Northern Ireland.

The T1 Club, which is based in Derry, is providing vital support to youngsters living with the condition.

Formed by parents who wanted their children to meet socially, away from hospitals and clinics, the group also aims to raise awareness of type 1 diabetes.

They meet once a month, with youngsters from across the North West of the country attending.

Edelle Irwins son Shane is now 11 and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes four years ago. Edelle told the Derry Journal: We are all parents of wee ones with type 1 diabetes and what we did was we got together to take them out so they could meet each other and develop friendship. The wee ones picked the T1 name themselves and we meet up once a month.

The club also comes as a response to increasing numbers of children in the country who are being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Edelle added: Medically the children get check-ups once every two months and the medical support is brilliant. There is a parents support group but my view and the view of the families and children coming is that the children need a bit of support. Through the club, they are building friendships.

This takes them out of the clinical environment and they are all checking their blood sugars together. Its normalising what they have to do.

The club is supported by Oakleaf Medical Practice in Derry as well as pharmacies. People from the community have also helped, the clubs logo coming courtesy of a volunteer.

The next meeting takes place on Sunday, March 25 at 11am. For further details, visit the groups Facebook page by searching T1 CLUB Childrens Diabetes Group Facebook.

With more than 250,000 on our Diabetes Forum, people with type 1 diabetes can also get support from others living with the condition through the online community.
Infiniti has called in the cosmetic surgeons to work their magic on the QX80 SUV.

Not previously known for its handsome looks, the Nissan Patrol-based Infiniti full-sized SUV has had facelift.

The Japanese marque claims the QX80 has been extensively redesigned with new headlights, front bumper, grille and bonnet and an overall squarer more angular look.

Infiniti has enlarged the nose of the QX80 by extending the bonnet 90mm and raising it 20mm, while the grille is much bigger in all directions.
Students from Dundalk, Ardee and Carrickmacross were among the 500 participants that descended on the TLT Theatre in Drogheda on Tuesday (March 13th) for the Young Social Innovators Speak Out Tour.

The tour, which will visit 8 counties throughout February and March, is part of the Young Social Innovators of the Year Ireland Awards which challenge young people to think differently and come up with ways to tackle social issues affecting them and their communities.

De La Salle College Dundalk (pictured above), Ardee YouthReach, Patrician High School Carrickmacross and St Louis Secondary School Carrickmacross all sent delegations of students to the event - just a fraction of the 400 teams comprising of 7,000 students that are taking part in the YSI programme.

Of these teams, 30 will be shortlisted to compete for the national title of Young Social Innovators of the Year at a ceremony at Dublin's Croke Park onMay 8th 2018.

Each team were asked to make a two minute presentation on stage, with each touching on a wide range of social issues including domestic abuse, mental health, farm safety, cyber bullying, homelessness and disability.

The team from Ardee YouthReach, the LMETB run Centre of Education which caters for early school leavers aged 15 - 2, gave a talk on homelessness (below).

blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">

Youthreach students from St Mary's GAA grounds, Ardee speaking out on homelessness @ThisIsArdee #ubysi pic.twitter.com/JI8QtSJlpE

 YSI (@YSInow) March 13, 2018

Social innovations address human need such as homelessness, poverty, exclusion, racism and immigration  issues high on the social and political agenda in Ireland and across the world today. The Speak Out Tour gives these young people the opportunity to advocate around such issues and demonstrate how they are coming up with responses and solutions to real life issues.
The County Museum Dundalk, in conjunction with the County Louth Archaeological and Historical Society, will be hosting an illustrated lecture by Paul Gosling entitled Cumann mBan Badges: Irish Women and Rebel Insignia, 1914-1921 on Thursday, 22nd March at 8.00pm.

Cumann na mBan or The Womens Council was established in April 1914 as a women's auxiliary organisation to the Irish Volunteers. Between 1914 and 1921, when the truce between Republican and British forces came into effect, the organisation went through several phases of development.

One minor but striking aspect of Cumann na mBan during this period was the creation and distribution of small metal membership badges (see illustration) many of which have since found their way into family display cabinets, regional and national museums and auctioneers catalogues.

This illustrated lecture by Paul Gosling of the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology will explore the origins and design of these badges from their initial appearance as plain base-metal lapel pins in late 1914 or early 1915. By 1921, these humble symbols of membership had evolved into something quite different  mementos of service made from the finest materials (silver and gold). In the process, the design of the badges went through a series of subtle changes which may in some way reflect the evolution of Cumann na mBan itself. Research on the badges is being conducted with Ailbhe Rogers of the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, the results of which are being prepared for publication.

Particular emphasis will be placed on the role of the Dundalk printing company, Dundalgan Press, in the design and manufacture of the Cumann na mBan badges. Their involvement was part of a wider engagement by the company in the production of printed materials and accessories for the republican movement, an engagement which appears to have begun with the rebranding of the company as Dundalgan Press in 1908.
Louth County Council's Arts Service and the An Tain Arts Centre in Dundalk are among the organisations to receive new 2018 funding from the Arts Council, it has been revealed.

The Arts Council have announced their 2018 investment in arts venues, organisations and projects across the country - with a 68.4 million nationwide spend anticipated.

In Louth, over 864,000 is being invested in the county with 20,000 for the An Tain Arts Centre on Crowe Street and 80,000 for the Louth Contemporary Music Society among the spend.

Speaking about the new investment, Arts Council Director Orlaith McBride, said, "2018 is going to be an excellent year for people in Louth who enjoy the arts whether you love theatre, music, dance, literature or the visual arts, whether you are young or old, you will experience wonderful work that will lift your spirit."

An Tain is a council owned arts centre in he heart of Dundalk town. It operates a 350 seat theatre and studio space, along with work spaces for performing artists.

It operates a year-round programme of visual and performing arts events and serves the local community with a range of professional arts events while supporting the work of both resident and visiting artists.

The council's Arts Service, known as Create Louth, has also received funding to the tune of 39,400.

The service delivers an artistic programme, community and education programmes, arts funding and strategic planning for arts development.

It is responsible for such annual events as the Ardee Baroque Festival.

First formed in 2006, the Louth Contemporary Music Society specialises in cutting edge contemporary music programmes.

It offers a unique programme of concerts and events to audiences in the Louth area and draws audiences from further afield for its eclectic programming, excellent performances and imaginative and committed curation.

It presents a unique programme, including new commissions, with specialist performers, to Irish audiences, particularly those in the North-East. The programme demonstrates strong connections to the international contemporary music scene.

It has received rave reviews in local and international press too, including The Guardian, The Irish Times, The UK Independent, International Record Review and Backtrack among others.

Elsewhere, the Droichead Arts Centre have received 150,000 while 68,500 has been allocated to Highlanes Gallery.

Other available funding will be available via a range of other awards and schemes throughout the year.
Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital charges the most for on-site parking in Ireland - sick patients and visitors have to fork a maximum charge of 40 per day.

A report on carried out by the Irish Cancer Society revealed that the hospital, which many people in Dundalk and the surrounding areas rely on, charges 4 per hour, 15 for 4 hours, and a maximum charge of 40 per day.

Cork University Hospital and St James's Hospital, Dublin were both the second most expensive in the country with maximum charges of 15 per day.

The report also revealed that patients and their visitors pay over 1 million a month in parking figures and that hospitals run by the HSE collected almost 13m in a one year period from parking charges.

The report was published by the Irish Cancer Society in conjunction with a petition calling for the charges to be scrapped for cancer patients and their families. The public petition has currently been signed by more than 3,300 people.

The Irish Cancer Society said: "Cancer patients are paying up to 63 a week in car parking charges. Our Park the Charges report highlights the financial burden of car parking on patients and their families. We are asking the HSE to issue guidelines to hospitals so that all people undergoing cancer treatment receive free car parking."

For more information see: www.cancer.ie/advocacy/current-campaigns/park-the-charges
Local people who live with blindness or a visual impairment will be able to use a brand new tactile ballot template in the upcoming Eighth Amendment referendum, marking the first time such an option has been available.

The new ballots will be available at every polling station in the country, according to the National Council for the Blind of Ireland.

Taking on board design recommendations from the NCBI, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has produced a tactile ballot paper template. The template is a clear plastic device which is placed over the ballot paper and features raised lettering, large print and braille.

It also has cut out sections to assist people to find where to mark their vote.

Joan Traynor from Dromiskin Co. Louth, who was born with sight loss has warmly welcomed the development. "[It's] great progress for people in Co. Louth. I am 59 and it will be the first time in my life that I will be able to go and cast my vote totally privately,"she said.

Dundalk man Martin Trodden who lives with Retinitis Pigmentosa, side-effects of which include difficulty seeing at night and a loss of peripheral vision, agrees.

"I feel this is a big help," the 42-year-old said. "It can be so hard to distinguish the polling cards and now I can

just go freely to cast my vote. It means a lot to me.

Templates will be available at NCBI offices nationwide, including the Dundalk branch on Jocelyn Street, for people who would like to try them out in advance of the referendum .

The move to design and provide the ballot templates came about after a landmark High Court case taken by Dublin man Robbie Sinnott, who is vision impaired, last year.

Up until now people with sight loss had to rely on others to help them exercise their vote, thus compromising their privacy.

"This is an historic year for people who are blind or vision impaired. Up to now their vote was not secret, they had to discuss their choice with somebody else and they could not even be sure that their preferred vote went into the ballot box," Chris White CEO of the NCBI said.

"This situation was never acceptable to the NCBI and we are delighted that our recommendations have been taken on

board by the Department.

We are urging people with sight loss to contact the NCBI in advance of the upcoming referendum and try out the tactile templates to ensure they are comfortable and at ease using them. Our regional offices will be equipped with the templates and there will be ample time for people to have the opportunity to try them.


Instantly delete email threats with 365 Threat Monitor

365 Threat Monitor scans all emails as they reach your users' mailboxes to detect ransomware, phishing and spam. Receive real-time phone alerts, get real-time security breach updates and instantly delete threats with just one click - for free! Learn More.

Apple lawyers on Wednesday sent a copyright violation notice to Github, following the publication of leaked iOS 9 source code on the site. Though iOS 9 is a dated version of the company's mobile operating system, it's possible that the leaked code could be used to jailbreak older devices or worse.

Publication of the code violated Apple's rights under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the attorneys wrote, demanding that the iBoot source code be removed.

"Old source code from three years ago appears to have been leaked, but by design the security of our products doesn't depend on the secrecy of our source code," Apple said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Fred Sainz. "There are many layers of hardware and software protections built into our products, and we always encourage customers to update to the newest software releases to benefit from the protections."

Ninety-three percent of users have downloaded iOS 10 or later, and 65 percent have downloaded iOS 11, which includes the latest protections, according to the company.

Source code can be leaked in a number of ways, Apple acknowledged -- voluntarily, accidentally or through malicious intent.

It contributes source code to the open source community, Apple pointed out.

Partial Release

While only a portion of the iOS 9 code was released on GitHub, the part that was made public is important to the overall security structure of the operating system, according to Ryan Spanier, director of research at Kudelski Security.

While the source code could have been leaked using malware on a developer machine, the more likely scenarios range from a mistaken leak, or a deliberate leak by an employee or a third-party who had access to the code, he told TechNewsWorld.

Protecting such large repositories of source code is difficult when many employees have access, Spanier said.

"No company is 100 percent secure, so it's not surprising this happened even at a company like Apple," he told TechNewsWorld.

"However, this is a big blow to iOS security as iBoot is critical to the secure boot process on the phone," Spanier continued. "The code is for an older version of iBoot, but still could be used to help people jailbreak the system and find new ways to bypass controls or allow an attacker to develop an exploit against a vulnerability."

Having access to the source code also makes it easier for researchers to find bugs, according to Brian Gorenc, director of vulnerability research at Trend Micro. That's applies to this case in particular, since the leaked source code is said to contain documentation.

"If the documentation contains some crucial pieces -- say file formats, interfaces or even Apple's fuzzing methodology -- the impact could be even greater," he told TechNewsWorld. "An attacker can look at how Apple has documented their fuzzing process and look for bugs outside of that process, specifically so that the bugs they find will last longer."

Since the code that was leaked handles loading the OS, the bugs can be used for anything from enabling jailbreaks to loading something prior to the OS, Gorenc noted.

That's why Trend Micro spent US$225,000 for iPhone-related bugs at Mobile Pwn2Own last year, he said. [*Correction - Feb. 12, 2018]

Boot Vulnerable

Leaking even part of the source code can facilitate the search for vulnerabilities in the boot loader, which can lead to new ways to jailbreak the device, said Leigh-Anne Galloway, cybersecurity resilience lead at Positive Technologies.

It also could open up access to data on the device, she told TechNewsWorld.

Seventy percent of iOS devices are highly vulnerable to such exposure, recent research suggests.

*ECT News Network editor's note - Feb. 12, 2018: Our original published version of this column incorrectly stated that Apple spent $225,000 for iPhone-related bugs at Mobile Pwn2Own. We regret the error.

David Jones is a freelance writer based in Essex County, New Jersey. He has written for Reuters, Bloomberg, Crain's New York Business and The New York Times.


Adidas sold a million pairs of shoes made from ocean plastic last year, according to CEO Kasper Rorsted.

In 2015, the German sportswear giant partnered with Parley for the Oceans, an environmental initiative addressing major threats to the world's oceans, to develop products made from recycled marine plastic. After much anticipation, they introduced three versions of the UltraBoost shoe last year.

"We last year sold 1 million shoes made out of ocean plastic," Rorsted told CNBC on Wednesday.

Each pair uses an average of 11 plastic bottles and incorporates recycled plastic into the laces, heel webbing, heel lining and sock liner covers.

In 2016, the company pledged to phase out plastic bags in its 2,900 retail stores around the world, saving 70 million plastic shopping bags by switching to paper bags in its stores.

In another sign that Adidas is ramping up its commitment to sustainability, attendees at the SXSW conference in Houston this week heard Eric Liedtke, the head of Global Brands, saying that Adidas wants to produce all of its productsfrom footwear to apparelout of recycled plastic from the ocean by 2024.
The world will see enormous losses of biodiversity across all species groups on every continent by the end of this century if we do not make deep cuts to global greenhouse emissions, according to groundbreaking research from the WWF and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change at the University of East Anglia.

For the report, the researchers examined how the world's changing climateexpressed by two important variables, temperature and precipitationwill affect nearly 80,000 species of plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians inhabiting the WWF's 35 Priority Places for conservation. These areas, from the Amazon to the Namibian desert, from the Himalayas to the Mediterranean, feature some of the richest biodiversity on the planet, including many endangered and endemic species.

For each area, the researchers tested three projected climate scenarios: a 2C rise, the upper temperature limit of the Paris agreement; a 3.2C rise, which represents the UN's latest projections based on governments likely overshooting their climate pledges; and a 4.5C rise, or a business-as-usual scenario.

The outlook for each of the three scenarios does not look good. As you can see in the chart below, in the Amazon and Guianas in South America, "even a 2C rise would make the new average temperature hotter than previous extremes, and would threaten more than one-third of species in all groups in the absence of dispersal," the report states.

If global average temperatures rose to 3.2C, 60 percent of plant life and 50 percent of wildlife in the Amazon would be at risk for extinction.

Climate change scenarios in the Amazon and Guiuanas.

The predictions were the most alarming in the Miombo Woodlandsone of the Priority Places most vulnerable to climate changein central and southern Africa.

If global temperatures rose 4.5C, the report projects the loss of 90 percent of amphibians and 80 percent or more of plants, birds, mammals and reptiles.

Climate change scenarios in the Miombo Woodlands.

The authors suggest two solutions to help save the world's precious biodiversity. The first is dispersal, which would allow some species to migrate to less vulnerable territory.

But the second and most important solution is reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting to warming to 1.5C.

"The most important thing the world can do is to keep global temperature rises to a minimum by doing everything possible to reduce the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," the authors write. "Put simply, we have to stop burning fossil fuels. A couple of degrees may not sound like a huge margin, but the projected harm to biodiversity increases enormously between the rise targeted under the Paris Agreement (well below 2C and aiming for 1.5C), and a business-as-usual projection of 4.5C."

"This is not simply about the disappearance of certain species from particular places, but about profound changes to ecosystems that provide vital services to hundreds of millions of people," they noted.

To avoid this, the authors propose a concerted global response centered on four actions:

1. We must cut global greenhouse-gas emissions. We need deep cuts to global greenhouse-gas emissions, consistent with and improving on the pledges already made under the Paris agreement. There's no way this can be achieved without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuelsparticularly coal, but also oil and gas.

2. Conservation planning needs to consider climate change. Conservation planning needs to be based on projected future climatic conditions, with a particular focus on notably vulnerable or resilient areas. An emphasis on aiding species dispersal is critical; as is the promotion of green development that doesn't put extra pressure on wildlife populations as the effects of a warmer climate worsen.

3. Further research is essential. We need to recognize that this area of study is relatively new: alongside on-the-ground action, scientists must keep on with their efforts to deepen our understanding of the changes we can expect to seeand we need to base our policies on the growing knowledge base they're creating.

4. Awareness is key. Finally, people need to know and people need to care. Everyone has a role to play in spreading the word and getting involved.
Climate change is already making people sicker, according to a deep-dive written by Renee Cho for Columbia University's Earth Institute on Monday.

Cho pointed to the example of doctors in Florida who are noticing that their patients run through prescriptions faster as conditions like asthma worsen due to heat waves.

Indeed, Florida doctors have observed enough instances of climate-related health issues that they've banded together to form Florida Clinicians for Climate Action, The Miami Herald reported in February.

"Being in Florida especially, you can't not realize what's happening to our climate. I see it right now on a day-to-day basis," Dr. Cheryl Holder, president of the Florida State Medical Association, told The Herald.

Florida doctors have also noticed that heat waves coincide with more hospital visits due to heart failure, Florida Institute for Health Innovation head Roderick King told The Herald. He hopes to fund a study investigating the link.

In the Earth Institute article, Cho also mentioned the spread of diseases like Lyme disease, which have sickened people in Pennsylvania for the first time.

Cho's analysis comes a week after an article published in Undark examining the spread of Lyme disease into Canada, where there were more than six times the number of Lyme disease cases reported in 2016 compared to 2009.

Some scientists even think climate change had a hand in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa from 2014 to 2016. According to their hypothesis, heavy rains following dry periods produced more fruit, which attracted both bats and apes. The bats caught the disease from the apes while feeding and then passed it to the humans who came in contact with them, Cho wrote.

If that sounds frightening, know that health outcomes only look to get worse as warming increases. Though most of the culprits will not be rare diseases like Ebola but rather the usual public health suspects on steroids, according to World Health Organization (WHO) projections cited by Cho.

Every year between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths worldwide, the WHO predicts.

The WHO further breaks down that 250,000 figure.

The highest death toll, 95,000 per year, is likely to be among children affected by malnutrition, which will increase as droughts and changing rainfall patterns impact the growth of staple crops in poorer countries.

The next most lethal cause of death will be malaria, at 60,000 per year. Climate change is likely to increase the range of the Anopheles mosquitoes that carry the disease.

The next is diarrhea at 48,000 per year, as flooding and fluctuating rainfall threaten clean water supplies.

Finally, the WHO predicts 38,000 elderly people will lose their lives due to heat waves on a yearly basis.

Luckily, there are steps that communities can take to mitigate the risk posed by climate change, such as regularly checking public drinking water for disease, planting green roofs to cool buildings, and educating the public about the importance of insect repellant. But in order to take these steps, it is important to be informed about what the health risks are.

"When we talk about adapting to climate change, we have to have an understanding of what we're adapting to and when. And we don't know that perfectly  But we do know enough to think that we have to start investing now in building resilience, reducing the vulnerability of populations to threats that are dominant in the region, and building awareness so that, as we do learn more, the population is already well-informed and can make use of the information in a productive way," senior research scientist Madeleine Thomson, at the Earth Institute's International Research Institute for Climate and Society, told Cho.
A new scorecard released Tuesday finds that 20 out of 25 top food retailers fail to protect bees and people from toxic pesticides. The report, Swarming the Aisles II, shows that while supermarkets have made some general commitments to sustainability and social responsibility, most have failed to take steps to reduce pesticide use in their supply chains.

The study also found that Whole Foods' commitment to reduce pesticide use, stock organics and implement a transparent policy leads all other food retailers; its parent company Amazon received an "F" in the same three categories.

"Food retailers need to phase out toxic pesticides and expand organic to distinguish themselves from the pack," said Lisa Archer, director of the Friends of the Earth Food and Agriculture team. "We urge major U.S. food retailers to work with their suppliers to eliminate pollinator-toxic pesticides and expand domestic organic offerings."



Forty percent of invertebrate pollinator species are on the brink of extinction, and a leading factor of their decline is rampant pesticide use in conventional agriculture. Organic agriculture reduces pesticide use and supports 50 percent more pollinator species than chemical-intensive industrial agriculture.

"Food retailers are failing to protect pollinators from pesticides, a leading driver of their decline," said Dr. Kendra Klein, senior staff scientist at Friends of the Earth. "One solution to the pollinator crisis is organic agriculture. Retailers must support more American famers' transition to organic, which is a triple win for our pollinators, farmers and all of us."

Organic food sales increased by 8.4 percent from 2016 to 2017, blowing past the stagnant 0.6 percent growth rate in the overall food market. But U.S. farmers are increasingly losing market share to imports. The U.S. accounts for 44 percent of the global organic sales, but just four percent of global farmland under organic production. Without a commitment to expand American grown organic and to reduce pesticide use in non-organic agriculture, our food system will continue to be soaked in toxic pesticides.

Many of the companies profiled in Friends of the Earth's report are competing to meet consumer demand for organic food, but only six have clearly stated their intent to expand organic offerings in the future: Albertsons, BJ's Wholesale Club, Costco, Target, Walgreens and Whole Foods.

Since the release of the first Swarming the Aisles report in October 2016, Friends of the Earth saw an increase in transparency and two new commitments to expand organic offerings from Walgreens and Trader Joe's.

The release of this scorecard comes amid mounting consumer pressure on food retailers to adopt more environmentally-friendly sourcing policies. Friends of the Earth, with the support of 50 farmers, beekeepers and environmental organizations, is calling on food retailers to eliminate pollinator-toxic pesticides in their supply chains and increase USDA certified organic food and beverages to 15 percent of overall offerings by 2025, prioritizing domestic producers.
By Jessica Corbett

A team of researchers on Tuesday released a "blistering" report on the serious public health threatsfrom headaches to asthma to cancerposed by hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process of injecting a mix of water and chemicals into rocks to release oil and natural gas.

The studydescribed as "the most authoritative" of its kindwas published by Concerned Health Professionals of New York and Physicians for Social Responsibility. Researchers found that "by several measures, evidence for fracking-related health problems is emerging across the United States and Canada."

Looking to Pennsylvaniaa hotbed for frackingas an example, the report says that "as the number of gas wells increase in a community, so do rates of hospitalization, and community members experience sleep disturbance, headache, throat irritation, stress/anxiety, cough, shortness of breath, sinus, fatigue, wheezing and nausea."

"Drilling and fracking operations are also correlated with increased rates of asthma, elevated motor vehicle fatalities, ambulance runs and emergency room visits and gonorrhea incidence," according to the report, for which researchers analyzed thousands of journalistic investigations, government research and peer-reviewed scientific articles.

The report also notes that levels of benzene "in ambient air surrounding drilling and fracking operations are sufficient to elevate risks for future cancers in both workers and nearby residents," and "animal studies show numerous threats to fertility and reproductive success from exposure to various concentrations of oil and gas chemicals, including at levels representative of those found in drinking water."

Dr. Sandra Steingraber, one of the report's co-authors and a biologist who has worked as a public health advocate, told Rolling Stone, "Fracking is the worst thing I've ever seen."

"Those of us in the public health sector started to realize years ago that there were potential risks, then the industry rolled out faster than we could do our science," she said. "Now we see those risks have turned into human harms and people are getting sick.... And we in this field have a moral imperative to raise the alarm."

Climate activist and 350.org cofounder Bill McKibben said in a tweet that the new report serves as a powerful reminder that it's not just the planet that experiences harmful consequences as a result of fracking:

This is the fifth edition of the Compendium of Scientific, Medical and Media Findings Demonstrating Risks and Harms of Fracking (Unconventional Gas and Oil Extraction), and the researchers note that "given the rapidly expanding body of evidence related to the harms and risks of unconventional oil and gas extraction, we plan to continue revising and updating the compendium approximately every year."

Reposted with permission from our media associate Common Dreams.
By Ingrid Abramovitch

Carolina Caycedo's nets hang and sway from the ceiling of the Whitney Museum of American Art, each one distinct in shape, color and composition. They range from softly rounded to elongated and geometric; some are white, while others have been dyed in bright oranges and reds. Caught in their knotted structures are objects that speak to a vibrant world: embroideries, seeds, dried plants, candles, framed religious images and musical instruments. "They are atarrayas, fishing nets that you throw by hand, and I think super beautiful," said the artist. "They were given to me by fisherfolk in Colombia near the Magdalena River, not far from where my father has a farm."

Caycedo calls the hanging sculptures Cosmotarrayas, an amalgam of their name in Spanish and the word cosmos, since each one encompasses its own small world. And they are indeed beautiful. Like the work of the five other artists in a new exhibition titled "Between the Waters," which opened at the New York City museum on March 9, Caycedo's art is inspired by a common theme: the impact of ecological damage and abuse on communities.

Carolina Caycedo's "Esto No Es Agua/This is Not Water" (still), 2015 Courtesy Carolina Caycedo

Organized by assistant curator Elisabeth Sherman and curatorial assistant Margaret Kross, the exhibition focuses on the precarious state of the environment. "The idea for the show came out of talking to artists and listening to their practices," said Sherman. "We started to notice several artists working on themes that connect environmental issues with civil rights and human life."



Caycedo, for example, has created several projects that refer to the construction of hydroelectric dams in South America and the consequences for local populations. Another artist, Lena Henke, contributed sculptures that tell the story of New York City neighborhoods that were gouged from the map in the 1930s by city planner Robert Moses to make way for expressways.

Cy Gavin's "Aubade II (Spittal Pond), 2016 Courtesy Sargent's Daughters

The show includes the work of two painters: Cy Gavin, an artist whose colorful maritime canvases are inspired by his father's native Bermuda and its historical role in the Atlantic slave trade; and Torkwase Dyson, whose abstract works are drawn from scientific drawings of water tables. Meanwhile, Atlanta artist Erin Jane Nelson conjures octopuses in textile collages created out of transparent fabric, spices and dried foliage. "The motivation comes from environmental anxiety," Nelson said. "Dealing with climate change, ocean acidification, and other emerging and enormous threats is not particularly uplifting, but I try to make empathetic narratives and objects that make space for catharsis and reconciliation."



Erin Jane Nelson's "Touch.tank.1," 2016 Courtesy Erin Jane Nelson

Sherman said that several of the artists mentioned Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor as a major influence on their work. The book, by Princeton humanities and environment scholar Rob Nixon, examines climate change, deforestation, oil spills and war in the global south. "They are interested in how the politics of the land plays out on marginalized communities," she said. "It's not 'kumbaya,' but there is a message of 'We're all in this together,' along with a challenge to the notion that humans have a right to dominate the land."



Demian DineYazhi is a Navajo artist who grew up in Gallup, New Mexico. His work at the Whitney, which combines video and text, originated in his "increasing sense of alienation, frustration and anger" at recent politics, including the Trump administration's decision to build the Dakota Access Pipeline despite protests at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. "Indigenous land has always been political," DineYazhi said. "On the reservation I come from, the land has always been under threat, from the issue of water rights to extraction industries like coal and uranium."

On view in "Between the Waters" is DineYazhi's 2010 Rez Dog, Rez Dirt, in which the artist, now based in Portland, used his iPhone to capture video of his grandparents' land and added narration about his feelings of disconnection. "It is about being tied to who I am, but realizing my current life is about migration," he said. Another piece, Burying White Supremacy, created by DineYazhi' with artist Ginger Dunnill, combines drone photography taken on a Navajo reservation superimposed with conceptual instructions on "how to bury white supremacy." Stark but ultimately hopeful, the piece depicts the green shoot of a plant emerging from a barren landscape strewn with gray tumbleweeds. "I'm trying to show that we have ways of adapting," the artist said, "and of spreading our intelligence."

"Between the Waters" is currently on display at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and is accessible to the public for free.

Reposted with permission from our media associate onEarth.
More than 1.3 million children in public school experienced homelessness during the 2015-16 school year.

Of those, about 18 percentfive percentage points higher than the rate for the general student populationwere also students with disabilities.

One of those students was Myesha Lyles, now a 22-year-old college student at Florida International University in Miami. In school, she had to cope with placement in several foster homes, a difficult relationship with her adoptive mother, and bouts of housing insecurity that left her staying with various friends. At 17, she lost her vision due to a brain tumor. That added a disability to her list of challenges.

Lyles kept a lot of her family difficulties secret from school staff.

I felt like I needed to keep it to myself. [Teachers] didnt make themselves so open and welcome, said Lyles.

And she also reasoned, where would she go if educators found out?

I was really scared that if I said something, they were going to take us and separate me from my sisters, Lyles said.

Lyles has been able to move past some of her earlier struggles. She plans to graduate this fall with a bachelors degree in psychology; Florida provides free college tuition to children adopted from foster care.

But her story illustrates some of the deep vulnerabilities of children facing both a disability and homelessness, and the challenges that can come with trying to make sure they get the help they need.

Two federal laws, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, govern school responsibilities when it comes to serving such children. But in some cases, the laws have different requirements and operate on different timelines. Both laws require schools to proactively identify children and families in need, but sometimes families or students keep their problems secret out of fear and shame. And sometimes, school personnel may not recognize the signs that a student or family is struggling, or they may not know how best to help.

When children enroll in school is an obvious time to identify some families in need, said Patricia Popp, the director of Project Hope-Virginia, which oversees that states McKinney-Vento program. Each state disperses federal funds to school districts for homeless student support services.

Beyond that, [homeless student liaisons] explicitly need to train every staff member, to make sure that teachers and counselors and bus drivers know what we mean by homeless for education purposes. It could be the little guy whose mom is sitting in the car every day to pick him up. Teachers need to know what to listen for. Its all those little red flags.

Among homeless students, 76 percent of them are sharing housing with another person, or what the law calls doubled up. The remainder are in shelters, hotels and motels, or unshelteredliving in cars or abandoned buildings, for example.

Getting Support Fast

Angeleatha McAdoo, the homeless-education advocate for the Christina district in Wilmington, Del., estimates that 32 percent of the districts approximately 500 homeless students have disabilities. McAdoo receives data sheets on homeless students from school administrators.

We try to put them to the top of the list for help, McAdoo said. But homeless students are highly mobile, and a phone number given to a school one day may not work later on when staff members try to reach the family.

We try to tell the parent, if you move, you need to notify me as soon as possible, so that we can set the transportation [to school] based on that moving date. I think thats a big piece of it, we try to minimize that interruption of their education as much as possible.

In Florida, a state with a large homeless student population, about 18 percent are classified as having disabilities. Debra Albo-Steiger, an administrator who oversees support for homeless students in the 350,000-student Miami-Dade district, said she also tries to get help to families quickly.

If I have a student who is coming from another district, I immediately call our special ed office. Im not going to wait months for these kids [individualized education program] to be done. If theyre within the shelter system, were working with the shelter staff on really how to best help that family, said Albo-Steiger, who oversees a program for the district called Project UP-START.

The acronym, which stands for Updating Personnel Support and Tutoring Activities to Retain Transitioning Students, offers both a description of the programs work and a term for families"transitioning"that Albo-Steiger says makes it more palatable for them to accept support.

Albo-Steiger did not work with Lyles, but said that one of her goals has been to educate school staff about signs that children may be in crisis. Fear of getting in trouble or being separated from loved ones is common for youth facing homelessness, she said, making school staffers even more critical.

In the last three or four years, weve had a concerted effort to make teachers aware enough to ask someone else, Albo-Steiger said. Educators are not expected to solve the problems themselves, but they should share their concerns with a school counselor or social worker, she said.

The federal government does not keep track of the individual disability categories that homeless students have, but some districts, such as Miami-Dade, do. In the 2016-17 school year, Miami-Dade had about 8,000 students classified as homeless, about 1,250 of whom were classified as being eligible for the districts exceptional student services, Albo-Steiger said.

Many of those students, close to 400, were identified because they were eligible for gifted services. Of the remainder, most had specific learning disabilities, which is also the largest disability category for special education students overall. Smaller numbers were identified as having other health impairments, emotional disturbances, and autism.

Clashing Timelines

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, districts are required to provide transportation so that homeless students can remain in their school of origin. The law also requires schools to enroll children even if they dont have their complete educational records available. The Every Student Succeeds Act expanded some provisions of McKinney-Vento by stating that preschool-age homeless children are also eligible for services, that schools must remove enrollment barriers such as fees or documents that might otherwise be required, and that educational institutions must partner with other agencies that support homeless families and youth.

While all districts must follow McKinney-Ventos mandates, only a fraction of school systems receive federal support through the U.S. Department of Education to do so. In fiscal 2017, $77 million was distributed to the states through formula grants.

McKinney-Ventos focus is on moving quickly to enroll children. The IDEA, on the other hand, has built-in timelines for evaluating a child for services that dont fit neatly into McKinney-Ventos mandates.

You can have administrators saying, I have to put them in school, do we put them in the wrong placement and then have to change them?  said Kerry Wrenick, the statewide director of homeless student services for Colorado. Before she took that position, she oversaw homeless student services in the Kansas City, Mo., district.

And then theres the whole question of whether they have a legal person to sign off on all their [special education] stuff, Wrenick said, such as a parent or recognized guardian. The IDEA requires an authorized party to agree to an individualized education program, but the student may be living with a person who doesnt have that standing. The IDEA has a provision allowing schools to appoint what the law calls a surrogate parent, just for the purposes of developing and supporting a students special education program.

But the tug-of-war between the two laws should not stop schools from offering these students what they need, Wrenick stressed. She urges district leaders not to overlook these students because theyre such a relatively small part of the student population.

I really approach it as these provisions were put into place to help level the playing field, Wrenick said. Given the special challenges life has handed them, these students need a little extra.
Anna Christian named IoM team captain for Commonwealth Games



Anna Christian

Cyclist Anna Christian has been named Isle of Man team captain for next month's Commonwealth Games.

The Under-23 British time trial champion will be representing the Island at her second Commonwealth Games, having secured top 20 finishes in the women's time trial and road race in Glasgow four years ago.

The 22-year-old described being named captain as a massive honour, adding that she couldn't be more proud to represent the Island in such a role.

33 athletes will fly out to Australia next week for a week a acclimatisation before moving to the Gold Coast athletes village ahead of the opening ceremony on April 4th.
As part of Patch Tuesday, Microsoft today released a patch for CVE-2018-0886, a remote code execution vulnerability in the companys authentication processing Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) protocol, which is used by Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and Windows Remote Management (WinRM).

The flaw could allow an attacker to steal user credentials and execute code on a target system.

Any application that depends on CredSSP for authentication may be vulnerable to this type of attack, Microsoft warned.

To mitigate the threat, Microsoft is urging admins to enable Group Policy systems on their systems and update all Remote Desktop clients. We recommend that administrators apply the policy and set it to Force updated clients or Mitigated on client and server computers as soon as possible, the company advised. These changes will require a reboot of the affected systems.

The vulnerability also highlights the importance of patch management systems.

Broad exposure

The vulnerability was first uncovered by Preempt Security researchers, who noted that it affects all versions of Windows.

In terms of the vastness of this issue, we can note that RDP is the most popular application to perform remote logins, Preempt lead security researcher Yaron Zinar wrote in a blog post. To further highlight this, in Preempt internal research we found that almost all enterprise customers are using RDP, making them vulnerable to this issue.

Zinar noted that blocking the relevant application ports/service (RDP, DCE/RPC) would block the attack. It is recommended to apply the proper network segmentation policy and block unnecessary ports/services, he wrote.

Similarly, the attack relies on privileged users using their credentials to perform IT operations. In order to better protect your network, you should reduce privileged account usage as much as possible and use non-privileged accounts whenever applicable, Zinar added.

The researchers plan to demonstrate the attack next week at Black Hat Asia 2018.

Limiting access

Nathan Wenzler, chief security strategist at AsTech, told eSecurity Planet by email that vulnerabilities like these serve as yet another example of how dangerous it can be to rely on security or admin tools without locking them down with hardened configurations.

Of course, Microsoft has an obligation to ensure the vulnerability is fixed, which theyre doing, but its imperative that admins and security practitioners are doing more to reduce the amount of privileged access their administrators possess, that tools such as RDP are disabled if theyre not being used, and doing whatever else they can to limit the amount of administrator-level exposure that an attacker might be able to compromise anywhere along the chain and then use to wreak havoc on the rest of the network, Wenzler said.

Still, Vectra head of security analytics Chris Morales noted that several variables have to be right for this attack to succeed. Most importantly, the attacker needs to already be on the network and in a position between the clients and servers, he said. If an attacker is already that deep in the network, there are many other things they could do scope out a network, find authentication accounts and compromise a server.

As a result, Morales suggested, this threat might be best classified as an internal reconnaissance activity, one of many that an attacker might use. As long as a company is properly monitoring their internal environment for attacker behaviors, and can correlate this type of behavior with other attacker behaviors, they should have sufficient visibility to detect and respond to this type of reconnaissance behavior, he said.
DARIEN, IL - March 14, 2018 - A new study shows that a high percentage of military personnel with sleep disturbances met criteria for nightmare disorder, but few of them reported nightmares as a reason for sleep evaluation. Those with nightmare disorder had an increased risk of other sleep and mental health disorders.

Results show that 31 percent of military participants had clinically significant nightmares, and trauma-related nightmares occurred in 60 percent of them. Participants who met criteria for nightmare disorder were five times more likely to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), four times more likely to have depression, three times more likely to have anxiety, and two times more likely to have insomnia. Despite their common presence, nightmares were reported as a sleep-related concern by only 3.9 percent of military personnel.

"This research provides a basis for furthering the study and knowledge of nightmares in survivors of traumatic experiences," said principal investigator Dr. Jennifer Creamer, medical director of the Sleep Medicine Center at Martin Army Medical Center in Fort Benning, Georgia. "Treatment of nightmares can lead to improvement in sleep, quality of life, and other disorders such as suicidality."

The study results are published in the March 15 issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

Nightmares are vivid, realistic and disturbing dreams typically involving threats to survival or security, which often evoke emotions of anxiety, fear or terror. A nightmare disorder may occur when repeated nightmares cause distress or impairment in social or occupational functioning.

According to the authors, this was the largest study to assess clinically significant nightmares in an active duty population referred for the evaluation of sleep disorders. The study involved 493 active duty U.S. military personnel. Participants had a mean age of 38 years, and 78.5 percent were men. Participants predominantly served in the Army (45.6 percent) and Air Force (45.2 percent); 9.2 percent served in the Navy/Marines. Approximately 74 percent of them had been deployed. Those with trauma-related nightmares were more likely to have traumatic brain injury, PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Nightmares beginning within three months of a trauma are present in up to 80 percent of patients with PTSD, and these post-traumatic nightmares may persist throughout life. Post-traumatic nightmares may take the form of a realistic reliving of a traumatic event or may depict only some of its elements or emotional content.

"Nightmare disorder is highly prevalent but under-recognized in military personnel with sleep disturbances," said Creamer.

A best practice guide from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine indicates that treatment options for nightmare disorder include medications, most prominently prazosin. Several behavioral therapies also can be effective, such as image rehearsal therapy and other nightmare-focused cognitive behavioral therapy variants.

"Military personnel and health care providers require education that nightmares are not normal and there are treatments available," added Creamer.

###

To request a copy of the study, "Nightmares in United States Military Personnel With Sleep Disturbances," or the commentary, "Doomed to Repeat History: The Burden of Trauma-Related Nightmares in Military Personnel," or to arrange an interview with the study author or an AASM spokesperson, please contact Communications Coordinator Corinne Lederhouse at 630-737-9700, ext. 9366, or clederhouse@aasm.org.

The monthly, peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is the official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a professional membership society that improves sleep health and promotes high quality, patient-centered care through advocacy, education, strategic research, and practice standards (https://aasm.org). The AASM encourages patients to talk to their doctor about sleep problems and visit http://sleepeducation.org/ for more information about sleep, including a searchable directory of AASM-accredited sleep centers.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- For all talkers, except perhaps the very best ventriloquists, the production of speech is accompanied by visible facial movements. Because speech is more than just sound, researchers set out to ascertain the exact visual information people seek when distinguishing vowel sounds.

"An important and highly debated issue in our field concerns what is it that we are attending to in speech -- what's the object of perception?" said lead author Matthew Masapollo, who conducted the research as a postdoctoral scholar at Brown University and is a now at Boston University. "Another question that's debated is whether speech processing is special and distinct from other kinds of auditory processing since it is not purely an acoustic signal."

Resolving these questions would improve the scientific understanding of how we perceive speech, Masapollo said. That, in turn, could apply to the design of more intelligible online avatars and physical robots, and could even improve computer recognition of human speech and enhance communication devices for the hearing impaired.

While scads of studies have investigated which audible features of speech are important, Masapollo said, far fewer have looked at which visual components are essential, despite evidence from phenomena as intuitive as lip reading that the sights of speech matter, too.

Through a series of experiments at Brown and McGill University in Montreal reported in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, Masapollo and colleagues found that when people perceive speech, they closely watch the form and motion of the lips. If either of those cues is missing, their ability to make subtle distinctions between vowel sounds suffers measurably.

"The findings demonstrate that adults are sensitive to the observable shape and movement patterns that occur when a person talks," said Masapollo, who did the work as a researcher in the lab of senior author James Morgan, a Brown professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences.

Exploiting differences in speech perception

Earlier this year, Masapollo set the table for the new study when he and co-authors Linda Polka and Lucie Menard showed in the journal Cognition that people exhibit the same "directional asymmetry" in visually perceiving vowels that they do when hearing vowels: They are better at distinguishing between two versions of the "oo" sound, as in the word "loose," if the less extremely articulated version occurs first and then the more extreme version second. If the order is switched, they are much less likely to discriminate them -- by sight or sound. While these directional effects may seem like a quirky instinct, they reflect a universal bias favoring vowels produced with extreme articulatory maneuvers. Current research is focused on uncovering what salient features or properties of extreme vowels give rise to these perceptual asymmetries.

It turns out that this asymmetry plays out between French and English, being manifest in the bilingual speech of many Canadians. When speaking French, their articulation of "oo" is produced with more visible lip protrusion and tongue positioning than when making the same vowel sound in English.

For the new study, Masapollo realized that this asymmetry in vowel production and perception provided a great opportunity to determine which visual features matter in distinguishing subtle speech differences. He devised and led five experiments to ferret out exactly what visual information was pertinent to this asymmetry.

In the first, with help from Brown graduate student and co-author Lauren Franklin, he employed eye-tracking technology to measure where Brown student volunteers looked when watching videos of a bilingual Canadian woman make "oo" sounds in both French and English. Definitively, people watched the mouth, far more, for instance than the eyes.

But what about the mouth mattered? To determine if motion, rather than simply a particular position, was important, the next experiment presented students with a still frame rather than video. In experiment two, volunteers at McGill tried to distinguish "oo" speech using just still images of the same speaker. Without the cue of motion, the results showed, the asymmetry of French-English or English-French ordering no longer occurred, suggesting that motion is a key component in this instinct of vowel perception.

In the next three experiments, the team continued to investigate which visual aspects of speech perception mattered among groups of Brown or McGill student volunteers. In experiment three, the subjects saw not a face, but an array of four dots in a diamond pattern that moved just like the speaker's lips did. When the speaker pursed her lips to make the "oo," the dots moved closer together, for example. Masapollo's hypothesis was that position and motion might matter together, even if the face isn't actually represented. In this experiment, people returned to showing the asymmetry suggesting that he was on the right track.

Experiment four was exactly the same but the dot pattern was rotated 45 degrees clockwise, showing more of a square than a diamond. Here the asymmetry didn't occur, suggesting that the orientation of the dots to represent a speech-making mouth matter. In experiment five, the motion was represented by a sideways figure eight that would move in a manner analogous to the speaker's lips. There, too, without even an essential form of a mouth, people didn't show their instinctual asymmetry of vowel perception. Mere motion, without the form and position of a mouth, was not enough.

"Overall, the picture that emerges is that perceptual asymmetries appear to be elicited by optical stimuli that depict both lip motion and configural information," the authors wrote.

To Masapollo, the results demonstrate that vision makes specific contributions to perceiving speech.

"The findings of the present research suggest that the information we are attending to in speech is multimodal, and perhaps gestural, in nature," Masapollo said. "Our perceptual system appears to treat auditory and visual speech information similarly."

###

In addition to Masapollo, Morgan and Franklin, the paper's other authors are Linda Polka, Lucie Menard and Mark Tiede.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (5-27025), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (105397, 312395) funded the study.
Ocean acidification will severely impair coral reef growth before the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked

Washington, DC-- Ocean acidification will severely impair coral reef growth before the end of the century if carbon dioxide emissions continue unchecked, according to new research on Australia's Great Barrier Reef led by Carnegie's Ken Caldeira and the California Academy of Sciences' Rebecca Albright.

Their work, published in Nature, represents the first ocean acidification experiment in which seawater was made artificially acidic by the addition of carbon dioxide and then allowed to flow across a natural coral reef community. The acidity of the seawater was increased to reflect end-of-century projections if carbon dioxide from greenhouse gas emissions are not abated.

Two years ago, Caldeira and Albright, then at Carnegie, published a landmark study providing evidence that ocean acidification is already slowing coral reef growth.

In that work, they made a coral reef community's seawater chemistry more alkaline--essentially giving the reef an antacid--and demonstrated that the coral's ability to construct its architecture was improved under these conditions. It was the first time that seawater chemistry was experimentally manipulated in a natural coral reef environment.

They once again altered seawater chemistry of reef flats surrounding One Tree Island off the coast of Australia. But this time they gave the reef heartburn, increasing acidity by adding carbon dioxide to seawater flowing over a coral reef community.

"Last time, we made the seawater less acidic, like it was 100 years ago, and this time, we added carbon dioxide to the water to make it more acidic, like it could be 100 years from now," Caldeira explained.

When coal, oil, or gas is burned, the resulting carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. It is well established that these emissions are the culprit of global climate change, the warming from which has a negative impact on coral reefs. But this atmospheric carbon is also absorbed into the ocean, where it remains for millennia.

A chemical reaction between the seawater and these soaked-up carbon emissions produces carbonic acid, which is corrosive to coral reefs, shellfish, and other marine life. Reefs are especially vulnerable to this ocean acidification, because their skeletons are constructed by accreting calcium carbonate, a process called calcification. As the surrounding water becomes more acidic, calcification becomes more difficult.

"Our findings provide strong evidence that ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide emissions will severely slow coral reef growth in the future unless we make steep and rapid reductions in greenhouse gas emissions," said first author Albright.

Furthermore, by working in controlled areas of a natural reef community, Caldeira, Albright, and their team were able to demonstrate how acidification affects coral reefs on the ecosystem scale, not just in terms of individual organisms or species, as other studies have done.

They say this approach is crucial to understanding the full scope and complexity of ocean acidification's impact, as well as to predicting how acidification will affect the coastal communities that depend on these ecosystems.

"Coral reefs offer economic opportunities to their surrounding communities from fishing and tourism," Caldeira said. "But for me the reef is a beautiful and diverse outpouring of life that we are harming with our carbon dioxide emissions. For the denizens of the reef, there's not a moment to lose in building an energy system that doesn't dump its waste into the sky or sea."

###

Other members of the research team were: Carnegie's Yui Takeshita, David Koweek, and Yana Nebuchina; Aaron Ninokawa and Jordan Young of University of California Davis; Kennedy Wolfe of the University of Sydney; and Tanya Rivlin of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu) is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science.
Nuclear fusion, the process that powers our sun, happens when nuclear reactions between light elements produce heavier ones. It's also happening - at a smaller scale - in a Colorado State University laboratory.

Using a compact but powerful laser to heat arrays of ordered nanowires, CSU scientists and collaborators have demonstrated micro-scale nuclear fusion in the lab. They have achieved record-setting efficiency for the generation of neutrons - chargeless sub-atomic particles resulting from the fusion process. Their work is detailed in a paper published in Nature Communications, and is led by Jorge Rocca, University Distinguished Professor in electrical and computer engineering and physics. The paper's first author is Alden Curtis, a CSU graduate student.

Laser-driven controlled fusion experiments are typically done at multi-hundred-million-dollar lasers housed in stadium-sized buildings. Such experiments are usually geared toward harnessing fusion for clean energy applications.

In contrast, Rocca's team of students, research scientists and collaborators, work with an ultra fast, high-powered tabletop laser they built from scratch. They use their fast, pulsed laser to irradiate a target of invisible wires and instantly create extremely hot, dense plasmas - with conditions approaching those inside the sun. These plasmas drive fusion reactions, giving off helium and flashes of energetic neutrons.

In their Nature Communications experiment, the team produced a record number of neutrons per unit of laser energy - about 500 times better than experiments that use conventional flat targets from the same material. Their laser's target was an array of nanowires made out of a material called deuterated polyethylene. The material is similar to the widely used polyethylene plastic, but its common hydrogen atoms are substituted by deuterium, a heavier kind of hydrogen atom.

The efforts were supported by intensive computer simulations conducted at the University of Dusseldorf (Germany), and at CSU.

Making fusion neutrons efficiently, at a small scale, could lead to advances in neutron-based imaging, and neutron probes to gain insight on the structure and properties of materials. The results also contribute to understanding interactions of ultra-intense laser light with matter.

###

The paper is titled "Micro-scale fusion in dense relativistic nanowire array plasmas." The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and by Mission Support Test Services, LLC.
Behavior changes in the Japanese population and an unfavorable pension system are creating a system that will disproportionately impoverish elderly Japanese women

Around one in four elderly Japanese women will live below the poverty level in the near future -- with the figure rising to 50% for never-married and divorced women. In contrast, only about 10% of Japanese men will become impoverished. This is the prediction of a new model of current Japanese pension system, published today in Frontiers in Physics, that investigates how and why elderly women in the country will enter poverty.

"The advent of a super-aged society is forecast for Japan in the near future, and impoverishment of people is our main concern," says Seiichi Inagaki, author of the study and a researcher at the International University of Health and Welfare in Japan.

"It is considered that many elderly women will face a poverty problem, however, there is no future estimate on poverty rates that shows how and why elderly women will enter poverty. This study provides the future estimates that answer these questions."

The current pension system in Japan was designed more than half a century ago for post-war families. In those times, women typically quit their jobs to have children and become housewives, and the pension system was relatively generous for women in these circumstances.

Since then, however, women have increasingly chosen not to marry, or else are divorced. Under the current pension system such women receive only a fraction of the pension calculated for married women -- and these payments will not be sufficient to keep these women above poverty levels.

Inagaki provides detailed predictions on these worrying trends using a dynamic microsimulation pension model called the Integrated Analytical Model for Household Simulation (INAHSIM). Such models are a commonly used tool to predict the future financial outcomes of pension systems for individual groups of people within a system, although the simulation is limited to public benefits and does not incorporate other financial assets.

"This study illustrates how the poverty rate will increase in the future," says Inagaki. "In the end, many never-married or divorced women will be living in poverty in their old age due to the unfavorable public pension system and their higher risk of living in a single-person household. This will raise the overall poverty rate."

These simulations indicate that roughly 50% of never-married or divorced women will become impoverished in the next 50 years, compared to only 10 to 20% of widows or married women. Overall, the study forecasts that nearly 25% of elderly Japanese women will be impoverished, in contrast with only about 10% of Japanese men.

"These results imply that the current social security system will not work well for these women," says Inagaki. "I hope that the government will consider reform of the social security system and take appropriate measures for these women."

###

The article is part of a special research collection on Coordination and Cooperation in Complex Adaptive Systems: Theory and Application
Voice pitch, the perceived "highness" or "lowness" of a voice, influences how people are judged on a variety of dimensions such as attractiveness, physical strength and social dominance. In fact, studies have shown that individuals with lower-pitched voices are more likely to win elected office because they are believed to be superior leaders with greater physical prowess and integrity.

But is voice pitch a reliable signal of leadership quality? And is the bias in favor of selecting leaders with lower voices good or bad for democracy?

Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami are the first to address these questions in a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

To determine if there is a correlation between voice pitch and leadership ability, Rindy Anderson, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in FAU's Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, and Casey Klofstad, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Miami, conducted an observational study and an experimental study.

The observational study correlated a measure of the voice pitch of members of the United States Congress with a measure of their leadership ability to test whether members with lower-pitched voices are more effective leaders. The researchers predicted that if voice pitch contains information about leadership ability, then individuals with lower-pitched voices would show evidence of being more effective elected officials. The data they used to test this prediction was based on a power ranking of the members of the 109th U.S. Congress created by Knowlegis.

The experimental study required participants to respond to persuasive political policy statements such as "You should support stronger gun control laws," "You should support deportation of illegal immigrants," or "You should support same-sex marriage," delivered with different pitched voices. The researchers wanted to test the prediction that if individuals with lower-pitched voices are better leaders, then they also should be more persuasive when making policy appeals.

Results from the study reveal that while voters prefer to vote for candidates with lower sounding voices, elected officials with lower voices are not necessarily better leaders. Members of Congress with lower voices are not more effective legislators, and speakers with lower voices are not more persuasive when making statements about governmental policies.

Prior research by Anderson and Klofstad showed that voters in the U.S. generally prefer to vote for candidates with lower voices. Their results were based on both laboratory experiments and from studies of real elections, and are consistent regardless of whether the voter and/or candidate is male or female.

These previous results led them to question whether voters are making good choices based on the sound of candidates' voices. Through the observational and experimental studies, Anderson and Klofstad found no relationship between a candidate's voice pitch (highness or lowness of the voice) and his or her leadership ability.

Overall, these findings address the important question of whether voters' bias in favor of selecting leaders with lower voices is beneficial or harmful to democracy. The results found by Anderson and Klofstad suggest that this perceptual bias is neither: voters influenced by the tone of a candidate's voice are not selecting stronger or more effective leaders, but neither are they selecting "worse" leaders.

Study participants included a total of 344 men (ages 39 to 75 years) and 433 women (ages 19 to 76 years) from the 2016 Cooperative Congressional Election Study post-election survey, conducted online by YouGov between Nov. 9 and Dec. 14, 2016. There were 287 Democrats, 198 Republicans and 219 Independents.

###

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU's world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU's existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit http://www.fau.edu.
A new class of experimental drugs reduces hot flushes in menopausal women by almost three-quarters in just three days.

The treatment, tested by scientists at Imperial College London, also reduces the severity of hot flushes by over a third within three days of taking it.

The research, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is a new in-depth analysis of data collected from a clinical trial initially published last year.

The new analysis, published in the journal Menopause, also revealed sleep and concentration significantly improved in the three-day window.

The original drug trial, which was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, involved 37 menopausal women aged between 40 and 62 years old - and who experienced seven or more hot flushes a day.

Participants were randomly chosen to first receive either an 80mg daily dose of the drug, called MLE4901, or a placebo over the course of a four-week period. They then switched to receive the other tablet for an additional four weeks. This ensured the women acted as their own controls during the study, and the effects of the drug were clear.

The researchers found that the compound MLE4901 significantly reduced the average total number of flushes during the four-week treatment period, as well as their severity, compared to when the patients received the placebo for four weeks.

The new analysis shows the compound has a significant effect within just three days explains Professor Waljit Dhillo, an NIHR Research Professor from the Department of Medicine at Imperial: "We already knew this compound could be a game-changer for menopausal women, and get rid of three-quarters of their hot flushes in four weeks. But this new analysis confirms the beneficial effect is obtained very quickly - within just three days."

Professor Dhillo explains this specific compound will not be taken further in trials, due to side effects that may affect liver function. However, two very similar drugs, which also block NKB but do not appear to carry these side effects have entered larger patient trials, with one such trial launched in the US last year.

The menopause occurs when oestrogen levels fall, typically around 45 to 55 years of age, which leads to periods stopping, the inability to have children naturally, and a number of physical changes, including menopausal flushing and/or sweating.

For many women, these hot flushes may be little more than an uncomfortable inconvenience. But for some, frequent severe episodes can lead to clothes and bed sheets drenched in sweat, as well as relentless waking from sleep which impacts their working, social and home lives.

The new experimental compounds are thought to work by blocking the action of a brain chemical called neurokinin B (NKB). Previous animal and human trials have shown increased levels of NKB may trigger hot flushes. The drug compound is thought to prevent NKB activating temperature control areas within the brain - which appears to halt hot flushes.

The new data also revealed that the drug was as effective at improving daytime flush symptoms as it was at improving night time symptoms. Furthermore, the women reported a 82 percent decrease in the amount their hot flushes interrupted their sleep, and a 77 percent reduction in interruption to their concentration.

However, the team says further research is needed to reveal whether improvements in sleep and concentration were simply due to less disruption from hot flushes, or if the compound also affected sleep and concentration pathways in the brain.

Dr Julia Prague, first author of the study, explained: "As NKB has many targets of action within the brain the potential for this drug class to really improve many of the symptoms of the menopause, such as hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, weight gain, and poor concentration, is huge. To see the lives of our participants change so dramatically and so quickly was so exciting, and suggests great promise for the future of this new type of treatment."

The hope is these types of compounds may provide women with an alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy, the current treatment for symptoms of the menopause. This therapy, which contains oestrogen, may increase the relative risk of breast cancer and can increase the risk of blood clots. This means that many women cannot take HRT to relieve their menopausal symptoms.

Professor Dhillo added: "This class of new drugs may provide women with a much-needed alternative to HRT. "

He added that the discovery of this class of compound, which was previously developed as a drug for schizophrenia, highlights the importance of collaboration and investment in British research.

Professor Dhillo said: "Thanks to Government funding from the MRC and NIHR, and collaboration with pharmaceutical companies, we were able to identify this new therapeutic use for the compound - which had previously been sitting on the shelf unused - and within three years show this type of drug may make a tangible difference to the lives of millions of women."

###

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The study was supported by the NIHR/Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility.
Scientists of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have succeeded in monitoring the growth of minute gallium arsenide wires. Their findings do not only provide for a better understanding of growth, they also enable approaches to customizing nanowires with special properties for certain applications in the future. Gallium arsenide is a semiconductor material widely used in infrared remote controls, high-frequency technology for mobile phones, conversion of electric signals into light in glass-fiber cables, and solar cells for space technology. The results were presented in the journal Nano Letters by the team of Philipp Schroth of KIT and the University of Siegen.

For wire production, the scientists used the self-catalyzed vapor-liquid-solid process (VLS process). Minute liquid gallium droplets are deposited on a hot silicon crystal of around 600C in temperature. Then, this wafer is subjected to directed beams of gallium atoms and arsenic molecules that dissolve in the gallium droplets. After some time, nanowires start to grow below the droplets that act as catalysts for the longitudinal growth of the wires. "This process is quite well established, but it has been impossible so far to specifically control it. To achieve this, the details of growth have to be understood first," co-author Ludwig Feigl of KIT says.

For the studies, the team used a portable chamber specifically designed by KIT's Institute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation (IPS) with funds of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The researchers installed the chamber in the research light source PETRA III of the German Electron Synchrotron (DESY) and took X-ray pictures every minute to determine the structure and diameter of the growing nanowires. Finally, they measured the fully grown nanowires with an electron microscope. "We found that growth of nanowires is not only caused by the VLS process, but also by a second component that was observed and quantified directly for the first time in this experiment. This so-called side-wall growth makes the wires gain width," says Philipp Schroth. In the course of the growth process, the gallium droplets become larger due to constant gallium vapor deposition. This has a far-reaching impact. "As the droplet size changes, the contact angle between the droplet and the surface of the wires changes as well. In certain cases, this causes the wire to suddenly continue growing with another crystal structure," Feigl says. This change is of relevance to applications, as the structure and shape of the nanowires considerably affect the properties of the resulting material.

###

Original Publication in Nano Letters:

Radial Growth of Self-Catalyzed GaAs Nanowires and the Evolution of the Liquid Ga-Droplet Studied by Time-Resolved in situ X?ray Diffraction; Philipp Schroth, Julian Jakob, Ludwig Feigl, Seyed Mohammad Mostafavi Kashani, Jonas Vogel, Jo?rg Strempfer, Thomas F. Keller, Ullrich Pietsch, and Tilo Baumbach; Nano Letters, 2018; DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03486

Additional material:

Publication in Nano Letters: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b03486

Press contact:

Regina Link

Editor

+49 721 608-21158

regina.link@kit.edu

Being "The Research University in the Helmholtz Association," KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility and information. For this, about 9,300 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 26,000 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life.

Since 2010, the KIT has been certified as a family-friendly university.

This press release is available on the internet at http://www.sek.kit.edu/english/press_office.php.
Kyoto, Japan -- As AI's role in society continues to expand, J B Brown of the Graduate School of Medicine reports on a new evaluation method for the type of AI that predicts yes/positive/true or no/negative/false answers.

Brown's paper, published in Molecular Informatics, deconstructs the utilization of AI and analyzes the nature of the statistics used to report an AI program's ability. The new technique also generates a probability of the performance level given evaluation data, answering questions such as: What is the probability of achieving accuracy greater than 90%?

Reports of new AI applications appear in the news almost daily, including in society and science, finance, pharmaceuticals, medicine, and security.

"While reported statistics seem impressive, research teams and those evaluating the results come across two problems," explains Brown. "First, to understand if the AI achieved its results by chance, and second, to interpret applicability from the reported performance statistics."

For example, if an AI program is built to predict whether or not someone will win the lottery, it may always predict a loss. The program may achieve '99% accuracy', but interpretation is key to determine the accuracy of the conclusion that the program is accurate.

But herein lies the problem: in typical AI development, the evaluation can only be trusted if there is an equal number of positive and negative results. If the data is biased toward either value, the current system of evaluation will exaggerate the system's ability.

So to tackle this problem, Brown developed a new technique that evaluates performance based on only the input data itself.

"The novelty of this technique is that it doesn't depend on any one type of AI technology, such as deep learning," Brown describes. "It can help develop new evaluation metrics by looking at how a metric interplays with the balance in predicted data. We can then tell if the resulting metrics could be biased."

Brown hopes this analysis will not only raise awareness of how we think about AI in the future, but also that it contributes to the development of more robust AI platforms.

In addition to the accuracy metric, Brown tested six other metrics in both theoretical and applied scenarios, finding that no single metric was universally superior. He says the key to building useful AI platforms is to take a multi-metric view of evaluation.

"AI can assist us in understanding many phenomena in the world, but for it to properly provide us direction, we must know how to ask the right questions. We must be careful not to overly focus on a single number as a measure of an AI's reliability."

Brown's program is freely available to the general public, researchers, and developers.

###

The paper "Classifiers and their metrics quantified" appeared 23 January 2018 in the journal Molecular Informatics, with doi: 10.1002/minf.201700127

About Kyoto University

Kyoto University is one of Japan and Asia's premier research institutions, founded in 1897 and responsible for producing numerous Nobel laureates and winners of other prestigious international prizes. A broad curriculum across the arts and sciences at both undergraduate and graduate levels is complemented by numerous research centers, as well as facilities and offices around Japan and the world. For more information please see: http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en
Obesity - which is already known to reduce survival in several types of cancer - may explain the ineffectiveness of angiogenesis inhibitors in the treatment of breast cancer. A research team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describes finding, for the first time, that obesity and obesity-related molecular factors appear to induce resistance to antiangiogenic therapy in breast cancer patients and in two mouse models of the disease. Their report in Science Translational Medicine also details specific obesity-related factors underlying that resistance and outlines potential therapeutic strategies that may overcome it.

"Collectively, our clinical and preclinical results indicate that obesity fuels resistance to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy in breast cancer via production of several inflammatory and pro-angiogenic factors, depending on the subtype of cancer," says Joao Incio, MD, PhD, of the Edwin L. Steele Laboratories for Tumor Biology in the MGH Department of Radiation Oncology, lead author of the report. "Targeting these resistance factors may rejuvenate the use of antiangiogenic therapy in breast cancer treatment."

While promising early studies led to accelerated FDA approval of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug bevacizumab for treatment of metastatic breast cancer, a lack of long-term survival benefit in several subsequent studies led to the withdrawal of approval. Several studies have associated obesity with reduced survival in colon cancer, particularly in patients receiving antiangiogenic therapy, but its role in other cancers has been uncertain.

Nearly 70 percent of breast cancer patients are overweight or obese upon diagnosis, and breast tumors are known to contain a significant proportion of adipose (fatty) tissue. Obesity is also associated with increased levels of inflammatory and angiogenic factors in addition to VEGF, which can contribute to anti-VEGF resistance. The current study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that obesity promotes resistance to anti-VEGF therapy for breast cancer through increased production of those factors.

The research team first analyzed data from a clinical trial of 99 breast cancer patients treated with bevacizumab, first alone and then with chemotherapy, which showed that the anti-VEGF treatment only benefited a small fraction of patients. The investigators found that participants with body mass index (BMI) measurements of 25 or more - classifying them as overweight or obese - had tumors that averaged 33 percent larger upon diagnosis than did patients with BMIs less than 25. Furthermore, samples of tumors from patients with higher levels of body fat had a reduced vascular supply, which can interfere with the response to chemotherapy. Circulating levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory molecule, and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2), a pro-angiogenic molecule, were elevated in patients with higher BMIs, and these factors were expressed in adipocytes (fat cells) and in other nearby cells within tumors.

Several experiments in two mouse models of breast cancer - one of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive cancer and one of triple-negative cancer - supported the implications of those clinical research findings.

The microenvironment of tumors from obese mice, which featured many adipocytes and reduced oxygen levels, was associated with reduced response to an anti-VEGF drug.

In the ER-positive model, adipocytes and certain immune cells within the tumors of obese animals overexpressed several inflammatory and angiogenic molecules, including IL-6. Blocking IL-6 in those mice increased the response to anti-VEGF therapy to that seen in lean animals.

In the triple-negative model, obese animals had increased levels of FGF-2 but not IL-6, and inhibition of FGF-2 increased treatment response to levels seen in lean animals.

In both models, blockade of either molecule did not improve treatment response in lean animals.

"This is the first study to propose that markers such as body mass index could help personalize anti-VEGF therapy, with blockade of molecules like IL-6 or FGF-2 for overweight or obese cancer patients," says Incio. "Identifying and validating predictive biomarkers of treatment response and gaining the ability to classify patients regarding which of the more than a dozen currently available antiangiogenic therapies would be most beneficial remain major priorities in oncology." He also notes that their results regarding the effects of IL-6 and FGF-2 blockade on obesity-related anti-VEGF resistance could be clinically tested soon, since several inhibitors of those pathways are available. One of the drugs they used to inhibit FGF-2 was metformin, a widely used type 2 diabetes drug that can also suppress the growth of certain cancers.

Co-senior author Dai Fukumura, MD, PhD, deputy director of the Steele Labs, says, "Although the role of systemic adipokines - signaling molecules derived from adipose tissues - has been studied in multiple obesity-associated diseases, studies dissecting their role in cancer have been limited. Our studies are the first to demonstrate the role of the adipokines IL-6 and FGF-2 in both breast cancer patients and clinically relevant animal models and that these adipokines are derived from adipocytes within tumors. There are many different adipokines, and we found that different factors mediate anti-VEGF resistance in different subsets of breast cancers. Investigations of the crosstalk between cancer-associated adipocytes and the tumor microenvironment are needed to develop novel strategies to overcome obesity-induced aggravation of breast cancer."

###

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, director of the Steele Labs in the MGH Department of Radiation Oncology, is co-senior author of the Science Translational Medicine report. Jain is the Cook Professor of Radiation Oncology (Tumor Biology), and Fukumura is an associate professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School. Support for the study includes Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Innovator Award W81XWH-10-1-0016; National Cancer Institute grants R01-CA126642, R35CA197743, P01-CA080124, R01-CA208205, R01-CA096915 and S10-RR027070; and grants from the Harvard Ludwig Cancer Center and the National Foundation for Cancer Research.

Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with an annual research budget of more than $900 million and major research centers in HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, genomic medicine, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, reproductive biology, systems biology, photomedicine and transplantation biology. The MGH topped the 2015 Nature Index list of health care organizations publishing in leading scientific journals and earned the prestigious 2015 Foster G. McGaw Prize for Excellence in Community Service. In August 2017 the MGH was once again named to the Honor Roll in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
A new study has re-discovered fossil collections from a 19th century hermit that validate 'phantom' fossil footprints collected in the 1950s showing dicynodonts coexisting with dinosaurs.

A video about this new research can be found here: https://youtu.be/BrdwIQKPCHY

Before the dinosaurs, around 260 million years ago, a group of early mammal relatives called dicynodonts were the most abundant vertebrate land animals. These bizarre plant-eaters with tusks and turtle-like beaks were thought to have gone extinct by the Late Triassic Period, 210 million years ago, when dinosaurs first started to proliferate. However, in the 1950s, suspiciously dicynodont-like footprints were found alongside dinosaur prints in southern Africa, suggesting the presence of a late-surviving phantom dicynodont unknown in the skeletal record. These "phantom" prints were so out-of-place that they were disregarded as evidence for dicynodont survival by paleontologists. A new study has re-discovered fossil collections from a 19th century hermit that validate these "phantom" prints and show that dicynodonts coexisted with early plant-eating dinosaurs. While this research enhances our knowledge of ancient ecosystems, it also emphasizes the often-overlooked importance of trace fossils, like footprints, and the work of amateur scientists.

"Although we tend to think of paleontological discoveries coming from new field work, many of our most important conclusions come from specimens already in museums," says Dr. Christian Kammerer, Research Curator of Paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and author of the new study.

The re-discovered fossils that solved this mystery were originally collected in South Africa in the 1870s by Alfred "Gogga" Brown. Brown was an amateur paleontologist and hermit who spent years trying, with little success, to interest European researchers in his discoveries. Brown had shipped these specimens to the Natural History Museum in Vienna in 1876, where they were deposited in the museum's collection but never described.

"I knew the Brown collections in Vienna were largely unstudied, but there was general agreement that his Late Triassic collections were made up only of dinosaur fossils. To my great surprise, I immediately noticed clear dicynodont jaw and arm bones among these supposed 'dinosaur' fossils," says Kammerer. "As I went through this collection I found more and more bones matching a dicynodont instead of a dinosaur, representing parts of the skull, limbs, and spinal column." This was exciting--despite over a century of extensive collection, no skeletal evidence of a dicynodont had ever been recognized in the Late Triassic of South Africa.

Before this point, the only evidence of dicynodonts in the southern African Late Triassic was from questionable footprints: a short-toed, five-fingered track named Pentasauropus incredibilis (meaning the "incredible five-toed lizard foot"). In recognition of the importance of these tracks for suggesting the existence of Late Triassic dicynodonts and the contributions of "Gogga" Brown in collecting the actual fossil bones, the re-discovered and newly described dicynodont has been named Pentasaurus goggai ("Gogga's five-[toed] lizard").

"The case of Pentasaurus illustrates the importance of various underappreciated sources of data in understanding prehistory," says Kammerer. "You have the contributions of amateur researchers like 'Gogga' Brown, who was largely ignored in his 19th century heyday, the evidence from footprints, which some paleontologists disbelieved because they conflicted with the skeletal evidence, and of course the importance of well-curated museum collections that provide scientists today an opportunity to study specimens collected 140 years ago."

###

The paper, "The first skeletal evidence of a dicynodont from the lower Elliot Formation of South Africa," is published in the journal Palaeontologia africana.

This research was funded by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (KA 4133/1-1).

Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.

"The first skeletal evidence of a dicynodont from the lower Elliot Formation of South Africa"

Authors: Christian F. Kammerer, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences

Published: 3-14-2018, Palaeontologia Africana

Abstract: Historical fossil specimens from the lower Elliot Formation are identified as representing a large-bodied dicynodont, the first known from skeletal material in the Late Triassic of South Africa. Although fragmentary, these fossils differ from all other known Triassic dicynodonts and are here described as a new taxon, Pentasaurus goggai gen. et sp. nov. Pentasaurus can be distinguished from other Triassic dicynodonts by a number of mandibular characters, most importantly the well-developed, unusually anteriorly-positioned lateral dentary shelf. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that Pentasaurus is a placeriine stahleckeriid. Placeriines include the latest surviving dicynodonts but their remains are primarily known from the Northern Hemisphere, with their only previously-known Southern Hemisphere representative being the Middle Triassic Zambian taxon Zambiasaurus. The discovery of a placeriine in the Late Triassic of SouthAfrica supports recent proposals that local climatic conditions, not broad-scale biogeographic patterns, best explain the observed distribution of Triassic tetrapods. The tetrapod fauna of the lower Elliot Formation is highly unusual among Triassic assemblages in combining 'relictual' taxa like dicynodonts and gomphodont cynodonts with abundant, diverse sauropodomorph dinosaurs.
Citizen scientists, satellites and researchers solve the mystery of new purple lights in the sky. The lights, called STEVE, provide scientists insight into Earth's magnetic field.

Notanee Bourassa knew that what he was seeing in the night sky was not normal. Bourassa, an IT technician in Regina, Canada, trekked outside of his home on July 25, 2016, around midnight with his two younger children to show them a beautiful moving light display in the sky -- an aurora borealis. He often sky gazes until the early hours of the morning to photograph the aurora with his Nikon camera, but this was his first expedition with his children. When a thin purple ribbon of light appeared and starting glowing, Bourassa immediately snapped pictures until the light particles disappeared 20 minutes later. Having watched the northern lights for almost 30 years since he was a teenager, he knew this wasn't an aurora. It was something else.

From 2015 to 2016, citizen scientists -- people like Bourassa who are excited about a science field but don't necessarily have a formal educational background -- shared 30 reports of these mysterious lights in online forums and with a team of scientists that run a project called Aurorasaurus. The citizen science project, funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, tracks the aurora borealis through user-submitted reports and tweets.

The Aurorasaurus team, led by Liz MacDonald, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, conferred to determine the identity of this mysterious phenomenon. MacDonald and her colleague Eric Donovan at the University of Calgary in Canada talked with the main contributors of these images, amateur photographers in a Facebook group called Alberta Aurora Chasers, which included Bourassa and lead administrator Chris Ratzlaff. Ratzlaff gave the phenomenon a fun, new name, Steve, and it stuck.

But people still didn't know what it was.

Scientists' understanding of Steve changed that night Bourassa snapped his pictures. Bourassa wasn't the only one observing Steve. Ground-based cameras called all-sky cameras, run by the University of Calgary and University of California, Berkeley, took pictures of large areas of the sky and captured Steve and the auroral display far to the north. From space, ESA's (the European Space Agency) Swarm satellite just happened to be passing over the exact area at the same time and documented Steve.

For the first time, scientists had ground and satellite views of Steve. Scientists have now learned, despite its ordinary name, that Steve may be an extraordinary puzzle piece in painting a better picture of how Earth's magnetic fields function and interact with charged particles in space. The findings are published in a study released today in Science Advances.

"This is a light display that we can observe over thousands of kilometers from the ground," said MacDonald. "It corresponds to something happening way out in space. Gathering more data points on STEVE will help us understand more about its behavior and its influence on space weather."

The study highlights one key quality of Steve: Steve is not a normal aurora. Auroras occur globally in an oval shape, last hours and appear primarily in greens, blues and reds. Citizen science reports showed Steve is purple with a green picket fence structure that waves. It is a line with a beginning and end. People have observed Steve for 20 minutes to 1 hour before it disappears.

If anything, auroras and Steve are different flavors of an ice cream, said MacDonald. They are both created in generally the same way: Charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth's magnetic field lines.

The uniqueness of Steve is in the details. While Steve goes through the same large-scale creation process as an aurora, it travels along different magnetic field lines than the aurora. All-sky cameras showed that Steve appears at much lower latitudes. That means the charged particles that create Steve connect to magnetic field lines that are closer to Earth's equator, hence why Steve is often seen in southern Canada.

Perhaps the biggest surprise about Steve appeared in the satellite data. The data showed that Steve comprises a fast moving stream of extremely hot particles called a sub auroral ion drift, or SAID. Scientists have studied SAIDs since the 1970s but never knew there was an accompanying visual effect. The Swarm satellite recorded information on the charged particles' speeds and temperatures, but does not have an imager aboard.

"People have studied a lot of SAIDs, but we never knew it had a visible light. Now our cameras are sensitive enough to pick it up and people's eyes and intellect were critical in noticing its importance," said Donovan, a co-author of the study. Donovan led the all-sky camera network and his Calgary colleagues lead the electric field instruments on the Swarm satellite.

Steve is an important discovery because of its location in the sub auroral zone, an area of lower latitude than where most auroras appear that is not well researched. For one, with this discovery, scientists now know there are unknown chemical processes taking place in the sub auroral zone that can lead to this light emission.

Second, Steve consistently appears in the presence of auroras, which usually occur at a higher latitude area called the auroral zone. That means there is something happening in near-Earth space that leads to both an aurora and Steve. Steve might be the only visual clue that exists to show a chemical or physical connection between the higher latitude auroral zone and lower latitude sub auroral zone, said MacDonald.

"Steve can help us understand how the chemical and physical processes in Earth's upper atmosphere can sometimes have local noticeable effects in lower parts of Earth's atmosphere," said MacDonald. "This provides good insight on how Earth's system works as a whole."

The team can learn a lot about Steve with additional ground and satellite reports, but recording Steve from the ground and space simultaneously is a rare occurrence. Each Swarm satellite orbits Earth every 90 minutes and Steve only lasts up to an hour in a specific area. If the satellite misses Steve as it circles Earth, Steve will probably be gone by the time that same satellite crosses the spot again.

In the end, capturing Steve becomes a game of perseverance and probability.

"It is my hope that with our timely reporting of sightings, researchers can study the data so we can together unravel the mystery of Steve's origin, creation, physics and sporadic nature," said Bourassa. "This is exciting because the more I learn about it, the more questions I have."

As for the name "Steve" given by the citizen scientists? The team is keeping it as an homage to its initial name and discoverers. But now it is STEVE, short for Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement.

###

Other collaborators on this work are: the University of Calgary, New Mexico Consortium, Boston University, Lancaster University, Athabasca University, Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Alberta Aurora Chasers Facebook group.

If you live in an area where you may see STEVE or an aurora, submit your pictures and reports to Aurorasaurus through aurorasaurus.org or the free iOS and Android mobile apps. To learn how to spot STEVE:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/nasa-needs-your-help-to-find-steve-and-heres-how
PORTLAND, Oregon - Cancer is typically thought of as a tumor that needs to be removed or an area that needs to be treated with radiation or chemotherapy. As a physicist and cancer researcher, Joe Gray, Ph.D., thinks differently.

"Cancer is complex mixture of cancer cells, normal blood cells, tissue and immune cells. Tumor cells themselves alter the microenvironment to secrete things that help tumors grow," he said.

Gray and Jim Korkola, Ph.D., led a team of OHSU researchers to publish a paper in Cell Systems focused on the area around a tumor, called the microenvironment.

"We were interested in exploring a large number of signals from the different cells and components of cancer to understand what they do with therapeutic response," said Gray, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute associate director for biophysical oncology and professor of biomedical engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine.

The HER2 positive microenvironment

The researchers focused on a type of breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2, or HER2, which promotes cancer cell growth. This overexpression of HER2 occurs in roughly 25 percent of all breast cancer cases.

Korkola, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the OHSU School of Medicine and co-principal investigator, says this is the first comprehensive study of the microenvironment and its influence on HER2 positive cells. He says studying the area surrounding a tumor is important for a number of reasons: "One of those reasons is that there can be a disconnect between how cells behave in simple cell line models and how they behave in patients."

To better understand the cell behavior and response, Korkola and team printed samples, or arrays, of different proteins to produce microenvironment microarrays (MEMA). The researchers used robotic devices to print thousands of microenvironment conditions on a single microscope slide. Printing at that large scale gave them the ability to observe different interactions within the microenvironment and how the cells behave when faced with two different HER2 positive-targeted drug treatments used in patients today: lapatinib and neratinib.

Study results

Using cell lines derived from human tumors, the study team tested around 2,500 combinations of micro-environmental proteins to determine how they would alter the cellular response to the two different HER2-targeted drugs. They studied these effects in two different molecular subtypes of HER2 positive breast cancer cells, known as HER2E and L-HER2 positive disease.

The work showed that the tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in altering therapeutic response in HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines, which they were able to further confirm in a mouse model. The results suggest fundamental differences exist in the two breast cancer subtypes, which supports the emerging notion that L-HER2+ and HER2E represent distinct diseases.

In the research paper, Korkola, Gray and team suggest future clinical studies to test the possibility that targeting resistance factors from the microenvironment in both subtypes will improve clinical outcome in patients being treated with HER2-targeted drugs. In fact, the research team is pursuing funding options that would allow preliminary testing in patients, as part of a partnership with breast cancer expert Zahi Mitri, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine (general internal medicine) in the OHSU School of Medicine, and a biotechnology company.

"This type of research is an important part of a precision oncology effort underway at the Knight Cancer Institute," Gray said. "Our goal is to develop therapeutic strategies that are more durable -- and tolerable -- for patients."

Bringing together the right team

Gray says the impetus for this research project -- including the new use of MEMA -- dates back to 2012. "If you're going to bring on a new way of measuring things, you have to make the platform work, develop the analytical tools to interpret the data and do the experiment," he said. "There is a significant gestation time to build and test a useful platform."

And in order to effectively build a new testing platform, it takes a multidisciplinary team.

"It's not possible for a single small lab to pull off an experiment of this complexity. We brought together biologists, people who run the robotics, imaging experts and computational biology experts," Korkola said. "In fact, these experiments formed the bulk of the Ph.D. thesis of Spencer Watson, the lead author. He did a superb job and is now pursuing his post-doc in Switzerland. Without the team effort, we never would have been able to make the discoveries we report in the paper."

Gray also emphasizes the important role the Susan G. Komen Foundation played in this research. "They were one of the real drivers of the project, along with the NIH," he said. "They played an integral role in helping us to develop this new line of research." He added the data and tools used in this study are publicly available on a website hosted by the National Institutes of Health LINCS consortium.

###
This year's recipient of the Arnold Berliner Award is Jan Werner of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, who will be honored for his Concept & Synthesis article published in Springer's multidisciplinary journal, The Science of Nature. In his article, Werner and his co-author Eva Maria Griebeler examine the origins of endothermy - the way that vertebrate animals maintain a constant body temperature independent of their environment. The findings from this article will stimulate new evolutionary, developmental and physiological research into this fascinating topic.

How endothermy evolved in the amniotes - a group of vertebrate organisms comprising reptiles, birds, and mammals - still remains an unresolved scientific problem. Werner's article describes a model which links changes in the development trajectory of birds and mammals with many characteristics found in endothermic birds and mammals today. The model also indicates that an early stop in growth during the biological development (ontogeny) of an amniote may have been instrumental in the development of endothermy.

Sven Thatje, who is editor-in-chief of The Science of Nature said: "Dr Jan Werner's article is significant, as it presents a perspective for the evolution of endothermy by modelling outcomes that are also consistent with many characteristics found in today's endothermic birds and mammals."

Jan Werner completed his undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Mainz, where he also went on to study for a PhD focusing on reproduction in dinosaurs, specifically gigantism of sauropods. His most recent postdoctoral research has been centered on the evolution of endothermy, body size and its effects on the life history of vertebrates.

"When I heard that I had won the Arnold Berliner Award I was surprised and honored. Postdoctoral researchers do not often receive such appreciation for their work, so this is certainly a motivation to continue my research," said Werner.

The Arnold Berliner Award was established in 2013 in recognition of the journal's founding editor. The award is given to the principal author of an outstanding scholarly work published in The Science of Nature in the previous calendar year. Criteria for the Arnold Berliner Award are excellence in science, originality and, in particular, interdisciplinarity, which mirrors Berliner's motivation for founding the journal in 1913. Berliner was editor-in-chief of the journal for an exceptionally long period of 22 years. His activities were influential and at the heart of academic life and society of his time.

Peer-reviewed and published in English, The Science of Nature is dedicated to the fast publication and global dissemination of high-quality research of interest to the broader community in the biological sciences. Papers from the chemical, geological, and physical sciences that contribute to questions of general biological significance can be considered for publication in the journal. The overall aim of The Science of Nature is to promote excellence in research and the exchange of ideas in the biological sciences and beyond.

###

Reference: Werner, J. & Griebeler, E.M. Was endothermy in amniotes induced by an early stop in growth during ontogeny? Sci Nat (2017)104:90 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1513-1
Darryl Nowak of New Jersey has been a marine construction consultant for over 33 years.

On Tuesday, Nowak licensed from the U.S. Navy a new tool for measuring the fatigue of metal structures.

Invented by the Naval Air Warfare Center's Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) at Patuxent River, Maryland, the patented technology will allow his customers to gauge the growth of invisible micro-cracks, which slowly grow to cripple metal structures.

"Cracks are only detectable by non-destructive inspections after they've reached a certain size," Nowak said. "This technology is going to help clients make better decisions, engineering and financial, before steel components are installed underwater where they're harder to access."

The new tool was designed to test the wing structures of Navy fighter jets, but its not the only novelty. The patent license agreement itself had two notable features.

First, it was the first-ever express license signed by the Navy.

In February, NAWCAD partnered with TechLink to begin listing some of its available technologies with predetermined legal and financial terms. Combined with an easy-to-use online application, the express licensing process eliminates negotiations that often hinder technology transfer.

Second, the patent license agreement took just 13 working days to close, from Nowaks submission to signing by the commander of NAWCAD.

That's a record for Department of Defense technology transfer, according to TechLink, the DoD's national partnership intermediary, which facilitates about 60 percent of all DoD licenses.

Nowak's non-exclusive license for the Navy lab's structural fatigue technology cost him $2,000 to execute and comes with a two percent annual royalty and a minimal annual royalty of $1,000, paid to the Navy.

"Typically, we see patent license agreements take around six months," said Dan Swanson, a senior technology manager at TechLink. "Sometimes it can be up to a year. Express licensing allows for transactions to complete in weeks rather than months."

NAWCAD is one of the most successful DoD labs in terms of patent licensing. Two of its employees recently earned recognition as technology transfer professionals of the year.

"We're thrilled to be reaching small businesses with express licensing," said Mike Schroeder, director of NAWCAD's technology transfer office. "This is another great example of how Navy science and technology can benefit the fleet and the U.S. economy."

###
UCLA scientists have developed a new method that utilizes microscopic splinter-like structures called "nanospears" for the targeted delivery of biomolecules such as genes straight to patient cells. These magnetically guided nanostructures could enable gene therapies that are safer, faster and more cost-effective.

The research was published in the journal ACS Nano by senior author Paul Weiss, UC Presidential Chair and distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, materials science and engineering, and member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA.

Gene therapy, the process of adding or replacing missing or defective genes in patient cells, has shown great promise as a treatment for a host of diseases, including hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, immune deficiencies and certain types of cancer.

Current gene therapy approaches rely on modified viruses, external electrical fields or harsh chemicals to penetrate cell membranes and deliver genes straight to patient cells. Each of these methods has its own shortcomings; they can be costly, inefficient or cause undesirable stress and toxicity to cells.

To overcome these barriers, Weiss and Dr. Steven Jonas, a clinical fellow in the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center Training Program, led a research team that designed nanospears composed of silicon, nickel and gold. These nanospears are biodegradable, can be mass-produced inexpensively and efficiently, and, because of their infinitesimal size -- their tips are about 5,000 times smaller than the diameter of a strand of human hair -- they can deliver genetic information with minimal impact on cell viability and metabolism.

Jonas compared the cutting-edge biomolecule delivery method to real-world delivery methods appearing on the horizon.

"Just as we hear about Amazon wanting to deliver packages straight to your house with drones, we're working on a nanoscale equivalent of that to deliver important health care packages straight to your cells," explained Jonas, who is training in the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. In the near future, Jonas hopes to apply nanotechnologies to deploy cell and gene therapies quickly and widely to the pediatric cancer patients he treats.

The construction of nanospears was inspired by the work of their collaborators, Hsian-Rong Tseng, a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, and Xiaobin Xu, a postdoctoral fellow in Weiss' interdisciplinary research group. Tseng and Xu are both co-authors of the study.

"Based on Xiaobin's nanomanufacturing work, we knew how to make nanostructures of different shapes in massive numbers using simple fabrication strategies," said Weiss, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. "Once we had that in hand, we realized we could make precise structures that would be of value in gene therapies."

Weiss and Jonas are not the first to conceive of using guided nanostructures or robotic "nanomotors" to enhance gene therapies, however existing methods have limited precision and require potentially toxic chemicals to propel the structures to their targets.

By coating their nanospears with nickel, Weiss and Jonas eliminated the need for chemical propellants. A magnet can be held near a lab dish containing cells to manipulate the direction, position and rotation of one or many nanospears. In the future, Weiss and Jonas envision that a magnetic field could be applied outside of the human body to guide nanospears remotely within the body to treat genetic diseases.

Weiss and Jonas tested their nanospears as vehicles for a gene that causes cells to produce a green fluorescent protein. About 80 percent of targeted cells exhibited a bright green glow, and 90 percent of those cells survived. Both numbers are a marked improvement on existing delivery strategies.

Much like gene therapy, many forms of immunotherapy -- a process in which patient-specific immune cells are genetically engineered to recognize and attack cancer cells -- rely on expensive or time-consuming processing methods.

"The biggest barrier right now to getting either a gene therapy or an immunotherapy to patients is the processing time," Jonas said. "New methods to generate these therapies more quickly, effectively and safely are going to accelerate innovation in this research area and bring these therapies to patients sooner, and that's the goal we all have."

Weiss and Jonas have been collaborating with UCLA researchers to optimize the delivery of gene therapy strategies that have long been in the works.

"One of the amazing things about working at UCLA is that for each of the targeted diseases, we collaborate with leading clinicians who already have gene therapies in development," Weiss said. "They have the gene-editing cargo, model cells, animal models and patient cells in place so we are able to optimize our nanosystems on methods that are on the pathway to the clinic."

###

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, the National Science Foundation of China, the China Scholarship Council, the Royal Thai Government as well as the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center Training Program.
Irvine, Calif., March 14, 2018 -- Using data from NASA missions observing Earth, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have created new maps of the bed topography beneath a score of glaciers in southeast Greenland, thereby gaining a much better understanding of why some are undergoing rapid retreat and others are relatively stable.

"The undersides of glaciers in deeper valleys are exposed to warm, salty Atlantic water, while the others are perched on sills, protected from direct exposure to warmer ocean water," said Romain Millan, lead author of the study, available online in the American Geophysical Union journal Geophysical Research Letters. "We have been able to demonstrate unequivocally that glacier retreat in southeast Greenland is controlled by the topography of the bedrock under the ice and by ocean temperature."

Millan, a UCI graduate student researcher in Earth system science, and his colleagues analyzed 20 major outlet glaciers in southeast Greenland using high-resolution airborne gravity measurements and ice thickness data from NASA's Operation IceBridge mission; bathymetry information from NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland project; and results from the BedMachine version 3 computer model, developed at UCI.

They found glacial fjords hundreds of meters deeper than previously estimated; the full extent of the marine-based portions of the glaciers; deep troughs enabling Atlantic Ocean water to reach the glacier fronts and melt them from below; and few shallow sills that limit contact with this warmer water.

"It's important to understand the physical processes controlling the retreat in order to improve projections of sea level rise from this region in a warming climate," Millan said. "Until recently, we had little information on ocean temperature and water depth in these fjords to quantify these processes, so the interpretation of glacier evolution on a case-by-case basis was difficult."

Co-author Eric Rignot, UCI professor of Earth system science, added, "Now that the picture is clear, the role of the ocean in glacier evolution is overwhelming."

Rignot, who has led dozens of research expeditions to Earth's polar regions, said that southeast Greenland - with its fast-moving glaciers, deep fjords and harsh climate conditions - poses significant challenges to researchers.

"Thanks to the newest NASA missions, such as Oceans Melting Greenland and Operation IceBridge, we have been able to make great advances in understanding the evolution of this very dynamic sector of Greenland and its impact on sea level rise now and in decades to come," he said.

###

NOTE TO EDITORS: PHOTO AVAILABLE AT https://news.uci.edu/2018/03/14/uci-led-study-helps-explain-greenland-glaciers-varied-vulnerability-to-melting/

The study was funded by NASA's Cryospheric Science Program.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
New book explores the issue of high cost medicines across Europe and Australasia with contributions from 30 experts worldwide

ACCESS to the best medicine has been enshrined as a human right. But many healthcare systems are already spending half of their budgets on drugs, while ageing populations in countries such as the UK are creating increased demand for high-cost treatment. So how can that access be made affordable? A new book edited by a University of Huddersfield professor explores the issue.

Zaheer-Ud-Din Babar is Professor in Medicines and Healthcare at the University's Department of Pharmacy. He is globally recognised for his research in pharmaceutical policy and practice. His latest book, which has contributions from almost 30 experts around the world, is the 238-page Equitable Access to High-Cost Pharmaceuticals.

It begins with an overview - one of the chapters co-authored by Professor Babar himself - and subsequent chapters examine the issue of high cost medicines in a wide variety of countries, including England, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal and Europe as a whole. The emphasis of the book is on higher income countries, although there is also a chapter on low income countries in Africa.

"According to the UN, access to medicine is a fundamental human right, like access to water or sanitation. So we don't need to treat it like other commodities, and that's where the tension arises," said Professor Babar.

"In some countries, 50 per cent of the health budget is going on high-cost drugs such as anti-cancer medicine, drugs for immunological disorders, blood disorders or rheumatoid arthritis, for example. Who has the responsibility for making these medicines affordable?"

The new book, by analysing the solutions developed in a wide range of countries, will be useful for funding agencies and researchers around the world, enabling them to make comparisons, said Professor Babar.

"The issue is going to be more complex in the future, because people are living longer, meaning they will have more serious illness. So funding of high cost medicines, taking the biggest chunk of health budgets, is going to be more crucial."

Professor Babar describes the newly-published Equitable Access to High-Cost Pharmaceuticals as an exercise in documenting current practice, establishing a baseline. A follow-up book - now in the planning stage - will offer solutions and recommendations.

But among the issues explored in the current book is the funding and reimbursement of new medicines. New models are needed, said Professor Babar.

"The pharmacy industry is charging so much because it argues that it is investing a lot in R&D. But there is a lot of public money involved in drug development - through universities for example - so the public is effectively paying twice."

This could lead to a case for the price of drugs to be delinked from the cost of their development, said Professor Babar. The new book has chapters that explore issues such as intellectual property rights and universal access to essential medicines.

###
HOUSTON, March 14, 2018 - Two University of Houston scientists are reporting that defects in a portion of the brain's hippocampus, called the dentate gyrus, is regulated by the nuclear receptor LXR (Liver X receptor Beta). The dentate gyrus, or DG, is responsible for emotion and memory and is known to be involved in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Margaret Warner, professor of biology and biochemistry, and Jan-Ake Gustafsson, professor of biology, biochemistry and founding director of the UH Center of Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling, describe the work in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For four decades they have worked together, making discovery after discovery about the role of nuclear receptors in brain functions, and they show no sign of slowing down.

Tracking down the culprit

Neurogenesis, or the regulation of growth of the dentate gyrus, occurs prenatally and postnatally.

"Our findings suggest early changes in DG neurogenesis ultimately provide an aberrant template upon which to build the circuitry that is involved in normal social function," said Warner.

Their studies propose that defects in the neurogenesis of the DG seem to be involved in the etiology of autism spectrum disorders and their associated behaviors. Specifically, defects in the nuclear receptor LXR has emerged as the possible culprit of defects in the DG.

Why this gray matter matters

In the world of physiology (how the organisms in our bodies communicate and keep us alive), nuclear receptors rule the day. They are a class of proteins within cells that control hormones and regulate metabolism. One of these proteins, LXR, may be the one that holds the key to the genesis of autism. Warner and Gustafsson established this the only way they could - by taking LXR out of the equation.

"Knocking out LXR led to autistic behavior and reduced cognitive flexibility," said Warner. "In this paper we share our findings that that deletion of the LXR causes hypoplasia or underdevelopment in the DG and autistic-like behaviors, including abnormal social interaction and repetitive behavior."

They went on to report: "The behavioral studies confirmed that ablation of LXR caused behavior disorders relevant to major ASD symptoms. Social interaction deficits, as key phenotypic traits of ASD, were evident..."

Gustafsson said the findings are the path forward in autism research.

"The Liver X receptor Beta is important in the dentate gyrus and in autism and more studies on the receptor are going to help us cure or treat autism," he said.

He should know. He's the scientist who discovered LXR in 1996.

"Until 1996 we did not know that this receptor even existed and it is so important in brain function," said Warner.

###

On the project, the UH team includes Wanfu Wu, a research assistant professor. They are joined by Yulong Cai, Xiaotong Tang, Xin Li, Ying Wang, Xiaohang Bao, Lian Wang, Dayu Sun, Jinghui Zhao, Yan Xing, Xiaotang Fan and Haiwei Xu from Third Military Medical University in Chongqing, China.
A comprehensive new study looking at variations in Ichthyosaurus, a common British Jurassic ichthyosaur (sea-going reptile) also known as 'Sea Dragons', has provided important information into recognizing new fossil species.

Professor Judy Massare (SUNY College at Brockport, NY, USA) and Dean Lomax (The University of Manchester) have studied hundreds of specimens of Ichthyosaurus. After their latest research project the pair urge caution in naming new fossil species on the basis of just a few fragmentary or isolated remains.

For their research Prof Massare and Lomax focused on one particular part of the Ichthyosaurus skeleton, the hindfin (or back paddle). The purpose was to evaluate the different forms among the six-known species of Ichthyosaurus. They examined 99 specimens which could provide useful information.

Early in their research, they found different types of hindfin that initially appeared to represent different species. However, the more specimens they examined the more 'variation' they uncovered, such as differences in the size and number of bones. They determined that a single hindfin alone could not be used to distinguish among species of Ichthyosaurus, but that a particular variation was more common in certain species.

Lomax explains: "As we have such a large, complete sample size, which is relatively unique among such fossil vertebrates, our study can help illustrate the limitations that palaeontologists face when dealing with few or even just one specimen".

Their findings show that with only a few specimens, features can be found that differ substantially from one specimen to the next and thus appear as if there are several species. Whereas, in reality, with a much larger sample size the gaps in the 'unique' variations are filled in, showing that differences are simply the result of individual variation and a lack of the full picture.

Prof Massare said: "We described a few hindfins, which might have been called a new species if they were found in isolation. Instead, we had enough specimens to determine that it was just an extreme variation of a common form."

Palaeontologists fall into one of two camps when it comes to naming species, 'lumpers' and 'splitters'. The former 'lump' groups of similar specimens together, whereas the latter opt to split-up specimens and distinguish new species. However, in this new study, if the team opted to split-up the specimens based on the variation found, it would suggest a huge number of species.

"If we considered the variation as unique, it would mean we would be naming about 30 new species. This would be similar to what was done in the 19th Century when any new fossil find, from a new location or horizon, was named as a new species if it differed slightly from previously known specimens.

"As lots of new fossil species are named every year, in some cases, such as with fragmentary or limited remains, the decision to name a new species should be considered very carefully." Added Lomax.

The new study has been published today in the scientific journal, Geological Magazine: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016756818000146.

###

Notes to editors

Dean is an internationally recognised multi-award-winning palaeontologist, science communicator and author. He has travelled the globe and worked on many fascinating projects from excavating dinosaurs in the American West, to describing new species of extinct marine reptiles and winning a gold medal for excellence in science. A visiting scientist at The University of Manchester, Dean is passionate about communicating palaeontology with the public and regularly appears on television, including as series advisor and recurring on-screen expert presenter for ITV's Dinosaur Britain. He has written two books, numerous scientific papers, and many popular articles. Dean is also the patron of the UK Association of Fossil Hunters (UKAFH). More here: http://www.deanrlomax.co.uk.

Please reference the article as: Lomax, D. R., Evans, M. and Carpenter, S. 2018. An ichthyosaur from the UK Triassic-Jurassic boundary: A second specimen of the leptonectid ichthyosaur Wahlisaurus massarae Lomax 2016. Geological Journal. 10.1002/gj.3155

About The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group, is the UK's largest single-site university with 38,600 students and is consistently ranked among the world's elite for graduate employability.

The University is also one of the country's major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of 'research power' (REF 2014). World class research is carried out across a diverse range of fields including cancer, advanced materials, addressing global inequalities, energy and industrial biotechnology.

No fewer than 25 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied here.

It is the only UK university to have social responsibility among its core strategic objectives, with staff and students alike dedicated to making a positive difference in communities around the world.

Manchester is ranked 35th in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2016 and 5th in the UK. The University had an annual income of almost 1 billion in 2015/16.

Visit http://www.manchester.ac.uk for further information.

Facts and figures:

http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/facts-figures/

Research Beacons: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/beacons/

News and media contacts: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/
UMD researchers have pulled together forty years of data to quantify the effects of Bt field corn, a highly marketed and successful genetically engineered technology, in a novel and large-scale collaborative study. Other studies have demonstrated the benefits of Bt corn or cotton adoption on pest management for pests like the European corn borer or cotton bollworm in corn or cotton itself, but this is the first study to look at the effects on other offsite crops in North America. By tracking European corn borer populations, this study shows significant decreases in adult moth activity, recommended spraying regimens, and overall crop damage in vegetable crops such as sweet corn, peppers, and green beans. These benefits have never before been documented and showcase Bt crops as a powerful tool to reduce pest populations regionally thereby benefitting other crops in the agricultural landscape.

Bt corn was first introduced and adopted in the United States in 1996 and is a genetically engineered crop (or GE) that makes up over 80% of our current corn plantings. In this study, Dr. Galen Dively, Professor Emeritus and Integrated Pest Management Consultant in the Department of Entomology, and Dr. Dilip Venugopal, UMD Research Associate, use data from 1976 - 2016 to look at trends twenty years before and twenty years after adoption of Bt corn. "Safety of Bt corn has been tested extensively and proven, but this study is about effectiveness of Bt corn as a pest management strategy, and particularly benefits for offsite crops or different crops in different areas than the Bt field corn itself," explains Venugopal.

"This is the first paper published showing offsite benefits to other host plants for a pest like the corn borer, which is a significant pest for many other crops like green beans and peppers," says Dively. "We are seeing really more than 90 percent suppression of the European corn borer population in our area for these crops, which is incredible."

Using numbers from pest traps to estimate the population and examine the recommended spraying regimens for pests like the European corn borer, Dively and Venugopal observed significant reductions in the population, with much less spraying occurring over time. "There would be no recommendation to spray for the corn borer given the current population, and this paper can trace that back to Bt corn adoption," said Dively. "What's more, by looking at the actual pest infestations and damage on actual crops over forty years of data, we took it a step farther to see the benefits on all sorts of crops and the declines in the actual pest population. We are able to see the results in theory and in practice on actual crops and in the real pest population over a long stretch of time."

"The next steps would to be quantify the potentially millions of dollars in economic benefits we see here in a very concrete way to show money and time saved on spraying and pest management, crop damage reduction, as well as consideration of the environmental benefits. The important thing here, however, is to think of Bt crops as one of many tools in an integrated pest management tool box. The benefits are undeniable, but must always be weighed against many other options to use a broad range of tools and maximize benefit while minimizing any potential risks such as the pests developing Bt resistance," said Venugopal.

Dively concludes, "This study ultimately shows the importance of evaluating GE crops beyond the field that is being planted. These products and the new advances coming down the pipeline have the potential to suppress major pest populations just like Bt corn has. This is just the beginning, and we need to be quantifying these effects. I am excited by these results and encouraged for future work."

Their paper is published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

###
How a vacation in South Africa, a one-of-its-kind UNLV lab, and pieces of volcanic glass smaller than a grain of salt changed a long-held view of human history

Our ancestors not only survived a massive volcanic eruption 74,000 years ago, they flourished during the resulting climate change that occurred, a new study by UNLV geoscientist Eugene Smith and colleagues found.

The conclusions reached by Smith and Arizona State University archeologist Curtis Marean counter previously held beliefs that the eruption of an Indonesian super volcano - called Mount Toba - and the resulting "winter" of ash and smoke spread thousands of miles, destroyed plants, killed animals, and nearly wiped out humans.

The study, "Humans thrived in South Africa through the Toba eruption about 74,000 years ago," was published this week in the journal Nature.

And it all started with a National Geographic vacation and tour to the Republic of South Africa that Smith and his wife took back in 2011.

During the vacation, the couple was touring archeological sites run by Marean, who noticed a skeptical look on Smith's face as he discussed geology.

The two soon spoke, and Marean learned Smith was a geologist and asked him to look at some glassy looking shards that were found in the archeological sites. Smith quickly identified the pieces as cryptotephra, very old microscopic glass shards that were ejected during a volcanic eruption.

The next step was creating a partnership between the two public research universities and to build a lab to study when and where those shards came from.

Smith sent a UNLV graduate student to Oxford University in the United Kingdom to model the lab. Soon after, UNLV developed the Cryptotephra Laboratory for Archaeological and Geological Research, the only U.S. lab specializing in this type of work. The lab analyzed and dated the shards, narrowing down the exact time that all this occurred to inhabitants at two sites -- Pinnacle Point and Vleesbaai in present-day South Africa.

Of course, they first had to find more shards of glass. This is no easy task when you're talking about something less than a one-third the size of a grain of salt.

Smith and a graduate student went to South Africa and collected samples from the Pinnacle Point archaeological site looking for evidence of the Toba super volcano. The shards are both tiny and hard to come by - roughly 1 in every 10,000 grains of sand, he said.

Back in the lab, Smith and UNLV post-doctoral fellow Racheal Johnsen, graduate student Amber Ciravolo, and undergraduate Shelby Fitch studied samples of the glass to trace it to the Toba super volcano.

Armed with a clear timeline, the archeologist Marean was able to show that those human ancestors living at Pinnacle Point and Vleesbaai - located about five miles apart -- showed remarkable improvement in their life style during the volcanic winter caused by the Toba eruption.

"Humans in this region thrived through the Toba event and the ensuing full glacial conditions, perhaps as a combined result of the uniquely rich resource base of the region and fully evolved modern human adaptation," study authors noted.

The Toba eruption - the largest in the past 2 million years -- was so immense, it spewed ash and smoke around the world, including South Africa, some 6,200 miles away.

Still, humans were able to survive and adapt, Smith said.

"This was eight years of work by many people, and I'm immensely proud of my colleagues and our lab at UNLV," Smith said.

###
Ever notice how a cut inside the mouth heals much faster than a cut to the skin? Gum tissue repairs itself roughly twice as fast as skin and with reduced scar formation. One reason might be because of the characteristics of gingival mesenchymal stem cells, or GMSCs, which can give rise to a variety of cell types.

"This study represents the convergence of a few different paths we've been exploring," says Songtao Shi, chair and professor of Penn Dental Medicine's Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and the senior author on the study. "First, we know as dentists that the healing process is different in the mouth; it's much faster than in the skin. Second, we discovered in 2009 that the gingiva contains mesenchymal stem cells and that they can do a lot of good therapeutically. And, third, we know that mesenchymal stem cells release a lot of proteins. So here we asked, How are the gingival mesenchymal stem cells releasing all of these materials, and are they accelerating wound healing in the mucosal tissues?"

The work appears in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

Xiaoxing Kou, a visiting scholar at Penn Dental Medicine, was the first author on the work. Shi and Kou collaborated with colleagues Chider Chen and Anh Le from Penn Dental Medicine as well as Yanheng Zhou from Peking University, Xingtian Xu from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Claudio Giraudo and Maria L. Sanmillan from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Tao Cai from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

From earlier work by Shi's group and others, it was clear that mesenchymal stem cells perform many of their functions by releasing signaling molecules in extracellular vesicles. So to understand what distinguishes mesenchymal stem cells in the gingiva from those in the skin, the Penn-led team began by comparing these extracellular vesicles between the two types. They found that the GMSCs contained more proteins overall, including the inflammation-dampening IL-1RA, which blocks a proinflammatory cytokine. IL-1RA also happens to be used as a therapy to treat rheumatoid arthrisits, an inflammatory condition.

Next the team zoomed in to look at what might be controlling the release of IL-1RA and other cytokines. They had a suspect in the protein Fas, which they had earlier connected to immune regulation. They found that in gingival MSCs had more Fas than skin MSCs, and that mice deficient in Fas had reduced IL-1RA as well as reduced secretion of IL-1RA.

Further molecular probing revealed that Fas formed a protein complex with Fap-1 and Cav-1 to trigger the release of small extracellular vesicles. To identify the connection with wound healing, they examined wound tissue and found that IL-1RA was increased in GMSCs around the margins of wounds. Mice lacking IL-1RA or in which the protein was inhibited took longer to heal gingival wounds.

In contrast, when the researchers isolated IL-1RA that had been secreted from GMSCs and injected it into wounds, it significantly accelerated wound healing.

"We found that mesenchymal stem cells, and especially gingival mesenchymal stem cells, release large amount of cytokines through an extracellular vesicle," says Kou.

These findings may have special significance for people with diabetes, a major complication of which is delayed wound healing. In the study, the researchers found that GMSCs in mice with diabetes were less able to secrete extracellular vesicles compared to GMSCs in healthy mice, and their GMSCs also had less IL-1RA secretion. Introducing extracellular vesicles secreted from the GMSCs of healthy mice reduced wound healing time in diabetic mice.

"Our paper is just part of the mechanism of how these stem cells affect wound healing," Kou says, "but I think we can build on this and use these cells or the extracellular vesicles to target a lot of different diseases, including the delayed wound healing seen in diabetic patients." Moving forward, Shi, Kou and colleagues want to move their work into the clinic.

"We are targeting translational therapies," says Shi. "These cells are easy to harvest from the gingiva, and that makes them a beautiful cell for clinical use. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I can see using these cells to reduce scar formation, improve wound healing, and even treat many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases."

###

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants DE017449, DE019932, DE025915, AI123538, and GM123020), Penn Dental, the Pew Biomedical Scholars Award, and the American Association of Immunologists.
Despite widespread availability of morning meal programs, a large number of Canadian students are still skipping breakfast, according to a study from the University of Waterloo.

The study looked at the eating habits of 42,000 students from 87 secondary schools in Alberta and Ontario during the 2014/15 school year. It found that 39 percent of students reported eating breakfast fewer than three days in a typical school week.

The findings were consistent with national data that showed nationwide, 48.5 percent of adolescents skipped breakfast at least once a week.

"In spite of the widely-acknowledged value of youth having a healthy morning meal, breakfast skipping is highly prevalent among Canadian adolescents," said Katelyn Godin, a doctoral candidate at Waterloo and lead author of the study. "While we do know that breakfast programs are having a positive impact, with one-fifth of adolescents reporting eating breakfast at school once-a-week, there is still room for improvement."

Godin said breakfast programs are not reaching their full potential in Canada due to a lack of social awareness about their diverse benefits, lingering social stigma and limited economic support for the programs.

"Canadian breakfast programs are currently supported by a patchwork of funding and would benefit from something more consistent," said Godin.

###

The study was done in collaboration with Scott Leatherdale, associate professor and Karen Patte, postdoctoral fellow, both of Waterloo's School of Public Health and Health Systems and members of the COMPASS Research team.

The study was published recently published in the Journal of School Health.
Switzerlands energy system is one of the best in the world, but it is not doing so well on emission reduction targets, says a report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) published on Wednesday.

The Fostering Effective Energy Transition report ranks 114 countries on how well they are able to balance energy security and access with environmental sustainability and affordability. Switzerland is ranked third overall, after Sweden and Norway.

Performing less well are the United Kingdom (7th place), France (9), Germany (16), the United States (25), Brazil (38), Russia (70), China (76) and India (78).

The WEFs key finding this year is not optimistic. It says that worldwide progress towards environmental sustainability has stalled, as demonstrated by a near-flat trend in carbon intensity. Marginal improvement has occurred at only 1.8% a year over the past five years, whereas 3% is the threshold required to achieve the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

The report also says that household electricity prices have risen in real terms in more than half the countries since 2013, despite an overall fall in fuel prices.

But there are also encouraging developments, the study points out. These include the fact that 80% of countries have improved their energy systems over the past five years.

Among the reasons for Switzerlands excellent ranking, the WEF points to the quality of transport infrastructure, availability of technology, energy subsidies, investment in energy efficiency and the quality of the education system.

In Switzerland, two-thirds of electricity is generated by hydropower. Swiss voters last year endorsed a new energy law that aims to promote renewable energy, ban new nuclear power plants and lower energy consumption.

+Read more about the new energy law













swissinfo.ch/jc






Eurozone leaders must end "trench warfare" between creditor and debtor countries and tackle tricky reforms, the governor of the Bank of France said Wednesday, offering ways to shake up long-paralysed debates.

It is time to forget about ideological trench warfare, Francois Villeroy de Galhau told a Frankfurt conference.

We have to arm ourselves with stronger economic instruments to make sure the European Central Bank is not the only firefighter when the next economic crisis breaks out, he added.

The 19-nation eurozone booked stronger GDP growth in 2017 of 2.3 percent, after years suffering the shockwaves of the 2008 financial crisis.

But critics say central bank largesse rather than effective reforms has been the crutch for the creeping return to expansion.

Meanwhile eurozone leaders have been locked in a sterile division between northern Europe and southern Europe that has prevented necessary reforms to areas like bank deposit insurance or bankruptcy rules for governments, Villeroy de Galhau said.

To work well, our Union needs both risk reduction mechanisms and risk sharing, he insisted, two principles often seen as incompatible by national capitals.

Existing plans for a capital markets union, banking union and a European Commission plan for public sector-led investments could be bundled to produce a more ambitious financing union package that would support growth and innovation, Villeroy de Galhau suggested.

Meanwhile reform laggards should follow French President Emmanuel Macrons example by pressing structural changes to the economy rather than waiting for help from Brussels, while chronically thrifty nations like Germany should spend more to increase demand.

The eurozone should also set up a fund to ward off crises before they happen, he said, as well as a eurozone-wide investment budget for common goods like digital infrastructure or border security.

The French central bank governors ideas closely match the manifesto proposed by Macron, who surged to power last year on a platform of reform to the moribund single currency bloc.

In a sign the wind could be turning in the French leaders favour, Berlin said Chancellor Angela Merkel would this week make Paris the first foreign visit of her fourth term after her swearing-in Wednesday.

Macron has been waiting impatiently for a new government in Germany since September elections, seeing revived Franco-German cooperation as the key to meeting challenges facing the single currency area.
In an effort to attract film and television production, Portugal is introducing a new incentive programme, offering substantial rebates of 25 percent of the cost of production up to 4 million per project.

In the case of projects that are determined to have special cultural relevance to Portugal, have significant impact on cinematography in Portugal, chose to shoot in low-population areas or employ actors or technicians with disabilities, rebates of 30% are available.

For 2018, the rebate fund, which was approved in January 2017, will total 10 million rising to 12 million in subsequent years. The programme is being managed by the Portuguese Film and Audiovisual Institute (ICA) and is supported by a fund under the auspices of Portugal Tourism.

To promote filming in Portugal, Secretary of State for Tourism, Ana Mendes Godinho, recently visited Hollywood, meeting with studio representatives to spread the word about the advantages of filming in her country, where the climate and available daylight shooting hours resemble those of Southern California.

Portugal has been a little bit sleepy in the past years in terms of the film industry, she admitted. So we decided that we wanted to have the best incentive in Europe, and we developed this new financial instrument, which is a cash rebate. We want to be the best and the most competitive country in Europe for filming.

The new programme replaces a tax incentive programme that was instituted in 2017, since it was decided that a cash rebate programme, paid out in installments, was more attractive than a tax incentive.

In promoting Portugal, Godinho is emphasising the variety of its geography, its many historic settings, the fact that much of the population speaks fluent English and the costs of production are one of the lowest in Europe. The country is also offering a one-stop shop that will facilitate the necessary permits. Adds Godhino, We also say Portugal is the California of Europe.

Recent productions that have filmed in Portugal include Terry Gilliams upcoming The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, starring Jonathan Price and Adam Driver, and, Godhino notes, several Bollywood productions are currently eyeing production starts.
The Russian embassy in London said Wednesday it had asked British authorities for details about a Russian who died in mysterious circumstances, amid a diplomatic crisis over an attack on an ex-spy.

Nikolai Glushkov, a former senior executive linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, was found dead in his home in the southwest of the capital on Monday, Russian and British media said.

The embassy made an official request for information on the mysterious case.

The investigation is not transparent, the British side appears not inclined to cooperate. This can only cause regret, it said.

Today the embassy made an official request to provide all the information in possession of the British side regarding this Russian citizen whose death, as you said, appears mysterious.

Police have confirmed they are treating the death of an unnamed man found in the southwest suburb of New Malden on Monday as unexplained.

They have called in counter-terror officers as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Glushkov received political asylum in Britain after serving five years in prison in Russia for money laundering and fraud, the Guardian reported.

His death has prompted speculation because it occurred in the middle of a crisis between Russia and Britain over the attempted murder of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal on March 4.

British Prime Minister Theresa May earlier Wednesday said Moscow was culpable for the attack in the southwestern city of Salisbury, and expelled 23 Russian diplomats.

Police are revisiting a number of other unexplained deaths following the Skripal case.

Yvette Cooper, who chairs the House of Commons home affairs committee, has raised 14 cases that have reportedly been identified by US intelligence sources as potentially connected to Russia.

These include oligarch Berezovsky, a one-time supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin who then turned against him, and was found hanged in a bathroom at his home outside London in 2013.

Another is businessman Alexander Perepilichny, who was found dead in front of his London home in 2012, and which Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said last week was deeply troubling.

In a letter to Cooper, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: In the weeks to come, I will want to satisfy myself that the allegations are nothing more than that.

The police and MI5 (domestic spy agency) agree and will assist in that endeavour.
Britain's opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Friday suggested "mafia-like groups" in Russia could have been responsible for the nerve attack on a former double agent.

In an article in The Guardian newspaper, he repeated doubts that the Russian state targeted Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury.

Either this was a crime authored by the Russian state; or that state has allowed these deadly toxins to slip out of the control it has an obligation to exercise, he wrote.

If the latter, a connection to Russian mafia-like groups that have been allowed to gain a toehold in Britain cannot be excluded.

He added: To rush way ahead of the evidence being gathered by the police, in a fevered parliamentary atmosphere, serves neither justice nor our national security.

The left-wing leader has drawn criticism from his own MPs for failing to fully back the Conservative government, which said Moscow was culpable for the March 4 attack.

Corbyn condemned the barbaric incident, which left Skripal and his daughter in a critical condition and also injured a police officer.

But in my years in parliament I have seen clear thinking in an international crisis overwhelmed by emotion and hasty judgements too many times, he said, noting the flawed intelligence used to justify the US-led invasion of Iraq.

He said Labour was no supporter of the Putin regime, but that does not mean we should resign ourselves to a new Cold War of escalating arms spending, proxy conflicts across the globe and a McCarthyite intolerance of dissent.

There are many Labour MPs who oppose Corbyns left-wing views, but there has been a truce since he led the party to a better than expected result in last years election.

His stance on Russia has put them in conflict once again, and by Friday morning, 33 had signed a parliamentary motion blaming Russia unequivocally for the attack.
Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned in his farewell remarks on Tuesday that Washington must do more to respond to Russia's "troubling behavior and actions."

After he was sacked by President Donald Trump, Tillerson also said US efforts to pressure North Korea had worked better than expected and revealed he would pass authority to his deputy at midnight.

The former oil executive said he would remain at the department until March 31 to conclude an administrative handover, but that Deputy Secretary John Sullivan would take charge.

Tillerson did not address reports that he had only learned of his sacking earlier that day when he read about it in Trumps tweet, but said he had since spoken to the president by telephone.

Among his last acts as secretary, as he flew back from Africa late Monday, was to brief reporters on his outrage at Russias alleged involvement in an attempted assassination using a nerve agent in Britain.

In his farewell remarks, he returned to the theme.

Much work remains to respond to the troubling behavior and actions on the part of the Russian government, he said, before turning to warn Vladimir Putins Kremlin not to overstep.

Russia must assess carefully as to how its actions are in the best interests of the Russian people and of the world more broadly.

Continuing on their current trajectory is likely to lead to greater isolation on their part, a situation which is not in anyones interest.

Tillersons sacking comes shortly after Trump, without consulting his top diplomat, decided to accept an invitation to talks with North Koreas Kim Jong-Un on resolving the Korean nuclear stand-off.

The departing secretary did not take issue with the decision, but suggested it was made possible by the hard work of his State Department and allies in building sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

He said this pressure campaign had exceeded the expectations of almost everyone and noted it was he who had declared on his first trip to Asia as secretary that the era of strategic patience is over.
EU Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday said Moscow was "most likely" behind the poisoning of a Russian former double agent on UK soil.

Tusk tweeted in Helsinki that he expressed his full solidarity with UKs Prime Minister Theresa May in the face of the brutal attack inspired, most likely, by Moscow.

Tusk was in Helsinki on Wednesday to meet Finnish Prime Minister Juha Sipila for Brexit talks.

His comments came on the same day as May was expected to announce retaliatory measures against Moscow over the March 4 attack against ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in sleepy Salisbury, southwest England.

The spy saga comes at a particularly tense time for UK-EU relations, as the two sides are locked in Brexit talks, but Brussels support is unequivocal, unwavering and very strong according to European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday the use of a nerve agent in an attack on a former Russian spy in Britain was "unacceptable" and called for a thorough investigation.

The use of nerve agents as a weapon under any circumstances is unacceptable and its use by a state would constitute a serious violation of international law, UN spokesman Farhan Haq quoted Guterres as saying.

The comments came before an emergency meeting of the Security Council called at Britains request to discuss the attack that left ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in critical condition.

The UN spokesman said that Guterres was deeply concerned by the attack on March 4 in the English city of Salisbury.

While the secretary-general is not in a position to attribute responsibility, he strongly condemns the use of any nerve agent or chemical weapon and hopes that the incident will be thoroughly investigated, Haq added.

British Prime Minister Theresa May expelled 23 Russian diplomats and suspended high-level contacts with Russia after Moscow did not respond to her demand for an explanation.

May told parliament that the Russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the attack using the nerve agent Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union and later inherited by Russia.
Facebook announced Wednesday it had removed the pages of far-right group Britain First and its two leaders for posting content "designed to incite animosity and hatred" against minorities.

The move comes just days after Britain Firsts leader Paul Golding and deputy leader Jayda Fransen, who hit the headlines last year after her posts were retweeted by US President Donald Trump, were jailed for hate crimes.

In a blog post, Facebook said: Content posted on the Britain First Facebook page and the pages of party leaders Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen has repeatedly broken our community standards.

We recently gave the administrators of the pages a written final warning, and they have continued to post content that violates our community standards.

As a result, in accordance with our policies, we have now removed the official Britain First Facebook page and the pages of the two leaders with immediate effect.

We do not do this lightly, but they have repeatedly posted content designed to incite animosity and hatred against minority groups, which disqualifies the pages from our service.

The social media giant said it was an open platform for all ideas, and we are careful not to remove posts or pages just because some people dont like them.

But it warned that there are times though when legitimate political speech crosses the line and becomes hate speech.

Facebook is regularly criticised over content which it bans or indeed content it allows to be published.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has been particularly vocal in demanding that social media companies act on extremist content.

Fransen, 31, was jailed for 36 weeks last week for religiously aggravated harassment, while Golding, 36, was given an 18-week term for the same offence.

Britain First was a largely unknown marginal group before Trump retweeted three inflammatory anti-Muslim videos it posted in November.

May condemned his decision as wrong, prompting a diplomatic spat with Washington, although Trump later apologised, saying he did not know the groups background.

ar/rsc/dl
When Stephen Hawking postulated in the mid-1970s that black holes leak radiation, slowly dissolving like aspirin in a glass of water, he overturned a core tenet of the Universe.

Ever since Albert Einstein published his theory of general relativity in 1915, predicting the existence of black holes, it was thought they devour everything in their vicinity, including light.

Black holes, it was thought, were bottomless pits from which matter and energy could never escape.

But Hawking, sometimes described as the most influential theoretical physicist since Einstein, questioned this, saying that black holes were not really black at all and must emit particles.

In so doing, he touched on a persistent headache for physicists: Einsteins theory, which has withstood every experimental test so far, does not explain the behaviour of particles in the subatomic, quantum sphere.

Considered controversial at first, Hawkings black hole theory pointed to a possible bridge between the two mainstay physics theories  general relativity and quantum mechanics.

Hawking realised that black holes, these objects that are made of gravity, because of quantum mechanics can actually emit particles, astrophysicist Patrick Sutton of Cardiff University told AFP.

This was the first case where we had a physical process that links gravity, this classical theory of gravity, with quantum mechanics.

The mechanism was named Hawking radiation after the famous scientist who died Wednesday Einsteins birthday.

And it painted a completely new portrait of black holes.

Stephen Hawking discovered that when the quantum laws governing the physics of atoms and elementary particles were applied to black holes, the surprising outcome was that black holes actually must emit radiation, physicist Raymond Volkas of the University of Melbourne said via the Australian Science Media Centre.

 Theory of Everything 

Hawking showed that because black holes give off radiation they actually have a temperature. And in losing mass and energy, they would slowly shrink and eventually evaporate  a real shock proposition, according to Sutton.

Hawkings most important scientific legacy is his idea that black holes slowly dissolve like aspirin in a glass of water, said Lisa Harvey-Smith of the University of New South Wales.

But Hawking radiation in turn posed a new problem, the so-called black hole information paradox.

If a black hole disappears, all the cosmological information from matter and energy that initially went into it will disappear too. But physics predicts that information can never be lost.

Hawking himself had conceded a wager on the point, having initially bet that black hole information will ultimately be lost.

It is still the focus of theoretical interest, a topic of debate and controversy more than 40 years after his discovery, said British cosmologist Martin Rees.

A former collaborator of Hawking, he added, once described the radiation theory as causing more sleepless nights among theoretical physicists than any paper in history.

Hawking radiation has heavily influenced the ongoing quest for New Physics, a Theory of Everything that can unify general relativity with quantum mechanics.

Besides his deep imprints on theoretical physics, many credit Hawkings popularisation of science, including through his cosmology-themed book A Brief History of Time, with motivating their own interest and careers.

His impact on the public understanding of science is almost beyond measure, said Harvey-Smith.
WASHINGTON  Rex Tillerson came to Washington 14 months ago as an outside-the-box choice for secretary of state, boasting extensive foreign contacts developed during a 40-year career at Exxon Mobil and experience running a global corporation with the size and scale of a nation-state.

But that resume proved ill-fitted for the Texas oil mans foray into international diplomacy, Washington politics and the management of a foreign policy seemingly driven by the whim of a mercurial president.

After months of clashes and conflict on issues from North Korea to climate change to the response to the race riots in Charlottesville, Va., President Donald Trump on Tuesday notified Tillerson of his firing via Twitter, naming CIA Director Mike Pompeo as Tillersons successor.

Trump later explained to reporters that he and the former Exxon CEO just disagreed on things.

Trumps morning tweet ended a fraught relationship and Tillersons difficult transition from imperial CEO to public servant. Tillerson quickly alienated career diplomats as he tried to remake the State Department into the image of a Fortune 500 company while chafing at Trumps style, policies and pronouncements  at one point reportedly describing Trump as a moron.

In the end, it may have been the ultimate personality clash between an Eagle Scout and engineer who rose through the ranks of a corporation that values stability, discipline, care and detail and a seat-of-the-pants real estate developer who preferred flash, showmanship and chaos  and played fast and loose with the facts.

You had an engineer who worked for the same company for decades coming up against one of the greatest brand managers in the last half century. Theyre different skill sets, said Jon Alterman, a state department official under former president George W. Bush and now vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. He never reached a mind-meld with the president.

Trumps tweet caught most of Washington off-guard, but Tillersons departure had seemed only a matter of time over past several months. NBC News reported in October that Tillerson had to be talked out of quitting by other members of the administration and called Trump a moron after a meeting at the Pentagon. That prompted Tillerson to go before television cameras and say he planned to serve as long as the president feels I can be useful  though never denied calling the president a moron.

The firing was an inglorious end to what was expected to be a capstone to a long and successful career that had propelled Tillerson to the highest rungs of corporate America.

State Department officials told the Associated Press that Tillerson was not given advance notice of his firing, although White House officials disputed that account. They told Bloomberg News that Chief of Staff John Kelly had called Tillerson Friday to warn that he was going to be fired and to return early from a trip to Africa.

Richard Fisher, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and a friend of Tillersons, criticized the handling of the decision as Trump to the nth degree.

Treating someone of his distinction and magnitude in this manner is certainly distasteful and disrespectful, he said Tuesday. I wish the president had a different sense of style.

During a press conference in Washington Tuesday, Tillerson said Trump had called him from Air Force One a little after noon, hours after the presidents tweet.

What is most important is to ensure an orderly and smooth transition during a time the country continues to face significant policy and national security challenges, Tillerson said, his voice wavering. I will now return to private life, a private citizen, a proud American, proud of the opportunity Ive had to serve my country.

Tillerson spent more than a decade leading Exxon  a company he joined shortly after leaving the University of Texas-Austin. His nomination followed recommendations by former secretaries of state Bob Gates and Condoleezza Rice and seemed to assuage nervousness within foreign policy circles about how the tweet-happy Trump would handle foreign affairs.

Tillerson had extensive experience negotiating with foreign leaders, particularly in trouble spots, such as the Middle East, and in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin had awarded him a state honor.

Tillerson stood out as a cool-headed technocrat, said Jim Krane, a fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy. He was someone who could see past political passions to serve American interests.

But Trump and Tillerson clashed right out of the gate. Tillersons pick to be No. 2 at the State Department was Elliot Abrams, who had served in the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations. But Abrams, who had criticized Trump during the presidential campaign, was rejected by the administration.

Trump repeatedly undercut Tillerson. When Tillerson suggested diplomatic approaches to the North Koreas nuclear threat, Trump slapped them down, calling them a waste of time. Trumps recent decision to meet with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un was reportedly made without consulting Tillerson.

Tillerson favored the Iran nuclear deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama, while Trump harshly criticized and threatened to leave it. After Trumps failure to forcefully condemn white supremacists after the riots in Charlottesville, Va., Tillerson said, The president speaks for himself.

Unfamiliar with Washington and politics, Tillerson struggled to forge alliances within the White House and on Capitol Hill to help sway the president to his way of thinking.

He also alienated career foreign service officers who form the backbone of the State Department, staffing U.S. embassies and building the relations and expertise needed to carry out U.S. policies across the globe. Tillersons plans to significantly cut the departments budget and streamline its operations met resistance from career diplomats, many of whom chose to leave the department

He had almost no friends in the White House, with the exception of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. He didnt have a lot of friends up on the Hill, except for Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). He was just extremely isolated, said Matt Mackowiak, an Austin political consultant who served as an aide to former Texas U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. With no advocates and no defenders, you leave yourself open to this kind of thing happening.

Tillersons departure follows that of Gary Cohn, the administrations chief economic adviser, who resigned last week after failing to convince Trump not to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum. Both men were globalist products of the U.S. corporate world  Goldman Sachs in the case of Cohn  and both clashed with populist advisers to Trump, who came to power on the anti-trade, inward-looking message, Make America Great Again.

The two fought unsuccessfully last year to stop Trump from pulling out of the Paris agreement on climate change.

Republican reaction to Tillersons sacking was largely muted. Texas senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz said they found out about the firing the same way everyone else did and commended Tillerson for his service.

Rex Tillerson is a good and honorable man, Cruz said. It has been clear for some time that the Secretary of State and the President had significant tensions. And so I dont think anyone was surprised to see a change of leadership at the State Department.
State Sen. Carlos Urestis second criminal trial of the year  for allegedly conspiring to bribe a judge in Reeves County  may be postponed until the fall after his co-defendant asked the court for a delay.

Lubbock businessman Vernon C. Farthing III, who made the request in a court filing Tuesday, said Urestis lawyer and federal prosecutors arent opposed to pushing back the trial, which is currently set to start May 7 in San Antonio federal court.

Farthing wants it continued until Oct. 22, citing various scheduling conflicts.

Meanwhile, U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad has scheduled a Monday court hearing to consider other motions by Farthing  including a request that he be tried separately from Uresti.

Uresti, 54, and Farthing, 45, were accused in a May indictment of conspiring with others from January 2006 through September 2016 to pay and accept bribes to secure a Reeves County Correctional medical services contract for Farthings company.

The indictment says Farthing paid Uresti $10,000 a month as a marketing consultant and then gave half of the money to Jimmy Galindo, county judge in Reeves County in West Texas from January 1995 to June 2006, in return for a favorable vote for Farthings company contract.

Galindo pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to commit bribery and failure to file a 2013 tax return. He admitted to splitting about $850,000 in bribes with Uresti and struck a deal with prosecutors that includes assisting in the case.

Farthing wants separate trials, in part, because of concerns that Urestis conviction three weeks ago in another case will spill over into their trial and deprive Farthing of his right to a fair trial.

A federal grand jury on Feb. 22 convicted the San Antonio Democrat on 11 felony counts over his involvement in FourWinds Logistics, a defunct oilfield company that defrauded investors. Uresti was convicted of wire fraud, money laundering and securities fraud, among other charges. He intends to appeal.

Uresti is scheduled to be sentenced on June 28.

Federal prosecutors are opposing separate trials for Farthing and Uresti.

Trying Uresti and Farthing together will avoid the scandal and inequity of inconsistent verdicts, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell said in a response to Farthings request.

Bemporad also will review Farthings request to disclose the grand jury proceedings that led to the indictments. The government says it provided defense lawyers copies of transcripts of the only witness to testify before the grand jury, FBI Special Agent Monroe Giese.

Farthing also wants the indictment against him dismissed, in part, because he says it alleges conduct barred by a statute of limitations. Bemporad is not slated to take up that motion at Mondays hearing, according to the court docket. Prosecutors have opposed the request.
Having already established two acclaimed series of crime novels featuring African American detectives, Walter Mosley introduces a new main character and pursues a mystery writers hat trick with his latest novel.

Joe King Oliver used to be a well-regarded New York City cop, a stickler for the rules, known for his compassion and sense of fairness. Although married with a daughter, he also had trouble with marital fidelity: It didnt take but a smile and wink for me ... to walk away from my duties and promises, vows and common sense, for something, or just the promise of something, that was as transient as a stiff breeze, a good beer or a street that couldnt maintain its population. Those footloose days ended when King was recorded having sex with a grand theft auto suspect.

Abandoned by his colleagues and his spouse, King was quickly thrown into prison, left at the mercy of fellow inmates and sadistic jailers and put into solitary confinement. Although the case was dropped and King released suddenly and without explanation, his experience behind bars left him permanently scarred, physically and psychologically.

More Information Down the River Unto the Sea By Walter Mosley Mulholland Books, $27 See More Collapse

Thirteen years later, as Down the River Unto the Sea opens, King has his own private investigation business, with many of the day-to-day duties handled by his teenage daughter, Aja-Denise. One day, King receives a letter from Nathali Malcolm, the now-repentant woman who set him up more than a decade earlier. Her message rekindles in him a desire to understand the method and the meaning of his downfall.

Also requiring Kings attention is another case with deep roots in the past. An activist black journalist, born Leonard Compton but now known as A Free Man, is accused of killing two corrupt cops. Hes facing the death penalty, but his attorney seems suddenly reluctant to put up much of a defense. As soon as King begins investigating the situation, he realizes that hes stirred up trouble he might not be able to control on his own. His path toward the truth leads him to hired killers and crooked cops, drug addicts and prostitutes, and a whole host of men, women and children, mostly African American, whose lives have been shattered by the law and those who are supposed to uphold it.

As a protagonist, Joe King Oliver is more understated than Mosleys previous creations, Easy Rawlins or Leonid McGill, but he commands attention, decent but wounded, trying to identify the better parts of himself but scared of what else he might find.

The plot of Down the River Unto the Sea unspools neatly, recounted in a sleek, streetwise and captivating voice. Some of the books elements feel overly familiar, however. Particularly so is the presence of Melquarth Frost, Kings criminal sidekick with psychopathic tendencies. Frost is conveniently willing to attend to the tasks that King wont handle himself and serves much the same function as Easys dangerously unpredictable friend, Mouse. Frosts scenes are enjoyable, but might be more so with a greater degree of unpredictability.

With more than 50 books to his credit in various genres, from science fiction to memoir to erotica, Mosley is so prolific that he has the luxury of experimentation. With Down the River Unto the Sea, he does shake things up a bit, taking the opportunity to craft a story set squarely in the time of Black Lives Matter. Despite the years away from the force, King is still a cop at heart, even as he acknowledges the misery the police can bring down on civilians. At one point he says, The bane of police work is innocent bystanders. You try your best, but unseen events, ricochet bullets, and false arrest are a part of the job.

Down the River Unto the Sea is a well-constructed crime novel, urgent in its plotting and carefully observed in the behaviors and the voices of its supporting cast. Mosley makes it all look simple, creating in Joe King Oliver another fascinatingly flawed detective brimming with potential.
A Mexican businessman convicted of helping the notorious Zetas drug gang launder money in the U.S. and trying to bribe a federal judge in Austin has died at a federal prison in West Virginia.

Francisco Colorado Cessa, 57, died Sunday at the Federal Correctional Institute Hazleton, according to the Bureau of Prisons. In a statement, the bureau said it would not release his cause of death without a Freedom of Information Act request. The request has been filed; a response is pending.

A spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services said state law only allows the release of autopsy information to next of kin and law enforcement.

Colorado hailed from the Mexican state of Veracruz where he owned an environmental remediation company that largely did business with Mexicos state-run oil company. He was arrested in 2012 and accused of helping Zetas leader Miguel Trevino Morales and two of his brothers launder millions of dollars through a U.S. quarter horse breeding and racing operation.

A jury convicted Colorado in 2013 of money laundering conspiracy and a judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison. After he was sentenced, Colorado was charged with conspiring to bribe the judge involved with his case.

An appellate court later overturned the money laundering conviction, but after separate trials in 2015 and 2016, juries convicted him in both the money laundering and the bribery cases. A judge sentenced Colorado to 3 1/3 years in prison for conspiring to bribe a public official and almost 17 years in prison for conspiring to launder money.

During both money laundering trials, prosecutors showed that Colorado purchased quarter horses at U.S. auctions that later ended up on the Oklahoma ranch of Jose Trevino Morales, a U.S. citizen and brother of Miguel Trevino. Former Zetas members and associates testified in the 2016 trial that Miguel Trevino and his brother Omar gave Colorado millions of dollars in cash in Mexico.

Colorados lawyers argued that he was a victim of extortion by Miguel Trevino, also known as Cuarenta and Z-40, whos wanted in Laredo for ordering murders in Texas and is accused of being behind mass killings in Mexico, where hes currently in jail.

They said that, like another Veracruz businessman whose charges were dropped after he told U.S. investigators he was kidnapped and forced to buy horses at U.S. auctions, Colorado was an unwilling participant in the conspiracy and was never compensated for his livestock purchases.
One of Texas best business legends helps explain what has become a national economic powerhouse  the Texas triangle.

The story starts in 1967 when, supposedly, entrepreneur Rollin King and lawyer Herb Kelleher dined in downtown San Antonio at a St. Anthony Hotel bar. King drew a triangle on a cocktail napkin, labeling the corner points San Antonio, Houston and Dallas. He proposed what would later become Southwest Airlines.

In 2007, the Dallas Morning News quoted King as saying the cocktail napkin route plan never happened, but that it was a hell of a good story. The airline continues to use a depiction of the napkin route map in the corporate history on its website.

Air Southwest Co. was incorporated on March 15, 1967. The company changed its name to Southwest Airlines Co. on March 29, 1971.

Southwest started with the business plan of flying between three cities in the triangle, and it used that as a launching place to become a leading U.S. airline. Southwest, which introduced the concept of no-frills, low-fare, point-to-point flights, has grown to become the largest domestic airline in terms of passengers carried.

Upon Kings death in June 2014, Kelleher said, I am indeed profoundly saddened to learn of Rollins passing.

His idea to create a low-cost, low-fare, better-service quality airline in Texas subsequently proved to be an empirical role model for not only the U.S. as a whole but, ultimately, for all of the worlds inhabitants.

The Kelleher era ended in May 2008 at Southwest Airlines, with one final plume of cigarette smoke and Kellehers cackling laugh as he shook hands with adoring employees and shareholders.

Few executives are as closely identified with their companies as Kelleher was with Southwest, the Texas puddle-jumper he built into a low-fare, no-frills giant and the most consistently profitable U.S. carrier.

Kelleher stepped down as chairman after presiding over his 31st annual shareholder meeting, a festive and emotional farewell.

Im Lucky Herbie for having all these years with all of you, Kelleher said, his voice cracking. Then age 77, Kelleher gave up the chief executives job in 2001. He was under contract to continue on as an employee, at $400,000 a year, into 2013.

Kelleher turned 87 on Monday.
WASHINGTON  San Antonio Republican Will Hurd says he saw nothing in the House Intelligence Committees interviews and 300,000 documents pointing to collusion with the Donald Trump presidential campaign when Russian operatives meddled in the 2016 elections.

I think there were a bunch of dumb meetings. But in the end we didnt see that issue, Hurd said of coordination between Trump aides and Russia.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, another House Intelligence Committee member, takes a starkly different view of the GOP-led panels decision late Monday to complete its work after a year-long examination of Russian interference.

Castro called the Republicans decision premature, a betrayal of the American people and a disastrous day for American democracy.

There were so many investigative leads that the committee has chosen to ignore and have gone cold, he said. We have a duty to the American people to get to the bottom of what exactly happened and that job is not done yet.

Castro said, for instance, that the committee ought to interview or re-interview Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump Jr., Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and his former adviser Steve Bannon, among others.

The divergent opinions between the San Antonio members on the committee illustrate the chasm between the parties over Russian meddling, a dispute likely to continue even as opportunities exist for Russia attacks in November.

The committees conclusion about the Trump campaign is part of a 150-page draft report on findings that likely wont be made public for weeks.

Trump, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, said he is very, very happy with that decision. It was a powerful decision that left no doubt, so I want to thank the House Intelligence Committee and all of the people that voted."

Among its controversial findings, committee Republicans disagreed with U.S. intelligence officers conclusion that Russia President Vladimir Putin preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton in the election.

Senate Intelligence and Judiciary committee investigations are proceeding, as is the work of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. Mueller indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities last month for allegedly interfering in American elections.

Hurd, referring to the committee report, remarked: That shouldnt be seen as any commentary on what Special Prosecutor Mueller is doing, and that investigation should continue. He is the one who is looking at the potential criminality.

The committee report will recommend better election security along with more robust cybersecurity and counterintelligence efforts, according to documents released this week.

Hurd added: I would welcome tougher rhetoric from our commander in chief on the Russia threat.

The dumb meetings he noted in the interview, included a gathering at Trump Tower in New York city in June 2016 between members of the Trump campaign and a Russian lawyer.

Castro said that beyond further questioning Trump aides, the committee should be subpoenaing bank records and electronic communications from Deutsche Bank, Twitter and other tech companies.

Committee Republicans, he contended, conducted a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil investigation that failed to follow up on critical leads.

Gina Ortiz Jones, a San Antonio Democrat and former Air Force intelligence officer in a runoff to challenge Hurd, referred to the committees release last month of a classified memo alleging that the Obama administration Justice Department had abused surveillance powers.

I think they showed themselves who they were accountable to and it wasnt the American people, she said. I must say, Im not super surprised that the Republicans have chosen to end it this way because they have showed that theyre more concerned with protecting their power than protecting the integrity of our democracy.
A federal appeals court ruling Tuesday leaves in place almost all of a Texas law banning so-called sanctuary cities, although the city of San Antonio, which had sued to stop the legislation, said its policies will not be affected.

The law, Senate Bill 4, punishes local officials who limit immigration enforcement by local police or prevent officers from questioning the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest. It also requires county jails to honor requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold detainees suspected of being eligible for deportation.

Tuesdays ruling by a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturns an injunction by a San Antonio federal judge that had found portions of the law unconstitutional.

The appeals court upheld almost all of the law except for civil penalties for local officials who endorse a policy under which the entity or department prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of immigration laws. They found that use of the word endorse could violate the First Amendment and result in penalties against local officials who speak out on immigration policies.

With one exception, SB4s provisions do not, on their face, violate the Constitution, the justices wrote.

The unanimous ruling was by justices Edith Jones and Jerry Smith, both Ronald Reagan appointees, and Edward Prado, a San Antonio native appointed to the appellate bench by George W. Bush and who was nominated this year to be ambassador to Argentina.

Texas Republicans like Attorney General Ken Paxton, whod defended the law in court, and Gov. Greg Abbott, whod pushed for the law and signed it last year in a ceremony live streamed on Facebook, celebrated the decision.

Im pleased the 5th Circuit recognized that Senate Bill 4 is lawful, constitutional and protects the safety of law enforcement officers and all Texans, Paxton said in a statement. Enforcing immigration law prevents the release of individuals from custody who have been charged with serious crimes. Dangerous criminals shouldnt be allowed back into our communities to possibly commit more crimes.

San Antonio was one of the first cities to challenge SB 4, in part because of a police department policy preventing officers from asking about immigration status.

When U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia enjoined key portions of the law last year, he left in place provisions that allowed the Texas Attorney General to fine or remove local officials who prevent police from asking about immigration status. As a result, SAPD changed its policy to allow immigration questions, but instructed officers that such questions are a low priority.

In a statement Tuesday, the city said it will not change its policies because officers are allowed to ask about immigration status and cooperate with immigration officials and police allow ICE agents to enter the municipal detention facility.

While Im deeply disappointed by the 5th Circuits decision, San Antonio will remain a welcoming and compassionate city as we continue to honor the law, including individual civil rights, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said.

Opponents of the law had said it turns police into immigration agents, eroding trust in the community and harming their ability to enforce state laws and local ordinances.

The ruling doesnt change that SB4 is an unnecessary, politically motivated law that was opposed by virtually everyone in law enforcement, said state Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio. It does nothing to make anyone safer and it will drive a wedge between law enforcement and certain people.

The judges left some leeway for local officials regarding bona fide resource allocation  e.g., policies regarding overtime or patrolling locations.

The court cannot force you to go bankrupt, said Luis Vera, an attorney for the League of United Latin American Citizens representing the border communities of El Cenizo and Maverick County. The locals still have a right to allocate their resources where they need them first.

In his ruling last year Garcia had also found that ICE detainers, requests by immigration officials to keep criminal suspects in county jails for up to 48 hours after they would have otherwise been released, violated the Fourth Amendment.

SB 4 makes it a misdemeanor to ignore ICE detainers, and Garcia ruled that because immigration cases are civil matters and local police enforce criminal laws, the statute violated protections from unreasonable search and seizure.

The 5th Circuit disagreed, finding that ICE administrative warrants, which unlike criminal warrants are not issued by a judge, are sufficient to detain in a county jail someone who ICE might deport, even if theyve been granted bail or their charges have been dropped.

Bexar County officials have said they comply with ICE detainers. Officials with Travis County, which previously had a policy of only honoring some ICE detainers, said Tuesday theyre reviewing the decision.

Vera said lawyers involved in the case will have to decide if they want to appeal the ruling to a larger panel of the appellate court, ask the Supreme Court to review Tuesdays ruling, or return to Garcias court for a trial on the merits.

The state could also face more lawsuits if SB 4 results in civil rights violations after its implemented, he said.

Austin Bureau Chief Peggy Fikac and Staff Writer Allie Morris contributed to this report.
Bexar County commissioners on Tuesday approved funding for the countys portion of a public-safety radio system contract with the city of San Antonio and CPS Energy, ending months of uncertainty surrounding the countys choice to stick with the current provider or break from the city.

The commissioners decision came down to the extra cost of a separate proposal from Motorola Solutions, partnered with San Antonio-based Central Electric Enterprises & Co. The county could have faced $12 million in additional costs while ending a two-decade partnership with the city, County Manager David Smith told commissioners.

The city and county have sought for years to replace the current systems aging equipment with a newer, more technologically advanced radio network. The City Council voted Feb. 15 to award a $106 million contract for the new system to Dailey-Wells, the San Antonio-based company that built and maintains the radio system currently used by city and county public-safety personnel.

The councils approval left the contract in the hands of the county commissioners, who could either vote to fund their 22 percent of the contract, or decide on a riskier proposal from Motorola. Speaking before the court Tuesday, Smith laid out a slew of uncertain costs if the county were to split from the city.

We would be assuming the operational and potential financial risk that weve either misestimated the cost, misestimated the revenue, or there was some other operational risk that were unaware of, Smith said. We run our own system, and its our responsibility for the performance of that system for at least the next 15 years.

Some commissioners had expressed unease about the negotiation process between the city and county. Commissioner Kevin Wolff said the court had sought greater control over the new system and terms of the agreement, which the city has opposed because it was paying much more than the county.

We would have liked some different terms, theres no doubt about it, County Judge Nelson Wolff said after the meeting Tuesday. But sometimes there are times when youve got to eat the food thats brought to you. You may not like the damn spinach, but youve got to eat it.

The commissioners also wanted to avoid putting the city and countys law enforcement agencies on different systems, Nelson Wolff said. He called that a driving factor in the decision to stick with Dailey-Welles, which uses Harris Corp.-manufactured equipment.

Firefighters prefer the Motorola handsets, which tested better under fire-related conditions, according to a publicly funded Southwest Research Institute study commissioned by the city.

But the city, rating the two proposals on a 100-point matrix, put Dailey-Wells about five points better than Central Electric, a difference based in part on Dailey-Wells experience. Erik Walsh, deputy city manager, told the council that police officers slightly prefer the Harris system and both departments ranked Harris dispatch equipment as slightly better, the Express-News reported.

Shortly after the city approved the Dailey-Wells contract, all 10 of the countys emergency-service district chiefs authored a letter to Nelson Wolff and the commissioners urging them to break from the city and choose the Motorola system. They contended the scoring based on experience was subjective.

On Tuesday, ESD No. 3 deputy chief Dustin Beaudoin reaffirmed the chiefs support of the Motorola system.

For the past 15 years we have endured through garbled transmissions, countless false emergencies and equipment that cannot withstand the hazardous environments in which we operate daily, Beaudoin said. Each one of these slows progress on scene and puts the public and firefighters in greater danger. Four generations of Harris radios have failed us and continue to do so.

Richard Wells, the president and owner of Dailey-Wells, defended the Harris system. He noted that the contract gives the ESDs latitude to choose their preferred handsets, including Motorola.

The equipment is aged, its old, it has issues, I get it, Wells said. And thats why its important that we move forward on to a new system ... with brand new radios.

The county would have considered partnering with the ESDs, the Texas Department of Transportation and even other counties had the dissenting voices made contact earlier, Nelson Wolff said.

All the folks that were here saying, go on your own  none of them came forward over the last several months to say, let me share that with you, he said. If we could have made up for the $12 million, we might have very well gone the other way.
Some people, the ones who hate dragging themselves out of bed in the morning when its still dark, prefer standard time. Others, the ones who value long, sunny afternoons, favor daylight saving time.

But we can all agree on one thing: The semiannual turning of the clocks that sends us back and forth between those two times is an utter drag, a process that repeatedly disrupts our sleep patterns and bodily rhythms, alternately cheating us out of an hour and giving it back to us eight months later.

That process played out Sunday, when we lost an hour in order to shift from standard to daylight saving time.

Two days before that, San Antonio state Rep. Lyle Larson called for an end to the madness. Larson went on Facebook and declared his intention to introduce legislation that would keep Texas on a year-round daylight saving time schedule.

This will allow us all more time year-round to enjoy our lives outdoors, said Larson, an avid hunter who is basking in the political sunshine these days after fending off a Republican primary challenge from Hollywood Park Mayor Chris Fails. Larson dubbed his forthcoming bill the Texas Loves Sunshine Act of 2019.

Larsons Facebook post on Friday met with near-unanimous praise from his friends/followers, even those who dislike daylight saving time. As of Tuesday evening, he had more than 400 likes and 61 shares for his post, with many commenters saluting him simply for trying to create a year-round system for this state.

Weve been all over the place (with the schedules) over the last 50 years, so there is no rhyme or reason, Larson said Tuesday. From a safety standpoint, youd like to have more daylight.

The Florida Legislature passed a bill last week calling for year-round daylight saving time, but even if Gov. Rick Scott signs the measure, it will depend on federal action to go into effect.

A 1966 federal law  signed by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson  made our back-and-forth system uniform across this countrys various time zones. Individual states can be exempted from the law if they choose to stay on standard time throughout the year (a policy followed by Hawaii and most of Arizona), but to drop standard time and go exclusively with daylight saving time, they must get congressional approval.

That hurdle would also apply to Larsons proposal.

The United States introduced daylight saving time 100 years ago, as a wartime measure to reduce coal consumption.

That law not only created our system of turning the clocks forward every spring and back every fall, it also created a division between industrial areas (where daylight saving time generally was popular) and rural areas (where it was hated).

Farmers complained that daylight saving time played havoc with daily chores and they pressured federal lawmakers to repeal the law. In 1919, Congress complied, even overriding a veto from then-President Woodrow Wilson.

Over the next few decades, clock chaos reigned, as communities set up their own time systems. That created the impetus for the uniform schedule put in place by the 1966 law.

Even after the federal law went into effect, however, this country continued to tinker with time. In January 1974, with the U.S. suffering through an energy crisis, Congress decided to make daylight saving time a year-round proposition. Nine months later, facing a popular backlash, Congress repealed the plan.

Daylight saving time detractors complain that employing a daylight-saving schedule throughout the year would force kids to get to school in the dark during winter. And while the pro-daylight saving time crowd suggests that more daylight in the afternoons would reduce car accidents, the opposing side argues that forcing people to drive to work in the dark would create more accidents early in the day.

While its hard to find consensus on the merits of daylight saving time vs. standard time, theres clear evidence on the detrimental effects of perpetually shifting back and forth between the two systems. For example, a 2016 study by the American Academy of Neurology found that the overall rate of stroke went up 8 percent in the first two days after a daylight saving time transition.

A July 13, 1919, editorial in the Greensboro Daily News bemoaned the semiannual time shifts, saying they were responsible for almost limitless confusion.

Nearly 100 years later, the physical and neurological  if not the time-keeping  confusion persists. At long last, we need to pick a time and stick with it.
GREENWICH  As teens at Greenwich High School filed into the student center Wednesday morning for a unity rally for school safety, Christopher McDonnell stood out in the cold.

He was one of three students who left the building for 17 minutes  representative of the 17 people killed in the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

McDonnell indicated he chose not to join the GHS event in part because the involvement of school administration meant the demonstration would have to be completely nonpartisan.

Theres going to be no way theres actually a clear message that will get something done, he said. They wanted to send a message, but their message is now so watered down and so trivialized that its no longer a real, powerful message.

During the official GHS rally  which was closed to the public, including the media  Headmaster Chris Winters took the mic after a student sang the National Anthem.

Were gathered here today to show our support for the victims of the senseless school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and to raise our voice  our collective voice  for action, Winters said at the event, a video of which was released by the school district. We want the people in Parkland and other communities that have been ravaged by this violence to know that Greenwich High School stands with you and supports you.

The demonstration inside GHS  which was scheduled by administrators as part of the school day  was geared toward promoting youth advocacy, with a focus on school security.

After a moment of silence and a rendition of Taps, five students shared statements about school safety.

Our decision to collaborate with the GHS administration on this event was one easy to make. School safety affects all of us, after all, said Sophie Lindh, a member of Young Democrats who helped organize the event.

More for you Greenwich public schools block media from walkout

We refuse to be (a) GHS divided along petty, partisan lines, as school safety is strictly an apolitical issue, added student body president Greg Goldstein. Were here today to bond as a school, a community, a state and a nation to say enough is enough.

Several of the teens pushed for activism, though they did not point to specific policies or legislation.

It is time for us to lead, said Willa Doss. Show up and support the causes you believe in. Unequivocally demand your right to be heard. Attend rallies and protests. Research and get to know your local politicians and understand how their views align with that of your own.

Georgia Imperatore added, Maybe, high school is not only where we learn about the revolutionaries, but where we become them.

Kids who didnt want to participate in the assembly could convene in the media center, though McDonnell said a good number of his peers would probably remain in their classrooms to finish homework.

The choice is now having to be made to choose not to go, instead of the choice to go, and you lose that sense of sacrifice, he said. Ultimately, its just there to make it seem like GHS kids really care, but theyre following along instead of making a difference.

From outside, McDonnell said he spoke with other students who told him an actual walkout was a great idea. But when the time came, he watched them walk past the school doors and down the hall with everyone else.

Ultimately, they werent willing to put anything on the line, he said. I wanted to make it clear this issues important enough that missing 17 minutes of class should be a no-brainer.

At 10 a.m., students at thousands of schools across the nation walked out to protest gun violence. Across Fairfield County, students in Stamford, Darien, New Canaan and other towns left their classrooms.

Some of those demonstrations took place outside of schools, others in gymnasiums and auditoriums.

Closed event

On Tuesday afternoon, Greenwich school administrators announced that Wednesdays event would be closed to non-school personnel, including the media.

The directive came from Superintendent Jill Gildea. Teachers expressed disappointment over the decision.

Because the event was closed to the public, members of the Parent Teacher Association were not able to attend.

The GHS PTA supports the Greenwich High School students and their mission to make our schools safer, Co-President Maria Merrill wrote in a statement. We are proud of their initiative and their ability to stage a peaceful, inspiring, and powerful walkout and to discuss difficult issues in a mature manner.

On Tuesday night, Gildea reiterated to a reporter covering an event on the GHS campus that security was at the root of her choice to close the rally. When asked how reporters would pose a threat to school security, she shifted the dialogue, saying that kids need a place to express themselves without outside listeners.

A police officer in front of the school Wednesday morning allowed an adult onto school property; only after he noticed she was a member of the press did he insist she leave.

Multiple officers were on hand to ensure the safety of Greenwichs kids. To some students, their presence was warranted: After the rally, one straggler along Hillside Road said they had chosen not to attend because they felt paranoid that something might happen.

However, as he left GHS, Greenwich Police Departments Mark Zuccerella assured reporters there had been no security threat.

There never is, the lieutenant said. But he added, Anything like that would have been addressed.
STAMFORD  Seventeen white balloons stood in front of the stage at Rippowam Middle School Wednesday morning, one for each of those who died Feb. 14 following the mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

Exactly one month after the shootings, hundreds of students from Stamford High School, Westhill High and AITE participated in a nationwide walkout to recognize the Parkland victims and spark conversation about campus safety, mental health and gun control.

Nearly half of AITEs 700 students exited the school together and crossed the street to Rippowam, filling the auditorium. AITE senior class president Juliana Burke read the names of the 17 Parkland victims, and a moment of silence followed. Three on stage held signs, each with one word: Respect. Remember. Reflect. Then they listened to about 20 minutes of speeches by student leaders and Superintendent Earl Kim.

Whether you are here to advocate for gun control, to eradicate mental health stigmas or have no opinion on any matter, every opinion is accepted, Burke said. Above all of our own opinions, however, everyone here can agree that our top priority today is to honor the lives of the 17 victims that were taken at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

At Westhill, senior Samantha Hamilton urged fellow students to contact their local and state representatives to help effect change.

You shouldnt have to be old enough to vote to be heard in this country, she said. Everybody who is here today can make a difference if they take the time to stand up for their right to safety. We will be the generation to end mass shootings.

Stamford High Principal Ray Manka told district officials the walkout there went like clockwork, with students filling the stands of the gymnasium. At Westhill, students gathered on the soccer fields. District officials estimated about 90 percent of students at each of the public high schools participated in the walkout.

Augustus Doricko, a Stamford High junior who helped found SUPER  a group formed to give students representation on the issue of school security  said the union has tentatively planned a Stamford version of March for Our Lives on March 24 to try to end mass shootings. Doricko said SUPER is also organizing a town hall meeting for students from participating schools ranging from Greenwich to Weston to share their thoughts on school security.

At Stamford High... we succeeded in being as informative as we wanted to be, Doricko said. There was not too much partisanship on a contentious issue. It set a good precedent on further conversation.

Fellow SUPER member, Westhill junior Alyssa Goldberg, urged students to take action rather than waiting for the next mass shooting to happen.

We are saying it is enough, she said. We will no longer quietly wait for the next tragedy to strike to make a change. We must start to be proactive instead of reactive to ensure that an event like this never occurs again.

Tremendous success

Seth Christofor, a senior at the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering who is another founding member of SUPER, said its up to the students to help ensure the end of school shootings.

As student body president, I have a duty to speak on behalf of my peers and advocate the positions they hold, Christofor said. This walkout was a tremendous success in (achieving) that goal. I hope that students can take away the message for change that was spoken about (Wednesday). It's important to reflect on the tragedy that occurred in Parkland, and take every possible measure to ensure that such a thing will never happen again.

Christofor called the students the voters of tomorrow.

This country will no longer accept lackluster promises and ineffective legislation, Christofor said. Stopping gun violence should not be a political issue. This is about life or death. The students of this nation are no longer sitting idly while these violent acts continue to be committed. We are rising up. We may be young, but we are powerful.

Stamford teachers at five public schools supported the effort by staging their own walk-in before classes started on Wednesday morning. About 20 AITE teachers were joined outside the school by Kim, police officers and Stamford Education Association President Diane Phanos.

Teachers held signs for 15 minutes and shared their thoughts on school security and a held moment of silence for the Parkland victims as part of a Walk-Ins For Safe Schools event organized by the Connecticut Education Association.

AITE social studies teacher Claude Morest was among those who participated in the walk-in events.

I love our students so much that I believe they should live in a country where military-style weapons cannot be purchased by your average citizen, Morest said. I love our students so much that I want them to live in a country where all states carefully screen those who wish to purchase a firearm.

And I love our students so much that I join them in calling on Congress to pass meaningful reforms that will make school shootings something that is only taught in history classes alongside other injustices that have been abolished throughout our history.

March on Washington

In Washington, more than 2,000 high-school age protesters observed 17 minutes of silence outside the White House. The walkouts were the biggest demonstration of student activism since the Florida shootings.

Connecticut Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal praised the young people leading the resurgence of the gun-control movement, suggesting they were winning a place in history for themselves.

It is not going to be easy, Murphy said. There are going to be defeats before you reach final victory.

Blumenthal told the students they all deserved an A for their activism, and said he took pride in his F grade from the National Rifle Association.

After decades of pushing for limits on gun sales, I have never felt as close to victory as we are today, because of you, Blumenthal said. Because you have the energy and passion not just to walk out of school, but to walk into (the U.S. Capitol) and make change happen. Thats what its going to take.

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, who represents the Newtown area, said she was wearing green in honor of the 20 children killed in the 2012 mass-shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

You are making a difference  you are Americas leaders, she said. You know enough to say, Weve got to do better  Were going to change the law or were going to change whos in Congress.

Staff writer Dan Freedman and Westhill student Samantha Hamilton contributed to this report.
by Clinton Ho | Texans Correspondent | Tue, Mar 13th 5:04pm EDT

Donte Moncrief will reportedly sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars once free agency officially begins. (Adam Schefter on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

The biggest question now is where does Donte Moncrief fit in the Jaguars receiving corps? Despite the team losing Allen Robinson, they re-signed Marqise Lee, have up and comers in Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole, and they still have Allen Hurns as well. Don't forget that Blake Bortles isn't churning out fantasy star WRs and the team will still rely on the run as long as Leonard Fournette is healthy. This move will not help Moncrief's fantasy stock as much as some would have hoped had he'd gone to a different team.
by Anthony Cervino | Tue, Mar 13th 5:07pm EDT

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport is reporting the Arizona Cardinals have officially released RB Adrian Peterson. (Ian Rapoport on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

As expected, Peterson is a free agent for the second straight offseason. Arizona cut him on Tuesday. However, although he will turn 33 on March 21, I'm not sure Peterson is ready to hang up his cleats just yet. He could linger on the open market for a while though and not join a new club until training camp, as many veterans elect to do.
Farmers will face "serious financial consequences" if the Government presses ahead with cuts to farm payments post-Brexit, the CLA has said today.

The landowner organisation, including the NFU and the Tenant Farmers' Association (TFA), spoke at an influential group of MPs looking into the future of food, farming and the environment.

The CLA told the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) Select Committee inquiry into Defras Health and Harmony consultation today (14 March) that dramatic reductions in existing farm support would cause "irreparable harm" to thousands of businesses that would have "no time to adjust".

The organisation urged the Government to rethink its approach to capping farm payments so that no farming business, no matter how wealthy its owners are perceived to be, should face "sudden and dramatic" cuts.

Farmers will receive money to make improvements to the environment under a new system of subsidies, Defra Secretary Michael Gove announced earlier this year.

Under it, farmers will be rewarded for planting wildlife habitats, woods, wildflower meadows and other environmental benefits after Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019.

The government plans to guarantee that BPS payments will continue for a transition period in England, which should last a number of years beyond the implementation period, depending on consultation.

The implementation period is expected to start in March 2019 and end around 2 years later.

'Too fast-paced'

CLA President Tim Breitmeyer said the Government must rethink its current approach to transition to avoid forcing change that is "too fast-paced and aggressive."

The CLA supports the end to an acre-based basic payment system. For years we have been strong advocates of a new way that pays farmers and landowners for the public goods they provide, Mr Breitmeyer explained.

However, he said: No business, large or small, should face dramatic reductions and every business must be given sufficient time to absorb changes in their income profile.

Payment should be based on supporting what a business delivers, not the size of the business that receives the payment. Just because a business is larger than average does not mean it can afford to absorb sudden and significant financial losses without serious knock-on consequences such as job cuts and stopping necessary investment.

'Significant investment'

The CLA is also concerned by the drive to reduce the total amount of money invested in farming and land management "as an end in itself."

Mr Breitmeyer said the farming industry will need "significant investment" to deliver the government's wish of improved environmental benefits and the highest international standards of animal welfare.

The conversation should be about how we spend the money better, not how we reduce the amount spent, he said.

To this end, only money that is clearly necessary for transitional measures should be taken out of the budget and as far as possible businesses suffering reductions should have access to alternative schemes or other support.

The CLA President called for the level of payments for delivering public goods to derive a profit for farmers and landowners under the new policy.

He said: The welcome commitment of payment for public goods must be matched by a budget that is sufficient to ensure farmers and landowners are able to deliver them and make a profit.

Cutting the budget from existing levels would undermine the Governments ambition for this generation to leave the environment in a better state than they found it and severely limit the ability of farmers and landowners to deliver environmental improvement schemes as part of their business model. Farmers cant be green unless they are in the black.
The government will introduce a new bill mandating measures to improve the UK's soil health amid concerns that some areas are just decades away from the "eradication" of soil fertility.

Rebecca Pow, parliamentary private secretary to Defra ministers, told The Guardian that a section of the agriculture bill, due to be published later this year, will emphasise soil health.

Ms Pow indicated that the bill was likely to set a target of reversing soil fertility decline and restoring its health across the country by 2030.

She said: Healthy soil is essential, and there are ways of measuring it, such as the organic matter in the soil.

Farmers can be given incentives to improve soil management, such as by crop rotation. It has taken a long time but I think we have turned the corner on getting soil on the political agenda.

The bill will be the first attempt by a British government to emphasise the need to restore and maintain soil health.

'At the heart'

Farming minister George Eustice, who attended the Sustainable Soils Alliance event in Parliament on Tuesday (13 March), explained that the government will put soil "at the heart" of its agricultural strategy.

He said: When it comes to soil, we see a central plank in this huge new policy being around soil, and the connections between the way we manage our soils and our air quality, the way we care for our soils and our water quality.

Mr Eustice said that soil is "very dear" to his heart: In environment policy, it has been overlooked in recent decades. But principles of soil preservation have been passed down for generations, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

So to me soil is not just about science, but there is also a kind of art to it.

The farming minister has in the past said that British farming should go back to the "good-old days of locally tailored schemes" in order to forge a thriving agricultural policy.

He told a conference in 2017 that future principles should fuse "old-fashioned" farm husbandry, crop husbandry and soil husbandry but with the best genetics available today.

The type of thing my grandparents might have done, he said.

It's not about bolt-on cross-compliance measures, but going back to first principles with locally tailored schemes, possibly tailored round water catchments or landscape definitions.

'Eradication of soil fertility'

Defra Secretary Michael Gove has also weighed in on the issue of soil degradation. He said the UK will see the "fundamental eradication of soil fertility" because industrial farming has "damaged the earth".

Mr Gove said the UK is 30 to 40 years away from the "eradication" of soil fertility in parts of the country.

We have encouraged a type of farming which has damaged the earth, Mr Gove explained. Countries can withstand coups detat, wars and conflict, even leaving the EU, but no country can withstand the loss of its soil and fertility.

If you have heavy machines churning the soil and impacting it, if you drench it in chemicals that improve yields but in the long term undercut the future fertility of that soil, you can increase yields year on year but ultimately you really are cutting the ground away from beneath your own feet. Farmers know that.

The government's 25-Year Environment Plan states Englands soils must be managed sustainably by 2030, calling it an important step in the right direction towards restoring the UKs soils.
The Prime Minister has today recognised the importance of British food production to the nation and commended the work of "hard-working farmers".

During Wednesday' (14 March) Prime Minister's Questions, Theresa May acknowledged the "historic opportunity" Government has to deliver a farming policy that will work for the whole food industry.

These comments came in response to a question during PMQs from Neil Parish MP who asked if the Prime Minister agreed that British food is a public good.

The NFU President Minette Batters has welcomed todays comments from the Mrs May.

She said: British farmers are performing a vital role producing the raw ingredients for the nations largest manufacturing sector, food and drink.

It is essential that this is fully recognised by Government and I welcome the Prime Ministers support and thank Neil Parish for asking this important question during PMQs today.

Mrs Batters said that delivery a domestic farming policy that works for the whole industry is going to be "crucial" to the nations ability to produce food.

The NFU continues to make a strong case for a profitable, productive and competitive future for British farming, she said.

British farmers have a unique and irreplaceable role in producing 61% of the nations food while also looking after 70% of the nations land. The British public are rightly proud of the high quality British food that farmers produce.

We strongly believe that access to this safe, traceable and affordable food is a public right and essential to each and every one of us - meaning British food should be seen by Government as a public good.
First generation farmer and blog writer Rachel Watling has spoken about why women in British farming should be proud to work in the "biggest job in the world" today on International Women's Day. In her online blog, she writes the following...

This article had to begin with the result of Minette Batters breaking headlines a few weeks ago to become the first female NFU President  not to mention that it is also International Womens Day today!

I am heading to a Ladies in Agriculture event this evening at the Farmers Club in London. Sounds exciting, doesnt it? Well it is.

It is made up of a group of women working in agriculture that is headed up by Christine Tacon and organised by More People. Meeting three times a year to discuss business, offer support and network, the group has been very valuable to me as a young woman in agriculture.

Bishop Burton are also celebrating International Women's Day this evening, hosting a dinner on the topic of Facing Challenges Head-On, with two inspirational women speakers, Ann Daniels and NFUs Rachel Hallos.

The industry is not short of groups (including Twitter) or events supporting women in agriculture, such as the Womens Food and Farming Union, Norfolk Ladies in Agriculture, Women in Dairy, Ladies in Beef, Meat Business Women and so on. BBC Radio 4 even has a womens hour!

#PressforProgress

So, what is International Womens Day all about? Well, this years theme is #PressforProgress.

Probably a call to action out of the World Economic Forums 2017 Global Gender Gap Report, stating gender equality is some 200 years away. Really? Surely not at this day and age.

Historically a male orientated profession and now appearing in the press more and more, in 2017, according to The Guardian 28% of women make up the farming industry in the UK.

Some headlines to note: Why are herds of women conquering farming? and, This is a womans world! Meet the female farmers taking over the male-dominated industry by producing their own posh crisps, homemade pies and artisan ice creams

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) also reported that between 2010-2013 the number of female farmers rose by 10 per cent, amounting to more than 25,000.

A good measure for me was when I attended the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists John Deere Training Award in 2017. There were fourteen attendees; thirteen women and just one man. We still stay in touch on a WhatsApp group, where communication and support is in abundance.

'Support network like no other'

In 2016, The Oxford Farming Conference debated Agriculture is an Equal Opportunities Industry.

Given the majority of male farmers in the room, a close result was concluded with Ayes 175 against the Noes 158. Knowing the gender statistics in the room would be interesting, dont you think?

The CMI (Chartered Management Institute) have its very own dedicated CMI Women page on their website. The Why drive for gender diversity image brings a lot in to perspective in just six images, not forgetting this is not farming specific:

If you are a reading this and are a woman in farming, I am sure you will join me by saying you are proud to work in the sector and enjoy every minute of it.

If youre not, then join us! Farming is the biggest job in the world and as youve read in this article, there is a support network like no other.

Rachel Watling is a first generation farmer and blog writer who works in marketing and communications at Map of Agriculture.
Survey shows demand for net zero actions in ELMs

Most farmers want to see more net zero measures
Mallika Sherawat was in Los Angeles, USA, to attend a friend's bash and little did she know that even Paris Hilton would attend the party and it turned out they were indeed mutual friends. Reports state that Mallika Sherawat and Paris Hilton had an endless conversation and bonded immediately so much so that, Paris even flaunted her engagement ring to Mallika and praised her beau Chris Zylka.

Talking about the bash, Mallika Sherawat said, "I had a blast partying with Paris. She is such a great person and so much fun to be with. We loved talking about her work and she was very interested in the projects I was involved with. She showed me her beautiful 10-carat pear-shaped engagement ring and I absolutely loved it." Well, aren't sweet dreams made of these, folks?
Rani Mukerji's is one of the rare actresses, who made a strong comeback post marriage. She featured in Mardaani, a female-oriented film and left the critics as well as the audience in awe of herself.

The actress is all set to amuse the audience with her upcoming film, Hichki and over a week before the release of her film, Rani Mukerji received the 'Pride Of Bengal' (Aparajita 2018) award and said she, like others, had faced hiccups in the early stage of her life.

Rani, who visited Kolkata to receive the award, said she used to stammer in her childhood. "There is no life without hiccups. My hiccup in life was my stammering at childhood. But we must overcome the hiccup and turn that into your strength," she said.

About the Siddharth Malhotra directed 'Hichki', she said, it is such a film that has the potential of both educating and entertaining the audience.

"Hichki has an important message. And it is an honour to get such an award over a week before the film's release," she said about the award.

Hichki features Rani as Naina Mathur, a self-motivated teacher who suffers from Tourette syndrome. It is a neurological disorder characterised by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements.

Stating that she found the new status of motherhood fulfilling, Rani told the audience "This is a new innings of my life - the next 22 years - as mother and as an actor. This phase comes after 22 years of acting career."

Rani said she has been trying to introduce her husband Aditya Chopra to Bengali habits and language. "But he is yet to learn how to eat 'ilish machh' (hilsha)."

Actor-director Nandita Das, who got the 'You Inspire' (Aparajita 2018) award said, "Why this award is special to me? It tells me whether you are called an actor, social activist, director, be as you are. Feel confident in what you are."
The Question..!

It was in the General Knowledge question paper for class VII students that a question related to the Mammootty starrer Varsham had appeared. The students were asked to write down the first Malayalam song which was released through WhatsApp.

The Answer..!

Well, the first Malayalam song to be released through WhatsApp was none other than the song Koottu Thedi, from the Mammootty starrer Varsham. The song sung by Sachin Varrier was penned by MR Jayageetha and set to tune by Bijibal.

Ranjith Sankar's Facebook Post Regarding The Same

Interestingly, popular film-maker Ranjith Sankar, who directed the Mammootty starrer, took to Facebook to reveal this interesting piece of information. On his Facebook post, regarding the same, the popular film-maker also posted a photo of the question paper.

More About Varsham...

Varsham was well-appreciated upon its release. The film, which was scripted by Ranjith Sankar himself featured Mammootty in the role of a financier named Venu. The movie was high on performances and had also put forward quite a few important messages. Interestingly, Varsham was also the first Malayalam film to be released in UAE/GCC theatres on the very same day of its release in India.
Yeh Hai Mohabbatein Team To Shoot Abroad Again

Apparently, Divyanka Tripathi, Karan Patel and Anita Hassanandani will be travelling to London to shoot a sequence. There are also reports that Abhishek Verma and Krishna Mukherjee might also travel with them.

YHM SPOILER: Raina Continues To Blackmail Raman

According to the spoiler that is doing the rounds, Raina continues blackmailing Raman, who gets worried. She asks Raman to kill her husband or else she would kill Ishita.

Raman Decides To Kill Raina!

Raman gets protective about Ishita and decides to kill Raina to save his family. As soon as Raman leaves the house with a gun to kill Raina, Simmi plots her plan. She makes Ishita follow Raman.

Ishita In Danger!

One of the spoilers suggests that, Ishita will meet with an accident because of Raman! According to another spoiler, Ishita gets shot as she tries to stop Raman from committing the crime (she doesn't want him to shoot Raina).

Raman Sent To Mental Asylum!

At the hospital, the doctors declare that Ishita is in critical condition and the Iyers lash out at Raman as they feel that he is responsible for her condition. Now, Raman feels that he himself is a danger to his family and asks them to admit him to the mental asylum.

Will Bala Commit Suicide?

Simmi and Param continue to plot against Ishita, Raman and their families. Param makes Bala guilty as he doesn't earn much! There is also buzz that Bala might commit suicide!
(ASX:PCL)

Pancontinental Oil & Gasis a junior oil and gas company with a portfolio of projects, in USA (California) and Africa (Namibia). All of its projects are independent to each other, have low entry costs and can be quick to drill and develop for commercial production.The companys large resource potential, offshore oil projects are also funded through their international partners, with three of its projects fully funded.Pancontinental Oil & Gas John Begg CEO & Executive Director talks its projects in California, which can support natural gas flows for commercial development. The company also announces that they also discovered additional zones which have better reservoir characteristics.To learn more, watch the interview with John Begg.
Delta Flash Sale: U.S. to South America for 36,000 to 48,000 SkyMiles

Get your SkyMiles balance ready because Delta Air Lines is running another flash sale, and this time its on award flights from the continental United States to South America.

Redemptions start at 36,000 SkyMiles for a round-trip in economy cabin to South America North and at 48,000 miles for a trip to South America South. As you know, the Delta SkyMiles program has done away with award charts, and its hard to tell whether an award sale is really a sale, but this is a solid deal. Typical Level 1 awards to South America go for 55,000 to 60,000 miles per round-trip, depending on if youre traveling to the southern or the northern part of the continent.

To get the aforementioned redemption rate, you must book your awards on Delta.com by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 14 and travel between Aug. 15 and Oct. 31. There are no blackout dates, but a Saturday stay is required.

Destinations include Santiago, Chile; Quito, Ecuador; Lima, Peru; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Bogota, Colombia; Rio de Janeiro; Sao Paulo; and Cartagena, Colombia.

Lets look at some examples.

Its easier to find these flight deals if youre located in a Delta hub. For example, those who live in Atlanta can fly non-stop to Bogota and back for just 36,000 miles + $75 in taxes. If this isnt a steal, I dont know what is.

New Yorkers looking to visit Peru and perhaps hike the Inca Trail to the Machu Picchu citadel can fly to Lima and back by redeeming 48,000 SkyMiles + $74 per person for travel in October with a stop in Atlanta in both directions.

A round-trip from the U.S. to Argentina requires 60,000 SkyMiles at Level 1, but these awards can be booked for 48,000 miles. For example, Salt Lake City residents can book a round-trip to Buenos Aires in August with one stop in Atlanta for 48,000 SkyMiles + $97.

This months flash sale has got many South American destinations covered, and the redemptions rates are great. If you have a stash of SkyMiles in your account already and you want to book one of these flights, dont wait too long. The sale is available for just two days and you have until March 14 to finalize your travel plans.
What happened

Shares of BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC) jumped on Tuesday, rising more than 18% at 10:45 a.m. EDT, after the company agreed to buy privately held Cedar Creek.

So what

BlueLinx Holdings announced that it agreed to acquire Cedar Creek from Charlesbank Capital Partners for $413 million, which includes $345 million in cash and $68 million in value from capital leases. Cedar Creek, which is a leading building-product wholesale distributor, will enhance BlueLinx's product offerings, capabilities, and geographic reach.

The deal will also be significantly and immediately accretive to earnings, and should continue adding to the bottom line over the next 18 months as BlueLinx captures an estimated $50 million in annual cost savings. Further, the added scale positions the combined company for accelerated growth in the coming years, especially as the housing market continues improving.

Now what

The driver of this deal is that the two companies can capture significant cost savings through their increased scale. For perspective, Cedar Creek generated $60 million in earnings last year but could see that number climb to $110 million by combining with BlueLinx. And because it's tacking on a boatload of new debt to complete this deal, a lot is riding on BlueLinx to quickly capture these cost savings. If it falls short, or the housing market stalls, shares could give back today's gains quickly. Alternatively, investors might want to consider these lower risk housing-related stocks instead.
Natural gas pipeline MLP Spectra Energy Partners (NYSE:SEP) has quietly produced excellent results for income investors over the years. Just last month, for example, the company announced its 41st consecutive distribution increase. With that raise, the company now yields an attractive 7.4%.

However, despite that outstanding history of delivering steady income growth for investors, the company has spent much of its existence in the shadows. First, because it was an underling of Spectra Energy and more recently as one of several master limited partnerships controlled by Canadian energy infrastructure giant Enbridge (NYSE:ENB), which bought its former parent last year. That relationship with Enbridge will likely cause many investors to continue overlooking Spectra Energy Partners' potential, which is a shame given the lucrative income stream it throws off each year.

Spectra Energy Partners 101

Spectra Energy formed Spectra Energy Partners more than a decade ago to grow its oil and gas pipeline business. It has done just that over the years, becoming one of the largest pipeline MLPs in the country, operating more than 15,000 miles of gas pipelines as well as some oil lines and storage assets, which combined to produce more than $1.5 billion in cash flow last year. That was enough money to cover the company's high-yielding payout by a comfortable 1.2 times. Add in the fact that Spectra Energy Partners has a solid investment grade balance sheet backed by a low leverage ratio, and its distribution is on solid ground.

While Enbridge acquired Spectra Energy Partners' former parent last year, it doesn't expect to make any changes to the MLP's focus, which will remain primarily on owning and operating U.S. natural gas pipelines. Instead, the only change has been the elimination of its costly management fees in a transaction completed earlier this year. That deal should lower Spectra's cost of capital, making it cheaper for the company to build or buy assets in the coming years.

What's coming down the pipeline

With that simplification transaction now in the rearview mirror, Spectra Energy Partners' focus going forward will be on expanding its pipeline network. The company currently has $2.5 billion of expansion projects under way, with $2 billion of them expected to enter service this year, led by the $1.3 billion Nexus pipeline. Those growth projects should boost cash flow up to $1.8 billion by 2020, providing the company with the money to steadily increase its distribution. In fact, it plans on raising the payout 7% this year and at a 4% to 6% rate through 2020 while maintaining a conservative 1.1 to 1.2 coverage ratio.

That said, Spectra Energy Partners could potentially grow the payout at an even faster rate if it secures additional projects. One area of focus is in New England, where the company noted in its last earnings release that "natural gas pipeline capacity scarcity and system reliability remains a primary issue." The company is exploring solutions for the region and could invest $1 billion to $3 billion in projects over the next five years. The company also has development opportunities in the southeast and Gulf Coast to expand its gas pipeline network, which could yield $3 billion to as much as $6 billion in future projects.

In addition to these organic expansion opportunities, Spectra Energy Partners could also acquire assets from Enbridge or third-parties in the coming years. Enbridge, for example, owns several gas pipelines in the U.S. that it could eventually drop down to Spectra Energy Partners to free up capital for other growth projects. Meanwhile, Spectra Energy Partners could look outside the organization and acquire rivals, assets, or stakes in expansion projects to boost growth in the coming years.

One of the most compelling times to consider buying in years

Thanks to its most recent distribution increase, and a double-digit dip in value over the past few months, Spectra Energy Partners currently trades at its most compelling level in years. In fact, its yield hasn't been this high since the end of 2015 when the oil market was going haywire. That suggests now is one of the better times to considering buying Spectra Energy Partners to lock in a lucrative distribution that should continue increasing at a mid-single-digit rate over the next few years. That income with upside could potentially fuel market-beating returns for investors from here.
From Soviet Union to modern cities Tbilisi, Baku, Yerevan and their skyscrapers - GeorgianJournal
Yes, I believe the system is easily compromised and additional verification is necessary to prevent fraud.

Yes. While I believe the system is secure, it could help prevent challenges to election results.

No, I believe the system is very secure and the additional expenditure is a waste of taxpayer money.

Vote

View Results
Defeat of ISIS 'Within Our Grasp,' Centcom Commander Says

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2018  The United States and its partners have made significant progress in Iraq and Syria, but investments are needed to ensure the gains endure, the commander of U.S. Central Command said today.

U.S., coalition and local partners have made immense contributions to security in the Centcom region, the "most complex area on the globe," Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee in a fiscal year 2019 budget hearing.

"In the past year, we have achieved incredible success against [the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] in both Iraq and Syria," the general told lawmakers.

Votel commended the Iraqi security forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces for their steadfast efforts, noting they are "operating at their most effective levels."

They have liberated over 98 percent of the territory previously held by ISIS, he said.

"The destruction of the ISIS physical caliphate is within our grasp," Votel said.

'Cleareyed' About Challenges

Investments in the security forces, relationships and capabilities are needed to hold territory and ensure the terrorists do not return, Votel said.

"As we consolidate our gains in places like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, we remain cleareyed about the challenges that the region continues to present," Votel said.

He noted many areas of concern in the region, including terrorism, violent conflicts, massive refugee populations, economic stagnation, social upheaval, great power competition, nuclear and ballistic missile threats, humanitarian crises and radical violent ideologies.

Focus on Afghanistan

Bringing the defeat-ISIS campaign to a responsible close, according to Votel, would allow the prioritization of implementing the South Asia strategy in Afghanistan.

"Military success in the campaign presents us an opportunity to reposition forces from Iraq and Syria to Afghanistan in a manner that keeps the pressure on ISIS but also sets us up to break the stalemate in Afghanistan," he said.

The South Asia strategy reaffirms the enduring U.S. commitment to Afghanistan by reinforcing the two complementary military missions -- the NATO-led train, advise and assist mission and the U.S. defeat-terrorism mission, he said.

"With our support, the Afghan national defense and security forces are well postured to begin operations to seize the initiative to expand population control and secure credible elections," Votel said.

Iranian, Russian, Chinese Influence

Iran's malign activities across the Centcom region pose a long-term threat to stability, Votel said. Centcom seeks to align military efforts with broader interagency and international activities to "neutralize, counterbalance and shape the destabilizing impact of Iran," he said.

The National Defense Strategy, he pointed out, identifies the resurgence of great power competition as the principal national security challenge.

He pointed to Russian activities in Syria, saying Moscow's support of the Assad regime is propping up the regime and adding complexity to the defeat-ISIS campaign.

"Moscow plays both arsonist and firefighter, fueling tensions among the Syrian regime, Iran, Turkey, the Syrian Democratic Forces, the United States and other coalition partners, then serving as a supposed arbiter to resolve disputes," he said.

Russia's "manipulative behavior" has placed progress at risk with activities that are not focused on the defeat of ISIS, but rather on preserving its "influence and control over the outcome of the situation," he said.

China is pursuing long-term steady economic growth in the Centcom region and improving its military posture and force projection, he said.

China and Russia are seeking to fill perceived gaps in U.S. influence while cultivating "multidimensional ties to Iran," Votel said.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Africom, Partners Fight Violent Extremists, Other Threats

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, March 13, 2018  The U.S. military is working with its African partners to strengthen security and counter violent extremist organizations and other threats to the continent, the commander of U.S. Africa Command said at on Capitol Hill today.

Africom's area of responsibility covers 53 countries with complex and varied issues, Marine Corps Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

"The U.S. interests in Africa are reflected in our mission statement," he said. "Africom, with partners, strengthens security forces, counters transnational threats and conducts crisis response in order to advance U.S. national interests and promote regional security, stability and prosperity in Africa."

He pointed out the mission statement deliberately highlights the importance of working with partners. "Very few, if any, of the challenges on the African continent can be resolved through the use of exclusive military force," he told the Senate panel.

The command, he noted, provides training, advice and assistance to the G5 Sahel countries -- an institutional framework for coordination of regional cooperation in development policies and security matters in central Africa -- and the multinational joint task force to help contain violent extremists and secure borders.

"While African nations have enormous potential, they are often challenged by instability and exploitation stemming from the disruption caused by violent extremist organizations," the general said. "These VEO groups take advantage of vast ungoverned spaces and recruit from populations lacking economic opportunities."

Honoring Fallen Service Members, Partners

Waldhauser said he has completed the review of an investigation surrounding the deaths of four U.S. Army soldiers in an ambush last year in Niger. He said he forwarded the report to the secretary of defense through the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Once the secretary completes his review and after the families have been briefed, I intend to provide a comprehensive and detailed account of the investigation to you as soon as practicable," he said.

Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, Sgt. La David T. Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright were conducting a train, advise and assist mission with Nigerien forces Oct. 4 when they came under attack by a group linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during an Oct. 23 news conference at the Pentagon.

Waldhauser honored the fallen soldiers as well as a Navy special warfare operator, Kyle Milliken, who was killed May 5, 2017, during an operation against the al-Shabab terrorist group in a remote area west of Mogadishu, Somalia.

In addition, the general paid tribute to the many African forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against extremists and in pursuit of security.

"We honor their commitment, service and dedication to duty," he said. "I offer my sincere condolences to the families of our fallen U.S. comrades and those of our African partners."

Africom is 'Postured and Ready'

Africom remains "postured and ready" to respond to contingencies and protect U.S. personnel and facilities on the continent, Waldhauser said.

He explained the command is updating its strategy and theater campaign plan to reflect the guidance provided by the secretary of defense, in accordance with the National Defense Strategy.

He discussed operations on the continent, including contributions to international efforts to help Somalia implement its recently designed national security architecture.

"Al-Shabab remains a threat to Somalia and the region, as demonstrated by their October 2017 bombing in Mogadishu that killed over 500 people," he said. "The challenges facing the federal government of Somalia are enormous."

Somalia's government continues to slowly make progress, he said, but there is a "long way to go before they are prepared to secure their own territory."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Moscow: NATO planning to create 'military Schengen' near Russia

Iran Press TV

Tue Mar 13, 2018 09:38AM

A senior Russian military official says NATO has a new priority of creating a "military Schengen" to enable the rapid deployment of military forces and hardware near Russian borders.

"The new priority of the military-political leadership of NATO is the improvement of the logistics and transport infrastructure within Europe, and the creation of the so-called 'military Schengen' area," Russia's Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Alexander Fomin said in an interview with the daily Krasnaya Zvezda on Monday.

"The essence of the 'military Schengen' is to move troops to Russian borders within the shortest period of time possible," Fomin said, adding that that was the conclusion of the Russian military leadership.

He said stocks of weapons, ammunition, and food were being prepared for the rapid deployment of an additional NATO contingent of troops to various parts of Europe.

Currently, the US-led military alliance has coordination centers in Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.

The American commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe claimed last week that Moscow was engaged in an attempt to "change the world order."

"Russia is working hard to change the world order, divide NATO, and undermine US leadership in order to defend its regime. Russia aspired to maintain dominance over its neighbors, and to achieve greater control around the world," said US Army General Curtis Scaparrotti while testifying at a hearing before the US Senate's Armed Services Committee on March 8.

He accused Russia of having "the willingness and capability" to interfere in countries that neighbor it.

Relations between the West and Russia nosedived to their lowest since the days of the Cold War after armed conflict began in Ukraine in 2014. Western countries have been brandishing the so-called "Russia threat" ever since to justify the deployment of forces on NATO's so-called eastern flank, i.e. near Russia's western borders.

Russia has viewed such military activity with concern, saying that Western countries seek to encircle it.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US Defense Secretary Mattis makes unannounced visit to Afghan capital

Iran Press TV

Tue Mar 13, 2018 09:06AM

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has arrived in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, on an unannounced visit.

The visit on Tuesday comes amid talk of dialog between the Afghan government and the Taliban militant group.

Speaking shortly before arriving in Kabul, Mattis said Taliban was "interested" in talking to the Afghan government.

This is while the Taliban have so far refused to talk to Kabul, despite an offer of direct dialog from President Ashraf Ghani.

Mattis claimed, nevertheless, that some militant elements were open to negotiations.

"It may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop, that would be a bridge too far, but there are elements of the Taliban clearly interested in talking to the Afghan government," he said, without explaining who those elements were or how he knew about their alleged interest.

Ghani has even offered to recognize the Taliban as a legitimate political group if the militant outfit recognized the Afghan government.

Before Ghani made his offer, the militants had in an offer of their own called for direct talks with the US to find a "peaceful solution" for the conflict in Afghanistan.

Mattis said that Washington wanted Kabul to lead any "reconciliation effort."

US-led forces invaded Afghanistan and toppled a ruling Taliban regime some 17 years ago. That ongoing war has failed to bring stability to the country despite the presence of thousands of foreign forces. A recent survey found that the militants were active in two-thirds of the country and were fully controlling four percent of it.

The US defense secretary said that Washington was looking forward to "a political reconciliation not a military victory."

"The victory will be a political reconciliation," he claimed, as the US-led war drags on.

US President Donald Trump had long campaigned on a promise of ending the Afghan war. When he took office, though, he made a U-turn on that pledge. Last August, Trump said he would allow increased troop numbers in Afghanistan. The US Department of Defense then announced in November that about 3,000 additional American troops had been deployed to Afghanistan under Trump's new "strategy" for the country, raising the number of American troops in the war-torn country to at least 14,000.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US Defense Chief Makes Unannounced Visit to Kabul

By Ayesha Tanzeem March 13, 2018

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made an unannounced visit to Kabul Tuesday, in the first trip by a Trump administration official to Afghanistan since President Ashraf Ghani offered to hold peace talks with the Taliban.

Ghani, in a conference late last month called the Kabul Process, involving representatives of 25 countries along with the United States and NATO, offered the Taliban political recognition, help in removing their names from international sanctions lists, passports, jobs, and a political office in Kabul if they renounce violence and come to the table.

The Taliban have not yet officially responded to that offer.

But while traveling to Kabul, Mattis told reporters there were signs elements of the Taliban were interested in negotiations. He acknowledged that these were small groups, not the main Taliban faction led by Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.

"It may not be that the whole Taliban comes over in one fell swoop. That may be a bridge too far to expect. But there are elements of the Taliban clearly interested in talking to the Afghan government," he said.

Monday, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told a bi-weekly meeting attended by the ministers and their deputies that the government has not received a positive response from the militant group.

The Taliban have also not yet applied to attend an end of March meeting in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent, the Uzbek foreign ministry said according to Reuters. Participants in the meeting are expected to put their weight behind calls for direct negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.

The Taliban have said they will only talk to the United States and not what they call its puppet regime in Kabul.

Mattis, who is expected to meet NATO and Afghan leadership, arrived a day after the Taliban briefly overran a western Afghan district, a battlefield success the insurgents failed to achieve in 2017.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China unveils cabinet reshuffle plan

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 11:24, March 13, 2018

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday unveiled a massive cabinet reshuffle plan to make the government better-structured, more efficient, and service-oriented.

The institutional reform plan of the State Council will be submitted to the on-going first session of the 13th National People's Congress for deliberations.

There will be 26 ministries and commissions of the State Council after the reshuffle, according to a document on the plan available to media.

Among the new entities are a ministry of natural resources, a ministry of veterans affairs, and a ministry of emergency management.

There will be also new administrations under the State Council, such as an international development cooperation agency, and a state immigration administration. Compared with the current setup, the number of ministerial-level entities is reduced by eight and that of vice-ministerial-level entities by seven, according to the document.

The reform, which aims to push forward the institutional restructuring in key areas, will strengthen the government's functions on economic management, market supervision, social management, public service, and ecological and environmental protection, it says.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN urges new, 'post-ISIL' Iraq to draw on diversity, support religious minorities

13 March 2018 - As Iraq rebuilds after defeating a terrorist group, the country must draw on its religious diversity and protect minorities, including Yezidi and Christians, a senior United Nations official has said.

"Iraq needs all its components, all its ethnic and religious groups, to rebuild in the post-Da'esh period and prosper in the future as a stable and united country," said the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, Jan Kubis, in a press release issued Monday.

He urged the authorities to proactively support these communities and ensure the return of minorities who had been persecuted by the terrorist group, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Millions of Iraqis have been displaced since the rise of ISIL and due to a battle to oust the terrorists.

His call comes in the wake of recent criminal and terrorist acts that targeted members of minority communities in Iraq.

Last Thursday, three Christian family members were killed in Baghdad by armed men who stormed their house and stabbed them to death. In the past three years, Christians, particularly in Ninewa Governorate, suffered from the Da'esh terrorism.

Christians are one of the ancient communities in this country, dating back to the early days of Christianity and Mesopotamia. This indigenous community, which in the 1980s counted almost 1.3 million, has dwindled to an estimated 400,000 today, according to community leaders.

Also last week, a member of the Sabean Mandaean community was kidnapped from his shop in Baghdad and his body was later found on a street. In Nassiriyah in the country's south, another Sabean Mandaean was stabbed at his shop but survived after his Muslim neighbours came to his aid.

"Iraq draws its strength from its cultural and religious diversity, and its rich history. This treasure should be protected and nurtured by the Government and the people of Iraq," Mr. Kubis said.

"There is no place for intolerance and discrimination, for targeting and suppressing minorities," he added, urging the Government to support and protect Yezidi, Christians, Shabak, Sabean Mandaeans, and other minorities.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Myanmar says UN reports on rights violations lack credibility

Iran Press TV

Tue Mar 13, 2018 01:33PM

Myanmar's government has once again rejected allegations of abusing the rights of minorities in the country, saying the United Nations' new findings on the issue are unreliable.

Zaw Htay, a spokesman of the government in Yangon, said on Tuesday that two reports presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva a day earlier simply lacked credibility.

One of the reports by UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee said that Myanmar's army, backed by Buddhist mobs, committed acts in a months-long crackdown against Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine that "bear the hallmarks of genocide." The crackdown, which followed several attacks in August against border and police posts by suspected Rohingya fighters, forced around 700,000 people to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The UN has already designated the crackdown as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

However, Htay said the report by Lee was a repetition of her previous accusations against Myanmar, which the official described as "biased, one-sided and unfair." Htay said the government would no longer cooperate with Lee.

Htay also rejected the methodology of the reports, especially the one carried out by the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar, chaired by former Indonesian Attorney-General Marzuki Darusman, which was based on hundreds of accounts by victims and witnesses of reported human rights violations, as well as satellite imagery, photographs and video footage. Researchers of the mission also based their conclusions on interviews with refugees and others in Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand as the government barred them from entering the country.

The mission said in its report that there was a similar pattern for rights violations across Myanmar, adding that events in the states of Rakhine, Kachin and Shan were all "products of a longstanding, systemic pattern of human rights violation and abuse in Myanmar."

Htay admitted that rights violations actually took place in Myanmar against minorities, but he insisted that methods used by the Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar were not credible.

"We are not denying rights violations but we are asking for strong, fact-based, and trustworthy evidence on the allegations they are making," said Htay.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Contentious electoral bill passes Turkish parliament, brawl erupts at legislature

Iran Press TV

Tue Mar 13, 2018 11:19AM

Turkish lawmakers have approved controversial legislation that will overhaul existing electoral regulations, amid angry reactions by opposition politicians who say the new law would facilitate fraud.

Following the announcement of the voting result by the parliament's Deputy Speaker Aysenur Bahcekapili on Tuesday, fighting broke out between nationalist legislators and those from the main opposition parties. A number of MPs started a fist fight and shoved and chased one other in the chamber.

The newly-passed law formally authorizes the establishment of electoral alliances, paving the way for the ruling AK Party to join forces with their nationalist allies. The ratification was widely anticipated given the combined support for the legislation by the AKP and the nationalist MHP.

This is while government critics have voiced caution over the law since it grants the High Electoral Board the authority to combine electoral districts and transfer ballot boxes to other districts.

Additionally, ballots will be admissible without the stamp of the local electoral board, legitimizing a decision made during a 2017 referendum that provoked widespread outcry among government critics as well as concerns from election monitors.

The law further provides for security forces to gain entry into polling station when invited by a voter, a measure that Ankara claims will stamp out intimidation by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in the mostly Kurdish-populated southeast.

Meanwhile, opposition MPs, including those from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), have emphasized that the presence of police forces at polling stations would likely be used to make vote counting less transparent.

Moreover, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) has warned that such measures could lead to ballot boxes being moved out of districts where the HDP enjoys strong support.

Prior to the voting, opposition lawmaker Muharrem Erkek censured the new bill, insisting that it would "shake the security of the ballots at the core," while "fair representation is being abolished."

The government has defended the new changes as necessary to ensure "electoral security" in Turkey's southeast, citing an insurgency by Kurdish militants in the region.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously managed to secure changes in Turkey's constitution to establish a new presidential system and abolish the once-powerful office of the prime minister.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Author of 'In The Early World ' possibly the best book written about education anywhere. ..

The life and times of Elwyn Richardson and the history of creative education in New Zealand by Margaret Mac Donald is also available.

of what is possible , in an era when teachers feel increasingly shackled by forces beyond their control.

important book reveals the rich soil from which our best ideas and practices came. It is a timely reminder



In the mid seventies Elwyn visited Taranaki to meet up with teachers who were interested in his ideas about creative teaching. I have just come across some notes I made during a talk he gave in 1976 and published in 2007 before the introduction of National Standards which has distracted teachers.

His ideas still seem as relevant as ever .

Below are my 'interpretation' of Elwyn's ideas, written at the time, but you will get the 'message'.

creators' of their own knowledge . Sooner or later the emphasis will be placed on developing the full range of talents and intelligences of all students if we really want to be an innovative and creative country .

My advice is to buy his book -and to imagine what he could have achieved with modern information media. I visit numbers of classes with lots of ICT 'bling' and 'higher order thinking skills' but with few products of genuine creative teaching to be seen .

Back to Elwyn's ideas.

'Normal' teaching, Elwyn believes, results in a loose commitment to teacher tasks and, as a result, many students develop a low level of achievement and

personal satisfaction.

A 'good' classroom should develop in students a personal commitment to their learning.





Teachers can do this through: talking, discussion, focusing students' attention, helping them look closely at things,by taking trips into the immediate environment, and by tapping their personal experiences. From such activities students develop ideas to research and share and emotional feeling to express through words, poems, paintings and other art media.

Such classrooms create a 'creative outlook' that values students ideas across all learning areas.





Teachers in such an environment develop a 'master/apprenticeship' relationship with their students and do all they can to help them to plan their own activities. Teachers need to learn to value the experiences that students bring New Plymouth Pioner teacher Bill G with them to school and to make use of such areas of interest in personal writing, literacy, art and, possibly, to develop studies around. s and do all they can to help them to plan their own activities. T

Teacher expectation is important.





Students pick up feelings about what teachers value and what they expect; they are expert at reading the 'emotional atmosphere' of the room. True learning is learning how you feel about things and how to control, develop, or express your feelings appropriately. The best experiences are the student's own experiences. All too often these are ignored as teachers impose the own topics or subjects.





Class organisation

In some parts of the world some teachers have gone too far and make little contribution to helping their students develop their ideas resulting in superficial learning. Elwyn believes there is a time for the teacher to contribute and that students need the security of a loose timetable with some fixed points. Too much freedom can lead to brand of anarchy.

(Today the problem is too much teacher input with : exemplars, criteria, objectives, testing, imposed 'intentions! . WALTS, feedback and feedforward leading to well done but hardy creative products.The teachers role has become benignly oppressive. This formulaic standardised teaching has been destructive of student creativity)

Formulaic /standardised teaching.

Elwyn believes strongly that students need to be helped to identify with their natural environment.





To do this teachers need to collect natural things of interest and introduce them into their classrooms. By encouraging students to look closely at such things, taking advantage of their natural curiosity, students learn to make use of their senses, develop visual observational skills and become pattern conscious.





Drawings and poetic thoughts will capture such ideas and will in turn lead to enriching students vocabulary and language facility generally. With such skills in place trips to the immediate environment become far more productive, children able to notice grass movements, patterns at the beach or bush, tyre marks and shells and to respond to them creatively.

( These is the experiences that far too any of our 'modern students miss out on.)

Elwyn expressed concern that due to learning becoming over intellectualized ( and therefore available to be assessed), that intuitive thought was in danger of being neglected. There was, he felt, a danger of learning becoming too conceptualized and that this would result in damaging students' intuition and creativity. That it would result in the neglect or downplaying of the creative arts.

(Which has happened)





'Creativity has to be engendered'

.

Returning to the teachers role Elwyn said that creativity is not about letting students 'rip into things' Creativity , he said, has to be engendered - it is a way of resolving things; a kind of release. He mentioned a quote that said, 'We have no art we do every thing as well as we can'.





About year three, he believes, children begin to identify with excellence and to learn from other children. We, as teachers, need to help students develop a sense of personal excellence.Teachers ought not be too good a judge.Talk about their art, or language, but be careful not to take decisions away from the students.





Help them make their own choices and to consider what they might do differently 'next time'. But, equally, don't be too weak a judge. Be positive,

joyful,even jealous of their talents; allow yourself to speak. Our own education, Elwyn said, all too often has dammed our own aesthetic values.

Use the classroom environment to provide positive reinforcement of excellence. Display the best of each students work on the classroom walls. Publish their work. Be respectful of their thoughts. Talk with the about their work , get them to share it with others. Enjoy their creativity.

We need to help our students see beauty everywhere.





We need to get our students out into their environment but, to do this, we have to be aware as teachers ourselves.

Elwyn concluded with a few things to do:

Read poems -enjoy the imagery

Read 'powerful' pieces from books

Be consistent.Stick to your ideas.Give children consistent experiences rather than to 'dabble' in activities. 'Do fewer things well' otherwise there is no growth.

Provide students with challenging problems across the curriculum to think about.

Intensify their observations by directing their attention to: line, shape, colour, texture to feed the imagination .We need to develop students perception.

Listen to the students - help them develop their own abstractions.

Reinforce personal excellence, pray for miracles and be grateful for small mercies.

Encourage students intuition.

Trust children - be broadly accepting.Have an open mind. Students will contribute and share their experiences if we give them 'permission' and they feel you are open to their ideas.

Too many of our students have been mis -educated, we need to help them find themselves through their own creativity.

( The challenge remains)





Other blogs about Elwyn









One of Elwyn's students large paintings
















GREENWICH  The days are numbered for single-use plastic bags in Greenwich, but advocates of a ban were not able to get everything they wanted in a new ordinance.

The Representative Town Meeting approved the ban of the thin plastic bags from local stores late Monday night after a lengthy debate, garnering loud cheers from supporters in the crowd after the vote.

However, the RTM did not approve a proposed fee of 23 cents for each recycled paper bag supplied by local merchants to shoppers. Instead, the RTM removed the fee entirely from the ordinance, which ended up passing by a vote of 141 to 54, with two abstentions.

Most of Mondays debate was not about the merits of the ban but about the fee for paper bags. Members of Bring Your Own Greenwich, which spearheaded the effort to ban the bags, considered the RTMs vote a win, saying it made Greenwich a leader on the issue.

BYO Greenwich feels lucky to have such a strong environmentally minded town, BYO member Anne Ogilvy said Tuesday. Its selectmen, RTM members and residents all showed their environmental strength last night. The overwhelmingly positive vote shows that the RTM believes plastic bags are bad locally and globally and that they are ready to act local and think global. The RTM vote is pro-Greenwich and pro-environment.

The ban will go into effect in six months and will cover bags used at grocery checkout lines, not ones used for newspapers, produce, dry cleaning or food delivery. Although she was disappointed that the fee was eliminated, Ogilvy said it was still a wonderful, historic night for the town.

The ban faced recent opposition from the group Femmes For Fiscal Freedom, which had focused on the fee for paper bags. Group members and others called the proposed fee a tax that would have disproportionately hurt low-income and fixed-income residents who might not have access to reusable bags, which shoppers will be encouraged to use.

The Fiscal Femmes submitted its own revised ordinance for the RTMs meeting in April, but group member Laura Gladstone said they would withdraw it. Removing the fee made the need for another ordinance moot, she said. This was a great, positive outcome for the towns elderly and lower income residents, she said.

This ended up being extremely positive for both sides, Gladstone said. BYO was able to change many stores over to paper and residents wont have to worry about an extra fee when they go to the grocery store.

Westport and Rye have similar bans. New York is considering a statewide ban after Suffolk Countys ban went into effect in January, with a five-cent fee for bags. Westport does not have a fee for paper bags.

The vote to remove the fee  116 to 84 with one abstention  was much tighter than the vote for approval.

Supporters of the ban said the issue of reusable bags would be addressed. RTM member Anthony Lopez, from District 1, said efforts were already underway.

This discussion has prompted ordinary citizens in Greenwich to start to say theyre going to provide reusable bags for a lot of citizens who cannot afford them, Lopez said. Ive already had one person say theyre willing to provide a thousand bags, and theyre willing and able to do that on an ongoing basis.

Although opponents said the ban would place a burden on businesses, the only local merchant who spoke at Mondays meeting praised the ban as well as a 10-cent fee on paper bags.

No one is in disagreement that these plastic throwaway bags are terrible, said Scott Mitchell, a town resident and owner of Richards on Greenwich Avenue. If youre going to change the behavior of a retailer or a consumer, which we all are, you have to reward or punish. If you bring your own (bag), everybody wins. Its not taxing.

The meeting was packed with vocal supporters of the plastic bag ban, including nearly 50 high school and middle school students. Many of them held homemade signs with slogans such as Be fantastic, dont use plastic and Dont be a drag, get rid of the bag.

The students spoke, too, coming down as a group to address the RTM.

We cannot dance around reality with bombastic political jargon, Rene LaPointe Jameson, a GHS senior, told the RTM. There are no words that can disguise this. This is whats polluting our Long Island Sound, our Mianus River and Tods Point.  Every day in our town these plastic bags along with hundreds more are discarded into the environment. We simply cannot continue producing so much plastic bag pollution.

The RTM attached a sunset clause to the ordinance: The ban will end three years after it takes effect, when it can be reconsidered. BYO member Jeanine Behr Getz told the RTM they supported the clause, saying it would provide a good opportunity to reassess whats going on and maybe make other changes.

The ban is a potential burden on businesses, Gladstone said, and she wanted to see the data over the next three years. She said other merchants opposed it, including Acme grocery stores, which has locations downtown and in Riverside.
Across the country, students are preparing for a school walkout on March 14, when they will stand in solidarity with mass shooting victims in Parkland, Florida, and publicly voice their opinions on gun violence.

But as kids at Greenwich High School gear up to do the same, Greenwich public school administrators have said their event will not be public. Citing school security, administrators have decided news media and other non-staff cannot witness the demonstration.

The March 14 Greenwich High School and middle school events honoring Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students are not public events. In order to minimize disruption to the instructional day and maintain safety and security, the event will be contained to GHS and middle school students and staff only, wrote Kimberley Eves, director of communications for Greenwich Public Schools.

The decision came from Jill Gildea, GPS superintendent. On Tuesday night, Gildea reiterated that school security was at the root of her choice to bar the media. When asked how reporters would pose a threat to school security, she shifted the dialogue, saying that kids need a place to express themselves without outside listeners.

Unlike most other school walkouts scheduled across the country, GHS event will take place inside the schools student center, as opposed to outdoors. Teens will share individual viewpoints while their peers register to vote during the 17-minute engagement.

GPS announced that media will not be allowed to attend a day before the protest, which has been scheduled for weeks. When Greenwich Time originally spoke to student organizers at Greenwich High School, they were adamant that they expected journalists to help disseminate their message.

We think we can definitely make an impact, said Sophie Lindh, a representative of student government and member of GHS Young Democrats Club. Government officials will be able to hear and see our voices.

Greenwich Time Managing Editor Tom Mellana said the event should be open to the news media.

More News Greenwich teens organize walkout

This is a time in our nation when high school students are being heard like never before  when their voices are having an impact like never before, he said.

Some other school systems are blocking the media from covering walkouts, including Greenville County School in Greenville, South Carolina.

Nationally, the attention young people have placed on gun violence has garnered widespread attention and interest. Students around the country have spoken to the press about the issue, and how their generation plans to redirect the conversation about gun control.
At 9:52 a.m. on Wednesday the front entrance at Shelton High will swing open and students will be free to file out for is likely to be the most wide-spread and orchestrated student walk out one can imagine.

Some are expected to hoist signs, while others gather around a podium.

Every minute between 10 a.m. and 10:17 a.m., the name of one of the victims in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on Feb. 14 in Parkland, Fla., will be read by members of the Shelton High School student council as a flower is added to a vase set on a table.

In Stratford, walkouts at both Stratford and Bunnell High School will take the form of a 17-minute vigil to honor the lives lost.

Though reminiscent of a 2003 student walk out to protest the first Gulf War, there will be no suspensions handed out this time around. In fact, Stratford School Superintendent Janet Robinson plans to participate.

This event is to honor the lives lost, Robinson said. These students, as are the Parkland students, are articulate and thoughtful. I am certain they will make a difference.

Walkouts are planned across the region and across the country. Even at some elementary schools.

We are planning to form a student circle outside of our building, Chandra Maxwell, a seventh grade language arts teacher at Barnum School in Bridgeport, said.

Open to all grades, the theme of the Barnum walkout is "GUNS DOWN, GRADES UP!" and will include a moment of silence to remember all students who have been impacted by gun violence, Maxwell said.

Other students who have completed writing assignments which focus on gun violence, will read their work.

In Fairfield, Molly Baker, 18, a high school senior active in local politics, called this effort different.

Because all of my peers have kept up, said Baker. All of my peers are coming up to me and asking me what I think about gun control They really, really want to form their own opinion.

Seizing the moment, Baker, along with classmate Nick Fech, were invited to participate in a roundtable on gun violence hosted by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut. They are part of a much larger group of young activists who are mobilize young people and affect real change for school safety.

After Parkland, I was at the dinner table at my mothers house and we were all talking about it, and I was just so inspired by these student activists (in Parkland), said Katherine Lester, a Darien High School junior.

Even before Parkland, Lester was passionate about gun violence. Her grandfather, a police officer, was shot in the line of duty. She, along with Darien juniors Kate and Meaghan Dempsey, say they are alarmed at the way young people their age have become desensitized to mass shootings.

Were tired of being called the mass shooting generation.Kate Dempsey said. Were tired of mass shootings just being notifications on our phones.

We want to make it clear that after the March 14 walkout, were not done, Meaghan Dempsey said. This is not the end.

Baker, the Fairfield Ludlowe senior, still remembers her bus stopping on the way home from school in seventh grade when she heard through the murmurs of friends what had happened that day in Newtown. The passion generated at the time around the issue of school safety and gun control ebbed and flowed with every subsequent mass shooting.

Things happen and then fizzle out. This time is different because everyone wants to be part of the change, Baker said. More than 350 Ludlowe students have signed up to participate in the March 14 walkout. The event will include speakers, a voter registration table and a video chat with students and Jim Himes.

In addition, two busloads of Fairfield students plan to take a day trip to Washington, D.C., for another protest, the March For Our Lives rally on March 24.

Its not partisan, its about kids feeling safe, the Fairfield teenager added.

In a Tuesday email sent to Westport parents, Staples High School Principal James DAmico said that while the school did not condone student walks there is a recognition that students want to stand in solidarity with their counterparts at Douglas High School on the one month anniversary of the shouting.

As such, the Staples administration has worked with students who intend to participate. So too have administrators in Fairfield, Shelton, Stratford and Bridgeport.

In Trumbull and Weston, the media has been asked to stay away from the event. In Shelton, there will be a police presence at the walk out. Students who choose not to participate will remain with their homeroom. At 10:18, the plan is for students to quietly walk back into the school.

Fairfield Warde Headmaster David Ebling said plans are in place for students who decide to stay indoors.

We have some students that really want to participate. We have other students that are not comfortable doing that for a variety of reasons, Ebling said. Its been amazing how articulate they are and how passionate they are about the cause. I think theyll impress us all.

Fairfield Ludlowe Headmaster Greg Hatzis said in his career hes never seen students engage to this degree.

This issue has incredible staying power and you just feel that theres a connection among the students of all the same age across a large part of the country, the headmaster said.
Today, Amazon has issued a recall for its self-branded line of power banks that it sells. If you have any of the following power banks by Amazon Basics, you should head to the link at the end of this post to check its product ID number against the ones listed on the site.

The 260,000 affected units include the following mAh capacity models: 16,100 / 10,000 / 5,600 / 3,000 / 2,000. These units have been reportedly overheating and there have already been reports of damage to property and at least one report of a chemical burn. If your power bank leaks liquid, this is battery acid and you shouldnt touch it because it can burn your skin.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that anyone who has an affected power bank should unplug them immediately and contact Amazon for a full refund. Amazon is reaching out to all customers who may have purchased one of these power banks via email.

Official recall information page | Via
First, there was an offer by Broadcom to acquire Qualcomm for $105 billion, followed by an improved one worth $121 billion. They were both denied, and later the San Diego upped its NXP acquisition bid that led to a lower offer of $117 billion.

The discourteous dance was abruptly ended by a presidential order, followed by an official statement that Broadcom is officially terminating its offer.

In a press release, the company stated that although it is disappointed with such outcome, it will comply and move forward with its re-domestication process and will hold its Special Meeting of Stockholders on March 23, 2018.

Broadcom spent some time to acknowledge efforts from both their and Qualcomm stockholders and said that it is pulling off all independent director nominees from San Diegos annual meeting of owners.

Source
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
Sony on why it dropped the headphone jack: the other kids were doing it

Sony dropped the headphone jack from the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. Heres their rational:

Why did you remove the headphone jack on XZ2 and XZ2 Compact? This is part of the shift to our new Ambient Flow design language. In order to create the beautiful seamless design, our designers needed to remove the headphone jack. Plus, were aware of the major market trend toward wireless headphones over wired headphones.

Now, we dont mean to sound bitter, but this paints Sony as a trend follower, not a trend setter. To be fair, the HTC U11 and U11+ don't have headphones jack either and the Ambient Flow design of the XZ2 phones takes more than a little inspiration from HTC.

Plus, they mean to tell us that one of the thickest flagships in years would have been marred by a small, 3.5mm round hole? And its not like Sony could blame this on the thinnest vertical bezels or an extra-large battery or anything.



Sony Xperia XZ2  Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact  HTC U11+

Sony points out that you can still use wired headphones if you like  either USB-C headphones or through the in-box adapter. In some regions, the adapter is a Y-splitter, allowing you to listen and charge simultaneously (note: the splitter drops the charge rate to 5V/0.5A).

And in some regions, youll get Sony MH750 headphones, which hilariously have a 3.5mm plug. Really, Sony?

Via
Published on 2018/03/14 | Source

Killer versus father is the theme of the poster for "Seven Years of Night", with Ryu Seung-ryong and Jang Dong-gun, two powerhouse actors, going head-to-head.

Advertisement

"Seven Years of Night" (2016)

Directed by Choo Chang-min

With Ryu Seung-ryong, Jang Dong-gun, Song Sae-byeok, Go Kyung-pyo, Moon Jung-hee, Sung Byung-sook,...

Crank in : 2015/11/19

Synopsis

Based on the original by Jeong You Jeong, a man plans revenge on the man and son who killed his daughter.

Release date in Korea : 2018/03/28
Published on 2018/03/14 | Source

Added episodes 1 and 2 captures for the Korean drama "The Great Seducer" (2018)

Advertisement

Directed by Kang In-I, Lee Dong-hyun-IV

Written by Kim Bo-yeon-I

Network : MBC

With Woo Do-hwan, Joy, Moon Ga-young, Kim Min-jae-I, Kim Seo-hyung, Shin Sung-woo,...

32 episodes - Mon, Tue 22:00 (2x35min)

Formerly know as "Love Game" and "Love Game: The Great Seduction" ( -  , leo-beu-ge-im - wi-dae-han yu-ok")

Synopsis

Based on the 2003 "Untold Scandal", this drama centers on an aristocratic man and woman engage in a bet. If the man can convince a virtuous widow to sleep with him, then he can finally have the aristocratic woman.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2018/03/12

More
By Lily Lee | Published on 2018/03/13 | Source

Actress Kim Sae-ronrecently visited the beautiful island of Bali to enjoy some time off from her work and soak in the sunshine and water of the paradise on earth.

Advertisement

She uploaded several photos throughout her vacation and all of her refreshing, blissful pictures make me want to get on the next flight to Bali and join the delightful weather there. Her fans expressed the same jealousy and more importantly, they are taken aback at how mature Kim Sae-ron looks!

To the fans in Korea, Kim Sae-ron was always a little girl from the movie "The Man From Nowhere", but in the pictures she uploaded, she have grown so much, looking more like a woman than a girl. Considering that "The Man From Nowhere" was released 8 years ago, time sure does fly by quickly.

Anyway, Kim Sae-ron is looking as beautiful as ever. When she comes back from her vacation, she will be busy promoting the upcoming movie "The Villagers", where she is the main character along with actor Ma Dong-seok!

We are all looking forward to seeing her on the screen again via "The Villagers" and curious about the chemistry between her and the veteran actor Ma Dong-seok.

By. Lily Lee
People asked me if I ever wanted to give up and of course I did  but that didnt mean giving up forever, he said. It meant getting calm, collected and poised  it meant tackling this situation next time around from a different angle.

Eventually, Brierley was able to pinpoint his hometown  despite searching an area with a radius larger than 1,000km  and reconnected with his biological family.

His experience let to a best-selling book and eventually the highly-acclaimed blockbuster Lion, starring Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel.

Brierley also urged leaders to take a chance in both their personal and professional lives, saying he had been reluctant to launch his search initially out of fear of failure.

I took that chance hoping that I would find something and you know what, I wish that everyone would take a chance at some point in their lives, he said.
Evoni Williams was pictured by Waffle House customer Laura Wolf, who uploaded the touching scene to Facebook.

I don't know her name, but I heard this elderly man tell her his hands don't work too good, read the Facebook post.

He was also on oxygen and struggling to breathe. Without hesitation, she took his plate and began cutting up his ham. This may seem small but to him, I'm sure it was huge. I'm thankful to have seen this act of kindness and caring at the start of my day while everything in this world seems so negative. If we could all be like this waitress and take time to offer a helping hand [sic].

The post has since been shared over 44,000 times, garnering thousands of comments praising the helpful employee.

Speaking to Chron, Williams said: I didn't know the photo was taken until a couple hours later. When I saw it, it's just something I would do for anybody.
Thats why its more important than ever that organisations establish a positive and progressive workplace culture that understand millennials anxieties, said Laufer.

Offering opportunities for mentorship, training and travel are just some of the ways companies can support young Aussies in building a fulfilling and successful career.

Despite job opportunities being more diverse and abundant than ever before, over half (51%) of millennials say too much choice can leave them frustrated, with almost a third (29%) feeling like they have wasted too many years in the wrong job and over a quarter (26%) dont know what their dream job is.

Moreover, 58% are unsure what to do next in their career and 37% of those surveyed said they had already changed their career entirely by 25,

A quarter (25%) of millennials are taking a career break or handing in their notice without having a job to go to.
No matter your age or your postcode, its likely you or someone you know has been touched by the devastating impact of stroke. It is the leading cause of adult disability in Australia and the second leading cause of death globally.

An international research consortium studying more than half a million individuals from around the world has identified 22 new genetic risk factors for stroke, casting fresh light on why strokes happen and how they might be better prevented or treated.

The research findings show shared genetic influences with multiple related vascular conditions, especially blood pressure, but also coronary artery disease, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and others.

The MEGASTROKE project is the largest genetic study on stroke and contains analysis of DNA samples from 520,000 European, North and South American, Asian, African and Australian participants, of whom 67,000 had suffered a stroke. The results are published online in the journal Nature Genetics.

Although stroke can occur at any age, we know it is more likely as one gets older. We also know that stroke is not one disease but a complex combination of many related diseases, and no single genetic variant is responsible for stroke risk, says study co-author Professor Jane Maguire, from the UTS Faculty of Health.

Reducing the burden of this disease is increasingly urgent as our population ages but because the causes remain poorly understood, the development of new treatments and preventive strategies is challenging.

The research team says its large-scale collaboration spanning all continents and cultures has been a game changer in studying the genetics of a complex common disease such as stroke.

Stroke happens when there are changes in blood vessels including large and small arteries, the heart and veins. The most common type of stroke is caused by a blood clot (ischaemic stroke) while the most catastrophic is caused by a bleed (haemorrhagic stroke).

The scope and depth of the MEGASTROKE data has given researchers first insights into the specific genes, molecular pathways and cell and tissue types through which the newly identified genetic risk factors cause stroke. The study shows some genetic risk factors contribute to specific mechanisms and others to stroke susceptibility at large. Researchers have also found previously unknown genetic links between ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.

Of the 32 genetic variants  or 149 genes  reported in the study, 11 risk factors are in biological areas not previously thought to contribute to stroke. Sixteen genes are known drug targets in the management of other diseases or conditions.

This surprise finding is the most clinically translatable aspect of our study and opens the door to investigating completely new targets for stroke prevention and management and increases our understanding of the biology of a stroke, says Professor Maguire, whose work on stroke genetics began with her PhD.

We now have the very real possibility that existing drugs can be repurposed more quickly for use in stroke prevention and management.

More than half a million subjects have gone into this study and it has involved collaboration from many dedicated and passionate researchers around the world. Its taken 10 years but things are really starting to pick up speed now.

WHAT IS MEGASTROKE?

The study was conducted by members of MEGASTROKE, a large-scale international collaboration launched by the International Stroke Genetics Consortium, a multi-disciplinary collaborative of experts in stroke genetics who have been working together for the past 10 years. MEGASTROKE members include research groups from Germany, France, the UK, Japan, USA, Iceland, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Singapore, Australia and Canada.

The study received financial support from multiple sources, including in Australia from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association study of 520,000 subjects identifies 32 loci associated with stroke and stroke subtypes (2018). Rainer Malik, Ganesh Chauhan, Matthew Traylor, Muralidharan Sargurupremraj et al. NatureGenetics.http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41588-018-0058-3
Smoking is associated with significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to new research in China published in The Lancet Public Health .

The prevalence of diabetes has increased almost 10-fold in China since the early 1980s, with one in 10 adults in China now affected by diabetes. Although adiposity is the major modifiable risk factor for diabetes, other research in China suggests this can explain only about 50% of the increase in diabetes prevalence over recent decades, suggesting other lifestyle factors, including smoking, may play a role in the aetiology of diabetes. In recent decades, there has been a large increase in cigarette smoking in China, especially among men. About two thirds of Chinese men now smoke, consuming roughly 40% of the worlds cigarettes.

Researchers from the University of Oxford, UK, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking University have examined the association of smoking and smoking cessation with the risk of diabetes in a large, nationwide study of 500,000 adults from 10 areas (five urban and five rural) of China. The present study included only people with no history of diabetes at the baseline, whose health status was monitored for nine years through death and hospital admission records. During this time over 13,500 participants developed new-onset type 2 diabetes.

The researchers found that, compared with people who have never smoked, regular smokers have a 15-30% higher risk of developing diabetes, after taking account of the effects of age, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, physical activity and adiposity. The study also showed a clear dose-response relationship with amount smoked and the earlier a person started smoking.

Among men, the smoking-associated risk of diabetes appeared to be greater among individuals with higher adiposity. Compared with those have who never smoked, smoking 30 cigarettes or more per day was associated with a 30% higher risk of diabetes among men with a normal weight (i.e. body mass index [BMI] <25 kg/m2) but with a 60% higher risk among men who were obese (i.e. with a BMI 30 kg/m2). Smokers, on average, tended to be leaner than non-smokers, possibly reflecting appetite suppression and elevated resting metabolic rate associated with smoking. However, heavy smokers were more likely to have higher abdominal adiposity than light or non-smokers, greatly increasing the risk of diabetes.

Study author, Professor Zhengming Chen, from the University of Oxford, UK, said: The excess smoking-associated risk of diabetes among men in China is likely to increase substantially in future generations because the tobacco epidemic is maturing, but also because levels of overweight and obesity continue to rise among adults in China.

Previous studies have suggested that giving up smoking may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, at least in the short term. By carefully analysing information on the reasons why people stopped smoking, the study demonstrated that this excess risk of diabetes among recent quitters was only seen in those who had stopped smoking because of illness, and not those who chose to stop smoking for other reasons. Among individuals who had chosen to give up smoking and had stopped for more than 5 years, there was a small excess risk of diabetes, but this could be explained by moderate weight gain following smoking cessation.

Study co-author, Dr Fiona Bragg, from the University of Oxford, UK, said: These findings add to existing evidence of the health benefits of giving up smoking, not only for prevention of cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, but now also for prevention of diabetes.

Although smoking is much less common among women in China, the smoking-associated risks of diabetes appeared to be greater among women than men for a given amount smoked. This may be explained in part by their greater proportion of body fat compared with men.

Study author, Professor Liming Li, Peking University, China, said: We cant conclude from these findings that smoking causes type 2 diabetes, but, irrespective of this, smoking should be targeted as an important modifiable lifestyle factor in future disease prevention strategies, including for diabetes, in China and elsewhere.
UK police have found no trace of missing Irish woman Tina Satchwell (45) at any location she previously resided at in the country, or on CCTV security camera footage from any port or airport.

The revelation came as Ms Satchwell's husband, Richard, again repeated the belief that his missing wife could have travelled to the UK and be living there.

Mr Satchwell, an English-born truck driver, said Ms Satchwell's best friend is now convinced his wife is living in the UK - and may have had help with her disappearance.

Ms Satchwell, who did not have a passport, previously lived in the UK and has acquaintances there.

Mr Satchwell also said his wife had been trying to memorise UK social security data in the months before her disappearance.

He has repeatedly insisted his wife is not dead - and rejected suggestions she may have harmed herself, saying: "She loved herself too much."

His comments came as gardai entered the ninth day of a search of woodland outside Castlemartyr, in east Cork, for Ms Satchwell, who vanished on March 20, 2017.

More than 60 personnel, including Defence Forces engineering units, UK Search Dogs and Garda Sub-Aqua teams, are examining a stretch of Mitchel's Wood for any clue as to what happened to Ms Satchwell.

The search is expected to continue into next week.

Ms Satchwell vanished from her home in Youghal, Co Cork, while her husband claimed he was on a brief errand to Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

He has vehemently insisted he had nothing to do with his wife's disappearance.

"I have nothing to hide - I do not know where Tina is," he said.

Ultimatum

Mr Satchwell said he believed his wife might have had help in staging her disappearance - but he denied there was any question of her having an affair.

He met his future wife when she moved to live in England as a teenager.

He said he fell in love at first sight - and he decided to move to Ireland to be with her, to the consternation of his own family.

"Basically my family are anti-Irish - I never spoke to my mother again before she died. My mother was dead for six months before I knew about it," he said.

"I was given an ultimatum when I met Tina. I chose Tina. When I was brought up in school, all we heard about Ireland was the IRA.

"Basically people are prejudiced. My mother missed out on knowing an amazing woman."

Mr Satchwell again insisted he is hoping and praying his wife is found safe and well.

He said he will welcome her home "with open arms".

Garda sources have said that they have absolutely nothing to indicate Ms Satchwell may have travelled to the UK.

CCTV footage from all Irish ports and airports was checked and no one matching Ms Satchwell's description was found.

UK police have also checked for any trace of Ms Satchwell in areas previously known to her in England.

All such reviews have yielded nothing.

"There is nothing so far to indicate what happened to Tina or where she went. There is certainly absolutely nothing to indicate she travelled to the UK," a garda source said.
Mourners at St Marys Church, Navan, carry the coffin of little Kayla Carey, who died last week after contracting meningitis

The young Co Meath schoolgirl who died from meningitis last week has been remembered at her funeral as a child who "wanted to stay small forever".

Kayla Carey (6) was laid to rest yesterday after her heartbroken family gathered in St Mary's Church, in Navan, to say their final goodbyes.

Her white coffin was carried into the church while Somewhere Over the Rainbow was sang by a soloist.

The little girl passed away last Thursday after battling the infection that has also hit a second girl from her school.

"Kayla had a lovely quiet way about her in class. A lovely heart that was so sensitive to the other children. Always wanting to see them happy and never in trouble," said Fr Kevin Heery.

Unicorn

Expand Close Kayla Carey / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Kayla Carey

"Kayla enjoyed being a young girl, and wanted to stay small forever.

"It breaks our heart to think her little aspiration came true, and we pray that heaven will unite us again."

He told how her senior infants class teacher in Scoil Mhuire, Ms Murray, loves to tell the children a story as part of their routine.

"Kayla - like all children - loved hearing good stories, and for Kayla, if it involved a unicorn it would probably be a great story.

"Words can't express the shock, grief and loss of why we are gathered here today. The sudden passing of Kayla last Thursday has shocked our community," said Fr Heery, adding that in numbness and pain the community prayed that Kayla's family's hearts could be blessed with peace.

He said Kayla had been at the beginning of her life, and so full of life, happiness and love, and that even the memories of her playing in the recent snow would add to the other precious memories since her birth.

A prayer was also said for a second girl from Scoil Mhuire who is still being treated for meningitis in Temple Street hospital in Dublin, the same hospital where Kayla died.

When the two girls became ill last week, all the students and staff of the school were sent home as a precaution.

Psychologists from National Educational Psychological Service have been brought into the school to provide support to teachers and parents.

Symbols brought to the altar to represent Kayla's life included one of her colourful drawings, a toy unicorn, and her boots.

After her funeral Mass, Kayla's dad Martin helped carry her coffin to the hearse, and leaned in to kiss it before breaking down in tears and being consoled by family and friends.

Burial took place in St Finian's Cemetery, Old Athboy Road, Navan.

Shortly after Kayla's death her mother Geraldine posted a message on Facebook.

"My little princess didn't make it. RIP Kayla, Mammy loves you and can't believe this," she said.

Kayla is also mourned by her brother Brooklyn and sister Faith, grandparents, aunts, uncles and extended relatives.

The HSE has said its medical experts are working closely with the school and are advising parents, guardians and teachers.

The school's principal Colm Devlin said Kayla's death will affect the entire community.

"This is a terrible tragedy for her family, our school and the whole community. We are deeply saddened," he said.

"Our sympathy and thoughts are with Kayla's family and friends."
Three suspected members of the notorious military-trained international 'Hole in the Roof gang' remained in garda custody last night, where they were being questioned about a 250,000 jewellery heist during Storm Emma - as well as two other burglaries in the same county on the same night.

Garda investigations have established the Romanian gang is linked to 100 burglaries in Ireland, which have netted an estimated 2m of goods.

The Herald can reveal that detectives have established that the criminals are wanted for similar crimes across Europe, including in Italy and Norway.

Two 27-year-old men and a 31-year-old man are still being questioned in three separate midlands garda stations over the massive theft of 250,000 in jewellery at Park Jewellers in the Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, on the night of Friday, March 2 - at the height of Storm Emma.

The prolific gang is also suspected of robbing a jewellery shop in Mullingar and a store in Glasson, Co Westmeath, on the same night.

A DNA profile taken from one of the suspects has been linked to separate burglaries that took place in Co Donegal and Co Offaly in the past year.

Evidence

"This is a military-trained international crime gang and charges against these suspects are very likely later in the week," a senior source said last night.

"Not only have gardai gathered massive evidence against them for the Athlone robbery and the two others that occurred on the Storm Emma night, detectives have now linked this crew to 100 other burglaries, which netted the criminals an estimated 2m."

In the 250,000 Athlone jewellery heist, the raiders cut a hole in the shopping centre roof and removed CCTV footage during the burglary, which was not discovered until the morning of Saturday, March 3.

Last Friday, as part of a major intelligence-led operation, gardai raided a house at a rural location on the Co Laois/Tipperary border.

Officers arrested the suspected gang members and recovered the haul of stolen jewellery.

Investigators believe it was to be smuggled out of the country.

Investigation

The Herald first revealed in 2015 that there was a major garda investigation into the gang after service stations were targeted in localities as diverse as Fermoy, in Co Cork, and Finglas, in north Dublin.

Before this month's Co Westmeath raid, the gang was suspected of being behind a nationwide crime spree that has netted it more than 1m in stolen cash and cigarettes.

The gang is suspected of entering Ireland from mainland Europe via our ports and airports, to target specific businesses and homes before fleeing the country again - only to return weeks later.
US President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson yesterday after a series of public rifts over policy on North Korea, Russia and Iran, replacing his chief diplomat with loyalist CIA director Mike Pompeo.

The biggest shake-up of Mr Trump's cabinet since he took office in January 2017 was announced by the president on Twitter as his administration works toward an unprecedented meeting with the leader of North Korea.

Mr Trump chose the CIA's deputy director, Gina Haspel, to replace Mr Pompeo at the intelligence agency.

Mr Tillerson's departure capped months of friction between the Republican president and the former Exxon Mobil chief executive (65), who had no diplomatic or political experience before becoming secretary of state.

Moron

The tensions peaked last autumn amid reports Mr Tillerson had called Mr Trump a "moron" and considered resigning.

"We got along actually quite well but we disagreed on things," Mr Trump said on the White House lawn yesterday.

"When you look at the Iran deal: I think it's terrible, I guess he thinks it was OK. I wanted to break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently. So we were not thinking the same."

Mr Trump said he and Mr Pompeo have "a similar thought process".

Mr Pompeo, a former army officer who represented a Kansas district in congress before Mr Trump chose him to lead the CIA, is seen as a Trump loyalist who has enjoyed a less hostile relationship with career spies than Mr Tillerson had with career diplomats.

There had been reports in recent months that Mr Tillerson could be replaced but senior State Department officials said they did not know why Mr Trump pushed him out and that he had intended to stay in the job.

A senior White House official said Mr Trump had asked Mr Tillerson to step down on Friday but did not want to make it public while he was on a trip to Africa.

Mr Trump's Twitter announcement came only a few hours after Mr Tillerson landed in Washington after the trip, which had been cut short.

Mr Trump said on Twitter: "Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job!

"Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!

"Gina Haspel will become the new director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!"
Why take life too seriously?! There are things that happen every day that make me smile. Sometimes it's a question or story from my son. Sometimes it's a quirky thing heard over the cubicle wall. Many times it's dysfunctional things we say or do at family gatherings. Life happens. Let's enjoy it!
It is often asserted that the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 proved that HWA was right and he really did see the future.

This of course is nonsense. Herbert W. Armstrong said that Christ would return within twenty years in his book Mystery of the Ages. (PCG has since deleted those words so someone in there knows HWA spoke nonsense.) How convenient for them to forget this.

Also Herbert W. Armstrong never said the Soviet Union would collapse. He thought it would survive intact until a few years after Christ's return. It shows how biased some many in the COGs are that they never seem to notice this. This inconvenient truth is just tossed into the memory hole.

It is true that HWA said that some Eastern European states would break away from Moscow's orbit and join the European Empire he said would arise at any moment. But he never talked of the Soviet Union collapsing. He did not teach that. Also he portrayed the rise of the European Empire to be far quicker then what has actually happened. In Mystery of the Ages Christ was supposed to return by 2005 at the most.

So assertions that the fall of the Berlin Wall somehow prove that HWA was right is just complete nonsense spread by people who, for whatever reason, are still in denial that HWA was a false prophet who merely talked out of his own "human reasoning".
Survey seeks public input on fate of Bridal Veil Falls

On April 13, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and other state officials gathered for a ceremonial signing of a resolution encouraging the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation to evaluate either a state park or state monument designation for Bridal Veil Falls. In a resolution, sponsored by Rep. Keven Stratton, R-Orem, it refers to Bridal Veil Falls as one of Utahs most spectacular and beautiful natural waterfalls, conveniently located in Provo Canyon and easily accessible from both the Wasatch Front and the Heber Valley. Ask just about anyone who lives close ...
1 / 3 Daniel M. Weberman, the president of the Zionist Organization of Utah, poses for a portrait in the office of the organization on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2017, in Provo. Evan Cobb, Daily Herald 2 / 3 From left, Keagan Drazin, general secretary of the Zionist Organization of Utah, and Daniel M. Weberman, the president of the Zionist Organization of Utah, pose for the a portrait in the office of the organization on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2017, in Provo. Evan Cobb, Daily Herald 3 / 3 Daniel M. Weberman, the president of the Zionist Organization of Utah, is surrounded by the Utah flag, the American flag, and the flag of Israel as he poses for a portrait in the office of the organization on Tuesday, Mar. 13, 2017, in Provo. Evan Cobb, Daily Herald  

On the evening of March 30, Jews throughout the world will begin celebrating Passover, one of the most important holidays in Jewish culture and history.

In Utah County, there are only 10 recorded Jews, who will likely be celebrating with a traditional Seder supper that night.

Daneil M. Weberman, who recently moved to Utah and Utah County, will be one of them.

Weberman moved here to establish the Zionist Organization of Utah. His personal family history tells its own powerful story of life, death, the Holocaust and promises of a homeland in Israel.

Webermans family is originally Jewish of German descent. He has been in the U.S. for six years, and is the CEO of Weberman Finance, based in New Jersey.

With only 7,500 known Jews living throughout the state, it is worth noting that Utah County and Utah now have Zionist representatives here to help educate residents and students on the Zionist cause, on anti-semitism and anti-Israelism.

To introduce the Zionist organization an event called Friends of Israel will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. April 11 at the Provo Marriott Hotel and Conference Center in Provo. The public is invited to come learn more about the organization and Judaism.

Weberman hasnt wasted time getting to meet prominent leaders in the state.

Upon moving to Utah, I met with Mike Mower in the capital building and soon after, met with Governor Herbert at the Elephant Club lunch meeting in the Republican Party headquarters, Weberman said. Ive also met with Utah [Republican Party] Chairman Rob Anderson and Utah County [Republican Party] Chairman Rob Craig, along with Provo Mayor Kaufusi.

Weberman added, Recently, at the Lincoln Day Dinner I had the opportunity to meet Mitt Romney.

Weberman discussed with these leaders how Utah and the Jewish community can work together to fight anti-semitism as well as to help educate locals about Israel.

Weberman said he is impressed with the local leaders, politicians, members of the LDS faith and Utah citizens.

They are all good friends of Israel, he said.

As part of educating residents about Zionism, Weberman gives a bit of a culture lesson.

Zionism is Israels national ideology, Weberman said. Zionists believe Judaism is a nationality as well as a religion, and that Jews deserve their own state in their ancestral homeland, Israel. Jews often trace their nationhood back to the biblical kingdoms of David and Solomon, circa 950 B.C.

Weberman continued, Modern Zionism, building on the longstanding Jewish yearning for a return to Zion, began in the 19th century  right about the time that nationalism started to rise in Europe. A secular Austrian-Jewish journalist, Theodor Herzl, was the first to turn rumblings of Jewish nationalism into an international movement around 1896.

The Zionist Organization of Utah is an association which was created in accordance with the laws of the United States of America and is part of the Zionist Organization Union of America, Weberman said.

The purpose of Zionists is to protect the rights of the Jewish people living in Utah and to help provide cultural growth.

The [organization] strives to develop the Jewish union and culture which is a loyal part of the American nation, Weberman added. All of the activities of the association are intended to strengthen the relationship between Israel and the U.S.A.

The organization invites friends of Israel, whether Jewish or not, to visit and support Israel.

The Zionist association will use collected donations to provide scholarships for Jewish students in Utah.
Man wanted in Hagerstown shooting death shot in D.C., police say

A Hagerstown man wanted in the shooting death of a Martinsburg man was himself shot several times in Washington, D.C., according to Hagerstown police.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief, N Chandrababu Naidu, is a serious political ally not given to tantrums associated with some among his peers in other states. From 1996 to 2004, he virtually ran the show in Delhi  first as the convener of the United Front and thereafter as the Atal Bihari Vajpayee governments life support from outside.

The United Front (UF) experiment that had the backing of the Congress and the Left was a patchwork secular substitute to the BJP that formed the government, but failed to prove its majority in the House in 1996. In that limited sense, Naidus crossing over to the saffron party was an opportunistic volte face.

But from his standpoint, changing camps in 1998 stood as much to reason as to political pragmatism. As time proved, the TDP leader was reading the political terrain right in his state. People in Secunderabad were on the streets wearing black bands when Vajpayee went on a hunger strike after Kalyan Singhs ouster as UP CM in a SP-BSP pincer move.

People of Andhra want to see Vajpayee as Prime Minister. I must partake of that goodwill, he told me. Mine will be a restraining influence on the BJP. Id keep them in check

The allusion of course was to the saffron outfits contentious agenda: common civil code, scrapping of Article 370 and Ram Temple. As Vajpayees survival depended on his support, Naidu could keep the word he gave to his friends from the UF days. For him, the question also was arithmetical. He was clear that hed count for nothing in Delhi without having numbers to show in Andhra.

The gamble fetched him dividends till 2004  when the BJP lost power in Delhi and the TDP in Andhra. Looking back, he cited three reasons for his defeat: continuation with the NDA after the Gujarat conflagration; failure to invest in the farm sector accruals from beneficiaries of first generation reforms; and belied hopes of sympathy after the Naxal bid on his life.

In the interregnum, such was his commitment to the NDA that he didnt withdraw support from it even after Gujarat 2002. He allowed himself to be persuaded by Farooq Abdullah of the National Conference who telephoned him to argue: If you go, with what face would I continue in the government?

That had Naidu take the middle ground. He did not pull out, but distanced himself from the alliance by not reclaiming for the TDP the Lok Sabha speakership. The vacancy arose from his party colleague and incumbent GMC Balayogis death in a chopper crash.

With Narendra Modi, the TDP chief has replicated the distancing route that registers protest without showing him as an unreliable ally. His tactics underscore his political savvy. The BJP will have problems addressing in Andhra the denouement he has engineered on the emotional issue of the Centres help to rebuild the state. In the same stroke, he has taken the sting out of his regional rival  the YSR Congress plans to hype the special status demand by making its members quit the Lok Sabha.

Politically, Naidu couldnt afford to be seen as less than demanding on the question of financial support for Andhra. At the 2015 foundation laying ceremony at Amaravati, his plea to Modi was based on sound logic. After bifurcation, Andhra was the only southern state without a revenue generating centre comparable with Hyderabad, Chennai or Bengaluru.

Naidu was upset because the Centre was neither generous nor deferential to his urgings. His calls to New Delhi, including the one he made to the PM before withdrawing from the NDA regime, often went unanswered. His last call was returned only when he went public with the complaint of being snubbed by the PM.

Modis gesture was timely damage control. He knew and had often mentioned in the 2014 poll campaign that the TDPs rise under NT Rama Rao was on the Telugu atmagowaram plank. The fledgling party seized the issue at the Congresss expense when Rajiv Gandhi upbraided then CM T Anjiah while on a visit to Andhra as AICC general secretary in 1982.

Naidu deserved the protocol he perhaps was lately denied in Delhi as a leader with a role in the making of three Prime Ministers: HD Deve Gowda, Inder Kumar Gujral and Vajpayee. In the NDAs first edition, the very powerful L K Advani would invariably walk up to the doorsteps to see him off at his North Block office. The numbers then were provided by the TDP. Now the BJP has them.

vinodsharma@hindustantimes.com
The works of great artists buoyed the art market last year and none did more than Leonardo da Vinci, whose Salvator Mundi sold to great fanfare for $450 million in New York in November.

Global art sales grew 12 % to an estimated $63.7 billion after two years of falling sales, said a report published by UBS and Art Basel on Tuesday.

That still fell short of the record of over $68 billion set in 2014 and below $66 billion achieved in 2007 before the art market plummeted during the financial crisis.

Industry-wide gains were driven by sales at the top end of the market, said cultural economist Clare McAndrew, who wrote the report.

Over the past decade, auction sales have fallen for works priced under $1 million, making investment purchases a risky gamble for the lower and middle price segments. But purchases of ultra-expensive artworks soared in value, with the study finding a 148 % increase in total sales value of works sold for over $10 million at auction over the last ten years, and a 125 % increase over just one year.

Indeed, the study found that just 1 % of artists whose works were offered at auction accounted for nearly two-thirds of the total auction sales. Art experts remain wary of speculative purchases at a time when the worlds wealthy, waylaid by political and economic uncertainty, are eager to place cash.

The research indicates that, like wealth - half of which remained in the hands of the top 1 % in 2017 - the art market has become top heavy. The Salvator Mundi painting was only recently rediscovered after being sold at auction for 45 pounds, attributed to one of Da Vincis students, in 1958.

Art dealers took a gamble on the damaged and partially covered work, paying $10,000 in 2005 before restoring and verifying it for an $80 million resale in 2013. It was flipped to Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev for $127 million later that same year.

2017 also set a new record for the late American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat whose untitled painting sold to Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa for $110.5 million in May. A work by Roy Liechtenstein fetched $165 million in a private sale.

Away from this premium segment, performance was not all positive, with many businesses coming under pressure, McAndrew said.

This divergence in performance is a continuing concern, particularly as the majority of employment and ancillary spending comes from the very many other businesses in the art trade below the top tier, he said.

The largest art markets were also those with the highest numbers of millionaires, with the five largest markets accounting for two-thirds of the worlds millionaire population. Research by UBS, which banks half the worlds billionaires, also found a growing engagement amongst the worlds very richest with art.

In a survey conducted with the banks U.S.-based clients, the worlds largest wealth manager found that over a third of the high net worth individuals  or those with personal assets over $1 million  were active in the art and collectibles market.

While only a third of the collectors placed emphasis on financial return in their collecting, that increased to nearly half for those with wealth over $5 million. The rapid growth of Chinas economy and rising wealth over the last two decades helped fuel the art market, the report found, with China overtaking Britain as the second biggest art market following the United States. Further growth in Asian economies could be expected to fuel more collecting over the next five years, it said.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan had millions concerned about his health on Tuesday after he fell ill on the sets of his film, Thugs of Hindostan, in Jodhpur. The actor revealed that a team of his family doctors visited him in Jodhpur and set him up again. However, the actor resumed work later in the day.

Amitabh also tweeted about his health and wrote, Kuch kasht badha, chikitsak ko chikitsa ke liye bulana pada, ilaaj prabal, swastha hue nawal, chalo isi bahane apno ka pata chala. (Pain aggravated and had to call doctors, the treatment is complete and I am healthy as new now. Got to know my dear ones in the process).

T 2742 -

  

       ;

  ,

   ,

   ,      ~ ab



 pic.twitter.com/StAyxRgO6l  Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) March 13, 2018

Amitabh, who is in Jodhpur for the shooting of Thugs of Hindostan, wrote on his blog, I am getting my team of doctors in tomorrow morning to fiddle around with my body and set me up again .. i will rest and keep informed in process.

Elaborating on the superstars health, his wife Jaya Bachchan said at Parliament House in Delhi, Amitji is fine. He has pain in the back and neck... The costumes are very heavy, so theres some pain. Otherwise he is fine.

Photographer Viral Bhayani posted pictures of Amitabh and wrote that the actor had resumed shooting Tuesday evening. Nothing can stop this man. Fear is our weakness but not in his dictionary. Today evening #amitabhbachan started shooting again for #thugsofhindostan . Thats what professionals do. Today snapped amidst tight security at Mehrangarh Fort at Jodhpur.

A Bollywoodlife report quoted a source as saying, A team of doctors was flown down from Mumbai to Jodhpur for a routine check. They examined Mr Bachchan and after doing a few tests, they have cleared him to shoot an action sequence tonight. The doctors have been flown back to the city in a charter plane.

Thugs of Hindostan is an adaptation of the 1839 novel Confessions of a Thug and also features Aamir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh. It is being directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya of Dhoom fame.

Amitabh also has another film in his kitty -- 102 Not Out, which also stars veteran star Rishi Kapoor. The actors will be starring together after two decades.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
After the Me Too movement in Hollywood gained viral proportions following shocking revelations of sexual harassment, and worse, against producer Harvey Weinstein last year, a steady stream of Indian actors, Bollywood and from the south, have been speaking about how our industries function and casting couch. Actors like Richa Chadha, Malayalam actors Parvathy, Rima Kallingal and Sruthi Hariharan, on different occasions, have spoken about harassment, online abuse and pay disparity.

Now, actor Ileana DCruz has also discussed the issue while speaking to media. While promoting her new film, Raid, she was asked by Bombay Times if young actors in India refrain from speaking about sexual harassment as they are afraid it will adversely affect their careers.

Ileana said, It might sound cowardly, but I do agree that if you speak out about casting couch, it will end your career. Years ago, a junior artiste down south, who was being propositioned by a big producer, sought my advice on how to deal with it. I told her that its something that I couldnt decide for her. It is her decision and that nobody could force it on her. Many people have done it and its up to her whether she wants to go ahead and do it or not.

With regard to sexual harassment, she said she would not take it. As far as exploitation and harassment is concerned, I wouldnt stand for it. The fact of the matter is that if an A-list star is accused of something like this, you will require a large number of people to come forward, including A-list actresses and actors, to make a difference. Actors in this country are worshipped. So it will take many voices for people to acknowledge that huge stars could have such an ugly side.

Raid chronicles the exploits of Amay Patnaik, Lucknows deputy commissioner of Income Tax, played by Ajay Devgn. Ileana plays his wife in a drama directed by Raj Kumar Gupta. Raid releases March 16.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The shooting of Bollywood director-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopras film Love Letters from Kashmir has started in the valley. The film, based on the exodus of the Kashmiri pandits from the valley in the 90s, will be shot entirely in the state.

Chopra, who has produced films such as Munna Bhai MBBS (2003), 3 Idiots (2009), and PK (2014), hails from Srinagar. With this project, the 65-year-old will make his comeback to the valley after the Hrithik Roshan-Sanjay Dutt-Preity Zinta starrer Mission Kashmir (2000).

We have issued quick permissions, secure lodging and are taking care of their security so that they feel comfortable shooting here.

 A source

A source from the government confirmed that the cast and crew of the film are stationed in Srinagar, currently. They have shot in areas like Shivpora and other downtown parts. Within a couple of days, they will move to Jammu, where they will shoot at Patnitop, Ware House and a few migrant camps of Kashmiri pandits, says the source. We have issued quick permissions, secure lodging and are taking care of their security, so that they feel comfortable shooting here, the source adds.

Interestingly, a local daily reported that the crew of the film had to face the wrath of the locals, after a portion of the Jhelum embankment was damaged during shooting in the Shivpora area.

Assistant-director Asheish Nijhawan told PTI: Most of the actors will be fresh faces. Kashmiris, young and old, males, females and kids, will be hired for the shooting.

Follow @htshowbiz for more.
Google will ban online advertisements promoting cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings starting in June, part of a broader crackdown on the marketing of a new breed of high-risk financial products.

Alphabet Inc.s Google announced the decision Wednesday night in an update to its policy, which says it will begin to block ads for cryptocurrencies and related content. Facebook Inc. took a similar step in January, leaving the two largest web-ad sellers out of reach of the nascent digital-currency sector.

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market value, pared an advance of about 2% after Googles announcement, trading little changed at $9,099 as of 1:04 p.m. in Hong Kong. Rival coins Ripple and Ether also pared gains.

The internet-search giant is also restricting ads for financial products including binary options, a risky derivative with an all-or-nothing payoff. Right now, Google queries for terms like binary options and buy bitcoin produce four ads at the top of the results.

Facebook, Googles primary rival for ad dollars, banned ads for cryptocurrencies in January. Some aggressive businesses found a loophole: purposely misspelling words like bitcoin in their ads. A Google spokeswoman said the companys policies will try to anticipate workarounds like this.

Googles updated policy came with the release of its annual bad ads report, a review of the number of malicious, deceptive and controversial ads Google scrubs from its massive search, display and video network. In 2017, Google said it removed more than 3.2 billion advertisements from the web. Thats up from 1.7 billion in 2016.

Last year, for instance, Google pulled 79 million ads for luring online clickers to websites with malware. Google is also accelerating a push against misleading content. The company suspended 7,000 customer accounts for ads that impersonated a news article -- what Google calls tabloid cloaking -- and blocked more than 12,000 websites for copying information from other publications.

Its unlikely that the 3.2 billion ads pulled in 2017, nor the coming cryptocurrency ban, will have a serious impact on sales. Last year, Google generated $95.4 billion in ad revenue, up 20 percent from 2016.
US President Donald Trump is seeking to impose tariffs on up to $60 billion of Chinese imports and will target the technology and telecommunications sectors, two people who had discussed the issue with the Trump administration said on Tuesday.

A third source who had direct knowledge of the administrations thinking said the tariffs, associated with a Section 301 intellectual property investigation, under the 1974 U.S. Trade Act begun in August last year, could come in the very near future.

While the tariffs would be chiefly targeted at information technology, consumer electronics and telecoms, they could be much broader and the list could eventually run to 100 products, this person said.

The White House declined to comment on the size or timing of any move.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Sino-U.S. trade relations should not be a zero-sum game, and that the two countries should use constructive means to manage tension.

We have said many times that China resolutely opposes any kind of unilateral protectionist trade measures, Lu told reporters.

If the United States takes actions that harm Chinas interests, China will have to take measures to firmly protect our legitimate rights.

Trump is targeting Chinese high technology companies to punish China for its investment policies that effectively force US companies to give up their technology secrets in exchange for being allowed to operate in the country, as well as for other IP practices Washington considers unfair.

The Trump administration is also considering imposing investment restrictions on Chinese companies over and above the heightened national security restrictions, but details on these were not immediately known. A US Treasury spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

But lobbyists in Washington expressed concern that Trumps ambitious tariff plan would also include other labor-intensive consumer goods sectors such as apparel, footwear and toys.

Higher tariffs on these products would hurt American families, said Hun Quach, a trade lobbyist for the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

Were not talking about fancy cashmere sweaters, were talking about cotton T-Shirts and jeans and shoes that kids wear for back-to-school, she added. Alarm bells are ringing.

China runs a $375 billion trade surplus with the United States and when President Xi Jinpings top economic adviser visited Washington recently, the administration pressed him to come up with a way of reducing that number.

Trump came to office on a promise to shield American workers from imports and his first action as president was to pull the United States out of the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

His administration is in the midst of negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and last week announced the imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

While the tariffs on steel and aluminum, announced last week by Trump, are viewed as relatively insignificant in terms of imports and exports, moves to target China directly risk a direct and harsh response from Beijing.

If this is serious, the Chinese will retaliate. The key question is, does the US retaliate against that retaliation, said Derek Scissors, a China trade expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a pro-business think tank.

That would spook stock markets, but Scissors said that the more serious the conflict became, the worse Chinas position would become, due to the importance of its US trade surplus.

Their incentive to negotiate is to head us off from a major trade conflict.

Not Big Enough

The news website Politico earlier reported that the US Trade Representatives office had presented Trump with a package of $30 billion in tariffs last week, but Trump told aides that this was not high enough.

A Washington business source who had discussed the issue with the White House said the figure had now grown to about $60 billion, with a potentially wider array of products under consideration.

A second person, who is an industry lobbyist in Washington familiar with the administrations thinking, said the process was being led by Peter Navarro, an avowed protectionist, and by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who also favors tariffs as a tool to rebalance trade.

Speaking to reporters in the Capitol, US House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady stressed that Trump was serious about addressing the issue of intellectual property theft with China.

Hes serious about calling their hand on this, and my understanding is they are looking at a broad array of options to do that, Brady said.

U.S. business groups, while uneasy about triggering Chinese retaliation, have increasingly pressed Washington to take action on Beijings industrial policies, such as market access restrictions and the Made in China 2025 plan, which aims to supplant foreign technologies with domestic ones.

Shortly after Trump took office, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a U.S. technology think tank whose board includes representatives from top companies such as Apple, Amazon, Cisco, Google, and Intel, called for coordinated international pressure on Beijing.

While complaints about Chinas abuse of intellectual property rights are not confined to the United States, Trumps global steel and aluminum tariffs announced last week under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 complicate US efforts to recruit allies to put pressure on China.

A senior European diplomat in Beijing said China would be relieved to see Europe and Washington at odds over the metals tariffs.

Chinas biggest worry has always been joint push-back from its major Western trading partners, the diplomat said.

A China-based business source with knowledge of discussion among senior European officials said there had been a clear effort by the US government over the past six months to introduce a coordinated approach to Chinese industrial policy, but that Trumps metals tariffs had undermined European support.

Senior Trump administration officials had directly approached European leaders at a senior level. There had been a willingness to do something together on China. Thats impossible right now. You cant cooperate when youre getting whacked around, the person told Reuters.
One and a half months ago, real estate developer Priya Sharma was awarded for her work by the Uttarakhand urban development ministry. Now, the special investigation team (SIT), probing the national highway 74 scam, is hot on her heels.

The scam involves compensations in crores of rupees to farmers for agricultural land, acquired for NH 74 expansion in Udham Singh Nagar, at commercial rates.

Sharma, 38, managing director of Allied Plus Infra and Others Pvt Ltd, and Sudhir Chawala, a director, are wanted by the police for alleged money laundering and fraud in the Rs 300-crore NH-74 scam. Both have gone underground since the first FIR was lodged with the Rudrapur police station on January 24.

On Tuesday, police seized her property and are likely to announce a reward on her if she does not surrender. Police have conducted raids in Haldwani, Ramnagar, Dehradun and Delhi, but failed to arrest Sharma and Chawala.

Sadanand Date, US Nagar senior superintendent of police, said, She and her business partner must respect the law and surrender before the court or police immediately. SIT will keep raiding to nab them as both are wanted in NH-74 scam probe.

The Uttarakhand high court had rejected Sharmas petitions seeking quashing of the FIR and a stay on her arrest.

Sharma and Chawla are now proclaimed offenders. If they dont surrender or the SIT fails to arrest them, police may shortly announce a reward on them, Date said.

A resident of Haldwani in Nainital district, Sharma was a manager in a real estate company in Rudrapur 7-8 years ago. She was ambitious and cherished the dream to become a big businesswoman, said sources close to her.

She developed contacts not only in the business community but also in bureaucracy and political field, the sources said. Sharma registered her Allied Plus Infra in 2014. Many bureaucrats and politicians invested their black money in her firm, the sources claimed.

She is energetic, ambitious and stubborn, but over ambitiousness led her into trouble. Some big players in real estate, politics, bureaucracy and media, who were associated with Sharma, have left her after troubles started, said Sushil Srivastava, a close acquaintance of Sharma. Some of her employees have either resigned or have gone underground.

Sharmas firm developed half a dozen colonies under Panchwati brand in Rudrapur and Kichha area. Last year, she hit headlines over her allegation that a senior IAS officer was demanding bribe over a disputed land in her possession.

Everything was going smoothly and her business grew faster than that of any other player in the real estate sector. NH-74 scam spelled trouble for her, a close acquaintance of Sharma said on condition of anonymity.

In the SIT probe, she was accused of laundering the compensation money provided to farmers. She was questioned twice by SIT, but she ruled out her involvement in the scam, officials close to the probe said.

Sharma was honoured in Dehradun by state urban development minister Madan Kaushik for providing better services in the real estate sector. Three days after the event, she and Chawala were booked by Rudrapur police for fraud. Another FIR was lodged against the two on March 4 at Kichha police station.
A dreaded gangster belonging to the notorious Chhenu Pehalwan gang was arrested on early Wednesday morning from western Uttar Pradeshs Amroha after a 20-minute exchange of fire with a joint team of Delhi and UP police.

Anwar alias Hatela was wanted in over 10 cases in both Delhi and UP and is suspected to have killed two gangsters from the rival Abdul Nasir gang in a span of four hours in northeast Delhi in October last year. Police said Anwar is one of the main hitmen of the Chhenu gang. He carried a reward of Rs 1.25 lakh on his head.

The rivalry between Chhenu gang, which is led by Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan and Abdul Nasir gang led to a series of murders in northeast Delhi last year. The two gangs entered into a rivalry in 2012 over establishing control on the betting business in the Delhi district.

Pramod Singh Kushwah, deputy commissioner of police (special cell), said his team was looking for Anwar for the last three months and had collected information about his hideouts in Delhi and Amroha. On Tuesday, the team learnt that Anwar, along with his wife, and an associate, would be coming to Delhi in a Santro car through Amroha bypass. They alerted the UP Police.

A 33-member joint team was formed and traps were laid at different locations on Amroha-Delhi road. Around 4 am, Anwar was seen driving a Santro car and was signalled to stop. However, he tried to escape by ramming the barricades with his car, said Kushwah.

Four police vehicles chased Anwars car for almost three kilometers and eventually surrounded him, forcing him to stop the vehicle. The police asked them to surrender but Anwar and his associate came out and started indiscriminate fire on the police party.

More than 30 rounds were exchanged between the police and the criminals during the encounter that lasted for almost 20 minutes. The criminals fired at least 15 bullets from two pistols, said police. While Anwar was hit thrice in his legs, the station house officer (SHO) of Amroha Dehat police station was shot in his hand.

Two Delhi Police special cell inspectors escaped despite being hit because of bulletproof vests.Anwars associate, whose identity has not been disclosed by police, managed to escape, firing at the police party.

Besides Anwar, his wife, Ruby, has also been arrested. A sophisticated carbine along with 20 cartridges and one semi-automatic pistol with five bullets were seized from Anwar.

The carbine was not used in the firing, said DCP Kushwah.He said they were interrogating Anwar to know from where he got the carbine.

The SHO and Anwar were admitted to a local government hospital from where Anwar was shifted to Meerut hospital, said the DCP.
The Delhi government on Wednesday began the removal of encroachment and unauthorised construction from at least 197 acres of public land in south Delhis Asola village, a top official said.

The revenue department demolished at least 100 illegally built structures on the encroached land spread across 42 plots, valued at least Rs 3,000 crore, South Delhis district magistrate Amjad Tak told HT.

Officials said the demolition was carried on the direction of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee. The committee had carried out an inspection in the Asola village on February 19. With 20 earth-moving machines, hundred civil defence volunteers and at least 600 police personnel, the drive started at around 5.30 am and continued till late evening. Members of the court-appointed committee, including Bhure Lal and KJ Rao, were present at the spot.

An official who was part of the demolition team said that the residents of the encroached properties had dug bore-wells, cut trees and were running small-scale stone mining units without any permission.

On the direction of the Supreme Court, we had sent a notice to owners at 42 properties to remove the encroachments but they did not remove it. The encroached land belonged to government departments such as gram sabha, forest and education, Tak said.

We conducted this extensive demolition in compliance with the apex courts orders. Most of these properties were farmhouses, he added.

Among the many properties taken back by the government is one owned by former Delhi lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna, said an official who asked not to be named. Revenue department officials at the spot said around 2,000 sq metre of land within the former bureaucrats farmhouse belonged to the gram sabha. We have demarcated the gram sabha land inside the farmhouse, the official official.

When contacted, the former L-G said he did not receive any notice from the government. I am out of station but I heard about a part of my land being demarcated by the government. I have complete papers of every inch of my land. The sale deed and the mutation papers for the property were issued by the tehsildar who is a revenue department official, he said.

Some of the plots taken back by the government on Wednesday also included around 30 acres of gram sabha land that was transferred to private individuals by tampering land records.
Efforts to control mosquito-borne diseases have hit a roadblock with around 3,500 domestic breeding checkers (DBCs)  daily wagers who check mosquito breeding in localities  going on an indefinite hunger strike from Tuesday.

The strike comes at a time the city is experiencing an early spread of the dengue virus this year.

Till March 3, hospitals tracked by the South Corporation reported 15 cases of dengue, five more than what was reported during the same time last year, when the mosquito-borne disease infected 9,271 people and killed 10.

The DBC workers said they decided to go on a strike as their long-standing demands of regularisation, leave, provident funds, bonus and other medical facilities havent been met.

Over 1,000 DBC workers are working with MCD since 1996. Whenever we go on strike, the corporations agree to meet our demands but as the situation becomes normal, the officials stop entertaining us, said Devanand Sharma, a member of the Anti-Malaria Ekta Karamchari Union.

To sort out the matter, the additional commissioners and municipal health officers of the north, south and east corporations met workers representatives on Tuesday but no conclusion was reached, the DBC workers said.

Last year, everything was finalised during a joint meeting chaired by former north corporation commissioner PK Gupta. The officials agreed to give us casual, maternity and medical leaves in addition to gazetted holidays. They even assured to initiate the process to regularise us, said Sharma.

The DBCs visit 60 to 70 houses every day to check if coolers, overhead tanks and flower pots have stagnant water that could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the dengue or malaria virus.

The three civic agencies are just fooling us. If south is promising us to give one benefit, north is assuring for other and east for another, said Pradeep Kumar, a DBC worker with South Corporation.

The SDMCs municipal health officers BK Hazarika said the DBCs already get various benefits. We are giving them holidays and approved employee provident fund as well, he said.

But it wont be possible to regularise them. As per the Centres circular, no contractual staff can be regularised, said a SDMC official.

A north corporation official said that the contract period of DBC workers will get over by March 31. After that only we will take decision for providing them any benefits, he said.
When a whole town turns into a market, then everyone  good people, bad people  acts out of greed, said Brijbhushan Maurya, a school teacher who has been trying to justify his own participation in a local economy built on cheating in examinations.

Between 2011 and 2016, Maurya provided his services as a solver and a narrator to thousands of students who flooded into his town, Kaushambi, from all over north India for four weeks every year to cheat their way through board exams. Maurya doesnt refer to his former clients as students, though, since some of them may never have stepped into a classroom before turning up in this part of eastern Uttar Pradesh. He has a more practical term for them: sailani (tourists).

I used to be sent from the school where I taught to an examination centre for classroom duty. Once the question papers were opened, I solved them, made copies of the pages, and handed them over to the management to be circulated through various classrooms, where the teachers who were in charge of conducting the exam read out the answers to the whole class. When he was not solving papers (I only solved sociology), Maurya made himself useful by reading out answers handed out to him, either by standing in the middle of the classroom or positioning himself outside a window. You read, children wrote. Based on the range of his services, Maurya made anywhere between Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 over an exam season; he saw the payoff as a necessary addition to his monthly salary of Rs 6,000. At times, kids asked you to help them individually in copying the answers, for Rs 100 or Rs 200. One felt greedy.

Maurya no longer works in the cheating industry. In 2016, he left his teaching job to open a shop where he sells construction material. It had been getting tougher and tougher to pull off the process, with online enrolments and coded answer sheets.

In 2016, the number of examinees who had left UP board exams midway was 645,024. Maurya considers himself fortunate to have quit before the market came crashing down. In anticipation of this years high school and intermediate examinations, Uttar Pradeshs education department imposed a series of anti-cheating measures: CCTV cameras in every examination room, deployment of armed police, and formation of Special Task Force units, among others.

By February 11, the fourth day of the exam schedule, 1,044,619 students  nearly 15% of all those who had registered  had dropped out. The teachers are crying in every street corner. The risks of helping to cheat are so high that no teacher wants to take the tension, said Maurya. In Kaushambi, the centre of the states exam-cheating industry, only 88 schools were appointed as exam centres this year and 44 of them were tagged as hypersensitive. Local administration was allowed to impose Section 144 (unlawful assembly) to ensure free and fair exams.

A vast economy

As the tourists fled UP, they left thousands of people employed in the states vast economy of exam fraud without a backup plan. In Kaushambi, said Mohammad Farrukh, owner of a roadside restaurant, the informal gains from exam cheating outweighed the districts official annual revenue. From paan wallahs to PCO owners, everyone was dependent on the income from cheating. They can no longer depend on this annual jackpot. The poor villagers have been the biggest losers, said Farrukh. Think about their situation. Every household here used to rent rooms to the students who came here to cheat in exams. If they didnt have an extra room, they used to clean out their cattle enclosure and accommodate students, charging them Rs 2,000 for a month.

Farrukhs own business was dependent on the exam footfalls. I cant think of one state from where the students didnt arrive here. If 10,000-20,000 boys suddenly arrive in a town, someone will have to feed them, no? In shaadi season, you prepare to feed a baraat for three days. In exam season, you had to prepare to feed thousands of people for 30 days at a stretch. Dhabas mushroomed in every street of Kaushambi. In peak exam season, Farrukhs dhaba used to make Rs 40,000 a day. Four thousand kids used to line up outside. Four-five people were making rotis without any break. This year, his dhaba hasnt earned more than Rs 3,000 a day. There was a paper yesterday, but hardly anyone came to eat. Some people are still coming in to cheat but from nearby districts, and they are only making day trips, he said.

In the towns local market  two rows of tiny shops across a narrow road  shopkeepers are mourning their losses. People used to come from everywhere: Ghaziabad to Nepal. Banda, Kanpur, Itawa, Faizabad, Gonda, said Mahendra Kumar, who sells groceries. I used to offer my shop space for them to stay, for Rs 50 to Rs 200 per person. Everyone did. If there are 10 boys, they paid Rs 1,000 a month, if 12 people, then Rs 1,500 a month. Now the story is over.

No one is more affected by the state governments tightening of examination rules than school owners. One of UPs most backward districts, Kaushambi has nearly 1,000 schools of which nearly half operate only at the time of board exams. Many of them exist merely as half-built rooms furnished with a dusty blackboard and a few broken benches in the middle of a farmland. Some exist entirely on paper. Even among the schools that boast proper infrastructure and teaching staff, few hold regular classes or maintain daily attendance. So why do so many people in the area open schools?

You have to go back to 1986 when private schools began to be authenticated by UP board, said Ashok Kumar Mishra, principal of an old state-aided school in Kaushambi. Over the following years, the rules for granting licences to private schools became more and more lax. People were given licence and told, now go, build a school. They thought, wow this is a great business. In the 1990s, even schools that had never seen any students were hosting board exams. Thats how the cheating industry began.

People climb walls of a school to help students cheat in Vaishali, Bihar. The image became symbolic of the cheating menace that plagues large parts of the country. (HT File Photo)

The business model

The business model was something like this: these barely functional schools convinced students inside and outside UP to register on their rolls and avail themselves of cheating services by either showing up at the time of exams or using an imposter. The process included various levels of fraud, from fake ID cards to multiple enrolments.

Fixers came up, said Ranvijay Nishad, a school teacher and social worker. The school manager formed a group of 8-10 local unemployed youth and paid them to travel to different cities or states to find children and tell them, give us money, and we will make you pass. The rate could be Rs 1 lakh for 100 admissions. A student paid Rs 20,000 for the entire set of services.

Nothing was off-bounds in UPs cheating business by the late 1990s. You could be a boy and appear in the exam as a girl, said Nishad. Even dead people passed exams with flying colours, said Mishra. The complicity of teachers was central to the fraud. And why wouldnt they cooperate? They are so poorly paid. A labourer earns Rs 175 for eight hours of work under the national rural employment guarantee scheme; a teacher is paid Rs 36 for four hours of exam duty. Solving papers became their ticket to fair wages. Schools used to frequently call me to solve the science paper. They offered Rs 1 lakh for a months work, but I stayed out, said Nishad.

When you saw the answers sheets, you immediately knew what was going on. Everyone from a centre had made the same mistakes or answered questions in the same series. There would often be three kinds of handwriting in one paper, said Mishra.

Thats how Kaushambi came to be called nakal ki mandi (the cheating market), he added. Local circumstances here were ideal for cheating. When there is enough crop, only then will the farmer go to the market to sell it. The money used to reach the highest levels.

Once the system was put firmly in place, cheating was no longer an option but a compulsion. On the day of an exam, teachers went from room to room saying, if you pay you can cheat in the paper, or just keep sitting here. If you didnt pay, they didnt give you the answer sheet until an hour was left to finish writing. In the next paper then, the students came in with money, said Mohammad Shami, who did as he was told at the time of his intermediate exam in 2016.

I have cheated in exams myself. An agent came to my school before the exam season and told me to pay a certain amount to a certain person if I wanted to pass  Rs 20,000 if someone else appeared in exam for you, Rs 6,000 if you wrote answers based on dictations. I paid Rs 6,000. I handed over the cash to a man standing outside the exam centre. In the classroom, the teacher dictated the answers, I wrote down exactly that.

Currently unemployed, Shami says he is now preparing to write the exam to enter the UP police.

An army of unemployed youngsters has thus been built, said Mishra. We have given them certificates and shown them dreams. Once they become graduates, they dont want to go back to farming or work as manual labourers.

Of the nearly 5 million students appearing in board exams this year, a large majority may have unprepared to solve the papers. While fewer complaints of cheating are being recorded by the UP police this year  the exam season concludes on March 14  the business isnt shutting down yet. Question papers are still being leaked, answer sheets tampered with, and imposters recruited. As many as 62 people were arrested in west UPs Atrauli on February 15 for sitting in a house across an exam centre and solving a question paper for Class 12 board examinees. The tipoff came from three students who had failed to pay Rs 3,000 to the school manager for replacement of their answer sheets and had been threatened with consequences.

Many people inside the states messy school education system see the new governments crackdown as a cosmetic effort to curb cheating. The change must begin with fixing the schools, they insist. On February 19, in the middle of the 2018 exam schedule, the state education department ordered the examination centres to install voice recorders in classrooms, in addition to CCTV cameras. Because of CCTV cameras, teachers are no longer dictating answers form the centre of the classrooms but through the windows, therefore the idea of voice recorders, explained Ashok Kumar Mishra, who received the official letter.

I dont have a problem with following the order, but where in the local market can I find a voice recorder? No shop has heard of the device because no one has ever asked for it. And if people can find their way around CCTV cameras, how long will voice recorders deter them?
In an effort to familiarise IIT aspirants with online examinations, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had decided to allow them to appear for mock JEE-Advanced tests with computers available at affiliated schools.

The CBSE has asked 18,000 schools under its ambit to allow IIT aspirants to use their computer laboratories this year. But this facility may be extended to students who are qualified to write JEE-Advanced examinations only, the board said in its directive.

The second phase of the admission examinations to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) will be held in May.

The joint admission board of the IITs has decided to conduct the JEE-Advanced test in online mode from this year, doing away with the traditional pen-and-paper system. The IIT-Kanpur is scheduled to hold the mock tests for JEE aspirants between May 1 and May 5.

The nationwide test is conducted in two parts JEE-Main and JEE-Advanced. While the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) and other centrally funded technical institutes admit students on the basis of their performance in JEE-Main, a joint admission board of the 23 IITs conducts the JEE-Advanced test for filling their seats.

The CBSE will conduct the JEE-Main in pen-and-paper mode across the country on April 8. Aspirants who want to take this exam in the online mode will appear for it on April 15 and 16. The IITs will conduct the JEE Advanced test on May 20.

In a separate notification issued on Wednesday, the CBSE said the JEE-Main questions that every set of question papers prepared for this year will possess the same difficulty level. The subject experts who have prepared the question papers have certified that the entire syllabus of mathematics, physics and chemistry has been covered in each question set by dividing the syllabus of each subject into appropriate number of units and choosing an equal number of questions from each unit, it said.
The investigation into the murder of a 41-year-old man in Badshahpur on Tuesday morning was transferred to the crime branch taking into account the seriousness of the matter, and the strong reservations expressed by relatives of the victim about the local police.

A police officer was also removed from field duty for negligence.

Officials of the crime branch at Sector 39 will probe the matter and ensure that the accused are arrested at the earliest, police said on Wednesday.

Anand Vashisht, an agriculturalist who was a key witness to an attack by local criminals on a man identified as Vijay, was shot dead outside his home. His wife, Karishma, managed to stave off the masked attackers with a bucket. However, she was also injured.

Police said six shots were fired by three unidentified assailants and four bullets hit Vashisht, while one injured his wife.

Relatives of the deceased alleged that Vashisht was killed by a local criminal, identified as Narender alias Tillu, because he was a witness to a firing incident that took place on February 11.

A case of murder was registered against Tillu and two of his associates at the Badshahpur police station under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

ASI Satyender, who was investigating the February 11 firing incident, was sent to the Police Lines for failing to take cognizance of the threats being faced by Vashist, who had taken a wounded Vijay to the hospital after he was shot at.

Relatives of the deceased alleged that despite telling ASI Satyender that Vashisht was being threatened, he did not take action against the accused, which lead to the fatal shooting.

Taking into account the seriousness of the matter, the case has been transferred to the crime branch. They will now probe the matter, Badshahpur station house officer Vishnu Prasad said.

A large group of residents from Badshahpur also called officials at the Police Commissionerate and demanded that the prime accused in Vashishts murder be arrested.

We have apprised them (the police) about the seriousness of the matter and we will start an agitation if action is not taken at the earliest, said a relative requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, the city police booked eight Badshahpur residents for blocking the Sohna Road, which has been declared a national highway, for almost four hours after Tuesdays murder.

A case was registered against Jaikanwar Tyagi, Oma Tyagi, Rakesh Tyagi, Vipin Tyagi, Fateh Singh, Lakshman Sharma, Amit Tyagi, and Yogesh Tyagi under sections 147, 149, 186, 283, 341, 353 of the Indian Penal Code and the National Highways Act at the Sector 50 police station.

The police said blocking the national highway had led to massive snarls, and that inconvenienced people. Hence, the accused were booked.
The Civil Hospital in Gurgaon has come under fire from the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for the alleged negligence in attending to a minor victim of rape. The victim had allegedly not received first-aid even after 12 hours of being brought to the district hospital on Monday evening.

An FIR of rape was filed and the accused was arrested on Wednesday.

The matter of alleged negligence came to light on Tuesday afternoon when the CWC chief reached the hospital to check on the victim, a student of class 1 at a government hospital, after receiving a call from the police.

The girl was badly wounded. She had suffered injuries to her private parts and was bleeding, but she was wrapped in a dirty shawl that was stinking and could have led to infections. I immediately called the doctors to attend to her, CWC chairperson Shakuntala Dhull said, adding that the 13-year-olds mother said her daughter, who was raped by her neighbour on Monday afternoon, was not even given first-aid.

However, chief medical officer Dr BK Rajora said he was not aware that any such case was reported at the hospital and would check with the doctors. Later, neither did he take calls nor respond to messages for comment on the matter.

Dhull said she would write to the chief medical officer about the negligence of the doctor on duty and seek action against him. Such victims need urgent attention, she said.

The incident came to light late on Monday evening when the girls mother returned home and found the child limping.

The mother, who is a single parent and works as a cook in the residential societies nearby, had returned home after cooking lunch.

When the mother questioned the girl about what had happened, the girl remained silent, but later started crying.

Thinking that she was injured, the mother and her aunt took the girl to a private hospital, where they were told that girl had been raped and that

she should be taken to the Civil Hospital, where doctors called the police.

She did not complain of pain as the accused had threatened that he would kill her mother if she told anybody. She narrated the incident only after the matter was reported to the police, Dhull said.

We immediately registered a case of rape under relevant sections. She has now been referred to the Safdarjung Hospital and is stable, Sadar station house officer Sandeep Kumar said.

The police arrested 35-year-old accused from his residence on Tuesday after the case was registered at the Sadar police station.

The accused is a daily wage worker and hails from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. He has confessed to the crime, police said.

The district court remanded the accused to 14 days in judicial custody, on Wednesday.

The 40-year-old mother of the victim said the incident was the result of her rebuffing the accuseds sexual advances. Last year, the accused had said he would take revenge as I was not friendly with him and, despite several advances made by him, I ignored him. I had never thought he would harm my daughter, she said.
Speed limits for passenger car will soon be increased to 120 km /hour from the existing 100 km/hour on expressways and to 100 km/hr from 80 km/hr on national highways, two senior road ministry officials familiar with the development said.

Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari approved the revised speed limits on Wednesday. Currently, only the 165 km Yamuna Expressway that connects Delhi to Agra has a speed limit of 100 km/hour.

We will now send the proposal to the law ministry for vetting after which it will be notified, one of the road ministry official cited above said on condition of anonymity.

In a first, the ministry has also decided to introduce speed limits on roads within municipal limits. But it will be tough to implement it unless the states come on board.

Within municipal limits, its the city government which sets speed limits. At present this varies from state to state, said another government official, who also did not want to be named.

The road ministry has also approved a uniform speed limit of 80km/hour for motorcycles on highways and expressways. For roads in municipal limit, the speed limit for cars has been set at 70 km/hr and for motorcycles at 60km/hour.

For heavy vehicles (buses and trucks), the new speed limit prescribed is 100 km/hr on expressways,90 km/hr on national highways and 60km/hour on roads within municipal limits.

In June last year, Gadkari, at a review meeting, told officials that with improved highway infrastructure and vehicle technology, its time the ministry should consider increasing speed limits. A committee headed by Abhay Damle, joint secretary (transport). was then set up, which in its report recommended revising the speed limits.

Vishnu Mathur, director general, Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers, welcomed the move. Increasing the speed limit will go a long way in improving logistic efficiency in the country. The travel time will reduce, fuel efficiency of vehicles will increase and fuel consumption will go down, he said.

The ministry plans to build 1000 km of access-controlled expressways across India in the next 5-7 years.

Road safety will be a big concern, given the high number of accidents on Indian roads. In 2016, the latest period for which data is available, 480,000 road accidents was reported in India. National highways accounted for 29.6% of all road accidents. Over-speeding accounted for 61% of the 150,000 people killed in road accidents.

Many states in the US such as Texas have a speed limit of 137km/hour for passenger vehicles. The average speed limit on the autobahn, the access-controlled highway system in Germany, is 142km/hr.
Twenty-three Indian nationals were on Wednesday arrested in Sri Lanka for allegedly working in the country while on tourist visas.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration said nine of the arrested suspects had been engaged in astrology while nine others were into the sale of textiles, the NewsRadio reported.

Five other suspects had been engaged in carpentry.

A senior official said the immigration department will take steps to seize the 23 Indians passports and carry out further investigations.
Indigenous tribal population of Arunachal Pradesh will be able to have ownership rights for the first time over their land, thanks to a bill passed this week in the state assembly in a move to spur investment.

The move is expected to benefit nearly two-third of the states population. According to 2011 census, the border states population is 13.84 lakh.

Land in Arunachal Pradesh was held under customary laws and no document conferring the title of the land was given to the people.

Apart from government land, most of the land across Arunachal Pradesh was owned by communities and not individuals. Though people had Land Possession Certificates (LPCs), for the plots which belonged to them, it didnt give them ownership rights, said Jumyir Basar, associate professor, Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies at the Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar.

In absence of ownership document the land could not be mortgaged for loans by banks and other financial institutions.

Further, it was not possible for farmers to give their land on long term lease besides facing hurdles during payment of land compensations which made them land owning poor as they couldnt unleash the true potential of the land they owned.

The Arunachal Pradesh Land Settlement and Records Amendment Bill, 2018, which confers ownership rights to indigenous tribal people including communities and clans possessing LPCs, was passed by a voice vote on Monday.

The bill recognises ownership right of the citizens, particularly indigenous people of the state and provides them right to give their land on long-term lease up to 33 years, which is extendable to another 33 years making it to 66 years in total for big and small ventures.

With this legislation, huge investments from outside is expected, which will augment the economy of the state, said a state government release.

People would now be able to mortgage land for obtaining loans from banks as the formal channels of credit has been opened.

The bill is expected to contain rampant unregulated money lending system presently prevalent in the state, which rendered people vulnerable at the hands of money lenders.

Ownership of land would allow people use their land as collateral for loans and it is expected to change their economic status. But it is too early to say whether the bill would impact their lives positively or negatively, said Basar.
Pune Samasta Hindu Aghadi leader Milind Ramakant Ekbote, a suspect in the Bhima-Koregaon violence, was arrested by the Pune rural police on Wednesday afternoon, after the Supreme Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.

The right-wing leader was in detention for at least two hours before the Pune rural police issued a statement confirming his arrest. He is likely to be produced at a local court on Thursday.

Our police units were on a lookout for him already. When our people in Delhi confirmed that the Supreme Court had denied extension of anticipatory bail, a unit moved in, said Pune rural police public relations officer, Ram Patil, after Ekbote was taken from his house at Shivajinagar in Pune.

Ekbote was arrested from his house at Shivajinagar in Pune. (RAVINDRA JOSHI/HT)

According to Suvez Haque, superintendent of Pune rural police, Ekbote was earlier called for questioning on five occasions. On each occasion, he was present for the inquiry. Ekbotes plea for anticipatory bail was denied by a special court in Pune and Bombay high court, before the apex court granted interim protection to him.

The SC bench of justices MB Lokur, Kurian Joseph and Deepak Gupta on Wednesday dismissed Ekbotes plea taking into account the submissions of additional solicitor general ANS Nadkarni, appearing for Maharashtra government, that objected to his plea saying he was the main person who instigated the mob in the January 1 Bhima-Koregaon violence in which one person was killed and a large number injured.

Rejecting his anticipatory bail plea, the bench remarked: The case is pending against you. You are creating communal violence. What is this? You are spreading communal disharmony.

During the hearing, Ekbotes counsel said the state has already filed a status report before the court and the apex court had earlier granted him interim protection from arrest. He argued that Ekbote was not arrested till date despite the fact that he had gone to the police station five times.

When the counsel claimed that the accused was not present at the spot at the time of violence, the bench said You can create problems without sitting over there. Have you heard about social media? A person sitting in the US can do it here..

On February 7, the apex court had granted Ekbote protection from arrest till February 20 and asked the state government to file its response on his plea. On the last date of hearing, the court had extended the interim protection till March 14.

Violence had erupted after some people pelted stones at cars heading towards the village for the commemoration of 200 years of Bhima-Koregaon war on New Years Day. Dalit leaders and workers at the village had alleged that Hindutva activists Ekbote, and Sambhaji Bhide of Shiv Pratisthan, instigated the violence.

Following the violence, the police had booked several people, including Ekbote and Bhide, of stoking violence. A case was registered against the duo at Shikrapur police station under Sections 307 (attempted murder), 143, 147, 148, 149, 295(a), 435, 436 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 4/25 read with Sections 3(2)(5), 3(1)(10) of Arms Act.

(With inputs from agencies)

.
The bypoll results in Bihar is not going to affect the ruling NDA, several top ruling alliance leaders said here on Wednesday contradicting opposition claims that the results were huge setback for the 8-month old coalition.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that the results were on expected lines as the electorate voted on mere sympathy for the candidates. Several BJP and JD (U) leaders also believed the same and reposed faith in Kumars leadership going into the forthcoming general elections in 2019. However, with a 2:1 win, RJD leaders spared no opportunity to pull up Nitish for his waning popularity, allegedly after dumping the Grand Alliance (GA) for NDA.

The results are a huge setback for the NDA, senior RJD leader Shivanand Tiwary said amid celebrations. Their leaders had claimed that RJD would be wiped out, but results have proved otherwise, he added.

Having returned to the NDA fold in July 2017, the JD (U) had hoped to ride the 2010 wave and make political gains in Bihar. However, it could not dent the two RJD bastions-Araria and Jehanabad.

What does the result hold for the BJP and JD (U)?

Though it wont affect the alliance, it definitely indicates chief minister Nitish Kumars waning popularity. There is a general perception that he is at mercy of the BJP, said political expert, DM Diwakar of A N Sinha Institute of Social Sciences.

Kumars decision to sever ties with the GA certainly seems to have not gone down well with Muslims and a few backward communities who voted for him in the 2015 assembly polls.

The Araria parliamentary seat was crucial for both the GA and NDA. Though the RJD had a clear edge with a phenomenal 40% Muslim and 20% Yadav vote bankits traditional votersNDA had enough weapons in its armoury to corner the RJD.

Several Muslim voters in Araria were looking for an alternative to Sarfaraz Alam, who has several criminal records and has no political prowess like his father, Taslimuddin, but had no options. Had Nitish gone independently, his candidate would have given a tough fight, felt a few voters.

In the 2014 parliamentary poll, the splitting of votes between BJP and JD (U) was seen as an apparent reason for Taslimuddins victory in a poll the BJP had swept across the country. In Bihar, out of the 40 seats, NDA had won 31 seats.

BJP leader Sushil Modi while addressing an election rally in Araria had said that RJD would not be able to match the combine strength of the NDA. The results proved him wrong.

Despite optimism, JD(U) leaders are wary and consider it a wake up call. With the Lok Sabha elections a year away, the alliance will definitely have to rethink its strategy, said a JD (U) spokesperson.

By polls do not create any impact on general elections, said BJP spokesperson, Rajiv Ranjan. The results, he said, are outcome of sympathy wave across the three constituencies where the winning parties of the previous poll retained their seats.
The bypoll results in three constituencies  two assembly and one Parliament  which gave the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)-led alliance an effective 2-1 victory over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition in the state brought to fore the caste equations at play in the state.

In the Lok Sabha contest in Araria, RJDs Sarfaraj Alam defeated his nearest rival Pradeep Kumar Singh of the BJP by over 62,000 votes. The victory for Alam was being attributed by experts to 60% of the electorate belonging to the traditional Muslim- Yadav vote base of the RJD.

Election commission (EC) figures suggest that out of the total 1.7 million voters, Muslims constitute 700,000, and Yadavs 250,000. In two out of six assembly constituencies in the area, Muslims are in majority. After trailing in the first four rounds, Alam took a massive lead spurred by these two assembly segments.

The vote margin signifies that Muslims voted strongly for the RJD due to their opposition to the BJP for various reasons, including the gau raksha (cow protection) campaign and the triple talaq issue, said Ramjivan Singh, an expert and analyst from Araria.

He suggested that factors such as liquor prohibition and restrictions on sand mining by the Nitish Kumar government turned the tide against his alliance. The BJPs internal squabbling in Araria also played a role, he added.

The BJP had tried to play the nationalist card in the region, with the partys state president Nityanand Rai saying at an election rally in Narpatganj that Araria would turn into an ISI hub if the RJD won. The statement proved counterproductive, locals said.

In the case of Jehanabad, an initial analysis of the voting pattern suggested that the Yadavs had voted aggressively for RJD candidate Kumar Krishna Mohan, alias Suday Yadav. This was complemented by Dalit and Muslim votes.

The RJDs efforts to highlight a BJP conspiracy in convicting party chief Lalu Yadav in the fodder scam cases appeared to have galvanised the Yadav voters . Dalit votes were added after the RJDs tie-up with the Hindustani Awami Morcha (Secular). This is a win for both Lalu and Tejashwi (Yadav). Why was Lalu jailed? What was his fault? said RJD supporter Kumar Rishidev after the result was announced.

Observers feel that former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi played a role in helping the RJD win the seat because of a shift in Dalit votes, particularly his own caste group, the Musahars, from the NDA to the RJD alliance.

In Bhabua, caste was once again instrumental in deciding the fate of BJPs Rinki Pandey, who registered a comfortable win against her nearest rival Shambhu Singh Patel of the Congress. Experts said that Pandey, a Brahmin, not only got the BJPs traditional Brahmin and Baniya votes but also managed to get support of extremely backward castes (EBCs), who have been long loyalists of Nitishs Janata Dal (United).
In a major political upset, Samajwadi Party (SP) candidates supported by the Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday defeated candidates from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Lok Sabha by-elections in Uttar Pradeshs Gorakhpur and Phulpur constituencies. (LIVE UPDATES)

Ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the results in the two Lok Sabha seats, vacated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, have further underscored the BJPs reliance on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah to win elections, BJP leaders admitted.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, Its an unprecedented verdict but we accept the peoples decision and would work towards ironing out the flaws.

BJPs loss in Gorakhpur came after three decades, though Mauryas victory in Phulpur in 2014 was its first.

Even as the results were trickling in, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav along with party leader Ram Govind Chaudhary met BSP chief Mayawati to say thank you as well as give an indication that it was prepared for a bigger anti-BJP alliance in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

BJP leaders struggled to explain the UP by-election results. Deputy CM Maurya pointed to the low voter turnout  roughly 49% in Gorakhpur and about 38% in Phulpur, while regretting the partys inability to get its supporters to the polling booth.

We admit that we hadnt estimated that together with BSP support SP candidates would be able to win so many votes, said Maurya.

Voting percentages indicate that despite a late pact, the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party fared better in convincing their supporters to vote in the by-elections.

For instance, in Allahabad north and south, considered BJP citadels, the turnout was an abysmally low 22% and 31% respectively. In contrast, the polling percentage in Soraon, Phulpur and Phaphamau, with heavy concentrations of other backward Classes and Muslims, was far better.

In fact, before voting took place on March 11, UP BSP chief Ram Achal Rajbhar had claimed that his party would be successful in getting its votes transferred to the SP.

Similarly in Gorakhpur, the urban assembly segment which houses the Gorakhnath Mutt of which Adityanath is the head priest, had recorded the lowest turnout (37.76%) among all the five that make up the Lok Sabha constituency. This was the first time in 29 years that the BJP hadnt named a representative of the Gorakhnath Mutt as its candidate and political observers said that this too might have played an important role in the final scheme of things.

The Mutt factor along with the fact that Akhilesh Yadav had tactically put up a candidate belonging to the Nishad OBC caste that had traditionally supported the BJP in Gorakhpur too influenced the results, said Athar Siddiqui of the Centre of Objective Research and Analysis (CORD).

The timing of the losses has come as an embarrassment to the party, BJP leaders admit. The bypoll results come four days before the Yogi government completes a year in office. The BJP had planned an elaborate celebration on the occasion.

Political observers suggested the bypoll results could also set the trend for a broader alliance against the BJP in the 2019 elections.

We knew it wont be a cakewalk for the BJP and the results merely confirm the obvious. It will have broader ramifications for 2019, Samajwadi Party leader Tariq Siddiqui said.

It calls for introspection. We will sit and reassess. In a democracy the peoples wish is respected and we will surely get back and fix the reasons. But make no mistake. We will take it as a wake up call and would be far more focused for 2019, UP BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.
Bypoll victories by the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the key Hindi belt states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, respectively, have infused new enthusiasm in opposition parties with leaders of some hinting at a larger anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance in 2019 for the parliamentary elections.

Opposition leaders, cutting across political lines, welcomed the results in which the BJP lost in three LS seats and in one of two assembly seats at stake. The results came a day after United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi hosted dinner for leaders of 20 opposition parties in what is widely seen as an attempt to build bridges ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi met NCP chief Sharad Pawar late on Wednesday night, but other details are not known.

Some opposition parties see the results as a cue for more political adjustments between parties in 2019 as SP candidates, with support from arch-rival Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), defeated the BJP candidates in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. These results will compel secular democratic parties to evolve a suitable electoral and tactical line with the sole objective of defeating the BJP, Communist Party of India leader D Raja said. RJD chief Lalu Prasad actually spoke of fighting together against the BJP when he replied to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjees congratulatory tweet on Wednesday.

Banerjee, whose TMC nurtures an ambition to play a larger role in national politics, dubbed RJDs victory in Araria and Jehanabad as a great victory. Thank you Didi..Together we are fighting, we shall fight, and we will Win, Prasad replied on the micro-blogging site.

Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah revealed how the BSPs Rajya Sabha leader Satish Chandra Mishra had predicted a surprise result when they met on Tuesday evening at Gandhis dinner. Abdullah also congratulated Prasad and Akhilesh Yadav and tweeted, Thank you for giving people the promise of a better future after 2019.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), which is still deliberating on opening its doors for political alliances with the Congress, concluded that the Modi magic is over. Kerala CM Pinarai Vijayan said, Results of bypolls in UP signal the end of over-hyped Modi magic built on false promises, fake claims. Another senior opposition leader Sharad Yadav maintained that the by-election results are not just an exemplary win for the people of the two states, but for the country. Biju Janata Dal leader Bharatruhari Mahtab didnt want to speculate on any larger opposition alliance but said, The BJP should understand for whom the bell tolls.

While Siddaramaiah, the CM of poll-bound Karnataka, underlined that unity among the non-BJP parties has played a key role, the Aam Aadmi Party said poll results were an answer to those pushing the country into the fire of religion and false nationalism.
Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday lauded Chinas military prowess, saying the neighbouring country, along with its economic rise, also focused on military modernisation.

They have arrived well before the intended time than we had thought they would arrive, Rawat said at an event organised by the Vivekanand India Foundation.

Last week, China unveiled its largest defence spending increase in three years, setting an 8.1 per cent growth target this year, fuelling an ambitious military modernisation programme and making its neighbours nervous.

Today, China is the second largest economy in the world.

They did not forget that military power should rise simultaneously with economy, that is why they stand strong today in the international world order, challenging the might of USA, he said while giving a speech on Changing Security Environment: The Role of Indian Army in New Delhi.

Shifting the spotlight on India, the 27th Chief of Army Staff said the onus was on India to try and balance the rise of China as a new World Power.

After that focus of the international community shifted towards Indo-Pacific region. As China has risen, countries have started looking up to India to see whether we can also become a nation that can balance the rise of China, he said.

Rawat also said strong economic growth is only possible with a strong defence.

We cannot become the net security provider if the economy does not keep pace with the changes, Rawat said.
Amid continuing uncertainty over the coveted H1B work visa programme in the United States, tech talent , particularly from India, may by increasingly bypassing the country and heading north to Canada .

According to data provided to Hindustan Times by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the agency that issues work permits to foreigners, Canada approved 4,400 applications until December 31 under the Global Skill Strategy programme it launched on 12 June, 2017. The initiative is aimed at attracting top professional and managerial talent from overseas.

Of that number, over a third were Indian nationals, mainly employed n the information technology (IT) sector, making it the single largest source country of foreign employees ,nearly four times the second-largest --China.

In the global race to attract the investment of innovative companies, competitors in the European Union, as well as the United States, have considerably larger pools of talent and labour to draw from than we do in Canada, said Lindsay Wemp, a spokesperson for the department, in an email response to Hindustan Times.

Restrictions on foreign workers, in line with President Donald Trumps Buy American, Hire American slogan, have created uncertainty on the grant of H1-B non-immigrant visas meant for tech professionals, including those from Indian IT companies that have over the years been the main beneficiaries of the work visa programme. The Trump administration unveiled measures last month to effectively tighten rules on the hiring of H-1B workers by US firms at third-party locations, Hindustan Times reported on 24 February. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which issues overseas work visas, said in a statement that H-1B petitioners, or employers, will now have to show by a preponderance of evidence that the beneficiary will be employed in a speciality occupation.

Canadas Global Skills Strategy aims to help innovative companies in Canada grow, flourish and create more jobs for Canadians by facilitating the faster entry of top professional talent.

Global Skills Strategy is aimed at attracting high-skilled workers and offers two-week processing of these temporary work permits. In some categories where it is applicable, it also allows for a worker, once in Canada, to apply for permanent residency, a process that typically takes about a year. Among the top ten occupation streams for the GSS are those populated by Indian techies, including computer analysts and consultants, interactive media programmers and developers, and software engineers.

Global Skills Strategy also found a mention in the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau, following their meeting in New Delhi last month during the course of the latters visit to India.

What were seeing here is the movement of people who just didnt feel comfortable because of the anti-immigrant sentiments in the United States, Ravi Jain, a leading immigration lawyer in Toronto, said. Jain, who practises immigration law with the firm Green and Spiegel, also said an additional attraction that Canada over the US was that many families requires two incomes and in most cases, there were limitations in America on spouses working if their partners were employed on H1-Bs.

The path to permanent residency in Canada is clearly defined, and with a points system, it can be a smooth process. Its certainly very competitive, relative to the US, Jain said, referring to the moribund Green Card system in the US.

While Global Skills Strategy is a pilot programme, for now, it seems to be offering another viable, efficient pathway for Indian techies to Canada. As Jain said, Theres a lot faster processing for IT workers, for instance. Its nearly instant. Its a wonderful time to be practising immigration law, Jain said.
It was January 2001 when British physicist Stephen Hawking came to India for the first time, later describing the 16-day long tour as magnificent.

In the first leg of the tour in Mumbai, Hawking addressed an international physics seminar at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR).

He was felicitated with the first Sarojini Damodaran Fellowship during the Strings 2001 conference.

Read | Stephen Hawking, scientist who wrote of space, time and black holes, dies at 76

Hawking delivered several lectures during the five-day seminar, including one titled The Universe in a Nutshell, Quartz reported on Wednesday.

Later, Hawking took a city tour in a specially designed vehicle from Mahindra & Mahindra that accommodated his wheelchair.

The physicist also celebrated his 59th birthday at the Oberoi Towers hotel where he stayed.

In New Delhi, Hawking met then president KR Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan who later described the 45-minute meeting with the British physicist as an unforgettable experience.

Indians are so good at mathematics and physics, the British theoretical physicist had told the President.

According to Narayanan, Hawking was the symbol of human hope and inspiration for all those who are handicapped in one way or the other.

Hawking also visited Jantar Mantar and Qutab Minar.

He delivered the Albert Einstein Memorial Lecture in New Delhi on January 15.

Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday. He was 76.
A division bench of the Kerala high court on Wednesday stayed an earlier order for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the murder of a Youth Congress leader allegedly by activists of the ruling CPI(M), in a big relief to the state government that opposed handing over the case to the agency.

Shuhaib, the 28-year-old Youth Congress Mattanoor block secretary, was allegedly attacked by a group of CPI(M) workers with sharp-edged weapons on February 12 in trouble-torn Kannur and he succumbed to his injuries a day after. An autopsy revealed that he had received 37 stab wounds.

A single bench of the high court overruled the state governments opposition last week and handed over the probe to the central agency, saying there were many loose ends in the inquiry conducted by the state police.

The government questioned the single bench order, saying the court arrived at a conclusion without taking note of the ongoing investigation and not hearing its version in the case.

It also contended that the special investigation team, set up to probe the murder, arrested 11 people in connection with the case and recovered the weapons used in the crime.

The single bench judge, justice Kamal Pasha, did not have any material other than newspaper reports and the FIR produced along with the writ, it argued.

The division bench accepted the state governments views and observed that it will hear the case in detail on March 23.

However, Shubaibs father and Congress party said they will challenge the latest order in the Supreme Court.

It seems the government wants to shield the guilty that is why it is opposing the CBI probe. We will move the Supreme Court soon, said state opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.

The murder of the young leader belonging to the minority community caused embarrassment to the ruling party, which initially distanced itself from the cold-blooded murder. But all the arrested were active workers and office-bearers of the party.

The Congress later released the photos of some of the accused with chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Kannur district secretary P Jayarajan.

Kannur has earned notoriety for clashes between supporters of Left parties and right-wing organisations. More than 200 persons belonging to both, RSS and CPI(M), were killed in the three-decade-long bloodbath in north Kerala district.

The district, however, witnessed an attack on a Congress leader after a long time.
A three-month old Manipur state health scheme popularly known as Chief Minister gi hakshelgi tengbag (or chief ministers health assistance, CMHT) has won the award for countrys best implemented public health programme.

It got the award in the category of the most efficiently-run public health programme by a state government at a health summit in Pune on March 9, government sources said on Wednesday.

The award was handed over to a team from Manipur-led by state health director K Rajo. Five northeastern states participated in the summit among others.

The eligible households are given a health card under the CMHT to avail cashless treatment as it provides medical cover up to Rs 2 lakh per family per year for seven critical diseases and up to Rs 50,000 for primary and secondary ailments, said secretary (health) Sumant Singh.

Kidney, cardiovascular and liver related ailments, burns, neo-natal and neuro problems and cancer are listed broadly as critical diseases, Singh added.

The enrolled beneficiaries are identified from the socio-economic caste census, besides those holding Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) cards, widow and disabled are eligible to get the benefit of the scheme.

So far about 75,000 beneficiaries and 15,000 families have been enrolled under the scheme against the target of enrolling two lakh families through 55 enrolment counters across the state, the secretary said.

The department is targeting to open 100 enrolment counters by the end of March this year.

Most of the beneficiaries received medical treatment at four government hospitals-- Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Bishnupur and Churachandpur district hospitals in the state.

Till date, 64 persons (37 of them have discharged from the hospital) claimed the benefits, he added. In fact CMHT counter becomes the biggest crowd puller in most of the government sponsored exhibitions.

The CMHT was initiated through a state cabinet decision taken on October 11 last year and it was formally launched by chief minister N Biren Singh on January 21, the statehood day of Manipur.

Out of eight awards in six categories, Haryana government bagged the award for innovation in increasing affordable access to quality medicines, vaccines, medical products and technology.

Odisha got the award for most effective health technology systems, Chhattisgarh won the award for innovative models of financing public healthcare, Jan Chetna Manch, Bokaro, Jharkhand, was chosen as the most effective healthcare NGO, Ziqitza Healthcare bagged the most effective PPP award while Government Tribal Speciality Hospital, Kottathara, Kerala, was chosen for special recognition.
Police in Telangana confirmed on Wednesday that an alleged militant killed in south Kashmirs Anantnag district this week belonged to the southern state, confirming speculation that a citizen outside of the Jammu and Kashmir region had been radicalised.

The man, identified as 26-year-old Taufeeq, was among three killed in an encounter with security forces on Monday night. His identity had been unknown and an investigation was launched after an al Qaeda-linked organisation claimed to disclose his identity and origin.

It is learnt that Md Taufeeq, age 26 years, N/O (native of) Manuguru [in Telangana] died in an encounter with security forces on night 11/12 March in Hakoora of Anantnag district along with two other Kashmiri militants. He was radicalised in to Islamic state ideology through social media and went to Kashmir to participate in terrorist activities of ISIS, a press note from Telangana police said.

It continued, He was not wanted in any of the criminal cases in Telangana state. Further details are being verified and will be updated to the media accordingly.

This is only the second time since 2008 that militants from another Indian state have been killed in Kashmir.

The other alleged militants, gunned down in the Hakoora area of Anantnag district, were identified as Eisa Fazili and Syed Owais Shafi.

Jammu and Kashmir police had not said anything about the identity of the third militant but on Tuesday the Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (AGUH)  an outfit with alleged link to the al-Qaeda in Kashmir, said the slain militant was Muhammad Taufeeq from Hyderabad. The Qaedas Kashmir unit is led by wanted militant leader Zakir musa.

Earlier in the day, an intelligence bureau officer confirmed that they were looking into claims made by AGUH.

According to a pamphlet by the AGUH, available online, Taufeeq joined militancy in 2017 after coming to Kashmir from Hyderabad.

Responding to the call of shariat or shahadat (martyrdom), Mohammad Taufeeq started his jihadi journey in 2017 after making hijrah (migration) from Indias Hyderabad city to the mountains of Kashmir and was among the first in the ranks of Ansar Ghazwatul Hind, the pamphlet said.

The outfit added that Taufeeqs jihadi names were Sultan Zabul Al Hind and Abu Zarr Al Hindi.

The body of the militant, which was not claimed by anyone, was buried in a graveyard for foreign militants in the Gantmulla area of north Kashmirs Baramulla district on Tuesday night. A police officer handling the case said the militants DNA has been preserved to help ascertain the identification process.

Police have also refused to say anything on the Ansar Ghazwatul Hind though security officials say that militants from different outfits work in tandem in south Kashmir.

Fazili and his associates were allegedly involved in the killing of a policeman in Srinagar last month and the terror-outfit Islamic State (IS) had claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, another militant outfit, the Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen (TeM), identified the third militant as Sabzar Ahmad Sofi.

In a statement carried by a local news agency, the TeM said Fazili was its district commander and identified another militant as Syed Owais Shafi, who allegedly belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Jammu and Kashmir police say there is no concrete evidence of IS presence in Kashmir but acknowledged that there could be individuals influenced by the outfits ideology.

Counter-insurgency expert, Ajai Sahni, said that people from other parts of India joining militancy in Kashmir are aberrations and not frequent occurrences.

The development is worth examining but it definitely is not a pattern. In three decades of Kashmir insurgency, number of occasions where youth from Indian cities joined Kashmir jihad is almost negligible, Sahni said.
The National investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed formal charges against a UK resident who entered India illegally from Bangladesh for planning to carry out terrorist activities in the country and also to fight for the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

Samiun Rehman, a British national of Bangladeshi origin, was arrested in east Delhi in September 2017.

The NIA said incriminating material including alleged chats with an al-Qaeda associate were found in his laptop and mobile phone showing his alleged allegiance to the proscribed terror outfit.

Rehmans parents settled in the UK from Bangladesh in 1960s. His businessman father lives in London. Rehman was allegedly radicalised while serving a prison sentence in London. He later went to Mauritania after his release.

The NIA in a statement said that during the investigation it was established that Rehman illegally entered India from Bangladesh through the Beenapole border in West Bengal. He stayed at several hideouts in India, the agency said.

He wanted to establish base of proscribed terror outfit al-Qaeda in Delhi in order to carry out terrorist activities in India and he also had planned to fight for the Rohingya cause in Myanmar, said the NIA statement.

A pistol and four rounds of ammunition were seized from him when he was arrested, the agency said.
CRPF constable Manoranjan Lenka, among nine troopers of the force killed in a Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarhs Sukma district on Tuesday, rejoined duty a day ago after completing his fathers funeral rites in Odisha, according to his family.

Lenka, a resident of Rebana Nuagaon village under Brahmagiri block in Puri district, lost his father a fortnight ago and reached home on March 6 for the rituals.

He had joined the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in 2014. Lenkas family members said he spoke to his mother over phone barely 30 minutes before the Maoist ambush. Who will I live for now? his mother cried, as villagers and mediapersons gathered at her house.

Lenka is survived by his mother and younger sister.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik condemned the Maoist attack and condoled the deaths. Strongly condemn the attack on @crpfindia jawans in #Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My deepest condolences to the families of Odia jawan Manoranjan Lenka and all the brave personnel who lost their lives in the blast and wishing speedy recovery of those injured, he tweeted.

Strongly condemn the attack on @crpfindia jawans in #Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My deepest condolences to the families of Odia jawan Manoranjan Lenka and all the brave personnel who lost their lives in the blast and wishing speedy recovery of those injured  Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) March 13, 2018
The Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) rising star  Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath  was defeated on his home turf on Wednesday.

The 45-year-old head priest of the Gorakhnath Mutt has emerged as Indias ruling partys lead campaigner across states in recent months, next to only Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah.

He addressed 35 rallies during the campaign for the Gujarat assembly polls last year, frequented Tripura during the February election and is giving the BJPs campaign a push in Karnataka that will vote in May.

What he lost in between was his home turf  Gorakhpur  that the Mutts head priests have held without a break since 1989. Adityanaths guru Mahant Avedyanath got elected to the Lok Sabha first in 1970 and then held the seat between 1989 and 1998. He passed the baton to Adityanath. Now, for the first time in 28 years, the Gorakhnath MP will not come from the Mutt.

The strong following of the Gorakhnath Mutt in Tripura and coastal Karnataka had prompted the BJP to send Adityanath beyond the boundaries of Uttar Pradesh. Its a warning signal for him, a Union minister from Uttar Pradesh said on the condition of anonymity. He cannot take UP for granted anymore.

Adityanath, too, said overconfidence cost the BJP on both the seats and that the defeat was a matter of introspection. We need to review this verdict so as we perform better in future, he said in Lucknow.

The clout of the Gorakhnath Math in the region bordering Nepal and Adityanaths personality cult made him indispensible in the region. An upper caste Thakur leader, Yogi epitomised a strong Hindutva brand of politics that helped him win a following among different castes. He raised a brigade of young men  the Hindu Yuva Vahini  that also courted controversies with its activities in the Gorakhpur region.

A personal following and that of the Mutt ensured Adityanath was not dependent on the BJP to win election, and he used this advantage over the years to arm-twist the saffron party on organisational matters, such as appointments and distribution of tickets in his region.

He was the surprise pick for the CMs post when the BJP won a three-fourths majority in assembly elections last year. As chief minister, he kept the Gorakhpur connect alive, visiting the temple, too, often for religious and other works.

He, perhaps, overestimated his strength and underestimated the SP-BSP alliances, a Lok Sabha MP from eastern Uttar Pradesh said on condition of anonymity. BJP insiders in Delhi ruled out any immediate political fallout for him in Uttar Pradesh, but claimed his functioning will be closely watched from here that earlier.

To lose a seat that we won by a margin of 3-lakh plus votes just four years back cannot be swept under the carpet, a senior office bearer of the BJP said on condition of anonymity.
Astrophysicist and mathematician SM Chitre is among very few Indian scientists who saw British physicist Stephen Hawking on his feet during their student days at the University of Cambridge.

Professor Chitre, 82, who retired from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai in 2001, describes Hawking as his office mate between 1962 and 1963 when they were doing their PhD at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.

Though their area of research was different, having offices next door gave them a chance to have conversations that were delightful and stimulating, said Chitre.

He taught me to play croquet, said Professor Chitre who was conferred a Padma Bhushan in 2012. A friend is no more.

Hawking died Wednesday at his home in Cambridge at the age of 76.

The last time Chitre saw Hawking standing was in July 1963 when he was leaving Cambridge after completing his PhD to visit his parents in India. I saw him strong-built and sturdy, climbing two floors where our offices were housed. Next I saw him on a wheelchair in 1965 during a conference on General Relativity and Gravitation in London, said Chitre. It felt terrible to see him on a wheelchair, emaciated.

Jayant Vishnu Narlikar, an Indian astrophysicist, who was a contemporary of Hawking as a PhD scholar at Cambridge, believes one of his biggest breakthroughs came at 32, when along with Jacob Bekenstein, he showed that black holes, where gravitational force is so strong that not even light can pass, leak radiation and in doing so drain energy and die out.

People thought this was strange. Black holes are not supposed to radiate, rather they absorb everything. Hawking was able to show that once you put quantum mechanics into it is not true, Narlikar said.

The progression of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) meant that Hawking lost almost all mobility over time beyond bare movement of his fingers and facial muscles.

He was forced to think with his brain but could not print or type, Narlikar said. That led him to be very effective in doing calculations that none of us could understand, that eventually he could explain through his students.

It was on his personal mobility device that Hawking visited India only once for 16 days in 2001. In Mumbai, he delivered a public lecture titled The Universe in a Nutshell and Predicting the Future: From Astrology to Black Holes.

As a postgraduate student in physics at IIT-Bombay, Aniket Sule, now a faculty member at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education was among the scores of students who attended the lecture at TIFR.

Hawking was more than just about his science publications. Unlike many scientists, he was an effective science communicator who inspired millions of people across the world, said Sule

Sunil Mukhi, physics professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune, recalled Hawkings answer to the famous question of whether he believed in God. Mukhi quotes Hawking as saying, I view god as a metaphor for the laws of nature.

Mukhi added, Hawkings theories from the 70s-80s still influence work today. He has given us a whole new way of looking at gravitational wave theory without changing Albert Einsteins theory.

While in Mumbai, he visited the Kamala Nehru Park, the TIFR conference banquet celebrated his 59th birthday. I vividly remember his dance ... swirling his chair around and back and forth ... he had a zest for life! said Spenta R Wadia, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, TIFR.

During the same India visit, Hawking described astrology as bunkum. In his address at the Siri Fort in Delhi called From Astrology to Blackholes, Hawking said, When it was discovered that the Earth was not the centre of the universe, astrology became impossible.

(With inputs from Malavika Vyawahare)
The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that a total of Rs 12,476.76 crore has been released as special assistance to Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of the state.

Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the central and the Andhra Pradesh governments have been working together to implement the provisions made in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APR Act, 2014) which include establishment of several institutions and launch of certain projects, as mentioned in Schedule XIII of the Act.

Government of India has released a total amount of Rs 12,476.76 crore as special assistance to the state of Andhra Pradesh, which includes Rs 2,500 crore for establishment of the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh, he said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.

NDA constituent TDP has pulled out its two ministers -- Ashok Gajapathi Raju and YS Chowdary -- from the central government over failure to grant special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Ahir said the Andhra Pradesh government has also communicated to the central government on the release of development grants, resource gap and Polavaram project among other issues apart.

It has also communicated on implementation of apportionment of assets and liabilities and division of employees in respect of institutions listed in Schedule IX and X and continuity of services in respect of institutions listed in Schedule X of the APR Act.

The 14th Finance Commission, without making a distinction amongst states, recommended an enhanced devolution of 42 per cent of the central governments tax revenues to states to cover the resource gap.

In case of Andhra Pradesh, the Commission recommended that the central government would provide revenue deficit grant of Rs 22,113 crore for a period of five years, in addition to the enhanced tax devolution. Funds have been released to Andhra Pradesh on this account for 2015-16 and 2016-17, he said.

Work related to Schedule IX and X and XIII of the AP Reorganization Act is under progress in consultation with both the state governments, Ahir said.

The Schedule IX of the Act listed the state undertakings like the Andhra Pradesh State Seeds Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Agro Industrial Development Corporation Ltd, Andhra Pradesh State Warehousing Corporation, Andhra Pradesh State Civil Supplies Corporation Ltd besides others.

The Schedule X of the Act lists training centres and institutions like Andhra Pradesh State Co-operative Union, Environment Protection Training and Research Institute, Andhra Pradesh Forest Academy, Andhra Pradesh State Council of Science and Technology, Andhra Pradesh Study Circle for Backward Classes besides others.

The Schedule XIII of the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act is related to establishment of higher education institutes.
A soldier was injured Wednesday in Pakistani firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmirs Poonch district, police said.

A soldier was injured in Pakistan army firing on Dharti village in Balakote sector of Poonch. Injured in his right leg, he was shifted to army hospital for treatment, said a police officer.
Three persons were arrested late Tuesday over the killing of English lecturer Rajesh Malik by a student at a government college in Haryana, even as the prime accused in the case is still absconding 24 hours after the crime.

The 40-year-old professor was shot at four times in front of his 14-year-old daughter on Tuesday morning by a student, identified as Jagmal Singh, at Shaheed Dalbir Singh College in Sonepat.

We have made three arrests so far. Two of those arrested Amit and Aakash are Jagmals friends who kept vigil when he committed the murder and the third accused, Dinesh Singh, is Jagmals uncle whose licensed revolver was used in the crime. Jagmal is on the run, said Wazir Singh, the station house officer (SHO) of Kharkhoda police station.

The police also booked assistant professor Yogesh Bajawan on charges of criminal conspiracy, but maintain her role in the crime is not yet clear.

Till now we cannot confirm her role. Further interrogation will reveal more, the SHO said.

Some college staff said Bajawan was close to the accused student, and could have instigated him to kill Malik, against whom she had filed a false harassment complaint some time ago.

The police said the accused committed the murder because Malik had scolded him for harassing a girl some days ago.

But professors said this was a routine affair. Its a co-ed college in a village. Scolding boys for eve-teasing girls is regular affair. We have, in fact, rusticated a couple of students in the past for harassing girl students. This incident has come as a shocker for us, principal Ravi Prakash Arya said.

Arya remembers Malik as an extremely hard working teacher who would take extra classes and deliver 100% results. I was highly impressed by him. It is not easy to teach English to village students, but he had been doing his job very well, he said.

Malik, who had been teaching at the college for the past two-and-a-half years, even got the best teacher award at the colleges annual function last year.

His students say he was friendly and never insisted on being addressed as sir. We addressed him as bhaisahab (elder brother) because he took care of everyone, said Naveen, one of Maliks students.

The college professors say Jagmal was unruly. His father is a rich zamindar (land lord) so he didnt care about studies, a professor said, seeking anonymity.
Rohtak The crime investigation agency (CIA) of the Sonepat Police on Wednesday arrested Jagmal Singh from Rohtak, a day after he shot dead his English lecturer Rajesh Malik (40) at Shaheed Dalbir Singh Government College in Sonepats Pipli village.

The 19-year-old accused, a B.A. second year student, was angry at his teacher for complaining to his and one of his female friends parents about the duo talking in class.

Around two months ago, Malik had scolded Jagmal for disturbing the class by talking to a girl. Jagmal had fought back, asking the teacher what was his problem if he was talking to his female friend. Due to Jagmals rude behavior, Malik complained to both his and the girls parents about them talking and disturbing the class, said inspector Indivar Singh, who headed the CIA team that nabbed Jagmal within 36 hours.

The police said the girl started avoiding him after Malik complained to the parents.

This made Jagmal angry. He held a grudge against Malik and started planning his murder one month ago along with his friends, Indivar said after a preliminary interrogation of the accused.

On Tuesday morning, he stole his uncles licensed revolver and went to the college and fired four shots at Malik who was sitting at the steno room with his 14-year-old daughter. Jagmal managed to escape unchallenged although a clerk witnessed the attack. Malik was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The principal of the college, Ravi Prakash Arya said Malik always tried to maintain discipline as eve-teasing and harassment were rampant in the college. We had to rusticate some boys in the past for harassing girls. It was imperative that professors maintain discipline, he said.

The police said Jagmals friends helped him board a bus to Gurgaon to stay with his cousins. Late Tuesday night, he boarded a train to Rewari and spent the night at Rewari railway station. On Wednesday morning, he took a bus for Rohtak to stay with a friend when the police nabbed him.

Police also arrested two of his friends for hatching a criminal conspiracy and helping him escape. His uncle Dinesh Singh whose revolver he used was also arrested. The police, who had also booked an assistant professor of the college on charges of instigating Jagmal to commit the murder, said her role in the entire incident could not be proven.
Exactly a year after it swept to power in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday suffered a major political setback, losing by-elections in Gorakhpur and Phulpur. The Samajwadi Party (SP), with the support of its foe-turned-friend, the Bhaujan Samaj Party (BSP), won Lok Sabha seats vacated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya.

The BJP-Janata Dal (United) alliance also lost the Lok Sabha seat of Araria and the Jehanabad assembly constituency in Bihar, while winning the Bhabua assembly seat. Even as its supremo Lalu Prasad remains in jail, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won the two seats.

The bypoll outcome in general, and the loss of Gorakhpur in particular, sparked shock and introspection in the BJP, which, along with its ally, had swept 73 of the 80 seats in UP in 2014. It also energised the Opposition, which claimed that the victory had laid the foundations for a grand alliance in 2019.

The verdict was unambiguous and spelled a reversal of fortunes in UP. The BJP lost Phulpur, which it had won by over 300,000 votes in 2014, by close to 60,000 votes. It lost Gorakhpur, which it had retained since 1991 and won by 300,000 votes four years ago, by over 20,000 votes. The RJD retained Araria by 60,000 votes.

CM Adityanath called the outcome unexpected and said the party would review the shortcomings. We admit that we hadnt estimated that together, with BSP support, SP candidates would be able to win so many votes, said deputy chief minister Maurya.

A state BJP functionary primarily blamed the defeats on two factors -- poor candidate selection and the formidable social coalition of OBCs, Dalits and Muslims that the SP was able to weave together. To add to it, our own voters were demotivated and did not turn up. Something has gone wrong. But we have a year to make up, he said.

Even as the BJP has expanded across the country after 2014, party leaders have continued to see UP and Bihar as the core belt, essential for success in 2019. From now on, all focus will be on Lucknow and Patna.

A year after the devastating defeat in the UP polls, the bypolls marked the return of SPs Akhilesh Yadav to the centre stage of UP politics. Yadav acknowledged the support of Mayawati -- and even called on her late on Wednesday evening in Lucknow. The election formally buried the bitter acrimony of the past two decades between the two parties. Yadav alleged that the CM mocked the Constitution of India and attributed the outcome to BJPs misgovernance. But while avoiding making a commitment on alliances the 2019 election, he said that the election had given a message and direction to national politics.

The Congress lost both seats in UP, but party president Rahul Gandhi said that verdict reflected peoples anger against the BJP. Trinamool Congress leader and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee hailed it as a great victory.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath conceded the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) stunning losses in the Gorakhpur and Phulpur Lok Sabha seats on Wednesday, saying the party failed to assess the impact of the pact between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the bypolls.

He admitted after the verdict that the losses were a lesson for the party. Its indeed a lesson for us.

Adityanath, a five-time MP for Gorakhpur, described the SP-BSP agreement a rajnaitik saudabaazi, or political deal, and told reporters that the people in the two parliamentary constituencies held by the BJP have given an unexpected verdict.

Its an unprecedented verdict but we accept the peoples decision and would work towards ironing out the flaws, he said.

He had downplayed before the bypolls the joint effort of the two main opposition parties to defeat the BJP. He had a series of rallies in Gorakhpur and Phulpur, and said his party was strong in both seats and would win with a comfortable margin.

Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, who represented Phulpur in Parliament, conceded defeat too. He blamed the loss largely on the low voter turnout.

Its true that the two parties together managed to attract more votes than we had imagined, he said.

This is the first time in 29 years that the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat would not be represented by a member of the Gorakhnath Mutt.

Pravin Nishad of the Samajwadi Party won the bypoll. He is a Nishad, a sub-caste of the other backward classes that has traditionally supported Adityanath.

The Nishads backed the SP candidate, who is one of their own, since Adityanath  the chief priest of the influential Gorakhnath shrine  is out of the fray.

Read| Gorakhpur Lok Sabha bypoll results: Delay in updates triggers political row
The unearthing of another high-tech cheating racket in a centre for constable recruitment scam, the second such incident in a week, has put the state police department on its toes. The senior police officials on Wednesday called a meeting to apprise their officers of the two incidents and make them aware about the threats and challenges in conducting the exam.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) late on Tuesday night raided the Dolphin Kids International School in Jaipurs Murlipura, one of the centres for the exam, and found an elaborate cheating setup that was similar to the one busted by the SOG at Saraswati Infotech, Malaviya Nagar Industrial Area, on Sunday night.

A few computers, being used by the candidates at the centre in Murlipura, were connected to computers in another room, said Sanjay Shrotriya, deputy inspector general, SOG. The computers in the other room were in turn connected through Internet with computers at a place in Haryanas Bhiwani. The experts sitting hundreds of kilometers away were accessing the question papers assigned to the candidates and solving their papers, he added.

The SOG arrested school owner Ram Niwas and his nephew Raju who was working as a technician at the school. They have been booked for cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and under sections of the IT Act. The SOG has also rounded up several other people and is interrogating them for their role in the racket.

A police team raided the place in Haryana but those operating the racket there had fled by then, said Shrotriya.

The racket busted at Saraswati Infotech worked in a similar fashion except for the fact that experts in that case were sitting in a neighbouring building and the candidates computers were connected directly to theirs.

The SOG had arrested the owner of Saraswati Infotech, who the sleuths claimed was the main conspirator in the racket. Apart from the owner Vikas Malik, the SOG had arrested seven other persons including two candidates. As per the preliminary investigation, the centre owners were charging anything between Rs 2 to Rs 5 lakh from the candidates for illegally helping them crack the exam.

We got a lead for the second incident when officials of Aptech, while going through old CCTV footage of the school, noticed a suspicious person in the school premises. On probe, we found the person was Abhimanyu, the technician who is in now in our custody for his role in the cheating racket, said the DIG.

He added that although it the same technician was involved in both the cases, the two were not part of the same racket.

More than 16 lakh applicants are taking the constable recruitment exam of Rajasthan Police. The exam is being conducted over a period of about two months. The conduct of exams has been outsourced to Aptech Limited, an education and training company, and the exam is being conducted in five phases at 34 centres across nine districts of the state.

Rajeev Kumar Sharma, additional director general (ADG) of police, headquarters, said that in a first, the written exam was being conducted online this year to make it more secure. When it is computer based, it is always possible to detect a wrongdoing as the act leaves a trail. In written exams, it was very difficult to nab an offender unless the offender was caught red-handed, said the ADG.

He added that the police officers, including superintendents of police of concerned districts, have been instructed to be extra vigilant and keep an eye on the computer infrastructure at the exam centres. The exam centre owners are also under the scanner as their complicity has emerged in both these cases, he added.
Dinesh Pandey, former member, Juvenile Justice Board Lucknow, demystified the procedures involved in cases of juvenile accused.

What is the procedure of trial and conviction involving juvenile accused?

First of all, the juvenile justice board seeks evidence of age to ascertain the juvenility of the accused. Till such time, the accused is required to stay at the government observation home. Even during the trial, the accused has to stay at the observation home and after conviction be transferred to a special home or be involved in community for reformation.

Any specific time frame when cases involving juveniles should be solved?

As per the Juvenile Justice Act 2000, all cases must be solved within 4 months. The act also states that the juvenile status of the accused be decided within 30 days. Among the acceptable age proofs are Class 10 certificate, certificate by first school of the accused, authentic certificates issued by municipal corporation and panchayats and in the absence of all, medical opinion by a duly constituted medical board is acceptable.

What are the provisions for punishment ?

As per the JJ Act, after conviction, juveniles are required to serve a maximum term of three years in special homes. The period spent during trial at observation homes is reduced from the three-year term. In many cases, the juveniles are involved in community services for reformation and rehabilitation.

Any particular provisions for heinous crimes including rape and murder?

Maximum period to be served by juveniles for any crime is three years. Depending on the degree of crime, the juveniles are involved in community service after conviction as a part of the reformatory practice. There are also provisions of vocational training and rehabilitation programmes within observation and special homes for juveniles in conflict with law.

There is a lot of pendency in juvenile courts. Who do you think should be blamed for the delay?

There are a number of reasons that lead to delay. Despite provisions, the state fails to provide free legal aid to those who cant afford it and so their cases remain pending. Then there is staff crunch, inadequate facilities, including electricity and trained staff, that account for the delay. Though the act calls for daily sessions by JJ board members, they are just held twice a week here and so the cases pile up. Often police do not cooperate unless notices are sent to them. This is one of the biggest reasons for delay.

What do you suggest ?

Crime among juvenile is fast increasing. Thus the age of juveniles in conflict with law should be reduced to 16 years in India. Also the punishment should be differentiated between heinous crimes and petty crimes.
One of Lucknows icons Begum Hamida Habibullah, a former UP minister and pioneer in women empowerment, passed away at the command hospital here on Tuesday morning, her family said. She was 102.

Jyotsna Habibullah, her granddaughter-in-law, said Begum Habibullah had been ailing for long. Her last rites took place at her familys native village Saidanpur in Barabanki.

People thronged the Habibullah estate in Lucknow to offer their condolences to the family. Governor Ram Naik also visited the family to pay his last respects to Begum Habibullah.

Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said Begum Habibullah will always be remembered for her contribution to empowerment of Muslim women. Her demise is a big loss for the state, she said.

Daughter of the late Nawab Nazir Yar Jung Bahadur, chief justice of the Hyderabad High Court, Begum Hamida was also a front-ranking social worker. She was also a recipient of the HT Woman Lifetime Achievement Award.

Born on November 20, 1916, she spent her early years in Hyderabad.

Her political career started in 1965 after her husband Major General Enaith Habibullah, founder commandant of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune, retired from service.

She was elected member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Haidergarh (Barabanki) in 1969 and served as state minister of social and harijan welfare, national integration and civil defence from 197173 and tourism minister from 1971-74. She was also a member of the executive committee of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) till 1980 and a member of (elected) the All India Congress Committee (AICC) from 1969. She was the President of Mahila Congress, UPCC, from 1972-76. Thereafter, she was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1976 till 1982.

She played a major role in furthering womens education in the region and she was the founder president of the Avadh Girls Degree College (AGDC).

She held the college close to her heart and frequented it to interact with students and staff. She took a keen interest in all the activities of the college, recalled Upma Chaturvedi, the college principal.

She was also president of Talimgah-e-Niswan College since 1975, an institution for education of Muslim girls, founded by her mother-in-law, the late Begum Inam Habibullah.

Begum Hamida Habibullah was also a patron of the All India Womens Conference, Nari Sewa Samiti Lucknow, Cheshire Homes India (Lucknow) and member of the Sainik Kalyan Board, Lucknow. She was a member of the Lucknow University executive council from 1974 to 1980.

Her son Wajahat Habibullah, a former IAS officer, was the first chief information commissioner of India and chairman of the National Commission for Minorities.
The Allahabad high court on Tuesday directed the Uttar Pradesh government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to file counter affidavit in a petition alleging commercialisation of schools in the state.

The court also issued notice to the Vasundhara branch of the Delhi Public School (DPS) in Ghaziabad, directing it to file a counter affidavit in the case.

The bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice Suneet Kumar passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Ghaziabad Parents Association through its member Neeraj Bhatnagar.

The petitioner alleged that DPS, Vasundhara had being raising the tuition fee for the last three years though CBSE rules prohibit fee hike every year.

The petitioner said when he lodged a complaint with the CBSE, his daughter, a student of class 8, was expelled from the school.

He alleged that the Trust running the school also transferred income from the fee to other Trusts in violation of CBSE rules. It can only be used for maintenance of school.

The petitioner demanded the accounts of DPS should be audited for violation of rules. He said the amount realised from students as fee hike should be recovered from the school by way of fine and returned to students.
Farmers, whose lands have been acquired by the LDA for the Mansarovar housing project at Kanpur road, are demanding more compensation from the development authority. They are staging protest at the project site since last two days demanding more compensation for the land acquired.

LAND ACQUIRED FOR HOUSING PROJECT ON MOHAN ROAD The LDA, on Tuesday, started taking physical possession of the land for its Mohan Road project on Hardoi road. The housing project was scheduled to start in 2017. But whenever the development authority tried to take possession of the land, it had to face stiff opposition from the farmers. This year too, the LDA had to face stiff opposition from the farmers when it tried to take possession of the land that was acquired long back. On Tuesday, the LDAs team successfully put up pillars at the project site demarcating possession of the land. The LDA officials are hopeful of starting the project soon.

The LDA had acquired land from 23 villages in several phases between 1976 and 1987 for the housing project. However, the construction activity started in 2016. Around 60 to 70 percent of the project has been completed.

At present, the farmers are paid the compensation at the rate of around 3 to 3.5 per sq feet. But now, they are demanding the compensation at the rate of 14 per sq feet.

In the recent past, farmers have staged several demonstrations at the LDA office in Gomti Nagar demanding more compensation. However, all efforts of the agitators to take up the issue with the LDA vice-chairman were unsuccessful till date.

Under the banner of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Awadh, farmers are staging the agitation against the development authority. Farmers have been cheated by successive state governments. We are demanding more compensation for our land, said Ram Khelawan Lodhi, vice-president, BKU Awadh.

On March 18 last, the LDA had agreed to pay the compensation at a rate of 10.50 sq feet. However, after formation of the BJP government, the issue has not been included in the LDAs board meeting, said Lodhi.

At the time of acquiring land, the state government had also promised government job to one of the family members of the farmer whose land has been acquired. But till date, the promise has not been fulfilled.

Farmers have been adequately paid compensation. Their demand is unjustified. Construction at the site is on without any hindrance, said a senior LDA official.
In a high tension drama at National Inter College, a group of girls along with their family members leveled charges of sexual harassment against the principal and staged protest on the college premises.

They also alleged principal Uma Shankar Singh of abusing them and threatening to fail them in examination.

The police have registered an FIR against the principal and further probing the matter. In the FIR, three girl students of Class 11 have alleged sexual harassment by the principal. However, the principal denied allegations while stating it to be a conspiracy of some senior teachers to remove him from the post. He told the media persons that CCTV cameras were installed in the college campus including his office room and the police could watch it to know the truth.

On Tuesday, a group of intermediate girls reached the college with their parents and started accusing the principal of sexual harassment and misbehaviour. One of the three girls alleged that the principal confined her and her two friends in his office room on Monday when they had gone to collect their results. She said the principal hurled abusing remarks against them.

Another girl alleged the principal was doing this for the last many months. She said the principal had asked for her mobile number to send important messages related to academics, but soon he started visiting her house on the pretext on helping her in studies and used to stay till late night.

She also alleged that the principal got indulged in indecent talks with her and her younger sister and sent obscene messages to her and other girls, but she and her family members feared complaining against him as he would have spoiled their carrier.

Following protest on the college campus, a police team comprising women cops visited the college campus and also visited the principals house after not finding him in his office when the girls demanded his immediate arrest. The police team had to return from there as his family members denied their entry in absence of proper warrant to search the house.

District police spokesman Arun Singh said FIR against the principal was lodged on the application of father of one the three girls. He said the complainant had mentioned in the application that the principal often tried to indulge in indecent acts with the girls and some college staff revealed that he also misbehaved with women teachers. He demanded stern action and arrest of the principal.

Arun Singh said FIR has been lodged under IPC section 354 A for physical contact and advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures, sending indecent message and making sexually coloured remark;and section 506 for criminal intimidation. He said the section of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act has also been slapped against the principal.
It came as a shocker not only for the media but also the common man when police apprehended a 16-year-old boy for the brutal rape-cum-murder of an eight-year-old girl in July 2017. The boy was alleged to be the main culprit behind the gruesome incident. The girls parents were initially not convinced about the police theory that the juvenile was guilty and believed only when enough evidences were presented before them to prove his involvement in the crime.

Trends have shown that at least 2,054 juveniles were apprehended in 1,903 incidents of rape across the country, according to the recent data (year 2016) of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) . In Uttar Pradesh, at least 126 incidents of rape by juveniles were reported from different districts in 2016. Only Madhya Pradesh (442), Maharashtra (258), Rajasthan (159), Delhi (155) and Chhattisgarh (148) were the states reporting more rapes by juveniles than Uttar Pradesh.

FACTFILE

The trend has also shown that those between 16-18 years committed a large percentage of such heinous crimes. The NCRB data shows that 76% of juveniles involved in rape incidents in 2016 were between the same age group . In 2015 and 2014, at least 62% and 69.4% of juveniles between 16-18 years were involved in such crimes respectively. The rape by juveniles stood at around 4.01% of all types of crimes committed by minors in 2016 while this percentage was as low as 3.1 in 2015.

Even in Lucknow, the members of the juvenile justice board confirm that over 50% cases of heinous crimes by juveniles are committed by those who are nearing the age of 18 years.

Dinesh Pandey, former member of the JJ Board said, In many cases of rape and murder, we found that the age of the accused was around 17 years. In some cases, the accused were only a few months less than 18 years and were treated as juveniles.

Since cases continue to linger on at the JJ boards for years, a number of perpetrators of rapes and other crimes continue to move freely.

According to sources in the JJ Board, several hundred such cases are pending and a number of accused under trial in the JJ board are married and settled but the decision in their case is yet to be made.

Rohit Kant Srivastava, a senior criminal lawyer, said, With the kind of exposure children get these days, they are very well aware of the consequences of the crimes. Thus the juveniles, specially those nearing 18 years of age, must be dealt with accordingly as it would send the right message in the society.

Member of Lucknow Child Welfare Committee, Sangeeta Sharma, however, had a different opinion. She said that children were not prepared for the kind of exposure they were getting these days due to availability of Internet and smartphones .
A man, who brought his ailing wife to the Mainpuri district hospital on a push cart on Monday, was forced to take her body back to his village Hariharpur the same way, after the hospital allegedly failed to provide him with a hearse van.

Kanhaiyya, 40, a labourer in Hariharpur, had to push the cart with his wifes body for six kilometres on the rough terrain of rural Mainpuri.

Although the hospital authorities initially denied the incident, district magistrate Pradeep Kumar took cognizance of the matter and sought a report from the hospital officials.

On Tuesday, chief medical superintendent Dr RK Sagar visited Hariharpur to record the aggrieved familys version of the events.

Villagers said Kanhaiyyas wife Soni, 35, was suffering from heart and lung diseases and had undergone treatment for six months at Safai Medical College. On Monday, she reportedly complained of restlessness and shortness of breath. As her health deteriorated, Kanhaiyya tried arranging for transport, but finding nothing carried her to the district hospital on a hath thela.

Sources said the body was carried back on the push cart in full view of the hospital staff. (HT)

It is not clear if he called up the ambulance service.

Staff at the hospital said that on reaching he approached a doctor who was out on rounds. The doctor reportedly declared Soni brought dead.

Sources said Kanhaiyya requested some hospital staff members to arrange transport for him to take the body back, but did not receive any help. It is still to be established who were these staff members were.

Left with no choice, he finally placed Sonis body on the cart and pushed it all the way back to his village.

Speaking to HT, chief medical superintendent Dr RK Sagar said, The last rites of the lady were taking place on Tuesday, when I visited the village. We recorded the statement of Kanhaiyya and his family. A detailed report will be submitted to the DM.

Regretting the incident, he added, It is unfortunate. The husband did not contact me on Monday, otherwise we would have arranged a hearse van and a driver for him. The availability of the hearse van is mentioned on the walls of the hospital and the same should have been provided to him.

However, sources said the body was carried back on the push cart in full view of the hospital staff.

Meanwhile, in a humane gesture, keeping in view Kanhaiyyas limited means, the villagers contributed for Sonis cremation.
The Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill (UPCOCB), 2017, which was passed by the Vidhan Sabha in the last session, failed to sail through in the Vidhan Parishad on Tuesday.

The united opposition unanimously rejected the proposal to clear the bill introduced by the Yogi Adityanath government.

On the oppositions demand, the bill was referred to the select committee in December last year.

The select committee, headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, however, found that the opposition had not suggested any amendments to the Bill for the committee to consider and the report of the committee was tabled in the floor of the upper house accordingly last week.

But on Tuesday, as leader of the house, Dinesh Sharma moved the proposal for consideration of the bill by the members the opposition rejected the proposal with one voice.

Practically the bill has been defeated in the upper house since the very proposal to consider the same was rejected by the opposition that is in majority, said a Vidhan Parishad official.

According to him, the bill will now again be sent to the Vidhan Sabha for passage and the bill passed there will be sent back to the Vidhan Parishad for clearance.

Read more| Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Bill: Opposition gets a chance to test unity

If the Vidhan Parishad rejects the bill again or passes the bill with amendments not acceptable to the lower house or does not pass the bill within one month, then the bill will be deemed to have been passed by both the houses in the form in which it was passed by the Vidhan Sabha for the second time, he explained.

He said there appeared to be little possibility of the bill getting passed during the current session going by the fact the ongoing budget session will end after two weeks.
Vidhan Parishad chairman Ramesh Yadav on Tuesday directed the state government to table the judicial inquiry report of the alleged corruption in the Gomti riverfront project before the house.

Raising the issue under Rule 39 (A), Samajwadi Partys Ahamad Hasan, Shatrudra Prakash and Sanjay Lathar alleged that the probe conducted by a panel headed by a retired High Court judge was against the basic principle of natural justice.

They argued the party accused in the probe was not given an opportunity to present its case. The SP members demanded that the probe report should be tabled on the floor of the house for all the members to see and debate.

Earlier, Congress Deepak Singh moved a breach of privilege motion against a police officer of Amethi demanding that the cop be asked to appear before the House to explain his misconduct with Singh during the party president Rahul Gandhis Amethi visit on January 15.

Read: CBI takes up Lucknows Gomti River Front case; FIR against 8 engineers

He said the police officer breached Singhs privilege as an MLC by stopping him from participating in a meeting in the Salon town area. Members of other parties and groups also supported him following which the chair referred the matter to the Houses privilege committee for necessary action.

Deepak Singh told media persons that the privilege committee will summon the police officer to the House to explain his conduct.

During the question hour, SP members staged a walkout accusing the government of fudging figures related to the number of farmers who benefited from the ongoing debt redemption scheme.
The defence counsel in the trial of Abu Jundal, implicated in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, on Wednesday cross-examined senior IAS officer and former additional home secretary Amitabh Rajan.

Defense advocate Abdul Wahab Khan confronted Rajan over his knowledge of Jundals arrest from Saudi Arabia. Rajan, who appeared before the special court, said that he came to know that Jundal was arrested in Saudi Arabia.

As per the prosecutions case, Jundal was shown to be arrested on June 21, 2012 by the Delhi police at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

On July 25, 2012, the additional commissioner of police (crime) had written a letter to the passport office seeking details of Jundals passport.

The witness told the court he came to know that Abu Jundal was brought from Saudi Arabia. The witness was the additional chief secretary of home at the time. His knowledge is not personal knowledge, but merely based on hearsay, said Ujjwal Nikam, special public prosecutor.

During the hearing, Wahab also questioned Rajan over the sanction to prosecute Jundal. Rajan said the home minister of Maharastra is the final sanctioning authority under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Zabiuddin Sayyed alias Jundal had claimed that he was never arrested from the Delhi airport, but was deported from Saudi Arabia on the temporary passport issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

In February, assistant passport officer Sitaram Gharat had appeared before the court. He had replied to the Mumbai police with a letter stating that Jundals passport was issued on December 24, 2003 and was valid till December 23, 2013.

Khan had confronted Gharath on what travel document was issued by Delhi passport office to Sayyeds name. To this Gharath said that the Delhi office had issued him a passport in 2012 under the name Zabiuddin Sayed.
The all-women railway staff at Matunga Road station recently highlighted safety issues while on duty at night. Their concerns were forwarded to senior Western Railway (WR) officials, who are now planning to increase security at booking office and station premises.

The booking office and the entry to the station, according to the women staff, is isolated. They also claimed the presence of anti-social elements at night. To strengthen their case, the staff highlighted two incidents. In the first case, a drunkard entered the station and slept the booking office. He refused to leave despite being asked to. In the second instance, a man entered the booking office and offered cold drinks to the women staff.

Both the incidents were scary. At night, only one booking clerk is present in the office. The area outside the ticket window is full of anti-social elements, which makes the job risky, said a woman staff.

The Western Railway Mazdoor Sangh (WRMS), one of the biggest labour union, has written to the principal chief commercial manager, WR, about the problems faced by the women staff.

The letter states: Women workers of commercial department met the general secretary and complained about the location of Matunga Road station is very close to the main street and also isolated, and anti-social elements are wandering at night. There is no woman Railway Protection Force (RPF) security available to the lonely commercial clerk during night. This is a very risky situation as criminals take undue advantage of this situation. We, therefore, request you to kindly appreciate the gravity of the genuine problem and not book them in shift between 10pm to 6am in the interest of their security and safety.

The WR said it will deploy two woman RPF personnel at the booking office to monitor the station premises at night and a helpline number for the officials.

We will provide a hotline number between the booking office and station masters cabin. In case of emergency, the woman clerk can swiftly use it to alert the station master office. One male RPF will also monitor the station during night time, said Mukul Jain, divisional railway manager, western railway.

Matunga Road station became the second suburban railway station to be completely operated by women staff on March 8. Last year, the Central Railway (CR) had converted Matunga station into an all-women staff station, making it the first suburban station in the country to do so.

GFX:

#Matunga Road railway station was converted into an all women staff operated railway station on March 8.

#31 women staff is posted at the station. The staff include station manager, station masters, booking office clerks, ticket checkers, pointsmen, railway protection force and cleaners took over the functioning of the railway station.

#The staff have been posted in shifts and during night only one staff is posted at the booking office due to less sales of tickets during night.

#Matunga station on the central railway became the first all women operated suburban railway station in 2017.

#Gandhi Nagar railway station in Jaipur became the first outstation train station to be completely operated by women staff.
Forest officers from Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) said 22 hectares of protected forest was charred in fires at six areas inside the park on Tuesday evening. All the fires were doused on Wednesday morning. The green cover lost is equivalent to 15 Wankhede stadiums.About 150 people, including forest officers and animal welfare groups, ensured that the fires were controlled by 5am on Wednesday.

Forest officers said the fires were reported from two different patches of the Yogi hills in Mulund, Nahur, two fires were reported from near Wagle Estate at Yeoor-end of the national park and two large fires were curtailed at Tulsi range and Chenna village near Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.

We can confirm that most animals, except insects and reptiles, remained unaffected by fires. Even trees were safe. Only the dried leaves and twigs were charred. The fire was started by the locals to clear forest land for agriculture. It is a serious threat to the wildlife, said Anwar Ahmed, chief conservator of forest and director, SGNP. We have decided to educate tribals and locals that enter the forest against burning patches and warn them of strict action for violating the law.

On Tuesday, HT had reported that the forest department caught an offender illegally lighting a fire within the protected forest area of Yeoor, Sanjay Gandhi National Park, on Monday night. Rajesh Kathod Mokashi, 25, was produced before the magistrate court, Thane on Tuesday and was sent for judicial custody.

He added that the support from local non-governmental orgnisations that volunteered to help douse the fire was commendable. We were lucky to have 60-odd citizen groups that supported our department and climbed these hills to curtail the fire. We salute their efforts to protect Mumbais natural resources, said Ahmed.

NGOs Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) and Plants and Animals Welfare Society (PAWS-Mumbai) assisted forest officers throughout the night and early morning to douse the fire. This activity was an excellent example of joint conservation efforts, said Pawan Sharma, president, RAWW. We appeal to citizens living near the periphery of the forest to keep vigil and report such activities to the SGNP control room so that there is less damage to these areas.

Since these fires were atop hills, it became a danger to control them as they were getting intense. However, we used fire beaters, wet sticks and ensured the fire line was cut off, said Sunish Subramaniam, secretary, PAWS-Mumbai.

80% rise in forest fires across Maharashtra in past three years

HT had reported on December 27 that the number of forest fires in Maharashtra jumped five-fold in three years, with 3,487 incidents reported in 2017, compared to 702 in 2014. While environmentalists said that most fires are deliberate, the forest department said there was no cause for concern as the figures could indicate better surveillance and reporting of fires.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sunil Deodhar indicated that the BJP will not implement a beef ban in Tripura, to respect the demands of the majority of its people. He said this during a media interaction in Mumbai on Tuesday. As the man in charge for Tripura, Deodhar played a key role in the BJPs victory in the state in the assembly elections of March 2018, ousting the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) from its 25-year-long rule.

Deodhar refuted that non-implementation of the beef ban in Tripura would be political. He said, This is a democracy. There are a lot of Muslims and Christians in north-east, and lets face it, a lot of Hindus there also eat beef as a matter of habit. We cannot take food off the plate for 90% of the population. It is (about) sentiments.

Last year, the central governments notification on cattle trade and slaughter rules to ban the sale of cattle for slaughter triggered a massive reaction from governments of several states, including most state governments from north-eastern India. The CPI(M), which was then in power in Tripura, had refused to implement the rules, as a large chunk of the states population depends on cow meat for its nutrition.

Deodhar, who is now a member of the BJP, joined the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in 1991 and was posted as a social worker to north-east India. In 2010, he joined the BJP. When asked if failing to implement the beef ban in Tripura would be a compromise on the RSS stand on cow slaughter and cow worship, Deodhar said,Let me answer this my way. If a majority of any states people want this, then the government must relent. The RSS has been a strong advocate of ban on cow slaughter and stringent cow protection laws.

At present, several BJP-led states have banned cow slaughter, including Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Gujarat.
After 40 days in prison, Indias first woman detective, 65-year-old Rajani Pandit, was released from Thane Central Jail on Wednesday.

She had been arrested on February 2 by the Thane crime branch in the call data record (CDR) scam. On Monday, the Thane sessions court granted bail to Pandit on a bond of Rs20,000.

Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiquis name has also cropped up in connection with the scam. I do not have any connection to anyone, I also dont know who Nawazuddin Siddiqui is, said Pandit, after she was released. The actor had been summoned to the police station on Friday but did not turn up. He later issued a statement on Twitter.

On January 24, four private detectives were arrested by Thane crime branch for allegedly selling call data records (CDR). They used to sell the data for Rs25,000 to Rs50,000. Makesh Pandiyan, 42; Prashant Palekar, 49; Jigar Makawana, 35; and Samresh Jha alias Pratik Mohpal, 32; were arrested from Kalwa.

During investigation Pandits name cropped up and she was arrested.

We will go through the police report and then my advocates will decide the further course of action. I will soon hold a press conference, said Pandit. I am shocked how my name has cropped up in the case.
Abu Salem Ansari, convicted for his role in the 1993 blasts case and for the murder of builder Pradeep Jain, has written a letter to Sarai Mir police station in Azamgarh district, Uttar Pradesh, claiming that local villagers have allegedly forged documents and taken possession of his ancestral property worth crores.

He has asked the police to investigate and take appropriate action.

In the letter dated March 6, 2018, a copy of which is with Hindustan Times, Salem claims to be suffering from sleepless nights at Taloja jail after he learnt the land was usurped.

Salem claims his brother, Abu Hakim, had taken the documents related to the land from the tehsil office on March 30, 2013, and registered the plot in his name along with that of his brothers.

READ: Gangster Abu Salem moves European Court of Human Rights to cancel his extradition to India

But on November 6, 2017, when his brother went to the tehsil office, he learnt the land was in the name of locals Mohammed Nafees, Mohammed Shaukat, Sarwari, Moinuddin, Aklaq, Aklaq Khan and Nadeem Akhtar.

Hence, its clear Nafees and others have, with the help of officials from the tehsil office, made fraudulent documents to usurp the property, writes Salem.

Salem has asked for a proper investigation in the case so that the guilty can be booked. Abu Hakim, Salems brother, said, We had given a letter to the tehsil office three months ago, and had informed them about the fraud. But it did not evoke any response from them. We are not in a position to fight them, so we kept quiet. Salem got to know about the issue through a relative and he wrote the letter. The local police station called me to record my statement.

Narendra Pratap Singh, superintendent of police, Azamgarh (Rural), said, Abu Salem had sent an application from Mumbai jail to the in-charge of Sarai Mir police station in Azamgarh, claiming his ancestral property was usurped. After we received the letter, we conducted an inquiry and had called all the seven people, including Nafees, who showed us documents that stated they had bought the land from villagers.

But it is a property issue and concerns the revenue department. We will inform the department and take their help in the investigation, said Singh.
Five years ago, as Maharashtra faced a severe drought and a lone farmer sat alone at the Azad Maidan in Bombay, demanding the release of more water from the dams, then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar mocked him, Shall I urinate in the dams?

That was as crude a comment as could have come and it instantly doomed the then Congress -Nationalist Congress party government to ignominy at elections to both the Lok Sabha and assembly the next year.

Now, with a year to go to the next elections again, it is the ruling BJP government that seems to have caused tremendous hurt to the more than 30,000 farmers who had marched to the city over 200kms from Nashik and congregated at the same Azad Maidan for their demands. They were first dismissed as mere tribals, as though tribals had no rights, were not humans or indeed not farmers. Then BJP MP Poonam Mahajan accused them of being influenced by urban Maoists, implying that they were rural Naxalites who had been provoked to march to the city under the red flags of the Communists. Indeed she was dismissive of those red flags per se but her callous remarks have damaged her partys reputation vis-a-vis the farmers who arrived in the city marching for six days with broken slippers and bleeding feet. The woman whose bleeding legs went viral on social media had said she would rather die marching to Bombay than return to her village empty-handed and die starving. But the poignancy of the images and the statements of the hungry farmers, who went so far as to march past midnight rather than inconvenience students heading to their exams the next morning, and won the hearts of the urban Mumbaikars, obviously escaped the notice of both Mahajan and her party.

So what if these farmers were mostly tribals? They were not just demanding loan waivers - indeed it is doubtful if any of them had loans over a few thousand rupees (one farmer said he owed just Rs15000 to the banks). But, as tribals, they had other issues that should have been addressed by governments, both present and past, long ago. Much of this has to do with the Forest Act that prevents them from accessing food (both plant and animal) from the jungles. Any attempt to pluck or hunt food in the jungles is considered a violation of the law and they do not have the right to the land on which they grow food for themselves and others. It is no surprise then that many of them look to non-government authorities to get their sustenance and dismissing them as Maoists shows a gross ignorance of their dire circumstances, if not a complete sadistic attitude towards their precarious plight and livelihood issues.

The BJP has always been an urban-oriented party but the Fadnavis government has seemed more inept than most other BJP governments across the country in handling the agrarian crisis. Last year, the chief minister proved intransigent when farmers had demanded loan waivers and, to a large extent, he was right in not wanting to jeopardise the states finances by ceding to the demand. However, it was the arrogant attitude that was adopted in the initial days of the agitation that did his government in. Instead of thumbing a nose at the farmers, the better way out would have been to express sympathy right from the start, sit them down and seek the best possible way out of the crisis rather than a blanket loan waiver that was messed up in both design and the implementation.

Now it is not enough to say that all the demands of the marching farmers have been accepted and will be implemented in six months because tinkering with the Forest Act will require central intervention to give the farmers exactly what they are demanding. Much like reservations for Marathas need constitutional changes, so does the amendment to the Forest Act require parliamentary approval. So the core demands of the marching farmers - land rights in the forests - might take a long time to be fulfilled.

Meanwhile, just because they marched under a sea of red flags of the Communists is no reason to dismiss these unfortunate farmers as Maoists or Red Terrorists. If they were Naxals they would not have to march on bleeding feet to have their voices heard in government corridors. They, after all, put the food on our tables so we do not starve to death. The least we can do is not sneer at their hunger.
In an important ruling, a full bench of the Bombay high court has held that a dying declaration cannot be discarded merely because the deceased didnt endorse it as being correctly recorded.

A dying declaration  often made in cases where a victim has been attacked - cannot be rejected merely for want of endorsement by the deceased, said the bench comprising justice RK Deshpande, justice SB Shukre and justice MG Giratkar. It will always depend upon the facts and circumstances of each case, said the bench.

The full bench said neither Section 32(1) of the Evidence Act, nor the apex court has prescribed any particular format for recording dying declarations. It said a dying declaration can be oral as well as written, and in case its oral, theres no question of it being read over to the declarant.

If that be so, how can such insistence be in respect of written dying declaration? said the full bench. We are, therefore, unable to hold such requirement as mandatory and that in the absence of it, the dying declaration would become unreliable or unsustainable.

In 2004, the high court had adopted a view that a dying declaration minus an endorsement by the deceased person was not acceptable. Since then, different benches of the high court have reversed convictions for several persons held guilty merely on the basis of dying declarations.

The reference was made after a bench headed by justice AB Chaudhari in 2015 refused to accept the prevailing view. It held that if recording of the dying declaration is by an independent person, who is neither a relative nor interested in deposing against the accused, there should be no hesitation in accepting this version, unless such a version is shaken in the cross-examination.

The absence of endorsement of the dying declaration by a doctor regarding the fitness of the declarant, or because the statement was not read over and explained to the declarant, cannot be the reason for holding it unacceptable, if the court is otherwise satisfied that such a dying declaration inspires confidence, the court said.
The probe of the alleged scam worth Rs2,000 crore, in which several investors were cheated owing to a ponzi scheme using the website gainbitcoin.com, will now be handed over to the enforcement directorate (ED), the state government has announced.

While responding to a calling-attention motion, Ranjit Patil, minister of state for home (cities), on Wednesday informed the legislative assembly that a lookout notice has been issued for Gainbitcoin founder Amit Bhardwaj as he has fled the country.

Amolkumar Thombale has been arrested in the case, while Balaji Panchal and Raju Motewar are at large.

While admitting that the company has duped many investors in Mumbai, Pune, Nanded, Kolhapur and other cities in the state, Patil said that the government would request the ED to probe the case. The Reserve Bank of India does not deal in crypto currency but has also not declared it illegal. Cases related to the currency and their monitoring is handled by the central government, he said.

The case, lodged at Nanded police station on January 24, is currently being investigated by the cyber crime branch.
Seven residents of a high-rise in the eastern suburb of Kanjurmarg (east) were rescued and rushed to hospitals after fire broke out in the buildings electric meter box on Wednesday morning. All of them are in a stable condition.

The fire started in the ground floor of the 16-storey Royal Park building around 8am.

Eight fire engines and water tankers were sent to the spot, fire officials said.

We managed to surround and control the fire by 9.36 pm. It was doused by 11.05am, said an official, who did not wish to be named.

The seven residents were taken to Hiranandani and Ankur hospitals in the vicinity, as smoke led to suffocation and breathing problems.
In a bid to score over ally Shiv Sena, which rules the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced that property tax for tenements measuring up to 700 sqft in the city can be waived off.

He said the government will give its nod if the BMC sends such a proposal by completing the statutory procedures.

During the civic polls early last year, the Sena had promised to waive off property tax for flats measuring less than 500 sqft. After the Sena won the polls, the civic body took the decision.

Fadnavis announcement came in the response to a demand raised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and the partys city chief Ashish Shelar during a debate in the Assembly on housing issues in the city.

Shelar had said the BMC has already taken the decision to exempt tenements up to 500 sqft, giving relief to 17.58 lakh flat owners, but 2.97 lakh more flats will now be added to the list. He said it will lead to a burden of only Rs70 crore on the civic body in addition to the Rs350 crore because of the exemption for flats up to 500 sqft.

In his reply, Fadnavis said on Wednesday that the government felt positively about the exemption if the BMC moves such a proposal. He clarified the exemption was possible only for houses in the BMCs jurisdiction because the civic body was in sound financial condition.

The CM also announced additional floor space Index (FSI) and transfer of development rights (TDR) for buildings that fall in the funnel area around the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai. He said the developers will be given additional TDR to ensure redevelopment of around 6,000 buildings that house more than 3.5 lakh tenants in Vile Parle, Ghatkopar and Kurla.

Advocating cluster development and incentives for the redevelopment of the old and dilapidated buildings, Fadnavis said around five lakh houses are under construction at various level in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. He said of the total housing stock required to be constructed in the urban areas of the state, 50% was required in the MMR. Of them, approval has been given to 1.97 lakh tenements. Two lakh are being constructed under public-private partnership and another one lakh are being developed in the next the years under the slum redevelopment scheme, he said.

Fadnavis also said the government will tweak the DCR to bring down the provision of consent of the 70% tenants to 51% for the development of cessed and old buildings redeveloped under the cluster scheme. He said the government will also make it mandatory for the developer to make adequate provisions for the corpus funds to enable the original tenants of slum redevelopment schemes to pay overheads after the revamp. The fund is expected to be in proportion to the cost of the SRA project cost.

Fadnavis also announced in the Assembly that slums within the 20-m perimeter of Arthur Road Jail will be shifted out of to ensure the safety of the inmates. He said the decision on illegal constructions, ongoing redevelopment of the SRA and other buildings between 20 and 150 m  the earlier limit of no-construction  will be taken soon. He said without compromising on the safety of the prison, the decision about housing redevelopment will also be taken.
An 18-year-old girl, who was travelling in a local train on the western line with her mother, was dragged up to the footboard of the compartment and assaulted by a thief when she refused to let go of her mobile phone, worth Rs38,000, that he snatched from her hand.

Miloni Parekh had to let go of her phone finally as she feared she would fall off the train, which started moving.

The incident took place on Saturday night, around 10.30pm, when Parekh, a fashion designing student, was travelling from Kandivli to Grant Road. Parekh said everything happened in a flash, within 20 seconds  the duration a local train halts at a station.

Parekh said she and her mother were seated in the second-class ladies compartment with their backs facing the door when the thief entered the compartment. I was seated on the third seat of the bench with my phone in my hands, she said. As the train reached Santacruz, a man jumped inside and within the blink of an eye, pulled my phone from my hands. I tried to hold on to it but the young robber, who was wearing a white T-shirt, pulled at my mobile phone and dragged me till the footboard of the opposite door. I did not want to fall out and had to let go of my phone when he hit me on the back of my hand, she said.

In the meantime, Parekhs mother, Parul, pulled the chain. The man jumped on to the track as the train began moving. There were about 12 other women in the compartment who shouted but no one helped. There was no constable in the train, Parekh said.

The duo got off at Bandra and approached the Government Railway Police (GRP). We filed an FIR against the unidentified thief who fled with my One-plus phone costing Rs38,000. It was traumatising, said Parekh.

Sunilkumar Jadhav, senior inspector, Bandra GRP, said: We have registered a case of theft and assault used to commit theft under sections 379 and 356 of the Indian Penal Code. We are trying to identify the robber.

Purshottam Karad, deputy commissioner of police, GRP, Western Railway, said that a part of the compartment was not captured in the CCTVs. We are going through other recordings to identify him based on Parekhs description, he said.
Indigo and GoAir cancelled 42 flights on Wednesday, the second day after the countrys aviation regulator banned Airbus A320neo aircraft with faulty engines. While Indigo cancelled 36 flights, GoAir called off six.

While the number of cancellations were fewer than Tuesday, GoAir announced cancellation of 18 flights between March 15 and 24. Though the airlines said they were helping passengers whose flights were cancelled or delayed, questions were raised about why Indigo gave bad weather as reason for the problem.

On Monday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) grounded 11 aircraft (8 from Indigo and 3 from GoAir). As per Indigos website, passengers at Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune and other centres were affected. While most of the flight-affected fliers were from Delhi, Mumbai saw cancellation of four flights. None of the GoAir flights affected Mumbai airport. As per GoAir flight cancellation, Cochin, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad centers wee the most affected.

According to aviation experts, the decision to ground aircraft with faulty engines was sudden and has caused chaos at the airports. The regulator announced the decision on Monday evening, after which the two airlines had to call off the flights in operation. At least a days time to set up the network would have made the situation better, thus inconveniencing passengers to the minium, said an expert.

Indigo said their schedule has been revised to account for the grounded aircraft and the passengers have been informed. GoAir said they are making all possible arrangements to minimise the impact on fliers.
One animal overpass has been planned near Shilottar village and an underpass near Nagla village, 2km between the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS). The Railways will build both these passageways in return for the approval they received to construct a railway line in the area.

We approved a proposal from the Central Railway (CR) regarding construction of a railway line in the area. CR has made a commitment to us that they will develop these passageways. Camera trap images from the area have revealed the presence of two to three adult leopards in this area, said Kalpana Temgire, assistant conservator of forest, SGNP and in-charge of the project, adding that if the Railways fails to construct the passageways, SGNP will build them in a years time.

Two other underpasses have been planned on the Western Express Highway (WEH), which connects the National Highway (NH) 8 near Kolhi village on the boundary of TWS and the Thane territorial forest. Another underpass will be constructed near Chinchoti village further down the same highway, where the forest department has recorded animal road kills.

At all these locations, existing culverts or nullahs, which have dried up, will be converted into underpasses. This will be completed by May this year, said Temgire.

The last overpass will be developed one-and-half kilometre away from Sativali village along NH8 between two hills. We are expecting a central government proposal in this area, and the overpass is a condition during construction. This is at the border of TWS and Thane territorial forests, and is expected to be ready within a year, said Temgire.

Anwar said all upcoming projects around the national park will only be approved with the condition to construct animal passageways. This is a long standing issue where we have been losing our wildlife as a result of imbalance between development and conservation. However, such incidents will now be controlled. We are also discussing these issues with the traffic department to introduce speed control measures such as breakers to reduce the speed of oncoming vehicles and installation of signboards, said Anwar Ahmed, chief conservator of forest, SGNP.

Wildlife biologists welcomed the move, but said accident prone areas such as the Thane-Ghodbunder Road and road along Ghodbunder village also need to be included. This is a nice and timely initiative, but there is dire need to have animal passageways connecting the two parts of SGNP broken by the Ghodbunder road, which has seen a spurt of incidents over the past decade, said Vidya Athreya, wildlife biologist.

Anwar said SGNP was expecting another proposal for Ghodbunder Road, where an overpass will be proposed, but it is still in the planning stages.
If you are a Mumbai resident and think that you can get away with violating traffic laws in Pune, then think twice. In the next three months, Maharashtra could become the first state in the country to have a state-wide integrated e-challan system under its programme One State One e-Challan  a project estimated to cost around Rs60 crore.

This effectively means, the state police will serve you an e-challan irrespective of the district or city you have violated a traffic law in.

In phase one, the police have asked for 4,500 handheld devices out of which, 1100 will be used in Mumbai.

We have asked for better network connectivity and multiple service provider compatibility so that it can be used even in remote parts of the state, said Amitesh Kumar, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

The police will be able to charge a driver for violation of traffic rules even if he has broken it in another part of the state.

For Phase one, the control room will be set up in Mumbais traffic police headquarters, which will monitor Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Nagpur. For the second phase, which will cover the entire state, a centralised control room will be set up at the State Highway Police headquarters in Mumbai.

Maharashtra police have demanded that the centralised system should have e-challan server software and e-challan back office with database, which will enable them to handle, operate and maintain at least 1500 handheld devices at any point in time.

With the implementation of the project, the police intend to lessen manpower for charging traffic violators and making the system more transparent.

The police have also expressed the specifications of the server, software and handheld devices that they will want. According to the specifications, the system proposed by the developer should be able to input and print multiple offences on the same challan and also store data of the stolen vehicles, including a backup of previous offences by the number plate.

Apart from the connectivity, the developer will be responsible for supply, installation, system integration and commissioning of hardware and the software infrastructure for five years.

The police have asked for camera application in the handheld device, which should be able to identify relevant data for challan by capturing a photograph of the drivers license plate and send it directly to the control room.

Along with the hand held devices, an application will also be created with multiple features.

When a vehicle number is entered, the server will be able to send all details relating to the vehicle including previous offence history and outstanding amount due from previous offences.

It would also include day end reports, which will be sent to all senior police officials via SMS from the central server.

This data will then easily be searchable by entering the first few characters of the offence including pending challan information for a particular vehicle/driving license, which should be automatically fetched from the server.

To get developers to build the system, the Maharashtra police have floated a tender inviting bidders to start the integrated e-challan system, and the deadline for the first phase has been extended to March 28.

We are at present resolving the queries about the project posted to us by the bidders in the pre-bidding meeting held last week, said Kumar.
The share of capital expenditure in Maharashtras budget has come down from 17.2% to 9.88% in more than a decade. It means the states spending on development works is reducing significantly.

State finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar on Wednesday expressed concern over squeezing of capital expenditure resulting in less allocation to the development works. He also stressed that the situation needs to be improved.

He was replying to a discussion on state budget in the state assembly on Wednesday.

Mungantiwar said the state government is also trying to get compensation against scrapping of local body tax (LBT) and Octroi from the central government, which goes to the tune of Rs17,000 per annum.

At present, the state government compensates revenue losses of the local bodies for scrapping LBT and Octroi, which was also their main source of income. The LBT was abolished in August 2015, a poll promise made by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the run up to the polls in 2014. The move then cost the state exchequer more than Rs8000 crore. With imposition of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Octroi was also scrapped, which was implemented only in Mumbai till last year. BMCs annual earnings from Octroi was Rs7,700 crore.

Mungantiwar said the population and number of employees in the state when compared to the neighbouring states such as Gujarat and Karnataka is much more. The state spends 43% of the total revenue on salary and pension of its employees.

Adopting the role of a welfare state we also spent significant amount on welfare schemes. I admit that the capital expenditure percentage is reducing and we need to improve the situation, the finance minister said. The issue was raised by the opposition leaders while participating in the debate on state budget in the lower house.

According to the budget book 2018-19, of the total expenditure of Rs3.39 lakh crore, the state government has allocated Rs37,477 crore as capital expenditure, which comes to 9.88% of the total expenditure. Last year, the amount was even less  Rs33,614 crore. The white paper released by the BJP-led government in 2015 says, In 2004-05, the capital expenditure of the state was 17.2% which has come down to 11.5% in 2014-15. The state has failed in building capital assets as it was required, which has helped in boosting the economy in the long run.

Mungantiwar said the state government is still trying to convince the Centre over compensating the financial losses the state is bearing for scrapping LBT and Octroi.

While scrapping the LBT, we were under impression that the central government will compensate us for the losses, but that didnt happened. However, we have not lost all hope and are still trying to convince them to provide us compensation amount, Mungantiwar said.
A senior citizen died in January this year when she fell from a moving auto rickshaw after a pillion rider snatched her gold mangalsutra.

The Thane crime branch on Wednesday arrested the chain-snatcher from Bhiwandi. The accused has been identified as Hujju Yaser Irani, 24. Irani, a Bhiwandi resident, is a history sheeter.

His family members have also been previously been arrested in chain-snatching and theft cases. His father has been in Coimbatore jail for over the past one year, his brother has been in Thane jail for a few months, and his mother was released from kalyan jail on bail last year.

The victim, Kanchan Kudalkar, 65, was travelling by auto at Vakola signal in Santacruz on January 16 when the incident occurred. Kudalkar suffered grievous injuries. The rickshaw driver and the two bike-borne accused fled from the spot. Vakola police registered a case under relevant sections against an unidentified person, said a police officer from Thane crime branch. Kudalkar was rush to a private hospital in Thane. She succumbed to her injuries on January 29, the police office added.

Senior police inspector from Thane crime branch, Nitin Thakare, said, on Tuesday, we came to know that a chain-snatcher had come to Bhiwandi to meet his relatives. We lay a trap and caught Irani on Wednesday. Irani was wanted in many cases, of which 23 are chain snatching cases.

Irani began snatching chains and committing thievery at the age of 17 in Thane, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, said the police. A police officer from Thane commissionerate said, All his family members are history-sheeters. Irani was produced in court and remanded in custody.
A day after Siraj Khan was deported to Pakistan, despite spending 27 years in India, his wife Sajida Pathan said they had hoped of securing an Indian citizenship for Khan after their marriage.

Sajida said, We thought after marriage Siraj would get an Indian citizenship. We never thought that he would be deported. Sajidas only respite comes from the fact that Siraj called her at 9.30pm on Tuesday after reaching Lahore.

Siraj told me he will get a passport and visa, and return to India at the earliest. And then well try to secure a visa for Pakistan. I was totally dependent on him, said Sajid, with their three children by her side.

Siraj married Sajida in 2005. They were introduced to each other by her sister-in-law, who was Sirajs neighbour in Antop Hill. Sajida knew that Siraj is a Pakistani national. The couple has three children  Zara, 12, and 7-year-old twins Inayat and Ejaz. The turmoil in Sajida and Sirajs life started in 2009, after he sought help from police to secure visa for his family to go to Pakistan. It was here that the cops started verifying his nationality and documents.

The foreigners regional registration office relayed a message to Sajidas parents to send relevant documents. After they failed to do so, Siraj was booked. In January 2014, he was sentenced to six months in jail. As he had already served two months, Siraj was released in May 2014.

The court had ordered to deport him to Pakistan after Siraj served his imprisonment. The RAK MArg police kept Siraj in the lock-up till November 2014 as there was no detention centre available to keep him there.

In November 2014, the police released Khan briefly to meet his family and return to police station. Siraj never returned. The police registered a fresh complaint against him for escaping from their custody, said Sajida. A year later, Siraj was arrested on December 5, 2017. After being in the lock-up for three months, he was deported to Pakistan on Tuesday.
Mumbaiites will carry memories for a long time of the extra-ordinary march by farmers and adivasis which culminated in the city earlier this week. The most abiding would be of feet  calloused, bruised, blistered, and bloodied  of footwear worn out from ceaseless walking 180 kilometres over a week, of faces that bore the lines of struggle and deprivation, of neat rows of blinding red columns across the citys flyovers.

When 35,000 to 40,000 kisans marched into Mumbai with a quiet discipline, dignity and agency rarely seen in the prevailing political climate, made their point loud and clear to the Maharashtra government without throwing a single stone, forced the Maharashtra government to accede to their demands, and left just as quietly, they had taught urban citizens a few things.

This was unintentional, of course. When the farm labourers, small farmers and adivasis led by the All India Kisan Sabha had left Nashik on March 5, they knew that they do not exist for millions living in Mumbai and Thane. Rural distress and agrarian crisis enter urban conversations or concerns mostly during elections, natural disasters, and as markets for corporates.

Despite a shockingly large number of suicides by farmers and farm labourers over the years  nearly 2,500 last year itself in Maharashtra  Mumbai remained disconnected with the issue. The protesting kisans managed to dent this indifference and disinterest a wee bit. People joined the dots between the sub-sets of borrowers: farm loans of small amounts (Rs1 to Rs1.5 lakh) which indebted farmers and tore apart their lives with the ease of doing business (and fleeing) enjoyed by the likes of diamonds-designer Nirav Modi.

Their marginalisation and anger juxtaposed with their discipline and dignity moved many Mumbaiites as few issues have. People came out of their homes and offices to offer everything from footwear to food and water. Finger-happy activist Mumbaiites gasped at the blistered and bleeding feet, wondered at their commitment to their cause.

But the marching farmers did not need Mumbaiites bleeding hearts. They asked for our engagement with their issues which ultimately affect us all. That engagement may not come around but they made many Mumbaiites familiar with certain terms: Minimum Support Price, land transfer to their names under Forest Rights Act, the Swaminathan Commission report, intricacies of the farm loan waiver and so on. Will the Devendra Fadnavis government remain true to its promises made to these marginalised farmers-adivasis? More Mumbaiites will be watching now.

The third learning is about agitational politics. They showed that little can be achieved without an agitation, that socio-economic solutions are undeniably political. Mumbai has seen large morchas in the last two years: Dalits morcha in 2016, Maratha Kranti Morcha, protest against Bhima-Koregaon violence. But the farmers-advisasis morcha was evidence that the most under-privileged and marginalised can agitate and bend a governments will, that they have a right to their anger and their agitation methods. These were better and more disciplined than of other morchas. Their walk of last few miles to Azad Maidan in the dead of the night to avoid inconveniencing Mumbaiites will be admirably recounted in the years to come.

This must have something to do with the politics of it all. The All India Kisan Sabha is the farmers association of the CPI (M), the political party which was summarily written off after the Tripura state election. When the Left is at its lowest in Maharashtra and Mumbai, it managed to turn the city red. Thats because the Sabha has been at these issues for years, studying and documenting, organising and campaigning, and finally leading. Some 40 different farmers groups have come together on a single platform to articulate agrarian crisis.

Above all, the Left-led morcha showed Mumbai that a protest does not have to mean violence the way Shiv Sena or Dalits groups have interpreted it. The city has been stunned by saffron many times, bled blue at others. After decades, it turned red with cold and dignified rage. Only the likes of BJP MP Poonam Mahajan saw urban Maoism in it all.
I live in the future. I drive an amazing Tesla electric vehicle, which takes control of the steering wheel on highways. My house, in Menlo Park, California, is a passive home that expends minimal energy on heating or cooling. With the solar panels on my roof, my energy bills are close to zero. I have a medical device at home, which was made in New Delhi, Healthcubed, that does the same medical tests as hospitalsand provides me with immediate results. Because I have a history of heart trouble I have all of the data I need to communicate with a doctor anywhere in the world, anytime I need.

I spend much of my time talking to entrepreneurs and researchers about breakthrough technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. These entrepreneurs are building a better future. I live in the future as it is forming and this is happening far faster than most people realise, and far faster than the human mind can comfortably perceive.

The distant future is no longer distant. The pace of technological change is rapidly accelerating, and those changes are coming to you very soon. Look at the way smartphones crept up on us. Just about everyone now has one. We are always checking email, receiving texts, ordering goods online, and sharing our lives with distant friends and relatives on social media.

These technologies changed our lives before we even realised it. Just as we blindly follow the directions that Google Maps gives useven when we know betterwe will comply with the constant advice that our digital doctor provides. Im talking about an artificially intelligent app on our smartphone that will have read our medical data and monitor our lifestyles and habits. It will warn us not to eat more gulab jamuns lest we gain another 10 pounds.

So you say that I live in a technobubble, a world that is not representative of the lives of the majority of people in the US or India? Thats true. I live a comfortable life in Silicon Valley and am fortunate to sit near the top of the technology and innovation food chain. So I see the future sooner than most people. The noted science-fiction writer William Gibson, who is a favourite of hackers and techies, once wrote: The future is here. Its just not evenly distributed yet. But, from my vantage point at its apex, I am watching that distribution curve flatten, and quickly. Simply put, the future is happening faster and faster. It is happening everywhere.

Technology is the great leveller, the great unifier, the great creator of new and destroyer of old.

Once, technology could be put in a box, a discrete business dominated by business systems and some cool gadgets. It slowly but surely crept into more corners of our lives. Today the creep has become a headlong rush. Technology is taking over every part of our lives; every part of society; every waking moment of every day. Increasingly, pervasive data networks and connected devices are causing rapid information flows from the source to the massesand down the economic ladders from the developed societies to the poorest.

Perhaps my present life in the near future, in the technobubble in Silicon Valley, sounds unreal. Believe me, it is something we will laugh at within a decade as extremely primitive.

We are only just commencing the greatest shift that society has seen since the dawn of humankind. And, as in all other manifest shifts  from the use of fire to the rise of agriculture and the development of sailing vessels, internal-combustion engines, and computing  this one will arise from breathtaking advances in technology. This shift, though, is both broader and deeper, and is happening far more quickly.

Such rapid, ubiquitous change has a dark side. Jobs as we know them will disappear. Our privacy will be further compromised. Our children may never drive a car or ride in one driven by a human being. We have to worry about biological terrorism and killer drones. Someone maybe youwill have his or her DNA sequence and fingerprints stolen. Man and machine will begin to merge. You will have as much food as you can possibly eat, for better and for worse.

The ugly state of global politics illustrates the impact of income inequality and the widening technological divide. More people are being left behind and are protesting. Technologies such as social media are being used to fan the flames and to exploit ignorance and bias. The situation will get only worseunless we find ways to share the prosperity we are creating.

We have a choice: to build an amazing future such as we saw on the TV series Star Trek, or to head into the dystopia of Mad Max. It really is up to us; we must tell our policy makers what choices we want them to make.

The key is to ensure that the technologies we are building have the potential to benefit everyone equally; balance risks and the rewards; and minimise the dependence that technologies create. But first, we must learn about these advances ourselves and be part of the future they are creating.

Vivek Wadhwa is a Distinguished Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University at Silicon Valley and author of The Driver in the Driverless Car: How Our Technology Choices Will Create the Future.

The views expressed are personal
A special court acquitted a 44-year-old Ram Darbar man of raping his 14-year-old niece, concluding that the victim and her mother had made the allegation to settle scores with the accused in a property dispute.

The court also acquitted the mans tenant, who was also booked in the case under Sections 354 (sexual harassment) and 354A (making sexually coloured remarks) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 8 (sexual assault) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on August 30, 2017.

Both of them worked in a local news organisation while the girl was studying in Class 8 at a government model school in the city. They lived in the same house.

The case was registered at the Sector-31 police station on the complaint of the womens helpline counsellor. It was alleged that the girls paternal uncle and 37-year-old tenant sexually abused her over a month whenever her mother, who worked at a factory, was not at home. The girl has three sisters and her father is deceased.

So many disputes are going on between the parties and number of people are residing in the same building. It is difficult to believe that two persons would ever go or molest the child.  Special court

The accused pleaded innocent stating that there was a dispute over their common house. The girls mother had filed a civil case regarding it in February 2014 against the main accused (her husbands elder brother) and mother-in-law. However, the proceedings were dropped a year later.

Another case was initiated before the State legal Service Authority, Chandigarh, in May 2017, levelling allegations of domestic violence against the in-laws. The case is pending. Even on August 30, 2017, when the woman had filed the sexual assault case, a hearing in the domestic violence case had taken place. Police had visited their home a number of times on various complaints by the girls mother.

Girl made scapegoat to falsely implicate uncle

Pronouncing the judgment in the sexual assault case on Monday, the court of additional district and sessions judge Poonam R Joshi said the fact that the 14-year-old girl kept changing her statement meant she was bent upon implicating her uncle to settle a civil dispute.

So many disputes are going on between the parties and number of people are residing in the same building. It is difficult to believe that two persons would ever go or molest the child. The date or time has no where been stated in her application before the police, observed the court.

The court said it was evident that the child has been made a scapegoat to falsely implicate the accused in the present case. It is not possible that the child would not tell any police officer during the span of one month when she admits that she used to go for the hearing in the civil dispute. This shows that she was aware as to how the complaints were to be made and she would not tolerate the molestation, if any, for one whole month.
Journalism is to serve the people who in turn support press freedom of expression, said veteran journalist and former Rajya Sabha member HK Dua during his address at the 77th Foundation Day celebrations of School of Communication Studies (SCS) at Panjab University, on Tuesday.

He was here to deliver Professor PP Singh Memorial Lecture on the occasion. Recollecting the history of Journalism in India Dua said, If you betray people, you will not have their support.

He reminded the audience the time when editors of prominent newspapers protested the defamation law during Rajiv Gandhis regime and how they had the popular support.

Speaking about the censorship of press during the 1975 emergency Dua, who was working The Indian Express at that time, informed the audience about the headstrong publications that kept working and said, We left the editorial space blank, and people did get the message on how the press was being censored.

He mentioned how important it is bring out truth to the people. In 1977 Indira Gandhi could not win her own seat as a result of the emergency, he said.

Dua urged the students to take up journalism as a duty to serve the nation and not look at its glamour perspective.

Media banking on governments friendship

Talking about the present times, he mentioned how press is going into the hands of corporations and thus succumbing to getting into comfortable relationships with the government, thus paving way for an undeclared attack on the press.

Telephone calls go to the proprietors, and they in turn do not want to annoy the government. But if you give facts, the governments find it difficult to snub you. Go to the people, they will support you if you voice the truth, he said.

He added, See how some courageous reporters reported the Maharashtra Kissan march and the kind of impact that it had. This is the power of the press.

Join journalism to serve the nation

Press will have to win the people for their cause to be effective. It will have to protect the peoples right to know, he further said. He even mentioned the number of lynchings that have gone unreported in the country. He even shared a report about the number of journalists that were murdered for bringing out the truth.

He urged the students to take up journalism as a duty to serve the nation and not look at its glamour perspective. It is the job of the strong-hearted. 1.3 billion stories are waiting to be reported.

The event was a memorial tribute to Prithvi Pal Singh, the founder of journalism education in India at the University of Punjab at Lahore. Vice Chancellor, Arun K Grover and chairperson of SCS also spoke on the occasion. Head of Dean Alumni Relations, Anil Monga and former VC RP Bambah were also present on the occasion.
Violence broke out after a second year civil engineering student of SRM Global Engineering College at Bhurewal village near Naraingarh committed suicide by hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on Tuesday morning. Later, as news of the death spread, students of the college shouted slogans against the institute, damaged cars alleging mismanagement and blocked the Naraingarh-Chandigarh road.

After a mild baton charge by the police, some of the protesting students were taken into custody and released later, police said. Sahbul Ansari (20), a brilliant student according to his batch mates, was from Mahatori district in Nepal. No suicide note was recovered.

According to Ansaris roommate Yogeshwar, both were awake in the room till 2 am after which he (Yogeshwar) went to sleep and went out for classes in the morning while Ansari slept. Later, at about 9 am, some students in a building adjoining the hostel spotted Ansaris body through his rooms window and reported the matter to the college management, which contacted the police.

Sahbul Ansari, a student from Nepal, who committed suicide in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The body has been taken to the Naraingarh Civil Hospital for a post mortem examination. Ansari is survived by two brothers who live in Dubai.

The protesting students, meanwhile, alleged that though the college charged a hefty fee from them the hostel had no warden or watchman. Facilities were inadequate, the academic atmosphere was poor. Some students were also stressed because of fines imposed on them by the college, they alleged.

Expressing grief over the incident, college chairman Roshan Lal Jindal said that the institute had lost a brilliant student. Reasons why Ansari took the step were not known, Jindal said. Allegations of lack of facilities at the institute were baseless, he added. The protesters broke windows of several vehicles, including college buses, after a mild baton charge was ordered to control them.

Police said that the situation was brought under control after two hours and several rampaging students were taken into custody and later let off.

DSP Rajbir Singh said that Ansaris relatives had been informed and after the visit of forensics experts and further action would be taken when the relatives reached Naraingarh. The hostel room has been sealed.
The principal shooting of Ajiths Viswasam is expected to finally commence from March 23 in Hyderabad. As the makers are gearing up for full-fledged shoot, reports have emerged that Ajith might team up with producer Boney Kapoor for a new project. Not much information is available at the moment regarding the project, but its known that a film may happen in this collaboration soon. Apparently, Boney and his late wife Sridevi have been planning to work with Ajith for a long time and it looks like it is finally materializing. It should be noted that Ajith played a cameo in the Tamil dubbed version of Sridevis English Vinglish.

Sridevi and Ajith in a still from English Vinglish.

Meanwhile, recent rumours suggest that Prabhudeva will direct Ajith next for producer Kotapadi Rajesh, whose recent production venture was Gulebaghavali, which featured Prabhudeva in the titular role. Prabhudeva is currently shooting for Charlie Chaplin 2, a Tamil comedy with director Sakthi Chidambaram. His next Tamil release will be Karthik Subbarajs silent thriller Mercury. Interestingly, Prabhudeva plays the antagonist in Mercury, slated for April 13 release. He also has a danced-based film called Lakshmi, in AL Vijays direction, gearing up for release. On the directorial front, his next project is Salman Khan starrer Dabangg 3, which is expected to kick-off from April or May. Last year, Prabhudeva announced a multi-starrer project called Karuppu Raja Vela Raja, which would mark his return to direction in Tamil filmdom after a long hiatus. For various reasons unknown, the project never took off.

Viswasam marks the fourth consecutive collaboration of Ajith and director Siva. While many believed that after the debacle of Vivegam, Ajith and Siva might take a break and work on a different combination. However, theyve reunited to bounce back strongly following the failure of Vivegam. Apparently, Ajith insisted that Siva works with him again on a rural-based script and itll feature Ajith in a brand new avatar. It is believed that Ajith will dye his hair black and sport a new look for the film and his new look has already leaked online. D Imman, who will be joining hands for the first time with Ajith, has been finalised to compose music. Nayanthara has been roped in to play the leading lady.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Actor Dileep has been allowed access to the case documents on Wednesday, after he moved the high court seeking permission.The court in Kochi stated that Dileep, one of the accused in the case, should be allowed to use the documents and materials related to the case. However, the order also added that it was up to Kerala high court to decide whether a copy of the visuals should be given to the accused or not, reported Manorama.

The Ernakulam principal sessions court has stated that the medical examination report of the actress following the attack can also be made available to Dileep. The hearing on this case has now been moved to March 28.

Malayalam actress abduction & assault case: Ernakulam Court ordered that all documents in connection with the case except visuals of attack can be handed over to accused.Victim has demanded for a special court for trial. She has submitted request seeking a female judge for trial  ANI (@ANI) March 14, 2018

Initially, Dileep had tried to gain access to the visuals of the attack that were submitted as evidence. However, the prosecution stated that this would adversely affect the victim. Meanwhile, the victim is pursuing the constitution of a special court with a woman judge for conducting the trial. She filed the petition regarding the same on Wednesday.

The said female actor was attacked on February 17, 2017. It was led by Pulsar Suni, who is the primary accused in this case. Actor Dileep was arrested for plotting the attack and was named the eighth accused. All those accused in the case were present in the court on Wednesday.

The other accused include Martin Antony; the actresss driver Manikandan from Thammanam, Kochi; VP Vijesh from Kathirur; Salim from Edapally; Pradeep from Thiruvalla; Vishnu from Kakkanad; advocate Pratheesh Chacko from Aluva; Charly Thomas from Kannur, Sanilkumar from Kozhenchery and Adv. Raju Joseph from Ernakulam.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Stephen Hawking, the British physicist and black-hole theorist who brought science to a mass audience with the best-selling book A Brief History of Time, has died. He was 76.

Hawking, who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrigs disease), was confined to an electric wheelchair for much of his adult life. Diagnosed at age 21, he was one of the worlds longest survivors of ALS.

A Cambridge University professor, Hawking redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes emit radiation and later evaporate. He also showed that the universe had a beginning by describing how Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity eventually breaks down when time and space are traced back to the Big Bang about 13.7 billion years ago.

Best-Seller

A Brief History of Time, first published in 1988, earned its author worldwide acclaim, selling at least 10 million copies in 40 languages and staying on the best-seller list of the UKs Sunday Times newspaper for a record 237 weeks.

Often referred to as one of the most unread books of all time for the hard-to-grasp concepts, it included only one equation: E = mc2 or the equivalence of mass and energy, deduced by Einstein from his theory of special relativity. The book outlined the basics of cosmology for the general reader.

Hawkings fame increased as his health worsened. After his degenerative muscle disorder was diagnosed, he defied medical opinion by living five decades longer than expected. He communicated his ideas through an American-accented speech synthesizer after a life-saving tracheotomy in 1985 took away his ability to speak. To the layman, the robot-like voice only seemed to give his words added authority.

To my colleagues, Im just another physicist, but to the wider public, I became possibly the best-known scientist in the world, Hawking wrote in his 2013 memoir My Brief History. This is partly because scientists, apart from Einstein, are not widely known rock stars, and partly because I fit the stereotype of a disabled genius.

Black Holes

Hawking applied quantum theory  governing the subatomic world  to black holes, which he claimed discharge radiation that causes them to disappear. This process helps explain the notion that black holes have existed at a micro level since the Big Bang, and the smaller they are, the faster they evaporate.

Black holes are formed when a massive star collapses under the weight of its own gravity. Detected by the movement of surrounding matter, they devour everything in their path and may play a role in the birth of galaxies. Physicists say these invisible cosmic vacuums might allow travel through time and space via wormholes, a favourite of science-fiction writers.

With mathematician Roger Penrose, Hawking used Einsteins theory of relativity to trace the origins of time and space to a single point of zero size and infinite density. Their work gave mathematical expression to the Big Bang theory, proposed by Belgian priest Georges Lemaitre in 1927 and supported two years later by Edwin Hubbles discovery that the universe is expanding.

Before the Big Bang

With American physicist James Hartle, Hawking later tried to marry relativity with quantum theory by proposing the no-boundary principle, which held that space-time is finite and the laws of physics determined how the universe began in a self-contained system, without the need for a creator or prior cause.

There was nothing around before the Big, Big Bang, Hawking told physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Star Talk show aired on National Geographic Channel earlier this month.

According to Hawking, the laws of physics and time cease to function inside that tiny particle of heat and energy. The ordinary real time as we know now shrinks infinitely as the universe becomes ever smaller but never reaches a definable starting point.

It was always reaching closer to nothing but didnt become nothing, said Hawking.

He drew an analogy between the distorted time with Ancient Greek philosopher Euclids theory of space-time, a closed surface without end.

One can regard imaginary and real time beginning at the South Pole. There is nothing south of the South Pole... There was never a Big Bang that produced something from nothing. It just seemed that way from mankinds perspective, Hawking explained.

Profound Impact

The Nobel Prize in Physics proved elusive for Hawking, whose theories required observational data to win the praise of the awarding committee in Stockholm. The Nobel Foundation excludes posthumous nominees.

By any reasonable standard, Stephen Hawking is a great scientist. Even if time shows some of his more radical proposals to be incorrect, Hawking will have had a profound impact on the history of science, Henry F Schaefer III, a chemistry professor at the University of Georgia, said in a 2001 lecture.

Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on Jan. 8, 1942, exactly 300 years after the death of Italian physicist Galileo Galilei. Hawkings father, Frank, was a doctor of tropical medicine. His mother, Isobel, was a tax inspector and a secretary. He had two younger sisters and a brother.

At age 8, Hawking moved with his family to St. Albans, where he went to school. He then graduated with first-class honours in natural science at Oxfords University College. While he was a doctoral candidate at Cambridge, Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, also known as motor neuron disease. He was told he had only a few years to live.

Pondering the future

As the illness progressed slower than expected and he found inspiration in his girlfriend, Jane Wilde, Hawking began to work at his studies for the first time. He completed his doctorate on the origins of the universe, became a research fellow at Caius College and married Wilde in 1965.

In 1970, Hawking realized the mathematical approaches he developed with Penrose could be applied to black holes, a term coined by physicist John Wheeler. Hawking worked for the next four years on black holes, discovering they werent totally black, but leaked radiation, now known as Hawking radiation.

For 30 years, Hawking was Cambridges Lucasian professor of mathematics, a chair once held by Isaac Newton. US President Barack Obama awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hawking in 2009, the year of his retirement.

His other popular books included The Universe in a Nutshell (2001), On the Shoulders of Giants (2002), A Briefer History of Time (2005) and The Grand Design (2010).

In 2015, Eddie Redmayne won an Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in The Theory of Everything, a film about the scientists life.

Hawking separated from his wife in 1991 and married his nurse, Elaine Mason, four years later. They divorced in 2007.

By 2017 Hawking was spending more time pondering humanitys future and concluding that we should plan to colonize other planets. We are running out of space, and the only place we can go to are other worlds, he told a gathering of scientists. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth.

(With inputs from PTI)
The producers of Netflixs The Crown, a lavish drama that charts the evolution of Britains Queen Elizabeth II over a planned six decades, have confessed that Matt Smith, who plays Prince Philip, was paid more than Claire Foy, who plays the Queen. Speaking at a conference in Jerusalem, the producers said that the show costs approximately $7 million per episode to produce, and that all the money is on the screen.

Were victims of our own success, but so is Netflix, said Andy Harries, CEO of Left Bank Pictures, according to a Variety report. The Ryan Murphy deal is a problem for us all, he said, referring to Netflixs record-breaking deal to lure producer Ryan Murphy into the mix.

Both Smith and Foy have since been replaced in the lead roles - not because of any dispute, but because that was the plan all along. Olivia Colman will take on the role of The Queen, Helena Bonham Carter will replace Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret, and it has been rumoured that Hugh Laurie is being eyed to play Prince Philip.

Actors Claire Foy, who plays Queen Elizabeth II, and Matt Smith who plays Philip Duke of Edinburgh, attend the premiere of The Crown Season 2 in London,. (REUTERS)

The producers said that Smith was paid more than Foy because he was a more established star, thanks to his lead role in Doctor Who. Meanwhile, several people took to Twitter to express outrage at the pay disparity, especially because the show rests on Foys shoulders, and she has won a Golden Globe for her performance.

Going forward, no one gets paid more than the Queen, the producers said. According to the BBC, Foy was reportedly paid $40,000 (28,000, Rs 18 lakhs) per episode for the first two series. It is unclear what Smith was paid. The Crown is one of the most expensive television shows ever produced, costing about $130m (93m, Rs 844 crore) for the first season alone, the BBC reports.

The controversy comes just months after it was revealed that Mark Wahlberg was paid $1 million for the unplanned reshoots that took place for Ridley Scotts All the Money in the World, while his co-star, Michelle Williams was paid $80 a day. Wahlberg later donated his earning to the Times Up fund, but not before several of their peers expressed outrage.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the heads of the 52 other Commonwealth member-states will decide who will succeed Queen Elizabeth as the head of the grouping, secretary general Patricia Scotland said on Wednesday.

Queen Elizabeth, 91, has headed the Commonwealth since 1952 and there is much speculation over her successor, since the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April is likely to be her last. Prince Charles has widely been mentioned as the next head of the group.

The theme of the April 16-20 CHOGM is Towards a common future, and will include events under four forums  business, youth, people and women. The event will be held across locations in London and Windsor, including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The business forum is likely to discuss issues such as launching a five-year visa for business travellers across Commonwealth countries and Chinas Belt and Road Initiative. An innovation hub is likely to be set up, besides and toolkits of best practice in various areas of governance to be shared across the group.

The Theresa May government has been focussing more on the event in view of its trade ambitions related to Brexit.

People have forgotten how valuable the Commonwealth can be. There is potential for trillion dollars-worth of trade between Commonwealth countries  analysis shows there is a 19% advantage when countries trade with other member-countries, Scotland said.

She said there was strong commitment from India to the group, and noted that more than half of the Commonwealths 2.4 billion population was based there. Indian expertise in education, small and medium-sized enterprises, and law were specifically mentioned as valuable to the group.

Scotland and other leading lights of the Commonwealth secretariat would not discuss the issue of Queen Elizabeths succession or Prince Harry taking on a youth-related role beyond acknowledging the contribution of Britains royal family over the decades.

She also noted reports from Zimbabwe that it was keen to rejoin the group after the new political dispensation in Harare following Robert Mugabes resignation as president, but so far the first step in the process, a formal letter to the secretariat, had not been received so far.
The European Union moved Wednesday to speed up the return of unauthorized migrants, announcing plans to punish countries that refuse to take back their nationals by restricting visas for their diplomats.

While the number of people entering Europe in search of better lives has dropped dramatically over the past year, EU countries only send back around half of migrants denied visas, often because the migrants have lost or destroyed their ID documents and its difficult to establish their nationality. Fake ID is also often used.

France, for example, is angered that Mali routinely refuses to take back people that Paris insists are from there.

Formalizing a threat already made to some African countries by EU member states, the EUs executive Commission announced that it has a new mechanism to trigger stricter conditions for processing visas when a partner country does not cooperate sufficiently.

The aim is to target decision-makers by dragging out the application time for diplomatic visas, hiking costs or cutting short their stays.

At the same time, the Commission said it plans to make tourism visas more attractive. It would allow for earlier applications, electronic visas, and strictly limited stays of one week in one EU country.

But the price of visas  already beyond the means of most Africans  would rise from 60 to 80 ($74 to $99), leaving many heading to Europe in search of better lives with little incentive to apply.

With these changes, we will keep Europes door open for bone fide travellers but closed for those who pose security risks, said EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.

Avramopoulos said he would shortly travel to Niger  a transit hub for many migrants bound for Europe via Libya  for talks with regional leaders, and that he would try to convince these countries to take back their nationals.

Readmission of own nationals is an obligation under international law, he said.

Also Wednesday, the Commission said it was mobilizing the second 3-billion ($3.7 billion) tranche of refugee money for Turkey, even though the move was endorsed several weeks ago.

The money is aimed at helping Turkey cope with some 3 million Syrian refugees on its territory, and is part of a package of incentives offered to Ankara to persuade it to stop migrants trying to reach Europe.

The Commission sees the EU-Turkey agreement as a great success and wants to reproduce elements of it in pacts with other countries, mostly in northern Africa.

The announcement comes as the European Court of Auditors said in a report that billions of euros spent to help bring Turkey into line with EU standards for membership has only had a limited effect.

The court underlined that Turkey had shown little political will for reform in some sectors, notably the fight against high-level corruption and organized crime, and ensuring an independent justice system.

It said the Commission did not make best use of the leverage it has to persuade Ankara to reform.
US President Donald Trump demanded an explanation from Moscow over the poisoning of a former spy in Britain as Londons deadline for answers expired, with Russia threatening retribution if it is punished for the Cold War intrigue.

Moscow has slammed the accusations that it was behind the attempted murder of a double agent, defying the midnight Tuesday (00:00 GMT) ultimatum set by Britain to explain how a Soviet-designed nerve-agent found its way onto British streets.

The attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury on March 4 sparked a deepening diplomatic row that pits Russia against Britain and its allies the United States, NATO and the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will outline Londons response to the escalating crisis on Wednesday, has pointed the finger at Moscow, which she said was highly likely to be responsible.

In a phone call with May on Tuesday, Trump said Russia must provide unambiguous answers to explain what is believed to be the first nerve agent attack in Europe since World War II.

The two leaders agreed on the need for consequences for those who use these heinous weapons in flagrant violation of international norms, the White House said.

In Moscow, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov insisted Russia is not guilty, saying it was ready to cooperate with Britain but complaining that its request for samples of the nerve agent had been rejected.

The Russian embassy said it had formally demanded Britain allow a joint investigation, saying without that, there can be no sense in any statements from London.

In the first sign of the practical implications of the growing diplomatic crisis, Russia threatened to bar all British media from working in Russia if British authorities banned the Kremlin-backed RT broadcaster.

British regulator Ofcom has warned it could review RTs licence if Russia were found to have been responsible for the attack on Skripal, who came to Britain in a 2010 spy swap.

Allies back Britain

Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, remain in critical condition in hospital after being found unconscious on a bench outside a shopping centre in the southwestern city of Salisbury.

The British government believes a Novichok Russian nerve agent was used and on Monday May called on Moscow explain whether the attempted murder was a state-sponsored attack, or whether it had lost control of the substance.

She demanded Moscow disclose details of the development of the Novichok nerve agents programme to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

But addressing the OPCW, Russian ambassador Alexander Shulgin accused British officials of launching vicious attacks against Moscow and fomenting hysteria.

Pharmacology experts said Novichok, a broad category of more than 100 nerve agents developed by the Soviet Union during the late stages of the Cold War, was more dangerous and sophisticated than sarin or VX.

May will gather her National Security Council on Wednesday morning to discuss the response from Russia, and will then give a statement to MPs, her spokesman said.

The prime minister has said that her government was considering a British version of the US Magnitsky Act, which was adopted in 2012 to punish Russian officials accused of human rights violations.

Foreign secretary Boris Johnson attempted to rally support on Tuesday by calling his counterparts and vowing that if Russia was responsible, this would be further reckless behaviour which threatens the international community and requires an international response.

European Commission vice president Frans Timmermans said the EU was united in unwavering solidarity, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was taking the British accusation extremely seriously and French President Emmanuel Macron said the attack was unacceptable.

NATO secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the incident was of great concern amid reports that Britain was consulting NATO allies about possibly invoking its Article 5 principle of common defence.

They will not recover

Vil Mirzayanov, a chemist who worked on the Novichok programme and now lives in the United States, said the nerve agents effects were brutal.

These people are gone  the man and his daughter. Even if they survive they will not recover, the 83-year-old told The Telegraph newspaper.

A policeman was also taken ill, and police revealed Tuesday that 35 people were assessed at the time, all but one of whom were swiftly released. That person is being monitored as an outpatient.

The case has prompted comparisons with the 2006 radiation poisoning of former spy and Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko, which a British public inquiry blamed on Russia.

In a further twist, former senior Russian executive Nikolai Glushkov, linked to late Kremlin opponent Boris Berezovsky, was found dead in London in unexplained circumstances, British and Russian media reported.
President Donald Trumps firing of his top diplomat Rex Tillerson may result in the postponement of the inaugural 2+2 dialogue between India and the US if newly appointed secretary of state Mike Pompeo, one of the principals, is not confirmed in time.

The 2+2 dialogue, in which the defence and external affair ministers of both countries will simultaneously meet, is scheduled for April 18 in Washington.

Tillerson leaves office on March 31, but Pompeo cannot take charge or begin discharging duties of the office till he is confirmed, according to rules of the US government.

Bob Corker, chairman of the senate foreign relations committee that will process Pompeo, said in a statement: As I shared with the president, the committee will consider his nomination as expeditiously as possible.

The statement added that the committee expects to hold a hearing on the nomination in April. Given the calendar of the senate, a congressional aide said the hearing is likely to take place only after April 9.

As CIA director, Pompeo has already been vetted and has the requisite security clearances. But the confirmation process still involves steps that start with the White House formally sending the nomination to the senate, where it is assigned to the relevant committee.

The committee holds hearings, which could go on for a day or longer  Tillersons hearing lasted two days. The panel then votes to send up nomination to the full senate for discussion and vote. Pompeos CIA nomination was approved by 66-32 vote in the 100-member body.

US officials are looking closely at the chances of the confirmation process being wrapped up before the date of the 2+2 dialogue. Though anything is possible... From where we are today, it looks unlikely the secretary will be confirmed by then according to our calculations, an official said.

The 2+2 dialogue was announced last August after a phone call between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump on the eve of the Indias Independence Day. The White House had said in a statement that the dialogue will elevate their (the two countries) strategic consultations.

This new dialogue was to replace the strategic and commercial 2+2 that India and the US had been holding for two years, involving the external affairs and commerce ministries.

Until Tuesday, when Trump unceremoniously fired Tillerson and named Pompeo as his replacement, the scene was all set for the April 18 dialogue between Tillerson and defence secretary James Matties with their Indian counterparts Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman.

The inaugural dialogue was earlier expected to have taken place in New Delhi in 2017, but Mattis and Tillersons travel schedules didnt work out and they were unable to be in India together  the defence secretary visited in September, followed by the secretary of state a month later.
Irans foreign minister has expressed a willingness to resolve differences with Saudi Arabia as part of Tehrans desire for stability in the region.

Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran had also expressed willingness to improve ties with Saudi Arabia when Pakistans former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visited Iran during the Yemen crisis, but the Kingdoms response was not warm.

Zarif made his remarks in an interview with Pakistans Geo television late Tuesday.

Zarif is in Islamabad this week for a three-day visit that ends Wednesday.

Pakistan and Iran have had close ties in the past but recent regional alignments and Pakistans tilt toward Saudi Arabia perturbed Iran, particularly the assignment of a Pakistani former army chief to head a Saudi-led 39-nation Islamic military coalition to combat terrorism.
Myanmar has only been able to verify 374 Rohingya Muslim refugees for possible repatriation from Bangladesh, officials said on Wednesday, blaming their neighbour for not providing the correct information about the refugees.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar after militant attacks on Aug. 25 sparked a crackdown led by security forces in the western Rakhine state that the United Nations and United States have said constituted ethnic cleansing.

The administration of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has sought to counter the allegations by forging ahead with development in Rakhine and by readying reception centres and a camp for returnees.

The two countries reached a deal in November to begin repatriation within two months, but repatriation has not begun, with stateless Rohingya, who face restrictions on their movements in Myanmar, still crossing the border.

Myint Thu, permanent secretary at Myanmars Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said officials had checked documents handed over by Bangladesh in February relating to 8,032 refugees.

Out of 8,032, we verified 374. These 374 will be the first batch of the repatriation, Myint Thu said at a news conference in the capital, Naypyitaw.

They can come back when its convenient for them.

It was unclear whether the 374 people had agreed to return to Myanmar.

Myanmar was unable to confirm whether the rest of the refugees had previously lived in the country, he said, because some documents did not include fingerprints and individual photographs.

The documents were not in line with our agreement, police Brigadier-General Win Tun said at the same news conference.

Myanmar had found three terrorists among the people Bangladesh was proposing for repatriation, Win Tun added.

Bangladesh officials have expressed doubts about Myanmars willingness to take back Rohingya refugees.

Abul Kalam, Bangladeshs Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner, said he could not comment in detail because he had not yet received Myanmars response. But he questioned how more than 300 people could have been verified if the documents were in the wrong format.

At the Naypyitaw news conference, Myanmar officials sought to counter accusations heard at the U.N. Human Rights Council this week.

The head of an UN fact-finding mission denied visas by Myanmar and a special envoy on human rights in Myanmar who has been blocked from visiting the country, both spoke in Geneva on Monday. Yanghee Lee, the envoy, said atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar bear the hallmarks of genocide.

We have a clear conscience, said Aung Tun Thet, coordinator of a public-private partnership set up by Suu Kyi to rehabilitate Rakhine.

There is no such thing in our country, in our society, as ethnic cleansing, and no genocide.
The Nepal chief justice on Wednesday was relieved of his post by the countrys judicial council amid dispute over his multiple birth certificates.

The council sent a letter to Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli, citing inconsistencies in the birth dates mentioned in his citizenship and academic certificates. It said that as per the available certificates, Parajuli should have retired on August 5, 2017  the day he turned 65.

As per Nepalese law, as civil servants must retire after reaching the age of 65.

Parajulis removal came on the same day that President Bidhya Devi Bhandari was sworn in for her second term  as chief justice, he was entitled to administrate the oath of office to her.

The decision of the council was made minutes before the ceremony. However, Parajuli went ahead and administered the oath.

His move has opened a fresh can of worms, triggering a debate whether it was constitutional and legal. Several legal and constitutional experts have opined that Bhandari should take another oath of office.

The councils decision comes in the wake of controversy surrounding Parajulis date of birth and his move to censor the press for reporting on the same.

Parajuli had been under pressure to resign from his own team of justices after nine justices boycotted the benches assigned to them after the controversy broke.
Pakistans most populous province of Punjab created history on Wednesday by passing a law exclusively for regulating marriages of the Sikh minority.

The proposers of the legislation said this was the first time family matters of the Sikh community, such as marriages, will be regulated separately by authorities, according to the local media.

The Punjab Sikhs Anand Karaj Marriages Act 2018 was first moved in the Punjab assembly by legislator Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora in October 2017. After garnering support from chief minister Shehbaz Sharif and other members of the treasury and opposition benches, the bill was unanimously passed by the assembly.

The passing of the bill effectively repealed the Anand Marriage Act of 1909 that was passed during British rule. The bill will come into force after it is approved by the provincial governor. Every Sikh marriage that took place before the bill came into force will also gain legal status.

According to the bill, a marriage ceremony or Anand Karaj, defined as the lawful union of a Sikh male and Sikh female, will be performed in accordance with religious practices enshrined in the Guru Granth Sahib. The ceremony will be performed by a man or a woman called a granthi who will read out from the holy book.

The media reported that the Sikh community welcomed the passage of the bill and lauded the role of the Punjab government. Sikh leaders said it was a good omen that showed love and respect for members of the community, adding it allowed them to protect family matters.

Sardar Ramesh Singh Arora told reporters that he had highlighted how it was unfortunate that Sikhs had not been given a separate identity in terms of family laws in India.

He said it is necessary to define the law to regulate the solemnisation and dissolution of Sikh marriages, provision of maintenance and ancillary matters.

A similar bill for Hindu marriages was passed in 2017. The Hindu Marriage Bill 2017 was aimed to help Hindu women get documentary proof of their marriage. It was the first personal law for Pakistans Hindus minority, applicable in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. Sindh province already had its own Hindu marriage law.

Around 3% of Pakistans population of 180 million belong to the non-Muslim minority, which includes Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Ahmadis (who are not permitted to call themselves Muslims). The estimated 20,000 Sikhs in Pakistan mostly live in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Moscow finds that no progress has been made towards resolving a standoff with London over the poisoning of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Britain, Russias foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

There is only regress, we dont see any progress, Lavrov said, criticising Britain for accusing Russia of involvement in the attack and describing such claims as neither robust nor serious.

Britain has said that it is highly likely Russia was behind the poisoning, which used a nerve agent developed by the Soviet military.

A stand-off between the two countries escalated on Wednesday after a midnight deadline set by British prime minister Theresa May expired without an explanation from the Kremlin about how the nerve agent could have appeared in Britain.

Lavrov said Russia would be ready to provide Britain with a response within 10 days if London submitted an official request, in line with the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Instead of submitting such a request, Britain has continued to stage a political performance, Lavrov said.

Without concrete facts, it is a flagrant attempt to mislead the international community, to which we will have to respond, the minister added.

Lavrov rejected British claims that no one other than Russia had a motive to target Skripal.

Yesterday, both Russian and Western media platforms produced lots of arguments demonstrating that Russia did not have a motive, and that the only actors who could have had a motive to do this were those who want to continue a campaign of Russophobia, Lavrov said.

Britains response to the expiry of the deadline and lack of explanation from Moscow was expected to be announced by May in parliament later, after she chaired a meeting of the National Security Council at her Downing Street office in the morning.
Stephen Hawking, who has died aged 76, was Britains most famous modern day scientist, a genius who dedicated his life to unlocking the secrets of the Universe.

Born on January 8, 1942 -- 300 years to the day after the death of the father of modern science, Galileo Galilei -- he believed science was his destiny. Incidentally, Albert Einsteins 129th birth anniversary also falls on Wednesday.

But fate also dealt Hawking a cruel hand.

Most of his life was spent in a wheelchair crippled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease that attacks the nerves controlling voluntary movement.

Remarkably, Hawking defied predictions he would only live for a few years, overcoming its debilitating effects on his mobility and speech that left him paralysed and able to communicate only via a computer speech synthesiser.

I am quite often asked: how do you feel about having ALS? he once wrote. The answer is, not a lot.

I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many.

Stephen William Hawking, though, was far from normal.

Inside the shell of his increasingly useless body was a razor-sharp mind, fascinated by the nature of the Universe, how it was formed and how it might end.

My goal is simple, he once said. It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all.

Much of that work centred on bringing together relativity -- the nature of space and time -- and quantum theory -- how the smallest particles in the Universe behave -- to explain the creation of the Universe and how it is governed.

This file picture taken on June 12, 2006 shows Stephen Hawking (C) arriving at Hong Kong's international airport. (AFP File Photo)

Life on Earth at risk

In 1974, he became one of the youngest fellows of Britains most prestigious scientific body, the Royal Society, at the age of 32.

In 1979 he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, where he had moved from Oxford University to study theoretical astronomy and cosmology.

A previous holder of the prestigious post was the 17th-century British scientist Isaac Newton.

Hawking eventually put Newtons gravitational theories to the test in 2007 when, aged 65, he went on a weightless flight in the United States as a prelude to a hoped-for sub-orbital spaceflight.

Characteristically, he did not see the trip as a mere birthday present.

Instead, he said he wanted to show that disability was no bar to achievement and to encourage interest in space, where he believed humankinds destiny lay.

I think the human race has no future if it doesnt go into space, he said.

I believe life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers.

In this photo taken on May 14, 2008, South Africa former President Nelson Mandela (R) meets with British scientist Professor Stephen Hawking (L) in Johannesburg. (AFP File Photo)

More recently he said artificial intelligence (AI) could contribute to the eradication of disease and poverty, while warning of its potential dangers.

In short, success in creating AI could be the biggest event in the history of our civilisation.

Alongside the benefits, AI will also bring dangers, like powerful autonomous weapons, or new ways for the few to oppress the many, Hawking said in 2016, at the opening of a new AI research centre at Cambridge University.

Pop culture and politics

Hawkings genius brought him global fame and he become known as a witty communicator dedicated to bringing science to a wider audience.

His 1988 book A Brief History of Time sought to explain to non-scientists the fundamental theories of the universe and it became an international bestseller, bringing him global acclaim.

It was followed in 2001 by The Universe in a Nutshell.

In 2007, Hawking published a childrens book, Georges Secret Key to the Universe, with his daughter, Lucy, seeking to explain the workings of the solar system, asteroids, his pet subject of black holes and other celestial bodies.

Hawking also moved into popular culture, with cameos in Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Simpsons, while his voice appeared in Pink Floyd songs.

Beyond scientific debate Hawking also weighed into politics, describing Donald Trump as a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator ahead of his election as US president.

Hawking also warned Britain ahead of the Brexit referendum in 2016 against leaving the European Union: Gone are the days when we could stand on our own against the world.

Making the most of every minute

Hawking first married Jane Wilde in 1965 and had three children. The couple split after 25 years and he married his former nurse, Elaine Mason, but the union broke down amid allegations, denied by him, of abuse.

The love story between Hawking and Wilde was retold in the 2014 film The Theory of Everything, which won Britains Eddie Redmayne the best actor Oscar for his portrayal of the scientist.

The Oscar triumph was celebrated by Hawking, who has reportedly said there were moments watching the film when he thought he was watching himself.

He was also the subject of a 2013 documentary, Hawking, in which he reflected on his life: Because every day could be my last, I have the desire to make the most of each and every minute.
Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average

1

2

3

4

5

Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: kaput

03-14-2018 04:41 AM



Posts: 28,071









Post: #1 Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

Advertisement









https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRhI3Z7xCOo Monkey Magic

Grizzly Bear Encounter Aug 2016 Montana Glacier National Park LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 04:52 AM











Post: #2 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

Idiots pure and simple that bear could have covered that distance in nothing flat and you don't EVER run. If they didn't have bear spray or a large caliber weapon then they had no right to be in bear country. And they should have had bear bells on, a surprised griz is sometimes the last thing you see in this world. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 04:53 AM











Post: #3 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

That's when you need a can of bear spray. silversides

The bare necessities of life

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 04:54 AM



Posts: 28,071









Post: #4 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 04:52 AM) Idiots pure and simple that bear could have covered that distance in nothing flat and you don't EVER run. If they didn't have bear spray or a large caliber weapon then they had no right to be in bear country. And they should have had bear bells on, a surprised griz is sometimes the last thing you see in this world.

The one I saw at Yellowstone was disinterested... The one I saw at Yellowstone was disinterested... Monkey Magic

LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 04:55 AM











Post: #5 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 04:53 AM) That's when you need a can of bear spray.

beans

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 04:58 AM











Post: #6 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park





Glad they are ok ... I hope...



That is why I would never go out into grizzly country with out a good gun.







This dude killed one with a 9mm



Quote: I have been guiding brown bear hunters and fishermen and bear photographers from our homestead within Becharof National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for 33 years and have had numerous close encounters with bears. Until now, I have never had to shoot an unwounded bear to protect either myself or clients, but the other week an event occurred and my good fortune changed. When it happened, I was fully aware of what was going on and how big the bear was. I also managed to stay aware of where my clients were, even when the bear was directly between us. The woman I was guiding said that while she did not remember smelling the bears breath, it was close enough to her face that it could have bitten her!



I have killed enough bears to know how important shot placement can be, even with large-bore rifles. I was well aware of the limitations of my 9mm pistol, even with Buffalo Bore ammo. I was aiming for a vital area with each shot; because it all took place between 6 and 8 feet, they were not far off. But hitting the head and brain of a highly animated and agitated animal is a difficult shot.

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/...mm-pistol/ Glad they are ok ... I hope...That is why I would never go out into grizzly country with out a good gun.This dude killed one with a 9mm LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:06 AM











Post: #7 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

I'll never forget our trip to Glacier Park years ago. we had our bear bells and everything. we saw a stump in the distance and froze in our tracks, until we figured it out. lol. we did see a mama bear and her cubs later from the comfort of the red bus. it is a beautiful place. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:07 AM











Post: #8 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

beans Wrote: (03-14-2018 04:58 AM)



Glad they are ok ... I hope...



That is why I would never go out into grizzly country with out a good gun.



link to image: https://i.imgur.com/btNjJWX.jpg



This dude killed one with a 9mm



Quote: I have been guiding brown bear hunters and fishermen and bear photographers from our homestead within Becharof National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for 33 years and have had numerous close encounters with bears. Until now, I have never had to shoot an unwounded bear to protect either myself or clients, but the other week an event occurred and my good fortune changed. When it happened, I was fully aware of what was going on and how big the bear was. I also managed to stay aware of where my clients were, even when the bear was directly between us. The woman I was guiding said that while she did not remember smelling the bears breath, it was close enough to her face that it could have bitten her!



I have killed enough bears to know how important shot placement can be, even with large-bore rifles. I was well aware of the limitations of my 9mm pistol, even with Buffalo Bore ammo. I was aiming for a vital area with each shot; because it all took place between 6 and 8 feet, they were not far off. But hitting the head and brain of a highly animated and agitated animal is a difficult shot.

https://www.americanhunter.org/articles/...mm-pistol/ Curious that he admits to know the limitations of his 9mm and yet had been guiding for 33 years. Simply put he got EXTREMELY lucky. Curious that he admits to know the limitations of his 9mm and yet had been guiding for 33 years. Simply put he got EXTREMELY lucky. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:09 AM











Post: #9 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 04:53 AM) That's when you need a can of bear spray.

Guy got killed this year after expending his can of bear spray so it's not a "magic solution" Guy got killed this year after expending his can of bear spray so it's not a "magic solution" beans

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:15 AM











Post: #10 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:07 AM) beans Wrote: (03-14-2018 04:58 AM) Curious that he admits to know the limitations of his 9mm and yet had been guiding for 33 years. Simply put he got EXTREMELY lucky.

I agree with that



I would liked to have something a little bigger... Like a rifle ...



But he got the job done



It depends on shot placement... I heard stories of Inuit hunting polar bears with .22



That takes balls I agree with thatI would liked to have something a little bigger... Like a rifle ...But he got the job doneIt depends on shot placement... I heard stories of Inuit hunting polar bears with .22That takes balls LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:41 AM











Post: #11 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

beans Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:15 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:07 AM) Curious that he admits to know the limitations of his 9mm and yet had been guiding for 33 years. Simply put he got EXTREMELY lucky.

I agree with that



I would liked to have something a little bigger... Like a rifle ...



But he got the job done



It depends on shot placement... I heard stories of Inuit hunting polar bears with .22



That takes balls At the very least a 357 magnum for a pistol FFS. I wonder how his shot placement would have been if that bear had been charging at him. At the very least a 357 magnum for a pistol FFS. I wonder how his shot placement would have been if that bear had been charging at him. beans

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:47 AM











Post: #12 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:41 AM) beans Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:15 AM) I agree with that



I would liked to have something a little bigger... Like a rifle ...



But he got the job done



It depends on shot placement... I heard stories of Inuit hunting polar bears with .22



That takes balls At the very least a 357 magnum for a pistol FFS. I wonder how his shot placement would have been if that bear had been charging at him.

In Grizzly Country I say a .357 for back up... to a 12 gauge with slugs...and a 9mm for last resort



A friend helps too... In Grizzly Country I say a .357 for back up... to a 12 gauge with slugs...and a 9mm for last resortA friend helps too... LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 06:14 AM











Post: #13 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

beans Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:47 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:41 AM) At the very least a 357 magnum for a pistol FFS. I wonder how his shot placement would have been if that bear had been charging at him.

In Grizzly Country I say a .357 for back up... to a 12 gauge with slugs...and a 9mm for last resort



A friend helps too...

As fast as grizzlies are there isn't time for back up, not kidding they are fast. I bowhunt in griz country and creeping around and working into the wind brown bears are on my mind sometimes as well they aught to be. But I know generally they want nothing to do with humans. That being said seems like a couple hunters get mauled or killed every hunting season. I agree if your going to carry a long gun then nothing beats 12 ga with slugs for killing bear. Interestingly I have killed a couple black bear with a bow and they die pretty easy, brown bear are not as easy to kill. As fast as grizzlies are there isn't time for back up, not kidding they are fast. I bowhunt in griz country and creeping around and working into the wind brown bears are on my mind sometimes as well they aught to be. But I know generally they want nothing to do with humans. That being said seems like a couple hunters get mauled or killed every hunting season. I agree if your going to carry a long gun then nothing beats 12 ga with slugs for killing bear. Interestingly I have killed a couple black bear with a bow and they die pretty easy, brown bear are not as easy to kill. beans

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 06:28 AM











Post: #14 RE: Grizzly Bear Encounter - Montana Glacier National Park

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 06:14 AM) beans Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:47 AM) In Grizzly Country I say a .357 for back up... to a 12 gauge with slugs...and a 9mm for last resort



A friend helps too...

As fast as grizzlies are there isn't time for back up, not kidding they are fast. I bowhunt in griz country and creeping around and working into the wind brown bears are on my mind sometimes as well they aught to be. But I know generally they want nothing to do with humans. That being said seems like a couple hunters get mauled or killed every hunting season. I agree if your going to carry a long gun then nothing beats 12 ga with slugs for killing bear. Interestingly I have killed a couple black bear with a bow and they die pretty easy, brown bear are not as easy to kill.

I'm just saying as back up to a 12 gauge a .357 is nice...plus a 9mm if sh*t really goes bad...



I know Bears are very fast... I saw one run like a greyhound once...He was big and was moving very fast... Luckily I was on the road and he was going the other way...lol



Black bears are scared for the most part if you stand your ground...they will run away... I don't worry about them too much...



Although they can and will f*#k you up if they have cubs or are old and hungry...



So the best idea is to have some protection if you venture out into the wilderness...



You never know what you might find I'm just saying as back up to a 12 gauge a .357 is nice...plus a 9mm if sh*t really goes bad...I know Bears are very fast... I saw one run like a greyhound once...He was big and was moving very fast... Luckily I was on the road and he was going the other way...lolBlack bears are scared for the most part if you stand your ground...they will run away... I don't worry about them too much...Although they can and will f*#k you up if they have cubs or are old and hungry...So the best idea is to have some protection if you venture out into the wilderness...You never know what you might find
















Username: Password: or Register

Back to

Forum Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average

1

2

3

4

5

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jesus is God LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: kaput

03-14-2018 12:41 PM











Post: #1 Jesus is God

Advertisement



"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."





Revelation 1:8



"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty ."



Exodus 3:14



"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."





John 8:57



"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"

8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am ."

8:59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."



Matthew 1:20



"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. "



1:21 " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. "



1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"



1:23 " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. " Zechariah 12:10"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."Revelation 1:8"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come,."Exodus 3:14"And God said unto Moses,: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."John 8:57"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,."8:59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."Matthew 1:20"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife:1:21 "1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"1:23 " Eustace Muffins

Banned

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 12:43 PM



Posts: 11,088









Post: #2 RE: Jesus is God

Agent Stoneheart

Have a nice day

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 12:47 PM



Posts: 15,448









Post: #3 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:41 PM) Zechariah 12:10



"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."





Revelation 1:8



"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty ."



Exodus 3:14



"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."





John 8:57



"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"

8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am ."

8:59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."



Matthew 1:20



"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. "



1:21 " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. "



1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"



1:23 " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. "

Cool. I'm happy that you found a philosophy that works for you. Cool. I'm happy that you found a philosophy that works for you. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 12:50 PM











Post: #4 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:41 PM) Zechariah 12:10



"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."





Revelation 1:8



"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty ."



Exodus 3:14



"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."





John 8:57



"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"

8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am ."

8:59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."



Matthew 1:20



"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. "



1:21 " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. "



1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"



1:23 " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. "

Yes. So what someone asks me if Jesus was a real person, I sort of get this funny look. Person? No, not to my understanding of "person" He was (and is) God. We all get a little of God in us and in everything we touch, but he was (is) God. There is no trinity in such a sense. Jesus was (is) just a part of God that was extended in order for the world to be in direct contact with, and in order to fulfill a promise to humanity. The Forgotten Books of Eden help clarify these details as God promised Adam *HE* would come down. Not someone else. not a son. Him. God and Jesus are one in the same and it's not two different beings. Same dude, different forms. If I get on skype with someone, I certainly to someone back in 500 BCE would look like I was suddenly a weird device and no longer human. Meanwhile, I could be in Egypt calling Persia on skype. "bilocation." Yes. So what someone asks me if Jesus was a real person, I sort of get this funny look. Person? No, not to my understanding of "person" He was (and is) God. We all get a little of God in us and in everything we touch, but he was (is) God. There is no trinity in such a sense. Jesus was (is) just a part of God that was extended in order for the world to be in direct contact with, and in order to fulfill a promise to humanity. The Forgotten Books of Eden help clarify these details as God promised Adam *HE* would come down. Not someone else. not a son. Him. God and Jesus are one in the same and it's not two different beings. Same dude, different forms. If I get on skype with someone, I certainly to someone back in 500 BCE would look like I was suddenly a weird device and no longer human. Meanwhile, I could be in Egypt calling Persia on skype. "bilocation." LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 12:52 PM











Post: #5 RE: Jesus is God

IceMan Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:47 PM) Cool. I'm happy that you found a philosophy that works for you.

Lots of atheists should walk into church just like you walking into a God thread just to be a giant dick. Lots of atheists should walk into church just like you walking into a God thread just to be a giant dick. Agent Stoneheart

Have a nice day

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 12:54 PM



Posts: 15,448









Post: #6 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:52 PM) IceMan Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:47 PM) Cool. I'm happy that you found a philosophy that works for you.

Lots of atheists should walk into church just like you walking into a God thread just to be a giant dick.

How was I a dick? Everyone should find a philosophy that resonates with their lives. I'm just happy that you found yours.



For the record, I have walked into churches, but that philosophy has never resonated with me. How was I a dick? Everyone should find a philosophy that resonates with their lives. I'm just happy that you found yours.For the record, I have walked into churches, but that philosophy has never resonated with me. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 12:56 PM











Post: #7 RE: Jesus is God

take this crap to the religion forum 77

Theofacist Deluxe edition

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:01 PM



Posts: 3,681









Post: #8 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:56 PM) take this crap to the religion forum

That kind request is only valid if yer a member, like pooface, he can ask, you cant, peasant. That kind request is only valid if yer a member, like pooface, he can ask, you cant, peasant. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:02 PM











Post: #9 RE: Jesus is God

IceMan Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:54 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:52 PM) Lots of atheists should walk into church [just like you walking into a God thread] just to be a giant dick.

How was I a dick? Everyone should find a philosophy that resonates with their lives. I'm just happy that you found yours.



For the record, I have walked into churches, but that philosophy has never resonated with me.

You seem not to notice, but you were condescending, and your disbelief was blatant, which is readily apparent in your reply to me. You did not understand my statement entirely, so I have affixed brackets to help you comprehend.



And I am not better than anyone, least of all disbelievers, but people should not go around giving attaboys to people with sarcasm, however glossed over with pseudo-"niceness."



If I don't want to listen to liberal rantings, I won't go into liberal threads. If I find something doesn't resonate with me, I certainly won't stalk people that it does resonate for. It's like saying, yeah, I don't like ice, but let me dip my hand in that ice bucket because I want to feel better about myself.



If it's not a topic you like, why enter? Nobody needs a contemptuous attaboy. You seem not to notice, but you were condescending, and your disbelief was blatant, which is readily apparent in your reply to me. You did not understand my statement entirely, so I have affixed brackets to help you comprehend.And I am not better than anyone, least of all disbelievers, but people should not go around giving attaboys to people with sarcasm, however glossed over with pseudo-"niceness."If I don't want to listen to liberal rantings, I won't go into liberal threads. If I find something doesn't resonate with me, I certainly won't stalk people that it does resonate for. It's like saying, yeah, I don't like ice, but let me dip my hand in that ice bucket because I want to feel better about myself.If it's not a topic you like, why enter? Nobody needs a contemptuous attaboy. 77

Theofacist Deluxe edition

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:07 PM



Posts: 3,681









Post: #10 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:41 PM) Zechariah 12:10



"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."





Revelation 1:8



"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty ."



Exodus 3:14



"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."





John 8:57



"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"

8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am ."

8:59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."



Matthew 1:20



"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. "



1:21 " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. "



1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"



1:23 " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. "

i utterly agree BTW.









and His Son,, is soon to be revealed...



2 Esdras 13 Common English Bible (CEB)

Vision of the man from the sea

13 After seven days, I had a dream during the night. 2 I looked and saw a wind rising from the sea and stirring up all its waves. 3 As I watched, this wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea.[a] That man was flying among the clouds of heaven. Wherever he turned his face to look, everything that fell under his gaze trembled. 4 Wherever an utterance came from his mouth, all who heard his voice melted as wax melts when it feels the fire.



5 I kept watching these things, and an innumerable multitude of people came together from the four winds of heaven to fight against the man who had come up from the sea. 6 I watched as he carved a great mountain for himself and flew onto it. 7 I tried to see the region or place from which the mountain was carved, but I couldnt.



8 After this I looked and I saw that all who had gathered to do battle against him were sorely afraid, yet they dared to fight. 9 When he saw the rush of the multitude coming, he didnt raise his hand or hold a spear or any weapon of war. Rather, I saw 10 something like a wave of fire shoot forth from his mouth, and a breath of flame from his lips, and a storm of sparks from his tongue. All these thingsthe wave of fire, the breath of flame, and the mighty stormmixed together 11 and fell upon the crowd that was rushing forward, prepared to fight. It burned them all up so that suddenly nothing was seen of the innumerable mob except the dust of ashes and the smell of smoke. I saw this and was amazed.



12 After these things I saw the same man coming down from the mountain and calling to himself another crowda peaceful one. 13 Many people came to him. Some were rejoicing and some were sad, some were even tied up, while some were bringing other people as an offering.



ITS NOT RELIGION..



asshat.



its Historical Ancient Texts, which have BEARING on CURRENT conditions,, there are MILLIONS of people, who find this news INTERESTING,, and for once and for all, we can see, with our VERY OWN EYES< if Bible is legit or not.



i know it is, but soon, it will become,, self evident.



and NO< its NOT 7 years.



its 400 YEARS.



6 Look! The time is coming when the signs appear that I told you about in advance, and the city will appear, appearing as a bride, and the land that is now hidden will be openly displayed. 27 Everyone who is rescued from the evils foretold will see my wonders. 28 My Son the anointed one[a] will be revealed along with those who are with him, and those who remain will rejoice for four hundred years.



29 After these years, my Son the anointed one and all who have human breath will die. 30 The world will be turned back to primeval silence for seven days, as in the earliest beginnings so that no one is left alive.





SO. its still FOUR HUNDRED YEARS UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD>>>



dont you think, they people that be panicking, about "end of the world" would like to know, o, its FOUR generations away.... and the Luke 21:22 must happen first, and Revelations stretches over 400 YEARS. not 7.... thats xtian storys.



i go BY WHAT THE BOOK SAYS< and its MADE so a CHILD can understand.



fk man, you can miss if the whole world attacks ONE DUDE.



come on really??

now we must find that dude, so we can see, then we will know,



im expecting thor btw. what is euhemerism?



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euhemerism



how the FAAAK is EUHEMERISM<< A FRIKKEN RELIGION i utterly agree BTW.and His Son,, is soon to be revealed...2 Esdras 13 Common English Bible (CEB)Vision of the man from the sea13 After seven days, I had a dream during the night. 2 I looked and saw a wind rising from the sea and stirring up all its waves. 3 As I watched, this wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea.[a] That man was flying among the clouds of heaven. Wherever he turned his face to look, everything that fell under his gaze trembled. 4 Wherever an utterance came from his mouth, all who heard his voice melted as wax melts when it feels the fire.5 I kept watching these things, and an innumerable multitude of people came together from the four winds of heaven to fight against the man who had come up from the sea. 6 I watched as he carved a great mountain for himself and flew onto it. 7 I tried to see the region or place from which the mountain was carved, but I couldnt.8 After this I looked and I saw that all who had gathered to do battle against him were sorely afraid, yet they dared to fight. 9 When he saw the rush of the multitude coming, he didnt raise his hand or hold a spear or any weapon of war. Rather, I saw 10 something like a wave of fire shoot forth from his mouth, and a breath of flame from his lips, and a storm of sparks from his tongue. All these thingsthe wave of fire, the breath of flame, and the mighty stormmixed together 11 and fell upon the crowd that was rushing forward, prepared to fight. It burned them all up so that suddenly nothing was seen of the innumerable mob except the dust of ashes and the smell of smoke. I saw this and was amazed.12 After these things I saw the same man coming down from the mountain and calling to himself another crowda peaceful one. 13 Many people came to him. Some were rejoicing and some were sad, some were even tied up, while some were bringing other people as an offering.ITS NOT RELIGION..asshat.its Historical Ancient Texts, which have BEARING on CURRENT conditions,, there are MILLIONS of people, who find this news INTERESTING,, and for once and for all, we can see, with our VERY OWN EYES< if Bible is legit or not.i know it is, but soon, it will become,, self evident.and NO< its NOT 7 years.its 400 YEARS.6 Look! The time is coming when the signs appear that I told you about in advance, and the city will appear, appearing as a bride, and the land that is now hidden will be openly displayed. 27 Everyone who is rescued from the evils foretold will see my wonders. 28 My Son the anointed one[a] will be revealed along with those who are with him, and those who remain will rejoice for four hundred years.29 After these years, my Son the anointed one and all who have human breath will die. 30 The world will be turned back to primeval silence for seven days, as in the earliest beginnings so that no one is left alive.SO. its still FOUR HUNDRED YEARS UNTIL THE END OF THE WORLD>>>dont you think, they people that be panicking, about "end of the world" would like to know, o, its FOUR generations away.... and the Luke 21:22 must happen first, and Revelations stretches over 400 YEARS. not 7.... thats xtian storys.i go BY WHAT THE BOOK SAYS< and its MADE so a CHILD can understand.fk man, you can miss if the whole world attacks ONE DUDE.come on really??now we must find that dude, so we can see, then we will know,im expecting thor btw. what is euhemerism?how the FAAAK is EUHEMERISM<< A FRIKKEN RELIGION Agent Stoneheart

Have a nice day

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:09 PM



Posts: 15,448









Post: #11 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 01:02 PM) IceMan Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:54 PM) How was I a dick? Everyone should find a philosophy that resonates with their lives. I'm just happy that you found yours.



For the record, I have walked into churches, but that philosophy has never resonated with me.

You seem not to notice, but you were condescending, and your disbelief was blatant, which is readily apparent in your reply to me. You did not understand my statement entirely, so I have affixed brackets to help you comprehend.



And I am not better than anyone, least of all disbelievers, but people should not go around giving attaboys to people with sarcasm, however glossed over with pseudo-"niceness."



If I don't want to listen to liberal rantings, I won't go into liberal threads. If I find something doesn't resonate with me, I certainly won't stalk people that it does resonate for. It's like saying, yeah, I don't like ice, but let me dip my hand in that ice bucket because I want to feel better about myself.



If it's not a topic you like, why enter? Nobody needs a contemptuous attaboy.

You are correct in that I don't believe as you believe. But there is no reason for you to take personal offense that I can't believe what you believe is there?



Also, if you put your thoughts out onto a public forum, it is unreasonable to think that there won't be a public response. My response is (and this is just my personal opinion) will likely be one of the more pleasant ones that you can expect. You are correct in that I don't believe as you believe. But there is no reason for you to take personal offense that I can't believe what you believe is there?Also, if you put your thoughts out onto a public forum, it is unreasonable to think that there won't be a public response. My response is (and this is just my personal opinion) will likely be one of the more pleasant ones that you can expect. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:17 PM











Post: #12 RE: Jesus is God

Orgalorg Wrote: (03-14-2018 01:01 PM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:56 PM) take this crap to the religion forum

That kind request is only valid if yer a member, like pooface, he can ask, you cant, peasant.

I am a member, just not logged in at the moment. I am a member, just not logged in at the moment. King of kings' Bible

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:19 PM











Post: #13 RE: Jesus is God

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 12:41 PM) Zechariah 12:10



"And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."





Revelation 1:8



"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty ."



Exodus 3:14



"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."





John 8:57



"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?"

8:58 "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am ."

8:59 "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by."



Matthew 1:20



"But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. "



1:21 " And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. "



1:22 "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,"



1:23 " Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. "

If you can learn to understand ALL of that within the context of and standing under Jesus clear statement and Instructions given in John 20:17 :



John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and [to] my God, and your God.



Then ALL of the Scriptures can begin to make perfect sense to you...



See:



1 Corinthians 15:28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all .



Hebrews 13:8 Christ the Saviour the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.



1 Corinthians 11:3 But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God.



(Learn how to properly see the Hierarchy)



You might want to memorize these four verses (that could be one way - or write them down to then be able to refer to them, whenever needed) and then keep them in mind at all times as you read Scripture. Apply them logically and diligently. Doing so, will defeat all false catholic doctrine.



God Bless you! Peace be upon you. If you can learn to understand ALL of that within the context of and standing under Jesus clear statement and Instructions given inJesus saith unto her,Then ALL of the Scriptures can begin to make perfect sense to you...See:And when all things shall be subdued unto him,that put all things under him,Christ the Saviour the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man;(Learn how to properly see the Hierarchy)You might want to memorize these four verses (that could be one way - or write them down to then be able to refer to them, whenever needed) and then keep them in mind at all times as you read Scripture. Apply them logically and diligently. Doing so, will defeat all false catholic doctrine.God Bless you! Peace be upon you. entropy

Moderator

User ID: 0

03-14-2018 01:32 PM



Posts: 2,805









Post: #14 Jesus is God

Thread moved to religious forum by your friendly neighborhood moderator. Adios

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 01:41 PM











Post: #15 RE: Jesus is God

Zombie deities these days!

He died for your sins? He rose on a Sunday.

He gave up a weekend for sins you never committed.

Righto! Advertisement



Back to

Forum
















Now Open

14 March 2018

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is delighted to announce that Fairmont Austin, a towering icon bringing exclusive luxury to Austin, Texas, opened its doors on March 5, 2018. The highly anticipated hotel boasts 1,048 richly appointed guestrooms, five restaurants and bars, the largest outdoor pool and full service spa in Downtown Austin, a revolutionary fitness center, nearly 140,000 square feet of event space, and direct access to the Austin Convention Center via the Red River Canopy Walk.

Fairmont Austin debuts as the largest Fairmont property in the United States, as well as the second largest Fairmont hotel globally, in both number of rooms and total meeting and event space.

"A strategic opening for AccorHotels, Fairmont Austin is the first in a series of high-profile luxury developments marking a time of significant growth for the Group and its brands in North and Central America," said Kevin Frid, Chief Operating Officer, North & Central America, AccorHotels. "Other notable openings anticipated in the next 18 to 24 months include the iconic Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Sofitel Mexico Reforma in Mexico City, Fairmont Costa Canuva in Mexico"s Riviera Nayarit, Fairmont Saint Lucia at Sunset Bay in the Caribbean, and several soon-to-be-announced projects with the potential to introduce new brands into the region."

Officially the largest hotel in Austin at 1,048 rooms, 37 stories and nearly 140,000 square feet of meeting and event space, Fairmont Austin is uniquely situated in the vibrant Central Business District, amid the lush greenery of Palm Park and Waller Creek, with exclusive direct access to the Austin Convention Center via the Red River Canopy Walk. Debuting as the second tallest building in the city, the hotel adds a new dimension to the downtown skyline, with a "lighted crown" programmed with an array of color options and a 170-foot tall architectural spire that is illuminated in the evenings, making the building visible from throughout Central Texas.

Each of the hotel"s guestrooms and suites offer spectacular views and feature cool shades of blue, bright white and honey beige inspired by the Texas Hill Country landscape. Fairmont Gold, the brand"s exclusive lifestyle hotel experience, features 131 rooms and suites located on the 32nd through 35th floors, and offers private check-in and checkout; complimentary deluxe breakfast and evening hors d"oeuvres in the Gold lounge; and dedicated concierge team.

Fairmont Austin is aligned with the top dining destinations Austin has to offer. Dedicated to open flame, wafting smoke and the highest quality meats, seafood and local produce available, Garrison is a Modern American Grill House ideal for culinary exploration. Revue"s unique approach to dining includes the timeless cuisine of Italy, the epicurean and cultural complexities of Asia, and the delicacies of the Sea, topped off with delicious treats from the artisanal Pastry shop. Rules & Regs, located on the 7th floor and overlooking Austin"s cityscape, is the best place in Austin to enjoy libations day or night. Located in the main lobby, Fultonpays homage to the musically buzzed streets of Austin with daily live music, local wine, beer and spirits in a relaxed dining scene with creative shared plates. Good Things offers coffee and tea, delicious snacks, food to go, and beverages to suit everyone.

"This project has truly been a labor of love, and it has shown in every team member"s passion and excitement leading up to opening," says Fairmont Austin Managing Director Tom Voss. "The city of Austin continues to grow, both in size and popularity, and we are elated to be bringing a new level of luxury and service standards to this already incredible community."

"The opening of Fairmont Austin truly changes the economic structure of the Texas capital. With events such as South by Southwest and Austin City Limits growing in attendance year-over-year, new events popping up monthly, and groups targeting the burgeoning city for conferences and private events, Austin has a high demand for additional hotel rooms and event spaces," said Frid. "Fairmont Austin will give the city the opportunity to host larger conferences and conventions, bringing more tourists and business travelers to the city, and employing more than 900 staff, continuing to bolster the Austin economy."

With more than 75 hotels worldwide, Fairmont continues to expand globally with recent openings including Fairmont Quasar Istanbul, Fairmont Amman in Jordan and Fairmont Fujairah in the Middle East. New luxury hotels currently in development include Fairmont Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Fairmont Abu Dhabi Marina Resort, Fairmont Citystars Sharm El Sheikh, Fairmont Wuhan in China and Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi.
Appointment

14 March 2018

BENCHMARK, a global hospitality company, has named David Nadolny director of finance for High Hampton Resort. The property, located in Cashiers, North Carolina, is a Benchmark Resorts & Hotels property. Tom Garcia, Benchmark's vice president and general manager, made the announcement.

An accomplished hotel executive, David Nadolny has invested more than 30 years in leadership positions within hospitality finance. He most recently served as director of finance for the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Prior to this, Mr. Nadolny held the position of corporate regional controller for Harrell Hospitality. He began his career working for Sheraton Corporation.

David Nadolny attended the University of Toledo studying Business Management and Accounting. When with Sheraton, has received certifications in rooms, housekeeping and food & beverage within the brand's management training program.
Press Release

14 March 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Historic Hotels of America is proud to celebrate the 300th hotel inducted into membership: The Statler Dallas (1956) in Texas.

Advertisements

The 300th hotel inducted marks a significant milestone in the history and growth of Historic Hotels of America. Historic Hotels of America was originally founded in 1989 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to increase the recognition and celebration of historic hotels.

"We are thrilled The Statler Dallas joins 16 other Curio Collection by Hilton properties exclusively honored by Historic Hotels of America for their unique history," said Mark Nogal, global head, Curio Collection by Hilton. "This is a significant accolade for The Statler and milestone for Curio Collection, our upper upscale portfolio of nearly 50 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts around the world, and we look forward to having 19 properties inducted by July 2018."

The history of The Statler parallels the growth of the city following World War II. Former Dallas Mayor R. L. Thornton, with a number of other local business and community leaders, thought Dallas needed more hotels and room for conventions. This prompted the group to convince the Statler Hotel Company to bring a new hotel to downtown. In 1954, Hilton Hotels Corporation purchased the Statler Hotel Company. Two years later, Hilton finished The Statler for $16 million. It was the first major hotel to be built in downtown Dallas in nearly 30 years.

The sheer size, bold form and innovative architectural features soon made The Statler an icon of mid-20th century design. It was the largest hotel in the Southwest when it opened, and was home to the biggest convention space in the South with a spacious, 2,200-person ballroom. The Statler was the first building to feature elevator music and to have custom 21-inch Westinghouse televisions in each guestroom and suite. The hotel uniquely featured a heliport on its roof, which guests used to be airlifted from Dallas' local and surrounding airports. The hotel's iconic stature was solidified when the American Institute of Architecture's Dallas Guide called The Statler and the library located next door, designed by George Dahl in 1953, "the best block of 1950s architecture in the city."

Time and neglect took its toll on the building, and in 2001, the hotel closed, and in 2003, it was nearly demolished. Preservation Dallas added the building to its list of Most Endangered Structures in 2007 and 2008, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation chose The Statler as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2008 because of its representation of American mid-century design.

Today, through preservation efforts and the help of state and federal tax credits, the hotel has been restored to its former glory. The historic property gained new life as owner and developer Centurion American Development Group reopened the 159-room hotel and mixed-used development as The Statler Dallas, Curio Collection by Hilton in 2017, following a $255 million renovation.

The Statler Dallas is now listed as one of National Trust for Historic Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places success stories.

"It's been an honor to reopen the doors of The Statler and restore it to its original glory and beyond," said Mehrdad Moayedi, president and CEO of Centurion American Development Group. "Known as the first modern American hotel, The Statler is a one-of-a-kind property encompassing endless history and culture."

"The Statler was a crown jewel of Dallas that will now once again, as part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, serve as a vibrant center of community life for people in the Metroplex," said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The successful transformation of The Statler is a poster child for the power of the historic tax credit and a significant example of the ways that older and historic buildings can contribute to the vibrancy of their communities."

Other historic hotels originally built by the Statler Hotel Company that have been inducted into Historic Hotels of America in previous years include Boston Park Plaza (1927) in Boston, Massachusetts, Omni William Penn Hotel (1916) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Capital Hilton (1943) in Washington, DC. The Statler was and continues to remain a Dallas icon.

"Historic Hotels of America recognizes The Statler Dallas, its ownership, leadership and Curio Collection by Hilton brand leadership for this wonderful achievement," said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. "The Statler Dallas is an exemplary example of public-private collaboration, stewardship and perseverance. It is more than a coincidence that Conrad Hilton's hotel company provided the resources to complete The Statler Hilton more than 60 years ago and the owners that saved, restored and reimagined The Statler Dallas have associated their hotel with the Curio Collection by Hilton brand."
Lunaticoutpost.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program , anaffiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.Amazon, the Amazon logo, MYHABIT, and the MYHABIT logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.Don't be a pest to the forum.No profanity in thread-titles or usernamesNo excessive profanity in postsNo Racism, Antisemitism + HateNo calls for violence against anyone..This website exists for fun and discussion only. The reader is responsible for discerning the validity, factuality or implications of information posted here, be it fictional or based on real events. The content of posts on this site, including but not limited to links to other web sites, are the expressed opinion of the original poster and are in no way representative of or endorsed by the owners or administration of this website. The posts on this website are the opinion of the specific author and are not statements of advice, opinion, or factual information on behalf of the owner or administration of LunaticOutPost.Com. The owners or administration of this website can't be hold responsible for content hosted on sites that posters link to in; including, but not limited to, posts, signatures, private messages and such. This site may contain content not suitable for minors and if you feel you might be offended by such content, you should log off immediately.This site may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Users may make such material available in an effort to advance awareness and understanding of issues relating to civil rights, economics, individual rights, international affairs, liberty, science & technology, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.In accordance with industry accepted best practices we ask that users limit their copy / paste of copyrighted material to the relevant portions of the article you wish to discuss (no more than 50% of the source material) provide a link back to the original articleIf you are a legal copyright holder or a designated agent for such and you believe a post on this website falls outside the boundaries of "Fair Use" and legitimately infringes on yours or your clients copyright please contact [email protected] This website is owned by :Marco ZwaneveldDrijfriemstraat 522516 XR The HagueNetherlands.I will not rent, sell, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any third party.We might contact you from time to time regarding your purchases or the services (like forums and announcement lists) you have subscribed to.Some of the 3rd party advertisers on lunaticoutpost.com may use cookiesto track peformance and/or to serve relevant ads.If you wish to read more and/or opt out of such cookies, please visit: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/
It seems as though one way to get your name out right now is to trash the legends who paved the way for rappers today to gain notoriety. The rap community is filled with plenty of people chasing clout, looking to be next up and attempting to reach that level by any means. With Lil Xan's controversial comments made last week about Tupac, many labeled him as a clout-chaser, simply bringing it up for the publicity that will follow. While it certainly did put his name in people's mouths, his comments weren't nearly as harsh as 03 Greedo's towards the rap legend.

03 Greedo is one of the hottest artists to be making his way out of Los Angeles right now, and he has a backing in the West Coast where he doesn't necessarily need to chase clout. In an interview with Billboard to promote his album The Wolf Of Grape Street, Greedo agreed with Lil Xan's comments, saying Pac was a good actor but that he was a "b-tch ass n---a." The L.A. rapper has backtracked on his comments, tweeting out that his point may have been misinterpreted, writing, "2Pac On my next album. We had a misunderstanding lol."

While the tweet could simply be a joke as he has spent the majority of today continuing to slander Pac's name on Twitter, Greedo may actually be honoring the legend by including a sample in his future music. How do you feel about the negative talk on Tupac's name?
The news of Craig Mack's passing caught many people by surprise earlier today. The rapper passed away unexpectedly this morning in South Carolina. Many people took to Instagram and Twitter to share their condolences and memories of the late as well as the legacy he left behind. Among those is Diddy who signed Craig Mack to Bad Boy as their first artist. He took to Twitter earlier today to share a heartfelt message to the late rapper.

Diddy took to Twitter today to pay homage to Craig Mack shortly after news of his passing. Mack was the first rapper signed to Bad Boy and Diddy also said that he was the one that gave the label it's first hit record.

"Craig Mack, you were the first artist to release music on Bad Boy and gave us our first hit." He wrote, "You always followed your heart and you had an energy that was out of this world. You believed in me and you believed in Bad Boy. I will never forget what you did for hip-hop."

He later added, "You inspired me and will continue to inspire us. We will always love you. #RIPCraigMack#BadBoy4Life."

Diddy went onto Instagram later to elaborate further.

"He was way more than our first artist. He was such a sweet, kind, loving person. He was definitely a special, special individual." He said, "And I was just want to let y'all know just how important he is to the Bad Boy legacy. As an emcee, he took an unorthodox approach and he was a great man."

Peep the full video below.
Meek Mill doesn't let his family visit him in prison. ""I won't let them come," he explains, during a new interview with Rolling Stone. "If they see me like this  fucked-up beard, hair all ganked  then it's like I'm really in here. Which I'm not."

The Philadelphia rapper's imprisonment is a reminder of the harsh injustices doled out as a result of the American justice system. It's no wonder he's chosen to go away inside. After being hit with four years for parole violations, Meek remains determined to stay strong, lest he let "[that woman] win." That woman (though the brackets suggest Meek opted for another, less flattering description) is Judge Genece Brinkley, who has been at the center of Meek's controversial legal drama. The extent of it is touched on throughout the piece, and an unnamed lawyer went so far as to describe the Judge as "a sadist," who "puts long-tail probations on young black men, then jerks them back to jail for small infractions."

During the interview, Meek doesn't exactly seem eager to talk. He speaks infrequently, reflecting on his early days growing up in Philadelphia. "I had 10 friends die when I lived in North Philly, and probably another six or seven on the South side," he says. "I would literally open the door and smell the air outside. Yup, smells like murder today."

It's not an idyllic landscape, nor is Meek's current predicament. Yet the rapper seems intent on coming out of this with a renewed set of purpose. Near the conclusion, Meek looks to the future, where he feels a responsibility to speak out against the system that wrong him. "there's brothers locked down that did nothing to be here but piss off people like Brinkley," he states. "I want to speak on this system and what it does to black people  on both fucking sides of the fence." He hasn't forgotten that Brinkley and many of the police and probation officers also happened to be black - "straight self-hate, man, it makes these people crazy. Trust me, I'm gonna say something about that. And then, I'm gonna move to Atlanta."

For more from Meek, as well as a detailed breakdown of the controversial nature of his trial, check out the full piece here.
On Tuesday, Meek Mills mother, Kathy Williams, spoke at a news conference at the University of Pennsylvania and it was there where she tearfully asked District Attorney Larry Krasner to step in and help her son get out of prison.

Im begging the DA, #KathyWilliams said in her first public statement. Can you please help me out?

Kathy, who stood alongside Meek Mills attorney, Joe Tacopina, ripped into court Judge Genece E. Brinkley, who sentenced Meek to two to four years in state prison in November after he repeatedly violated the terms of his parole. I dont even understand how hes been on probation for that many years. Its like he murdered somebody, she said. He has to beg to see his son. What kind of woman does that? Is she a mother? Do she have a mother?

Philly.com adds that Meek was charged in a drug and gun case when he was 19, and as a result, hes spent most of his adulthood on probation under the authority of Judge Brinkley.

During the panel on Tuesday, Meeks attorney was able to call the Philly rapper while he was in prison. "I appreciate all the love and all the support from the people from Philadelphia, all over the world, Meek said over the phone. The people that have been showing support. I think it's about time Pennsylvania had this type of light shined on the system because I'm actually caught up in the system, not just me myself. Me and a bunch of other young men and older men and you know, it's kind of hard to get out of."

Read more about his phone call here, and check out Meeks mothers cry & plea to the DA (below).
It has been exactly one month since the tragic shooting occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which unfortunately took the lives of 17 innocent students who could not have predicted this calamitous episode when getting ready for classes that morning. Since then, students nationwide have been making grand public gestures in favour of gun reform laws in order to prevent future homicidal incidents.

This morning, at around 10 a.m., tens of thousands of students from around the country took part in what is being recognized as National School Walkout. The protest lasted for 17 minutes as an ode to the number of students who had lost their lives during the Parkland massacre.

The purpose behind this showcase is to effectively mobilize change in congress and address the rampant gun violence phenomenon that is killing thousands of Americans annually. The event was organized by the team behind January's Women's March, which could see upwards of 185,000 individuals from all 50 states partaking in this call to action.

Students have been decked out in orange for the occasion, which is the official colour in honour of gun control. Elisabeth Downing, an organizer of Terre Haute North Vigo High School's walkout, notes how "no matter what you decide the action to be, we just want action. Were tired of thoughts and prayers and were ready to finally do something."

In Washington D.C., protestors took to the White House carrying signs that read "Books Not Bullets" and "Fire Politicians, Not Guns," proclaiming their sentiments in a bold manner.
The boy peered over the walls of the clear tank.

A starfish, greenish-brown with spikes along its five arms, was the clear attraction at an aquarium stop just inside the NRG Center.

But did Carrnell, age 8, really want to touch it?

Hold it very gently, the instructor said. Its alive, like a pet at home.

Two girls stood to his left. Aubrey, 10, reached out first. She saw the spikes. She wasnt sure if it would move.

Then, the youngest: Camille, age 4.

Grandfather Mike ORiley looked on. The instructor walked slowly toward Carrnell with the starfish, and the boy extended a hand, with two fingers outstretched.

But he stroked its smooth back. And then, quickly, put his hand in the cool water. I thought it might bite, he said after.

It wasnt too scary. At least, not as scary as the bee exhibit.

Those gave me goosebumps, he said.

Lindsay Ellis is spending the week at RodeoHouston. Follow her on Twitter or send her story ideas at lindsay.ellis@chron.com.
Harris County prosecutors are examining the death of a 10-month-old puppy during a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York on Monday evening, even as the company has released new details on the incident.

The district attorney's office announced the investigation in a statement late Wednesday from Carvana Cloud, a division chief in the office.

"The Animal Cruelty Division of the Harris County District Attorney's Office is working with law enforcement partners on the Harris County Animal Cruelty Task force to investigate this incident," Cloud said in the statement. "After law enforcement concludes their investigation, we will review their findings and make an appropriate decision based on the applicable law and facts. At this time, no charges have been filed and our office will not make any charging decisions until the investigation is complete.

The airline contends that while the passenger told the flight attendant there was a dog in her carrier, "our flight attendant did not hear or understand her, and did not knowingly place the dog in the overhead bin."

READ MORE: United passenger told to put dog in overhead compartment

"We have spoken to the family, our crew and a number of passengers who were seated nearby," the airlines said in a statement Wednesday. "As we stated, we take full responsibility and are deeply sorry for this tragic accident. We remain in contact with the family to express our condolences and offer support."

Now Playing: Maggie Gremminger is still heartbroken over what she witnessed on March 12 on United Airlines flight #1284 from Houston, Texas, to New York City's Laguardia Airport Video: People

The airline also refunded the family's money for their tickets and in-cabin pet fee and have offered to fund a necropsy, spokeswoman Maggie Schermin told Chron.com Wednesday afternoon. A necropsy is an autopsy performed on an animal.

The airline also will alter its pet policy starting in April. United will start issuing brightly colored bag tags to customers traveling with in-cabin pets.

Shortly after boarding United Fight 1284 to New York's LaGuardia, the dog's owner was told to place the 10-month-old Frenchie and its carrier in the overhead compartment, June Lara told Chron.com.

By the time the plane landed roughly three hours later and the overhead compartment was opened, the dog was dead, said Lara, a passenger who sat behind the owner.

According to United's pet policy, animals must be in a carrier and "fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times."

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin," United said in its first statement Tuesday. "We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again."



Jose R. Gonzalez contributed to this report

Fernando Alfonso III is a digital reporter at Chron.com. Follow him on twitter at @fernalfonso.
Zach Gibson

Four years ago, if you asked how to win a GOP primary in Texas, the answer would be for the candidate to try to get to the right of Sen. Ted Cruz.

Since then, Cruz did violence to his relevance by flaming out at the Republican National Convention when he refused to endorse the ticket, only to later completely crater with those who were still on his side by doing the one thing they respected him for not doing: Endorsing Donald J. Trump for the White House. Cruz has mostly regained his footing among Republicans, but some polling has shown his numbers remain weak among self-identified independents.
Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average

1

2

3

4

5

Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: kaput

03-14-2018 03:29 PM











Post: #1 Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech

Advertisement

Quote: I was invited to Queen's University March 5 to give the inaugural lecture/discussion of the Liberty Lecture series, funded by Faculty of Law alumnus, Gregory Piasetzki (LLB 1980).



Dr. Bruce Pardy (https://law.queensu.ca/faculty-resear...) and I discussed the increasingly frequent requirements for compelled speech that characterize the Canadian sociopolitical landscape.



The entire event was, in a word, surreal. Initial controversy over its acceptability rose to the point where the Dean of the Law School William Flanagan and Principal of Queens Daniel Woolf wrote missives in defence of free speech (the former: Sorry, no url shorteners/2EQJDm3; the latter: Sorry, no url shorteners/2tJB8VB). The Queen's University "Human Rights Office" posted a link to the Levana Gender Advocacy Centre and Education on Queer Issues Project "active support" efforts during this event at their Trans-Positive and People of Colour Positive Chill-In in Dunning Hall, room 11, where there was coloring pages, music, food, and discussion.



The 900 or so people who attended (who comported themselves admirably and thoughtfully throughout) were subject to a continual 90-minute barrage of noise generated by the protestors, who leaped up on the stained glass windows lining the hall and banged continually on them, breaking one. Inside, we could see shadowy figures dimly outlined through the colored glass. The outside doors were barricaded. One protestor was caught on film saying "Lock them in and burn it down." The din was substantial and ominous, although it is much attenuated in this video, due to the nature of the microphones used, which were designed to pick up speech close at hand.



The protestor who broke the window was arrested, but not before she bit a policeman, attempted to kick the back window out of a police cruiser, and was found to be in possession of a garrotte, a particularly brutal weapon with no defensive utility whatsoever (Sorry, no url shorteners/2HoTDAu). The man who cursed so profoundly and eloquently near the beginning of the lecture accosted me and my crew after the talk, and yelled and cursed and threatened at close quarters during our 200-yard walk from the venue to the parkade.



No one who was at this event will forget it.



Not good. Not good at all.





Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 04:54 PM











Post: #2 RE: Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech





"No you don't"







Were you elected? Who decided you were that group's representative? The fact is things have degenerated to the way things are right now, because of sh*t-stirrers.



Disagree? How many minorities vote conservative? How many minorities did you see attending Mr. Peterson's debate? Lots. Lots and lots of these "oppressed" are perfectly fine not being represented by social justice warriors. That alone shows the hypocrisy of modern day liberal activism.



Our Universities don't teach students debate skills anymore. They are social justice warriors, they argue, they protest, they virtue signal. They do not debate.



SJW activism isn't about helping people. It's about stirring up sh*t and causing as many problems as you can for other people. These activists are real-life trolls who take joy in the bullshit.



The other speaker was correct too - a long time ago, liberals advocated free speech and conservatives did not. Today that paradigm has flipped.



Do not let the government control your speech. Your speech mirrors your thoughts, and freedom of thought is the most important thing you have.



Jordan Peterson is one of the most brilliant people alive and I love his speeches. Everyone should take his words to heart. "This is a minority, it is oppressed. I am a member of that group, so now I represent that group.""No you don't"Were you elected? Who decided you were that group's representative? The fact is things have degenerated to the way things are right now, because of sh*t-stirrers.Disagree? How many minorities vote conservative? How many minorities did you see attending Mr. Peterson's debate? Lots. Lots and lots of these "oppressed" are perfectly fine not being represented by social justice warriors. That alone shows the hypocrisy of modern day liberal activism.Our Universities don't teach students debate skills anymore. They are social justice warriors, they argue, they protest, they virtue signal. They do not debate.SJW activism isn't about helping people. It's about stirring up sh*t and causing as many problems as you can for other people. These activists are real-life trolls who take joy in the bullshit.The other speaker was correct too - a long time ago, liberals advocated free speech and conservatives did not. Today that paradigm has flipped.Do not let the government control your speech. Your speech mirrors your thoughts, and freedom of thought is the most important thing you have.Jordan Peterson is one of the most brilliant people alive and I love his speeches. Everyone should take his words to heart. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:06 PM











Post: #3 RE: Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech





"Liberty is not the right to demand that the world validate the choices you have made" LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:29 PM











Post: #4 RE: Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech

What he said about struggling uphill toward the City of God is absolutely correct.



The marxists would have us descend into the abyss.



Struggling to improve ourselves is the foundation of Western society. If we let go of that, what are we? A disgusting mass of failure. There are people on the left who want us all to be lazy, useless, welfare recipients. They call this utopia. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:33 PM











Post: #5 RE: Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech

Nailed it on the head about the perceived right to not offend people.



You can't not offend people if you're speaking to a group. Something you say is going to offend somebody. People need to learn how to walk through life and let things roll of their back. Not have meltdowns when they hear something they don't like.



That's part of growing up into adulthood. University students should already know how to behave better. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:47 PM











Post: #6 RE: Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech

On the subject of marxists changing society:



"Are the people who wish to tear it down builders, or are they destroyers?"



What is going to replace our society? What do the marxists want?



History has shown, time and time again, that communist regimes only destroy. Over a hundred million dead killed by those regimes can attest to that fact.



Don't let leftism destroy the USA or Canada in the name of egalitarianism. We live in the most prosperous, egalitarian society ever seen by mankind. Social justice warriors don't understand what it is that they are protesting and have no idea what they want to accomplish. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 05:49 PM











Post: #7 RE: Jordan Peterson - Queen's University: The Rising Tide of Compelled Speech

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-14-2018 05:47 PM) On the subject of marxists changing society:



"Are the people who wish to tear it down builders, or are they destroyers?"



What is going to replace our society? What do the marxists want?



History has shown, time and time again, that communist regimes only destroy. Over a hundred million dead killed by those regimes can attest to that fact.



Don't let leftism destroy the USA or Canada in the name of egalitarianism. We live in the most prosperous, egalitarian society ever seen by mankind. Social justice warriors don't understand what it is that they are protesting and have no idea what they want to accomplish.

So true. No truer words here today. So true. No truer words here today.
















Gov. Greg Abbott will attend a community meeting Thursday to discuss Hurricane Harvey recovery in Kingwood, his office announced Wednesday.

The event, described in a news release as a "roundtable meeting," will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods Drive.

Read more: As sand shrinks river capacity, Kingwood residents feel like 'sitting ducks' for floods

Elected officials representing Kingwood and other communities near Lake Houston have pressed in recent weeks for more attention to the needs of the area, which was hit hard by Harvey's floods.

State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Humble, says he will work for stricter regulation of sand mining operations on the San Jacinto River. Many area leaders blame these facilities for dumping sand into the river, reducing its capacity to hold floodwaters.

Read more: Long road to recovery for Kingwood businesses flooded by Harvey

Concerns were heightened earlier this month when the river spilled out of its banks after a relatively moderate rainstorm.
A federal appeals court ruling Tuesday leaves in place almost all of a Texas law banning so-called sanctuary cities.

The law, Senate Bill 4, punishes local officials who limit immigration enforcement by local police or prevent officers from questioning the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest. It also requires county jails to honor requests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold detainees suspected of being eligible for deportation.

Tuesdays ruling by a three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans overturns an injunction by a San Antonio federal judge that had found portions of the law unconstitutional.

The appeals court upheld almost all of the law except for civil penalties for local officials who endorse a policy under which the entity or department prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of immigration laws. They found that use of the word endorse could violate the First Amendment and result in penalties against local officials who speak out on immigration policies.

With one exception, SB4s provisions do not, on their face, violate the Constitution, the justices wrote.

RELATED: Trump views designs for border wall while bashing California

The unanimous ruling was by justices Edith Jones and Jerry Smith, both Ronald Reagan appointees, and Edward Prado, a San Antonio native appointed to the appellate bench by George W. Bush and who was nominated this year to be ambassador to Argentina.

Texas Republicans like Attorney General Ken Paxton, who had defended the law in court, and Gov. Greg Abbott, whod pushed for the law and signed it last year in a ceremony live streamed on Facebook, celebrated the decision.

Im pleased the 5th Circuit recognized that Senate Bill 4 is lawful, constitutional and protects the safety of law enforcement officers and all Texans, Paxton said in a statement. Enforcing immigration law prevents the release of individuals from custody who have been charged with serious crimes. Dangerous criminals shouldnt be allowed back into our communities to possibly commit more crimes.

RELATED: Immigrants in Florida, facing a Texas SB-4 'anti-sanctuary' environment, activists say

San Antonio was one of the first cities to challenge SB 4, in part because of a police department policy preventing officers from asking about immigration status.

When U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia enjoined key portions of the law last year, he left in place provisions that allowed the Texas Attorney General to fine or remove local officials who prevent police from asking about immigration status.

Opponents of the law had said it turns police into immigration agents, eroding trust in the community and harming their ability to enforce state laws and local ordinances.

At the time, Mayor Sylvester Turner praised the ruling that temporarily blocked pieces of the "sanctuary cities" law that would have allowed local law enforcement to question a person's immigration status. His stance was echoed by Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who said that he did not want his police officers to become quasi-ICE agents.

On Tuesday, state Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio: said The ruling doesnt change that SB4 is an unnecessary, politically motivated law that was opposed by virtually everyone in law enforcement. It does nothing to make anyone safer and it will drive a wedge between law enforcement and certain people.

POLICE CHIEFS: SB 4 a 'lose-lose' for Texas

The judges left some leeway for local officials regarding bona fide resource allocation  e.g., policies regarding overtime or patrolling locations.

The court cannot force you to go bankrupt, said Luis Vera, an attorney for the League of United Latin American Citizens representing the border communities of El Cenizo and Maverick County. The locals still have a right to allocate their resources where they need them first.

In his ruling last year Garcia had also found that ICE detainers, requests by immigration officials to keep criminal suspects in county jails for up to 48 hours after they would have otherwise been released, violated the Fourth Amendment.

SB 4 makes it a misdemeanor to ignore ICE detainers, and Garcia ruled that because immigration cases are civil matters and local police enforce criminal laws, the statute violated protections from unreasonable search and seizure.

The 5th Circuit disagreed, finding that ICE administrative warrants, which unlike criminal warrants are not issued by a judge, are sufficient to detain in a county jail someone who ICE might deport, even if theyve been granted bail or their charges have been dropped.

Vera said lawyers involved in the case will have to decide if they want to appeal the ruling to a larger panel of the appellate court, ask the Supreme Court to review Tuesdays ruling, or return to Garcias court for a trial on the merits.

Cesar Espinosa, executive director of FIEL, an immigrant rights group in Houston, stated: This doesn't entirely change the implementation of the program since the key provisions of SB4 have been in effect this entire time. We know the 5th Circuit is a very conservative court but we had hoped they would see how damaging a law like SB4 would be to our communities. Not all is lost though, we hope that we may be able to take this case up all the way to the Supreme Court and hope the justices can make the right decision on this very damaging law."

The state could also face more lawsuits if SB 4 results in civil rights violations after its implemented, he said.

Peggy Fikac and Allie Morris of the San Antonio Express-News contributed to this report.
Stephen Hawking, the British theoretical physicist who overcame a devastating neurological disease to probe the greatest mysteries of the cosmos and become a globally celebrated symbol of the power of the human mind, has died, a family spokesman told the Associated Press. He was 76.

Unable to move a muscle, speechless but for a computer-synthesized voice, Dr. Hawking had suffered since the age of 21 from a degenerative motor neuron disease similar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Initially given two years to live, a diagnosis that threw him into a profound depression, he found the strength to complete his doctorate and rise to the position of Lucasian professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge, the same post held by Isaac Newton 300 years earlier.

Hawking eventually became one of the planet's most renowned science popularizers, and he embraced the attention, traveling the world, meeting with presidents, visiting Antarctica and Easter Island, and flying on special "zero-gravity" jet whose parabolic flight let Hawking float through the cabin as if he were in outer space.

"My goal is simple," he once said. "It is complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all." He spent much of his career searching for a way to reconcile Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum physics and produce a "Theory of Everything."

He wrote an international best seller, "A Brief History of Time" (1988), which delved into the origin and ultimate fate of the universe. He deliberately set out to write a mass-market primer on an often incomprehensible subject.

Although the book was sometimes derided as being dense, and had a reputation for being owned more than read, it sold millions of copies, was translated into more than 20 languages, and inspired a mini-empire of similar books from Hawking, including "The Universe in a Nutshell" and "A Briefer History of Time."

With his daughter, Lucy, he wrote a series of children's books about a young intergalactic traveler named George. His blunt 2013 memoir, "My Brief History," explored his development in science as well as his turbulent marriages. In addition, Hawking was the subject of a 1991 documentary, "A Brief History of Time," directed by Errol Morris, and countless newspaper and magazine articles.

With the aid of a voice synthesizer, controlled by his fingers on a keyboard, he gave speeches around the world, from Chile to China. He played himself on such TV programs as "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "The Simpsons," the latter featuring Hawking telling the show's lazy animated patriarch, "Your theory of a doughnut-shaped universe is interesting, Homer. I may have to steal it."

He insisted that his reputation as the second coming of Albert Einstein had gotten out of control through "media hype."

"I fit the part of a disabled genius," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. "At least, I'm disabled - even though I'm not a genius like Einstein. ... The public wants heroes. They made Einstein a hero, and now they're making me a hero, though with much less justification."

His scientific achievements included breakthroughs in understanding the extreme conditions of black holes, objects so dense that not even light can escape their gravity.

His most famous theoretical breakthrough was to find an exception to this seemingly unforgiving law of physics: black holes are not really black, he realized, but rather can emanate thermal radiation from subatomic processes at their boundary, and can potentially evaporate. Scientists refer to such theoretical emanations as "Hawking radiation."

This revelation impressed other scientists with the way it took Einstein's general theory of relativity, which is essential for understanding the gravity of black holes, and connected it to newer theories of quantum mechanics, which cover subatomic processes.

Plus, he threw in a dash of old-fashioned thermodynamics - achieving a kind of physics trifecta.

"Black holes ain't as black as they are painted," Hawking once said in a lecture, characteristically describing complicated physics in ordinary language. "They are not the eternal prisons they were once thought. Things can get out of a black hole, both to the outside, and possibly, to another universe. So, if you feel you are in a black hole, don't give up. There's a way out."

He also hypothesized that miniature black holes, remnants of the big bang, may be strewn through space, though he noted that so far they haven't be discovered. "This is a pity, because if they had, I would have got a Nobel prize," he joked.

- - -

Stephen William Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on Jan. 8, 1942 - the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death, he liked to point out. His father was a physician and specialist in tropical diseases; his mother was active in the Liberal Party.

Both parents were Oxford-educated, and Stephen - the eldest of four siblings - grew up surrounded by books. But he did not show particular academic promise, despite an obvious streak of brilliance that caused his friends to nickname him "Einstein."

"I always wanted to know how everything worked," he told Omni magazine. "I would take things apart to see how they worked, but they didn't often go back together."

He was a bit lazy, and a bon vivant, as he later would admit. After being admitted to the University of Oxford, he skimped on his studies and enjoyed carousing with fellow members of the Oxford Boat Club, for which he was a tactically savvy coxswain. He graduated in 1962 and did just well enough on his final exam to earn admission to the University of Cambridge to pursue a doctorate.

"Physics was always the most boring subject at school because it was so easy and obvious. Chemistry was much more fun because unexpected things, such as explosions, kept happening," Hawking wrote in his memoir. "But physics and astronomy offered the hope of understanding where we came from and why we are here. I wanted to fathom the depths of the Universe."

Then came what he later referred to as "that terrible thing." He'd noticed at Oxford that he'd become increasingly clumsy and would sometimes stumble and fall for no obvious reason. Tests revealed motor neuron disease; he could not expect to live more than a couple of years.

After a period of despondency in which he holed up in his room and listened to Wagner, he attended a New Year's Eve party at which he met a young student named Jane Wilde. Their courtship spurred his will to live. They married in 1965.

"We had this very strong sense at the time that our generation lived anyway under this most awful nuclear cloud -- that with a four-minute warning the world itself could likely end," Jane Hawking later told the British newspaper the Observer. "That made us feel above all that we had to do our bit, that we had to follow an idealistic course in life. That may seem naive now, but that was exactly the spirit in which Stephen and I set out in the Sixties -- to make the most of whatever gifts were given us."

They would have three children before his condition deteriorated to near-complete paralysis.

He received a doctorate in 1966 and became a postgraduate research physicist at Cambridge, where he hoped to study under the celeberated astrophysicist Fred Hoyle. Instead, he was assigned to Dennis Sciama - a disappointment, at first.

But, as he later wrote, "This turned out to be a good thing. Hoyle was abroad a lot and I wouldn't have seen much of him. Sciama on the other hand was there, and was always stimulating."

A few years later, while on the staff of the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge, he formed a close collaboration with Cambridge colleague Roger Penrose. They developed a theorem that the universe has not always existed.

The two showed that if the theory of relativity is true, the universe must have sprung into existence, out of what appeared to be nothing, at a specific moment in the past and from a place where gravity became so strong that space and time are curved beyond recognition -- what is known as a "singularity."

At the remarkably young age of 32, Hawking was named a fellow of the Royal Society. He received the Albert Einstein Award, the most prestigious in theoretical physics. He joined the Cambridge faculty in 1973 as a research assistant in the department of applied mathematics and theoretical physics; he was promoted to professor of gravitational physics in 1977.

- - -

While at Cambridge, Hawking began to question the big-bang theory, which by then most people had accepted.

Perhaps, he suggested, there was never a start and would be no end, but just change - a constant transition of one "universe" giving way to another through glitches in space-time. All the while, Hawking was digging into exploding black holes, string theory and the birth of black holes in our galaxy.

Hawking was known to weigh in rather playfully on grand cosmological questions. He once suggested that if the universe stopped expanding and began to contract, time would run backward. He later said that he'd changed his mind on that.

He gained headlines when he declared that humans should colonize other worlds to hedge their bets against the possible destruction of this one.

In an updated, illustrated (easier to handle) version of "A Brief History of Time," he added a chapter on wormholes - back-alley cosmic tunnels that might conceivably let someone travel back in time. Prancing on the edge of the plausible, he nonetheless stuck to what science can tell us.

"He thought about the deep and important questions in novel ways," said David Spergel, Princeton University's chairman of astrophysics. "Hawking's important contribution was identifying new ways to answer those questions and formulating mathematically sophisticated ways of connecting general relativity and quantum mechanics."

Hawking had sought to come up with a so-called Theory of Everything that would essentially put an end to theoretical physics by answering all the outstanding questions. But whether such a theory can ever be found is unclear.

Hawking said our universe might not be the only one there is -- that many more may be popping into existence all around us. He suggested that "cosmic wormholes" briefly link those universes to ours and that subatomic particles may travel from one universe to another through them, accounting for some of the strange behavior of particles that physicists observe.

The power of Hawking's celebrity was measured at times by the tabloid coverage he drew for his complicated personal life. His wife Jane spent hours every day bathing, washing and feeding Hawking, who required constant nursing care. He developed pneumonia in 1985 on a trip to Geneva, and Jane battled doctors who wanted to turn off his life support.

But the marriage grew strained, in part because of her Christian faith and his adamant atheism, and in part because of what she called his remote and stoic temperament. She described him as an "all-powerful emperor" who seemed blind to how demanding his illness became for her as she also took care of their young children. He refused measures that would have made life easier for her, and she felt it was "too cruel" to coerce him to see it her way.

They grew apart and, in 1990, just shy of their 25th wedding anniversary, separated when Hawking left Jane for his nurse, Elaine Mason. He married Elaine five years later after his divorce from Jane became final.

Hawking called his second marriage, which also ended in divorce, "passionate and tempestuous."

Hawking's offices were filled with photographs of him standing with admirers ranging from popes (he was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences) to the late Soviet physicist and human rights campaigner Andrei Sakharov.

The theoretical physicist once described his heroes as "Galileo, Einstein, Darwin and Marilyn Monroe." The last was of particular appeal to the scientist who hung posters of her and collected Monroe-related bric a brac.

"My daughter and secretary gave me posters of her, my son gave me a Marilyn bag and my wife a Marilyn towel," he once said. "I suppose you could say she was a model of the universe."

- - -

Rensberger is a former Washington Post science writer and editor.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump, fresh off replacing his secretary of state and CIA director, is considering firing his secretary of Veterans Affairs and installing Energy Secretary Rick Perry in the post, according to two people close to the White House.

Trump did not make a formal offer to Perry when the two men met on Monday. But the people said the president has grown impatient with the departments current secretary, Dr. David Shulkin, and may want to replace him with someone already in his Cabinet.

It was unclear if Perry, who was an Air Force pilot before entering politics, would accept the change in position if Trump offered it, or if Trump had a successor in mind to lead the Energy Department.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, nor did Shulkin.

The conversation follows weeks of bitter infighting at the Veterans Affairs Department, where Shulkin has faced off in a rare public spat with a prominent group of Trump administration appointees who want to see him removed from office. The dispute goes beyond personality to a struggle over how far and how fast to privatize health care under the VA system.

RELATED: Report faults VA secretary Shulkin over travel to Europe

A politically moderate former hospital executive who also served in the Obama administration, Shulkin had been one of Trumps most popular Cabinet secretaries, both in the White House and on Capitol Hill. At a time when Trump was struggling to find legislative victories, Shulkin and Congress veterans committees delivered a string of popular, bipartisan bills to the presidents desk.

And Trump has publicly showered Shulkin with praise. At a signing ceremony for one of those bills in June, Trump said his secretary did not have to worry about hearing the presidents old reality-show catchphrase, Youre fired.

Well never have to use those words on our David, Trump said, pointing his finger at the secretary like a pistol. We will never use those words on you, thats for sure.

That tenor began to change in recent months, as Shulkin increasingly butted heads with conservative Trump administration officials over one of the White Houses top policy priorities for the department: the expansion of government-subsidized private health care for veterans, outside the government-run VA health system.

2016: Perry meets with Trump to discuss possible Cabinet slot

Perry is seen as a more pliant figure for the Veterans Affairs position. Unlike Shulkin, who had run the departments health care system under President Barack Obama and spent a career in hospital administration, Perry has no background in health care delivery, but as Texas governor, he showed a willingness to experiment.

If Trump were to make the move, possible replacements for Perry could include Ray Washburne, a Dallas entrepreneur and prominent Republican fundraiser; J. Larry Nichols, the former chairman of Devon Energy; and T. Boone Pickens, the Texas oilman, according to people who work closely with senior officials at the department and the White House.
If you have lost your prosthetic leg on a Metro bus, the people at the transit system's downtown Houston office have been holding it for you since last summer and would like you to come pick it up.

Deep inside the Metro offices off Main Street is the lost and found, where items are kept for 30 days.

RELATED: Federal review gives Metro mostly clean marks

Bags of cellphones, wallets, eyeglasses, sunglasses and keys overflow in plastic tubs. There is a bucket of canes, umbrellas and crutches in the corner.

Now Playing: FOX 26 News anchor Jonathan Martin Video: Fox 26 Houston

Metro has six bus garages around Houston and a hub for the rail line, serving hundreds of thousands of Houstonians.

At the end of the day, which includes 114 bus routes and three rail lines, left-behind items are sent downtown for processing. It is there where everything is carefully cataloged, placed in tamper-proof bags, and entered into an online database.

Nearly 1,000 items come in to be processed each month but only 20 percent are recovered by the owner. Metro would like to change that.

Some items, not unlike the fake leg, are more precious than others.

"Not too long ago someone left behind an urn," said Russ Frank, Metro's VP of customer service. "Luckily the owner came back by and was able to identify the name on the label."

Earlier this week, a vacuum cleaner left on a bus was recovered by its owner. Frank shows Chron.com a framed photo of a beautiful Texas bluebonnet scene. A whole, unopened box of diapers awaits pickup.

RELATED: Transportation projects that will shape Houston in 2018

There are a handful of Houston ISD-issued student laptops in a crate. "I lost my laptop" just might be the new "The dog ate my homework."

Illegal items, like most weapons and drug paraphernalia, are handed over to the Metro police. One time, according to Metro, a customer came to pick up their missing lunch bag, which had illicit drugs inside it. True story, and the customer was soon taken into custody.

Right now with RodeoHouston there is an uptick of riders but there aren't any cowboy hats or huge, stuffed carnival toys to speak of in the lost and found.

The prosthetic leg, complete with a red Nike sneaker attached, has been here longer than Frank hoped. Theses devices have to be fitted by a doctor, and that is not cheap.

RELATED: Metro poised to buy buses for Post Oak rapid transit line

Unclaimed items that can be donated like clothing are handed over to the Purple Heart after 30 days, but the prosthesis has stuck around.

Frank is constantly amazed at the generosity and humanity of Houstonians. Keep the faith. Just because something is lost doesn't mean it won't be turned in by a fellow rider or a Metro employee.

Craig Hlavaty

"There are honest people still," Frank says. "People are better than you might think."

It always pays to at least call and check with Metro if something is lost. Even small amounts of cash are returned when it could just as easily be pocketed. Don't just assume it's gone with the wind.

Lost and found is a vital part of the customer service experience aboard Metro, and if that means reuniting a Houstonian with their leg, then that is a beautiful bonus.

For information on lost and found items head over to the Metro website. People also can claim lost items by visiting the RideStore, or by calling 713-658-0854.

Craig Hlavaty is a reporter for Chron.com and HoustonChronicle.com.
WASHINGTON - On the Sunday after a gunman killed 26 people at a church in his home state of Texas, John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, went to tiny Sutherland Springs to comfort the congregation and its grieving pastor, whose 14-year-old daughter was among the victims.

A month before, Stephen Paddock had gunned down 58 people at a country music festival in Las Vegas. Three months later, Nikolas Cruz would rampage through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and kill 17.

But it was Sutherland Springs that turned Cornyn into something like the Republican face of the gun debate. Nearly every day since the Valentine's Day massacre in Parkland last month, he has taken to the Senate floor to implore his colleagues to vote for a narrow measure to improve data reporting to the national background check system for gun purchases. It is modest and incremental, but it may be the only piece of gun legislation that can pass the Senate.

"I'm trying to figure out what is feasible, what is possible, and to get that done," Cornyn, sounding frustrated, said in a recent interview, "because I do not want to see the next victim of a mass shooting knowing that we could have done something that might have changed the outcome but didn't."

It is an unlikely endeavor for a man who is an ardent defender of gun rights. In 2013, after the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, Cornyn voted against expanding background checks to cover guns sold over the internet and at gun shows. He now says he will consider voting for such a bill, so long as private sellers are exempt.

"If somebody's in the business of selling firearms," he said, "then I believe they should be covered - that's at the gun shows and that's over the internet."

PROTESTS: Spring break keeps most Houston students from nationwide gun-violence protests

His background-check enforcement bill, backed by the National Rifle Association, now has 68 co-sponsors in addition to Cornyn - nine more than the 60 votes necessary to break a Senate filibuster.

Yet despite his status as the Senate's second-highest ranking Republican, Cornyn cannot seem to get his bill to the floor. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, told reporters Tuesday that he was eager to pass it soon, and Cornyn said he hoped it could pass by next week.

But neither offered any specifics on a way forward.

As students plan a nationwide walkout on Wednesday to demand tougher gun laws, the slow progress of Cornyn's bill is yet another indication of how ossified the gun debate has become in Washington. The measure, known as the Fix NICS Act - NICS stands for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System - is hardly radical and would not do anything to restrict gun ownership. It would simply enforce existing law.

Congress passed a similar measure in 2007 after the shooting at Virginia Tech, hoping to improve the reporting of criminal records and mental health information to the gun purchasing database. It did not head off Sutherland Springs, where a gunman legally bought his firearm despite having been convicted of domestic abuse.

Yet at least two, and possibly, three Republican senators are blocking the proposal from quick consideration. And Democrats - whose leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, is a co-sponsor of the measure - do not want to allow it to move forward for a vote unless it is paired with more far-reaching legislation, like an expansion of background checks and a ban on assault weapons.

"He comes to the floor every day and says, let's do the small Fix NICS bill and then we'll see about other proposals," Schumer said Tuesday, referring to Cornyn. "He knows, as well as I do, that Fix NICS is not even close to a response to the epidemic of gun violence in the country."

On the other side of the Capitol, the House is expected to vote Wednesday on a measure, introduced in response to the Parkland shooting, to beef up safety at the nation's schools.

That bill has nothing to do with guns; it would authorize $50 million annually for safety improvements, including training teachers and students in how to prevent violence and developing anonymous reporting systems for threats. A companion measure in the Senate would also give schools money for physical improvements, such as installing metal detectors or bulletproof windows.

"I'm extremely interested in seeing Senator Cornyn's Fix NICS bill pass, and a significant school safety bill pass," McConnell said Tuesday. "The best way to get that done is still under discussion, but I'm anxious to pass both of them and pass both of them soon."

GRAY MATTERS: Is the National School Walkout free speech?

A former Texas attorney general and justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Cornyn, 66, grew up around guns. He keeps his license to carry a concealed weapon in his wallet - "My wife and I both got it together," he said - and recalls learning to shoot as a teenager, with a .22-caliber rifle at target practice.

"Every teenage boy that I know of enjoys that sort of thing," he said.

He hunted deer for a time, but eventually lost interest. "I'd bring home the venison and my wife and daughters didn't really care for it," he said. He now hunts birds, usually quail. He says he likes to "consider myself an ethical hunter, which is if you shoot it, you'd better eat it."

While not a member of the National Rifle Association, Cornyn has an "A&" rating from the group, which backed him enthusiastically the last time he ran for re-election. The Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending, says gun rights interests have given Cornyn $191,825 from 1989 to 2018. That is more than all but two other members of Congress - Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

Gun safety advocates are suspicious of Cornyn. John Feinblatt, the president of Everytown for Gun Safety, which presses for restrictions on gun rights, calls him "the go-to guy for the NRA in the Senate."

Cornyn bristled at the suggestion. And he dismissed a recent comment by President Donald Trump, who during a recent White House meeting chided senators for being afraid of the rifle association, with Cornyn sitting next to him.

"I thought that was a throwaway statement," Cornyn said. "I don't know who he was talking to."

The gunman in Sutherland Springs, Devin P. Kelley, had been convicted of assaulting his wife and cracking his infant stepson's skull while stationed at an Air Force base. But the Air Force never reported the conviction, which would have prevented Kelley from buying the AR-15 military-style rifle that he used in the mass shooting.

Cornyn says his visit to the church a week after the shooting was profound. The sanctuary had been whitewashed and turned into a memorial. A tent had been set up down the street where the pastor conducted services.

"He was holding it together in a superhuman kind of way," Cornyn recalled. He said he left thinking he "never wanted to have to confront another grieving family whose loved one's death may have been prevented by simply making sure that the background check system worked."

Cornyn teamed up with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., an ardent supporter of gun control, on the measure. Murphy said he gave Cornyn credit for being "willing to entertain a conversation in which there was no guarantee that the NRA would support the bill."

The bill would impose penalties on federal agencies that fail to report mandated information to the background check system, and would give states grants to improve reporting.

Critics, including Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University who has followed Cornyn's career, regard it as an attempt by Republicans to curry favor with voters who were demanding action after the Parkland shooting.

"It might help the Republicans establish themselves after the Florida shootings," Jillson said, "but there's not a lot of credit, not a lot of honor in that."

At that, the usually easygoing Cornyn showed a rare flash of anger.

"He's wrong," the senator said sharply, "and I would ask him to talk to the pastor at Sutherland Springs who lost his 14-year-old daughter because the background check system didn't work."
Come home to Texas, Rex Tillerson.

The ExxonMobil CEO who endured an apparently miserable tenure as President Trumps first secretary of state suffered one final humiliation Tuesday when his boss fired him via Twitter. Tillerson spent most of the last year working under a cloud of speculation about when he would get the axe. Now, as he departs Foggy Bottom, he faces speculation over whether hell go down in history as one of the nations worst secretaries of state.

Tillersons appointment as the countrys top diplomat was initially greeted with hope that he would serve as one of the grown-ups in the room, a source of stability in an otherwise chaotic administration. Instead, his authority was consistently undercut by a mercurial president with whom he never developed the trusting relationship essential to any top diplomat. Perhaps the most galling of all insults came when the president named his utterly unqualified son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to broker a peace deal in Middle East, effectively letting one of his relatives run a shadow State Department.

EDITORIAL: After America

As an energy executive Tillerson had extensive experience dealing with heads of state, but his job skills clearly didnt transfer to government. His chilly relationship with Congress and the press indicated he never learned the difference between management in the private and public sectors. One would think someone who ran one of the worlds largest corporations would know how to manage the State Department, but its now evident he administered a deeply dysfunctional agency.

Tillerson gave in to demands from the Office of Management and Budget that he cut the State Department and foreign aid budget by 30 percent. He presided over a botched reorganization effort that devastated his workforces morale. Under his leadership, the State Department hemorrhaged experienced diplomats, one of whom wrote a searing resignation letter saying, I would humbly request that you follow me out the door.

Of course, almost any bureaucracy can stand some cutbacks. But Tillerson failed to fill important, senior level positions for diplomats who could provide crucial advice and counsel to an administration facing a nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.

EDITORIAL: Tillerson empties out Foggy Bottom

Once Tillerson exits, eight of the nine top jobs at the State Department will sit empty. Key positions up and down the roster, such as ambassador to South Korea, lack nominees entirely. Only 63 out of the 153 top roles at the State Department have a confirmed appointee, according to the Washington Post.

Tillerson oversaw a hollowing of our foreign policy apparatus  our source of post-war soft-power  and allowed Trump to replace it with a combination of nepotism and Twitter.

EDITORIAL: A shaky start for Tillerson

Whats more, as applications for the foreign service plunged, Tillerson showed little interest in developing new talent.

As Max Boot from the Council on Foreign Relations pointed out in Foreign Policy magazine, Tillerson withdrew from Presidential Management Fellows program, which has been a conduit bringing promising young professionals into the State Department. One former ambassador speculated it would take 15 to 20 years for the State Department to recover from the damage wrought under Tillersons leadership.

Now the president has named CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed Tillerson. Its noteworthy that Pompeos job will be assumed, if Congress consents, by deputy director Gina Haspel, who would become the first woman to serve as CIA director. Glass ceiling aside, Haspels record of overseeing the torture of suspects at a CIA black site deserves scrutiny.

EDITORIAL: Trump lacks coherent foreign policy strategy ahead of G20

Its also noteworthy that Pompeo has been interviewed as part of special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election; President Trump reportedly asked Pompeo to intervene in the in the FBIs investigation, but Pompeo refused.

We can only hope that Pompeo, unlike Tillerson, will be able to establish a good working relationship with the president and begin to clean up the mess his predecessor left at Foggy Bottom. Meanwhile, now that Tillerson has been put out of his misery, one thing President Trump said about his firing rings true: I think Rex will be much happier now.
Apple Inc. said it will hold its annual Worldwide Developers Conference from June 4-8 in San Jose, California.

The company uses the event to galvanize the software developers that write apps for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and Apple TVs. Apple hasnt shared the agenda for this years conference, but said on its website that company engineers will hold more than 100 sessions with developers on new technologies to be announced.

Tickets to the conference cost $1,599 and will be distributed via random selection after a registration process ending March 22, Apple said.

The company is working on new versions of its iPhone and Mac operating systems to be unveiled at the conference, Bloomberg News has reported. The highlight announcement will likely be an effort to combine the app systems for iPhones and Macs, resulting in improved apps for Mac computers.

Top executives often use the first day of the conference to introduce major new versions of the operating systems that run on its devices. The company sometimes also unveils new hardware at the event. At last years WWDC, Apple showed off upgraded iPads, the HomePod speaker, new Macs, and software-based enhancements for iPhones and Macs. The company also typically releases new features for developers to integrate into apps, like it did with augmented reality last year.

While Apple typically announces hundreds of new iPhone software features at WWDC, the company decided in January to push back some new features to 2019. For this year, Apple is working on new augmented-reality features for iPhones and iPads, a tool for parents to monitor their kids device usage, new Animojis, an improved version of Do Not Disturb, an updated stock tracking app, and deeper Siri integration, people familiar with the matter have told Bloomberg.

2018 Bloomberg L.P.

Get more tasty tech news at TechBurger. And follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to the Chronicle for regular access to TechBurger stories and to be able to comment.
Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average

1

2

3

4

5

The Philadelphia Experiment  Whats the Real Story? Adios

lop guest

User ID: kaput

03-14-2018 06:53 PM











Post: #1 The Philadelphia Experiment  Whats the Real Story?

Advertisement Quote: The Philadelphia Experiment is an event during 1943 in which the United States Navy purportedly teleported a Navy destroyer escort, the USS Eldridge, from Philadelphia to Norfolk. They also made it invisible  as in, to the naked eye. Most people believe the incident was either a hoax or the ravings of a lunatic, however, some still believe that it may have really occurred and that there is a large conspiracy to cover it up. What is interesting is that the tale of the Philadelphia Experiment has made it into the annals of American legend. So, whats the real story?

USS Eldridge.

Quote: The Philadelphia Experiment

The story of the Philadelphia Experiment begins in October of 1943 in Norfolk, Virginia, though the story did not turn up until more than ten years later. Purportedly, some men aboard the SS Andrew Furuseth saw a ship spontaneously appear in the water in Norfolk on October 28. The story goes that it came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The destroyer had first disappeared and then it instantaneously teleported to Norfolk. The disappearance and the teleportation were apparently two different functions of the experiment. In other words, the disappearance was not the result of the teleportation, but rather came before it.



Once the USS Eldridge reached Norfolk, it was clear something went wrong. Some of the men had disappeared during the trip. Others had gone mad. Some kept becoming invisible and then regaining their forms. Others still had become fused  yes, fused  with the ship in various ways. Perhaps that is why no U.S. ships currently have invisibility cloaks and teleportation devices. It could also be that the story is completely false.



Carlos Allendes Claims

The story of the Philadelphia Experiment comes from a man named Carl Allen or Carlos Allende, his pseudonym. Carlos wrote a detailed description of the event, along with claims he was a witness aboard the SS Andrew Furuseth when the USS Eldridge arrived in Norfolk, Virginia. He sent the description to the U.S. Navys Office of Naval Research. The public got hold of the story and it took off, despite the many unlikely events described in the letter.



Carlos Allende wrote that the Philadelphia Experiment was made possible by Einsteins unified field theory. Einstein supposedly told Carlos all about it himself. This is not direct proof that the story is mere myth, but it does lend a bit to the crazy factor of the claims. Firstly, it is common for such myths to borrow from the genius and fame of great scientists. Oftentimes, it is easy to refute these myths because the works of great men are typically followed closely. There is no evidence that Einstein ever met Carlos Allende and there is no evidence that his work resulted in a disastrous teleportation.



Evidence to the Contrary

The USS Eldridge, like most other Navy ships, especially in war times, had a thorough log of where it had been in October of 1943 and the months around it. These logs are currently public information. According to them, the ship was nowhere near Philadelphia in October 1943. The SS Andrew Furuseth was also not in Norfolk at any time the Eldridge was present. Furthermore, William S. Dodge, the man in command of the boat at the time of the Philadelphia Experiment, later said that neither he nor any of his crew saw anything strange in Norfolk, Virginia.



After receiving the odd information, the Office of Naval Research conducted an investigation. They did not find any evidence that the U.S. Navy was conducting experiments in teleportation. Of course, rendering ships invisible or stealthy is always an interest, but that pertains to radar, not to the human eye. As far as the U.S. Navy is concerned, no such technology exists.



Future Events

Fast forward to 1984. The movie, The Philadelphia Experiment, emerged. In the movie, two men stationed on a ship travel forward in time after an experiment to make the ship invisible to radar goes terribly awry. The image of a sailors body partially melted into the deck of the ship burned into the publics psyche, and it would contribute to the persistence of the urban legend.



In 1994, Jacques F. Vallee wrote an article about the Philadelphia Experiment. He had written about it before and, at that time, had requested that anyone who might have more information contact him. Someone did. Edward Dudgeon had served as an electrician in the Navy between 1942-1945 on the USS Engstrom. He said the Engstrom was in Philadelphia during the summer of 1943. The nature of his job allowed him access to the classified nature of the equipment aboard his ship and the USS Eldridge. Dave Roos of How Stuff Works discusses Dudgeons explanation in his article, How the Philadelphia Worked:



Far from being teleportation engines designed by Einstein (or aliens), the devices enabled the ships to scramble their magnetic signature using a technique called degaussing. The ship were wrapped in large cables and zapped with high-voltage charges. A degaussed ship wouldnt be invisible to radar, but would be undetectable by the U-boats magnetic torpedoes.



Story of One Mad Mind?



So, there is no proof of Einsteins connection to a naval project aimed at invisibility of solid objects and teleportation. There is no evidence that Carlos Allende met Einstein or that Einstein developed such technology. However, evidence contrary to the USS Eldridges alleged presence in Philadelphia and Norfolk on October 28, 1943, does exist. And there are counterclaims to Allendes that others witnessed the event. No proof exists apart from the writings of Carlos Allende that supports the legend of the Philadelphia Experiment. Source



Oldie but a goldie! USS Eldridge.Oldie but a goldie! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-14-2018 07:00 PM











Post: #2 RE: The Philadelphia Experiment  Whats the Real Story?

The basis to the story is one that could be independently verified.

That is they were doing high currrent DC? ARC welding to the hulls of ships (which is at least a quarter inch thick steel plate) and that some welders were reporting disappearances of tools placed within the coils of welding cables... which is what set the Navy to investigate this phenomenon.
















Education is the key, and companies need their people to buy into the idea of lifelong learning  where people stay up to date with technological advances but equally develop an agile mentality that will allow them to utilise new developments as quickly as possible, he tells HRD.

While lifelong learning is critical, Frino also urges employers not to discount the experience already present in their workforce, especially in the face of technological change. Value your older and more experienced staff, because they have already been through enormous technological change in their careers and many will have developed strategies for adapting to change that will prove invaluable for younger staff members to emulate, he says.

Skills in the wider context

Frino is well qualified to comment on the wider forces impacting the business world. Not only does he hold degrees from UOW, Cambridge University and the University of Sydney, but he is also a former Fulbright Scholar and one of the best-published finance academics in the world, with over 100 papers in leading scholarly journals. He has also held positions with leading financial market organisations, including the Sydney Futures Exchange, Credit Suisse and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission in the US.

Education is the key, and companies need their people to buy into the idea of lifelong learning - Professor Alex Frino

He says Singapore is well positioned to lead the way in business and financial innovation and can also provide insights on how to maximise productivity through the workforce.
In fact, a study using American Department of Labour data did just that and found that gen Xers actually had slightly lower tenure at the same age and stage of their careers, compared to millennials.

The job hopper label is a misnomer  young people have always moved more than older workers, says Williams, who will be discussing the issue at the upcoming Millennial Workforce Summit.

While the job-hopping reputation may not be an accurate one, Williams says there still some key markers while set millennials apart from their older colleagues.

We need to be careful we recognise we are talking in generalities and ignoring the richness of individual experiences, she says. However, we can point to a couple of differences.

According to Williams, one of the common differentiators is that millennials have grown up as digital natives.
Bangkok restaurants stop serving fish recently imported from Fukushima Pref.

March 13,2018 | Source: Mainichi Japan

Eleven Japanese restaurants in the Thai capital of Bangkok have stopped serving imported fish caught off the coast of the Fukushima prefectural city of Soma, the prefectural government here said on March 12.



The decision of each restaurant came following fears that they might experience a backlash and a reduction in customer numbers -- fueled by citizen group protests that have spread online -- even though Thailand does not restrict the import of goods from Fukushima Prefecture.



Consignments of fresh seafood including flounder, fluke and octopus have been exported from Fukushima Prefecture to Thailand since late February -- the first export of seafood from the prefecture since the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO)'s Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. It is not sure when the restaurants will start offering the fish again.



According to the Fukushima Prefectural Government, 143 kilograms of fish have been exported to Thailand since Feb. 28, with about 50 kilograms being consumed at an event starting on March 2 that was jointly hosted by the 11 restaurants.



However, consumer groups in Thailand have been directing protests toward the country's Ministry of Public Health, saying, "Don't make citizens here eat dangerous fish." Meanwhile, the ministry has stated that a thorough inspection has been conducted and the fish is safe.

 THE MAINICHI NEWSPAPERS

Theme(s): Others.
Thai govt. detects no radiation in Fukushima fish

March 13,2018 | Source: NHK

The government of Japan's Fukushima Prefecture hopes to export more flounder to Thailand after the Thai government's tests showed no radioactive substances in the fish.



Exports of flounder caught off Fukushima resumed on March 1st for the first time since the 2011 nuclear accident. The fish were the first marine products from the prefecture to be sold abroad since the accident.



The flounder was being promoted at Japanese restaurants in Thailand. But the promotion was cancelled on Monday after local consumers voiced concerns about the fish's safety. Flounder exports have essentially been halted.



Fukushima prefectural officials say they were notified late on Monday that the Thai health ministry detected no radioactive material in the fish.



They plan to call attention to the fish's safety through online video sites, social media and food tasting events for local consumers.

 NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

Theme(s): Fisheries Resources.
Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 2 Vote(s) - 5 Average

1

2

3

4

5

Page: 1 2 3 4 Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: kaput

03-15-2018 12:48 AM











Post: #1 Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

Advertisement



A spokesperson for international relations minister Lindiwe Sisulu, said: There is no need to fear  we want to say to the world that we are engaged in a process of land redistribution which is very important to address the imbalances of the past. But it is going to be done legally, and with due consideration of the economic impact and impact on individuals.



On Wednesday, Dutton said white farmers deserved special attention due to the horrific circumstances of land seizures and violence. It follows recent reports in Australian media of numerous and increasing cases of rape and torture carried out on white farmers and a white minority in South Africa being murdered and tortured off their farms.



https://www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...rmer-visas South Africa has criticised Australian home affairs minister Peter Duttons offer to fast-track the visas of its white African farmers, saying his comments on the supposed threat to their lives and land were sad and regrettable.A spokesperson for international relations minister Lindiwe Sisulu, said: There is no need to fear  we want to say to the world that we are engaged in a process of land redistribution which is very important to address the imbalances of the past. But it is going to be done legally, and with due consideration of the economic impact and impact on individuals.On Wednesday, Dutton said white farmers deserved special attention due to the horrific circumstances of land seizures and violence. It follows recent reports in Australian media of numerous and increasing cases of rape and torture carried out on white farmers and a white minority in South Africa being murdered and tortured off their farms. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 12:53 AM











Post: #2 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

BUT the SOUTH AFRICAN Farmers

All Came from Australia mostly

2 generations removed!



They NEED to JUST Go and Evacuate their PEOPLE before there

is a GENOCIDE of their Peasants. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 12:58 AM











Post: #3 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 12:53 AM) BUT the SOUTH AFRICAN Farmers

All Came from Australia mostly

2 generations removed!



They NEED to JUST Go and Evacuate their PEOPLE before there

is a GENOCIDE of their Peasants.

Then why do they speak Dutch? Then why do they speak Dutch? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 01:03 AM











Post: #4 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

What about the non-farmers? LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 01:04 AM











Post: #5 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 12:58 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 12:53 AM) BUT the SOUTH AFRICAN Farmers

All Came from Australia mostly

2 generations removed!



They NEED to JUST Go and Evacuate their PEOPLE before there

is a GENOCIDE of their Peasants. Then why do they speak Dutch? Oh and You Got some left over Germans from ww2.

And some other White folks that went to farm there! Oh and You Got some left over Germans from ww2.And some other White folks that went to farm there! LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 01:07 AM











Post: #6 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

RICHMOND, VAThe Dutch East India Company established a small settlement at what is now Cape Town in 1652. The initial purpose of the settlement was to provide a rest stop and supply station for trading vessels making the long journey from Europe, around the cape of southern Africa, and on to India and other points eastward.



Slavery (of Africans, but also of some Asians) was a feature of the new colony almost from day one, as was the process of subjugating the local indigenous population. Academic historians commonly refer to the events of the 17th century and 18th century in South Africa as the white invasion or conquest. The first violent conflicts between the Dutch community and natives dates from 1659; over the next 50 years, the settlers took advantage of superior weaponry to gradually gain control of more land and more resources (livestock) formerly controlled or occupied by native Africans. A devastating small pox outbreak in the late 17th century further decimated the Khoikhoi ("Hottentot") native population.



Also significant for South Africas subsequent history is the fact that the white colonial settlement had sharp gradations of status and wealth, as historian Leonard Thompson puts it. Colony administrators and a few wealthy farmers controlled land and resources, but many other white settlers were landless. This was the strata from which the first trekkers emergedthose white colonialists who over the course of the 18th century branched out from the Cape Town base and began expanding white presence in southern Africa, to the north and the east.



The trekkers had only limited contact with Dutch colonial culture during this process. Government beyond the Cape Town region was extremely limited, and the trekkers in effect made their own laws, particularly in dealing with native Africans. Over much of the 18th century, there were no formal schools for these settlers, and little organized religion; contact with the home colony base consisted of long, arduous trade trips. These colonialists of Dutch descent had an increasingly marginal relationship with Cape Town, much less Holland itself and the intellectual and political developments of 18th-century Europe. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 01:09 AM











Post: #7 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

They need to get some crowd sourced funding on the internet going so these people can move to Australia. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 01:10 AM











Post: #8 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

Since this has been going on since 1652, I'd say that's a pretty slow fast track. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 01:12 AM











Post: #9 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

We will have to be brave and let the population decrease naturally after they have gone .



It will be just like Zimbabwe ....



Africans will starve and they will go to undeveloped tribal levels and we should not feed them as it prolongs the agony ....



They wish for their freedom and they have the right to have it ...



Now Zimbabwe wants the white farmers back ...



The old saying applies one bitten ....



Whoever is left will be very happy scampering around doing their thing and that is their right ...



We must be brave and let them have it .....



It is like when a child leaves home and learns to stand on its own ... LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 07:48 AM











Post: #10 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 09:04 AM











Post: #11 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

That sounds like some sort of privilege.... I forgot the name... LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 09:43 AM











Post: #12 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 01:12 AM) We will have to be brave and let the population decrease naturally after they have gone .



It will be just like Zimbabwe ....



Africans will starve and they will go to undeveloped tribal levels and we should not feed them as it prolongs the agony ....



They wish for their freedom and they have the right to have it ...



Now Zimbabwe wants the white farmers back ...



The old saying applies one bitten ....



Whoever is left will be very happy scampering around doing their thing and that is their right ...



We must be brave and let them have it .....



It is like when a child leaves home and learns to stand on its own ...

Good post! Good post! RiskyRob

( Lop V.I.P.)

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 09:51 AM



Posts: 8,137









Post: #13 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

Let me congratulate the Aussies on their brave move. Well done, Mate!



 Ascended Master (This post was last modified: 03-15-2018 09:57 AM by RiskyRob .) LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 09:58 AM











Post: #14 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 12:58 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 12:53 AM) BUT the SOUTH AFRICAN Farmers

All Came from Australia mostly

2 generations removed!



They NEED to JUST Go and Evacuate their PEOPLE before there

is a GENOCIDE of their Peasants.

Then why do they speak Dutch?

Nova Hollandia. Seek the ancient maps and know the terrible truth. Nova Hollandia. Seek the ancient maps and know the terrible truth. LoP Guest

lop guest

User ID: 1337

03-15-2018 09:59 AM











Post: #15 RE: Australia Examining Fast-Track Visas for South African Farmers

LoP Guest Wrote: (03-15-2018 09:04 AM) That sounds like some sort of privilege.... I forgot the name...

The new president told blacks to slit the throats of whites. This is ongoing active genocide and I applaud Australia for offering them safety. The new president told blacks to slit the throats of whites. This is ongoing active genocide and I applaud Australia for offering them safety. Advertisement


















Israel arrests 10 fishermen off Gaza's coast

March 12,2018 | Source: Al Jazeera

Israeli naval forces arrested 10 Palestinian fishermen off the coast of the Gaza Strip on Monday, according to a Palestinian spokesman.



"The fishermen were detained while fishing south of the Gaza Strip," Nizar Ayyash, head of Gazas Fishermen's Union, told Anadolu news agency.



He said three fishing boats had also been confiscated by Israeli forces.



There was no comment from the Israeli military on the arrests in Gaza, but Israeli forces have also detained 16 Palestinians in overnight raids across the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military.



According to the fishermen's union, roughly 50,000 Gazans earn their living from fishing.



After Israel's war on Gaza in mid-2014, in which some 2,150 Palestinians were killed, Israel began allowing Palestinian fishermen to fish up to six nautical miles off the Gaza coast, as opposed to three nautical miles previously.



In May 2017, Israeli authorities increased the fishing area for Gazan fishermen to nine nautical miles.

 2018 Al Jazeera Media Network

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Radio program informs, helps Filipino workers in Taiwan

by William Yen

March 07,2018 | Source: Focus Taiwan

The host of a weekly radio program that seeks to inform and answer the questions of Filipino migrant workers about their rights and obligations in Taiwan, as laid out in the nation's labor laws, says the show also tries to make them "feel at home" on the island.



The show's host, Kaibigan Jay, born in the southern port city of Kaohsiung to a Filipino mother, fronts the program which invites listeners to voice their concerns about life in Taiwan.



Kaibigan Jay, who has hosted the program in Filipino since February 2016, says she does her best to help listeners and when necessary also directs their questions to the relevant authorities or the Manila Economic and Cultural Office.



The show promotes the 1955 telephone hotline, established for migrant workers to make queries and file complaints.



The hotline, supported by the Ministry of Labor, works to safeguard the human rights of foreign workers, according to its website.



The program is usually divided into four sections.



To start with, she talks about current affairs, Jay says, adding that one of the recent issues discussed was overseas Filipino workers who become pregnant in Taiwan.



She informed listeners that getting pregnant in Taiwan is different to the United States, adding "don't think that by getting pregnant in Taiwan you will get citizenship."



In the first section, Jay also sometimes gives a weather report.



Overseas Filipino workers are not the only ones who listen to her show, sometimes their employers also tune in, says Jay, adding that she uses Filipino when talking about issues regarding migrant workers, but Chinese for employer related matters.



She informs her listeners of issues they need to know about, Kaibigan Jay said, adding that "sometimes on the weekends, some migrant workers work extra jobs as singers or restaurant staff, which falls outside their permitted work and I don't recommend they do these things."



"Another case is the migrant workers who are unaccounted for. I tell them that once that happens they lose some of their rights," says Jay, such as health insurance or certain legal protections.



"Recently there was a case where an Indonesian domestic worker jumped off a building, as she likely had limited resources to help her and nobody told her she could phone and ask for help," Jay points out.



The program is aimed at helping migrant workers and telling them where to find help, such as the 1955 hotline.



"The people who have it worst are the migrant fishermen, in my opinion they are treated quite poorly in Taiwan because they often fall victim to exploitation by employers or agents," Jay says, adding that when she talks about them on the program, she often mentions past cases from which listeners can learn.



"There was a recent case of a migrant fisherman who disappeared while at sea, but we don't know about his family and he often changed employers," she says, making it difficult to find them.



The second section consists of a broadcast of current news from the Philippines.



Between sections, she plays Filipino folk music.



"In the third section, I talk about rules and regulations for at least 15 minutes, while in the fourth section, I often interview migrant workers, for example winners of singing competitions or other talent contests," she says.



"I interviewed a Filipino sand artist who secured a street performer's permit in Taiwan and so can legally perform his art in the country," said Jay, adding that it is not easy to get a street performer permit.



The program also includes a segment on learning Chinese, if a particular week does not feature any interviews, said Jay.



When asked how listeners can send in their questions, she says they can submit questions or comments through the show's Facebook page.



"Feel at Home Ka Dito" airs every Sunday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on AM 1323 in Taipei, AM 621 in Taoyuan and AM1206 in Hsinchu, according to the show's Facebook page.

 The Central News Agency

Theme(s): Communities and Organisations.
Diljit Dosanjh Does Not Give a 'Damn' About His Career in Bollywood, Read to Know Why
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

It's hard to know whether these things happen predominantly on United flights, or whether the airline's lagging brand reputation makes such stories emerge more readily.

Yesterday, ululations were emitted in horror after a woman told the story of a dog that died on a United Airlines flight, after a Flight Attendant had insisted it had to go into an overhead bin.

It seems, though, that this wasn't the only canine snafu this week.

Here's the story of Irgo, a 10-year-old German shepherd.

His family -- of humans, rather than dogs -- is moving from Oregon to Wichita, Kansas.

KCTV-TV reports that Irgo was flown separately in a kennel and the Swindle family were supposed to pick him up in Kansas City airport on Tuesday.

When they got there, they discovered that Irgo was no longer a German shepherd, but a Great Dane.

Or, rather, that this wasn't Irgo at all. Which might, you'd think, have irked them a little.

Especially when they discovered where Irgo was.

Japan.

At least, that's how it seems.

"I just want to know where my dog is. The fact that we don't have any idea is the most frustrating part. He could be in Kansas City and we have no idea because the paperwork is all messed up. They have our paperwork here saying that this is the correct dog, but we know it's not. It's just horrible," Kara Swindle told KCTV.

All indications are, however, that Irgo and the Great Dane were simply mixed up by mistake and send their separate ways.

Of course, if Irgo is now in a foreign country, there may be quarantine restrictions and all sorts of other nonsense to endure.

I contacted United to ask what might have happened, and will update, should I hear.

The airline did, though, put the family up in a local hotel.

Perhaps there were other mix-ups with other dogs on other airlines yesterday.

Yet United has become something of a symbol for how airlines are viewed in general.
Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek.

Airlines and animals aren't perfect partners.

There's already been some controversy over passengers who bring creatures on board for emotional support, when those creatures are mere pets.

This, though, looks like something else entirely.

Maggie Gremminger says that she got on a United flight from Houston to LaGuardia and saw something that might boggle many minds and affect most hearts.

She says she witnessed a Flight Attendant tell another passenger to put her black French bulldog carrier in the overhead bin.

Yes, the dog was in it.

The passenger, who was traveling with a teenage girl, a baby and the dog, objected.

The Flight Attendant apparently insisted that the dog carrier didn't fit under the seat.

As happens so often on flights, the Flight Attendant got their way.

The dog, says Gremminger barked during the flight.

At the end of the flight, the dog turned out to be dead.

Gremminger told People magazine that she assumed there must be ventilation in those bins.

If there is, how much could there be?

Isn't this like putting a dog in the trunk of your car?

She added: "The owner had an infant and other daughter. Causing a scene before flight could risk being kicked off the flight. I can only imagine she felt stuck in her decision to comply, she told People.

The dog's owner, said Gremminger, was left in agony.

"A stranger offered to hold her newborn while she sat on the floor, there in the airplane aisle. She was holding her dog and rocking back and forth. Her daughter was also crying," said Gremminger.

For its part, United seems to accept blame.

"This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again," a United spokeswoman told me.

United has something of a history with animal deaths.

This, though, seems such an obvious failure of basic compassion, never mind following simple human rules, that it leaves one a touch speechless.

The airline told me that it has refunded the passenger's tickets and offered to fund the necropsy.
After Nonny de la Pena graduated high school in California, she moved out East to attend Harvard. She excelled in a coding class, but saw a future where she'd perpetually be the only woman in the room.

De la Pena's decision to shift course would set her on a pioneering career trajectory. In a keynote speech Tuesday at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, she retraced that path and recounted the adversity she faced along the way.

After graduation de la Pena established herself as a journalist, working for Time and Newsweek, among other publications, before working on documentary films and television projects. By 2007, a grant from the MacArthur Foundation and the Bay Area Video Coalition allowed her to expand a project investigating the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. She opted to create a detention center in the online virtual environment Second Life, replete with an information "black hole" through which users' (or, more precisely, their avatars') requests for due process were denied.

Around this time, de la Pena said, she became determined to augment her programming abilities, and again enrolled in a coding class. She was met by a room full of more than 30 men. She stayed in it, jokingly admitting later that it might not have been that fun for the men, either. She said one remarked at the time, to another: "Hey, dude, you have to come to my party tonight! There's going to be real girls there."

Armed with more technical prowess, de la Pena paired it with her narrative storytelling work, and created a innovative virtual reality short that was featured at the Sundance Film Festival, in which viewers could immerse themselves into a scene of a Los Angeles street. (De la Pena and her team needed to create their own headsets so festival-goers could experience it.) A soup pantry line is in their view, and within moments, a diabetic man in the line collapses. Real audio from a reporter is paired with the reconstructed scene.

Also along the way de la Pena founded a narrative virtual reality studio, Emblematic, which has developed an immersive film with PBS Frontline documenting glacial melting in Greenland, and a project commissioned by the World Economic Forum called "Project Syria," documenting bombings and bloodshed there.

Now established in her field, she related, she was invited to a meeting of entrepreneurs in Britain, which took them to an event with British royalty. At a dinner, she was ushered to a seat near former Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and other tech luminaries, all men. Seated across from her would be Prince William. She shied away--and instead took a seat at the end of the table.

"I used to blame myself for being a coward," she said. But then she cited some discouraging numbers, including that just 2 percent of venture capital funding goes to female founders. It all leads to the feeling, she said, that "you don't feel like you should be sitting across from Prince William."
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf looks on during an assembly at Edna Brewer Middle School about the U.S. Constitution on January 19, 2018 in Oakland, California. Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf discussed the U.S. Constitution with middle schoolers a day after she said she would be willing to go to jail to defend Oakland's sanctuary city policy following rumors that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents would be conducting raids and arresting up to 1,500 undocumented immigrants in Northern California. Getty Images

When Libby Schaaf was elected mayor of Oakland, California, she wasted no time calling out the established powers in her community. During her 2015 inauguration speech she addressed the tech industry by saying, "Hey, Google, you wouldn't need all those buses if you'd open an office over here!" Last month, she made national news after alerting the city about forthcoming raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As a result she faced threats and harassment on social media, and criticism from President Trump. In an interview with Inc., Schaaf spoke about her views on immigration policy and her city's inclusion-minded approach to fostering entrepreneurship.

Inc.:You've made a lot of headlines recently. Tell me how that has affected you.

Libby Schaaf: Certainly my experience of suddenly being kind of thrown into the immigration debate over the last week or so has been one that's made me very mindful of how immigrants, including some undocumented immigrants, have become so woven into our communities. Having a diversity of perspectives and life experiences is a vital part of both our democracy, and of a creative, evolving society. These are values that I know my community celebrates. I think that this is a moment for us to have what hopefully is a civil and productive conversation about how our immigration policies are supporting the economy and America's growth.

How do we kindle that discussion?

Well, I think I just did! I didn't anticipate that what I did would be seen as speaking out on a policy matter, or that it would get so amplified. I was speaking about what my community values. But I think it's a healthy discussion.

Some of the economic development work being done in Oakland is very much tied to diversity and equality, correct?

Oakland is a city that is very committed to racial equity and a lot of the work that we're doing is trying to very intentionally address inclusion as we build an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurship.

How exactly do you that?

We're very fortunate to be the home of the Kapor Center for Social Impact. The Oakland Startup Network provides mentorship and access to capital for tech startups that are founded by people of color. Our goal is helping to launch 100 new businesses founded by people of color under the age of 30. I think we're at 75 in three years.

It's great that you've been able to track that.

We also have a partnership with Kiva.org, the crowdsourced-lending platform. We are their most successful American city with more than 530 entrepreneurs successfully funded. Eighty percent of those businesses are owned by people of color. Seventy percent are women.

Have you had any success in luring tech companies from San Francisco?

The most famous kind of failed. Uber announced that it was going to be expanding its headquarters into an Oakland building. Then when the company hit so many, um, challenges last year, they decided to consolidate. They sold the building.

How do you bounce back from that?

Honestly, I think it will end up being good for Oakland. We have yet to find out who the new tenants will be. But more than 200 companies have moved to Oakland in the last two years.

So Oakland's small business growth is not just a marijuana dispensary boom any longer? I'm kidding--sort of.

You know, Oakland's economy is I think most healthy when it's diverse. California Blue Shield is moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Oakland. Oracle just opened its first office in Oakland. We're seeing a lot of solar companies growing, too. Pandora started in Oakland and then grew in its own city. For food and beverage, we have Blue Bottle Coffee, Numi Tea, and Impossible Foods.

Recently being in the national spotlight, you've dealt with a severe backlash online.

Right. Those closest to me have banned me from social media right now, because it's almost used as psychological warfare. They have threatened me, and put pictures of my daughter online, and threatened harm. This is used to destabilize decision makers. I have a big job to do as the mayor of Oakland; I can't let this moment of drama distract me.

That's crossing a line.

It's not hate speech--and in some ways [as an elected official] I've signed up for a higher level of scrutiny. I live in a city that is full of protests and passionate advocacy. As an American I celebrate that we live in a country in which we are free to criticize our elected officials and our leaders. But constructive, versus hateful or destabilizing--that's an important conversation for us to be having right now. I'm not saying I know the answer.
Elon Musk's is a classic sci-fi trilogy. Jeff Bezos's is an understated novel by a British Nobel laureate. Ask whatever smart and successful person you want, and they'll all be able to tell you about the one book that utterly changed their thinking or the direction of their lives -- the singular title that shaped who they are today.

But while male billionaires' reading choices get plenty of press coverage, we hear relatively less about the books that have been most inspirational for super successful, but slightly less high-profile women -- the kinds of books that are most likely to provide similar wisdom and mental nourishment for the generation of leaders coming up behind them.

The TED Ideas blog recently aimed to fill that void, soliciting 23 of the organization's female speakers to share the one book that made them who they are today. These speakers ranged from human rights activists to bankers, and their responses were equally diverse. Here are seven of the picks with the broadest appeal (though check out the complete list for other offbeat ideas spanning Japanese philosophy to poetry).

1. Nobel-prize winning biologist Elizabeth Blackburn

Before Blackburn was a Nobel-winning biologist, she was a girl who was unsure about her future career path. Madame Curie: A Biography by the subject's daughter, Eve Curie, motivated her to choose science. "I was inspired by how she felt that scientific research was a deeply worthwhile, even noble, calling and that she also had a family (two daughters) and was a devoted parent, as well as an iconic researcher," recalls Blackburn.

2. Human rights activist Yvette Alberdingk Thijm

Activist Alberdingk Thijm does groundbreaking work helping activists use smartphone cameras to defend human rights, but her most profound influence is incredibly down-to-earth: classic children's book character Pippi Longstocking

"Pippi was extraordinarily strong... independent... loyal, principled.... and anti-authority... . Last but not least, she was economically self-sufficient -- she had a treasure trove of gold coins hidden in a tree trunk and taught me early on to be fiscally independent," Alberdingk Thijm explains.

3. Fashion designer turned founder Mindy Scheier

"This book had an immense impact on me as I was developing the Runway of Dreams Foundation," says Scheier of Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne. "My middle son, Oliver, was born with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, which makes it hard for him to find fashionable and functional clothing. Through my experiences with him, I realized that millions of people around the globe were also struggling to access stylish clothing," she continues. "Mainstream adaptive clothing was a wide-open 'blue ocean' of opportunity, and the book gave me the tools and framework I needed to take action."

4. Georgetown University psychologist Abigail Marsh

Marsh studies what motivates us to act altruistically. Her interest in the topic was planted by a book entitled Mothers and Others by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy. Marsh calls it, "an eye-opening exploration into how children are raised around the world and how child-rearing can inform the understanding of human nature more broadly," noting the author's most essential point is that "one of the things which makes humans special as a species is that we don't limit care to our own children. We can expand our circles of care and compassion outward to encompass nearly anyone."

5. Space physicist Miho Janvier

Research on sun storms might seem a long way from New York's 1970's punk scene, but Janvier insists that Just Kids , the memoir of rocker Patti Smith in which she recounts her relationship with the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, deeply influenced her work. "What resonated with me was the way it depicts the insatiable drive that the two artists had to express and refine their art and creations. I was struck by their commitment to and faith in their inner artistic voice, a message that inspired me to be more creatively courageous, both in my scientific work and in my personal life," she says.

6. Banker Michelle Knox

Knox credits Bridge Across My Sorrows , a memoir by Christina Noble with Robert Coram, as being a big source of her personal and professional resilience. "I read this memoir when I was in my 20s, and to this day it remains one of the most powerful human survival stories I have read," she raves. "[Noble's] ability to survive and succeed has always stayed with me. I realized that self-determination and courage are innate qualities that no one can take from you and should never be underestimated. The book isn't easy to read; I cried a lot but I could not put it down. If you like to read about strong, real women, this book is a must."

7. UN election expert Philippa Neave

Neave's unexpected pick is The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche. Before you dismiss it as likely spiritual mumbo jumbo, hear Neave out on the concrete impact the book has had on her life:

"While I am not an assiduous meditator, some of the advice and techniques explained in the Life section have stayed with me after just one reading. I learned how to calm the mind, even in situations that would otherwise cause a panic attack. But I found the section on dying even more powerful and useful. In Western societies we fear death and don't talk about it much. Here, we learn how to prepare for our own end and how to help others transition... Unreligious and truly transformational, this book continues to inspire and provide endless wisdom on the great mysteries and challenges of our human existence."
It seems that a particular fast food restaurant has truly mastered the art of viral marketing. No, it's not McDonald's or KFC. In fact, if you live in America, odds are you've never heard of this place.

It's Jollibee, the Philippines' undisputed fast food king.

I learned about Jollibee years ago. See, my father is from the Philippines. When I was in my early 20s, I got the idea to visit his native country, so I could better learn his language, Tagalog, and get to know my roots. So, in 2008, I traveled to the country made up of over 7,000 islands (exactly how many depends on whether it's high tide or low tide). It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

On that trip I discovered Jollibee, in all its glory. Although I had heard lots about it, I had never seen one in person (nor its famous mascot, the smiling bee). The menu was like a snapshot of my youth, with offerings like Filipino-style spaghetti (it's a bit sweeter than what most Americans are used to) and "Halo-halo" (literally translated, "mix-mix"), a delicious dessert made up of shaved ice, evaporated milk, fruit, coconut, ice cream...and boiled sweet beans. (Don't knock it until you've tried it.)

And then, there was my absolute favorite--fried chicken. But unlike at KFC, I could actually get this chicken with rice and gravy, the way we always ate it at home.

Jollibee calls it Chickenjoy. For good reason.

Recently, Jollibee has been making news: The company has released a number of commercials that have gone viral. Their three most recent ads, which were released just over a month ago, have already amassed over 57 million views on Facebook and YouTube. But what's really amazing is that this is no quirk, as a number of Jollibee's ads have gone viral, with millions upon millions of views and many thousands of shares.

So, how do they do it?

It all comes down to Jollibee's ability to touch consumers' emotions.

Jollibee knows its target audience.

Many Filipinos are quick to acknowledge that our culture is very emotionally expressive, and that more than a few of us are diehard romantics. (It also doesn't hurt that Filipinos spend more time on social media than any other country, with the average user spending almost 4 hours on social every day.)

Knowing this, Jollibee works hard to pull its customers' heart strings.

For example, consider "Signs," the most popular of the three recently released commercials. It tells the story of a college student who looks to the universe to help her find romance, before realizing that Mr. Right happened to be there all along.

In "Status" (my personal favorite of the three videos--you can find it at the end of this post), a young woman deals with heartbreak after heartbreak. After initially feeling sorry for herself, she changes her mindset. She realizes that she should be thankful for her family, who has stuck by her side through thick and thin and helped her through the hard times.

"There are actually people who love me for who I am," she says. "No matter what."

These storylines aren't necessarily new, but they work. Together, these two ads have been viewed over 1.5 million times, with almost 500,000 shares on Facebook alone.

They invest in long form content.

Watching these ads, you'll notice they are more like short films than commercials. ("Signs" is over four minutes, with "Status" and "Homecoming," the third video, each clocking in just under four.)

By making this type of investment, Jollibee makes it possible to tell a great story.

Think about that for a moment. With more and more media being viewed online as opposed to traditional television, which ad do you think will be more effective: the 30-second one that consumers press the "skip" button just halfway through watching? Or the mini-movie that viewers are moved to share on social media?

So, if you're trying to create content that moves your audience, remember:

1. Get to know what will touch your audience's emotions.

2. Don't focus purely on selling a product. Tell us a good story instead.
Many entrepreneurs have celebrated President Trump's signature legislative achievement, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, for decreasing their annual tax bills. Indeed, the law reduces the maximum corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent, and further allows pass-through firms to deduct up to 20 percent of their business income, excepting personal services. But a series of errors and ambiguities in the language of the law could mean losses for hundreds of businesses, keeping tax preparers busy this season.

"For many retailers, there's going to be a cash flow hit," suggests Rachelle Bernstein, vice president and tax counsel at the Washington, D.C.-based National Retail Federation, a trade association, who notes that many of her clients are already shoring up costs in preparation for a higher tax bill in 2018. "Some companies have told me that they were planning on passing on their tax savings to workers and boost wages, but can no longer do so until this is resolved," she adds.

In particular, Bernstein is referring to Sec. 13204/168 (3), an element of the law that intended to simplify depreciation rules for businesses making renovations or other property improvements, such that these expenses could be deducted from the company's tax bill over 15 years. Because of a clerical error, however, these costs must be deducted over 39 years, diminishing the bonus that dozens of restaurants and retailers had expected to receive, and for which many have already begun spending. "Say I invested $100,000 in property renovations in 2018," explains Bernstein. According to the intended depreciation rules, "I should be able to get the full $100,000 back [after filing my taxes.] Instead, the way the law is written, I will only get a 2.5 percent write off, or $2,500," she adds.

The lack of clarity around real property investments is just one of more than 40 issues that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently highlighted in a letter sent to the Department of Treasury last Thursday. The 15-page document requests clarification on how the law affects multinational corporations and pass-through firms across the country. "The Chamber strongly urges the Treasury and the I.R.S. to work closely with the business community to implement the recent tax changes in a manner to ensure as little disruption as possible to normal business operations and to ensure this law encourages the U.S. economy to achieve its growth potential," noted Caroline Harris, vice president of tax policy at the Chamber, in the letter.

Another pressing error impacting independent agriculture firms, in particular, is what analysts are referring to as the "grain glitch." It's an eleventh-hour addition to the tax law, permitting farmers to deduct 20 percent of their total sales to cooperatives, which are agricultural organizations owned by groups of farmers. Dozens of local processors, however, insist that the loophole is reducing their competitiveness, inasmuch as farmers are now more likely to sell to the coops to get the write off.

David Gamage, a professor of tax law and policy with Indiana University's Maurer School of Law, notes that many companies are now looking to restructure themselves as coops to recoup the lost sales. Still, "there are costs to everyone considering restructuring," he says. "If you think that Congress is going to fix this soon, maybe you wait and see, but I wouldn't wait too long, and potentially lose quite a bit of business to competitors," he advises.

Of course, all of this could be assuaged if the Treasury and the I.R.S. simply issue a technical correction to the grain glitch and depreciation rules, respectively, though it's unclear when that could come. It's also worth pointing out that technical errors, such as the above, are not unheard of. The NRF's Bernstein says she counts some 7 technical correction bills that have been issued over the past 25 years. Others, however, say the gravity of these issues is far more substantial than ever before. "Stuff like this happening isn't unique, but the order of magnitude is completely unprecedented," says Indiana's Gamage.

Drawing the Line

To his point, while cooperative and property deductions are likely to be handled in an efficient manner, there are other, more ambiguous issues with the current tax law. In particular, analysts point to a provision that allows pass-through entities to deduct up to 20 percent of their Qualified Business Income, although it is unclear to whom exactly this deduction might apply, since certain 'professional services' are exempt. "There is a vague sense that the drafters want to offer the deduction to businesses that aren't service types, but exactly how you draw the line is very hard to figure out from reading the statute," suggests Gamage.

Indeed, the lack of clarity vis-a-vis pass throughs has led many partnerships to consider restructuring altogether as C-corporations, to avoid the whole depreciation aspect--and to access the reduced maximum tax rate of 21 percent. Edward Reitmeyer, a partner with the New York City global accounting firm Marcum LLP, notes that several of his clients are seriously considering the move. "It's really being discussed, but you'll see that for the most part, everyone is couching that advice," he adds, referring to the possibility that the law could be tweaked to bring greater clarity for business owners. Other analysts caution against restructuring, inasmuch as pass-through firms could potentially be taxed twice--once on the 21 percent preferential rate, and again if and when the owners pay dividends. "The two levels of tax would make a corporate operation less advantageous than a partnership," suggested William Kambas, a partner with the international law firm Withers Worldwide, in an earlier phone call with Inc.

Ultimately, many entrepreneurs are wise to get creative this season, or risk losing out on valuable savings. "Unfortunately, almost any business with substantial income that doesn't want to leave easy money on the table probably needs to spend," suggests Gamage. "Any business currently structured as a pass-through needs to get good legal or accounting advice to even start to work through their basic options."
The art world can feel a little impenetrable at times.

So, it seems perfect that the new trailer for Ruben Ostlund's The Square, which satirises its loftier intentions, amongst many things - male narcissism, human cowardice, sexual politics - would take a more meta-approach to the form. It's a 101 on the film, detailing its fancy award (the Palme D'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival), awesome press quotes, and "her from The Handmaid's Tale".

A follow-up to the similarly bleakly funny Force Majeure, Ostlund's The Square follows Christian (Claes Bang), the curator at a prestigious art museum in Stockholm, who finds himself plunged into both a personal and professional crisis when he attempts to debut a controversial new exhibit.

Recommended The Square scoops top film prize at Cannes Film Festival

The Square is actually the title of a real-life installation that the director, alongside producer Kalle Bornan, set up at the design museum Vandalorum in Sweden in 2014, with a manifesto that read: "The Square is a sanctuary of trust and caring. Within it we all share equal rights and obligations."

It was moved into a public plaza in Varnamo in 2015, with Ostlund noting its altruistic intentions have actually had a significant effect on the local community. He told CNN that "functionally handicapped people who lost their benefits from the state went there and protested ... It was close to a high school shooting in Sweden and (students) gathered together (there), to find comfort together."

The film, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Oscars, also stars Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and Terry Notary.

You can watch The Square in cinemas & on demand from 16 March.

Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more.
Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain, continues to inspire a morbid fascination in the public imagination.

This week BBC4 launched a new three-part documentary series in which US investigative journalist Gillian Pachter re-examines her life and execution, Serial-style, which promises to reignite the obsession.

For those unfamiliar with the case, Ellis was a 28-year-old Welsh waitress and nude model turned Knightsbridge nightclub hostess who shot dead her rakish lover, David Blakely, 25, outside a Hampstead pub on Easter Sunday 1955, suspecting him of being unfaithful.

She was found guilty of murder at the Old Bailey, jailed at HM Prison Holloway and swiftly put to death on 13 July.

The case was a tragic one, Ellis having endured a hard life and several miscarriages at the hands of the cruel and hypocritical men she encountered among Londons nightlife.

She was a single mother infatuated with the abusive Blakely  a louche public schoolboy and keen amateur racing driver prone to bouts of drinking and depression  who had come to represent for her a world she aspired to be part of but was denied admittance to.

Her circumstances were such that the question of diminished responsibility was raised in her defence, and the Ellis case did much to advance the abolition of the death penalty in Britain, which finally came to pass in 1965.

That should have been that but her memory lingers like a haunting refrain, beckoning us back into the past.

Frequently sexualised in the language of pulp cinema of the period as a femme fatale, blonde bombshell or siren, Ruth Ellis has been improbably filed in the same category as Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Diana Dors, her story likened to a real-life Frankie and Johnny from the popular ballad: She shot her man/He was doing her wrong.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

Today her image is frozen in time, rendered iconic with the passing of the years  a sometimes troubling business, as in the case of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

The killings of women like Ellis and Hindley seem to particularly appal us when they shouldnt anymore than those of their male counterparts.

Perhaps this is because their crimes represent a perversion of our traditional expectations of femininity  they kill, rather than nurture  and because men indulge themselves in portraying them as dangerous objects of desire, a troubling conflation of sex and death as old as antiquity, and one that speaks to the darkest corners of human psychology.

Elliss case certainly exposed the double-standards of the time  the tabloid press betraying an unseemly prurience in its reporting on the world of twilight vice she lived in.

David Blakely and Ruth Ellis (PA)

But why are we so drawn to the true crimes of yesteryear?

Why are we hung up on ghoulish figures like Dr Crippen, Jack the Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, John Christie, Fred and Rosemary West, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables and Harold Shipman?

Is it that the nearness of their crimes renders the horror more palpable? Do their atrocities interestingly intrude on our rosy vision of post-war life, all Philip Larkin, Beatlemania and the NHS? Or are they living instruments of pure human evil, as the red-tops would have us believe?

The Ripper industry never dies, and the relentless deluge of Sunday night TV dramas and even great films like 10 Rillington Place (1971) have fed our desire for more stories of kitchen sink murder and intrigue.

And its not just the perpetrators themselves  their blank expressions staring back at us from mugshots taken half a century ago  but the executioners too.

Albert Pierrepoint, Britains longest-serving hangman who ended a reputed 435 lives at Her Majestys Pleasure, also looms large in the annals of British crime history.

Pierrepoint was memorably played by Timothy Spall in a 2005 film that painted him as a grimly professional functionary (displaying none of the relish for his craft seen in Dickenss terrifying Ned Dennis from Barnaby Rudge) whose unlikely outlet was singing music hall songs in boozers with James Tish Corbitt, who was subsequently hanged for murder by his friend. It was also Pierrepoint who executed Ellis, of course, and she appears in that film played by Mary Stockley.

More famously, Miranda Richardson portrayed Ruth Ellis in Mike Newells moving Dance with a Stranger (1985). Richardson brilliantly captured Elliss brassy vitality and almost masochistic devotion to Blakely (a dashing Rupert Everett), a playboy who took everything for granted while she fought for every scrap.

The British obsession with this stuff was superbly sent up by Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton in the criminally-underrated Psychoville (2009-11), in the persons of Maureen and David Sowerbutts  a mother-son serial killing team from Wood Green who had an almost academic preoccupation with Britains grisliest slayings.

The murky details of our past are undeniably fascinating, but we should not spare ourselves an interrogation of our own motives in dwelling on such dark matter.

Episode one of The Ruth Ellis Files aired on BBC4 last night and is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer
A restaurant in Reading is potentially facing legal action from international restaurant chain Nandos for allegedly infringing on its intellectual property rights.

Last September Fernandos, a restaurant in Reading specialising in chicken, opened its doors.

After months of successful business, the eatery started receiving positive reviews for its food online, with some people describing its chicken as superior to Nandos.

It was then that the independent restaurant received a notice from Nandos stating that it was infringing on its intellectual property rights and had to rebrand in order to avoid further legal action.

According to Fernandos director Asam Aziz, the restaurant did not mean to bear likeness to Nandos in any way.

We came across a recipe, a peri peri recipe, which we sort of adapted ourselves, and thought hang on a minute, this is really nice and we can actually start selling it to the public, Aziz told The Independent.

For anybody whos done their research, theyll understand that peri peri is a Portuguese recipe, so obviously our whole concept had to be Portuguese.

Aziz enjoyed watching Take Me Out on a Saturday night, which is apparently where the inspiration for the name "Fernandos" originated from, as couples who match on the dating show are taken to a holiday resort of the same name.

Fernandos always stuck in my head, so we thought lets go for a Portuguese name, so we stuck with Fernandos, he explained.

When searching for a logo to accompany the restaurant, they settled on the Barcelo, a well-known symbol for chicken in Portugal.

Recommended Restaurant owner threatens Yelp reviewers over bad rating

Aziz believes that Nandos only decided to confront Fernandos in regard to its branding when customers began comparing the quality of the food.

We had no intention of copying Nandos, he said.

Then we opened up, everything started going really well and the reviews started coming in with a lot of our customers saying that we were better than Nandos.

Its only from that point that Nandos ever contacted us.

There is a branch of Nandos situated on Friar Street in Reading, a four-minute walk from Fernandos according to Google Maps.

Its never been an issue, Aziz said.

Its only once we started getting super busy and people were writing reviews saying that the chicken was much better than Nandos, and I think thats why theyve taken this lawsuit out.

Recommended Police release audio of caller who dialled 999 because KFC was closed

Aziz was informed by a letter that if he didnt change several aspects of his restaurants branding within a certain time frame, that there would be serious consequences.

I just thought, 'Are you serious?' A tiny shop like me and a conglomerate, multinational company like Nandos being threatened by me, it was just such a shock.

Aziz has stated that hes invested all of his money into the business and so may be forced to adhere to Nandos demands as he cannot afford to lose the case in court.

Its just an unnecessary cost to a new business just trying to make ends meet as it is, he said.

Nando's has insisted that its decision to call out Fernando's for trademark infringement was well-founded.

We are really proud of our brand and we know it means a lot to our customers, a Nandos spokesperson told The Independent.

Thats why whenever we think there is a trademark infringement we try to sort it out amicably.

We have asked this restaurant to rebrand because we believe it is trying to benefit from some of the things that make us who we are - our menu, logo and even our name."
A married couple in China have realised their paths crossed 11 years before they met when the husband appeared in the background of a picture of the wife.

Mr Ye and his wife Ms Xue were both visiting May Fourth Square in Qingdao, China and had pictures taken of themselves at the same time.

As Ms Xue poses for her photo, a man posing for his own photo can be seen in the background.

Little did Ms Xue know, however, that that man would later become her husband.

The couple, who have twin daughters, met and fell in love in 2011 in Chengdu, but it was in July 2000 that their paths first crossed, unbeknownst to them until this month when Mr Ye was looking through old photographs in a family album.

Mr Ye was trying to work out whether his daughters most resembled him or his wife, so on a visit to his mother-in-laws house, he decided to rifle through an old photo album.

It was then that the discovery was made.

And in another strange twist of fate, it emerged that both Mr Ye and Ms Xue had been visiting the square thanks to their mothers.

Mr Ye was with a tour group but was only there because his mother had fallen ill with appendicitis after booking the trip so he had stepped in to take her place.

Ms Xue was actually there with her mother, who was recovering from an operation three months earlier and decided to go on a relaxing trip to the city.

And Mr Ye says as soon as he saw the photo, he recognised himself and was then able to find his own photo to prove his point.

I heard her mention before that she had been to Qingdao, while I also went to Qingdao and took pictures at the May Fourth Square. We didnt know it yet, Mr Ye told Sina News.

When I saw the photo, I was taken by surprise and I got goosebumps all over my body... that was my pose for taking photos. I also took a photo, it was the same posture (as captured in Ms Xues photo), just from a different angle.

After Mr Ye shared the images on social media, the story quickly went viral, with many people expressing their delight at the strange twist of fate.

Mr Ye says the square will now hold special meaning for the family, and he hopes to return soon with his children.

It seems that Qingdao is certainly one of the most special cities (for us), he said. When the children are older, we will go to Qingdao again and the family will take a photo again.
The family whose pet dog died during a United flight after an attendant forced them to stow it in an overhead compartment have tearfully spoken out.

Appearing on Good Morning America, 11-year-old Sophia Ceballos broke down in tears as she said: He was a member of our family. He was like my brother to me."

Sophia, along with her mother Catalina Robledo, her two-month-old brother, and 10-month old French bulldog, Kokito, were returning home from Houston, Texas, where Sophias father is working, when the tragedy occurred.

Recommended Dog dies on flight after attendant forces it into overhead bin

On the United Airlines flight back to LaGuardia in New York, a flight attendant reportedly repeatedly told Catalina that Kokito must be stored in an overhead bin, rather than in the seat in front of them.

According to multiple reports from fellow passengers, the flight attendant pressured Catalina to stow the dog above her seat, despite her pleas.

Sophia said: We were gonna put him under the seat and then the flight attendants came, she said: You have to put him up there because its going to block the path.

And were like, Its a dog, its a dog. And shes like: It doesnt matter you still have to put it up there, Ceballos recalled. She helped her put it up, and she just closed it like it was a bag.

The familys claims that the flight attendant was informed there was a dog inside were confirmed by fellow passenger, June Lara, who said the attendant even assured the family the dog would be safe in the overhead bin.

Throughout the three-hour flight, multiple reports have stated Kokitos barking could be heard - but the dog stayed where he was until the flight landed.

According to Maggie Gremminger, a fellow passenger who described the initial scene and the outcome on Twitter, the dog barked until the plane hit turbulence, about 30 minutes into the flight.

At that point, the dog was silent. Once the flight had landed, Catalina went to retrieve Kokito - but it was too late.

Sophia told Today: My mom got up and got the bag, and she took him out, and shes like: Kokito, Kokito, wake up! and he didnt.

Passengers described the horrific moment Catalina noticed the dog had died and began to cry in the middle of the aeroplane aisle.

Sophia cries as she describes the moment Kokito was found unresponsive (ABC)

Gremminger recalled to People Magazine: A stranger offered to hold her newborn while she sat on the floor, there in the aeroplane aisle. She was holding her dog and rocking back and forth. Her daughter was also crying.

According to Gremminger, the flight attendant appeared "shocked and frazzled" at the end of the flight, and claimed she was unaware that a dog was inside the carrier.

It was absolutely horrible, Gremminger said of the incident.

The flight attendants union told Today that flight attendants are instructed to never put pets in the overhead bin.

Sarah Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants told Today: "Our procedures are to instruct pet owners to put their pets underneath the seat in front of them, never in an overhead bin" and There is not a single flight attendant out there who could understand why this would happen.

United Airlines has taken responsibility for what they called the tragic accident, - which goes against their pet policy that states pets must be stowed under the seats in front of the passenger.

A spokesperson for the airline told The Independent: This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.
Coming just one day after a United Airlines flight attendant allegedly told a passenger to stow their dog in the overhead bin - leading to its death - another canine-related incident has occurred on the airline.

The company is now investigating why and how a familys dog that was meant to fly to Kansas ended up on a plane to Japan instead.

According to KCTV, Kara Swindle and her two children flew from Oregon to Kansas City, Missouri on March 13.

Recommended Family of dog who died on United flight speak out

The family, who was moving to Wichita, paid to have their dog Irgo shipped as cargo.

But when the family arrived at the Kansas City cargo facility to pick up their German Shepherd, they were presented with the wrong dog.

According to KCTV, instead of the familys 10-year-old German Shepherd, Irgo, they were given a Great Dane.

After questioning where their dog had gone, the airline admitted that they were not sure - and had to wait for a Japan-bound flight to land before they could confirm that Irgo was in Japan.

The family has since found out the airline accidentally sent Irgo to Japan instead of the Great Dane.

Airline officials have reportedly corrected the mistake and placed Irgo on a flight back to Kansas City - but it is currently unknown when he will arrive.

A spokesperson for the airline said the mix-up occurred during a connection in Denver.

"An error occurred during connections in Denver for two pets sent to the wrong destinations, the statement said. "We have notified our customers that their pets have arrived safely and will arrange to return the pets to them as soon as possible."

"We apologise for this mistake and are following up with the vendor kennel where they were kept overnight to understand what happened," United said.

According to tracking by the Department of Transportation, which tracks animal-related incidents during travel, there was only one recorded incident of a misplaced animal in 2017. The incident occurred on an Alaska Airlines flight - but the animal was later delivered to its owner.

However, 24 animal-related deaths were recorded in 2017 - with three-quarters of those deaths occurring on United Airlines flights, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has warned the Taoiseach that it is not appropriate for him to chart the future of negotiations to restore Stormont powersharing.

Mrs Foster insisted that role lay firmly with the UK government.

She was reacting to a suggestion from Leo Varadkar that the UK and Irish governments might table their own joint proposals as a way to break the political deadlock in Belfast.

While she chided Mr Varadkar for his comments in relation to Stormont, Mrs Foster welcomed other remarks made by the Irish premier in which he acknowledged his governments stance on Brexit may have angered unionists.

Mr Varadkar, who in a speech in Washington DC on Tuesday called for redoubling of efforts to restore devolution after Easter, suggested such an intervention could be a means to forge a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein.

Fourteen months after powersharing collapsed, the two parties remain at loggerheads on a range of cultural, social and legacy disputes.

Mrs Foster said it was not for the leader of the Irish Republic to suggest the next steps in efforts to restore powersharing.

In keeping with the principle of consent and the three-stranded approach (framework of the Good Friday Agreement) it is not appropriate for the Irish Prime Minister to outline future political steps relating to Northern Ireland and a resumption of talks, she said.

Whilst we will work with the Irish government on appropriate issues, the political process is an internal matter and should be taken forward by Her Majestys Government.

Mr Varadkar elaborated on his suggestion as he continued his St Patricks Day tour of the US on Wednesday.

What I intend to do after Easter once this intense phase of Brexit passes with the EU summit at the end of the month, is to propose a new engagement with the British government for us to try once again after Easter to secure an agreement between the major parties and also all the parties in Northern Ireland, he said after an event at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington.

Perhaps one of the best ways we can do this is through joint proposals, a joint paper from the two governments and (Northern Ireland Secretary) Karen Bradley is here in DC and I will have chance to mention that to her today.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, who is also in Washington DC, said any renewed process had to have a real prospect of success.

We need to be sure that delivery is possible, she said.

The Taoiseach hasnt put any specifics on the table, we wait to see what he has in mind, and we will seek to meet with him.

In a wide ranging speech at an event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach moved to reassure unionists who have been angered by his governments approach to Brexit.

He acknowledged some comments might have been viewed as unwelcome or intrusive.

If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention, he said.

I want to repeat that we have no hidden agenda.

Kicking off todays #StPatricksDay events in Washington DC meeting major US companies at the US Chamber of Commerce. pic.twitter.com/55qZvlWztn  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 14, 2018

The Irish governments efforts to maintain a soft border, in particular its demand that Northern Ireland continues to align with many EU regulations, has angered unionists who fear it is veiled attempt to push a united Ireland agenda.

Mrs Foster welcomed Mr Varadkars remarks.

I recognise and welcome the acknowledgement that many unionists have felt some actions and statements from the Irish government have not been helpful, said Mrs Foster.

I recognise too the concerns which exist, particularly within the Republic of Ireland, about Brexit. It is vital however that we work together to secure the best possible outcome for all our citizens.

In the past I and other DUP ministers did build up good and productive relationships with our counterparts in the Republic which was to the benefit of both countries. I hope the Taoiseachs comments can represent a return to that more positive working relationship.

Responding to Mr Varadkars comments on powersharing, a UK Government spokeswoman said: As the Secretary of State said in her statement on Monday, the UK Government will continue to work with the Northern Ireland parties, and the Irish Government as appropriate, to restore the Executive and a fully functioning Assembly.

The UK Government remain steadfast in their commitment to the Belfast Agreement.
The UKs withdrawal from the EU threatens equality of rights on the island of Ireland protected under the Good Friday Agreement, it has been warned.

A joint committee established under the peace accord to consider human rights issues on the island has insisted that the Withdrawal Agreement provides for the continuing North-South equivalence of rights, post-Brexit, as established under the 1998 Agreement.

The committee, which is made up of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, also called on the EU to seek a legal commitment to retain the Charter of Fundamental Rights in Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the European Union.

It has warned that without the urgent implementation of safeguarding measures, the EU Withdrawal Agreement risks causing a difference in rights protections on a North-South basis, contrary to the Belfast Agreement.

A policy statement from the committee directed to the UK and Irish Governments outlines six requirements for the final EU Withdrawal Agreement to meet the obligations of the Good Friday Agreement.

They are:

 Ensure no diminution of rights within the Withdrawal Agreement.

 Safeguard the North-South equivalency of rights on an ongoing basis

 Guarantee equality of citizenship within Northern Ireland.

 Protect border communities and migrant workers

 Ensure evolving justice arrangements do not water down rights.

 Ensure continued right to participate in public life for EU citizens in Northern Ireland.

Emily Logan, chief commissioner of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, said: The peace process was built on a shared vision of equal rights and equal respect on the island of Ireland, as framed by the Belfast Agreement.

We are now seeking assurances from the UK and Irish Governments that no rights are diluted as a result of Brexit.

Les Allamby, chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, warned: Progress towards a lasting resolution of the conflict in Northern Ireland has been grounded in the provisions of the 1998 Agreement.

We are concerned that the UK withdrawal from the EU threatens to undermine the Belfast Agreement by creating uncertainty for human rights protections within Northern Ireland.

He added: We will continue to assist both the UK and the Irish governments as we move through this process, as we want the best deal for human rights for everyone in Northern Ireland going forward.
Senator George Mitchell has said a Brexit outcome that avoids a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland must be encouraged.

And he urged those grappling with the issue to seek inspiration from the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace 20 years ago.

We must encourage a Brexit outcome that does not re-establish a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, Mr Mitchell said.

The governments of the US and the UK must avoid any economic decisions that cost jobs or create hardship in Northern Ireland.

The senator made the comments at an event at the Library of Congress in Washington DC on Tuesday night to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Mitchell was instrumental in brokering the accord.

When I announced the Good Friday Agreement 20 years ago I described it as an historic achievement and it was, Mr Mitchell said.

But I also said on that day, that by itself the agreement did not guarantee peace, or political stability or genuine reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

It made them possible but achieving and sustaining those lofty goals would require of future leaders the vision and the courage that the leaders of Northern Ireland demonstrated in 1988.

Life is change, that is true of societies as it is of individuals, he said.

He added: As they today reflect on their responsibilities I hope that the current leaders of Northern Ireland, of Ireland, of the United Kingdom and of the European Union look back 20 years to what their predecessors were able to do.

The senator said President Clinton was the first American president to make peace in Northern Ireland a central objective of his administration.

He jumped in where others feared to tread and he deserves great credit, Mr Mitchell said.

But he added that the real heroes of the accord were the people of Northern Ireland and their political leaders.

In dangerous and difficult circumstances after lifetimes devoted to conflict they summoned extraordinary courage and vision and reached agreement at great risk and cost to themselves their families their political careers.

We should not hold Northern Ireland to a higher standard than we apply to ourselves and to others.

And surely as we assemble here in the Library of the United States Congress no American should be preaching to others about political dysfunction and the same caution applies to the UK at this time.

After devoting so many years to the peace process Mr Mitchell said those years changed his life.

Ive come to know and love Ireland and its people, he said.

He added: A lot of people thank me for my work in Northern Ireland.

My response to them is that it is I who should be grateful  and I am because the Irish have filled an inner void that I didnt know existed.

I am an American, very proud of it, but a large part of my heart and of my emotions will forever be with the people of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The Taoiseach has indicated the UK and Irish governments might table their own proposals as a way to break the powersharing deadlock at Stormont.

Leo Varadkar, who called for redoubling of efforts to restore devolution after Easter, suggested that approach could be a means to forge a deal between the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Fein.

Fourteen months after powersharing collapsed, the two parties remain at loggerheads on a range of cultural, social and legacy disputes

In a wide ranging speech at an event in Washington DC to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, the Taoiseach also moved to reassure unionists who have been angered by his governments approach to Brexit.

He acknowledged some comments might have been viewed as unwelcome or intrusive.

But he insisted he and his government did not have a hidden agenda.

Mr Varadkar said he was determined to work with the UK Government to chart a way ahead to restore powersharing at Stormont.

He said efforts to forge a deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein should be intensified after Easter.

The next few weeks will rightly see a focus on Brexit, he said.

I will meet Chancellor Merkel in Berlin, and then travel to the European Council in Brussels where the EU will seek to make further progress in our discussions with the UK Government.

Ive just told the Brookings Institution in Washington that the major global challenges we face today will best be dealt with by acting together #stpatricksday pic.twitter.com/hOI9iNDzza  Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) March 13, 2018

After that, I believe the period after Easter should see a redoubled effort on the part of both Governments and all of the parties in Northern Ireland to seek agreement on the restoration of the institutions.

It is my view that this will require very close co-operation and leadership from the British and Irish Governments.

It may be that again the Governments will have to table our own proposals to help the parties break the deadlock.

That is how we made progress in the past.

If that is the case, the Irish Government will play a full, active and balanced role in that process.

Senator George Mitchell was the keynote speaker at the event at the Library of Congress.

Issuing a direct messages to Northern Ireland unionists, Mr Varadkar said: I know that you are concerned  perhaps worried  maybe even angry, at recent political developments.

I recognise that recent statements and actions by Irish nationalists, including the Irish Government, about Brexit have been seen as unwelcome or intrusive.

If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention.

I want to repeat that we have no hidden agenda.

The Irish governments efforts to maintain a soft border, in particular its demand that Northern Ireland continues to align with many EU regulations, has angered unionists who fear it is veiled attempt to push a united Ireland agenda.

Mr Varadkar told the anniversary event that the Good Friday Agreement has come under attack from some people with narrow political agendas who do not understand Ireland and its history.

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who also addressed the event, said power sharing in Northern Ireland may not be restored in the medium term.

Mr Adams said the Good Friday Agreement was a defining moment in Irelands recent history but it was not a settlement.

It never pretended to be, Mr Adams said.

It is an agreement on a journey. Not the destination.

Last month, Sinn Fein and the DUP were locked in negotiations over the resumption of the institutions but failed to reach a deal.

The DUP leadership chose at the last minute to walk away. So, for now there is no Assembly or Executive, Mr Adams said.

He reiterated the Sinn Fein stance that there cannot be a return to British direct rule and added the best option was for the return of the political institutions.

It might well be that the power sharing institutions and all-Ireland political architecture may not be restored in the medium term, Mr Adams said.
The UK will come to regret its decision to leave the EU, Jean-Claude Juncker warned as he defended the "backstop" plan for the Irish Border.

European Commission President Mr Juncker said things "cannot remain as they are" for the UK in its relationship with the EU after leaving the bloc. Mr Juncker was cheered by Eurosceptic MEPs as he noted the UK's departure was due on March 29, 2019.

Responding to their applause, Mr Juncker said the time would come "when you will regret your decision". In relation to the Border, Mr Juncker also said: "The 27 member states stand firm and united when it comes to Ireland. For us this is not an Irish issue, it is a European issue."

Speaking in Washington, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: "Ironically, if there is a hard Brexit, they are more likely to regret it than a soft Brexit for want of a better term... my overriding objective is Irish concerns and making sure that we maintain the common travel area and everything that comes with that, that people can continue to study and travel between the UK and Ireland, to avoid a hard Border and that we have free trade and enterprise.

"If we can negotiate that then things won't be as different as they are today."

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage claimed the commission was seeking to "bully" the UK and suggested British PM Theresa May should back a departure from the bloc without a transition deal.

Ahead of next week's European Council summit, Mr Juncker said the EU needed "more clarity on how the UK sees its future relationship".

Mr Juncker said "cherry-picking is not going to be possible" in the future trade relationship between the UK and EU.

He added that the controversial "backstop" proposal for dealing with the Border between Northern Ireland and the Republic "translates faithfully" the agreement reached between Mrs May and the EU in December.

Mr Juncker said the EU was ready to work with the UK on its preferred option of the Border issue being resolved in the future trade deal, or by other specific measures.

But he added: "We need to receive concrete proposals from the UK first."

Brussels' chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Mrs May's decision to leave the single market and customs union was "closing doors" to possible models of future co-operation.

Mr Barnier added that it was a "rather surprising idea" to think the EU could accept convergence in some areas "and at the same time open up the possibility for divergence when there is a comparative advantage to be had" for the UK.

Meanwhile, the EU is planning targeted changes to how digital multinationals are taxed.

Proposals due to be released next Wednesday are designed to ensure digital companies will pay tax on all revenue generated. The tax changes are specifically aimed at companies that don't have a physical presence in a particular member state, but nonetheless generate revenue there.

For example, Amazon or Airbnb generates sales in all EU member states, but Europe's current tax laws don't cater for this. The proposals will say that European tax rules were designed before multi-nationals existed.

As a result, the rules allow for an uneven playing field in terms of contrasting them to traditional 'bricks and mortar' type companies - which manufacture tangible goods, and whose revenue streams are clear.
Establishing a national CAP position that represents the differing regional views and aspirations of farmers will be a major challenge, admitted Agriculture Minister Michael Creed.

Mr Creed said the recent CAP consultation meetings highlighted the stark divergence of opinions on EU farm policy that exist amongst farmers.

"My overarching impression is there are very different asks depending on geography in the country, and that is not going to be an easy circle to square," Mr Creed told the Farming Independent.

While a greater degree of national discretion on the focus of CAP spending has been promised as part of next programme, the minister said this could add to the domestic battle on how funds are spent.

"There are very different asks in Charleville and Carlow from the asks in Claremorris and Carrick-on-Shannon. That is a challenge," he said.

Mr Creed said that the "differing agendas" on issues such as frontloading of CAP payments and capping of entitlements highlighted the distance between the opposing positions.

"Add into the mix then the sustainability objectives that will be a part of CAP. You are looking at very significant challenges to get a CAP that all people can subscribe to," he said.

Cuts

Mr Creed's comments follow on from those of European Commissioner for Budget and Human Resources Gunther Oettinger who warned that the overall CAP budget was facing a cut of between 5pc and 10pc.

Speaking to a Joint Oireachtas Committee, the commissioner said the CAP cuts were a consequence of 12-14bn hole in the EU budget from Brexit.

"I think what he [Oettinger] is doing is putting it up to us. He is basically saying, 'listen in a no change scenario with the UK gone we face this possibility,'" said the minister, describing the comments as "quite blunt"

He said the Taoiseach had indicated a willingness to make increased contributions but the Government had to be sure that the country benefited from such a commitment.

Commissioner Oettinger's suggested CAP cuts will also face opposition in the European Parliament, insisted Irish MEP, Mairead McGuinness.

"The agriculture and rural development committee is determined to fully defend the CAP budget and to fight cuts to the budget," the parliament's vice president said.

Meanwhile, ICMSA president Pat McCormack called on the Government to immediately signal that Ireland will not accept a reduced CAP budget post 2020 and will push for additional contributions.
Colourful multi-millionaire bachelor farmer, John Joseph McCabe (82) has beaten a seat belt rap from the Garda traffic corps after telling a judge that wearing a seat-belt is sacrosanct to him after saving his life in Portugal.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Patrick Durcan dismissed a Garda prosecution against Mr McCabe of Skehanagh, Clarecastle over the alleged non-wearing of a seat belt last August.

Judge Durcan said that Mr McCabes very definite view that he was wearing a seatbelt on August 4 last at Skehanagh had placed a slight doubt in his mind on the State case and as a result he had to dismiss the charge.

So eager was Mr McCabe to give his evidence that he took up position and sat down in the witness box while Judge Durcan was hearing the facts in the previous case before him.

After Judge Durcan dismissed the prosecution against him, Mr McCabe informed the judge I found a bank card here on the floor here and handed the bank card over to the court registrar.

Judge Durcan commented: You are very good Mr McCabe, the dismissal was very justified to laughter in the court.

During the Celtic Tiger era, Mr McCabe scooped the largest amount of any land deal in Clare when he sold 48 acres of land for 18.8m to a Galway developer, Stephen Harris in 2005.

However, Mr Harris subsequently failed to secure planning permission for a 50m retail park on the lands which are prone to flooding.

In his evidence, Garda Brian OCallaghan said that on Friday, August 4 last at 2.32pm at Skehanagh, Clarecastle, he observed Mr McCabe driving his 07 CE registered silver Toyota Hilux without wearing a seat-belt.

Garda OCallaghan said that he then saw Mr McCabe grapple with the belt causing the jeep to zig zag along the road.

Garda OCallaghan said that he stopped and spoke to Mr McCabe and by this time he had the seat belt fastened.

Garda OCallaghan said that Mr McCabe was irate throughout my dealings with him.

In his sworn evidence, Mr McCabe said: I had my seat-belt on. I am most emphatic about that because a seat belt saved my life. A seat belt is sacrosanct to me because it helped me survive a hit on the Continent in Portugal. The seat-belt burned right from my shoulder and across my chest and it stamped in my mind the importance of a seat belt.

He said: It gave me a new lease of life after and I treasure my survival. On that basis, I am an old man and ever since, I make sure that I wear a seat belt.

I am 82 years and the seat belt is a major factor that I have survived to this age.

In response, Judge Durcan said: 82? You dont look 62.

Mr McCabe said that he disagreed with Garda OCallaghans evidence.

In summing up, Judge Durcan said: I have heard two versions of this matter. I hold Garda OCallaghan in the height of regard as a member of the Gardai who sees things directly and fairly.

I have also heard Mr McCabes story and you have a very definite view on that and putting the two stories together it creates a little doubt in my mind and when there is a little doubt in mind, you, Mr McCabe have to get the benefit of it."

He added: And while I am in any way not doubting what Garda OCallaghan has had to say, I have to say that you have brought a little doubt into my mind and I am dismissing the charge.
A tractor attempts to clear drifting snow in the hills above the Glens of Antrim (PA)

Storm Emma proved particularly devastating for one west Wicklow farmer, who lost more than 20 animals in the blizzards and snow drifts.

While many people were at home sheltering from the storm, Patrick Nolan told the Wicklow People that he found himself digging through the snow to try and rescue the buried weanlings, only to discover that 21 - over half his herd - were dead, despite being in a shed.

"I had fed them on the Thursday morning and, when the snow came on Friday, I couldn't get up to the farm. I live in Knocknadruce and the farm is in Donard. I set off at 4.30am on the Saturday morning on foot to try and get to them,' said Mr Nolan, who encountered snow drifts of up to ten feet high on the way.

Following a gruelling eight-mile hike in the thick snow, Patrick arrived at the farm and found 21 of his weanlings dead in the snow which had been blown into the shed where the weanlings were housed.

"I managed to save 17 of them and they were in a bad way until the following Tuesday, but I think they will survive," he said.

While Patrick said that matters could have been worse, he is still facing a loss of approximately 750 per animal as they had reached about 360kg in weigh.

"It's unfortunate and I didn't want to have to send so many off to the knacker's yard but things could always be worse. I am lucky that I wasn't buried in snow myself, as it was so bad and there are also many other farmers who have faced losses due to this weather," he said.

Unfortunately, the loss is compounded by the fact that Mr Nolan is a Green Cert farmer and, until his course is completed, he is not entitled to any grants or subsidies.

At the age of 28, he has been running his own farm for the past four years.

"That's true, there are no subsidies until the Green Cert is done. Also, insurance companies won't sell cover for snow damage, just public liability insurance, so I will have to take the loss on the chin," he said.

Meanwhile, the IFA Hill Farmers' Committee is calling on the Government to provide compensation to farmers who have incurred such losses. Chairperson Denis Halpin said that the snow has resulted in extreme difficulties for many farming families, and that support is needed.

Mr Nolan's view on this is: "It might never happen, but we have to try to get something."

This article was updated on March 16 to make it clear that the farmer had his cattle housed in a shed during Storm Emma.
Greencore suffered a sudden fall from grace yesterday, casting a shadow over the performance of CEO Patrick Coveney.

Some large investors are warning he has entered the last-chance saloon and needs to deliver major contract wins in the US division at the full-year results presentation in December if he is to restore trust in the business.

Up until now, Mr Coveney's determination to establish the food group as a major player in the US market, his success at expanding and reshaping the UK operations, and his sheer salesmanship and eloquence have underpinned investor confidence in Greencore.

But the latest surprise to the downside threatens to permanently dent confidence in his stewardship. For the first time, major investors are questioning whether Mr Coveney is the right man for the job. The Corkman spearheaded Greencore's expansion in the US, and led its purchase of Peacock Foods - an acquisition embraced by the market as its $1bn in annual sales position the group as a major player in that market.

So far, however, the promised synergies have failed to materialise and the market is losing faith in Greencore's ability to ramp up its negligible free cash-flow levels within its targeted time frame.

The legacy business in the US continues to decline.

But what really grates is the group's constant switch in emphasis. As one analyst noted, yesterday's earnings downgrade centred on "earnings that we weren't even made aware of in the January quarterly results".

Mr Coveney signalled there will be big contract wins in the Peacock business by mid FY19.

But given the risky nature of these contracts, there are doubts that he can pull off these much-needed victories.
Goodbody was offloaded by AIB at the peak of the financial crisis to the Kerry-based financial services group, Fexco for the paltry sum of 24m. Stock photo: Reuters

Ireland's stockbroking sector is on the cusp of a major shake-up as Chinese investors edge closer to snaring Goodbody while State-backed AIB enters exclusive negotiations to acquire Investec for up to 70m.

The Irish Independent understands the looming 150m sale of Goodbody, which includes the broker's 45m stake in the Irish Stock Exchange, is in the final phase of discussions.

Legally binding contracts, known as a heads of agreement, are likely to be exchanged within three to four weeks.

The deal opens a radical new chapter for the local broker, which was offloaded by AIB at the peak of the financial crisis to the Kerry-based financial services group, Fexco for the paltry sum of 24m.

However Fexco has since sold down a portion of its initial 75pc holding to the firm's staff and executives, in line with an incentive agreement struck at the time of the takeover.

As this newspaper reported recently, boom-era developer Richard Barrett played a key role in the negotiations, fostering talks between the Chinese investors, who are backed by Chinese state funds, and the Dublin-based broker.

According to sources, the impetus behind the move stemmed from Goodbody's management rather than Fexco, which now stands to reap a hefty profit on its initial investment. Once the deal reaches the contract stage, the broker is expected to send a number of submissions to the Central Bank of Ireland about the impending ownership change.

Meanwhile, AIB looks set to clinch ownership of South African-owned Investec's Irish arm as it seeks to diversify into private wealth management and reassemble its corporate finance arm. According to sources, the part-nationalised lender is in exclusive due diligence for Investec's private wealth and Treasury operations. However the acquisition is likely to be struck at a far lower price than the Goodbody deal.

It is understood AIB will pay less than 100m for the targeted Investec segments.

Others predicted the price would fall between 50m to 70m. Yet while the deal marks a shift in AIB's strategy it comes at relatively little cost to the bank, which was stripped of its corporate finance division during the crash.

It is understood Colin Hunt, managing director of AIB's wholesale and institutional banking, has played a pivotal role in the negotiations and will spearhead the reconstruction of AIB's corporate finance arm as the bank seeks to diversify its income stream.
Greencore CEO Patrick Coveney has vowed to spend half his time in the US as problems mount

Greencore boss Patrick Coveney faced a major test yesterday after a bruising profit downturn triggered investor concerns about his suitability for the top job.

The Irish Independent has established that at least two large shareholders are questioning management's credibility following a shock trading update that sent the stock into a tailspin and stripped over 400m (450m) off the food group's market capitalisation in early Tuesday morning trading.

By the close, the shares had crashed by 30.31pc, the steepest decline in the company's history. The valuation slide came in the wake of an unexpected earnings downgrade, prompted by another set of problems in its US business.

Investor sources warned this "is crunch time" for Mr Coveney.

One stakeholder claimed another major revision to the downside could render his position untenable. Others pointed out the increased scepticism at Mr Coveney's ability to deliver on strategy could swiftly turn into a landslide.

Greencore revised its full-year 2018 numbers to 14.7p to 15.7p, compared to current market expectations of 15.7p to 16.6p.

The revision again exposed the fault lines in the group's US arm as it grapples with dwindling sales in its legacy portfolio and at the same time attempts to ramp up sales from Peacock Foods, the Illinois-based company that generates about 1bn in annual sales. Greencore snapped up Peacock in December 2016 for $747.5m (606.8m). But even as Peacock turbo-charges revenues, the difficulties afflicting its legacy business continue to bite.

After losing about 70m of frozen business with Starbucks in 2017 from its Jacksonville site in Florida - news that was confirmed by Greencore after a volatile streak in the share price - the group has announced it will mothball its loss-making Rhode Island plant, which is operating at about a quarter of its utilisation capacity. That could result in a write-down of the facility's net asset value of $40m. The group stressed it expects business to increase at its Jacksonville and Minneapolis legacy sites. But Greencore's recent track-record dictated the tone of the market reaction.

Read more:

In a note, Davy stockbrokers labelled the US division Greencore's "Achilles' heel", as the challenge of "converting new business wins has become a recurring feature of the business model".

Mr Coveney has pledged to spend half his time in the US. The management shake-up has also resulted in the exit of Chris Kirke, who led the US arm for three years. Chuck Metzger, Peacock's chief operating officer - and now COO of Greencore US - will take the helm at the division.

The management overhaul and Mr Coveney's insistence, on a conference call to analysts, that fresh growth will flow through "in the first half of FY 2019", marking a delay to previous expectations, failed to placate the market.

After a long spell as a stock-market darling, analysts gradually began downgrading the stock. Up until yesterday, all 12 analysts covering the stock had rated it as 'buy' to clients.

Peel Hunt's Charles Hall was the first to break cover and issue a 'hold' recommendation on the stock.

In a note headlined "Throwing in the towel", Mr Hall said the revised forecasts had "clearly damaged" management credibility and claimed to have "lost confidence" in the "scale, timing and impact of new business wins".

Mr Hall added first-half profits will be about 25pc lower, "which means that the full-year outcome will be more H2-weighted than normal".

He said forecasts had 'clearly damaged' credibility
Dublin-based tech company Glantus has acquired the New York-based Hedgehog Analytics. Though the price paid by Glantus was not disclosed, it is understood total revenues over the next two years as a result of the combined merger are expected to reach $10m (8.1m).

"This is a major acquisition in our expansion and diversification, both geographically and sectorally," said Glantus CEO Maurice Healy. "The deal provides Glantus with a significant footprint in the US and presents us with a unique opportunity to scale up our business in the coming years."

Established in 1994, Glantus provides software solutions and artificial intelligence. Hedgehog was set up in 2014 to make data science accessible by delivering insights as well as analytics.

Hedgehog provides US companies with data-science consultancy, particularly in the financial services, pharmaceuticals and marketing advertising sectors.

In a statement yesterday, Glantus said that the rationale behind the acquisition was that Hedgehog provides data-based consultancy, but stops short of providing products to enable the solution.

This is where Glantus comes in, the company said, adding that Hedgehog would provide the Glantus suite of products as options to customers in the US.

The company's increased presence in the US will see it increase its employee numbers in sales and marketing, with further growth in support and R&D resources required in Ireland, where it currently employs 50 people.

Following the acquisition, Hedgehog will be branded as 'Glantus US' and it will be headed up by Lee Medoff.
Housebuilder Glenveagh Properties is set to spend a total of 106m to acquire lands with the potential to deliver over 2,235 new homes in Dublin and the greater Dublin area.

Announcing its first set of results since listing on the stock market five months ago, Glenveagh said yesterday it had entered into contracts for two portfolios capable of accommodating 1,435 and 800 units.

In the first instance, the company has agreed to pay 90m (including fees and stamp duty) for four sites: two in Donabate, Co Dublin, one at Dunboyne, Co Meath; and one at Stamullen, Co Meath. The second transaction, for 16m, will see Glenveagh Living secure the residential development rights to lands adjoining the Square shopping centre in Tallaght and a site to the rear of Gateway Retail Park in Galway.

Glenveagh Homes will also acquire a 9.8-acre site to the rear of Bray Retail Park in Bray, Co Wicklow.

All told, Glenveagh has spent nearly 300m on acquisitions since its IPO last October, doubling its land bank in the process to over 7,340 units.

Co-founder and CEO Justin Bickle said yesterday that the company had "smartly" invested in very attractive multi-year land sites, and would start construction on 700 new homes in its first full year of operations. A separate pipeline of over 1,200 residential units is being developed by the company's 'Glenveagh Living' division to cater for the rental market.

Glenveagh's results, which cover the five-month period from its incorporation last August to the end of December, show it generated 1.4m in revenues, and a gross profit of 524,000. It recorded a pre-exceptional loss of 3.3m last year, and booked a 47.5m non-cash exceptional cost in relation to an expense for founder shares issued at the time of the IPO.

Mr Bickle said that the conditions in the Irish housing market were among the most attractive he had seen globally in his career to date.
Steel exporters face import duties of 25pc in the US

Escalating trade tensions are a serious risk to the global economy with the prospect of US steel and aluminium tariffs set to raise costs and harm consumers, a global economic think tank has warned.

In its latest assessment of the global economy, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said the pace of growth over 2018 and 2019 is expected to be faster than in 2017.

But it warned tensions are appearing that could threaten "strong and sustainable" medium-term growth.

"Growth is steady or improving in most G20 countries and the expansion is continuing," said OECD acting chief economist Alvaro Pereira.

"In this environment, an escalation of trade tensions would be damaging for growth and jobs. Countries should rely on collective solutions like the Global Forum on Steel Excess Capacity to address specific issues. Safeguarding the rules-based international trading system is key."

The European Commission has accused US President Donald Trump of "cherry-picking" data to distort the debate in the transatlantic dispute over metals tariffs that threatens to become a trade war.

The EU is seeking to be exempted from planned US import duties of 25pc on steel and 10pc on aluminium, but says Washington DC has not made clear how the exemption process works.

In the latest report, released yesterday, the OECD said global economic expansion is strengthening, as robust investment growth, an associated rebound in trade and higher employment drive an increasingly broad-based recovery.

It is projecting that the global economy will grow by 3.9pc in both 2018 and 2019.

The report comes just days after the global body warned, in its latest report on Ireland, that the large productivity gap between Irish-owned businesses and multinationals has widened, with homegrown firms held back by weak managerial skills.

The OECD said productivity has "stagnated" among local businesses, with the multinational sector in some cases having "crowded-out" domestic businesses.

It also said that the health system is failing in terms of cost, patient satisfaction and waiting times.

But it also had high praise for Ireland and its recovery, saying growth is expected to continue over the coming years.
The value of Ireland's seafood sector increased by 6.4pc year-on-year to 1.15bn in 2017, according to the 'Business of Seafood 2017' report from Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM).

The strong growth was driven by a 10pc increase in the value of exports, which totalled 666m in 2017, as well as a 4pc increase in domestic consumption.

Overall, the value of domestic consumption was 429m for the year, Ireland's seafood development agency said.

During the year, the value of seafood exports to the UK fell by 7pc to 85m, with exports to Asia, which increased by 10pc in value to 79m in 2017, closing in on the UK total.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Jim O'Toole, CEO of BIM, said that the seafood industry was different to other Irish industries in that it was less dependent on the UK.

Mr O'Toole said that there had been a number of factors behind the drop in seafood exports to the UK, including what he termed "market factors", foreign exchange movements, and the attractiveness of other markets.

In respect of the Asian market, Mr O'Toole said that BIM had, in collaboration with Bord Bia, helped Irish companies to increase their understanding of the market.

Overall, the EU remains Ireland's main export market for seafood, valued at 392m in 2017 - increasing by 9pc in terms of value during the year. The report also found that the Irish seafood sector is building "significant" growth in markets across Africa and the Middle East, as well as Asia, all of which demonstrated double-digit value growth last year.

Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine Michael Creed said that the report "clearly demonstrated the scale and importance of the Irish seafood sector to the Irish economy", supporting over 14,000 jobs.

"From a government perspective, it's encouraging to note how public investment is helping to strengthen an already vibrant sector to the benefit of exports and job creation particularly in rural and coastal regions," Mr Creed said.

During the year, fish and shellfish landed into the main fishing ports by Irish and non-Irish vessels rose 7pc to 401m, with Killybegs in Co Donegal achieving the highest value of landings, up almost a quarter year-on-year to 125m.

This increase was largely attributed to a 13pc increase in mackerel landings worth 83m. Almost 80pc of non-Irish landings valued at 118m comprised of hake, monkfish and megrim, with 45pc of these landings attributed to the French fleet.

Domestically, consumption comprised sales in supermarkets and shops as well as in restaurants and cafes.

Salmon, cod and prawns continue to be in favour with Irish consumers, with salmon valued at 96m and cod at 48m, the report found.

Looking to 2018, Mr O'Toole said that he expected to see continued strong demand in Continental Europe, Asia, and Africa, with the African market having rebounded from 2016.

Mr O'Toole also said that he anticipated further development in new innovations in the industry.

"As well as employment, seafood is a key driver in economic activity and in many cases is at the heart of the community," he said.
David Fitzgerald, chief executive of the Mibi, said claims fraud causes a range of problems for Irish motorists, such as increasing the cost of insurance policies and making Irish roads more dangerous. Stock image

THE Government has been accused of not doing enough to ensure motor premiums are reduced.

A hard-hitting new report from AA Ireland accuses ministers of missing an opportunity to reform the sector.

Motorists are now in a worse position than the start of the motor insurance crisis, AA Ireland chief executive Brendan Nevin said.

The motoring body said Government attention had wavered and reforms have stalled.

Surging premium rates were being treated as a crisis by government two years ago but necessary changes are not now being pushed through.

An absence of proper reform and new legislation has resulted in little change for the average motorist. Instead, the Government was now focused on issues like housing and Brexit.

Mr Nevin said: Sky-high premiums are the new normal. People were shocked by this two or three years ago. The shock has worn off but the price increases have not.

He accused the Government of treating the issue as yesterdays problem because in recent months the Central Statistics Office has reported a slight drop in premiums.

This comes after average rises of 70pc recorded by the CSO over a three-year period.

Mr Nevin said the average premium was 450 in 2014 and is now around 750.

AA Ireland has been lobbying the Government on five key reforms it wants implemented to bring premium rates down.

The Government set up a Cost of Insurance Working Group that was initially headed up by then junior minister, and now Cabinet Minister, Eoghan Murphy.

Junior Finance Minister Michael DArcy is now chairing the working group.

Mr Nevin said: Given that the crisis is still unresolved we now need to see leadership from the working group and the top level of government to finally implement necessary changes which would greatly benefit the average motorist.

Without this proper leadership and action we will still be discussing many of these issues in two years time.

AA director of consumer affairs Conor Faughnan said legal costs of claims were a major issue.

He said a Department of Finance report found legal costs can add up to 40pc to the cost of a court award.

The lawyers are absolutely hoovering money out of the system. If the system worked properly they would not be involved, he said.

He said there was no incentive for large insurance companies to reform the insurance market, as they are making money, and have the customer information that ensures new entrants find it difficult to enter this market.

The big guys can thrive in a messy landscape because they have the information on the customers and on fraud, and the punter picks up the tab, he said.

AA wants an independent body to put together a data hub to share information on motor insurance applicants and fraudulent claims.

And data protection laws should be changed to allow insurers share information on fraudsters, something they are prevented from doing at the moment.

The legislation governing the Injuries Board should be strengthened to stop so many personal injury claims going to court.

The motoring body also wants Garda Traffic Corps numbers increased.

And insurers should be forced to publish open information on the cost of claims, something the industry has been accused of hiding.
Belfast businessman Jason Shankey has revealed he has saved almost 14,000 (15,790) in three and half years after he finally managed to quit smoking.

Speaking on No Smoking Day, coordinated by Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, the 47-year-old father-of-two said he had struggled to give up over the years, after smoking his first cigarette at the age of 11.

But Jason, who owns a group of hair and skincare salons in Belfast, also said that a complete change in his mind-set helped him to quit after several failed attempts. And he encouraged smokers to seek advice from Cancer Focus NI, which runs a dedicated Stop Smoking Service, on how best to kick the habit.

I started smoking when I was 11 years of age, he said.

I suppose at the time it was because my mates were all smoking and we used to buy singles at the petrol station. By the time I was in first year I was buying a packet of 10, spending my money on cigarettes instead of lunch. The habit gradually crept up on me then. I couldnt imagine myself going through the day without smoking. It was an addiction but I didnt see it like that. I enjoyed smoking. I liked the flavour and the sociable aspect of it, as it was a lot more sociable years ago.

By the time I reached fifth year I was smoking 20 a day, though at weekends, that probably went up to 40. I never really thought about the detrimental effects it could be having on my health, I just brushed that aside. Of course Id seen the anti-smoking ads and the warnings on the packets but I was addicted, so I turned a blind eye.

In 2009 Jason decided to stop and was able to do so for a year. But after piling on five stone and being on a ski holiday, where he was in the company of other smokers, he fell off the wagon and took up the habit again.

However, with the aid of a book and a determination to quit, he got off the cigarettes three and a half years ago and hasnt looked back since.

I know now that it was all down to the way I approached giving up smoking, he said.

The second time I quit, my thought process was completely different and I had the help of a great book, The Easy Way To Stop Smoking by Allen Carr. It sets you up psychologically for success by telling you its not difficult to stop smoking. The marketing around smoking may not be visual now but theres still a lot of hype around stopping and smokers are led to believe that its really tough to quit. One you realise this isnt the case, it becomes easier.

The other thing that really helped me was the Android app QuitNow! Pro, which tells you the date you stopped, the money youve saved and the health benefits. Ive saved 13,900 from stopping smoking! And when it comes to health benefits, Im now 100% on all of them, bar lung cancer but Im 67% of the way to being the same as a non-smoker when it comes to the risk of developing lung cancer.

Jason says he feels fitter, healthier and younger than ever before.
Convicted murderer Graham Dwyer challenge against Ireland's data retention laws is "misconceived" and is "a re-run" of an application dismissed by the judge presiding at the Cork born architect's 2015 trial, the High Court has heard.

Brian Murray SC for the State and the Garda Commissioner is not entitled to declarations that the 2011 Communications Act violated his right to privacy.

Under the 2011 Act telecommunication data from Dwyer's personal mobile phone was retained and accessed by the gardai investigating Ms O'Hara's death. Data generated by his phone was put before the jury by the prosecution during his trial at the Central Criminal Court for Ms O'Hara's murder.

Counsel said that his clients are "defending every aspect" of what Dwyer has challenged, and it is their case that the declarations Dwyer seeks are "inappropriate."

Counsel said Dwyer had already sought to have the evidence gathered under the 2011 deemed inadmissible at his 2015 trial, but the trial Judge Mr Justice Anthony Hunt had rejected that application.

Counsel added that it is the state's view that case did not require a reference to the European Court of Justice and the issues raised in the proceedings should be decided by the Irish High Court.

Counsel was continuing his submissions before Mr Justice Tony O'Connor on what was the 11th day of Dwyer's action against the State and the Garda Commissioner aimed at having provisions of Ireland's data retention laws struck down.

Dwyer, who denies killing Ms O'Hara, claims the 2011 Communications (Retention of Data) Act, breached his privacy rights.

Data obtained under that Act should not have been used at his trial, he claims. Dwyer argues the Act was introduced to give effect to a 2006 EU directive concerning the retention and use of data.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) found in 2014 the directive was invalid and that position was further strengthened in subsequent rulings by that court in 2016. He claims the 2011 Act suffers from the same flaws identified by the ECJ.

In proceedings against the Garda Commissioner, and the State, Dwyer seeks various declarations that his privacy rights under the Irish Constitution, European Convention on Human Rights and the EU Charter have been breached.

The action continues.
A father-of-two who was swinging an axe when he threatened to kill his children's grandparents has been given a two and half year suspended sentence.

Gavin O'Reilly (36) was driving in front of John and Amanda Martin before he jammed on his brakes and stopped his jeep. He moved off but stopped a second time, took a large axe from the vehicle and approached the Martin's car, swinging the tool over his head.

Garda Marvin Ireland told Noel Devitt BL, prosecuting, that as there was no traffic behind Mr Martin he managed to reverse his own car and drive away. He headed back in the same direction a few minutes later, passing O'Reilly who shouted at him that he would kill them and get them.

O'Reilly had previously been in a relationship with the Martin's daughter and they had two children together. Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the break-up had been acrimonious.

O'Reilly, of Castlebyrne Park, Blackrock, Dublin pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Mr Martin in Deansgrange on February 13, 2017. He has one previous conviction for possession of drugs.

Mr Martin read his victim impact report in which he stated that he had his wife were left traumatised and in a state of shock for several days. He said it would be on his mind when he woke in the morning and he would be thinking about the incident at night when trying to sleep.

He said it consumed him every day. He said his younger daughter had trouble dealing with what had happened to her parents and was nervous going to school as O'Reilly lived near by.

He said his wife lost her confidence in going out alone, even to the local shops and neither of them could enjoy going for walks as they previously had done.

We both lost the feeling of feeling safe, Mr Martin said before he added that they had to change their car and the school run was never the same.

He said it had initially put a massive strain on his relationship with his daughter, O'Reilly's former partner, but added that this was no longer the case.

Thankfully we can now recall the horror of that morning without getting too upset, Mr Martin said before he added this should never have happened.

Patrick Reynolds BL, defending, told Mr Martin that his client wished to offer his apologies and agreed that the incident should never have happened.

Counsel said his client had been a painter and decorator since he was 21 years old and had at times employed other people. He asked the court to accept that it was a moment of madness for O'Reilly.

Judge Martin Nolan said O'Reilly had made serious threats and to give a concrete expression to those threats he swung an axe.

I've no doubt it was a frightening incident and that the victim impact report is accurate in terms of the life effects.

He was in a particularly bad temper and he took it out on them, Judge Nolan said before adding that O'Reilly's actions were reprehensible and totally unjustified.

He said he didn't believe O'Reilly deserved an immediate custodial sentence before he suspended a two and half year term on condition that he does not seek to contact the Martins.
A former Anglo Irish Bank dealer told the Financial Regulator the banks customer funding figure was not a real number and they were trying to manipulate our balance sheet, a court heard.

Ciaran McArdle was on a phone call to Regulator officials they day after Anglo carried out a series of multi-billion euro interbank transfers in the run up to the struggling banks year-end at the height of the 2008 financial crisis.

A tape of the conversation was played to the jury today in the trial of Anglos former CEO, David Drumm.

Mr Drumm (51) is pleading not guilty to conspiring to defraud Anglo investors by dishonestly creating the impression that the banks customer deposits were 7.2bn larger than they were.

He is alleged to have conspired with Anglos former Finance Director Willie McAteer and head of Capital Markets John Bowe, as well as then-CEO of Irish Life and Permanent, Denis Casey, and others. The case centres on interbank loans which circulated between Anglo and ILP in September 2008.

Mr Drumm also denies false accounting, by providing misleading information to the market.

Mr McArdle, who was Head of Liquidity and International Rate Risk Management, was led through his statement by Mary Rose Gearty SC, prosecuting.

He agreed he was told to organise the details of an earlier transaction in March 2008 with his counterpart in ILP, Paul Kane.

The two men agreed Anglo would place money with ILP in the form of an interbank deposit and ILA would place a customer deposit with Anglo.

The amount - 750m - was agreed by Head of Treasury Matt Cullen and Mr Cullen's ILP counterpart David Gantly, and the transaction went smoothly on March 31.

In June, Anglo carried out a repo transaction with ILP - a repurchasing agreement to buy and sell back Irish Life bonds, reducing ILPs reliance on Central Bank funds.

After discussing the planned September transactions with Mr Cullen, Mr McArdles understanding was that it was going to be a repo transaction with ILP, similar to one that was carried out in June, he said in his statement.

A couple of weeks before the deal, it became evident that the size of the transaction was going to be in the region of 7bn, Mr McArdle agreed.

Because of the size of the transaction, there were a number of individual 1bn transactions in tranches required to reach the objective of 7bn.

On September 29, Mr McArdle told Mr Cullen there would not be sufficient funds to complete the transactions, Anglo would not have been able to meet its commitments the following day and and emergency funding was sought from the Central Bank.

On the morning of September 30, the Government issued a guarantee scheme, covering deposits in six Irish banks, including Anglo.

The jury was then played a tape of the call between Mr McArdle and two Financial Regulator officials, Clare Taylor and Ciaran Rogers on October 1, 2008.

On the call, Mr McArdle was first asked to give the Regulator an update from that morning.

Mr McArdle said it had been quite positive and outlined an expected growth in customer funding. However, he said the wholesale market appeared to be dead and a lot of people were not giving Anglo money and there was no duration.

Its a different picture to where we were this time last week, its a different picture to where we were on Monday, but the overall reaction to the scheme has been very, very positive, he said.

The momentum has swung and the momentum is probably going to continue as long as there isnt a change in the legislative paperwork going through the Dail, he went on.

Asked about the interbank market, he said we havent gone chasing it and said it was mostly on an overnight basis.

This most certainly has fixed us somewhat but the system is broken. We need the State tonight to probably bring a little bit more confidence. We need more positive stories from the papers... we need this thing signed, sealed and delivered to see where the lie of the land is, he said.

Can I ask you about the corporate figure - is that still a net figure? Ms Taylor asked later in the call.

After a pause, Mr McArdle said: That is still a net figure, that is correct.

Its trying to manipulate our balance sheet for our financial year end last night, what we have done is we have boosted our customer funding number which we didnt include in our liquidity number so when our snapshot is produced at the beginning of December, it looks as good as possible, Mr McArdle said on the tape.

Its not a real number. I wouldnt read too much into it, it just happened to fall on the last day of the month. Its just something we did.

Mr McArdle went on to say you exclude it from the ratios and it was going out over the next three to four days.

The trial continues before a jury and Judge Karen O'Connor at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.
A student from Belfast is seeking permission from the High Court in Dublin to challenge the States failure to allow citizens living in Northern Ireland vote in the referendum on the eighth amendment.

When the matter came before Mr Justice Charles Meenan in the judicial review list this week, he said, because a date has yet to be set for the referendum and the necessary legislation allowing it to be held has not yet been enacted, he was adjourning the leave application to April 9th.

He directed that the application should be made on notice to the Taoiseach, Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Minister for Health, the Minister for Justice and Equality and the Attorney General.

In the proposed judicial review, student Roisin Morelli claims citizens of Northern Ireland are also Irish citizens and have a constitutional right to vote in such referendums.

Ms Morelli alleges that the Governments failure to give reasons for why this constitutional right is curtailed for citizens of Northern Ireland is wholly irrational.

She is represented by the Belfast law firm of Madden & Finucane.

Her solicitor Michael Halleron said the case is a matter of national importance and all citizens on the island of Ireland should be entitled to vote in the referendum.

The precise date of the referendum will be set following a debate on the relevant Bill in the Dail and the Seanad.
GARDAI are investigating an alleged 150,000 fraud at one of the countrys most prestigious girls secondary schools.

Officers from Blanchardstown Garda Station have been investigating the fraudulent diverting of payments at one of the top fee-paying schools in Dublin.

It is understood that the investigation began a number of weeks ago, after gardai received a complaint about financial impropriety at the school, which occurred over a period last year.

A senior source revealed that an employee of the school is the chief suspect and it is believed that this person is currently not working in the school.

The alleged financial impropriety relates to annual fees being paid for students at the school but allegedly not being paid to the school.

This is about the diverting of payments, which is essentially fees being illegally tapped off by a person instead of going to the school, a senior source told Independent.ie

THEFT

It is being investigated as theft and investigations have established that this was not a complicated fraudulent scam.

No arrests have yet been made in this case, which is being investigated by Blanchardstown gardai.

A definite line of enquiry is being followed but the investigation is at an early stage and no arrests are planned yet.

A place in the elite private school costs about 5,000 per year and the school takes in a figure in the region of 3.5m in fees every year.

When approached by the Independent.ie yesterday, the schools principal said it could not comment as the matter is currently under investigation by gardai.

There is an investigation, the principal said.

Some irregularities were found in accounts last year and they are being investigated by the gardai, so we cant comment further because it might interfere with that investigation.

The school would not comment on the amount of money at the centre of the investigation, or whether or not a staff member was suspended.
The officer was taken to University College Hospital to be treated for non-life threatening lacerations

THREE suspected members of the notorious military-trained international Hole in the Roof gang remained in garda custody last night, where they were being questioned about a 250,000 jewellery heist during Storm Emma  as well as two other burglaries in the same county on the same night.

Garda investigations have established the Romanian gang is linked to 100 burglaries in Ireland, which have netted an estimated 2m of goods.

Independent.ie can reveal that detectives have established that the criminals are wanted for similar crimes across Europe, including in Italy and Norway.

Two 27-year-old men and a 31-year-old man are still being questioned in three separate midlands garda stations over the massive theft of 250,000 in jewellery at Park Jewellers in the Golden Island Shopping Centre, Athlone, on the night of Friday, March 2  at the height of Storm Emma.

The prolific gang is also suspected of robbing a jewellery shop in Mullingar and a store in Glasson, Co Westmeath, on the same night.

A DNA profile taken from one of the suspects has been linked to separate burglaries that took place in Co Donegal and Co Offaly in the past year.

EVIDENCE

This is a military-trained international crime gang and charges against these suspects are very likely later in the week, a senior source said last night.

Not only have gardai gathered massive evidence against them for the Athlone robbery and the two others that occurred on the Storm Emma night, detectives have now linked this crew to 100 other burglaries, which netted the criminals an estimated 2m.

In the 250,000 Athlone jewellery heist, the raiders cut a hole in the shopping centre roof and removed CCTV footage during the burglary, which was not discovered until the morning of Saturday, March 3.

Last Friday, as part of a major intelligence-led operation, gardai raided a house at a rural location on the Co Laois/Tipperary border.

Officers arrested the suspected gang members and recovered the haul of stolen jewellery.

Investigators believe it was to be smuggled out of the country.

INVESTIGATION

Independent.ie first revealed in 2015 that there was a major garda investigation into the gang after service stations were targeted in localities as diverse as Fermoy, in Co Cork, and Finglas, in north Dublin.

Before this months Co Westmeath raid, the gang was suspected of being behind a nationwide crime spree that has netted it more than 1m in stolen cash and cigarettes.

The gang is suspected of entering Ireland from mainland Europe via our ports and airports, to target specific businesses and homes before fleeing the country again  only to return weeks later.
Almost 400 extra places on teacher training courses are to be created this year in a bid to help alleviate a lack of supply in key subjects.

The move also has the potential to offset some of the heat added to the points race by a surge in the number of young people applying for education programmes through the Central Applications Office (CAO).

Education Minister Richard Bruton has agreed with the Irish Universities Association that the expansion in third-level places will apply primarily to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) subjects, as well as Irish and foreign languages.

The numbers graduating from post-primary teacher education courses has remained broadly constant over recent years - but the number of students starting secondary schools is increasing. It is predicted the steady rise will continue until at least 2025.

The sector is reporting severe shortages of teachers in some subjects, particularly relating to science.

Measures to be formally announced by Mr Bruton today include:

Universities will increase the capacity on undergraduate initial teacher education programmes by an estimated 280 places in 2018.

This includes an increase in the priority areas of Stem, Irish and foreign languages of more than 100 places, an increase of over 40pc on 2017 in these areas.

Read More

At postgraduate level, universities will increase the capacity on Professional Master of Education programmes by more than 100 places in the priority areas of Stem, Irish and foreign languages.

As a result of the extra changes, universities and Postgraduate Applications Centre (PAC) have extended the closing date for applications to study Irish and the targeted Stem and foreign language subjects (French, German, Spanish and Italian) until April 13.

Provisional figures published by the CAO last week show a 4pc increase in the number of Leaving Cert students applying for undergraduate teacher training courses.

More than 5,000 applicants are chasing around 800 college places. Today's announcement will bring the number of places to more than 1,000.

The numbers wanting to get on a postgraduate course have also risen by 300 this year to 1,366 so far. This is a reverse of a downward trend over many years.

Mr Bruton admitted "some concerns" have been raised around the supply of teachers.

He said today's announcement has "a heavy emphasis on certain subject areas at post primary level, to ensure that schools can get the right mix of subject teachers".
Trinity College students have stepped up their protest to the introduction of a 450 charge to resit exams.

Students at the renowned Dublin university yesterday occupied the dining hall to protest at the proposed fee for people who fail exams.

Yesterday was the third day of protest over the issue: students had previously blocked access to the Book of Kells and blockaded entrances to the university.

The college's Students' Union has called for the measure to be reversed. However, the Vice Provost of the university, Chris Morash, insisted the charge has been introduced to help make the system fairer for students.

Mr Morash said that although 17,000 students who fail an exam will pay to take the test again, another 250 students will pay less for repeating a year.

However, the university's Students' Union has branded the fee "unjust".

The 'Take Back Trinity' campaign has called for no further increases to student fees in any form and has also condemned fee hikes for postgraduate students and international students.

Concerns

Fianna Fail's Education spokesperson Thomas Byrne TD called on Education Minister Richard Bruton to address the issue.

He said students should not be charged an "exorbitant" charge to resit exams.

Mr Byrne added: "Trinity College Dublin is planning to introduce a 450 flat fee for those who resit examinations.

"This means that students who fail just one examination will be forced to shell out an exorbitant amount of money to allow them progress with their degrees.

"This approach differs to other universities, which have a more modest fee per repeat examination.

"Minister Bruton needs to set out his view on this matter.

"I have concerns that the approach taken by TCD could be testing the waters for other universities to follow suit.

"It's not acceptable that students who fail just one exam are being hit with punitive repeat fees."

Green Party Education spokesperson Catherine Martin said this is the latest attempt by third-level institutions to "extract money" from students.

She said: "The Government must finally confront the issue of third-level funding.

"In the absence of proper funding to the institutions, students are the ones being squeezed again and again. The Government's hands-off approach is not working."
Martina Smith, wife of tragic Rescue 116 winchman Ciaran Smith, with their children Caitlin (12), Shannon (11) and Finlay (8) at Blacksod Lighthouse after completing a cycle from Dublin to Mayo in memory of her husband and the other crew members. Photo: Steve Humphreys

The families and colleagues of the tragic Rescue 116 crew will gather for a special ceremony this morning to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy.

In the early hours of March 14, 2017, the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter carrying the four rescue workers collided with Black Rock, a remote island around 13km off the Mayo coast. The crew - captain Dara Fitzpatrick, co-pilot Mark Duffy, winchman Ciaran Smith and winch operator Paul Ormsby - died.

A number of memorial services have been scheduled to take place on the first anniversary of their deaths.

Shortly after 3pm yesterday, Ciaran's wife Martina arrived in Blacksod to complete a mammoth cycle from Dublin in memory of her husband. Ms Smith said her husband was her inspiration for completing the cycle and bore a poem in his memory on the back of her jersey. It read: "In the fell clutch of circumstance, I have not winced or cried aloud, Under the bludgeoning of chance, My head is bloody but unbowed".
The Arts Council has paid tribute to uilleann piper Liam O'Flynn who has sadly passed away.

O'Flynn was a well-known member of the traditional group Planxty with Christy Moore, Andy Irvine and Donal Lunny.

Speaking today, Sheila Pratschke, Chair of the Arts Council said: "Liam OFlynn has left behind him an incredible legacy of music through his recordings, his careful support of other musicians and artists and his dedication to transmission of the great heritage of Irish music to future generations."

Liam was a virtuoso piper of international renown who brought uilleann piping and Irish music to the world stage.

He was born in Kildare in 1945 to a musical family.

As a young man he participated in the famous tionol or 'gathering'of pipers in Bettystown in 1968 which led to the founding of Na Piobairi Uilleann.

Music fans have also paid tribute to the uilleann pipes maestro on social media.

"A giant of Irish music lost today," one person said.

"Liam O'Flynn was a peerless musician," another wrote.
Hospitals trying to stem severe overcrowding are facing a new stumbling block due to the failure to secure enough staff to provide home care packages for patients ready for discharge.

Although an extra 5m has been allocated to buy more home packages with the trolley crisis at record levels, it emerged it may be difficult to spend all the funding on the service.

The setback comes as 649 patients across the country were again enduring delays for a bed yesterday, a slight fall on Monday's all-time record of 714. Hospitals in Limerick and Cork were again overwhelmed as staff hunted for beds.

Commenting on the 5m funding, Michael Harty of the home care company Home Care Direct said, while it was welcome, the industry had its own capacity issues.

There are growing waiting lists for home care packages because of problems finding staff.

He said: "The reality is that the sector cannot cope with existing demand, let alone an additional 5m worth of care to resource.

"The reason for this is simple, agencies are finding it impossible to recruit and retain carers because of poor pay, zero-hour contracts, and offering precious little career pathways.

"Unless we start to make caring a more attractive career and become more innovative in how home care is delivered, home care will never be able to play its full role in health care.

"There are over 500 patients in hospital ready for discharge and many of them could leave if they got a suitable home care package, freeing up beds."

Health Minister Simon Harris called off his St Patrick's Day trip to Belgium and the Netherlands saying it would not "feel right" to travel at a time of crisis.

Speaking in Washington, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was in constant contact with the Health Minister on the issue.

Mr Varadkar said he had been notified of Mr Harris's decision to cancel his trip and believed he made the "right decision".

Mr Varadkar added: "I am in touch with Simon Harris on a daily basis, he contacted me this morning to say that, given that the scale of overcrowding in our emergency departments and hospitals at the moment, that he was cutting short his trip.

"So I think he has made the right decision in terms of staying at home.

"I will be continuing with my work here which has been scheduled for quite some time," he said.
UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick has the worst record for the number of patients on trolleys over the last five years, according to an analysis of data from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.

UHL had a median total of 619 patients on trolleys each month for the period 2013 to 2017. It was closely followed by Beaumont Hospital in Dublin with a figure of 562 patients and University Hospital Galway with 498.

Digging deeper into the figures, however, shows that Beaumont has actually had higher median numbers during the period 2013 to 2015, only for Limericks worsening record to catch up and surpass the Dublin hospital overall in the years 2016 to 2017.

The figures around the country reached their highest levels ever recorded in 2017 and have only got worse in 2018, preliminary data shows.

Peak season for trolley numbers is the winter due to increased illness in the general population from flu and other respiratory diseases, with January and February usually recording the highest figures. Again, Limerick comes out top, with a total of 793 patients on trolleys in January 2017, far above the next biggest total of 667 in Cork University Hospital. These figures show a substantial year-on-year rise, with Beaumont recording 710 patients in a year earlier in January 2016 and Limerick dealing with 682 in that month.

Every day, the INMO (Irish Nursing and Midwives Organisation) monitors the total of people who have to be treated on trolleys in corridors or on beds in wards where the official capacity is being exceeded. The organisation gathers the data at 8am every week day for 29 public hospitals around the country to highlight the stress on its members and to put political pressure on the Health Service Executive (HSE) and the Government. It has been collecting the information about trolleys since 2004 but in 2013 began to add the numbers of patients in wards above capacity.

The data is published every day on the INMOs blog known as TrolleyWatch. The HSE publishes its own trolley figures called Trolley Gar, which counts patients at three times during the day but, crucially, excludes patients in wards above capacity.

If the size of the hospital is factored in, however, a different picture emerges of trolley figures. Using data gathered from the HSE, which supplied the number of beds available in each hospital, the Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore is shown to have by far the highest ratio of patients on trolleys for 2013 to 2017 relative to the overall capacity of the facility. South Tipperary General Hospital and Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise have the next highest ratios.

The HSE bed figures are accurate to February 23, 2018, and reflect a growing investment by the Government in availability of places in hospitals. But as the data show, it is far from enough to deal with the annual spike in demand due to winter illness.

* This report was produced in conjunction with UCD Data Journalism
A new menopause drug could dramatically cut hot flushes and sleeplessness in just three days. Scientists hailed the results as "game-changing", holding out hopes for a new alternative to hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Research by Imperial College London found that the drug compounds, tested on menopausal women, cut the number of hot flushes by almost three-quarters.

Women taking the drugs reported an 82pc decrease in sleep interruptions and a 77pc drop in episodes of lost concentration.

Many of those who suffer bad effects to a troublesome extent shun HRT, because it has been linked with an increased risk of breast cancer and blood clots.

The average menopause lasts for seven years, and four-in-five women will suffer hot flushes. The trial involved 37 menopausal women aged between 40 and 62 who experienced seven or more hot flushes a day.

Participants were randomly chosen to first receive either an 80mg daily dose of the drug, called MLE4901, or a placebo over the course of a four-week period, before the groups were swapped.

Early findings from the trial showed that the compound significantly reduced the average total number of flushes during the four-week treatment period.

The drug works by targeting receptors in the brain, blocking a chemical called neurokinin B (NKB).

Prof Waljit Dhillo, from the Department of Medicine at Imperial, said: "This new analysis confirms the beneficial effect is obtained very quickly - within just three days."

He added: "The specific compound was found to affect liver function, so future research will focus on similar drugs, which also block NKB but do not appear to carry these side effects."

The research is published in the journal 'Menopause'.
A PROPERTY owner in Australia has allegedly lost thousands of dollars and has been subjected to vile abuse after a group of Irish scammers rented apartments from her.

Clara Carmichael, a property owner in Brisbane, Australia, is one of multiple victims of a group of nine people who police believe have been targeting businesses and elderly people in the area.

Police released CCTV images of the suspects this week and said the group were believed to be behind 12 offences which have occurred between Brisbane and the Gold Coast since January.

In recent days a number of the group are believed to have left the country.

Ms Carmichael spoke to RTE's Liveline programme on Radio One today and said she first encountered the group late last year when she rented four units to four families who said they were friends through a church group.

"We first came across them late last year, maybe September, October when a group of four different families who were all friends rented apartments in one of the buildings that I own and run," she said.

They gave names with identifications and numbers which all checked out at the time she said but things soured quickly.

"We had a lot of complaints from other tenants, they were terrorising other people in the building, people were scared to come and go,"she added.

There was also issues with non-payment of rent Ms Carmichael said.

Collecting rent was a "horrific weekly task" she said, agreeing that the group were the tenants from hell.

"There was one family who knew they were going to have to leave because they owed so much money so instead of just leaving they decided to trash the apartment and leave in the middle of the night, blocking the plumbing and the toilets with potatoes, punching holes in walls and breaking holes in bathroom tiles," she said. The group also left graffiti on the walls.

The group have cost Ms Carmichael up to $20,000 Australian dollars.

The group had thick Irish accents and said they were from Ireland, she said.

Police are investigating the group and the investigation is ongoing but nobody has been arrested to date in relation to the offences.

The people have been sending abusive texts to Clara and her colleagues since December.

A voice message was played on the show left by one of the group to Ms Carmichael - the messages were often threatening and sexually explcit.

"You're a dirty, smelly Australian slapper," the man, who claimed to be called Edward Connors, said in the message.

Restaurant owners and other people in the area have also fallen victim to the group.

Police are urging anyone with information about the people pictured to contact Policelink on 131 444.
The crew of Rescue 116: (left to right) Paul Ormsby, Mark Duffy, Dara Fitzpatrick and Ciaran Smith

Over 100 people including family members and colleagues of the Rescue 116 crew attended a candle lit vigil in the early hours of Wednesday morning in memory of the four rescue workers.

The vigil began shortly before 12.46am- the last radar contact the Irish Coast Guard helicopter had with control at Blacksod lighthouse a year ago before it collided with Black Rock off the Mayo Coast.

Four lights lit up from Glosh Tower across Blacksod Bay, one each representing Dara Fitzpatrick, Mark Duffy, Ciaran Smith and Paul Ormsby.

A four minute silence was then held for the crew with all lights turned off, apart from the four beacons which could be seen across the Mullet Peninsula.

Expand Close Family and local people attend a candlelit vigil for the crew of Rescue 116 near Glosh Tower close to Blacksod at 12.46am Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Family and local people attend a candlelit vigil for the crew of Rescue 116 near Glosh Tower close to Blacksod at 12.46am Photo: Steve Humphreys

Following the poignant four minutes of silence a bagpipe lament was played by John Butler in memory of the crew.

Over one hundred family, friends and loved ones of the Rescue 116 crew attended the candle lit vigil, as well as members of various agencies including the Irish Coast Guard and An Garda Siochana.

Further memorial services will be held in honour of the crew this morning on the first anniversary of the tragedy.

An anniversary mass is planned for 10am at St Brendan's Church, Tirrane while a wreath laying service is due to take place at the Blacksod lighthouse later this morning.

The lighthouse is where the large-scale search operation was co-ordinated from over several weeks last year.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has paid tribute to the lost crew of R116 today on the first anniversary of their loss.

"It is the one year anniversary, and they have been on my mind. I have been reading some of the coverage of the anniversary when I have had time over the past couple of days.

"I am a former Minister for Transport, so I know the Coastguard well, and indeed I met Captain Dara Fitzpatrick during my role as Minister.

"I am conscious at this stage that there are families who are still grieving and of course there are families who do not have the remains of their loved ones, and my thoughts are very much with them at this sad time."
UK POLICE have found no trace of missing Tina Satchwell at any location she previously resided at in the country, or on CCTV security camera footage from any port or airport.

The revelation came as Ms Satchwells husband, Richard, again repeated the belief that his missing wife could have travelled to the UK and be living there.

Mr Satchwell, an English-born truck driver, said Ms Satchwells best friend is now convinced his wife is living in the UK  and may have had help with her disappearance.

Ms Satchwell, who did not have a passport, previously lived in the UK and has acquaintances there. Mr Satchwell also said his wife had been trying to memorise UK social security data in the months before her disappearance.

Expand Close Gardai searching at Mitchells Wood, Castlemartyr, Co Cork, for evidence relating to the disappearance of Tina Satchwell. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Gardai searching at Mitchells Wood, Castlemartyr, Co Cork, for evidence relating to the disappearance of Tina Satchwell. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision.

He has repeatedly insisted his wife is not dead  and rejected suggestions she may have harmed herself, saying: She loved herself too much.

His comments came as gardai entered the ninth day of a search of woodland outside Castlemartyr, in east Cork, for Ms Satchwell, who vanished on March 20, 2017.

Expand Close Tina Satchwell (46) went missing from her Youghal home in Co Cork on March 20, 2017 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Tina Satchwell (46) went missing from her Youghal home in Co Cork on March 20, 2017

More than 60 personnel, including Defence Forces engineering units, UK Search Dogs and Garda Sub-Aqua teams, are examining a stretch of Mitchels Wood for any clue as to what happened to Ms Satchwell. The search is expected to continue into next week.

Ms Satchwell vanished from her home in Youghal, Co Cork, while her husband said he was on a brief errand to Dungarvan, Co Waterford. He has vehemently insisted he had nothing to do with his wifes disappearance.

Expand Close Tinas husband Richard near their home in Youghal, Co Cork / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Tinas husband Richard near their home in Youghal, Co Cork

Mr Satchwell said he believed his wife might have had help in staging her disappearance  but he denied there was any question of her having an affair.

He met his future wife when she moved to live in England as a teenager.

He said he fell in love at first sight  and he decided to move to Ireland to be with her, to the consternation of his own family.

Basically, my family are anti-Irish  I never spoke to my mother again before she died, he said.

Expand Close Tina Satchwell pictured with one of her beloved pet dogs / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Tina Satchwell pictured with one of her beloved pet dogs

I was given an ultimatum when I met Tina. I chose Tina. When I was brought up in school, all we heard about Ireland was the IRA.

My mother missed out on knowing an amazing woman.

Mr Satchwell again insisted he is hoping and praying his wife is found safe and well.

Garda sources have said they have absolutely nothing to indicate Ms Satchwell may have travelled to the UK.

CCTV footage from all Irish ports and airports was checked and no one matching Ms Satchwells description was found. UK police have also checked for any trace of Ms Satchwell in areas previously known to her in England. All such reviews have yielded nothing.

There is nothing so far to indicate what happened to Tina or where she went. There is certainly absolutely nothing to indicate she travelled to the UK, a Garda source said.
Australian police have released images of the suspects believed to be Irish Photo: Queensland police

A number of Irish tourists accused of carrying out scams and thefts across south-east Australia have now left the country, police say.

They recently released images of four people they are looking for in connection with the alleged scams who could still be in the Queensland area.

"Whilst the four people may still be in Queensland it is possible they have since travelled interstate to avoid police," a police statement said.

The revelation that some of the Irish group had left Australia came as a travel agent told Brisbanes Hit 105 radio that she booked flights for several of them.

Expand Close Australian police have released images of the suspects believed to be Irish Photo: Queensland police / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Australian police have released images of the suspects believed to be Irish Photo: Queensland police

The woman said she didn't recognise any of their faces but they all had valid passports and payment so she didn't question it.

"They have flown to Hawaii but they mentioned they intend to continue their travel somewhere else. Now I've been asked why I booked them. First, I didn't hear the news.

"Yes they did look suspicious. Such a big family travelling on the same day, but they were not trying to defraud me and they didn't defraud me. We are not Interpol, we just sell travel."

Police are investigating 12 offences which have occurred between Brisbane and the Gold Coast since January involving nine people, all believed to be tourists from Ireland.

Expand Close Australian police have released images of the suspects believed to be Irish Photo: Queensland police / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Australian police have released images of the suspects believed to be Irish Photo: Queensland police

They are accused of stealing goods and money from retail stores as well as obtaining free food and beverages from restaurants claiming foreign objects, such as glass, are in their food.

Police said that a group of men are offering discounted repairs on bitumen driveways and roofing whilst providing sub-standard services or failing to complete the work.

In one case, an elderly man lost more than $25,000 (15,900) when he paid men to repair his roof, but they never finished the job.

Detective Superintendent Tony Fleming, Brisbane Region said the groups are targeting small businesses and the elderly.

"They are good at creating diversions and distractions/disruptions to either steal goods or demand goods and services for free. They are aggressive and usually work in groups of two or more.

"I encourage anyone who believes they may have fallen victims to these people, and who havent already reported it to police, to contact Policelink on 131 444."

Meanwhile, a property owner in Australia has allegedly lost thousands of dollars and has been subjected to vile abuse after a group of Irish scammers rented apartments from her.

Clara Carmichael told RTE's Liveline programme that she first encountered the group late last year when she rented four units to four families who said they were friends through a church group.

"We first came across them late last year, maybe September, October when a group of four different families who were all friends rented apartments in one of the buildings that I own and run," she said.

They gave names with identifications and numbers which all checked out at the time she said but things soured quickly.

"We had a lot of complaints from other tenants, they were terrorising other people in the building, people were scared to come and go,"she added.

A voice message was played on the show left by one of the group to Ms Carmichael - the messages were often threatening and sexually explcit.

"You're a dirty, smelly Australian slapper," the man said in the message.
THEY say diplomacy is the art of soothingly saying Nice doggy until you can find a rock.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar faces into arguably the biggest test to date of his diplomatic skills when he sits down on Thursday for approximately 40 minutes with US President Donald Trump.

For decades now, the bilateral meeting between the two countries around St Patricks Day has been afforded a special status  a seemingly-unique opportunity for Ireland Inc to present a wish-list to the most-powerful man on earth, and see if hell throw us a steak.

The reality, of course, is rather less utopian.

And with the chaotic nature of the Trump White House this week (and every week?), the Taoiseach knows Thursday morning will be high-priority for him but barely register on Trumps antennae.

But Leo also knows it is still an opportunity.

These are four of the main topics he is set to bring up:

*A new role for Ireland?

In Washington this week, the Taoiseach warned that America and Europe may drift apart because of growing divisions on trade, tax, climate change and other areas. Brexit isnt helping this drift  with Britains determination to leave the EU set to remove the US closest ally - but with their America First mantra to the fore, there is little indication to date the Trump administration cares.

Trumps recent decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the EU looks likely to start a trade war  with Mr Varadkar arguing that US, the EU and Ireland will all lose out if protectionism becomes the new norm. It seems however, that Trump simply doesnt trust the EU, and an escalation seems inevitable.

Mr Varadkar will try to begin to change his mindset  and put Ireland at the centre of a potential solution. I think that Ireland can become a bridge between America and the EU, particularly with Britain not there anymore, he said on Tuesday. I think we can play a role in interpreting Americas position better to the EU, and the EUs position better to America.

I think we can play a really important role in bridging the gap that exists really interpreting each others issues and concerns, and helping to ensure that positive and constructive relations are maintained and developed, he added.

The Taoiseach will point to Ireland and Americas shared culture, a common language and similar political and legal frameworks as he attempts to impress on Trump that Ireland can play a role here. But Mr Varadkar was also quick to reiterate which team Ireland was on. That is not to suggest for a second that we are offering ourselves up as Americas agents in the EU because thats not what I mean, he said. Were committed members of the EU.

Trump thumbs up?

The European Commission is expected to respond on Wednesday to the White Houses tariffs, which is likely to form part of Mr Varadkars presentation on Thursday. The Taoiseach will, in effect, be representing the EU on this issue, and you wouldnt envy him. Trumps election win and core popularity is largely based around economically isolationist policies to Make America Great Again and bring back traditional jobs like those in the steel industry. Its likely hes heard all the economic arguments before  or more accurately, they were presented to him before and he ignored them.

*A new Ambassador?

The position of US ambassador to Ireland has been vacant since Kevin OMalley  a nominee of Barack Obama  left the position in January of 2017. The Irish role has been unfilled since then, with the charge daffaires at the US embassy, Reece Smyth, taking on the responsibilities on an interim basis. It is only one of dozens of US ambassadorial roles around the world that have yet to be filled by the Trump administration, some 14 months after he was sworn in.

Mr Varadkar was asked this week about the possibility of a new special envoy to Northern Ireland being appointed in an attempt to end the impasse between the DUP and Sinn Fein. Foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney had discussed the importance of such of an appointment with secretary of state Rex Tillerson in a recent to the US three weeks ago  and the indications at that point were that an envoy would be appointed. However, Mr Tillerson was sacked by President Trump this week, and Mr Varadkar is now suggesting that it might not be necessary.

I think the priority for us would be having a US Ambassador appointed more so than a Northern Ireland envoy. Sinn Fein and the DUP came very close in talks to an accommodation, he said on Tuesday.

While we always welcome US involvement and interest in Ireland and helping us to achieve what we want in Northern Ireland I think what would be of more value to us would be the appointment of an ambassador at this stage.

Trump thumbs up?

There is increasing speculation that a new ambassador will be named on Thursday, or very shortly afterwards. Edward Crawford, a leading businessman from Ohio and a long-time donor to the Republican Party, has been seen as the frontrunner since Brian Burns, a friend of Mr Trump, pulled out of the running last summer. Mr Crawfords grandparents are from Cork, and he has a strong involvement in the Irish community in Ohio.

*The undocumented Irish

The appointment of John Deasy as the governments special envoy to the US congress last year took many by surprise. Part of his brief was to look at the issue of the undocumented Irish in the US. He must be making good progress as he will be in the Oval Office on Thursday.

It has long been accepted that there are approximately 50,000 Irish living illegally in the US, but Mr Deasy is likely to contend that new analysis shows the real figure to be much lower  closer to 10,000. This, the Irish side believes, gives them a little extra bargaining power, and Mr Varadkar is floating the idea of a reciprocal arrangement between the two countries.

There isn't a solution on the table as yet but there is a real willingness I think from the US administration to perhaps come to some sort of reciprocal agreement with Ireland, recognising that the Irish who are undocumented in America are a particular group, they're relatively small number, 10 or 15 thousand people, he said.

They did almost all come here legally in the first place and they are people who have been contributing to the economy, paying taxes and obeying the law.

The Irish delegation will talk to Trump about how Americans in Ireland could get new benefits, new protections, possible pathways to citizenship for American in Ireland in return for them doing something similar for Irish undocumented here.

Trump thumbs up?

The US President does, famously, like to deal. So theres a chance he might bite. But, in reality, it seems a small one. A special deal for the Irish at this stage would, obviously, bring every other immigrant grouping knocking on the White House door. And he has shown little inclination to listen to them so far, and his administration has shown little empathy for the plight of the undocumented  Irish or otherwise.

Im in the White House at President Trumps invitation, the Taoiseach said in Texas at the weekend. Im not going there to lecture him on American immigration policy.

That wouldnt play too well, granted, but a softly-softly Irish-centric approach also looks doomed to perish on this administrations hardline stance.

*Gay rights

Apart from the Oval Office handshake, arguably the most eagerly-awaited stop on the itinerary had been the Vice Presidents breakfast meeting with the Taoiseach.

Mike Pence has long been criticised for his opposition to gay rights and rumoured support of conversion therapy  a discredited practice that proponents claim can make gay people straight. (He denies he supports the therapy). Leo Varadkar  and you may just be aware of this  is gay.

This years breakfast meeting, however, will take place on Friday meaning that the Taoiseach is set to meet Mr Pence for the first time in the Oval Office on Thursday. And hes already set out his stall.

Weve always seen America as a beacon of freedom. This is the land of the free, the home of the brave, this is where the gay rights movement began, he told the SXSW festival in Texas last weekend.

Its really tough to see a country built on freedom, build on individual freedom, not being a world leader in that space anymore. I think the majority of American people would agree with what I have to say, even if the administration doesnt.

Elsewhere he said he would talk to Mr Pence on the subject, and he hoped that by sharing his story and the story of the success of the marriage equality referendum in Ireland he might change hearts and minds.

Trump thumbs up?

In the 14 months since his inauguration, the anti-LGBT actions of the Trump administration have been numerous. They include  but are not limited to  an attempt to ban transgender people from the military, a budget was proposed to cut funding for HIV and AIDS research, the LGBT community was cut from the National Survey of Older Americans and the White House didnt mark Pride month.

Again, Mr Varadkar looks unlikely to come away with anything positive.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said she does not feel she was snubbed by US President Donald Trump after she did not receive an invite to attend the annual St Patricks Day ceremony in the White House.

Ms McDonald also insisted former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams should not turn down his invitation in solidarity with his party colleague.

The Dublin TD has previously attended the annual shamrock ceremony in the White House but this year she was not invited and neither was Sinn Fein Northern leader Michelle ONeill.

Speaking in Washington, the day before the event, Ms McDonald said: I don't feel that I was snubbed and added: It is a matter for the White House who they invite as their guests.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. There are many celebrations marking that occasion and I think it is entirely appropriate actually that Gerry Adams, as one of the main architects of that agreement, would be at the White House. So no he should not snub the White House. He shouldn't be snubbing anybody, she added.

A senior Sinn Fein source said they believed the chaos in the White House was reason the administration's failure to invite the partys two most senior figure.

Party officials are hopeful Ms McDonald and Ms ONeill will be invited before the event tomorrow afternoon.

Two years ago, Mr Adams was refused entry to the White House due to confusion over a background security check on the then Sinn Fein leader.

On that occasion, Ms McDonald and now deceased Sinn Fein Northern leader Martin McGuinness attend the event.

Sinn Fein released a statement after Mr Adams was refused entry in which they referenced black civil rights icon Rosa Parks by saying the party party will not sit at the back of the bus for anyone.

Read More

Separately, Ms McDonald welcomed Taoiseach Leo Varadkars announcement that he planned to invite Mr Trump to Ireland when they meeting in the White House tomorrow. Mr Varadkar also suggested he would bring the US President to the Northern Ireland border should he visit the country.

On the issue of the President of the United States coming to Ireland that in the first instance is a call for the Taoiseach and for the diplomatic services but again where America can bring something positive to bear and make a positive contribution to our process I think we should always be open to that, Ms McDonald said,

I don't think for a moment that inviting another head of state should be read as endorsing or sharing their political views on things. But let's be honest, the stakes for Ireland now in light of Brexit, the challenges we face in getting the Northern administration up an running are very very great.

"I do think we can benefit from American influence in that but ultimately we will have to do the heavy lifting [ourselves], she added.
Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster has branded as inappropriate a suggestion from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that the Irish and UK governments could table joint proposals as a way to break the Stormont deadlock.

Mrs Foster said it was not for the leader of the Irish Republic to suggest the next steps in efforts to restore powersharing.

"In keeping with the principle of consent and the three-stranded approach it is not appropriate for the Irish Prime Minister to outline future political steps relating to Northern Ireland and a resumption of talks," she said.

"Whilst we will work with the Irish government on appropriate issues, the political process is an internal matter and should be taken forward by Her Majesty's Government."

Mrs Foster has welcomed comments from Mr Varadkar in which he acknowledged some of his government's comments on Brexit may have angered unionists.

Mr Varadkar told an event in Washington DC on Tuesday that he had no "hidden agenda".

"I recognise and welcome the acknowledgement that many unionists have felt some actions and statements from the Irish government have not been helpful," said Mrs Foster.

"I recognise too the concerns which exist, particularly within the Republic of Ireland, about Brexit. It is vital however that we work together to secure the best possible outcome for all our citizens.

"In the past I and other DUP ministers did build up good and productive relationships with our counterparts in the Republic which was to the benefit of both countries. I hope the Taoiseach's comments can represent a return to that more positive working relationship."
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar takes questions from the floor at the Brookings Institute in Washington DC on day three of his week long visit to the United States of America. Niall Carson/PA Wire

TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar has moved to reassure Northern Ireland unionists that there is no hidden agenda behind his attempts to restore the power-sharing executive.

Speaking on Capitol Hill in Washington, Mr Varadkar offered an olive branch to unionists by saying he understood the concerns of the community over statements made by the Irish Government during Brexit talks.

The Taoiseach also revealed his Government is willing to table proposals aimed at resolving the more than year-long impasse on restoring the Northern Ireland Assembly. Before Christmas, the Taoiseach clashed with Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Arlene Foster over Brexit.

At the Good Friday Agreement 20th Anniversary event, Mr Varakdar said Ulster-Scot Protestants are an integral, respected and valued part of the history of the island of Ireland.

I would like to speak to the representatives of unionism here tonight and to unionists at home in Northern Ireland, he said.

I know that you are concerned - perhaps worried - maybe even angry, at recent political developments.

I recognise that recent statements and actions by Irish nationalists, including the Irish Government, about Brexit have been seen as unwelcome or intrusive.

If that is the case, I want to make it clear that it certainly was not our intention, he added.

The Taoiseach said his only objective is ensuring the principles of the Good Friday Agreement are protected.

He said Governments in London and Dublin should redouble their efforts in the coming months to restore the Northern Ireland institutions. He said this could include proposals from both administrations.

I believe the period after Easter should see a redoubled effort on the part of both Governments and all of the parties in Northern Ireland to seek agreement on the restoration of the institutions, he said

It is my view that this will require very close co-operation and leadership from the British and Irish Governments.

It may be that again the Governments will have to table our own proposals to help the parties break the deadlock.

That is how we made progress in the past, he added.

Also at the event former US President Bill Clinton has said the signing of the Good Friday Agreement was one of the happiest days of his political career.

Mr Clinton was speaking via a video message at the event in Washington D.C.

He said the anniversary should inspire political leaders to recommit to the spirit of the agreement which ended years of violence in Northern Ireland.

The Democrat politician said none of the issues at the centre of the political deadlock in the North are an excuse for not strengthening the peace deal.

Other speakers at the event included Former US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland George Mitchell, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, former UUP leader Mike Nesbitt and US Representatives Peter King and Richie Neale.
Theres no other relationship like the one we have with our first pet.

These furry, feathered or scaled creatures occupy a very special place in our hearts. First pets very quickly find their way both into our hearts and into our homes, despite assurances they wouldnt venture out of their bed and into ours.

First pets are more than just pets; they become a member of the family. Kids grow up with their pets by their sides- on bad days a snuggle with a favourite pet is as comforting as a hug from mum or dad. First pets entertain, excite and inspire. They teach us about compassion, patience and just how stubborn those muddy paw prints can be on a carpet.

For a lot of us, getting that first pet took a bit of convincing. We made promises to walk, wash and feed them- for a lot of kids, a first pet is also a first taste of responsibility.

Family life is full of firsts and asked Irish families what a first pet means to them. For some kids, it meant making promises to do household chores and for parents, it meant sometimes ignoring that bit of food disappearing off someones plate and going under the table. This is what their first pet means to them

Vodafone Ireland is celebrating Family Firsts, looking at the constant changes (big and small) that make up family life. Whatever these experiences mean to you, embrace them all. Go to Vodafone.ie for the latest offers for all the family.

Sponsored by:
Louise Thompson and Spencer Matthews attends the launch of Pocket London at Whisky Mist on October 24, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)

Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson had some choice words for ex-boyfriend Spencer Matthews on his engagement to Irish tv presenter Vogue Williams.

Thompson dated the reformed lothario for several months in 2013 and their tumultuous relationship was a key storyline in the early days of MIC and while she's loved-up with personal trainer boyfriend Ryan Libbey for the last two years, she was asked about her thoughts on her ex's pending nuptials.

"I'm bloody glad I dodged that bullet," she told heat magazine.

"I honestly thought he would never settle down. It's nice that anyone can change.

Expand Close Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews. Picture: Instagram / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews. Picture: Instagram

"Although, I find it so odd that he proposed at The Lion King! That would be my worst nightmare."

Matthews popped the question after a stage performance of The Lion King in London and issued a picture of them posing with the cast via press release the next day to media outlets in the UK and Ireland.

Thompson said she's warned her other half not to make such a public fuss when he pops the question, adding: "I'm trying to stop getting worked up about this engagement."

"Although, I'm a control freak, so he already knows not to [propose] in front of any people and a million miles away from TV cameras."

Expand Close Louise Thompson and Spencer Matthews attends the launch of Pocket London at Whisky Mist on October 24, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Louise Thompson and Spencer Matthews attends the launch of Pocket London at Whisky Mist on October 24, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/FilmMagic)

Interestingly, she said her ex "wants be to be a godparent" when he has children, adding, "Spencer has always been so friendly".

Last year, Louise, who is promoting the new season of the E4 reality show, said she doubted he would ever "be faithful to one woman" due to his past infidelities, which were well documented on Made in Chelsea.

"He will hate me for saying that but I used to know him so well, so I think I'm entitled," she told new! magazine.

During their romance, he was unfaithful to her and told her: "It's f***ing hard to respect you when you allow me to cheat on you."
Prince William delivering a letter to Santa in Finland, left, and Prince George at Christmas last year, right

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge view helicopter models H145 and H135 before departing from Hamburg airport on the last day of their official visit to Poland and Germany on July 21, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Prince George holding hands with the Duke of Cambridge and Helen Haslem, head of the lower school, at Thomas's Battersea in London, as he started his first day of school. Photo: Richard Pohle/The Times/PA Wire

Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, his wife Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk past helicopters at the airfield in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Charisius/POOL

Britain's Prince George accompanied by Britain's Prince William (L), Duke of Cambridge arrives for his first day of school at Thomas's school in Battersea, southwest London on September 7, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / RICHARD POHLERICHARD POHLE/AFP/Getty Images

The picture used on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's 2017 Christmas card which was taken by Getty Images royal photographer Chris Jackson at Kensington Palace showing the royal couple with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Prince George of Cambridge with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge at a children's party for Military families during the Royal Tour of Canada on September 29, 2016 in Victoria, Canada

Handout photo released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge of the Duke of Cambridge with his son Prince George on his first day of school

The Duke of Cambridge hands Prince George's Christmas Wish List to a man dressed as Santa Claus as he visits Esplanade Park's Christmas market in Helsinki, on the second day of his tour of Finland

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and Princess Charlotte

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince George during a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 8, 2016 in Fairford, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Prince George is "obsessed" with police.

The four-year-old royal's father, Prince William, met with winners of the Metropolitan Police Excellence Awards at a Kensington Palace reception on Tuesday and the 35-year-old prince - who was joined at the event by his younger brother, Prince Harry - revealed his son would love to be a police officer when he's older.

Police commissioner Jayne Richardson told William - who also has two-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte with his pregnant wife Duchess Catherine - there are more officers needed at Scotland Yard.

She joked: "We are recruiting, actually, so if George and Charlotte are keen?"

Expand Close Handout photo released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge of the Duke of Cambridge with his son Prince George on his first day of school / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Handout photo released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge of the Duke of Cambridge with his son Prince George on his first day of school

William replied: "[George] is obsessed, actually, by the police . . . cars, toys, everything."

And William also spoke to cadet of the year, Nabil Laasid, who was honoured for completing almost 1,000 hours of volunteering last year, and the commissioner suggested the young royals could sign up to volunteer when they get a little older.

Jane said after the event: "We're only based just down the road in Kensington and I said to him 'Perhaps Prince George and Princess Charlotte could join the police cadets'.

"And he said 'Well he does like the police at the moment'."

Expand Close Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, his wife Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk past helicopters at the airfield in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Charisius/POOL / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Britain's Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, his wife Princess Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte walk past helicopters at the airfield in Hamburg Finkenwerder, Germany, July 21, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Charisius/POOL

William's comments come after it was revealed in November that the only thing George had asked for for Christmas was a toy police car.

The Duke of Cambridge had met with a Santa Claus during a trip to Finland and handed over a handwritten letter from his son, which featured a request just for the vehicle.

William said as he passed on the note: "I've seen you, and I had to give you this letter. He hasn't written down many requests, so I think one request is probably OK."

George had also circled that he had been "nice", rather than "naughty" that year, which William pointed out.

Expand Close The Duke of Cambridge hands Prince George's Christmas Wish List to a man dressed as Santa Claus as he visits Esplanade Park's Christmas market in Helsinki, on the second day of his tour of Finland / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The Duke of Cambridge hands Prince George's Christmas Wish List to a man dressed as Santa Claus as he visits Esplanade Park's Christmas market in Helsinki, on the second day of his tour of Finland

"But he's been a nice boy, a nice boy," he said.

Meanwhile, William's wife Kate Middleton recently revealed her husband - who is president of BAFTA - and son bond over their shared interest in film.

The duchess was overheard speaking to the director of Disney's 'Coco', Lee Unkrich, at the BAFTA Awards last month, saying: "I'm desperate to see it. Lots of girlfriends have been to see it with their kiddies and been really impressed with it.

"They [George and William] are just getting into films now, George is four-and-a-half. 'Paddington' is definitely up there, and so is 'Coco' now.

"It's great obviously because of William's interest in film, it's great to have that father-son thing."

William and Catherine also revealed in October, that the youngster relishes spending time in front of the screen at home, where he watches the kids' series 'The Octonauts', as well as 'The Lion King' and the 'Lego' movies.

During a conversation with a young boy - which has been posted on Twitter - William was asked about his son's hobbies, and he replied: "He quite likes 'The Lion King'. We've watched that a few times.

"He's watched 'Octonauts'. Trying to keep him off the television is hard work."
Professor Stephen Hawking is known throughout the world for his scientific and academic work.

As a lecturer, best-selling author and cosmologist, Hawking was an inspiration not just for his academic accomplishments but also for his disability advocacy.

People have been taking to social media to share their experiences of having a disability and working in academia, and the legacy that Hawking has left behind.

Stephen Hawking inspired me to put my disability in the background and to focus on showing off my knowledge to the world.  Hamish  (@HamishThompson_) March 14, 2018

Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease (MND) in 1964 at the age of 22, and was given just a few years to live.

After being diagnosed with the degenerative illness, the physicist went on to live a further 54 years.

Hawking has been an inspiration for people with disabilities working in academia, many of whom have cited the professor as a role model for their own scientific work.

Stephen Hawking's death hits me very hard as a disabled person studying a scientific field. To see such brilliant and respected disabled voice pass away is always sad, he was such great person, rest in oeace Stephen  Rei Pinto (@studioboner) March 14, 2018

Alex told the Press Association: I got into academia this year, Im studying to be a maths teacher, I plan on getting a specialisation in physics too in the future.

Id say I first came across him when I was about 11 years old, what really inspired me about him wasnt just that he was a brilliant mind and also kind, but that people really did respect him and took him seriously. Giving him the respect he deserved.

To see other disabled people be treated in such way feels amazing. Seeing him succeed and be considered one of the greatest minds ever is such a confidence boost to other disabled people.

Jessi Parrott, a PhD student, told the Press Association: This is my fourth degree, and Ive done them in part because one of my tutors was passionate about me succeeding and said to me you need all the qualifications you can get so people will take you seriously.

I was grateful I had Professor Hawking to use as an example my mum told me about him from when I was very young. As Ive got older my admiration for him has only grown, because he used his position to advocate for better access and inclusion.

Parrott has done two Masters degrees at RADA and Oxford University, and is now completing her PhD at Warwick University.

I've said this many times before but, as a disabled kid who wanted to go to university and wasn't sure if I could, Stephen Hawking was a shining light of hope. He inspired me not just to do an undergrad degree but to keep going to PhD level. Thank you, Sir, and RIP   Dr Jessi Parrott (@messijessijumps) March 14, 2018

Parrott said: I definitely think accessibility could be improved, not just in terms of physical access but peoples attitudes too Representation is so important for people to know that campuses are open and welcoming to them, but that is getting harder because of cuts to things like DSA (Disabled Students Allowance).

If I were applying now, Im not sure Id feel quite so confident about getting the support I need.

Difficult to overstate how powerful it can be as a young disabled person doing a PhD to have disabled role models like Stephen Hawking. He was inspiring in the best way possible- by demonstrating to other disabled people that their voices can, should and will be heard- RIP  Jamie Green (@Jamie_Green94) March 14, 2018

At an event to celebrate Hawkings 50th year as a fellow at the University of Cambridges Gonville and Caius College, he expressed concerns about disability support at universities.

He said: I wonder whether a young ambitious academic, with my kind of severe condition now, would find the same generosity and support in much of higher education. Even with the best goodwill, would the money still be there? I fear not.

Scientist Professor Brian Cox told BBC Radio 4s Today programme, There are many good theoretical physicists who make a big contribution, but there arent that many greats.

And by that I mean that I think there are physicists in a thousand years time, they will still be talking about Hawking radiation, they will be using his fundamental results on black holes.
One of the Russian chemical weapons scientists who developed the Novichok nerve agent has warned that hundreds of people could be at risk for years following the attack in Salisbury.

Dr Vil Mirzayanov, who fled to the US two decades ago, claimed Sergei Skripal and his daughter would not recover from the poisoning.

"There is no cure," he told Sky News from his home in New Jersey. "There are antidotes but  they will be invalid for [their] whole life."

Dr Mirzayanov said Novichok was so powerful that extremely small doses could remain a danger to public health for years.

"I suppose it's very bad because even the very small doses, very small, still they are very effective and then there will be consequences for years probably," he added.

The scientist said public health advice, including washing clothes and sealing belongings, was "not enough" and confirmed that hundreds of people could be at risk.

Asked whether he felt guilty for his part in developing Novichok, he added: "I participated in this criminal enterprise, because of that I'm probably the most fiery enemy of these chemical weapons. It's a weapon of mass murder."

Neil Basu, assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, said 38 people had been seen by doctors in relation to the incident. He told a press conference that 34 of those patients had been assessed and discharged, with Mr Skripal, his daughter and Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey remaining in hospital and one person being monitored as an outpatient.

The officer said anyone known to have been in the same area as the victims has been directly contacted, adding: "This is over a week later - people are not presenting symptoms, we are not seeing them."

Mr Basu said he could not comment on how the nerve agent was administered but vowed that police would leave "no stone unturned in establishing the full circumstance of the attack".

He issued a new appeal for anyone who saw the pair in Mr Skripal's car - a red BMW - in Salisbury between 1pm and 1.45pm on the day of the attack to call police.

Ms Skripal had arrived at Heathrow to visit her father the previous day, and they arrived in the Sainsbury's upper level car park in The Maltings at 1.40pm. They went to The Mill pub before going to Zizzi's for lunch. Emergency services received the first report from members of the public who saw them slumped on a bench at 4.15pm.
When we look back, in decades to come, at when the West woke up to the threats it faces in the 21st century, it is unlikely we will be able to identify a single decisive moment or event.

The brutal and irresponsible use of a nerve agent against former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter dominates the news today, but in years to come it will be just one sad data point in a larger emerging picture, which the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the cyber attacks against Estonia, the invasion and annexation of Crimea, the destabilisation of Ukraine, and the development of major new military and digital weapons to attack the western allies all help to make clear.

While small in the sweep of history, the outrage committed in Salisbury contains all the elements of the Putin regime at work - vengefulness, deniability, inventiveness, and an eye for the weaknesses of free and open societies.

It is of a piece with the Russian soldiers who invaded Crimea not wearing their uniforms or insignia, and the massive effort to disrupt and distort the US election campaign which Moscow still breezily denies.

So, it's not surprising that last week's atrocity is being connected with the Russian Novichok programme identified by Theresa May.

Moscow's success relies partly on the ease with which all facts can be contested in the "post-truth" world we have now entered. But it also takes advantage of a deep psychological weakness in the West - that we really don't want to admit to ourselves that we face new threats, rival systems and alternative ideologies, just when we thought we were free of all that.

Admitting that Russia is a serious, long-term threat to our security is an awful, excruciatingly painful exercise for a great many people.

For military planners, it means nearly 30 years of downgrading the need for large and strong conventional forces has been a mistake.

For neo-conservatives, it means the assumption that democracy will prosper even in areas where it has few foundations was hopelessly wrong.

For the likes of Nigel Farage and Donald Trump, it means fawning admiration of Putin was naive.

Can it really be true that Russia is equipping itself to snap the undersea cables on which all our communications and finances depend? Afraid it is.

Are they actually positioning themselves to hack into our vital infrastructure and disrupt it? Looks like it.

Can they possibly maintain Soviet levels of espionage and covert activity in our free European societies? You bet they can.

Are they flying aggressive sorties to test our air defences? Yup.

And surely they're not developing new chemicals and deadly poisons as well? Of course they are.

What makes the mental adjustment harder still for westerners is that our new rivals, like Putin, have adopted a veneer of our own practices. This Sunday there will be an election in Russia, and President Putin will genuinely win it. That looks like democracy, and some people in the West, still addicted to lazy thinking, will be fooled by it.

Of course, most of us know enough to understand that if intimidation and media control are used for years to stifle all opposition of substance, it isn't really democracy at all. And if the same person is elected over and over and over again, it ceases to be democracy, since that relies on a diffusion and rotation of power.

Russia has become a rival system to our own, one of authoritarian capitalism, in which an enterprise economy functions but murder, extortion and external aggression by the state are allowed.

China, deciding as it did on Sunday that Xi Jinping can be president without time limit, is evolving a totalitarian version, with strong adherence to party ideology and the thinking of a single man alongside what is meant to be a market economy.

Yet in the elevation of one man to permanent and total power, we know that a great mistake is being made.

Almost all such cases throughout history turn out badly for the individual concerned, who becomes consumed by power; for the nation in question, since new thinking by others becomes stifled; and therefore for the world in general, which has to deal with the consequences.

It will have little immediate effect for anyone in the western democracies, but it is an unambiguously unwelcome development for the future. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee are sharply disagreeing with Republicans on the panel who say they do not see any evidence of collusion or coordination between President Donald Trumps 2016 campaign and Russia.

California Representative Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the panel, said on Tuesday that he believes there is significant evidence of collusion between Mr Trumps campaign and Russia, though he could not say if there was criminal wrongdoing.

Republicans on the committee announced on Monday that they had completed a draft report and they saw no evidence of collusion.

Mr Schiff, who saw the Republican report for the first time on Tuesday, said Democrats on the committee would try to continue the investigation where possible and would write their own report to lay out conclusions from the intelligence panels year-long investigation into Russian meddling.

Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee just released a status report to share with the American people the work left undone in the Russia investigation when the Majority decided to shut it down.



Our work will continue  theres a lot left to do: https://t.co/N1ixXllC1D  Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) March 13, 2018

The Republican report misleadingly characterises events, and paints a portrait and tells a story that could not have been better written if it was written in the White House itself, Mr Schiff said.

MR Trump enthusiastically praised the draft Republican report, telling reporters ON Tuesday morning that the White House is very, very happy with the Republican conclusions.

It was a powerful decision that left no doubt and I want to thank the House intelligence committee, Mr Trump said.

Democrats have said for some time that they believed Republicans were not conducting a serious investigation.

Mr Schiff on Tuesday released a 22-page report detailing threads that Democrats still believe the committee should pursue and witnesses they still want to hear from. Those include White House officials, campaign officials and people in the intelligence community.

As examples of evidence of coordination, Mr Schiff cited multiple contacts between Mr Trumps campaign and Russia, including a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 and information passed on to an Australian diplomat by a former Trump campaign aide, George Papadopolous, that the Russians had dirt on Hillary Clinton.

Mr Schiff said Democrats would try to release all committee interview transcripts in their report. He also signalled that he would reopen or begin certain lines of inquiry if Democrats retake the majority of the House this November.

Expand Close Mike Conway / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mike Conway

Texas Representative Mike Conaway, the Republican leading the Russia probe, previewed some of the Republican reports findings on Monday, but said the public will not see the full document until Democrats have reviewed it and the intelligence community has decided what information can be released, a process that could take weeks.

We found no evidence of collusion, Mr Conaway said, suggesting that those who believe there was collusion are reading too many spy novels. We found perhaps some bad judgment, inappropriate meetings, inappropriate judgment in taking meetings. But only Tom Clancy or Vince Flynn or someone else like that could take this series of inadvertent contacts with each other, or meetings or whatever, and weave that into sort of a fiction page-turner, spy thriller.

In addition to the statement on coordination with Russians, Republicans said the draft challenges an assessment by US intelligence agencies that the Russian government, at the direction of President Vladimir Putin, waged a covert influence campaign to interfere in the election with the goal of hurting Mrs Clintons candidacy and helping Mr Trumps campaign.

House Intelligence Committee officials said they spent hundreds of hours reviewing raw source material used by the intelligence services in the assessment and that it did not meet the appropriate standards to make the claim about helping Mr Trump.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a statement soon after the GOP announcement, saying it stood by the intelligence communitys findings.

Mr Conaway appeared to walk that conclusion back a bit on on Tuesday, saying it was clear that the Russians intended to hurt Mrs Clinton and make her a less effective president, if she won.

Whether or not they were trying to hurt Hillary, help Trump, whatever it is  its kind of the glass half full, glass half empty, Mr Conaway said.
A family sits on a truck with their belongings north-east of Afrin, Syria, yesterday. Photo: Reuters/Khalil Ashawi

Turkish forces and allied rebels surrounded the Syrian city of Afrin yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of its mostly Kurdish residents trapped.

Hundreds of civilians managed to flee advancing troops on Monday, but an estimated 700,000 are now encircled in Afrin and nearby villages and towns.

The only road out was in range of Turkish artillery fire and was therefore impassable, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Some 230 civilians have been killed so far in Turkey's Operation Olive Branch, however Kurdish fighters warned the new siege could trigger a humanitarian crisis.

There was no water after Turkish forces seized control of the local dam, and residents say they have relied on water wells for their consumption.

"Where is the international community? Why don't they cry tears for all Syrian civilians, not only some?" said Ahmed Murad, a resident of Afrin. "They are too scared to criticise their Turkish ally."

While attention in recent weeks has focused on a ferocious regime assault on rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, in Syria's north Turkish forces and Syrian opposition fighters have been advancing in their offensive against the Kurdish enclave.

Turkey launched its operation on January 20, saying it intended to clear the border of YPG fighters, whom they consider terrorists. However, its mission has expanded to include territory deep into Syria.

Senior officials have said that Turkey was trying, through war, to take lands it occupied during the Ottoman Empire.

Redur Xelil, head of foreign relations for the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-backed alliance of fighters that includes the YPG, accused the Turkish forces of carrying out "demographic change" in Kurdish territory captured in Afrin.

"The Turkish government is settling Turkmen and Arab families in the villages of Afrin that it occupied after forcing out its people, and is distributing the belongings of the people of Afrin to the new settlers," he said.

The UN said that it received "disturbing reports" of civilian deaths in the northwestern Syrian enclave and that it believes "tens of thousands" have been displaced.

Turkey denied the claims.

The Turkish offensive opened a new front in a multi-sided civil war now entering its eighth year, which has drawn in neighbours and global powers who have armed and assisted fighters on the ground.

Turkey considers the YPG a serious threat, while the US has relied on the group in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

Their different positions have been the source of increasing friction between the Nato allies.

Ankara is riled by US support and arming of the Kurds, and accuses Washington of not fulfilling a promise to move the Syrian Kurdish fighters in Manbij east of the Euphrates River.

It threatened yesterday to expand its current offensive in northern Syria to drive the Syrian Kurds out of Manbij, where the US has troops.

Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey's foreign minister, said it had been agreed that the YPG would leave Manbij and Turkey and the US would jointly secure the area.

The US did not immediately confirm and the YPG said it had not been informed of any such deal. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
United Airlines have accepted "full responsibility" for the death of a pet dog on one of their flights.

The airline said they have launched an investigation after an attendant forced the owners to put the 10-month-old dog in an overhead bin.

Onlookers reported seeing the puppy's owner cradling it in her arms and sobbing, after she discovered her pet was dead when the plane touched down at LaGuardia airport in New York.

Maggie Gremminger, a passenger on the flight from Houston, said a flight attendant told the passenger before take-off that she must put her dog in the overhead bin. She reluctantly agreed, and the dog was reportedly heard barking on takeoff and during some turbulence - before going silent.

United Airline has accepted "full responsibility" for the tragedy, and have launched an investigation.

Gremminger wrote: I just flew into LGA and witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a passenger to put her dog bag in the overhead bin. It was clearly a dog and while the customer was adamant about leaving it under the seat, the attendant pushed her to do so.

At the end of the flight, the woman found her dog, deceased. She sat in the aeroplane aisle crying, and all of surrounding passengers were utterly stunned.

Gremminger then posted a photo of the grieving passenger and wrote: I want to help this woman and her daughter. They lost their dog because of a United flight attendant. My heart is broken.

I just flew into LGA and witnessed a United flight attendant instruct a passenger to put her dog bag in the overhead bin. It was clearly a dog and while the customer was adamant about leaving it under the seat, the attendant pushed her to do so. (1)  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

I dont know how Ill sleep tonight. It was clearly a dog in a TSA approved dog bag. Why would the flight attendant force the woman to put her dog there? I could have done something. Im so upset.  MaggieGremminger (@MaggieGrem) March 13, 2018

Another passenger who was sitting behind the family and witnessed the incident, June Lara, also posted about the disturbing flight on Facebook.

According to Lara, the flight attendant INSISTED that the puppy be locked up for three hours without any kind of airflow.

The puppy barked throughout the flight, according to Lara:filling our flight with his cries until he finally ran out of breath.

But there was no sound as we landed and opened his kennel. There was no movement as his family called his name.

Lara also posted photos of the dog, in which the 10-month-old puppy is shown laying lifeless in a dog carrier.

According to Uniteds website, the airline allows domesticated cats, dogs, rabbits and birds and A pet travelling in a cabin must be carried in an approved hard-sided or soft-sided kennel. The kennel must fit completely under the seat in front of the customer and remain there at all times.

The website does not say dogs will be placed in overhead bins in any situation.

The incident has incited outrage on social media - and many people are announcing they will be boycotting United as a result.

United Airlines has taken responsibility for the incident in a statement.

A spokesperson for the airline told The Independent: This was a tragic accident that should never have occurred, as pets should never be placed in the overhead bin. We assume full responsibility for this tragedy and express our deepest condolences to the family and are committed to supporting them. We are thoroughly investigating what occurred to prevent this from ever happening again.
This woman could be the youngest retiree in Canada - and she's convinced she's doing it right.

Kristy Shen retired in 2014, aged just 31.

She retired from her job as a computer engineer with $1 million (620,000) in the bank. Now she travels the world with her husband, Bryce.

Speaking on Farnoosh Torabi's podcast, 'So Money', Shen said she got to $1 million in savings and structured her portfolio to support herself for the next 50 years.

Shen said her understanding of 'retirement' is ""you don't need to work anymore because the passive income from your portfolio pays for your living expenses so you can actually choose to work or not to work at that point."

Shen, who is also the blogger behind Millennial Revolution, said she doesn't think retirement should be limited to lounging on a beach somewhere.

She also said that retirement isn't as expensive as you might think.

She said; "I also found that, actually, people don't realise how much money they're paying to work  like, it's ridiculous.

"How much money you're paying on commuting to work every day?

"How money you have to pay for buying professional clothing and dry cleaning?

"For people who have kids, how much money they have to pay for daycare and childcare?"

She continued; "One of the things that people don't realise until after they reach higher is that their costs go down, because all of those costs that are associated with working completely disappear."

Shen also said anyone who wishes to retire early needs flexibility. She said it's key to living off dividend income, or other savings and investments.

She said she doesn't feel she had to "give up anything".

"I don't think it's so much giving up.

"It's more like being flexible and then also prioritizing the things that matter and then not caring about the things that don't matter. What I mean by that is after we retired, not being fixed to the fact that like, I have to live in Toronto or I have to live in San Francisco or somewhere really expensive.

"I'm OK, because we're no longer tied to a job."
Prosecutors will seek the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, the suspect in the fatal shooting of 17 people at a Florida school.

The office of Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz filed the formal notice on Tuesday.

Cruz, 19, is scheduled for formal arraignment on Wednesday on a 34-count indictment, including 17 first-degree murder charges.

His lawyers have said he would plead guilty if the death penalty was not pursued in the Valentine's Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The action by prosecutors on Tuesday does not necessarily mean a plea deal will not be reached.

The only other penalty option for Cruz is life in prison with no possibility of parole.

Expand Close Nikolas Cruz appears in magistrate court via video conference from jail on Friday (Broward County Court/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Nikolas Cruz appears in magistrate court via video conference from jail on Friday (Broward County Court/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP)

Ira Jaffe, whose son and daughter survived the shooting, said he respects the wishes of the 17 families whose children were killed and that time is better spent finding solutions to the problem of mass school shootings.

"Live forever in jail or die - I don't care," Mr Jaffe said in an email. "Cruz will rot in hell no matter when it is that he arrives there."

Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office is representing Cruz, has said there were so many warning signs that Cruz was mentally unstable and potentially violent, and that the death penalty might be going too far. Mr Finkelstein said Cruz would plead guilty if prosecutors opt not to seek the death penalty.

"Because that's what this case is about. Not, did he do it? Not, should he go free? Should he live or should he die?" Mr Finkelstein told the Associated Press.

In an email on Tuesday, Mr Finkelstein said Cruz is "immediately ready" to plead guilty in return for 34 consecutive life sentences.

"If not allowed to do that tomorrow (at the hearing), out of respect for the victims' families we will stand mute to the charges at the arraignment. We are not saying he is not guilty but we can't plead guilty while death is still on the table," Mr Finkelstein said.

If Cruz does not enter a plea, a not guilty plea will likely be entered on his behalf by Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to keep the legal process moving along, his attorneys have said.

Meanwhile, a student who is credited with saving the lives of 20 students by attempting to close and lock a classroom door during the attack is improving at a hospital. Anthony Borges, 15, was shot five times. Weeks after being shot, he fell critically ill of an intestinal infection. After surgery, his condition was upgraded to fair, his attorney and the hospital said.

The boy's intestinal area has been sealed off and he is breathing on his own after being taken off a ventilator, family attorney Alex Arreaza said.

Anthony's family has filed notice that they will sue Florida authorities to seek money to cover the cost of his recovery.

Meanwhile, Florida voters may get a chance to decide whether or not they want to approve new gun control restrictions.

While Governor Rick Scott just signed a new school safety and gun bill into law, the state's Constitution Revision Commission may vote to place gun restrictions on this year's ballot. The commission, a special panel that meets every 20 years, has the power to ask voters to approve changes to the state's constitution.

Tony Montalto, whose daughter was one of the 17 killed at Stoneman Douglas, asked commissioners at a Tuesday public hearing to put the proposals before voters. He said they need to act because the National Rifle Association has filed a lawsuit against the new law approved by the Legislature.

"You can help defeat this challenge," Mr Montalto told commissioners.

The commission, which is expected to take a final vote on its proposals over the next few weeks, will consider raising the age of weapon purchases to 21, banning bump stocks, a ban on types of semi-automatic rifles, and extending the waiting period for gun purchases.

Shortly before the commission hearing in St Petersburg, students from Tampa Bay area schools spoke passionately in favour of additional gun regulations, as did the father of a student who attends Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

"Our kids are not asking to do away with the 2nd Amendment. They're not asking to take away people's guns or their ability to hunt," said John Willis. "What they're saying is, that these weapons of mass destruction that do nothing but tear human beings apart in an unbelievable way, do not belong in civilian hands."
Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok, which the UK has said was used to poison ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, is not part of an international ban on chemical weapons, the head of a Russian government agency has said.

Vladimir Uiba, the head of the Federal Medical and Biological agency, said according to the Interfax news agency that Novichok did not fall under the Chemical Weapons Convention that entered force in 1997.

He would not say if Russia inherited any amounts of Novichok from the Soviet Union and whether they were destroyed.

Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said earlier on Wednesday that Russia completed the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles last year under the convention.

Britain said it will expel 23 Russian diplomats, sever high-level contacts with Moscow and take other measures in response to the poisonings.
Candles are placed in front of a photo of journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova during an anti-government rally in Bratislava, Slovakia (Ronald Zak/AP)

Slovakias prime minister has said he is ready to resign as a way out of the political crisis triggered by the killings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee.

Robert Ficos surprise move was meant to keep the current three-party coalition in power and prevent possible early elections.

Mr Fico says he is ready to resign if the next prime minister is from his leftist Smer-Social Democracy party and presents his or her name on Thursday.

Expand Close Robert Fico is set to step down as prime minister (Dano Veselsky/AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Robert Fico is set to step down as prime minister (Dano Veselsky/AP)

Mr Fico agreed on the plan with the leaders of the other two coalition partners, the Most-Hid party representing ethnic Hungarians and the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party.

President Andrej Kiska proposed either major changes in the government or an early election to resolve the crisis.

Tens of thousands Slovak rallied last week to demand the governments resignation.

The crisis was prompted by the deaths of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova.
Nikolas Cruz is led into the courtroom before being arraigned (Amy Beth Bennett/AP)

The former student charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school last month remained silent in court and had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf as police released more recordings that captured the terror of the Valentines Day slayings.

Nikolas Cruz, shackled and wearing red prison clothes, sat in the jury box with his head bowed and said nothing during the brief hearing.

Because he refused to announce his plea, the judge entered it for him on each of the 34 counts he faces.

His lawyer, assistant public defender Melisa McNeill, reiterated that Cruz would plead guilty if prosecutors waived the death penalty, which they refused to do.

Expand Close Family and friends of victims hold hands as they watch (Amy Beth Bennett/Sun Sentinel/AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Family and friends of victims hold hands as they watch (Amy Beth Bennett/Sun Sentinel/AP)

Cruz is accused of carrying out the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that also wounded 17 people in a case that has reignited a national debate about gun control and school safety.

It also prompted a nationwide walkout of thousands of students, who showed solidarity with the Parkland students a month after the shooting.

As Cruz sat in the courtroom, more details of the shooting emerged as the Coral Springs Police Department released recordings of 911 calls and police radio traffic.

In the recordings, students and dispatchers were uncertain about the shooters location and how to hide from him.

Some were frightened the gunman would return to their location when asked if they could perform CPR on the wounded.

Please, please, please, there are people here. They are bleeding. They are all going to die, a teenage girl calling from Room 1216 said through tears and heavy breathing.

Theres a lot of people around us that are injured, people that are injured, people that are bleeding. He is upstairs now.

Expand Close Nikolas Cruz sits in the courtroom (Amy Beth Bennett/Sun Sentinel/AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Nikolas Cruz sits in the courtroom (Amy Beth Bennett/Sun Sentinel/AP)

Moments later, the girl starts screaming They are coming in, oh no! before discovering it was police officers who were entering the room.

A teacher from Room 1216 also called for help and told the 911 operator that a student had been hit in the chest, and wasnt breathing.

Hes twitching. Theres blood all over, she said.

At one point, the operator warned that the shooter was still in the hallway, advising the teacher to keep the students still.

Stay down, hes by your room, OK. Everyone be quiet.

The police radio recordings showed that the Coral Springs police officers were the first to enter the school building after confirming that Broward County Sheriffs Office deputies had not gone in.

As they clear each of the buildings three floors, the officers describe seeing shell casings on the floor and bullet holes in the windows.

They warned that the suspect may have changed clothes after they reported finding a camouflaged jacket, ski mask and backpack on the first floor.

On the third floor, officers said they found an AR-15 with a magazine still attached.

The officers found wounded victims and bodies, and they prioritised evacuating the wounded before allowing other students and teachers to leave.

On the third floor, they said they shattered windows in some locked classroom doors because terrified students would not open doors.

Cruz was arrested a few blocks away from the school.

His next hearing is scheduled for April 11.
Larry Kudlow, a long-time fixture on the CNBC business news network has agreed to become an aide to Donald Trump (Richard Drew/AP)

President Donald Trump has chosen Larry Kudlow to be his top economic aide, elevating the influence of a long-time fixture on the CNBC business news network who previously served in the Reagan administration and has emerged as a leading evangelist for tax cuts and a smaller government.

Mr Kudlow said he has accepted the offer, saying the US economy is poised to take off after Mr Trump signed 1.5 trillion dollars worth of tax cuts into law.

The economy is starting to roar and were going to get more of that, he said.

Mr Kudlow will join an administration in the middle of a tumultuous remodelling as a wave of White House staffers and top officials have departed in recent weeks.

Mr Trump on Tuesday dumped his secretary of state, former Exxon Mobil chief executive Rex Tillerson.

The famously pinstripe-suited Mr Kudlow would succeed Gary Cohn, a former Goldman Sachs executive who is leaving the post in a dispute over Mr Trumps decision to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminium.

With Mr Trumps tax cuts already being implemented, Mr Kudlow would be advising a president who appears increasingly determined to tax foreign imports, a policy Mr Kudlow personally opposes.

Mr Kudlow said he is in accord with Mr Trumps agenda and his team at the White House would help implement the policies set by the president.

Mr Trump has promised to reduce the trade imbalance with China and rewrite the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.

Mr Kudlow declined to say what advice he would give the president on trade issues, saying instead that Mr Trump is a very good negotiator.

Mr Kudlow, 70, has informally advised the Trump administration in the past and he has spoken with the president at some length in recent days, so he is ready to hit the ground running.

Mr Kudlow told CNBC on Wednesday that he will be going to Washington on Thursday to meet with Mr Trump.
Kolkata, Mar 9 (IBNS): A digital disruption is required in order to radically change the way Indian healthcare ecosystem operates and emerging technologies have the potential to positively impact the healthcare ecosystem according to a new report released by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The report titled Reimagining the possible in the Indian healthcare ecosystem with emerging technologies was launched at the Health Tech 2018.

It noted that Indian healthcare ecosystem faces numerous challenges like shortage of qualified doctors and nurses, skewed access to healthcare facilities across India, patients not acting proactively for disease prevention.

PwC conducted Healthcare IT Survey 2018 with senior executives from leading healthcare providers in India to understand their views on current technology adoption in Indian healthcare ecosystem, emerging technologies use cases adopted, challenges faced and expected changes.

This knowledge paper presents analysis of the survey and PwCs point of view to improve the adoption of AI and IoMT in Indian healthcare ecosystem.



Key barriers to expanding AI and IoMT adoption in India include:

1) Absence of a healthcare regulatory body: There is no healthcare regulatory body in India. In the absence of adequate regulations, there is concern among healthcare providers regarding the reliability of medical devices and thus practitioners prefer to use traditionalmedical devices. Although the Medical Devices Rules, 2017, became effective on 1 January 2018, their effectiveness is yet to be seen.

2) Low collaboration between various stakeholders: Although the Government of India has set up standards for sharing statistics among healthcare providers, the sharing of clinical data between healthcare stakeholders still seems a farfetched goal in India. In some cases, the sharing of informationwithin the same entity is not seamless as some big hospital chains in India are using different Hospital Information Systems(HIS) across different locations.

3) Unaffordability: While there are some big players in the AI and IoMT space that provide quality solutions and reliability in terms of their longevity, their solutions are notwell-priced.

4) Privacy and security of data:Privacy and security of healthcare data is a major concern in the absence of adequate laws. Many medical devices in the healthcare ecosystem run on public networks and there are no regulations for ensuring secure management of such data. There is concern and confusion regarding legal aspects tracking patient location.

5) Unavailability ofrelevant data: To develop highly accurate AI predictions, a gigantic amount of labelled data is required to train the underlying models. Further, this data needs to have parameters similar to the one for which it needs to make predictions.The lack of India-specific clinical data was a shared concern from the CxO community. Further, the cost of collecting and testing this data (e.g. collecting genome data) is enormous.

The purpose of this summit is to bring all healthcare applications in one platform with international presence, B2B pavilions, exhibitions and seminars. The Health Tech is one of a kind event in this sector in Eastern India. It is an excellent platform for inviting and taking forward business collaboration with foreign partners, said Dr. Alok Roy, Past President , The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals, the co organiser of the conference.

The Chamber has a proactive IT Committee that includes developers, corporate and consultants. It always endeavoured to connect technology end users with developers in co creating better environment for systems with better enterprise planning, easier manufacturing process, and faster services at lesser costs. Above all the Chamber acts as co player with state government as a promoter and facilitator of all programs of sustainable growth, said Arnab Basu, Chairperson, IT Committee, the Bengal Chamber and Partner and Technology Consulting Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd.
At least 10 cadres of the Telangana State Committee (TSC) of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were killed in an encounter near the Pujari Kanker Forest under the Pamed Police Station limits in the Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh, along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, on March 1, 2018. According to reports, acting on tip-off about a big meeting of CPI-Maoists in the area, personnel from the Greyhounds[the elite anti-Maoist force of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh Police] and Chhattisgarh Police started a combing operation. The combing team came across an estimated 50 to 100 CPI-Maoist cadres and asked them to surrender, but the Maoists opened fire. In the retaliatory fire, Security Forces (SFs) killed 10 Maoists, while the remaining rebel force managed to escape. B. Susheel Kumar, a Greyhounds commando, also lost his life in the encounter.

The dead Maoists include member of the North Telangana Special Zonal Committee (NTSZC) and action team commander, Dadaboina Swamy aka Prabhakar (53) of Ramapeta village under Kazipet Mandal(administrative sub-division) of Warangal District (Telangana); member of the Central Regional Committee (CRC) Doctors team and Area Committee Member (ACM), Rame aka Pande of Gollapalli in Karimnagar District (Telangana); member of the CRC Doctors team and A-Section Commander, Mallesh aka Baman of Dunga Indravati in Bhairamgarh, Bijapur District (Chhattisgarh); CRC Dalam (armed squad) member Kosi of Rangaigudem in Dornapal, Dantewada District (Chhattisgarh); and Dalam members  Ithu of Thippapuram in Jayashankar, Bhupalpally District (Telangana); Kamala of West Bastar (Chhattisgarh); Pedda Budri of Sukma District (Chhattisgarh); Ratna of Bijapur District (Chhattisgarh); Sukki of Gangloor, Dantewada District (Chhattisgarh); and Somidi of Sukma District (Chhattisgarh). The Police also recovered one AK-47 rifle, one SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), two single bore rifles, five INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifles, one .303 rifle, one pistol, three claymore mines, two solar plates, seven kit bags, a Sony radio, empty cartridges, live ammunition of different calibres, Naxal [Left Wing Extremism (LWE)] literature and cash amounting to INR 41,000 from the encounter site.

The Telangana Maoists had suffered similarly when at least eight cadres of the Venkatapuram area committee of the CPI-Maoist, which operates in the Bhadrachalam area of Khammam District in Telangana, were killed in a similar encounter with SF personnel along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border on March 1, 2016. The Telangana Greyhounds had launched the operation after receiving information about the presence of Maoist leaders in the region, resulting in the encounter, which took place in the Sakler area of Sukma District in Chhattisgarh State. Along with the bodies of the eight slain militants, SF personnel also had recovered an AK-47 rifle, three SLRs, several .303 rifles and ammunition, from the encounter spot.

While these two incidents of major losses for the Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists (LWEs)] in Telangana took place in Chhattisgarhs territory, along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh Border, the biggest loss to the Naxalitesinside Telangana occurred on December 14, 2017, when nine cadres of the Chandra Pulla Reddy Bata faction of the Communist Party of IndiaMarxist Leninist (CPI-ML, Chandra Pulla Reddy Bata faction) were killed in an encounter with the Police in the Mellamadugu Forest area under the Tekulapally Mandal in the Bhadradri Kothagudem District. Police recovered one SLR, three other rifles, two guns, and some other materials.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), through 2017, SFs killed at least 11 Naxalites. This included two cadres of the New Democracy faction of the Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML-New Democracy) who were killed in an encounter with the Police in the Sidharam forest area of Tekulapalli Mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem District on September 21, 2017.

In 2016, SFs killed one Naxalite in Telangana. On August 8, 2016, Naxal renegade Mohammed Nayeemuddin aka Nayeem aka Balanna, was killed in an exchange of fire with the Police in Shadnagar Town of Mahbubnagar District.

Since, the formation of Telangana on June 2, 2014, the State has recorded a total of 15 Naxalite deaths: none in 2018 (data till March 11), 11 in 2017, one in 2016, two in 2015, and one in 2014.

SFs have not suffered a single fatality during this period.

Moreover, SFs have arrested 156 Naxalites since the formation of the State: 17 in 2018, 75 in 2017, 24 in 2016, 33 in 2015, and seven in 2014. Some of the prominent cadres arrested in 2018 include: CPI-ML-New Democracys Mahabubabad Division secretary Bandaru Ilaiah aka Veeranna (50), in Mahabubabad District on February 8, 2018; squad commander of the Chandranna faction of the CPI-ML-New Democracy, Mora Ravi (35), at Reddygudem village in Palvancha Mandal in Bhadradri Kothagudem District on Febrauary1, 2018; and Madivi Pande aka Susheela aka Laxmi, working as protection platoon commander of the CPI-Maoists central committee (CC) member Katakam Sudharshan aka Anand aka Duladadha, at Venkatapuram in the Jayashankar-Bhupalpally District, on January 5, 2018.

Mounting SF pressure has resulted in the surrender of 60 Naxalites since the formation of the State: two in 2018, 23 in 2017, 11 in 2016, 13 in 2015, and 11 in 2014. Most recently, Ubba Mohan aka Sunil, CPI-Maoists Sabari Area Local Organising Squad (LOS) commander' surrendered to the Police in Bhadrachalam in Bhadradri-Kothagudem District on January 30, 2018.

Not surprisingly, Naxal (LWE)-linked violence has remained under check right since the formation of the State. Telangana has recorded seven civilian deaths till date: two each in 2014, 2015 and 2017; and one fatality in the current year. No such fatality was recorded through 2016. Most recently, on January 27, 2018, CPI-Maoist cadres killed P. Jogaiah, a former Maoist cadre, suspecting him of being a 'Police informer', in Veerapuram village of Bhadradri Kothagudem District.

Other parameters of violence also indicate a progressive weakening of the LWE movement. Overall Naxal-linked violence has been declining. According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA), Telangana accounted for five incidents in 2017 as against seven in 2016, 11 in 2015, and 14 in 2014. Only one incident of arson was recorded in 2017, as against two such incidents reported in 2016

Moreover, while the Maoists called for bandhs (general shutdowns) on five occasions in 2016, they issued just one such call in 2017. According to SATP data, LWE-related incidents of violence were reported from five Districts (Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Khammam, Mahabubabad, and Suryapet) in 2017. In 2016, violent incidents were reported from nine Districts (Adilabad, Bhadradri Kothagudem, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Khammam, Mehboobnagar, Nalgonda, Nirmal, Rajanna Sircilla and Warangal).

Some worries, nevertheless, persist. A March 22, 2017, report indicated that the CPI-Maoist leadership, while taking stock of losses suffered in encounters along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border, planned to recruit new cadres and couriers, offering huge amounts, and had started recruitment near the border region. The Maoists were focusing particularly on Guttikoyas (a scheduled tribal community hailing from Chhattisgarh, who had escaped from the conflict zone in Chhattisgarh and settled in the border villages of the Khammam and Warangal Districts in Telangana), as well as unemployed tribals.

Citing intelligence inputs on possible Maoist attacks on three irrigation projects in Telangana, the UMHA deployed three companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for their protection; one at the Kaleswaram Lift Irrigation Project at Medigadda in Karimnagar District; a second at the Tupakulagudem Barrage; and the third ready for deployment in the Adilabad or Khammam District, depending on emerging requirements.

A July 31, 2017, report disclosed further that the Telangana State Committee (TSC) of the CPI-Maoist party, with the Adilabad District Committee, Khammam District Committee, Khammam-Karimnagar-Warangal Divisional Committee, a Special Guerrilla Squad and 92 cadres (18 are from the State and the remaining 74 from Chhattisgarh), had been tasked to intensify activities in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region as well.

Eight Districts of Telangana (Adilabad, Karimnagar, Khammam, Medak, Mehboobnagar, Nalgonda, Warangal, and Nizamabad) are included in a list of 106 Maoist-affected Districts from 10 States across India, released by the UMHA on July 18, 2017. Of these 106 Districts, 35 from seven States were categorized as worst LWE affected Districts. Khammam in Telangana is among these worst Districts. Telangana has a total of 31 Districts.

The States successes against the Maoists notwithstanding, significant problems remain at the policy level. At least 16,044 Police posts were vacant in the State as on January 1, 2017, against a sanctioned strength of 63,064, a deficit of 25.44 per cent, according to the latest data provided by the Bureau of Police Research and Development [BPR&D]. Moreover, against the sanctioned strength of the apex Indian Police Service (IPS) Officers in the State at 139, just 97 officers were in position, considerably weakening decision-making in the Force. The police-population ratio (Policemen per hundred thousand population) in the State was 130.71 per 100,000, even lower than the appallingly low national average of 137.11 [over 220 Policemen per 100,000 population are considered necessary even for peacetime policing], according to BPR&D, as on January 1, 2016 [Disaggregated data of population/area for Andhra Pradesh & Telangana not available for 2017].

Anxious efforts by the Maoists to engineer a revival in their erstwhile areas of dominance in Telangana, the worst affected region at one time in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, have failed abysmally. However, their residual capacities cannot be simply ignored. With significant areas of Maoist dominance in neighbouring areas of Chhattisgarh and Odisha, vulnerabilities persist, and there is urgent need to address existing lacunae.
Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya on March 6, 2018, stated that the Naga political issue would be resolved within six months. He further asserted that if Nagaland and the Northeast were to progress, then the Naga issue should be brought to a conclusion and the welfare of the Nagas should be on the agenda.

On March 3, 2018, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the results of the Nagaland Assembly Elections held on February 27, 2018. The Naga Peoples Front (NPF), leading constituent of the erstwhile ruling coalition, the Democratic Association of Nagaland (DAN), emerged as the leading party with 26 seats, followed by the newly formed National Democratic People's Party (NDPP), with 18 seats; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 12 seats; National Peoples Party (NPP), two seats; Janata Dal-United (JD-U), one seat; and one seat to an independent candidate. The State Assembly has 60 seats. Former Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio of National Democratic Progressive Party was declared winner from the Northern Angami-II Assembly seat, uncontested.

Governor P.B. Acharya swore-in the Neiphiu Rio-led Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) Government on March 8, 2018, at Khuochiezie in Kohima District. The PDA alliance has the support of 32 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs): National Democratic People's Party (NDPP), 18 MLAs; Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 12 MLAs; Janata Dal-United (JD-U), one MLA and one independent MLA, Tongpang Ozukum. The State unit of the National Peoples Party (NPP) withdrew its support to the coalition on March 7, 2018 [a day after it had supported the alliance], saying they were yet to obtain an endorsement from party President Conrad Sangma.

Crucially, the elections were peaceful. No incident of violence was reported during the entire period of electioneering, that is, between the date of notification of the elections (January 31, 2018) and election date (February 27, 2018).

Subsequent to the announcement of elections on January 18, 2018, however, the State went through a small phase of political uncertainty. The Core Committee of Nagaland Tribal Hohos and Civil Organizations (CCNTHCO), a conglomerate of Naga civil-society organizations and traditional institutions, through a joint declaration on January 29, demanded postponement of the elections till a final agreement on the vexed Naga issue had been signed. CCNTHCO was supported by all the political parties, including the BJP, in the State. However, BJP backed out on January 30, 2018, stating that the final call on the election issue would be taken by its central leaders. Significantly, a word of assurance from the Union Governments interlocutor for the Naga Talks, Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) Chairman R.N. Ravi, that the elections would not come in the way of any final accord signed with the Naga outfits, helped salvage the situation. It was clarified, further, that fresh elections could be held after the finalization of the Naga Accord.

Meanwhile, insurgency in the State remained under check through 2017. According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the State accounted for a total of eight insurgency-linked fatalities, including four civilians, one Security Force (SF) trooper and three militants in 2017; as against six fatalities, including four civilians and two militants, recorded in 2016. One fatality has been recorded in the current year so far (data till March 11, 2018). On February 2, 2018, unidentified militants killed Dichungbe Nriame, Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) Deputy Kilonser and Central Administrative Officer (CAO)' at Jalukie town in Peren District. Nriame was the 'CAO' of NSCN-IM's 'Zeliangrong' region.

At the peak of the insurgency, Nagaland accounted for a total of 360 fatalities (104 civilians, 38 SF personnel, and 218 militants) in 1997. The highest civilian fatalities, 144, were recorded in 1996. The maximum number of SFs, 48, were also killed in 1996.

In 2017, fatalities were recorded from three Districts  Mon (5), Dimapur (2) and Kohima (1). In 2016, killings had been reported from three Districts Dimapur (3), Tuensung (2) and Wokha (1). Nagaland has a total of 12 Districts. In 2012, fatalities were reported from nine Districts - Zunheboto (13), Dimapur (11), Kohima (8), Kiphere (8), Peren (6), Mon (4), Phek (4), Tuensung (2), and Wokha (2).

One major incident (involving at least three fatalities) was reported from the State through 2017. On June 6, 2017, a Major of the Territorial Army, identified as David Manlun, and a civilian, identified as Rajendra Gupta, and three United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) militants, were killed in an encounter at a place in between Lapa Lempong and Oting villages near the Tizit Subdivision of Mon District. Three militants of the United Liberation Front of Assom  Independent (ULFA-I), who were killed in the encounter, were identified as second lieutenant Phanindra Asom (35), Bipul Asom (32) and Dikom Konwar (35). Though no major incident was reported in 2016, at least 24 fatalities, including three civilians, eight SF personnel, and 13 militants, were recorded in four major incidents in 2015.

Two incidents of explosion were recorded through 2017 (leading to the death of one civilian and injuries to four others). In 2016 as well, two such incidents were recorded (six civilians were injured, no fatality recorded).

Further, the State recorded four incidents of abduction in which five persons were seized through 2017, as against six such incidents registered in 2016, in which six persons were abducted. Additionally, 13 reported incidents of extortion were recorded in 2017, down from 31 such incidence in 2016 (both abduction and extortion tend to be grossly under-reported; actual incidence may be significantly higher). On October 13, 2017, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested four State Government officers  three serving and one retired  on charges of extortion and unlawful tax collection of behalf of the NSCN-K. The arrested individuals were identified as Purakhu Angami, former director of tourism; V.Aza, Additional Director of Agriculture; Hutoi Sema, Joint Director of Irrigation; and Kekhriesatuo Tep, superintendent-cum-cashier of the fisheries department.

Out of eight fatalities (four civilians, one SF personal, and three militants) recorded in the State through 2017, five (one civilian, one SF personnel, and three militants) were linked to ULFA-I, one civilian fatality each was linked to NSCN-K and NSCN-R (the Reformation faction of NSCN). One civilian fatality remained unattributed. In 2016, out of the six total fatalities, one militant fatality each was linked to NSCN-K and NSCN-Unification (NSCN-U). Four civilian fatalities remained unattributed.

No internecine clashes between Naga outfits were recorded in 2017, both within and beyond the territorial limits of the State. The last such incident within the State dated back to July 2, 2015, when the body of an ex-NSCN-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militant who had joined NSCN-R, identified as Mannyei Konyak, was recovered from Sheanghah Wamsa in Mon District. The last such incident, outside Nagaland, was reported on September 12, 2016, when a Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) militant, Pouguanglung, was killed in a shootout with suspected cadres of NSCN-IM at Khoupum Taodaijang village in the Tamenglong District of Manipur.

Meanwhile, SFs arrested 148 militants in 82 incidents through 2017, in addition to 142 such arrests in 86 incidents through 2016. Those arrested in 2017 include 51 NSCN-IM militants, 46 NSCN-K militants, 15 militants of the Non-Accordist faction of the Naga National Council (NNC-NA), 14 of NSCN-R; three militants each from the Federal Government of Nagaland (FGN) and the I.K. Songbijit faction of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-IKS), and one militant each from the Karbi Peoples Liberation Tigers (KPLT) and Naga National Council (NNC).

While the security situation has been well managed, the Governments  State and Union  regrettably failed to ensure further and noticeable developments on the Framework Agreement through 2017. An attempt was made to further widen the talks, with the Government reaching out to groups beyond NSCN-IM. Three rounds of talks were held between the Government of India (GoI) and the Working Committee of the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG), a grouping of six armed Naga militant formations, in 2017: September 27, 2017; October 23, 2017; and November 1-3, 2017.

The Government of India (GoI) and NSCN-IM signed a Framework Agreement in 2015; there was a mutual reiteration via a communique in 2016. Though the details of the agreement are not in the public domain, in a statement titled Indo-Naga Political talks is nearing its logical conclusions released on May 10, 2017, NSCN-IMs Ministry of Information and Publicity observed,

As of now, the Nagas have agreed to co-exist together under shared sovereignty. The ongoing Indo-Naga political talks are progressing smoothly. The Framework Agreement, which will ensure peaceful coexistence between the Nagas and India with shared sovereignty, will surely usher in peace and a brighter political era for the Nagas."

Clarifying the Governments position, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju stated, on March 2, 2018,

Let me make it clear. We had signed the Framework Agreement in 2015 and the Framework Agreement is nothing detailed it is just a confidence building step. And the framework on the basis of which the talk was to progress. Because the talk has to progress on basis of certain understanding like there were demands for sovereign nation for Nagas and all. These are totally unconstitutional with regards to our position and of course position of India, so there are certain parameters which were required to (be) clear(ed) up before we clear up the talk. So it was a Framework agreement. But when and as we move you know we move ahead for final settlement that will be known as the accord the final Naga Accord. While we are in final stage of the peace talk, it will not be proper for me to divulge the details because I am also the concerned relevant Minister in the process. Consensus is very much possible and nearing the final solution.

Earlier, on November 27, 2017, Union Governments interlocutor for Naga talks, R.N. Ravi had told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that no deadline could be fixed for the Naga peace agreement. Ravi also informed the Standing Committee that NSCN-IM had been insisting that, since it was the legitimate Naga group, negotiations should take place only with the group, but that was not the stand of the Union Government.

Meanwhile, there are indications that NSCN-K also wants to rejoin the peace talks. There have been certain indicators that NSCN-K would want to be part of a ceasefire agreement like other factions of the group. That is the reason they did not attempt any strike in the run up to elections, a report dated February 28, 2018, quoting an unnamed official, claimed. According to a February 13, 2018, report, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs did not anticipate any major problem during the Assembly Elections as both Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) and NNPG had given a commitment not to interfere in the electoral process. These projections were borne out by the peaceful conduct of the polls.

The issue of the solution to the Naga conflict continued to linger through 2017 and remains a top priority. Indeed, during the election campaign, the now newly sworn-in Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had promised the electorate, The Naga issue is a political issue and my party will ensure that it is resolved at the earliest.

The problem of insecurity along the international border remains. A 215 kilometers-long unfenced section of the Indo-Myanmar border remains a n area of difficulty and the last remaining hub of militancy in the region. In a worrying development, according to a March 4, 2018, report, Myanmar has indefinitely deferred the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to streamline the free movement of people within a 16 kilometers area along the border, citing domestic compulsions.

Meanwhile, SFs are concentrating their efforts to manage the challenges along the border. In the early hours of September 27, 2017, the Indian Armys Para Regiment commandos, inflicted heavy casualties (numbers not reveled) on the NSCN-K in an operation at an unidentified location near Arunachal Pradeshs Longding District and Nagalands Mon District, close to Langkhu village in Myanmar, along the India-Myanmar international border. News reports also indicate that GoI is attempting to nudge the Myanmarese Government to launch a flush out operation against Northeast Indian militant formations.

A final accord signed with the all the Naga outfits, taking on board various stakeholders, will bring lasting peace to Nagaland. Further, close counter terror cooperation between India and Myanmar could help resolve the problem of cross border safe heavens, and help establish and sustain a durable solution to the protracted Naga conflict.
New Delhi, Mar 14 (IBNS): President of India, Ramnath Kovind expressed grief at the passing away of British physicist Stephen Hawking and said the scientist's courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations.

President Kovind tweeted from his official handle, "Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations."

Tweeted Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, "Passing away of renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who unraveled mysteries of universe to the public, is a huge loss to the scientific world."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too tweeted on Wednesday, "Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawkings pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace."

British physicist Stephen Hawking, 76, who was known for his work with black holes and relativity, passed away at his home in Cambridge, UK, the media said quoting his family.

His family said in a statement that was reported by BBC: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today."

In their statement, his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."

Hawking had a rare early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that gradually paralysed him.

He mastered the art of communication using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device.

His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation.

It was his book 'A Brief History of Time' that made him a household name, when this popular-science book on cosmology came out in 1988.

An evocative tweet from NASA said, "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014."
Guwahati, March 14 : Over 32,000 posts, including 28,000 teaching posts, are lying vacant in the government run schools in Assam.

In a written reply to a query by Congress legislator Jakir Hussain Sikdar, in the ongoing budget session of Assam assembly, Assam Education Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday informed the house that, at present 15,852 teaching posts are lying vacant in the Middle English and High schools across the state.

12,121 teaching posts (regular teacher) are lying vacant in the Primary schools, Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The Assam Education minister also informed the house that, 999 third grade and 2,113 fourth grade posts are vacant in the Middle English and High schools while 1,189 fourth grade posts are vacant in the Primary schools.

At present, 1,54,328 teachers are working in the Primary, Middle English and High schools in the state.

The Assam minister said that, among them, 99,234 teachers are currently working in the Primary schools in the state.

Currently, Assam has 51,950 government run schools including 47,818 Primary schools.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
New Delhi, Mar 14 (IBNS): An Innovation Cell in the Ministry of Human Resource Development will be created to further strengthen the innovation efforts.

It will be headed by a Scientist and comprise of a senior Ministry official and young professionals who bring to the table new ideas in promoting innovation.

This was stated by Minister for Human Resource Development, Prakash Javadekar after a high level review meeting here on Wednesday.

The decision comes close on the heels of India moving 6 ranks up in the Global Innovation Index Ranking from 66 in 2016 to 60 in 2017, out of 127 countries.

This increase has happened for the 2nd year in succession and it coincides with the launch of the Smart India Hackathon by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in coordination with other Ministries.

Under the Global Innovation Index 2017, India has improved its standing in innovation inputs and innovation efficiency.

The strongest points for the country happened to be a large number of science and engineering graduates, the increased investment by Global R&D companies in India, the improved QS University rankings and high rank in the highly cited research publication, global leadership in the IT service experts and leadership in export of creative goods.

There has been considerable improvement in Indias ranking in Global Innovation Index 2017. Since the large part of Global Innovation Index relates to Education, the setting up of Innovation Cell in the Ministry will lead to more focused attention on innovation and research efforts, Javadekar said.

The Government's renewed emphasis on innovation as a measure to improve the economic growth and the standard of living, is bearing fruit. Six new Research Parks have been sanctioned in various premier institutions. There are more than 120 Technology Business Incubators covering all the institutions in the country, the Minister said.

The focused attention of the Government to allocate more funds through Higher Education Funding Agency (HEFA) for fast tracking Innovation and Research infrastructure in countrys top central technical institutions and Prime Ministers Research Fellowship (PMRF) to 1000 top students from these institutions will give further push to Indias Innovation and Research efforts and also help prevent brain-drain, the Minister added.

The Tinkering labs have been started in all higher education institutions and under the NITI Aayog's Atal Innovation Mission, Tinkering Labs are sanctioned at the school level.

The Smart India Hackathon 2018 has seen a huge increase in participation with more than one lakh students submitting innovative inputs for the problems posed. Hardware Hackathon has been added in the current year thereby making way for new product creation. More than 20,000 students have participated in the Hardware Hackathon contest which is being led by IIT Kharagpur.




Guwahati, Mar 14 (IBNS): With a view to ensure stabilization of prices of essential commodities and generating greater consumer awareness, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday directed the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department to prepare a road map and take up comprehensive measures.

While reviewing the activities of the department in a meeting, which was held at the conference hall of his office at Janata Bhawan in Guwahati, Sonowal directed the department to keep a stock of essential items including perishable items like potato and onion for public distribution to meet up shortage during emergency situations.

He asked the department to make an assessment of requirement of perishable items mostly during monsoon period and tie up with National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NEFED) for procurement of the same.

Sonowal also directed the department to take up steps for setting up cold storages under PPP mode in the state. Significantly, a provision of Rs 50 crore has been made in the current budget to meet any emergency situation.

The Assam Chief Minister emphasised on generating more awareness among consumers and inform them about comparative prices of essential items available in the country through different mass media including digital medium.

He observed that sharing information on prices of commodities and its comparative information through different media platforms with consumers will boost public confidence in the department.

Sonowal instructed the department to make the presence of its officials felt in the field and ensuring strict monitoring of prices of essential commodities.

Moreover, underscoring the need for taking up more innovative measures by the department, Assam CM Sonowal directed to implement Amar Dukan on Wheel in all the 97 towns of the state on a priority basis simultaneously and promote digital payment in their transactions.

Sonowal also appreciated the department on the implementation of Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) in the state under which subsidised LPG connections have been provided to 9.18 lakh households during 2017-18. Under the scheme, a target is set to provide subsidised connection to 30 lakh households in the state.

He also lauded the initiative proposed by the department to set up Food and Civil Supplies Corporation on pilot basis in few of the districts of the state, which is expected to play a crucial role in stabilizing prices of essential commodities.

F&CS and Consumer Affairs Minister Rihon Daimary, Water Resources Minister Keshav Mahanta, Chief Ministers Media Adviser Hrishikesh Goswami, Legal Adviser Santanu Bharali, Additional Chief Secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna, CMs Principal Secretary Sanjay Lohia and several other senior officials of the department were present in the meeting.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)


Guwahati, Mar 14 (IBNS): After Kolkata, unidentified persons now damaged and defaced a statue of BJP ideologue Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in Lower Assams Kokrajhar district.

The incident took place at Rabindra Nagar area in Kokrajhar town on Tuesday night.

Police has started investigation, but failed to arrest any person involved with it.

Local people condemned the act and demanded the arrest of the culprits.

The incident follows toppling of damaging statues of Communist icon Vladimir Lenin in Tripura, social reformer Periyar in Tamil Nadu, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal strongly condemned the act of vandalism.

In a statement, the Assam CM said that the incident is very condemnable and the Government would not tolerate such incidents.

He directed the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of Kokrajhar district to take stern action and book the miscreants who were involved in the act under relevant provisions of law.

He also directed the administration to step up vigil and take all necessary measures to prevent such acts of vandalism.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, Mar 14 (IBNS): The Assam government will constitute a committee consisting of representatives of six communities to facilitate liaison between them and the government to expedite the process of according ST status to these communities.

Holding a meeting with the representatives of six communities at Assam Legislative Assembly premises in Guwahati on Wednesday, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal while mooting the idea for a committee said that a body consisting of the representatives of the six communities would ensure seamless communication between the demanding communities, both Assam and Central government.

Acknowledging the necessity of granting ST Status, Sonowal assured the visiting representatives to take the matter immediately to New Delhi for appropriate intervention of the Centre.

The Assam CM also reiterated his governments commitment to act as a catalyst to ensure granting of ST Status to Moran, Muttock, Koch Raj Bongshi, Tai Ahom, Sootea and Tea Tribes.

He also assured the representatives that the government has accorded top-most importance to bring the demand of the six communities in its agenda of priorities.

Close on the heels of earlier stand for endorsing demands of the six communities for ST status, Government is committed to push the demand for early disposal of the issue, Sonowal said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)




Imphal, Mar 14 (IBNS): Troops of Assam Rifles on Wednesday seized huge quantity of drugs worth Rs 12 crore from Manipur.

According to the reports, the Assam Rifles troops on Wednesday recovered huge quantity of WY tablets and brown sugar from a drug peddler in Tengnoupal district in the state along with Myanmar border.



A top official of Assam Rifles said that, the troops have apprehended the drug peddler with huge quantity of brown sugar and WY tablets worth of Rs 11.96 crore.

During the preliminary interrogation, the drug peddler revealed that, it was carried from Myanmar and being transported to Shillong.

Later, the drug peddler and recovered drugs were handed over to Imphal based Narcotic Control Bureau.

In past three years, security forces have recovered huge quantity of drugs worth over Rs 100 crore from different parts of the state.

On Jan 6 last, Manipur police seized WY drugs, worth of Rs 3 crore from the international market area in Imphal West district.

(By Hemanta Kumar Nath, Guwahati)
Mumbai, Feb 14 (IBNS): Film and television actor Narendra Jha, known for his work in films such as Raees, Haider and Kaabil among others, passed away on Wednesday following a severe heart attack, according to media reports.

The actor, 55, was recuperating in his farm house at Wada after suffering from a minor attack a few days ago, media reports said.

Narendra Jha passed away at his farmhouse in Wada this morning at about 5 AM. He suffered a massive heart attack," reported Indianexpress.com quoting the actor's family.

Narendra Jha began his career with the television industry; Begusarai, Ek Ghar Banaunga, Supercops vs Supervillains were some of his popular shows.

He entered Bollywood in 2012 with Funtoosh.

Shyam Benegal cast him in Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose: The Last Hero.

His role as Dr Hilal Meer, Shahid Kapoors on-screen dad in Haider, was much applauded.

He was also seen in movies such as Force 2, Kaabul, Mohenjo Daro, Ghayal Once Again and Humari Adhuri Kahaani.

Father: Tale Of Love (2016) was his last film while on television, he was last seen in 2015's Tu Con Mai Con, reported NDTV.

Jha was recently seen shooting for Salman Khans Race 3, reported Indian Express.

"Unbelievable. Tragic.dont know whats http://happening.rest in peace narendra jha." tweeted actor Manon Bajpayee early on Wednesday.

Tweeted actor Rajpal Yadav, "Working With Him Was A wonderful experience. I can't believe we were just filming together a couple of days ago. Really saddened by the passing of #NarendraJha."

Image: AIRNews/Twitter
Kolkata, Mar 14 (IBNS): It's time again Kolkata will be tuned to the rhythms of upcoming bands from Bengal.

Whatsup cafe, the citys only musical eatery that provides bands and musicians to perform in front of foodies throughout the week under the banner of WhatsUpLive, launched its new initiative in collaboration with BandEdge Talent agency private limited and Asha audio on Tuesday at the roof top conference hall of the cafe.

#KisKiBandBajegi, as the initiative is known, aims to provide a platform for young and upcoming bands to showcase their talent and compete with others whereby the winner will ultimately get a chance to get their first ever album released by Asha Audio.

Apart from this, Whats up Cafe will produce music videos for them and the entire band will be managed by BandEdge Talent Agency.

The inaugural ceremony on Tuesday, musicians such as Rupam Islam (lead vocalist, Fossils), Gaurav (Gaboo) Chatterjee (Lakhichara), Somlata Acharya Chowdhury, Mahua Lahiri (director, Asha audio), Bonnie Chakraborty (Music Producer) and Kaustav Banerjee (lead Vocalist, the Grooverz) lauded the initiative.

Somlata Acharya Chowdhury described what budding musicians have to face in the initial days and encouraged them to fight all odds to fulfill their dreams.

In fact this is not the first time Kolkata is seeing a musical band talent hunt.

After the success of previous few such events, Kolkata will again get the opportunity to enjoy the flavour of bangla folk, rock music after a gap of a decade.

Gaurav Chatterjee while speaking to IBNS said, Solidarity that should prevail among the band members and they should look to keep the group intact."

When asked about the balance between folk bands and bands with indigenous compositions, Rupam Islam said. Its all about experimentation and how you appeal to the masses.

The registration link for the competition will open on March 15 and close on Mar 19.

Interested bands have to register by posting their videos in WhatsUp Cafe Facebook page after which the screening committee will select 10 of them.

The application criteria mentions no band can have less than two or more than five members and all have to below 25 years.

Anirban Sengupta, the brain behind the initiative, said that its not only about winning. Even the runners up and other finalists will get a chance to expand and create a base for themselves among music lovers.



(Reporting by Sourajit Choudhury)

Images by Avishek Mitra/IBNS
New York, Mar 14 (JEN): More than 900 children in Syria were killed last year, making 2017 the deadliest year for children in the countrys ongoing conflict, a senior United Nations official told the Geneva-based Human Rights Council on Tuesday, warning that the grim statistics may only be the tip of the iceberg.

UN Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis Panos Moumtzis alongside UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Kate Gilmore addressed a high-level panel discussion looking at rights violations against children caught in the fighting, which is entering its eighth year.

In 2017, documentation of violations of childrens rights during the conflict  by all sides  was the highest since the beginning of the conflict. Simply put, 2017 was the deadliest year of the Syrian war for children, Moumtzis told the Council.

The Syria Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism verified that in 2017 alone, at least 910 children killed and 361 injured, the large majority of child casualties occurring in Idleb, Aleppo and Deir-ez-Zor, and other locations.

There is a child and a grieving family behind every single one of these numbers. Verification of additional cases continues and these numbers only provide the tip of the iceberg of the actual case and scale of violence suffered by children in Syria.

The UN estimates that overall, 400,000 people have been killed in Syria, and more than a million injured.

The fighting has also pushed more than five million Syrians across the border to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan, as well as to Europe and beyond.

Moumtzis reported that children make up over 40 per cent of the 13.1 million people inside Syria who require life-saving humanitarian assistance. And of the more than five million across the country who are in acute need, 663,000 are under the age of five  a figure he described as shocking.

In 2017, 25 per cent of cases involved boys and girls under the age of 15  of course considered a war crime and prohibited under international humanitarian law, he said.

Nine out of 10 recruited children served in a combat role: in uniform, armed and with military training. Growing up in conflict, they may have little choice or alternative; they may also have no way out, as killing or detention by the other side may await them.

Gilmore, the UN deputy human rights chief, reported that 2017 also saw the highest number of violations against Syrian children.

The scale, scope and gravity of crimes committed against children are shocking. Widespread human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law affecting or targeting children are being committed by the Syrian authorities. And perpetrated too by armed groups, she stated.

Children are arrested and detained for their familys alleged association with opposing armed forces. Girls, in particular, are subjected to sexual violence, including rape, forced marriage and sexual slavery by armed groups.

She recalled that the Syrian conflict began with, in her words, the denigration of a child whose tragic fate became a rallying call for scores across the country.

Hamza Ali Al-Khateeb, 13, had been detained during protests in the city of Daraa in April 2011. His brutalized body was returned to his family a month later.

Gilmore said the years of unending fighting means millions of Syrian children have been denied their fundamental human rights and robbed of their childhood.

She concluded her remarks with a warning to the warring parties and their supporters:

Those responsible for this violence  within Syria and beyond  should know that they are being identified; that dossiers are being built up for their prosecution; and that, with evidence in hand, and before duly convened tribunals, they will be held legally accountable for those crimes that with malice, indifference and great cruelty they continue to wage with scant regard for Syrias children, she stated.

UNICEF/Souliman
New York, Mar 14 (JEN): As deepening economic woes force thousands of Venezuelans to flee the crisis-gripped country, the United Nations on Tuesday issued guidance on treating the population as refugees, while the head of the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warned that the outflow into neighboring countries such as Colombia constitutes a humanitarian disaster.

The movements are taking place for a variety of reasons, including insecurity and violence, lack of food, medicine or access to essential social services as well as loss of income, Aikaterini Kitidi, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told reporters at the regular press briefing in Geneva.

While not all Venezuelans leaving are prompted to do so for refugee-related reasons, it is becoming increasingly clear that, while all may not be refugees, a significant number are in need of international protection, she added.

Since 2014, there has been a 2,000 per cent increase in the number of Venezuelan nationals seeking asylum worldwide, principally in the Americas during the last year.

While in 2017 over 94,000 Venezuelans have been able to access refugee procedures in other countries, many in need of protection opt for other legal stay arrangements, which may be faster to obtain and provide the right to work, access to health and education.

Yet, hundreds of thousands remain without documentation or legal permission to stay in asylum countries  making them vulnerable to discrimination, trafficking, sexual abuse and xenophobia.

UNHCRs guidelines encourage States to ensure Venezuelans have access to territory and refugee procedures.

In addition, Kitidi pointed out UNHCR welcomes and calls on governments to adopt pragmatic protection-oriented responses for the Venezuelan people, such as alternative legal stay arrangements, including visas or temporary residence permits, as well as other regularization programmes, which guarantee access to the basic rights of health care, education, family unity, freedom of movement, shelter and the right to work.

UNHCR applauds countries in Latin America that have introduced such arrangements, and hopes that costs and requirements are eased, where necessary to ensure accessibility.

It is crucial that people are not deported or forcibly returned there, she underscored.

While Governments in the region have been generous in their response, host communities receiving Venezuelans are under increasing strain and need urgent and robust support, to promote peaceful coexistence and prevent manifestations of discrimination and xenophobia.

UNHCR is working with Governments to address the protection and basic needs of the outflow, she continued. Consequently, UNHCR has developed a regional response plan that covers eight countries and the Caribbean sub-region.

Meanwhile, WFP Executive Director David Beasley, who is in Colombia, said the outflow of Venezuelans into neighbouring countries constitutes a humanitarian disaster.

He said it was catastrophic that around 50,000 people are now choosing to cross the border each day, just at one location  and thats the legal border crossing.



UNHCR/Reynesson Damasceno
New York, Mar 14 (JEN): International crimes were committed against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and those who fled the country could face further persecution if they return now, a senior United Nations official said Tuesday.

Rohingya Muslims have been killed, tortured, raped, burnt alive and humiliated, solely because of who they are, said Adama Dieng, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, following his visit to Bangladesh, where almost 700,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar had arrived in the space of just six months.

His visit from 7 to 13 March was to assess the situation of the Rohingya population who have crossed the border since the most recent violence in Myanmars northern Rakhine state in October 2016 and August 2017.

He visited refugee camps in Coxs Bazaar, where survivors told horrifying stories of what they endured.

All the information I have received indicates that the intent of the perpetrators was to cleanse northern Rakhine state of their existence, possibly even to destroy the Rohingya as such, which, if proven, would constitute the crime of genocide, Dieng said.

Underscoring the need for the root causes of the problem to be addressed, Dieng said that the Rohingya has been sealed since the day they were born and that they must be given the opportunity that every human being should be afforded in life: to enjoy their fundamental human rights in freedom and safety.The scorched earth campaign carried out by the Myanmar security forces since August 2017 against the Rohingya population was predictable and preventable, he stressed, noting that the international community has buried its head in the sand and failed to save the Rohingya from losing their lives, dignity and homes despite his numerous warnings of the risk of atrocity crimes.

He also said there must be accountability for the crimes that have been committed and the Rohingya must receive protection and support as refugees while in Bangladesh.

Dieng said that the majority of the Rohingya want to return to Myanmar, but only when they can do so in safety, dignity and with access to their basic rights.

So far, the Myanmar authorities have shown no genuine efforts to allow this, he said, noting that the international community also has a responsibility to protect this population from the risk of further atrocity crimes.

Under the present conditions, returning to Myanmar will put the Rohingya population at risk of further crimes, Mr. Dieng warned, stressing that, however, accepting the current status quo would be a victory for those who planned the attacks.

We must not accept either of these scenarios, he concluded.



UNICEF/Brown






London, Mar 14 (IBNS): British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday mourned the death of British physicist Stephen Hawking.

May said Hawking's 'legacy' will not be forgotten.

"Professor Stephen Hawking was a brilliant and extraordinary mind - one of the great scientists of his generation. His courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration. His legacy will not be forgotten," May tweeted.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the death of the scientist was 'anguishing'.

"Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic. His grit and tenacity inspired people all over the world. His demise is anguishing. Professor Hawkings pioneering work made our world a better place. May his soul rest in peace," Modi posted.

NASA posted: "Remembering Stephen Hawking, a renowned physicist and ambassador of science. His theories unlocked a universe of possibilities that we & the world are exploring. May you keep flying like superman in microgravity, as you said to astronauts on @Space_Station in 2014."

British physicist Stephen Hawking, who was known for his work with black holes and relativity, has died, his family confirmed.

He was 76.

His family said in a statement that was reported by BBC which read: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today."

Hawking was known for writing several popular science books.

He wrote the science book titled 'A Brief History of Time'.

In the statement his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."

Hawking had a rare early-onset, slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that gradually paralysed him over the decades.

He was still able to communicate using a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device.

Interestingly, he was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease at the age of 22.

He was given just few years to live but Hawking went ahead to emerge as one of the most popular scientists of recent times.

His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity and the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation.
Beijing, Mar 14 (IBNS): China has mourned the loss of lives in the Nepal place crash incident.

At least 51 people were killed when a Bangladeshi plane crashed in Nepal's capital city Kathmandu on Monday.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said: "We are deeply saddened by the heavy casualties caused by this accident. We express our deep condolences to the victims and sincere sympathy to the injured and the families who have lost their loved ones."

He said one Chinese national was killed in the incident.

" According to the preliminary verification by the relevant Nepali authorities today, a Chinese citizen was killed in the crash. In the wake of the accident, the Chinese Embassy in Nepal immediately dispatched officials to the airport to verify relevant information and coordinated with the Nepali side to help the family of the deceased Chinese passenger with follow-up matters," he said.

"The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese Embassy in Nepal will continue to follow the development of this incident and offer our best assistance to the bereaved family," he said.

Image: Youtube Grab
Kabul, Mar 14 (IBNS): A car bombing incident in Afghanistan's Nada Ali district killed at least two border policemen on Wednesday, media reports said.

According local media reports, the bombing incident in Helmand province left one policeman injured.

Col. Zahir Gul Muqbal, fourth brigade border commander told Pajhwok Afghan News the explosion occurred near to the border police check-post in Sayd Abad locality of the district at around 8:30am.

He confirmed the death of two policemen in car bombing.

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.

Taliban militants have taken responsibility for the attack.

Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, the Taliban spokesman, confirmed to the Afghanistani news agency the blast carried out by their fighter and said Afghan forces suffered heavy casualties in the incident.
Kabul, Mar 14 (IBNS): At least four gunmen with two explosives-laden vehicles were arrested by the Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers from southeastern Khost province of Afghanistan, media reports said on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday.

Captain Abdullah, spokesman for the 1stShaista brigade of the Afghan National Army in Khost, told Pajhwok Afghan News the soldiers seized the explosives-packed vehicles in Musakhel district.

ANA reportedly took action on the basis of intelligence report.

A Kalashnikov and four pistols were recovered from the detainees, Captain Abdullah told the news agency.

Meanwhile, a car bombing incident in Afghanistan's Nada Ali district killed at least two border policemen on Wednesday, media reports said.

According local media reports, the bombing incident in Helmand province left one policeman injured.

Col. Zahir Gul Muqbal, fourth brigade border commander told Pajhwok Afghan News the explosion occurred near to the border police check-post in Sayd Abad locality of the district at around 8:30am.

He confirmed the death of two policemen in car bombing.
Quebec City, Mar 14 (IBNS): A 10-year old Quebec boy, who went missing on Tuesday, is still without any trace, media reports said.

Ariel Jeffrey Kouakou went out at 12 p.m. on Tuesday to go to a friend's house but went missing.

Though the police had issued an Amber alert in the city despite not meeting any criteria, the boy could not be found.

The police said the boy was black, has black hair and was wearing a black hoody on the day he went missing.

Sgt. Laurent Gingras told CTV News, "We do not know at this point if a criminal hand is involved or not. We cannot exclude that hypothesis - but we're not putting it forward either at this point."

Police have said a lady told a passerby that he has seen a boy who identifies with the desciption.

"At 2 p.m. Monday, a lady might have seen the missing person in a park which is close to his home and his friend's home. It makes sense because he left home at 12:30 ... and the park is right in the middle" Insp. Ian Lafreniere said.

However, the police have cancelled the Amber alert on Wednesday night.
A gaming initiative that could help the Quapaw Tribe return to its homelands in Arkansas has seen another setback.

Leslie Rutledge, the state's attorney general, rejected the proposed "Drive Arkansas Forward" referendum in an opinion on Monday . She said the title and the language were too long, misleading and vague, marking the second time she has turned away the proposal.

The ballot initiative would authorize four casinos in four particular counties in the state. Revenues would be used for highway and road construction.

If the referendum appears on an upcoming ballot and is approved by voters, the tribe could seek to operate one of the casinos. The tribe once had a reservation in Arkansas, and is seeking to have land there placed in trust, but that county isn't a part of the initiative.

Instead, the tribe is interested in Jefferson County. The tribe's ties include the burial site of Chief Saracen , also known as Sarasen, who was laid to rest in the city of Pine Bluff.

This is a chance to bring Pine Bluff back to its old self, Quapaw Chairman John Berrey said at an announcement for the proposal, The Pine Bluff Commercial reported. Its a big deal for the citizens of Pine Bluff and Jefferson County.

The tribe already operates the Downstream Casino Resort and the Quapaw Casino on its homelands in Oklahoma. Portions of Downstream extend into Kansas and Missouri, though gaming is not presently offered in those states.

Read More on the Story: State AG rejects casino proposal (The Pine Bluff Commercial March 13, 2018) AG Rutledge shoots down casinos for highways amendment a second time (Talk Business & Politics March 12, 2018) Attorney general rejects casino amendment wording (The Arkansas Times March 12, 2018)

Join the Conversation

Related Stories
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh might be soaking in the success of Padmaavat but his past is not ready to leave him anytime soon. Similar,ly Arjun Kapoor who is shooting for Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar and Namastey Canada did not know that there will be no relief for him.



We're talking about the infamous AIB roast that caught people's attention for all the wrong reasons. The Bombay High Court has now refused to grant any interim relief to actors Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor on an FIR filed against them and some other film personalities in 2015 for allegedly using obscene and abusive language during the comedy event.

Twitter

A bench of justices R M Savant and Sarang Kotwal directed the actors' lawyer to first serve a copy of their plea to one of the complainants in the case, activist Santosh Dundkar. The actors had urged the court to direct, by way of an interim relief, the Pune and Mumbai police to refrain from taking any coercive action against them. The bench, however, said it will consider the prayer only after the complainant was provided a copy of the petition, and scheduled the matter for further hearing on April 3.

Screengrab

On December 20, 2014, Singh and Kapoor, along with 10 other celebrities, including Karan Johar, Deepika Padukone, and members of the AIB team, had performed at a charity event in Worli. The video of the event was uploaded on YouTube a year later and it went viral.

In February 2015, Dundkar filed a complaint with the chief metropolitan magistrate of Girgaon court, alleging that the show was "vulgar, obscene...pornographic." The court then ordered that an FIR be registered against all the 10 people.

Twitter

Soon after, another FIR was registered against all 10 of them in Pune following a complaint by a local alleging obscenity during the event. Singh and Kapoor approached the high court earlier this year after they received summons from the Pune police, directing them to visit the police station for questioning and recording their statements.

They claimed in their plea that the FIRs against them bore an ulterior motive. They also alleged that the FIRs were filed with a "mischievous" and mala fide intent, and sought that the same be quashed. Later, another bench of the Bombay High Court had granted an interim relief to Padukone, Johar, and the AIB members and directed both the Mumbai and Pune police not to take any coercive action against them until further orders.
Before this farmer's protest rally in Maharashtra, Vijoo Krishnan was just a known name between a limited circle of farmer activists, but now the situation is different and almost everyone know him by his name.

He is the man behind this 'peaceful' protest by farmers to get their demands fulfilled. It has left many implications on India's socio-political spectrum.

The march not only had a glimpse of the significance that farmers still hold in this country but also focused on the fact that the state cannot take farmers lightly.

News18

Vijoo Krishnan, 44, is a former President of Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU). He was the leader of the Students Federation of India (SFI) who now contributes as the Joint Secretary of All-India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), the largest farmers' organisation in the country that led the Long March from Nashik to Mumbai this week.

This is an uprising of the agrarian sector and it has been happening for the last two years. It is happening in many parts of the country such as Rajasthan, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh apart from Maharashtra, said Vijoo Krishnan in an interview with News18.

pti

He also said that the protests have been happening for some time now, but an umbrella body is needed to take these big and small protest as one.

There were various kinds of agitations prior to this and now we have an active participation of about 50,000 farmers. The participation in Rajasthan was almost equal to this or even more, however, the mainstream media had to take a note of the agitation with this. Of course, this gives us hope for the future and it shows the strength of All-India Kisan Sabha, he said.

Vijoo Krishnan after completing a doctoral programme on the changing Indian agrarian economy, joined St Joseph's College, Bengaluru, as the Head of the Post Graduate Department of Political Science.

However, after a couple of years in teaching, he quit his job to become a full-time activist. He says that there's still a long way to go before farmers start to live a better life.
Pakistan has violated ceasefire along Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir 633 times in the first two months of 2018. The violations killed 10 security personnel and 12 civilians, including women and children, Union minister of state for home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir told the Lok Sabha.

He said 432 incidents of ceasefire violation have taken place along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and 201 such incidents along the International Border till February this year.

In 2017, there were 860 incidents of ceasefire violation along the LoC and 111 incidents of ceasefire violation along the International Border in Jammu & Kashmir.

AFP/Representational Image

Ahir also said that 12 civilians were killed and 59 others were injured in such incidents this year.

In the wake of rising tensions at the border, the Border Security Force (BSF) refused to exchange sweets and greetings with their Pakistani counterparts - the Pakistan Rangers, on the occasion of the 69th Republic Day.

The move by the BSF came following the heightened tension between both countries along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir due to repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces leading to killing of soldiers and civilians on the Indian side.

Reuters/Representational Image

The truce between India and Pakistan along the International Border, the Line of Control and the Actual Ground Position Line in Jammu and Kashmir came into force in November 2003.

India shares a 3,323-km-long border with Pakistan of which 221 km of the IB and 740 km of the LoC fall in Jammu and Kashmir.
Stephen William Hawking, an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and inventor of many groundbreaking things passed away at the age of 76 in the wee hours of Wednesday morning. Based on his thorough understanding of general concepts of relativity and quantum mechanics, Hawkings gave birth to a lot of discoveries, especially his theory of cosmology.

He was born on January 8, 1942, and is best known for his contribution in the field of fields of cosmology, quantum gravity, black holes and for writing his bestselling book A Brief History of Time.

1. Stephen Hawking during an announcement of the Breakthrough Starshot initiative.

Reuters

2. Indian President K.R. Narayanan interacts with award-winning author Stephen Hawking.

AFP

3. Stephen Hawking with his second wife, Elaine Mason, after their marriage.

Reuters

4. New bride of theorist Stephen Hawkin Elaine Mason kiss after their civil wedding.

Reuters

5. Professor Stephen Hawking attends an exhibition which explores improving communication for the disabled.

Reuters

4. Professor Stephen Hawking shares stage with his daughter Lucy during a press conference at the University of Cambridge.

AFP

5. Microsoft President Bill Gates meets Professor Stephen Hawking.

Reuters

5. Giving a speech during the opening ceremony of the 2012 Paralympics in London.

AFP

6. Meeting the Queen at a reception for the Leonard Cheshire disability charity.

Reuters

7. Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama at the White House.

AFP

8. Former South African President Nelson Mandela meets Stephen Hawking at Mandela's Foundation office.

Reuters

9. Stephen Hawking and John Ellis after Hawking gave a lecture.

Reuters

10. Stephen Hawking at the White House with a live broadcast from U.S. astronaut David Wolf on the Mir spacecraft.

Reuters

11. Meeting Pope Benedict XVI greets British professor Hawking during a meeting of science academics at the Vatican.

reuters

12. Jane Wilde Hawking kisses her ex-husband Stephen Hawking at the UK premiere of the film 'The Theory of Everything'.

Reuters

13. Stephen Hawking speaks at a media event to launch a global science initiative.

Reuters

14. Stephen Hawking, professor of physics at the University of Cambridge, gives a lecture in Vienna.

Reuters
Scientists perform the incredibly important task of driving humanity forward, with their work pushing the boundaries of science, math, and in essence, the unknown. And yet, youd probably be hard-pressed to name as many scientists as you can Hollywood actors for instance.

Stephen Hawking was the exception to this, one of the few scientists to achieve rock star status in society. There isnt anyone in the world that doesnt know his name, and at least something about him. Heck, hes even made it into the Simpsons. But Hawkings achievements were numerous, right up until his death on Wednesday, at age 76.

1. Hawking gained a scholarship to Oxford, attaining a nearly perfect score on the Physics test in the process. He eventually obtained his PhD degree in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, specialising in general relativity and cosmology from Cambridge.

2. Diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) at age 21, doctors only gave him a few years to live. Despite becoming wheelchair-bound and paralyzed, Hawking defied the odds to far outlive that declaration, despite his condition.

I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many, he wrote on his website. I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope.

3. Hawkings book, A Brief History of Time, is considered one of the greatest scientific works of the modern age, and has sold more than 10 million copies to date.

4. With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory to form the theory of singularities, which proved their existence and theorized thats how the universe probably began.

5. With James Bardeen and Brandon Carter, Hawking discovered the four laws of black hole mechanics.

6. In 1974, Hawking proved that black holes emit radiation, which may continue till they exhaust their energy and evaporate.

7. Along with James Hartle, he published a model that states time didnt exist before the Big Bang and hence the concept of the beginning of the universe is meaningless. Its still one of the most prominent theories on the initial state of the universe.

8. With Thomas Hertog in 2006, he proposed a theory of top-down cosmology, which says the universe didnt have one unique initial state but was a superposition of many possible conditions. That meant, therefore, we cant study the beginning of the universe By settling on a starting point, we can only infer from the final stage i.e. today.

9. In 1974, Hawking became one of the youngest persons to be elected to the Royal Society of London. In 1982 he was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen, and later the US Presidential Medal of Freedom.

10. Hawking received multiple awards through his lifetime, for his contributions to science, yet has somehow never been awarded the Nobel Prize.

11. In 2007, Hawking and his daughter Lucy collaborated to write George's Secret Key to the Universe, a childrens fiction book explaining heavy scientific ideas to kids.

12. In 2007, despite his paralysis, Hawking floated into simulated zero gravity at age 65. He experienced weightlessness and even did backflips, all to experience what humanity would have to get used to if it wanted to survive.

13. Hawking has achieved worldwide renown, becoming a hero to math and science geeks for his appearances as himself in shows like "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "The Simpsons."
With people who wear hearing aids, sometimes the problem isnt that they cant hear, but that they cant understand what they hear. This is especially the case with small children.

Thats because theres a huge gulf between hearing the words someone is saying and making out their meaning.

A new technique developed by researchers from KU Leuven in Belgium, in collaboration with the University of Maryland, may offer a solution. The team developed an EEG brain cap that reads a persons brainwaves to recreate what theyre hearing. It does this with 64 electrodes fitted onto the cap so it can listen in to a persons brain activity. Based on the device, scientists can gauge whether or not a patient understands whats being said to them.

Our method is independent of the listeners state of mind, Jonas Vanthornhout, one of the researchers on the project, told Digital Trends. Even if the listener doesnt pay attention, we can measure speech understanding. The team does this by using the brainwaves recorded to recreate the sounds the brain has heard. If it matches, that means the brain is processing exactly the same words coming out of a persons mouth. If not, they know the problem with that patients hearing is not one of volume but of understanding, indicating a brain issue or that the hearing aid needs to be tweaked for a specific problem.

Our method will allow for a more accurate diagnosis of patients who cannot actively participate in a speech understanding test because theyre too young, for instance, or because theyre in a coma, Vanthornhout said.

Right now, this test only exists as a proof-of-concept demo, but the team behind it indicates it could have vast long-term applications. For instance, it could give us smart hearing aids or cochlear implants that adjust their signal in real time based on readings telling it how much you understand the speaker. It could also be used to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to diagnose and categorize patients with hearing loss. Then theres also the educational angle, where a teacher can visible see whether all their students understand what theyre saying, even if theyre embarrassed to say so (though it can only gauge language, and not whether a kid understands concepts in the course material).

We are currently mapping the effects of attention on speech understanding, Vanthornhout added. In order to make our method more clinically relevant, we are also validating it in a population of hearing aid users, cochlear implant users, and in multiple age groups. We are also investigating how the different parts of the brain contribute to speech understanding.
A Different Kind of Wall - Across the Gulf of Mexico by WTUL News and Views

Tuesday Mar 13th, 2018 10:20 PM

Scott Eustis, Gulf Restoration Network stopped in to WTUL News and Views to give an update on environmental concerns and issues of injustice in Louisiana and our neighbors to the West. The effects of Hurricane Harvey continue to plague residents in the flood plains.

Listen now: Copy the code below to embed this audio into a web page: <audio preload="none" src="https://www.indybay.org/uploads/2018/03/13/interview_with_scott.mp3" controls="controls"></audio>

[ Audio: 22:14 ]



There's much discussion about building a wall across Mexico but, have you heard about the "Coastal Spine" aka the "Ike Dike"? Houston decision makers propose to control the power of water by building a wall across the Gulf of Mexico.



How about oil pipelines in Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin? The last of the the nation's largest river swamps is on the radar of oil profiteers.



Other topics discussed include the need for floodplain ordinances and more.
Carmaker Stellantis loses former FCA CEO Manley AP - 15 minutes ago MILAN (AP)  PSA Peugeots takeover of Fiat Chrysler to form the worlds fourth-largest carmaker has had its first executive casualty, with former Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley stepping down as his... $SPX : 4,384.94 (+0.62%) $DOWI : 34,191.38 (+0.65%) $IUXX : 15,109.16 (+0.65%) PUGOY : 27.2800 (+0.66%)

UK energy crisis: Government races to avert food shortages AP - 52 minutes ago LONDON (AP)  The British government is racing to avert shortages of meat, poultry and packaged foods amid a crisis in the food processing industry triggered by soaring energy costs. $SPX : 4,384.94 (+0.62%) $DOWI : 34,191.38 (+0.65%) $IUXX : 15,109.16 (+0.65%)
Extensive original reporting about girls and women around the world, their achievements, and the social, political and economic problems affecting their lives, was on the programming menu at the Voice of America in honor of International Womens Day on March 8th.

The VOA News Center launched a three-part television series examining sex trafficking with a unique focus on women in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, a TV and web report concerning empowering refugee women, a profile of Tahera Rahman, the first American news anchor to wear a hijab on the air, as well as stories about the growing number of female candidates in U.S. politics. The coverage didnt end there, though, as VOA United Nations Correspondent Margaret Besheer will be reporting from the 62nd annual session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN from March 12th to the 23rd.

VOAs newest TV program, Plugged in with Greta Van Susteren, marked International Womens Day with a conversation with Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN), chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Womens Issues. Rep. Brooks discussed initiatives she and other Members of Congress have led to bolster womens rights in the U.S. and around the world. Also joining the show was Ayesha Tanzeem, VOAs Islamabad Bureau Chief, who explained that the #MeToo movement in the U.S. is being followed in Pakistan through social media. Tanzeem also described some of the more difficult issues facing women in South Asia. Lastly, Kamissa Camara, Africa director of PartnersGlobal, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., discussed the specific challenges confronting women in Africa.

Social media for International Womens Day was abuzz as well at VOA. Content on a variety of platforms examined the conditions for women in Latin America to highlight Hispanic women at American University, to focus on young women working with, Girl Up, a UN organization to empower women, and to talk with Maria Emma Mejia, Colombian Ambassador to the UN, about the role of women in fulfilling economic goal development.

VOA language services carried special programming dedicated exclusively to the commemorative day, including TV and radio reports, interactive Facebook Live chats and other social media products. Most of VOAs 45 language services spoke with a variety of elected officials, academics, activists, advocacy groups, as well as everyday women about the challenges they face.

Voice of America has led this initiative and given all of us the opportunity, as media organizations and as journalists, to participate in a program about the role of women in politics and society. It has been an opportunity to learn about the issues and challenges facing others in the region, wrote Anibal Toruno, Director of Radio Dario, an affiliate of VOAs Spanish service in Nicaragua.
It is difficult to imagine a more suitable way for us to transform from private equity ownership than to become part of such an extraordinary business as Acrisure, said Beach chief executive Grahame Millwater when the acquisition agreement was unveiled in January. The cultural fit is remarkable, our business ambitions are aligned, and we have a deep regard for Acrisures management team and their strategy.

This transaction gives both us and our clients long-term clarity, and we are excited about being afforded the support to pursue ambitious growth plans. Aquiline has been a deeply supportive investor and we are grateful for their contribution to our success so far.

Retaining its name and identity, Beach will operate as an independent advisory and transactional broking business within Acrisure. All of the existing management team, meanwhile, will also remain and have elected to become shareholders in the Michigan-based parent firm.

For our first acquisition outside North America, we were looking for a strong management team, international reach, and significant reinsurance and insurance portfolio expertise, said Acrisure chief executive Gregory Williams previously. In Beach, we have found all of that and more. We look forward with real enthusiasm to both supporting Beachs growth and to partnering with a world-class executive team as we grow our collective business.

Beach, which has just formed a specialty and wholesale platform, employs more than 160 people across seven offices globally.

Related stories:
The Actuaries Institute will bring together climate change experts and representatives from the insurance industry for the Catastrophe Risk Seminar: Funding Future Resilience.

The event will be held Tuesday at Radisson Blu, Sydney; and will feature David Karoly, an atmospheric scientist, climate change expert, and adviser to the government; Holger Maier, a professor with the University of Adelaide, whose work focuses on managing infrastructure in a changing environment; and Rade Musulin, CEO at US farm insurer FBAlliance, as keynote speakers.
Chubb has been a leader in the life sciences industry for more than 25 years, said Chubb North America division president of small commercial insurance Jim Williamson. Our experience shows that small life sciences firms are vulnerable to a range of unique property and liability exposures, including research and development costs, product contamination and class action litigation

To that end, Chubb has developed a broad portfolio of comprehensive coverages specifically designed for small life science firms, Williamson explained.

Some of the tailored property and liability products Chubb is offering to small life sciences firms include Chubb BOP (Business Owner's Policy), workers compensation, commercial auto, Cyber Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Digitech ERM, foreign package, umbrella, and management and professional liability insurance protection.

The solutions are designed to help small businesses in the areas of:

Medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology research and development companies

Medical device manufacturers and distributors

Biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors

Dietary supplement and nutraceutical manufacturers

Contract research organisations

Health technology and healthcare related software development companies

Chubb Small Commercial Insurance is focused on innovation for independent agents. Our expansion into life sciences is another step on our journey to changing how small business insurance gets done in the independent agent channel, Williamson added.

Related stories: